FBI Director Meets with Moroccan and Portuguese Partners

Law enforcement leaders discuss international partnerships and national security threats.

FBI Director Christopher Wray traveled to Morocco and Portugal this past week to highlight the important role international partnerships play in combatting national security and global threats. Director Wray met with key partners in each country to discuss shared challenges in law enforcement and national security.

In Morocco, Director Wray met with senior security officials to discuss how to deepen the already strong relationship. They discussed areas of cooperation such as mutual commitment to supporting stability and how to protect both countries' national security interests.

Director Wray met with law enforcement and intelligence partners in Portugal to discuss and deepen further collaboration on a number of criminal and national security threats. He also met with members of the private sector to engage on the ways that the public and private sector could work together to address pressing cyber threats.

Throughout his meetings with Moroccan and Portuguese partners, Director Wray expressed the gratitude of the FBI and intelligence communities for their continued collaboration, while reinforcing a shared commitment to working together in todays evolving threat landscape.

This story has been published on: 2023-02-23. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: KZN ploughs R70m into youth unemployment

The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government will in April disperse R70 million from the Youth Empowerment Fund to applicants who meet the requirements, Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube said on Friday.

Dube-Ncube said the province has repurposed the Youth Fund and set aside R100 million for the 2023/24 financial year to benefit more young people in sectors that create jobs, as opposed to businesses that employ only a few people.

She said the application window for this year will be announced shortly.

Among the interventions we will be focussing on is the partnership with Sumitomo/Dunlop to roll out smart centres and cooperatives in townships and rural areas. These cooperatives will be fully owned by young people and will promote local economic growth in the tyre industry, Dube-Ncube said.

She said the province is repositioning all its employment programmes to benefit young people and those over 35 years, and more economic models will be announced by departments during Budget Votes.

The Executive Council resolved that each department, except for the frontline services departments, must reprioritise within their budgets an amount of R10 million to contribute towards job creation through an intensified Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) to benefit youth, women and people with disabilities, Dube-Ncube said.

Over R140 billion allocated SMMEs and co-operatives

The Premier also announced that Ithala Development Finance Corporation (IDFC) has distributed R146 million funding to 293 Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) and co-operatives, creating 1 297 employment opportunities for the period up to 31 December 2022.

Ithala is also supporting the launch of projects in townships and rural areas, including a R40 million plywood manufacturing plant close to KwaNongoma; a R100 million logistics hub in Estcourt; a R25 million fuel depot in Mnambithi; and a R35 million roofing material manufacturing plant in eThekwini.

The total number of jobs that will be created by the above projects are estimated to be 1 350.

Dube-Ncube said the inaugural window of Operation Vula Fund saw 1 016 applications worth R339.2 million being approved for funding in various priority sectors of the economy.

In 2023/24, IDFC plans to distribute business funding of approximately R214 million and facilitate the creation of 2000 job opportunities. It further intends to support Rural and Township based SMMEs and co-operatives in line with the Investment Policy on Informal and Rural Township Economy.

Working with Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs and Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC), we will support the implementation of the Black Industrialist Program through the provision of rental space and business funding to viable black businesspeople, the Premier said.

R700 million accessed by KZN Black Industrialists

Dube-Ncube said in 2022/23, 35 KZN Black Industrialists were assisted to access an estimated R700 million of the DTIC Grant Fund, with 4 000 jobs created.

The province, through Trade & Investment KwaZulu-Natal (TIKZN), attracted a R150 million investment into the manufacturing of steel drums, with a projection of 100 employment opportunities being created. Over the MTEF [Medium Term Expenditure Framework] period, the KZN Gaming and Betting Board undertakes to facilitate the creation of 2 250 jobs in the gaming and betting industry in order to address unemployment.

In addition, the entity will provide a 45% targeted procurement spend towards businesses/entrepreneurs from townships and rural areas. Over 150 women, youth and people with disabilities through economic opportunities within gambling industry will be given opportunities, Dube-Ncube said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2023-02-24. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
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According to GSM Arena, tech related news website, this new rumor comes from reputable leakster Ice Universe and it suggests that the device will have a reworked hinge mechanism.

The new info confirms Samsung will use a new waterdrop-style hinge for the Fold5 which is not the first time this development has come out.

As per the outlet, a similar report came out from South Korean publication Naver News last month.

The Samsung Display "droplet" folding hinge mechanism enables the Fold5's folding panel to take the shape of a droplet inside the hinge body, preventing the panel's two sides from creasing together.

In their foldable devices, Motorola and Oppo have employed similar strategies to conceal the crease. The Fold5 will only be 13.x mm thick when folded, which is a significant improvement over the Z Fold4's 15.8 mm thickness, according to Ice Universe, reported GSM Arena.

Meanwhile, according to the outlet, the Galaxy Z Fold5, won't have a built-in S Pen slot, despite some rumours to the contrary. A South Korean report tells that Samsung considered adding a slot for the S Pen in the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold5 during the design phase but decided that it would make the device too thick. (ANI)
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday claimed that his sources have confirmed that Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, who has been called for questioning by the CBI with regard to the Delhi liquor excise policy case, will be arrested on Sunday by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Speaking at the ABP Network's second edition of 'Ideas of India' Summit, Kejriwal said, "CBI has called Manish Sisodia for questioning. Our sources are saying that he will be arrested on Sunday... It is very sad." The Delhi Chief Minister further said that the CBI raided Sisodia's residence and searched his bank lockers, but nothing was found. "CBI raided Manish Sisodia, searched his bank accounts, raided his house, searched his lockers, raided his office, raided properties in his village but nothing was found," said the Delhi CM. Kejriwal said that Sisodia offered hope of a good future to crores of poor children in the country. Lauding the Deputy Chief Minister for improving the education system in Delhi, Kejriwal said, "Manish Sisodia is the person, who after 75 years of independence has given hope to the poor people of this country that their children can also have a good future. Today in Delhi, the children of the poor are becoming doctors, engineers and lawyers. Manish Sisodia has given a lot of hope to them." He claimed that a conspiracy has been hatched to defame such a person by framing him in a false case. "If you arrest him and put him in jail in a false case, how will the country make progress? If the king of a country will send to jail those who give education to the children of the poor in that country and will hand over the entire country to two four friends, then how will the country progress?" he added. Kejriwal also said that he first met Sisodia on December 29, 1999, when he was working in the Income Tax department. Notably, Sisodia on Monday said that the CBI has called him for questioning on February 26 in connection with the Delhi liquor excise policy case. Earlier, the CBI had asked Sisodia to appear for questioning on February 19. On last Sunday, Sisodia requested the central agency to defer questioning saying that he is "preparing the budget" at present and can only appear before it towards February-end. However, Sisodia has not been named an accused in the chargesheet filed in the case. Arrested businessmen Vijay Nair and Abhishek are among the seven accused named in the chargesheet. In August last year, the CBI searched Sisodia's bank locker in connection with the case. The deputy CM claimed the sleuths did not find any incriminating material in his locker. Several raids were conducted at 21 places in Delhi and the National Capital Region, including Sisodia's residence, and the premises of four public servants last year, according to a CBI officer, who further said that the raids were conducted across 7 states. The CBI launched a probe in the matter on the basis of a report forwarded by the Delhi chief secretary to L-G Saxena recommending a probe by the central agency. (ANI)
A Delhi court on Friday listed for March 7 hearing on the charges against Aaftab Amin Poonawala for allegedly strangling his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar and then chopping her body into several pieces. Principal District and Sessions Judge Narottam Kaushal assigned the case to the court of Additional Sessions Judge Manisha Khurana Kakkar, who has now fixed the date for the hearing. On February 21, the city's Saket court on had sent the case to the sessions court for initiation of trial proceedings. Metropolitan Magistrate Aviral Shukla had said: "Scrutiny of documents is complete... Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code is exclusively triable by sessions court." "The accused be produced before Principal District and Sessions Judge on February 24 at 2 p.m.." Poonawala had requested the court at the hearing for permission to carry a copy of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), a notebook, and a pen to the proceedings so that he could take notes and help his counsel. In response, Poonawala was directed to file an application before the Sessions court. On February 13, Poonawala had filed applications in the court for release of a 'proper' soft copy of the charge sheet and his educational certificates to pursue higher studies. The court had on February 7 taken cognisance of the charge sheet filed by the Delhi Police against Poonawala. On January 24, the police had filed the charge sheet in the case which contains over 6,000 pages, and the court had extended his custody for 14 days. Poonawala, in one of his applications, had alleged that the police's charge sheet -- prepared on the basis of forensic and electronic evidence, having around 100 witnesses -- has "falsely implicated" him in the case. He had also contended that the prosecution intentionally provided a digital copy of the charge sheet, which is not legible. In the two applications, filed by the accused's counsel M.S. Khan, the first plea had stated that he was falsely implicated in the present case and was languishing in jail. Poonawala, who is lodged in Tihar Jail, had also stated in his plea that he wants to pursue higher studies, and hence wants all his certificates. He also immediately requires stationery items like pen, pencil and notebook. The second plea sought a soft copy of the charge sheet in a 'proper' way. "The charge sheet in the soft copy or pen drive is not proper as the prosecution intentionally provided the soft copy which cannot be read," his plea had said. The pen drive was overloaded and not supported by advanced computers and that the video footage was mismanaged, he had claimed. Poonawala had requested the court to pass an order directing the investigating officer to supply the soft copy in a folder-wise manner and the video footage may be in other pen drives as filed in the charge sheet. Poonawala has been accused of killing Walkar and then chopping her body into several pieces and storing them in a refrigerator before disposing of them in the Chhatarpur forest area over a period of three months. --IANS spr/vd ( 533 Words) 2023-02-24-19:24:02 (IANS)
The body of APPSC Under Secretary Tumi Gangkak, who served the Commission as the Assistant Controller of Examinations, was found hanging from a tree near the Itanagar Zoo road tri-junction.

Police recovered the body of the official and launched a probe.

The Central Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case after the APPSC conducted Assistant Engineer (Civil) examination question paper was leaked in August last year.

So far, 41 government employees, including 20 regular employees, 20 employees under probation and one contractual staff, have been arrested in connection with the paper leak scam. All these 20 regular employees have been suspended and departmental enquiry started against them.

--IANS sc/vd

( 158 Words)

2023-02-24-19:26:01 (IANS)
In an important development, the Karnataka High Court on Friday issued notice to the BJP government on a plea challenging creation of posts of political secretary and advisor to the CM "to accommodate loyalists". Taking up a petition filed by the Samaj Parivartana Samudaya, a division bench of Chief Justice P.B. Varale and Justice Ashok S. Kinagi issued notice. The petition questioned creation of posts such as the CM's advisor and political secretary only to accommodate supporters. The notice has also been sent to BJP MLA M.P. Renukacharya, former MLA D.N. Devaraj, leaders Belur Sudarshan and Kedarnatha Mudda. The petition claimed that Renukacharya and former MLA Jeevaraj have been appointed as political secretaries to the CM, while Sudarshan and Mudda have been appointed as advisers to the CM in E-Administration department and Commerce Industry department, respectively, with the rank of a cabinet minister. The petition further claimed that the government's decision for these appointments is unconstitutional, and is a political strategy which would burden government exchequer. It demands these posts be scrapped. --IANS mka/vd ( 188 Words) 2023-02-24-19:42:04 (IANS)
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday favoured caste census as the party's 85th plenary session which started on Friday with the party's steering committee deciding to authorise him to nominate members to the Congress Working Committee (CWC). Party leader Jairam Ramesh said the Congress president stated in his remarks at a meeting that a caste-based census is necessary. "This is an important step for social justice and social empowerment. The Prime Minister is quiet on the caste-based census, but we are talking about this issue in our plenary," Ramesh told reporters. The Steering Committee of Congress met on Friday morning and decided to go for nomination members to Congress Working Committee in view of the challenges faced by the party and the proposed amendments to the party's constitution. There was some speculation that Congress may opt for elections to CWC, a demand that has been raised from time to time by sections in the party. CWC is the highest-decision-making body of Congress. "During the Steering Committee meeting today, members gave their opinion and with everyone's consent the committee decided that the party president should be given the power of selecting CWC members," party leader Jairam Ramesh said at a press conference. He said the issue was discussed for about two-and-a-half hours. "The dominant view, the overwhelming view was that keeping in mind political challenges facing the country, facing the Congress party in its capacity as the main opposition and keeping in mind the far-reaching amendments that we are discussing tomorrow and day after, keeping in mind both the factors, the unanimous view was that this is the time to empower the Congress president to nominate members to the Congress Working Committee," he said. He said 16 articles and 32 rules are proposed to be amended and an important amendment was to provide 50 per cent reservation in the working committee for SCs, STs, OBCs, minorities and youth below the age of 50. Asked if no one from the Gandhi family was present in the meeting of the steering committee and if their concurrence taken, Ramesh said the discussion was held among those present in the meeting. The Subjects Committee held a discussion on the party resolutions on Friday. In his opening remarks, Kharge talked about the challenges including the assembly elections this year and the Lok Sabha polls next year. He attacked the BJP-led government saying democracy and the Constitution were under threat. Noting that 84 sessions of the party have been held since its formation in 1885, he said the plenary this year holds special significance as it marks 100 years since Mahatma Gandhi was elected the Congress president. He hoped that the plenary will be a milestone in the party's journey. The party is likely to amend the constitution to confer party leaders who have been Prime Ministers and party chiefs permanence in the CWC. Party Chief Mallikarjun Kharge and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi will address the session on Saturday. The plenary will also adopt various resolutions including political and economic. Former Party chief Rahul Gandhi will address the plenary on February 26. He will also address the public rally at 3 pm which will also be addressed by Kharge. (ANI)
In a daring anti-poaching operation that spanned across India, the Tamil Nadu Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) and the Wildlife SOS intercepted six members of a notorious tiger poaching gang, who had travelled from Delhi to Ooty to poach big cats in the rich forests of the Niligiri biosphere reserve. The six poachers were caught red-handed at Arasur village in the Sathyamangalam range with a 10-foot-long tiger skin, one tiger skeleton, and one leopard skeleton. This information was given by an official of the Wildlife SOS in Agra. Based on strong intelligence inputs from the Wildlife SOS anti-poaching division gathered over a sustained period of time, a team of investigators from Wildlife SOS from Delhi went to Coimbatore to meet the Tamil Nadu Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) officers following which a plan was chalked out. The operation ended with the interception and arrest of six persons at Arasur village. On sustained questioning, the accused disclosed the locations where their hunting tools and jaw traps were concealed in the forest area where they had killed and skinned the tiger and leopard. A team led by TN WCCB, forest department, police and Wildlife SOS located and dismantled the active hunting devices concealed in the forest. Leopard skin and other hunting devices were also retrieved from the forest. The accused, four men and two women, are currently under custody and will be booked under the relevant sections of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972. Tigers receive the highest degree of protection in India but are targeted by poachers for their body parts which are used as ingredients in traditional Chinese medicines. Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS, and head of the anti-poaching division, said, "Wildlife SOS informants put their lives at risk to infiltrate the Bawaria communities for gathering vital intelligence, which then helped us carry out the operation with the TN WCCB team in the Sathyamangalam area. This operation will be significant in uncovering a larger network of poachers and putting an end to the crimes committed against tigers." Geeta Seshamani, Co-founder and Secretary, Wildlife SOS, said, "Tiger body parts like bones, claws, canines, whiskers etc. are used as ingredients in Chinese traditional medicines thus creating demand for poaching of these magnificent animals." Mahendran, ACF, Tamil Nadu Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, said, "Once we met the Wildlife SOS team and received the inputs, we chalked out a plan and formed a special hand-picked team for this operation which was executed successfully." --IANS bk/arm ( 423 Words) 2023-02-24-21:08:03 (IANS)
The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Maharashtra Police to carry out further investigation against NCP leader and then Cabinet Minister, Jitendra Awhad, on the complaint of civil engineer who was allegedly "ruthlessly and mercilessly" beaten at his residence in April 2020, for criticising him in a Facebook post for ridiculing the Prime Minister. A bench of Justices M.R. Shah and C.T. Ravikumar observed that there has to be a fair investigation and a fair trial and the fair trial may be quite difficult unless there is a fair investigation. It added that the power to order fresh, de novo or reinvestigation being vested with the constitutional courts, the commencement of a trial and examination of some witnesses cannot be an absolute impediment for exercising the said constitutional power which is meant to ensure a fair and just investigation. The top court allowed in part an appeal filed by the victim, Anant Thanur Karmuse challenging the order passed by Bombay High Court in April 26 last year. The bench pointed at the absence of proper investigation into the matter and the state agency, which opposed the petition before the high court, admitted after government change in Maharashtra that further investigation is still required on certain aspects. The bench said: "The High Court has committed a very serious error in not ordering and/or permitting the state police agency to further investigate into the FIR... The High Court has not considered the relevant aspects narrated hereinabove and therefore interference of this Court is warranted." However, the apex court declined to entertain a plea by appellant for transferring the case to the CBI. The bench said: "The judgment and order passed by the High Court refusing to order further investigation/re-investigation is hereby quashed and set aside and we direct/ permit the State investigating agency to further investigate into the FIR... and on what aspects the further investigation shall be carried out is left to the wisdom of the State investigating agency." The top court said the investigation should be completed as early as possible, preferably within three months. The bench observed that in the second supplementary charge sheet in the month of March, 2022, the former minister was named as accused, and not prior to that when the first charge sheet, the supplementary charge sheet were filed and even when the charges against the other accused were framed. "Mere filing of the charge sheet and framing of the charges cannot be an impediment in ordering further investigation/re-investigation/de novo investigation, if the facts so warrant." The appellant claimed that at around 11.50 p.m. on April 5, 2020, four policemen, two dressed in civilian dress and other two in uniform, forcibly took him to the bungalow of the minister at Thane. The then Minister allegedly instructed his men to beat him and threatened him to delete the post immediately. --IANS ss/vd ( 493 Words) 2023-02-24-21:26:01 (IANS)
It is the last day of the fortnightly celebration of the Gyalpo Losar festival for the indigenous Sherpa Community, the aboriginals of the High Himalayas known for their expertise in ascending the sky-notching mountains. Sherpa residing in Kathmandu on Thursday gathered at monasteries performing rituals and cultural performances praying for success and blessing from Mother Nature. Soon after the celebration, many of the celebrating Sherpa will be back on the mountain slopes assisting climbers in making their summit attempt a success. "This (Gyalpo Losar) is the beginning of a new year. After Losar, the expedition season starts, before setting off for it we have to pray and worship at Gumba following the culture. Then after we set off for the base camp and prepare everything there. Before moving up to the high camps we also perform the rituals there to appease the God. Upon getting the signal to go up we climb the mountain and it would grant us success," Phurba Sherpa, a member of the mountain climbing Sherpa community also known as the guides of the Himalayas told ANI. The celebration of Gyalp Losar follows the Tibetan calendar which is also called as the Tibetan New Year and is celebrated for two weeks. During this time the people sing, dance and eat special foods and attend special ceremonies at the Gompa, or monastery. The main festival is celebrated in the first three days. On the first day, they clean the house and share a special beverage called Changkol. Changkol is derived from Chhaang or Tibetan beer. When the clock strikes midnight, the traditional greeting of "Tashi Delek," meaning "blessings and good luck," is shared and friends and family stay up late to welcome the New Year. In the morning, many Sherpa changes out the Dhoja, or prayer flags, symbolizing the fresh start of the New Year. The term Losar is derived from two words Lo, meaning year and Sar, the word for new. Losar is celebrated in Nepal mostly by the Sherpa, Tibetan, Tamang, Bhutia and Yolmo people. According to ancient lore, Losar was first celebrated when an old woman named Belma introduced the measurement of time based on the phases of the moon. In ancient times, people went to the local spring to perform rituals of gratitude. Offerings were made to the Nagas, or water spirits, who activated the water element in the area, and smoke offerings were made to the local spirits associated with the natural world. These rituals took place for an entire month leading up to New Year's Day. The Sherpa community of Nepal is mainly dependent on mountaineering and expeditions. They've been assigned to fix the ropes to the summit which officially opens the summit window to climbing enthusiasts. For being stronger in high altitudes, Sherpa is well-suited for alpine-style expeditions on the Himalayas. Climbers mainly need them to carry oxygen, and the gears and as safety on the summit path. They are highly recognized as elite mountaineers and experts in high-altitude adventures. The mountaineering-dependent community since 2020 had to face a heavy crunch as the COVID-19 pandemic kept mountaineers off the mountains. A celebration like that of Thursday was also muted due to the contagion but it is back in a gap of two years and has made heroes of the mountains more resilient and strong. "Due to COVID-19, we had to undergo treacherous situations as well as the world. But this year being able to return back to celebrate the Losar and we have been praying that the same situation never comes again. We have been organizing this kind of ritual for the well-being of the nature and world," Pemba Sherpa said. (ANI)
India on Thursday exercised it's 'Right of Reply' at UNGA against Pakistan and advised Islamabad to look at its track record as a state that provides safe heavens to terrorists. At the United Nations General Assembly Eleventh Emergency Special Session, Indian Counsellor Pratik Mathur said, "Pakistan has only to look at itself and its track record as a State that harbours and provides safe havens to terrorists and does so with impunity." He also advised the Pakistani delegation to refer to the numerous Right of Replies that India has exercised in the past. Mathur said, "I am taking the floor to say that India chooses this time not to respond to Pakistan's mischievous provocations. Our advice to the delegate of Pakistan is to refer to the numerous RoRs that we have exercised in the past." Calling out Pakistan's uncalled-for provocation "regrettable", Mathur also said that after two days of intense discussions, all the members present in the UN have agreed that the path of peace can be the only path to resolve conflict and discord. India's most wanted Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba's (LeT) deputy chief Abdul Rehman Makki was designated as "global terrorist" in January India had made listings of Pak-based terrorists a top priority of its UNSC tenure during 2021-22. A total of five names -- Abdul Rehman Makki (LeT), Abdul Rauf Asghar (JeM), Sajid Mir (LeT), Shahid Mahmood (LeT), and Talha Saeed (LeT) -- were submitted by India for designation under 1267 in 2022. Each of these five names was initially placed on technical hold by one member state (China) while all other 14 members of the Council agreed to their listing.In 2020, a Pakistani anti-terrorism court convicted Makki on one count of terrorism financing and sentenced him to prison, acccording to the US State Department. Earlier in this month, India's Indus Commissioner issued a notice to Pakistani counterpart to notify a date for the commencement of interstate bilateral negotiations to rectify an ongoing material breach of the Indus Water treaty, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Thursday. He further said that India is not involved in the process of the arbitration court. "We have issued rather our India's Indus Commissioner issued a notice on January 25 for modification of the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 to his Pakistani counterpart. This notice was issued with the intent to provide Pakistan an opportunity to enter into government-to-government negotiations, to rectify an ongoing material breach of the treaty. We have called upon Pakistan to notify a suitable date for the commencement of interstate bilateral negotiations under article XII (3) within 90 days," Bagchi said in response to a question on India's notice to Pakistan for amendments to the Indus water treaty. "I am not aware of a response from Pakistan as of yet. I am not aware of any response or comment by the World Bank," Bagchi said. He added by saying that India is not participating or involved in the process in any way, in response to a media query on New Delhi's position on the arbitration court.India issued notice to Pakistan on January 25 for modification of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of September 1960 after Islamabad's actions adversely impinged the provisions of the treaty, according to sources. (ANI)
US President Joe Biden has named Ajay Banga, the former Indian American head of Mastercard, to head the World Bank, the white House said announced on Thursday. If confirmed by the World Bank Board, Banga will be the first person of Indian descent to head the World Bank. He will succeed David Malpas, who was appointed to head the bank by fthen President Donald Trump. Banga will be the second American of Asian-American descent in that position; the first was Dr. Jim Yong Kim. The US has historically had a hold on the Presidency of the World Bank and the Europeans on the International Monetary Fund (IMF). "Ajay is uniquely equipped to lead the World Bank at this critical moment in history. He has spent more than three decades building and managing successful, global companies that create jobs and bring investment to developing economies, and guiding organisations through periods of fundamental change," Biden said in a statement. "He has a proven track record managing people and systems, and partnering with global leaders around the world to deliver results." Vice President Kamala Harris, who is also Indian American, said in a separate statement: "Ajay Banga will be a transformative World Bank President as the institution works to deliver on its core development goals and address pressing global challenges, including climate change." Harris said she has worked with Banga since her election "on a new model of public-private partnership designed to address the root causes of migration in Northern Central America", which was a key responsibility Biden entrusted her with to curb the flow of migrants from the region into the US. Banga, who was born in India and studied at Delhi's St Stephen's College, is currently serves as vice chairman at General Atlantic. Previously, he was President and CEO of Mastercard. The White House said that over the course of his career, Banga has become a global leader in technology, data, financial services and innovating for inclusion. He previously served on the Boards of the American Red Cross, Kraft Foods and Dow Inc. He has worked closely with Vice President Harris as the Co-Chair of the Partnership for Central America. He is a member of the Trilateral Commission, a founding trustee of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, a former member of the National Committee on United States-China Relations, and Chairman Emeritus of the American India Foundation. Banga was awarded the Foreign Policy Association Medal in 2012, the Padma Shri Award by India in 2016, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and the Business Council for International Understanding's Global Leadership Award in 2019, and the Distinguished Friends of Singapore Public Service Star in 2021 --IANS yrj/al/vd ( 468 Words) 2023-02-23-22:52:02 (IANS)
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, on Thursday (local time) accidentally reffered President Joe Biden as "President Obama." While addressing a presser, Pierre's slip-of-the-tongue moment was captured on live TV where she accidentally called the current President "President Obama." "So today, as you all saw just an hour or so ago, President Obama announced that--Pardon me, President Biden!" Jean-Pierre said as reporters shouted in surprise. "Whoa! Ahem, that is news. I know, we're going back not forwards. We've gotta go forwards," she said. She then announced "President Biden's" nominee Ajay Banga to lead the World Bank. White House Press Secretary said, "The US nominated Ajay Banga to be president of the World Bank. President Biden himself said he is uniquely equipped to lead the world bank, he is a renowned business executive that has managed companies bringing jobs and investment to developing economies. "He (Ajay Banga) has a proven track record of creating public-private partnerships. Raised in India he has a unique perspective on opportunities and challenges facing developing countries & how World Bank can deliver on its agenda for prosperity and reduce poverty," she added. Earlier, on Thursday, US President Joe Biden nominated former Mastercard CEO Ajay Banga to lead the World Bank. "Ajay is uniquely equipped to lead the World Bank at this critical moment in history. He has spent more than three decades building and managing successful, global companies that create jobs and bring investment to developing economies, and guiding organizations through periods of fundamental change. He has a proven track record managing people and systems and partnering with global leaders around the world to deliver results," read Biden's statement. Banga, a business leader with extensive experience leading successful organizations in developing countries and forging public-private partnerships to address financial inclusion and climate change, is to be President of the World Bank. "He also has critical experience mobilizing public-private resources to tackle the most urgent challenges of our time, including climate change. Raised in India, Ajay has a unique perspective on the opportunities and challenges facing developing countries and how the World Bank can deliver on its ambitious agenda to reduce poverty and expand prosperity," read the statement.The decision comes after World Bank's President David Malpass earlier said that he will step down almost a year early from his position. Malpass' exit comes months after calls grew for him to step down after he declined to acknowledge the scientific consensus that fossil fuels were warming the planet. (ANI)
Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations and the University for Peace organized a high-level panel discussion on Gandhian Trusteeship: Mission LiFE and Human Flourishing which highlighted Mahatma Gandhi's doctrine of Trusteeship and its relevance in today's world, according to the statement released by India Mission in UN. In partnership with the University for Peace, the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations organized a high-level panel discussion on Gandhian Trusteeship: Mission LiFE and Human Flourishing at the United Nations Headquarters on Thursday. The event highlighted and deliberated on Mahatma Gandhi's doctrine of Trusteeship and its relevance in today's world with a focus on the concept of Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) and Human Flourishing to promote sustainable lifestyles and enduring peace, according to the statement. Ruchira Kamboj, Permanent Representative of India along with Mathu Joyini, Permanent Representative of the Republic of South Africa; Trine Heimerback, Deputy Permanent Representative of Norway; Juan Carlos Sainz-Borgo, Vice Rector, University for Peace and Joel H. Rosenthal, President of Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs participated in the panel. Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj impressed upon the concept of LiFE, propounded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which focuses on mindful and deliberate utilisation instead of mindless and destructive consumption. She also spoke to developing a critical mass of Pro Planet People dedicated to the environment, the statement read. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Mission LiFE movement (Lifestyle for the Environment) at the Statue of Unity in Gujarat in October last year. 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)
North Korea test-fired four strategic cruise missiles from Kim Chaek in North Hamgyong province toward the East Sea during a drill on Thursday to demonstrate the "war posture of the DPRK nuclear combat force," Yonhap news agency reported citing Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). According to the news report, a sub-unit of the North's strategic cruise missile unit fired four "Hwasal-2 strategic cruise missiles" from Kim Chaek. The launches came on the heels of the joint military exercises between the US and South Korea earlier this week. The four cruise missiles hit the preset target on the East Sea of Korea after travelling the 2,000-kilometer-long elliptical and eight-shaped flight orbits for 10,208 seconds to 10,224 seconds, the report stated. "The drill reconfirmed the reliability of the weapon system and examined the rapid response posture of strategic cruise missile units that constitute one of major forces of the DPRK nuclear deterrent," Yonhap news agency quoted KCNA as saying. "The drill clearly demonstrated once again the war posture of the DPRK nuclear combat force bolstering up in every way its deadly nuclear counterattack capability against the hostile forces," it added. South Korea's military said it was analysing various possibilities, including whether North Korea's claim of the launches was true or not, the Yonhap report said. In a statement, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the South Korean and United States reconnaissance and surveillance assets were closely monitoring the relevant area at the time of the drills Pyongyang has claimed. On February 22, the US, Japan and South Korea conducted a trilateral ballistic missile defence exercise, the US Navy said in a statement. The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, USS Barry (DDG 52) conducted a trilateral ballistic missile defence exercise in the Sea of Japan along with Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Atago-class guided missile destroyer JS Atago (DDG 177), and South Korea's Navy destroyer ROKS Sejong the Great (DDG 991). "This exercise enhances the interoperability of our collective forces and demonstrates the strength of the trilateral relationship with our Japan and Republic of Korea allies. This trilateral cooperation is reflective of our shared values and resolve against those who challenge regional stability," US Navy said in a statement. (ANI)
Indian-American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who earlier announced that he was entering the Republican race for US president, has said there has been a birth of a new strand of Left after 2008. In a personalised video address that he shared on his Twitter handle, the entrepreneur stressed that the Wall Street and the Silicon Valley joined hands and birthed a new woke-industrial complex that duped both political parties (Republicans and Democrats) into submission. Ramaswamy said, "...but something else happened right around the same time, which was the birth of a new strand of the left with the election of Barack Obama as the first Black President of the United States in 2008. There was the birth of a new strand of the left around that same time that had a slightly different theory of the case." He added, "And what they said was, well, hold on a second, occupy Wall Street, okay? It's not just economic injustice. It's not just poverty that we care about. We have some new concerns on the left like racism and misogyny and bigotry and of course, climate change." Claiming it was an 'opportunity of a lifetime' for big businesses in the US, Ramaswamy said further in his video address, "After 2008, Wall Street and Silicon Valley got in bed with the new left. Together they birthed a new woke-industrial complex that duped both political parties into submission. It's a new hybrid of government & business that together can do what neither can on its own." "If you're big business, if you're Wall Street, occupy Wall Street is a pretty tough pill to swallow. But the new woke stuff was actually pretty easy. You applaud diversity and inclusion. You put some token minorities on your boards. You muse about the racially disparate impact of climate change after you flying a private jet to Davos," he said. Ramaswamy further said, "It's pretty good work if you can get it. But they did not do it for free. They expected that new left to look the other way when it came to leaving their corporate power intact and it worked masterfully like a charm for both sides. That is the story of how a bunch of big banks got in bed with a bunch of woke millennials who themselves are hungry for a cause." "It worked so well on Wall Street that Silicon Valley then said, 'okay, we're going to get in on that'. Because you know what? If you're Silicon Valley back in 2010, 2009, the threat to your power used to come from the Left. 'Break up big tech' was not a right wing slogan back then, it was a Leftwing slogan back then," Ramaswamy said. "They were skeptical of the monopoly power of the rise of concentrated behemoths in Silicon Valley. So we know what Silicon Valley said, they said, 'okay, we can make that same deal with you. We will censor hate speech and misinformation as you define it. We will use our power to advance your substantive ends, but again, we will not do it for free. We effectively expect the new left to look the other way when it comes to leaving our monopoly power intact. And again, that trade work masterfully for both sides," he added. Ramaswamy called the alleged coming together of the Wall Street and Silicon Valley as an "arranged marriage" and an act of "mutual prostitution", resulting in the birth of a "new Leviathan", which he claimed was more powerful than what Thomas Hobbes envisioned 400 years ago. "That is the story of this unholy alliance, this arranged marriage. It was not a marriage of love. It was an act of mutual prostitution and the net result of that act was the birth of a new Leviathan, far more powerful than what Thomas Hobbes envisioned 400 years ago, far more powerful than what our founding fathers envisioned 250 years ago," he said. He added, "This new woke industrial ESG industrial complex that's a hybrid of government power and corporate power that together could accomplish what neither could on its own. And then that's how you get the litany of what you saw follow. In the years thereafter, the rest of corporate America gets in on the act." Ramaswamy said Coca-Cola making statements about a new voting law in Georgia sounds more like a "soft drink manufacturer teaching its employees how to be less white in their words". "However, they do nothing about their own impact on diabetes and obesity in the black community. He said that Nike decries slavery and does not speak about using slave labour in China," he added. Earlier this week, Ramaswamy announced his 2024 US presidential election bid. His announcement came on the heels of Indian-American Republican leader Nikki Haley announcing her 2024 US Presidential bid. "We've celebrated our 'diversity' so much that we forgot all the ways we're really the same as Americans, bound by ideals that united a divided, headstrong group of people 250 years ago. I believe deep in my bones those ideals still exist. I'm running for President to revive them," tweeted Ramaswamy in a video announcing his bid to to run for president. (ANI)
On the first anniversary of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, the European Union ambassador, head of missions of EU member states and like-minded nations, along with Ukraine Charge d'Affaires Ivan Konovalov on Friday held a meeting to commemorate the victims. The envoys observed a minute of silence to pay tribute to the victims of the ongoing military conflict. Adam Burakowski, Poland's ambassador to India, condemned the Russian offensive against Ukraine. Speaking to ANI, Burakowski said Poland has been providing all kinds of support to Ukraine. "Poland condemns the Russian aggression against Ukraine from the day one. We offer all kind of support to Ukraine. We stand with Ukraine from day one. We have received millions of refugees from Ukraine and we are supporting Ukraine also by giving them all kinds of help, humanitarian, but also military. We are supporting them with weapons and we are really making this war. We are really informing all the world about this war, which is absolutely unacceptable," Burakowski told ANI. He added, "This is unprovoked and unjustified aggression against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and Russia is the only responsible country for this aggression. And we know that Ukraine will win and we are helping Ukraine. We stand with Ukraine." Speaking to ANI, Jan Thesleff, Sweden's Ambassador to India, said, "Today is a very sad commemoration. It's a commemoration of an aggression that was unprovoked and brutal and illegal that started on the 24 February one year ago." Thesleff added, "So today, we commemorate this. We commemorate especially all the victims that have fallen due to this aggression. So it's a day of sadness, but it's also a day of hope in the sense that today here in Delhi, embassies I'm representing Sweden and the EU presidency, but also together with all the EU member states are gathering in solidarity with the people and government of Ukraine." Diana Mickeviciene, Lithuanian ambassador to India, said her country stands firmly with Ukraine. Speaking to ANI, Mickeviciene said the people in her homeland have been raising millions of euros to help Ukrainians survive harsh winter. "My country and me personally would like to register our outright full support to Ukraine's territorial integrity, independence and Ukraine's right to defend itself. We are Lithuanian government, Lithuanian people firmly stand behind this effort and we are helping as much as we can government, but also the people who have been raising millions of euros to help Ukrainians survive harsh winter," Diana Mickeviciene told ANI. "We're doing this because we know that Ukraine is defending not just themselves, but ourselves because Russia is in fact a last colonial project on Earth. It's the last empire that not only refuses to recognize that tag but actually tries to perpetuate it," she added. Claiming that "Ukraine will win", Mickeviciene said, "So for us, it's our war and we are standing together with Ukraine and we will win. And I think the fallout of that is that we are emerging just stronger and Russia is weakening itself and going on the self-destruction path which we can help." Ukrainian Charge d'Affaires Ivan Konovalov said as a trustable partner, Ukraine counts on India's support and the abstention of India at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Thursday is a 'sensitive issue' for them. "The resolution was adopted and the position of India of abstention is definitely for us a sensitive issue. We hope and count on India's support and we definitely have a trustable relationship and hope that it will help us in the future," Konovalov told ANI. Calling India's G20 Presidency as a window of opportunity to end the war, the Ukrainian envoy said he hoped Ukraine will be on the talks table at the meeting of the grouping later this year. "During the G20 Presidency of India, it is very much important to have India's support for Ukraine. We hope that in the framework of G20, Ukraine will be participating and the topic of Ukraine will be definitely on the table. We see the G20 presidency of India a window of opportunity to stop this war, to end this war and to win this war," the Ukrainian envoy said. (ANI)
President Droupadi Murmu today held a meeting with Guyana Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo at Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi. While welcoming Jagdeo to Rashtrapati Bhavan, President Murmu said that India attaches very high importance to its ties with Guyana. She noted that the trade between the two nations is on an upward trajectory, President's Secretariat said in the press release. President Droupadi Murmu emphasised the need to further bolster bilateral trade between the two nations, according to the press release. She called the development partnership a "major pillar" of India-Guyana ties, according to the press release. "The President noted that trade between India and Guyana is on an upward trajectory. In 2021-22, despite the pandemic the bilateral trade witnessed a growth of over 300 percent. She stressed on the need to further diversify the bilateral trade," the President's Secretariat said in the press release. She expressed happiness to note that over 640 Guyanese government officials have been trained under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme so far. President Murmu expressed confidence that Bharrat Jagdeo's visit to India will further deepen the historical bonds of friendship between the two nations. India and Guyana are separated geographically, according to the press release. However, the two nations have many aspects in common, including their colonial past, predominantly agricultural and rural-based economies, and multicultural societies. On Thursday, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar met his Guyana counterpart Bharrat Jagdeo and both leaders agreed to continue to work on strengthening the bilateral partnership in various sectors including petroleum and natural gas, agriculture, agro-processing, education and healthcare, according to an official statement. The two leaders appreciated the close and cordial relations shared by India and Guyana based on strong people-to-people ties, economic linkages and commonalities of approach on multilateral issues. "Hon'ble Vice President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar met H.E. Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, Vice President of Guyana in New Delhi today. Both leaders acknowledged the age-old strong bilateral ties between the countries and reiterated their commitment to further strengthen India-Guyana relations," tweeted the Vice President of India. According to the release, both leaders agreed to continue to work on strengthening the bilateral partnership in various sectors including petroleum and natural gas, agriculture, agro-processing, education, healthcare, capacity building, ICT, renewable energy and climate change. (ANI)
"Met with Sri Lankan Environment Minister Mr @naseerahamedcm in Delhi today. We discussed matters related to arresting land degradation and combating climate change with particular focus on aspects related to Loss and Damage and Technology Transfer," tweeted Yadav.

Ahamed is in India representing Sri Lanka at the "World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS)" in New Delhi India from February 22nd to 24th.

The theme of WSDS 2023: Nature-based Solutions for Addressing Climate Vulnerability and Ensuring Food Security.

The event was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and global leaders Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, Vice President of Guyana; Naseer Ahamed, Sri Lankan Minister of Environment; and Jeffrey Sachs, director, Center for Sustainable Development in the Earth Institute.

PM Modi made the pitch for collective action, instead of the selective, responsibility of every individual to save the environment at the summit.

The annual summit is organised by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar and Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav also participated.

"The world is at a crucial junction, the #GlobalEconomy is showing old signs of recession, extreme climate events have started aggravating the problems faced by mankind", stressed Sri Lankan Environment Minister.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, COP28 UAE President-Designate, emphasised the need to mobilise resources and partnerships towards a bold and transformative approach to climate action. Al Jaber also said the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius is non-negotiable.

"India's sustainable development is critical not just for India, but for the whole world," said Dr Sultan Al Jaber.

Recognising India's effort to achieve the net-zero emission target set under the Paris accord, he noted that India, which assumed the Presidency of the G20 this year, will soon become the world's third-largest economy. (ANI)
A member of the Christian community, Ayaz Masih was killed in the Eidak area of Mirali tehsil in Pakistan on Thursday, reported Dawn. Local police stated that it was for the first time that a minority member was targeted in the district. As per reports, Masih was purchasing daily-use items in Eidak area when some unknown persons opened fire and killed him on the spot, reported Dawn. The police stated that the attackers managed to escape. "We have launched an investigation into the incident," police said. Later, the body was shifted to the district headquarters hospital Miramshah, reported Dawn. The Christian community, which constitutes roughly 1.6 per cent of Pakistan's population, suffers from racism and religious intolerance. In an opinion piece in The Pakistan Daily, author Maheen Mustafa says Christians have been persecuted in Pakistan for decades, but there has been an increase in anti-Christian sentiment since the late 1980s when dictator Zia ul Haq enacted Pakistan's blasphemy legislation, which has mostly been utilised to punish Christians. Mario de Gasperi, writing in the Center of Political and Foreign Affairs (CPFA) said that discrimination against the Christian community is deeply rooted in Pakistan. The Muslim majority describe them using derogatory terms such as 'churha' or 'kafir,' which means infidel. A large proportion of the Christian community is from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, poorly educated, and takes up low-paid manual labour such as in brick kilns or the sanitation sector. Perhaps the greatest suffering faced by them is the underlying societal hostility, the daily discrimination such as denial of services, access to political voice, or limitation to educational opportunities, said Gasperi. Christian community is forced to burry five to 10 bodies in a single grave that is already filled with skeletons and bones as there are four graveyards for more than 70,000 Christians living in Peshawar and other cities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, The News International reported citing members. Augustin Jacob, a representative of the Christian community in Peshawar, said that old graves are being dug up and used for burying the dead. He said that no attention has been paid to this aspect due to the increased population rate, as per the news report. He said that there have been discussions with the government, however, the authority's talk of giving land outside the city for graveyards could cause more issues for the Christian community. Jacob said that the Christian community needs a place in the city where people can reach easily. He said most of the Christians living in the region belong to the working class and cannot afford to purchase land for the new graveyard, as per The News International report. (ANI)
Amid potential security threats from Chinese-made security cameras, Australia has decided to remove them, reported Australian Publication The Age. Victoria Police has confirmed it will replace all Chinese-made cameras by the end of next year to counter foreign intelligence gathering. The Age revealed on Tuesday, the City of Greater Geelong is replacing Chinese-made CCTV cameras amid concerns the makers of such devices are compelled to hand over data to Beijing if asked. The force said a number of cameras were still operating across the state and despite being deemed low risk, would be progressively replaced, reported The Age. Victorian Liberal senator James Paterson, who has been pursuing this issue at a federal level through Senate estimates, said he'd like Victoria Police to replace all Chinese-made cameras before the end of 2024. "I'd like to see much more urgency," he said. "If they are a national security risk, there should be no delay in addressing it." Earlier this week, the Victorian government confirmed it would conduct an audit of all security cameras at government-owned sites. The federal government has already removed hundreds of Chinese-made devices from Commonwealth departments and locations such as the Australian War Memorial, reported The Age. A spokeswoman for Victoria Police said the agency was aware of the debate surrounding Chinese-made cameras. "There continues to be a number of Chinese-manufactured cameras used across the state and these are being progressively replaced," she said. The spokeswoman added that while police would continue to monitor the situation, the cameras in question were currently considered low-risk because they were connected to a secure network. "It is expected the cameras in question will all be replaced by the end of 2024," she said. The development has been welcomed by upper house Liberal Democrats MP David Limbrick, whose party opposes mass surveillance, reported The Age. Devices made by Chinese companies Hikvision and Dahua have been linked to Beijing's efforts to ramp up facial recognition technology, and coerce and control Uyghur minorities. An audit of surveillance equipment, conducted by the shadow cybersecurity minister, James Paterson, has confirmed that more than 900 products built by Chinese companies Hikvision and Dahua are installed at government locations. The US and the UK have already banned these products at government locations, with the US Federal Communications Commission warning of an "unacceptable risk to national security" due to possible espionage and spyware. Meanwhile, Hikvision has said it was categorically false to suggest the company was a threat to national security, reported The Age. (ANI)
China which emerged as the developing world's bank of choice is now transitioning from a generous investor to a tough enforcer as its borrowers fail to pay up, reported Foreign Policy (FP). China poured hundreds of billions of dollars in loans into global infrastructure projects as part of its sprawling Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). However, China is now jeopardizing the very goodwill that it tried to build with initiatives such as the BRI. China has broken a few bones in Sri Lanka, whose financial turmoil allowed Beijing to seize control of a strategic port, and is hassling Pakistan, Zambia, and Suriname for repayment, reported FP. For two decades, countries "were getting to know China as the kind of benevolent financier of big-ticket infrastructure," said Bradley Parks, the executive director of the AidData research group at William & Mary. Now, he said, "the developing world is getting to know China in a very new role--and that new role is as the world's largest official debt collector." China is chasing down unpaid debts, complicating Beijing's broader aspirations of extending its influence and forging new relationships through economic deals. That tension, experts say, has left Beijing facing an impossible trade-off: Can it collect its money without hurting its image?, reported FP. "I think China literally has to choose which side it wants to let go. If you want to have your money back, you want to force debt repayment, that basically means you are going to forgo the goodwill," said Zongyuan Zoe Liu, an international political economy expert at the Council on Foreign Relations. In 2017, China overtook the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to cement its position as the world's biggest creditor, although Beijing has since scaled back its lending. But many of its borrowers--still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's war in Ukraine, alongside Beijing's lending practices--are now battling to pull their economies back from the brink, reported FP. Around 60 per cent of China's overseas loans went to financially distressed countries in 2022, compared with just 5 per cent in 2010, according to Parks. Unable to pay China back, some cash-strapped governments are pushing for debt relief, forgiveness, or restructuring. That has put Beijing in a bind. Take Zambia, which defaulted on some USD 17 billion of debt in 2020 and counts China as its largest bilateral creditor. Over the years, once rosy relations between the two countries have soured as Beijing and Lusaka struggled to hammer out a debt relief deal as part of the G-20 Common Framework. Sri Lanka, another borrower that has been buckling under the weight of its ballooning debt, Beijing has granted Colombo a two-year debt moratorium. But it has not provided the required financing assurances for the IMF to step in, effectively blocking the institution from offering rescue loans to the country. (ANI)
The discovery of Chinese monitoring buoys in the Arctic Ocean by the Canadian military has sparked pressing concerns about Beijing's interventions in Canadian affairs, including interference in recent federal elections, reported The Globe and Mail. The incident came days after a US fighter jet shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon that had entered American airspace after flying over Canada. The buoys were spotted by the Canadian Armed Forces as part of Operation Limpid, a continuing effort to provide early detection of threats to Canada's security. A monitoring buoy is generally used as a locator or warning point for the vessels, besides serving the purpose of more traditional sensing and navigational instrumentation. However, these buoys are also regularly used globally for military surveillance and intelligence-gathering operations. Daniel Le Bouthillier, head of media relations at the Department of National Defence, did not provide details on the effort to retrieve the buoys, but confirmed the interception, reported The Globe and Mail. "The Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) are fully aware of recent efforts by China to conduct surveillance operations in Canadian airspace and maritime approaches utilizing dual-purpose technologies," he said in a statement. Notably, dual-purpose technology is equipment that can be used for both civilian and military applications. "Under Operation LIMPID, the CAF monitors Canada's air, land and sea approaches, and since 2022, it has stopped attempts to surveil Canadian territory," he added. Retired lieutenant-general Michael Day said the Chinese buoys would likely have been used to monitor US nuclear submarine traffic in the Arctic, and for mapping seabeds and ice thickness. Beijing is eyeing shipping through northern waters, which are becoming more navigable as a result of climate change, reported The Globe and Mail. Day said Beijing is also interested in trying to exploit the Arctic seabed's significant resource deposits, and in keeping tabs on Canadian and US military activities. Since the fall, Parliament has been grappling with allegations of Chinese interference in Canadian politics. The Commons committee on procedure and House affairs have been probing whether Beijing meddled in the 2019 federal election. The committee met Tuesday to expand its study to include the 2021 election, in response to a report in The Globe and Mail that Chinese diplomats and their proxies had worked to influence voters to elect a Liberal minority that year, and defeat Conservatives whom Beijing viewed as anti-China. Based on secret and top-secret Canadian Security and Intelligence Service documents, The Globe revealed that China's tactics in 2021 included making illegal cash donations, spreading disinformation and using paid students to help preferred Liberal candidates. The Globe has also reported that Canadian politicians, officials and business executives are the main targets of Chinese government espionage that employs blackmail, bribery and sexual seduction, with Beijing even enlisting the Bank of China in its foreign-influence activities. Secret and top-secret CSIS documents viewed by The Globe outline how China instructed its consulates and visa offices to alert Beijing to prominent and influential Canadians - whom it called "work targets" - planning to visit China. In addition, the Bank of China has been told to inform consulates of the travel plans of Canadian business executives attending conferences sponsored by the state-owned financial institution, according to a Feb. 2, 2022 intelligence report that is rated top secret. Documents also show that Chinese diplomats quietly issued warnings to "friendly" influential Canadians in early 2022, advising them to reduce their contact with federal politicians to avoid being caught up in foreign-interference investigations by Canada's spy agency. (ANI)
Pakistan has decided not to relocate a 300-MW coal-fired power plant from Gwadar to Thar, bowing before pressure from Beijing, sources told Business Recorder. In addition, Pakistan has agreed to a three-year extension in its financial close. Chinese leadership told Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during his recent visit to Beijing that relocating the coal-fired power plant from Gwadar to Thar would require a new project, which Beijing is unwilling to undertake because it has no intention to begin any new coal project, reported Business Recorder. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs sought written assurances from Islamabad that the latter would honour any commitments made by the Prime Minister with the Chinese leadership. During a meeting on the CPEC project presided over by the Prime Minister, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar reminded the participants that the decision needs to be taken on the 300-MW Gwadar coal power project, adding that the issue is outstanding and the Chinese side continues to highlight it, reported Business Recorder. Prime Minister desired that Minister for Planning should expeditiously decide the matter within the CEPC Framework Agreement, keeping in view the overall strategic cooperation between the two countries and the extraordinary support provided by China. Private Power & Infrastructure Board (PPIB) which was pressing the Chinese company to relocate its project from imported coal at Gwadar to local at Thar, opted to remain silent, the sources added. At a recent meeting presided over by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, it was disclosed that all major CPEC projects in Gwadar and surrounding areas, including New Gwadar International Airport, desalination plants, Pakistan-China Friendship Hospital, Pakistan-China Technical and Vocational Training Complex, and planned projects such as Gwadar Oil Refinery and Gwadar Shipyard, have a total power requirement of more than 800 MW. In this context, the relocation of the project to Thar, as well as the use of local coal, is not viable due to long logistic lines and a cost-benefit analysis, which includes poor yield, high volatility, frangibility, and other environmental concerns associated with local coal. Moreover, it was indicated at the time that shifting an approved project is against Chinese policy because no new coal projects can be developed or financed. The current project is being developed in accordance with Gwadar's strategic objectives and the Gwadar Smart Port City Master Plan. Notably, the project is a priority project under the CPEC Energy Agreement and will take 30 months to complete. (ANI)
After Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's intervention, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) lifted the ban on Wikipedia, but such arbitrary decisions by the country's apex internet regulatory body are not new, the Tribune reported. The Tribune reported that either it is the failure of the regulator to understand how the internet works or an outright ban is considered the easy way out that the access to a particular website or application is cut off instead of blocking the objectionable or blasphemous content. Usama Khilji, a digital rights expert, believes that it is the former. "Policymakers and the regulators do not understand how the internet works because if they did, they would realise that nothing is broadcasted to you on the internet like television," opined Khilji, adding that this gives users the opportunity to choose what they want to read or see and what not to. "It is important to have people who head the regulatory body understand the internet because banning websites is not the answer. Since we are the fastest growing market for application downloads and the internet, bans effectively deprive the entire populace of either information or a voice," Usama Khilji, a digital rights expert said. Concurring with Khilji, Umer Gilani, a constitutional lawyer based in Islamabad, was of the view that the Constitution envisions reasonable restrictions on the right to information "and a complete ban is not a reasonable restriction." He further said that regulating behaviour in the public sphere as per moral standards made sense but there was a need to draw a distinction between what falls in the public and private sphere, as reported by the Tribune. "The internet falls in the private sphere because users have the choice of controlling what they view and read. Just because a few users are engaging with or posting objectionable content does not mean the entire country has to pay the price," remarked Gilani. It is pertinent to mention during the proceedings of the YouTube ban case back in 2013, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, who was at the Lahore High Court at that time, observed "in today's digital age, information over the internet cannot be blocked but can be intelligently regulated. There are no borders or walls that can limit this information from flowing into Pakistan unless of course we shut down the internet completely and sever our links with the outside world." However, nearly a decade after Justice Shah's observations, Wikipedia's ban proves that the regulator has not rethought the banning policy. When asked about this reliance on banning, Khilji replied: "There is an obsession with controlling what happens on the internet because the regulator or policymakers cannot digest that the internet is becoming democratised and websites will not buckle to their censorship demands." The Tribune reported that answering a question regarding the adverse impact bans have on Pakistan's growing technology market, Khilji said that arbitrary bans like Wikipedia one shatter investor confidence. "Technology-related activities contributed some $3.5 billion to the country's economy in 2022 and when they hear about the country's banning culture they are less inclined to engage with the country or open up an office space here." On the other hand, Gilani does see a slight ray of hope in the banning procedure adopted by the PTA in the Wikipedia ban. "This time around the regulator gave 48 hours, in which they degraded the services to the website, to let Wikipedia explain their stance and then banned the website once the time had lapsed; instead of the usual banning without an opportunity for a hearing," said Gilani, adding that this was a more nuanced way of banning not seen before. Despite the ray of hope, the lawyer does not see an end to the banning culture anytime soon. "The people in charge of the internet's regulation have a traditional sense of morality and enforce it on the entire country. Bans will only stop when the regulator stops expecting that everyone has the same moral compass," said Gilani while talking to the Express Tribune. (ANI)
The Iranian Foreign Ministry is set to hand over the Afghan Embassy in Tehran to the Taliban, citing unofficial sources reported Khaama Press. Iran will officially hand over the embassy to the Taliban in the coming days according to an Afghan diplomat who has been in contact with the officials of the Iranian foreign ministry. This comes after the Taliban-run foreign ministry stated in a letter that it had appointed Mohammad Afzal Haqqani as designated ambassador to Tehran, reported Khaama Press. The letter noted that Haqqani, as the first secretary of the embassy, will be in charge of the diplomatic mission in Iran. Initially, Haqqani had travelled from Tehran to Kabul and then returned with his letter of appointment as head of the Afghan Embassy in Tehran. However, the Iranian Foreign Ministry had not accepted Haqqani as the new ambassador to Tehran, reported Khaama Press. Now, a serious decision has been taken in this regard the Afghan diplomat said. The Taliban-run administration has neither internal legitimacy nor international recognition. So far, no single country in the world has recognized the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan. Iran is the third country to join Pakistan and Russia which handed over the Afghan embassies to the group a few months ago. Meanwhile, Taliban has called on the international community to recognise the "Islamic Emirate" of Afghanistan, claiming that if recognised, the concerns and complaints of the world community will be addressed in a better way, Afghanistan-based Tolo News reported. "The Islamic Emirate will be paying more attention to its responsibilities and the complaints we have among ourselves or from other countries will be addressed in a good way. Because one side will feel itself responsible regarding the laws and regulation," Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said, as quoted by Tolo News. According to analysts, forming an inclusive government, countering terrorism, not allowing the use of Afghan soil against other countries, and ensuring human rights, especially the rights of women and girls, will pave the ground for recognition of the Islamic Emirate. "To earn recognition, the Taliban should refer to the people first. They should observe law, politics and governance. They should recognize the rights of the people," said Sayed Jawad Sijadi, a political analyst, according to Tolo News. While, the Taliban have prohibited co-education in universities, separating morning classes for girls and afternoon classes for boys. Recently, the group also banned secondary education for female students. Although this decision has been withdrawn, the schools are yet to be reopened. (ANI)
Citing "interference" and "pressure" Aftab Sultan, the Chairman of Pakistan's National Accountability Bureau (NAB), resigned from his position on Tuesday, reported Dawn. Sultan, however, did not elaborate on who was pressuring him. He served for eight months. Notably, the main opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led by Imran Khan claimed he was being coerced to file corruption references against their chief Imran Khan, reported Dawn. Soon after his resignation, Sultan held a farewell meeting with NAB officers. According to a press release issued by NAB, Sultan expressed satisfaction at upholding "his principles" and not bowing to any "pressure". "I can neither initiate a false case nor drop an established reference merely because the culprit was related to some big shot," the press release quoted Sultan as saying, without mentioning any specific case. He said that throughout his professional career, he tried to act according to the law and never compromised on his principles, reported Dawn. He said continuity of the political process and elections were essential. The former NAB chief said he had complete faith in the bureau's young officers to uphold high moral values and rule of law. Sultan had persistently complained of receiving "dictations through telephone calls" but he refused to extend undue favours in cases, a source has told Dawn. The source said that the impression in the media that Sultan was not taking any action on cases irked him. Sultan, a retired officer of the Police Service of Pakistan, has not always seen eye to eye with those at the helm. Sultan had sent his resignation to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif which was subsequently accepted, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) confirmed. "The chairman National Accountability Bureau, Aftab Sultan presented his resignation to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif citing personal reasons. The PM appreciated the services of Aftab Sultan and lauded his honesty and uprightness. Upon his insistence, the prime minister reluctantly accepted his resignation," an official PMO press release said. In July 2022, the federal cabinet approved the appointment of former Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief and retired police officer Aftab Sultan as the new chairman of the NAB for three years. He had replaced Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal - who was alleged by then-opposition (now government) of collusion with former prime minister Imran Khan for 'going hard' on them, reported Dawn. Following Sultan's resignation, NAB Deputy Chairman Zahir Shah has been given the acting charge as chairman. (ANI)
'Health in all policies' is an approach where impacts on health are considered in all decision-making and across all sectors and policies, The Bhutan Live reported. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention of Bhutan, the approach considers potential health outcomes when making policy decisions about transportation, education, housing and other areas that affect communities. "People should be aware that health needs to be considered when designing a system or policy. This is because at the end of the day, who are we designing the policy for? We are designing the policy for people, we are designing policies so that the people are healthy. If people are healthy, people are economically productive so there are many incentives to consider health in all policies," said Dechen Wangmo, Health Minister as reported by Bhutan Live. The minister said while some policies in the country have been developed considering the health and well-being of people, there is more to do. With the country undergoing a significant transformation across all sectors, the ministry is optimistic that it will incorporate health and well-being more policies. "With transformation, along with the transformation, mandates have been cleared. We had a huge governance transformation whereby now responsibility and, mandates have all been clarified. Now I think it's a fertile ground to work with agencies to embed in all policies," he added. The health in all policies strategy will enable the government and organizations to work towards creating healthier environments, reducing health inequalities and ultimately improving the well-being of individuals and communities. As per the report by Bhutan Live, for a country to ensure the well-being of its people, it requires a whole-of-society approach. According to the World Health Organization's Geneva Charter for Well-Being, this involves actions across all levels, stakeholders and sectors. Similarly, Bhutan is working towards enhancing health and well-being whereby the health ministry will initiate a "health in all policies" strategy. The strategy will ensure that all other policies will be formulated considering the well-being of the people. (ANI)
In this article, we will discuss the 11 most profitable Chinese stocks. If you want to see more stocks in this selection, go to the 5 Most Profitable Chinese Stocks.

According to the World Bank, China has the second-biggest economy in the world as of 2021, with a GDP of $17.73 trillion. The size of the global GDP stood at $96.51 trillion at the end of 2021. The US and China, as the two leading economies of the world, make up more than 42% of the global economy. It must be noted that the Chinese economy shrunk by 2.2% during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 as it adopted a zero-COVID policy. However, the economy bounced back and grew by 8.1% in 2021 following the relaxation of lockdowns and restrictions, reflecting the fastest GDP growth for the Chinese economy since 2012. The stellar GDP growth was due to pent-up demand as a mass movement was restricted during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. However, according to the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics, the economy experienced weak GDP growth of only 3% during 2022 due to supply chain disruptions, lockdowns due to the zero-COVID policy, and global economic uncertainty following the start of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

In a report to the Communist Party, Chinese President Xi Jinping shared that he wants the country to become a medium developed country in the next 10 years. According to Morgan Stanley analysts, in order for China to achieve its objective of becoming a moderately developed country, its per capita GDP would need to increase from $12,500 in 2021 to $20,000. Furthermore, an average annual GDP growth rate of approximately 4.7% would be necessary during the next decade. Xi Jinpings goals highlight that economic growth remains a key priority for the country. A positive outlook on the future of the Chinese economy warrants a keen interest in Chinese corporations. If you want to read about some of the stocks gaining attention in the market, you can also go to the 10 Most Promising Chinese Stocks According to Analysts.

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Evolving Dynamics of China-US Relations

In addition to growth, China is now placing an increased emphasis on achieving economic self-sufficiency and technological independence, which reflects strained relations with the US. On February 23, Janet Yellen, the Treasury Secretary of the United States, stated that talks on economic matters with China would continue at an appropriate time. This comes as Beijing is selling its significant holdings of Treasuries and as Washington cautions against possible violations of sanctions related to Russia. During a news conference in Bengaluru, India, ahead of a G-20 financial leaders meeting, Yellen told CNBCs Tanvir Gill that she did not have a specific timeline for the resumption of economic talks with China, but she believed it was important to have those discussions. The Treasury Secretary also highlighted several areas where the US. and China need to collaborate to address global challenges, such as climate change and food security. According to Yellen, maintaining effective communication between the two nations is crucial for the macroeconomic and financial situations domestically and globally.

A Bullish Outlook Amid Global Uncertainty

Due to optimistic economic predictions for Chinas post-pandemic recovery, foreign funds are increasingly investing in Chinese stocks. This surge in investment represents the highest rate of foreign investment in Chinese stocks in at least five years. In the first two weeks of 2023, global funds purchased over $9 billion worth of A shares through the Stock Connect, representing the highest amount invested since at least 2018. KraneShares, an asset management firm based in New York, highlighted in a report on Wednesday that Chinas mainland stock market is among its top recommendations for investment in 2023. The report suggested that due to the significant sell-off in 2022, the market is still relatively under-invested and could experience a coiled spring effect, resulting in an upsurge in earnings growth. Some of the most profitable Chinese stocks in the market include Bank of China Limited (601988.SS), Tencent Holdings Limited (0700.HK), and China Construction Bank Corporation (601939.SS).

11 Most Profitable Chinese Stocks

Photo by Edward He on Unsplash

Our Methodology

We have shortlisted the 11 most profitable Chinese stocks on the basis of their trailing 12 months net income. We further narrowed down our research to only include companies that reported over $10 billion in net income over the last 12 months. Most of the companies included in the list are a part of the 2022 Forbes Global 2000 list, which ranks the world's largest companies based on revenue, assets, profits, and market capitalization. The companies have been ranked in ascending order of their net income.

Most Profitable Chinese Stocks

11. Bank of Communications Co., Ltd. (601328.SS)

Trailing 12 months Net Income: $13.34 billion (91.04 billion)

Bank of Communications Co., Ltd. (601328.SS) (BOCOM) is a Shanghai-based bank that was established in 1908. The bank had the distinction of being one of the earliest note-issuing entities in China.

Bank of Communications Co., Ltd. (601328.SS) has a headcount of 90,238 employees and holds the 62nd position on the 2022 Forbes Global 2000 list. The bank has an asset base of $1.8 trillion, with a top line of $76 billion as of 2022. Bank of Communications Co., Ltd. (601328.SS) anticipates net income growth of 7.21% in 2023 as opposed to 4.75% in 2022. Experts believe that the banking sectors net interest margin (NIM) is expected to receive a boost in the last two quarters of 2023 as the Chinese economy expands.

10. Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. (601318.SS)

Trailing 12 months Net Income: $14.12 billion (96.44 billion)

Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. (601318.SS) is a Shenzhen-based diversified financial services company founded in 1988. The company has 225 million retail customers and 668 million online users using its asset management, banking, financial technology, insurance, and healthcare services as of 2022.

The company occupies the 17th position on the 2022 Forbes Global 2000 list with an asset base of $1.59 trillion and an annual top line of $181.4 billion. Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. (601318.SS) brought on leading global financial entities like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley as its shareholders way back in 1994 and achieved the feat of becoming the first Chinese financial services entity to have foreign investors.

9. CNOOC Limited (600938.SS)

Trailing 12 months Net Income: $15.94 billion (108.88 billion)

CNOOC Limited (600938.SS) is a Beijing-based producer of crude oil and natural gas through offshore operations. The company is continuing to expand its operations through 22 commercial discoveries in 2021.

In 2021, CNOOC Limited (600938.SS) reported net production of 573 million barrels of oil equivalent (BOE), which was higher than the initial target set by the corporation. Although the company was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) in 2021, it listed its shares on the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) in April 2022. On the first day of trading, the shares of CNOOC Limited (600938.SS) jumped as much as 44%, which resulted in a 30-minute trading halt. CNOOC Limited (600938.SS) offers an attractive dividend yield of 7.63% as of February 23.

8. China Mobile Limited (0941.HK)

Trailing 12 months Net Income: $18.71 billion (127.50 billion)

China Mobile Limited (0941.HK) is a Beijing, China-based provider of information communication technology (ICT) founded in 1997.

The company has a headcount of 446,068 employees, a total mobile customer base of 970 million, and a wireline broadband customer base of 256 million as of June 2022. China Mobile Limited (0941.HK) also had 614 million 5G users as of December 2022. The company is the biggest mobile telecommunications entity in the world based on the number of subscribers. China Mobile Limited (0941.HK) conducted the biggest initial public offering (IPO) in over a decade on the SSE in December 2021. Meanwhile, it was the second-biggest IPO globally for that respective year.

7. China Merchants Bank Co., Ltd. (600036.SS)

Trailing 12 months Net Income: $19.5 billion (133.23 billion)

China Merchants Bank Co., Ltd. (600036.SS) is a Shenzhen-based bank established in 1987 that provides a diverse range of financial products and services through its 143 branches and 1,711 sub-branches spread across 130 mainland Chinese cities. The bank has a headcount of over 100,000 employees.

China Merchants Bank Co., Ltd. (600036.SS) holds the 24th position on the 2022 Forbes Global 2000 list. Furthermore, the bank has been selected as the Best Bank in China by Euromoney for four consecutive years, from 2019 to 2022. The bank has the seventh-highest asset base and the fifth-highest net income in the Chinese banking industry, reflecting strong operational efficiency. The bank is known as the King of Retailing, with 182 million retail banking customers as of 2022.

6. PetroChina Company Limited (601857.SS)

Trailing 12 months Net Income: $20.10 billion (137.32 billion)

PetroChina Company Limited (601857.SS) is a Beijing-based integrated energy company established in 1999 as part of the restructuring of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC).

The company holds the 21st position on the 2022 Forbes Global 2000 list and is the fourth-biggest integrated energy company on the list. The increase in crude oil prices played a significant role in aiding energy companies to climb the Forbes Global 2000 list. PetroChina Company Limited (601857.SS) is the biggest crude oil and natural gas producer in Asia and the second biggest refiner of crude oil in China as well.

In addition to PetroChina Company Limited (601857.SS), Bank of China Limited (601988.SS), Tencent Holdings Limited (0700.HK), and China Construction Bank Corporation (601939.SS) are also some of the most profitable Chinese stocks.

Click to continue reading and see the 5 Most Profitable Chinese Stocks.

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Disclosure: None. 11 Most Profitable Chinese Stocks is originally published on Insider Monkey.
Amid his presidential run in 1976, Jimmy Carter came to Seattle to speak at the national American Legion convention. It was not a popular speech.

On Aug. 24, 1976, the temperature in Seattle was in the upper 60s as the Democratic candidate spoke from the floor of the Seattle Center Coliseum.

About 25,000 Legionnaires were in attendance when Carter proposed pardons for Vietnam-era draft dodgers.

Carter said that the hatred and divisiveness caused by the Vietnam war has eroded the confidence and support of the nations armed forces and it must be put behind us.

Thousands of U.S. war veterans chanted, No! No! No!, after his remarks. Several booed loudly for several minutes.

I realized before I made any statement to you that everyone would not agree, Carter said after the crowd subsided.

Carter added that he did not want blanket amnesty for draft evaders, because that would mean what you did is right.

A pardon means that what you did - right or wrong - is forgiven, Carter said.

After the veterans settled back into their chairs, they continued to politely applaud Carter three more times during his speech.

Carter rushed through the remainder of his speech, apparently frazzled by the reaction. He would leave out whole sentences from the prepared speech, stumbling over lines and running sentences together.

When the speech was over, several delegates refused to stand.

Delegates told The News Tribune they had changed their mind about voting for Carter in November, after his comments in Seattle.

I was going to vote for him, J.J. Wicks, Jr., a World War I veteran from Virginia, said. I wish to God he hadnt said it. That was terrible. Those draft evaders let the country down when it needed them.

I turned my hearing aid off for the whole speech, Tony Tarfey of Arizona said. I dont know and I dont care what he said. I hate his guts.

However, there were a few who still supported Carter afterward: If President Ford can pardon Nixon, Carter should be able to pardon draft-dodgers whose actions werent half as damaging to our country as Watergate, a delegate from California said.

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Another delegate said, I liked some things about Carter and I didnt like others. I dont like him being a Democrat - other than that, there wasnt anything wrong with his speech.

Carter would go on to win the nomination with his running mate, Walter Mondale, and eventually win the presidential race against Gerald Ford and his running mate Bob Dole.

Additionally, while doing research for this story, on the day after this speech, on Aug. 25, 1976, the Seattle No-Names were given their new name, the Seattle Mariners, during an announcement made by Dick Vertlieb, executive director of the club.








Rome Police officers are searching for individuals who stole a Domino pizza delivery drivers car at gunpoint.

Officers received reports of an armed robbery that occurred on Frost Drive on Feb. 22 at 9:58 p.m., according to the police report obtained by Channel 2 Action News.

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When officers arrived, they found a Dominos Pizza delivery driver at the front door of the building.

The driver told the officer that she arrived at the address with a pizza and exited her vehicle when two armed suspects in black hoodies and face coverings approached her from the side of the building.

According to the report, when the individuals approached the victim, she told them the total for the pizza. The individuals told the driver we dont give a (expletive) about that and demanded her keys and to empty her pockets.

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The victim said she gave them her keys and $6 from her pockets. Police did not say if the individuals were the ones who ordered the pizza.

After they took the vehicle and money, the armed robbers entered her car and left the scene.

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The report added that the victims car is a black 2013 Nissan Sentra with front end damage with the license plate CEH8273. The Dominos delivery sign was removed and later found and returned to the store.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Rome Police Department or 911.

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A Pierce County judge declared a second mistrial in the case of the alleged accomplice in the 2009 assassinations of four Lakewood police officers and scheduled another trial for this spring. Attorneys on both sides expressed disappointment that the jury wasnt able to deliver closure in the tragic saga.

Dorcus Allen, 51, charged under the name Darcus by the Prosecuting Attorneys Office, faces four counts of first-degree murder. Prosecutors allege Maurice Clemmons could not have gunned down officers Mark Renninger, Tina Griswold, Gregory Richards and Ronald Owens as they met for coffee and slipped away without Allens help. Allen, who drove Clemmons to and from the vicinity of the coffee shop the day of the killings, has said he was oblivious to the plan hatched by his friend and boss who had been espousing increasingly anti-police sentiments.

The jury informed Superior Court Judge Edmund Murphy that they could not reach a unanimous verdict Thursday afternoon after just over three days of deliberations, according to deputy prosecutor Sunni Ko. The jury did not ask any legal questions of the judge, only to review Allens taped interview with police and surveillance footage.

Ko, who delivered closing arguments in the case Feb. 16, said attorneys had not polled the jury about how they voted. She said the Prosecuting Attorneys Office at this point plans to pursue a fourth trial set for April 20.

Chief criminal deputy prosecutor Jim Schacht did not return messages from The News Tribune about speaking to the jury. Defense attorneys declined to go into detail because the case is ongoing.

The jury did their job, and they could not come to a unanimous verdict, Ko said during a phone call. It is disappointing.

In November, a jury deliberated over Allens case for more than a week before announcing it could not reach a unanimous verdict during his second trial. His initial conviction and sentence of 420 years in prison were vacated by the state Supreme Court in 2015 because a prosecutor misstated the elements needed to find Allen guilty during closing arguments.

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The jury seated for Allens third trial was the first to include people of color, a defense attorney said last week. Four Black men, a Black woman, three white men and four white women remained after the dismissal of a juror who recognized a witness.

The last jury was hung, this jury was hung, said private defense attorney Pete Mazzone. Hopefully the next one will be able to decide, and theyll do the right thing.

After the mistrial last year, recently retired Lakewood Police Chief Mike Zaro called the evidence of Allens guilt undisputed in a statement shared by the city that also included reactions from other city officials. Murphy ordered the city to scrub the statements from its website and social media as the trial began in late January, ruling Zaros opinion had the potential to prejudice the jury.

The prosecutions case rested on a mass of circumstantial evidence, including phone call logs, cell tower pings, surveillance footage and timed walks at the scene. No eyewitnesses nor direct evidence depicted Allen, who has maintained his innocence, dropping Clemmons off outside the Forza Coffee shop where he ambushed the police officers as prosecutors alleged.

Allens defense attorneys sought to establish their own timeline where Allen drove up to a self-serve car wash and got change and a cigar at a nearby convenience store while Clemmons walked down the street to the coffee shop and committed the killings.

Allen testified that he met up with Clemmons for business that morning and when his boss returned to the car wash, he noticed his mood had shifted. Clemmons demanded Allen to drive faster and showed him the butt of a pistol, revealing a smear of blood on his thumb.

Shortly thereafter, Allen testified, he hopped out of the truck and caught a bus home because Clemmons threatened him. Allen said he learned about the killings on TV and scrambled to get Clemmons sister, whom he was living with, and her child out of the house to protect them from police hunting for Clemmons. Allen later checked into a motel under an alias and police found him two days later.

Before sending the case to the jury last week, Mazzone pleaded for the jurors to end 13 years of hell for Allen. He remains jailed awaiting his fourth trial.

Hes in a facility that is not designed for this sort of long-term incarceration, public defense attorney Mary Kay High told The News Tribune.

High said she and Mazzone will explore other legal options to resolve Allens case ahead of trial and be ready for their fourth go-round if it comes.

Whatever it takes to get justice for him, thats what were going to do, said Mazzone.
Alex Murdaugh has been found guilty of murdering his wife and son. The State / Getty

Netflix released the three-part docuseries "Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal."

Alex Murdaugh was then found guilty of murdering his wife Maggie and son Paul in June 2021.

Here are seven important details the Netflix show missed about the story of the two murders.

Netflix's true-crime docuseries "Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal" may be the most timely it's ever released.

On February 22, a month into an explosive murder trial that rocked South Carolina's Lowcountry region and captivated audiences across the globe, Netflix dropped a highly anticipated docuseries which promised to explore the complex web of power, secrets, and suspicion that ultimately led to the downfall of a local family dynasty.

The three-part series centers around the Murdaugh family, which dominated the legal system in the local area for nearly 100 years with generations of lawyers who not only founded one of the most prominent civil law firms in the area but also worked with prosecutors in a role known locally as "solicitors," affording them connections to law enforcement.

The Murdaugh family legacy has now come crashing down as 54-year-old Richard Alexander Murdaugh (known as Alex, pronounced "Alec") was found guilty on March 3 of murdering his wife Maggie, and adult son Paul on June 7, 2021.

After less than three hours of deliberation, jurors at the Colleton County Courthouse unanimously found Murdaugh guilty of two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon.

The next day, Murdaugh was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences, and his legal team has filed a notice to appeal the convictions.

Since the murders, Murdaugh  who says he was living with a decades-long opioid addiction at the time  has been disbarred and faces more than 100 further charges in which he's accused of financial crimes, including stealing millions of dollars from clients.

Murdaugh is also charged with insurance fraud and assisted suicide in relation to what has become known as the "roadside incident," in which Murdaugh initially claimed to have been shot in the head by an unknown assailant after pulling over with a flat tire, but which he subsequently told police was an elaborate plot in order to have a former client shoot him to death so that his remaining son, Buster, could collect a $10 million life insurance policy.

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But the cloud of suspicion over the Murdaughs didn't begin with the murders of Maggie and Paul. Two suspicious deaths and a fatal boat crash in the preceding years are all part of this astonishing story that the Netflix documentary was set to unravel.

But for those following closely, it will likely feel like it barely scratched the surface.

Despite purporting to tell the story of five deaths, "Murdaugh Murders" is heavily focused on a 2019 boat crash.

The docuseries devotes more than half of its airtime to telling the story of Mallory Beach, who died in 2019 aged 19 after a boat seemingly driven by a heavily intoxicated and belligerent Paul Murdaugh, also 19 at the time, crashed into a bridge, hurling her overboard into the waters where she drowned.

The narrative presented in the show relies heavily on heartwrenching interviews with Beach's family and friends, including Morgan Doughty, who was dating Paul Murdaugh, and who describes him as a troubled and entitled young man, prone to extreme intoxication and abusive behavior.

After the crash, and while Beach was still missing, the Murdaugh family sprang into action to pull as many strings as necessary to protect Paul, even appearing to try and frame his friend Connor Cook as the driver of the boat, according to interviews Cook and his parents gave the Netflix docuseries.

This narrative is corroborated in part by reporting by Mandy Matney, a local journalist who was one of the first to begin investigating the incident and whose podcast about the family has been credited with bringing the story to the masses.

The tragic story of the boat crash and Beach's death, the traumatic impact it had on a group of teenagers, and the way it spotlights the weight of the Murdaugh name in the local area make it an obvious entryway to the family's story. But by weighting it so heavily within the series, the murders that many assumed would be central to the docuseries are largely lost in the story.

The brutal murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were overshadowed in the documentary, and a lot of crucial details were nowhere to be found.

Alex Murdaugh entering the courtroom in handcuffs. The State / Getty

Maggie and Paul Murdaugh are not presented in the most flattering of lights in the docuseries.

By the time it gets to describing their murders, viewers have sat through 1 episodes of people detailing how they were wronged by the Murdaughs, as well as harrowing accounts of the boat crash Paul is accused of causing.

It's hard to tell whether the show expects viewers to care about the murders because two people lost their lives, or feel that some type of karmic justice has been served. Regardless, it certainly backs the hypothesis that Alex Murdaugh is behind them.

According to The Independent, filming for the documentary wrapped before the trial began, so many of the explosive details that came from the murder trial were absent from the show.

Here are seven of the key pieces of information we learned during the trial.

What happened on the day of the murders.

The murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh occurred at the sprawling family property known as Moselle. The Island Packet / Getty

Episode two of the Netflix series is titled "Murders at Moselle," but it's  of the way through the episode before they're mentioned.

The narrative jumps from speculation about the stress the family was under following the boat crash, to a ghoulish reconstruction of Murdaugh walking around the bodies of his wife and son, overlaid with the audio from his 911 call.

During the trial, however, more detail about that day emerged.

Firstly, Jeanne Seckinger, the CFO of Murdaugh's family law firm, testified that on June 7, 2021, hours before the murders, she confronted Murdaugh about $792,000 of missing legal fees in a case he had worked on.

While the documentary suggested the unraveling of the Murdaughs' finances was due to the boat crash, trial testimony suggests that the law firm was already looking into inconsistencies surrounding funds relating to some of Murdaugh's cases, the severity of which was revealed to him that day.

Secondly, Seckinger testified that the conversation was cut short when Murdaugh received a phone call telling him his father had been taken into hospital in terminal condition. Other witnesses corroborated the story that Murdaugh learned of his father's hospitalization the same day Maggie and Paul were murdered.

According to a text message Maggie sent her housekeeper Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson, Murdaugh requested she come "home" to Moselle, where the murders occurred, as opposed to staying at the beach house where she preferred to be in the summer, according to various witnesses' testimony. Subsequent text messages indicated she was concerned about Murdaugh's wellbeing when she decided to return to the Moselle property.

What Murdaugh did after the murders.

Alex Murdaugh being interviewed by law enforcement after the murders. The State / Getty

Alex Murdaugh called 911 just after 10 p.m. on June 7, reporting that his wife and son had been shot "badly."

Thanks to bodycam footage of interviews, cell phone records, and law enforcement testimony, much of what Murdaugh did from that moment on is documented and plays a large part in the case against him, though the documentary barely touches on it.

After seven minutes, Murdaugh hangs up the 911 call saying he needs to call family and, according to cell phone records, calls his brothers Randy and John Marvin, and tries to call Paul's friend Rogan Gibson, with whom Paul was in communication around the time of his death, multiple times.

Murdaugh's remaining son Buster does not receive a call from his father until 10:44 p.m. that night, according to cell phone records. Bizarrely, this is after Murdaugh opened a group text message, called a videographer he barely knew, and appeared to Google "Whaley's Edisto," a restaurant in the beach town where the Murdaughs were renovating a home. (The defense argued during the trial that this was a result of him mistyping in shock.)

At 11:47 p.m., the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, known as SLED, arrived on the scene, and Murdaugh was interviewed by agents in a car.

The interview sees Murdaugh make various statements that will later be used against him, including that he tried to turn Paul's body over despite having no visible blood on him, and  crucially  that he last saw his wife and son hours before the murders, which a video filmed by Paul would later disprove.

How the investigation led law enforcement to suspect Alex Murdaugh.

Law enforcement's third interview with Alex Murdaugh. The State / Getty

The Netflix documentary reports that Murdaugh was arrested for the murders, but does not interrogate what led to that point.

Of the parade of SLED agents and affiliated professionals who testified over the course of the prosecution's month-long case, the defense attorneys poked holes in each testimony, in particular highlighting errors in securing the crime scene early on and collecting evidence.

Law enforcement also acknowledged they had a warrant to search the house where the murders occurred the day after they happened, but chose not to execute it as there were lots of people there that would be "displaced" as a result.

But it was the cross-examination of lead investigator David Owen by defense lawyer Jim Griffin that would leave onlookers with the most questions in the investigation.

Firstly, Owen acknowledged that a detailed search wasn't undertaken in the area between Moselle, where the murders occurred, and Murdaugh's parents' house, where he went that evening. Nor was Murdaugh's parents' house searched for the as-yet-undiscovered murder weapons, potential bloody clothes, or other evidence.

Secondly, Griffin used the opportunity to tell the jury about a controversial blood spatter report to argue a rush to judgment by law enforcement. The T-shirt Murdaugh was wearing when he says he discovered the bodies appeared to have no visible blood on it. However, SLED took the shirt to a former police officer who runs a "forensics consulting company" from his home, where he conducted what the defense equated to "science fair experiments" before issuing two reports. The first said there were no stains consistent with the blood spatter you'd see from this type of shooting, and the second said there were over 100 stains consistent with blood spatter.

Thirdly, Owen acknowledged that SLED was told that Murdaugh was spending $50,000 a week on drugs, which he was buying from gang members who were never investigated by law enforcement in connection with the murders.

Owen's cross-examination also revealed multiple inaccuracies in his prior testimony to the state's grand jury, which some onlookers may interpret as a sign that Murdaugh never should have been indicted for the murders in the first place  all of which was absent from the Netflix documentary.

What led to the roadside shooting incident after the murders.

The docuseries devotes under 10 minutes of its last episode to the September 4, 2021, roadside incident, a tale so strange it left people baffled well into the trial.

Murdaugh's story  that he tried to stage his own murder in a suicide plot in order for his son Buster to collect his life insurance  has been treated with skepticism, especially after the man involved in the incident, Curtis Eddie Smith, said he was set up.

However, two details from that day emerged during the trial. While they don't exactly offer answers, they are important pieces to the puzzle.

Firstly, Murdaugh's former close friend Chris Wilson testified that on September 3, he had been told by Murdaugh's law firm partners that Murdaugh had been stealing money. Wilson had worked with Murdaugh on various cases in which Murdaugh has been accused of misappropriating funds. Wilson said that evening he called Murdaugh to tell him what he'd heard, and they agreed to meet the next day.

Wilson testified that on the morning of September 4, hours before Murdaugh would call 911 saying he had been shot in the head by a stranger on the side of the road, he confronted him about the accusations. He said Murdaugh broke down and told him he had been addicted to opioids for 20 years, and admitted to stealing from a client they had jointly represented. Wilson then left the meeting.

Secondly, the Murdaughs' housekeeper Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson testified that on September 4, Murdaugh asked her to send him a photo of his medical insurance card, telling her he was trying to schedule some routine medical checks.

Hours later, Murdaugh says he was planning to stage his own murder.

Two Murdaugh family workers testified they thought Alex Murdaugh implied they should lie for him.

Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson and Shelly Smith testifying during Alex Murdaugh's murder trial. YouTube / Law & Crime Network

Two crucial witnesses in the trial were Murdaugh housekeeper Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson and caregiver Mushell "Shelly" Smith, who worked for Murdaugh's parents taking care of his mother, who has dementia.

Smith testified that she was at Murdaugh's parents' house when he visited the night of the murders, before he said he discovered Maggie and Paul's bodies. She said that some days later, Murdaugh had a conversation with her that she found upsetting, in which he told her that the visit had lasted 30 to 40 minutes, but that to her recollection, it had lasted 20 minutes.

Smith also said that in a subsequent conversation, Murdaugh implied he could help her financially with the cost of her upcoming wedding, and that he had connections with the school where she was working a second job at the time.

During Turrubiate-Simpson's testimony, she said she had a conversation with Murdaugh around two months after the murders in which he told her he was wearing a shirt by the brand Vineyard Vines on the day, although she remembered a different polo shirt from that day.

When asked how she interpreted the conversation, Turrubiate-Simpson said, "I know what he was wearing the day he left the house and I was basically confused. I didn't know whether he was trying to get me to say that that shirt, if I was to be asked... that if that was the shirt he was wearing that day."

Murdaugh's defence team argued both instances were misunderstandings.

Murdaugh's story.

In a shocking twist, barely 24 hours after the release of the Netflix documentary, Murdaugh himself took the stand on February 23, waiving his 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination in order to tell his side of the story.

Murdaugh's testimony rendered the Maggie and Paul elements of the docuseries immediately outdated, as Murdaugh, questioned by lawyer Jim Griffin, attempted to explain away inconsistencies in his story.

He also briefly addressed accusations that he tried to stage a cover-up in the 2019 boat case  a huge part of the Netflix series' narrative  saying they were untrue.

Murdaugh also denied the murders, emphatically responding "no" to Griffin's explosive opening questions  delivered while waving guns in the courtroom  that outright asked him whether he shot his wife and son to death.

What potential motive did Murdaugh have for killing his wife and son?

Alex Murdaugh in court. Joshua Boucher/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

One key question left unanswered by the docuseries is what potential motive Murdaugh could have had for murdering Maggie and Paul.

The show highlights that the family was under immense pressure due to the fallout from the boat crash, which led to Paul being criminally charged and the family being sued for millions of dollars, leading in part to Murdaugh's financial situation getting closer to becoming public.

The prosecution argued that the murders were an attempt to distract from the investigation into his finances, a seemingly outlandish suggestion but a crucial one as it allowed evidence of the financial crimes he was charged with to be entered in the murder trial to demonstrate motive.

However, during the prosecution's monthlong case, there was minimal evidence to suggest Murdaugh would benefit from the deaths, financially or otherwise. Crucial testimony also established that Murdaugh's father was in terminal condition (he later died three days after the murders on June 10, 2021), which would in itself be a cause for sympathy and distraction from the financial matters.

Neither the prosecution nor the Netflix production is obliged to provide a motive in order to accuse Murdaugh of murder  and it seems the former didn't need to. Since the verdict, jurors have spoken out about their decision, saying it was Murdaugh's admitted lie about the evening's timeline and demeanor on the stand that led them to convict.

Sill, with no clarity on what would drive Murdaugh to commit such a shocking act, viewers of the trial and the docuseries alike will likely be left wondering what exactly they are being told to believe happened on the night of June 7, 2021.

Read the original article on Insider
Ukrainian military

According to him, Russian forces tried to attack with three companies in the area of Kreminna on Feb. 23, but the enemy attack flopped.

Read also: Russians trying to break through Ukrainian defense line near Kreminna, Hayday says

"One company of Russians went to a Kobzon concert (the late Soviet-era singer Iosif Kobzon  ed.), which is about 70 soldiers, Hayday said, using a common Ukrainian euphemism for the elimination of enemy troops.

Read also: Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts are Ukrainian, not for trade or sale  Danilov

The number of wounded is still being established," Hayday went on.

The regional governor said the situation in Bilohorivka in Luhansk Oblast is stable.

"The situation on the Svatove section of the front (in Luhansk Oblast) is also more or less calm after a recent unsuccessful attack by orcs (Russian soldiers) supported by heavy equipment," Hayday said.

Over the year of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, Ukrainian defenders have killed almost 147,000 enemy troops, including 970 on Feb. 23, according to data from the Ukrainian militarys General Staff.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Pro choice supporters gather outside the Michigan State Capitol during a "Restore Roe" rally in Lansing, on September 7, 2022. JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images; Insider

Eight people are accused of blocking the entrance to a reproductive health care clinic.

They now face charges of engaging in a civil rights conspiracy and violating the FACE Act.

"You can arrest us, you can do whatever you want, but I will be back," one individual said.

Eight people have been formally charged after authorities accused them of forming a "blockade" at a family planning center in Michigan, the Department of Justice announced in a Wednesday press release.

In August 2020, the individuals  Calvin Zastrow, Chester Gallagher, Heather Idoni, Caroline Davis, Joel Curry, Justin Phillips, Eva Edl, and Eva Zastrow  blocked an entrance to Northland Family Planning Clinic in Sterling Heights, Michigan, where abortion is legal, the indictment alleges.

Gallagher had also posted online about the blockade ahead of time and Curry live-streamed as it happened.

"We're in Sterling Heights, outside of the murder mill, to save children. Sitting next to brothers and sisters. Block the door," Curry said in the live stream, per the indictment.

The individuals are facing charges of engaging in a civil rights conspiracy and violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. The 1994 statute protects patients of clinics, the clinic workers, and the clinics themselves by making it a federal offense to obstruct clinic access and threaten or commit violence against workers and patients.

"The indictment also alleges that all eight defendants violated the FACE Act by using physical obstruction to intimidate and interfere with the Sterling Heights clinic's employees and patients, because the clinic's employees were providing, and the patients were seeking, reproductive health services," the press release reads.

Two of the eight individuals, Idoni and Edl, also face another charge of violating the FACE Act in a separate blockade incident that occurred in April 2021 in Saginaw, Michigan, according to the DOJ.

"You can arrest us, you can do whatever you want, but I will be back, wherever there is a clinic open," Edl told officers when they warned of the possibility of arrest, according to the indictment.

Northland Family Planning Clinic, the Department of Justice, and the Assistant United States Attorney involved in the case did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Insider
Graciela Flores, mother of Fort Worth City Council member Carlos Flores, was shot in her home in Fort Worths Northside neighborhood Thursday night.

Carlos Flores confirmed the 82-year old victim was his mother in a statement Friday, thanking first responders for their efforts to save her life.

In the worst of times, we are often at our best. Observing the actions and professionalism of our first responders gave my family comfort and assurance in our time of need, the councilman said.

The bullet struck the elder Flores in the abdomen, but didnt hit any vital organs.

A spokesperson for the Fort Worth Police Department said officers were dispatched to the 1400 block of Circle Park Boulevard shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday regarding the shooting. The victim told police she was inside the house when someone came to the back door. She thought the person was a family member, and when she called out the relatives name, she heard a gunshot and felt pain in her abdomen.

Graciela Flores was stabilized and taken to a hospital in good condition Thursday, officials said.

She was released from the hospital Friday and is staying with family, Carlos Flores said. The councilman represents an area stretching north of downtown Fort Worth to Marine Creek.

According to a police report, a 35-year-old man was arrested shortly before 4:30 a.m. Friday and faces a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. Its unclear whether he might face additional charges in the case.

Police records identify the man as Jonathan Howard of Fort Worth. According to court records, Howard has a history of arrests on charges including forgery, assault and drug possession.

The Gun Violence Unit will assist with the investigation, police said.
Credit -

One year since Russias invasion of Ukraine, photojournalists have seen it all. Weary from attending far too many funerals and finding bodies under the rubble, many feel a sense of duty to document Moscows aggression for all the world to see.

Its hard not to get involved sometimes in ways that go beyond the camera. In one moment, Pavlo Petrov, a photographer for the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, found himself picking up a fire extinguisher to put out flames after a rocket attack in Kyiv.

With all the death and destruction in Ukraine, many photojournalists say they are drawn to capture subtle moments of joy amid the tragedy. Nicole Tung recalls children playing on a colorful swing set with destroyed buildings in the background in Borodyanka, in northern Ukraine. Meanwhile, Petrov remembers returning a gymnastics suit found in the rubble to a 7-year-old girl who was rescued from a Russian rocket attack but whose father did not make it.

The moments of hope are often short-lived. Felipe Dana remembers stepping outside at midnight on New Years Eve. Celebratory chants were quickly followed by the sound of air raid sirens across Kyiv.

To mark the wars anniversary, TIME spoke to various photographerssome of whom are Ukrainianabout what motivates them to continue covering the war, and the defining moments that have stayed with them. Their work has been featured in TIME, The Washington Post, the New York Times, and Associated Press, among other outlets.

Read More: How the World Changed in the Year Since Russias Invasion of Ukraine

For some, its professional; they say they have a duty to document the conflict. But for others, its also personal; they have had colleagues, family members, or friends killed in the war.

A rescuer and policeman carry an injured woman from a multi-story residential building in Kyiv, after a Russian rocket hit on Feb. 26, 2022. Pavlo Petrov

Pavlo Petrov



Pavlo Petrov, 27, remembers spotting a gymnastics suit while accompanying rescuers searching for victims of a Russian rocket attack in Kyiv last June. He soon learned that it belonged to a 7-year-old girl who had been rescued from the rubble, along with her mother; her father, however, didnt survive. Two weeks later, he visited the girl in hospital and gave her the suit back. You knowit was a hope, a hope for me, that even after losing her father, losing her home, she would not lose herself, Petrov says.

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One of the most defining moments for Petrov, he says, was after a rocket attack in Kyiv on March 1. After arriving on the scene with firefighters and rescuers, he saw several burned bodies. He picked up a fire extinguisher to put out the flames.

Petrov, who is a photographer for the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, had been photographing firefighters in Luhansk, a partially occupied region, since 2017; this helped him adapt to covering the war up-close over the last year.

His photography is a way to push back against Russian propaganda, he says. It is also very important that people abroad see it. Ukrainians are a strong nation and thanks to the support of the world, we become even stronger.

Mariana Szutiak, 20, a hairdresser from Lviv, helps to weave a masking net for the Ukrainian army on March 3, 2022. Szutiak did the same work in 2014-2015 during the Revolution of Dignity. Justyna MielnikiewiczMAPS

Justyna Mielnikiewicz

Justyna Mielnikiewicz has covered the legacy and impact of the Soviet Union in the Caucasus region, plus Ukraine and Crimea for the past two decades. She was working in Dnipro, Ukraine last February when the invasion happened; the Wall Street Journal assigned her to cover the war. Being able to photograph the war for one of the leading U.S. papers, where my work serves as a direct communication channel with viewers in faraway places, fulfills that sense of purpose, Mielnikiewicz says.

Mielnikiewicz has been struck by Ukrainian civilians who have learned to fight and trained on the frontline. She has grown weary of daily funerals. I can not recall feeling joy while working in Ukraine, but something closest to it would be hopein people, their strength, resilience, and humanity, Mielnikiewicz says. I feel happy when I hear that people I photographed get their family members, friends back from imprisonment in Russia.

She believes that photography is important not only to document Russias harm but also tap into a wider array of emotions. I believe photography, besides informing, should engage the viewer emotionallynot necessarily only by showing death and destruction, Mielnikiewicz says.

Volunteer doctors Anastsia Hraczow and Anton Sokolow marry in Kharkiv, Ukraine on April 3, 2022. During the reception, Ukrainian poet Serhiy Zhadan described the couple as "strong and brave young people whose love resist the dark reality around." Agata Grzybowska

Agata Grzybowska

Agata Grzybowska has witnessed moments of both life and death on the job. At one shelter, she met many pregnant women. When the babies were delivered, you could feel as if this new life overcame all the evil aroundthat life wins. Such moments are very precious, Grzybowska says. While she saw bullet-riddled bodies at a morgue, she has also seen friends living together in a basement baking bread to deliver to those in need.

Grzybowska says she is grateful for the trust of every stranger who has invited her into their home, basement, or shelter. In my photographs, I especially cared to show that despite all the pain and loss, atrocities, air raids, and constant dangeragainst all odds, even when their reality had turned upside down, people are trying to live, have hope, and to help each other, even if they are total strangers, she says.

Grzybowska documented the situation at the Ukrainian border shortly after Russias invasion. Thats where she met Svetlana, who was on her way to Italy to leave her son with people whom she had never met before. Svetlana was planning to return to Ukraine and help as a volunteer; she couldnt imagine leaving the country when her husbanda professional soldierand her friends were fighting. So when lots of photojournalists were focusing on those who were leaving, I decided to focus on those who stayed, Grzybowska says.

Grzybowska has worked as a photographer in Ukraine since Russias annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Ira Gavriluk holds her cat as she walks next to the bodies of her husband, brother, and another man, who were killed outside her home in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, April 4, 2022. Felipe DanaAP

Felipe Dana

On New Years Eve, Felipe Dana, 37, went outside to take photos in Kyiv. The streets were empty at midnight and a curfew was underway. Dana heard local residents shout Happy New Year and Glory to Ukraine from their balconies as they celebrated indoors. But just 30 minutes into the New Year, air raid sirens blaredfollowed by the sound of explosions over the capital.

Dana, who works as a photographer for the Associated Press, remembers how so many of the images he captured featured graphic photos of dead civilians in neighborhoods relentlessly hit by shelling and explosions. I realized I had seen nothing but bodies on the streets for the past few days That day I reflected and decided that regardless of how horrible the scenes in some of the photos were, that was the reality there and people should see it, Dana says.

Despite the terror of war, Dana says he is optimistic that photography has the power to help hold people to account.

Investigators exhume the bodies at a site of 445 mostly unmarked graves, as well as one mass grave in Izium, Ukraine, on Sept. 16, 2022. Nicole Tung

Nicole Tung

Children playing on a colorful swing set amid rubble in Borodyanka, not far from Kyiv. Best friends reuniting after being evacuated from Mariupol. Families fleeing with nothing but a plastic bag and saying goodbye to men who had to stay behind to fight. These are the scenes that Nicole Tung has witnessed over the past year, while traveling between her home in Istanbul and the front lines in Ukraine. So many other times it wasnt the big, obvious shocking things that defined the year for me, but the subtle moments, she says.

Tung has worked for outlets including the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Harpers magazine. Although she does not speak Ukrainian, her continued presence has given her a sense of how the war has evolved over time. We see people who had fled only months ago return and head back to school, Tung says. Volunteers, and the military, continue to do their essential work to support the displaced.

While she has covered conflicts worldwide, Tung recognizes she is an outsider in Ukraine. We have to empathize with what they are living through, she says of Ukrainian journalists and photographers, to be able to understand everything thats said by grieving countrymen and women, to be absorbing everything all the time. For the Ukrainian photographers, there are so many more layers.

Olga Grinik, her daughter Miroslava, left, and her niece's daughter Angelina Drobysh, right, in Poltava region, where the family fled to escape the war, on June 29, 2022. Avdiivka, the Grinik family's hometown, has seen fierce fighting. The family recently learned that their house has been destroyed, along with much of the town. Anastasia Taylor-Lind

Anastasia Taylor-Lind

Anastasia Taylor-Lind has been photographing Ukraine since Russias annexation of Crimea in 2014.

She has been working with Alisa Sopova, a writer and anthropologist from Donbas, on a project focused on Ukrainian communities divided by the frontline.

As part of the 5K from the Frontline project, Taylor-Lind and Sopova spent time with the Grinik family from Avdiivka, in Ukraines eastern Donetsk region. The mother, Olga, and her children are now living west of there in the Poltava region, while her husband Nikolay is a soldier in Ukraines army. The family are our friends as well as protagonists in our long-term work about how people adapt and build lives around the new normal of war, Taylor-Lind says. To see the kids, Miroslava and Kirill, safe and happy and starting a new school last fall was special.

Taylor-Lind is from the United Kingdom. I keep in mind the perspective that I am an outsider, who has a choice whether to photograph the war or not, or when to leave. I am able to work free of worry that my own family are not in danger; my own home is safe. This is not a privilege afforded to my Ukrainian colleagues.

Tymophey, 8, paints in the basement of the kindergarten in Kutuzivka, Ukraine, on May 20, 2022. The village of Kutuzivka was occupied by Russia for weeks and liberated by the Ukrainian army on April 27, 2022. The village was heavily destroyed during fighting, and people are still living in basements in fear of future shelling. Serhii Korovainyi

Serhii Korovainyi

Serhii Korovainyi, 28, could never imagine leaving Ukraineeven during the darkest days of the war in Ukraine. This is my country, the one place in the world where I can be myself. It needs me, and I need it as well, Korovainyi says.

The war has been volatile. Brief moments of joylike when Ukrainians celebrated liberating Kherson from Russian controlwere quickly overshadowed by Russia destroying the area with artillery, he says.

Korovainyi hopes that photography can help convey the pain of the war as well as humanize Ukrainians. This war is cruel and ugly, and photography helps people to understand the scale of this ugliness Photography can remind viewers outside my country that Ukrainians are just regular people, not only numbers in the list of casualties and refugees.

The last hospital in Bakhmut, which treats between 50 to 150 wounded soldiers per day, pictured in November 2022. Julia Kochetova

Julia Kochetova

Julia Kochetova, 29, is a Ukrainian photographer who has been documenting revolution and then war in her home country for nearly a decade. She has a folder on her phone with pictures of her friends and colleagues who were killed in action. In the moments of desperation, when I so badly want to lie down on the floor and never stand up, Im scrolling through this folder in my phone gallery and it gives me the strength to continue no matter what, Kochetova says.

She represents a generation of Ukrainians whose youth was marked by Russia annexing Crimea in 2014. She has covered Ukraine closely since Russias full-scale invasion last year.

Kochetova was moved in particular by the story of a woman who goes by Granny Maria, whom she found a day after the liberation of Bucha. Granny Maria was holding a piece of bread, had her phones SIM card stolen, and had been sleeping in a dirty jacket for a month. Kochetova discussed with her colleagues how it was important to try and find her relatives.

After her colleague posted a portrait of the woman on Facebook, Granny Marias family members reached out. It was one of the best days in my life; I started to cry in the middle of the store but all my surroundings didnt matter. I felt how important it was to focus on personal stories, not only on numbers of victims or amount of tanks, Kochetova says.

Kochetova plans to continue photographing as long as the war lasts. My camera should multiply the voices of Ukrainians in war, she says. I want people outside to see that war is not over.

Katya Baranivska, 22, standing in front of the destroyed building in Borodyanka, Ukraine, where her family's apartment used to be before it was destroyed by a Russian bombing. Sasha MaslovINSTITUTE

Sasha Maslov

Ukrainian photographer Sasha Maslov remembers capturing 22-year-old Katya Baranivska standing on the ruins of the building where she grew up and where her parents lived when Russia invaded Ukraine last February. There is so much in this photographit sums up these feelings of anger, outrage, and resilience, Maslov says.

Maslov has always felt he needed to stay in Ukraine to document the war. It wasnt really a question of whether to stay or not stayrather for how long, where and which stories are more important, Maslov says. I just needed to be here As a Ukrainian, it is also a duty.

A few weeks into the war, the gravity of the situation hit Maslov. While on a train heading from Kyiv to Lviv in March, he saw a woman get on the train with her daughter. They looked calm but tired. The girl started crying; her mother appeared stoic but was petting her head. The child asked her mom whether Russians would drop bombs where they were going. That just broke me, Maslov says.

My motivation is the people I meet and photograph, as well as the overall feeling of being on the side of the truth, Maslov says.
The 12th annual Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) International Awards were handed out in Los Angeles on Feb. 23. Avatar: The Way of Water, which was filmed primarily in neighboring New Zealand, won Best Picture. The Banshees of Inisherin claimed both supporting acting awards (Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon) plus the screenplay prize for director Martin McDonagh.

Elvis, which had won a whopping 11 awards at the domestic awards in December plus the peoples choice prize, repeated with wins for helmer Baz Luhrmann and lead actor Austin Butler. And Australian leading lady Cate Blanchett claimed a third Best Actress trophy for Tar (she previously prevailed for Blue Jasmine and Carol)

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On the TV side, Mystery Road: Origin, which had taken home a lucky seven awards in December, repeated with wins for Best Drama Series and lead actor Mark Coles Smith. The White Lotus: Sicily won both Best Comedy Series and the TV actress award for scene stealer Jennifer Coolidge.

Last year, The Power of the Dog won Best Picture plus gongs for lead Benedict Cumberbatch and supporting player Kodi Smit-McPhee. Best Director went to Canadas Denis Villeneuve (Dune). Local favorite Nicole Kidman (Being the Ricardos) won the Best Actress prize while British doyenne Judi Dench took the supporting award for Belfast and director Aaron Sorkin won for his Being the Ricardos script. On the TV side, The White Lotus won Best Comedy Series with Aussie Murray Bartlett claiming the Actor prize while Kate Winslet won for Mare of Easttown and Succession took home Best Drama Series.

SEE Australian Academy Awards: Elvis wins 11 including Best Picture at local kudosfest

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Held annually in Los Angeles, the AACTA International Awards honour the best achievements in screen excellence, regardless of geography or nationality, across seven film and four TV categories. The film winners are determined by AACTAs International Chapter, which is made up of 190 Australian screen professionals including Oscar nominees and winners Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin, Jan Chapman and Jacki Weaver. The four TV winners are voted on by the entire AACTA membership.

These awards add a uniquely Australian voice to the international awards circuit alongside the Oscars, BAFTAs, Emmys and Golden Globes. However, while the Aussie academy is somewhat prescient about spotlighting who will find favor with the Oscars, they do often favor home grown talent.

The full list of winners are below.

Best Picture

X  Avatar: The Way of Water

Elvis

Everything Everywhere All at Once

The Banshees of Inisherin

Top Gun: Maverick

Best Director

James Cameron  Avatar: The Way of Water

Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert  Everything Everywhere All at Once

X  Baz Luhrmann  Elvis

Martin McDonagh  The Banshees of Inisherin

Steven Spielberg  The Fabelmans

Best Actor

X  Austin Butler  Elvis

Joel Edgerton  The Stranger

Colin Farrell  The Banshees of Inisherin

Brendan Fraser  The Whale

Hugh Jackman  The Son

Best Actress

X  Cate Blanchett  Tar

Ana de Armas  Blonde

Margot Robbie  Babylon

Michelle Williams  The Fabelmans

Michelle Yeoh  Everything Everywhere All at Once

Best Supporting Actor

X  Brendan Gleeson  The Banshees of Inisherin

Woody Harrelson  Triangle Of Sadness

Sean Harris   The Stranger

Brad Pitt  Babylon

Ke Huy Quan  Everything Everywhere All at Once

Best Supporting Actress

X  Kerry Condon  The Banshees of Inisherin

Jamie Lee Curtis  Everything Everywhere All at Once

Olivia DeJonge  Elvis

Stephanie Hsu  Everything Everywhere All at Once

Jean Smart  Babylon

Best Screenplay

Todd Field  Tar

Rian Johnson  Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

X  Martin McDonagh  The Banshees of Inisherin

Ruben Ostlund  Triangle of Sadness

Dana Stevens, Maria Bello  The Woman King

Best TV Drama Series

Heartbreak High

X  Mystery Road: Origin

Severance

Stranger Things

The Bear

Best TV Comedy Series

Hacks

Only Murders in The Building

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

X  The White Lotus: Sicily

Wednesday

Best TV Actor

Jeremy Allen White  The Bear

Jason Bateman  Ozark

X  Mark Coles Smith  Mystery Road: Origin

Bob Odenkirk  Better Call Saul

Thomas Weatherall  Heartbreak High

Best TV Actress

X  Jennifer Coolidge  The White Lotus: Sicily

Elizabeth Debecki  The Crown

Laura Linney  Ozark

Jean Smart  Hacks

Zendaya  Euphoria

PREDICT the 2023 Oscar winners by March 12

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'We should be able to do the same': Stop getting frustrated with politicians who make millions by investing in stocks  consider copying their trades instead. These are 2 new ways to do it

A jab at greedy politicians, a fun way to level the stock trading playing field  or a mix of both?

Don't miss

'Hold onto your money': Jeff Bezos issued a financial warning, says you might want to rethink buying a 'new automobile, refrigerator, or whatever'  here are 3 better recession-proof buys

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

UBS says 61% of millionaire collectors allocate up to 30% of their overall portfolio to this exclusive asset class

Two new politically-themed investment funds that mimic the stock trades made by members of Congress are letting Americans invest like their favorite politicians  while also shaming the countrys top lawmakers for dragging their feet around insider trading.

The Democratic and Republican exchange-traded funds (ETFs) were launched by investment firm Subversive Capital Advisor and the data hub Unusual Whales with the tickers NANC and KRUZ  playing on the names of prominent politicians on either side of the house, Nancy Pelosi (Dem) and Ted Cruz (Rep).

Theyre a twist in the tale for certain lawmakers who have been trying to introduce legislation that will ban members of Congress and their families from trading individual stocks.

If you cant beat them, join them

Public scrutiny of Congressional stock trading has intensified in recent years, with politicians being accused of using their connections and insider information to score winning deals.

A quick online search shows how members of Congress perform relative to the rest of the market, said Christian Cooper, Subversive Capitals portfolio manager for the NANC and KRUZ funds.

As a whole, Congress outperformed the market and beat the SPY index in both 2021 and 2022  with politicians from both sides favoring sectors like technology and finance.

We believe members of Congress have more information than the rest of us, and if they can trade on that information, we should be able to do the same, and now we can, said Cooper.

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Unusual Whales is the data provider for the NANC and KRUZ ETFs, using publicly accessible stock disclosures of members of both parties and their spouses to help the Subversive team buy or sell securities for each portfolio.

But theres a catch. There is a time lag between when members of Congress make their trades and when Unusual Whales can see and report the data.

Under the STOCK Act, or Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act  passed in 2012 in response to concerns about insider trading by members of Congress  lawmakers are required to disclose any trades valued at more than $1,000 within 45 days of the transaction.

Lets think about what Congress is actually doing, versus what theyre required to do, said Cooper on Bloomberg ETF IQ. In the STOCK Act, they have this 45-day period  before Unusual Whales began commenting on this publicly, the actual average reporting time was about 60 days.

As Unusual Whales began shining light on this, that is now down to an average of about 29 days  but thats still far too long.

Unusual Whales and Subversive are focused on getting Congressional stock data as cleanly and quickly as possible, according to Cooper.

He believes Congress may one day pass a compromise bill that both shortens the time they have to report  and also increases the fines, but he doesnt think theyll ever pass an absolute ban on trading.

Read more: Rich young Americans have lost confidence in the stock market  and are betting on these 3 assets instead.

Reform needs to be made now

In 2022, 131 members of Congress (24% of elected officials) actively traded up to $788 million in various assets through over 12,700 transactions, according to the Unusual Whales 2022 Congressional Stock Trading Report.

There were many unusual trades, whether coinciding with Committee decisions or large bills themselves, resulting in large gains for politicians, the group added.

But not all politicians support ethically gray trading.

On Jan. 12, Reps. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia and Chip Roy of Texas, joined by a bipartisan alliance of 35 co-sponsors, reintroduced the Transparent Representation Upholding Service and Trust in Congress Act, or TRUST, for the third time.

We saw tremendous momentum, we saw growing support in our districts, and we saw growing recognition across the political spectrum that such a reform needs to be made now, Spanberger said in a statement.

Our TRUST in Congress Act would demonstrate that lawmakers are focused on serving the interests of the American people  not their own stock portfolios.

In the same month, Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri introduced the Preventing Elected Leaders from Owning Securities and Investments (PELOSI) Act  trolling Pelosi after news broke that her venture capitalist husband sold 30,000 shares of Google stock just one month before the tech giant was sued over alleged antitrust violations.

While Wall Street and Big Tech work hand-in-hand with elected officials to enrich each other, hard-working Americans pay the price, Hawley said in his PELOSI Act announcement. The solution is clear: we must immediately and permanently ban all members of Congress from trading stocks.

If passed, both TRUST and PELOSI would require members of Congress, their spouses and children to either sell their holdings when they take their position in Congress or put them into a blind trust, where they would have no control over the trades.

They would still, however, be able to purchase diversified ETFs, diversified mutual funds, and U.S. Treasury bills, notes or bonds.

While the movement is gaining momentum, no bills banning Congressional stock trading have yet been passed  but Cooper hopes that continued pressure from Unusual Whales and the heightened transparency brought about by the NANC and KRUZ ETFs will help to change behaviors.

What to read next

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
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Adcock Ingram Holdings Limited (JSE:AIP) has announced that it will be increasing its dividend from last year's comparable payment on the 20th of March to ZAR1.25. This will take the dividend yield to an attractive 4.0%, providing a nice boost to shareholder returns.

See our latest analysis for Adcock Ingram Holdings

Adcock Ingram Holdings' Earnings Easily Cover The Distributions

Impressive dividend yields are good, but this doesn't matter much if the payments can't be sustained. Prior to this announcement, Adcock Ingram Holdings' dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This indicates that quite a large proportion of earnings is being invested back into the business.

Looking forward, earnings per share could rise by 9.9% over the next year if the trend from the last few years continues. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 45% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.

Dividend Volatility

The company's dividend history has been marked by instability, with at least one cut in the last 10 years. Since 2013, the dividend has gone from ZAR2.01 total annually to ZAR2.18. Dividend payments have grown at less than 1% a year over this period. We're glad to see the dividend has risen, but with a limited rate of growth and fluctuations in the payments the total shareholder return may be limited.

Adcock Ingram Holdings Could Grow Its Dividend

With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to evaluate if earnings per share is growing, which could point to a growing dividend in the future. Adcock Ingram Holdings has impressed us by growing EPS at 9.9% per year over the past five years. Shareholders are getting plenty of the earnings returned to them, which combined with strong growth makes this quite appealing.

We Really Like Adcock Ingram Holdings' Dividend

Overall, we think this could be an attractive income stock, and it is only getting better by paying a higher dividend this year. The company is easily earning enough to cover its dividend payments and it is great to see that these earnings are being translated into cash flow. All in all, this checks a lot of the boxes we look for when choosing an income stock.

Story continues

Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. For example, we've picked out 1 warning sign for Adcock Ingram Holdings that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield dividend stocks.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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President Joe Biden recently highlighted his administrations efforts to ensure tobacco products dont hook too many young people at an early age. Unfortunately, however, a federal oversight is undermining Bidens efforts to keep these products out of kids hands.

Delawares lawmakers understand the dangers nicotine vapor products pose to our children. In 2019, they passed the Youth Access law, prohibiting the sale of nicotine vapor products to anyone under 21. However, despite the states valiant efforts to restrict youth access, federal law continues to jeopardize the effectiveness of this important legislation.

Three years ago, the Trump administrations Food and Drug Administration issued a policy that cracked down on the sale of flavored nicotine vapors. However, it inadvertently exempted disposable nicotine vapor products  the clear favorite among Delawares youth  by excluding it from the definition of ENDS products. As a result, our kids can still access these nicotine vapor products in flavors like cotton candy and raspberry ice from corner stores, friends or other sources. So it shouldnt surprise anyone that disposable nicotine vapor product usage among high school students has spiked dramatically since then.

E-cigarettes sit inside a case at Vape Escape in Wilmington.

Recognizing what this oversight will mean for Delawares youth smoking epidemic, Sen. Tom Carper and Sen. Chris Coons sent a letter to the FDA shortly after the release of this policy requesting that it be closed. They made it clear that these products [flavored nicotine vapors] have not undergone a scientific review by the FDA of their impact on public health and that leaving them on the market will place millions of children at risk of addiction.

Delawares senators are right: a recent Yale study found that inhaling vapor from flavored e-cigarette liquid exposes them to once undetected chemical byproducts.

Story continues

Our children are not just at casual risk of obtaining these products; they are being targeted to no end. As the American Cancer Society put it, products with flavors like cherry, grape, cotton candy, and gummy bear are clearly not aimed at established, adult tobacco users and years of tobacco industry documents confirm the intended use of flavors to target youth. Our children have said time and time again that these flavors are why they use tobacco products, and theyre setting them up for a lifetimes worth of addictions and health problems.

The Biden administration and the FDA should take quick action to address this youth protection gap because time is of the essence.

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, the former head of a key congressional subcommittee with jurisdiction on this issue, explained what the Biden administration needs to do succinctly. He said, you have to make sure that disposable cigarettes are subject to the same flavor ban that all other products are subject to."

Given their track records of safeguarding the publics health interests, Delaware residents have every reason to believe that President Biden, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf and Doctor Brian King will close this Trump-era loophole on disposable nicotine vapor products. Heres hoping they do so without delay.

Mike Payan is the co-founder of Sussex Health & Environmental Network and the vice chair for the Sussex County Democratic Party.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware e-cigarette problem teens
A spirited bear busted out of his enclosure at a zoo in St. Louis, Missouri, for the second time in a month on Thursday.

Ben, a 4-year-old male Andean bear, broke loose for the first time on Feb. 7, the Saint Louis Zoo said in a news release about the incidents.

Ben the bear in a photo seen in a Saint Louis Zoo news release.

Ben the bear in a photo seen in a Saint Louis Zoo news release.

Ben got out by meddling with the steel mesh in just the right spot of the outdoor habitat, causing a cable to give way, which then allowed him to work his way out, the zoo wrote. Since then, team members made the habitat even more secure by adding stainless steel cargo clips rated at 450 pounds tensile strength, yet that wasnt enough for Ben.

On both occasions, zoo staff used tranquilizers to bring Ben back to a secure area. The first time happened before the zoo had opened for the day, 5 On Your Side reported.

On Thursday, zoo visitors were corralled indoors while staff dealt with the bear at large.

The bear was very calm the whole time we saw him, Drew Wilson, a zoo visitor who spotted Ben roaming the grounds and reported him to zoo staff, told Fox 2 Now. Just looked like he was having fun.

The zoos press release noted that Ben is young and adventurous.

The facility said it will be consulting with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to figure out alternative ways to secure the habitat.

Andean bears, also known as spectacled bears, are native to the cloud forests of South Americas Andes Mountains. The largely vegetarian animals are threatened in the wild by habitat destruction and poaching.

Related...
Air New Zealand (NZSE:AIR) First Half 2023 Results

Key Financial Results

Revenue: NZ$3.08b (up 174% from 1H 2022).

Net income: NZ$213.0m (up from NZ$272.0m loss in 1H 2022).

Profit margin: 6.9% (up from net loss in 1H 2022).

EPS: NZ$0.063 (up from NZ$0.24 loss in 1H 2022).

All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period

Air New Zealand Earnings Insights

Looking ahead, revenue is forecast to grow 2.2% p.a. on average during the next 3 years, compared to a 16% growth forecast for the Global Airlines industry.

Performance of the market in New Zealand.

The company's shares are down 3.1% from a week ago.

Risk Analysis

What about risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Air New Zealand you should know about.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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Pensacola could have its first Aldi in the city next year.

The Pensacola City Council approved the first of two required votes Thursday to rezone five lots at the corner of Creighton Road and Tippin Avenue that developers say will become an Aldi if a pending property sale goes through.

The popular discount grocery store already has four locations in the Pensacola metropolitan area, but none are located inside the city limits.

Developer Will Akin told the council that he has a fully negotiated agreement with Aldi to build a store at that location if the rezoning goes through.

"We have a fully negotiated agreement with Aldi, who I've been working with since 2004," Akin said. "And we've developed many sites for them around Alabama. This will be our first Florida development."

Fourth AldiAldi opens fourth area store as Pace/Pea Ridge location opens for business

First timer at Pensacola's new Aldi? Bring a quarter, a bag and this handy guide

First Aldi in PensacolaALDI's first Pensacola store on Blue Angel Parkway set to open next week

Akin said once the sale goes through, it would be another 90 to 120 days for his group to apply for building plans for Aldi.

Akin acknowledged to the council there was a risk that if the Florida Department of Transportation didn't approve their access plan, the site may not be developed, but he was optimistic it would be approved.

The council voted 6 to 1 in favor of the rezoning change, with Councilman Charles Bare voting against it.

One of the lots up for rezoning is not owned by the developers but is the location of a private school that specializes in tutoring children with autism. The lot is being included in the rezoning application to avoid spot zoning.

Two of the lots used to be residential homes but have since been demolished, while another lot is currently a massage school.

The five lots are residentially zoned lots that do allow for some commercial use, but the zoning request would make all five lots commercial "C-1" zoned, which would allow for larger retail development.

Story continues

Bare said he shops at Aldi and was excited when he first learned one was coming to his district, but after reviewing the request, he couldn't support it because of the negative impact on nearby residents and traffic on Tippin Avenue.

"I can't support this tonight, and I think there are other places we can do this type of development," Bare said.

Two residents who own properties next to the development also spoke at the meeting in opposition to the zoning change, saying they were worried about light pollution and noise the store would bring.

John Hudson said he's lived in Pensacola since 1985.

"I've seen the City Council react to how it deals with neighborhoods over time, and it's just my opinion that if I was wealthy, I wouldn't have these problems," Hudson said. "But because I'm lower-middle-class, it's like, let's put everything in these areas; let's destroy these neighborhoods because they're not that important."

Councilwoman Jennifer Brahier said she understood where the residents were coming from but at the same time noted others she spoke to from the neighborhood, including her son, were excited about an Aldi locating there.

Brahier pointed out that much of Creighton Road has largely become a commercial corridor, but it was also the promise of an Aldi for the eastside of Escambia County.

"This is contingent, in my feeling, on an Aldi, but we can't guarantee an Aldi," Brahier said. "So that gets a little bit of, I guess, risk-taking."

The council agreed it was worth taking the risk. The zoning change will have to be voted on at the City Council's March meeting again before it goes into effect.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Aldi wins approval of Pensacola City Council on Creighton Road
A young man walks along a dirt road holding a leash of a donkey walking beside him.



Donkeys are a main source of labor in countries like rural South Africa, but the cruel ejiao trade has decimated donkey populations in many places that depend on them.

Amazon is facing a stampede of protest over third-party vendors being allowed to sell donkey-based products. A few Donkey-based items, remedies, and snacks easily found on the digital marketplace are products of an international, inhumane slaughter of donkeys, and one California-based equine nonprofit wants Amazon to ban the products from its site.

Wired reported Friday that there were multiple vendors on Amazon selling donkey-related products, including a gelatin made from donkey hide often called ejiao. The advocacy group The Donkey Sanctuary reported back in 2019 that global donkey populations are being decimated by the trade of ejiao, with 4.8 million donkeys slaughtered and skinned annually as of that year. Donkeys reportedly experience horrendous and inexcusable suffering, from being transported in overcrowded trucks then being held for days in cramped compounds without any food before being slaughtered.



Read more

The trade has become a $7.8 billion industry as of 2020, according to data from the Shandong Ejiao Industry Association. A recent paper from the think tank South African Institute of International Affairs shows how the impact has been hurting not just the animals, but the people who depend on their labor.

While Wired scraped more than 1,000 product search results, a simple search on Amazon for ejiao leads to several snacks, candy, cakes, and more that explicitly say they contain the donkey-hide-based gelatin. One of these products came with the Sponsored tag and explicitly said it contained Donkey Hide Gelatin. Some of these products ship separately, although Wired said they confirmed a few are being shipped from Amazons own warehouses. Some products reportedly contain ejiao and dont list that fact on the Amazon product page.

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One product explicitly labeled as Donkey Hide Gelatin was picked up in the sponsored section of Amazons marketplace.

There are no horse slaughterhouses in the U.S., and some states like California have laws against the slaughter of horses and sale of horsemeat, both for human and pet consumption. You wont find any horsemeat on Amazon, but a lawsuit from the Center for Contemporary Equine Studies, a California-based nonprofit, alleges that the sale of ejiao and other donkey-based products violates the California law.

Gizmodo reached out to Amazon for comment on both the products sold and the ongoing lawsuit, but we did not immediately hear back. All-consuming Amazon is making a killing off of its third party retailers, as a recent report showed the site takes half of many Amazon merchants sales as a commission fee.

The law, called Proposition 6, was part of a ballot initiative put to voters on the 1998 ballot. While Frank Rothschild, the equine studies center director, said that scientifically, donkeys are equine in the same vein as horses, so Amazon violates the law, it remains up to a judge to interpret if the law specifically refers to all members of the equidae family.

Still, the company has been hounded over faulty or illegal third-party products sold on its site. The digital marketplace has hosted fake or unproven covid 19 disinfectants. In 2019, an investigation showed Amazon was playing host to thousands of banned or unsafe products. In 2021, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission sued Amazon over its sale of allegedly faulty products.

Ejiao has been used in traditional Chinese remedies, but the substances supposed health benefits have led to its use in herbal medicine and beauty products traded internationally. Other online retailers have banned sale of the product after protests from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, who most know as PETA. According to the New York Post, an eBay executive told PETA in 2018 that it was working to take down listings of Donkey products. Walmart had also taken similar steps.

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An American Airlines plane on the runway. Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

An "unruly" passenger aboard an American Airlines flight forced an emergency landing this week.

The traveler allegedly rushed at the cockpit after she couldn't get a cocktail, according to reports.

The FAA told Insider that the passenger "did not breach" the cockpit, but "did run at it."

An "unruly" passenger on an American Airlines flight forced the plane to make an emergency landing in North Carolina this week after the traveler allegedly charged at the cockpit after she couldn't get a cocktail, according to officials and reports.

Flight 3444 flying from Jacksonville, Florida, to Washington, DC, was diverted to North Carolina's Raleigh-Durham International Airport on Wednesday afternoon as a result of the "passenger disturbance," the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed to Insider on Friday.

The FAA said in a tweet on Wednesday that it was investigating an "unruly passenger" aboard the flight operated by Envoy Air, a regional carrier under American Airlines.

In radio transmissions from Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority Police, officers can be heard saying that a passenger on the flight "tried to breach the cockpit" and was "being somewhat restrained by the flight crew and other passengers," CNN reported.

The FAA told Insider that the passenger "did not breach" the cockpit, but "did run at it."

Tiffany Miles, 36, told local news site WRAL in an interview that the incident was a total misunderstanding and that she wants an apology.

"What person in their right mind would go up to the cockpit while the pilot was flying the plane? It doesn't make sense," Miles told the news outlet as she explained that she got up and walked towards the bathroom in the direction of the cockpit.

Miles said that she asked a flight attendant for a cocktail  Jack Daniels on the rocks  before the flight took off and during, but was told no alcohol was being served on the flight, according to WRAL.

Story continues

"I have anxiety," Miles said. "So, sometimes I need a cocktail to cool off and calm down."

Miles said that when she was out of her seat two flight attendants stopped her near the cockpit.

"I started freaking out because so many people started getting up on me," Miles told the news outlet. "I started freaking completely out, saying, 'This is not called for.'"

The flight crew wound up restraining Miles with zip ties aboard the flight until it landed safely back at the North Carolina airport, according to WRAL.

"The flight attendant told me I had to get up out of my chair or she was going to force me to the ground and put zip ties on me," Miles said. "I said, 'For what?!'"

"That made me go berserk," she said.

Cell phone video published by WRAL shows Miles being restrained as she says into the camera, "The question that I had asked was if I can get my drink. I have not threatened anyone."

Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was even briefed on the ordeal.

"FAA leadership has briefed me on today's flight diversion due to a Level 4 disruption on board," Buttigieg tweeted. "Thankful to all who helped ensure its safe arrival. As always, safety is our main concern and our top priority."

Miles was taken into custody by police after the plane landed at the North Carolina airport and she was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of illegal airport obstruction, records show. She was jailed and later released on bond.

However, law enforcement ultimately dismissed the charge against Miles following an investigation, the airport told Insider on Friday.

Law enforcement at Raleigh-Durham International Airport "was notified by the TSA of an attempted hijacking on board a flight that was being diverted to RDU on its way to Washington, DC," the airport told Insider in a statement.

"Due to the elevated nature of the call and information received at the time, law enforcement placed passenger Tiffany Miles in custody and initially charged her with a misdemeanor," the airport said.

The FBI told Insider "no further action is planned unless additional information or evidence comes to light."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Alex Drueke, an American who were released earlier this month as part of a Russian-Ukraine prisoner swap, poses for a portrait on September 29, 2022. William DeShazer for The Washington Post via Getty Images

US veteran Alexander Drueke was captured by the Russians last year while fighting for Ukraine.

Drueke told The Daily Beast that his captors tortured and beat him, but were "idiots."

He said they made him reach out to the "silliest levels of the US government," including an Alabama licensing office.

An American prisoner of war who was freed from Russia last year said the men holding him captive were "idiots" who made him call a small licensing office in Alabama to ask for help, The Daily Beast reported.

Alexander Drueke, 39, and Andy Huynh, 27, who were both volunteer fighters in Ukraine, were captured by Russian forces in June after a failed mission in the Kharkiv region.

The men were held in Russian captivity for three months, before being released in a Russia-Ukraine prisoner swap in September last year.

In an interview with The Daily Beast published on Thursday, Drueke described the "pure torture" he had to endure while in Russian captivity, which included regular beatings and being electrocuted by a car battery.

After their Russian captors discovered that he and Huynh were "high-value people", they made them reach out to the "silliest levels of the [U.S.] government" to ask for help, Drueke said.

"I think one they made Andy call was the head of LLC business licensing for Alabama," Drueke told The Daily Beast. "And she said, 'I'm sorry I can't help you, I'm going to pray for you.'"

The captors were attempting to spread panic in the US about the chance that Drueke and Huynh could be executed.

"Sometimes they were just so smart and I was like 'Oh man they're going to kill me.' And sometimes it was like, this is the most ridiculous thing ever, how is this going to work? You're idiots," he added.

Both men were among a big group of fighters who were released in a prisoner exchange brokered by Saudi Arabia in late September.

Drueke said they didn't know about the exchange, so when they were brought to a Russian airstrip and had to board a plane, they thought they were being tricked.

Story continues

"All of us were thinking, either we're moving prisons, we're being exchanged, or this is mass execution," he said.

"And then when we got on the plane, we said, 'Well they're obviously just going to shoot us out of the air once we take off.' There's no way they're letting us go," he said. "It wasn't until we landed in Riyadh that we were like, 'Huh, we might actually be getting released.'"

Drueke is an Army veteran, who served his first tour in Kuwait and his second in Baghdad.

When Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion last year, Drueke volunteered to go fight with the Ukrainian army. He became friends with Huynh because they are both from Alabama.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Americans are split on whether Congress should vote to raise the debt ceiling as the clock is ticking on a possible default that could come this summer if the limit is not risen, according to a new poll.

An NPR-PBS NewsHour-Marist poll released Thursday found 52 percent of registered voters support raising the debt ceiling, while 46 percent oppose it. The amount that support it is a significant increase from the 24 percent who supported doing so in 2011, which was the last time Congress faced a confrontation over the debt limit.

Support for raising the debt ceiling also saw an increase from a decade ago across the political spectrum, rising among Democrats from 36 precent to 79 percent, among independents from 22 percent to 47 percent and among Republicans from 16 percent to 26 percent.

Raising the debt ceiling will not allow the federal government to spend more money, but will the government pay back debt for expenses it has already taken on.

The Treasury Department started resorting to extraordinary measures last month to avoid the U.S. defaulting on its national debt. But the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office reported last week that the measures could be exhausted sometime between July and September if Congress does not raise the ceiling.

A face-off in Congress could happen over the next few months as many Republicans are demanding spending cuts in exchange for voting to raise the debt limit. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has said any cuts to Social Security or Medicare are off the table, but cuts to any other program are up for consideration.

President Biden has called on Congress to pass a clean bill to raise the ceiling without any conditions of spending cuts and to address any cuts separately  which McCarthy has so far rejected.

Pollsters also found a plurality of Americans blame both Democrats and Republicans equally for the amount of debt the country has incurred, while 29 percent blame Democrats more and 24 percent blame Republicans more. The national debt stands at $31.4 trillion.

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In terms of addressing policy amid a divided Congress, respondents overwhelmingly support members of the two parties working together to find compromise. Seven in 10 said politicians should compromise to find solutions, while only 28 percent said they should stand on principle.

Respondents were closely divided over whether Congress should focus on cutting programs and services to reduce the debt or increasing government revenue through taxes and fees, with 50 percent saying the former and 47 percent saying the latter.

The poll was conducted from Feb. 13-16 among 1,352 registered voters. The margin of error was 3.3 points.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
By Saeed Azhar

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Goldman Sachs Group Inc's Chief Executive David Solomon faces a reality check from investors on Tuesday as he presents plans to reach key financial goals.

At only the second investor day in Goldman's 154-year history, shareholders will gather in downtown Manhattan to assess the Wall Street giant's roadmap after the high-profile flop of its consumer business, Marcus.

"It's a pretty important investor day," said Mike Cronin, investor director at fund manager abrdn, which owns a stake in the bank.

While Cronin said that the bank's leadership could get the job done, "there's definitely some debate about the path forward here, just given some of the missteps" and the gap between Goldman's promises and what it has delivered.

Investors will also judge whether the company can hit its target for return on tangible equity (ROTE), a measure of performance that compares profit versus shareholder equity.

Last year, its ROTE dropped to 11%, lagging peers and falling short of analysts expectations. That compares with 24.3% in 2021, a blockbuster year, reflecting how volatile Goldman's earnings can be.

The company needs to provide a "credible plan" to reach the medium-term target of 15% to 17%, Cronin said.

Solomon's performance will also be scrutinized. The consumer business that he championed lost $3 billion in almost three years and its operations are being probed by regulators. Marcus's woes also weighed on fourth-quarter earnings, which fell dramatically short of analyst expectations.

The results prompted investors and analysts to ask what comes next.

"We've set a clear strategic direction and we're looking forward to sharing more on our plans to continue to deliver for shareholders at investor day," said Tony Fratto, a company spokesman.

Solomon typically serves as Goldman's statesman, addressing conferences, speaking to media and posting a steady stream of photos to his LinkedIn page. But ahead of the Feb. 28 gathering, members of Goldman's top brass have joined in, granting rare press interviews to tout the company's performance. It's a big shift for a bank that has traditionally shunned attention.

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In 2020, Solomon kicked off Goldman's inaugural investor day by telling participants they should feel free to "break into open applause."

The tone may be more somber this year after the company laid off about 3,200 employees. The CEO's pay was reduced 29% to $25 million for 2022 amid a challenging operating environment.

Goldman's stock has outperformed most top U.S. banks since Solomon took the helm in 2018, but trailed rival Morgan Stanley. Goldman shares edged 0.5% lower in pre-market trading on Friday, in line with peers.

Its board approved a share buyback of up to $30 billion, according to a regulatory filing on Friday.

Goldman trades at a price-to-book ratio, which measures the value of a company's stock, of 1.19, less than Morgan Stanley's 1.78 and JPMorgan Chase & Co's 1.39.

The bank will probably miss its return target this year and next, said Mike Mayo, an analyst at Wells Fargo. Its headcount and compensation expenses should be reduced, given the worsening economic outlook and sluggish dealmaking, he said. Losses from the consumer business will also be a drag on earnings.

COST CUTS

Goldman will probably need to make deeper cost cuts "given the ongoing uncertain revenue environment," Daniel Fannon, an analyst at Jefferies, wrote in a note.

The company needs to articulate a clearer path to profits for the newly-formed Platform Solutions unit, Fannon wrote. The division, which houses transaction banking, credit card and fintech operations, lost $1.67 billion in 2022.

David Fanger, analyst at Moody's Investors Service, wants more details on Goldman's move to slim down alternative investments that weighed on earnings.

Some analysts have suggested Goldman Sachs should make a large acquisition in wealth management. That has been a winning strategy for rival Morgan Stanley, which benefited from more diverse revenue sources after buying brokerages Smith Barney and E*TRADE.

A deal could broaden Goldman's revenue beyond trading and investment banking, which can be buffeted by economic cycles. The two divisions, which were merged last year, comprised 69% of the firm's revenue in 2022.

Solomon has pushed back on deal talk, telling investors that there is a high bar for big transactions.

"This is certainly what the equity market wants them to do, but from a credit standpoint, it could be quite risky," because it is easier to build a business in-house, said Fanger at Moody's.

The investor day is also an opportunity for the company to address questions around Solomon's leadership after bad press, Mayo said.

Veteran bankers at Goldman often cite their long tenures as marks of confidence and continuity. But several presenters from the 2020 investor day have since left.

Among them are former Chief Financial Officer Stephen Scherr, who left to become the CEO of Hertz last year, and Gregg Lemkau, the previous co-head of investment banking who now manages the assets of Dell founder, Michael Dell, at MSD Capital. Veteran partner Tim O'Neill retired as a partner.

Marcus has also had a wave of departures. Swati Bhatia, who led the direct-to-consumer unit, stepped down last month. Two former heads of the business -- Omer Ismail and Harit Talwar -- also moved on in recent years.

Solomon, however, is planning to stay.

Addressing investors as a Florida conference this month, he said: "I am delighted to be here, and I promise you, I am delighted to come back to Florida in February next year too."

(Reporting by Saeed Azhar; Additional reporting by Niket Nishant; Editing by Lananh Nguyen and Nick Zieminski)
By Carolina Mandl, Davide Barbuscia and Tom Westbrook

NEW YORK/SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Many large money managers are steering clear of Chinese assets, missing out on the nation's post-COVID stock market rally in the latest example of strategic concerns trumping juicy returns.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng has rallied 50% in the three months to the end of January, but incoming foreign investment has moderated and broker analysis attributes much of the rally to hedge funds seeking quick gains.

For longer-term investors, the explosion of friction into outright conflict in Ukraine and President Xi Jinping's consolidation of power in China have given pause for thought while Sino-U.S. competition also heats up.

Several say the perceived danger of conflict across the Taiwan Strait has risen. Others note that war in Ukraine has solidified diplomatic and trade alliances, with China and the West increasingly on opposing sides - all of which represent new risks in parking money in the world's second-biggest economy.

"For the American investor, we have to consider whether we are enabling economic development of an adversarial government," said Kevin Philip, partner at Bel Air Investment Advisors in Los Angeles, which manages $9.5 billion in assets for more than 350 high-net-worth families, individuals and foundations.

"For our investors who might have that concern, there are plenty of other opportunities away from China."

SLOWING INFLOWS

Money flows imply others are also holding back and the price action shows months of gains are turning choppy and fickle.

Monthly data shows investment in China-focused equity funds hit an eight-month high of $15.4 billion in December but ebbed to $4.3 billion in January. Money movement via the stock Connect scheme that allows foreigners to access companies listed in mainland China has also slowed this month to about 20 billion yuan ($3 billion), down from 64 billion yuan in January.

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"Long-duration capital managers are somewhat hesitant to deploy fresh capital to work," Goldman Sachs analysts said in a note based on investor meetings in the United States and Middle East, citing "an uncertain U.S.-China geopolitical environment".

That reluctance despite large potential returns - the Shanghai Composite rose 15% from late October to late January - prompts deeper questions.

The concern flagged by some is whether this is part of a structural downgrade for Chinese assets, said Will Malcolm, a Singapore-based portfolio manager at Aviva Investors.

His fund is overweight in Chinese stocks and has benefited from three months of gains. But he is now trimming that position, citing the need to be "a little bit more discerning" on exposure to different areas of the Chinese market.

Man Numeric, which manages assets for sovereign wealth funds, pension plans, foundations and endowments, has found that some institutional investors are rethinking allocations despite the opportunities on offer.

"There are some clients that are viewing the world as China in and ex-China when they are thinking about emerging markets," said CEO Greg Bond.

BIDING TIME?

That's not to say there is no foreign interest in China. Allocation decision-makers may just be biding their time.

Chinese sensor maker Hesai Group raised $190 million from a U.S. initial public offering this month.

Alice Shen, a senior associate at Sydney-based fund manager VanEck, says that geopolitics are a concern but it is hard to ignore the weight of China's economy

"To navigate through this, we prefer the onshore A-share market, which is generally more sheltered from external shocks compared to ADRs and H-shares," she said.

Kiyong Seong, lead Asia macro strategist at Societe Generale in Hong Kong, expects the tune to change when the economic data starts to describe a robust recovery in spending and demand.

That could attract cash in a hurry, but the behaviour of large investors so far suggests that a large sentiment shift will be needed.

"China is going to do a big charm offensive trying to get investors back, but I think investors are hesitant," said one U.S. corporate pension fund's chief investment officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not allowed to discuss allocation strategy publicly.

"If people weren't hesitant, with some of the incidents that have happened recently on the geopolitical front, you would have seen a lot more capital rush into China ... people are just a bit wary right now."

(Reporting by Carolina Mandl and Davide Barbuscia in New York and Tom Westbrook in SingaporeAdditional reporting by Naomi Rovnick, Dhara Ranasinghe and Karin Strohecker in London, Rae Wee and Summer Zhen in Singapore and Stella Qiu in SydneyEditing by Vidya Ranganathan and David Goodman)
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent.

Ukraine has bravely resisted Russia's full-scale invasion for a year now. The cold, ugly hands of war have invaded every sphere of our lives, testing our strength and resilience and the entire country. Ukraine has survived and shown its undeniable desire to join the greater European community during this time. How has Ukraine held its own in the most terrible battle for survival for a year now? Let us tell you in detail.

Feb. 24, 2022  this terrible date will be etched in the memory of Ukrainians forever.

Four a.m., air raid siren, explosions, endless phone calls from relatives, and this message on all TV screens: "Russia has attacked Ukraine." That was the end of peaceful life for 40 million Ukrainians. The bloody confrontation of life versus death began - the people's struggle for freedom and the state for existence.

Over the year of full-scale war, Russia destroyed $138 billion worth of Ukrainian infrastructure. According to the Ukrainian government, the European Commission, and the World Bank, the reconstruction needs for the fall of 2022 alone amounted to $349 billion.

The courageous Ukrainian people remain true to their democratic principles and, most of all, long for victory over the enemy, followed by the restoration of the country. In its stubborn confrontation with Russia, Ukraine has shown that it is ready to fight to the end so that every Ukrainian can live freely on their land.

Unsurprisingly, Ukraine has become a candidate for accession to the European Union at such a difficult time. Joining the European family has always been important to us, but now our country is firmly on the path to full European integration.

Although it is still too early to talk about the total losses and needs of Ukraine, we can see the first results of the resilience of the country's anti-corruption system. Over the past nine years, Ukrainians have shown how they can transform entire sectors and industries, but there is still a lot of work ahead, including in the crucial sphere of anti-corruption.

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Let's look at the changes that have taken place during the year of the war.

Local level: resilient home front and self-organization

Ukraine has survived the war thanks to the resilience of its cities, which continue to hold the rear and help our heroic soldiers.

Even before Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine had implemented a decentralization reform. As a result, every city, town, and village head became the leader of their community. Even if they captured the regional center, the Russians could not maintain control over all communities. This broke the "logic" of the occupier, for whom the capture of the "heart" of the region automatically meant control over its entire territory.

Decentralization has developed local self-government, allowing for quick decisions to be made on the ground. And this, in turn, made it possible to repel the enemy quite successfully.

Ukrainian cities are seeking any opportunity to increase their resilience. Thus, since the beginning of the war, many cities have used the tool of "twinning"  cooperation between cities at the municipal level to achieve common goals. At the same time, they broke off partnership agreements with Russian cities and sought new friends around the world. According to the Association of Ukrainian Cities, over 100 have about 700 partner cities worldwide.

As for the level of transparency of local councils, the situation is ambiguous. On the one hand, Ukraine, until recently the leader in the publication of open data (sixth among 34 European countries), now has to restrict access to information because some data may be useful to the enemy. On the other hand, there are abuses under the guise of this reason.

Previously, Transparency International (TI) Ukraine compiled the City Transparency and Accountability Rankings. It was a revealing study that allowed us to track the progress of the same cities from year to year. However, conducting such studies is impossible now, as some cities are occupied, and others are close to the contact line.

Instead, the TI team conducted a different analysis on the publication of datasets, which may also indicate the openness of city councils. Although Ukrainian cities publish 25% of the required datasets on average, some bold examples exist. Consider, for example, the city of Dnipro, which, despite its proximity to the contact line, is among the cities that publish the largest number of data sets.

In general, local authorities are performing at their best not only in the temporarily occupied territories, but also far from active hostilities. We are talking about both small rural communities and large cities. Humanitarian headquarters and centers for internally displaced persons have been set up across the country, and communities are finding various ways to support Ukraine's Armed Forces. In the rear regions, people are raising funds, preparing food for the military, purchasing necessary equipment, weaving camouflage nets, etc.

But at the same, just like in peacetime, there are scandalous stories among local officials with exposures and suspicions served by law enforcement. For example, such a situation occurred in the summer of 2022 in Dnipro regarding the construction of roads under a non-transparent scheme. A little later, NABU and SBU detectives conducted over 20 searches in Zaporizhzhia's city council, regional administration, and warehouses on suspicion of embezzling humanitarian aid.

As we can see, there is a deterioration in openness at the local level but an improvement in community resilience.

If we take a comprehensive look at the picture of anti-corruption measures in Ukraine, we see that the situation in the fight against grand corruption and localized abuse is different and requires special approaches.

However, the citizens of Ukraine themselves show an unwavering desire to join the European family and thus share European values, including intolerance to bribery and scheming.

In the future, this brave country will face a major rebuilding. And how it organizes it and what safeguards it builds against abuse will ultimately show how quickly Ukraine can join the EU. All of this is possible only with the continued support of our European friends, both in terms of financial and political assistance.

Now the whole world sees Ukraine's readiness to defend its values on the battlefield, but it is our common power to do so on other fronts as well. Much has already been done, and more needs to be done. Still, Ukrainian society is ready for such changes, and the understanding that we are not alone on this path gives us more confidence in successfully completing all the reforms we have started.

In the end, unity and readiness for mutual assistance create the unbreakable force that has allowed Europe to survive the most difficult times for centuries.




New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez used a visit to Japan this week to call for the country to legalise same-sex marriage, after a top official in the countrys ruling Liberal Democratic Party was caught earlier this month making hateful remarks about LGBT+ couples during an off-the-record briefing.

"There was a member of the Japanese administration that was caught in off-the-record comments making very discriminatory statements about LGBT people, Ms Ocasio-Cortez said in a video posted on Instagram.

"Japan is the only member of the G-7 that does not have marriage equality and LGBT anti-discrimination equality protections in place," she added.

"The more we can all share our values across countries, the more we can cooperate," she said elsewhere in the video.

Earlier this month, a secretary in the Liberal Democratic Party was fired for telling reporters he didnt like to see same-sex couples and wouldnt want to live nextdoor to them.

Prime minister Fumio Kishida said the comments were completely contrary to government policy.

However, Japan, which is set to host the G7 summit in May, still does not allow for full legal equality for LGBT+ people.

In November, a Tokyo court upheld the countrys ban on same-sex marriage, but said a lack of legal protections for same-sex families would violate their human rights.

In Japan, same-sex couples cant marry, inherit shared assets, or exercise rights to each others children, Reuters reports.

Earlier this month, prime minister Kishida said he would be hesitant to support legislation for full gay marriage, despite his party proposing a bill promoting understanding of LGBTQ+ couples.

Because its a topic that will change peoples perception of family, values, and society, its important to make a decision only after deeply contemplating the mood of the whole of society, he said in a session in Japans Lower House, Asahi Shimbun reports.

A 2021 poll by the paper found 65 per cent of respondents felt same-sex marriages should be allowed.

The United States and Japans shared commitment to the democratic principles of freedom, equality, and diversity must extend to LGBTQ individuals, delegation member Congressman Mark Takano, the first openly gay person of colour elected to Congress, and co-chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, told Bloomberg.
BOSTON (AP)  The NHLs best team just got bigger and tougher.

Already on their way to one of the best seasons in hockey history, the Boston Bruins acquired defenseman Dmitry Orlov and forward Garnet Hathaway from the Washington Capitals on Thursday in exchange for forward Craig Smith and three draft choices. Its the latest big acquisition by an Eastern Conference contender as the league approaches the March 3 trade deadline.

Lets hope we stay healthy and try to take a run, play our best hockey at the right time, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said in a call with reporters. It's going to be a hard path. It's a hard path to get in. It's even harder once you are in.

Boston sent a 2023 first-round pick, a 2024 second-rounder, a 2025 third-rounder and Smith to Washington. The Capitals retained half of Orlovs salary and Minnesota will pay 25%; the Wild will receive a 2023 fifth-rounder for helping Boston stay under the cap.

Sweeney said Orlov and Garnet were arranging travel so they can join the Bruins on on their four-game trip, which began Thursday night against Seattle. They will join the team with the NHL's best record after leaving one that won it all in 2018 but hasn't gotten out of the first round since and is struggling to get into postseason position this season.

They've been a ridiculously competitive and successful part of the (Capitals) organization, Sweeney said. So (they're) a little bit shocked. But once they hear the excitement in our voice in bringing them on board, it quickly shifts.

With a 43-8-5 record and 91 points heading into the Kraken game  a pace that would surpass the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens' all-time record of 132 points  the Bruins have shown few weaknesses. But the memories of recent playoff disappointments left Sweeney worried about depth, especially on defense, heading into what he hopes will be a long postseason run.

The Capitals are selling at the trade deadline for the first time since Alex Ovechkins rookie year more than a decade and a half ago.

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This trade allows us to acquire draft capital, infuse youth and restock our system, general manager Brian MacLellan said. While this season has proven challenging with injuries to our significant players, we are in a position to use some of our current assets to retool our club and build a competitive team moving forward.

The Bruins have topped 100 points for four straight non-pandemic seasons but have made just one long playoff run, losing to the St. Louis Blues in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final. After falling in the first round last year, Sweeney fired coach Bruce Cassidy and replaced him with Jim Montgomery.

Despite starting the year without top scorer Brad Marchand and top defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who were both recovering from offseason surgery, the Bruins zoomed to the top of the NHL standings. They won 17 of their first 19 games and did not lose in regulation at home until Jan. 12.

Our roster is battle-tested, Sweeney said. "I think we can play any type of game against any type of team and we're able to react accordingly or dictate accordingly. We were trying to complement and add to that.

Orlov, 31, was a homegrown player for Washington and helped the team win the Stanley Cup in 2018. Hathaway, 31, has played on the Capitals fourth line for the past four seasons.

Dmitry has been with our organization for almost 14 years and was a key contributor in helping us win the Stanley Cup, MacLellan said. Garnet has been an important part of our team and a role model off the ice for his contributions to our community. We wish both players all the best with Boston.

Orlov was officially traded from Washington to Minnesota and then on to Boston, with the Wild sending 2017 pick Andrei Svetlakov to the Bruins. Sweeney said he didn't have any indication that Svetlakov, whos playing in the KHL, would be leaving Russia.

Minnesota gets a draft pick for helping facilitate a trade for the second time in less than a week. The Wild got a 2025 fourth-round pick from Toronto for retaining salary in the deal that sent Ryan OReilly and ex-Bruins forward Noel Acciari from St. Louis to the Maple Leafs.

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Whyno reported from Washington.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
A divided federal appeals court panel ruled that a North Carolina law cannot be used to prevent People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) from using undercover cameras.

In a 2-1 decision, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Thursday that blocking the animal rights groups newsgathering activities would violate the organizations free speech protections under the First Amendment.

North Carolinas Property Protection Act prohibits employees from placing unattended cameras on their employers premises, among other provisions.

We enjoin the Act insofar as it applies to bar protected newsgathering activities PETA wishes to conduct. But we leave for another day all other applications of the Act, wrote Judge Albert Diaz, who was nominated by former President Obama.

Judge Henry Floyd, a fellow Obama appointee, joined Diazs opinion. Judge Allison Rushing, who was nominated by former President Trump, dissented.

PETA, which regularly conducts undercover animal-cruelty investigations and publishes what it uncovers, argued the law was a discriminatory speech restriction disguised as a property protection law.

If PETAs actions truly violate some lawful prohibition (like trespass), PETA may be charged for that violation, the court ruled. What North Carolina may not do, however, is craft a law targeting PETAs protected right to speak.

North Carolina contended the entire law passed constitutional muster and that undercover investigations in nonpublic areas are unprotected speech.

That is a dangerous proposition that would wipe the Constitutions most treasured protections from large tranches of our daily lives, the court ruled. Fortunately, it has no basis in law.

The courts ruling recognizes PETAs position that all Americans have a right to know that workers in the meat industry kick pigs in the face, stomp on chickens and turkeys, and smash piglets heads against concrete floors, said Jared Goodman, the PETA Foundations general counsel for animal law.

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PETA will continue to support the constitutional right of whistleblowers and investigators to serve the public and animals by exposing the horrific cruelty that occurs behind the scenes in this industry, Goodman said.

Updated at 9:46 a.m. on Feb. 24.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of this article misspelled Gary Restaino's name.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes defended a controversial surveillance program that tracks wire transfers at a news conference in Tempe on Thursday afternoon after lauding fellow law enforcement agencies for seizing numerous narcotics as part of a three-year drug bust operation.

Mayes was flanked by Interim Tempe police Chief Josie Montenegro and DEA Special Agent in Charge Cheri Oz as they stood before countless bags of illegal narcotics  among them over 4.5 million fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills  and dozens of firearms seized over the course of a three-year interagency operation.

Oz said the seized drugs were largely produced and distributed by the Sinaloa Cartel, claiming it was responsible for nearly every deadly narcotic entering Arizona.

During the news conference, Mayes did not specify if or how the surveillance program, known as TRAC, was used in this operation but defended its use.

I have defended the TRAC program that allows us to surveil and know and understand how these cartels are transferring money associated with these drugs back across to Mexico, Mayes said. The ACLU has criticized me for that and has criticized TRAC, but we need to be disrupting their money sources and we also need to be disrupting these drugs before they get to our families.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, center, speaks during a press conference announcing a three-year long investigation targeting the Sinaloa Cartel at the Tempe Police Department Apache Boulevard Substation in Tempe on February 23, 2023.

A spokesperson for the attorney general's office declined to offer additional details as to how the surveillance program was used in this operation.

Mayes' office came under scrutiny last month after the American Civil Liberties Union published over 200 documents it had obtained that showed the agency had collected at least 145 million records of money transfers in amounts above $500 that were sent to and from the states of Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas.

The money-transfer records came from a database maintained by the Transaction Record Analysis Center  or TRAC  a Phoenix-based nonprofit established in 2014 as part of a $100 million settlement between the Arizona Attorney General and wire transfer company Western Union over money laundering claims.

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Narcotics and firearms seized by authorities in a three-year long investigation targeting the Sinaloa Cartel are displayed during a press conference at the Tempe Police Department Apache Boulevard Substation in Tempe on February 23, 2023.

Documents the ACLU obtained showed that 28 wire transfer companies, including some of the most popular services like Western Union and MoneyGram, have provided transfer records to the database, which are accessible to about 440 local, 80 state and 53 federal law enforcement agencies, plus 152 field offices under federal agencies.

In a meeting with The Arizona Republic's editorial board in February, Gary Restaino, U.S. Attorney for Arizona, also defended the program and described it as a necessary tool to trace drug money but acknowledged it needed to be used "fairly."

"Were not looking for whether the person is sending money lawfully from the United States or not," Restaino said. "Thats not the concern. The concern is just to find sources of dirty money in order to trace it to networks."

Nathan Freed Wessler, the deputy director of the Speech Privacy and Technology Project at the American Civil Liberties Union, has criticized the program as a massive breach of privacy.

It's really pretty staggering how large and extensive and illegal this program has become, Wessler said last month. Thousands of law enforcement officers from more than 700 police agencies and other law enforcement officers around the country have been given free login access to that system without any judicial supervision.

The Arizona Attorney Generals Office under Mark Brnovich filed about 140 administrative subpoenas between 2014 and 2021 to compel these companies to provide the transfer records, the documents showed. For all subpoena requests, an Arizona judge first had to sign off for them to take effect.

Narcotics seized by authorities in a three-year long investigation targeting the Sinaloa Cartel are displayed during a press conference at the Tempe Police Department Apache Boulevard Substation in Tempe on February 23, 2023.

Operation leads to seizure of millions of fentanyl pills

Over 150 people were arrested over the course of the operation, though Montenegro declined to release their names, saying the operation remained ongoing.

None of (the people arrested) are high up in the cartel, Montenegro said. Theyre usually lower-level members that are working for the cartel. But the communication stems and so it is related back to the cartel but we do have lower-level members that are committing this crime here in our state.

Montenegro said the majority of seizures were traffic stops, with one of the largest seizures involving 1.5 million fentanyl-laced pills in a single vehicle.

Over the three-year period, the agencies seized:

Over 4.5 million fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills.

66 kilograms of fentanyl powder.

138 kilograms of cocaine.

3,100 pounds of methamphetamine.

35 kilograms of heroin.

49 firearms.

Over $2 million.

Reach the reporter Perry Vandell at 602-444-2474 or perry.vandell@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @PerryVandell.

Republic reporter Rafael Carranza contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona attorney general applauds fentanyl seizure
PHOENIX (AP)  An Arizona rancher accused of shooting at a group of migrants on his property near the U.S.-Mexico border, killing one man, will face trial on charges including second-degree murder and aggravated assault, a judge ruled Friday.

Santa Cruz County Justice of the Peace Emilio G. Velasquez made his decision following hours of testimony that he said aired a lot of new information about the Jan. 30 shooting, which left Gabriel Cuen-Buitimea, a 48-year-old from Nogales, Mexico, dead on George Alan Kellys ranch outside Nogales, Arizona.

Do I think there was some testimony that there might have been some holes on? Yes. I do," the judge said. But at the end of the day ... the court does find that the offenses were committed by this defendant and I will be binding this over to Superior Court.

There was no visible reaction from Kelly, who sat with his attorney, Brenna Larkin, during a livestream of the evidentiary hearing in Nogales.

The judge said Kelly, 74, can remain free on $1 million bail pending his March 6 arraignment, with restrictions including no contact with witnesses or Cuen-Buitimea's family and a ban on possessing firearms.

Larkin earlier lost a bid to postpone Friday's hearing after prosecutors lowered Kelly's charge from a single count of first-degree murder, which would require a finding of premeditated intent to kill and can lead to a sentence of death or life imprisonment.

Chief Deputy County Attorney Kimberly Hunley told the judge that prosecutors intend to prove second-degree murder  that Kelly had no basis for intentionally, knowingly, or under circumstances recklessly shooting an AK-47 rifle toward eight or so unarmed migrants about 80 to 100 yards (meters) away.

There is no justification for shooting an unarmed man in the back, Hunley told the judge.

During a warrant search of Kelly's house following the shooting, sheriff's deputies found several weapons but at first missed the AK-47. They returned with a second warrant and found it hanging on a door.

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Larkin said her client shot into the air above the migrants. She has said Kelly feared for his and his wife's safety and the property.

On Friday she pointed to phone calls Kelly made the day of the killing to U.S. Border Patrol agents he knew from previous incidents at his ranch, reporting that he heard shooting outside and he might have to return fire or he is returning fire, something along those lines.

He sees armed people with rifles carrying backpacks going through his property, and he sees his horse running, the defense attorney told the judge. She noted that two Border Patrol agents familiar with Kelly's ranch testified that is a high-crime area, that there are a lot of drug traffickers that go through that area.

Larkin repeatedly asked sheriff's deputies and Border Patrol agents who testified about bias in the investigation and told the judge she thought investigators scrutinized Kelly's statements more closely than those of witnesses.

Kelly did not testify. He apparently wrote about his borderlands ranching life in the self-published Far Beyond the Border Fence, described on Amazon.com as a contemporary novel which brings the Mexican Border/Drug conflict into the 21st century.

Friday's hearing featured sometimes-conflicting testimony from law enforcement agents and witnesses, including a Mexican man who recounted hearing gunfire and running behind Cuen-Buitimea when the victim said he had been shot, fell and died.

"I saw Gabriel, said the man, who spoke through a Spanish-language interpreter and was referred to by the initials D.R.R. to protect his identity. He held his chest and said, Im hit. He rolled his eyes and fell down.

The court cut the video stream and provided only audio of the testimony from D.R.R., a farmworker in Mexico who said he had made seven or eight tries to cross the border to find work but was apprehended each time.

Court records show Cuen-Buitimea also entered the U.S. illegally several times, and was convicted and deported, most recently in 2016.

D.R.R. testified that he and Cuen-Buitimea, whom he called a friend, had paid a guide for passage across the border on Jan. 30 and were heading to Phoenix. He also said neither of them was carrying a weapon, and the guide had left them. Cuen-Buitimea was wearing a green camouflage backpack as well as a bag on his belt.

The man said he believed he heard 15 or 16 shots fired as the group ran. A sheriff's deputy testified that investigators recovered nine shell casings near Kelly's south-facing back porch.

D.R.R said that as he fled he saw a man with white hair near the house and something in the man's hand. He did not identify the object as a gun.

I ran 20 meters (22 yards) when I turned around to see him, D.R.R. said. I turned around to see if it was government agents coming after us. I was able to jump and I jumped the wall back to Mexico.

Two other migrants also told authorities that Kelly shot at them. They, too, were not hit and managed to escape back to Mexico.

Hunley has said her office, the court and the sheriff's department "have all received disturbing communications, some threatening in nature, that seem to indicate an ongoing threat to the safety of the victims.

The shooting has stirred emotions as the national debate over border security heats up ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Less than six months ago, a prison warden and his brother were arrested in a West Texas shooting in which one migrant was killed and another was wounded. Michael and Mark Sheppard, both 60, were charged with manslaughter in the September shooting.

___

Ritter reported from Las Vegas. Associated Press writer Anita Snow in Phoenix contributed to this report.
Most Op-Ed Commentaries are meant to provide food for thought. This one is written, rather, to spark hundreds of events in which Kentucky citizens can participate. Details are at the end of this piece.

This newspaper recently reported on a group of dozens of people celebrating and applauding each other. The cause was understandable. They were Republicans in the Kentucky legislature, who look out for themselves first and you later, if at all.

They each benefited by thousands of dollars; they will avoid a debt by transferring their share of the cost of running government to the half of Kentuckians who dont have enough income to pay state income tax. The state tax rate is now 4%. It was, at one time, 6%. The legislature took advantage of temporary windfalls boosting the state coffers to trigger a cut in the members tax liabilities, with House Bill 1.

Examples: Candidate for Governor Alan Keck suggests that the money you will keep for yourself (he also means himself) is better for you to have rather than it going into government. Such funds there might be used for frivolous things such as early childhood education, better care for abused children, clean water, fixing the juvenile justice system, and paying decent salaries to our K-12 educators. He wants to replace the income tax with a stronger sales tax. Guess who will ultimately pay that? Andrew McNeill suggests that the 1.2-billion-dollar loss each year by Kentucky government can be compensated for by local tax reform. If the consequences for the income tax reduction werent so dire it would be amusing to watch them squirm intellectually as they try to suggest that the $600,000,000 loss (4.5% to 4%) to our state income is no big deal.

The pretension is that eliminating the income tax in KY will bring in industry and jobs that we miss out on because some surrounding states have no income tax. Actually, Governor Beshears office seems to be pulling in industry at a remarkable rate  pretty much trashing that Republican argument.

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When the windfall of federal dollars meant for COVID recovery goes away, Kentucky residents will pay for this income tax reduction through reduced-quality government and increases of other taxes. Using this federal money for income tax reduction is dishonest, if not illegal. There used to be stigma attached to such blatant selfishness, lying, and cheating but the Trump era erased any such concerns for most Republicans.

This Kentucky state effort does align with the national Republican approach to taxation where the primary objective is to make rich people richer. For example, Anna Lunas claim during a Fox Business interview that taxation is theft is a popular sentiment among Republicans. The day the Congresswoman said that she was paid $476 by taxpayers.

The new congress is considering a bill (the Fair Tax Act) to eliminate the income tax and replace it with a 30% national sales tax. If this becomes law, grocery store clerks, teachers, truck drivers, daycare workers  all those doing real work who barely make enough to pay any income tax at all  will see their usable income cut by about a third, while stockbrokers will reap a windfall. They, and others who receive passive income, get lots of money for doing nothing that could be called labor.

There is a large and growing disparity between rich and poor: The top 1% of households in the United States hold about one-third of the countrys wealth (which is more than all of the middle class holds) while the bottom 50% hold less than 3%. For this we can thank the Republicans for their Trump-era tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations. We can also thank those citizens who, while being screwed by the Republicans, continue to vote to keep them in office.

Beyond the proclivity of Republicans generally to benefit the richest citizens is the fringe element that controls Speaker McCarthy. Watching them legislate one can conclude that they need publicity and attention as fish need water. The suggestion that their middle-school antics, replete with a shouting altercation in the girls bathroom between Marjorie and Lauren, unfairly maligns middle-schoolers, most of whom are serious students. Watching the Freedom Caucus gyrate would be funny if it werent for the real possibility that they will sink the United States economy by failing to raise the debt limit.

Getting back to the main objective of this Op-Ed, I propose that every citizen  and in particular every journalist  who has contact with a Republican member of the legislature or gubernatorial candidate ask this question: How much will you benefit personally from the passage of House Bill 1 the recent cut in the Kentucky income tax  from 5% to 4%? You wont get a straight answer of course; they will bob and weave and obfuscate. But I can give you the answer: a whole lot. We cant hope to reverse HB1, but maybe by asking these pointed, embarrassing questions we can prevent further financial damage to the poor and middle-class citizens of the Commonwealth.

Michael Kennedy is a retired University of Kentucky geography professor.
Attorneys Tim Pribisco, at right, and Terry Shoemaker sat with their client Othal Wallace in the courtroom at the Volusia County Branch Jail, Friday February 24, 2023 for a hearing before Judge Raul Zambrano.

An attorney for Othal Wallace, the man accused of killing Daytona Beach Police Officer Jason Raynor, said Friday he plans to ask for a change of venue in the upcoming trial.

Wallace was indicted on a charge of first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer in the 26-year-old Raynor's death in 2021. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

The trial is set to start with jury selection on July 31.

Wallace, 30, appeared Friday morning in a courtroom at the Volusia County Branch Jail, where most of his hearings have taken place. Authorities have said the hearings are held there for security reasons.

Circuit Judge Raul Zambrano asked the attorneys to give him as much lead time as possible if they had to move the trial.

"Your honor, I've been working on that motion. I'll probably have that finished within the next week. Then, we'll file that and we'll hear it at the next hearing date," said Terry Shoemaker, one of Wallace's defense attorneys.

Attorney Terry Shoemaker greets his client Othal Wallace entering the courtroom at the Volusia County Branch Jail, Friday February 24, 2023 for a hearing before Judge Raul Zambrano.

Zambrano said if the trial needs to be moved, he would speak to the attorneys privately about possible locations.

"At some point in time, I think if there is a need to change venue, I'll have an ex-parte communication with all of you as far taking your input where we should go," Zambrano said. "But for safety reasons, I don't think I'll be making that information public at anytime until it's time to do so."

'Caught up in a situation':Man accused of shooting Daytona officer tells visitor he got caught up in a situation

Brainwashed:Othal Wallace defense: Black men 'brainwashed' into believing police will shoot them

Patrol car to museum:Slain Daytona Beach Officer Jason Raynor's patrol car goes to Titusville museum

Honoring the fallen:Outside Raynor funeral, residents salute Daytona Beach officer who 'did the right thing'

Wallace did not speak during the hearing. He walked in wearing the routine orange jail jumpsuit with his hands handcuffed to a belt, also standard for inmates appearing in court. He clasped a thick white envelope.

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Wallace sat between Shoemaker and his other defense attorney, Tim Pribisco Jr. Wallace's third defense attorney, Garry Wood, who was brought in to help because of his experience with death penalty cases, sat behind them.

Officer Jason Raynor's shooting

Raynor was patrolling in an area of Daytona Beach on June 23, 2021, because residents had complained about criminal activity.

Wallace was sitting in a car outside of an apartment building at 133 Kingston Ave., where he was living with his girlfriend and their children, according to reports.

Raynor walked up to Wallace and asked him if he lived there, body camera video showed. Wallace stood up out of the car and Raynor told him to sit back down, the video showed.

After Raynor told Wallace to sit down, the video became shaky and then ended.

Police said Wallace shot Raynor in the head. Raynors gun was found still in its holster.

Wallace was arrested on June 26, 2021, when a task force found him hiding in a treehouse in DeKalb County, Georgia, near Atlanta.

Raynor died 55 days later on Aug. 17, 2021.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Othal Wallace trial in Daytona Beach officer's killing could move venues
An Auburn man accused of trying to kidnap a bikini barista on Jan. 16 has posted bail, according to the King County Prosecutors Office.

Matthew Willam Darnell, 38, posted the $50,000 bond on the $500,000 bail amount. The court ordered Darnell to wear an electronic home monitoring device while he awaits trial.

Darnell pleaded not guilty in court on Jan. 26. He is scheduled to begin his trial on Mar. 21.

Hes charged with one count of second-degree attempted kidnapping.

Darnell was arrested on Jan. 17, a day after the Auburn Police Department released surveillance video of an attempted abduction.

The video shows a man in a Chevy Silverado grabbing a baristas wrist as she hands him cash. In the video, the man unsuccessfully tries to use a looped, zip-tie device that hes holding in his other hand. The barista pulls free, then the man drives away, the video shows.

The video also shows a Chevrolet tattoo on the mans forearm.

Auburn police were able to identify the suspect as Matthew Darnell after numerous tips about the identity of the suspect were received, according to court documents.

Auburn police detectives believe Darnell attempted to place the looped zip tie around the head of the victim as if to lasso her, according to court documents.

Officers arrested Darnell at his home, where he stated he wanted to turn himself in, according to court documents. Records also show detectives matched the tattoo on Darnells forearm and his facial features from the surveillance video. Detectives also found a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado registered to Darnell, according to documents.

Officers also found a black-colored, looped zip tie in Darnells car, along with an additional bundle of zip ties in his bedroom.
The Austin City Council settled a lawsuit over the May 2017 officer involved shooting of Landon Nobles on Sixth Street.

The Austin City Council approved a $3.3 million settlement Thursday of a lawsuit over the fatal shooting of Landon Nobles by two police officers in 2017. The council also approved settlements in three lawsuits filed against the city over injuries people suffered in the May 2020 protests against police brutality.

Nobles was killed about 2:40 a.m. May 7, 2017, at Sixth and Trinity streets after downtown officers reported hearing gunfire.

Landon Nobles was fatally shot in 2017 by two Austin police officers, and his family sued the city.

Nobles was running toward an officer who blocked Nobles' path with a bicycle, the district attorney previously said. Nobles fell down but then got up and started running, officials said. When he turned with a handgun in his hand towards two police officers they shot him, the district attorney has said. Police said Nobles shot at them first.

Nobles' family filed a lawsuit against the two officers and the city in April 2019 saying that Nobles was shot in the back. The officers did not instruct Nobles to stop, the lawsuit said. Nobles' cousin Royie Nobles previously told the American-Statesman that Landon Nobles was running from the scene of an argument in downtown Austin when an officer threw a bicycle at him, causing a gun Landon Nobles was carrying to go off.

More:'Objectively unreasonable': Jurors award family of police shooting victim $67 million

After Nobles' family filed the lawsuit, the case went to trial in federal court in December 2021. The jury awarded $67 million to Nobles' family. Because the amount was so large and bucked legal precedent, the city and Nobles' lawyers were directed to negotiate a reduced number, but they failed to reach an agreement. A judge intervened in August and reduced the amount to $8.3 million. The city appealed the case in September, which led to Thursday's settlement.

More:Judge slashes record-setting $67 million award in fatal Austin police shooting case

Other settlements

The City Council voted 10-1 to approve on Thursday three settlements in lawsuits against the city filed by people injured during a protest against police brutality on May 30, 2020, outside the Austin Police Department's downtown location. Council Member Mackenzie Kelly voted against the three settlements but made no comment about her vote.

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Nicole Underwood was awarded $675,000, Steve Arwan was awarded $450,000, and Jason Gallagher received a $375,000 settlement.

Underwood required surgery after she was injured by a beanbag round that penetrated her chest, according to her lawsuit. Gallagher said in his lawsuit that two officers pepper-sprayed him and another shoved him with a police baton in the back causing him to stumble and injure his knee.

Arwan was assisting a woman who had been hit with a beanbag round when officers shot him with a beanbag that hit his hand, according to his lawsuit. The 2020 protest took place five days after the death of George Floyd, a Black man in Minneapolis who suffocated when a white police officer pinned his knee on Floyds neck for nearly nine minutes. Protesters were also gathering in response to the officer-involved shooting of Michael Ramos in Austin on April 24, 2020. An Austin police officer fatally shot Ramos as he pulled away from police in a car outside an apartment complex on South Pleasant Valley Road. Ramos was later found to be unarmed.

The city of Austin has made at least 13 settlements totaling an estimated $29 million to protesters injured in the May 2020 protests including the three settlements Thursday. The earlier settlements include $8 million to Justin Howell, who said in a lawsuit that he received a traumatic head injury after being hit with a beanbag. The $8 million settlement is the largest one in the city's history in a use-of-force case.

More:Austin to pay $10 million to two men injured by bean bag munitions in 2020 protests

Twenty other cases against Austin police in connection with the protests are still pending, the district attorney has said.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin pays $3.3 million settlement over 2017 fatal shooting by police
Mike Meyers and the late Verne Troyer in the 1999 movie 'Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.' Getty Images

US Nat. Sec. advisor took inspiration from Austin Powers as Russia prepared its invasion, Politico said.

The situation reminded him of a scene in the cult comedy movie where a steamroller moves forward.

Jake Sullivan said he realised he needed a new way to warn of the threat.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said he took inspiration from an unlikely source in figuring out how to warn the world of the urgent threat posed by Russia as it geared up to invade Ukraine.

Speaking to Politico, Sullivan discussed the situation in the months leading up to the February 2022 invasion, where many leaders in Ukraine and European capitals remained skeptical that Russia would follow through with an invasion.

He said in November 2021, he had been discussing a scene in the 1997 spy comedy "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery," with Deputy National Security Advisor Jonathan Finer.

"There's a steamroller on the far side of the room, and a guy standing there, holding up his hand, and shouting, "No!" Then they zoom out, and the steamroller is moving incredibly slowly and is really far away," said Sullivan.

"The guy's just standing there, frozen, shouting as it inches across the room. I said I was determined that we were not going to be that guy  just waiting for the steamroller to roll over Ukraine. We were going to act."

He said the US wanted to avoid a repeat of the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea, when US officials had seen a stream of classified US intelligence indicating Russia's intentions, yet had felt powerless as they couldn't share the information with the public.

Sullivan said that he and other top national security officials settled on the unprecedented strategy of declassifying US intelligence about Russia's plans. They wanted to highlight the urgency of the situation to the rest of the world, as the Kremlin continued to deny it was planning an invasion.

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"All the conditions were there for us to try something new and bold, but risky. It was a gamble that this would work," Emily Horne, a former National Security Council spokeswoman told the publication.

Ahead of the war, the US made several releases of declassified information to pre-empt and stymie the Kremlin's plans.

The documents exposed that the Kremlin's denials that it was planning to invade Ukraine were false. They also released how Russia planned on toppling the government in Kyiv, and its plans to push disinformation to justify the invasion.

The releases did not prevent the invasion but are credited with helping galvanize European support behind Ukraine.

In recent days, reports say the US is considering deploying the strategy again to expose what it claims are Chinese plans to send lethal aid to Russia for its war effort.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday warned that it would be "ill-advised" for China to provide any material assistance to Russia in support of its unprovoked war against Ukraine.

I'm sure China would love to enjoy a good relationship with all of the countries in Europe, Austin told CNNs Kaitlan Collins in an interview on Friday. And again, if you just look at the numbers of countries around the world that really think that what Russia has done is horrible, I mean, adding to that I think China, it would be a very ill-advised step for China to take.

U.S. officials have recently said they have intelligence showing China is considering providing lethal weapons to Russias military in Ukraine. Both U.S. officials and European allies have since launched warnings to China that it would face serious consequences if were to aid the Kremlin's war effort.

Austin said Friday while the Pentagon hasnt yet seen China provide any military assistance to Russia, Beijing hasn't taken that off the table for sure. The Defense secretary said he engaged his counterpart, Chinese Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe, early on to tell him this would be a very bad mistake if China were to do this and that it would further complicate things.

China has a lot of capability in terms of munitions and weapons, Austin said. And if they provide the substantial support to Russia, it prolongs the conflict.





The Pentagon chief also divulged in the interview that he is not currently in contact with his Chinese counterpart, who did not take a call from Austin when the U.S shot down a Chinese spy balloon in early February. The last time the two spoke was a couple of months ago, Austin said.

I think it's really, really important to make sure that we maintain lines of communication open. I think leaders need to be able to talk to each other to avoid misperceptions and manage crises, Austin said. And so this is really important. And so we hope that Minister Wei will have a change of heart and schedule that call.
SYDNEY (Reuters) - The Australian government said on Friday it would send more drones to Ukraine to aid its fight against Russia on the anniversary of the invasion, and imposed new targeted financial sanctions against 90 Russian individuals and 40 entities.

The latest targets include Russian ministers overseeing energy, resources and industry sectors, and key players in defence including arms manufacturer Kalashnikov Concern, aviation firm Tupolev and submarine developer Admiralty Shipyards.

"We continue to stand with Ukraine," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement. "(The uncrewed aerial systems) provide a battlefield intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability for the Ukrainian Armed Forces."

He did not specify how many drones would be shipped, the models involved, and whether they would be armed.

Tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians and troops on both sides are believed to have died and millions forced to flee since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine, which he calls a "special military operation" to rid its neighbour of extremists, a year ago.

Putin talked up Russia's nuclear arsenal on the eve of the war's anniversary, while the United States and NATO accused China of considering supplying arms to Russia, a strategic partner of Beijing. China dismissed the accusation.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong told ABC television that she would urge China to take steps to de-escalate the conflict.

Australia, one of the largest non-NATO contributors to the West's support for Ukraine, has been supplying aid, ammunition and defence equipment and has banned exports of alumina and aluminium ores, including bauxite, to Russia.

Since the conflict began, Australia has provided around A$500 million ($340 million) in military support to Ukraine. It has also deployed soldiers to Britain to help train Ukrainian troops there and has sanctioned more than 1,000 Russian individuals and entities.

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The United States will announce new sanctions against Russia on Friday, the White House said, when President Joe Biden virtually meets G7 leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

($1 = 1.4680 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Renju Jose; Editing by Jamie Freed)
The National Socialist Movement is a prominent far-right neo-Nazi group in the US. Peter Silva/Reuters

US authorities warned that neo-Nazi extremist groups are planning a "Day of Hate" for Saturday.

While there are no "credible threats," police and watchdog groups are "actively monitoring" the situation.

Several white supremacist groups coordinated the "Day of Hate" on Telegram, researchers said.

Authorities in New York and Chicago and watchdog groups warned that neo-Nazi extremist groups could be planning to target Jewish people in a "National Day of Hate" on Saturday, February 25.

The Chicago Police Department said in a statement on Thursday, "At this time, there is no actionable intelligence," according to the Chicago Sun-Times. "We continue to actively monitor the situation."

Chicago authorities said they are "in contact with members, leaders, and organizations within the Jewish community and all faith-based communities in Chicago and will continue working closely with them to strengthen communication and safety."

A similar statement by the NYPD circulating online said that officers should maintain "elevated situational awareness" on Saturday  the Jewish Sabbath  for violent extremism.

Wu-Tang is for the Children (@WUTangKids) February 23, 2023

The New York Police Department's statement said overtly antisemitic social media posts from extremists have been "instructing likeminded individuals to drop banners, place stickers and flyers, or scrawl graffiti" to target Jewish people.

While an NYPD spokesperson said while there are currently no credible threats, "out of an abundance of caution, the Department will deploy additional resources to sensitive locations, including houses of worship, throughout the weekend," according to local news.

On Thursday, researchers for the Counter Extremism Project found that several neo-Nazi groups had coordinated the "Day of Hate" on the messaging platform Telegram.

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On the app, the National Socialist Movement, a prominent neo-Nazi group based mainly in Iowa and California, encouraged other white supremacist groups to "send photos and videos of antisemitic rallies," the project said.

Oren Segal, vice president of the Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism, told the Forward the ADL found out about the "Day of Hate" after monitoring extremist groups on social media for weeks.

"It's essentially a hodgepodge of white supremacist organizations, many of which engage in on-the-ground activity like flyer distribution, banners, protests, that sort of thing," he said.

This comes as there has been a rise in antisemitic violence across the US in the past year, according to Axios, as well as an increase in racist social media posts. Jewish people have consistently been targeted in bias crimes more often than any other group in the United States, according to FBI statistics.

Read the original article on Insider
In this photo provided by Melissa Smith, a train fire is seen from her farm in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3.

(This opinion article represents the collective viewpoint of the Akron Beacon Journal's Editorial Board, which includes two editors and four community members.)

The nightmarish horrors inflicted on the tiny eastern Ohio town of East Palestine should serve as a wake-up call to all Americans.

While accidents are always part of life, what happened when the hazardous cargo of a Norfolk Southern train derailed Feb. 3 is unacceptable and again illustrates why proper safety standards can't be compromised in the name of corporate profits or political victories.

There's still much we don't know about why the train derailed and how much fault Norfolk Southern should bear. There are also unanswered questions on how the emergency was managed and whether the controlled release of vinyl chloride from five rail cars was the best solution.

East Palestine explained: Maps and graphics explain toxic train derailment

But we do know Norfolk Southern recently reported record operating profits, has a poor accident rate when compared to most of its peers, has lobbied against tougher safety standards and favors running heavier and longer trains to maximize profits.

ProPublica reported Thursday that Norfolk Southern policy "allows staffers to instruct crews to ignore alerts from track sensors that flag possible mechanical issues." In October, the company allowed a train with an engine wheel heating up to continue near Sandusky. Four miles later it derailed, dumping thousands of gallons of molten paraffin wax.

Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw pauses for a moment before responding to a reporter's question during an interview near the site of the company's train derailment, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023, in East Palestine, Ohio.

We also know federal rail standards have eroded, including dropping mandatory cabooses where personnel could report problems at the back of a train. And it's a fact that the Trump administration repealed a brakes requirement for some trains, stating the cost exceeded its benefits.

Norfolk Southern train likely passed through heavily populated areas

As awful as the scene in East Palestine has been, we keep imagining if this derailment had happened 60 miles earlier in a more populated area along the busy Norfolk Southern line. What would have happened if the same train derailed in Cleveland, Macedonia, Hudson, Ravenna or Alliance? All are along the Norfolk Southern main line, which also had a derailment in November near Ravenna.

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The fires alone could have killed many and destroyed buildings while disrupting tens of thousands of lives, not to mention the clear health and environmental concerns from the release of toxic chemicals.

Norfolk Southern route: Train carrying toxic chemicals traveled through many northern Ohio cities before derailing

Expert: East Palestine derailment a horror, but we should worry more about what's on trucks

We empathize with the people of East Palestine in every way possible. They did not ask for their lives to be turned upside down and deserve all the help they need, beginning with clear and factual answers.

We've also been reminded that few of us pay attention to what's inside tanker train cars and semis, although the latter carry much smaller quantities. Many Ohioans are surely looking at and listening to trains roar through their communities with a different state of mind the past three weeks. Local leaders along major rail lines should review their disaster plans.

Politicians worry about votes more than lives

The politics of East Palestine also have been predictably pathetic, with a war of words emerging between Republicans and Democrats about whom to blame, how the response is being handled and score keeping on who has visited the site. Politicians who could not be found near the disaster the first week have flocked in droves the past two weeks, issuing statements and making promises as they go.

With the lone exception of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine's steady attempts to lead with facts, it's been a disgraceful reminder of how our broken political system harms people.

An employee at Fuller's True Value Hardware brings in a street sign thanking first responders at the end of the work day, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, in East Palestine, Ohio. Many East Palestinians were told to evacuate the area after a Norfolk Southern train derailment on Feb. 3 led to a controlled burn of hazardous chemicals.

Most Americans expect our government to balance our safety with sensible regulations for interstate commerce such as rail lines. It's clear the threat of litigation and big damage awards is not enough to protect us any more.

We're tired of the see-saw era of Democrats creating new safety regulations and pro-big business Republicans rolling them back, knowing the proper solution is probably somewhere in the middle.

It's time for our elected leaders to set aside their petty games and craft immediate solutions that can prevent another rail disaster from destroying another community.

Let's hold Norfolk Southern and our leaders accountable for once.

More:Norfolk Southern alerted to overheated wheel bearing right before Ohio train derailment

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Hold Norfolk Southern and politician enablers accountable
A debate has been sparked after a schoolgirl turned down a classmates Valentines Day request, prompting a wave of sympathy for her would-be suitor.

The controversy began when the boys mother, Heather Starr, wrote on Facebook that her son Roman, who is neurodivergent, had made a poster to ask a girl to be his Valentine. It didnt go well.

You guys. My oldest baby is 14, he has Autism, is very shy and socially awkward, Ms Starr wrote in a post on Feburary 14. Yesterday he made a poster for a girl at school and asked her to be his valentine at lunch in front of everyone. She said no.

Ms Starrs story got national attention  and plenty of sympathy for her son at the school.

The next day at school, a number of Romans classmates approached him with kind words and offers to be his Valentine. According to Today, one of his fellow students presented him with a poster like the one he had made to ask the girl the day before.

They asked him to be their Valentine and he said yes, Ms Starr wrote on Facebook. Then the entire cafeteria cheered so loud that they disrupted nearby classes and everyone got in trouble and had to have a silent lunch period after that.

The experience, Ms Starr said, was a highlight for her son.

He told me it was one of the best days of his entire life, she told Today.com.

After the story was given national exposure on the NBC platform, however, a number of observers pointed out that while they were happy for Roman, they were troubled by how the response might make affect the girl he asked out.

Mandy, a TikTok user, made a video claiming that the boy is being coddled, while the girl who rejected his advance was being demonised.

Hes a boy who asked a girl to be his Valentine, and she, from all sources I can find, politely declined, Mandy said in the video. He chose to do it in a very public way. Weve got to stop teaching kids to do that. Its maniuplative, because it puts the recipient on the f****** defensive. It puts them in a position where everybody is watching, and now you have to decide something in front of other people.

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Mandy said that the response to the story was planting the seeds that if a girl says no to you, shes beneath you and that women are often bullied or even assaulted or killed for rejecting male romantic advances in a world in which men are often taught to feel entitled to womens bodies.

Kris Renee, another TikTok user who made a video about the situation, said that she was teaching her children that they are entitled to respectfully decline anyones advances.

Is anyone thinking about the fact of how the next day, that girl was made to feel guilty for having said no? Has that thought crossed anyones mind?
A caregiver was arrested and charged Friday with the neglect of an older family member whose condition was so poor that workers at Mount Nittany Medical Center thought she would either die or require amputation.

Loretta P. Stokes-McClusick, 53, of Snow Shoe Township, was charged for what Centre County First Assistant District Attorney Sean McGraw described as barbaric treatment of another human being.

The woman survived, but will never walk again, McGraw said. He characterized her injuries as extremely severe. A registered nurse at the hospital described the womans wounds as horrific, state police at Rockview wrote in an affidavit of probable cause.

She was 84 in May when she was admitted to the hospital.

Its nothing short of incredible that she survived this ordeal, McGraw said. I think its a tribute to both her resilience, as well as the excellent care that she received at Mount Nittany Medical Center.

Some of the tunneling wounds, police wrote, exposed bone. Her core body temperature was 91 degrees; nurses placed her in a garment typically used on patients being treated for hypothermia.

One nurse said the womans blood pressure was the lowest she had ever seen, police wrote. Her weight was substantially diminished and maggots were on her body, police wrote.

Stokes-McClusick was responsible for the womans care, police wrote. Investigators described the homes living conditions as deplorable, cluttered with garbage and urine. There were few medical supplies and little food, police wrote.

Stokes-McClusick was charged with one felony count of neglect of a care-dependent person.

I can neither recall prosecution of a charge like this nor can I recall seeing a human being in such dire condition as a result of the actions of another person, McGraw said.

The charge may not be the only one Stokes-McClusick faces.

There is an ongoing investigation into the potential financial exploitation of the woman. Stokes-McClusick  who has no employment history  lived off the woman, McGraw said.

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She did not have a defense lawyer represent her during her preliminary arraignment. The Centre County Public Defenders Office said it wasnt immediately representing her.

District Judge Allen Sinclair set bail at $100,000. Wow, Stokes-McClusick said. Added Sinclair in response: I said the same thing when I read the charges.

She did not post bail and is detained at the Centre County Correctional Facility. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.
From left: Beauty brand leaders Shontay Lundy, Resa B. Luster-Mac and Desiree Verdejo.

From left: Beauty brand leaders Shontay Lundy, Resa B. Luster-Mac and Desiree Verdejo.

In a major win for diversity, theres been an increased awareness of Black beauty founders and their brands in recent years. This is thanks in part to growing opportunities to mass-produce their products, market their brands and sell them on sites like Amazon or in stores like Target. As a result, more and more consumers now have access to these products  and theyre not all Black.

This raises a conundrum when products sell out, making them less accessible to everyone  including the Black consumers many of the products were made for.

According to the McKinsey Institute for Black Economic MobilitysBlack representation in the beauty industry report, beauty products from Black brands make up less than 7% of whats on the shelves and capture only 2.4% of revenue in the overall beauty market despite 11.1% of beauty spending coming from Black shoppers.

Many Black consumers want the products created for their needs to be exclusive to their community  but is that always the founders vision? What do Black beauty founders want?

A lot of Black businesses, including mine, launch to fill not only industry voids but also address culturally unique needs that existing companies have either neglected by choice or sheer ignorance, said Brianna Arps, a former beauty editor and the founder of Moodeauxfragrance. The whole I couldnt find X, so I created it storyline is arguably the most inspirational albeit common thread in every Black founders journey.

When a Black beauty brand begins to grow in demand, the founder needs to scale, which may change the way the brand is marketed and who now has access to purchase it. We spoke with owners of Black beauty brands to find out how they feel about who uses their products, and how the whole process works.

Black consumers can find themselves frustrated.

When Mielle Organics rosemary mint oil sold out after a viral video of a white TikTok influencer promoting the product, faithful fans of the hair care line attributed the products unavailability to white consumers using the product. According to McKinsey, 73% of the report participants shared that Black beauty products are often out of stock, and 54% reported that they are hard to find when they are in stock.

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We cant have anything! was a common sentiment expressed online by many Black women wanting to hold on to this product being created just for them. The product sold out, which may or may not have been due to white women discovering the product. It could have been a limited supply due to Mielle Organics acquisition by Procter & Gamble, which was announced a few weeks later. Many Black women wanted the brand to be the communitys best-kept secret. Unfortunately, thats not always a Black founders vision.

Arps believes its something that needs to be talked about more. Were disproportionately tasked with remaining authentic yet widely accessible without being labeled a sellout. Its such a tricky dynamic because I myself never want to offend my day ones, she said. I also dont want to compromise growth nor the opportunity to scale into becoming a major market player.

The complicated relationship between Black beauty founders and consumers isnt new. For years, Black Americans were made to feel inferior, including our looks. The world doesnt consider textured hair care as beauty or even beautiful. There are laws in the U.S. banning people from wearing their natural hair, said Adwoa Beautyfounder Julian Addo.

Images of style and beauty were limited in representation, and services that could treat and care for our skin and hair needs were not readily available at a store. The women in our families created the grooming products we needed from their kitchen sinks. Thats why historical Black founders like Annie Malone and Madame C.J. Walker became heroes and important historical figures because they and others like them started the Black beauty consumer experience.

The late Fred Luster Sr. is one of those leaders in Black hair care. In 1957, the former barber founded Luster Products, which has maintained its status as a Black-owned and family-run business. Lusters Pink hair moisturizer lotion is nostalgic for many Black women, and the products have been a staple in Black households. The company now has about 200 employees and makes products for men and women. Freds granddaughter, Resa Luster-Mac, is the senior brand manager for Luster Products and shares that the company manufactures products and does research and development, quality control, and test launches in-house.

A lot of these newer brands rely on third-party corporations that dont look like us to help bring those products to life, she explained. And weve never had investors to help us sustain or grow.

Luster Products growth without investors is impressive, but most of todays beauty founders have difficulty adding investors or even changing product formulas to scale. That can create challenges in the relationship with Black consumers as they discover that founders have other plans, goals and ideas for their businesses.

From left: Beauty brand founders Devin McGhee, Brianna Arps and Julian Addo.

From left: Beauty brand founders Devin McGhee, Brianna Arps and Julian Addo.

Being made by a Black-founded brand doesnt mean only Black people can use it.

Not all Black beauty founders want to limit their products to consumption from Black consumers. Even if initially that was their goal, some of them embrace their products being used by and working for everyone.

Luster-Mac is a part of the next generation of leaders who will keep the family business intact. She, her siblings and her cousins provide a voice and vision for what that looks like. Some of the future opportunities relate to product offerings. We started with connecting to the African American community, but one thing that I dont think people realized is that we, too, are a multicultural evolving family, she said. Her family is now made up of Black, Asian and Hispanic members with different textured hair. Despite a persons ethnicity, textured hair needs products that hydrate and strengthen; thats Luster Products focus.

Our product speaks to hair, Luster-Mac said. Were here to create and address your hair needs. Were testing our products on textured hair, and if the product works for you and youre of another ethnicity, were happy that it works for you.

Addos goals for Adwoa Beauty are similar, with a diverse customer base of women and men. Our brand has a global focus. Adwoa Beauty is formulated for all people with kinky, coily, curly or wavy hair, but we even have people with straight hair who enjoy our formulations, she said.

Other Black founders create products because whats on the market isnt working for them and other melanated people. When Black Girl Sunscreen was created back in 2016, there were no sunscreens in the market that catered to people who looked like me, who wanted to feel confident in their skin while basking in the sun, that didnt leave a white cast on ones skin, said Shontay Lundy, founder of Black Girl Sunscreen.

Black Girl Sunscreens core demographic has been women of deeper complexions, but since the product launch, the brand has been embraced by women, men and children. We are honored and absolutely love it when other people discover Black Girl Sunscreen. To me, it means that, despite the name, the product works, people feel confident in using the product, and the conversation around sun safety is growing, she said.

Representation is what matters most for Black beauty founders.

There are several Black-founded brands within the fragrance and wellness space that dont need to target Black consumers, but still were created by diverse owners.

Devin McGhee, CEO of Deon Libra, an adaptogenic beauty and wellness brand, is unapologetic about targeting Black consumers, even when investors ask. Its not that the products we make only work for Black people. It works for anybody with a body, but Im building this for Black people, she said. I always say wellness is very skinny, feminine and white, and Im one of the three, which is feminine. If we are ever thought about, its always an afterthought. I said what I would build would be for Black people first.

No matter who a Black beauty founders target consumer is, there is still so much to be excited about when it comes to a brand being created and/or led by a Black person. Their existence is opening doors and changing the playing field.

The success of founders like Melissa Butler, whose company The Lip Bar just became the largest Black-owned makeup brand in Target, helps bring more Black-owned beauty products to the shelves of stores.

Desiree Verdejo, an Afro-Latina founder of Hyper Skin who struggled with acne and dark spots, started the company to address skin care concerns unique to deeper skin tones, but it works for all skin tones and types. I aimed to create a brand that reflects the multiculturalism of the world around me, which means that you will see a model from the Dominican Republic, content from our favorite Asian influencer, and the faces of the various Black men and women that support our community daily, she said.

At the heart of it, Black beauty founders want people who look like them to feel included, seen and heard with their products, even if the products can work for everyone.

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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on a launchpad in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on 17 February, 2023 (Anthony Cuthbertson/ The Independent)

Just before Christmas in 2017, a SpaceX rocket flying over a California highway caused a multi-car pile up. Distracted drivers slowed down and stared up as a bright streak lit up the night sky, prompting reports on social media of meteors, UFOs and even Santa.

Today, drivers on the east coast of Florida barely glance as rockets taking off from Cape Canaveral soar overhead. The first time I saw one I pulled the car over to the side of the road to watch it, one Orlando taxi driver told me ahead of SpaceXs latest launch. Nowadays I look at it like I look at a plane. Its just normal.

That launch last Friday was SpaceXs 12th this year, and came less than nine hours after the previous one. Chief executive Elon Musk says hes aiming for 100 launches in 2023, breaking the firms previous record of 61, set last year.

The 2022 tally represented more than a third of all rocket launches in the entire world, with all but one of SpaceXs missions carried out by its Falcon 9 rocket.

It is this workhorse that has allowed SpaceX to transform access to space  cutting launch costs from hundreds of millions of dollars to just tens of millions, and offering everyone from governments to startups the ability to send payloads into orbit.

The key differentiator from its competition is its reusability, with some refurbished Falcon 9s having now flown more than a dozen times.

Regular and reliable launches and landings mean there is no longer the anticipation or anxiety that came with early Falcon 9 missions, where malfunctions or explosions were a part of the development process. But with anything as complex as a rocket launch, complacency is the enemy of safety.

A SpaceX security guard, who has worked at the Cape Canaveral site for the last five years, told me that each mission requires renewed focus and discipline to make them seem so seamless.

People get used to it but we cant ever look at it as routine, he said. Theres too much at stake. In the case of the crewed missions, peoples lives are at risk.

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A public viewing gallery facing launch pads in Cape Canaveral, Florida, ahead of SpaceXs 12th launch of the year on 17 February, 2023 (Anthony Cuthbertson/ The Independent)

This waning public interest was no more evident than with the rapid progression of Nasas Apollo program. By the time Apollo 13 lifted off in 1970  less than one year after the first ever Moon landing  public apathy had reached such a point that the launch was not even televised. It was only when the mission began to suffer difficulties that TV networks began to cover it.

It demonstrated how quickly something so extraordinary can seem entirely ordinary once novelty and risk is removed. In the 1940s and 1950s, newly opened airports would build large observation platforms for members of the public to come and watch the planes take off and land.

Friendship International Airport in Maryland, now known as BWI Airport, featured a large outdoor observation deck for the public when it opened in 1950 (BWI Airport)

Nowadays, even the most diehard enthusiasts are becoming blase about rocket launches.

I dont watch every launch at all anymore, Tim Dodd, host of the Everyday Astronaut YouTube channel, said during a recent broadcast. Ill stream some of the really big ones, but back in the day I would wake up in the middle of the night to catch these launches, because there were maybe only five of them a year

[Now] theres literally like two a week on average from SpaceX alone. Its insane. Its really hard to keep up with.

SpaceXs focus now turns to a crewed launch, having signed a $1.15 billion dollar contract with Nasa to deliver astronauts to the International Space Station. Planning to watch the Crew-6 launch is the SpaceX security guard, who asked not to be named. I dont think Ill ever get bored of it, he said. At least not the noise.

That noise is a crackling roar that makes your clothes rattle from two miles away. It is like a thousand fireworks firing off each second, and it is one of the reasons why spaceports will never be as ubiquitous as airports. Rockets typically require either a large body of water or a sparsely populated area to lift off over, while the best position for a launch site is near the equator to make the most of Earths rotational speed.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launching at night (SpaceX)

Despite the geographical limitations, some within the industry predict that there will be a point in the future where launches to orbit will exceed planes taking off on the surface of the Earth. Musk founded SpaceX in 2002 with the initial goal of making humanity a multi-planetary species. This ambition remains, and after 20 years it is beginning to be realised with the creation of SpaceXs latest rocket: Starship.

Currently under development at SpaceXs Starbase facility on the Gulf of Mexico, Starship is the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built. The first orbital flight test could take place as early as next month, and there will likely be huge interest as SpaceX attempts to push past another frontier on the path to Mars.

But when public interest surrounding Starship does inevitably begin to dwindle, the pace of progress is unlikely to slow down. Having pioneered the private space industry, SpaceX is now being joined by dozens of competitors that will not only increase the rate of rocket launches, but also continue to push down the costs.

The commercial opportunities mean that the new space race is no longer primarily funded by the taxpayer, and therefore does not depend on their interest and support.

Dashcam footage taken from the 10 Freeway in Beaumont, California, on 22 December, 2017 (Mark Sales/ YouTube screengrab)

For Didier Radola, an industry veteran of 30 years who was present at the latest launch, he is sure we will reach a point in the next couple of decades where crewed missions to Mars will become so mundane that people stop following them.

As the head of Moon programmes at Airbus, Radola says the rapid reusability of Falcon 9 and the ever-increasing launch cadence has seen SpaceX almost single-handedly revive the once moribund Cape Canaveral.

Its becoming like an airport with the amount of launches happening, he says. Long-term goals like setting up a base on the Moon and missions to Mars are now becoming concrete. Dreams are finally becoming affordable.
Zhanna Leshchynska

According to Leshchynska, China should do "everything in its power to stop the war and restore peace in Ukraine" and call on Russia to withdraw its troops.

Read also: China to unveil peace initiative for Ukraine and Russia this month, says Beijings foreign minister

"In neutrality, China should talk to both sides: Russia and Ukraine, and now we can see China is not talking to Ukraine," the diplomat said.

At the moment we see that China is not supporting Ukraine in its efforts.

Read also: China seeks to distance itself from Putin, FT reports

Leshchynska called the fact that Beijing has released a "position paper" a "good sign" because it shows that "China is trying to be involved more in the global effort to end the war in Ukraine." At the same time, Leshchynska emphasized: Kyiv would like to see Beijing "more active."

Read also: China calls on Russia, Ukraine to engage in dialogue and consultation

On Feb. 24, China released a 12-point "position paper" on Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. In particular, Beijing speaks of respect for territorial integrity, calls for negotiations, opposes "unilateral sanctions" and opposes the use of nuclear weapons. At the same time, in its position, China does not condemn Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the war crimes of the aggressor state.

Throughout the year of the all-out war, China refrained from criticizing Russia and claims to be taking an "objective and fair position." In early January, the Financial Times cited five senior officials as saying that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin had not warned China of his plans for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. One of the officials said that Putin had come closest to informing Xi Jinping, saying that Russia "does not rule out taking any possible measures if there is an attack on Russian territory."

In recent weeks, the United States and NATO have said they are concerned about China's possible plans to transfer weapons to Russia. Russia denies this.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said that Kyiv has not seen any such signs.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Belarus' Defense Ministry announced on Feb. 24 that it was conducting "combat readiness measures." Additionally, the Defense Ministry stated that "one of the missile units" was moving to a designated area for combat use. It is not clear what this area is.

The Ukraine's military intelligence said on Feb. 18 that Russia lacked the means to invade from Belarus in the next few weeks.

Belarus has not officially declared war on Ukraine, but Russian troops are stationed on the territory of Belarus and have launched missile attacks at Ukraine from there.

On Feb. 20, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko announced that he had instructed the creation of a volunteer territorial defense within the country to ensure that all citizens are equipped with the necessary knowledge of "handling weapons" and prepared to react to any "act of aggression."


Clarification: A previous version of this article did not include the Howard Center union vice president and clinician in the list of event speakers.

The famous Vermont ice cream duo Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield spoke out Wednesday in support of the highly-disputed police oversight board on Burlington's Town Meeting Day ballot.

While they don't usually dabble in hometown politics, the pair and their company had an event in Contois Auditorium at City Hall on Wednesday afternoon that drew over 60 people from toddlers to retirees. Speakers included Cohen and Greenfield, two city councilors, leaders from the group that spearheaded the ballot item, a clinician and union vice president at the Howard Center and a representative of the ACLU of Vermont. Ice cream was served after the presentation.

The police oversight board, also called the community control board, would handle the investigation of officer misconduct and complaints and the discipline of officers. The responsibility of the investigation is currently handled by the police chief and the mayor.

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, both to the left of the podium on the bottom row, spoke in support of the community control board on Feb. 22, 2023. Ben & Jerry's the company also supports the ballot item.

Mayor Miro Weinberger, acting chief Jon Murad of the Burlington Police Department, Democratic city councilors, union leaders as well as some non-profit leaders and business owners say the oversight board is too extreme, does not provide enough rights to officers and fear it could lead to loss of more personnel. On the other hand, Cohen and Greenfield and other advocates say civilian oversight of the police is needed in order to build trust between police and the community.

Police oversight on the ballot: What to know about Burlington's 'Community Control Board'

Why Ben & Jerry's took interest in Burlington police accountability

Cohen and Greenfield see Burlington's police oversight board as an example to the country of what police accountability could look like.

Ever since the murder of George Floyd, Greenfield said he and Cohen have been active members of The Campaign to End Qualified Immunity, a non-profit pushing for legislation that would create stricter police accountability than what is now in place from past Supreme Court decisions. Greenfield and Cohen have spoken at events for the organization and were two of 650 current and former CEOs who signed a letter to Congress asking to move legislation forward.

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The issue in Vermont:Ruling in lawsuit against Burlington Police shines light on qualified immunity for officers

Greenfield said in an interview with the Free Press on Wednesday that he and Cohen had read about the police oversight board ballot item in the newspaper and reached out to the group spearheading it out of their own desire to support it.

"Burlington has long been home to bold ideas about how to build a better world," Greenfield said at the event Wednesday. "Over the last three decades, we've seen the city thrive when it leans into and lives up to the values of its precedents."

Youth and guns: Burlington faces community failure, searches for solutions, healing

Jerry Greenfield speaks in support of the community control board on Feb. 22, 2023 while Ben Cohen looks on from behind. Ben & Jerry's the company also supports the Burlington ballot item.

Greenfield said that he and Cohen learned while building their business that accountability was the only way to build trust and get desired results, a principle that he sees translating well to policing. He and Cohen also think police overseeing themselves is not enough.

Ben & Jerry's, the company Cohen and Greenfield founded, is also in support of the community oversight board on Burlington's ballot. The company is known for being political on a state and national scale, but does not often speak out about local issues. Chris Miller, Ben & Jerry's head of global activism strategy, said at Wednesday's event that the ballot item aligned with both the company's activism and their desire to stay active in the business birthplace.

"We're a global brand, we sell ice cream in 40 countries but we absolutely want to work on issues that are rooted in our community," Miller said.

I Want My Maypo!: Three iconic foods with origins in Vermont

The company has been working on issues around policing and mass incarceration for the past five years, Miller said, including supporting efforts to end cash bail and take school resource officers out of schools. The concept of a community control board for the Burlington Police is in line with their desire for more police accountability nationwide.

"Accountability, particularly because of the great responsibility that police have seems like a fairly simple concept and idea," Miller said.

Jerry Greenfield and Ben Cohen help scoop and eat Ben & Jerry's ice cream at their event to support the community control board ballot item on Feb. 22, 2023.

Why other local business leaders oppose the community control board

Other business leaders in Burlington have the opposite viewpoint of Ben & Jerry's.

Mayor Miro Weinberger had a press conference Feb. 2 with others who oppose the community control board, including some business and non-profit leaders. The main refrain from the business community is concern over how the community control board would impact public safety because of fears that officers will quit if the board is approved.

The citys ability to deliver public safety is a concern to everyone, residents and businesses alike," said Kelly Devine, executive director of the Burlington Business Association in a press release sent after the event. "Staff at our restaurants and stores are being harassed, threatened, and assaulted on a weekly basis. This ballot question as written puts our citys public safety services at great risk by attempting an unprecedented experiment.

Local union leaders of the city workers' union and the fire department union also question the control board's fairness to police officers and lack of a grievance process for unions and their members. If the board is implemented, police officers would have the ability to appeal decisions to the Vermont Superior Court.

Yard signs and mailers for and against the police oversight ballot item, referred to on signs as "#7" or ballot item 7, have appeared around the city in the past week, indicating a contentious election in two weeks.

Contact Urban Change Reporter Lilly St. Angelo at lstangelo@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @lilly_st_ang.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Ben and Jerry's founders support Question 7 in Burlington VT
Ben Stiller is still proud of Tropic Thunder, which he wrote and starred in, despite its controversial legacy.

The 2008 satire comedy about a group of hapless actors making a Vietnam War film famously featured Robert Downey Jr in blackface.

Downey Jrs character is an Australian method actor, Kirk Lazarus, who undergoes pigmentation alteration to play an African-American soldier in the fictional film.

Though Downey Jrs character was the butt of the joke, the decision to use blackface still attracted much criticism.

On Tuesday (21 February), Stiller responded to a fan on Twitter who asked the actor to stop apologizing for doing this movie.

Stiller replied saying he has never apologised for the film, which earned Downey Jr an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

I make no apologies for Tropic Thunder, the actor wrote. Dont know who told you that. Its always been a controversial movie since when we opened. Proud of it and the work that everyone did on it.

I make no apologies for Tropic Thunder. Dont know who told you that. Its always been a controversial movie since when we opened. Proud of it and the work everyone did on it.   Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) February 21, 2023

Also controversial in the film was Stillers Tugg Speedman who plays a character called Simple Jack, a mentally challenged farm boy.

When the film came out, 22 disability advocacy groups called for a boycott over Stillers depiction and the repeated use of a pejorative term for people with intellectual disabilities.

Downey Jr addressed the controversial role during a 2020 interview on Joe Rogans eponymous podcast.

My mother was horrified, he said. Bobby, Im telling ya, I have a bad feeling about this. I was like, Yeah me too, mom.

Revealing his justification for using blackface in the film, he added: [Ben] knew exactly what the vision for this was, he executed it, it was impossible to not have it be an offensive nightmare of a movie. And 90 per cent of my Black friends were like, Dude, that was great.

Asked by Rogan about what the other 10 per cent thought, Downey Jr responded: I cant disagree with them, but I know where my heart lies.

I think that its never an excuse to do something thats out of place and out of its time, but to me, it was a blasting cap on [the issue] I think having a moral psychology is job one. Sometimes, you just gotta go, Yeah I effed up. In my defence, Tropic Thunder is about how wrong [blackface] is, so I take exception.
(REUTERS)

Bernie Sanders called Elon Musks ownership of Twitter a problem and suggested that the US government should be more aggressive with anti-trust laws to break up big media companies.

Its a problem that Jeff Bezos owns the Washington Post, that Elon Musk owns Twitter, that other billionaires own much of the media in the United States, he said on the News Agents podcast, when asked about the business owner, who bought Twitter for $44bn in October last year.

.@BernieSanders has visited News Agents HQ to talk about abolishing billionaires, President Biden and how to go viral on TikTok...



Coming to @GlobalPlayer@lewis_goodall | @jonsopel pic.twitter.com/N3llCsZsA0  The News Agents (@TheNewsAgents) February 24, 2023

He went on to say that billionaires want to protect their own interest, and therefore the nature of the corporate media in the United States is to avoid talking about the wealth and the power of the  billionaire class, among other things.

So is that a problem? Yes, its a serious problem, he added.

When asked by the host if Twitter should be broken up, Mr Sanders said the US government should do more to protect against media monopolies.

In the United States, to be honest with you, we have been very, very lax [in] what we call anti-trust efforts. So youre seeing in sector after sector, including media, fewer and fewer people owning what we see, hear and read, he said, adding that the US had to be much more aggressive in breaking up monopolistic enterprises in every sphere.

He continued: In the United States right now, youve got eight media conglomerates that control what 90 per cent of the American people see, hear and read. Is that a problem? I think it is.

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Mr Sanders, the senator for Vermont and a former presidential candidate, is currently on a tour to promote his new book, titled Its OK to be Angry About Capitalism.

Mr Sanders and Mr Musk have clashed before over the senators call for higher taxes for the wealthy. Mr Sanders has said that billionaires should not exist, and in 2021, at a time when Mr Musks taxes were under scrutiny, tweeted: We must demand that the extremely wealthy pay their fair share. Period.

Musk replied: I keep forgetting that youre still alive.

The Tesla CEO continued tweeting at Mr Sanders, despite getting no reply. Want me to sell more stock, Bernie? Just say the word, he said a day later. And then again: Ok, how much do you think is fair? Does 53% seem reasonable?
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The post 9 of the best sales you should absolutely shop this weekend if you like saving money appeared first on In The Know.
Amid hectic schedules and crazy work hours, the best time to exercise is any time youre able to move your body and get your heart pumping. The health benefits are always present.

But if you have a choice, exercising during particular parts of the day can offer different advantages for your wellbeing.

When TODAY.com interviewed several experts on the subject, they all pretty much agreed: The morning is the best time of day to work out, for logistical, effectiveness and health reasons.

Still, there's more to the story. A study published in February 2023 found midday and afternoon exercise was linked with a lower risk of premature death, particularly for certain people.

The benefits of morning exercise

It pays to be a morning type: People who naturally woke up earlier in the day managed to squeeze in about 30 minutes more of physical activity a day for men and about 20 minutes more for women, compared to night owls, researchers in Finland found.

Women who exercised between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. had greater reductions in their belly fat and blood pressure, and they achieved stronger leg muscles, compared to those who worked out in the early evening, researchers reported in 2022 in Frontiers in Physiology.

The exact mechanisms remain elusive, the authors wrote, but morning exercise is increasingly recognized to benefit exercise adherence and weight management in overweight (and) obese individuals.

Then, theres the practical side: If you exercise in the morning, you get it over with right away, theres less chance of something interfering with your workout  like a last-minute project that forces you to stay late at work  and you have a momentum, Daniel Pink, author of When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, previously told TODAY.com. Those early sessions can help you lose weight, form a habit or start the day with a mood boost, he added.

People who exercise in the morning feel very good about accomplishing that first thing, Jack Raglin, an exercise psychologist and professor at Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, previously told TODAY.com.

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Youve gotten it out of the way and youve got the whole day ahead of you and you can check that off your list, Raglin noted. Even if its tough to pull yourself out bed, you may be pleasantly surprised how good you feel once its done.

Theres also the positive impact a morning workout can have on your body. It releases endorphins, which help you feel great.

You may even want to consider exercising before breakfast: People who worked out on an empty stomach after fasting overnight burned double the amount of fat compared to those who exercised after eating the first meal of the day, a 2019 study found.

They were also able to better control their blood-sugar levels and adjusted easily to their before-breakfast workout sessions.

Such workouts on an empty stomach are not for everyone, including those with diabetes who are on insulin treatment and could increase their risk of hypoglycemia, Javier Gonzalez, the study co-author and a senior lecturer in the department for health at the University of Bath, told TODAY.

Healthy people who are simply worried they wont have the energy to get their heart pumping before their morning bagel can try drinking some strong black coffee before their workout to help the exercise feel a little easier, he advised.

The case for afternoon exercise

Exercise during the midday and afternoon  defined as the hours between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.  was linked with a lower disk of premature death from all causes and heart disease compared to working out mostly in the morning or evening, researchers reported in Nature Communications in February 2023.

These benefits were particularly seen among older adults, men, people who were less physically active or those with pre-existing heart disease.

The exact reasons are a mystery, but the authors offered some possible explanations.

It may be due to how the body responds to activity based on its internal clock or circadian rhythm, including faster recovery of systolic blood pressure after exercise in the late afternoon than in the early morning.

Or perhaps eating and light exposure during the day boosted the benefits of afternoon workouts.

Another possibility is that afternoon exercisers engaged in a more comprehensive workouts that included both cardio and weights than their morning or evening counterparts, leading to greater health benefits.

The study shows the timing of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity could "maximize the health benefits" of daily exercise, the authors wrote.

The findings were based on data from more than 92,000 people who wore an activity tracker and signed up to be part of the UK Biobank, a database with health information from half a million adults living in the U.K.

There are benefits to evening workouts, too

If you still prefer workouts later in the day, they can have their own unique benefits, too. Evening exercise  between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.  greatly increased upper body muscle strength, power and endurance, and enhanced overall mood for women, according to the study published in Frontiers in Physiology. For men, the p.m. workouts lowered systolic blood pressure and fatigue, and stimulated fat oxidation compared to early morning exercise.

If you want to enjoy your workout more and find it less of a struggle, the late afternoon or early evening may be better. Youre warmed up, leading to a better performance.

I tend to feel pretty creaky in the morning, but later in the day, I dont feel creaky at all, Pink said.

Plus, you can get the stresses of the working hours out and make the exercise session a ritual to end your day beneficially, Raglin noted.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
Beyond Paradise stars Kris Marshall and Sally Bretton. (BBC)

Death In Paradise is back for a UK-set spin off, Beyond Paradise, which welcomes back one of the detective series' most popular former stars.

The series is set to begin on Friday, 24 February - here's all you need to know about the new series.

Read more: Where is Death In Paradise filmed?

When is Beyond Paradise on TV?

The spin off series to Death In Paradise is set to begin on Friday, 24 February on BBC One.

It will air at 8pm, leading directly into the series finale of Death In Paradise season 12, and continues weekly with hour-long episodes.

Who will star in Beyond Paradise?

Kris Marshall says he loved returning to Humphrey. (BBC)

Fans of Death In Paradise will be pleased to know that former show star Kris Marshall will be leading the cast as he returns to his role as DI Humphrey Goodman.

Marshall starred in seasons three to six of the murder mystery show about a UK detective carving out a new career in the Caribbean.

Read more: Kris Marshall says DI Humphrey return is 'like slipping on an old pair of slippers'

Humphrey was last seen at the end of season six deciding to return to England to make a go of life with girlfriend Martha Lloyd, played by Sally Bretton who will also star in Beyond Paradise.

The series will also star Zahra Ahmadi as DS Esther Williams, Dylan Llewellyn as PC Kelby Hartford and Felicity Montagu as office support Margo Martins.

What is Beyond Paradise about?

Humphrey and Martha are back in the UK. (BBC)

Viewers will get to see Humphrey and Martha's happy ever after back in the UK.

The couple have moved to Martha's supposedly sleepy hometown of Shipton Abbott where they are temporarily living with Martha's mum while she follows her dream of opening a restaurant and he joins the local police force.

However, Humphrey soon discovers that life in the countryside is not quite as peaceful as he expected, and - just like in the Caribbean - there is more than enough serious crime for him to sink his teeth into.

As with the main series, each episode is a crime story within itself, but this time it is set against the backdrop of Humphrey and Martha trying to make their relationship work back on home soil.

Story continues

Where was Beyond Paradise filmed?

Beyond Paradise filmed in Devon and Cornwall. (BBC)

Marshall and co might have had a slightly less sunsoaked experience filming the spin off series, but it was still in a beautiful location.

The drama has filmed around Devon and Cornwall, and is set in the Devonshire countryside.

Like the main series, it will benefit from a stunning coastal location too, set in a seaside town in Devon.

Beyond Paradise begins on Friday, 24 February at 8pm on BBC One.
On the one-year anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, U.S. President Joe Biden reaffirmed his vow that "Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia."

"A dictator bent on rebuilding an empire will never erase the peoples love of liberty. Brutality will never grind down the will of the free," Biden added.

Also on Feb. 24, the U.S. government announced its latest defense aid package for Ukraine, totaling $2 billion. The package includes additional ammunition for HIMARS (High-Mobility Rocket Artillery Systems), 155mm artillery rounds, munitions for laser-guided rocket systems, and funding for training, maintenance, and sustainment of equipment.

Earlier on Feb. 20, Biden made a surprise visit to Kyiv, pledging $500 million in military aid, including javelins, howitzers, and artillery ammunition.

He met with President Volodymyr Zelensky and praised the strength of Ukrainian resistance before traveling to Warsaw to meet Polish President Andrzej Duda and other European leaders. While in Warsaw, he delivered a speech on Ukraine's fight to 30,000 people.

"One year ago, the world was bracing for the fall of Kyiv. Well, I've just come from a visit to Kyiv, and I can report Kyiv stands strong. Kyiv stands proud, it stands tall and most important, it stands free," he said.


WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden met with leaders of the Group of Seven nations and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Friday as his administration announced sweeping new sanctions against Russia one-year into Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

"One year ago, the G7 met following Putin's assault against Ukraine," Biden wrote in a tweet. "Now, not only does Ukraine stand, but the global coalition in support of Ukraine is stronger than ever, with the G7 as its anchor."

The White House said Friday that the United States will impose sanctions on 200 individuals and entities, which include Russian as well as third-country actors in Europe, Asia and the Middle East that are supporting Russia's war efforts. A dozen Russian financial institutions will also be targeted.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday that the measures will target "key sectors that generate revenue for Putin," additional Russian banks, Russia's defense technology industry and actors in third-party countries trying to evade U.S. sanctions.

In addition, the Department of Commerce will take several export control actions against nearly 90 Russian and third-country companies, including in China, for sanction evasion. Biden also will sign proclamations Friday to raise tariffs on more than 100 Russian metals, minerals and chemical products.

The latest

Friday's meeting among G-7 nations was the first since Putin suspended Moscows participation in New START, a strategic nuclear arms reduction treaty, after Biden's surprise visit to Ukraine.

Biden called Putin's New START decision "a big mistake."

Biden announced additional economic, energy and security assistance to help Ukraine, Jean-Pierre said.

During his unannounced visit to Kyiv on Monday, Biden pledged an additional $460 million in security assistance to the former Soviet ally but has resisted Zelenskyy's request for F-16 fighter jets.

Story continues

More: Biden calls Putin's New START suspension a 'big mistake. What is the nuclear arms treaty?

President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with the leaders of the Bucharest Nine, a group of nine countries that make up the eastern flank of NATO, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023, in Warsaw. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci) ORG XMIT: PLEV112

Takeaways

Through new sanctions and assistance, Biden is out to show that the U.S. and allies will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.

Resilience among allies was a major theme of Biden's speech Wednesday in Warsaw, commemorating the one-year mark of a war that has no end in sight.

"Putin no longer doubts the strength of our coalition," Biden said. "But he still doubts our conviction. He doubts our staying power. He doubts our continued support for Ukraine."

Biden said Putin "was wrong" in assuming Ukraine would quickly collapse and NATO would fracture. Now he wants to prove Putin wrong again by demonstrating sustained economic and military support.

Want to know more? Here's what you missed

'Big mistake': Biden calls Putin's New START suspension a 'big mistake. What is the nuclear arms treaty?

'It's hard, but they're holding on': On the ground in Ukraine, the war depends on U.S. weapons

'Kyiv stands strong: Biden declares Putin was wrong, marking one year of Russias war in Ukraine

Biden's surprise: How President Biden pulled off a secret trip to Ukraine one year into Russia's war

More: Putin suspends nuclear arms treaty as US-Russia tensions build amid Ukraine war anniversary

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden meets with G7 leaders, announces new sanctions against Russia
Two White House officials involved in crafting immigration policy are preparing to depart as the Biden administration rolls out new asylum restrictions that critics say mirror those from the Trump era.

Lise Clavel, deputy assistant to the president and senior adviser for migration, and Leidy Perez-Davis, special assistant to the president for immigration, are set to leave the White House, according to two sources familiar with the plans. Clavels last day will be March 1, but Perez-Davis was asked by the White House to delay her departure and will leave in a couple months, according to a person familiar with the plan but was not authorized to speak publicly.

Both Clavel and Perez-Davis have been in their roles for roughly a year. Clavel has been with the administration since the start, previously serving as chief of staff at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection before moving to the White House. She was on a one-year detail with the White House and stayed longer than intended, a White House official noted. Perez-Davis, who was previously policy director at the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, is departing for family reasons, the official said.

Both exits are unrelated to the administrations policy rollout this week, a White House official said.

Staff departures from any administration are common following a midterm election. But news of the impending exits comes days after the Biden administration announced its most restrictive border control measure to date: a proposed rule that will bar some migrants from applying for asylum in the U.S. if they cross the border illegally or fail to first apply for safe harbor in another country. The proposal  which immigrant advocates refer to as the transit ban or the asylum ban  will take effect on May 11 and serve as its policy solution to the long-awaited end of Title 42, a pandemic-era restriction that lifts the same day.

The policy prompted immediate backlash from immigrant advocates and Democrats who accused the White House of perpetuating a Donald Trump-like approach to border politics that President Joe Biden pledged on the campaign trail to end. Advocacy groups also said they were considering lawsuits.

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Amid the blowback, administration officials criticized Congress, arguing that the White House has been left to roll out new policies to fill the void left by inaction on the Hill.

To be clear, this was not our first preference or even our second. From day one, Biden has urged Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform and border security measures to ensure orderly, safe and humane processing of migrants at our border, a senior administration official said in a call with reporters on Tuesday.

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the departures.

Clavel and Perez-Davis exit from the administration are just the latest changes on Bidens team handling migration and the border in his first two years. Tyler Moran, Bidens senior adviser for migration, left in January 2022, after replacing Amy Pope the previous summer. Esther Olavarria, the deputy assistant to the president for immigration at the Domestic Policy Council, also retired that month.

Roberta Jacobson, Bidens border czar left in April 2021, and some mid and low-level aides have also departed.

Jason Houser, who POLITICO reported was preparing to depart as chief of staff at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will also leave in the coming days. He was the highest-ranking political appointee at the DHS agency since there is no Senate-confirmed director.


On this day, one year ago, the Russian Federation commenced a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine stands.  !

A source in the Zelenskyy administration revealed to NV that Biden and Zelenskyy had reportedly discussed strategies to expedite an end to the ongoing war unleashed by Russia, with a goal of reaching a resolution this year. As part of the effort, Biden reportedly gave his preliminary consent to the supply of the Ukrainian Armed Forces with missiles capable of striking targets up to 220 kilometers away.

NV provides the full transcript of Joe Bidens speech at a press conference in Kyiv.

According to a member of the ruling Georgian Dream party, Irakli Zarkua, When high-ranking officials of Ukraine call on our state to open a second front, when the imprisoned Saakashvili (former Georgian President) is called a political prisoner, while he has many serious charges,  I think this leaves no room for diplomatic relations, referring to calls made by Ukraine to transfer Saakashvili, who holds Ukrainian citizenship, to Ukraine.

Vitaliy Deynega, the founder of Come Back Alive, which is one of Ukraine's leading military-focused charities, and Andriy Shevchenko, a former MP and ambassador to Canada, were selected for the positions. Deynega was appointed Deputy Minister for Digital Development, Digital Transformations, and Digitalization, while Shevchenko became Deputy Minister for European Integration.

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The government is looking to sell Kremniypolimer, Zaporizhzhya Titanium-Magnesium Factory, and the Zaporizhzhya Aluminum Factory. All three enterprises would be sound investments for potential buyers, since they are the only producers of sponge titanium and primary aluminum in Europe, while Kremniypolimer is the only source of silicon products in Ukraine, the government stated.

When the current grain agreement expires on March 20, we expect that a consensus decision will be made with partners to extend it, said First Deputy Minister of Agriculture Taras Vysotsky. Negotiations are ongoing. According to Vysotsky, Ukraine exported more than 30 million tons of grain in the 2022-2023 season, with about the same amount of grain still being stored in the country.

The Gas Transmission System (GTS) Operator of Ukraine accepted an application from Russian gas monopolist Gazprom for the transit of 42.2 million cubic meters (mcm) of gas on Feb. 22. Transit on Feb. 21 was 40.3 mcm.

During January of this year, $4.8 billion worth of goods were imported to Ukraine, and $3.1 billion were exported. At the same time, taxable imports amounted to $4.0 billion  around 80% of all incoming goods. The tax burden per 1 kilogram of taxable imports in January 2023 amounted to $0.44/kg, which is 60% more than in January 2022.

A video was shared on Czech television on Feb. 22, about the production of cheap decoys for Russian missiles, shows inflatable M270/M142 MLRS systems. The footage does not show inflatable HIMARS systems, but they are mentioned in the voice-over of the video.

The hack enabled the head of Ukrainian military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, to deliver an address to the residents of the occupied peninsula. Citizens of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov is addressing you, he said. To all patriots: The time to act has come. Wait for us, were coming. Glory to Ukraine.

The corporation was added to the list as it had refused to stop financing the terrorist state since the beginning of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine and continues to operate in Russia.

The total value of the seized assets exceeds UAH 5.6 billion ($152 million), the SBU said. The security service said the court's decision concerns stakes of 14% in two regional power distribution companies and more than 4% in a third, which Marchenko owns through five offshore companies.

The Berlin branch will open in April, company co-founder Volodymyr Popereshnyuk said. The first city is Berlin, then Munich, Cologne, Hamburg, and a dozen more, Popereshnyuk wrote.

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola reaffirms Europes support for Ukraine, and its embrace of Ukraines European future, in an exclusive oped for The New Voice of Ukraine.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Stop Big Pharma's Greed: Lower Drug Prices Now

Protect Our Care sponsors Lite-Brite demonstration outside of PhRMAs headquarters calling for an end to drug company greed on Sept. 28, 2021 in Washington, DC. Credit - Paul MorigiGetty Images for Protect Our Care

Addressing the nation during his State of the Union speech, President Joe Biden took aim at an injustice that touches the lives of most Americansthe absurdly high cost of prescription drugs. As the president laid out, the U.S. has the highest costs on drugs in the world. Biden vowed to take action, which will undoubtedly lead to the pharmaceutical industrys lobbyists, lawyers, and paid-for allies doubling down on their frenzied efforts to derail newly enacted drug pricing reforms in order to protect the industrys power and profits. As important as these pricing reforms are, they target only certain parts of the drug industrys complex, profit-making puzzle.

To fully grasp drugmakers vehement pushback on any attempts to reduce drug prices, its important to pull back the curtain on the industrys ongoing anti-competitive practices to see what else is really at stake. Patent monopolies on 7 out of 10 of Americas top selling drugs should expire this decade. This means drugmakers stand to lose billions ifand whenlower-priced generic alternatives are allowed on the market. But unless America wises up to the industrys under-the-table patent games, drugmakers will continue to have free rein to extend their patent protection, delay competition, and keep the cost of life-saving medicines sky high.

Today, 1 in 4 Americans cannot afford to take their medications as prescribed. Too many seniors are having to ration their treatments to get by until their next social security check arrives. And contrary to what industry lobbyists argue, soaring drug prices are not the inevitable result of research and development costs to bring breakthrough drugs to market. Its time to put this widely debunked excuse to bed.

Read More: A New Alzheimers Drug Gave Patients Hope. Millions Cant Get It

Story continues

At the root of our nations drug pricing crisis is the industrys egregious abuse of a broken drug patent system. The U.S. patent system was originally designed to promote ingenuity and groundbreaking inventions by granting creators a limited monopoly period. When the system works as the Constitution intended, both industry and consumers benefit. Yet, somewhere along the way, drugmakers began manipulating the process to secure patents for simple tweaks to existing medicines, such as changing the way a drug is delivered or flavored. Big Pharma uses the patent system not to reward invention, but to block competition and extend lucrative monopolies.

This isnt inventionits legal gamesmanship designed to bend and distort the rules to put profits ahead of patients. Drugmakers have realized its far easier to extend patent monopolies on existing drugs to stem losses from expiring patents than it is to invest in and invent groundbreaking new treatments to save lives. For decades, drug companies have been given carte blanche to systemically game the system by quietly obtaining patent after frivolous patentoften referred to as patent thicketson many blockbuster drugs. This wily maneuvering allows them to extend their monopolies far beyond the 20 years of patent protection intended by law and block lower-priced competitors from entering the market. It also gives them the power to extract multimillion-dollar settlements in litigation from companies with would-be generic or biosimilar products.

A perfect poster child for undeserving patents is Regenerons product Eylea, which treats an eye condition known as macular degeneration that affects older adults. Eylea was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2011 and thanks to over 90 granted patentsincluding one for minor adjustments to its sterile packagingthe drug is unlikely to see any generic competitors for years to come. Today, the list price for a single dose of Eylea in the U.S. is over $1,800, while it costs roughly half that amount in the UK.

A recent national report reveals that, on average, there are 140 patents filed and 74 patents granted on each of Americas 10 top-selling drugs. Sixty-six percent of these patent applications were filed after FDA approval  many for very minor product modifications. Accompanying the report is a new Drug Patent Book, which offers the first publicly accessible, user-friendly drug patent database underscoring drugmakers unrelenting abuse of the patent system. Each additional day of patent exclusivity can mean tens of millions of dollars in revenue for a single drug: Revlimid and Keytruda, which treat cancer, earn $23.8 million and $26.8 million per day respectively; and Humira, which treats debilitating arthritis, was bringing in $47.5 million per day before the first competitor entered the market last week.

More from TIME

Allowing Medicare to negotiate prices of some high cost drugs is an important step forward. But policymakers on both sides of the aisle must stop turning a blind eye to Big Pharmas drug patenting schemes, which are having a profound impact on the health and pocketbooks of millions of American families.

The way forward involves three long-overdue reforms to the U.S. patent system. First, Congress must work with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to raise the bar for what gets patented and eliminate incentives for drugmakers to game the system by obtaining frivolous patents. Secondly, we need a much stronger balance of public and private interests within the overall patent system to ensure greater transparency and accountability. This can be accomplished by the USPTO becoming more accessible for public input, as well as placing more members of the public on its advisory committee. And finally, the process to challenge undeserved patents must be revamped to be less costly and convoluted to encourage wider input from the broader publicthe patients and consumers who bear the burden of high drug prices. Once patents are granted, current rules make it very hard to challenge their validity and mitigate their harm. These reforms will go a long way to ensuring the U.S. patent system better serves the public.

There is growing bi-partisan support in Congress to lower drug prices and enact long-overdue patent reforms. But Pharma is on the offensive trying to convince the public that patent reform would somehow stifle the invention of life-saving drugs. Congress must stand up to drugmakers deceptive, anti-competitive tactics and return the patent system to its original intent: an engine for breakthrough discoveries that benefit all Americansnot a vehicle to secure unprecedented profits for a few powerful corporations.
Thomas Lee, founder of Thomas H. Lee Capital, speaks at a panel discussion at the 2009 Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California. Fred Prouser/Reuters

A family spokesperson announced Thursday that Thomas H. Lee died. He was 78.

NYPD told Insider a man was found dead in the office but did not confirm the identity.

"The investigation remains ongoing at this time," an NYPD spokesperson wrote in an email.

Billionaire investor and financier Thomas H. Lee has died, according to a statement published Thursday from family spokesperson Michael Sitrick. He was 78.

Sitrick declined to comment on the cause of death.

The New York Post reported that Lee was found inside his Manhattan office on Fifth Avenue with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, citing police sources. Police responded to an emergency call from 767 Fifth Ave. around 11:10 a.m., according to the report. Insider could not confirm the Post's reporting.

A spokesperson from the New York Police Department said in a statement to Insider that police responded to a call from Fifth Avenue, "within the confines of the Midtown North Precinct," and emergency medical services pronounced a male dead at the scene. The spokesperson did not confirm the identity of the individual.

"The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) will determine the cause of death. The investigation remains ongoing at this time," an NYPD spokesperson wrote in an email.

Lee founded his namesake private equity firm, Thomas H. Lee Partners, in 1974, which focused on leveraged buyouts and purchasing midsize companies.

According to The New York Times, Lee started the firm with $150,000 from an inheritance and a loan from his brother.

In one of its most notable acquisitions, Thomas H. Lee Partners purchased Snapple for $135 million before selling it two years later to Quaker Oats for $1.7 billion, The Times reported.

He "was a pioneer and lion of the private equity and leveraged buyout industries, with the purchase and subsequent sale of Snapple Beverages and Warner Music among his many successful transactions," his family wrote in a statement.

"Over the past 46 years, Mr. Lee has been responsible for investing over $15 billion of capital in hundreds of transactions," according to the family.

Story continues

Lee stepped down from Thomas H. Lee Partners, a $12-billion-firm at the time, in 2006 and formed Lee Equity that year.

This story is developing. Please check back for updates.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Phil McCarten/Reuters

Thomas H. Lee, an early pioneer in private equity who made his name and fortune as an early adopter of leveraged buyout transactions, has died, a family spokesperson confirmed Thursday. He was 78.

While the world knew him as one of the pioneers in the private equity business and a successful businessman, we knew him as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, sibling, friend and philanthropist who always put others needs before his own, a statement read. Our hearts are broken.

The statement did not elaborate on a cause or place of death, but the New York Post reported shortly before that Lee was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in his Manhattan offices.

The New York Police Department told the BBC that a 78-year-old man had been found dead on Thursday morning at an address matching the offices of Thomas H. Lee Capital Management, LLC.

A law enforcement source told The Daily Beast that officers responding to the scene found a handgun and a man with a gunshot wound to the head. The source said the police are not looking for suspects.

Prior to his death, Lee was serving as the chairman and managing partner of Lee Equity Partners, the private equity firm hed founded in 2006 after stepping down from the Boston-based Thomas H. Lee Partners. His exit was rumored to have been the result of disagreements with other C-suite figures, but he insisted to staff at the time that the parting had been very friendly.

Lee founded Thomas H. Lee Partners in 1974, nine years after graduating from Harvard University, reportedly using a $150,000 inheritance as seed money to get off the ground. He cut his teeth on middle-market deals, particularly in a 1992 deal to buy Snapple for $135 million. Two years later, he orchestrated the sale of the soft-drink maker to Quaker Oats for a cool $1.7 billion, or 32 times what hed purchased it for.

Over the course of his career, the titan invested $15 billion through hundreds of transactions, The New York Times reported. His net worth at the time of his death was estimated to be around $2 billion, according to Forbes billionaires index.

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He was also known as a prominent philanthropist, having donated $22 million to his alma mater in 1996, and served as a trustee of roughly a dozen universities and arts organizations, including New York Citys Lincoln Center and Museum of Modern Art.

Tom was an extraordinary individual, his former business partner, Scott Sperling, told The Daily Beast, A pioneer in private equity who became an industry icon. He was an incredibly gracious and generous man who was committed to his family and community.

Ingrid Drotman, who worked in Lees home for approximately three years as his wifes assistant, remembered him as an incredibly specificand at times demandingboss, but also as a kind, generous person who was gracious with even the lowest-level staff.

As wealthy as Tom wasas brilliant as he was in the financial worldhe was a kind guy, with exquisite taste and a beautiful home, she told The Daily Beast. His generosity resonated throughout the house.

Lee is survived by his wife, Ann Tenenbaum, and his five children.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now.

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Far-right Black conservative Kristina Karamo has been elected by Michigan Republicans to lead the states Republican Party. Karamo became a well-known figure after the 2020 election, falsely claiming widespread election fraud and supporting Donald Trumps lie that he won the presidential race. She now leads a state Republican Party that has lost significant ground in Michigan for its support for Trump and his right-wing politics.

The post Black Election Denier Chosen To Lead Michigan Republican Party appeared first on Blavity.

Karamo won the Michigan race against 9 opponents who competed at the partys state convention to lead the GOP. In three rounds of voting over 11 hours, Karamo emerged over her main rival, Trump-backed candidate Matt DePerno. Karamo largely distinguished herself from her competitors by presenting herself as a staunch Christian conservative. My goal number one as a Christian is to bring people to Christ, and secondarily to save our country, she declared, while also denouncing evolution. Although one Republican delegate was disgusted with [Karamo] wrapping Christianity around Republicanism, Karamos words were persuasive for many of the others, who ultimately supported her.

Although Trump backed on of her opponents, Karamo and many of the other candidates echoed the former presidents conspiracy theories and far-right rhetoric. Before running for the role of Michigan Party Chairwoman, Karamo first came to prominence as a supporter of Trumps claims that he won the 2020 election. Making unproven claims of witnessing irregularities in tabulating votes in Michigan, she appeared on multiple Fox News shows and other media outlets driving these claims. Karamo was supported by Trump when she ran for Michigan Secretary of State in 2022. She lost that race by a wide margin but, like Trump, refused to concede the race.

Now, Karamo will bring her election-denying viewpoint to a Michigan Republican Party that has increasingly lost touch with voters. Both Karamo and DePerno lost 2022 their races to be Secretary of State and Attorney General, respectively. Democrats control both houses of the Michigan legislature, and the state has a Democratic governor as well. And a majority of its representatives to Congress, including both the states senators, are Democrats as well. And Trump, who won the state narrowly in 2016, lost Michigan to Joe Biden in 2020. While Karamos rhetoric may make her popular within the Republican Party in the state, it remains to be seen whether she will be able to turn around the GOP poor election performance in recent years.

Karamo has made history as the first Black person to serve as chair of Michigans Republican Party. But for her and for Michigan Republicans in general, their election denying rhetoric, far-right beliefs and Trump affiliations have largely overshadowed any other parts of their message that could potentially appeal to voters. The election of Karamo makes it clear that Michigans Republican Party does not intent to become more moderate any time soon.
Much of the cultural history of Hagerstown's Black community might have been lost, save for the efforts of one couple.

The collection of artifacts that the late Charles and Marguerite Doleman amassed includes everything from antique dolls to clothing, ephemera and furniture. And only a fraction of it is currently on display at the Doleman Black Heritage Museum's temporary home on the second floor of 35 W. Washington St. in Hagerstown, a county-owned building that is also home to the Washington County Treasurer's Office.

Completion of the museum's future home is still some time off, however, and Project Director Alesia Parson asked the Washington County Commissioners last week for a two-year extension on its West Washington Street lease.

A portait of Marguerite Doleman on display at the Doleman Black Heritage Museum.

"We have been able to fulfill our mission because of the assistance from the county commissioners with that building," she said. The museum has been leasing all the rooms on the second floor except for an area that has now been vacated by another agency, and she asked for permission to expand into that room for a new project the museum has undertaken: recording oral histories.

"Most of African American history is documented only from stories handed down from generation to generation, outside of the enslaved being documented as machinery, chattel," she said. "Most of our history is handed down from our grandparents, or our great-grandparents or our great-great-grandparents.

"So what we would like to do is get those oral histories recorded, documented and in our archives."

Although the commissioners haven't yet acted on the request, they were enthusiastic about the museum's future.

'This is going to happen': Excitement builds over Doleman Black Heritage Museum

And they're not alone. About 100 people gathered at the museum's future site, a former Coca-Cola bottling plant at 465 Pennsylvania Ave. in Hagerstown, when the design for the new museum was unveiled in October.

"It's amazing the buzz that this has created in our community," Parson said. "I will tell you, we are called often, asking, 'So when is it going to happen?' We know it's going to happen. We know that everyone in the community wants it to happen."

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What can you see at the Doleman museum now?

Marguerite Doleman's collection, which filled her home for decades, will be showcased in two buildings designed to tell the story of the Black experience in Hagerstown  along with additional artifacts that have been collected.

For now, about a fourth of the museum's collection is on display at the temporary location, Curator Wendi Perry told Herald-Mail Media. And in designing the displays, she has attempted to maintain Doleman's "homey" atmosphere.

Whips that were believed to have been used on slaves that were sold in Washington County are on display at the Doleman Black Heritage Museum's temporary home on West Washington Street in downtown Hagerstown.

"So you have the dining room, you have the up-front room that had the African art, and then as you moved through the house, you saw more and more things," Perry said. "The family basically lived among the artifacts, which is crazy for me to think about, but it's true."

For the time being, "I sort of pick out things I think can be relatable to people coming in, as well as really grand pieces  like some of the dresses and things like that  that people don't normally see because it is so dated," she said.

"As we go in the future with the new building  I hope to keep that kind of flow because that was the spirit that she really wanted it to share: Being inclusive, but also having pride in African American history and the heritage."

Perry, who has a long resume of museum administration that includes the Banneker-Douglass Museum in Annapolis, is compiling "little bitty collections" right now, she said, and focusing on archival documentation.

"(Doleman) has boxes and boxes of things that people have given her  family Bibles, anything you can think of, as well as freedman papers and things like that, that are framed." Some are copies, but still help to tell the story.

Right now, she's collecting "children's books that focus on children, brown children  basically what we're calling little brown children's books."

She's trying to make the museum's appeal multigenerational. But the audience she's after is not just across generations, but across people groups.

"This history is not separate from anybody else's history," Perry said, "but it's been a long time in coming, to be inclusive. It all needs to flow together; people say, 'Why do you still need a Black History Month after all the things that we've been through?' Well, still a lot of the story hasn't been told, and it hasn't been told in our voice; it's usually somebody else telling our story.

"So Black History Month will be significant until it's just automatically known."

Background:Doleman Black Heritage Museum reveals design of future museum in Hagerstown

To that end, Perry said, the museum is doing everything it can to keep educational programming going.

Not only do the displays include antiques from local families  clothing, for example, and furnishings from the former Harman Hotel  but there are displays of recent history as well. One display showcases hair care products produced especially for Black consumers, and Parson's program from one of President Barack Obama's inaugurations is framed and hanging on the wall. The museum sponsored a bus trip to Obama's second inauguration, in 2013.

Visitors are "amazed that the variety of things that are in here  it's not just one thing or two things, but even things that are everyday to them," Perry said. "When I started showing them some of the stuff, like the hair products and stuff, African Americans  they know all of those products, because they've used them before."

There's a whole 1940s kitchen with an icebox and other items still at the Doleman home "that I haven't even begun to pack up," she said.

She's already plotting exhibit designs for the new location. She hopes, for example, to suspend a number of stained-glass windows that have been donated to the museum. Only one, from the Ebenezer AME Church, is now on display.

Just a taste of what's coming at the Doleman museum

Upon completion, the new museum site will include two buildings  the former bottling plant, and an adjacent five-story building that will be constructed of sea containers.

"That first building would actually be a revenue-builder for the organization so that on Day One, when we open up our doors, we will have a consistent revenue stream," Parson told the commissioners.

Plans include a cafe, a gallery and a bookstore in the first building, she said, and there are also plans for a studio.

It will take longer for the Coca-Cola building to be rehabilitated than construction will take for the second building, Parson said, because the sea container construction means it will be "prefabricated somewhere else. And then it's just like Legos. That building can be erected within two weeks."

The Doleman Black Heritage Museum is temporarily located on the second floor at 33 W. Washington St in downtown Hagerstown.

She also sees the projects as an economic development catalyst for the Jonathan Street neighborhood.

"When we were looking for locations, we realized that there had not been an economic development project within the Jonathan Street corridor outside of low-income public housing," Parson said. "So we want to create this economic development anchor."

Perry, of course, also looks at the project from a curator's point of view.

"To me, this collection is what stimulates me," she said. "The new building to me means more opportunities to speak, to voice what we've come from, where we're going."

For now, the museum is open at the West Washington Street site from noon to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Doleman Black Heritage Museum has part of collection on display
TikTok

A TikTok video has gone viral after a white woman called the police on two Black men for shoveling snow, claiming they werent showing her any respect despite their good deed.

Gregory McAdory, who uploaded the video to TikTok on Feb. 18, said in an interview with The Daily Beast that he and his friend have a snow removal business in Rockford, Illinois. He explained that on Feb. 17 they finished clearing his friends fathers driveway, then moved onto the sidewalk in front of the neighbors house. Thats when the neighbor came out and bugged up on them, threatening to call the police, he said.

When the police is called on people of my color, just to be on the safe side, I just say, Record, McAdory said.

In the video, McAdory and his friend are seen speaking with an older white woman as she stands on a sidewalk, holding a shovel.

Youre seriously mad because we cleaned off your sidewalk? asks McAdory.

The woman, who later identifies herself as Brunny, ignores McAdorys question and moves shoveled snow back on the sidewalk.

Dont trespass that line! she says with an accent, pointing towards a makeshift barrier made out of snow. I dont need anything from you!

McAdory tries to explain to the woman that they are helping her. The friend re-shovels the snow off the sidewalk, and the woman calls the police.

Thats trespassing property, she claims.

This is a public sidewalk! McAdory tells her.

Get out of my way, she responds.

I have an emergency, she says on the phone call, claiming that the two men were bothering her. These two guys are African American, and I dont get along with them. They are making fun of me. See, they dont have no respect!

The Rockford Police Department provided a log of the service call to The Daily Beast, confirming it was placed at 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 17. The callerwhose name had been blocked outreported disorderly conduct and an urgent need for help, the call dispatchers notes say.

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According to the notes, There is a [race redacted]/M there harassing her and she doesnt want him there.

Another comment says there are 2 [race redacted]/[males].

She says they are disrespecting her and she wants them gone, the notes say.

In a second video McAdory uploaded to TikTok, two Rockford police officers are on the scene, standing in front of a cruiser. One of the officers claims that the woman may have a mental illness. Eventually, they go to speak with the woman and direct the men to stay off her property and not shovel her snow.

The call log says officers were on the scene for about 18 minutes. An administrator from the Rockford Police Department told The Daily Beast that a police report was not taken during the incident.

According to McAdory, this was not the first time the woman had threatened to call the police on them. He told The Daily Beast that the last time they shoveled the driveway, the neighbor got upset that they touched her lawn. So, they figured clearing a path on the sidewalk in front of her home would show her they could be neighborly. McAdory said his friends family have known the woman for 15 years.

I dont know whats wrong with her. I dont know if its racism, McAdory said. I just didnt want to be arrested for something as minor as that.

The Daily Beast was unsuccessful in multiple attempts to reach the neighbor.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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WASHINGTON (AP)  Fresh from a meeting with Chinas top diplomat and a U.N. Security Council session on Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Central and South Asia next week for international talks that will put him in the same room as his Chinese and Russian counterparts.

The State Department said Blinken would travel to the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan before going to India for a meeting of the Group of 20 foreign ministers from the worlds largest industrialized and developing countries, including China and Russia.

The trip comes as tensions have soared between the U.S. and Russia and between the U.S. and China over Russia's war in Ukraine and Chinese assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific. All three countries are competing fiercely to outdo each other in global influence.

Underscoring the challenges the U.S. faces, the three countries Blinken will visit were all among the 32 nations that abstained in Thursday's U.N. General Assembly vote that condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine by a vote of 141-7.

Its clear to us that the countries of Central Asia and India have had long, complex relations with Russia," said Donald Lu, the top U.S. diplomat for the region, on Friday. I dont think theyre going to end those relations anytime soon, but we are talking to them about the role they can play in this conflict.

Lu added: We may not share the same approach every day on Ukraine, but I think we do share the goal that this conflict ends and it ends based on principles in the U.N. charter."

U.S. officials have been tight-lipped about the prospects for Blinken sitting down with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang or Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in New Delhi. But all three will be present in the Indian capital for the G-20 meeting.

A major multilateral summit like the G-20, of course, lends itself to the potential for bilateral engagements on the margins, but we dont have any specific scheduling updates to offer, deputy State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said. He added, though, that the United States believes its important to keep the lines of communication open.

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The last time the G-20 foreign ministers met  in Bali, Indonesia, in 2022  Blinken held extensive talks with Chinas then-foreign minister, Wang Yi, that led to a summit between President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Xinping in November.

And Wang, who has since been promoted, met with Blinken last weekend on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany, the first high-level talks since the U.S. shot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon and Blinken postponed a much-anticipated trip to Beijing.

A meeting between Blinken and Qin, who was formerly Chinas ambassador to the U.S., would be their first in Qins current capacity.

The broader G-20 meeting is expected to focus on food and energy security, especially for developing countries, which have been hit by fallout from the Ukraine conflict. In Bali, a number of nations that have not outright condemned Russia for the war expressed deep concern about its impact on the prices and supply of food and fuel.

Before traveling to Delhi, Blinken will visit the Kazakh capital of Astana for talks with leaders there as well as a meeting of the so-called C5+1 group, made up of the U.S. and the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

At that meeting, he will stress the U.S. commitment to the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Central Asian countries," the State Department said in a statement that mirrors the wording it has been using to support Ukraine against Russia.

Blinken will then go to Tashkent for talks with Uzbek officials.
By Steve Gorman and Rich McKay

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -A slow-moving winter storm intensified over California on Friday, triggering the first blizzard warning in parts of the Los Angeles area in 30 years and creating the extraordinary sight of snowflakes swirling around the iconic Hollywood sign.

Snow and freezing rain pushed into the Golden State from the north, where it dumped about 10 inches (25 cm) of powder on Portland, Oregon, earlier in the week. California's snow was heaviest in the Cascades, Sierra Nevada and coastal mountains.

But even residents in lower-elevation foothills of California's central coast and the San Francisco Bay area awoke Friday morning to 1 to 3 inches of snow.

"The last time we saw snow like this in the low elevations was in 2011," said Sarah McCorkle, a National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist in Monterey, California. "It's a relatively rare event."

San Francisco also broke a 132-year record for the lowest Feb. 24 temperature ever documented as the mercury dipped to 39 degrees Fahrenheit (4 Celsius) on Friday morning, one degree lower than the previous record set in 1891, McCorkle said.

The storm was expected to strengthen on Friday and linger over California through Saturday, the NWS said.

A massive low-pressure system driven from the Arctic was responsible for the unusual conditions, said Bryan Jackson, a forecaster at the NWS Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.

In Southern California, "this is a rare case of a cold, significant storm event," Jackson said.

In a sight that must have delighted many Angelenos, snowflakes even fell around the Hollywood sign atop Mount Lee in the hills above the city, known for its sunny days and palm trees.

At an elevation of 1,500 feet (457 meters), the sign - with its giant, white-block lettering visible for miles around the city - was close to the threshold for the formation of snow during the storm, Jackson said.

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Craig Robert Young, an actor who starred in the television series "Charmed" and "The Last Ship," lives in Hollywood Hills within eyeshot of the famed sign. He said he was amazed to see snow swirling there.

"I moved here from the UK 20 years ago, and haven't seen snow since," said Young, 46. "I actually had a snowball fight. It brought me back to my childhood."

In nearby San Bernardino County, the sheriff's office posted a video clip on Twitter showing deputies lying in the snow, flapping arms and legs to make "snow angels," while also urging residents to stay off roads.

'AT THE MERCY OF THE SKIES'

Snowy road conditions and high winds prompted the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and state transportation officials to close Interstate 5, a major highway connecting Los Angeles to points north, along a 40-mile (64.4 km) mountain stretch known as the Grapevine.

It remained unclear how long the closure would last, according to CHP officer Anthony Daulton.

"We're at the mercy of the skies right now," he said.

A separate storm that clobbered the U.S. Plains, Midwest and Great Lakes regions earlier this week blew out to the Atlantic on Friday after passing over New England, the weather service said. More than 750,000 homes and businesses, mostly in Michigan, remained without electricity.

Even before the latest storm, much of California has experienced an unusually rainy, chilly winter, starting with a spate of deadly "atmospheric river" storms that unleashed widespread flooding, felled trees and triggered mudslides in a state long plagued by drought and wildfires.

Powerful winter storms, interspersed with extreme heat and dry spells, are symptoms of climate change, experts say, and growing more frequent and intense.

In Los Angeles County on Friday, a blizzard warning was issued for the San Gabriel Mountains north of the city - the first in the L.A. region since 1989 - with 2 to 5 feet (60 to 152 cm) of snow forecast above an elevation of 4,500 feet (1,370 meters), the weather service said. Seven feet (2.1 meters) of snow could accumulate in some spots with winds gusting up to 60 miles per hour (96 kph).

Big Bear Lake in San Bernardino County already has 28 inches (71 cm) of snow on the ground, Jackson said - and more was coming.

Drenching rains posed a different problem across wide swaths of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, where a flash flood warning was posted until 10 p.m. Friday night.

Heavy showers will inundate many parts of California through Saturday, the weather service said. Two to 3 inches (5 to 7.6 cm) are forecast for Los Angeles and San Bernardino, raising the risk of flash flooding.

More than 120,000 California homes and businesses, primarily in the northern part of the state, were without power on Friday, according to Poweroutage.us.

(Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles and Rich McKay in Atlanta; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Bill Berkrot)
A BNP Paribas branch in Paris in 2020. Reuters

Climate activists say BNP Paribas is violating a French law meant to reduce environmental risks.

Groups are using lawsuits to try and force companies to move away from fossil fuels faster.

BNP Paribas defended its plan to exit the fossil-fuel sector and have a net-zero portfolio by 2050.

Three climate-activist groups on Thursday sued the bank BNP Paribas over its fossil-fuel financing, saying it violated a French law requiring companies to prevent risks to the environment.

The case marks the first climate lawsuit against a commercial bank and comes as activists increasingly use the courts to try and force big companies to transition to a low-carbon way of operating.

Previous targets have included oil majors like Shell, which in 2021 was ordered by a Dutch court to step up its efforts to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by at least 45% this decade. Shell appealed the decision last year. TotalEnergies, a French oil company, has also been sued over its climate strategy and oil projects in East Africa.

"BNP is a big funder of the expansion of fossil-fuel projects," Justine Ripoll, a campaigner at the climate-activist group Notre Affaire a Tous, which filed the lawsuit along with Oxfam and Friends of the Earth, told Insider. "Oil majors are developing and creating new oil and gas projects all around the world, and BNP Paribas continues to offer financial services like general investment and underwriting new stock."

BNP Paribas is a top financier of fossil-fuel production in Europe and ranks 10th in the world, providing about $142 billion to the sector since the Paris climate agreement took effect in 2016, according to an analysis by the Rainforest Action Network. BNP Paribas' outstanding loans for fossil fuels amount to 23.7 billion euros as of the end of September, the bank said in a statement last month. BNP Paribas has pledged to achieve net zero carbon emissions across its portfolio by 2050.

Astrid Sancho, a spokesperson for BNP Paribas, told Insider in an email that the bank regretted that the nongovernmental organizations chose to engage in litigation rather than dialogue.

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"We are focused on our fossil fuel exit path, accelerating financing for renewable energies and supporting our customers, without whom the transition can not be made," Sancho said.

She added that about a decade ago, 95% of the bank's outstanding financing for energy production was in fossil fuels. Now, she said, more than half is "oriented toward low carbon energies," and the bank hopes to hit 80% by 2030.

Climate activists say that pledges made in recent years by BNP Paribas and other banks to limit support of oil and gas are rife with loopholes. For example, BNP Paribas doesn't directly finance oil projects, but the bank continues to offer corporate financing to its energy-firm clients that are advancing them, the groups filing suit argue.

Ripoll said BNP Paribas should adopt a policy requiring fossil-fuel companies to stop developing new projects. If they fail to do so in a certain time frame, BNP Paribas should divest from these companies, she said.

The International Energy Agency said in 2021 there shouldn't be any investment in new fossil-fuel-supply projects to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius compared with preindustrial levels. The threshold could avert the most catastrophic effects of the climate crisis for people and the planet, scientists say.

It's those impacts that make France a country where it's easier to file climate lawsuits against corporations.

The country's Duty of Vigilance law, enacted in 2017, requires large companies to identify risks to human rights and the environment and then prevent them. "We know climate has effects on both," Ripoll said.



The European Union is considering a similar policy for the entire bloc.

In the US, climate lawsuits against oil majors are slightly different, in that they accuse the companies of misleading the public about the dangers of the climate crisis and seek compensation for the costs of building infrastructure that's more resilient to natural disasters.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Former national security advisor John Bolton on Thursday praised President Bidens decision to increase the number of U.S. troops stationed in Taiwan, but noted that we can do a lot more.

I think this is the right thing to do, Bolton said in an interview with John Catsimatidis on WABCs Cats & Cosby.

The U.S. is reportedly planning to more than quadruple the number of troops deployed to Taiwan, sending between 100 and 200 troops over the next few months as part of a training program, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

However, Bolton, who served under former President Trump from 2018 to 2019, said he would do even more.

I would homeport a couple of American naval vessels at Kaohsiung, Taiwans big harbor, and show the Chinese that were gonna be there training and assisting the Taiwanese against any possible Chinese attack, he said.

The aim here is not to win a war that China starts; the aim here is to deter China from doing it, Bolton added. And believe me, we can do a lot more to do that.

Bolton, who also served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, noted that China is closely watching how the war in Ukraine unfolds.

I think that they clearly have their eye on Taiwan, he told Catsimatidis. Theyre watching what were doing in Ukraine to judge whether we really can defend, give the weapons for the Ukrainians to defend themselves adequately.

Their bet is if the United States cant rally Europe to defend a European country attacked by Russa in this case, what are they going to do if the Chinese attacks Taiwan or islands in the East China Sea, islands in the South China Sea? Bolton continued. And so, a lot rides on this because the Chinese are trying to gauge, in particular, whether the Biden administration is really up to it.

Taiwan also appears to be keeping a close eye on the war in Ukraine. Following a recent visit to the island nation, Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) said almost every Taiwanese official he met with pointed to the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a wake-up call for Taiwan to begin stockpiling weapons.

We need to be moving heaven and earth to arm Taiwan to the teeth to avoid a war, Gallagher, the chair of the newly created Select Committee on China, added in an interview with The Washington Post.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Hong Kong: Govt supports special needs children

Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki

Children are our hope for the future. Their potential and talent are key to driving society to move forward. UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories worldwide to support children in need. In our city, UNICEF Hong Kong has been joining with the Government to promote children's rights through a number of children- and youth-related programmes.

An example of such joint efforts is the Say Yes To Breastfeeding campaign initiated by UNICEF Hong Kong and supported by the Health Bureau and the Department of Health. Since its launch in 2015, the campaign has received positive responses from various sectors. It now covers close to 440 breastfeeding spaces for public access as well as over 1,200 workplaces for working parents, offering greater convenience to breastfeeding mothers. These actions speak of UNICEF Hong Kong's efforts in caring for children.

The current-term Government continues to safeguard children's rights and well-being. I am leading a high-level Commission on Children, with members coming from government bureaus and departments as well as relevant sectors of society. Our mission is to drive children-related policies and initiatives, with strategies and priorities set on children's development and advancement.

In particular, the Government takes children's right to protection, free from harm and abuse, very seriously and our pro-children efforts are now focused on two key areas.

First, we are preparing for establishing a mandatory reporting mechanism for suspected child abuse cases, with a view to achieving early and effective intervention into such mishaps. Our aim is to introduce the bill into the Legislative Council in the first half of this year.

Second, we are conducting a holistic review on residential child care and related services to better care for children without parental care or children with urgent care needs. With the first-phase review completed last year, we are following up a number of recommendations. They include providing additional frontline support staff, enhancing the manning ratio of child care services, and strengthening inspection and enforcement.

Meanwhile, the Government is equally determined to support pre-school children with special needs. The government Budget, announced just two days ago, has allocated an annual recurrent expenditure of about $174 million for offering comprehensive and timely assistance to pre-school children with different levels of special needs. Inter-disciplinary service teams under a school-based and integrated approach will be deployed to achieve optimum results.

Turning to long-term youth development plans, the Government launched a Youth Development Blueprint last December. It contains over 160 concrete actions and measures, seeking to nurture a young generation with an affection for the motherland and Hong Kong, and equip them with a global perspective, an aspiring mindset and positive thinking.

Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki gave these remarks at the UNICEF HK 35th Anniversary Gala Dinner on February 24.

This story has been published on: 2023-02-24. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Some Massachusetts residents may have noticed a new billboard recently pop up in a spot over the intersection of Brighton Avenue and Linden Street in Allston and wondered whose face is on it or what it means.

GeoGuessr is an online game that challenges players to identify random locations from around the globe using only Google Street View.

And, TikTok star, and the GeoGuessr whiz, Trevor Rainbolt, put up the ad to give fellow GeoGuesser players a hint, and be on Google Street View forever.

Rainbolt has gone viral for his ability to recognize places at lightning speed by analyzing obscure clues like plant life, building materials, or the shape and color of roadside bollards.

You can see on the billboard a screenshot of Rainbolt sitting behind his computer, as if peering out at the street, along with the words This is Boston. Nice. and a red smiley face emoji. Identifying a location and then celebrating calmly has become a signature move for Rainbolt while playing GeoGuessr.

He told the Boston Globe on Thursday, that he paid for the billboard himself, just for laughs, and to give his fellow gamers a helping hand.

The billboard will only be up for the next four weeks, so Rainbolt said he hopes one of Googles mobile camera cars will make its way through the intersection in that time to capture it (the company appears to have last paid it a visit in October). That way, it will pop up on Street View, which GeoGuessr uses as the basis for its game.

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

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Boston Police are searching for the suspect wanted in a string of armed robberies in the Hyde Park area.

Police say there has been an increase in armed robberies at convenience stores over the past few months, the most recent of which took place on River Street Monday, police said.

Authorities released a photo of the man they identified as a suspect. Police say he is a black man wearing all-black clothing and possibly flees the crime scenes on a scooter.

BPD Community Alert: The Boston Police Department Seeks the Publics Help to Identify Suspect Wanted in Connection to Multiple Armed Robberies at Convenience Stores in Hyde Park https://t.co/KGwbSGMXl2 pic.twitter.com/sQtqF7le1U  Boston Police Dept. (@bostonpolice) February 24, 2023

Anyone with information is advised to contact E-18 Detectives at 617-343-5607. Tips can also be submitted anonymously by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1-800-494-TIPS or by texting the word TIP to CRIME (27463).

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Boston Public Schools launched an advisory council Thursday night to address issues that have plagued the districts transportation department for years.

The Transportation Advisory Council (TAC) will serve as a forum for students, families, community partners and Boston Public School (BPS) staff to discuss issues affecting the transportation department, share recommendations with the district, and advocate for systemic improvements, according to officials. The goal of the group is to increase accountability and optimize performance for the districts school buses.

The announcement comes amid a statewide investigation into the way BPSs transportation department functions. Whether its violence, unreliable schedules, or students being dropped off at wrong addresses, the agency is no stranger to controversy.

We know systemic change is needed to improve the transportation experience for all students and families, and it will take the entire village to meet the needs of our students, said Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper. The Transportation Advisory Council will be a key component in our efforts to ensure all students have safe, consistent, and reliable transportation to and from school every day.

The first meeting of the forum took place last week, although it is unclear how often the group will meet going forward.

It is vital that we all unite as a community for our students, not only for transportation but for everything BPS does, said Boston School Committee Chairperson Jeri Robinson.

The TAC is made up of the following members, appointed by Superintendent Skipper:

 Ray Germany, BPS Special Education Parent Advisory Council Representative

 Kelsey Kirk Brendel, BPS Parent, SpedPac Executive Board Member

 Zachary Houston, Assistant Director for Applied Behavior Analysis, BPS Office of Special Education

 Karla Jenkins, Higginson Inclusion K-2 Principal

 Meriem Khireddine, BPS Helpline Specialist

 Sarah King, Implementation Manager, Systemic Improvement, BPS Office of the Superintendent

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 Arlene Leung, 12th-grade student, Madison Park Technical Vocational High School

 Mark Loring, COO, Brooke Charter Schools and Boston Charter Alliance Representative

 Royal Nunes, BPS parent and community partner

 Oniris Ramirez, BPS parent

 Varsha Ramsumair, Assistant Director of the Bus Monitors Unit, BPS Transportation

 Dejon Rice, Founder/CEO of Bostons Bridge to Excellence

 Dan Rosengard, Executive Director of BPS Transportation

 Delavern Stanislaus, BPS Chief of Capital Planning and former Executive Director of BPS Transportation

Skipper says the goal of the TAC is to ensure that members are better equipped to make informed recommendations for improvement to the districts transportation system.

Our goal is to make BPS transportation the best it possibly can be for our students and our community, said BPS Transportation Director Daniel Rosengard. Success will require meaningful stakeholder engagement and collaboration across the district as well as with our many partners and stakeholders. We look forward to working across the community so that we can not only improve our transportation system but go above and beyond for our students, families, and schools.

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Police officers from three agencies responded to an incident at Bloomington High School North this week during which an officer was struck in the face with a knife reportedly thrown by a 16-year-old student.

A police report said a Bloomington officer sustained a cut to the mouth that required stitches and had glass fragments in his eyes from what was described in the report as a "kitchen knife" shattering a window before it hit the officer as he tried to calm down the teen.

A school resource officer called 911 Tuesday afternoon asking for help, Bloomington Police Department Capt. Ryan Pedigo said, when a student experiencing a mental health crisis threw chairs inside a classroom, breaking windows after other students had been evacuated. No other injuries were mentioned in the police report.

The whole seriesBlack History Month in Bloomington: what to know, where to go and who to follow

Officers from BPD, the sheriff's department and Indiana State Police were at the scene. The incident was reported at 2:15 p.m., just 15 minutes before students were to leave for the day.

Parents and others arriving to pick up students, who were released one section of the building at a time, saw numerous police cars and an ambulance parked outside the school.

A BPD sergeant at the scene knew the student, was able to de-escalate the situation and convinced the teen to go with his mother, who took him to IU Health-Bloomington Hospital for evaluation, Pedigo said.

North principal Matt Stark sent parents an email at 3:36 p.m. alerting them of the incident and saying school activities were back to normal. "Fortunately, our trained teachers and staff responded immediately and contacted emergency medical personnel and law enforcement."

The report estimated the cost of replacing the shattered windows at between $5,000 and $10,000.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington North student in crisis shatters window, injures officer
By Andrew Osborn

LONDON (Reuters) - Yevgeny Prigozhin, the shaven-headed former convict and catering magnate who runs Russia's Wagner mercenary army on the Ukraine frontline, said on Friday that a politician who criticised him should be shot and may end up on a pitchfork.

Fuelling a growing standoff with Russia's political and military elite, Prigozhin evoked the actions of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin during World War Two to excoriate a regional governor who had told him to stick to his food business.

"During the 1941-45 war, which is now being repeated, Stalin simply shot people like you. I think we're going to return to those times soon," he told Sverdlovsk governor Yevgeny Kuivashev, according to his press service.

"I'm sure that the time is not far off when people will reach boiling point and raise you and people like you up on pitchforks," he added, alluding to peasant rebellions.

Prigozhin, 61, who did nine years' jail for theft and street muggings in the 1980s, has emerged from the shadows to assume a high profile since Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.

His fighters, whom he touts as among the best, are spearheading an offensive in eastern Ukraine.

On Friday, the war's anniversary, he announced that his men - including former prisoners like him - had captured a Ukrainian settlement on the outskirts of the small mining city of Bakhmut, which they have besieged for months.

Prigozhin's media profile, political influence, and fondness for profanely lambasting top army brass and anyone else in his way has angered some in government who want him reined in.

However Prigozhin, who grew rich from state contracts awarded to a catering company he controls, has proved hard to tame, given Wagner's big role and the support he has from influential military bloggers and some hawkish politicians.

USEFUL TO PUTIN?

Earlier this week, he accused various regional governors of refusing to bury Wagner fighters with military honours, labelling them as lawless, corrupt bureaucrats.

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Kuivashev, the Sverdlovsk governor, hit back on Friday via the 66.ru local news outlet: "If every businessman who makes money on school meals tries to run the country, we won't get very far," he said.

"Everyone has to look after their own business. Cook cutlets and boil pasta, and we in the regions will sort things out ourselves."

From eastern Ukraine, Prigozhin replied that he had stopped being a businessman a year ago and was now devoting his life to leading his fighters.

As well as menacing Kuivashev, he said the mayor of St Petersburg with whom he has a long-running feud, would have also been executed in Stalin's day.

Some analysts believe Prigozhin's thuggish behaviour is useful to the Kremlin as it keeps the elite fearful of what might happen if President Vladimir Putin were to step down.

Others, though, warn that Prigozhin and other figures in Russia with their own private armies, like Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, could one day go rogue.

One source close to the Russian authorities told Reuters in January that though the Kremlin viewed Prigozhin as a useful operator it maintained unspecified safeguards over leaders of armed groups. "There is a ceiling (of growth) and mechanisms in place," said the source, who declined to provide more details.

(Reporting by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
Brendan Fraser is speaking out about why he stepped away from the spotlight.

The actor was a sensation in the late 1990s and early 2000s, cranking out hits back-to-back such as "The Mummy," "George of the Jungle," "Crash" and "Dudley Do-Right."

"At that time, it was a break-neck pace," he said in an interview with Willie Geist for Sunday Sitdown Feb. 26.

"I was really out of the gate early," Fraser recalled. "There were a lot of films I was doing that was overlapping with one another. I was sometimes in competition on opening weekends with my own project because the release dates."

Brendan Fraser on Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist. (TODAY)

He then retreated away from the industry for several years and relied on smaller roles.

I knew that I was also on a merry-go-round and wanted the music to stop, he told Geist.

Fraser said stepping back back allowed him to recover from the physical toll of performing his own stunts and to "take stock of who I am, where Im going and what my aspirations are," he said.

But after the pause, he noticed the "quiet."

You get off the merry-go-round and youre wondering, Wow, geez. Its a little quiet around here, maybe I should get back to work, he said.

Returning to Hollywood, Fraser said he knew he need to do something that exclaims, "I am here." Darren Aronofsky's "The Whale," provided that opportunity.

The story spoke to Fraser because it is a noble quest of hard-won hope, he told Geist. At the Venice Film Festival, the film received a six-minute standing ovation, marking the first moment that Fraser knew the film was having an impact.

This is not a film about obesity, Fraser said. This is a film about a man who must reconnect with his daughter, full stop, and will he or will he not be able to is the question that we go on.

But transitioning back into the spotlight also meant bringing back lessons he learned during his time away.

"I've learned that it's (better) to do good, to work smart instead of work hard, as another birthday rolls by," he told Geist, with a laugh. "And I also learned that I'm a lot more comfortable in my own skin, a lot more at home."

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Fraser added that this time also taught him the value of confidence.

"For me, currency is confidence, he shared. And I didnt always have that. It ebbs and flows, but feeling like Im at home in myself makes me have a stronger sense of ownership over the work Ive done and what Im capable of and what I want to do.

Brendan Fraser in

As "The Whale" has catapulted him back into the mainstream, he said he's better able to receive that attention now.

"I feel so much more receptive and have gratitude for the positive attention that I'm receiving at this time," he said. "It's really humbling."

The "Brenaissance" has also come with new perks, he shared.

"Now dads cool," he said of how his children reacted to his Oscar nomination. "Well see how long that lasts."

In the past, when "The Mummy" was on, Fraser said he had to convince his kids of his fame, but they were not interested.

"When they were very small, I'd be like, 'Hey guys,'" he said, acting out how he would gesture between himself and the screen.

"They'd look at it and go, 'That's not Power Rangers, so I don't care,' he recalled.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
Vine star turned influencer Bretman Rock said he no longer identifies as a beauty influencer after scandals and exposes that rocked followers over the years.

In an interview with Them for his newly released memoir , Rock reflected on his most influential videos. The 24-year-old, who first came to fame via comedy sketches and makeup tutorials on Vine, Instagram, and YouTube, looked back on moments including his first viral video in 2014, an early soft pink glam makeup tutorial, and his first palette collaboration with Morphe.

It just became an ick to me, he said. Its no longer a beauty industry, beauty community. And I use the word community very loosely, like my hole.

One video Rock commented on was from 2021, from a livestream in which he announced he was leaving the world of beauty influencing. In it, Rock says he had largely stopped wearing makeup and filming makeup content, and no longer wanted to be tied with the beauty community or identified as a beauty guru.

The girls were not happy with this video, Rock said in the new interview. Ultimately, I said what I said, and I meant what I said. White people ruined the beauty community, and Imma go.

Rock added that when he started off as a makeup creator, his motivation for continuing was his love for the other creators, who inspired him to share interesting makeup tips, products, and skills, but the scandals from predominantly white creators made the genre ugly.

Since Rocks first viral video, several prominent makeup influencers have been embroiled in scandal and accused of assault, exploitation, and false advertising. The makeup YouTuber Dramaggedon from 2018 to 2019 started after fans resurfaced old racist tweets from Jeffree Star, Laura Lee, and Gabriel Zamora, resulting in several tearful apology videos (and then, after more backlash, apology videos for their apology videos ). Makeup influencer James Charles faced a string of controversies about such things as exchanging sexual messages with minors, releasing a palette that gave some people hives and stained their skin , and a public feud with beauty guru Tati Westbrook that culminated in several back-and-forth videos in 2020 . Several people also came forward to Insider in 2020, revealing that Jeffree Star had sexually and physically assaulted them , and showed messages in which the makeup guru offered $10,000 to two of the victims for their silence.

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Brentman Rock during Paris Fashion Week on Sept. 30, 2022 Edward Berthelot / Getty Images

The frequent scandals between makeup and beauty YouTubers sparked an entire genre of memes around apology videos, with certain elements in videos (clean background; a solitary, centered figure; title that alludes vaguely to the conflict) immediately sparking comparisons to  beauty community drama . As more celebrities and influencers began addressing controversies on Twitter via statements written on their Notes app, notes app apology became a common meme phrase for people jokingly demanding more insincere statements.

Rock said the frequency of scandals and infighting was the reason he felt he had to leave.

How are yall... do not even know how to apologize? he said. Its as simple as addressing what you did, saying sorry, and never doing it again. But you bitches are gon cry, make up excuses, not say sorry, and still do the shit you say. The beauty industry became the sorry industry.

In the last few years, the influencer economy has expanded beyond a handful of  vlog squads  and elite groups of influencers, as short-form content types like TikTok and Instagram Reels have allowed new creators to break into the makeup content creator scene. Rock said that growing up online and going viral at the moment he did allowed him to uplift Hawaiian communities and Asian Americans with his various television and social media projects.

And this is whyyyy BRETMAN ROCK IS FOREVER ELITE, one commenter wrote . Bretman dont miss, another said.

More on this
A bride and groom say they missed out on their wedding reception because they got stuck in an elevator.

Newlyweds Victoria and Panav Jha reflected on their big day during a recent interview with WBTV, a television station in Charlotte, North Carolina. While at the Grand Bohemian Hotel earlier this month, the couple finished their wedding ceremony and were making their way to the 16th floor for the reception. Their plans came to a halt when the hotels elevator got stuck.

We go up maybe five feet and then just stopped, Panav recalled. The door was slightly ajar, so I was like: Hmm, thats not normal.

Along with the bride and groom, four other people who were a part of the wedding party were also in the elevator. In order to get the group out of the space, the Charlotte Fire Department was contacted, but firefighter David Budd told the outlet that getting the wedding party out of the elevator was a bit tricky.

We went through all of the normal troubleshooting that you do on an elevator call and none of that was working, so thats when we realised we were going to elevate it to what it ended up being, what was a rope rescue, he said.

Another firefighter at the hotel, Michael Claycomb, also described how they helped each of the six people out.

We put them in whats called a hasty seat, its just a simple seat that hooks around them and we hook them up to our rope rigging system, he said. They get raised up from there and its a simple process for them at least, for us its a little complex.

Panav said the group was in there for close to two and a half hours, before adding: I would say, the rest is an experience.

As a result of the elevator getting stuck between the lobby and first floor, the newlyweds ended up missing out on their wedding after-party. They also didnt get to say their farewells to all of their guests, some of whom travelled from out of town for the nuptials.

We were not able to celebrate or do the last kisses or goodbyes. And thats what put the damper on everything, Victoria toldQueen City News. Thats how the wedding night had to end.

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Despite the downsides of the experience, Victoria did share that there were some good things about the event too.

Its kind of like a blessing in disguise. Id like to say I cant imagine if this was me alone or him alone, at least we got to spend it together, so thats what mattered, she told WBTV.

Panav echoed his wifes sentiment about the situation, adding: Its going to be one we remember forever. Im going to tell my kids your mom was so beautiful, the fire department had to come.

Following the wedding partys rescue, the Charlotte Fire Department shared a photo of its firefighters with the newlyweds on its social media accounts. The department celebrated the nuptials in the caption, writing: Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Jha on your wedding day. Although Charlotte Fire wasnt formally invited, we werent exactly wedding crashers either.

The post continued to reflect on the rescue: After the first person was rescued, she said: Please get my sister out next, shes the one in the wedding dress. All [six people] who were pulled to safety were part of the Jha wedding party. Thankfully, no one required medical attention.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta wants referees to offer protection to Bukayo Saka (Nick Potts/PA) (PA Wire)

Mikel Arteta has backed Bukayo Saka to deal with the rough treatment he receives from opponents but feels the Arsenal winger can also do more to help his cause.

The PA news agency understands Saka is close to signing a new, long-term deal at the Emirates Stadium, with the England international top of Arsenals goals and assists charts this season.

The 21-year-old has not missed any of Arsenals last 65 league games, the longest run in the division, as Artetas side travel to Leicester on Saturday looking to stay top of the table.

Saka has been under the spotlight in recent weeks over a perceived lack of protection from officials, with just four yellow cards shown to opponents from 40 fouls.

There is a lot of focus now on Bukayo, and we need to keep that in mind as a team with the plans that we put together, understanding what the opponents are doing, but for sure referees have their responsibilities and they have to do their jobs, Arteta said.

If you ask him how it used to be when he was 10, 11, 12, 13, 14  it isnt very different. Wingers and talented players get kicked and fouled and get the demand to win games and that is the chance he has, that is his role in the team.

But we have to train that and he needs to learn when to take certain balls, what to do with that ball, how to use his body, when to jump.

If you ask him how it used to be when he was 10, 11, 12, 13, 14  it isn't very different. Wingers and talented players get kicked and fouled

Mikel Arteta on Bukayo Saka

There are a lot of things we can train, but obviously it is very difficult to understand what the opponent is going to do.

It is normal creative players want to be stopped and they (the opposition) want to restrict the ball getting into them, occupying and exploring certain spaces. What we have to try to do is completely the opposite.

Arteta was tight-lipped when asked about Sakas impending new deal but believes contract extensions for the clubs best assets show the current process is not a short-term one.

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 Putting in that prep for Leicester



 Arsenal Training Centre pic.twitter.com/c1nWbL2RZQ  Arsenal (@Arsenal) February 23, 2023

We want to keep our best players. The players that we are developing. We want to create a long-term project here and we need our best players at the club, he said.

When its done, I can tell you more. But obviously we have the intention to extend the contract of our players and, when its done, its great news for the club.

Arsenal will be hoping to have Thomas Partey fit and available for the trip to the King Power Stadium, but it comes too soon for Gabriel Jesus, who is still recovering from a knee injury.
A Mesa Airlines flight this week was forced to abort its landing at Hollywood Burbank Airport to avoid colliding with a flight that had been cleared to take off at the same time, authorities said. Above, a Delta Air Lines jet takes off from Burbank in July 2021. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

A flight arriving at Hollywood Burbank Airport this week was forced to abort its landing about 1,000 feet above the runway after an air traffic controller cleared another flight for takeoff at the same time, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The aborted Mesa Airlines landing was the latest in a string of errors involving U.S. flights and airports that have led to near misses between planes and left passengers holding their breath. But the high-profile incidents don't necessarily mean there is a trend toward more mistakes occurring, according to the FAA and aviation experts, who say it is still the safest time to fly in history.

"There are a lot of airports in the United States and a lot of daily takeoffs and landings  on the order of 5,000. So having one or two [issues] occur in a weeks time is not a large number in comparison to the total number," said Robert Ditchey, an aviation expert and former Navy pilot.

The Mesa Airlines flight was 1.3 miles from Burbank airport when it was forced to start regaining altitude in order to avoid a collision with a SkyWest Airlines Embraer E175 that was taking off from Runway 33 around 6:55 p.m. Wednesday, the FAA said.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident, it said Friday.

The issue was likely "human error" on the part of the air traffic controller who cleared the SkyWest flight for takeoff as another flight was coming in to land, Ditchey said. Still, he added, the pilot in the Mesa aircraft would have been the final decision maker on landing in a clear path.

Aborting a landing while still 1,000 feet up is easy for pilots, Ditchey said.

"People should be thankful that the safety system as designed and experienced in this country worked as supposed to," he said. "Give credit where credit is due. There was no accident. We should be happy. Were pretty damn good in the United States in preventing accidents."

The aborted landing comes just a month after a Delta flight taking off from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York nearly struck an American Airlines flight that was crossing the runway at the same time. The Delta plane came to a stop about 1,000 feet before it would have struck the other, according to the FAA.

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In December, a United Airlines flight heading to San Francisco from Maui nearly plunged into the Pacific shortly after takeoff under unclear circumstances. The FAA said there was nothing wrong with the plane and that the pilots received additional training after the incident, in which the plane plummeted from 2,200 feet to 775 feet above the water in less than 20 seconds.

And earlier this month, a taxiing American Airlines plane struck a shuttle bus on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport, injuring four people.

The FAA seemingly took notice of some of the issues on Valentine's Day when it cited "recent events" as the reason for renewed scrutiny of its safety practices.

"We must ensure that our structure is fit for purpose for the U.S. aerospace system of both today and the future. Thats why Im forming a safety review team to examine the U.S. aerospace systems structure, culture, processes, systems, and integration of safety efforts," FAA acting Administrator Billy Nolen said in a memorandum to the FAA's Management Board.

The memo said it would focus on the "internal processes, systems, and operational integration" of the Air Traffic Organization, the arm of the FAA that oversees air traffic controllers, technicians and engineers.

"We know that our aviation system is changing dramatically. Now is the time to act," Nolen wrote.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Another employee working within the Caldwell School District has been arrested for allegedly harming students.

The Caldwell Police Department arrested and booked a Van Buren Elementary School behavioral interventionist into the Canyon County Jail on Thursday on suspicion of misdemeanor battery, according to a news release from the department.

The 41-year-old employee allegedly grabbed two students on three separate occasions between Tuesday and Wednesday using physical contact to pull them off tables or out of cabinets, according to the news release. She has since been fired, police said.

The employees building access was removed, and she was asked to leave the school once the elementary schools principal opened an investigation into the incident, police said.

The most vulnerable population of our children continue to fall victim at the hands of those who are expected to lead, guide, mentor, and protect, Caldwell Police Chief Rex Ingram said in the news release. I hope that by now our community knows that we take all allegations seriously and will always do our part to keep them safe.

The contract worker was the second Caldwell elementary school employee to face charges in a week.

The Caldwell Police Department last week announced the arrest of Lincoln Elementary School special education teacher Kerry Black, who allegedly hit, spanked and forcefully turned the heads of several preschool students. Black has been charged with 11 misdemeanor counts of injury to child and is out on a $3,000 bond, online court records showed.

I appreciate the principals quick response, Caldwell School District Superintendent Shalene French said in Fridays news release. The partnering agency that employs this individual took responsibility and was very supportive during this investigation. Our goal is to provide a safe and joyful learning environment for all children and this type of behavior will not be tolerated.

The Idaho Statesman has reached out to the school district for additional information.
Crane operators work with former NASA contractors and a museum curator to carefully open space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay doors inside the Oschin Display Pavilion at the California Science Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023.

Space shuttle Endeavour is about to get its 'boom' back.

No, the California Science Center is not planning to reignite the retired spacecraft, which since 2012 has been on display at the Los Angeles institution. Despite the work now underway to exhibit Endeavour in a vertical, launchpad-like display, the center's plans call for the space shuttle to remain quiet.

Rather, the orbiter's payload bay has been reopened for the first time in nine years to complete outfitting the vehicle's cargo hold.

"We are installing a replica Orbiter Boom Sensor System [OBSS]," said Dennis Jenkins, director of the California Science Center's project to display Endeavour. "At the time of the original [payload] installation, we were not certain this item would be visible to guests in the final configuration. A detailed evaluation at the end of the 2014 installation showed it would be, so we decided to add the OBSS to provide an authentic representation of the STS-118 payload configuration."

Related: NASA's Space Shuttles: Where Are They Now?

An overhead view of the space shuttle Endeavour after its payload bay doors were opened on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023.

In a much more publicized move almost a decade ago, the science center pulled open Endeavour's two 60-foot-long (18-meter) doors in an event that was called "Go for Payload." Over the course of three weeks in October 2014, engineers and curators used large cranes to load the shuttle's empty bay with a flown Spacehab logistics module and replica components modeled after how Endeavour looked on its 20th mission, STS-118, in 2007.

STS-118 was chosen because that flight included educator-astronaut Barbara Morgan on its crew and the California Science Center is focused on education.

Later this year, Endeavour will be transported from its pavilion to the construction site of its new home, the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center. There, the orbiter will be mated with NASA's last remaining, built-for-flight external fuel tank and two solid rocket boosters assembled from previously launched parts.

Once completed, the exhibit will feature the world's only indoor display of a full space shuttle stack. Endeavour will appear as it did on the launchpad with one exception: one of its payload bay doors will be open, allowing guests to see the equipment inside.

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Hence the need for the OBSS.

Related: NASA's space shuttle Endeavour: 6 surprising facts

A replica of Endeavour's Orbiter Boom Inspection System (OBSS), furnished for the California Science Center by Guard-Lee, Inc., will be installed in the space shuttle's payload bay.

Introduced as a safety measure after the loss of space shuttle Columbia in 2003, the OBSS was a 50-foot-long (15.24-m), camera-and-laser-tipped extension to the Canadarm robotic arm. Astronauts used the boom to inspect the orbiter's wings and underbelly to ensure they were not damaged during launch or while in space.

When not in use, the OBSS was stored on the starboard, or right-side sill of the payload bay. In Endeavour's exhibit, the boom will covered by the still closed starboard-side door, but depending on where visitors are standing, they might still be able to see where it should be mounted inside.

With the shuttle fleet retired since 2011, the ideal addition for Endeavour's display would be the real OBSS. It, however, is out of reach.

"The OBSS usually used by Endeavour was left at the ISS," Jenkins said.

On Endeavour's last mission, the boom was removed and stowed outside of the International Space Station. Though its sensors are long dead, the OBSS could be used to augment the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm in order to reach areas the arm alone cannot.

A view of the construction site for Endeavour's new home, the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, as located adjacent to the California Science Center. Endeavour will be raised vertically at this site and then the building will be completed around it.

The installation of the replica OBSS is expected to take a few days, with the payload bay set to be closed by the end of the week. After that, Endeavour will almost be ready to go vertical.

"For the most part, Endeavour is ready," said Jenkins. "We are planning on changing out some of the LED lighting since that technology has improved considerably in he past nine years. Just before we stack we will need to change out the attach bolts  the bolts holding the ship to the overland transporters are smaller than the flight bolts that attach to the external tank  and do a final foreign object debris check."

As for Endeavour's new home, it too is on track for the orbiter to arrive.

"Construction is proceeding on schedule," Jeffrey Rudolph, president and chief executive officer of the California Science Center, told collectSPACE.com. "It is exciting to witness the new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center take shape."

See more photographs of Endeavour's open payload bay at collectSPACE.

Follow collectSPACE.com on Facebook and on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2023 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved.
Camilla has chosen one of her  and Diana's  favourite designers for her coronation dress. (Getty Images)

Camilla, Queen Consort has chosen the designer for her coronation dress, and its one also favoured by the late Diana, Princess of Wales.

Camilla has reportedly chosen Bruce Oldfield OBE for the illustrious event of King Charles coronation, and her own coronation as Queen Consort, taking place on 6 May, 2023.

The 72-year-old British fashion designer is known for his couture occasionwear and has been dressing celebrities including Jerry Hall, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Diana Ross and Sienna Miller, as well as members of the Royal Family, for decades.

Camilla wearing a Bruce Oldfield gown to the No Time To Die premiere in London. (Getty Images)

Brought up and educated under the care of children's charity Barnardo's, Oldfield went on to graduate from St. Martin's School of Art before starting his own eponymous fashion business in 1975.

By 1978, he was creating custom couture designs for his high-profile clients, and by 1980, he was one of Dianas go-to designers for public events.

Read more: What did the Queen wear for her coronation?

Oldfield designed some of Princess Dianas most iconic dresses during their decades-long relationship, which turned into a close friendship, often referring to the period as relentless as Diana was photographed everywhere she went.

The late Princess Diana and Bruce Oldfield at a gala dinner in aid of Barnardo's in 1988. (Getty Images)

He said: When I look back, it was relentless for her. We dressed her up like she was going to a wedding every day.

Oldfield has since worked with other members of the Royal Family, including Camilla, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex.

Read more: Camilla to wear Queen Marys crown for coronation

Regarding his relationship with both the Queen Consort and the late peoples princess, the veteran couturier was once quoted as saying he gave Diana her glamour and Camilla her confidence.

Bruce Oldfield with Camilla during his fashion show at Lancaster House in support of the National Osteoporosis Society in 2017. (Getty Images)

Camilla will follow in the footsteps of the late Queen Elizabeth in choosing a British designer for the coronation ceremony, as is customary for the British Royal Family.

The late monarch chose Norman Hartnell for her iconic white duchesse satin dress and deep red silk-velvet robe, which the then 27-year-old wore for her coronation service at Westminster Abbey on 2 June, 1953.

Camilla will also wear Queen Marys Crown for the coronation ceremony, it was revealed last week.

Yahoo UK has reached out to Bruce Oldfield and Buckingham Palace for comment.
By Ismail Shakil and Steve Scherer

OTTAWA (Reuters) -Canada is sending four more Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine and is imposing new Russia-related sanctions, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, marking the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Friday.

The delivery would bring to eight the total number of Leopard 2 tanks Canada has pledged to Ukraine. Canada will also provide an armored recovery vehicle and over 5,000 rounds of 155 mm ammunition to help Ukraine in its defense against Russia.

The new sanctions target 129 individuals and 63 entities including Russian deputy prime ministers and other officials, Trudeau told reporters in Toronto.

Russian President "Vladimir Putin made a grave miscalculation when he launched his war of aggression," Trudeau said. "He underestimated Ukrainians, and he underestimated the solidarity of their friends around the world... but today, we are stronger and more unified than ever."

Ottawa is also prohibiting the export to Russia of "certain chemical elements for use in electronics" and banning the import, purchase, or acquisition of Russian arms and other weapons.

Canada joined other G7 members who unveiled similar measures. Since the start of the war a year ago, Canada has provided more than C$5 billion ($3.67 billion) in support to Ukraine, Trudeau said. Canada has also trained thousands of Ukrainian soldiers in recent years.

Washington announced a new $2 billion package of military aid for Ukraine, and a raft of additional sanctions and tariffs hitting Russia's mining and metals industries, as well as companies from third countries accused of supplying Moscow with restricted goods.

Russia's ambassador to Canada Oleg Stepanov said the sanctions by Canada and the West were "meaningless," TASS news agency reported.

"Our citizens who are on the list look at such measures with a smile," Stepanov was quoted as saying. "This is a sign of the helplessness of the anti-Russian camp, which hates Russia, but understands that we cannot be defeated."

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Earlier on Friday, Canada announced more than C$32 million ($23.5 million) in support, including funds for demining projects and to counter chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.

($1 = 1.3612 Canadian dollars)

(Reporting by Ismail Shakil and Steve Scherer in Ottawa; additional reporting by Doina Chiacu in Washington and David Ljunggren in Ottawa; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Grant McCool)
By Ismail Shakil

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday he will discuss re-negotiating a border pact that makes it difficult to turn back asylum seekers entering through unofficial crossings when U.S. President Joe Biden visits Ottawa in March.

Canada wants to rewrite the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA), which allows for anyone trying to cross the Canada-U.S. border in either direction to be sent back to the first of the two countries they arrived in, with few exceptions.

But the agreement does not cover unofficial border crossings like Roxham Road between New York State and the province of Quebec, a dirt path that has become a route of choice for people hoping to claim refugee status in Canada.

Asked about the STCA on Thursday, Trudeau said he has told Biden in past conversations that reworking the agreement was a "shared priority to ensure the safety of our shared border."

"That will certainly be a conversation that we will continue to have with the U.S. administration, including at the visit of the president," he told reporters in Halifax.

Biden will make his first visit to Canada in March since taking office two years ago.

The movement of asylum-seekers into Canada from the United States has picked up since Canada lifted COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in late 2021. More than 39,000 refugees entered Canada last year via unofficial crossings, the vast majority via Roxham Road.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault has said his province has reached its capacity to take in asylum-seekers and has called on Trudeau to push the United States to rewrite the STCA.

(Reporting by Ismail Shakil in Ottawa, editing by Deepa Babington)
Even though New Orleans is known for Mardi Gras, I prefer to celebrate the holiday in Mobile. Matthew Wilson

I prefer to celebrate Mardi Gras in Mobile, Alabama, instead of New Orleans, Louisiana.

Tourists can watch parades, eat delicious food, and party all night at both festivals.

But I've found Alabama's Mardi Gras is typically calmer, less crowded, and more family-friendly.

After celebrating Mardi Gras in New Orleans and Mobile, I've found that the latter is more my speed.

I grew up in Alabama, so celebrating Mardi Gras in Mobile feels extra special. Matthew Wilson

When people think of Mardi Gras, their minds usually go to the wild party scene that overtakes New Orleans' streets every year. They're often taken aback when I tell them I'm going to celebrate in Mobile, Alabama, instead.

Though Mardi Gras, a Christian holiday marking the last day before Lent, is often associated with The Big Easy, many Alabamians have laid claim to the holiday. And speaking from experience, the port city has its own thriving festival scene.

After experiencing both Mardi Gras celebrations, I found various similarities and differences between them. But as an Alabama native, I prefer celebrating in Mobile. Here's why.

Historians have debated the holiday's origin, but many Alabamians believe it started in Mobile.

Many people in Mobile believe Mardi Gras started here. Matthew Wilson

Mardi Gras' origins are the subject of an ongoing debate, as many people in both New Orleans and Mobile claim their city was home to the first Fat Tuesday celebration.

On the eve of the holiday in 1699, French explorers arrived near present-day New Orleans on the Mississippi River, celebrated, and named the plot Pointe du Mardi Gras. However, the city of New Orleans wasn't founded until 1718, and French settlers in Mobile had their first Mardi Gras celebration in 1703.

Regardless of which city actually hosted the first Mardi Gras, they've both formed their own unique traditions in the centuries that followed.

The celebrations have more in common than I expected, like beads and king cakes.

King cake, a frosted pastry, is a classic Mardi Gras treat in both Mobile and New Orleans. Matthew Wilson

Whether you're celebrating in The Big Easy or on the Gulf Coast, you're going to see colorful floats and get an assortment of Mardi Gras beads.

It's also a tradition to eat king cake  a braided cinnamon dough with purple, green, and yellow sugar  at the Mardi Gras festivals in both states.

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If you get a slice with the little plastic baby that's hidden inside or underneath the cake, many believe it's good luck.

Mobile's Mardi Gras tends to be calmer and more family-friendly.

Mobile's parades are comparably less hectic, which my wife and I appreciate. Matthew Wilson

When I went to New Orleans' Mardi Gras a few years ago, it felt a lot more chaotic than the celebrations I was used to attending in Mobile.

Even though the Alabama festival has its fair share of drinking, New Orleans' Bourbon Street felt like a crowded frat party in comparison. I saw women lift their shirts for a string of beads there along with naked people running around the streets.

Of course, there are still rules in New Orleans, and breaking them can lead to serious consequences, even during Mardi Gras.

Even if you're not drinking, you can enjoy New Orleans' numerous parades, food festivals, and masquerade balls. These activities, paired with the city's historic backdrop and culture, give visitors endless things to do, see, and eat.

Mobile's Mardi Gras celebration feels more intimate, mild, and family-friendly than the one I went to in New Orleans. You should still be very careful around the city and exercise caution in busy areas. However, Mardi Gras in Mobile seems to attract more children and parents. It's not uncommon to see families having picnics on the sidewalk.

Alabama's festivities also feel more like a community gathering than a party with people from around the world.

The floats in Mobile are colorful and creatively decorated. Matthew Wilson

In Mobile, people from all walks of life gather to watch the estimated 40 parades during the carnival season. They feel more condensed and smaller than the ones I've seen in New Orleans.

High-school bands, city associations, and mystic societies, which are Mardi Gras social organizations, congregate on and beside the floats. Mobile also has a thriving LGBTQ community that turns out to celebrate the festival.

I often have at least one family member or friend participating in the parades. It really feels like the entire community comes together.

Fewer tourists in Mobile mean fewer crowds and less congestion.

Mobile's parades tend to be less crowded than the ones in New Orleans. Matthew Wilson

Mobile doesn't get nearly as many tourists as New Orleans during Mardi Gras (the Louisiana city gets around 1 million visitors during its peak carnival season). I'm introverted, so large crowds, like the ones I was standing in on Bourbon Street, drain me.

I actually appreciate The Big Easy's popularity because it makes Mobile's festivities feel like somewhat of a secret.

The crowds surrounding Mobile's parades are considerably less dense than the ones in New Orleans, making it easier to catch beads.

Finding a place to park in New Orleans during the carnival season can be a bit hectic, too. Fortunately, it's usually easy to find parking in Mobile. Many locals and businesses rent out their yards and parking lots for a small fee. Still, it's always a good idea to check the parking map in advance.

Both cities have delicious food, but Alabama's crawfish and MoonPies are unbeatable, in my opinion.

Mobile's proximity to the ocean means the seafood is incredibly fresh. Matthew Wilson

Louisiana has food with unrivaled spice and delicious fish. Some of its most famous dishes include gumbo, crawfish etouffee, and jambalaya.

But it would be a mistake to sleep on Alabama's seafood. As a native, I'm partial to it.

Because the Gulf Coast is less than an hour from Mobile, fresh seafood is always on my Mardi Gras menu. I can't get enough of crawfish, and first-time visitors can't go wrong ordering from Mudbugs, one of my go-to spots.

Plus, Mobile's MoonPie tradition is one of my favorite parts of the holiday, as I love the marshmallow and graham-cracker treats. In the mid-20th century, people aboard floats began throwing the prepackaged desserts into the crowds during Mobile's Mardi Gras parades.

Mardi Gras is the only time I eat MoonPies, so there's something special about catching them every year. I usually leave with a bag of 20 to 30 of them in various flavors, including chocolate, banana, and vanilla.

Mobile's Mardi Gras is part of my family's long-lasting tradition, so it's extra special to me.

I've loved bringing my wife to Mardi Gras in Mobile and showing her my family's traditions. Matthew Wilson

Mardi Gras has always been about family and cultural identity for me. Going to Mobile during the festival feels a bit like a homecoming. Besides seeing family and friends, there's a sense of familiarity I haven't found anywhere else.

Every year, my family tailgates in the same Burger King parking lot, passing the time between parades by enjoying drinks and crawfish. As I've grown, the celebration has allowed me to spend time with my parents and share the tradition with my wife.

Read the original article on Insider
On January 16, at the 48th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast in Springfield, I learned about Free Frank McWorter. He was an enslaved man who had been given responsibility for business transactions by his owner, and thus learned to read and to perform mathematical operations. An astute businessman, McWorter purchased freedom from enslavement for his wife, his oldest son and himself. In 1836, the free family migrated to the Illinois frontier, where McWorter founded the city of New Philadelphia in Pike County. He became the first African-American to found a municipality and establish a planned community. The power of education gave him the foundation to be a freedom fighter against the tyranny of enslavement.

Dr. Jerry Kruse, dean and provost, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. He's also chief executive officer of SIU Medicine.

Two weeks ago, SIU Medicine held the 8th Annual Dr. Alonzo Kenniebrew Lecture, Conference and Forum. This event honors the work of Dr. Kenniebrew, a surgeon who was educated at the Tuskegee Institute, and who, in 1909 was the first African-American to establish a surgical hospital, the New Home Sanitarium, in Jacksonville, Illinois. That occurred after he was unable to secure hospital privileges at existing hospitals. The power of education gave him the foundation to be a freedom fighter against the tyranny of bureaucratic racism.

Last Sunday, I attended the Springfield Branch NAACP 102nd Annual Lincoln-Douglass Banquet. One of the namesakes for this banquet, Frederick Douglass, was an enslaved man, who, at age 8 and against the laws of Maryland, was given a few reading lessons by his caretaker. This meager education was the springboard for Douglass and for his work as an abolitionist, eloquent orator, publisher and author. The power of education was the foundation for him to be a freedom fighter to shape the history of the United States.

The keynote speaker at the NAACP banquet was civil rights attorney Ben Crump, whose career has focused on issues of racial injustice in cases involving George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, and Ahmaud Arbery, and on people who suffered the effects of toxic exposure, such as those affected by the Flint water crisis and those suffering from cancers caused by exposure to certain types of talc.

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More:Crump at NAACP banquet: 'I refuse to let Gov. DeSantis exterminate Black history'

Many of Mr. Crumps words of inspiration centered on the power of education. He quoted several others, including Medgar Evers (You can kill a man, but you cant kill an idea), and Booker T. Washington (If we educate the masses, we uplift the race). Mr. Crump noted that education was the key to ending enslavement, and also the key to overcoming the enemies of equity that followed enslavement, such as carpetbaggers, polecats, Jim Crow and laws of segregation and voter suppression, and those whose current aim is to dismantle good education.

SIU School of Medicine stands beside Mr. Crump. We celebrate academic freedom and innovation in education, and we know the power that creative and unrestricted medical education for all people has on excellence and equity in health care for vast populations.

But now, that academic freedom, the essence of effective education, is under an intensifying attack. In Florida, there is an active attempt to gut academic freedom at all levels of public education. Mr. Crump noted that the activities in Florida attempt to eliminate elements of African-American history from the curricula. He stated, the reason we must teach Black history in all of the classrooms is because its not just for the Black students, but its for the white students and the brown students and the red students. Yes, indeed.

The attack on academic inquiry in Florida goes beyond Black studies. This attack includes all of the following: 1) an attempt to eliminate advanced placement (AP) African-American Studies courses in high school classrooms, 2) an all-out focused attack on curricular freedom at an innovative state liberal arts institution (the New College of Florida), and 3) an attempt to eliminate all funding for equity, diversity and inclusion activities in public education. In essence, it is an attack on education related to all students from underrepresented and marginalized groups.

If successful, this attack likely will be the first of many attacks to impose forced indoctrination on the citizens. SIU School of Medicine will stand with other institutions of higher learning to preserve the academic freedom that has made American higher education historically the best in the world.

Jerry Kruse, MD, MSPH, is dean and provost, SIU School of Medicine and chief executive officer at SIU Medicine.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Florida attempts to gut academic freedom at all levels of education
Editors note: This story is available as a result of a content partnership between WFTV and the Orlando Business Journal.

The Central Florida Expressway Authority is working to meet the needs of the fast-growing region with its latest master plan.

Read: 2 tractor trailers, 4 other vehicles involved in double fatal crash on Floridas Turnpike

Its 2045 master plan includes an expansion cost of $15.5 billion-$20.9 billion, which includes 18 expansion projects as well as six new expressways that could be built during that time.

Laura Kelley, outgoing executive director of the toll authority, told Orlando Business Journal it is looking to juggle demands with limited funds. The project capacity for CFX in the plan was listed as $12.2 billion.

Click here to read the full story on the Orlando Business Journals website.

Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
There is new action at the State Capitol following a Channel 2 Action News investigation into problems with property seizures by a metro Atlanta police department.

Lawmakers cited Channel 2 consumer investigator Justin Grays reporting while rolling out the bills.

The proposed bills would not stop or limit civil asset forfeiture but would require a lot more data to be made public about the seizures and provide a path to get your car or money back if you arent charged or convicted of a crime.

Three bills introduced in the Georgia House of Representatives are designed to reign in problems with civil asset forfeiture that we uncovered in a Channel 2 Action News investigation last week.

[HAVE A STORY FOR 2 INVESTIGATES? Submit your story idea here]

They cant get their property back, so thats the concern that we have, state Rep. Kim Schofield said.

It was three years ago that Tatiana Strongs cargo van was seized by the City of South Fulton police. But while theres never been a criminal conviction or even criminal charge related to the van, police never returned it.

There was no court case. There was no charges. There was nothing but its gone, Strong told Gray.

In our investigation, Channel 2 Action News also showed you how the city of South Fulton was breaking Georgia law by not reporting data each year on how many vehicles and how much money it seized.

MORE STORIES FROM 2 INVESTIGATES:

That data is supposed to be posted publicly online. One of the new bills would vastly expand what data police departments have to report and post. Schofield is one of the sponsors.

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Its very basic. Its let me find the property that you took, period. Where is it? How can I get it back? Schofield said.

South Fulton police have called in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to do a top-to-bottom investigation of their civil forfeiture program.

Well, thats what were asking the GBI to do. What I want right now is for full transparency and an independent review of each one of those files, city of South Fulton Police Chief Keith Meadows said.

But the state lawmakers behind the legislation say there need to be better rules and more restrictions to prevent abuse of these programs.

If you take my car and I havent been charged with anything, I havent done anything wrong, I need my car back, thats my transportation to get back and forth to work, state Rep. Sandra Scott said.

Right now, the bills only have Democratic sponsors, but the bills author told Gray she has been talking to the Republican chairman of the judiciary committee who is open to learning more about this.

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Story at a glance

A number of factors, from screen use to a lack of access to healthy food, have been linked with high obesity rates  and many were supercharged by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The rising rates increase the risks of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other chronic conditions.

Experts say both individual behavioral changes and public health interventions are needed to address the rise.

Rates of childhood obesity in the United States have tripled in the past three decades, and early data suggest already surging rates were further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Experts and advocates warn this could have significant long-term impacts on everything from the toll of chronic disease to military recruitment.

To help address the crisis, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently updated its nutrition standards for school lunches, and the American Academy of Pediatrics issued new guidelines for treating childhood obesity  its first updated comprehensive guidance on the subject in 15 years.

However, as more children gain weight at younger ages, and racial and economic disparities persist, more action may be needed to prevent rates from rising even further. And experts stress that efforts to treat obesity in children should also take mental health into account to avoid worsening another concern: the risk of developing eating disorders.

Whats causing rates to rise

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines childhood obesity as a body mass index (BMI) at or above the 95th percentile. Although BMI, which measures overall weight and not body fat specifically, is an imperfect metric, it is widely used to diagnose obesity.

In the early 1960s around 5 percent of U.S. children and teens were obese. By 2019, that total rose to 19 percent.

Should current trends continue, some reports estimate 57 percent of children between the ages 2 and 19 will be obese as adults in 2050.

More severe levels of obesity are also on the rise, explained Solveig Cunningham, an associate professor of global health at Emory Universitys Rollins School of Public health.

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The average child with obesity is heavier than he or she would have been even 12 years ago, Cunningham told Changing America.

The increase seems to have picked up still more momentum in the last three years: Although researchers are still working to get a full picture of the impact of COVID-19 on childhood obesity, some data suggest the rate of BMI increase nearly doubled during the pandemic compared with the period preceding it. The increase was most pronounced among younger children, and those who were already obese or overweight.

America is changing faster than ever! Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news.

Theres no one reason why rates are climbing.

[Obesity] is a complex, chronic medical condition. Theres lots of factors that are playing a role, said Crystal Lim, a pediatric psychologist and associate professor at the University of Missouri.

Researchers have tied an increased risk of childhood obesity to a wide range of factors, from structural racism to a rise in sedentary lifestyles.

And the COVID-19 pandemic supercharged some of the issues that led to high childhood obesity rates in the first place, explained Erica Kenney, assistant professor of public health nutrition at Harvards T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

School closures meant more children were stuck at home, engaging in more sedentary behavior. A lot of parents, myself included, had to turn to more screen time than they probably would have under normal circumstances, said Kenney.

Even high levels of physical activity do not offset obesity risk among youth who spend eight or more hours a day looking at screens, research shows.

The rise in screen use could have also exposed children to more food advertising, which we know is associated with extra weight gain in kids and consumption of ultra processed foods and sugary drinks, Kenney said.

Its estimated four in every 10 child-influencer videos on YouTube contain branded food or beverages, with candy brands appearing the most often.

Additionally, for children who received free or reduced-price meals at school, the transition to a virtual setting could have worsened cost or access barriers to healthy food, explained Lim, the pediatric psychologist. A lack of access to food on a consistent basis is associated with an increased risk of becoming overweight and obese, she added.

Where a child grows up, household income and structural racism contribute to obesity risk as well.

Childhood obesity tends to be more prevalent in rural and underserved areas of the country with limited access to affordable, healthy food.

A lot of families Ive worked with in rural areas are concerned about kids being more active outside, said Lim. Theres no sidewalks, its dark. Its not as safe, maybe, for kids to be active outside.

Hispanic and Black youth have higher rates of obesity compared with white youth. Although the rate has somewhat plateaued for Hispanic children over the past 15 years it has continued to go much, much higher for African American kids, said Cunningham.

Historic redlining influences the availability of affordable healthy food in certain neighborhoods, along with access to play areas and greenspace for physical activity.

Genetic and biological factors, like whether a mother has gestational diabetes, can also increase the risk of obesity before a child is born.

People who have obesity and diabetes are at higher risk of having children who will also have earlier onset of obesity and diabetes, explained Cunningham.

The health toll of obesity

Obesity raises the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea, certain cancers and other physical and mental health conditions.

The rise in severe levels of obesity means more kids are shifting into areas with much, much higher risks, especially of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, said Cunningham.

Earlier development of obesity means longer exposure to its consequences and increased risks of developing other co-morbidities, she added.

And as more people suffer from chronic diseases as a result of high obesity rates, that rise could in turn also rack up health care costs and increase stress on an already strained health care system.

Should the nation fail to adequately address the rise, one of the big concerns from a policy standpoint is that there will be uncontrolled health care costs as a result, Kenney explained.

Its estimated obesity already costs the nations health system around $173 billion annually.

Impact on military readiness

In addition to costs and disease burden, advocates are raising alarms about the crisiss impact on the military.

More than three-quarters of young American adults cannot currently qualify for military service without a waiver. Eleven percent of these individuals are disqualified from serving if they so choose due to being overweight, and it is also a factor for 44 percent who are disqualified for multiple reasons, data from the Pentagons 2020 Qualified Military Available Study show.

According to the CDC, just 2 in 5 young adults meet weight eligibility requirements and are adequately active to prepare themselves for basic training.

Last year the U.S. Army missed its recruitment goal by 15,000 soldiers thanks to disqualifiers like drug use, mental health and obesity.

Physical health challenges, including obesity, prevent far too many young Americans from reaching their dreams. For many young people, those dreams include serving their country in uniform, said Lt. Gen. Norm Seip, U.S. Air Force, retired, in a Mission: Readiness statement on the Pentagons findings.

The organization, part of the Council for a Strong America, is made up of retired admirals, generals and military leaders advocating for public policy solutions to strengthen national security by investing in the nations youth.

Investments that bolster the health and nutrition of our children are critical to national security and the future strength of our country, Seip said.

Updated nutrition standards

Just as there are many factors that contribute to obesity, experts say a number of different actions will be needed to combat the rising rates.

We need prevention and treatment at multiple levels, said Lim.

Cutting back on added sugar, especially the intake of sugary drinks, can make a big difference, experts say.

A new report from the CDC found that in 2021, more than 30 percent of children did not eat a piece of fruit each day during the preceding week and nearly half did not eat a vegetable daily. However, 57 percent reported drinking a sugar-sweetened beverage at least once during the previous week.

The latest USDA standards target added sugars and sodium in school lunches, and recommend more whole grains. Boosts in nutrition standards for school lunches have been shown to help curb the rise in obesity among children.

The standards are a good step from a policy and implementation standpoint, in terms of increasing access to healthier foods for kids, said Lim.

But when it comes to federal policies the way that theyre implemented in the school setting is really variable and really dependent on resources, she added.

I think these policies are important. We also just need to be mindful that they need to have funding tied to them as well, especially for under-resourced settings.

New treatment guidelines and mental health concerns

In addressing the rising rates, experts say its crucial that intervention and prevention programs take childrens mental health into account to help address the stigma around obesity and to more holistically treat the condition.

The new American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines have raised concerns on that score.

The guidelines recommend moving away from a watch and wait strategy for children with obesity and say state providers can consider medication interventions for youth as young as 12 and surgery for those as young as 13 in certain cases.

The guidelines have been met with some criticism, as some are concerned they could increase the risk of eating disorders among children. Individuals with higher weights are already at a greater risk of developing eating disorders.

Explicit focus on weight could also perpetuate stigma around obesity and increase body dissatisfaction among vulnerable youth.

Theres so much stigma related to overweight and obesity. Its the number one reason kids are teased and bullied in schools, said Lim.

But they also experience weight stigma in the health care setting and in their own families, by family members. So helping everybody be more sensitive and aware is so important.

When it comes to treating children with intensive pharmacological interventions or surgery, having it paired with mental health support is going to be really important, said Kenney.

However, interventions that encourage healthy behaviors for their own sake could improve childrens physical health without focusing on weight loss, experts say.

Healthy nutrition and physical activity are good for everybody, said Kenney. It isnt just about weight when you want to eat healthfully or be physically active. Its about your overall health and well being.

Increasing exposure to healthy food options at school can play a big role, while parents and teachers can also model healthy behaviors for children.

These can include being more positive about their own bodies and asking children what they like about their body.

We spend a lot of time talking about things we dont like or things we want to change [about our bodies], Lim said. Helping even parents model [positive behaviors] for their kids is really important.

Addressing root causes

The myriad of determinants for childhood obesity creates an opportunity to address root causes that could have meaningful impacts in the future at the population level.

From a public health perspective, tackling easy access to cheap, ultra-processed food, the lack of physical activity opportunities for kids and overall food insecurity resulting from household income disparities is crucial on a societal level, said Kenney.

We should be addressing some of these root causes, so that down the line, everybody can be healthier, she said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A phone shows a ChatGPT user ask some questions about Chinese Peking Opera, giant panda problem and so on, and get very detailed replies.

A Chinese user of the AI chatbot ChatGPT is photographed in Shanghai, Feb. 6, 2023. Credit - CFOTOFuture Publishing/Getty Images

Given that China already bans Google, Facebook, Twitter, and a host of foreign news websites (including time.com) via its Great Firewall, it was only a matter of time before its censors also targeted ChatGPTthe sensational artificial intelligence (AI) application that provides coherent, essay-like responses to virtually any query.

In fact, ChatGPT parent company OpenAIs decision not to launch in ChinaChinese and even Hong Kong phone numbers arent permitted to sign upappears to preempt that very fact, with the San Francisco-based firm telling Reuters that conditions in certain countries make it difficult or impossible to operate.

Read More: Why China, Russias Biggest Backer, Now Says It Wants to Broker Peace in Ukraine

Nevertheless, canny Chinese netizens have found numerous workarounds to access the revolutionary service, such as using virtual private networks and an overseas friends phone number; purchasing logins via online marketplace Taobao; or simply taking advantage of a variety of proxy bots embedded in ubiquitous messaging service WeChat. Chinese social media was so abuzz with ChatGPT content this month that one AI-generated fake government notice rescinding traffic regulations sparked bedlam and a police investigation in the eastern city of Hangzhou.

Unsurprisingly, Chinas government has now stepped in with explicit bans on WeChat hosting proxy ChatGPT services, while a strident frontpage op-ed on the perils of investing in AI-related firms (and cited ChatGPT), which published earlier this month in the state-owed Securities Times newspaper, was linked to a fall in Chinese tech stocks.

Many were left wondering whether it was ChatGPT specifically that had thrown the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) into high dudgeonor AI-powered content services more broadly. After all, China has almost a dozen pilot ChatGPT-like projects in the works, including by Jack Mas Alibaba and Beijing-based Internet company Baidu. (The latter is due to launch its own AI-powered language tool Ernie Bot in March and is already lining up partnerships with everything from media companies to kung fus Shaolin Temple). We are obviously excited about ChatGPT and AIGC [AI-generated content], Baidu CEO Robin Li told an earnings call this week. It represents a mega trend that could change a lot of things.

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It seems clear that China is still betting big on AIjust only those forms under its complete control. A Feb. 13 report by the CCP mouthpiece Global Times on the unveiling of a Beijing government white paper on AI development cited ChatGPT as exactly the kind of technology in its sights. On Friday, Cheng Jiachang, a top official at Chinas Ministry of Science and Technology, told a news conference that ChatGPT-like tech could hasten the integration of AI into society and the economy and has the potential to be applied in many industries and fields.

China is typically happy to give any emerging technologywhether driverless cars, shareable bikes, or automated parcel deliveryconsiderably more rope than Europe or the U.S. will. Then, after a couple of years, officials see where the pinch points are and bring in regulations. Often they introduce minimum registered capital requirements to weed out smaller players that are harder to monitor and encourage consolidation behind certain known entities with government ties.

Theres an awareness that, if the authorities are overly cautious in the early stages of any particular technology, they run the risk of stifling development or falling behind, says Mark Natkin, founder of Beijing-based IT research firm Marbridge Consulting.

Regarding AI, China already has a virtual news anchor for the state-run Xinhua News Agency, a computer science student at Beijings elite Tsinghua University, and even a female chat bot that provides companion to lonely men. On Tuesday, a team from Shanghais Fudan University apologized after their AI-generated content platform crashed just hours after launch owing to a sudden surge of traffic. The market intelligence firm International Data Corporation projects Chinas AI investment to exceed $26 billion by 2026, which would be the second most by any country and account for nearly 9% of global investment. Any aversion the government has to ChatGPT appears to stem from the pool of information from which its answers are generatedthat is, the free and open internet.

When asked, for instance, Is Chinese President Xi Jinping legitimate? ChatGPT gives a balanced reply, bringing up stability and economic growth as well as human rights issues and political repression.

That clearly wont do in China. But if Chinas own AI-content tools only parse data from within the confines of the Great Firewall, they should simply serve as another Party propagandist embedded onto every laptop and phone. And, after all, whats not to like about that?

Its another emerging technology that China knows it needs to be competitive, says Natkin. And if developed in concert with policy objectives, potentially helps more efficiently deliver the sanctioned narratives that the government would like people to be accessing.
China has called for a cease-fire in the war between Russia and Ukraine ahead of the one-year anniversary of the initial full-scale Russian invasion.

A post on the Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry outlines a 12-point plan for finding a resolution in the conflict, including the end of hostilities.

All parties must stay rational and exercise restraint, avoid fanning the flames and aggravating tensions, and prevent the crisis from deteriorating further or even spiraling out of control, the post reads.

All parties should support Russia and Ukraine in working in the same direction and resuming direct dialogue as quickly as possible, so as to gradually deescalate the situation and ultimately reach a comprehensive ceasefire, it continued.

The plan comes amid reports that China has sent nonlethal aid to Russia and is considering also sending lethal aid to support Russian forces. The Pentagon has warned China against sending any lethal aid to Russia, saying that it would face consequences.

China has officially declared neutrality in the conflict, and Beijing slammed the United States for its accusation, saying the U.S. has been the one pouring weapons into the region.

Other parts of the plan include resuming peace talks, protecting civilians and prisoners of war, as well as abandoning a Cold War mentality of regions working to strengthen or expand military blocs.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also released a 10-point peace plan last year to end hostilities in the conflict, including the total withdrawal of Russian troops from all Ukrainian territories, including Crimea. He has been emphatic that Ukraine regain control of all of its territory that Russia has occupied.

China also called for resolving the humanitarian crisis that has seen thousands of Ukrainians flee from their homes as Russian forces have advanced and stopping unilateral sanctions that individual countries have issued without authorization from the United Nations Security Council.

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The United States and other Western allies have placed numerous sanctions on Russia throughout the conflict. The UN Security Council could officially condemn Russias invasion, but Russia has veto power over any resolution from the council because of its position as a permanent member.

The Associated Press reported whether Chinas plan could make any progress is uncertain as Beijing has increased its ties to Russia and might not be seen as a neutral arbiter.

But Zelensky said at a news conference before the plan was released that China calling for peace is a first step and not bad, AP reported.

Bloomberg reported that Wang Yi, the director of Chinas Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission, has said that the relationship between China and Russia can stand the test of international risks.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Wang Yi, China's foreign affairs chief, meets with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow on February 22, 2023. ANTON NOVODEREZHKIN/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images

On Friday, China released a 12-point peace plan to end the Ukraine war.

The plan calls for a ceasefire and gradual deescalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

China's attempt to present itself as a neutral party comes days after top diplomat Wang Yi's Moscow visit.

On Friday, China called for a ceasefire in Ukraine and released a 12-point peace plan to end the war.

China released the plan at 9 a.m. local time on the first anniversary of the Ukraine war, calling for a "gradual" de-escalation of the war and eventually a "comprehensive ceasefire."

"Conflict and war benefit no one. All parties must stay rational and exercise restraint, avoid fanning the flames and aggravating tensions, and prevent the crisis from deteriorating further or even spiraling out of control," read China's plan.

China also called for "dialogue and negotiation," but did not give details on what its role might be in facilitating peace talks.

In the plan, China also appealed to both Ukraine and Russia to avoid the use of nuclear weapons.

"Nuclear weapons must not be used and nuclear wars must not be fought. The threat or use of nuclear weapons should be opposed. Nuclear proliferation must be prevented and nuclear crisis avoided," the plan read.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that he had not yet seen the peace plan, but is open to talks with Beijing, per Reuters.

On Saturday, China's foreign affairs chief Wang Yi told the Munich Security Conference that China is not "directly concerned" in the Ukraine war, but that it is "not standing idly by."

China's attempt to present itself as a neutral, mediating force in the conflict comes just days after Wang met Russian President Vladimir Putin and Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, in Moscow.

During his meeting with Putin on Wednesday, Wang said the "relationship between China and Russia is solid as a mountain and can stand the test of international risks," per Bloomberg. Putin also asked Wang to pass on well-wishes to "my friend" Xi Jinping, China's leader.

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China has also been supporting Russia in other ways. In January, China's purchases of crude oil from Russia hit their highest level since the start of the Ukraine war, Bloomberg reported, citing numbers from data intelligence firm Kpler.

And on Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told NBC's "Meet the Press" that the US is "very concerned" that China might be thinking of giving "lethal support" to Russia.

After Blinken's statements, Sen. Lindsey Graham warned China that it would be "dumber than dirt" of them to give Putin lethal weapons at this juncture in the war, likening it to "buying a ticket on the Titanic after you saw the movie."

Representatives at China's embassy in Washington, D.C., did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
China's Ministry for Foreign Affairs has said on 24 February that the country does not sell weapons to conflict zones and takes a "responsible approach" to military exports.

Source: CNN, citing a statement by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin

Details: When asked to comment on Der Spiegel's report that China and Russia are negotiating the sale of one hundred attack drones, which could be delivered as early as April, Wenbin replied as follows:

Quote: "China has always taken a prudent and responsible approach to military exports and does not provide any arms sales to conflict areas or belligerents.

What I know there has been a great deal of disinformation about the Chinese side in this regard recently, and the intentions behind it are worth being wary of."

Background:

On Sunday, 19 February, Anthony Blinken, US Secretary of State, voiced concern over Beijing considering providing "lethal support" to the Russian military.

In return, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied its intention to provide "lethal support" to Russia for the war against Ukraine.

On 23 February, Joe Biden's administration announced that it was considering releasing intelligence indicating that China is considering whether to supply Russia with weapons for the war against Ukraine.

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China and Iran have called on Afghanistan to end restrictions on womens work and education.

The call came after Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing and the two countries issued a joint statement reaffirming their economic and political agendas last Thursday.

After taking control of Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban banned women from universities and girls from school after sixth grade and removed elected female officials.

According to the Associated Press, the statement read:

More from NextShark: 66-year-old man in China transforms his terrace into ice rink to play hockey with grandson

The two sides  called on the Afghan rulers to form an inclusive government in which all ethnic groups and political groups actually participate, and cancel all discriminatory measures against women, ethnic minorities and other religions.

The two countries also added that the U.S. and its NATO allies should be responsible for the current situation in Afghanistan.

The China-Iran statement appeared to signal a commitment between the two to maintain their strong political and economic powers against what they consider U.S. hegemony.

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There were calls for peace in the Middle East and denuclearization  amid talks of Irans nuclear program and Tehrans large stockpile of nuclear materials.

Raisi has previously expressed support for Chinas suppression of democracy in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

China supports Iran in safeguarding national sovereignty and resisting unilateralism and bullying, Xi said last Tuesday, according to a statement distributed by Chinese state media online.

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During Raisis visit to Beijing, the Chinese government reported that Xi and Raisi attended the signing of 20 cooperation agreements.

These extend a 25-year strategy agreement signed in 2021 to cooperate in the trade and tourism sectors and toward continuing developments of industries including oil.

China is one of Irans biggest buyers in oil. However, following U.S.-imposed sanctions, Iran has faced trade and financial struggles.

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A steelworker watches as molten steel pours from one of the Blast Furnaces during 'tapping' at the British Steel - Scunthorpe plant in north Lincolnshire, north east England on September 29, 2016.Thursday September 29, marks 100 days since the British Steel conglomerate bought the ailing plant from Indian company Tata Steel. In a recent interview, Gareth Stace, director of UK Steel, Britain's steel trade organisation said, "I welcome that they have brought the British Steel brand back to life. I think fundamentally it's a good and viable business and should have a strong viable future." / AFP / Lindsey Parnaby (Photo credit should read LINDSEY PARNABY/AFP via Getty Images) - LINDSEY PARNABY/AFP via Getty Images

It was only two weeks ago that the Government undertook the biggest Whitehall shake-up in years.

The biggest change was a new department for "Energy Security and Net Zero"  a rebrand meant to signal the Prime Ministers priorities.

While Rishi Sunak remains committed to the UKs 2050 deadline for reaching carbon neutrality, he is equally concerned with making sure that the UK increases its access to energy and does not leave itself more vulnerable in the process.

So it is unfortunate, to say the least, that we were this week treated with the spectacle of British officials boarding a flight to China so they could plead with the Jingye Group to reconsider its decision to scale back operations in British steelmaking.

The Chinese-owned business is the parent company to British Steel, which announced this week that up to 300 jobs were on the line in Scunthorpe as it shuts coking ovens and prepares to import the necessary materials instead.

Whitehall is offering up an estimated 300m to support British Steel if the Jingye Group changes its mind. In other words: a huge influx of taxpayer money is going to prop up a Chinese-owned firm.

Its the very opposite of Sunak's purported security strategy and shows what an uphill battle it will be to achieve.

Unfortunately, the challenge is much bigger than a mere single steel company.

The latest trends report on the UKs import and export of fuels from the Office for National Statistics found that around half of our gas comes from the international market. The explosion in energy produced by renewables  meaning low-carbon sources now generate more electricity in the UK than fossil fuels do  does not compensate for the fact that it is a fossil fuel largely used to heat homes.

Russias war brought all this to the forefront, revealing the pitfalls in the UKs supply chains and energy dependence on countries that share nothing close to our perspectives on human rights or respect for sovereignty. There is now broad agreement that things must change.

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But the Government's Energy Security Strategy  published in spring last year under Boris Johnson, soon after Russias invasion of Ukraine  reads far more like a wish list than a practical manifesto. It talks of "embracing the safe, clean, affordable new generation of nuclear reactors", none of which are expected to come online in Britain for at least a decade (if they see the light of day at all in the face of concerted local opposition).

Very little has improved since the strategy was published almost a year ago. It speaks of "making homes and businesses more efficient" so they use less energy  yet schemes launched to better insulate peoples houses have fallen by the wayside, with the Governments Green Homes Grant initiative scrapped after just six months.

At the time, Johnson noted that energy companies were telling him "they can get an offshore wind turbine upright and generating in less than 24 hours, but that it can take as much as 10 years to secure the licences and permissions required to do so". Nothing has changed. If anything, building prospects have temporarily worsened. Nimbys who oppose building permission feel emboldened by Sunaks decision to abandon planning reform.

The Prime Minister is hesitant to tear at the fraying fabric of the Conservative Party on such a divisive issue. This isnt just bad news for homeowners  it sets back plans for building new and different forms of energy provision, too.

If were serious about improving energy security, somethings got to give. And its in every political partys interest to think pragmatically: the threat of energy shortages and blackouts over the past year (thankfully largely avoided) can be chalked up as the price we pay for supporting Ukraine by cutting off Russian energy supplies.

But if those pitfalls are not addressed for the future, the public will be far less forgiving.

Unfortunately, this is going to be a costly process. The British government is estimated to have spent 100m to buy China General Nuclear out of its Sizewell C shares last November, as it dawned on ministers that allowing the business to play a role in the UKs nuclear capacity was not going to gel with its new focus on security.

One can assume that steel will eventually join the roll call of protected industries, especially as it plays such a vital role in producing the infrastructure needed for green energy.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson (L), wearing a Sizewell C-branded hi-vis jacket, reacts during his visit to EDF's Sizewell B Nuclear power station in Sizewell, eastern England on September 1, 2022. - Outgoing British Prime Minister Johnson on Thursday promised A700 million for the Sizewell C nuclear power station project during his final major policy speech. (Photo by CHRIS RADBURN / POOL / AFP) (Photo by CHRIS RADBURN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) - CHRIS RADBURN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

The bailouts so far suggest that a much bigger price tag will be needed to keep the industry free of potentially risky foreign influence.

The importance of nationally-produced steel was being debated long before the pandemic hit or Putins tanks rolled further into Ukraine. Tata Steel, another major player, seems to be in never-ending discussions with the Government about bailouts, as the industry increasingly struggles to stay afloat.

This will lead to a wider debate  not just about price tags, but about priorities. Propping up failing industries is no good for the British economy. But if bailouts and buy-offs are being done in the name of national security, is it perhaps worth formalising that?

The steel-dumping carried out by China and other countries enables the West to buy up a crucial material at cheap prices, an economic gain. But if we refuse to do that because of national security risks at play  and a refusal to become dependent on others  does that not fall into the remit of defence spending more than overall energy policy?

No doubt the defence department will reject inheriting such a significant burden, not least because it is campaigning heavily at the moment for more money to restock the weaponry given to Ukraine and to finance its current responsibilities. And energy security will always need to span across multiple departmental briefs: it will require diversity of energy sources, which means planning and building will have to be addressed.

But if it is also going to require producing (and controlling) certain materials at home, we need to stop framing this as an economic debate about the benefits of globalisation, or even as an environmental debate, and start talking about it in terms of national security, which the title energy security already suggests.

Regardless of how this debate plays out, achieving energy security is going to take a lot of time, a lot of cash, and a lot of trade-offs. Many of them have barely been discussed.
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's foreign ministry said on Friday it is not aware of reports about talks between Russia and a Chinese company for the purchase of drones.

"There has been a large volume, too much disinformation spread about China on this point. We should be vigilant about the intentions behind this," ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a news briefing.

"I also want to emphasise that China on the export of military products has always held a cautious and responsible attitude, not selling military products to conflict areas or warring parties."

German magazine Der Spiegel reported on Thursday, without citing specific sources, that Russia was in talks with a Chinese manufacturer about buying 100 drones, with a delivery date of April.

(Reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Raissa Kasolowsky)
BEIJING (Reuters) -China called for a comprehensive ceasefire in Ukraine on Friday and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he was open to considering parts of a 12-point peace plan put forward by Beijing.

On the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Moscow's ally China urged both sides to agree to a gradual de-escalation, warned against the use of nuclear weapons and said conflict benefited no one.

The plan, set out in a foreign ministry paper, was largely a reiteration of China's line since Russia launched what it calls its "special military operation" on Feb. 24 last year.

China has refrained from condemning its ally Russia or referring to Moscow's intervention in its neighbour as an "invasion". It has also criticised Western sanctions on Russia.

"All parties must stay rational and exercise restraint, avoid fanning the flames and aggravating tensions, and prevent the crisis from deteriorating further or even spiralling out of control," the ministry said in its paper.

The initial reaction from Kyiv was dismissive, with a senior adviser to President Zelenskiy saying any plan to end the war must involve the withdrawal of Russian troops to borders in place when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.

However, Zelenskiy himself struck a more receptive tone in a news conference to mark the first anniversary of the conflict.

Russia said it appreciated China's plan and that it was open to achieving its goals through political and diplomatic means.

The proposals however cut little ice with NATO.

"China doesn't have much credibility because they have not been able to condemn the illegal invasion of Ukraine," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Tallinn.

'NO NUCLEAR WAR'

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signalled he will double down on the conflict, despite major battlefield defeats in the past year, and has raised the spectre of nuclear weapons.

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China said nuclear weapons must be avoided.

"Nuclear weapons must not be used and nuclear wars must not be fought," the foreign ministry said. "We oppose development, use of biological and chemical weapons by any country under any circumstances."

Since the war began weeks after Beijing and Moscow announced a "no limits" partnership, President Xi Jinping has spoken regularly with Putin but not once with his Ukrainian counterpart Zelenskiy. China's top diplomat Wang Yi visited Moscow for talks this week.

Brazil's new President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva stressed the need for a peace deal brokered by outsiders.

"It is urgent that a group of countries not involved in the conflict assume the responsibility of leading negotiations to reestablish peace," Lula said on Twitter.

There had been speculation that President Xi would deliver a "peace speech" on Friday but that did not occur.

(Reporting by Beijing newsroom and Martin Quin Pollard; Additional reporting by Eduardo Baptista, Max Hunder, Dan Peleschuk, Pavel Polityuk, Bart Meijer, Steven Grattan and Caleb Davis; Writing by Bernard Orr, Liz Lee and Keith Weir; Editing by Michael Perry, Kim Coghill, Robert Birsel and Andrew Heavens)
(Bloomberg) -- Beijing has laid down three red lines for the top US diplomat in Hong Kong, saying recent comments by the consul general constituted interference.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Liu Guangyuan, Chinas foreign ministry commissioner in Hong Kong, met with US Consul General Gregory May to complain about his inappropriate words and deeds that interfered in Hong Kong affairs, according to a spokesperson for the commissioners office.

The American diplomat, who took up his posting in September, on Jan. 25 expressed concern over the citys rule of law following Beijings imposition of a national security law in 2020. At the time, the foreign ministry accused May of vilifying the citys legal system and seeking to disrupt the city.

During the meeting, Commissioner Liu stated three red lines that the US consulate should not cross, namely endangering Chinas national security, not to engage in political infiltration in Hong Kong, and not to slander or damage Hong Kongs development prospect, according to a statement provided to Bloomberg News.

The US consulate in Hong Kong didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

A spokesperson for the US State Department said that while they dont comment on private diplomatic meetings, they dont hesitate to express publicly and privately the United States deep concern over the erosion of Hong Kongs autonomy, according to a statement provided to media outlets including the South China Morning Post.

The US and Hong Kong relationship has remained tense following the enactment of national security law which was used to quell anti-government protests. In response to the law, the US rolled back some of the special privileges granted to the city, making it harder to export sensitive American technology to Hong Kong, and sanctioned senior officials who oversee the territory, including its now-leader John Lee.

Story continues

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China's encouraging its citizens to have more children amid a shrinking population. CFOTO/Future Publishing/Getty Images

The Chinese city of Hangzhou is giving $2,900 to parents welcoming a third child this year.

Some other cities are giving almost 30 days of marriage leave to boost the birth rate.

China's dealing with a demographic crisis as its population shrinks for the first time in 60 years.

China, the world's second-largest economy and one of the world's most populous countries, is trying to get its citizens to have more babies.

The government of Hangzhou, a tech hub in east China and home to e-commerce giant Alibaba, will be granting new parents 20,000 yuan, or $2,900, as a one-off subsidy for having a third child this year, according to the local media outlet Zhejiang Daily.

Those having a second child will receive about $720, the outlet added, citing a policy that was passed at a local government congress on Wednesday.

Wenzhou, a city in southeast China, is planning to offer would-be parents up to 3,000 yuan, or over $400 in subsidies per child, according to local government notices issued on February 15. Meanwhile, the northeastern city of Shenyang is offering subsidies of up to $72 a month till a child is three years old.

Some Chinese provinces like Shanghai and major coal producer Shanxi are also increasing the number of paid marriage leave days  or time off granted to couples to get married  to up to 30 days, according to Communist Party-owned news outlet People's Daily Health. Chinese employees are typically entitled to three days of paid marriage leave.

The push for babies comes after China's population started shrinking for the first time in six decades. An aging population will have profound implications for the future of China's economy, labor force, and its healthcare system.

China's not the only country trying to boost flagging birthrates with cash incentives. Singapore, South Korea, and Japan have similar programs.

However, China's path to population increase is not that straightforward.

Many Chinese millennials are not getting married in the first place due to a variety of reasons like costs and personal choices, Insider's Matthew Loh reported in April 2022. It's culturally unacceptable to have children out of wedlock in China.

"You need to go back to the things that have made marriage rates so low," Professor Stuart Gietel-Basten, who specializes in population policy at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, told Insider at the time. "If women are feeling: 'This is such a bad move for my career or my life that I'm going to push it back as long as possible,' then maybe that's a symptom of other challenges, blockages, or malfunctions in society," he said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
(Bloomberg) -- Shenzhen Cloudsky Technologies Co. is considering an initial public offering that could raise about $200 million as soon as this year, according to people familiar with the matter.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The Chinese digital storage and computing service provider is working with advisers and is seeking a valuation of about $1 billion in the possible share sale, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the information is private. The company is weighing the US among potential listing venues, though no final decision has been made, the people said.

Considerations are preliminary and details of the offering could still change, the people said. A representative for Cloudsky didnt immediately respond to requests for comment.

Should Cloudsky proceed with a US listing, it would be joining a slew of Chinese companies in returning to tap the countrys capital markets. Hesai Group, a Chinese developer of sensor technologies used in self-driving cars, this month raised $190 million in the largest IPO by a Chinese issuer in the US market since the crash of Didi Global Inc. in 2021.

Founded by people who previously worked for companies including Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Huawei Technologies Co., Cloudsky focuses on businesses such as graphics processing unit hardware design and 3D graphics real-time rendering engines, its website shows. Its customers and partners include Chinese telecom companies and social and gaming platforms such as Bilibili Inc. and DouYu International Holdings Ltd.

The company last year raised tens of millions of dollars in a series C round led by Intel Capital, according to a press release.

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ABOARD A U.S. PATROL AIRCRAFT  The U.S. Navy plane had been in the air over the South China Sea for a few hours when a warning came crackling over the radio.

No approaching any more or you will pay full responsibility, said a voice from a ground station belonging to Chinas air force.

Soon after, a Chinese J-11 fighter jet appeared about 500 feet off the left wing, flying beside the American P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft for well over an hour as it passed over mostly uninhabited islands that are claimed by both China and its neighbors.

Janis Mackey Frayer / NBC News

U.S. officials said encounters like the one witnessed by NBC News on Friday, though professional, are becoming more frequent as Beijing and Washington step up their campaigns for influence in the Pacific. The strategically important South China Sea is an increasingly prominent stage for the spiraling tensions between the worlds two largest economies, which have clashed over everything from Taiwan to the war in Ukraine.

Inside the plane, U.S. Navy officers sat at about half-dozen computer stations, analyzing radar images from powerful specialized cameras affixed to the outside of the aircraft as it made way around the Paracel Islands across the South China Sea, before returning to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan.

Once a Chinese plane comes within 1,000 feet well communicate with them, Capt. Will Toraason, the commander of U.S. Navy surveillance aircraft, told NBC News early Friday.

Typically we dont get a response, sometimes well get nonverbal responses. But overall were trying to encourage a safe and professional encounter while were both operating in international airspace, he said.

Janis Mackey Frayer / NBC News

China, which has the worlds largest navy, claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea despite a landmark 2016 ruling by an international tribunal that its claims have no legal basis. Its stance has antagonized a number of countries in the region with which it has territorial disputes.

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The U.S. and many of Chinas neighbors accuse Beijing of using gray zone tactics that are not legally acts of war to intimidate other countries and assert greater control over the area. In response, the U.S. regularly conducts freedom of navigation and other operations in international waters and airspace.

China says it is protecting its sovereignty and maritime interests and that close-in reconnaissance by American planes and warships threatens its national security and undermines regional peace and stability.

Artificial islands that China has built in the last decade have made it easier for its coast guard and maritime militia to carry out near-daily patrols. You now see regularly a constant presence in the most contested areas, said Raymond Powell of the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation at Stanford.

On other islands that were once tiny, rocky outcrops, China has quietly installed runways, radar sites and missile systems.

Since Ive been in the Navy, going on 18, 19 years now, I can tell you there is a dramatic change over that span, specifically the South China Sea, said Cmdr. Marc Hines on board the U.S. aircraft. He added that the buildup of runways and hangars is typical now but it wasnt necessarily the case when he joined the Navy.

Officers monitored radar images from powerful specialized cameras affixed to the outside of the aircraft. (Janis Mackey Frayer / NBC News)

The result is some tense encounters. Late last year, the U.S. military said an Air Force aircraft conducting routine operations over the South China Sea was forced to take evasive maneuvers to avoid colliding with a Chinese fighter jet that was flying dangerously close. Beijing blamed the U.S. and said it would continue to take necessary measures.

Given U.S.-China tensions over issues including Chinas surveillance balloon program, the concern is that a minor incident in the South China Sea could easily escalate, said John Rennie Short, a professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, who studies the geopolitics of the region.

You just worry that a small spark could burst into flame, said Short, who is spending the semester at the University of the Philippines Diliman in Manila.

Worried about Chinese incursions, the Philippines under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is reinvigorating its relationship with the U.S., which is looking to re-engage with the Asia-Pacific region not just militarily but economically and diplomatically as well.

During a visit by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin this month, the two countries announced a deal expanding U.S. access to military bases there. They also agreed to resume joint maritime patrols in the South China Sea.

Hu Bo, director of the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative at Peking University in Beijing, said China has the right to follow and monitor U.S. military activity in the South China Sea from a security point of view.

The United States would not be happy as well if the Chinese military maintained a large military presence around the United States, he said, adding that Chinas position on the South China Sea had been consistent and it was countries like the Philippines that were being more aggressive.

To the outside world it seems that Chinas policy is aggressive, but from the Chinese perspective, China has actually been very restrained and has not made any new moves, he said. On the contrary, other parties have made more moves.

If other countries take relevant measures, he added, China will have to counteract.

Experts say the Philippines has been much more transparent about its issues in the South China Sea under Marcos, who is less friendly to China than his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte.

The Philippines has also been reaching out to other allies in the region, like Japan and Australia, the latter of which is also considering joint maritime patrols.

Theyre working very hard to internationalize this concern, which I think works in their favor, Powell said.

An island in the South China Sea, most of which Beijing claims sovereignty of. (Janis Mackey Frayer / NBC News)

In the meantime, China is outpacing the U.S. in building warships, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro said this week, with about 340 ships now and a goal of 440 by 2030. In comparison, the U.S. Navy had about 293 ships as of early 2020, according to a Defense Department report.

Theyve got a larger fleet now so theyre deploying that fleet globally, Del Toro said Wednesday at the National Press Club in Washington, adding that the U.S. Navy needs to increase capacity in response.

Powell agreed that both the U.S. and its allies would need to upgrade their fleets in order to compete with China, whose major advantage in the South China Sea, he said, is its ability to flood the zone with its security vessels.

At some point, the number of ships actually does matter, he said. You cant have a presence without ships.

But the U.S. also has an advantage, Powell said, which is that it is not acting alone.

China, when it looks out and sees ships, has to think about the U.S. plus its partners and allies, he said, whereas China doesnt really have partners and allies.

CORRECTION (Feb. 24, 2023, 7:17 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misspelled the U.S. commanders first name. He is Marc Hines, not Mark.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
A Texas man is looking to have his antique and historical grandfather clock returned to him after a relative allegedly donated it without permission to the Historic Restoration Trust of Nutley.

Allan Palmer filed a lawsuit in state Superior Court in Essex County in March 2022. According to the lawsuit, Palmer inherited the pre-Revolutionary War-era clock, known as the long clock, from his parents in 1984. The clock was made around 1730 by William Kipling in London and shipped to America before the Revolutionary War.

The suit said Palmer agreed to allow Donald Palmer to have the long clock but that there was no agreement that anyone other than Allan Palmer was the sole owner.

Donald Palmer is accused of donating the clock in June 2021 to the Historic Restoration Trust of Nutley, which runs Kingsland Manor, a historic home and museum in the township, the suit said.

Allan Palmer said his antique, pre-Revolutionary War clock was erroneously donated to the Kingsland Manor. He filed a lawsuit against the trust and the relative that donated the clock, looking to have it returned to him.

"The purported donation was invalid because [Donald] Palmer did not have the title to the Long Clock," the lawsuit stated.

According to Allan Palmer, Kingsland Manor is displaying the clock as belonging to George Washington, a point he said is unsupported by curators and historians at Mount Vernon and the National Archives.

The Historic Restoration Trust of Nutley said the dispute was resolved with an agreement between Allan Palmer and the trust.

"As part of the agreement, arranged through the town's attorney and the Palmer attorneys, the Trust is to be reimbursed for the cost the Trust incurred having the clock shipped from Florida," the trust said in an email to NorthJersey.com. "Once we receive payment based on the condition of the agreement, we will release the clock to [Allan Palmer] as part of the agreement."

Brett Silverman, Palmer's attorney, disagreed that the matter had been settled. He said the trust never answered the suit, adding that a settlement agreement had been drafted, but that as of Feb. 24, nothing was signed, meaning there is no settlement.

Silverman said if there had been a signed settlement in front of him, he would have moved to have the lawsuit dismissed. Court documents show there is a pending dismissal warning and that if there is no answer by April 4, the case will be dismissed.

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"It is either going to end up on default or they'll answer and we'll litigate," Silverman said.

Nutley Township Attorney Jonathan Bruno is assisting the trust in resolving the matter and said the trust was never served with a lawsuit or a court order. Bruno said there was an agreement but it changed multiple times.

He said the trust is happy to return the clock and has no interest in keeping it. According to Bruno, the trust is just waiting for the money promised to transport the clock.

"This has been nothing but a headache," Bruno said. The trust "does not want to keep the clock. They literally just want the coverage that whoever's taking possession of it, accepting responsibility for it, they're going to pay for the transport, as promised."

Palmer said he sent a letter to the trust demanding that the clock be returned to him by Nov. 2, 2021, but was told by the trust's attorney on Nov. 8, 2021, that it wouldn't release it.

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"You always face this when people donate to a nonprofit," said Palmer, who has experience in museums and donations.

Allan Palmer previously ran the Air and Space Museum in San Diego and the National Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas. He said that often if there is a question of how a donation happened, a museum will return it to the owner.

"My concern as a former museum director is the negative impact these issues could have on Kingsland Manor and the Trust for failing to correct an obvious error in a timely manner," he said.

Palmer is looking to have the clock returned and to receive compensatory damages.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Nutley NJ historic trust in lawsuit over pre-Revolution-era clock
Watch the Cocaine Bear trailer

The story behind Cocaine Bear sounds too unbelievable to be true.

Elizabeth Banks' gory new horror-comedy tells the tale of a black bear that goes on a murderous rampage after eating huge amounts of cocaine.

The film's tagline claims it's "inspired by true events", but how much of Cocaine Bear actually happened? As it arrives in UK cinemas, here's everything you need to know.

The true story behind Cocaine Bear

The story of Cocaine Bear is loosely based on the events of a drug-smuggling operation that went badly wrong in September 1985.

Andrew Thornton, a former US narcotics officer, was dropping duffel bags of cocaine into Georgia from a light aircraft while on a smuggling run from Colombia. After reportedly having issues with the engine, he jumped out, but hit his head on the tail of the aircraft and his parachute failed to open.

Read more: Alden Ehrenreich pays tribute to late Cocaine Bear co-star Ray Liotta

The 40-year-old died on impact on a driveway in Knoxville, Tennessee, 50 miles away. He was wearing night vision goggles, a bulletproof vest and Gucci loafers, and carrying guns, knives, thousands of dollars in cash, plus packages of cocaine worth $15m. The auto-piloted aircraft was later found crashed in Hayesville, North Carolina.

Cocaine Bear tells the tale of a drug-fuelled black bear that goes on a murderous rampage. (Universal Pictures)

Three months later, a 79kg black bear was discovered dead in Georgia's Chattahoochee National Forest, having eaten cocaine from a bag dropped off by Thornton.

Gary Garner, an official from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), said: "The bear got to it before we could, and he tore the duffel bag open, got him some cocaine and OD'd. There's nothing left [of the bear] but bones and a big hide."

It's unclear how much the bear ingested. All 40 bundles of cocaine  40kg in total, valued at $20m  had been ripped open and were empty. An autopsy found that the animal absorbed only three or four grams of cocaine into its blood stream, although it could have eaten more.

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Cocaine Bear stars the late Ray Liotta in one of his final performances. (Universal Pictures)

There is no evidence, however, that the bear went on a rampage, as portrayed in Cocaine Bear. In reality, the animal likely died quickly after ingesting the drug. "It wouldn't have taken very much to kill him," said another GBI official, Fran Wiley. "He could have eaten a half pound and that would have killed him."

The animal's stomach was "literally packed to the brim with cocaine," according to the medical examiner who performed the autopsy. "There isn't a mammal on the planet that could survive that. Cerebral haemorrhaging, respiratory failure, hyperthermia, renal failure, heart failure, stroke. You name it, that bear had it."

Cocaine Bear plot and cast

Keri Russell in Elizabeth Banks' new film Cocaine Bear. (Universal Pictures)

Cocaine Bear stars the late Ray Liotta in one of his final performances. The Goodfellas actor, who died last year aged 67, plays drug kingpin Syd Dentwood, whose cocaine is dropped into Chattahoochee National Forest by smuggler Andrew Thornton (played by Matthew Rhys).

Dentwood tasks trusted drug dealer Daveed (Straight Outta Compton's O'Shea Jackson Jr) with recovering the cocaine to avoid violent repercussions from Colombian associates. Daveed enlists the help of Dentwood's son Eddie (Solo: A Star Wars Story actor Alden Ehrenreich), who is grief-stricken over the recent loss of partner Joanie.

The Americans star Keri Russell plays a worried mother, Sari, who searches the forest for her missing daughter Deirdre (Brooklynn Prince) and her classmate Henry (Christian Convery). Park ranger Liz (Margo Martindale) and a wildlife inspection rep (Modern Family's Jesse Tyler Ferguson) join the hunt for the youngsters.

The comedy-thriller is loosely based on real events. (Universal Pictures)

Meanwhile, Detective Bob Springs (Isiah Whitlock Jr) and partner Officer Reba Mitchell (Ayoola Smart) are despatched to search for the cocaine  which happens to have been consumed by a huge bear which is attacking anyone in its drug-crazed path.

According to director Elizabeth Banks, the message of the film is simple: "If you f*** with nature, nature will f*** with you". She told Total Film magazine: "I thought this bear was collateral damage [in] a broken war on drugs. I had a lot of empathy for it. I felt like this film could be the bear's revenge story."

Read more: Cocaine Bear cast recall the weirdest on-set moments with fake bear

Cocaine Bear was produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller  best known for their work on animated hits The Lego Movie and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse  and written by Jimmy Warden, who penned Netflix horror-comedy The Babysitter: Killer Queen.

Cocaine Bear is out in UK cinemas now.
By Isabel Woodford

(Reuters) - A Colombian court this month hosted its first legal trial in the metaverse, and now hopes to experiment again with virtual reality, authorities told Reuters.

At the two-hour hearing held by Colombia's Magdalena Administrative court, participants in a traffic dispute appeared as avatars in a virtual courtroom. Magistrate Maria Quinones Triana's avatar dressed in black legal robes.

The country is among the earliest worldwide to test real legal hearings in the metaverse, immersive virtual reality to make digital spaces feel more lifelike, often with avatars representing each participant.

"It felt more real than a video call," Quiones told Reuters on Friday, describing the metaverse experience as "amazing." On Zoom, she noted, "Many people turn off their cameras, you have no idea what they're doing,"

The case - brought by a regional transport union against the police - will now proceed partly in the metaverse, potentially including the verdict, Quiones said. She did not rule out metaverse hearings elsewhere.

"This is an academic experiment to show that there it's possible... but where everyone consents to it, (my court) can continue to do things in the metaverse," she added.

While legal trials have increasingly moved to video meetings hosted by Zoom and Google, few have experimented with the metaverse, a space that Meta, Microsoft and other tech giants are racing to build.

Early examples of interviews and meetings in the metaverse have been mocked for often-clunky, cartoonish visualizations.

Nonetheless, Colombia's court proceedings on Feb 15 - streamed to Youtube - went off without too much of a glitch, bar some dizzying camera movement and some distorted movements.

QUESTION MARKS

Quiones reiterated the constitutional legitimacy of the virtual tribunal, but acknowledged that the experiment had not been popular, citing 70% disapproval among viewers.

Story continues

Juan David Gutierrez, a public policy professor at Colombia's University of Rosario, said use of the metaverse in legal proceedings has a long way to go.

"You need a hardware to do this that very few people have. And that prompts questions about accessibility to justice and equality," he told Reuters.

Quiones agreed that costs and accessibility needed to be discussed. But she advocated for the metaverse in cases of abuse for example, where participants can share a space without having to physically see each other.

Gutierrez said judges in Colombia were chasing ways to alleviate the country's overloaded justice system.

"We create this illusion that technology is going to make things more efficient, but sometimes, it's the opposite."

(This story has been refiled to add a dropped word and fix typographical error in the judge's name in paragraph 2)

(Reporting by Isabel Woodford in Mexico City; Additional reporting by Herbert Villarraga in Bogota; Editing by David Gregorio)
BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombian low-cost carrier Viva Air said on Thursday it has appointed Francisco Lalinde as interim president and chief executive as the company faces financial challenges and a local debt restructuring process.

Lalinde will replace Felix Antelo, who resigned citing health problems, the company said.

The replacement in leadership comes as the company struggles with a debt restructuring process brought on by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in fuel prices during 2022, as well as the sharp devaluation of the Colombian peso.

On Tuesday the carrier announced it was taking five of its Airbus A320 planes out of service, citing the financial costs of keeping them in the air, while it awaits a decision on a potential alliance with Avianca.

"In my new role, I will continue to do what Felix has done on our behalf for the last five years: maintain open communication with our team and make sure we give it our all for Viva," Lalinde said in a statement.

Lalinde had been serving as the company's operations vice-president.

Viva and Colombia's flagship airline, Avianca, have restarted a merger process after repeated delays, including regulator objections and what the aviation governing body said were procedural irregularities.

Ultra-low-cost airline JetSMART and LATAM have also expressed interest in taking over Viva.

Viva, which emerged as a low-cost airline with operations in Colombia and Peru, continues to operate a fleet of 16 planes.

(Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta; Editing by Chris Reese)
jetcityimage / Getty Images

Eating at Costco has become something of a national pastime. There are countless YouTube reaction videos of influencers trying the warehouses food court menu, and everyone from Thrillist to Redbook have written articles ranking the eats like theyre some kind of foodie delicacy. A journalist with the New York Post even found a way to eat three-course Costco meals without paying a dime.

See: Costcos Best Deals? Employee Reveals 10 Standout Buys for Your Money

Find: 3 Ways Smart People Save Money When Filing Their Taxes

But while the Costco food court has become a prized possession for card-carrying members, much of it thanks to the iconic $1.50 hot dog combo, the warehouse retailer is coming under fire for its latest menu item: a $9.99 roast beef sandwich on a hoagie roll spotted at a store in Lynwood, Washington.

In case youre doing the math, the $9.99 price (though on par with many other sandwich shops) is the same as six  nearly seven  Costco hot dog combos. Its also the same as one whole pizza or two rotisserie chickens, both also popular buys at the warehouse. The pricing discrepancies have come under fire from a number of shoppers who took to Reddit to analyze the comparative costs. That reddit post has since gone viral, netting more than 500 comments.

The roast beef [sandwich] creates a too glaring disparity between their other food court offers that are on point with the understood value statement of shopping at Costco, wrote one person.

I think this might be market testing to see if people will buy more expensive food court items, added another.

One poster also theorized there would be backlash against the pricing  and that the sandwich would probably disappear from the menu. I would expect this to be a poor seller and get scratched from the lineup quickly, they stated.

Still another noted that if the price jump is something Costco is planning to extend to more of its bargain bulk items, they might lose out on customers: If Costcos cost structure in this roast beef creeps into the aisles or bumps food court items, especially the hot dog Id just assume start giving more of my money to 99 Ranch, Lotte, H-Mart, Food Lion, Harris Teeter, Lidl and Aldi.

Story continues

Take Our Poll: How Much Salary Would Buy You Happiness?

More: 5 Most Overpriced Costco Items, According To Superfans

As Business Insider reported, this wouldnt be the first time a food court item tanked due to price. They recalled when Costco introduced a Shake Shack-style burger in 2017 for $4.99  and were met with an uproar from shoppers. The burger was quickly nixed, which may become the fate of this latest sandwich, too, if the past is any indication.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: New Costco Sandwich Costs the Same as 6 Hot Dogs  Why It Likely Wont Last
For Audrey Jacobs, it was her first time inside a Costco Wholesale.

Last Thursday, the 19-year-old Georgia Southern University went with a friend to the store in Pooler, Georgia, and her visit turned out to be anything but ordinary.

I had never been before, and it was on my bucket list. I dont know why; it was just something I always just kind of wanted to do because I thought it was cool, Jacobs told WSAV-TV. I was so impressed, you know, I hadnt seen a store that big.

Among the things Costco is known for, is their inexpensive hot dog combo at their little food court inside their stores.

The whole time all I could talk about was getting one of those hotdogs, Jacobs told the TV station.

So, she and her friend got a hot dog and a drink and sat down to eat before leaving.

Literally, my first bite, my friend had warned me that it was hot, and I did not listen. I took a bite, and I couldnt breathe and at first, I was like, Im not choking, and then I was like, Oh my gosh, I cant breathe, Jacobs said. Thats when I kind of started freaking out from there, and I was trying to get her attention.

TRENDING STORIES:

Jacobs friend tried to help the choking college student but couldnt dislodge the hot dog.

So, I was running to the other tables because Ive also seen that if you throw yourself over a chair, it can un-lodge it, Jacobs said. But they dont have chairs there, its only the picnic table things.

She told WSAV-TV thats when she really started to panic.

I started to get a little dizzy and stuff, Jacobs said. I literally had that moment that went through my head like, This is it. This is how Im ending.

Thats when a Costco employee named Taylor stepped in to help out.

Story continues

Thats when Taylor came, right before I was about to hit the floor, and gave me the Heimlich. I was really thankful because it was like nobody else knew what to do and nobody was moving. I think that was what scared me the most too, Jacobs said.

Jacobs said it took a couple of tries, but the piece of hot dog finally dislodge from her throat.

What really impressed me, too, was he asked if I was OK, and then he just went straight back to work, Jacobs said. I am thankful for sure, you know, especially that he reacted so quick. And like I said, Im very impressed that he didnt stand around and wait for recognition either. He literally saved my life and then started working again.

Information from this story reported by WSAV-TV.

IN OTHER NEWS:
A passenger in a vehicle died in a car crash while filming a Snapchat video, and now the woman driving is going to jail, according to prosecutors in California.

Lindsey Shaver, 21, who pleaded guilty to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, was given a 90-day jail sentence, the Ventura County District Attorneys office said in a Feb. 23 news release.

Shavers decision to use marijuana and drive while impaired tragically took the life of her best friend, prosecutor George Brietigam said in the release.

At the time of the crash on March 18, 2021, Shavers passenger, Laney Zambri, was filming a Snapchat video while standing through the sunroof on Pacific Coast Highway in Ventura, prosecutors said.

Shaver lost control, and the car flipped, the district attorneys office said. Zambri was critically injured and died days later.

Zambri was 17 years old when she died and was three months away from graduating high school, according to a foundation created in her memory.

Laney was a kind, empathetic person who always had a big, beautiful smile, the Laney Zambri Foundations website says. She was looking forward to a new chapter in her life, college.

She hoped to one day be a nurse, according to the foundation.

In addition to jail time, Shaver is also required to speak at local high schools regarding the dangers of impaired and distracted driving, prosecutors said.

Brietigam said the hope is that students will be deterred from driving under the influence after hearing about the tragic circumstances of this case.

Ventura is about 70 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

Teen who drove 106 mph, used Snapchat in crash that killed friend is going to prison

This is what happened when a driver tried to Snapchat a hailstorm, Idaho police say

He smoked drugs, posted on Snapchat and 'bright futures' ended in a York County wreck
Credit Intelligence (ASX:CI1) First Half 2023 Results

Key Financial Results

Revenue: AU$8.53m (up 11% from 1H 2022).

Net loss: AU$1.83m (down by 212% from AU$1.64m profit in 1H 2022).

AU$0.022 loss per share (down from AU$0.02 profit in 1H 2022).

All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period

Credit Intelligence shares are down 2.6% from a week ago.

Risk Analysis

What about risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 4 warning signs for Credit Intelligence (of which 2 are significant!) you should know about.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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A Hatboro pizza shop gained attention after a viral TikTok video made its rounds Friday, showing a customer on a racist tirade directed at one of its workers.

In the video, a manager of Amys Pizzeria & Italian Restaurant is shown standing at the register Thursday night, as a customer, who has not been identified, demands a refund during the profanity-laced verbal attack.

Whats wrong with that is youre not American dude. I will look you the (expletive) up and get you the (expletive) out of our town. (Expletive) you. Give me my money back. Im not giving my money to some illegal immigrant, the customer said.

A customer went on a racist rant at Amy's Pizzeria & Italian Restaurant, in Hatboro, on Thursday, February 24, 2023.

The video, filmed by another employee, lasts nearly five minutes, ending just as a police officer walks into the store.

"This lady walked into our pizza shop (owned by Hispanics) and heard Spanish coming from our TV and started discriminating us. Not all Spanish speakers are Mexican and it was bold of her to assume so," the pizzeria said on their TikTok post showing the video.

"Discrimination should NOT happen to anyone, no matter who they are nor what their background is. America is a country built by immigrants. I'm so sorry if you have ever experienced something like this."

Update:Amy's Pizzeria in Hatboro touched by support amid viral video of woman's racist rant at shop owner

For subscribers:Sesame Place settled discrimination lawsuit by Black Muslim family years before viral video

Hatboro Police Department issued a statement on the Borough of Hatboro Facebook page Friday, saying they responded to a report of a disturbance at Amys Pizzeria, where they were able to de-escalate the dispute.

A customer went on a racist rant at Amy's Pizzeria & Italian Restaurant, in Hatboro, on Thursday, February 24, 2023.

Police said they are reviewing video of the incident and the investigation is ongoing. No names have been released.

The statement also included a warning to those who have seen the video.

It has also come to the attention of the police department that the video of the incident is circulating on social media and some people have falsely identified the woman depicted in the video. We strongly suggest people cease and desist the attachment of false or mistaken names and identities to this video as the identity of the individual(s) involved are know (sic) to police, it read.

Story continues

Amy's Pizzeria posted on their Facebook page Friday morning, thanking the community for their support, but like the police, asked for people to stop their attacks on who they perceive to be the woman in the video.

"We appreciate all your love and support but we do not support anyone trying to find this woman and accusing innocent people," the post read.

For subscribers:Central Bucks committee removed challenged books from school libraries for review

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Amy's Pizzeria in Hatboro captures racist rant on viral video
To get a roundup of TechCrunchs biggest and most important stories delivered to your inbox every day at 3 p.m. PST, subscribe here.

Happy Thursday, landlubbers and salty sea dogs!

Weve got some fun updates from the events team  Lauren S announced the TechCrunch Early Stage Audience Choice winners. And if you get all starry-eyed and bushy-tailed at the possibility of being on the TechCrunch Disrupt stage for our annual Battlefield, youre hella in luck  Neesha just announced that applications are open for the TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200!  Christine and Haje

The TechCrunch Top 3

Giving videos a voice : MrBeast was among the first YouTubers to test out a new multilanguage audio feature that is now being rolled out for creators so that they can upload just one video and dub it in dozens of languages. Sarah has more.

Hear that? : Samsung wants you to have that crystal-clear smartphone communication in places where there is no cellular network connectivity, so it developed its own satellite-based solution, Ivan writes.

"Towns hall crier: Taylor writes about Houseparty founder Ben Rubins new open source group chat app called Towns. Built as a decentralized app, it enables people to build better hometowns on the internet to truly own their town squares.

Startups and VC

While most VCs will tell you they had no problem raising their newest fund, Volition co-founder Larry Cheng  an alum of Bessemer Venture Partners, Battery Partners and Fidelity Ventures  says that wasnt his experience when trying to raise the firms latest vehicle. All of the LPs felt more constrained; we could feel it, reports Connie.

The cloud is growing expensive. More than half of companies say that their spending on public cloud apps will increase in 2023 while 56% expect their public cloud infrastructure services spending will go up this year. ProsperOps raises $72 million to help, Kyle reports.

And we have five more for you:

Story continues

Is ocean conservation the next climate tech? 7 investors explain why theyre all in

Image Credits: Douglas Klug (opens in a new window) / Getty Images

Seafaring industries like fishing and oil exploration are inherently extractive, but technological advances and increased environmental awareness have ushered in a new era.

"Founders and investors have started to look for opportunities to conserve, and even enhance, the oceans resources rather than exploit them," reports Tim De Chant.

He interviewed seven investors to examine some of the parallels between climate tech and ocean conservation tech and learn more about the opportunities they're diving for:

Tim Agnew, general partner, Bold Ocean Ventures

Peter Bryant, program director (oceans), Builders Initiative

Kate Danaher, managing director (oceans and seafood), S2G Ventures

Daniela V. Fernandez, founder and CEO, Sustainable Ocean Alliance (Seabird Ventures)

Rita Sousa, partner, Faber Ventures

Christian Lim, managing director, SWEN Blue Ocean Partners

Reece Pacheco, partner, Propeller

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.

Did you know that the average household subscribes to five streaming services per month? No doubt this can quickly add up. Netflix has read the writing on the wall and lowered its prices in over 100 territories across Africa, Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific in efforts to keep subscriberssubscribing, Lauren writes.

Developers of decentralized apps have a new friend in Coinbase, which launched Base, an Ethereum-focused layer to aid in development of the apps on the blockchain. Jacquelyn has more.

And we have five more for you:
David Fincher has confirmed that a third season of Mindhunter is not in the works at Netflix.

Following on from its first season in 2017, the acclaimed thriller series released season two in August 2019. Since then, fans have been vocal about their wishes for a third instalment.

Mindhunter follows two FBI agents (played by Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany) and a psychologist (Anna Torv) who launch a research project to profile serial killers in order to understand them better.

In an interview with French outlet Le Journal du Dimanche, director David Fincher reflected on his series and gave fans a disappointing update on season three.

Im very proud of the first two seasons. But its a very expensive show and, in the eyes of Netflix, we didnt attract enough of an audience to justify such an investment [for season three], Fincher said.

The Twin Peaks filmmaker made it clear that he does not blame the streaming giant.

They took risks to get the show off the ground, gave me the means to do Mank the way I wanted to do it, and they allowed me to venture down new paths with The Killer [his next feature], he said.

Its a blessing to be able to work with people who are capable of boldness.

Albert Jones and Jonathan Groff in Mindhunter' (Courtesy of Netflix)

The news comes as little surprise after an early 2020 announcement said that the show had been on indefinite hold with lead actors Groff, McCallany, and Torv released from their contracts.

In a previous interview with Vulture, Fincher called the production gruelling and time-consuming and added that the show was probably done.

When I got done [with season two], I was pretty exhausted, and I said, I dont know if I have it in me right now to break season three, he explained.

In the same interview, a spokesperson for Netflix said that while a third instalment was not currently in the works, it could happen maybe in five years.
How many journalists were killed on the job? The list, unfortunately, is long.

Dylan Lyons was the Central Florida TV journalist who died Wednesday while covering a shooting in Pine Hill for Spectrum News 13. Lyons colleague, photojournalist Jesse Walden, was injured during the shooting, which also left a 9-year-old girl dead.

Authorities have arrested a suspect, though as of Friday, a motive had not been determined.

Globally, 40 journalists were reported killed last year, plus another two this year before Wednesday's shooting, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Only one of those was in the United States.

Orange County shootings: 3 dead, including News 13 journalist, a 38-year-old woman and a 9-year-old girl

Dylan Lyons graduated from a West Palm Beach high school, was remembered as a "bright shining star"

In 1976, Arizona Republic reporter Don Bolles died from injuries sustained from a car bomb. In 2018, a gunman entered the Capital Gazette newsroom in Annapolis, Maryland, and opened fire, killing five people, including an editor and a reporter.

In 2015, as TV reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward filmed a live interview at an outdoor mall, a former colleague shot the pair  and the event unfolded live on Twitter, gripping millions in a social media storm.

The following is a summary of journalists who were victims of intentional homicide or criminal crossfire in the U.S. as of February 2023.

Dylan Lyons and Jesse Walden

Dylan Lyons, 24, of Spectrum News has been identified as the journalist who was shot and killed in the Orlando area Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023.

On Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023, Spectrum News 13 journalist Dylan Lyons, 9-year-old T'yonna Major, and Natacha Augustin were killed in a string of shootings that left two others, including a News 13 photojournalist, injured.

The 24-year-old Lyons, a graduate of the University of Central Florida, and his colleague, photographer Jesse Walden, were shot and injured, respectively, while covering a shooting in Pine Hill, near Orlando.

Dylan Lyons' Central Florida ties: The UCF grad recently worked for WCJB TV20, an ABC affiliate in Gainesville

Story continues

What we know: Journalist and 9-year-old girl among 3 killed, 2 injured in Orlando shootings

The shootings started earlier Wednesday with the death of 38-year-old Augustin. Lyons and Walden went to cover the scene. The suspect accused of killing Augustin returned and allegedly opened fire while Lyons and Walden were in or near a Spectrum News 13 vehicle, killing Lyons and injuring Walden, according to Spectrum News 13. The gunman then walked to a nearby home, where he shot T'yonna and her mother, witnesses said.

Detectives later identified Keith Melvin Moses, 19, as the suspect and detained him.

Moses was arrested Wednesday and formally charged with murder in the first incident. Authorities expect to charge Moses for the additional shooting of the four people.

Detectives did not immediately have a motive for any of the shootings.

Jeff German

On Sept. 3, 2022, Las Vegas journalist Jeff German, 69, was found stabbed to death outside his suburban Las Vegas home. German, who covered politics and corruption for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, was stabbed multiple times.

Police initially said they thought German's killer was someone casing the neighborhood. But four days later, they arrested an elected official who had been the subject of German's recent reporting: Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles.

From the perspective of the underdog. Reporter Jeff German confronted the power players of Sin City. It may have gotten him killed.

German had published multiple stories highlighting several scandals within Telles' office, including allegations of favoritism and mismanagement, prompting county officials to take away his management responsibilities.

The longtime reporter previously worked for the Las Vegas Sun, then left in 2010 to join the Review-Journal.

He also co-hosted a podcast called "Mobbed Up: The Fight for Las Vegas," and in 2001 published the true-crime book "Murder in Sin City: The Death of a Las Vegas Casino Boss." The book was later turned into a movie.

A DNA match led to Telles' arrest in the death of German. The former elected official has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge.

Alison Parker and Adam Ward

Reporter Alison Parker and videographer Adam Ward with WDBJ-TV in Roanoke, Va. were shot and killed on air this morning. The station is owned by Schurz Communications, the parent company of the South Bend Tribune and WSBT-TV. Photo courtesy WDBJ-TV

On Aug. 26, 2015, television journalist Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward were shot and killed while conducting an interview on live TV for CBS affiliate WDBJ7 in Roanoke, Virginia. The suspect, Vester Lee Flanagan II, a former reporter for the TV station, died by suicide during the law enforcement search for him. Before Flanagan turned the gun on himself, he shared video of the murders of the 24-year-old Parker and her cameraman on YouTube. It was shared tens of thousands of times.

2015 story from Savannah Morning News: The tweets during and after the on-air ambush are chilling.

Tragedy played out in real-time. A TV reporter and cameraman were killed on-air, it gripped millions in social media storm

Flanagan had recorded himself carrying out the killings and posted the video on social media after fleeing the scene.

The shots rang out on-air as Parker and Ward were presenting a local tourism story at an outdoor shopping mall. Viewers saw her scream and run, and she could be heard saying "Oh my God," as she fell. Ward fell, too, and the camera he had been holding on his shoulder captured a fleeting image of the suspect holding a handgun.

WDBJ quickly switched back to the anchor at the station.

Both victims were romantically involved with other employees at the station, according to Parker's boyfriend, WDBJ anchor Chris Hurst. Ward, 27, was engaged to a producer at WDBJ, Melissa Ott, who was celebrating her last day on the job and was in the control room, watching it live, as the shooting unfolded.

Parker's father, Andy Parker, has asked Congress for help in his fight to get Google to scrub video of his daughters murder from YouTube. He's pushing for Congress to pass legislation that would prevent Google and other tech companies from invoking a provision of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, called Section 230.

The statute prevents tech companies from being held legally responsible for third-party content on their platforms.

Chauncey Bailey

On Aug. 2, 2007, Chauncey Bailey, editor-in-chief of the Oakland Post, was shot dead in a downtown Oakland, California, street. Bailey had a long journalism career in print, radio and broadcast.

Bailey's death spurred fellow journalists to create the Chauncey Bailey Project, a media coalition to finish stories begun by the slain editor, according to the site.

His bio online states he worked as a reporter for KNTV television in San Jose in the early '70s, the Sun Reporter newspaper in San Francisco, the Hartford (Conn.) Courant, United Press International in Chicago, the California Voice in Oakland, as a reporter and columnist for the Detroit News, public affairs director and newscaster at KDIA radio, a reporter covering East Oakland and African-American community affairs for the Oakland Tribune, news director at KSBT Soul Beat Television, and then serving as the Oakland Post editor.

Almost four years after Bailey's murder, in June 2011, Yusuf Bey IV, owner of Your Black Muslim Bakery, and Antoine Mackey were convicted of ordering the death of the longtime journalist.

Aug. 26, 2011, story from the Mercury News: Life terms for two men who murdered Chauncey Bailey

Zachary Stoner aka 'ZackTV'

This image taking from video provided by Raheem McCaskill/16ShotEm Visualz shows Zachary Stoner at the Refuge music club in Chicago on May 29, 2018. Chicago police documents obtained by The Associated Press show investigators believe they solved the 2018 killing of a gangland journalist known as ZackTV but that prosecutors declined to prosecute. Police never announced arrests in the downtown shooting of Zachary Stoner.

On May 30, 2018, independent journalist Zachary Stoner was fatally shot in Chicago. He drew a national YouTube following with his coverage of the lives and deaths of gang members and affiliated rappers from places other reporters were afraid to go.

Stoner, whose professional name was "ZackTV," was attacked after he left a crowded bar on a downtown Chicago street lined with surveillance cameras.

According to AP, court records show that despite the arrest of five suspects in 2018 and 2019, no one has been prosecuted.

Chicago journalist "ZackTV":He was killed, but no one was prosecuted. Court docs show the case may have been solved

The AP story states, "police never announced arrests in his shooting but say the Cook County State's Attorney's Office cited the possibility that the two sides in the shooting on May 30, 2018, were 'mutual combatants'  a disputed legal concept that's a throwback to duels between nobles or prearranged gunfights in the Wild West."

According to AP, records didn't directly state a motive in the shooting. Here's a summary from the AP story:

At 1:29 a.m., two blocks from the bar, the minivan bore down on Stoner, guns out its windows. Bullets riddled his SUV. One ripped through his shoulder; one struck behind his ear, lodging in his brain. When he crashed into a street lamp, his friends, one with graze wounds, fled. They later said they feared their opponents would attack again.

Police arrived at 1:35 a.m. to find Stoner alone, slumped in his seat. One officer checked his pulse. He was still alive. An officer also found Stoner's .40-caliber pistol at his feet. It was loaded, but he never fired off a shot.

A doctor pronounced him dead at 4:20 a.m.

Police consider Stoner's case cleared.

Capital Gazette shooting: Rob Hiaasen, John McNamara, Gerald Fischman, Wendi Winters and Rebecca Smith

On June 28, 2018, five Capital Gazette staff members were killed in a shooting in the Annapolis, Maryland, newsroom. The gunman, Jarrod Ramos, blasted his way into the Capitals office with a shotgun, smoke bombs and a device that blocked his victims from fleeing, according to the AP. He shot and killed five employees: editor Rob Hiaasen (brother of bestselling author Carl Hiaasen), Bowie Blade-News reporter John McNamara, Gerald Fischman, Wendi Winters and Rebecca Smith. Six other employees inside the newsroom survived either by fleeing or hiding from Ramos, the story said.

Capital Gazette is part of the Baltimore Sun Media Group.

After pleading guilty and being found criminally responsible for his actions, Ramos was sentenced in September 2021 to six terms of life in prison, five without the possibility of parole, plus 345 years  all to be served consecutively.

A negligence lawsuit filed in 2021 shortly after Ramos was found criminally responsible for the shooting was settled in January 2023. According to the AP: the lawsuit had claimed the newspaper companies certainly should have known that Ramos was a threat to journalists at the Capital Capital due to litigation between him and the company, as well as a series of communications and tweets dating back to 2011 in which he threatened employees.

Jacinto Hernandez Torres aka Jay Torres

On June 13, 2016, the body of Fort Worth journalist Jacinto Hernandez Torres was discovered in the backyard of a Garland, Texas, home. The 57-year-old freelance journalist, whose byline was Jay Torres, was found with a gunshot wound to the chest. Police reported that Torres had been laying in the 4200 block of Mayflower Drive for several days, according to a story by the Dallas Morning News.

Police were investigating the death as a homicide.

According to the Dallas Morning News report, "Torres' family said the yard he was found in belonged to a vacant home he was considering as an investment property."

He contributed to La Estrella, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Spanish-language publication.

Don Bolles

On June 13, 1976, Arizona Republic reporter Don Bolles died of injuries received in a car bomb attack on June 2, 1976.

Bolles, who had been working for the Arizona Republic since the 1960s, was fatally injured when a remote-controlled dynamite bomb exploded under his car.

According to a 40th anniversary story about Bolles' murder on azcentral.com, "prosecutors say he was killed because of his stories attacking businessman Kemper Marley. Others think he died because of what he wrote about organized crime. Still others believe he was done in by a combination of the two."

Reports say Bolles was lured to the Clarendon House Hotel. A bomb was planted under his car and was detonated as he pulled out of the parking space.

Three men stood trial in the Bolles case: Max Dunlap, John Harvey Adamson and James Robison:

In 1976, Adamson admitted to planting the remote control bomb that killed Bolles and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 1977. He served 20 years in prison. He died in 2002.

In 1977, Robison was a plumber accused of triggering the explosion. He was convicted, but it was overturned. He was retried and acquitted, though he later pleaded guilty to a charge of trying to hire someone to kill Adamson.

In 1991, Dunlap, a contractor, was charged in Bolles' bombing death. He was convicted in 1993 of murder and conspiracy to commit murder. He was accused of ordering the hit. He died in prison in 2009.

The Mob Museum in Las Vegas has featured photos from the 1976 Don Bolles murder.

"John Adamson. Emprise. Mafia." Decades later, the final words of murdered reporter Don Bolles still a mystery

How many journalists have been killed doing their jobs?

The year 2022 was a deadly one for members of the press, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. At least 67 journalists and media workers were killed during the year, the highest since 2018.

The increase was attributed to coverage of the war in the Ukraine and killings in Latin America. At least 41 of the journalists were killed in direct connection to their work.

Contributing: Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY Network-Florida; Matthew Reynolds, USA TODAY; Claire Cardona and Claire Ballor, Dallas Morning News; Michael Tarm, AP

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Dylan Lyons, Alison Parker, Bolles, German: Reporters killed on the job
Since the earliest days of statehood, politicians and voters in Hawaii have wrestled repeatedly with a fundamental question about education: Who should be in charge of  and ultimately accountable for  the quality of public schools?

Hawaii is the only state to have a single school district and no local school boards  a holdover from the plantation-era that places many major decisions about education in the hands of a state board made up of volunteers.

State task forces and panels convened in the 1960s and 1990s concluded that the centralized education system wasnt serving the states communities effectively. In the wake of those reports there have been numerous efforts to create local school boards, break up the state into smaller districts, and create new outlets to involve parents and community members in school decisions.

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Voters have approved changes to the structure of the Board of Education multiple times, switching from an appointed board to an elected board and back to an appointed board again  both times in an effort to bring more accountability to the state system.

The state has made strides in giving schools more autonomy and flexibility than they had in past decades, and some national experts say that Hawaiis governance model is actually far better than the disorganized local school board system that exists in other states.

Yet parents attending community meetings held by the state BOE this year have voiced the same complaints that parents leveled at a statewide committee investigating the education system in the early 1990s: they dont have enough of a say in the education system, and both the BOE and education department are too remote and unresponsive.

Our structure is rigid. Its overly centralized. Its overly top down. Its overly standardized, said Randy Roth, a retired law professor who served as Gov. Linda Lingles education advisor and helped found a public-education think tank in Hawaii in 2014. It has shamefully little transparency. And the way its structured its impossible to hold anyone accountable for what the kids are or are not learning.

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Failed Efforts At Reform

Nearly every governor to hold the office since the 1960s has pledged in one way or another to reform Hawaiis school system.

One major push was in the 1990s, after a task force led by then-Lt. Gov. Ben Cayetano concluded that the states centralized system distanced Hawaiis people from their schools, while simultaneously becoming less able to address the States educational needs.

The task force recommended, among other things, creating county-level boards of education and trying to shift more decision-making and accountability to the school level. The idea fizzled out after opposition from the state teachers union.

Former Gov. Linda Lingle advocated for numerous education reforms during her time in office, including creating multiple school districts in the state with elected school boards. (Cory Lum/Civil Beat)

Karen Knudsen, who served on Cayetanos task force and was a member of the BOE for two decades, says she disagreed with the idea of creating county-level boards  although she signed off on the report.

Increasing community input is important, but creating county boards of education is highly impractical in a small state like Hawaii, Knudsen said, because it would create too many layers of bureaucracy, and would lead to funding challenges and greater educational inequality in the state.

In the 2000s, then-Gov. Linda Lingle proposed breaking up the state into island districts, but those efforts also failed, as did efforts by the state House of Representatives to create a system of local school boards.

The biggest reforms came about in 2004, when state lawmakers passed Act 51, known better as the Reinventing Education Act. The law put into place the states current funding formula and tried to address local accountability by mandating that every school have a School Community Council  a group of administrators, parents, teachers and community members that have to sign off every year on a schools academic and financial plans.

A decade after the act passed, fewer than half of the states school councils were following guidelines and posting agendas and meeting minutes regularly online. Today, many schools make no mention of a council on their website, and the DOE no longer operates a central website for the public to look up SCC agendas or members.

Many schools struggle to get people to participate, said Cheri Nakamura, head of Hee Coalition, a group of Hawaii education advocates.

I just think that it hasnt really had a focus. And I think schools just kind of go through the motion, she said.

The last major legislative push to change the structure of the education system was more than a decade ago, though a few bills pop up every year.

Lawmakers this session have introduced multiple measures aimed at modifying the state Board of Education. A Republican-introduced proposal in the House to create local school boards died after facing opposition from the Hawaii State Teachers Association and the Democratic Party of Hawaii Education Caucus. Another proposal would add a teacher and school administrator as nonvoting members of the Board of Education.

Greater Accountability

Many of the debates about decentralizing Hawaiis school system have centered around the ability of schools to be adaptable and address the needs of their unique communities and move away from a top-down structure that critics say stifles experimentation.

A broader problem, education advocates say, is accountability.

I think schools do have a lot of flexibility actually, Nakamura said. But we dont have a very good accountability system.

Its hard to hold volunteer board members accountable for the education system  particularly when the BOE doesnt have control over state funding, Roth said.

You certainly cant hold the teachers accountable when they have so little control over what goes on in the classroom. You cant hold the principals accountable because theyre only enforcing what decisions have been made somewhere else, Roth said. And the closer you get to the center, the more you realize youre dealing with this faceless bureaucracy that defies accountability.

Hawaii Board of Education member Kili Namauu solicits input from the community at a strategic planning meeting at Ewa Makai Middle School earlier this year. (Viola Gaskell/Civil Beat)

In 2010, multiple former governors threw their weight behind a proposal to transition from an elected state education board to one appointed by the governor. The move, they said, would increase accountability because voters could hold the governor responsible for decisions made by the board  an idea that Knudsen argues is impractical.

Nobodys going to vote a governor out because schools arent doing well, Knudsen said.

Theres little conclusive research on whether an elected or appointed board is more effective, but Paula Cordeiro, a professor at the University of San Diego who studies parent involvement in education, says appointed boards tend to be more representative of the communities they serve, whereas elected board members tend to come from higher socioeconomic backgrounds and on the mainland at least, are therefore more likely to be white.

I really feel that an appointed board is better, Cordeiro said.

The switch, which voters narrowly approved at the polls, has led to a better structured board than some of the boards in the past, Nakamura said.

But its also led to cuts in the boards budget. Which in turn has resulted in fewer full board meetings being held on neighbor islands. Although the board holds more informal community meetings in different parts of the state throughout the year, they arent structured in a way to garner meaningful public input, Nakamura said.

Part of the challenge, Roth said, is that the board of education doesnt have any real way to hold the Department of Education accountable, because it is totally reliant on whatever the department tells it.

Our Board of Education really doesnt have the means to investigate and evaluate whats going on, Roth said.

Board members are volunteers, often with other busy careers. They have a minimal budget to work with, and so the BOE knows what the DOE tells it.

Even the most knowledgeable people in the world would have a very difficult time providing any sort of meaningful oversight, he said.

The answer to that isnt creating more boards, though, Nakamura contends. It is possible to govern and manage a large system effectively, Nakamura said. But its up to the department and the board to come up with a system design that can effectuate that.

We need to streamline the design of the entire system so that schools can focus on what is appropriate and effective for teaching and learning, she said.

Civil Beats education reporting is supported by a grant from Chamberlin Family Philanthropy.
A party at the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. (Alexander Nazaryan/Yahoo News)

WASHINGTON  Protesters stood at the gates of the Russian Embassy, jeering at anyone who walked through their throng and into the marble fortress, where on Thursday evening diplomatic officials marked Defender of the Fatherland Day, a national Russian holiday to celebrate the armed forces.

Shame on you, the protesters shouted, waving Ukrainian flags. For the last year, Ukrainian flags have also lined the surrounding blocks of Wisconsin Avenue, as have less-than-polite messages to Russian President Vladimir Putin, endlessly reminding the Russian diplomats inside that Moscows crimes will not be forgotten.

Thursdays holiday is supposed to mark the 1918 founding of the Red Army, which would go on to sacrifice nearly 9 million soldiers to defeat Hitler. But reverence for Soviet heroics in World War II has been thoroughly eclipsed by revulsion at last years unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, which started on the day after the Fatherland celebrations.

A group of Ukrainians living in the United States gather in front of the Russian Embassy in Washington on Thursday to protest the Russia-Ukraine war. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Putin=Hitler, read a placard hoisted by one of several dozen demonstrators. The sentiment is bracing, and controversial. At the very least, it is intended to keep anyone inside the embassy complex from believing that the spetsoperatsiya, or special military operation  as the Kremlin demands the Ukraine war be called  has been anything less than an atrocity.

For the demonstrators outside, anyone willing to celebrate that atrocity on Thursday evening would be shamed accordingly. What are you doing, standing there in the middle of Washington? the protesters called out to a military officer posted near the embassys entrance. They wondered why he wasnt at the front, where thousands of Russians have died  and where thousands of Ukrainians have been killed and displaced in the supposed name of pan-Slavic kinship.

There had been a huge rally in Moscow on Wednesday, with Putin urging national unity in the face of a determined Ukrainian resistance. When we are together, we have no equal, he told an estimated crowd of more than 70,000. Unremitting propaganda and deft economic moves have led many Russians to accept the war, whether they initially supported it or not.

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Thousands of miles from the Kremlin, solemn okhraniki, or security guards, watched the protests on Wisconsin Avenue without reaction. Back in Russia, protesters are easy enough to manage. In Washington it is another matter. Up the block a Secret Service patrol car idled, in case things got out of hand.

The embassy protest on Thursday. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

At least on Thursday evening the Russians did not have to contend with the presence of Yo-Yo Ma, the celebrated cellist who had gone to the embassy for an impromptu protest performance last spring.

Guests scurried in and out of the complex. If they ignored the protesters taunts, the protesters wondered if they had forgotten their Russian. It is, indeed, difficult to be a Russian diplomat in Washington these days.

Of course, living in a well-stocked Washington redoubt is not nearly as hard as being a Ukrainian now facing a second year of war, a war the Ukrainians never wanted, a war that may yet go on for years but that few outside the Kremlin seem to believe was truly necessary in the first place.

If there were such believers, they were inside the embassys great hall, outfitted with Soviet-era mosaics. A video screen played promotional Russian military videos, including ominous footage of a ballistic missile test launch.

On a nearby pedestal, posters displayed reproductions of letters that Russian children had written to soldiers at the front: drawings of fighter jets and helicopters, colorful depictions of sanctioned brutality. The display seemed cynical, dishonest, a forced show of patriotism by Russians far too young to understand what kind of country they would inherit. On one of those posters loomed a large Z, the wars controversial and enigmatic symbol.

A display at the Russian Embassy party. (Alexander Nazaryan/Yahoo News)

Diplomats from across the world dined on Russian delicacies, as Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov circulated around the room. Not a member of Putins inner circle, Antonov appears to be ingratiating himself with the Kremlin by regularly, and loudly, denouncing Western aid to Ukraine.

Guests sipped bourbon, wine and, of course, champagne. There was the traditional Russian spread, heavy on, well, just about everything that might do a body harm. If the mood was not exactly festive, nor was there the solemnity one might have expected in the midst of a conflict that at best has been a quagmire for Russia.

The profusion of military uniforms  Mexico, China, Guatemala, Congo, Pakistan, Mongolia, Belarus, Egypt  suggested that in many parts of the world Russia continues to enjoy some degree of support. Chinas seniormost diplomat, Wang Yi, just visited Russia, reaffirming the close ties between Beijing and Moscow. India has also stood by Putin, if not always enthusiastically.

Black-and-white images from World War II lined the room, in an obvious if unconvincing effort to tie the invasion of Ukraine to the fight against Hitler.

Same roots, a military attache told Yahoo News, standing before an image of Red Army soldiers in a trench. But the argument that Kyivs ruling regime is rife with Nazis has been transparently preposterous from the start, not least of all because Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, lionized as a modern-day Churchill, is Jewish.

One display was devoted to the battle of Stalingrad, the bloodiest in world history. Last month marked 80 years since German Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus surrendered his encircled Sixth Army to the Soviets. From there, Hitler would experience defeat after defeat, until the red Soviet flag was raised above Berlin.

A display at the embassy party commemorates the battle of Stalingrad. (Alexander Nazaryan/Yahoo News)

It is time to look back on the past where history falsification was nowhere to be found and everyone knew who saved the world from the Nazis, the accompanying text said.

But if anything, the invocations of true heroism  the defense of Leningrad, for example, in which this authors family participated  only underscored the vast divide between World War II and Putins disastrous spetsoperatsiya.

Other displays outlined the Russian case that it was Ukrainian Nazis who are committing war crimes, not Russians. There have been allegations against Ukrainian troops, but those pale in comparison to the war crimes Russian troops have reportedly committed against Ukrainian civilians.

So how much longer will all this go on?

Nobody knows, and many fear the most likely answer: much, much longer.

Top embassy official Anatolii Muntian told Yahoo News that in this weeks state of the nation address, Putin had promised victory. And so, naturally, victory is forthcoming. It was impossible to know whether this was the company line or Muntians conviction. Perhaps it no longer makes a difference.

A mural in the Russian Embassy during the party. (Alexander Nazaryan/Yahoo News)

Yet like many Russians, he seemed discomfitingly fatalistic about what the conflict could bring next. He blamed Zelensky for resisting peace talks.

If I only had a magic wand, Muntian said wistfully. Presumably, he would wish peace in Ukraine, only at the expense of territory the Kremlin had illegally annexed.

Asked what he thought of President Bidens speeches for Kyiv and Ohio, Muntian smiled cryptically. He didnt go to Ohio, he replied, mirroring conservative criticism that the Biden administration has been too slow in addressing the chemical spill in East Palestine.

Outside, the protests continued. Before dawn on Friday, protesters painted an enormous Ukrainian flag on Wisconsin Avenue.

Among them was Benjamin Wittes, the noted legal commentator. I want the Russians to know that it will never be comfortable to be a diplomat here as long as Russia is murdering Ukrainians, Wittes told Yahoo News.

He said the protests would continue.

An earlier version of this article incorrectly described protesters as climbing over the fence of the Russian embassy. They did not breach the compound.
Omaha Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh is filibustering bills to stop bans on abortion and transgender health care Senator Machaela Cavanaugh/Twitter

A Nebraska lawmaker promised to filibuster every bill introduced this session in order to block an abortion ban.

Dem. Senator Machaela Cavanaugh is also trying to stop a bill that would ban gender-affirming care for minors.

"This is how the session is gonna be  for every bill," Cavanaugh told KMTV.

A Democratic lawmaker in Nebraska on Thursday vowed to filibuster every bill the GOP-led legislature tried to pass to stop the state from passing bans on abortion and transgender health care.

"I want to annoy you. I want you to genuinely be frustrated to all get out with me," Senator Machaela Cavanaugh told the Nebraska legislature at a meeting Thursday night, local CBS News outlet KMTV reported.

At Thursday night's session, Cavanaugh was heard filibustering through Legislative Bill 147, KMTV reported, but she isn't stopping there.

She also has plans to delay two more controversial bills  LB 626, or a "heartbeat bill" which bans abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, and LB 574, which would ban gender-affirming health care for transgender teens and children, according to KMTV.

Cavanaugh told KMTV "her fellow senators forced her hand with their lack of collegiality."

She also promised "they would be hearing from her" on every bill being presented during this term.

"This body decided they wanted me to go on. I don't know what we want to call this. My vendetta? On behalf of trans kids? Because this is how the session is gonna be  for every bill," Cavanaugh said, KMTV reported.

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

In Nebraska, abortions are currently banned after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The new bill would require physicians to test for "steady and repetitive contractions" in order to figure out the gestational age.

If the activity is detected, abortion would be banned, except in cases of sexual assault, incest, or medical emergency, according to a release about the proposed bill.

LB 574, or the "Let Them Grow" act would ban doctors in the state from performing or referring anyone under the age of 19 for gender-affirming care, including surgical procedures, hormone treatment, and puberty blockers, according to a release about the proposed bill.

Any doctor who refers or performs these kinds of care would have their medical license reviewed and would let children  or their parents  sue the doctors within two years of the treatment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia speaks at an April 2022 press conference about banning members of Congress from trading stocks as fellow lawmakers look on. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images

Spanberger, a vocal proponent of a congressional stock trading ban, is asking for a hearing on it.

The Committee on House Administration previously held a hearing on the topic in April 2022.

But lawmakers never voted on stock trade ban legislation after a vote was abruptly pulled in September.

Aiming to "continue the momentum" of last year's push to ban members of Congress from trading stocks, Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia is asking the Committee on House Administration to hold a new hearing on the topic.

"We owe our constituents action," Spanberger wrote in a letter exclusively shared with Insider, asking for a hearing "with good governance experts to reexamine proposals banning Members of Congress, their spouses, and their dependent children from trading individual stocks while in office."

Her letter also references a report that dozens of lawmakers beat the stock market in 2022 despite an overall downturn, as well as the launch of two exchange-traded funds that mimic top lawmakers' stock trades.

Spanberger's bill, the TRUST in Congress Act, is co-sponsored by Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, one of the 20 House Republicans who initially did not support House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's bid. Roy now sits on the influential House Committee on Rules, which determines which legislation reaches the floor of the House.

Earlier this month, Spanberger and seven other House Democrats who've sponsored stock trade ban legislation sent a letter to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy urging him to "act on your promise" to ban the practice.

Insider's Conflicted Congress investigation identified several different instances of potential conflicts of interest arising from stock holdings by members of Congress, and found that dozens of lawmakers failed to disclose their stock trades in a timely fashion during the previous Congress. Furthermore, enforcement against violations of the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act is minimal.

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Momentum grew during the previous Congress for taking action on the issue, resulting in a previous hearing before the Committee on House Administration.

But the resulting legislation, hastily released months later, was written without the input of good government groups and the leading proponents in Congress, resulted in an aborted vote in September.

Now, reformers are holding out hope that McCarthy and the Republican-led committee will take up the issue.

Read the original article on Business Insider
House Democrats are up in arms after a GOP lawmaker suggested Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), the nations first Chinese American congresswoman, is disloyal to the United States.

Rep. Lance Gooden, a third-term Texas Republican, suggested this week that Chu should be denied access to sensitive classified materials  and investigated  after she defended Dominic Ng, President Bidens selection to lead U.S. trade interests in Asia, from accusations that Ng is working on behalf of communist leaders in Beijing.

I question her either loyalty or competence, Gooden told Fox News on Wednesday. If she doesnt realize whats going on then shes totally out of touch with one of her core constituencies.

Chu issued a statement Thursday calling Goodens remarks racist, and her Democratic allies in the House are now rushing to Chus defense and demanding an apology from Gooden.

At a time when anti-Asian hate continues to threaten communities, its critical that we condemn these racist and xenophobic attacks immediately and hold our fellow colleagues accountable to rid our politics of such dangerous statements and hatred, Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), head of the Democrats campaign arm, said Friday in a statement.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) also blasted Gooden, suggesting the Texas Republican was disloyal himself for siding with the majority of House Republicans who had voted in 2021 to overturn the presidential election results in favor of President Trump.

Lance Goodens slanderous accusation of disloyalty against Rep. Chu is dangerous, unconscionable and xenophobic, Jeffries said Thursday in a statement. Congressman Gooden appears to sympathize with violent insurrectionists and spreads big lies to the American people, having voted not to certify the election of President Joe Biden. Look in the mirror, Lance. You have zero credibility.

Gooden quickly responded by doubling down and accusing both Jeffries and Chu of disloyalty.

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Rather than following facts that indicate the presence of Chinese espionage, Chu and Jeffries are playing the race card in a sick display of disloyalty to our nation, Gooden said in an email.

The accusations are reminiscent of the Republicans charges against another Democratic lawmaker, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), whose association with a suspected Chinese spy in 2014 led Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to block Swalwell from serving on the Intelligence Committee this Congress.

The controversy swirling around Ng, a wealthy banker and Democratic donor whom Biden appointed last year to represent the U.S. on the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), began earlier this month when the Daily Caller News Foundation reported allegations that Ng was tied to a pair of front groups gathering intelligence for the Chinese Communist Party.

The report sparked an outcry from Gooden and other Republicans, who are demanding an FBI investigation into Ng and questioning the vetting process that preceded Bidens decision to appoint him to APEC. In a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray, the Republicans suggested Ng may have violated the Espionage Act.

The GOP letter prompted its own response from Democratic leaders of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, headed by Chu, who issued a statement last week defending Ng as a patriotic American being smeared by Republican profiling.

No Chinese Americans  indeed no Americans  should face suspicions of disloyalty or treason based on their ethnicity, nation of origin, or that of their family members, the Democrats said.

Aside from Chu, the statement was also endorsed by Reps. Grace Meng (N.Y.), Mark Takano (Calif.) and Ted Lieu (Calif.), the vice chairman of the Democratic Caucus.

That defense prompted Gooden to go after those Democrats during his Fox News appearance on Wednesday, when he characterized Chu as the ringleader who drug along the other three signatories.

Were standing up to communist China and these Democrats first reaction is to come to their defense and call us all racists, Gooden said. Im really disappointed and shocked that someone like Judy Chu would have a security clearance and be entitled to confidential intelligence briefings until this is figured out.

The tense back-and-forth comes as lawmakers in both parties are taking steps to limit the power and influence of Beijing around the world  an effort thats grown more urgent given Chinas ties to Russia and the mounting concerns that Beijing might expand its assistance to Moscow amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Updated at 11:54 a.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Californias large Republican electorate prefers Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to former President Donald Trump, according to a new poll that captures shifting conservative preferences ahead of a contested presidential primary.

The Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll released Friday suggests many conservatives are ready to move on from the former president and affirms that DeSantis would be the Republican most likely to draw voters from Trump. The tally also contains grim news for Vice President Kamala Harris as voters in the Democrat's home state remain tepid on her presidential prospects.

Republicans in California would choose DeSantis over Trump in a head-to-head presidential matchup by a resounding 17 points, according to the poll. That advantage shrinks in a Republican field featuring former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and other Republican contenders, but DeSantis still would enjoy a clear advantage over Trump in that scenario. He also has a higher favorability rating among Republicans than the former president.



Californias 5.2 million registered Republican voters could play an outsize role in the Republican presidential primary when they select a presidential candidate next March. The primary offers a prime moment of influence for voters who are often sidelined in the politics of the heavily Democratic state.

DeSantis will travel to California next week for a sold-out event at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley. After that talk, the governor is scheduled to headline a fundraiser for the Republican Party of Orange County. The county is a former Republican stronghold that has shifted purple in recent years and will host multiple frontline House races in 2024.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has relentlessly attacked DeSantis, using the Florida governor as a foil for California progressivism  a focus that underscores DeSantis' position at the center of national Republican politics.

Harris could face a tough path to the presidency if Biden does not seek another term. The poll found a majority of California voters are unenthusiastic about the notion of Harris running in 2024 should Biden bow out  an increasingly unlikely scenario, with First Lady Jill Biden telling the Associated Press on Friday that the president had "pretty much" decided to run again. The vice president showed more strength among Democratic voters, a majority of whom said they were enthusiastic about a possible Harris campaign.

Those California headwinds echo Harriss humbling 2020 campaign. After an ebullient campaign launch in Oakland, Harris slid behind non-Californian candidates in polls that indicated an inability to consolidate support in her home state. She dropped out before California voted.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, pictured at a Republican Jewish Coalition meeting in Las Vegas, leads former President Trump as the 2024 GOP presidential nominee pick of California Republican voters in a new poll. (Ronda Churchill / Bloomberg)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has surged to a lead among California Republicans over former President Trump for the party's 2024 presidential nomination, a poll released Friday found.

About 37% of GOP voters backed DeSantis, while 29% preferred Trump, according to the new UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times. These numbers are a near mirror image of the support for the two in an August poll conducted by Berkeley.

Other hopefuls trailed far behind, with none receiving more than 7% in the poll.

California matters to Republican presidential contenders despite its overall Democratic majority. Nearly 2.3 million voters cast ballots for Trump in the state's March 2020 primary, the most in any state in the nation.

DeSantis has taken a particularly strong lead among Republican voters with a college degree, who back him by more than 2 to 1 over Trump. The former president has the support of Republicans who did not attend college, and the two run close to even among those who have some college experience but not a four-year degree.

Among California Republicans who voted for Trump in 2020, DeSantis leads by 11 points in the new poll; he trailed Trump by 14 points among such voters six months ago.

There is serious defection among his ranks, said Mark DiCamillo, director of the IGS poll. These voters are now on board with DeSantis more than Trump. Thats fairly significant.

The poll results come just over a week before DeSantis is scheduled to visit Southern California, with speeches in Orange County and at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, spots where he will meet with well-heeled Republican donors and party leaders.

The survey also illuminated Californians complicated views about President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in a state where fellow Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly 2 to 1 among registered voters.

While Bidens approval ratings improved in recent months, with 57% of the states voters now praising his job performance, the same share of voters dont want the 80-year-old to run for reelection next year.

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Nearly 6 in 10 of those surveyed were not enthusiastic about Harris running for the White House if Biden decides not to seek another term, even with her roots in California. Harris grew up in the Bay Area and served as San Franciscos district attorney, the states attorney general and California's U.S. senator.

Usually, its the case that people in your own area are most positive about you, and people outside of your area learn more about you and eventually get on board. That hasnt been the case for Kamala, DiCamillo said. In fact, looking at  the enthusiasm [voters have for her running] for president, in the Bay Area, its less than it is in Los Angeles. Thats telling to me. Shes never had a real strong base of support in the Bay Area, and its true the entire two-year period of following her as vice president.

Regardless of those qualms, barring an unprecedented political shift, Californias 54 electoral votes will easily wind up in Democrats column in the November 2024 presidential election. Biden leads DeSantis by 23 points among the states voters in a hypothetical match-up and beats Trump by 30 points, according to the poll. In 2020, Biden bested Trump by 29% in California.

Former President Trump waves after an event Wednesday at the East Palestine Fire Department in East Palestine, Ohio, after a Feb. 3 train derailment. (Rebecca Droke / AFP/Getty Images)

The states 2024 presidential primary, which will occur next March, could be pivotal in deciding the Republican nomination. California will once again have the largest delegation at the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where the party will officially select its nominee.

In addition, the state is home to an enormous group of wealthy donors. In 2020, Trump and his supporting groups received more than $92 million from California donors, making the state the third-largest home of his financial backers, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The numbers are significant undercounts because they do not include contributions to political action committees or individual donations under $200.

This is one major reason why prominent Republicans, including former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley are among the White House hopefuls who have visited the state since the last presidential election.

Haley recently announced a 2024 presidential bid; Pence, Pompeo and others are believed to be eyeing a bid.

Along with Trump and DeSantis, Pence, Pompeo and Haley were among the 11 Republicans included in the potential presidential field in the Berkeley IGS poll.

DeSantis is scheduled to speak at the Reagan Library as well as at a fundraiser for the Orange County GOP on March 5. While its unclear whether he is raising money for committees supporting his electoral efforts, DeSantis will meet and mingle with major GOP donors at the events, which are taking place in citadels of wealthy and well-connected conservatives, according to sources familiar with his plans.

The polling shows why such regions may be essential to the DeSantis campaign if he runs. Republican voters who are more educated and wealthier are far more likely to support the Florida governor over Trump.

GOP college graduates backed DeSantis over Trump 39% to 21% in the poll, while Republicans with a postgraduate education preferred DeSantis over Trump nearly 3 to 1. By contrast, Republican voters with no more than a high school education preferred Trump over DeSantis 45% to 30%.

There were similar disparities among voters with different incomes, with GOP voters in wealthier California households being far more likely to support DeSantis than Trump.

White voters without a college education have long been Trump's strongest supporters, and his weakness among college-educated voters, which emerged during the 2016 election, helped Democrats win in former conservative bastions such as Orange County that year  the first time the county supported a Democrat for president since the Great Depression. That dynamic was evident in the 2018 midterm elections and the 2020 presidential contest.

The poll indicates that the college divide is splitting Republican ranks, echoing other surveys that have shown that division nationally.

That could benefit DeSantis in states such as California, in which college graduates make up a large share of the electorate. But it could boost Trump in other parts of the nation, including parts of the South and the Midwest, where non-college voters dominated Republican primaries.

Voters who stopped their education after high school or didnt receive their high school degree account for 18% of the Republican electorate in California but made up just over 1 in 3 GOP voters nationwide in 2020, according to the Pew Research Center.

DiCamillo said GOP voters who have a high school degree or didnt complete it have remained consistent in their support for Trump, which makes sense because they were the foundation of his base.

But the other segments are moving, he said. Thats the vulnerability Trump has this time around  at least in California.

The Berkeley IGS poll surveyed 7,512 California registered voters online in English and Spanish, including a weighted sample of 1,755 registered Republicans, from Feb. 14 to 20. Because the survey results are weighted to match census and voter registration benchmarks, precise estimates of the margin of error are difficult; however, the results are estimated to have a margin of error of 2 percentage points in either direction for the full sample and 3.5 percentage points for the Republican sample.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A female rapper, who was half of the duo called Deuces Wild, was sentenced in federal court in Detroit to more than four years in prison for her role in the filing of 122 phony income tax returns that attempted to steal more than $27 million in state and federal refund cash.

Sameerah Marrell, 42, formerly of Detroit, pleaded guilty on Jan. 11 to mail fraud, wire fraud and committing an offense on bond. She had been arrested in Tennessee in early December after living as a fugitive for more than a month, according to earlier news media reports.

The elaborate tax scheme ran from 2014 through April 2022, according to court records.

Marrell was also known as Sameerah Anderson, Sameerah Pickett, Creme, and Loren Boyd.

The IRS and the six states  Minnesota, Georgia, Maryland, Arizona, Connecticut, and Colorado  paid out about $8.5 million combined before the fraud involving Marrell and her accomplices was discovered.

U.S. District Court Judge Linda Parker in Detroit also ordered the defendant to serve three years on supervised release after her release from federal custody and pay the remaining restitution owed totaling more than $7.98 million.

The amount owed in restitution was reduced by money, cars and jewelry seized by the federal government and the states from Marrell during the investigation.

As part of the scheme, the tax returns falsely claimed that IRS and the state tax agencies had withheld large amounts of income tax from the trusts that purportedly filed the returns.

But the IRS and the states withheld nothing from these trusts, according to the government.

Marrell and her accomplices were entitled to no refund of any kind, according to the news release issued Friday.

Charles Miller, Acting Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation, Detroit Field Office, said in a statement that the IRS and the U.S. Attorneys Office will continue an "aggressive pursuit of those who use fraudulent methods in an attempt to corrupt our nation's tax system."

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Honest taxpayers, Miller said, have been reassured that no one is above the law.

More:What to know about the 2023 tax credit for clean vehicles if you're car shopping

More:How inflation and taxes hit giant profit-sharing checks for autoworkers

U.S. Attorney Dawn Isons office said Marrell continued to file false claims even after she was arrested.

"Even while Marrell was on bond, she continued to execute her scheme to defraud," the news release stated.

The IRS paid out more than $5.5 million and the state agencies paid out more than $2.97 million based on the scheme, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Contact Susan Tompor: stompor@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @tompor. To subscribe, please go to freep.com/specialoffer.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit rapper sentenced for role in filing 122 phony tax returns
Ctrl: Z. Russian Voices, a documentary that examines the impact of the Ukraine war on the everyday lives of people in a small Russian town, has sold to broadcasters across Europe, including Franco-German channel Arte, TV 3 in Spain and CNN in Portugal.

Distributed internationally by Paris-based Java Films, the documentary was filmed in the small Russian town where director Natacha Rostova, using a pseudonym, grew up. It examines the lasting effects the ongoing conflict is having on the lives of ordinary people, families and couples. While some are silenced, often too afraid to speak out, others have become fervent opponents of the war.

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Swiss public broadcaster RTS and RTBF in Belgium have also acquired the documentary.

The project has been through many changes, according to Java Films. In its original form, the risks to the director and the contributors of producing this film in Russia were too great. The contributors identities have been obscured for their own protection, and the director is using a pseudonym.

Ctrl: Z. Russian Voices is the first production from Geneva-based Bizarre Productions, the new company launched by Gaspard Lamuniere, who previously served as commissioning editor at Swiss public broadcaster RTS.

For a producer, the project Russian Voices was a gift, Lamuniere said. Bringing testimonies from soldiers and their relatives outside of the country was an incredible opportunity for Natacha Rostovas project. At only 24, she was brave enough to shoot her film undercover, gaining trust from her characters.

The documentary is among a large number of hard-hitting and hot-selling titles from Java Films that center on some of the worlds most critical geopolitical flashpoints.

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The company has been seeking more flexible content, with multiple lengths, according to Rebecca Nicholls, Javas London-based sales and acquisitions manager. The distributor has found that bingeable series are often preferred by platforms, whereas 52-minute single docs are still essential for broadcasters with limited slots. The recent buyers of Ctrl: Z. Russian Voices are also broadcasting a 52-minute version.

Nicholls also points to its recent hit Cryptoqueen  The OneCoin Scam, which chronicles the story of the fake cryptocurrency and its charismatic founder, Ruja Ignatova, who stole up to $15 billion from trusting investors.

Produced by Emmy Award-winning production company A&O Buero, the documentary was launched at Mipcom, and is screening at the European Film Market in Berlin this week. The production is available as a 90 minute feature doc, a four-part series or as a TV hour.

Interest has been split equally between the film version and the series version, Nicholls added. The series version was broadcast on Arte and sold to YLE Finland and VGTV in Norway, whereas the film version sold to UR in Sweden and Channel 8 in Israel, with more deals close to signature.

Weve been pursuing this strategy for some time now, Nicholls said. It started with Sweatshop  Deadly Fashion by Hacienda Film, which was a hugely successful web series. We took it on as a series, but Hacienda also repurposed the content into a 52-minute single documentary. The film was picked up by traditional broadcasters like WDR and VRT.

Meanwhile the series version meant that we also had a great offer for aggregators and platforms. Now, with an increasing focus on AVOD, flexible content is more valuable than ever.

Multiple formats have another benefit: the content can easily be updated. Cryptoqueen director Johan von Mirbach is already planning to film more episodes as more information on the case comes to light.

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The Department of Justice (DOJ) is accusing Google of routinely destroying internal messaging chat histories, which the company is required to preserve under federal rules for an antitrust lawsuit. Google is grappling with not just one, but a couple of antitrust lawsuits filed by the DOJ and groups of states. This particular case pertains to the lawsuit the department filed back in 2020 for "unlawfully maintaining monopolies" around search and search-related advertising.

In the DOJ's filing, it said company employees typically used their internal chatroom, which was set to delete history every 24 hours, to discuss "substantive and sensitive business." Apparently, the agency expected Google to change its chat history setting in 2019 when the company "reasonably anticipated [the] litigation," but it left the decision to individual employees. Only a few people deemed their chat histories relevant to the case and preserved theirs for the court, and Google continued deleting most people's chats even after the lawsuit was filed.

Despite that, Google reportedly told the government that it had already "put a legal hold in place" to suspend auto-deletion on its chat tool. The DOJ alleges that the company's claim was a lie and that it only truly stopped deleting chat histories this week after it was warned that the agency would file a motion for sanctions. It's now asking the court to rule that Google had violated a federal rule and to order a hearing that would determine how the company would be sanctioned. The DOJ also wants the court to order Google to provide more information about its chat practices.

Google, however, denies the DOJ's allegations. A spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal: "Our teams have conscientiously worked for years to respond to inquiries and litigation. In fact, we have produced over 4 million documents in this case alone, and millions more to regulators around the world."
Police are investigating a domestic-violence related stabbing that left one person dead in east Charlotte Friday morning.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers responded to a domestic violence with a deadly weapon call on Perth Court near the intersection of The Plaza and Milton Road Friday at about 5:30 a.m. Paramedics pronounced the victim, who had multiple stab wounds, dead.

Officers left the scene with one suspect in custody, and detectives were interviewing witnesses, according to a CMPD press release.

People who feel they are in danger or experiencing domestic violence can use several national or local resources:

The National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached by calling 800-799-7233 or texting START to 88788 at any time.

The Greater Charlotte Hope Line, a local 24-hour hotline for domestic violence or sexual assault, parenting support, and domestic violence shelter, can be reached at 980-771-4673.

Mecklenburg County Community Support Services, which provides counseling for adults or children who are experiencing or have witnessed domestic violence, can be reached at 704-336-3210.

Mecklenburg Countys survivor resource center, located in Suite 530 of the Children & Family Services Center Building in Uptown Charlotte, offers short-term help with navigating resources.

Police are asking anyone with information to call 704-432-TIPS and speak directly to a Homicide Unit detective. They can also leave information anonymously by contacting Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600 or http://charlottecrimestoppers.com/.
Donald Trump Jr. and Kyle Rittenhouse kicked off with a baseless claim on the Trump scions Triggered podcast on Thursday.

Rittenhouse in 2021 was found not guilty of homicide after killing two unarmed racial justice protesters in Wisconsin in 2020. He argued self-defense.

Talking with Trump, Rittenhouse said the case had been scary because, without offering any evidence, hed been up against these George Soros-funded prosecutors.

Was that what was going on? asked the eldest son of former President Donald Trump. Were these guys getting some sort of backhanded donations?

I guarantee it, Rittenhouse confidently responded.

Then he immediately backtracked, saying: I dont know for sure, I dont know for 100% fact. But I guaran Im sure of it.

Watch the clip here:

Kyle Rittenhouse tells Don Jr that he thinks George Soros was behind him being prosecuted. pic.twitter.com/deH00t5Yx5  Ron Filipkowski  (@RonFilipkowski) February 23, 2023

Billionaire philanthropist Soros is the frequent target of antisemitic conspiracy theories claiming, among other things, that he funded the wave of racial justice protests in 2020.

Trump has long been a fan of Rittenhouse, who since his acquittal has met with ex-President Trump and the GOP House caucus.

The Trump Organization businessman-turned-podcast host also encouraged followers to sign a card of support to send to Rittenhouse, alongside an AR-15 rifle, and shared online an edited image of his father awarding a medal to him.

Related...
A study released this week by lease accounting software company Visual Lease found that 70% of the senior real estate executives polled say their clients are looking for more office space as a part of their real estate strategy for 2023.

Whether the study represents wishful thinking or a finger on the pulse of something few can touch right now, that optimism flies in the face of the conventional fear that empty commercial office spaces havent come close to seeing the bottom yet.

According to new data from real estate giant Cushman & Wakefield plc, which has 400 offices in 60 countries, vacant office space throughout the U.S. is projected to grow to 1.1 billion square feet by the end of this decade. Those numbers were up 688 million square feet from pre-pandemic numbers when remote work became the norm.

The Visual Lease survey, conducted by Wakefield Research, sees things differently. Visual Lease CEO Robert Michlewicz attributes that to mid-sized businesses that instead of ordering remote employees to come back to the office are opening new extended offices to bring the company to them.

As an example, financial services companies are a fast-growing sector in lease portfolios, and theyre looking for more opportunities to lease satellite locations to maintain business continuity, he said. Many companies have moved to a hybrid or remote-first plan that requires fewer people coming to their hubs and less of a need for square footage at prime locations.

Meanwhile, according to The Wall Street Journal and data from Trepp, companies are not only trying to figure out what to do with empty office space but also struggling to pay for it. The data shows the delinquency rate on office loans increased by a quarter percentage point to 1.83% last month. Its the largest increase since December 2021. One of the issues may be that companies behind on their office loans are reeling from the fact that they dont even know what theyre paying for.

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The most jarring number from the Visual Lease survey was that 71% of private companies dont know how much their office leases cost their businesses. Michlewicz believes that recent accounting mandates and the ability to hire companies like his to manage property leases will positively change that statistic. He says the issuance of global lease accounting standards, IAS 16 and ASU 842, which took effect in 2019, brought lease portfolios to the balance sheet.

Lease awareness and remote office space or not, many larger companies have given up on bringing their employees back to the home office. For example, Papa Johns International Inc. announced this month that it would be dumping its 140,000-square-foot Louisville, Kentucky, corporate headquarters. The company told employees they will still continue to work in the city, just not at that office.

Papa Johns spokesperson Harrison Sheffield told the Courier-Journal, "Since returning to the office, we have, like other companies, been engaging with team members to figure out what is this new normal that some of us are still building and what works best for team members to support their particular functions. ... And a physical location has a role to play.

Visual Leases Michlewicz says these types of office space changes have been coming for a while. The ground has been shifting under their feet for a few years as companies try and get a sense of what their office space needs will be. Theyre looking for more flexibility than theyve had before, including demanding shorter-term leases.

Looking for a way to boost returns? Benzingas Real Estate Offering Screener has the latest private market investments with offerings available for both accredited and non-accredited investors.

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This article Don't Want To Go Back To The Office? Some Companies May Be Bringing The Office To You originally appeared on Benzinga.com

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(Reuters) - Dozens of people were detained by police in Russia on Friday for actions to commemorate the first anniversary of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, in some cases just for placing flowers, a human rights group said on Friday.

Russian authorities have remained largely silent during the anniversary, which Ukraine has observed with a ceremony to remember soldiers and civilians who have been killed.

In Moscow, at least three people laying flowers on a monument to prominent Ukrainian poet Lesya Ukrainka were quickly detained by police officers, rights centre OVD-Info said.

"One of them was laying flowers at the monument, but at the same moment she was grabbed by the security forces and the bouquet was taken away," it said.

At least 15 people were detained laying flowers at a monument to Ukrainian writer Taras Shevchenko in St Petersburg, it added.

Last year, police detained more than 4,300 people at Russia-wide protests against the invasion, according to OVD-Info.

Russia has introduced tough new laws providing for fines or jail sentences for those who discredit its army or criticise the war, which it calls a "special military operation".

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Caleb Davis; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
For the first time since 2019, the State of Florida has executed a man. Donald Dillbeck died after two decades of sitting on death row at 6:13 p.m. Thursday after receiving a lethal injection.

RELATED: Florida executes Donald Dillbeck; first inmate to die since 2019

In 1990, he stabbed a woman 20 times in a mall parking lot after escaping from a prison work release assignment. He also murdered a deputy in 1979.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the death warrant for Dillbeck last month.

The family members of Faye Vann, the woman stabbed to death in 1990, provided a written statement to Action News Jax saying, 11,932 days ago, Donald Dillbeck brutally killed our mother. We were robbed of years of memories with her, and it has been very painful ever since.

Several reports are saying Dillbecks last words were, I know I hurt people when I was young. I really messed up, before throwing remarks at the Governor.

STORY: Oceanway community members voice concerns about proposed Chick-Fil-A at local town hall

Dozens rallied against the death penalty during the execution process, one of which was Herman Lindsey, who was the 23rd Florida inmate to be exonerated while on death row.

If you ask 100 people which one you [would] rather have, life in prison or die, most people would say, Id rather die than spend time in prison, Lindsey told Action News Jaxs Ben Ryan.

STORY: Jax Parks offering spring break camp for elementary and middle school children

Others who came out believe this was the right consequence for Dillbeck to face. They told Action News Jax off camera that they made sure to be here for the victims families, adding that this was justice for the brutal murders of Vann and Deputy Hall.

Dillbecks execution marks the 100th in Florida since 1976. Prior to Thursday, the Florida Department of Corrections listed 299 people on death row. Out of that number, 38 are from Duval County, 5 are from St. Johns County and 7 are from Clay County.

STAY UPDATED: Download the Action News Jax app for live updates on breaking stories
Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (ETR:FME) came out with its full-year results last week, and we wanted to see how the business is performing and what industry forecasters think of the company following this report. Revenues of 19b were in line with forecasts, although statutory earnings per share (EPS) came in below expectations at 2.30, missing estimates by 4.6%. This is an important time for investors, as they can track a company's performance in its report, look at what experts are forecasting for next year, and see if there has been any change to expectations for the business. With this in mind, we've gathered the latest statutory forecasts to see what the analysts are expecting for next year.

Check out our latest analysis for Fresenius Medical Care KGaA

Taking into account the latest results, the most recent consensus for Fresenius Medical Care KGaA from 16 analysts is for revenues of 19.8b in 2023 which, if met, would be a credible 2.0% increase on its sales over the past 12 months. Statutory per share are forecast to be 2.27, approximately in line with the last 12 months. In the lead-up to this report, the analysts had been modelling revenues of 20.1b and earnings per share (EPS) of 2.49 in 2023. The analysts seem to have become a little more negative on the business after the latest results, given the minor downgrade to their earnings per share numbers for next year.

It might be a surprise to learn that the consensus price target was broadly unchanged at 32.79, with the analysts clearly implying that the forecast decline in earnings is not expected to have much of an impact on valuation. That's not the only conclusion we can draw from this data however, as some investors also like to consider the spread in estimates when evaluating analyst price targets. There are some variant perceptions on Fresenius Medical Care KGaA, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at 67.00 and the most bearish at 17.40 per share. As you can see the range of estimates is wide, with the lowest valuation coming in at less than half the most bullish estimate, suggesting there are some strongly diverging views on how analysts think this business will perform. As a result it might not be a great idea to make decisions based on the consensus price target, which is after all just an average of this wide range of estimates.

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One way to get more context on these forecasts is to look at how they compare to both past performance, and how other companies in the same industry are performing. The period to the end of 2023 brings more of the same, according to the analysts, with revenue forecast to display 2.0% growth on an annualised basis. That is in line with its 2.0% annual growth over the past five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in a similar industry are forecast to see their revenues grow 4.2% per year. So it's pretty clear that Fresenius Medical Care KGaA is expected to grow slower than similar companies in the same industry.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing to take away is that the analysts downgraded their earnings per share estimates, showing that there has been a clear decline in sentiment following these results. Fortunately, the analysts also reconfirmed their revenue estimates, suggesting sales are tracking in line with expectations - although our data does suggest that Fresenius Medical Care KGaA's revenues are expected to perform worse than the wider industry. The consensus price target held steady at 32.79, with the latest estimates not enough to have an impact on their price targets.

With that in mind, we wouldn't be too quick to come to a conclusion on Fresenius Medical Care KGaA. Long-term earnings power is much more important than next year's profits. We have forecasts for Fresenius Medical Care KGaA going out to 2025, and you can see them free on our platform here.

And what about risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Fresenius Medical Care KGaA you should know about.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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Researchers are still discovering more about the Earth's center. A team at Australian National University (ANU) has found evidence of a new layer to the planet sitting within the inner core. This "innermost inner core" is an iron-nickel alloy ball that, as professor Hrvoje Tkalcic explains, is a "fossilized record" of Earth's ancient history. Until now, science had only recognized four layers (crust, mantle, outer core and inner core).

The scientists found the 'hidden' core by studying seismic waves that traveled back and forth across the Earth's entire diameter up to five times  previous studies only looked at single bounces. The earthquake waves probed places near the center at angles that suggested a different crystalline structure inside the innermost layer. Effectively, the alloy is skewing the travel times for the waves as they pass through.

The findings open up new ways to investigate the inner core, according to lead author Thanh-Son Pham. ANU also believes the innermost inner core hints at a major event in Earth's past that had a "significant" impact on the planet's heart. As researchers explain to The Washington Post, it could also help explain the formation of the Earth's magnetic field. The field plays a major role in supporting life as it shields the Earth from harmful radiation and keeps water from drifting into space.

Those insights may help with studies of other worlds. Mars is believed to be a barren planet because it lost its magnetic field roughly four billion years ago, leaving no protection against solar winds and dust storms that carried away the atmosphere and oceans. Exoplanet hunters, meanwhile, could use the knowledge to search for habitable worlds. The presence of an Earth-like core structure isn't guaranteed to indicate survivability, but may play a role in narrowing down candidate planets.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources estimate more than 43,000 animals have died in and around East Palestine roughly three weeks after the train derailment.

Agency Director Mary Mertz said Thursday that officers have been on site every day since the Feb. 3 derailment of a Norfolk Southern train carrying toxic chemicals and believe all the fish killed as a result of the incident died immediately.

Officials estimated 38,222 minnows and around 5,550 other species  such as other fish, crayfish and amphibians  were killed during the derailment. The deaths occurred in a five-mile span within the impact area.

None of the species killed are threatened or endangered, Mertz said.

"Because the chemicals were contained, we haven't seen any additional signs of aquatic life suffering," she said.

NTSB: Ohio train derailment happened moments after crew warned of axle overheating

Politics: White House blames Trump administration and Republicans over East Palestine, Ohio spill

An employee of HEPACO works in a creek along Sumner Street in downtown East Palestine, Ohio, on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023.

The ODNR held a virtual news conference Thursday morning to discuss the impact on wildlife of the derailment and chemical burn of vinyl chloride to prevent a potential explosion.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has identified four other substances that leaked into the air, water and soil during the derailment: butyl acrylate, ethylhexyl acrylate, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether and isobutylene.

Feb 21, 2023; East Palestine, Ohio, USA; Workers pump water into a creek that runs through East Palestine. Mandatory Credit: Brooke LaValley/Columbus Dispatch

Other reports of animals dying after East Palestine train derailment

There have been anecdotal reports of animals in and around East Palestine becoming sick or dying. Murray & Murray, a Sandusky-based law firm, filed a lawsuit against Norfolk Southern that claims animals and fish are dying as far as 20 miles away from the derailment site.

A West Virginia University student who took videos of waterways in East Palestine told Cleveland 19 News he found tens of thousands of dead fish and frogs in the water.

Mertz said ODNR hasn't seen an impact on species that feed on or interact with the ones killed. The agency received reports of three dead birds and an opossum in the area and sent the animals to the Ohio Department of Agriculture for testing, which found no evidence of chemical poisoning.

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"We have no reason to believe that those terrestrial animal deaths were as a result of the spill," she said.

Voices: Toxins don't play politics. After derailment, East Palestine deserves answers, not games.

A majority of the dead fish have been removed from the waterways.

ODNR will continue to monitor the environmental impact during cleanup. There is no time estimate for how long it will take for the ecological system to recover.

ODNR map by Rick Armon on Scribd

How did ODNR calculate aquatic deaths in East Palestine?

Mertz said ODNR officers arrived in East Palestine the morning after the derailment to survey the waterways to determine the impact on aquatic life. The Ohio EPA advised ODNR personnel that it was too dangerous to enter the water without specialized equipment. In response, ODNR consulted with Enviroscience, an environmental consulting firm that was already on site working to contain the spill.

Enviroscience used ODNR's standards to survey the water for dead aquatic species. They established four collection stations and gathered data on Feb. 6 and 7.

Officials previously said they found roughly 3,500 dead fish in local waterways, including 12 different species. Mertz said this estimate was based on visual observations, and the confirmed sample was 2,938 aquatic species, which was slightly smaller than the initial estimate.

Wildlife investigators at ODNR then applied a science-based calculation to the sample number to determine the total number of dead aquatic species.

What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day.

Follow reporter Paige Bennett on Twitter @paigembenn.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment killed 43,000 animals, fish
workers in respirators putting plastic booms into stream



HEPACO workers place booms to contain the spilled chemicals in a stream in East Palestine, Ohio in the aftermath of a disasterous Norfolk Southern train derailment.

People in East Palestine, Ohio are still struggling with uncertainty and fear for their health and community in the aftermath of the disastrous derailment of a train carrying hazardous chemicals on February 6. This week, the extreme impacts of that spill on local wildlife became clearer.



An estimated 43,785 aquatic animals died as a result of the train derailment, Ohios Department of Natural Resources said in a Thursday statement and recorded press conference.

Read more

The agency came to that number through sampling and surveying dead wildlife in the immediate aftermath of the chemical release. Officials collected 2,936 deceased animals at four sites along the impacted waterways, and then used standard calculations to extrapolate the number of wildlife deaths along the entire 7.5-mile-long area affected by the spill.

They concluded that about 38,222 small fish or minnows were killed, along with between 5,500 and 5,550 other aquatic organisms like crayfish, newts, frogs, snails, and insects. The agency believes that all of these animals were killed immediately following the spill and that wildlife in the affected streams are not still suffering from chemical impacts.

Initially, ODNR reported finding approximately 3,500 dead animals, based on visual observation of their sampling sites. However, the agency noted the actual amount of wildlife collected was less than this numberthough the calculated estimate is greater than 10 times higher.

Some residents of East Palestine reported pets like chickens, cats, and dogs falling ill or even dying after the derailment and subsequent controlled chemical burn. ODNR received many pet-related questions during its Thursday press conference but noted that it couldnt offer any information about non-wildlife animals. Instead, an agency official instructed people to consult with their veterinarians.

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The derailment occurred right next to a small creek called Sulphur Run, which flows into Leslie Run, which in turn meets up with Bull Creek and flows into Little Beaver Creek, eventually reaching the Ohio River. Officials noted that the primary affected area included parts of Sulphur Run, Bull Creek, and Little Beaver Creek, and the entire stretch of Leslie Run.

Highlighted version of Google Maps screenshot



An approximate map of the waterways wherein ODNR estimated more than 43,000 animals died as a result of the chemical spill. The red pin denotes the location of the train derailment. The yellow highlighted stream is a portion of Sulfur Run. The green highlighted creek is Leslie Run. The pink highlight is the confluence of Leslie Run, Bull Run, and Little Beaver Creek.

ODNR said is it has had officials monitoring all of those impacted waterways every day since the spill and will continue to keep tabs on the streams. We havent seen any additional signs of aquatic life suffering, said agency director Mary Mertz in the press conference. In fact, we have seen live fish already returned to Leslie Run, she added. A few videos posted to the agencys Flickr page illustrate that return of life, showing minnows and crayfish below the surface of the shallow stream.



Out of an abundance of caution and to minimize possible harm up the food chain, the agency said it disposed of all of the collected poisoned wildlife. ODNR personnel also removed additional dead fish from the impacted waterways that werent part of the sampling calculations, to prevent other animals from eating the carcasses.

The department said it doesnt believe any terrestrial wildlife was directly harmed by the train derailment and chemical spill. The agency did collect three dead birds and one dead opossum after the animals were reported to ODNR. Examination and testing of those animals by the Ohio Department of Agriculture found no evidence of chemical poisoning, said Mertz in the press conference.

The agency also reported that it found no evidence of wildlife harm farther downstream of the creeks immediately near the Norfolk Southern train tracks and derailment site. The Ohio River, the officials said, seems unimpacted. Asked if people can safely eat fish caught in the larger waterway, Mertz responded absolutely.

In a bit of silver lining, ODNR said that none of the collected dead animals included any endangered or threatened species. Though a hellbender restoration site is downstream of the immediate impacted area, Mertz reported that the endangered giant salamanders appear to be doing just fine so far through additional monitoring is necessary to ensure the rare animals safety.

Ultimately, Mertz noted that fish kills from chemical spills and other causes are not uncommon in Ohio. They happen every year, many smaller and some on the same scale as this disaster, she explained. This is probably not the largest fish kill Ohio has experienced, Mertz said.

The ODNR director and her colleagues in the press conference all expressed expectations that the affected streams and wildlife populations to bounce back. Ecosystem restoration is not instantaneous... we know it wont be quick, Mertz said. But, we do expect a full recovery eventually, and were going to keep sharp eyes on it.

In the interim, Norfolk Southern will have to pay for the environmental damage it caused. ODNRs estimate of dead wildlife will be used to inform the amount of restitution the rail company is forced to provide. That payout will also cover the cost of staffing and monitoring involved in the natural resources investigation. Mertz said that her agency will also be asking the Ohio Attorney General to review the potential for criminal penalties.

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LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho at Compton Avenue Elementary School STEAM Academy on Feb. 3. Carvalho is entering his second year leading the district, with mixed reviews. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Alberto Carvalho blazed in from Florida last year with sunny optimism and bold plans to boost student performance and reverse declining enrollment in the Los Angeles Unified School District even as families were still reeling from the pandemic. His accomplishments and long tenure in leadership at Miami-Dade County Public Schools made him seem like the perfect candidate to lead the nation's second-largest school district.

Now, Carvalho begins his second year as LAUSD superintendent with mixed reviews for his administrative stumbles, sometimes showy appearances and social media presence. And though supporters and critics say one year is not enough time to fairly assess his progress, he should learn lessons from the first year if hes to fulfill his promises.

Carvalho met with the editorial board earlier this month to discuss his first year and his goals for the coming year. He is still as optimistic and energetic as he was when he arrived. Good. With the honeymoon period over, Carvalho will need that for the hard work ahead getting administrators, teachers, parents and students on board to reach common goals. He didnt always get this right the first year, but his missteps offer lessons for him to do better.

Case in point is the rollout of the Acceleration Days program designed to help students recover from learning loss due to school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program started out weak because Carvalho failed early on to communicate with parents and teachers about the details of the plan to add four extra days to the school year.

Not surprisingly, only 36,486 students attended the two extra school days during winter break, representing less than 9% of the districts 422,276 students. Carvalho promises that the second round of acceleration days during spring break will be better attended because district officials are trying to identify students who should be in the program earlier in the process. Additionally, the district plans to contract with tutoring companies to offer students more individualized attention. We hope so. Students, especially those who are low-income, show steep declines in math and reading achievement, according to national and state proficiency test results released last fall.

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Carvalhos willingness to adjust his plans is important. He handled two major emergencies in the last year with aplomb, even if the results were not perfect. A cyberattack discovered in the fall substantially disrupted district operations for at least a couple of weeks. Details about the data that were compromised are still being uncovered to this day , though swift work by technicians averted further harm. And after several overdoses and the fentanyl-related death of a 15-year-old student in September, Carvalho authorized every school in the district to stock naloxone, a medication that counteracts opioid overdoses.

He also deserves credit for working with the school board to develop the district's first four-year strategic plan , which aims to elevate academic achievement, especially for students who are disabled, learning English, low-income, in foster care, and Latino and Black.

One of his most important tasks is improving academic achievement at the 100 schools that have the highest number of low-income and low-performing students. Carvalho, who often mentions that he lived under a bridge when he was homeless as a teenager, has a soft spot for underprivileged students. Reaching out to these students with personal home visits has become Carvalhos hallmark in implementing the districts iAttend program designed to address the district's chronic absenteeism, which reached 39.8% in the last school year, compared with 30% statewide.

His experiences as a former teacher and an immigrant from Portugal help him understand that a holistic approach is necessary when it comes to helping struggling students. The outreach efforts seem more promising than his Born to Learn campaign to recruit newborns in maternity wards. Handing out care packages to babies at hospitals is a good photo op but will do nothing to alleviate the more pressing needs of current students.

Carvalho is ambitious, and that's a good thing for the leader of this challenging school district. But he should remember that steering the ship is not the only task required to get moving in the right direction. Late last year, he announced that the district would be using artificial intelligence to create acceleration plans for every student, based on data such as math and English proficiency and attendance. These individual reports would create recommended learning strategies that could be powerful tools to help guide students. The program is still in trial mode, and its success this coming year could be the real test of whether he offers more than big ideas and can listen and communicate effectively with teachers and parents.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The 16-year-old boy arrested in connection with the Cielo Vista Mall shooting earlier this month is facing murder and aggravated assault charges, officials said.

The teen, whose name has not been released, was referred to the El Paso County Juvenile Probation Department in connection with a murder charge and three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, El Paso Police Department officials said.

El Paso police investigate a shooting the evening of Feb. 15 at the food court inside Cielo Vista Mall.

The boy was with a group of people when they got into an argument with another group at about 5 p.m. Feb. 15, near the food court at the mall, police officials said.

The argument escalated into a physical fight during which the 16-year-old suspect pulled out a gun and fatally shot Angeles Zaragoza, 17, who was with the other group, officials said. Another 17-year-old boy, whose name was not released, in the group with Zaragoza was shot and seriously wounded, officials said.

Zaragoza's group included the injured 17-year-old, along with a 17-year-old girl, a 16-year-old boy, a 14-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl. The suspect's group included a 20-year-old man, a 17-year-old boy and a 15-year-old boy.

The 20-year-old man, who was in the group with the alleged shooter, also was shot.

More:El Paso shoppers tell of terror as shots rang out at Cielo Vista Mall

The suspect then ran away from the scene of the shooting. As he ran away, the suspect allegedly pointed his gun toward the direction of bystanders, including a 32-year-old man, officials said.

The 32-year-old bystander pulled out his gun as the suspect ran toward him and other bystanders and shot the suspect, police said. Police identified the bystander as being licensed to carry a firearm.

The El Paso Times is not identifying the bystander since he has not been charged with a crime.

The bystander then rendered aid to the suspect and the others who were injured in the shooting, police said. An off-duty El Paso Police Department officer, who was working security at the mall, arrived at the area of the shooting and helped the bystander render aid, police said.

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This is the fourth murder of 2023 as compared with two at this time last year, police said.

Aaron Martinez may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com or on Twitter @AMartinezEPT.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso teen arrested in Cielo Vista Mall shooting charged with murder
Police officers in riot gear guarding the arrival of inmates belonging to the MS-13 and 18 gangs to El Salvador's new prison "Terrorist Confinement Centre" - AFP

Prisoners have begun arriving at El Salvador's new Terrorism Confinement Centre, thought to be the largest megaprison in the Americas, in the latest step in a controversial crackdown on crime that has caused the prison population to soar.

Photographs show police officers in riot gear guarding the arrival of inmates belonging to the MS-13 and 18 gangs to the sprawling prison in Tecoluca, 50 miles southeast of San Salvador, on Friday.

Prisoners are seen stripping down to white shorts, with their heads shaved, running through the new prison into cells. Many bear gang tattoos.

The facility will eventually hold many of the more than 62,000 people authorities have arrested since the government suspended some constitutional rights and pushed an all-out offensive against the gangs last March.

Gang members wait to be taken to their cells - AFP

The high-tech jail features a perimeter surrounded by a concrete wall 36ft high and over a mile long, protected by electrified wire fences.

Its some 32 steel-barred cells will house more than one hundred gang members.

Each cell also has iron sheet cabins without mattresses to sleep 80 people. In addition, there are dark, windowless punishment cells that will be used for" misbehaving" gang members.

"This will be their new home, where they won't be able to do any more harm to the population," President Nayib Bukele wrote on Twitter.

"America's largest" mega-prison, equipped with high-tech surveillance and designed to house 40,000 criminals,

El Salvador has managed to go from being the worlds most dangerous country, to the safest country in the Americas. How did we do it? By putting criminals in jail. Is there space? There is now.

Mr Bukele asked his allies in El Salvador's Congress to pass a state of exception last year, which has since been extended several times, that suspends some constitutional rights after a dramatic spike in murders attributed to violent gangs.

The effort enjoys broad support in El Salvador, however, there has been strong criticism by human rights organisations and some foreign governments for its lack of due process and other abuses.

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President Nayib Bukele is waging a "war" against these groups - AFP

Critics of Mr Bukeles strongarm tactics say that in the long term El Salvador will not be able to arrest and jail its way out of its security problems.

With this prison, the administration of Nayib Bukele in El Salvador shows that it doesnt have clear plans to prevent crime, Carolina Jimenez, president of the Latin America-focused non-governmental organisation WOLA, tweeted. His main choice is a permanent state of exception in which they commit human rights violations.
(Bloomberg) -- Senators Lindsey Graham and Chris Coons said they are confident that funding for the USs global AIDS program will be extended with the aim of eliminating the disease by 2030.

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The US Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or Pepfar, was initiated in 2003 by then President George W. Bush. It has saved 25 million lives and allowed 5.5 million children to be born free of the HIV virus that causes AIDS, John Nkengasong, the head of Pepfar, said at a press conference in Johannesburg. Life expectancy has improved by 12 to 15 years in some African nations, he said.

The Pepfar program has not only saved millions of lives, its turned a death sentence into an opportunity to have a meaningful life, Graham said at the press conference on Thursday. We have a goal by 2030 to knock this thing out, to get a vaccine sooner rather than later.

Graham and Coons, along with pop star Elton John, are in South Africa to assess the program in the country that has the largest number of people infected with the disease. Johns AIDS foundation works with Pepfar.

Sub-Saharan Africa is home to about 70% of the total number of people globally infected with HIV. Pepfar has overseen the investment of more than $100 billion in the global AIDS response to date.

John said that when he first came to South Africa, it was pretty grim, it was awful, people were dying, children were dying in my arms.

Without Pepfar and without President Bush we would be in a terrible mess, he said. My dying wish is to have this disease eliminated by 2030. Weve got to do it and we will.

Graham said hell seek additional money for the program from Middle Eastern states.

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He said he doesnt expect US funding to be affected by tension between South Africa and the US over the African nations relations with Russia. Russia and South Africa are holding joint naval exercises with China this week.

It would be stupid for us to terminate this program, Graham said. If this springs up in Africa it will come to us.

He expects congressional reauthorization of Pepfar funding next year to be emphatic.

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As soon as Russia invaded Ukraine, the war became inextricably linked with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

As Russia is an authoritarian nation and Putin has been in power since 1999, this makes sense. He has pressed on with the special military operation ever since it began on Feb. 24, 2022, despite being warned repeatedly by the West that there would be consequences.

So it follows that his legacy would now be wrapped up with it.

And, exactly 12 months after it began, its pretty clear that the invasion  originally meant to last a matter of days  is definitely not going to plan. Russia now controls only around 18% of Ukraine, including areas it already seized in 2014.

So what does the war and its failures mean for the main man behind it?

Is It Fair To Call It Putins War?

Emily Ferris, research fellow for Russia and Eurasia for the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), told HuffPost UK that it might be fair to call it Putins war.

She explained that all of the preparations and organization of the invasion were arranged by a small group of people around the Russian president.

Ferris added: Most commanders in the ministry of defense were kept in the dark, which has obviously created a lot of military logistical and coordination problems from the Russia side.

Russia has been beset with problems to do with recruiting soldiers, organi`ing supplies and general training since the war began.

But, once Putin revealed his special military operation, did the Russian public really back it?

Its hard to know.

Surveys on public opinion are conducted by the Kremlin, which casts doubt over how accurate they can ever be.

Still, if these polls are seen as accurate, it would appear that Russian civilians are less concerned with which side invaded first, and more concerned about finishing what has been started, according to Ferris.

She continued: This suggests that there is appetite from the Russian public to engage in some kind of a negotiated end to the war, even if they do not oppose the war itself.

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The RUSI fellow also noted that the initial opposition to the war  see the blank sign protests and mass arrests  has faded away in recent months, as information is more tightly controlled within Russian borders than before.

But, she did point out: Although there are people who oppose the war, there are also those who are not against the war in principle, but do not want to be drafted into the armed forces, and there is overlap between these groups.

There was a spike in public demonstrations and attempts to flee the country after Putin called for the partial mobilization of reservists back in September, but these appear to have been squashed.

One of the most extraordinary videos Ive ever seen. The first woman is holding up a sign that says two words. pic.twitter.com/6tP89LjYyP  Jonathan Lis (@jonlis1) March 14, 2022

Has He Lost All International Support?

Well, not as much as we might have predicted.

RUSI notes that while Western states have suggested that Russia and Belarus now stand alone, there are indications it has support away from Europe and North America.

Sergey Lavrov, Russias foreign affairs minister, recently toured African countries, implying that there are still countries willing to buy into Russias worldview, or at least put the moral questionability of Russias invasion of Ukraine to one side, Ferris said.

Then, theres China and India who are buying Russias fossil fuels, helping to fill the vacuum provided by the withdrawal of Europe.

Another think tank, Chatham House, though, pointed out that these new deals may look exciting, but theyre still not as lucrative as the ones Russia previously had with Europe and North America.

Markets have fundamentally changed with new deals, renewables on the rise, and both governments and consumers alike all too aware of the dynamics and fragility of the global supply network, authors on Chatham Houses Seven ways Russias war on Ukraine has changed the world explained.

Still, being apart from the West actually gives Putin more freedom as it means he does not have to abide by various parameters that Europe and North America have set. As the Russian presidents former economic advisor, Andrey Illarionov, told the BBC, the less resistance to Putin, the easier it is for him  and if there was no resistance, he would go as far as he could.

He added: There is no way to stop him except military resistance.

Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Has Putin Risked It All With This War?

Well, yes and no.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has been positioned at the frontline of any domestic (or international) backlash to the war.

RUSIs Ferris told HuffPost UK: Some criticism has come close to personal criticism of Putin, but not enough to undermine the image hes trying to promote of himself as the bringer of peace.

Meanwhile, the Russian president claimed the whole special military operation came about because the West has turned Ukraine against Russia  again, turning the blame away from him.

Putin will also use the 2024 presidential elections and regional elections later in 2023 to bolster support. After all, it is unlikely to challenge his leadership, as Putin has been at the top of Russia for two decades.

Ferris suggested instead that these will be an opportunity for him to demonstrate to Russian people that he can end the war, while ignoring the inconvenient truth that it was Russia who began it.

And, as The Atlantic noted, some Russian oligarchs (two dozen) who were not that supportive of the war have suffered sudden and mysterious deaths over the last 12 months.

But, not everyone is so convinced that Putin will be able to separate himself completely from whatever the final outcome of the war is.

Steve Rosenberg, BBCs Russia editor told BBC Radio 4s Today program: Russia has survived  it has for centuries. But Vladimir Putins fate, irrevocably now, is linked to the outcome of this war.

Russian newspaper editor Konstantin Remchukov also told Rosenberg his worries were around civil war  and the best way to avoid it was to line up a strong successor to Putin.

He said: The person who has authority over elites, who has resoluteness to isolate those who are eager to exploit the situation. This is the huge battle behind this thing.

He added that the elites in Russia were quietly discussing it, likely with Putins knowledge.

Meanwhile, Chatham Houses James Nixey, director of the Russia and Eurasia program, claimed that Russia could not be separated from Putin.

He added that Putin had risked more than he bargained for, as the Wests economic sanctions were much tougher than anticipated and subsequently limited Russias future actions.

He said: There is no going back after this. The war now is as much about Russias regime survival as it is about the survival of Ukraine.

What Happens Next?

Would Putin go for peace?

Even if Putin does agree to a peace negotiation of some kind, Russia is probably not going to accept going back to the land borders that were in place before Feb. 24, 2022.

And it definitely will not accept what Kyiv wants, which is a return to pre-2014 territorial lines, meaning Crimea would return to Ukraine.

The RUSI think tank pointed to the annexation of four territories of Ukraine back in September to suggest that Russia might push for territorial settlement and concessions around part of Kherson, although any discussion of Crimea is off the table.

Instead, Russia might try to hold more regional elections in September this year to extend its political control over those four annexed regions, meaning they would get a seat in the Russian parliament.

Ferris also noted that Putin had already lowered his expectations after a year of war, from full scale occupation to the current four territories.

Any further territorial concession is likely to be considered a loss, she added.

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Would Putin go nuclear?

The largest concern is that the Russian president  if the war is not going his way  would drift toward the nuclear button.

Putin put his nuclear weapons on high alert at the start of the war but this was a new phrase, meaning its exact meaning is hard to decipher when it comes to the war.

Then, there are the constant violent threats around Zaporizhzhia where Ukraines largest nuclear power plant is from Russian forces.

Experts have speculated that Putin is playing on Ukraines fears of another nuclear accident after the Chernobyl disaster of 1986.

Chatham Houses Dr. Patricia Lewis, director of the International Security program, also argued that it would not make sense for Putin to use nuclear power on Ukraine if he really is trying to build an imperial legacy project.

But, as Jamie Shea  associate fellow in the institutes international security program  pointed out: The risk of escalation is ever present with a Russian regime on the back foot and willing to lash out.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen marked the one-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion in a video by commending the Ukrainian people, saying, "You are fighting for freedom, for democracy, and for your place in the European Union."

She added that the European Union is with Ukraine "for as long as it takes" to win.

On the eve of the one-year anniversary, European Council members published a joint statement in support of Ukraine, pledging continued support "in political, economic, humanitarian, financial and military terms" and reaffirming their intention to assist the country in reconstruction efforts, for which they would reportedly aim to use frozen Russian assets.

The EU has planned to have the new package of sanctions ready on Feb. 24, according to unnamed diplomats, cited by Reuters.

Von der Leyen stated that the sanctions package would restrict multiple electronic components used in Russian weapons worth 11 billion euros through trade bans and technology controls, which would aid in reducing their availability.

According to the European Council's statement, the union member states are "determined" to bring all those "responsible for war crimes and other most serious crimes committed in connection with Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine" to justice.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reported on Feb. 21 that there have been an estimated 21,293 civilian casualties in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, including 8,006 killed and 13,287 injured. However, the actual number of casualties is likely much higher due to lack of access to the occupied territories and areas under heavy fighting.


By Andrew Gray

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Leaders of former wartime enemies Serbia and Kosovo are expected to endorse a Western-backed deal on Monday to put their relations on a more normal footing, a senior European Union official said.

Kosovo declared independence in 2008, almost a decade after war brought an end to Serbian rule. But Serbia still regards Kosovo as a breakaway province and flare-ups between the Balkan neighbours over the years have stoked fears of a return to war.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti are expected to sign up to the plan at a meeting in Brussels on Monday hosted by the EU. The bloc has led a diplomatic push behind the plan, which also has U.S. backing.

"We expect the two leaders to endorse the proposal," the senior EU official said on Friday, speaking on condition of anonymity. The EU does not expect leaders to debate the plan but is open to discussions on its implementation, the official said.

Both leaders have signalled qualified support for the plan but complained about aspects of it. Neither of their governments commented on whether the plan would be endorsed on Monday.

The text has not been published by either government or the EU. But it includes mutual recognition of official documents, increased financial aid and other measures to improve the lives of people in both Serbia and Kosovo, according to the EU.

Kurti has said the plan amounts to de facto recognition of Kosovo by Serbia. Vucic has insisted this is not the case.

"Kosovo's allies have designed it as a package that will advance Kosovo's membership in the international system and which also includes de facto recognition (from Serbia), all of this based on the United Nations Charter," Kurti told Kosovo's parliament on Thursday.

Serbian Defence Minister Milos Vucevic said Vucic would not sign any document recognising Kosovo as an independent state. "He did not recognise it and he will not recognize it," he said in a live TV broadcast.

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One contentious issue in Monday's talks is expected to be a planned association of Serb-majority municipalities in Kosovo.

Leaders of Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority argue such a body would give Belgrade an outsize influence in their country while Serbs say it is needed to protect their rights.

(Additional reporting by Fatos Bytyci and Aleksandar Vasovic; Writing by Andrew Gray; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)
European Union

Read also: EU unable to agree 10th package of Russia sanctions

Jozwiak added that the meetings will resume on Feb. 24, at 10:00 a.m.

Reuters reported that Poland is "blocking the package due to proposed exemptions from the EU import ban on Russian synthetic rubber." Polish diplomats believe that the exceptions will make the sanctions ineffective. Other sources told Reuters that exceptions were offered to Italy, supported by Germany.

Nevertheless, President Zelenskyys Chief-of-Staff, Andrii Yermak, tweeted "there will be sanctions," suggesting that Kyiv is confident the EU will resolve the differences.

Read also: Over 20 EU countries support joint procurement of ammunition for Ukraine, says Slovenian FM

The sanctions package is expected to include trade restrictions worth more than EUR 10 billion ($10.63 billion), including a ban on the import of Russian rubber into the EU and the export of dual-use technological equipment, spare parts to Russia.

Read also: Zelenskyy satisfied with National Guard recruitment drive

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced on Feb. 15 that the 10th package of European Union sanctions against Russia will target goods with a total value of $11 billion. It will consist of trade embargoes and technology export controls.

Read also: US looking for ways to expedite transfer of Abrams tanks to Ukraine

According to the WSJ, the United States plans to announce a new package of sanctions against 200 Russian individuals and legal entities this week.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
MANILA, Philippines (AP)  The Philippines chances of retaining special trading incentives, including slashed tariffs for a wide array of products, would be boosted if it decides to free a long-detained opposition leader and rejoin the International Criminal Court, a group of European parliamentarians said Friday.

The European Union trade incentives under the so-called Generalized Scheme of Preferences, or GSP Plus, for the Philippines and seven other developing countries are anchored on their adherence to more than two dozen international conventions on human and labor rights, environmental protection and good governance.

The trading incentives, which the Philippines started to enjoy in 2014, would end in December and the government could reapply within a two-year period to retain them, the European lawmakers said.

But the Philippines came under intense EU criticism during former President Rodrigo Dutertes six-year term, which ended last year, mainly because of the bloody anti-drugs crackdown he oversaw that left more than 6,000 mostly petty suspects dead.

The killings sparked an International Criminal Court investigation as a possible crime against humanity. Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the ICC in 2018 but its prosecutor has proceeded to investigate the widespread deaths that occurred in the years when the country was still part of the court based in The Hague.

European parliamentarians have also repeatedly demanded the release of opposition leader and former senator Leila de Lima, Dutertes most vocal critic who was arrested and detained in 2017 on drug charges she said were fabricated by Duterte and his officials to stop her from investigating the killings.

A delegation from the European Parliaments sub-committee on human rights visited the Philippines from Wednesday to Friday and held talks with the justice secretary and other officials, senators, and human rights and labor activists to discuss rights issues under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who took office in June.

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They visited de Lima on Thursday on the eve of her sixth year in detention and expressed hopes she would at least be released on bail. I expressed to them my hope and optimism on the prospects of freedom and vindication, de Lima said in a statement after the visit.

In a news conference in Manila, Hannah Neumann, who led the European delegation, said rights conditions were better than it was under Pres. Duterte in reply to a question. There are a lot of announcements that could indeed improve things if theyre implemented.

The delegates welcomed in a joint statement Marcos commitment to change the focus of the war on drugs away from a punitive approach towards prevention and rehabilitation.

But they said extrajudicial killings have reportedly persisted and underscored the need for all the killings to be investigated and the perpetrators held to account to fight impunity.

Asked if a decision to release de Lima and rejoin the ICC would boost the Philippines chances of continuing to enjoy the EU trading incentives, Neumann said that would be a strong sign in which direction the country wants to move.

The European Parliament has been quite clear that whoever wants to have preferential access to the European market needs to uphold social standards, human rights standards, environmental standards, she said. This is not going to go away.

Out of the more than 6,000 police-reported killings under Dutertes drug crackdown, she said, only 25 cases have been filed and three law enforcers had been convicted nearly nine months into Marcos presidency.

Marcos has also vehemently opposed any future ICC investigations in the Philippines.

If you look at the trajectory, this will take physically forever, Neumann said, adding that asking the ICC to come in is the perfect way to do it.

European officials wanted to know how they can support such a massive investigation and how we can make, especially witnesses and families of victims, gain confidence that this is done in a proper way that doesnt lead to more harassments and intimidation by the very same people that have killed their relatives, Neumann said.

More than 6,200 products exported by the Philippines are covered by the tax and tariff reduction under the GSP Plus, including crude coconut oil, preserved tuna and pineapple and vacuum cleaners, and more Filipino exporters have sought Europes trading incentives in recent years, Philippine trade officials said.
F-16

From (the Netherland's) perspective, there are no taboos, Hoekstra said.

But what we do need to take into account is that it's actually best to have these sensitive conversations first, with each other, behind closed doors.

Read also: Poland wants coalition to transfer MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine  PM Morawiecki

Hoekstra also said that "looking back," he would have wished the talks on providing Ukraine with tanks had started earlier.

(It is) because that wouldve mattered today on the battlefield for our Ukrainian friends, he said.

Commenting on setting up a tribunal for Russian war criminals, Hoekstra said that ensuring Ukrainian victory is the top priority for him.

Read also: F-16 fighter jets to be next step in supplying weapons to Ukraine, says Dutch PM Rutte

Read also: Ukraine not getting jet fighters under any circumstances in coming weeks  Macron

The very first thing we need to do is make sure the Ukrainians are going to win this war, the Dutch foreign minister said.

When this is all said and done, it is of tremendous importance that we show to the world, like we did in the case of Nuremberg, like we did in the case of Tokyo, we show that justice will be done, the minister added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Ukraines allied to provide his country with modern aircraft when he met with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in London on Feb. 8. The UK prime minister announced in response the start of training of Ukrainian pilots and marines.

Upon making speeches in the parliament of the EU and during the EU summit on Feb. 9, Zelenskyy said that some positive decisions (in regard to the fighter jet issue) were made behind the scenes.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
By Gabriela Baczynska

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The European Union, after hectic last-minute haggling, has approved a tenth package of Russia sanctions on the anniversaryof Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, the Swedish EU presidency said late on Friday.

"Together, the EU member states have imposed the most forceful and far-reaching sanctions ever to help Ukraine win the war," the presidency announced on Twitter.

"The EU stands united with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. We will keep supporting Ukraine, for as long as it takes."

The package includes tighter export restrictions regarding dual-use goods as well as measures against entities supporting the war, spreading propaganda or delivering drones used by Russia.

With two hours to go until midnight, EU member states made it across the finish line with little time to spare after Poland earlier threw a spanner into the works.

Warsaw said the proposed restrictions on EU imports of Russian rubber included such a big quota of imports exempted and such long transition periods that they would have no effect in practice.

Other EU countries were baffled that Warsaw - a leading Russia hawk in the bloc - was risking having no new sanctions announced on the one-year anniversary of Russia's attack against Ukraine over just one element of a broader package.

"This is very bad optics. What was supposed to be key here is a message of solidarity with Ukraine on this special day," said one diplomat involved in the confidential negotiations between the 27 EU countries in the bloc's hub Brussels.

All member states need to approve sanctions for them to be enacted, making negotiations among the 27 often tedious and lengthy.

The EU has said the 10th round of sanctions against Russia since the war started was designed to make financing the war more difficult and starve Russia of tech equipment and spare parts for arms used against Ukraine.

Measures were also meant to blacklist more individuals including what the West says are Russian propagandists, those Kyiv holds responsible for deporting Ukrainian children to Russia and those involved in the production of Iranian drones deployed on the frontline.

The package was also designed to cut off more banks including the private Alfa-Bank and the online bank Tinkoff from the global system SWIFT and cut trade between the EU and Russia by more than 10 billion euros, according to the bloc's executive.

(Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska and Sabine SieboldEditing by Philippa Fletcher and Matthew Lewis)
The widow of a North Texas police detective filed a lawsuit Thursday against Fuzzys Taco Shop, General Motors, the drunk driver who fatally crashed into her husbands car, and the Fuzzys bartender accused of overserving the driver.

Dylan Molina, 27, was arrested in November 2021 for running a red light and hitting the off-duty Euless police officers car in Lake Worth. The collision resulted in Alejandro Alex Cervantes death and critically injured Cervantes wife, Priscilla Cervantes, and their two sons who were also in the car.

Test results showed that Molina had a blood alcohol level of 0.16, twice the Texas legal limit of 0.08, when he crashed his Jeep into the Cervantes familys car on Nov. 27, 2021.

Cala Richardson, 26, who was a bartender at the Lake Worth Fuzzys Taco Shop, turned herself in to the Parker County Sheriffs Office on Feb. 3 after she was charged with overserving Molina.

Priscilla Cervantes is suing Fuzzys Taco Shop and its parent companies, the manager of Fuzzys Taco Shop at the time of the collision, General Motors, Molina, and Richardson for the wrongful death of Alex Cervantes, negligence, defective vehicle design, and the injuries sustained by Priscilla and her children, according to the lawsuit filed in Tarrant County District Court.

She is seeking monetary relief of over $1 million.

Officials with the companies could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Fuzzys Taco Companies Employee Handbook had an inadequate, defective and negligent alcohol server policy, according to the lawsuit. The alcohol server policy and the employee handbook failed to require the server to be certified by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission to sell and serve alcohol or require its employees to attend a commission-approved training program. The alcohol server policy provides that an intoxicated person should not be served, that any employee who willfully violates the policy will be terminated, and any employee who negligently served an intoxicated person will be counseled, according to the suit.

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There is no evidence of termination or counseling of Richardson, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit further claims that Fuzzy Taco Companies failed to recognize an intoxicated person and were aware an intoxicated person could cause death and injuries, yet, continued to directly and indirectly encourage their servers to violate the law.

Fuzzys Taco Companies are liable for the wrongdoing of Richardson and the manager at the time Molina was overserved, the lawsuit states.

The Cervantes family was shocked to learn that Fuzzys Taco Shop allowed an unlicensed bartender being supervised by an unlicensed manager to serve alcohol to such an obviously intoxicated person, the family said in a statement provided by their attorney, Jim Zadeh.

Fuzzys Taco Companies violated the Texas Dram Shop Act by serving Molina when he was obviously intoxicated to the extent he presented a clear danger to himself and others, the suit says.

The lawsuit also alleges that Cervantes car  designed and manufactured by General Motors  had a defective occupant restraint system and failed to protect him because it violated several crashworthiness principles.

Molina failed to use ordinary care by various acts and omissions, including failing to control his rate of speed, disregarding a traffic signal, failing to keep a proper lookout, failing to make a timely application of brakes, failing to take proper evasive action, and failing to act as a reasonably prudent driver, according to the lawsuit.

Molina was indicted in February 2022 and pleaded guilty in January to intoxication manslaughter and three counts of intoxication assault. He was sentenced to 15 years on the manslaughter charge and 10 years each on assaults. The sentences will be served at the same time.

Priscilla Cervantes is also seeking recovery for the pain and suffering Alex Cervantes suffered from the moment of impact up to his death, severe personal injuries, and for the loss of companionship, affection, comfort and love that existed between herself, their sons and Alex Cervantes, according to the suit.

Priscilla Cervantes said she has suffered mental anguish as a result of Alex Cervantes wrongful death, and the reasonable probability that mental anguish will continue into the future.

She also is seeking recovery for funeral expenses and other monetary losses.

The lawsuit states their two sons suffered from physical pain, mental anguish and physical impairment, and Priscilla Cervantes is seeking recovery for future physical and mental pain and wage-earning losses.

Priscilla Cervantes is being represented by the Law Office of Jim Zadeh, P.C.

The Cervantes family thanks all the first responders, good Samaritans, health care workers and law enforcement personnel who have provided them with amazing support throughout this terrible ordeal, the familys statement said.
By Richa Naidu and Valentine Hilaire

LONDON/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - He can't pour tequila fast enough. Premium shots. Margaritas. Palomas. The occasional sunrise.

"We definitely run out every weekend," says Shubham Walavalker, a 24-year-old bartender, who's struggling to keep pace with customers' thirst for the spirit at a packed Revolution bar in southwest London.

Tequila, the king of Mexican liquors, is taking off in Europe. Export volumes to Spain jumped 90% last year, to France 73%, Britain 68% and Germany 60%, according to Mexico's Tequila Regulatory Council, outpacing global growth of 23%.

The challenger - a favourite in North America - is a long way from making a dent in the historic European dominance of vodka, whisky, rum and gin. It's gained a foothold, though, and is the fastest-growing spirit in the region, according to Jose Cuervo seller Proximo Spirits.

There's a spiky snag, though.

European demand is deepening a shortage of agave, the prickly plant native to Mexico's Jalisco region that's used to make tequila.

The cost of agave - about 5-7 Mexican pesos ($0.27-$0.37) per kilogram for much of the past two decades - has been edging up in recent years and hit 31 pesos at the end of 2022, according to research firm Bernstein.

The current forecast for the end of 2023 is 28 pesos, though Bernstein analyst Trevor Stirling cautioned that demand had "kept surprising on the upside".

"It's a supply-and-demand issue," he said. "There is a massive shortage of agave in the tequila industry."

Tequila prices have leapt.

People in Europe paid nearly 16% more for the spirit in stores in December compared with a year before, while prices for whisky rose 6% and vodka increased 5%, according to data from NielsenIQ. Gin prices were flat.

Compounding matters, the flow to Europe of high-quality 100% agave tequila - which has to be bottled in Mexico - has also been constrained by the supply-chain chaos from COVID-19.

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"It's the plant that's expensive, and so is getting it over here from Mexico," said Robyn Evans, manager of the Hacha agaveria, a bar specialising in tequila and mezcal in east London.

Customers are paying about 50 pence ($0.57) - or over 10% - more for some neat shots than they would have a year ago, the 31-year-old said on a busy Friday night as music blared and punters sipped "mirror margaritas".

"There's definitely been an increase in tequilas consumers are familiar with," she added. "I've noticed more marketing ... it's newer brands that want to hit the ground running as well as larger brands that have been here for a while as well."

TEQUILA ON 'THE ROCK'

Liqour giant Diageo, which doesn't break out European results, said last month that its global tequila sales volumes rose by 15% in the second half of 2022, far outpacing overall spirit sales, which edged up 3%.

The Mexican spirit accounted for 11% of its reported net sales, with Don Julio - which can sell for anything between about $50 and $250 a bottle - rising 26% and Casamigos 29%.

European demand isn't a 2022 flash in the pan, according to some industry players who say tequila had been slowly gaining traction for years and was boosted by home drinkers during the pandemic.

Export volumes to Britain, Germany, France and Spain rose by about 60% on average in 2021 even before the bigger leap of about 73% last year, according to data from Mexico's Tequila Regulatory Council.

Michael Merolli, head of Pernod Ricard's tequila business, which includes Olmeca, said there were far fewer tequila brands in Europe than the United States, where the market was more mature and competitive, with new brands emerging every week.

He said "premiumization" - where brands emphasize quality and exclusivity - was also driving prices higher.

U.S. A-listers like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Kendall Jenner and Kevin Hart have all launched tequila brands in recent years.

Some industry players see a respite from the shortage of agave, which takes roughly seven years to mature before it can be harvested.

Agave that had been planted a few years ago will eventually be ready to harvest, said Luis Fernando Felix, head of the U.S. and Canadian operations at Proximo Spirits, the subsidiary of Mexican distiller Becle that manages Jose Cuervo distribution.

"In about two years, the price of agave will go down because supply is going to be greater than demand," he added.

($1 = 0.8085 pounds; $1 = 18.7636 Mexican pesos)

(Reporting by Richa Naidu and Valentine Hilaire; Editing by Matt Scuffham and Pravin Char)
(Reuters) - EU anti-trust chief Margrethe Vestager said any damage to European competitiveness from U.S. subsidies was likely to be limited.

Some European companies might be interested in investing in the United States rather than Europe, but their decisions would be based on more than just the new U.S. subsidies, she told the Wall Street Journal in an interview published Friday.

The U.S. subsidies are likely to draw in interest from industries like wind turbines, electric vehicle batteries, mining and refining of raw materials, Vestager said.

The EU official said that these subsidies could also pause the acceleration of green industries in Europe, which has prompted EU leaders to assess what they can do to prevent any loss of investment, including individual governments offering financial incentives.

EU was "caught off-guard" by the Biden administration's decision earlier this month to limit federal funding for electric-vehicle chargers to those that are made in the United States, Vestager said, adding that she planned to raise the issue with her U.S. counterparts.

Earlier this month, leaders of the European Union expressed concern that local content requirements of much of the $369 billion of subsidies in the IRA will encourage companies to abandon Europe for the United States.

(Reporting by Rahat Sandhu in Bengaluru; Editing by Alex Richardson and Jon Boyle)
SHANGHAI (Reuters) -Nio plans to build its first battery plant to produce big cylindrical cells similar to those used by Tesla, two people familiar with the matter said, as the Chinese EV maker seeks to cut its reliance on CATL for supplies.

The plant underscores Nio's ambition to ramp up its presence in the electric vehicle (EV) market at home and abroad. The Chinese company is also planning a factory in the neighbouring city of Chuzhou to make budget EVs to sell to Europe.

The new battery plant will have an annual capacity to produce 40 gigawatt hours (GWh) of batteries, which can power about 400,000 units of long-range electric vehicles (EVs), the people said on condition of anonymity as the matter is private.

It will be located next to its main manufacturing hub in Hefei city, in eastern China's Anhui province, they said.

Reuters is reporting the details of Nio's plan for the first time. The automaker did not respond to a request for comment.

Nio's founder and chairman, William Li, had in June said that Nio would start making 800-volt lithium-ion battery packs, which recharge faster, in the second half of 2024, as part of a plan similar to Tesla's to use a combination of self-produced and externally sourced batteries in the long run.

He did not elaborate on the details at the time.

Like other loss-making Chinese EV makers, Nio has been seeking to gain more control over batteries, the most expensive single-piece component, to improve its profitability.

CATL, short for Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd, is currently Nio's sole supplier of batteries for cars and battery swapping stations. Nio has a smaller battery-focused plant in Shanghai where it tests batteries.

CATL did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

BETTING ON CYLINDRCAL BATTERIES

Prismatic batteries, which are rectangular in shape, have become the most common form of auto battery in the past two years as they can be more densely packed, saving on costs.

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But proponents of cylindrical batteries, led by U.S. EV maker Tesla, argue the newer larger format cylindrical cells are more cost-effective due to improvements in energy density.

Tesla has said it plans to expand its $6.2-billion battery plant in Nevada to be able to make 100 GWh 4680 cylindrical battery cells - denoting 46 millimetres in diameter and 80 millimetres in length.

The plant is now able to annually produce more than 37 GWh of battery cells including current-generation 2170 cylindrical battery cells and the smaller 18650 batteries.

Tesla has said it expects the 4680 cylindrical battery cells to lower production costs and improve range versus the 2170.

BMW has also said it would shift to large cylindrical batteries supplied by CATL and EVE Energy to power its new class of EVs from 2025.

(Reporting by Zhang Yan, Zhuzhu Cui and Brenda Goh; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
SCITUATE  It was a Tuesday evening in February of 2021 when Alyson and Greg Shea listened to their youngest of five children, also named Greg, wonder out loud about his future, trying out names for the children he planned to have someday.

The youngest Greg was a dreamer, his parents said, and saw each new day as an opportunity.

Early the next morning, Alyson Shea found her 21-year-old son in the family room of their Scituate home.

"I touched him," Alyson said. "He was so cold."

A family photo of Gregory Shea.

Greg had overdosed on fentanyl, a synthetic opioid said to be 50 times more potent than heroin. At least 2,078 people across the state died of fentanyl poisoning the year Greg overdosed, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

After a period of what Greg described as "mind numbing shock," the Sheas channeled their grief and frustration toward establishing a nonprofit to prevent opioid deaths and provide traumatized families with needed services. They've also partnered with State Sen. Patrick O'Connor (R-Weymouth), who filed legislation last month to increase penalties for convicted fentanyl dealers to up to life in prison.

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Remembering Greg Shea of Scituate

The elder Greg described his son as a deep thinker who loved to debate. He argued with his parents about how to manage his mental health issues and resisted prescription medications, often citing the side effects.

But the Sheas said Greg was on the cusp of breakthrough. They bought him a German Shephard puppy, Fiona. Alyson said her son used to walk her to the Scituate Light House at sunrise, his favorite time of the day.

"We thought it would be good for him," she said.

Greg also began considering his parents' appeals to seek treatment.

Greg Shea with his mom Alyson at his 2019 graduation from Scituate High.

"We still have the prescriptions," Greg said. "They were prescribed. We picked them up. He never got to take them."

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Instead, like countless young men and women dealing with depression and anxiety, Greg self medicated. He ultimately purchased cocaine cut with a lethal dose of fentanyl, his parents said.

Alyson said that she had to leave the room while her husband performed CPR on their son.

"I didn't want them to take him from us." Greg said. "I knew he wasn't revivable. If we could have one more shot, we could have saved him. We were so close to getting him on medication. It was something like a bad dream we couldn't wake up from."

A family photo of dad Gregory Shea with his small son, also named Greg.

From heartbreak comes a push for legislative reform

O'Connor, the state senator, said the Sheas' nightmare is becoming more common in his district and across the state. Two bills he filed in January would give judges scope to impose harsher sentences on opioid dealers.

"An act relative to drug induced homicide" sets a maximum sentence of life in prison for the distribution of Class A controlled substances resulting in death. A second bill would establish sentencing requirements for convicted dealers of heroin, fentanyl and carfentanil. The harsher penalties, which could extend up to life in prison, would reflect the central role these substances have played in the explosion of overdose deaths, O'Connor said.

Similar laws exist in 23 states. Critics, such as policy organization Fair and Just Prosecution, have argued that they can harm friends and family of the defendant, often small-time dealers who sell drugs to feed their own addictions. It's also feared that stiffening penalties could result in more overdose deaths if users worried about police involvement avoid seeking medical attention.

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O'Connor's bill responds to these criticisms by carving out an exception for anyone who seeks medical assistance in the event of an overdose. It sets no mandatory minimum and establishes a commission, including one member with "expertise in racial justice" to review the impact of prosecutions under the law and ensure that "prosecutors are providing treatment first options for individuals suffering from substance use disorder."

"I took the best practices that are out there," O'Connnor said. "We can lead... by taking what's worked in other states and what hasn't worked and crafting our own piece of legislation."

O'Connor said that Massachusetts currently has strong community-based supports and treatment, but lacks sufficient enforcement tools.

"At some point, there has to be a value, a worth, a dignity associated with the lives taken due to the fentanyl/opioid crisis in Massachusetts, and right now there isn't," he said.

Parents Greg and Alyson Shea talk about the overdose death of their 21-year-old son, Greg Shea.

'If we can reach one person, then we've honored our son's memory'

As the bill makes its way through the legislature, the Sheas are working to shine light on issues of mental health and substance abuse.

"That's what our passion has become," Greg said.

The non-profit will support not only those suffering from addiction, but also to families who are devastated by loss and don't know where to turn.

"We want to be on the South Shore, working with families," Alyson said.

"If we can reach one person, then we've honored our son's memory," Greg added. "He'd be the same way."

Greg said that he's optimistic, though he expects getting the bill passed will be an uphill battle.

"Gregory was always adamant about hope," he said of his son. "That's why he was so big on the sunrise. A new day, new opportunities. Every day you have hope."

Reach Peter Blandino at pblandino@patriotledger.com.

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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Shea family of Scituate leads Beacon Hill charge to change drug laws
(Bloomberg) -- Investigators are looking at potential ties between the Chinese government and an ex-employee accused of stealing data from ASML Holding NV  a company critical to producing the worlds most advanced computer chips.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The former employee, who was based in China, was identified as having potential ties to a Chinese state-sponsored entity and stealing the data on its behalf, according to two people familiar with the companys probe, who asked not to be identified because the information isnt public. The entity was one that has previously been linked to intellectual property theft, said the people, who didnt provide the name of the group itself.

US government officials are among those investigating a link between the former employee and Beijing, one person familiar with that inquiry said.

The Dutch company investigated a connection between the worker and the Chinese government itself but hasnt established a direct link, according to one person familiar with the situation. ASML is conducting its own investigation and declined to comment further, a company spokesperson said.

A representative for the Chinese embassy in the US didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. The Chinese Embassy in the Netherlands couldnt be reached for comment. The Dutch government declined to comment on whether it is also investigating a link between the former employee and the Chinese government.

US officials have accused China of using a vast system of incentives to facilitate the theft of IP from Western companies.

The alleged data theft, disclosed in ASMLs annual report last week, is the second such breach that the Dutch company has linked to China in less than a year and comes as the US is pressuring other nations including the Netherlands to help keep Chinas chipmaking abilities from advancing. Tensions were already high after an alleged Chinese spy balloon hovered over US airspace before being shot down.

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At stake is the potential for thieves to siphon off key technology for systems that are critical to making the worlds most-advanced chips. The Dutch technology company is one of the few producers of the machines needed to make mid- to high-range semiconductors. More specifically, it manufactures lithography systems needed to shrink and then print patterns of transistors onto silicon wafers, which are then sliced into individual chips.

ASML hasnt sold any of its most advanced extreme ultraviolet lithography machines to China because the Dutch government has refused to grant it a license under US pressure.

The Dutch company initiated an internal investigation and tightened security controls after discovering the alleged theft. It notified the authorities in the Netherlands and the US after assessing that theft may have violated export controls.

Earlier this year, Netherlands has joined the US effort to tighten restrictions on exports of chip technology to China. ASMLs home country will also prevent it from selling to China at least some immersion lithography machines, the most advanced kind of gear in the companys deep ultraviolet, or DUV, lithography line, people familiar with the talks have told Bloomberg. The company will still be able to sell less sophisticated chipmaking systems to the Asian country.

ASML is so crucial for the chip industry that it controlled more than 90% of the $17.1 billion global market for lithography equipment as of 2021, according to research firm Gartner Inc. Its near monopoly on the most advanced lithography systems makes it a critical cog in the industry and a target for spying.

ASMLs Chief Executive Officer Peter Wennink has resisted some of the restrictions on his companys ability to do business in China. He has warned that the country will ultimately develop its own domestic alternatives if it cannot buy from the West. China is ASMLs third-biggest market after Taiwan and South Korea.

Last year, ASML accused Beijing-based Dongfang Jingyuan Electron Ltd., of potentially stealing trade secrets. The company was founded by a former ASML employee who has an outstanding arrest warrant in California on allegations of stealing trade secrets from the Dutch company. ASMLs attorneys alleged in a 2018 trial that the ex-employee, Zongchang Yu, created Dongfang and a related company in California in 2014 that worked in tandem toward the same goal: obtaining the Dutch companys technology and transferring it to China.

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A federal grand jury in Pensacola indicted an ex-United States Army soldier Tuesday for allegedly killing a pregnant woman at a Hanau, Germany, military base.

Shannon Wilkerson was indicted for the first-degree premeditated murder of Pfc. Amanda Gonzales on Nov. 3, 2001, at Fliegerhorst Kaserne  a military base in Germany.

"(Wilkerson), with malice aforethought, and with premeditation, did unlawfully kill Amanda Gonzales," the indictment states.

Gonzales was 19 years old and four months pregnant when Wilkerson allegedly killed her via asphyxiation. She was found Nov. 5, 2001, in her third-floor barracks when she didn't report to work.

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A Department of Justice press release states that Wilkerson is charged under the U.S.'s Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, which gives federal courts jurisdiction over crimes committed outside the U.S. by former military members.

Wilkerson was discharged from the U.S. Army July 31, 2004, and was discharged from the Army Reserve June 12, 2007, according to the indictment.

The FBI Jacksonville Field Office, Air Force Office of Special Investigations and Army Criminal Investigative Division originally investigated the case.

Wilkerson is currently held in Santa Rosa County Jail without bond.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Ex-Army soldier indicted in 2001 murder of Amanda Gonzales in Germany
By Joshua Schneyer, Kristina Cooke and Mica Rosenberg

NEW YORK (Reuters) - South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co on Friday told shareholders that it would divest its controlling stake in a major Alabama auto parts plant where Reuters last year documented children as young as 12 were working.

In a Feb. 24 letter to shareholders from Hyundai Chief Executive Jaehoon Chang, the company said recent audits at 29 of its direct suppliers across Alabama made it confident they are "now in full compliance with underage labor laws."

The audits began last August, after Reuters first reported on the issue, and were conducted by an outside law firm that reviewed documents and did on-site inspections.

Hyundai provided a copy of the letter to Reuters.

Hyundai also told investors it was implementing extensive new corporate measures, including a training program for its parts suppliers to begin next month in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), to prevent future child labor violations. DOL did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Hyundai's pledge to its shareholders comes after a 2022 Reuters investigation showed several suppliers to the automaker's massive Montgomery, Alabama vehicle plant used underage migrant workers to make parts for its popular U.S.-made cars and SUVs.

One of the plants where children worked, SMART Alabama LLC in rural Luverne, Alabama, is a direct Hyundai subsidiary. According to Hyundai's financial statements from last year, the automaker controls a 72% stake in SMART.

Chang wrote that Hyundai was "in the process of divesting its ownership interest in SMART" but it would ensure "that the economically important jobs in the Luverne, Alabama community are preserved."

Hyundai's letter did not say when the transaction would be completed or identify a buyer or the form a divestiture would take. Since the early 2000s, the metal stamping plant has made chassis parts for hundreds of thousands of Hyundai vehicles per year.

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STATE AND FEDERAL INVESTIGATIONS

Following Reuters' first story on child labor at SMART last July, as many as 10 Hyundai suppliers in Alabama have been under investigation by state or federal authorities for child labor violations, Reuters reported in December.

One of the plants was inspected last August and authorities found and removed several children from the factory floor, later issuing penalties to the plant operator and a third-party staffing firm who recruited them.

"The use of underage labor at a supplier or any operation is unacceptable, and we are committed to making sure non-compliance never happens again," Chang wrote in the letter. "This is a zero tolerance issue."

As Reuters reported earlier, many of the underage workers who found their way into the Alabama auto parts plants were recruited by third-party staffing agencies, a process that can allow big corporations to turn a blind eye to the illegal employment of minors.

In the shareholder letter, Chang reiterated that Hyundai was "discouraging" suppliers from relying on such staffing agencies in the future.

He wrote that staffing firms who hired children to work at Hyundai supplier plants had provided false employee documentation. In the future, however, Hyundai and its supply chain partners must do more to ensure children are never put to work in their factories, the letter said.

"Ultimately, the responsibility is with Hyundai to make sure all our suppliers understand and meet our high global workforce standards," Chang wrote.

U.S. and Alabama law prohibit people under age 16 from working in industrial factory settings, and anyone under 18 is prohibited from working in particularly dangerous roles in automotive plants, such as driving forklifts or operating metal-cutting and stamping machines.

Earlier this month, thirty-three members of Congress urged DOL to seek strong and swift penalties against those responsible for child labor in the Hyundai supply chain.

(Reporting by Joshua Schneyer and Mica Rosenberg in New York and Kristina Cooke in San Francisco; Editing by Paulo Prada and Jamie Freed)
(Reuters) -The United States on Friday announced some $10 billion in new financial help for Ukraine, including $250 million to shore up the country's energy infrastructure in the face of Russian attacks.

Reuters had exclusively reported the money for Ukraine's power grid earlier on Friday, as well as a plan - according to a draft document - to give $300 million for Moldova, partly to help Chisinau wean itself from energy dependence on Russia.

"These funds will help keep schools open, power generators for hospitals running, and keep homes and shelters across Ukraine warm," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said of the money for Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

He said $9.9 billion in grant financing would also be disbursed to Ukraine through the World Bank's Public Expenditures for Administrative Capacity Endurance project.

"These funds are crucial to Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia and ensures the Ukrainian government can continue to meet the critical needs of its citizens, including healthcare, education and emergency services," Blinken said.

Tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians and soldiers on both sides have been killed and millions have fled their homes since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, triggering Europe's biggest land war since World War Two.

Russia, which failed to secure a quick victory in what President Vladimir Putin calls a "special operation" to demilitarize and "denazify" its neighbor, has repeatedly attacked Ukrainian energy infrastructure, which Western officials see as an effort to weaken Ukrainian morale in the grinding ground war.

The $300 million for Moldova includes $80 million in budget support to offset high electricity prices, $135 million for electric power generation projects, and $85 million to improve Moldova's ability to obtain energy supplies from alternative sources, according to a second draft document.

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"This assistance will help Moldova address urgent needs created by Putin's war, while also building toward long-term energy resilience and stronger interconnections with Europe," the draft document said.

Moldova, a former Soviet republic of 2.5 million people neighboring Ukraine to the west, is one of the poorest nations in Europe and has traditionally been heavily reliant on Russian gas.

The money is from a pool of $45 billion for Ukraine included in a broader spending bill passed by Congress last year. Under U.S. budget procedures, Congress has 15 days after notification by the administration to review the planned spending.

(Reporting By Arshad Mohammed; Additional reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Patricia Zengerle; Writing by Arshad Mohammed and Michelle Nichols; Editing by William Mallard and Leslie Adler)
A Miami-Dade judge faced a Solomonic choice:

Should he donate $3 million in excess funds from the legal settlement in the collapse of a Surfside condominium tower to a memorial honoring the 98 people who died? Or, should he give that money to their families and other survivors of the tragedy?

On Friday, Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman chose the latter solution, saying it was their money and their choice.

The victims can decide what to do with their money, Hanzman said. I dont think its something the court should be involved in.

During a court hearing, Hanzman listened to a dozen people who either survived the collapse of the 12-story, 136-unit Champlain Towers South building or were relatives of family members who died in the catastrophe on June 24, 2021. Each gave a personal answer about what the judge should do with the money  but one voice stood out.

I know many people who want to see a memorial and there are many who dont, said Mauricio Kaufmann, whose mother, Maria Gabriela Camou Font, died in the collapse. The money should go to the victims, and they can decide whether to donate the money to a memorial.

The extra money became available after the receiver in the Champlain Towers South class action distributed more than $1 billion to the families of the deceased and survivors, an additional $96 million to all of the condo owners for the loss of their units, and another $75 million in attorneys fees and costs to the lawyers involved in the massive case.

The receiver, attorney Michael Goldberg, recommended in a court motion that excess funds  estimated to range from $2 million to $3 million  be directed to the funding of an appropriate memorial for the victims who perished in the collapse. The extra money came from interest earned on the settlement funds, he said in court.

Goldberg noted that if the judge approved the plan, then he would donate the remaining settlement money to help build the memorial, which is still a work in progress and may be built at the end of the street on the north side of the condo tower at 8777 Collins Ave.

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If the judge didnt go along with his recommendation, Goldberg said he would give the excess funds to the families of the deceased and survivors on a pro rata basis that he calculated could run from the low thousands to tens of thousands.

With the judges prior permission, Goldberg said he had already planned to distribute an extra $6.5 million in settlement funds to the families and survivors.

I take no position on where the money should go, Goldberg told the judge about the excess funds. I just raised it as an issue for the court. Im not advocating one way or the other.

Michael I. Goldberg, a South Florida lawyer playing a pivotal role as receiver in the Champlain Towers South lawsuits, stands in the parking deck last summer. He recommended setting aside some money for a memorial for victims.

The response from Champlain Towers South family members and survivors was mixed.

Sara Nir was a renter who fled from her first-floor unit with her two children after the pool deck collapsed and she alerted the security guard in the lobby to activate the alarm system.

The money should go to survivors and victims who are still suffering, Nir said at the hearing. The lives were going through  its a nightmare. I do not have enough to support my kids to go to therapy.

Leah Fouhals parents  Leon Oliwkowicz, 80, and Cristina Beatriz de Oliwkowicz, 74  died in the collapse. She advocated that those who received settlement money should make their own decisions on how to use it.

We could do a lot of productive things with these funds to pay it forward  to the firefighters or survivors or people who provided so much help, she said. A stone isnt going to do that. I question whether a memorial is a service to the departed or whether theres a self-serving, ego need to build it?

Others recommended that the excess funds go to the memorial.

Im a strong believer in the memorial, said Pablo Langesfeld, whose daughter and son-in-law died in the collapse. It needs to be placed to honor the victims so we can remember them forever.

Resolving the complex class action case took 14 months, which was perhaps the most unexpected result. While it was agonizing for the victims families and survivors, the resolution was stunningly swift, according to legal experts, including attorneys involved in the litigation.

Not only were there more than 30 defendants, from consulting engineers to contractors building a luxury condo next door, but infighting also erupted between the 36 unit owners and the families of 98 residents killed in the collapse.

It was a festering dispute that Hanzman, in a September interview with the Miami Herald, likened to a cancer that threatened to upend any potential settlement.

In addition to settlement funds, the 1.8-acre oceanfront property was sold for $120 million to billionaire developer Hussain Sajwani, of the Dubai-based DAMAC Properties, after no other prospective buyers bid on the land. His company plans to build a high-rise luxury condo project.
Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen

On Thursday, Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen spoke to a national organization that convenes investors, telling them that Meta was an unwise place to put their money specifically the version of Meta under the direction of Mark Zuckerberg.

It adds systemic risks to portfolios, particularly in countries in Africa and Southeast Asia, she said. She added that Meta intentionally keeps the public in the dark about problems it creates, which prevents investors from judging if the company would be a sound investment.

Read more

The comments were made during a Zoom call Gizmodo was provided access to, under the condition that we did not name the organization.

To ameliorate financial risk, Haugen urged the moneymen to foist transparency on Meta. What she wants as part of an initiative shes calling Duty of Care is for investors to demand that disclosures of risks and harms to users be included in the information that Meta is required to share as a company publicly traded on the stock market.

If platforms dont have to do reporting, theyll never make progress, Haugen said. Theres a huge opportunity for the investment community to take a leadership role here and demand social platforms release a minimum level of information, to establish transparency and the minimum level of reporting.

Haugen wondered aloud what would happen if investors demanded to be told what harms Meta knew it brought to childrenhow many used its social networks after 2 am or for more than 6 hours per day, for exampleand what kind of response that information would elicit.

Facebooks version of transparency is that it only provides a list of the top 20 posts in the United States once a quarterthe cleanest version of Facebook in the worldand even in that list you see posts that get taken down, she said.

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As a positive example, Haugen pointed to the European Unions Digital Services Act, which imposes transparency requirements on large tech companies like Meta. She called the idea minimum viable queries after the software engineering concept of minimum viable product.

I dont think the U.S. will get a law on the scale of the Digital Services Act in the next few years, but we can begin to say, We cant assess risks on these investments. We need to develop a different set of norms on what info Facebook needs to share, she said.

Haugen spoke to the investors as part of the work of her nonprofit launched late last year, Beyond the Screen, which advocates for research into the problems caused by social networks. In the Zoom meeting, she described the nonprofits initiative as mapping harmsthe ills created by social networksand mapping leversthe means to fix them.

Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Individual investors are a new target for Haugen, who has spent the bulk of her time at the center of public attention warning that Meta, then known as Facebook, posed more social danger than financial, threatening the mental health and civic life of Americans and the world. Haugen made public Instagrams own research into how it was harming to the mental health of American teen girls, its failures on policing climate change and covid-19 misinformation, and its botched handling of election strife around the world. Haugen handed over thousands of internal Facebook documents to Congress to back up her 2021 testimony before panels of lawmakers.

Gizmodo has been redacting and publishing the Facebook Papers, as the documents were dubbed, since last year.

The whistleblower is no stranger to financial regulators and Metas finances. She has filed eight complaints with the Securities and Exchange Commission attempting to tie the albatross of Facebooks moderation failures to its financial neck. In complaints to the SEC, she has accused the company of misrepresenting how well it could handle harmful contentof choosing profits over safety, in her wordsand alleging its negligence amounted to misleading investors as a publicly listed company. In the complaints, she singles out Facebooks allowance of hate speech, particularly in India, the social networks biggest market by users.

Facebooks stock has not brushed off her assaults, though other factors are at play in its ups and downs. The companys share price has been on a rollercoaster in recent years, cresting around a trillion dollars in market capitalization in 2021 before losing more than half that value. Its market cap now stands at $446 billion.



Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the name of Haugens nonprofit.

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PIERRE  Gov. Kristi Noem signed into law a bill that declassifies fentanyl test strips as drug paraphernalia Wednesday.

Fentanyl test strips are commonly used in harm reduction tactics to allow drug users to test any number of drugs for the presence of fentanyl.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Taylor Rehfeldt, R-Sioux Falls, and Sen. Reynold Nesiba, D-Sioux Falls, is meant to allow harm reduction services to hand out the strips without fear of being penalized.

More:Fentanyl test strips may soon be declassified as drug paraphernalia in South Dakota

In the bill's prior hearings, Rehfeldt and proponents of the bill said fentanyl test strips are another way to get people toward seeking drug addiction treatment.

"We're trying to prevent overdoses for those people that are at high risk populations," said Rehfeldt.

Overdose rates in South Dakota have risen, according to Avoid Opioid SD, a program dedicated to raising awareness about opioid abuse in the state.

At least 104 people in South Dakota had a death related to drugs in 2021.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Fentanyl test strips declassified as drug paraphernalia in new SD law
A makeshift memorial grows for slain Spectrum News 13 journalist Dylan Lyons at the University of Central Florida's Nicholson School of Communications in Orlando. Lyons was a UCF graduate.

A makeshift memorial grows for slain Spectrum News 13 journalist Dylan Lyons at the University of Central Florida's Nicholson School of Communications in Orlando. Lyons was a UCF graduate.

The fiancee of a journalist killed in a shooting in Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday shared her grief on Twitter, writing that her life will never be the same.

Spectrum News 13 reporter Dylan Lyons was shot dead in Pine Hills on Wednesday afternoon while reporting about another fatal shooting that had happened in the area earlier that day. He was 24.

The love of my life was murdered. I will never be the same person ever again. Please help my family and I during this time, Lyons fiancee, Casey Lynn, posted Wednesday, sharing a link to a GoFundMe page to help raise money for his funeral.

In November, Lyons had tagged Lynn in a post celebrating the anniversary of when she became his girlfriend.

One year down and a lifetime to go! I cant wait for what the future holds! I love you! he wrote.

The GoFundMe page, set up by Lyons sister Rachel Lyons, described him as a happy soul and wonderful person.

He was an acting father to his niece and nephew who he loved so much, the page said. He loved his [fiancee] and he was a devoted son to his mother and father. Dylan would have been 25 years old in March.

Lyons and another Spectrum New 13 reporter, Jesse Walden, were shot while covering a homicide that had occurred Wednesday morning. A woman and her 9-year-old daughter were also shot that afternoon in a home nearby. Lyons and the child died. Walden and the mother were critically injured.

In an interview from his hospital bed, Walden said Lyons was a friend that made working fun.

Dylan was a very, very wholesome person, Walden told Spectrum News 13. He had a great sense of humor, too.

Luana Munoz, a reporter at WESH 2 Orlando, gave an tearful report from outside the Orlando Regional Medical Center on Wednesday evening. She said Lyons family and fiancee were distraught.

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His fiancee and I were just embracing, Munoz said. This is every reporters absolutely worst nightmare. We go home at night afraid that something like this will occur, and that is what happened here.

Keith Melvin Moses, 19, was arrested and charged in the death of the woman who was shot Wednesday morning, Nathacha Augustin. The Orange County Sheriffs Office said it expected he would also be charged in the two additional fatal shootings.

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You can officially order new Samsung Galaxy S23 devices and save up to $1,000 today

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Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Invest in the newest Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and get free credits with this exclusive deal.

Our reviewers loved the last Samsung Galaxy Ultra model, and the new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is loaded with even more top-of-the-line features. For example, the S23 Ultra has a cutting-edge 200-megapixel camera that'll capture high-quality videos and photos at night. It also has a built-in S pen that can create precise drawings and handwritten notes that bring productivity to both work and play. Order the latest Samsung smartphone today and get as much as $1,000 off its 1,199.99 price tag.

Story continues

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Samsung Galaxy S23 and S23+

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This article originally appeared on Reviewed: Samsung Galaxy S23 deal: Order new Samsung devices, save up to $1,000
The double murder trial of Richard "Alex" Murdaugh concluded in Walterboro, South Carolina, with Murdaugh found guilty and sentenced to life in prison for the shooting deaths of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul.

A host of media outlets and streaming services have documentaries and specials about the investigations and lead-up to the trial along with post-trial analysis.

Netflix on Wednesday, Feb. 22 released its three-part docuseries, "Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal."

The project, directed by Julia Willoughby Nason and Jenner Furst, the team behind Amazon's "LuLaRich" and Netflix's "The Pharmacist," centers onthe scandals and criminal allegations surrounding the disbarred attorney and the fall of his disgraced family dynasty.

"For over a century, the Murdaughs were law and order here in the 14th Circuit," Gannett/USA TODAY Network journalist Michael DeWitt Jr., who has covered the story for years, says in the trailer.

Here's what to know ahead of your "Murdaugh Murders" binge, along with where and how to watch Murdaugh saga specials from HBO, CNN and more.

Alex Murdaugh trial updates:Jury begins deliberation in double murder trial

What does 'Murdaugh Murders' cover?

While other true-crime documentaries have explored the Murdaugh saga, Netflix's series explores the fatal February 2019 boat crash involving Murdaugh's younger son, Paul; the unsolved 2015 homicide of Hampton County teen Stephen Smith that has been linked to the Murdaugh family by state police; and the June 2021 murders of Paul and his mother, Maggie, for which Alex Murdaugh was charged, along with more than 100 other crimes.

The Murdaughs were one of South Carolinas most prominent families, but the death of teenager Mallory Beach in a drunken boating accident began the unraveling of their legacy. When Paul Murdaugh  the alleged driver of the boat  and his mother Maggie were found brutally murdered two years after the crash, a century of corruption, power, and cover-ups is brought to light.

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What the docuseries says about Maggie and Paul's murders:

The deaths of Richard Murdaugh's wife, Maggie, and their son, Paul, are addressed in the docuseries' second episode, "Murders at Moselle." AlexMurdaugh told investigators he woke up from a nap at home at 7:31 p.m. on June 7, 2021 and didn't see either of his family members. He then texted his wife and son that he was going to visit his ailing parents.

ABC 20/20: The Murdaugh Family Members

The ABC 20/20 special featuers "Breaking coverage and exclusive analysis after a jury found former South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh guilty of murdering his wife and son."

The special is one hour and twenty minutes long and can be streamed on abc.com and ABC apps.

Dateline NBC: The Trial of Alex Murdaugh

Hosted by Wofford graduate Craig Melvin, Dateline NBC will air a two-hour special Friday night, March 3, The Trial of Alex Murdaugh.

The special can be streamed on demand at nbc.com and on NBC apps.

Alex Murdaugh special on HBO Max: 'Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty'

The HBO Max three-part series, "Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty," explores the legacy of the Murdaugh family, whose decades of powerful influence over the legal system in the South Carolina Lowcountry unravel amid accusations of fraud, deception and murder.

It first aired Nov. 3, 2022.

CNN Special Report 'The Murdaugh Murders: A Twisted Tale of Power and Money'

A CNN Special Report aired Oct. 23, 2022.

This special, The Murdaugh Murders: A Twisted Tale of Power and Money, has three roundtable discussions with journalists, attorneys and alleged victims of the Murdaughs.

It's available on CNN.com and CNN apps.

NBC News special: Alex Murdaugh: Death, Deception, Power

An NBC News special first aired Dec. 15, 2021.

The three-part special, totaling one hour and 28 minutes, is available on NBC.com and NBC apps.

Recommended podcasts about the Alex Murdaugh crime saga

Murdaugh Murders Podcast

My Favorite Murder - My Favorite Murdaugh

True Crime Garage - The Murdaugh Murders

True Crime Today - The Trial of Alex Murdaugh

The Murdaugh Family Murders: Impact of Influence

Pretty Lies & Alibis - Alex Murdaugh Trial

Hidden: A True Crime Podcast - Uncovering the Murdaugh's Murders: Power and Multigenerational Shame

Cup of Justice Podcast

Michael DeWitt's upcoming books on the Murdaugh family

Hampton County Guardian Editor Michael DeWitt has two books coming out soon.

"Wicked Hampton County" will be released May 29. Pre-order here.

Also, DeWitt will release "The Fall of the House of Murdaugh," June 2023.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: After you binge Netflix Alex Murdaugh series, specials from HBO, CNN
A fire broke out around 11 p.m. Thursday in a shopping plaza in Lawrence County.

Apartments on the second floor of Rigottis Plaza in the 1200 block of Butler Avenue in New Castle were also affected.

Officials said a tenant called 911, saying there was smoke in the building.

Fire crews could see smoke and flames when they arrived. They restricted the eastbound lane of Route 422 temporarily to accommodate trucks while they battled the fire. An official said they were able to put out the flames quickly.

The residents of those apartments were able to escape and are being assisted by the Red Cross.

TRENDING NOW:

Experts question the safety of the recreational drug, Delta-8 Cold case unit finds major breakthrough in 1994 murder of East Liberty woman Local man pleads guilty for stealing cars from Pittsburgh International Airport rental lot VIDEO: Mental health expert says Pittsburgh ranks high among states with season affective disorder DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts
The aircraft carrier Vikrant was delivered to India's navy on July 28, 2022. Indian navy

Two fighter jets landed on and took off from India's new aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, this month.

The jets that landed on Vikrant may not be the jets that India uses on its carriers in the future.

The continued growth of India's carrier fleet reflects New Delhi's ambitions in the region.

On February 6, the Indian Navy announced that fixed-wing aircraft had successfully landed on and taken off from India's first domestically built aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant.

The jets involved were the naval variant of the Indian-made Tejas fighter, referred to as "LCA Navy" for "Light Combat Aircraft Navy" in the announcement, followed by a Russian-designed MiG-29K. Each jet landed using the carrier's arresting cable and then launched from the carrier's ski-jump ramp.

The operations were the latest milestone in New Delhi's "Atmanirbhar Bharat," or "self-reliant India," initiative, which is meant to increase domestic production of military hardware.

Adm. R. Hari Kumar, India's Chief of Naval Staff, said in a statement that the operations marked "a momentous step forward towards the realization of our collective vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat" and heralded the integration of the MiG-29K into the carrier's inventory.

Vikrant's introduction and its first jet operations come at an important time for the Indian Navy, which is seeking to increase its strength to counter the growing threat from China.

Indian carriers

A naval variant of India's Tejas fighter jet lands on INS Vikrant on February 6. Indian navy

Though Vikrant is India's first domestically built carrier, it is actually the fourth to enter service with the Indian Navy. The first two, INS Vikrant (namesake of the current Vikrant) and INS Viraat, were both former British carriers in service with India from 1961 to 1997 and 1987 to 2017, respectively.

The third carrier, INS Vikramaditya, is a modified Kiev-class carrier India purchased from Russia in 2004. Commissioned in 2013, Vikramaditya brought with it the MiG-29K, the carrier version of the famed MiG-29 fighter jet. The Indian Navy previously used the venerable Sea Harrier.

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At about 930 feet long, Vikramaditya displaces about 44,000 tons and can carry 36 aircraft, mainly MiG-29Ks and a combination of Ka-31, Ka-28, and HAL Dhruv helicopters. It has a crew of 1,600, a top speed of 28 knots, and a range of about 7,000 nautical miles.

Vikrant, meanwhile, measures about 860 feet in length, displaces around 43,000 tons, and can carry 30 aircraft. It has a crew of 1,500, a top speed of 28 knots, and a range of 7,500 nautical miles.

An Indian MiG-29K lands on INS Vikrant on February 6. Indian navy

Both carriers use a short takeoff but arrested recovery, or STOBAR, system that launches aircraft off a ski-jump ramp rather than from deck-mounted catapults.

INS Vikrant is expected to be ready for operations by the end of this year and INS Vikramaditya is expected to return this spring after an extensive 15-month refit. The newer carrier will reportedly be based on India's East Coast and the older carrier on the West Coast.

India's carriers have been extremely valuable for projecting power in the Indian Ocean, where New Delhi has long regarded itself as the most influential actor.

Vikrant aided the annexation of Goa from Portugal in 1961 by deterring foreign intervention and was vital to the naval blockade of Bangladesh (then called East Pakistan) during the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War. Viraat supported India's peacekeeping efforts in Sri Lanka and threatened to blockade Pakistan during the 1999 Kargil War.

INS Vikramaditya off of Mumbai in December 2014. Reuters

In recent years, Indian concerns have focused on China's increasing presence and activity in the Indian Ocean. China has deployed surface ships to conduct anti-piracy patrols off the Horn of Africa since 2008, and a Chinese submarine visit to Sri Lanka in 2014 raised alarm in India.

Since then, Beijing has set up a naval base in Djibouti and pursued port projects  which are seen as avenues to advance Chinese economic, diplomatic, and potentially military influence  around the region, including a 99-year lease in Hambantota, a strategically located port in southern Sri Lanka where India has longstanding concern about Chinese military activity. A port call in Hambantota last year by a Chinese tracking vessel raised alarm in India about spying missions off its coasts.

By adding carriers  Indian officials are already considering buying another Vikrant-size carrier  India's navy can keep them at sea off of both its coasts and around the region in order to monitor activity and potential threats from China's navy, the largest in the world.

More carriers would also help India maintain its naval advantage over its longtime rival, Pakistan.

Indian jets

A Tejas fighter jet launches from INS Vikrant on February 6. Indian navy

Though the Tejas and MiG-29K are the first jets India has operated on Vikrant's deck, they are not jets that India plans to use in the carrier's air wing in the future.

In 2016, the Indian Navy rejected the naval variant of the Tejas because its single-engine design gives it a low thrust-to-weight ratio, making it unable to launch from a STOBAR carrier with a full load of fuel and weapons. The jet is only being used as a technology demonstrator to inform future operations and development.

The MiG-29K, meanwhile, has been a headache for India. At least five of the 45 jets it has purchased have crashed in the last four years. A 2016 report by the Indian government said 40 of the 65 MiG-29K engines delivered to India had been withdrawn from service or rejected because of defects and deficiencies.

A MiG-29 aboard INS Vikrant during its commissioning in Kochi in September. ARUN SANKAR/AFP via Getty Images

Like the rest of India's military, the Navy is dependent on Russia for major maintenance and support, including Russian technicians and spare parts, which may soon be in much shorter supply given the toll the war in Ukraine has taken on Russia's defense industry.

That reliance is exactly what Atmanirbhar Bharat aims to undo. Although the LCA Navy was rejected, India still has plans for a domestically produced carrier-based fighter. That jet, the Twin-Engine Deck Based Fighter, or TEDBF, is in the early stages of development and is intended to replace India's MiG-29Ks around 2031.

India is also looking to acquire 26 new carrier-borne aircraft from another country to use until the TEDBF arrives. The search narrowed to two models: the French-made Dassault Rafale M and the US-made Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet.

India's air force already operates the Rafale, leading to reports that the Rafale M will edge out the Super Hornet.

Read the original article on Business Insider
When Keylin Perez became the first Latina to be crowned Miss Coppin State University in Baltimore, she was thrilled. She had been named the universitys Miss Sophomore and Miss Junior previously and was eager to continue representing the school with pride as the 91st Miss Coppin State University queen.

But after a TikTok video she posted went viral, she received backlash, including harassment, from online critics who said the role should be given to a Black woman, since Coppin State University is a historically Black university, known as an HBCU.

I never considered stepping down, Perez told NBC News. She applied for the high-profile role knowing she might face some backlash, but ran unopposed and was officially crowned in October. I stayed firm in my decision of continuing to serve my institution that has poured so much into me the past four years, she said.

The original TikTok video featured Perez and Mister Coppin State and their Royal Court counterparts at Morgan State University, another HBCU in Baltimore, recreating a scene from the Zoolander movie, which was a trending meme at the time on the platform. The group recorded the lighthearted video while at Mister HBCU Kings Leadership Conference and Competition, Inc., held in St. Louis.

Miss and Mister Coppin, Keylin Perez and Tre'Quan Hayes. (Coppin State University)

The video has since gathered more than 430,000 views, more than 78,000 likes and had more than 2,700 comments before Perez turned off the comment section because of the barrage of hateful messages.

Dozens of videos and posts on other platforms such as Instagram and Twitter also surfaced, raising larger questions of representation, race and legacy, and debating whether a non-Black person being crowned contradicts HBCU culture.

Perez, who turns 23 on Saturday, said the backlash online escalated as some of the comments turned vulgar, with some even suggesting she harms herself.

Perez took to Instagram to address the controversy and issued a statement. The post received more than 1,000 comments with divided opinions.

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Theyre going to have to start removing Black in titles now, one commenter said, while another said, The majority supports and stands with you. Youre doing amazing sweetheart. Continue serving your campus with grace."

Kelaina Slaughter, 20, a junior majoring in English at the University of Louisville in Kentucky, first learned about the controversy surrounding Perez from a different TikTok video.

Slaughter explained why she thinks a role like Miss Coppin State University should go to a Black person.

She said roles like the Royal Court positions at HBCUs are crucial in representing students who have been historically underserved at predominantly white institutions.

The reason why these people are so important for them to be Black is so that they can have Black voices in spaces where they were historically not allowed. Theyre trying to show that we are educated, that we can hold these positions, that we can have the same thing as white people  anybody else, Slaughter said.

When you take those spaces away, you are taking away an additional voice for our community that you can have on a national space and allow to represent our community as a whole, Slaughter continued.

Yet Perez says shes received support from peers, professors and university administrators.

Perez noted that the controversy is a stark contrast from her time as Miss Sophomore and Miss Junior. She didnt receive any backlash then, she said.

Justin Evans, 23, president of Coppins student government association, said Perez "has our full support."

"I feel like it's bonded us together even more than before, because we're already a small institution, so all this backlash," he said, "just helps us realize how we're all we got in a sense. The campus life has actually been up."

Evans, who is Black and Mexican American, said Perez has been one of the more impactful queens the school has had yet. He also said Perez has been featured throughout campus and on the school's website since her time as Miss Sophomore and Miss Junior.

Jawaad Williams, 20, who is Mister Junior at Coppin, said about the controversy: "I think sometimes people just get wrapped up in the idea, like an HBCU is just Black people only and nobody else is allowed to go to the school."

Before the social media backlash, nobody on campus questioned Perez's crowning, Williams said, because "we all feel like she deserved the spot that she's in."

"She goes above and beyond. She doesn't just wear the crown and take pictures. She actually goes in the Baltimore community and does work. She does work on campus. So she's very active in her role," he said.

Queens from other HBCUs also posted a video and statement in support of Perez.

Other HBCUs in the past have faced similar backlash for electing non-Black queens, including Kentucky State University.

Historically Black  but becoming more diverse

HBCUs are defined as institutions founded before 1964 with the specific mission of educating Black students amid the realities of legal segregation. But in recent years, growing populations and changing demographics have impacted student composition. Non-Black students accounted for 25% of enrollment at HBCUs in 2021, compared to 15% in 1976, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Coppin State University President Anthony Jenkins addressed the issue of a multicultural campus in a video statement online denouncing the "racist, hurtful and unintelligent comments made by several people" in response to the backlash against Perez.

We are a proud HBCU that educates a multicultural and multigenerational student population. Thus, we value diversity and inclusion. As such, we do not buy into the myth that students who represent our HBCU must be African American, Jenkins said. Were not going to allow irrelevant haters to make our queen feel as if she does not belong, or that she is not worthy to represent our beloved institution.

Perez, who is of Guatemalan descent, attended public high school in Glenelg, Maryland. I never really felt like I fit it in, knowing that there was just less than five students who are Latino and less than 20 students who are Black and the rest were Caucasian, Perez said.

She said she was drawn to Coppin State for its smaller classroom size ratios and its diverse student population. Coppin States student body is 80% Black, 3.1% Hispanic or Latino and 1.7% white.

When I came to Coppin, I truly felt welcomed," Perez said. "They pushed me, they inspired me and I felt like when I came to their orientations, I found everything that Ive always wanted in a university."

Perez is a senior expected to graduate in May as a nursing and military science major. She also serves as a sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserves and plans to become a psychiatric nurse practitioner within the military.

For Latinos interested in attending an HBCU, Perez said she recommends the schools and advises prospective students to take an orientation tour to learn more.

Ashley Roman, 21, a student athlete on the Coppin women's volleyball team majoring in biology pre-med, is from Isabela, Puerto Rico. Choosing to attend an HBCU, she said, has been one of her best experiences.

"Here, I've always, always, always felt comfortable enough to call this my second home," Roman said. "Just because it's an HBCU, they don't exclude students because of their race and they always involve everyone."

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
By Brendan Pierson

(Reuters) -The first scheduled trial over claims that GSK Plc's heartburn drug Zantac caused cancer, which had been set to begin Monday, has been postponed by five months.

The case, brought by California resident James Goetz in Alameda County Superior Court, is now expected to go to trial July 24, according to a spokesperson for GSK.

Goetz alleges he developed bladder cancer from taking Zantac, and his case will offer an early test of how Zantac cancer claims may fare in state courts.

A federal judge in December threw out all of the Zantac cases in federal court, some 50,000, after finding the opinions of the plaintiffs' expert witnesses linking Zantac to cancer were not backed by sound science.

Tens of thousands of cases still remain in state courts, many consolidated before Judge Evelio Grillo in Alameda. Grillo is currently considering what expert testimony to allow in Goetz's trial.

Zantac, first approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration in 1983, became the world's best selling medicine in 1988 and one of the first drugs to top $1 billion in annual sales.

Originally marketed by a forerunner of GSK, it was later sold successively to Pfizer Inc, Boehringer Ingelheim and finally Sanofi SA. All four drugmakers are facing Zantac lawsuits and have denied the pill causes cancer.

In 2019, some manufacturers and pharmacies halted sales of the drug over concerns that its active ingredient, ranitidine, degraded over time to form a chemical called NDMA. While NDMA is found in low levels in food and water, it is known to cause cancer in larger amounts.

The FDA in 2020 pulled all remaining brand name Zantac and generic versions off the market, triggering a wave of lawsuits.

(Reporting by Brendan Pierson in New York, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Lincoln Feast)
By Friederike Heine and Matthias Williams

BERLIN (Reuters) -Ukraine's allies around the world lit up buildings in yellow and blue, held protests and candlelight vigils and prepared new sanctions on Moscow on Friday in a collective show of support on the first anniversary of Russia's invasion.

As the war grinds on with no sign of ending, anti-Russian protesters also carried out symbolic gestures. In Berlin, they left a rusting Russian T-72 tank outside the Russian embassy that was destroyed and captured in the first weeks of the war.

In Belgrade, pro-Ukrainian groups left a bloody cake decorated with a skull in front of the Russian embassy.

Governments from Washington to London to Berlin have said they will stick by Ukraine for as long as it takes, sending aid and advanced weaponry to Kyiv and ratcheting up sanctions pressure on Moscow.

In Germany, which has ditched its "Wandel durch Handel" (change through trade) approach to Russia and funnelled weapons to Ukraine, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the invasion was an assault on the lessons of the two world wars.

"It is an attack on everything we stand for," he said, calling Russia's invasion an "epochal breach".

In Poland, sandwiched between Germany and Ukraine, protesters held up a banner reading "Russia is a terrorist state" and sounded sirens outside a residential building for Russian embassy employees in Warsaw.

Polish Premier Mateusz Morawiecki went to Kyiv and, together with Ukraine's prime minister, laid flowers at the Wall of Remembrance of those who died for Ukraine. Warsaw also announced it had sent Leopard tanks to Ukraine.

The United States marked the anniversary by announcing new sanctions against Russia and its allies, new export controls and tariffs aimed at undermining Moscow's ability to wage war.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak held a minute's silence outside Downing Street before singers dressed in traditional red and white costume sang Ukraine's nation anthem. Britain also issued new sanctions.

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However, underscoring how the war has caused global divisions, China presented a 12-point paper for a ceasefire that Ukraine swiftly rejected and Europe treated with caution.

There were divisions too at the Group of Twenty (G20) meeting in India, where the host nation wants to avoid using the word "war" in any communique to describe the conflict.

Meanwhile, Pope Francis said in a tweet: "Let us remain close to the tormented Ukrainian people, who continue to suffer, and let us ask ourselves: has everything possible been done to stop the war?"

LANDMARKS LIT

Paris lit the Eiffel Tower in the Ukrainian flag colours of blue and yellow on Thursday night and people draped in Ukrainian flags, with hands on their hearts, gathered at a vigil in London holding a banner: "If you stand for freedom, stand for Ukraine."

EU institutions were also lit in Ukrainian colours, along with the Sydney Opera House.

In Italy, the Senate will illuminate its Palazzo Madama building in the colours of the flag from sunset on Friday to sunrise on Saturday.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a video message: "The free world owes the Ukrainian women and men."

For the activists outside the embassy in Berlin, the wrecked tank was a symbol that the invasion would ultimately fail.

"The broken tank signifies downfall. Ukraine is going to be Putin's Stalingrad," said Wieland Giebel, curator of the Berlin Story Bunker museum, referring to Germany's defeat in a major battle in World War Two.

There were no major public events to mark the anniversary on Friday in Russia, which set off fireworks on Thursday for the annual "Defenders of the Fatherland" holiday and held a pop concert on Wednesday attended by President Vladimir Putin.

Putin says he is battling the combined might of the West in what he now depicts as a fight for Russia's survival. Kyiv says there can be no peace until Russia, which denies intentionally targeting civilians, withdraws.

The mood in the Russian capital was muted but defiant. "The whole world is against us. NATO countries are fighting us through Ukraine, supplying them with equipment. We are looking forward to winning this year - hopefully," a Muscovite who gave his name as Yevgeny said.

Some however did show solidarity for Kyiv. In Moscow, police detained people for laying flowers at a monument to a Ukrainian writer.

Click on the link to listen to the Reuters World News Podcast Special anniversary episode: The Ukraine war

(Reporting by Reuters bureaus around the world; Writing by Paul Carrel, and Matthias Williams in London; Editing by Alison Williams)
Death row inmate Donald Dillbeck used his last words before his execution on Thursday night to trash Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

I know I hurt people when I was young. I really messed up, Dillbeck, 59, said while strapped to a gurney at Florida State Prison, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. But I know Ron DeSantis has done a lot worse. Hes taken a lot from a lot of people. I speak for all men, women and children. Hes put his foot on our necks. Ron DeSantis and other people like him can suck our d***s.

Dillbeck was pronounced dead at 6.13pm on Thursday after being convicted of the capital murder of Faye Vann, 44, in 1990, the Associated Press reported.

He escaped from prison where he was serving a life sentence for an earlier murder when he stabbed the mother of two to death in a shopping mall parking lot in an attempted carjacking.

Dillbeck was the first prisoner to be executed by lethal injection in nearly four years, and the third during Mr DeSantiss governorship.

In a statement to the AP, Vanns children Tony and Laura said: 11,932 days ago, Donald Dillbeck brutally killed our Mother. We were robbed of years of memories with her, and it has been very painful ever since.

They praised the Florida governor for giving them some closure.

Florida death row inmate Donald Dillbeck trashed Ron DeSantis with his last words before his execution (Florida Department of Corrections)

According to court records, Dillbecks criminal offending began at the age of 15 when he stabbed a man in Indiana.

He fled to Florida where he shot and killed Lee County Sheriffs deputy Dwight Lynn Hall with his service weapon in a Fort Myers Beach parking lot in 1979. He was sentenced to 11 years to life in prison for the murder before escaping while on a work release programme in 1990.

Two days later, he approached Vann in a parking lot in Tallahassee and demanded a ride, according to court records. When she tried to raise the alarm and drive away, he stabbed her 20 times and slit her throat.

Dillbeck crashed the car shortly afterwards and was arrested while trying to flee on foot.

Earlier this month, the Florida Supreme Court denied a plea for clemency on the grounds that Dillbeck suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome. His final appeal was denied by the US Supreme Court on Wednesday.
Two of Floridas most prominent Democrats are set to face off for one of the least sought-after jobs in Sunshine State politics: Florida Democratic Party chair.

Party leaders are set to meet in Orlando on Saturday to elect their next chair, a critical first step toward rehabilitating the long-struggling organization. While four candidates are vying for the job, the race is largely seen as a head-to-head battle between former state Sen. Annette Taddeo and former state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, who jumped into the contest less than two weeks ago.

The winner will face a daunting challenge: rebuilding a party teetering on the edge of political irrelevance.

For whoever becomes the party chair, its not going to be about celebrity. Its going to be a thankless job, said Dwight Bullard, a former Florida state senator and a senior political adviser to the progressive group Florida Rising.

Its going to be probably one of the most difficult jobs they take on, he added. But baked into that is an opportunity. An opportunity to build without the heavy hand of national influence that Florida has operated under for a long time.

Florida Democrats have faced a series of setbacks in recent years, ranging from financial strains to internal disagreements over strategy and messaging to lagging voter registration efforts.

After leading Republicans in registered voters for years, Democrats were overtaken in 2021 and have only seen their deficit grow since then. There are now more than 400,000 more registered Republican voters in the state than Democratic voters. By comparison, in 2008, when former President Obama first won Florida, there were nearly 700,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dominant reelection win in November served as a breaking point for the states Democrats. (Associated Press/Wilfredo Lee)

The extent of those difficulties was put into stark relief in November, when the party and its candidates suffered across-the-board losses in the 2022 midterm elections.

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Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) won reelection by a 19-point margin  the largest in a Florida gubernatorial race in four decades  while Republicans gained a supermajority in the state legislature. For the first time since Reconstruction, theres not a single Democrat in statewide office.

The losses kicked off months of finger-pointing and internal strife, culminating last month with the abrupt resignation of former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz as the chairman of the Florida Democratic Party.

Annette Taddeo

Florida state Sen. Annette Taddeo is among the candidates vying to become the states next Democratic leader. (Associated Press/Lynne Sladky)

Among those vying to succeed Diaz are Fried, Taddeo, progressive activist Carolina Ampudia and Broward County Democratic Party Chairman Rick Hoye.

And while theyve sought to make their individual cases for winning the job, theres little disagreement among the candidates that the party has long been rife with problems and is in desperate need of an overhaul.

This doesnt happen overnight. This was 30 years in the making, Fried, who unsuccessfully challenged former Rep. Charlie Crist (D) for the partys gubernatorial nomination last year, said during a debate last week. We have to start listening once again to the people on the ground.

Taddeo, a former Miami-Dade County Democratic Party chairwoman who fell short in her bid to oust Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R) in November, made the case that Democrats needed year-round investments to bulk up their organizing and voter registration efforts  and put aside the infighting that has ravaged the party for years.

Im ready to do this job, Taddeo said. I know how to do it. I know how to do the fundraising  and it does take money to do the things we want to do.

Florida Democrats fight to reclaim political relevance

Heading into the Saturday chair vote, either Fried and Taddeo appear to be the likely pick. Both are well-known statewide and have racked up a long list of endorsements from the very party members who will elect their next leader on Saturday.

Thomas Kennedy, a Democratic National Committee member from Florida who is backing Taddeo, said that not only does she have prior experience running a party, but she also has the most practical understanding of what rebuilding the state Democratic organization actually entails.

I remember Annette Taddeos tenure as the Miami-Dade County party chair. She built good infrastructure; we had an office, we had actual staff, we had good funding to execute programs, we were registering voters and winning races, Kennedy said. I think she comes tried and proven.

Alex Berrios, the co-founder of the voter-engagement group Mi Vecino who dropped out of the Florida Democratic Party chair contest earlier this month and endorsed Fried, said that the former agriculture commissioners status as the only Democrat to win a statewide election in recent years made her uniquely qualified to head the party.

Shes not just a good person, shes a good candidate, he said. Shes young, shes strong, shes not just going to bend to pressure. This is somebody that has more spine than most people in politics.

But Berrios also offered a sober assessment of Democrats struggles in Florida. It will likely take months for the new chair to get up to speed in the job, he said. He also described the party as being stuck in a Groundhog Day moment, where Democrats repeatedly talk about fixing the same set of problems  lackluster voter registration efforts, a lagging organizing program  without making actual progress.

The bigger issue, he said, is that Florida Democrats have failed to rally the support of even their most loyal voters.

Its too easy to just make a big statement thats true, like we need year-round organizing, Berrios said. Weve said that time and time again, and we still dont have it.

By and large, people are voting against Democrats. Democrats are voting against Democrats, he continued. The Democratic Party has a core problem with branding and expectations. When you are losing your own base, you need to address those issues first.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Thursday's execution of convicted murderer Donald Dillbeck marked Florida's 100th since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976.

Florida has been one of the most active states in carrying out executions since the reinstatement.

Morbid milestone:Florida reaches 100 executions with lethal injection death of Donald Dillbeck

The lethal injection chamber at the Florida State Prison in Raiford.

There are currently 298 people on Florida's Death Row: 11 of them are connected to Volusia County; one is connected to Flagler County.

Kenneth Quince

Kenneth Quince

Current age: 64

Date of offense: Dec. 28, 1979

Crime(s): Convicted of first-degree felony murder, burglary of an occupied dwelling

Quince, also known as Rashikh Abdul Hakim, pleaded guilty to the crimes that resulted in the death of 82-year-old Frances Bowdoin of Daytona Beach. The sexual battery charge was dismissed.

He was sentenced to death on Oct. 21, 1980.

Konstantin Fotopoulos

Konstantin Fotopoulos

Current age: 63

Date of offense: Oct. 20, 1989, and Nov. 4, 1989

Crime(s): Convicted of multiple offenses including two counts of first-degree murder for which he received the death sentence on Nov. 1, 1990

Fotopoulos and his coconspirator, Deidre Hunt, lured 19-year-old Kevin Ramsey to an isolated area where Fotopoulos told Hunt that she would be killed if she didn't kill Ramsey. Fotopoulos filmed Hunt's murder of Ramsey.

Appeal denied:Notorious Daytona Beach killer Konstantin Fotopoulos will remain on death row

The wealthy Daytona Beach businessman then ordered Hunt to hire someone to kill his wife. The hired gun, 18-year-old Bryan Chase, broke into the Fotopoulos home where he shot Fotopoulos' wife.

Fotopoulos, whose wife ultimately survived and remarried, then fatally shot Chase.

James Hunter

James Hunter

Current age: 52

Date of offense: Sept. 17, 1992

Crime(s): Convicted of multiple offenses including first-degree murder during the committing of a felony for which he received the death sentence on Aug. 18, 1993

In September 1992, Hunter and three other men approached four males outside of a Daytona Beach store and robbed them. Hunter shot each of the males as they lay face down on the sidewalk, resulting in the death of Wayne Simpson.

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Enoch Hall

Enoch Hall

Current age: 54

Date of offense: June 25, 2008

Crime(s): Convicted of first-degree murder

In June 2008, Hall, a convicted rapist serving a life sentence at Tomoka Correctional Institution, fatally stabbed Donna Fitzgerald, a corrections officer. Hall was sentenced to death in January 2010.

Bobby Raleigh

Bobby Raleigh

Current age: 48

Date of offense: June 5, 1994

Crime(s): Convicted of two counts of first-degree murder for which he received the death sentence on Feb. 16, 1996

Raleigh pleaded guilty in the shooting deaths of DeLeon Springs resident Douglas Cox and Cox's roommate, Timothy Eberlin.

Raleigh also was charged in the 1994 killing of Laralee Spear, but the charge was later dropped, and Raleigh is no longer a suspect in the case.

Who killed Laralee Spear?:Reward increased to $50,000 for info on murder of DeLand teen

James Guzman

James Guzman

Current age: 58

Date of offense: Dec. 13, 1991

Crime(s): Convicted of first-degree murder and robbery with a deadly weapon

Guzman has been convicted and sentenced to death three times, most recently in April 2016, in the murder of David Colvin, a 48-year-old businessman from Virginia, with a Samurai sword.

His sentence was overturned again in 2018, so the State Attorney's Office is pursuing the case a fourth time.

Paul Brown

Paul Brown

Current age: 55

Date of offense: Nov. 5, 1992

Crime(s): Convicted of first-degree murder, armed robbery with a deadly weapon and armed burglary of a dwelling

Brown was found guilty in the stabbing death of Roger Hensley and sentenced to death on Nov. 7, 1996.

Troy Victorino and Jerone Hunter

Troy Victorino and Jerone Hunter

Current ages: 46 and 36

Date of offense: Aug. 5/6, 2004

Crime(s): Convicted of multiple counts of first-degree murder, cruelty to animals and armed burglary of a dwelling

Victorino and coconspirator Hunter were previously convicted and sentenced to death in the case commonly referred to as the Xbox murders, or the Deltona massacre, for the slayings of Erin Belanger, Jonathan Gleason, Roberto Gonzalez, Michelle Nathan, Francisco Ayo-Roman and Anthony Vega.

The sentences were overturned in 2016, and a new penalty-phase trial is scheduled to start April 10.

Deltona mass murder:2 men convicted face death penalty again after sentences overturned

Joseph Jordan

Joseph Jordan

Current age: 52

Date of offense: June 24, 2009

Crime(s): Convicted of first-degree murder and robbery with a deadly weapon

Jordan, whose death sentence is under review, was found guilty in September 2013 in the killing of his employer and Edgewater roommate Keith Cope.

Christian Cruz

Christian Cruz

Current age: 29

Date of offense: April 26, 2013

Crime(s): Convicted of first-degree murder, burglary while armed, robbery with a firearm and kidnapping while committing/facilitating the commission of a felony

In December 2021, Cruz was sentenced to death a second time in the murder of the wrongly-targeted 25-year-old Christopher Jemery.

Louis Gaskin

Louis Gaskin

Current age: 55

Date of offense: Dec. 20, 1989

Crime(s): Convicted of two counts of first-degree murder

'Ninja killer':Man remains on death row more than 30 years later

Gaskin dressed up as a ninja and fatally shot Robert and Georgette Sturmfels at their Palm Coast home.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: On death row: Who's awaiting execution in Volusia, Flagler?
A Homestead man taking classes at a Florida Keys college to become a certified police officer was arrested on campus on felony drug charges Thursday, according to the Monroe County Sheriffs Office.

Michael Alexis Ramirez, 23, faces two counts of felony marijuana possession and two misdemeanor drug paraphernalia possession charges.

According to his arrest report, deputies and detectives found 120 grams, or about 4 ounces, of marijuana in his car that was parked at the Key Largo campus of The College of the Florida Keys. Police also found 60 plastic small plastic bags they say can be used to package marijuana for sale and a digital scale.

Detective Ignacio Molina wrote in his report that Ramirez was arrested after several of his classmates reported they had seen him smoke marijuana in his car, his car often had a strong odor emanating from the inside and he was known to vape in the classroom.

People who finish the basic law enforcement class at the Keys college are certified law enforcement officers and often get hired by the Monroe County Sheriffs Office or the city of Key Wests police department. Some cadets are even sponsored by those departments.

But Adam Linhardt, spokesman for the sheriffs office stressed that Ramirez was not affiliated with the agency.

Nevertheless, Sheriff Rick Ramsay issued a statement saying hes relieved Ramirez was arrested before he could become a cop.

I want to thank those who came forward in this case, which led to this mans arrest before he became a law enforcement officer, Ramsay said.

The arrest report indicates Ramirez was a promising student and was his class captain.

Molina met Ramirez in class Thursday evening, according to his report, and asked him to step outside. He asked for and received permission from Ramirez to search his car. A deputy and the class instructor, a city of Homestead police officer, helped with the search.

On the walk to the car, Ramirez spontaneously uttered that he had a Glock 9 mm pistol in the car and a marijuana grinder he used before starting the Police Academy, Molina said. There was a gun inside the glove compartment, as well as 18 bullets.

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The gun was clear with no record, Molina said, so Ramirez is not facing a weapons charge.

Molina said in the report that as soon as he opened the car door, he smelled a strong odor of marijuana. The drugs were found in a large black and clear bag located on the floorboard behind the front seat of the car, Molina said.

Ramirez remained in county jail Friday evening with no bond information immediately available. Information about his legal counsel was also not immediately known.
Steven Lorenzo FOX 13 Tampa Bay / Via youtube.com

A Florida man who asked that the judge sentence him to death after he confessed to torturing and killing two gay men in 2003 was given a death sentence on Friday.

"That is the punishment you deserve for these horrific crimes," Judge Christopher Sabella said at the sentencing hearing.

Steven Lorenzo, 63, was convicted on two counts of murder for the killings of Jason Galehouse and Michael Wachholtz, both 26.

In December 2003, Lorenzo and Scott Schweickert lured Galehouse and Wachholtz separately to Lorenzo's home in Tampa. Once they arrived, they were killed.

In her opening statements, Hillsborough State Attorney Susan Lopez said Galehouses murder was the very definition of cold, calculated, and premeditated.

Schweickert pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder in 2016 and agreed to testify against Lorenzo.

In a 147-page letter filed to the court in November, Lorenzo, who represented himself, withdrew his not-guilty plea and requested the death penalty for his crimes, stating that the comforts they get in death row are a lot more comfortable than it is in the federal system.

That's fine, I don't really care, it doesn't bother me, because the defense wants the death penalty. The defense is saying, Yes, give me the death penalty, that is absolutely great, Lorenzo said in court.

In his testimony at Lorenzos hearing, Schweickert detailed the murders of Galehouse and Wachholtz. Schweickert said he and Lorenzo had been planning to lure an unsuspecting gay man from the bar and kidnapping him and killing him.

The two lured Galehouse to Lorenzos home in Tampa with promises of drinks and a bondage session. Schweickert said that Galehouse, who was already strapped down to the bed, was put in a chokehold by Lorenzo and struggled until he stopped moving.

Schweickert said he and Lorenzo worked together to dismember Galehouses body and stuff the parts in construction bags. Schweickert continued by saying the two spread the body parts across random dumpsters in Tampa.

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It just seemed methodical, so almost planned, like he knew exactly what he was to do when something like this happened. It just seemed automatic, Schweickert said in court. He didn't hesitate, he just grabbed a trash bag and started stuffing everything in it like he done it before, no big deal.

Speaking at Lorenzos trial, Pam Williams, Galehouses mom, asked the judge to give him the death penalty, describing the pain she went through after her son died.

You are the scumbag of the Earth, and I cannot believe how you can sit there with no remorse, no Im sorry, no nothing, Williams said to Lorenzo in court. I don't have a grave, I don't have a tombstone, all I got is ground-up hamburger meat in the ground because of you, you scumbag. Thats exactly what you are. You should be dead already, as far as Im concerned. You put me through holy hell.

After they finished disposing of Galehouses remains, Lorenzo wanted to find another gay man to kill at the same bar Schweickert told the court. The two met Wachholtz the night after and lured him back to Lorenzos home, where Lorenzo drugged and killed him.

Speaking at Lorenzos trial, Wachholtzs mother, Ruth Wachholtz, said with tears in her eyes that he should be sentenced to death.

What he did to my son before murdering him should be done to him, eye for an eye, Ruth Wachholtz said. "For 20 years he lived, and Michael hasn't. At taxpayers expense, no less. Its time to end this."

Wachholtz's body was found weeks after his murder wrapped in a sheet and stuffed in the back of his car in a parking lot; however, Galehouse's remains have never been found.

More on this
A 76-year-old woman accused of fatally shooting her terminally ill husband at AdventHealth hospital in Daytona Beach is asking to be released from jail now that she is no longer facing a first-degree murder charge.

Ellen Gilland was indicted Wednesday on a lesser charge of assisting self-murder/manslaughter. She has been held at the Volusia County Branch Jail since Jan. 21, when she shot and killed her 77-year-old husband, Jerry, in his hospital room, according to police.

Gilland was originally charged with first-degree murder and three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Latest on Ellen Gilland:Woman, 76, accused of killing ill husband in Daytona hospital indicted on lesser charge

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The first-degree murder charge carried a mandatory life in prison upon conviction, which was one of the reasons Circuit Judge Karen Foxman cited when denying an earlier request to set bond in the case.

Gilland faces one count of assisting self-murder/manslaughter, a first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison.

Gilland was also indicted on two counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, stemming from accusations she pointed her gun at a nurse and a security officer. Each is a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

Additionally, Gilland was indicted on a charge of aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer (firearm), which is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison and which carries a minimum mandatory prison sentence of three years if convicted. Gilland is accused of pointing a gun at police officers and firing at least in their direction.

Ellen Gilland is wheeled into a bond hearing at the S. James Foxman Justice Center in Daytona Beach, Friday, Feb. 10, 2023.

"None of the charges against Ms. Gilland are capital offenses or offenses punishable by life imprisonment. Therefore, Ms. Gilland is entitled to pretrial release," according to the motion her attorney, Matthew Ferry, filed Thursday.

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The motion cites a section of the Florida Constitution which states that everyone charged with a crime is "entitled to pretrial release on reasonable conditions" unless the crime is a capital offense or a crime punishable by life in prison.

A hearing has not yet been set for the motion. Gilland's next scheduled court appearance is a pre-trial hearing on March 22.

Judge denies bond for Ellen Gilland

Gilland was denied bond during a Feb. 10 hearing when she still faced the first-degree murder charge and had not yet been indicted. Assistant State Attorney Heatha Trigones requested that Gilland be held without bond.

Foxman rejected a request by Gilland's attorney, Ferry, asking that bond be set at $50,000. Ferry said if released, Gilland would live with a niece and would not have access to guns.

Ferry's motion stated that Dr. Jeffrey A. Danziger, a psychiatrist who testified at the hearing, stated that he did not believe Gilland currently posed "a heightened risk of harm to herself or to the community," if she were released.

Ferry also said that Gilland, a retired school teacher, has no criminal record and was happily married for 53 years to her husband. And he repeated that in his latest motion.

'Death with Dignity' bill:What it would mean to terminally ill residents if adopted

Florida law:Is mercy killing or euthanasia legal in Florida? Here's what you need to know

First appearance not scheduled

Gilland scheduled to have her first appearance Thursday at the Volusia County Branch Jail on the charges in the indictment, according to online courthouse records.

But the hearing never took place.

The State Attorney's office stated there was no hearing because Gilland was already in jail being held without bond, so an arrest warrant wasn't issued; the warrant would have triggered the first appearance.

Gilland's case is now on Circuit Judge Raul Zambrano's docket. Court Administrator Mark Weinberg wrote that Gilland's case was reassigned to Zambrano from Foxman due to "rotational assignment schedule used for indictments."

Florida woman shoots, kills husband at Daytona Beach hospital

Gilland brought a gun into the hospital and, after shooting her husband, pointed the gun in the direction of a nurse and a security officer who entered the room and later fired in the direction of police, according to testimony from Daytona Beach Police Det. Collin Howell during the bond hearing earlier this month.

"Yes, ma'am. How I understand it. She grabbed the firearm. She raised it at officers. As she was raising it, she discharged the firearm at officers entering the room," Howell testified in response to the judge's questions.

He said the bullet from the .38-caliber revolver struck the ceiling tiles.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Woman accused of shooting husband in Daytona Beach hospital seeks bond
Feb. 23Avelo Airlines on Thursday announced exclusive nonstop service from the Colorado Springs Airport to Los Angeles via the Hollywood-Burbank Airport.

The new route will begin on May 3 and operate three times a week  on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. The new flights will offer Colorado Springs the only nonstop flights to L.A. United previously offered nonstop service to Los Angeles International Airport but discontinued that service at the start of the year.

Introductory one-way fares between Colorado Springs and the Hollywood-Burbank Airport start at $49 for travel booked by March 2 and completed by Sept. 6. Customers can make reservations at AveloAir.com.

"We're thrilled to welcome Avelo Airlines to the Colorado Springs Airport," Greg Phillips, the city's aviation director, said in a news release. "Avelo inspires travel through world-class service at affordable prices and their purpose aligns with ours. Although we're Colorado's small airport, we're big on customer service and friendliness, and we are looking forward to having Avelo join our airport family."

Avelo is a new airline, with the low-fare carrier taking flight for the first time on April 28, 2021. It serves about three-dozen destinations across the U.S. Colorado Springs is Avelo's only destination in the Mountain Time Zone besides Boise, Idaho.

"They have ... destinations up and down the East and West Coast, very well covered," Doug Price, president and CEO of Visit Colorado Springs, said during a news conference Thursday. "But Colorado Springs is this new dot right in the center of the country."

Avelo also announced Thursday the addition of a route between Hollywood-Burbank Airport and Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport, Courtney Goff, the airline's communication manager, said.

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"We knew they were well managed, well-funded," Phillips said of Avelo. "... They have grown smart and grown quickly."

The new route will be flown on Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft with Burbank-based crews, Goff said.

The addition of the Burbank route follows Southwest Airlines' announcement this month of a new nonstop route between the Colorado Springs Airport and Long Beach, Calif., that will begin in July.

"The L.A. basin is a large, underserved market for COS," Phillips said.

"If an airline wants to come in here, we'll make it work," he said. "... In the end, our goal is to serve our community."

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE GAZETTE
(Reuters) - Ford Motor Co will halt production of its electric F-150 Lightning pickup for another week following a battery issue that caused an EV truck to catch fire earlier this month, the U.S. automaker said on Friday.

Shares of the company were down about 2%, while rival General Motors Co also fell 1.5% in morning trade.

The development comes days after The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it is holding talks with Ford over the issue.

SK On, a South Korean EV battery maker and supplier to Ford, has again started building battery cells at a plant in Georgia.

"It will take SK time to ensure they are back to building high-quality cells and to deliver them to the Lightning production line," Ford said in a statement.

"We agree with SK On's recommended changes in their equipment and processes for SK's cell production lines."

Last week, the automaker said it will continue to hold already-produced vehicles while it worked through engineering and process updates.

The fire incident involving Ford's EV truck happened on Feb. 4, during a pre-delivery quality inspection at its Dearborn, Michigan plant, causing the company to halt production the next day.

(Reporting by Priyamvada C in Bengaluru and David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
A former youth pastor at Bellevue Baptist Church in Shelby County pleaded guilty Friday to 13 sex-related crimes involving children in Benton County, Arkansas, according to Nathan Smith, the prosecuting attorney.

Keenan Maurice Hord received 60 years for the crimes but will be eligible for parole in 15. He must also register as a sex offender and have no unsupervised contact with any children, including his own, Smith said.

Hord began working at First Baptist Church Bentonville in 2016. He was arrested in August 2022 on a charge of sexual indecency with a child but was later charged with multiple counts of sexual assault in the first- and second-degree by Benton County prosecutors.

The charges to which Hord pleaded guilty included three counts of sexual assault in the first-degree, six counts of sexual assault in the second-degree, one count of sexual indecency with a child and three counts of distributing, possession or viewing matter depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child.

Those offenses occurred from 2020 through 2022, according to charging documents.

Police identified six victims, Smith said, but a police detective testified at Hord's bond hearing that there could be as many as 30 based upon Hord's cellphone records, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

More:In Arkansas, former Bellevue youth pastor charged with multiple counts of sexual assault

Prior to working at First Baptist Church Bentonville, Hord was an intern in Bellevues student ministry from 2011-2014 and then the student pastor at Bellevue Arlington from 2014-2016.

Bellevue is one of the largest churches in the Memphis area, with an average Sunday attendance of about 8,000. It is pastored by Steve Gaines, a former Southern Baptist Convention president.

Last year, Bellevue Baptist said it would launch its own internal review into Hord after learning of the charges in Arkansas.

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: Former Bellevue youth pastor pleads guilty to sex crimes in Arkansas
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Marjorie Taylor Greene is too powerful a figure to be overlooked, former Bush aide Peter Wehner wrote in an op-ed for the Atlantic.

Wehner wrote that Greene is "giving voice" to a "growing sentiment" in the GOP.

Wehner highlighted that Greene is now a close confidante of Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Like it or not, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is now too powerful a political figure to be ignored, wrote former Bush aide Peter Wehner.

Wehner, who worked as a speechwriter for then-President George W. Bush in the early 2000s, argued in a February 22 op-ed for The Atlantic that Greene's newfound closeness to Speaker Kevin McCarthy makes her far more important than before.

"The temptation of many people, eager to move past America's political freak show, will be to ignore her comments and dismiss her as an outcast, a fringe figure, deranged but isolated," Wehner wrote. "The less said about her, the better. That's unwise."

Wehner added that Greene has not only become a "confidante" of McCarthy's, but now has his ear on policy issues, too. Greene is "giving voice to a widespread and growing sentiment in the Republican Party," Wehner wrote.

The Georgia congresswoman made a wild suggestion on President's Day that red states should be allowed to separate from blue ones. Her suggestion drew harsh rebukes from within the GOP: Sen. Mitt Romney called it "insanity" and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox branded Greene's idea as "evil."

Wehner wrote that while Greene's secession idea is too extreme to be considered, she will only get "gentle rebukes" from most of the GOP.

"What the rest of us learned during the Trump era is that a party led by craven men and women  some of them cynical, others true believers, almost all afraid to speak out  will end up normalizing the transgressive, unethical, and moronic," Wehner wrote.

"Greene and McCarthy  one crazed, the other cowardly  embody a large swath of the modern-day GOP," he added. "Any party that makes room for seditionists and secessionists is sick and dangerous."

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Marjorie Taylor Greene, GOP power player



Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia boos President Joe Biden during the State of the Union Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

Greene is known for her anti-trans rhetoric, track record of pushing outlandish, anti-Semitic messages, and her well-documented beliefs in QAnon conspiracy theories. Despite this track record  or perhaps because of it  Greene's star has been rising in the GOP, and she's not been afraid to flex her newfound clout.

As Wehner pointed out, McCarthy owes Greene a great debt. She broke with her House Freedom Caucus colleagues Reps. Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert, and became one of McCarthy's fiercest supporters during his drawn-out slog to secure the speakership in January.

In return for her support, Greene was rewarded with seats on the homeland security and oversight committees.

But Greene's new power in the party has given her more room for defiance. She ignored Kevin McCarthy's warning to GOP lawmakers before the State of the Union to not indulge in "childish games" at the event.

During Biden's speech, Greene did the opposite of what McCarthy asked, rising to her feet and calling the president a liar. Greene said after the speech that she wasn't afraid of being reprimanded by McCarthy for her behavior.

The New York Times also reported in January that Greene and McCarthy have a strong friendship, and that he has said privately that he will "always take care of her."

"I will never leave that woman," McCarthy said during a private conversation, per an anonymous source who spoke to The Times.

Representatives for Greene and McCarthy did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A former Woodstock High School chorus teacher was sentenced this month on nine counts of sexual assault.

According to Acting District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway, 40-year-old Ryan Parker McKendrick was charged after authorities were notified of possible sexual misconduct involving high school girls in 2017 and 2018.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Treadaway said in Sept. 2018, WHS administration became aware of a text conversation involving McKendrick and two female students.

When these crimes came to light, the girls were abundantly clear about what the defendant had done to them. Sadly, some members of the community and their peers discounted their experiences, even suggesting any touching was accidental. However, the facts showed that the defendants actions were unlawful. He groomed not only these girls but also everyone around him so that he could continue to engage in this troubling behavior, said Assistant District Attorney Leyna Pope, Special Victims Unit, who prosecuted this case on behalf of the state. It was a privilege to stand beside these girls as they finally got to address the man who abused them.

According to the investigation, McKendrick had been the schools chorus teacher since 2007.

McKendrick was charged in Oct. 2018 with nine counts of sexual assault of a student, specifically touching and groping six high school students under 18.

TRENDING STORIES:

Specifics on what occurred between McKendrick and the students were not released.

At his sentencing on Feb. 9, 2023, eight victims delivered impact statements describing how traumatizing the abuse was and the betrayal they felt that a person they trusted and had known for years would treat them this way.

It takes a very sick man to take advantage of vulnerable, under-aged girls in the ways that you did, one victim said to the defendant during the plea hearing. Today, I let you go. And I hope it is the last time I will ever hear your name.

Story continues

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McKendrick was sentenced to 20 years, with the first three to serve in prison and the balance on probation under sex offender special conditions. The court added that he is forbidden to have contact with the victims or minors under the age of 18.

Even if the defendant does not feel any remorse for their actions, I hope the time spent in a cell is a time spent on reflection. I hope these impact statements have helped the defendant realize that little comments and actions eventually turn into something much bigger. Now here we are, on top of a mountain the defendant created, a mountain me and other girls had to climb, she said. At the end of the day, it is up to the defendant to change. It is up to him to recognize the heavy mistakes made and prevent them from being repeated.

IN OTHER NEWS:
A former Louisville Metro Police officer who resigned nearly two years ago over allegations that he'd helped keep women out of the criminal justice system in exchange for sexual favors will not face criminal charges, the Commonwealth's Attorney's office has confirmed.

The office said Thursday that a Jefferson County grand jury had returned a no true bill  meaning jurors did not believe enough evidence for an indictment had been presented  for potential sodomy charges to be filed against Brian Bailey, who resigned from LMPD in June 2021 after the department said it planned to investigate potential policy violations alleged by four women.

Three of the women filed a civil lawsuit against Bailey the previous year in which they claimed he'd helped them avoid criminal charges or remain confidential informants in exchange for sexual favors between 2016 and 2020. That lawsuit was settled by the city for $1.8 million in December 2022.

Opinion column:Greenberg's plan to stop flow of guns is nothing more than lipstick on a pig

Claims made in a lawsuit represent only one side of the case.

Commonwealth's Attorney Thomas Wine's office said the grand jury was following its recommendation in the no true bill decision, citing "a comprehensive review of Kentucky law and the evidence in the investigation" behind the decision.

The women in the case engaged in sexual acts with Bailey "in exchange for something in return," the office said, which means the acts were not committed by "forcible compulsion"  a standard that must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that says physical force or threat of physical force that would place a person in danger of death or injury was present.

Representatives for the commonwealth's attorney had previously said they did not believe criminal charges outside of sodomy could be filed against Bailey because the one-year statute of limitations had expired before the cases were sent to their office, though a summary of the 2021 internal investigation into his conduct said there was a strong likelihood allegations against him would have been sustained if he had not resigned and that Bailey had "likely" broken laws related to prostitution.

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In June 2021, the same month Bailey resigned, the offense of third-degree sodomy was amended to make it a felony for a peace officer to "subject a person to deviate sexual intercourse under certain circumstances," Wine's office said. However, the release added, that amended statute cannot be applied retroactively in Bailey's case.

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This story may be updated.

Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Former LMPD officer Brian Bailey won't face sodomy criminal charges
(Getty Images)

Former Republican Senator James Inhofe, who retired at the end of last year, announced that he suffered from symptoms of long Covid after he voted repeatedly against Covid-19 aid packages.

Mr Inhofe, who represented Oklahoma for decades in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, told The Tulsa World that he left the Senate because of the lingering effects from contracting Covid-19.

Five or six others have (long COVID), but Im the only one who admits, he said. Senator Tim Kaine, the Democratic senator from Virginia, said last year that he suffered lingering effects of Covid-19.

Mr Inhofe, 88, retired earlier this year from the Senate despite his term not being complete. Senator Markwayne Mullin, a Republican, replaced him.

Throughout his tenure as a senator, Mr Inhofe voted against relief for people and businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic, HuffPost reported. In March 2020, he voted against the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which expanded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as the food stamp program, expanded unemployment benefits and provided paid sick leave for those affected by Covid-19.

Mr Inhofe did vote for the CARES Act around that same time, which offered relief for families, the $1,200 stimulus checks and the Paycheck Protection Program, which offered loans to businesses affected by the pandemic in an effort to keep employees on payroll. He also voted for a Covid-19 relief bill in December 2020 that offered $600 stimulus checks, among other provisions. Former president Donald Trump signed both pieces of legislation during the pandemic.

But Mr Inhofe voted against the American Rescue Plan, which included a $1,400 stimulus check, unemployment benefits and provisions to help with vaccination distribution.

Mr Inhofe earned a distinction throughout his time in the Senate for being an ardent denier of the effects of climate change, notably throwing a snowball on the floor of the United States Senate when he served as chairman of the Senate Environment Committee.
NASAs next four-person mission to the International Space Station is now set to blast into the sky on Monday.

The launch of Crew-6 was originally scheduled from NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida for Sunday, but NASA and SpaceX decided to push the liftoff back by 24 hours to make time for additional checks and balances.

The flight is the sixth crew rotation mission with Elon Musk's space company to the station, and the seventh flight of SpaceX's Dragon Endeavor with people as part of NASAs Commercial Crew Program.

Dragon Endeavour will be launched by its Falcon 9 rocket, a two-stage rocket used to transport satellites and the spacecraft into orbit.

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Space X Falcon 9 rocket flies past a full moon.

Here's what we know about the scheduled launch:

Crew members

NASA Astronaut Stephen Bowen

NASA Astronaut Warren Woody Hoburg

UAE Astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi

Roscosmos Cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev

The launch of Crew-6 was originally scheduled from NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida for Feb. 26, 2023, but NASA and SpaceX decided to push the liftoff back by 24 hours to make time for additional checks and balances.

Pre-launch schedule, launch time, backup launch time

Feb. 24: All four crew members participated in a countdown launch-day rehearsal.

Feb. 26 : NASA will offer blog coverage of launch-day activities blog and a live launch broadcast on NASA TV or the agencys website at 9 p.m. ET.

Feb. 27: Crew-6 is slated to lift off at 1:45 a.m. ET.

Feb. 28: A backup launch is set for 1:22 a.m. ET.

What are they doing up there? Hopefully, getting a step closer to Mars

According to NASA, Crew-6 members plan to gather new information in experiments that will bring us closer to our goal of landing on Mars, testing microgravitys effect on flames and immunity, as well as collecting microorganisms from outside the Space Station.

They are among some of the more than 200 science experiments and technology demonstrations that NASA reported will take place during their mission.

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Crew-6 will spend up to six months at the space station before returning to Earth.

Is Tesla moving back to California? Kind of. New engineering headquarters to open in state.

With #Crew6, well gather new information in experiments that will bring us closer to our goal of landing on Mars, testing microgravitys effect on flames and immunity, as well as collecting microorganisms from outside the Space Station. Get to know the mission. pic.twitter.com/ekn4Ox8A4c  NASA (@NASA) February 23, 2023

During their stay aboard the orbiting laboratory, Crew-6 will see the arrival of cargo spacecraft including the SpaceX Dragon and the Roscosmos Progress. Crew-6 also is expected to welcome the agencys Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts and the Axiom Mission-2 crew during their expedition, according to NASA.

At the conclusion of the mission, NASA said, Dragon Endeavour will autonomously undock with the four crew members aboard, depart the space station and re-enter Earths atmosphere.

After splashdown just off Floridas coast, a SpaceX recovery vessel will pick up the crew, who will be helicoptered back to shore.

Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NASA SpaceX launch date, time: Crew-6 mission to ISS liftoff details
Terrance Hibbler is a four-star defensive line target out of Lexington, Mississippi, and had planned to visit Auburn on March 25 but those plans have changed.

He is now set to visit the Plains on April 8 for the A-Day game, according to Keith Niebuhr of Auburn Live.

The 6-foot-3, 305-pounder is the No. 297 overall player and No. 28 defensive lineman in the 247Sports Composite ranking. He is also the No. 8 player from Mississippi.

Hibbler is coming off an impressive junior season at Holmes County Central where he made 59 tackles, 15.0 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks, and forced two fumbles.

He already has over 15 scholarship offers and has taken unofficial visits to Alabama, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss. It will be tough to pry him away from the in-state schools but getting a visit on A-Day is a good sign for the Tigers.

Auburn has offered 56 defensive linemen in the 2024 recruiting class and is still looking for their first commit along the line.

More Recruiting!

Auburn offers elite 2025 wide receiver Andrew Marsh Auburn commit accepts invite to play in Under Armour All-American game Five-star WR in 2025 class set to visit Auburn

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow JD on Twitter @jdmccarthy15.

Story originally appeared on Auburn Wire
A new report on the catastrophic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, points to several possible systemic safety issues that advocates and safety experts say go well beyond this specific crash.

The preliminary report released on Thursday by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found that the runaway overheating of a ball bearing in one of the trains wheels caused it to careen off the tracks.

Rail bearings are small in comparison to the size of a freight train, weighing about 80 pounds.

But when they overheat, they can cause a great deal of damage. Historically, bearing failures have been a leading cause of train crashes, according to research from the University of Illinois, though last year they caused just 1 percent of derailments.

Federal regulators, advocates and safety experts suggest the crashes could point to broad issues with federal regulations and the methods Americas freight railways use to detect and respond to overheating car wheels. Here are four possible problems theyve raised.

The speed of the detection system

Roller bearings fail. But its absolutely critical for problems to be identified and addressed early so these arent run until failure, NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said at a Thursday press conference.

Railroads like Norfolk Southern, the company that operated the train that derailed in East Palestine, rely on a network of temperature sensors every 10 to 40 miles. These are placed along rail lines to catch rising wheel temperatures before they reach the critical point at which breakdown is imminent.

Homendy pointed to one potential weakness in that network: the distance between its sensors. Had there been a detector earlier, that derailment may not have occurred. But thats something we have to look at, she said.

Transporation Secretary Pete Buttigieg echoed these concerns in comments from East Palestine when he singled out the detectors as something that needs to be looked at to try to prevent things like this from happening again.

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In the case of train 32M, which ultimately derailed in East Palestine, the NTSB report found that the train passed through two of these wayside hot-bearing detectors.

Those registered the trains wheel temperature as hotter than average  but still below the warm bearing threshold that would have triggered an automatic inspection, let alone an emergency stop.

By the third detector, it was too late. Railside sensors noted that one of the wheels had soared to 253 degrees Fahrenheit above average and transmitted an alarm over the engines radio warning the crew to stop at once. At that point, the crew began emergency braking.

Emergency braking is far more aggressive than a trains usual controlled stop  so violent that the force of the sudden braking can be enough to derail a train all by itself. By the time the train stopped, 38 cars had derailed  11 of which carried hazardous materials.

Federal regulations  or the lack thereof

The report comes out amid charged and often conspiratorial speculation about the role the nations rail safety policies played in the crash.

Weve been saying the same thing about a degrading safety culture for the past five years, AFL-CIO transportation department head Greg Regan told The Hill.

Regan and his colleagues pointed to federal data showing that the rate of incidents per train mile has doubled at Norfolk Southern since 2013  and the rate of total accidents and accidents per mile also sharply increased.

Rail critics have specifically highlighted what they say is a lack of adequate braking regulations in the wake of the East Palestine derailment. Rail industry lobbying weakened an Obama-era push to require new-model electro-pneumatic brakes  which cause railcar wheels to stop all at once, rather than in a slow backward cascade from the engines  to a simple mandate restricted to oil trains and other high-hazard flammable trains, as The Lever reported.

Under the definitions adopted at the time, train 32M would not have needed to use the advanced brakes  even had the Trump administration not withdrawn that requirement in 2018.

In proposed rail safety reforms released on Tuesday, Buttigieg called on Congress to strengthen braking rules and said his agency was considering its actions on the topic.

Christopher Barkan, who runs the Rail Transportation and Engineering Center at the University of Illinois, some of whose research has been supported by the Association of American Railroads, argued that the new brakes were a red herring. The Federal Railway Administration withdrew its Obama-era rule because studies from agencies like the Government Accountability Office failed to verify that the brakes would make a substantial difference in safety.

Research over the past decades has shown that the brakes were more effective  but not substantially so, Barkan said. Had Norfolk Southern train 32M had the brakes, the crash would have been slightly less severe, he said. The last car to derail wouldnt have derailed  but that car wasnt the problem.

The electro-pneumatic brakes are a band-aid that would have been little use in this situation, said Constantine Tarawneh of the rail safety department at the University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley.

The bigger problem, his research suggests, is that a bearing can go from warm to on fire in just a couple of minutes  a system that the national trackside detection system simply isnt set up to head off.

How train companies respond to warnings

Other critics pointed to another problem regarding the detectors: human crews have to make snap judgment calls about what to do with their alerts.

Sometimes that means ignoring them. Norfolk Southern is unusual among the Class I freight railroads in that it allows controllers to disregard warning signs rather than immediately stopping a train for inspection, a report by ProPublica found.

Last October, a Norfolk Southern train passed through a hot bearing detector with a wheel reading too hot  something the Norfolk Southern dispatcher reportedly told them to disregard.

Twenty miles later, that train derailed, spilling molten candle wax across Sandusky, Ohio.

Norfolk Southern says it has invested more than $200 million to install about 1,000 hot-bearing detectors, generating more than 2 billion readings each year.

But in the absence of regulation, theres no cause for the railroad to comply with any of the information these defect detectors provide, John Esterly of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen told Ohio lawmakers this week.

Regan of the AFL-CIO concurred, noting that the NTSB report leads us to believe that there is room for improvement surrounding Norfolk Southerns use of these detectors. He told The Hill that his union would publish proposals for how best to use the detectors shortly.

Norfolk Southern representatives defended the company system in a statement on Thursday, which noted that the companys sensors trigger a cockpit alarm at temperatures among the lowest in the rail industry and that while all detectors in the vicinity of the accident were operating normally, it would be inspecting all of its nearly 1,000 sensors.

Once the rail crew was alerted by the wayside detector, they immediately began to stop the train, the statement noted.

What triggers the detection system

But Tarawneh argued that those looking to blame the speed of the detectors or the railways responses had missed a far more significant problem with the system. He says the sensors  which track heat  are looking at the wrong factor.

Bearings are like humans, he said. What is the first sign youre getting sick? Not temperature. You start sneezing  first comes noise.

Its the same with a bearing, he said. Vibration increases first, not the temperature.

As a bearing breaks down, wheel lubricant fills the new pits and pockets opening on its surface  reducing the friction that would otherwise cause heat to spike.

Until that is, the bearing is fatally compromised. When things happen, they happen very quickly  in 1-2 minutes, Tarawneh said. Within a mile, the bearing could catch fire.

Adding to the difficulty of the snap judgment call is the fact that the data is ambiguous. The trackside sensors cant pick up absolute wheel temperature. Instead, they assemble a map of the trains average heat  from which proprietary algorithms pick out specific outlier points where a problem may be developing.

This system presents rail controllers like those working for Norfolk Southern who are seeing elevated wheel temperatures with a tough choice, Tarawneh said: Stop the train and cause costly traffic delays based on an uncertain reading, or keep going and risk a potential disaster.

Tarawneh has a dog in this fight: his lab has developed an acoustic sensor that picks up on the vibrations as a bearing begins to grind itself apart  something he says would allow technicians to foresee a failure 50,000 miles in the future.

But that is investment companies have been reluctant to make, Tarawneh charged. The U.S. also has a system of acoustic sensors and accelerometers that could have caught such a problem early  but with only about 30 in the entire U.S., some bearings will go entire lives never passing through one, Tarawneh said.

Barkan of the University of Illinois noted that rail safety is generally moving toward more proactive and predictive solutions, allowing companies to schedule repairs at leisure.

Tarawnehs device  currently in use on a railway company pilot project  might predict bearing failure better than the trackside detectors, he said.

But heres the challenge: there are 1.5 million freight cars, with about eight wheels per car. Thats 12 million of these detectors are needed, and a lot of information to process, and reliability to consider.

Such an increase in data would also bring a corresponding rise in misfires and false positives, he noted  causing more train delays.

Representatives of the Association of American Railroads pointed to another problem  rail companies dont generally own the cars they transport, which are far more likely to belong to leasing or shipping companies. That limits the companies ability to make unilateral safety upgrades.

Tarawneh brushed these concerns off. Companies havent gone with the safer technology because no regulation says you have to do it, he said.

Between 2016 and 2020, federal statistics showed that derailments cost railroads an average of $10 million per year  less than the cost of avoiding them, he said. In every conference, people tell me $10 million is nothing. Its a drop in the bucket. Yes, it is  but not for the people of East Palestine.

Updated at 10:23 a.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
(Bloomberg) -- France is insisting that the Group of 20 finance chiefs find strong words to condemn Russias war in Ukraine, according to Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire.

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Its not up to finance ministers to undermine the worlds leaders who agreed on a common language when they met in Indonesia in November, Le Maire said on the sidelines of a meeting in Bengaluru, India.

Dont make any mistake, he said. Either we stick to the Bali communique or France will oppose any communique of the finance ministers. I cannot be clearer.

India, which hosts the G-20, started talks on a joint statement this week seeking to avoid using the word war when referring to Russias attack on Ukraine. They have since shown signs of flexibility after delegates of some member nations indicated they werent willing to compromise.

Heads of state including US President Joe Biden and Chinas Xi Jinping said last year that most members of the G-20 strongly condemned the war in Ukraine, while acknowledging other views and different assessments of the situation and sanctions.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

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STORY: The leaders' declaration after the last G20 summit in Bali deplored "in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine and demands its complete and unconditional withdrawal from the territory of Ukraine."

India, which holds the current G20 presidency, has kept a largely neutral stance on the war, declining to blame Russia for the invasion, seeking a diplomatic solution and sharply boosting its purchases of Russian oil.

New Delhi does not want the G20 to discuss additional sanctions on Russia and is also pressing to avoid using the word "war" to describe the year-old conflict, G20 officials earlier told Reuters.

Russia, which is a member of the G20, refers to its actions in Ukraine as a "special military operation," and avoids calling it an invasion or war.

G20 financial leaders must condemn Russia's aggression, Le Maire told Reuters in an interview.
By Aftab Ahmed and Christian Kraemer

BENGALURU (Reuters) -France will not sign off on a G20 communique unless it contains the same denunciation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine as it did last year, its finance minister said on Friday on the sidelines of a G20 meeting in India.

"I want to make very clear that we will oppose any step back from the leaders on the statement from the leaders in Bali on this question of war in Ukraine," Bruno Le Maire told a news conference.

"We fully trust India to reach a strong communique and we are happy to see India in the driving seat today."

The leaders' declaration after the last G20 summit in Bali deplored "in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine and demands its complete and unconditional withdrawal from the territory of Ukraine".

"Either we have the same language or we do not sign on the final communique," Maire said.

India, which holds the current G20 presidency, has kept a largely neutral stance on the war, declining to blame Russia for the invasion, seeking a diplomatic solution and sharply boosting its purchases of Russian oil.

New Delhi does not want the G20 to discuss additional sanctions on Russia and is also pressing to avoid using the word "war" to describe the year-old conflict, G20 officials earlier told Reuters.

Russia, which is a member of the G20, refers to its actions in Ukraine as a "special military operation", and avoids calling it an invasion or war.

G20 financial leaders must condemn Russia's aggression, Maire told Reuters in an interview.

"Sanctions will be more and more efficient, more and more effective," he said.

Le Maire said that India's purchase of discounted Russian oil had reduced Moscow's oil revenues. He also said that more funds had been sought from the IMF for Ukraine.

Ukraine is hoping to clinch a $15 billion IMF programme that will cover immediate financial assistance and support for structural reforms to underpin efforts at post-conflict rebuilding.

(Additional reporting by Shivangi Acharya and Sarita Chaganti Singh; Writing by Shivam Patel and Tanvi Mehta; Editing by Shri Navaratnam, Simon Cameron-Moore and Nick Macfie)
Sebastien Bazin - Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP

The chief executive of Accor, the French owner of the Orient Express and Novotel hotels, has claimed pulling out of Russia is not an option unless he is forced to by more stringent sanctions.

Sebastien Bazin said there is no legal basis for pulling the plug on Accors business in Russia and that his fiduciary duty to make money for shareholders holds sway.

Accor, which also owns the Ibis, Mercure, Sofitel, and Raffles chains, is the largest hotel operator in the country. Western nations would need to go further with sanctions to force Accor to withdraw from Russia completely, he said.

Mr Bazin told The Telegraph: The reason why we did not really pull the plug is that we have no legal basis for pulling the plug.

Even if we were to pull the plug, the hotel will keep the brand because I am in default. That way it is going to be run with the same people with the owner and me not being able to be a caretaker for the employee. So that's not an option.

It's a legal issue where I have a fiduciary obligation for the next 25 years. I just cannot, unless the present sanctions [change]. I have no legal grounds. Unless they go further, the European Commission UK and US.

And guess what? They're not. I don't have any pressure from any of those countries for me to go further.

Zelensky - Sarah Meyssonnier/AFP

The company is the latest to confirm it will stay in Russia despite Vladimir Putins war against Ukraine. Philip Morris International, the tobacco giant behind Marlboro cigarettes this week said it would rather keep its business in Russia despite lining up three credible buyers.

Unilever chief executive Alan Jope has said exiting the country is not straightforward and refused to abandon approximately 3,000 employees in Russia or have its assets fall into the hands of the Kremlin.

It comes as Heineken deals with the very real risk of Russia nationalising its local business, the company said today. The Dutch brewer has been warned by Russian officials that suspending or closing its local operations would be deemed intentional bankruptcy, a criminal offence which could see the government appoint external managers over the business.



Heineken now faces a boycott threat after introducing new products in Russia despite promising to leave the country last March. However, the brewer has struggled to find a suitable buyer for its Russian business.



The company said: We arent dragging our feet and do wish things would move more quickly. With that said, all things remaining the same, we aim to reach an agreement in the first half of this year.

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French companies have come under particular fire for remaining in Russia. The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky last year accused a series of French businesses of sponsoring the Russian war machine. That came in March, weeks after the outbreak of war and a meeting at which Emmanuel Macron had reportedly advised French business leaders against a hasty withdrawal from Russia.

Mr Bazin said: If you go, you give whatever has been built for a dollar, you actually get the Russians richer. Why should we actually be helping them to get rich at our expense?

The UK Government was quick to put pressure on oil giants BP and Shell to sell large joint venture energy assets in Russia following Mr Putins invasion of Ukraine a year ago.

But in a signal to the complexities of exiting the country, BP has still yet to find a buyer for its 20pc stake in Rosneft, for instance.

Another of the UKs biggest listed companies, British American Tobacco, is also struggling to offload its Russian arm.

Jack Bowles said earlier this month: In terms of complexity we have to navigate not only the sanctions in Europe but also the sanctions in the UK and the US  plus the regulatory framework in Russia.

Mr Bazins remarks about Russia came as he lamented the impact of Britains decision to leave the EU.

He blamed Brexit for staff shortages that have been devastating for our own industry.

It is probably one of the worst tragedies in terms of the decision-making process, he added.

He said that the Covid pandemic had deferred the fallout from Brexit as businesses pared back trading during lockdowns and restrictions.

We should have actually been battling together, he said. We all know today, but people don't pay attention, that the basis upon which [UK] people make a decision [to leave the EU], was just a bunch of lies.

Nevertheless, Accor, which has more than 40 hotel brands and employs 230,000 people worldwide, announced on Thursday that annual revenue had risen 92pc to 4.2bn during 2022.
An employee of the Fresno Police Department was arrested on Friday, charged with felony possession of child pornography.

The 49-year-old, identified as Jose M. Gonzalez, was taken into custody by detectives from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force at his home in Orange Cove. He was booked into Fresno County Jail and according to a statement from the Fresno Police Department removed from his employment with the City of Fresno.

All employees of the Fresno Police Department, both sworn and professional, are entrusted with the safety of our community, Chief Paco Balderrama said in the statement.

We take this responsibility very seriously and thoroughly investigate all allegations of misconduct. The allegations against Gonzalez warranted the investigation by our law enforcement partners with ICAC and the initial criminal findings justify our decision to remove him from employment.

The firing was done with approval of the Fresno city manager.

Gonzalez had been employed with the department since 2016 and was working as a clerk in the records section.
Week by week, the furrows on the brow of Warren Gatland seem to deepen. You wonder if the Wales head coach might already be considering whether it was worth coming back at all. Called back to his kingdom with the promise of a handsome salary and the chance for a great restoration, just three months into his second tenure and Gatland wears the grim visage of a monarch returning home to find the castle in total ruin.

Yes, its been another of those weeks for the Welsh Rugby Union(WRU), an organisation for which unedifying crises are becoming a stock-in-trade, after a fortnight of contract negotiations that threatened civil war. The Six Nations has been visited by plenty of ghouls during its long lineage, but this was an unprecedented threat of strike action that, until an eleventh-hour agreement on Wednesday evening, seemed to be creeping ever closer.

With the events of the last six to eight weeks everybody in Welsh rugby needs to pull together now to find the best way forward, Wales captain Ken Owens said on Wednesday, as acting WRU chief executive Nigel Walker nodded along next to him.

We need to do it collaboratively to put Welsh rugby back at the top of world rugby, and not the laughing stock which I think we are at the moment.

The Welsh players may have ultimately reached an accord to allow this marquee encounter to go ahead, but still the foreboding winds of change blow. The battle lines between players and governing bodies only seem likely to be drawn more frequently hence.

Still, it is game on  which may be yet more reason for those ready to pack the Principality to fret. For all the off-field woe, things have hardly been rosy on the pitch for Wales since Gatlands return. The drubbings against Ireland and Scotland only served to underline the talent gap they may battle to close; nine more changes to the starting side speaking to real uncertainty about who is best placed to close it.

Gatland has flittered again, this time favouring the old guard up front and newer faces behind. The inexperienced midfield of Owen Williams, Joe Hawkins and debutant Mason Grady contains only seven caps but is tasked with ensuring there is no repeat of the wastefulness shown in the first two rounds.

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Who knows where the hosts will be psychologically, but an English visit to Cardiff usually galvanises even the most woebegone Welsh. There will certainly be no need for Gatland to manufacture any kind of siege mentality within a squad that has no shortage of pent-up frustration.

Warren Gatland wants a line in the sand drawn ahead of Wales facing England in the Six Nations (PA Wire)

You kind of love it when things arent going go well off the field and there is a lot of noise going on, England hooker Jamie George explained, citing his own experiences at Saracens after the club was punished for breaching the salary cap.

What it can do is really rally you and make you a stronger unit  it is us against the world, lets go out and do it and prove some people wrong. I am sure those are the sort of messages people like Alun Wyn [Jones] are giving out this week. We are expecting the best possible Wales team, a very passionate team and one that is driven to win.

England have insisted they have remained focussed on the job at hand, not letting uncertaintys creep infringe upon Steve Borthwicks insistence on building steadily by doing the basics well.

Among this weeks focus points, according to Borthwick, are generating quicker ball and avoiding the final quarter drop-offs that again recurred against Scotland and Italy. Anthony Watson returns to an England starting shirt for the first time in almost two years on the wing, while Courtney Lawes is a figure of significant importance on the bench.

The visitors would rarely travel west with any degree of expectation, but survey the state of Wales and England will fancy their chances. Yet if ever there was a fixture to rouse the Welsh rabble, this would be it  and, as Dylan Thomas urged, Wales will not go gentle into the good night.

Italy vs Ireland

A new role for Johnny Sexton in Round Three, with the injured fly-half playing Irelands chaperone on a weekend away in Rome. Sexton will travel with the Ireland team as Ross Byrne and James Ryan are offered opportunities to step up as fly half and captain respectively.

Byrnes half-back combination of contrasts with Craig Casey worked efficiently in closing out victory against France, with Andy Farrell now hoping to see the pair keep Italy at arms length as England largely managed to in the first half two weeks ago. Having matched their first two opponents for long periods, Italy will be keen on a faster start after letting both France and England take early scoreboard ascendancy.

France vs Scotland

An element of the unknown for both France and Scotland, with the hosts bidding to bounce back from a first defeat in a long while and the visitors rather unaccustomed to their place as championship challengers after two rounds.

France went about their business in a very professional way when these two sides met at Murrayfield last year. Absorbing everything that Scotland had to throw at them, there was no panic in a win that felt quietly important as a young side grew. Now, a different test, as they look to respond to that loss to Ireland. Might it have reopened old wounds? Scotland will certainly stress the stitches with their wide attack.
Daniel Robinson, 24, was last seen June 23, 2021, driving west from his work site in an area west of Sun Valley Parkway and north of Cactus Road in Buckeye.

The family of missing geologist Daniel Robinson plans to conduct another public desert search on Feb. 25 in hopes of examining areas not yet scoured since he disappeared in Buckeye 19 months ago.

The search comes a week after a separate search conducted by Buckeye Police Department yielded no additional clues.

The 25-year-old was last seen in June 2021 leaving his worksite in the desert of Buckeye. Robinson was working for the engineering company Matrix New World, overseeing a well site at the time of his disappearance.

The next public search, to take place Saturday, was organized independently by David Robinson, Daniel Robinson's father, using money from a GoFundMe launched to help cover costs related to the search.

"The current investigation by law enforcement is not progressing and we are raising money to fund other resources and present initiatives to locate Daniel," Robinson wrote on the GoFundMe page.

Robinson said he is changing gears in the search for his son to focus primarily on forensics. He believes that will lead to new information in the case.

"I'm entering a new phase in the search for my son. My concentration will be on the forensics that wasn't done at the scene," Robinson wrote on the website he created for Daniel.

The Buckeye Police Department is the lead agency over the investigation and has received support from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and the Tempe Police Department.

Robinson has said that his son went missing under suspicious circumstances and is disappointed that the Buckeye Police Department has been treating the case using missing persons protocol, saying actions taken in the case have been slow.

More:One year after Arizona geologist went missing, family continues search efforts

Robinson has been missing since July 2021

A rancher found Daniel Robinson's Jeep flipped on its side in a ravine in a remote part of the desert near his worksite in Buckeye on July 19, 2021. But he was nowhere to be found, according to a police report detailing the early investigation efforts.

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Investigators ruled out the possibility of foul play due to the state of the vehicle. When asked about the specific methods used to rule out foul play in the investigation, the police department declined to elaborate, saying "Detectives, at this time, have not found evidence of foul play."

Daniel Robinson, 24, was last seen driving a blue 2017 Jeep Renegade on June 23, 2021, and has been missing since then.

David Robinson and Jeff McGrath, the private investigator hired by the family to investigate the case, said they believe the methods used by the police department to rule out foul play to be insufficient, according to a September 2021 news conference.

Daniel Robinson was believed to have been heading south into the desert on the day of his disappearance, according to the police report. At the time, he lived in an apartment in Tempe and often oversaw well sites in remote desert areas across the state as part of his work, according to his father.

David Robinson said in a live stream on the Please Help Find Daniel YouTube channel that he believes there are discrepancies in the timeline of the morning Daniel Robinson went missing. He cited a conversation he had with his son's co-worker, in which the events of the morning appeared differently to him than what the officer initially assigned to the case said.

During the same live stream, David Robinson said he reported the timeline discrepancies to the Buckeye Police Department and said he believes the interaction and his son's phone records should have been scrutinized more closely.

For Subscribers:Months after he was reported missing, police havent acknowledged the suspicious circumstances surrounding his disappearance

Buckeye police: Recent search yields no new clues

Buckeye police said the investigation remains active.

In a statement released Tuesday, Buckeye police said a recent search into the case yielded no additional clues.

The search, which took place on Feb. 18, was conducted by Buckeye police in collaboration with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office "to readdress key locations in the desert area where Daniel was last seen."

According to the statement, resources provided by the MCSO, such as K-9 units, drones, and multiple ATV and ground crews, were unable to produce any significant results.

David Cawley-Robinson (left) stands with his brother Daniel Robinson, 24, who was last seen driving from his work site in an area west of Sun Valley Parkway and north of Cactus Road in Buckeye on June 23, 2021.

At the end of January, Buckeye police said they were alerted to the possibility of human remains inside a well previously searched by the department. The well was nearly a half mile north of where Daniel Robinson was last seen. Police worked with a contractor to scope the well on Feb. 9. On Feb. 13, another contractor used heavy equipment to excavate the contents of the well, nearly 1,000 feet down, for further examination. No human remains were found.

Earlier in January other human remains were found, including a skull and other bones, by someone off-roading near Johnson Road and Southern Avenue. The Buckeye Police Department has since announced the remains belonged to 35-year-old Juan Fierro.

Detectives have been using technology to develop a clearer picture of Daniel Robinson's activities leading up to his disappearance, said Carissa Planalp, a spokesperson with Buckeye police.

Planalp said the police department is performing desert searches as needed and that updates are being communicated with the Robinson family on a regular basis.

The department added it has pursued leads throughout Arizona and other states.

Father calls for 'all hands on deck' in Feb. 25 search

The key geographic focus of the upcoming desert search will be near the Hassayampa River, southwest of the location where the Jeep was found, according to the Eventbrite announcement for the search.

David Robinson is calling for "all hands on deck" in the upcoming search, welcoming volunteers from the public and extending private and public invitations to all law enforcement agencies that have touched the case in some form. The goal is to get at least 200 volunteers to search the desert area, he said in a YouTube live stream.

David Robinson wrote on the search website that he organized more than 45 weeks of searches, covering more than 35,000 acres of land.

This weekend's search is one "based on faith," he said in a February live stream. He explained he does not have all the resources in place he would like for the search, but believes it will be a fruitful effort.

Members of the public who are interested in volunteering for the search can do so by signing up on Eventbrite or by becoming a flyer ambassador for their city by visiting the search website.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Missing geologist Daniel Robinson: New search of desert planned
New York Congressman and serial fabulist George Santos told multiple lies to a judge in Seattle, Washington, while speaking on behalf of someone he described as a family friend who had been arrested for placing skimming equipment on automatic teller machines in 2017.

Mr Santos was present in the courtroom of King County Superior Court Judge Sean ODonnell on 15 May 2017, when a Brazilian national called Gustavo Ribeiro Trelha was being arraigned after an arrest.

After identifying himself by his full name, George Anthony Devolder Santos, he was asked what he did for work.

Mr Santos replied: I am an aspiring politician and I work for Goldman Sachs.

When Judge ODonnell asked Mr Santos if he indeed worked for Goldman Sachs in New York, the future Republican representative responded in the affirmative, telling the Seattle jurist: Yup.

Although Mr Santos did have political aspirations at the time, his statement that he worked for the Empire State-based investment bank was false.

Late last year, a spokesperson for the bank told The New York Times there was no record of Mr Santos ever being employed there in any capacity.

He later admitted to the New York Post that hed never worked directly for Goldman Sachs, but he denied lying and claimed instead that he technically had worked for the bank because a financial firm he was employed at, LinkBridge Investors, had limited partnerships with the bank.

The embattled GOP representative has admitted to fabricating much, if not all, of his biography during two campaigns for the Long Island US House seat he now holds, an unsuccessful run against Democrat Tom Suozzi in 2020, and his successful campaign two years later.

But the recording of Mr Santos appearance in that Seattle courtroom six years ago, which was obtained and first reported on by Politico, indicates that he was making up large swaths of his personal history out of whole cloth long before his name ever appeared on a ballot.

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When he appeared there on behalf of Trelha, who was deported to Brazil in 2018 after pleading guilty to access device fraud charges and serving a seven-month jail sentence, he claimed the defendant was a family friend.

But when reached by phone from Brazil, Trelha told Politico hed met Mr Santos in late 2016 through a Facebook group. Not long after, he said he moved in with Mr Santos, who was living in Winter Park, Florida.

When police arrested him in Seattle several months later after a security camera showed him removing skimming equipment  devices used to copy electronic data from ATM cards  from a downtown Seattle ATM, court documents showed him in possession of a forged Brazilian identification card and ten bank cards which police suspected to contain data that had been harvested from legitimate cards that were passed through the skimming device.

Police records also reportedly showed that an empty FedEx package discovered in Trelhas rental call had been sent from the Florida apartment hed moved into with Mr Santos.

The courtroom recording showed Trelhas public defender, Virginia Branham, telling the judge that hed twice flown to Seattle to assist his roommate. She also said Mr Santos would arrange for an extended Airbnb for Trelha to stay at if the judge granted him bail.

The future congressmans appearance may have influenced the judge at least somewhat  he reduced Trelhas bail to $75,000 from an initial amount of $250,000, but Trelha was not able to post bail and remained in custody.
Fantasist New York Congressman George Santos claimed AR-15s save lives on a daily basis while justifying his support for a bill that would declare the assault rifle the National Gun of America.

Mr Santos is co-sponsoring a bill brought forward by Alabama GOP Representative Barry Moore to enshrine the semi-automatic weapon used in countless mass shootings under federal law.

Mr Santos, who is facing multiple federal, state and local law enforcement investigations, told ABC7 in an interview this week that the bill was about recognition.

This is a gun manufactured in the United States, creates jobs in the United States, its a made-in-America gun. We have national everything, why not have a national gun? he said. It saves lives on a daily basis, and its not reported. And I think its good to have that contrast.

The demonstrably false claim was condemned by New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who called the New York lawmakers actions outrageous and appalling in a statement.

This weapon of war has been used in mass shootings across the United States  from my hometown of Buffalo, where the shooter used a modified AR-15 to murder ten people in a despicable act of white supremacist terrorism, to Parkland, Florida, where the shooter killed seventeen innocent people with an AR-15-style weapon, Gov. Hochul said. This bill, which attempts to glorify the weapons that have been part of such horrific tragedies, adds unforgivable insult to injury for those families. It should never become law, and Congressman Santos should immediately remove his name from it, if he has any respect for New Yorkers.

AR-15-style assault weapons were used in school shootings including Uvalde, Texas, in 2022, Parkland, Florida, in 2018, and Sandy Hook in 2012.

The bill to see it recognised as Americas National Gun is being co-sponsored by Lauren Boebert, who owns a gun-themed restaurant in Colorado, and Georgia Congressman Andrew Clyde, a gun store proprietor from Georgia.

Mr Santos and other Republicans have been seen wearing AR-15-style lapels in Congress.

Since his election in New Yorks third congressional district in November, the 34-year-old has been unmasked as a serial fabricator who invented most of his resume, educational history and family background.
In the language of an arrest warrant for a Macon man, the man was acting disorderly and in a violent and tumultuous manner when he went into Bank of America branch here late last year and blasted explicit music from his cellphone.

The warrant does not mention the songs or their artists, but when the man, 33, was asked to turn off the music, he blocked an exit and refused to let anyone leave.

He propped his (phone) on the counter and continued to play the explicit music, the warrant citing the Dec. 6 incident added.

The music contained profane and vulgar language which disturbed the operations of the bank. The music was still playing loudly upon the arrival of law enforcement. The accused then began to loudly shout, I am God and I can be wherever I want.

He was taken to jail.

Dispatches: A woman who lives near the Little Towaliga River north of Forsyth told the cops there in early February that her neighbors two goats had, as a sheriffs report put it, been getting out and coming on her property. . . . According to an arrest warrant, a 33-year-old Atlanta-area man, after allegedly assaulting a bartender at Hotel 45 in downtown Macon on Feb. 5, turned his aggression on a Bibb County sheriffs deputy. As the deputy noted in the warrant, while the man was in a hotel elevator as he was being escorted to jail by the deputy, the man started biting on my clothing.
Georgia senators want to require cash bail for many more crimes than under current law, a move that the bills sponsor says will keep people from committing additional crimes.

These are not mistakes. These are not unintentional acts. These are people choosing to violate the law, Sen. Randy Robertson, a Cataula Republican said of people he is targeting with Senate Bill 63, which passed on a 31-21 vote Thursday mostly along party lines. It will now advance to the House for more debate.

Currently, someone accused of a crime in Georgia is required to post cash or property to get out of jail for only seven severe crimes, such as murder or rape. The measure adds 53 additional crimes to the list, including passing a worthless check, or misdemeanors such as reckless driving or fighting in a public place. It undoes parts of a 2018 law championed by former Gov. Nathan Deal that sought to eliminate cash bail for most misdemeanor crimes.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Opponents say the reversal means more poor people will sit in jail and risk losing their jobs and housing, including when accused of crimes for which theyre unlikely to ever go to prison.

The problem is cash bail uses the most blunt weapon that we have to try to attack crime. And thats jail. Just jail, said Sen. Josh McLaurin, a Sandy Springs Democrat.

The bill is part of a broad national move by Republicans to push back against changes over the last two decades that let more people get out of jail without posting bail.

It mystifies me that so many folks are concerned about prisoners and criminals and not citizens and victims, Sen. John Albers, a Roswell Republican, said Thursday.

TRENDING STORIES:

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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has said he wants more restrictive bail conditions. Thats in line with how he and other Republicans bashed their Democratic opponents last year as soft on crime. Kemp is also backing other anti-crime proposals being put forward in Georgia this year, including longer sentences for some criminals.

We have seen that being tough on crime helps, said Robertson, one of the leading proponents of cracking down on crime. Its working. Dont be confused by those championing just for the criminals.

The Georgia bail measure states no one who has been convicted of three prior felonies, or has been convicted of any felony within the preceding seven years, can be let out of jail without posting cash or property bail.

Robertson said that without such provisions, judges and prosecutors would make exceptions for people who dont deserve them

Theyre recidivists, Robertson said. These are individuals who the system has been kind to.

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The bill also further restricts a city or countys ability to release someone from jail without bail, saying that no one could be automatically allowed to leave jail without being required to post bail unless they have appeared before a judge.

Judges are only supposed to grant bail to people who arent considered a threat to society and a threat to flee before trial. The bill wouldnt override Georgia law that says judges must consider a persons ability to pay in setting bail. But opponents said they believe Republicans are trying to pressure elected judges into setting higher bails even when people cant pay.

This bill is essentially going to force more judges to choose jail more often because of the pressures they face, McLaurin said.

Another part of the bill classifies domestic terrorism as a serious violent felony. That means anyone convicted of the crime must serve the entire sentence ordered by a judge, cant be sentenced to probation as a first offender and cant be paroled unless an offender has served at least 30 years in prison.

___

Follow Jeff Amy on Twitter at https://twitter.com/jeffamy.
Berlin (Reuters) -Activists protesting against Russia's invasion of Ukraine parked a destroyed, rusty tank directly in front of the Russian embassy in Berlin on Friday, bringing a piece of the battlefield to the centre of the German capital.

"The broken tank signifies downfall. Ukraine is going to be Putin's Stalingrad," said Wieland Giebel, curator of the Berlin Story Bunker museum, referring to Germany's defeat in a major battle in World War Two.

The Russian embassy was not available for comment.

The tank, a Russian T-72 B1, was destroyed on March 31, 2022, close to the village of Dmytrivka near Kyiv, by an anti-tank mine, according to organiser Giebel and colleague Enno Lenze.

They said it was transferred to Germany with the help of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry and the Ukrainian National Museum of Military History.

It has been placed at the intersection of Schadowstrasse and the German capital's main tourist mile, Unter den Linden, where it will remain until Monday.

The district office of Berlin's Mitte borough rejected Lenze's and Giebel's application to display the tank last year, citing concerns including road safety.

The organisers took legal action and the Berlin Administrative Court granted them permission to proceed with the project.

The tank will subsequently tour through Europe and may end up in a German tank museum.

Click on the link to listen to the Reuters World News Podcast Special anniversary episode: The Ukraine war

(Reporting by Laura Alviz, Editing by Rachel More and Nick Macfie)
Jeremy Hunt

Without competition stimulating innovation, quality, lower prices and a good deal for the consumer, capitalism would be nothing. Open markets, unimpeded by high levels of taxation, drive companies ever onwards to improve and win trade.

But nations must compete too. Indeed, the knowledge that, free to make her own rules, Britain could act more competitively, was a principal driver of Brexit. That is why it is so incomprehensible that corporation tax is set to rise this year to 25 per cent. Alongside the removal of tax deductions for investment-oriented businesses, the hike will make Britain a much less desirable location for large international companies, on whom we rely to create jobs and fuel growth. The Government would be wise to abandon the move.

Yet as former Home Secretary Priti Patel warns in these pages today, we may soon impose an extra impediment to tax cuts by agreeing to an international minimum threshold of 15 per cent, which has been concocted by the OECD, a Paris-based organisation. While it is, some might say, folly to dream of a world in which this country imposes a corporation tax rate as low as that, a time may  and should  come when the Treasury understands that corporation tax breeds stagnation, and seeks to lower the rate to attract investment.

The risk then is that having confronted the inertia of the British state, we would be confronted by this additional hurdle, with any attempt to circumvent it denounced as an abrogation of international commitments. As Priti Patel puts it: Our economic freedoms are once again at risk and our Conservative mission to transform Britain into a global beacon for free enterprise faces a new challenge.

While the deal is gloomy enough, the reasons behind it are gloomier still. Thirty years ago, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, a historian popularised the term the end of history, as if Western politics had reached a perfect model and needed no further refinement. Long that lasted.

Today, confronted by ageing populations, we have seen the emergence of a similarly sludgy consensus: that we are comfortable enough as it is, and that we dont need to develop much more. This is smothering Western economies. The reverse is true. Without a renewed commitment to growth and making our societies richer and happier, todays smug economic unanimity will prove as divisive and explosive as its political predecessor.

The Government should now focus on stimulating investment from companies, large and small, which can boost innovation and growth  first by rescinding the imminent tax hike, and in future by ensuring no minimum tax is agreed to.
Google has been accused the Justice Department of deleting evidence in the government's antitrust lawsuit against the company. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Google is facing sanctions for deleting evidence in an antitrust lawsuit.

Google was asked in 2019 to suspend its policy of auto-deleting company chats.

Google continued to delete "off the record" chats every 24 hours until this February, the Justice Department said.

The US Department of Justice accused Google on Thursday of deleting evidence that would be used in the government's antitrust lawsuit against the company's search business.

The Justice Department requested a federal judge to sanction the company over its "intentional and repeated destruction of written communications," in a court filing on Thursday. Sanctions are punishments imposed upon those who disobey court orders.

According to the Justice Department's filing, Google has long had a practice of encouraging its employees to communicate via "off the record" chats which are automatically destroyed after 24 hours.



The Justice Department said in the filing that Google "trained" employees to consider these messages  also known as Google Hangouts or instant messages  as better than emails because they would not be retained by the company in the same way emails were.

"Unsurprisingly then, Google was aware users often had "off the record" chats "to discuss sensitive topics," the Justice Department said in the filing.

The Justice Department filed its antitrust lawsuit against Google in 2020 for using unlawful tactics to preserve its dominance over internet search.



In the filing, the Justice Department said that Google was asked as early as mid-2019 to suspend its auto-delete practices in anticipation of the lawsuit.

According to the Justice Department's filing, Google not only failed to suspend its auto-delete practices at the time, but continued to delete chats every 24 hours up until February 8 of this year.

"Google's daily destruction of written records prejudiced the United States by depriving it of a rich source of candid discussions between Google's executives, including likely trial witnesses," the Justice Department said in the filing.



A spokesperson for Google told Insider, "We strongly refute the DOJ's claims. Our teams have conscientiously worked for years to respond to inquiries and litigation. In fact, we have produced over 4 million documents in this case alone, and millions more to regulators around the world."

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to Insider's request for a comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Google said on January 20 that it was laying off 12,000 workers. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

A Google worker says some staffers learned who'd been let go when their emails bounced back.

Laid-off workers resorted to messaging their ex-coworkers on LinkedIn or texting them with the news.

Google has been criticized over the abrupt and impersonal nature of January's mass layoffs.

A Google worker says the abrupt nature of the company's mass layoffs last month meant some staffers found out which of their colleagues had been laid off when they tried to send them emails and they bounced back.

Thomas de Rivaz, a software engineer at the tech giant, told Insider that in some cases employees knew their coworkers' jobs were cut "because your email bounced and not for any other reason."

Remaining employees have said Google didn't widely circulate information about who was laid off.

Tim Wilde, a site-reliability engineer who has been at Google for about a decade, told Insider that in some cases he found out employees had been laid off because they posted about it on LinkedIn or Twitter, or because his messages to them on internal channels didn't go through. A West Coast engineer who's been at Google for more than 10 years described similar experiences.

De Rivaz said Google workers had been "figuring out the numbers" of staffers from each office who were laid off. "We've been discouraged from sharing them internally, obviously  that gets shut down quite quickly  but the numbers are there for people to see," he said.

Some of the remaining Google workers asked for anonymity to protect their jobs, but Insider has verified their employment.

Google told US staffers that they were laid off in an early-morning email on January 20. Some saw the email when it came through at around 2 a.m. PT, or 5 a.m. ET, while others realized something was awry when they were locked out of their work laptops and emails. Google cut off their access to company accounts and hardware immediately, though many affected US workers will remain on Google's payroll until March 31.

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Wilde said he saw some workers turn up to Google's office in Boston only to have their access badges declined; that's how those workers learned they'd been laid off.

De Rivaz, who works from Google's London office, said that since that day "we've effectively had daily updates from parts of the world of people being laid off."

He added that in countries outside the US, staffers have largely had more notice of their termination and have been able to say goodbye to colleagues.

Some affected US workers told Insider they were annoyed at not being able to say goodbye to or thank colleagues. They said they'd been scrambling to find LinkedIn accounts and cell numbers for their former coworkers, including their managers, to ask for more information about the layoffs and maintain their friendships. Some also expressed frustration about losing access to documents and pictures saved on company devices and in emails.

De Rivaz said he found out about the layoffs when he saw messages in work chats about the internal email from CEO Sundar Pichai. "And so then we read this, obviously, and then it was all anyone talked about for the rest of the day," de Rivaz said.

"It's just been taking a while for everyone to process," he added.

De Rivaz said that in the past when teams were being cut, workers were reallocated to other teams in a process referred to internally as "defragging."

"That attitude has completely disappeared," he said. "Internally it was a massive shock to the system. This really hasn't happened before."

He said that given how long it takes Google to recruit new staffers, the mass layoffs seemed "like a lot of wasted effort."

"We put a lot of deliberation into every hire we make, so having 12,000 of those roles thrown out seemed ridiculous," de Rivaz added.

A technical writer described the layoffs as "super disruptive," especially to projects the laid-off colleagues had been working on.

Wilde said that after seeing high-performing and long-tenured staffers let go, employees lost motivation because they don't know if hard work is enough to protect them from future cuts.

One employee said that remaining staffers cried in work calls on the day of the layoffs.

Were you recently laid off by Google? Or do you still work there? Contact this reporter at gdean@insider.com.

Read the original article on Business Insider
DES MOINES, Iowa  Sen. Tim Scott arrived in Iowa this week amid buzz about a presidential bid to come. But shortly after stepping foot in the state, that enthusiasm was complemented by the humbling elements that come with politicking in such an intimate place.

Scott chose a reading room at Drake University, hoping to reach younger voters who don't always hear from Republican candidates. There, he received enthusiastic applause from conservatives in the front as he stuck closely to the prepared speech rolling on teleprompters. But his message was a harder sell to some of the other young voters who didn't respond to his lines about gender identification and the teaching of racism. Later, they confided that they would never vote for him. After all, they were Democrats.

Thats exactly what I assumed he was going to say, said Gavin Hoedl, a 20-year-old student, who had come merely to witness the possibility of an announcement being made. Thats the standard Republican stump speech.



Over the course of three days in Iowa this week, the political pitfalls and opportunities of the state already became apparent. Any candidate for office can be rewarded for the right amount of gladhanding and pork eating and farm marveling. And those with an eye on the presidency in 2024 gave it their shot. But the voters In Iowa are picky too. They dont hide it.

We like to be courted, said Patti Parlee of Urbandale, who was at the Polk County Republican dinner on Wednesday to hear Scott speak.

Just a few weeks into the 2024 GOP primary, that courtship has begun. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley held packed town halls in Iowa on Monday and Tuesday, while former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Vice President Mike Pence have made their own stops in the state. Biotech entrepreneur turned anti-woke activist Vivek Ramaswamy has come as well, bringing autographed copies of his book, Woke Inc., to offer the first 100 people who showed up Thursday at Machine Shed, a popular restaurant for Republican gatherings in Polk and Dallas counties.



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The nature of the campaign and the caucus makes it impossible for candidates to hide their personalities or evade scrutiny. The results are an even playing field.

Even though Trump is probably the favorite, I wouldn't say its in the bag, said Steve Scheffler, Iowas Republican National Committeeman. If Iowans feel like theyre taken for granted, it doesnt sit too well.

After announcing her presidential candidacy just over a week ago, Haley drew capacity crowds and tangible enthusiasm. At an event space inside Legacy Manufacturing in Marion, Elton Johns Dont Go Breaking My Heart blared from the speakers as Wendy Hartman stood outside the room, peering in through the doorway. There was a standing crowd in the back.

I've not ever been to a political event before, said Hartman, a conservative from Cedar Rapids.

Hartman was among a series of Iowa Republican voters interviewed this week who said theyre inclined to support Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis  should he get into the race  are cautious about former President Donald Trump, and open to hearing from the rest of the field. Backing Haley, to Hartman, was a distinct possibility: the type of candidate who could bridge the good of Trumpism without the drama, all while reinstalling traditional Republican politics.

At her stop that night, Haley tried to sell voters on her experience as executive of a state, a member of Trumps Cabinet standing up to world leaders and a mother crusading against children learning about sex and gender in schools. But she also got a whiff of the indignities that female candidates often encounter when seeking higher office.



During the question and answer portion of Haleys town hall, one man suggested that she choose South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as her running mate.

Because  Roger Dvorak, 80, started to explain.

Shes hot! another man in the audience called out. The audience erupted in laughter.

Nikki, youre not too bad yourself, Dvorak continued.

Haley gave an uncomfortable laugh before saying the exchange was digressing quickly. In an interview afterward, Dvorak acknowledged the remark was inappropriate. If not Noem, he added, Haley should run with former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard.

Iowa political veterans say that the states extremely up-close style of politicking serves a purpose, chauvinistic episodes and all.

Still, there is fear that Iowa this cycle may not play its traditional role. With the exception of Trump, who last week announced top staff hires in Iowa, none of the candidates or prospective candidates appear to have yet established any robust campaign operations in the state. Democrats have left Iowa behind in the partys nominating process, voting to move South Carolina first on the calendar. And even Republicans in the state are worried about what the change could mean for them.



Gloria Mazza, chair of the Polk County Republican Party, corrected an audience member at the Lincoln Dinner who shouted out that the Iowa Democrats are losers! for no longer having the No. 1 spot.

No, not losers, Mazza said sternly, suggesting the GOP faithful urge their Democratic friends to lobby state Democratic officials to do something to fight back. They want it as much as we do.

But as top GOP stars like Trump and DeSantis have so far avoided Iowa, others in the prospective and declared field are trying to make an early mark on the Hawkeye State.

Kelly Koch, chair of the Dallas County Republican Party, said she continues to field calls from high-profile Republicans wanting to visit the county, one of Iowas fastest growing. Last week Kari Lake, who lost her November race for Arizona governor, held an event with the Dallas County GOP. On Monday, the local party hosted Haley and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds in a packed showroom at Royal Flooring in Urbandale.



Scott, too, seems likely to be a fixture here as he adjusts to the politics of the state and his place within it. Making his way to the West Des Moines Marriott on Wednesday evening for the Lincoln Dinner, the senator got a call from his longtime friend and fellow South Carolinian Trey Gowdy, reminding him of the surrealness of it all.

When you were at Stall High School about to flunk out, the former congressman said, could you imagine taking a trip to Iowa, to talk about restoring faith in the nation?
(Bloomberg) -- The Republican National Committee plans to hold its first presidential primary debate in August in Milwaukee to coincide with its summer meeting, but is still working on the criteria for candidates to participate.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The RNC has discussed possible requirements including that all candidates pledge to support the eventual nominee. That could become a challenge for former President Donald Trump, who has so far declined to commit to backing the GOP nominee if he doesnt win.

RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel has talked about the need to ensure all candidates agree to unify behind the nominee for the party to succeed.

The RNCs Standing Committee on Presidential Debates has been reviewing proposals from organizations interested in hosting a primary debate and voted Thursday to hold the first debate in August in Milwaukee, the site of the 2024 GOP convention, McDaniel said in an update to members.

At this time, no other debates have been sanctioned, nor has the final criteria for the first debate been decided, McDaniel said. The committee will continue its work and will release updates as they become available.

The only declared Republican presidential candidates so far are Trump, former South Carolina Governor and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and Ohio businessman and anti-ESG crusader Vivek Ramaswamy. But several other candidates including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis are expected to get in the race.

Asked in a Feb. 2 interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt whether hed support the GOP nominee if its not him, Trump said, It would have to depend on who the nominee was. Trump gave the same answer during his 2016 presidential campaign.

Story continues

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A Minnesota state senator is getting criticized after a speech where he claimed the states Republican Party isnt bigoted  and included a slur against Polish people in the process.

During a hearing about potential legislation that would allow undocumented immigrants to get ID cards and Class D drivers licenses, Sen. Mark Johnson (R), the Senate Minority Leader, argued that GOP lawmakers had good-faith objections to the bill, according to the Independent.

There are holes in this bill, Johnson said, while insisting he wasnt attacking any particular demographic groups. Were not calling groups any names. What were saying is we need to protect Minnesotans.

However, he may have hurt his cause with his next statement.

Doesnt matter what your race, your color, your creed, Norwegian, Polack, Somalian, you name it. But folks, we have concerns about this  and yet when we bring those concerns up on this floor, tonight we were called white national racists, he said.

Minnesota House Minority Leader Mark Johnson (R), while arguing that Republicans aren't bigoted, uses a derogatory term for Polish people: "We are not calling groups any names ... It doesn't matter what your race, color, your creed. Norwegian, Polack, Somali, you name it." pic.twitter.com/9dvlxXOcCn  Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) February 23, 2023

For those who might be unaware, Polack has been considered a derogatory term for Polish people for decades, and was most famously spouted by Archie Bunker, a bigoted character in the 1970s sitcom All in the Family.

In addition, some media have reported that Johnson may have used the word Somalian in his speech, though its not conclusive. The term Somalian, while not necessarily a slur, is incorrect, as the term Somali is preferred.

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Of course, many Twitter users found it ironic that a GOP politician used a slur in a speech claiming his party isnt bigoted.

Fellow Minnesota state Sen. Andy Smith (D) said Johnsons remarks were telling.

After using a derogatory term for Polish people, whats the next word association: Somali, one of the largest groups of color in our state.



Telling. https://t.co/EDHj6fwG4E  Rep. Andy Smith (@AndySmithMN) February 23, 2023

Others chimed in.

How to declare you're dumber than a Trash Bag without using those words. https://t.co/J9KbJQDQVW  Charles Adler (@charlesadler) February 23, 2023

He called polish people Polacks while saying hes not bigoted.  Rex Chapman (@RexChapman) February 23, 2023

He doesn't even know Polack is a derogatory term. They're all Archie Bunkers, without the charm.  Robert Lusetich (@RobertLusetich) February 23, 2023

A conservative trying to show he's open-minded. https://t.co/Z8E6M3cRbR  Doug Aoki (@Nantanreikan) February 23, 2023

HuffPost reached out to Johnson for comment, but no one immediately responded.

Related...
Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) is being accused of yet another lie, this time by a lawmaker in his district who is trying to get the truth-challenged congressman to resign.

On Thursday, Santos tweeted that he wanted to thank Nassau County Legislator Josh Lafazan for stopping by his office in Douglaston, in the Queens borough of New York City, and said it was great to sit down & discuss the concerns that were addressed in the letter he brought in.

I want to personally thank @JoshLafazan for stopping by my Douglaston office today. It was great to sit down & discuss the concerns that were addressed in the letter he brought in. #NY03  Rep. George Santos (@RepSantosNY03) February 23, 2023

At first glance, it seems benign, but Lafazan quickly tweeted back to Santos that the scenario he described wasnt what happened:

Lets be very clear: I did not stop by your office. I hosted a protest outside your office calling on you to resign, and then hand-delivered you a letter to stop wasting police resources. Cant say Im surprised you choose to distort the truth here - youre very good at it.

Let's be very clear: I did not "stop by" your office.



I hosted a protest *outside* your office calling on you to resign, and then hand-delivered you a letter to stop wasting police resources.



Can't say I'm surprised you choose to distort the truth here - you're very good at it. https://t.co/QnlkmtbeCc  Josh Lafazan (@JoshLafazan) February 23, 2023

HuffPost reached out to Santos office for comment, but no one immediately responded.

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However, Lafazans lying accusation comes just a couple of days after Santos admitted to Piers Morgan that hes been a terrible liar, claiming his fabrications werent about fooling voters but were about getting accepted by the party here locally.

Not surprisingly, many Twitter users mocked Santos for the bogus claim.

George will lie even when the truth would work better, he's just a lying sack of shit! https://t.co/oaJnU8t53R  Buck Snortt (@Bn7snortt) February 23, 2023

Oops, you lied again. I guess it's pathological.



Resign! pic.twitter.com/DyIhtq7R1i  Republicans against Trumpism (@RpsAgainstTrump) February 23, 2023

He was protesting at your office. Why the fuck do you lie? https://t.co/zsKsEPBg1f  WeThePeople (@PrincessBravato) February 23, 2023

Wait, so you're saying that @RepSantosNY03 is a LIAR?!?! Didn't see that coming....... https://t.co/YLYIfc9GlT  Jeffrey A. Kasky (@JeffKasky) February 23, 2023

George Santos had the nerve to ask for a constant police presence outside his office-calling people standing where they legally could, holding signs, and asking him to resign a mob.

He then lied about why Legislator Lafazan was at his office.

Ty, Josh, for holding nothing back. https://t.co/PKHuRId5dx  TriniFromLI (@OlsenTrini) February 23, 2023

Related...
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis refuses to appear on NBC News or MSNBC until one of the networks hosts apologizes for what she has already conceded to be an imprecise statement on the Republican hardliners views about how Black history should be taught.

DeSantis has already sparked criticism for how his administration rejected an Advanced Placement (AP) course on Black history that is being offered to high schools nationwide, prompting accusations that the governor was trying to whitewash history  especially in conjunction with his so-called Stop WOKE Act. Passed last year, the act is widely viewed as a tool to help prevent the teaching of systemic inequality.

During an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris that aired last week, Andrea Mitchell, chief Washington correspondent for NBC News, said that DeSantis did not want slavery and the aftermath of slavery to be taught in Florida schools.

The statement was inaccurate, but Mitchell did not immediately correct herself, and neither did Harris.

On Wednesday, Mitchell added a postscript to the interview:

In my interview last Friday with Vice President Harris, I was imprecise in summarizing Governor DeSantiss position about teaching slavery in schools. Governor DeSantis is not opposed to teaching the fact of slavery in schools, but he has opposed the teaching of an African-American studies curriculum, as well as the use of some authors and source materials that historians and teachers say makes it all but impossible for students to understand the broader historic and political context behind slavery and its aftermath in the years since.

DeSantis press secretary, Bryan Griffin, demanded a full apology from Mitchell for her initial overstatement.

I think we need to take a step back. There will be no consideration of anything related to NBC Universal or its affiliates until and at least Andrea Mitchell corrects the blatant lie she made about the governor ... and NBC and its affiliates display a consistent track record of truthful reporting, Griffin said in a statement posted to his Twitter page.

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The Florida Department of Education claimed that the AP course significantly lacks educational value and stood inexplicably contrary to Florida law.

When the College Board, which organizes AP courses, subsequently released the courses official curriculum, it was accused of removing references to Black feminism and gay Black culture to appease conservatives. The College Board rejected the claims, saying it had not been cowed.

Related...
A 64-year-old Granbury child predator whose son reported him to law enforcement has been convicted at a federal trial of child sexual exploitation.

U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton announced that a federal jury found David Earl Boyd guilty of two counts of producing child pornography, one count of possession of child pornography, and one count of penalties for registered sex offenders.

Boyd faces a minimum of 45 years in federal prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 27.

We are grateful to the defendants son for reaching out to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. It cannot have been easy to report his fathers crimes, but in so doing, he likely saved two children from further victimization. We are proud to hold this predator to account, Simonton said in a Friday news release.

Boyd, who already was a registered sex offender, took sexually explicit images of two young children, aged 6 and 3, according to court evidence presented at the trial.

Federal authorities said Boyds son discovered nude images of the children in a trash folder on his fathers cell phone. He took a screenshot of the trash gallery and submitted a report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which forwarded the tip to law enforcement.

Shortly thereafter, officers arrested Boyd and seized his Samsung smartphone.

During an extraction of the phone, forensic examiners discovered thousands of child pornography images in a directory associated with the application Hide it Pro, which is designed to conceal images and videos.

Boyd had previously deleted the app, but the directory retained the images and videos, federal authorities said.

The Granbury man was convicted of possession of child pornography in Taylor County. In 2003, he was sentenced to three years and required to register as a sex offender.

Homeland Security Investigations Dallas Field Office, the Hood County District Attorneys Office, and the Dallas Police Department conducted the investigation.
Gregor Townsend admits Scotland face a huge test in Paris (Jane Barlow/PA) (PA Wire)

Gregor Townsend has challenged his Scotland players to go up a few levels as he backed them to deal with the formidable test they face against France in Paris this weekend.

The Scots are top of the Guinness Six Nations table after opening their campaign with bonus-point wins away to England and at home to Wales.

However, head coach Townsend feels they will need to show further improvement if they are to maintain their perfect start in the Stade de France against the side ranked second in the world.

We were tough on the players going into the Wales week, and rightly so because in the past we havent backed up our first performance going into the second week of the Six Nations and also because we believed there was much more to come from the group, Townsend said, speaking on Friday morning as the team prepared to fly to Paris.

 Hes played with real speed in his two games for Edinburgh.



Gregor Townsend discusses the change to his starting XV and previews the challenge France will pose.#AsOne pic.twitter.com/GwDUar6ZY9  Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) February 24, 2023

We feel the same way this week. I think the players realise what a big test this is going to be, playing one of the best teams in the world on their home patch, at a venue we havent had much success (at) over the past 100 years.

Its going to be a tough challenge but we can match that challenge. We can improve from the Wales game. Going into a game like this on the back of wins is a much better place to be than if youre coming off the back of defeats.

Youve got that confident feeling about how youre playing and youve also got evidence that what youre doing is leading to good things.

Townsend unsurprisingly has kept changes to a minimum, with just one alteration to the starting XV as 2021 British and Irish Lions squad member Hamish Watson takes the place of fellow Edinburgh flanker Luke Crosbie. Ali Price  another Lion  is back in the squad as one of the subs after being left out of the 23 for the opening two games due to lack of form.

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We give consideration to every player whos in the mix for selection, said the head coach. The easy thing would be to go weve won a game, lets not even have a discussion, lets move on to the next game.

You want to reward players that are playing well but Ive said ever since the Wales and England games, were not playing at our best yet. We need to go up a few levels.

I've said ever since the Wales and England games, we're not playing at our best yet. We need to go up a few levels.

Gregor Townsend

That can come through the team that get the second opportunity or it can come from other players we feel can help us improve. The standard of training has made selection difficult but to bring back Hamish Watson and Ali Price, who have played very well for us in the past and have been showing in training that they are ready to go again, thats the situation you want to get in.

Watson missed the first two games of the championship due to a lack of game time since the autumn following concussion issues, but Townsend feels the 32-year-old, who has won 54 caps, is now ready to return to the Test arena after playing two matches for Edinburgh in recent weeks.

Hamish has trained well and had two games so we believe hell be back at the level we know he can play at, said the coach. We believe hes a good foil for the way France want to play and also adds speed to our attack.

While its tough on Luke Crosbie and Jack Dempsey, who was also in the mix, its a good thing for us to have that level of competition.

Hamish is in our leadership group, he was captain for us in the summer in Argentina. Hes really stepped up as a leader over the last year or two so that experience can help from a psychological level when players look around and see someone whos been there 50-plus times for Scotland. Its down to Hamish to deliver, and thats what were expecting him to do.
Getty; Marianne Ayala/Insider

Some members of Congress have begun pushing to ban TikTok in the US.

But when Insider spoke with nearly 20 senators about the idea, many expressed skepticism.

"I've got teenagers," said one senator. "I probably interact with TikTok more than a lot of senators."

Some members of Congress have begun a push to ban TikTok nationwide, arguing that the wildly popular video-sharing platform is a potential vector for malign influence from the Chinese Communist Party.

But despite Congress recently banning the app on government devices  and dozens of state governments doing the same  plenty of lawmakers remain uneasy about the prospect of outlawing a social media platform that's grown ubiquitous in American life, especially with young people.

In interviews with nearly 20 senators on Capitol Hill last week, Insider found that many of them  despite stressing their concerns about the influence of China and the negative impacts of social media on youth  remain skeptical about banning an app that claims more than 100 million American users.

Republicans, notably including former President Donald Trump and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, have generally been most ardent in pushing for a TikTok ban, though an increasing number of Democratic lawmakers have joined the effort.

"I'm a little less enthusiastic about an all-out ban of it," said Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota. "What I don't want is to create a trend where every time we get irritated with somebody, we ban their product from our country altogether."

And other lawmakers observed that the broader American public has yet to be convinced that the app  popular for delivering a steady stream of viral content and memes via an algorithmically-driven feed  poses a uniquely grave threat to its users.

"I'm an incrementalist on a lot of things, and I would be on this as well," said Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming. "It's different when you're talking about it as something that you've really integrated into your daily life, and how you interact with your family and your friends."

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Furthermore, dozens of members of Congress have TikTok accounts to their name  and an even greater number of lawmakers likely have children, or grandchildren, who regularly use the app. Some lawmakers have strategically used the app to reach younger voters, while others have inadvertently become stars on the site.

Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona said that his two daughters, both in their 20s, "know better" than to send him TikTok videos, but that one of them "uses it at work for her job."

"I've got teenagers," said Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut. "I probably interact with TikTok more than a lot of senators."

And Republican Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas, who told Insider that "social media in some ways for kids can be worse than pornography," said his 15-year-old son uses the app as well.

"He does send me stuff from it, from time to time," said Marshall. "I'm sure he considers it very entertaining. And like everything, a little bit's good, a lot's bad."

TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese technology company headquartered in Beijing. Proponents of the ban argue that China's National Intelligence Law forces ByteDance and its employees to participate in intelligence activities by the Chinese government, imperiling US national security.

A growing number of lawmakers are warming to the idea of a ban. Senate Majority Leader said in a recent interview it's "something that should be looked at," lending the cause new momentum.

But for now, proponents acknowledge they still have some convincing to do  and that it will take a while before a majority of Congress is ready to vote on a ban.

"I think there are some people that don't like the idea of banning companies, per se," said Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, the chief sponsor of a bipartisan bill to ban TikTok, referring to fellow senators.

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida at the Capitol on January 25, 2023. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images

"Its AI is very good, and the video content on it is very catchy," he added. "This is not about the content on TikTok  some of which I find to be ridiculous, and others which may be very interesting."

'Digital fentanyl'

Rubio first raised concerns about the app in 2019, and Trump attempted to ban TikTok via an August 2020 executive order that was later revoked by President Joe Biden. The social media giant remains under investigation by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a panel that operates under the Treasury Department.

But as millions more Americans have joined the app in recent years  and tensions between the US and China continue to rise  calls for taking some sort of action have grown. Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has taken to declaring that "Trump was right" about TikTok.

Rubio, along with Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, is pushing a bill called the "ANTI-SOCIAL CCP" Act that would ban TikTok and any other social media platform owned by a company based in China, Russia, and other US adversaries unless they're sold to an American company. Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, the chairman of a new select committee on China and the House sponsor of the bill, has dubbed the app "digital fentanyl."

Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, who led the Senate effort to ban the app from government phones, has also since introduced a bill to ban the app entirely from the US.

And earlier this month, Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado sent a letter to Google and Apple asking that the companies remove TikTok from their app store, declaring that he remained "fundamentally concerned" about the app meeting with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew face-to-face.

Concerns about a ban

With the conversation on Capitol Hill still in its early stages, numerous senators are lodging concerns on a variety of fronts, including the fairness and efficacy of pursuing just one app, the broader concerns about social media's mental health impacts, and the "unintended consequences" of taking such sweeping action.

"We need a broader rule than simply TikTok only," said Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. "If we are threatened by a foreign government's ownership of any technology company, then we need to deal with that consistently in all forums."

"I haven't come to a conclusion that that's the best way to deal with TikTok," said Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut at the Capitol on March 16, 2022. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images

Some lawmakers say there should be more focus on the mental health impacts of TikTok and other social media platforms. Murphy, a prominent Democratic voice on foreign policy who said he was "open" to a ban, argued that a "conversation that is primarily about one app, and who owns it, is not connected to the way that parents experience social media."

"I wish we were talking about TikTok through the prism of how it affects our kids, and not simply as a national security matter," said Murphy "I think the bigger danger to the United States is the way that social media is making our children's lives immensely unhappy."

Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia is one of several politicians who's used the app for campaign purposes  though not personally, he insisted.

"I think that the national security concerns, and the mental health and privacy concerns, warrant serious regulatory scrutiny," said Ossoff.

@jon Anyone over the age of 16 is now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. Book your appointment now: vaccinefinder.org  original sound - mark

Others said they were more concerned about social media as a whole, naming TikTok among a range of other social media apps that they say are having a detrimental effect on children.

Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on social media and the internet's impact on children.

"There are a lot of platforms that we could probably ask some more questions for," said Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, a member of the Judiciary committee who said he wanted a "pause" on the app. "The industry as a whole really needs to work on getting a self-imposed regulatory framework."

Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, another committee member, said she's most concerned about how social media platforms are impacting kids. But she stopped short of endorsing a ban on the Chinese giant.

"You always run into First Amendment issues and all that, because there are unintended consequences when we have those kinds of discussions," said Hirono.

"That doesn't mean we shouldn't do anything, though," she added.

Read the original article on Business Insider
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Half of American respondents in a new poll on Thursday said the U.S. should continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes to win the war against Russia, which has now dragged on for a year.

Fifty percent of respondents in a poll from Fox News said America should continue to back Ukraine through the end of the war, while another 46 percent said there should be a limited timeframe on U.S. support.

Democrats are more likely than their Republican counterparts to say that U.S. support should last however long it takes Ukraine to win, according to the poll. While 66 percent of Democrat respondents said the U.S. should continue to aid the Ukrainians for the remainder of the war, 61 percent of Republican respondents said there should be a tangible end.

The split appears to reflect current dynamics in Congress, where House Republicans have suggested that they would like to rein in aid to Ukraine. Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) warned in October that a potential GOP majority in the House, which has since been realized, would not write a blank check to Ukraine.

The U.S. has directed more than $75 billion in aid toward Ukraine since the beginning of the war, according to PBS NewsHour. During a surprise visit to Kyiv on Monday, President Biden promised another $500 million in military assistance.

The Fox News poll was jointly conducted by Beacon Research and Shaw & Company Research from Feb. 19 to 22 with 1,006 registered voters. The margin of error is 3 percentage points.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Sean Hannity brought out laughs from his crowd as 2024 Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy attempted to showcase his policy differences with former President Donald Trump on Thursday.

Ramaswamy, a multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur and conservative activist who announced his presidential run earlier this week, gave another go at Hannitys question after he initially described the GOP challenger as a friend.

I am not running against him; Im running on a vision for our nation, Ramaswamy told Hannity.

Wait, wait, but youre not running for him. Youre running against him. Lets be honest, responded Hannity as his audience broke out into chuckles.

The candidate, who swiftly fired back and said he was running for America, said hed talk about his differences from Trump before claiming the former president was the O.G. of America first.

I am taking that to the next level with America First 2.0, Ramaswamy said. Lets get the job done, which means dismantling federal bureaucracy.

The candidate added that hed propose eight-year sunset clauses for anybody in the federal bureaucracy and shut down federal agencies including the Department of Education.

(H/T Mediaite)

Ramaswamy isnt the only 2024 presidential candidate who has struggled to define how they differ from Trump.

Nikki Haley, who spoke with Hannity last week, dodged questions from the Fox News host on how her platform parts from the former presidents ideas, continuing to sidestep questions as shes done before on the network.

Related...
There are two vigils scheduled for Friday night in memory of the TV reporter and 9-year-old girl killed in shootings in Orange County this week.

Spectrum News 13 reporter Dylan Lyons, 24, and Pine Hills Elementary School student Tyonna Major, 9, both died Wednesday after shootings in Pine Hills.

ICP Orlando Church is scheduled to host a candle light vigil to honor both Lyons and Tyonna at 7 p.m. Friday. The community is invited to attend. The church is located at 5850 Clarcona Ocoee Road.

Read: A kind & beautiful soul: Girl, 9, killed in Pine Hills shooting remembered for infectious smile

The Nicholson School of Communication and Media at the University of Central Florida is also hosting a vigil to honor Lyons, who was an alumnus of the school.

That vigil is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday outside of the Nicholson School of Communication and Media building on UCFs main campus.

Read: UCF students create memorial to honor slain TV journalist Dylan Lyons

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.
Harry and Meghan haven't appeared in the public eye for some time, but speculation is rife about whether they will attend King Charles's coronation in May. (Getty Images)

Prince Harry and Meghan have yet to receive an invitation to King Charless coronation, Yahoo UK understands, though invites are expected to go out in the coming days.

Writing in his latest exclusive column, Yahoo's Royal Executive Editor Omid Scobie says any claims about their attendance are speculative, and the couple "can't make a decision" about whether to attend without an invite.

The presence of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the celebratory event on 6 May has generated a significant amount of speculation in recent weeks following a difficult few months for the Royal Family as they transition away from the stability of Queen Elizabeths long reign.

In November last year, the racism row involving Lady Susan Hussey and charity campaigner Ngozi Fulani engulfed the royals.

The following month, the palace was rocked by a series of allegations in Harry and Meghan's six-part Netflix documentary series and the Dukes revealing memoir, Spare.

Controversial claims about the Royal Family were included in the couple's Netflix documentary as well as intimate moment's from their private life. (Netflix)

The Sussexes claimed Camilla, the Queen Consort, leaked stories to the press about the couple in what Harry alleged was an effort to rehabilitate her own public image after being known for so long as the "other woman" in Charles and Diana's marriage.

Harry also alleged that his brother physically attacked him during a 2019 encounter, in which William "parroted the press narrative" about Meghan. The Palace has not responded to either claim.

By Harrys own admission, his relationship with his brother and father has grown cold. Speaking in an interview promoting Spare with ITVs Tom Bradby, he said he wanted to get his brother back but that he no longer recognises his family members  and acknowledged they probably dont recognise me.

Equally, he wrote in the introduction to his memoir that it was an attempt to be understood on his own terms not only by the public, but also his father and elder brother. And in an interview with The Telegraph, Harry said he had held back on revealing certain things in his memoir to allow for the possibility of reconciliation with his family.

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Harry's televised interview with Tom Bradby was the only UK one in his promotional tour for Spare. (ITV)

While some reports have said the couple will be invited to the coronation, Yahoo UK understands that the Sussexes have not been invited.

Scobie writes: "No one, no matter how well-sourced, knows their plans right now  the couple have yet to be invited and cant make a decision, or plans, until that happens."

Yahoo understands that invites will be going out to guests "in the coming days" but there is no word as to whether Harry and Meghan are on the list.

The prospect of a reunion in May would be the first time the three would have been together since Harry's claims and the first time since they gathered for Queen Elizabeth II's funeral in September.

King Charles III's coronation will take place on the morning of Saturday, 6 May.

It will take place at the historic Westminster Abbey, where the Coronation Ceremony has taken place for the last 900 years.

Once the solemn, religious service is completed, they will process back to Buckingham Palace accompanied by other members of the Royal Family.

The day will end with an appearance by the King and his family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

Watch: The Crown season 5 - surprising moments that didn't make the cut
Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Reuters

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There is one grand mystery around King Charles IIIs coronation, on May 6: Will Prince Harry and Meghan Markle come? How will they approach being there, orif they decline their invitationnot being there?

The couple and the royals are both mulling different perspectives of the same questions. If they show up, will they face a harsh or warm public reaction? And how brutal will their royal sidelining be when it comes to seating and their presenceor absenceat key moments?

If they do not show up, that will send its own message, but both Meghan and Harry and the royals alike may feel that the public, after all the recent charged, accusatory interviews and memoir revelations, would not be that surprised if they were a no-show. Harry has laid out family tensions in raw, colorful detail, after all.

Royal Family Fully Expects Harry and Meghan at King Charles Coronation

One former friend of Harrys and Williams, who remains friends with William but has had minimal contact with Harry since he left the U.K., told The Daily Beast that the general assumption among the family is that the couple will be there.

A personal friend of the kings told The Daily Beast the king is assuming Harry and Meghan will attend. They said they believed it was unlikely that Harry and Meghan would be offered behind-the-scenes sweeteners such as guarantees of prominent seating.

There are 2,000 people to seat so Im sure they will be happy to sit wherever they are put, the friend said.

The Telegraph reports that Harry wants to be by Charles side on pretty much the most important day, and also hopes to repair their frayed relationship. A final decision, sources say, will be taken once the invite physically arrives in California. The Spectator reports that Meghan feels excluded from the coronation plans, which could mean the Sussexes may not attend as a result.

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Harry and Meghan fled the monarchy in 2020 in fear of their lives (according to Harry), then devoted the following three years to well-remunerated criticism of the institution and its principals.

Charles decided to begin his reign by serenely rising above it all, resisting the temptation to figuratively behead, or send tower-wards, his troublesome offspring. Despite every opportunity and excuse to exclude them, Harry and Meghan will be invited to the coronation, The Daily Beast understands.

This is not a case of an indulgent father overlooking his sons faults (or, rather, not just that). The role of the monarchyat least the royal family believes; their detractors disagreeis to act as a unifying, consensus-building force in the nation. The extension of an invitation to Harry and his wife, whom Charles made a point of saying he loved in his accession address, is a familial, personal demonstration of this pivotal regal principle.

The Palace successfully occupied the moral high ground by making no (public) attempt to rubbish Harrys memoir, Spare, and has now maintained it by making it clear that Harry and Meghan will, of course, be invited to the biggest family gathering and global pomp-fest of the year.

Rather cleverly, this has had the effect of making it appear that the Palace regards the revelations in Harrys book as a trifling matter, perhaps a matter of youthful impetuousness, so insignificant that they are now quite forgotten, if indeed they happened at all.

The question has now become not what the Palace ought or ought not to do, but whether Harry and Meghan will accept the invite.

Harry is in a slightly awkward situation here, having made what some would call a strategic error by putting conditions on his attendance at the coronation. Asked directly by ITV News anchor Tom Bradby if he would attend, Harry replied: Theres a lot that can happen between now and then, but you know, the door is always open, the ball is in their court. There is a lot to be discussed, and I really hope they are willing to sit down and talk about it.

The royals have not offered a meeting and will not do so, The Daily Beast understands. A friend of the king last week told The Daily Beast that Charles was simply too busy to have a one-on-one meeting with Harry. But the truth, many suspect, is that Charles is unwilling to debase the crown by begging Harrys forgiveness when he feels he has nothing to apologize for. There are also concerns that private meetings could be later served up for public consumption, as several were in Spare.

The couple themselves appear to be engaged in the process of building ladders to climb down, apparently briefing the Daily Telegraph that they have not, after all, ruled out attending the coronation despite there being no prospect of the apology Harry suggested was a condition of their attendance occurring. A source in their camp told the paperone of the few British outlets with which they still engagethat they have not made a decision about whether or not to attend.

Its complicated, a friend told the paper, There are a million different variables. Anybody could understand the predicament.

The couple will not make a decision until an invite is received, the Telegraphs source claimed, saying, Theyll cross that bridge when they come to it They do not have any insight. Theyre in limbo.

Perhaps the only thing that might stop the couple attending is the fear of being booed. A mass public booing of the couple as they arrive at Westminster Abbey would lead news bulletins and undoubtedly be a global humiliation for them.

It cant be ruled out given the couples floundering popularity ratings in the U.K., where they are regarded by many as treacherous.

There is evidence that their popularity ratings in the US are following a similar trajectory. A new survey for Newsweek found that the couple are now more disliked in America than Prince Andrew, using the standard favorability-minus-unfavorability formula. South Park just lacerated the couples alleged desire for privacy set against their constant publicity seeking. Meghan has felt upset and overwhelmed by the portrayal, sources told The Spectator.

Royal commentator Duncan Larcombe, a former royal editor of the Sun, told The Daily Beast: Its always instructive to focus on what we do know. It has been very strongly suggested that they will both be invited, and we also know that there is a strong commercial imperative for them to attend as their entire brand is predicated on their connection to royalty. Also, if they are invited and dont come, they will look petty for snubbing Charles big day. So youd have to say the odds are that they will be there.

Larcombe said he suspected that as Harry and Meghan have no official role in the ceremony, they would be seated in the second tier of family, with the likes of the Duke of Gloucester, as they were at Queen Elizabeths platinum jubilee.

Buckingham Palace and Archewell did not respond to a request for comment about Harry and Meghans attendance at the coronation.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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The city police union is accusing Hartfords Inspector General Liam Brennan of undermining support for the department by unfairly pressing misconduct investigations against police personnel, but Brennan continues to enjoy the support of the city administration.

As Hartford inspector general, Brennan has broad powers to initiate investigations of police misconduct and act on citizen complaints. He reports to the citys Civilian Police Review Board, which submits its findings to the chief of police for discipline.

Newly elected Hartford Police Union President James Rutkauski is calling for Brennans resignation, complaining that he has eroded support for the department by misrepresenting facts, the law and police policy in two recent investigations that called for officer discipline.

Im asking attorney Brennan to resign, Rutkauski said Thursday. The Hartford Police Union wants to continue with our communitys long tradition of mutual trust and respect. The police union does not support evaluating anyone on outdated standards, omitting critical information and then slandering them to the community.

Brennan defended his work and said he has no plan to resign, but acknowledged his plans could change with his announcement earlier this week that he is launching a campaign to be elected mayor of New Haven, where he lives.

He promises, among other things, to reform police procedure and end the so-called War on Drugs in New Haven if elected.

Everyone in New Haven deserves to be and feel safe, Brennans campaign website says. We can achieve safe streets on every block across our city, while ending outdated and ineffective practices that have disproportionately harmed Black and brown communities.

Brennan has been aggressive since his appointment a year ago, eliminating a backlog of 170 complaints and investigating not only alleged officer misconduct but police procedure.

Mayor Luke Bronin and Eric Crawford, chairman of the Civilian Police Review Board, said Brennan notified them of his intention to run for mayor months ago. Both said they support his performance as inspector general and would like him to continue. But both said the campaign could cause plans to change.

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He has been aggressive, effective and successful, Crawford said Thursday. It would be a huge loss to the citizens of Hartford if he left.

The union complaints are based on two presentations Brennan made to the Civilian Police Review Board in January.

In the first, a citizen complained that a police Emergency Response Team violated the rights of residents of an apartment building by conducting a protective sweep of the entire building prior to serving a search warrant on a second floor resident who was believed to be armed.

Rutkauski said Brennan failed to tell the board that the threat/risk level was the reason the Hartford Police (Emergency Response Team) was deployed.

Based on Attorney Brennans omission of critical facts and biased explanation of law to the five Civilian Police Review Board members, the five Civilian Police Review Board members voted without asking a single question to sustain alleged civil rights violations and other serious violations of law against Hartford Police (SWAT) members, the union said.

In a second case, the union said Brennan used an outdated police standard and procedure guide when recommending civil rights and other violations against an individual officer for use of excessive force.

The union and others have complained that officers have not been notified of hearings on their alleged misconduct, losing opportunities to appear and defend themselves.

Brennan and Crawford said the investigations and hearings were proper.
Oleksandra Povoroznyk is a 28-year-old journalist and translator.

Oleksandra Povoroznyk is a 28-year-old journalist and translator.

Oleksandra Povoroznyk left her home in Kyiv toward the start of the war, but now she  and her family  have gone back.

And a year after the conflict broke out, the three Ukrainians have no plans to leave again, even as Russia is expected to launch a renewed attack to mark 12 months since it first invaded.

The 28-year-old did not leave her home country when war broke out but moved to the western Ternopil, which is a couple of hours away from the better-known city of Lviv.

Both areas are far away from the Russian-Ukrainian border and less likely to fall victim to the indiscriminate air strikes  which have often fallen on civilian towns  so many displaced Ukrainians sought refuge there shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his invasion.

But, as Povoroznyk explains, even war couldnt keep her family away from her real home in Kyiv.

She told HuffPost UK how the Ukrainian capital had transformed in the last year.

Why Move Back?

Povoroznyk, who works as a journalist and translator, said: To be honest, we werent even planning on returning to Kyiv for much longer, but my husband drove back to the city for a weekend to see our family late last spring and ended up deciding to stay a while longer and then somehow ended up not going back to Ternopil after all.

We spent some time in the suburbs after that, since it seemed easier to live in a house with a generator while the power outages were happening almost every day, but in the end we missed our own apartment and the city too much and moved back to Kyiv.

How Has It All Changed?

Povoroznyk shared a series of photos which she described as mementos she took for sentimental reasons, but they also show how life in Kyiv has evolved into a new normal.

A view from Oleksandras window, February 2022 (pre-invasion)

The view from Oleksandra's window from exactly a year ago (Feb. 23, 2022)

The view from Oleksandra's window from exactly a year ago (Feb. 23, 2022)

A downtown monument now barricaded away to protect it from potential missile attacks

A Kyiv monument which has now been barricaded off to protect it from missile strikes (Summer 2022)

A Kyiv monument which has now been barricaded off to protect it from missile strikes (Summer 2022)

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Seemingly harmless areas, like this square in Kyiv, are scattered with objects of war  Russian tanks

A pastry shaped like a Czech hedgehog, also known as an anti-tank device

Povoroznyk says: You can spot them all over Kyiv these days.

The autumn blackouts where only stores or cafes with generators could keep their lights on

A square in central Kyiv, usually reserved for Christmas markets, has become a memorial for soldiers who died defending Mariupol

A Strange New Normal

So, whats life actually like in the capital of Ukraine right now?

I think were pretty much settling into a strange new normal now, since all of Russias recent attacks on our infrastructure havent done too much damage and their threats to freeze us have, thankfully, turned out to be empty, Povoroznyk said.

So Kyiv is slowly becoming more like its old self  new restaurants are opening, more people are returning back to the city, and everyones pretty much used to the air raid sirens by now.

But, the war is never too far away.

From just talking to friends and what I keep seeing on social media (and, obviously, my own feelings), a lot of Ukrainians are feeling understandably emotional right now.

Povoroznyk did stop short of saying people were afraid, though, even as the anniversary of the invasion approached.

I wouldnt say that were too scared of what Russia might do on the anniversary of the full-scale invasion, but a lot of us are dealing with very painful memories and everything keeps reminding us of the days leading up to the invasion and how horrifying it all was.

Of course, some of us are concerned about what might happen on the 24th and prefer to spend the day in the suburbs or even away from the city, and Id say a lot of Ukrainian employers are very understanding of that and are giving people time off or letting them work remotely.

She noted that she and her family have no plans to move away anytime soon.

Were planning on staying  honestly, we doubt anything horrifically new will happen since what hasnt Russia tried at this point?

But our sons daycare, for example, has asked all of the parents to tell them today if theyre planning on not taking their kids to daycare later this week, and some have said theyll be out of town.

How Common Is It For Ukrainians To Return Home?

The war triggered one of the largest humanitarian crises on record with almost 20 million people affected through displacement in one form or another.

Povoroznyk became one of the estimated 5.4 million internally displaced people in Ukraine when she and her family left Kyiv to go to Ternopil.

Around 8 million Ukrainians also left the country altogether  but even out of those people who fled at the very start of the war, 84% of them always planned to return, according to a UN survey from April last year.

And, more recent data from September suggested that 3 million had already returned to their home country, even if just for a short stint.

The latest February stats from the UN claim 5.5 million people have now returned to their home areas, both from abroad and within the country.

CEPA (Centre for European Policy Analysis) also noted that in the second half of the year, there was a clear correlation between Ukrainians returning home and Ukraines success on the battlefield.

For others its family, their own children, job-related issues or just hope that the situation in Ukraine has improved.

As a Ukrainian doctor, Viktoriya, explained to the World Health Organization, many move back because its so hard to start a completely new life.

They are deciding to go back to Ukraine even if their cities are being bombed. Many of them left their houses or farms. They have something there, but here [outside of Ukraine] they have nothing.
PLAINFIELD  Prosecutors have added a pair of hate crime charges to the case of a former Plainfield fast food manager accused of hurling racial slurs towards members of a local high school basketball team.

During Brett Whites arraignment Tuesday in Danielson Superior Court, the 22-year-old Canterbury man was charged with third-degree intimidation based on bigotry or bias - a Class E felony  and a misdemeanor charge of deprivation of a persons equal rights and privileges, according to court documents.

White, the former manager of a Wendys restaurant on Pratt Road, was charged earlier this month with second-degree breach of peace after allegedly refusing to serve members of the Woodstock Academy basketball team and later launching into a racial tirade directed at two team coaches, police said.

How it happened:Plainfield restaurant manager accused of yelling racial slurs at student athletes

According to the Hearst Media Group, White during and after his arraignment apologized for his actions.

"I have anger issues," he said told a Hearst reporter. "I do regret it."

White, who has since been fired from his restaurant job, is free on a $10,000 bond and has not pleaded to any charges in his case. He is due back in court on April 3.

The manager of the Wendy's Restaurant in Plainfield has been accused of shouting racial slurs at a high school basketball team

State's attorney

Windham County State's Attorney Anne Mahoney, whose office is handling White's case, said whenever a case involving racial elements is received, prosecutors review the relevant "very detailed" state statutes.

"Then we charge what we can and expect to sustain," she said on Thursday. "Over time, we may get more information about a case, but we don't want to add a whole lot of charges later on and make it look like we're pressuring a defendant to take a plea."

Mahoney said adding charges early on allows for more prosecutorial flexibility. She said an initial slate of charges may be modified to take a specific defendant's situation into consideration and reflect any new information gleaned through the pre-trial investigative process.

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The new charges

The felony charge White now faces can be lodged if police or prosecutors determine the accused acted with specific intent to intimidate or harass another person or group of persons motivated in whole or in substantial part by the actual or perceived race, religion, ethnicity, disability, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity or expression of such other person or persons, according to the statute language.

The statute, listed as one of several hate crime laws on the books in the state, calls for a maximum sentence of up to three years and prison, a maximum fine of up to $3,500 or both. A minimum fine of $1,000 can also be ordered.

The new Class A misdemeanor charge can be applied to any person accused of acting to deprive any person  or class of person - of the equal protection of the laws of this state or the United States, or of equal privileges and immunities under the laws of this state or the United States, engages in the use of force or threat.

More:As FBI investigates, Norwich 'hate message' incident prompts U.S. justice department visit

A fine of no less than $1,000 is ordered upon a conviction in such cases.

In an August 2021 report by the states Office of Legislative Research, authors state the type of hate crimes laws White is charged with were added to protect a range of people, enhance penalties for bias crimes, and allow injured parties and the attorney general to sue for money damages.

Latest case of enhanced charges

In June 2020, Plainfield resident Holly Chalifoux, then 22, was arrested after she racially taunted Norwich resident Marcela Lee while the two were waiting in the drive-through lane of the Salem Turnpike Starbucks restaurant.

Prosecutors said Chalifoux only admitted to uttering racial slurs after police confronted her with video of the incident. She blamed her use of the epithets on being unable to smoke, drink or take prescribed anti-anxiety medications due to her pregnancy.

More:A victim's grace on display in Norwich racial slur case

Chalifoux was charged with third-degree intimidation based on bigotry or bias. A Norwich Superior Court judge in March 2021 allowed Chalifoux to enter a supervised diversionary program that, if successfully completed in March 2024, will erase her criminal record.

John Penney can be reached at jpenney@norwichbulletin.com or at (860) 857-6965.

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Hate crime charges added to ex-Plainfield restaurant manager's case
The full-scale invasion of the territory of Ukraine by Russian troops began at 03:40 on 24 February 2022, in Luhansk Oblast.

Source: Serhii Deineko, head of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda

Quote: "Everyone thinks the invasion started at 04:00. This is not quite correct. The invasion began at 03:40 on the site of the Luhansk border detachment - thats the Milove district."

Details: This is the Border Guard unit which was headed by Deineko himself in 2014.

On the night of 24 February, a sabotage and reconnaissance group of Russian troops attacked Ukrainian border guards in the village of Zorynivka.

A battle ensued there, and the first soldier was killed in this full-scale aggression.

Quote: "The reports came in, and around four in the morning I reported to Denys Monastyrskyi, the Minister of Internal Affairs, that my subordinates were now fighting on three fronts and convoys were approaching. I realised that he was already reporting this to the president.

I sent a text message to Zelenskyy at 05:17 when almost the entire state border was being invaded.

You understand why many people did not perceive this threat of war as real, right? Because no normal person could believe that such a war was possible in the centre of Europe in the 21st century. When a great power such as the Russian Federation attacks a peace-loving state like Ukraine in such a brutal way for absolutely no reason."

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
The head of the Belarusian Border Guard Service lied at a meeting with Serhii Deinenko, the Head of Ukraines State Border Guard Service, before Russias full-scale invasion, that there was "definitely no way" that an attack would happen.

Source: Serhii Deinenko, Head of Ukraines State Border Guard Service, in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda



Quote: "On 19 February, on the president's command, I met with my counterpart at the border. I told him about our information and asked him to pass it on to self-proclaimed President Lukashenko, especially since he is also a border guard. Lukashenko served in the border troops of the USSR KGB as a conscript.

Therefore, he should have understood that border guards are supposed to prevent border violations, not organise and facilitate them. My counterpart assured me that this was definitely not possible. But by his reaction, I could tell that he was lying. It was our last meeting and our last conversation with him.

I gave him some materials to listen to and intercepted conversations of Russian soldiers. He turned pale, then red, then green, and promised that he would report to Lukashenko that evening. And then we saw what happened."



Details: Deinenko believes that the fact that Ukraines Armed Forces conducted drills in February, as opposed to the drills of the so-called union state of Belarus and Russia, helped Ukraine to hold the situation, especially in the first days.

Deinenko says he insisted on their appropriateness in a conversation with Defence Minister Reznikov and Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhnyi.

Read also: "Be damned, bastards"  Head of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine addressed Belarus, fighting against Ukraine

Quote: "I am very glad that these drills were held that our military units were raised and deployed and that during the armed invasion of Russia they were already able to resist and inflict fire damage."

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
A crowd of around 60 people set up outside Florida State Prison Thursday evening, holding vigil in opposition to the looming execution inside of convicted murderer Donald Dillbeck.

In contrast, a handful of friends of Dillbeck's victims waited for their moment of closure - the large field hosting the two groups separated by law enforcement officers.

On this night filled with hatred, fear and revenge, we hear the plea of those on death row for mercy, said the Rev. Philip Egitto, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Daytona Beach. Egitto's parishioners bused in from Daytona for the day as Egitto led the group through hymnals, Bible readings and a sermon of his own.

Execution:Strapped to a gurney, death row inmate Donald Dillbeck saves his last words for DeSantis

Petition denied:Convicted murderer Donald Dillbeck has been executed. Here's the latest.

Egitto has conducted vigils for death row inmates for more than 20 years, and hes seen the amount of attendees grow steadily in the years since. The vigils, he said, are meant to both stand in opposition to the death penalty and extend empathy and comfort toward the inmates.

Were here at ground zero to counteract the evil that occurred, Egitto said. God is a god who is a god of love, a god of mercy, a god of compassion.

Dillbeck's execution came 32 years after he was sentenced to death for killing Faye Lamb Vann in an attempted carjacking. At the time of her murder, Dillbeck had escaped from a work-release catering job in Gadsden County, where he was serving a life sentence for killing Lee County Deputy Dwight Lynn Hall, 31, when he was just 15.

I think our judicial system is terrible, said Bud Backmann, who attended the vigil. This man is a product of our failed society.

Dillbecks vigil was the second of its kind for Backmann, a 79-year-old Palm Coast resident. He attended to voice his opposition to the death penalty and the state justice system at large, which he said is fundamentally broken.

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The state should allocate more resources toward the foster care system and mental healthcare, Backmann said. Dillbecks execution, he said, is the result of systemic issues that leave disenfranchised communities behind.

Gerard Hanvey, also of Palm Coast, echoed Backmanns sentiments. A military veteran, Hanvey said hes disappointed in Florida and other states for keeping the legality of the death penalty intact.

I do not want my country to go down as murdering people, he said.

Across the field, supporters of the execution also stood watch.

Bill Rogers, a former Lee County deputy who served with Hall when he was killed by Dillbeck, was one of few attendees in support of the execution.

Were not here to celebrate someone dying, were celebrating the justice system working, he said. But its two victims too late.

Ashlea Harrington, a 59-year-old friend of Faye Vanns family, said shes waited over 30 years for the day of Dillbecks execution. She said she felt relieved that Vanns family could finally get justice.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Donald Dillbeck execution: Death penalty opponents hold vigil
Brooklynn Prince and Christian Convery in "Cocaine Bear." Pat Redmond/Universal

In "Cocaine Bear," two kids swallow a blade full of cocaine on a dare.

Director Elizabeth Banks told Insider that what they really swallowed was a mix of sugar and salt.

"I felt if we fed these kids just sugar, I don't think they are going to think it tastes bad," Banks said.

In "Cocaine Bear," a giant black bear eats a whole lot of cocaine  but it's not the only one that does.

In one scene, two teens who come across the drug decide to give it a try.

Child actors Brooklynn Prince and Christian Convery play friends Dee Dee and Henry who skip school and spend a day in Georgia's Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. What they don't know is a drug dealer threw pounds of cocaine out of his airplane the night before and now it's scattered throughout the preserve  and a bear has eaten a lot of it (this really happened).

"Cocaine Bear" is a fictional horror comedy based on true events, and in one scene, we watch what happens when Dee and Henry come across a pound of coke. The two dare each other to try it, leading to both taking a knife, scooping some of the white powder on the blade, and each taking a turn swallowing it.

Both are disgusted by the taste and run away soon after when the bear shows up looking for some more coke.

"Cocaine Bear." Universal

So what did Prince and Convery actually swallow in the movie?

"It was mostly sugar but we did add a little salt because we wanted their reaction to be as real as possible and I felt if we fed these kids just sugar, I don't think they are going to think it tastes bad," director Elizabeth Banks told Insider. "So there was a mix of salt."

Banks said that  even though the movie has fun with the idea of a bear going on a horrific rampage after ingesting cocaine  doing the drug is no laughing matter, which was made clear to the child actors on set.

"Listen, this movie is not pro-drug. That's obvious," she said. "We are not glorifying drugs in this film. So the kids got that. They weren't interested in it. And their parents were there the whole time. They were well supervised."

"Cocaine Bear" is currently playing in theaters.

Read the original article on Insider
Ballot counting is underway this week in a runoff election to decide who will lead the powerful United Auto Workers union as its president. With most of the other leadership races already determined, it's clear that the union's leadership will be closely divided between the old guard and the challengers. This transformation of how the UAW is governed sets up what is widely expected to be a more adversarial relationship between the union and the Big Three domestic car producers.
ancestor throwback - Credit: Roman Kybus/Getty Images; PM Images/Getty Images; coffeekai/Getty Images

Ever since Stephanie Black was 10 years old, she wanted to be an archaeologist. But she was 17 the first time she put that dream into action. After her mother told her she needed to have a plan for her life, Black slammed her door, opened her laptop, and clicked on a class that was being offered at a local college. Now nine years later, not only is Black a Ph.D. candidate in Archeology at Durham University, shes the creator of an unexpected trend dominating TikTok  and its encouraging everyday users to celebrate their own archaeological past.

Also known as the History Repeats Itself challenge, Blacks first video of the Ancestors Trend was meant to be a silly appreciation of a recent study that found that 90,000 years ago, Neanderthals in Portugal were eating crabs  a groundbreaking discovery that implies older humans had enough complexity and intelligence to catch and cook smaller prey. To try and make somewhat stifling archaeology news relatable to people, Black posted a video imagining a conversation between herself and one such Neanderthal bonding over a shared love of crab, set to a sped-up TikTok version of Pierre by Ryn Weaver. Its been liked over 75 thousand times.

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Since Black, who goes by @archthot on TikTok, posted her first clip, the Ancestors Trend has become a fixture on the app. The hashtags #ancestorstrend and #historyrepeatsitself have over 25 million views. While Blacks own contributions focus on archaeological discoveries and history lessons, the TikTok style has already morphed into a celebration of historical practices that are still around, thank you letters to queer ancestors who paved the way to equality, and like most online trends, hilarious ancestor reactions, and some probably well-meaning but incredibly insensitive videos from white people. Even celebrities like Drew Barrymore and Reese Witherspoon have gotten in on the trend. But Black tells Rolling Stone that the overwhelming response to the mostly-wholesome trend taps into a human desire to connect with the past  and shows why she loves archaeology so much.

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It has now gone far and beyond anything I thought. I was genuinely like, No ones going to see this. Who cares about Neanderthals and crabs? she says. I just keep getting sent videos of different people whove done it, like Drew Barrymore and Reese Witherspoon. And thats the real beautiful thing about it. These are people who Ive got nothing in common with, literal worlds apart. But I feel like people are taking it as an opportunity to find that kind of connection to their past.

Blacks most popular video of the trend is also her personal favorite, involving a timeless love for bread and olive oil. The video has been viewed over 6 million times.

Weve got nothing in common with an ancient Mesopotamian girl, a Greek girl, a Roman girl. We couldnt speak the same language, she tells Rolling Stone. But you could stick a bowl of olive oil and bread in front of us, and we could eat it and enjoy it and be happy.

While this is Blacks first viral trend, the creator has spent the better part of three years using her TikTok account to post on ArchaeologyTok, a side of the app dedicated to archaeological study, history, and discoveries. According to Black, the popularity of characters like Indiana Jones has created major misconceptions about what the career actually looks like.

People dont understand what archaeologists do, She says. True archaeology can be extremely boring. But for me, its about finding peoples stories. Its like Im a detective and Im trying to piece together random little bits. I can only go off the physical remains that I have, so Im just trying to find that story.

And while she doesnt want the pressure that would come from labeling her account as purely educational, Black says that she thinks ArcheaologyTok is doing important work in fighting historical misinformation that can go unchecked on the app. She also uses her videos to address the lack of pay and diversity the career path can have  all of which she hopes can help others.

Theres so much misinformation about archaeology out there, especially on TikTok, Black says. If I can be one of a group of people who are fighting back against the misinformation, I feel thats part of my job as an archaeologist. Theres no point in me doing academia, sitting in my ivory tower, not interacting with anyone. This is something I enjoy. Its something Im passionate about. I love, and I want to share what I love with other people.

Black says the Ancestors Trend has already helped to flood her direct messages and comments with people enjoying making their own videos and dozens more who say her perspective has encouraged them to pursue archaeology as a career. And while she says that most of archeology involves dealing with ancient history, the trend proves that the study will always have modern applications  and a historical way into a better appreciation for life.

Nothing was better or worse. It just was, Black says. Theres this whole idea that I see in my comments. People like, Oh, I would have thought we would have evolved past this. But no, people in the past are just like us. Its about seeing humanity. Because if you can find the humanity in someone that lived 90,000 years ago, then you can find the humanity in your neighbor down the street, and you can find the humanity in everyone around you. And I think thats a really, really powerful thing.

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Jeremy Hunt, UK chancellor of the exchequer, during a bilateral meeting with Janet Yellen, US Treasury secretary, at the Group of 20 (G-20) finance ministers and central bank governors meeting in Bengaluru, India, on Friday, Feb. 24, 2023. The world's most powerful finance ministers and central bank chiefs are gathering this week, with the one-year anniversary of Russiaas invasion of Ukraine a and its impacts on the global economy a looming over an agenda focused on the risks of debt distress and fighting inflation. Photographer: Samyukta Lakshmi/Bloomberg - Samyukta Lakshmi/Bloomberg

Holiday prices are at risk of taking off because of a corporation tax raid by Jeremy Hunt, the owner of British Airways has suggested.

IAG, the FTSE 100 company that owns British Airways, Aer Lingus and Iberia, said that increases in its costs will ultimately be borne by passengers amid a growing backlash against the Chancellor's plan to raise corporation tax from 19pc to 25pc in April

It came as the chief executive of Coutts & Co, the King's bank, backed a joint statement of business leaders demanding a rethink.

When asked about the impact of the looming corporation tax increase, IAG's finance chief Nicholas Cadbury said: Every single investment we take has got to pass the return on capital, which tax is taken into account.

So the higher the tax, the higher hurdle you need to do [any new investment]  and it gets passed onto the customer in some way.

However, Mr Cadbury added that corporation tax is just one of the taxes we pay, with the British Airways owner also subject to air passenger duty and carbon taxes on the flight it operates.

He said: Corporation tax is no longer the biggest tax we pay overall.

What we are trying to encourage the government both in the UK and Spain and Europe to think about is how they encourage investment.

One of the key areas IAG wants tax incentives to support investment relates to the production of sustainable aviation fuel, which is designed to cut carbon emissions by 80pc.

IAG and British Airways are today joined by a coalition of business leaders calling on Mr Hunt to think again about the impact of tax rises on corporate investment just as a major tax break expires.

The so-called super deduction, which provides tax incentives to companies investing in plant and machinery assets, will end at the end of next month.

The Global Britain Commission (GBC), whose members includes Peter Flavel, chief executive of Coutts  a subsidiary of Natwest, which itself is partly owned by the Treasury  urged the chancellor to maintain an internationally competitive tax regime.

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The GBC, which also counts the bosses of Virgin Atlantic and Heathrow Airport among its commissioners, said: Government has a real opportunity to harness the power of business trade and growth through implementing policies which follow these principles.

Last year UK business investment fell to the lowest in the G7 and a dramatic shift is required to help boost this investment and attract necessary levels of foreign direct investment. Only then can our economy begin to recover and advance on a path towards sustained and meaningful growth.

Bob Wigley, another commissioner and chairman of the banking trade body UK Finance, added: The banking and finance sector is the engine of the UK economy, providing jobs and investment up and down the country.

The taxes the sector faces in the bank corporation tax surcharge and the bank levy do not however encourage growth or investment. They have served their purpose, to make the UK less competitive than other global financial centres and the Government should set out a roadmap for their removal.

Mr Sunak and Mr Hunt are facing a growing backlash over the Governments tax plans, with the likes of BT and Sir James Dyson warning that the raid will damage investment and choke off a nascent recovery.

Tesco chairman John Allan has said the only way to raise living standards is with a really serious, thought-through, long-term growth plan.

Advertising mogul Sir Martin Sorrell, chief executive of S4 Capital, took a different view, however.

He said: I think we are all in agreement that less tax, less regulation. The only issue is timing,

I hate to say this but Liz Truss was in a way right. But her timing and execution was way off.

Saying that it was politically and economically correct to stick to the corporation tax rise, Sir Martin said: If we look at the cost of the Covid programmes. The cost of our standard of living. The cost of the health service. The strikes we are going through. Public sector pay. You put all of that together and there is no wiggle room.
Singapore --News Direct-- Huobi

Hong Kong, the new Promised Land of Web 3.0.

Since the Hong Kong FinTech Week 2022, the city has made a string of pro-crypto moves. It has released the Policy Statement on Development of Virtual Assets in Hong Kong and the consultation conclusion to the discussion paper on crypto-assets and stablecoins, introduced a policy that requires crypto exchanges to obtain a license, and unveiled its plan to allow retail investors to trade cryptocurrencies. In addition to these policy endeavors, it has also established a Web 3.0 base, along with HK$50 million to be pumped into the city's Web 3.0 ecosystem. It is therefore not difficult to tell that Hong Kong is on track to become a global hub for virtual assets.

A Shot in the Arm of Hong Kong's Stablecoin Market

Stablecoins, especially those purportedly backed by fiat currencies, have long been on the radar screen of Hong Kong regulators.

On January 31, 2023, Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) issued the consultation conclusion to the discussion paper on crypto-assets and stablecoins (the Consultation Conclusion), where it proposed to bring stablecoins into the regulatory perimeter based on the feedback it had received, as well as the most up-to-date international advice. According to the HKMA, key activities relating to stablecoins will be subject to a mandatory licensing regime in Hong Kong.

It has also stated that it will first regulate stablecoins pegged to fiat currencies (fiat-pegged stablecoins), as they pose greater and more imminent monetary and financial stability risks; it also envisages a flexible approach in all future regulatory measures, which allows the HKMA to scope in other members of the stablecoin family down the road.

While other crypto players are still waiting in the wings, Huobi has stolen a march with the launch of its offshore Chinese Yuan-pegged stablecoin, TCNH, bringing the first spring breeze to Hong Kong's stablecoin market.

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TCNH is a TRON-based stablecoin pegged to the offshore Chinese Yuan at 1:1. The offshore Chinese Yuan, as the name suggests, is traded offshore from mainland China, of which Hong Kong is one of the trading centers. As things stand now, there is still a relatively huge vacuum in the use cases of offshore RMB-pegged stablecoins, especially when compared with their USD-pegged counterparts. Therefore, whoever beats its rivals to the punch is more likely to secure a bigger slice of the emerging market share. Huobi's well-timed launch of TCNH has made its intention to spearhead the Hong Kong crypto market crystal clear.

Analysts noted that Huobi certainly engineered the launch of TCNH, yet there is also no doubt that the crypto exchange will bring new opportunities to its global users in the financial market while bolstering the growth of Hong Kong's crypto market.

Crypto Exchanges' Foray into Hong Kong

In the meantime, more and more digital asset exchanges gravitate toward Hong Kong due to the city's pro-crypto pivot.

Huobi revealed plans to apply for a crypto trading license in Hong Kong and to launch a local exchange named Huobi Hong Kong; Dogecoin exchange is also seeking a permit to expand its services to the city; OKX has a team dedicated to regulatory compliance in Hong Kong; the prices of some "China coins" skyrocketed over the past couple days...

Huobi discerned Hong Kong's prospect of becoming a crypto hub way back before the recent price surges in China-related tokens. As early as in November 2022, Justin Sun, a member of Huobi's global advisory board, openly expressed his confidence in Asian crypto markets, saying that they would recover first and drive the next bull run. Since then, he also remarked many times on the intent of pivoting Huobi to Hong Kong.

As Hong Kong's policy on cryptocurrencies starts to take shape, Huobi sets the wheels in motion to build a presence in the city. According to Justin Sun, Huobi will first apply to become a licensed crypto trading platform in Hong Kong and then establish a new Hong Kong-based exchange to serve customers there. The announcement caused Huobi's native token HT to jump by 19% overnight.

Be it jumping on the bandwagon or moving with well-thought-out plans, industry players are already deeply involved in a regulatory evolution that is reshaping the crypto space.

A Crypto Revival Propelled by Hong Kong

Throughout history, Hong Kong has been where China meets the West. As a gateway to the world, it has a more liberal financial system and is open to experimental policies.

Over 13 tumultuous years of ups and downs, many crypto giants emerged from Hong Kong, including FTX and BitMEX. However, China's crackdown on crypto trading prompted a slew of high profiles to move to other markets, leaving Hong Kong and crypto drifting further apart. The dramatic collapse of the then crypto giant FTX left many in shock and pity. BitMEX, a high-profile exchange that started off in crypto derivatives trading, has seen its C-suites leave amid tightening regulations and gradually faded into insignificance.

Now, the good news is that Hong Kong is returning as a global center of cryptocurrencies.

As BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes claimed in a post on Medium, "I believe that the reorientation of Hong Kong as a pro-crypto location is a prong in Beijings strategy to reduce its position in a way that wont destabilize its internal financial system. If these flows actually materialize in the way I imagine, they will be a strong supporting pillar of the next bull market. Imagine a bull market supported by every major central bank engaging in yield curve control and Chinese retail buying Bitcoin in Hong Kong."

According to Justin Sun, Hong Kong's proposed cryptocurrency policies carry significant global importance and are much-needed changes for the crypto industry, which currently lacks endorsement. The new regulatory push by Hong Kong may spur other countries in Asia and America to follow suit, as the lack of regulatory clarity has been the biggest obstacle to developing the blockchain industry in Asia. A sound legal framework that can protect investors' interests and build trust is critical for the development of cryptocurrencies and blockchain in Asia and the rest of the world, as Sun argued.

About Huobi Group

As a world-leading company in the blockchain industry, Huobi Group was founded in 2013 with a mission to make breakthroughs in core blockchain technology and integration blockchain technology with other industries. Huobi Group has expanded into public blockchains, digital assets trading, wallets, mining pools, proprietary investments, incubation, digital asset research, and more. Huobi Group has established a global digital economy industry ecosystem by investing in over 60 upstream and downstream companies in the blockchain industry.

Contact Details

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https://www.huobi.com/

View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/hong-kong-embraces-web-3-0-will-asia-bring-crypto-back-to-life-545721533
RUSHVILLE, NY - The impending closure of a bank branch in the village of Rushville has garnered support from residents and businesses who want the bank to remain open, according to Mayor David Le Clair.

On Tuesday, Le Clair presented a petition with more than 700 signatures and support letters to Community Bank officials in DeWitt, Onondaga County. He said the petition is an indication of the community's strong support for the village's only bank and keeping it at its current location.

The people who signed in support of the bank also signed in support of local businesses, some of which are the bank's customers.

"To me, that tells me there is great community support for this bank and great community support for the village in general, Le Clair said.

Bank officials notified the village and town of Middlesex that the branch would close permanently on Friday, April 28.

Hal Wentworth, senior vice president of retail banking for Community Bank, said in a statement Tuesday that Community Bank will be continuing with its plans to permanently close the Rushville branch.

"We understand the impact of this difficult decision and have worked hard to make the transition as seamless as possible for our customers," Wentworth said in the statement. "We see this move as the best and most efficient way to continue providing banking services in the community."

A petition drive resulted in more than 700 signatures of people who want to save the Community Bank branch in Rushville from closing.

He said customers would still have access to nearby branches in Canandaigua and Penn Yan, as well as the bank's digital services. Impacted employees would transfer to nearby branches and customers would continue to receive the same knowledgeable and friendly service they are accustomed to, Wentworth said.

Rushville, a village east of Canandaigua Lake and bordering the towns of Middlesex, Gorham, and Potter, has a population of approximately 600 residents.

Le Clair said this would be difficult for many residents, particularly the village and town's Mennonite population, to travel to other bank branches.

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Rushville Mayor David Le Clair counts signatures on a petition urging Community Bank to reconsider closing the village's only bank branch.

While no decisions have been made on what would happen to the bank building, which is on Main Street next door to Rushville Village Hall, Le Clair is hopeful that the support shown by residents makes this location attractive to another bank or business.

He said closing the bank would leave "a hole in the village heart" and is hopeful that bank officials take notice of the community's strong support and reverse their decision.

If not, at least the effort was made to at least try to save the bank, Le Clair said.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Rushville NY residents rally to keep only bank in small village open
This file photo from Aug. 20, 2020, shows a shrouded double-murder scene at 1306 Central Ave. in Hopewell. Two people, Julian Sharpe and Elisa Scott, were killed there. One of the suspects in the case, 32-year-old Maurice Mulrain, is currently on trial in Hopewell.

HOPEWELL  Amidst the long pauses, reluctance to answer, requests to speak up and numerous objections over allegations of leading questions, one of the star witnesses in a double-homicide trial testified that the defendant admitted to her that he was at the scene and was actually wounded himself in the gunfire.

Tiffany Walker's testimony was part acrimonious, part silence for almost an hour as she was quizzed by co-prosecutor Robert Fierro about the events leading up to the Aug. 20, 2020 killings of Julian Sharpe and Elisa Scott. Finally, she said what the prosecution was hoping to hear, that defendant Maurice Eric Mulrain eventually told her that he and his cousin had gone to Sharpes house on Central Avenue, and that his cousin shot Sharpe multiple times as he was walking back ianto the house. Scott, who came to the front door when the commotion started, was shot numerous times and collapsed in the doorway.

Mulrain, 32, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and four related weapons counts in the case. His cousin and co-defendant, Shaquan Mulrain, faces the same charges, but he currently is incarcerated in Kentucky and will be tried here at a later date.

Walker, who was subpoenaed to testify and given immunity as long as she did not lie or refuse to answer questions, eventually said that on the day before the murders, she and Mulrain, who she calls Moe and shares two children with, drove to Kentucky in a rental car to pick up Shaquan because he just did not feel safe around Hopewell. Previously, his house had been shot at, and he claimed to be concerned for his own security.

He said Shaquan was the only one who would have his back, Walker testified.

While in Kentucky, Walker said she and Mulrain had an argument over text messages she was sharing with another woman who has borne his children. When they returned to the rental car site at Richmond International Airport, she said she got into Mulrains Lincoln Town car he had parked there and drove away while Mulrain and his cousin drove in the rental car.

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Eventually all three wound up at the womans house in Petersburg where the argument continued. Walker testified she drove away in the rental car because the keys were still in it and left the Lincoln Town car for the cousins. It was the same car witnesses testified was at the murder scene that afternoon.

Walker said she did not hear from Mulrain for several days afterward, but she saw in the news that the Lincoln had been spotted at the scene. She said Mulrain eventually called her and told her that he was upset because in his words, Red [Sharpes nickname] had been riding a train with Mulrains other babys mother. At that time, Mulrain was in Connecticut and was encouraging Walker and the kids to join him because he feared for their safety.

When she asked what happened when Maurice and Shaquan Mulrain went to Sharpes house to confront him, Walker said Mulrain told her his cousin started shooting at Sharpe as Sharpe walked back toward the house.

When Scott appeared at the doorway, Walker testified, Shaquan Mulrain shot her, too.

Sharpe and Scott each were shot multiple times, him in the chest, abdomen, arm and leg, and her in the head, torso, arm and leg. Sharpe, who was found lying on his back across the front stoop, died at the scene. Scott, who was found in a seated position propped against the front door, was airlifted to VSU Medical Center in Richmond where she died about an hour later.

A doctor who performed the autopsies on both of them said they also had suffered fractured bones caused by the bullets.

Maurice Mulrain was standing in front of his cousin when the shots began firing. He suffered a slight fragment wound on his arm.

While Walkers testimony was the most compelling of the trials afternoon session, a neighbor testified during the morning session that she saw the scene unfold out through her front window.

Cassandra Vanderkief, who lives across the street from where the pair were shot, testified she saw the Mulrain cousins and Sharpe standing in the front yard. One of the cousins was holding a .9mm handgun at his side in a spot where Sharpe could not have seen it, Vanderkief said, standing up to demonstrate for the jury how she saw the weapon being handled.

When they finished speaking, Mr. Sharpe turned around and walked toward the house, the witness said. When he reached the top step, the gentleman with the gun began shooting in rapid succession.

Her next statement sent chills through some of the spectators in the gallery, including the victims families.

His body jumped up and down in the air, Vanderkief testified, describing Sharpe being shot. Then he landed on the top step. A woman appeared at the door and when she saw the body, she started screaming. The person with the gun then shot her.

Under cross-examination from defense attorney Mary K. Martin, Vanderkief sat in the witness stand and said her vantage point inside the house was from here to about where the jury is -- a distance later estimated to be about 40 feet. Martin tried to unravel that testimony by asking Vanderkief if she remembered telling investigators she saw three men, including one in the car, Vanderkief said she did not say that.

The Lincoln Town Car was found several weeks after the shooting in Dinwiddie County, Hopewell Police Sgt. Kate Williamson testified. Its tires had been removed and was propped up on cinderblocks.

Williamson, the lead investigator said they were able to identify that was the suspect car when they saw it was missing a piece in the same spot as the car whose image had been caught on a neighbors surveillance camera.

There also were blood stains on the seat, and the center console had been removed and placed in the floor because it also had blood stains. Williamson also testified that cleaning supplies were found in the trunk.

A jury pool of 50 Hopewell residents was whittled down to 13  12 jurors and one alternate  through a drawing of names, and a series of strikes by both the prosecution and defense.

Martin, the defense attorney, took early exception with two of the prosecutions strikes, citing them as having possible racial overtones.

The only two young African Americans in the pool, just like my client, she said. That is not a jury of his peers.

Co-prosecutor Jordan Grubbs said he struck those two because they both had prior convictions.

The trial was briefly recessed while Circuit Court Judge Carson Saunders reviewed the defenses objection. Saunders later ruled the strikes valid, citing the prosecutions reasoning was race-neutral.

In the end, the jury wound up with five men and eight women, including the alternate juror. Three of the women are Black.

The first day of the two-day trial ended with the prosecution resting its case. The defense did not indicate any witnesses of its own, which means the trial could resume at 9 a.m. Friday with closing arguments and the jury getting the case.

Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on Twitter at @BAtkinson_PI.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Neighbor, suspect's girlfriend testify in Hopewell double-murder trial
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP)  Billy Horschel has never won a PGA Tour event in his home state of Florida. His quest to change that is off to a fine start.

Horschel shot a 5-under 65 on Thursday, tying him with Joseph Bramlett for the first-round lead in the Honda Classic at PGA National. Bramlett had a bogey-free round; Horschel had six birdies and one bogey.

Just played really solid, Horschel said. Didnt do anything special. Hit some quality iron shots here and there. I wouldnt say everything was sort of automatic and it was easy. I had to just sort of work my way into making some good swings here and there. But overall, it was a really solid day of golf.

Horschels pre-Honda preparations included a trip to the doctor, finally giving in and getting a prescription after trying to fight off a sinus infection for a few days. He might have felt tired, but it didnt show.

The 65 was his best score in 33 rounds as a pro at PGA National. Hed shot 66 on two previous occasions.

Listen, theres no secret, said Horschel, who played his college golf at Florida. Its not a secret. I grind. I work hard. Its no secret out here that I work really, really hard out here. But this week with just the way Im feeling and everything, energys still not completely 100 percent every day.

Bramlett scrambled nicely when he had to. He missed six of 14 fairways and hit 13 of 18 greens.

I definitely like when the conditions are difficult and guys have to really earn it, said Bramlett, who has never won on the PGA Tour. I think thats historically always been in my favor.

Pierceson Coody  a sponsor exemption playing his first PGA Tour event as a professional  finished the first round at 4 under, alongside Justin Suh. Coody has two wins in 15 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour since turning pro in June.

It really just feels like another professional event, the grandson of 1971 Masters champion Charles Coody said. Ive only played (15) professional events. But other than the big grandstands its not that different. Youre just playing golf, youre trying to put a good score together. No real nerves out there. Just happy to play well.

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Suh missed a 10-foot birdie putt on his last hole  No. 9  that would have tied him for the lead.

DIVOTS: Play was suspended for darkness just past 6 p.m., and four groups were unable to finish. Carson Young was at 4 under with three holes left to play. ... Past Honda champion Sungjae Im, the top-ranked player in the field at No. 18, birdied the last and shot 3-under 67. ... Past Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington played with the 2023 Ryder Cup captains, Luke Donald of Europe and Zach Johnson of the U.S. There was a bit of Cup talk during the round. Hes a nice resource. He loves the Cup and represented it well, Johnson said of Harrington. Johnson shot 68, Donald 71 and Harrington 72. ... Defending champion Sepp Straka opened with a 1-under 69. ... Monday qualifier Parker Coody, Piercesons twin brother, shot 74.

___

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
The House Oversight Committee on Friday sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg demanding answers about the derailment of a train filled with toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio, earlier this month.

The partial derailment of the Norfolk Southern train on February 3 led to the release of dangerous chemicals, including vinyl chloride. Authorities conducted a controlled burn of the train to prevent a larger explosion. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) dispatched disaster-support team units to the site last Friday.

Committee chairman James Comer (R., Ky.) and committee Republicans told Buttigieg on Friday that the committee is deeply concerned by DOTs slow pace in resolving this matter.

This incident is an environmental and public health emergency that now threatens Americans across state lines, reads the letter obtained by National Review. Despite the U.S. Department of Transportations (DOT) responsibility to ensure safe and reliable transport in the United States, you ignored the catastrophe for over a week. The American people deserve answers as to what caused the derailment, and DOT needs to provide an explanation for its leaderships apathy in the face of this emergency.

The committee gave Buttigieg a March 10 deadline to turn over the requested documents and information, which includes documents and communications regarding Buttigiegs public response to the train derailment, as well as any evidence that can show when the transportation secretary learned of the train derailment and any guidance he was given regarding what his response should be.

Other requested information includes documents and communications regarding any change to DOT train maintenance and procedures since President Biden took office, including but not limited to those for trains carrying hazardous materials, as well as all documents and communications regarding NTSBs progress on the cause of the derailment and all documents and communications regarding the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration handling of hazardous materials in the derailment.

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The infrastructure failure that caused the derailment has led to an environmental disaster, the lawmakers wrote, adding that the toxic chemicals that were carried in the railcar may still be present in the area, with residents reporting dead animals, strong odors, burning sensations, rashes, and watery eyes.

Buttigieg visited the site of the train derailment for the first time on Thursday. He has worked to shift blame for the derailment onto former president Donald Trump.

Were constrained by law on some areas of rail regulation (like the braking rule withdrawn by the Trump administration in 2018 because of a law passed by Congress in 2015), but we are using the powers we do have to keep people safe, Buttigieg said last Wednesday. And of course, Im always ready to work with Congress on furthering (or in some cases, restoring) our capacity to address rail safety issues.

However, NTSB chairwoman Jennifer Homendy clarified that the pending braking rule scrapped by the Trump administration would not have impacted the train that derailed.

As Secretary of Transportation, you must provide transparency to the American public on this matter, the committee wrote to Buttigieg on Friday. Instead, you have attempted to blame others for infrastructure that is within DOTs ambit of responsibilities.

The lawmakers noted that under Buttigiegs leadership, DOT supported President Bidens infrastructure bill which included billions of dollars devoted to revamping Americas railways in an effort to make them safer and more efficient.

Yet America now faces one of transportations largest failures, even while DOT seems to not lack available funding, the group wrote. In America, over 1,000 trains derail every year.

Trump visited the site of the derailment on Wednesday, leaving the White House to explain why Biden has not scheduled a trip to the site.

Asked whether the president plans to visit East Palestine, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Thursday: I just dont have anything to share. I know theres a lot of interest on that.

I mean, I think what folks should understand and folks should I think feel at ease is that the president has taken this very seriously, she added.

More from National Review
House Republicans are launching a probe of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigiegs response to the derailment of a train carrying hazardous materials in East Palestine, Ohio, marking the latest spark to partisan tensions surrounding the incident.

In a new letter to Buttigieg on Friday, 21 Republicans on the House Oversight and Reform Committee said they were concerned about what they described as the Department of Transportations slow pace in resolving this matter.

This incident is an environmental and public health emergency that now threatens Americans across state lines, the lawmakers wrote in their letter. Despite the U.S. Department of Transportations responsibility to ensure safe and reliable transport in the United States, you ignored the catastrophe for over a week.

The American people deserve answers as to what caused the derailment, and DOT needs to provide an explanation for its leaderships apathy in the face of this emergency, they added.

The lawmakers requested documentation of when Buttigieg learned about the derailment, as well as documents related to the National Transportation Safety Boards progress on figuring out the cause of the incident, as well as the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administrations handling of hazardous materials spilled due to the incident.

In response, Buttigieg noted in a tweet that the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the incident, is independent, not part of the Transportation Department.

I am alarmed to learn that the Chair of the House Oversight Committee thinks that the NTSB is part of our Department, he wrote.

Still, of course, we will fully review this and respond appropriately, he added.

The Hill has reached out to the Transportation Department for comment on the new letter.

In the wake of the derailment, Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., and a 2020 presidential candidate, has pointed to Trump-era actions to roll back safety regulations.

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For many in Washington, the incident  which unleashed chemicals including carcinogen vinyl chloride into the area of East Palestine, Ohio  has become a political flashpoint.

Former President Trump visited the area and accused the Biden administration of indifference and betrayal.

Meanwhile, the White House has sought to blame Republican lawmakers and the Trump administration for loose regulations on rail and the environment.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The off-campus residence where four University of Idaho students were found dead in November will be demolished, the school said Friday.

The owner of the three-story King Street House where the bodies of Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves were found was offered to the university.

The offer was accepted by the university. The school decided to get rid of the structure, which is located blocks away from campus, University President Scott Green said in a statement.

The slayings rocked the small community of Moscow, where investigators grappled with what the towns police chief would later describe as a very complex case.

This is a healing step and removes the physical structure where the crime that shook our community was committed, Green said. Demolition also removes efforts to further sensationalize the crime scene.

The university is also evaluating options where students may be involved in the future development of the property.

Scholarships in honor of three of the students have been established and a fourth is in the works, Green said. A plan to create a memorial is also being developed.

We will never forget Xana, Ethan, Madison and Kaylee, and I will do everything in my power to protect their dignity and respect their memory, Green said.

Three of the victims were roommates in the house, and Kernodles boyfriend, Chapin, was staying overnight, according to investigators.

Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, was arrested late last year in Pennsylvania and has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and burglary.

The four charges of first-degree murder carry sentences that could include life in prison to the death penalty.

He is scheduled for a five-day preliminary hearing starting June 26.

At the time of the slayings, Kohberger was a doctoral student, studying criminal justice and criminology at Washington State University in Pullman, a short drive over the state line from Moscow. A WSU official has said Kohberger is no longer enrolled.

This story first appeared on NBCNews.com.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
Former President Jimmy Carter leans on a wall as he helps build a Habitat for Humanity house in Violet, La., in 2007. (Alex Brandon/AP)

In 2019, just hours after being released from a Georgia hospital following a fall that resulted in a pelvic fracture, former President Jimmy Carter, who had just turned 95, headed to Nashville to continue the volunteer work that had become an abiding passion of his life.

I fell down and hit my forehead on a sharp edge and had to go to the hospital. And they took 14 stitches in my forehead and my eye is black, as youve noticed, Carter told reporters gathered at the event organized by Habitat for Humanity, the nonprofit whose goal is to provide decent and affordable housing for families in need. But I had a No. 1 priority, and that was to come to Nashville and build houses.

For journalist and documentary filmmaker Jonathan Alter, author of the 2020 book His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, a Life, the episode epitomized the former presidents legacy.

So he fell and he was hospitalized and he insisted on going and working on the Habitat site. It was his last such work, and, you know, there's that famous photograph of him with the bruises on his face, Alter told Yahoo News. That picture is in some ways very characteristic of Carter, because it showed his extraordinary grit and determination, but also his habit of sometimes overdoing it.

Carter at the site of a future Habitat for Humanity home in Nashville in 2019. Prior to the event, he had a fall, causing a black eye. (Erika Boyce/Habitat for Humanity)

In the week following his hospital stay, Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, the former first lady, chipped in to construct 21 new Habitat for Humanity houses and helped raise funding for an additional 21 new single-family homes and 26 new townhomes, according to a Habitat press release in 2019.

Carter famously came from humble beginnings, growing up on a farm in Plains, Ga., that was without running water and electricity. Following his decision last week to forgo further medical treatment and enter hospice care, Carter, 98, returned to his hometown, where he will spend his remaining time at home with his family, the Carter Center said in a statement.

Well, it's sad. I mean, his age, it's not tragic, because he's led a long and productive life  and my understanding was that he just didn't want to be apart from Mrs. Carter anymore, said Alter, who spent time with the former president on a Habitat build in Memphis in 2016.

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And he didn't want to die in the hospital alone. There's a kind of an interesting closure to it. He was the first American president born in a hospital, but you don't want to die in a hospital, and he wants to do it on his own terms. You have to respect that.

Carter works alongside other volunteers constructing a home in San Pedro, Calif., in 2007. (Rick Loomis/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Working on a Habitat for Humanity house in Atlanta in 1988. (Margaret Miller/Photo Researchers History/Getty Images)

The former president and his wife first volunteered with Habitat for Humanity in March 1984, a little over three years after he departed the White House. Later that same year, they traveled to New York Citys Lower East Side to join other volunteers from the group in renovating an abandoned building. And that trip provided the impetus for the first Jimmy Carter Work Project with Habitat (later renamed the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project).

Carter and a bunch of his neighbors got on an overnight bus and they rode from Plains, Ga., to New York City, said Alter. So this is a former president of the United States, and he's on the bus like anybody else. I guess a Secret Service agent was with them. And they take the overnight bus. They arrive in New York City, and there's a really grungy-looking exterior of a church right when you enter the Lincoln Tunnel, and at that church they had a kind of a dormitory, and they had one private room that was going to be for the Carters. The Carters found out that there was a couple that was honeymooning, and so they gave that couple the room and they slept in the dorm. This is a former president and a former first lady.

The next day they started work on rehabbing this building and the New York Times learned about it and did a front-page story, and Habitat was on the map. That's how it took off. And every year from then until 2019 Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter devoted one week to building a house somewhere in the world.

For the next 35 years, the Carters worked alongside more than 100,000 volunteers across the U.S. and 14 countries to build, renovate and repair more than 4,300 homes, according to Habitat.

Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, at a work project in Mishawaka, Ind., in 2018. (Robert Franklin/South Bend Tribune via AP)

All of us at Habitat for Humanity are lifting up President and Mrs. Carter in prayer as he enters hospice care, Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International, said in a statement. We pray for his comfort and for their peace, and that the Carter family experiences the joy of their relationships with each other and with God in this time.

With the Carter Center, the former presidents volunteer work extended beyond Habitat for Humanity, focusing on three different areas, Alter noted.

Global health, where they've led to the near eradication of two major diseases, guinea worm disease and river blindness, he said. Democracy promotion is their second big area, and they have supervised elections in more than 100 countries. Then they're also involved in peacemaking  and that's harder to do. But you know, he's had some success over the years, particularly in the year 1994 in preventing wars in Haiti and North Korea.

All in all, not a bad legacy for a guy who grew up in Plains, Ga.  even one who went on to become president.
When then-Vice President Joe Biden met with Russian President Putin at the Kremlin in March 2011, he recounted, "I looked into his eyes and I said, 'I don't think you have a soul.'"

To which Putin responded, "We understand one another."

When ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos asked President Biden years later, "You think he's a killer? Biden responded, "Mm-hmm. I do."

Here at the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Putin has been exposed as a lying killer, commanding a rattle-tin army eroded by decades of chronic corruption and incompetence. Both sides have taken more than 100,000 military casualties, or more than 200,000 total, said Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark A. Milley. According to the United Nations refugee agency, there have been 8,006 civilian deaths, including 456 children.

There have been hundreds of reported atrocities by Russian forces and Wagner mercenaries. Russian artillery has targeted apartment buildings, utilities, schools, nuclear power plants and hospitals.

This war has created more than 8 million refugees, including 1.6 million who are now living in Poland. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, citing the U.N., more than 13 million people, or nearly a third of Ukraines prewar population, have been displaced. U.S. officials say Russian forces had forcibly transferred up to 1.6 million Ukrainian refugees to Russian territory as of September 2022.

President Joe Biden, left, walks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during an unannounced visit, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Feb. 20, 2023.

Last weekend, President Biden took a secret journey to Ukraine as this war reaches a pivotal state. Stepping out into the streets of the capital city as air-raid sirens blared with Ukraine President Zelensky at his side, a defiant Biden said, "One year later, Kyiv stands. And Ukraine stands. Democracy stands."

This was the 21st Century version of Presidents Kennedy and Reagan appearing before the Berlin Wall, with the latter saying, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." Or the trans-Atlantic alliance between President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill during World War II.

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According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, the Biden administration and the U.S. Congress have directed more than $75 billion in assistance to Ukraine, which includes humanitarian, financial, and military support ($46.6 billion, or 61%).

What the tyrant Putin is discovering is that Biden is a very different adversary than he found in President George W. Bush when he invaded the neighboring country of Georgia in 2008. Or President Barack Obama when Putin sent an army of "little green men" into Crimea while launching a takeover of the Donbas region in 2014. Neither Bush nor Obama confronted Putin beyond rhetoric and sanctions. Obama handed the Kremlin portfolio to Vice President Biden, who, like Putin, grew up and came of age during the Cold War.

Biden has long viewed Putin as a thug. He was offended when Putin interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. In the PBS edition of Frontline ("Putin and the Presidents") there is a direct correlation between the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection that had been plotted to, as Steve Bannon said, "Kill the Biden presidency in the crib" and Putin's decision to invade Ukraine the following year. America is divided, Putin believed. The U.S. Capitol is under attack. He had a green light to invade Ukraine.

Former U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch told Frontline that Putin made a "calculation" that President Biden would not hold the western alliance together, as well as Congress. Instead, NATO has expanded and the European Union is weaning itself off of Russian energy.

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers his annual state of the nation address at the Gostiny Dvor conference centre in central Moscow on February 21, 2023.

"This was a miscalculation of Napoleonic magnitude," Kori Schake, director of the American Enterprise Institute, told Frontline.

Through the lens of former Senate Foreign Relation Committee staffers to the late U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana in a Roll Call op-ed in October 2020, there wasn't much doubt about the Biden resolve we've seen three years hence. From 2003 through 2006, Lugar chaired the committee, while Biden was ranking member. They flipped roles in 2007 when Democrats won control of the Senate.

"Despite major policy differences between Lugar and Biden and the typical rivalry between their staffs, there never was a moment when we doubted that Bidens main objective as an elected official was the well-being of the United States," Republican staffers Dan Diller, Shellie Bressler, Mary Locke and Carl Meacham wrote.

"Lugar and Biden also had different priorities," these staffers continue. "Biden usually was more interested in regional geopolitics, diplomatic negotiations and conflict resolution than Lugar was. Lugar was more focused on the building blocks of American economic and political power  alliances, trade agreements, arms treaties and diplomatic capacity.

"The partnership flourished because Biden and Lugar had a common vision of how the two parties should overcome their differences. Lugar and Biden believed that fights over policy in committee should not translate into division in front of foreign leaders. Their standing order was to present the most united front possible."

Because of this resolve, Ukraine still stands. It faces a brutal year ahead in 2023, if not for years longer.

When Putin launched his invasion nearly one year ago, he thought Ukraine was weak and the West was divided. He thought he could outlast us, Biden said in a statement issued by the White House. But he was dead wrong.

The columnist is managing editor of Howey Politics Indiana/State Affairs at StateAffairs.com/pro/Indiana. Find Howey on Facebook and Twitter @hwypol.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Howey: How the defiance of President Biden has helped save Ukraine
By Gergely Szakacs

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday that more parliamentary group talks were needed before lawmakers vote on the ratification of Finland and Sweden's NATO membership bids which they will begin debating on Wednesday.

Sweden and Finland applied last year to join the trans-Atlantic defence pact after Russia invaded Ukraine, but Sweden faced unexpected objections from Turkey for harbouring what Ankara considers to be members of terrorist groups.

Speaking on public radio, Orban said he had asked lawmakers of his nationalist Fidesz party to support the NATO bids, adding however that some deputies were "not very enthusiastic" about the expansion and sought further discussion.

Press officials for Fidesz did not respond to emailed questions about the possible timing and composition of any bilateral meetings to discuss the ruling party's concerns, which surfaced for the first time this week after the ratification process had become stranded in parliament in July.

The Swedish Foreign Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Orban, in power since 2010, has used his sweeping majority to overhaul major Hungarian laws with no resistance from his own lawmakers, hardly any of whom have publicly questioned or stood up against the party line over the past 13 years.

The parliaments of all 30 members of NATO have to ratify any membership bids for the alliance. Hungary's lawmakers are scheduled to vote on the matter on March 6, according to the parliament's agenda published online.

Orban added that in the end, it should be made clear that Hungary supports Finland and Sweden's NATO membership, but said Turkey's concerns regarding Sweden's entry should also be heard, otherwise the expansion effort could fail.

"Regarding Turkey, they are also our allies, and therefore we need to hear their voice," Orban said.

Turkey recently indicated it would approve only Finland for NATO membership, while Hungary says it has been delayed by a flurry of legislation required to unlock EU funds.

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"We need to pay attention to Turkey as in the end, the entire process will stall. Unless there is a solution to Turkey's problem, then the expansion could fail."

CONCERNS

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock last week called on Turkey and Hungary to allow Finland and Sweden to join NATO, stating she expects all NATO members to ratify their bids "without further delay".

Orban said some ruling party lawmakers were concerned over NATO's shared border with Russia extending by over 1,000 km (620 miles), pointing to potential geopolitical risks arising from Finland's entry.

Other lawmakers took issue with what Orban described as Finland and Sweden spreading "outright lies" about the health of democracy and the rule of law in Hungary.

Mujtaba Rahman, Europe Managing Director at Eurasia Group, said Orban's manoeuvres were likely aimed at enhancing his optics for various stakeholders, including Russia, Hungary's key energy supplier, Turkey and his own electorate.

"It makes PM Orban look to be supportive of Ukraine," he said, adding that the moves could be used as a possible means to delay ratification.

"...He and the party machine have been working for the last 12 months to undermine support for the EU, NATO and Ukraine and brainwash the Hungarian public into supporting Russia," he said. "In short, it's a political charade."

Orban reiterated on Saturday that being a NATO member was "vital" for Hungary, but said his government would not send arms to Ukraine or sever its economic ties with Moscow, with Hungary lobbying hard against any EU sanctions on nuclear energy.

On Friday, Orban said Hungary, dominated by Moscow for decades before the collapse of communism, had a "moral obligation" to support the bid of the Nordic countries.

"I fall into the camp of those urging calm," Orban said in describing the debate on NATO expansion among his lawmakers.

"I understand, moreover, I agree with the view of the parliamentary group that not all is well... It should be clear that in principle we support Sweden and Finland's NATO entry. However, some serious discussions will be needed beforehand."

(Reporting by Gergely Szakacs and Niklas Pollard; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky, Jason Neely and Nick Macfie)
A 59-year-old San Rafael man has pleaded guilty in federal court to a domestic violence charge after assaulting his wife during a trip to Yosemite National Park in August.

According to a statement from the Department of Justice, Stefan Niels Weiste Kirkeby got into a verbal confrontation with his wife while at Happy Isles, near the start of the Mist Trail.

According to court documents, he forcibly grabbed his wife and both fell to the ground before other park visitors intervened. He threatened to kill his wife and also himself before he was arrested.

Kirkeby is scheduled to be sentenced June 26 and faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Nearly a dozen Oregon counties have voted in favor of exploring moving the state border to join Idaho. Courtesy of Greater Idaho, greateridaho.org.

The Greater Idaho movement seeks to redraw state boundaries so rural Oregon can join Idaho.

Idaho's House voted in favor of exploring the move after 11 Oregon counties did the same.

Moving the state boundary would require the approval of Oregon, Idaho, and the US Congress.

The Greater Idaho movement  a conservative effort to have eastern Oregon secede from the blue state and join Idaho  got a major nod of support last week from lawmakers in the red state.

Members of Idaho's House of Representatives voted in favor of a bill that would open up talks between Idaho and Oregon about relocating the boundary line that separates the two western states. The development marks a step forward for the Greater Idaho movement, which says rural Oregon is more similar to Idaho politically, economically, and culturally than to the urban areas of their state.

The bill, which passed on February 15, states "the Idaho Legislature stands ready to begin discussions with the Oregon Legislature regarding the potential to relocate the Oregon/Idaho state boundary, in accordance with the will of the citizens of eastern Oregon, and we invite the Oregon Legislature to begin talks on this topic with the Idaho Legislature."

It's unclear if the bill will pass the Idaho Senate, but the chamber has a similar political make up to that of the state's House, with Republicans representing the vast majority of the members at about 80%. Matt McCaw, a spokeperson for the group behind the Greater Idaho movement, told Insider they were confident the bill would pass Idaho's Senate in the coming weeks as well.

The group noted Idaho lawmakers cited several reasons for supporting the bill, including a recent analysis that found the state-line shift could benefit Idaho economically. The analysis was conducted by the Claremont Institute, a California-based right-wing think tank that was an early defender of Donald Trump. John Eastman, a lawyer and prominent figure at the organization, advised Trump on how to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

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Lawmakers also noted a desire to keep Oregon's more liberal drug laws further away from the current population of Idaho.

Moving the state boundary line would require the approval of both the Oregon and Idaho legislatures as well as the US Congress. Despite the support of Idaho lawmakers, the idea may face greater hurdles in the Oregon legislature, where both chambers have a solid Democratic majority. Oregon state Sen. Dennis Linthicum, a Republican, has filed a similar legislative proposal to begin talks with Idaho, but it's unlikely to make it out of the rules committee.

The Greater Idaho group, which argues changing the state lines would benefit both states, hopes to persuade Democratic lawmakers to consider it by emphasizing the 11 rural Oregon counties that have already voted in favor of exploring the move, as well as polling that suggests some support in Idaho and northwest Oregon as well.

McCaw also emphasized that the bills are not about moving the state line tomorrow, but rather opening up the conversation.

"What they say is: 'We hear the people of eastern Oregon. We see how this benefits both states. We're inviting each state to begin talks about where it makes sense to put this border,'" he told Insider.

This Sept. 7, 2020 file photo shows the "Oregon for Trump 2020 Labor Day Cruise Rally" at Clackamas Community College in Oregon City, Ore. Michael Arellano/Associated Press

Oregon voted decisively for President Joe Biden in 2020, driven largely by heavily populated counties near Portland, Eugene, and Bend. But the areas of eastern Oregon that have been proposed to join Idaho voted for Donald Trump, with the former president winning nearly 80% of the vote in some counties. Meanwhile, Trump also overwhelmingly won Idaho with nearly 64% of the vote.

Experts in secession movements previously told Insider the Greater Idaho movement was unlikely to succeed but far from impossible, and that there are historical precedents for moving state lines.

"I don't think the map of the United States is going to look the same in 2050," Richard Kreitner, author of the book "Break It Up: Secession, Division, and the Secret History of America's Imperfect Union," said, adding that "most state lines are fairly arbitrary."

McCaw said the Greater Idaho proposal would be a solution to the "longstanding problem" of the urban-rural divide.

"We have extreme partisanship. We have all these things that people in the US know are a problem, and people are looking for solutions," he said. "We can get people matched up to a government that they want, that matches their values, and we can lower political tension and make it a win-win for everybody involved."

That partisanship and political tension has frequently led to speculation about the possibility of conflict, and experts previously told Insider that if a civil war were to break out in the US, eastern Oregon would be one of the most likely locations it would happen, citing the organized secession movement and anti-government sentiment.

Proponents of Greater Idaho have said their plan is a way to avoid conflict, but it's unclear the impact moving the border would actually have. And although a civil war may seem unlikely, Barbara F. Walter, a leading expert in civil wars and author of "How Civil Wars Start: And How to Stop Them," has said the US is "closer to civil war than any of us would like to believe."

Have a news tip? Contact this reporter at kvlamis@insider.com.

Read the original article on Business Insider
For the third time in two years, Idaho has issued a death warrant for inmate Gerald Pizzuto, seeking to execute him next month.

Attorney General Raul Labrador announced Friday morning the latest effort to fulfill the death sentence of Pizzuto, a convicted murderer, seeking a conclusion to his decades-old conviction. His execution  now the states fifth attempt to do so  is scheduled for March 23.

Labrador, a former Idaho Republican congressman, has been in the new role just eight weeks.

Idaho law is clear: Those who commit the most egregious crimes deserve the ultimate punishment, Labrador said in a statement. Pizzuto was sentenced to death. We followed the law and obtained a new death warrant.

Pizzuto, 66, has remained on Idaho death row since his 1986 conviction for the murder of two people at a cabin north of McCall. He is terminally ill with late-stage bladder cancer, among a host of serious ailments, and been under hospice care for more than three years.

Idaho cant obtain lethal drugs

Idaho most recently pursued Pizzutos death by lethal injection in November. But the state prison system proved unable to obtain the execution drugs needed to fulfill his death sentence, indefinitely postponing his planned Dec. 15 execution.

Labrador said the Idaho Department of Correction, which is tasked with executing Pizzuto, is now in the process of trying to find the lethal injection drugs it failed to obtain just three months ago. The state prison system does not currently possess the drugs necessary for the execution, the Department of Correction confirmed.

Efforts to lawfully source chemicals are ongoing, an IDOC news release said.

IDOC noted that prison officials at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution outside Kuna, where Pizzuto is housed, served him the death warrant just before noon on Friday. Labradors press release about obtaining a new death warrant for Pizzuto was emailed to news outlets at 11:12 a.m.

It is unclear what, if anything, has changed in that execution drug procurement process since the last time the state tried to execute Pizzuto. State prisons director Josh Tewalt told the agencys board in December that officials have been unable to acquire the drugs to execute an inmate.

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While our efforts to secure chemicals remain ongoing, I have no reason to believe our status will change prior to the scheduled execution, Tewalt wrote to the state prisons board at that time. In my professional judgment, I believe it is in the best interest of justice to allow the death warrant to expire and stand down our execution preparation.

Bill would allow firing squad executions

State Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, a former Ada County deputy prosecutor, introduced on Wednesday a bill that would restore use of a firing squad as a backup method of execution. The attorney generals office helped author the bill, spokesperson Emily Kleinworth told the Statesman on Thursday, and Labrador was personally involved, she said.

On Friday, Labrador emphasized his hope that Idaho lawmakers would pass House Bill 186. The proposed legislation has yet to receive a hearing date in the House Judiciary, Rules and Administration Committee, which Skaug chairs. If the firing squad bill advances with a majority from that 18-member committee, it would move on to the House floor for an initial vote.

We hope the Legislature will also consider giving the state an alternative method of execution, Labrador said in the statement.

Gov. Brad Little would entertain signing the bill, if passed by the Legislature, a spokesperson for the Republican governor, told the Statesman on Thursday.

Gov. Little supports capital punishment and will continue to support policies adopted by the Legislature that enable the state of Idaho to successfully and constitutionally carry out the death penalty, Madison Hardy, Littles spokesperson, said by email.

The nonprofit Federal Defender Services of Idaho, which represents Pizzuto, lambasted the latest attempt to execute its client, and questioned the intent behind Labrador seeking Pizzutos death warrant.

We are devastated and horrified that the state would once again seek a death warrant for Mr. Pizzuto without having any of the chemicals necessary to carry out his execution, Deborah Czuba, supervising attorney of the nonprofits unit that oversees death penalty cases, said in a statement. After the prior two execution warrants, it does not make sense.

We find the timing of the warrant particularly curious, given that it was sought by Attorney General Labrador while he advocates for a new law that would bring back the firing squad as a method of execution in Idaho, Czuba added.
The political winds are pushing the energy industry ever further toward the green, promoting renewable power sources and electrification over fossil fuels. The irony in this is that certain rare metals, essential to a green energy economy, have taken on a new importance. In a sense, lithium is the new coal.

This point was driven home just this month, when the Chinese battery maker CATL, a leader in the global market for electric vehicle battery packs, announced a changing to its pricing strategy. The short version is, the company will be subsidizing lithium to reduce the cost of its batteries, accepting a hit to margins and profits in an effort to maximize market share. The effects of this decision have been overwhelming, and lithium miners have been among the first to feel it.

As a group, major lithium mining companies saw their shares fall on fears that CATLs price manipulations may distort demand and pricing throughout the lithium production and supply chains. But at least some Wall Street analysts are saying that now is the time to get into lithium, trusting the underlying strength of the industry going forward and using current pricing to buy the dip.

Weve used the TipRanks database to look up the details on two lithium miners that have recently gotten the nod from the Street.

Sociedad Quimica Y Minera de Chile (SQM)

First up is the Chilean firm of Sociedad Quimica Y Minera, SQM. This company has its hands in a range of chemical and mineral production sectors, from iodine and potassium to industrial chemicals and plant fertilizers  and it is the worlds largest single producer of lithium. Increased demand for lithium, powered by the EV markets never-ending appetite for lithium-ion battery packs, has been supportive of SQM, which has seen rising revenues, earnings, and share prices over the last year.

On the financial side, SQM wont report 4Q and full year 2022 results until next week, but according to the 3Q22 results, the company had a bottom line of $2.75 billion for the nine months ending on September 30, 2022. This was almost 10x more than the $263.9 million reported in the same period of 2021, and reflects both the global economic reopening post-COVID as well as increasing demand for lithium on the global markets. EPS for the nine-month period was $9.65, compared to just $0.92 in the prior year time-frame. At the top line, 9-month revenues came to $7.57 billion.

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Of that 9-month revenue total, $5.62 billion came from lithium and lithium derivatives, showing just how dominant lithium is in SQMs business. SQMs lithium-related revenue grew by 1,161% year-over-year in 3Q22 alone, to reach $2.33 billion.

With the lithium sector powering that kind of revenue and earnings growth, SQM should be able to weather any storm. J.P. Morgan analyst Lucas Ferreira would agree. Looking at the disruptions in the lithium markets this week, he writes, While noisy, we think this should not become an industry-wide practice, and lithium prices should ultimately be a function of Li SxD dynamics, which we still see in a deficit for the next three years.

We think CATLs lithium subsidies should generate a battery price war, which is not healthy for the value chain. Nonetheless, the company cannot solve the lithium deficit by itself as this is a function of the unbalanced SxD JPM forecasts to remain in place for the next 3 years. That said, we believe CATLs actions should have limited impact on pricing of other suppliers [like SQM] in the near term, the analyst added.

Ferreira backs his bullish view with an Overweight (i.e. Buy) rating on SQM, and price target of $134 that indicates his own confidence in a 53% upside by the end of this year. (To watch Ferreiras track record, click here)

So, thats J.P. Morgans view, lets turn our attention now to rest of the Street: SQM 2 Buys and 2 Holds coalesce into a Moderate Buy rating. Theres a double-digit upside  17.43% to be exact  should the $102.75 average price target be met in the next 12 months. (See SQM stock forecast)

Albemarle Corporation (ALB)

The second lithium stock well look at is North Carolina-based Albemarle, a specialty chemical company with a focus on lithium and bromine refining. The company is a major name in the market for battery-grade lithium products, and holds a leading market share in the EV battery segment. The company boasts a global reach, and sources its lithium from three major production sites, in Nevada, Chile, and Australia.

As with SQM above, Albemarle has benefited from rising lithium prices over the past year. For the full year 2022, Albemarles revenues came to more than $7.3 billion. The company saw its top line rise sequentially in each quarter of 2022, culminating in Q4s year-over-year increase of 163% to $2.6 billion. At the bottom line, Albemarle saw a quarterly net income of $1.1 billion, or an adjusted diluted EPS of $8.62  a figure that was up a whopping 753% y/y.

Lithium was the driver of the companys strong results, with the Q4 net sales coming in at $2.06 billion. This was a 410% increase from the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead, Albemarle is guiding toward full-year 2023 revenues of $11.3 billion to $12.9 billion, and predicts an adjusted income for this year in the range of $4.2 billion to $5.1 billion. Achieving the midpoint of the revenue guidance will translate to a 65% year-over-year top line gain.

5-star analyst Colin Rusch, from Oppenheimer, gives an encouraging outlook on Albemarles prospects, writing, We view the incremental information on spot pricing, seasonality, and overall production levels for China EVs as comforting for bulls. ALB is assuming 40% Y/Y growth in EV production in China, which we believe could prove conservative given historical patterns and scale benefits to OEM cost structure likely will help drive higher volumes We continue to believe ALBs technology position in lithium extraction and processing is underappreciated by investors

Taking this line forward, Rusch gives ALB an Outperform (i.e. Buy) rating, with a $498 price target to suggest an impressive one-year upside potential of 96%. (To watch Ruschs track record, click here)

Overall, ALB has 17 recent analyst reviews on record, and they include 9 buys, 6 Holds, and 2 Sells  for a Moderate Buy consensus rating. The shares are selling for $253.85 and their average price target of $312.20 points toward a gain of 23% in the months ahead. (See ALB stock forecast)

To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.
Serhii Myronov loved Kyiv. As a historian and a writer, Myronov organised tours of the city where he would talk about Kyivs history and cultural heritage. He knew the citys buildings and courtyards like the back of his hand. In 2021, he started restoring and renovating old doors and entryways in Kyivs historic centre, often hidden behind sheets of metal installed to conceal them.

Two days after Russias full-scale invasion started, on 26 February 2022, he joined Ukraines territorial defence forces. After eight months of training and deployments, he was promoted to the position of platoon commander in the 243rd Battalion of the 241st Territorial Defence Brigade.

Among other topics, Myronov wrote about living through the war, fighting on the front, endless moves, the heat of summer, strange returns to Kyiv, mosquitoes, stray cats and dogs, and preparing for winter. He wrote about being a soldier and being a person, about fighting for his countrys independence and freedom  unsentimentally, with humour, bluntly, but with great care, love and lyricism, too.

To mark the passing of a year since the beginning of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainska Pravda publishes translations of a selection of Serhiis Instagram posts since 24 February 2022, a war diary of sorts.



24 February 2022

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I carefully avoided talking about the war for the past few days, even weeks. But every night, when I turned off the light and laid on my side, wrapped in the warm duvet, Id think: what if war starts tomorrow?

War has come to my country today. Ive never spoken about my patriotism. Ive hardly shared any of my views. I stayed deliberately apolitical; at times I acted as though I was cosmopolitan. But that was all a fiction.

I wont write about those I love and those I hate. I wont write some nonsense about how Im going to defend my free Ukraine until the last drop of my blood. One can write or say anything one likes. Its much more important to act.

Story continues

War has come to my country today. I dont think anyone in the entire world believes that we provoked the attack We have been attacked. The way that those bastards from authoritarian regimes always attack. They attacked us at night.

The West has expressed profound concern. Did anyone really believe that another course of events was possible? The time to acknowledge the truth has come: we either take our fate in our own hands and, yesfight, or we decay and rot

This is the first time in our countrys history when so much depends on us. On every one of us, on every pair of hands. On kind words and wisdom. On stamina and a stubborn, almost reckless, refusal to concede. Its now or never.

I will never judge those who are stuck in traffic trying to get to Lviv. Those who left earlier and are now worried about us, from a distance. I will not judge the soldiers of the other country whose tanks are now approaching Kharkiv. Judging others is stupid. Everyone does what they believe is right. The future will put everything in its place.

Take care, and take care of your loved ones. Do not succumb to panic. Love and believe that your love and your faith will never be taken away from you.

Those who can act  now is their time. Time will set things right.

Light follows even the darkest of times. My wish is that each of us stands free of guilt when the light comes...

25 February 2022

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"Youll be alright."

We parted somewhere on Stetsenko Street. The sound of shelling. A small white car slipping away, possibly forever.

Moments later, reports of fighting near Vorzel. The battle for Kyiv had begun.

A young man on a crowded trolleybus was carrying a plastic container with two black rats. I was the only one wearing a mask. Covid was clearly not the most pressing issue now that fighting was as near as Vorzel.

She is the only person I wanted to take care of when everything started. An enormous part of my life. Five pets. Im trying to convince myself that I did everything I could. But thats not true, you can always do more. At least I did something.

I told her shed be alright, in a deliberately confident voice. Dear god, I hope shell be alright

Meanwhile, I have no idea what will happen to me. Im in the metro, almost at the Pecherska station. I hardly ate or slept in the last two days. I have an awful headache. And Im really cold. I have to put some warm clothes on.

I dont know what will happen next. Ill get home, straighten up, eat something. Ill check the news. Ill get my documents and some money. Ill shut the windows and draw the curtains. Ill leave the light on and turn off the gas. And then?

And then Ill go to war



28 February 2022

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The fifth day of the war. Im starting to feel sorry for them. Not Ukrainians, the others.

Ukrainians inspire only admiration, not pity. Pride for their integrity and the strength of their conviction. Overwhelming pride for being able to be part of this most important time when our nation is being made. Turns out that war was what we needed to feel united and strong. We will emerge from this nightmare even stronger, even more tenacious. However this ends, we now have a national conscience. And we have a single degenerate to thank for it.

The ones I pity are Belarusians and Russians. I am genuinely sorry for those meek and submissive people, ignorant and afraid. They arrive in Ukrainian villages in columns of "the most modern equipment", watched over by "ratniks" [warriors - ed.] and "vatniks" [a pejorative used to describe jingoistic followers of Russian government propaganda - ed.], and theyre being crushed. Its just so stupid. I dont understand the self-loathing that must compel them

I dont understand how they can tolerate the way theyve been treated for years. This isnt just cruel, its a genocide. Those guys come here to kill mythical fascists, professional tormentors of Russian children and Pushkin haters who would rather eat his books than have anyone read them, but they end up being killed on village roads by tractor drivers and IT workers who were probably planning to go on holiday in Portugal on 26 February (were visa-free now) but have stayed in Ukraine to, goddammit, defend their land from some fuckers no one wanted here.

Im sorry for those enormous men captured on video beating young women with batons for bringing "No To The War" posters to demonstrations. I feel pity because they are afraid to post videos in which a group of their paratroopers, betrayed by the Motherland they so loved, turn to ashes in a shitty personnel carrier.

You are pathetic, and you arouse nothing but hatred and pity. A big Russian bear  huge teeth, a fur cap, a sailors shirt, and a bottle of vodka in hand  thats how the world sees you.

Do you really like any of it? There are so many wonderful and smart people in Russia, kind and compassionate; people who love living, not wetting their pants whenever they hear loud footsteps on the stairs

Thank you for being with us, but you have to do something for yourselves. Now is the time.

Our people have come together. We are not hysterical; no one is wailing or whining. There is no looting. Our people are great. Youve helped us a lot. Many of you have helped us without ever really wanting to.



3 March 2022

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The smell is unmistakable; it gets under your skin. Eight days wearing the same clothes. My boots have been soaked through. Stains of tea, coffee, and gun oil on my pants.

A piece of cardboard for a bed the last three nights. My backs stiff as a board, my sides black and blue with bruises. We sleep in a mall, a grocery store, an office, a school.

Were given a lot of strange, nostalgic foods: they remind me of my childhood. Watery porridge with canned meat, gluey macaroni, achingly sweet fruit juice.

So many men, too many. Breechblocks clicking into place. Do these men talk about women? Only about war.

I get so tired I cant write. Too many people, too much talking. Too much noise and activity.

Cases of ammunition are 29 kg heavy. A sandbag weighs around 40 kg. But the heaviest of all are thoughts about war.

Whiskey is practically gold. Cigarettes are practically gold.

Everyones sick. Life goes on. This is war.



10 March 2022

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An IT guy. A security guard. A fish inspector.

A driver. A soldier. A historian.

A student. A lawyer. A nihilist.

A loader. A businessman. Maybe even a writer.

We are all different. We probably wouldnt have met under other circumstances. I have little in common with heavy-drinking 50-year-old workers. Im not that into memes. I dont even like Ukrainian pop crooners

But war changes people, and here I am, laughing louder than anyone over a photograph of humiliated enemy troops, cursing men my fathers age at the top of my lungs for nicking and devouring a pack of Snickers bars. I even drink instant coffee. Me  instant coffee

Is this really me? Am I losing myself? Is war eroding my integrity?

New people. So much talking. You cant even find silence and solitude on the toilet. Sometimes I stay up until one in the morning hoping that everyone will fall asleep and Ill be able to write but theyre all staying up, too. The click-clack of gun locks. The rustle of candy wrappers. Theyre loading their guns. Theyre smoking.

A shower is three minutes of barely warm water. I miss the rush of hot water in my shower at home, and I miss my comfortable sofa. I miss good coffee and fresh sheets, a comfortable and clean toilet. I miss the colourful inks I used to write with. I miss my dead dogs collar

I didnt want to go to war. I didnt want to kill, to feel this hatred.

I feel uneasy dressed in camo. I dont want to tense up every time an odd-looking vehicle passes by.

I just want to be myself



29 March 2022

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Military existence is unpretentious and ugly. There is no room for beauty or excess, for the bright colours of mass-produced goods, for the comfort of breathable running shoes, for lavender sachets to keep moths away, or even for citrus-scented air fresheners. There is no room for crumpled bed linen, because there is no bed linen, either.

But there are sleeping bags; shared sleeping bags that anyone can sleep in. However you plead, youll never be able to claim one for your exclusive use.

Spoons and mugs are also shared. Why wouldnt you use a mug thats sitting on the table? It doesnt matter who used it before you. You probably dont have herpes. You probably dont have a virus.

There are heaps of poor-quality toilet paper which makes your ass involuntarily contract more than the sound of artillery does. There are dozens of identical pairs of socks  you will never be able to figure out who they belong to or where yours are. Any chocolate accidentally left out immediately gets devoured. We all share a microbiome at this point. We share long, dark nights illuminated by each others dimly lit telephone screens, reading news from the battlefields.

There is the rattle and clatter of our guns. Our comrades bony shoulders. A bewildering array of khaki-coloured things. A sense of community.

A great sense of community that can exist only among men; among men who didnt know one another before war and who were brought together by it.

Thinking about it, we do have a lot. But what you want most of all when youre at war are things you cant get



9 April 2022

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Fear and despair. Hunger. Disorientation.

Their eyes are full of fear, their fur dishevelled, and theyre baring their teeth, but theyre wagging their tails, coyly but eagerly.

War touches everyone and everything. It was started by humans, but it affects pets (which is a term that might not accurately capture the relationship many villagers have with their animals), cattle, even birds.

Storks are circling the sky confused, unable to find their nests. Swallows darting frantically away from explosions. Moose injured by mines. Dogs whose owners will no longer feed them.

At first, they dash away from you and bark, frightened. Then they get closer and closer, tucking their ears and lowering their heads, wagging their tails. The dogs press themselves against your legs and turn sideways so you can scratch their sides. They lick your hands and cover your olive-coloured pants with dirt and cow shit. They walk all over your light-coloured boots with their dirty paws, but you keep petting them

War touches everyone and everything, but some have done nothing to deserve it



6 May 2022

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We heard birdsong around four in the morning. Birds were singing as if for the last time. A pregnant cat approached, trying to press her side against our legs as she stretched nervously. Cars would start driving by in about an hour. Thats when the sun would also rise.

We were on duty at a checkpoint. We were tired and cold, waiting for someone to bring us hot water, but no one came. We clocked in at eight the night before. By the ninth hour on duty, our bodies were desperate to get some rest. To make matters worse, it had been a very cold night; we were, of course, completely unprepared for the cold.

To be very honest, we were prepared for very few things. However you try to prepare for certain things during war, youre still caught off guard by how everything actually turns out. Maybe thats what makes war special, its unpredictability. Its always got its own agenda. You either accept it or go crazy

That cold morning the birds were singing like it was the last dawn of their lives. I dutifully wiggled my toes inside my boots, still wet from the previous afternoon. My back was aching from the weight of the body armour which Id had on since the morning of the previous day. Wed seen no cars in the past 20 minutes. Before that: several bread trucks, one after another. Their drivers, tired and sleepy, wearily showed us their special permits before disappearing in the hazy dawn.

The pregnant cat meowed and approached me. She rubbed her back against my leg and sat down. I told her I had no food and that I couldnt scratch her because I could barely bend after 20 hours of standing with the weight of the body armour on my back. Not that I really cared about scratching her.

What I cared about was getting a hot drink. Hot and thick. A coffee or a hot chocolate. For some reason I wanted a hot chocolate, even though I never normally drink it. A thick, bitter cup of cocoa would have been perfect that morning. I liked the thought of making it steaming hot. I wanted it so bad, a damn hot cocoa.

The cat stayed by our side even when cars started rushing by. We shooed her away. Dont be mad at us, cat. Tomorrow night you will look for another leg to press yourself against, and you will again be told there is no food.

but will the birds sing?



17 May 2022

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Sometimes I marvel at the amount of effort sunk into these heaps of corrugated metal that now pile on the sides of Ukrainian roads.

How much creative effort and maybe even good intentions have been sunk into making machines that bring death to people like us. How many hours of labour have been sunk into creating these astonishing machines, complicated and even strangely beautiful. An incredible amount of individual and collective effort And then these things are used in the most brutal and banal way.

Everyone knows that human folly knows no limits. That cruelty knows no limits is a surprise to no one either.

Unfortunately, there is a limit to all good things. Thats what I sometimes think. But the good things have yet to reach their limit in this war.

Too many good people are fighting against too many people who might not be evil, exactly, but are definitely not very smart.

Every soldier fighting in every war always thinks that they are fighting on the right side. But hell, it feels good to know that I really am on the right side. The side of truth.

The good hasnt reached its limit yet. Truth is on our side. And those heaps of corrugated metal mark a stage in a transformation thats taking place. The more of this metal  the more lasting and durable the foundation of our future



24 May 2022

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I write something about May every year. It is a special month for me, for my city, for, seemingly, everyone But not this May. This May is different.

For the first time in my life Im struggling to find words to describe May. Everything is green, everything is in blossom. The smell of wet bark. Petrichor. The smell of the grass, which grows taller and greener and stronger every day. Apple, cherry and magnolia trees, then lilac. Everything appears the same but its an illusion.

This photograph captures the absurdity of May 2022 Anno Domini: two men in body armour playing football with guns slung around their shoulders in the lush green May

The last three months seemed to drag on forever. They were full of worry, fear, anxiety, precious tiny moments of joy, and hopelessness which kept threatening to turn into despair.

These three months feel like a life apart from life. It is difficult for me to recall how I lived before the war. And so I dont even try. I dont think about the wild, warm May showers from my past, I dont think about the feelings that seemed to erupt with a new vigour every May in the past. Now I have no feelings, and there are no showers, either.

The war started three months ago. It has changed everything. It has split my life into "before" and "after". I have no idea how long the "after" will last



7 July 2022

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There is a saying: it is harder to make it through one move than two fires. Weve had to move again. This time weve gone farther.

We spent several hurried hours the night before packing whatever we could gather and buy in the two days leading up to it: food, jerry cans of diesel, personal belongings, medicines, ammunition (we didnt have to buy the ammunition). We had to pack everything in two small vans and several regular cars. It was quite a task, if you ask me. We remembered to feed the cats.

Then, a long journey; a convoy of two dozen variously (but invariably) damaged cars. Stopping at the curb, dozens of men peeing. Eating a kilogram of sour and bitter cherries. Respect in the voices of villagers greeting us. Young village girls and the coy glances they steal at us. Finally, we arrive: another place where no one expects us.

For some reason, no one expects us anywhere. Wherever we go, whatever we do  we are a foreign body among the locals bodies. Only the cats are always happy to see us

What lies ahead of us are days of painful relocation, preparing and setting up new positions, dry rations and swarms of mosquitoes that seem to favour the exotic flesh of our Kyivan bodies. In fact, here we are nothing other than flesh.

What lies ahead of us? I better not think about it.



19 August 2022

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Romanticising war might be the most dangerous thing in the world

At some point in their childhood, every little boy gets interested in war to some extent: Roman legionnaires, knights whose exploits are glorified by troubadours, or illustrated magazines about the Red Baron and his red plane  it doesnt matter what they marvel at. What matters is something else.

None of these stories prepare you for the sight of your friends bodies draped over birch branches after being hit by a 203-mm shell. They fail to explain how to go on living after your comrade dies in your arms, choking on blood because their body armour hasnt protected them from a stray bullet. They fail to convey what it feels like to crouch at the bottom of a shallow pit, shells hitting the ground all around you: despair and helplessness

Life is cruel as hell. Good people  really good people  often die. Good people die so that someone else can live. Often those who live go on without thinking about those they owe their lives to. That nothing and no one is ever forgotten is a lie, a fiction. But its true that good deeds rarely bring you glory.

Sometimes I dont know what to tell those young guys. Its as if they live in those technicolour films: they run around in their handsome uniforms and flirt with the girls. The girls flirt back, and I try to keep my mouth shut.

Tomorrow any of them may die the "death of the brave". For some reason, the brave always die. The cowards live. Life is cruel as hell, and unfair, too.

Good guys die sooner than bad guys. Thats life.



24 August (Ukraines Independence Day)

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She is odd.

Big. Unique in some places, often beautiful, sometimes woefully banal, and sometimes downright ugly.

She is cosy, like a big warm blanket, though she can also be stern. Very stern. Now and again.

She is funny. Awkward and open-hearted, like a child.

She is both stupid and wise. Kind of weird. Peculiar. Fiercely wilful. Shes like a colourful Carpathian lizhnyk rug.

Shes poor and shes rich. Shes a capacious language that can express almost anything, except for love. Theres never enough words for love.

Shes diverse, like the crowd at an 80s rock concert.

She is sweet, like cherry preserves. And sour. Like cherry preserves.

Shes happy, like a celebration. And sad. She is very sad, like the faces of saints in holy places. Filled with sadness.

She is tender, like a summer breeze in a wheat field, like a folk song hovering over a dirt road in an old village. Tender, playful, delicious.

She is melodic and lyrical, like two doves on a steep hill. Lyrical

She is different. She is shape-shifting. She is alive.

We are defending her, because she deserves it. She deserves to live, to live and to prosper. Ukraine Your anniversary has never been so important. Please just stay alive. For the sake of all of us.

22 September

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Winter

Everything grows grey. Animals turn gentler while people turn tougher and rougher. Cats seem particularly affectionate, dogs huddle closer, and people remain themselves.

Nature prepares to hibernate. Birds flit in the leaden sky, looking for food or for scraps of wool to make their nests warmer. Hedgehogs scurry in the vegetable and flower beds; theyre loud, brazen, boisterous. Theres fewer ants around, flies and mosquitoes too  they only awaken rarely, warmed by rare sunshine or the heat of a radiator, and flutter and jerk as if drunk, without purpose or meaning.

New things materialise on the shelves in the stores and at markets, while others disappear. Its a particularly cold September. The news is chilling too. Though other news gives hope and comfort. Life goes on. Winter draws nearer

Soldiers prepare for winter, too. On my way to the bathroom at night I catch glimpses of warm jackets and boots glowing on the screens of my comrades phones. For many long months they will have to battle not just bugs, but the merciless cold wind threatening to consume the heat of their bodies, the humidity trying to seep in from the outside, and the salty drops of moisture of their own bodies trapped under layers of clothing Humidity and moisture are the enemy in winter.



8 October 2022

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Such a strange day today. By the evening Ive listened to this one song hundreds of times and written hundreds of words  not necessarily particularly coherent. All those words are woven into an odd mesh of wishes, desires, perceptions and dreams. No memories though, which is a bit strange. Its a strange evening. A strange day.

Maybe its time Everyone goes through this sooner or later. Maybe its my turn to cast off beautiful clothes, pretentious words, shadows of past actions, and just be myself  a desperately weak, vulnerable, resentful, and heartbroken human who wants things that anyone of his age would be ashamed to want.

Im thirty five and Ive spent the last seven months of my life in the army. My life is a succession of clumsy blunders, naive misunderstandings and an unconscionable, immense, infinite stupidity. I might have botched and squandered more opportunities to "make it" than anyone else. Im not proud of that, though right now it may seem otherwise.

So, my name is Serhii. Im thirty five. I have no family, no chronic illnesses and sometimes  no scruples. I dont have a signature, either. However hard I practise, it turns out differently every time. My hair is black; I started losing it when I joined the army. I am more worried about this than I ever thought I would be and definitely more than I wish I was. If a mans strength is in his hair, then mine is leaving me. If not, it is my hair leaving me. Either way, Im worried as hell



24 October 2022

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Three days of travelling. Around 25 hours of driving. Hundreds of kilometres. Refuelling on the highway. Combat security, blocked intersections in small towns. An accident. Breakdowns. Curious incidents.

Old junkers. Fuming old cars from all over Europe, all on their last breath, all driving in the same direction.

Roads marked by tank treads. The drone of a tank is unlike any other sound. Deserted villages; buildings riddled by shells and destroyed by artillery. All the buildings. Dozens of mangled tanks abandoned along the roads, waiting for a tractor to haul them to a junkyard. Sulking autumn mood, dirt everywhere.

Hungry dogs scoff down anything people give them. Stray cats whose owners fled the war, leaving them to wander the streets. Fields full of birds. So many birds

And people. Very strange people who never meet your gaze, no matter how intently you seek theirs. Residents of frontline cities who have been hearing shelling for months. They patiently wait in lines to go to the pharmacy and turn on overhead lights in their cars as they approach checkpoints. They always have their documents at the ready, too.

Artillery is pounding somewhere close by. New strikes. We sleep in a new location every day, though always in the car. Im sleepy. Enough for today



31 October 2022

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Cities where no one smiles. Part 1

Separatist moods were born and then grew in our countrys remote cities and towns, among the long-defunct factories and half-destroyed playgrounds, among potholes and leaky roofs. Its possible that those moods were there before  long before the factories shut down and children disappeared from the playgrounds, either because the swings and slides grew so obsolete or because theres never been many children in these places, and the playgrounds were just a remnant of the past days

Deserted houses, whose empty window frames sullenly look on as rare passersby hurry along, heavy blue grey sky, barometric pressure always somehow too oppressive, and these dull people, patiently waiting at rain-battered bus shelters for public transport that hardly ever comes. Donbas.



4 November 2022

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Cities where no one smiles. Part 2

Donbas. Its black, fertile soil. And then, underneath: the damned clay. Heavy and viscous.

In the dead of the night, we hear explosions, the sound of weapons being fired, the sound of shells striking. Machine-gun fire. The hum of a tank. Mortars.

You hastily hit the unfriendly earth with your spade, all in the pitch black, relying on touch alone. Acacia branches scratch at your face, but you cant cut the trees down  they offer the little disguise there is.

So you blindly thrust yourself at its thorns, cursing the innocent trees to absolutely no avail. Acacias must be the most reviled trees in the world.

Its raining but theres no shelter. In fact you cant shelter  anything that would stand out against the ground is a potential target.

So you end up crouching in a puddle: water notoriously cant drain through clay. Its raining. Not long ago you loved rain. It rains all night. Everything is sodden. Youre cold. God, youre so cold!

Shells whizz over your head all night long. Shells of different calibres, rockets, bullets. Explosions cut through the silence, tracer bullets slice through the darkness, shell fragments slice through peoples bodies this is war.

Those cities, or what is left of them, are horrifying. Shattered. Barren villages. Eviscerated garden cooperatives and summer houses. Burned-down cars lining the roads



6 November 2022

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Cities where no one smiles. Part 3

and people. Im still struggling to figure out what I think of them. My mind wavers between mistrust and animosity on the one hand, maybe even something worse than that, and pity on the other; the distance between the two is razor thin. Are they to blame for whats going on?

Cities where industrial facilities take up more space than residential neighbourhoods. Factories that will no longer produce mangled parts to be wrapped in wax paper. Cinemas that will no longer screen films about idyllic life in the Soviet Union. Community arts centres that have neither arts nor community left. Apartment blocks inhabited by brazen poverty. Fragments of past lives strewn among wild rose bushes: lives full of meaning and maybe even dignity. Whats going to happen to these places?

Theres frost at night. Birds no longer sing, but they circle the sky above us. Days grow shorter. You wake up in the dark and go to sleep in the dark too. Air in cramped rooms is dry, too hot from portable heaters. Clothes are damp. Thoughts are damp too and dont seem to add up to anything. One day everything will be over. What will be over? Everything.



10 November 2022

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What do you know about fear?

The hiss of bullets over your head. The thudding sound they make as they hit the ground, close to you. The way they ricochet off the branches of an old acacia tree.

The hum of a jets afterburner as it comes at you, preparing to launch missiles.

The sound of a tanks diesel engine as it manoeuvres, seemingly forever, some 600 metres away in a thick, milky white cloud of smoke, preparing to fire. Youre caught in its powerful thermal imager; it knows where you are. Still youre just listening to the rattle and clank of its tracks and the hum of its engine then a deathly silence, then  an explosion. You dont hear the tank firing, just the explosion.

The air vibrates from the helicopters that, unseen to you, approach from behind your positions to launch missiles.

You spot several red dots with a shitty thermal imager in a group of trees right ahead. Do you fire or not?

The 152-mm shells leave a whistling trail as they approach you on their elliptical trajectory, and all you can do is fall to the ground and pray.

You hear Grad launchers fire one  three  five  twelve rockets some 20km away. Then you hear the rockets explode: one  three  five  twelve. This time youre spared. Will you be spared next time?

Mortars sharp and sudden thuds are preceded by a short whistle  so short that you dont always have time to fall to the ground.

The radios hissing and you can barely make out fragments of incomprehensible words. You have to get out of the trench and stand tall to finally catch the signal  what if you have to run?

Explosions draw nearer and nearer, slowly approaching you. More and more earth pours on your head. The sound of shell fragments hurling past grows louder and louder. The drone they use to adjust fire  the same one thats been hovering above your head for days  is just doing its job. Each explosion could be the last one you hear, but what can you do? Youll either be spared, or you wont.

The rustle of reeds right ahead of you. Branches creak and snap several metres away from an earthen breastwork fortification of the too shallow trench that was dug so recently. Silhouettes you imagine in the moonlight; two days without sleep, during which youve been fired at with every imaginable weapon. Your eyes are swollen and clouded from constantly looking through the thermal imager. Your head is spinning full of horrible, ugly thoughts. The eyes of your comrade mirror your own animal fear, the fear of dying in the damned clay of cursed Donbas.

And what do you know about fear?



Serhii Myronov was killed on 17 November 2022, near Bakhmut, a week after he published his last post and almost nine months after the beginning of the full-scale war.

The fighting in Bakhmut has only intensified in the months that followed. This translation is intended as an expression of gratitude to every person defending Ukraine in Donbas and elsewhere. We pray for you every day.

Written, selected and translated by Olya Loza

Edited by Sam Harvey
Springfield Police Officer Timara Pflug, right, gets a hug from Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza Thursday Feb. 23, 2023 after Pflug received an award for Celebrate Black History Month in recognition for her work in Springfield.

A Springfield Police officer and a middle school coach received certificates of recognition in a ceremony led by Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza in honor of Black History Month.

Officer Timara Pflug, founder of the Doll House Project, and Barbara Montgomery, a track and field coach and physical education teacher at Franklin Middle School, were celebrated for their achievements Thursday, before family and friends.

Each February America honors the rich history of African American struggles, achievements, and hard-earned successes," Mendoza said. "But it isn't just about recognizing the past, this month is intended to recognize those individuals who are making great contributions to our history and culture today.

More:Looking for something to do this weekend? Here are six events worth checking out

Pflug said she was taken aback when she received notice about being honored for her work with the DollHouse Project. She said she was excited but she also thought it was a joke.

"Usually when I think about the Dollhouse Project and where it will be in the future, I don't think about the certificates or something I'll be honored for, I think about how many lives I can potentially impact," Pflug said. "Being honored for something like this is a blessing and It made me realize that I am doing the right thing because sometimes I'm not sure if I am or not. I just ask God to set a path for me."

The recognition for Montgomery also came as a shock, even after serving Springfield Public schools for 30 years. She plans to retire in June and said she was grateful to be honored.

Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza, left, hands an award for Celebrate Black History Month to Southeast High School Coach Barbara Montgomery Thursday Feb. 23, 2023 for Montgomery's work in Springfield.

"I've been teaching and coaching for over 30 years so this is just what I do, it's my lifestyle," she said. "I didn't think I did anything special but I'm truly blessed to be honored for this work. It's what I do all the time and I'm happy."

Mendoza said no matter how long she's in public office, "it would never be long enough to properly honor all of the people whose contributions help our state. We must acknowledge the contributions of Black Illinoisans not just this month but every day of the year."

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Earlier in the week, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs celebrated the month with a ceremony recognizing people from across the state including Decatur, Champaign, Peoria, and East St. Louis. The General Assembly also approved a resolution designating Feb. 28 as Black Women's History Day.

The resolution was co-sponsored by Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, and seeks to encourage "all Illinoisans and their families to acknowledge, in word and in deed, the accomplishments of Black women in places where they live, work, and play."

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This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Springfield residents honored in Black History ceremony
Update: On Thursday, March 2, the Indiana Supreme Court declined to hear Robert Lawson's appeal. No legal explanation was given. All of the court's five justices agreed with the decision.

An Indianapolis police officer who was captured on video punching a high school student is no longer a target of the students civil rights lawsuit.

Robert Lawson was convicted by a jury of official misconduct, but acquitted of a battery charge. He was suspended without pay from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department in connection with the Aug. 29, 2019, incident.

On Feb. 8, he was struck from the Shortridge High School students lawsuit.

More:Family files lawsuit against IMPD officer shown striking Shortridge High School student

Marion Superior Judge John M. T. Chavis II found that Lawson, who had been sued in the civil rights case for alleged excessive force, acted in the course and scope of his employment with the city and IMPD. Chavis didnt give any additional analysis in his short, 1-page order, but under Indiana law, a government employee can't be sued as an individual if they were acting in the course and scope of their employment when the incident in question occurred.

The student's attorney did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

The lawsuit now continues against the City of Indianapolis and Indianapolis Public Schools, bringing Lawsons potential financial liability for the incident to an end. But the issues raised in a separate criminal case against Lawson may not be over.

Nearly a year after he was sentenced to 363 days probation for official misconduct, Lawson is now asking the Indiana Supreme Court to weigh in on a lower court decision in the case that, according to Lawsons lawyer and long-time police attorney John Kautzman, "will have a devastating and chilling effect on the way officers report crimes."

What happened at Shortridge High School in August 2019?

On the afternoon at the heart of both cases, IMPD officers were dispatched to help Indianapolis Public Schools Police Department break up a hallway fight and disturbance between students, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in the criminal case against Lawson.

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The 17-year-old, who sued Lawson and the city, had been involved in that fight. He was being escorted off school property when an altercation erupted between the student, his aunt and Lawson.

His aunt "cursed and screamed at police, according to the affidavit, and asked why her nephew was in handcuffs when, she claimed, he was the victim.

Previous coverage:IMPD officer caught on video striking Shortridge student charged with battery, perjury

As she continued yelling at officers, Lawson threatened to arrest her. "You wanna go to jail? You wanna go to jail?" he told her. Then Lawson attempted to grab her arm and she pulled away.

After that, the student stepped in front of Lawson. He contends the student balled up his fists as if he were preparing for a fight. Then Lawson swung his fist, landing a punch to the student's left neck and jaw area, according to the affidavit.

Lawson also grabbed the student by the back of the neck and shoulder, and brought him down while raising his leg in what appears to be a knee strike, to the chest/abdomen area, according to the IMPD detective who wrote the affidavit.

Ex-police chief calls punch 'not taught or reasonable'

Lawson wrote in his affidavit of the incident that he performed an open hand palm strike, and said it was successful.

Officers were able to cuff (the student)," he wrote, "without any further force.

But after reviewing a video recording of the arrest, former Indianapolis police chief Bryan Roach said he saw it differently.

The video shows a clear image of a closed fist punch to the face, a technique which is not taught or reasonable given the facts known to us at this time, Roach said in a response released by the department.

IMPD chief: Punch in Shortridge High School incident captured on video was 'not taught or reasonable'

Lawson also wrote in his report of what happened that an IPSPD sergeant was next to him when it happened. He said the sergeant told him she saw the student swing at Lawson right before Lawson struck the student. When that sergeant was later interviewed by the IMPD detective, however, she denied having said that to Lawson. She also told the detective she was near the school doors, which appear to be a distance away in a civilian video of the arrest.

Warning: This video includes strong language.

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Jury says Lawson not guilty of battery

The students lawsuit claimed Lawson falsified a police report and used excessive force. Lawson denied those claims, arguing his actions were self-defense in front of a teenager who, at the time, was contributorily negligent and/or comparatively at fault, his response to the lawsuit reads.

The officer was also charged by former Marion County Prosecutor Terry Currys office with battery and false informing  both misdemeanors  in addition to three felonies of perjury, obstruction of justice and official misconduct. In November 2021 a jury found him guilty of official misconduct, false informing and perjury, but he was acquitted of the battery charge.

The jury didnt reach a verdict on the obstruction of justice charge, so at his January 2022 sentencing hearing, prosecutors allowed that charge to be thrown out.

Previous coverage:IMPD officer who punched high school student receives probation for official misconduct

Marion Superior Judge Charnette D. Garner vacated the convictions of perjury and false informing after Lawsons legal team argued they amounted to punishment for the same crime. He was sentenced to 363 days probation.

Lawson now wants the Indiana Supreme Court to take a look at how his criminal case occurred. If left as-is, his attorney argues, his case outcome puts "grave implications upon police officers who are encouraged, expected and required to write down the statements of witnesses to a crime."

Attorney Terrance Kinnard speaks to the press, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, about the Pointer v. Officer Robert Lawson case filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. Danielle Pointer, sitting next to Kinnard, is the adult plaintiff.

Attorney: lower court decisions elevate perjury risk for officers

In a petition submitted to the Indiana Supreme Court in late January, Lawsons attorney asked the justices to review the Marion County courts decision not to allow certain instructions to be presented to the jury. He also wants a review of the court's decision to deny his request to keep the jury from hearing about his claim that the IPSPD sergeant told him the student swung at Lawson first  a claim the sergeant later denied.

Lawsons charges and conviction for including this particular third-party statement puts every police officer in jeopardy for any statement they recount in writing in a probable cause affidavit, Kautzman, the attorney, wrote in his petition. If this conviction stands, the only action that needs to occur for the officer to be convicted of false informing and perjury is for the witness to later step forward and claim, I didnt say that or I didnt say it quite like that.

By including the sergeant's alleged statement, Kautzman says Lawson wasnt treating it as his own statement of a fact, but rather a recitation of his interpretation and recollection of information provided by a third party.

Others are reading:Indianapolis reaches settlement with Dreasjon Reed's mom in wrongful death suit

Besides, the attorney contends, it wasnt a relevant fact in Lawsons affidavit because he arrested the student for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest  not for attempted battery. Lawson "never misled anyone," the petition states.

If he wins this argument, his entire criminal case may be overturned. "Because the underlying convictions of perjury and false informing lack sufficient basis in the record for a conviction, they should be vacated (which would then eliminate the viability of the official misconduct charge)," Kautzman wrote.

Lawson already appealed these issues to the Indiana Court of Appeals last year, but lost. The appeals court affirmed his conviction.

IMPD told IndyStar earlier this week Lawsons status is the same now as it was in 2019: he is suspended without pay, and theres a recommendation for his termination in front of the Civilian Police Merit Board. The board reviews those recommendations after criminal proceedings come to an end.

Call IndyStar courts reporter Johnny Magdaleno at 317-273-3188 or email him at jmagdaleno@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @IndyStarJohnny

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana Supreme Court won't hear case of Indy officer who hit student
MUMBAI (Reuters) -The financial viability of many countries is being threatened by unsustainable debt, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday, as he called for the Group of 20 (G20) to focus on the world's most vulnerable citizens.

Trust in international financial institutions has eroded, partly because the lenders had been slow to reform themselves, Modi said in a video message at the beginning of a two-day meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors.

"Food and energy security have become major concerns across the world. Even the financial viability of many countries is threatened by unsustainable debt levels," Modi said.

The meeting at a hill resort on the outskirts of the tech hub of Bengaluru is the first major event of India's G20 presidency and coincided with the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which Modi alluded to.

"We are also witnessing rising geo-political tensions in different parts of the world. There are disruptions in global supply chains. Many societies are suffering due to rising prices," Modi said in his address to delegates.

India's presidency of the bloc comes as neighbouring South Asian countries Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan have been seeking bailouts from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) due to an economic slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine conflict.

Reuters reported last week that India is drafting a proposal for G20 countries to help debtor nations by asking lenders, including China, the world's largest sovereign creditor, to take a large haircut, or accept losses, on loans.

(Reporting by Swati Bhat and Shilpa Jamkhandikar; editing by Sudipto Ganguly, Robert Birsel)
Beleaguered N.C. billionaire Greg Lindberg, already facing retrial on accusations that he tried to bribe a state official, was indicted Friday on a rash of new criminal charges that further threaten his freedom.

The 48-page, 13-count indictment handed down by a federal grand jury in Charlotte accuses the Durham business magnate and two co-conspirators of illegally siphoning vast amounts of money from Lindbergs insurance companies for his personal use, then lying to regulators to hide their $2 billion scheme.

Since 2019, multiple insurance companies controlled by Lindberg have been placed into rehabilitation or liquidation, prosecutors claim, while thousands of policyholders have been defrauded.

Lindberg, 53, is specifically charged with one count each of conspiracy to defraud the United States, money laundering conspiracy, and wire fraud; four counts of making false insurance business statements to regulators; and six counts of making false entries about the financial conditions or solvency of an insurance business.

The case was investigated by the Charlotte office of the FBI.

The money laundering and wire fraud charges alone carry maximum punishments of 20 years in prison; the conspiracy to defraud the government count, 10 years. The illegal activity allegedly took place between 2016 and 2019.

The indictment reveals a carefully orchestrated scheme that relied on a web of complex financial investments and transactions designed to evade regulators, disguise the financial health of Lindbergs insurance companies, and conceal the alleged purpose of the scheme: Lindbergs personal gain, U.S. Attorney Dena J. King of Charlotte said in a statement following the release of the indictment.

In 2017-18, for example, Lindberg and his co-conspirators used a series of loans and related transactions to skim hundreds of millions of dollars from his insurance companies to buy and operate other Lindberg firms, according to indictment.

Lindberg, according to prosecutors, also spent generously on himself by either purchasing or refinancing homes and real estate and forgiving more than $125 million in loans from his companies to himself.

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In December, when the new allegations against Lindberg first surfaced in a related criminal case, he called the governments claims entirely absurd.

I invested over $500 million in my insurance companies, he said in a statement. I never took a penny of dividends. The allegation that I somehow defrauded them while investing $500 million in them and taking no dividends is entirely absurd.

Lindberg spokeswoman Susan Estrich on Friday accused the government of piling on, saying the government brought the new charges because it fears losing the retrial of its corruption case against Lindberg later this year.

The latest charges stem from the governments spending over five years going through over 7 million documents on literally thousands of complicated financial transactions involving over 900 companies and handpicking alleged technical violations which have not caused any loss to policyholders in North Carolina or any other state for that matter, Estrich said.

SEC lawsuit

Lindbergs legal problems have been billowing for months. In August, the federal Securities and Exchange Commission sued Lindberg and Christopher Herwig, Lindbergs former chief investment officer at his flagship investment firm, Eli Global, alleging multiple violations of financial regulations.

In a related financial fraud criminal case that quietly surfaced in the Charlotte federal courts just before Christmas, Herwig pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and is expected to testify against his former boss.

The allegations in the Herwig case track those in the new indictment: that Herwig, joined by an unnamed but clearly identifiable Lindberg and another Eli Global employee, Devin Solow, used a series of complex and overlapping investment vehicles to illegally move hundreds of millions of dollars through Lindbergs multi-national maze of business holdings.

Solow also has been charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States.

NC bribery scheme

Fridays indictment surfaces while Lindberg awaits retrial on charges that he attempted to bribe State Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey in return for friendlier regulatory oversight from Causeys staff.

Prosecutors say Lindberg  whose contributions to both parties once made him the states largest political donor  and an associate funneled some of the money through the state Republican Party and its then-chairman, former U.S. Rep. Robin Hayes of Concord. Hayes pleaded guilty to avoid jail time and was later pardoned by then-President Donald Trump.

In 2020, a federal jury in Charlotte found Lindberg guilty of the public-corruption charge, and he was sentenced to 87 months in prison.

In June, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the conviction and ordered a new trial after finding that U.S. District Judge Max Cogburn gave improper instruction to Lindbergs jurors before they began deliberating. Lindberg was freed after serving two years in prison.

His new bribery trial was set to begin early next month in Charlotte. It has since been delayed and rescheduled for November.
Key Insights

The considerable ownership by individual investors in Credit Suisse Group indicates that they collectively have a greater say in management and business strategy

A total of 25 investors have a majority stake in the company with 46% ownership

Institutions own 30% of Credit Suisse Group

To get a sense of who is truly in control of Credit Suisse Group AG (VTX:CSGN), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 50% to be precise, is individual investors. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).

Meanwhile, institutions make up 30% of the companys shareholders. Institutions will often hold stock in bigger companies, and we expect to see insiders owning a noticeable percentage of the smaller ones.

Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Credit Suisse Group.

Check out our latest analysis for Credit Suisse Group

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Credit Suisse Group?

Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing.

As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Credit Suisse Group. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. 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 Credit Suisse Group, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

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Credit Suisse Group is not owned by hedge funds. Our data shows that The Saudi National Bank is the largest shareholder with 10% of shares outstanding. In comparison, the second and third largest shareholders hold about 6.9% and 4.2% of the stock.

A deeper look at our ownership data shows that the top 25 shareholders collectively hold less than half of the register, suggesting a large group of small holders where no single shareholder has a majority.

Researching institutional ownership is a good way to gauge and filter a stock's expected performance. The same can be achieved by studying analyst sentiments. There are plenty of analysts covering the stock, so it might be worth seeing what they are forecasting, too.

Insider Ownership Of Credit Suisse Group

The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it.

Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances.

Our data suggests that insiders own under 1% of Credit Suisse Group AG in their own names. However, it's possible that insiders might have an indirect interest through a more complex structure. As it is a large company, we'd only expect insiders to own a small percentage of it. But it's worth noting that they own CHF14m worth of shares. Arguably recent buying and selling is just as important to consider. You can click here to see if insiders have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 50% stake in Credit Suisse Group. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run.

Private Company Ownership

Our data indicates that Private Companies hold 3.2%, of the company's shares. It might be worth looking deeper into this. If related parties, such as insiders, have an interest in one of these private companies, that should be disclosed in the annual report. Private companies may also have a strategic interest in the company.

Public Company Ownership

We can see that public companies hold 10% of the Credit Suisse Group shares on issue. This may be a strategic interest and the two companies may have related business interests. It could be that they have de-merged. This holding is probably worth investigating further.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Credit Suisse Group better, we need to consider many other factors. Take risks for example - Credit Suisse Group has 2 warning signs we think you should be aware of.

But ultimately it is the future, not the past, that will determine how well the owners of this business will do. Therefore we think it advisable to take a look at this free report showing whether analysts are predicting a brighter future.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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Ingersoll Rand Inc. (NYSE:IR) Q4 2022 Earnings Call Transcript February 21, 2023

Operator: Thank you all for standing by. I would like to welcome you all to the Ingersoll Rand Q4 2022 Earnings Conference Call. All lines have been placed on mute to prevent any background noise. And after the speakers' remarks, we will conduct a question-and-answer session. Thank you. I would now like to turn the conference call over to our host Matthew Fort of Ingersoll. Matthew, please go ahead.

Matthew Fort: Thank you, and welcome to the Ingersoll Rand 2022 fourth quarter earnings call. I am Matthew Fort, Vice President of Investor Relations. And joining me this morning are Vicente Reynal, Chairman and CEO; and Vik Kini, Chief Financial Officer. We issued our earnings release and presentation this morning and we will reference these during the call. Both are available on the Investor Relations section of our website. In addition, a replay of this conference call will be available later today. Before we start, I want to remind everybody that certain statements on this call are forward looking in nature and subject to the risks and uncertainties discussed in our previous SEC filings, which you should read in conjunction with the information provided on this call.

Please review the forward-looking statements on Slide 2 for more details. In addition, in today's remarks, we will refer to certain non-GAAP financial measures. You can find a reconciliation of these measures to the most comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP in our slide presentation and in our earnings release, both of which are available on the Investor Relations section of our website. On today's call, we will review our company and segment financial highlights and provide 2023 guidance. For today's Q&A session, we ask that each caller keep to one question and one follow-up to allow for time for other participants. At this time, I will turn the call over to Vicente.

Vicente Reynal: Thanks, Matthew, and good morning to all. I would like to start by acknowledging and thanking our employees for their hard work in helping us deliver a record year in 2022. We finished the year on a high note, with strong fourth quarter and full year results despite ongoing inflation, rising interest rates, supply chain constraints and geopolitical uncertainty. Our employees consistently exemplify our purpose, while thinking and acting like owners to deliver on our commitment. And our performance this year clearly reinforces the impact we have as owners of Ingersoll Rand. Starting with Slide 3, in 2022, we demonstrated again how we continue to over deliver on our Investor Day commitments. We also made tremendous progress against our sustainability goals, but I'm very proud that Ingersoll Rand was named to the 2022 Dow Jones Sustainability Index.

As we look to 2023, demand remains solid. And while macroeconomic, geopolitical and global supply chain uncertainties continue to be at the top of everyone's mind, we will remain agile and focused on what we can control. IRX is our differentiator to fuel our performance and continue to execute on our commitments. Turning to Slide 4. During our last Investor Day, we highlighted how we delivered compounding results through our economic growth engine. We remain committed to our strategy and its success is evident, given the results outlined at the bottom of this page. Our portfolio is positioned to capitalize on global megatrends, (ph), sustainability and quality of life. We expect to leverage our organic growth enablers to deliver mid-single digit organic growth through 2025.

And as you can see, we outperformed this commitment again in 2022, delivering 16% year-over-year organic revenue growth. In 2022, we delivered 4% of in-year growth from M&A or 5% on an annual basis. The combined organic growth and inorganic growth of 22% (ph) a low-double digit growth commitment. As we look to 2023 and beyond, we reaffirm our commitment to deliver total average growth of low-double digits through 2025. Our strong organic growth levers, aftermarket demand generation, as well as our i2V initiatives will enable us to generate operating leverage and incremental productivity with an expected 100 basis points of adjusted EBITDA margin improvement per year on average. With IRX as our competitive differentiator and over 300 IMPACT Daily Management, or IDMs, across our company each week, our high-performance culture encourages a strong focus on execution.

This continues to support our goal of being a premier company that consistently compounds earnings on average by double digit each year. In 2022, we continued to achieve that goal with adjusted EPS growth of 13%. Moving to Slide 5. In 2022, we saw strong organic order and revenue growth of 11% and 16%, respectively. Aftermarket continues to be a strategic focus and we delivered growth of 17% excluding FX. Our 120 basis points of adjusted EBITDA margin expansion was driven in part by improvement in our gross margin due to pricing, aftermarket revenue growth and i2V actions. As we continue to align our business to the mega growth trends, we formalized our IR-Digital team to accelerate how we create new revenue streams. It's important to note that this is an incremental investment we made in addition to the teams that reside at the business level.

With 19% of our total revenues coming from IIoT-ready products, we have already exceeded our 2023 Investor Day targets. On the right side of the page is a great example of our ability to deliver organic growth by focusing on the sustainability and efficiency megatrend. We were selected to be a critical technology provider for what will be the largest carbon capture and storage project in the world when it comes online in 2024. With a capacity to permanently capture and store 12 million tons of carbon dioxide gas every year. This one project will deliver more than $14 million of value for Ingersoll Rand between 2023 and 2024. On Slide 6, M&A continues to be at the forefront of our capital allocation trends. We invested over $800 million in 12 acquisitions in 2022, including the SPX Flow transaction with the annualized revenue from these acquisitions being approximately $300 million.

These acquisitions have added both market-leading products and technologies, while accelerating our addressable market with close adjacencies. Our M&A funnel remains strong. And as of today, it continues to be over five times larger than it was at the time of the R&D. And more importantly, we currently have 11 transactions under LOI. We expect an additional $200 million to $300 million in annualized inorganic revenue to be acquired in 2023. Finally, we started the year well with regards to executing on our inorganic strategy with the recently completed acquisition of Paragon Tank Truck, a leading provider of solutions used for loading and unloading dry bulk and liquid tanks in demanding industrial environments as well as food and beverage. Moving to Slide 7, we have some exciting news to share.

We achieved placement on the DJSI World and DJSI North America Indices. Our score of 81 on the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment puts us at the Number One in North America and Number Four in the world within our industry, which means that we are in the top decile of global companies. This is a perfect example of how we leverage IRX for agile execution across all aspects of our business. In this case, we use our own IRX execution process to go from being unranked to now in the top 10% of all companies (ph) by S&P Global. I will now turn the presentation over to Vik to provide an update on our Q4 and full year 2022 financial performance.

Vik Kini: Thanks, Vicente. On Slide 8, we finished the year with strong performance in Q4 through a strong balance of commercial and operational execution, fueled by IRX despite the ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty. Total company organic orders and revenue increased 2% and 19% year-over-year, respectively. We remain encouraged by the strength of our backlog, which is up 30% year-over-year, equate over $2 billion of backlog. This provides a healthy backlog to execute on as we enter 2023 and gives us conviction in delivering our 2023 revenue guidance. The company delivered fourth quarter adjusted EBITDA $420 million, a 23% year-over-year improvement, and adjusted EBITDA margins of 25.9%, a 180 basis point year-over-year improvement and a 110 basis point improvement sequentially from Q3.

For the quarter, adjusted EPS was up 6% versus prior year. This is despite some meaningful headwinds that I will explain shortly. Free cash flow for the quarter was $321 million, despite ongoing headwinds from inventory due to global supply chain challenges as well as the need to support backlog. Total liquidity of $2.7 billion at quarter-end was up approximately $100 million sequentially. Our net leverage continues to improve year-over-year and sequentially. At 0.8 turns, we're 0.3 turns better than the prior year and 0.2 turns better than prior quarter. Turning to Slide 9. For the total company, Q4 orders grew 5% and revenue increased 21%, both on an FX-adjusted basis. Total company adjusted EBITDA increased 23% from the prior year, with the ITS segment margin increasing 170 basis points, while the PST segment margin improving 330 basis points.

It's important to note that both segments are price/cost, dollar and margin positive, which speaks to the nimble actions of our team despite ongoing inflationary headwinds. Corporate costs came in at $33 million for the quarter. And finally, adjusted EPS for the quarter was up 6% to $0.72 per share. This 6% growth includes significant headwinds associated with FX as well as favorability in the prior year tax rate due to one-time benefits that were not expected to recur and an ongoing headwind associated with interest expense. The adjusted tax rate for the quarter was 19.7%, with the full year adjusted rate finishing slightly below 22%. On Slide 10, total company full year orders grew 16% and revenue increased 21%, both on an FX-adjusted basis.

Total company adjusted EBITDA increased 20% from the prior year. The ITS segment margin increased 100 basis points, while the PST segment margin declined 70 basis points. When adjusted to exclude the impact of M&A completed largely in 2021, PST adjusted EBITDA margin increased by 60 basis points. As you recall, most of the decline in adjusted EBITDA margins throughout the year was due to the Seepex acquisition. I am pleased to report that Seepex is another amazing story where we acquired a business at mid-teens EBITDA margin and the exit rate in Q4, just five quarters after the acquisition, is in the mid-20%s. We are well underway to getting Seepex to our PST fleet average EBITDA margin. We continue to see sequential increases in PST's adjusted EBITDA margins and now PST margins are generally back in line with where we have seen them historically, at approximately 30%.

Both segments, finished the year price/cost, dollar and margin positive, which was a major driver of the company's overall triple-digit adjusted EBITDA margin expansion. Corporate costs finished the year at $127 million, down $6 million from prior year, largely due to adjustments in management incentive costs. And lastly, adjusted EPS for the year was up 13% to $2.36 per share. It is important to note that the adjusted EPS growth includes significant one-time headwinds associated with FX, prior year tax rate and interest expense. If you exclude the impact of these headwinds, our adjusted EPS growth would have been over 20%. Moving to the next slide, in 2022, we returned $294 million to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends. Free cash flow for the quarter was $321 million, including CapEx, which totaled $34 million.

And total company liquidity now stands at $2.7 billion, based on approximately $1.6 billion of cash and $1.1 billion of availability on our revolving credit facility. It's important to note that these figures include approximately $525 million of cash, which has subsequently been deployed for the SPX Flow's Air Treatment business acquisition on January 3, 2023. Leverage for the quarter was 0.8 turns, which was 0.3 turn improvement year-over-year. And cash flow outflows for the quarter included a $184 million deployed to M&A, $8 million to our dividend payment and $3 million for share repurchases. M&A remains our top priority for capital allocation and we continue to expect M&A to be our primary usage of cash. I will now turn the call back to Vicente to discuss our segments.

15 fastest growing industries in the world

Christian Lagerek/Shutterstock.com

Vicente Reynal: Thanks, Vik. On Slide 12, our Industrial Technologies and Services segment delivered strong year-over-year organic revenue growth of 22%, with volume growth outpacing growth from pricing. Adjusted EBITDA increased 24% year-over-year with an adjusted EBITDA margin of 27.4%, up 170 basis points from prior year with an incremental margin of 38%. We also delivered sequential margin expansion of 120 basis points from Q3 to Q4. We continue to see solid demand for our products with organic orders up 4%. Note that on a two-year stack the ITS segment organic orders grew more than 20%. Moving to the individual product categories. Each of the figures exclude the negative impact of OpEx, which year-over-year was (ph) percentage point headwind across the total segment on both orders and revenue.

Starting with compressors, we saw orders up in the low-single digits and we continue to see oil free products orders outpacing oil lubricated products. Orders were down mid-single digits in the Americas, driven by a large order push from Q4 to the first quarter of 2023. EMEIA demand continues to be above market, with orders up mid-single digits. The Asia-Pacific team continues to deliver great performance with orders growth in the mid-teens, which is impressive when you think about that our team in China delivered double digit growth even throughout the COVID-related closures and disruptions. In vacuum and blowers, orders were up low-20%s level. And the power tool and lifting global orders grew mid-single digits. Moving to the innovation in action portion of the slide, we're highlighting our footprint expansion in India, which is another organic investment initiatives we're drive.

We have seen significant growth in India and we continue to drive opportunities for in region for region manufacturing, which is driving the need for increase in our footprint. Turning to Slide 13. Revenue in the Precision and Science Technologies segment grew 9% organically. Additionally, the PST team delivered adjusted EBITDA of $93 million, which was up 20% year-over-year, with incremental margins of over 80%. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 30.1%, up 330 basis points year-over-year. We continue to see sequential improvement in our adjusted EBITDA margins driven by price/cost improvement and synergy delivery on our recently completed M&A, such as Seepex. Organic orders were down 2% year-over-year as Q4 comps were challenged due to headwinds from a single large hydrogen order intake in Q4 of 2021, which will deliver a network of refueling stations in New Zealand.

Adjusting for these hydrogen order, normalized organic orders were up slightly. And on a two-year stack, organic orders are up double digits. For our PST innovation in action, we're highlighting our EVO Electric Diaphragm Pump. This recently launched product is the only-electric triple-chamber diaphragm pump in the market. The EVO Series pump is utilizing high-growth end markets, such as electric vehicle batteries, specialty chemical manufacturing and food and beverage applications. This product offers significant energy savings, leading to faster payback times for our customers. And this is yet another perfect example of sustainability as a growth driver and our focus on high-growth sustainable end markets, enabling us to deliver double-digit earnings growth.

As we move to Slide 14, we're introducing our 2023 guidance. Total company revenue is expected to grow between 7% to 9%, with the first half growth of 9% to 11% and the second half growth of 4% to 6%. We anticipate organic orders growth of 3% to 5%, where price is approximately 70% and volume 30%. FX is expected to contribute approximately 1% of a headwind for the year, of which the impact will primarily be realized in the first half of the year. M&A is projected at $270 million, which reflects all completed and closed M&A transactions in 2022 as well as the acquisition of SPX Flow Air Treatment and Paragon Tank Truck. Corporate costs are planned at $140 million and will be incurred evenly per quarter throughout the year. The year-over-year increase is largely driven by investment in IIoT and demand generation.

Total adjusted EBITDA for the company is expected to be in the range of $1.57 billion and $1.63 billion. At the bottom of the table, we're introducing adjusted EPS guidance. While we have not historically guided EPS, we will now include (ph) metrics moving forward. Adjusted EPS is projected to fall within the range of $2.48 and $2.58. We anticipate our adjusted tax rate to be in the low-20%s, interest expense to be approximately $165 million and CapEx to be around 2% of revenue. The right hand side of the page includes a 2023 full year guidance bridge showing the growth associated with operational activity and the headwinds associated with interest expenses, FX and changes in the adjusted tax rate. Based on the above guidance, adjusted EPS growth attributed to operational performance, is approximately 13% to 17%, offset by approximately 8% in headwinds from interest expense, FX and the adjusted tax rate.

As we sit here in mid-February and to provide some Q1 commentary, it is worth noting that we have seen organic orders continue to be positive on a quarter-to-date basis through the first week of February, which is consistent with our expectations. Turning to Slide 15. As we wrap up today's call, I want to reiterate that Ingersoll Rand is in a solid position. We finished 2022 with strong Q4 results. We continue to monitor the dynamic market conditions, while remaining agile and prepared for any challenges that may come. To our employees, I want to thank you again for an excellent finish to the year. We delivered strong results by demonstrating our commitment to meet our financial targets and executing our economic growth engine through the strong use of IRX.

Thank you for your hard work, resiliency and focus actions. These results show the impact you have as owners of the company. Our balance sheet is strong. And with our disciplined and comprehensive capital allocation policy and strategy, we remain resilient and have the capacity to deploy capital to investments with the highest return as we continue our track record of market outperformance. With that, I will turn the call back to the operator and open for Q&A.

See also George Soros' Top 15 Holdings and 12 Most Profitable Utility Stocks.

To continue reading the Q&A session, please click here.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP)  A Dutch parliamentary inquiry released a damning report Friday into the government's handling of lucrative natural gas extraction that caused a string of earthquakes in the northern province of Groningen, saying that authorities put profits before people.

The interests of the people of Groningen have been structurally ignored in natural gas extraction in Groningen, with disastrous consequences for the people of Groningen, the commission said in a statement.

The conclusions in the nearly 2,000-page report are the latest damaging blow to the credibility of Dutch governments that have been led for more than a decade by Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who did not immediately react to the findings.

Hans Vijlbrief, the government's minister in charge of mines, said Friday was a day for the people of Groningen and not for political consequences.

I, myself, feel shame about what has happened here and that means we have to do something about it, he told reporters.

Gas was extracted in Groningen for decades by a consortium including energy giants Shell and ExxonMobil before the Dutch government, spurred into action by the quakes that were shaking homes in the region, took a decision in 2018 to gradually stop pumping gas out of the ground.

The Dutch state earned 363 billion euros from Groningen gas, the report said. Extraction from the Groningen field  one of the world's largest at 2,800 billion cubic meters  has now all but stopped, with only enough pumped to keep gas installations in the region operational. The field is not expected to re-open even amid the energy worries prompted by Russia's yearlong war in Ukraine.

Thousands of households are still waiting for their homes to be strengthened after years of shaking damaged buildings. Thousands more are awaiting compensation.

An organization that represents many of them, Groninger Bodem Beweging, said the inquiry report could be summed up with the words: Too little, too late, and called for action from the government.

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The commission said the government and energy companies used what they called security of supply as a smoke screen.

It made a string of recommendations, including that the government make the processing of claims for damage easier, ensure enough money is available for compensation and strengthen the role of the country's mining regulator.

Marjan van Loon, president director of Shell Netherlands, said the report was right to focus on the plight of people in Groningen.

Groningen residents bore a large part of the burden of gas production and saw only a small part of the benefits, she said in a written statement.

"As a company, we have important lessons to learn here. Looking to the future, we believe that things can and must be improved. We are therefore engaged in discussions with the government to find a way to make this happen, she added.

ExxonMobil did not immediately react.
Beer is balanced on the end of the gun on a Leopard tank to demonstrate its steadiness

When Germanys military wanted to show off the Leopard 2 in 1986, it turned to the traditional jug of beer.

With a full stein perched on the end of its gun barrel, the 60-tonne vehicle set off along a forest track, hurtling over the rough terrain without spilling a drop.

More than just a party trick, the feat was meant to show how the tanks advanced stabilisation system would enable it to hit targets while on the move  a vital capability if it was to stand any chance on the battlefield if the Cold War turned hot.

Western military planners believed their tanks would be outnumbered 10 to one in the event of war on the plains of eastern Europe.

Nearly 40 years on, Ukraine is desperate to get hold of the tanks to fight off in a conflict that closely resembles the one the Leopard 2 was designed for.

For months Ukrainian officials, including Volodymyr Zelensky, have been calling for Berlin to donate some of its tanks and let Kyivs other allies, many of whom also operate the Leopard 2, to do the same.

One of the German defence industrys biggest success stories, some 2,000 Leopard 2 tanks can be found in the inventories of more than a dozen Nato militaries.

Their widespread availability alone makes them an ideal choice to help Ukraines forces tip the balance against the Kremlin.

Britain became the first country to announce it would send a main battle tank to Ukraine when it promised a squadron of 14 Challenger 2s.

While British military officials concede that the Challenger 2s will not be enough to swing the war in Ukraines favour by themselves, they argue it is the first step towards creating a critical mass of armour that would allow its armed forces to force Russia out of the country.

Tankers believe deliveries of the German-made tank would give Ukraine a much better chance of defeating Russias most advanced tanks and breaking through its defences.

The Leopard 2 was developed for the West German army in the Seventies and entered into service at the end of that decade. Powered by a diesel engine, it is equipped with a powerful 120mm (4.72in) cannon and advanced night vision.

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It is faster and more nimble than the Challenger 2, but carries less armour.

Justin Crump, a former tank commander with the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars and with 20 years experience, said that the comparison was similar to that of a Rolls Royce versus a BMW, with advantages to both tanks.

With so many Leopards fielded by Europes armies, especially those close to its borders, repairs and maintenance would be easy, with an abundance of spare parts close by.

The Challenger 2, by comparison, requires at least two sets of tools because the turret uses metric measurements and the hull imperial.

The Leopard was designed to be operated by a team of civilian soldiers, Mr Crump said.

Germany Leopard tanks Ukraine invasion Russia war - Maja Hitij/Getty Images

For example, the Leopard uses single-piece ammo, rather than the warhead and propellant charges being separated, making it easier to train crew as loaders, he said.

Unlike the Challenger 2, the Leopard has a Nato standard 120mm gun, meaning that several countries can supply ammunition for it.

The Leopard 2 rightly has an excellent reputation around the world, Ralf Raths, the head of Germanys Tank Museum, told broadcaster ARD.

However, he warned that it is not an indestructible game changer and that its effectiveness will depend on how many are delivered and whether it is supported by the right weapons systems in battle.

He also pointed out that the tank was ultimately never called into service in the Cold War, and as a result, has rarely seen combat.

Germany is expected to announce a donation of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, bowing to weeks of international pressure.

Olaf Scholz, the country's chancellor, is reportedly preparing to send 14 tanks.

Berlin is also expected to allow other countries, such as Poland, to re-export German-made Leopard 2s.

Under international agreements, other countries must be granted permission by Berlin to send their Leopard 2s.

Officials in Kyiv have suggested a dozen nations were willing to donate a total of up to 100 of them, if given permission by the German government.
By Jonathan Saul

LONDON (Reuters) - Insurers are facing half a billion dollars in claims for up to 60 commercial ships still stuck in Ukraine a year after the start of the war with Russia, industry sources said.

When the conflict started, more than 90 merchant ships - many with food cargoes onboard - and some 2,000 crew members were caught in Ukraine and unable to leave due to the fighting.

Curtailed shipments from major grain exporter Ukraine played a role in the resulting global food crisis.

According to shipping and insurance industry assessments, there are still between 40 and 60 ships stranded, and ship owners can claim a total loss for vessels stuck for a year from their insurers.

With insurers already grappling with exposure to commercial aircraft caught up in Russia, the prospect of payouts will likely translate into higher costs for shipments from the region.

A senior industry source said exposure for the ships currently stuck was estimated at $500 million. "While aviation will be bigger, there are going to be claims," said another.

London-listed Taylor Maritime Investments is among ship operators with a vessel and its corn cargo still in Ukraine. The company has tried to protect its asset through insurance, its chief executive Edward Buttery said.

"We have kept (insurance) cover in place for the duration. It cost a lot of money, but the ship is worth considerably more," he told Reuters. "The liabilities for those people who have ships stuck there, to get those ships out - its a real headache."

Despite military gains, many of Ukraine's ports are still impacted by fighting, with floating mines around the Black Sea area adding to risks.

The largest port, Odesa, is part of a U.N.-backed deal enabling grain to leave three of Ukraine's Black Sea ports, which has allowed some ships to sail.

It has prioritised the exit of dry bulk ships, but an estimated five vessels, including the Joseph Schulte container ship, remain stuck there.

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Germany's BSM, which manages the Joseph Schulte, has been trying to get the vessel out of Odesa for a year so far without success, a group spokesperson said.

Other Ukrainian ports not part of the U.N. arrangement - including no. 2 grains terminal Mykolaiv, where industry estimates suggest more than 25 ships are still stuck - remain blocked.

More than 300 mariners are still stranded, and in an open letter shipping associations called on the U.N. this week to evacuate the seafarers, saying "simply doing their jobs cannot come at the expense of their lives".

Kitack Lim, Secretary-General of U.N. shipping agency the International Maritime Organization, said on Friday he was pursuing "all avenues ... to allow for the safe departure of the stranded vessels and seafarers".

In the meantime, with the Black Sea already listed as a high risk zone by the London insurance market, additional war risk insurance premiums of tens of thousands of dollars a day are common costs now alongside fuel and freight.

Since Jan. 1, when policies are renewed, reinsurers that provide financial protection for insurance companies have added exclusions for ships and planes for Belarus, Russia and Ukraine.

Since the introduction of exclusions this year, insurers who provide cover don't have the cushion of reinsurance against big claims.

"There is not much we can do, but wait and try to understand what is going on," Frederic Denefle, president of marine insurer association IUMI, said.

One of the difficulties emerging is if an underwriter pays a constructive total loss and then takes ownership of the ship in Ukraine, "which is the last thing they want to do", said Marcus Baker, global head of marine and cargo with risk advisory and insurance broker Marsh.

"It will be interesting to see how the market settles these claims," he said. "There is going to be some form of constructive agreement I suspect, but then that owner will have to buy war risk insurance all over again."

"If the ship is stuck there for another 12 months, will they get paid twice? No one has come across this situation in this level of detail before."

(Reporting by Jonathan Saul; Editing by Veronica Brown and Jan Harvey)
The family of an international student who officials say was killed by her boyfriend has been awarded $5 million in a settlement with the University of Utah.

Haoyu Wang injected 19-year-old Zhifan Dong, an international student from China, with a lethal dose of heroin and fentanyl on Feb. 11, 2022, according to a July news release from the University of Utah.

Wang, 26, who news outlets report was also an international student at the University of Utah, was charged with first-degree murder, the university said.





An attorney representing Wang previously entered a not guilty plea on his behalf, NBC News reported. The attorney told the outlet in July that we are prepared to move forward to trial and to vigorously defend against the claims made against him to a jury of his peers and that there are mental health issues concerning everyone involved in this case that will need to be addressed prior to trial.

McClatchy News has reached out to the attorney for further comment.

Wang remains incarcerated and is awaiting trial, KSL reported.

In a settlement agreement reached with Dongs family on Feb. 21, the university acknowledged shortcomings in the response of its housing and residential education team to the complex situation that led up to Dongs death.

Our campus continues to mourn the death of Zhifan Dong, university president Taylor Randall said in a statement about the settlement. Todays settlement demonstrates our seriousness in honoring Zhifan Dong and reaffirming our commitment to the ongoing work of addressing all aspects of student safety.

In its July 19 release, the university said that it had addressed the deficiencies, including insufficient and unprofessional communications, a need for clarity in housing staff training and a delay in staff members notifying police and other university leaders about warning signs of intimate partner violence.

When it comes to protecting our students, our job is never done, Randall said in a letter sent to students, according to the universitys release. Ive challenged university senior leaders to leave no stone unturned as we seek additional ways to enhance safety.

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No complaint was filed against the university, but attorneys representing Dongs family said in a statement that the settlement represented a step toward justice for Dong.

The Dong Family is grateful to close this chapter of their journey for justice for their daughter, Brian Stewart, an attorney with Parker & McConkie, said in a statement. They sincerely hope that Zhifans memory will inspire others to help prevent intimate partner violence and save lives on campus and in all our communities.

The Utah legislature must approve the settlement before the money can be paid to the family, according to the University of Utah. Settlements over $1 million must be approved by the governor and the state legislature, according to the Utah state code. The governor has already approved the settlement, according to the university.

Dongs killing

Dong was found dead at a Quality Inn in Salt Lake City on Feb. 11, 2022, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.





Wang, who the outlet identified as Dongs boyfriend, had sent an email to a University of Utah employee saying that he and Dong were planning to use drugs to have a painless death and would be dead before anyone found them, according to the outlet.

Wang, who later told police that hed bought the drugs on the dark net using bitcoin, said both he and Dong took the drugs, and then Dong became unresponsive, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

He said he noticed she was having trouble breathing, and he injected her with heroin with the intent to kill her and relieve her suffering, ABC4 reported, citing court records.





In a timeline of events released by the university, housing staff were delayed in notifying university police and other campus authorities of indications that there may have been an active intimate partner violence situation involving the two students.





Salt Lake City police had previously arrested Wang on Jan. 12 after they said he hit Dong in the head during an argument, according to the university.

The incident was not reported to the universitys Office of Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action, and Title IX; Office of the Dean of Students or the campus police, as required by university policy, the statement says.

University Safety leaders did not learn about the history of violence until Dong was reported missing on Feb. 8, according to the university.

She was found dead at the Quality Inn on Feb. 11 by university police who pinged her cellphone, according to ABC4.

No life should ever end in such tragic circumstances, the universitys chief safety officer Keith Squires said in a statement. As soon as our police learned of the intimate partner violence between these two students, our officers launched a comprehensive and deliberate search for Zhifan Dong and Haoyu Wang in coordination with Salt Lake City Police. We remain saddened that we were unable to locate them in time.

Another settlement

The family of Lauren McCluskey reached a $13.5 million settlement with the University of Utah after she was shot and killed by her ex-boyfriend.







In 2020, the University of Utah settled a lawsuit for $10.5 million and agreed to donate $3 million to the foundation honoring a student athlete who authorities said was killed by her ex-boyfriend, according to ABC News.

Lauren McCluskey, 21, was found shot to death in a car in 2018, McClatchy News previously reported. Her former boyfriend, Melvin Rowland, 37, then died by suicide.

In a complaint filed against the university, McCluskeys parents said that university officials dismissed their daughters requests for help before she was killed, according to ABC. Then-university president Ruth V. Watkins said during a press conference at the time that the university had failed McCluskey and her family, the outlet reported.

Watkins also committed to improving campus safety, according to WGAU Radio.





Her short life on earth was not in vain

She was the apple of our eye, Zhifan Dongs parents said in a statement.







Dong, who was her parents only child, was a beautiful and capable young woman, they said in a statement that was translated into English from Mandarin and shared by their lawyers.

She was a good friend and a loving daughter who had many respectable traits, the statement says.

In these short nineteen years, she lived a rich and fulfilling life, the statement says. ... Her short life on earth was not in vain.

Her parents said that they dont want to believe that Dong is really dead and that they sometimes feel she is still with them.

The loss makes us very sad, leaving us only endless sadness and longing, and too many regrets, the statement says. When we shed tears and choked up over the pictures of our daughter, her lovely smiling face and familiar voice replayed in our minds over and over again.

They also said they hoped their daughters memory could be an inspiration to others to help prevent intimate partner violence both on campuses and in communities.

We hope she will inspire other victims to seek help and to leave their abusers, the statement says.

As part of the settlement agreement, the university said it will establish a memorial on campus in Dongs honor.

If you are experiencing domestic violence and need someone to talk to, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline for support at 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health or suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800 273-8255 or text the Crisis Text Line at 741741.

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Iowas public universities should expand distance education offerings, including allowing students at one state university to take courses from another, Board of Regents staff members recommended Wednesday.

Regents Chief Academic Officer Rachel Boon presented the annual distance education report and representatives for the University of Iowa, the University of Northern Iowa, and Iowa State University presented updates at the regents meeting.

The report recommendations included an initial focus on expanding graduate and professional offerings before undergraduate expansion and promoting current offerings.

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The boards goal was (to) figure out how to do more distance education, she said. It seems to be a thing thats serving students well.

The regents task force recommended the Statewide Extension, Continuing and Distance Education Council also update its structure to align with the current and future means of distance education. The council should review its charge and activities on an annual basis to establish clear goals and tasks, according to the presentation.

Another recommendation was to design a general education course sharing opportunity. According to the meeting documents, it would allow students at one university to take courses from the other two universities.

Boon said this will come from looking at course utilization data to see where this will be the most beneficial to students and universities alike.

Creating an inventory of joint programs where the institutions already, sort of, mutually support each other with certain programs, she said. Right now were digging in on where some of the barriers are on some of the course sharing opportunities and focusing in really on the bachelors of liberal studies, which is a degree all three universities have that is structured fairly similarly across all three.

The overall report

The distance education report showed the number of programs has increased from 183 to 204 since the 2017-18 academic year. Course sections went down in the 2021-22 academic year by more than 2,000 offerings from 2020-2021.

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Nearly 1.1 million students enrolled in non-credit courses in 2021 and 2022, according to the report, nearly doubling the 2020-21 numbers.

All three universities had more students enrolled in distance education courses last year than before the pandemic.

The 2020-21 academic year had a large increase in distance education due to pandemic response efforts, but in 2021-22 numbers reverted to the upward trend that began before the pandemic, the report reads.

Universities update programs

Iowas three public institutions have updated their online and distance education programs in recent years to improve students experiences.

ISU began Iowa State Online, a completely online education opportunity, in January. It was built in response to the regents 2021-22 Distance Education Task Force and and ISU Online Learning Strategy Task Force in 2021.

Inaugural Director of Iowa State Online Susan Arendt said one of its goals is to grow ISUs online market share while focusing program innovation and market development tailored to Iowa businesses and employees. Tailoring courses to regional workforce needs was one of the goals presented by Boon.

The UI currently has 11 graduate and seven undergraduate online programs. There are nearly 3,400 students enrolled in only online classes.

UI Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education Tanya Uden-Holman said students take about three to five online courses during their time at the university.

The university conducted the Online Course Review Project and audited more than 1,000 course sections that were not moved online because of COVID. Course review will now take place every three years and colleges will prioritize course development and redesign, which is inline with Boons presentation.

It still remains a smaller percentage of our course offerings, Uden-Holman said, responding to a question about these classes replacing traditional in-person learning. We do believe its very important to offer that flexibility, however we are obviously a residential campus and having that in-person experience is very important to our students.

Karen Cunningham, associate dean and director of online education at UNI, said the UNI, Des Moines Area Community College partnership expanded to offer all online programs to students in the partnership.

UNI also launched a new Management: Business Administration online program in 2022.

There are multiple new online undergraduate academic programs, including one for paraeducators and accounting. They were built in response to a lack of educators and accounting professionals in the state, Cunningham said. There are new online graduate programs for students looking to go into mental health counseling, education, and interdisciplinary studies.

Cunningham and ISU Associate Provost Ann Marie VanDerZanden agreed with Uden-Holman and said their online programs are not a replacement for in-person opportunities. Residential programs remain the core of the three institutions while online classes are offered to meet workplace and flexibility needs.

Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on Facebook and Twitter.
An Iowa City man has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison following his guilty plea to two counts of receiving child pornography.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Iowa said Iowa City police, who investigated the case, found Luke Kenneth Beckner, 21, used his cellphone and social media accounts such as Snapchat to arrange meetings with at least two underage girls, one of whom was 14, and solicit pornography and sex from them.

The prosecutors said in a news release that court documents in the case showed Beckner, who was sentenced Feb. 21, also distributed some of the pornographic images to two minors and another person. Court documents also show that Beckner provided marijuana to a minor in December 2020.

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Beckner was ordered to serve an eight-year term of supervised release following his prison term.

Resources in Iowa if you or someone you know is experiencing sexual abuse

Call the Iowa Department of Human Services to report child sexual abuse: 800-362-2178.

The Stop It Now! Help Center: 888-PREVENT.

The Iowa Sexual Abuse Hotline, 800-284-7821, provides information, support and advocacy to victims and survivors of sexual abuse and their loved ones. Services are available to people 13 and older.

The National Sexual Assault Hotline, 800-656-4673

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: Child porn conviction gets Iowa City man 14-year prison sencence
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Iranian state television on Friday offered an extended defense against an accusation attributed to international inspectors that it enriched uranium to 84% purity, with an official calling it part of a conspiracy against Tehran amid tensions over its nuclear program.

The comments by Behrouz Kamalvandi, a spokesman for Iran's civilian nuclear program, sought to portray any detection of uranium particles enriched to that level as a momentary side effect of trying to reach a finished product of 60% purity  which Tehran already has announced it is producing.

However, uranium at 84% is nearly at weapons-grade levels of 90%  meaning any stockpile of that material could be quickly used to produce an atomic bomb if Iran chooses. Tehran has long insisted its program is for peaceful purposes, though the International Atomic Energy Agency, Western intelligence agencies and nonproliferation experts say Iran pursued a secret nuclear weapons program up until 2003.

The allegation that IAEA inspectors found 84% enriched uranium threatens to further escalate tensions between Iran and the West. Already, Israel's recently reinstalled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened military actions against Tehran. Meanwhile, Iran faced continued unrest Friday amid months of protests.

Bloomberg first reported Sunday that inspectors had detected uranium particles enriched up to 84%. The IAEA, a United Nations nuclear agency based in Vienna, has not denied the report, saying only that the IAEA is discussing with Iran the results of recent agency verification activities.

In an interview with Iranian state television's English-language arm, Press TV, highlighted on Friday, Kamalvandi dismissed what inspectors may have found as a particle of an atom that cannot be seen even under a microscope." He described Iran's uranium centrifuge cascades as producing particles at varying purity that later form a final product of 60% enriched uranium.

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It doesnt matter because the end product is what matters, Kamalvandi said. If we really want to enrich 20% more, we will announce it very easily. So it is clear that there is a conspiracy here.

Iran's 2015 nuclear deal limited Tehran's uranium enrichment to 3.67%  enough to fuel a nuclear power plant. The United States unilaterally withdrew from the accord in 2018. Since then, a shadow war between Israel and Iran has erupted across the wider Middle East.

Iran now produces uranium enriched to 60% purity  a level for which nonproliferation experts already say Tehran has no civilian use. Any accusation of enrichment higher than that further ratchets up tension over the program, something Iran has appeared to acknowledge through a series of comments this week about the allegation attributed to the international inspectors.

However, many questions remain over the allegations attributed to IAEA inspectors and Iran's explanation.

"There are variances in enrichment levels but usually not the the degree Iran is claiming," said Daryl G. Kimball, the executive director of the Washington-based Arms Control Association. Until the IAEA provides more information, including on the sampling and the methods of their analysis, we cannot be sure.

It may also be possible that Iran is testing the political response to enrichment of very small amounts of uranium at higher levels, and closer to bomb grade, or, less likely, they got caught experimenting with new centrifuge cascade configurations and how quickly they could enrich uranium to higher levels.

While the IAEAs director-general has warned Iran now has enough uranium to produce several nuclear bombs if it chooses, it likely would take months more to build a weapon and potentially miniaturize it to put on a missile. As recently as last March, the U.S. intelligence community assessed Iran is not currently undertaking the key nuclear weapons-development activities that we judge would be necessary to produce a nuclear device.

Meanwhile late Thursday night, online videos showed explosions and anti-aircraft fire in Karaj, a city about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of the Iranian capital, Tehran. Tracer rounds lit up the night sky, with the thud of blasts heard in the videos.

Irans state-run IRNA news agency later attributed the activity to an unannounced drill at a base for the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. In 2021, a suspected Israeli strike drone damaged a centrifuge assembly facility in Karaj.

Also Friday, online videos showed weekly protests resuming around the city of Zahedan in Iran's restive southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan. Internet monitoring group NetBlocks reported significant disruptions to the internet around Zahedan as a prominent Sunni cleric issued a statement saying a live stream of his Friday sermon was disrupted.

In his sermon, the cleric Abdolhamid Ismaeelzahi told those in Iran's government if you cannot solve the people's problems, leave and let someone come who can," activists said.
After an Israeli bombing killed 11 Palestinians in the West Bank city of Nablus, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that the Biden administration is closely monitoring the recent escalation of longtime tensions in the region. "Yesterday's events further underscore the urgent need for both sides to take steps that de-escalate tensions, prevent further loss of civilian life, and work together to improve the security situation in the West Bank," she said. She also noted that NSC officials in the region plan to meet with leaders of several Middle Eastern nations in the coming days to discuss further action.

Video Transcript

- We're seeing violence escalate in the Middle East. And I know-- I think we all know the president's stated position on Israeli security and Palestinian statehood, but what can this administration do right now to keep that from spiraling out of control?

KARINE JEAN-PIEERE: So let me just speak to the most recent violence that we have seen in Israel. I know my colleagues at the State Department spoke to this yesterday, and I just wanted to reiterate because I think it's important for us to reiterate from here at the podium. We're tracking the Israeli raid in Nablus very closely and mourn the loss of civilian lives. We hope for the speedy recovery of those injured.

While we recognize the very real security concerns facing Israel in the West Bank and Garza, we are extremely concerned by the ongoing violence. We urge Israel and Palestinian Authority to protect against further loss of civilian life. Yesterday's events further underscored the urgent need for both sides to take steps that de-escalate tensions, prevent further loss of civilian life, and work together to improve the security situation in the West Bank. And that's what we think we need to be doing together.

One thing I do want to just read out a little bit here-- the National Security Council coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, Brett McGurk, is currently in the Middle East-North Africa region with an interagency delegation for a series of diplomatic engagements. His trip will include stops in Egypt, Jordan, Oman, UAE. And we don't have anything further to preview on this engagement at this time. But this is something, clearly, that we take very seriously. You know Secretary Blinken was in the region recently. And so again, we're going to continue to call out the concerns that we're seeing. And I'll just leave it there for now.
JERUSALEM (AP)  Israeli settlers shot and seriously wounded two Palestinians in the north of the occupied West Bank early on Friday, Palestinian health officials said, in what authorities describe as the latest incident in a wave of settler violence.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said the two were being treated at a hospital in the village of Qusra, near the West Bank city of Nablus. It did not identify the men.

A group of armed settlers from a nearby outpost descended on the village and Palestinians went into the street to see what was happening late Thursday, said Ghassan Douglas, the Palestinian official who monitors Israeli settlements in the Nablus region.

After midnight, one of the settlers opened fire at the residents, hitting one man in the stomach and another in the thigh. Douglas said the shooting was unprovoked.

The Israeli army said soldiers arrived to disperse the confrontation. It said it was aware Palestinians were evacuated to a hospital with gunshot wounds. Israeli police said they were investigating.

Nablus was the scene of an Israeli military raid that set off a fierce gunbattle on Wednesday, killing 10 Palestinians, including two men aged 72 and 61, and a 16-year-old boy, and wounded scores of others. Palestinian militant groups claimed six of the dead as members.

The bloodshed extended one of the deadliest periods in years in the West Bank, where dozens of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the start of the year. Palestinian attacks on Israelis in 2023 have killed 11 people.

Following Friday prayers at the Dome of the Rock Mosque in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem, Palestinians chanted and protested against the deadly raid in Nablus, as well as a crackdown on Palestinian prisoners by Israels right-wing government.

The northern West Bank in particular has seen a surge of settler attacks. Many villages in the area have gradually become sandwiched between settlements and unauthorized outposts that house particularly ideological settlers.

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Last month, leading Israeli human rights group B'Tselem recorded a string of incidents near Nablus  from settlers attacking Palestinians with stones in Qusra to torching Palestinian cars in Aqraba. Earlier this month, a settler shot and killed a Palestinian in the farming town of Salfit.

This kind of event we are now seeing here every few weeks," said Douglas, describing the settler violence as an attempt to push villagers off their land.

The United Nations recorded over 848 settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank last year, up from 538 in 2021. That includes property damage as well as physical assaults. The U.N.'s humanitarian office said it was the highest number it had recorded since 2006. So far this year, there have been 72 such attacks, it added.

Israel captured the West Bank, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Mideast war. Palestinians seek those lands for a hoped-for independent state. At least 700,000 Israeli settlers now live in dozens of settlements that spread across the West Bank and are protected by the Israeli military.
By Emily Rose

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Drama therapist Yael Drori left bustling Jerusalem 16 years ago to live in an unrecognised outpost in the Israeli occupied West Bank. As a youth, she was active in the Israeli settler movement supporting new communities in the West Bank and protesting against Israeli disengagement from Jewish communities in Gaza.

She moved to the West Bank out of ideology, but what she found was a sense of community. As the mother of a severely disabled child, she teared up explaining that her neighbours had become her "family".

Last week, Drori, 38, celebrated when the settlement of Givat Harel became one of nine to be recognised retroactively by Prime Minister Netanyahu's nationalist right-wing government.

"I thought it was something they promised but it would never happen, she said. "It was a good surprise that made me joyful.

Violence has surged in the West Bank in the past year with frequent clashes between the Israeli military and Palestinians. Authorisation of the settlements, which the government said was a response to Palestinian attacks, sparked U.N. denunciation.

Along with Gaza and East Jerusalem, the Palestinians seek the occupied West Bank for a state. Most world powers view settlements as illegally built on land Israel captured in a 1967 war with Arab powers.

Israel disputes that and cites biblical, historical and political links to the West Bank, as well as security interests. The first to publish the decisions by Netanyahu's security cabinet were two pro-settler politicians whose inclusion in the coalition he built after a Nov. 1 election had already signalled a hard-right tack.

In a sharp move, the U.N. Security Council issued a formal statement on Monday expressing deep concern about the Feb. 12 retroactive outpost recognition, saying the decision was dangerously imperilling the viability of the two-state solution based on the 1967 lines.

The statement was the first action the United States, with veto powers, has allowed the body to take against its ally Israel in six years.

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DREAM COME TRUE

According to Peace Now, an NGO which monitors settlement expansion, 132 settlements have been established in the West Bank with another 147 outposts not considered legal under Israeli law. In recent years, settlers have erected scores of outposts without government permission. Some have been razed by police, others authorised retroactively.

While Western powers found the authorisation unsettling, residents say it simply shows Israeli policy is catching up with facts on the ground which are changing, one structure at a time.

Givat Harel, established in 1998, is now home to some 90 families. Rocky terrain peaks out between patches of grass in the majestic hills. Winding high above the green valley below, the road up to the outpost is flanked by crops and signs advertising the communitys winery.

An hour outside Jerusalem, the lack of cars on the highway leaves a void filled with clean air and the sound of chirping birds echoing between the mountains. For the residents, Israeli authorisation was nothing short of a dream come true.

We didnt think it would happen so quickly, said resident Morya Tassan Michaeli. When we suddenly realised, it was 10 or 11 oclock at night and the excitement and elation emerged and the next day we gathered and danced and sang.

Power outages and basic infrastructure gaps are part of life in a settlement built without government approval. Drori says shes excited at the prospect of having an official postal address and paved sidewalks.

The streets of this community remain quiet during the day, most parents commute daily for work and high school children are often sent to boarding schools. Residents are now hopeful the recognition will lead to official bus routes, easier access and the ability to build and grow.

Palestinians say recognition and normalisation of settlements will hinder U.S. and Arab state peace efforts and lead to more tension and escalation.

'THIS IS OUR HOME'

Shirat Yulis, an architect and resident of Givat Harel, designs homes both in recognised and unrecognised communities where she says homeowners worry more about building something new. Recognition means prospective residents can take out a mortgage from a national bank.

Theres no happier person than me today, Yulis said. I know that now people can enjoy their homes.

In another triumph for the settler movement, a far-right Israeli cabinet minister formally gained responsibilities over Jewish settlements in the West Bank on Thursday that he said included bringing their legal status closer to that of communities within Israel.

Under the new division of powers, "legislation on all (settlement) civilian matters will be brought into line with Israeli law", as opposed to being classified under the military.

Critics and human rights organisations say this normalises the status of settlements. In practice for residents, it removes the need to go through military bureaucracy on matters of infrastructure and construction.

The clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli military wont deter residents like Michaeli. She said there had been waves of violence her entire life.

"Fear doesnt govern our lives, Michaeli said. "This is our life and this is our home.

If they approve a few more settlements, I dont think that will change anything in the calculation or thinking of the Palestinians, said Bracha Kaplan, a social worker who moved to Givat Harel 10 years ago.

"The question is whether one needs to ask for recognition from the outside or believe in what one is doing.

I raise my children to believe that this is our place and we dont have another. If this is our home and we wont have a partner for peace, then this is what we have.

(Reporting by Emily Rose; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Jake Paul has said he is in talks to fight Nate Diaz next, after he boxes Tommy Fury on Sunday.

YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul is set to take on Fury, half-brother of world heavyweight champion Tyson, in Saudi Arabia this weekend, following two failed attempts to make the bout.

Paul, 26, and Fury, 23, were due to fight each other in December 2021, but the latter withdrew while citing injury and illness. The contest was then rescheduled for August 2022, but travel issues prevented Briton Fury from reaching the US, where Paul is from and where the fight was set to take place.

The bout is now set for Sunday, but Paul already has one eye on his next outing, which could come against former UFC star Diaz.

Paul told Sky Sports: One hundred per cent. I think its a massive fight. Theres animosity there.

His team is ready, my team is ready. Were in talks. Pretty much everything is queued up, ready to go.

So, Im going to get through Sunday then move on to Nate Diaz.

Diaz submitted fellow American Tony Ferguson in September, in what was the fan favourites final bout on his UFC contract.

The 37-year-old has expressed a desire to box next, although Paul recently signed a contract with the Professional Fighters League, where he is due to make his mixed martial arts debut this year. It is, however, unlikely that Paul faces Diaz in MMA.

Paul is 6-0 as a professional boxer with four knockout wins. The 26-year-old last fought in October, outpointing UFC legend Anderson Silva, 47, and he holds KO victories over ex-UFC champion Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren, who fought in the UFC after winning gold in Bellator and ONE.
By Sakura Murakami and John Geddie

TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan is considering new sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, in step with moves by other Group of Seven (G7) countries, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Friday.

Speaking ahead of a call with other G7 leaders and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy due later on Friday, Kishida said he would present new ideas for sanctions but did not give any details.

Britain on Friday announced a new package of Russian sanctions, including export bans on every item used by Russia in war, while the United States has said it is also preparing new measures.

"Russia is refusing to change their hardline stance," Kishida told reporters at a news conference to mark the one-year anniversary of the invasion, which Moscow calls a "special military operation".

"The international community must come together and show solidarity and impose strong sanctions against Russia."

Last month, Japan tightened sanctions against Russia, including banning some exports and freezing the assets of Russian officials and entities.

It has not gone as far as some western countries, however, and Japanese firms have maintained stakes in Russian oil and gas projects seen as critical to Japan's energy supplies.

Kishida, who will host the G7 summit in Hiroshima in May, said he was considering travelling to Ukraine in a show of solidarity with the country. U.S. President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Kyiv earlier this week.

(Reporting by Sakura Murakami and John Geddie; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky, Alex Richardson and Catherine Evans)
By Blake Brittain

(Reuters) -A U.S. appeals court ordered Jazz Pharmaceuticals Inc on Friday to de-list a patent related to its blockbuster narcolepsy drug Xyrem from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's register of approved medications, in a win for rival drugmaker Avadel CNS Pharmaceuticals Inc.

The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit removes an obstacle for Avadel to sell its own narcolepsy drug Lumryz. Avadel stock was up 4.2% Friday afternoon following the ruling, and Jazz stock was down 1.4%.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission had backed Avadel in the case, telling the Federal Circuit that allowing the listing in the FDA's so-called Orange Book would harm customers and stifle competition.

The Orange Book lists all patents that cover an approved drug and methods for using it. Avadel argued successfully that Jazz's patent should be de-listed because it relates to distributing Xyrem, not the drug itself or how it is used.

The Federal Circuit said the inclusion of the patent was preventing the FDA from approving Lumryz until June 2023.

Jazz said in a statement Friday that it still believes the patent was properly listed in the Orange Book but intends to "fully comply" with the order.

Avadel CEO Greg Divis said the company was pleased with the decision and looks forward to "bringing Lumryz to the narcolepsy community, who have been deprived of a treatment option that could dramatically improve their quality of life."

The FTC declined to comment on the decision.

Avadel said in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Friday that it intends to seek final FDA approval for Lumryz after Jazz complies with the order.

Jazz sold over $1.8 billion of Xyrem in 2021, according to a company report. Both Lumryz and Xyrem use the same active ingredient, though Lumryz is meant to be taken once per night, and Xyrem is taken twice nightly.

The patent at the center of the case covers aspects of Jazz's distribution system, which controls access to narcolepsy drugs with a central pharmacy and computer database. It relates to a risk-mitigation strategy that the FDA required before approving Xyrem, whose active ingredient GHB can be misused as a date-rape drug.

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Jazz sued Avadel for infringing the patent and others in Delaware federal court in 2021, in a lawsuit that is still ongoing.

The case is Jazz Pharmaceuticals Inc v. Avadel CNS Pharmaceuticals LLC, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, No. 23-1186.

(Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington; Editing by Kim Coghill)
Jeff Bezos is the world's third-richest person, per Bloomberg. Mandel Ngan/Getty Images

Jeff Bezos collected France's prestigious Legion d'Honneur on February 16, Le Point reported.

The Amazon founder was given the award about a decade ago but hadn't collected it, per The Guardian.

French President Emmanuel Macron gave Bezos the award at a private, unannounced ceremony, per Le Point.

Jeff Bezos has finally collected France's most prestigious honor about a decade after it was awarded to him, French news magazine Le Point reported on Thursday.

President Emmanuel Macron presented the Amazon founder with the Legion d'honneur at a "secret" private ceremony on February 16, according to the report.

The ceremony, which was attended by a small group of elite guests, wasn't announced by the Elysee Palace, France's equivalent of the White House, and didn't appear in Macron's official calendar.

Le Point published a photograph of Macron sitting with Bezos, who's wearing a pale grey suit, inside the ornate Elysee Palace.

According to a report by The Guardian, Bezos was awarded the Legion d'honneur about a decade ago  well before Macron became president  and was simply collecting the medal during a visit to Paris.

However, the ceremony for the world's third-richest person who's worth $119 billion, per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, was held on the same day as nationwide strike action against Macron's plan to raise the retirement age in France to 64.

Le Point's revelations have sparked criticism of the president by some of his political opponents.

Francois Piquemal, a lawmaker for the left-wing La France Insoumise (Unbowed France) party tweeted: "Always and forever, everything for the rich, nothing for the people."

His colleague Alma Dufour condemned Macron for honoring a man whom she said had "contributed to the destruction of 85,000 retail jobs in France." She tweeted: "Tell me who your friends are, I'll tell you who you are."

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About 2,200 French citizens and 300 foreigners are awarded the Legion d'honneur annually. It's intended to honor individuals who've served France or upheld its ideals, according to the award's website.

Many past recipients were veterans of the Second World War, including former president Dwight D. Eisenhower.

It's also been issued to Bill and Melinda Gates for their charitable endeavors, as well as cultural figures including Steven Spielberg, Barbara Streisand, David Lynch and Martin Scorsese.

The Elysee Palace did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.

Read the original article on Business Insider
First lady Jill Biden indicated that President Biden will run for a second term, giving one of the strongest nods toward a 2024 bid from the presidents inner circle.

He says hes not done, Biden told The Associated Press in an interview in Kenya on Friday. Hes not finished what hes started. And thats whats important.

How many times does he have to say it for you to believe it? she added.

Biden has said that he intends to run for reelection but has not yet announced official plans. Bidens former chief of staff Ron Klain, a longtime close confidant of the presidents, also gave a strong nod recently when he said he will be by the presidents side when he runs again.

When asked if she has the deciding vote on Bidens 2024 plans, the first lady, who is considered one of his closest advisers, said of course hell listen to me because were a married couple.

He makes up his own mind, believe me, she added.

Biden is expected to make an official decision in the coming months but has made other nods to a reelection bid; in his State of the Union address, the president said about a dozen times that he wants to finish the job.

An official announcement in the spring would align with most of the presidents recent predecessors, including former President Obama who announced his reelection bid in early April 2011.

The first lady is on a five-day trip to Africa with her granddaughter, Naomi Biden. They arrived in Kenya on Friday after visiting Namibia on Wednesday and Thursday. Biden is the third U.S. official to visit Africa this year after Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

Her trip comes after the president announced at the end of the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in December that he will travel to sub-Saharan Africa in 2023. He said at the time that there will also be visits to Africa from other officials, including his wife.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia is demanding Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg answer his questions on the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio and improve safety inspections for trains.

The conservative Democrat sent a letter to the secretary on Friday about the train derailment, which occurred just 20 miles from the Ohio-West Virginia border.

I greatly appreciate the swift response of first responders and local and state officials, and am relieved there are no current reports that indicate West Virginians should be concerned for their air or water quality, Mr Manchin wrote in his letter. However, I understand the concerns raised by West Virginians and Ohioans in close proximity to the site. People deserve answers.

Mr Buttigieg has been criticised by Republicans and even some Democrats for his slow response to the derailment of a train carrying explosive materials in East Palestine, Ohio. Former president Donald Trump has criticised the Biden administrations response as well.

Mr Manchin, who represents a state that voted overwhelmingly for Mr Trump, has not announced whether he will seek another term in the Senate in 2024. He also serves as chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Mr Manchins letter cited a preliminary report from the the National Transportation Safety Board that found that a wheel bearing heated up miles before the derailment but did not reach a critical threshold until right before the accident.

This raises serious questions around equipment maintenance, inspections, and existing safety systems intended to prevent these accidents, Mr Manchin wrote, adding that in 2022, the Federal Railroad Administration reported 1,044 train derailments.

Since that time, rail infrastructure has played an increasingly important role in our domestic energy and chemical industries, Mr Manchin wrote. While that economic activity is welcome, we must protect the people of West Virginia and the other communities across the country who live along these corridors.

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Mr Manchin cited the fact that he supported the FRAs rule requiring Electronically-Controlled Pneumatic for trains carrying hazardous materials to have Electronically-Controlled Pneumatic brakes. But the Trump administration rolled back the regulation.

It has now been over 16 years since FRA first began studying ECP. As train lengths and weights have increased along with the tonnage we ship across the U.S. by freight rail in recent years, I encourage the FRA to revisit this cost-benefit analysis, he wrote. As I said then, we simply cant afford to be wrong.

Mr Buttigieg visited East Palestine on Thursday and criticised how the Trump administration had rolled back the regulations and never sent its Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to visit a train derailment site.
John Malkovich has reflected on his close friendship with Julian Sands after the British actor went missing on a hiking trip more than five weeks ago.

Sands  best known for his breakout movie, A Room With a View (1985)  was reported missing in the Mounty Baldy area of the San Gabriel mountains in California.

Efforts to track down the actor were repeatedly hampered by adverse weather conditions.

Malkovich stars alongside his closest friend Sands in Seneca  On the Creation of Earthquakes, which premiered at Berlin Film Festival this week.

I havent really talked about what happened with Jules, Malkovich told The Guardian in a new interview.

But, in a way, its a choice, because he was an inveterate mountain climber/hiker. He was always tramping off to Kilimanjaro, or Antarctica, or the Andes, or the Alps  a very experienced climber whod been through very hairy experiences.

Julian Sands (left) and John Malkovich (Getty Images)

I suppose the particular conditions on the ground that day on Mount Baldy must have led to some sort of catastrophic and immediate error that was irreversible. That was my instinct upon hearing it. But he knew what the conditions were, and thats what he loved to do. He found great solace in the solitude of that.

Malkovich added that Sands often went off on solo adventures, which is quite wild in itself, but hes a boy who grew up wild on the moors and  despite being someone who could be incredibly erudite and polished  had always kept that wild part of himself.

The two actors met on Roland Joffes 1984 drama about Cambodias Khmer Rouge regime, The Killing Fields.

The pair worked on a number of projects together, even living together, according to The Guardian. Malkovich explained that he knows his ex-wife Sarah Sands, former editor of the Evening Standard and Radio 4s Today programme, very well and is the godfather to their son, Henry.

Malkovich also introduced Sands to his wife, Evgenia. I love Jules. He was someone who was very, very clever, he said.

Earlier this week, the San Bernardino sheriffs department vowed to bring closure to Sands family, though, an imminent storm meant that search efforts would be again delayed for some time.

The actors family previously praised the heroic efforts of Californian authorities involved in the searches, and were deeply touched by the support they had received.
A federal judge ruled Thursday that former President Donald Trump can be deposed in a pair of lawsuits brought by two former FBI officials whom he has long publicly disparaged.

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson of Washington, D.C., ruled that former FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page would also be permitted to question FBI Director Christopher Wray.

The depositions must be limited to two hours and to a narrow set of topics that were discussed at a sealed hearing Thursday, the ruling said.

Strzok and Page, who were frequent targets of Trump during his presidency, filed separate lawsuits in 2019 against the Justice Department and the FBI alleging, in Page's case, privacy violations and, in Strzoks case, wrongful termination.

Strzok and Page made headlines in December 2017 when it was announced that they had been removed from then-special counsel Robert Muellers investigation over text messages that criticized Trump, including a message that referred to him as a loathsome human.

Pages lawsuit had argued that the text messages she exchanged with Strzok were released unlawfully. She also said attacks by Trump and his allies damaged her reputation, which limited her earning capacity, in addition to costing her an undisclosed amount in legal and therapy fees. Page resigned as the FBI's counsel in May 2018.

Page declined to comment on the judge's ruling.

A spokesperson for the FBI said, "In an effort to protect the integrity of pending litigation, the FBI has no comment."

Strzoks lawsuit argued that he was wrongly terminated for having sent private text messages critical of Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.

In one exchange, when Page asked for reassurance that Trump wouldnt be elected, Strzok replied: No hes not. Well stop it."

Trump had highlighted the text messages as evidence that the Russia investigation was a witch hunt, and he repeatedly demanded publicly that Strzok be fired.

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The FBIs Office of Professional Responsibility had recommended he be suspended and demoted for 60 days. But the FBIs deputy director at the time, David Bowdich, overruled the decision, fired Strzok and denied him the opportunity to appeal, which Strzok said violated FBI guidelines.

In his lawsuit, Strzok, a veteran of the FBI for more than two decades, sought reinstatement, back pay and other damages.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
LONDON (Reuters) -Tens of thousands of junior doctors in England will take strike action for three days from March 13 in a dispute over pay, the British Medical Association (BMA) said on Friday, adding to a series of walkouts by other staff in a strained health system.

Junior doctors - who agreed in 2019 to an annual 2% pay rise as part of a four-year deal but say that is now inadequate in light of much higher inflation.

"We are demoralised, angry and no longer willing to work for wages that have seen a real terms decline of over 26% in the past 15 years," the BMA, which represents nearly 50,000 junior doctors, said in a statement.

"This, together with the stress and exhaustion of working in an NHS in crisis, has brought us to this moment, brought us to a 72-hour walk out."

Junior doctors are qualified physicians, often with several years of experience, who work under the guidance of senior doctors and represent a sizeable chunk of Britain's workforce of doctors.

The strikes will heap more pressure on Britain's state-funded National Health Service which is already stretched by staff shortages and record backlogs, and is now experiencing waves of disruptive strike action by health workers.

While nurses have paused strikes scheduled for March as their union holds talks with the government, ambulance and other health workers are planning further strike action.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's deputy spokesperson said news of the junior doctors' strike was "disappointing".

"The Health Secretary met recently with the BMA to discuss what is fair and affordable, and we would encourage the unions to continue with dialogue rather than strike action," the spokesperson told reporters.

The Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association said the fewer than 1,000 junior doctors in its membership would also stage a separate three-day strike from March 13.

(Reporting by Farouq Suleiman and Alistair Smout, writing by Sachin Ravikumar, Editing by Paul Sandle)
Authorities have arrested a man suspected of sexually assaulting two Sacramento State students in separate attacks reported in the fall. He was found in Germany and is accused of fleeing the United States to avoid capture.

Nida Muhammad Niazy, 31, was taken into custody by German authorities with help from FBI agents and Interpol investigators, authorities announced Thursday afternoon in a news conference at the Sacramento County Sheriffs Office.

The first sexual assault  reported Sept. 20  occurred Aug. 21 near the campus, said Sacramento State Police Chief Chet Madison. He said the second sexual assault  reported Oct. 21  occurred Sept. 18 on campus. Authorities have not released any further details about the assaults.

The survivors, I want to commend them for their trust in contacting law enforcement, Madison said at the news conference. These cases, like the sheriff said, are always very difficult.

Investigators later identified Niazy as the suspect in the two sexual assaults and obtained an arrest warrant for him on Nov. 9 in Sacramento Superior Court. Madison said Niazy faces multiple felony charges stemming from the two reported sexual assaults.

Sacramento State Police Chief Chet Madison Jr., center, speaks at a news conference Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, about the arrest of Nida Muhammad Niazy, the man suspected of sexual assault around the Sacramento State campus. Niazy had identified himself as a Sacramento State student named Zayn. Chief Madison was joined by FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ragan, Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper, left, and other sheriffs department personnel at their offices on Orange Grove Avenue.

Authorities on Nov. 16 released photos of Niazy. The Police Department said it identified Niazy as the suspect by following up on investigative leads submitted by the public. Police said at the time that Niazy was not a student at California State University, Sacramento, although he had identified himself as a Sacramento State student named Zayn.

Detectives with the sheriffs Major Crimes Bureau, which assisted Sacramento State police in the investigation, later discovered Niazy was in Germany, said Sheriff Jim Cooper.

Thats their job to hunt down fugitives, Cooper said about his Major Crimes Bureau. Just good detective work, thats what it came down to.

Officials on Thursday declined to discuss how exactly investigators discovered Niazy was overseas.

Sean Ragan, special agent in charge of the FBI Sacramento field office, said the local investigators asked the FBI to help them find and apprehend Niazy. There are FBI agents and personnel assigned in over 60 different locations throughout the world, including in Germany.

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FBI agents in Germany, along with Interpol investigators, were asked to help find Niazy. He was arrested by German police on the Sacramento County warrant and a federal warrant on suspicion of unlawfully fleeing the United States to avoid prosecution.

Niazy on Thursday remained in custody in Germany awaiting extradition to face charges in Sacramento County, Ragan said. Its unclear when Niazy will be returned to the United States.

The investigation into the reported sexual assaults continues, and authorities are asking any other potential victims to come forward. Madison, however, said they did not have any information that links Niazy to any other reported sexual assaults at or near the campus.

Madison said Niazy does have relatives in Sacramento, but the police chief said he did not know how long Niazy had been in Sacramento County around the time of the reported assaults.

Other reported Sacramento State sexual assaults

There were multiple reports of sexual assault at or near the Sacramento State campus early in the current academic year. The two assaults that Niazy is accused of committing are among at least five between late September and early November, campus officials said.

In December, Sacramento State students led a town hall meeting to discuss the campus sexual assaults and demanded action from the Sacramento State police and school administrators, the universitys State Hornet newspaper reported.

Last month, Sacramento State President Robert S. Nelsen unveiled an action plan to address sexual violence and bolster campus safety measures. Campus officials want to streamline what the plan acknowledges as a cumbersome reporting process for victims of sexual violence.

The plan includes the hiring of additional community service officers, social workers and complaint or Title IX officers. It also includes upgrades to lighting at problem locations, along with creating and promoting resources, including videos and information campaigns regarding available services, such as campus safety escorts and counseling.
Kentucky counties that produce bourbon say a proposed tax break for the industry would decimate their budgets.

House Bill 5, filed by House Appropriations & Revenue Chair Jason Petrie, R-Elkton, and co-sponsored by the House Speaker proposes to phase out a state and local property tax on bourbon barrels starting in 2026 and completely eliminate it by 2039.

Last year, distilleries paid about $33 million in barrel taxes. But about a third of that has already been refunded under another tax break passed in 2014.

The rest goes to about 28 counties and some cities, which collectively receive more than $18.5 million annually in barrel tax revenue, which they stand to lose under the proposed legislation.

Nelson, Franklin, Bullitt, Jefferson, Anderson, Marion and Woodford counties will be impacted the most, according to revenue loss projections prepared last summer for lawmakers on the Bourbon Barrel Taxation Task Force.

Losing that, even a little bit at a time, will have a devastating impact, according to local officials, who pointed to record growth, including $2.1 billion in expansion plans announced in 2022 in Kentuckys signature industry as proof the tax break isnt needed.

I think its just greed, flat out greed, said Tim Hutchins, Nelson County Judge Executive. His county is home to Heaven Hill, Barton, Bardstown Bourbon Co., Willett and other distilleries and receives the most barrel tax revenue.

Bourbons making record profits, and they want all the tax breaks. I dont have no sympathy for them whatsoever, zero, Hutchins said.

House Speaker David Osborne, R-Prospect, said this week that he believes the House will take pretty quick action on the bill.

Osborne framed the tax as a job killer, arguing that companies would start moving jobs to other states if the tax remains. He pointed to distilling giant Sazerac buying property in Southern Indiana as a source of concern.

Its a bad tax. Its a job killer tax. Ultimately, while I understand that the counties have become reliant on it, the tax is going away whether we pass it or not, Osborne said.

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He also said that counties would have plenty of time to figure out how to make up for the tax given the bills approach to incrementally phase out the tax by 2039.

This is a systematic elimination of it that even allows for growth over the next three years, and then phasing it out, Osborne said.

Nelson County would lose $6.3 million, much of which goes for schools, the library and the county budget, while the city of Bardstown would lose nearly $2 million, according to an estimate produced for the Bourbon Barrel Tax Task Force last summer.

And because Nelson County has given its own tax break -- more than $1 billion in industrial revenue bonds to exempt barrel warehouses from property taxes -- the impact would be even greater, he said.

Hutchins said that his county would not be able to make up the difference even by increasing in property taxes to residents.

The schools will get some back in SEEK funding but at the end of the day, if we want to keep providing services, people are going to have to make a decision, Hutchins said. Property taxes can only take a 4 percent increase a year by state law, so that leaves you upside down.

Bullitt County Judge Executive Jerry Summers said his county, which is home to Jim Beam and Four Roses warehouses, will be a huge economic blow.

He estimated that one fire department, the one that services the barrel warehouses, will have to be eliminated because more than half of its revenue will be lost.

Whiskey rickhouses pose a major fire and environmental risks. A lightning strike to a Jim Beam warehouse in Woodford County in July 2019 took more than three days to put out and contain toxic runoff that caused a fish kill that stretched into the Ohio River.

A Jim Beam bourbon warehouse in Woodford County, Ky., burns on Wednesday, July 3, 2019, after catching fire late Tuesday night.

He said the county receives almost $3.75 million in barrel tax revenue, and an increase in state funding for schools wont be able to make up their losses either.

Its a $2.5 million cut just to the schools, Summers said.

If the barrel tax goes away, well have a big time net loss (on bourbon,) said Summers, himself a former Beam Suntory executive.

He said that he sees no sign that the tax has a negative impact on bourbons growth in Kentucky.

Since Ive been in office in the last 4 1/2 years, Jim Beam has built 14 58,000-barrel warehouses and building another right now, Summers said. Four Roses also has expanded its warehouse and bottling complex significantly.

In Franklin County, home to Buffalo Trace and other distilling operations, the bourbon barrel tax generates $3 million for county public schools.

Franklin County Schools Superintendent Mark Kopp told the Herald-Leader that his district brings in about $3 million a year out of a roughly $80 million budget from the tax  the equivalent of about 50 teachers.

Kopp also argued that the job killer line used in defense of the legislation is untrue.

The proponents of this piece of legislation are calling it a job killer that theyre having to bear this barrel tax. Thats 100% not true. Look at how booming the bourbon industry is Were basically shifting the burden from corporations already making millions and billions onto the taxpayers. Who suffers? School districts and local governments, Kopp said.

The bourbon industry has been on a decade-long building boom, fueled in part by a 2014 tax break that the Kentucky Distillers Association lobbied for. That allowed the barrel tax, property taxes on aging whiskey in warehouses, to be rebated for capital improvements, including more warehouses and barrels.

But distillers say they have not been able to fully use that tax break. Its been washed out by another broader tax break that eliminated much of their corporate taxes already.

HB5 would allow the distilleries to retain that rebate and continue to get state refunds for money spent to expand their businesses.

Pam Thomas, senior fellow at the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy in Berea, said in July its important to consider any proposed changes in the context of the overall tax footprint of the distilling industry. With the significant reduction in corporate taxes paid by the distilleries, combined with the economic development incentives they receive, many of them do not pay enough in corporate taxes to fully use the barrel tax credit.

Franklin County Judge-Executive Michael Mueller said that the bourbon barrel tax accounts for $700,000 of his countys roughly $28 million budget.

Were pretty comfortable saying that the bourbon industry is well off. I dont know why were incentivizing people that dont need to be incentivized. I understand they are talking about leaving the schools money in there, and thats great. But at the end of the day, $700,000 helps pay for full-time fire department, emergency management, all of that stuff Mueller said.
PIERRE  A pair of bills part of a package of legislation dedicated to juvenile justice reform passed through a House committee Friday.

One would dictate when a child would be placed in a correctional facility, and the other would open the door for more intervention and support services for children in need.

The bills were the result of a summer study on juvenile justice issues in the state. If passed by the House of Representatives, the bills will then be sent to Gov. Kristi Noem for final approval.

The first bill, Senate Bill 4, passed out of House Judiciary 11-2. It would require a child to be placed in South Dakota Department of Corrections custody if they had three offenses within 12 months.

Sen. Erin Tobin, R-Winner, said fewer than 50 children would be impacted by this bill if it became law, and it was really meant for children in rural areas who may not have full access to services, such as substance abuse counseling. Because of juvenile justice reforms passed in 2015, children who are considered a risk to the public can be placed in DOC custody to receive services.

More:Legislators seek update to South Dakota juvenile justice assessment system

"This offers a path for kids that have no path," Tobin said, explaining judges would have discretion over what offenses could place a child into DOC custody.

Reps. Peri Pourier, D-Pine Ridge, and Mike Stevens, R-Yankton, opposed the bill, because they felt it targeted rural children.

"I think there's a stigma that's attached to that. And when one says that there's no services available and you have to go through this to get there, that's the problem that we have," " Stevens said. "We don't, so consequently, the fallback is always going to be in the rural communities that don't have services to Department of Corrections."

Rep. Tim Reisch, R-Howard, a former corrections secretary, said children wouldn't necessarily be put behind bars when they were referred to DOC custody.

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"There's still a wide range of options and [DOC does] a comprehensive evaluation on every one of those kids to see what's the right thing for the kids," he said.

The second bill, SB 6, passed unanimously out of committee. It would allow juvenile offenders to receive community response team intervention before trial.

More:How mental health issues remain unsolved in South Dakota's juvenile detention system

Stevens said the First Circuit Court is already doing something similar, but other circuit courts have been hesitant, because they're unsure if they have the authority to do so.

Response teams would include social and correctional staff, a school staff member who regularly interacts with the child and a court representative determined by the judge. Stevens said parents are already involved in the judicial process when their child is in court.

"Often times, what the child is experiencing has deeper levels as to why they're doing what they're doing," Stevens said, adding that the First Circuit Court's response team was very successful.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: 2 bills regarding reforms to juvenile justice advance to House floor
Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ:KALU) Full Year 2022 Results

Key Financial Results

Revenue: US$3.43b (up 31% from FY 2021).

Net loss: US$29.6m (loss widened by 60% from FY 2021).

US$1.86 loss per share (further deteriorated from US$1.17 loss in FY 2021).

All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period

Kaiser Aluminum Earnings Insights

Looking ahead, revenue is forecast to grow 4.3% p.a. on average during the next 3 years, while revenues in the Metals and Mining industry in the US are expected to remain flat.

Performance of the American Metals and Mining industry.

The company's shares are down 11% from a week ago.

Risk Analysis

You should learn about the 2 warning signs we've spotted with Kaiser Aluminum.

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Lawmakers approved a plan to further reduce Kansas' sales tax on groceries, though its path forward is uncertain as Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, and the Kansas Senate wrangle on a tax plan.

After some wrangling over the best way to address Kansas' sales tax on food, lawmakers eventually signed off on a measure to reduce the state and local taxes on groceries  though its path forward remains uncertain.

At the beginning of Thursday, the Kansas Senate appeared poised to approve a measure to reduce the sales tax on food  but only for certain foods deemed to be healthy under the federal Women Infant and Children program definition.

The proposal, Senate Bill 248 brought by Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, was intended to incentivize residents to choose healthier foods and free up funds for a sweeping income tax reduction that many Republicans have favored. It would have raised taxes on all other food.

But by the end of the evening, lawmakers instead settled on a proposal to eliminate all state and local taxes on all groceries, to be implemented on Jan. 1, a move that is expected to cost $115 million. The measure passed on a 22-16 vote, with a smattering of Democrat and Republican opposition.

Food tax increase was intended to free up money for flat income tax

The move would mirror more closely what was favored by Gov. Laura Kelly last year  the speedy elimination of the state's 6.5% tax on food. The idea was a top plank for her re-election campaign, with the governor even appearing in public with a hatchet to encourage legislators to "axe" the tax.

Lawmakers partially obliged, opting to phase-in a reduction of the tax, with the levy dropping to 4% in January, with Republicans arguing the more restrained approach would ease the burden on the state's coffers. Local taxes on groceries, which vary across the state, remained intact.

Kelly was undeterred, launching a renewed bid to speed up the elimination of the tax.

"It didn't go far enough, fast enough," Kelly said at a Roeland Park Price Chopper last year unveiling her plan. "And Kansans still need more relief. The cost of groceries is way too high, plain and simple."

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But Masterson initially favored his own plan, which he said would free up funds for a separate plan, also approved Thursday, to exempt retirement income from taxation.

He also said it could spur on the ability to pursue a so-called flat tax, with legislators passing a bill to reduce the personal income tax to 4.75% at a cost of over $1 billion over three years.

"The structure is actually the most important thing to get to," Masterson told the Senate Committee on Assessment and Taxation Monday. "And this would allow you to get to a structure with a lower rate. So this is meant to be a tool."

The idea was not without detractors, who say the government should not be shaping an individual's food choices. Grocers also opposed the bill.

Jon McCormick, president and CEO of the Retail Grocers Association of Kansas and Missouri, said the idea could effectively lead to two taxes appearing on shoppers' receipts.

"We're just going to add some more confusion," he said.

Speaking with reporters after the vote Thursday night, Masterson said he remained in support of the healthy food cut but bowed to an appetite in the Senate for something more aggressive.

He was hoping Kelly would play ball on a deal on taxes.

"She said she's in the middle," he said. "Now I'm waiting for her to meet me."

Kansas food sales taxes would be cut at local level

Lawmakers eventually opted to dump Masterson's plan, a move even the senator himself ultimately supported.

The amendment, brought by Sen. Mike Peterson, R-Wichita, would speed up the elimination of both state and local sales taxes. The move would have an uncertain impact on local governments, who may need to raise property taxes in order to compensate.

Officials didn't have an estimate of how much sales tax revenue local governments would lose.

"I don't like as Republicans going down and overriding the locals," Sen. Ron Ryckman, R-Meade, said during a Senate GOP caucus meeting. "I just think that's wrong policy. And its not a Republican ideal."

But Peterson said the move would strengthen the position of the Senate, as they will almost certainly need to hash out any policy differences on taxes with their counterparts in the Kansas House.

"Our constituents think it is going to zero," he said. "They're wondering why they have all these varying things. One city may have a 2% tax and then one may have a 5% tax. This eliminates that."

Indeed, the eventual path forward on taxes is unlikely to be decided anything soon. In 2022, lawmakers passed their chosen tax relief policies at the end of session after extensive negotiations between lawmakers.

The debate is likely to be similarly lengthy this year, as lawmakers are deciding on the best route to leverage a surplus of over $2 billion, justification in the minds of many for further tax cuts.

Rep. Adam Smith, R-Weskan, chair of the House Tax Committee, noted that he personally is in favor of booting the grocery tax. His home sits one mile from the Colorado border and he noted that many residents in northwest Kansas pass on shopping at local establishments and go to Colorado or Nebraska instead.

Smith has said he plans to introduce a scaled-back income tax reduction, a move he said would allow lawmakers to be more aggressive in ending the food sales tax.

"If we want to do that, I think we can afford that," Smith told reporters Thursday.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas grocery sales tax could get cut even further in 2023 under bill
The Kansas Senate approved legislation Thursday to implement flat income tax for all taxpayers and voted to eliminate all state and local sales taxes on food next year.

The chamber voted 22-17 to approve the 4.75% flat income tax and 22-16 to eliminate the food sales tax.

The flat tax proposal has been a priority of Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, since the beginning of the legislative session. He had originally proposed paying for lost revenue from the flat tax with an increase on sales tax for unhealthy food.

But lawmakers voted on the Senate floor to amend his bill to also eliminate sales tax on all food.

Prior to the debate Masterson said that if the amendment went through it wouldnt sink the states ability to move to a flat tax but would change what the final policy would look like.

Youd have to go to a higher rate to make it work, Masterson said before the debate. He ultimately supported the amendment.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly campaigned on the immediate elimination of the food sales tax last year. Speaking to reporters, Thursday, she criticized Mastersons original plan to increase tax on unhealthy food. She said the flat tax mirrored the tax decisions made by former Republican Gov. Sam Brownback, who she has consistently criticized.

When the Brownback tax experiment was initiated, we actually raised sales tax in order to pay for the Brownback tax experiment, which was a significant reduction in income tax, Kelly said. So you will find those numbers to look very much alike, where you are cutting income taxes for the top 20% and youre raising taxes on everybody else in a way that hits those who have the least the most.

The two major packages came alongside a string of other tax policies including tax credits for crisis pregnancy centers and private school scholarships and eliminating income tax on retirement benefits.

The flat tax measure would set income tax for all Kansans at 4.75%. All income less than $5,225 for individuals and $10,450 for married couples would not be taxable. The Kansas Department of Revenue estimates the flat tax bill would reduce state revenues by around $570 million annually once it is fully implemented.

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Advocates of the bill have touted it as a way to simplify Kansas tax code while providing tax relief to all Kansans. The move, they argue, would help grow the states economy in the long term.

A single rate tax flat tax would help take us in the right direction, said Sen. Caryn Tyson, a Parker Republican.

But the bill would provide far more tax relief to high earners over low income Kansans.

According to the Kansas Department of Revenue, Kansas lowest earners would save about $42 annually on taxes while the highest earners would save more than $5,000. The average Kansas taxpayer, the department said, would save about $338 annually.

All this does is exacerbate the gap between the very wealthy in our state and everybody else, said Sen. Tom Holland, a Baldwin City Democrat.

A bipartisan group of senators voted Thursday to advance a separate bill to eliminate state and local food sales tax effective Jan. 1 of next year.

Currently, state food sales tax is set to be fully eliminated in 2025 while locals set their own rates. Kelly has advocated for eliminating the state tax only. Proponents of the Senate bill said elimination of local tax would eliminate confusion born of varying rates.

The people paying this onerous tax on food they dont know where its from, they just know its a cost, said Sen. David Haley, a Kansas City Democrat.

Senators from both parties, however, worried the policy would cause major harm to local government budgets by removing a major revenue source.

If youre going to take it all the way down to zero, I question each of these locales, your cities, shopping malls where theyre going to get this other revenue, Sen. Ron Ryckman, a Meade Republican, said. I dont think as a state we should take that taxing authority away.

Rep. Mike Peterson, a Wichita Republican, said additional policy could be passed later this year to fill the budget gap for local governments.

The exact policies are likely to change as they move over to the Kansas House. Rep. Adam Smith, a Weskan Republican who chairs the House Taxation Committee, said there is some interest in reducing the food sales tax to zero and pairing it with a flat tax in hopes Kelly would sign it.

He said he was working on his own version of the flat tax proposal.

Im trying to minimize the fiscal note, Smith said. He added that hes looking at a 5.15% rate.

Other tax bills

Lawmakers also took action on tax cuts and credits for various specialized groups.

The Senate voted 36-3 to approve a bill to eliminate income taxes on all retirement benefits, a plan pushed by former Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt in his failed run for governor.

While Kelly has advocated for reductions to taxes on social security she had criticized any move to eliminate tax on all retirement benefits as irresponsible.

The chamber also approved separate bills creating tax credits for donations to anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers and expanding an existing tax-credit scholarship program for private schools.

Kansas tax-credit scholarship program has expanded steadily over the years. The latest update allows donors to claim a credit of 100% of their donation rather than 70% and dramatically expands student eligibility for the scholarship.

The move is part of a broader push within Kansas to create more opportunities for families to choose to move students from public to private schools using state dollars. A separate bill in the House creates educational savings accounts for all Kansas families allowing them to use the money the state would spend on their childs private education in a public school.

The Stars Jonathan Shorman contributed to this report.
On a sunny winter day in late January, Cliff Middleton walked with urgency as he entered a local coffee shop near the Crossroads area of Kansas City. He ordered a coffee. Black with no sugar or cream, he said to the barista. He was there to meet with a member of The Star editorial board. Cliff, a middle-aged man with graying hair, piercing green eyes and a booming voice, has fought for 32 years to free his father, Ken Middleton, from a Missouri prison.

Its a worthy cause  but one that could be in vain if the Jackson County prosecutors office doesnt right what looks like a grave injustice. Ken Middleton is serving a life sentence for the 1990 murder of his wife, Kathy Middleton. Under a new Missouri law, local prosecutors may file a motion asking a judge to vacate or set aside a guilty verdict based on new information or evidence that clears the convicted person of wrongdoing.

There is good reason to believe Middleton didnt originally receive a fair trial, and legitimate questions linger about what really happened the day his wife died. So why not give the evidence one more look?

The prosecutors office remains convinced Ken Middleton received a fair shake. No judge has ordered Baker before the bench to hear Middletons claims, according to officials in Bakers office. This, despite former Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Edith Messina granting Middleton a new trial in 2005.

Messina is a senior adviser to Baker today. Does Baker not trust Messinas ability to be fair and impartial?

The Jackson County Prosecutors Office has conducted four reviews of this case over the years, read a statement. Each review did not support Middletons claims of innocence. Our Conviction Integrity Unit would require new evidence to open a fifth review. We sympathize with the family but unfortunately, that doesnt equal a wrongful conviction. We would support a review of Mr. Middletons sentence, given his age, by the governor of Missouri. We do not have authority to adjust his sentence.

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Terrifying miscarriage of justice

Its a miscarriage of justice, said Cliff Middleton. He wiped smears from the glasses he wears. He called up an email from Jason Flom, a founder board member of the Innocence Project. On his podcast Wrongful Conviction with Jason Flom, Flom interviewed the younger Middleton about his fathers legal saga. In the email Middleton showed us, Flom wrote: The case of Ken Middleton is one of the most insane and terrifying miscarriages of justice I have ever heard of.

We should all share a similar concern.

Messina oversaw Ken Middletons original trial, and granted the new trial after new evidence and testimony during his two-day evidentiary hearing in 2005.

Citing jurisdictional issues, the Missouri attorney generals office appealed Messinas order. A three-judge panel of the Missouri Court of Appeals in Kansas City agreed: Her ruling was overturned on procedural grounds, according to court documents. Despite clear and convincing evidence that Middletons right to a fair trial was violated, he languishes in prison while others absolved of their crimes are set free.

Baker and other high-profile elected officials fought for the release of Kevin Strickland, a Kansas City man convicted of a triple murder he did not commit. Until Baker filed a motion in support of Stricklands freedom, he spent four decades locked up. Why wont Baker do the same for Ken Middleton, the Blue Springs man Bakers senior adviser Messina ruled deserved a new trial?

Middleton has what Strickland did not: a judges ruling affirming his claims of ineffective counsel. Under the U.S. Constitution, every defendant has a right to a fair trial. Middelton didnt receive one, Messina ruled.

There is nobody that has done a more thorough review of this case than Judge Messina, Cliff Middleton said.

Unfair trial, new evidence to be considered

Does the Jackson County prosecutors office have a conflict in this case? Apparently so, according to a pair of legal motions filed recently in Jackson County Circuit Court.

Middletons team wants Baker to appoint a special prosecutor to look into the imprisoned mans longstanding claims of innocence. In court documents filed last fall, his attorney Kent Gipson makes a compelling argument as to why Baker should step aside and remove her office from any involvement in Middletons post-conviction relief efforts.

By the nature of the job, Bakers office is conflicted, Gipson argues in legal documents. During Middletons original trial in 1991, prosecutors engaged in nefarious conduct documented by the trial judge, Edith Messina, Gipson says. She determined in court that Middleton did not receive a fair trial as guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution.

Why hasnt that ruling, based on new evidence submitted then, ever been challenged in court? If it had been, Middleton would likely be a free man, evidence suggests. Only a legal technicality  jurisdictional issues, not evidence of a crime, legal experts say  has kept him behind bars.

If Baker wont use the authority she has to correct this grave injustice  and its clear she will not support Middletons quest for freedom  then she should recuse her office from the case in the interest of fairness. What does Baker have to lose by asking a fresh set of eyes to look into Middletons claims of innocence?

Last month, and without explanation, Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Phillips refused to hear the motion to have Baker disqualified from this case, according to Gipson. Phillips previously worked under Baker in the prosecutors office. Last week, in a separate legal motion, Gipson maintained Phillips cannot be impartial and argued she should recuse herself from the same case, a grievance the judge must consider.

At the time of her appointment to the bench in 2015, Phillips was the prosecutors chief trial assistant for the violent crimes unit, according to biographical information available online.

Judge Phillips  was employed as a Jackson County prosecutor during much of the relevant post-conviction litigation conducted in Mr. Middletons case, Gipson wrote in court documents.

Frozen assets, inadequate defense

Before his trial in 1991, then-assistant prosecuting attorney Patrick Peters froze Middletons assets, preventing him from mounting a competent defense, his attorney alleges. The court refused to hear that argument. Government agents cant restrict a defendants access to their hard-earned money and other assets, Gipson alleges in court documents. Hes right, according to a United States Supreme Court ruling.

In 2016s Luis v. United States, the high court held that any pretrial restraint of a defendants legitimate assets that keeps them from hiring legal counsel violates the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

In 1991, a Jackson County jury found Middleton guilty of first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the shooting death of his wife, Kathy  a tragic incident that evidence suggests was accidental. He was sentenced to life in prison plus 200 years. In the decades since, Middleton, 78, has maintained his innocence. But by now, he has exhausted all appeals. That he could possibly die behind bars without receiving a hearing or a new trial is unconscionable.

Under a new Missouri law, Baker has an avenue to right past judicial wrongs. Why wont she use it in this case? One erroneous conviction is one too many.

More than 17 years after Messinas order for a new trial, Middleton remains in jail. At minimum, he deserves a hearing in front of a neutral judge. Prosecutor Baker has an ethical duty to pursue justice fully and transparently. Its our hope she will explain in more detail why her office will not move forward to reexamine his case.
Ken Owens will lead Wales into Six Nations action against England (David Davies/PA) (PA Wire)

Ken Owens says he never wants to experience a repeat of the off-field crisis that engulfed Welsh rugby and threatened Saturdays showpiece Guinness Six Nations clash against England.

Wales captain Owens will lead his galvanised team out at the Principality Stadium just 72 hours after a possible national squad strike was averted.

Compromises were ultimately found with Welsh rugby powerbrokers over contentious issues like Wales 60-cap selection policy for players plying their trade outside the country and fixed-variable contracts across the regional game.

Against such a back-drop, Wales must somehow try to revive a Six Nations campaign that started with crushing defeats at the hands of Ireland and Scotland.

Wales have not lost their first three Six Nations games since 2003, although their recent record against England in Cardiff is impressive, having won five of the last seven encounters.

It has been a shock to all the players, Owens said, reflecting on matters away from the pitch.

There were a lot of tough conversations and meetings, everyone voiced their opinion and everyone backed the decision that the team and the squad have made.

We have made a stand, we have made people stand up and take notice and showed the strength we have as a playing group

Wales captain Ken Owens

It (strike action) was a last resort, and the frustrations that have built up over a year, not just the last six weeks, brought it to this.

The squad has been galvanised and come together, and I am sure you will see that on Saturday.

It is a shame it got as far as it did, but what is done is done, what has gone has gone. We have made a stand, we have made people stand up and take notice and showed the strength we have as a playing group.

And if we can move on now and concentrate on the rugby, the powers that be will get things done and the players will have their seat at the table and a voice and hopefully we will never end up in this situation again.

 Warren Gatland on the selection of Mason Grady #WelshRugby | #GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/UXN5uo7USS  Welsh Rugby Union  (@WelshRugbyUnion) February 23, 2023

They (Welsh public) gave us their support, and now we owe them a performance that Wales can be proud of on Saturday to repay their support for us.

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Wales head coach Warren Gatland has made nine changes for Englands visit, with cap centurions George North and Dan Biggar among those left out.

Three of their British and Irish Lions colleagues, though  Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric and Taulupe Faletau  are recalled and bring a combined 343 caps to the table between them.

Gatland has selected 24 players to start in three Six Nations games this season, with his latest switches including a Test debut for 20-year-old Cardiff centre Mason Grady, Gloucester wing Louis Rees-Zammit returning from injury and Ospreys fly-half Owen Williams handed a first Wales start in the number 10 shirt.

Gatland said: Its trying to manage making a few changes where we are giving players with not much international experience some experience around them to make that transition as smooth as possible.

But also for those experienced players to give that knowledge down to the youngsters. It is just a balancing act at the moment.

When you hear comments from the other top international sides in the world, when they used to say (about Wales) this side is never going to go away, they will play for 80 minutes, they are not going to give in.

That is the level that we have to get to. We are not quite there at the moment, but we are working hard to get there.

We expect them (England) to kick a lot on Saturday, and we have got to make sure we have got the tools to negate that and be prepared to make sure we stay in the battle.

   



Teams, news, stats, facts and more.



Everything you need to know ahead of #WALvENG   England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) February 24, 2023

Wales conceded a total of 35 penalties during the Ireland and Scotland losses, and Owens added: We have put a massive emphasis on it and weve seen improvements in the way we have trained and how we are training.

Penalties are how teams build their game. Weve looked at statistics from when they (England) came here in 2019, and we gave away four penalties and four lineouts. They werent in the game for the second half.

If there is a blueprint to look at of how to stop England, then it is not feeding their momentum with ill-discipline and giving them opportunities.

It has been a horrendous two weeks, but we can only focus on the rugby now, moving forward, getting a result on Saturday to put some pride back into the shirt.
This story is bananas.

A monkey who went missing after a car crash earlier this week was reunited with his family after being found by Lexington Police officials, the department said in a Facebook post.

Officers responded to a call about a missing capuchin monkey Tuesday after the primate had gotten loose following a crash on Interstate 75. Max, the pet of a family involved in the collision, was unable to be found after going missing, but police said his owners "never gave up hope of finding him."

Their faith was rewarded two days later. Road workers working on the interstate found Max and reached out to police in Lexington for help, the post said. With the assistance of Lexington Fayette Animal Care and Control, they got in touch with Max's family and reunited them.

More:Coming soon: New bird habitat to bring 'a great experience' for Louisville Zoo visitors

More:Thousands expected in Louisville this summer for National Baptist Convention USA conference

"Officers never know what type of call they will receive out on patrol. But today, we were happy to help a family be reunited with their capuchin monkey," the department said in a Facebook post.

Reach Ana Rocio Alvarez Brinez at abrinez@gannett.com; follow her on Twitter at @SoyAnaAlvarez.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Lexington Police reunite missing capuchin monkey and family after crash
First lady Jill Biden on Friday participated in a womens empowerment reception during her visit to Kenya, emphasizing her position as a working woman.

When women earn money  nothing better, right? We invest it in our families. And I know that because I am a working woman, Biden said at the reception at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi.

Biden has continued teaching English at Northern Virginia Community College while serving as first lady.

Her trip to Africa is focused on engagements about womens and youth empowerment and gender-based violence. While in Kenya, she will look at the impacts of drought on families and communities.

When we come together as partners, when we can when we come together to work against injustice, we can repair whats broken and we can build something new, Biden said. Thank you for the courage that it takes to run for office, to push science to new places, to create a business to climb to new heights.

She said women have had to fight for a seat at the table and turned to U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman  And Meg, Im sure no one knows that better than you. Whitman is the the former CEO of Quibi and Hewlett Packard and was the Republican nominee for governor of California in 2010.

Biden arrived in Kenya earlier on Friday and met at the state house with first lady Rachel Ruto, who also greeted her at the airport. The African trip is the first ladys sixth overall visit to the continent and third to Kenya, where she will stay until she returns to the White House on Sunday.

This is my third visit to Kenya, she said at the embassy. I have incredible memories here. In fact, I told my granddaughter Naomi that coming here changed my life. And thats why she wanted to join me. So its wonderful to be back and I you know, I could ask for a warmer welcome.

Jill and Naomi Biden were in Namibia on Wednesday and Thursday. There, the first lady visited Hope Initiatives Southern Africa-Namibia with U.S. Ambassador to Namibia Randy Berry and met with Namibian President Hage Geingob and first lady Monica Geingos.

President Biden announced at the end of the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in December that he will travel to sub-Saharan Africa later this year. He said at the time that there will also be visits to Africa from other officials, including his wife.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) may have given Tucker Carlson access to tens of thousands of hours of U.S. Capitol surveillance footage from the Jan. 6 attack, but as MSNBCs Ari Melber pointed out, the Fox News host hasnt had the highest opinion of the congressman. (See the video below.)

Melber argued that McCarthy, who presented 41,000 hours of surveillance footage to Carlson, is attempting ingratiate himself with the Fox News host. To prove his point, he played a video compilation of Carlson ripping the speaker on his show.

Congressman Kevin McCarthy, a man who  in private  turns out sounds like an MSNBC contributor, Carlson said in one clip.

We will have a Republican Congress led by a puppet of the Democratic Party, the Fox News host said in another clip.

The video compilation starts at about the 3:22 mark below:

In the MSNBC segment, Melber reflected on Carlsons characterization of the Capitol rioters as tourists and called out McCarthy for contradicting his prior condemnation of the Capitol attack.

Excerpts from the riot footage are set to air on Carlsons network in the coming weeks, Axios reported.

McCarthy told The New York Times on Wednesday that he promised to release the footage, but giving access to Carlson, Melber said, elevates the insurrection-minimizing host.

H/T Mediaite

Related...
A Tacoma man arrested in the death of his 4-month-old son earlier this week has been charged with second-degree murder.

Samuel Byron Kennedy, 23, was arrested on Tuesday after a social worker at Mary Bridge Childrens Hospital called Tacoma police after the child with head trauma was brought to the hospital.

The child arrived in an ambulance after medics called to a Tacoma apartment found the child was not breathing.

Doctors at the hospital had told a social worker the boys injury was consistent with recent abusive head trauma and the baby had two similar injuries from about 10 to 15 days earlier, according to probable cause documents from the Pierce County Prosecutors Office.

The social worker told police that after Kennedy arrived at the hospital, his attitude did not match the tragedy of his child. For example, Kennedy asked if Child Protective Services had been called and if he was in trouble, documents said. He then became defensive, saying he did not hit or harm his son, according to the social worker.

The child died from the injuries the following day.

Police spoke with the childs mother, who said she had known Kennedy for about four years and they were married last December. The couple had three children together, ages 3, 2 and 4 months old.

She said on the day her youngest child stopped breathing, she had gone to work and had been there for a few hours when Kennedy called her and said the baby was not breathing. As she drove home, she called her husband who told her their son would be going to the hospital.

The woman told officers the baby had an ear infection a few days earlier and had an allergic reaction to the amoxicillin he was given, but the reaction only resulted in a rash.

When an officer spoke with Kennedy, he noted that the childs mother was upset and crying, but Kennedy was calm and didnt appear to be upset.

Kennedy told investigators that he had been watching his three children when his other son threw his bottle, which hit the 4-month-old in the head, leaving a small bump on his forehead. The bottle was described as being 6 to 8 ounces and made of soft plastic.

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When the baby cried, Kennedy said he picked up his son and eventually put him back in his rocker, but 15 to 20 minutes later, he heard the baby exhale deeply, which caused concern. Thats when he discovered his son was not breathing, so unsure of what to do, he went to his downstairs neighbor who is a family member, for help. Documents said 911 was called from that apartment.

Police said Kennedy denied ever dropping or shaking his son, and showed investigators how he gave CPR to his son.

During this demonstration, the defendant imitated grabbing the victim and lifting him to his eye level and shaking him back and forth. Per the report, the defendant appeared to realize the actions he was making with his hands and stopped upon realizing this. He then demonstrated placing the victim on his chest and rubbing his back. After further investigation, the defendant was placed under arrest, probable cause documents said.

After his arrest, Kennedy admitted to shaking his son and causing his injuries. While Kennedy was on the way to jail, police said he would yell in distress, and then say, I killed my kid.

During a later interview with detectives, Kennedy said he had just gotten the boy settled when his other son threw the bottle and woke him up. He then said, I (expletive) up and shook (him) and I got frustrated ... I didnt mean to kill him, and that he shook him too rough and he started gurgling.

The Pierce County Medical Examiners Office confirmed the boy died of blunt force trauma to his head. His manner of death was classified as homicide.
King Charles has issued a powerful message marking the first anniversary of the conflict in Ukraine.

The British monarch praised the remarkable courage and resilience of the nations people, as the solemn event was observed around the world.

It has now been a year that the people of Ukraine have suffered unimaginably from an unprovoked full-scale attack on their nation. They have shown truly remarkable courage and resilience in the face of such human tragedy, Charles said in his message.

The world has watched in horror at all the unnecessary suffering inflicted upon Ukrainians, many of whom I have had the great pleasure of meeting here in the UK and, indeed, across the world, from Romania to Canada.

Earlier this month I met President Zelensky at Buckingham Palace to express my personal support for the people of Ukraine. It is heartening that the United Kingdom, along with its allies, is doing everything possible to help at this most difficult time.

He continued: Therefore, I can only hope the outpouring of solidarity from across the globe may bring not only practical aid, but also strength from the knowledge that, together, we stand united.

His message coincided with one from Zelensky himself, who today vowed that Russian president Vladimir Putin would be defeated in 2023.

Attending a service in Kyiv this morning, where he commemorated those who gave their lives to protecting their country, Zelensky shared a video titled the year of invincibilty.

In it, he recalled how he addressed Ukrainians a year ago in a hurried statement, as Kyiv and the world reeled from Russias act of war.

A year ago on this day, from this same place around seven in the morning, I addressed you with a brief statement, lasting only 67 seconds, he said in the 15-minute address.

We are strong. We are ready for anything. We will defeat everyone. This is how it began on February 24, 2022. The longest day of our lives. The most difficult day in our recent history. We woke up early and havent slept since.

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King Charles meets Ukrainian president Zelensky at Buckingham Palace (Getty)

Zelensky met with Charles for the first time on 8 February in what he called a truly special moment.

After greeting the King in Buckingham Palaces 1844 Room, he 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.

Leading a moment of silence to mark the anniversary today, British prime minister Rishi Sunak urged the public to reflect on the courage and bravery of the Ukrainian people.

As we mark one year since a full-scale war broke out on our continent, I urge everyone to reflect on the courage and bravery of our Ukrainian friends who, every hour since, have fought heroically for their country, he said.

Follow the latest updates on the first anniversary of the Ukraine-Russia conflict here.
In February 2022, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine informed the countrys top leadership about Russia's preparations for a full-scale invasion.

Source: Serhii Deineko, Head of Ukraines State Border Guard Service, in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda

Quote: "We knew about the planned invasion. Of course, now there is a lot of information that everyone knew and everyone was preparing. However, the Border Guard Service informed the top military leadership of the state. I reported to the president two weeks before the start of a full-scale invasion that there would be a war and that Russia would certainly attack the territory of Ukraine from the Republic of Belarus through the Chornobyl exclusion zone.

We had this information, and for a long time, we fully controlled some representatives of the military and political leadership of the Russian Federation. We had video materials and photos, and we knew the plan in detail. Therefore, it allowed us to prepare properly.

Two weeks before the start of the full-scale invasion, we completely evacuated all secret documentation of personal and housing files of our personnel from Mariupol, Kramatorsk, Lysychansk, Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Lutsk, Kyiv, Boryspil, Berdiansk, Odesa and Kherson

I hesitated and thought about whether to evacuate this documentation from the Crimea front, because until the last moment, I did not believe that there could be an invasion from Crimea."

Details: According to Deineko, knowing Putin and his weakness for using "foreign flags" and miners, the border guards clearly understood that the invasion would be from the territory of Belarus, on the Chornobyl front.

The Russians were also expected on the border of Kharkiv and Luhansk oblasts, where they planned to enter the territory of Ukraine to encircle and kill the Ukrainian group in the Joint Forces Operation area.

At the same time, Deineko says that the Armed Forces did not reach the border guards in time, just as they did not reach the border in 2014.

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The head of the State Border Guard Service admits that until recently he did not expect an open invasion of the Russians from Crimea.

Deineko says that on 21 February, he informed all the highest authorities in writing that there would be a war. In his opinion, Russia postponed the date of a full-scale offensive (first it was 19, then 22 February and the last was 24 February), because it was waiting.

Quote: "The enemy was waiting. He was on high alert. We recorded that the servicemen of the Russian troops who were on the territory of Belarus for the so-called exercises started calling their families and saying goodbye to them as early as 12 February.

We intercepted these conversations, and it was clear from their text and nature that the invasion was just a matter of days."

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
A strain of bird flu, H5N1, can transmit between humans but it's rare. Peter Garrard Beck/Getty Images

A girl has died in Cambodia from bird flu, health officials said.

The girl's dad is infected, but we don't know if he caught it from her.

Experts have said the risk of the virus spreading among people is low.

An 11-year-old girl has died in Cambodia from bird flu, health authorities in the country said.

The girl initially fell ill with a high fever and cough on February 16 and later died in the National Children's Hospital in Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital city, on Wednesday, the authorities said, per Reuters.

The case comes amid an outbreak of bird flu that has lead to the deaths of more than 200 million birds worldwide since early 2022, either from disease or mass culls, the World Organisation for Animal Health told Reuters.

The bird flu strain "H5 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A" or "H5N1" has infected 868 people since it was first detected in humans in 1997, and 457 of those confirmed cases died, according to the World Health Organization. Officials in Cambodia said that the girl was the first human case in a Southeast Asian country since 2014, per Reuters.

Officials believe that the young girl caught the virus from dead wild birds or animals near her home in the Prey Veng province in south Cambodia, close to the border with Vietnam  22 chickens and three ducks were found dead nearby, per The Telegraph.

Officials have taken samples from those birds as well as at least 12 people who came into contact with the girl, according to Reuters. As of Friday, the girl's father had tested positive for the virus, but we don't know how he caught it.

Jonathan Ball, a professor of molecular virology at the University of Nottingham, UK, told the Science Media Centre on Friday that human infections are rare, and the likelihood of onward human to human transmission was "very low."

"There is always a risk of human infection, particularly in people in close contact with poultry or wild birds, and this risk increases during times where circulation of avian influenza is particularly high, as it is now," he said.

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Humans don't usually catch bird flu, but it can be deadly

H5N1 causes fever, cough, and then can rapidly progress to respiratory failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome  a life-threatening condition when fluid builds up in the tiny air sacs in the lungs  and multi-organ failure, according to the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. It states that 50% of people who catch it die, but that figure can vary between countries.

James Wood, head of the department of veterinary medicine at the University of Cambridge, UK, told the SMC that many people will have been exposed to H5N1 in recent years, but only a few had caught it.

"This one case in itself does not signal the global situation has suddenly changed," he said.

Ball said that the risk to humans is still "very low."

Experts, including Ball and Wood, told the SMC that H5N1 needs to be closely monitored, in part due to recent reports of it infecting mammals like sea lions in Peru.

"There are two ways H5N1 can change  the mutations it accumulates itself over a period of time, or the mutations it develops as it links with other species," David Heymann, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine,UK, told The Telegraph.

But he cautioned that "no one can say the risk is low, high or intermediate," because a mutation or "spillover" from another species was an unpredictable, "chance event."

"By far the most likely scenario for H5N1 is that nothing happens right now," Francois Balloux, the director of the UCL Genetics Institute, UK, tweeted on Friday.

Read the original article on Insider
The doors of Knoxville College have been open for nearly 150 years. Leaders of the historically Black college want to make sure prospective students and the Knoxville community know those doors are still open now, even while it rebuilds.

Im just hoping that we can be that light again where we do advocate for our community, but provide a culture and provide a place, a sense of belonging and a sense of home, Knoxville College Vice President Dasha Lundy told Knox News.

Lundy is part of the team helping to revitalize the institution founded in 1875. Shes often reminded of the students, faculty members and even the great leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Frederick Douglass who walked the campus before her. They motivate her to uphold the schools legacy after it has faced challenging times for nearly 30 years.

In collaboration with the University of Tennessee, Morris Brown College in Atlanta and other schools, regaining its accreditation by 2024 after losing it in the late 1990s is Knoxville Colleges main priority now.

Thirty-two dedicated students are currently enrolled, and the school only offers online courses for now. A modular leadership building under construction hopefully will bring students back to campus by the fall.

Throughout its storied history, Knoxville College has uplifted Knoxvilles Black residents, produced some of Knoxvilles greatest Black talent and played a crucial role during the civil rights movement. That is what Lundy wants for people to remember and for the school to return to.

This is the school where you find your liberation, she said. We will teach you how to combat (an oppressive) system, of course, not with hate but with a spirit of love and empowerment.

In an interview with Knox News, Lundy offered an in-depth update on Knoxville Colleges accreditation progress and the future of the HBCU.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

When you look at the history of Knoxville College, what stands out the most and what drives you to continue its legacy?

Dasha Lundy: I think you always got to look back. Sometimes we forget how far we have come. Knoxville College was founded 10 years after the Emancipation Proclamation. There's a picture in my office from 1914. It's all these students and the faculty and I just think about the greats that have been here, the greats who walked the land, George Washington Carver, (Martin Luther) King, Frederick Douglass. So many greats walked this land and I think what keeps me going is that call. Its the call to educate. It's the call to empower. It's the call to elevate. It's the call that we know how to help each other. We understand the oppressive system. And we know that we have to create leaders who are ready to go out into not only the local city and the communities but go out across the world to share what those gifts that God has given you. I think it's just cause of the oppression that we continue to experience in 2023 and people thought all this was over.

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It's that driving force that is letting us know we have 52 acres of land and how do we use this land to serve? I'm just sharing my heart with you now, but I have people calling me because they've been evicted and they don't understand why and Im like, God, can we use this land to build housing and welcome our people in here so we can heal them? We can educate  I'm gonna keep using the words educate, empower, elevate, because to me, that's the path to liberation. I feel like this is the school where you find your liberation, where you don't have to be broken mentally and spiritually and physically through a system that's not designed for you. We will teach you how to combat that system, of course, not with hate but with a spirit of love and empowerment.

Can you talk a little bit about reaching out to the community and helping people become aware that Knoxville College is open and a resource for the community?

Reaching out to the community is intentional. We have a small staff, but we all are rooted in a love of restoring the HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). It's just more of telling your neighbor, telling people and being out there. I spoke at a church and Im going to speak at another church (soon). I'm also county commissioner for District 1 and my colleagues know that I work for Knoxville College. Every room that Im in, I tell the Knoxville College story. And everyone who's here that works with us, they're always telling the Knoxville College story.

Knoxville College has historically produced some of Knoxvilles greatest Black talent, and the city is aiming to recruit and retain young professionals. What role does Knoxville College play in specifically retaining Black professionals?

When we were at our peak, I mean when you think about 3,000 students and then the faculty, and how we provided culture here, and a space of safety here, where you can come and be yourself and unapologetically yourself. This year, I want to engage community more and maybe having a Juneteenth event or some kind of events, just to say you can come here and you will be welcome here, no matter what.

We play a big role; I'm not sure if the government understands that role that we played in the past of providing that advocacy work when it comes to Black issues. We fill the void. Knoxville College students were the ones that organized the sit-ins during the civil rights movement. We have to have that back because we are under attack right now when people don't want us to know our history or people don't value our voice here.

Knoxville College's campus is home to several buildings on the historic registry. The historically Black college produced some of Knoxvilles greatest Black talent welcomed guests such Martin Luther King Jr. and Frederick Douglas in its storied past.

Its a historic campus with buildings on the historic registry. Are there other updates on the campus or any efforts to preserve or reopen some of the buildings?

Yes, (but) it costs a lot of money to do that. So, if anybody wants to donate, they can go to our website. Of course, we want to maintain the historic buildings, and having those conversations with historic preservation people around here and see if there's any grants. The city of Knoxville did give us a $200,000 grant last June and we put that money into stabilizing the library here. But there's no construction or anything with the historic buildings because they are in a state of disrepair, and it takes tons of money to do that. But we're not giving up on that because we know that we've been here for 148 years.

More: Knoxville College building sustains heavy damage in fire

We still have to tell our story because we still live in a space that people don't think we need a HBCU and were saying we do. With what's going on in the world and across the nation, people don't want us to learn our history more, as we celebrate Black History Month. We have to do a better job at telling our story, with HBCUs and the Knoxville College story, and how we have a purpose here to help transform our community.

What are some of the main goals and priorities for Knoxville College in 2023?

Accreditation, first and foremost! But really just bringing awareness that were here. I've been speaking a lot more, having opportunities to speak and I realize a lot of students don't know that we're open. The community doesn't know that we're open. We offer an associate degree in general studies and the tuition is waived. It's all virtual. And your credits will transfer within the state of Tennessee. Most of our students are working adults and it works for them.

There may be some students out there, especially in our community that may not want to go to school or feel like they can't afford it. Sometimes I get students that say, I'm not even sure if college is for me, and we try to encourage them to go ahead and apply. Since we are a small school and we are an HBCU, and HBCUs have always been rooted in helping people, we give a little bit more intention on making sure that we create a family atmosphere and an atmosphere of winning here. They know they can count on us. There are not too many schools that you can call on the vice president or anybody in the administration staff to talk through your issues, but we really make ourselves available and we can do that now. I hope we can continue to do that as we grow and create a culture to really educate, empower and elevate a community.

Regaining accreditation is key to Knoxville College's future. Whats the update on the process?

We got to this point of accreditation because we owned 50% of the Pilot gas station that was on Western Avenue. That sale put money in our bank to pursue accreditation because you really can't pursue it unless you're financially stable. We then hired Dr. Kevin James, the president of Morris Brown College, because he was going through the same thing (of regaining accreditation). It was inspiring because people kept saying, it's never been done that you can gain accreditation after it's been gone for several years. He agreed to help us, give us some pointers. He asked what schools around Knoxville can help. We asked the University of Tennessee if they can help, send some of their students that are working on their Ph.D. in higher education, would they mind being our team. They said yes and it's been quite a journey.

We had our accreditation launch in June and the team  I call them the A-Team  they have been working on our documents and getting them cleaned up, making sure that theyre compliant. We're going through accreditation with Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools. We're still finalizing the documents. It's been a long road because accreditation is really about integrity. Are you doing what you say youre going to do? Do you have what you need? Do you have the money in the bank to do that? Are you compliant with paying your bills? So, hopefully we will be finishing up with the documents and turning in our self-study in to the accreditation agency and figuring out our next steps.

How have partnerships with Morris Brown College, the University of Tennessee and other institutions been?

As far as the partnership with Dr. Kevin James and UT, it's been a blessing. We feel like we have all become family through the process because its a stressful process and it's been some hard times. We also have a partnership with Meharry (Medical College in Nashville) to help build and inspire a workforce to go into the medical field. That's what was their answer to the declining workforce after COVID-19. Since we have few students, we actually reached out to the SMART Institute, a local nonprofit that works with the inner-city schools. We have a partnership with them to help expose at least 100 high school students to the medical field.

Spring registration was in January. How is the academic school year going so far?

Its been great. I think we have about 32 students enrolled. These students have been with us, and they keep showing up. I know people probably question, Where do they get their students from? Theyre all over the nation. Some have been recruited through alumni because alumni love their school and they want other people to experience it, but we are definitely grateful for our students and grateful for the semesters. Semester's kicked off fine, and we're prepping for graduation.

McMillian Chapel is the only campus building open to the community while students continue online courses. But a modular leadership building is under construction that will hopefully bring students back to campus by early 2024.

Are you seeing an increase in enrollment and people applying?

Yes, we are seeing an increase in enrollment and an increase in people applying. A lot of high school students have been applying more. It feels good because when we opened back up, it was probably just that one (student), and then you wonder, Is this real, can this happen? But people are applying. We even have people across the waters from a country in Africa applying. So, somehow our name is being spread. And we are rooted in faith here. We just believe that things happen organically because we are doing our part.

Are there any are new classes or academic programs being offered?

We're still sticking with our associate degree of general studies. But with the accreditation, we're hoping to add a bachelor's degree program. I have to go through the state level first. So, we're currently working on that application, to get a bachelor of science in business degree. We will probably have some changes because a lot of our students are interested in business.

Is there anything else that you'd like to share?

As we build capacity, hopefully we can do more, (we) just got to go through that process, but we see the end and we know the end will be great. You just got to go to the process, the troubled times to the other side. We want people to know we're open. We have (McMillan Chapel on campus) open, not (for) church services, but as a community space. If people want to come, if people want to inquire, our doors are open.

Devarrick Turner is a trending news reporter for Knox News. He can be reached by email at devarrick.turner@knoxnews.com. Follow Devarrick on Twitter @dturner1208. Enjoy exclusive content and premium perks while supporting strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

Knox County Vice President Dr. Dasha Lundy is motivated to uphold the legacy of the 148-year old historically Black college through educating and empowering students and the city's Black communities.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville College seeks accreditation to uphold Tennessee HBCU legacy
Frank-Walter Steinmeier

Steinmeier believes that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin "must withdraw his troops from Ukraine if he is serious about ending the war" and that "Russia must realize that there can be no victory in their criminal war."

Read also: Steinmeier calls for just peace in his Christmas speech

The president added that those who "give orders to kill, bomb Ukraine, destroy cities and kidnap children; whose soldiers bleed senselessly day after day, they will never be a winner, they have already lost." He also believes that the Kremlin has dealt a blow to "all the lessons the world has learned from the two world wars."

At the same time, Steinmeier stressed, Germany is one of Ukraine's largest partners in terms of the scale of military and humanitarian assistance, and "despite all the controversial and sometimes unpleasant discussions" intends to keep this leadership.

Read also: Germany and Poland to convene tank coalition next week

Before becoming Germanys president  a largely ceremonial position  Steinmeier served as Foreign Minister in Angela Merkels government. In that capacity, he pushed for using the Minsk Accords to resolve the post-2014 Ukraine-Russia conflict, even if that would have meant sacrificing parts of Kyivs sovereignty. This has earned him unkind reputation in Ukraine, where Steinmeier used to be regarded as being on Moscows side. The full-scale invasion, however, has drastically realigned Berlins foreign policy, with even those previously sympathetic to Russia now trying to make it understand it has lost.

Read also: Ukraine to receive additional anti-air artillery and missiles from Germany

On Feb. 24, the Ukrainian flag was raised in front of the Bellevue Palace (the residence of the President of Germany), where Steinmeier spoke.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Perfect for the Berlin Film Festival and any diner, drive-in, and dive.

Getty Images

Kristen Stewart has the range. After wearing a princess-style Chanel gown with lederhosen-inspired details, she continued her duties as the president of the international jury at the Berlin International Film Festival wearing a leisure shirt that would definitely be something her idol Guy Fieri would wear on his long-running show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.

Today, Stewart attended a reception hosted by Berlin's mayor Franziska Giffey to commemorate this year's festival. For the occasion, she ditched her Chanel couture and opted for a more laid-back outfit that included a cream-colored camp-collar shirt and a pair of olive-green pants. She finished with sneakers and wore her hair in a messy mullet style that she debuted at the festival last week. She kept her makeup minimal and did the same for her accessories: all she added was a shimmering crystal choker and a delicate watch.

Getty Images

Related:Kristen Stewart Spoke Up In Solidarity With The Women, Life, Freedom Protest Against The Iranian Regime

In addition to spearheading the jury at the film festival this year, Stewart also used her position to bring attention to human rights violations in Iran. She joined Iranian filmmakers and actors on Saturday for a protest in support of the Women, Life, Freedom movement. Though the silent protest focused on what's happening in Iran, demonstrators also mentioned the need to shine a light on climate change and fair wages for Berlin movie theater workers. In addition to Stewart, Berlinale executive director Mariette Rissenbeck, artistic director Carlo Chatrian, and jury member and Iranian-American star of The Siren, Golshifteh Farahani, were also in attendance.



Before the protest, during the festival's opening night celebrations, Farahani said, This regime lies  executes. The prisons of Iran are full of innocent people. We need you to stand on the right side of history with the Iranian people. This regime will fall.



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Read the original article on InStyle.
Los Angeles district attorney George Gascon has suspended a prosecutor for allegedly referring to a convicted child molester and suspected murderer by his birth name and the pronouns that correspond to his sex, rather than the name and pronouns he adopted after coming out as transgender.

Assistant district attorney Shea Sanna served as the lead prosecutor on part of the Hannah Tubbs case, according to a Fox News report citing law enforcement sources. Sanna has argued in the past that jailhouse phone calls show Tubbs was attempting to use gender identity to game the justice system  an argument that sources say made others in Gascons office uncomfortable.

The internal investigation into Sannas behavior began last year.

Sanna responded to the suspension on Twitter Friday afternoon.

I was suspended for speaking out against the Gascon Administration, Sanna wrote. Misgendering Tubbs while informing them that they were being played is just their excuse for the suspension.

The child molestation case dates back to 2014, when Tubbs attacked a ten-year-old girl in a womens bathroom. At the time, Tubbs was two weeks shy of 18 and and identified as a male named James. Eight years passed before police arrested Tubbs in connection with the attack. DNA evidence allowed police to make the link in the cold case.

After pleading guilty, Tubbs, now 26 and going by the name Hannah, received a sentence of two years at a juvenile facility because Gascons office declined to transfer the case to adult court. Gascon thus adhered to one of his day-one directives barring children from being tried as adults.

Following the sentencing last year, jailhouse recordings of Tubbs were released in which the convict boasted about the light sentence he would receive after pleading guilty. Tubbs also made explicit remarks about the victim.

Im gonna plead out to it, plead guilty, Tubbs said in one recording obtained by Fox News. Theyre gonna stick me on probation, and its gonna be dropped, its gonna be done, I wont have to register, wont have to do nothing.

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Gascon responded to the recordings shortly thereafter.

After her sentencing in our case, I became aware of extremely troubling statements she made about her case, the resolution of it and the young girl that she harmed, explained Gascon. If we knew about her disregard for the harm she caused we would have handled this case differently.

As a result, we are making minor adjustments to our policies on juveniles and [life without parole] to allow for exceptions in the most extraordinary of cases, he added.

In an interview with the New York Post last year, Sanna disputed the idea that Gascon only found out about the tapes after the sentencing.

George Gascon was in possession of all evidence and knew or should have known of every statement made by Tubbs when he said he still believes Tubbs should be tried as a juvenile, said Sanna. Gascon knew about all 250 plus jailhouse tapes and removed me from the case the night before the hearing where I was going to play the tapes.

Tubbs victim, now an adult, also condemned Gascon and said the light sentence was unfair and denied her any sense of justice.

Others like Sacramento Sacramento County DA Anne Marie Schubert criticized the utter failure of Gascons blanket policy that prevented juveniles from being tried as adults, no matter the crime or circumstances, as quoted in the Los Angeles Times.

Last year, Tubbs stay in the juvenile facility was cut short after prosecutors in neighboring Kern County filed murder charges. The 26-year-old is accused of beating a homeless man to death in the woods with a rock.

Tubbs has pleaded not guilty to the Kern County charges.

More from National Review
A Los Angeles man was arrested and charged on suspicion of hacking into Instagram accounts belonging to female influencers and trying to extort money and sexual favors, federal prosecutors said. (NurPhoto via Getty Images)

A Los Angeles man has been arrested and charged on suspicion of hacking into Instagram accounts belonging to female influencers in an effort to extort money and engage in sexual video chats during a nearly four-year period, federal prosecutors said.

Amir Hossein Golshan, 24, was charged Thursday with two counts of wire fraud, one count of unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information, one count of accessing a computer to defraud and obtain value, one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of threatening to damage a protected computer, prosecutors from the U.S. attorneys office for the Central District of California said in a statement.

The indictment says Golshan would use SIM swapping, a technique by which a cellphone number associated with one SIM card is fraudulently reassigned to a different SIM card, to send the influencers Instagram password reset codes to a phone in his possession. Once logged into the accounts of his alleged targets, he would impersonate them and ask their friends for money, collecting $15,000 from friends of one account, the indictment says.

In other instances, he extorted the victims for money and sexually explicit chats to return the victims social media accounts, according to the indictment.

Golshan allegedly demanded a $5,000 payment from one victim and told her that she would regain control of her Instagram account if she initiated a video call and stripped for him.

He also allegedly charged other victims hundreds of dollars for verified badges, knowing that he could not provide the verified badges he purported to sell, the indictment claims.

If convicted, Golshans maximum sentence would be 20 years in federal prison for each of the two counts of wire fraud against him. The other four charges carry additional shorter sentences.

At his arraignment hearing Friday in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Golshan pleaded not guilty, said Ciaran McEvoy, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office. His trial was scheduled for April 18.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
All lanes of North Main Street are closed near the Duval-Nassau county line, the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office said.

Update: 7 p.m.

Reports from the Florida Highway Patrol state that two sedans and a van were involved in a fatal crash that happened at approximately 1 p.m. Friday afternoon.

The first sedan was traveling northbound on US 17 as the van and the other sedan were traveling southbound on US 17, one behind the other.

The first sedan veered into the southbound lanes colliding with the vans left side, then rotating counterclockwise into the southbound lane colliding with the second sedan.

The van was then redirected to the right and overturned into the grassy shoulder where it finally came to a stop.

The sedans came to final rest facing north in the southbound lane of US 17.

The driver of the second sedan is in critical condition and the passenger has been declared deceased.

Original story:

JSO said the closure is due to a crash in Nassau County. The Florida Highway Patrol is now reporting the crash is fatal.

All traffic will be turned around at Yellow Bluff Road, JSO said.

Action News Jax has a crew in the area working to get more information.

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron

According to the newspapers sources, during a meeting in Paris earlier this month, Macron told Zelenskyy that even mortal enemies like France and Germany had to make peace after World War II.

Read also: Zelenskyy would like to meet with Xi Jinping

According to the report, Macron added that Zelenskyy would eventually have to adjust Ukraines foreign policy and "make difficult decisions."

On Feb. 9, Zelenskyy met with Macron and Scholz in Paris. Before the meeting, the French president proposed holding a peace conference to end the war against Ukraine based on Zelenskyy's peace formula.

Read also: No peace in Ukraine until Russia is defeated, Macron says

On Oct. 4, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved a National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) decision that outlaws negotiations with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

The Presidents Office said that Kyiv would begin peace negotiations only after a new Russian leader emerges.

Read also: Indian PM Modi calls on Putin to end war through negotiations

Zelenskyy later said that Ukraine would be able to find a format for dialogue with Putin if the Russians retreated from occupied Ukrainian territories and admit that they "were terribly wrong."

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Variance Films RRR

Cinema is in its awards season, and with that comes special screening engagements for nominated films like RRR. Horror films Scream VI and Cocaine Bear are carving out fun with interactive pop-ups as they hit theaters. At the theme parks, Super Nintendo World officially announces it is coming to Epic Universe; Disney Parks gears up for a thrilling spring with Kang the Conqueror, to coincide with the release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania; and Walt Disney World plans a BBQ inspired by Toy Story.

Read on for the latest news from Disney Parks, Meow Wolf, Universal Studios, theaters, and experiential entertainment!

Read more

Watch RRR with star Ram Charan

#RRR FINAL TRAILER

Let the CelebRRRation begin! S.S. Rajamouli's masterpiece #RRRMovie is roaring back to over 200 theaters nationwide starting March 3rd. Tickets and theater list here: https://t.co/VUSJeHFLGW #RRRforOscars @sarigamacinemas pic.twitter.com/5xtqbQFKjJ  Variance Films (@VarianceFilms) February 22, 2023

The movie everyone needs to see is getting a nationwide re-release starting March 3. S.S. Rajamoulis RRR is a bromance action fantasy adventure with musical elements thats breakneck fun for three hours, starring Telugu superstars N.T. Rama Rao JR. and Ram Charan. Beyond Fest and the American Cinematheque are holding a special screening with the director and Ram Charan at the Ace Hotel in LA to kick things off (tickets for that event here) on March 1.

Story continues

Check out the list of theaters here for a screening near you.

Scream VI the Experience

Enter the world of the New York City-set Scream VI in... uh, LA, where theres a pop-up in Santa Monica for an immersive experience. You can also feed your need for horror (and burgers) with a Stabby Meal from the B.J. Novak co-founded nostalgia pop-up Chain.

Cocaine Bear movie party

Find the fun, adult-recreational-substance-themed menu at Alamo Drafthouse.

Disney After Hours

Find the listing of the full slate of parks offering extended after hours here.

Andys Backyard BBQ at WDWs Hollywood Studios



Welcoming the Rodeo to Andys Backyard | Roundup Rodeo BBQ Behind-the-Scenes

Heres a fun look behind-the-scenes at the making of the Roundup Rodeo BBQ Restaurant, opening in Toy Story Land at Disneys Hollywood Studio on March 23.

Toy Story-inspired food and drinks

Check out this foodie preview inspired by the world of Toy Story featuring Forky desserts and of course tons of BBQ.

Rogers the Musical is real!

Willed into existence by the power of fandom, Rogers the Musical will be heading to the Hyperion Theater at Disney California Adventure.

Disney artist showcase at WonderGround Gallery

Artists Larissa Martinez and Ryan Riller will be debuting their incredible work from the Epcot Festival of the Arts on the West Coast during the Celebrate Soulfully event.

Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nite

More fun is coming to @Disneyland this spring, with Disneyland After Dark: Throwback Nite and Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nite!  Read more about the themed entertainment, photo ops, specialty menu items, and more that are coming to these events: https://t.co/XqdTocfqfm pic.twitter.com/fH82pF313J  Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) February 17, 2023

Find tickets before they sell out here.

Listen to the Wondrous Journeys theme song online



Its Wondrous

The centerpiece of the Disney100 show has been released as a single from artist Devan Garcia.

Kang takes on Avengers Campus

The Ant-man and the Wasp: Quantumania villain will be at Disney California Adventure for a limited time.

Drink the ooze!

Kathryn Newton, AKA Cassie Lang, is giving a first look at the all-new Ooze Cauldron coming to Pym Test Kitchen featuring IMPOSSIBLE at Disney California Adventure Park! Available while supplies last in celebration of #AntManAndTheWaspQuantumania in theaters tonight! pic.twitter.com/MdICPPryQj  Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) February 16, 2023

Find it at Pyms Test Kitchen.

Big Hero 6 is coming to DCA

Work is underway to expand the animation-themed area at Disney California Adventure.

The Villas at the Disneyland Hotel

Get ready to experience the magic of Disney storytelling like never before at The Villas at Disneyland Hotel, opening in Sept. 2023!  Bookings will be open to the public starting on March 17. See how your favorite Disney stories will come to life: https://t.co/vzBvaIWvM7 pic.twitter.com/0CrHq2CJJI  Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) February 22, 2023

Heres a first look at the Disneyland Hotels new tower opening later this year; it will take modern contemporary layouts and blend them with Walt Disney Animation Studios classics.

Patrick Mahomes at Disneyland

The Super Bowl MVP made it to the parks to celebrate.

World of Frozen Hong Kong Disneyland preview

Hoo-hoo  Want a look at how Imagineers build a land? This land animatic of #WorldofFrozen coming to Hong Kong Disneyland shows in video what it will look like once finished. Used alongside models & concept artwork, this ensures all teams are on the same page! #FirstLookFromHKDL pic.twitter.com/ahSSF8zBO8  Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) February 23, 2023

Okay, this animatic has us really hyped for the attractions coming to Hong Kong Disneyland.

Ghibli Park Merch

We need this Totoro and Catbus gear. Look at it! They look so cozy.

Vibes set to Ghibli music

If you cant make it out to Ghibli Park just yet, heres the official music playlist on Apple Music.

SPY X FAMILY Coming to Universal Studios Japan

Universal Studios Japan will be bringing in more anime overlays to attractions and limited time experiences inspired by SPYFAMILY, Detective Conan, and Monster Hunter.

Super Nintendo World coming to Epic Universe

Okay, the worst kept secret is finally outbut we all knew it was coming. Were hoping for the Epic Universe version to be bigger like in Japan, with space for more attractions.

E.T. Adventure official POV ride along



E.T. Adventure | Universal Studios Florida

I can almost smell the ride.

Discover Universal Podcast: E.T. Interplanetary Adventure



Discover Universal Podcast: E.T. Superfan Carson Leads Kari and David on an Interplanetary Adventure

Listen to this podcast for some awesome trivia including E.T.s real name.

Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights

Just virtually attended the official HHN 2023 First Swing of the Hammer ceremony, a fun little tradition our team in Hollywood started a few years back to mark the official start of construction. There was even a bloody ribbon cutting ceremony. Dear God, its begun!  John Murdy (@john_murdy) February 21, 2023

Millard Fillmore was a member of the Whig Party and later The Know Nothing party (yes that was really the name of a political party). He named his son Millard and he died in 1874, the same year this particular house is set!  John Murdy (@john_murdy) February 20, 2023

If you know the answer to the clues let us know in the comments!

Oscar Party at the Academy Museum

If youre in LA get tickets here.





Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

More from Gizmodo

Sign up for Gizmodo's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.
Gainesville officials were met with strong pushback from lawmakers in Tallahassee over their handling of the municipal-owned utility and its increasing debt.

Democrats and Republicans shared concern over the issue and sent a clear message: Fix it or risk being removed from office.

The Florida Joint Legislative Auditing Committee, comprised of Senate and House members, grilled the city officials Thursday afternoon over findings outlined in a January 2022 auditor generals report that found problems with Gainesville Regional Utilities rising debt levels, amount of money channeled to City Hall and high electric rates. Also of conversation was a recently negotiated 20-year solar contract amendment that allows Gainesville to purchase solar power from a company at a cost not known to taxpayers due to a trade secret clause.

Lawmakers expressed grave concern for the sustainability of the citys future given its challenges outlined in the report. And while the findings have been a hotly debated topic since its release last year, one lawmaker said it didnt go far enough.

If we could have sound effects in here with lightning and fire and thunder, I think that would show the magnitude of what this audit has kind of touched on, said Rep. Mike Caruso, R-Delray Beach.

More:City owns GREC after $754M deal

More:Gainesville leaders approve large-scale solar farm project

In December 2021, The Gainesville Sun reported findings of a preliminary audit that showed lax fiscal controls and poor oversight of the city government and its Reichart House youth program. At the time, city officials downplayed the report, with then-mayor Lauren Poe calling the investigation politically motivated and pointing to the void of leadership within the finance department as being a national problem.

Even so, since the final reports release more than a year ago, the city acknowledged Thursday that it has only fully addressed five of the reports 18 findings. Mayor Harvey Ward told the committee that he was hopeful for the future given the city's recent change in leadership and new charter officers who control the very departments in question.

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Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward answers lawmakers' questions about a 2022 audit that found issues with the municipal utility's increasing debt levels.

Theres no doubt that our electric service is high compared with other Florida utilities, with the average electric service outpacing neighboring Duke Energy by about $6 a month, Ward told the committee, who added the water rates are among the most competitive in the state. Our electric utility provides some of the highest up times in Florida and has never in its history suffered a blackout. This past year, our electric customers had full access to power 99.99% of the time, which is an amazing statistic here in Florida.

Ward also noted the second consecutive reduction of $2 million from the general fund transfer (GFT)  a pot of money that transfers from GRU to City Hall to pay for other municipal services. Currently, the citys GFT is set around $34, the lowest its been since 2009, Ward added.

Still, lawmakers argued the savings pale in comparison to GRUs amassed $1.7 billion in debt, much of which was acquired when the city exited a costly, controversial biomass contract, GRU General Manager Tony Cunningham said.

What I see here is a GRU that is on the verge of failing and a city that will tumble after it, Caruso said.

Biomass-ing debt

In 2009, city officials entered into a deal with the owners of the newly built GainesvilleRenewable Energy Center (GREC) to supply renewable energy to the city at a time when there was uncertainty over costs for other power supply options. The deal was a 30-year contract for an estimated $2.1 billion, or $70 million annually, even if the city didn't use it.

A decade later, however, the contract ended up being one of the worst biomass deals in the country's history.

Officials saw only one way out: Buying it.

GRU's leadership negotiated a deal to buy the plant for $757 million in 2017, despite it only costing about $450 million to build. But the purchase was largely about exiting an unfavorable contract, not the facility itself.

City officials said it would have long-term savings of about $1 billion and cut electric bills by up to 10%. But added pressures to increase rates and mounting debt caused those bills to climb back up. Currently, Gainesville has the second-highest residential bills in the state among all utilities, nearly $20 higher than Duke, according to the Florida Municipal Electric Association.

When asked about the citys comprehensive plan to fully address the debt issue, officials said there were only a series of steps aimed at lowering the trajectory but that there was no long-term plan.

Rep. Yvonne Hayes Hinson, D-Gainesville, who joined the meeting and is a former Gainesville commissioner, was among the group who expressed concern by the response.

"I believe, this is me talking, you need to go back and take a hard look and be tough about what you do and how you do it," she said. "This is not a future payment plan. You need to find this money now."

Also joining the hearing was Sen. Keith Perry, R-Gainesville, who helped bring the discussion before the Legislature. Over the years, he has advocated taking away the City Commission's ability to make GRU-related decisions, a move voters have already rejected. Some believed Thursday's meeting was another step toward that goal.

Perry pressed Ward on his continual support of having Gainesville on 100% renewable energy by 2045, which consultants have estimated would add up to $900 million in debt. Ward said he did not have the desire to add that much debt, though he has publicly supported the renewable energy goal.

City officials have previously argued that the estimate doesn't factor in expenses spread out over time and new technologies, but they have failed to provide an estimate of what it would cost in totality.

"You want to be net-zero. That's a goal, that's understandable," Perry said to Ward. "I think what we deserve is  what does that cost?"

Sen. Keith Perry, R-Gainesville, questions Gainesville leaders about its plan to reduce GRU's increasing debt.

Derek Noonan, a state audit manager who gave the presentation to the committee, said the city could choose to modify its current energy fleet for about $250 million, but noted that plan would still add debt, too.

Utilities are debt-generating machines, he said.

Credit downgrades have only increased those costs. Despite downplaying the most recent downgrade, officials for the first time acknowledged that it had a negative $30 million impact.

More:Gainesville sees credit rating drop due to collective debt with utility

Lawmakers also questioned a solar power purchase agreement approved  and celebrated  by the Gainesville City Commission last week. The plan calls for GRU to buy solar energy from Origis, though officials say the cost of power cant be revealed.

Cunningham assured lawmakers that the deal provided cheaper power to customers compared to current options.

Cunningham and Ward were repeatedly asked why they would approve a deal that the public cant see, similar to how the original biomass contract was managed. They said it was the preference of Origis, but the answer didnt appear to satisfy committee members.

Finding a solution

The utilitys debt spreads out to about $22,000 per customer, some lawmakers noted.

Sens. Tracie Davis, D-Jacksonville, and Jason Brodeur, R-Lake Mary, were among those who said the city should seriously consider raising property taxes, cutting jobs, cutting city services and ridding the GFT entirely.

Davis said she wants to be supportive of Gainesvilles leadership but was struggling to see a path forward that didnt further burden local residents.

Im thinking about the communities in Gainesville that look like me, that cannot afford what you are talking about. We cannot afford these dollars and cents youre talking about. I personally am having a hard time seeing Gainesville being sustainable, she said. What we really haven't heard is how do you get rid of that debt."

Though the management of Reichart House was discussed, it wasn't the focus of the hearing. The program has been run by Gainesville police and serves roughly 120 at-risk youth annually and aims to assist predominantly black adolescents into adulthood through military-like structure and lessons.

Noonan noted the questionable financial setup that allowed multiple not-for-profits to shield expenses within the program, which he said prevented the city from oversight and lacked transparency.

Many of the same issues within the program were previously highlighted in an internal investigation conducted by former city auditor Carlos Holt. The former auditor was publicly berated for his findings by attendees of a City Hall meeting, where some said the findings were racially motivated and tarnished the legacy of the program. Holt rejected the claims and said numerous times that the issues within the program could be solved quickly if action was taken.

The backlash ultimately played a role in Holt's termination from the city.

Several Gainesville residents, also regulars at City Hall, drove to the hearing to let lawmakers know they have continued to harp on the subjects at city meetings for years but said they often feel rejected and dismissed by those in power.

Weve been treated like lepers in there, Jo Beaty said. They don't want to hear the people that come all the time and say the same thing even though we do our research.

At least three lawmakers vowed to show up to future city meetings and accompany the constituents to further discuss the subject and said they hope to have a follow-up report from Gainesville by Oct. 1, once a new budget is adopted, before seeking additional action.

Our eyes are on it now, said Sen. Jason Pizzo, D-Hollywood.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Gainesville officials answer questions on financial audit, GRU debt
On Capitol Hill, lawmakers are debating how to help feed the hungry. Some said they want to cut government assistance, but others argued it is critical to the health of Americans.

This is part of a larger discussion around the 2023 Farm Bill, which funds programs that help combat food insecurity.

In a Senate committee room, Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) relayed a story from 2017. It was before he was a senator as Congress was debating the last Farm Bill.

In an act of civil disobedience, I actually got arrested protesting some of the cuts around food insecurity, he recalled. Its good to be here and to have a voice and to be sitting at the table to help write the bill.

Helping write the bill means funding the SNAP program, which many still refer to as food stamps.

Food insecurity is an all too familiar experience in rural and urban parts of my state, Sen. John Boozman (R)-Arkansas, said. Thankfully, the nutrition programs that this committee authorizes, programs that Ive been proud to support, are there to provide help.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture runs SNAP. Officials there said the stakes are high because poor nutrition is the leading cause of illness in the U.S. Its associated with more than half a million deaths per year, according to the written testimony.

Experts explained people who say they have trouble affording food are also at a higher risk of developing conditions like obesity, Diabetes and hypertension.

It is imperative that we scale up the nutrition programs that we know are working, that are evidence-based, that are making a difference in peoples health and wellbeing, Sen. Cory Booker (D) New Jersey, said.

Some Republicans, on the other hand, want to reform and cut parts of the SNAP program.

Im going to be interested to see how the Farm Bill has turned into a nutrition bill, Sen. Mike Braun (R) Indiana, said.

Five members of the GOP sent a letter to President Biden. It urges the president to enact work requirements as a feature of welfare reform.

The current farm bill and those SNAP benefits expire at the end of September if lawmakers dont act.
Photo: The Canadian Press Federal, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta privacy authorities say they are investigating short-form video streaming application TikTok.

Federal and several provincial privacy authorities say they will jointly investigate TikTok.

The Privacy Commissioner of Canada says it has teamed up with the offices of the information and privacy commissioners in B.C., Alberta and Quebec to look into the short-form video streaming application.

They will examine whether TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, is in compliance with Canadian privacy legislation and whether "valid and meaningful" consent is being obtained for the collection, use and disclosure of personal information.

The investigation is also aimed at determining whether the company is meeting transparency obligations, especially when collecting personal information from its users.

The final piece of the investigation will focus on TikTok's privacy practices that apply to children and youths, who comprise a large portion of the app's userbase.

TikTok has long been embroiled in privacy concerns because the Chinese government has a stake in ByteDance and laws allow the country to access user data.

"The privacy and safety of the TikTok community, particularly our younger users, is always a top priority, and we are committed to operating with transparency to earn and maintain the trust of the many Canadians who create and find joy on our platform, TikTok spokesperson Danielle Morgan said in a statement.

We welcome the opportunity to work with the federal and provincial privacy protection authorities to set the record straight on how we protect the privacy of Canadians.
A new lawsuit being filed on behalf of a teenage girl who was raped by her teacher claims Fulton County Schools didnt do enough to stop it from happening.

Robert Vandel, who was a teacher at Lyndon Academy, pleaded guilty to raping a student at Fulton Academy of Science and Technology in Roswell. Vandel taught science at the Fulton Academy in 2020 and the victim was allegedly a student in one of his classes.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

According to the lawsuit, the victim, a former 13-year-old 7th grader at FAST, was groomed, sexually harassed, sexually assaulted and then raped by Vandel.

The lawsuit alleges that before Vandal was hired at FAST, the Georgia Professional Standards Commission had a record of seven students and 14 teachers filing reports of grooming, sexual harassment and sexual assault against him.

RELATED STORIES:

While employed at FAST, the lawsuit says he was reported six more times by teachers, students and a parent.

Channel 2s Michele Newell obtained the 100-page lawsuit, which names Fulton County Schools Superintendent Mike Looney, as well as former superintendents Cindy Loe and Jeff Rose, and others, including several FAST principals and assistant principals.

The lawsuit alleges that because Fulton County Schools, and those who directly hired Vandel, hired him despite his history of allegations at other institutions, they failed to protect the teenage victim from being attacked.

According to the lawsuit, Vandels misconduct took place over a nearly 20-year period.

Story continues

(Complaints include) reports about Vandel sexually harassing, sexually abusing kids, attorney Frank Bayuk said. Making inappropriate comments to kids and teachers and staff members back in Midland Middle School in 2003.

According to the complain, the Georgia Professional Standards Commission investigated Vandel and suspended him for two years.

Vandel was actually criminally charged with battery, Bayuk said. Sexual battery and assault. Back then, unfortunately, the case was dead-docketed and wasnt pursued and he was able to escape responsibility for that.

Newell spoke to the attorney, Bradley Pratt, who said the fact that he was hired at all is a huge problem. Pratt said Vandel got in trouble again at another school for showing up under the influence of alcohol. He had his teaching certificate suspended again.

The fact that he was hired at FAST with this background is outrageous, Pratt said. She never would have been raped. She never would have been a victim.

Channel 2 Action News has reached out to Fulton County Schools and received the following statement.

FAST is a separate legal entity from the Fulton County School District. FAST creates and implements its own personnel policies and hires, vets, and manages its staff independently. Fulton County Schools does not comment on pending litigation.

The attorneys who file the lawsuit said that FAST is a charter school created with Fulton County School, so they think the district shares a lot of the responsibility.

Vandel Lawsuit by Jennifer Smith on Scribd

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IN OTHER NEWS:
Javi Gracia has been named as new Leeds boss (PA)

Leeds United have appointed former Watford boss Javi Gracia as their new manager.

Gracia replaces Jesse Marsch after a turbulent search that saw the Premier League club miss out on several of their top targets, and will be in charge for the key meeting with fellow strugglers Southampton this weekend.

Leeds are 19th in the Premier League table and without a win in 10 matches.

Defeat in the weekends relegation six-pointer with Everton saw the club fall into the bottom three and Gracia will now be tasked with keeping the Elland Road club up over the final 15 games of the campaign.

Leeds announced the news in a statement on their official website, saying: Leeds United is delighted to announce Javi Gracias visa has been confirmed, along with a number of new additions to the existing backroom staff.

Earlier in the week the club had said that the experienced 52-year-old has agreed a flexible contract at Elland Road.

The Spaniard was in charge of Watford between January 2018 and September 2019. During that time he led the Hornets to safety and reached the FA Cup final but was sacked following a poor start to the following season. He has since taken jobs at Valencia and Qatari club Al Sadd.

Javi Gracia is the new Leeds manager (PA)

Under-21s boss Michael Skubala had been placed in temporary charge at Elland Road, overseeing two Premier League games in the space of five days against Manchester United  a 2-2 draw and a 2-0 home defeat  and a 1-0 loss at Everton.

Leeds hunt for Marschs replacement had met with several setbacks. Talks with former Ajax boss Alfred Schreuder broke down, Rayo Vallecano blocked a move for Andoni Iraola and Arne Slot opted to stay at Feyenoord after he was approached.

Carlos Corberan signed a new contract with West Brom, while it was reported in Argentina that former River Plate boss Marcelo Gallardo ruled himself out of the running.

Leeds, two points from safety, are winless in their previous 10 league matches. Their last top-flight victory was on 5 November and they will go bottom if they lose to Southampton this weekend.
Andrey Liscovich left behind his life in Silicon Valley and is now advising the Ukrainian government (Andrey Liscovich)

On 24 February 2022, Andrey Liscovich was working on the launch of his latest start-up in Silicon Valley.

Today, on 24 February 2023, he is in eastern Ukraine helping advise President Volodymyr Zelenskys government on the war efforts.

He may have no military experience. But years of working in the start-up culture of the California tech industry have given him a different set of skills.

Its a skill set that he is now using to source crucial supplies for Ukrainian troops and distribute them to soldiers and volunteer fighters on the frontline.

The army has limited bandwidth to liaise with foreign stakeholders, and military officials have not necessarily dealt with supply chain issues and big deals before, he says.

Im now helping in areas where they dont have that expertise.

While I dont have military experience, I do have experience in commercial transactions  and this is whats needed here.

Speaking to The Independent on Wednesday  two days before the one-year anniversary of Russias invasion  he is en route to his hometown of Zaporizhzhia from Warsaw.

Its a journey he has made countless times over the past year for his non-profit, the Ukraine Defense Fund, which sources much-needed supplies for thousands of Ukrainian fighters.

This latest trip to Warsaw overlapped with US president Joe Bidens visit to Poland (something which he noted had left him priced out of his usual hotel in the downtown area of the city).

Andrey Liscovich, founder of the Ukraine Defense Fund, pictured in Ukraine (Andrey Liscovich)

As a Ukrainian national who grew up in the southeast region of the country, Liscovich also has strong ties to the US as well as to the nation whose forces are now attacking his home.

Having gone to college in Moscow, he has many close friends there and holidayed in Russia just weeks before the war began.

After college, Liscovich made the US his home  first doing his PhD at Harvard University and then moving to San Francisco for a career in the heart of Silicon Valley.

There, he spent years working as CEO of Uber Works  Ubers aaformer offshoot matching gig workers with jobs in various industries  and then as an adviser to start-up businesses while also developing his own start-up.

Story continues

Tackling supply chain issues is what he knows best.

Swapping Silicon Valley for the battleground

When Russia declared war one year ago, Liscovich packed up his life in San Francisco and headed to Ukraine to help.

When he arrived, he quickly learnt that there was no lack of fighters  but rather a lack of essential goods that the military and volunteer fighters need in order to be prepared for the frontline.

Using his start-up and supply chain background, he launched the US-based non-profit Ukraine Defense Fund and began sourcing any and all non-lethal items soldiers needed.

Back in early March 2022, when Liscovich first spoke to The Independent, the Ukraine Defense Fund was still in its infancy.

It was using private donations from members of the public to procure small quantities of goods.

The supplies in question were basic, non-lethal, but much-needed items including boots, clothing, food, phones, portable chargers and first aid kits.

The focus was predominantly on sourcing locally, so that the items could reach fighters on the frontline as quickly as possible at a time when Russia was bombarding Ukrainian airspace and bombing bridges and routes in and out of cities.

We were getting things from cities to the frontline within 90 hours  thats the fastest that I know of, Liscovich says.

Things look a little bit different today.

Now, the Ukraine Defense Fund is using millions of dollars of funds from contracts with Western governments to procure items on a much larger scale.

Ukrainian soldiers in the Kharkiv region back in September 2022 (AP)

Supplies now include non-lethal equipment including satellite imagery, drones, anti-drone equipment, and cell communications equipment.

The items are now sourced and bought from across Europe and the US and shipped to Ukraine.

And Liscovich is now acting as an unpaid adviser to the communications and cybersecurity command of the Ukrainian government.

War is unpredictable

For him, this means liaising between the Ukrainian government, the Western governments donating aid money and Western suppliers, in order to procure items through large contracts and get them to the areas on the ground where theyre needed.

Much like the evolution of a start-up, these changes were all necessary to adapt to the changing needs of wartime Ukraine.

War is unpredictable so you have to respond when changes come, says Liscovich.

I knew that problems would likely evolve and change along the way.

A couple of months into the war, private donations had begun to dry up, he explains.

It was around June and Western governments were pledging significant aid to Ukraine, meaning members of the public likely thought their donations wouldnt be needed when compared to what was coming from Uncle Sam, he says.

Private funds could not deliver anywhere near the volume or quantity of products that can be unlocked through brokering transactions, he says.

So our focus shifted to a model focused on procuring things that are paid for by donor government funds. This way we can tap into much larger resources.

Advising the Ukrainian government

Now, the supplier signs a contract with the Ukraine Ministry of Defence but the supplier is paid with Western government aid.

As such, each deal involves the Ukrainian government, at least one donor government and at least one supplier.

Liscovich explains that procurement and working on commercial transactions dont generally fall under the expertise and experience of members of the military.

So this is where his experience in procurement and start-up environments  tackling supply chain issues, working with stakeholders and making commercial transactions  comes in.

While he insists that several people are involved in making these deals happen, he plays a key role among all the stakeholders.

The shift to government adviser was also something that came about naturally as the needs on the ground changed.

Through helping to distribute equipment to the army, I was often asked about where products and equipment should go so I just developed connections with the general staff and command, he says.

Over time, I was being asked for advice on various topics and started to informally advise the relevant people in the army on things like how to better communicate with stakeholders in the West.

The challenges of sourcing and supplying goods to the frontline has also changed over the course of the war  creating a need to source from further afield rather than from local vendors.

Andrey Liscovich is now using his start-up skills as an adviser to the Ukrainian government (Andrey Liscovich)

Things have changed drastically so logistics are no longer a problem, he says.

Commercial carriers can now deliver anything from the Polish border to the frontline in less than 48 hours and cheaply.

Now, the challenge is having the products to ship. While lots of items that were out of stock at the start of the war  like boots and uniforms  are now being manufactured in Ukraine and are available, Ukraine doesnt manufacture drone products and supply is limited.

Which is why the focus has shifted from buying locally to buying goods from the West and sending them to Ukraine.

Were following through on the idea of making the West the rear of Ukrainian operations, he says.

In between liaising with Western governments and suppliers, Liscovich also regularly travels to the frontline to see what the true needs are on the ground.

A few weeks ago I was in the trenches at the very, very front, he says.

Its essential to go there to see what morale is like and what people are saying there in the trenches as things can get distorted up the chain of command.

He adds: Having run Silicon Valley start-ups, I know how important it is to get close to the problem in order to understand what needs to be solved and how to make the most impact. Its incredibly difficult to do that from a distance.

As a public charity, the goods sourced continue to be non-lethal  involving anything a soldier needs other than weapons.

The importance of these items to performance on the battlefield shouldnt be underestimated, he says.

All the pieces of equipment we source are commercial products, he says.

Our focus is on augmenting the capabilities to affect the military outcome without touching lethal things.

This war has shown the impact non-lethal things can have on the battlefield.

Andrey Liscovichs life has changed dramatically over the last year (Andrey Liscovich)

In total, the Ukraine Defense Fund has now directly raised around $7m (5.8m) in contributions and has helped broker transactions and deals worth $70m.

A lot of these contracts have been with money from the German government.

Support from Uncle Sam

Liscovich hopes that, in time, he can start working with the US government on funding non-lethal aid as well.

One of the key things were trying to achieve  and havent yet managed  is to unlock US funding for non-lethal aid. The US has much larger resources but Ukraine has so far mostly asked for and received lethal aid from the US, he says.

Thats not an accident as Ukraine doesnt want to stop getting lethal aid from the US but were trying to make the case that non-lethal aid is not a substitute.

Non-lethal items are crucial as well as lethal items as they, for example, augment intelligence and communications on the frontline.

As someone who has worked and lived in the US for years, he says its difficult to say what his views are about Americas response to the war.

The aid that the US has so far provided to Ukraine has been essential, he says, but it is far less than what Ukraine has asked for  and needs.

Ukraine needs more equipment  tanks, artillery systems. Ukraine has repeatedly requested more aid and the US has that in its inventory, he says.

Its not about the availability of inventory but policy decisions in the administration.

But its a difficult question in a sense that the Biden administration is making decisions on information that may not be publicly available.

When Liscovich himself will return to California depends largely on the war.

How life has changed

He says he has been back to the US four times over the last year  but only to meet with vendors face-to-face as part of his work for the Ukraine Defense Fund.

Now, he spends 70 to 80 per cent of his time in Ukraine, mostly in his hometown and travelling to and from the frontline.

One year ago he says he could absolutely not have ever imagined this would be what he was doing.

My life has changed in many ways over the last year, he says.

A year ago I thought I would be running my company in Silicon Valley.

I never planned on running a non-profit or working with governments. This was not on my radar.

Coming face to face with the prospect of his own mortality is also not something he contended with when he was back in the Bay Area.

Ive been confronted with mortality very directly here so there have been times where Ive reassessed life, he says.

Two missiles landed next to my office, two landed next to where I was staying and one landed next to the restaurant where I used to go every day, he says.

For him, he says the dangers have always felt like calculated risks.

I dont think Im taking unnecessary personal risks. There are missile strikes but Im not playing Russian roulette, he says.

Im trying to be rational and recognise that in most places the risk is lower than being killed in a traffic accident.

While the dangers have never prompted him to reconsider packing up and heading back to his old life in Silicon Valley, they have given him a new perspective on life.

When you start to see these things up close you have to reassess your life priorities. It forces a different perspective on you and you realise the things that matter and the things that are secondary, he says.

I hope we get peace. But not peace on any terms. Peace that creates a sustainable precedence for the future.
Cows eat at a dairy farm near the Central Valley town of Hanford, Calif., in 2020. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

To the editor: In his piece on the need to fallow or re-purpose San Joaquin Valley farmland, columnist George Skelton ignores the fact an estimated 47% of all usable water in California goes toward animal agriculture.

Skelton says we need to "plant fewer thirsty crops, such as almonds." He ignores the egregious use of lower Colorado River water for alfalfa, which is grown in the California desert and much of it sent overseas to feed livestock.

In Southern California, residents are asked to limit water use to 500-600 gallons per week. One decent-sized hamburger requires more than 600 gallons to produce; the same amount would produce more than four cups of almonds.

A 10% reduction in animal food production would achieve a 4.7% reduction in total water use. It would also substantially increase the water available to California households and result in significant greenhouse gas reductions.

Booker Pearson, Playa del Rey

..

To the editor: Our response to the water crisis has mainly been to chase a decreasing supply with increased conservation. That's not going to work anymore.

The obvious solution is more water, and history shows us the way. When the L.A. River wasn't enough, we brought in new water from the Owens Valley. When that wasn't enough, we imported water from the Colorado River and Northern California.

Those supplies are now vanishing. Conservation is fine, but we need new water. Fortunately, there's an unlimited supply to the west of us. All we need do is get the salt and other unwanted minerals out of it.

Others have done it. Just one of Saudi Arabia's desalinization plants can produce 370 million gallons of drinking water a day. Israel has five plants that produce about half the water it uses. There are at least 16,000 operating desalination plants globally.

We need a permanent, reliable source of new water. We can have it if we overcome our lethargy and hustle.

Geoffrey England, Menifee

..

To the editor: Building the already planned Temperance Flat Dam on the San Joaquin River or raising the Shasta Dam would provide at least an additional 1 million acre feet of water storage.

Story continues

Agriculture is a vital source of tax revenue and employment for the state and is one of our greenest industries. Replacing agriculture with solar panels in the Central Valley, known for months of tule fog in the winter, could be one of the worst solar installations yet proposed.

Robert Rex, Calabasas

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
LHC Group (NASDAQ:LHCG) Full Year 2022 Results

Key Financial Results

Revenue: US$2.28b (up 2.8% from FY 2021).

Net income: US$39.9m (down 66% from FY 2021).

Profit margin: 1.7% (down from 5.2% in FY 2021). The decrease in margin was driven by higher expenses.

EPS: US$1.31 (down from US$3.71 in FY 2021).

All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period

LHC Group Revenues and Earnings Miss Expectations

Revenue missed analyst estimates by 1.9%. Earnings per share (EPS) also missed analyst estimates by 51%.

Looking ahead, revenue is forecast to grow 8.9% p.a. on average during the next 2 years, compared to a 7.6% growth forecast for the Healthcare industry in the US.

Performance of the American Healthcare industry.

The company's share price is broadly unchanged from a week ago.

Risk Analysis

It's necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with LHC Group (at least 1 which is potentially serious), and understanding these should be part of your investment process.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Apple TV+

Liaison is headlined by two of international cinemas sexiest actors, Vincent Cassel and Eva Green, so the wholesale limpness of Virginie Bracs six-part Apple TV+ series borders on the criminal.

That the leads are given zero chances to steam up the screenthis despite playing former lovers reunited amidst a European calamityis nothing short of baffling, although squandering opportunities is the name of this affairs tiresome game. Designed to hit the same international-intrigue sweet spot as Fauda and Tehran, it goes through the generic geopolitical motions with the sort of mundane, measured proficiency thats apt to excite fewand put many to sleep.

As with last years The Undeclared War, Liaison (which premieres Feb. 24) hinges on cybersecurity fears, its story propelled by a sequence of hacking attacks against multiple facets of Britains core infrastructure. This greatly concerns British National Cyber Security Centre minister Richard Banks (Peter Mullan) and his assistant Alison Rowdy (Green), if not the man in charge of keeping the country safe from such electronic assaults, Mark Bolton (Patrick Kennedy), who wants to dismiss them as the handiwork of troublemaking pests rather than treat them as grave threats to the countrys safety and stability. Once the water, power grid, and air transportation systems are targeted, suggesting that a foreign enemy wants to bring England to its knees, much urgent handwringing ensues.

At the same time, French Foreign Legion vet-turned-mercenary Gabriel Delage (Cassel) is tasked by his boss Dumas (Gerard Lanvin)on behalf of a shadowy clientto retrieve two Syrian computer geniuses, Samir (Aziz Dyab) and Walid (Marco Horanieh), whove hacked into President Assads police database and, in doing so, have uncovered secret plans for a terrorist attack. The nature of that impending strike is shrouded in secrecy for the majority of Liaison, and, ultimately, turns out to be superfluous to the proceedings; whats of primary importance to creator/showrunner Brac is blending geopolitical espionage, fraught romance, and perilous action in a manner thats been seen countless times before.

Story continues

Gabriels initial attempt to extract Walid and Samir from Damascus goes down in flames, leading to his capture and their flight to England, where they hook up with their uncle and soon become wanted by both English and French forces, the latter led by Didier (Stanislas Merhar), whos instructed by the president to retrieve the on-the-run Syrians.

Vincent Cassel. Apple TV+

One look at the cold-eyed Didier is enough to mark him as a conniving and cutthroat wheeler-dealer, and, unfortunately, thats also true of just about everyone else in Liaison, whose characters are a collection of obvious and wooden ciphers who do nothing of interesta consequence, perhaps, of their being so exhausted from all the exposition theyre asked to spout.

Through various twists and turns that are as muddled as they are trivial, Gabriel crosses paths with Alison, who years earlier betrayed him when they were partners in a radical pro-environment protest group. That vague backstory is intended to create simmering tension between the two. Instead, however, it mostly comes across as random and contrived; Cassel and Greens formidable protagonists might be many things, but bleeding hearts doesnt appear to be one of them.

The Consultant: Christoph Waltz Is Corporate Americas Boss From Hell

Even more frustrating is that Brac makes clear that Alison and Gabriel have lingering feelings for each other, only to then never exploit that angle for the charged eroticism an endeavor like this requiresand which it seemingly promises via a credit sequence that begins with images of a man and woman in sensual embrace. Teasing their union is one thing; outright neglecting it is another.

Everyones got a mission to accomplish and limited time to do it in Liaison, but, like the shows title, those undertakings only sound meaningful. Brac sticks to routine with exasperating doggedness, including with regards to the friction that arises between Alison and her lawyer boyfriend Albert (Daniel Francis), who doesnt take kindly to the idea that his would-be wife is working with a mercenary mixed up with terroristsmuch less one whom she once loved.

Eva Green. Abbie Parr

Albert is around to provide Alison with personal problems to go along with her professional headaches, and yet he really just comes across as runtime filler. The same goes for Alberts daughter Kim (Bukky Bakray), a one-dimensional teenager whose complaints about Alison materialize during an early episode and are subsequently droppedlike Kim herselfonce the shows spy business ramps up.

Though Cassels Gabriel is a ruthless private contractor, hes also something of a softie with a heart of gold, just as Alison is a do-gooder with a not-so-flattering past. Liaison wants to be about compromised, complex people navigating a world in which its difficult to parse right from wrong. Unfortunately, its line-straddling mostly resonates as a wishy-washy lack of commitment, and that impression is amplified by a plot that wraps itself up in knots without ever feeling particularly tangled.

Irene Jacob and Stanislas Merhar. Abbie Parr

Talk about enigmatic moles, double agents, and power players consumes the show, albeit to no interesting end; from government officials trying to figure out which one of their own might be a traitor, to violent showdowns with anonymous gunmen, to intermittent globe-trotting, the material merely regurgitates tattered genre cliches.

Laetitia Eido. Thibault Grabherr

In light of the fact that Apple TV+ subscribers already have access to Slow Horses, a far more colorful, inventive and surprising British spy drama, its difficult to imagine what the appeal of Liaison might be, save for seeing how thoroughly a television series can waste fine performers like Cassel, Green and Mullanthe last of whom is compelled to merely complain about bureaucrats growing desire to privatize national security services. That topic would seem, on the surface, like a good starting point for a 21st-century tale of warring superpowers, ruthless duplicity and societal peril. Brac, however, mines it for no thrills, too intently does her tale rely on chance encounters, fortuitous coincidences and easy-bake conflict resolutions.

The Company You Keep: Milo Ventimiglia Leaves This Is Us Behind to Be a Criminal

A self-contained saga thats all foreplay and no payoff, Liaison peters out long before its conclusion. Should it somehow manage to snag a second season, itd be wise to significantly raise its temperature via the sparks generated by its stars.

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Riverside County prosecutor Samantha Paixao hugs Maria Morales on Friday after a jury recommended the death penalty for Jose Larin-Garcia. He was convicted of killing Morales' daughter, Yuliana Garcia, and three other people.

The man who murdered four people in Palm Springs in 2019 should receive the death penalty for what a prosecutor called "executions," a jury ruled Friday.

Jose Larin-Garcia, 23, showed no reaction as the verdict was announced in an Indio courtroom. He will be formally sentenced at a future hearing by a judge, who is likely to impose the death sentence the jury recommended.

The families of the four victims showed little reaction in court when the verdict was read, and afterward they declined to comment, as did Larin-Garcia's family. Defense attorney John Dolan said he was "very unhappy and disappointed" and expects the conviction to be overturned on appeal, with the case sent back for a new trial.

Larin-Garcia's fate will ultimately be in the hands of Riverside County Superior Court Judge Anthony Villalobos. But judges rarely depart from a jury's recommendation in capital cases, and Villalobos has upheld a death sentence in the past.

Larin-Garcia was convicted as charged earlier this month of four homicides including two special circumstances that made him eligible for the death penalty: that he lay in wait to commit the murders and that he killed multiple people.

Three victims of the murders were, from left, Yuliana Garcia, 17; Juan Duarte Raya, 18; and Jacob Montgomery, 19. A photo of the fourth, 25-year-old Carlos Campos Rivera, was not available.

The penalty phase of the trial then began, with the same jury deciding. After the prosecutor and defense attorney delivered their closing arguments on the sentence Thursday, jurors began deliberations at 11 a.m. Friday. They announced they had reached the verdict in less than an hour, and it was read aloud in court shortly after 1:30 p.m.

Afterward, the jury foreperson said the panel of 12 citizens had no doubt about the earlier guilty verdicts or its decision Friday.

"It's been an intense, emotional and definitive day," he said. "The evidence was compelling and we were in lockstep in our decision."

The foreperson, who asked to be identified only as Bill for fear of retaliation, said testimony showed an escalating pattern of violence by Larin-Garcia, including fighting, in the months before the shootings.

Story continues

The sentence comes four years and two trials after the four were fatally shot.

Jose Vladimir Larin-Garcia, on February 3, 2019, executed four people. For no reason. He deserves the greater punishment of death, Deputy District Attorney Samantha Paixao told the jury Thursday.

Urging jurors to spare Larin-Garcia's life, Dolan pointed to evidence another man was the real shooter.

Saying a mistaken guilty verdict and life sentence could be undone if Larin-Garcia is only sent to prison, Dolan added: This mistake, however, is extraordinarily difficult, because if you make a mistake and you vote for death for Jose Larin-Garcia, and he's executed and then we find out he's not the third person in the back of the car  what do we do about that? What does anybody do about that?

Defense attorney John Dolan during Jose Larin-Garcia's first trial in February 2022.

On the night of the killings, Palm Springs police officers were dispatched to a report of shots fired just before midnight on the 3700 block of East Sunny Dunes Road. There they found a green Toyota Camry crashed into a brick wall in front of a residence. Inside were the bodies of Yuliana Garcia, 17; Jacob Montgomery, 19; and Juan Duarte Raya, 18. Several blocks away the body of Carlos Campos Rivera, 25, was found prone on Canon Drive. All had been fatally shot.

Text message evidence and eyewitness testimony showed Larin-Garcia and the three found in the car had travelled to Canon Drive to sell Campos Rivera pills.

Paixao has argued the botched drug deal ended with Larin-Garcia shooting Campos Rivera and the other three as they sped away. On Thursday, she described Larin-Garcias decisions four years ago as calculated and deliberate.

Dolan has argued the shooter was a fifth person in the car who successfully evaded police and remains at large. One police officer reported seeing a person fleeing the area, but they were never found.

Officers found Larin-Garcia hiding under a truck a couple blocks from where the car crashed. He had removed blood-spattered clothing and was taken to Desert Regional Medical Center, where he was treated for a laceration on his arm. A couple hours later, the hospital's security cameras captured him fleeing the facility wearing a hospital gown and without being released by a doctor.

He walked to the Palm Springs home of a friend, Joseph Beaver, who helped him gather belongings and a cell phone from his mother and purchased him a bus ticket to Florida under a fake name. Larin-Garcia was arrested at a bus station in Indio soon before his bus was scheduled to depart.

Jose Larin-Garcia smiles as he talks with his lawyers Thursday while the jury enters the courtroom.

Larin-Garcia's attorneys focused their defense on several open questions unanswered by the investigation, such as who was the person seen fleeing the scene and where was the murder weapon, which was never found. Dolan argued that the shooter was an acquaintance of the group, John Olvera, who attempted in the days following to take credit for the killings on social media. Olvera later recanted the statements to police and during testimony.

But those open questions were among the issues that led to the first jury announcing they couldn't agree on a verdict. After testimony spanning 2021 and 2022, Villalobos declared a mistrial in March 2022.

Larin-Garcia's second trial began in September, and both sides provided their closing statements earlier this month in the first phase of the trial, where guilt or innocence was determined.

The second trial also saw the discovery of evidence thought to have been lost by a Palm Springs police evidence clerk. A bag containing glass, a bullet casing and a cigarette butt was found in the trunk of the crashed car, which the police department had stored for the investigation. The defense requested a mistrial after the evidence was found, but Villalobos denied the motion and barred the jury from hearing about the rediscovered evidence.

The jury returned a guilty verdict after only a couple hours of deliberations on Feb. 6.

Riverside County has sentenced five people to death between 2018 and 2022, tying Cuyahoga County, Ohio, for the most during that timeframe of any county in the nation.

California has not executed a prisoner since 2006, but 669 prisoners are now on death row, including 88 from Riverside County.

Christopher Damien covers public safety and the criminal justice system. He can be reached at christopher.damien@desertsun.com or follow him at @chris_a_damien.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Jury votes for death penalty in Palm Springs quadruple homicide
Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte and her Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhal visit the Ukrainian town of Borodianka in April 2022. Ukrainian Governmental Press Service/Handout via REUTERS

Ukrainians are dying to help protect European security, Lithuania's prime minister told Insider.

That's why Ukraine should get the weapons it needs, including offensive weapons, she said.

Ingrida Simonyte added that Ukraine's allies are "not losing people. We're just losing some money."

Ukraine's allies should support Ukraine with whatever weapons it needs because Ukrainians are dying to protect Europe from Russia, Lithuania's prime minister said in an interview with Insider.

Ingrida Simonyte spoke to Insider on the eve of the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

She described Russia as a threat to Europe, and said Ukrainians are dying to protect the continent's security and should be given advanced offensive weaponry.

"We are not losing people. We're just losing some money. I say we are losing, [but] I think we are investing in a way, investing into our security," she said.

"The least thing we can do is to support Ukraine with anything it needs," she added.

US Vice President Kamala Harris with Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte in Washington, DC, in December 2022. AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

Lithuania has been among Ukraine's strongest backers, and has advocated for giving the country advanced weapons, striking a much less cautious tone than many of its other allies.

Lithuania was sending Ukraine weapons even before Russia's invasion began last February, at a time when Ukraine was fighting Russian-backed separatists in its east.

Simonyte said supporting Ukraine is an obvious human reaction, but also one that protects her country and Europe.

"It's sort of a cliche to say that Ukrainians are fighting this war for all of us," she added.

But "it is a very practical thing because President Zelenskyy actually says that bluntly: that if you want to stop Russia at the borders of Ukraine, you better provide Ukraine with all the weapons that Ukrainian army needs, because otherwise there might be no end to the war in Europe for a very significant period of time," she told Insider.

Lithuania, like its neighbors Latvia and Estonia, was once part of the Soviet Union, but is now a member of NATO and the EU.

Story continues

All three countries warned of the growing risk from Russia before its invasion of Ukraine started, and have boosted their own defenses since, believing Russia could turn to other European countries if it wins in Ukraine.

While Ukraine's other backers have given more offensive weapons to Ukraine as the war progressed, Lithuania is urging them to send still more, including granting Ukraine's request for fighter jets.

Simonyte said that the time taken for countries to debate whether to send such weapons "costs people lives."

She also stressed that arguments for only giving Ukraine defensive weapons don't make sense, because Ukraine can't push Russia out if it doesn't have the ability to attack.

"How can you push back the Russian army from the territory of Ukraine, which we all know should happen, if you do not have heavy weapons?"

In fact, she said the invasion proves the Western strategy for dealing with Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent years  during which time his country attacked Georgia in 2008 and invaded eastern Ukraine and annexed the Crimea region  hasn't worked.

"The strategy before this invasion was appeasement: let us give him [Putin] something so that he would not do anything stupid. But it never worked," she said.

She added: "I think for the democratic leaders, there are no illusions anymore that you somehow can turn a blind eye on what is happening in Russia, because the signs of this coming should have been seen for a very long period."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Anna Voitenko/Reuters

At 5 a.m. on February 24, 2022, my husband woke me up in our Kyiv apartment. He had heard explosions.

In complete darkness, I tried to dress and pack documents, a laptop, and cash into a backpack. Immediately I started experiencing nausea, diarrhea, and pain in the bottom of my stomach. My period began three weeks earlier than it normally would (something that also happened to many Ukrainian women with whom Ive spoken). And I also had COVID.

10 Surprising Lessons of the Ukraine War So Far

We went to our relatives place, as they had a basement.

On February 10, 2023, we were still in Kyiv, and I was once again ill with COVID. Russia continues to attack my country with missiles from jets and a frigate in the Black Sea, so I hear air raids almost constantly. But this morning, my husband woke me up and said, Morning bombardments again, so we are going out to eat waffles.

Our emergency backpackscontaining vital documents, cash, tactical first aid kit, knife, protein bars, coffee beans in chocolate, torch, lighters, warm socks, gloves, and a laptop with a power sourceare always near our front door. This morning, we picked them up, and walked outto a waffle cafe, located in a basement, with a sign on the door reading, We Do Not Work During Massive Shellings!!!

Its been one year since Russia escalated its war on Ukraine to one of nationwide, full-scale military aggression. The act of going out for waffles is one way we trydespite living under mortal threats and enduring the collapse of the lives we once livedto recreate what was once a normal world. These old routines dont feel the same, though they are valuable as they give us the fleeting comfort of feeling we can control at least this one little thing.

Great danger forces you to appreciate basic things. Small stories make up big landscapes, like going out for waffles during airstrikes. Here are some reflections on living my life during wartime.

Scotch Tape as a Lifesaver

Its February 2022, Im at home, and the frost stings my skin. We keep our windows open to hear Russian missiles as soon as possible.

Story continues

My parents are coming to visit, and Ive asked them to bring just one thingscotch tape. All over the city and throughout the country, people scotch-tape their windows. It is supposed to protect you from fragments of glass shattered by the blast wave.

Scotch tape on the windows. Mariia Shuvalova

Is it actually effective? I don't know. As civilians, were learning as we go. Were scotch-taping everything, including (in a sense), our relationships with other people.

My husband's younger brother, a veteran who lost his leg at the front line of Russias war against Ukraine in 2015, joined the air-assault brigade. They needed walkie-talkies. My cousin and his friends joined the territorial defense forces. Their battalion needed 20 bulletproof vests and 20 helmets. A family friend, an ordinary warehouse worker, became a tank commander and went to Donetsk. Their unit needed first aid kits, clothes, and tourniquets.

It was clear to me that I had only one optionget the stuff for them. And yet, I didnt have any idea how. Where would I get the money? How do I manage the new bank regulationswhich include transaction limits and a ban on purchasing items from abroad? How do I handle deliveries given the long queues at the border and fuel shortages? Every warehouse in the country is empty, because everyones looking to get the same things for their loved ones.

As we already stick to invisible and thin thingslike tapeto protect ourselves, we also naturally rely on our networks. Acquaintances of friends, colleagues, students, a yoga teacher, and a family doctor played a crucial role in helping me help the people on the front lines. We managed everything via chats.

To buy NATO-standard wound and trauma bandages from Norway to deliver them to Bakhmut, as well as vests from China delivered to Irpin, and uniforms from Bordeaux sent to Kharkiv, we built networksinformal, decentralized, adaptive, formed around the task, helping us fend off the physical exhaustion of trying to do it alone.

Boxes of plate carriers. Mariia Shuvalova

We managed everything via chats. Usually, the chats went silent at 2 a.m., but since 4 a.m., as if on a freaking schedule, the Russians resumed their attacks and bombardments. This forced us to go the basement, which was cold as hell, and it was impossible to sleep in. For months, we experienced extreme sleep deprivation. On top of that, the Russians were producing media content of all kinds, telling us that the next influx of Russian army units would cut us all down. This was how I learned that such basic things as sleep deprivation and fear were some of Russias most devastating weapons used on Ukrainian civilians.

But our solidarity persisted, and we were able to secure and deliver all these boxes with medications and means of personal protection. We bought virtual tickets to the Mykolaiv Zoo, to provide funds to keep the animals fed. And we continued to pay our electricity bills, even though it was unclear whether we would even have a home tomorrow. That's how we created our reality.

Vests, boots and antennas delivered to Ukrainian soldiers. Mariia Shuvalova

Better Self-Regulation Has Joined the Chat

Before long, my husband and I were receiving hundreds of messages every day, providing lists of platforms and contacts where certain items could be procured, and other forms of help could be found. This afforded us about four hours per day to figure out how we could reinvent our workflows, needs, and motivation to proceed with the work of teaching, researching, and writing.

Air raid alerts werent just blared on sirens, they were also delivered via mobile apps, which allowed you to choose a melody. My warning to watch for falling shells and missiles comes in the form of a traditional Ukrainian song played at festive gatherings to invite guests to the table. However, instead of the classic words, Dear guests, dear family, we invite you to find your table, I hear, Dear guests, dear family, we invite you to find your bomb shelter. Its surreal, like everything else, but it makes me stress a bit less.

At any given point in the dayeven answering emails or going to the kitchen to grab a snackyou might next see a missile hitting an apartment building across the street. At a certain point, a tragedy becomes a routine. You have no choice but to keep functioning.

One way we do that is by incorporating the resistance into our routines.

Among other efforts, we have the daily donations rule, where we send five to 10 dollars a day to support the army through small initiatives put together by our friends or to funds we trust). We also raise funds ourselves, take freelance work so that we can donate more to the cause, and volunteer our physical labor where we can be helpful. Work, donate, and volunteerits a mantra. And it never feels like enough, as our fellow Ukrainians die every single day.

Working from a basement on March 8, 2022. Mariia Shuvalova

My friends and I regularly hold small fundraisers to support our friends and relatives on the front line, and manage the logistics of deliveries. Sometimes, when reading or watching official reports of certain operations, Ive thought: Oh, these are the guys for whom we bought helmets! Oh, I know the model of the washing machine we sent to those guys!

I wont say it hasnt been hard to work without days off and weekends, but all this self-regulation and grassroots initiative represents a moving power. We do not wait. We improve our current reality on the scale we were able to.

But the Russians adapted as well. Sleep deprivation and fear have already been used as a weaponcold, darkness, absence of water, and deprivation of means of communication came next.

All I Need For a Bright Future Is a Power Generator

Its late October 2022, and another massive attack of Russian drones has just ended. I returned from the bomb shelterwhere we now have benches, blankets, yoga mats, water, and Wi-Fiand fell asleep. I woke up in a cold apartment and discovered there was no signal on my phone, the Wi-Fi was not working, and there was no electricity or water. We listened to the news and heard about the total blackout in the country via an old radio on batteries. My husband and I left our home to explore the city, hoping to catch a mobile signal in another district and find a coffee shop powered by a Starlink.

Worlds Richest Man Elon Musk Says Hell Just Fuck Off and Stop Paying for Starlink to Support Ukraine

No matter what, coffee is always outstanding in Kyiv. The owner of one of the first Viennese coffee houses, the creator of the Viennese coffee recipe which popularized the drink in Europe, was Yurii-Frants Kulchytskyi, a Ukrainian nobleman of Cossack origin. And even during the worst days of the war, the coffee shops were working. Still, unsure if any of us would live another day, baristas often said something like, Oh, come on, its our treat, youll pay tomorrow.

Mariia Shuvalova in a blackout cafe with lights and internet. Mariia Shuvalova

I got a fantastic cappuccino, a stupid fortune cookie which said, We'll die anyway, and was mesmerized by what I saw: dozens of people speaking different languages and holding Zoom calls; two officers with rifles waiting for big lattes to go; a soldier having his English lesson. Everyone was so calm and focused on what they were doing. Remember, this was in the immediate aftermath of a Russian onslaught, which helped me believe wed get through this phase of the war, as well.

Before long, the whole city became our home.

You could sit at tables and chairs in the supermarket, you could use a hair dryer at the post office, you could hold a lecture at a gas station, catch mobile internet in the subway, and withdraw cash at the pharmacy. Special places for work (with internet and electricity) appeared even in the pretrial detention center of Kyiv. I rented a non-fixed spot in the common corridor of the co-working space. I held work meetings in the closet, where there were many coats, but a lot of quiet.

Then, a Russian missile partially destroyed the co-working space, and I stopped going there.

Crafting trench candles. Mariia Shuvalova

Sometimes life resembles a cyberpunk futurea Russian drone flies through a city with no electricity, a pickup truck appears, and someone on the truck finds a drone with a searchlight and hits it with anti-aircraft twin-barreled autocannon. Sometimes life resembles World War Iwe cut cardboard and make trench candles in the warehouse. Both technology and cold trenches with mud are an integral part of this war.

Sometimes life resembles being held hostage by a psychopath. The military has its own internet and communications, so the Russians engage in psychological terrorism against civilians.

A number of posters and messages calling on Ukrainians to protest against the government were distributed in social networks and chat rooms by Russian agents in disguise.

One message read: Our illegitimate government started this bloody war, so now we dont even have light in our homes. But we should have at least a little bit of courage, go to the streets, and overthrow the government. Friendly Russia will support us then and give us the electricity.

It's completely sick, but it can also be perversely fun.

One Russian poster (clearly using Google Translate to write in Ukrainian) made two comical mistakes. They used the Russian words (moch'strength, mukisufferings) that can be translated to Ukrainian in two different ways. The phrase, There is no strength to endure this hellish suffering was translated as There is no urine to endure this hellish flour.

It made us laugh so much, it became an idiom. Now if were pissed off by something bizarre and stupid, we say, I have no urine to endure this hellish flour.

Today, Kyivs air quality is terrible and its streets smell slightly of gasoline, but that also means we hear the buzzing of generatorswe have adapted and continue to work. And well see what we face tomorrow.

A power generator delivered to a tank brigade. Mariia Shuvalova

Invisible Things That Are Always With Us

My grandparents were workaholic small farmers, and I dont mean that in a good way.

Three of four of them died because, rather than rehabilitating from serious maladies like strokes and hemorrhages, they went back to the arduous physical labor of farming. But I now understand where this stamina came fromthey were born during the Holodomor of 1932-33, a man-made famine designed by Stalins Kremlin to destroy the Ukrainian peasantry, the Ukrainian intellectual and cultural elites, and the hope of Ukrainian independence from the Soviet Union.

For decades, my grandparents were forced to provide free labor for the Soviets. They could not freely speak their language, could not baptize their children, could not have a monetary reward for their work, and could not keep all that was grown on their land near the house. But independence dramatically changed everything for my family. An uncle started a business, and all of my moms nine siblings became employed and stopped living on the breadline.

The author's grandparents. Mariia Shuvalova

By the time I was in the fifth grade, my family was economically middle class, allowing us to move from the province to Kyiv for greater opportunities, including my sister and I learning other languages and getting a quality educationa huge privilege, a previously unheard-of possibility for our family. My sister was accepted at Paris Art Academy. I became a Fulbright scholar and conducted research at Columbia University in New York, before returning home in 2020.

My sister and I belonged to the first generation of Ukrainians born in an independent Ukraine and not affected by Russian terror. But that all changed in 2014. Once again, as Ukrainians we endure war, face the threat of extermination, and witness the denial and destruction of cultural heritage by the ancient enemythe idea of Russian supremacy.

Ukraine Official Reveals Goal of Suspected Russian Balloons

Too much of the world is ignorant to the 300 years of imperialism and crimes of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and now, the Russian Federation. These were inflicted not only on Ukraine, but Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, as well.

And while the Russias can use that same technology to create fakes and propaganda, this is also a war for authenticityfor speaking your own language in your own home, not being shamed for who you are, for being heard and understood.

Authenticity is a thing that cant be donated, received as aid, or found through a coffee shops internet connection. For me, staying in Ukraine means the commitment to be myself, however much discomfort it brings.

The most ambitious dream in my life is the most humble onefeeling safe, while being my truest self. Meanwhile, invisible and adhesive things hold our reality together.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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SheKnows

It seems as though Meghan Markle may have had a change of heart in the past few months. While many believe Meghan wants nothing to do with the royal family, quite a few insiders say the opposite. In fact, they say she wants her and Prince Harrys children Archie and Lilbet, to have a relationship []
Photo: Contributed South Okanagan-West Kootenay MP Richard Cannings.

Every 10 years, Elections Canada is obliged by law to redistribute the boundaries of federal electoral districts (ridings) to address changes in local populations across the country.

A boundary commission is struck in each province and these commission are non-partisan, an important distinction from the process followed in the United States, where electoral boundaries are set by local politicians.

The Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for B.C. recently tabled the penultimate draft of its proposed changes to the electoral map. Surprisingly, this draft was radically different from the first draft, significantly affecting the boundaries of (the South Okanagan- West Kootenay) riding.

Unfortunately, there is no opportunity for direct public input at this stage.

Id like to outline how we got to this point, present some of the details of the proposed changes and provide an opportunity for feedback of any local concerns.

The commissions consider a number of factors in their decisions, the most obvious of which is to ensure the population of each riding comes as close as possible to the provincial average. In BCs case, the average is 116,600 people per riding.

Just as important is that they must also take into account social and economic relationships between communities, geographical barriers and the history of past electoral boundaries.

Because of recent population growth, the B.C. commission had to add one new riding to the province and it decided to centre that new riding on Vernon. That addition caused a ripple effect of necessary changes to the ridings in the central Okanagan, Shuswap and surrounding areas.

One of the suggestions in the 2022 draft involved changing the riding of South Okanagan-West Kootenay by splitting Penticton in two, the west half going to a riding including West Kelowna and the east half remaining with the south Okanagan. There was significant public concern about that proposal and numerous groups and individuals made presentations to that effect in the extensive public input process that took place in 2022.

Since the eastern part of South Okanagan-West Kootenay remained untouched, there were essentially no comments or input from the West Kootenay in response to the first draft.

The boundary commissions second draft showed it listened to the residents of Penticton and kept that community whole, but that news was overshadowed by drastic changes elsewhere in the riding. The entire Similkameen Valley was added on the west, the Arrow Lakes and Slocan Valley were moved into the new Vernon riding, and two parts of the West Kootenay were removed and added to the East Kootenay riding. As well, the ski resort of Big White was moved into the Kelowna riding.

So how do these changes meet the mandate of the commission? Well, they hit the population target of 116,000 bang onwell within the 25 percent margin allowed. The addition of the Similkameen to the south Okanagan riding makes sense from a social, economic, and historical context. Big White is obviously closely tied to Kelowna (and conversely, the addition of the Similkameen finally moves Apex into the same riding as Penticton).

But Im hearing a lot of concern about some of the changes in the West Kootenay. For instance, Montrose and Fruitvale are essentially part of Trail, but the proposal separates them from that community and moves them into the East Kootenay. Castlegar neighbourhoods just outside the official city limits are cut off from their community in a similar manner.

The commissions task is a difficult one, but Im hoping it can address these concerns in the final decision, expected next spring.

The only official avenue for input now is my ability as an MP to present concerns to the House of Commons Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, which can pass them on with recommendations to the commission.

I have started conversations with elected officials throughout the riding on this issue but would like to hear from anyone with comments or concerns about these boundary changes. Please email me at [email protected].

More information, and the commissions full report, can be found at https://redecoupage-redistribution-2022.ca.

Richard Cannings is the NDP MP for South Okanagan-West Kootenay.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
If there's one thing the royal family has, it's an impeccable sense of style. You can't go wrong with anything Kate Middleton or Meghan Markle leaves the house wearing or carrying. So if you're in the market for a classic tote bag that's built to last, take your cue from the Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Cambridge and grab the Longchamp Large Le Pliage Tote, a timeless classic with more than 1,500 perfect reviews at Nordstrom.

Nordstrom Longchamp Large Le Pliage Tote The large-sized Longchamp Le Pliage Tote is made of the brand's signature silky, glistening nylon with embossed leather trim. It's more than a foot long, so it has ample storage space, plus a dedicated smartphone pocket inside. The top zips closed, but there's also a snap closure for extra peace of mind. $155 at Nordstrom

Middleton's sported bags by the cult-favorite brand since her school days  in fact, she carried a small, chocolate brown Longchamp tote at her college graduation. And Markle's been a Longchamp lover for as long as she's been on our radar: She was spotted with the smaller version of the Le Pliage tote in khaki at a pre-Emmys event in Los Angeles back in 2005. The royal appeal of Longchamp totes is obvious: They're understated, they're versatile and they look expensive  but their price points are actually pretty reasonable.

The Longchamp Le Pliage Tote is a fashion mainstay, from Kate Middleton to travelers and everyday style enthusiasts around the world. (Photo: Getty/Nordstrom)

Now's the perfect time to pick up the Longchamp Large Le Pliage Tote, too. With its water-resistant finish and lining, it's spring shower-ready! Go ahead and get caught in a downpour; this tote keeps all your valuables safe and dry. It figures; you'd never catch the royals with a bag full of soggy belongings!

"C'est magnifique! I love this classic so much I've gotten six of them over the last few years," wrote one classy customer who noted that the tote is perfect for travel. "Knew I was onto something when I counted the number of Longchamp bags on a trip to London in first class, and even more at baggage claim some years ago. I can't go anywhere in NYC subways, streets, or gym without spotting one or more of the large totes.... Some things are universal and this tote is definitely one of the best!"

Kate Middleton carries the Longchamp Pliage tote through Brisbane Airport after the royal tour of Southeast Asia in 2012. (Photo by Newspix via Getty Images)

The casual, elegant staple is also lightweight and foldable, making it the perfect accessory for travel. In fact, you're bound to catch Kate toting her trusty Longchamp whenever she's en route, whether it's through the Brisbane Airport or landing home in London via helicopter.

The iconic statement bag is truly a no-brainer go-to that should be a part of anyone's wardrobe, but there's a very good reason it's such a great travel companion. The Pliage tote bag was actually created 30 years ago by Philippe Cassegrain, the son of Longchamp's founder, after he returned from visiting Japan. The accessories expert created the exact kind of bag he'd want to travel with, and his idea clearly resonated.

In her pre-royal days, Kate carried the Longchamp Pliage tote to an event in London with her mom. It's been her sidekick ever since. (Photo: Getty)

"This bag has made my journeys to work so much more bearable. I travel by train to work and I need to take a lot with me  makeup bag, lunch, wallet, hair products, a sweater, sometimes socks or tights too. This bag fits ALL of it, no problem," wrote a traveling fan. "I have even started using this bag as a carry on for flying, it's so much easier than rolling luggage. It takes up much less space and is a lot less hassle."

Nordstrom Longchamp Large Le Pliage Tote The large-sized Longchamp Le Pliage Tote is made of the brand's signature silky, glistening nylon with embossed leather trim. It's more than a foot long, so it has ample storage space, plus a dedicated smartphone pocket inside. The top zips closed, but there's also a snap closure for extra peace of mind. $155 at Nordstrom

The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
JHVEPhoto / Getty Images

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments will return to pre-pandemic levels across the United States with the scheduled end of emergency allotments beginning on March 1, 2023. Many SNAP recipients will see their monthly payments drop by $95 or more, meaning many will also face food insecurity amid historically food high prices.

Discover: Surprising Things You Can Buy With Food Stamps

See: If Your Credit Score Is Under 600, Make These 3 Moves ASAP

One company that aims to help out is Instacart, the grocery delivery and pickup platform. On Feb. 23, the San Francisco-based company announced a special Community Carts campaign as well as an extension of its discounted Instacart+ membership for SNAP recipients. The move is designed to help needy families keep putting healthy food on the table as emergency SNAP benefits expire in 32 states. The emergency payments had already expired in the other 18 states.

As previously reported by GOBankingRates, Instacart late last year rolled out the new, discounted Instacart+ membership for SNAP participants nationwide. The program is part of the companys Instacart Health initiative, which is designed to promote healthier food and living.

SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, is a U.S. Department of Agriculture program that provides financial assistance to help low-income Americans buy food. The benefits are administered at the state level and processed through the Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card system.

Under the Instacart+ membership program, anyone who uses an EBT SNAP card to buy groceries on the platform is eligible for a discounted Instacart+ membership at $4.99/month (50% off) for 12 months. With Instacart+, customers can access free delivery and pickup on orders over $35, a 5% credit on all pickup orders and reduced service fees on every order.

To use the platform, SNAP Instacart customers can go to Account Settings and add their EBT card as a payment method. A credit or debit card must also be linked to cover fees, taxes, delivery tips and any other items not eligible under SNAP. Among the national and regional grocery chains that accept Instacart EBT payments are Aldi, Food Lion, Piggly Wiggly, Publix and Stop & Shop.

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As part of the new initiative, Instacart is also expanding its Community Carts program, which helps food banks secure larger, more targeted donations that match their unique needs.

Starting on March 1, anyone can donate food to a Feeding America-member food banks Community Cart in 31 states where emergency SNAP funds will expire at the end of this month. This is in addition to 24 food banks in 16 states where the emergency allotments already expired. With the expansion, you can donate groceries to more than 120 food banks in 47 states, with delivery and service fees waived on every donation order.

Our goal is to put more food on the table for more families, Instacart chief corporate affairs officer Dani Dudeck said in a statement. As grocery budgets tighten for millions of SNAP recipients and lines stretch longer at food banks across the country, accessing affordable, nutritious food has never been harder. At Instacart, were committed to finding more ways to support food banks nationwide so they can continue to serve their communities and feed more families.

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

Explore: 15 Ways To Save Money on Food With Prices Rising

Learn more about Instacart Health here. To donate to participating food banks, visit the Community Carts donations page.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Instacart Offers $4.99 Monthly Membership  Do You Qualify?
Love Is Blind star Raven Ross has shared that she found out her ex-fiance SK Alagbada had cheated on her through TikTok.

During a recent episode of The Viall Files podcast, the pilates instructor spoke about her split from Alagbada and some of his cheating rumours after multiple women came forward on social media to accuse the data engineer of being unfaithful.

The couple initially got engaged in season three of Love Is Blind but did not walk down the aisle. They rekindled their romance when the show ended and got reengaged during the After the Altar special. Netflix later confirmed in the episode that the engagement ended and shared a clip of Ross revealing that SK had cheated on her.

Ross recalled to podcast host Nick Viall how she found out about Alagbadas infidelity through different women.

It started with one girl who hed actually met in San Francisco. When I found out about it, I found out with everyone else on TikTok, she said. This was right before Thanksgiving, he was at school and I was in Dallas.

She said her phone started going crazy and people began sending her the womans TikTok video, asking her if shed seen it. Ross said that after watching the video a few times, she realised that her then-boyfriend had sent both of them the same pictures.

Ross noted that those photos were taken in March 2022, while Alagbada was in Austin. She then claimed that her now-ex seemingly copied and pasted the messages that he sent her to the woman in San Francisco.

It was literally verbatim, the same exact selfie, the same exact words, she continued. I thought we had the strongest foundation, I trusted him with anything and everything.

She further explained how the womans message showed that Alagabada felt the same way about both of them before revealing that hed actually invited the woman to Austin.

We just went to Austin, he stayed, and then youre going to turn around and fly another girl out? she said. It ended up not happening and that was kind of his saving grace I didnt forgive him for it, but I was like: OK, its just a Hinge date. Not much came of it.

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Ross said that when she confronted Alagabada about the TikTok video, he didnt really own up to it, explaining: Any time there would be a moment like this, there would always be lots of hesitation. At this point, he didnt answer the phone for a while.

Despite the progress she and Alagbada made by November, another woman then spoke out about him on TikTok which Ross said was a far worse situation. After watching that video alongside her ex, she said that they then talked about how he had quite a long past with this woman.

So, he was able to use that to his advantage because a lot of the stuff she put in there was from 2018, 2019, right? she explained. I was like: OK, this has nothing to do with me.

Ross said that after filming ended in July 2021 and prior to their reconciliation, Alagbada asked her to go to Europe with him and she turned the offer down. She later discovered that he took the second woman who posted about him on TikTok on that trip.

This was really the hurtful part of it, she explained. I think he invited me just to invite me, but he knew I wasnt going to go. Because literally he invited me and the trip was like three days later. Like I cant do that.

She recalled that when she spoke to Alagbada about this, he pointed out that the Europe trip happened when they werent together so he hadnt cheated on her. While Ross understood his point, her issue was that he lied about how she actually got to Europe.

Ross went on to tell Viall that the womans TikTok video featured texts between her and Alagbada that were much more recent and proved that they were still in communication. Ross also claimed that the womans best friends reached out to her, encouraging her to take SK back and warning her that the woman was somewhat stalking her.

Ross verified that these people really were this womans group of friends and added that the woman went to Cabo with Alagbada in May 2022 while he was already dating Ross again.

He knew my intentions, she said. I was not interested in dating anyone else. We were very close, at this point I had already gone to San Francisco multiple times.

During the After the Altar special, which aired earlier this month, Ross reflected on her second engagement being called off.

That really sucks. Since then, a lot has changed, she said. My world is completely different because SK cheated on me and now our relationship is over.

She continued: I really was so invested in the person that everyone saw and everyone loved. Thats the person I saw and I loved every day too. To see everything that has happened since then is so hard. Because that was not the person that I thought that I was with.

While SK did not address the cheating rumours during the reunion special, he took to Instagram in November to describe the allegations as being falsely misrepresented with malicious intent to extort.

While our journey back together hasnt been straightforward, the unique emotional connection we developed from this experiment kept us together as friends and helped rekindle our relationship after the fact, he said. We are actively pursuing legal actions against the accuser.

Later that month, the couple shared a joint statement to announce that they had officially separated.

We are saddened to announce that we have decided to go our separate ways, the post read. Due to ongoing legal proceedings surrounding these allegations, we cannot provide additional details and ask that you please respect our privacy during this hard time. Thank you for following our love story and believing in us. This journey has forever shaped our lives and we are so grateful for everyone who has been a part of it. Your love and support means everything.

Earlier this week, Ross revealed that she has a new romance in her life.

Ive gone on quite a few dates [since SK], Ross told People in an interview. Actually, the guy that Im dating now sent me a message on Instagram. Its relatively new. But its going well, so knock on wood.
A TikTok video showed an employee struggling to retrieve a large box from a high shelf. Johnny Louis/Getty Images

A Lowe's employee resigned after a viral TikTok showed him struggling to retrieve a large box.

That TikTok, which has 3.7 million views, shows the employee screaming for help.

Lowe's said it took "prompt action" following the TikTok video, but did not elaborate.

A Louisiana Lowe's employee has resigned from his job after a viral TikTok video showed him screaming for help as he struggled to retrieve a large box, a family member told Insider.

The employee resigned from Lowe's on February 17, according to the family member, who asked to keep both of their names anonymous, citing safety reasons. (Their identities are known to Insider). The video was recorded on February 11 by a customer, the family member said.

After the TikTok video went viral  it now has more than 3.7 million views  the employee "spoke with his managers and all were concerned about his safety should he go back to work," the family member said.

"People are crazy and he was scared people would go to the store looking to harass him," the family member added.

Lowe's did not respond to a request for comment on the worker's employment.

When Insider reported the viral TikTok earlier this month, a Lowe's spokesman said the company took "prompt action to address it."

"The safety of our associates and customers is embedded in our culture at Lowe's, and the actions in this video are contrary to the training that Lowe's provides," Lowe's spokesman Larry Costello said at the time. Costello didn't answer follow-up questions seeking more details on the "prompt action" and employee training.

In the video, which takes place near a furniture display in an unidentified Lowe's, the employee is shown standing on a store lift and struggling to retrieve a large box from a high shelf. The box appears to press against their head, neck, and chest.

One voice in the video encourages the employee to "keep coming down" and says "you can't be scared." Another voice says, "that's not a good idea."

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Eventually, as the lift descends toward the floor, the object tilts and appears to pushes the employee against a railing. "Help, help!" the employee screams. "Please, somebody, please."

The employee's family member told Insider that the object was a set of Allen and Roth patio chairs that weighed about 120 pounds.

When the employee was retrieving the furniture, "it shifted and cut the machine off, which is what caused him to panic," the family member said.

Do you work for Lowe's and have you had safety concerns? Contact the reporter Ben Tobin on email at btobin@insider.com or by encrypted messaging app Signal at +1 703-498-9171.

Read the original article on Business Insider
(Bloomberg) -- President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is intensifying his campaign to mediate an end to Russias war in Ukraine as he seeks to reinsert Brazil in the global political stage.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin was quoted by Russias Tass news agency Thursday as saying Moscow is studying Lulas proposal to end the conflict as it continues to assess the situation in Ukraine.

The idea being floated by the Brazilian president is to create a group of countries, possibly including India, China and Indonesia, to mediate talks between the nations as war fatigue starts to grip parts of the world. Brazil is hardly the only country pushing peace proposals. China, Turkey and others have also sought to mediate negotiations in recent weeks and months.

Lulas efforts to position Brazil and himself as pragmatic middlemen in the conflict may be hurt by comments he made last year, when he told Time Magazine that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the US and EU all shared blame for the Russian invasion. A top Ukrainian official slammed the comments as a Russian attempt to distort the truth in response.

No formal proposal has been sent to Russia, according to two Brazilian government officials who requested anonymity to discuss details of the diplomatic offensive. But Moscow is discussing the idea based on Lulas public comments on the conflict, and both officials considered Thursdays statement from Russia as a signal of goodwill toward Lula.

Brazilian diplomats in recent days have ramped up efforts to pitch their international counterparts on the plan, and held talks with at least 21 countries about the idea during last weeks Munich Security Conference in Germany.

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The chancellors discussed the current situation of the war, the Brazilian position on the conflict and Brazils contribution to the resolution to be voted on at the United Nation General Assembly, which calls for the cessation of hostilities for the first time, Mauro Vieira, Brazils foreign affairs minister, said on Twitter amid the meetings in Munich.

Lula, in line with Brazils traditional foreign policy, has sought to portray himself as a mediator of conflicts in a multipolar world, rather than an automatic ally of the US and European Union. Since taking office in January, the Brazilian has discussed the war with major world leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron, US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Biden hinted, albeit vaguely, that he could be open to the proposal during a bilateral meeting in Washington earlier this month.

The UN General Assembly on Thursday evening approved a resolution calling on Russia to put an immediate end to the war in Ukraine. Brazil was among the 141 nations that voted in favor of the non-binding resolution. In recent talks with Ukrainian officials, Brazils government had pushed for language calling for the cessation of hostilities that was included in the resolution for the first time.

As the war entered its second year Friday morning, Lula once again called for the creation of a group of uninvolved countries to lead diplomatic negotiations.

It is urgent that a group of countries, not involved in the conflict, assume the responsibility of advancing negotiations to restore peace, he tweeted.

Vieira, meanwhile, on Friday reiterated Brazils condemnation of the Russian invasion, adding that among world leaders Lulas position on the conflict is well understood. And while Brazil does not have a ready-made solution to the crisis, he wrote for the Estado de Sao Paulo newspaper, it would continue to push for more ambitious peace initiatives in the days ahead, starting at a meeting of foreign ministers from Group of 20 nations in India next week.

(Updates with UN vote count and official comments after 10th paragraph)

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Luther, the BBC crime drama starring Idris Elba as a rule-adverse detective, was swiftly overtaken by cinematic ambition. What began as a relatively humble cop series set in a crime-ridden London became increasingly more absurd as it went on. By its fifth series, Luther was dealing with a killer in a clown mask shooting people full of nails. Luther: The Fallen Sun, a feature-length revival by Netflix, feels like an all-too-logical extension. The budgets been upped considerably. Hollywoods own Andy Serkis and Cynthia Erivo have been air-lifted in for support. And its fun, in the patently ridiculous way these sorts of zhuzhed-up thrillers tend to be.

The Fallen Sun isnt much of a Bond audition for Elba  whos had to shoot down rumours hes the next 007 yet again this week  but its a solid argument for making him the next Batman. Heres a neo-noir London soaked in perpetual rain, with a Soho far sleazier than in real life. Theres no sign of all the media professionals popping out for a quick Joe & The Juice. For director Jamie Payne, who was behind several episodes of the series, this is cinematic with a capital c. Its the sort of stuff no one would have dreamed of for Luther back when it first aired in 2010.

While the original shows central antagonist, Ruth Wilsons murderous Alice Morgan, was arguably Luthers Joker, here we get the distinctly Riddler-esque David Robey (Serkis). Hes a malevolent tech genius with a Siegfried and Roy mop of blonde hair, who murders in a way that would probably make the killer from Se7en proud. He surveys his crime scenes by peering in through windows wearing a smiling digital mask. Oh, and he likes to innocuously sing along to the Supremes in his car, because thats the sort of thing that villains do.

Robeys motivations revolve vaguely around the concept of shame. He uses an army of hackers to spy on people through their webcams and Alexas, then digs up their dirtiest secrets before blackmailing them into compliance. Hes mad about a perceived hypocrisy that allows cruelty and violence to dominate some spaces, but not others. Youd think Luthers creator, Neil Cross  who also scripts the film  would circle this story back around to the question of Luthers own brusque, vigilante approach to police work. Is there really energy left to be rooting for coppers who view themselves as judge, jury, and executioner? But to really answer that question might mean the end of Luther for good, so The Fallen Sun awkwardly dodges the implications of its own premise.

Still, it all feels so much like a comic book that we never really have to question Luthers place in our world if we dont want to. The chief draw here is  as ever  Elba. Hes always excelled at playing men whove lost everything and are irritated to discover theyre still expected to carry on as before. The real trick has been to make us like and root for even the most crotchety among them. Series five ended with Luthers arrest for his various law-breaking tactics. The film, as expected, then, involves a dramatic prison breakout. Elba punches and kicks his way through waves of fellow prisoners with the weariness of someone swatting away flies. Dermot Crowleys returning DSU Martin Schenk and Erivos counterintelligence operative Odette Raine provide the necessary counterbalance as sensible sorts with a begrudging respect for Luthers determination.

Theres no real revelation at the heart of The Fallen Sun  either for its lead character or for everyone watching. This is exactly what youd expect from Luther on the big screen, right down to the climactic trip to a mountain locale in which our hero trudges through arctic conditions in nothing but a shirt, tie, and herringbone wool overcoat. I wouldnt expect any less of him.

Dir: Jamie Payne. Starring: Idris Elba, Cynthia Erivo, Andy Serkis, Dermot Crowley, Jess Liaudin. 15, 123 minutes.

Luther: The Fallen Sun is in select cinemas from 24 February, and will stream on Netflix from 10 March
Key Insights

Given the large stake in the stock by institutions, Mach7 Technologies' stock price might be vulnerable to their trading decisions

A total of 5 investors have a majority stake in the company with 53% ownership

Ownership research, combined with past performance data can help provide a good understanding of opportunities in a stock

If you want to know who really controls Mach7 Technologies Limited (ASX:M7T), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. With 50% stake, institutions possess the maximum shares in the company. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).

Since institutional have access to huge amounts of capital, their market moves tend to receive a lot of scrutiny by retail or individual investors. Therefore, a good portion of institutional money invested in the company is usually a huge vote of confidence on its future.

Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Mach7 Technologies.

See our latest analysis for Mach7 Technologies

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Mach7 Technologies?

Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing.

As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Mach7 Technologies. This suggests some credibility amongst professional investors. But we can't rely on that fact alone since institutions make bad investments sometimes, just like everyone does. When multiple institutions own a stock, there's always a risk that they are in a 'crowded trade'. When such a trade goes wrong, multiple parties may compete to sell stock fast. This risk is higher in a company without a history of growth. You can see Mach7 Technologies' historic earnings and revenue below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story.

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Mach7 Technologies is not owned by hedge funds. Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Limited, Asset Management Arm is currently the company's largest shareholder with 17% of shares outstanding. JM Financial Group is the second largest shareholder owning 14% of common stock, and Australian Ethical Investment Ltd. holds about 11% of the company stock.

Our research also brought to light the fact that roughly 53% of the company is controlled by the top 5 shareholders suggesting that these owners wield significant influence on the business.

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 Mach7 Technologies

While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it.

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

We can report that insiders do own shares in Mach7 Technologies Limited. It has a market capitalization of just AU$165m, and insiders have AU$15m worth of shares, in their own names. Some would say this shows alignment of interests between shareholders and the board, though we generally prefer to see bigger insider holdings. But it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 35% stake in Mach7 Technologies. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Private Company Ownership

We can see that Private Companies own 5.7%, of the shares on issue. It might be worth looking deeper into this. If related parties, such as insiders, have an interest in one of these private companies, that should be disclosed in the annual report. Private companies may also have a strategic interest in the company.

Next Steps:

I find it very interesting to look at who exactly owns a company. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too.

I always like to check for a history of revenue growth. You can too, by accessing this free chart of historic revenue and earnings in this detailed graph.

Ultimately the future is most important. You can access this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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A Madison County teenager pleaded guilty on Friday to aggravated DUI for causing a triple-fatal crash in 2021 and he was given a 17-year prison sentence.

Blake A. Jones, 19, of Worden pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08% or more resulting in death, according to Madison County States Attorney Tom Haine.

John A. Cafazza, 55, his wife, Melissa R. Cafazza, 52, and their youngest son, Dominic Cafazza, 12, all of Bethalto, were killed in the crash on Aug. 13, 2021, at the intersection of Bethalto Road and McCoy Road in Foster Township.

The Cafazza family was in a BMW 595I that was struck by a 2003 GMC Sierra that went through a stop sign in the intersection and was traveling at a high rate of speed, authorities said shortly after the crash.

The three surviving Cafazza sons released a victim-impact statement to the court.

We pray that as we turn the page on this process, and begin the next chapter of our lives without them, we are able to find some peace knowing that Mr. Jones has begun serving his sentence for the devastation he has caused our family, the surviving sons stated.

Haine praised the resolve of the surviving sons.

John and Melissa Cafazza epitomized what it means to be loving parents, Haine said in a statement. Their son Dominic died so young but left a legacy of joy and friendship to all. There remains much healing ahead for the Cafazza family, especially the couples three surviving sons  whose resolve and strength of character have been particularly remarkable through this process  but we hope this guilty conviction and sentence assist that healing process.

Judge Ron Slemer ordered Jones to be transferred to the Illinois Department of Corrections to begin serving his sentence.

Jones also had been facing three charges of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol resulting in death and three reckless homicide charges but those charges were dropped as part of his guilty plea. Reckless homicide is a Class 3 felony, which is a lower-class felony than the Class 2 felony charges he pleaded guilty to, and the charges he pleaded to have a penalty enhancement since there were multiple victims, according to the states attorneys office.

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The blood-alcohol threshold for driving under the influence in Illinois is 0.08% and Jones level was 0.189%, according to the states attorney office.

The cases of two co-defendants remain pending. David P. Thomae, 56, of Godfrey, and Brandon M. McKinnon, 24, of Jerseyville both are charged with permitting a violation of the Liquor Control Act, resulting in death, according to the news release.

First and foremost, our prayers and concerns remain with the Cafazza family, Haine said. Drinking and driving destroys lives and wrecks futures. Here, a young mans reckless choices and blatant disregard for others took three beloved lives at once, and he now faces many years in prison. There are no winners in these types of cases. Nothing can bring the dead back or undo such terrible choices.
Photo: The Canadian Press Awso Peshdary, who is accused of recruiting for ISIL, is escorted by police as he arrives for a hearing at the Supreme Court of Canada in Ottawa on Monday, Aug. 13, 2018. An accused recruiter for the Islamic State military group has renounced his previous extremism and pleaded guilty to terrorism offences in an Ottawa courtroom.

An accused recruiter for the Islamic State military group has renounced his previous extremism and pleaded guilty to terrorism offences in an Ottawa courtroom.

Awso Peshdary was sentenced to 14 years, but is being credited with time served. He is expected to serve 21 months in jail followed by three years of probation with conditions.

Justice Julianne Parfett said she had "no difficulty" finding him guilty on each of the indictments, and that some of the evidence heard during the nearly five-year court case was "horrific."

Peshdary, 33, was arrested on terrorism-related charges in February 2015, based on allegations he recruited and financed homegrown terrorists before helping them travel to Syria to join the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. His criminal trial in the Ontario Superior Court resumed after his lawyers filed a motion saying he was prepared to change his plea to guilty, and agreed with prosecutors to request a sentence of 14 years.

Peshdary, who has been in jail since his arrest, entered court Thursday afternoon with his feet shackled, wearing a black suit with a white shirt.

In a brief statement, he took responsibility for his actions.

"I understand that the full scope of my involvement in extremism has had a plethora of negative impacts, the smallest of which is that it undermined the fabric of safety, built by the general population," he said.

"I know that I have betrayed my family's expectation of me to become a positive, contributing member of society."

Peshdary said he had failed the Muslim community and it was "God's favour" that the RCMP arrested him before he continued farther down the path he was on.

He also said he denounced his previously held extremist beliefs.

"I do this with the confidence that only a person who has walked out of that path can understand," he said. "I'm extremely thankful to have the opportunity to continue my life and I hope my experience can be a learning lesson for those who have had similar ideologies."

His lawyer, Solomon Friedman, said Peshdary completed programs and underwent counselling while in custody. Friedman also submitted a forensic psychiatrist's assessment detailing his rehabilitation to the court.

He said Peshdary had been groomed and misled into extreme ideologies at a young age.

"I don't think anybody would want to be defined by their ideology that they began when they were 16 years old," he said.

Crown lawyer Roderick Sonley said he felt the sentence was appropriate given the activity Peshdary was involved in.

"We're not necessarily convinced that he's been rehabilitated, because he was successful in doing what he (did) because he's a very persuasive and educated individual," he said.

Sonley read to court a victim impact statement written by Patricia Earle, the mother of John Maguire, who travelled to Syria in 2012 to become an Islamic militant with the help of Peshdary.

Maguire is now presumed dead.

"I understand that John played a large part in his demise, but I can't help but wonder if we would have seen the same result if Awso Peshdary hadn't influenced him the way that he did," Earle's statement read.

The court is recommending Peshdary serve the remainder of his time behind bars at a treatment centre, where he can continue to take part in programming and seek treatment.

Peshdary's case had been stalled pending a Federal Court decision that had dragged on while his lawyers, the RCMP and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service debated what evidence could be used in the proceedings.

But Peshdary, who was 25 at the time of his arrest, is now dropping that case.
Norman Police Station

NORMAN  Investigators arrested a man in connection with the death of a woman whose remains were found at Lake Thunderbird last Monday.

According to the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office, 30-year-old Austin Blake Godwin was booked into the Cleveland County jail early Wednesday, shortly after surrendering himself at the Norman Police Department. Special agents with The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation made the arrest, the agency said.

The remains of Charissia Dawn Bell, of Wellston, were discovered at Lake Thunderbird last Monday, Feb. 13. Investigators had described her death as "suspicious," before Godwin's arrest late Tuesday.

Godwin faces complaints of first-degree murder and unlawful disposal of a body.

More:Information sought about woman whose remains were discovered Monday at Lake Thunderbird

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Man arrested in connection with dead woman found at Lake Thunderbird
A 21-year-old man has been indicted on multiple charges in connection with the November 2022 shooting death of a young woman in Jackson, New Hampshire.

Brandon Mitchell is facing charges of one count of second-degree murder for knowingly causing the death of 23-year-old Esmae Doucette by shooting at her, according to New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella. A Carroll County Grand Jury also indicted Mitchell on an alternative count of second-degree murder for recklessly causing the death of Ms. Doucette under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life by shooting her.

Doucette was found suffering from a fatal gunshot wound at the Dana Place Apartments on Route 16 in Jackson on November 30.

Prosecutors also say that Mitchell was indicted for falsifying evidence after allegedly moving or placing a bullet in the bedroom.

Mitchell is expected to be arraigned for the charges on March 16.

We are devastated: Family of young woman shot to death in NH speaks out about unfathomable loss

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A 24-year-old man selling Nikes was injured after he was tased by a teenager, who took his car keys and shoes in Victorville.

A 24-year-old man selling Nikes was injured after he was Tased by a teenager, who took his car keys and shoes in a Victorville neighborhood, according to deputies.

Victorville sheriffs deputies responded around 2:23 p.m. on Wednesday to the armed robbery in the 14000 Block of Karen Drive.

The area is north of Palmdale Road and east of El Evado Road and near West Palms Conservatory Visual and Performing Arts school.

The man, who was from Adelanto, was at the location to sell three pairs of Nike shoes to an unknown number of people, an arrangement made through an online sales application.

At the time of the meeting, the thieves approached the man, Tased him, and took his car keys and Nikes, before running from the scene. The victim suffered burn marks from the Taser.

Sheriffs Deputies A. Ramos, Service Specialist Bracamontes and Detective Maddox, conducted the investigation and recovered the victims car keys nearby.

They also identified the suspects and served search warrants at their last known residences.

One 14-year-old was arrested for felony second-degree robbery. Detectives believe this case may be related to recent robberies in the same area with similar circumstances.

Apple Valley incident

The Victorville incident is similar to a robbery, which occurred in October 2022, when three teenage boys from Apple Valley were arrested on suspicion of committing several armed robberies over a week. During the trio's latest caper, one suspect shot himself and was hospitalized.

The robbery occurred in the 20000 block of Zuni Road, north of Highway 18 and near Rancherias Road, sheriffs officials reported.

Upon arrival, deputies learned that the victim a 13-year-old boy from Hesperia and a 41-year-old man from Apple Valley were at the location to sell two pairs of Nike Jordan shoes to a buyer from the OfferUp app.

When the victims arrived, two teen boys approached them and began to look at the shoes before one of them grabbed a pair of shoes and ran away.

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The other teen pulled out a handgun, pointed it at the teen victim, and demanded a second pair of shoes before fleeing. The adult victim chased the suspects and was robbed of his shoes at gunpoint.

A short time later, the 17-year-old suspect was located at a local hospital after he shot himself. Through investigation, the two additional suspects were later identified.

The suspects had been linked to three additional armed robberies reported in the last week.

Sheriffs officials remind the public to use caution when selling or buying items on social media platforms. They recommend meeting at a local sheriffs station during regular business hours.

Anyone with information about this investigation is urged by the Sheriffs Department to contact Deputy A. Ramos or Detective Maddox at the Victorville Sheriffs Station at 760 241-2911 or Sheriffs Dispatch at 760-956-5001.

Callers wishing to remain anonymous are urged to contact the We-Tip Hotline at 800-78CRIME (27463) or wetip.com.

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Man selling Nikes tazed by teen, who took his car keys, shoes
A 31-year-old man was shot to death in south Dallas early Thursday, officials said.

The Dallas Police Department said officers responded to a shooting call in the 3300 block of Al Lipscomb Way around 1:15 a.m. The victim, identified by authorities as Nathan Brown, was taken to a local hospital and later died from his injuries.

Police said they believe Brown was shot by a man who left the scene. Its not clear if any suspects are in custody.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Ronald Kramer at 214-671-3608 or by email at Ronald.kramer@dallaspolice.gov.
The Larimer County Sheriff's Office arrested a person they say shot and injured a man in his vehicle in east Fort Collins earlier this week.

The adult male victim told the sheriff's office he was driving in the area of east Mulberry Street and Airpark Drive shortly before 5:15 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, when the driver of a white pickup truck pulled up next to him and shot him in his vehicle, the sheriff's office said in a news release.

The man drove to a nearby store and the store's staff called police. The man was taken to the hospital with serious injuries but is recovering, according to the sheriff's office.

Deputies searched the area and followed up on leads, and the agency sent a BOLO, or "be on the lookout," notification to area law enforcement agencies. Through that investigation, they identified 33-year-old Jorge Arreola as a suspect. He was arrested Thursday. Formal charges had not been filed by the district attorney's office as of Friday afternoon.

Investigators do not believe Arreola and the victim knew each other, and the sheriff's office says they are still working to determine what circumstances led to the shooting.

During Arreola's first court appearance Friday afternoon, 8th Judicial District Magistrate Jeffrey Schwartz set bond at $350,000. Deputy Public Defender Kathryn Hay said it appeared little evidence  cellphone records and a vehicle  connected her client to this incident. But Schwartz disagreed and said investigators believe Arreola had access to the same type of firearm used to shoot the victim in this case.

Anyone with information about this incident can contact Investigator Jesse Ihnen at 970-498-5165 or share information anonymously through Crime Stoppers of Larimer County at 970-221-6868 or www.stopcriminals.org.

Arreola is next scheduled to appear in court March 7.

All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in court. Arrests and charges are merely accusations by law enforcement until, and unless, a suspect is convicted of a crime.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Man suspected of shooting person in vehicle in Fort Collins arrested
One year after Russia invaded Ukraine, many of the largest U.S. companies say their moves to suspend operations or withdraw from Russia remain in effect.

An NBC News review of the 30 companies that make up the Dow Jones Industrial Average found that 24 had disclosed businesses in Russia before the war. Of those 24 firms, 18 have either suspended business in Russia or exited the country over the past year, and the remaining six have reduced the scope of their operations there, according to company spokespeople reached by NBC News and past public statements.

Six companies in the Dow 30 havent publicly clarified their business dealings in Russia, if any, since the invasion. But two of them  Walmart and Home Depot  told NBC News that they had no prior or current business there. The other four didnt respond to requests for comment.

Seven companies that announced last spring that they were paring back at least some operations from Russia didnt respond to requests for an update on those moves. But all 19 of the firms that did provide updates or confirmation of their status as of Friday said they had no plans to cultivate closer ties with Russia.

The trend extends beyond the C-suites of the Dow 30.

Research from Yale Universitys Chief Executive Leadership Institute, led by Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, looked at 460 U.S. companies, of which 325 appeared to have suspended or exited their businesses in the country. The Yale researchers also counted over 1,000 businesses worldwide that have curtailed their operations in Russia.

Never before in history have we seen so many companies exit from a country overnight, said Steven Tian, a research director with the Yale institute.

8211947 09.06.2022 Employees dismantle a sign of the McDonald's fast food restaurant from the facade of the shopping center in Novosibirsk, Russia. The first 15 outlets of the new McDonald's will open in Moscow and the Moscow region on June 12. McDonald's suspended operation of all 850 of its restaurants in Russia on March 14, shortly after the start of Russian special military operation in Ukraine. (Alexandr Kryazhev / Sputnik via AP file)

It has taken other companies many months to fully wind down their businesses in Russia as the war rages into its second year.

Hard Rock International, which had franchises in Moscow and St. Petersburg at the time of the invasion, told NBC News Friday that its franchise partner had closed the Moscow location. But the company, which isnt in the Dow 30, said the St. Petersburg partner hasnt agreed to follow suit.

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Hard Rock International is in the legal process of terminating the St Petersburg agreement and closing the Cafe, the company said in a statement.

No longer tenable

In some cases, companies paused their Russian operations to comply with sanctions imposed by the U.S. government, a new slate of which the Biden administration unveiled on Friday.

U.S. Treasury sanctions on individuals or entities have required major finance firms to cut certain ties. In addition to an extensive list of Russian oligarchs, the Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Russias largest banks and the Russian central bank as sanction targets, effectively barring U.S. companies and individuals from transacting and trading Russian securities and dealing with Russian firms.

Dow members JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs both said last March that they would ultimately wind down their businesses in Russia in compliance with regulatory requirements.

Under intense public scrutiny, other Dow-member companies moved quickly last spring to issue statements, in many cases promising to suspend operations in Russia. Apple pledged to stop selling products in the country, Visa said it would cut off card transactions into and out of Russia, and Boeing stopped parts distribution and service agreements.

Other companies halted, and then exited, their businesses. After saying in March 2022 that it would close its Russian restaurants and pause operations, McDonalds moved two months later to begin selling more than 850 restaurants with the goal of leaving the country entirely, saying that owning businesses in Russia was no longer tenable, nor is it consistent with McDonalds values.

For some major companies, leaving Russia entailed significant costs. McDonalds booked a $1.2 billion charge as a result of writing off its investment there. Honeywell took a $295 million hit as a result of winding down its Russian businesses.

For others, exposure to Russia was low, so the cost of leaving was small. American Express told analysts in March 2022 that its business dealings in Russia were limited to just one card partner, making any impact not material. The software company Salesforce similarly said the impact of exiting its business with a very small number of Russia-based customers was minimal.

Decoupling

Not every company packed up and left entirely.

NBC News counted six companies in the Dow 30 that announced plans to partially retreat from Russia. Merck, Amgen and Johnson & Johnson have all suspended investments and clinical trials in Russia but are still selling essential medicines that arent subject to international sanctions.

Procter & Gamble has stopped investments and reduced its product offerings in Russia but is continuing to provide basic health, hygiene and personal care items needed by the many Russian families who depend on them in their daily lives. The Dow chemical company said it had suspended the purchase of feedstocks and energy from Russia but was still supplying limited essential goods like food packaging, hygiene, cleaning and sanitation products and other household items.

Russias size, both economically and geographically, means some companies still have limited or indirect ties to the country.

For example, Chevron said it doesnt have exploration or production activities in Russia. But the oil giant has a 15% stake in a Kazakh pipeline linked to the Russian port of Novorossiysk. The company says the equity crude that it moves through the pipeline is Kazakh in origin and therefore not subject to international sanctions on Russian oil.

The construction equipment company Caterpillar has suspended manufacturing in Russia. Asked about reports that the company is continuing to move parts through the region as part of its supply chain, Caterpillar declined to comment. We continue to comply with all applicable laws and evolving sanctions, a spokesperson said.

Even in the banking industry, where sanctions restrict business activities, some lines are blurred. After a brief pause last summer, some Wall Street banks resumed facilitating trades in Russian debt.

Those moves brought liquidity to an otherwise dried-up market for Russian government bonds, potentially allowing investors outside the U.S. to participate in the secondary market. However, the Treasury clarified last year that such trades were allowed under U.S. sanctions, provided they were part of efforts to wind down existing investments.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Mark Hamill has spoken out about his surprise at being personally asked to support Ukraine by President Zelensky.

The actor, who is widely known for portraying Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars films, is raffling exclusive autographed posters to raise money for the countrys RQ-35 Heidrun drones.

Hamill was asked to get involved in the effort to raise funds for the equipment by Zelenskys representatives.

With Friday (24 February) marking the one-year anniversary of Russias invasion of Ukraine, the actor appeared on Good Morning Britain to discuss his attachment to the cause.

I'd never done anything that had such importance before, he explained on Fridays edition of the ITV morning programme.

I try to give back, he said of his previous fundraising efforts. Hamill went on to share his initial response when he was approached for this cause, which was one of disbelief.

When my business people said President Zelensky contacted us, I said make sure it's not something pranking me, he explained. I don't get contacted by leaders, hello?

However, he was quick to get on board as hed been touched by the stories of the Ukrainian peoples survival efforts.

Mark Hamill and Zelensky (Getty)

Like everyone else, I watched this unfold a year ago with shock and dismay. It's horrific to see a sovereign nation invaded by a government.

So when he asked me to do what he wanted me to do, I didn't have to think about it for a second, of course.

He continued: He asked me to be the ambassador to the army of drones; they protect the people.

The fighter jet depicted on the posters is the same one that Luke Skywalker used to destroy the Death Star in the 1977 film Star Wars: Episode IV  A New Hope.

These 10 posters have additional significance as before this, Hamill has not signed memorabilia since 2017.

To participate in the prize draw for the posters, fans can visit u24.gov.ua/dronation.
Meta dropped its new AI model called "LLaMA." Getty Images

Meta said its new model can help researchers improve and fix AI tools that promote "misinformation."

CEO Mark Zuckerberg touted "a lot of promise" behind the technology underlying bots like ChatGPT.

Microsoft and Google have adopted AI technology to boost their search engines, to mixed early reception.

Meta is releasing its generative AI model called "LLaMA" to drive research into what it called an "important, fast-changing field," in the wake of OpenAI's viral success with ChatGPT.

The social media company said that more research can help solve problems like "bias, toxicity, and the potential for generating misinformation" that generative AI tools can pose, according to Meta's blog post on Friday.

OpenAI's own chief technology officer acknowledged the pitfalls of its crown jewel tool, telling Time in an interview this month that ChatGPT "may make up facts." Meanwhile, Microsoft previously told Insider that its Bing chatbot, powered by OpenAI's technology, "may make mistakes" in the early phase of its rollout this month, which was marked by what some users described as Bing's sometimes strange, inaccurate, and combative responses.

Meta said on Friday that "there is still more research that needs to be done to address the risks of bias, toxic comments, and hallucinations in large language models."

The company's AI model, which stands for "Large Language Model Meta AI," is geared toward researchers, its CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post on Friday.

"LLMs have shown a lot of promise in generating text, having conversations, summarizing written material, and more complicated tasks like solving math theorems or predicting protein structures," he wrote in the post, using the abbreviation "LLMs" to refer to large language models.

"Meta is committed to this open model of research and we'll make our new model available to the AI research community," he wrote.

The company alluded to the popularity of the generative AI tools without referring to any by name, and said that its model can help open up the means to study and develop such technology, which can require significant computing power to train.

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"Smaller, more performant models such as LLaMA enable others in the research community who don't have access to large amounts of infrastructure to study these models, further democratizing access in this important, fast-changing field," Meta wrote in a blog post Friday.

For its part, Google is still testing its own Bard AI bot in order to open it up to users. Tech experts say the adoption of such technology by Big Tech could signal a shift toward chatbots potentially springing up across the internet.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Photo: The Canadian Press Excavators work at the site of buildings that collapsed during the earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey

The federal government is sending another $20 million in aid for people affected by the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria, and matching millions more in private donations.

International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan says Canada will match $10 million in donations to members of the Humanitarian Coalition, on top of the $10 million in matching donations to the Canadian Red Cross.

The announcement comes after the United Nations asked for more help and a group of Canadian MPs urged the government to expand the donation-matching to more organizations.

The Humanitarian Coalition, which includes Oxfam, Plan International and World Vision as members, is providing emergency food, water, sanitation and health services.

Two major earthquakes and hundreds of aftershocks shook the region on Feb. 6, damaging tens of thousands of buildings and leaving more than 47,000 people dead.

The UN Children's Fund, UNICEF, says more than a million people are staying in temporary accommodations, including gyms, stadiums, hotels and dormitories, with limited access to essential services.

"The children and families who survived the earthquake now face homelessness, lack of food and water, and temperatures that regularly drop below freezing at night," said Afshan Khan, UNICEF's regional director for Europe and Central Asia.

Turkish authorities on Friday said preliminary work has started to build housing for people left homeless by the massive earthquake.

Murat Kurum, the minister for the environment, urbanization and climate change, said on Twitter that excavations were taking place in the towns of Nurdagi and Islahiye in Gaziantep province, where the government plans to build an initial 855 homes.

The work comes less than three weeks after the magnitude 7.8 quake struck. Turkish authorities say some 173,000 buildings, containing around 534,000 apartments or other units, either collapsed or were severely damaged in the quake.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who faces tough elections in either May or June, has promised to reconstruct homes within the year, although critics have warned that moving too fast could just lead to the erection of more substandard homes.

Opposition parties have also held Erdogan's government  in power for the past two decades  responsible for the extent of the disaster, accusing it of failing to enforce building regulations.

Experts say many of the toppled structures were built with inferior materials and methods, and often did not comply with government standards.

Earlier Friday, Erdogan issued a decree which among other things enables individuals, companies or organizations to build homes or offices and donate them to Kurum's ministry, which would then give them to people who lost homes or businesses.

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said late Thursday that 583 contractors or other people suspected of responsibility over buildings that have collapsed were being investigated and 171 have been arrested.
ZANESVILLE  Richard McCree pleaded guilty to corrupting another with drugs, a second-degree felony, as well as trafficking in drugs, in relation to the overdose death of a Zanesville man. He faces additional time for violating the terms of his sexual offender registration, according to a release from the Muskingum County Prosecutor's Office. He faces eight to 12 years for the corrupting another with drugs charge, and another 18 months for trafficking.In September, the parents of a Zanesville man reported their son missing after he didnt show up for work or return home that evening as usual. Not long after filing the report, family members found his body inside his car at the beach access parking lot of Dillon State Park.Detectives from the Muskingum County Sheriffs Office linked the fatal overdose of cocaine and fentanyl to Shelbie Mourer, who sold the drugs to him.After her arrest, Mourer confessed that she obtained the cocaine from McCree at his home on Hedgewood Avenue.In October, Mourer pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, a first-degree felony, drug trafficking and tampering with evidence charges. She is scheduled to be sentenced on March 15.Investigators, including detectives with the Zanesville/Muskingum County Joint Drug Unit, pursued an investigation into McCree, verifying his financial transactions with Mourer, conducting controlled buys of drugs from McCree, and tying the two cases together.Ohio law makes it a crime to, by any means, administer or furnish to another or induce or cause another to use a controlled substance, and thereby cause serious physical harm to the other person In this case, McCree, known as Mississippi, furnished the cocaine to the deceased by means of Mourer.Although the amount of cocaine found in victim's system was high enough to cause his death, a ruling by the Ohio Fifth District Court of Appeals requires proof that a single transaction caused death for involuntary manslaughter. In this case, there was a separate drug deal involving fentanyl not provided by McCree, that prevented him from being charged with involuntary manslaughter."Once again, local law enforcement went the extra mile by tracking down the hand-to-hand supplier of fatal drugs and then bringing down the narcotics source as well," said Assistant Prosecutor John Litle, who handled the case. "The Muskingum County law enforcement team is the tip of the spear in Ohio for punishing poisoners and spreading the word that every drug deal might be a dealers last day as a free person."

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: McCree pleads guilty in connection to overdose death
A group of media organizations, including CBS News, is demanding access to a tranche of surveillance and police videos from the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol that U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy provided to Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

In a letter to congressional leadership Friday, the media companies argue the footage McCarthy allowed Carlson and Fox News to access should be made available to other media groups.

The letter was sent on behalf of CBS News, CNN, Politico, ProPublica, ABC, Axios, Advance, Scripps, the Los Angeles Times and Gannett.

"Without full public access to the complete historical record, there is concern that an ideologically-based narrative of an already polarizing event will take hold in the public consciousness, with destabilizing risks to the legitimacy of Congress, the Capitol Police, and the various federal investigations and prosecutions of January 6 crimes," wrote attorney Charles Tobin.

McCarthy's office has not responded to multiple requests for comment from CBS News about the reported release of more than 41,000 hours of police footage to Fox News.

The House speaker said in a Wednesday interview with The New York Times that he expects to make the footage more widely available after Carlson uses the material.

"I was asked in the press about these tapes, and I said they do belong to the American public. I think sunshine lets everybody make their own judgment," McCarthy said.

In the letter to McCarthy, Tobin wrote that the media organizations agreed with his "sunshine" statement.

"Now that the CCTV videos have been released to one member of the news media  one whose program is categorized by its own network as opinion programming  they must be released to the rest of the news media as well," Tobin wrote.

The release has unleashed a wave of controversy on Capitol Hill. In a letter to colleagues, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries described Carlson as a "FOX News personality who regularly peddles in conspiracy theories and Pro-Putin rhetoric."

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A House Democrat who was part of a Democratic Party caucus meeting about the video release told CBS News there is "deep, deep concern" about the security implications of McCarthy's decision. The Democrat, who requested anonymity to discuss the Democratic caucus' internal discussions, said House members are not certain if Carlson's team was restricted from recording images of the videos or if they were supervised while viewing the video.

In a statement, the U.S. Capitol Police chief said, "When Congressional Leadership or Congressional Oversight Committees ask for things like this, we must give it to them."

But there are concerns that a selective release of the video could reveal camera positions and security vulnerabilities.

Former U.S. Capitol Police Sergeant Aquilino Gonell told CBS News, "If Speaker McCarthy really wants to be transparent, he would have given the videos to all news outlets and not just the entertainers at Fox News."

McCarthy has said little publicly about the release of the footage. In a report from The New York Times Wednesday, McCarthy said he'd "promised" to release the footage. McCarthy's election as House speaker was held up in early January by a faction of far-right House Freedom Caucus conservatives. The nature of some of the concessions exacted by the group from McCarthy remains unclear.

Some members of the House Republican conference have minimized the actions and violence of Jan. 6, calling defendants "political prisoners." In 2021, a House Republican from Georgia, Rep. Andrew Clyde, referred to the Jan. 6 attack as a "normal tourist visit."

On his nightly primetime Fox News program, Carlson has echoed some of the Republican arguments minimizing the Capitol siege.

Carlson said on the show Monday that "we have been there about a week, our producers  some of our smartest producers  have been there looking at this stuff and trying to figure out what it means, and how it contradicts, or not, the story that we've been told for two years."

"We think, in some ways, it already does contradict that story," Carlson said.

Fox News did not reply to a request for comment.

A similar media coalition successfully sought release of some Justice Department video court exhibits in Jan. 6 prosecutions, including police body camera footage and surveillance video that shows the violence and attacks directed at police. Hours of footage, which was submitted to or shown in open court in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia, has been regularly shared with the media coalition. The footage has helped prosecutors secure hundreds of guilty pleas and partial or full convictions in nearly every jury trial in U.S. Capitol cases.

The Justice Department continues to seek to limit open testimony and cross-examination about the location of Capitol Police surveillance cameras.

In a court filing in a felony case against an accused rioter from Florida, the agency said, "U.S. Capitol Police's surveillance system also serves an important, and ongoing, function in protecting Congress and, by extension, national security. In particular, the footage from the system is subject to limitations and controls on access and dissemination."

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Dont call Nikki Haley a moderate. Its not even a label she wants for herself.

Haley has been a presidential candidate for less than two weeks. But the battle is already being cast in the media as one that pits her in one lane against hard-liners like former President Trump  and, once he enters the race, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R)  in another.

Trump and DeSantis purportedly represent the right-wing, populist MAGA wing of the GOP. Haley has been cast as some kind of centrist.

She has previously been able to appeal to [Trumps] more moderate critics, according to CNN. She is a more moderate alternative to the ex-president according to Forbes. Parts of her message will play well with moderate suburban women voters, according to a Council on Foreign Relations blogger.

The last part may be true  but not because of Haleys policies. Her potentially distinctive appeal resides in the fact that she has a temperamental evenness which the former president clearly lacks, and favors a tone that is conversational rather than combative.

This hardly makes her a moderate. Her positions are not those of centrist figures currently mulling a run, like former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R). Nor is she so direct a critic of Trump as another possible contender, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R).

In her stump speeches, her affable demeanor goes hand-in-hand with staunchly conservative proposals and themes.

At a Tuesday evening appearance in Marion, Iowa, covered by The Hill, the thrust of her arguments was in lockstep with todays right-wing, populist GOP.

On immigration, we need to seal off the border, we need to go back to the Remain in Mexico policy, she said  especially now that every state in America has become a border state.

On crime, the main problem was that law enforcement officers dont feel like anybodys got their backs.

On education, sexuality and wokeness, the controversial Florida bill backed by DeSantis, which bars the teaching of any material related to gender or sexual orientation before the third grade, doesnt even go far enough according to Haley.

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Parents, she said, are the ones that should be teaching their kids about anything to do with gender, lifestyle and everything else.

She also delivered standard but fiery jabs at Democrats. She accused President Biden of stumbling through a debacle in the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and of having permitted a national embarrassment in the shape of the recent Chinese spy balloon.

Perhaps most controversially of all, Haley defended her proposal for mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over the age of 75 in unusually personal terms.

Responding to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who had accused her the previous night of nothing more than old-fashioned ageism, Haley told the Iowa crowd that Sanders, 81, is exactly the reason we need it.

Amid laughter in the venue, she went on to assail two California Democrats, 89-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein and 84-year-old Rep. Maxine Waters in similar terms.

Haleys backers dont even speak of her as a moderate  perhaps because the label is likely a ticket to defeat in todays GOP.

Some note that her political roots lie with the Tea Party movement that helped propel her to a come-from-behind victory in the GOP primary when she first ran to become South Carolinas governor.

Others cite her immigration record while holding that office, including mandating the use of E-Verify by employers.

The pro-Haley voices contend that her personal style can help her expand the appeal of staunch conservatism in a way that the darker rhetoric and more belligerent stances of figures like Trump and DeSantis cannot.

That is a thesis that will be severely tested. Polling has been sparse since Haley officially launched her campaign, but she had previously been trailing way behind Trump and DeSantis in polls.

The jury is still out as to whether todays GOP primary electorate, which often thrills to the culture war combat favored by Trump in particular, really wants a kinder face.

But there is clearly some kind of constituency for what Haley is offering.

Jeff Simoneau, a project manager, Marion resident and self-described conservative, told The Hill before Tuesdays campaign stop, I think she is right what we need  some fresh young faces in the Republican Party.

For Simoneau, the differences Haley offered to Trump were a central part of her appeal.

Her personality is in stark contrast to the prior presidents, but the polices were really good [under Trump], he said.

The 45th presidents achievements, in Simoneaus view, were overshadowed by the personality. And that is what we dont need right now.

Are there many other Republicans seeking Trump-like policies in a very non-Trump persona?

Maybe such voters will simply go to DeSantis.

But, for now, Haley is out there on the trial making her case as the sole alternative.

Maybe shes wrong and her campaign will fizzle, as her many doubters predict.

But Haley has been underestimated before  and it could be happening again.

The Memo is a reported column by Niall Stanage.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
NEW YORK (AP)  Gunther Groissbock was about to walk onstage at Moscows Bolshoi Theatre for the first act of a new Lohengrin production last winter when his wife, Isabel, texted that she and their 12-year-old daughter were about to take off on a flight home to Milan.

Then she texted me back and said, no, the pilot just announced we are not allowed anymore to enter European airspace, the Austrian bass recalled. And then they were trapped because they only had the one entry visa.

On Feb, 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine 13 hours before the opening performance of Francois Girards staging of the Wagner opera  a production that starts the second half of the Metropolitan Operas season on Sunday. The war quickly impacted the cast and audience at the Bolshoi, a short walk from the Kremlin. And would lead the Met to scrap using the Russian set and build a duplicate.

Something happened in the theater that night that was incredible  the energy on stage and in the house. At first I thought I had some responsibility in that, and I thought it was like a success, Girard recalled this week. But then I think a large part of that energy was a protestation to across the street.

Groissbocks family eventually got home via Istanbul, and Girard left Moscow a day earlier than scheduled.

Met general manager Peter Gelb had attended the final dress rehearsal in Moscow because the staging was planned as a coproduction of the companies.

When I returned to New York and the invasion had begun, I immediately made the decision to sever ties with any official Russian institution or artist associated with (Vladimir) Putin, Gelb said.

At a cost of more than $1 million, the Met had another set built by Bay Productions in Cardiff, Wales, and costumes constructed in New York and Hong Kong. Because of the change, technical rehearsals were postponed from August to February.

Girard is directing his third Wagner opera at the Met, following an acclaimed Parsifal in 2013 and a Der Fliegende Hollander (The Flying Dutchman) that received mixed reviews in 2020,

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Lohengrin is the Mets most-seen Wagner opera with 717 performances. A minimalist staging by Robert Wilson featuring bars of light premiered in 1998 and replaced an August Everding version dating to 1976. Wilson's staging was revived just twice and was given only 19 total performances, the last in 2006.

Met music director Yannick Nezet-Seguin conducts a cast this weekend that includes tenor Piotr Beczala in the title role, Groissbock (King Heinrich), bass-baritone Evgeny Nikitin (Telramund) and sopranos Tamara Wilson (Elsa) and Christine Goerke (Ortrud),

"Lohengrin is maybe Wagners first attempt at the magic, the ethereal, the celestial, dare I say dreamy music. That is apparent right away from the prelude, Nezet-Seguin said. There is an otherworldly quality in both scores. However, `Lohengrin, also because probably being earlier than Parsifal, also is a confluence of some bel canto.

Girard stages the opera in post-apocalyptic times, the prelude accompanied by the moon projected orbiting the earth and then exploding.

Lohengrin arrives with a projected swan image in the heavens and is wearing the same white dress shirt and dark trousers of the knights in Girards Parsifal production, signifying he was sent to Brabant by his father, the grail king. Otherworldly power is evident in the first-act sword fight with Telramund, which Lohengrin wins using mental powers rather than a physical weapon.

Innovative hooded robes designed by Tim Yip, an Academy Award winner for art and set decoration of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, enable the chorus and dancers to change colors. Inside the black cotton outer coat are three silk double-layers that represent which faction the chorus is singing about: green for King Heinrich and royal authority; red for the primitive civilization of Telramund and Ortrud; and white for Lohengrin, Elsa and purity.

Chorus members change colors with magnets at hand level.

Every costume you have has to fit perfectly, Yip said. The hand has to be just there, not like other costumes where you can have a little height adjustment.

There are 10 performances through April 1, and the March 18 matinee will be simulcast worldwide.

Girard is staying in New York to direct the U.S. premiere of Yasushi Inoues The Hunting Gun at the Baryshnikov Arts Center starting March 16 and then a revival of Dutchman at the Met opening May 30.

This music is written for extraterrestrials. Its not written for human beings, Girard said. The more I do Wagner, the more difficult it is for me to even consider going anywhere else in the repertoire.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  New Mexicos governor has stepped into the fight over how federal land managers are eradicating wild cows in the Gila Wilderness.

Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued a statement Friday saying she was disappointed by what she described as the U.S. Forest Services lack of meaningful, long-term engagement with stakeholders on a controversial issue.

The Forest Service is currently conducting an aerial shooting operation to kill as many as 150 unauthorized cows in a vast area of steep rugged valleys and mountainsides blanketed with trees.

The operation has been the source of legal wrangling and protests by the agricultural community in southwestern New Mexico.

Federal officials and environmentalists contend the animals are trampling stream banks and damaging habitat for other species. Ranchers argue the operation amounts to animal cruelty and that the cows could have been rounded up and removed instead of letting their carcasses rot in the wilderness.

A federal judge cleared the way for the operation Wednesday when he denied a request by ranchers for a delay.

The governor said she has shared her concerns with federal officials and asked them to do better.

Whether debating prescribed burns or wildlife management, it is imperative that New Mexicans who live and work in and near impacted areas are allowed the time to be meaningfully involved in these decisions, Lujan Grisham said. When that does not occur, it fosters a continued climate of distrust and hinders progress toward our shared goals of a healthy environment and a thriving rural economy."

"As it stands, they are failing New Mexicans, she said.

The Forest Service said Friday it shares the governor's values when it comes to conservation and public engagement and will remain committed to transparency.

Agency spokesperson Ivan Diego Knudsen said there have been extensive discussions with stakeholders over the past several years and the agency has tried to address concerns. He said those discussions with the New Mexico Department of Agriculture, the New Mexico Livestock Board and the ranching community will continue.

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Our hope is to work with cattle producers so that we can achieve more effective operations than have occurred in the past, Knudsen said in a statement.

The agency said it supports an integrated approach that may include both gathers and aerial removals to best meet our shared vision for the wilderness area.

Ranchers in court documents had argued that the agency was skipping the steps of rounding up the cattle and impounding them, opting instead for the last resort of gunning them down. Their attorney said in court that the operation had the potential to result in an estimated 65 tons (59 metric tons) of dead animals being left in the wilderness for months until they decompose or are eaten by scavengers.

The Gila National Forest issued its final decision to gun down the wayward cattle last week amid pressure from environmental groups that have raised concerns about unchecked grazing in sensitive areas.

Todd Schulke, co-founder of the Center for Biological Diversity, said his group believes the Forest Service has done its best to address the damage done by feral cattle in the least impactful way possible.

The cattle in question are the descendants of cows that legally grazed the area in the 1970s before the owner went out of business. Federal officials have made several attempts over the last couple of decades to remove the animals, including a similar shooting operation in 2022 that took out 65 cows in two days.

The Forest Service said it would release results early next week once the operation is concluded.
Miami-Dade police are looking for a man they say stuck up an ATM customer with a toy handgun and got away with cash.

The robbery happened around 8:40 a.m. at Northwest 27th Avenue and 84th Street, said Detective Luis Sierra, a Miami-Dade police spokesman.

Unfortunately for police searching for the man, the incident happened so quickly there is no immediate description of the robber, Sierra said.

It was also not immediately known how much money the robber got away with.
My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell says he plans to sue Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for providing Fox News host Tucker Carlson with exclusive access to footage from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

Lindell told Steve Bannons War Room podcast on Thursday that his streaming platform Lindell-TV plans to sue McCarthy, claiming the Speaker violated the First Amendments freedom of the press provision and the Fourteenth Amendments Equal Protection Clause.

The Trump ally said Lindell-TV is injured by not having access to the tapes and that the Speakers decision represented discrimination.

Were not gonna sit back and let that happen, Lindell told Bannon, former White House chief strategist. Why does just Fox get this? So they can cover it up even more? Its disgusting. All of us, including War Room, we all need to see whats on those tapes, and we need to see all of them.

The Justice Department and the now-defunct House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack both previously expressed an interest in obtaining information from Lindell, who was a key proponent of false claims that voting machines had been manipulated in the 2020 election.

McCarthys office granted Carlson access to about 41,000 hours of Capitol surveillance footage around the time of the Jan. 6 riot, a Fox News spokesperson confirmed to The Hill on Monday.

Democrats have slammed the decision as a potential security threat for the Capitol.

The apparent transfer of video footage represents an egregious security breach that endangers the hardworking women and men of the United States Capitol Police, who valiantly defended our democracy with their lives at risk on that fateful day, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) accused McCarthy of needlessly exposing the Capitol complex to one of the worst security risks since 9/11.

The footage Speaker McCarthy is making available to Fox News is a treasure trove of closely held information about how the Capitol complex is protected and its public release would compromise the safety of the Legislative Branch and allow those who want to commit another attack to learn how Congress is safeguarded, Schumer added.

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McCarthy has defended his decision, saying he previously pledged to release the footage.

I promised, McCarthy told The New York Times on Wednesday. I was asked in the press about these tapes, and I said they do belong to the American public. I think sunshine lets everybody make their own judgment.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Photo: Citizen staff file photo. Disgraced judge David Ramsay at the Prince George courthouse in 2004.

B.C. public safety minister Mike Farnworth says an investigation will be launched into an apparent failure to properly investigate allegations made roughly two decades ago that RCMP officers in Prince George were sexually abusing Indigenous girls.

Farnworth announced the step Thursday evening, a day after B.C. First Nations leaders called for release of a report from the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP and for a further investigation into the matter.

In turn, their demands were issued in response to a series of columns by Vancouver Sun columnist Ian Mulgrew after he was leaked a copy of the report.

The CRCC, which investigates complaints about RCMP procedure, has declined to make the report public, citing privacy concerns.

In the columns, Mulgrew says the allegations date back to the time of disgraced Prince George judge David Ramsay, sentenced in 2004 to seven years in prison for sexually assaulting young Indigenous girls.

Ramsay's accusers and more than a dozen other young First Nations women also accused nine Mounties and a lawyer of committing similar acts, according to Mulgrew.

In an email to the Citizen, Farnworth said he "can confirm that the province will be launching a full independent out-of-jurisdiction investigation into the troubling complaints highlighted in the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission Report on the RCMP in Prince George."

"The RCMP has confirmed they will fully cooperate with the investigation, including providing all their records to the external agency  which will be announced in the coming weeks," Farnworth continued.

"Our government is absolutely committed to ending systemic violence against Indigenous women, girls, 2SLGBTQ+ people, and vulnerable persons, particularly in the cases which involve the police and there still remains work to be done.

"In addition to this investigation, my ministry is working through the recommendations made by the Special Committee on Reforming the Police Act. We are working collaboratively with First Nations and local governments to inform the new policing and oversight legislation.

"I am limited from further comment on the investigation into the RCMP in Prince George as this matter is now the subject of an independent investigation."

In an letter sent to Farnworth and made public Wednesday, the First Nations Leadership Council and B.C. First Nations Justice Council called for a release of the CCRC's report, for an independent Indigenous and civilian-led investigation, a criminal investigation and for "profound police reform to put an end too negligence and violence towards our people."

"The discredited RCMP organization must be completely transformed so that it stops perpetuating harm against Indigenous peoples, especially women, girls and gender-diverse people. First Nations jurisdiction over matters of justice, policing and community safety must be affirmed," they also said.

The letter was also sent to B.C. Premier David Eby, federal public safety minister Marco Mendicino and federal justice minister David Lametti.
LAS VEGAS  Mike Malott would rather not fight a fellow Canadian but is happy they get the platform at UFC Fight Night 220.

Ontarios Malott (8-1-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) meets Quebecs Yohan Lainesse (9-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) on Saturdays main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

With only a few active Canadian UFC fighters on the roster, Malott sees his fight with Lainesse also as a chance to display their countrys talent on the big stage.

Yeah, its unfortunate Im fighting another Canadian, Malott told reporters, including MMA Junkie, on Wednesday at UFC Fight Night 220 media day. I want as many of us in here as we can get. Ive always loved watching Canadians fight in the UFC. So, having to fight a guy and only one of us getting to win is a little unfortunate, but Im not thinking about it too much past that.

I think its a great opportunity to show what Canadian MMA is about, because all youre going to see is Canadian MMA in this fight. So for the Canadian MMA fans, I think this is a cool one. This is the unofficial Canadian welterweight world title here. This is the two most highly ranked Canadian welterweights I think that are active right now. So, I think its kind of a cool fight in that way.

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Canadian MMA legends Georges St-Pierre and Rory MacDonald are currently retired, and Malott is perhaps Canadas brightest prospect in the UFC. The Team Alpha Male fighter has finished all his wins in the first round, most recently a knockout of Mickey Gall at UFC 273.

We dont have somebody right now clearly leading the way for Canadians right now, Malott said. Im very happy to carry that torch and move forward. I plan on continuing to do that on Saturday. Again, unfortunately its against another Canadian, but hopefully this will be the last Canadian I fight, and we can move forward, kind of Canada vs. the rest of the world and lead a solid charge.

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Weve got a really strong crop of fighters coming up in Canada, so I expect to lead a good charge  especially from Ontario and theres some kids that come out from Alberta to train a little bit with us too. I think were going to see a big resurgence in Canadian MMA in the next few years.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkies event hub for UFC Fight Night 220.

Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie
Three men are in jail and a 14-year-old is back home after police say they arrested human traffickers at a Gwinnett County Walmart.

Police say the men trafficked the teen for nearly two weeks.

Not everyone can spot a human trafficking victim out in public.

Lawrenceville police say one of their officers did just that when he rescued the 14-year-old from three men accused of trafficking her.

They dont cry out for help, said Camila Zolfaghari, executive director at Street Grace, which helps victims of human trafficking in the metro. Its a great sign that this officer clearly had been trained to look for signs, look for signs of trafficking.

Zolfaghari said its common for traffickers to manipulate their victims.

TRENDING STORIES:

Usually, they try to protect their trafficker because their traffickers told them, Hey, if you tell them whats going on, youre going to get in trouble, Zolfaghari said.

On Wednesday night, Lawrenceville police responded to a call at the Walmart on Collins Hill Road about a child in distress.

Police said the officers figured out that the 14-year-old is a victim and was reported as a missing person out of Cobb County.

Investigators arrested three men and say they forced the girl into prostitution for 13 days inside of an apartment on Maddox Street.

The more arrests we have, they are not a sign we have more trafficking, theyre a sign were learning to identify it, Zolfaghari said.

Jennifer Swain runs Youth Spark in Atlanta and helps trafficking survivors.

She said public awareness about trafficking can put police in places to rescue victims.

If you have a feeling that this is a young person, a child in need, go ahead and make that phone call, because our law enforcement in Georgia are trained to ask the right questions, Swain said.

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Police say the girl has been returned to cobb county where she can get physical and emotional help.

The three men remain in jail with no bond.

IN OTHER NEWS:
A Blue Summit woman was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison for killing her boyfriend two years ago.

Sarah Devera, 29, was arrested in February 2021 in connection with the fatal shooting of Zachary W. Jewell, 31. She was initially charged with second-degree murder and in January pleaded guilty to the lesser felony offense of voluntary manslaughter.

On Thursday, Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Marco A. Roldan followed a recommendation from prosecutors that Devera serve the maximum amount of prison time outlined under state law. Her defense attorney sought an eight-year sentence, according to prosecutors.

The shooting occurred on Feb. 12, 2021 in Blue Summit, a small and unincorporated community in Jackson County that sits between Kansas City and Independence.

The Jackson County Sheriffs Office opened an investigation after Jewell was dropped off at the Inter City Fire Protection District Station and later died.

According to court documents, family members of Jewell told Jackson County Sheriffs deputies that they were at Inner City Fire when they heard someone banging on the door. They said they went outside to find Devera repeating I shot him and Jewell inside her red pickup truck suffering from a gunshot wound.

Witnesses and video surveillance confirmed the shooting took place near the 1800 block of Tilden in Blue Summit. Devera was arrested the following day at a motel in south Kansas City.

During a police interview, Devera allegedly said she shot Jewell during a physical fight because she saw him reaching toward his pocket and believed Jewell was armed with a gun. She also accused him of past abuse.

The Stars Glenn E. Rice contributed to this report.
Brianna Soukup/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images

Molson Coors should no longer compare its rivals' beers to drinking water, a regulatory body says.

The decision stems from a complaint filed by Anheuser-Busch over a 2022 Miller Lite ad.

The ad appears to poke fun at Michelob Ultra, a 95-calorie beer made by Anheuser-Busch.

Beverage giant Molson Coors should no longer compare its rivals' light beer to water, a national regulatory body says.

The National Advertising Division, part of BBB National Programs, issued a recommendation on Thursday that Molson Coors should no longer use the claim that "light beer shouldn't taste like water. It should taste like beer" in its ads.

According to the NAD, tasting "like water" is an attribute that can be measured, and is "not puffery or a mere opinion." Because Molson Coors didn't submit evidence supporting its claim that any other brands' light beers "taste like water," it should discontinue its ads, the NAD says.

The claim was brought by Molson Coors rival Anheuser-Busch, who took issue with a July 2022 ad that depicted a cyclist dousing himself with beer at the end of a ride in place of water. While the ad didn't call out a specific brand, the blue can, labeled "Extremely Light Beer," looked similar to a can of Michelob Ultra, a beer with less than 100 calories that's owned by Anheuser-Busch.

A Molson Coors spokesperson said in a statement to Insider that the company "vehemently" disagrees with the NAD's decision.

"We believe light beer should taste like beer, not water, and we are well within our right to share that belief," a spokesperson said. "We have appealed the NAD's decision and will proudly continue to make light beer that tastes like beer."

An Anheuser-Busch spokesperson told Insider that it appreciates the NAD's recommendation and that "true stewards of the beer industry should be working together to strengthen the beer category instead of resorting to misleading attacks that denigrate products enjoyed by millions of beer drinkers."

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Though the NAD's decisions aren't legally binding, most companies opt to adhere to its recommendations. The ads are referred to the Federal Trade Commission if they choose not to comply, CNN reports.

The beer-makers, two of the world's biggest, have sparred more than once in the past. In 2019, Molson Coors sued Anheuser-Busch over an ad campaign that began airing during that year's Super Bowl. The ad highlighted the fact that Anheuser-Busch's Bud Light isn't made with corn syrup, which Molson Coors said unfairly targeted Miller Lite and Coors Light.

Around the same time, Anheuser-Busch accused its rival of stealing its secret recipes, claiming a MillerCoors employee had obtained information on the ingredients of Bud Light and Michelob Ultra from an Anheuser-Busch staffer. The court sided with Molson Coors, but a federal appeals court later overturned the ruling in favor of Anheuser-Busch.

Correction: February 27, 2023  An earlier version of this story misstated the National Advertising Division's affiliation. It is part of BBB National Programs.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Taylor Frankie Paul, the Mormon MomTok influencer who went viral last year after sharing her "soft-swinging" experiences, was arrested last week, officials said.

Paul, 28, was charged with three misdemeanors: assault, criminal mischief and domestic violence in the presence of a child, according to Salt Lake County Sheriffs Office records. She was booked by Herriman, Utah, police at 1:56 a.m. on Saturday, records show.

Records also show Paul was released hours after her arrest. Representatives for Paul did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A spokesperson for the Herriman City Police Department confirmed Paul's jail booking to NBC News.

"Following her jail booking, detectives received additional video evidence related to this case that resulted in the case being referred to the Salt Lake County District Attorneys Office for screening of felony assault charges against Ms. Paul," the spokesperson said. "This evidence also suggests that during the incident, Ms. Pauls minor child was injured by an action of Ms. Paul. Subsequently, our investigators are also screening a misdemeanor charge of reckless child abuse with the District Attorneys Office."

The police department also shared a news release about the incident on Twitter.

Statement regarding the arrest of Taylor Frankie Paul pic.twitter.com/nYPvZEnO79  Herriman PD (@HerrimanPolice) February 24, 2023

The Herriman City Police Department said in its statement: Once the screening process is complete with the District Attorneys Office, the case will proceed through the criminal justice system in either the Third District Court or the Herriman City Justice Court, depending on the decisions rendered during the screening process.

Paul is a popular TikTok influencer with 4 million followers who rose to prominence as part of the Mormon mom community on the platform.

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Last May, she went viral after revealing in a TikTok livestream that she and her then-husband, Tate Paul, were in a soft-swinging group with other MomTok creators, meaning they swapped sexual partners with other couples, but Paul said they agreed to not "go all the way." Paul said that she "did step out of that agreement," leading to her divorce and a few lost friendships.

In recent months, Paul has been open about her mental health struggles following her divorce, the soft-swinging fallout and a pregnancy loss she experienced with her boyfriend last year.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
One of the biggest financial decisions we will make in life has nothing to do with money. At least, not for everyone. Its what billionaire investor Warren Buffett claims to be the most important decision he has ever made: choosing who to marry.

Love and money are often a volatile mix that makes or breaks a relationship, according to a survey from the Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts, with money issues being one of the leading causes of divorce. However, research shows that couples who are financially in sync often have stronger, happier, and longer-lasting marriages.

That only happens through equal participation in your households finances. Sure, relationships involve compromise and sacrifice. But it need not be disproportionate.

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Whether your relationship status is on date number two, recently engaged, on thin ice, or together so long you cant remember your anniversary, here are a few tips to help you build a healthy relationship while preserving your own financial well-being.

Recognize How Your Money Personalities Differ

Turns out, the old adage opposites attract may be more fact than fiction. A paper published in the Journal of Marketing Research found that tightwads (people who spend less than they would like) and spendthrifts (people who spend more than they would like) usually marry each other.

While personality differences cause some relationship problems, it isnt the real root of money issues. The source of the problem is remaining steadfast in your own financial habits and behaviors. Merging those differences can reshape each others financial behaviors in a positive way. For instance, the spendthrift of the relationship starts saving more for long-term goals. Over time, couples can find themselves in a sort of yin-yang of financial balance, bringing out the best in each other.

Related Financial Fitness for the Family

Consider a study from researchers at Washington University in St. Louis who found that having a conscientious spouse can boost your salary by $4,000 and increase your chances of getting promoted. In other words, your better half may encourage you to change your behavior and take greater risks to pursue growth opportunities you may not have pursued otherwise.

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Understanding your conflicting habits is an important first step. Getting there, however, doesnt just come naturally.

You Need to Talk About Money

In a relationship, the best way to grow financially isnt through accounting but rather through communicating. Couples who communicate effectively make better financial decisions, according to a Fidelity Investments study. The couples who say they communicate well are more likely to expect to live a comfortable retirement, rate their households financial health as excellent or very good, discuss finances together monthly, and say money is not their greatest relationship challenge.

Money is an uncomfortable and emotional topic for a lot of us, as evidenced by the fact many people would rather discuss politics. But one survey found money is the thing couples fight about most early in a marriage, which underscores the importance of talking about money from the start. Treating money as taboo can be harmful to your relationship, particularly when it comes to creating equity between partners.

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What should you talk about? Everythingincome, debt, past experiences, future goalsso that you have a complete picture of each others financial situation.

Talking about money openly is important for building trust in a relationship. Financial infidelity is widespread, with over 30 percent of Americans admitting to committing some form of financial infidelity, according to a survey from CreditCards.com. And more than half of adults surveyed said that financial cheating is just as bad or worse than physical cheating.

The thought is: If I cant trust you about money, what else cant I trust you about?

Keeping financial secrets can do more than violate trust, it can also leave couples worse off financially.

Combining Finances Is Generally the Best Option

To combine finances or not to combine finances? That is the $1 million relationship question.

Some couples choose to keep their finances separate for legitimate reasons. For instance, they simply prefer independence. Or, they fear the messiness that could ensue while disentangling joint finances should the couple break up or divorce.

Related Leading Voices: Financial Literacy Produces Both Capital and Courage

But research suggests combining finances is the better option. A study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology shows that couples who pool all their money have greater relationship satisfaction and are less likely to break up. And, data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis indicates that married couples hold four times as much wealth as unmarried couples who live together, due in part to combining finances.

In addition to the financial advantages of having a larger pool of assets, combining finances encourages spouses to be more accountable for how they spend money. In a paper from the Journal of Consumer Psychology, people who spent from a joint account were less likely to make hedonic, or fun, purchases and instead choose more utilitarian options.

Certainly, every couple is different and should find an arrangement that is most comfortable for them. But another benefit to combining finances that no couple should overlook is that it ensures both partners have a hand in managing household finances, which is crucial for women later in life.

Each Partner Needs to Participate in Financial Decisions, Especially Women

If love is wishing good for the other, then an act of love is having each partner equally participate in household finances. Despite progress made over the past few decades, many households still have one person controlling the finances, often the man.

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A third of men say theyre the primary financial decision maker, according to Fidelity, with 22 percent of women reporting they have little to no input in retirement or longer-term planning. Even among same-sex couples, 40 percent say they have only one primary retirement decision-maker.

Of course, couples can thrive financially when one partner acts as the households chief financial officer. But what if something happens to that primary decision-maker?

Nearly 80 percent of U.S. widows and widowers are women, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report. Widowhood can come as a major financial shock for those who are unprepared. The Stanford Center for Longevity found that in the first two years after losing a spouse, women experience a 22 percent drop in income.

Whats more, Census data shows the average age of widowhood in the U.S. is 59. Since the average life expectancy for women is 79, these women may have to manage their finances solo for two decades or more. This underscores the need for women to participate in making long-term financial planning decisions and managing an investment portfolio. Certainly, as a woman, you should be involved in meetings with your households financial advisor.

And this isnt the only area where couples thrive when both partners do their fair share.

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Parenting Needs to Be a Team Effort

Any financial disparity between spouses can often be attributed to one thing: children. The fact is, kids are expensive. It costs more than $230,000 to raise a child until age 17, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Its common for one partner to take a more active role in caring for children. This can be out of a desire to, or as a cost-saving measure. A substantial cost for most families is childcare. The average annual cost of child care in America is more than $10,000, according to the advocacy organization Child Care Aware.

Research from the Center for American Progress says a parent can expect to lose up to three or four times their annual salary for each year out of the workforce. The parent who most often takes on this stay-at-home role is the mother. Which is why women are disproportionately impacted by children.

In every country, women earn less than men, including the United States where women earn 79 percent of what men do. A Princeton University study, as reported by Vox, suggests this wage gap is the result of having children. Essentially, women experience a sharp decline in earnings after the birth of their first child while men dont. The disparity compounds as women earn 20 percent less than men over the course of their careers.

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A study published in the journal Work, Employment and Society says mothers who earn more money than their husbands actually do more housework.

Therefore, couples need to consider balancing childcare duties equally. For many couples, the solution to the income disparity between men and women is right in their own homes.

Be Financially Vigilant During a Divorce

Alas, some marriages are not meant to last. Whether money is the cause of a divorce or not, it should be one of your priorities during one. Just as financial planning is vital for making a marriage work, it is equally important for getting through a divorce.

For one, the cost of a divorce can far exceed just attorney fees. And, while conventional thinking tells you that ex-spouses split everything 50/50, the financial impact of divorce is often unequal. Consider that one study found that women aged 50 and older who divorced experienced a 45 percent decline in their standard of living, whereas mens dropped by 21 percent.

The end of a marriage can be complicated and emotionally charged, dissolving into a fight over whats rightfully theirs and yours. That includes a variety of financial assets, including cash, retirement accounts, investments, real estate, or equity in a business. Its unlikely your divorce attorney is fully knowledgeable about appropriately handling them.

One way to protect yourself is to work with a financial advisor, perhaps one who specializes in helping clients through divorce, such as those who are a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA).

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For instance, Kimberly Nelson, CFA and CDFA at Coastal Bridge Advisors and fiduciary fee-only advisor in the Wealthramp network, represented a female client whose soon-to-be-ex-husband attempted to make a claim on separate property that he brought into the marriage worth $9 million. The divorce attorney was not able to refute his claim. But Kimberly was able to review the financial statements and the clients employment contracts to prove that the assets had been commingled in joint accounts over the years, that the rate of return on these assets had been significantly inflated and her client had been paying a portion of the tax bill associated with these separate assets for 25 years. She was able to get the ex-husband to settle out of court for $2 million of separate assets. If Kimberlys client hadnt been working with a divorce specialist, she could have ended up with $7 million less in assets that were legally hers.

Furthermore, you will most likely have to divvy up your 401(k)s or other retirement accounts. This can be tricky if youre not careful. For example, if you split your 401(k) by simply withdrawing half the funds, you would be subject to a 20 percent withholding tax. And, if youre under age 59 , you may also have to pay a 10 percent early withdrawal tax penalty.

Additionally, as you go through a divorce be sure to stay on top of your bills. And dont forget to untangle any shared accounts so youre not on the hook later should your ex max out a credit card or default on a debt. Lastly, start planning your single life. The post-divorce transition can be quite a financial adjustment. You will likely have to re-evaluate your long-term financial goals. How does saving and investing for retirement change for you? Do you need to start saving more?

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Doing these things can help put you in a stronger financial position for your next stage in lifeand maybe even for your next relationship.

Ultimately, relationships are something we nurture over time. In that sense money and love are much alike. The more we put into our own financial well-being, the better we can manage the financial well-being of a household.

The post How Money Can Make or Break Your Relationship appeared first on Worth.
Morningstar Says This Brokerage Account Can Help You Save More for Retirement Than a 401(k)

Many Americans save for retirement through 401(k)s. These accounts offer tax-deferred benefits, which means that your money can grow tax-free until you make a withdrawal. But for those who dont have access to an employer-provided retirement account, or simply want to save additional money beyond the IRS limits for a 401(k), Morningstar says that taxable accounts used to buy and sell investment securities can help you save more for retirement. Heres what you need to know.

A financial advisor can help you create an investment plan for your retirement needs and goals.

Comparing 401(k)s vs. Taxable Accounts

Employer-provided retirement accounts like 401(k)s offer workers the possibility to make automatic investments while getting a tax break  the money you put into a plan can grow tax-free until retirement.

While this is a popular retirement savings option, the Chicago-based financial services firm Morningstar points out that not all 401(k)s are created equal. Some charge high administrative costs, others offer expensive investment lineups and employers do not have to match contributions.

Additionally, not all workers have access to 401(k)s. And the IRS also limits how much you can put into the account. For 2023, the contribution limit is $22,500 (workers ages 50 and older can contribute up to $30,000).

Comparatively, if you want to invest more aggressively for retirement, and you have already maxed out how much you can contribute to a 401(k) and other retirement account options like IRAs, Morningstar says you may consider putting your money into a taxable account.

Taxable accounts, which are also commonly referred to as taxable brokerage accounts, allow investors to buy and sell stock, bonds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), mutual funds and other investment securities.

Unlike with 401(k)s, however, the IRS does not set contribution limits on taxable accounts, nor does it penalize investors for making early withdrawals  the agency charges a 10% tax penalty on 401(k) withdrawals made before age 59.5 unless you qualify for an exception.

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Taxable accounts also allow retirement investors to keep investments longer without having to make withdrawals, whereas the IRS imposes required minimum distributions (RMDs) for 401(k)s (which in 2023 will be delayed until age 73).

Retirement investors should note that the money they make by selling investment securities through a taxable account will get taxed as income. But if you hold those securities as long-term investments for over one year, you could pay capital gains or dividend taxes, which for some investors can be lower than the federal income tax rate.

4 Factors to Determine When a Taxable Account Is Better

Morningstar Says This Brokerage Account Can Help You Save More for Retirement Than a 401(k)

Morningstar broke down four common factors to help retirement investors determine when a taxable account can beat a 401(k):

Assess whether your 401(k) plan charges high administrative fees. As an account holder, you may get charged fees for investments, plan administration and individual services. These fees are typically disclosed on the plan administrators website or the funds prospectus, among other marketing sources, and can eat into your retirement savings over time. Therefore, you should compare your 401(k) with other plans to make an assessment.

Make sure your taxable account investments are tax-efficient. Morningstar says that a taxable account will rarely be the better option unless youre able to invest in securities that make few ongoing distributions of income, capital gains, or both. And the financial services firm recommends investors choose a brokerage platform that can offer a good array of low-cost, tax-efficient options like index-tracking ETFs and municipal-bond funds.

Consider your tax bracket when making contributions. Pre-tax contributions made to a 401(k) will reduce your taxable income upfront. However, this is more valuable to higher-income investors who are looking for ways to reduce their taxable income during the year of their contribution. As an example, if your marginal tax rate is 32% (income between $182,100 and $364,200 for tax year 2023) and you contribute $20,000 to your 401(k), you would save $6,400 in taxes that year.

Consider your tax bracket when making withdrawals. Taking money from a taxable account can benefit you more than a 401(k). Investors making a withdrawal from a taxable account will owe capital gains taxes on the sale of a security. But those pulling money out from a 401(k) will get taxed at a higher rate for ordinary income. You should also keep in mind that because you dont pay taxes on your 401(k) contributions, youll owe ordinary income taxes on the whole withdrawal, whereas taxable account investors will only have to pay taxes on capital gains. And for this reason, high-income investors may prefer taxable accounts to 401(k)s when it comes to taking out money.

Bottom Line

Morningstar Says This Brokerage Account Can Help You Save More for Retirement Than a 401(k)

For retirement investors comparing taxable accounts with 401(k)s, Morningstar says that its difficult to make a one-size-fits-all assessment. So, if youre planning a retirement investment strategy, you should consider that both your tax bracket and tax rate will change over time. This will impact your contributions and withdrawals. You should also compare administrative fees and make sure that your investments are tax-efficient. Furthermore, you should note that these accounts arent mutually exclusive  financial advisors will recommend having both when possible to develop a comprehensive retirement strategy.

Tips for Retirement Investments

A financial advisor can help you pick different retirement investments for your financial plan. SmartAssets free tool matches you with up to three vetted financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you. If youre ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.

If you are considering different investments for your retirement, here are 13 types of financial investments for 2023.

Photo credit: iStock.com/FG Trade, iStock.com/shapecharge, iStock.com/nortonrsx

The post Morningstar Says This Brokerage Account Can Help You Save More for Retirement Than a 401(k) appeared first on SmartAsset Blog.
Kit Leong / Shutterstock.com

Some cities throughout the United States are so popular that every season is tourist season. However, travelers on a budget might want to optimize their travel itineraries to ensure they aren't visiting during high-demand periods like the winter holidays or summer months.

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If you're ready to visit one of these six must-see cities, here are the most cost-effective times to plan your visit.

franckreporter / Getty Images

New York City

There are 24 intercity bus companies that provide bus service to New York City on over 400 routes, said Bryn Culbert, a travel expert at Wanderu, the leading bus and train booking platform in North America.

If you plan to travel via bus to New York, Culbert said the lowest bus ticket prices are usually available in January or February. A few popular bus routes to New York depart from Washington D.C., Philadelphia and Boston. While not quite as affordable as the bus, those who prefer train travel may choose from 16 Amtrak lines serving New York.

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Shutterstock.com

New Orleans

Major events like Mardi Gras and the Jazz and Heritage Festival mean visits to New Orleans can get expensive and crowded quickly.

The least expensive time to take a trip to New Orleans is in August, according to Travel + Leisure. Travelers will need to keep in mind August is one of the hottest, most humid months of the year in New Orleans. Those who are able to brave the heat will be rewarded with inexpensive hotel rates and flight prices. If you'd rather visit during a cooler month and still enjoy some of the city's festivals, consider timing your visit in September.

Travelers may fly to New Orleans or take the train from 315 other cities. However, Culbert recommends the deals found on long-distance buses to New Orleans with bus tickets from Atlanta; Austin; and Orlando, Florida, costing under $100 each ticket.

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Pgiam / Getty Images

Chicago

Like New York, visits to Chicago via train and bus are usually the cheapest in January or February.

As one of the Midwest's biggest transportation hubs, Culbert said Chicago is accessible on 11 intercity bus lines and 18 Amtrak train lines.

bobbyuzda / iStock.com

Orlando, Florida

Planning to visit Orlando? The best time to visit Orlando is between the months of March to May. These months provide travelers with affordable prices for travel and hotel stays and pleasant weather keeping visitors safe from hurricane season months, according to U.S. News Travel.

The best part of traveling to Orlando during these inexpensive months is you may be able to visit other popular Florida cities during your trip. Culbert said thanks to seven long-distance bus lines, Orlando is well connected to other Florida destinations.

"The most popular ground travel route to Orlando departs from Miami; bus tickets from Miami to Orlando are usually around $30 year-round, and train tickets are about $41 on average," Culbert said. "I recommend purchasing train or bus tickets at least 48 hours in advance to avoid last-minute price surges."

lucky-photographer / Getty Images

Las Vegas

Culbert recommends taking an intercity bus as one of the cheapest ways to get to Las Vegas.

Affordable bus tickets from Los Angeles start at just $25. Those traveling from Los Angeles to Vegas will find the cheapest routes available in October with the bus ride only taking 4 1/2 hours.

choness / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Los Angeles

If you want to avoid the crowds and costs, the best time to visit Los Angeles is between September and November, according to U.S. News Travel.

"Budget travelers can pick from 181 bus routes and 456 train routes to Los Angeles. For the most popular bus routes to Los Angeles, you can usually find the cheapest tickets in October or November," Culbert said.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The Most Affordable Times To Visit 6 US Tourist Towns
A mother who had to have her hands and feet amputated after going into septic shock after giving birth has returned home to her children following months in the hospital.

Krystina Pacheco, 29, from Pleasanton, Texas, gave birth to her daughter Amelia via Caesarean section on 24 October 2022.

On the day she was discharged from the hospital after giving birth, Pacheco began to feel sick. The mother-of-two told ABC News that she began feeling feverish, was vomiting and experiencing shortness of breath.

She initially assumed the symptoms were related to her C-section. However, after her symptoms worsened, she went to a nearby emergency room where doctors arranged for her to be airlifted to a hospital in San Antonio. When she arrived at the hospital, doctors learned Pacheco was in septic shock.

Pacheco said that all she remembers at that point is that she couldnt breathe anymore and couldnt see anymore.

I just remember I couldnt breathe anymore and I couldnt see anymore and I just started slowly fading out, she told ABC News. My husband, I could just hear him saying: Please come back to us, please, your babies need you. I need you. I need you to be here and help me with our babies, and thats the last thing I remember.

Jacob Pacheco, her husband, told Kens5 that doctors sedated Pacheco for two weeks as they worked to save her from the potentially fatal medical condition.

She was on different machines for a while, life saving machines, he recalled.

Septic shock, the most severe stage of sepsis, is a life-threatening medical condition that occurs when an infection leads to dangerously low blood pressure, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Infection or sepsis is the second leading cause of pregnancy-related death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Pacheco eventually improved enough to be taken off the machines, which included a dialysis machine to help her kidneys and a ECMO machine to remove carbon dioxide from her blood, but she woke up to the hardest thing shes been through. She learned that her treatments had cut off the circulation to her hands and feet and the limbs needed to be amputated.

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My hands and feet were black. They looked like a person who had gotten frostbite, she told ABC News. I was just breaking down and being absolutely crushed that thats where we were at, at that point, and crying with my family, crying with Jacob, and just being sad that my life would no longer be the same.

Although Pacheco said her medical team had done everything they could to avoid amputating, she eventually had to undergo surgery to remove both arms below the elbows and a second surgery to remove both legs below the knees.

The mother-of-two told ABC News she also had to undergo numerous skin grafts.

Pacheco said that thoughts of her children kept her going.

Every day I woke up and thought about my babies and every time I went into a surgery, my thought was, I have to get home to be with my babies, so if that means going through one more surgery, then ultimately I have to go through another surgery, she told the network. They were my number one motivation, hands down.

After three months, Pacheco was finally discharged from the hospital in late January. She was then moved to a rehabilitation centre, where she worked on rebuilding her strength.

Despite her new hurdles, Pacheco said she surprised herself during her time in the rehab facility and reflected on the motivational talks shed give herself when presented with each new challenge.

She returned home to her husband, two-year-old son, and newborn daughter on 11 February, a long-awaited moment that she said made her cry.

Im so glad Im home. That is ultimately all I wanted every day, Pacheco told Kens5. I would do anything for them, thats for sure.

Now that shes returned home, Pacheco will soon begin out-patient rehab as she continues to learn how to live as a double amputee, the couple told ABC News. Her husband says that although the journey forward is not going to be easy, he is confident he and his wife will be able to handle it together.

Its not easy, but if were sticking together, it makes it that much better, he told ABC News.

As for the future, Pacheco told the outlet she hopes to return to work as a licensed specialist in school psychology, and hopes to share her story in the hopes of raising awareness about limb differences.

On social media, where the mother-of-two recently posted a photo showing her holding her four-month-old daughter, her story has been met with an outpouring of support.

Blessings to you mama. Saw your story and am amazed at your resilience. Onwards and upwards, one person wrote, while another said: Your strength is inspiring. The fight a mama has in her is immeasurable, and you are proving it. We are all cheering you on.

Gorgeous girls! And she will be so strong like her mama, someone else wrote.
Photo: . Chart showing percentages of investor owners by property type on the North Shore, based on data from Statistics Canada. | Andy Yan / SFU City Program

About 30 per cent of condominiums in the City of North Vancouver are owned by investors who dont live there, according to recent statistics on investment properties released by Statistics Canada. And among condos built between 2016 and 2020, that percentage is significantly higher, with 48 per cent of condos built in North Vancouver and 50 per cent of condos built in West Vancouver owned by investors.

The statistics come from a recent analysis of data on investment properties by Andy Yan, adjunct professor of Urban Studies at Simon Fraser University and director of SFUs City Program.

Overall, the North Shores proportion of properties owned by investors in 2020 was comparable to the rest of Metro Vancouver, according to Yans analysis.

Chart showing percentages of investor owners by property type on the North Shore, based on data from Statistics Canada. | Andy Yan / SFU City Program

City has highest percentage of investor-owned condos

About 25 per cent of total properties in the City of North Vancouver and 23 per cent of properties in the District of West Vancouver are investor owned, compared to 22 per cent in Metro Vancouver overall. The District of North Vancouver had the lowest percentage of properties owned by investors on the North Shore at 12 per cent.

Those figures varied by type of housing. Condos were most likely to be owned by investors throughout the region with 34 per cent owned by people who didnt live in them across Metro Vancouver. On the North Shore, 30 per cent of condos in the City of North Vancouver are investor owned while 23 per cent in the District of North Vancouver and 21 per cent are owned by investors in West Vancouver.

Yet far more condos built in the past 15 years were likely to be owned by investors. Half of the condos built in West Vancouver between 2016 and 2020 were investor owned, while 48 per cent of those built in the City of North Vancouver were investor owned. In contrast, among condos built between 1991 and 2000, less than half that number were investor owned.

It gives you a sense of whats driving condo building, said Yan.

Condos on the North Shore built before 1980 are also more likely to be investor owned. Yan said its possible thats because there werent many condos built then. Condominiums really were not that popular until the 1980s, he said.

Chart showing percentage of condo investor owners by period of construction on the North Shore, based on data from Statistics Canada. | Andy Yan / SFU City Program

19 per cent of single-family homes investor owned in West Van

West Vancouver also had a much higher proportion of single-family homes owned by people who dont live there  19 per cent  than Metro Vancouver overall, where 13 per cent of detached homes were owned by investors. In the City of North Vancouver, 15 per cent of detached homes were owned by investors, while that number was just nine per cent of single-family homes in the District of North Vancouver.

One thing the statistics dont reveal is how many of those investor owned properties are being rented out to long-term tenants, how many are being left empty or used occasionally by owners and how many are being used as short-term rentals.

Those answers are key to housing polices ranging from the speculation and vacancy tax to new laws allowing rentals in all strata apartment buildings, said Yan.

Investor-owned condos can provide an important part of the rental market, but those apartments also tend to be more expensive and more precarious than purpose-built rentals, said Yan.

Investors can also over-heat the market and out-compete renters hoping to move into the housing market, said Yan.

According to Statistics Canada, the proportion of investors among owners varied from 20.2 per cent in Ontario to 31.5 per cent in Nova Scotia.

Just under one in five properties was used as an investment in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia combined.

Condominium apartments were used as an investment more often than houses. Ontario topped the list with the highest rate of condominium apartments used as an investment, at just under 42 per cent.

Just be glad you dont live in London, Ontario, said Yan  87 per cent of condos there are owned by investors.

Increase in investor purchases during first half of 2021

According to a report on investor owners by Statistics Canada, the Bank of Canada found an increase in the proportion of purchases by investors in Canada in the first half of 2021.

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation also surveyed investor owners.

They found that 48.4 per cent of investors in 2015 stated that their secondary unit was rented out, while 42 per cent stated that they or a family member were using the unit.

In general, studies found that an increase in the percentage of homes purchased by investors in a particular area led to higher prices in that market.

Yan noted the data that went into the Statistics Canada report all came from the period before the pandemic, and the real estate boom and trends of moving away from urban cores that happened in 2020 and 2021 could have changed patterns of investor ownership.

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A group of high school students charged with robbing and beating up another student are still harassing the victim, according to the boys mother.

She says the school is not doing much because they are all in the special education program.

Channel 2s Tyisha Fernandes was in southeast Atlanta, where shes been working to report the story all week.

The student, who Channel 2 Action News is not identifying, goes to Maynard Jackson High School.

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When students in the special education program get into trouble, Georgia state law says theres a certain criterion for how they can be disciplined.

But some parents believe certain students take advantage of that, so they want the state board of education to allow schools to deal with students case-by-case.

When youre at school, school is supposed to be the number one place to be safe, the mother said. I dont even feel safe with him at this school.

The mother asked for us to hide her identity because she said she cant take any more harassment.

TRENDING STORIES:

She says a group of five students at Maynard Jackson jumped and robbed her son in a school bathroom a few weeks ago.

(They) threw him against the wall, snatched ahold of his pocket and grabbed his wallet and snatched his necklace off of him, she said.

Two of the boys have been kicked out of the school. But the other three students are back because they are in the special education program.

According to state law, they are disciplined differently, which varies depending on their Individualized Education Program.

Just bc they have this certain IEP, that makes people feel like they can do a lot of things and get away with it, the mother said.

Fernandes did some digging and found out that special education is governed by the federal Individuals With Disabilities in Education Act.

Story continues

They say school personnel can make case-by-case determinations with students.

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This mother hopes administrators at Maynard Jackson do that with the three students shes accusing of terrorizing her son.

Because its not just my child that Im worried about, she said. Its more parents that are concerned, and I feel like I want all the kids to be safe.
Dylan Levine-Schiffer

CHERRY HILL - A teenager killed by a hit-and-run driver was looking to start a new life in Cherry Hill with his adoptive parents.

Dylan Levine-Schiffer, 16, was fatally struck on Feb. 8 by a vehicle that fled from the collision scene on Springdale Road.

An investigation led to the arrest 10 days later of the suspected driver, 34-year-old Ronald Pables of Mount Laurel, Cherry Hill police said Thursday.

New family, new outlook for Dylan Levine-Schiffer

Dr. Richard Levine said he and his husband, Drew Schiffer, hoped to offer love and stability when they adopted Dylan in October of last year.

This kid struggled, allowed Levine, a family physician from Cherry Hill. He was in the system for so long and he had so many guards up.

But he was improving."

Hed put his arms around us, hed help us make dinner and clean up, Levine recalled.

Wed watch TV and movies and we traveled to Cape Cod, said Levine, noting Dylan enjoyed jumping from a pier in Provincetown.

The Levine-Schiffer family wanted to grow

The Cherry Hill couple met Dylan when he was a 14-year-old resident of Butler County in western Pennsylvania, and they were looking to add to a family with four sons ages 15 to 20.

Dylan was an 11th-grade student at Cherry Hill Alternative High School, where he planned to build a chicken coop and an electric go-kart with funds obtained by the school.

They tried so hard with him, Levine said of the school.

A passer-by found the severely injured teen around 5:30 a.m., several hours after it was believed he was struck near Springdale Farm Market.

Dylan died in a hospital two days later.

We kept him on life support so he could be an organ donor, and he could save a lot of lives, said Levine.

Cherry Hill police investigation

Cherry Hill police "did an amazing job," Levine continued.

Investigators determined the possible make, model and year of the suspect vehicle, a Dodge Durango.

They shared the information with surrounding towns, and Mount Laurel police provided a possible location of the vehicle.

Story continues

Changes coming to NJ Turnpike:How a $2B Turnpike project in South Jersey could dwarf Direct Connection

Pables was charged on Feb. 18 with knowingly leaving the scene of a fatal motor vehicle accident and endangering the welfare of a victim.

The charges are only allegations. Pables has not been convicted in the case.

Cherry Hill police seek more information

Anyone with information about the accident is asked to call the Cherry Hill Police Department's Traffic Safety Unit at 856-488-7820.

Tips can also be emailed to tips@cherryhillpolice.com.

Separately, a Feb. 21 accident killed a pedestrian in Woodbury, where a 66-year-old man was struck at East Red Bank Avenue and Green Street. The victim's name was not released.

The driver remained at the scene of the 6:50 a.m. accident.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Woodbury Police Officer Joseph Duffy at jduffy@woodburypd.com or 856-845-0065, extension. 154.

Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Cherry Hill NJ hit and run: Mount Laurel man accused of fleeing crash
Global indie streamer distributor and producer MUBI has acquired all rights in several key European territories to Passages, the erotic drama by Ira Sachs that bowed with a splash at Sundance and just had its European premiere at the Berlin Film Festival.

Following the world premiere of Passages at Sundance MUBI last month snapped up all rights for the U.S., U.K., Ireland and Latin America to the U.S. indie darling directors first film shot in France.

More from Variety

Now MUBI has acquired additional European territories on Passages including for Germany, Austria, Italy, Turkey and Benelux. The Benelux pickup is in partnership with Belgiums Imagine Film Distribution.

In line with MUBIs business model, which is open to integrating theatrical and streaming play, MUBI will be releasing Passages theatrically in these territories, according to a company rep.

The Passages deal for these territories was sealed between MUBI and SBS Films International, the sales arm of producer Said Ben Saids SBS production company, during the Berlin fest, a statement said.

Passages is produced by Said Ben Said and Michel Merkt.

Set in contemporary Paris, Passages sees a German filmmaker named Tomas (Franz Rogowski) impulsively embark on a torrid love affair with a young school teacher named Agathe (Adele Exarchopoulos), jeopardizing his relationship with his husband, Martin (Ben Whishaw) who in turn begins his own extramarital affair.

Praising the film, Variety critic Peter Debruge called Passages A brutally honest portrait of a train-wreck relationship in which an openly gay director sabotages his marriage  and maybe his life  by falling for a woman.

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Recent and upcoming MUBI releases include Park Chan-wooks Golden Globe and BAFTA nominated Decision to Leave; Charlotte Wells BAFTA winner Aftersun, and Lukas Dhonts Oscar-nominated Close.

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Click here to read the full article.
What the **** is it?

Thats the question people around the world are asking after a mysterious iron ball nearly 5 feet wide washed ashore on a beach in Japan.

The discovery of the strange object in the sand on Enshuhama Beach in the coastal city of Hamamatsu has baffled local officials and led to wild speculation on social media, which was already rife with theories following the U.S. militarys downing of four suspicious aerial objects  including a suspected Chinese spy balloon  in a little over a week.

The hollow, sand-colored orb was first spotted by a local resident, who had gone to the beach for a run.

Its been there for a month, the man told Japanese broadcaster NHK. I tried to push it, but it wouldnt budge.

Local police closed the beach and sent in a bomb squad, which, after examining the sphere, deemed it safe.

The iron ball on a beach in Hamamatsu, Japan, on Wednesday. (Twitter via Reuters)

But officials have yet to establish what, exactly, it is.

We have not been able to determine what kind of debris it is, but it has been confirmed that it is safe, said Masaki Matsukawa, head of the Shizuoka Prefectural Hamamatsu Civil Engineering Office, so we will dispose of it in the same way as normal floating debris.

The ball was removed from the beach earlier this week, but that hasnt stopped the speculation about it online.

Some said it looked like part of a ships mooring that broke free.

Others joked it could be a Godzilla egg or Dragon Ball, referring to the fictional movie monster and popular manga series, respectively.

A few were convinced it originated from space.

An aerial view of the object, taken Tuesday. (Kyodo via Reuters)

Even Neil deGrasse Tyson, the author and world-renowned astrophysicist, was apparently stumped.

"I have no idea," Tyson when asked on CNN what he thought it was. "Why does everyone have to know everything at all times?" he added.

Oceanographers, though, were quick to identify it.

Professor Mark Inall, an oceanographer at the Scottish Association for Marine Science, told the BBC that he knew instantly that the object was a research buoy. "It's very recognizable," Inall said. "We use [them] to keep instruments floating in the ocean."

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Its just a normal buoy, Uwe Send, an oceanographer with the University of San Diegos Scripps Institution of Oceanography, told the New York Times.

So what was all the fuss was about?

Maybe everybody is paranoid because of balloons, Send said.
According to a new nationwide report from the Environment America Research and Policy Center, the water running through the pipes and plumbing in your childs school may have some lead.

The organization graded every state on its current regulations as part of their research. It shows that most states nationwide received a failing grade for their policies addressing lead in the water at schools.

LIVE UPDATES: Bodycam video of suspects arrest released; news photographers condition improving

This report found that as schools test their water, they discover widespread lead contamination.

John Rumpler with Environment America Research and Policy Center said this is concerning because lead is very toxic and it can be damaging to kids.

Its not that schools water is the only way that kids are affected from lead. But it is a clearly preventable way that is in the public domain of responsibility, said Rumpler. This is where families send their kids and put their kids in the public trust and say, we are trusting you to ensure that our kids have a safe, healthy environment for learning - the least they should expect is that the water is safe for their kids to drink.

Read: A kind & beautiful soul: Girl, 9, killed in Pine Hills shooting remembered for infectious smile

The report found some schools are fixing taps following a positive test for lead concentration in the water.

But researchers say lead levels in water can also vary, which means its possible to miss contamination even with proper sampling.

Rumpler believes schools should take more proactive steps to prevent exposure, including replacing all taps used for drinking or cooking with filters certified to remove lead.

Read: Former UCF President John Hitt dies at 82

Replacing lead-bearing parts over time so that were actually getting the lead out of our schools water delivery systems, especially where there are these lead service lines. These toxic pipes weve heard about, there are literally millions of them across the country, he said.

Story continues

Rumpler said theres also federal funding available for schools through the American Rescue Plan. Additionally, Congress approved over $55 billion to replace lead pipes and lines as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

You can view the report and recommendations here.

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.
WASHINGTON/TALLINN (Reuters) - The West reacted with skepticism to China's proposal on Friday - the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine - for a ceasefire, with NATO saying Beijing did not have much credibility as a mediator.

"Any proposal that can advance peace is something thats worth looking at. Were taking a look at it," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told U.S. network ABC's "Good Morning America."

"But you know there are 12 points in the Chinese plan. If they were serious about the first one, sovereignty, then this war could end tomorrow," he said.

"China has been trying to have it both ways: Its on the one hand trying to present itself publicly as neutral and seeking peace, while at the same time it is talking up Russias false narrative about the war."

Blinken added that China had been providing nonlethal assistance to Russia through its companies, and reiterated a charge that Beijing was "now contemplating lethal assistance.

Speaking to reporters in Estonia, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg noted that Beijing had signed an agreement with Russia only days before its invasion of Ukraine a year ago.

"China doesn't have much credibility because they have not been able to condemn the illegal invasion of Ukraine," he said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said China had not shared a peace plan but some principles.

"We will look at the principles, of course, but we will look at them against the backdrop that China has taken sides," she said.

A year to the day - Feb. 24, 2022 - that Russia invaded Ukraine, China called for a comprehensive ceasefire, a proposal Kyiv rejected unless it involved Russia withdrawing its troops.

Beijing urged a gradual de-escalation, warned against use of nuclear weapons and said conflict benefited no one.

It was largely a reiteration of Beijing's line throughout the war, in which it has refrained from condemning Russia or referring to Moscow's intervention as an "invasion" while criticizing Western sanctions. Russia has characterized its war in Ukraine as a "special military operation."

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Western countries have warned that any move by China to sell weapons to Russia would have severe consequences.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told NBC he would not confirm a report in the German publication Der Spiegel that said Russia was in talks with a Chinese manufacturer about buying 100 drones.

"To date we have not seen China supply lethal aid to Ukraine, and we are continuing to make the case for why that would be a terrible mistake for them," he said.

(This story has been refiled to change 'sell weapons to China' to 'sell weapons to Russia' in paragraph 13, and 'Russia' instead of 'Ukraine' paragraph 15)

(Reporting by Bart Meijer and Reuters TV; additional reporting buy Simon Lewis, Michael Martina, Michelle Nichols and David Brunnstrom; writing by Sabine Siebold and Davikd Brunnstrom; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
During a press conference in Tallinn on Feb. 24, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg cast doubt on China's proposed peace plan for Ukraine, pointing to China's failure to explicitly condemn the Russian invasion.

He called signs that China might be considering supplying lethal aid to Russia a "cause for concern," adding that it would be supporting an illegal invasion that violates international law.

On Feb. 24, China's Foreign Ministry released a 12-point statement that detailed Beijing's stance on achieving a "political settlement" to resolve Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.

The plan emphasizes the importance of respecting the sovereignty of all nations, protecting nuclear facilities, facilitating grain exports, and safeguarding the welfare of civilians and prisoners of war.

China has pledged to "continue" playing a constructive role in facilitating this outcome.

However, the statement also urges the abandonment of "Cold War mentality" and "unilateral sanctions," terms that Beijing often uses to criticize the West's response to the war.

U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield called the possibility of China aiding the Russian war effort would be crossing "a red line" in an interview with CNN on Feb. 19.


Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/MapQuest

A Bay Area high school instructor is now on leave after students accused him of teaching antisemitic theories and performing Nazi salutes in the classroom.

But school staff and students say it took the district far too long to take action against the teacher.

Henry Bens, an English teacher at Mount Eden High School, finally went on leave this week following months of accusations that he was distributing anti-Jewish material in the classroom, J. The Jewish News of Northern California reported.

Deputy regional director of the Anti-Defamation League Teresa Drenick called it a master class in antisemitism, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Bens allegedly required roughly 100 sophomores to read antisemitic propaganda following their study of 1940s Holocaust survivor and activist Elie Wiesels memoir. According to J., Bens made students read The Hidden Tyranny, which details wild conspiracy theories about Jewish world domination. Drenick deems it the most virulently antisemitic texts in existence.

His reasoning for teaching it was because he was like, Oh, you guys are indoctrinated, a student told J.

Another English teacher from Mount Eden, Heather Eastwood, told the news outlet that The Hidden Tyranny was written as hate speech, and it continues to be hate speech.

Kanye West Tells Alex Jones: I Like Hitler

Since December, students have asked to be transferred from the class and complained to school officials about Bens lesson plans, saying the teacher told his pupils their instruction on the Holocaust was one-sided, claimed Hitler was not a bad person, and chanted Heil Hitler during Nazi salutes, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Bens, who is also a spiritual leader at Congregation Rehoboth church in Alameda, has shared a number of questionable Facebook posts. In November, he praised several controversial books on Judaism, including one by a known antisemite. He also shared a post promoting Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America, the movie that Kyrie Irving tweeted a link to last year, which ultimately resulted in his Nets suspension.

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Bens has also doubted the severity of the so-called coronavirusclaiming confusion around the pandemic was caused by people being led astray by Satanand taken aim at the LGBTQ+ community.

On Feb. 15, school officials finally addressed students complaints, writing in an email to families that the antisemitic propaganda would no longer be distributed and insisting the district was working to repair harm caused by the teachings, J. reported.

Staff and students spoke against Bens at a school board meeting later that day.

Ruchita Verma, a senior student, said, Antisemitism, a form of hate speech, exists at Mount Eden High School. Teaching antisemitic text, such as The Hidden Tyranny on campus violates [Hayward Unified School District] race and ethnicity policy and California codethat prohibits discrimination.

The administration was made aware on Dec. 13, and they have not yet intervened by stepping into the classroom to help students, she added.

Holocaust denial and antisemitic hate speech are being taught here on taxpayer salaries, Eastwood said. Im here today to sound the alarm about the appalling silence of our administration at Mount Eden High School and at the district level asJewish conspiracies are spread.

The Dangerous Mainstreaming of Kanye West and Kyrie Irvings Brand of Antisemitism

My complaint here today is with our admin that have done nothing to remedy the situation. Our department has gotten no support, as we struggle to address the antisemitism. Theyve done nothing to address the harm caused to us as people, she said. All I can see is silent complicity.

Bens, Mount Eden High School, and Hayward Unified School District did not immediately return The Daily Beasts requests for comment Friday.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Hayward school district announced Bens leave on Wednesday and said there would be an investigation during his absence.

Hayward Unified School District does not condone or tolerate any type of hateful or biased rhetoric, including anti-Semitism, a statement to the newspaper read.

We take these allegations very seriously, and the teacher alleged to have made such statements and used inappropriate materials is currently on a leave of absence. Students from all backgrounds and religions should feel welcome and safe to express themselves while they learn, and that is the kind of district we aim to be. Hatred and discrimination, in any form, has never been welcome in our district.

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A former insurance executive from Durham has been indicted on federal charges after allegedly masterminding and directing a massive scheme involving nearly $2 billion in insurance fraud.

Greg E. Lindberg, 53, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Charlotte on Thursday for conspiracy to commit crimes in connection with an insurance business, wire fraud, four counts of false insurance business statements presented to regulators, six counts of false entries about the financial condition or solvency of an insurance business, and one count of money laundering conspiracy.

Court documents say that Lindberg and other suspects agreed to defraud various insurance companies and thousands of insurance policyholders. Hes also accused of concealing how well his insurance companies were doing, deceiving the North Carolina Department of Insurance and other regulators, and using company funds for his personal benefit. According to the documents, the alleged fraud happened from 2016 through at least 2019.

RELATED: Court documents say NC businessman is subject of new fraud investigation

The Department of Justice says Lindberg used company funds to finance his lavish lifestyle, including the purchase and refinancing of personal real estate and forgiving more than $125 million in loans from his affiliated companies to himself.

According to the indictment, Lindberg also caused the insurance companies to engage in investments of nearly $2 billion as part of his scheme.

The indictment reveals a carefully orchestrated scheme that relied on a web of complex financial investments and transactions designed to evade regulators, disguise the financial health of Lindbergs insurance companies, and conceal the alleged purpose of the scheme: Lindbergs personal gain, U.S. Attorney Dena J. King said in a statement.

ALSO READ: Investment regulators accuse NC insurance magnate of fraud

In 2020, Lindberg was sentenced to more than seven years in prison for trying to bribe the state insurance commissioner for favors. But last year, a judge vacated that conviction and ordered a new trial. Hes still awaiting trial in that case.

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According to the Dept. of Justice, the FBIs Charlotte field office is investigating the case.

Lindberg turned himself in and was arraigned in federal court on Thursday, March 2. He was released on bond, and his next court date is set for May 1.

(WATCH BELOW: Expect to pay more for car insurance in 2023, analysts say)
A Cobb County school bus driver is being accused of barging into a familys home and asking for a 10-year-old girl.

Channel 2s Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell was the only reporter on the bizarre story as soon as Gogineni Rayudu was arrested on Channel 2 Action News at 5 p.m. on Wednesday.

Cassioppia Ceas daughter attends Powers Ferry Elementary School. Cea said a new bus driver on the route, Rayudu, scared her when he walked into her house earlier this week asking for her daughter who rides his bus.

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He was arrested on Wednesday and released on Thursday afternoon, according to jail records.

District officials told Newell that he will not be riding a Cobb County school bus pending an investigation, but some parents still have concerns.

They say their children wont be at the bus stop when school is back in session from Winter Break next week.

TRENDING STORIES:

Gail George told Newell that a Cobb County police officer sat in her neighbors driveway on Wednesday afternoon, but she wasnt sure why. Newell told her about Rayudus arrest.

Im shocked. Im really shocked because they stay over there. They mind their own business, George said. I didnt know he drove a school bus and I wondered what he did because his car is at home strange times...Hes just very quiet.

Cea says she has had concerns about her daughters bus driver in the past. She says he was outside of her home three times in the past two months, asking about her daughter. She filed a police report after the most recent incident.

Im eyeing him, what is he wearing? Why does he have gloves on? Why did he walk into my house?, she said. I just started grilling him with questions. As soon as I did, he took off.

Story continues

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Rayudu has not yet hired an attorney and does not have a criminal history in Cobb County.

IN OTHER NEWS:
Photo: Contributed

Most of British Columbia is under some form of a weather alert Friday.

Environment Canada issued a winter storm warning for the Trans Canada Highway through Rogers Pass, as well as the surrounding areas. The warning indicates a long-duration snowfall event is expected for Clearwater, Barriere, Blue River, Kinbasket, Revelstoke, and Malakwa for Saturday morning to late Sunday.

Heavy snow is expected to create challenging driving conditions with as much as 25 to 35 cm of snow expected to fall.

"A frontal system over the Gulf of Alaska will bring snow at times heavy to the B.C. Interior. Snow will begin over the Columbia regions early Saturday morning and intensify in the afternoon, before tapering off to periods of light snow Sunday afternoon," Environment Canada says.

"Widespread snowfall accumulations for this storm are expected to be 25 cm, with the possibility of up to 35 cm over localized areas. Consider postponing non-essential travel until conditions improve. Visibility may be suddenly reduced at times in heavy snow."

A previously issued weather statement remains in place off the North Okanagan, including Vernon, Eastern sections of Kamloops and the Shuswap, with heavy snow expected this weekend. As much as 10 to 20 cm of snow is expected with local accumulations up to 30 cm.

Kelowna and the Southern Okanagan are currently not under any kind of weather alert.

The weather alerts span all the way from West Vancouver Island all the way through to the Alberta border.
[Source]

Guillermo del Toro and Netflix are teaming up to create an animated adaptation of Japanese British author Kazuo Ishiguro's 2015 fantasy novel The Buried Giant.

Del Toro, who previously worked on Netflixs Pinocchio, will direct and produce the stop-motion film and is co-writing its script with Dennis Kelly, who has previously worked on Matilda the Musical.

Ishiguro's novel follows an elderly couple living in a fictional post-Arthurian England who attempt to find their lost son. They struggle on their journey as no one, including them, is able to hold long-term memories.

Netflix Film Chairman Scott Stuber praised del Toro in a recent statement.

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Guillermo del Toro is a visionary filmmaker and master of his craft. We couldnt be more proud of the prestigious recognition for his "Pinocchio," and were pleased to continue our creative partnership as he develops his next project with Netflix.

Del Toro also expressed his excitement for the project, saying, "'The Buried Giant' continues my animation partnership with Netflix and our pursuit of stop-motion as a medium to tell complex stories and build limitless worlds.

It is a great honor and greater responsibility for me to direct this screenplay which Dennis Kelly and I are adapting from Kazuo Ishiguros profound and imaginative novel, he continued.

More from NextShark: BTS members join Instagram, all surpass 10 million followers within hours

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio received over 50 million views within the first four weeks of its release in late 2022. Some of its various accolades include an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature, a Golden Globe win for Best Animated Feature Film and a BAFTA Award for Best Animated Feature.

A release date for the upcoming adaptation of The Buried Giant has yet to be announced.

Story continues

More from NextShark: Asian Americans are still rarely represented in video games  here are 10 of our favorite characters

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Indonesian singer-songwriter NIKI adds Asia dates for NICOLE world tour
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Tax season is underway, and those who recently started a new job likely have many questions. Whether youre a recent graduate or a long-time professional who landed a new job, started a second job  or side gig  or returned to the workforce after taking some time away, you want to get your taxes right.

Find Out: Do You Really Need To Keep Your Emergency Fund Separate From Your Savings Account?

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

Since Tax Day is just around the corner  its April 18 this year  you need tax advice now. Use these 20 tax tips to cover all the bases with your new job.

First Job

1. Double check to ensure your W-4 is completed correctly.

Make sure you correctly fill out form W-4 by looking at your entire tax picture and not just the income source for the new job you have, said Karla Dennis, an enrolled agent and founder of Karla Dennis & Associates. Doing this will help to ensure you are not under withheld in taxes.

2. Determine your filing status.

Your filing status will determine your tax bracket and the amount of your standard deduction, said Sean K. August, CEO of The August Wealth Management Group. You may be able to claim your own exemption if youre not claimed as a dependent on someone elses tax return.

3. Understand your tax credits.

As a first-time worker, you may be eligible for tax credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit or the American Opportunity Tax Credit, he said.

4. Start saving for retirement.

Even if youre just starting out in your career, its never too early to start saving for retirement, he said. Consider contributing to a 401(k) or an IRA.

5. Consider a high-deductible health insurance policy eligible for a Health Savings Account.

An HSA provides tax advantages when contributing and paying for qualified medical expenses, said Cecil Staton, CFP CSLP, president and wealth advisor at Arch Financial Planning, LLC. Contributions may be tax-deductible and have tax-free withdrawals used for such expenses.

Story continues

He said funds you dont need for immediate healthcare costs can be invested for long-term growth.

Live Richer Podcast: Scamdemic  Dont Fall Victim to These Money Scams

New Job

6. Check your W-4.

Make sure to fill out your W-4 form accurately to ensure youre withholding the right amount of taxes from your paycheck, August said. You can use the IRS withholding calculator to help you determine the right amount to withhold.

7. Understand your benefits.

Make sure you understand the benefits that come with your new job, such as retirement plans, health insurance and flexible spending accounts, he said. These benefits may have tax implications.

8. Save your receipts.

If youre moving for your new job, you may be able to deduct some of your moving expenses on your tax return, he said.

Second Job or Side Gig

9. Understand the tax implications.

If you have multiple sources of income, its important to understand how this will impact your tax liability, August said. You may need to adjust your withholding or make estimated tax payments.

10. Keep track of your expenses

If youre working as an independent contractor, you may be able to deduct certain expenses on your tax return, he said.

11. Consider forming a business entity.

Depending on the nature of your side gig, it may make sense to form a business entity such as an LLC, he said. This can help protect your personal assets and provide additional tax benefits.

12. Understand your employment type or income source.

Its important to know if youre a W-2 employee or an independent contractor, Dennis said.

Understanding which type of income you are receiving will determine the amount of tax you will ultimately need to pay, as well as the deductions you will ultimately be able to take, she said.

13. Maintain a paper trail.

With tax laws changing often and there being some differences between federal and state tax deductions, it is best to keep all your receipts and not assume certain deductions are not deductible, she said.

14. Understand your tax obligations.

If you are a W-2 employee and you have a side gig, Dennis said your tax withholding from your employer might not be enough to cover the profits from your side gig.

Not to mention, you will not only have income tax  you may have self-employment tax when working a side gig, she said. Knowing what taxes to pay and when will prevent you from having underpayment penalties and a shocking tax bill.

Return to the Workforce

15. Review your tax situation.

If youve been out of the workforce for a while, its important to review your tax situation to ensure youre up to date on any changes in the tax code, August said.

16. Understand your benefits.

Make sure you understand the benefits that come with your new job, such as retirement plans, health insurance and flexible spending accounts, he said. These benefits may have tax implications.

17. Consider tax-advantaged accounts.

If youre starting to save for retirement again, consider contributing to a tax-advantaged account such as a 401(k) or an IRA, he said. This can help reduce your taxable income and provide additional tax benefits.

For Everyone

18. Be aware of changes associated with the updated W-4.

With the Revision of the W-4, employees no longer have a section with the number of exceptions to choose for how federal income tax is being withheld from your pay, said Deitra Redd, senior tax analyst and registered tax preparer at H&R Block. Most Americans look forward to receiving a refund, however the revision of the W-4 actually takes the correct liability amount out of each pay once you choose a filing status.

Want a refund? If so, she suggested adding an amount to line 4c  additional withholding.

If you list the amount of dependents on the W-4, you essentially will be receiving credit with less federal tax being withheld, she said.

19. Review taxes being withheld from your paycheck.

Even if you get direct deposit, she recommended reviewing the tax section of your paycheck  line Fed W/H  to make sure the taxes being withheld are accurate.

It should be 8-9% of your gross amount, she said. If it is not, your potential tax situation at the end of the year may result in a smaller refund or an amount due.

20. Visit the Tax Withholding Estimator on the IRS website.

If you arent sure of your specific tax situation, she recommended using this IRS tool to get an estimate.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Newly Employed? Here Are 20 Helpful Tax Tips
An American Airlines flight from Jacksonville, Florida, to Washington, D.C., was forced to divert to Raleigh, North Carolina, due to a passenger that apparently tried to breach the cockpit.

American Eagle flight 3444 was diverted "due to a security concern involving an unruly customer," the airline said in a statement.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tweeted Wednesday night that he had been briefed on the "flight diversion due to a Level 4 disruption on board." According to Federal Aviation Administration documents, a Level 4 disruption constitutes "attempted or actual breach of the flight deck."

The FAA noted in a tweet that it is working to finalize a rule that would "require new planes to have a second barrier to the flight deck."

The passenger was removed from the flight by local law enforcement at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, the airline said. According to the airport, the Embraer E170 landed at around 3:40 p.m. ET. After the passenger was taken into custody, the plane was cleared to continue its flight to Washington, D.C.

The FBI's Charlotte field office responded to the incident, the bureau said in a statement. "The FBI is currently conducting interviews to gather the facts and will consult with the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Eastern District of North Carolina to determine if federal charges will be filed," the FBI said.

The FAA said it was also investigating the incident.

 Katie Krupnik and Jeff Pegues contributed reporting.

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Michael Granado pictured with additional firearms and SDB necklace

GRAND RAPIDS  A federal judge has sentenced a 32-year-old Lansing man to 12 years in prison for possessing a handgun despite being a convicted felon.

U.S. District Judge Paul L. Maloney also ordered Michael Anthony Granado to spend three years on supervised release after his confinement.

Granado was a founding member and high-level leader of the Lansing area gang known as Shake Da Bag, commonly referred to as SDB, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a press release.

Federal prosecutors also said SDB is "a violent criminal enterprise whose members and associates have been involved in numerous criminal activities in the Lansing area, including armed robberies, assaults, shootings, narcotics trafficking, firearms trafficking, and other illegal firearm offenses."

According to court documents, Granado was convicted in 2014 of delivery/manufacture of a controlled substance and was sentenced to one to 20 years in prison. The felony conviction made him ineligible to own a firearm.

On Sept. 9, investigators executed a federal search warrant at Granados home and found a loaded Glock 21 .45-caliber pistol in his bedroom, prosecutors said. According to court documents, agents at the scene said the firearm had been reported stolen previously.

We will continue to bring the full force of the law down on violent individuals and criminal enterprises that spread havoc and fear in our neighborhoods, U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said in the release. My office is committed to disrupting illegal firearm and drug trafficking that hurt our communities. Violent street gangs and illegal firearm possession have no place in our district.

The U.S. Attorneys Office, working closely with investigative teams at the Lansing Police Departments Violent Crime Initiative, the Michigan State Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have identified and prosecuted several SDB members and associates.

In addition to Granado, the following leaders, members and suppliers of firearms to SDB have been sentenced in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan in the past year:

Story continues

Marquies Deshaun Davis: Sentenced in March to 10 years for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Jevonte Steven Scott: Sentenced in August to nine years for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Krista Marie Sullivan: Sentenced in December to two years for making false statements during the purchase of firearms. Prosecutors said Sullivan was a straw purchaser who purchased 11 firearms for Scott, who was a felon prohibited from legally purchasing firearms.

Keandre Keith Allen: Sentenced in May to more than 5-1/2 years for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

-Staff report

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Lansing SDB gang leader Michael Granado sentenced 12 years in prison for firearm
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger testified last year before the House Jan. 6 committee about the call he received from President Trump on Jan. 2, 2021. (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press)

Donald Trump is a dangerous and dishonest man, and I'd be happy to see him punished if it is determined hes committed a crime.

But I wonder how easy its going to be to prosecute him for asking the secretary of state of Georgia to find 11,780 votes.

Thats his famous statement, remember? Some consider it a smoking gun. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have," he said on a call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Jan. 2, 2021.

Trumps meaning was perfectly clear: Find me enough ballots to put me just one vote ahead of my opponent. Overturn my defeat. The official tally had Joe Biden winning Georgia by 11,779 votes.

That "find me" line has been quoted exhaustively. The Los Angeles Times earlier this week called it one of Trumps most glaring legal vulnerabilities. The New York Times on Wednesday called it a focal point of the inquiry by the special grand jury in Georgia that recently filed its final report. And the grand jurys forewoman said this week: We definitely started with the first phone call, the call to Secretary Raffensperger that was so publicized.

Lawyers Fred Wertheimer and Norman Eisen have said this is a simple case for prosecutors. Trump, they wrote, was asking Raffensperger to rig the result.

We dont know yet whether the special grand jury has recommended charging Trump or, if it has, whether the Fulton County district attorney will agree.

But I dont think the case is as simple as it sounds.

In situations like this one, prosecutors generally need to prove intent. In this instance they would presumably need to persuade jurors that Trump knew he was asking Raffensperger to cheat or to commit fraud or to meddle with legitimate election results. Thats what Id want to find out if I was a juror.

But heres the problem: Everything Trump said on the call suggests he was merely asking for a wrong to be righted and that he truly believed  correctly or not  the votes had been stolen from him.

Story continues

He seemed to believe that some 5,000 dead people had voted, that there were hundreds of thousands of forged signatures in Fulton County alone, that vote scammers and out-of-state residents had voted while legitimate ballots had been shredded.

They cheated like nobodys ever cheated before, Trump told Raffensperger.

Im not saying his allegations have the slightest bit of merit. They do not. Nor am I saying that Trump believed what he said on the call. It could all be a big lie.

But if you take his words at face value, they suggest that he thought he'd been robbed and wanted Raffensperger to make things right, not that he was intentionally soliciting Raffensperger to commit election fraud.

Thats why Trump has referred to it as  you guessed it!  a PERFECT call.

Eisen, a senior fellow at Brookings (and co-counsel at Trumps first impeachment trial), has argued that Trump can still be convicted even if he believed what he was saying. But I wonder about that. I suspect some jurors would be reluctant to convict him if they thought he was merely raising sincere objections.

So does that mean a case cant be made against Trump based on the call? Not at all, but it may be more complicated than merely using Trump's own words against him. I talked to several election law experts and they indicated that prosecutors would have to move beyond the call itself and explain to jurors the context in which it was made.

By Jan. 2, 2021, there had already been counts and recounts and audits and investigations and lawsuits, not just in Georgia but all around the country. Trump had been told repeatedly that there were no indications of fraud (at a level that could affect the outcome) and that his conspiracy theories were without merit. Yet he continued his Stop the Steal campaign to overturn the legitimate election results.

Trump was directly involved in trying to convince Georgia officials to put together an alternate slate of pro-Trump presidential electors, even after Biden's win had been re-certified by the states Republican leaders.

The guy is a professional liar, said Richard Hasen, an election law expert at UCLA law school. You cant assess his credibility just by listening to his words on the call. You cant look at that one statement in isolation. You have to look at the entire picture: He was deeply engaged in a multi-state, multi-pronged attack on the election results and the conversation with Raffensperger was just one part of it.

Justin Levitt, an election law expert at Loyola Law School, agreed.

Its true that if all you have is evidence of fervent advocacy or real mistaken belief, thats usually not the basis for a criminal charge, he said. But theres a lot of context that goes into every prosecution.

Levitt said Trump had been presented with evidence that there had been no "steal." He noted that the call came only four days before Congress was to certify Biden's victory.

Furthermore, in what was basically a back-channel call to Raffensperger, Trump applied enormous, inappropriate pressure, including telling Raffensperger there was a big risk  by implication, of criminal charges  if he failed to unearth 11,780 fraudulent votes.

By Jan. 2, no reasonable person should have believed the election had been rigged  especially not someone who had been repeatedly told the facts.

I highly doubt Trump believed the bunkum he was peddling. He just wanted Georgia's electoral votes.

That's what prosecutors would need to prove if they bring a case. Would they succeed? The jury's still out.

@Nick_Goldberg

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP)  Officials rushed to prepare polling stations Friday, on the eve of Nigerias crucial election, amid new concerns of vote buying after police said one lawmaker was arrested with nearly $500,000 in cash and a distribution list.

In the southeast, fears that separatists may target polling stations prompted election workers in parts of Imo state to abandon their posts, according to Mahmood Yakubu, head of Nigerias election commission.

The last-minute developments came as Nigerians prepare to cast ballots Saturday in both parliamentary and presidential elections. The government indicated Thursday it would not postpone the vote at the last minute as it did in 2019, when the delay was announced the morning of the election. The 2014 vote also was rescheduled for a later date.

And concerns continued about what impact Nigerias current cash shortage would have on voter turnout. While its been impossible for many Nigerians to obtain the national currency, naira, police said at least one lawmaker had plenty of U.S. dollars on hand.

Authorities were interrogating Chinyere Igwe, a member of Nigerias House of Representatives, after he was found traveling with the money inside a bag in his car around 2 a.m. along with a distribution list, said Rivers state police spokeswoman Grace Iringe-Koko. It is illegal to move undeclared cash of more than $10,000 in Nigeria.

Authorities in Kano state, meanwhile, announced the arrests of more than 60 suspected thugs with dangerous weapons after supporters of political parties clashed Thursday. Local media reported one person was burned to death in the violence.

Eighteen candidates are vying for the chance to replace incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari, who is stepping down after his second and final term in office.

Three front-runners have emerged, including the ruling partys Bola Tinubu and the main opposition party's Atiku Abubakar. Most polls have favored Peter Obi, a third-party hopeful.

Story continues

The vote is being carefully watched as Nigeria is Africas largest economy and one of the continents top oil producers. By 2050, the U.N. estimates that Nigeria will tie with the United States as the third most populous nation in the world after India and China.

The election comes amid a currency shortage in Africa's most populous nation, raising concerns about whether it will affect voter turnout. Authorities announced the switch to a new naira note in November, but the change has led to shortfalls of bank notes nationwide.

At the same time, there have been doubts about the ability of Nigerian authorities to curb the influence of money in the countrys elections.

Observer groups have documented political parties making payments ranging from 500 naira ($1.09) to 5,000 naira ($10.90) to people willing to vote for their candidates, a tactic used amid high unemployment and poverty rates in the country.

Vote buying remains a major threat to our democracy, Mahmood Yakubu, the head of Nigerias election commission, told reporters Thursday.

The use of mobile phones is prohibited at Nigerias voting stations, Yakubu said. Authorities introduced the ban to counter voters photographing ballots as evidence in exchange for cash from political parties.

___

Associated Press journalist Ibrahim Garba in Kano, Nigeria contributed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected the possibility of holding talks with Vladimir Putin in Turkiye.

Source: Zelenskyy during February. The Year of Invincibility press conference

Details: When asked whether Zelenskyy would have sat down at the negotiating table if Putin had been waiting for him in Ankara, the president replied as follows:

Quote: "We talked about this [negotiations  ed.] before the war, and I told him (Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan  ed.): Put Putin at the negotiating table, we cannot risk a full-scale war. He failed to do so then. And not only he... Now he thinks he can.

Now we can't... He [Putin  ed.] is not the same person; there is no one to talk to."

Details: Zelenskyy added that he was grateful to Erdogan, in particular, for the Black Sea Grain Initiative and shelter for the defenders of Azovstal steelworks. He also emphasised that Erdogan had been informed of his position regarding the negotiations.

Background:

Since the first days of the Russian full-scale invasion, Turkiye has offered to mediate to end the conflict.

In Istanbul, Ukraine and Russia signed an agreement to create a corridor from Ukrainian ports across the Black Sea to Turkiye and on to their destination ports.

In addition, Erdogan mediated the exchange of the godfather of Putin's daughter, Viktor Medvedchuk, for Ukrainian prisoners, including the commanders who led the defence of Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol.

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy

The president recalled that until Feb. 24, 2022, the Ukrainian authorities along with the entire civilized world, wanted to follow a diplomatic path and made attempts to liberate occupied Ukrainian territories without the use of force.

Read also: Ukraine can use whatever it needs to liberate its territories, says Pentagon

...to freeze it. Freeze the war. The conflict. But there was no ceasefire, although we had a truce  for a month, or two months, then again (the conflict would flare up), said Zelenskyy.

Thats how it was until the 24th (of Februry, 2022). It was a big mistake to sign such a document, the Minsk agreements.

Read also: Belarus invading Ukraine would be a mistake, Zelenskyy says

Now, Zelenskyy stressed, Russia must withdraw form the entire internationally recognized territory of Ukraine.

I believe that no (there will be no peace without Crimea), he said. There will be no proper peace for Ukraine, Ukrainians, Europe, the world.

Earlier, Ukrainian Military Intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said that Russia will eventually be forced to withdraw its troops from the territory of Ukraine.

Read also: Zelenskyy satisfied with National Guard recruitment drive

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in August 2022 that Russias war against Ukraine should end with the liberation of Crimea  just as it began with its occupation.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Image of the cruise missile at an undisclosed location in North Korea on early Thursday - KCNA via KNS

North Korea has test-fired four long-range strategic cruise missiles in a drill designed to show its ability to launch a fatal nuclear counterattack, its state media announced on Friday.

South Korea and Japans militaries did not announce the launch, which reportedly took place on Thursday morning. As they often publicly report North Korea test-fires, the failure to do so prompted speculation from experts that the launch may have been undetected.

The four Hwasal-2 missiles fired from North Hamgyong province towards the sea off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula were aimed at honing the militarys rapid-response capabilities towards hostile forces, reported the Korean Central News Agency.

It said the missiles flew for nearly three hours, drawing oval and figure-eight shaped patterns above the sea, demonstrating they can hit precise targets 1,240 miles away.

North Korea first tested a long-range cruise missile system in September 2021 and has since described those weapons as strategic, wording that implies they are being developed with intent to arm them with nuclear warheads.

The nuclear combat forces of the DPRK [North Korea] are strengthening their ability to conduct fatal nuclear counterattacks on the hostile forces in every way, and their preparations for action were clearly demonstrated once again, KCNA said.

A TV screen shows a file image of a North Korean missile launch during a news program broadcast in Seoul - AP

The launch was the latest in Pyongyangs escalating barrage of weapons tests as the United States, Japan and South Korea step up their joint military training to counter the threat from the North.

On Wednesday, US and South Korean officials took part in a simulated exercise to finetune their response to a possible North Korean nuclear attack.

Since the collapse of nuclear disarmament talks between Kim Jong-un and former US President Donald Trump in 2019, Pyongyang has ramped up its nuclear missiles programme, despite United Nations sanctions.

On Saturday, North Korea tested a Hwasong-15 Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), which landed within Japans exclusive economic zone, prompting the US to hold air exercises with Japan and South Korea.
Photograph: Thomas Mukoya/Reuters

First lady Jill Biden on Friday gave one of the clearest indications yet that Joe Biden will run for a second term, saying that theres pretty much nothing left to do but figure out the time and place for the announcement.

Related: Joe Biden nominates former Mastercard boss Ajay Banga to lead World Bank

Although Biden has long said that it is his intention to seek reelection, he has yet to make it official, and hes struggled to dispel questions about whether he is too old to continue serving as president. Biden is currently 80 and would be 86 at the end of a second term.

He says hes not done, Jill Biden said in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, on the second and final stop of her five-day trip to Africa, which started in Namibia earlier this week. Hes not finished what hes started. And thats whats important, she told the Associated Press in an exclusive interview between events in Kenya.

She added: How many times does he have to say it for you to believe it?

Biden aides have said an announcement is likely to come in April, after the first fundraising quarter ends, which is around the time that Barack Obama officially launched his 2012 reelection campaign.

The first lady has long been described as a key figure in Bidens orbit as he plans his future.

Because Im his wife, she laughed.

But she brushed off the question about whether she has the deciding vote on whether the president runs for reelection.

Donald Trump, who turns 77 in June, announced last November that he would run for the presidency again in the 2024 election, despite his being soundly defeated by Joe Biden in 2020 and fomenting an insurrection at the US Capitol on 6 January 2021 by his own supporters intent on overturning Bidens victory.

Trump is also under investigation in a series of criminal cases and civil actions. These relate to a variety of matters including fraud at his real estate company, election interference, federal investigations by a special counsel into his role in the January 6 Capitol attack and the stashing of secret government documents at his Florida residence after seeking office. There is also a forthcoming civil trial in New York concerning lawsuits alleging rape and defamation.

Story continues

Jill Bidens remarks Friday come after a poll released earlier this week brought good news for the presidents standing among Democrats.

The NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll shows an even half of Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents believe the party has a better chance with Biden as the nominee while 45% think they would be better off backing someone else. That is an improvement for Biden from November of last year, when it was roughly flipped: then, 54% wanted someone else, and just 38% backed the president.

On the other hand, that survey had disappointing news for Trump as he seeks to be renominated for the presidency by the GOP. Among Republicans and and GOP-leaning independents, 54% thought the party is best off with someone other than Trump as the nominee, and 42% believe the ex-president remained the best man for the job.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has refused to say how many tanks Ukraine is to receive from its Western partners and when the delivery will take place  to avoid Russia taking advantage of this information.

Source: Zelenskyy at a press conference with Mateusz Morawiecki, the Prime Minister of Poland, in Kyiv on Friday; video of the conference posted on Zelenskyys Telegram channel

Quote: "I cant say when they (the tanks  ed.) will be delivered to Ukraine because we know how Russia is monitoring all transport arteries

We will reveal the number of tanks when these tanks are on the battlefield."

Details: The President explained that the supply of Polish tanks to Ukraine was kept secret due to the fear that Russia would gain access to this information.

Zelenskyy called upon the media to be very careful when publishing photos and videos of military equipment which crosses the Ukrainian border.

Background: On Friday, 24 February, during his visit to Kyiv, Morawiecki stated that Poland had delivered the first four Leopard tanks to Ukraine, and that soon it would supply Ukraine with the rest of the promised Leopard tanks. Moreover, 60 PT-91 Twardy tanks will be transferred to Ukraine in the next few days.

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A nursing home employee sexually assaulted an 86-year-old resident multiple times, according to South Carolina police.

Police got an anonymous report on Oct. 28 of a sexual assault that occurred in July at Patewood Post-Acute, a nursing home facility in Greenville, according to an arrest warrant from the Greenville Police Department.

The person told police that they feared the administration would retaliate against anyone who tried to report it, according to an incident report.

An 86-year-old resident told investigators that an employee, who police identified as James Thomas Woodward, had sexually assaulted her between May and July, according to the report. She said he inappropriately touched and kissed her multiple times, the report says.

A message left at Patewood Post-Acute by McClatchy News was not returned.

A police report dated Feb. 21 identifies Woodward as a former employee. Police said in an email to McClatchy News that he was employed at the nursing home during the time of the incidents.

Woodward, 76, was charged on Feb. 23 with third-degree criminal sexual conduct, according to Greenville County Jail records.

Information for an attorney who could comment on his behalf was not listed.

He is being held on a $10,000 cash bond, jail records show.

Greenville is about 100 miles northwest of Columbia.

Nursing home worker raped 81-year-old resident with dementia, NY attorney general says

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Nurse caught stealing fentanyl from critical care patients IV bag in hospital, feds say
The Russians have imposed a round-the-clock curfew from 23 to 25 February, likely due to transferring military equipment from Crimea. Meanwhile, Russian military forces are being quartered in Nova Kakhovka.

Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook, information as of 18:00 on 24 February

Quote: "In the town of Chaplynka, Kherson Oblast, the occupiers imposed a round-the-clock curfew from 23 to 25 February this year. The reason may be the transfer of military equipment from the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea for strengthening the defence line."

Details: In the town of Nova Kakhovka in Kherson Oblast, the occupiers are conducting door-to-door inspections. They are checking whether citizens have registration and documents justifying house ownership. If local residents do not have these documents, they are evicted within the course of a week, and the members of the Russian occupying forces move into their homes.

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There was a packed Oceanway Community Center tonight, where neighbors discussed their displeasure over a potential Chick-Fil-A that could come to Duval Station Road.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

Action News Jax told you yesterday that the Chick-Fil-A would sit right next to a neighborhood and First Coast High School.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

Residents and several major stakeholders including JSO and the citys Planning and Development Department were at this meeting.

I just dont see how they can facilitate that with the school sitting right across the street and have cars turning from Duval Station into a business such as that, North Creek resident William Herden said.

The proposal has already been approved, but on January 23rd a site plan was denied, according to the city.

The citys Planning and Development Department told residents that denial letter would be sent to Chick-Fil-A in the coming days, but the restaurant could still fight it.

The city says the company has three options:

1.) Use the existing site plan originally approved for a McDonalds.

2.) Rezone the property, which would force the company to go through a public hearing with city council and community members.

3.) Finally, they could simply move the idea to another location, something leaders of the homeowners association in this neighborhood, would like to see.

Related Story: Oceanway community voices concerns against proposed location of new Chick-fil-A

I just think they need to move further down the street, in berlin next to family dollar perfect location. its a four-lane road, Rowland Thagard Jr. said.

Reggie Gaffney Jr. said in tonights meeting that he will continue to reach out to the fast-food chain to let them know residents dont want the restaurant in their community, and if they call he has already handpicked five community members to meet with the company.

I just want to sit down and talk with Chick-Fil-A let them know that community is opposed to chick-fil-a right across the street from First Coast High School.

Story continues

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For the second day in a row, we did reach out to Chick-Fil-A Public Relations Department for comment on this matter, and they have yet to get back with us.

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INDIANAPOLIS  Indiana State Police wrongfully kept the public "in the dark" after detaining Richard Allen, the man suspected of the 2017 killings of Delphi teenagers Libby German and Abby Williams, according to a legal opinion authored by Indiana's Public Access Counselor Luke Britt.

The complaint involving Allen's detainment was filed by Journal & Courier reporter Ron Wilkins on Nov. 8, a week after the Indiana State Police, members of the Carroll County Sheriff's Department and other law enforcement gathered at a well-attended press conference to announce an arrest.

Superintendent of Indiana State Police Doug Carter speaks during a press conference addressing updates regarding the investigation of the murders of Abby Williams and Libby German, Monday, Monday, Oct. 31, 2022, at Delphi United Methodist Church in Delphi, Ind.

Wilkins initially submitted a public records request two days after the Oct. 26 arrest, seeking information mandated under Indiana code to be disclosed within 24 hours of an arrest. The J&C reporter was denied the public records on Oct. 29, two days before the Oct. 31, 2022, press conference in Delphi and more than 72 hours after Allen's arrest.

Richard Allen arrested nearly 6 years after murders

The arrest of a suspect nearly six years after the teens' killings drew international attention. On Feb. 13, 2017, Libby German and Abby Williams were hiking around the Monon High Bridge, which spans Deer Creek, on an unseasonably warm afternoon.

When the girls did not show up for their scheduled ride home, family and then a concerned community began an extensive search. Their bodies were found the next day, Valentine's Day 2017.

Tokens sit in the snow at a memorial for Abby Williams and Libby German along the Monon High Bridge Trail, Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022 in Delphi. Abby Williams and Libby German, both Delphi eighth-graders, were murdered while hiking a popular community trail near Delphi on Feb. 13, 2017.

ISP decision to seal records in Delphi case challenged by media

During the Oct. 31 press conference, ISP Superintendent Doug Carter announced Allen, 50, of Delphi had been charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of Libby and Abby. Carter added the probable cause affidavit remained sealed, a decision Wilkins challenged and Britt's opinion addressed.

Delphi murders:Man charged with murder in killings of Libby German and Abby Williams

This office remains convinced that much of the consternation regarding public access in this case is much of the governments own doing," Britt writes in the opinion, Ron Wilkins v. Indiana State Police.

Story continues

"Simply put, the law enforcement agencies at play could have anticipated an onslaught of requests for the arrest information and prepared accordingly instead of keeping the public in the dark for several days until they arranged a more convenient method of disseminating information."

Officers transport murder suspect Richard Allen during a hearing regarding sealed documents, Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022, at Carroll County Courthouse in Delphi, Ind.

Britt concluded that "the daily log information required by the Access to Public Records Act should have been made available on demand no later than 24 hours after the suspects arrest."

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Sealing Richard Allen's arrest information was wrong, official says
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) has upped its estimate for the number of animals killed by the derailment of train cars carrying hazardous chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio, to nearly 44,000.

The department estimates around 38,222 minnows were killed by the derailment within a 5-mile span, plus around 5,500 other species, including other small fish, amphibians, crayfish and macroinvertebrates, ODNR Director Mary Merks said in a statement.

The original estimate was approximately 3,500 dead aquatic species, based on observations from Feb. 6-7, shortly after the Feb. 3 derailment. ODNRs team responded to the waterways the morning after the spill, but were warned by the Ohio EPA that it was too dangerous to enter the water without specialized gear and equipment.

Several of the 38 Norfolk Southern train cars that derailed in East Palestine earlier this month carried vinyl chloride, a hazardous and potentially cancer-causing chemical used in plastics production.

To avert an explosion, the chemicals were burned in an attempted controlled release, further stoking environmental concerns about the quality of the local land, air and water following the incident.

Although dead animals remain in the waterways affected by the chemical spill, Merks underscored that the animals are believed to have been killed immediately after the derailment and noted that live fish have since been observed returning to parts of the area.

Because the chemicals were contained, we havent seen any additional signs of aquatic life suffering, Merks said. She also noted no dead aquatic life was observed in the nearby Ohio River.

The ODNR estimate is based on a collected sample of dead aquatic species, and the department says it doesnt believe any of the affected animals were endangered.

We are awaiting test results of several non-aquatic animals including three birds, and an opossum, Merks said. We do not believe any of these animals were made sick by the train derailment, but we have submitted those specimens to the Ohio Department of Agriculture and will wait for those test results before making that judgement.

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Feb. 23DAYTON  A Germantown fencing contractor is accused of taking more than $100,000 from customers for fences that were never built.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost on Tuesday filed a lawsuit in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court against Dixie Fence South LLC and its owner Daryl Robert Fraley for alleged violations of state consumer protection laws.

"Defendants accepted monetary deposits from consumers for the purchase of home improvement goods and services, including fence installation and repairs, and failed to deliver those goods and provide the services," the lawsuit stated.

In some cases the business refused to refund deposits or payments; began work but did not complete it; or did not fix shoddy and substandard work, according to the lawsuit.

No attorney is on file for Daryl Fraley. The Dayton Daily News left a message seeking comment on the business line.

A separate fencing contractor with a similar name, Dixie Fence LLC based in Harrison Twp., has a disclaimer in red on its website alerting customers they are not affiliated with Dixie Fence South.

"We are not the same company," said owner Jaron Fraley, who said he has been negatively affected by undeserved poor reviews and misdirected calls from angry customers aimed at the other business, which is operated by his relative.

"I have noticed a decline in my sales," he said. "We can get to somebody within the next week," he added, because his business right now is "short on jobs."

Jaron Fraley said the Better Business Bureau has been a bright spot in helping him maintain his good reputation. Dixie Fence LLC has an A+ rating with the BBB. When complaints were made, the BBB investigated and assigned them to the correct business, he said.

Dixie Fence South LLC  registered on Jan. 10, 2020 with the Ohio Secretary of State  is not BBB accredited and has an F rating with the organization. The BBB website also notes pending government action against the contractor.

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Yost in December sued another Dayton-area fencing company, B&R Fence & More LLC and its owner, Robert Wood, who were accused of taking $12,500 from homeowners who made payments for fences that were never constructed.

The lawsuit filed in Montgomery County also alleged multiple violations of the Consumer Sales Practices Act and the Home Solicitation Sales Act.

The Dayton Daily News was unable to reach Wood for comment. A phone number for the business has been disconnected and a social media page for the fencing contractor indicates the business is permanently closed. No attorney of record was listed for the company nor Wood.

A civil summons was issued Jan. 24 that gave Wood 28 days to answer the complaint.

A civil summons issued Tuesday gave Fraley 28 days to answer the complaint or else a judge could render a default judgment against them in their cases, court records show.

Both lawsuits asks for a declaratory judgment and for the defendants to pay restitution plus damages to affected consumers, to be barred from business until restitution is paid and to cover court costs. It also asks the court to assess a civil penalty of up to $25,000 for each violation.
It has been one year since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, and a Ukrainian soldier is spending the somber day in Orlando, working to recover.

Misha Varvarych arrived here three weeks ago to receive treatment and prosthetic legs.

He lost both of his legs while defending his country against Russia last May.

He has huge plans for the future. He wants to return to Ukraine, said his translator. He can help other soldiers in the same situation.

The 28-year-old and his wife said theyve noticed their countrys flags flying on the side of some homes here in Orlando. He said its been inspiring.

Read: Biden in Poland: US, allies will never waver in Ukraine

Neal Webb flies one of those flags on his home.

I wanted a way to show solidarity, that I cared. I know their lives are being destroyed, Webb said.

He spent the anniversary searching for places to donate.

Watch: Central Florida Spotlight: Harris Rosens support for Ukraine

You want to think things are stable the rest of your life, and theyre absolutely not, Webb said. You dont know whats coming next, and I cant imagine that they have to find new places to live, their jobs are up in the air.

Their journey was so inspiring to Webb that he offered a moment of comfort by playing Over the Rainbow on his trumpet for WFTV to share.

Read: Russians mark Ukraine war anniversary with flowers, arrests

And until Varvarych can return home to his family, he hopes to he can offer inspiration.

He wants to be an example of: never give up, keep going, his translator said.

His prosthetics will cost $50,000. The non-profit supporting him is called Revived Soldiers Ukraine. You can click here to learn more.

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.
A person was shot while driving on Interstate 77 Friday morning, a source confirmed to Channel 9.

It happened around 7:20 a.m. in north Charlotte. According to a source, the victim was driving on I-77 North when he heard two pop noises and realized he was shot.

He then pulled over to Exit 13A, which is the ramp to Interstate 85 North to call 911, the source said.

ALSO READ: 1 dead, 1 hurt in wreck on I-485 in south Charlotte, MEDIC says

According to MEDIC, he was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Channel 9 sent a crew to the scene, where multiple police cars had blocked off parts of the shoulder.

Its the second shooting on our local interstates Channel 9 has covered in just a week, so Channel 9s Hunter Saenz talked to the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department about how to handle these kinds of situations in the moment.

This is definitely nothing new, said Johnathan Frisk with the CMPD Crime Prevention Unit.

Investigators said theyre scanning highway cameras to see what led to the shooting and whether it was road rage.

ALSO READ: Deputies: Man brings gun on high school campus after flashing it in nearby road rage incident

Earlier this week, Grace Lowe told Channel 9 she was driving along I-85 with three kids inside her car when they took fire in a road rage incident.

He just pointed it at us, she told Channel 9s Hannah Goetz.

Frisk said if youre on the road and things get heated, keep calm.

Theres no reason to look over there and try to engage in eye contact, he said.

He also says nowadays, you should only use your horn to prevent a crash.

If somebody cuts you off, once they already cut you off, at that point probably no reason to hit the horn, Frisk said.

And if you end up as a victim of road rage that involves gunfire, Frisk said its a good idea to have a tourniquet in your glovebox.

ALSO READ: Suspect arrested in Kansas for road rage killing of CATS bus driver, police say

What we want to do is stop the bleeding, he said.

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Its another sign of the times, but police would rather you be prepared for anything.

Saenz reached out to state lawmakers to see if they plan to work on any bills to combat road rage. State Rep. Carolyn Logan said she plans to reintroduce the highway safety omnibus bill. It would increase the amount of state troopers in Mecklenburg County and require North Carolina Department of Transportation cameras to record and store critical footage.

That bill, however, does not stiffen any penalties for road rage crimes. Last year, it went to committee but no action was taken.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

(WATCH BELOW: CMPD gifts mother, daughter with new car)




Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant

Since these workers signed contracts with Russian state-owned nuclear operator Rosatom, their employment has been temporarily terminated on the basis of the law of collaboration, Verbytsky said.

Read also: Russia blocking rotation of IAEA experts at Zaporizhzhya NPP, says Foreign Ministry

They will be shut out of work if their willing collaboration with the enemy is proved, he said.

"Actually, Energoatom (the Ukrainian state nuclear operator) gave us a choice  either we're are patriots and boycott our work, or we're betrayers who continue to work on the plant in order to prevent a disaster," Oleh Dudar, a department manager of ZNPP who fled Enerhodar in August, told Forbes Ukraine.

Read also: Russian invaders block passes of Zaporizhzhya NPP workers who refuse to sign contracts

At the same time, ZNPP's workers now have to work 16 hours in a row now instead of the usual 6-hour-long shifts due to staff shortages.

Those workers who refused to sign a contract with Rosatom are banned from the plant by the occupiers. There were about 4,000 of them by late February.

It was reported earlier by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that Russian troops continue to actively militarize the occupied ZNPP and to block a rotation of IAEA experts at the plant for many weeks.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Ukraine - Henry Nicholls/Reuters

It is too expensive to get out, according to the tobacco giant Philip Morris. It is too complex, according to the French hotels conglomerate Accor, and risks enriching local oligarchs. Or it is impossible to find a lawyer, or transfer staff, or the chief executive's dog ate the paperwork, according to multinationals ranging from the normally sanctimonious Unilever to BAT. Carlsberg has even raised the possibility of going back one day, once it finally gets around to selling its unit in the country.

A year on from Vladimir Putin's brutal invasion of Ukraine, many of the worlds biggest companies are still operating inside Russia.



We all understand there are challenges of getting out of a major country. And it is a market where the weakness of the local competition means that there are easy profits to be made. But with the war potentially dragging on for years, there is no excuse for remaining. And there is a simple solution at hand.

Ukraine needs money for reconstruction, and companies need a punishment for helping to fund the war. The United States, the European Union, Britain, Japan and other leading Western powers should put in place a sanction-and-seize regime: tax Russian profits and pass the money to Kyiv. With that in place, it would be surprising how quickly they managed to get out.



Over the last week, most of the civilised world has marked the first anniversary of the invasion. Pledges of arms have been beefed up. Money has been found to help its suffering victims. Candlelit vigils have been held in New York and London, while in Paris the Eiffel Tower was lit up in the now-familiar blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag.

Eiffel Tower - Pierre Suu/Getty Images Europe

Some of the worlds biggest companies, however, have found a less edifying way of marking the occasion: a fresh round of excuses for why they are still trading in Russia.

This week, Jacek Olczak, chief executive of Philip Morris International, which sells the companys cigarette brands outside the US, argued that it was so difficult to sell its Russian unit that he might end up just keeping it. Apparently the Kremlin is imposing such strict terms that a sale could be impossible. Well, theres a surprise Jacek. Who could have guessed Putin's regime would make withdrawing so difficult?

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Sebastien Bazin, the boss of Accor, which owns brands such as Novotel and Ibis, told The Telegraph there was no legal basis for pulling out of Russia  and even worse, it might enrich local oligarchs. From Colgate to Unilever, BAT, LOreal and Procter & Gamble, plenty of the worlds biggest brands are still there.

The excuses companies are giving for remaining in Russia are lame, pitiful, pathetic and shameful. We all understand the challenges of exiting the country. Evidently, under the circumstances, it is hard to get much of a price. You are a forced seller, and it is not as if the Kremlin is exactly worried about its reputation for respecting international law right now. Putins gangster cronies are the only people likely to get their hands on your business, probably in a rigged deal. Staff and suppliers deserve some protection, and any sale will take a while.



Even so, a year is surely long enough. Russia is conducting a murderous campaign, and slaughtering innocent civilians as well as its own conscripts. It has turned into a war of attrition, and those are expensive to fight. The weaker the Russian economy gets, the harder it will be for the military machine to be maintained, and the sooner its forces will collapse. It is not hard to work out the real reason so many companies are still there: money.

With 140 million people, Russia remains a major market, especially for consumer brands. And of course, once local units are sold, it will be hard to ever get back in again; the prices will be higher, and whoever bought your business will be a rival. It is tempting to play for time, hoping that the war will end one way or another, and everything will quickly get back to normal.



Ukraine desperately needs to keep its own Army equipped, to keep the country alive, and to pay for the vast amount of reconstruction that will be needed. The IMF estimated in December that the country needs $5bn (4.2bn) a month just to keep going. At the same time, there needs to be some form of punishment beyond condemnation, and potentially consumer boycotts, for the companies that remain.

The solution? Sanction and seize. If the G20 economies can come up with a global minimum tax, and most major economies can impose windfall taxes, it is hardly impossible to come up with a levy on Russian profits. Estimate the amount that each multinational is making in Russia, double it, and then impose a one-off charge on each one, and donate the proceeds to the government in Kiev.



The likes of Philip Morris and Accor can huff and puff if they want to. They can complain that it is too hard to sell local assets, that there is not enough time, or that they cant get the right price. They can drag their heels, and come up with spurious reasons for remaining.

But heres a prediction. If all the money they were making was confiscated, they would start to get a move on  and the scandal of major Western companies remaining in Russia would soon be over.
What do successful marriages, sports teams and businesses have in common? A strong willingness to collaborate, listen to each other, even when there are disagreements, and value the input of others to come up with a plan that works for the whole.

Education is no different. When teachers unions work with principals and superintendents on issues that are important for student learning, only good can come from the effort. As Anderson, Indianas, teachers union president and superintendent, we know from experience that having a collaborative relationship is the way to go. Civility, not conflict; collaboration, not unilateral decision-making.

But apparently, there are those in the legislature who dont want teamwork to drive education policy and dont want educators who work with our students every day and know what they need to thrive to have a voice in education.

Photographed on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, at Anderson Community Schools Administration Center in Anderson.

Senate Bill (SB) 486 is a union-busting bill, plain and simple. It would shut down the effective collaboration now happening between administrators and teachers unions on issues that affect students and educators. No longer would there be a requirement for administrators to talk with teachers unions on important issues such as curriculum, hiring, evaluations, teacher performance, teaching methods, student discipline and staff retention.

More:HB 1608 started as a 'don't say gay' bill. Now it targets transgender names, pronouns

In Anderson, we believe our students have gained an edge because we talk with each other and discuss issues that need to be resolved for the benefit of our students. This is not to say we always agree; this is to say we meet and hear each other out and then attempt to resolve the issue together. For instance, we currently are going through a restructuring for some of our schools. Through dialogue with our families and educators, we have come up with a plan in which educators will have choices in their new assignments. Management trusts the professional educators ability to make selections based on their credentials and strengths. SB 486 would eliminate educators ability to participate in these kinds of decisions and could exacerbate the current exodus of teachers leaving the profession.

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The University of Chicago Consortium on School Research conducted one of the most rigorous studies of collaborative relationships in public schools. Researchers studied hundreds of Chicago elementary schools between 1990 and 2005. Their central finding was that the most effective schools, based on test score improvement over time after taking into account demographic factors, had developed an unusually high degree of relational trust among their stakeholders.

An analysis of more than 4,000 school districts nationwide found that when unions can bargain collectively or when they have formal meeting processes with employers, like the one that would be eliminated here, it leads to better student outcomes.

Collaboration isnt a silver bullet. There are many other factors, of course, that are necessary to help kids succeed, including ensuring a well-funded, well-resourced school system that provides a rich curriculum, enough educators, social workers, guidance counselors and before- and after-school enrichment programs to help all kids thrive.

More:Indiana Statehouse roundup: House GOP unveils $43.3B budget, anti-CRT bill dies

But collaboration is something that you cant put in a budget. It requires getting rid of entrenched, inaccurate presumptions, such as management knows best and teachers unions are only out for themselves. Management and teachers unions do best when theres trust between them. Only then can they work effectively for the benefit of every student.

Lets not take away teachers voices and deny them the power to speak for their students. Since teachers are in the classrooms every day, management depends on their input. To lose their perspective would do a terrible disservice to every student and their families.

Randy Harrison is an Anderson High School social studies teacher and the president of AFT 519.

Joseph Cronk is the superintendent of Anderson Community Schools.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 'Union-busting bill' would destroy collaboration among educators
Collaboration right step for Newport, Middletown education

I applaud the recent unanimous vote of the Middletown and Newport school committees to hold a joint meeting to explore collaboration and the sharing of educational resources. To my knowledge, the date, place and time of this joint meeting has not yet been established.

In this pursuit, the school committees should seek assistance from the Rhode Island Department of Education and consultants to closely examine the educational benefits of working together to improve the education of Newport and Middletown students.

I also recommend the involvement of parents, students, educators and other community resources in this process.

Could this effort become the basis upon which the educational benefits of school regionalization are investigated in earnest and in some depth? I hope so.

Ron Heroux, Middletown

Support efforts to eliminate smoking in casinos

My name is Vanessa Baker and Ive been working in the casino business since 1992. Back then smoking was accepted almost everywhere. Thirty years later, casino workers are the only people left to deal with the hazards of secondhand smoke.

I never thought that years of exposure to secondhand smoke could cause so much damage to my body. Covid restrictions were a blessing in disguise because smoking wasnt allowed inside the casinos. Two years later, smoking returned and now Im dealing with chronic illnesses because of the constant exposure to the smoke.

There is proven science that secondhand smoke harms the people around it, the government has a duty to protect all citizens. The CDC and the WHO state even brief exposure can cause serious health problems.

Rhode Islands Public Health and Workplace Safety Act of 2004, eliminated indoor smoking in all state businesses. This law discriminated against casino frontline workers by exempting casinos. SB438/HB5237 will close the smoking loophole left open in that Act.

Its been 19 years that we have been waiting to be considered equals in Rhode Islands workplace safety Act. So why cant the state afford to protect us? Many casinos have gone smoke free and are thriving.

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I am reaching out to the public for help to ask that they please support RI casino workers by contacting their district representatives and senators to ask that they pass SB438/HB5237. This bill will bring health and dignity back to casino workers.

Vanessa Baker, Portsmouth

Newport Lions Club celebrates 100 years of service

The Newport Lions serve to prevent avoidable blindness and improve quality of life for people who are blind and visually impaired. To answer Helen Kellers challenge to become knights of the blind, each year, our members perform eye screening in Aquidneck Island schools, seeing over 3,500 students  and providing further eye exams and glasses for those unable to pay.

Throughout the year we collect recycled eyeglasses. Newport Lions sort them and then they are brought to a distribution center where they are sent to needy children, adults and the elderly around the world  changing their lives for the better.

Our community service has expanded further since 1923. In 1947, we began awarding a four-year, $1,000/year scholarship to a deserving Newport high school senior.

Once a year the Newport Lions take part in White Cane Day. Our members and volunteers take to the streets of Newport and collect donations from the public. All proceeds are donated to the FIDELCO Guide Dog Foundation, providing guide dogs and in-home training to sight impaired clients.

We established Support Our Troops program after 9/11, and have donated to Operation Stand Down RI. Our new effort to honor and support heroes in the Armed Forces and first responders is Tunnel to Towers.

We also support various RI Lions charities, like the RI Lions Childrens Cancer Fund. This charity provides housing and support to families whose children are being treated for cancer at Hasbro Childrens Hospital. We provide a scholarship to Camp Mauchatea providing the camping experience to blind and sight-impaired children.

The Newport Lions support local charities and organizations like the Newport Housing Hotline, RI U.S. Naval Sea Cadets, and the Viking Riders Christmas Toy Run.

During the Christmas season, Singing Santa and his Musical Reindeer visit various nursing homes in Newport and spread some joy to the residents. We have visited the RI Veterans Home in Bristol, RI, Heatherwood and Village House.

The Newport Lions try to reach our neighbors in need; whether it is with a new pair of glasses, support to a veteran coming home or a friendly smile to a child in the hospital or a person in a nursing home.

For more information, visit our website http://www.newportlionsclub.com.

Helen Steeves, secretary/treasurer

Don't obstruct Sakonnet's beauty

Seems we can always count on Ms. Farzan for one-sided reporting, relying on remarks from stakeholders without digging into the facts. Farzans latest article on Rep. Edwards bill to keep oyster farms 1,000 feet from shore, is yet another example.

The Sakonnet River is near void of commercial enterprise; its as scenic as little Rhody gets. The proposed Bowen oyster farm abuts Seapowet Marsh and Point Fishing Area, conservation land specifically designated for and used by thousands of residents and locals, into which the state has plowed serious money for its protection and preservation over the years. Farzan quotes its opponents, led in part by Little Compton Bowen brothers, claiming the public can still park at the beach, swim, fish, kayak, and kite surf  in and around wire oyster cages. Nonsense, shes seen this sheltered cove, as shes described it. Its simply not feasible to house a commercial enterprise in the middle of a public recreation area.

Farzan offers further quotes by Reps. Fogarty and Fenton-Fung regarding protecting the economic boon oyster farms provide to the state, lest they flee to Massachusetts. The Bowens have already flown to Massachusetts, with full-time jobs. This oyster farm would be two guys looking for a part-time hobby, hardly an economic engine for RI. They propose putting their farm right near the parking area, the beach area most people use. The buoy marking the proposed area for wire cages isnt even knee-deep at low tide, a hidden danger to swimmers when waters slightly cover the cages. Its where fishermen go to catch fish coming out of the marsh, blocking kayakers from getting into the marsh at low tide. This has disaster written all over it.

Moving the farm farther out in the water will not block navigation; here, most navigation is with kayaks, where they want to locate their wire cages. Very few power boats navigate this area. It may be inconvenient for the Bowens to move their cages out past the recreational area, in line with the 1,000 buffer zone. Patrick Bowens claim of wading out to the cages to minimize his carbon footprint, as Ms. Farzan has quoted, already seems moot, as they have secured a mooring and are obviously prepared for the alternative.

This bill need not impede the oyster farming community. Rather, it will move these potential farms farther offshore to ensure the protection and preservation of the Sakonnets beauty and the rights of the public to enjoy this designated conservation land.

Russell and Mary Dexter, Tiverton

This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: LETTERS: Support efforts to eliminate smoking in casinos
Volunteers in Kharkiv last April load sandbags to be hoisted into position around the Taras Shevchenko Monument, protecting it from Russian bombardment. Many Ukrainians see Shevchenko, a poet and artist who died in 1861, as a symbol of their national identity. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Russias invasion of Ukraine is a war of conquest. Conquest of territory that the Kremlin feels entitled to; of people, who according to Putin belong to the Russian World; and of resources, from machinery and grain looted by the Russian state to washing machines, electronics devices and personal items pilfered by Russian soldiers. But above all, the war is about Russia gaining control over Ukrainian identity and history.

In 2014, just 1 out of 6 Americans could point Ukraine out on a map. In 2022, on the eve of Russias attack, only 34% of Americans could tell where Ukraine was. A year later, most people know about the country, and small Ukrainian towns such as Bucha or Bakhmut have become household names throughout the West.

Sadly, the cause of this recognition is destruction and suffering, but the longer-term effects of global awareness will ensure that people the world over recognize and appreciate Ukraine as an independent state, not an appendage of Russia.

According to Vladimir Putins deeply held views, Ukraine is an aberration, a historical fiction that emerged out of a fatal mistake committed by Lenin and the Communist Party. Russians and Ukrainians, in Putins own words, are one people  a single whole.

Putins claim is a continuation of a long-standing tradition of Russian historiography, nationalist thinking and official policy that views Great Russians, Little Russians (that is, Ukrainians) and White Russians (Belorussians) as different branches of a single ancient Russian people that originated in the medieval Kievan Rus state.

To ensure that Ukrainians remain nothing more than Russians little brothers, the Russian Empire and later the Soviet Union engaged in a determined campaign to suppress and, at times, physically eliminate Ukrainian cultural figures, political elites and intellectuals and even the Ukrainian language itself.

Short periods of relative openness in the 1920s and 1960s allowed Ukrainian culture and language to flourish, but repression inevitably returned and erased most of the progress made. In this current war, Putin follows the policies of his imperial and Soviet predecessors. Since the beginning of the invasion, Russians are targeting and looting Ukraines museums, destroying monuments, murdering cultural figures and erasing Ukraine from the school curriculum both in the occupied Ukrainian territories and at home. In areas under Russian control, simply speaking Ukrainian might be enough to get arrested and tortured.

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Russias war is inflicting untold damage on Ukraines culture, monuments and historical sites. But, in contrast to Putins goals, the war has also strengthened Ukrainian identity and caused many people worldwide to discover and appreciate Ukraine and its diverse multicultural history. A year of brutal war, heroic resistance and genocide shattered the Kremlins narrative that Russians and Ukrainians are the same.

The war also spurred the growth of the Ukrainian language, the traditional target of Russias attempts to suppress Ukraines independence. In Ukraine, Russian speakers whom the Kremlin propaganda ostensibly seeks to liberate increasingly abandon the language of the invader and switch to Ukrainian. Worldwide, the number of people interested in learning Ukrainian has skyrocketed. The language learning app Duolingo found that over the last year, 1.3 million people began learning Ukrainian on that platform alone, with Germany and Poland registering a whopping 1,600% increase in Ukrainian learners.

The vibrant Ukrainian culture has also received increased recognition from both award committees and the public. In 2022, Serhiy Zhadan, a Ukrainian writer and poet whose masterpiece novel "The Orphanage" centers on the early stages of Russian-Ukrainian conflict in 2014, won two prestigious literary prizes, including the German Peace Prize. Stefania, a song combining rap music with traditional western Ukrainian instruments and costumes, triumphed at the Eurovision contest.

These achievements should not be seen as mere signs of wartime solidarity; Ukrainian performers have won Eurovision contests in the past and Ukrainian writers can boast of literature awards prior to 2022. What changed is not the Ukrainians talent and creativity but the international awareness of and interest in Ukrainian culture.

Russias invasion, which explicitly utilized the Romanov dynastys symbols, language and aspirations, also led to a growing global recognition of Russias colonial past and the lack of domestic reckoning with this troubled history. As scholars grapple with calls to decolonize the research and teaching on Eurasia, the West finally accepted that Russia does not have a monopoly on the history and culture of regions it controlled in the past.

Thus, the New Yorks Metropolitan Museum of Art recently changed its description of artists born in the territory of Ukraine from Russians to Ukrainians. As the awareness of Ukraine and its history continues to grow, more of Ukraines historical heritage will be recognized and reclaimed.

Ukraine is the heart of a region that the historian Timothy Snyder describes as bloodlands, territories which are located between Russia and Germany and thus became the epicenter of both Hitlers and Stalins atrocities before and during World War II. The Kremlins violence, however, has been overshadowed by the Holocaust, the most horrific and best known of mass murders.

Putins invasion of Ukraine has made the world more aware of past suffering inflicted by Russia on Ukraine and its different communities  ethnic Ukrainians, Crimean Tatars, Jews, Poles and others. This is most pronounced with the Holodomor, the Soviet man-made famine of 1932-33 in which millions perished. While Ukraine views the Holodomor as genocide, other countries were previously more reluctant to use this label. In 2022, the European Parliament and national parliaments, including those of Germany, the Czech Republic and Brazil, recognized the famine as genocide.

Highlighting and publicizing Ukraines history abroad is not without challenges. The growing awareness of Ukraines complex past also inevitably involves painful conversations about the darker events, most notably the World War II-era violence and terrorism perpetrated by the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). While many in Ukraine celebrate these organizations and their leader Stepan Bandera as fighters for national independence, others, including Germany, Israel and Poland, Ukraines closest ally, see these events differently.

Bandera and his followers certainly fought against Moscow and for an independent Ukraine, but the Ukrainian state they originally envisioned was to be authoritarian, illiberal and with no protections for minorities. Had Bandera been alive, he would have undoubtedly been horrified by the idea of Ukraine led by the ethnically Jewish President Volodymyr Zelensky. Ukrainian extreme nationalists were active in anti-Jewish violence during the Holocaust, and the UPAs war against the Poles turned into a campaign of ethnic cleansing, which many in Poland consider a genocide.

Yet this debate is fully necessary, foremost for Ukraine itself. As the world discovers Ukraine, the crucial question is which Ukraine will emerge out of this brutal war.

Ukrainians have already shown that Russia and Ukraine are not the same, but the struggle to build a democratic, liberal and inclusive Ukraine is still on. Those who, over the last year, learned to appreciate Ukraine, its culture and history can become important allies in this endeavor.

Eugene Finkel, an associate professor of international affairs at Johns Hopkins University, is the author of the forthcoming book To Kill Ukraine. @eugene_finkel

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
First shift workers leave the Belvidere Assembly Plant on Feb. 23, 2023, in Belvidere. For nearly six decades, the Belvidere Assembly Plant has been the leading employer and economic engine of the small river city near Rockford. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

When the whistle blows at the Belvidere Assembly Plant on Tuesday, it may signal the end of an era.

For nearly six decades, the massive auto plant has been the economic engine of the small river city near Rockford, churning out everything from the Plymouth Fury and the Chrysler New Yorker to the Dodge Dart.

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But after several years of downsizing and dwindling demand for its current product, the Jeep Cherokee, Stellantis is idling the plant indefinitely, laying off the last 1,200 workers and perhaps closing it for good.

Everyones on edge, said Kevin Logan, president of UAW Local 1268, which represents the remaining plant workers about to be laid off. Its going to be catastrophic for this community.

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Kevin Logan, president of UAW Local 1268, which represents the remaining plant workers about to be laid off, said: Its going to be catastrophic for this community. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

The Belvidere plant became the exclusive home for the Jeep Cherokee in 2017. The regions largest employer at its zenith, the plant had 5,464 workers on three shifts at the start of 2019, after building 270,000 of the SUVs during the previous year. But the plant has been in dramatic decline since then, slashing jobs and eliminating shifts as demand for its sole product waned.

Last year, Jeep Cherokee sales fell 55% to 40,322 vehicles, according to Stellantis.

Stellantis was created by the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and Peugeot of France in January 2021. Like many automakers, Stellantis is gearing up to convert from combustion engines to electric vehicles. It aims to have EVs account for 50% of all U.S. sales by 2030.

Sources said Belvidere was lined up to transition to an electric vehicle plant, specifically the new STLA large EV platform for the next generation Charger and Challenger. Instead, Stellantis announced in June the vehicles will be built in Windsor, Ontario, dashing the hopes of Belvidere boosters and dealing a major blow to the states EV manufacturing ambitions.

Stellantis is also building a $5 billion battery plant in Windsor.

It was a big slap in the face, said Logan, a lifelong Belvidere resident and 29-year plant veteran. They were dangling the carrot in front of us and pulled it away. I rack my brain several times every day, driving myself crazy trying to figure out what is the fate of this facility, why is the company doing this and what is their endgame.

In December, Stellantis announced the indefinite layoffs and the plant idling. The final shift is scheduled to punch out Feb. 28, the 5 million-square-foot auto plant will go dark and Belvidere will face an uncertain future.

For Belvidere, a city of 25,000 rising up from farm fields about 75 miles northwest of Chicago, the fear is palpable.

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Everyones talking, Is it going to be a ghost town in Belvidere? said Patty Ibraimi, owner of Uncle Johns Family Restaurant, a longtime local gathering spot. Its definitely going to be an issue if they dont reopen.

Ashley Williams, right, along with her twins, Emma and Paxton, 4, and her grandmother, Carol Kamholtz, arrive for lunch at Uncle Johns Family Restaurant in Belvidere on Feb. 23, 2023. Ashley is nervous for her mother and stepdad, both of whom work at the Belvidere Assembly Plant. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

Most of the workers at the Belvidere plant are hourly employees who could be eligible for a combination of state unemployment and supplemental unemployment benefits. There will be no severance package, but Stellantis will make every effort to place indefinitely laid off employees in open full-time positions as they become available, Stellantis spokeswoman Jodi Tinson said in an email.

That could mean uprooting for plants in Ohio, Michigan or points more distant. Workers who decline the transfer offer lose all their unemployment benefits, retaining only their seniority if Belvidere reopens under Stellantis, Logan said.

Those terms were part of a four-year UAW contract set to expire in September. Stellantis cant permanently close the Belvidere plant until then, potentially leaving the laid-off workforce in limbo until the automaker decides its fate.

Stellantis could use Belvidere as a bargaining chip in union negotiations by agreeing to put a product back in the plant in return for other concessions, according to Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions, a Pennsylvania-based research firm. That vehicle is unlikely to be the next-generation Jeep Cherokee, which he said is headed to the Stellantis plant in Toluca, Mexico.

The Toluca plant is also home to the Jeep Compass, which moved there from Belvidere in 2017 to make way for the Cherokee. Stellantis would not confirm where the Cherokee will be built going forward.

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We will make an announcement regarding the next generation Jeep Cherokee in due course, Tinson said.

The Belvidere Assembly Plant is pictured Feb. 2, 2012, when the automaker was planning to hire more than 1,600 workers to build the 2013 Dodge Dart alongside the Jeep Patriot and Compass SUVs. (Michael Tercha / Chicago Tribune)

Fiorani said Belvidere will likely remain idle until at least September. Down the road, Fiorani sees a dearth of products that could go to the Belvidere plant after it missed out on the STLA EV platform.

Belvidere is the only one of a dozen Stellantis plants in North America without a product in the pipeline, Fiorani said. All of the plants, he said, will eventually produce EVs.

Stellantis provided a glimpse of that EV future at the Chicago Auto Show earlier this month, where the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT EV concept car was on display along with the last of Charger and Challenger gas-powered muscle cars.

The Illinois auto manufacturing industry also includes Fords Chicago Assembly Plant, the Rivian EV plant in Normal and Lion Electric, a startup building EV buses and trucks in Joliet, as well as a handful of parts suppliers.

The state has been aggressively pursuing EV development, enacting legislation in an effort to get manufacturers and suppliers to locate in Illinois, with decidedly mixed results. It has been lobbying hard for Stellantis to electrify the Belvidere plant.

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Seeing the Stellantis EV platform, thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in investment head to Canada while Belvidere sits idle was not part of the states development playbook.

I certainly dont like the idea of an indefinitely idled plant, said Dan Seals, CEO of Intersect Illinois, the states public-private economic development arm. I want them to be able to retool it and use it for EVs. Just having it sit there out of use, thats the worst outcome from my perspective.

Jeep Cherokees line a parking lot outside the Belvidere Assembly Plant, where the vehicle is produced, on Dec. 4, 2018. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

Seals said Stellantis is still trying to figure out if theres an option to power up the Belvidere plant after it closes in March. He cited the existing workforce, infrastructure and cost efficiencies of converting it to an EV plant as a compelling case for Stellantis, or another automaker.

The state has already received an inquiry from a site consultant, Seals said.

I think youre going to find a lot of interest in that site, Seals said. Theres a lot of demand for sites just like the one that weve got in Belvidere.

Illinois is beefing up its financial incentives to lure or keep automakers in the state in the wake of Stellantis decision to idle the plant.

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In February, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the Invest in Illinois Act, which created a $400 million closing fund to incentivize EV manufacturers and other businesses to locate, expand or remain in the state through favorable financing.

The 2021 Reimagining Electric Vehicles in Illinois Act incentivizes EV manufacturers to locate in the state through tax credits. The legislation was amended in December  10 days after Stellantis announced it was idling the Belvidere plant  upping the incentive to 75% of state income tax for automakers that retain employees as they transition to EV production.

Last month, the legislation was renamed the Reimagining Energy and Vehicles in Illinois Act and expanded to incorporate renewable energy projects.

Illinois is still lagging behind neighboring states such as Michigan, which approved a $1 billion economic incentive fund in December 2021 aimed at EV manufacturing development. Last year, Michigan attracted more than $14 billion in electric vehicle and battery investments, according to the state.

The incentive conversation is one place where were at a disadvantage, Seals said. But at the end of the day, incentives are just one of many factors about why a company locates.

The center of the Illinois EV ecosystem is Rivian, which bought an idled Mitsubishi plant for $16 million in 2017, completed a $1.2 billion renovation and breathed new life into Normal, a college town about 130 miles south of Chicago.

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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 37 Workers load a part as robotic equipment assembles R1T truck bodies in a marriage line on April 11, 2022, at the Rivian electric vehicle plant in Normal. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

California-based Rivian launched production in September 2021. It now has 7,000 employees building an electric pickup truck, SUV and Amazon delivery van in a formerly vacant, 3.3 million-square-foot auto plant.

Rivian has struggled to ramp up production, narrowly missing a downwardly revised target of 25,000 vehicles last year. It had 114,000 electric pickup trucks and SUVs on back order as of November.

Canadian EV truck manufacturer Lion Electric invested $70 million to convert a 900,000-square-foot Joliet warehouse into a factory to produce up to 20,000 electric commercial trucks and buses a year. The first EV school bus rolled off the line in November, and the company has more than 2,000 on order, Lion spokesman Brian Alexander said.

Lion, which is in line to receive $7.9 million in state tax credits if it meets investment and job creation goals, has about 100 employees, with plans to hire 1,000 workers as it ramps up to full capacity over the next four years, Alexander said.

We expect it to be the largest dedicated medium- and heavy-duty EV truck manufacturing facility in the country, Alexander said.

It remains to be seen whether the Belvidere Assembly Plant will undergo a similar EV transformation under Stellantis  or another automaker  after the factory goes dark in March.

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For Belvidere, industrial roots run as deep as the abundant farm fields that surround it. Beyond a quaint downtown straddling the Kishwaukee River, where colorful murals adorn the sides of its brick buildings, a factory has long loomed large.

Colorful murals adorn the sides of buildings on State Street in Belvidere's downtown on May 1, 2019. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

Belvideres previous manufacturing giant, the National Sewing Machine Co., set up shop in 1886 and was one of the regions largest employers for more than half a century, with about 2,000 workers at its peak. It closed in 1957 and most of the expansive factory, which took up 26 acres, including an iconic tower and foundry, was demolished.

The factory was huge, said Anna Pivoras, executive director of the Boone County Museum of History in downtown Belvidere. Theres only just a couple of vestiges left of it.

In 1965, Chrysler turned Belvidere into an auto town when it opened the assembly plant, with a white Plymouth Fury II sedan the first vehicle to roll off the line. Over the years, the plant was retooled several times, making everything from the compact Dodge Neon to the full-size Chrysler New Yorker.

A Plymouth Fury II, the first car to roll off the line at the Chrysler plant in 1965, is on display at the Boone County Museum of History in Belvidere on May 1, 2019. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

During Chryslers bankruptcy in 2009, the plant was down to 200 employees before Fiat and a government bailout rescued it and the company.

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By 2012, fresh off a $700 million investment to gear up for production of the Dodge Dart, Fiat Chryslers chairman, Sergio Marchionne, visited the plant to announce the addition of a third shift and 1,800 workers.

The plants future seemed secure when it became the exclusive home for the Jeep Cherokee in 2017. It was soon hitting on all cylinders, with more than 5,000 workers building 270,000 of the SUVs in 2018.

But Fiat Chrysler eliminated the third shift in 2019, downsizing 1,400 workers out of their jobs amid declining demand for the Cherokee. Then the pandemic hit, disrupting production with closures and supply chain issues.

Stellantis took the keys to the factory at the start of 2021. The plant was mostly closed from March through October of that year due to the semiconductor shortage. When production resumed in November, the plant was down to one shift and about 2,100 employees.

Workers assemble Jeep Patriot and Compass SUVs at Chrysler's Belvidere Assembly Plant on Feb. 2, 2012. (Michael Tercha / Chicago Tribune)

The ranks were thinned by smaller cuts last year, dwindling to 1,350 workers before Stellantis announced the indefinite idling in December.

Within days, that employee count will be zero.

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Pam Lopez-Fettes, executive director of Growth Dimensions, the economic development organization for Belvidere and Boone County, said about 2,000 jobs will be lost from the plants idling, including layoffs at nearby suppliers such as Syncreon.

The impact, she said, will stretch far beyond Belvidere, where the workforce comes from a 70-mile radius.

While she is hopeful that Stellantis, or another automaker, will restart the auto plant, she believes the area is less dependent on the plant than it used to be.

Belvidere, Boone County has diversified, Lopez-Fettes said. We have very strong distribution and logistics thats growing, and we also have food processing that is growing.

In the broader Rockford region, the aerospace industry is now the largest employer, followed by logistics and advanced manufacturing. Lopez-Fettes said she has already been contacted by a number of area manufacturing businesses looking to hire displaced autoworkers.

The imminent plant idling is nonetheless causing some anxiety at Uncle Johns Family Restaurant, a Belvidere fixture since 1992.

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Tia Rushiti, center, speaks with her husband, Mo, left, and daughter Besa, 14, during her shift at Uncle Johns Family Restaurant in Belvidere on Feb. 23, 2023. Tia is a former third-shift worker at the Belvidere Assembly Plant who was laid off. Her husband still works there and is concerned about losing his job after 17 years. The couple have two high schoolers. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

We all thrive on that huge plant, said Ibraimi, 46, who grew up in Belvidere and began working at her family-owned restaurant when she was a teenager. Theyre a big part of the community, we have a lot of people that work there. When theyre working, theyre eating, theyre going out. And for them to close completely, its devastation for the town and the businesses.

The restaurant launched just before the Plymouth and Dodge Neon in 1994, which boosted employment and created a steady base of customers for the restaurant. Business slowed during the Great Recession, and whenever the plant was down for retooling

The arrival of the Jeep Cherokee in 2017 was a boon for Boone County and the restaurant, which completed an extensive remodeling last summer. Then came the December plant idling announcement from Stellantis.

Were already feeling it a little bit because theyre getting ready to close, Ibraimi said. We have regulars that work there, but youre not seeing them as much. They know theyre getting ready to get laid off.

One of those getting laid off is Ibraimis brother, a 20-year plant veteran who left the family restaurant business for a job on the assembly line. In a city of 25,000, its hard to find someone who isnt related to a current or former worker at the auto plant.

While Belvidere and the states economic development organizations continue to make the case for Stellantis to turn the lights back on at the plant, the company remains noncommittal.

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The company is working to identify other opportunities to repurpose the Belvidere facility, Tinson said. We have nothing to announce at this time.

Inside the Boone County Museum of History is a white, four-door Plymouth Fury II sedan. Cordoned off by a white chain stanchion, a large sign proudly proclaims the rear-wheel drive sedan the 1st Car Built Here.

The car, which carried a sticker price of $3,206.90  including extras such as an AM radio, an electric clock and undercoating  was minted July 7, 1965.

The Plymouth Fury is the first car off the assembly line, said museum director Pivoras. It is the most popular artifact in our entire museum  weve had people travel here just to see it. Itll always be here.

Many locals are hoping it wont be joined by a Jeep Cherokee circa Feb. 28, 2023, as the last vehicle built in Belvidere.

rchannick@chicagotribune.com
When you buy shares in a company, it's worth keeping in mind the possibility that it could fail, and you could lose your money. But on the bright side, you can make far more than 100% on a really good stock. One great example is Macquarie Telecom Group Limited (ASX:MAQ) which saw its share price drive 251% higher over five years. And in the last week the share price has popped 8.6%. This could be related to the recent financial results, released less than a week ago -- you can catch up on the most recent data by reading our company report.

Since it's been a strong week for Macquarie Telecom Group shareholders, let's have a look at trend of the longer term fundamentals.

Check out our latest analysis for Macquarie Telecom Group

While the efficient markets hypothesis continues to be taught by some, it has been proven that markets are over-reactive dynamic systems, and investors are not always rational. One way to examine how market sentiment has changed over time is to look at the interaction between a company's share price and its earnings per share (EPS).

Macquarie Telecom Group's earnings per share are down 4.2% per year, despite strong share price performance over five years.

So it's hard to argue that the earnings per share are the best metric to judge the company, as it may not be optimized for profits at this point. Since the change in EPS doesn't seem to correlate with the change in share price, it's worth taking a look at other metrics.

In contrast revenue growth of 7.2% per year is probably viewed as evidence that Macquarie Telecom Group is growing, a real positive. In that case, the company may be sacrificing current earnings per share to drive growth.

The graphic below depicts how earnings and revenue have changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).

It's probably worth noting we've seen significant insider buying in the last quarter, which we consider a positive. That said, we think earnings and revenue growth trends are even more important factors to consider. So we recommend checking out this free report showing consensus forecasts

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What About The Total Shareholder Return (TSR)?

We'd be remiss not to mention the difference between Macquarie Telecom Group's total shareholder return (TSR) and its share price return. The TSR attempts to capture the value of dividends (as if they were reinvested) as well as any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings offered to shareholders. Macquarie Telecom Group's TSR of 259% for the 5 years exceeded its share price return, because it has paid dividends.

A Different Perspective

While the broader market gained around 4.3% in the last year, Macquarie Telecom Group shareholders lost 2.0%. However, keep in mind that even the best stocks will sometimes underperform the market over a twelve month period. On the bright side, long term shareholders have made money, with a gain of 29% per year over half a decade. It could be that the recent sell-off is an opportunity, so it may be worth checking the fundamental data for signs of a long term growth trend. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. Even so, be aware that Macquarie Telecom Group is showing 1 warning sign in our investment analysis , you should know about...

Macquarie Telecom Group is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on AU exchanges.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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Orange County Sheriffs Office arrested a suspect in the Pine Hills mass shooting on Wednesday.

Five victims were involved in the Orange County shooting; two have died, and two others were critically injured.

The suspect, Keith Moses, is facing a first-degree murder charge in the death of Nathacha Augustin, whom he had killed earlier in the day at the same scene.

LIVE UPDATES: Bodycam video of suspects arrest released; news photographers condition improving

Orange County Sheriff John Mina said Moses would also be charged with homicide in the deaths of TYonna Major, 9, and reporter Dylan Lyons, 24.

Bodycam video of Moses arrest was released Thursday.

The sheriff said Moses is a known gang member, but the shootings were not gang-related.

According to court records, Moses has been arrested more than a dozen times.

At only 19 years old, Moses has a lengthy criminal history, with charges beginning in 2018 when he was only 14.

Many of those records are sealed, but a Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrest history shows it includes several domestic violence battery charges, attempted robbery with a firearm and grand theft of a motor vehicle.

Most of those charges were dropped or adjudication withheld. Moses was sentenced to community service.

WATCH: Bodycam video shows arrest of suspected gunman in Orange County shootings

The arrest history also shows several probation violations, with one sentencing provision listing him as low-risk.

His most recent arrest was in 2021. An arrest affidavit shows an officer was patrolling Pine Hills when they saw a vehicle with Moses as a passenger.

The affidavit said an officer noticed people in the car were smoking cannabis, and as deputies approached them, a stolen forearm was tossed from the car.

Moses faced a misdemeanor charge from that arrest.

Affidavit: Man offered accused mass shooter a ride moments before first Pine Hills shooting

Ninth Circuit State Attorney Monique Worrell said Moses only adult offense was possession of 4.6 grams of marijuana.

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.
Organisational culture must be client/customer focused. Per-Anders Pettersson/GettyImages

The small and medium scale enterprise (SME) sector plays a critical economic role in both developed and developing countries. It is a significant source of job creation and contributes to innovation and technological growth.

In Nigeria, SMEs account for 96% of all businesses and 87% of employment in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors. However, in the last five years, they have contributed just 48% of the national GDP. This figure is skewed by the dominance of oil in the countrys economy. But the output of SMEs in Nigeria could be better. For instance, SMEs in Australia contribute 57% to their national GDP.

The low output of SMEs in Nigeria suggests they may be failing to secure customers because of the quality or price of products and services, and the speed of delivery. Its possible they could benefit from applying total quality management, a philosophy aimed at continuously improving processes, products and services by focusing on customer expectations. This strategy might help businesses meet consumer demands and offer better customer service.

Not many studies have examined the association between total quality management and performance in SMEs, particularly in developing countries. We carried out research in Nigeria to find out whether organisational culture influenced the way these businesses carried out total quality management and whether it had a bearing on business performance.

By organisational culture, we mean the principles, standards and behaviours that direct the activities of workers in a business.

We found that SME owners and managers found it difficult to align their organisational culture with their efforts to improve their businesses. Our study also showed that a culture that gave more consideration to the client was likely to boost the performance of the business.

Total quality management

Total quality management is a strategy for improving service and efficiency in order to fulfil or surpass consumer needs. The idea is to make a business more competitive in the market. It considers all quality improvements implemented at all stages and including all company workers. It is focused on customers but also includes its workers in performance growth. Quality is integrated into the organisations culture through policies, documentation and efficient communication.

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Some studies have found that total quality management improves business performance while others have found no relationship. But organisational culture is thought to have a role to play in the way total quality management is followed. Culture influences work style, behaviour and decision making, and ultimately the firms performance.

We collected questionnaires from the owners or managers of 364 manufacturing SMEs in the southwestern region of Nigeria in 2018. We identified six total quality management practices  leadership, customer focus, strategic planning, human resource management, information and analysis, and process management. Then we looked at how closely respondents followed them. Respondents were also asked to assess the level of performance of their firms over the past three years.

We found that when total quality management was incorporated into organisational culture, it created competence and promoted proficiency and expertise. So, in this way, organisational culture assisted business owners or managers to improve their firms performance. This would be a long-term competitive advantage for the business.

Culture can enhance performance

Our analysis shows that total quality management could improve SMEs performance and create a competitive advantage. This would in turn increase their contribution to economic development.

Total quality management recognises organisational culture  a firms work style, decision making and behaviour  as one of the most important requirements for enhancing performance.

In our view, more Nigerian manufacturing SMEs need a supportive organisational culture to successfully implement total quality management. This would make companies more profitable and perform better.

We believe total quality management should prioritise managerial leadership in organisations rather than long-term supervision. This is a style of leadership by mentoring and guiding rather than dictating. It would encourage work pride, team work and participatory management. Based on our findings, we believe that a culture that makes workers feel they have something valuable to contribute would be more effective than a culture of fear.

What we found indicates that business owners and managers should focus on their employees continuous advancement. They can do this by improving training and appropriate reward schemes, based on a needs assessment. They must also improve the workplace. Leaders must embrace mentoring and guiding and rid the workplace of fear.

We recommend that to meet the needs of customers and exceed their expectations, total quality management should be carried out effectively with the workers support and embedded in organisational culture.

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

It was written by: Anthony Abiodun Eniola, PhD, Landmark University.

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Anthony Abiodun Eniola, PhD works at the Business Studies Department, Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara State.
An Orlando man will spend more than a decade behind bars for dealing methamphetamine, the U.S. Dept. of Justice announced Friday.

A U.S. District Judge recently issued a 12-year federal prison sentence to Martin Felder Jr., 43, for possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, according to the Middle District of Florida.

The DOJ said that Felder was under investigation for distributing narcotics in the Tampa area.

READ: 2 tractor trailers, 4 other vehicles involved in double fatal crash on Floridas Turnpike

Federal officials said that on two occasions, he sold methamphetamine and heroin to a confidential source with the Drug Enforcement Administration and said that forensic testing of drugs seized by the DEA showed a very high purity methamphetamine thats known as ice.

The court also ordered Felder to forfeit assets he gained that could be traced to the proceeds of his offense.

WATCH: Bodycam video shows arrest of suspected gunman in Orange County shootings

Felder pleaded guilty in October 2022, the DOJ said.

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The news photographer critically injured in a shooting attack in Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday afternoon has spoken from his hospital bed for the first time, revealing that he initially thought he had been hit with a stray bullet by mistake.

Jesse Walden, 29, was part of the Spectrum News 13 team that arrived to cover the scene of a homicide in the Pine Hills neighbourhood of the city after a woman, since identified as Nathacha Augustin, 38, was found dead in her car, only for the gunman to return to the scene and fire into their unmarked van for unknown reasons.

The gunfire killed TV reporter Dylan Lyons, 24, a Philadelphia native who had come to the state to study at the University of Central Florida and pursue a media career.

The killer then entered a nearby house and allegedly fired on a mother and her nine-year-old daughter, killing the child, who has since been named as Tyonna Major, an extremely smart aspiring gymnast, according to her great-aunt.

A suspect, Keith Melvin Moses, 19, was quickly apprehended by local police and a handgun recovered. He has since declined to cooperate with their questions in custody, according to Orange County sheriff John Mina.

Speaking from his Orlando hospital bed to local station KOB out of Albuquerque, New Mexico, where his own career began, Mr Walden said he was recovering from a wound to his groin.

Remembering the incident that put him there, he said: I turn around because Im like, Oh, there must be a drive-by shooting going on.

I see that hes shooting at me. I was assuming he was shooting at a house or something behind me and I just happened to catch a bullet. But he kept shooting at me.

My friend Jesse Walden survived the deadly shooting spree in Orlando, FL on Wednesday. The reporter he was working with did not. Dylan Lyons was about the same age I was when I started working with Jesse. We share his story next on @KOB4. pic.twitter.com/2xLVzL2Z3E  Ryan Laughlin (@RyanLaughlinKOB) February 24, 2023

I am so relieved to say our photographer Jesse Walden is doing better. He's hoping to be out of the hospital in the next day or two, then it's likely months of recovery. It was comforting seeing him but devastating knowing Dylan is gone. @MyNews13 https://t.co/AvKveDX4Ak  Rebecca Turco (@RebeccaTurcoTV) February 23, 2023

He recalled taking cover by ducking below the vans steering wheel.

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I was trying to figure out if I could kinda play cat and mouse with him and avoid being shot.

Remembering his late colleague, with whom he had been paired because they joined the station not long after one another last year, Mr Walden said: Dylan was a reporter I worked with every day. We were best friends.

He was just a sweet guy. He was young and he loved trying hard. Thats what we like to do. We like to push the boundaries. We like to get our hands dirty. Its just unprovoked, senseless, random violence that no one couldve saw coming.

Its so unfair that it happened to Dylan.
By Cecile Mantovani

GENEVA (Reuters) - At a sombre ceremony outside the United Nations office in Geneva on Friday, ambassadors from countries allied with Ukraine observed a minute of silence and voiced their support for Kyiv as they marked the first anniversary of Russia's invasion.

The permanent representatives to the U.N. of countries like France, Canada and the United Kingdom embraced their Ukrainian counterpart Yevheniia Filipenko, wearing a vyshyvanka, a traditional embroidered shirt, under her jacket.

"It is important that Ukrainians know that the world remembers them, that the world will speak about the Russian's atrocities, Russian's war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Ukraine," Filipenko told reporters, as diplomats and members of the local Ukrainian community surrounded her.

With Ukrainian blue and yellow flags draped around their shoulders, some spectators held signs calling for the international community to punish Russia over the invasion.

One sign, held by three women, said: "Veto power in the hands of a terrorist," referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia's veto right as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council.

Russia has denied committing atrocities in Ukraine.

At the United Nations Human Rights Council opening next week, Kyiv and its allies will seek to extend the mandate of a U.N investigation body set up to probe atrocities committed by Russian troops in Ukraine.

"We want to see the commission of inquiry extended and we want to see accountability for the atrocities that have been committed day in, day out, in the streets and in the fields of Ukraine," said Simon Manley, the permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations Office in Geneva.

Jerome Bonnafont, France's ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, said the anniversary was also an opportunity to highlight the Ukrainian people's incredible resistance.

"We are here to commemorate a tragic day, the beginning of the invasions of Ukraine by Russia, but also, a day where a resistance that we all admire began," he said.

(Reporting by Cecile Mantovani and Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber; Editing by Diane Craft)
Savannah City Council on Thursday voted to pass an ordinance that would charge developers an additional fee when building new subdivisions, commercial buildings and projects in city limits. The move, approved by an 8-1 vote, is meant to help fund infrastructure costs for those new developments, a cost typically covered by all Savannah taxpayers.

In a public hearing before the vote, several local homebuilders and developers protested the ordinance, citing the affect on housing affordability at a time when market conditions and inflation have already pushed costs to historic highs.

Most council members touted the impact fee as an opportunity to pass the tax burden of infrastructure on to new residents, with the alternative being finding the revenue elsewhere, likely through raising taxes on all Savannahians.

Savannah City Council at a July 2022 meeting, SMN file photo

District 4 Alderman Nick Palumbo cast the lone dissenting vote. He recommended holding off to see what happens with Georgia House Bill 514, which, if passed by the Georgia General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp would exempt workforce housing and affordable housing from impact fees.

If were going to be serious about affordable housing, we need to be serious about housing affordability, Palumbo said.

District 1 Alderwoman Bernetta Lanier urged council to support the measure before the vote, noting that the sprawling Savannah Highlands subdivision, which lies within her district, would've benefited greatly from the fee had it been in place prior to the development boom in the area.

"I understand those that oppose this, but we have a responsibility to put policies in place that are equitable," Lanier said.

More:Impact fees are a 'blunt instrument.' Developers, city leaders debate pros and cons

More:Savannah City Council to vote on impact fees: What that means for your tax dollars?

Developer concerns

The public hearing featured developers who urged council to hold off on implementing the fee until more conversations can be had. Speakers included representatives from the Savannah Homebuilders Association, president John Mowry and attorney Keri Martin, who stated they'd wish they'd "had a seat at the table" as the ordinance was being crafted.

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City staff have been working on the impact fee ordinance for over a year, with multiple public workshops and hearings in that time.

Mowry said the cost of the fee will be passed along to homebuyers, and said it would likely push homebuyers out of the city to less expensive housing markets in places such as Statesboro and Metter.

"Were taking the affordability out of houses people can actually afford," Mowry said. "Were pushing them further out."

Added Martin, "Yes, impact fees are a great way to raise revenue, but is now the time?"

Ben Wall Jr., the president of Atlantic Waste Services, suggested the city sell the land used for Savannah police's mounted unit stables to raise revenue.

Affordable housing exemption, CIE

Prior to the impact fee ordinance vote itself, council approved two prerequisite items, including the Capital Improvements Element, a list of projects that will make use of funds raised by the impact fee, as well as a resolution exempting 25% of the impact fee payment required for affordable housing developments.

Qualified affordable housing developments include housing developed using low income housing tax credits, housing in federal opportunity zones, and housing developed using government funds with a deed-restricted affordability period of at least 15 years.

Additionally single or multifamily developments with rents at or below fair market rents as determined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development get the 25% exemption, as well as homes sold at or below 80% of the Federal Housing Administration limits for 15 years. These must be approved by the city manager to qualify.

What is an impact fee?

Put broadly, an impact fee is a one-time surcharge levied on developers looking to build within city limits. The impact fee is calculated as a percentage of the base cost of the development as a whole.

The money collected through impact fees provides the city with revenue to offset the cost of expanding the services required by new developments  especially housing developments, though the fees arent exclusive to residential projects.

Commercial and industrial developments will have calculated fees as well, but from a public services standpoint, low-density single-family home developments are the most costly.

In Savannahs case, an impact fee would cost developers 1% of the median cost of a new home in Savannah over the course of the last year, which comes out to $3,931 per property. The developer would pay the impact fee much like they would building permit fee.

Developments that meet the definition of affordable housing  housing that costs less monthly than 30% of an individual's gross income  would receive a 25% exemption from impact fees.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah Council approves impact fees for new developments, houses
Ozy Media and its CEO, Carlos Watson, are in hot water.

According to a Reuters report, Watson and his media company have been criminally charged for scheming to defraud investors of tens of millions of dollars by misrepresenting the companys debts, financial performance, and audience size.

The post Ozy Media And CEO Carlos Watson Face Criminal Charges For Allegedly Defrauding Investors Of Millions appeared first on AfroTech.

Allegedly, the charges against Watson and Ozy Media are based on his working with co-conspirators to forge a contract and as an executive for a cable network company to gain financing from a bank in 2019.

It was also reported that Watson and the co-conspirator allegedly convinced an unidentified financial institution to invest $45 million by falsifying records regarding the companys audience size, backing from other investors, and revenue.

As alleged, Carlos Watson is a con man whose business strategy was based on outright deceit and fraud  he ran Ozy as a criminal organization rather than as a reputable media company, Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Breon Peace reportedly said in a statement.

Watson posted a $1 million bail, having been arrested just days after his co-founder Samir Rao pleaded guilty to similar charges in Brooklyn federal court. In a statement to Variety, Watsons attorney expressed his discontent with the matter.

I am deeply disappointed by the events of today. We were engaged in a good faith and constructive dialogue with the government. Given the [Justice] Departments claims of promoting such dialogue, I do not understand the dramatic decision to arrest Carlos today, Lanny Breuer said, according to Reuters.

The alleged scheme involved Rao impersonating a YouTube executive to raise for his media company.

And while Rao has admitted to guilt, Watson has not been forthcoming with his alleged participation in the incident.

Watson acknowledged the incident on Twitter at the time but denied wrongdoing and chalked Raos behavior up to a mental health episode. Goldman did not ultimately invest, Watson said in the tweet, Reuters reported.

In addition to the criminal charges against Watson and Ozy Media, the United State Securities and Exchange Commission filed a separate civil lawsuit against all parties.
PANAMA CITY  Commissioner Josh Street says residents should not miss out on an opportunity to be reimbursed for property damages caused by Hurricane Sally.

Panama City officials on Tuesday evening held a kickoff meeting for the Hurricane Sally Voluntary Home Buyout Program, an effort to use state funds to purchase at market value homes that still experience repetitive losses from the Category 2 storm that struck in September 2020.

Leaders say only about six people attended the meeting.

The city already participated in a similar, but different, program for properties affected by Hurricane Michael, a Category 5 storm that struck in October 2018.

Panama City on Tuesday held a kick off meeting for the Hurricane Sally voluntary Home Buyout Program. Only about six people attended, and officials say residents should not miss out on the opportunity.

"We need a whole lot more people to apply than (that) to make the program successful and worthwhile," Street said. "We already did this program one time before, and I think people think because they've applied for that program  the one that involved Hurricane Michael  that they don't need to apply to this program again.

"But they do have to apply for the new program. If you've applied before, it doesn't matter."

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Like the Hurricane Michael program, the Hurricane Sally program is offered to affected counties by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, along with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

The DEO allocated about $22 million for the Hurricane Sally program to purchase properties damaged by the storm that still repeatedly flood. Of that money, Bay County can apply to receive up to $5 million  the same amount it was given for the Hurricane Michael program.

Officials have said 21 properties qualified to be purchased at market value through the Hurricane Michael program. About 15 of those homes have closed so far.

According to Street, more than 20 homeowners with Hurricane Michael damages were turned away in the first voluntary home buyout program because not enough funding was allocated to cover their purchases. He said it is likely these residents also experienced damages during Hurricane Sally and could qualify for the new program.

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"We'll do a reach-out to each one of those individuals and ask them to apply to the new program," Street said. "There (also) may be people who didn't apply to (the first) program because they didn't know about it, and if they still have a flooded home, they need to apply to this (new) program."

The purpose of Tuesday's meeting was for residents to learn more about the Hurricane Sally program. It also was for Panama City to gather information on how many local residents are interested in participating in the new program.

The city will use that information to apply with the DEO, which will announce awards to local governments in May. Residents have until the end of March to submit interest forms to the city. Five people have submitted forms so far.

Along with reimbursing residents for damaged and faulty properties, the program also saves them the hassle of listing properties for sale and dealing with any devaluation caused by storm and flood damages. Any land purchased through the program will be converted into green spaces.

"Most programs that are buying flooded properties are doing it at a 75% appraised value, (but) this one is 100%," Street said. "We cover the closing costs. If they relocated within the city of Panama City, there's a relocation allowance associated with it. It's by far the fairest to the seller of any program that's out there."

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City rallying participants for voluntary home buyout program
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appears in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sept. 8, 2022, left, and country singer Brad Paisley attends a ceremony honoring Carrie Underwood with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Sept. 20, 2018, in Los Angeles. (Uncredited/AP)

NASHVILLE, Tenn.  A year ago, country star Brad Paisley watched the news on television as Russian troops invaded Ukraine and, like many people around the world, he felt helpless at the images of people fleeing their homes.

The world felt like it was in a new place that it hadnt been in decades, the three-time Grammy winner recalls.

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On Friday, the one-year anniversary of the wars start, Paisley is releasing a new song called Same Here, featuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaking proudly about his country and people.

The song is Paisleys first from his new record, Son of the Mountains, to be released later this year on Universal Music Group Nashville.

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The West Virginia native wrote the song with Lee Thomas Miller (co-writer on Paisley hits The World and Perfect Storm) and Dawes frontman Taylor Goldsmith. Its a three-part narrative that reflects on universal similarities, despite distance and language.

While it doesnt mention Ukraine specifically, the song ends with Paisley and Zelenskyy in conversation, recorded during a video call. Zelenskyy talks about Ukrainians desire for freedom, adding There is no distance between our two countries in such values.

Theres just no differences, Paisley told The Associated Press. You can put us in different places with different flags and different languages, but we have so many similarities.

Paisley is one of several celebrity ambassadors for Ukraines United24 crowdfunding effort, and has donated his time for other fundraising efforts to assist Ukrainians. But even he thought it would be a long shot to have the direct involvement of Zelenskyy, who has traveled the world advocating for Ukraines military and recovery efforts.

I think he understands that art is how you reach the most people, especially in the heart, Paisley said of Zelenskyy, who was an actor and comedian before becoming president.

He can give as many speeches as he can give, but its a lot easier to hear something with a melody maybe.

Zelenskyy didnt just sign off on the song; he also suggested some changes to it, Paisley said.

Paisleys royalties for the song will be donated to United24 to help build housing for thousands of displaced Ukrainians whose homes were destroyed in the war, he said. Using his platform to advocate for causes important to him has always been part of his career, whether it was opening a free grocery store in Nashville with his wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, or fighting hunger by donating 1 million meals during the pandemic.

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I wouldnt be able to sleep at night if I didnt sort of swing for the fence with things like this, Paisley said. For me, Im happiest dealing with stuff as a songwriter thats very true and very, very passionate. And sometimes I dont know if youd call it risky, but its more like its bigger than me.

Paisley brings his passion on stage during live shows. Hes been changing the lyrics to his hit song American Saturday Night, for instance, to replace a reference to the U.S.S.R. to Theres a Ukrainian flag hanging up behind the bar.

The new record will be his debut on UMG since moving from Sonys Arista label, and he said Same Here reflects the kinds of big universal themes on it.

We do deal with stuff going on in the world, Paisley said. How do you sing about things that are truly big  a big deal right now  that also dont feel like maybe theyre the type of thing that you would be singing about typically? And yeah, on this album I have kind of really dug deep and tried to say something.

Paisley, who has visited U.S. troops in Afghanistan, said hes been invited to visit Ukraine, which hed like to do. In the meantime, he hopes the songs message will bolster the country now facing down year two of the war.

Thats where it gets really rewarding... feeling like maybe the heart of this helps paint the picture they want to paint, Paisley said.
Paris Hilton shares intimate details about the emotional trauma she's experienced after being sexual assaulted and exploited as a teen. (Photo: Jon Kopaloff/WireImage)

Paris Hilton is taking her power back.

In a revealing new interview with Glamour UK, the hotel heiress, reality star and author of the forthcoming Paris: The Memoir, out March 14, spoke candidly about the sexual abuse she suffered as a teenager, including her first experience with intercourse, with an older man who she says drugged and raped her, as well as the vilification she experienced from powerful men as a young woman.

When recounting her first sexual experience, Hilton, 42, says she met the older man at the mall with her friend when she was 15 years old.

"These guys would always just be hanging around the stores [and] we'd talk to them, give them our beeper [pager] numbers," Hilton recalled. "And then one day, they invited us to their house and we're drinking these berry wine coolers."

Acknowledging that she "didn't drink or [do] anything back then," Hilton claims one of the men was particularly forceful in having her consume a drink he'd made, which she later realized had been drugged.

"When I had maybe one or two sips, I just immediately started feeling dizzy and woozy," she recalled. "I don't know what he put in there; I'm assuming it was a roofie." She eventually passed out. When she woke up a few hours later, she said she knew she'd been assaulted.

"I remembered it," she explained. "I have visions of him on top of me, covering my mouth, being like, 'You're dreaming, you're dreaming,' and whispering that in my ear."

It was around this time, Hilton notes, that she was also groomed by one of her high school teachers,

"I was just such a young girl and I got manipulated by my teacher," she explained. "He took advantage of a young girl and that was something I blocked out as well, I didn't remember it until years later... he would call me on the phone all the time, just flirting with me, trying to put in my mind that I was this mature woman."

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One night, she says, the teacher, who she does not name, lured her outside her Bel Air home and into his car, where they started kissing and were eventually caught by her parents, Kathy and Richard Hilton, who pulled up in their car and saw them. That's when her teacher sped off at "100 miles an hour" through Bel Air, with her parents following behind in hot pursuit.

"We were going so fast and somehow we got away from them through a red light. He was freaking out and drove me back home to Bel Air, where he was like, 'Get out,'" she said. "[I] just felt so ashamed by the whole situation  just from the beginning at such a young age and it really stuck with me in a weird way."

"To this day, I've not talked about it with my family. I've never told anyone," she added.

After these two encounters, her parents sent her to Provo Canyon School in Utah, where, she said in a 2020 tweet, her childhood was "stolen" from her.

This was a recurring experience not only for me but for other #survivors. I was violated & I am crying as I type this because no one, especially a child, should be sexually abused. My childhood was stolen from me & it kills me this is still happening to other innocent children.  ParisHilton (@ParisHilton) October 11, 2022

It was during this time, while locked up in Provo Canyon School, Hilton said she created a "dumb blonde" caricature, which she later became known for, as part of a coping mechanism to help heal from trauma.

The character was a trauma response, it was actually more comforting to put on this mask just to deal with everything Id been through in life," she said. I would literally just think about who I wanted to be and who I was going to become. I started closing my eyes and dreaming of this world; Im going to work so hard and become so successful and no one will ever control me again."

I was inspired by Marilyn Monroe, Barbie and Dolly Parton, all these blonde icons who were definitely playing characters as well," she added. "And that just made me not think about any of the bad stuff. It was like a total escape.

Later in the interview, Hilton recalls a cringey moment with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, who was recently sentenced to 16 years in prison for rape, at the Cannes Film Festival in 2000 when she was 19.

I was at lunch with my girlfriend and he came up to the table and was like, Oh, you want to be an actress? And I said, 'Yeah, I really want to be in a movie," she recalled saying to Weinstein. I was a teenager, so I was impressed by him. I was like, Oh my god, Harvey Weinstein is so cool! and he said, Well, we should have a meeting. You can come up to my room and read scripts.'"

"I just didnt want to go, so I never went," said Hilton, who was well-versed on the producer's predatory reputation. At a gala the next night, she claimed Weinstein became aggressive with her and followed her into the bathroom where he started screaming at her, Ya wanna be a star?

He tried to open the door, he was hammering on the door, banging on it," she recalled. "And I wouldnt open it, because I was like, Im in a stall, why do you want to come in here? And I just wouldnt open it. And security came and literally carried him away and he was like [shouting], This is my party, going nuts. It scared me and freaked me out.

Hilton said she never said anything about it because, at the time, Weinstein was a "powerful" man in Hollywood "who everyone was terrified of."

I was like, I dont want people getting mad at me for saying anything," she said, "because [his behavior] was just a known thing. He was just like that and people were like, OK, just turn a blind eye.

Since welcoming her first child, a son named Phoenix with husband Carter Reum, Hilton has become a staunch activist, having campaigned for the Stop Institutional Child Abuse bill, aiming to address systemic issues that increase reliance on congregate care and subject youth to abuse and neglect.

The mogul is also using her platform to speak out about last years repeal by the Supreme Court of Roe v. Wade, restricting women's access to safe abortions. For her, the issue is personal given that she herself had an abortion in her early 20s.

This was also something that I didnt want to talk about because there was so much shame around that, she said. I was a kid and I was not ready for that.

Still, she's ready to speak out now  and to continue advocating for the rights of women and girls  because "it is so important."

Theres just so much politics around it and all that, but its a womans body," she said. Why should there be a law based on that? Its your body, your choice and I really believe in that. Its mind-boggling to me that theyre making laws about what you do with your reproductive health, because if it were the other way around with the guys, it would not be this way at all.

Wellness, parenting, body image and more: Get to know the who behind the hoo with Yahoo Life's newsletter. Sign up here.
Paris Hilton and husband Carter Reum went to great lengths to keep the first days of their sons life just to themselves.

Not even my mom, or my sister, my best friends, no one knew until he was like over a week old, the heiress said on her iHeartRadio This Is Paris podcast this week, shortly after she shared the name and first photos of her son, Phoenix Barron Hilton Reum.

Hilton said she and her husband made the decision in order to announce the news to the world on their own terms.

So it was really nice just to have that with Carter. Be our own journey together, she continued. Because I just feel that my life has been so public, and Ive never really had anything just be mine.

I just really felt that I wanted to have this journey be us only, she added. It was hard to keep that in because we were so excited and wanted to tell our families, but we were just nervous, because if you tell one person, then you know, they tell someone and then all of a sudden its like in TMZ or Page Six.

She said it was a special moment when her mom, Kathy Hilton, finally met her grandson.

When I introduced my mom to our baby boy, it was amazing to see the look on her face, she said. She was so surprised  just the look on her face, it was priceless.

Phoenix was born via surrogate in January. Hilton, who is named after the French capital, also revealed on the podcast why she named him after the Arizona city.

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Paris Hilton said that her first sexual experience was nonconsensual and happened when she was 15. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Paris Hilton has said that her first sexual experience was nonconsensual and happened aged 15.

Speaking to Glamour UK, she recalled how an older man spiked her drink and took advantage of her.

"When I had maybe one or two sips, I just immediately started feeling dizzy and woozy," she said.

Paris Hilton said that her first sexual experience was nonconsensual and happened at the age of 15 when an older man slipped something into her drink and took advantage of her.

In a powerful new interview with Glamour UK, the hotel heiress and DJ spoke candidly about the abuse she suffered as a teenager, which also included being sent away to a correctional boarding school where she has previously said she was also sexually assaulted.

Hilton, who recently welcomed her first child with husband Carter Reum, said that before she was sent to Provo Canyon School in Utah, she was living with her maternal grandmother in Palm Springs.

However, as she told the outlet, she would return to Los Angeles to hang out at the Westfield Century City shopping center with her friends "almost every weekend."

"That was our favorite thing to do and these [older] guys would always just be hanging around the stores we'd talk to them, give them our beeper [pager] numbers," Hilton said.

"And then one day, they invited us to their house and we're drinking these berry wine coolers," she continued.

Hilton said she "didn't drink or [do] anything back then," but that one of the men was particularly forceful in making her consume the beverage, which she later realized had been spiked.

"When I had maybe one or two sips, I just immediately started feeling dizzy and woozy," she recalled. "I don't know what he put in there; I'm assuming it was a roofie [Rohypnol]."

Hilton said she passed out and when she woke up a few hours later, she knew that something had happened.

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"I remembered it," she said. "I have visions of him on top of me, covering my mouth, being like, 'You're dreaming, you're dreaming,' and whispering that in my ear."

American socialite and television personality Paris Hilton at age 15 in 1996. Colin Davey/Getty Images

Elsewhere in the interview, Hilton also recalled how she was groomed by one of her high school teachers, also when she was 15.

Touching on the story, which she shares in detail in her upcoming biography, "Paris: The Memoir," the 42-year-old star said: "I was just such a young girl and I got manipulated by my teacher."

"He took advantage of a young girl and that was something I blocked out as well, I didn't remember it until years later," Hilton continued. "He would call me on the phone all the time, just flirting with me, trying to put in my mind that I was this mature woman."

Hilton said that one night he lured her outside her home and into his car, before her parents, Kathy and Richard Hilton, caught them.

"We only kissed, but if my parents didn't come, imagine what he would've tried to do?" she said.

Not knowing what to do, the teacher took off with Hilton in his car and " literally drove through Bel Air at like 100 miles an hour" with her parents in hot pursuit.

"We were going so fast and somehow we got away from them through a red light. He was freaking out and drove me back home to Bel Air, where he was like, 'Get out.'"

She said that she "just felt so ashamed by the whole situation  just from the beginning at such a young age and it really stuck with me in a weird way."

"To this day, I've not talked about it with my family. I've never told anyone," she added.

After these two encounters, Hilton was sent to Provo Canyon School in Utah, where, she said in a 2020 tweet, her childhood was "stolen" from her.

Read the original article on Insider
Chris Wolf/ Getty

Paris Hilton decided to go through in vitro fertilization because Kim Kardashian told her about it.

Hilton told Glamour UK that Kardashian also introduced her to the idea of surrogacy.

Hilton had her first son, Phoenix, via surrogate at 42 years old.

Paris Hilton revealed she decided to go through a round of in vitro fertilization after hearing about it from her former assistant, Kim Kardashian.

Hilton, new mother to baby Phoenix, spoke to Glamour UK about her road to motherhood in a new interview.

She said she turned to Kardashian for advice during the process and ended up having her eggs frozen in her late thirties.

"I went and did the one round of IVF because Kim had told me about it. So I had eggs frozen," she told Glamour.

But then the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Hilton started dating her now-husband, Carter Reum in November 2019. During the lockdown, the couple chose to begin freezing embryos instead of just eggs.

Over the course of those months, the couple froze 20 different embryos.

"Carter and I had already been talking about the future and then the world was shut down, so I was like, 'What do you think about us making embryos?' And he said, 'Yeah, let's do it.'" Hilton recalled to Glamour.

They did it seven times and yielded 20 embryos  all boys. But what the couple really wants is a baby girl.

Hilton said she just went through another round of IVF in hopes of producing a girl.

Hilton, who had her son via surrogate, said Kardashian also introduced her to the idea of surrogacy. Kardashian used a surrogate for the birth of her youngest two kids, Chicago and Psalm. She added that she's even using the same doctor as Kardashian for her surrogacies.

But her age, 42, is not the reason she's turning to surrogacy for the births, telling Glamour that even if she were only 20 she'd still opt to have children this way.

"I'm just so scared," Hilton admitted, adding: "When I was in The Simple Life, I had to be in a room when a woman was giving birth and that traumatized me as well."

She continued, "But I want a family so bad, it's just the physical part of doing it. I'm just so scared childbirth and death are the two things that scare me more than anything in the world."

Read the original article on Insider
PATERSON  The city employee accused of taking bribes in exchange for bogus building permits had received two promotions during the past 16 months as his salary jumped from $32,500 to $59,999, according to public records.

The accused Economic Development department employee, Jose Fermin, was suspended this week without pay, Mayor Andre Sayegh said, declining to comment further.

The New Jersey Attorney Generals Office announced the charges against Fermin on Feb. 17, two days after city employees said he was arrested by State Police officers during the workday. Employees said the police officers told Fermin his car was damaged while it was parked in a Paterson garage, a ruse that they said seemed designed to get him out of the city office to arrest him.

The arrest and alleged scam

Court records filed along with the criminal complaints against Fermin said he had two co-conspirators, neither of whom was named by authorities. Fermin allegedly taught one co-conspirator how to forge another officials signature for the permits and that conspirator reportedly passed the fraudulent documents onto the other conspirator who would deliver them to clients, court records said.

Paterson: City seeks $438,000 from 'robbery squad' cops

The records dont say whether the others involved in the alleged scam were city employees, contractors, developers, or a group called expeditors, people who handle permit applications on behalf of builders.

Fermin could not be reached for comment for this story. Officials said his first court appearance is scheduled for March.

Recent promotions

Back in November 2021, Fermin was making $32,500 as a trainee in Patersons housing and zoning office, according to payroll records. In 2022, he was promoted to inspector with a salary of $47,396, according to state treasury records. At the time he was arrested, Fermin was Patersons assistant zoning officer and making almost $60,000, according to payroll records.

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Officials would not comment on Fermins recent promotions.

Stabbing: Were stolen sneakers behind killing of 14-year-old Paterson student?

The AGs Office said the crime hes accused of committing happened between Nov. 1, 2020 and Sept. 15, 2022. State authorities have not said how many bogus building permits Fermin allegedly sold, nor how much in bribes he allegedly received.

One of the co-conspirators told an undercover detective he could get a permit without any building plans for $1,500, according to the affidavit of probable cause filed with Fermins charges.

Bogus building permits

There have been rumors for years about bogus building permits being sold in Paterson.

In fact, Patersons current construction official, Gennaro Lobozzo, said in a lawsuit he filed against the city that former Community Improvements Director David Gilmore had lodged complaints with the Passaic County Prosecutors Office about building permits being illegally sold.

Lobozzos lawsuit said Gilmores allegations were baseless. Gilmore  who was fired last year and has his own whistleblower lawsuit pending against the city  said on Friday that he does not know if his past complaints are connected in any way to the AGs current case.

Gilmore said that Fermin had never been the target of any of his allegations. Other current and former employees in the zoning and housing office said they never suspected Fermin of any wrongdoing.

If true, these allegations are extremely disheartening and not reflective of the culture I have worked so hard to bring to the city," Sayegh said last week after Fermins arrest was announced.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson zoning officer suspended after being charged with bribery
Alex Murdaugh has told his murder trial about his son Pauls heartwarming words to friends in the wake of a boat crash that killed his 19-year-old friend - for which he was criminally charged.

Testifying in his own defence against charges for killing Paul and his wife Maggie at Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina on Thursday, Mr Murdaugh recounted how a friend of his son shared in his eulogy that Paul had encouraged friends to be appreciative in life.

The disgraced legal scion theorised that his late son had become more perceptive and empathic following a boat crash he was involved in back in 2019. Paul, then 19, was allegedly drunk driving the familys boat when it crashed, throwing him and his friends overboard and killing 19-year-old Mallory Beach.

[Pauls friend] said Paw Paw would tell his friends, Be present, appreciate where you are, the things you have, and the people around you, Mr Murdaugh said. I think all that came after Mallory died.

The prosecution has argued that Mr Murdaugh committed the murders to divert attention from his growing financial and legal troubles - including a lawsuit over the boat crash.

Alex Murdaugh gives testimony during his murder trial at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, S.C. (AP)

Mr Murdaugh also said that Paul had been misrepresented in the media, with not a single article portraying him in a good light.

At the time of Pauls death, he was also awaiting trial on charges of boating under the influence and faced up to 25 years in prison.

The Murdaugh family reached a wrongful death settlement with the Beach family earlier in January.

He is the most special boy, Mr Murdaugh said as he fought tears. Did I love him? I sure loved him.

I would never hurt Maggie. And I would never hurt Paul. Ever. Under any circumstances.

The disbarred lawyer also said Paul was loyal and sweet and would often check on his grandparents, and take his friends on the boat and go watch a sunset.

Mr Murdaugh also described his slain wife as a devoted wife and mother, who had dedicated her life to her boys.

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Although the couple had initially wanted to have a big family but had decided to stop having children after Paul was born because both her two pregnancies made her incredibly sick.

I just think how hard it was on her just made her love those boys so much more, he said. She never took not working for granted. She might not have worked, but I promise you she worked. She made sure me, Paul and Buster had everything.

Earlier in his bombshell testimony, Mr Murdaugh recounted making the gruesome discovery of his loved ones bodies on the night of 7 June 2021.

Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were killed on 7 June 2021 (Handout)

Im not exactly sure of what I did, Mr Murdaugh said as he broke down in tears. I know I got out of my car and then went back in my car to call 911.

I was trying to tend to Paw Paw, I was trying to tend to Maggie. I was going back and forth between them.

Mr Murdaugh said he tried checking for a pulse and turning Pauls body, but acknowledged that he knew he was dead.

I dont know why I tried to turn him over. I mean, my boy is laying face down and I knew he was gone the way he was, he said through sobs. I could see his brain laying on the sidewalk, I did not know what to do.

Mr Murdaugh also addressed a Snapchat video recorded by Paul around 8.40pm on the night of the murders, which placed him in the dog kennels shortly before the shooting. The accused killer confessed that he had lied to investigators when he said he wasnt at the kennels because he had developed paranoia due to his opioid addiction.

As my addiction evolved over time, I would get any situations or circumstances where I would get paranoid thinking, he said. It might be a look somebody gave me, it might be a reaction somebody had to something I did, it might be a policeman following me in a car.

Paul, then 19, was allegedly drunk driving the familys boat when it crashed, throwing him and his friends overboard and killing 19-year-old Mallory Beach (Facebook)

That night, June 7th, after finding Maggs and Paul  I wasnt thinking clearly. I dont think I was capable of reason. And I lied about being down there. And Im so sorry that I did.

The decision for Mr Murdaugh to testify comes as the defence plans to wrap up its case on Friday  a case that seeks to present the alleged killer and financial fraudster as a loving family man who would never have murdered his wife and son.

So far, jurors have heard from 11 defence witnesses including experts who testified about mistakes in the preservation of crime scene evidence, a ballistics expert who claimed Maggies shooter was 52 tall and not the 64 Mr Murdaugh, and the accused killers surviving son Buster.

In total, 61 prosecution witnesses covered a trove of circumstantial evidence, including cellphone and car data, a damning video allegedly placing Mr Murdaugh at the crime scene and apparent holes in his alibi for the time of the murders.

Mr Murdaughs decision to testify will also give the prosecution a major opportunity to cross-examine him on the plethora of scandals that surround the murders of his son and wife.

Mr Murdaugh, once a scion of a legal dynasty in his home state, is now facing at least 100 other criminal charges over a string of financial fraud allegations from his former law firm. He has also allegedly conspired to pay a hitman to shoot him dead so that his surviving son Buster would inherit a $10m life insurance.

The 54-year-old is facing life in prison on the murder charges.
When close to half the companies in Malaysia have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") above 14x, you may consider Pelikan International Corporation Berhad (KLSE:PELIKAN) as a highly attractive investment with its 5.6x P/E ratio. However, the P/E might be quite low for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

For example, consider that Pelikan International Corporation Berhad's financial performance has been poor lately as it's earnings have been in decline. It might be that many expect the disappointing earnings performance to continue or accelerate, which has repressed the P/E. If you like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's out of favour.

See our latest analysis for Pelikan International Corporation Berhad

pe

Although there are no analyst estimates available for Pelikan International Corporation Berhad, take a look at this free data-rich visualisation to see how the company stacks up on earnings, revenue and cash flow.

What Are Growth Metrics Telling Us About The Low P/E?

Pelikan International Corporation Berhad's P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver very poor growth or even falling earnings, and importantly, perform much worse than the market.

Taking a look back first, the company's earnings per share growth last year wasn't something to get excited about as it posted a disappointing decline of 33%. Still, the latest three year period has seen an excellent 608% overall rise in EPS, in spite of its unsatisfying short-term performance. Accordingly, while they would have preferred to keep the run going, shareholders would probably welcome the medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Weighing that recent medium-term earnings trajectory against the broader market's one-year forecast for expansion of 9.2% shows it's noticeably more attractive on an annualised basis.

In light of this, it's peculiar that Pelikan International Corporation Berhad's P/E sits below the majority of other companies. It looks like most investors are not convinced the company can maintain its recent growth rates.

Story continues

The Bottom Line On Pelikan International Corporation Berhad's P/E

While the price-to-earnings ratio shouldn't be the defining factor in whether you buy a stock or not, it's quite a capable barometer of earnings expectations.

We've established that Pelikan International Corporation Berhad currently trades on a much lower than expected P/E since its recent three-year growth is higher than the wider market forecast. When we see strong earnings with faster-than-market growth, we assume potential risks are what might be placing significant pressure on the P/E ratio. It appears many are indeed anticipating earnings instability, because the persistence of these recent medium-term conditions would normally provide a boost to the share price.

Plus, you should also learn about these 2 warning signs we've spotted with Pelikan International Corporation Berhad.

Of course, you might also be able to find a better stock than Pelikan International Corporation Berhad. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that sit on P/E's below 20x and have grown earnings strongly.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency has launched an online train derailment dashboard for concerned residents following the train derailment in East Palestine.

The website has information about air and water testing, health assessments and other resources.

>>> Vinyl chloride: What we know about the toxic chemical released at East Palestine train derailment

As clean-up efforts continue, our agency wants to make sure residents had an easily accessible online resource containing accurate and relevant information to refer to if they have questions, said PEMA Director Randy Padfield. Our priority continues to be ensuring that every concerned resident has the information and resources they need to make important health and safety decisions for their families.

RELATED >>> Pitt scientist with experience studying vinyl chloride shares concerns following train derailment

To access the website, click here.

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Former Vice President Mike Pence on Friday called for increased urgency from the Biden administration in providing support for Ukraine and warned of the risks of heeding those Republicans who have pushed for less U.S. involvement in the war there.

Speaking at the University of Texas at Austin on the anniversary of Russias invasion of Ukraine, the former vice president and potential 2024 presidential candidate argued it is in Americas interest to support the Ukrainian people.

Make no mistake: This is not Americas war. But if we falter in our commitment to providing the support to help people of Ukraine to defend their freedom, our sons and daughters may soon be called upon to defend ours, Pence said. If we surrender to the siren song of those in this country who argue that America has no interest in freedoms cause, history teaches we may soon send our own into harms way.

It would be foolish to think that Putins tanks will stop at Ukraines western border, Pence added.

Pence said Russian President Vladimir Putin bore responsibility for the war in Ukraine, and he cautioned that there can be no room in the leadership of the Republican Party for apologists for Putin.

The former vice president made a similar comment in the days after the invasion began in what was seen as a veiled swipe at former President Trump, who during his time in the White House often flattered Putin and said last year that the Russian leader showed savvy and genius in unilaterally declaring portions of eastern Ukraine were independent republics.

While congressional Republican leaders like Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) have been consistently supportive of backing Ukraines war effort, some prominent GOP lawmakers have been far more skeptical of U.S. support.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has called for an audit of the funds the U.S. has approved for Ukraine and earlier this week called for a national divorce, tweeting, We dont pay taxes to fund foreign countrys wars who arent even NATO allys.

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), a likely 2024 presidential candidate, went on Fox News this week to criticize the Biden administrations blank check policy for support for Ukraine, and dismissed the idea that Russia might press past Ukraine and into NATO countries.

Pence: Biden is hesitant in leadership

Pences speech on Friday came after a year of war in Ukraine, with hundreds of thousands dead and wounded, scores of Ukrainians driven to flee the country and the U.S. accusing Russia of perpetrating war crimes as its military bombed and invaded Ukrainian cities.

While the Biden administration and Congress have provided billions of dollars in military, economic and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, Pence accused the White House of being hesitant in leadership.

This week, President Biden said in Poland that Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia, Pence said. But to ensure this, we must accelerate the pace of military provisions to Ukraine.

Pence pointed specifically to a January announcement that the Biden administration would provide Ukraine with 31 Abrams tanks after pleas from Kyiv for the vehicles. But the secretary of the Army this week said those tanks may not reach the battlefield in Ukraine this year due to the time it takes to produce and transport the tanks and train Ukrainian soldiers on the equipment.

Thats not good enough, Pence said Friday. Time is of the essence. We need to provide tanks and resources in months, not years, to the people of Ukraine so they can defend their country.

Pence also called for continued humanitarian and economic assistance for the people of Ukraine. The former vice president met with refugees last March who had spilled over the Ukrainian border into Poland.

Pences speech, meant to showcase his foreign policy credentials, comes as he is mulling a possible 2024 presidential bid, with a decision expected in the coming weeks. He has frequently visited early voting states like Iowa, South Carolina and New Hampshire.

Trump and former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley have already announced their candidacies, with other GOP officials like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) expected to make decisions about whether to run in the coming months.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, stated that he would like to hold a summit between Ukraine and the countries of Latin America and is ready to visit it personally in order to spread the peace formula for Ukraine.

Source: Zelenskyy at a press conference on 24 February

Quote: "Latin America is very important. I would like to organise a conference, a meeting, a summit between the countries of Latin America and Ukraine. You know how hard it is for me to leave Ukraine but I would do it specifically to attend this meeting.

I would be able to persuade them, their media, their society.

It is not humiliating for me  the crown will not fall off my head as I am not wearing it. I am ready to make advances. Our diplomats are making advances to reach understanding. We are ready to work 24/7. Tell us where we can buy more hours, and we will do it. This is how we should have been working for 30 years [since Ukraine gained its independence  ed.].

No one expected that Russia would decide to completely annihilate us."

Details: Zelenskyy believes that Ukraines cooperation with the countries of Africa and Latin America has been weak for many years, but at the moment it needs total support of the whole world.

The President states that there was no strong coalition of partners before the war, and this coalition has not been fully formed yet  the African continent and Latin America are yet to join it.

Zelenskyy added that he and his team are working so that Latin America, Africa, India and China join the peace formula: "The more countries we persuade to join, the stronger our support will be."

In particular, the president mentioned that it took a long time for some countries to change their neutral status even after the start of the full-scale invasion: "We [the Ukrainian government  ed.] worked on it and the Armed Forces did, as victories on the battlefield give confidence. No one likes losers, and no matter how scary that sounds, it's true. Everyone wants to be a winner."

He remarked that since the UN resolution was met with international support, he would like to organise a summit between the countries that supported it. Concerning those six countries that did not support the resolution, Zelenskyy stated that it is very hard to persuade those who have not experienced war: "Do war and loss, war and torture, war and rape really have to come to every household worldwide for people to finally admit the consequences of this bloody war?"

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Books by Roald Dahl are displayed at the Barney's store on East 60th Street in New York on Nov. 21, 2011. (Andrew Burton/AP)

LONDON  Publisher Penguin Random House announced Friday it will publish classic unexpurgated versions of Roald Dahls childrens novels after it received criticism for cuts and rewrites that were intended to make the books suitable for modern readers.

Along with the new editions, the company said 17 of Dahls books would be published in their original form later this year as The Roald Dahl Classic Collection so readers will be free to choose which version of Dahls stories they prefer.

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The move comes after criticism of scores of changes made to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and other much-loved classics for recent editions published under the companys Puffin childrens label, in which passages relating to weight, mental health, gender and race were altered.

Augustus Gloop, Charlies gluttonous antagonist in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory  originally published in 1964  became enormous rather than enormously fat. In Witches, an old hag became an old crow, and a supernatural female posing as an ordinary woman may be a top scientist or running a business instead of a cashier in a supermarket or typing letters for a businessman.

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In Fantastic Mr. Fox, the word black was removed from a description of the murderous, brutal-looking tractors.

The Roald Dahl Story Company, which controls the rights to the books, said it had worked with Puffin to review and revise the texts because it wanted to ensure that Dahls wonderful stories and characters continue to be enjoyed by all children today.

While tweaking old books for modern sensibilities is not a new phenomenon in publishing, the scale of the edits drew strong criticism from free-speech groups such as writers organization PEN America, and from authors including Salman Rushdie.

Rushdie, who lived under threat of death from Irans Islamic regime for years because of the alleged blasphemy of his novel The Satanic Verses, called the revisions absurd censorship.

Rushdie, who was attacked and seriously injured last year at an event in New York state, tweeted news of Penguins change of heart on Friday with the words Penguin Books back down after Roald Dahl backlash!

PEN America chief executive Suzanne Nossel wrote on Twitter: I applaud Penguin for hearing out critics, taking the time to rethink this, and coming to the right place.

Camilla, Britains queen consort, appeared to offer her view at a literary reception on Thursday. She urged writers to remain true to your calling, unimpeded by those who may wish to curb the freedom of your expression or impose limits on your imagination.

Dahls books, with their mischievous children, strange beasts and often beastly adults, have sold more than 300 million copies and continue to be read by children around the world. Their multiple stage and screen adaptations include Matilda the Musical and two Willy Wonka films based on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, with a third in the works.

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But Dahl, who died in 1990, is also a controversial figure because of antisemitic comments made throughout his life. His family apologized in 2020.

In 2021, Dahls estate sold the rights to the books to Netflix, which plans to produce a new generation of films based on the stories.

Francesca Dow, managing director of Penguin Random House Childrens, said the publisher had listened to the debate over the past week which has reaffirmed the extraordinary power of Roald Dahls books and the very real questions around how stories from another era can be kept relevant for each new generation.

Roald Dahls fantastic books are often the first stories young children will read independently, and taking care for the imaginations and fast-developing minds of young readers is both a privilege and a responsibility, she said.

We also recognize the importance of keeping Dahls classic texts in print, Dow said. By making both Puffin and Penguin versions available, we are offering readers the choice to decide how they experience Roald Dahls magical, marvelous stories.
(Bloomberg) -- Perus former President Alejandro Toledo was granted a short reprieve on his extradition from the US to Peru, which intends to put him on trial on corruption charges.

Most Read from Bloomberg

US District Judge Laurel Beeler in San Francisco put Toledos extradition off for one week to give him a chance to ask the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals for a longer stay. The appeals court had earlier rejected Toledos request for a stay while he challenged the extradition.

Toledo, who lives in California, is wanted in Peru on allegations of negotiating bribes with the Brazilian conglomerate then known as Odebrecht when he was president between 2001 and 2006. The allegations are part of a sprawling web of graft that became known as Car Wash, involving Odebrechts operations in much of Latin America.

A US judge had cleared Toledos extradition in September 2021 and the State Department granted Perus extradition request on Tuesday.

Toledo has appealed the extradition and a decision from the 9th Circuit is pending.

The US asked a magistrate judge in San Francisco Wednesday to revoke Toledos bail so he could be taken into custody and sent to Peru. The judge on Thursday gave Toledo until March 1 to respond to the US request.

The case is Toledo Manrique v. OKeefe, 21-cv-08395, US District Court, Northern District of California (San Francisco).

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

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(Bloomberg) -- A Peruvian prison built specifically to host disgraced former presidents will soon run out of space if former leader Alejandro Toledo is extradited from the US as expected.

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The Barbadillo jail on the outskirts of Lima is currently occupied by former president Alberto Fujimori, held there since 2007 over death squad killings and corruption, and Pedro Castillo, who attempted a coup in December. Adding a third presidential inmate would exceed the two-person capacity stated in documents published by prison authority INPE.

The politically-volatile Andean nation imprisons more of its leaders than almost anywhere else in the world. Every one of the six Peruvian presidents elected since 1990 is either in jail, has been in jail, or has faced a detention order.

Read more: Perus Castillo Gets 18-Month Detention

After a lengthy process, Peruvian officials said Feb. 21 that Toledo, who is accused of negotiated bribes, will be extradited to be tried in Lima. While he won a short reprieve on Thursday night, he has an outstanding detention order in the country, raising the question of whether he will be in the same facility that houses the other former leaders.

Thats the jail that corresponds to him for having been president, said Cesar Nakazaki, a Peruvian lawyer who has defended three former presidents on criminal proceedings, two of whom have spent time in Barbadillo.

A representative at the INPE, who asked not to be named discussing policy decisions, said that Barbadillo jail would be able to host a third presidential inmate even if officially it has capacity for just two, without elaborating. INPE declined to comment.

Story continues

Anti-Corruption Probes

Peruvian prosecutors have been hailed for their anti-corruption probes into senior officials, many accused of receiving bribes from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht SA.

But critics have accused them of overusing pre-trial detention. Other than Fujimori, no former Peruvian president has yet been convicted of a crime.

The recurrent presidential prosecutions help explain why Peru needed a special facility for former leaders. The prison was initially built just to house Fuijimori, according to Nakazaki.

Fujimori fled Peru for Japan in 2000, renouncing the presidency via fax as his decade-long leadership crumbled amid corruption accusations. He was finally brought to justice after being extradited from Chile.

In addition to Fujimori, Toledo and Castillo, three other ex-presidents have faced detention orders. Ollanta Humala, who governed between 2011 and 2016, was in Barbadillo over allegations that Odebrecht had illegally financed his presidential campaign.

Read more: Impeached, Jailed, Wanted: President Is a Dangerous Job in Peru

In 2019, former President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski was arrested over alleged ties to the same builder, but was ultimately put under house arrest due to health issues. And in the same year Alan Garcia, who governed Peru twice, killed himself just before he was about to be arrested over allegations he had also received illegal funding from Odebrecht.

The presidential jail treatment has not extended to Perus first ladies. Nadine Heredia, Humalas wife, and Keiko Fujimori, who served as first lady under her father, have both been jailed in the past, but in regular prisons.

--With assistance from Philip Tabuas.

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PETRONAS Chemicals Group Berhad (KLSE:PCHEM) Full Year 2022 Results

Key Financial Results

Revenue: RM29.0b (up 26% from FY 2021).

Net income: RM6.32b (down 14% from FY 2021).

Profit margin: 22% (down from 32% in FY 2021). The decrease in margin was driven by higher expenses.

EPS: RM0.79 (down from RM0.92 in FY 2021).

All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period

PETRONAS Chemicals Group Berhad Earnings Insights

Looking ahead, revenue is forecast to grow 3.3% p.a. on average during the next 3 years, compared to a 6.1% growth forecast for the Chemicals industry in Malaysia.

Performance of the Malaysian Chemicals industry.

The company's shares are down 13% from a week ago.

Risk Analysis

It is worth noting though that we have found 3 warning signs for PETRONAS Chemicals Group Berhad (1 can't be ignored!) that you need to take into consideration.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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The photographer injured in the Pine Hills, Florida, shootings that left a journalist and a 9-year-old girl dead said he thought he was struck by a stray bullet until he realized the alleged gunman "kept shooting at me."

Spectrum News 13 photographer Jesse Walden told NBC affiliate KOB he and his colleague, Dylan Lyons, had arrived on the scene of an earlier shooting around 4 p.m. on Feb. 22 when the gunman opened fire.

"I see that hes shooting at me. I was assuming he was shooting at a house or something behind me, and I just happened to catch a bullet," Walden told KOB from his hospital bed. "But he kept shooting at me."

Walden said he ducked behind the wheel of his car while the gunman approached and fired into the vehicle. The shots struck Lyons, 24, who died from his injuries.

Spectrum News 13 reporter Dylan Lyons, left, in September 2022. (@DylanLyonsNews / Twitter)

"Dylan was a reporter I worked with every day. We were best friends, Walden said. "He was just a sweet guy. He was young and he loved it ... he really did a good job."

Walden and Lyons had been in Pine Hills to cover an earlier shooting that occurred around 11 a.m. on Feb. 22, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said during a press conference. Mina identified the victim of the earlier shooting as Nathacha Augustin, 38.

Keith Melvin Moses, 19, has been charged with first-degree murder in Augustin's death, and is the same suspect in the deaths of Lyons and 9-year-old Tyonna Major.

T'yonna Major. (Family photo)

Mina said Moses returned to the scene of the earlier shooting and opened fire on Walden and Lyons. Moses then entered a nearby home, walked inside and shot Tyonna and her mother, who was critically injured, Mina said.

Moses was arrested shortly after the afternoon shootings, Mina said. He added additional charges will be filed against Moses in connection with the deaths of Lyons and Major.

Moses has not been speaking with investigators and his motive for the attacks is unclear, Mina said.

"As far as we know, (he) had no connection to the reporters and no connection to the mother and the 9-year-old," Mina said. "We dont know why he entered that home."

Story continues

"It's one of the questions that we would really like to answer for our community  why did he do this?" Mina added.

The public defenders office for Orange and Osceola counties, who is representing Moses, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News.

Walden said he felt what happened to Lyons was "so unfair."

"We like to push the boundaries and we like to get our hands dirty," Walden said of his profession. "Its just this unprovoked senseless random violence that no one could have saw coming."

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  Jalen Pickett scored 21 of his 23 points in the second half, Seth Lundy added 19 points and Penn State beat Ohio State 75-71 on Thursday night.

Pickett scored Penn State's final 14 points, including a three-point play with 59.1 seconds left for a four-point lead.

Ohio State forward Justice Sueing scored inside to get within two points, but Pickett made it a two-possession lead again after two more free throws at 28.5. The Buckeyes had five 3-point attempts on their final possession but couldn't get one to drop.

Camren Wynter made four 3-pointers and scored 18 for Penn State (17-11, 8-9 Big Ten). The Nittany Lions made two 3-pointers early in the first half to set a new single-season record with 295 makes. Penn State finished 10 of 19 from distance, with four makes from Lundy.

Each team had two double-digit scorers in a 37-all first half. Ohio State shot 52% from the field with Brice Sensabaugh scoring 14 and Bruce Thornton adding 10. Lundy had 14 points for Penn State and Wynter made three 3-pointers and added 11 points.

Sensabaugh finished with 20 points for Ohio State (11-17, 3-14). Thornton added 19 points and Sueing had nine points, 10 rebounds and four assists.

___

More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
It was the middle of the night when Seminole County resident Maria Valentin received a knock at the door, outside were two deputies who told her they were checking up on some car break-ins in her apartment complex.

STORY: Woman accused of killing ill husband seeks release from jail

There had been no break-ins. Instead, deputies were at her door to try and serve a warrant from the state. The problem was that they were at the door of the wrong Maria, a fact they did not discover for almost 2 hours, long after Maria was placed in handcuffs in front of her son.

I trip and I fall, so I turn quickly on my back. Hes already towering over me and hes grabbing me. So I now am struggling with this deputy and Im like, Whats going on? Whats going on? What happened? What happened? Hes like, Stop resisting. Stop resisting. Im like, Whats going on? I am confused. I dont know whats going on, Maria said recounting the events of that night.

Maria said as she was on the ground, her son approached the deputies and a deputy pointed a gun at him. The deputys body camera was not recording at this moment, and the report does not mention a weapon, with the Seminole County Sheriffs Office saying there is no indication that a gun was pulled, although the department would not elaborate on additional details.

Seminole County deputies had been given a warrant from the Brevard County Sheriffs Office, Brevard County had received the warrant from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, and DBPR had been investigating a different Maria Valentin, one who lived in Orange County. Yet somehow on this muggy August night at 4:14, two deputies arrived at the wrong Marias door.

STORY: Semi-trailer truck engulfed in flames after crash on I-95; FHP says driver died on scene

The Maria who DPBR was investigating has the same first and last name and same middle initial, however, the two women have different addresses and different dates of birth, facts Maria and her son tried to tell the deputies as Maria sat in the parking lot of her apartment complex with her hands cuffed behind her back.

Story continues

He claimed I was Maria Valentin, but it was a different date of birth. And when I was thrown into the car, handcuffed, I immediately looked at the laptop that they had. The picture of the woman wasnt me, Maria said.

The Seminole County Sheriffs Office declined to comment on this incident but did provide bodycam video of the arrest. The video begins with deputies approaching the door then stops resuming only after Maria is already on the ground and in handcuffs.

In the video, Marias son can be heard questioning the arrest eventually offering to return to the apartment and retrieve his mothers ID.

STORY: Change of heart: Publisher says Roald Dahls books to be published unedited

Just before six oclock, deputies realized they arrested the wrong person, apologized and Maria was set free. However, Maria is not given a copy of the warrant in fact neither Seminole nor Brevard nor the state has offered to produce the document saying the other Maria may not have been arrested yet.

She very well could be arrested again by the same police agency and kept in jail this time, attorney Randall Kallinen said.

Kallinen is representing David Sosa of Martin County, Florida. Sosa has been arrested not once but twice by Martin County deputies due to a warrant for another David Sosa out of Harris County, Texas.

STORY: Recall alert: 53K bed rails recalled

Sosa, who after the second arrest in four years on the wrong warrant filed a lawsuit against the county and the sheriffs office, recently had his case denied by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, citing a 1979 Supreme Court case giving law enforcement wide discretion to arrest someone and hold them for days, even if the person on the warrant is not the person in custody. The court wrute, under Baker, no violation of due process occurs if a detainees arrest warrant is valid and his detention lasts an amount of time no more than the three days.

The 1979 case of Baker versus McCollan controls and that doesnt take into account the technologies that they have nowadays where you can just check a persons story just like that and you pitchers pop up, photographs pop up of a person and, you know, records are the snap of a finger or at the key at a keystroke, Kallinen said. You can find them, and you can check this information, so thats whats lacking here.

Attorneys for Sosa are hoping the Supreme Court will re-visit the Baker decision, updating it to encompass modern technology, meanwhile, Maria is worried the next knock at the door, or next traffic stop will end with her in cuffs again, again facing the same warrant for another person with the same name.

I get anxiety when I see the cars, especially when theyre in my community, Maria said. So even just talking about it gives me anxiety because Ive never once had an encounter this way. I usually I mean, you speak to a deputy, anyone of authority, and you want to feel safe when youre speaking to them.

CLICK HERE for the original article from WFTV.

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Theres still seven months, basically the entire offseason ahead, until Pitt travels to Morgantown to take on West Virginia on Sept. 16, but the first betting odds are out.

FanDuel Sportsbook released odds for a number of higher-profile games in the 2023 season, and one of those is Pitt-West Virginia. FanDuel has set Pitt as 1-point road underdogs.

Interestingly, FanDuel also says that Pitt-WVU will kick off at 4 p.m. An official time has not been announced yet.

Read the full story from our partners at Sports Now Group Pittsburgh here.

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The Diocese of Pittsburgh and Diocese of Greensburg have announced dispensation for Catholics from the obligation to abstain from meat on St. Patricks Day.

Lent, which began Wednesday and ends on Holy Thursday, April 6, calls for Catholics over 14 to abstain from eating meat on Fridays.

Saint Patricks Day, which celebrates the memory of the missionary apostle, falls on a Friday this year.

So, Bishop David Zubik of Pittsburgh and Bishop Larry Kulick of Greensburg permit Catholics to observe the day with another choice of penance rather than to abstain from meat.

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Poland has delivered its first batch of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced during a visit to Kyiv on Friday.

I came here not only with a word of support. Poland, as the first European country, symbolically hands over to you, [Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky], the first four Polish Leopard tanks, Morawiecki said, according to his official Twitter account. We will deliver more and urge our EU and NATO partners to do the same.

Warsaw, which has pledged to provide Ukraine with 14 Leopard 2 tanks, was a key figure in the pressure campaign on Berlin last month to allow for the transfer of the German-made tanks to Ukraine.

Germany ultimately agreed to approve other countries requests to send the Leopard tanks to Ukraine in late January and pledged to also send 14 of its own tanks. The U.S. soon followed Berlins lead, announcing that it would send 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine.

Morawieckis visit to Kyiv and the delivery of the first four Leopard tanks come at a symbolic moment as the Russia-Ukraine war marks its first anniversary.

According to [Russian President Vladimir] Putins plans, 24 February 2022 was supposed to be the end of [Ukraine], Morawiecki said on Twitter. But Ukraine was born again.

Today Kyiv is the capital of freedom, he added. It is the easternmost fortress of free Europe. After 365 days, everyone can see that Ukraine is also the heart of European values.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Lincoln Park Zoo has new information about, and almost as importantly, new photos of the African lion cubs born in the zoos Pepper Family Wildlife Center. The cubs received their six-week veterinary assessment this week and their first vaccinations, and the zoo announced all three are male.

Each also had a portion of the hair on their forearm shaved for easier identification. Names have yet to be chosen, and the cubs will remain behind the scenes for a few more weeks as they continue to grow.

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Weighing roughly two pounds at birth, the Thursday announcement stated, the cubs now all weigh between 15 and 18 pounds. The zoo has kept contact between human caregivers and the cubs to a minimum, said director of veterinary medicine Kathryn Gamble. The goal is not to intervene with the cubs unless medically necessary.

The cubs were born Jan. 9 and have otherwise stayed close to their mother Zari. Caregivers are relying on Zaris behavior to indicate when she is ready to introduce them to the rest of the pride and the outdoor habitat. (The pride includes the cubs father Jabari, as well as brother Pilipili, and aunts Hasira and Cleo.)

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The Pepper Family Wildlife Center opened in 2021, a $41 million renovation, update and expansion for the zoos lion house that includes sweeping outdoor spaces and vertical levels for its feline residents, as well as a viewing tunnel for visitors.

dgeorge@chicagotribune.com
A 45-year-old was shot to death Wednesday afternoon in far northeast Dallas, police said.

The Dallas Police Department said officers responded to the 8200 block of the Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway access road shortly before 1:30 p.m. They found a victim unresponsive on the ground. The victim died at the scene, officials said.

Authorities identified the victim on Friday as Isabel Magdariaga Aparicio.

The shooter is unknown, police said. Anyone with information should contact Detective Tonya McDaniel at 214-671-4236 or tonya.mcdaniel@dallaspolice.gov.
Daytona Beach police arrested a 24-year-old man on Friday after they said he fired a gun inside a building on Bethune-Cookman Universitys campus. No one was injured.

Officers said campus security got a report around 12:45 p.m. that a shot was fired inside a campus building. When security tried to talk to the accused gunman, officers said he refused to allow security in his room and tried to leave with a gun hidden in his clothes.

Officers said the man, identified as Jordan Carty, 24, then fell down the stairs, allowing security to take his gun and detain him.

When police arrived, they said they found multiple gun shots to one of the walls inside his room that appear to have occurred over a long period of time.

Read: Bethune-Cookman leaders announce plans for major upgrades to campus facilities

Officers said Carty also had a second gun on him.

Carty is facing a charge of possession of a firearm on a school campus. Officers said Carty has no previous criminal history.

Read: Bethune-Cookman University announces its new head football coach

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.
The Orange County Sheriff's Office in Florida on Thursday released body camera footage of the arrest of the suspect accused of killing three people  including a 9-year-old girl and a local TV news reporter  in shootings on Wednesday in Orlando.

The suspect, Keith Melvin Moses, 19, is accused of shooting and killing 38-year-old Nathacha Augustin in a car Wednesday morning and then, later in the afternoon, shooting at two TV journalists who were in the area covering the first homicide, and killing a girl and wounding her mother after entering a nearby home, according to police.

The bodycam video shows an officer driving up to Moses, arresting him with help from another officer and getting what looks like a gun out of the suspect's pocket.

This still image from bodycam footage shows officers from the Orange County Sheriff's Office in Florida approaching Keith Melvin Moses, 19, who was arrested for the shooting deaths of three people in Orlando on Feb. 22, 2023. / Credit: Orange County Sheriff's Office

Moses is seen screaming "I can't breathe!" while officers put him in handcuffs on the ground. "Relax," one deputy calmly tells him. "We are going to help you up, OK?"

Soon a deputy is heard saying "there's a zero in his pocket," meaning a weapon. After requesting a knife, the officers cut open Moses's pocket and extract what looks like a gun, while the suspect is heard screaming "they're killing me!" in the background. "Grab the zero," one deputy says, and the deputy who removes the gun says: "It's hot still."

This still image from bodycam footage shows officers from the Orange County Sheriff's Office in Florida arresting Keith Melvin Moses, 19, after the shooting deaths of three people in Orlando on Feb. 22, 2023. / Credit: Orange County Sheriff's Office

Police said detectives were in the process of getting a warrant for first degree murder in the shooting of Augustin when Moses was arrested. Additional charges, in relation to the two additional murders and the shootings of the victims that survived, will be added, police said.

Moses has a lengthy criminal record that includes at least 8 felony and 11 misdemeanor arrests. The charges include possession of a firearm by a minor and robbery with a deadly weapon, police said.

Spectrum News 13 reporter Dylan Lyons, 24, and videographer Jesse Walden, 29, were both shot Wednesday and were transported to the hospital, where Dylan died from his injuries. Walden remains in the hospital in critical condition, but was able to speak with investigators last night, according to police and a Spectrum News anchor.

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At around the same time as police received the 911 calls about the attack on the journalists, a shooting was reported at a residence, where an unidentified woman and her 9-year-old daughter were also shot, police said. They were taken to the hospital, where 9-year-old T'yonna Major died from her injuries.

"It is unclear why the suspect entered that home," Orange County Sheriff John Mina said in a news conference on Wednesday evening. The sheriff said they didn't yet know if the suspect had any connection to the news crew, or the mother and daughter.

New Soyuz capsule headed for International Space Station

Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo explains plans for sanctions on Russia and possibly others

2 former ambassadors look back on Russia's invasion of Ukraine
Investigators determined a Wednesday afternoon report of an armed subject at Lane Community College was because of a "series of miscommunications" that happened before someone placed the initial 911 call.

The miscommunications were not malicious and involved the passage of second- and third-hand information that led people to believe an armed subject was on LCC's campus and intended to harm a student, the Lane County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

Deputies instituted a lockdown at LCC for about two hours Wednesday between receiving a report of an armed person on campus and determining there wasn't a credible threat.

A Lane County sheriff's deputy secures the door to Building 1 on the Lane Community College campus in Eugene after a report of an armed subject in the area.

While investigating the report, deputies learned there were no threats toward the school and that no one actually had observed an armed subject on campus.

LCC Public Safety lifted the lockdown after deputies passed on that information, and the sheriff's office and Oregon State Police helped notify people on campus.

The sheriff's office added in a statement that it "remains committed to the safety of our community" and expressed gratitude to the community and law enforcement agencies that helped with the response and investigation Wednesday afternoon.

Contact city government watchdog Megan Banta at mbanta@registerguard.com. Follow her on Twitter @MeganBanta_1.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Police: Miscommunication caused Lane Community College lockdown
Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki arrived in Kyiv

According to the spokesman, at the beginning of the visit, the Polish prime minister, together with his Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhal, honored the memory of those who died for Ukraine at the Wall of Remembrance near St. Michaels Golden-Domed Monastery.

Read also: Polish Leopard-2 tanks ready to ship to Ukraine, President Duda says

A year after the start of hostilities by Russia, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki went to Kyiv to give a clear signal of further support in the defense of Ukraine against Russia, Muller tweeted.

Read also: Putin likely wants to encircle Ukraine, Polish PM says

Read also: Talks on F-16 jets for Ukraine can bring success with more pressure, says Polish minister

Earlier, Bloomberg reported, referring to an anonymous source, that the first Polish Leopard main battle tank would arrive in Ukraine on the same day as Morawieckis visit to Ukraine.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/FreePik

A real estate and adult film mogul famed for degrading women from behind the cameraand for cultivating ties to prominent Los Angeles-area pols behind the scenesfaces up to a decade of prison and probation, as well as millions in forfeitures and fines after confessing to hiding his true wealth on federal filings.

Mark Handel, known in the porn world by his moniker Khan Tusion, admitted in California Central District Court late on Thursday to concealing his earnings from the feds and his creditors alike in bankruptcy and tax documents filed last decade.

The plea deal, crafted earlier this month, outlines how Handel formed a company called DTMM Constructionan abbreviation for Dont Touch My Moneyin his wifes name so as to hide income from multiple developments in and around the City of Angels, and how he knowingly failed to report roughly $7 million to the Internal Revenue Service between 2010 and 2017.

Handels lawyers declined to comment for this story. He now not only will have to pay back taxes, but cough up a minimum $500,000 fine and the proceeds of a $3.5 million property sale. He could spend up to eight years in prison, and an additional three years on supervised release.

At his zenith in the 2000s, Handel was a major bundler for Democratic Party politicians with allies both in Sacramento and Los Angeles City Hallincluding now-Rep. Tony Cardenas and Sen. Alex Padilla, who both served in the state and municipal legislatures and like Handel came out of the San Fernando Valley.

But Handel also lorded over corners of the Valley where elected officials fear to tread. As Khan Tusion, he cranked out pornographic franchises with titles like Meat Holes and Butt-Licking Anal Whores, which notoriously featured women beaten, screamed at, spat upon, stepped on, and even choked into unconsciousness. Performers who worked with him maintain that Tusions glee in cruelty wasnt a put on.

A performer who used the name Regan Starr described to The Daily Beast in an interview last year how the director kept shooting as she cried for mercy under the blows of her male co-star.

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His eyes got really big and he got excited, Starr recalled. It was like he was in a trance, a pleasure trance kind of thing. Id never seen anything like it.

Real Estate Tycoon Exposed as Boogeyman of Porn

Khan Tusions reputation long outlasted the end of his blue movie career in 2010, and the die-off of the DVD-centric adult industry in the Internet era, according to the directors of Pariah, an upcoming documentary about Handel.

They would call him the boogeyman of porn, the Freddie Krueger of porn, said Lucas Heyne, who is co-directing the feature with Sara Gardephe. He was known for being one of the most verbally abusive and physically abusive porn directors thats ever existed.

The federal case against Handel has nothing to do with either his political or pornographic activities, though the complaint did allude to his fundraising work. There is no evidence the politicians he supported were aware of his obscene alter ego, which he labored to conceal through the use of a voice distorter and a refusal to show his face on film.

Handel is set to face sentencing in November.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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The head of the U.S. Postal Police Association is talking to the I-Team about a key decision in a fight between the union and the postal service.

The United States Postal Service has the power to protect its letter carriers while on their routes, but told the I-Team they wont reassign their postal police officers back the streets to do it. Its an assignment they were taken off of in the fall of 2020.

Since then, attacks on letter carriers have been on the rise across the country, including in the Miami Valley. Robbers have been taking arrow keys, or the master key to all the big blue mailboxes.

>> I-Team: Are electric companies doing enough to prevent attacks on the U.S. power grid?

Frank Albergo, the head of the Postal Police Officers Association, told the I-Team that the union filed a grievance challenging the 2020 decision limiting their patrol powers and has waited two years for a decision. Wednesday, an arbitrator sided with the union.

As the I-Teams John Bedell was talking to Albergo Thursday, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service sent a statement confirming they wouldnt be changing the policy.

In the statement, a spokesperson for the Postal Inspection Service said:

While the Postal Service disagrees with the decision, it is important to note that the arbitrator found only that the Inspection Service must follow certain procedural notice requirements before making changes to handbooks, manuals, or regulations. Significantly, the arbitrator made no judgment about the statutory law enforcement authority of Postal Police Officers and expressed no opinion about whether the Inspection Service could limit such authority to postal premises only. Further, the arbitrator made it patently clear that nothing in the award should be construed to indicate that the Inspection Service is required to deploy Postal Police Officers anywhere outside of Postal Service controlled property. The Postal Service is reviewing our legal options and will continue to utilize our personnel and resources consistent with the appropriate statutory authority, including the relevant limitations.

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This is so simple. You have police officers, use them. You have carriers being robbed. Theyre having guns stuck in their face. Its just a matter of time before somebody gets seriously hurt. And they just refuse to use post office police officers. Its almost as if they painted themselves in a corner and now they dont want to look stupid, so theyre going to just say whatever they have to say to prove themselves right. I mean, its an incredible, they are maniacs, to be honest, Albergo said after being read the statement.

He also told the I-Team that the Postal Police Union is considering taking the Postal Inspection Service to court over their decision.

>> I-TEAM: Miami Twp. man wants to know if hes included in lawsuit filed against area fencing company

After the arbitrators decision was announced, the I-Team reached out to Senator Sherrod Brown to get his reaction. His office said in a statement that Brown believes patrols should be reinstated.

This week, an arbitrator confirmed that Postal Police Officers are not restricted to protecting postal property, and Sen. Brown is urging Postmaster General DeJoy to immediately restore patrolling functions to PPOs to prevent crime and to protect carriers and the mail that Ohioans rely on. DeJoys 2020 decision to stop PPOs from patrolling postal carrier routes - something they had been doing for 50 years - continues to result in increased mail carrier robberies throughout Ohio. Last November, Brown called for DeJoys resignation due to ongoing mail thefts and delays in Ohio, the statement read.
US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky looks on during a meeting in New York (AFP via Getty Images)

Long before Russia launched its brutal invasion of Ukraine, Donald Trump ensured that the eastern European country would play a central role in US politics for years to come  both foreign and domestic.

It was the then-presidents infamous phone call to his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, in which he pressured him to investigate his political rival and future opponent Joe Biden, that led to his 2019 impeachment.

Mr Trump also held up some $400m in aid as Ukraine battled with Russian-backed separatists in its southeast, and as the threat from Moscow grew larger, as part of that pressure.

When the Russian invasion finally came, on 24 February 2022, Mr Trump was no longer president, and both Democrats and Republicans united in their fulsome support to aid Ukraines defence. In 2022 alone, Congress appropriated more than $112bn in military and economic support for the country as it fended off the Russian attack.

But Mr Trump is gearing up to run for president again in 2024, and is still the erstwhile favourite to win the Republican nomination. So where does he stand on Ukraine today, one year into the war? And what has he said about the conflict over the past year?

Mr Trumps first reaction to the invasion came on the eve of the first attack, when Russian President Vladimir Putin made clear his intentions to launch what he called a special operation after declaring two breakaway regions of Ukraine were independent.

I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said, This is genius. Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine  of Ukraine  Putin declares it as independent. Oh, thats wonderful, Mr Trump said in a radio interview with The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show.

He used the word independent and were gonna go out and were gonna go in and were gonna help keep peace. You gotta say thats pretty savvy, Mr Trump added.

The next evening, at an event held at his Mar-a-Lago resort, he doubled down on those remarks.

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Trump said Putins smart. I mean, hes taking over a country for $2 worth of sanctions. Id say thats pretty smart, he said. Hes taking over a country  really a vast, vast location, a great piece of land with a lot of people, just walking right in  this would have never happened, ever in a million years, would have never happened. And I know him really well.

From that point on, Mr Trumps frequently claimed that the invasion would not have taken place if he was still president.

If I were in Office, this deadly Ukraine situation would never have happened! he said on 24 February 2022.

His soft praise of Mr Putin, and criticism of his successor in the White House, would become a theme over the next year. It followed a period in which Mr Trump, as a candidate and as president, often expressed admiration for Mr Putin and sided with him over Americas own intelligence services over their assessment of Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

As the invasion progressed, Mr Trump frequently sought to characterise Mr Biden as having been duped in some way by the Russian president

(POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

"Putin is playing Biden like a drum, its not a pretty thing ... to watch," he told CPAC on 26 February, two days after the invasion began.

Even as Russian forces surrounded the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, and he faced criticism from many in his own party, Mr Trump refrained from criticising the Russian president, and continued to direct his fire at the Biden White House.

The RINOs, Warmongers, and Fake News continue to blatantly lie and misrepresent my remarks on Putin because they know this terrible war being waged against Ukraine would have never happened under my watch  There should be no war waging now in Ukraine, and it is terrible for humanity that Biden, NATO, and the West have failed so terribly in allowing it to start he said on 1 March.

By the middle of 2022, Mr Trump began to criticise the massive amounts of economic and military aid from the US to Ukraine.

The Democrats are sending another $40 billion to Ukraine, yet Americas parents are struggling to even feed their children, Trump said in a statement issued through his Save America PAC in May.

His allies in the Republican Party began to take note, and signs of disquiet over support for Ukraine began to emerge in the GOP.

Ahead of the midterm elections, House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy warned his party would not write a blank check for Ukraine if they won the majority, which they did.

By October 2022, Mr Trump was beginning to call for a negotiated settlement to end the war, without offering specific details about what a settlement acceptable to both sides would look like.

With potentially hundreds of thousands of people dying, we must demand the immediate negotiation of the peaceful end to the war in Ukraine, or we will end up in World War III and there will be nothing left of our planet all because stupid people didnt have a clue, he told supporters at a rally in Arizona.

They really dont understand  what theyre dealing with. The power of nuclear. They have no idea what theyre doing, he added.

In recent months, as Mr Trump has entered campaign mode with an eye 2024, he appears to have honed his line of attack on Ukraine, combining a criticism of the huge costs, globalism and dire predictions of a Third World War  problems that he claims to be uniquely equipped to solve.

December 24, 2022 (Reuters)

In many ways, it is a continuation of his America First slogan that formed the basis of his 2016 campaign: the money going to Ukraine should be being spent here at home.

If I were president, the Russia/Ukraine war would never have happened, but even now, if president, I would be able to negotiate an end to this horrible and rapidly escalating war within 24 hours. Such a tragic waste of human life!!! he said in late January.

World War III has never been closer than it is right now, Mr Trump said Tuesday in a video in which he pledged to clean house of all of the warmongers and America-Last globalists in the Deep State, the Pentagon, the State Department, and the national security industrial complex.

And this week, Mr Trump has repeatedly lambasted Biden for making a trip to Kyiv.

You have a president going to Ukraine and you have people in Ohio who are in desperate need of help, he said at an event in Palm Beach.

If Mr Trump is successful in 2024, it seems likely that US support for Ukraine will be significantly reduced. And even if he isnt successful, there are signs that he has moved the needle within his own party when it comes to Ukraine.

Ron DeSantis, his main rival, has this week echoed Mr Trumps comments on the war as he sought to downplay the threat from Russia.

The fear of Russia going into NATO countries and all that and steamrolling, you know, that has not even come close to happening, the Republican governor said on Fox.

Hes very concerned about those borders halfway around the world. Hes not done anything to secure our own border here at home, Mr DeSantis said of Mr Bidens visit, referring to the southern border.
A U.S. Army soldier didnt report for work one day and was later found dead in her third-floor barracks room at a base in Germany in 2001.

For over two decades, no arrests were made in connection with the cold case  until now.

Pfc. Amanda Gonzales was 19 years old, and four months pregnant, when she was strangled to death at the former U.S. Army base of Fliegerhorst Kaserne in Hanau, Germany, about 30 miles east of Frankfurt, according to the FBI. Her body was found on Nov. 5, 2001.

Gonzales mother Gloria Bates never lost hope and believed her daughter would one day receive justice, she told the military newspaper Stars and Stripes in 2008.

Now, a former Army soldier has been arrested on a first-degree murder charge in northern Florida in relation to Gonzales death more than 21 years later, the Justice Department announced. The exact location of his Feb. 23 arrest wasnt specified.

Shannon L. Wilkerson, 42, is accused of acting with premeditation before killing Gonzales at Fliegerhorst Kaserne, an indictment said.

They took away my daughter and first grandchild, Bates previously said in 2008, according to Stars and Stripes.

An undated photo of Amanda Gonzales.

McClatchy News contacted Wilkersons attorney for comment on Feb. 24 and didnt immediately receive a response.

Wilkerson was discharged from the Army in July 2004, according to the indictment, which didnt say the reason for his discharge.

In 2001, Gonzales was stationed at Fliegerhorst Kaserne and worked as a cook in the Headquarters Supply Company of the 127th Aviation Support battalion as part of her first Army assignment, according to the FBI.

She was from the Brazos Valley region of Texas, according to KBTX-TV.

In 2020, after Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen was killed that year, Bates told the outlet that the news of Guillens death reminded her of Gonzales.

I thought, Oh my God, this is my daughter all over again, Bates told KBTX-TV.

If Wilkerson is convicted on the murder charge, he could be sentenced to up to life in prison, prosecutors said.

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Hes charged under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, according to the Justice Department.

Under this law, federal courts have the authority to prosecute crimes committed overseas by former members of the U.S. military.

The case is being investigated by the FBI. It was initially investigated by the FBIs Jacksonville Field Office, the Air Forces Office of Special Investigations and Armys Criminal Investigative Division. These agencies helped arrest Wilkerson, officials said.

McClatchy News has contacted the Army for more information on Wilkerson.

21-year-old dies after altercation with fellow soldier on Alabama base, military says

Army soldier killed at Fort Campbell home was shot by estranged husband, jury rules

Soldiers plotted fatal attack on colleague who reported their weed use in GA, feds say

Army veteran who vanished in 1976 identified as murder victim, North Carolina cops say
First lady Jill Biden indicated on Friday that President Biden will run for reelection in 2024, saying hes not done.

The first lady told the Associated Press there is pretty much nothing left to do but set a time and place for the formal announcement.

How many times does he have to say it for you to believe it? Biden told the outlet during an interview in Nairobi at the conclusion of her five-day trip to Africa.

He says hes not done, she said. Hes not finished what hes started. And thats whats important.

The president is expected to announce his reelection bid in April, according to the report.

Asked whether she has the deciding vote on whether Biden runs again, the first lady said: Of course hell listen to me, because were a married couple. She later added, he makes up his own mind, believe me.

Recent polling shows mixed attitudes among Democratic voters toward another Biden term. An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll earlier this month found that just 37 percent of Democrats want Biden to run again. However, an NPR/PBS News Hour/Marist poll conducted last week posed far better news for Biden: 50 percent said the party has the best chance at winning the presidency in 2024 with Biden as the nominee, while 45 percent think the best chance lies with another candidate.

Biden, at 80 years old, is the oldest person to serve as president. If he were to win reelection, he would be 86 at the end of his second term.

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley has attacked Biden over his age, saying America is not past our prime, its just that our politicians are past theirs. She has suggested politicians over the age of 75 should be required to pass a mental-competency test.

White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates told The Hill last week that Republicans have failed in their attempts to play the age card.

Im not sure what they think theyre accomplishing, Bates said. The trend is not good for them.

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Several Democrats have defended attacks against Bidens age, including Senator Chris Coons (D., Del.), a longtime Biden ally who told National Review recently: I dont think [President Biden] needs to respond to that argument. I think his strong record of leadership over the last two years [and] his forceful, agile, very capable State of the Union speech more than answers that question or concern.

Senator Ron Wyden (D., Ore.) similarly said Bidens State of the Union was a strong argument that Biden is not too old to serve a second term. Senator Elizabeth Warren said that rather than age, the question is whos got the ideas and whos got the fight in them to make it happen.

More from National Review
The Republican National Committee will hold its first presidential primary debate in Milwaukee in August, its debates committee decided in a vote Thursday.

The committee is seeking to have all candidates sign a loyalty pledge vowing to support the eventual nominee in order to be part of the debates.

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Milwaukee will also be the site of the Republican National Convention in 2024. Another location that had been under consideration for the first debate was the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California, according to people briefed on the matter.

At this time, no other debates have been sanctioned, nor has the final criteria for the first debate been decided, RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel said in an email to members Thursday. The committee will continue its work and will release updates as they become available.

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Only two major candidates  former President Donald Trump and Nikki Haley, a former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador  have entered the race for the Republican nomination. (Lesser-known candidates include Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur and author, and Steve Laffey, a former mayor of Cranston, Rhode Island.)

But several more are expected to announce campaigns in the coming months. The field could eventually include Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina.

Among the other issues the debate committee has been discussing is having candidates sign a pledge vowing to support the eventual nominee.

Such a pledge came about during the 2016 campaign, after then-candidate Donald Trump, who had previously considered a third-party candidacy in 2000, declined during an early debate to join the other contenders in saying that they would back the nominee. Trump, already the front-runner in polls in the crowded field, claimed to be concerned about being treated fairly by the party.

It is unclear whether he would sign such a pledge this time  or whether he would abide by it even if he lost the nomination.

The RNC is also interested in a donations requirement, meaning each candidate would need a specific number of individual donors in order to qualify for the debate stage.
Ms Patel suggests there was little point withdrawing from the EU if the Government is going to ratify the OECD agreement - Geoff Pugh for The Telegraph

Priti Patel has urged Jeremy Hunt to back business and cut corporation tax in next months Budget.

The former home secretary said it was not too late for the Chancellor to reverse Aprils planned increase in the levy from 19 to 25 per cent.

In an article for The Telegraph, she also called on the Government to pull out of an international agreement that corporation tax should never be reduced to below 15 per cent.

Ms Patel suggested there was little point withdrawing from the EU if the Government was going to ratify the agreement, brokered last year by the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Ms Patel told The Telegraph: It is not too late for the Chancellor to back business and end the current political obsession of regulation, high taxes and interference with business.

The Chancellor must send a positive signal to business in the Budget which supports jobs and economic growth. Now is not the time for an increase in corporation tax.

Just like the issue of the OECD agreement, everything needs to be paused for the benefit of businesses around the country.

Mounting revolt over need for tax cuts

It is Ms Patel's first major intervention since she left the Cabinet in the wake of Boris Johnson's departure.

Her comments come amid a mounting revolt from Tory backbenchers over the need for tax cuts to stimulate growth.

The MPs point to better-than-expected economic indicators and the revelation that Britain received 5.4 billion more in taxes in January than it spent on public services.

But the Treasury has downplayed hopes that the money could be used to fund tax cuts in the March 15 Budget.

Business leaders have also called for the corporation tax rise to be scrapped.

On Friday, British Airways suggested that the levy risked increasing holiday prices.

On the day it recorded its first annual profit since the pandemic, IAG, the FTSE 100 company that owns British Airways, Aer Lingus and Iberia, warned that increases in its costs will ultimately be borne by passengers.

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Nicholas Cadbury, the company's finance chief, said: Every single investment we take has got to pass the return on capital, which tax is taken into account.

So the higher the tax, the higher hurdle you need to do [any new investment] - and it gets passed onto the customer in some way.

Just one of the taxes we pay

However, Mr Cadbury added that corporation tax is just one of the taxes we pay, with the British Airways owner also subject to air passenger duty and carbon taxes on the flights it operates.

He said: Corporation tax is no longer the biggest tax we pay overall.

What we are trying to encourage the government both in the UK and Spain and Europe to think about is how they encourage investment.

Earlier this week, Simon Lowth, BT's chief financial officer, warned that Mr Hunt will send Britain in a drastically anti-investment direction if he forges ahead with the levy.

Others have criticised the government's economic strategies. Sir James Dyson, the entrepreneur, criticised the Government's shortsighted and stupid approach last month, arguing that the Tories seem to think penalising the private sector is a free win at the ballot box.

Ms Patel also criticises the decision made by Britain in October 2021 to join 134 other countries in signing an agreement not to reduce corporation tax below 15 per cent.

The plan was designed to make it harder for global digital giants to avoid tax by paying it in low-tax countries.

But Ms Patel said it takes away countries independence and their ability to set low-tax rates to boost their economies.

The Government plans to ratify its agreement with the OECD as part of the finance bill, which will enact the March Budget.

Slippery slope

In her article, Ms Patel said Britain was on a slippery slope losing control over our taxation policies.

Margaret Thatcher once famously remarked that we had not rolled back the frontiers of the state in Britain only to see them re-imposed by Brussels, she wrote.

Her impatience with our nation ceding power to the European Union came to be shared by a majority of voters. Brexit was the result, overseen by this parliament, with Conservative MPs making a promise to ensure the UK would Take Back Control.

How ironic then that the Treasury has been hard at work on a plan to re-surrender control. Only this time, they want to race ahead and cede power to an initiative emanating from the OECD, a 38-member Paris-based organisation with far longer tentacles than the EU.

She added: The deal this Treasury has signed up to will constrain future governments, just as surely as ceding power to the EU used to constrain British sovereignty before Brexit.

We are now on a slippery slope losing control over our taxation policies. Our economic freedoms are once again at risk and our Conservative mission to transform Britain into a global beacon for free enterprise faces a new challenge

It is time for those who care about sovereignty, our economic freedoms and the economic health of this country to wake up to this threat  and time for the Treasury to slow down, re-examine and start answering key questions.
(Bloomberg) -- Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said hes willing to spend what it takes in the next election to help President Joe Biden keep his job  and keep Republicans like Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump out of the White House.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Its very important to me that we elect a Democratic president and that we make sure to keep DeSantis, Trump and the retrograde views that they carry out of the White House, Pritzker, a longtime Democratic donor, said in an interview Thursday with Bloomberg News in Chicago. Ill continue to support Democrats in the best way I can to help them get elected.

Pritzker, 58, is a member of one of the worlds wealthiest families, with a net worth of $3.7 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The Democrat has been in the middle of recent spats with DeSantis, Floridas Republican governor, and is a long-running nemesis of Citadel founder and GOP mega-donor Ken Griffin, who has said hed back a DeSantis bid for president in 2024.

DeSantis, who visited Illinois this week, has criticized Chicagos crime under Pritzkers watch. Pritzker shot back, saying that DeSantis is trying to lower public education standards by banning the teaching of racial history.

Pritzker also said Griffin moved his financial empire headquarters to Miami from Chicago last year out of embarrassment after spending $50 million trying to defeat him in the gubernatorial race by backing Richard Irvin, the mayor of Aurora, Illinois.

That person lost badly in the Republican primary, Pritzker said in an interview Thursday with Bloomberg TV.

National Attention

Trading barbs with prominent Republicans sets up Pritzker for national political attention.

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Pritzker, who was re-elected as Illinois governor in 2022, said he has been approached about potentially running for president, but declined to give any details about those discussions. He said hes happy as governor, intends to serve the rest of his term and will back Biden this cycle.

Still, hes raised his national profile by visiting New Hampshire and Florida, and has taken stances on expanding abortion access and banning assault weapons, stoking speculation that he has lofty ambitions beyond the Illinois statehouse in Springfield.

Regardless, the billionaires wealth promises to play a role in the 2024 race.

He poured more than $300 million of his own money into his two successful bids for governor. He spent about $51 million for a failed campaign to change Illinoiss flat income-tax structure to one that increases taxes on the rich.

Outside of Illinois, Pritzker and his wife have donated more than $39 million since 2011, according to campaign finance disclosures. Topping the list of recipients is Priorities USA Action, the super-PAC thats supported Democratic presidential nominees since it was launched in 2011.

The Pritzkers have also given $2 million to support Hillary Clintons 2016 general election campaign and $1.4 million to back Biden in 2020.

--With assistance from Bill Allison and Romaine Bostick.

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2023 Bloomberg L.P.
By Nathan Layne

(Reuters) -Richard "Alex" Murdaugh, the disbarred South Carolina lawyer on trial for the murder of his wife and son, said on Friday that he believed someone angry about a deadly boating accident had committed the crimes, floating an alternative theory for the jury as two days of dramatic testimony came to a close.

Murdaugh offered the theory, for which he acknowledged he had no evidence, after hours of cross examination during which a prosecutor laid out a string of lies told by the defendant, including about his alibi on the night of the killings.

Murdaugh, 54, has denied any involvement in the murders of his wife Maggie, 52, and 22-year-old son Paul, who were gunned down at close range at dog kennels on the family's estate on the evening of June 7, 2021. But he has admitted to deceiving law partners and clients out of huge sums of money to feed a drug habit, potentially undercutting his credibility with the jury.

From the stand, Murdaugh said he believed that someone upset over the death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach in a 2019 boating accident sought revenge on his son, who was charged with boating under the influence and other crimes in the incident.

Murdaugh said he was convinced someone was spurred to violence by a barrage of social media posts that made Paul, who he alternately referred to as Paw Paw, out to be a villain.

"The person or people who did what I saw on June the 7th - they hated Paul and they had anger in their heart," he said. "I believe that boat wreck is the reason Paw Paw and Maggie were killed."

In pre-trial court papers, prosecutors said that within seconds of officers arriving at the scene, Murdaugh suggested the boat accident was the likely motive. And at the beginning of the trial, the jury was shown body camera footage in which Murdaugh was recorded making remarks to that effect.

With Murdaugh's testimony complete, the jury was excused for the weekend. Murdaugh's lawyers plan to call four more witnesses on Monday, followed by one or two from the prosecution, setting the stage for closing arguments in the middle of next week.

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FINANCIAL TROUBLES

During roughly seven hours of cross examination starting on Thursday afternoon, state prosecutor Creighton Waters sought to portray Murdaugh as caught up in a pattern of duplicity, while detailing his mounting financial troubles and drug use in the run-up to the murders.

In questioning from his lawyer, Murdaugh had admitted to lying by telling investigators that he was not at the kennels minutes before his wife and son were killed. He changed his account after the jury saw cellphone video, which contained audio of Murdaugh's voice placing him at the scene.

Murdaugh said he lied to investigators due to his distrust of the police and paranoia tied to his addiction to opioids.

"The second youre confronted with facts you cant deny, you immediately come up with a new lie," Waters said.

INFLUENTIAL FAMILY

Murdaugh, the scion of an influential South Carolina legal family, was indicted by a grand jury in July on two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon. From the start, the case has been subject to intense media coverage given the political influence of the Murdaugh family in South Carolina.

Prosecutors have said Murdaugh killed his wife and child to generate sympathy and distract from an array of financial crimes for which he is also facing criminal charges. Murdaugh's lawyers have argued that motive does not make sense.

Murdaugh has acknowledged stealing from his law partners and clients, partly to fund an addiction to painkillers. On Friday, Murdaugh said he was taking more than 2,000 milligrams of oxycodone on some days, or more than 60 pills of 30 mg each.

"Opiates gave me energy. Whatever I was doing it made it more interesting. It made me want to do it longer," he said.

Murdaugh testified that he has sought to cooperate with the investigation, with the exception of lying about being at the kennels on the night of the shootings.

"Very cooperative except for maybe the most important fact of all: that you were at the murder scene with the victims just minutes before they died," prosecutor Waters said.

Waters compressed the timeline, getting Murdaugh to acknowledge that he was at the kennels some three minutes beforeinvestigators say Maggie and Paul were killed, and that their dogs had shown no sign of sensing anyone else around.

(Reporting by Nathan Layne; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Grant McCool)
Sam Bankman-Fried. AP Photo/Seth Wenig

Four new charges against Sam Bankman-Fried were unsealed on Thursday.

Prosecutors say FTX.US was denied opening a California bank account as it wasn't a licensed money services business.

So SBF created a new company to take customer deposits, an indictment says.

When a California bank refused to give FTX an account in early 2020 because it wasn't registered as a money services business, prosecutors say that Sam Bankman-Fried started a new company to skirt that prohibition, and subsequently made false statements on a due dilligence questionnaire.

The allegations form part of new charges against Bankman-Fried unsealed this week for conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business  two of four new counts that were made public Thursday. The bank's name was not revealed in the court filing.

The low-profile company, called North Dimension, was founded in August 2020 and was previously revealed in other complaints against Bankman-Fried. Last December, the Securities and Exchange Commission said that some FTX customers were told to make their deposits to North Dimension.

While the company didn't appear to have any links to FTX or its sister hedge fund, Alameda, the SEC said "Bankman-Fried had directed FTX to have customers send funds to North Dimension in an effort to hide the fact that the funds were being sent to an account controlled by Alameda."

Bankman-Fried previously told Bloomberg he "misaccounted" $8 billion after double-counting customer funds that were wired to Alameda.

FTX filed for bankruptcy in November following a run on the firm after CoinDesk reported that the crypto exchange's funds were conflated with Alameda's. FTX didn't have the money to cover all those withdrawals because executives had partly spent it on luxuries, with Alameda described as Bankman-Fried's "personal piggy bank" by the SEC.

NBC News previously reported that North Dimension was billed as an online electronics retailer, with a website full of misspelled words and nonsensical prices. Thursday's indictment says it also had no employees or business operations other than its bank account.

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Now, prosecutors say this was an elaborate scheme to defraud a bank and operate an unlicensed money business. While FTX's American company was registered as a money services business in 2020, prosecutors say there was never an attempt to get a license for FTX.

So when the bank said they couldn't open an account for the crypto exchange, Bankman-Fried invented North Dimension and said it was for "trading" and "market making" even though it would actually take FTX deposits according to the indictment.

"Under Bankman Fried's supervision, employees of Alameda completed an account application that falsely stated that the purpose of the North Dimension bank account was for 'trading' and 'market making,'" the indictment unsealed on Thursday reads.

"Bank-I was also given a completed North Dimension due diligence questionnaire  which Bankman-Fried signed  that falsely stated that North Dimension 'trades on multiple cryptocurrency exchanges worldwide for its own account' and that North Dimension 'also participates in direct peer-to-peer, OTC purchases and sales with certain third parties for its own account.'"

In the 39-page document, signed by US Attorney Damian Williams, prosecutors wrote that the FTX cofounder told the bank "a false story" and made false claims on a due diligence questionnaire, because Bankman-Fried "knew that the account would be used to receive and transmit customer funds in the operation of a cryptocurrency exchange."

Prosecutors have also alleged that Bankman-Fried deleted a Slack message from FTX's top lawyer telling employees to preserve records, and that he made $100 million in political donations in other executives' names.

A spokesperson for Bankman-Fried declined to comment when contacted by Insider.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Deputy Charles McWhorter received a Purple Heart award from the Pueblo County Sheriffs Office on Feb. 17 because of injuries he sustained during a Feb. 22, 2022, incident when he shot Richard Ward three times at short range, killing him. Ward was picking his brother up from school at Liberty Point Middle School in Pueblo West.

McWhorter received the award just days before Wards family filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit against Pueblo County, McWhorter and other involved deputies in U.S. District Court.

PCSO Public Information Officer Gayle Perez confirmed to the Chieftain that McWhorter received the Purple Heart award because of his service during the 2022 response. Perez declined an interview request with Sheriff David Lucero about the award, citing the pending litigation.

Perez said an internal investigation into McWhorter and Cassandra Gonzales, another deputy at the scene, has been ongoing since Feb. 23, 2022.

More on this case:Pueblo County, sheriff's deputies sued for 2022 fatal shooting outside middle school

The 10th Judicial District Critical Incident Team (CIT) investigated the shooting and released a report, signed by District Attorney Jeff Chostner on Oct. 14, 2022, that concluded McWhorters use of force was justified.

Deputy McWhorter had an injury to his face at the bridge of his nose, his right forefinger, his lower back, his right knee, and he reaggravated a previous injury to the middle of his neck, the report states.

McWhorter was transported to Parkview Hospital after the incident, according to the report.

A plaque for Deputy John McWhorter's Medal of Valor award hangs at the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office Emergency Services Bureau on February 23, 2023. McWhorter was awarded the medal because of his service during another officer-involved shooting in 2017.

The 2023 Pueblo County Sheriffs Office awards ceremony was held at Colorado State University Pueblo on Feb. 17, according to a Facebook post. McWhorter was one of two deputies to receive a Purple Heart award.

McWhorter also received the Medal of Valor award in 2018 because of his response during a 2017 officer-involved shooting in Colorado City. McWhorter and Deputy Charles Roldan were responding to a search for Dennis Flowers, who had an arrest warrant out for a robbery.

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Flowers allegedly pointed a gun at McWhorter, according to the CIT report for the incident. Roldan first shot Flowers twice, and then McWhorter shot the man 10 times until Flowers fell to the ground.

Roldan and McWhorters use of force during the 2017 incident were also found justified by Chostner in the CIT report.

Both McWhorter and Roldan received a Medal of Valor because of their response, the highest decoration of bravery exhibited by public safety officers in the United States, according to a PCSO webpage.

McWhorter is no longer listed on the current webpage as a recipient of the award, but an archived version of the page shows that his name was still listed as of Nov. 29, 2022.

What others are reading: Ramondo Jones found guilty of first-degree murder in 2020 death of Pueblo foster child

Perez said that McWhorters name was removed from the website early Thursday because he has been receiving targeted threats, but declined to elaborate.

His plaque was still displayed at the Pueblo County emergency dispatch center when a Chieftain reporter visited on Feb. 23.

What happened in the police shooting of Richard Ward in Pueblo West

Officers were sent to Liberty Point Middle School in Pueblo West on Feb. 22, 2022, on a report that a suspicious individual was in the parking lot as students were getting picked up.

Ward allegedly took a brief walk around the parking lot and accidentally entered a stranger's vehicle that was similar to his mothers before returning to her SUV.

Body-worn camera footage of the incident showed Ward telling McWhorter he was uncomfortable around police because of previous interactions when he claimed officers used excessive force against him.

The situation escalated after McWhorter asked Ward for his identification and if he had any weapons on his person. Ward appeared to put a pill in his mouth, and then McWhorter pulled him out of the rear passenger seat of the vehicle.

A brief physical altercation ensued. McWhorter, and other responding officers, claimed in his interview with the CIT that he thought Ward was reaching for his gun.

McWhorter shot Ward three times in the chest and neck at close range, body camera footage shows. The district attorney's investigation into the shooting determined that Ward was not armed at the time of the shooting, though earlier told responding officers that he may have had a pocket knife.

Anna Lynn Winfrey is a reporter at the Pueblo Chieftain. She can be reached at awinfrey@gannett.com or on Twitter, @annalynnfrey.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo deputy awarded Purple Heart for being injured in Ward shooting
Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Courtesy Photo

As a very loud group of U.S. lawmakers rallies for Ukraine funding to be cut off and claims the country could achieve peace if only its Western partners would stop helping, theres someone whod like a word with them.

Hes no armchair warrior or TV pundithe spent more than three months in Russian captivity and just as much time before that watching battlefield horrors unfold on the ground.

Im 100 percent comfortable talking about that stuff, Id like to, because I want to get the word out that yes, the Russians are committing war crimes, the [Russian proxies in occupied Donetsk] are committing war crimes, Alexander Drueke, the U.S. veteran who spent more than 100 harrowing days enduring torture at the hands of Russias military before his release in September, told The Daily Beast in an interview.

Drueke, who was captured near Kharkiv in June along with fellow vet Andy Huynh as the two served on a Ukrainian task force, says that even if he cant physically go back to Ukraine to help on the frontline (My mama wont let me, he said), he will do anything he can to help them win.

The biggest problem is that Russia has really amped up their munitions production... Theyre working on it like we did during WWII. Its constant. And were not doing that for Ukraine. So, Ukraine is going to win this fight as long as they have the tools to do it. Were just not giving them enough tools, Drueke said. They need tanks, they need artillery, they need planes, they need shells.

Alex Drueke and Andy Huynh being honored at a welcome home party hosted by Ukrainians living in Alabama. Photos courtesy of Dianna Shaw

His warning is a timely one: A group of Republican lawmakers signed on to a resolution earlier this month calling for Ukraine to be choked off from all future humanitarian and military aidat a time when Russia is expected to unleash a renewed large-scale offensive.

Some GOP lawmakers have gone even further and suggested the risks Ukrainians face from Russia are just being exaggerated by the Biden administration. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) claimed this week that an air raid siren that sounded during President Joe Bidens visit to Kyiv was nothing more than propaganda.

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To claims like this, Drueke says: I would say let me come up to D.C. and meet with you and Ill tell you whats really happening.

He saw firsthand the cynical ploys Russias military has been using to try and convince the rest of the world the war is somehow justified.

Even while we were in prison in Donetsk, they were actively firing artillery out of the residential areas near our prison so that the Ukrainians couldnt respond, because then it looks like theyre bombing residential areas, he said.

Its willful, blind ignorance at this point to not see the threat Russia poses, he added. I think at this point [Putins] only fighting for his own pride, and he doesnt care who gets hurt in the process. Hes backed himself into a corner and hes not going to back down.

Idiot captives

Drueke is still dealing with the fallout of his time in captivity, during which he says he was forced to speak in Russian propaganda videos when he wasnt being beaten or tortured.

He was left with nerve damage in his hands from the 24 hours of pure torture that preceded his release.

They had bound our hands with packing tape and then locked us together in a stress position to where it spread, and my hands swelled horribly and it caused a lot of nerve damage, he said, adding that he was also having some heart issues.

And were not sure if thats just anxiety or if its cause they also electrocuted me four times with a car battery.

After enduring brutal interrogations and beatings in Russia, likely at the hands of Russian military intelligence, he says, he and Huynh were moved to a black site before finally ending up in a prison in occupied Donetsk.

When we first got captured besides a couple of high-ranking officers who really, really wanted to execute us very badly, it was actually the platoon leader of that unit that stepped in and said Hey guys, these are high-value people, dont kill em, he said.

That one, off-hand remark would save them.

From there, their Russian captors engaged in a bungling propaganda effort to at once undermine Ukraine and stoke panic in the U.S. about the prospect of Drueke and Huynh facing execution, a move apparently intended to force Western leaders to recognize Russias puppet republics in eastern Ukraine.

They forced Drueke and Huynh to reach out to the silliest levels of the [U.S.] government to plead for help, he said.

I think one they made Andy call was the head of LLC business licensing for Alabama. And she said, Im sorry I cant help you, Im going to pray for you.

Sometimes they were just so smart and I was like Oh man theyre going to kill me. And sometimes it was like, this is the most ridiculous thing ever, how is this going to work? Youre idiots, he said.

They told me, We can boil your legs. And I thought, well how? Do you have a large galvanized tub? I havent seen it. Is it going to be preheated? Am I going to be heated up in it?

Having fellow captives from the West to talk to in the same prison helped keep all their spirits up, he said, despite the miserable and boring time in captivity.

We found that humor was our best weapon in that situation. And man theres graveyard humor, and then theres what we were doing, and its way below graveyard humor but it kept us laughing.

Alex Drueke and Andy Huynh at the Ukraine House in Washington, D.C. last November. Photos courtesy of Dianna Shaw

Some of the other prisoners passed the time by fantasizing about food, he recalled.

The other guys would come up with like What if we stuffed cheese in a chicken nugget? Would you like a hamburger pizza or a pizza hamburger? They were always talking about food.  During our hour of outside time theyd just yell over the walls all this random food stuff, he said.

The specter of death never really went away though, and Drueke says, There were a lot of times that I knew I was potentially less than a second away from death, I had a gun put to my head multiple times. But I was okay with that, Im already a veteran. Ive been to war before.

Breaking point

Drueke, a U.S. Army veteran, served his first tour in Kuwait and his second in Baghdad.

When he saw what was happening in Ukraine after Russias full-scale invasion last spring, he went there on his own and then signed a contract with the Ukrainian military to serve in a unit made up of foreign fighters.

I saw the horrible things that the Russians were doing to these innocent people that hadnt provoked it in any way, and I said I have to do something about it. I have training, I have experience, I can be of value to these people. I have to do something, he said.

He never expected hed wind up a prisoner in the darkest depths of the twisted Russian world the Kremlin hopes to foist on Ukraine.

While in captivity, he said, I lost the ability to daydream, because Id run out of things to think about and Id lost hope.

We had started talking about, like, hey whats your limit? How long can you go through this before you commit suicide?

Drueke said hed been bracing for an official indictment from Russian proxy authorities in Donetsk when things took a sudden turn. The Kremlin-backed authorities there had already orchestrated a hasty sham trial to sentence some of Druekes fellow Western captives to death.

So when Drueke says he and others were abruptly moved out of the prison and taken to a Russian airstrip, his first thought was not necessarily a good one.

All of us were thinking, either were moving prisons, were being exchanged, or this is mass execution, he said.

As he tells it, he spent the whole journey fearing the worst. After months of torment, the sight of Saudi medical personnel waiting on the tarmac was not an instant relief, but a potential trick.

Are they doing a final health check before they kill us? Is my blood pressure okay to be shot in the face? Drueke recalled thinking. And then when we got on the plane, we said, Well theyre obviously just going to shoot us out of the air once we take off. Theres no way theyre letting us go.

It wasnt until we landed in Riyadh that we were like, Huh, we might actually be getting released, he said.

Aftermath

With Russian authorities having spent weeks taunting the West with the prospect of a public execution for the foreign prisoners, Druekes release was almost just as unexpected to the rest of the world as it was to him.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the mens Sept. 21 release was the result of painstaking, lengthy negotiations with help from Turkey and Saudi Arabia. In addition to Drueke and Huynh, the prisoner swap also saw eight other foreigners freed, along with 215 Ukrainians, most of whom had taken part in Mariupols brutal last stand against Russia. Russia, in return, got 55 prisoners back, including Putin ally Viktor Medvedchuk.

Drueke says hes living one day at a time now that hes home with family in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and pouring all of his energy into helping Ukraine from afar. His main focus is to get the message out that other people need to support Ukraine.

Alex Drueke is seen with his 89-year-old grandmother over the Christmas holidays. Photos courtesy of Dianna Shaw

Number one, keep contacting your representatives, it does make a difference.  If we keep hounding our representatives about Ukraine and say yes, we need to give them money and weapons and everything they need to win this, if theres a large enough effort its going to make a difference and it will help, he said.

And for those looking to make donations to Ukrainians now enduring an entire year of Russian attacks, Drueke said, the United 24 fundraising platform allows you to decide exactly how your money will be spent.

You get to say heres my 100 bucks and heres where I want it to go, Drueke said. The Ukraine Defense Fund, he said, is also doing some really good things to get equipment to those on the frontline.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Gifts from Russian President Vladimir Putin and the deposed leader of Afghanistan were among the most notable received by President Joe Biden from foreign leaders in 2021, records from the State Departments protocol office show.

Documents detailing the gifts were released Thursday, coming at a time when the two leaders ties with Biden are in a much different place than when the gifts were given.

Putin gifted Biden a lacquer writing case and pen worth $12,000 at a summit in Geneva, Switzerland, in June 2021, which was the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since Biden took office in January of that year. The focus of their conversation was limiting nuclear weapons. Less than a year later, the Russian invasion of Ukraine exacerbated tensions between the two leaders.

Also in June 2021, the then-president of Afghanistan, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, and his wife gave the president and first lady Jill Biden two silk rugs, one valued at $9,600 and the other at $19,200. Ghani hoped to reaffirm relations with the U.S. after Biden announced U.S. troops complete withdrawal from Afghanistan amid the Talibans growing strength.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden and meet during the U.S.-Russia summit at Villa La Grange on June 16, 2021, in Geneva, Switzerland.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden and meet during the U.S.-Russia summit at Villa La Grange on June 16, 2021, in Geneva, Switzerland.

The U.S. and Afghan leaders firmly agreed that although U.S. troops are leaving Afghanistan, the strong bilateral partnership will continue, read a statement released by White House after Biden met with Ghani on June 25.

In June 2021, Abdullah Abdullah, who at the time was in charge of the Afghan peace council and widely regarded as one of the most powerful leaders besides Ghani, gifted a brass and lapis lazuli jewelry box to Biden, estimated to be worth $1,150.

Only two months later, on Aug. 15, the Ghani government fell when he fled the country and the Taliban took control of Kabul.

According to the State Departments chief protocol officers annual report, Biden received more than $46,000 in gifts from foreign leaders during his first year in office, Bloomberg reported. Twenty-two gifts were worth more than $100, the report said.

The National Archives now holds all of the gifts from Putin and Ghani, as is required for any gift to a U.S. official that is worth more than $415  although they can retain the gift if they pay the estimated worth. Biden chose to keep a $2,200 photograph of Queen Elizabeth II that had been given to him at a Group of Seven summit in southeast England, according to CBS.

Other notable gifts include a sand painting artwork of Biden worth $2,700, given by Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc; a pen drawing of Bidens childhood home from then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel that is worth $780; and jewelry boxes worth $2,400 each to both Biden and the first lady by King Abdullah and Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan.
The Queen Consort holds an item of footwear made from sustainable cacti leather during a visit to the JCA London Fashion Academy in Brentford (Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA)

The Queen Consort said the King would be very interested to learn about vegan-friendly shoes made from dried cactus and banana peel during a visit to designer Jimmy Choos London-based fashion academy.

It was the first day back to royal duties for Camilla, who contracted coronavirus for the second time last week and missed a run of engagements after suffering cold-like symptoms.

On Thursday, she visited JCA London Fashion Academy based in Brentford, west London, meeting academy co-founders fashion designer Mr Choo and Stephen Smith.

Wearing a navy Anna Valentine coat, Camilla met children from Our Lady and St Johns Catholic primary school who were taking part in a shoe-designing masterclass and was presented with a bouquet of flowers from Mr Smiths son, five-year-old James Connor who was named after Mr Choo.

During her tour of the pioneering fashion school, the royal was introduced to Masters graduate student Sophie Park, who had used cactus leather from Mexico and dried banana peel to create her line of vegan-friendly shoes.

Speaking about her cruelty-free shoes, 27-year-old Ms Park told Camilla: They basically mush down a cactus, dry it out in the sun and when its dry its ready to split the fibres up and weave again so there is literally no energy needed, its just the Sun. Banana skin is finer, better for clothes but for trimming on shoes it can work.

Taking a closer look at the shoes, Camilla said: My husband would be very interested to hear about this. That is fascinating. You learn something new every day. Absolutely fascinating.

After the interaction, Ms Park told PA news agency: Its exciting and its actually really nice to hear they have such a strong interest in sustainability and shes especially fascinated about the new materials so thats nice.

She also said her husband is very interested in the same thing, its just really great that all these new things are reaching everyone because its the most important thing at the moment.

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Camilla, who owns two rescue Jack Russell terrier dogs, also took a particular interest in local artisan designer Emma Lynda Sarah McDonnell  who was inspired by her dog to make dog coats and collars.

She said: Lucky little dogs. Absolutely lovely. Looking at a framed picture of Ms McDonnells own dog, she added: What a beautiful dog.

During her tour of the academy  which offers students the opportunity to learn how to make clothing, hats and shoes  Camilla met the founder of brand All Saints Kait Bolongaro who is the JCAs programme leader for fashion design and accessories.

Camilla was also impressed with an embroidered flower gown canvas which took 18-year-old Cerys Reece two months to create and was described as novelty by the royal who had never seen artwork before like it.

On leaving the academy, the young students of Our Lady St Johns said their goodbyes while waving union jack flags, and bouquet-bearer James Connor was heard shouting: Well miss you.

After the visit, Mr Choo said: If she didnt care, she wouldnt come here. Thats what the Queen (Consort) wanted, to show how care, love and conscious she is of the young generation.

I am a foreign student, but the way I made my name, through education. I can put all my love and all my vision into one school.

(I am) so happy, I dream about the Queen (Consort) coming to visit our school.

Speaking about Camillas fashion sense, he added: Obviously she knows her taste, she knows how to manage herself and look elegant and feminine.

If you look at her she looks stunning, fashionable, tall and elegant, but good manners, thats what people want. More importantly she cares, (knows) how to love and encourage people.

Meanwhile the academys co-founder Mr Smith, who first met Mr Choo 18 years ago during a talk at his Leeds Art University, said: We were incredibly blessed to have Her Majesty visit us, how gracious was she in terms of time. She wanted to stay and talk to every single student, honestly she really is so gracious.

Shes just got over Covid, you could see that she was still recovering and yet she took the time to come and see us. The way that we teach is exactly Jimmys story, the idea that Jimmys father was his mentor, thats how we teach.

To have Her Majesty the Queen Consort here for us has been just an honour, we are genuinely thrilled.

During the visit, Camilla also re-opened the newly renovated Grade I listed Boston Manor to mark its 400th anniversary.

She viewed some of the restored rooms, and met architects, craftspeople, staff, apprentices and volunteers during a tour of the Jacobean house, opening to the public in Spring this year.

In the Drawing Room, leader of Hounslow council Shantanu Rajawat: It was in 1963 that the late Queen Mother attended the former opening of Boston Manor House and was presented with a ceremonial key to celebrate the house and its rich cultural heritage.

Fast forward 60 years and I am absolutely delighted to have Her Majesty the Queen Consort see the house restored to its former glory 400 years after it was first built. We would to present you with a similar ceremonial key.

On receiving her own replica key, Camilla joked: Will I be able to let myself in when I need a bit of a break?

After unveiling a plaque to commemorate the unveiling, Camilla added: I want to congratulate everybody on this wonderful project.

Its so exciting to find a gem like this in the middle of a very built up area, it wouldnt exist if it wasnt for people like you putting it all back together again.

It has been a huge pleasure to see all your wonderful work, so thank you.
President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore face the roaring delegates at the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in 1996. (Jose More/Chicago Tribune)

The battle between Chicago and Atlanta over hosting the 2024 Democratic convention is heating up with a new claim from Illinois that Georgias lenient open carry gun laws  already an issue with several public events in Atlanta  could make security a nightmare.

With a decision possibly weeks away, officials involved agree that Atlanta and Chicago appear to lead New York, the third of the finalists still under consideration. Union officials have for weeks pressed President Joe Biden and the Democratic National Committee to pick the more union-friendly city; Chicago has 45 unionized hotels, while Atlanta has just two, they say.

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But recent events have brought a new argument: Georgias lenient gun laws could make it extremely difficult to keep firearms away from the delegates. The Secret Service is likely to declare the convention a national security special event and supersede state ordinances with its own rules inside a fortified perimeter.

But in hotels, along bus routes and at meetings and parties far from the core convention sites, guns could find their way in, security consultants warn, especially if Georgias Republican governor, Brian Kemp, holds to his pro-gun views and refuses to intervene.

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It just creates a tense environment, said Charles H. Ramsey, who once led police forces in Washington and Philadelphia and now does security consulting. To me, its an issue.

Georgia Democrats have scoffed at the pitch. The State Farm Arena, which would be one of the main sites of the convention should Atlanta win the bid, has protocols in place that prohibit carrying a firearm, despite gun laws that ostensibly allow weapons in most public spaces.

Stairs lead up to the front entrance area at the newly branded State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Oct. 18, 2018. (Bob Andres/Atlanta Journal-Constitution )

Doug Shipman, president of the Atlanta City Council, said in an interview that the city had hosted big events since the state passed its first open carry law  derided by opponents as the guns everywhere bill  in 2014. The city also has strong security relationships with federal, state and local law enforcement authorities, he added.

But, more to the point, the political significance of hosting the convention in a swing state that Biden narrowly carried in 2020 may supersede logistical and policy hurdles such as gun laws, abortion bans and union hotels, Atlanta boosters said.

Atlanta offers an enormous amount of historical and current symbolism. Its obviously the home of the civil rights movement but also more recently the home of, you know, wins by Sens. Ossoff and Warnock, Shipman said, pointing to the narrow twin electoral victories of Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock in 2020, and Warnocks victory again in November. I think there are a lot of different factors that go into that calculus. Im not sure that the gun laws are going to have any particular impact on the decision.

Gun laws are already affecting public events in Atlanta. In April 2022, Kemp signed a measure passed by the Republican-controlled General Assembly, allowing most Georgians to openly carry a rifle in public spaces without a permit. A few months later, the Midtown Music Festival canceled its annual event after organizers said they were at a loss on how to protect their expected 50,000 visitors. A week later, another event, the 404 Festival, also canceled its gathering over safety concerns.

Then this month, the SweetWater Brewing Co. pulled its SweetWater 420 Fest out of Centennial Olympic Park  where the Democratic convention potentially would be  and sharply scaled back the event to hold it on the brewery grounds, a private space, citing the safety of festivalgoers. Security consultants said that while the first open carry law was passed in 2014, repeated mass shootings, the end of permit requirements and the surge of gun violence since 2020 have made insurers take notice and raise the costs of covering large public events.

If nothing else, such headlines are allowing Chicago boosters to spotlight their citys tough gun control laws and Illinois newly enacted, far-reaching ban on high-powered guns and high-capacity magazines. Although full adoption of the law is held up in court, its existence is part of an expansive pitch, which also includes abortion rights protections and a constitutionally enshrined right to unionize, that Chicago is more in step with the partys values.

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Union leaders, who had been pressing their case against Atlanta privately, are also speaking up louder, saying that for many state delegations and union officials, staying in unionized hotels and attending events at unionized venues matter. Some union leaders said they had remained quiet when then-President Barack Obama chose Charlotte, North Carolina, for the 2012 convention. This time, they wont.

Joe Biden is the most pro-union president in history, and having it in a pro-union town reinforces that record and sends a message, said Ross Templeton, political and legislative director of the International Association of Iron Workers.

c.2023 The New York Times Company
House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis.

WASHINGTON  Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil is standing by House Speaker Kevin McCarthys decision to release thousands of hours of surveillance footage from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol to Fox News host Tucker Carlson despite pushback from Democrats  claiming the move was made in an effort to be transparent.

I support Speaker McCarthys decision to increase transparency for the American people, said Steil, leader of the House Administration Committee, which oversees Capitol security. This majority is focused on accountability, transparency and restoring the Peoples trust.

Carlson, a far-right political commentator known for pushing fringe theories, earlier this week announced his team had been given what he believes is unfettered access to 44,000 hours of Capitol surveillance footage from the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. He told viewers Monday his team would spend the week reviewing the footage before releasing its findings.

The decision to grant exclusive access to the footage to a partisan personality drew harsh rebuke from Democrats who called the move dangerous, noting the footage was sensitive and suggesting its release could lead to security risks.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries in a letter to colleagues Tuesday referred to the release as an example of the grave threat to the security of the American people represented by the extreme MAGA Republican majority.

The apparent transfer of video footage represents an egregious security breach that endangers the hardworking women and men of the United States Capitol Police, who valiantly defended our democracy with their lives at risk on that fateful day, Jeffries, a New York Democrat, wrote to colleagues.

Steils House Administration Committee became the de facto repository for the records gathered by the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol when Republicans dissolved that select committee at the start of the new Congress in January.

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Steil and the committee requested from Capitol police the same access to the Jan. 6 surveillance footage that the select committee had, a senior congressional aide told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, as part of efforts to identify security failures and review recommendations on how to improve Capitol security across the campus.

When asked if he consulted Capitol police about the potential public release of Jan. 6 surveillance footage, Steil in a statement Thursday said: I strongly believe we can maintain security while increasing openness and transparency for the American people.

He accused the Jan. 6 select committee of selectively leaking footage and noted former House Speaker Nancy Pelosis daughter, Alexandra Pelosi, filmed footage for a documentary that included video of lawmakers hideaways as supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol.

Meanwhile, a great deal of other information and materials have been withheld from the public with little explanation, Steil said. We believe the public has a right to transparency and we will promote that transparency in a manner that is consistent with the security of the House and the public.

It is not clear what Carlson plans to do with the footage. But Democrats have suggested that releasing certain video could show sensitive information, like pathways lawmakers took to secure locations. Former members of the Jan. 6 select committee have noted their committee worked closely with Capitol police before airing footage in hearings.

Its hard to overstate the potential security risks if this material were to be used irresponsibly, former Jan. 6 committee Chairman Bennie Thompson said in a statement.

If Speaker McCarthy has indeed granted Tucker Carlson  a Fox host who routinely spreads misinformation and Putins poisonous propaganda  and his producers access to this sensitive footage, Thompson said, he owes the American people an explanation of why he has done so and what steps he has taken to address the significant security concerns at stake.

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Steil defends McCarthy for giving Jan. 6 footage to Tucker Carlson
Rep. Judy Chu, the chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, blasted GOP Rep. Lance Gooden of Texas on Thursday over his comments this week questioning her loyalty to the U.S.

Chu, D-Calif., issued a statement in response to Gooden's remarks in a Fox News interview Wednesday night, when he suggested Chu should not have a security clearance or access to classified briefings. Chu had defended Dominic Ng, a Biden appointee featured in an article by the conservative Daily Caller that alleged Ng has ties to a Chinese Communist Party front group.

"Rep. Goodens comments on Fox News questioning my loyalty to the USA is absolutely outrageous," said Chu, the first Chinese American woman elected to Congress. "It is based on false information spread by an extreme, right-wing website. Furthermore, it is racist. I very much doubt that he would be spreading these lies were I not of Chinese American descent."

Gooden said in the interview, I think that Judy Chu needs to be called out.

I question her either loyalty or competence. If she doesnt realize whats going on, then shes totally out of touch with one of her core constituencies, he said. "Im really disappointed and shocked that someone like Judy Chu would have a security clearance and entitled to confidential intelligence briefings until this is figured out."

Daily Caller publisher Neil Patel defended the article in a statement, saying: It was well researched, fairly reported and based largely on direct Chinese language source materials. Rep. Chu is lashing out wildly instead of engaging substantively since she cant refute the facts presented.

Gooden, a third-term lawmaker who is a member of the Judiciary Committee, was joined Feb. 15 by five other House Republicans in asking the FBI to investigate Ng, the CEO of East West Bank in California, whom Biden appointed last year to be the chair of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Advisory Council.

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Chu and other members of the Asian Pacific American Caucus  Democratic Reps. Grace Meng of New York, Ted Lieu of California and Mark Takano of California  fired back at their GOP colleagues two days later in a joint statement.

"As with every presidential appointee, Dominic Ng, who is Chinese American, has undergone an extensive vetting process and sworn an oath to support and defend the Constitution and serve the American public," they said. "No Chinese Americansindeed no Americansshould face suspicions of disloyalty or treason based on their ethnicity, nation of origin, or that of their family members."

Federal Election Commission records show that Ng has donated to various Democratic congressional candidates, including Lieu, as well to the Biden Victory Fund and the Democratic National Committee in recent years.

Asked on Fox News whether Chu should be "looked into" in light of her defense of Ng, Gooden said, I think everyone that's standing up for Chinas Communist Party should be looked into, yes."

He added that he believed Chu had acted as a ringleader and dragged along the other Chinese American members of the caucus in supporting Ng.

Lieu and Meng are Taiwanese American, and Takano is Japanese American.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., castigated Gooden in a statement Thursday.

Goodens slanderous accusation of disloyalty against Rep. Chu is dangerous, unconscionable and xenophobic, Jeffries said.

Gooden stood by his comments Thursday, saying, Rather than following facts that indicate the presence of Chinese espionage, Chu and Jeffries are playing the race card in a sick display of disloyalty to our nation.

A spokesperson for East West Bank did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Republican lawmakers on Friday requested the co-chairs of President Bidens Supreme Court commission turn over a trove of documents related to their work.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and two former Senate Judiciary Committee chairs, Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), pointed in their letters to growing calls from progressives to add more justices to the Supreme Court.

While the Commissions work has concluded, questions remain about the Commissions work, deliberations, and true purpose, the lawmakers wrote.

Facing pressure from the left, Biden tasked the 34-member bipartisan commission with exploring possible court reforms. The group disbanded in late 2021, after issuing a report expressing profound disagreement on controversial proposals like court packing.

The lawmakers on Friday asked Bob Bauer and Cristina Rodriguez, the commissions two co-chairs who are law professors at New York University and Yale Law School, to turn over communications they had with commission members, the White House, the Justice Department and a number of progressive judicial advocacy groups.

The letter, first reported by Politico, asks for the documents by March 10.

The Hill has reached out to Bauer and Rodriguez for comment. Bauer has since represented Biden in the investigation into classified documents found at his home and office.

The commissions formation followed liberals lambasting Senate Republicans for confirming Justice Amy Coney Barrett  former President Trumps third nominee  days ahead of the 2020 presidential election to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, one of the courts liberals.

It came after Republicans in 2016, citing the presidential election later that year, refused to hold a hearing for Merrick Garland, whom former President Obama nominated to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia.

The recent divisive confirmation fights have culminated in a 6-3 conservative majority that has since overturned Roe v. Wade and expanded gun rights.

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I guess it shouldnt come as a huge surprise that Jim Jordan is turning a blind eye to the real abuses of power happening right in front of his face, Sarah Lipton-Lubet, president of Take Back the Court Action Fund, said in a statement.

Jordans right about one thing: theres an effort afoot to undermine the Courts independence, Lipton-Lubet continued. But that call is coming from inside the house, with the justices blatantly colluding with Republican special interests and violating ethics norms.

Similar criticisms are what led then-candidate Biden to promise to establish a commission to study various proposals for court reform.

The commission ultimately did not take a position on court packing, instead tracing the history of court reform proposals while only occasionally noting areas of bipartisan agreement, like term limits for the justices.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Servers working at four Mexican cuisine restaurants werent paid any wages in Florida, a federal investigation found.

They were forced to live off of customers tips as a result  which is illegal, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

The servers were among 93 employees who werent properly paid, in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act, while working at the four restaurants owned by the same person, officials said.

Now the workers have received the money they were owed and have been paid $253,044 in back wages, the Labor Department announced in a Feb. 22 news release. Other employees affected by the labor violations werent paid for working overtime.

In November, the restaurants, located in Cocoa beach, Edgewater, Port Orange and South Daytona, were ordered in federal court to pay back the employees, officials said.

McClatchy News contacted an attorney representing the enterprise and the owner for comment on Feb. 24 and didnt immediately receive a response.

In Florida, employers are supposed to pay tipped employees at least $7.98 an hour, according to the DOLs Wage and Hour Division. The hourly wage plus tips left by customers must equal at least $11 per hour in the state.

Otherwise, employers are required to make up the difference, according to the DOL.

Federal and state laws prohibit employers from forcing tipped workers to depend on customers generosity to make a living, Wildali De Jesus, the Wage and Hour Division district director in Orlando, said in a statement.

Restaurant chain paid workers below minimum wage and kept tips in Florida, feds say

Ice cream shop kept 144 workers tips in Florida, feds say. It owed over $169,000

Baristas were forced to share tips with managers of Kentucky coffee chain, feds say

Health care employees worked off-the-clock, feds say. Now Florida company pays up
A Richland 1 high school student was arrested Thursday after assaulting a teacher on campus, police said.

A verbal exchange between a teacher and a 16-year-old student at C.A. Johnson High School in Columbia escalated into a physical altercation that put the teacher in the hospital, the districts spokeswoman said in a statement.

No weapons were involved and the male teacher did not suffer any serious injuries, Columbia police said. He was treated and released Thursday, Richland 1 spokeswoman Karen York said.

The student was charged with second-degree assault and battery and must appear in family court at a later date, Columbia police said.

Columbia police spokeswoman Jennifer Timmons said she couldnt share any information about what sparked the alleged assault due to the ongoing criminal investigation.

Timmons said C.A. Johnsons school resource officer did not witness the incident, but spoke with multiple people who did and reviewed video surveillance footage in an attempt to understand what happened.

We consulted with a juvenile solicitor based on information we received at the time, she said. Combined with witness information and surveillance video, the student was charged.

The incident remains under investigation by school and district administrators, as well as the Columbia Police Department.
The doors close on a train on the Metro Red Line in Los Angeles. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

With an upswing in drug use, rising crime and a growing number of drug overdose deaths on Metro trains and buses, transit officials are looking to increase security on the system.

Twenty-one people have died on trains and buses in the Metro system so far this year. There was one homicide, but most died from apparent overdoses. Thats as many who died in all of 2022 and marks a significant departure from the previous years.

Gina Osborn, the top safety officer of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, presented data to the Metro executive board on Thursday showing an alarming rise in crime and plans next month to ask for an increase in Metro transit safety officers riding the system.

Complaints about drug use and sales reported on the Metro Transit Watch app skyrocketed nearly 100% last year, compared with the previous year, she said. During the same time, reports of serious crimes shot up 24%. And operators were being assaulted at a rate of about 14 every month.

Among the deaths were a man stabbed at the Westlake/MacArthur Park station last month. At a downtown station, there was another stabbing on Valentines Day. Also last week, a female passenger was dragged from a Blue Line platform and assaulted before another passenger saved her.

Its stunning, said Paul Krekorian, president of the Los Angeles City Council and a member of the MTA executive board. This is an existential threat to the Metro system.

Boardings on trains remain at 62% of pre-pandemic levels, while bus ridership sits at 71%.

Its an emergency situation, board Chair Ara Najarian told The Times. He said that he supports more transit officers and brought the report before the board. I have seen it with my own eyes.

We saw drug deals going on at the ground level, said Najarian, describing what he and two other board members observed at the MacArthur Park station weeks earlier.

Most of the deaths are along rail lines, and data show the Red Line has the highest incidence of crimes.

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There shouldnt be drug selling, drug use, passed-out patrons on the trains, urine in the elevators and employees getting mugged, he said.

Osborn has not publicly stated how she plans to deploy the officers or how many she is seeking. And she will probably face resistance.

The board  which oversees the agency and is made of elected officials including its newest member, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass  has been leery of beefing up enforcement amid criticism of racial profiling on the lines.

There are about 50 Metro transit officers  from a force of 198  on any given day across the system that stretches the span of Los Angeles County and includes about 100 miles of subway and rail line. Thats in addition to officers from the Los Angeles and Long Beach police departments and Los Angeles County sheriffs deputies who are contracted to patrol the Metro.

Osborn told the board that adding more transit officers and preventing fare evasion could improve conditions.

I say the answer is access control, she said. Not all fare evaders are criminals, but all criminals are fare evaders.

Transit officers employed by Metro are tasked with enforcing the code of conduct and preventing fare evasion, while police focus on drug use and other crimes.

Osborn pointed to January data from law enforcement that found most of those who were arrested could not show proof that they had paid to enter.

Board member and Supervisor Holly Mitchell said the correlation made her a little nervous.

I want a safe system. And yet, I dont want us to be so reactionary that we throw out past experiences, she said. She said she wants to ensure that people of color do not become targets.

Others have questioned whether law enforcement has done its job. The current LAPD and Sheriffs Department contracts expire in June, and some social justice activists have called for them to be eliminated for good.

Many riders feel unsafe with police presence. There is race- and gender-based harassment by police. Spending hundreds of millions on Metros multi-agency police contracts have not worked to address safety issues, said Laura Raymond, director at the Alliance for Community Transit-Los Angeles, an advocacy group. We need a new approach.

Metro officials acknowledge they need to retain and attract more riders as the agency is undergoing an aggressive rail build-out.

The agency has invested in a flurry of programs to make riders feel safer. It funds a shelter to try move unhoused people out of stations and off trains and buses, created a $122-million ambassador program that brings in uniformed personnel to assist riders, and is teaching operators how to de-escalate tense situations with passengers.

Last month the agency began an anti-drug campaign that includes announcements over the rail intercom to report drug use and the deployment of officers to arrest drug users and sellers.

The crime, filth and erratic behavior have caused female ridership to drop. According to a Metro survey last year, 49% of riders were women, compared with 53% in 2019. Metro users and workers complain that human waste and passed-out rail passengers are increasingly common.

Its time to put aside the skepticism about law enforcement and security detail and get our system back, Najarian said.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Rishi Sunak, pictured outside No 10 on Friday, is hoping to sign a new Brexit deal this weekend - Reuters/Peter Nicholls

Rishi Sunak is hoping to secure a Brexit deal this weekend after Downing Street claimed he had gained last-minute concessions from Brussels.

No 10 said the Government had achieved a string of positive breakthroughs during intensive discussions over the past week to address problems faced by businesses as a result of the post-Brexit rules governing Northern Ireland.

The Prime Minister spoke to Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, on Friday night, with further talks planned to seal the deal.

The Telegraph understands arrangements are in place for the UK and EU to agree on the deal as early as Sunday, with a legal text presented to Parliament on Monday.

Mrs von der Leyen is expected to travel to Britain for a handshake moment with Mr Sunak once the agreement is struck.

On Friday, Sky News reported that the King had been due to meet Mrs von der Leyen on Saturday, but that the meeting had been cancelled. There had been concern that the monarch was being dragged into political matters. Sources stressed that the King would take no role in negotiations, and was always mindful of constitutional matters.

It is understood the pair were to meet at Windsor Castle and that the deal could even have been called the Windsor Agreement.

Conservative MPs have been told they must turn up at the House of Commons on Monday, in a further sign that Mr Sunak expects the deal to be ready.

However, it is not yet known whether the new agreement will be accepted by the Democratic Unionist Party, which has demanded that European courts have no say whatsoever in Northern Ireland.

The agreement will also have to secure the backing of Brexiteer Tory backbenchers in the European Research Group (ERG).

Government sources said on Friday: Talks with the European Union to address these problems have intensified over the last week and progress has been good, with some positive breakthroughs made.

However, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the DUP leader, said: The objective in London and Brussels should be to get this right rather than rushed. The wrong deal will not restore power-sharing but will deepen division for future generations.

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Over 18 months ago, we outlined our seven tests and used those to mark out the parameters for the way forward. Those tests will be how we will judge any deal between the EU and UK.

Britain and the EU have been in a stand-off for two years over renegotiating the Northern Ireland Protocol, which prevents a hard border with Ireland by moving checks to the Irish Sea.

One well-placed source said the outline of a deal had been there for quite some time and that recent negotiations between the sides were just fine-tuning.

Recent discussions have focussed heavily on the packaging and presentation of the agreement before presenting it to the DUP and ERG, the source added.

Although Downing Street did not give details on Friday night, possible concessions include a provision for Westminster to set VAT rates and state aid policy in Northern Ireland.

Under the Northern Ireland Protocol, these are set by Brussels, even though the province is part of the United Kingdom.

Other potential concessions include far fewer checks on British goods transported to Northern Ireland, and perhaps a greater role for the UK in checking whether goods from Britain destined for the Republic of Ireland meet EU rules.

Under the new agreement, it is understood that the DUP is set to be guaranteed a seat at the negotiating table when new EU laws that could apply in Northern Ireland are being drawn up.

Mr Sunak is understood to have been first presented with the draft of the pact in mid-January, but then he told his negotiators to keep pushing for more.

An EU diplomat said that it was looking very likely that the deal would be publicly announced by the end of Monday at the latest.

Cabinet ministers have also been put on notice for a potential video call with No 10 in anticipation that the agreement will be finalised over the weekend.

Boris Johnson advising ERG and DUP

Downing Street said Mr Sunak had been pursuing fundamental changes to the Protocol and that his priorities were to safeguard Northern Irelands position in the UK, protect the Good Friday Agreement, and address practical problems faced by people and businesses on the ground in the province.

On Friday, he met retailers who gave their thoughts about the issues the Protocol causes.

It comes as it emerged that Boris Johnson has been advising the ERG and the DUP over Mr Sunaks Brexit deal.

The former prime minister has held secret talks with both groups at the same time as No 10 tries to win their backing for its agreement with the EU.

The discussions were revealed by the DUPs Sammy Wilson, who said the former prime minister had also met his partys leader.

He has sent messages that hes prepared to give us support, the leading Unionist MP told Choppers Politics podcast.

Ive got to be quite frank with you, I think hes got a duty to help because, after all, he was the person who got it in the situation in the present.

It was Mr Johnson who signed the deal that put the Northern Ireland Protocol into law.

Mr Wilson criticised Mr Sunaks handling of the negotiations with the EU in remarks which bode ill for No 10s hopes of winning the DUP over.

He said: I find it amazing that a Conservative Unionist Party prime minister doesnt understand what it means to be part of the Union.

I would have thought that being part of the Union was very clear cut.

James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, pledged that the Government will not sign off on any deal that is not supported by the DUP.

He insisted that UK negotiators are putting a sense of sovereignty and the importance of a democratic voice for Belfast at the heart of the talks.
Feb. 23ROSEAU, Minn.  As the permitting process for a northwest Minnesota habitat improvement and flood mitigation project continues, a national nonprofit organization teaming with Roseau-area landowners says plans for the project could be flawed.

Institute for Justice, a

public interest law firm

representing a group of Roseau County landowners, says possible mistakes in the engineering report for the Roseau Lake Project could mean worse than expected flooding for nearby farmland. However, an official at the Roseau River Watershed District says the plans for the project have been carefully vetted.

The Roseau Lake Project

seeks to improve habitat conditions of the Roseau Lake and Roseau River and manage storage capacity of the lake basin

to reduce flood damages around and downstream of the lake basin. The Roseau River Watershed District and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources are partners for the proposed project.

The area of the project is located northwest of Roseau and is known locally as "the lake bottom." Roseau Lake was drained in 1914 for agriculture, but frequently floods. Landowners in the area who oppose the project believe the proposed system of dikes will make farmland around the project unusable.

IJ claims a

report it commissioned

on the project found mistakes in water storage data in models for the project that would make flooding in the surrounding area worse than originally estimated. It says the same report found the project's cost estimate to be $2.4 million lower than what the project will actually cost and that agencies operating the infrastructure built by the project will be unprepared to respond to unexpected flood events at the project site.

"This report proves the concerns raised by the Roseau County Landowners Coalition that this project would lead to serious flooding on their properties and cost taxpayers millions of dollars," said IJ Assistant Director of Activism Chad Reese in a press release. "We're urging the Army Corps of Engineers to deny the permit application for this project because it is clearly contrary to the public interest."

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"This report confirms the issues we've been raising all along about the possible flooding that could severely damage our property," said Norm Kveen, one of the landowners in the release. "We continue to call on the Army Corps to deny this project."

Tracy Halstensgard, Roseau River Watershed District administrator, pushes back on those claims that the engineering report contains mistakes, saying the planning portion of the project, which is complete, was vetted by funding partners like the Red River Watershed Management Board, and a flood damage reduction work group made up of local, state and federal agencies, landowners and agricultural entities.

"It isn't just one engineering firm that's had eyes on this from our side of it," said Halstensgard. "There have been several groups, engineering technical advisory groups, that have reviewed the modeling, received the input into this and have concurred with our findings."

Halstensgard said it is often overlooked that the area landowners are concerned about presently sees minor flooding every two to five years.

"Those are the types of events that we are trying to help manage those water levels for, to reduce impacts for landowners, so landowners downstream and adjacent will see less frequency of those smaller events," said Halstensgard.

For less frequent, major flooding events, the project will not prevent flooding, but Halstensgard says engineers never claimed it would.

"We acknowledged in the beginning that this project will have no benefit and no negative impacts in those larger events because it's a lake basin  once it gets beyond a certain point, beyond the capacities of the project, it will act as it acts now," she said.

Costs of the project have increased, said Halstensgard. The project alternative chosen for the Roseau Lake Project was originally estimated to cost $12.9 million. Halstensgard says the estimated project cost now sits between $15 and $17 million and that the DNR and Roseau River Watershed District are continually monitoring the cost of the project.

"We work very closely with our funding partners, the state of Minnesota and the Red Red River Watershed Management Board, to assess those changes in costs, whether the projects are downsized or changed," said Halstensgard.

IJ's report bases its claims that the Roseau River Watershed District and DNR would be unprepared to handle unexpected flood events in the lake basin on a November 2021 operations plan published by the Roseau River Watershed District. Among concerns listed in the report are the agencies' abilities to operate control structures while other flood events are going on, access to control structures during flooding and the possibility for debris to clog the flood control structures.

Halstensgard says the DNR and the Roseau River Watershed District have a proven track record of successfully operating water management structures during floods.

"We'll continue to do that for this project," she said.

The project is in the middle of the permitting phase, said Halstensgard. The environmental assessment worksheet for the project was completed and it was determined that no additional environmental impact statement was needed for the project. A Minnesota Wetland Conservation Act Notice of Decision was in favor of the project. The Army Corps of Engineers is in the middle of the permitting process for the project, said Halstensgard, and has received public comments.

The timeline of the project moving forward will rely on the Army Corps of Engineers permit and funding availability. In the Minnesota Legislature this session, companion bills SF 1034 in the Senate and HF 1244 in the House of Representatives address Red River Basin flood hazard mitigation. In both chambers, the bills have been referred to the Capital Investment committees.

"We will know more after the session to see where they come out on the bonding that they decide to do," said Halstensgard. "Between that and the permitting will dictate when we start bidding phases of construction."
With less than two years remaining until US voters will decide who will serve as president of the United States from January 2025 to January 2029, former Republican government officials are starting to jockey for position in the coming fight for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, while at least one prominent Democrat (California governor Gavin Newsom) has reportedly pledged not to challenge President Joe Biden in a Democratic primary.

As the 2024 campaign takes shape, here are the names you need to know:

Joe Biden

Mr Biden is the current president of the United States and has said on multiple occasions that he intends to run for reelection in 2024.

The only US president in recent memory to forgo a run for a second term was the 37th occupant of that office, President Lyndon Johnson. Johnson declined to seek a second term amid upheaval over the Vietnam War despite having won a massive landslide over Republican Barry Goldwater in 1964, just one year after the Texas native assumed the presidency after President John F Kennedy was murdered by an assassin.

Although Mr Biden has never suggested that he would follow Johnsons example, his status as the oldest person to ever serve as president and his lacklustre approval ratings have fuelled speculation that he might stand down so a younger candidate could take up the Democratic Party mantle. But the Democrats better-than-expected results in the 2022 midterms appear to have put new wind in Mr Bidens sails, and he has said he expects to have made a final decision on seeking a second term after consultations with his family over the holidays.

Donald Trump

Of the more than 12 people who the Federal Election Commission lists as declared candidates for 2024, the only one whose name is well-known to the public is also the first former Trump administration figure to throw a hat into the ring, former president Donald J Trump.

Mr Trump, the only US president to face two separate impeachment trials  one after fomenting a violent attack on the US Capitol in hopes of remaining in power despite losing the 2020 election to Joe Biden  officially filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to declare himself a candidate in the 2024 election on 15 November, just minutes before he announced his candidacy at the same Palm Beach, Florida location where FBI agents had conducted a search for stolen classified documents just three months earlier.

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Donald Trump. (AP)

Now based in Florida, the ex-real estate developer turned television presenter turned politician is hoping he can become the first ex-US chief executive to reclaim the White House since Grover Cleveland accomplished that feat more than a century ago. But he faces a series of obstacles on what was once assumed to be a smooth glide path to the GOP nomination, including several of his former top aides and at least one governor he once endorsed.

Marianne Williamson

The self-help author and former spiritual adviser to television mogul Oprah Winfrey, who participated in several Democratic primary debates during the 2020 election, has said she will enter the 2024 race to challenge Mr Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination.

In an interview with Northwestern Universitys Medill News Service, Ms Williamson confirmed her intention to run next year.

I wouldnt be running for president if I didnt believe I could contribute to harnessing the collective sensibility that I feel is our greatest hope at this time, she said.

During her aborted 2020 presidential run, she garnered a measure of notoriety for making statements widely considered bizarre, such as a vow to make then-New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern the first head of government she would call as president, and an assertion that she would win the election by "harness[ing] love for political purposes" against Mr Trump.

Nikki Haley

Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley spent two years as Mr Trumps ambassador to the United Nations, and during that time garnered at least a measure of media attention for the way she avoided engaging with the myriad controversies engulfing his administration while staying in the then-presidents good graces.

Although the former governor turned diplomat previously pledged not to throw her hat into the ring for 2024 if Mr Trump was still running, she appears to have thrown that non-campaign promise away.

On 15 February, Ms Haley announced that she was indeed entering the race.

In a video released by her campaign, she even went so far as to take a veiled swipe at Mr Trump by noting that seven out of the last eight presidential elections have seen the GOP candidate lose the popular vote. She also said it is time for a new generation of leadership who will rediscover fiscal responsibility, secure our border and strengthen our country, our pride and our purpose.

Kanye West

When recently cancelled ex-fashion mogul and noted antisemite Kanye West (or Ye, as he prefers to be called these days) showed up with a notorious white nationalist for dinner at Mr Trumps Mar-a-Lago club, it appeared to be the first time the two men had met since Mr West appeared alongside the then-president during a bizarre Oval Office meeting in late 2018.

At the time, Mr Trump said the rapper very well could be a future presidential candidate, and two years later that prediction came true when Mr West launched an independent bid for the presidency that was widely perceived as a cynical Maga-backed ploy meant to split Black voters from the Democratic Party and deliver key swing states to Mr Trump.

In the years since his first quixotic foray into presidential politics, Mr West has ended his marriage to reality TV star Kim Kardashian, lost billions of dollars from his net worth after Adidas ended its relationship with him after he appeared at Fashion Week in Paris wearing a White Lives Matter shirt and later made a series of antisemitic statements on social media, and announced plans to purchase Parler, the far-right Twitter clone which was widely used by participants in the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

But Mr Wests interest in running for the highest office in the land does not appear to have faded. Although he has not yet filed a statement of candidacy for 2024, he has announced his intention to run for president in the next general election, and according to videos he posted to social media, he angered Mr Trump by asking him to accept the number-two spot on a ticket with him.

Mike Pence

Once Mr Trumps most loyal defender and steadfast right-hand man, former vice president Mike Pences relationship with the man who led the GOP ticket in 2020 was irrevocably upended by his decision not to unlawfully hijack Congress certification of Electoral College votes in an attempt to keep himself and Mr Trump in power against the wishes of American voters.

Mr Pence has not officially declared his intent to run for president against Mr Trump in 2024, but since leaving office he has kept up a steady stream of appearances in key primary states (hello, New Hampshire!) and campaigned for numerous GOP candidates in the midterm elections earlier this month. He also appeared at the Republican Jewish Coalitions annual convention in Las Vegas, a traditional cattle call for potential GOP presidential contenders.

Mike Pence. (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

While the former vice president has taken pains not to criticise Mr Trump in the way some anti-Trump Republicans have in recent months, he has also made clear that he would not do things the way the ex-president did during their four years in office.

Mr Pence has also begun to build out the beginnings of a 2024 campaign operation by bringing on former Ben Sasse spokesperson Ali Kjergaard to his Advancing American Freedom nonprofit. Ms Kjergaard joins other former Pence White House mainstays, including his former chief of staff, Marc Short, and his former press secretary, Devin OMalley.

Mike Pompeo

Another ex-Trump administration official who is widely reported to be considering a 2024 bid is Mr Trumps former CIA Director turned Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo.

The ex-Kansas congressman recently appeared at the RJC convention and has kept his face in the public consciousness through a steady stream of appearances on Fox News, where he is a paid contributor. Like Mr Pence, he has also kept up a schedule of public appearances that has included trips to early primary states.

Ron DeSantis

The current governor of Florida is thought by many in the GOP to be the perfect successor to Mr Trump.

Ron DeSantis. (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Mr DeSantis, a former Florida congressman who won his 2018 gubernatorial campaign after receiving a coveted endorsement from the then-president, is viewed by Republican pundits as a worthy avatar of the current anti-woke GOP who is hated by all the right people, and his star has been on the rise in conservative circles since he made a show of ending any and all pandemic-related restrictions and mandates in the Sunshine State.

When Mr DeSantis took the stage at his 2022 election victory party, supporters even chanted two more years in a nod to his potential status as a GOP presidential contender. And Florida legislators are reportedly considering changing state law to make it easier for him to seek his partys nomination while running for governor.

Earlier this month, Mr Trump debuted a derogatory nickname  Ron DeSanctimonious  for his onetime ally, a sure sign that the Florida native is considered to be a serious adversary by the New York transplant.

Vivek Ramaswamy

Mr Ramaswamy, a wealthy biotechnology entrepreneur and conservative activist, announced his intention to compete in the 2024 Republican primary during an appearance on Tucker Carlsons eponymous Fox News programme.

The Yale Law School graduate has become somewhat of a celebrity in right-wing circles for his denunciations of stakeholder capitalism, big tech censorship, and critical race theory.

Last year, he founded Strive Asset Management, an anti-woke investment firm opposed to businesses that use environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) practices.
Ukrainian Presidential Press Service via Reuters

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday marked the first anniversary of a full-scale invasion of his country with a stirring message of mourning, defiance, and hope.

On February 24, millions of us made a choice, Zelensky tweeted. Not a white flag, but the blue and yellow one. Not fleeing, but facing. Resisting and fighting. His words were accompanied by a video showing Ukrainians weeping with their loved ones, sheltering from explosions, and fighting on the battlefield. It was a year of pain, sorrow, faith, and unity, he added. And this year we remained invincible. We know that 2023 will be the year of our victory!

On February 24, millions of us made a choice. Not a white flag, but the blue and yellow one. Not fleeing, but facing. Resisting & fighting.

It was a year of pain, sorrow, faith, and unity. And this year, we remained invincible. We know that 2023 will be the year of our victory! pic.twitter.com/oInWvssjOI    (@ZelenskyyUa) February 24, 2023

In Moscow, there were no major public events planned to mark the grim milestone in the war on Friday. Earlier in the week, President Vladimir Putin briefly appeared at a concert rally at Russias biggest stadium where images of the mayhem in Ukraine were played on giant screens to a cheering crowd as pop stars performed. Firework displays lit up the skies over Russia on Thursday to mark its Defender of the Fatherland Day.

Zelenskys message of victory in 2023 was mirrored by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who on Friday insisted that victory will be achieved for Russia. We all want it to happen as soon as possible. And that day will come, Medvedev, who is now deputy chairman of Russias Security Council, wrote on his Telegram account.

Alarmingly, Medvedev argued that a deal will eventually have to be negotiated to end the bloodshed, but that such an agreement wont have fundamental agreements on real borders.

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That is why it is so important to achieve all the goals of the special military operation, Medvedev added, using the Kremlins preferred euphemism for the war. To push back the borders that threaten our country as far as possible, even if they are the borders of Poland.

Any attack on Polands borders would put Russia into direct conflict with NATO. In Poland this week, Joe Biden vowed to defend literally every inch of NATO. Medvedevs threat to Poland comes after Russian intelligence claimed this week that Ukraine is preparing a false-flag attack on Moldova, in which Kyivs forces would dress in Russian fatigues during a fake invasion.

Its not clear how many have been killed in the war in Ukraine so far, though Russias independent Conflict Investigation Team suggested earlier this month that between 130,000 and 270,000 Russians had been killed or wounded in the fighting. The Norwegian military in January claimed Ukraine may have suffered as many as 100,000 military casualties of its own, along with 30,000 civilian deaths.

Zelenskys message was echoed across the world with international displays of solidarity. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz released his own video message condemning Russian President Vladimir Putins relentless war of aggression. Landmarks including the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Sydney Opera House were illuminated with the colors of the Ukrainian flag on Wednesday night.

The symbolic displays of unity were coupled with a concrete statement of support from the U.N. which overwhelmingly voted on Thursday in favor of a resolution demanding that Russian forces leave Ukrainian territory. Some 141 nations backed the non-binding resolution while 32 countriesamong them India and Chinaabstained. Just seven countries, including Russia and its allies Belarus and North Korea, voted against.

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KYIV, Ukraine  One Russian soldier tells his mother that the young Ukrainians dead from his first firefight looked just like him. Another explains to his wife that hes drunk because alcohol makes it easier to kill civilians. A third wants his girlfriend to know that in all the horror, he dreams about just being with her.

About 2,000 secret recordings of intercepted conversations between Russian soldiers in Ukraine and their loved ones back home offer a harrowing new perspective on Vladimir Putins year-old war. There is a human mystery at the heart of this conversations heard in intercepted phone calls: How do people raised with a sense of right and wrong end up accepting and perpetrating terrible acts of violence?

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The AP identified calls made in March 2022 by soldiers in a military division that Ukrainian prosecutors say committed war crimes in Bucha, a town outside Kyiv that became an early symbol of Russian atrocities.

They show how deeply unprepared young soldiers  and their country  were for the war to come. Many joined the military because they needed money and were informed of their deployment at the last minute. They were told theyd be welcomed as heroes for liberating Ukraine from its Nazi oppressors and their Western backers, and that Kyiv would fall without bloodshed within a week.

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The intercepts also show that as soldiers realized how much theyd been misled, they grew more and more afraid. Violence that once would have been unthinkable became normal. Looting and drinking offered moments of rare reprieve. Some said they were following orders to kill civilians or prisoners of war.

They tell their mothers what this war actually looks like: About the teenage Ukrainian boy who got his ears cut off. How the scariest sound is not the whistle of a rocket flying past, but the silence that means its coming directly for you. How modern weapons can obliterate the human body so theres nothing left to bring home.

We listen as their mothers struggle to reconcile their pride and their horror, and as their wives and fathers beg them not to drink too much and to please, please call home.

These are the stories of three of those men  Ivan, Leonid and Maxim. The AP isnt using their full names to protect their families in Russia. The AP established that they were in areas when atrocities were committed, but has no evidence of their individual actions beyond what they confess.

The AP spoke with the mothers of Ivan and Leonid, but couldnt reach Maxim or his family. The AP verified these calls with the help of the Dossier Center, an investigative group in London funded by Russian dissident Mikhail Khodorkovsky. The conversations have been edited for length and clarity.

LEONID

Leonid became a soldier because he needed money. He was in debt and didnt want to depend on his parents.

I just wasnt prepared emotionally for my child to go to war at the age of 19, his mother told the AP in January. None of us had experienced anything like this, that your child would live in a time when he has to go and fight.

Leonids mother said Russia needs to protect itself from its enemies. But, like many others, she expected Russia to take parts of eastern Ukraine quickly. Instead, Leonids unit got stuck around Bucha.

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No one thought it would be so terrible, his mother said. My son just said one thing: My conscience is clear. They opened fire first. Thats all.

In the calls, there is an obvious moral dissonance between the way Leonids mother raised him and what he is seeing and doing in Ukraine.Still, she defended her son, insisting he never even came into contact with civilians in Ukraine.

She said everything was calm, civil. There was no trouble at the checkpoints. Nothing bad happened. The war didnt change her son.

She declined to listen to any of the intercepts: This is absurd, she said. Just dont try to make it look like my child killed innocent people.

ONE: Kill if you dont want to be killed.

Leonids introduction to war came on Feb. 24, as his unit crossed into Ukraine from Belarus and decimated a detachment of Ukrainians at the border. After his first fight, Leonid seems to have compassion for the young Ukrainian soldiers theyd just killed.

Mother: When did you get scared?

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Leonid: When our commander warned us we would be shot, 100%. He warned us that although wed be bombed and shot at, our aim was to get through.

Mother: Did they shoot you?

Leonid: Of course. We defeated them.

Mother: Mhm. Did you shoot from your tanks?

Leonid: Yeah, we did. We shot from the tanks, machine guns and rifles. We had no losses. We destroyed their four tanks. There were dead bodies lying around and burning. So, we won.

Mother: Oh what a nightmare! Lyonka, you wanted to live at that moment, right honey?

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Leonid: More than ever!

Mother: More than ever, right honey?

Leonid: Of course.

Mother: Its totally horrible.

Leonid: They were lying there, just 18 or 19 years old. Am I different from them? No, Im not.

TWO: The rules of normal life no longer apply.

Leonid tells his mother their plan was to seize Kyiv within a week, without firing a single bullet. Instead, his unit started taking fire near Chernobyl. They had no maps and the Ukrainians had taken down all the road signs.

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It was so confusing, he says. They were well prepared.

Not expecting a prolonged attack, Russian soldiers ran short on basic supplies. One way for them to get what they needed  or wanted  was to steal.

Many soldiers, including Leonid, talk about money with the wary precision that comes from not having enough. Some take orders from friends and family for certain-sized shoes and parts for specific cars, proud to go home with something to give.

When Leonid tells his mother casually about looting, at first she cant believe hes stealing. But its become normal for him.

As he speaks, he watches a town burn on the horizon.

Such a beauty, he says.

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Leonid: Look, mom, Im looking at tons of houses  I dont know, dozens, hundreds  and theyre all empty. Everyone ran away.

Mother: So all the people left, right? You guys arent looting them, are you? Youre not going into other peoples houses?

Leonid: Of course we are, mom. Are you crazy?

Mother: Oh, you are. What do you take from there?

Leonid: We take food, bed linen, pillows. Blankets, forks, spoons, pans.

Mother: (laughing) You gotta be kidding me.

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Leonid: Whoever doesnt have any  socks, clean underwear, T-shirts, sweaters.

THREE: The enemy is everybody.

Leonid tells his mother about the terror of going on patrol and not knowing what or who they will encounter. He describes using lethal force at the slightest provocation against just about anyone.

At first, she seems not to believe that Russian soldiers could be killing civilians.

Leonid tells her that civilians were told to flee or shelter in basements, so anyone who was outside must not be a real civilian.Russian soldiers had been told, by Putin and others, that theyd be greeted as liberators and anyone who resisted was a fascist, an insurgent  not a real civilian.

This was a whole-of-society war. Mercy was for suckers.

Mother: Oh Lyonka, youve seen so much stuff there!

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Leonid: Well ... civilians are lying around right on the street with their brains coming out.

Mother: Oh God, you mean the locals?

Leonid: Yep. Well, like, yeah.

Mother: Are they the ones you guys shot or the ones ... "

Leonid: The ones killed by our army.

Mother: Lyonya, they might just be peaceful people.

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Leonid: Mom, there was a battle. And a guy would just pop up, you know? Maybe he would pull out a grenade launcher ... Or we had a case, a young guy was stopped, they took his cellphone. He had all this information about us in his Telegram messages  where to bomb, how many we were, how many tanks we have. And thats it.

Mother: So they knew everything?

Leonid: He was shot right there on the spot.

Mother: Mhm.

Leonid: He was 17 years old. And thats it, right there.

Mother: Mhm.

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Leonid: There was a prisoner. It was an 18-year-old guy. First, he was shot in his leg. Then his ears were cut off. After that, he admitted everything, and they killed him.

Mother: Did he admit it?

Leonid: We dont imprison them. I mean, we kill them all.

Mother: Mhm.

FOUR: What it takes to get home alive.

Leonid tells his mother he was nearly killed five times. Things are so disorganized, he says, that its not uncommon for Russians to fire on their own troops  it even happened to him. Some soldiers shoot themselves just to get medical leave, he says.

In another call, he tells his girlfriend hes envious of his buddies who got shot in the feet and could go home. A bullet in your foot is like four months at home with crutches, he says. It would be awesome.

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Then he hangs up because of incoming fire.

Mother: Hello, Lyonechka.

Leonid: I just wanted to call you again. I am able to speak.

Mother: Oh, thats good.

Leonid: There are people out here who shoot themselves.

Mother: Mhm.

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Leonid: They do it for the insurance money. You know where they shoot themselves?

Mother: Thats silly, Lyonya.

Leonid: The bottom part of the left thigh.

Mother: Its bull, Lyonya. Theyre crazy, you know that, right?

Leonid: Some people are so scared that they are ready to harm themselves just to leave.

Mother: Yeah, it is fear, what can you say here, its human fear. Everybody wants to live. I dont argue with that, but please dont do that. We all pray for you. You should cross yourself any chance you get, just turn away from everyone and do it. We all pray for you. Were all worried.

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Leonid: Im standing here, and you know what the situation is? I am now 30 meters (100 feet) away from a huge cemetery. (giggling)

Mother: Oh, thats horrible ... may it be over soon.

Leonid says he had to learn to empty his mind.

Imagine, its nighttime. Youre sitting in the dark and its quiet out there. Alone with your thoughts. And day after day, you sit there alone with those thoughts, he tells his girlfriend. I already learned to think of nothing while sitting outside.

He promises to bring home a collection of bullets for the kids. Trophies from Ukraine, he calls them.

His mother says shes waiting for him.

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Of course Ill come, why wouldnt I? Leonid says.

Of course, youll come, his mother says. No doubts. Youre my beloved. Of course, youll come. You are my happiness.

Leonid returned to Russia in May, badly wounded, but alive. He told his mother Russia would win this war.

IVAN

Ivan dreamed of being a paratrooper from the time he was a boy, growing up in a village at the edge of Siberia. He used to dress up in fatigues and play paintball with friends in the woods. A photo shows him at 12 years old, smiling with a big Airsoft rifle and a slimy splotch of green near his heart  a sign of certain death in paintball.

Ivans dream came true. He entered an elite unit of Russian paratroopers, which crossed into Ukraine the very first day of Putins Feb. 24 invasion, one year ago.

ONE: Ivans road to war.

Ivan was in Belarus on training when they got a Telegram message: Tomorrow you are leaving for Ukraine. There is a genocide of the Russian population. And we have to stop it.

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When his mother found out he was in Ukraine, she said she stopped speaking for days and took sedatives. Her hair went gray. Still, she was proud of him.

Ivan ended up in Bucha.

Ivan: Mom, hi.

Mother: Hi, son! How 

Ivan: How are you?

Mother: Vanya, I understand they might be listening so Im afraid 

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Ivan: Doesnt matter.

Mother:  to ask where you are, whats happening. Where are you?

Ivan: In Bucha.

Mother: In Bucha?

Ivan: In Bucha.

Mother: Son, be as careful as you can, OK? Dont go charging around! Always keep a cool head.

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Ivan: Oh, come on, Im not charging around.

Mother: Yeah, right! And yesterday you told me how youre gonna f kill everyone out there. (laughs)

Ivan: We will kill if we have to.

Mother: Huh?

Ivan: If we have to  we have to.

Mother: I understand you. Im so proud of you, my son! I dont even know how to put it. I love you so much. And I bless you for everything, everything! I wish you success in everything. And Ill wait for you no matter what.

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TWO: Love and fear.

Russian soldiers had been told by Putin and others that theyd be welcomed by their brothers and sisters in Ukraine as liberators. Instead, Ivan finds that most Ukrainians want him dead or gone. His mood darkens.

He calls his girlfriend, Olya, and tells her he had a dream about her.

Ivan: F-, you know, its driving me crazy here. Its just that ... You were just  I felt you, touched you with my hand. I dont understand how its possible, why, where  But I really felt you. I dont know, I felt something warm, something dear. Its like something was on fire in my hands, so warm  And thats it. I dont know. I was sleeping and then I woke up with all these thoughts. War  You know, when youre sleeping  and then youre like  War  Where, where is it? It was just dark in the house, so dark. And I went outside, walked around the streets, and thought: damn, f- it. And thats it. I really want to come see you.

Olya: I am waiting for you.

Ivan: Waiting? OK. Im waiting, too. Waiting for the time I can come see you ... Lets make a deal. When we see each other, lets spend the entire day together. Laying around, sitting together, eating, looking at each other  just us, together.

Olya: (Laughs) Agreed.

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Ivan: Together all the time. Hugging, cuddling, kissing  Together all the time, not letting each other go.

Olya: Well, yeah!

Ivan: You can go f crazy here. Its so f- up, the s- thats happening. I really thought it would be easy here, to tell you the truth. That its just gonna be easy to talk, think about it. But it turned out to be hard, you need to think with your head all the time. So thats that.

Ivan: We are really at the front line. As far out as you could be. Kyiv is 15 kilometers (about 10 miles) from us. It is scary, Olya. It really is scary.

Olya: Hello?

Ivan: Do you hear me?

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The line drops.

THREE: The end.

As things get worse for Ivan in Ukraine, his mothers patriotism deepens and her rage grows. The family has relatives in Kyiv, but seems to believe this is a righteous war against Nazi oppression in Ukraine  and the dark hand of the United States they see behind Kyivs tough resistance. She says shell go to Ukraine herself to fight.

Mother: Do you have any predictions about the end ...?

Ivan: We are here for the time being. Well probably stay until they clean up the whole of Ukraine. Maybe theyll pull us out. Maybe not. Were going for Kyiv.

Mother: What are they going to do?

Ivan: Were not going anywhere until they clean up all of these pests.

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Mother: Are those bastards getting cleaned up?

Ivan: Yes, they are. But theyve been waiting for us and preparing, you understand? Preparing properly. American motherf have been helping them out.

Mother: F f. F kill them all. You have my blessing.

Death came for Ivan a decade after that boyhood paintball game.

In July, a local paper published a notice of his funeral with a photo of him, again in fatigues holding a large rifle. Ivan died heroically in Russias special military operation, the announcement said. We will never forget you. All of Russia shares this grief.

Reached by the AP in January, Ivans mother at first denied shed ever talked with her son from the front. But she agreed to listen to some of the intercepted audio and confirmed it was her speaking with Ivan.

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He wasnt involved in murders, let alone in looting, she told the AP before hanging up the phone.

Ivan was her only son.

MAXIM

Maxim is drunk in some of the calls, slurring his words, because life at the front line is more than he can take sober.

Its not clear what military unit Maxim is in, but he makes calls from the same phone as Ivan, on the same days.

He says theyre alone out there and exposed. Communications are so bad theyre taking more fire from their own troops than from the Ukrainians.

He has a bad toothache and his feet are freezing. The hunt for locals  men, women and children who might be informing on them to the Ukrainian military is constant.

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Maxims mood flips between boredom and horror  not just at what he has seen, but also what he has done.

ONE: Gold!

The only reason Maxim is able to speak with his family back in Russia is because theyve been stealing phones from locals. He says theyre even shaking down kids.

We take everything from them, he explains to his wife. Because they can also be f spotters.

Stuck just outside Kyiv, bored and unsure why theyre in Ukraine in the first place, Maxim and a half-dozen other guys shot up a shopping mall and made off with all the gold they could carry.

Back home Maxim has money troubles, but here his hands are heavy with treasure. He gleefully calculates and recalculates what his pile of gold might be worth.He says he offered a wad of money the size of his fist to Ukrainian women and children.

I wanted to give it to normal families with kids, but the people out there were drunks, he tells his wife.

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In the end, he handed the cash off to a random, cleanshaven man he thought looked decent. I told him: Look here, take it, give it to families with kids and take something for yourself. Youll figure it out, make it fair.

On calls home, the high sweet voice of Maxims own young child bubbles in the background as he talks with his wife.

Maxim: Do you know how much a gram of gold costs here?

Wife: No.

Maxim: Roughly? About two or three thousand rubles, right?

Wife: Well, yeah 

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Maxim: Well, I have 1 kilograms (more than three pounds). With labels even.

Wife: Holy f-, are we looters?!

Maxim: With labels, yeah. Its just that we f- up this  We were shooting at this shopping mall from a tank. Then we go in, and theres a f jewelry store. Everything was taken. But there was a safe there. We cracked it open, and inside  f- me! So the seven of us loaded up.

Wife: I see.

Maxim: They had these f necklaces, you know. In our money, theyre like 30-40,000 a piece, 60,000 a piece.

Wife: Holy crap.

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Maxim: I scored about a kilo and a half of necklaces, charms, bracelets ... these  earrings ... earrings with rings 

Wife: Thats enough, dont tell me.

Maxim: Anyway, I counted and if its 3,000 rubles a gram, then I have about 3.5 million. If you offload it.

Wife: Got it. Hows the situation there?

Maxim: Its f OK.

Wife: OK? Got it.

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Maxim: We dont have a f thing to do, so we go around and loot the f shopping mall.

Wife: Just be careful, in the name of Christ.

TWO: Propaganda.

Maxim and his mother discuss the opposing stories about the war being told on Ukrainian and Russian television. They blame the United States and recite conspiracy theories pushed by Russian state media.

But Maxim and his mother believe its the Ukrainians who are deluded by fake news and propaganda, not them. The best way to end the war, his mother says, is to kill the presidents of Ukraine and the United States.

Later, Maxim tells his mother that thousands of Russian troops died in the first weeks of war  so many that theres no time to do anything except haul away the bodies. Thats not what theyre saying on Russian TV, his mother says.

Maxim: Here, its all American. All the weapons.

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Mother: Its the Americans driving this, of course! Look at their laboratories. They are developing biological weapons. Coronavirus literally started there.

Maxim: Yeah, I also saw somewhere that they used bats.

Mother: All of it. Bats, migrating birds, and even coronavirus might be their biological weapon.

Mother: They even found all these papers with signatures from the U.S. all over Ukraine. Bidens son is the mastermind behind all of this.

Mother: When will it end? When they stop supplying weapons.

Maxim: Mhm.

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Mother: Until they catch (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskyy and execute him, nothing will end. Hes a fool, a fool! Hes a puppet for the U.S. and they really dont need him, the fool. You watch TV and you feel bad for the people, the civilians, some travelling with young kids.

Mother: If I was given a gun, Id go and shoot Biden. (Laughs)

Maxim: (Laughs)

THREE: War and peace.

The Ukrainian government has been intercepting Russian calls when their phones ping Ukrainian cell towers, providing important real-time intelligence for the military. Now, the calls are also potential evidence for war crimes.

But phones have been dangerous for the soldiers in another, more personal sense. The phone acts as a real-time bridge between two incompatible realities  the war in Ukraine and home.

In Maxims calls with his wife, war and peace collide. Even as she teaches their daughter the rules of society  scolding the child for throwing things, for example  Maxim talks about what hes been stealing. His wifes world is filled with school crafts and the sounds of children playing outside. In his, volleys of gunfire crack the air.

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One night last March, Maxim was having trouble keeping it together on a call with his wife. Hed been drinking, as he did every night.

He told her hed killed civilians  so many he thinks hes going crazy. He said he might not make it home alive. He was just sitting there, drunk in the dark, waiting for the Ukrainian artillery strikes to start.

Wife: Why? Why are you drinking?

Maxim: Everyone is like that here. Its impossible without it here.

Wife: How the f- will you protect yourself if you are tipsy?

Maxim: Totally normal. On the contrary, its easier to shoot ... civilians. Lets not talk about this. Ill come back and tell you how it is here and why we drink!

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Wife: Please, just be careful!

Maxim: Everything will be fine. Honestly, Im scared s-less myself. I never saw such hell as here. I am f shocked.

Wife: Why the f- did you go there?

Minutes later, hes on the phone with his child.

Youre coming back, the child says.

Of course, Maxim says.

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FOUR: The end?

In their last intercepted call, Maxims wife seems to have a premonition.

Wife: Is everything all right?

Maxim: Yeah. Why?

Wife: Be honest with me, is everything all right?

Maxim: Huh? Why do you ask?

Wife: Its nothing, I just cant sleep at night.

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Maxim is a little breathless. He and his unit are getting ready to go. His wife asks him where theyre going.

Forward, he tells her. I wont be able to call for a while.

The AP has been unable to determine what happened to Maxim.

Solomiia Hera and Anna Pavlova contributed to this report.
Russian President Vladimir Putin at an awards ceremony during a visit to the headquarters of the Southern Military District, December 31, 2022. Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File

Russia's plan to control Ukraine has changed and now focuses on trying to exhaust it, UK intel said.

That's a switch from its earlier priority of trying to conquer new territory.

Ukraine and its allies have warned that Russia aims to win by wearing down Western support.

Russia's current plan to take over Ukraine is to exhaust the country and its military over a long campaign, rather than focusing on taking new territory, according to the latest report from the UK Ministry of Defence.

In an intelligence update on Friday, the MOD said that Russia's campaign now "likely primarily seeks to degrade the Ukrainian military, rather than being focused on seizing substantial new territory."

It added: "The Russian leadership is likely pursuing a long-term operation where they bank that Russia's advantages in population and resources will eventually exhaust Ukraine."

The strategy outlined by the MOD matches what experts say Russia has been doing lately.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said in January that Russia was trying to "exhaust" it with drone strikes.

Wearing down Ukraine could potentially lead to a peace deal where Russia gains territory, or a situation where Ukraine's allies tire of giving it new weapons, and its military then becomes easier to defeat.

The UK defense ministry said this strategy shift occurred over the last few weeks, and contrasts with Russia's earlier approach.

After launching its invasion in February 2022, Russia attempted to seize the whole country and depose its government. After that failed, it then focused efforts on taking over the east and south of Ukraine.

Russia had expected to take Ukraine's capital in just two days, US officials said.

But instead it was pushed back to the east by Ukraine's army, where the two sides have been grinding away ever since.

The ministry also noted that Russia has been trying to "control" Ukraine since 2014, and that its invasion came after years of attacks by Russian-backed separatists in the east and the annexation of Crimea.

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Western leaders have long warned that Russia's strategy involves exhausting Ukraine and its allies, to the point where the countries supporting Ukraine stop or significantly reduce the military help they give it.

Nikolai Patrushev, the head of Russia's Security Council, said last summer that Putin's plan is to wait out Europe's support, knowing he doesn't have to answer to his people.

Putin "is a very patient guy. He can afford to wait six to nine months. He can control Russian society much more tightly than the West can control its society," Patrushev said.

The UK defense ministry update suggests that this strategy has now started to impact Russia's battlefield tactics.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Ukrainian diplomats are disappointed that China and the Republic of South Africa will conduct joint naval exercises with Russia. A ship marked with "Z" and "V" letters will participate in the exercises [these insignia used by Russian troops during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine became distinct symbols of the Russian military aggression  ed.].

Source: press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

Quote: "Ukraine is deeply concerned about the joint naval exercises with Russia and China in the Republic of South Africa.

A Russian frigate marked with the symbols "Z" and "V" takes part in the exercises. These are the symbols under which the Russian army is currently committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine.

The Russian warship is also carrying missiles of the same type they use to kill civilians and destroy critical infrastructure in Ukrainian cities and villages."

Details: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs notes that Ukraine is deeply disappointed that in the time when the international society condemns Russian aggression and strengthens measures of Russias isolation, the government of South African Republic "learns from the military experience of the Russian war machine".

Besides that, the exercises will be conducted on 24 February as well, the day when Russia invaded Ukraine, starting a war unseen in Europe since the times of the Second World War.

Quote: "We call on the Republic of South Africa not to encourage further Russian aggression and its sense of impunity, as well as to stand up for the fundamental principles of international law and the UN Charter."

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






TURKEY-DIPLOMACY-AGRICULTURE-UKRAINE-RUSSIA-UN-CONFLICT-WAR

The flags of Russia, the United Nations, and Ukraine are seen in Istanbul on July 22, 2022, after the signing of an initiative between the warring countries on the safe transportation of grain and foodstuffs from Ukrainian ports. Credit - Ozan KoseAFP/Getty Images

If a criminal is at the helm of the United Nations, how can we expect justice?

A year ago, our delegation of Ukrainian parliamentarians sat at the U.N. headquarters in New York as a seemingly surreal but all too familiar situation unfolded: the Security Council was listening for hours to Russia propagandize about 8 years of genocide in Donbas committed by Ukraine, while all the couloir talk was about the imminent invasion Moscow was about to launch.

In the face of the war that followed, the U.N. has been helpless to assist. The Security Council could not take any decisive action because Russia was able to block everything.

The war unleashed by Russia in Ukraine has exposed an overdue need for a radical reassessment of the U.N. and its Security Council, organizations that have proven unable to fulfill their promise to ensure global peace.

More from TIME

Since 1991, Russia has had a seat at the U.N. absolutely illegally, being the only participating country that has neither signed the organizations 1945 founding Charter nor ever been voted a member by the General Assembly. Instead, its place in the U.N. is the result of a tacit consent that has lasted more than three decades.

That tacit consent has allowed the Kremlin, among other things, to block any efforts in the Security Council to help Ukraine amid increasing Russian aggression since 2014. In fact, over the years, Russia (including its predecessor the USSR) has used its veto 143 times: more than all other permanent members in the Council, including China, combined. This has reduced the main peacekeeping world organization to a mere powerless observer.

It took a full-scale invasion for the world to begin talking about this biggest swindle in the history of international politics, but a year later, the problem still hasnt been addressed.

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While Russia has invaded the sovereign territory of Ukraine and committed mass acts of killing and torture of civilians, the U.N. has failedand without change, will continue to failto provide any meaningful response.

Russias undeserved seat in the U.N.

According to Article 4 of the U.N. Charter, new member states must be admitted by a vote of the General Assembly. But Russia avoided this by claiming to continue the membership formerly held by the USSR.

Thats despite the Supreme Soviet of the USSR proclaiming on Dec. 26, 1991, that the USSR as a state and as a subject of international law ceases to exist. More than a dozen new independent states emerged after the Soviet Unions dissolution, Russia being just one of them. Others like Georgia and Belarus, for example, had to be approved by the General Assembly to join the U.N., but Moscow simply changed the nameplates from USSR to Russia Federation and hoped the world would look past it.

While the concept of successor states has a long history, when it comes to U.N. membership, only Russia has gotten away with tacit rather than formal consent to take the place of its predecessor. When Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia each dissolved, every one of the countries that emerged from those former blocs had to be admitted to the U.N. by resolution before the General Assembly.

Russias illegitimate presence in the U.N.and even worse, as a permanent member of the Security Councilhas had disastrous consequences. It exploits the U.N. both as a platform for its propaganda and to block via veto power any attempts by the international community to counter its predatory behavior.

Without restoring the rule of law within its own organization, the U.N. will become more and more irrelevant, just as the League of Nations did when it failed to react to the Third Reichs invasion of Poland in 1939. An impotent U.N., unable to prevent wars and fulfill its peacekeeping obligations may too eventually vanish, leaving a void in the architecture of global security.

This is the time to change direction. If not, authoritarian regimes around the world wont miss this moment of utter weakness by the worlds institutions to fight back.

Expelling Russia from the Security Council

Following Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we and a group of other diplomats, lawyers, journalists, and academics from around the world launched a petition to expel Russia from the U.N.: #unrussiaUN.

It calls on U.N. leadership to either provide documentary evidence of Russias legitimate membership or to recognize its U.N. membership as fictitious.

The petition has collected nearly 300,000 signatures, as of this writing. Its also not a pipe dream. Thomas Grant, an international law professor at Cambridge and former U.S. State Department adviser who also backs the petition, has said theres a legal mechanism by which Russia can be forced out of the Security Council. He points out that the U.N. already went further when it kicked out Taiwan completely in 1971.

At the beginning of the war, many politicians didnt take this push seriously, but its starting to gain momentum.

Last September, world leaders openly called for reform of the Security Council at the 77th session of the U.N. General Assembly. Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, called for Russia to be expelled from the Security Council for attacking Ukraine, while U.S. President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, then-Prime Minister of Ireland Micheal Martin, and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu all called for limiting Russias veto right.

Russia must be brought to justice. U.N. membership was meant to be restricted to peace-loving states. If the countrys regime changes, of course it should be possible for its membership to be restored by a vote of the General Assembly. But until then, the very viability of the U.N. as a peacekeeping organization suffers as long as its members are forced to negotiate with a political regime that has been deemed, by the European Parliament and others, as a state sponsor of terrorism.
One year since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, networks continue to rotate reporters in and out of the country. Media outlets reassess security precautions as the nature of the battle changes. Correspondents are preparing for the possibility of an even longer and more brutal war, perhaps with even more risks and uncertainties.

And while some recent polls have shown softening support for U.S. aid to Ukraine, news executives insist that viewership interest is still strong, with plans to continue a significant presence there.

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It matters domestically, it matters internationally and we are determined to maintain our commitment for as long as it takes, CNN chairman and CEO Chris Licht said via email. This is the kind of story CNN was built to cover.

NBC News chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel said that everything over time diminishes because it is not as new. So inevitably, if this war is still going on a year from now, we might not be talking about it as much.

But theres also the possibility of the nature of the conflict changing dramatically.

We could have a Cuban missile-style nuclear crisis. China could intervene in a major way supplying weapons to Ukraine. The Ukrainians are talking about launching a new counter-offensive to break up the Russian front line, Engel said. I dont think people are going to lose interest because it is so important. It is so dynamic. Russia launched the largest ground invasion since World War II. If youre not interested in that, then I dont know what youre interested in.

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Another correspondent who has been reporting from the country, CBS News Holly Williams, said, The danger with long-running conflicts is that sometimes there is fatigue that sets in and people feel like they know the story, and they dont need to hear about it anymore. But I dont think I have seen that yet with Ukraine.

The level of U.S. coverage of the war and all of its facets has been of particular interest to U.S. lawmakers who have worried that waning viewership interest would impact support for continued aid to Ukraine. According to a recent AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, support for providing weapons and direct economic aid has dropped bit since last May. Another poll reflected the divisions among Republicans, as new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy had said there would be no blank check for Ukraine if his party won the majority.

Were definitely mindful of it. Its part of the coverage, said Katie den Daas, ABC News London bureau chief. But I think theres a difference between people wanting to use taxpayer dollars to support Ukraine, and people wanting to know whats going on in Ukraine. I think those are two very different things. And what we see is continued interest and continued engagement.

Moreover, correspondents say their jobs are not to be advocates for such aid, but they do express a goal of showing why the war is relevant to the American public, a challenge that is true of just about any international conflict.

Im just here to tell the stories of whats going on. And I think people do want to know, and if they dont want to know, they should, Engel said.

***

The Ukraine-Russia story does not dominate coverage like it did in the first months of the war. Broadcast networks nightly newscasts devoted 346 minutes last February and 562 minutes in March, compared to 34 minutes in December and 40 minutes in January, according to Andrew Tyndall, an analyst of news coverage. But he notes that the figures understate coverage in that they dont account for related stories like NATO planning, Zelensky-Biden diplomacy and internal Russian politics. The Ukraine war, he noted, has never been out of the top 10 most heavily covered stories each month. Networks have spent millions in their investment in covering the different facets of the war across the country.

Greg Headen, vice president of news coverage at Fox News, said, It is an important story, and Fox is committed to telling the story. Granted, you have folks that are thousands of miles away, our viewers. So why is it important to them? Well, it is important because we are watching in real time a country that never asked for war being completely pummeled. We have interviewed Zelensky. We have seen the mass graves. We report daily on the utter destruction, the human suffering. Its important to tell the story.

Network executives say that the biggest concern remains security of its correspondents and personnel. The initial weeks of the war, when Russian troops were about 20 miles from Kyiv, proved to be an especially fraught time, as crews scrambled to cover the advance. In March, Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski and Oleksandra Sasha Kuvshynova, who was working as a freelance consultant for the network, were killed when the crew vehicle was struck by incoming fire near Kyiv. Correspondent Benjamin Hall was severely injured; he lost one leg and both feet, his sight in one eye and the use of one of his hands. Hes publishing a book about his experiences next month.

Clarissa Ward, CNNs chief international correspondent, said, I do think its natural that there comes a moment where  public attention is not as uniformly galvanized as it once was. And thats a big part of where journalism comes in because our job is to ensure that as long as this tragedy is playing out every day, and as long as this illegal war continues, that we keep telling the story of the people who are living through it and keep holding those who are in power accountable.

Licht said that Ukraine-related coverage is typically among the most engaged stories on CNN Digital platforms, and the top piece last year was the live story written on the first day of the invasion. He said that the TV coverage continues to perform well in the 25-54 demographic. At the peak, CNN had 120 people in the region; it currently has 35 people on the ground. They have five teams in the country for the anniversary week, but have at least two teams since the war started.

CNNs demand for Ukraine stories, Ward said, is almost to the point where I wish I could get a little bit more sleep. She added, Thats not just because CNN likes this story or cares about it or thinks its important. Thats also because it does resonate with viewers, and viewers care about it and viewers think its important.

Ward is presenting a special on Sunday, CNN Special Report: The Will to Win: Ukraine at War, in which she revisits places like Kharkiv, near the Russian border and where she was when the invasion started. I really wanted to profile ordinary Ukrainians who really are the kind of secret sauce, if you will, to why Ukraine has come as far as it has against the odds, she said.

In the year since the war started, Ward said that the security situation has changed for journalists. In the early weeks of the war, as Russia began its onslaught and its troopers were on the outskirts of Kyiv, a number of journalists came under fire, and there was not an obvious person to go to for guidance to try to navigate your way through that fog in order to do your work, Ward said.

I would say that the security situation  its not so much that it is better, that its clearer, Ward said. She said that it is clearer where the front lines are, what the riskiest areas are, how to mitigate some of those risks, which then makes it easier for us, although challenging. It has been difficult to cover from those areas under relentless bombardment without taking risks that become extremely high and more and more difficult to mitigate and contend with.

Ward said that another challenge is to look for fresh angles and news where you can keep the story moving, if you will, and not fall into a lull. That may be especially the case if the war continues in a kind of stalemate, with no considerable gains on either side. She said, As you continue to tell a story, and we are entering the second year, I think it does require more consideration and perspectives to think about, Whatre the really important story going forward and how do we get at that?

CNNs Clarissa Ward

What can be difficult to convey to viewers is what is happening in the capital, Kyiv, where, despite the continued threat of missile strikes that is evident from air raid sirens, the city is buzzing. There are art exhibitions. The ballet is on.

We tend to sometimes have this idea that if there is a war in a country, that means the whole country is being bombed day in and day out. They cant leave their houses, and they are sort of sitting in bunkers. But what is kind of fascinating about Ukraine  and I think it speaks to the resilience of the Ukrainian people  is that it is a much more complex, nuanced picture than that.

CBS News Williams has a piece for Sundays 60 Minutes focusing on Kherson, the port city that was liberated after a period of Russian occupation. She, too, said that one of the challenges has been to show how Ukrainians try to keep their lives as normal as possible.

That in itself is kind of an act of defiance, saying, You are not going to take that away from us. We are not going to be fearful of you 24 hours a day, she said.

Still, Williams said that the war was the most dangerous conflict I have covered, citing the nature of Russias weapons and the relentless bombardment. What can be especially jarring is the contrast between deployments, coming out of a place where everything is one the line, where people are losing their lives, and then coming back home where it is as if nothing happened.

CBS News Holly Williams speaks to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last June.

She recalled that two days after the invasion started, she and a crew were driving across the country from Kharkiv to Kyiv, and suddenly territorial defense forces had spring up, seemingly out of nothing, often of local guys, older guys, with their own shotguns, manning points along the road. So there was this immediate sense that Ukraine is not going to allow this to happen.

A lot of people obviously had doubts as to whether the Ukrainians would be able to hold the Russians back from here. They thought that the capital would fall within days. And its just been sort of fascinating watching that shift, both inside Ukraine and outside Ukraine, to the point where, when you talk to Ukrainians now, they feel very confident, for the most part, that they are going to win this war.

***

Andrew Roy, CBSs London bureau chief, said that they have had a rotation that happens every three or four weeks, including a correspondent, producer, camera crew and high risk adviser, as well as work with local producers and drivers.

This is a very different war than the media have covered, he said. This is not generally people with small arms shooting at you and you have the risks of kidnapping. Instead, he said, you can be 20 kilometers from the front line and be at risk of artillery fire. The risks have not diminished in any way. It is still dangerous for journalists.

A challenge is to convey the human side of the story, rather than what reporters go through in the danger zone. One recent CBS News story focused on the effort by Ukrainians to provide psychological support for troops. Interest in the story continues to be strong, as is shown by social media impressions, Roy noted.

The stakes are as high as when Putin crossed into Ukraine. For audiences to turn away from the story because they are tired of it would be a massive mistake on their part, he said.

Rather than pulling back on coverage, a concern may be how to staff up in the event of a major escalation.

I dont see us leaving Ukraine any time soon. I dont see anyone leaving Ukraine any time soon, Roy said.

MSNBC will present On Assignment with Richard Engel: Ukraines Secret Resistance on Friday, in which Engel profiles residents of Kherson who joined the citys secret underground movement to fight back against Russian occupiers. Engel and the network crew started working on the project as they also covered the citys continued bombardment by the Russians.

Richard Engel reporting at the outset of the war last year.

We went down to Kherson because we heard maybe Ukrainians were going to take the city, and then we were there and went as Ukrainian troops were liberating it and people were celebrating on the streets, he said. And then, people came out and tell their stories, and we found all these amazing stories of people who have been under occupation for eight months, and are now suddenly free and able to describe their experiences.

Engel said that the story of the occupation relates to Americans in part because, as a nation of immigrants, every one of us has a story like this in our past. You just have to go back and look far enough.

Imagine if Washington or some other city is taken over by a foreign government, he added. You can do one of three things: You can run away, you can stay and acquiesce and maybe even collaborate, or you can fight. And this was the story of people who decided to stay and fight in the most dangerous kind of circumstances in an occupied city, on their own, civilians who have no training, no background organizing any kind of resistance.

NBC News presence in Ukraine has varied from one to four teams over the past year, but the coverage has been constant.

Engel said that the shift in the battle from the chaos and panic of Kyiv and other cities, to one where there is a front line in the east, has created a totally different war. Occasionally there are attacks on Kyiv and other cities, he said, but the vast majority of the conflict is along the front lines. Here there is a front line with trenches in between them and both sides are wearing uniforms, he said. It feels like you are in a war documentary.

***

Kirit Radia, the director of international news for ABC News, said that the Ukraine coverage has been the biggest commitment that ABC News has made to an international story since the war in Iraq.

And it is a sign not only that the audience has been there, but just that the stakes are so high. More than 100 people from the network contributed to coverage inside of Ukraine, he said, including correspondents James Longman and Ian Pannell, who have traveled thousands of miles across the country.

ABC News chief foreign correspondent Ian Pannell covering the destruction in Ukraine

Den Daas, the London bureau chief, said, I think there is a real threat in conflict reporting that it becomes a numbers game, that we get focused on who has how many tanks and how many guns and how many soldiers  and we cover that and we report that information  but I think our coverage has been focused on people, even from before the war started. And I think when we double down on that, that is where the engagement comes.

Pannell, for instance, was sent in January to follow up on certain Ukrainians were doing a year later, after profiling them at the start of the conflict.

The network has about two dozen people in the country at any given time. Deployments now run about two to three weeks from the earlier six weeks. Den Daas credits Ukrainian producers for covering the war without any breaks, even with the concerns over the safety of their families.

Weve had a correspondent, at least one, in Ukraine every day since well before the war started, and we are not going to take our foot off the gas pedal anytime soon, she said.

She said that she is actually surprised at the level of audience engagement. In the first two weeks, viewers watched 12.5 million hours of war coverage. The death of Queen Elizabeth and her funeral, also lasting about two weeks, was 7.1 million.

Our platforms and shows are still very hungry for content. So if they are hungry for content, and they are looking at the numbers and the ratings every day, that tells me the audiences still want to know what is going on. If I had people in Ukraine twiddling their thumbs, saying, Oh my gosh, are we going to make TV today? But we dont. We have the exact opposite problem.

***

Fox News foreign correspondent Trey Yingst said that he is in his fifth rotation in Ukraine since the war began, and were still getting on TV. Were still doing pieces on Special Report.  Certainly every news cycle changes, but I would say there is still an interest in what is happening here.

This certainly has been the most dangerous and the most difficult to navigate, personally and professionally, he said. This level of death and destruction just hasnt been something I have seen as a journalist in my career.

He points to a visit to Bucha, a suburb near Kyiv, that was the scene of mass executions on the part of the Russians.

Its hard to put into words just how bad it was, he said. Sometimes I stop myself from describing when people ask me what its like because I realized that the things that weve seen are things that most have trouble conceptualizing. They are so violent and brutal.

Fox News Headen said the network has has brought in about 20 reporters and 20 producers and photographers in the past year, in addition to security agents, drivers another personnel. They have two teams in the country now, with plans for one reporter on the ground, along with local fixers, once the other cycles out.

Security teams shadow reporters at all hours, and they talk to those traveling around the country with other networks as well. The network crews also use armored vehicles, Headen said. Putin and the Russian army dont have any qualms about hitting civilian targets. So we have had a plan, we continue to have a plan. We go over those plans. And we feel comfortable with where we are at, he said.

Yingst said that Ukraine is no different from other conflicts in that the onus is on correspondents to explain to viewers why the war should matter to them. What he has tried to do, he said, is humanize the story.

Fox News Trey Yingst

He recalled being in the suburbs of the city last year, and meeting a blind man as the Russians were shelling the street. Yingst and his crew went back two weeks later, after Russians had been repelled from the area, and the mans house was completely destroyed. They found him in a nearby hospital. A more recent story was speaking to school children, aged 9 and 10, who are telling us about missiles and drones. I think that is the thing I lose sleep over, he said.

Like other correspondents, he described having difficulties disconnecting from the story in between deployments there. When he was in Kabul on assignment last year, he found himself texting sources in Kyiv.

I just remember that we have a job to do. We have a responsibility to be here, informing the world about what is happening on the ground, he said. I think most journalists who are here signed up for that. They understand that, but you have to be mentally and physically prepared to cover a story like this.

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Ukrainian military uses searchlights to detect Iranian drones over Kyiv, January 1, 2023

Der Spiegel, referring to it sources, said Bingo has reportedly agreed to manufacture and test 100 ZT-180 prototype drones before delivering them to the Russian Defense Ministry by April 2023.

Read also: US-China deal scuppered Polish jet transfer, Orban admits Russia is a threat

Military experts believe the ZT-180 is capable of carrying a 35- to 50-kilogram warhead. Sources believe that the design of the unmanned aerial vehicle could be similar to that of Irans Shahed 136 kamikaze drone.

In a further step, Bingo reportedly plans to deliver components and know-how to Russia so that the country can produce around 100 drones a month on its own, the report says.

China apparently already had plans last year to provide the Russian military with much more substantial support than previously known. According to information obtained by Der Spiegel, companies under the control of Chinas Peoples Liberation Army had planned to deliver replacement parts for Russias SU-27 fighter jets and other models.

Read also: Zelenskyy administration to tap serving minister for China ambassador post

Der Spiegel has learned that plans had apparently already been made to falsify shipping documents to make the parts for military aircraft appear to be replacement parts for civilian aviation.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has denied making weapons deliveries to Russia.

China has always taken a prudent and responsible approach to military exports and does not provide any arms sales to conflict areas or belligerents, U.S. television channel CNN quoted Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin as saying on Feb. 24.

The United States and NATO have recently stated they are concerned about Beijings possible plans to supply weapons to Russia. China denies this information.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv has not yet seen such signs.

China released a 12-point position paper on Feb. 24, in which it calls for a political settlement to the conflict and called for a resumption of peace talks, an end to unilateral sanctions and stressed its opposition to the use of nuclear weapons.

Story continues

Read also: Russia should be divided by US and China, argues political scientist

At the same time, nowhere in the paper does China condemn Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Russian war crimes.

Over the past year, China has refrained from criticizing the full-scale war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine and claimed that it took an objective and fair position.

In early January, the Financial Times business newspaper quoted five senior officials as saying that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin had not warned China of his plans for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. One of the officials said that the closest Putin had come to informing Chinese leader Xi Jinping about his plans was to say that Russia doesnt rule out taking any possible measures if there is an attack on Russian territory.

There was no attack on Russian territory before Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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Atlantic Council analysts have released a report on Russian propaganda from 2014 to February 2022, the basic statements of which shaped public opinion about Russia's invasion of Ukraine.



Source: Latvia-based Russian media outlet Meduza; Atlantic Council



Quote: "The wording of the Rome Statute says the crime of aggression means planning and preparation for an act of aggression against a sovereign state. In this context, according to Atlantic Council analysts, the propaganda and disinformation that Russia began spreading long before the beginning of a full-scale war with Ukraine may be the evidence that the Russian authorities were preparing for an invasion."



Details: In particular, from 2014 to 2021, analysts studied 9,000 publications by the StopFake and EUvsDisinfo projects. Based on this data, a list of propaganda statements about Ukraine spread by Russian media was compiled.

Among them are the following: "the Ukrainian army and volunteer groups are brutal"; "Ukraine has become a failed state after following Europe"; "Ukrainians are Nazis"; "reforms in Ukraine are directed against Russians"; "Russia is not an aggressor"; "Ukraine supports terrorism".

The thesis that "Ukrainians are Nazis" and the brutality of the Ukrainian army have been promoted since 2014, while the statement that "Ukraine has turned into a failed state" appeared in 2016. At the same time, Russian propaganda began to spread the claim that "Ukraine is preparing for war."

The analysts also studied more than 10,000 publications by Russian pro-government media from 16 December 2021 to the beginning of the invasion. In them, the analysts identified several key statements of Russian propaganda.

"Russia wants peace" is the most common statement. Firstly, it appeared in the context of Russia's demands for security guarantees.

At the same time, propaganda promoted the following theses: "Russia is ready to negotiate with the West"; "for Russia, security issues are not only about Ukraine"; "other countries support Russia's dialogue with NATO"; "the Russian army will establish peace"; "Russia is not going to attack Ukraine"; "Russia is not a party to Ukraine's internal conflict with Donbas"; "recognition of the Donbas republics will bring peace".

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"Russia has a moral obligation to protect the region" is the second most common statement in Russian propaganda.

The following theses were promoted here: "Russia is helping refugees from Donbas"; "Russia will respond with force if it does not get any security guarantees"; "Donbas republics should be recognised as independent"; "Putin is a strong leader who will find a solution"; "Russia has no choice but to use force".

"Ukraine is the aggressor" is the third most common statement made by Russian pro-government media just before the war started.

Here's how the propaganda specified it: "Ukraine is planning to attack Donbas"; "Ukraine is constantly attacking Donbas"; "Ukraine does not comply with the Minsk agreements"; "Ukraine is organising provocations in Donbas"; "Ukraine is committing acts of genocide in Donbas".

"The West is creating tension in the region": this statement was most often found in publications about Russia's demands for security guarantees.

The main theses from these publications are: "NATO expansion should be stopped"; "the West does not take into account Russia's security concerns"; "NATO wants to increase its presence near Russia's borders"; "the West did not comply with previous agreements with Russia"; "the West ignores the situation in Donbas".

"Ukraine is a puppet of the West": this statement was relatively rarely used in Russian propaganda just before the war. It was mostly used in the context of Russia's demands for security guarantees.

The main theses are: "The United States controls Europe and Ukraine"; "Ukraine is at the centre of the confrontation between the United States and Russia"; "The United States is using Ukraine"; "The West has taken Ukraine hostage".

The report points out the need to document all cases of Russian propaganda so that after the war is over, this data can be used to substantiate the accusations against those who started the war with Ukraine.

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Russian MIG-29 jet fighters fly in the shape of the pro-war "Z" symbol ahead of Moscow's annual Victory Day Parade in May 2022. Contributor/Getty Images

Russia downed some of its own planes at the start of the war in Ukraine, a former US official said.

As a result, Russia started running out of experienced pilots willing to fly, officials told the FT.

A lack of pilots scuppered Russia's ability to control the skies, per several earlier reports.

Russia shot down several of its own aircraft in the initial days of the invasion of Ukraine, resulting in a dearth of willing pilots needed for Moscow to achieve air superiority, The Financial Times reported.

The FT in a Thursday report cited two Western officials and a Ukrainian official who spoke of the friendly-fire incidents.

"It may not have been double digits, but it's more than one or two," a former senior US official told the outlet. "There was a lot of fratricide."

"They may not have had pilots with combat experience who were willing to fly over Ukraine and risk their necks in that crazy environment," the official added, per the FT.

Ukrainian forces on the battlefield also witnessed Russians downing Moscow's own helicopters and planes, according to Vadym Skibitsky, deputy head of Ukrainian military intelligence, who spoke to the outlet.

Kyiv's intelligence units intercepted Russian communications saying the same, he said, per the FT.

"It happened. From artillery units, from tanks, and we even saw it from our intercepts of their conversations," he said.

It's unclear which friendly-fire incidents the officials referred to, or if these specific incidents were reported at all.

In July, a Russian war correspondent reported that Moscow's air force destroyed a target in the sky and rendered it a "burning ball." It later turned out to be Russia's own Su-34M, a type of bomber.

A view of destroyed armored SU-34 fighter jet belonging to Russian forces after Russian forces withdrawn from the city of Lyman in Donetsk. Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

A year after the war began, Russia continues to maintain a "substantial number of aircraft in its inventory," US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a February 14 press conference.

But it's not just the aircraft that Russia needs. Experienced pilots have been in short supply for Moscow, with its air force starting the invasion with "fewer than 100 fully trained and current pilots," according to the Royal United Services Institute, a British think tank, which cited Ukrainian military assessments.

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The think tank said Russia began committing instructor pilots to combat operations, hindering its ability to train anyone else.

Neither Russia nor Ukraine has been able to achieve complete air superiority  an objective that analysts and officials believed would have allowed Moscow to overwhelm Kyiv's forces in the early stages of the invasion.

Moscow's failure to control the skies comes despite it fielding hundreds of fourth-generation fighters and advanced aircraft like the Su-57, which British intelligence said in January had not yet been sent on missions within Ukraine's airspace.

Read the original article on Business Insider
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is convinced that Russia will continue to spread lies regarding Transnistria [unrecognised breakaway state that is internationally recognised as a part of Moldova  ed.], and does not rule out that Putin may attack another European country.

Source: Zelenskyy during a press conference on 24 February

Quote from Zelenskyy: "Unfortunately, yes, I believe that this [Russia's attack on another country  ed.] is possible. And it may happen. I can explain why. President Putin has to be presented with gains and victories. There will be no advances on the battlefield in Ukraine, there will be no massive comeback; at the very least we will fight, and if there is a supply [of weapons] we will be stronger.

Therefore, he [Putin] will have to be presented with gains. And everyone understands that it may be where there is a weakness (and preferably in those states where Moscow had had influence in Soviet times), and also where there are certain problems, certain conflicts, certain separate institutions. This is what is happening. And this is Moldova. You know the example of Moldova."

Details: Zelenskyy recalled that Ukrainian intelligence had intercepted the Kremlin's plans to take control of Moldova, which he immediately reported to his Moldovan counterpart Maia Sandu and the EU.

Zelenskyy states that Russia wanted to change the leadership of Moldova, despite the fact that the aggressor country does not border this country, and therefore, there could only be a landing, possibly one such that could have taken place, for example, in Transnistria.

The President also added that Russia continues to prepare lies to destabilise the situation, in particular, after the intelligence interception, it took Russia only two weeks to launch another information attack.

Quote from Zelenskyy: "Now they are throwing in information regarding the situation on the border, on the contact line between Transnistria and Ukraine, that there are some misunderstandings and shots fired. And they are pushing this information through the media that Ukraine is going to enter the territory of Transnistria. Why are they doing this?

They clearly understand that we respect the territorial integrity of Moldova and we believe that the territory of Transnistria is the territory of the independent state of Moldova, and they [Russians] are constantly making provocations. From the very beginning of the war, there were shots fired in our direction from the territory of Transnistria. They wanted us to come in. And I said that Moldova should think about this and think about how to solve this issue. They [Russia  ed.] acted from different sides. I believe that Russia will try to make some progress. And they will persistently take such steps."

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UNITED NATIONS (AP)  Russia and Ukraine faced off at the U.N. Security Council on Friday on the first anniversary of their war, with their confrontation even extending to dueling moments of silence for the dead.

The showdown began before the session formally started, with Russias ambassador demanding to know why Ukraine was ahead of council members on the speakers list. Most dramatically, in the middle of the meeting, the two countries tussled over tributes to the victims of the war. And it culminated with rival views on how to achieve peace.

Near the beginning, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that, finally, on this tragic day, when we mourn lives, and destinies broken by Russia, I kindly ask everyone to observe a minute of silence in memory of the victims of the aggression.

He rose to his feet. Everyone in the council chamber stood in silence.

But even in a moment of respect for the war dead, Ukraine and Russia were at odds.

As soon as Kuleba sat down, Russias U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia asked for the floor, saying: We are getting to our feet to honor the memory of all victims of what has happened in Ukraine starting in 2014  all of those who perished.

Nebenzias use of 2014 and double emphasis on the word all, were references to Russias claims that the conflict with Ukraine began that year after Ukraines Moscow-friendly president was driven from office by mass protests.

Russia responded by annexing Ukraines Crimean Peninsula and then threw its weight behind an insurgency in the mostly Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine region known as Donbas that continues and which Putin has illegally annexed.

All lives are priceless, and that is why were rising to honor the memory of them all, Nebenzia said, referring to Russians, pro-Russian Ukrainians in the east as well as Ukrainians elsewhere in the country.

Nebenzia and Russian diplomats then rose to their feet, and slowly, apparently after some thought, other members in the council chamber rose until everyone in the chamber was standing silently for about a minute.

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Although Moscow and Kyiv keep precise numbers under wraps, Western estimates suggest hundreds of thousands of killed and wounded on both sides.

Nebenzia accused Malta, which holds the councils rotating presidency, of giving Ukraine preference in choosing it to speak first just because it is part of your geopolitical project.

He also objected to foreign ministers of 14 European countries on the speakers list along with the European Unions foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, saying they all have the same EU position and will bring no added value to the debate.

Maltas Foreign Minister Ian Borg responded that the European ministers flew to New York and asked to speak because they feel that their countries have been and are still being directly impacted by this war.

Kuleba told the council that Ukraine will resist as it has done so far, and Ukraine will win. And he declared that Russian President Vladimir Putin is going to lose much sooner than he thinks.

Kuleba then delivered several messages to Russian officials and servicemen: You may think you will get away with what you did but you will end up on trial. And if you think Ukraine will get tired of defending itself, the longer you will keep attacking Ukraine  the more humiliating your defeat will be.

Kuleba urged countries everywhere to implement President Volodymry Zelenskyys peace plan and the General Assembly resolution adopted Thursday with support from 141 countries demanding that his countrys sovereignty and territorial integrity are upheld, as required by the U.N. Charter. The resolution also calls for a cessation of hostilities and withdrawal of all Russian forces from Ukraine.

In that vote, 11 of the 15 council members supported the resolution, Russia opposed it, and China, Gabon and Mozambique abstained.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned council members that they should not fall into the false equivalency of calling on both sides to stop fighting and calling on other nations to stop supporting Ukraine in the name of peace.

If Russia stops fighting and leaves Ukraine, the war ends. If Ukraine stops fighting, Ukraine ends, Blinken said. Vladimir Putin started this war. One man can end it.

Russias Nebenzia countered that what Ukraine and the West want is a capitulation of Russia and inflicting a strategic defeat of Russia, ideally followed by the disintegration of the country and redrawing the territories in includes.

The goal of what Russia calls its special military operation has never been to destroy Ukraine, Nebenzia said, but to have a friendly neighbor who doesnt threaten us, and it is ready to negotiate on how its goals could be implemented.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the many ministers backing Ukraine insisted at the council meeting that the U.N. Charters principles guaranteeing Ukraines territorial integrity and independence must be the basis of any peace.

The guns are talking now, Guterres said, but in the end we all know that the path of diplomacy and accountability is the road to a just and sustainable peace -- peace in line with the U.N. Charter and international law.

__

AP writer Michael Weissenstein in New York contributed
(Reuters) -Russia told the West on Friday that it would view as an attack on itself any actions that threatened Russian peacekeepers in Moldova's breakaway Transdniestria region, one day after Moscow accused Ukraine of planning an invasion.

In Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy rejected Moscow's assertion that Ukraine wanted to take over the region, while Moldova reiterated there was no truth to the allegations.

The warning comes amid increased concerns in Moldova, a small ex-Soviet republic bordering Ukraine, of a possible Russian threat. Its pro-European President Maia Sandu this month accused Moscow of plotting a coup.

On Thursday, Russia accused Kyiv of planning to invade Transdniestria, which borders Ukraine. The mainly Russian-speaking territory broke from Moldova's control in 1990, a year before the collapse of the Soviet Union.

"We warn the United States, NATO member states and their Ukrainian wards against taking yet another reckless step," Russia's foreign ministry.

"Any action that threatens their security will be considered under international law as an attack on the Russian Federation."

There are around 1,700 Russian troops in Transdniestria, which has a population of roughly 440,000.

Moldovan Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu said what he called Russia's "provocative" comments about a possible Ukrainian attack were untrue.

"The Moldovan authorities have rejected these statements as unfounded, made to manipulate public opinion. The security situation in the region is stable," he wrote on the Telegram messaging app on Friday.

Zelenskiy told a news conference that Russia was engaging on constant provocations.

"They clearly understand that we respect the territorial integrity of Moldova and we believe the territory of Transdniestria is the territory of the independent state of Moldova," he said.

Zelenskiy last week said it was "obvious" Ukraine was not the last country in Moscow's sights and that the Kremlin was thinking about ways to "strangle" Moldova.

(Reporting by Caleb Davis, Alexander Tanas and Dan Peleschuk; Editing by David Ljunggren, Alistair Bell and Diane Craft)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, holds the flag of a military unit as an officer kisses it, during commemorative event on the occasion of the Russia Ukraine war one year anniversary in Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 24, 2023. (Uncredited/AP)

KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraines leader pledged Friday to push for victory in 2023 as he and other Ukrainians marked the somber anniversary of the Russian invasion that upended their lives and Europes security.

It was Ukraines longest day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, but the countrys dogged resistance a year on has proven that every tomorrow is worth fighting for.

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On a day of commemorations, reflection and tears, the Ukrainian presidents defiant tone captured the national mood of resilience in the face of Europes biggest and deadliest war since World War II. Zelenskyy, who has himself become a symbol of Ukraines refusal to bow to Moscow, said Ukrainians proved themselves to be invincible during a year of pain, sorrow, faith and unity.

We have been standing for exactly one year, Zelenskyy said. Feb. 24, 2022, he said, was the longest day of our lives. The hardest day of our modern history. We woke up early and havent fallen asleep since.

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Ukrainians wept at memorials for their tens of thousands of dead  a toll growing inexorably as fighting rages in eastern Ukraine in particular. Although Friday marked the anniversary of the full-scale invasion, combat between Russian-backed forces and Ukrainian troops has raged in the countrys east since 2014. New video from there shot with a drone for The Associated Press showed how the town of Marinka has been razed, along with others.

The killing continued: Russian shelling killed another three civilians and wounded 19 others in the most recent 24-hour spell, Ukraines presidential office said.

Around the country, Ukrainians looked back at a year that changed their lives and at the clouded future.

I can sum up the last year in three words: Fear, love, hope, Oleksandr Hranyk, a school director in Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city, said.

Lining up in the capital, Kyiv, to buy anniversary commemorative postage stamps, Tetiana Klimkova described her heart as falling and hurting.

Still, this day has become a symbol for me that we have survived for a whole year and will continue to live, she said. On this day, our children and grandchildren will remember how strong Ukrainians are mentally, physically, and spiritually.

Although China on Friday called for a cease-fire, peace was nowhere in sight. Ukraine previously rejected a pause in the fighting for fear it would allow Russia to regroup militarily after bruising battlefield setbacks.

Zelenskyy gave qualified support to Chinas new pronouncements about the cease-fire and peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in a vaguely worded proposal released Friday.

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China has shown its thoughts. I believe that the fact that China started talking about Ukraine is not bad, the president said during a wide-ranging news conference. But the question is what follows the words. The question is in the steps and where they will lead to.

A 12-point paper issued by Chinas Foreign Ministry also urged an end to sanctions that aim to squeeze Russias economy.

That suggestion also looked like a non-starter, given that Western nations are working to further tighten the sanctions noose, not loosen it. Both the U.K. and U.S. imposed more sanctions Friday.

Ukraine is readying another military push to roll back Russian forces with the help of weaponry that has poured in from the West. NATO member Poland said Friday that it had delivered four advanced Leopard 2A4 tanks, making it the first country to hand the German-made armor to Ukraine.

The prime minister of Poland said on a visit to Kyiv that more Leopards are coming. Polands defense minister said contributions from other countries would help form Ukraines first Leopard battalion of 31 tanks.

Ukraine is entering a new period, with a new task  to win, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said.

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It will not be easy. But we will manage, he added. There is rage and a desire to avenge the fallen.

Air raid alarms didnt sound overnight in Kyiv, alleviating concerns that Russia might unleash another barrage of missiles to pile yet more sadness on Ukraine on the anniversary.

Still, the government recommended that schools move classes online, and office employees were asked to work from home. And even as they rode Kyivs subway to work, bought coffee and got busy, Ukrainians were unavoidably haunted by thoughts of loss and memories of when missiles struck, troops rolled across Ukraines borders and a refugee exodus began a year ago.

Back then, there were fears the country might fall within weeks. Zelenskyy referred to those dark moments in a video address.

We fiercely fought for every day. And we endured the second day. And then, the third, he said. And we still know: Every tomorrow is worth fighting for.

The anniversary was also poignant for the parents of children born exactly a year ago as bombs began killing and maiming.

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Its a tragedy for the whole country, for every Ukrainian, said Alina Mustafaieva, who gave birth to daughter Yeva that day.

My family was lucky. We didnt lose anyone or anything. But many did, and we have to share this loss together, she said.

Tributes to Ukraines resilience took place in other countries. The Eiffel Tower in Paris was among monuments illuminated in Ukraines colors  yellow and blue. In Berlin, a wrecked Russian tank was put on display. Anti-war activists in Belgrade, Serbia, left a cake covered with red icing representing blood and a skull on top on a pavement near the Russian Embassy, which police stopped them from approaching.

In Russia, media and rights groups reported more police arrests of protesters who took to streets with antiwar slogans and flowers in various parts of the country.

In Ukraine, Zelenskyy was particularly busy  kicking off the day with an early morning tweet that promised: We know that 2023 will be the year of our victory!

He followed that up with his video address in which he also pledged not to abandon Ukrainians living under Russian occupation, vowing: One way or another, we will liberate all our lands.

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He also held the televised news conference, where he urged Moscow to change course, saying: Please respect our right to live on our land. Leave our territory. Stop bombing us.

Zelenskyy got emotional when talking about how the war could end, arguing that only if Russia halts its aggression can a diplomatic path be followed.

Stop (destroying) all our infrastructure, energy, drinking water. Stop bombing towns, villages, killing dogs and cats, simply animals, torching forests, he said.

Zelenskyy said one of his biggest disappointments of the war had been to see people who could have fought leave the country when Russia invaded, referring to officials who fled. He said a low point was when Russian atrocities were discovered in the recaptured town of Bucha near Kyiv. It was very scary, he said. We saw that the devil is not somewhere out there, but on Earth.

Earlier Friday, the Ukrainian leader addressed troops on a Kyiv square and handed out honors, including to the widow and daughter of a fallen soldier, telling them: We will never forget. In a Kyiv hospital, he also decorated wounded fighters.

A year on, casualty figures are horrific on both sides, although Moscow and Kyiv keep precise numbers under wraps. Western estimates suggest hundreds of thousands of killed and wounded.

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In Kharkiv, Ukrainian serviceman Dmytro Kovalenko was buried Fridayin the citys main cemetery for soldiers, which has added 15 new rows of graves this past year. Kovalenko was killed Monday in the fiercely contested eastern city of Bakhmut. Those saying final goodbyes included Andrii Zatsorenko, a friend who lay red carnations on the grave.

I never thought Id be giving him flowers, Zatsorenko said.

The war will not end soon, he added. We have a powerful enemy.

Samya Kullab reported from Kharhiv, Ukraine. Vasilisa Stepanenko in Kharhiv, Yuras Karmanau and Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, Joanna Kozlowska in London, Monika Scislowska in Warsaw, Poland, and Sophiko Megrelidze in Tbilisi, Georgia, contributed to this report.
(Reuters) - Russia welcomed on Friday Chinese proposals to resolve the conflict in Ukraine and said it was open to achieving the goals of what it calls its "special military operation" through political and diplomatic means.

China has called for a comprehensive ceasefire as part of a 12-point plan for dealing with the war, which began a year ago when Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine.

"We appreciate the sincere desire of our Chinese friends to contribute to resolving the conflict in Ukraine by peaceful means... We share the views of Beijing," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.

"With regard to the Ukraine crisis, Russia is open to achieving the goals of the special military operation by political and diplomatic means," Zakharova said.

However, this would also mean recognising "new territorital realities" in Ukraine, Zakharova said, referring to Russia's unilateral annexation of four Ukrainian regions - Donetsk, Lukhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia - as well as of Crimea.

Ukraine has rejected the Chinese proposal unless it involves Russia withdrawing its troops to its 1991 borders - when the Soviet Union was dissolved - although Kyiv has also said it is open to parts of the plan.

Kyiv's Western allies have also reacted coolly to the Chinese proposals, with NATO saying Beijing did not have much credibility as a mediator in view of its close ties with Russia.

(Reporting by Caleb Davis; Editing by Gareth Jones)
Ukraine war - Kiev

Russian tanks captured by Ukraine stand on the square in front of St. Sophia Cathedral on February 20, 2023. The tank tube was decorated with ribbons in the colors of the Ukrainian flag. Credit - Kay NietfeldPicture Alliance/Getty Images

When Russia launched its offensive on Ukraine last year, the Kremlin and many Western observersexpected it would not be long before Russia captured Kyiv and ousted President Volodymyr Zelensky. But at the one-year anniversary of the war, its become clear that Ukraine has not only been able to withstand the assaultits succeeded in regaining control of key territories.

Russias army had some successesincluding attacks on airfields and civilian infrastructurebut experts detail how poor planning, faulty intelligence, and a misunderstanding of the strength of Ukraines resistance and Western support all but ended any chance Russia had of a swift victory.

Here are the biggest military mistakes Russia has made so far in the war.

A Lack of Logistical Planning

At the start of the war, Russia believed the operation would last a few weeks at most and failed to prepare for a long offensive. This lack of long-term planning proved to be a fault as the war dragged on.

It has taken the Kremlin months and months to start to belatedly treat this as the large-scale conventional war it is, rather than a quick operation to de-Nazify Ukraine, says Mason Clark, a senior analyst for the Institute for the Study of War.

The Kremlin believed its own propaganda, Clark says. It thought it was going to be welcomed by the Ukrainian population as liberators and that the Ukrainian military would collapse.

The poor logistics system led to failures across the board; troops were not properly supplied and left without an established chain of command. Russias original sin was how they structured their forces at the beginning of the invasion, says Clark. They didnt take time to set up proper logistics chains and just sent in ad hoc units. As a result, Clark says, troops were basically competing with each other for resources.

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Read More: How Russian Media Spent a Year Selling the War

And when Russia failed to seize and hold major territories, several senior military officials were fired or suspended as a result The poor chain of command and constant reshuffling had an impact on the militarys adaptability.

A New York Times investigation says that Russia fired missiles based on old maps and bad intelligence, a move that did little to hinder Ukrainian air defenses. Russian soldiers called home on their cell phones, allowing Ukrainians to track their locations through the signals.

Theres a disconnect between what Putin wants and what the Russian military is capable of, says Mark Cancian, a senior adviser with the CSIS International Security Program.

Underestimating the Ukrainian Resistance

Russia deeply underestimated the strength of Ukraines resistance, a move Cancian says doesnt come as a surprise. It was not unreasonable to underestimate them. Before the war, Ukrainians themselves viewed the government as inefficient and corruptZelenskys approval rating stood at just 27 percent.

If you had told people Zelensky could be the greatest wartime leader since Winston Churchill, people would have laughed at you, he says.

President Zelensky attends a military drill outside the city of Rivne, northern Ukraine on February 16, 2022. Aris MessinisAFP/Getty Images

Zelenskys decision to remain in Ukraine, and his impassioned speeches delivered over social media, inspired many Ukrainians to push back against Russian invasion.

The Ukrainian army also proved to be far more adaptable than Russia expected. Russia certainly underestimated how flexible the Ukrainian military was, says Clark. Throughout the war, theyve done an excellent job of shepherding their limited forces to where theyre most needed and not impaling them on pointless battles, which is what the Russians have been doing.

NATOs United Front

In December 2021, Russia presented a list of demands to the West in order to diffuse mounting tension in Ukraine, which included a ban on Ukraine entering NATO and a limit to the deployment of troops and weapons to countries on its Eastern flank.

Russia was expecting a reaction similar to its 2014 annexation of Crimea, when the United States and the European Union enacted sanctions against Russia. Instead, NATO countries stepped up to the plate, sending weapons, ammunition and military equipment, along with billions of dollars in aid. The U.S. alone has sent more than $24.9 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the invasion.The Pentagon marked the first anniversary of the invasion with a $2 billion package of long-term security assistance for Ukraine that includes more rounds of ammunition and a variety of small, high-tech drones.

Putin certainly thought he had a better chance of dividing Europe than he actually did. says Clark, Instead Western support has been unified for Ukraine.

Squandering Weapons

Russias flawed military strategy has led to a catch-22 for the military, says Clark. Theyre facing this challenge where they need to concentrate munitions, fuel, and other supplies close to the front line, but that exposes them to very accurate Ukrainian artillery fire and airstrikes. Clark says.

The help of the U.S.-supplied HIMARS rocket-systems allowed Ukraine to hit dozens of Russian ammunition depots. HIMARS, which stands for High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, is one of the worlds most advanced rocket artillery systems, effective for attacking stationary targets in a concentrated area.

When the Russians try and place their supplies further away from the front lines where they cant be threatened by Ukrainian forces, theyre unable to properly supply their frontline troops.

The new challenge for Russia is replacing the destroyed munitions. Russia can certainly replace standard pieces of equipment [like] ammunition, rifles, and some basic armored vehicles. Clark says. Theyre going to really struggle to replace all of the higher end pieces of equipment that they have lost, like advanced tanks and missiles, due to the cost of sanctions.

Despite these challenges, Clark notes that the pressure is still on for Ukraine to launch a counteroffensive and receive more Western support before Russia begins to fix some of its errors.

Over the long run, Russia will be better able to bear the costs of this war lasting until 2024 or 2025.
(Reuters) - A Russian Soyuz spacecraft blasted off on Friday on a mission to bring back to Earth a crew stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) by a leak in the cooling system of their original return capsule, Russian news agencies reported.

Tass news agency said the unmanned Soyuz MS-23 lifted off from Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan and had been placed in orbit. It was due to dock with the ISS on Saturday at 0101 GMT.

Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin and U.S. astronaut Francisco Rubio had been due to end their mission in March. They were left stuck in space after the cooling system of their Soyuz MS-22 capsule started leaking two months ago.

Russian space agency Roscosmos said this week the trio would now return to Earth aboard Soyuz MS-23 in September. The damaged MS-22 spacecraft is now scheduled to land without a crew in March.

Both NASA and Roscosmos believe last year's leak on the MS-22 spacecraft was caused by a micrometeoroid - a tiny particle of space rock - hitting the capsule at high velocity.

A similar impact is also believed to have caused a separate leak this month on the cooling system of the Progress MS-21 cargo ship, taken out of orbit last week.

Tass said 430 kilogrammes (about 950 pounds) of cargo was sent aboard the replacement craft, including medical equipment, scientfic instruments, water, food and cleaning supplies. Tass quoted a Russian space official as saying the amount of food sent was three times the amount normally dispatched for such missions.

The leaks have prompted Roscosmos and NASA to rearrange their schedules and postpone planned space walks.

(Reporting by Ron Popeski; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)
The Russian occupiers launch attacks on Donetsk Oblast. A man was injured and buildings were damaged.

Source: Andrii Yermak, head of the Presidents Office of Ukraine

Quote: "Russians are launching attacks on Donetsk Oblast, specifically the town of Chasiv Yar. This territory was under mortar.and artillery attacks, and attacks launched with the use of Grad multiple launch rocket system.

Most strikes were observed between Chasiv Yar and the village of Kalynivka. A man was injured, and buildings were damaged."

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
A bus with children leaves from the occupied city of Oleshka, Kherson Oblast, to Crimea, October 2022

At the end of August 2022, 15-year-old Roman Tarasov from the then-occupied Kupyansk district of Kharkiv Oblast, along with a group of other children, went to a summer camp in Anapa, Russia. The children were supposed to stay there for 20 days, but September passed, Kupyansk was liberated from the invaders, and the young Ukrainians were never returned home.

Roma's mother decided to pick up her son personally. She appealed to the Save Ukraine charity fund, which organizes the return of children back to Ukraine, and in December, together with a group of other mothers, she was supposed to go to Anapa, but she did not have time to obtain documents for departure. Due to poor communication, the woman was not able to inform her son about that.

Read also: Russian troops strike Kupyansk twice in a row, damaging house

So when a group of Ukrainian mothers arrivedatto the camp, Roma with his friends and packed luggage, went out to meet the bus. The news that his mother did not come shocked the boy. The group was kept in the camp for half a day, but despite having all the documents for the teenager, Roma and the other children were not released.

"It's hard to imagine the condition of this child," says Myroslava Kharchenko, a lawyer at the Save Ukraine charity fund. A little over a month passed before Roma's mother managed to come and take her son home.

"It was a very poignant meeting," Kharchenko recalls.

"They're finally together."

In total, thanks to the efforts of Save Ukraine, 44 children were reunited with their parents, and the fund plans to take another 16 home in the near future. The Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories, together with a number of charitable and volunteer organizations, are working on the return of abducted children. However, thousands of Ukrainian minors remain in Russian youth institutions. Among them are orphans and those whose parents sent them to summer camps in an attempt to protect them from hostilities, or who were forced to do so.

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Read also: SBU identifies two collaborators in liberated Kupyansk

Over the year of war, the invaders have abducted at least six thousand young Ukrainians to Russia, specialists from the American Laboratory of Humanitarian Studies at the Yale School of Public Health estimate in their report. Researchers have established 43 institutions  mostly summer camps  on the territory of occupied Crimea and Russia, where children from Ukraine between the ages of four months and 17 years are kept. And this is only part of a large-scale network of institutions whose main goal is "political re-education", which are centrally managed by the Russian government, in particular the Ombudsman of the Russian Federation, Maria Lvova-Belova, the authors of the report state.

The camps that American researchers managed to identify are located in Crimea, on the Black Sea coast of the Russian Federation, around Moscow, Kazan and Yekaterinburg, as well as in Siberia and the Far East. "The wide geography of these institutions is impressive," commented Nathaniel Raymond, co-author of the report.

"Some of them are closer to Japan than to Ukraine."

Read also: Russia strikes Kupyansk with S-300 missiles, critical infrastructure damaged

Abduction of children: how it happened

Raymond and his colleagues learned about the first cases of kidnapping in March-April 2022, but scientists only had enough data for their research in the fall. Then they began to compare the statements of Russian officials and the testimonies of the parents of the abducted children on social networks, to study satellite images and, to combine all this information, to determine the locations of institutions where young Ukrainians are held.

According to their data, some of the deported minors have parents, others are orphans who were stolen from Ukrainian orphanages, and some have been recognized as orphans by Russia. Children from the first category were often given away "for recovery" by the parents themselves: some, under pressure, while others believed that this would ensure the child's safety and that they would have full nutrition and safe living conditions  amenities unavailable during an occupation.

"These reasons, which are a direct result of the Russian invasion, are an indirect form of coercion that calls into question the validity of any consent [to relocate the minors]," the researchers emphasize.

Local teachers and officials lobbied for sending children to the Russian camps, which added determination to the parents, because they were people they trusted, says Raymond. In addition, many parents signed blank forms from the Russian side before sending them.

This is not meaningful consent, because the signatory does not know to whom he is giving this consent," the researcher highlights.

Usually, the children were promised to be returned within a specific period, but this return was postponed or canceled altogether. In some cases, minors were detained in camps for weeks or even months after the agreed term, and in others they were refused to be returned at all.

"There is a war going on there," the director of one of these institutions argued in favor of his refusal to return the child to their mother in liberated territory.

In two camps - Artek, in occupied Crimea, and Medvezhonok [Baby Bear in Russian  ed.], in Krasnodar Krai  the return of children was postponed firstly until the end of the summer 2022, and then for an indefinite period, the parents report. Hundreds of children from two other camps  Luchystiy and Orlenok  also did not return on the promised date.

Read also: Russia wont use nuclear weapons even if Crimea is liberated, Dutch PM says

Some parents report losing contact with their children. Some were forbidden from bringing phones with them to the camp, while others were not provided with the contacts of responsible educators. There are known cases when children were moved between camps without the knowledge of their parents, and their illnesses and hospitalizations were not reported.

Thus, one mother found out that her daughter, from the Medvezhonok camp, was admitted to a hospital due to a "nervous breakdown" only thanks to the story of another Ukrainian woman who went to the same facility to pick up her own child. According to the mother, the girl's health problems began due to her inability to get home. The mother was not able to get more information about her daughter's whereabouts or health.

"This shows an extreme lack of information and a real impact on the mental health of both children and parents," concludes Raymond.

Another mother from Kherson Oblast went to pick up her daughter in a camp in occupied Crimea, but there she learned that her child had been transferred to the Republic of Adygea, and no one had informed her about it.

Separating children from their parents for an indefinite period of time, even if initial consent to their temporary resettlement was obtained during armed conflict, may constitute a violation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the American researchers conclude. And the documented actions of Russian officials and officials, such as unnecessarily speeding up the adoption of children from Ukraine and the establishment of guardianship over them, can be considered as potential war crimes and, in some cases, as a crime against humanity, they add.

Read also: Houses damaged in Russian attack on Kupyansk, Kharkiv Oblast

"Integration" and de-Ukrainization

In institutions where Ukrainian children are held, they are involved in so-called "integration programs. That is, they are instilled with the Kremlin's view of national culture, history, and society. In other words, they are de-Ukrainized, or Russified, says Kharchenko.

Children there are constantly in a closed space. They are not allowed to go out into the city, they constantly listen to Russian propaganda, Russian music, learn the Russian anthem, language, history and literature.

"Children are instilled with [the Russians] own view of what is happening in Ukraine, and they do not have the opportunity to receive any information from the outside, and they rarely communicate with their parents," says Kharchenko.

And after three or four months of living in such conditions, they forget that they are Ukrainians, and they begin to hate everything. The longer they are there, the more difficult it is to work with them afterwards, so we try to get the children back as soon as possible."

According to the Yale School of Public Health, the invaders apply various forms of re-education to Ukrainian children: they teach them according to the Russian curriculum, organize trips to patriotic monuments of the Russian Federation and lectures by Russian veterans and historians, and some are also involved in military training. Such training, in particular, is carried out in camps in Chechnya and occupied Crimea, the authors of the report note.

For example, about 50 children deported from Ukraine visited a Sevastopol camp called the School of Future Commanders, founded by the youth "military-patriotic" movement Yunarmiya. There they studied firearms and military equipment, and learned to drive trucks. All this is for the education of patriotism and love for the [Russian] motherland," said the local head of the Yunarmy, Volodymyr Kovalenko.

Being away from their parents in Russia or in the occupied territories, children often do not understand what is happening to them, Kharchenko states. In the Save Ukraine fund, families who managed to return their children are helped not only with the restoration of documents and the educational process, but also with psychological assistance.

"After a while, children calm down  just like mothers  and begin to feel safe, and only then they begin realizing what had happened in general," says the lawyer.

She recalls the words of a mother, who admitted some time after her familys reunion that she only now understood: she could have lost her child forever. And such a risk is quite real, because the invaders transport Ukrainian children from one camp to another, and it becomes increasingly difficult to discover their whereabouts. Often, parents do not ask for help in returning their children precisely because they are not aware of all the dangers, Kharchenko emphasizes.

Helping parents and providing them with all the information available, was one of the goals of the Yale School of Public Health study, Raymond says. In addition, the data collected by the Americans on the abducted of Ukrainian children should become evidence that can be submitted to court and used to corroborate the testimony of witnesses. And in the meantime, it should create international pressure on Russia to start registering the abducted children, the researcher explains.

The Save Ukraine fund is also making its contribution to the future trials of the invaders.

"We are working with law enforcement agencies  the Prosecutor General and the Security Service of Ukraine, and are selecting evidence for a criminal case that will be heard in The Hague," Kharchenko shares.

Read also: Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts are Ukrainian, not for trade or sale  Danilov

The main purpose is to get everyone back

Currently, scientists from the Yale School of Public Health are continuing to verify the Russian institutions and Ukrainian children taken there, because they admit that there are many more of them now than was confirmed at the time of the publication of the report. Thus, according to the latest data of the National Information Bureau, 16,200 children were abducted from Ukraine, while only 307 have been returned.

"We will try to return all the children," Kharchenko insists. According to her, the Russian side has recently become more willing to make contact, perhaps because of the publicity the issue has gained. Or maybe because of the fear of a Hague tribunal, for which Lvova-Belova will be one of the first to receive a summons.

However, returning children back to Ukraine is becoming more difficult, the lawyer admits. If the first trips of mothers to Russian camps were organized by Save Ukraine through Belarus, then after a recent incident, when the border guards of the Russian Federation refused to let a group of children out of the country, the fund is forced to build more complicated routes  through EU countries.

The comeback will take time, Raymond admits. But Russia must already fulfill a number of specific requirements of the Geneva Convention, he emphasizes. Firstly, it is required to register these children through internationally recognized systems, such as those run by the Red Cross and UNICEF. Secondly, international observers should be immediately be allowed into the camps to see the children and report on their well-being. Thirdly, children should be given the opportunity to contact their parents, because currently they are often deprived of it. And one last thing: according to the Geneva Convention, children have a special protected status and are prevented from being used as hostages or bargaining chips during war or peace negotiations  they must be transferred to a neutral third country.

We cannot stop calling on Russia to implement the Geneva Convention, Raymond highlights. This week, he will present a report on the abduction of Ukrainian children at a UN meeting to raise international awareness of the issue.

"I know that in Ukraine they want to return these children immediately," says the researcher.

"But it will be a process, and it has already begun."

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
On Friday, the Russian military personnel were shelling the Nikopol district in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast all day. In total, more than 100 shells were fired.

Source: Serhii Lysak, Head of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram

Quote from Lysak: "Today, the aggressor tormented Nikopol Oblast all day. They fired heavy artillery and Grad multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS). In total, they sent more than 100 shells to peaceful settlements."

Details: According to Lysak, in total, the Russian occupation army shelled the area seven times. Three hromadas [administrative units designating towns, several villages and their adjacent territories  ed.] came under attack: Myrove, Marhanets and Nikopol.

Fortunately, there were no casualties. The consequences of the attacks are being established.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Soldiers with the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team load a Javelin missile onto the Common Remotely Operated Weapons System on a Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle before a live-fire training exercise on April 28, 2022 in Fort Carson, Colorado. Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images

US Army soldiers found themselves situated near Russian weapons contractors at an expo in Abu Dhabi.

At one point, the Russians came over to the US booth and played with Javelins, a Breaking Defense report said.

These weapons have been used by Ukraine to strike Russian tanks on the battlefield.

The US is arming Ukraine with deadly weapons to use on the battlefield against Russian forces, but that didn't stop Russians from coming over and checking out Washington's military hardware this week at an expo in the Middle East, according to a new report.

US Army soldiers and Russian weapons contractors both had displays at the Naval Defence & Security Exposition, a place for countries to showcase their weaponry and other combat systems, in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates this week, and they were separated by just a few yards, Breaking Defense reported from the event.

At one point, the Russians reportedly came over to the US stand, where one soldier told Breaking Defense the mood was friendly and there was even an exchange of patches. At least one of the Russians even picked up a Javelin, an anti-tank missile system that the US military has sent to Ukraine and has been used to destroy Russian tanks.

Neither US Central Command, nor the US Army, immediately responded to Insider's requests for comment.

The US-provided FGM-148 Javelin, a portable shoulder-launched weapon, was widely seen as a symbol of Ukrainian resistance during the early days of Russia's full-scale invasion in February and March of 2022. It uses an infrared guidance system to track a target's emission of light and delivers a high-explosive anti-tank warhead.

Military experts previously told Insider that the Javelin was a crucial tool that allowed Ukrainian forces to defend against an onslaught of Russian tanks and heavy armor and is one of several notable weapons that have helped Kyiv keep Moscow's troops at bay.

Although the interaction between the Russians and US Army soldiers may seem unusual given the Javelin and other US weapons, like the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), are being used to attack Russian troops, the incident at th expo is not an isolated one  friendly engagement amid tension has happened before.

US and Russian troops crossed paths last October in Syria, where they shook hands, exchanged patches, and even posed for photographs together. The US and Russia have backed different sides of the 12-year-long brutal civil war being fought there, and while the exchange last fall was friendly, some other exchanges between US and Russian forces in Syria have been less so, such as when Russian soldiers ran American troops off the road, causing injuries.

Read the original article on Business Insider
KHERSON, Ukraine  At dawn almost a week after Russias invasion of Ukraine, car part salesman Vladyslav Nedostup watched a Russian armored vehicle emblazoned with the letter Z rumble down the street of his hometown, Kherson. Under the amber gloom of the streetlights, soldiers marched in formation alongside their war machines.

It was like the tentacles of the Russian monster were entering our city, he said. Driving their armored vehicles slowly along the streets, covering them in darkness.

Thats when Nedostup, 28, decided he would become a partisan and join the citys underground anti-Russian resistance. According to his own telling, a man who had never fired a gun before would soon become a killer.

They are destroying us. They are killing my loved ones, Vladyslav Nedostup says. (NBC News)

I am not a trained guerrilla or an assassin, he told NBC News during one of several lengthy interviews conducted over two visits to Kherson. I just wanted to destroy them with my own hands.

Kherson was the first major city to fall to Russia after its forces invaded on Feb. 24, 2022. The Russians violently suppressed residents protesting against the Kremlin-appointed government for more than eight months, until the Black Sea city was liberated in November.

When Nedostup initially joined Khersons territorial defense in the early days of the invasion, he was handed a rifle and sent to different positions to guard the city. But with the Ukrainian military quickly overwhelmed, the defense units disbanded.

With the Ukrainian army unable to enter the city, Nedostup and the rest of the resistance fought back as the Russians became more entrenched. He contacted the Ukrainian intelligence service and became a conduit to pass along information that could help the Ukrainian armed forces with their push to take back the city.

Nedostup knew he couldnt do it alone, so he paired up with two old friends who remained in the city: a gregarious taxi driver, Mykhailo Kuanov, and Nastya Burlak, an easygoing bar manager.

Together, they developed a system to spy on and target Russian soldiers in the city and to pass the information on to the intelligence services.

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Kuanov would drive around the city chatting with the Russian soldiers who were among his customers, getting information about their movements.

Taxi drivers like to talk, Nedostup said during several interviews. Mykhailo is an expert at this.

The guys were so carefree that they didnt even try to hide their whereabouts, Kuanov said of the Russians. I was picking them up from point A and bringing them to point B, and I knew that they were obviously not alone at point B, that there were quite a few of them.

Mykhailo Kuanov said taxi drivers like himself have the advantage of being able to go anywhere without raising suspicions. (NBC News)

In the summer, Kuanov said he got a tip that the Russians were storing equipment inside a giant warehouse that had also been used as a shopping mall.

Instead of running straight to Vlad and yelling, Vlad, theres equipment there! I thought Id go for a drive, Kuanov added.

Taxi drivers have the advantage of being able to drive anywhere in the city without raising suspicion, so Kuanov scoped out the site to confirm that Russian equipment, mostly vehicles, were being stored inside.

After receiving the information from Kuanov, Nedostup went onto Google Maps, highlighted the shopping mall and sent the screenshots and coordinates to Ukrainian intelligence. Other partisans in the city also worked on targeting that building, and in September the building was destroyed by Ukrainian strikes.

From left: Mykhailo Kuanov, Nastya Burlak and Vladyslav Nedostup. (Max Butterworth / NBC News)

Nedostup and Kuanov said they didnt know if anyone had been killed in the strike.

Kuanov said he wouldnt be sorry if the strikes that he helped make possible ended up killing Russian occupiers.

I cant say I wished them dead, Kuanov said, But wait a minute guys, I didnt ask you to come here and liberate me.

An eye on Russian clientele

Meanwhile, Burlak, the bar manager, was keeping an eye on her Russian clientele.

To mess with the invaders, Burlak, 30, and the other staff would sometimes intentionally mix up their pizza orders or upsell them on the more expensive drinks.

Nastya Burlak worked with her friends to spy on and target Russian soldiers. (NBC News)

But she and her staff had to be careful and focused despite the hijinks.

The Russians in the bar were very cruel, Burlak said, describing how soldiers would come to her bar in the middle of the day, order whiskey by the bottle, eat plates of crayfish and carouse with prostitutes.

Burlak said the soldiers could turn on her or her staff in an instant.

You had to think carefully so you wouldnt blurt something out and accidentally provoke them, she said. The possibility of ending up in a dungeon frightened me most because thats where people were tortured and women were raped.

She also noticed that the soldiers were sloppy, getting wasted, and sometimes forgetting their weapons in the bar.

This kind of information was useful to Nedostup and would lead him to take his most aggressive action yet.

One night, Nedostup said he noticed a lone Russian soldier coming out of another bar.

The soldier was about 25 years old, a little drunk, unarmed and wearing headphones, making it easier for Vlad to tail him as he walked in the dark. Vlad followed him past an old playground, around the aging Soviet-era apartment blocks, until they were on a dark path beside a row of low brick school buildings.

A knife carried by Vladyslav Nedostup. (NBC News)

Nedostup said thats when crept up behind the soldier, grabbing him by the neck and sticking a knife in his back to the right of the spine.

I wanted to pull out the knife but instead I twisted it inside, Nedostup said.

As the soldier screamed and tried to fight back, Nedostup covered his mouth with his hand. The soldier bit him as a last resort before falling to his death.

NBC News cannot independently confirm Nedostups account of the killing, but other partisans in his group said they were aware of his actions. In separate interviews, other partisans said Nedostup had told them about the location and manner of the killing after it took place, but had only been comfortable sharing these accounts after Kherson was liberated.

In January, NBC News visited the site where Nedostup said the killing happened. He was visibly trembling, shaken by having to relive the memory. But asked if he had any regrets, he shook his head no.

What helps me not to feel remorse or suffer is that I was right, he said. They are destroying us. They are killing my loved ones. They seized my city.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Police are looking for a man driving a stolen white BMW who carjacked a woman and ran her over before abducting her 2-year-old who nearly wandered into a busy street after being abandoned Thursday afternoon near Libertyville, officials said.

The 34-year-old woman had just returned home in the 16000 block of Route 137 in unincorporated Lake County and she pulled into her driveway and brought one of her children inside about 3:35 p.m., according to a statement from the Lake County sheriffs office.

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As she came back out to the SUV to retrieve her other child, a 2-year-old boy, a white, 2000s model BMW with a black bumper and a loud exhaust pulled up behind her 2021 Volkswagen Atlas.

An attacker, who was tall, thin, wearing a gray zip-up hooded sweatshirt, and a light green face mask, exited the passenger side of the BMW and struggled with her, getting behind the wheel of the victims Volkswagen as she tried to keep her son safe, the statement said.

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The attacker then battered the woman, knocking her to the ground  and ran her over with her SUV  with the child still inside  as he and the driver of the BMW fled.

The victim was able to dial 911 and sheriffs deputies immediately responded and searched the area for her Atlas.

[ 16 minutes of hell; Volkswagen says serious breach led to delay in giving authorities GPS location of stolen car carrying toddler ]

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A short time later, a person working at a business in the 2200 block of Lakeside Drive in Waukegan called 911 to report they just saw two vehicles enter the parking lot, and the driver of one of the cars abandon a small child, the statement said

The drivers of both vehicles then fled and the 911 caller at the business rescued the child from the parking lot before the toddler wandered onto the roadway, according to the statement.

Waukegan police and sheriffs deputies responded and sheriffs personnel took the child to safety.

The woman remains at an area hospital, where her condition, which is still serious, had stabilized after suffering injuries to her extremities, the statement said.

Sheriffs deputies located the stolen Volkswagen in a parking lot near Casmir Pulaski Drive and Route 43 and the SUV will be processed for trace evidence, according to the statement.

But sheriffs detectives are still looking for the BMW, which was stolen in the past week from a car dealership in Waukegan, the statement said.

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Anyone who has seen the BMW or has information about this incident should call the Lake County sheriffs criminal investigations division at 847-377-4000 or contact Lake County CrimeStoppers at: www.lakecountycrimestoppers.org
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed on the set of "Rust" in October 2021. (Roberto E. Rosales / Albuquerque Journal)

Rust Movie Productions, the company behind the troubled western whose cinematographer was killed, has reached a settlement with New Mexico's Health and Safety Bureau.

As part of the deal, the New Mexico Environment Departments Occupational Health and Safety Bureau agreed to downgrade its citation of the production from "willful-serious" to "serious" and reduce the penalty it levied from its maximum of $136,793 to $100,000, Rust Movie Productions said Friday.

"Our top priority has always been resuming production and completing this film so we can honor the life and work of Halyna Hutchins," said Melina Spadone, senior counsel at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman and attorney for Rust Movie Productions. "Settling this case rather than litigating is how we can best move forward to achieve that goal."

The settlement brings to an end a battle with the government agency after it said the film's managers demonstrated plain indifference to employee safety after actor Alec Baldwin accidentally shot and killed cinematographer Hutchins during a rehearsal in October 2021, according to authorities. Director Joel Souza also was injured.

The agency said procedures were not being followed on set and management failed to review work practices and take corrective action.

Rust Productions had denied the allegations of wrongdoing. The production is planning to resume filming this spring in Montana.

On Thursday, Baldwin pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter charges in New Mexico.

The film's armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, was also charged with involuntary manslaughter and has denied wrongdoing. She appeared for the first time in a Santa Fe court Friday virtually. Gutierrez Reed's attorney, Jason Bowles, argued for her to be able to have a gun in her home for protection after her personal information was made public during the investigation, he said.

"Miss Gutierrez Reed then had numerous threats, phone threats. She had voicemails that were very, very, very bad," Bowles said. "She has had a stalker, and so she had a restraining order she had to get."

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New Mexicos First Judicial Dist. Atty. Mary Carmack-Altwies argued that Gutierrez Reed should not have access to guns because of her "sloppy mishandling" of guns on the set of "Rust," a claim that Bowles denied.

"There is no allegation that she is a danger to anyone having a firearm within her home," Bowles countered.

The court agreed and allowed Gutierrez Reed the right to a gun for self defense. Among other release conditions, she is not allowed contact with witnesses.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Sacramento police officers on Thursday found a woman who was a California prison inmate three months ago when she walked away from a community reentry facility after removing her GPS device.

Marissa Bakers, 30, was a participant at a Sacramento Custody to Community Transitional Reentry Program facility and walked away on Nov. 19, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Bakers, 29, was sent to the facility last July after being convicted of battery with serious injury in San Diego County. She was sentenced to two years in prison and was scheduled to be released from custody in January, CDCR officials have said.

Security camera video confirmed Bakers walked out of Sacramentos 50-bed facility on Power Inn Road, according to CDCR. Prison officials released her photo and asked the public to help find her.

About 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Bakers was taken into custody without incident by the Sacramento Police Department. She was booked at Sacramento County Main Jail.

She was later handed over to investigators from CDCRs Office of Correctional Safety. Prison officials said Bakers will be taken to Central California Womens Facility in Chowchilla, and her case will be referred to the Sacramento County District Attorneys Office for prosecutors to determine whether she will face escape charges.

The statewide reentry program allows women convicted of serious and non-serious crimes to serve their sentence at the residential facility rather than at a state prison, where they receive alcohol and drug recovery services as well as support with employment, education, housing, and family reunification.

There are six such facilities across the state, in San Diego, Sacramento, Bakersfield, Santa Fe Springs, Stockton, and Los Angeles.
Heinz has ended their search for a sailor who survived on ketchup while he was lost at sea.

It's been nearly a month since the Colombian Navy's announcement that it had rescued a man  later identified as Elvis Francois  who went missing at sea in December 2022 and spent 24 days adrift.

After being picked up by a merchant ship, the man's sailboat  which he had to constantly drain water from to prevent sinking  was abandoned. In a video released by the naval branch, the 47-year-old man said he relied on Maggi cubes, garlic powder and a bottle of ketchup to survive.

Castaway Elvis Francois being attended to by Colombian Navy members after he was rescued on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023. (Colombian Navy press office / AP)

Soon after, the iconic ketchup company asked fans to help it track down Francois to buy him a new boat.

In an Instagram post shared on Feb. 14, Heinz wrote to fans, Help us #findtheketchupboatguy.

The post features an image of a message in a ketchup bottle washed onto shore.

To whoever finds this message, the caption reads. We need your help tracking down an amazing man with an amazing story. You may remember Elvis Francois as the brave sailor who survived on nothing but ketchup and spices while adrift at sea for 24 days. Well, Heinz wants to celebrate his safe return home and help him buy a new boat but we cant seem to find him.

"So, were setting this message adrift into the sea of the internet because if anyone can help us find him, its you. If you or anyone you know can help us get in contact with Elvis Francois, please drop us a DM. Dont forget to share this post with all your friends so we can #FindTheKetchupBoatGuy," the post concludes.

After narrowing down its global search for Francois to the island country of Dominica, on Feb. 27, Heinz revealed that it finally tracked him down.

"Thank you, internet," the caption for the post reads. "We received thousands of likes, shares, and messages of kindness in our search to find Elvis Francois. It was an incredible group effort across six continents, leading to the hundreds of articles and leads and our eventual contact with Elvis. With your help, we were able to #FindTheKetchupBoatGuy."

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In an email to TODAY.com, a Heinz spokesperson explained that "through the power of social media," Elvis was located in the Caribbean on the island of Dominica.

"Heinz was able to contact Elvis and discuss the best way to help support him and his family, the spokesperson said. Heinz and Elvis are working out the logistical details of gifting him his new boat."

Before finding him, a Heinz spokesperson told TODAY.com that the company planned to gift Francois "a new boat equipped with full navigational technology to avoid another disaster in the future."

Desde el aire se establecio la ubicacion del velero en emergencia que tenia la palabra HELP (Ayuda) grabada sobre su casco.



Se dio aviso a las unidades en tierra y mar, donde el buque mercante CMA CGM VOLTARIO se unio a la labor de rescate.#ProtegemosLaVida  pic.twitter.com/DSGZU6fdeK  Armada de Colombia (@ArmadaColombia) January 18, 2023

According to the Colombian Navy, Francois was found lost at sea 120 nautical miles northwest of Puerto Bolivar, Ecuador.

In a tweet about the incident, the naval branch explained that Francoi's distresses signal was spotted from the air. The sailor had written the word HELP on the hull of his boat.

EDITOR'S NOTE (Feb. 27, 2023, 5:06 p.m. ET): This post has been updated to reflect that Heinz found Francois.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
Sally Walker spent 25 years working in national security, during which she created Britain's first national cyber force. She now advises the social impact workforce technology firm WithYouWithMe.

Sally Walker worked in national security for 25 years, and was the first female director of GCHQ, the UKs intelligence agency, where she created and headed up the National Cyber Force. She was one of very few women working at the spy agency when she joined in the 1990s, so she also became GCHQs diversity champion and currently delivers women in leadership programmes for a range of FTSE 100 clients.

She is founding member of Human Digital Thinking, and also board advisor and non-executive director at workforce technology platform WithYouWithMe, a social impact firm which helps armed forces veterans and their partners find meaningful work in the cyber field after they leave the military.

When I joined GCHQ you didnt even talk about the fact you worked there, much less who you worked for. So this has been a journey of reflection for me.

I joined the civil service in the mid-90s and therefore my bosses were straight (otherwise you couldnt hold a security clearance), and almost exclusively white, middle class, middle income, highly educated and usually introverted. There were no married women in the senior management structure.

Read More: My first boss: Martin Warner, 'UK's Elon Musk', on his business career

On one level they were all the same, but of course they were incredibly different, all with unique personalities and brains. Whether they were mathematicians, linguists or computer scientists, they had been recruited for their brilliance.

They all used letters and titles instead of their names; not only were they not known to the outside, they werent known to their staff. It added to their mystique and authority, they werent just faceless but almost nameless. It was very unusual. They all looked and sounded identical.

WithYouWithMe has helped over 20,000 people from marginalised groups including military veterans, refugees and neurodiverse individuals, find employment in tech roles such as data science and cyber security. Photo: BrianTWalters Photography

I first started in 1995 straight out of university and had no idea about anything. I was an intelligence analyst and a lone female voice. I'm extrovert and interested in people, but this group of mysterious individuals were supportive of me as an outspoken, feisty girl with a view of how to change the world.

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They genuinely didnt know what to do with me and I kept on being promoted. I went first to a middle and then to senior management role in 30 months. They saw potential I dont think they could possibly have understood. They recognised difference but didnt quite understand it, and decided to go with it anyway. I think it's true to the spirit of GCHQ which dates all the way back to Bletchley Park.

I was in senior civil service by 31, which was 26 years ahead of my next, most rapid female counterpart as there simply werent any women in the organisation. It was totally unbalanced.

I sometimes worry that Im the person who changed the direction, but if you go back to Bletchley, all of the superheroes during the War were unrecognised females. At the time, I didnt think that being female was an issue. I was so out of the norm that I just got on with it.

The 24-hour Operations Room inside GCHQ, Cheltenham . Photo: Reuters

That is until I got pregnant with my first child. I was now defined by being female and not part of the management structure. It became one of the things I cant do, not the things I can do. Defining people this way is one of the most ludicrous approaches to human talent that anyone came up with, but we do it quite a lot.

There was maternity for senior civil servants but it was an uncomfortable period. The first comment I had when I revealed my pregnancy was, "I thought you were a career girl?" My response was, "So did I". What I learned over my time was how to treat people as humans, recognise that our lives are different, and asking people what they think and want was far more important than imposing your view of the world on others.

I finished as director of cyber operations, yet I left a job that I loved as I needed to do something different and see my family more. I stepped into a world of headhunters who saw me as an IT geek. "I do people, stand up organisational development and change programmes," I told them. My job description was reduced to the word cyber and I probably got sifted out of jobs I could have done quite well in. I found it demoralising and challenging, all because of that wretched CV.

WithYouWithMe founder Tom Moore is a former Australian platoon commander who saw first-hand how hard it was for Armed Forces veterans to find meaningful employment afterwards.

WithYouWithMe (WYWM) was set up by its founder after he found trouble getting employment after a military career, but it has grown into something much broader, it now broaches the digital skills shortage whilst also helping many different under-represented groups find a foothold towards meaningful employment.

In the jobs world there is a community looking for people with coding skills  which we are short of  while there is a requirement for everybody to think differently about the jobs and skills market of the future. WYWM is helping with both of those challenges.

Read More: My first boss: Kathryn Parsons, Decoded CEO and digital education pioneer

A healthy board environment is one that encourages transparency and is actively listening. As an advisor, the key is to be human, recognise the challenges and offer support or direction. It is about facilitating conversation and relationships, appreciating how much work and effort goes into running a start-up like WYWM, and encouraging people  as I hope I have done in all my work  to be open to learning and making mistakes.

Back in the days of my old boss, family and home environment just werent discussed. When I look back on the civil service of the 90s, I hope they would recognise progress. I see more women coming through now, and even one of the male directors took all of his nine-month paternity leave. At that point you realise that the world has changed and thats a good thing.

Six major UK employers have become the first to sign WYWM initiative 15,000 Futures to help armed forces veterans and their partners find meaningful employment in tech and digital roles after leaving the military.

Watch: Is it financially worth going to university?

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This article is brought to you by Samsung and created by In The Knows commerce team. If you decide to purchase products through the links below, we may receive a commission. Pricing and availability are subject to change.

Think you cant afford a sleek new phone that comes decked out with all the latest, greatest features? Think again. The brand-new Samsung Galaxy S23 Series is now available, and there are tons of ways to save on this next-level device if you place your order ASAP.

First, if youre trading in an older Samsung device, youll get up to $750 in trade-in credit, which will drop the price from $1,199.99 to just $449.99. Even better, that trade-in will also unlock $100 in instant Samsung Credit, which you can use to purchase Samsung Care+ or accessories for your new smartphone.

Still want more savings? Shoppers who purchase the new Samsung Galaxy S23 Series can add one year of Samsung Care+ coverage for 50% off the normal price through Mar. 4. This awesome service includes unlimited repairs for your device, replacements as soon as the next business day and 24/7 access to experts who can help with setup, content transfers and syncing with other devices.

OK, major saving aside, theres another reason you should seriously consider upgrading from your current smartphone situation to the Samsung Galaxy S23 Series: the camera! According to the folks at Samsung, the Galaxy S23 Series has the highest camera resolution on a phone, meaning your pics and videos will come out crystal-clear and perfect in basically any lighting. Yes, even TikToks in a dark club or selfies on a nighttime stroll will look amazing.

Other reasons to love the Samsung Galaxy S23 Series? It comes with a built-in S Pen that you can use to create handwritten notes and doodles, the screen brightness automatically adjusts to your surroundings, and joining video calls on the go is super simple with the Google Meet feature.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Series is currently available in four different colors, all of which are still in stock and ready to ship on samsung.com. Save big on this seriously sweet gadget by placing your order ASAP.

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A teenager has been charged with killing an 87-year-old woman in northeast Richland County Thursday, the Richland County Sheriffs Department said.

Sheriffs deputies responded to the 1100 block of Jake Eargle Road at about 10:45 a.m. Thursday and found the body of an elderly woman outside her home under a blanket, RCSD spokeswoman Veronica Hill said.

The victims name has not yet been released by the coroners office.

The circumstances of the killing arent totally clear, as authorities have yet to release much information, but initial reports indicate the woman may have been struck with something and suffered blunt force trauma to her upper body, Hill said.

Investigators quickly pieced together what happened and charged the 17-year-old male with murder, she said. The suspect and victim are not related and did not live at the same address, Hill said.

Its not clear whether the juvenile, whose name was not released because of his age, knew the victim.
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany will support Ukraine "as strongly and as long as necessary", Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday, the one-year anniversary of the full-scale invasion of the country by Russia.

"What impresses us all very much - that is the determination and courage of the Ukrainians, how they defend their freedom," Scholz said in a video message marking the anniversary.

"Germany supports them in this - as strongly and as long as necessary," he said, adding that German aid to Ukraine, for financial and humanitarian support as well as weapons, had totalled more than 14 billion euros ($14.83 billion) so far.

The German government will do everything possible "to ensure that there is no escalation of the war between Russia and NATO", the chancellor said.

($1 = 0.9438 euros)

(Writing by Friederike Heine, Editing by Rachel More)
A 7-year-old boy was run over by his school bus moments after he got off it earlier this year, according to attorneys representing his family in Illinois.

Then Connor Kaczmarskis school bus driver drove away, leaving him in the street of Park Forest, the lawyers said. Family members rushed to help Connor, and others called 911 at about 3:15 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20.

Connor was taken to a hospital, where the second grade student died of his injuries that day.

Now a lawsuit has been filed in Cook County on behalf of his mother and father.

The lawsuit filed by Clifford Law Offices on Thursday, Feb. 23, accuses Connors bus driver of driving without a valid commercial drivers license, a violation of state law and his employers policies.

Defendants named in the lawsuit included the school bus driver, Park Forest-Chicago Heights School District 163 and Kickert School Bus Line.

McClatchy News reached out to the district and transportation company on Feb. 24 and did not immediately hear back.

In addition to having no drivers license to operate a school bus, the driver failed to follow state law in ensuring that he not move his vehicle until his young passenger crossed in front of the bus at least 10 feet away, attorney Bradley M. Cosgrove said in a news release. What was his hurry on that Friday afternoon instead of ensuring the safety of his little passenger?

Police said the driver was cited for driving without a valid CDL, and no charges were filed, WGN reported.

The attorneys representing Connors family are seeking a jury trial and damages of at least $50,000, according to court records.

It is a horrific, tragic death of an innocent child that was avoidable had the defendants ensured that drivers were hired who know the rules and follow them, attorney Joseph T. Murphy said in the release. Young Connor should be here today, but instead, shortcuts and recklessness contributed to his senseless death.

In filing the lawsuit, the mom and dad hope to prevent another senseless death of a young child.

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Connors death has caused a pain and emptiness that cannot be put into words, but we want our story to be told to bring about a change that is desperately needed, the parents said in a statement.

The safety of our children should be of the utmost importance, and it should be demanded when every child leaves the house into the care of those who have been entrusted with the most precious of lives, they continued. Connor, your spirit and your memory will forever live on. Mommy and Daddy love you so much.

Previously, the Chicago-area school district provided a statement that described Connor as a joy, according to the release from Clifford Law Offices.

He was a joy to all of his teachers, kind-hearted, smart, and funny; always a smile on his face, the statement said. He will be missed greatly.

Park Forest is about 35 miles south of Chicago.

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Antonio Cathey speaks as demonstrators block traffic on I-55 at the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge as they protest the killing of Tyre Nichols on Friday, Jan. 27, 2023, in Memphis, Tenn.

One of the four supervisors of the Memphis Police Department's now-defunct SCORPION Unit had been suspended, sanctioned and received a verbal reprimand in separate internal investigations into "a domestic violence situation," an unnecessary use-of-force incident and personal conduct violation.

Lt. Dewayne Maurice Smith confirmed in testimony in a 2017 drug case he had received the punishments. Federal prosecutors would later dismiss the case after a judge found the testimony of Smith and another detective unreliable.

The cross-examination came during a motion hearing where federal defense attorney Tyrone Paylor asked about prior infractions.

Smith confirmed the first two with a "yes, sir," but said he did not remember getting a reprimand for a personal conduct violation.

"I didn't remember getting [any reprimand] for that," Smith said in the hearing. "I had an incident with a fireman, but I didn't remember getting anything. But if [the reprimand is] in there, then I did."

Smith, more than four years later, would be promoted to a supervisory position with the department's SCORPION Unit, which is at the center of the investigation into the death of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old FedEx worker and father of one who died after being beaten by five members of the detail in January.

The hearing Smith testified in stemmed from an arrest he and a fellow officer, Josh Myers  both detectives within the department's Organized Crime Unit at the time  had made in 2016. Smith told the court he had been with OCU for six years, but spent 19 with the department in total.

Although the SCORPION Unit would not be active for more than four more years, Smith said he and his partner were conducting "saturation detail."

Saturation policing was a tactic used by the SCORPION Unit and was the focal point of calls to deactivate the unit from activists and civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci in the wake of Tyre Nichols' beating. The federal case from 2017 indicates that at least some Organized Crime Unit officers were conducting saturation patrols at the time.

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On August 17, 2016, Smith and Myers were driving around North Memphis and stopped a man, named Reginald Monroe, driving a Honda Accord saying they believed his windows were tinted darker than the legal limit.

Smith testified they pulled Monroe over and "we both smelled raw marijuana coming from the vehicle." The officers were in an unmarked car when they pulled over Monroe, who testified he was on his way to pick his son up from school.

Monroe also said neither officer said anything to him about the smell of marijuana coming from his car.

"Detective Myers asked Mr. Monroe if he could take a look in the vehicle, and he agreed to a search of the vehicle," Smith told the federal prosecutor. "[Monroe] stepped out and I had him come back to the rear of the vehicle while Detective Myers searched the vehicle."

But, when being cross examined by Paylor, Smith said he could not hear what Myers was telling Monroe, nor could he hear Monroe consent to the search. In his testimony, Monroe said he did not agree to the car search.

During the search, when Myers opened a compartment to the trunk, Smith told the court he heard Monroe run away. After a chase, Monroe fell into a creek and was later arrested.

In the trunk of the car, officers said they found a pink shoe box with marijuana, a pill bottle with crack cocaine and, in the compartment where a spare tire would be kept, a bag with a handgun.

The tint on the car's windows were eventually tested, and returned a legal limit.

Monroe was subsequently charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and unlawfully transporting a firearm, but the evidence was challenged in a court motion by Paylor, who argued the search was illegal and the evidence should be inadmissible.

The magistrate judge who heard the motion agreed, ruling in favor of the motion because neither the affidavit nor incident report for Monroe's arrest mentioned the officers smelling marijuana and the two documents were inconsistent with the testimony.

The search, in those documents, was attributed to an inventory being taken prior to Monroe's car being towed after he was arrested.

"The testimony regarding the smell of marijuana is troubling," Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Diane Vescovo wrote in her ruling. "Although Detectives Myers and Smith both testified that they smelled an odor of marijuana emanating from Monroe's vehicle as they approached, they did not state in either the affidavit of complaint or the incident report that they detected the odor of marijuana, nor was there any testimony they communicated their observation to each other or Monroe.

"Before the response to the motion to suppress [the evidence MPD obtained from Monroe's car] was filed, there was no indication that the officers searched Monroe's vehicle because they detected the smell of marijuana."

The incident report also said that Smith and Myers had pulled Monroe over, "at that time the driver, the later identified Reginald Monroe, jumped out and ran from the vehicle southbound."

"However, both detectives testified that they spoke with Monroe, asked him out of the vehicle, and that Detective Myers began to search the vehicle based on the smell of marijuana before Monroe fled  none of which are included in the affidavit of complaint or the incident report," Vescovo wrote.

Vescovo called the contradictory recounting of events "troubling" and made Smith and Myers' testimonies "unreliable." She also found that "the government has failed to carry its burden in proving that Monroe consented to a search" of his car.

"...It is recommended that Monroe's motion to suppress be granted and that all evidence obtained from Monroe's vehicle as a result of the unconstitutional search be suppressed," she wrote in her recommendation.

The case was ultimately dismissed by the federal prosecutor in May 2018, about eight months after the motion to suppress was heard in court.

Smith would eventually join the SCORPION Unit in a supervisory role, although it is unclear what group of the unit he supervised.

Smith could not be located for comment by publication time and a records request for his personnel file was not returned at the time of publication.

The Memphis Police Department did not respond to requests for comment about Smith's current employment status, but records obtained by The Commercial Appeal from the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST) indicate he is still employed.

POST is Tennessee's police certification body, which also decertifies officers and prevents them from working in the state at another department.

Those records also show that MPD has not filed to decertify Smith, who was first brought into the department in December 1998. Smith was promoted to lieutenant status in late September 2022.

Lucas Finton is a news reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com and followed on Twitter @LucasFinton.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Tyre Nichols death: SCORPION Unit supervisor had prior reprimands
By Alistair Smout and Andrew MacAskill

LONDON (Reuters) -Three candidates will fight it out to succeed Nicola Sturgeon as Scotland's next leader, with the winner facing the daunting task of uniting a country divided over its future and a party fracturing over how to pursue another independence vote.

Sturgeon, in office since 2014, unexpectedly announced last week she was resigning as first minister of Scotlands semi-autonomous government, saying she had become too divisive.

The bookmakers' frontrunner to succeed her and become the next leader of her Scottish National Party (SNP) is Humza Yousaf, a Sturgeon loyalist who faces criticism for his record in government.

Up against him are Kate Forbes, a rising star whose views opposing same-sex marriage have already lost her supporters, and Ash Regan, who quit the government in opposition to proposed changes to gender recognition, as the deadline for nominations closed on Friday.

The campaign so far has been dominated by a debate about views on social issues such as gay marriage, transgender rights and abortion. Sturgeon had faced criticism over her government's plan, which makes it easier for people to change their legal gender.

However, whoever wins will need to restore the Scottish government's reputation for day-to-day competence amid constrained budgets, while members of the SNP want them to chart a route forward towards the ultimate goal of independence.

"What the SNP need is somebody, a rare individual, who combines both of those talents," John Curtice, Britain's best known pollster, told Reuters, adding that the debate over social issues had meant none of the candidates had yet set out their vision for Scotland.

"The big fundamental question of facing the party... is how it's going to acquire majority support in Scotland for independence: That question has not been addressed."

INDEPENDENCE

Under Sturgeon, who became leader after an independence bid was defeated in a 2014 referendum, the SNP positioned itself as a progressive, pro-European voice for a Scotland that needed to break away so it could end years of Conservative government from Westminster.

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But her attempt to call a new independence referendum without the consent of the UK government was stopped by the UK Supreme Court, while another row when London blocked the gender recognition reform law after its passage through the Scottish parliament revealed as many divisions over the policy within the SNP as it did with Westminster.

When she announced she was leaving, Sturgeon said she could not ask her party to follow her controversial plan to declare the next UK-wide election as a de facto referendum on independence if she was unsure of her own future as leader.

James Mitchell, a professor of public policy at the University of Edinburgh, said Health Secretary Yousaf was "the continuity candidate" who had not been associated with any particular vision of Scotland beyond independence.

He has however been criticised for his handling of a health service still struggling to recover the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yousaf has distanced himself from Sturgeon's independence plan, and has said the party needs to get back to making the case for independence, rather than endlessly debating process.

But his momentum mainly stems from pitfalls suffered by his main rival.

AN IMPORTANT VISION

Forbes, the nation's finance minister and a member of the socially conservative Free Church of Scotland, had been the frontrunner until she said she wouldn't have voted for single-sex marriage, which was legalised in Scotland in 2014. Some SNP politicians withdrew their support.

She has caused further controversy with her views on abortion, and by saying having children outside of marriage is wrong and that a trans woman is a biological man, though she has emphasised she will protect the rights of everyone.

One SNP lawmaker said that Forbes' campaign would likely continue to be dominated by her views and distract from other issues, which would be bad for her, the party, and other politicians who are religious but hold progressive social views.

"I cant see how she can continue. So much damage has been done," the lawmaker said.

However, a poll published on Friday showed Forbes was the most popular candidate in the first survey of the party's supporters since the start of the contest.

Forbes had 28% support, putting her 8% ahead of Yousaf and comfortably ahead of Regan on 7%, while the remainder did not know who to back or preferred another candidate, according to the poll published by Opinion Matters, which surveyed SNP voters rather than party members who will decide the next leader.

Regan has said she would push for independence as soon as possible while looking to use North Sea oil reserves and rejecting the gender recognition law, policies that would strain a governing agreement with the Green Party.

As other policies are debated, Curtice said Sturgeon's pro-European stance was set to endure. Unlike the English and Welsh, most Scots opposed Brexit in the 2016 referendum.

"Sturgeon's framing of the independence debate in the last few years has been very much one in which really getting back into the European Union... is an important vision," he said.

(Reporting by Alistair Smout, Andrew MacAskill and Elizabeth PiperEditing by John Stonestreet and Frances Kerry)
Two years ago, Deshawn Danzler was given a break in a federal contempt case after promising he was finally ready to break the cycle of Chicagos relentless gun violence if given a second chance.

Instead, Danzler was arrested within months on a South Side street while carrying a pistol with an extended magazine and automatic switch that prosecutors say turned the gun into a bullet-spraying killing machine.

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On Friday, a federal judge told Danzler, You are out of chances.

You should have known (dont) do it again, U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin said in sentencing Danzler to more than five years in prison. If it was to protect yourself, maybe you need to find another way.

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And while Danzler apologized to the court and his family for letting them down, Durkin said there was at least one interested group he left out: the residents of Chicago who are trying to live their lives honestly, safely and have to live in fear of others who at the drop of a hat engage in gun violence.

What are these guns doing out there? These are weapons of war, Durkin said. Its insane.

The 62-month sentence handed down by Durkin was the latest in a legal saga for Danzler that serves as a sort of microcosm of how difficult it is for some to break free of the citys culture of guns and gangs.

Living in Chicago, its a curse and a blessing, Danzler, 28, said in a lengthy statement to the court. It gives you a strong warrior, survival-like mentality  But the curse is all the pain and the trauma you have to go through just to get that mentality.

Danzler is certainly no stranger to the cycle. Born on the South Side, he was subjected to poverty and abuse as a boy and joined a gang at age 12, court records show. His childhood was marred by a series of gun-related tragedies, including the murder of his 11-year-old brother and witnessing the 2013 slaying of his best friend, according to those records.

Illinois Department of Corrections photo of Deshawn Danzler. (IDOC)

In 2015, at age 21, Danzler was a victim in a gang-related ambush that left him badly wounded and an innocent bystander, Hammood Solo Dawoudi, 23, dead.

Four years later, he was charged with federal contempt of court for refusing to tell a grand jury who shot him, even though hed been granted immunity from prosecution, the Tribune has reported.

After you were shot, did you find out that a person you know as Solo was outside of your door and that he was murdered by the individual that shot you? prosecutors asked Danzler before the grand jury, which was investigating the incident as part of a broader probe into the Evans Mob street gang faction.

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I mean, what you want me to say? Danzler responded, according to the indictment.

Are you refusing to answer that question? the prosecutor asked.

I refuse to answer anything, anything, Danzler allegedly responded.

Asked repeatedly to identify the gunman, he said, I just said I want to remain silent. Why you keep asking me questions? records show.

Because of Danzlers silence, the suspected gunman was never charged with the shooting. He was later arrested for a different slaying and was convicted at trial last year, court records show. Hes scheduled to be sentenced next week.

Danzler, meanwhile, pleaded guilty to contempt in November 2020. At his sentencing hearing three months later he asked for time served, promising he was finally ready to turn his life around.

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Your honor, Ive been jumped, shot, cut, backstabbed. ... Ive been everything in life but successful, Danzler told U.S. District Judge Ronald Guzman at the time. I am tired of losing people to the streets and the system. ... I want to be the one to break the cycle.

Guzman, who is known for relatively harsh sentences, said Danzler had made a mockery of the criminal justice system and perpetuated a no-snitch street code that was extremely upsetting and serious. But he credited Danzlers words in sentencing him to only two years behind bars  which was essentially time served.

This was a gift, Guzman warned Danzler at the time. If you dont abide by my conditions, you will be right back in jail.

Five months later, on the afternoon of Aug. 3, 2021, Chicago police arrested Danzler after a traffic stop in the 7800 block of South State Street, court records show.

According to the police report, Danzler tried to flee a pat-down and, after a brief scuffle, was found to be carrying a .45-caliber pistol with extended clip and a Glock switch, which can be used to shoot a burst of bullets with one press of the trigger.

Guzman is scheduled to hold a hearing next week on Danzlers violation of supervised release, records show.

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Danzlers attorney, Keri Ambrosio, said her client suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and extreme anxiety stemming from his own shooting eight years ago, and that he was never given promised mental health treatment after his release on court supervision.

She also noted hes never been convicted of shooting anyone and has repeatedly stated hes forced to carry a gun for his own protection.

Mr. Danzler has shown no propensity for violence in this offense nor others, Ambrosio wrote in a recent filing requesting a two-year prison sentence. Instead, following his own brutal experience, he has shown only the desire to protect himself in the one way he currently knows.

In asking for a sentence of up to 6  years in prison, however, Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Mulaney III said even if Danzler was trying to protect himself, he made the worst choice.

A converted Glock is a killing machine, not a weapon any law-abiding citizen carries for protection, Mulaney said in his sentencing filing.

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Danzler on Friday said that when he was released in 2021, people in the neighborhood were aware of his case and knew where his mother lived. He said he told an acquaintance he needed some protection and was given the gun with the automatic switch, which are everywhere.

If I had been given a .22-caliber, Id have been grateful for that, he said.

Danzler also asked for another chance, again. He said he is ready to get the tattoos removed from his face, say goodbye to Chicago and move his family  including his infant son  to Georgia to escape the cycle of violence.

Danzler told Durkin he saw his life as a different kind of cycle: that of a caterpillar. His 20s, which were spent mostly in prison, were like a cocoon phase, he said. Now that he was approaching his 30s, he said he was ready to be a butterfly and be free.

At the end of the hearing, Durkin noted that many of the circumstances of Danzlers life were not his fault, and that he was an intelligent and articulate person. But the judge said it was time for Danzler to stop blaming others for his own crimes.

At some point, youve got to deal with your fear in a different way than carrying a machine gun, the judge said.

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jmeisner@chicagotribune.com
A Seattle high school teacher was charged Thursday after being accused of having a sexual relationship with a student.

Pawares Pathompornvivat, 32, was charged with two counts of sexual misconduct with a minor in the first degree and one count of communication with a minor for immoral purposes.

According to court documents, police responded to Franklin High School on Feb. 17 after a 16-year-old student reported that she was having a consensual sexual relationship with a teacher. The relationship allegedly began Feb. 2.

The student told police that she and Pathompornvivat had inappropriate contact five times and sent over 3,000 text messages to each other, including sexually explicit content.

The defendant abused his position of trust and authority as a Seattle Public School high school teacher by having sexual intercourse on multiple occasions with a student in various places around the city of Seattle including the students home, prosecutors said.

Court documents state that when Pathompornvivat learned that the teenager had reported the sexual abuse, he wanted her to call him so they could get our stories straight.

Pathompornvivat then told her that he had previously had a sexual relationship with another student. Whether there are additional victims of Pathompornvivats remains under investigation.

Pathompornvivats bail was set at $100,000. He is scheduled for arraignment on March 9.
More than 120 staff members from the Seattle Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena are helping out during a large, all-day volunteer operation at Seattles Food Lifeline on Friday.

The team is sorting and repackaging thousands of pounds of food that has been donated. Once packaged, the food will be headed to more than 400 food banks, shelters and meal programs across Western Washington.

Kraken mascot Buoy will also be available for photos with volunteers, large and small.

The Seattle Kraken and their partners at Climate Pledge Arena are committed to helping those in our community that face food insecurity, said Food Lifelines Chief Development Officer Ryan Scott. Weve been working to make this event happen for several months, and I think its going to be a lot of fun.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) says Tesla CEO Elon Musk still needs to get pre-approval from lawyers before tweeting Tesla-related information.

The SEC penned its renewed stance this week in a letter to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in New York, arguing that an earlier settlement agreement between the agency and Musk is fully constitutional and valid.

In 2018, Musk tweeted that he had "funding secured" to take Tesla private for $420 per share and that investor support for the deal was confirmed. Tesla's share price fluctuated in the weeks that followed, which prompted an SEC investigation into whether Musk had committed securities fraud.

Musk and Tesla settled without admitting wrongdoing. They each paid $20 million in fines, Musk stepped down as Tesla chairman, and he agreed to run most Tesla-related comms by a lawyer before tweeting, lest he say something that affects share price.

In September 2022, Musk's lawyers filed a brief with a court of appeals to rid the executive of a "government-imposed muzzle" that "inhibit[s] and chill[s] Mr. Musk's lawful speech." This was a month after a federal judge quashed Musk's motion to end the same SEC settlement provision.

Earlier this week, Musk's lawyers argued that a recent jury verdict in a separate trial should be considered in the appeal. In early February, Musk was found to be not liable for securities fraud in a class action lawsuit in which shareholders who lost money after Musk tweeted "funding secured" sued the executive for damages.

"In light of the jury finding that Mr. Musks tweets did not violate Rule 10b-5, the SEC lacks support both for the consent decree itself and for its arguments on appeal," writes Spiro. "The verdict provides further reason why the public interest in avoiding unconstitutional settlements easily subsumes the SECs purported stake in the consent decree."

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Lawyers can submit supplemental authorities to an appellate court after filing a brief and before the court makes a decision if they find a new legal authority that's directly related to the issue raised on appeal and has the potential to affect the outcome of the case.

The SEC rebuffed Spiro's argument, saying that a jury verdict in a private securities-fraud action doesn't qualify as a "pertinent and significant" authority. The agency also argued that Musk "waived his opportunity to test the Commission's allegations at trial when he voluntarily agreed (twice) to a consent judgement."

The agency argued that the verdict doesn't address the public interest involved in the negotiated settlement and doesn't preclude Musk from tweeting accurately about Tesla or other topics. The SEC's lawyers also questioned the legal basis for undoing the settlement years later.

The court can either accept Spiro's letter or strike it down. An oral argument for the appeal is expected in the spring, but no date has been set.
Selena Gomez has surpassed Kylie Jenner on Instagram as the most-followed woman on the platform. As of Friday, Gomez has more than 382 million followers, while Jenner has over 380 million.

Gomez ranks fourth overall, behind soccer superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi and Instagram's own account, according to social media tracking website Social Blade.

In spite of the feat, the "Only Murders in the Building" star announced she would be taking a break from social media.

"I'm gonna be taking a second from social media 'cause this is a little silly, and I'm 30, I'm too old for this. But I love you so much and I'll see you guys sooner than later. I'm just gonna take a break from everything." Gomez said during a TikTok Live clip shared by fans on Thursday.

Her accounts are active, but has not posted anything since Thursday.

Selena Gomez attends the 80th Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton on January 10, 2023, in Beverly Hills, California. / Credit: Getty Images

This isn't the first time she paused her activity on her social platforms. In a recent Vanity Fair article, the former Disney star discussed how she outsources her social media accounts to her assistant because of the mean-spirited comments that can be found there.

"People can call me ugly or stupid and I'm like, Whatever. But these people get detailed. They write paragraphs that are so specific and mean. I would constantly be crying. I constantly had anxietyI couldn't do it anymore. It was a waste of my time," she said.

However, she told the outlet that she only has TikTok on her phone because she found it to be "less hostile."

"There are wonderful things about social mediaconnecting with fans, seeing how happy and excited they are and their stories. But usually that's filtered through [for me now]. I created a system. Everything I do I send to my assistant who posts them."

Gomez has been vocal about her mental health struggles and battle with lupus. Last November, she opened up about her physical and mental health journeys with the release of her documentary, "Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me" and an interview with Rolling Stone.

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After a months-long investigation into unsafe living conditions reported by military families at bases nationwide, our Washington News Bureau spoke one-on-one with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) about efforts underway to better protect military families.

Our investigation revealed that some military families were asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to resolve housing problems like mold, sewage and bug infestations through a dispute resolution process with the private housing companies operating homes on military bases.

>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<

You better believe I want these contractors in front of me to explain how it is that they think that they have the right to do this, said Warren.

Our investigation then led Warren and a group of Senators to send a letter to U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in December calling for the DoD to stop the use of the NDAs.

These nefarious practices are not consistent with the law, prevent housing providers from being held fully accountable for their failures, and put military families at risk  and the Department of Defense (DoD or the Department) must put an end to their use, said the letter signed by Warren as well as Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA).

So far, the Defense Department has not yet responded to the letter.

Washington Correspondent Samantha Manning asked Warren what steps she would take if the DoD does not make a sweeping change to stop the use of NDAs in privatized military housing.

Then Ill look at it legislatively, said Warren. I will go to the full committee of the Senate Armed Services committee and ask them to put legislation in place to stop the non-disclosure agreements but also to tighten down on making certain that these housing contractors are really delivering what the U.S. taxpayer is paying.

Warren was recently named Chair of the Senate Committee on Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel and said her priorities include ensuring military families have access to safe housing.

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Read: City of Orlando, developer helps solve housing crisis with restoration project

Its a concern the Republican Ranking Member, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), also says is a significant focus for the subcommittee.

As Ranking Member on the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee for Personnel, I am looking forward to working with my colleagues to come to solutions that have a direct positive impact on the brave men and women who have sacrificed so much for our great country and their families that support that mission each and every day, said Scott.

Since our story first aired around six months ago, our Washington News Bureau has spoken with military spouses at different bases around the country all dealing with similar unsafe living conditions.

Some families have reported problems like mold, only to be transferred to another home on base that also has mold or other unsafe living conditions.

Read: FEMA provides $1 billion to Florida hurricane survivors

These military families often cannot afford to move off base.

What needs to be done to better hold these housing companies accountable so that theyre not just repeating this cycle of placing these families in unsafe homes? Manning asked Warren.

That goes to the quality of the stock of housing overall, said Warren. What we need is to inspect all of the housing stock and make sure that it all meets or exceeds quality housing in the region.

Manning asked Warren about concerns from military spouses about whats known as the Military Privatized Housing Initiative Tenant Bill of Rights, which was released in 2021.

The tenant bill of rights aims to protect the rights of military families residing in homes operated by private housing companies.

We told Warren about concerns from military spouses who say the tenant bill of rights lacks teeth to hold the companies accountable and that it doesnt have enough specificity.

One example includes a part in the document that addresses property management services.

The tenant bill of rights says the landlord must meet or exceed industry standards, but it does not specify what those standards are, leaving some families at odds with the housing companies over whether certain health and safety concerns have been properly addressed.

Working with the families, we drafted a tenant bill of rights, said Warren. Now, were getting some experience and were finding out where the holes and the gaps are. So, Im going to go back to the tenant bill of rights and work to tighten it up and also look for other ways in the statute that we can bring more pressure to bear.

Manning asked Warren if there would be a point where the military should step in and terminate the contracts with some of the privatized housing companies.

Read: Report: Military spends money and takes time to train cyber troops, who then leave

Yes, said Warren. If there comes a point when there are enough violations, when theres enough resistance to making change, that we just have to pull the pin and say were done.

Manning asked what it would take to get to that point to terminate the housing contracts since many military families say we are already there.

I understand their frustration, said Warren. I think partly this is going to be about trying to pull the pieces apart and see how much the problem is confined to one or two contractors. How much its spread throughout the system If we cant see a really steep curve in terms of fixing those problems, then I want to talk to the Department of Defense about terminating the contracts.

We asked Warren about potential upcoming hearings in the Senate committee about these housing concerns.

Ill be bringing in the Department of Defense officials to ask them what they are doing, said Warren. They have primary responsibility for making sure that these contracts are carried out I also want to hear from these contractors, and I dont intend to let go of them.

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By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Friday rejected a request by families of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks not to enforce his decision against letting them seize $3.5 billion of frozen Afghan central bank assets to satisfy court judgments owed by the Taliban.

The families, comprising more than 10,000 people, had asked U.S. District Judge George Daniels in Manhattan to put his Feb. 21 decision on hold while they appeal.

They cited the public interest in enforcing terrorism-related judgments, and the "irreparable harm" they would face if assets belonging to Da Afghanistan Bank, or DAB, the central bank, were freed up.

But the judge said the families' appeal was unlikely to succeed and there was no irreparable harm because of President Joe Biden's Feb. 3 executive order on Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis that extended the asset freeze by one year.

"An important public interest lies in the enforcement of terrorism judgments," Daniels wrote. "But that enforcement must be in accordance with the U.S. Constitution, federal statutes, and state law."

Lawyers for the families did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In ruling against the families, Daniels said awarding them the frozen assets would effectively recognize the Taliban as Afghanistan's legitimate government, which the Biden administration has not done.

Daniels said it was for the Taliban, and "not the former Islamic Republic of Afghanistan or the Afghan people," to pay for its own liability in the Sept. 11 attacks, in which nearly 3,000 people died.

Biden froze about $7 billion of DAB funds at the Federal Reserve Bank in New York in February 2022, six months after the Taliban took over in Afghanistan. The president ordered $3.5 billion set aside to benefit the Afghan people, leaving the rest for the families to pursue.

The case is In re Terrorist Attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 03-md-01570.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Leslie Adler)
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  Victims would be able to sue over otherwise outdated claims of child sexual abuse under two pieces of legislation passed Friday by the Pennsylvania House, but it's unclear whether the state Senate will take them up.

The legislation to temporarily waive the statute of limitations for sex abuse crimes had been on the verge of going before voters for the final OK two years ago, when state officials bungled the required advertising of the previous version.

The House voted Friday 161-40 to send the Senate a constitutional amendment that, if senators go along with it, could go before voters for final approval as soon as November. Separately, they also voted 134-67 to make the change as regular legislation that would take effect immediately if passed by the Senate and signed by the governor.

It was a major accomplishment for House Speaker Mark Rozzi, a Berks County Democrat elected to preside over the chamber early last month after both Republicans and Democrats could not muster enough support for their first choices, and for Rep. Jim Gregory, a Republican from Blair. Both Rozzi and Gregory have fought for the lawsuit window, and both have talked publicly about being abused as children.

I want to tell you that I am sorry and that I pray that you will have what you need to heal," Gregory said in remarks aimed at victims before the constitutional amendment vote. "It should not have taken this long.

Political momentum to provide a way for those victims to sue was generated largely by a series of revelations regarding sexual abuse of children in the state by Roman Catholic clergy, but the proposed two-year window would apply to all victims who have not been able to sue under the narrow time limits formerly allowed by state law.

Rep. Tim Bonner, a Republican from Mercer and a former prosecutor who handled child molestation cases, said making the legislation retroactive was the right thing to do. He predicted it will be upheld by the courts against legal challenges.

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Child molesters are like vampires: They just keep coming back to their victims time and time again, Bonner said. So many children, so much evil, so many nightmares.

It's unclear what will happen to the bills in the Senate, which voted Jan. 11 for the constitutional amendment in a bundle with two other Republican priorities: expanded voter ID requirements and a lower threshold to invalidate state regulations pushed through by a governor's administration. The three constitutional amendments passed the Senate on a nearly party-line vote.

It is time to bring closure to the conversation, Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, a Republican from Indiana, said during that debate. He said that vote would be the final time the Senate of Pennsylvania addresses this matter.

Rozzi, who has said he was molested by a now-deceased parish priest, said concerns about Senate inaction should not stop the House from passing the proposals.

If the Senates not going to take it up, we might as well stop half the business we do in the House," Rozzi told his colleagues.

During the Friday debate, some Republicans expressed concern that one or both of the bills are vulnerable to legal challenges. Some focused on a procedural problem: Gregory was listed as a co-sponsor without his knowledge or consent. He stripped his sponsorship from the statute bill but not the constitutional amendment. Some were worried about the fairness and legality of changing the statute of limitations retroactively.

And there were predictions that lawsuits against public schools will prove costly to taxpayers.

I want justice for the victims, but its got to fall on the people that committed these crimes, said Rep. Eric Davanzo, a Republican from Westmoreland.

Rep. Matt Bradford, a Democrat from Montgomery, brushed off the concerns.

We have a path to justice in front of us today. Delayed, yes, but justice today, Bradford said. The objections raised are meritless. The need for justice is real, it is upon us.

Rep. Napoleon Nelson, another Democrat from Montgomery, said if the courts throw out the legislation, "then we'll bring it back."

It is always the right time to do the right thing, Nelson said.
A potential threat posted on social media that included a reference to shooting up Gaylord High School was apparently the result of someone hacking another person's Snapchat account, according to the Otsego County Sheriff Department.

GAYLORD  A potential threat posted on social media that included a reference to shooting up Gaylord High School was apparently the result of someone hacking another person's Snapchat account, according to the Otsego County Sheriff Department.

On Feb. 21, the sheriffs office received a tip about school shooting threats against Gaylord High School on Snapchat. The threat was not deemed credible by law enforcement, according to Gaylord Community School Superintendent Jim Cracraft, and classes were held as scheduled on Feb. 22 at the school with additional security.

More:Classes proceed at Gaylord High School following social media threat

"The sheriffs office conducted multiple interviews throughout trying to determine who made the threats," the department said in a statement. "Through the investigation it was determined that the persons account that was used to post the threat was hacked by an unknown individual."

On Feb. 22, the sheriff's office identified the suspect as a 23-year-old Gaylord man. His name was not released and the sheriffs office has forwarded a report to the office of Otsego County Prosecuting Attorney Michael Rola.

 Contact Paul Welitzkin at pwelitzkin@gaylordheraldtimes.com.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Sheriff department cites hacking of Snapchat account for Gaylord threat
While the nine Chicago mayoral candidates pitch plans to address crime and policing, Chicago voters for the first time in city history will be able to vote for representatives on civilian police oversight councils, part of a growing group of reforms following years of protests over law enforcement misconduct.

Voters will cast ballots for three-member councils for each of the citys 22 police districts. The councils are expected to hold meetings and get feedback from residents and others about policing and crime and bring those concerns back to the city and police leadership. In addition, the councils will help develop and implement community policing initiatives and then nominate a seven-person Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability to oversee the entire Chicago Police Department.

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Police reform activists for decades have been fighting to create a new system for police oversight and the answer, for now, came in the form of the new councils and community commission, which the City Council created in 2021 when it approved the Empowering Communities for Public Safety ordinance.

Frank Chapman, of the National Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression, attends a Brandon Johnson campaign event on Jan. 16, 2023. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

Frank Chapman, executive director of the National Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression and field organizer for the Chicago branch, said his organization has been working on this issue since the 1970s and described the ordinance as a historical moment that shouldnt just exist in Chicago.

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The district councils will give the community an opportunity to bring up issues people have been talking about for years such as racial profiling and no-knock warrants. It allows the people to empower themselves and initiate policies they deem necessary, he said.

[ [Dont miss] Election Day in Chicago: Everything you need to know about Tuesdays vote for mayor, City Council and police district council ]

The people who are selected to be on these councils  are voted in by people who live in that community, Chapman said. This is democracy at the grassroots level.

Still, there are questions about how receptive Chicago Police Department leadership will be to the input from citizens.

Craig Futterman, a law professor and director of the Civil Rights and Police Accountability Project at the University of Chicago, said an interim community commission that Mayor Lori Lightfoot put into place last year has already faced staunch resistance from department leadership.

Craig Futterman attends an announcement of a federal class-action lawsuit seeking to force reforms in the Chicago Police Department on June 14, 2017. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)

Futterman said police leadership has so far treated the commission as if it has no power to establish policies as the interim commission has pushed back on the Police Departments relaunch of a gang database and against the departments delayed response times to 911 calls.

They havent gotten a very warm reception, Futterman said.

The Chicago Police Department declined to comment for this story.

Questions also have been raised about public awareness and interest in the new councils.

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About 110 people are running for the 66 seats but four districts  the Central District (1st), Calumet District (5th), Gresham District (6th) and Shakespeare District (14th)  only have two candidates for the three spots. To fill vacancies, the other members of the council will be asked to submit names of three qualified candidates to the commission, which will recommend one to the mayor, who will fill the vacancy. The district with the most candidates running is the Deering District (9th) with eight candidates.

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Anthony Driver Jr., interim president of the community commission, said while the 22 councils and the commission dont oversee one another, they should be working together.

District council members will help select seven individuals for the commission, which is tasked with helping select and remove the heads of the citys Police Department and police oversight bodies and setting Police Department policy.

The council, whose members will be elected every four years and receive a $500 monthly stipend, is the next piece of the puzzle to change the system of policing in Chicago, Driver said.

Its already starting. I think itll continue. I think itll be a snowball effect, Driver said, noting the history of Chicagoans working to create greater police oversight. He said he recently found a 1973 clipping from The Black Panther: Intercommunal News Service that includes an article on a draft ordinance for community control of police.

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To see it in fruition is a dream come true, he said.

In the Near North (18th) police district, six people are running for the three spots that represent parts of downtown, the Near North Side, west to Cabrini-Green and north to Lincoln Park.

Interim members of the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability including Anthony Driver Jr. are greeted by Mayor Lori Lightfoot, left, on Aug. 29, 2022. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

The candidates offer diverse ideas of what their roles would be on the new council, with some stressing the need to ensure police accountability while others think being on the council will be a good opportunity to promote the work being done by police officers.

Most of the candidates say they want to increase engagement in community conversations around public safety, seeing low attendance at the police districts Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy, or CAPS, meetings. They also noted they would like to make crime statistics and public safety strategies more accessible.

Karen Kane, 67, a CPA and financial consultant who lives in Old Town, said she became familiar with the district council positions from her volunteer work with the Police Department, and she decided to run for the office because she was alarmed by the level of crime in the city, particularly the increase in the 18th District.

Running on the slogan public engagement equals public safety, Kane said her goal is to dramatically increase the number of residents involved in crime prevention.

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I would say that I just feel compelled to become part of the solution rather than just reading about it, Kane said.

Amy Cross, 41, a project director at the social service agency Heartland Alliance, said she got interested in the district councils after learning about the city ordinance.

The Streeterville resident said shes done work around police consulting and thinks safety is the main issue facing residents of the 18th District and throughout the city. But, she said, even as residents worry about crime they cant forget about police accountability.

I think (residents have) a sense of urgency in the area to immediately address public safety issues and to find some very short-term solution to resolve officer shortages, Cross said. But I think that might be at the expense of thinking about investments and longer-term solutions and improving justice and public safety in the long run, which will prevent crime in the first place.

Kimberly Lynn Bowman, 39, a real estate agent who lives in the Gold Coast, said she is a supporter of police and felt the neighborhood is becoming unsafe. She said she experienced an attempted carjacking during the daytime and added that shes had clients who want to leave the city due partly to crime.

[ [Dont miss] Chicago election: Voters with disabilities still face obstacles at scores of polling places ]

I dont feel safe. I struggle driving, walking around. Its just everything has changed, she said. If we dont fix crime, our city is going to just continue to go downhill.

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Bowman said she wants to advocate for more police funding and better recruiting because she thinks one of the districts biggest issues is not having enough police presence, which has forced many businesses to use private security.

Robert Bob Johnson, 78, a retired fire chief from Ohio who also worked as a police officer, said hes a member of the 18th Districts police committee and wants to communicate with residents about what the police are doing. Hes worked with district officers and was good friends with the late Cmdr. Paul Bauer, who was fatally shot in the line of duty in 2018.

I think the police are doing so many things right, Johnson said. They get criticized for doing wrong, but they do so many good things.

Lisa Seigneur, 45, a business consultant who lives in Cabrini-Green, said she and her husband moved to the neighborhood in 2015 knowing the mixed-income neighborhood was being revitalized.

In the last two years, she said she witnessed a lot of parties on weekends and people in the park at odd hours. While she said she and her husband would call the police she realized community members like herself needed to get more involved. She joined several community organizations and learned about challenges some of the neighborhood children faced, including gang violence preventing them from being able to go south of Division Street to go to community centers.

We were the brunt of a lot of shootings here in our neighborhood from external people coming into our neighborhood, terrorizing the residents and that includes all income, Seigneur said. It would be my hope that the three individuals that are elected are incredibly diverse and viewpoint diverse and backgrounds and experiences as also, and also geographically diverse across the district.

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Brad Kessler, 39, an attorney in Lincoln Park who co-runs an education company, said he joined the Lincoln Park High School Local School Council and saw firsthand the difficulties that face children.

I do see that a lot of the crime issues we have in Chicago are issues we have in and around our citys children, and how were either supporting them or failing them, Kessler said.

Kessler said he supports better training and more resources for police officers, especially detectives, to help the police combat the rise in crime. He also supports more community policing because many officers now dont know their police beats very well.

The elections in the 18th District and the others will say a great deal about how effective the councils will be and what issues they stress.

A Chicago police vehicle passes the 18th District station at 1160 N. Larrabee Ave. on Feb. 15, 2023. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

While some advocates are optimistic the councils will bring reforms, others remain more cautious.

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Futterman, the Civil Rights and Police Accountability Project director, noted the Fraternal Order of Police, which represents rank-and-file officers, has made an effort to put forth some FOP-endorsed or sponsored candidates. He said having FOP-backed candidates on the councils would be the height of all ironies if these district advisory councils wind up being constituted by none other than FOP shills.

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Chapman said the group he heads, the National Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression, has worked on this issue many times over the years but said after George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020, his organization united with the Grassroots Alliance of Police Accountability and they worked together to get the mayor to come to the negotiating table.

I was at the table myself, he said. We negotiated every line in this ordinance.  We won some things and made some concessions.

Im excited beyond words because we have literally crossed rivers of blood to get to this point. So many people have died, he said. Chicago is making history.  Once history is made, it cant be reversed.

pfry@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @paigexfry
Evgeniya Chernyshova Harvey Weinstein rape victim actress - Elisabetta A. Villa/WireImage

A Siberian actress has revealed that she was raped by Harvey Weinstein and told how she showed him pictures of her children in an attempt to stop the attack.

Evgeniya Chernyshova was referred to as Jane Doe 1 in Weinsteins recent trial in Los Angeles.

Earlier this week, the disgraced movie mogul was sentenced to 16 years in prison after being convicted of charges including forcible rape against her.

He will serve that sentence after completing a 23-year term for another sex crimes conviction in New York, increasing the likelihood that he will spend the remainder of his life behind bars.

Ms Chernyshova, a mother-of-three, revealed her identity in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

The 43-year-old told the magazine: Im tired of hiding. I want my life back. Im Evgeniya, Ive been raped. This is my story.

Ms Chernyshova told how she won a beauty contest in Siberia, which led to her becoming a model.

She ended up living in Italy, got married and began winning acting roles, before first meeting Weinstein at an industry event in Rome.

Harvey Weinstein rape crime conviction guilty US - Etienne Laurent/Pool Photo via AP, File

Later, at Oscars week in 2013, she again met Weinstein at a film festival event in honour of Al Pacino at the Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles.

When she went back to her hotel room afterwards, Weinstein appeared and began knocking loudly on the door, she told The Hollywood Reporter.

She felt embarrassed and wanted him to stop so, she opened it.

Ms Chernyshova told the magazine: And that is the thing I have regretted for the last 10 years, that I did open this door.

Weinstein said he just wanted to talk, but then something clicked, like a change in his eyes, she said.

I was continuing to show my kids pictures, to try to convince him that I have kids, please do not do that.

But he did what he did. He assaulted me in the bedroom, and then he dragged me to the bathroom and he raped me there.

Following the attack, she suffered from depression and separated from her husband, who later died.

Ms Chernyshova said she told only a small number of people about the attack, including her priest.

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In 2017, her daughter Maria, who was 16 at the time, told her she had been sexually assaulted. At that point, they both decided to report their cases to police.

Not right to go through this hell alone

Ms Chernyshova was the first prosecution witness in the Los Angeles trial and gave evidence for three days.

Following the sentencing, she decided to waive her anonymity.

She told the Hollywood Reporter: I thought it [being anonymous] was a good decision to protect my kids.

But it was a horrible decision for myself because Ive been cut off from everyone. It isnt right to go through this hell alone.

Ms Chernyshova now runs a floral design business in Beverly Hills.

Weinsteins lawyers have said they plan to appeal against his conviction and sentence in the Los Angeles trial. Weinstein was acquitted of sexual battery involving a second woman.

The jury did not reach a verdict on charges relating to alleged assaults against two more women, one of whom was identified by her lawyers as Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the wife of California governor Gavin Newsom.
Malaysian Minister of Local Government Development Nga Kor Ming defends his ministry's decision to consult with public housing experts from Singapore's Housing and Development Board (HDB).(PHOTO: Getty)

SINGAPORE  Singapore's public housing programme was featured in an intense discussion during a parliamentary session in Malaysia.

During the session on Thursday (23 February), the Malaysian Minister of Local Government Development Nga Kor Ming defended his ministry's decision to consult with public housing experts from Singapore's Housing and Development Board (HDB) on public housing issues in Malaysia.

Nga was asked by a Member of Parliament (MP) from the opposition Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) to explain the rationale behind the consultation, even when Malaysia "has its own local town planning experts who could be tapped on for the said purpose".

In response, Nga said that the ministry will always take an "open-minded" approach toward solving the issues that often plague the housing industry in the country.

"The ministry is working toward and exploring new initiatives to improve the housing sector in Malaysia. This includes having knowledge and experience-sharing sessions with multiple agencies within and outside of the country. As long as it brings benefits to the people, this government will humble itself to learn from others regardless of where they are from or who they are," said the minister.

Nga also noted that previous engagements with Singapore's HDB had begun in 2018 through a visit by the former local government development minister to understand the planning and provisions of public housing in Singapore. He also highlighted the numerous international awards that Singapore's HDB had received for its success in designing, planning, developing, managing, innovating and digitalising the public housing sector in Singapore.

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"The government will not only learn from experts from HDB, but will also take lessons from other countries that have had successes such as Indonesia and Thailand," Nga added. The minister also revealed that it was currently taking lessons from Turkiye on developing endowment land in Malaysia.

Previously, Nga was criticised for expressing his intent to consult experts from HDB, with critics claiming that he was trying to undermine the Malaysian civil service as "inefficient" by bringing in housing experts from abroad.

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Sono Motors is ending its long-awaited electric car program and instead pivoting to a business that aims to sell its solar vehicle technology to other companies.

The German-based company, which went public in November 2022, announced Friday it is laying off 300 employees as a result of the change in business model. COO Thomas Hausch is also leaving his position.

The shift appears to be driven by a one-two punch of a high-cost EV program coupled with quickly depleting capital. Sono Motors has been plagued by financial issues for years, at one point nearly shutting down altogether until it appealed to and received support from individuals through a crowdfunding campaign.

The Sion EV program, while the original centerpiece of the company, has been a consistent drag on its budget. The company said an estimated 90% of its funding needs for 2023 were dedicated to the Sion EV, a $25,000 five-seater hatchback that was supposed to go into production later this year.

Sono Motors will now turn its attention to selling a technology that it developed for its Sion EV: solar embedded into the vehicle. The company's business will retrofit and integrate its solar technology, which includes power electronics and software, onto commercial vehicles such as buses as well as cars produced by OEMs.

"This pivot marks a significant step in Sono Motors' business development," Sono Motors CEO and co-founder Laurin Hahn said in a statement. "Even though we had to terminate our original passion project, the Sion program, shifting our entire focus to business-to-business solar solutions provides us with an opportunity to continue to create innovative products in the solar space. It was a difficult decision and despite more than 45,000 reservations and pre-orders for the Sion, we were compelled to react to the ongoing financial market instability and streamline our business."

Sono said it has 23 business-to-business customers today that are piloting its integrated solar technology on a range of vehicles, including third-party OEM cars, buses, refrigerated vehicles and recreational vehicles. Sono said it's working with Mitsubishi Europe, CHEREAU and Volkswagen subsidiaries Scania and MAN Truck & Bus.

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The German-based company got its start in 2016 when co-founders Jona Christians, Laurin Hahn and Navina Pernsteiner  seeking a way to reduce society's dependence on fossil fuels  kicked off an ambitious plan to build an electric passenger vehicle that was partially powered by the sun. (Pernsteiner left the company in 2020.) From afar, prototypes of the Sion vehicle looked like a compact car with black paint. Upon closer inspection, the entire exterior of the vehicle was actually comprised of hundreds of solar cells that had been integrated into polymer instead of glass.

In January 2021, the company announced it planned to license its solar body panel technology to other companies. These solar cells convert sunlight into energy, which is stored in the vehicles battery. At the time, Hahn said the technology will make vehicles less dependent on charging infrastructure. It can also support auxiliary power applications such as the electricity used to power a refrigerated truck.

A product, dubbed the "Solar Bus Kit" is planned for the second quarter of 2023.
South Park has made headlines for its controversial depiction of Harry and Meghan.

In a recent episode of the adult animated series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the royal couple are lampooned with a series of jokes referencing events from the last few years.

Viewers have branded the episode brutal, and it was reported on Tuesday (21 February), that Markle herself was left upset by its content.

A representative for the couple denied reports that they were considering a lawsuit, calling the speculation nonsense.

Still, the episode, in true South Park form, doesnt hold back. Here are the references you might have missed.

The social media candle furore

The writers drew from Queen Elizabeths IIs funeral for one small joke featured early in the episode.

The characters based on Harry and Meghan attend the funeral of the Canadian Queen, and as they arrive, they walk past a candle identical to the one that became the source of social media discussions back in September.

Following the televised broadcast of the Queens funeral, unverified claims suggested that the royal family intentionally sat Markle behind a candle; many viewers said all they could see of Markle during the broadcast was her black hat.

If anything, the candles appearance in South Park was designed to send up the social media furore as opposed to Markle.

South Park referenced the candle furore following Queens funeral (Paramount Plus)

Harrys memoir

Perhaps an obvious one  the book Harry is promoting in the episode is titled WAAAGH, which is a nod to his memoir Spare, which was published in January.

In the book, which The Independent said sets fire to the royal family, Harry spoke of his hatred of the press, his strained relationship with his brother William and grappling with loneliness, trauma and PTSD.

At one stage in the episode, South Park characte Kyle tells his friends: They have this huge jet parked in front of my house and they keep on wanting me to buy their book.

Michelle Obama

In the episode, the characters based on Harry and Meghan meet with a brand manager, who labels Meghan as a sorority girl, actress, influencer and victim. Meanwhile, Harry is described as royal prince, millionaire, world traveller victim.

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Meghans profile is also shown, and eagle-eyed viewers have noticed the phrases Lawyer Pretending and First Lady Botherer among her list of hobbies., The former is a nod to Meghans role in legal drama Suits, while the latter references quotes made by royal expert Tom Bower in Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors.

South Park hints at claims surrounding Meghans relationship with Michelle Obama (Paramount Plus)

Bower claims that Obama was alarmed following a series of meetings with Markle, who was allegedly unsure how to find her place within the royal family. He claimed that Obama told Markle: Take some time and dont be in a hurry to do anything.

TV interviews

South Park poked fun at Harry and Meghans TV appearances (Paramount Plus)

Harry and Meghans several TV appearances, including a sitdown with Oprah Winfrey and appearance on ITV News, were sent up in the episode. The characters based on the pair appear on Good Morning Canada to insist they want privacy  however, its pointed out by the host that Meghan is holding a sign reading: Do not look at us. Harrys sign states: We do not want privacy.

When the host asks the prince if he hates journalists, he replies: Thats right. We just want to be normal people  all this attention is so hard.

They end up walking off the show.

Their move to California

In the episode, the royal couple give up their duties to move to South Park, with the character based on Meghan exclaiming: If we moved here, people would think were really serious about wanting to be normal.

This is a direct reference to the couples move to California after announcing they would step down as senior royals in 2020.

Their move to South Park angers the lead characters, with Kyle telling accusing the princes wife of bossing him around, adding: Im sick of hearing about them! I cant get away from them! They are in my f***ing face!

Characters based on Harry and Meghan move to South Park (Paramount Plus)

Harrys frost-bitten penis

After moving to South Park, the Harry and Meghan characters are furious after realising photos of their new home have been leaked to the media.

When Kyle clashes with the couple, his new neighbours, the Meghan character accused him of victiminsing her, with Harry stepping in to defend his wife, by saying: This is an outrage  we will just see how he deals with my blue penis.

This is a reference to Harrys revelation in his memoir that he was suffering from a frostbitten penis at his brother Williams wedding to Kate Middleton, following a 200-mile expedition to the North Pole in March 2011.

Meghans GQ magazine cover

In a tiny moment featured in the episode, several magazine covers appear on the screen, many of which sends up Meghans interviews with Vogue and The Cut.

However, its her GQ one, published in 2018, that is raising eyebrows. Written on the actual cover of the magazine was Meghans annus mirabilis, which, translated from Latin, means Meghans wonderful year.

The Latin phrasing itself was a nod to a speech given by the Queen in 1992, referred to as her annus horribilis. The speech, which featured in the most recent season of The Crown, came after a particulary bad year for the monarchy.

Parker and Stone eyed an opportunity, and instead of annus mirabilis, used the phrase Princess Anus on the fictional version of the magazine cover.

South Park is available to stream in the UK on Paramount Plus.
For a state thats more accustomed to 72F and sunny, California is buckling up for a punishing weekend of heavy snow, torrential rain and bitterly-cold temperatures.

The state had its first blizzard warning since 1989 with record snowfall forecast in some mountainous areas and the National Weather Service (NWS) reporting that travel would be very difficult, if not impossible.

It comes only weeks after parts of California received half the annual rainfall when the state was bombarded by a relentless parade of atmospheric rivers.

The latest storm system was described as cold and dangerous by NWS, and beginning to bare its teeth on Friday while heading south.

Alerts were issued for ocean water spouts and land-based tornadoes in southeast Santa Barbara and southern Ventura counties outside of Los Angeles.

Above LA, the iconic Hollywood sign received a light but exceptionally rare sprinkling of snow, ABC7 reported. Sightseers gathered below the hills to snap pictures of the famous lettering which was also shrouded in a dense fog.

Heavy bands of rains were expected across southern California, ranging from two to five inches, and up to six inches in the foothills and mountains below where snow was falling.

Simply put, this will be a historic event for the amount of snow over the higher peaks and lower elevation snow, said the NWS regional office.

In the next 24 hours, snowfall of six to 12 inches is possible at elevations of 2,500-4,000 feet, and three to five feet at higher elevations. Isolated amounts of up to eight feet are possible nearer to peaks, according to NWS.

Strong, gusty winds of 60-75 mph will howl through southern Californias mountains and foothills and at 30-50mph along the coasts and valleys.

Temperatures will be 10-20 degrees colder than usual, and as much as 25 degrees below normal in places while wind chills will bring it down to -5F in the mountains, forecasters said.

Public officials warned residents to prepare for possible road closures, delays and be especially careful due to whiteout and blizzard conditions, along with the increased threat of avalanches. Interstate 5, the major north-south highway running down the west coast, was shut south of the Oregon border.

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Due to the heavy rainfall, there is risk of flash floods and river flooding along with mud and debris flows in the burn scars of recent wildfires.

On Friday afternoon, flooding potential was increasing in Santa Barbara and LA counties due to persistent, slow moving rain bands, NWS warned, urging drivers to take extreme caution.

#BREAKING Avoid Vineland Avenue in North Hollywood next to Hollywood Burbank Airport because of street flooding that trapped at least 5 cars, drivers were able to get out on their own per @LAFD @ABC7 Road closed. Airport operations not disrupted yet, but flooding is near runway. pic.twitter.com/pVffmgXIT3  Josh Haskell (@abc7JoshHaskell) February 24, 2023

Due to the strong winds, downed trees and power lines are also a threat. More than 114,000 people were in blackout in the state on Friday afternoon, according to utility tracker Poweroutage.us.

Most of the outages were in the northern half of the state with Lake County and Del Norte County, on the Oregon border, the worst impacted.

Both Los Angeles and San Francisco airports were experiencing dozens of delays, according to the travel tracking site FlightAware.

Some 358 flights had been cancelled in the US today overall due to the severe weather conditions from coast to coast and more than 4,500 flights were delayed.

Over the border in Oregon, the city of Portland was largely shuttered on Friday due to thick ice that wouldnt thaw out until Saturday. The city received close to 11 inches of snow this week, the second highest amount on record.

From coast-to-coast, Winter Storm Olive has pummeled much of the western and northern United States this week, styming travel plans and leaving nearly 1million people without power.

By Friday, that was down to under 700,000 residents, mostly in Michigan and centered around Detroit.

A Michigan firefighter died on Wednesday after coming in contact with a downed power line in Paw Paw,The Associated Press reported. He was named as Ethan Quillen, a father and volunteer firefighter since 2019, by local station News Channel 3.

But despite the bitter cold in many places, the US was a landscape of climate extremes. While deep Arctic air caused temperatures to plummet as much as 30 to 40 degrees below average in parts of the West and Plains, the US also experienced its first 100-degree day of 2023.

Falcon Lake in Texas hit 100F on Wednesday as temperature records were broken across the Southwest.
Daniel Barez is determined to achieve his dream to sign with the UFC.

The Spanish standout had his opportunity in late 2021 when he competed for a UFC contract on Dana Whites Contender Series, but Barez (15-5) came up short in a split decision loss to Carlos Hernandez, who went on to join the promotions roster.

It was a tough pill to swallow for Barez, who was on a six-fight winning streak with wins for respectable promotions like Combate Global and BAMMA.

That was a hard hit for me, Barez told MMA Junkie in Spanish. I was coming off six international wins, and I was already envisioning myself with the contract.

I wasnt able to take the win. Carlos Hernandez beat me. It was a close split decision. If I had done a bit more, I wouldve won. But that day thats all I could do. I was also coming off 20 months without fighting, but thats no excuse. After the fight, I was in a bad place psychologically, but now thats helping me to stay motivated, keep chasing my dream and above all, keep improving.

Barez licked his wounds and got back to work. He returned to action in 2022 and picked up three first-round stoppage wins with two TKOs and a submission. Two other fights fell through.

The 34-year-old returns Friday to take on Soslenis Carvalho at Ultimate Warrior Challenge 41 in Tijuana, Mexico. The card will stream on UFC Fight Pass.

Barez isnt sure if a 4-0 run after his DWCS loss will do the trick. But in his mind, hes going to keep fighting as long as its necessary to get the UFC call.

I dont want to build any castles in the sky because then I create false expectations, Barez said. Im going to keep winning fights. If it comes, great, and Im going to work hard for that to happen. But if it doesnt come, then at least I tried it. I dont want to think that Im getting the call after this one because if I dont get the call, then I dont want to be disappointed. Im just going to fight a lot, be as active as I can, and continue to make my name known.

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Related

On the Doorstep: 5 fighters who could make UFC with February wins

Barez currently is 9-1 in his past 10 fights. Hes considered by many as one of the best Spanish fighters outside the UFC. The Valencia native has been fighting professionally for more than a decade and has been yearning for many years for a chance to shine in the octagon.

Thats my dream, Barez said. That would complete my dream. Im very happy with my sporting career, but that would be the cherry on top.

Thats my biggest dream right now, getting to UFC. It would be to complete a dream. Ive been doing this for so long. Getting to UFC wouldnt be a relief, but maybe like, Sigh  Ive done it. It would be like winning the lottery.

More!

Spanish standout Daniel Barez not giving up on UFC dream: 'I'm going to keep winning fights' Mike Malott: Yohan Lainesse bout 'a great opportunity to show what Canadian MMA is about' at UFC Fight Night 220 Peter Queally wants to settle trilogy with Patricky Freire: 'I think I could beat him if we fought again'

Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie
People gather at a rally to denounce Russian President Vladimir Putin and the war on Ukraine at Daley Plaza on Feb. 25, 2023, in Chicago. More than a hundred Russian immigrants and anti-war supporters gathered for the demonstration. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

The air raid sirens wailed before sunrise on Feb. 24, 2022, in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, marking the first time the alarm had sounded outside of planned drills since World War II.

Twenty-four-year-old Halia Didula and her sister frantically packed a few essential items from the home they shared before heading to take shelter at their parents house in a nearby suburb, along with several other family friends who fled from the capital, Kyiv, and other cities. Each time the air raid siren screamed, the entire household would run downstairs and take cover in the homes unfinished basement, which suddenly became a makeshift bomb shelter.

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The nation was under attack. In the early hours of the morning, Russia launched an unprecedented full-scale invasion of Ukraine, raining missiles on targets across the country. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians fled their homes that day, many traveling west to Lviv, and the roads were jammed with the cars of evacuees, Didula recalled.

While there were signs the invasion was imminent in the days leading up to the attack, Moscows assault still caught her and many others off guard.

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The war was in the air, but no one wanted to believe it, she said.

One year later, Didula is safe and living in the Ukrainian Village neighborhood of Chicago. She arrived in mid-August on a two-year scholarship to study social work at the University of Illinois at Chicago, a plan that had been in the works since 2020, long before the war began.

Ukrainian citizen and University of Illinois at Chicago student Halia Didula, 24, in Chicagos Ukrainian Village neighborhood on Feb. 17, 2023. Nearing the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Didula is also a co-organizer of protests outside the Joffrey Ballet. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

Yet Didula remains torn between her new life in Chicago and the one she left behind in Ukraine: While it has always been her dream to study in the United States, she longs to return home to help her nation as it fights for sovereignty.

It is really hard to study here while my friends are in the war and my family is in Ukraine, she said. I think Im the person who likes to  be present when I am needed. And here, I dont feel that I am needed that much.

Initially, she thought the fighting might last a week or so, perhaps stretching into the summer; she never imagined the war would continue more than a year, with no indications that Russian terror will abate any time soon.

On the one-year anniversary of Moscows invasion, Ukrainian forces prepared for potential Russian airstrikes and schools were advised to hold classes online, as a precaution. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday announced that Moscow was pulling back from the last major nuclear control arms pact with the United States, raising global tensions.

President Joe Biden affirmed support for Ukraine on an unannounced visit to Kyiv on Monday, the first time in recent history that a U.S. president traveled to a war zone without an American military presence.

One year later, Kyiv stands, Biden said, after a recent meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. And Ukraine stands. Democracy stands. The Americans stand with you. And the world stands with you.

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Across Chicago, supporters of Ukraine are planning to commemorate the wars anniversary this weekend with services, prayers and protests.

To mark the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine, people honor the victims and protest against the war outside of Saints Volodymyr and Olha Ukrainian Catholic Church in Chicagos Ukrainian Village neighborhood on Feb. 24, 2023. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

Demonstrators gathered Friday evening on the steps of Sts. Volodymyr and Olha Ukrainian Catholic Church in Ukrainian Village for a rally Following the rally, Cardinal Blase Cupich and various other clergy members held a memorial prayer service at St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral.

Demonstrators protested Russian atrocities on Saturday at Water Tower Place, followed by a march along Michigan Avenue to shine light on the brutal Russian invasion and the suffering of the Ukrainian people, according to an event statement.

A group of anti-war Russian diaspora hosted a rally on Saturday at Daley Plaza, to condemn Putins regime and urge withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine. That demonstration was held in connection with similar events organized by protesters of Russian descent in dozens of cities around the world.

People gather at a rally to denounce Russian President Vladimir Putin and the war on Ukraine at Daley Plaza on Feb. 25, 2023, in Chicago. More than a hundred Russian immigrants and anti-war supporters gathered for the demonstration. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

As for Didula, she said she finds some consolation in taking part in local protests to help inform Americans about the war as well as Ukrainian history.

In November, she wore a white blindfold at a local demonstration in memory of the Holodomor, an intentional Soviet-induced famine that killed millions of Ukrainians nine decades ago. Her blindfold symbolized the worlds need to open its eyes to these historical atrocities as well as ongoing Russian terror in Ukraine.

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I love my country and I miss it so much, she told the Tribune at the time.

More recently, Didula co-organized protests of the Joffrey Ballets presentation of Anna Karenina at the Lyric Opera House, where demonstrators chanted Russia is a terrorist state, and Stop supporting Russian culture.

I think as long as war will be, we will not be able to just get used to life, she said. You always feel some guilt, some grief.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 8 Ukrainian nationals Ihor Khudyk, right, and Alla Saranchuk protest the Joffrey Ballet's "Anna Karenina" as people enter the Civic Opera House in Chicago, Feb. 17, 2023. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

Changing priorities, values

While the war directly threatens Ukrainian freedom, much is also at stake for the United States, Europe and the globe, said DePaul University political science professor Richard Farkas.

Whats being challenged here is not just the credibility of the Ukrainian government, he said. What we have being challenged are, at the very least, the international standards of sovereignty and the viability of international boundaries and the covenants that have been established, especially about killing civilians. So, at the global level, there is a very strong argument that what the Russians are doing is undermining any credibility they have. The bottom line is the United States needs to be clearly positioned behind those standards.

He added that the war has given the international community a glimpse at some of the weaknesses of the Russian military, particularly after Ukrainian forces were able to retake Kyiv.

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Theres just no question that conventional wisdom was that Russian forces were massive enough to be effective against the Ukrainians, he said. So I think it surprised everyone that the Ukrainians were able to so effectively, first and foremost, put down the assault of Kyiv.

Yet he said its hard to predict how and when the war might end. Farkas said hes also worried about the future of Ukraine and how it will rebuild postwar, with so many Ukrainian youths upending their lives and educations amid the fighting, many fleeing to other European nations or the United States.

The dilemma of whether to continue her education abroad or return to Ukraine often plagues Didula, who plans to travel back to Lviv in early March. The trip was originally scheduled so she could attend her sisters wedding before returning to Chicago. Her sisters fiance, though, is fighting in the war and they havent been able to communicate recently.

Were not even sure the wedding will be, Didula said.

She said the war has reframed her values, particularly about worldly goods and money, which seem far less important. When the invasion began, she was often worried about homes being destroyed by rockets. Her city, which is near the Polish border, initially felt much safer than other parts of Ukraine that were in the thick of fighting and bombing campaigns.

Alice O., last name not given, holds a protest sign depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin during a rally to denounce Putin and the war on Ukraine at Daley Plaza Feb. 25, 2023, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

Then in March, Russia launched airstrikes at Yavoriv military base, about 30 kilometers from her home. The bombs were so loud they sounded as if they were next door. Everything from furniture to glasses to the floor of the house trembled, she recalled.

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Even after moving to Chicago, the sound of an ambulance siren terrified her for weeks and she would even hide on occasion, though she has since become more accustomed to these kinds of noises.

I realized that houses were not important at all, she said. Even if my house would be destroyed, the most important (thing) is people. The value of things, during the war, changed.

Even in the United States, she said, she often refrains from buying things for herself because that money might be better spent on donations to help Ukraine.

Maybe they can buy some medical stuff or a car and that can save people, she said. I feel like I dont need a lot of stuff because one day it could be destroyed.

In Ukraine, Didula worked as a social worker, helping to place orphans with foster families. Through her work, she was often struck by the trauma children endured amid the fighting. Some children as young as 6 would talk matter-of-factly of encountering dead bodies during their escape.

They are telling this not as a very sad story but as a story, just as an experience, she said. I realized that our psychology  is like, if you cant change something, you just start to accept things.

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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 67 A photograph of a Ukrainian serviceman is placed on his grave in the Alley of Glory area of a cemetery in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Feb. 24, 2023. (Vadim Ghirda / AP)

She plans to eventually return to Ukraine and continue her work with orphanages. In her free time, she hopes to coordinate volunteer projects to help soldiers and veterans recover from the trauma of war.

For now, she describes her life as very much in flux.

I dont have any plan for the future because I dont know what will happen in Ukraine, she said. We all say we will win, but we dont know when that will happen.

Valor and bravery

John Hewko recalled witnessing Ukraine declare independence in August 1991, when the son of Ukrainian immigrants served as an adviser to the Ukrainian parliament and later helped the burgeoning democracy draft its original constitution. He still keeps a copy of that document in his Evanston home.

His parents came to the United States as refugees in 1949, after four years in displaced persons camps in Germany following World War II. For his mother, father and grandparents, Ukrainian independence seemed like an unattainable dream.

For centuries, Ukraine has been struggling to create a nation, to create a national identity and to become independent  and then it happened, he said. It was just a feeling of euphoria, a feeling of elation. Being there for that historic moment was just incredible.

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He likened the experience to being in Philadelphia in 1776, around the time the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.

To mark the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine, Bondan Antoniak, 6, holds a candle as people honor the victims and protest against the war outside of Saints Volodymyr and Olha Ukrainian Catholic Church in Chicagos Ukrainian Village neighborhood on Feb. 24, 2023. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

The fall of the Soviet Union happened stunningly fast, in a matter of days, he recounted. Ukraines declaration of independence was the straw that broke the camels back, he said. In a December 1991 referendum, an overwhelming majority of the nation of more than 50 million voted in favor of independence.

That was really the end of the Soviet Union, he said. So not only Ukraine becoming independent, this miracle that my parents and grandparents and everyone had fought for, but it also brought an end to the last European empire.

Yet on the day Russia invaded Ukraine, Zelenskyy warned the international community that the missile blasts and rumbling of aircraft marked the sound of a new iron curtain, alluding to the Soviet Unions post-World War II efforts to seal itself off from the West and other non-communist nations.

Hewko, a Harvard University-educated lawyer who is the general secretary and chief executive officer of the global nonprofit Rotary International, praised the United States for its tremendous amount of help for Ukraine. The Rotary Foundation, along with Rotary clubs around the world, has raised millions of dollars to help support Ukraine and Ukrainians displaced by war.

Students from St. Nicholas Cathedral School hold flags as they pray for peace in Ukraine on the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2023, in Chicago. A large population of families at St. Nicholas are Ukrainian. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

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The U.S. has so far provided around $113 billion in aid to Ukraine in response to Russias full-scale invasion, according to The Associated Press.

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When you think about how Russia is a much larger country, a much larger armed forces  its just an absolutely extraordinary demonstration of valor and bravery by the Ukrainians, that they have been able to hold this behemoth off and take back territory that Russia has conquered, he said. I feel that if we give Ukrainians the weapons they need, they will win.

He added that the U.S. must do whatever it takes to allow Ukraine to win this war.

Thats needed not only for Ukraine, I think thats needed not only for Europe, but I think its (also) for Russia, he said. Its going to take a significant defeat  to create change in Russia. And thats what we really need in Russia. Change in Russia. Change in attitude and change in perception.

This kind of revolution will never come unless Ukraine has a significant victory on the battlefield to force that self-reflection on the Russian population, he added.

The Associated Press contributed.

eleventis@chicagotribune.com
A St. Helena couple has been charged for allegedly disciplining their teenage daughter with extension cords, according to the Beaufort County Sheriffs Office.

Virginia Nava, 33, and Melchor Nava, 38, were each charged Thursday evening with unlawful conduct toward a child, jail records show.

The parents called police to their home on Seaside Road Thursday afternoon due to their teenage daughters behavioral issues, according to Maj. Angela Viens, a spokesperson for the Sheriffs Office.

When deputies arrived, the daughter told them her parents had whipped her with extension cords as punishment. Police later found markings on the girls arms, legs and feet that appeared to confirm her accusation, Viens said. This evidence allowed police to obtain arrest warrants for the couple.

Following the parents arrests, their four children were taken into custody by the Department of Social Services. Viens said police do not yet know whether this alleged form of abuse happened more than once or with more than one child, but all four children will be interviewed as the part of the standard investigation process for potential child abuse.

Under South Carolina law, unlawful conduct toward a child is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

As of Friday afternoon, Virginia and Melchor Nava were each being held on a $5,000 bond at the Beaufort County Detention Center.

If you or someone you know has been affected by child abuse, help can be found by calling Hopeful Horizons 24-hour Support Line at 843-770-1070.

When we publish mugshots

The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette publishes police booking photos, or mugshots, in the following instances:

In situations where a public figure or someone in a position of public trust is arrested

In cases where there is an immediate and widespread threat to public safety

In cases where the arrested person is accused of a crime reporters have evidence to believe involved numerous, unknown victims

Reporters will avoid using mugshots as lead images for online articles in order to limit their circulation on social media, except in cases where the public is served by the immediate identification of the accused. Reporters and editors may use discretion in situations that dont meet the criteria outlined in this policy but still present a compelling reason to publish a mugshot.
The St. Joseph County Jail will settle a lawsuit filed by the Human Rights Defense Center alleging staff denied the nonprofit's attempts to send educational material to inmates.

SOUTH BEND  County officials this week settled a lawsuit with a nonprofit advocacy group who claimed the St. Joseph County jail unconstitutionally prevented inmates from receiving educational magazines.

County commissioners Wednesday unanimously voted to pay the Human Rights Defense Center $30,000 in exchange for the group to drop a federal lawsuit against St. Joseph County Sheriff Bill Redman. The agreement also stipulates the jail will not block HDRC from distributing future periodicals to inmates, even if the material was not specifically requested.

In a written statement, a spokesman for the St. Joseph County Police Department said jail policy had banned periodicals from going to inmates who had not directly requested them due to past instances of the materials being "laced or soaked with narcotics." Court records also show jail staff denied some of the magazines from being distributed because they contained staples.

Though the jail holds its policy is constitutional, county officials decided it made more sense to settle the case and to adjust its policies than fight the issue in court. Moving forward, educational periodicals will more easily make their way to inmates, according to Troy Warner, an attorney for the St. Joseph County Police Department.

"We try and balance our inmates' First Amendment right to access information with the need to keep our jail free from incoming mail laced with narcotics or other drugs," Warner said in written statement. "There is some legal ambiguity in this matter and we believe that our established periodical policy is constitutional. However, due to expected costs of protracted litigation, the periodical's extensive litigation record on this matter, we reevaluated our policies and made common sense changes in both staple policy and subscription requirement."

The HRDC's website says the organization promotes advocacy and education efforts for incarcerated people. Part of that outreach is sending publications about legal news to people who are in jail.

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Social media settlement:St. Joseph County settles with ex-jail nurse for $50,000 over firing her for Facebook post

Settlement

Per court documents, the HRDC attempted to send back issues of two of its publications  "Prison Legal News" and "Criminal Legal News"  to 10 people being held in the St. Joseph County Jail in July 2021. The lawsuit says the inmates didn't request the publications, but all 10 inmates were charged with "serious offenses and could likely use the information provided in the publications."

Documents attached to the lawsuit show jail staff denied the publications from reaching the inmates because the inmates did not have specific subscriptions and the issues sent were not the most recent issues of the publication.

The HRDC then signed up the inmates for subscriptions and sent them the Aug. 2021 issue, however, the jail still confiscated the publications because they had staples in them, the lawsuit says. The HRDC tried to send a total of 16 inmates issues of their Sept. 2021, April 2022 and May 2022 publications  all of which were rejected due to the subscriptions not being paid or there being staples in the periodicals.

The HRDC's suit claimed representatives for St. Joseph County police or jail never spoke to the nonprofit about the situation or ways to get the literature to people in the jail. In June, the HRDC filed its lawsuit with legal representation by the ACLU of Indiana.

Attorneys for the HRDC did not immediately respond to an interview request Thursday. The nonprofit has filed numerous lawsuits against jails and prison systems around the country over access to educational material.

In addition to the $30,000 payment, the settlement requires the jail to change its policies to allow the HRDC to send similar types of publications in the future. However, the agreement does not require the county to admit liability.

Warner said in a written statement that inmates will not be required to have a subscription to receive legal and criminal defense periodicals. Jail staff will also removal staples as necessary, but still give inmates access to the works.

The agreement with the HRDC this week marks the fourth time in two years county officials have settled a lawsuit involving the jail for more than $10,000. In 2021, two inmates received payments after they were kept in the jail longer than they should have been. In March 2022, a nurse who worked at the jail received $50,000 after she was fired over a social media post.

Email Marek Mazurek at mmazurek@sbtinfo.com. Follow him on Twitter: @marek_mazurek

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: St. Joseph County settles lawsuit with Human Rights Defense Center
A group of Stanford University professors are pushing to end a system that allows students to anonymously report their peers for discrimination or bias.

The inciting incident was a Protected Identity Harm report filed to Stanford last month against a student who was photographed reading Mein Kampf. This reporting mechanism is Stanfords system to address incidents where a student or community member feels attacked due to their identity.

Faculty members didnt even know the system existed until a report was published by Stanfords student newspaper, according to The Wall Street Journal.

I was stunned, explained Russell Berman, a professor of comparative literature, to the Journal. It reminds me of McCarthyism.

More than 75 professors have signed a petition to investigate freedom of speech and academic freedom at Stanford, with a view to ending the bias-reporting system.

When a report is filed, an inquiry is triggered within 48 hours. Both parties are contacted, and though participation in the inquiry is voluntary, professors argued it might not feel that way to accused students.

Though Stanford has responded that the student has not been punished, critics have argued thats not good enough.

We continue to call on Stanford to avoid launching a formal process that students could construe as some sort of investigation into protected speech, or that effectively requires them to admit their protected expression was problematic. Instead, Stanford can support students who are sensitive to speech without involving the speaker, read a statement from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.

The group added that not only does Stanford protect expressive rights, but it is also bound by Californias Leonard Law, which bars secular, private colleges from making or enforcing any rule that would subject a student to discipline for speech that would otherwise be protected off campus.

About half of campuses around the country have a bias-reporting system. As revealed in a 2022 report from Speech First, this is more than twice as many as five years ago. The new effort by Stanford professors is part of broader pushback that has seen several of these systems challenged in court.

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The reports are stored in a platform operated by a third party called Maxient, an American company that has contracts with 1,300 schools. Most are institutions of higher education.

According to the companys website, Maxient is the software of choice for managing behavior records at colleges and universities across North America. Our centralized reporting and record keeping helps institutions connect the dots and prevent students from falling through the cracks.

Stanford Business School professor Ivan Marinovic said the bias-reporting system reminded him of the way people would inform on one another in countries like the Soviet Union and East Germany.

Youre basically going to be reporting people who you find offensive, right? According to your own ideology, he told the Journal.

More from National Review
State of Confusion has set its sights on a spring opening in lower South End. Hiring is ongoing for that concept, which will be located in LoSo Village, at Clanton Road and Dewitt Lane.

ALSO READ: Rapid delivery startup Food Rocket moving headquarters to Charlotte

About 150 jobs will be created for the 9,500-square-foot restaurant, says Brent Reed, general manager.

Charlotte marks the second location for the Chattanooga, Tennessee-based restaurant brand  and the first location outside of its home state. Over $3 million has been invested in the Charlotte space to date.

We want to be part of the neighborhood. I think it will be part of this area as it grows and builds, says Jamie Walton, senior vice president of development and operations at parent company SquareOne Holdings.

Keep reading and check out the photos here.

VIDEO: Weve been here 30 years: Restaurants continue to struggle post-pandemic
















Greene County Prosecutor Dan Patterson announced Thursday he intends to seek the death penalty against a Springfield man accused of killing a woman and her 13-year-old son on New Year's Eve 2020.

Brandon King, 31, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the stabbing deaths of his girlfriend Stephanie Plumb, 32, and her son Dylan Moore, 13.

King is also facing assault and child abuse charges for allegedly stabbing two of Plumb's other children (ages 7 and 14) who survived the gruesome attack at the family's home on West Scott Street.

Patterson filed paperwork Thursday stating that if King is convicted of first-degree murder, the state will seek to have him face the death penalty instead of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

In order for prosecutors to pursue the death penalty, they must prove at least one specific "aggravating circumstance" applies to the case. There are 17 possible aggravating circumstances under Missouri law, which include things like murdering a police officer or murdering someone after committing a hijacking.

More:Family mourns Springfield mother, son stabbed to death on New Year's Eve

In his filing, Patterson listed four aggravating circumstances he intends to prove, should King be convicted:

The murder in the first degree offenses were committed while the offender was engaged in the commission or attempted commission of another unlawful homicide.

The murders in the first degree were outrageously or wantonly vile, horrible or inhuman in that they involved torture, or depravity of mind.

The murders in the first degree were committed for the purpose of avoiding, interfering with, or preventing a lawful arrest or custody in a place of lawful confinement, of himself or herself or another.

The murdered individuals were witnesses or potential witnesses in any past or pending investigation or past or pending prosecution, and was killed as a result of their status as witnesses or potential witnesses.

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Evidence that will likely come into play if King is convicted is that he allegedly told police he killed Plumb and Moore because he was planning to flee the state to avoid prosecution in a forgery case in Christian County and he wanted to eliminate the potential witnesses before stealing money and a van.

In addition to the "aggravating circumstances" that have to be proven for a death penalty case under Missouri law, there is also a list of "mitigating circumstances" that could dissuade a jury from picking the death penalty  like if the murderer was particularly young or emotionally disturbed.

King's court-appointed attorney James Hayes hinted at some possible mitigating circumstances during the preliminary hearing in 2021 when he seemed to question King's mental faculties by saying King's medication had changed on the day of the killings and there was not even an arrest warrant out for him related to that Christian County forgery case that might prompt him to flee.

Hayes declined to comment Friday about the state's recent filing.

Patterson pursued the death penalty in 2018 against Craig Wood for kidnapping, raping and murdering 10-year-old Hailey Owens. Patterson's office also signaled its intent to seek the death penalty against Luis Perez (who murdered three people in a two-day span in the fall of 2018) before changing course.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield man could face death penalty if convicted of killing two
TAVARES  State prosecutors will seek the death penalty for Vickie Lynn Williams if she is convicted of killing Darrell and Sharon Getman in their Waterman Village home in late December.

Williams, 50, was arrested in Savannah, Georgia in the couples stolen car. She has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and grand theft auto.

In a court filing announcing the decision, the State Attorneys Office for the 5th Judicial Circuit, which includes Lake County, listed five statutory aggravating factors that it intends to prove and has reason to believe it can prove beyond a reasonable doubt.

Earlier coverage: Suspect back in Lake County, held without bail

New details in Mount Dora killings: Victims stabbed; killer tried to clean scene

Those reasons:

Williams was previously convicted of another violent or threatening felony; that the killing of the victims, ages 80 and 83, was done during the commission of a robbery; that the killings were committed for financial gain; that the crimes were especially heinous, atrocious or cruel; and that the victims were particularly vulnerable because of their ages.

Darryl and Sharon Getman

Williams is being held without bail at the Lake County Jail. She has pleaded not guilty.

Details of the crime

News of the crime rocked the new addition to the Advent Health retirement community on Lake Margaret Circle. The community, off Donnelly Street, across from the older section of the retirement village, is gated and staffed by security officers.

A neighbor called police on Dec. 31 when he noticed the couples garage door was open and the couples Kia Soul was missing.

Waterman Village Lakeside Community off Donnelly Street in Mount Dora.

Inside, security staff and police discovered a horrible scene. Darrell Getman showed evidence of head and facial trauma, and a large butcher-style knife was plunged into his abdomen.

Sharon Getman, also found in the foyer, had suffered head and facial trauma and had lost a tremendous amount of blood from wounds to her abdomen. There were white towels near her body, as if someone attempted to render aid or clean up, a police report stated.

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Bloody, barefoot prints from a woman, not Mrs. Getman, were found throughout the house.

A neighbor reported having a run-in with a woman who came to her door asking if she could take a shower and plug in her phone. Her husband hit the security alarm and she ran out, snatching a set of car keys as she fled.

Police and security were called. Later, security footage later showed the Getmans' car leaving the complex at 2:02 a.m. on Dec. 31.

A woman was found driving the Getmans' Kia Soul.

Police in Savannah were tipped by a bulletin to be on the lookout for the car. They found Williams parked near the Amtrak station. She said she was homeless and had been given the car by a friend to sleep in.

Here is the status of the court case

Prosecutors are accumulating a long list of witnesses and evidence in preparation for trial. No trial date has been set.

The Public Defenders Office is representing Williams. Were moving forward in our preparation as we would in any similar case, said Public Defender Mike Graves.

On Thursday, Florida executed the first death row inmate in four years. Donald Dillbeck, 59, was convicted of killing Faye Vann, 44, in Tallahassee in 1990, according to the Associated Press. It was the third death warrant signed by Gov. Ron Desantis.

If convicted and sentenced to death, Williams would join eight others from sent to death row from Lake County. There are only three female inmates among the 298 currently on Florida's death row.

This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: Savannah woman could face death penalty if guilty of Mount Dora murders
onsequences of explosions in Ukraine in the first days of the war

Many of them will confidently state that the war in Ukraine has already lasted 365 days, when in fact the Russian invasion and war started with Moscows seizure and occupation of Ukraines Crimean Peninsula in 2014, some 3,291 days ago.

Read also: Children from occupied Donbas may be taken to Russias Karelia  National Resistance Center

Part of the reason the sudden attack on Ukraine by Russia on Feb. 24, 2022 was so surprising and shocking to many in the West is that the war, which had been grinding on for eight years, was of fairly low intensity, and had largely disappeared from the international headlines.

Certainly, the initial invasion of Crimea on Feb. 20, 2014, with its drama and also absurdity (think of the Little Green Men  obviously Russian soldiers but claimed by the Kremlin to be local separatists.) was big news for the first couple of years.

But after Russias occupation of parts of the Donbas and second round of Minsk accords in 2015, the war settled down into stalemate  a few deaths from shelling every week is not big news, so the world moved on.

The medias response is understandable; less so the response of the Wests governments.

Read also: Soldiers of one Russian unit in Donbas not getting paid, General Staff says

Russias invasion of Ukraines Crimea and parts of the Donbas, as well as its earlier war and occupation of parts of Georgia in 2008, was a direct and dangerous challenge to the post-Second-World-War international order, to the inviolability of the sovereignty and borders of independent countries, and to international law. It was a bold restatement of Russias imperialist agenda.

The Wests response should have been swift, strong and resolute. Harsh, tearing sanctions should have ripped across Russias economy; the Kremlin should have been isolated, condemned and vilified; and Ukraine should have seen the same level of support, politically and financially, that it has received in the last year.

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But the Wests response was instead slow, weak and wavering. The Kremlin artfully used the Minsk process, which it knew Ukraine could never agree to fulfill, and which it had no intention of fulfilling itself, to deflect responsibility for the war from itself, and to lull Western states like Germany into the feeling that getting back to business as usual was possible.

Read also: Two Su-25 jet aircraft, a Ka-52 helicopter, missiles and Orlan UAV eliminated in Donbas in a day

The Kremlin saw the Wests response as weakness, and was convinced that it would be able to press on when the time came.

Thus the Wests response has led directly to the much direr situation now, with the biggest war in Europe since the Second World War, complete with atrocities, genocide, ethnic cleansing, and a massive refugee crisis, raging across Ukraine and threatening to spill over its borders.

Ukraine needs a full suite of weapons to end Russias brutal invasion quickly

The Russian full-scale invasion and war in Ukraine should not have come as a shock or surprise to anyone. The large buildups of troops on Ukraines borders started months earlier, as did a hardening of the Kremlins rhetoric on Ukraine. The United States signaled the Kremlins intentions well in advance of Russian tanks rolling over the border.

What confused some, including myself, was the relatively small size of the Russian invasion force. Even people closely following events in Ukraine and Russia did not gauge correctly how high the Kremlin was on its own hubris and propaganda  it had expected little real resistance, and had hoped to execute regime change in Kyiv within days.

Read also: Spring offensive planned, 250,000 Russian estimated lost, Sevastopol explosions

The Ukrainian military, however, was not taken by surprise, having carefully planned for years for a full-scale invasion. That enabled it to put up such a robust defense of Kyiv that Russia was soon defeated, and it retreated from the north and center of the country within just over a month.

The Kremlin, in contrast, was astonished by Ukraines fighting prowess, as were many experts in the West, who at best had expected a swift defeat of Ukraine by conventional means and then a long, bloody insurgency.

However well it had prepared, Ukraine still knew very well what it lacked  air defenses, tanks and fighter jets. Pleas for supplies of these from its Western friends came from the very first days and weeks of Russias full-scale invasion.

It was again time for the West to respond swiftly, strongly and resolutely, but again it failed.

While the West has been resolute in its verbal support for Ukraine, action in the form of military support has been slow in coming. It seems as if Ukraine has had to squeeze each new delivery of arms from its allies after each new escalation and atrocity by Russia  modern air defense only started coming in October and November, after Russia started its vicious campaign to destroy civilian infrastructure and deny Ukrainians heat, power and water during winter.

Read also: The psychological barrier has been overcome: What to expect in Crimea

The West has deterred itself from arming Ukraine fully due to fears over escalating the war. Meanwhile, the Kremlin goes ahead and does the escalating itself.

It is to be hoped that U.S. President Joe Bidens historic visit to Kyiv on Feb. 20 marks an end to this dithering and hand-wringing over Western military support for Ukraine. Ukraine needs a full suite of weapons to end Russias brutal invasion quickly, liberating Ukrainian land and freeing Ukrainians from the grip of a fascist police state, a dictatorship. Tens of thousands of lives are at stake  they will be lost if the war is allowed to grind on for years longer.

The lesson of the beginning of the war, of Crimea and the Donbas, should not have had to be relearned. It was also the lesson of the Second World War  do not appease dictators, as they will see it as weakness and be encouraged to go further. Each step taken by a tyrant causes greater damage. Each further step is harder to stop, and costlier to reverse.

Arm Ukraine swiftly, strongly and resolutely, and put an end to this war before it reaches its tenth year.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
National security adviser Jake Sullivan on Thursday said that F-16 fighter jets are not the key capability that Ukraine currently needs to battle Russian forces, as the Biden administration faces mounting pressure from Kyiv over the jets.

[The Ukrainians are] about to mount a significant counteroffensive, Sullivan told CNNs Fareed Zakaria at a town hall event on Thursday night. From our perspective, F-16s are not the key capability for that offensive. It is the stuff that we are moving rapidly to the front lines now.

F-16s are not a question for the short-term fight, he added. F-16s are a question for the long-term defense of Ukraine, and thats a conversation that President Biden and President Zelensky had.

Biden met with Zelensky during a surprise visit to Kyiv on Monday, ahead of the wars first anniversary on Friday.

Sullivan added on Thursday that the military and intelligence communities make recommendations to Biden based on the needs of the Ukrainian military during the phase of the war that they are confronting at that time.

As we head into the spring, what Ukraine really needs is armor, infantry fighting vehicles and, yes, tanks, and were providing those, he said.

However, Bidens national security adviser noted that a wide variety of factors go into these decisions, pointing to the recent announcement that the U.S. plans to send dozens of American battle tanks to Ukraine.

The president was advised by his military [that] Abrams tanks, the American tank, doesnt make sense for this fight, he told Zakaria. What they really needed were Leopard tanks, German tanks, that a bunch of countries in Europe own.

The problem, Sullivan said, was that Germany refused to provide the Leopard thanks unless the U.S. also provided its Abrams tanks.

And President Biden said, If me providing Abrams tanks, even if its not the most sensible military move, will help unlock German tanks to get to the front lines and also will sustain alliance unity, I will do it, Sullivan added.

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Outside of Kyiv, Biden is facing increasing pressure from U.S. lawmakers to provide Ukraine with the fighter jets as well.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said on Sunday that he believes momentum is building for the U.S. to provide Ukraine with the F-16s, while Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said there was virtually unanimous belief among a group of senators at the Munich Security Conference last weekend that the U.S. should be training Ukrainian pilots on the fighter jets.

The fact is, the longer they wait, the longer this conflict will prevail, McCaul said, adding, We need to throw everything we can into this fight so that they can win.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Providing Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets is a matter of long-term defense, Sullivan said

However, according to him, aviation "is not the key capability needed for now".

In a comment to CNN, Sullivan stated that the fighter jets could not be effective in a future counter-offensive by Ukraine.

Read also: F-16 fighter jets to be next step in supplying weapons to Ukraine, says Dutch PM Rutte

"F-16s are not a question for the short-term fight," he said.

F-16s are a question for the long-term defense of Ukraine and that's a conversation that President Biden and President Zelenskyy had.

Read also: UK could be first to send Ukraine fighter jets, Zelenskyys aide says

Read also: US discussing transfer of fighter jets to Ukraine with allies

Earlier, U.S. Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said that "some countries in Europe" are interested in making deliveries of fighter jets. She added that "this is an evolving picture" which changes depending on what Ukraine needs at any given moment.

Previously, U.S. President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz asserted they would not provide the aircraft to Ukraine. Poland stated it was ready to act only if there was broad support from the West.

According to Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, a positive decision on the transfer of aircraft to Ukraine is a matter of one or two months.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
The superintendent for the South Dakota School for the Deaf, Kim Wadsworth, is retiring from her position at the end of May. A search has begun for the new leader.

Wadsworth has been at the South Dakota School for the Deaf since 1997 and has worked in deaf education for more than 35 years.

News of her retirement comes as a bill to change the title of the South Dakota School for the Deaf to the South Dakota Services for the Deaf is about to land on Gov. Kristi Noems desk.

Superintendent Kim Wadsworth works at her desk while wearing a clear face mask Nov. 19, 2020, at the South Dakota School for the Deaf. She has been in the position since March, shortly after the coronavirus pandemic came to South Dakota.

Yet Board of Regents spokesperson Shuree Mortenson tells the Argus Leader a search is still underway for the next superintendent and the position will remain the same. The name change doesnt affect any of the programming or services SDSD offers.

Wadsworth began her career in 1985, teaching at the Utah School for the Deaf and Blind. In 1997, she returned to South Dakota to work with the South Dakota School for the Deaf (SDSD) as an Outreach Program Consultant traveling to homes and school programs to educate parents and educators about the needs of deaf and hard of hearing children. She later became the SDSD Outreach Director and, in 2020, was selected as the school's superintendent.

"It has been a privilege spending my career with people dedicated to supporting children who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families," Wadsworth said in a news release. "South Dakota is fortunate to have such knowledgeable and passionate outreach and audiology teams, and I was honored to work among them."

More:Bill to change South Dakota School for Deaf to SD Services for Deaf passes first step

Wadsworth also holds certification with the Council on Education for the Deaf, was a longtime member of the South Dakota Special Education Advisory Panel, created the Ribbon of Service Partnership, and reinstated the SDSD Advisory Council.

"Kim Wadsworth has devoted her professional life to deaf and hard of hearing education," BOR executive director Brian Maher said in a news release. "She has assisted countless students and families, and we are grateful for the work she has done in our state."

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota School for the Deaf superintendent retiring
The former Crawford Coal Plant, where a smokestack was demolished, is shown from the Little Village neighborhood on April 12, 2020. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

The inspector generals office completed a report on the the botched Hilco smokestack demolition in Little Village in September 2021, but Mayor Lori Lightfoots administration refused calls from the community, a City Council resolution and then-Inspector General Joe Ferguson to make the report public. The report was publicized recently and Little Village residents are demanding the city take action.

[ Read the full story here ]

Read the report below.
Google and Twitter logos. Illustrated | Gettyimages

The Supreme Court is hearing landmark cases involving a law that has thus far shielded internet companies, like Google and Twitter, from being liable for the content posted by their users. Could the outcomes upend the internet as we know it?

What is Section 230?

At the center of both Gonzalez v. Google and Twitter v. Taamneh is the controversial Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, "a nearly 30-year-old federal law that courts have repeatedly said provides broad protections to tech platforms," Brian Fung writes for CNN. Section 230 shields internet service providers from any liability for content posted by a third party. Both Republicans and Democrats have scrutinized the law in recent years, though for different reasons. Lawmakers on the right alleged that Section 230 gave "social media platforms a license to censor conservative viewpoints," Fung says. At the same time, the left argues the law "prevents tech giants from being held accountable for spreading misinformation and hate speech."

In an interview Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs in the Google case, called the hotly debated law "a shield that nobody was able to break," The Washington Post reports. "It gave the social media companies the belief that they're untouchable."

What is happening in the cases?

The Supreme Court began hearing oral arguments Tuesday in Gonzalez v. Google, which "zeroes in on whether [Google] can be sued because of its subsidiary YouTube's algorithmic promotion of terrorist videos on its platform," Fung explains. The plaintiffs in the case are the family of Nohemi Gonzalez, who was killed in a 2015 ISIS attack in Paris. Their lawyers argue that YouTube's recommendations "violated a U.S. antiterrorism law by helping to radicalize viewers and promote ISIS's worldview." Google claims that Section 230 protects it from being held liable for the videos circulated by its recommendation algorithms.

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The second case, Twitter v. Taamneh, is related to an ISIS attack in Istanbul in 2017. Family members of Nawras Alassaf allege that social media platforms, including Twitter, knowingly aided and abetted ISIS in the act of terrorism by allowing the group's content to remain on their platforms.

The difference between the two cases is that while the Twitter case seeks to determine "liability merely for hosting content without malicious intent," as the ACLU writes, the Google case asks whether Section 230 applies to amplified content, focusing on what the company's algorithms and policies allow to be suggested to users. The judges could find that while "a provider would remain immunized for merely hosting content, it would be responsible for highlighting it," says the ACLU.

The Twitter case in particular could decide "whether the companies could be liable under antiterrorism laws such as the Anti-Terrorism Act and its 2016 amendments, the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act," The Wall Street Journal explains. Final decisions in both cases are expected before July.

After three hours of questioning in the first case, the Journal says, the justices "reacted skeptically" to the plaintiff's assertion that YouTube's parent company should be held responsible for the extremist videos recommended by its algorithm. Justices seemed worried that narrowing the scope of Section 230 would lead to "a wave of lawsuits and disruption to the internet," CNN writes.

"You are creating a world of lawsuits," said Justice Elena Kagan. "Really, anytime you have content, you also have these presentational and prioritization choices that can be subject to suit."

How could the outcomes shape the future of the internet?

Google and its allies in the tech industry say that a win for the plaintiffs "could wreak havoc on the internet," The Associated Press says. Yelp, Reddit, Microsoft, Craigslist, Twitter, and Facebook are among the companies that have submitted friend-of-the-court filings "warning that searches for jobs, restaurants, and merchandise could be restricted if those social media platforms had to worry about being sued over the recommendations they provide and their users want."

"Section 230 underpins a lot of aspects of the open internet," said Neal Mohan, the recently-appointed senior vice president and head of YouTube.

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Keith Moses, the suspect in Wednesdays mass shooting that left three people dead, has pleaded not guilty to the first of two deadly shootings, according to court records.

Our sister station in Orlando WFTV reports the written not guilty plea and waiver of arraignment was signed Friday by public defender Robert Wesley.

Five victims were involved in the Orange County shooting. Two have died, and two others were critically injured.

Moses is facing a first-degree murder charge in the death of Nathacha Augustin, whom he had killed earlier in the day at the same scene.

Orange County Sheriff John Mina said Moses would also be charged with homicide in the deaths of TYonna Major, 9, and News 13 reporter Dylan Lyons, 24.

Written Plea and Wavier Arr... by Adam Poulisse

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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) accused Democrats of virtue signaling with Ukrainian flag pins and other shows of support for Kyiv amid its war against Russia.

For the Democrats, this has become a virtue signal, Cruz said on an episode of his Verdict podcast, pointing to lapel pins that lawmakers have regularly worn to show solidarity with Ukraine.

A Ukrainian flag has become like a COVID mask. Its a sign to show your virtue, he said.

Cruz shared the remarks on the first anniversary of Russias invasion in Ukraine. Democrats have used colorful scarves, ties and blazers to signal support for Ukraine, though members of both parties on Capitol Hill have at times sported the countrys national colors of yellow and blue.

During the podcast segment, Cruz criticized the Biden administration, asserting it has no strategic national objective in regards to the ongoing conflict. He also predicted tougher restrictions on money sent to Ukraine by the U.S.

Congressional patience for an open-ended commitment to the Ukraine war is fading quickly, and with a Republican majority in the House, I think youre going to see much more scrutiny on what funds are going, Cruz said.

I think there will still be a willingness to provide actual weaponry, to provide ammunition or weapons that the Ukrainians can use to defend themselves, he continued. I think there will be very little interest in unrestrained checks going to the government of Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin both delivered public addresses this week marking the anniversary of the conflicts beginning.

As the war enters its second year, House Republicans have spoken about their intentions to introduce measures limiting U.S. aid to Ukraine. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) this week announced that she plans to propose a bill to force an audit of the billions of dollars in aid that the U.S. has sent to the country.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Two high school students attacked a classmate in a school bathroom and tried to steal his designer fanny pack, according to Florida authorities.

A school safety officer at Sandalwood High School heard a call for assistance on his radio at about 7:20 a.m. on Feb. 23, according to a report from the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office. The officer went to the nurses office where he found a student bleeding from a wound above his ear.

The student told the officer two teens had jumped him in the bathroom and tried to take his Supreme fanny pack, which is worth around $400, the report says. One of the teens stabbed him in the side of the head with a pair of scissors, according to the report.

Officers arrested the two, who are both 14. One was charged with armed robbery, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and possession of a weapon on school property, according to the report. The other was charged with armed robbery and battery causing bodily harm.

Sandalwood High School Principal Saryn Hatcher said in a statement sent to families that the school was placed under a code yellow while police investigated the incident. Code yellow requires all students and staff members to stay in their classrooms but also signifies that there is no immediate threat to people in the building.





What happened today was absolutely unacceptable, and it is troubling when young people make decisions that lead to these outcomes, the statement says.

Sandalwood High School serves grades nine-12 and enrolls about 2,841 students, according to U.S. News and World Report.

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[Source]

House Democrats are demanding an apology from Rep. Lance Gooden (R, TX-5) over his racist remarks that questioned the loyalty of Rep. Judy Chu (D, CA-27) to the U.S.

In an appearance on Fox News' "Jesse Watters Primetime" on Wednesday, Gooden said that Chu, the first Chinese American woman elected to Congress, "needs to be called out.

I question her either loyalty or competence. If she doesnt realize whats going on, then shes totally out of touch with one of her core constituencies. Im really disappointed and shocked that someone like Judy Chu would have a security clearance and be entitled to confidential intelligence briefings until this is figured out.

Gooden, who is a third-term Texas Republican representative, believes Chu should be denied access to classified materials and be investigated for previously defending Dominic Ng, the CEO of East West Bank in California, from accusations that he is working with the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing.

More from NextShark: NASCAR's Bubba Wallace hit with unfounded claims of 'anti-Asian hate' after post-crash shoving of Kyle Larson

Ng was appointed by President Joe Biden last year to the chair of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Advisory Council.

In a statement released on Thursday, Chu described Goodens remarks as racist.

Rep. Goodens comments on Fox News questioning my loyalty to the USA is absolutely outrageous. It is based on false information spread by an extreme, right-wing website. Furthermore, it is racist. I very much doubt that he would be spreading these lies were I not of Chinese American descent. More from NextShark: South Korean YouTuber goes viral after being called coronavirus in TikTok video

Chus democratic allies have rushed to Chus defense and demanded an apology from Gooden.

On Friday, Rep. Suzan DelBene (D, WA-1), head of the Democrats campaign arm, noted the importance of holding political colleagues accountable for racist statements, particularly anti-Asian rhetoric.

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At a time when anti-Asian hate continues to threaten communities, its critical that we condemn these racist and xenophobic attacks immediately and hold our fellow colleagues accountable to rid our politics of such dangerous statements and hatred. More from NextShark: Chicago to get its first-ever Asian American ward if map proposal is approved

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D, NY-8) also called out Gooden and pointed out his own disloyalty for siding with the majority of House Republicans for voting to overturn the presidential election results in favor of former President Donald Trump in 2021.

Lance Goodens slanderous accusation of disloyalty against Rep. Chu is dangerous, unconscionable and xenophobic. Congressman Gooden appears to sympathize with violent insurrectionists and spreads big lies to the American people, having voted not to certify the election of President Joe Biden. Look in the mirror, Lance. You have zero credibility.

Gooden then responded, Rather than following facts that indicate the presence of Chinese espionage, Chu and Jeffries are playing the race card in a sick display of disloyalty to our nation.

More from NextShark: Lawmaker proposes free taxi rides and walking buddies trained in martial arts for hate crime targets

The dispute comes as lawmakers in both parties take steps to limit the power of Beijing in global affairs. Beijings influence has become an urgent matter due to Chinas ties to Russia and the concerns that Beijing might aid Moscow amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Its time for more Marvel Cinematic Universe, more special effects, more families in danger and more sinister baddies, with a bigger role for Kang the Conqueror  the big cross-movie threat, a la Thanos  played by Jonathan Majors. Alas, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania suffers from too many special effects, sadly.

It uses Industrial Light and Magic's (ILM) StageCraft technology (AKA the Volume), which came to prominence in Star Wars series The Mandalorian. Its a series of enormous LED walls that can display real-time footage, synchronized to interactive lighting to make it feel like actors are in these sci-fi landscapes, fighting these threats to humanity. Still, Engadgets Devindra Hardawar says the tech, the actors and the narrative fail to convince.

 Mat Smith

The Morning After isnt just a newsletter  its also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by subscribing right here.

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Their age and Milky Way-like size make them an anomaly.

According to images taken near the Big Dipper by the JWST, scientists found six potential galaxies that formed just 500 to 700 million years after the Big Bang. That they could be almost 13 billion years old isn't what makes them odd, though, it's that they could have as many stars as the Milky Way, according to the team's calculations. The scientists explained the galaxies should not exist under current cosmological theory because there shouldn't have been enough matter at the time for that many stars to form. Now, that sounds like the start of a MCU movie.

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And other Google Photos features will be more broadly available.

TMA

Google is bringing photo features once exclusive to recent Pixel phones to more devices. Magic Eraser, a tool to easily remove unwanted people or objects from an image, debuted in 2021 on the Pixel 6, and starting today, Google is rolling out Magic Eraser to Pixel 5a and earlier models. All Pixel models and Google One subscribers will also gain access to an HDR effect to boost the brightness and contrast to videos. The same goes for Google One subscribers. Members on all plans will have access to Magic Eraser through Google Photos, even if they're on iOS.

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Its experimenting.

Despite raising North American prices a year ago, Netflix is getting cheaper in over 30 countries  just not in the US. The company has cut prices by as much as half in parts of the Middle East (Yemen, Jordan, Libya and Iran), Sub-Saharan Africa (Kenya), Europe (Croatia, Slovenia and Bulgaria), Latin America (Nicaragua, Ecuador and Venezuela) and Asia (Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines). The company introduced a cheaper ad-supported plan in 12 countries last October  its clearly trying a bit of everything.

Continue reading.

The CEO moved the companys corporate headquarters to Texas in 2021.

Despite moving its corporate headquarters to Texas, Tesla now considers California its global engineering home base. Elon Musk said a Palo Alto engineering hub will be effectively a headquarters of Tesla. Tesla will use a former Hewlett-Packard building in Palo Alto as its new engineering headquarters. The move is an about-face from the CEOs previous comments about the state: Musk didnt mince words about Californias regulations and taxes when he moved Teslas official corporate headquarters to Texas in 2021, complaining about overregulation, overlitigation, over-taxation. But hes back.

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Activists representing various Pilsen and Little Village neighborhood organizations march to the office of Ald. Michael Rodriguez, 22nd, on West 25th Street, Feb. 23, 2023, in Chicago. The groups demonstrated outside the alderman's office before delivering a letter to demand a Spanish translation of a leaked inspector general's report on the 2020 Crawford power plant implosion by Hilco. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

Little Village activists met Thursday to deliver a list of demands after a confidential inspector generals report was recently publicized on the botched Hilco smokestack demolition.

According to the report, city officials acted with willful bureaucratic negligence when allowing Hilco Redevelopment Partners to implode the smokestack at the old Crawford coal-fired power plant in April 2020. A dust storm enveloped Little Village.

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The inspector generals office recommended disciplinary action for two Department of Buildings employees, but instead they received remedial counseling. The public health employee who faced potential firing under the inspector generals recommendation instead received a written reprimand.

This report confirms what our communities have known to be true  that this administration and Hilco cannot be trusted, said Kim Wasserman, executive director of the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization at a Thursday morning news conference.

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[ Read the report here ]

The inspector generals office completed the report in September 2021, but Mayor Lori Lightfoots administration refused calls from the community, a City Council resolution and then-Inspector General Joe Ferguson to make the report public. News outlets obtained the report and published it earlier this month.

According to a statement from a spokesperson for the Department of Public Health, the city is working with community groups on a cumulative impact assessment process that will provide data to describe how environmental, health and social stressors affect communities and to identify neighborhoods that experience the greatest impacts.

We hear and understand community concerns regarding industrial burdens and what improvements and accountability can look like in the future  and thats why we are taking action, the statement said.

Wasserman, joined by members of other environmental groups, outlined residents demands of the city and state at the morning news conference. Activists later delivered those demands in writing to the office of Ald. Michael Rodriguez, 22nd, whose ward includes Little Village. Rodriguez did not comment publicly, but activists who delivered the letter summarized his responses outside his office.

[ Joe Ferguson: Chicago needs to clear the air in Little Village over the Hilco implosion ]

Among the demands was a call for Rodriguez to translate the report into Spanish and publish it on the 22nd Ward website so residents of the predominantly Spanish-speaking Little Village community can access it. Rodriguez said he cannot do so until the report is officially released, but he will translate the report summary released in January 2022. He did not give a time frame for when it will be posted.

Community members want a meeting with Rodriguez, the health department, the Department of Buildings, and Chicago Fire Department where they can ask questions about the dust storm, subsequent policy changes and the ongoing Hilco Development project at 3307 S. Lawndale Ave., Wasserman 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 >

In addition, Wasserman demanded soil sampling, a city ban on all methods of implosion and pollution reviews that factor cumulative impact. She said the community wants the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to expand its definition of environmental justice to include more community participation.

Rodriguez agreed to meet with residents and expressed interest in working on comprehensive soil sampling.

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According to the health department statement, the agency and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency conducted testing of air, dust, and soil after the implosion and the health department installed seven state-of-the-art dust measures to monitor and assure air quality on and around the site going forward. Hilco has paid for these costs.

Demolition requirements were also strengthened, the statement said.

[ Little Village residents protest opening of Target warehouse they say will create more pollution because of added diesel truck traffic ]

A 20-acre parking and storage yard for trucks is being built for the 1.3 million-square-foot Target warehouse that now stands at the site. Wasserman also called for work to be stopped on the site. Residents of Little Village, which houses more than two dozen industrial facilities that use medium or heavy duty diesel trucks, have long fought for cleaner air.

We just want to breathe, Wasserman said.
Joseph "Joe Exotic" Maldonado-Passage, pictured in 2013, has reportedly refused treatment for his prostate cancer. (Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press)

Joe Exotic, the controversial star of Netflix's "Tiger King," is reportedly not seeking any treatment for his prostate cancer, more than a year after his diagnosis.

Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, said in a letter obtained by TMZ that his cancer has worsened and that his doctors believe it has spread to his bladder.

According TMZ, the television star has had "a lot of blood in his urine" and experienced "a lot" of bleeding during his prostate cancer treatments.

Imprisoned at the Federal Medical Center Fort Worth in Texas, the 59-year-old Exotic reportedly said he'll pass on treatment despite his medical team's desire to conduct more tests.

"I want to stay here and just let it take its course," Exotic wrote, according to TMZ.

The former zookeeper, who gained popularity in the early-pandemic Netflix docuseries "Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness," was convicted in 2019 on federal charges of animal cruelty and murder-for-hire against rival Carole Baskin.

In January 2022, a federal judge reduced Exotic's sentence from 22 years to 21 years despite his pleas for leniency because of his cancer diagnosis.

In November 2021, Exotic wrote in a letter shared with The Times that he was diagnosed with "an aggressive" cancer, but wasn't seeking any support.

"Right now, I don't want anyone's pitty [sic]," he wrote.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -TikTok accused the European Commission on Friday of failing to consult it over a decision to ban the Chinese short video sharing app from staff phones on cybersecurity grounds, a move subsequently followed by another top EU body.

The app, which is owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, is facing growing scrutiny from Western authorities over concerns that China's government could use it to harvest people's data. Beijing has regularly denied having any such intentions.

The EU executive and the EU Council, which brings together representatives of the member states to set policy priorities, said on Thursday staff will also be required to remove TikTok from personal mobile devices that have access to corporate services.

TikTok, which has in the past said that data on its service can not be accessed by Beijing, said it had not been told or contacted by either institution ahead of their decisions.

"So we are really operating under a cloud. And the lack of transparency and the lack of due process. Quite frankly one would expect, you know, some sort of engagement on this matter," Caroline Greer, TikTok's director of public policy and government relations, told Reuters.

She said she cold not respond to the bodies' cybersecurity concerns because they had not spelled them out.

The European Commission pointed to EU industry chief Thierry Breton's comments at a news conference on Thursday where he said the EU executive does not have to give reasons for decisions taken to ensure its proper functions.

"To suspend the use of TikTok is a purely internal decision for cybersecurity reasons to protect the Council General Secretariat's (GSC) data and staff. As the GSC has no contractual relationship with TikTok, there is no obligation to consult or inform them," an EU official said.

Greer said TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, who met Breton and other commissioners in Brussels in January, was "concerned and a little puzzled".

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"He has always been very available, you know, responding to the Commission ... We have reached out for a meeting in whatever shape or form they would like that to happen."

Other EU institutions should do their own research before making decisions on the app, Greer said.

TikTok is banned on U.S. Senate employees' government-owned devices and also in India. The European Parliament has not taken such a step.

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Louise Heavens)
The TikTok app is hugely popular among a younger audience (Peter Byrne/PA) (PA Archive)

It is the rare issue on which Donald Trump, the European Commission and Joe Rogan all agree: something must be done about TikTok.

In recent months, there has been increasing discussion of either limiting or completely banning the short-form video app. Though it is one of the most popular apps ever, politiciers across the world have argued that it has a dark side, and that it is much more dangerous than it appears.

Those concerns relate largely to security and privacy. Opponents argue that TikTok is using its access to peoples phones to gather personal information on them, which could eventually prove useful to the Chinese government.

TikTok itself has always denied that users data is not being protected, or that it is a data-gathering operation on behalf of the Chinese government.

But that has not stopped organisations including the US federal government and the European Commission from banning the app. Both have forbidden employees from installing it, warning that it could be putting the data of users  and the safety of their citizens  at risk.

What are the concerns about TikTok?

Last year, Joe Rogan took an unusual step on his podcast: reading out, at length, the terms and conditions of an app. He noted that TikToks rules allowed it to take certainmration about the device you use to access the platform, including what phones was being used to access TikTok and where from.

The amount of data being collected was vast, as he pointed out, though almost all popular social media apps have very expansive terms and conditions that allow them to gather up data. But TikTok has come into particular criticism in part because of its ownership.

TikTok is owned by Chinese company Bytedance. That means it is a potential threat in at least two ways: that people surveilled by the Chinese government, but it also could grow larger than western competitors such as Instagram and Twitter.

It has proven difficult to tease those two things apart. While politicians have focused on the former, the latter is surely part of the worry too.

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Where has the app been banned?

Recent bans have been introduced across the US and Europe. Last year, the federal government in the US banned the app from government-issue devices, and most states have followed  then, this week, the European Commission did the same.

There has also been official advice that has stopped short of a ban but has discouraged the use he app. The Dutch government reported to be advising officials not to use the app, and some British politicians have voiced the same worries.

All of them have cited security concerns. Most of the bans have been justified not by security issues that already exist, but by potential ones: the European Commission said the ban was undertaken to protect the Commission against cybersecurity threats and actions which may be exploited for cyberattacks against the corporate environment of the commission, for instance.

Could a more complete ban really happen?

At least now, in the US and Europe, any bans have only covered those who work for government and other political bodies  and they have not expanded beyond that. But they could do.

Donald Trump looked very keen on banning the app as his term drew to a close in 2020, for instance. In the end the app continued to work, and the legal proceedings were brought to a close when Donald Trump left office at the start of 2021, but the app came very near to getting outlawed.

And it has happened, for instance, in India, where the government completely banned the app in 2020. After clashes between India and China over disputed territory, the government completely banned TikTok and 58 other Chinese-created apps.

It has remained banned there ever since. And the country has found alternatives: Instagram Reels was first launched in India, and has proven very popular there, in lieu of TikTok.

What has TikTok said?

The company has repeatedly denied that it users data differently from other social media apps. And it has

When the European Commissions ban was announced, for instance, it said it was disappointed with this decision, which we believe to be misguided and based on fundamental misconceptions.

We have contacted the Commission to set the record straight and explain how we protect the data of the 125 million people across the EU who come to TikTok every month. Were continuing to enhance our approach to data security, including by establishing three data centres in Europe to store user data locally; further reducing employee access to data; and minimising data flows outside of Europe.

In a blog post published a week ago, TikToks general manager of European operations Rich Waterworth said the company would be working on keeping our European community and their data safe and secure, particularly in the context of new regulation. That would include, for instance, minimising the amount of European user data that leaves the region.

Its public response in the US has been much the same. There, too, it has suggested that it functions much the same as other social media apps and stressed that it is looking to add new restrictions that would ensure data stays local.
A Ukrainian soldier checks the wreckage of a burnt Russian tank outside of the village of Mala Rogan, east of Kharkiv, on April 1, 2022, amid Russian invasion of Ukraine. SERGEY BOBOK/AFP via Getty Images

A new timelapse map from AP shows how close Russia came to taking Kyiv and how Ukraine fended them off.

Putin believed he could capture Kyiv in a matter of days, underestimating Ukraine's military.

After a year of war, the conflict is focused on a hard fight in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region.

A new timelapse video map from the Associated Press shows the shifting battle lines in Ukraine over a year of war, highlighting how close Russia came to capturing the capital, Kyiv, in the early weeks of the war  and how Ukraine held the line and eventually forced Russia into a retreat before going on the offensive months later.

The Associated Press (@AP) February 24, 2023

After Russian forces invaded Ukraine on February 24, exactly one year ago Friday, they approached Kyiv from multiple directions, capturing areas like Chernobyl, the strategic Hostomel airport, and outlying suburban areas with the aim being to encircle the capital.

The situation looked bad as a daunting 40-mile-long military convoy of tanks, armored vehicles, artillery, and other military hardware began moving toward Kyiv, but setbacks, such as logistics challenges in the face of stiff Ukrainian resistance, stalled their advance just outside the city. Some columns were "literally out of gas" and "having problems feeding their troops," a senior US official said at the time.

Insider previously reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin thought Russia could capture Kyiv in about two days, but he seriously overestimated Russia's military. Poor strategy, command failures, and mismanaged logistics hindered Russian advances.

Ukraine made the most of Russia's miscalculations and missteps, using the battle for Kyiv as an opportunity to demonstrate its ability to defend its homeland. After six weeks, Ukraine was not only able to resist Russia's attempts to capture Kyiv, but they also forced Russian troops to withdraw to the east, where a grinding artillery battle unfolded.

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Ukrainian forces "were able to show that they were up to the fight," Jim Townsend, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for European and NATO Policy, told Insider's Jake Epstein. While the war in Ukraine has ebbed and flowed over time, the battle for Kyiv stands as one of the first testaments to Ukraine's resilience and Putin's failure.

By late summer, Ukraine was able to leverage key weapons, such as the US-provided High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), to break the stalemate in the east and go on the offensive in the Kharkiv and Kherson regions. Momentum, however, has since slowed, and the lines have been largely static for months, even as Russia attempts a new offensive push.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Jimmy Carters hometown is seeing a surge in visitors a week after the Carter Center announced the former president would enter home hospice care.

Plains, Georgia only has a population of about 780 people, but its Main Street is bustling because more and more visitors are arriving every day.

Some of those visitors include Randy Mickelson and his wife from Minneapolis.

They are heading to Florida and left early to avoid a snowstorm impacting parts of Minnesota.

I convinced my wife. You know, we left Minneapolis two days early so we had a lot of time to kill, Mickelson said.

The couple told Channel 2s Richard Elliot that they had stopped in Cordele when Randy realized how close they were to Plains, a place he last visited more than 40 years ago.

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I cant be this close and not come over. So we stopped over. I kind of remember this downtown and the Billy Beer. Theres empty cans theyre selling now, but back then it still had beer in it, Mickelson said.

I think its really cool. Its interesting, said Tori Smith, a student at Southeast Regional Technical College in Coquitt.

Michelle Weitzel is her social studies teacher and thought now would be a good time to bring her student over to learn about Plains and former President Carter.

Weve been studying presidencies, and because of Jimmy Carter being so close to home, we thought it appropriate to come down, Weitzel said.

Some residents of Plains told Elliot that this past week has really given them time to prepare and to tell visitors and reporters about the former president and his legacy.

RELATED NEWS:
UPDATED 2:34 P.M.:

The center lane is now open on EB-170 at mile marker 44. The left lane remains closed at this time.

UPDATE 1:42 P.M.:

The two left lanes remain closed Friday, creating a 15-minute travel delay on 1-70 EB at mile marker 44 due to a crash that occurred Friday afternoon.

One person has been transported to an area hospital with minor injuries, an Ohio State Patrol spokesperson told News Center 7.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

Delays of over 20 minutes are currently reported on eastbound I-70 in Clark County following a crash involving multiple vehicles, including a semitrailer.

>>Motorcyclist killed in crash on I-75 South ramp to state Route 725

The Ohio State Highway Patrol confirmed troopers were called to the crash on eastbound I-70 near state Route 4 in Mad River Twp.

The two left lanes are currently blocked on I-70 East at SR-4 North due to the crash, according to Ohio Department of Transportation cameras.

Dispatchers were unable to provide additional details about the crash. It was not known if any injuries were reported, however multiple fire department vehicles were seen on the highway, ODOT cameras show.

News Center 7 will continue updating this story as we learn more.
Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Reuters

The decision to call Alex Murdaugh to the stand at his own double-murder trial shocked legal observerswith one going so far as to describe his appearance as a train wreck.

But the full impact of the disgraced ex-lawyers testimonywhich continues Fridaywont be known until prosecutors are done cross-examining him.

Murdaughs decision to take the stand is a huge surprise, and the entire case will rise or fall on his testimony, former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani, who is following the trial, told The Daily Beast. Murdaugh has already admitted to lying to law enforcement and is trying to explain away the bad cell phone and other forensic evidence against him.

Hes an experienced lawyer and the prosecution has a difficult circumstantial case, so his decision to testify means that Murdaugh and his team think the case is getting away from them, Rahmani added.

A spokesperson for Murdaughs legal team told The Daily Beast that the final decision was up to Alex to testify. Murdaugh is charged with fatally shooting his 52-year-old wife, Maggie, and his 22-year-old son, Paul, on June 7, 2021, near the dog kennels of their South Carolina estate in a deranged scheme to garner public pity and evade questions about his financial crimes.

Prosecutors called over 61 witnesses to detail cell phone data, ballistics evidence, and videos that they contend prove that Murdaugh was the only person who could have killed his wife and son. The evidence undermined Murdaughs claim to investigators that he was nowhere near the kennels around the time of the murders. When Murdaugh took the stand Thursday, he admitted he was at the kennels minutes before the shooting but was back home, dozing in the front of the TV when the killings took place.

Murdaugh Says He Had to Keep Lying

Breaking down on the stand, Murdaugh claimed that drug-fueled paranoiafrom opioids he got addicted to after a knee surgery two decades agoprompted him to lie about his whereabouts.

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On June 7, I wasnt thinking clearly. I dont think I was capable of reason. And I lied about being down there. And Im so sorry that I did, Murdaugh said.Oh what a tangled web we weave. Once I told the lie, and I told my family, I had to keep lying, he added.

Murdaugh told jurors that while he may have lied, he did not kill his wife and son and discovered their bodies when he went to look for them after his nap and visiting his ailing mother at her home about 15 minutes away. He sobbed as he testified about how he turned over Paul and could see his brain laying on the sidewalk.

Gerald E. Harmon, a South Carolina criminal defense lawyer who has been following the case, found Murdaugh thoughtful and collected on the stand. Harmon added that Murdaugh needed to explain why that occurred to the jury himself, even though he now runs the risk of a thorough cross-examination.

I can imagine the jury is engaged and is using his testimony to fill in holes, he added. Its complicated to analyze how effective his decision to testify will be with the jury. I do not believe Alex has substantially harmed his case with his testimony.

For criminal defense attorney Duncan Levin, however, Murdaughs testimony has been nothing short of a train wreck that has inched the prosecution significantly closer to a conviction.

It was clear prior to his testimony that his own lawyers did not want him to testify, and now we know why, Levin told The Daily Beast. The prosecution has done a very good job so far at showing the jury who Alex Murdaugh really is. And he really appeared to flounder during cross-examination.

Levin noted that Murdaugh admitted to abusing a law enforcement badge he obtained as a volunteer for the solicitors office, stealing from clients for years, and lying about her whereabouts the night of the murders.

His demeanor was also off, snapping at the prosecutor, who was asking about his financial crimes, Levin added. He repeatedly admitted lying and blamed it on a drug addiction. The question is whether the jury will accept his excuses, and it seems pretty incredible to believe that anyone on the jury was swayed in his direction during his testimony [on Thursday].

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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It was a quiet, partly cloudy morning when Andrew Drew Thornton II fell out of the sky and landed on a driveway in Knoxville, Tennessee, with $15 million worth of cocaine strapped to his body. Some time later, in Georgia, a black bear started chowing down on more than 70 pounds container of cocaine that had also fallen from Thorntons airplane.

These real-life events from 1985 were the inspiration behind the Elizabeth Banks directed action-comedy movie Cocaine Bear, which hits theaters today. That film takes its fair share of liberties with the truth. The bear, for example, simply died of an overdose in real life and did not go on a bloody, murderous rampage as in the film.

But the ill-fated flight of ex-narcotics-officer-turned-drug-smuggler Thornton, who tossed his stash overboard before leaping from the plane, was not only a true story, but also a more absurd one even by Cocaine Bear standards.

Banks told USA Today she was forced to omit aspects of Thorntons life that were too wild even for this movie. Nevertheless, the character is so outrageous that when star Keri Russell first brought the script home, her husband and fellow actor Matthew Rhys read it and immediately said , Text [Elizabeth] Banks and tell her I want to play that guy.

What Happened During The Plane Crash?

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Thornton had been smuggling drugs for years before his now-infamous 1985 flight. He had served six months in prison for allegedly piloting an airplane with a half-ton of marijuana aboard from South America to Kentucky in 1979 as part of a drug- and gun-importing and distribution ring.

The day of the 1985 jump, he was flying from Colombia on a Cessna 404 loaded with cocaine. After dropping 200 pounds of cocaine by parachute over Georgia, Thornton leapt from the aircraft over Tennessee and apparently became entangled in his own parachute. The 40-year-old died from the fall, and the plane, itself, later crashed into a mountain in western North Carolina.

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It would take some time before authorities could piece together exactly what happened, but in its account of Thorntons dramatic death, Time magazine noted that drug smugglers were increasingly resorting to desperate measures to evade radar technology from federal authorities.

In some extreme cases, the crew members put the plane on automatic pilot, dump the drugs, and bail out, Times John S. Demott wrote in 1985. Once on the ground, they locate the contraband by tuning to the radio signals from the parachuted cargo. The plane crashes when it runs out of fuel.

Thats not exactly how it goes down in Cocaine Bear, though. Screenwriter Jimmy Warden told USA Today that Banks opted to simply have Thornton get accidentally knocked out while departing from the plane. Warden said, Its quicker and more efficient to tell the story if the guy just hits his head and passes out. And also way funnier.

Who Was Andrew Thornton?

Thorntons upbringing wasnt typical of a career criminal. Born in 1944, to a well-off family and raised on a thoroughbred farm in Bourbon County, Kentucky, he joined the U.S. Army and trainedsomewhat ironicallyas a paratrooper. Thornton earned a Purple Heart during U.S. intervention in the Dominican Civil War in 1965, according to The Washington Post .

After his time in the Army, Thornton became a police officer in Lexington, Kentucky, and joinedagain, somewhat ironicallythe narcotics squad in the 1970s, working on investigations with the local arm of the Drug Enforcement Administration, according to The Washington Post. He also attended law school at night and received a law degree in 1976, though he never practiced law.

Thornton loved adrenaline rushes and the thrill of danger, and he soon became bored with police work and became a drug smuggler. One DEA agent who previously worked with Thornton called him a 007 paramilitary type personality, according to The Washington Post, while an FBI agent described him as a little boy who never grew up.

He believed he was an impeccable warrior, Betty Zairing, Thorntons ex-wife, told The Washington Post in 1985. He was a philosophical, incredibly disciplined, extremely spiritual, and loyal warrior, with his own code of ethics, who thrived on excitement.

What Was Andrew Thorntons Life Like?

Thornton was exceedingly eccentric and paranoid, and his short life was filled with stories as bizarre and colorful as that of his death. He regularly carried a gun, claimed to be a material arts master, bragged about killing a German shepherd with his bare hands, and described himself as an expert at skydiving from heights of below 2,000 feet, according to The Washington Post.

Thornton owned an isolated farm in Jessamine County, Kentucky, that he called Triad, which he surrounded with barbed wire, barracks, and trenches. Kentucky State Police repeatedly surveilled it in response to reports of guerilla warfare training for mercenaries, though Thornon denied any such activity.

While awaiting trial in 1982 on his criminal charges, Thornton was shot twice in the chest at close range while leaving a restaurant in Lexington. He was unharmed thanks to a bulletproof vest, and authorities later determined Thornton staged the shooting himself to fool the judge into believing his life would be in danger if he were imprisoned, according to The Washington Post.

How Thornton would have felt about his untimely death and less-than-flattering portrayal in Cocaine Bear is anybodys guess. But there are some who feel it was the most appropriate way for him to go.
Donald Trump has shared a viewership report which complained that his formerly beloved Fox News is now woefully derelict in covering him.

The former president boasted about the number of people who consumed content about his trip to East Palestine, Ohio, where he spoke to local residents and officials following the derailment of a train carrying hazardous materials earlier this month.

Mr Trump handed out bottles of Trumpw ater and bought residents food at McDonalds where he told the staff that he knew the menu better than you do.

The former president took to his social media platform Truth Social on Thursday to share what was made out to be a viewership report claiming that more than 178 million people had seen coverage of his trip in traditional and on social media.

The report, which appeared to have been put together for Mr Trumps perusal, claimed that more than 144 million social media users saw content about his trip to Ohio and that more than 34 million people consumed coverage on traditional media.

This report searched for the term East Palestine + Trump what you will see is while traditional outlets like Fox News are woefully derelict in their reporting with what you did, the word is still getting out there in a big way, the report said, seemingly directed by Mr Trump.

Specifically, when the announcement was made last week there was a bump of coverage reaching about 2 million on social channels and 10 million on other channels, it said.

However, your numbers this Wednesday were off the charts with incredible reach, 144MM on social and 34MM in other channels. The visit meant a lot for the people of East Palestine and the surrounding communities. The trip gave them hope and raised the awareness needed to combat the incompetence of the Biden Administration. As you will see a sharp spike in the positive sentiments as well, it concluded.

Mr Trumps visit may provide an opportunity for the Biden administration to blast the former administration for rolling back safety regulations while in power amid fierce blowback against the federal governments response to the 3 February derailment.

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The Trump administration removed rules governing both rail safety and the handling of hazardous chemicals, Politico noted.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has been heavily criticised by Republicans for supposedly being slow to respond to the crisis. Mr Buttgieg and one of his Obama-era predecessors were among those slamming Mr Trumps visit as a political stunt and his administration for rolling back regulations.

Ray LaHood, a former Republican member of Congress who served as President Barack Obamas transportation secretary, told Politico regarding Mr Trumps trip that its clear that its a political stunt.

If he wants to visit, hes a citizen. But clearly, his regulations and the elimination of them, and no emphasis on safety, is going to be pointed out, he added.

Mr Buttigieg was asked about the connection between Mr Trump and his administrations actions on rail safety.

There is a chance for everybody who has a public voice on this issue to demonstrate whether they are interested in helping the people of East Palestine or using the people of East Palestine, the transportation secretary told Politico. A lot of the folks who seem to find political opportunity there are among those who have sided with the rail industry again and again and again as they have fought safety regulations on railroads and [hazardous materials] tooth and nail.

The Democratic National Committee sent an email to reporters with the subject line: REMINDER: Trump Slashed Transportation Safety and Environmental Rules, Funding.
[Source]

Former U.S. President Donald Trump publicly empathized with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un after the authoritarian states recent missile tests.

Pointing to his close relationship with the dictator, Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, on Wednesday to defend the tests and share his perspective on Kims circumstances.

Kim Jung Un of North Korea, who I got to know and got along with very well during my years as President, is not happy with the U.S. and South Korea doing big training and air exercises together. He feels threatened. Even I would constantly complain that South Korea pays us very little to do these extremely expensive and provocative drills. Its really ridiculous. We have 35,000 in jeopardy soldiers there, I had a deal for full payment to us, $Billions, and Biden gave it away. Such a shame!!!

This isnt the first time Trump has publicly touted his close relationship with Kim.

More from NextShark: S. Korean victims of Japan forced labor continue to condemn Seouls compensation plan

The former president's relationship with Kim, who he once dubbed as Rocket Man, began with their first meeting in 2018. Trump would go on to describe their ensuing messages to each other as love letters, with Kim describing their relationship as reminiscent of a scene from a fantasy film.

Trump later confirmed these statements when speaking at a 2018 rally in West Virginia.

"I was being really tough and so was he. And wed go back and forth, and then we fell in love, OK? No, really. He wrote beautiful letters, and theyre great letters. We fell in love," he said."

More from NextShark: Former head of state-run Chinese newspaper claims 'high probability of war with US

Trumps statement follows closely after North Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Saturday and two short-range ballistic missiles on Monday.

While the ICBM landed in the East Sea, the weapon tests were a warning against increased South Korean and U.S. military exercises. North Korea confirmed the missile tests were a warning and threatened to use the Pacific as a firing range.

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In response, joint air drills were conducted by the U.S., South Korea and Japan. Countries bordering North Korea  China, South Korea and Japan  have also been encouraged to conduct radiation exposure tests in areas near the regime.

More from NextShark: US State Department criticizes Chinas human rights record in latest report

Despite previous warnings against missile testing and development  including the United Nations ban on North Koreas missile and nuclear weapons programs  the authoritarian country has continued to push forward with their weaponry. Earlier this month, a North Korean military parade revealed the highest number of ICBMs thus far.

In an interview with CNN on Thursday, South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin also confirmed North Korea to be a clear and present danger.

[South Korean] government will not accept a nuclear North Korea. What North Korea is doing is completely wrong. They have been escalating nuclear and missile threats and threatening the peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia. More from NextShark: Lucy Koh confirmed to 9th Circuit Court, becomes first Korean American woman to serve on federal appeals court

Although Kim has warned against South Korean and U.S. collaboration, Park confirmed that the dictators actions have only strengthened the bond between the liberal countries.

In an effort to give North Korea no option but negotiation, Park displayed his determination to display a strong front:
Last week, my suicidal 15-year-old grandson ingested and smoked a cocktail of several drugs. His loving parents found him nonresponsive, with a heart rate near 200 beats per minute. The emergency responders and doctors saved his life. Sadly, it was not his first attempt.

He is now a ward of the state, deemed a danger to himself, and awaits a bed in a facility. Apparently, beds are hard to come by because so many American teenagers  the ones for whom we prescribe many pacifying drugs  are in need of treatment.

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I have two friends whose sons have died by suicide. I bet you know someone too. Your son. Your daughter. Maybe your own grandson.

A recent Washington Post article, Teen girls engulfed in violence and trauma, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds, examines an 89-page report from the CDC on American teens behaviors and experiences related to health and well-being. The CDC found that as we saw in the 10 years before the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health among students overall continues to worsen, with more than 40% of high school students feeling so sad or hopeless that they could not engage in their regular activities for at least two weeks during the previous year  a possible indication of the experience of depressive symptoms. We also saw significant increases in the percentage of youth who seriously considered suicide, made a suicide plan, and attempted suicide.

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Teen girls and LGBTQ teens are especially at risk. The CDC reports that 60% of female students experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness during the past year and nearly 25% made a suicide plan.  Close to 70% of LGBQ+ students experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness during the past year and more than 50% had poor mental health during the past 30 days. Almost 25% attempted suicide during the past year.

Should we blame these alarming statistics on the pandemic  the lack of in-classroom learning and in-person socializing with friends during those years? Isolation is never conducive to mental health. Uncertainty about the future is another contributing factor.

In October 2021, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the Childrens Hospital Association declared a national emergency in childrens mental health, citing the serious toll of the pandemic on top of other challenges.

Young people have endured so much throughout this pandemic and while much of the attention is often placed on its physical health consequences, we cannot overlook the escalating mental health crisis facing our patients, then-AAP President Lee Savio Beers said.

The organizations cite a pre-pandemic statistic: Before the pandemic, rates of childhood mental health concerns and suicide had been rising steadily for at least a decade. By 2018, suicide was the second leading cause of death for youths ages 10-24 years.

Certainly, that is one reason, but I think there is a broader problem at hand, one that is perhaps less quantifiable. The teen years are confusing physically and emotionally. One is neither quite an adult nor still a child. As a kid in 1970s Chicago, I do remember that bewildering stage. But there were differences. Drugs, especially prescription medications, were not as pervasive as today. The stronger strains of cannabis now legal in the majority of the country were still illegal everywhere. Firearms were not easily obtained. As a consequence, school shootings were practically nonexistent. School was a safe space.

And, for me anyway, I was so excited about the endless possibilities that awaited me after high school. I couldnt wait to get out on my own and put my stamp on the world.

Hope is a drug unto itself. Luckily, I had an ample supply. But what todays teens face in this broken world is the opposite of hope: a climate in turmoil; a culture of guns and more guns; daily mass shootings; an economic hierarchy that is far from fair; and a failed, underfunded mental health policy that instead of healing funnels our youth into the prison industrial complex.

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All of us, teenagers and elders alike, are besieged by our own violent nature. Drugs and guns. Bombs and rubble. Rebuild and destroy. Destroy and rebuild. Although we are divided in our red versus blue politics and the never-ending culture wars, we are united by the anxiety that trickles down through all of us. We are uncertain. About everything, it seems.

My grandson was ultimately released from the hospital and sent home to his parents. No beds were available in any of the adolescent mental facilities. The deadly concoction of stimulants had been flushed out of his young system, and he was declared stable, ready to reenter high school, where he easily obtained the drugs that are traded among his peers. He refuses to go to an inpatient drug rehab facility, and he lives in a state where he has that right.

His parents goal is simply to keep him alive, no matter what and against all odds.

If you or a loved one is experiencing mental health difficulties, help is available. Call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. NAMI Chicago can connect you with local resources at 833-626-4244.

Stephen J. Lyons is the author of five books of essays and journalism, including Going Driftless and West of East.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
Map of Turkmenistan

Known for its autocratic government and large gas reserves, Turkmenistan has been an island of stability in restive Central Asia.

Despite the gas wealth, much of the population lives in poverty. After independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the country entered a period of isolation that has only recently begun to end.

Turkmenistan produces roughly 70 billion cubic metres of natural gas each year, and about two-thirds of its exports go to Russia's Gazprom gas monopoly.

The government has sought out gas deals with several other countries, including China and neighbouring Iran, in order to reduce its dependency on Russia.

Read more country profiles - Profiles by BBC Monitoring

TURKMENISTAN: FACTS

Capital: Ashgabat

Area: 491,210 sq km

Population: 5.6 million

Language: Turkmen

Life expectancy: 64 years (men) 71 years (women)

LEADER

President: Serdar Berdymukhamedov

Turkmen President Serdar Berdymukhamedov

Serdar Berdymukhamedov took over in March 2022 as the third president of the authoritarian state.

His father Gurbanguly had become president in 2007, on the death of his own mentor Saparmyrat Niyazov.

Like his predecessors, President Berdymukhamedov wields absolute power, and is the focus of a personality cult in the state-run media. The Turkmenistan legislature is considered to be a rubber stamp parliament by outside observers,

MEDIA

The government has an absolute monopoly of the media and state TV and radio pump out a steady stream of propaganda.

Reporters Without Borders has called Turkmenistan "an ever-expanding news black hole".

Foreign news and opposition websites are blocked and international social networks are often inaccessible.

TIMELINE

Participants in an independence day parade in Ashgabat

Some key events in Turkmenistan's history:

6th century BC - Area of what is now Turkmenistan forms part of the Persian Empire of Cyrus the Great.

4th century BC - Alexander the Great of Macedonia conquers Central Asia.

7th century AD - Arabs conquer Central Asia and convert inhabitants Islam.

10th-13th Centuries - Nomadic Oghuz Seljuk tribes - the ancestors of present-day Turkmens - and Mongols immigrate from northeast; Genghis Khan conquers the region.

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15th-17th Centuries - Southern part of modern Turkmenistan comes under Persian rule, while the northern part is dominated by the Uzbek-ruled states of Khiva and Bukhara.

1881 - Area of present-day Turkmenistan incorporated into Russian Turkestan after Battle of Gok Tepe.

1916 - Turkmens join other Central Asians in violently opposing Russian decree conscripting them for non-combatant duties.

1921 - Turkmenistan forms part of the Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (ASSR).

1925 - Turkmenistan becomes a fully-fledged constituent republic of the USSR.

1948 - Over 100,000 killed when earthquake devastates Ashgabat.

1960-67 - Turkmen cotton production expands dramatically following the completion of the Karakum Canal.

1991- Turkmenistan proclaims independence, with Saparmurat Niyazov as its leader.

1999 - Parliament votes Saparmurat Niyazov president for life.

2002 - President Niyazov renames the months of the year after himself, his mother and a book he wrote, the Ruhnama.

2007 - Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov becomes president on the death of his mentor Saparmyrat Niyazov. No opposition candidate was allowed to take part in the presidential election.

2009 - A pipeline is opened for gas exports to China, breaking Russia's stranglehold on Turkmenistan's energy reserves.

2015 - Construction work starts on a $10bn pipeline which will carry gas from Turkmenistan to India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

2022 - Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov steps down as president in favour of his own son Serdar.
Elon Musk in San Francisco. Twitter's company Slack was reportedly shut down. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Twitter's company Slack went down on Wednesday and Thursday, Platformer reported.

Employees were told that it was because of routine maintenance, per the publication.

A Slack employee told Platformer, however, that there was no such thing as routine maintenance.

Twitter's company Slack was reportedly shut down, leaving some employees struggling to communicate at work.

On Wednesday, the company's private channel-based messaging platform was shut off for what employees were told was routine maintenance, Platformer reported. Workers were also told the company was implementing a deployment freeze, per the publication.

Jira, a software important to Twitter's engineers, also stopped working on Wednesday, leading most of them to take the day off, per Platformer. Twitter's Jira was back up and running on Thursday but Slack was not and employees who didn't communicate over email essentially had another day off, per the report.

Citing a person familiar with the situation, Platformer reported that Twitter's Slack was not under maintenance but manually shut down by someone at Twitter. The reason for the shutdown was not immediately apparent.

A Slack employee told Platformer there is "no such thing as routine maintenance. That's bullshit."

Twitter did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment made outside normal working hours.

At Tesla, one of Musk's other companies, employees use Mattermost and Microsoft instead of Slack for business communication, per Platformer.

Since acquiring the company in October, Musk has been on a mission to cut costs. The billionaire has cut thousands of staff and reportedly stopped paying rent for some of Twitter's offices. According to Fortune, an expensive Salesforce software that Twitter employees use to track problems with the platform could be cut.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A ruined Russian T-72 B1 tank sits on a flatbed truck outside the Russian embassy in Berlin, February 24, 2023. Enno Lenze

A ruined Russian tank has been dumped outside the country's embassy in Berlin.

The project was organized by two German artist-activists with the help of Ukraine's MOD.

The rusted heap appeared as a vivid symbol on the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Russian diplomats in Berlin were greeted on Friday with the sight of one of their own ruined tanks, after a pair of German activists parked it outside the embassy.

The gesture came on the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The destroyed T-72 1B tank sits at an intersection near the embassy on the city's famed Unter den Linden boulevard. It's the culmination of months of work, including a protracted legal battle, by organizers Enno Lenze and Wieland Giebel.

After Lenze first reached out to the Ukrainian authorities for help with the idea in June 2022, they responded almost instantly, he wrote on the website of the pair's museum organization, Berlin Story.

He and Giebel then battled with Berlin's municipal bureaucracy, which initially had numerous objections on the grounds of public safety, traffic and commercial concerns.

But in October last year, a court said the tank could go there temporarily as it "falls under the constitutionally protected freedom of expression," a court order read.

A ruined Russian T-72 tank sits on a flatbed truck outside the Russian embassy in Berlin, in February 2023. Enno Lenze

The tank is supposed to be a vivid reminder of Russia's much-feared  but ultimately disastrous  attempt to take Kyiv in the early days of President Vladimir Putin's invasion.

"The broken tank signifies downfall. Ukraine is going to be Putin's Stalingrad," Giebel told Reuters.

Lenze and Giebel said that it was destroyed by an anti-tank mine on March 31 near the village of Dmytrivka, in Chernihiv Oblast.

According to Lenze's post, it had to be demilitarized, with parts welded over and all remnant explosives removed, before it could be displayed in Germany.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense helped organize the project on their side, according to Reuters.

Shipping it to Berlin in time for the grim anniversary of the war became a race against time, as further administrative issues arose at the border, but it finally arrived.

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Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov called it "a symbol of [Russia's] failure" in a Twitter post thanking Germany for the gesture.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Two of the worlds largest crypto exchanges failed to take steps to prevent sanctioned Russian banks from using their platforms, according to a report from the blockchain analytics firm Inca Digital provided to POLITICO.

Huobi and KuCoin, both based in Seychelles, still allow traders to transact with debit cards issued by sanctioned Russian banks, including Sberbank, on their peer-to-peer platforms, according to the report, which will be published later today.

While neither exchange actually accepts funds from the blacklisted banks, letting crypto buyers trade with each other using accounts with sanctioned institutions represents a direct violation of U.S. and European sanctions with a little bit of a loophole, Inca CEO Adam Zarazinski said in an interview.

Huobi and KuCoin did not respond to requests for comment.

One year after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a conflict that has since killed hundreds of thousands of soldiers on both sides and forced millions of Ukrainians from their homes, the news reveals the continued limits of Washingtons attempts to cordon off Russian institutions and oligarchs from the broader financial system.

"Despite the bogus claims from crypto lobbyists, this is further evidence of crypto being the currency of choice for illicit finance, including by Russians looking to evade sanctions, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said in a statement

Policymakers like Warren have warned for the better part of a year that crypto markets represent a gaping vulnerability in the U.S. sanctions on Russia. While Treasury officials say theyve seen little evidence that digital assets can be used to duck sanctions at scale, the U.S. has cracked down on services  including Russian exchanges and so-called mixing services that make transactions more difficult to track  in an attempt to shut off the spigot.

Inca, whose market surveillance tools have been used by Commodity Futures Trading Commission and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, prepared the report on the anniversary of the Russian invasion to spotlight how certain exchanges still allow Russians to move their holdings in and out of the country using peer-to-peer platforms despite escalating sanctions. The report identifies potential vulnerabilities on two other major exchanges, most notably Binance  the worlds largest crypto trading platform and a frequent target of regulators across the globe.

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Binance offers multiple methods for Russians to convert local currencies into crypto, including through its exchange and a peer-to-peer market, according to the report. While the platform doesnt allow users to use Russian credit cards, debit cards or accounts from sanctioned banks on its exchange, those deposits are accessible through its peer-to-peer market, according to the report.

Binance called the reports allegations categorically false in a statement.

Binance is a full-KYC [know your customer] platform and was the first major exchange to implement EU crypto-related sanctions, said Binances global head of sanctions, Chagri Poyraz. He said the company takes the extraordinary additional step of filtering any forms of communication between users to ensure there is absolutely no potential nexus with Russian entities through any sort of workaround.

The exchange has engaged in a major lobbying and public relations push in recent weeks in an attempt to head off state and federal agencies ongoing push to rein in lightly regulated crypto businesses.

Binance has previously said that it would like to settle any allegations that might be brought by the Justice Department or civil regulators. Patrick Hillmann, the exchanges chief strategy officer, has acknowledged that Binance failed to fully verify the identity of its customers  a basic requirement for any financial company  during its first two years of operation. He said Binance has no timeline for reaching an agreement with regulators.

Meanwhile, the Singapore-based exchange ByBit allows users to convert Russian rubles into crypto using their peer-to-peer market and fiat deposit, according to the report. Russians may also purchase crypto on the exchange after depositing fiat currency via an online digital wallet or a local bank card  including any Russian-issued card.

Many of these exchanges officially curtailed their operations in Russia due to the imposed sanctions. They claimed to block users from Russia and to prevent them from opening new accounts, the report states. Instead, theyve continued to work with Russian citizens, including allowing them to use the maximum deposit, trading, and withdrawal limits, the report said.

BitBy did not respond to a request for comment.


File Philadelphia police officers investigate the fatal shooting of a Temple University police officer near the campus on 18 Feb (AP)

Seven people, including a two-year-old girl, were shot and wounded on Thursday evening near an elementary school in north Philadelphia, police said.

Shots rang out in the citys Strawberry Mansion neighbourhood around 6pm near the James G Blaine school. Philadelphia police said they found nearly 30 spent shell casings at 31st and Norris.

The two-year-old girl suffered a gunshot wound in her left thigh and was taken to the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. She was in a stable condition.

Among the five teenage boys injured, a 15-year-old who was shot twice in the chest and once in the right side of his body remained in a critical condition. He was taken to Temple University Hospital.

Another 13-year-old and two 16-year-olds suffered injuries in their limbs and were reported to be in a stable condition.

One or more shooters are at large and the motive for the shooting is not immediately known.

This has been a fairly quiet portion of the 22nd district for quite some time now, said Philadelphia police commissioner Danielle Outlaw. At this point were piecing everything together to figure out if this is retaliatory, if some of those victims were intended or not, but its still really early to tell.

Commissioner Outlaw said the shooting occurred just a few hundred feet away from an elementary school but the incident did not appear to have started there.

As a parent myself I understand the fear that people have, Commissioner Outlaw said.

The seventh victim of the shooting was a 31-year-old woman who was shot twice in her left leg and remained in a stable condition at the hospital.

Philadelphia School Board president Reginald Streater said the shooting took place as a non-school event was ending.

This is the third shooting in nearly one week in Philadelphia. On Tuesday, two teenagers were injured in gunfire on the 1900 block of West Montgomery Avenue. The boys remained in a critical condition.

On 18 February, a Temple University police officer was fatally shot. A suspect Miles Pfeffer, 18, was arrested for shooting officer Christopher Fitzgerald.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will provide Ukraine an additional $2 billion in security assistance, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Thursday.

"We're going to continue to look at what is necessary, and make sure that we provide what is necessary that Ukraine has what it needs to succeed on the battlefield," Sullivan said at a CNN town hall event, where he announced the additional aid.

He said the Group of Seven (G7) nations will announce on Friday a new round of sanctions that will include countries that are trying to backfill products that are denied to Russia because of Ukraine-related sanctions on Moscow.

"You will see as time goes on the continued erosion of the quality and capacity of the Russian economy, even as Vladimir Putin races to spend money in an effort to prop it up," Sullivan said.

Asked about Ukraine's request for U.S. F-16 fighter jets, Sullivan said from Washington's perspective "F-16s are not a question for the short-term fight. F-16s are a question for the long-term defense of Ukraine."

(Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
By Shivangi Acharya and David Lawder

BENGALURU (Reuters) - The United States and China will hold deputy-level talks between their finance officials on Friday to discuss debt and other issues on the sidelines of a G20 finance meet in India, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Thursday, ahead of a meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors near Bengaluru, that communication between the United States and China was important for "the sake of the entire globe".

One of the sources, both of whom declined to be named as they were not authorised to talk to the media, said a range of multilateral issues would be discussed at the Friday meeting, including debt.

A U.S Treasury spokesperson declined to comment when asked about the planned meeting. China's Ministry of Finance and its central bank did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.

The United States has repeatedly criticised China over what it considers to be "foot-dragging" on debt relief for dozens of low-and middle-income countries including Sri Lanka.

China, the world's largest bilateral creditor, urged G20 nations on Friday to conduct a fair, objective and in-depth analysis of the causes of global debt issues and to "resolve the problem in a comprehensive and effective manner."

(Reporting by Shivangi Acharya and David Lawder; Additional reporting by Joe Cash; Writing by Tanvi Mehta; Editing by Krishna N. Das)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. government said on Friday it was formally ending its effort to stop Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc from buying virtual reality (VR) content maker Within Unlimited.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which lost a fight in court to block the acquisition, said in a filing that it has decided to formally end its effort.

The FTC sued Meta in July to stop the Within deal, arguing that Meta's purchase would reduce competition in a new market. The deal for Within, which makes the Supernatural fitness workouts, was reportedly worth about $400 million.

Judge Edward Davila of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California rejected the FTC's concerns, and declined to order a preliminary injunction. The FTC did not appeal, and the deal closed in February.

The FTC's effort had been seen as a test of the agency's ability to prevent Meta from acquiring small would-be rivals.

Meta said in a statement that it was "excited" to have wrapped up the transaction to buy Within.

(Reporting by Diane Bartz in WashingtonEditing by Matthew Lewis and David Gregorio)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States will impose a 200% tariff on aluminum and derivatives produced in Russia from March 10, the White House said on Friday, effectively a ban as it announced sanctions on the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The United States will also apply a 200% tariff on aluminum imports of primary aluminum produced in Russia from April 10.

"President Biden has made it a priority to mitigate the effects of Russias invasion on domestic industries critical to our national security, and this includes the American aluminum industry," the U.S. Department of Commerce said.

"In imposing these tariffs, we are denying Russia an important market for its aluminum while taking a stand for Americas workers."

Russian aluminum is produced by Rusal, which accounts for about 6% of global supplies.

"Alcoa welcomes the imposition of tariffs by the U.S. government on Russian aluminum," the U.S. aluminum producer said. "We continue to advocate for sanctions as the most effective means for the government to take action against Russia and level the playing field for U.S. producers."

Neither Russian metal nor the companies that produce it have been targeted by sanctions imposed on some Russian companies in response to Russia sending troops into Ukraine last year.

In 2018, however, U.S. Treasury Department sanctions on Rusal froze the bulk of the company's exports, paralyzed its supply chain and scared off customers.

The sanctions also fueled a jump in aluminum prices on the London Metal Exchange.

LME prices on Friday shrugged of news of the tariffs because they don't stop consumers and traders in other countries from buying Russian aluminium and supplies are for now ample, metals analysts said.

Prices of aluminum, vital for transport, packaging and construction industries, were down 2.5% at $2,337 a tonne at 1652 GMT. Earlier they touched $2,321.5, the lowest since Jan 9.

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The tariffs are unlikely to significantly tighten the aluminium market in the United States as the country imports only a small percentage of its aluminium from Russia.

U.S. imports of unwrought aluminum and alloys from Russia amounted to 191,809 tonnes, or roughly 4.4% of the more than 4.4 million tonne total last year, compared with 8.9% in 2018 and 14.6% in 2017, according to Trade Data Monitor.

Rusal declined to comment when contacted by Reuters.

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu in Washington, Polina Devitt, Anastasia Lyrchikova and Pratima Desai; Editing by Caitlin Webber and Louise Heavens)
Pro-Ukraine demonstrators during a protest Feb. 24, 2022, outside the Russian Consulate in Istanbul after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. (Francisco Seco / AP)

Vladimir Putins brutal, unprovoked war against Ukraine moves into its second year Friday with the Russian president facing the failure and folly of his war of choice, achieving none of the goals he set for this special military operation.

His vision of restoring a once-mighty imperial Russia has been a colossal blunder that has killed tens of thousands of people on both sides, brought shame on Russia and turned his corrupt regime into a pariah state accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and even genocide.

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He is losing the war, by all accounts, but he cant, or wont, stop throwing Russian conscripts, convicts and contract mercenaries into the fight. Ukraine and its allies must thwart Putins new offensive in the eastern Donbas region, or he will continue the criminal slaughter of Ukrainian civilians and the barbaric destruction of their cities and infrastructure.

Hes bent on bringing Ukrainians to their knees but has only made them fight harder, and his recklessness could be the ruin of Russia. His army is large and well-armed but poorly trained and poorly led. They are pushing forward but struggling against Ukrainian forces fighting for their survival. Ukraine may ultimately be Putins Afghanistan.

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One year later, Kyiv stands, and Ukraine stands. Democracy stands, President Joe Biden declared defiantly after a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his surprise visit to Ukraine this week. The Americans stand with you, and the world stands with you  for as long as it takes.

Despite that steely pronouncement and Bidens powerful speech in Poland promising America and NATO will not waver in supporting Ukraine, all signs suggest the coming year could be worse as the fighting drags on. The danger of this war spreading to a wider conflict in Europe, perhaps with the use of tactical nuclear weapons, still looms.

[ Kerry Kennedy and Dick Durbin: Hold Russia accountable for the crime of aggression in Ukraine ]

Unless the Biden administration and allies quickly double down to send more advanced weapons, tanks and ammunition, it could turn into a longer war of attrition that would test the staying power of American support and the resolve of the NATO alliance. Putins only hope is to drag out the war, and he seems committed to doing that.

Ukrainian soldiers fire at Russian positions Jan. 9, 2023, from a U.S.-supplied M777 howitzer in the Kherson region, Ukraine. (Libkos / AP)

In a speech this week replete with his usual lies, Putin, a former KGB agent, made new false claims blaming NATO for igniting a war he started. Trying to shirk blame, he said Russia was at war with Western countries whose goal is to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia. He claimed Russia is fighting for its existence. Thats untrue. He can pull out anytime.

This is the way hes presenting it to the Russian people, as a war with NATO. Its a way of explaining why they werent able to take Kyiv in three days or make progress in the war, said Ian Kelly, former U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe from 2010 to 2013 and ambassador in residence at Northwestern University. It is Russia against the decadent West and all of NATO  and it is probably a winning propaganda point.

But Putins strategy has backfired. Just look at Bidens courageous walk through Kyivs streets with Zelenskyy as air raid sirens wailed. That was a slap in the face to the Russian leader and more proof that Putins push to prevent Ukraine from aligning more with the West achieved the exact opposite result.

Putin making new excuses suggests he must know hes losing. Ukraine has taken back about half the territory it lost to Russian troops in the early months of the war. Putin had to draft 300,000 more soldiers, hire mercenaries and pound Ukrainian infrastructure, perhaps in the hopes that Ukrainians will freeze in the winter and tire of the fight. Putin has vowed to fight on and clearly hopes to outlast the Western alliance.

Biden cant let that happen. His leadership has been historic and helped keep NATO focused and Ukraine free. But if Putin plays for time and the war ends badly, that will be Bidens ultimate legacy. For now, Putin has failed at the goals he set when he invaded, claiming he did it to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine.

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When Russian tanks rolled in Feb. 24, 2022, Putins forces expected to take Kyiv within days, topple the government quickly, roll over the rest of Ukraine and defy the democratic world. Putin presumed Western democracies were weak, NATOs power was waning and Bidens America was a pushover. He couldnt have been more wrong.

Russian military vehicles on a highway April 18, 2022, in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces near Mariupol, Ukraine. (Alexei Alexandrov/AP)

Putins war record is horrifying, and his attacks sent millions of Ukrainians fleeing to the West as refugees. His forces killed tens of thousands of innocent Ukrainians but also cost Moscow dearly. An estimated 40,000 to 60,000 Russian soldiers and private military contractors have been killed in the first year, and Russia has suffered about 200,000 casualties in all, killed and wounded, according to British defense officials.

The much-vaunted Russian army has paid a terrible price for Putins greed, with about half of its advanced tanks destroyed in the fighting. Also, Russia has suffered a brain drain estimated to be between 150,000 to 300,000 Russian citizens, many among the best young professionals, who fled to other countries to escape conscription, crackdowns on dissent and a sanctions-pinched economy.

Worse, Putins soldiers stand accused of committing murder, rape, torture and other war crimes in now-infamous places such as Bucha and Mariupol. Putins crimes have tarnished Russias image in the world for years to come. He must be held accountable.

Ukrainians and the West have met Putin with steel, the only language he understands. The best hope to end his folly is to keep arming Kyiv swiftly with new, modern weapons and all the ammunition it needs.

Storer H. Rowley, a former foreign correspondent and national editor for the Tribune, is an adjunct lecturer in journalism and communication at Northwestern University.

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Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
WASHINGTON  U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield warned that if China provides lethal aid to Russia, it would be a "game-changer."

President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have conveyed those warnings to their Chinese counterparts, Thomas-Greenfield said during an exclusive interview set to air Friday on "Andrea Mitchell Reports." Greenfield and others officials are convening at the U.N. on Friday to mark the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"China should not get involved in this war in the sense of providing lethal weapons to the Russians, that it would be a game-changer and it would be something we would have serious concerns about," Thomas-Greenfield said.

The Biden administration has made clear that such actions would be "unacceptable," said Thomas-Greenfield, who suggested it could adversely affect America's relationship with China. Thomas-Greenfield declined to elaborate on how the U.S. would respond if it learns that China has provided Russia with lethal assistance.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks to the press at the United Nations' headquarters (John Minchillo / AP)

On Sunday, Thomas-Greenfield said China would be crossing a "red line" if it provides that aid.

China has shown "complete and total hypocrisy," she said Friday. "They talk about peace. They talk about the integrity of borders. They talk about sovereignty. They say they believe in the U.N. Charter. This is an attack on the U.N. Charter, which [shows] China, truly what they are, if they make the unfortunate decision of providing the support to the Russian effort."

China used the anniversary of the invasion to unveil a peace plan that appeared to be at odds with the renewed intensity on the battlefield  a move likely to do little to ease concerns that Beijings balancing act on the conflict has shifted toward Russian President Vladimir Putin, who demonstrated his commitment to a lasting fight with a week of patriotic events.

If China were serious about peace, Thomas-Greenfield said their representatives at the U.N. "would have supported the resolution that we all voted on yesterday, 141 countries. If they are serious about peace, then they would not consider providing lethal weapons to the aggressor in this war."

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Asked if Putin will ever be held accountable, Greenfield said that it's up to the international system and noted that it took a while to hold accountable other world leaders guilty of crimes against humanity.

"The world is looking at the atrocities that are being committed by Russian troops, and theres only one person responsible for them," she said of Putin.

The U.S. believes China may be providing nonlethal military assistance to Russia for use in Ukraine, four U.S. officials familiar with the matter told NBC News, and the administration worries China is considering sending lethal aid.

China hit back against the U.S. allegations that it may be providing Russia nonlethal military assistance in its war on Ukraine, telling Washington on Monday to stay out of its relationship with the Kremlin.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
United Nations - The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Thursday to call for a cessation of hostilities in Ukraine and for Russia to withdraw its forces immediately.

The resolution, which passed 141-7 with 32 abstentions on the day before the one-year mark of the Ukraine war, calls for Russia's "immediate cessation of the attacks on the critical infrastructure of Ukraine and any deliberate attacks on civilian objects, including those that are residences, schools and hospitals," and it calls on nations and international organizations to "redouble support for diplomatic efforts to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine."

After the vote, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called it a "powerful signal of unflagging global support."

The measure, although unenforceable in international law, also stresses the need for accountability for the crimes that may have been committed by Russia in Ukraine through investigations and prosecutions. Through five previous resolutions on Ukraine, the 193-nation General Assembly is front and center at the United Nations because of the ability of Russia to nix any significant resolutions in the 15-nation Security Council through its veto power.

One year after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the toll of the conflict has been felt around the world.

Ukraine sponsored a high-level meeting with investigators and experts testifying about gross violations of human rights by Russia, with Ukraine's first lady Olena Zelenska telling delegates, "We have the right to live free, not to be killed or tortured" and talked about the more than 6,000 Ukrainian children who have been forcibly taken to Russia or Russian-occupied Ukraine.

Nonetheless, the Security Council meets Friday, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the United States' seat, as he was one year ago when the invasion began. Since then, any enforceable action by the U.N. on Ukraine has been blocked by Russia.

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Impact of the vote

"The impact is clear - it sets the perception. It shows who stands where. This is politics, it is how it is being made," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told CBS News when asked about the impact of the General Assembly's vote

"One of the most important parts of the resolution ... is the territorial integrity and sovereignty," Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine's ambassador to the UN, told CBS News in an exclusive interview. He said that the message of isolating Russia is clear when 70-75% of nations of the world have voted to tell Russia to get out of Ukraine.

"The U.N. General Assembly is in fact the only global body that globally expresses itself when it comes to this aggression against Ukraine," Kyslytsya said.



After the vote, Kuleba said, "It is not only the West who supports Ukraine."

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., said after the vote that Blinken would "reaffirm America's commitment to supporting Ukraine," and that he would return to the Security Council to outline its responsibility to uphold the U.N. charter.

"Today we refuse to give up on hope," she said. "We refuse to give up on the potential for diplomacy, the power of dialogue and the urgency of peace. And tomorrow, we will continue to push for just that durable peace."

Russia and China's warming relations

Although most of the 92 nations and organizations that spoke at the Emergency Special Session focused on the impact of the Russian war on Ukraine and the world overall, several nations focused on the recent warming relations between Russia and China, and the fear that China might send lethal weapons to Russia.

"I'm totally with what both Secretary Blinken and President Biden said - that supplying lethal weapons to Russia will be the crossing of the red line," Kyslytsya told CBS News. "That red line would, I hope, never be crossed. Because if Russia, if China, starts supplying Russia with lethal weapons, it's going to be the case for China starting a real Third World War and I'm sure that is against the intrinsic interest of China."

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg added that the alliance has seen "some signs" that China may be in the planning stages of supporting Russia's war.

President Putin has met with China's top diplomat, worrying U.S. officials that Beijing could supply lethal aid to the Russian army.

"It clearly has crossed that threshold into a new type of Cold War," a former advisor in the Obama administration told CBS News' Weijia Jiang.

This week, the U.S. and Europe are "signaling to China very clearly that supplying lethal aid to Russia right now would be crossing a very, very dangerous red line," European Union Ambassador to the U.S. Stavros Lambrinidis told CBS News' Margaret Brennan, adding, "There will be consequences on China."

France's U.N. Ambassador Nicolas de Riviere told CBS News that for China to help Russia now in a military way, "would mean helping Russia to aggress and violate the U.N. Charter, to annex part of Ukraine  a clear violation of international law."

A makeshift, underground city hall in Ukraine | 60 Minutes

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By David Lawder and Christian Kraemer

BENGALURU (Reuters) - The U.S. nominee to lead the World Bank, ex-Mastercard Chief Executive Ajay Banga, gained traction with leading members on Friday, a sign that he will likely have a smooth ride to confirmation by the global lender's executive board.

The finance ministers of France and Germany gave positive reviews to Banga, nominated on Thursday by U.S. President Joe Biden as a surprise choice to lead the World Bank's transformation to fight climate change and other global challenges.

"I think that we have a very good candidate for the World Bank," French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said of Banga during a news conference at the G20 finance leaders meeting in India.

"I look forward to meeting the candidate to give a final response to this candidacy. But I think he's a very good one."

German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said that Banga's nomination was a "very remarkable" proposal because his private-sector experience would be potentially helpful in mobilizing private investment in the fight against climate change and for development projects.

Lindner said Germany would follow the nomination with "great attention" and expressed "sympathy" for the U.S. proposal.

The comments marked a turnabout from Tuesday, when Germany's international development minister, Svenja Schulze, who represents a different party in Germany's coalition government, said the next World Bank chief should be a woman.

The G20 ministers meeting is being held on the outskirts of the Indian tech hub city of Bengaluru.

India's finance ministry has not made an official comment on the nomination of Banga, an Indian-born U.S. citizen, which played prominently in Indian media on Friday.

But the government was expected to support Banga, Krishnamurthy Subramanian, India's executive director at the International Monetary Fund, told Reuters in Washington.

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Subramanian, the former top economic adviser to the Indian government, called the nomination "an elegant solution."

'UNIQUE SET OF SKILLS'

The United States, the lender's dominant shareholder, has chosen every World Bank president since the founding of the institution at the end of World War Two.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said she did not know whether there would be other nominees for the job, but said Washington moved quickly with a well qualified candidate to ensure that tradition would continue.

"... we've tried to find a nominee who was really well qualified and brings a unique set of skills to the job that we think will be attractive," she said.

Other countries have until March 29 to nominate an alternative candidate and the World Bank's board intends to announce a choice by early May.

But with the United States and European countries supporting Banga, along with some key emerging markets, a challenger would have almost no chance of succeeding and would represent a largely symbolic effort to protest what is seen by many countries and stakeholders as a non-transparent selection process stacked for too long in Washington's favour.

Many developing countries understood the rapid nomination by the United States as a clear signal not to nominate candidates of their own, said one source familiar briefed on the matter.

Yellen told reporters that Banga has "the right leadership and management skills, experience in emerging markets, and financial expertise" to lead the World Bank and reform it to boost lending on climate change, while maintaining its core anti-poverty mission.

Banga's nomination won praise from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world's largest trade association, calling him "the right choice in steering (the bank) to greater impact, efficiency and agility."

World Bank staff are bracing for Banga to make some management changes at the bank, emboldened by Yellen's repeated calls for "bolder and more imaginative" action by the bank, two bank sources told Reuters.

Banga also won an endorsement from U.S. Representative Patrick McHenry, the Republican chairman of the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee and a harsh critic of Biden's climate agenda.

Banga's "considerable experience in managing international companies and driving investment to developing countries is what the Bank needs at such a precarious time for the global economy," McHenry said in a statement.

(Reporting by David Lawder and Christian Kraemer; Additonal reporting by Shivangi Archarya and Andrea Shalal; Editing by Frances Kerry, Paul Simao and Marguerita Choy)
(Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department is preparing an antitrust lawsuit to block software maker Adobe Inc's $20 billion bid for cloud-based designer platform Figma, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The lawsuit could come as early as next month, Bloomberg reported.

Responding to the report, Adobe said it and Figma were in different product areas, with Figma focusing on interactive designs.

"We are engaged in constructive and cooperative discussions with regulators in the US, UK and EU among others. We continue to expect to close the transaction in 2023," the company said in a statement.

The Justice Department declined comment.

Adobe shares edged lower in trading post-market trading after the story came out.

Adobe, which makes Photoshop, said in September it would buy Figma, with investors concerned about the hefty price tag.

(Reporting by Diane Bartz in Washington and Tiyashi Datta in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)
By Luc Cohen and Karen Freifeld

NEW YORK (Reuters) -U.S. prosecutors on Friday said they were seeking to forfeit six properties in New York and Florida allegedly belonging to a sanctioned Russian oligarch, and separately charged a Russian national with illegally exporting counterintelligence equipment.

The announcements came on the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a "special military operation." The Department of Justice has sought to use asset seizures and criminal charges to squeeze business executives aligned with Russian President Vladimir Putin to press him to stop the war.

"For as long as it takes, the Department of Justice will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our Ukrainian and international partners in defense of justice and the rule of law," U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan said they had filed civil forfeiture complaints against New York and Florida properties collectively worth $75 million that it said were owned by Viktor Vekselberg, who the United States sanctioned in 2018 over alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election and again in 2022 over his ties to Putin after the invasion of Ukraine.

Two of the properties - an apartment on Park Avenue in Manhattan and an estate in Southampton, New York - had been searched by FBI and Homeland Security Investigations agents last year.

The U.S. Attorney's office in Brooklyn said it had charged Ilya Balakaev, a Moscow resident, with providing U.S. equipment to Russia's FSB intelligence agency as well as a North Korean government official in violation of U.S. sanctions.

Balakaev bought and repaired electronic spectrum analyzers, signal generators and gas detection equipment that can be used in sensitive foreign counterintelligence and military operations, the Department of Commerce said in a separate export denial order against him and his company, Radiotester.

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Spectrum analyzers can scan a room to determine if it was bugged and signal generators are used to securely transmit information.

Balakaev bought the devices over the internet or directly from the U.S. companies that made them, had them shipped to a home in Richmond, Virginia, and then would bring them to Russia or have them shipped there, authorities said.

(Reporting by Luc Cohen and Karen Freifeld in New York; Additional reporting by Susan Heavey in Washington; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Daniel Wallis and Mark Porter)
By Trevor Hunnicutt and Jeff Mason

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice President Kamala Harris defended the abortion drug mifepristone on Friday, calling attacks against it another attempt to attack fundamental rights in the United States, as some activist groups work to end American sales of the pill.

Anti-abortion groups have brought cases against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) claiming the agency used an improper process to approve mifepristone in 2000 and did not adequately consider its safety for minors.

Medication abortion has drawn increasing attention since the U.S. Supreme Court last year reversed its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, which had guaranteed abortion rights nationwide.

Democratic President Joe Biden directed federal agencies to expand access to medication abortion in response to the decision, which has allowed more than a dozen Republican-led states to adopt new abortion bans.

Harris met with reproductive rights groups on the topic at the White House, and said attacking the drug is akin to going after the very foundation of the American public health system and is not just an attack on women's fundamental freedoms.

She said there are "partisan" and "political attacks" questioning the legitimacy of the scientists and doctors who had conducted research on the drug, which was approved 20 years ago.

"We are now in a situation where there is an attempt to further attack fundamental rights to healthcare, in that there is an attack that has been placed against the ability of doctors to prescribe and people to receive medication to allow them to make decisions about their reproductive health," Harris said.

Administration officials fear that courts could disrupt access to the medication, which is also used to help women dealing with miscarriages.

Mifepristone is approved for medication abortion in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy in combination with another drug, misoprostol. Medication abortion accounts for more than half of U.S. abortions.

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The FDA has said that pulling mifepristone from the market would force women to have unnecessary surgical abortions and greatly increase wait times at already overburdened clinics.

Major medical organizations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, weighed in on the side of the government, saying mifepristone "has been thoroughly studied and is conclusively safe."

(Writing by Nandita Bose; Editing by Leslie Adler and Jonathan Oatis)
Presidents Zelenskyy and Biden shake hands Photo by Presidency of Ukraine/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Speaking at the United Nations on Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned against accepting Russian "atrocities" committed during its invasion of Ukraine and allowing them to become "our new normal." As he told the assembled diplomats, "it's easy to become numb to the horror, to lose our ability to feel shock and outrage."

Blinken's remarks, delivered on the one-year anniversary of Russia's ongoing Ukrainian invasion, echoed similar sentiments from many other world leaders, who marked the occasion with declarations of both solidarity with Ukraine, and condemnation of Russia's continued aggression.

In a lengthy joint statement from the Group of 7 (G7) political consortium, leaders from the U.S., Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom decried Russia's invasion as "an attack on the fundamental principles of sovereignty of nations, territorial integrity of states and respect for human rights." while promising the group's "solidarity will never waver in standing with Ukraine, in supporting countries and people in need, and in upholding the international order based on the rule of law."

Monuments across the globe also marked Friday's anniversary by lighting up in the colors of Ukraine's flag:

UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace set a strident tone in his statement  shared in Russian by the country's Moscow embassy  predicting "dishonor and defeat" for Russia if it continues its invasion of Ukraine.

Polish President Andrzej Duda marked the occasion by swearing "no return to business as usual with Russia! " while lauding his citizens for opening their homes to Ukrainian refugees fleeing the violence. "There were and there are no refugee camps in Poland," Duda exclaimed. "We welcomed and continue to welcome our guests in our homes."

China, seen by some as a potential backer of Russian military efforts in Ukraine, has spent the lead-up to Friday's anniversary attempting to position itself as a neutral arbitrator poised to negotiate a settlement between the two countries; it has proposed a 12-point plan to end hostilities between Russia and Ukraine that includes calls for a cease-fire, and the repeal of sanctions against Russia established in response to its invasion. In his remarks to the UN, Blinken seemingly dismissed the plan, noting that "many countries will call for peace today," but "history teaches us that it's the nature of peace that matters."

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Speaking during an extensive news conference, however, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky seemed more open to Chinese involvement in the region, explaining that "the fact that China started talking about Ukraine is not bad." Earlier in the day, Zelensky heralded the Ukrainian troops for their efforts in repelling Russia's attacks. "It is you who will decide whether we are all going to exist. Whether Ukraine is going to exist," he told them. "Every day. Every hour. It is you, Ukrainian soldiers, which will decide it."

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By Michelle Nichols and Simon Lewis

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned the United Nations Security Council on Friday that it should not be fooled by calls for a temporary or unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine, saying a "just and durable" peace cannot allow Russia to rest and rearm.

The council met to mark the one year anniversary of Russia's invasion of neighboring Ukraine, which was launched on Feb. 24 last year as the 15-member body met in New York over Western concerns that Moscow was planning such a move.

Blinken's warning to the council came just hours after China called for a comprehensive ceasefire as part of a 12-point plan on the war that was largely a reiteration of its approach since Russia launched what it calls a "special military operation."

"Any peace that legitimizes Russia's seizure of land by force will weaken the (U.N.) Charter and send a message to would-be aggressors everywhere that they can invade countries and get away with it," Blinken said.

The 193-member U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly isolated Russia on Thursday, calling for a "comprehensive, just and lasting peace" in line with the founding U.N. Charter and again demanding Moscow withdraw its troops and stop fighting.

"No member of this council should call for peace while supporting Russia's war on Ukraine and on the U.N. Charter," said Blinken, who has accused China of considering supplying arms to Russia and warned Beijing against such a move.

'SOUNDS PRETTY'

Western powers have provided Ukraine with billions of dollars in weapons since Russia invaded. China told the General Assembly on Thursday that "sending weapons will not bring peace" in Ukraine.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told the Security Council that any new peace proposals should be aligned with the demands made by the General Assembly.

"We have always taken an objective and impartial stance based on the merits of the issue and are ready to continue to play a responsible and constructive role in easing the situation, resolving the crisis," China's Deputy U.N. Ambassador Dai Bing told the Security Council on Friday.

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Russia says it is trying to "denazify" Ukraine and protect Russian speakers in the east of the country, and also accuses the West of waging a "proxy war" against it by arming Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Moscow.

Western powers say it is an unprovoked land grab and that if Russia stops fighting and withdraws then the war will end, but if Ukraine stops fighting then it will cease to exist as an independent country.

"It sounds pretty but it's absolutely false," Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the Security Council. "Where, when and from whom did you hear that the goal of our military operation is to destroy Ukraine ... We have never stated such a goal."

The Security Council has held dozens of meetings on Ukraine in the past year but has been unable to take any meaningful action because Russia is able to wield a veto.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols and Simon Lewis; Editing by Paul Grant, William Maclean and Daniel Wallis)
The UK has announced a new package of sanctions against Russia that should close export opportunities for products that the Kremlin uses in war as well as against new individuals, including Rosatom officials [Russian state nuclear corporation  ed.] and two other Russian military-industrial complex companies.

Source: UK government; European Pravda



Details: The purpose of the export sanctions is to block the import of "every item Russia has been found using on the battlefield to date".

"Included in the hundreds of goods are aircraft parts, radio equipment, and electronic components that can be used by the Russian military industrial complex, including in the production of UAVs. Military intelligence has shown that a shortage of components in Russia as a result of sanctions is already likely affecting their ability to produce equipment for export, such as armoured vehicles, attack helicopters and air defence systems," the communique says.

The sanctions also targeted top officials of Rosatom, two large defence companies, four Russian banks, and Russian elites.

In particular, these are 34 people associated with the Rostec Corporation, as well as the Almaz-Antey Corporation, which specialises in air defence systems and weapons for use from aircraft; and six companies engaged in the repair of military equipment.

New personal sanctions are imposed against Mattias Warning, CEO of Nord Stream 2, formerly a board member of Transneft and Rosneft, who is called a close friend of Putin; Alina Kabaeva's mother, Lyubov Kabaeva; Alexei Dyumin, Putin's former chief bodyguard, for his role in the annexation of Crimea and the organisation of aerial reconnaissance exercises for Russian forces; Alexei Kozak, the son of former Deputy Prime Minister and close Putin ally Dmitry Kozak; 20 Gazprom and Aeroflot officials, including Gazprom CEO Viktor Zubkov; and two current Russian ministers.

Sanctions were also imposed on five Iranian officials from Qods Aviation Industry, a company that manufactures drones used by Russia in Ukraine.

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In addition to export restrictions on goods used by Russia to wage war, the UK also bans the import of 140 goods, including iron and steel, processed in third countries.

The UK will extend its previously imposed sanctions on Crimea and non-government controlled territory in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts to target the Russian-occupied areas of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.

Kemi Badenoch, Secretary of State for Business and Trade, said that imports to the UK from Russia had dropped by 99% compared to 24 February 2022, and exports to Russia by about 80%.

Background: The European Union failed to agree on the 10th package of sanctions on the anniversary of the aggression because Poland objected to proposed restrictions on imports of synthetic rubber that it says are not strong enough.

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SPRINGFIELD  Decrying Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzkers administrations response to the systemic mistreatment of residents of a downstate mental health center, GOP lawmakers on Thursday laid out a plan to address the long-standing issues.

The proposal from House and Senate Republicans for the Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in Anna offers fixes that range from additional surveillance cameras to additional employees who are better trained to work with the mentally and developmentally disabled residents of the facility.

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These are the families loved ones. We need to fix it. This is a plan. Is it the perfect plan? No. But its a plan and its a start. And its more than weve had from this administration, state Rep. Charles Meier, of Okawville, said during a news conference at the Illinois State Capitol.

The lawmakers also wrote a letter to their cohorts in the Democratic supermajority calling for legislative committee hearings to discuss the problems.

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The letter notes that Choate has been the subject of more than 1,500 complaints to the Illinois Department of Human Services spanning the last decade and acknowledges the problems have spanned multiple DHS directors and multiple gubernatorial administrations.

Our concern in this matter is for the dignity, safety, and well-being of the 270 residents of Choate that suffer from the most profound developmental and mental disabilities in the state, the legislators wrote. Our concern is far from political.

Pritzkers office on Thursday said the administration has taken steps to address the issues at Choate that include more training for staff, as well as an ongoing effort to install indoor and outdoor cameras, an increase of about a half dozen security workers and increased management presence in living areas and professional staff presence after hours.

The governor is closely monitoring the situation and will move forward on additional reforms in the coming weeks, said Pritzker spokesman Alex Gough. We take the long-standing problems at Choate very seriously and remain committed to providing good, quality care for residents and patients at the facility.

Pritzker last week said that finding the right workers for rural facilities like Choate can be a challenge. At the GOP news conference, Meier said there needs to be a mass hiring at Choate to bring in workers who wont feel threatened maybe from a few bad apples of the past, workers that threatened to try to cover up abuse.

Lets train them. Lets get them in there, Meier said. Lets not hire two or four or 10 at a time. Lets bring in a group of 50 workers or more immediately to help take care (of this).

Gough said the Pritzker administration has arranged for an independent, third-party review of conditions at the facility, and that other reviews, including from the Illinois State Police for security and physical structure needs, have been conducted.

Republican state Sen. Jil Tracy of Quincy acknowledged shes seen improvements in the facility, but suggested that there are doable solutions to Choate that can avert a potential for shutting it down, which Pritzker has suggested as recently as last week could be an option.

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Tracy grew up in Anna and said she has a developmentally disabled brother who has lived in Choate for about two decades. They (Choate) have the type of care that is needed by the population that resides there.

Meier said Choates staff needs to keep better track of problems between workers and residents, while also making simple changes such as decorating hallways and rooms.

This is a small thing but the more the homes (that) are clean, well-decorated, the more the staff and residents take pride in their home, he said.

An investigation last year by ProPublica, Capitol News Illinois and Lee Enterprises found that Illinois State Police had launched at least 40 criminal probes over the past decade into alleged employee misconduct at Choate.

Employees at the facility have been charged criminally more than a dozen times over the years on allegations that include everything from beating up residents to forcing a resident to drink a cup of hot sauce. Workers have also been cited for not reporting abuse and obstructing investigations and lying to state police.

Aside from saying the problems at Choate are long-standing and will take time to address, the Pritzker administration has laid blame on the previous Republican administration of former Gov. Bruce Rauner for budget cuts to social services.

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The situation at Choate is one of several issues the Pritzker administration has faced over its handling of state social service agencies.

An auditor generals report last year blamed Pritzkers Public Health Department for failing to adequately respond to a COVID-19 outbreak at a state home for veterans in LaSalle that led to the deaths of 36 residents. And child-welfare advocates have repeatedly hammered the administrations oversight of the Department of Children and Family Services, which has come under renewed fire for failing to find appropriate placements for children.

jgorner@chicagotribune.com
Ukrainian military personnel

According to the NYT, with the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Kyiv asked for intermediaries in the United States and other countries to facilitate procurement of Soviet-style weapons, as Ukraine was already buying ammunition wherever it could find it.

Read also: China could be preparing to supply Russia with weapons, NATO head says

As a result, U.S. brokers looked for factories in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Romania in search of Soviet shells, while the UK has created a secret task force to arm Ukraine.

According to the report, that group was involved in obtaining Soviet ammunition, but this became more difficult as major suppliers ran out.

Read also: Ukraine will ultimately join NATO, UK PM Sunak says

In June 2022, the UK signed an agreement to buy 40,000 artillery shells and rockets made by Pakistani manufacturers. According to the agreement, the UK would pay Romanian broker Romtehnica for the purchase of Pakistani weapons, which will be transferred from Pakistan to the UK  without involving Ukraine.

Read also: Pakistan plans to transfer ammunition to Ukraine

But, Romtehnica told the NYT, the deal fell apart after the Pakistani supplier failed to deliver the munitions.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Britain continues to support Ukraine in the fight against the Russian Federation, introducing sanctions against the Kremlin regime

New sanctions include export bans on every item Russia uses on the battlefield as to date, a Feb. 24 press release from the UK government reads.

"Included in the hundreds of goods are aircraft parts, radio equipment, and electronic components that can be used by the Russian military industrial complex, including in the production of UAVs," the government's press office reported.

Read also: Britain provides Ukraine with advanced model of laser-guided Brimstone missile

The sanctions target 92 individuals and entities, including those connected with Rosatom (Russian state nuclear operator), Rostec (Russian state advanced technology producer) and Almaz-Antey (Russian state arms manufacture). All of them are specializing in aircraft weapons and air defence systems production.

Personal sanctions were imposed on persons from the inner circle of the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, including:

Read also: Britain sanctions Putins mistress, ex-wife, and cousins

Mattias Warnig, the CEO of Nord Stream 2, and previously a member of the boards of Russian energy companies Transneft and Rosneft.

Lyubov Kabaeva, the mother of Alina Kabaeva who likely has a close personal relationship with Putin.

Alexei Dyumin, Putins former chief security guard.

Alexei Kozak, the son of the former Deputy Prime Minister and Putin ally Dmitry Kozak.

The UK has also sanctioned five top Iranian officials from Qods Aviation Industry, a drone producer.

Read also: Following Britain, Poland declares readiness to train the Ukrainian military

The import of 140 goods will be banned as well, including iron and steel from third countries.

Since the beginning of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine, UK sanctions have affected about 1,300 individuals and entities. In late September, the UK sanctioned the organisers of the sham referendums Russia held to justify its claimed annexation of occupied areas in Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of Ukraine.

On Feb. 8, the previous package of sanctions was activated "against Putin's military machine and financial networks."

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They targeted companies that provide military equipment to Russia  in particular drones.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
(Bloomberg) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on the one-year mark of the Russian invasion that his country will secure victory if allies maintain their support, possibly this year.

Most Read from Bloomberg

I am sure that there will be victory, Zelenskiy told reporters in Kyiv. I would like it this year  we have everything for this.

At the United Nations, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the international community shouldnt fall prey to cynical calls for peace that would force Ukraine to concede territory to Russia. Any plan must ensure the Kremlin cant simply rest, rearm, and relaunch the war, he told the Security Council.

President Joe Biden said he is ruling out Zelenskiys request for F-16 warplanes for now.

Russias War in Ukraine: Key Events and How Its Unfolding

You can follow all our special coverage today of the one year mark for Russias invasion via our website, on Twitter and on Bloomberg Television, including live broadcasts from Kyiv. You can also read our biggest pieces from the past week on Flipboard.

(See RSAN on the Bloomberg Terminal for the Russian Sanctions Dashboard.)

Listen to our special conversations from this week, including our Twitter Space on the military strategies of the war, the impact on energy and the environment, the effect of sanctions including on the wealth of Russias oligarchs and our conversation about what the future holds for Ukrainian refugees.

Big Take Podcast: How Does Ukraine Continue to Beat Back Russia?

Key Developments

Biden Says He Is Ruling Out Giving Ukraine F-16s For Now

Biden Does Not Anticipate China Giving Russia Major Weapons Aid

EU Hits Russia With More Sanctions One Year After Invasion

The UN Couldnt Even Agree to Hold Minute of Silence for Ukraine

Russias Richest Lose $67 Billion of Wealth After a Year of War

Russias Invasion of Ukraine: A Political Year in Photos

US Sets Tariffs on Russian Metals Including Aluminum

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(All times CET)

Biden Rules Out Giving Ukraine F-16s For Now (4:10 a.m.)

President Joe Biden said he is ruling out Ukraines request for F-16 fighter jets at this time, despite increased pressure from Zelenskiy.

He doesnt need F-16s now, Biden said in an interview with ABC News broadcast Friday evening. I am ruling it out for now.

The US has resisted sending Ukraine F-16 warplanes over concerns their delivery could further escalate the war, which is entering its second year.

Biden Does Not Anticipate China Giving Russia Weapons Aid (4:10 a.m.)

Biden said he did not expect China would provide significant assistance to Russia in the form of weapons to aid Moscow in its war against Ukraine, but warned any such action would draw a US response.

I dont anticipate  we havent seen it yet  but I dont anticipate a major initiative on the part of China providing weaponry to Russia, Biden said in the ABC News interview.

We would respond, Biden added.

EU Slaps Russia With 10th Package of Sanctions (11:10 p.m.)

European Union member states backed a 10th package of sanctions on Russia including tighter export restrictions and technology controls, as well as requiring banks to report information on Russian Central Bank and other sanctioned assets they hold.

The blocs envoys signed off on the measures Friday, the Swedish presidency of the EU said in a tweet as it sought to advance the latest restrictions one year after Russias invasion of Ukraine.

The EU also imposed measures against individuals and entities supporting the war, spreading propaganda or delivering drones used by Russia, the Swedish presidency said.

Poland Gives Conditional Backing to New EU Sanctions (10:08 p.m.)

Poland agreed to conditionally back the European Unions latest planned package of sanctions against Russia, according to the countrys ambassador to the bloc.

Poland set six conditions for its support, including a monitoring mechanism to end imports of Russian rubber and starting work on sanctions against Belarus. Discussions continued among member states.

Canada Adding Four More Leopard Tanks, Trudeau Says (9:13 p.m.)

Canada will deliver four more Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, bringing its donation of tanks to eight, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. The first four tanks are already in Poland and Canadian soldiers are training Ukrainian tank crews on them, he added.

Trudeau said Canada is also sending Ukraine an armored recovery vehicle and more than 5,000 rounds of 155 mm ammunition.

The prime minister said Canada will roll out a fresh round of sanctions on more than 100 Russian people and organizations complicit in the invasion of Ukraine. Putin is dangerous, he is cowardly, and he is weak, Trudeau said at a news conference in Toronto.

World Bank Announces $2.5 Billion in New Ukraine Aid (7:45 p.m.)

The World Bank announced $2.5 billion in grant financing for Ukraine to provide budget support for essential services and core government functions, bringing funding it has mobilized to help the country to almost $21 billion.

The new money, which will come from the US Agency for International Development, will help with key areas including health care, schools, payment of pensions, payments for displaced people, social assistance programs and wages for public employees.

The Washington-based World Bank gives the money to Ukraine after verifying eligible expenses, rather than transfering it upfront, to help minimize the risk of corruption.

Putin, Erdogan Discuss Ukraine, Energy, Grain (7:34 p.m.)

Putin spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by phone, the Kremlin said in a statement.

The leaders discussed cooperation in the energy sector, including the Akkuyu nuclear plant that Russia is building in Turkey. They also exchanged views on the Ukraine war and the implementation of the grain export deal. The Kremlin said Putin emphasized his demands to remove restrictions on exporting Russian fertilizers and agricultural products.

Zelenskiy Casts Doubt on Chinese Weapon Supplies to Russia (6:27 p.m.)

Ukraines president said he hopes China will stand with Ukraine, on the side of just peace  and lauded Beijing for beginning to address Ukraine. He expressed optimism that China embraces the principle of territorial integrity.

I strongly believe that China will not supply weapons to the Russian Federation - for me it is important, for me it is the No. 1 point, Zelenskiy said. Ill do everything to prevent this.

The US has begun to issue warnings that China is weighing deliveries of lethal weapons to Russia. Beijing denies any such considerations even as its top diplomat this week called relations with Moscow solid as a mountain. Zelenskiy said the task is to gather all to isolate one, adding that we should work with China.

Iran-Russia Cooperation Is Expanding, Kirby Says (6:06 p.m.)

The US believes that defense cooperation between Iran and Russia is intensifying, and that Moscow may offer Tehran fighter jets in addition to the existing flows of missiles, electronics and air-defense systems, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

Iran is also seeking to purchase billions of dollars in military equipment  including attack helicopters, combat trainer aircraft, and radar  from Russia, Kirby said. The US didnt provide evidence for that finding or information about how that intelligence determination was reached.

This defense cooperation is not only of course not good for the people of Ukraine  as Russia continues to get drones and other capabilities, potentially other key capabilities  but certainly its not good for the Middle East, as Iran will seek to benefit from their cooperation, Kirby said.

Zelenskiy Rules Out Talks With Putin (5:51 p.m.)

President Zelenskiy reiterated that talks with his Russian counterpart are unacceptable.

There is nobody there to speak with now, he told reporters when asked if he would accept a hypothetical offer to meet with Putin in Turkey.

Witnessing Bucha Atrocities Was Worst Moment of War for Zelenskiy (5:23 p.m.)

Asked what the worst moment of the war has been for him, Zelenskiy cited the discovery by Ukrainian troops of atrocities committed in the town of Bucha near Kyiv after Russias withdrawal. The images shocked the world and triggered accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

We saw that the devil exists, he said in a press conference on Friday.

Ukraine May Resume Power, Gas Exports as Energy Risks Ease: DTEK (5:12 p.m.)

Ukraine is now more confident of its energy supply for next winter, while its grid has become more resilient against Russian attacks, according to Maxim Timchenko, CEO of Ukrainian power producer DTEK.

Despite losses of many generation assets, the nations nuclear, hydro and solar plants are working at full capacity, and coal and gas production are at pre-war levels. Ukraine may even restart power exports to Europe at off-peak hours, as well as shipping gas from its storage sites, he added.

Germany to Send More Leopard-2 Tanks to Ukraine Than Planned (5:08 p.m.)

Germany will send 18 Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, four more than initially planned, the countrys defense ministry said. The decision means Germany, together with Portugal and Sweden, can assemble one battalion for Ukraine, it added.

Blinken Warns UN to Be Wary of Cynical Calls for Peace (4:53 p.m.)

For peace to be durable it must ensure that Russia cant simply rest, rearm, and relaunch the war in a few months or a few years, Blinken told the UN Security Council. A peace that legitimizes Russias seizure of land would send a message to would-be aggressors everywhere that they can invade countries and get away with it.

Ukraine Vows a Humiliating Defeat for Russia (4:36 p.m.)

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, also speaking at the Security Council, vowed Russia would face a humiliating defeat in its invasion of Ukraine and called for a tribunal to investigate war crimes committed by President Vladimir Putins forces.

The UN meeting devolved into bitter squabbling from the very start, with Russias Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya objecting to Kuleba speaking before members of the council. He accused the US and its allies of turning the council into your own instrument.

You think that Ukraine will eventually tire of defending itself, Kuleba said. The more and longer you will keep attacking Ukraine, the more resolve we will have and the more humiliating your defeat will be.

Sweden Supplies Launchers for German IRIS-T Missiles (4:29 p.m.)

Sweden will provide a launcher for IRIS-T air defense missiles to Ukraine, the government said in a statement. Defense Minister Pal Jonson said on Twitter Sweden will supply much needed components to the anti-missile system.

McConnell Urges Speedier Ukraine Aid, More Defense Spending (3:50 p.m.)

The senator argued in a statement that a Ukrainian military failure would cost far more, and that China and Tehran are watching. He also added that most of what the US is sending is older equipment anyway to be replaced by more modern weapons for the US military.

If Putin were given a green light to destabilize Europe, invading and killing at will, the long-term cost to the United States in both dollars and security risks would be astronomically higher than the minuscule fraction of our GDP that we have invested in Ukraines defense thus far, he said. The Biden Administration and our allies must act more decisively to ensure that both our collective assistance to Ukraine and the investments we each make in our own militaries take place at the speed of relevance.

Sweden to Provide Leopard 2 Tanks (3:18 p.m.)

Sweden has decided to provide Ukraine with about 10 Leopard 2 tanks that will slot in to a battalion assembled by Germany, Defense Minister Pal Jonson said.

Country Music Star Paisley Dedicates Song to Ukraine (2:50 p.m.)

US country musician Brad Paisley released a song titled Same Here, featuring a voice-over of a video chat he had with President Zelenskiy to mark one year of war in Ukraine.

Paisley, an honorary ambassador for the Ukrainian leaders global fundraising platform United 24, will donate royalties to the platform to help rebuild homes destroyed in the Russian invasion, he told the Associated Press.

Poland Sends Four Leopard Tanks to Ukraine (1:36 p.m.)

Poland delivered four of 14 Leopard 2 battle tanks it pledged to Ukraine, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told reporters in Kyiv.

The country is also going to send in the coming days 60 modernized Soviet-era PT-91 tanks and other Leopards, he said. Poland is also ready to train Ukrainian pilots for F-16 fighter jets, he added.

Global Financial Crime Watchdog Suspends Russia (1:32 p.m.)

The Financial Action Task Force, a global financial watchdog, suspended Russias membership over its illegal, unprovoked and unjustified full-scale military invasion of Ukraine.

Iran Says Russia Military Ties Arent Against Ukraine (1:24 p.m.)

Irans military and defense relationship with Russia is not against any third country, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said in an interview with Sputnik.

The Islamic Republics ties with Ukraine have deteriorated over the past year due to the Ukrainian governments susceptibility to Western countries, he said.

German President Urges China to Speak With Kyiv (12 p.m.)

China should consult Ukraine and not just Russia if its serious about a proposal to bring an end to Moscows invasion, said German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Weak Peace Settlement Unacceptable, Latvias President Says (11:30 a.m.)

Chinas cease-fire proposal wont be acceptable to Ukraine and is unlikely to lead to an end to Russias invasion, Latvian President Egils Levits said on Bloomberg TV.

There is now no possibility for a weak peace negotiation because Russia is ready to continue the war, Levits said. Chinas peace plan contains nothing that Ukraine could accept, he added.

Black Sea Corridor Called Essential for Global Food Security (11:25 a.m.)

Keeping the Black Sea grain corridor open for Ukrainian grain shipments and expanding its capacity is the only way to preserve global food security, Yevhen Osypov, CEO of the grain exporter Kernel, said on Bloomberg TV.

Kyiv is seeking an extension of the safe-transit deal with UN, Turkey and Russia reached over the summer and needs to export the double amount of grain its been shipping so far to clear stocks from storage ahead of the next harvest, he said.

Japan PM Kishida Mulls Ukraine Visit (11:17 a.m.)

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is considering a visit to Ukraine, he told reporters in Tokyo, but nothings been finalized. Japan is the only Group of Seven country that hasnt sent its leader to Ukraine since Russias invasion.

Kishida earlier this week pledged $5.5 billion in additional financial assistance for Ukraine. This will take the form of loan guarantees, the Asahi newspaper reported, with Japan only required to provide funds if Ukraine is late with repayments.

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Last week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and a coterie of Republicans joined Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on a congressional delegation to Munich to reassure the international community of Republican commitment to Ukraine.

Let me start by saying: I am a conservative Republican from America, and I come in peace he said. Reports about the death of Republican support for strong American leadership in the world have been greatly exaggerated.

Mr McConnell made the public assurance because many Republicans have vocally criticised supporting the country, as Vladimir Putins brutal assault on Ukraine passes the one-year mark.

Dont look at Twitter, look at people in power, he said. Look at me and Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Look at the top Republicans on the Senate and House committees that handle Armed Services, Foreign Affairs, Appropriations, and Intelligence.

But tellingly, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy did not go to Munich. While some members of the Senate Republican conference, such as Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, have criticised aid to Ukraine, a slew of House Republicans have become increasingly vocal against providing aid to Ukraine.

Even Mr McCarthy has seemed to waffle in his support, telling Punchbowl News back in October that Ukraine is important, but at the same time it cant be the only thing they do and it cant be a blank check.

In the past year, Republican posturing on Ukraine has changed drastically. On 2 March 2022, only three House Republicans voted against a resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire and for Russian to withdraw all troops out of Ukraine. Days after Russian President Vladimir Putins unprovoked incursion, Congress included $13.6bn in aid to its omnibus spending bill to support Ukraine and only 69 Republicans voted against it.

Georgias Marjorie Taylor Greene. (Getty Images)

"I was pleasantly surprised and encouraged at the beginning of the war that Republicans seemed being quite supportive," Tim Miller, a former Republican operative who worked on Jeb Bushs 2016 presidential camapign, told The Independent. "Not just (elected officials) but voters."

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But that changed over time. In the waning days of the last Congress, the House passed its omnibus spending bill for the Fiscal Year of 2023, which included about $45bn to aid the war in Ukraine. But 200 Republicans, including all of House GOP leadership, voted against the spending bill.

Now, as Republicans enter their second month of control of the House of Representatives and as the 2024 primary process kicks off in earnest, the partys split on supporting the United States efforts to aid Ukraines defence will be on full display for voters and the international community.

Republican rage about Ukraine manifested during President Joe Bidens recent visit to the capital of Kyiv.

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, the conspiracy-mongering congresswoman and an ally of Mr McCarthy, accused Mr Biden of putting America last. Mr Hawley criticised Mr Biden of ignoring the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio in favor of Kyiv. Representative Paul Gosar of Arizona, who spoke by video at a white nationalist conference last year, tweeted explicitly Ukraine is not our friend, and Russia is not our enemy. Matt Gaetz continued the pile-on: Im not surprised that Biden is ditching America for Ukraine. He ditched Americas interests since the start of his presidency. They can keep him!

Rep Matt Gaetz. (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The partys approach to Ukraine shows how the GOP has become increasingly isolationist after Donald Trumps presidency. Mr Trump frequently criticised international alliances like Nato and the House impeached him in 2019 for threatening to withhold aid to Ukraine in exchange for investigating then-candidate Bidens son Hunter.

Many more conventional Republicans such as Mr McConnell still support a robust foreign policy. But with impending negotiations about spending cuts and Mr Trump facing a contested presidential primary, Republicans are headed for an internal collision course on just how much they will support Ukraine on the one-year anniversary of war.

It is definitely worrisome in the sense that it would be helpful to have a basic bipartisan consensus on what the US interests in Ukraine are, Dalibor Rohac, a senior fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, told The Independent. I think we also have an interest in weakening Russia as long as it remains a sort of belligerent power keen to change borders in Europe by force.

Mr Miller said former president Mr Trump, conservative media and Fox News host Tucker Carlson all weakened support within the Republican Party over time.

President Joe Biden walks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral on a surprise visit, Monday, Feb. 20, 2023, in Kyiv. (AP)

"I think that is giving Republican politicians more leeway to speak out against it and to go harder on the Biden administration. On the one flank, you got the Tom Cottons and the Rubios saying hes being too weak."

"The biggest threat to Ukraine is our domestic politics, Mr Miller added.

In November, shortly after Republicans won the House, Ms Greene, Mr Gaetz and other GOP firebrands proposed a resolution that would call for an audit for funding of Ukraine aid.

Similarly, earlier this month, Mr Gaetz of Florida led a group of Republican members of Congress to introduce a Ukraine Fatigue resolution that would halt all aid to Ukraine and urge combatants to reach a peace agreement.

Doug Heye, a longtime Republican operative, told The Independent that both parties have foreign policy divisions, but Republican critics of Ukraine aid happen to be louder.

Yes, this has gone on for a year, were still early, he said. Its hard to make any firm predictions. Certainly, therell be some who will push for reduced funding, whether its military aid, but economic and humanitarian, but its a part of the [Republican] conference."

Mr Heye told The Independent that it was too early to tell if it would play a role in the 2024 presidential election, adding that the fact that Americans have had troops overseas in the Middle East for the past 20 years has also affected the outlook on foreign policy.

But Mr Miller said that Republicans in the presidential primary will be split between the more internatiolanist and isolationist wings.

I think that primary voters are going to be looking for people who orient themselves more for the nationalist wing, he said.

Earlier this week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is traversing cities governed by Democrats to promote his book as he likely prepares to challenge Mr Trump for the Republican nomination for president in 2024, spoke on Fox and Friends and criticised how as vice president, Mr Biden did not offer lethal aid to Ukraine around the time that Mr Putin annexed Crimea. Mr DeSantis also downplayed the threat of Russia.

I think it's important to point out, I mean, you know, the fear of kind of Russia going into Nato countries and all that, and steamrolling, that has not even come close to happening, he said. I think theyve shown themselves to be a third-rate military power. I think theyve suffered tremendous, tremendous losses.

Mr DeSantis added that even though Russia is hostile, China poses a greather threat. Former South Carolina governor and Nikki Haley, who served as US ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration, attempted to strike a balance between skepticism toward Ukraine and the more muscular approach conventional Republicans preferred, in an interview with Christian Broadcasting Network.

Biden was slow to the take, he should have given Ukraine what they needed right when this started and wed be in a totally different place right now, she said. I don't think we need to put troops on the ground. I don't think we need to write them blank checks but they have the passion to fight for their own freedom. Give them the ammunition to do it.

Similarly, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is exploring a run for president, took a not-so-subtle swipe at Mr DeSantis and tweeted that If anyone thinks that Putin intends to stop in Ukraine, theyre misguided and that supporting Ukraine was in the the United States interest, which Mr Miller praised.

He basically kind of subtweeted Ron DeSantiss claims that we shouldnt be worried about Russia,

Mr Rohac said that the fringe group of Republicans who are anti-Ukraine makes it harder to criticise the Biden administrations response to the war.

Mr Rohac said that Mr Biden deserved credit for helping Ukrainians but the piecemeal approach has limited Ukraines ability to win the conflict. He said that the group of MAGA Republicans who oppose assisting Ukraine makes it easier for the administration to shield itself from legitimate criticism.

Still, Mr Rohac pointed out how Republicans have paid a price for not supporting Ukraine specifically, pointing to how Senator JD Vance of Ohio frequently criticised support for Ukraine and underperformed in Ohios Senate race. Mr Rohac called it an electoral story should be a warning to Republicans. Mr Vances predecessor, Rob Portman, served as co-chair of the Ukraine caucus and won re-election in 2016 by 21 points, whereas Mr Vance barely won.

Ohio is a state with large European communities, with lots of American Ukrainians, and you just have to read the room, he said, adding that the contrarian view of Ukraine is politically self-defeating.

More conventional Republicans have sought to defend supporting Ukraine in the new House majority. Representative Dan Crenshaw of Texas told The Independent that he had some ideas about how to thread the needle, such as putting Europe in charge of humanitarian aid.

The administration was just just just taking it for granted, he said. That we should do this and I've never had they've never made an argument. And so it's left to people like me to actually make the argument and it's just the conversation hasn't happened.

Senator Mitt Romney, who was the GOPs presidential nominee in 2012, has said that Russia was without question, our number one geopolitical foe. He told The Independent it was important to not let partisanship get in the way of doing the right thing regarding Ukraine.

There's a tendency in Washington for everything to be partisan, which is anything the president wants we have to be against and vice versa, he said. That's nuts. We have to look at the common interest of our country and the common interests of our country is to continue to support Ukraine. It's desperate decimating the Russian military at no cost of American blood. This is a no brainer for our country.
Protesters in support of Ukraine on Thursday night confronted visitors heading into the Russian embassy in Washington D.C. as the world marked the first anniversary of Moscows invasion.

The demonstration, a cross between a candlelight vigil and protest, was to mark the hour Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It was organized by the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), an advocacy group for the Ukrainian American community.

The party at the Russian embassy was marking an early 20th century Russian military holiday. Lines of SUVs with diplomatic license plates were heading into the embassy as protestors demonstrated outside.

Those attending the embassy events were largely foreign military attaches serving in Washington. The event was to mark the Defender of the Fatherland Day, which commemorates a key military victory during the Russian civil war in 1918.

The Russian Foreign Ministry called it a solemn evening attended by ambassadors and military attaches of friendly countries, Russian and American journalists and compatriots.

But the protesters shouted shame on Russia, shame on you! at the cars driving through the embassy gates where attendees alighted closer to the entrance.

This is the ultimate battle of good vs. evil, of democracy vs. authoritarianism. Democracy and Ukraine will prevail, Michael Sawkiw, executive vice president of the UCCA, told The Hill outside the embassy.

Passing cars honked in support of the modest group of about two dozen protesters. Those who spoke with The Hill shared their deep connections to the yearlong events.

Im Russian; Ive lived in the U.S. since I was 21, said Olga Fetisova, now 38. She was on the phone early in the morning in the U.S. with her father in Russia on Feb. 24 when the full-scale invasion began.

My dad was sitting in his car, crying and saying, This is the largest tragedy of my life, not the death of his parents, or being sick or anything like this, this is the largest tragedy for him.

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Fetisova has family across Ukraine: in Kyiv and the southern city of Mykoliav. Her aunt  her fathers sister  refuses to speak to her brother in Russia.

The family connection has ruptured. Its tragic, she said. Even though hes very much against [the war], but the hurt that has been caused by Russia is too great.

Inside the embassy, about 100 people attended the event, according to one attendee who requested anonymity to speak freely. The attendees included officials from countries that have not cut ties with Russia  including a number of countries from Africa and Asia.

One guy came, appeared to give the finger, apparently yelled at the pro-Ukraine protesters that they are going to start World War 3 pic.twitter.com/gklMqxvnjG  Laura Kelly (@HelloLauraKelly) February 23, 2023

Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Antonov gave a short speech and an apparent vodka toast to the Russian armed forces and all the armed forces represented in the room.

Antonov, in his remarks, sought to connect a key meeting between the U.S. and then-Soviet Union on the Elbe River in 1945 that marked a turning point toward the end of World War II in an effort to express optimism.

It is our hope that the spirit of the Elbe will not just remain a symbol in relations, but will actually help us improve the situation in the world, Antonov said in remarks published by the foreign ministry.

Some of Russias supporters in the embassy represented countries that had, earlier in the day, abstained or rejected a resolution passed by the United Nations General Assembly calling for Russias full military withdrawal from all of Ukraines territory.

Thirty-two countries abstained, including China, India, Pakistan, South Africa and South Asian countries including Bangladesh and Vietnam. Six countries joined Russia in rejecting the resolution, including Belarus, which served as a staging ground for Russian troops to cross Ukraines northern border in the early hours of Feb. 24.

Olga K., 42, stood outside the Russian embassy wrapped in a Belarussian flag and holding handmade Ukrainian flags. She asked for her last name to be withheld over concerns for safety.

She has become more politically active over the past three years following the 2020 elections in Belarus where President Alexander Lukashenko instituted a brutal crackdown of pro-Democracy advocates protesting presidential election results that were widely rejected as fraudulent.

Im part of Belarussian diaspora, and we are the ones  in 2020 when we struggled with what was happening in Belarus, we asked Ukrainians and they helped us a lot, Olga K. said. She credited the Ukrainian diaspora with helping Belarussians in the U.S. organize and advocate for U.S. sanctions against Belarussian officials found to have committed human rights crimes.

I wanted to show support for our brothers the Ukrainians.

The Russian embassy in Washington is a hulking block of a building that is located north of Georgetown. Across the street, private homes bear pro-Ukrainian images with messages, flags, and lights in blue and yellow condemning Russias war and occupation of Ukrainian territory.

In April 2022, a group of activists projected a giant Ukrainian flag on the Russian embassy.

That same activist group is planning on Friday evening to project the diary of a woman from the Ukrainian village of Bucha; in the diary, the woman documented the first week of the war under shelling and bombardment from Russian forces before she managed to escape to Kyiv and then take refuge in Poland.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
KYIV (Reuters) -President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday welcomed some elements of a Chinese proposal for a ceasefire in Russia's war on Ukraine, but said only the country where a war is being fought should be the initiator of a peace plan.

"It's an important signal that they are preparing to take part in this theme," he said during a news conference in Kyiv, referring to China's bid to broker peace.

"So far, I see this as a signal - I don't know what will happen later."

Zelenskiy, who said he believed Russia-allied China did not offer a concrete plan but some "thoughts", also warned Beijing against providing Moscow with arms.

"I very much want to believe that China will not deliver weapons to Russia, and for me this is very important," he said, speaking on the first anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion.

"This is point number one."

The Ukrainian leader also said that any plan that did not include a full Russian troop withdrawal would be unacceptable to Kyiv.

He added that he planned to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping but did not say when such a meeting might take place.

"I plan to meet Xi Jinping and believe this will be beneficial for our countries and for security in the world," Zelenskiy said.

He had earlier reiterated that he would not hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The West reacted with scepticism to China's proposal on Friday for a ceasefire, with NATO saying Beijing did not have much credibility as a mediator.

(Reporting by Max HunderWriting by Dan PeleschukEditing by Timothy Heritage and Frances Kerry)
KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine will offer compensation for possible damages to civilian vessels entering its ports, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on Friday, as Kyiv tries to boost exports that are vital for its war-hit economy.

Ukraine is a major producer and exporter of agricultural products, metals and chemical goods but has faced blockades of Black Sea ports since Russia's invasion a year ago and only food cargo can be shipped abroad.

Kubrakov said on Twitter that Ukraine's parliament had approved a law to set up a $500 million insurance fund.

"Were working on resuming delivery & expanding the range of products. I invite countries of the civilized world & interested businesses to cooperate," Kubrakov said.

Ukraine said this week it would ask Turkey and the United Nations to start talks to roll over the Black Sea grain deal that was agreed last year, seeking an extension of at least one year that would include the ports of Mykolaiv.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative brokered by the U.N. and Turkey last July allowed grain to be exported from three Ukrainian ports. The agreement was extended in November and will expire on March 18 unless an extension is agreed.

(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
Ukrainian service members look for and collect unexploded shells after a fighting with Russian raiding group in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Getty Images)

What's happening? As the world marks the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, president Vladimir Putin has talked up his country's nuclear arsenal.

Following a series of recent tub-thumping speeches, Putin announced plans to deploy new Sarmat multi-warhead intercontinental ballistic missiles this year. It comes after he suspended Russia's participation in the START nuclear arms control treaty earlier this week

The war is showing no signs of ending any time soon.

The last few weeks have seen Russia mount infantry assaults across frozen ground in battles described by both sides as the bloodiest to date.

Russia is in the midst of a renewed offensive in eastern Ukraine and launched 90 attacks in the past 24 hours, and Kyiv believes the Kremlin is trying to use its vast advantage in troop numbers to exhaust its forces.

One year on, one clear legacy of the conflict is the enormous death toll and destruction wrought throughout Ukraine.

How many Russians have been killed in Ukraine?

Fatalities in the Russia-Ukraine war have been notoriously difficult to estimate as Moscow is thought to routinely play down the deaths and injuries of its own troops.

On the other side, Kyiv has sometimes been accused of inflating the number of enemy losses, making it very hard to paint an objective picture.

According to recent Ukrainian data, 824 Russian soldiers have been dying per day in February  more than at any time since the first week of the invasion.

While the figure can't be verified, the UK Ministry of Defence highlighted it in one of its regular updates on the war and said the number is "likely accurate".

Dmitry Menshikov, a mercenary for the private Russian military company Wagner Group, is buried in St Petersburg. (Reuters)

The MoD recently put the number of Russian troops killed or wounded in battle since the invasion at 200,000 - similar to Washington's estimates. Last month authorities in Ukraine put the number at 140,000.

However, the Conflict Investigation Team, an independent investigative team originating from Russia, believes the figure could be closer to a staggering 270,000. Meanwhile, figures shared by Norway's army chief in late January put the number at 180,000.

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How many Ukrainians have been killed?

Figures on Ukrainian deaths are not 100% reliable either, due to the difficulty of collecting data and the potential for exaggeration on either side.

On Thursday, the countrys leading war crimes prosecutor claimed more than 100,000 Ukrainian civilians could have been killed.

The Norwegian military estimated in January that Ukraine had suffered 30,000 civilian deaths and 100,000 military casualties since the invasion began, but added that the number "could be both lower or even higher".

In terms of troop deaths, it's a significantly higher estimate than Kyiv's, with Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak saying in November that up to 13,000 troops had died.

In mid-February, UK intelligence said more than 16,000 civilians may have been killed since the start of the invasion, which has seen indiscriminate shelling of hospitals and schools.

Ukrainian servicemen bury their brother-in-arms Volodymyr Androshchuk, who died defending Bakhmut. (Reuters)

In November, General Mark Milley, the US chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, put the number of civilian deaths at 40,000, and estimated more than 100,000 troops on each side had been killed or wounded.

According to the data released on 13 February by the United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR), at least 8,000 non-combatants have been confirmed as killed in Ukraine, on top of 13,300 injured.

However, the UN said these numbers are just "tip of the iceberg", claiming the true death toll is likely to be far higher.

UN high commissioner for human rights Volker Turk said civilians have been killed in their homes and while simply trying to meet their essential needs, such as collecting water and buying food.

Casualties have been especially high in Mariupol, with Ukrainian authorities claiming more than 20,000 people had been killed during the siege of the southern port city, which was captured in late May.

More reporting on Russia:
(Reuters) - After stunning Ukrainian counter-attacks forced Russian invaders into humiliating retreat on several fronts in the second half of 2022, Moscow has rebounded with small but steady advances in eastern Ukraine as the war marks its first anniversary.

Following are some of the major developments in Europe's biggest conflict since World War Two.

THE INVASION

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on a "special military operation" to "disarm" the country, purge "nationalists" and halt what Moscow calls Western encroachment through NATO and European Union support of Kyiv. They attacked from the north, east and south.

Ukrainians say Putin aims to subdue their country - like Russia part of the Moscow-led Soviet Union until its 1991 break-up - and erase their 1,000-year national identity.

RUSSIA FAILS TO TAKE KYIV

Within hours of the invasion, Russia landed commandos at Antonov airfield, a cargo base just north of Kyiv, as part of plans to seize the capital. Within a day, Ukrainians had wiped out the elite Russian paratroopers and destroyed the landing strip. Russian armoured columns reached the northern outskirts of Kyiv but eventually beat a chaotic retreat.

ATROCITIES

Russian forces killed at least 441 Ukrainian civilians in the early days of the invasion, including by summary execution in what might amount to war crimes, United Nations human rights investigators reported later in the year.

The killings occurred in the Chernihiv, Sumy and Kyiv regions, most notoriously in the Kyiv satellite town of Bucha, until early April when Russian forces withdrew, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said.

Moscow has repeatedly denied deliberately attacking civilians in the conflict, contending that evidence presented was staged.

RUSSIA CHANGES TACK

In March 2022, Russia scaled back its stated war goals, saying it would focus on completely "liberating" Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, where Moscow-backed separatists rose up in 2014.

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Russian forces made slow, steady gains in a phase of the conflict that inflicted a heavy toll on both sides. By June, the Ukrainian government said 100-120 of its soldiers were being killed every day. Russia did not disclose daily casualties.

Russian troops used superior artillery firepower to hem in Ukrainian forces. After capturing the Donbas cities of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk, Putin declared a victory in the area on July 4, though fighting went on.

For Kyiv, a morale-boosting moment came on April 14 when two Ukrainian missiles hit Russia's Black Sea Fleet flagship Moskva, the biggest warship sunk in combat for 40 years.

SIEGE OF MARIUPOL

Russia captured the key Black Sea port city of Mariupol in May after a three-month siege the Red Cross called "hell".

At one point in March, a theatre where Ukraine said families were sheltering in a basement was destroyed. The word "children" painted on the ground outside could be seen in satellite photos. Kyiv says Russia bombed it, killing hundreds. Moscow said, without giving evidence, that the incident was staged.

The siege ended when the last Ukrainian defenders, holed up inside the giant Azovstal steelworks, surrendered.

UKRAINE COUNTER-ATTACKS

As the war churned on, the United States and Europe began giving Ukraine increasingly powerful and longer-range weaponry and used sanctions to try to hamper Russia's military machine.

In August, a better-armed Ukraine launched a southern counter-offensive around Kherson, Russia's only land bridge to Crimea, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014 and is the home of its Black Sea Fleet. Kyiv carried out strikes on Russian supply lines, ammunition dumps and even the Saki air base in Crimea.

In early September, Ukrainian forces reeled off unexpected gains in the northeastern Kharkiv province, wresting back the sole rail hub supplying Russia's front line in the region.

RUSSIA ON THE BACK FOOT

With Russia's invasion clearly faltering, in September and October it drafted some 300,000 reservists to solidify its hold on remaining occupied territory, about a fifth of Ukraine. Military experts, who once doubted Kyiv could hold out for more than a few days, discussed whether Russia could still win the war.

RECAPTURE OF KHERSON

On Nov. 9, Russia ordered its forces to abandon Kherson, the only regional capital it had taken. Joyous residents feted the return of Ukrainian forces, though the city remains subject to Russian shelling. The Kherson region was one of four Putin had declared incorporated into Russia "forever".

RUSSIAN MISSILE BARRAGE

Since the last months of 2022, Russia has unleashed scores of missiles at Ukraine's energy infrastructure, plunging millions of Ukrainians into darkness and cold.

Moscow says it is attacking facilities critical to Ukraine's war effort; Ukraine says the strikes far from eastern and southern front lines only serve to harm civilians, and amount to war crimes.

NEW RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE TAKES SHAPE

After months of static artillery battles and grinding trench warfare in which front lines hardly budged, Russian forces reinforced by tens of thousands of fresh recruits and Wagner mercenaries began inching forward again in January.

On Jan. 13, Russia announced the capture of the salt-mining town of Soledar in Donetsk province, with Wagner fighters playing a pivotal role - Moscow's first notable battlefield success in half a year.

Russia is now focusing on the nearby city of Bakhmut, much of it razed by months of bombardment that have driven out most of the pre-war population of 70,000.

Between Feb. 7 and Feb. 12, Wagner forces appeared to have advanced several kilometres around the north of Bakhmut and begun to encircle it - a rapid push in a battle where front lines had been frozen for months.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia was in a hurry to gain ground in the east and south before Kyiv receives modern battle tanks and other potentially game-changing heavy weaponry from NATO and other Western supporters.

Ukraine is using shells much faster than the West can make them, and NATO has begun discussing its request for fighter jets and long-range missiles to go with promised tanks for a counter-offensive widely anticipated to unfold in the spring.

BIDEN VISITS KYIV

With the war's first anniversary in focus, on Feb. 20 U.S. President Joe Biden made an unannounced visit to Ukraine, taking a 10-hour train journey to walk through Kyiv with Zelenskiy while air raid sirens blared, and promising to support Ukraine for "as long as it takes".

The next day, Putin announced in his state of the nation address that Russia would suspend its last major nuclear arms control treaty with the United States; Biden, in Warsaw, responded in an open-air speech, saying: "Our support for Ukraine will not waver, NATO will not be divided, and we will not tire."

UNITED NATIONS

On Feb. 23, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution by 141 votes to seven demanding that Russia quit Ukraine and agree a "comprehensive, just and lasting peace". Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua and Syria backed Russia, while China abstained.

Click on the link to listen to the Reuters World News Podcast Special anniversary episode: The Ukraine war

(Writing by Peter Graff, Mark Heinrich and Kevin Liffey; Editing by William Maclean)
After marking his ballot, Chicago mayoral candidate Paul Vallas heads to the ballot box to cast his vote at Healy School in the 11th Ward on Election Day, April 4, 2023. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

Since losing the 2019 mayors race, Paul Vallas has been a prolific poster on social media.

On his official Facebook and Twitter accounts, Vallas, whos again running for City Halls top job, frequently drops detailed manifestos on crime, schools and more, many of which assail Mayor Lori Lightfoots record and push his own ideas for how to lead the city.

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But a Tribune review of his social media found his Twitter account @paulvallas liked a series of tweets that used racist language, supported controversial police tactics like stop-and-frisk or insulted the mayor in personal terms.

In a statement Thursday, Vallas said he does not personally manage the account and was shocked when this was brought to my attention because this kind of abhorrent and vile rhetoric does not represent me or my views.

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While I had nothing to do with liking these posts, our campaign takes responsibility and apologizes, and we want it to be clear that we have already taken immediate steps to restrict access to the account to prevent anything like this from happening again, Vallas said. We are working on identifying who is responsible for liking these tweets as many volunteers have had access to the account in recent years, including some who are no longer with the campaign, and will take immediate action in removing them from our campaign if they are still involved.

Some of the liked tweets predate Vallas entry into the mayors race last summer.

As Vallas makes his second bid for Chicago mayor, the former Chicago Public Schools CEO has proclaimed himself a lifelong Democrat while pivoting to run on law-and-order and other themes that have drawn support from conservatives in the city and state. Much of his political war chest has been raised from Republican donors, which he attributes to his support from the conservative business community.

Over the past few months, Vallas has tried to walk a fine line: Embracing conservative supporters could help get him past the Feb. 28 election into a runoff, but that could alienate the rest of the city if he wants to win on April 4.

Vallas has faced criticism from Lightfoot and others who have accused him of using a racist dog whistle by saying the campaign is about taking back our city, which his campaign denies has anything to do with race.

His Twitter likes, however, have favored posts that speak about race or employ homophobic political language.

At least three of the posts under his Twitters Likes refer to Lightfoot  a lesbian who is the first openly LGBTQ mayor of Chicago  as Larry. I bet larry lightfoot is with his family today, one user wrote last June in response to Vallas giving a shoutout to police officers and other first responders for Fathers Day.

Other tweets liked by the account mocked Lightfoots physical appearance.

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Trust has eroded just like her hairline! one November 2021 tweet said in response to a post Vallas made on how Lightfoot presented crime statistics.

In November 2021, Vallas' account liked another reply to one of his tweets, this one from a user saying Lightfoot is beyond human! The hatred she has for the police is so disgusting! How do her bodyguards put up with her?

In December 2021, the Vallas account also liked a tweet reply calling Lightfoot the Gnome on the 5th floor.

Mayoral candidate and former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas greets voters on Feb. 19, 2023, in the Beverly neighborhood. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

After Vallas announced in June that he would enter the 2023 Chicago mayors race, the account continued to like tweets that derided Democrats and played into racial and gender divisions.

Just dont push that democratic agenda that the citizens of Chicago are tired of, one June 2022 post said. You know defund this, reform that, color this, female that, We just want someone to do the job.

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Back in April 2022, the Vallas account liked a tweet insinuating Chicago police Superintendent David Brown was a diversity hire and calling the mayor a racist.

He was hired for one reason and one reason only. He was black, the tweet said. Other candidates were more qualified, but they werent black. Lightfoot is a racist, big news flash.

After Chicago police Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan announced he would be leaving the department, the Vallas account liked a February 2023 tweet that says Deenihan sees the writing on the wall, as a white male his ascension on CPD is limited. Identity over competency.

Though Vallas campaigns for mayor as a lifelong Democrat, he draws attacks for his associations with conservatives, including the firebrand Chicago Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara and right-wing former state Rep. Jeanne Ives, who unsuccessfully ran for the GOP gubernatorial nomination in 2018.

Vallas also came under fire last summer for attending an event for Awake Illinois, a suburban group that has taken extreme positions and called Gov. J.B. Pritzker a groomer. He later said his attendance was a mistake, but the organization recently published a clip from a March 2021 rally of him saying its president, Shannon Adcock, should maybe run for governor.

Most recently, Vallas has had to navigate an endorsement from the FOP, which represents most Chicago rank-and-file police officers and is helmed by a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump. At first Vallas sidestepped questions on the unions conservative leanings, but he has had to be more forceful and say the FOP disappointed him when it agreed to attend a speech by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whom Vallas described as a right-wing extremist.

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Many of the tweets Vallas account liked portray the city as a disaster zone ravaged by crime, such as this reply from December 2021 that says: The Mag Mile will soon be Dystopian Way, akin to a road out of a Mad Max movie. Made desolate by the total indifference of woke Ald. Reilly & Rep Quigley & the 5th Floor Gnome.

Among the Vallas accounts Twitter likes in recent years, several have been ones blasting Democratic politicians, including about Pritzkers handling of crime and the pandemic, States Attorney Kim Foxxs prosecutorial decisions and demands that she be recalled, and critical tweets about Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle from her Republican opponent, Bob Fioretti.

Lastly, multiple tweets liked by @paulvallas have praised the stop-and-frisk policing tactic that allows forced searches based on reasonable suspicion. The practice has grown widely unpopular amid charges of racial profiling  complaints that Chicago police have also fielded from the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois and in lawsuits.

Exactly! NYC became the safest city in the US thanks to Stop , Question & Frisk and Broken Windows. Bring in Bill Bratton who turned NYC around in 6 months. Learn from history, said one tweet that the Vallas account liked from July 2022, referring to a former New York Police Department commissioner who backed the policy.

Another one a month before then simply asked, Do you support Stop, Question & Frisk? Vallas did not reply  but his account gave it a like.

A campaign spokesperson said after the campaign was apprised that all forensic data of potential value was captured, that they would begin scrubbing the referenced tweets beginning Thursday afternoon.
A Ukrainian soldier waves a flag Alexey Furman/Getty Images

A year into Russia's bloody war in Ukraine, it's hard to call anyone a winner. Tens of thousands of civilians and tens of thousands more fighters are dead, entire once-thriving cities are piles of rubble, global energy prices are higher and food supplies lower, Ukraine has lost part of its populace and territory to Russia, and Russia has lost clout, business, leverage, a good bit of its armed forces, and many, many battles.

But in war, there are victories and defeats. Here are some of the key, war-defining battles Ukraine has won and lost since Russia invaded on Feb. 24, 2022.

WIN: Battle for Kyiv

"Feb. 24, 2022, was supposed to bring the existence of a 40-million European nation to an end," Illia Ponomarenko writes at The Kyiv Independent. Russia's invasion plan centered around a surprise lightning strike on Kyiv, toppling Ukraine's government while taking out its air defenses and military strongholds, Britain's Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) assessed after poring through captured Russian documents. Ukraine was supposed to have been pacified within 10 days.

"One year later, Kyiv stands. And Ukraine stands. Democracy stands," President Biden said during a surprise trip to Kyiv on Feb. 20, 2023.

Russia came dangerously close to succeeding, though. Kyiv  and Ukraine  were saved through a combination of Russian President Vladimir Putin's hubris, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's unexpected pluck and wartime leadership skills  "I need ammunition, not a ride," he told the U.S when offered an evacuation as Kyiv appeared on the brink of capture  and Ukraine's years of planning and forewarning from Western intelligence.

"One of Putin's initial mistakes was trying to conquer a country the size of France with a force that Western estimates suggest was barely larger than the Allies' D-Day army in World War II," John Leicester writes at The Associated Press. Thanks to this mismatch between ambitions and resources committed, retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling writes in The Washington Post, "it took about six weeks for Phase 1 of Putin's campaign to fail."

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Ukrainian forces stopped elite Russian paratroopers from securing a crucial toehold at Hostomel Airport outside Kyiv, then ill-prepared Russian ground forces rushing toward Kyiv were boxed in and ambushed by Ukrainian artillery and mobile squads armed with devastating anti-tank weapons. Russia lost hundreds of tanks and other military vehicles in the push toward Kyiv, and its elite military units  the 31st Guards Air Assault Brigade at Hostomel and 200th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade in Kharkiv  were decimated.

By mid-March, "the writing was on the wall  facing a Ukrainian counter-strike, Russia opted to leave the Kyiv area before it was too late, by the end of the first month of the full-scale war," Ponomarenko writes. "In the first of what it called 'goodwill gestures,' Russia withdrew from north Ukraine by April."

LOSS: Siege of Mariupol

Ukraine derailed Russia's Kyiv blitzkrieg, but Russia had more immediate success in the south. "Ukrainian failures helped Russia quickly seize Kherson, and then Berdyansk and Melitopol without much of a fight," Ponomarenko records. "This paved the way to the tragic destruction of Mariupol."

"The destruction of Mariupol  where the Russians had anticipated fierce resistance and were not expecting a rapid surrender by the local authorities  demonstrates the difference that could have been made elsewhere if Russian forces were properly prepared for heavy fighting," RUSI reports. Russian forces understood their mission  to lay siege to and seize the city, strategically located on the Sea of Azov on the "land bridge" between Crimea and Russia  and used a combination of brutal shelling and storm groups of infantry and armor to achieve it.

Mariupol's defenders, outnumbered and isolated, made some mistakes, like dividing defense of the city between naval, ground, and territorial defense forces, RUSI assesses. But they held on from late February through mid-May, when the final Ukrainian surviving forces surrendered at the sprawling Azovstal steel plant. "The longevity of the defense of Mariupol reflects the extraordinary bravery of its defenders," RUSI adds. "Ukrainian forces not only exceeded the expectations of the Ukrainian General Staff, but also inflicted heavy losses on the Russian attackers."

WIN: Destruction of Russian battalion at Bilohorivka

The surrender of Mariupol bled into the Battle of the Donbas, where Russia redeployed patchwork forces from the north and south to try and capture the rest of Ukraine's industrial east. At this point, Ukraine had home-field advantage, grit and valor, and a mobilized population girded for war, but it needed bigger and better weapons and lots more ammunition. And before it could obtain them, Ukraine needed to convince Western allies they wouldn't be throwing good weapons at a lost cause.

Ukraine's armed forces proved they were up for the fight by destroying what amounted to an entire Russian battalion tactical group at the Siverskyi Donets River near Bilohorivka in Luhansk Oblast. Ukrainian artillery destroyed or disabled more than 80 Russian vehicles and hundreds of troops as they tried to cross the river, in a campaign to encircle and destroy Ukraine's eastern forces.

Russia's "failed Siverskyi Donets crossing wasn't only a battlefield fiasco that cost it dozens of vehicles, many bridge sections and potentially hundreds of troops  probably including personnel skilled in military engineering and the deployment of specialized equipment," The Wall Street Journal reported. "The debacle also might have closed off for Russia an avenue of attack on Ukrainian forces in the area, limiting Moscow's options in a region it very much wants to control."

For Ukraine, the strike helped open the floodgates of Western weapons and deflated the specter of an invincible Russian army. In Russia, the debacle finally broke through "the Kremlin's tightly controlled information bubble," The New York Times reported. "As the news of the losses at the river crossing in Bilohorivka started to spread," Russian military bloggers who had reliably posted "claims of Russian success and Ukrainian cowardice" turned their fire on Russia's military leadership, sowing doubts back home about Russia's prospects in Ukraine.

LOSS: Capture of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk

Russia abandoned its efforts to encircle Ukraine's Donbas forces and pivoted to a frontal push for full control of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts. And Russia successfully, if temporarily, captured all of Luhansk with its grinding assault on the twin cities of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk in late June and early July.

This blow to Ukraine was the start of the "attrition" stage of the Battle of Donbas, Ponomarenko writes in The Kyiv Independent. "Ukraine, which could not match the devastating Russian artillery power, opted to bog Russia down in brutal, slow, and extremely costly fighting for each and every strongpoint." In Sievierodonetsk and then Lysychansk, Russian artillery pounded the cities to rubble, and Ukraine defended them in close combat until they couldn't hold them any longer and fell back to new battle lines.

It was a mixed victory for Moscow, though, Ponomarenko adds. "Russia was so exhausted that it couldn't gather a comprehensive offensive capability for more than half a year."

WIN: Kharkiv blitzkrieg

In Phase 3 of the war, from July through September, "Ukraine's army forced a large-scale withdrawal in the northeast in the Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts, using small-scale counterattacks directed at just the right locations," Hertling writes in the Post. As Ukrainian forces routed Russian forces in Kharkiv, liberating some 3,000 square miles in a matter of days, the humiliated Russians "sustained casualties that far exceeded those suffered during the disastrous Phase 1 and 2."

The scale of Ukraine's victory in Kharkiv Oblast "stunned the entire world, but perhaps nobody was as surprised as the Russians themselves," former Ukrainian defense minister Andriy Zagorodnyuk wrote for the Atlantic Council. "The speed of events and the sheer scale of the collapse" thwarted the Kremlin's efforts to suppress the military disaster and delivered "a huge psychological blow for the Russian public, who learned for the first time that their soldiers in Ukraine were demoralized and beaten."

"The shock effect of this kind of offensive on a brittle, poorly led, and demoralized Russian military in Ukraine should not be understated," Rand Corporation's Gian Gentile and Raphael Cohen write in Foreign Policy. But neither should the boost the Kharkiv lightning counteroffensive gave the Ukrainians. "Battlefield victories, especially quick and unexpected ones, have a way of turning the tides of war," they added, pointing to the American Continental Army's consequential defeat of British forces at Saratoga, New York, in 1777. Ukraine's "stunning operational success" in Kharkiv could be "their own 1777 moment," and it certainly showed "Ukraine, Russia, and the world that an outright Ukrainian victory is possible."

For Ukraine's Western allies, specifically, Zagorodnyuk underscores, the Kharkiv offensive "proved beyond doubt that Ukraine is capable of staging large-scale offensive operations and reclaiming land that Russia has held for extended periods."

WIN: Recapture of Kherson

The last major battle of the first year of Russia's invasion of Ukraine was for Kherson, the only provincial capital Russia managed to capture before Ukraine turned the tides. And this battle ended in another humiliating defeat for Russia, which rewarded Ukraine's steady and surgical destruction of its supply and reinforcement lines by withdrawing across the Dnipro River rather than face another costly rout like Kharkiv. Russia abandoned Kherson weeks after "annexing" its province.

After Russia pulled out of Kherson in November, the battle lines and battlefields effectively froze for the winter. Russia's new offensive isn't going anywhere fast and Ukraine's counteroffensive is still weeks away. "But history is written by war's victors," AP's Leicester notes. "And at this point, the invasion's outcome is far from clear."

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Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has thanked everyone who is defending Ukraine and expressed confidence in the victory.



Source: Zaluzhnyi on Facebook



Quote: "The base of our resilience is people. People made of concrete; people made of steel. Ordinary people. Ordinary heroes. Among us. With us in the ranks.

I thank you. I am proud of you. It is thanks to you that we have survived. Thanks to you, we will win."



Details: Zaluzhnyi has posted a video showing Ukrainian defenders.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
A group of Russian propaganda operatives came to the Russian-occupied territory of Kherson Oblast ahead of President Putins address in order to cobble together footage of locals supposed support for Russian forces. However, they failed to produce a convincing narrative.

Source: Hanna Maliar, Deputy Minister of Defence, on Telegram

Quote from Maliar: "The enemy has ramped up their propaganda activities in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

Groups of professional propaganda operatives, under the guise of journalists, have arrived in areas near the line of contact. They have been busy urgently fabricating deceitful videos aimed to discredit Ukraines defence forces and justify the actions of Russian occupation forces."

Details: Maliar said that most footage was filmed in cities and towns in the Kakhovka and Hola Prystan districts in Kherson Oblast.

The propagandists would go to civilian infrastructure facilities like hospitals and schools, which Russian occupation forces would shell right before their arrival.

According to Maliar, the Russian propagandists then attempted to present the footage as "documentary evidence" of Ukrainian forces supposed "war crimes".

Russian fake videos also attempted to show "widespread" support of Russian state symbols and the actions of Russian occupation forces on behalf of local schoolchildren. The propagandists filmed groups of schoolchildren singing the Russian national anthem and writing letters to Russian soldiers fighting on the front, among other such activities.

The Kremlin operatives thus attempted to create an "informational backdrop" ahead of Putins annual address to the Federal Assembly. However, the Russian dictator's address itself turned out to be very sluggish and rather boring. Later, he himself admitted that he could hardly listen to his own ramblings.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Kyiv  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised victory against Russia on Friday, exactly one year after the start of Europe's largest conflict since World War II, as commemorations were held by Kyiv's Western allies.



"We endured. We were not defeated. And we will do everything to gain victory this year," Zelenskyy said in a statement released on social media, adding that his country had "inspired the world. Ukraine has united the world."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a commemorative event on the date marking one year since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of his nation, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 24, 2023. / Credit: Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP

Hailing cities that have become bywords for alleged Russian war crimes like Bucha, Irpin and Mariupol as "capitals of invincibility," he said "we will never rest until the Russian murderers face deserved punishment."

Man who lost wife, kids in Ukraine finds consolation helping neighbors

A year ago to the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin stunned the world by sending troops across the border in a move seen as punishment for Kyiv's pivot to the West.

The year-long war has devastated swathes of Ukraine, displaced millions, turned Russia into a pariah in the West and, according to Western sources, has caused more than 150,000 casualties on each side.

One year of Russia's war in Ukraine, by the numbersReaction around the world

The West has imposed increasingly stringent sanctions on Russia and ramped up humanitarian aid and arms supplies for Ukraine, leading to warnings from Moscow of a dangerous escalation.



The United States and its G7 allies on Friday planned to unveil a fresh package of sanctions, while U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Washington would send Ukraine a new military aid package worth $2 billion.



This week, President Joe Biden surprised the world by visiting Kyiv to pledge new arms deliveries from the U.S.

"One year later, Kyiv stands. Ukraine stands," he tweeted. "Democracy stands. America  and the world  stands with Ukraine."



On Thursday, the United Nations voted overwhelmingly to demand Russia "immediately" and "unconditionally" withdraw its troops from Ukraine.



In Paris, the Eiffel Tower was illuminated in the yellow and blue colors of the Ukrainian flag, while in London, lawmakers and diplomats will pray at a Ukrainian Catholic cathedral.



"People of Ukraine, France stands by your side. To solidarity. To victory. To peace," French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted.



In Germany, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Putin "will not reach his imperialistic goals," while activists plan to put a Russian tank in front of Moscow's embassy in Berlin.

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China's role

Beijing, which has sought to position itself as a neutral party while maintaining close ties with Russia, called on both countries to hold peace talks as soon as possible in a 12-point paper published Friday.



"All parties should support Russia and Ukraine in working in the same direction and resuming direct dialogue as quickly as possible," said the paper released on the foreign ministry's website. The first point of China's 12-point plan stressed the need for nations to respect "the sovereignty of all countries" and adhere to "universally recognized international law, including the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter."

But there's growing concern in Washington and other Western capitals that Beijing could take a more active role in the war. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said about a week ago that China was considering providing Vladimir Putin's military lethal aid, such as weapons or ammunition, for the first time since the start of the war.

H.R. McMaster, a CBS News contributor who served as national security adviser in the Trump White House, said Thursday on "CBS Mornings" that Russia was clearly desperate to boost dwindling supplies of weaponry after waging its war with "World War One-like tactics" that saw Putin's army burn through ammunition at a rate of 60,000 rounds per day at times.

McMaster said Russia was likely to turn first to allies like Iran and North Korea to shore up its armaments, noting the difficult decision likely facing Chinese President Xi Jinping right now.

"China is already supporting Russia's war-making machine," said McMaster, noting Beijing's increased purchase of Russian oil  60% more, he said, over the last year. "So, they're feeding Putin to keep the war going."

"They also are providing microelectronics and other materials that have led the U.S. Commerce Department to blacklist a large number of Chinese companies already," McMaster added. He said the question now for Xi is whether it's worth going "all-in with Russia" and risking his country's vital economic ties with the West.

"The most difficult year"

According to a recent Ukrainian poll, 17% of respondents said they had lost a loved one in the war. Around 95% of Ukrainians say they are confident of Kyiv's victory.



"This has been the most difficult year of my life and that of all Ukrainians," Diana Shestakova, 23, said in Kyiv. "I am sure that we will be victorious, but we don't know how long we will have to wait."



On the front line in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv's troops pledged to drive out Moscow's forces.

"God is helping us. Nobody thought that Ukraine would hold," said a soldier who goes by the call sign "Cook."



"I know that miracles happen," said the soldier from the 95th Separate Air Assault Brigade in the eastern region of Donetsk.



The Russian assault was launched with the goal of a rapid conquest leading to capitulation and the installation of a pro-Moscow regime. But Russian forces failed to conquer Kyiv and have since suffered defeats in northeastern and southern Ukraine.



Since October, Russia has pummeled Ukraine's energy infrastructure, leading to power shortages that have left millions in the cold and dark.

Putin's propaganda and the mood in Russia

Despite military setbacks and sanctions, Putin, 70, has refused to back down, accusing the West of supporting neo-Nazi forces and claiming Russia's survival was at stake.

In his state of the nation address Tuesday, Putin vowed Moscow would keep fighting in Ukraine and suspended its participation in the last remaining arms control treaty between Russia and the United States.



"We are protecting people's lives, our native home," Putin said. "And the goal of the West is endless power."

For years the Kremlin has been putting Russian society on a war footing, with independent media banned and prominent critics jailed or pushed out of the country.

Putin's assault on Ukraine and mobilization of reservists have sparked what might be Russia's largest mass exodus since the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917.

But with television propaganda in overdrive and dissenting voices stifled, many Russians have rallied behind Putin despite economic trouble and multiplying casualties.



"The country is really changing for the better," said Lyubov Yudina, a 48-year-old security guard.



Others are dejected.



"I don't see any future now," said Ruslan Melnikov, a 28-year-old teacher.

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Oleksandr lost both his lower legs to a Russian missile. Marta Syrko

Ukrainian photographer Marta Syrko has asked war-injured soldiers to sit for her.

Oleksandr, who lost his lower legs, said he wanted to show that injured bodies can be powerful.

The pictures, both stark and tender, are a reminder of the human cost of Putin's war.

Last summer, 26-year-old Oleksandr was resting in a trench.

Exactly six months earlier, he had been working as a barista while he trained in graphic design. But after Russia invaded, he became a leader in a mortar batallion.

He was exhausted. The safest place to rest would have been under tree cover along with his squad, but there was no more room there. So he drifted off in the trench.

The next thing he knew he was buried in soil, his legs in excruciating pain. After his friends had scrabbled through the earth, they laid him on his front, not wanting him to glimpse his legs.

It was August 24, Ukraine's independence day, and Ukrainians suspected Russia would seek grim trophies.

Oleksandr's lower legs were later amputated.

He told Insider he accepted his injuries "from the first moment" the missile hit him. (He spoke to Insider through an interpreter.)

So when photographer Marta Syrko asked Oleksandr to sit for her, he felt he could send a message with his body: among other things, to show the world the carnage Putin is inflicting and the cost of defending his country.

'We need an artist, not just a photographer'

One of Syrko's main subjects is bodies. A skim through her Instagram feed shows the human form in all its glory, from an advertising-perfect washboard stomach to the soft millefeuille creases of her grandmother's skin.

After Russia's invasion, however, more and more people were returning to her hometown of Lviv with life-changing wounds.

So she approached a rehabilitation clinic near the city to ask if any of the soldiers  whose bodies had been radically transformed by war  would let her take portraits of them.

Four men agreed, three of whom lost limbs and one who received serious burns.

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Serhii agreed to become one of Syrko's "Heroes." Marta Syrko

Among the soldiers was Serhii, pictured above cradling his second child, who had his leg torn off in the shockwave of a blast near Izyum, in Kharkhiv Oblast.

Another, Stanislav, also lost a leg last summer, in Bakhmut  one of the most fiercely contested cities in the entirety of Russia's bloody war.

Syrko said she was inspired by the classical statues she saw in museums like the Louvre.

Foundational for Western art history, they, too, through wear and tear, are often missing limbs.

Illya Pylypenko received severe burns in a tank. Marta Syrko

Later, Neopalymi, a charity devoted to treating and rehabilitating people with severe burns, approached Syrko with a request. They asked her to photograph Illya Pylypenko, a soldier who had burns on much of his body after his tank caught fire.

Syrko's unflinching photos of Pylypenko show how his face, in particular, was transformed.

A photo portrait by artist Marta Syrko of Ukrainian soldier Ilya, who was badly burned. Ilya is seen topless in a three-quarter view, chin in hand, looking ahead. Skin on his hand and arm, and much of his face, is badly damaged with red-colored burns on his otherwise white skin.

Neopalymi, a burns rehabilitation center, asked Syrko to photograph Illya Pylypenko.Marta Syrko

Maksym Turkevych, Neopalymi's CEO, told Insider in an email that the project needed "an artist, not just a photographer."

'We don't know what to say. How to behave.'

Syrko's work has many fans, but she said she's had occasional comments from people who say she's exploiting disabled people through her work.

Asked about this, Syrko  who is able-bodied  said her aim is to make a real and complex discussion happen.

"It's a hard question for Ukrainians now, because we don't know how to act near them," she said. "We don't know what to say, how to behave. And so that's why we have to discuss it."

Stanislav also lost his lower leg. Marta Syrko

For Oleksandr, the decision to become a "monument" for Syrko's photos, as he put it, was a deliberate choice that he embraced.

He liked Syrko's thinking about statues, saying in an Instagram post that people like him are "living monuments, who have been close-up witnesses to war."

Serhii, pictured here with his son, lost part of his leg near Izyum. Marta Syrko

But public attitudes can be disappointing, even though he was injured defending their homeland, he said. People "look away, and they break into lively talk when 'monuments' walk past."

Society, he said, stops seeing these bodies as beautiful.

"I wanted to become something that would inspire others like me to feel that people are looking at them not with shame, but with exaltation!" he wrote.

This was Neopalymi's goal, too. "The main reason for us to do it is to show the society that there is a beauty in it, and that they should not be scared or disgusted by this," said Turkevych, the CEO.

Syrko's unflinching images of Illya show the effects of his burns. Marta Syrko

With a 122,000-strong Instagram following, Syrko said she had conversations with her subjects about the exposure the pictures could bring.

"I told them that they are probably going to be a little bit popular," she said. And so they turned out to be  her pictures have been shared by the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Twitter account, and by newspaper Ukrainska Pravda.

MFA of Ukraine  (@MFA_Ukraine) January 29, 2023

Oleksandr told Insider, laughing, about his surprise when he arrived at the studio and realized that Syrko wanted him to pose nearly nude.

But he quickly got comfortable. "Marta's the kind of person with whom you can feel comfortable and free," he said.

Rebuilding an accessible Ukraine

Oleksandr spoke to Insider from the US, where thanks to a partnership with Ukrainian organization Without Restrictions, he has been undergoing intensive rehabilitation.

There, he's learning to walk and run on high-tech prostheses. But for some weeks before he flew out, he was using a wheelchair.

Syrko photographed Stanislav in her contemplative artistic style. Marta Syrko

While the Ukrainian government has not confirmed exact numbers of casualties, the number of people with life-changing injuries  whether civilian or soldiers  is likely to make accessibility a key concern for the country's future.

It's a realization echoed by disability organizations supporting relief efforts in Ukraine, who at a joint conference last year issued the Riga Declaration, a document calling for the country's rebuilding to employ universal design principles.

"A lot of cities are in a rebuilding phase," Syrko said, envisioning a new, post-war Ukraine. "We can start to build it from zero  why can't we do it correctly?"

Read the original article on Insider
Margo Novak turned seven the day Russia tried to take over her country.

Her extended family, who lived close together near Kyiv, were among the many Ukrainians who hadnt believed Russia would really invade. But soon the bombs were falling closer and closer.

During one air raid, Margos 15-year-old cousin, Max, pushed her to the corner of the porch, covering her with his body to protect her. He told her to close her ears and open her mouth so she wouldnt get a concussion from the explosions.

On Friday, Margo is celebrating her eighth birthday in Florida, where she is taking dance classes and Max is playing baseball. They arrived in September with their mothers, Inna and Liudmyla, through a program that connects Ukrainians with everyday Americans eager to help.

One of the things (Inna and Liudmyla) said to us very shortly after they came was that it had been so long since they'd seen the children happy that they'd forgotten what that looked like, said Elizabeth Langland, a university administrator and professor who, along with her husband and two friends, are sponsoring the family.

One year ago: Biden details new Russian sanctions as death toll climbs in Ukraine

Elizabeth Langland hugs Margot Novak after she arrived with her mother, Inna, in Florida. Langland is sponsoring Margot's family through the Uniting for Ukraine program for refugees.

Langland is among the more than 210,000 people who have signed up to be sponsors through the federal Uniting for Ukraine program.

The initiative dramatically cut the glacial pace of the traditional refugee admissions process, enabling the U.S. to welcome more than 113,000 Ukrainians  more than four times as many people who entered the country in 2022 through the traditional refugee admission system.

The need is still great.

And as the war drags on, advocates are also worried about what will happen when the refugees two-year residency limit ends.

In addition, a similar program the Biden administration recently created for refugees from Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela is being challenged in court, part of a longstanding battle over whether Congress or the executive branch gets to decide who can enter the country.

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Anya McMurray, president and COO of Welcome.US, a nonprofit group whose work includes matching refugees with sponsors through the site Welcome Connect, said Uniting for Ukraine created a way for Americans to do what we do best.

Which is stand up when there is a need and help, she said. And were seeing that happen on a scale that is nothing short of breathtaking.

Children look through a car window as they and other refugees from the Kharkiv Region of Ukraine come to a temporary camp in Belgorod, Russia, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. Thousands fled northeastern Ukraine to Russia amid the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the region.

'You want to help every one'

Within days after launching the program last April, the government had received applications from 4,000 Ukrainians.

Welcome Connect, which was launched last June, limits the number of Ukrainians who can use its site to find a sponsor to keep a relatively equal ratio between Ukrainians and potential sponsors. There are currently more than 2,200 active conversations between potential matches.

Its tough, said Daniel Parks, a 72-year-old retiree from Wilmington, N.C., who brought over two Ukrainian women and their two children. Because you start reading about all of these Ukrainians and you want to help every one of them out.

Americans hadnt recently been given a role in selecting which refugees can come to the United States, said Julia Gelatt, senior policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute. It had been up to the government and international organizations to screen refugees abroad and decide who was in need of protection.

Proponents of refugee sponsorship think its really important to give Americans a stake, she said. If regular people are getting involved...that can build support for refugee resettlement more broadly.

From left to right, Jerry Jahn, Fonda Eyler, John Eyler, and Elizabeth Langland prepare to welcome a Ukrainian family to Florida. They are sponsoring the refugees through the Uniting for Ukraine federal program.

Ukrainian diaspora in the U.S.

McMurray estimates that about 80% of sponsors knew a Ukrainian or are connected to someone who does.

Before the war displaced millions of Ukrainians  many of whom fled to Poland and other nations in Europe  the United States had the second largest Ukrainian immigrant population, according to the Migration Policy Institute. In 2021, an estimated 398,000 Ukrainian immigrants lived in the U.S. Another 708,000 people born in the U.S. claimed Ukrainian ancestry.

Welcome.US worked with the diaspora to quickly spread the word about Uniting for Ukraine. They also began hearing from Americans who didnt know a Ukrainian but were called to help. And, after seeing instances of single American men offering on Facebook to sponsor beautiful Ukrainian women, Welcome.US created the platform Welcome Connect to give Ukrainians a safe place to be matched with a sponsor.

The start of the war: Biden takes aim at Putin in State of the Union; shells pound Kharkiv as Russia escalates attacks: Recap

How sponsorship works

Potential sponsors complete online training modules, create a profile, and message directly with Ukrainians who initiate the outreach to mutually decide if theres a good fit.

Sponsors must also pass a background check and show they have the financial resources to support the refugees. While theres no specific financial threshold, Welcome.US tells sponsors to plan to raise at least $3,000 for each Ukrainian coming over.

In Hartsville, S.C., a church has brought over multiple families and has created a nonprofit to sponsor more.

In North Carolina, Parks Rotary Club helped raise the money he needed for the two 34-year-old women hes sponsoring along with one's three-year-old son and the other's seven-year-old daughter.

After arriving from Kyiv about two months ago, they have been staying in Parks guest house as hes arranging for a three-bedroom apartment at a discount offered by a fellow Rotarian.

Church World Service, an international humanitarian assistance organization, is helping with matching grants for housing.

Parks has helped Svetlana Baranava and Nataliya Melmik sign up for government health insurance, get Melmiks daughter into school and Baranavas son into daycare, and arranged for language classes.

Sisters Inna Novak and Liudmyla Rybak, along with their children, relax on a beach in Florida where they are being sponsored by the Uniting for Ukraine program for refugees.

What's surprised Ukrainians in the U.S.

Baranava and Melmik have been surprised by the amount of paperwork required and the fact that its not computerized the way it is in Ukraine. But theyve been pleasantly amazed by another difference: how friendly Americans are. Everyone smiles and says "Hi" even if they dont know you, which isnt common in Ukrainian culture, they said. Just being warmly greeted when they walk into a store makes their mood better.

USA, it is very safe country, here very friendly people and its good, safe place for us, Melmik said.

Novak and Rybak, who spent four months in a refugee camp in Ireland before coming to Florida, said the United States is the only country they could go with no English and immediately get a job. Both are working at the local Publix supermarket

They're just so excited about it, said Anastasiya Zitnik, who translated for them. They said, 'We still can't believe that we just had one interview, we were able to get a job and everyone is so helpful and nice.'

First lady Jill Biden hugs Ukrainian refugees Victorie Kutocha and her daughter Yulie Kutocha, 7, at a city-run refugee center in Kosice, Slovakia, Sunday, May 8, 2022. The center is a place for Ukrainian refugees to rest and prepare for onward travel.

Sponsorship breakdowns

There have been, however, a significant number of sponsorship breakdowns, according to Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. Some sponsors havent been able, for example, to keep up with housing costs, requiring traditional refugee groups to step in.

They've essentially walked away from that responsibility, Vignarajah said. And so we are advocating for more resources to help meet essential needs, like housing.

Ilya Somin, a law professor at George Mason University who is sponsoring a family, said his experience is the federal government does little oversight once a sponsor has passed the background checks.

But that actually has its good points, he said. The reason why this program works as swiftly and effectively as it does is because theres little bureaucracy involved.

Hes among the immigration experts who have long advocated that the U.S. adopt a private sponsorship system modeled in part on Canadas.

President Joe Biden walks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral during an unannounced visit, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, Feb. 20, 2023.

Need for longer-term solutions

Unlike traditional refugee resettlement programs that include a path to permanent resident status and eventual citizenship, Uniting for Ukraine was designed as a temporary humanitarian parole program.

But the longer the war continues, the more refugees will put down roots in the United States and want to stay beyond their two-year limit.

When parole power has been used in the past for large groups, Congress eventually stepped in to allow permanent legal status, Somin said.

But whether Congress would do that today in the current political atmosphere unfortunately is problematic, he added.

The grim reality, said Vignarajah of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, is its not safe for many Ukrainians to return. Some cities have been reduced to rubble. Russians occupy parts of the country and are fighting for more.

The federal government needs to be thinking about what are the longer-term solutions for Ukrainians, she said. The U.S. could allow Ukrainians to apply for an extension beyond the two-year limit in the parole program. Or the administration could use the Temporary Protected Status program to protect them from deportation, she said.

President Joe Biden stands amid children cheering with U.S., Polish and Ukrainian flags after he delivered a speech in Warsaw, Poland on Feb. 21, 2023.

Humanitarian parole programs have critics

But the administration is already being criticized for its liberal use of humanitarian parole.

The Center for Immigration Studies, which promotes stricter controls on immigration, said humanitarian parole is not meant to allow the Department of Homeland Security to circumvent limits set by Congress on who can enter the U.S.

Arguably the most concerning policy put forth by the Biden administration thus far may be its historic abuse of DHSs limited parole authority, Elizabeth Jacobs, the centers director of regulatory affairs and policy, wrote in January.

After the administration recently launched a similar, though more limited, parole program for some Latin American countries in turmoil, twenty states sued. They charge the administration has effectively created a new visa program without the formalities of legislation from Congress.

Gelatt, of the Migration Policy Institute, said there has been a push and pull over time between Congress and the executive branch over how much power an administration has to let people in outside of the laws Congress has set.

It's within the parole law, but it's outside of the caps and categories of immigration, she said.

Liudmyla Rybak hugs Elizabeth Langland upon Rybak's arrival in Florida. Langland is sponsoring Rybak's family through the Uniting for Ukraine refugee program.

Feeling like family

Nearly half a year after their arrival, Novak and Rybak still get emotional recounting how Langland and her fellow sponsors greeted them at the airport in Jacksonville, Fla., in September. The Americans were dressed in yellow and blue, the colors of the Ukrainian flag. They carried bouquets of sunflowers for the moms, a dance backpack for Margo and a major league baseball cap for Max.

Frankly, I wasn't sure how we would greet each other, complete strangers, Langland recalls. But we were immediately in hugs. It felt immediately like we were family.

Novak and Rybak are still worried about their family members back in Ukraine but call their American parents a godsend who healed them with love and compassion. Their children are excited to go to school, have made friends and improved their English.

For her part, Langland said shes gotten back more than shes given.

This is a time of great tragedy. What's happening in Ukraine is just unthinkable and horrible, she said. But out of it comes these incredible moments of beauty and community.

Related: They counted the days until they could return to Ukraine. Now, they're not sure they'll go back

Accountability: US has spent billions on Ukraine war aid. But is that money landing in corrupt pockets?

More: Russia's fleet of modern tanks down by 50%; more than 140,000 Russians killed in Ukraine war: Updates

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Many Ukrainian refugees in US are sponsored by ordinary Americans
UN General Assembly votes on a resolution on Ukraine on February 23, 2023

Seven countries voted against the motion (Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua, Russia, Syria), and 32 abstained (most notably  China, India, and South Africa). The document consolidates key points of the Ukrainian peace formula.

Read also: Ukraine working to build aviation coalition to get fighter jets, Kuleba says

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on national TV that the resolution contains harsh language regarding Russia's responsibility and the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.

We structured the resolution so that it, in fact, reflects the elements of the peace formula proposed by President Zelenskyy, Kuleba said.

He also noted the resolution  just as it precursor did in March 2022  received 141 votes, meaning that support for Ukraine hasnt wavered in almost a year of war.

Read also: European Parliament adopts resolution on Ukraines EU accession

The UN resolution reaffirms its commitment to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, and Russia is called upon to immediately and completely withdraw its troops from the territory of Ukraine. The document also calls for international prosecution of those responsible for war crimes, exchange of prisoners of war, release of all illegally detained and forcibly deported people. The resolution also calls for an immediate end to attacks on Ukraine's critical infrastructure and civilian facilities.

Read also: Ukraine is working on booting Russia from UN

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Twitter thanked the countries that supported the resolution.

"This resolution is a powerful signal of unrelenting global support for Ukraine, Zelenskyy wrote.

A testament of the solidarity of the international community with the Ukrainian people in the context of the anniversary of the full-scale aggression by the Russian Federation. A powerful manifestation of global support for the Ukrainian formula of peace!"

Story continues

Read also: Zelenskyy satisfied with National Guard recruitment drive

The Washington Post reports that foreign ministers and diplomats from more than 75 countries addressed the General Assembly during the two days of debate, many of them calling to support the resolution.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
The fact that multiple United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) insiders offloaded a considerable amount of shares over the past year could have raised some eyebrows amongst investors. When analyzing insider transactions, it is usually more valuable to know whether insiders are buying versus knowing if they are selling, as the latter sends an ambiguous message. However, shareholders should take a deeper look if several insiders are selling stock over a specific time period.

Although we don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares.

See our latest analysis for United Parcel Service

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At United Parcel Service

The Executive VP and President of International, Kathleen Gutmann, made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$10m worth of shares at a price of US$190 each. So we know that an insider sold shares at around the present share price of US$180. We generally don't like to see insider selling, but the lower the sale price, the more it concerns us. Given that the sale took place at around current prices, it makes us a little cautious but is hardly a major concern.

Insiders in United Parcel Service didn't buy any shares in the last year. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Insiders At United Parcel Service Have Sold Stock Recently

The last quarter saw substantial insider selling of United Parcel Service shares. In total, Executive VP and President of International Kathleen Gutmann dumped US$10m worth of shares in that time, and we didn't record any purchases whatsoever. This may suggest that some insiders think that the shares are not cheap.

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Insider Ownership Of United Parcel Service

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Insiders own 0.05% of United Parcel Service shares, worth about US$71m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

So What Does This Data Suggest About United Parcel Service Insiders?

An insider sold stock recently, but they haven't been buying. And there weren't any purchases to give us comfort, over the last year. Insiders own shares, but we're still pretty cautious, given the history of sales. We're in no rush to buy! In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing United Parcel Service. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for United Parcel Service (of which 1 shouldn't be ignored!) you should know about.

Of course United Parcel Service may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of high quality companies.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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A Matteson man was sentenced Wednesday to 34 years in prison after pleading guilty to predatory sexual assault of a young child, according to Will County States Attorney James Glasgow.

Joseph Stozek, 39, will also have to register as a sexual predator upon his release, according to a news release from the states attorneys office.

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George Lenard, the public defender who represented Stozek, did not return requests for comment Friday.

Stozek was charged with committing sexual acts with a child younger than 13 in Steger, according to the release. The girl told investigators the abuse occurred over three years when she was 8 to 10 years old, prosecutors said.

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The girl and her caretaker gave statements during Stozeks sentencing hearing, according to the release.

The depravity that would lead an individual to violate the innocence of a little girl who has not even reached puberty is simply incomprehensible, Glasgow said.
The University of Utah announced this week that it will pay a $5 million settlement to the parents of an international student from China who was killed last year.

Zhifan Dong, 19, died in what police say was a domestic violence homicide in a Salt Lake City motel room on Feb. 11, 2022. Her then-boyfriend and fellow student, Haoyu Wang, has been charged with her death. An internal review the university published in July showed that school housing staff members failed multiple times to recognize Dong was in danger in the weeks leading up to her death.

While we continue to mourn Zhifans death, we are grateful to take this important step toward justice for our daughter, Dongs father, Mingsheng Dong, and her mother, Junfang Shen, said in a statement Tuesday about the agreement. It is our hope that Zhifan will be remembered and that her memory will inspire others to help prevent intimate partner violence and save lives on campus and in all our communities.

Wang, 26, has been charged with murder and is incarcerated. He has been declared incompetent to stand trial and has pleaded not guilty through his attorney, Joseph C. Alamilla.

In the settlement, the school recognized its failure to protect Dong.

Zhifan Dong. (Courtesy Dong Family)

The university acknowledges shortcomings in its response of its housing and residential education team to the complex situation that resulted in Zhifan Dongs death and acknowledges the terrible loss that the Dong Family has suffered, the school said.

University President Taylor Randall said the agreement demonstrates the schools seriousness in honoring Zhifan Dong and commitment to the ongoing work of addressing all aspects of student safety.

Dongs murder is a reminder that intimate partner violence is a societal problem that transcends borders and cultures, and manifests in many ways, Randall said in a statement. No one should have to endure the loss of a child to violence and our university will remain diligent, continue to improve, and advance the health and well-being of our students.

Story continues

Dongs parents said in an interview in July that the university had not been forthcoming about missteps in responding to their daughters safety concerns.

We felt betrayed and lied to, they said. This is bureaucratic arrogance, contempt for life, and an unforgivable mistake.

On Jan. 14, 2022, nearly a month before she was killed, Dong alerted the school housing department that Salt Lake City police had arrested Wang two days earlier and accused him of assaulting her during an altercation, according to university documents. But housing employees didnt flag the arrest to school police until a month later  after Dong had disappeared. Records also showed that staff members repeatedly confused Dongs name with Wangs and mistakenly called the phone number of another student who shared the same name as Wang, who is also an international student from China.

The school said the agreement will be voted on in the coming days, as any legal settlement in Utah involving a state entity that exceeds $1 million requires legislative approval. (Gov. Spencer Cox has already signed off on the resolution.) The settlement, which wont include state appropriations or funds from student tuition, resolves outstanding legal claims against the university, the university said in an official statement. After the internal review, the school took disciplinary action against three housing employees, and two others resigned.

In addition to the financial settlement, the school said it will create a memorial on campus in Dongs memory.

Dong is the second University of Utah student in four years to be killed after having filed domestic violence reports to school officials. Lauren McCluskey, a track athlete who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 2018, had called campus police more than 20 times to report harassment. In 2020, the McCluskeys secured a multimillion-dollar settlement from the university through Parker & McConkie, the law firm representing the Dong family.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
[Source]

The University of Utah and the parents of Zhifan Dong, a 19-year-old international student from China who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend after she made multiple domestic violence reports, has agreed to a $5 million settlement.

The university published a statement on their website on Tuesday announcing the settlement.

The settlement includes a $5 million payment to the family and an agreement between the university and family to establish a memorial on campus in Dongs memory. The settlement will not include any state appropriations or funds from student tuition.

University of Utah President Taylor Randall said the settlement "demonstrates our seriousness in honoring Zhifan Dong."

More from NextShark: California Governor Urged to Pardon Vietnamese Refugee Facing Deportation

Her murder is a reminder that intimate partner violence is a societal problem that transcends borders and cultures, and manifests in many ways. No one should have to endure the loss of a child to violence and our university will remain diligent, continue to improve, and advance the health and well-being of our students.

Dong was found dead in an off-campus motel by Salt Lake City police responding to reports that a man was threatening to kill his girlfriend.

Her body was discovered next to her ex-boyfriend, 26-year-old international student Haoyu Wang, who confessed to killing Dong with heroin to "relieve her from suffering" before attempting to kill himself with the drugs.

More from NextShark: Elderly Asians Attacked and Robbed in 2 Separate Incidents in SF

Wang is currently incarcerated and awaiting trial for her murder.

Documents shared by the University of Utah revealed a history of reports made by Dong to university housing staff regarding Wang's suicidal tendencies. Wang was charged with one count of assault for domestic violence in January 2022, the same month Dong received a temporary protective order from the police.

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In their own statement, Zhifan's parents, Junfang Shen and Mingsheng Dong, thanked the university and expressed hope that their daughter's case will help prevent future instances of domestic violence on the campus.

More from NextShark: South Korea is one of the world's most innovative economies thanks to Hallyu

While we continue to mourn Zhifans death, we are grateful to take this important step toward justice for our daughter. We express thanks to the University and President Taylor Randall for his leadership in acknowledging our loss and working with us toward a resolution with urgency and compassion. It is our hope that Zhifan will be remembered and that her memory will inspire others to help prevent intimate partner violence and save lives on campus and in all our communities. We hope she will inspire other victims to seek help and to leave their abusers.

Enjoy this content? Read more from NextShark!

Chinese scientist behind worlds first gene-edited babies shares childrens status
Latino and Black leaders in Texas pushed back on claims that diversity and inclusion hiring programs are illegal as the vast University of Texas System put a hold on such programs at its institutions and campuses.

Kevin Eltife, chairman of the system's board of regents, announced Wednesday that he was delaying new policies on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and launching a review of all of them. The announcement at a board meeting, with no discussion or vote, was reported first by The Austin American-Statesman.

Eltife, a former state senator appointed to the board by Abbott, also a Republican, said that within UT campuses some DEI efforts have strayed from the original intent to now imposing requirements and actions that rightfully has raised concerns of our policy makers.

No examples of DEI programs that have strayed were provided at the meeting or in response to an NBC News request.

Eltifes stop on new policies follows a declaration by Abbott's chief of staff in a letter dated Feb. 4 to state agencies that DEI "has been manipulated to push policies that expressly favor some demographic groups to the detriment of others." The letter, first reported by The Texas Tribune and posted on Twitter by KHOU in Houston, went on to say that a state agency spending tax dollars to pay for DEI initiatives and resources connected with them is illegal.

That declaration from a higher education system of 13 institutions and more than 244,000 students is drawing pushback from Black and Latino lawmakers and organizations.

Gary Bledsoe, president of the Texas National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said DEI programs are set up through legal departments and are conservative in nature so as not to run afoul of federal anti-discrimination laws.

"It is a complete misrepresentation to say that DEI programs are illegal and that they violate the Constitution or any statute, because they don't," said Bledsoe, who also is a founder of the Black and Brown Dialogue on Policy. The multiracial, cultural group seeks to confront what it says is a "growing threat of racism and policies meant to undermine our human dignity and humanity."

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Texas NAACP President Gary Bledsoe speaks at a rally at the state Capitol in Austin, Texas (Sergio Flores / Getty Images file)

Bledsoe said NAACP and others are preparing civil rights complaints "because we think the action the governor has taken is discriminatory and that it leaves in place programs that benefit others but eliminates programs that have lifted Latinos and African Americans and other minorities."

Angela Valenzuela, a co-founder of the Black and Brown Dialogue on Policy, said DEI policies on hiring are guidelines and not all determining, "or we would have a more diverse faculty and we don't."

Universities in Texas, where Hispanics are estimated to be the largest population group, have struggled with hiring diverse faculty and reaching enrollment numbers that reflect the population. Compared to other flagship universities nationally, UT-Austin, the system's flagship, has the second-largest gap between the percentage of Latino students who graduate from the state's high schools (51%) and the percentage of Latinos that it enrolls as freshmen (29%), according to 2020 federal data.

Valenzuela noted that DEI programs are not only focused on race and ethnicity but also ensure the hiring and enrolling of veterans, people with disabilities, people in the LGBTQ community, older applicants and white working class and rural people. Valenzuela is a UT-Austin professor but emphasized she was commenting as a Black and Brown Dialogue on Policy co-founder.

State Rep. Christina Morales, a Democrat from Houston and vice-chair of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, noted that 18% of Latinos have advanced degrees, compared with 39% of white Texans. In addition, 92% of white Texans have high school degrees, compared with 70% of Latinos, she said.

She said that Latino educational attainment has increased since 1965 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed an executive order to reinforce the requirement that federal contractors not discriminate in employment.

"The effort has to be made that more people are included," Morales said. "Just human nature, we tend to pick people who look like us, have names like us and have a similar backgrounds, so it's important that we consciously choose people with a diverse background and we choose to include other folks when we are hiring and we admitting them to the university."

She said "we're incredibly disappointed" with the UT System decision and Texas A&M University, the flagship of the state's A&M System, for changing its hiring policies. But she also said she recognized that they are in a difficult place because their funding is at risk if they defy the governor.

Luke Macias, a Republican consultant, recently described diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in a newsletter as "the vehicle by which the left is filling our universities and public schools with marxist ideas."

"When we talk about what DEI is, it is a university saying we need to cease recognizing people for the content of their character and not the color of their skin," Macias said, referring to a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. that his daughter, Bernice King, and some scholars say is often misused.

Macias credited Scott Yenor, a Boise State University political science professor whose remarks about the recruitment of women in some fields and other comments have drawn protest and criticism, for having "exposed" DEI policies in Texas as discriminatory.

The governor's actions on DEI hiring comes amid a Republican-led campaign targeting the teaching of racial, ethnic and LGBTQ studies in state schools and universities.

It also comes as potential 2024 Republican presidential candidates have begun to jockey for support from the party's right-wing base. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, considering a White House run, also is targeting DEI in his state.

Macias noted that anti-DEI efforts aren't stopping at hiring policies. He said DEI programs for other purposes in universities are not illegal, but the Texas Legislature is trying to pass laws to prohibit such programs.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Success can sometimes feel like a double-edged sword for Black founders, especially in the era of social media.

These days, it feels like everyone is an entrepreneur. Whether designing clothes in a basement, whipping up natural products in the kitchen, or creating content on an omnipresent iPhone, it seems everyone is trying to make their side hustle their main hustle.

In the past few years, there has been a significant increase in Black entrepreneurship, with a 2022 report by the U.S. Census Bureau estimating 140,918 Black-owned businesses nationwide. However, while we love to see those in our communities taking ownership of their careers and financial destinies, behind the veneer of entrepreneurship, there are many unseen considerations when it comes to being your own boss.

Photo: Getty Images

So what is the current reality of being a Black entrepreneur in the U.S.? It should come as no surprise that the entrepreneurial route is challenging. Requiring discipline, creativity, tenacity, and often a significant amount of financial capital, the decision to start your own brand can come with unforeseen sacrifices. Many entrepreneurs can testify to early mornings and long nights dedicated to building their businesses; however, few have discussed the realities of scaling their businesses.

Theres so much content online right now about how to start a business and be your own boss, said Necole Kane, founder of My Happy Flo and xoNecole.com. But, especially when you have a product-based business, theres a lack of understanding around where youre headed [when you embark on this journey].

While passion is fundamental to entrepreneurship and has played a part in many success stories, an understanding of business strategies is essential for entrepreneurs  something Kane learned in real-time. Despite starting her entrepreneurial journey in 2008, Kane did not know anything about acquisitions and business lingo until after she sold xoNecole in 2018.

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When I sold my business, I knew nothing about investments. I knew nothing. I remember I did a pitch contest a few years ago in 2019. Someone was talking about IP during a pitch, and even though I was asking questions, I didnt even know that they were talking about intellectual property. I didnt know the lingo, Kane recalls.

During the acquisition process, Kane wished she had a mentor to guide her  and her lack of mentorship mirrors the experience of many entrepreneurs. Despite 92% of small business owners accrediting mentorship to their business growth and survival, only 48% felt they had a business mentor to turn to for advice. These disparities are even stronger amongst women of color, as Unlock her Potential, a mentorship platform designed specifically to address what it identified as a systemic lack of guidance and support.

Research has revealed that very few women of color get mentored. Even worse, many dont even think to seek mentors. Thats how systemic racism [and] patriarchy work hand in hand, reads the platforms website.

As previously reported by theGrio, Black-owned beauty brand Mielle Organics was recently acquired by Procter & Gamble as an independent subsidiary of P&G Beauty. Founder and CEO Monique Rodriguez, who previously worked as a registered nurse for almost a decade, created Mielle to fill what she felt was a void in the Black hair care sector. The significant consumer base that flocked to Mielle Organics products clearly agreed. Today, Rodriguez leads the company alongside her husband, Melvin Rodriguez, who serves as chief operating officer. But despite the couple maintaining their leadership roles as Mielle joins the P&G family, consumers had mixed feelings about the brands acquisition announcement.

Twitter users reactions to the Mielle Organics P&G acquisition

From the average consumers perspective, significant brand acquisitions translate to changes in formulas, target demographics, and prices. However, acquisitions are typically seen as substantial accomplishments and even as long-term objectives on a business level, especially given the funding disparities Black-led businesses face.

A recent study found that in 2022, Black businesses experienced a 45% drop in venture capital funding compared to a 36% decline in overall VC funding. Black entrepreneurs receive less than 2% of venture capital dollars each year, and Black women founders receive less than 1% of that already meager percentage. When it comes to Black-led businesses, especially those led by founders with unique trajectories like Rodriguez, an acquisition is like a golden parachute to success.

Its weird to see the conversation around the lack of money going to Black-owned businesses, especially Black women founders. But then, when you see a Black woman founder sell her business, theres an uproar because there is a disconnect, said Kane.

Heres the nitty-gritty of this disconnect:

Everything is not what it seems

People dont understand what it takes to scale [a business]  that when were on the shelf at the retailers, we have to fight for our territory when were up against these larger companies. Our community doesnt know what we go through as business owners, Rodriguez told CNBC Make It.

With just 1% of Black entrepreneurs receiving business loans within their first year, compared to the 7% obtained by their white counterparts, most Black-led companies are built on the capital of their founders. On average, small-business owners spend approximately $40,000 within their first full year of business, according to Shopifys study.

[As Black founders], we have so much stacked against us to begin with, but thats why we have so much community embedded in our brands. Because when you start, youre the customer service rep, the social media manager, and the supply chain coordinator, so youre literally responding to every email, said Kane. You feel more deeply connected to your audience than somebody who started with $30 million and was able to hire customer service. They were able to hire a kick-ass social media team and have an agency to handle that.

Selling out or selling up?

Lets say a Black-led brand has beat the one-in-five odds of business failure, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as reported by LendingTree. Growth is usually the next step on their entrepreneurial vision board. For instance, Mielle Organics became the fastest-growing Black-owned haircare company in the U.S. after receiving a $100 million investment from private equity firm Berkshire Partners in 2021 that increased the companys value tremendously. While gaining investors alleviates some of the financial burdens for business owners, these investors also gain a percentage of the companys stakes in return  which means, depending on the agreement, they have a say in certain aspects of the companys decisions. The decision-making power that comes with investments can lead some to believe they are precursors to larger acquisitions, as seen with Mielle Organics.

In truth, consumers are not upset that these businesses are growing, but more so that they are losing the security and reassurance that comes with the Black-owned label. For consumers, it feels like a breach of trust. Twitter user Uju Anya explained the sentiment in a thread explaining Black womens reservations towards Mielle Organics acquisition.

So Procter & Gamble (P&G Beauty) just announced it bought Mielle Organics which is what Black women said was happening or would happen. Listen. To. Black. Women [] As I said many times in my original thread, I dont begrudge Mielle their right to expand their business and get new customers. My point was and continues to be: Stop shaming, insulting, gaslighting Black women who rightfully recognize these expansions dont always benefit us.

There are likely several reasons why founders like Monique Rodriguez, Lisa Price of Carols Daughter, or Richelieu Dennis of Shea Moisture lean into acquisition when thinking about scaling their businesses. Regardless of whether the objectives are financial or personal, the fact is the decision is often just as unsettling for the founder as it is for the consumer.

The emotional consequences

Kane compares going through the acquisition process to a divorce. Despite the assumed financial benefits of selling ones business, the process can be complex for Black entrepreneurs who often spend years fostering relationships with their audience. When Kane founded her blog Necole Bitchie in 2007  which later became xoNecole, she couldnt predict the heights her brand would reach. XoNecole was eventually acquired by the Black-owned Will Packer Media in 2018. Following the shift in ownership, Kane stayed with the publication for five years as founder and editor-in-chief, which she recently described as a very isolating time in her life in a now-viral Twitter thread.

You feel guilty for feeling the way you feel because you made it to a place that most people wish to make it to. I had to deal with the depression that came out of that, and it was extreme because I didnt know who I could turn to, Kane admitted.

Since her quiet departure from XoNecole, Kane has turned her focus to My Happy Flo, a menstrual health brand producing products that naturally support hormonal harmony and aim to reduce the risks of common reproductive health complications without the side effects caused by most oral contraceptives and pain medications. Through this new venture, the former media mogul is entering the arena of personal care products and facing a new side of the business world.

Its difficult when youre in the beginning stages. You know that your audience is supporting you because youre Black-owned, and youre putting their needs first. But you also know that the trajectory you want to go on if you want to get this product in as many womens hands as possible, especially Black women for their healing. Like, its just confusing for me right now, said Kane as she reflected on the publics reaction to Mielle Organics acquisition.

Youre doing the best you can. Your customers are seeing you try to show up on social media, which is even harder nowadays with the algorithms, and provide the best customer service ever. Youre dealing with manufacturers.  Its so incredibly overwhelming, she continued. And then on top of that, seeing the way a lot of people turned against Mielle, especially her consumer base, that was scary for me.

Look at the bigger picture

On the other side of these significant corporate acquisitions is a silver lining. By working within non-Black frameworks like P&G, LOreal and even mentor-rich incubators like Sephoras Accelerate program, Black founders are able to pay it forward to other Black-led initiatives. For instance, when Dennis sold Shea Moisture to Unilever, he used a portion of the money to fund the $100M New Voices Fund designed to invest in and empower women of color entrepreneurs. Lisa Price, the founder of Carols Daughter, launched Love Delivered in partnership with the Mama Glow foundation to support Black maternal health issues. Since then, Carols Daughter has committed over $10,000 to support its ongoing programs and mission to solve reproductive injustice.

On a similar note, as part of Mielle joining P&G, both brands committed $10 million to Mielle Cares, a nonprofit organization providing resources and support to advance education and economic opportunities in Black and brown communities. As Kane continues to grow MyHappyFlo, she looks forward to the opportunity to scale her business as an upside to entrepreneurship; one she aims to pay forward when the time comes.

We have to continue to have people like [Dennis], making those types of moves to one day, have a Black Procter & Gamble thats acquiring other Black-owned businesses, Kane stressed. We are selling the businesses off to get the assets we need to pour back into our community.

Haniyah Philogene is a multimedia storyteller and Lifestyle reporter covering all things culture. With a passion for digital media, she goes above and beyond to find new ways to tell and share stories.

TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku, and Android TV. TheGrios Black Podcast Network is free too. Download theGrio mobile apps today! Listen to Writing Black with Maiysha Kai.

The post The unspoken costs of building a Black business appeared first on TheGrio.
The U.S. government announced a defense aid package worth $2 billion for Ukraine on Feb. 24, the one-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion.

The package, provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), includes additional ammunition for HIMARS (High-Mobility Rocket Artillery Systems), 155mm artillery rounds, munitions for laser-guided rocket systems, and funding for training, maintenance, and sustainment of equipment.

According to the statement, "the United States will continue to work with its Allies and partners to provide Ukraine with capabilities to meet its immediate battlefield needs and longer-term security assistance requirements for as long as it takes."

Earlier on Feb. 20, U.S. President Joe Biden pledged $500 million in additional military aid for Ukraine during his surprise visit to Kyiv.

On Feb. 21, during his visit to Warsaw, Biden said that the West would not "get tired" of supporting Ukraine as NATO "is stronger than it's ever been."


WASHINGTON (AP)  The Biden administration declared its Ukraine solidarity with fresh action as well as strong words on Friday, piling sweeping new sanctions on Moscow and approving a new $2 billion weapons package to re-arm Kyiv a year after Russias invasion.

Despite the U.S. and allies continued ambitious efforts to bolster the Ukrainians, there are no signs of an endgame in the war, which seems destined to enter an even more complicated phase in the months ahead.

On the somber anniversary, Biden and fellow leaders from the Group of Seven allies that have been at the forefront of backing Ukraine stayed focused on a unified front.

Our solidarity will never waver in standing with Ukraine, in supporting countries and people in need, and in upholding the international order based on the rule of law," the G-7 leaders said in a joint statement after a virtual meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

As Ukraine mourned its war dead and vowed it would ultimately emerge victorious, the Pentagon unveiled its latest weapons package. It includes more ammunition, electronic warfare detection equipment and other weapons to counter Russias unmanned systems, and several types of drones, including the upgraded Switchblade 600 Kamikaze attack drone.

The latest aid package uses the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative to provide funding for longer-term contracts to buy weapons and equipment. Unlike the presidential drawdown authority that the Pentagon has used repeatedly over the past year to pull weapons from its own stocks and quickly ship them to Ukraine, the USAI-funded equipment could take a year or two to get to the battlefront. As a result, it will do little to help Ukraine prepare for an expected new offensive in the spring.

Difficult times may lie ahead, but let us remain clear-eyed about what is at stake in Ukraine, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, to ensure that a world of rules and rights is not replaced by one of tyranny and turmoil.

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Biden said in an ABC News interview on Friday that he's not ready to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Zelenskyy has been pressing the U.S. and allies for jets, but White House officials have pushed back that they are not the weaponry that Ukrainians need in the near term.

There is no basis on which there is a rationale, according to our military now to provide F-16s, Biden said. I am ruling it out for now.

Meanwhile, the White House said that new sanctions hitting over 200 people and entities will further degrade Russias economy and diminish its ability to wage war against Ukraine. The Biden administration will also further restrict exports to Russia and raise tariffs on some Russian products imported to the U.S.

"Now, not only does Ukraine stand, but the global coalition in support of Ukraine is stronger than ever, with the G7 as its anchor," Biden said on Twitter following Friday's virtual meeting with Zelenskyy.

Still, as the conflict enters a second year, there are no indications that President Vladimir Putin will retreat from the conflict. And the avalanche of international sanctions that have been steadily hoisted on Moscow over the past year have yet to deliver the sort of knockout blow to the Russian economy that the White House  and independent economists  predicted at the outset of the war.

The Russian economy has weathered sanctions better than expected in 2022, in part due to the slow introduction of commodities sanctions," according to a Moodys Investors Service report on Friday.

The Russian economy is expected to weaken in 2023, with GDP shrinking by 3% this year, according to the Moody's projection. The economy shrank 2.2% in 2022, far short of predictions of 15% or more that Biden administration officials had showcased at the start of the war. Export controls and financial sanctions are gradually eroding Russias industrial capacity, but oil and other energy exports last year enabled Putin to keep funding the war.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby acknowledged that Russia's economy was showing some resilience but he also said it's not clear that it can be sustained for the long haul.

Of Putin, he said, He has had to take some drastic measures to prop up his economy, to prop up his currency, including playing pretty aggressively with interest rates for instance."

The new sanctions introduced by U.S. Treasury on Friday hit Russian firms, banks, manufacturers and individuals, taking aim at entities that helped Russia evade earlier rounds. Russias metals and mining sector are among those targeted in what Treasury called one of the most significant sanctions actions to date.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, attending meetings in India on Friday with fellow financial chiefs of the Group of 20 leading economies, called out Russian officials in attendance and insisted the world's biggest economies must do more to support Ukraine.

I urge the Russian officials here at the G-20 to understand that their continued work for the Kremlin makes them complicit in Putins atrocities, Yellen said. They bear responsibility for the lives and livelihoods being taken in Ukraine and the harm caused globally.

The U.S. State and Commerce departments as well as the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative also issued plans Friday to increase pressure on Russia. These steps impose visa restrictions on 1,219 members of the Russian military, increase tariffs on Russian products such as metal, worth roughly $2.8 billion, and add nearly 90 Russian and third-country companies, including from China, to a list of identified sanctions evaders.

More than 30 countries representing more than half the worlds economy have already imposed sanctions on Russia, making it the most sanctioned nation in the world.

The sanctions have imposed price caps on Russian oil and diesel, frozen Russian Central Bank funds and restricted access to SWIFT, the dominant system for global financial transactions.

The U.S. and allies have directly sanctioned roughly 2,500 Russian firms, government officials, oligarchs and their families. The sanctions are depriving them of access to their American bank accounts and financial markets, preventing them from doing business with Americans, traveling to the U.S. and more.

By Friday afternoon, the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force, an international standard-setting body on illicit finance, suspended Russia from its membership. The removal occurred for the first time in the body's 34-year history.

Britain also announced new sanctions Friday on firms that supply Russias battlefield equipment and says it will bar export to Russia of all items it has used in the war, such as aircraft parts, radio equipment and electronic components of weapons.

We dont think the job is by any means done," Britains Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt said.

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Associated Press reporters Tara Copp and Aamer Madhani in Washington, Sibi Arasu in Bengaluru and Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.

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Follow the AP's coverage of Russia's war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine.
The U.S. could enact strict economic sanctions against China should it support Russias war in Ukraine with weapons and munitions.

Washington has already issued several warnings to deter Beijing from taking the course.

The Pentagon, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield all warned of consequences should China supply Russia with arms, but they have not made clear what the retaliatory action would be.

Given Chinas role in the global economy, sanctions are a likely start.

Maia Nikoladze, the assistant director of the GeoEconomics Center at the Atlantic Council, said the U.S. would likely start with sanctions. China would have to decide whether supporting Russia is worth alienating itself in the global economy.

China is a lot more intertwined with the world economy than Russia is, she said. I do not think that China would go so far as to take Russias side. Theyre just trying to be neutral [but] only so far as it does not cause punitive economic measures.

Blinken warnings, Chinese denial

Blinken first sounded the alarm last weekend when he said China has already provided nonlethal assistance to Russia and was considering a shift in its aid.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Monday denied allegations that Beijing is considering sending lethal aid and instead accused the U.S. of escalating the war in Ukraine by pouring weapons into the battlefield.

In a Thursday interview with The Atlantic, Blinken added that the U.S. has picked up information in the last couple of months indicating that China is considering the possibility of escalating the level of aid it provides to Russia, but said it might not follow through.st

Im hopeful but in a very clear-eyed way that China will get that message, because its not only coming from us, its coming from many other countries who do not want to see China aiding and abetting in a material way Russias war effort in Ukraine, Blinken said.

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The U.S. on Friday will sanction Chinese companies determined to be in violation of export control measures placed on Russia in order to deprive Moscow of materials for its military, according to Victoria Nuland, the under secretary of state for political affairs.

Nuland also told Washington Post Live on Thursday the administration is watching very, very carefully and warning Beijing against delivering lethal assistance to Russia.

This is not something that can be done under the carpet while China professes to be neutral, Nuland said. What were trying to do here is to ensure that the Chinese understand that this would be a complete step change  not only in how they are viewed globally and their claims of neutrality  but also in our relationship with China.

Jason Li, a research associate with the East Asia program at the nonpartisan think tank Stimson Center, said the possibility of China providing lethal assistance is quite low.

China would not be able to change the course of the war in terms of material support, Li estimated, and Beijing is better situated by economically propping up Russia.

China is trying to walk the line on its position in Ukraine, Li said, noting that Chinese officials are seeking a peace solution for the war. Its very [unlikely] for China to be both fueling a war by selling arms, but also politically saying that they want an end to the war. That would look hypocritical for the Chinese.

What US sanctions could look like

In the event China does supply lethal aid, the U.S. may start with sanctioning some Chinese companies in the military industrial complex. It could expand that list if the support continues.

Further action could result in secondary penalties placed on China, which would sanction other countries and entities outside of China who do business with Beijing.

A more drastic possibility would be the U.S. imposing export controls similar to an October rule that restricted semiconductor chips made with American tools from being sent to China. Should those rules extend to more products that China needs to source from abroad, including parts in the aviation sector, Chinas economy could be seriously damaged.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping have long been allies, and both leaders announced a no limits partnership shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine last year.

Trade has boomed between both countries, soaring to record levels last year. And China, Russia and South Africa are holding joint military drills this weekend.

The U.S. and China are already competitors in virtually every sector. Washington has sanctioned several Chinese companies, including tech company Huawei, over national security concerns. Other entities have been sanctioned for alleged human rights abuses in the region of Xinjiang and the self-governing city of Hong Kong.

The U.S. has also sanctioned Chinese companies allegedly supporting Russias war in Ukraine, including Spacety China, a satellite manufacturer accused of providing satellite imagery to Moscow.

Laura Kelly contributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin commemorated the "solemn" one-year anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion on Feb. 24 in a statement, calling it the "most urgent danger to European security" since World War II.

"Today's solemn anniversary is an opportunity for all who believe in freedom, rules, and sovereignty to recommit ourselves to supporting Ukraine's brave defenders for the long haul  and to recall that the stakes of Russia's war stretch far beyond Ukraine," he said.

Austin said that the U.S. has sent $32 billion in defense aid to Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion, which includes 1,600 Stinger anti-aircraft systems, 8,500 Javelin anti-armor systems, 232 howitzers and more than two million rounds of artillery ammunition.

The U.S. has also pledged 109 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, 31 Abrams tanks, and 90 Stryker armored personnel carriers.

Austin reaffirmed the U.S. government and people's commitment to Ukraine and mourned the Ukrainian lives lost since the start of the full-scale war.

Earlier on Feb. 24, the U.S. government announced a defense aid package worth $2 billion for Ukraine on Feb. 24, the one-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion.

The package, provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), includes additional ammunition for HIMARS (High-Mobility Rocket Artillery Systems), 155mm artillery rounds, munitions for laser-guided rocket systems, and funding for training, maintenance, and sustainment of equipment.


A group of students in Ukraine make items in support of Ukraine to be sold as a way of raising funds for the war effort. (Valentina Bren)

Valentina Bren, who now lives in Orland Park, said shell never forget going to the funeral for her former student, who died in the line of duty defending Ukraine at the start of the Russian war.

Olenka Sus, who now lives in Palos Hills, said shell never forget the sounds: the first air siren and the explosion of bombs and rockets.

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That was really awful. We didnt know what to do, Sus said.

On Feb. 24, 2022, Russian soldiers advanced into Ukraine initiating a war that has gone on for a year. In that time, Ukrainian soldiers and citizens have fought to defend their country, but millions of other Ukrainians, like Sus and Bren, left their homes for safety.

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Sus, 16, spent about the first two months of the war in her home in Ternopil, a city in Western Ukraine, before she and her mother, Nadia, came to the U.S. as refugees. Bren and her husband volunteered toward the war effort as long as they could, but they came to the U.S. Nov. 28, 2022, through the Uniting for Ukraine program, which allows them to stay for two years.

One year ago, Sus said she woke up at 7 a.m. to a phone call from a friend who told her the war had started.

Sus said she immediately called her mother, who was visiting Ivano-Frankivsk. While they were on the phone, Sus said she heard news of Russia bombing the airport in Ivano-Frankivsk, which was near where her mother was staying.

She was there, and I was so scared because that airport was so close to her. It was bombed, Sus said.

The first night of the war was terrifying, Sus said, and shell never forget her grandmother crying after waking up to the sound of an air siren. After that, no one in the house could sleep, Sus said, so they watched the news.

We didnt know what to expect, Sus said.

The Rev. Vasyl Sendeha, priest at Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Palos Park, helped translate the interview with Bren. One year ago, Bren woke up at 4 a.m. in her home in Volochysk, in Western Ukraine, to the sound of air sirens.

Valentina Bren, far left, left Ukraine with her husband to stay in Orland Park with their son and daughter-in-law because volunteering in Ukraine was becoming difficult. Bren is pictured with, from left, her daughter-in-law's sister, the conductor of music for the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw and her daughter-in-law's mother after a concert March 28, 2022 to aid Ukraine. (Valentina Bren)

Bren, a literature teacher, said that morning she still went to work because she didnt know what to expect. Many students arrived, she said, but within the first half-hour the majority of parents came to pick up their children.

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No lessons were taught that day, Bren recalled, as teachers and students just talked about the shock and confusion.

It was hard to believe what was happening, she said, via Sendehas translation.

As the days progressed, Sus said she went to school not as a student but as a volunteer for the war effort. She recalled making protective gear so Ukrainian soldiers wouldnt be seen by Russian soldiers, and a lot of people baked food in the schools kitchen.

When Russian soldiers took control of Chernobyl a few weeks into the war, Sus said an air siren went off while she was volunteering at school. Sus and the other students were instructed to sit in the hallway, where they were told the walls were likely sturdy enough to remain standing if the building was bombed.

We were just sitting and just really praying for Chernobyl or other cities not being bombed, Sus said.

Bren, 58, said once the war was underway, she and her husband volunteered to help the soldiers on the front lines. They raised funds and then drove to Warsaw to buy medical supplies for soldiers, she said.

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Bren said her students also started volunteering to make supplies for soldiers, such as small burners made of old cans with cardboard and wax inside, that could be used to heat up food.

Valentina Bren's students in Ukraine make various objects in March 2022, such as Ukrainian flags, to sell with the proceeds are donated to the war effort. (Valentina Bren)

While Brens town has not been bombed, she said what scared her most was seeing the slow flying missiles headed toward larger cities. She felt the most panicked, she said, when she saw a missile headed in the direction of the city her pregnant daughter drove toward moments before.

Bren and her husband decided to come to live with their son and daughter-in-law in Orland Park because volunteering in Ukraine was becoming increasingly difficult. They decided they could donate and help more if they come to the U.S.

Bren said shes still in contact with her students, who are still making items like Ukrainian flags, and she sells those items here through the Palos Park church and donates the money to the war effort. Brens husband works as a mechanic through a temporary work visa, so the majority of the money he makes they donate to the war effort.

The pair wants to return to Ukraine one day, Bren said.

Hopefully, Bren said, the war will end soon as countries in Europe and the U.S. continue to support Ukraine. Shes proud of her country, Bren said, because everyone, even children, are working tirelessly in some capacity to defeat Russia.

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Such a nation cant be overcome by any kind of aggressor, Bren said.

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Sus said she and her mother ultimately decided to leave because each day became increasingly more dangerous. It got to the point where there were as many as eight air sirens a day warning residents about attacks, she said.

They took a bus to Poland, then flew to Germany, then Mexico City. They took a 32-hour bus ride to Tijuana, Mexico and then a 10-hour bus ride to San Francisco, before flying to Chicago, Sus said.

On April 19, 2022, they made it to the U.S. and have been staying with friends in Palos Park, Sus said. Her mom volunteers at the Palos Park church while Sus is now a high school sophomore.

Sus said she expected the war to last a long time because Russian President Vladimir Putin will not stop.

The only thing he wants is our blood, our territory, our homeland, Sus said. He just wants everything to be in his hands. But our people they defend our territory. Were still fighting.

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The hope, Sus said, is for her and her mother to return to Ukraine to see their family and friends.

We hope the war will end as soon as possible. We hope the victory will be on our side, Sus said.
Federal prosecutors are seeking to seize six New York and Florida properties owned by a Russian oligarch, the Department of Justice announced on Friday.

The U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York filed a complaint seeking the seizure of two apartments on Park Avenue in New York City, a house in Southampton, N.Y., and two apartments and a penthouse in Miami Beach owned by Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg, alleging that they were involved in sanctions evasion and money laundering.

Vekselberg reportedly acquired the luxury real estate properties through shell companies between 2008 and 2017.

The Russian oligarch, however, was placed on the Treasury Departments Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List in 2018  which blocked his assets and prevented him from conducting business with American citizens and companies. He was re-designated in March 2022.

Vladimir Voronchenko, a fellow Russian national who was indicted earlier this month, conducted business for Vekselberg in the U.S. both before and after his 2018 designation, in violation of the sanctions regime, according to the complaint. Voronchenko facilitated the transfer of at least $4 million to maintain Vekselbergs properties.

The complaint was filed on the first anniversary of Russias invasion of Ukraine, a point that the Justice Department emphasized in Fridays announcement.

Over the past year, the Ukrainian people have shown the world what courage looks like, Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. For as long as it takes, the Department of Justice will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our Ukrainian and international partners in defense of justice and the rule of law.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The US is quadrupling troops it deploys in Taiwan amid heightened tensions with China, according to a report.

The latest move comes amid a recent incident in which a Chinese balloon encroached US airspace and sparked a war of words between the superpowers over the issue of surveillance.

The US is now planning to deploy between 100-200 troops to the self-governed island in the coming months, a significant increase from roughly 30 a year ago, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing officials.

This would be Washingtons largest deployment of forces on the island in decades.

The American troops will expand what the Pentagon calls a training programme which helps Taipei with capabilities to defend against an invasion from mainland China.

China maintains that the self-governed island is part of its national territory and continues to fly a record number of warplanes into its airspace.

The US, one of Taiwans key allies, is the islands largest supplier of weaponry and has offered unwavering support for the islands democracy.

The Taiwanese defence minister, however, downplayed Washingtons military build up, saying there are no US troops stationed on the island.

The information is from US media, and we dont know where it comes from. Our exchanges with the US have been non-stop because we get our weapons and equipment from the US, defence minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said on Friday.

No US troops are stationed in Taiwan, he was quoted as saying by Bloomberg.

It was previously reported in 2021 that a small number of US special operations forces have been in rotation in Taiwan on a temporary basis to train their forces.

The Michigan National Guard has been training a contingent of the Taiwanese military, including during annual exercises with multiple countries, at Camp Grayling in Michigan. A battalion of around 500 soldiers will be soon heading to the US for training, according to Taiwans official Central News Agency.

Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen told a visiting bipartisan US congressional delegation that the two nations will cooperate even more closely to bolster military exchanges.

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Washington has been increasing its military presence in Taiwan and around the South China Sea to counter Beijings growing aggression in the region.

Earlier this month, the US secured access to four more military bases in the Philippines.

The additional troops to be deployed in Taiwan will be tasked with training the local forces not only on US weapons systems but on military maneuvers to protect against a potential Chinese offensive, an US official told the WSJ.

We dont have a comment on specific operations, engagements or training, but I would highlight that our support for, and defense relationship with, Taiwan remains aligned against the current threat posed by the Peoples Republic of China, lieutenant colonel Marty Meiners, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement.

The planning for troop expansion had been going on for months, prior to the US Air Force shooting down the suspected Chinese spy balloon that traversed North America.

The balloon row further plummeted US-China ties, prompting secretary of state Antony Blinken to postpone a planned trip to Beijing for long-awaited meetings.
Irans backing of Russias war efforts in Ukraine is expanding to include unprecedented defence cooperation that will see the Islamic Republic purchase advanced weaponry from Moscow in exchange for providing Russian forces with equipment meant for use on Ukrainian territory, the White House has said.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby on Friday said the unprecedented cooperation Moscow is offering includes provision of missiles, electronics and air defence equipment to Tehran, which in turn has been providing Russian forces with Iranian-made kamikaze drones, as well as artillery and tank rounds compatible with Russian-made weapons systems.

Mr Kirby said the US also believes Russia might provide Tehran with Russian-made fighter aircraft, and said the Iranian government has sought to procure additional advanced equipment from Russia, such as helicopters, radar, and combat trainer aircraft.

He added that Russia already recieved a shipment of artillery and tank munitions in November, with those weapons earmarked for use in prosecuting the war in Ukraine.

The National Security Council spokesperson would not comment on whether the potential sale of fighter aircraft to Iran would have any effect on a potential future decision to provide Kyiv with US-made fighter aircraft, such as the F-16 Fighting Falcon.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly pressed the American government for access to the advanced multi-role fighters to augment the Russian and Soviet-made aircraft currently in use by Ukrainian defence forces.

The US has thus far declined to supply Ukraine with any US-made aircraft, but American officials have said other western nations are free to decide whether to offer Kyiv any aircraft that might be in their inventories.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said this week that the process of transferring western aircraft to Ukraine is not easy for the UK because "there's a whole set of things that come along and because the fighters in use by British forces are very different from what Ukrainian pilots are used to.

But Mr Sunak has also pledged to make the UK the first country to train Ukrainian pilots to use such fighter jets or other aircraft if any country is willing to turn over their own supplies to Kyiv.

"It's not just about buying them, it's about tactics, and that's a broader part of the plan, which consists in how we can ensure that Ukraine can protect itself not only today but also in the long term, he said, according to the Ukrainian newspaper Yevropeiska Pravda.
(Bloomberg) -- The US and South Korea held discussions over ways they would respond to possible nuclear attacks by North Korea, which has been steadily building up its capability to deliver a credible atomic strike against the two.

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The so-called table-top exercise held in Washington focused on hypothetical scenarios of North Koreas use of nuclear weapons, the Pentagon said in a statement late Thursday. They were the first of their sort since South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol took office about a year ago and bolstered joint military exercises with the US, a move that angered Pyongyang and led it to step up its provocations.

Both sides discussed various options to demonstrate the Alliances strong response capabilities and resolve to respond appropriately to any DPRK nuclear use, the Defense Department said, referring to North Korea by its formal name.

The US reiterated that any nuclear attack by North Korea against the US or its allies would result in the end of Kims regime. The South Korean delegation also visited a US nuclear submarine facility in Georgia to see military assets the US could use against North Korea, which are aimed at deterring Pyongyang from launching a strike.

North Korea has ratcheted up tensions in the past week by test-firing an intercontinental ballistic missile designed to deliver a nuclear warhead to the US mainland, and firing two short-range missiles a few days later. Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of the leader, threatened to turn the Pacific into a firing range, in a hint the state could start testing whether its warhead designs can withstand the heat of reentering the atmosphere.

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North Koreas official media said Friday the state tested four, long-range cruise missiles a day earlier that flew in figure-8 patterns for a distance of about 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles)  a range that could hit almost all of Japan.

Cruise missiles are designed to fly low to the ground and avoid radar. They move far slower than ballistic missiles and there are no United Nations resolutions that ban Pyongyang from testing them.

The drill clearly demonstrated once again the war posture of the DPRK nuclear combat force bolstering up in every way its deadly nuclear counterattack capability against the hostile forces, its Korean Central News Agency said.

The launch of the cruise missiles came shortly after the US, Japan and South Korea held a joint naval missile defense exercise in international waters.

North Korea for decades has called the joint exercises a prelude to an invasion and nuclear war and state media Friday carried a fresh threat from one of its top diplomats, who urged the US halt the exercises.

If the US continues its hostile and provocative practices against the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea despite our repeated protests and warnings, it could be regarded as a declaration of war against the DPRK, it quoted Kwon Jong Gun, director general of the Department of US Affairs of the Foreign Ministry, as saying.

Last year, Kims regime test fired more than 70 ballistic missiles, the most in his decade in power and in defiance of UN resolutions that prohibit such launches. The North Korean leader has been modernizing his inventory of missiles over the past several years to make them easier to hide, quicker to deploy and more difficult to shoot down.

He also is poised to conduct his first test of a nuclear bomb since 2017. The US, Japan and South Korea has pledged a stern coordinated response if North Korea goes ahead the with blast.

--With assistance from Shinhye Kang.

(Updates with comment from North Korean diplomat.)

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The visor front styling, with thin headlights reminiscent of the slits in a medieval helmet, adds a narrow-eyed, mean look (Supplied)

By far the best thing about the new Vauxhall Astra is its looks. We sort of get used to the idea that mass-market cars tend to be a bit bland and inoffensive; a consequence of the lowest common denominator effect, whereby you avoid offending the majority of possible buyers at the expense of the few who are looking for something more distinctive (and who might be best off looking at one of the premium German brands, with their outrageously massive grilles and in-yer-face styling).

But the Astra, a bestseller for years that deserves to be so once again, is simply one of the best-looking cars to emerge in recent times, in whatever sector.

THE SPEC

Vauxhall Astra 1.2 Auto

Price: 32,565 (as tested; range starts at 24,295)

Engine capacity: 1.2l-petrol, 3-cyl, 8sp auto

Power output (hp): 128

Top speed (mph): 130

0 to 60 (seconds): 9.7

Fuel economy (mpg): 38.7

CO2 emissions (WLTP, g/km): 131

Theres a lot to enjoy about it. It bucks the trend for small SUVs, and doubles down by exaggerating its low-slung stance, which gives it a sporty sort of vibe (it isnt, by the way, but still). The visor front styling, with thin headlights reminiscent of the slits in a medieval helmet, adds a narrow-eyed, mean look, like the one on Melania Trumps face when Donald tries to hold her hand.

The piano-black grille, a new Vauxhall trademark, is a bit too black, and could do with a few chrome highlights around the Vauxhall griffin badge  but again, its distinctive, and generally the black detailing is very tastefully done. Order one with black paintwork, and its almost featureless; just a shape.

It drives and feels much more like its siblings, the Peugeot 308 and DS4, than like the older Astras (Supplied)

The designer, Mark Adams, and his team have also paid a little homage to some past Vauxhall/Opel designs, given that the model started its evolutionary life as an Opel Kadett many decades ago. Car spotters will note the wedge of louvred plastic just past the rear windows, a feature of the Mk I and II Vauxhall Astra, and Im sure the slightly beaky bonnet with the mild ridge running down it is borrowed from the Opel Manta A, a nice old coupe from the 1970s.

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So this is a German car, made once more in the Adam Opel AG, as was, factory at Russelsheim in Hesse, designed by a team lead by an Englishman, and now owned by Stellantis, which is basically Peugeot, which is headquartered in France. A tribute, unfashionable as it may seem, to European integration, then. But although it looks very much akin to a Vauxhall or an Opel, as a modern Stellantis product it drives and feels much more like its siblings, the Peugeot 308 and DS4, than like the older Astras made when Vauxhall and Opel were owned by General Motors.

There are light, simple controls, and nice clear graphics, with the right number of buttons on the dash (Supplied)

So that means light, simple controls, and nice clear graphics, with the right number of buttons on the dash for essential functions and a bias towards comfort. I particularly liked the supportive orthopaedic seats. The automated gearbox in my example could be a bit dozy, and the three-cylinder 1.2-litre petrol engine a touch thrummy, but nothing that should disquiet the average driver. The only actual fault was a slight vibration at higher speeds, coming from somewhere around the front passenger door trim.

The usual suite of driver aids and connectivity is available. Three trim levels, and a range of petrol models, plug-in hybrids, a single diesel option, and a choice of manual and auto transmissions, take you from the base models at about 24,000 to the top of the range at 35,000. An all-electric battery-powered variant will arrive next year. Theres also a quite funky estate model, but sadly no sign of a coupe or three-door. Itd be nice to think thered be a hot hatch version, too: we shall see.

The designer and his team have also paid a little homage to some past Vauxhall/Opel designs (Supplied)

This is the eighth iteration (I like that word) of the model since its launch under the Vauxhall brand in the UK more than 40 years ago, and youd have trouble trying to remember what some of them looked like, though they were usually a good steer, and pretty durable and reliable. This one is very likely the last to be fitted with an internal combustion engine, as Vauxhall envisages full electrification in 2028 (ambitious).

The new Astra also blends some of the best of the old Astra tradition with the best of what the Stellantis group has to offer, but will be less ubiquitous too, because of the inexorable trend towards SUVs. Yet you can ignore all those dumpy SUVs, get yourself into a very smart hatch, and stand out from the crowd. In an Astra, for heavens sake.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has denounced all treaties with Russia concerning the Sea of Azov on Friday, 24 February.

Source: Yaroslav Zhelezniak, Member of the Ukrainian Parliament, on Telegram, documents 0182 and 0183 on the Verkhovna Rada website

Details: Zhelezniak specified that these are the treaties between Ukraine and Russia about cooperation in using the Azov Sea and the Kerch strait and about creating the Black Sea naval cooperation group that have been terminated.

The first treaty was signed in 2003, and 303 MPs supported its termination (with 226 necessary to pass the decision). The second agreement was signed the same year; 305 members of the Parliament voted for its termination.

Explanatory notes list the following denunciation reasons:

Russia de facto turns the Azov Sea, which has the territorial sea and exclusive economic zone of Ukraine, into its own "inland sea", and usurps the rights and jurisdiction of Ukraine as a coastal state in its sea areas in the Black Sea, the Azov Sea and in the Kerch strait;

damages and/or sinks commercial vessels that sail under the flags of different states, and shells the sea ports infrastructure of Ukraine;

besieges the Kakhovka vessel gateway on the Dnipro river, which is a strategically important facility for the Ukrainian maritime industry, grain and food transportation;

besieges coastal drilling platforms in the Black Sea belonging to Ukraine and conducts illegal mining on the Ukrainian Black Sea and Azov Sea shelves.

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






Vet group CVS is setting its sights on expansion beyond the UK, after further revenue growth in the six months to 31 December. (CVS)

Vet group CVS is setting its sights on expansion beyond the UK, after further revenue growth in the six months to 31 December.

Revenue was up 8.2% to 296.3 million, while operating profit increased by 19.7% to 31.5 million.

While some of the growth in revenue and profit came from the significant increase in pets that occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic, Fairman noted that the business has not felt the full effect of this yet.

For our business, while seeing more pets under our care is a great thing, most of those pets are puppies and kittens, he said. Well see more of the effects as they reach the later stages of their lives.

Contrast that with a retailer, who benefits much more as you buy things for a new pet.

CEO Richard Fairman said the business was well-placed to invest in the future, including in expanding beyond the UK.

We are looking actively at markets outside the UK, he said. We have some presence in the Netherlands and a small presence in Ireland but are looking to grow internationally.

The veterinary market is opening up to corporate consolidation. There are markets like Germany, France where theres been some corporate consolidation, but its mostly just starting. What we are looking at is high quality practices and strong management teams.

CVS revenue was up 8.2% to 296.3 million, while operating profit increased by 19.7% to 31.5 million. (CVS)

Besides mainland Europe, Fairman said CVS would look to other English-speaking countries.

The US is a great country and there might be opportunities there, he said. Australia, New Zealand, English-speaking countries where the standards of care are similar, and there are many vets who move from one to the other.

Competition for those assets though is there. We compete with private equity groups that are willing to pay very high multiples.

The CVS chief executive said that CVS hoped to expand through either a large acquisition or buying a portfolio of smaller assets that has room to grow, rather than attempting to build its international presence organically or via acquisitions of individual assets.

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Looking at the current economic environment, Fairman also said he believed that veterinary care would prove to be a fairly downturn-proof sector.

I joined CVS in 2018, but my understanding is that in the Global Financial Crisis, veterinary care was quite resilient, he said.

The one area of spend that did fall away is preventative care: flea shots, things like that.

But there weve probably got more protection than we had during that recession because weve grown our Healthy Pet Club. Customers pay a monthly direct debit to be part of that scheme and get preventative care. The number of members in that scheme continues to rise.

He said the way CVS customers viewed their pets was a major reason why the business model should be resilient.

Whats also happened and accelerated since the global financial crisis is increased humanization of pets.

When I was a kid, people had dogs but they slept outside in kennels. Now they sleep not only in the house but in the bed.
Victoria Gold (TSE:VGCX) Full Year 2022 Results

Key Financial Results

Revenue: CA$321.8m (down 9.7% from FY 2021).

Net income: CA$36.5m (down 67% from FY 2021).

Profit margin: 11% (down from 31% in FY 2021). The decrease in margin was primarily driven by higher expenses.

EPS: CA$0.57 (down from CA$1.77 in FY 2021).

All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period

Victoria Gold Earnings Insights

Looking ahead, revenue is forecast to grow 18% p.a. on average during the next 3 years, compared to a 14% growth forecast for the Metals and Mining industry in Canada.

Performance of the Canadian Metals and Mining industry.

The company's shares are down 9.4% from a week ago.

Risk Analysis

You should always think about risks. Case in point, we've spotted 3 warning signs for Victoria Gold you should be aware of.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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Speak Out is a reader-generated column of opinions. If you theres something youd like to comment on in Elgin or beyond, send an email to ksorensen@tribpub.com. Please include speak out in the subject line.

History lesson: Many Americans ask why we should care about Ukraine? German History 101: 1938 Austria and Czechoslovak taken; 1939 Poland invaded; 1939 Britain attacked; 1940 Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg and France invaded; 1941 Yugoslavia and Greece invaded; 1941 Soviet Union attacked. We, Americans, were guilty of standing by and watching these atrocities take place. This is why we cant stand back any more and do nothing. Russia cannot be allowed to spread their empire as Germany once did!

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Surcharges will backfire: Im rooting for my favorite restaurant to do well now that the COVID crisis is mostly over but does it have to make up for its losses all at once? By the time I got done paying all the surcharges the other night, my bill had increased substantially and I began searching for a less expensive alternative.

AK-47 justification: When will you need your AK-47? You will need it when your own government becomes tyrannical enough to come to take your AK-47 away.

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What he didnt say: Donald Trump visited the Ohio site of the most horrific train derailment in recent memory. As per usual, he turned the solemn event into just another campaign stop while calling out the Biden administration for their inadequate handling of the catastrophe. Missing from his hyperbole, but not lost on the national media, was the fact that his own administration made train travel much more precarious and the environment less safe for all of us.

I dont understand: I just wish somebody could explain to me how three 13-year-olds steal a car, kill somebody and are now home with their parents. I dont know how this could be happening. Thank you, Kim Foxx. Another great job.

What a team: Is it me, or does Joe Biden seem like a deer in headlights when addressed with a serious questions from the press? He pauses, stares, then walks away. Some transparency. Look at Vice President Kamala Harris. After she delivers a word salad of mumbo-jumbo, she cackles like comedian Phyllis Diller. Even worse is the press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre. She provides frenetic hand gestures while telling you absolutely nothing relevant. What a team.
Torture, rape, murder and abductions of civilians, the echoing sadness of the families left behind (EPA)

These are human beings, they have thrown them away like bags of rubbish, whispered Iryna Bondarenka at a mass grave behind St Andrews church in Bucha as she searched for the body of her missing brother. The corpses had been flung into a shallow pit in black plastic sacks. Some had split, limbs had broken free; one palm rose from the soil as if cupped in supplication.

Nicolai Bondarenko had been taken away by Russian troops after the town was captured. His body  fingers broken, ribs smashed, with a bullet hole in the back of the head  was eventually found in the basement of a burned-out house along with two others. This was just one episode in a systematic process of violent human rights abuse by Russian forces in occupied areas.

Torture, rape, murder and abductions of civilians, the echoing sadness of the families left behind, is the familiar sorrow and pity of war: scenes that those of us who have covered conflict have witnessed in many places around the world.

In the course of reporting war we have experienced targeted violence  like in Iraq, where our hotel in Baghdad was blown up by suicide bombers, killing more than 40 people. Fellow journalists, friends like James Foley and Steven Sotloff, have been kidnapped and murdered by Isis in Syria.

But even in this world of risk and strife, Ukraine feels different from other wars. What has been unfolding here for the past year is of seismic significance  a chapter in shaping modern history, akin to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the 9/11 attacks and their aftermath. The norms of geopolitics, as we know them, have shifted fundamentally.

This is the first conventional conflict taking place in the continent since the Second World War. Modern cities are being destroyed by ballistic missiles and heavy artillery, swarms of drones have been sent into densely populated areas. The death and destruction is set to continue with advanced sophisticated weaponry  with more of them, in quality and quantity, being deployed by both sides as they try to claw their way out of a bloody stalemate.

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There was talk that what the Russians did to Chechnya would be revisited on Ukraine when Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion. Those of us who were in Kyiv, at the time, were told that Ukraines capital would be reduced to rubble  like Grozny. There were images of a 40-mile Russian armoured convoy heading our way. We were repeatedly told, in official briefings from London and Washington, to get out of town.

There was a general exodus out of Kyiv with the roads to the west of Ukraine and towards the Polish border, blocked solid with people fleeing. Shops and offices shut, the capital becoming a place emptying by the hour.

A large number of international journalists also left in a rush, some of them rebasing in Lviv, others leaving altogether. The atmosphere among the remaining media became calmer, with those deciding to stay prepared for the long haul. Most of us were relatively experienced, but we had to remind ourselves that we had not been in such a war before between two heavily armed European states  something we have not covered before.

Kyiv got pounded daily and nightly. Ukrainian air defences managed to shoot down a large number of incoming missiles, but others got through  hitting apartment blocks, destroying homes, killing and maiming people.

Ferocious clashes continued just outside the capital. Covering these battles became increasingly risky. Five journalists were killed in the first month of the fighting. They included Pierre Zakrzewski and Brent Renaud, both of whom I knew, who were killed in Gorenka and Irpin respectively. A Sky News team of Stuart Ramsay, Dominique Van Heerden, Martin Vowles and Richie Mockler, all good friends, and their Ukrainian producer Andrii Lytvynenko, were lucky to escape with their lives after an ambush in Bucha in which Stuart and Richie were both shot.

Many of us came under fire as we tried to report the fighting  once at Irpin, northwest of Kyiv, where we had gone with volunteers to deliver aid. Advancing Russian troops cut off the streets around a church where distribution was taking place and started shooting. The residents ran into a church, we left in a hurry.

Two young men, brothers Youri and Valentin Ostapenko, were killed when their car was hit. We abandoned our car and left under the cover of a bridge blown by the Ukrainians to stop the enemy breaking through. We got a lift back to the centre of Kyiv. It took 28 minutes: thats how close the Russians had come to the heart of Ukraines government.

As Russian forces advanced in the Donbas in the spring, that area became increasingly hazardous to cover. The town of Lysychansk came under pounding attack, with Ukrainian forces hanging on. A missile strike on a building distributing aid severely injured a woman we had interviewed 10 minutes earlier. A day later a French video journalist, Frederic Leclerc-Imhoff, died when a lorry going to evacuate residents was hit by shrapnel.

Lurking in the back of ones mind through all this was something that seems unthinkable, the prospect of nuclear weapons being used or a nuclear catastrophe taking place.

But each time there was nuclear sabre-rattling from the Kremlin, or shells and missiles flying around the nuclear plants of Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia, there were questions among the journalists on whether anyone had taken the time to study the emergency safety procedures in the case of a nuclear attack, or which way the wind was blowing.

As the war reaches its first anniversary, one knows only too well that we are at a place that is going through a catastrophe. Around 100,000 Ukrainians who had joined armed forces to defend their country have been killed or injured, along with thousands of civilians. We know some of the dead and wounded from our time working here over the years.

What we have experienced as journalists reporting from here, we are fully aware, does not remotely compare with the suffering the people of Ukraine have endured, and will continue to endure, in this terrible conflict with no end in sight in the near future.
The opening days of Black History Month 2023 have coincided with controversy about the teaching and broader meaning of African American studies.

On Feb. 1, 2023, the College Board released a revised curriculum for its newly developed Advanced Placement African American studies course.

Critics have accused the College Board of caving to political pressure stemming from conservative backlash and the decision of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to ban the course from public high schools in Florida because of what he characterized as its radical content and inclusion of topics such as critical race theory, reparations and the Black Lives Matter movement.

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On Feb. 11, 1951, an article by the 82-year-old Black scholar-activist W.E.B. Du Bois titled Negro History Week appeared in the short-lived New York newspaper The Daily Compass.

As one of the founders of the NAACP in 1909 and the editor of its powerful magazine The Crisis, Du Bois is considered by historians and intellectuals from many academic disciplines as Americas preeminent thinker on race. His thoughts and opinions still carry weight throughout the world.

Du Bois words in that 1951 article are especially prescient today, offering a reminder about the importance of Black History Month and what is at stake in current conversations about African American studies.

Black historian Carter G. Woodson in 1946. Library of Congress

Du Bois began his Daily Compass commentary by praising Carter G. Woodson, founder of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, who established Negro History Week in 1926. The week would eventually become Black History Month.

Du Bois described the annual commemoration as Woodsons crowning achievement.

Woodson was the second African American to earn a doctorate in history from Harvard University. Du Bois was the first.

Du Bois and Woodson did not always see eye to eye. However, as I explore in my new book, The Wounded World: W.E.B. Du Bois and the First World War, the two pioneering scholars always respected each other.

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Reckoning with history and reclaiming the past

Du Bois connection to and appreciation of Negro History Week grew during the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s. During this time, whether in public speeches or published articles, he never missed an opportunity to acknowledge the importance of Negro History Week.

In the Feb. 11, 1951, article, Du Bois reflected that his own contributions to Negro History Week lay in my long effort as a historian and sociologist to make America and Negroes themselves aware of the significant facts of Negro history.

Summarizing his work from his first book, The Suppression of the African Slave-Trade, published in 1896, through his magnum opus Black Reconstruction in America, published in 1935, Du Bois told readers of the Daily Compass piece that much of his career was spent trying to correct the distortion of history in regard to Negro enfranchisement.

By doing so, the nation would hopefully become, Du Bois wrote further, conscious that this part of our citizenry were normal human beings who had served the nation credibly and were still being deprived of their credit by ignorant and prejudiced historians.

In addition to championing Negro History Week, Du Bois applauded other Black scholars, like E. Franklin Frazier, Charles Johnson and Shirley Graham, who were steadily attacking the omissions and distortions of Black people in school textbooks.

Du Bois went on to chronicle the achievements of African Americans in science, religion, art, literature and the military, making clear that Black people had a history to be proud of.

W.E.B. Du Bois, third from right in the second row, joins other marchers in New York protesting against racism on July 28, 1917. George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images

Du Bois, however, questioned what deeper meaning these achievements held to the issues facing Black people in the present.

What now does Negro History Week stand for? he asked in the 1951 article. Shall American Negroes continue to learn to be proud of themselves, or is there a higher broader aim for their research and study?

In other words, he asserted, as it becomes more universally known what Negroes contributed to America in the past, more must logically be said and taught concerning the future.

The time had come, Du Bois believed, for African Americans to stop striving to be merely the equal of white Americans.

Black people needed to cease emulating the worst traits of America  flamboyance, individualism, greed and financial success at any cost  and support labor unions, Pan-Africanism and anti-colonial struggle.

He especially encouraged the systematic study of the imperial and economic roots of racism: Here is a field for Negro History Week.

Black history and Black struggle

Looking ahead, Du Bois declared that if Negro History Week remained true to the ideals of Carter Woodson and followed the logical development of the Negro Race in America, it would not confine itself to the study of the past nor boasting and vainglory over what we have accomplished.

It will not mistake wealth as the measure of America, nor big-business and noise as World Domination, Du Bois wrote in his article.

Under a large headline that reads The Shame of America, a newspaper advertisement lists a number of lynchings.

Instead, Du Bois believed Negro History Week would concentrate on study of the present, not be afraid of radical literature and, above all else, advocate for peace and voice eternal opposition against war between the white and colored peoples of the earth.

Were he alive today, Du Bois would certainly have much to say about current debates around the teaching of African American history and the larger significance of African American studies. Du Bois died on Aug. 27, 1963, in Accra, Ghana.

But he left behind his clairvoyant words that remind us of the connections between African American studies and movements for Black liberation, along with how the teaching of African American history has always challenged racist and exclusionary narratives of the nations past.

Du Bois also reminds us that Black History Month is rooted in a legacy of activism and resistance, one that continues in the present.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Yevgeniy Prigozhin Sergei Ilnitsky/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

As Russia marks the first anniversary of its invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin is giving speeches highlighting Russian unity it its war effort  and Wagner paramilitary chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin has been underscoring the evident divisions.

On Monday, Prigozhin  Wagner's financier and public face, previously known best as "Putin's chef"  obliquely blamed Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Ukraine war commander Gen. Valery Gerasimov for stonewalling his requests for ammunition. He dialed up the attack on Tuesday, explicitly accusing Shoigu and Gerasimov of "handing out commands right and left, that the Wagner PMC should not receive ammunition," which "can be equated to high treason now when Wagner PMC are fighting for Bakhmut, losing hundreds of their fighters every day."

Russia's Defense Ministry denied Prigozhin's ammunition-starving allegation and said such charges only aided Russia's enemies by damaging national unity. Prigozhin called that response "an attempt to hide their crimes."

Prigozhin posted a photo Wednesday of a room full of corpses he said were dead Wagner fighters  CNN called it "one of the strangest PR campaigns in memory"  and claimed "all these guys died yesterday because of this so-called ammunition hunger." He added that "there should have been five times fewer dead" and blamed Gerasimov and Shoigu by name.

On Thursday, he claimed victory, saying the requested ammunition was on the way.

"In the opaque world of the Russian military, it is impossible to know if his troops got the ammunition, or if the Kremlin lost patience and told him to play nice," The New York Times reports. Either way, The Washington Post adds, Prigozhin's public outburst "exposed what the Russian president refused to admit: His war is flagging, and key players in the Kremlin's orbit are now at each other's throats."

Prigozhin stepped out of the shadows last summer, publicly recruiting Wagner shock troops from Russian prisons, offering them pardons from Putin if they served six-month contracts fighting in Ukraine. The convicts made up about 40,000 of the 50,000 mercenaries Wagner has sent to Ukraine, according to U.S. estimates, and the bulk of the 30,000 Wagner soldiers killed or wounded as they led near-suicidal assaults to weaken entrenched Ukrainian forces.

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Before his outburst on ammunition supplies, Prigozhin complained that the Defense Ministry had erased Wagner from Russia's advances in Soledar and Bakhmut. Putin did not mention Wagner in his speeches this week.

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365 days of war

A boy climbs a destroyed Russian tank on display in Mykhailivskyi Square, on Feb. 23, 2023, in downtown Kyiv. Roman Pilipey / Getty Images

Grief and defiance in Kyiv on the anniversary of war, via the Guardian. That we will win is certain, one Kyiv resident said. We know why we are fighting. The Russians soldiers dont even understand where they are.

A timeline of the last year since Russia invaded Ukraine, via AP . "Moscow holds nearly a fifth of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, a large part of the industrial Donbas region in the east and broad areas in the south, including Europes largest nuclear power station. But the Russian military has struggled to regroup following a year of heavy casualties and humiliating setbacks," AP reports. Looking ahead, Russia and Ukraine have acknowledged that a peace settlement seems far off.

What Ukrainians messaged each other in the first hours of war, via the New York Times. "Dad, how are you?" "How will all this end?" "Hold on. I am honored to have such brother as you."

IMAGE OF THE DAY

14-year-old Ukrainian Juliana attends an online class on Feb. 23, 2023, in Jerzmanowice, Poland. Juliana is one of the dozens of Ukrainians who are living at the Green Hotel in Poland, which suspended operations and began hosting refugees when Russia invaded Ukraine. Omar Marques / Getty Images

Our headlines from one year ago

This is what it was like in Ukraine when Russia's attack changed everything. The blasts shook the walls, illuminated my room even through thick curtains, and jolted me up. A moment later, I was in the hallway, where two journalists came stumbling out of their rooms in their underwear, asking me if we should all make a dash for the bomb shelter.

Russian troops have entered Kyiv, putting Ukraine's democratically elected government in the crosshairs. Amid rumors in Russian media that he had fled the country, President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a video to social media on Friday evening showing him and his team outside Kyiv's presidential administration building. "We are here. We are in Kyiv. We are defending Ukraine," he said.

Stories of Ukrainian heroisim are emerging and giving the country hope. A soldier who died blowing up a bridge. Civilians blocking Russian tanks. President Zelenskys defiant videos. The Ghost of Kyiv. Whether theyre well documented or urban legend, these stories are boosting Ukraines resistance.

Still reading, eh? Seems like you might want to get this in your inbox. No pressure though. Just some food for thought.
Russias invasion of Ukraine one year ago marked the beginning of the deadliest war in Europe since World War II and heightened U.S.-Russia tensions to a level not seen since the Cold War.

Both the Ukrainian and Russian people have suffered tremendous losses while the war has rattled the global economy and shaken up the international order.

Here are answers to five common questions about the ongoing war.

When did the Ukraine war start?

Russia invaded Ukraine in the early morning hours on Feb. 24, 2022. Moscow had been massing troops at the borders for weeks.

But the roots of the conflict actually go back nearly a decade.

Why did Russia invade Ukraine?

To understand why Russia launched a conventional war with its neighboring country, you have to understand a bit of history.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, member nations, including Ukraine, broke up into independent states.

At the turn of the century, Russian President Vladimir Putin, a former KGB officer, won election for the first time. Putin, who has railed against the U.S. and the Western security alliance NATO, has sought to reclaim Russian might and restore his country as a great power. He has served as either president or prime minister of Russia since 2000.

At the same time, Ukraine was slowly moving toward joining the Western economic bloc, the European Union.

In late 2013, when pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych suspended plans to sign an association agreement with the EU, Ukrainians erupted in protests called the Maidan Revolution that eventually forced Yanukovych to flee the country.

In 2014, Moscow reacted by illegally annexing the Crimean Peninsula and fomenting a rebellion of separatists in the eastern Donbas region.

Ukrainian troops and Russian-backed separatists have fought in the Donbas region ever since.

In December 2021, shortly before the invasion, Russia also submitted a list of demands to NATO that included rolling back military activity in eastern Europe.

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The demands were rejected by the alliance.

Is the Russia-Ukraine war over?

No.

One year in, Russian forces and Ukrainian troops remain locked in tense combat in eastern Ukraine.

But the war has condensed. Russia sent troops marching toward Kyiv in western Ukraine at the beginning of last year, before its forces were pushed all the way back to the eastern part of the country in the ensuing months.

Still, Moscow conducts regular missile and drone strikes that hit critical infrastructure in cities across Ukraine.

When will the Russia-Ukraine war end?

Bringing an end to the war will depend on several nations and government leaders, as well as various extremely complex factors.

As such, its too hard to tell at this point in time when the war might end.

Both Ukraine and Russia remain firmly entrenched in their positions and are unlikely to budge on any negotiations.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed to retake all territory occupied by Russia, including the Crimean Peninsula.

And Putin is unlikely to give up the four territories he illegally annexed last year: Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.

Peace proposals and attempts to get officials from both sides to the negotiating table have failed.

Theres also a lingering question of whether U.S. and NATO allies should engage in separate negotiations with Russia.

Who is winning the Russia-Ukraine war?

The war has brought victory for neither side, only deep suffering, death and a mass wave of refugees.

Still, Ukraine has won multiple, decisive battles and has inflicted serious casualties on the Russian army. By some U.S. estimates, Russia has lost around 200,000 troops.

In the first phase of the war, Ukrainian troops pushed Russia out of the western part of the country.

The second phase saw Russia condense operations in the eastern Donbas region, made up of Luhansk and Donetsk. Russia also has fortified positions in occupied Zaporizhzhia.

In the third phase, Ukraine carried out successful counteroffensives that liberated the southern region of Kherson and most of northeastern Kharkiv.

Brutal fighting continues mostly in Donetsk and Luhansk. Russia launched a massive offensive to retake the Donbas this month but has struggled to make significant progress.

Ukraine is likely to launch a counteroffensive of its own in the coming months.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Ukrainian servicemen fire a 2S7 Pion self-propelled gun toward Russian positions, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, on a frontline near Bakhmut in Donetsk region, Ukraine January 24, 2023. REUTERS/Oleksandr Ratushniak

Russia's devastating war in Ukraine hit the one-year mark on Friday.

Military experts told Insider that Russia is pushing forward with an offensive in eastern Ukraine.

Putin has a small window to attack before Kyiv receives advanced Western armor, but Ukraine will need to hold out.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's horrific war in Ukraine hit the one-year mark on Friday, and the Ukrainians are facing a new test of their resolve as the conflict enters a new phase.

Twelve months of fighting has seen Ukrainian cities bombed into ruins, thousands of civilians killed, and tremendous casualties for both militaries. As many as 200,000 Russian soldiers may have been killed or wounded, Western intelligence suggests, with recent weeks being particularly severe for Russian forces.

Putin has failed to achieve his strategic objectives in Ukraine, including capturing the capital city Kyiv. The Russian leader appears determined though to capture Ukraine's eastern Donbas region  where the war has been a grinding and bloody affair  and Moscow's troops seem to be making an offensive push to do so.

Experts and officials believe a Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine has already begun, and Britain's defense ministry said on Monday that Russia is pursuing advances along several fronts in Kremina, Vuhledar, and the war-torn city of Bakhmut, where intense and brutal fighting has raged for months.

This is a treacherous moment for Ukraine, experts told Insider. The challenge for Kyiv's forces will be absorbing assaults by Russia's numerically larger force long enough for more advanced Western tanks and artillery to arrive that could drive the Russians back. One expert said that both sides could be looking at a "very bloody summer."

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said last week that Putin is sending thousands of troops into battle, while accepting a high casualty rate, in an attempt to overwhelm the Ukrainians with manpower. "What Russia lacks in quality, they try to compensate in quantity," he said, adding that Moscow hopes to swarm Ukraine with troops even if they lack the proper equipment and leadership.

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A Russian 'window of opportunity'

As Russia moves to send men and weapons forward, Ukraine is waiting for a massive wave of Western-made heavy armor that the US and its NATO allies have pledged to send to Kyiv in the near future. Among the influx of advanced weaponry are much-sought-after main battle tanks like the German-made Leopard, which Ukraine hopes will provide a lethal punch on the battlefield.

Military experts told Insider that it looks like Russia has a small window of opportunity right now where it can strike the Ukrainians before they are outfitted with advanced Western armor.

A Ukrainian officer who gave the name Yuri stands beside a dugout bunker after his team fired four rockets from their BM-21 Grad 122mm multiple rocket launcher at Russian infantry targets in the southern Donbas region, Ukraine, on February 20, 2023. Photo by Scott Peterson/Getty Images

"The Russians are gaining the strategic initiative again because they're forcing the Ukrainians on the defensive," said Marina Miron, an honorary research fellow at King's College London's Centre for Military Ethics.

"Russia has a small window of opportunity before the tanks arrive on the battlefield," Miron said. "They know that it will make it more difficult for them, and they are already planning for that."

Russia, she explained, is trying to seize as much territory, destroy as much equipment, and kill as many Ukrainian troops as it can, hoping to degrade Kyiv's ability of eventually carrying out a counteroffensive.

There is a military strategy focused on annihilation and exhaustion, she said. "This is, to a certain degree, what the Russians are doing now in Ukraine."

Ukraine has to 'hold the line'

Going forward, logistics and resupply efforts will prove to be a critical factor in allowing each side to stay in the fight, experts and officials assess. Stoltenberg warned previously that Ukrainian forces are expending a huge amount of munitions to keep the Russian troops at bay, and this intense rate of fire is straining the Western stockpiles that help fill Kyiv's arsenals.

"We're going to find ourselves in a logistics race when it comes to who can stay resupplied with the basics like ammunition," Jim Townsend, the former deputy assistant secretary of defense for European and NATO Policy, told Insider.

If there's a breakdown in Ukraine ammunition resupply, that's going to be very costly, he said. The Russians have that same problem, and Ukraine is trying to attack Russia's logistics system to degrade its ammunition stockpiles.

Ukrainian soldiers fire US-made "M109" self-propelled howitzer on the frontline, in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on February 17, 2023. Photo by Mustafa Ciftci/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

"We're facing a very bloody summer. We're facing a summer of attack and defense by both sides. And we're facing a logistics war of who can keep up the ammunition to keep pelting the other side," Townsend said, adding that "if we don't keep up a constant pace of resupply, Ukraine will find itself in a bad place."

"But if we can keep up that resupply, they've got a chance to hold the Russians  if not start pushing it back again," he said.

Western leaders have signaled that the main battle tanks pledged to Ukraine should begin arriving in country within the next few weeks. And once Kyiv has these weapons are its arsenal, they could help the country carry out an offensive of its own because the systems provide a boost in mobility, protection, firepower, and shock effect, a valuable tool in a conflict where morale is fragile.

Townsend said tanks could make a difference in an offensive if they're combined with the other armored vehicles, like the US-made Bradley infantry fighters or the French-made AMX-10 RC armored combat and reconnaissance vehicle, and give Ukraine an edge.

Just as the Russians have been trying to exhaust Ukrainian forces, the Ukrainians have been delivering heavy losses to the Russians. If Russian forces have been attrited enough between now and when these weapons arrive on the battlefield, their arrival would give Ukraine an "armored punch," Townsend said. Ukraine just has to "hold the line" against Russia until the armor can get there, and then its forces can attempt to go on a counteroffensive.

Read the original article on Business Insider
WARRICK COUNTY, Ind.  Warrick County School Corporation Superintendent Todd Lambert was selected as the new superintendent of a school corporation in Colorado on Thursday night.

Lambert, who started his job in Warrick County in July 2020, was named superintendent at Littleton Public Schools in Littleton, Colorado. Prior to accepting the job in Warrick County, Lambert was working in the Poudre School District in Colorado, as an interim superintendent.

According to the LPSC website, in its minutes from a school board meeting Thursday, the board voted unanimously to hire Lambert pending contract negotiations. It also authorized the board president and legal counsel to oversee those.

Lambert confirmed to the Courier & Press he has accepted the position pending contract negotiations.

"We hope to conclude the negotiations by mid-March," he said.

Todd Lambert

Littleton's current superintendent plans to retire at the end of the 2022-23 school year.

The website states Lambert was one of two finalists in what was a five-month search, according to the district. Both he and the other finalist had interviews Feb. 22. The interviews were conducted in open session and live-streamed.

He also had a visit to the Colorado corporation Feb. 6.

Lambert has ties to both Indiana and Colorado, moving to the latter for the 2010-2011 school year. Before then Lambert worked as the assistant superintendent for Westfield Washington Schools in Hamilton County, Indiana.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Warrick County superintendent picked for top position in Colorado
A film-industry weapons supervisor made her first formal court appearance Friday on a felony charge in the shooting death of a cinematographer by actor Alec Baldwin on the set of a Western movie.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's attorney said his client will plead not guilty, but the judge did not take that plea during the virtual court proceeding. Instead, the judge issued conditions of release that allow Gutierrez-Reed to keep a gun at home for self-defense.

Gutierrez-Reed and Baldwin were charged last month with felony involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who died shortly after being wounded during rehearsals at a ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe in October 2021.

Gutierrez-Reed's attorney told the judge his client has received numerous threats and was forced to file for a restraining order against a stalker. He said authorities released documents related to the case and failed to redact identifying information that included phone numbers.

District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies told the judge she adamantly opposed the request because of Gutierrez-Reed's sloppy mishandling of firearms and guns on the set. She suggested Gutierrez-Reed could either move or keep a bat or pepper spray in her house instead.

Gutierrez-Reed's attorney, Jason Bowles, challenged the district attorney's characterization and disputed the claim about sloppiness.

There is no allegation that she is a danger to anyone having a firearm within her home, and it's for self-protection because of actions that the state took in releasing private information. That is the reason for that request, he said.

In addition to allowing Gutierrez-Reed to have a gun at home, the judge ordered her not to have any contact with witnesses who might testify as part of the case.

A day earlier Baldwin agreed to forgo a hearing to have his rights explained to him and entered a plea of not guilty.

The judge allowed Baldwin to have limited contact with potential witnesses in connection with plans to complete the filming of Rust. Other provisions included a prohibition on consuming alcohol and against any possession of weapons, including firearms.

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Work on Rust was halted with Hutchins death. Rust Movie Productions says filming is expected to resume this spring, without the use of real weapons or ammunition.

Separately Friday, the producers of Rust agreed to pay a $100,000 fine in connection with allegations of workplace safety violations, in a proposed settlement agreement with New Mexico occupational safety regulators.

The proposed settlement reduces the alleged safety violation to the category of serious, from willful-serious, and states that Rust Movie Productions did not furnish a place of employment free from hazards in that employees were exposed to being struck by discharged rounds or projectiles when firearms were used on the set of the motion picture production.

In April 2020, New Mexicos Occupational Health and Safety Bureau slapped Rust Movie Productions with a maximum $136,793 fine while distributing a scathing narrative of safety failures in violation of standard industry protocols, including testimony that production managers took limited or no action to address two misfires on set before the fatal shooting.

The bureau also documented gun-safety complaints from crew members that went unheeded and said weapons specialists were not allowed to make decisions about additional safety training.

Melina Spadone, an attorney for Rust Movie Productions, said Friday in a statement that the settlement would help filmmakers resume work on Rust.

Our top priority has always been resuming production and completing this film so we can honor the life and work of Halyna Hutchins, she said.

The involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin, a lead actor and co-producer on Rust, and Gutierrez-Reed, the film's armor, are punishable by up to 18 months in jail and a $5,000 fine under New Mexico law.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys are preparing for a likely preliminary hearing within a few months to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed to trial.

Authorities said Baldwin was pointing a pistol at Hutchins when the gun went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza.

Baldwins attorney Luke Nikas said when the charges were announced that they were a terrible miscarriage of justice. He said Baldwin relied on the professionals with whom he worked and had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun.

Bowles had said the charges were the result of a very flawed investigation and an inaccurate understanding of the full facts. He said he believed jurors will exonerate his client.

Prosecutors say assistant director David Halls, who oversaw safety on set, has signed an agreement to plead guilty in the negligent use of a deadly weapon, explaining that he may have handled the gun improperly before it was given to Baldwin.

A judge is scheduled to consider approval of the plea agreement in March. Halls waived his first appearance in court.

___

This version corrects that Gutierrez-Reed did not enter a plea during the court proceeding. Her attorney said she will plead not guilty. But the judge did not take that plea Friday.

___

Montoya Bryan reported from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Associated Press writer Morgan Lee contributed from Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Etienne Laurent/Reuters

The woman whose testimony put predator Harvey Weinstein behind bars for an additional 16 years has until now been known only as Jane Doe 1.

But now, shes ready to tell her story.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, former actress and mother of three Evgenia Chernyshova revealed that the disgraced media mogul and serial sexual predator had raped her in a hotel room in Beverly Hills in 2013, opening up about the trauma she suffered and her struggle for justice in the years afterward.

Im tired of hiding, Chernyshova, 43, said. I want my life back. Im Evgeniya, Ive been raped. This is my story.

Weinstein Decries Setup as He Gets 16 More Years Behind Bars

On Thursday, Weinstein received a 16-year sentence in Los Angeles for forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, and penetration by a foreign object on top of a 30-year sentence he is currently serving for a conviction in New York. Weinstein, 70, who has long denied all allegations against him, will now almost certainly die in jail.

Chernyshova said she got the news while in the car with her 23-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son.

I had to ask my daughter if I understood the English correctly, Chernyshova, who was born in Siberia, said. Shes like, Why are you crying, mom? Its good.

Of the four women who accused Weinstein of rape in Los Angeles, Chernyshovas charge was the only one that led to a conviction.

I believe all of the victims who testified, Chernyshova said. All of them. And I want to say thisthis is not only my victory, this is our victory.

Chernyshovas harrowing testimony revealed her nightmare began when she met Weinstein at a red-carpet event at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood. She did not think much of the encounter until she received a call from the front desk at her hotel later that night saying Weinstein was there to see her.

Chernyshova said opening the door when Weinstein knocked was the thing I have regretted for the last 10 years.

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When Weinstein entered the room, Chernyshova said she saw that something clicked, like a change in his eyes. She became increasingly frightened as she tried to explain to Weinstein that she was married, had children, and was not interested in him.

He opened his pants, and I became hysterical, she said. I was continuing to show my kids pictures, to try to convince him that, I have kids, please do not do that. But he did what he did. He assaulted me in the bedroom, and then he dragged me to the bathroom and he raped me there.

Chernyshova described a yearslong battle with depression and substance abuse in the aftermath of her assault, during which she separated from her husband.

It was a conversation with her daughter, Maria, and a bond over shared trauma that finally drove Evgeniya to come forward with her story, she said. When Maria, then 16, told her mother that she had been sexually assaulted by a boy at school, the two realized just how much they understood each other and made a momentous agreement.

I told her that there was only one condition that I was gonna be able to [report my case], and thats if she also came forward with her case, Maria said.

Chernyshovas call to trial attorney Dave Ring was just the first step in an excruciating yearslong process that included being brutally cross-examined by Weinsteins attorneys. But Chernyshova said facing her rapist and bringing him to justice has made her feel free.

I finally have a voice and I can speak, Chernyshova said. I see my future as beautiful. Its a good one.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Ukrainian Soldiers Target Russian Troops With Rocket Fire In Southern Donbas

A Ukrainian squad launches one of four rockets at a Russian infantry position from their BM-21 Grad 122mm multiple rocket launcher, in the southern Donbas region, Ukraine, on February 20, 2023. Ukrainian forces have largely held off attempted Russian advances throughout the winter, while they wait for promised Western-made tanks and other military equipment. Credit - Scott Peterson-Getty Images

Ukraines heroic resistance against the first year of Russias full scale invasion of Ukraine and Russian defeats continue to stun the world, but the outcome of the war remains in doubt. Ukraine achieved striking successes in 2022 through smart operational planning, the effective use of large-scale Western support, and the enduring will of the Ukrainian people. Ukraine has defeated Russias initial invasion, conducted several successful counteroffensives, and inflicted devastating losses on the Russian military. When Putin launched his full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, few predicted the magnitude of Ukraines successes one year on.

We cannot yet assume a Ukrainian victory, however, and do not know how this war will end. We cannot say that Putin has lost strategically (despite endemic Russian tactical incompetence and repeated operational failures) simply because he has not yet won. Ukraine has inflicted devastating battlefield defeats on Russian forces. The Russian military will struggle to replace its substantial losses for years to come. Ukraine is poised to conduct further counteroffensives in 2023 after the ongoing Russian offensive in Luhansk Oblast culminates. Western unity behind Ukraine remains high, and Putin has lost ground in the global information space. Nonetheless, the Russian military remains dangerous, Putins objectives have not changed, and even a partial Russian victory would be crippling for Ukraine.

Putin is unlikely to ever change his maximalist intent to secure control over Ukraine. Putin has long rejected Ukrainian sovereignty and the existence of an independent Ukrainian nation, repeatedly claiming that Russia created Ukraine, and only Russia can be the single real guarantee of Ukrainian sovereignty. As ISW fellow Nataliya Bugayova argues, Putin has tried to gain control over Ukraine in increasingly extreme ways for two decadesfirst seeking to dominate Ukraines politics in the 2000s and early 2010s; through military intervention in 2014 and manipulating the Minsk II peace framework afterwards; and finally resorting to a full-scale and likely genocidal invasion in 2022. Putin has only abandoned each of these efforts to control Ukraine after being defeated and will not abandon his current invasion easilybut Ukraine can and must defeat him again.

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Read More: Why the People of Ukraine Will Triumph

Ukraine is fully capable of defeating Russias unprovoked war of aggression and eliminating Russias military ability to conquer Ukraine, however, and the U.S. and its partners must help Ukraine do so. Russian forces did not withdraw from Kyiv, right bank Kherson Oblast, or Kharkiv Oblast because the Kremlin changed its objectivesthey withdrew because Ukrainian forces forced them out. In 2014, the Kremlin intended to capture six regions in Ukraine as part of the Novorossiya project and failed not because Putins goals changed, but because Ukraine stopped Russia. The West will not be able to change Putins intent, but it can enable Ukraine to further curtail his capability to wage war against Ukraine. A satisfactory end to the wara lasting conclusion that will secure Ukrainian territory and sovereignty and harden Ukraine against future Russian aggressionis achievable with sustained and substantial Western support.

Enabling Ukraine to defeat Russias invasion is both a moral imperative and an essential U.S. national security interest.

At the core of the issue, Ukraine is simply in the moral and legal right. Putin is waging an unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine, and Kyivs insistence on regaining control of its internationally recognized borders is the normal position of a state defending itself against a war of conquest, not an absolutist demand. Vice President Kamala Harris stated on February 18 that the US assesses Russia has committed crimes against humanity in Ukraine, as ISW has long assessed. Russian forces seek to implement Putins bogus order to denazify Ukraine through the process of filtration  in practice, the targeted killing of anyone Russian forces perceive as a threat. The massacres in Bucha and the discovery of mass graves in Izyum are the most notable examples but are not outliers.

Enabling a decisive Ukrainian victory is furthermore an essential U.S. national interest from every angle, as is increasingly broadly accepted in the US. Americas vital economic interdependence with Europe and obligations through the NATO alliancewhich are essential to U.S. national security and prosperitynecessitate defeating threats to European security such as the current Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine must additionally retake specific areas under Russian occupation to ensure its long-term security and economic viabilityboth of which are in U.S. interests. NATOs security would be materially enhanced by Ukrainian forces liberating Crimea. Further Russian military losses in Ukraine will diminish Russias already severely depleted ability to conventionally threaten NATO or project power internationally.

A view of the graves of Ukrainian soldiers who died in the Russian-Ukrainian war on the first year of the war at a cemetery in Kyiv, Ukraine on February 23, 2023. Oleksii Chumachenko/Anadolu Agency

The Kremlins objectives in Ukraine will not change, and Russian forces will use any territory secured before a premature ceasefire as starting points for further aggression against Ukraine. Any Russian invasion of Ukraine, now or in the future, will inevitably harm Europe, endanger NATO, and entail the risk of a conventional or nuclear escalation. The U.S. must not kick the problem down the road by accepting or worse pushing for a temporary ceasefire that would stop the current fighting while raising the risks of a renewed Russian invasion. The U.S. should instead enable Ukraine to comprehensively defeat the current Russian invasion and harden itself against further Russian aggression.

The current Russian invasion of Ukraine could conceivably end in one of three ways in the medium-term of 2023 or 2024:

1) Putin achieves his maximalist objective of controlling Ukraine through some combination of direct territorial conquest and/or imposing regime change on a rump Ukrainian state. This outcome is incredibly unlikely in 2023 or 2024 unless something surprising and catastrophic occurs.

2) Ukraine successfully convinces Putin to abandon his current invasion by liberating occupied territory and further degrading the Russian conventional military. Ukraine intends to and can win a complete victory, and the West canand shouldassist Ukraine in doing so through timely, sustained, and lasting support. This victory and the reclamation of Ukraines international borders would not permanently end the Russian threat to Ukraine, but would defeat the greatest Russian threat to date and cripple Russian military power, enabling Ukraine to harden itself against any renewed Russian aggression in the coming decades.

3) Russia and Ukraine sign a ceasefire agreement, enabling the Kremlin to secure a significant but indecisive victory and returning the conflict in Ukraine to a static phase like that from 2015 to 2022, though on terms far more advantageous to Russia. The frontlines established by any ceasefire would set conditions for not only negotiations and reconstruction, but more importantly for any renewed Russian invasion, as ISW has repeatedly argued. The Kremlin has repeatedly violated ceasefires in Syria and Ukraine and uses temporary ceasefires as a deliberate tool. Any forecasts or policy recommendations that claim to focus on strictly the final outcome of a ceasefire or armistice, ignoring any intermediate violations of the ceasefire, ignore the Kremlins likely course of action  wherein pauses to reconstitute Russian forces and divide the Kremlins opponents are a deliberate part of Russian campaign design. Furthermore, stopping large scale fighting by forcing Ukraine into concessions would (temporarily) halt large scale fighting but would not stop the killing, leaving Ukrainians trapped behind enemy lines unable to defend themselves and likely enabling Russian forces to concentrate on filtration and further occupation measures.

The war could alternativelyand most likely without timely and sustained Western support to Ukraineprotract for several years, an outcome not in Ukrainian or U.S. interests and only advantageous to the Kremlin.

The Kremlin is belatedly preparing Russias defense industrial base for a protracted, large scale war. Putin explicitly stated on December 7 that the special military operation in Ukraine will be lengthy, and reiterated his commitment to a long war in Ukraine during his February 21 speech to Russian parliament. The Kremlin began taking steps in December 2022 to belatedly mobilize the Russian defense industrial base to support a prolonged war, centralizing control of production and increasing desired output. Western intelligence agencies have recently noted the Kremlin increasingly recognizes that Russias low industrial output is a critical weakness, and while Russia can likely produce large quantities of small arms, missiles and tanks, it will struggle to replace high-end equipment and offset the effects of Western sanctions. Russia remains unable to increase its industrial capacity quickly, certainly not in time to affect the outcome of the current Russian offensive or the likely Ukrainian spring counteroffensive, but the Kremlin can and will begin to rectify its mobilization and industrial challenges over the coming years.

Read More: How Ukraine Turned the Tide Against Russia

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced several intended sweeping changes to Russian force structure in January 2023 to prepare the Russian military for large scale, sustained conventional warfare. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced on January 17 that he will implement sweeping reforms (first publicly proposed in late December 2022) from 2023-2026. These intended changes include increasing the size of the Russian military from 1.35 to 1.5 million; forming 12 new maneuver divisions (almost certainly based on existing brigades); and increasing the number of training grounds and specialists. Russia can nominally form new divisions, but it remains unclear if Russia can generate enough personnel to fully staff them to their on-paper end strengths amid an ongoing war. However, the Russian military could generate large-scale rapid change in military capacity if Putin is willing to put Russia on a war footing for several years and redirect large portions of the federal budgetwhich he is likely willing to do. These reforms and expansions will not affect the war in Ukraine materially for many months but could change the correlation of forces going into 2024 and could establish conditions for a much more formidable Russian military threat to its neighbors, including NATO states, in the coming years.

Soldiers of the Ukrainian National Guard are being trained for combat at a military training ground outside the capital. The training lasts about six to eight weeks. February 24, 2023 marks the first anniversary of the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine. Kay Nietfeld-dpa

Ukraines currently advantageous correlation of forces against Russia will diminish in a protracted war as the Kremlin rebuilds its military capabilities. Ukraine is on aggregate less able to replace combat losses due to its smaller manpower base. Ukraines current leverage is driven by full Ukrainian mobilization on one hand, and Putins failure to fully mobilize on the other. As the Kremlin belatedly and with great difficulty moves to a wartime footing, however, the Russian military can begin to reconstitute itself as Ukrainian forces take further losses. Ukrainian national will remains high, and the Ukrainian military maintains universal support. However, this support could diminish over time as the immediate threat of full defeat further recedes. Western support for Ukraine will drop off over the long term, as Western unity drifts and other future crises take up international attention and resources. While we should not take this forecast as a given and the West should sustain support for Ukraine as long as necessary to ensure a Ukrainian victory, the relative correlation of forces will very likely shift in Russias favor during a protracted warraising not only Russias chances of victory in Ukraine, but reviving Russias ability to conventionally threaten NATO.

The U.S. has seemingly decided on a policy in part optimized to avoid the least likely scenarioa near-term Russian conventional escalation against NATO or the use of nuclear weaponswhich ignores the long-term, more dangerous risk of allowing the Kremlin to reconstitute its forces and fight a protracted war.

The risk of a Russian conventional escalation against NATO or a regional expansion of the war is currently near its lowest pointwhich was likely October 2022, immediately following Ukraines successfully counteroffensives and before Russia began reconstituting its forces. The scale of the Kremlins conventional threats against NATO do not correspond with Russias current capabilities. Inside Ukraine, the Kremlin has a vital interest in preventing Western aid shipments to Ukraine and has repeatedly stated it views Western aid as a military target. However, we have not observed a consistent and lasting Kremlin abilityor intentto strike Western military aid. If the Kremlin were capable of and truly intended to disrupt Western aid shipments, it almost certainly would have done so earlier in the war, before suffering devastating losses enabled by Western weapons and supplies. U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace estimated on February 15 that Russia may have committed up to 97 percent of its army to the fight in Ukraine and that its combat effectiveness has decreased by 40 percent due to substantial losses. The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) further reported that Russia has lost about 50 percent of its T-72B and T-72B3M tanks and many T-80 tanks, forcing Russian forces to rely on older equipment. Russian forces are struggling to conduct an offensive in Luhansk Oblast, much less threaten Poland or the Baltic States, and Russia does not currently have a conventional means to escalate against NATO directly.

The Kremlin additionally remains extraordinarily unlikely to use nuclear weapons either in Ukraine or against NATO. Putins implicit and explicit nuclear threats (and withdrawal from the New START treaty) are aimed at intimidating both Ukraine and the West and are highly unlikely to presage the use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine or NATO. As ISW has assessed previously, Putin remains extremely unlikely to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. Russian forces are likely too degraded to use tactical nuclear weapons offensively by advancing through the immediate aftermath of a nuclear strike (as intended in Russian doctrine), and a nuclear terror strike on a Ukrainian population center would be highly unlikely to compel Ukraine to surrender. Putin would likely need to use multiple tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine to achieve even the defensive operational effect of freezing the front lines and halting Ukrainian counteroffensives. Putin would need to assess that the use of nuclear weapons would halt Ukrainian counteroffensives; that the damage to Ukrainian forces would outweigh the likely catastrophic losses Russian forces in Ukraine would suffer from a conventional US or NATO response; and the effects would be worth the substantial international costs of breaking the nuclear tabooa highly unlikely convergence of events. Finally, if Putin were to use nukes in Ukraine and not end the war decisively, he would have removed one of Russias greatest remaining sources of leveragethe threat of its nuclear arsenal.

Read More: Will Russia Go Nuclear?

The Kremlin is even less likely to directly use nuclear weapons against the U.S. and NATO. This risk will always exist if nuclear weapons exist, but there is no reason to believe that strategic deterrence has failed. Putins stated red lines for nuclear weapons use have already been crossed several times over without any Russian nuclear escalation, and Putin remains a cautious decision maker, as ISW has previously argued. Putin remains dedicated to fighting a conventional war in Ukraine and we have observed no indications that Putin would directly escalate to striking NATO with a nuclear weapon.

Basing U.S. policy on the assumption that the U.S. can never run the risk of nuclear escalation with any actor makes the U.S. fully self-deterring and subordinates national security policy to any actor with nuclear weapons, with disastrous ramifications for global security. Arguments that the West should coerce Ukraine into negotiations with the Kremlin to avoid the risk of Putin using nuclear weapons to stave off defeat ignore the endpoint of their own logic. The assumption that Putin would rather end the world than concede defeat in his conventional war in Ukraine presupposes he is an insane, suicidal leader. If that is the case, how does Ukraine (and the West) negotiate a durable peace with a madman? The argument that the U.S. should not help Ukraine regain its territory as it might lead to nuclear annihilation means that there is nothing to do but surrender Ukraine and anything else Putin wantsnot to mention the ramifications for relations with China. Furthermore, this policy would encourage every predator and revisionist state without nuclear weapons to obtain them as rapidly as possible. A world in which any nuclear armed power is empowered to secure, without resistance, their objectives due to a self-deterring U.S. foreign policy is not preferrable to accepting the extraordinarily small risk that Putin will engage in nuclear suicide.

It is therefore in the interests of the U.S. to enable Ukraine to secure a lasting defeat of Russias invasionand possible to do so with timely and decisive aid.

The West has reason to be satisfied with many aspects of its support for Ukraine. Western support to Ukraine has inarguably been essential to Ukraines survival. Western advising and support in the years leading up to Russias 2022 invasion helped the Ukrainian military resist Russias initial offensive. Western systems such as the Javelin antitank missile help repulse the Russian drive on Kyiv, and the coalition provision of Soviet-era weapons systems and munitions kept Ukraine fighting throughout the spring and summer. The delivery of more advanced system, most notably HIMARS, facilitated Ukrainian counteroffensives in Kherson and Kharkiv Oblasts, and the provision of armored vehicles will enable future counteroffensives. The Western unity that has enabled this support is striking, and Putin fundamentally underestimated the scale of international support for Ukraine his invasion would provoke.

However, the West cannot be complacent or self-congratulatory. Western reluctance to provide substantial and reliable streams of higher end systems to Ukraine has limited Ukraines ability to conduct large-scale counteroffensives. The Wests ebb-and-flow supportproviding aid reactively and in response to perceived Russian actionswas sufficient (though far from optimal) for the initial Ukrainian defense in the early months of the invasion. This approach has not been and never will be sufficient for Ukrainian forces to conduct the major counter-offensive operations necessary both for Ukraine to liberate its territory and for the U.S. to secure its national security interests. Western forecasts that the war is entering a period of stalemate ignore the fact that the Wests piecemeal support for Ukraine is a key factor in delaying Ukrainian counteroffensives. The U.S. and NATO would never supply their own forces in this manner, and Ukraine is likely struggling to plan for further counteroffensive operations due to delays and oscillations in Western support. Kyiv is understandably cautious about planning for and conducting major operations before knowing it will have the munitions, equipment, and replacements necessary to not only begin but sustain them as well. Recent Western commitments to provide tanks and other armored vehicles to Ukraine for further counteroffensive operations are important, but the delays in providing such systems likely cost Ukraine a window of opportunity for a counteroffensive this winter.

One year on, Ukraine needs further timely and sustained support to win this war. Enabling Ukraine to defeat Russia is essential for Ukrainian security, European prosperity, and global stability. Ukraine can win this war, but time is of the essence. The longer Russia has to reconstitute its forces and wear down Western unity, the greater the risks of escalation become. A Kremlin favorable ceasefire would only temporarily pause Russias attacks, and reduce the chances of Ukraine hardening itself against lasting Russian aggression. The U.S. and its partners cannot slow roll further aid to Ukraine and must ensure Ukraine receives timely and lasting support to enable the Ukrainian counteroffensives necessary to liberate Ukraines territory and destroy Russias military power. Ukraines spirited defense has inspired the worldwe must not self-deter from enabling Ukraine to finish the job and defeat Putins invasion.
Lake County Illinois sheriff's police released this picture of a stolen BMW which they believe was involved in a carjacking and child abduction on Feb. 23, 2023 in unincorporated Libertyville (Lake County sheriff's office)

Volkswagen acknowledged Friday that a representative of its roadside assistance program made a serious breach after declining to provide police with the GPS location of a car carrying an abducted toddler.

Lake County sheriffs detectives trying to locate the car Thursday after the childs mother had been carjacked, and then run over with her own vehicle, were told by Volkswagens Car-Net service that the company would not provide the cars location until Car-Net was paid a $150 fee to reactivate the service, sheriffs office Deputy Chief Chris Covelli said.

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The child was located unhurt a short time later, Covelli said. But the delay with Car-Net cost police critical time in their investigation of the ongoing abduction, he said.

Volkswagen released a statement Friday saying that the Car-Net representative had not followed guidelines.

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Volkswagen has a procedure in place with a third-party provider for Car-Net Support Services involving emergency requests from law enforcement. They have executed this process successfully in previous incidents, VW spokesman Mark Gillies said in an email Friday.

Unfortunately, in this instance, there was a serious breach of the process, he said. We are addressing the situation with the parties involved.

The email did not address why the mistake happened.

The sheriffs office said the victim, 34, and her two children had arrived at her residence in the 16000 block of Illinois Route 137 near Libertyville around 3:30 p.m. Thursday. She brought one of her children into her house, and then returned for her 2-year-old son.

As she came back outside, a BMW sedan pulled into her driveway, a man exited the passenger side and attempted to enter the womans 2021 VW Atlas SUV. She and the man struggled before he battered her, and knocked her to the ground.

There was no regard for her or her child, even though she was screaming that her child was in the car, Covelli said.

The man drove off in the Atlas, running over the woman  who is pregnant  in the process, authorities said. Although she suffered broken extremities, she was able to call 911, authorities said, and relay information about the stolen vehicle.

A sheriffs detective, knowing that the vehicle is equipped with the Car-Net system, contacted the company for emergency location assistance, but was told that Car-Net could not help until someone paid $150 to reactivate the lapsed account, Covelli said.

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About 16 minutes after police arrived at the victims house, the BMW and the stolen car drove into a parking lot at a business in the 2200 block of Lakeside Drive in Waukegan, where the child was turned out of the SUV.

Fortunately, a woman inside the business witnessed what happened and quickly retrieved the child and kept him safe until police arrived, Covelli said. Around the same time, a relative of the woman was authorizing payment to Car-Net to reactivate the account.

The delay  16 minutes of hell, Covelli said  rendered the companys information worthless in finding the child.

The mother was scheduled to undergo a medical procedure Friday for broken bones, and was in stable condition, officials said.

She sustained very serious injuries, and was able to do a great job of articulating to dispatchers what had happened, and what they needed to know, Covelli said.

Police recovered the stolen car in a parking lot near Illinois Route 43 and Casimir Pulaski Drive in Waukegan. Police are looking for the BMW used by the carjackers. It is a white 2000s model with a black bumper and a loud exhaust, and was reported stolen this week from a Waukegan car dealership.
With the debut of Netflixs new true crime series Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal and a double homicide trial in South Carolina, theres a question of where Alex Murdaugh is now after being charged with the murder of his wife, Maggie, and his youngest son, Paul.

In June 2021, the unsolved killings shattered the immaculate image of a well-connected and respected legal family in South Carolinas Lowcountry. Murdaugh, whose father, grandfather and great-grandfather were all top prosecutors in the region spanning a collective family history of almost 90 years, has denied responsibility for their deaths.

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If convicted, Murdaugh faces 30 years to life in prison as the State did not seek the death penalty. After carefully reviewing this case and all the surrounding facts, we have decided to seek life without parole for Alex Murdaugh, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said in a statement on December 20, 2022; around a month before the trial was set to begin.

Where is Alex Murdaugh now?

Where is Alex Murdaugh now? The disgraced and disbarred attorney was found guilty of murdering his wife and son on March 2, 2023, and the day following was sentenced to life without parole. Amazingly to have you come and testify that it was just another ordinary day. My wife and son and I were out just enjoying life. Not credible. Not believable. You can convince yourself about it but obviously you have the inability to convince anyone else about that, Judge Clifton Newman said moments before the sentencing, per CNN.

What was the Alex Murdaugh verdict?

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What was the Alex Murdaugh verdict? Jurors took less than three hours to determine Murdaughs guilt. Judge Clifton Newman asked Murdaugh if he had anything he wanted to say before sentencing him to two consecutive life terms, and the South Carolina attorney maintained his innocence. As I tell you again, I respect this court. But I am innocent. I would never under any circumstances hurt my wife Maggie and I would never under any circumstances hurt my son Paw-Paw, Murdaugh responded. And it might not have been you. It might have been the monster you become, when taking large amounts of opiates, Newman replied, per AP.

What was Alex Murdaughs sentence?

What was Alex Murdaughs sentence? As mentioned, Alex Murdaugh was sentenced to life without parole behind bars. Prosecutor Creighton Waters said before sentencing: The depravity, the callousness, the selfishness of these crimes are stunning. The lack of remorse and the effortless way in which he is, including here, sitting right over there on this witness standyour honor, a man like that, a man like this man, should never be allowed to be among free, law-abiding citizens.

Alex Murdaugh. Image: Joshua Boucher/Getty Images

The victims were found with multiple gunshot wounds on June 7, 2021, after 911 dispatchers received a call from Murdaugh at around 10 pm. In October 2021, Murdaugh was arrested in Florida on two felony counts of obtaining property by false pretenses after an investigation into millions of dollars that went missing from a settlement involving the death of the Murdaughs housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield. According to her heirs, they received none of the proceeds from a $4.3 million settlement they said was orchestrated in secret by Murdaugh. He was denied bond.

Amassing charges of what would eventually be more than 100 financial crimes, Murdaugh did not make the $7 million bail set in December 2021 and so he remained in Richland County jail. Murdaugh is charged with the murders of Paul and Maggie on July 14, 2022 and on July 20, 2022, he pleaded not guilty.

Maggie and Pauls bodies were found on the familys sprawling hunting lodge and responders were met with a gruesome scene, according to chief prosecutor Creighton Waters said in his opening statement of Murdaughs murder trial on January 23, 2023. He noted that neither Paul nor Margaret had defensive wounds, as if they didnt see a threat coming from their attacker.

Richard Harpootlian, on Murdaughs defense team, insisted there were numerous holes in the prosecutions case. I want you to hear that 911 tape, a man hysterical and in grief, he said, frequently referring to Murdaugh as a family man who loved Paul and Margaret deeply. Theres no direct evidence. Theres no eyewitnesses. Theres nothing on camera. Theres no fingerprints. Theres no forensics tying him to the crime. None, Harpootlian continued.

A key piece of the states evidence against Murdaugh is video footage which was apparently captured near the dog kennels on the familys hunting property; his voice can be heard in the background. Mr. Murdaugh, is that you on the kennel video at 8:44 p.m. on June 7, defense attorney Jim Griffin asked, per CNN, the night Maggie and Paul were murdered?

Murdaugh initially told investigators he discovered them after returning from visiting his mother, who has dementia, but while on the stand during his double homicide trial, Alex admitted hed lied about where he was on the night Paula and Maggie were killed.

Alex confirmed it was his voice in the video and explained why hed lied on three separate occasions during interviews with investigators. I did lie to them, he said, blaming his addiction to opiate painkillers. I wasnt thinking clearly, he added. I dont think I was capable of reason, and I lied about being down there, and Im so sorry that I did. He continued to deny responsibility for his wife and sons murder. I didnt shoot my wife or my son, anytime, ever.

When questioned again the following day about why he lied, prosecutors noted Murdaughs phone went dark for about an hour on June 7, 2021, the night of the killings, starting at 8.08 pm. Murdaugh insisted he didnt take it with him to the dog kennels. At 9.02 pm, his phone became active again and data shows he made a flurry of calls. At 9:02 you finally have the phone in your hand, moving around and making all these phone calls to manufacture an alibi, is that not true? asked Waters. Thats absolutely incorrect, Murdaugh replied, saying that he started his car at 9.06 pm and drove to his mothers house and returned at 10.05 pm where he said he found the scene of Paul and Maggies badly shot bodies, per the 911 call. Murdaugh testified that he believed the fatal boat crash in which his son Paul was involved in 2019 was the reason for the killings.

Buster Murdaugh, Paul Murdaugh. Image: Courtesy of Netflix

On February 24, 2019, friends Paul Murdaugh (Alexs now-murdered son), Mallory Beach, Morgan Doughty, Miley Altman and Connor Cook and Mallorys boyfriend Anthony Cookall around the age of 19were drinking alcohol on Pauls familys boat. After barhopping down the Beaufort, a highly intoxicated Paul drove the boat back and became agitated by his friends who said he shouldnt be driving.

Becoming more reckless, Paul crashed the boat into the Archers Creek bridge where Mallory and Anthony were thrown from the vessel. Anthony emerged from the water but his girlfriend didnt. Her body was found eight days later. Paul was charged with three felony counts including boating under the influence and causing the death of Mallory as well as seriously injuring two others.

Maggies sister Marian Proctor explained during her testimony in mid-February how, after the boat crash, the community turned against the Murdaugh family. That was a devastating blow for their family. It was a horrible accident but it was an accident. Maggie felt like the community had turned against her and Paul was being mistreated, Proctor said. People would say mean things to him, call him names It was very hard on the family. During his own testimony on February 23, 2023, Murdaugh said his son Paul, whom he called Paw Paw, was so misrepresented in the media following the boat crash.

During his testimony on February 24, 2023, Murdaugh clarified he didnt think any of the passengers of the boat committed the shooting of Paul and Maggie but that it may have been done by someone whod heard about the incident. I can tell you that at that time, and as I sit here today, that I believe that boat wreck is the reason why PawPaw and Maggie were killed. Im certain.

If youre interested in learning more about the family, dont miss Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal on Netflix. The synopsis of which is as follows: The Murdaughs were one of South Carolinas most prominent families, but the death of teenager Mallory Beach in a drunken boating accident began the unraveling of their legacy. When Paul Murdaughthe alleged driver of the boatand his mother Maggie are found brutally murdered, a century of corruption, power, and cover-ups in the Low Country is brought to light. The three-part series will feature first-hand accounts from those on the boat that fateful night, many of whom have not spoken about the crash or double homicide of Maggie and Paul until now, including Paul Murdaughs longtime girlfriend, Morgan Doughty; Mallory Beachs childhood friends, Miley Altman and Connor Cook; Mallorys boyfriend, Anthony Cook; and, several others.

Netflixs Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal is available to stream now.

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The White House on Friday announced a slate of new sanctions against Russia to mark the one-year anniversary of the countrys invasion of Ukraine.

The Treasury and State departments will implement sweeping additional sanctions aimed at further degrading the Russian economy, the White House said in a news release. The new sanctions will target more than 200 individuals and entities  including both Russians and third-party actors across Europe  as well as Russian officials, proxy authorities illegitimately operating in Ukraine and a dozen Russian financial institutions.

President Putin started this illegal war, and he has the power to end it," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Friday. "The United States stands strongly with Ukraine as it defends itself, and we will continue to do so until Ukraines sovereignty is respected and the people of Ukraine can shape their chosen, democratic future in freedom and peace."

The sanctions will target actors tied to Russias defense and technology industry, the countrys future energy capabilities and its metals and mining sector. The White House also announced it will restrict exports to the country and raise tariffs on Russian products.

These sanctions, export controls, and tariffs are part of our ongoing efforts to impose strong additional economic costs on Russia, The White House said in the release. We will continue to work with our allies and partners to use all economic tools available to us to disrupt Russias ability to wage its war and degrade its economy over time.

The announcement marks the one-year anniversary of Russias large-scale and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, which has since led to hundreds of thousands of deaths between both sides. It also comes just after President Joe Biden finished his trip to Poland to mark the anniversary, making a surprise trip to Kyiv on Monday to visit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Friday her department will continue to ramp up sanctions "as we see ways to strengthen them and to diminish evasion," with the main objective being to deprive Russia of the revenue needed to wage war. She pointed to the deficits Russia is facing as a result of price caps the G-7 coalition has placed on Russian refined oil products as one of the ways the U.S. and its allies are diminishing the country's economic power.

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"They're running budget deficits and running down their buffers of assets that they saved for a rainy day, they're using up those assets," Yellen said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

The new measures, announced in coordination with G-7 leaders  whom Biden will meet with virtually Friday  also include additional economic support for Ukraine. The group of leaders has increased its 2023 commitment of budget and economic support to Ukraine to $39 billion, and the U.S. plans to provide up to $250 million in additional emergency energy assistance to Ukraine to help strengthen its electrical grid.

The Department of Defense separately on Friday announced an additional security assistance package for Ukraine, providing new equipment, air defense systems and ammunition.
The White House on Friday warned that Russia may provide Iran with fighter jets as part of an expanding defense relationship between the two countries.

John Kirby, a White House spokesperson on national security issues, told reporters in a virtual briefing that the U.S. has additional information that Irans support for Russias war in Ukraine is growing.

In return, Kirby said, Russia has been offering Iran unprecedented support, and the U.S. government believes Moscow may provide Iran with fighter jets. Iran is additional looking to purchase billions of dollars worth of equipment from Russia, such as helicopters and radar.

Were going to be watching this very closely to see what, if anything, actually transpires and what, if any, transactions are actually made, Kirby said.

There is this growing defense cooperation between Iran and Russia, and its not only certainly going to make things in Ukraine more difficult, but it could certainly make the security situation in the Middle East more difficult, Kirby added.

The White House has previously warned of deepening military ties between Russia and Iran amid Russias ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan said last July that Iran was preparing to provide Russia with hundreds of unmanned drones for use in Ukraine.

And last November, CNN reported that Iran was preparing to send additional weapons to Russia, including short-range missiles.

Kirby said in December that U.S. believed Moscow and Tehran are considering the establishment of a joint production line for lethal drones in Russia.

Friday marked one year since Russia launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The Biden administration announced a fresh raft of sanctions targeting the Russia economy in conjunction with the anniversary, as well as a new package of military and economic assistance for Ukraine.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The White House is calling on congressional Republicans to increase the fines levied on rail companies for safety violations, as a fiery Feb. 3 train derailment in Ohio has become a political lightning rod.

There are still safety and health concerns among residents of East Palestine after dozens of train cars being pulled by Norfolk Southern went off the tracks and released chemicals into the area. The incident has now evolved into a feud between Democrats and Republicans.

The test will be whether Republicans work with the Biden-Harris administration to restore safety protections and pass legislation increasing fines on rail companies when they cause accidents like this, said White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates. Do they stand with us and communities like East Palestine or are they still owned by the rail lobby?

Under current law, the White House said, the highest fine that can be charged to companies for violations involving the transportation of hazardous materials is $225,455. Thats less than 1% of Norfolk Southerns profits last year of $3.27 billion.

Former President Donald Trump, who is seeking the 2024 GOP nomination, went to the village on Wednesday and said the community has been met with indifference and betrayal. Republican lawmakers have criticized President Joe Biden for not going to the site; Biden was in Ukraine and Poland this week.

But his administration is pushing back. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg toured East Palestine on Thursday and said Trump should call for the reversals of deregulation that occurred during his term in the White House.

Trump famously posed in 2017 with a mounds of white paper wrapped in red tape, which he then cut with a pair of scissors. He has argued that trimming regulatory burdens would lead to stronger economic growth.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre repeatedly defended the administrations response during Thursdays briefing, saying thats what leadership looks like, instead of the political stunts that were seeing from the other side.

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She criticized Republicans as all of the sudden interested in safety issues after being against regulations.

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By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mass shootings in the United States accounted for most extremism-related fatalities last year in the country with over 80% of those murders committed by white supremacists, data released by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) showed on Thursday.

The advocacy group labeled 25 murders in 2022 as "extremist-related," with 18 of those "committed in whole or part for ideological motives."

Two mass shootings - one in May in Buffalo, New York, wherein an avowed white supremacist fatally shot 10 Black people, and another in November in Colorado Springs wherein five people were killed in an LGBTQ nightclub - accounted for most of the extremist-related murders of 2022, the ADL report showed.

White supremacists commit the highest number of domestic extremist-related murders in most years, but in 2022 the percentage was unusually high: 21 of the 25 murders were linked to white supremacists, according to the ADL report.

"All the extremist-related murders in 2022 were committed by right-wing extremists of various kinds," the ADL report said.

ADL's Center on Extremism reported an overall decrease from 2021 when 33 extremist-related killings were documented. ADL had documented 22 extremist-related killings in 2020.

Human rights groups have raised concerns over white supremacy in the United States in recent years.

President Joe Biden has labeled white supremacy as poison and called on Americans to reject it. In December, he established an inter-agency group to coordinate efforts to counter antisemitism, Islamophobia and related forms of bias and discrimination.

The issue of white supremacy came back into headlines late last year when former President Donald Trump hosted white supremacist Nick Fuentes at his private club in Florida. Trump said the encounter with Fuentes happened inadvertently while he was having dinner with Ye, the musician formerly known as Kanye West.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by David Gregorio)
Lucy Letby denies the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of 10 others at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016. (SWNS)

Lucy Letby told a doctor she was worried she 'couldn't do this job' and her 'head was a mess' after her manager told her not to come in, her trial has heard.

In a series of Facebook messages with a doctor, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, Letby said: "I'm worried. I can't do this job if it's going to be like this. My head is a mess. Why is she ringing at this time. There must be a problem."

Her colleague reassured her: "There is no problem. The management was appropriate and your recognition of an unwell baby was spot on.

"The care delivered was quick and accurate. I can't fault anything with your delivery of care to either baby (the two triplets) last week. If there was anything I would have said so."

Letby said: "I can't talk about this now. Sorry I just need a bit of time.

"Sorry that was rude. Felt completely overwhelmed and panicked for a minute."

She later said she was having "a meltdown".

Lucy Letby in the dock at Manchester Crown Court. (Elizabeth Cook/PA)

The trial of the nurse recently examined the death of Child O, who was born in good condition, until he suddenly collapsed two days later in the care of Letby and went progressively downhill as medics failed to revive him.

On Wednesday, paediatric pathologist Dr Andreas Marnerides said Child O died partly due to an "impact-type" internal liver injury  discovered after the baby's death.

Jurors were shown post-mortem examination photographs that showed two separate sites of bruising, as well as areas of a blood clot.

The prosecution say that Letby murdered Child P, one of Child O's triplet brothers, on the following day shift.

Letby denies the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of 10 others between June 2015 and June 2016, while she was working as a neonatal nurse.

Latest updates on the Lucy Letby trial:

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The home of nurse Letby in Chester. (PA)

Who is Lucy Letby and where is she from?

Letby's address has been given in court as Arran Avenue, Hereford, but the 33-year-old is known to have lived in the Blacon area of Chester.

She worked at the Countess of Chester Hospitals neonatal unit.

In a 2013 interview with the Chester and District Standard newspaper, the nurse said she cared for babies requiring various levels of support.

She had worked at the unit as a student nurse during three years of training before qualifying as a children's nurse at the University of Chester in 2011.

Letby said she started working at the unit after graduating.

Lucy Letby's parents John and Susan Letby at Manchester Crown Court during their daughter's murder trial. (PA)

When was Lucy Letby arrested and what is she charged with?

Letby was arrested three times over the space of two years during an investigation into baby deaths at the Countess of Chester Hospital's neonatal unit.

The first arrest was in July 2018, on suspicion of the murder of eight babies and the attempted murder of six babies. She was bailed.

Letby was then rearrested in June 2019, again on suspicion of the murder of eight babies and the attempted murder of six babies. This time, she was also arrested on suspicion of the attempted murder of three additional babies. She was bailed.

Finally, in November 2020, Letby was rearrested on suspicion of the murder of eight babies and the attempted murder of nine babies.

A corridor in the Countess of Chester Hospital's neonatal unit where Letby worked. (PA)

A general view taken from a drone of the Countess of Chester Hospital, where nurse Lucy Letby used to work. (Getty)

One day later, police charged Letby with eight counts of murder and 10 of attempted murder. The charges related to a period between June 2015 and June 2016.

She pleaded not guilty to the charges at a hearing at Manchester Crown Court in October 2021.

In June last year, Letby had one not guilty verdict recorded for one of the murder charges.

It meant that when she went on trial in October last year, she faced seven murder charges (five boys and two girls) and 10 attempted murder charges (five boys and five girls).

Letby denies the alleged offences.
Icebergs in Ilulissat Icefjord

Solar geoengineering is a controversial climate solution. Credit - Sergio Pitamitz / VWPics/Universal Images GroupGetty Images

At the Munich Security Conference last week, George Soros got onstage to talk about the existential risk that climate change poses to human civilization, as well as what appeared to be the 92-year-old Hungarian-American billionaires preferred method of addressing it: brightening the clouds over the Arctic to reflect the suns energy away from the melting ice caps. But questions aside as to whether Sorosludicrously maligned in conspiracy-minded right-wing circlesis the best advocate for solar geoengineering, hes not the only billionaire whos recently become interested in bouncing the suns rays back into space. Among the worlds ultra-rich, plans to swat back the suns rays like theyre capital gains taxes (to, as it were, apply a generous helping of sunblock to the earths atmosphere) have seemingly been all the rage.

Bill Gates, for instance, backed a project by Harvard University scientists to test an idea to spray calcium carbonate into the atmosphere in the skies over northern Scandinavia in 2021 (the project was ultimately canned after outcry from local Indigenous groups and environmentalists). Jeff Bezos put Amazons supercomputer capabilities to work modeling the effects of plans to inject huge amounts of sulfur dioxide (SO2) into the atmosphere later that year. Earlier this month, Dustin Moskovitz, a billionaire Facebook cofounder, plowed $900,000 into funding for scientists in Mali, Brazil, Thailand, and other countries to study the potential effects of solar geoengineering. Even the smaller fry are getting in on the action, with venture capitalists giving a combined $750,000 to a company pledging to implement a planetary solar geoengineering project using SO2. That company, Make Sunsets, conducted its first U.S.-based tests last week, launching balloons containing SO2 in Nevada.

Such proposals to essentially hack the atmosphere, known as solar geoengineering, have long been controversial in the climate science world due to potential side effects on global weather, feasibility concerns, and risks of the so called moral hazardessentially the worry that promoting the potential of a quick fix solution could distract political pressure and popular will from addressing the underlying problem of carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels.

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Read more: Inside a Controversial Startups Risky Attempt to Control Our Climate

Basically, the situation is as follows: emissions cuts are the plan A of climate action. Its a no-brainer: were hurling millions of tons of planet-warming gasses into the atmosphere, and we really need to just stop it. Its really also plan B through E. Plan F (a horribly dangerous plan by comparison) would be to give up on trying to cut emissions now and instead hope that putting different chemicals, like sulfur dioxide, into the atmosphere will roughly cancel out the effects. But with time running out and global emissions still going in the wrong direction, the scientific debate has shifted in recent years; some scientists are arguing that we should at least do some work to better understand that risky plan F option, just in case we end up having to use it (the White House, for instance, has developed a five-year research plan to study it). Other scientists have argued that some amount of solar geoengineering can work as a kind of climate stopgapessentially, that if emissions cuts dont come fast enough, we can pursue geoengineering to flatten the peak of global temperatures in the short term, then ease off as emissions fall and the earth starts to absorb some of the billions of tons of carbon weve pumped into the skies.

Some of the billionaires keen on solar geoengineering probably understand the trade-offs, or are being advised by people who do, and the shifting scientific debate is likely whats steering where their money is flowing. The plan Soros touted, for instance, is one being put forward by Sir David King, a former chief scientific advisor to the U.K. government: that a fleet of boats positioned around the Arctic could spray salt water into the sky which could help form sun-blocking clouds.

But there are likely other reasons that, if youre an individual with a net worth equivalent to some nations government budgets, geoengineering might appeal to you. For one thing, a lot of these people made their money in tech, and theyve absorbed the ethos that neat engineering fixes are the solution for most of lifes ills. And then theres the fact that addressing climate change is going to take a truly gargantuan global effort. Part of that involves changing things we already do, like transitioning our power plants from fossil fuels to renewable energy and trading-in gasoline powered cars for electric vehicles. But part of it may also entail much more fundamental changes around what and how we consumean understanding that society cant simply exist as a project to extract ever-greater quantities of resources without, eventually, hitting some sort of wall. If your life story involved working really hard on some stuff in your 20s, and then it paying off so substantially that youre able to spend the rest of your life working on passion projects while everyone around you tells you what an awesome, cool genius you are, youre probably not, on a fundamental level, too excited about some sort of society-level change. In your experience, things have worked out really well, so therefore the thing weve got going right now is probably pretty good. But also this climate change stuff is definitively not-good. What to do?

Solar geoengineering can seem like an answer to that question. Spraying a couple million tons of SO2 into the stratosphere is scary to some, but for others, the idea is comforting, a reassurance that there really is a quick fix for climate change, that we can just try it out, roll the atmospheric dice on some neat tech-fix, and then get on with doing things basically the same way weve been doing them up until now. Hey, its worked pretty well so far, at least for some.
The California Employment Development Department in Sacramento is shown in December 2020. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

Just a small percentage of the at least $60 billion in unemployment payments estimated to be lost to fraud during the pandemic has been recovered, and time is running out to prosecute those who committed the crime.

The statute of limitations for many pandemic-related unemployment insurance fraud investigations is set to expire in 2025. Government watchdogs are pleading with Congress to act, asking House lawmakers in two public hearings held this year to give prosecutors an additional five years to pursue fraudsters who took money that should have gone to unemployed Americans during the pandemic.

"This is a once-in-a-century fraud scheme," said McGregor Scott, who was appointed California's fraud special counsel by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021. "This is the largest fraud scheme ever perpetrated on the taxpayers in the history of the United States. And so in the context of that, why not give law enforcement and prosecutors that extra time."

Michael Horowitz, chair of the federal Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, told the House Ways and Means Committee this month that extending the statute of limitations would give investigators and prosecutors more time to pursue groups and individuals implicated in unemployment fraud.

Were already three years since the beginning of the benefits going out. Weve got a lot of work still to do, right? So, if it runs out in 2025, for some cases, thats going to be a problem, Horowitz said. Were going to need the 10 years.

Because it is early in the 118th Congress, no legislation extending the statute of limitations has been filed, though a proposal is expected to be introduced in the coming weeks.

Congress has extended the statute of limitations to prosecute fraud in other pandemic-related economic programs. In August, President Biden signed two bills into law that gave the Department of Justice and other federal agencies 10 years rather than five to investigate and prosecute fraud cases involving the Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, and the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan, or EIDL.

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When government officials asked Americans to stay home in March 2020, the economy ground to a near-halt. Millions were suddenly without income. Congress approved trillions of dollars in aid with few guardrails, pumping an unprecedented amount of money into unprepared social safety-net agencies. State agencies, including the California Employment Development Department, that were swamped with overwhelming demand for help sent out benefits for months without scrutinizing whether applicants were who they claimed to be, or if they had lost income because of COVID-19.

More than $888 billion in unemployment insurance benefits were paid out nationwide. Millions of people avoided financial ruin, but the Department of Labor estimates that fraudsters claimed more than 21% of the money.

By the time safeguards were put in place, billions of dollars had already been lost to international crime rings, organized efforts to claim benefits filed in the names of prison inmates, domestic crime syndicates and petty criminals who easily gamed the system.

Watchdogs for the Department of Labor, Government Accountability Office and the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, which Congress created to monitor pandemic economic relief, haven't settled on an estimate for how much was lost due to improper unemployment insurance payments, but have provided lawmakers with a range at least between $60 billion to $191 billion.

Haywood Talcove, chief executive of the Government group at LexisNexis Risk Solutions, estimated that along with crime rings operating in at least four countries and at least 800 crime organizations working across state lines within the United States, up to 4 million people defrauded taxpayers.

Then-California State Auditor Elaine Howle released a report in January 2021 saying that the EDD might have overpaid more than a million people since March 2020 after it stopped enforcing eligibility rules so it could process claims faster. Former California Labor Secretary Julie A. Su, who oversaw EDD during the pandemic, is currently in the No. 2 post at the U.S. Department of Labor and is in the running to be the next Labor secretary.

Tracking down and prosecuting those responsible and recovering money are monumental tasks that are only now beginning in earnest three years later. State unemployment insurance agencies were overloaded with information requests, and states not accustomed to sharing data with one another scrambled to open communication channels and legally exchange information. The federal Department of Justice has created three strike teams to help with the flow of information and resources from the FBI to local district attorneys.

California has lost at least an estimated $30 billion to fraud. The House Oversight and Accountability Committee has signaled that the state is among a handful it expects to focus on as part of its investigation.

It's taken time to put together investigative teams and put frameworks in place to allow different jurisdictions to work together, Scott said.

As special counsel, Scott, a former federal prosecutor, facilitates the investigations being done by local, state and national law enforcement in California, but he does not have the power to prosecute. Scott said he has helped a "completely overwhelmed" EDD set up processes to respond to a flood of subpoenas and search warrants from local, state and national law enforcement agencies.

Under state law, EDD cannot legally respond to a search warrant or a subpoena from a law enforcement agency outside California because it doesnt have jurisdiction. Now, requests from other states get funneled through the attorney generals office, which does have jurisdiction, he said.

In June, EDD trumpeted the recovery of $1.1 billion in unemployment insurance funds after Bank of America deactivated unused debit cards loaded with benefits. Seven months later, that total still makes up nearly all of the recovered funds to date. Scott said he expects EDD and Bank of America to announce the recovery of an additional $4 billion from deactivated debit cards in the next few months.

As of December, only an additional $27 million has been recovered in other investigations, according to EDD. Statewide, 1,751 investigations have led to 605 arrests and 278 convictions, according to November figures from the agency, which notes that not all counties report information to EDD.

Scott said he's working with EDD contractors hired to confirm applicant identities to compile packages of information and data about potential crimes and forward them to the proper law enforcement agencies. They've completed about 50 packages so far, he said.

Much of their focus is on going after individuals who committed fraud and, upon conviction, seizing their bank accounts, cash and assets.

Those are much smaller amounts [of money], obviously, than the [$1] billion or $3 billion, but they add up over time, Scott said. We're now in a grinding phase. We've got the pieces in place, and now we've just got to keep grinding to bring these people to account for what they chose to do.

Scott is also working with the new California-based U.S. Department of Justice strike force team, which includes the U.S. Attorneys Offices for the Central and Eastern Districts of California and agents for the FBI, the U.S. Secret Service and several other agencies. The team investigates all pandemic program fraud, not just unemployment insurance scams.

Talcove estimated that about 10% of the stolen money went to individuals, 20% went to domestic organized crime groups and 70% went to international criminal organizations that flooded state agencies with fake applications, often using stolen identities.

Hundreds of investigators across more than a dozen state and national agencies, including the FBI and the Secret Service, are working on pandemic-era unemployment insurance fraud cases. Department of Labor Inspector General Larry Turner told the House Ways and Means Committee that his office has opened more than 198,000 complaints and investigations involving unemployment insurance, and opens at least 100 new investigations each week.

The investigations led to over 1,200 charges, more than 500 convictions and the recovery of at least $900 million, Turner said.

State prosecutors aren't set up to go after the international crime rings that stole the majority of the unemployment money, or the criminal organizations that operate in multiple states. That job largely falls to the Secret Service, which is tasked with protecting the U.S. financial infrastructure, and Department of Justice.

International cases are the most convoluted and will take years to complete, Horowitz said. The rings are based in countries including Nigeria, China and Russia that are unlikely to extradite, making it even more unlikely the leaders of such crime rings will face prison time in the United States.

One of the biggest challenges we have is following the fraud through overseas gang activity and fraudsters, Horowitz said.

David Smith, assistant director of the Secret Service Office of Investigations, told the House Oversight Committee this month that the agency has assisted in returning about $3 billion in unemployment insurance benefits since 2020 and has initiated more than 2,300 unemployment insurance fraud investigations.

Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin), who served in the state Assembly during the first years of the pandemic, said Congress needs to give prosecutors additional time to prosecute fraud.

"Those limits were formulated certainly not with a fraud of this scale in mind. We've never seen anything like it. And so it's really just overwhelming the capacity of our court system and our law enforcement agencies to deal with that volume of claims within the allotted time," he said.

Even if Congress provides another five years to prosecute, government watchdogs acknowledge that most of the billions of dollars lost to fraud will never be recovered.

Still, Horowitz said, they have to try.

"The recovery rate is clearly going to be far below what the fraud rate is. Having said that, the public should know we're gonna do everything we can in our power to try and track down and find every dollar," he said. "Congress has given us tools to do that. We're asking for some more. And we're going to do everything we can."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A Feral Bull in Gila National Forest

Forest officials said the feral cattle in the Gila Wilderness, like this bull, have been aggressive towards visitors, graze year-round, and trample stream banks and springs, causing erosion and sedimentation. Credit - Courtesy of Robin Silver

The U.S. Forest Service has gotten approval to fly helicopters with sharpshooters into southwestern New Mexico to hunt down 150 feral cattle and shoot them from the air.

The aerial shooting is slated take place over four days beginning on Thursday at the Gila Wilderness, a vast undeveloped area of more than three million acres known for its mountain ranges and deep, rock-walled canyons. Officials said the decision to remove the cattle was necessary to protect public safety and biodiversity since an abundance of wild cattle roaming around can threaten the habitats of other species, water quality, and the natural character of the wilderness area.

The feral cattle in the Gila Wilderness have been aggressive towards wilderness visitors, graze year-round, and trample stream banks and springs, causing erosion and sedimentation, Camille Howes, the Gila National Forest supervisor, said in a statement. Roughly 390,000 people visit the forest every year, primarily for hiking and viewing natural features, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Along the Gila River, the feral cattle are said to trample stream banks and springs, causing erosion and sedimentation. Courtesy Robin Silver

But lethal removal of cattle and other species including wild horse on public land has long been a divisive issue, with environmentalists and ranchers often at odds over how to control populations of non-native animals that damage habitats. This weekends planned removal comes a year after about 65 cattle were shot in a similar manner in Gila, also because of overpopulation. An estimated 150 to 200 feral cattle remain in the area.

Cattle ranchers in New Mexico sued the U.S. Forest Service over the aerial shooting, contending that the governments plan endangers their privately owned cattle, but their legal challenge was unsuccessful. The plaintiffs argued that if their cattle are killed in the governments aerial patrols, it would be difficult to know because the agencies plan to leave the carcasses to decompose.

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However, some environmentalists believe that the feral cattle pose a significant danger to the native wildlife and river habitatsand therefore must be eliminated irrespective of the costs involved.

Theres no doubt that this is the right decision, Robin Silver, co-founder of the Center for Biological Diversity in Tucson, Ariz., tells TIME. It is the right decision and its the only decision because all non-lethal methods have failed.

He says that previous attempts to round up the herds using wranglers and horses on the ground have posed safety risks and yielded just a 50% mortality rate of captured feral cattle given the areas remoteness and rugged topography, as well as the wild nature of the cattle.

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What these cows do is they denude the streams that are tributary to the Gila River, Silver adds, so theres wide swaths of erosion and lack of vegetation now because thats where the cows hang out. Its now at the point that the damage is extensive. This has been an increasing problem over the last many decades, and it really reached a threshold where it cant wait any longer to be addressed.

Other species have also been targeted by environmentalists in recent years through government-backed programs. Thousands of wild horses were rounded up by helicopters across the West as part of a massive effort by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to thin mustang populations, which federal officials say is degrading public lands and wildlife habitat. Aerial shooting of feral hogs is also a common practice, particularly in Texas, where the state government has funded programs to limit the spread of the invasive species that can cause millions of dollars in damage to farmland and livestock annually.

In addition to shooting from helicopters, the U.S. in late 2019 reauthorized the use of so-called cyanide bombs to poison coyotes, foxes and feral dogs that could threaten private livestock. The controversial traps, also known as M-44s, are planted in the wild and designed to lure in predators with bait before releasing a deadly dose of sodium cyanide.
The Biden administration is targeting the latest munitions in Russias war in Ukraine: coffee makers, toasters, air conditioner units, hair dryers and microwaves.

Those common household items contain microchips and other components that Russia has used to repair and replace military equipment, U.S. officials say.

The administration on Friday rolled out a slate of new rules seeking to cut off Moscows access to even low-level microchips found in basic electronics. The action recognizes a shift in how Russia is equipping its war-fatigued military and reflects how the U.S. and its allies are changing tactics.

Were seeing Russia increasingly use dual-use goods to further their military industrial complex, tearing out semiconductors from everything to fridges to microwaves in order to put them in military equipment, Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said in remarks on Tuesday that provided a broad preview of this weeks action.

What were going to do is further tighten our exports controls and sanctions to go after these dual-use goods we know are furthering their war effort, he added.



At the start of the war, the U.S. rallied a group of 36 countries to coordinate so-called export controls that prevented Moscow from procuring advanced microchips and software that could feed its war machine. Russia, however, continues to supply its military through unconventional means, which is testing the limits of the coalitions export restrictions. The experience has forced a rethink of how the U.S. applies the Cold War-era regulations not only to Russia but also long-term adversaries like China and Iran.

The Commerce Department on Friday added hundreds of items  from kitchen appliances to auto parts  to a list that now requires a special license to export to Russia, which in most cases will be denied. It also expanded export controls aimed at Iran, which has continued to provision Russias military, and slapped 86 entities on a trade blacklist due to their ongoing support of the war effort.

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The export control measures were part of broader enforcement actions taken by the U.S. and G-7 countries on Friday. The Treasury Department separately imposed sanctions on 200 people and entities in finance, defense, mining and other sectors critical to Russias economy. And the administration raised tariffs on 100 Russian metals, minerals and chemical products.

They're doing what I think sanctions experts knew was going to happen sooner or later, which is they're plugging holes, said William Reinsch, a scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and former undersecretary of Commerce for export administration during the Clinton administration. Anytime you impose sanctions there's going to be leakage.

Even as the Biden administration has worked to block the sale of critical items to Russia, other countries have gladly stepped into the breach. Exports to Russia from China, Belarus, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia and Uzbekistan are now above pre-war levels, according to a report from Silverado Policy Accelerator, a non-profit organization.

That could happen with the latest round of restrictions, as well, unless the U.S. convinces more countries to adopt similar trade restrictions, experts say. The U.S. must also keep cracking down on companies that it discovers are selling prohibited technology to the Russian military.

The irony here is the U.S. doesnt make too many refrigerators, said Doug Jacobson, an export control attorney.

This is kind of the best you can do, keep identifying the people that are cheating and keep sanctioning them, Reinsch added. But there's always another move in this game, on both sides.

While theres certainly evidence global export controls and sanctions have debased Russias economy, its also clear they have not crippled it completely.

Russian exports grew by 15.6 percent in value in 2022 because of oil, gas and fertilizer prices spiking  a perverse effect of the war and sanctions tightening global markets and pushing prices up, according to a new report from the World Trade Organization. Its trade with several countries, including China, India and Turkey, increased last year.

Still, there are signs Russia is struggling. The Russian economy dipped 2.2 percent in 2022 as global sanctions took effect, according to the International Monetary Fund. Export controls have especially hampered the countrys automobile, aerospace and manufacturing sectors, while energy sanctions and price caps have taken a bite out of Moscows lucrative oil income.

Adeyemo asserted the efforts up to now have prevented Russia from being able to replace more than 9,000 pieces of military equipment. He also emphasized in his speech that China cannot provide the advanced semiconductors Russia needs for its war effort and nearly 40 percent of the less advanced microchips China is providing Russia are defective.



The multinational cooperation on sanctions since Russias invasion of Ukraine last year has been something of a test for how allied countries can use economic penalties to punish aggressive regimes. Some trade experts say that the coalition-building strategy is working, albeit slowly.

What the evidence would show is that the export controls have had a significant impact, said Michael Smart, the managing director at Rock Creek Global Advisors. It's not immediate. It's not like flipping a switch. It's more of a strangulation. And it's something that you see over time.

The Biden administrations ability to quickly align foreign allies against Russia was likely facilitated by the international coalition that the Obama administration built in 2014 to push back against Putins invasion of Crimea, notes Edward Fishman, a State Department official during the Obama years who is now a senior researcher at Columbia Universitys Center for Global Energy Policy.

Hatching new export control coalitions could become key to economic warfare with another major power: China.

The administration is now trying to build a similar coalition for China, for the export controls it has been putting in place on the Chinese high-end semiconductors, for instance, Fishman said. And I think that's why, because it's much better to forge that coalition before a crisis breaks out than it is to scramble to build it after a crisis is already underway.

What we're seeing is the embryonic version of alliances like NATO, but built for economic war not military war, he continued.

But the challenges posed by China are distinctly different, and not only because China is a much more intimidating economic power. While alignment against China has been growing, the U.S. has had to actively persuade allies to join measures like the ban on telecom giant Huawei and export controls on microchip equipment.

A lot of our allies have basically made the point that China is not Russia, which isn't to say China isn't a threat, they would agree that it is, but just that the circumstances are not the same, said Smart, who served on former President George W. Bushs National Security Council.

You don't automatically get the same quick, unified approach that you had in response to the brutal invasion of Ukraine, he continued.

Gavin Bade and Adam Behsudi contributed to this report.
Cary Grant, seen here in Alfred Hitchcock's "North by Northwest," is one of several well-known actors never to have won an Academy Award for acting other than an honorary one in 1970. Steven Franzel will talk about the long list of artists and movies that never received Oscars Tuesday in a lecture at the 95th Street Library. (MGM Archive / HANDOUT / Handout)

SUNDAY

Dan Santat book event: Caldecott Medal-winning author Dan Santat will sign copies of his book, A First Time for Everything, at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26, at Andersons Bookshop, 123 W. Jefferson Ave. Register at www.andersonsbookshop.com.

More than a Color: Artist, writer, photographer, publisher and filmmaker Karen J. Anderson will lead a free presentation, More than a Color: The Marginalization of African Beauty Through History, at 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26, at Naper Settlement, 523 S. Webster St. Register at www.napersettlement.org.

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TUESDAY

Joe Napers Discovery Play: Preschool-aged children can learn about dentists during Joe Napers Discovery Play at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, at Naper Settlement, 523 S. Webster St. Register at www.napersettlement.org.

Losing at the Oscars: Steven Franzel will talk about the long lists of artists and movies that didnt win an Academy Award in a lecture at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, at the 95th Street Library, 3015 Cedar Glade Drive. To view the program virtually, obtain a Zoom link at www.naperville-lib.org.

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WEDNESDAY

Indoor StoryWalk: Children and their families can stroll the library to read pages from a featured picture book during the Indoor StoryWalk Wednesday, March 1, at the Nichols Library, 200 W. Jefferson Ave., and the 95th Street Library, 3015 Cedar Glade Drive. For more information, go to www.naperville-lib.org.

Bark for Books: Elementary school-aged children can read aloud to a certified therapy dog at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 1, at the 95th Street Library, 3015 Cedar Glade Drive. No registration is required, but the program will be limited to the first 12 children who pick up a ticket at 5:30 p.m. For more information, go to www.naperville-lib.org.

Embroidery Drop-In: Learn how to make a handkerchief using an embroidery machine during a drop-in session from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 1, at the Nichols Library, 200 W. Jefferson Ave. For more information, go to www.naperville-lib.org.

Manage Your Paper: Organize Me of New York will talk about managing your everyday paperwork and creating a filing system in a virtual lecture at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 1. Register for a Zoom link at www.naperville-lib.org.

Melissa de la Cruz book event: Melisssa de la Cruz will take questions and sign copies of her book, The Headmasters List, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 1, at Andersons Bookshop, 123 W. Jefferson Ave. Register at www.andersonsbookshop.com.

THURSDAY

A Visit with Jane Austen: A lecture about author Jane Austen based on her letters and novels will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, March 2, at the 95th Street Library, 3015 Cedar Glade Drive. To attend the event virtually, obtain a Zoom link at www.naperville-lib.org.

STEAM Storytime: Preschool-age children and their caregivers can learn about science, technology, engineering, art and math through stories, songs and hands-on projects in STEAM Storytime at 4:15 p.m. Thursday, March 2 at the 95th Street Library, 3015 Cedar Glade Drive. For more information, go to www.naperville-lib.org.

Gillian McDunn book event: Gillian McDunn will talk about and sign copies of her book, When Sea Becomes Sky, at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 2, at Andersons Bookshop, 123 W. Jefferson Ave. Register at www.andersonsbookshop.com.

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Author/cartoonist Lincoln Peirce (HarperCollins / HANDOUT)

Lincoln Peirce book event: Lincoln Peirce will talk about and sign copies of his book, Big Nate: Nailed It, in a book event at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 2, at Stevenson Hall in the Wentz Science Center, 131 S. Loomis St. Register at www.andersonsbookshop.com.

FRIDAY

An Evening of Jazz: North Central College will feature its An Evening of Jazz Spring Concert, featuring several faculty members at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 3 at the Madden Theatre, 171 E. Chicago Ave. Tickets are $15. For more information, go to finearts.northcentralcollege.edu.

FRIDAY TO SUNDAY

The Odd Couple: Brightside Theatre will present the Neil Simon classic comedy, The Odd Couple, at 8 p.m. Friday, March 3 and Saturday, March 4 and at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 5 at the Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall, 31 S. Ellsworth St. Tickets are $33 for adults and $28 for seniors and students. For more information, go to www.brightsidetheatre.com.

SATURDAY

District 204 Mental Health Symposium: Indian Prairie District 204 will host a Mental Health Symposium from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, March 4 at Metea Valley High School, 1801 N. Eola Road. The event includes a continental breakfast, keynote session, breakout session and a community resource fair. Childcare will be provided for children ages 3 to 10. For more information, go to www.ipsd.org.

Pruning Landscape Plants: A class on using proper pruning techniques to maintain plant health will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 4 at Knoch Knolls Nature Center, 320 Knoch Knolls Road. The class is free, but registration is required at www.napervilleparks.org.

Dual Language Storytime: A dual language storytime for families featuring books, rhymes and songs presented in Russian will be held at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, March 4, at the 95th Street Library, 3015 Cedar Glade Drive. For more information, go to www.naperville-lib.org.

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Chords for Kids: North Central Concert Winds will perform its Chords for Kids concert for children with autism and special needs at 7p.m. Saturday, March 4, at Wentz Concert Hall, 171 E. Chicago Ave. Obtain free tickets at finearts.northcentralcollege.edu.

SUNDAY

Road to Les Miz: Brian Lynch, a retired North Central College theater teacher and award-winning actor, will perform The Road to Les Miz at 3 and 6 p.m. Sunday, March 5, at the Madden Theatre, 171 E. Chicago Ave. Tickets are $30 to $35. For more information, go to finearts.northcentralcollege.edu.
A Wilmington man pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter on Wednesday.

A Wilmington man will serve six to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter in connection with a July 2020 shooting.

According to a news release from District Attorney Ben Davids office, William Slater entered the guilty plea in New Hanover County Superior Court Wednesday.

Slater was arrested and charged in South Carolina after police say he fled the state following the downtown Wilmington shooting. According to the release, officers responded to 1017 Ann Street late on July 11, 2020, and found the victim, Michael Carr, dead from a gunshot wound.

Witnesses said Slater and Carr had been involved in an altercation at a block party in the area that evening. A witness said Carr identified Slater as the shooter before he died, the release said.

Superior Court Judge Frank Jones sentenced Slater to 73 to 100 months in prison.

Reach reporter Jamey Cross at jbcross@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Wilmington man pleads guilty to voluntary manslaughter
Winter Storm Olive has battered the American Midwest this week, bringing heavy snow, blizzard conditions and significant ice and prompting the cancellation of hundreds of flights.

Nearly a million people were left without power on Thursday morning, with Michigan the worst-impacted state.

By Friday, the heavy snowfall threat was set to zone in on California. The states southern mountains are under a rare blizzard warning, with 100+ inches forecast at the Mount Baldy ski resort in the Angeles National Forest.

But while deep Arctic air caused temperatures to plummet as much as 30 to 40 degrees below average in parts of the West and Plains, the US also experienced its first 100-degree day of 2023.

Falcon Lake in Texas hit 100F on Wednesday as temperature records were broken across the southwest.

You might be wondering how and why hurricanes and storms like this come to be given human names.

The custom of naming weather fronts originated in the 1900s in tandem with the earliest days of radio enabling ship-to-shore telecommunication for the first time.

Originally only given female names in accordance with nautical tradition, the idea of personifying extreme weather events was to ensure they could be clearly distinguished from one another through a system that was easier to remember than serial numbering.

Meteorologists, coast guards and ships captains could relay information clearly without fear of misunderstanding.

The first storm of each calendar year was given a name beginning with A, the second B and so on.

In 1953, the process became more systematised in the hands of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations National Hurricane Centre (NHC), which drew up lists of names that could be repeated every few years for storms taking shape in the North Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea.

In 1978, mens names were introduced for storms in the northern Pacific, with the Atlantic following a year later, a move intended to make the process less sexist following complaints from members of the public.

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A layer of snow and ice is seen outside the 120-inch telescope observation tower at Lick Observatory in Mount Hamilton, California, on Thursday 23 February 2023 (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle/AP)

The gender now alternates every year, with six lists of 21 names in rotation (names beginning with Q, U, X, Y and Z are not considered).

Should there be more than 21 storms in any one calendar year (a rare occurrence), they are named after characters from the Greek alphabet: Alpha, Beta, Delta, Gamma and so on.

Should a particularly severe hurricane hit and cause fatalities, the name will be retired from future lists out of respect for the families who lost loved ones.

Katrina, for instance, will not be used again in the wake of the devastation caused to the Gulf Coast and southern US in August 2005.

The naming process for Atlantic storms is now the remit of the World Meteorological Organisations Tropical Cyclone Committee while the NHC retains responsibility for the Pacific.

In-land winter storms, however, have been the remit of The Weather Channel since the winter of 2012/13.

The channel names storms alphabetically based on two criteria: if there is a National Weather Service warning in place for a winter storm, blizzard or ice storm covering a population of at least 2 million and/or if such warnings cover an area of at least 400,000 square kilometers.

The Weather Channel chooses its names from a list that excludes those already used by the NHC within the last six years or any retired hurricane names.

Its simply easier to communicate about a complex storm if it has a name, which our naming programme has demonstrated, the Weather Channel's Bryan Norcross has said.

Good communications benefits everyone.

In the UK, where the threat from storms is much reduced, the Met Office has invited members of the public to submit their own naming suggestions via social media since 2015.
Wet winter weather is exacerbating an already stinky situation for San Diego County, where a slurry of sewage has been seeping across the southern border for the past two weeks.

What I expect is that they double the volume of wastewater over the wet days that we are anticipating, Hassan Davani, an assistant professor of water resources engineering at San Diego State University, told The Hill.

The sewage influx is the result of a pipeline rupture across the border in Tijuana that began on Feb. 10, according to the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), a U.S.-Mexican entity that oversees shared water resources.

Water infrastructure worldwide always has a certain number of cracks and holes  meaning that rainfall can easily infiltrate these systems, Davani explained. So when an inordinate amount of sewage is already polluting a populous shoreline, a winter downpour is bound to make things messier.

That means more and more wastewater to have to be handled, Davani said.

The leakage began in Tijuana when a private developer accidentally damaged a 60-inch pipeline south of the city, leading the State Commission of Public Services of Tijuana to shutter pumping stations in its water conveyance system, the IBWC reported.

That closure ultimately led to transboundary flow in the canyons along the U.S.-Mexico border and Tijuana River as well as discharge of wastewater to the coast in Mexico, per the IBWC.

For nearly two weeks, raw sewage was gushing toward Southern Californias coast, shutting down shorelines in Border Field State Park, Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge, Imperial Beach and Silver Strand on Coronado Island, just south of San Diego.

On Wednesday evening, the IBWC reported that authorities in Tijuana had completed scheduled repair work, successfully diverting the flow from the broken conduit into a parallel pipeline and resuming pump operations.

Wastewater flows are returning to normal and excess flows into the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant will be reduced, a statement from the IBWC said, referring to a treatment plant in San Diego County that treats some of Tijuanas sewage.

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Nonetheless, a massive amount of sewage had already leaked just in time for an unusual bout of winter weather to sweep through the region.

Rainfall that began pummeling the area on Wednesday was expected to continue through Saturday, with meteorologists forecasting up to five feet of snow in the countys mountains.

Even if its fixed, like 100-percent fixed, [for] at least 72 hours, the water is highly polluted for any activity, Davani said. Even if they fix the pipe, the bacteria that was released the past few days  thats still in the environment.

While the root of this specific leakage has now been repaired, the incident speaks to a broader trend of infrastructural breakdowns that regularly shuttle Tijuanas sewage toward San Diego.

I wont be surprised to hear next few days, next week or anytime in the future [that] there are additional raw wastewater discharges into the Tijuana River from the Mexico side, Davani said.

What theyre dealing with is basically the lack of infrastructure capacity, he added.

The Tijuana River Watershed originates in the U.S., before crossing the border into Mexico and then returning north to California once again.

Anytime they have any raw sewage discharge to the Tijuana River, it ends up being in U.S., Davani said. Thats just the nature of that watershed  its sloped that way.

Although the Tijuana River watershed begins and ends in the U.S., about 75 percent of the basin is located in Mexico, according to the California Water Boards.

The watershed passes through the densely urbanized city of Tijuana before draining into the Tijuana River estuary in California and ending up in the Pacific Ocean via Imperial Beach.

Asked if the sewage flow situation could get worse during the ongoing storm, Gabriela Munoz Melendez, a professor at Tijuanas College of the Northern Frontier, told The Hill in an email: Storms always cause chaos in Tijuana due to uncontrolled urbanization, lack of services and socially constructed risk.

Earlier this week, courts finalized a longstanding legal settlement related to Tijuanas sewage spread  closing a case that Imperial Beach, Chula Vista and the Port of San Diego had launched against the American contingent of the IBWC.

The case, settled in April 2022, had alleged that the IBWC violated the Clean Water Act by failing to prevent transboundary sewage flows into the Tijuana River Valley, according to a press release issued this week by the Port of San Diego.

As part of the settlement, the plaintiffs dismissed the Clean Water Act claims, while the IBWC began taking steps to mitigate the impacts of transboundary water contamination.

We are committed to working collaboratively with the federal government to solve, once and for all, one of the worst water pollution crises in America, Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre said in a statement.

Among the actions being taken by the IBWC are the installation and maintenance of temporary sediment berm  stone filters made of loose gravel  to stop dry weather transboundary flows, according to the press release.

The IBWC also agreed to perform daily inspections and cleaning of wastewater flow collectors in conjunction with the Tijuana public services commission, as well as install water monitoring catch basins at each collector.

Also included in the settlement was the implementation of a plan for spillages at a particularly problematic collector, and the publication of flow events on social media.

In addition to the IBWCs plans, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has invested $300 million as part of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which will in part fund the expansion of the South Bay International Treatment Plant, per the press release.

Implementation of the settlement agreement is well underway, IBWC Secretary Sally Spencer told The Hill in an emailed statement.

Weve purchased additional equipment that can be deployed in either country to respond to any problems that arise, she continued. Weve also ramped up our reporting and outreach on transboundary flow events and response.

Regarding the recent rupture, Spener announced a public meeting next Thursday of the IBWCs San Diego Citizens Forum. That meeting will include presentations about wastewater collection and treatment upgrades along the San Diego-Tijuana border.

While recognizing that the IBWC is working on these solutions and will eventually add capacity to the international treatment plant, Davani characterized the effort as coming too late.

Were talking about many more years of raw sewage discharges to our water bodies, both on the U.S. side and Mexico side, he said, listing a range of public health, business and environmental impacts.

Davani called for more federal and state-level attention to the issue, including expedited action to boost treatment capacity.

Although an infrastructural overhaul on the Mexican side of the border might be ideal, Davani stressed that significant improvements in Baja California are not likely.

This issue has been there for decades, he said.

California taxpayers might dislike treating sewage generated in Mexico, but if they dont do this, then the wastewater is basically impacting residents of the United States, Davani explained.

This needs to be done through cooperation and from both sides of the border, he said. Its a very, very complex issue.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
MUNCIE, Ind.  A former Muncie resident accused of kidnapping the child of a long-missing local woman this week surrendered at the Delaware County jail.

Sheila L. York, 66  who now lives in North Carolina  was charged in January, in Delaware Circuit Court 4, with kidnapping and obstruction of justice.

She was arrested Feb. 8 in North Carolina, but was later released after posting bond in that state.

According to Jeff Stanley, chief deputy of the Delaware County Sheriff's Department, York surrendered Wednesday at the Delaware County jail. She was booked in at the jail and then was again released after posting a $10,000 bond.

York is accused of kidnapping the daughter of Ashley Morris Mullis, a 27-year-old mother of three who was last seen by friends and family members in September 2013.

More:Woman charged with kidnapping released on bond in North Carolina

Mullis' youngest child, a daughter, was a baby when her mother disappeared.

The child's father was purportedly Sheila York's husband, Daniel. The child was with the Yorks in the wake of her mother's disappearnce.

Daniel York, described by investigators as a suspect in Mullis' disappearance, died in Florida in 2015.

Sheila York later adopted the child in Florida. According to local prosecutors, she provided authorities in that state with false information concerning Mullis and the missing woman's family while pursuing the adoption.

She also contested efforts by Mullis' parents to be able to visit their granddaughter.

An initial hearing on the local charges against York is set for March 27. Court records reflect she has retained the services of three attorneys  Kelly Bryan of Muncie and Fishers lawyers Russell Cate and Sundeep Singh.

Kidnapping is a Level 5 felony carrying up to six years in prison, while obstruction of justice is a Level 6 felony with a maximum 30-month sentence.

The grandparents have also filed a legal action seeking emergency custody of the child.

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: Ex-local woman charged with kidnapping, obstruction surrenders
Kelly Dale Vokas, 43, (center) appeared in Franklin County Common Pleas Court for sentencing Friday, Feb. 24, 2023 with her attorneys Gregory Hoover (left) and Francisco Luttecke (right). Vokas received a life sentence with the opportunity for parole after 37 years for killing 77-year-old John Blanc and his longtime girlfriend, 75-year-old Susan Castore, on Oct. 18, 2020 at their Prairie Township home.

John Blanc and Susan Castore trusted their former neighbor in Prairie Township and showed her kindness and generosity, the elderly couples children said Friday in Franklin County Common Pleas Court.

Kelly Dale Vokas, 43, betrayed that trust, they said, robbing and then killing the couple by stabbing 77-year-old Blanc and strangling 75-year-old Castore at their home on Oct. 18, 2020.

There was no forced entry, Franklin County prosecutors said Friday in court, indicating the victims allowed their killer inside. Within minutes, they would try to call 911.

Vokas pleaded guilty in December to murder, involuntary manslaughter and aggravated burglary in connection with the double homicide. Franklin County prosecutors dropped other charges, including two aggravated murder charges.

Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Holbrook sentenced Vokas on Friday to life in prison with the opportunity for parole after 37 years, the maximum possible sentence for the charges in her conviction.

Vokas has over two years of jail time credit, but will not have a chance to get out of prison until she is at least 78 years old  near the age of her victims, as the couple's children had asked.

Vokas, who cried throughout the sentencing hearing Friday, apologized to the victims families.

I did not react in the manner which I should have, Vokas said. I was not in my right state of mind and I do apologize.

Francisco Luttecke, Vokas defense attorney, said Vokas had a difficult childhood full of abuse. At the time of the crime, he said, she was dealing with mental health issues and using drugs.

Luttecke asked Holbrook to give Vokas a glimmer of hope and acknowledge she is unlikely to get out the first time she goes before the parole board.

Holbrook, however, said this is one of the worst cases hes seen.

Near the end of the sentencing hearing when Holbrook asked Vokas if she understood she would have to register as a violent offender if she gets out of prison, she responded, If Im alive, yes.

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Holbrook took offense at the response, saying it was disrespectful and Vokas was acting as if she were the victim.

Past reporting:Woman admits to killing elderly former neighbors during 2020 burglary in Prairie Township

The double-homicide

At about 3:20 p.m. on Oct. 18, 2020, Franklin County Sheriff's deputies responded to a 911 hang-up call at a home on the 200 block of Carilla Lane in the Lincoln Village subdivision in Prairie Township.

A Franklin County Sheriffs deputy testified at the sentencing hearing Friday to the gruesome scene he and fellow officers came upon.

Through the window, deputies saw Vokas shoving items into her purse. Deputies ordered her to go to the door, but she attempted to flee out the back door, where a deputy apprehended her.

In her purse were Blanc's and Castore's IDs, Castore's checkbook and a bag of coins.

Deputies then entered the home and found Blanc unresponsive in the first-floor bathroom with a total of six stab wounds to his head and neck. In the basement, deputies found Castore unresponsive with stab wounds and a rope tied around her head, neck and body.

Franklin County Assistant Prosecutor Jack Wong said at the sentencing hearing Friday that prosecutors were asking for the maximum sentence due to the "brutality of the way these two individuals died."

Kids describe a generous couple

Several of Blanc and Castores children spoke reverently at the sentencing hearing Friday about their parents, who had been together for over two decades.

Blanc served his country in the U.S. Navy. Castore was known across Ohio as the A-OK Lady who wore a cape and gave out smiley faces.

Julie Blanc, John Blancs daughter, said the couple was an inspiration who truly lived their lives helping others.

How can a human being been so cruel and take such evil actions towards an elderly couple that at many times had showed you kindness, Julie Blanc said through tears.

In other Franklin County court cases

 Samuel Bridgeforth, 18, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one count of murder. He admitted that on Jan. 2, 2022, he fatally stabbed 54-year-old Shaun Martin, who later died on Feb. 4, 2022.

Franklin County Assistant Prosecutor David Zeyen said then-17-year-old Bridgeforth was living in a Columbus-area group home where Martin worked.

Martin had told the residents if they cleaned their rooms they would get rewarded with a trip to the YMCA, according to Zeyen. Martin expressed dissatisfaction with Bridgeforths cleaning, so Bridgeforth stabbed him a dozen times with a knife he had smuggled into the home, Zeyen said.

Common Pleas Judge Judge Kimberly Cocroft sentenced Bridgeforth to life in prison with the opportunity for parole after 15 years.

 John Cung is serving a serious youthful offender sentence for fatally shooting his brother 17-year-old Joseph Lian in September 2021 when Cung was 16.

Cung pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter with a gun specification in Franklin County Common Pleas Court's Juvenile Division in early January.

Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Monica Hawkins sentenced Cung to four years of detention with the Ohio Department of Youth Services. If he misbehaves while in DYS, Cung could face nine years in adult prison.

jlaird@dispatch.com

@LairdWrites

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Woman sentenced for killing, robbing elderly Prairie Township couple
An Arroyo Grande police officer was hit by a car and injured while responding to a domestic disturbance call on Thursday.

According to a Police Department news release, officers were dispatched at approximately 5:46 p.m. to the parking lot of a business in the 1400 block of E. Grand Avenue for a possible domestic disturbance between a male and a female subject.

When officers arrived on scene, they located the male and female and attempted to detain them. According to the release, the woman, Laura Lee Millar of Santa Maria, attempted to flee in a car and intentionally struck an officer with the vehicle before leaving the scene.

The male subject involved was detained and later released from the scene.

Millar was located by CHP officers in Buellton a short time later, according to the release. Millar was taken into custody and booked into San Luis Obispo County Jail on suspicion of felony assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer.

The officer was transported to a local hospital, where they were being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to the release.

The investigation is ongoing, and any witnesses or anyone with additional information is asked to contact the Arroyo Grande Police Department at 805-473-5121.
Jane Doe 1 from Harvey Weinstein's L.A. rape trial has revealed her identity: She's Evgeniya Chernyshova, seen here at a 2010 photo call in Italy. (Elisabetta A. Villa / WireImage)

In December, Harvey Weinstein was convicted in L.A. of the 2013 rape of "Jane Doe 1." On Thursday, he got a 16-year sentence that, added to the 23-year sentence he's been serving in New York, likely ensures the 70-year-old ends his life in prison.

On Friday, Jane Doe 1 finally revealed her identity to the Hollywood Reporter.

She is Evgeniya Chernyshova, a 43-year-old mother of two who was born in Siberia, won a modeling contest at age 15 and eventually moved to Italy, where she was a model and actor. At some point she moved to Southern California; she now runs a floral design business in Beverly Hills, according to an interview published Friday by THR.

About two weeks ago, after Weinstein's conviction but before his sentencing, Chernyshova sued the disgraced mogul in civil court under her alias, alleging sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

In October 2017, speaking anonymously to The Times after reporting the rape to police, she told the same story that was shared in court and with THR:

Weinstein, whom she had met briefly once before in Rome, introduced himself anew during Oscars week in 2013 at an Italian film festival at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. When they were in Rome, he had invited her up to his room, but she declined, she told The Times.

Later that night she returned to her hotel and changed into a robe, only to have Weinstein call up from the lobby "without warning"  she hadn't told him where she was staying  and demand to know her room number. He told her they had to talk. She didn't reveal her number, but he showed up at her door anyway, knocking loudly and telling her he just wanted to talk and was "not going to f" her.

Chernyshova told THR that she let him in because she was embarrassed by the loud man outside her door.

She told The Times in 2017 that once he was in her room, Weinstein repeatedly bragged about his power and influence and told her not to fight him. She tried to show him pictures of her children and her mother, who was undergoing chemotherapy at the time, as she cried and begged him to go away, she said.

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He grabbed me by the hair and forced me to do something I did not want to do, she said in 2017. He then dragged me to the bathroom and forcibly raped me. When he left, she said, he told her she was very beautiful and that she could work in Hollywood. Later, he invited her to several parties at his house, but she didn't attend any of them.

He acted like nothing happened, Chernyshova said in 2017. I barely knew this man. It was the most demeaning thing ever done to me by far. It sickens me still.  He made me feel like an object, like nothing, with all his power.

Harvey Weinstein arrives at the Oscars in Hollywood in February 2015. (Vince Bucci / Invision/Associated Press)

Chernyshova appears to have a few regrets. One of them is that she stayed anonymous.

I did it because I was ashamed and humiliated, she told THR. I thought it was a good decision to protect my kids. But it was a horrible decision for myself because Ive been cut off from everyone. It isnt right to go through this hell alone.

Chernyshova is well known in Italy, where she appeared on the cover of Italian Vogue and as an actor in Italian films, The Times reported in 2017. After the attack, she told THR, she fell into depression and began drinking heavily. She and her husband separated, and he has since died.

She told The Times in 2017 that she revealed the rape while counseling her daughter about a week before the New York Times published the first investigation of Weinstein. That was followed days later by a similar piece from the New Yorker. Previously Chernyshova had told only her priest, her nanny and a friend about her experience with Weinstein. Her daughter pushed her to report the incident to the police, which she did.

Chernyshova also wishes she had never opened the door of her hotel room that night in 2013.

"That is the thing I have regretted for the last 10 years  that I did open this door, she told THR, echoing what she told The Times in 2017.

On Dec. 19. 2022, an L.A. jury convicted Weinstein of forcible rape, forcible oral copulation and sexual penetration by a foreign object, based on Chernyshova's account of that night at the hotel.

Harvey Weinstein forever destroyed a part of me that night. I will never get that back, she told The Times in a statement after the verdict was read, still identifying herself as Jane Doe 1 after her three days of painful testimony in his trial. But I knew I had to see this through to the end. ... I hope Weinstein never sees the outside of a prison cell during his lifetime.

And before Weinstein's sentencing Thursday, trembling and crying as she spoke in court, Chernyshova told the judge, There is no prison sentence long enough to erase the damage. ... He deserves to experience the same shame, humiliation and fear as I did."

After sentencing the disgraced former producer, Judge Lisa Lench ruled that Weinstein could not serve his New York and L.A. sentences concurrently, likely fulfilling Chernyshova's wishes. Weinstein, who is 70, will not be eligible for release until at least the 2050s.

Times staff writers Richard Winton and James Queally contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Oleksii Danilov

Danilov said that its shameful when the Russian delegation, whose members support the war against Ukraine, takes part in the meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. He said that there are Europeans who want to force Kyiv to compromise. According to him, they should remember: they can find themselves in the situation in which Ukraine found itself on Feb. 24 last year, any day.

Read also: Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts are Ukrainian, not for trade or sale  Danilov

The world needs to prepare for the collapse of Russia, which will occur regardless of whether they want it or not, the official added.

And this is the issue they should worry about today, the Russian Federation will cease to exist within the current limits.

Read also: Ukraine has no constraints on aiming military targets in Russia, said Danilov

On Feb. 24, Zelenskyy in a video address said Ukraine will "do everything" to achieve victory in 2023. Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valerii Zaluzhnyi said that "Ukraine's victory means creating conditions when Russia will never be able to attack again in the future."

Read also: Zelenskyy gives speech, awards Ukrainian defenders on Sophia Square in Kyiv  photo report

According to Ukraines General Staff, Russia has lost 147,000 soldiers, 3,363 tanks, 299 aircraft, and thousands of pieces of other equipment, over the full year of its invasion of Ukraine.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Oleksii Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine (NSDC), has said that the world needs to prepare for Russias collapse, which will take place either way, whether they want it to or not.

Source: Danilov on air during the 24/7 national joint newscast, quoted by the NSDC press service

Details: Danilov criticised the position of some European institutions regarding their approach to Russia and the war in Ukraine, calling it "shameful" that a Russian delegation, whose members support the war against Ukraine, is attending the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

The NSDC Secretary pointed out that several politicians want to force Ukrainians to compromise. Nevertheless, Europeans who have a strong desire for compromise could find themselves in a situation like Ukraines on 24 February 2022 any day.

Danilov stressed that the West does not yet have a definitive solution as to what to do with the Russian Federation and does not understand how this war should end. At the same time, he added, it was Putins regime that set the process of Russias collapse in motion by invading Ukraine on 24 February 2022.

Quote: "The world needs to prepare for Russias collapse, which will take place whether they want it to or not. And this is what they should be working on today."

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








From food shortages to higher costs for energy and goods, African countries are paying a heavy price for Vladimir Putins unprovoked war.

As the world marks one year of Russias deadly and costly war in Ukraine, Americans and allied nations continue to stand in solidarity with Ukrainian citizens in their fight to preserve their sovereignty.

President Joe Bidens trip to Ukraine this week  and the announcement of an additional half a billion dollars in military aid  is emblematic of how committed the United States remains to protecting Ukraines democracy. That commitment has also been backed by clear support from NATO allies.

President Joe Biden (left) meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Ukrainian presidential palace in Kyiv on Feb. 20. The U.S. president made his first visit to Kyiv since Russias large-scale invasion a year ago, Feb. 24, 2022. (Photo: Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via Getty Images)

But consequentially, Russias invasion of Ukraine also has had ripple effects on the African continent. From food shortages to higher costs for energy and goods, African countries are paying a heavy price for Vladimir Putins unprovoked war.

How has Russias war in Ukraine negatively impacted African nations?

Russia imposed a blockade of Ukraines ports in the Black Sea upon its invasion in February 2022, resulting in the disruption of exports such as wheat, oil and fertilizers. Consequently, many African nations, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, experienced critical food insecurity. As another consequence, sanctions on Russia by the United States and European Union led to trade issues and made it more expensive for African countries to import goods from Russia.

The immediate consequences of Russias war in Ukraine around the globe  but especially in Africa  were a wake-up call, says Mvemba Phezo Dizolele, a senior fellow on Africa at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

How can a continent that is home to a large percentage of arable lands  a continent that can feed the world literally  be dependent on two countries that are so far away? Dizolele queried.

A vendor sells cereals in Nairobi on March 16, 2022. African countries are feeling the pain of Ukraines crisis as supply disruptions hike inflation and oil prices push up fuel costs. Global oil prices touched 10-year highs of more than $100 a barrel soon after Russia invaded Ukraine, doubling diesel prices for African countries such as Nigeria. Ukraine and Russia are both major suppliers of wheat and grains to Africa, and Western sanctions and disruptions are hiking costs across the continent. (Photo: Simon Maina/AFP via Getty Images)

The Africa scholar noted that it results from years of mismanagement and not really following through to various visions of self-sufficiency across the continent.

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The countries have tried to adopt new ways of doing agriculture or feeding themselves, Dizolele told theGrio. But it has not been as revolutionary as they ought to be, considering all the ingredients and all the resources that Africa has to feed herself.

As one of the worlds top exporters of crops, Ukraine is known as the breadbasket of the world.

African policy expert Dorothy Davis told theGrio that the status resulted in Africa and nations worldwide being held hostage because Ukraine was under attack by Russia.

Maybe that will get leaders to fast-track the process of growing their own and therefore creating jobs within their own countries and creating more sustainability, said Davis, who runs the advisory firm Dorothy M. Davis Consulting.

As Ukraine continues to successfully fight back against Russia and reclaim some territory, things have improved somewhat.

Its not as bad as it was, said Joseph Tolton, an African policy expert who runs the pan-African advocacy group Interconnected Justice. African countries are getting more supplies from other places.

Still, Tolton told theGrio, other economic challenges persist, such as the high cost of fuel, which is also an issue globally.

Its really squeezing and crushing the middle class just because of the difference as it relates to disposable income and savings that Africans have, he explained. Truck deliveries have to pay for fuel, which increases their cost. Even transporting your kids around  basic transportation.

Tolton noted that, unlike the United States and other Western countries, African nations dont have the same opportunities  in terms of mass transportation like trains.

Its also worth noting that when the Ukraine war first broke out, African migrants in Ukraine faced discrimination at the border while trying to flee for safety.

I cant say all of us were surprised because racism is everywhere. Its endemic, said Davis. This issue of how Africans are treated in the whole Ukraine war scenario is considered part of all the other issues that we all experience as people of African descent across the globe.

The irony of Africas close ties to Russia

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (left) greets Russian President Vladimir Putin during the welcoming ceremony at the Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi, Russia, on Oct. 23, 2019. Since Russias invasion of Ukraine, several African nations have refused to condemn Russia publicly for the war. (Photo: Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images)

Whats noteworthy  and a bit ironic  about Africas vulnerabilities to the Ukraine war in the past year is the continents ties to Russia. Several African countries have refused to condemn Russia publicly for its invasion of Ukraine, much to the dismay of the United States and its Western allies.

On Thursday, member states of the United Nations General Assembly voted 141-7 on a resolution that calls for peace and the immediate end of Russias war in Ukraine. However, 32 countries abstained, many of which were African. Similarly, at the beginning of last years war, 17 African nations remained neutral during a U.N. vote on a resolution to condemn Russia.

In reality, no close observer of Africa was surprised by that. But in the West, it was a big kind of shockwave, said Dizolele. It became clear that African countries are countries with interests  Western countries are not the only friends that African countries have.

The geopolitical background as it relates to Africa and the number of world powers that have investment and trade interests there is varied and complicated at best. One example is South Africa, which also abstained from condemning Russia over the Ukraine war.

Though South Africa and the United States share close ties as two democratic nations that promote progressive values  like racial equality and advancing LGBTQ+ rights  Tolton noted it was initially Russia, not the U.S., that sided with the African National Congress, South Africas political party against apartheid, in the 1980s.

During the Reagan administration, the Soviet Union (what is now Russia) was actually on the side of the [ANC], both morally and in terms of supplying them with weapons and training, he recalled.

This, Tolton continued, was while the Reagan administration was not speaking out against apartheid and had no interest in doing so until African Americans via TransAfrica  really mobilized  to push the Reagan administration around its position around South Africa.

Dizolele said the Ukraine war had fed a Western narrative suggesting Russia is manipulating African nations through misinformation and even that they should watch out for China. He said that narrative comes with a risk because it presupposes that Africans do not have their own agency in deciding its principles, and Africans dont know what theyre doing.

The U.S. seeks to move Africa away from Russia through diplomacy

USAID chief Samantha Power (left) speaks during a joint press conference with Kenya Public Service Cabinet Secretary Margaret Kobia (right) in Nairobi on July 22, 2022. Power promised $1.18 billion to help avert famine in the Horn of Africa and urged other nations, including China, to do more to fight a food crisis aggravated by Russias invasion of Ukraine. However, the U.S. administration has downplayed the suggestion that its Africa strategy has anything to do with Russia or China. (Photo: Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Images)

Emphasizing Africas agency has been a core part of the United States renewed outreach to improve relations with the 54 nations on the continent. In December, the Biden-Harris administration invited 49 African heads of state for the first U.S.-Africa Summit since the Obama administration hosted African leaders in 2014. However, the administration has downplayed the suggestion that its strategy with African nations has anything to do with Russia or China.

Instead, the U.S. has focused on committing billions of dollars to Africa for a range of investments and aid through input from the African Union regarding the support they would like to see.

In the U.S.s effort to win minds and hearts, so to speak, of Africans in the context of the U.S.s competition with China and Russia, the U.S. has to focus more on development issues, as opposed to a chess game between China and Russia, said Davis.

President Biden is going down the right path, she added, but were talking probably centuries of this. Its going to take some time to reverse.

How is the U.S. helping Africa amid the Ukraine war?

U.S. President Joe Biden (center) poses with African leaders during the U.S.  Africa Leaders Summit on Dec. 15, 2022 in Washington, D.C. The summit brought together heads of state, government officials, business leaders, and civil society to strengthen ties between the U.S. and Africa. (Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

While the war in Ukraine appears to be far from over, the United States has made moves to assist Africa in its challenges amid the conflict, including commitments for 2023 to accelerate progress toward achieving food security, building stronger food systems and more diversified supply chains and expanding African countries access to agricultural markets.

Dizolele applauded the United States Feed the Future program through the U.S. Agency for International Development for putting a lot of money into engaging with African countries, including a commitment of $5 billion over five years. He also noted that USAID Administrator Samantha Power pledged about $1.2 billion to help stem the standing famine that was tightening the Horn of Africa.

Tolton believes the United States has addressed the negative effects of the Ukraine war in Africa fairly from an economic perspective. Overall, he said, he would grade the administration a C+ on its spending in Africa in comparison to the tens of billions of dollars in military and humanitarian aid it provided to Ukraine to date.

Its been adequate, but certainly, it hasnt been rich or abundant, he shared. The amount hasnt been so big, but its been noticeable and impactful.

Beyond addressing the issue of hunger, however, Tolton said theres a missed opportunity for the Biden administration to tie together why Ukraine matters for Africa beyond food insecurity.

In Nairobi, Kenya, an artist shows a protest symbol power sign while standing next to a street mural created by a group of artists from the Maasai Mbili group depicting the Kibera areas love for Ukraine amid its war with Russia. (Photo: Donwilson Odhiambo/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

We are talking about pushing back against one of the most violent autocrats in the world, who has clear intentions around reestablishing the Soviet Union as an empire, said Tolton. His example as an autocrat is a big problem for Africa.

That is not a continent-wide struggle, but it is a global struggle, he contended, and therefore, all that are for democracy and open markets and the advancement of human rights and civil society on the continent of Africa, by default, are on the side of Ukraine.

Theres a real opportunity to actually bring many African nations closer to us, he continued, if we were to lift up that not only as a message but also put some teeth behind it, in terms of how were really going to work to further the promotion of democracy globally, but also in the case of Africa.

Gerren Keith Gaynor

Gerren Keith Gaynor is the Managing Editor of Politics and White House Correspondent at theGrio. He is based in Washington, D.C.

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The post What the yearlong Russia-Ukraine war means for Africa appeared first on TheGrio.
U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, chats with client Sonia at Opportunity Enterprises Lakeside in Valparaiso, Indiana Thursday February 23, 2023. Mrvan took a tour and received an update on construction of OEs Lakeside Respite Center, which received a $310,000 federal appropriation. (Andy Lavalley for the Post-Tribune) (Andy Lavalley / Post-Tribune)

Almost a year after Opportunity Enterprises broke ground on its new $6.7 million Lakeside Respite Center, officials returned to share the progress and tout recently received federal funding.

Congressman Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, toured the Lakeside property with the staff and board Thursday, greeting the facilitys clients, who smiled, shook hands and even shared a couple hugs with the legislator.

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Mrvan recently helped secure $310,000 for technology and equipment for the disability services organization as part of the $1.7 trillion Consolidated Appropriations Act signed into law Dec. 29 by President Joe Biden.

OE has planned a 55-room respite center on the 158-acre site on Lake Eliza in Valparaiso.

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U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, chats with Neil Samahon, President/CEO of Opportunity Enterprises, at OE Lakeside in Valparaiso, Indiana Thursday February 23, 2023. Mrvan took a tour and received an update on construction of OEs Lakeside Respite Center, which received a $310,000 federal appropriation. (Andy Lavalley for the Post-Tribune) (Andy Lavalley / Post-Tribune)

Marc Ruiz, who co-chaired the capital campaign with his wife Tracy, said they were initially tapped to raise more than $4 million but as the project progress that figure climbed to $6.7 million. The facility will now include a custom-designed accessible treehouse by Treehouse Masters in Washington. Access to the treehouse will be a direct walkway from the new building to the treehouse.

We are also true believers and understand the importance of respite. It is a very, very important service that is going to be expanded dramatically by this new respite center, Ruiz said. The couple have a child who is a client.

He said the funding secured by Mrvan will help provide equipment for the new facility.

Its going to fill that center will all the stuff that will make it a great experience for the kids and adults, Ruiz said.

President/CEO of Opportunity Enterprises Neil Samahon, center, joins U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, in talking with Jeff Berglund, Andy Qunell and Neil Samahon, L-R, near the site of OEs new Lakeside Respite Center in Valparaiso, Indiana Thursday February 23, 2023. Mrvan took a tour and received an update on construction of OEs Lakeside Respite Center, which received a $310,000 federal appropriation. (Andy Lavalley for the Post-Tribune) (Andy Lavalley / Post-Tribune)

Opportunity Enterprises broke ground on the project in May 2022. Almost a year later, foundations have been poured and the respite center is set to open in the summer.

Neil Samahon, OE president and CEO, commended Mrvans commitment to the underserved in his district.

Your commitment to the individuals underserved in the community certainly goes recognized, not only in your roll today, but as North Township trustee. So I say to you: Thanks, Frank, Samahon said.

Samahon said the ultimate goal is for the property to become an accessible destination with trails and other activities  maybe even a zip-line  that will create opportunities differently abled individuals both at OE and throughout the community otherwise would not be able to experience.

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U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, chats with Director of Daily Living Skills Lisa Barrios during a tour of OE Lakeside in Valparaiso, Indiana Thursday February 23, 2023. Mrvan took a tour and received an update on construction of OEs Lakeside Respite Center, which received a $310,000 federal appropriation. (Andy Lavalley for the Post-Tribune) (Andy Lavalley / Post-Tribune)

John Freyek, chairman of the OE board, called the work on the new facility a labor of love.

Its a place where caretakers who spend 24 hours a day seven days a week taking care of their loved ones can take their family members  so they can recharge and be the best person they can be for their loved one, Freyek said.

The new facility will have 55 rooms for caregivers and will offer a starting place for respite activities that bring clients off-site for outings like sporting events.

Suja Pati works at OE. Her son Samuel, 25, is also a client. Theyve been coming to OE for about seven years. From the perspective of a caregiver and as a staff member, she said her son absolutely loves the respite time he gets.

He loves walking, playing the piano, she said. The one-on-one time her son gets with staff while in respite also is important.

They love the socialization part, Pati said, adding it also gives family members time to take care of other things.

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U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, speaks during a ceremony at Opportunity Enterprises Lakeside in Valparaiso, Indiana Thursday February 23, 2023. Mrvan took a tour and received an update on construction of OEs Lakeside Respite Center, which received a $310,000 federal appropriation. (Andy Lavalley for the Post-Tribune) (Andy Lavalley / Post-Tribune)

Deb Wilson of Hebron was at the center with her adult son Taylor.

Taylors two favorite days are the days he spends at OE in respite care. It provides him a chance to socialize with his friends and experience some independence.

Its so much fun, Taylor said.

Those couple nights a week of respite care also gives Wilson and her husband a much-needed break. She said there are no local family members to lend a hand. Wilson said she does not know what they would do without the access to respite care.

Were really excited. The best part is it is closer to us. The other house is quite a distance, Wilson said.

Mrvan thanked the families for sharing their respite care experiences. He said he learned Thursday providing respite care is a mark of a community who cares. As a member of Congress Mrvan said he is supposed to do everything he can to find funding for projects that have an impact such as OEs respite care facility.

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What we are supposed to do is find funding for projects that give back to the community, Mrvan said.

cnapoleon@chicagotribune.com
CAIRO (AP)  Yemens southern separatists on Friday slammed statements by their ally, the head of Yemen's presidential council, in which he said that now is not the right time to discuss southern independence.

The comments come as Saudi Arabia, which leads a coalition fighting for Yemens internationally recognized government that includes the separatists, and their rivals the Houthi rebels are in back-channel talks on the country's wider war.

In a statement, the Southern Transitional Council, an umbrella group of heavily armed and well-financed militias propped up by the United Arab Emirates, said that the comments, showed a lack of seriousness."

It was in response to an interview published on Thursday in the London-based newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat," in which the head of Yemen's Presidential Council Rashid al-Alami said talking about a solution at this time might not be appropriate," in reference to the issue of southern separatism.

The council's statement said the "southern issue cannot be allowed to be moved or delayed, it said, adding that it would be in violation of previous agreements between the country's internationally recognized government and the council.

Reports of revived communications between Yemen's warring sides in the Gulf Arab country of Oman, a traditional mediator in the Middle East, surfaced earlier this year.

The separatists, represented by Yemens Southern Transitional Council, are an umbrella group of heavily armed and well-financed militias propped up by the United Arab Emirates. Though the UAE is officially part of the Saudi-led coalition, its support for the separatists has threatened the alliance. The separatists enjoy loyalty through much of southern Yemen, and have repeatedly pushed to break up Yemen into two countries, as it was between 1967 and 1990.

Yemens war began in 2014 when the Houthis swept down from their northern stronghold and seized the capital, Sanaa, along with much of the country's north. In response, the Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognized government to power.

Al-Alami, a Saudi ally and currently on a diplomatic tour of Europe, became head of Yemen's presidential council last April. He told Asharq Al-Awsat that while he supports Saudi Arabia taking the lead as mediator in the Omani-brokered dialogue, any final peace agreement must be between the internationally recognized government and the Houthi rebels.

Yemen's war has killed more than 150,000 people, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, including over 15,000 civilians, and has become a proxy war in the region. It has also spawned one of the worlds worst humanitarian crises, pushing the Mideasts poorest nation into near famine.
KYIV (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, seeking to strengthen Kyiv's diplomatic efforts following Russia's invasion, called on Friday for a summit with Latin American leaders and said Ukraine should take steps to build relations with African countries.

He told a news conference on the first anniversary of Russia's invasion that he would like countries from across Latin America and Africa, as well as China and India, to join a peace formula proposed by Kyiv to end the war with Russia.

"You know how difficult it is for me to leave the country, but I would travel especially for this meeting," he said of the prospect of a summit with Latin American countries. "I could communicate to them, to their media, to their societies."

(Reporting by Max Hunder and Dan Peleschuk, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared his countrys yearlong fight with Russia a year of invincibility on Friday, as he marked the anniversary of Russias invasion.

It was a year of resilience. A year of care. A year of bravery. A year of pain. A year of hope. A year of endurance. A year of unity, Zelensky said in an address to the Ukrainian people.

The year of invincibility, he added. The furious year of invincibility.

Russian President Vladimir Putin first ordered troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, launching his special military operation into Russias neighbor.

Zelensky reflected on the Ukrainian response on that February day in Fridays address, noting that we woke up early and havent fallen asleep since.

Some people were afraid, some were shocked, some did not know what to say, but everyone felt what to do, he added.

The Ukrainian president also expressed gratitude to his Western allies, with a particular nod to the advanced military aid they have slowly been convinced to provide.

Ukraine has surprised the world. Ukraine has inspired the world. Ukraine has united the world, Zelensky said. There are thousands of words to prove it, but a few will suffice. HIMARS, Patriot, Abrams, IRIS-T, Challenger, NASAMS, Leopard.

I thank all of our partners, allies and friends who have stood side by side with us throughout the year, he said, adding that he plans to deliver a separate address for the international anti-Putin coalition shortly.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Volodymyr Zelensky promised victory for Ukraine on Friday as he and allies around the world marked the grim milestone of one year since the Russian invasion.

On a day of commemorations and defiance, Ukraines president said his people had proven invincible despite a year of pain.

And after receiving the first Leopard 2 tanks pledged by allies, he hinted that F-16 fighter jets might finally also be on the way, with other nations following Britain in offering to train Ukrainian pilots.

If our partners respect all their promises and deadlines, victory inevitably awaits us, he said. It came as:

Britain announced new sanctions, imposing an export ban on every piece of equipment Russia has been found using in Ukraine

G7 leaders spoke by phone and committed to increasing the costs to Russia

China presented a 12-point peace plan and called for a ceasefire

Leopard 2 tanks arrived in Ukraine from Poland

Rishi Sunak led Britain in a minute's silence from Downing Street with his wife and Kyiv's ambassador

King Charles praised the remarkable courage of the Ukrainian people

Vladimir Putin spoke to Tayyip Erdogan about boosting energy supplies to Turkey

After sombre ceremonies marking the anniversary of the start of the conflict, Zelensky told a televised news conference in Kyiv that he is having conversations with three Nato nations about pilot training courses leading to the possibility of supplying warplanes.

He said he had held further talks with Mr Sunak. Responding to a question from a British journalist, he laughed: Where are my Typhoon aircraft? Please ask my friend Rishi.

Britain had rejected sending RAF Typhoons to Ukraine because, according to defence secretary Ben Wallace, the jets would be too complex. However, they could be used to provide air cover for former Warsaw Pact Nato members who send their Mig-29 and other Soviet era jets to Kyiv.

After initial reluctance from Western allies to send fighter jets, there now appears to be momentum building to reverse the stance.

Story continues

A woman lights a candle in St Andrews Church in Bucha, near Kyiv on Friday (AFP via Getty Images)

Ukraines defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov, has claimed that a decision to transfer aircraft to Ukraine is now only one or two months away.

Zelensky declared the 12 months since Putins invasion a year of our invincibility... year of our victory.

As well as defending the country in war, there was, said Mr Zelensky, a need for a diplomatic offensive by Ukraine to present the case against Russia to those countries which had been lukewarm in condemning the invasion and remained on the fence. African and Latin American states would be approached with the newly elected Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Lula, asked to help with liaison with the latter.

While Western leaders were dismissive of the China peace plan, Mr Zelesnky was keen to avoid directly criticising Beijing. China has shown its thoughts, he said. But the question is what follows the words. The question is in the steps and where they will lead to.

He also said he'd like to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping: "I believe that it will benefit our countries and the security of the world.

At St Vladimirs Church in Kyiv, a service was being held for Yuri Storazhev of the 112th Brigade who was being buried by his comrades, relations and friends. He was a good man and a brave man, he died for his country, said one of the soldiers.

Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murthy look on as Ukrainian Ambassador to UK Vadym Prystaiko and wife Inna Prystaiko (REUTERS)

Others in the church were locked in their own grief. Olena Kuznetsova had gone to light a candle for her 22-year-old son, Yuri, who had volunteered to fight and died in a muddy field Lyman in the Donbas.

He said he could not sit at home while others had gone to fight, she said. He sacrificed himself for his country. Everyone says what he did was very brave and great. But he was everything. No one can know the pain of a mother who has lost a child unless they have been through this. I do not wish this on anyone, Ukrainian or Russian--- all this because of one man, why?

Ms Kuznetsova, 52, a shop assistant, was full of pride for her sons achievements at school and college.  He wanted to be a biologist, he worked so hard, getting a job to help me as well as studying. He had such plans.

Marina Levchenka stopped to comfort Ms Kuznetsova. Her 28-year-old brother, Danylo, had been killed near Kherson. We are bound up in this, we share losses, she said.All this was unthinkable just a year ago. None of us thought there would be such a war, in this day and age, causing so much sorrow and pain.
LONDON  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday said he planned to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping about China's proposed peace plan, released on the first anniversary of the war.

China started talking about Ukraine, and I think this is a good thing, Zelensky said at a news conference one year after Russias invasion. But it actually begs the question, what will these words be followed with? The steps next are important.

On Friday, Chinas Foreign Ministry announced a 12-point proposal that called for a resumption of peace talks and an end to all unilateral sanctions against Russia, and it emphasized its opposition to the use of nuclear weapons. It also stressed that territorial sovereignty should be upheld but remained vague on what that meant for Russia or Ukraine.

Speaking from Kyiv, Zelensky said he has plans to meet with Xi. I ... believe this will be beneficial for our countries and for security in the world, he said.

Since the beginning of the war, China has claimed neutrality despite stating that Russia had been provoked into invading Ukraine due to NATOs expansion eastward.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. (Efrem Lukatsky/AP)

Zelensky said he would work with China but only if there are ideas that correspond to international law or territorial integrity, and some security considerations.

"But it's something," he added.

Meanwhile, Russias Foreign Ministry said the Kremlin had welcomed Chinas plan for peace, stating that it was open to achieving the goals of its special military operation through diplomatic means.

We share the views of Beijing," Maria Zakharova, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said in a statement, but she added that this would mean recognizing new territorial realities for Ukraine.

Other negotiations for peace were also discussed at the anniversary news conference. Asked if he would attend negotiations mediated by Turkey, Zelensky said no. It is not the same man, he said about Russian President Vladimir Putin. There is nobody to talk to there.

During the broadcast, Zelensky remained defiant, insisting that Ukraine would be victorious.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy does not consider China's proposals of settlement of the war in Ukraine to be a peace plan, but sees positive things in the initiative.

Source: Zelenskyy at a press conference on 24 February

Quote: "It seems to me that this was not China's peace plan, not a resolution or a declaration. It is not an infrastructure for anything. I think China has shown its thoughts."

Details: Zelenskyy liked the fact that China started talking about Ukraine, and considers this to be "very good." But the question is, what lies behind those words, what actions will follow them.

The president also positively reacted to the People's Republic of China respecting the territorial integrity of Ukraine, although he didnt name the country directly.

In addition, according to the head of state, China's view on nuclear security coincides with the interests of Ukraine and the whole world.

Quote: "There are some points that are clear to me, there are opinions that I don't agree with, the whole world does not agree, but, nevertheless, it is something."

More details: In general, according to the president, the fact that China's so-called "peace plan" includes respect for international territorial law and "certain security things" already makes it possible to work with this country.

Quote: "Our task is to bring everyone together to isolate someone [Russia  ed.]."

Background: The Chinese Foreign Ministry has published a so-called "peace plan" with its ideas for the settlement of Russia's war against Ukraine. The document consists of 12 points.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has decorated Ukrainian defenders with the national awards, particularly the title of Hero of Ukraine, on the anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion on Sofia Square on the morning of February 24.

Source: award ceremony

Details: The national flag was raised at Sophia Square. At the same time, the national anthem was performed live by Sviatoslav Vakarchuk.

Zelenskyy has thanked all the defenders and the Ukrainians who are standing up to the aggressor, each in their place.

Quote from Zelenskyy: "I thank everyone who has survived that February, this year, and who gives Ukraine its invincibility!

Glory to all who are in combat now! Glory to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, Intelligence, the Security Service of Ukraine, the National Police, the Ukrainian border guards and all of you, our Defence and Security Forces! Glory to all of you who help fight and who save lives! Bright memory to all those whose lives were taken by this war."

Details: The attendees observed a minute of silence for the fallen defenders and all victims of the Russians.

The president also awarded state decorations, some of them posthumously.

A ceremony of presenting battle flags was also held on Sofia Square.

Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces; Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov; Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of Defence Intelligence; Oleksii Danilov, the Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council; and ministers and other officials attended the event.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
On February 24, on Sophia Square, Zelensky awards Ukrainian defenders

The event began with a performance of the Ukrainian anthem by Ukrainian pop star and former MP Sviatoslav Vakarchuk, and then the blue and yellow Ukrainian national flag was raised.

Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS

During his speech, Zelenskyy honored Ukrainian defenders, both men and women. He said Ukraine was proud of its fighters, rescuers, volunteers on whom Ukraine depends, if it is to exist.

Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS

Im grateful for all of those who endured that February, this year and who give Ukraine its invincibility! Zelenskyy said.

Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS

Glory to all those who are fighting now!... Today, in a year of decisive war for Ukraine's independence, I want to say to all of you who are fighting now for Ukraine and living for Ukraine that Im proud of you. Let this pride live in trenches and on squares. Let this pride say: Ukraine is a living thing. And let it won't forget how many heroes sacrificed their lives.

Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS

Zelenskyy presented state awards, including the title of Hero of Ukraine, to Ukrainian defenders and their families.

Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS

Earlier, during a video address to the nation on Feb. 24, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine will do everything to gain victory this year.

Meanwhile, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said that victory will mean for Ukraine ... the creation of such conditions that wont allow the Russians to attack our country in the future.

In a year of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has lost almost 147,000 of its soldiers, 3,363 tanks, 299 aircraft, and thousands of other equipment units.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
The trial for a Gary man charged with leading police on a high-speed chase, then crashing into a patrol car was expected to go to a jury Thursday.

Kenneth Vaughn, 41, of Gary, was charged Dec. 9 with several felonies including battery and resisting law enforcement. He opted to represent himself in his court case.

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Gary police Officer David Umbarger testified Wednesday he responded around 6:19 p.m. Dec. 7 to the area near 21st Avenue and Virginia Street for a shots fired call, records show. Vaughn took off, and Umbarger said the chase topped 110 mph down Martin Luther King Drive.

Vaughn swerved into a patrol car near 35th Avenue and Georgia Street, injuring two officers, according to court records. He took off running, before he was arrested.

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Police are allowed to pursue a chase at their discretion, Umbarger said in response to a jury question. Is there a policy saying what speeds Gary Police should break off a chase, Vaughn asked Wednesday.

Our policy doesnt describe an exact speed, Umbarger said.

Vaughn was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, two counts of battery, five counts of felony resisting law enforcement, two counts of intimidation and two counts of misdemeanor resisting law enforcement.

The top charge  Level 4 felony unlawful possession of a firearm  carries a 2 to 12-year penalty. Vaughn is also facing a habitual offender enhancement, which could add more time to his sentence.

Witnesses said they saw Vaughn arguing with another man outside a tire shop. His car was circling the block before witnesses heard shots fired from his black Chrysler 200, according to the affidavit.

Later during the chase, an officer saw him open and close the drivers side door multiple times. A K-9 officer recovered a gun he tossed out of the car. Police found a gun holster and three handgun cases in his car, charges state. The gun dropped on the street had eight bullets and Vaughn was arrested with four bullets in his pocket.

The damaged police car was still smoking with one officer semiconscious in the drivers seat and trapped inside.

At the hospital, the cop was treated for a bump on the right side of his head, a cut lip, back and neck injuries. The second officer had a large cut on his head, requiring eight staples, with neck and back pain.

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While Vaughn was taken for booking at the police station, he threatened the police officers and a Lake County senior juvenile judge, who is a former Lake Superior criminal judge, the affidavit alleges.

Im going to kill Judge (Thomas) Stefaniak, Vaughn told officers, according to court documents.

Vaughn was uncooperative and continued to threaten officers, the affidavit alleges.

Records show Vaughn rejected at least one judges offer on Jan. 27 to get a public defender. He has filed several times to get the case tossed or evidence suppressed, efforts that were largely denied in various hearings.

When asked by a reporter Thursday, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Bernie Johnsen said Vaughn had rejected offers for a public defender 3-4 times during the case. Vaughn successfully petitioned for a speedy trial. So, by Monday, the trials first day, when Vaughn asked in court to get a lawyer, legally it was too late, Johnsen said.

Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Brad Carter is assigned as the lead prosecutor, with assistance from Johnsen, a supervising prosecutor. Attorney Lemuel Stigler, serving as a temporary judicial officer, is overseeing the trial.

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mcolias@post-trib.com
Xi Jinping

First of all, I plan to meet with Xi Jinping, as I believe that this will be beneficial to our states and security in the world, Zelenskyy said during a press conference on Feb. 24.

Read also: The red line was crossed. What signal did Biden send to Putin and what is Xi Jinping preparing?

The president recalled that besides the ingoing Russian invasion dominating the countrys diplomatic agenda, much of Ukraines international trade is conducted with China.

The war isnt the only issue, he said.

The issue is that we are interested in maintaining economic relations.

Read also: Biden slapped Putin. How will the Kremlin respond and what is China up to?

According to Zelenskyy, China respects Ukraines territorial integrity and it must do everything it can to ensure Russia withdraws its troops.

Over the past year, China has refrained from criticizing the full-scale war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine and claimed that it took an objective and fair position.

Read also: Russia reportedly negotiating with China to supply strike drones  media reports

Earlier on Feb. 24, China released a 12-point "position paper" on Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. In particular, Beijing speaks of respect for territorial integrity, calls for negotiations, opposes "unilateral sanctions," and opposes the use of nuclear weapons. At the same time, China does not condemn Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the war crimes of the aggressor.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he would like to hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Source: Zelenskyy at a press conference on 24 February

Zelenskyy was asked about how to persuade countries that are geopolitically distant from Ukraine to its side in the confrontation with the Russian Federation.

Quote: "First of all, I plan to meet with Xi Jinping. And I believe that this will benefit our states and security in the world. We have a large trade with China.

The issue is not only the war, the issue is that we are a state that is interested in preserving economic relations."

Details: According to Zelenskyy, China respects territorial integrity, and therefore should do everything to ensure that Russia leaves the territory of Ukraine.

He added that civilians shouldn't be killed and nuclear plants shouldn't be occupied, which is difficult to disagree with.

The president also said that it is necessary to respect international law and the UN Charter, and if China agrees with these theses, then it supports the Ukrainian "peace formula".

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Photo of Mark Zuckerberg



Mark Zuckerberg announced Metas new LLaMA AI via Facebook post.

Move over OpenAIs ChatGPT, Googles Bard, and Microsofts Prometheustheres yet another large language model-powered artificial intelligence in town. Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, introduced its own AI today, called LLaMA. The animal-esque acronym predictably stands for Large Language Model Meta AI.



CEO Mark Zuckerberg described his companys contribution to the buzzy AI technology sphere in, what else, but a Facebook post.

Read more

Today were releasing a new state-of-the-art AI large language model called LLaMA designed to help researchers advance their work, Zuckerberg wrote on his social media platform. He added that LLMs have shown a lot of promise in generating text, having conversations, summarizing written material, and more complicated tasks like solving math theorems or predicting protein structures. But the Meta exec did not explain exactly which (if any) of those tasks LLaMA could currently accomplish.



In fact, the only detail that Zuckerberg offered on the large language model in the Friday announcement is that his company is committed to this open model of research and well make our new model available to the AI research community.



In a company blogpost published Friday afternoon that included a link to a full research paper on the AI and its Github model card, Meta offered significantly more information. Like other large language models, LLaMA works by taking a sequence of words as an input and predicts a next word to recursively generate text, the company wrote. Meta added that LLaMA was trained on text from 20 different languages. Its model card notes that training data included publicly available text from CCNet, C4, Wikipedia, ArXiv, and Stack exchange.



Story continues

Meta described its AI as a smaller foundation model, that requires far less computing power and resources, than other large language models, and said LLaMA will be available in multiple sizes. The company further emphasized its commitment to transparency and responsible AI development, and reiterated that only AI researchers will be given access.



To maintain integrity and prevent misuse, we are releasing our model under a noncommercial license focused on research use cases. Access to the model will be granted on a case-by-case basis to academic researchers; those affiliated with organizations in government, civil society, and academia; and industry research laboratories around the world, the company wrote.

So far, at this stage in the research, LLaMA has not been incorporated into any of Metas products or platforms (including Instagram and Facebook), a company spokesperson told Gizmodo via email. The spokesperson further noted that the company has nothing to share, at this time, about a public preview or expanded, public access.



At the moment, its hard to say how LLaMA will stack up against other tech giants AI attempts in a rapidly crowding field. However, just about every recent large language model launch so far has come with its own share of snafus. Google and Microsoft both integrated AI-text generators into their search platforms, and both ended up unwittingly advertising inaccurate information. Then, theres the unresolved questions of copyright, privacy, whether or not AI can develop feelings, and how to manage the workarounds many on the internet are finding to bypass restrictions and generate offensive content or even malware.

Meta acknowledged some of these pitfalls in its blogpost. There is still more research that needs to be done to address the risks of bias, toxic comments, and hallucinations in large language models. Like other models, LLaMA shares these challenges, the company wrote. However it seems Meta believes its open, research-oriented approach is a step forward towards resolving AIs numerous, ongoing issues.



Those hoping to access LLaMA for themselves can apply via this request form.





Update 2/24/2023, 2:16 p.m. ET: This post has been updated with additional information from a Meta spokesperson.



Update 2/24/2023, 2:04 p.m. ET: This post has been updated with information from a Meta company blog.

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DANVILLE  A Pittsylvania County woman was sentenced in federal court last week on charges related to stealing $170,000 in Social Security benefits belonging to her grandmother, who was serving a prison sentence in the death of her husband.

Christy Bowling, 38, of Hurt, pleaded guilty in November to concealment of bankruptcy assets and theft of government money. She was sentenced last week to serve two months in federal prison followed by a year of home detention.

United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh, of the Western District of Virginia, and Gail S. Ennis, inspector general for the Social Security Administration, made the announcement via news release this week.

Bowlings mother, 58-year-old Judith Cash, of Shipman, pleaded guilty in May to theft of public money, a charge related to the same theft of Social Security benefits, the release stated. Cash received a year of home detention when she was sentenced.

It all came to light in August 2020, according to court documents, when Betty Gowen contacted the Social Security Administration to apply for retirement benefits. Federal authorities said Gowen, of Nelson County, was in prison serving a sentence in the death of her husband.

Online court records show she was sentenced to 20 years in April 2002 after a jury found her guilty in the murder of 62-year-old Jack Tunstall Gowen.

She contacted Social Security in 2020 to apply for benefits upon her release.

When SSA officials received Gowens application, it was revealed that her daughter, Judith Cash, and granddaughter, Christy Bowling, had already applied for and had been receiving Gowens SSA Retirement Benefits since 2010, federal officials wrote in the release.

The daughter and granddaughter used a shared bank card to access the funds.

After an investigation, the Social Security Administration found out the pair stole $172,952 in benefits. In addition to prison time, the court has ordered them to pay back the money as restitution.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Charlene R. Day prosecuted the case, according to the release.
Queen of Apostles-Corpus Christi Catholic Church will host fish fry Fridays during Lent  Feb. 24 through March 31  in the churchs great hall, 3304 Fourth Ave. in Council Bluffs. Hours are 4:30 to 7 p.m. weekly. Cost is $14 for adults and $7 for children ages 10 and under. Menu offerings include fried fish, fish tacos, baked beans, bread and butter, coleslaw; macaroni and cheese or cheese pizza for kids. Carry-out is also available; call 712-323-0014.

St. Patrick Catholic Church, 4 Valley View Drive in Council Bluffs, will host fish fries on most Fridays during Lent: Feb. 24, March 3, March 10, March, 24 and March 31. (There will be no event on March 17 due to St. Patricks Day.) Dine-in and carry-out will be available from 5 to 7 p.m. Menu includes fried or baked fish, shrimp, baked potato, coleslaw, macaroni and cheese, dessert and a drink choice of lemonade or water. Cost is $15 for adults and $7 for children. Beer and margaritas will also be available for purchase. March 10 will be family night, featuring Loli Pop dah Clown.

St. Peters Catholic Church, 1 Bluff St., Council Bluffs, will host shrimp boils from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on March 3 and March 24 in the church social hall. Side dishes will include coleslaw, roasted potatoes, dirty rice and macaroni and cheese. Cost is $20 for adults and $10 for children 12 and younger. Second helpings are $5.

Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church, 24116 Marian Ave. in Glenwood, will host a fish fry every Friday during Lent, Feb. 24 through March 31. Both dine-in and carry-out will be available from 5 to 7 p.m. or until gone. Menu includes fried carp and pollock, baked pollock, fries, coleslaw, baked potato, macaroni and cheese, and bread. Cost is $13 for adults and $4 for children. Desserts will be provided by parish groups for a freewill donation.

St. Patrick Catholic Church, 309 Third St. in Neola, will host a fish fry every Friday during Lent, Feb. 24 through March 31. Hours are 5 to 7 p.m. in the parish hall. Menu includes fried Alaskan pollock, baked potato, Orsis bread, coleslaw, relishes and dessert. Attendees may substitute a grilled cheese sandwich for fish.
A winter fish kill event has occurred at Big Lake, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

On Tuesday, Feb. 21, the DNR got reports that the ice was receding and people were seeing dead fish there, said Bryan Hayes, Iowa DNR fisheries management biologist. We went and investigated, and determined its a winter kill event due to oxygen sag, a somewhat natural cause.

Oxygen sag refers to the reduction in dissolved oxygen along a water body. That means, for an unspecified reason, there was not enough oxygen in the lake to support these fish populations this winter.

Hundreds of fish are affected, Hayes said, including most noticeably a large number of the 800 rainbow trout the DNR stocked at the lake in January.

We stocked those with intent to create fish over the winter on into the spring, Hayes said. With this winter kill event, that kind of sets us back there. We hate to lose those fish.

Other impacted species include portions of the lakes largemouth bass, bluegill and channel catfish populations.

The DNR wants visitors to Big Lake Park to know they are aware of the problem. They advise parkgoers to leave any dead fish they might see alone.

Those fish will break down naturally within a week or two, Hayes said.

Come May, the DNR will assess surviving populations.

We want fishing to be part of that park there, Hayes said. Its unfortunate. Were monitoring it and well continue to monitor the fish population in Big Lake.

Our next steps will be to evaluate surviving population and anything we can do to bring it back, Hayes said. Itll be May before we can get in there with equipment to see whats survived.

From there, the DNR will determine how to begin to rebuild fish populations within the lake.

It might be as simple as a stocking effort, Hayes said. Or we may look at the surviving population and say the best route is to completely restart this. We know there is common carp in there, and they have a negative influence on water quality, which likely contributed to this kill.

Carp are bottom feeders that uproot plants, which help produce oxygen underwater.

When a water body ices over, the oxygen you have in the water is dependent on what was there when it was iced over and any oxygen production you might get from plants under the ice, Hayes said. We didnt have a lot of aquatic plants in Big Lake, so we assume there was very little production of oxygen going on and enough demand (not only from fish, but algae and decaying plants) to cause this sag.

Removing the carp would take a lot more effort, Hayes said. The DNR completed such an effort in 2009, but two major floods of the Missouri River since then have likely provided avenues for rough fish to get back into the lake, he said.

A couple years of dry conditions in western Iowa also likely contributed to the kill, Hayes said.

The water is a foot low, he said. Big Lake is already a shallow pond. To take a foot off the top is probably a fairly significant portion of the water volume. It wouldve helped if we had that foot back on top there.
The Council Bluffs Schools Foundation will hold its 2023 Education Is Everyones Business from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, March 22 at the Mid-America Center, 1 Arena Way in Council Bluffs.

The event is held annually to inform business and community partners of the important things happening in local schools.

Executive Director Chris LaFerla will deliver this years keynote address, Teachers Need Us Now More Than Ever: Working Together to Support Teachers and Preserve the Social, Cultural and Economic Health of Our Community and Beyond.

The luncheon kicks off the foundations annual Community Impact Campaign, a four-week drive when the foundation provides an opportunity for donors to help make an impact in the schools by supporting children, families and staff. The foundation is looking for four weekly sponsors.

TS Institute has continued its support and is serving as this years presenting sponsor.

Areas of Impact include the Area of Greatest Need Fund, Student Enrichment Fund and Educational Excellence Fund.

The Area of Greatest Need Fund provides flexibility to respond to the most critical needs of the foundation and supports unfunded and underfunded district programs, according to the foundations website. These funds are used to support classroom grants, student enrichment grants and emergency assistance grants, as well as teacher, staff and student recognition events and teacher and staff development.

The Student Enrichment Fund supports programs that supplement the classroom learning experience through field trips, cultural experiences and participation in clubs, fine arts and co-curricular activities. In addition, the fund provides emergency assistance for children in need of basic necessities, such as glasses, shoes, coats and gloves.

Teachers often use their own funds to purchase items to enhance the learning experience in their classrooms. The Educational Excellence Fund helps alleviate that burden.

To register for tickets or a sponsorship, go to cbsf.org/luncheon.
NORFOLK  Im not normally one to write the editor, but your recent editorial bothered me enough to do so. Your recent viewpoint on Censorship and banning seemed to be skewed to point the finger at a particular political side. However, the examples of banning you used were publisher and 
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The sixth Cuba's International Salsa Music Festival kicked off in the capital city of Havana on Wednesday after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to organizers, the festival has invited 27 Cuban music bands such as Los Van Van, Bamboleo and Havana D'Primera as well as foreign musicians.

Cuban musician Maykel Blanco, president of the salsa festival, said that the event will unite dancers from across the world.

"Cuba opens its music doors to those who want to dance with us. We share our joy and hearts with first-time and returning visitors," he said.

Taking place in Havana's district of El Vedado, the event features music concerts, salsa classes and DJ presentations, along with sales of CDs and magazines.

Salsa music artist Haila Maria Mompie said that the festival will be a good chance for Cubans and world musicians to interact with salsa fans.

"We will perform high-quality music for salsa music lovers. I am certain this fantastic festival will bring a positive outcome," she said.

Running through Feb. 26, the festival is also attended by some 200 international dancers, largely from the United States, France, Colombia, Italy, Panama, Peru and Spain.

Among them is Paola Bianchi, a 26-year-old Italian who has been taking salsa classes in her home country for a couple of months.

"I will have a lot of fun while learning new salsa moves," she told Xinhua. "This is a great opportunity to hone my skills as a salsa dancer."

Mario Marin, who works as a salsa professor in central Havana, told Xinhua that music has the potential to attract thousands of foreign visitors to Cuba.

"Aside from our sandy beaches and protected areas, music is part of the identity of this country," he said. "We can share with visitors what we know about salsa music."

Cuba saw a remarkable year-on-year increase in the number of tourist arrivals in January. It estimates that some 3.5 million tourists will visit the Caribbean nation by the end of this year.
As Russia, China and South Africa have started joint naval drills amid Ukraine war, Moscow said its military will not test-fire a hypersonic missile during the exercises, contradicting earlier reports in Russian state media.

A senior Russian naval official told a news conference that the contentiously-timed war games this week would not include Russias military test-firing one of its most powerful weapons, a hypersonic Tsirkon missile. The pre-planned joint naval exercise, which started on Wednesday (22 February) and is scheduled to last ten days, is happening as the world marks a full year of Russia-Ukraine war.

David Feldmann, spokesperson for the US Embassy in South Africa, said that timing would at the very least present South Africa with a diplomatic challenge.

A frigate that carries the weapon, the Admiral Gorshkov, is in South African waters  one of several Russian ships deployed to Exercise Mosi II. Russian news agency TASS reported earlier this month that the Zircon  which President Vladimir Putin has called unstoppable  could be used in a training launch during the exercise. That drew condemnation from South Africas main opposition Democratic Alliance as well as the Ukrainian Association in South Africa. South African officials denied the report. South Africa has been heavily criticized for going ahead with the exercises, which coincide with the first anniversary of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. But the South African government, which has officially remained neutral on the conflict, has defended its right to hold drills with friends.
Tunisias President Kais Saied fired Wednesday Minister of Professional Training and Employment Nasreddine Nsibi, as he continues to shake up his cabinet in a slow motion in the wake of an electoral setback. The office of the President announced in a statement Nsibis removal without providing further information whether the magistrate has been replaced.

The now former Minister was appointed to the position in October 2021. He is the second cabinet Minister to be replaced in this month. The Tunisian leader early this month fired his Foreign Minister Othmane Jerandi and replaced him by the countrys former ambassador to Belgium, Nabil Ammar.

End of last month, President Saied removed minister of Education Fathi Selaouti and minister of agriculture Mohamed Ilyes. Both were respectively replaced by Ali Boughdiri and Abdelmonam Belati.

The various changes occurred a day after the country held the second round of the legislative elections. The process was boycotted by voters with turnout put at 11.4 per cent by the independent electoral body, ISIE.

The first round held in December also recorded the lowest ever turnout registered in the history of the country, 11 per cent.

Nabil Ammar was expected to be appointed the countrys future ambassador to France, according to Webdo Tunis.
Drought trends in the Horn of Africa are now worse than they were during the 2011 famine in which hundreds of thousands of people died, with a climate research center warning of below-normal rainfall that is expected during the rainy season over the next three months in parts of Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia.

In parts of Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Uganda that have been most affected by the recent drought, this could be the 6th failed consecutive rainfall season, the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Center said. Drier than normal conditions have also increased in parts of Burundi, eastern Tanzania, Rwanda and western South Sudan, the center added. While famine thresholds have not been reached, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday that 8.3 million people  more than half Somalias population  will need humanitarian assistance this year.

The longest drought on record in Somalia, which has lasted almost three years, claiming tens of thousands lives, has prompted Workneh Gebeyehu, the IGADs chief, to urge governments and partners to act before its too late. He echoed a similar warning in January by the UN resident coordinator for Somalia that excess deaths in the country will almost certainly surpass those of the famine declared in the country in 2011, when more than 260,000 people died of starvation. About 1.3 million people, 80% women and children, have been internally displaced in the east African nation by the drought sweeping the Horn of Africa.
The summit of the African Union (AU) in February 2023 has shown that the bloc is in the process of accession to the G20 grouping as a member while also becoming a participant of the BRICS+ meetings, which would in turn enhance Africas global influence.

While Africa lacks a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, a situation that is unlikely to change any time soon, experts see membership of informal multilateral clubs like the G20 and BRICS as offering Africa a useful alternative voice on global decisions. To that end, the latest AU summit marked the rising stature of Africa on the world stage and the increasing support for African economic integration both regionally and globally. Being part of both the G20 grouping and the BRICS+ meetings is important for AU insofar as they are increasingly targeting regional groupings from the Global South.

In November 2022, at the G20 summit in Bali, Cyril Ramaphosa, the president of South Africa, currently the only African member of G20, called on his peers to give the AU a permanent seat in the club. And also Senegals President Macky Sall, who attended the summit ex-officio as current AU chairperson, repeated his previous calls for the AU to be admitted. Their call for AU membership had since been backed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, among other world leaders. Sall said the G20 agreed to discuss the matter at its summit next year. Beyond G20, there is also the possibility for the AU to occasionally become a participant in the annual summits of BRICS.

Liesl Louw-Vaudran, senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria, believes its an important achievement for the AU to have won the support of its members to represent them in a forum like the G20. Notably, the proposal is also gaining favor among other G20 members. The grouping serves in part as a more workable proxy for the UN Security Council where Africa and others are seeking permanent representation. Africa has been indirectly represented on the G20 through South Africas membership since the start, but Ramaphosa no doubt thinks that Africa rightfully needed a louder voice at the table than just South Africas.
The standing decision-making organ of the African Union, the Peace and Security Council, issued its annual report without mentioning the Algeria-fueled conflict over southern Morocco, the Sahara.

The decision confirms once more the neutrality of the African Union, in line with its resolution 639 of July 2019, which considers the Sahara as an issue to be tackled within the exclusive UN framework, barring the road to adversaries of Moroccos territorial integrity within the continental union who sought to create parallel mechanisms.

Algeria, and a few failed states that turn in its orbit, sought to influence the African Union rehashing their cold-war era pro-separatist rhetoric in vain.

Neutrality on the Sahara issue is a first step for the African Union towards repairing its historical fault of admitting the Polisario separatist entity under the influence of Algerias oil and gas money.

As the rest of Africa seeks win-win partnerships, investments and technology transfer to break away from the yoke of under development, Algerias president said he will offer 1 billion dollars to an agency he has created to help African states, in another bribe that fools no African state.

Algeria has to develop itself first before seeking to help others with development issues. As a country that decades after indepdence is still reliant on hydrocarbons for over 90% of its exports, Algeria embodies all that is wrong with development in Africa: authoritarianism, corruption, support for separatist militias and underdevelopment.

President Tebbounes 1-billion-dollar announcement shows however that Algeria senses the days of the Polisario in the African Union are numbered and hence the generosity to buy political support in a forward-looking Africa that is breaking away with cold-war-era rhetoric. Algeria however is willing to squander money that could have been better used to alleviate the suffering of its own people that queues for basic staples.

On November 4, 2022, sixteen former African Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers launched a solemn appeal from Tangier, demanding the expulsion of the pseudo-SADR from the African Union (AU).

The Tangier Appeal stressed the need to correct the historical anomaly, legal aberration and political misunderstanding that is the illegal and illegitimate admission, and then the unjustified maintenance within the continental organization of the pseudo-SADR and its negative operational impact.

The former African officials who signed the document believe that the accession of the puppet entity to the AU is in violation of Articles 3(b) and 4(b) of the Constitutive Act of the African Union, noting that the so-called Sahrawi Republic is an artificial entity imposed on the sole Organization of African Unity/African Union, against all legitimacy and legality.

According to the document, this artificial entity does not fulfil any of the constituent elements of a state, namely a territory, a population and an effective government, nor does it enjoy sovereignty, independence, or international legal responsibility.

On January 29, 2023, three other former Foreign Ministers signed the Tangier Appeal during the first follow-up meeting of the Appeal.

Already in 2017, 28 African states submitted a motion to the African Union requesting a freeze of Polisarios membership in the African Union. The salient argument was that the Polisario lacks all state attributes as a separatist organization fed and hosted on the Algerian territory.

By staying neutral despite Algerian pressure and money, the African Union is also taking a first step to restore its legitimacy and correct its past bias, because offering membership to a separatist organization such as the Polisario has predjudged the outcome of the UN efforts and encourages other separatist groups to follow suit.

Morocco now is close to getting the support of 37 African Union members to vote for a resolution to freeze or suspend the Polisarios membership, a move that will help the African Union to contribute to efforts to reach a UN solution to this territorial dispute opposing Rabat to Algiers.
The German leader in cables and wires industry, Helukabel, has opened lately a subsidiary in Casablanca, Morocco, described as a dynamic and growing market.

It is the second subsidiary of the electrical connection technology specialist in the African continent. Helukabel has been present in South Africa since 2010.

Commenting the opening of a new site in the North African Kingdom, Eduardo Soares, Managing Director of Helukabel Portugal, said: We have seen a stable economic growth in Morocco, especially over the past two years.

The mechanical engineering and renewable energy sectors are particularly promising. Thats why we decided to further expand our activities there, he added.

The applications in these sectors are growing as the need for customized solutions in connection technology is expanding.

Our new Moroccan subsidiary will help us deepen our understanding of our customers specific needs so that we can provide targeted support and offer flexibility, affirmed Mr. Soares.

Helukabel is present in 38 countries around the world and employs about 2,200 people.
The Workers Group of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has voiced deep concern over the continuing deterioration of the respect for fundamental rights in Tunisia, including attacks on the rights of trade unions and workers.

In a press release issued Wednesday, the EESC workers group denounced the expulsion of Esther Lynch, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) General Secretary, after she joined Tunisian trade unions in a peaceful protest in Sfax on February 18.

As President Kais Saied tightens his authoritarian grip on the country, the Workers Group joins with the ETUC and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), in condemning this action and in raising concerns about the erosion of democracy and the rule of law in Tunisia.

Tunisia has been a beacon of hope in the Arab region following its Jasmine Revolution in 2011, which ended the countrys twenty-three-year dictatorship and ignited the Arab Spring.

However, since his election in 2019, President Saieds actions have systematically weakened democratic institutions, cracking down on political opponents and civil society, notably trade unions.

Additionally, the Saied governments policies, including its austerity measures, have significantly damaged Tunisias economy, society and working peoples daily life.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, has expressed concern over arbitrary arrests and detentions, as well as measures that continue to undermine the independence of the judiciary.

The Workers Group joins with all those calling for the immediate release of all trade unionists and militants, human rights defenders and all other civil society representatives currently detained and for a return to the respect of fundamental rights and the rule of law.

Oliver Ropke, the Workers Group President said: The Workers Group extends its solidarity to the Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT) and the Tunisian people at this difficult time. The European Union must take action to ensure that the Tunisian government understands that continued partnership with the EU is dependent on upholding democracy and the rule of law, so that the aspirations of the Tunisian people can be achieved.
The Polisario-run Tindouf camps have been rocked by violent protests by disenchanted youth who torched trucks and attacked a so-called Police station in a camp called Aousserd in south-western Algeria.

The incident came as the camps were hit by floods adding to the suffering of thousands of Sahraouis forsaken by Algeria under the mercy of the Polisario militias that have been holding them in miserable living conditions as political yawns in its proxy war against Morocco.

Pictures shared online showed a burned station of what the polisario calls its own police within the Algerian territory confirming once more that the Algerian state has abdicated a part of what is supposed to be its own territory to a separatist militia.

The unrest within the camps explains why the Polisario chief Brahim Ghali surprisingly missed the African Union summit.

The obstinacy of Algeria in perpetuating the conflict over the Sahara by arming and pulling the strings of the Polisario has started the backfire with scores of Tindouf camp youth seeking to join drug traffickers or even terrorist groups as was the case with former camp dweller Abu Walid Sahrawi, former head of ISIS branch in the greater Sahara.

The situation is expected to worsen the current Polisario leadership crackdown on dissident voices including those who call for compromise and favor Moroccos autonomy plan.

Previously, rights groups have warned of the degradation of living conditions and the UN urged Algeria to allow a census of the camps population.
Israeli air force commander General Tomer Bar is paying his first official visit to Morocco since the two countries restored ties in 2020, followed by similar visits of top army commanders auguring well for defense cooperation as Rabat seeks state-of-art military technology and investments.

The visit features talks with his Moroccan peer General El Abd Bohamid, as well as tours of Moroccos air force bases with the aim of strengthening cooperation, Israeli media said.

Bar was accompanied by the head of the Israeli Air Forces training department, a lieutenant colonel, and other commanders.

A month earlier, the two countries armies held their joint annual steering committee in Rabat and agreed to deepen cooperation in line with the goals of the defense pact they signed in 2021, the Israeli defense department said in a statement.

The two countries also agreed to work together on intelligence, cybersecurity, logistics, training and acquisitions. They also convened to collaborate in intelligence and cybersecurity. They agreed to further strengthen cooperation and expand it to other areas, including in intelligence, air defense, and electronic warfare, according to the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces.

Last September, Moroccos top general El Farouk Belkhir met senior Israeli army commanders. Two months earlier. Israels army chief Aviv Kohavi visited Rabat and discussed with Moroccan Royal Armed Forces and the defense administration means to bolster ties.

Morocco is particularly interested in developing defense industries. In November 2021, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding that established a solid security cooperation framework, formalizing defense relations between them with a particular focus on defense industry.

Morocco is keen on reducing its reliance on imports and seeks joint ventures to encourage defense investments after it has approved a law to that end.

In addition to offensive and reconnaissance drones, Morocco is also seeking Israeli Puls rocket launchers to reinforce its artillery, Moroccan media reported.
The body of Burkina Fasos revolutionary leader Thomas Sankara was buried Thursday alongside 12 of his comrades at the spot where they were assassinated 36 years ago.

Prime Minister of Burkina Faso Apollinaire Joachim Kyelem de Tambela graced the ceremony.

Sankara came to power in August 1983 as an army captain, at the age of 33. The man marked the history of the country and that of the entire continent.

Nicknamed Africas Che Guevara, Sankara was utterly against colonialism and neocolonialism.

He changed the countrys name from the colonial-era Upper Volta to Burkina Faso  the land of honest men  and pushed through a range of reforms, including promoting vaccination and banning female genital mutilation.

Sankara and a dozen others were gunned down by a hit squad at a meeting of the ruling National Revolutionary Council in the capital Ouagadougou.

Several people and witnesses blamed his comrade-in-arms, Blaise Compaore, for his assassination as the latter seized power.

Compaore ruled the country for 27 years with iron fist. He was ousted in 2014 in a coup.

After Compaores downfall, the 13 bodies were exhumed from a cemetery on the outskirts of the city for an investigation. A court in April 2022 condemned Compaore to life imprisonment in abstentia in connection with Sankaras assassination.
Feng Jianzhong, head of the collectors' society in Shanghai's Pudong New Area.[Photo provided by Zhang Kun/China Daily]

Dedicated to documenting the stories about Shanghai's Pudong New Area before its opening-up and development in the 1990s, the Pudong History Museum was officially opened on Feb 16.



The new museum contains exhibits that tell of the history of the eastern bank of the Huangpu River, from its ecological evolution through centuries, to the administration changes of dynasties, to the stories of local heroes.

Huang Wei, director of the publicity department of the Pudong New Area, describes the museum as the "final missing piece on a map" of the area's history.

Originally known as the Nanhui Museum, the museum first opened in 2005 in Nanhui district. Four years later, Nanhui was integrated into Pudong, and thus had its name changed to the Nanhui Museum of the Pudong New Area.

In 2021, the museum underwent a major renovation.

The renovated space now spans 3,510 square meters. Aside from the permanent showcase of Pudong's history and culture, the museum is also presenting its first temporary showcase which features couplet calligraphy by local artist Chen Zonghuang.

"Cultural and museum resources used to be rare in the Pudong New Area," said Yan Bo, deputy head of the Pudong New Area, at the museum's opening ceremony.

"I hope the new museum can join hands with other museums and cultural facilities near the area. We can design new tour packages for visitors and integrate cultural experiences with sightseeing and leisure activities.

"We hope to collaborate with leading institutions, such as the Shanghai Museum to present two themed exhibitions about Pudong every year."

The opening exhibition showcases several objects that have been lent by the Shanghai Museum and the Shanghai History Museum.

They include a collection of jade, artifacts with inscriptions of the pattern for longevity, and objects inset with gold, all of which were unearthed from the tomb of Lu Shen (1477-1544) in Pudong in 1969.

The Lu family was a renowned clan in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and had lived on the eastern bank of the Huangpu River and the Wusong River, also known today as Suzhou Creek. It was the Lu clan that gave Shanghai's most important financial center its name  Lujiazui, or Lu's estuary.

Objects donated by people are on show, too. One donor is Feng Jianzhong, who is the head of the collectors' society in Pudong. Feng donated dozens of historical documents and objects that he gathered over the past decades, such as the original charter of a Pudong native association established in the 1930s, a blueprint of the association building in downtown Shanghai constructed in 1936, and historical maps of the area.

"I am a local and have deep feelings for my hometown. I am happy to see we have this new museum in Pudong. I think sharing my collections is more meaningful than keeping them at home," Feng says.
Tunisian President Kais Saied has made extremely hateful and racist remarks against African migrants who arrive in his country on their way to Europe, causing a stir at home and abroad.

After castigating and making racist remarks against African immigrants, who seek refuge in Europe because of poverty, famine and conflicts in their countries, the Tunisian president went so far as to say that Africans were the cause of most of Tunisias problems, trying to Africanize it and alienate its Arab identity, he was quoted as saying in a Presidency statement.

At Tunisias national security council convened on the subject, Saied spoke of hordes of illegal migrants whose presence in Tunisia he called a source of violence, crime and unacceptable acts. Insisting on the need to quickly put an end to this immigration, he equated it with a desire to make Tunisia just another African country and not a member of the Arab and Islamic world, using rhetoric close to the great replacement theory promoted by the far right in France and in other Western countries.

In Morocco, where African migrants enjoy full social rights and are integrated into the Kingdoms social fabric, these remarks have prompted consternation. Moroccans reject the remarks made by the Tunisian president against African citizens who are legitimately seeking a better future for themselves and their children.

The Moroccan citizen, if he is not used to meddling in the affairs of a country, was violently shaken by the racist and execrable remarks made by the Tunisian president.

Several other people and organizations slammed Saieds racist remarks. It is a racist approach just like the campaigns in Europe the presidential campaign aims to create an imaginary enemy for Tunisians to distract them from their basic problems, Ramadan Ben Amor, spokesperson for the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights, told Reuters.

The Tunisian president, university professor, should not ignore that migration is an enrichment for the host society and the fact of asserting that Africans are the primary cause of Tunisias problems shows a serious ignorance of the Tunisian reality.

Claiming that sub-Saharan migrants threaten the countrys identity is a nameless aberration.

With a simple glance at the world map, the author of these remarks would have realized that Tunisia is already on the African continent. It is as African as Niger, Congo or Tanzania.

On Thursday, Kais Saied backtracked on his racist remarks on Sub- Saharans, telling his Interior Minister that the migrants, legally established in Tunisia, must not fear anything. But the damage is done!
The Union of Arab Journalists has denounced the politically-motivated campaign orchestrated by the European Parliament against Morocco, saying that spying claims made against the North African Kingdom were baseless allegations.

The MEPs have failed to provide scientific evidence to support their false allegations, said the Union, expressing astonishment over the French judiciary system which has denied Moroccos right to challenge the NGOs accusing it of snooping with Pegasus spyware, while it accepted the complaints filed against it by some French journalists who claimed that their phones were hacked, without presenting any independent technical expertise to support these allegations.

The Union of Arab Journalists has also condemned the bias of the European Parliament which refused to look into the scientific and independent studies carried out by experts, proving that the allegations made against Morocco are baseless.

Among these studies, there is one authored by Jonathan Scott, an American expert in spyware and malware forensics. His research showed the absence of scientifically reproducible evidence for digital crimes which undermines the foundation for justice.

Regarding the investigations conducted by Amnesty International and The Citizen Lab, the expert voiced concerns over their reputation in the information security and scientific communities.

He affirmed that their research has often not been independently verified or reproduced by anyone outside of their trusted network, and their disregard for international forensics policies and procedures is alarming.

Despite these shortcomings, they have formed partnerships with several global media outlets, including the coalition of journalists from Forbidden Stories who are part of The Pegasus Project.

According to Mr. Scott, it is important to approach these partnerships with increased scrutiny and validation to ensure the accuracy and impartiality of any investigations conducted.

He said that the investigations conducted by these organizations significantly lack rigor, affirming that the mobile forensics results used to support the allegations of Pegasus spyware on Omar Radi, Claude Mangin, and others phones have been tampered, and forged, by way of several false positive results that were not disclosed by the researchers.

From a scientific posture, it is paramount to highlight the importance of transparent and rigorous investigation methods in cases involving spyware technology, said the American expert, noting that false positives in forensic analysis lead to erroneous conclusions, which can have significant implications for the individuals involved and the broader political landscape.

Furthermore, 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.

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.
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has decided, unanimously by its members, to remove Morocco from the gray list, during the FATF General Assembly, held in Paris on February 20-24, 2023, the Department of the Head of Government announced Friday.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) decided, unanimously by its members, to remove the Kingdom of Morocco from the enhanced monitoring process, known as gray list, after assessing the compliance of the national system with international standards relating to the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing, since the adoption by the FATF in February 2021, of the action plan specific to the Kingdom of Morocco. This decision was taken at the FATF General Assembly, held in Paris, France, on February 20-24, 2023, said the Department in a statement.

This FATFs decision comes after the positive conclusions contained in the report of the groups experts, issued at the end of the field visit undertaken in Morocco on January 16-18, 2023, notes the same source.

This report, by virtue of which Morocco has been removed from the grey list, welcomed the Kingdoms formal political commitment to the compliance of the national system of combating money laundering and terrorist financing, with international standards, as well as the full compliance by our country with all its commitments within the set deadlines, said the statement.

The decision to remove Morocco from the enhanced monitoring process, known as grey list, crowns the efforts and proactive actions of the Kingdom of Morocco, pursuant to the High Royal Directives, which have focused on a battery of legislative, organizational, awareness and control measures, implemented by the various national authorities and institutions concerned, under the coordination of the National Financial Intelligence Authority, in partnership with legal persons subject to public or private law.

He added that Moroccos removal from the grey list will have a positive impact on sovereign ratings and local banks ratings, as well as it will strengthen Moroccos image and its positioning in negotiations with international financial institutions, as well as the confidence of foreign investors in the national economy.

In order to consolidate the gains made in recent years, the Kingdom of Morocco reiterates its strong commitment to continue strengthening the national system of combating money laundering and terrorist financing, in accordance with the evolution of international standards in this area, and stresses that this commitment now has a strategic and institutional character aimed at preserving the national financial system against the dangers of financial crimes, concludes the statement.
GERING  A Hastings quarter horse track operator is no longer involved in a proposal to build a racino at North Platte as authorized by voter-approved state initiatives in 2020.

Brian Becker, who initially offered plans for North Platte and Gering horse track-casinos in 2021, won Scotts Bluff County commissioners support for the latter location Tuesday.

They voted 5-0 to approve a memorandum of understanding saying their county agrees to exclusively support Scottsbluff Exposition and Racing Inc. and Prairie Thunder Gering LLC whenever its cleared to seek licenses from the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission.

Beckers Prairie Thunder racino would rise just outside Gerings city limits on 140 acres straddling the Nebraska Highway 71 expressway as it curves northeast around the citys south edge.

The plan won Gering city officials blessing later in 2021, but an effective moratorium adopted by the 2022 Legislature has left proposals for all-new racinos in limbo while Nebraskas six existing tracks prepare to add casinos under the 2020 initiatives.

Becker, who operates a one-day quarter horse meet at Hastings Adams County Fairgrounds, also is planning a new horse track and casino there.

His attorney, Brian Jorde of Omaha, said Wednesday that Becker is out of the picture for a would-be North Platte racino.

Becker and former project partner Global Gaming Solutions LLC, a Chickasaw Tribe of Oklahoma affiliate, parted ways last summer.

Another Chickasaw affiliate, Sovereign Properties Holdco LLC, bought the intended 77.25-acre racino site on East Walker Road between the Interstate 80 exits for $2.46 million on June 6, 2022. Its 2022 taxable value was $415,591, according to the Lincoln County Assessors Office.

Prairie Thunder and Scottsbluff Exposition and Racing will announce a new gaming partner for the Gering racino in a few months, if not sooner, Jorde said Wednesday.

Racinos in Nebraska cities currently lacking horse tracks arent possible before 2025 under last years Legislative Bill 876. That law requires market analyses and socioeconomic analyses for the states existing tracks to be finished first.

State Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte has introduced a bill to allow new racinos west of Cozad while also delaying the studies deadline to 2030. LB 148 is scheduled for a March 13 public hearing before the General Affairs Committee.

Becker was in the audience at Tuesdays Scotts Bluff County Board meeting, while Jorde presented Beckers request remotely via Zoom.

If and when state senators change their minds about allowing all-new racinos, Becker wants to be ready to move quickly in Gering, he said.

Were very serious about this. We are not Johnny-come-latelies, Jorde said. Weve been working diligently for years now.  We want Scotts Bluff (County) to beat out Kimball, which I think is the competition.

Canterbury Park, a horse track in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area in Minnesota, proposed a casino near Kimballs Interstate 80 interchange about the same time Becker called for one in Gering.

Entities organized by Becker applied for tracks for both North Platte and Gering on July 16, 2021, before the Unicameral-approved moratorium.

His North Platte Exposition and Racing received a two-year conditional use permit on Aug. 17, 2021, after Mayor Brandon Kelliher broke a 4-4 City Council tie by voting in favor.

Western Nebraskas other racino proposal comes from Ogallala, which has partnered with Grand Islands Fonner Park to pursue a site near the Keith County seats I-80 interchange.

With Gering and Kimball 40 miles apart and North Platte and Ogallala separated by 50 miles, Jorde said, its unlikely all four will win racinos.

We think that these four will be the ones competing for most likely two licenses that could be issued for the western half of the state, he told commissioners.

That means either Gering or Kimball would receive a license for the Panhandle, with either North Platte or Ogallala winning the other, he said.

Becker, who referred questions to Jorde after the meeting, told commissioners he has showed his commitment to the Scottsbluff-Gering area by buying its would-be racino site even though the states pause on new tracks remains in effect.

Beyond that, a $1 million (license application) check has gone to the state racing commission, he said. We just want you on our side.

Prairie Thunder LLC, which lists Jorde as its registered agent, bought a pair of parcels Sept. 27 for a combined $1.1 7 million. About 104.7 acres lie on the Gering side of the expressway, with the rest on the opposite side.

Scottsbluff Exposition and Racing won a one-year conditional use permit from the Gering Planning Commission on a 6-2 vote on Sept. 1, 2021.

The Gering City Council, which leaves approval of most such permits to the Planning Commission, voted 7-1 to approve a letter of support for the project on Dec. 13, 2021.

Gering Planning Commission members voted 5-1 July 19 to renew Beckers conditional use permit for another year. He would have to start over if the states hold remains in place after that, City Administrator Pat Heath said Wednesday.
Auburn Police Departments Narcotics and Investigations Section arrested a Georgia man in connection to a suspected drug overdose death that is believed to involve fentanyl poisoning.

Police began the investigation on Feb. 8, and identified Adarius Dijuan Reese, 25, of Lagrange, Ga., as the suspected source of the fentanyl provided to the victim.

On Feb. 20, the Auburn Police Narcotics and Operational Support K9 Sections conducted a traffic stop on Reese in the area of Shug Jordan Parkway, the police report said.

During the stop and the search of the vehicle, police said they found multiple controlled substances, a stolen firearm and approximately $2,400 in U.S. currency.

Reese was charged with drug traffickingfentanyl, four counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana first degree and receiving stolen property second degree.

Reese was taken to the Lee County Jail and held on a $60,500 bond. Police said this case remains under investigation.

The Auburn Police Department reminds the public that one pill can kill, and asks citizens to report suspected fentanyl trafficking and possession to the Auburn Police Department.

Tips can be submitted anonymously through the Auburn Public Safety smartphone application.
As spring break nears, college students everywhere are gearing up for a week at the beach or a trip back home to see family. But for one group of Auburn students, spring break will look a bit different.

Alternative Student Breaks, or ASB, is an initiative that provides opportunities for students to serve in various communities across the country during school breaks. ASB travels domestically to partner with local organizations and charities to make a difference in communities all around the country. This spring, ASB will travel to Port St. Joe, Florida, and Charleston, South Carolina.

ASB is an opportunity for students to learn about social issues, develop a sense of responsibility to their communities and make a difference around the country, said ASB Vice President of Communications Elise Fitzgerald.

ASB participants work directly with charities and organizations in each city to meet the unique needs of each place they visit. In Port St. Joe, students will advocate for environmental conservation, and in Charleston, ASB will partner with HEART, an organization providing mentorship and community in the arts for adults with disabilities. Previous ASB trips have traveled to Kissimmee, Florida, Nashville, Tennessee, and Chattanooga, Tennessee in recent years. These unique opportunities to serve are open to any Auburn student, regardless of age or major.

Thanks to support from Student Involvement, ASB is able to offer trips to participants completely cost-free in order to provide equal opportunities for all Auburn students, Fitzgerald said. In this way, the university promotes the importance of service and encourages students to get involved in organizations like ASB that are making a positive impact in the community.

Even while still on campus, participants of ASB are working to make a positive change here at home. This year, ASB partnered with the Auburn Black Student Union, or BSU, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to create care packages for victims of the Selma, Alabama, tornados that occurred in January. ASB and BSU have a long-standing partnership and have collaborated on service projects for many years.

Whether students are looking to get involved in the Auburn community or throughout the country, ASB has something meaningful to offer. Though registration for the upcoming ASB spring break trip is now closed, students are encouraged to keep ASB in mind during their college experience and consider participating in a future trip.

Auburn students should consider ASB for their breaks because it is an opportunity to engage in service learning with like-minded individuals, Fitzgerald said. By participating in ASB, students gain an understanding of social issues across the country and learn to work collaboratively in new settings. This truly makes ASB an essential part of every students Auburn experience.

For more information about ASB and its upcoming trips, visit the Alternative Student Breaks website or email asb@auburn.edu.
Meet Yourself, a popular TV series shot in Dali, Southwest China's Yunnan province, has captivated audiences with its themes of traditional culture preservation, rural revitalization and idyllic lifestyle.

According to some critics at a recent seminar held in Beijing, the show has accumulated a total of 3.3 billion clicks on the streaming platform Mango TV and topped the ratings of all programs on its broadcaster, Hunan Satellite TV, earlier this year.

Cai Huaijun, the deputy head of Hunan Radio and Television Group Co Ltd, said the show has set a successful example of integrating the film and television industry with cultural tourism.

According to Dali authorities, Yunnan received many visitors during the Spring Festival holiday, which propelled its tourism revenue to reach 38.4 billion yuan ($5.6 million), topping all other provinces and regions in the country. Niu Yan, the head of Dali's publicity department, echoed that the drama had a positive impact to Dali, promoting the locals' distinctive lifestyle and making the beautiful and culturally rich prefecture more well-known to the world.

Actor Li Xian, who also attended the seminar, said the drama shows the healing power of nature for those who want to escape metropolitan stress and get recharged in a beautiful pastoral landscape.

Xu Hailong, an associate professor of cultural industry at Capital Normal University, said that the drama could also be seen as an exploration of modern ecological civilization, showing how humans can balance societal development with environmental protection.




thread of the bullshit james ransone has said. tw for homophobia, transphobia, mentions of gore, the t slur, mentions of s3xual abuse. all images are from @/_reddie._.au_ and @/billhaderismybabydaddy on instagram. clowntown twt please spread this  VINCE   (@berkmanblocked) May 16, 2021

Actor, known to some for, andhas a long history of social media meltdowns; from an ages-old Tumblr, to a now-defunct Twitter, and now to present day with Instagram. The post currently in question is seemingly innocuous:A sampling:Theres So Much More, but if I included every questionable exchange this post would be as needlessly long as It Chapter Two.A quick summary: Christian proselytization, consistent use of Yiddish and Hebrew as a joking nod to his insistence that everyone hes speaking with are IDF secret ops, a statement that he and the superior James (McAvoy) did not get along, and alwaysseething disdain and distrust for anyone who expresses earnest concern.Importantly, his public comments here do essentially confirm the veracity of this Twitter users call out thread:If you read through these please take special care with the ones marked as from tubbos_bees_69. The virulence of the transphobia is incredibly sad and disturbing, along with the references to suicide and childhood sexual assault. The screen recordings do show the explicit photos referenced below.The screen captures and recordings collected there from May encapsulate mostly DMs between him and fans, many of them minors, in which he antagonizes them with a horrific image of a dead child from a Gaza bombing and in at least once instance sends a fully nude photo of a man. The communication style in the DMs is 100% consistent with his public communication style and mentions many of the same subjects (the Israeli plot against him, the photo of the dead child, Jason Fuchs)Speaking of, who is? According, allegedly, to James Ransone he is an Israeli intelligence asset that had a direct hand in shaping the homosexual subplot in it chapter 2 to help destabilize America while undermining its catholic and Christian roots. And to what level is his co-starcomplicit in this plot? Depends on which DM you read. In one particularly taunting DM he claims, him and bill hader would go off on their own and write about it! I wonder if they had a crush on each other! whereas in another he simply said, bill hader went along with it for money. He likens all shipping of Richie and Eddie to child pornography, despite the fact that he literally played anversion of Eddie.Who is Jason Fuchs actually? Hes primarily a screenwriter and producer and former child actor. He worked on It Chapter Two (and even appeared in the film, as Richies manager) but his most prominent work is on Wonder Woman. (He doesnt seem to happily claim the work he had the most influence on, though, which was the 2015 flop.) All of Ransones conspiracy theories on him seem to come from this article It is worth noting that a lot of these DMs seem to be right around the time Ransone was bravely sharing his own story of the sexual assault he experienced as a child. It is also worth noting that when he had a similar meltdown on Twitter in 2019 it was widely sparked by fans re-traumatizing him with explicit footage of himself in Ken Park. The man has been treated horrendously by the fandom in many instances, and acknowledgment and sympathy of that is why he continues to be buffeted and defended. When it happened before he expressed a complete disbelief that the people sending him abuse were just a bunch of kids; that time, though, they were FBI and CIA psyops instead of Israeli forces.In conclusion,, despite the goodwill he's earned with his commendable honesty about addiction, mental health, and abuse, James Ransone should be considered a lost cause by fans (and prospective employers, whether they be movie producers or tie-dye vendors) due to this protracted issue with his vile and inexcusable behavior. Regardless of which parts are trolling and which parts are paranoia, which parts are earnest or ironic, which parts are goaded on by It stan teens, the man needs to sign off social media and never sign back on.Content/triggerfor the following: anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, homophobia, transphobia, mental health issues, childhood sexual assault, child death, suicide, religious zealotry, and probably moreSources: 1


No offence to Pierre Gasly but

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He doesn't have the charisma

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i'm excited for the new season

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He's so boring.





As much as I slag this show and think it has exacerbated the problems in F1 (Lewis fan girl I ain't ever getting over AD21) it has been a good route in for people, and as a lifelong fan it's been great to chat to more people in my life about the sport when they had no interest in it prior to watching the show.



Edited at 2023-02-23 11:46 pm (UTC)

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I've never watched before DtS but now I'm obsessed. F1 podcasts, f1tv subscription, I have my own fb group where no one posts but me but it's a good repository for info which I love

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Love it!

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It's how I got into it, one of my best friends is a lifelong F1 fan and despite her best efforts I never got into it until DtS, I got invested in the people and then subsequently super into the racing and more technical side of it

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The reason Daniel worked so well is not just his willingness to be on camera but also his tumultuous career trajectory in such a short span.



Whatever Im soooooo excited for tomorrow. Going to get a nice dinner and dessert going after work I can chill. And Max is not shit but since hes appearing this season, I wonder if theyll tone down the fabricated edits since thats why he chose not to appear in previous seasons.



Hope theres a Seb talking head

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Appaz he *is* but not much

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This is the first time I'll be watching all of DTS bc some of my friends got into the show so now we'll be watching together (they still won't watch an actual F1 race though ). I'll fight with the producers if we don't get a Sebastian Vettel episode bc that's all I'm living for right now.

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Okay honestly I cannot wait because now motorsport is coming back - F1, IndyCar, MotoGP, GT Racing!!!!!!!!



I know NASCAR and Formula E have been in their seasons but they have weird schedules lol

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I have missed yelling at cars

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On DtS - I'm excited but also a little worried I'm gonna hate it.



The 2021 season was the first F1 season I followed and it was kinda weird watching DtS' take on it? And you really end up noticing their weird edits and forces storylines, and also some of the cool things that didn't make it vs others that did (like how they had that whole Mazepin episode, wtf was that)



But hopefully it'll be good tho! I'm cautiously optimistic I guess



Wonder how they're gonna edit Max with him finally agreeing to be back. Is it true he only agreed to return if he got to approve his edit? Because in that case... hmm.

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IA about the disparities between the actual F1 season at DtS's edits. but i still enjoy DtS for the pettiness (especially between the tea principles).



max said that they were going to give him final approval for his edit, so, i expect that they did. but i believe it's more about chronology for him and ensuring that they use his comments in what he feels are the appropriate places. he was upset because the edits made it look like he was commenting on things when he wasn't.

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DtS doing 1 race from multiple pov was sooooo annoying! They edit so much.



But I also love the talking heads

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it should be sharls cause he's so handsome AND comes off like a sweet-natured dummy, but he's sooooo boring on DTS ... actually most of the drivers (except for danny ric) are completely devoid of personality on the show.

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DtS seems to suck the life out of most of them. Sharl is so much funnier and entertaining in things like the Ferrari challenges they do and in his own content online

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Did anyone catch testing today?



So good seeing the cars on track. It's been a looong winter break!



Edited at 2023-02-24 12:12 am (UTC)

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yeah, we watched it. hard to tell what's really going on with the cars tho.

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I watched about an hour....but it isn't very exciting!

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Yeah, never know who might be sandbagging haha

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Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in Hello! Your entry got to top-25 of the most popular entries in LiveJournal!Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in FAQ

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lmao he does not have the charisma to be the lead 

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Pierre? Nah, son. He doesn't have the range.

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I find Danny Ric fake, tbh. I am no longer interested in DtS, I have watched from the end of 2020, into the current season. Much prefer it that way.

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I don't find him fake but he's just too bro-y for me. He seems nice enough but he was never my favorite driver.

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maybe he is bro-y and i misinterpret it as fake, but i also like the description bro-y. i am a new fan so i cannot say i know a lot about him but he just seems too much!

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Agreed - I find him fake and immature. He's an absolute airhead too which really grates over time.

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how can he "regret" riccardo's departure? he had literally NOTHING to do with it and had he any input on whether or not daniel was still on the grid this season would have fully pushed for him to keep his seat.



i don't actually care for most of riccardo's storylines in DtS.

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The producers/show captured lightning in a bottle with Daniel  the end of his time at RB, the advancements with Renault (+Cyril!) and the crapshoot that was McLaren. He was open and let them into a lot of parts of his life. I dont know who else on the grid is willing to do that.



But I will never say no to more Pierre! From the show, hes been on a similar path as Daniel. Weve seen his struggles at RB, his rise at Alpha Tauri, the speculation that RB may bring him back, and now they have the will they/wont they get a long of him and Ocon. It could work.

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Yeah, I wonder if they asked anyone else because we've seen families and free time of everyone else. Just on a smaller scale!!



Idk if Pierre has the range to carry the show the way DR did? I think's Danny's gregarious nature + success and then not....he had his whole arc

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I'm actually worried that if they start pushing Pierre, they're going to try to villainize Ocon if there does end up being any issues between them. People already have such a weird hate-boner for Ocon and I genuinely think he's quite misunderstood.

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I have a soft spot for this Slenderman. He's the only driver in his gen in f1 now (that I can think of) that actually had to scrimp and save from nothing and getting to f1 is pure talent and grit



(I do not put Lewis and Esteban in the same generation, age gap)

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I hope not. I think estie-bestie actually came across incredibly well in the episode DtS did about his background, so whilst I'm here for some french drama I hope they don't villanise him

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they should focus on yuki. he's ridiculous and so fucking funny. i hope he can improve this season and finish more races and get some more points.

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Working out makes me sad!!! So much love for my favourite pocket rocket

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Shes scared of the risk of childbirth but happy for someone else to risk it on her behalf. Fuck this bitch.



She hasnt frozen eggs to have seven more children, shes frozen eggs to rent seven more wombs.

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"And he said, ''Yeah, let's do it.'' And we've done it seven times I have all boys. I have 20 boys.'"



Did she do IVF 7 times? Is it only 7 embryos? Did she do IVF 7 times to get 7 embryos or 20? Does she not have a publicist to say some of her answers are not a good look at all?



Whatisthetruth.gif



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is she saying 7 retrievals for 20 male embryos?

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Its not complicated. She had to do 7 different egg retrievals to get that many embryos.

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Truly despise this racist asshole.

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FUUUUUUUUCK WOMEN WHO ARE SO SCARED TO GIVE BIRTH BUT HAVE NO PROBLEM RISKING SOMEONE ELSE'S LIFE.



Fuck her, fuck her, fuck her.

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so her husband will have a relationship with their kids, but not his other one?

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The good part is that it is likely his other child is at least financially secure. I do not like when the media outs the "supported" children of men, leave kids out of the media, don't fuck with their heads. I saw her picture on something today, someone probably found the mom's insta or something

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"I'm just so scared childbirth and death are the two things that scare me more than anything in the world."



Lol so a get a surrogate who could take your place wow. This is straight up a take from a sci fi book warning about dystopian society where rich women do this!



Like damn even Kim K went through an actual pregnancy and birth twice even with all her complications before going the surrogacy route (not that I approve).

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literally wtf



she's scared for herself but not the woman who's gonna do it for her

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mega yikes

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the way this vile racist was able to hop on the trend of reevaluating victimized celebs like britney to rehab her image...a whole clown



and ofc shes gonna use a surrogate. trash box



Edited at 2023-02-23 11:46 pm (UTC)

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science reality needs to get to the fictional where babies are grown in tubes cause this surrogate shit is getting tiring.

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Make it so only men can carry children and then we can go to tubing because obtaining ova is still more annoying than obtaining sperm.

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she won't birth her own children because she's scared to? not because she has trouble conceiving/carrying? fuck her.

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I'm sure the surrogate is also scared jfc

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I read something that in the US, many surrogates must already be mothers. No opinion, just a fact I did not know and am sharing.

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I'm not 100% against all surrogacy, as I think outlawing it completely is also telling women what to do with their bodies, but it's very clear how exploitative it currently is. That rich people can just buy women for cheap because they don't like the idea of pregnancy is clearly wrong. There's no way to spin that where it isn't a class issue of the ultra rich outsourcing everything they find unpleasant to the plebs.

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as I think outlawing it completely is also telling women what to do with their bodies

i get why people think this, but if surrogacy involves working around the state's idea of legal parenthoood, and it does, you are literally involving the state and the state is for sure going to get involved when something goes wrong.



making it illegal is the state saying, "we don't want to have to get more involved than we already are when something goes wrong" which whether you agree that that's reasonable or not, isn't exactly outside its purview.

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What state are you talking about? US laws on this are all over the place. Most states have none. So, just wondering.

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Lots of things involve working around the state's idea of legal parenthood  like being gay and having children. Making surrogacy illegal doesn't actually DO anything about the problem, as it has and will continue to exist, as well as criminalizing choices made by women about their own bodies. I'm very open to change on this topic but as of yet, I haven't seen a genuine solution or suggestion that involves protecting women and not controlling them. It reminds me of a Catharine MacKinnon quote: As women of one country achieve more equality, men seek out women with fewer options elsewhere - a pattern observable sexually in sex trafficking, sex tourism, and mail -order brides and economically in labor trafficking, international outsourcing to sweatshops, and relocation of production in dominant countries to sources of cheap female labor in countries whose gross domestic product is less than that of some of the multinational corporations that locate there. No more than clean air can women's equality be successfully achieved in one country. No woman will be free until all women are equal. Are states that ban surrogacy full stop only contributing to their citizens using foreign women as baby ovens? We saw very clearly last year how commercial surrogacy dehumanized the Ukrainian women incubating and giving birth to the children. That's why, for now at least, I come down on the side of favouring regulation over banning.

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- India is a case in point with state-owned GAIL and GSPC issuing separate buying tenders, whilst Thailands PTT was rumored to have closed its tender for three cargoes between $14.5-15/mmBtu.

- The imminent restart of Freeport LNG might depress prices even further to $10-13/mmBtu, leading many Asian buyers that halted their purchases last year to start buying again.

- Asian LNG buying activity is expected to increase over the upcoming months as the continents benchmark JKM prices fell below $15 per mmBtu recently, the lower level in almost two years.

- Aggravating the pricing issue, many producers let their usual gas price hedges run out (EQT expects a $4.6 billion loss on derivatives for 2022) and thus are more exposed to current prices.

- US shale gas producer Chesapeake Energy was one of the first to claim they would be reducing their active rig fleet after the price plunge, with others expected to follow suit.

- The combination of a relatively mild winter in key US consumption hubs and excess domestic volumes on the back of the Freeport LNG outage depressed gas futures that only six months ago were trading above $10/mmBtu.

- For the first time since September 2020, Henry Hub natural gas futures plunged below $2 per mmBtu this week before bouncing back to a more palatable level of $2.4/mmBtu.

1. US Gas Producers Face Difficult Decisions as Prices Drop

- For the first time since September 2020, Henry Hub natural gas futures plunged below $2 per mmBtu this week before bouncing back to a more palatable level of $2.4/mmBtu.

- The combination of a relatively mild winter in key US consumption hubs and excess domestic volumes on the back of the Freeport LNG outage depressed gas futures that only six months ago were trading above $10/mmBtu.

- US shale gas producer Chesapeake Energy was one of the first to claim they would be reducing their active rig fleet after the price plunge, with others expected to follow suit.

- Aggravating the pricing issue, many producers let their usual gas price hedges run out (EQT expects a $4.6 billion loss on derivatives for 2022) and thus are more exposed to current prices.

2. Attractive LNG Prices Set to Trigger Asian Demand

- Asian LNG buying activity is expected to increase over the upcoming months as the continents benchmark JKM prices fell below $15 per mmBtu recently, the lower level in almost two years.

- The imminent restart of Freeport LNG might depress prices even further to $10-13/mmBtu, leading many Asian buyers that halted their purchases last year to start buying again.

- India is a case in point with state-owned GAIL and GSPC issuing separate buying tenders, whilst Thailands PTT was rumored to have closed its tender for three cargoes between $14.5-15/mmBtu.

- In China, where LNG imports decreased by 20% year-on-year in 2022 to 63.4 million tons, buyers appear to be waiting for even lower prices.

3. Chinese Coal Catastrophe Happens at Worst Possible Time

- The collapse of an open pit mine in the faraway region of Inner Mongolia dents Chinas ability to maximize coal supply just as demand for the hydrocarbon is soaring.

- The last time when China suffered a string of coal mine collapses in 2021, Chinese authorities sealed off dozens of high-risk mines, meaning a repetition of those events could curb supply again.

- Meanwhile, coal burning at six major coastal power plants has risen 15% since the Lunar New Year as factories across the country are shifting into pre-pandemic levels of economic activity.

- The mine collapse triggered a rebound in domestic coal prices after they reached a one-year low earlier this month at $142 per metric tonne, with coal major Shenhua Energy even paying a premium to market prices to ensure it has enough supply.

4. European Carbon Prices Reach 100/Mt for The First Time Ever

- European carbon prices overtook the 100 per metric tonne (equivalent to $107/mt) for the first time in history this week, gaining more than 20% since the beginning of this year.

- The Russia-Ukraine war and subsequent sell-off of carbon contracts weighed heavily on carbon pricing last year, even though spiking natural gas prices made coal burning much more profitable than it should have been.

- Falling natural gas prices in Europe have improved the economic outlook of Europe, at the same time allowing energy-intensive industries such as metal smelting to restart operations, also compelling them to get into carbon trading again.

- As the carbon emission allowances are set to tighten in 2024-2027 by 4.3% each year, alongside the inclusion of new sectors such as shipping, there appears to be some long-term upside in the market.

5. China Ramps Up Buying of Russian Crude

- Russian exports of crude and fuel to China have soared to an all-time high this month as the Asian powerhouse is gradually ramping up its imports amidst improving domestic consumption.

- Since the Lunar New Year ended, key indicators all point to a huge uptick in domestic flights, government-funded construction activity as well as road freight, boosting refining runs.

- Russias seaborne crude exports to China rose to 1.52 million b/d this month according to Kpler data, accounting for pipeline exports, too, this means that a quarter of Russian oil output ends up in China.

- With Russian barrels sold at -$10 to -$15 per barrel discounts to Brent, Chinese refiners are seeking to meet their increasing needs (demand might see 1 million b/d year-on-year growth in 2023) with discounted crudes.

6. Polysilicon Prices Soar Despite New Chinese Capacity

- The prices of polysilicon, a crucial material to produce solar cells, have been on an unprecedented rollercoaster lately, having fallen by more than 40% in December 2022, only to make an almost complete recovery in 2023 so far.

- The initial price decrease happened as many new Chinese polysilicon plants came online late last year, but instead of flooding the market producers have started to build up inventories.

- The reduced sales volumes and subsequent polysilicon price hike prompted key manufacturers of solar wafers such as Longi Green Energy or TCL Zhonghuan to increase their prices by some 20%.

- Whilst the price swings might adversely impact solar projects in the short term, market observers are nevertheless expecting polysilicon prices to shed their strength amidst a production glut.

7. Copper Soars as Other Commodities Stall

- Whilst the mining and refining of copper remains an extremely energy-intensive endeavor, copper prices have decoupled from oil and gas prices in the past months as extremely low inventories of the red metal act as a price floor.

- COMEX copper inventories are at their lowest level since early 2015, whilst production of the metal has been the slowest amongst other industrial metals such as iron ore or aluminum.

- Meanwhile, massive government stimulus into copper-heavy renewable energy, such as the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act approved by US Congress last November, underpin coppers outlook.

- Chinas reopening has been the most recent source of strength for copper prices, with consumption expected to increase this year by 3.5% compared to 2022 and domestic prices already up 10% since the reopening began in November.
Europe is on track to import this month the highest volumes of diesel from the Middle East and Asia in seven years as the EU turns to alternative supply after the ban on imports of Russian diesel and other fuels took effect on February 5.

Diesel and gasoil arrivals to Europe are expected to be around 1.55 million barrels per day (bpd) in February, slightly above the imports in January, according to initial estimates by Vortexa cited by Bloomberg.

Shipments of diesel-type fuels from the Middle East and Asia are set to reach the highest since 2016 if all observed cargoes from East of the Suez Canal arrive before the end of the month, per Vortexa and Bloomberg calculations.

At the same time, Europes imports of Russian diesel are set for a slump in February after the ban took effect early this month. Russian diesel shipments to Europe are estimated at around 282,000 bpd in February, the lowest in seven years. This months diesel imports from Russia compare to more than 680,000 bpd in 2021 and around 600,000 bpd for most of 2022.

Just before the fuel embargo, Europe was buying more diesel from the United States and Saudi Arabia in preparation for the EU ban on seaborne imports of Russian refined products, yet Europe still remained the biggest buyer of Russian diesel in January. Before the embargo, more than half of Russian fuel exports to the EU were diesel. Europe has also been stocking up on Russian supply in recent months ahead of the ban.

Despite the EU embargo on fuel imports from Russia, diesel prices and diesel refining margins in Europe have trended lower in recent weeks due to high inventories at the major refining hubs and milder winter weather in most of Europe, which has reduced demand for fuels.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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In January, Indian imports of Russian crude oil reached a record. These were up by 9.2 percent on the month to a daily average of 1.4 million barrels. This month, Chinas oil imports from Russia are expected to reach a record at 1.66 million bpd.

Taken together, India and China are then taking in more than half of Russias total daily crude oil exports, which before the war in Ukraine averaged around 5 million bpd. A lot of that used to be absorbed by Europe. Now, Russia is finding new markets. And a whole new industry of oil traders is emerging.

Energy Intelligence reported this month that at least 20 trading companiesbut probably a lot moreare sending Russian oil around the world, replacing all the big commodity market players that pulled out of the country after the EU and the G7 began sanctioning it for its invasion of Ukraine.

Vitol, Trafigura, BP, Shell, Equinorall of them upped and left whatever business they had in Russia, leaving an empty space. It did not take very long for this space to fill, it seems. It has been filled with newly set up trading firms, most of them set up very recently and outside Europe. And they are not trading in dollars or euros.

The trades that these companies are conducting with Russian oil and fuels are being financed by banks in the United Arab Emirates and Turkey, with European banks, like European commodity traders, out of the picture, as Energy Intelligence puts it.

Related: Germany Plans To Have The Worlds Fourth Largest LNG Import Capacity By 2030



They are out of the picture because of the sanctions and, most recently, the G7 price cap scheme that bans European companies from getting involved in the trade of Russian oil unless it is capped at $60 per barrel of crude. With the Europeans and the Americans out, others are making money.

Most of the new crop of traders involved in moving Russian crude and fuels around the world are based in Dubai, the Energy Intelligence report notes, but Hong Kong is another hub for such trades.

You will see more of these companies, their names will keep on changing and it will become harder and harder to know whos behind them, one oil trading veteran who Energy Intelligence did not name told the news outlet.

Much of Russias oil and fuels in this new trade environment are being shipped by a so-called shadow fleet of tankers worth some $2.2 billion, according to a recent Bloomberg report. This has pushed freight rates higher once again, and some in the industry are beginning to worry about a permanent shortage of vessels to carry other oil and fuels around the world.

According to Trafigura, the total number of tankers that have been reserved to carry Russian oil could be as high as 600, of which 400 crude tankers. And, according to a senior executive from one tanker company, These ships will be dedicated to those shadow trades and de facto removed from the markets that we would find ourselves in.

Earlier this month, the IEA reported that both Russias oil production and exports have proven surprisingly resilient to Western sanctions. The head of the agencys oil industry and markets division, Toril Bosoni, told CNBC that Russian oil output had only fallen by 160,000 bpd from pre-war levels and exports were down by 400,000 bpda decline partially offset by higher exports to China, India, and Turkey.

Bosoni noted, however, that despite this surprising resilience, sanctions are working, especially the G7 price cap because, thanks to it, Russia is making less money from its oil. Yet Bloomberg, in its report about Chinese imports of Russian crude, notes that Urals and ESPO crude were pegged at a discount of $13 and $8 a barrel, respectively, to Brent on a delivered basis.

Brent is currently trading above $80 per barrel at the moment. A $13 discount would therefore be higher than the $60 price cap that G7 and the EU set for Russian crude oil if it is to be shipped by Western tanker operators and insured by Western insurers. So, if the numbers cited by Bloomberg, based on reports from traders, are accurate, then a certain amount of Russian oil is not selling at such steep discounts.

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The IEAs Bosoni reported that in January, export revenues for Russia were about $13 billion, thats down 36% from a year ago, adding that Russian fiscal receipts from the oil industry is down 48% in the year, so in that sense we can say that the price cap is having its intended effect.

CNBC then noted that Urals crude had averaged $49.49 per barrel in January while Brent crude averaged $85 that month. That would certainly suggest some efficacy for the price cap and other sanctions.

However, the Bloomberg report suggests the discount may be slimming down as the market settles into its new normal. That new normal appears to involve a lot of new, opaque oil trading firms, a large fleet of tankers, and a lot of trade, excluding dollars and euros.



By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa continue to attract the most funding on the continent.

Bucking international trends, funding to African start-ups grew in both value and volume.

As rising borrowing costs and recession concerns weighed on global venture capital investment in 2022, Africas start-up ecosystem attracted record funding.

While most regions experienced double-digit declines in start-up funding last year, Africa posted gains in total investment volume, deals and number of investors. Start-up funding on the continent grew by roughly 5% in 2022, compared to a decline of 62% in Latin America and 39% in Asia Pacific.

Globally, venture capital funding was down 35% at $445bn, albeit still well above the levels posted in the years prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Total funding for the continent passed the $3bn mark for the first time and hovered around $4.8bn-5.4bn by the end of the year. It is hoped that continued capital flows to the start-up ecosystem will support broader development goals, ranging from increasing financial inclusion to enabling digital transformation and the energy transition.

Standout performance

The continents big four markets  Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya and South Africa  continued to attract the lions share of funding to African start-ups, accounting for around 75% of the 2022 total, according to market analysis company Briter Bridges.

Africas biggest economy, Nigeria, received the most funding, at more than $1.2bn, or approximately 28% of the regional total. This is partly thanks to the number of start-ups in the country, with 209 in Lagos alone.

Nigerias large population and rising measures of inclusion are driving the success of financial technology (fintech) start-ups in particular, with payment solutions such as buy now, pay later micro-loans and cryptocurrency continuing to grow.

After becoming Africas fourth unicorn in 2021, fintech firm Flutterwave raised $250m in February of last year  its biggest funding round to date  bringing its total valuation to over $3bn.

Kenya was the only other African market to see more than $1bn in funding, doubling its 2021 total. The East African country has stood out in recent years thanks to developments in clean energy, which accounts for 90% of its power supply.

Clean energy technology attracted the greatest share of Kenyas 2022 funding, with off-grid solar power company Sun King raising $330m in its latest Series D funding round. The company provides direct-to-consumer, pay-as-you-go solar networks, expanding solar power accessible to some 165,000 homes across eight African countries.

Financing company M-KOPA, which started out providing pay-as-you-go solar-panel home systems, also raised $75m in its fifth equity round, bringing its total funding raised to $190m.

Thanks to its dynamic tech ecosystem, Egypt has experienced considerable growth since recording the highest number of funded start-ups on the continent in 2019. The $811m raised by Egyptian tech start-ups in 2022 represents an 81.2% increase from 2021, which in turn was up 215% on 2020.

The fintech segment accounted for approximately half of funding in Egypt this year, well above the share received by the e-commerce segment, which is typically more active. In May fintech firm PayMob secured $50m in a Series B round, reportedly the most raised by an Egyptian firm in the segment to date.

While South African tech start-ups secured 12.3% of total funding on the continent in 2022, both the number of backed firms and the volume of investment declined over the past year. Alongside the typically dominant fintech segment, however, e-health and artificial intelligence firms are attracting growing interest.

Levelling the playing field

Activity in 2022 stretched beyond the big four, with deals reached in 27 countries on the continent. Ghana, Morocco and Tunisia attracted significant funding, while Cote dIvoire, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda also saw notable investment activity in 2022.

Although Ghana remains below the big four in terms of funding volume, firms in the West African country raised $149m in 2022, a 652% increase from the year before. Tunisia also witnessed strong growth, with 28 funded firms giving it the fifth spot on the continents rankings for this metric despite the relative small size of its market.

Central Africa, which has historically received the least funding of any subregion, raised almost double the amount it received in 2021, attributed mainly to the growth of web3 company Jambo. Based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Jambo has raised $7.5m in seed funding to build a web3 user portal, helping to unlock play-to-earn income opportunities.

The investment flowing to Africas start-up ecosystem comes from a wide variety of sources, with at least 987 disclosed investors present in the market in 2022. Local and international early-stage funds  including Launch Africa Ventures, the continents most active investor backing 45 start-ups  and accelerators are the primary sources of investment. Venture capital firms and large investment groups such as Tiger Global, Sequoia Capital and SoftBank are increasingly active in Africa, as are African entrepreneurs.

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In terms of gender distribution, male-led firms continue to attract the majority of capital flowing to the continent. Overall, female-led firms accounted for 4% of the funds raised across Africa in 2022.

Sustained growth, however, could help bridge the gender gap. If trends continue, Africa could command a greater share of global funding.

Since 2015 funding for the continents tech start-ups has risen by more than 1000%, while the number of funded start-ups has increased by 406% annually over the same period.

Despite promising growth prospects, African start-ups raise the least funding of any region, at around 1.2% of the global total, despite representing approximately 3% of GDP and 17% of the population. This underscores significant potential for increased investment, especially given the continents demographic growth trajectory over the coming years.

By Oxford Business Group

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A Chinese company has sealed two 20-year LNG purchase deals with Venture Global, which will see the latter supply two million tons of liquefied gas to China Gas Holdings annually, beginning in 2027.

The gas will come from Venture Globals two projects in Louisiana, Reuters has reported, Plaquemines LNG and CP2 LNG. The Plaquemines LNG facility, currently in construction, will have a capacity of 20 million tons annually when completed. CP2 LNG will also have a nameplate capacity of 20 million tons, with peak capacity of 24 million tons, Venture Global said in a fact sheet.

The two contracts with China Gas Holdings add to one it signed with Energy Transfer for the supply of 700,000 tons of LNG annually over a period of 25 years, amid a rush among Chinese energy buyers to secure a long-term supply of liquefied gas.

Reuters notes that for Venture Global this is the third recent deal with a Chinese company: last year, the LNG developer signed one 20-year contract with state-owned energy major Sinopec for the delivery of 4 million tons of LNG annually, and another, with a Sinopec subsidiary, for the delivery of another 3.8 million tons per year.

China specifically, and Asia as a whole, is being watched by LNG producers as one certain demand growth region, alongside Europe. China is of special interest because, unlike many other Asian economies, it can afford LNG, even at current prices. These are down from last years highs but are still higher than before Russia invaded Ukraine.

According to one LNG tanker operator, prices will continue trending higher until 2025, driving U.S. LNG investment because of the arbitrage between global and local prices.

The CEO of Flex LNG said he expected Henry Hub prices to rise from below $3 per mmBtu now to some $5 by 2025, while Europes TTF benchmark and the Asian Japan-Korea Marker top $20 per mmBtu before retreating to $15, according to a conference call cited by Natural Gas Intelligence.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Ecuador's oil production is expected to be offline for at least three weeks, the country's government said on Friday after declaring a force majeure on Thursday.

Ecuador announced the force majeure for its oil industry following a Marker River bridge collapse that triggered a closure of crude oil and gas pipelines. Petroecuador and pipeline operator OCP Ecuador suspended pipelines on Wednesday after the bridge collapsed.

On Thursday, Petroecuador said it would gradually shut oil wells, estimating that it would be seven days before pumping would begin to restart.

"By virtue of the force majeure, occasioned by the collapse of a bridge on the Marker River due to heavy seasonal rains, force majeure is declared for operators of exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons which have been affected by hydrocarbon transport through the SOTE, OCP and Shushufindi Quito polyduct systems and the impossibility they have of receiving and transporting crude oil," Ecuador's Ministry said on Thursday.

But the country's oil production is looking like it will be out for longer.

On Friday, Energy Minister Fernando Santos said, "Turning off wells is simple, but restarting them is a bit complicated, we're talking about maybe some three weeks."

Ecuador routinely has trouble with its SOT and OCP pipelines that create stoppages due to tubing damage from rocks and landslides.

Ecuador's economy heavily depends on oil production and exports, with government data showing that oil accounted for one-third of the country's oil exports, and World Bank data suggesting that oil rents were responsible for 7% of its gross domestic product.

Ecuadorian President Lasso said that the country would strive to double its oil production by the end of his term in 2025, which would mean a total of nearly a million barrels per day.

State-controlled Petroecuador is responsible for 80% of the country's oil output.

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By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

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Mexico's state-owned oil company Pemex saw three fires in one day at three separate facilities that it operates in Mexico and the United States.

Pemex reported on Thursday a fire at the storage facility Tuzandepetl in the state of Veracruz. The fire started in the drilling equipment for reasons that are yet unknown, the Mexican company said. Five workers are unaccounted for after the incident, while three others are being treated for their injuries in hospital, Pemex said, adding that the fire was extinguished.

Later on Thursday, the company said that there was a fire at the Minatitlan refinery in the same state, Veracruz. The fire was contained and later extinguished, but five workers were injured, Pemex said.

The refinery hasn't stopped operations and there hasn't been damage to refinery equipment, according to the company. The cause of this fire is assumed to be the spilling of product on a hot surface, Pemex added.

The third fire in one day at a Pemex facility occurred in the Pemex-run refinery in Deer Park, Texas. A fire incident was reported at one of the units of the Deer Park refinery on Thursday, according to a community alert quoted by Reuters. The fire incident was being handled within the refinery, and the alert was later updated to all-clear, according to Reuters.

Pemex facilities have often suffered incidents in recent years. Last November, 19 people  including Pemex workers and civil protection personnel  were injured after a leaking pipeline exploded in Veracruz.

Two months prior to this incident, a gas pipeline run by Pemex exploded in the Mexican state of Tabasco in September, causing a fire and leading to the evacuation of all workers at the Paredon Hydrocarbon Separation Station.

In another major explosion involving Pemex's assets, a fire broke out at a Pemex oil platform in the Bay of Campeche in the southern Gulf of Mexico in August 2021. The fire, which occurred during maintenance, killed five workers and injured another six. The outage as a result of the fire reduced Pemex's production by some 444,000 bpd.

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By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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You are here: Business

A crane loads containers at the Manzhouli Railway Station in Manzhouli, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, July 1, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua]



Manzhouli, China's largest land port, handled 4,818 China-Europe freight trains in 2022, up 37.6 percent year on year, according to data from the customs of Manzhouli in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

The trains carried 382,058 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo during this period, with a total value of 48.66 billion yuan (about 7 billion U.S. dollars). The two figures each represented a year-on-year increase of 38.6 percent and 36.5 percent, respectively.

Currently, 57 China-Europe freight train routes pass through this land port, reaching 28 cities in 11 European countries and carrying about 30 percent of the total freight volume of the China-Europe freight train service.
When I first came to Omaha, I quickly learned that this community has a way of exceeding your expectations. Theres something truly special about this place: the rolling hills, the abundant sunshine, the big city perks combined with small-town charm. All of it combines to provide a high quality life at an affordable cost  and its helped drive the consistent growth of the regions business community. The maturing Silicon Prairie has sustained small- and mid-sized businesses across the region through a difficult past few years. Yet despite the positive tailwinds created by a pro-business climate, there are plenty of challenges that Omaha will have to overcome in 2023 and beyond. Growing the current workforce, providing affordable housing and childcare, and ensuring adequate infrastructure is in place are just a few that come to mind.

But Nebraskans arent afraid of challenges. Ive seen firsthand what local communities here are capable of achieving. I also know the value of a helping hand provided by a neighbor, and how important we all are to making this place feel like home.

Culture-driven leadership in Omaha

As the Omaha market president for First Interstate Bank, I help to make sure that same dedication to community-based service can be found in each of our local branches. Even though in some senses First Interstate Bank is new to Omaha, we are dedicated to building on the legacy of financial support created by Great Western Bank. To us, that means seeking greatness and providing one-of-a-kind service, with the specific goal of positively impacting every person who walks into one of our thirteen metro area branches. Whether its taking an extra moment to ask about their day, jumping in to support a family in need, or helping clients to balance their checkbooks, I consistently see my team going above and beyond for First Interstate clients.

I truly believe we have the best bankers in the region and Im grateful to work alongside them. We take a lot of pride in being an employer of choice, offering competitive pay and benefits as well as professional development opportunities that enable our people to build their leadership skills and enhance their ability to contribute to the local and regional community, ultimately creating a stronger and more vibrant economy.

Meeting Omahas banking needs

As a community bank with regional reach, we prioritize meeting with our clients to understand their circumstances. Our model allows us to deliver the financial products and services that our neighbors want and need in order to grow their businesses, take care of their loved ones, and live their lives without unnecessary financial stress.

We know how important it is to connect with a trusted community partner. Our branches remain fully staffed and led by our local leadership team here in Omaha; a team I am fortunate enough to lead. If you prefer online banking and convenience services versus coming to a branch, weve got you covered. We offer advanced digital tools that make managing finances simple and convenient.

Supporting the community

We believe in taking care of the places we call home, and First Interstate has a long tradition of civic involvement and philanthropy. Because we live, work, and raise our families here, too, we know which organizations are making the greatest impact. Their local insight helps us to partner with and support nonprofits that are doing the most for the Omaha community.

Since entering the market earlier this year, our team has already donated more than $160,000 to community causes and organizations. This includes a $25,000 gift to local nonprofit Angels Share as part of First Interstates inaugural Believe in Local grant campaign.

Our partnership with local nonprofit organizations goes beyond donations. Employees volunteer their time with organizations that address issues they are passionate about. In 2022, employees across Greater Omaha volunteered a total of 515 hours to support our neighbors, donating their time to the Child Saving Institute, Food Bank for the Heartland, Omaha Home for Boys, and Omaha Street School, Inc., among other organizations. The First Interstate BancSystem Foundation then amplifies the impact of both volunteer hours and employee donations by matching them with its own donations.

At First Interstate, we set our sights on being the premier resource for businesses and consumers alike. Our local bankers are committed to supporting Omahas growth over the long term, and we are continually refining our products, services, and community involvement to keep all of Nebraska moving forward.

For more information, visit firstinterstate.com.
LINCOLN  A Nebraska lawmaker ran into opposition from real estate agents and landowners Thursday when he presented arguments to the Legislatures Judiciary Committee for a bill to bar prohibitions against installation of solar panels by homeowners or tenants.

State Sen. George Dungan of Lincoln said his proposal, Legislative Bill 49, offers a small change for big gains that would be good for the environment by encouraging the development of renewable and green energy supplied by the sun and wind.

Under provisions of his bill, a lease cant specifically prohibit solar panels, he said.

The measure would provide greater freedom of choice in energy use, Dungan said.

Environmental representatives supported the bill during a committee hearing.

But Rick McDonald, speaking for the Metropolitan Omaha Property Owners Association, said a landlord needs to keep control of his property. Justin Brady, speaking for the Nebraska Realtors Association, said the bill attempts to alter private agreements.

The bill gives the landlord no say when the change could result in damage, McDonald said.

The committee received 72 written communications related to the bill, including 49 in opposition.

Kenneth Winston of Lincoln, speaking for Bold Alliance, said the bill could act to reduce the carbon footprint that threatens the environment while providing economic benefits.

There is an increasing need for the use of solar energy and wind energy devices as an alternative to domestic and imported fossil fuels, the bill states.

A homeowner or tenant shall have a civil cause of action against any landlord, any homeowners association or similar mutual benefit association or corporation  or other person for a violation of the law, it states.

Photos: 2023 Nebraska legislative session
LINCOLN  Nebraska National Guard members who refused the Pentagon mandate to get COVID-19 vaccinations paid a heavy price for their position, state lawmakers were told Thursday.

At a hearing before the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, some of those members reported spending months with their military status in limbo.

They were not allowed to participate in weekend drills or annual training, which affected pay and career progress. They were not authorized to travel or attend military schools necessary for promotion in their careers. Some faced verbal harassment and pressure.

The past roughly 18 months have been the worst and most mentally taxing, physically draining and spiritually exhausting of my career, said Master Sgt. Joshua Welter, who has been in the military for more than 15 years.

He joined other Guard members in supporting Legislative Bill 642, introduced by State Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon, who retired from the military before running for the Legislature.

The bill would require the Nebraska National Guard to undo any penalties members may have suffered for refusing a COVID vaccination. Members who were discharged would have to be invited to rejoin or have their record upgraded to show they were honorably discharged. The bill also would require the removal of any personnel actions or sanctions related to vaccine refusal.

Welter called the bill a step in the right direction, although it would not correct everything that Guard members have been through. Like the others who testified, Welter said he sought a religious exemption from the Aug. 24, 2021, requirement to get a COVID vaccination. Some speakers said they had their exemption requests denied, others have not gotten a decision yet.

The mandate was lifted Jan. 10, as required by Congress in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act.

Matt Downing, who also has spent more than 15 years in the military, spoke in favor of the bill but said it did not go far enough. He said it would not help those who got out of the service because of oppression over the vaccine. Nor would it reimburse those who suffered damage to their careers.

One of those who chose to resign was Adam Cassidy, a 17-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard. He said he recently resigned his commission rather than continue to serve under Nebraska or federal military leaders.

Maj. Gen. Daryl Bohac, the Nebraska National Guards adjutant general, testified neutral on the bill. He said the Nebraska National Guard did not discharge any members for refusal to get the vaccination, although the Guard had 109 members who had not gotten the shot as of the June 2022 deadline. He said a handful have since gotten the shot.

Of those who left, he said it is difficult to determine how many did so because of the mandate.

But he said the Guard is working to try to recruit those former members back and to help others make up some of their losses. For example, he said the Guard will try to accommodate members who missed out on school opportunities and will offer extra hours to those who missed out on weekend drills.

At the end of the hearing, Brewer said he wants to hold the bill in committee to give him more time to work with Bohac on the issue.

Photos: 2023 Nebraska legislative session
LINCOLN  A slight drop in state tax receipts was not enough to convince the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board to adjust its optimistic revenue forecast from four months ago.

The board voted unanimously Friday to maintain its October revenue forecast, which increased Nebraskas revenue projections for the next two fiscal years by roughly $1.8 billion, bringing the anticipated revenue for both years to more than $13 billion. Members indicated they would rather wait for their next meeting in April to get more information. That April meeting is the boards final one before the Legislature sets the states two-year budget.

Officials from the State Department of Revenue and the Legislative Fiscal Office projected a slight drop in general fund revenues of about 1% for the current fiscal year, amounting to about a $100 million decrease. Legislative Fiscal Analyst Keisha Patent said the dip is largely due to a decline in sales and individual income tax revenues, which were responsible for state tax collections between November and January being roughly 1.5% lower than projections.

Patent said she expects Februarys tax receipts will show a slight bounce back in revenue, although the months receipts were still lower than projections as of Friday.

Despite the drop, multiple board members said they were optimistic that Nebraska was in good shape to handle the slight downturn.

I think well be able to weather this storm, said board member Leslie Andersen.

The boards October projections would add more than $620 million to the states cash reserve, bringing it to a record-breaking $2.3 billion. At the time, the boards projections were higher than the projections made by the Department of Revenue and the Legislative Fiscal Office, though the forecasting board anticipated slower growth through 2024 and 2025.

The lack of change came as no surprise to State Sen. Robert Clements of Elmwood, chair of the Legislatures Appropriations Committee, who said he expected the projections would remain flat. He said the numbers indicate the economy is holding steady.

It also means the Appropriations Committee will not have to change course as it considers a combined 87 legislative bills proposing different spending proposals. The forecasting boards April meeting will come around the same time the committee finalizes its budget plan, which then must be approved by the full Legislature.

The committee released its preliminary budget plan last week. It would increase state spending at twice the rate proposed by Gov. Jim Pillen, who has put forth a combined $457 million in potential tax cuts. Clements said the difference between the two budget proposals largely lies in the committees decision to include those pending funding requests in its plan.

Clements said the committee will continue holding public hearings on the remaining budget bills for the next month. The committee will try to balance the funding requests with Pillens repeated calls for tax cuts.

Everybody thinks we have a lot of money, Clements said. But the governor would prefer tax cuts, and he has a veto pen.

Legislative rules require the committee to get its final budget plan to the full Legislature by May 2, the 70th day of the session. The budget must be passed by May 18, the 80th day.

Photos: 2023 Nebraska legislative session
Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, presides over the first plenary meeting of the 39th session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 23, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, started its 39th session Thursday to prepare for the upcoming first session of the 14th NPC, which will open on March 5.

Li Zhanshu, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, presided over the first plenary meeting of the 39th session. A total of 162 members of the NPC Standing Committee attended the meeting.

Lawmakers reviewed a draft decision on adjusting the application of some provisions of the Criminal Procedure Law for the military during wartime.

In preparation for the first session of the 14th NPC, lawmakers deliberated a draft report on the work of the NPC Standing Committee, the draft agenda of the first session of the 14th NPC, the draft name list of the presidium and secretary-general, and the draft name list of members invited to sit in on the session as non-voting participants.

They heard a report on the election of the 14th NPC deputies delivered by Yang Zhenwu, secretary-general of the NPC Standing Committee.

A total of 2,977 deputies to the 14th NPC have been elected, and they are broadly representative, according to the report.

Lawmakers also reviewed a report on the qualifications of the 14th NPC deputies delivered by Wu Yuliang, chairman of the Credentials Committee of the NPC Standing Committee.

The elections of the 14th NPC deputies from 35 electoral units were legal and the qualifications of all deputies are valid, the report said, adding that the name list of the deputies was submitted to the NPC Standing Committee for confirmation and approval to make it public.

Lawmakers heard a report on the qualifications of some 13th NPC deputies. They also reviewed bills on appointments and removals.
Art for the fridge at Main Gallery 404

BLOOMINGTON  Main Gallery 404 at 404 N. Main St. in downtown Bloomington is giving art collectors a chance to make their own "Refigerator Art Gallery."

The refigerator is a convenient location to exhibit a collectors artist taste if the walls are already filled with art. If a collector is just starting out, this is an affordable way to quickly start a collection that is easily portable.

Main Gallery 404 artists will be creating small, trading card size works of art (2" x 3") that are able to be inserted into magnetic sleeves and displayed on the refigerator galleries. Works will debut on First Friday March 3 from 5 to 8 p.m. and will be available throughout the month and beyond.

All artwork will be original pieces signed by the artists with a limited number of cards available from each artist. Artwork and sleeves can be purchased separately though some artwork will come already sleeved. The artwork will include oil, acrylic, mixed media, watercolor, colored pencil and more. Prices will generally range from $5 to $15.

New exhibit open at Dickson Mounds

LEWISTOWN  The Illinois State Museum opened its new exhibit, "Interrupted Journey," by Nora Moore Lloyd on Feb 15.

The exhibit will be on display at the Dickson Mounds branch in Lewistwon through Oct. 23.

The Illinois State Museum features Lloyd's ongoing work with bird rescue and release in the Chicago area.

This exhibit will feature photographs and journal entries that honor those birds whose lives or journies have been interrupted by human activity, captures them in a stilled moment, a glimpse of what people may miss when a bird is in flight. Many of the photographs are close-ups, offering an intimate view of Lloyd's rescued subjects, whose injuries are often too severe to survive.

Lloyd's work is inspired by her Indigenous perspective of mutual respect and relationship to land and nature.

The exhibit also includes contributions from the Illinois State Museum and the Chicago Bird Collision Monitors to raise awareness about the human impact on bird populations in Illinois.

Dickson Mounds is located at 10956 N. Dickson Mounds Road and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is free.

Visit illinoisstatemuseum.org for more information.

University of Illinois Springfield Visual Arts Gallery opens exhibit

SPRINGFIELD  The University of Illinois Springfield Visual Arts Gallery announced a new exhibit, "In the Shadow," will open on Monday, March 6.

The exhibit is an installation of ceramic works by Decatur-based artist Jennifer Holt. The exhibit will run through Thursday, April 13. A reception will be held from 5:30-8 p.m. on Thursday, April 6 at the gallery.

Holt's mixed media sculpture and installation art revolves around concepts of time, place and memory.

Holt received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in sculpture from Ohio University and a Master of Fine Arts in ceramics from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She currently resides in Central Illinois, where she is a practicing artist and assistant professor of art at Millikin University, teaching ceramics and scultpure.

Holt's work has been exhibited in several national and international exhibitions and publications, including the NCECA Clay National Biennial in Louisville, KY; ICMEA Emerging Artist Competition at the FuLe International Art Museums in Fuping, China; Ceramics Monthly magazine and Dao Clayform magazine.

Holt has also participated in several residencies, both national and international, including Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts in Newcastle, Maine and FuLe International Ceramics Art Museums in Fuping, China.

This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency. The gallery is located on the UIS campus in the Health and Science Building, room 201. The gallery is open 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday through Thursday.

Visit uis.edu/visual-arts/visual-arts-galleries for more information.
CLINTON  The Illinois Attorney Generals Office has filed charges accusing a former Wapella Township road commissioner of misusing government money.

Eldon Cusey, 68, of Wapella is charged with one count of theft, four counts of official misconduct and 17 counts of forgery.

In a statement issued Thursday afternoon, Attorney General Kwame Raoul said Cusey used a township credit card to buy personal items, including home goods, pet food, alcoholic beverages and live chickens. Raoul said Cusey then submitted forged receipts to conceal the purchases.

Government employees have an obligation to use government funds and property responsibly, Raoul said. Taxpayers must be able to trust that those who serve on their behalf use their authority for the public good and not to enrich themselves.

Cusey resigned from the township road commission in 2022, Raoul said.

The charges were filed Thursday in DeWitt County court. Cusey was ordered to appear for an arraignment on March 14. Failure to appear for the arraignment "may result in the issuance of a warrant."

Online court records indicate he has not been taken into custody, so a booking photo was not available Thursday.

Today in history: Feb. 23 1836: Alamo 1861: Abraham Lincoln 1903: Theodore Roosevelt 1945: World War II 1954: Salk Vaccine 2007: Emmett Till 2011: Obama 2013: Kyle Larson 2017: John Kelly 2020: Ahmaud Arbery 2021: Capitol 2021: Tiger Woods
PEORIA  Aaron Rossis legal trouble now extends to methamphetamine use and a breach in a federal courts protective order, court documents say.

A stipulation filed this week in the federal case accusing the Reditus Laboratories CEO of tax fraud and mail fraud states Rossi violated the conditions of his pretrial release when lab tests taken in April, May, June and July 2022 showed he possessed and ingested methamphetamine.

In this case, he has been accused of filing false tax returns in 2015, 2016 and 2017, and of using funds from his former employer, Central Illinois Orthopedic Surgery, for personal deliveries.

Rossis attorneys agreed the federal prosecutors could present evidence that meets the burden of proof that he violated the conditions of his bond through drug use.

Rossi was arrested in October on allegations that he violated the conditions of his pretrial release after marijuana metabolites were found in his system. This triggered a modification of his bond conditions, in which Judge Sara Darrow ruled he be prohibited from using CBD products.

This week's stipulation was filed Wednesday ahead of a bail revocation hearing that was scheduled for Thursday, and in the document, both sides agreed that a hearing to determine whether or not he was in violation was no longer required.

However, the Parties do disagree as to the appropriate remedy for this bond violation and an evidentiary hearing continues to be required as to that issue and as to the Defendants ability to comply with the conditions of release, according to the document.

The agreement will not be used to support any additional criminal charges  like methamphetamine possession charges  but it can be used in prosecution for false statements or perjury in connection to the stipulation, in prosecution for murder or other violent felonies and for use in rebuttal or impeachment if Rossi testifies or takes a position contrary to the information in the stipulation.

However, the agreed upon information can be used to obtain leads to other evidence which may be used against him in any criminal, civil, forfeiture, or administrative hearing, trial or other proceeding, including the sentencing hearing.

The stipulation was signed by a federal prosecutor and Rossis attorneys Nancy DePodesta and Edward McNally, neither of whom could be reached for comment immediately Thursday.

In a separate filing Wednesday, the U.S. Attorneys Office filed a motion asking the judge to enter an order requiring Rossi to provide details related to a breach in the courts protective order, which has been in effect since April 2022 and protects against the distribution of pretrial discovery materials to anyone not involved with the criminal case.

According to the prosecutors, Rossis attorneys contacted them Feb. 14 to tell them that discovery, which was produced and generated by the prosecution using the power of federal law enforcement and the federal grand jury, had been filed as exhibits in a civil litigation against Rossi in state court.

The mere act of providing discovery that was produced by the Government to the Defendants state court civil counsel, in and of itself, violates at least five of the six clauses of the Protective Order, according to the prosecutors motion to enforce the protective order.

Rossis attorneys in the civil case are not the same attorneys as those in this federal criminal matter and therefore would not have legal access to the discovery, per the protective order.

While these pleadings had been made under seal, the state court judge was now preparing, potentially as early as this week, to lift the seal on the vast majority of the pleadings in that case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Doug McMeyer was not immediately available to confirm which civil case the motion refers to.

However, on Tuesday, Tazewell County judge Stephen Kouri moved to unseal many of the documents that were previously protected in the civil cases against Rossi that accuse him of mishandling company money to the detriment of his former business partners.

Attorneys for Rossi, Reditus and Rossis attorney in the civil case are working through the disclosure of documents to the appropriate plaintiffs, which will exclude documents related to his criminal case, the judge has said.

In the motion, the federal prosecutor said the mishandling of discovery documents as a violation of the protective order is a serious issue that has multiple negative ramifications, which could include witness harassment and intimidation that can have a chilling effect on the willingness of witnesses to come forward and to cooperate with law enforcement.

The motion states that the full scope of the breach is not yet known and requested that the court direct Rossi to:

provide copies of all pleadings that use or reference the discovery materials; to identify anyone who has received a copy of the discovery materials;

inform anyone who has received the materials or copies about the existence of the protective order and have written acknowledgements signed by each person that they will abide by the protective order;

claw back and require everyone not directly representing him in the federal case to return all discovery material and/or destroy the same and provide certification of having done so.

Today in history: Feb. 23 1836: Alamo 1861: Abraham Lincoln 1903: Theodore Roosevelt 1945: World War II 1954: Salk Vaccine 2007: Emmett Till 2011: Obama 2013: Kyle Larson 2017: John Kelly 2020: Ahmaud Arbery 2021: Capitol 2021: Tiger Woods
NORMAL  Organizers hope a visit to Illinois State University will encourage bilingual students from Joliet to consider college as a possibility.

Students from Joliet West High School came to Normal on Thursday in cooperation with the Latin American and Latina/o Studies and Languages, Literatures and Cultures programs at ISU. The high school students heard from staff, had a tour of campus, ate lunch and participated in a sample class in the afternoon.

I want my students to know that college is an option, said Maribel Diaz, teacher of heritage Spanish and English as a Second Language at Joliet West.

Diaz was a cooperating teacher with student teachers from ISU last year. ISU Spanish Professor James Pancrazio visited with the group on Thursday and was impressed with how engaged her students were.

Diaz was also making a point to talk to her students about college. Last summer she visited ISU to speak about the first-generation student experience. Diaz herself attended Northern Michigan University.

Around 60 students, from freshman to seniors, traveled with Diaz to Normal, including several who speak very limited English, said Maura Toro-Morn, a sociology professor and director of the Latin American and Latina/o Studies program at ISU.

(The goal is) introducing the idea of college in a predominantly Latino community as early as possible, she said.

The College of Arts and Sciences and Office of Admissions helped fund the visit.

National retention rates for Hispanic college students are lower than the national average and for their white and Asian peers, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

Making students feel welcome is vital in that first semester, because that is when many decide not to come back, Pancrazio said.

We think we can do better on that, he said.

For students from predominantly Hispanic communities in Northern Illinois, it can be a big shift to move to Bloomington-Normal, Toro-Morn said. The Latin American and Latina/o Studies program has an introductory class to help these students adapt to college and build community.

We have developed that class as a way to build community, she said. (...) For them to feel a sense of family.

Photos: Yusef Salaam appears at Illinois State University
BLOOMINGTON  A Florida man received 36 months of probation after pleading guilty to a drug charge during a hearing on Wednesday.

Ade A. McDaniel, 40, of North Miami Beach, Florida, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, a Class 1 felony.

He was accused of delivering between 1 and 15 grams of cocaine to a Bloomington Police Department vice unit in July 2021.

McDaniel also was sentenced to two days in jail but was credited for one day of time served. He must pay $275 in fines in addition to other related legal fees.

McDaniel had been released from custody on a $100,000 person recognizance bond.

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  Although early voting for the April 4 election opened with a slow trickle of voters on Thursday, McLean County officials are anticipating a stronger turnout overall than in previous years, due to multiple contested races and a controversial education referendum.

McLean County Clerk Kathy Michael said that by noon on Thursday, her five election judges had taken votes from 10 citizens. Since early voting starts 40 days ahead of an election, Michael said the first two weeks typically are very slow.

"That includes gubernatorial and presidential elections, too," Michael said.

She said the 2017 election had a 13% voter turnout in McLean County, the 2019 election had a 19% turnout and the 2021 election had a 20% turnout. However, the 2023 election is shaping up to be higher than that, she said.

The Bloomington City Council has contested races in two wards: Steven Nalefski and John Wyatt Danenberger are running in the fourth ward and Cody Hendricks and Jordan Baker are running in the sixth ward.

In Normal, six candidates are running for three open town council seats: council members Kathlee Lorenz, Karyn Smith and Stan Nord and challengers Marc Tiritilli, Andy Byars and Karl Sila.

Michael said there also are a number of contested school board races. In Unit 5 alone, nine candidates are vying for four open seats.

However, one of the most polarizing items on the April ballot is a referendum from McLean County Unit 5.

Following a failed property tax referendum in November, Unit 5 introduced a referendum that would set a higher levy for its education fund. Proponents say the measure would increase the amount of revenue going to the education fund by about $20 million and would allow the district to lower its bonds and interest levy.

McLean County is one of a handful of Illinois communities with two election authorities. The Bloomington Election Commission tabulates votes for Bloomington residents and the McLean County Clerk's Office tabulates votes for all other McLean County residents.

Luke Stremlau, executive director of the Bloomington Election Commission, said one of the main questions his office has received so far is how the city's new ward maps, which take effect May 1, would affect the election, and who would be representing each voter.

"There's been a little bit of a question of, 'I was in this ward and now I'm in that ward, and what do I have to do,'" Stremlau said. "The answer is 'nothing,' and we'll take care of it after we re-precinct in the summertime."

Early voting is available from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday through March 24; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 25; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 26; 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 27; 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. from March 28 to March 31; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 1; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 2; and 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. April 3 at the Bloomington Election Commission office, 121 N. Main St., and the government center, 115 E. Washington St.

What top 10 McLean County Unit 5 school district employees make Kristen Weikle Marty Hickman M. Curt Richardson Michelle Lamboley Joe Adelman Roger Baldwin Dave Johnson Trevor Chapman Dan Lomboley Moe Backe
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. 24, 1923: Richard Carlock, 1503 S. Wright St., a student of Bloomington High School, has a radio of home construction with which he has been having excellent results. Only a few nights ago he received a message from Hawaii; though the apparatus has been in use but 10 days, his records show that he has been in communication with 43 broadcasting stations.

75 years ago

Feb. 24, 1948: Three hundred guests attended the informal gathering for Adlai E. Stevenson, Democratic candidate for governor, at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest L. Ives, 1316 E. Washington St., Bloomington. Party rivalry was forgotten for the social occasion. One Pantagraph photo captured Stevenson shaking hands with Republican McLean County State's Attorney Clifford N. Coolidge.

50 years ago

Feb. 24, 1973: For people living on small fixed incomes, the Nixon administration's suggestion of one meatless day a week was something like Marie Antoinette's "Let them eat cake." Said Mrs. Ethel Wilmoth, a resident of Wood Hill Towers: "I think the president should come here and live with us for one day. We already have plenty of meatless days, but he'll never find out at the White House." Mrs. Wilmoth and her husband live on Social Security checks that total $284 per month.

25 years ago

Feb. 24, 1998: Money to install a traffic signal at the Towanda-Emerson intersection has been removed from Bloomington's 1998-99 budget, at least for now. City Manager Tom Hamilton told the council he had removed the $1.1 million project from the list of proposed capital improvements for the coming year after a smaller-than-anticipated property tax levy. Mayor Judy Markowitz said the intersection remains a priority.

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'
NORMAL  Midwest Food Bank is sending bottled water to Ohio at the request of The Salvation Army, its disaster relief partner.

A semi-load of bottled water left the food bank in Normal on Thursday. The Salvation Army will distribute the load in areas where, on Feb. 3, a train derailment caused the release of hazardous substances threatening the water of private well owners.

Midwest Food Bank will continue to support the need with more loads as requested. Midwest Food Bank Texas also donated a load of water delivered to Ohio by a nonprofit partner agency.

For those who wish to help, financial donations will be accepted to help cover the cost of the supplies or fuel needed to transport the supplies.

Donations can be made at midwestfoodbank.org by selecting the "donate" button. On the donation form, select "Disaster Relief" for the designation. Donations can also be made by texting @MFB to 52014.

Contact 309-663-5350 or tingham@midwestfoodbank.org for more information.

Midwest Food Bank Gala Dinner and Auction Jenn Steidinger, David Keiser, Brad Steidinger Trace Brim, Rocky OShea, Eric and Gina Hodel, Tara Ingham Enjoying the hors d oeuvres Rebekah Hoffman Hors doeuvres Paulette and Kent Zimmerman Kevin and Lindsay Wiegand, Lori and Larry Wiegand Elizabeth, Andrew and Alison Hoffman Nancy and Steve Smith Ready for guests Duane Kieser, Mark Streitmatter, Trace Brim Keiser grandchildren Sara and Shauna Streitmatter , Denise Brim Mary and Roger Stoller Francesca Erb, Denise Hodges Pat and Dean Messinger Monica and Steve Scheuer Registering guests for the gala Approximately 400 were in attendance Guests dined in the warehouse Karen, Travis and Paul Kieser Elaine Young, Dorothy Walder, Judy and Ron Knapp Steve Baner, Rich and Karen Stoller, Bethany and Karl Edelman Gina and Eric Hodel, Delayne and Lori Stickling Jackie and Richard Martin Share the Light Enjoying the evening
Unstable weather patterns may cause flooding in the coming weeks. Just a few inches of floodwater can make roadways dangerous and damage property. The Illinois Insurance Association and its member companies encourage residents to be prepared.

Be familiar with flood and flash flood advisories, watches, and warnings. Establish safety procedures for these communications, and be sure household members know how to respond. For example, never drive, walk, or swim through floodwater. Keep children away from storm drains that pull water off flooded streets. Avoid bridges that may be structurally compromised by rushing water underneath.

Floodwater causes major damage to homes and belongings. Repairing structural damage and replacing ruined possessions causes financial hardship. Many intend to turn to a homeowners or renters insurance company for help, not realizing these policies exclude flood-related property damage.

Insurance for flood-related damage to dwellings and personal belongings is available by purchasing flood insurance. Federally insured mortgage lenders require flood insurance on homes in high-risk areas. Flood insurance is optional for everyone else.

Consider buying flood insurance even if your home is not in a floodplain or has never flooded. Its the only way to have guaranteed access to money to overcome flood-related damage. Government assistance is unreliable and typically comes from low-interest loans that must be repaid.

Contact a local property insurance agent for details on flood insurance cost, coverage options, and restrictions. Act soon, though, as coverage begins 30 days after the policys effective date.

Kevin J. Martin,

Executive Director,

Illinois Insurance Association
German Minister for Development Cooperation, Svenja Schulze, has tagged Ghana as a pillar of stability, saying it is Germanys best destination in Africa for collaboration and partnership on key developmental agenda.



Addressing the media at the residence of the German Ambassador to Ghana, Mrs. Schulze said jointly, we want to achieve progress for people and enterprises here in Ghana.



It is really important to me that the rules are applying on the ground to help those at the beginning of the supply chain here in Ghana and in this context to strengthen children and womens rights, she added.



Mrs. Schulze was part of a delegation with her colleague, the Minister for Employment and Social Policies and the Director General of the International Labour Organisation, to Ghana.



The team met with the sector ministers in Ghana to deliberate on matters of mutual interest; top on the agenda was decent work, human rights and economic value chain.



The German Minister for Employment and Social Policies, Hubertus Heil, expressed optimism in Ghana and Germany relations stating that, its important for both countries to share the same values, democracy and economic values. Everyone needs to be responsible, especially the government and the business sector.



He commended the Government of Ghana for initiating measures to protect children against child labour by investing in compulsory child education.



We are working together for decent work and for social protection, he emphasised.



Director General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Gilbert Houngbo, in a brief statement, stated keenly what the labour organisation expects from countries, thereby availing ILOs expertise into sector ministries in order to put together an action plan that will push-up trade to a better quality to move our people out of poverty.



On the issue of fair migration, he said Ghana has expertise in different sectors but we also have the international guidelines on fair migration and that should help us to achieve what we call the triple win.



Ghanas Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, who doubles as the caretaker Minister for Trade, Samuel Jinapor said theres a need for Ghana and Cote dIvoire to make appreciable gains as the primary producers of the worlds cocoa.



He believes effective collaboration with Germany has the potential to scale up the production value chain.



Ghana and Cote dIvoire needs to rise to an appreciable level of the global market share of cocoa. Currently, both countries earn only $6 billion out of the over $113 billion, and it tells you that, if you dont amplify or promote our cocoa, a lot of the rhetoric will not resonate or materialise, he said.

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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You are here: China

A working team has been dispatched to north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region after a coal mine collapsed in Alxa League.

The working team sent by the Ministry of Emergency Management urged all-out efforts to search for the missing personnel without delay, and not to lose hope of finding them.

Saving lives is still the top priority, the work team said, adding that efforts should also be made to prevent secondary disasters.

Meanwhile, the work team called for comprehensive investigations and governance on major potential safety hazards of coal mines.

The collapse happened at the open-pit mine in Alxa League around 1 p.m. Wednesday. So far, four people have been confirmed dead and 49 others remain missing.
U.S Ambassador to Ghana Virginia Palmer has disclosed that Russia is losing the Ukraine War.



She says they are however, in desperation attacking schools, hospitals, churches, apartment Buildings and critical infrastructure.



Marking the one year anniversary since Russia launched its brutal, full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she explained that the attack has killed thousands and destroyed cities.



Here in Ghana, prices of fertilizer, food and fuel has skyrocketed, she added.



"Russia is losing on the battlefield and in desperation is attacking schools, hospitals, churches, apartment buildings, and critical infrastructure to exact the heaviest toll on civilians," she said.



She maintained that the US government is committed to working to mitigate the economic pain and uncertainty.



In December, President Biden announced an additional $2.5 billion in food security assistance for Africa, which builds upon over $11 billion in U.S. humanitarian and food security assistance.



Read Full Statement Below:



Statement from U.S. Ambassador to Ghana Virginia Palmer Marking One Year Since Russia's Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine



February 24 marks one year since Russia launched its brutal, full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russias horrifying violence has killed thousands and destroyed entire cities. Here in Ghana, Putins war has driven up prices for fertilizer, food, and fuel.



Russia is losing on the battlefield and in desperation is attacking schools, hospitals, churches, apartment buildings, and critical infrastructure to exact the heaviest toll on civilians.



Russias aggression against Ukraine did not start in 2022. This is a continuation of Russias illegal seizure of Crimea and parts of Luhansk and Donetsk in 2014.



With its leadership on the United Nations Security Council, Ghana condemned Russias illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.



Putin and his enablers believe that might makes right  but they are wrong. They are losing. Since last year, the U.S. has rallied allies and partners from around the world to stand strong with Ukraine. We cannot let a small country get stomped on by a larger neighbor.



We are working to mitigate the economic pain and uncertainty. In December, President Biden announced an additional $2.5 billion in food security assistance for Africa, which builds upon over $11 billion in U.S. humanitarian and food security assistance.



If Russia stops fighting and withdraws, the war ends. If Ukraine stops fighting, Ukraine ends.



The American people have stood proudly with Ukraine. We stand for freedom. We stand for democracy. We stand against bullies. We are United with Ukraine.







Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline/[email protected]









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Ghana voted in favour of a United Nations General Assembly resolution demanding that Russia leaves Ukraine, where it has in the last year waged a war against Kievs plan at the time to join the Euro-military bloc, NATO.



Ghana was one of 141 nations that voted 'IN FAVOUR' of the resolution with 7 countries voting 'AGAINST' and 32 'ABSTENTION.'



A UN statement after the vote read: "The results were 141 Member States in favour and seven against - Belarus, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua, Russia and Syria. Among the 32 abstentions were China, India and Pakistan.



By the terms of the 11-paragraph resolution, the Assembly reiterated its demand that Russia immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine and called for a cessation of hostilities.



The YES vote is consistent with Ghana's position that Russia must end the war it started on February 24, 2022 and to respect all territorial arrangements that existed prior to the commencement of hostilities.



Ghana in October 2022 voted against Russian annexation of three Ukrainian territories. It was the second pro-Ukraine resolution Ghana has backed. The earlier one was in March, weeks after the war started, with Ghana voting to condemn Russian aggression on Ukraine.



Akufo-Addo explains vote against Russia in October 2022



President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo recently explained why Ghana voted against Russia in a United Nations General Assembly resolution in October 2022.



The vote condemned Russia's annexation of three Ukrainian regions months after Moscow launched an onslaught on Kiev.



This is something I need to put on record, President Akufo-Addo stated whiles speaking with a German delegation led by Svenja Schulze, German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development.



Akufo-Addo said that Ghana, for good reason led the independence fight in Africa, because of a historic position of being against great power domination of the affairs of the world.



That was the basis on which Ghana joined over 130 other nations to vote against Russia, and it is a position we will continue to hold. Great powers trampling on small nations is not something that we welcome. Within our modest means we will register our disapproval of that.



The war on Ukraine clocks a year today (February 24) with allies of Ukraine especially the United States promising to stand by them in the fight to resist Russia.







Source: ghanaweb.com









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Being a boss lady with a kind heart is hard to find  but Hajia Fatahiya Aziz  a member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) is changing the narrative by impacting the society and most especially in the constituency where she resides.



Her benevolent gestures over the years especially in the region of her birth have earned her many accolades even from the least-known person in the Northern region.



The underprivileged in her area have always depended on her and for years she has never disappointed them by putting broader smiles on their faces whenever the need arrives.



In 2022, Hajia Fatahiya Aziz sponsored a number of her constituents for the Hajj pilgrimage  a gesture she promised to continue this year.



The Savulugu constituency of the NPP has also benefited from her freebies over the years  during their 2021 delegates congress, Hajia Fatahiya Aziz donated food items worth thousands of cedis with an additional Ghc7,000 to support them.



Christians in her area have also benefitted from her kindness with food items and reasonable cash donations during every Christmas season



In 2022, Hajia Fatahiya Aziz donated 150 bags of sugar for Ramadan and also supported the community of Tibali with Ghc 5000.



She again paid fully the registration of party membership cards for her constituency with an amount of Ghc 14,000.



About Hajia Fatahiya Aziz



Hajia Fatahiya Aziz has lived a professional life impacting society with her skills, values, and principles.



Hajia Fatahiya has over twenty (20) years of experience in security. Hajia Fatahiya pursued a Certificate in Secretaryship and Administration from the Government Secretarial School while serving as an officer with the Ghana Police Service.



In 2010, she undertook a BS in Banking and Finance from the University of Professional Studies. In 2019, she graduated from Coventry University with an MSc in Supply Chain Management.



Hajia Fatahiya Aziz once worked as a Clerk for the 2005-2007 National Security Coordinator and Minister. In 2008, she was detailed to the then Presidential Candidate Akufo-Addo and was later appointed a Presidential Staffer in 2017, where she still serves.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Henry Kwabena Kokofu, Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has urged Ghanaians to return to the days when food was purchased in leaves.



He said that the amount of rubber and plastic used in Ghana contributes to environmental pollution and land degradation, so he asked everyone to use less rubber and plastic.



Speaking to Speaker Nana Yaw Fianko, host of The Agenda on Atinka TV, the EPA boss hinted that, one way to reduce the use of plastic is to revert to buying foods in leaves, which he said are healthy, biodegradable, and environmentally friendly.



I must say that the leaves are healthy and easy to rot when disposed of (biodegradable), hence they are environmentally friendly. Putting hot Kenkey in a rubber bag, on the other hand, results in chemical transfusion and the destruction of the body, he explained.



Mr. Henry Kwabena Kokofu observed that the production of plastics serves a commercial purpose for many Ghanaians, hence it will be very difficult to ban; however, he believes that the laws should be enforced to regulate the use of plastic bags in the system, as done in countries like the UK and America.



Why ban plastic production? Its for commercial activities, other countries have not banned plastic production, but you should be ready to pay when you use it. The laws should be strengthened so that both buyers and sellers of plastics will bear the cost, Dr. added.













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The Department of Ghanaian Language and Linguistics at the University of Cape Coast on Tuesday joined the rest of the world to observe this years International Mother Language Day with a call on Ghanaians to prioritize their languages.



International Mother Language Day is a worldwide annual observance held on February 21 to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and to promote multilingualism.



The theme for the 2023 International Mother Language Day is Multilingual education  a necessity to transform education which seeks to highlight how multilingual education can be enhanced to transform education in general.



In an exclusive interview with ATFM NEWS at the sideline of a public lecture organized by the department of Ghanaian Language and Linguistics, the Dean of the School of Human Development at the Heritage Christian College, Prof. Benjamin Abotchie Ntreh stated that the imposition of other languages over the local languages will result in losing our identity and culture as a nation.



He, therefore, Ghanaians to make conscious efforts to promote Ghanaian languages.



My recommendation is, and Ive said it, that the Ghanaian language department and linguistics should be up and doing he continued.



Delivering a lecture on the theme: Mother Tongue in Bible Translation, Interpretation, and Related Matters, Prof. Abotchie Ntreh advised that Bible translators be conversant with the source and recipient language before engaging in Bible translations for public consumption.



He laid emphasis on the need for Bible translators to consider the equivalency of the local language translation according to the source of the Bible.



I came from a point of view of privileged languages, the Ga and Twi which have been there, translated for us and a large number of us go to church and read from this same Bible. So, how well have the work been done?



"How well has the translations that have been given to us been serving their purpose? Do they serve the purpose? All these questions must be addressed and thats the relevance.



Because we dont take the expression as it was in Hebrew which has come into English and translated the same thing in Akan. Secondly, translators need to know the two languages, both the source and the recipient languages, so when you translate the word or expression into another, it would be meaningful to the source and the recipient he continued.



On his part, the Head of the Department for Ghanaian Language and Linguistics of the University of Cape Coast, Dr. Kofi Abrefa encouraged Parents and Teachers to speak the local language with children at home and in school.



He said this will allow children to be exposed to their mother tongue in other for them not to struggle to speak it when they grow.













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Ken Ofori-Atta, the Minister of Finance has warned of dire consequences if Ghana fails to secure a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by March.



This comment has, however, been downplayed with some Economists insisting that the economy won't collapse as it's being suggested by the Finance Minister.



The Dean of the University of Cape Coast Business School, Prof John Gatsi is confident the economy wont crash.



Now we are saying that if they dont get the IMF deal in March the economy will collapse, collapse how? Because there is nothing in the government arrangement that shows that we are in a dire economic situation and that if we dont sign the IMF deal by March we will collapse. The expenditure arrangements do not reflect that, he noted.



However, NPP flagbearer hopeful and former Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko says looking at the economic indices, it will be dangerous to trivialise, Ofori-Atta's claim.



"Whether we like it or not this is our current situation . . . we shouldn't joke with this . . . our net foreign asset is negative . . . the situation is frightening . . . if our Finance Minister is saying our current situation is critical, and that the economy will crash if we don't get the IMF loan by March we shouldn't see it as a threat . . . .whatever we have to do as Ghanaians to take hold of the situation to avoid a crash, we need to do it . . . " he said on Peace FM's 'The Platform' programme.







Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Former Deputy Information Minister for the NDC, Felix Kwakye Ofosu has agreed with calls for former President John Dramani Mahama to go unopposed in the partys upcoming presidential elections.



According to Mr. Ofosu who is an aide of the former president, allowing John Mahama to go unopposed in the NDCs upcoming primary elections will save the partys resources and time.



He said a competition is one that he welcomed as far as anybody who has observed its processes can testify, such that in the same vein nobody is disadvantaged in any shape or form.



The rules are that anyone can contest for the position as far as the person is interested because it is an open contest, but if anybody believes that the outcome of the contest is already known, we shouldnt waste time and resources, he said



John Dramani Mahama made his intentions known to compete in the NDCs flagbearership when he met with the Minority caucus at his cantonment office on Tuesday.



His nomination forms were picked up by his former campaign manager, Joshua Alabi, and other executives of the NDC on his behalf.



The NDC opened its nominations on Tuesday, February 22, to kick start its internal elections to elect the presidential and parliamentary candidates for the NDC primaries slated for May 13, 2022.



Interested persons for the parliamentary primaries can pick the nomination forms at a non-refundable fee of GHC 5,000 while candidates for the presidential primaries will pick forms at a non-refundable fee of GH30,000 to be paid via bankers draft.



Interested female candidates and persons with disabilities (PWDs) will however pay 50% of the approved fee for both presidential and parliamentary primaries.





Source: ghanaweb.com









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The National Women's Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr. Hanna Bisiw, has berated Gloria Huze for picking up Dr. Kwabena Duffuor's presidential nomination form in the name of the partys Ashanti Region Womens wing.



In a statement copied to GhanaWeb, on Thursday, February 23, 2023, Bisiw Louisa said that the action taken by the Ashanti Regional Women's Organiser, Gloria Huze, was totally intolerable.



She added that no executive of the party can use the wing of the party for their personal businesses.



My attention has been drawn to a deplorable and unacceptable action by the Ashanti Regional Women's Organiser, Gloria Huze, in the upcoming Flag bearer race.



She is on record to have led a delegation to pick up the nomination form for a Presidential Candidate Aspirant in the name of the Ashanti Regional Women's Wing.



I vehemently and categorically disassociate the wing from her conduct and wish to state emphatically that her conduct is not in any way a representation of any parts of the wing either in the Ashanti Region or across the other 15 regions in the country, parts of the statement read.



The National Womens Organiser added that the disciplinary committee of the NDCs women's wing has been notified about Gloria Huzes action and will take the necessary steps to bring her to book.



Gloria Huze, together with some staff of NDC presidential hopeful, Dr Kwabena Duffuor, picked his nomination for the partys presidential primaries, which is scheduled for May 2023, on Thursday at the party's headquarters in Accra.



Read the full statement below:



NATIONAL WOMEN'S WING ISSUE A STATEMENT ON ASHANTI REGIONAL WOMEN'S ORGANISER PICKING FORMS FOR DUFFOUR



DISCLAIMER

My attention has been drawn to a deplorable and unacceptable action by the Ashanti Regional Women's Organiser, Gloria Huze, in the upcoming Flag bearer race.



She is on record to have led a delegation to pick up the nomination form for a Presidential Candidate Aspirant in the name of the Ashanti Regional Women's Wing.



I vehemently and categorically disassociate the wing from her conduct and wish to state emphatically that her conduct is not in anyway a representation of any parts of the wing either in the Ashanti region or across the other 15 regions in the country.



The women's wing will sanction any such persons who seek to use the mandate of the wing to run individual businesses.



The disciplinary Committee of the women's wing have been duly notified. The necessary steps shall be taken for the greater good of the wing and interest of the party.



Signed:

Dr. Hanna Bisiw Louisa ,

National Women's Organiser.







Source: ghanaweb.com









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There was a sharp disagreement yesterday between members of the NPP Majority and the NDC Minority over the Electoral Commissions (EC) proposed new Constitutional Instrument (C.I.) to replace the existing Instrument (C.I.) in preparation for the election in 2024.



This occurred during the Special Budget Committees report on a briefing session on the draft Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations, 2022 and other related matters.



However, the toxic polarisation of the normal back-and-forth of political debate erupted into heated exchanges in the aftermath of a motion moved by Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, and seconded by former Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, for the adoption of the report.



Background



The Subsidiary Legislation Committee of Parliament had earlier held a pre-laying meeting with the EC to review the new Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations, 2022 and Other Related Matters.



The Committee noted in this new C.I. that the Commission stated its intention to use the Ghana Card, or ECOWAS Card, as commonly referred to, as the only form of identification and medium to qualify a Ghanaian citizen who is eligible to vote, to be registered or enrolled onto the voters register.



This observation brought to the fore a number of concerns that were reported to the Leadership of the House.



The Special Budget Committee was directed to further investigate the concerns raised by members of the Subsidiary Legislation Committee during the pre-laying meeting and report to the House during the Business Committee meeting on Friday, July 22, 2022.



The Committee therefore sought clarification on the following two major concerns of the members  the 2022 Budget Performance of the Commission and the new Public Elections (Voters Registration) Regulations and other related Matters, 2022.



EC Response



The report said the Commissions Chairperson, Jean Adukwei Mensa, explained that previously, the Commission had allowed a number of options to prove ones identity during voter registration, including Ghana Passports, previous Voter ID Card, Birth Certificate, Guarantor System, drivers licence, and so on.



However, the Commission in 2021 following the election in 2020, decided to introduce a number of reforms to sanitise and simplify the election processes, including continuous registration of voters and the use of Ghana Card to qualify eligible persons for the EC Voters ID Card, the report indicated.



According to the report, the EC Chairperson explained that in the past, the practice of periodic voter registration exercises had proven to be time-consuming, ineffective, and an expensive process associated with chaos.



This practice does not provide a window for individuals who have travelled outside of the country or who are unable to participate in the exercise when the period was opened, the report noted.



To address these issues, the EC stated its intention to implement the continuous registration process. The Chairperson went on to say that this issue was tabled for discussion at the IPAC, and that there was general support for its adoption.



Concerning the non-use of the guarantor system, the Chairperson informed the Committee that it was introduced 30 years ago in 1992, when the country lacked a common system of identification to allow many eligible persons to be registered or enrolled onto the ECs Voters Register in order to vote.



Ghana Card



Concerning the use of the Ghana Card, the Chairperson stated that previously, the Commission had allowed a variety of options to prove ones identity during voter registration, including Ghana Passports, previous Voter ID Card, Birth Certificate, Guarantor System, drivers licence, and so on.



However, following the 2020 election, the Commission decided in 2021 to implement a number of reforms to sanitise and simplify the election processes, including continuous voter registration and the use of the Ghana Card to qualify eligible persons for the EC Voters ID Card.



The new C.I., as presented at a pre-laying meeting with the Subsidiary Legislation Committee, basically spells out the Commissions intentions to do away with the costly periodic registration exercises that had not yielded the expected results over the years and instead embark on an all-year-round registration exercise at the Commissions offices across the country.



The main goal is to make sure that all of the Commissions offices are open all year long and, more significantly, to increase accessibility for anyone who turns 18 or has never been registered with the Commission to go to any regional or district office and register or enroll on the Voters Register, the report said.



Committee



The report indicated that following the Chairpersons presentation, the Committee made submissions to be considered by the Commission in reviewing the new C.I. to improve voter registration and the entire electoral processes, including expunging of the guarantor system as part of the reforms.



The Committee implores the EC to be mindful and ensure that no eligible Ghanaian citizen is disenfranchised in the process, by insisting on the use of the Ghana Card as the only medium to qualify a person for registration, it added.

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com









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Really delivering on the promise of algorithms in the criminal justice system will require a radical reimagining of their use, says Ngozi Okidegbe, who is an expert on how technologies in the criminal justice system impact racially marginalized communities. Credit: Jackie Ricciardi

Algorithms were supposed to remake the American justice system. Championed as dispassionate, computer-driven calculations about risk, crime, and recidivism, their deployment in everything from policing to bail and sentencing to parole was meant to smooth out what are often unequal decisions made by fallible, biased humans.

But, so far, this hasn't been the case.

"In theory, if the predictive algorithm is less biased than the decision-maker, that should lead to less incarceration of Black and Indigenous and other politically marginalized people. But algorithms can discriminate," says Ngozi Okidegbe, Boston University's Moorman-Simon Interdisciplinary Career Development Associate Professor of Law and an assistant professor of computing and data sciences.

She's the first at the University to hold a dual appointment straddling data and the law, and her scholarship dives into this intersection, examining how the use of predictive technologies in the criminal justice system impacts racially marginalized communities.

As it is, these groups are incarcerated at nearly four times the rate of their white peers. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, an arm of the U.S. Department of Justice, there were 1,186 Black adults incarcerated in state or federal facilities for every 100,000 adults in 2021 (the most recent year for which data are available), and 1,004 American Indians and Alaska Natives incarcerated for every 100,000 adults. Compare these to the rates at which white people were incarcerated in the same year: 222 per 100,000.

In recent papers, Okidegbe has studied the role of algorithms in these inequities and the interwoven consequences of technology and the law, including researching the data behind bail decisions.

"Ngozi's joint appointment at the BU School of Law and in the Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences could not be more timely, as it speaks to the importance of examining and scrutinizing today's sociotechnical and human-in-the-loop AI systems and technologies," says Azer Bestavros, associate provost for computing and data sciences. "This scrutiny allows us not only to reimagine the design and deployment of these systems, but also to reconsider the ethical, legal, and public policy frameworks within which these systems will operate."

Algorithms amplifying bias

In their most basic form, algorithms are problem-solving shortcuts. Engineers can train computers to digest a large amount of data and then produce a simple solution to a complex problem. Spotify, for example, uses algorithms to suggest songs the company thinks its listeners might enjoy, based on what they've listened to previously. The more data a computer model has to go on, the more nuanced and accurate its results should be.

But a growing body of academic researchincluding by Okidegbeand news reports show that algorithms built upon incomplete or biased data can replicate or even amplify that bias when they spit out results. This isn't a huge deal if, for example, your toddler's Peppa Pig obsession leaks into your suggested Spotify playlists, but it can have devastating effects in other contexts.

Consider a judge, says Okidegbe, who receives an algorithmically generated recidivism risk score as part of a report on a convicted criminal. This score tells the judge how likely this person is to commit another crime in the near futurethe higher the score, the more likely someone is to be a repeat offender. The judge takes this score into account, and assigns more jail time to someone with a high recidivism score. Case closed.

A sprawling report by the nonprofit news organization ProPublica found that because these scores feel impartial, they can carry a lot of weight with the judges who use them. In reality, these scores are neither impartial nor airtight. ProPublica found that one particular system used by courts across the country guessed wrong about two times as often for Black people than for white people: it mislabeled twice as many Black people who didn't reoffend as being at high risk for doing so.

In a recent article for the Connecticut Law Review, Okidegbe traces this inconsistency back to its source, and identifies a three-pronged "input problem."

First, she writes, jurisdictions are opaque about whether and how they use pretrial algorithms, and often adopt them without consulting marginalized communities, "even though these communities are disproportionately affected by their utilization." Second, these same communities are generally shut out of the process for building such algorithms. Finally, even in jurisdictions where members of the public can lodge opinions about the use of such tools, their input rarely changes anything.

"From a racial-justice perspective, there are other harms that come out of the use of these algorithmic systems. The very paradigm that governs if and how we use these algorithms is quite technocratic and not very diverse. Kate Crawford has noted AI's 'white guy problem,'" Okidegbe says, referring to a principal researcher at Microsoft and cochair of a White House symposium on AI and society who coined the term to describe the overrepresentation of white men in the creation of artificially intelligent products and companies.

From the very outset, Okidegbe says, algorithmic systems exclude racially marginalized and other politically oppressed groups.

"I've been looking at the decision-making power of whether and how to use algorithms, and what data they are used to produce. It is very exclusionary of the marginalized communities that are most likely to be affected by it, because those communities are not centered, and often they're not even at the table when these decisions are being made," she says. "That's one way I suggest that the turn to algorithms is inconsistent with a racial justice project, because of the way in which they maintain the marginalization of these same communities."

Shifting power

In addition to producing biased results that disproportionately harm marginalized communities, the data used to train algorithms can be messy, subjective, and discriminatory, Okidegbe says.

"In my work, I've contended with what I think is a misconception: that algorithms are only built with quantitative data. They're not, they're also built with qualitative data," she says. Computer engineers and data designers will meet with policymakers to figure out what problem their algorithm should solve, and which datasets they should pull from to build it, Okidegbe says.

In the criminal and legal context, this might mean working with judges to determine what would help them deliver prison sentences, for example. Once again though, it's much less likely that data engineers would meet with incarcerated people, say, as part of their early information-gathering process. Instead, as Okidegbe writes in an article for a recent edition of the Cornell Law Review, most large datasets used in pretrial algorithms are built upon and trained on data from "carceral knowledge sources," such as police records and court documents.

"That puts forth this narrative that these communities have no knowledge to add toward the broader question," Okidegbe says.

Really delivering on the promise of algorithms in the criminal justice systemthe promise that they make the process more uniform and less biased than humans otherwise haverequires a radical rethinking of the entire structure, Okidegbe says. It's something she encourages her students to consider as they shape the future of law and criminal justice.

"It means actually accounting for the knowledge from marginalized and politically oppressed communities, and having it inform how the algorithm is constructed. It also means ongoing oversight of algorithmic technologies by these communities, as well. What I am contending requires building new institutional structures, it requires shifting our mindset about who is credible and who should be in power when it comes to the use of these algorithms. And, if that is too much, then we can't, in the same breath, call this a racial justice project."

More information: Ngozi Okidegbe, The Democratizing Potential Of Algorithms?, Connecticut Law Review. scholarship.law.bu.edu/faculty_scholarship/3138
Quzhou, a city in eastern China, held an international event on southern Confucianism in Beijing on Friday, aiming to promote Confucian culture and mutual learning among countries.

As part of fine traditional Chinese culture, southern Confucianism embodies common values of humanity and provides guidance conducive to human civilization progress.

"In recent years, International Confucian Association has cooperated with Quzhou to hold a series of important activities," said Jia Deyong, secretary-general of the association. This cooperation will be deepened and Quzhou's role as the Southern Confucianism research base will be fully leveraged, Jia said.

The association will continue to cooperate with Quzhou on international people-to-people exchanges, and explore China's traditional culture including the southern Confucianism to beef up dialogues among different civilizations, Jia added.

Four young Sinologists from Germany, Botswana, Burma, and Nepal who participated in a research camp in Quzhou shared their impressions of the city.

A music video and a performance integrating video and poetry recital at the event explained the history of how Quzhou became home to the southern clan of Confucius, and presented the city's charming culture and natural landscape.

Along with guests from the Quzhou municipal government and representatives of Confucius' descendants, envoys from Venezuela, Palestine, Dominica, South Africa, El Salvador, Mexico, Uruguay and other countries, as well as young Sinologists attended the event.

Home to southern Confucianism and direct descendants of Confucius, Quzhou has created the city brand "home of southern Confucianism, a model city of virtue" in recent years.
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

A pair of natural science researchers from Marymount Manhattan College has found that high levels of dog feces landing on sidewalks in New York city has resulted in high levels of bacteria in homes and businesses. In their paper published in the journal Indoor and Built Environment, Alessandra Leri and Marjan Khan describe collecting and testing environmental samples from a large number of sites on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

Enterococci are a type of bacteria found in the intestines and fecal matter of most animals. They can also make their way into the environment during defecation and are known to persist on many materials, such as cement, carpeting and other flooring material. In this new effort, Leri and Khan have attempted to measure the amount of dog excrement landing on public sidewalks in New York City, and the degree to which the bacteria it carries may be making its way into homes, businesses and other public buildings.

To make their assessment, the researchers used pipettes to collect rainwater samples from public sidewalks and sticky tape to collect samples from floors and carpets in buildings. They also tested the soles of shoes of multiple volunteers using a sterile water rinse.

All of the samples were cultured in their lab to and grew to levels that could be observed under a microscope. Each was then studied to determine enterococci levels. The researchers found that levels in the rainwater samples were on average 31,000 per 100 milliliters. They note that the U.S. EPA has set a safe limit of 110 per 100 milliliters for public beaches as a way to compare levels. They also found that the number of bacteria found inside buildings, carried on the soles of people's shoes, was relative to the amount of traffic. As expected, they found more enterococci in carpeting than on flooring. They also found high levels on shoe soles, suggesting that they are the main transport vehicle.

The researchers conclude by noting that people can reduce levels of such bacteria in their homes by simply removing their shoes before enteringwithout touching their soles.

More information: Alessandra C Leri et al, Faecal indicator bacteria on indoor floors linked to exterior sidewalk contamination in New York City, Indoor and Built Environment (2023). DOI: 10.1177/1420326X231153566

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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Setting up a business or going self-employed can give LGBT people a sense of liberation and freedom to be their authentic selves, shows a study of small businesses with LGBT owners.

The researchers from the University of Bath and Radboud University in the Netherlands found that negative experiences in the workplace prove a motivating force to start up in business.

Setting up a business or going self-employed can give LGBT people a sense of liberation and freedom to be their authentic selves, shows a study of small businesses with LGBT owners.

The researchers from the University of Bath and Radboud University in the Netherlands found that negative experiences in the workplace prove a motivating force to start up in business.

"For some of the entrepreneurs we interviewed, coming out as gay and deciding to become an entrepreneur were closely linked to the concept of freedom," said Dr. Luke Fletcher from the University of Bath's School of Management.

"They felt they needed to hide their sexual identity in their former careers, to avoid possible barriers and negative employment consequences, and believed that becoming self-employed would enable them to express their authentic self."

In practice, the research showed LGBT entrepreneurs continue to navigate tension in the intersection between being their authentic selves and running day-to-day business operations.

Analysis showed that LGBT entrepreneurs felt they were battling stereotypes of entrepreneurs as masculine, heterosexual and male and that of a homosexual as feminine, weak and different.

Nevertheless, researchers found that some people gained a sense of strength and value in aligning their LGBT identity with their status as a business person, and viewed their sexuality as an asset.

Overcoming the challenges of coming out and being lesbian or gay in a heteronormative society had enabled them to develop their competencies, including emotional capabilities, empathy, and a social consciousness that they felt strengthened their entrepreneurial identities.

They were also able to see new markets and opportunities for their business that arose from aligning themselves with the LGBT community.

Others were uncomfortable with being open about their LGBT identity, feeling a sense of stigma or shame with being too 'out' in their business, particularly if they had experienced discrimination or harassment related to their LGBT identity in the past. They placed more importance on their identity as a business person and minimized the potential value that their LGBT identity could bring.

"People may feel their LGBT identity is irrelevant or shouldn't be part of the way they operate their business. However, this can create internal tensions which may not be very good for their longer term health and well-being," said Dr. Fletcher.

In the study, led by Dr. Caroline Essers at Radboud University and published in the International Small Business Journal, 11 LGBT entrepreneurs in small Dutch firms were interviewed, to explore how they cope simultaneously with the complexities of being entrepreneurs and sexual, and in some cases gender, minorities.

The study involved five lesbian (including a trans woman who identified as a lesbian) and six gay Dutch entrepreneurs. The sample was not meant to generalize the whole population of Dutch LGBT small business owners, but to provide in-depth insights into a specific group of individuals and how they experience their gender, sexual and entrepreneurial identities.

The researchers concluded that as patterns and similar themes emerged in the 11 interview findings it is likely that they had reached a sufficient sample.

The researchers say their findings point to the need for more tailored support for LGBT people in business. "Accessing LGBT specific networks, such as Series Q and resource hubs, such as the Federation of Small Business, can help LGBT entrepreneurs gain a sense of community, authenticity and confidence," said Dr. Fletcher.

"By building and sharing knowledge and experiences across the LGBT business community, we can empower and enable people and their businesses to thrive."

More information: Caroline Essers et al, It's all about identity: The identity constructions of LGBT entrepreneurs from an intersectionality perspective, International Small Business Journal: Researching Entrepreneurship (2022). DOI: 10.1177/02662426221128464
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Credit: Shutterstock

If you're a parent of teenagers, you might feel like your kids have the upper hand when it comes to technology. As digital natives, teens intrinsically (or so it seems) understand what platforms, programs, apps, and social media channels to use whenand, unlike many of the adults in their lives, they know how to use them.

As a result, it can be daunting for parents and guardians to figure out how to guide their children in safely using digital tools. What is the appropriate amount of autonomy for teens in the online world? How much should kids be limited in their use of social media and their access to other kinds of digital media? How can parents and guardians strike a balance between the autonomy teens need and safety?

Julie Dobrow, senior lecturer at the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development, Film and Media Studies faculty member, and senior fellow in media and civic engagement at the Tisch College of Civic Life, has some answers to those questions. An expert in the effects of media on children, Dobrow advises parents to accept children's use of digital mediaand maybe even embrace it.

Digital platforms can offer today's teenagers important communal experiences, she said, and teaching them how to make wise choices might be more effective than attempting to restrict their usage: "Social media scholar danah boyd has talked about how important the socially networked life is for teens. It's like the mall was for many of us growing upa place to hang out."

It's also developmentally appropriate. "Adolescents are doing what they need to be doing," according to Dobrow. "They're just doing it online. For example, they like to try on different identities: 'What would it be like if I were like this? What would it be like if I were like that?' Social media enables them to do that to a greater extent than previous generations were able to do. And there are some advantages in that, in curating your best self and presenting it to the world. But it can also be problematic."

It's the problematic part that scares many parents. There are horror stories about predators lurking online, gleaning information about kids' locations, exposing them to inappropriate content, or blackmailing them for money. And while teens tend to be savvy about what technologies are out there and how to use them, their inexperience in the world might leave them vulnerable to exactly the horrors that parents fear.

What's more, as Dobrow points out, it's not just external horrors that give reason to worry; it's internal ones as well. "Many teens feel pressure to curate their profiles, present an ideal body, an ideal social life, in ways that are unrealistic and difficult to achieve," she noted. "And because teens' lives change so often, posting something one day might mean something very different the next."

But, Dobrow says, there are steps parents and guardians can take to help their children protect themselves from both external and internal threats. She sat down with Tufts Now to discuss some of her top tipsand, as she put it, "what it means to be a media literate human being."

Model good behavior

First and foremost, it's important for parents to show, through their own practices, how to use media properly. "If parents are talking on their phones while playing with young children, or texting at meals, children will see this behavior as normative," Dobrow said. "Think about how you want your kids to use their phones and social media and follow those guidelines yourself."

Be knowledgeable about social media

New apps and platforms emerge constantly, and it's up to parents to keep up. Google searches for "apps teens use" or "social media for teenagers" can yield helpful information. But it's not enough to know just the names of popular platforms. "Find out what parental controls exist," advised Dobrow. "Sometimes there aren't any; sometimes there are some and they're not greatbut know what they are so you can make decisions about the right settings for your family."

One great resource for finding out details about emerging and existing platforms and apps is Common Sense Media, Dobrow says, "The site offers a lot of really good, practical advice and information for parents."

Follow age guidelines

Equally critical, according to Dobrow, is knowing what age brackets specific programs are aimed at and then attempting to ensure your children aren't accessing the programs before they're ready. "It's especially important to try to get middle-schoolers to follow the rules," Dobrow said. "Many social media sites list 13 as the minimum age, for reasons of safety and privacy. Encouraging kids to abide by the rules can help themand youfilter out inappropriate information or exposure."

Keep the lines of communication open

How do you get kids to follow the rules? The best way is to ensure that you're communicating with them clearly, said Dobrow. "Try to talk with them about social media and try not to be judgmental." If you don't ask your kids what platforms they're using or how they use the apps you've seen on their phones, you won't know, and you won't be able to perform your due diligence to make decisions about their usage.

Moreover, as Dobrow puts it, "it's just a reality of life in the 21st century that kids today are growing up in an intensively media-saturated world. And that's not going to go away. I don't think restricting kids' phones ultimately works, but this is a decision every family should make. So rather than try to disparage social media or compare it to what we had when we were growing up, I think the best thing that we can do as parents is encourage our kids to be media literateby which I mean that kids should become both informed consumers and informed producers of media."

And, she added, they should start developing their media literacy skills as soon as they start consuming mediawhich likely will be before they even start school. That means it's on parents to begin teaching them.

Even after formal education begins, very few schools teach media literacy. "The U.S. is far behind where a lot of other nations are," Dobrow pointed out. "Canada, Great Britain, Japan, and others all have mandated media literacy curricula. At the moment, only 14 states have similar mandates, and some, like Massachusetts, have gotten to media literacy only by embedding it in other disciplines." That means, again, parents often need to play a central role in communicating with their children about what it means to stay safe online.

Help kids see possible consequences

Children, even older teenagers who behave like young adults, lack the perspective that time can bring to parents. Often, that means it's difficult for them to imagine the longer-term potential outcomes of their actionsand how far-reaching those outcomes can be.

"Remind them that everything they post online can be seen by a potentially enormous audience, and that nothing they post goes away," said Dobrow. "Teenagers tend to understand the basic etiquette of posting onlinedon't say on social media anything you wouldn't say to someone's face. But they need to be reminded that even if something seems to have been deleted, it's not necessarily actually deleted, and that anything can be made publicand presented in distorted ways. We're increasingly seeing there are ways to cut, paste, and visually alter messages."

For tweens and younger teens, the first basic principle to teach is don't post your location. Without scaring kids, help them see the possible consequences of letting strangers know where they are, Dobrow advised. She adds that parents also should avoid public posts that indicate their child's location; for example, don't say that you're picking your kid up from school at 3pm.

Let your kids teach you

One of the most effective ways to instill media literacy in teenagers? Open yourself up to learning from them, Dobrow said. "Teens like to feel that they have a certain body of knowledge that they're expert about. It can be kind of empowering for them to know more than their parents do."

"As my own kids were growing up," noted Dobrow, "I would say to them, 'I don't understand what this is. Can you explain it to me?'" An honest approach often opens the lines of communication, Dobrow said, and parents who adopt such an approach can both learn what they need to know and explicitly discuss with their kids the privacy settings they should be using and the dangers they should watch out for.

At the same time, Dobrow pointed out that, because media technologies and practices change so quickly, parents shouldand canevolve a partnership with their children around media use. "They can learn from us," she suggested, "but we can also learn from them."
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(a) regression method with inputs of weather factors and vegetation indices; (b) is biomass and harvest index model; (c) is a crop growth model with input of weather, soil, vegetation, fertilization, pest and management conditions; (d) is the emerging data-driven models with support of machine or deep learning methods. Credit: Science China Press

Satellite-driven crop monitoring has become a main method to derive crop information at local, regional and global scales.

However, there is a lack of quantitative, objective, and robust methods to ensure the reliability of crop information, which will reduce the applicability of crop monitoring and leads to uncertain and undesirable consequences. In this paper, recent progresses in crop monitoring were reviewed and the challenges and opportunities for the future were identified.

"Crop monitoring system is telling us how much food was produced, what kind of food it was, and where it was produced. This information is essential for countries to make decisions. If it is not available or not verified properly, countries will either lack the basic information for their decisions or run the risk of taking decisions based on inaccurate information," said Prof. Bingfang Wu (Aerospace Information Institute, the Chinese Academy of Sciences), leader of the CropWatch team and co-chair of Group on Earth Observations Global Agricultural Monitoring Initiative (GEOGLAM).

Crop conditions information is critical for policymaking as well as preventing market disruption and speculation, thereby contributing to an early warning of food insecurity. Most crop monitoring systems have the crop condition component and use simple anomalies of metrics from the average values to investigate crop conditions.

However, the anomaly metrics cannot provide quantitative assessments due to a lack of standard categorized methods, especially under crop stress driven by drought, nutrients deficit, diseases and pests. Furthermore, the paper finds that some drought indices published in literature confuse meteorological drought with agricultural drought. They may generate false drought information if applied.

Crop production is forecasted with the support of crop area estimates and yield predictions for specific regions. It is the core element of crop monitoring, but only a few global agricultural monitoring systems include the operational components for crop area estimation and yield prediction. One of the reasons is the lack of ground data outside of the country, not to mention ground data availability globally. Crowdsourcing data could serve as a potential solution for closing the ground data gaps.

A new method for field yield measurement involving AI and computer vision to count the numbers of spikes, seed numbers per spike and the sizes of seeds for weight determination. Credit: Science China Press

"With many types of smartphone sensors, everyone could take and upload geo-tagged photos of crops. This information can be used to calibrate crop condition and area estimation models," said Dr. Miao Zhang, a core member of the CropWatch Team. Previously, data collection of the actual crop yield is labor-intensive and costly. A new method involving artificial intelligence and computer vision to count the number of spikes, the number of seeds per spike and the sizes of seeds was developed.

"This is a novel method to collect field yield data," added Dr. Hongwei Zeng, another core member of the CropWatch Team.

In addition, yield prediction component is the weakest element in crop monitoring due to large uncertainties. Current models and/or vegetation indices do not fully capture determinants of crop production. CropWatch has adopted averaged values of multiple yield models to reduce the uncertainty of yield prediction. New sensors need to be explored.

Although satellite images are beautiful and objective, their production and analysis have profound political and economic implications. Knowledge-based analysis of satellite derived metrics might lead to uncertain and undesirable consequences. One solution is to avoid conflicts of interest when organizations publish publicly available crop information.

User participation in the complete process of crop monitoring could improve the reliability of crop information. Encouraging users to obtain crop information from multiple sources also could prevent unconscious biases.

"The best solution is that users have their own crop monitoring system, but this is difficult for most users to achieve due to the development and maintenance costs and technology constraints. For this reason, all components and functions of CropWatch have been upgraded to provide application programming interfaces (APIs) in the CropWatch-Cloud, which enables users to complete crop monitoring independently and autonomously from the data download to the final synthesized analysis without additional investment in storage and computational resources. For example, the Mozambique Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) have applied CropWatch to enhance its capability and reliability of crop monitoring for Mozambique. This effort was recognized as one of the best rural solutions in 2020 by the International Fund for Agricultural Development and one of the good practices in South-South and Triangular Cooperation for Sustainable Development," Prof. Wu said.

The study is published in the journal National Science Review.

More information: Bingfang Wu et al, Challenges and opportunities in remote sensing-based crop monitoring: a review, National Science Review (2022). DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwac290
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Koala on North Stradbroke Island. Credit: UniSC student Asitha Samarawickrama

Research into koala numbers before and after cultural burns on the world's second largest sand island has fueled a push to merge Aboriginal knowledge with cutting-edge science to mitigate the dangers of bushfires across Australia.

University of the Sunshine Coast researchers and Quandamooka land custodians have hailed the success of the two-year collaboration on Minjerribah/North Stradbroke Island.

Located off southeast Queensland, the 275 square kilometer island has a wide range of protected flora and fauna.

Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation (QYAC) Ranger Bruce Walker said cultural burns were cooler, lower and slower than "hot fires," enabling better coordination and control to encourage the regeneration of suitable native plants.

Mr. Walker said the burns also controlled species like banksias and wattle to reduce the risk of fire reaching the canopy where koalas lived.

The results of the UniSC-led study showed no negative impacts on the densities or stress levels of the genetically unique koalas after the first burn in July 2021, across 130 hectares of the island's northeast between Flinders Beach and the East Coast Road.

Instead, the study indicated the strength of koala numbers in that area and the effectiveness of cultural burning in reducing fuel load from vegetation while keeping tree canopy intact, and koalas safe from injury or distress.

Environmental scientist Asitha Samarawickrama, a former consultant and wildlife guide from Victoria who conducted the research for his UniSC Master of Science, said the findings were exciting.

"It is believed to be the first study of Aboriginal cultural burning to mitigate the risk of wildfires on koalas, something that is increasingly important as uncontrolled wildfires become more frequent and severe with climate change," Mr. Samarawickrama said.

"It showcases how cultural practices over millennia can be combined with cutting edge technology to advance science and support traditional management for conservation purposes."

Supervised by Dr. Romane Cristescu, the UniSC team counted and monitored koalas using drones fitted with thermal cameras and collected koala scats from the ground to analyze hormone metabolite levels which could indicate stress. The team also collected multispectral and Lidar (laser) data.

"Minjerribah's koalas are special and worth protecting," said Dr. Cristescu. "They are genetically distinct and very healthy, with little evidence of diseases such as chlamydia, in contrast to mainland koalas.

"After Australia's 201920 megafires showed the vulnerability of koalas living in fire-prone habitat, an obvious solution was to address the ways we manage fires to try to prevent them. This study is a first step to show that cultural burns have that potential."

QYAC used UniSC drone surveying and koala data when planning the second burn in August 2022, which was successfully conducted with partner organizations, helicopters and veterinarians on standby.

Outcomes of the ongoing research have been welcomed by funding supporters WWF-Australia and the Queensland Department of Environment and Science.

WWF-Australia landscape protection project manager Tanya Pritchard said it was fantastic to be part of research that could help ensure the safety and recovery of the east coast's endangered koalas into the future.

"We supported this project through our Regenerate Australia program, which is about making landscapes more resilient to the effects of climate change," Ms. Pritchard said.

Provided by University of the Sunshine Coast
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Remains from the Lindegarden excavation site at Ribe Cathedral (Denmark) dated between the 9th and 19th centuries. Credit: Museum of Southwest Jutland

Scientists who study the origins and evolution of the plague have examined hundreds of ancient human teeth from Denmark, seeking to address longstanding questions about its arrival, persistence and spread within Scandinavia.

In the first longitudinal study of its kind, focusing on a single region for 800 years (between 1000 and 1800AD), researchers reconstructed Yersinia pestis genomes, the bacterium responsible for the plague, and showed that it was reintroduced into the Danish population from other parts of Europe again and again, perhaps via human movement, with devastating effects.

The historical samples were taken from nearly 300 individuals located at 13 different archaeological sites throughout the country.

"We know that plague outbreaks across Europe continued in waves for approximately 500 years, but very little about its spread throughout Denmark is documented in historical archives," says Ravneet Sidhu, one of the study's lead authors and a graduate student at McMaster's Ancient DNA Center, where the analysis was conducted.

The McMaster researchers, working with a team of historians and bioarchaeologists in Denmark and Manitoba, performed an in-depth examination of the relatedness and differences between the different strains of plague that were present in Denmark during this time.

Co-lead author Ravneet Sidhu examines an ancient tooth at McMasters Ancient DNA Centre. Credit: Matt Clarke, McMaster University

They reconstructed and sequenced the genomes of Y. pestis, using fragments teased from ancient teeth, which can preserve traces of blood-borne infection for centuries. They compared the plague genomes to one another and to their modern-day relatives.

Researchers found positive plague samples in 13 individuals who had lived and died over a period of three centuries.

Nine of those samples provided enough genetic information to draw evolutionary conclusions about the plague's persistence in Denmark. The results create a picture of urban and rural populations hammered by relentless waves of plague.

"The high frequency of Y. pestis reintroduction to Danish communities is consistent with the assumption that most deaths in the period were due to newly introduced pathogens. This association between pathogen introduction and mortality illuminates essential aspects of the demographic evolution, not only in Denmark but across the whole European continent," says Jesper L. Boldsen, the skeletal collection curator and paleodemographer at ADBOU, University of Southern Denmark.

The analysis, reported today (Feb. 24) in the journal Current Biology, revealed that the Danish Y. pestis sequences were interspersed with medieval and early modern strains from other European countries, including the Baltic region and Russia, rather than coming from a single domestic cluster that re-emerged from natural reservoirs over the centuries.

Remains from the Lindegarden excavation site at Ribe Cathedral dated between the 9th and 19th centuries. Credit: Museum of Southwest Jutland

"The evidence for plague in Denmark, both historical and archaeological, has been far more sparse than in some other regions, such as England and Italy. This study identified plague for the first time from medieval Denmark, therefore enabling us to connect the experience in Denmark to disease patterns elsewhere," said Julia Gamble a co-author on the study and assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Manitoba.

In striking detail, researchers describe the earliest known appearance of Y. pestis in Denmark in the town of Ribe dating back to 1333 during the Black Death, its appearance in rural areas such Tirupwhere there is no surviving historical evidenceand its disappearance by 1649.

Most places it hit in Denmark were port cities, but one of the last outbreaks struck a small rural site in the center of the country with no access to water, suggesting importation via land.

Plague is a disease of rodents, but clearly the results suggest human-facilitated movement of plague, either via rodents traveling with humans or via other vectors on them, such as lice.

"The results reveal new connections between past and present experiences of plague, and add to our understanding of the distribution, patterns and virulence of re-emerging diseases," says Hendrik Poinar, senior author of the paper, director of the McMaster Ancient DNA Center and an investigator with the Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research.

"We can use this study and the methods we employed for the study of future pandemics," he says.
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This system consists of a pair of galaxies, dubbed IC 694 and NGC 3690, which made a close pass some 700 million years ago. As a result of this interaction, the system underwent a fierce burst of star formation. In the last fifteen years or so six supernovae have popped off in the outer reaches of the galaxy, making this system a distinguished supernova factory. Credit: NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration and A. Evans (University of Virginia, Charlottesville/NRAO/Stony Brook University)

Astronomers from the University of Texas and the University of Arizona have discovered a rapidly growing black hole in one of the most extreme galaxies known in the very early universe. The discovery of the galaxy and the black hole at its center provides new clues on the formation of the very first supermassive black holes. The new work is published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Using observations taken with the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), a radio observatory sited in Chile, the team have determined that the galaxy, named COS-87259, containing this new supermassive black hole is very extreme, forming stars at a rate 1000 times that of our own Milky Way and containing over a billion solar masses worth of interstellar dust. The galaxy shines bright from both this intense burst of star formation and the growing supermassive black hole at its center.

The black hole is considered to be a new type of primordial black holeone heavily enshrouded by cosmic "dust," causing nearly all of its light to be emitted in the mid-infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum. The researchers have also found that this growing supermassive black hole (frequently referred to as an active galactic nucleus) is generating a strong jet of material moving at near light speed through the host galaxy.

Today, black holes with masses millions to billions of times greater than that of our own sun sit at the center of nearly every galaxy. How these supermassive black holes first formed remains a mystery for scientists, particularly because several of these objects have been found when the universe was very young. Because the light from these sources takes so long to reach us, we see them as they existed in the past; in this case, just 750 million years after the Big Bang, which is approximately 5% of the current age of the universe.

What is particularly astonishing about this new object is that it was identified over a relatively small patch of the sky typically used to detect similar objectsless than 10 times the size of the full moonsuggesting there could be thousands of similar sources in the very early universe. This was completely unexpected from previous data.

The only other class of supermassive black holes we knew about in the very early universe are quasars, which are active black holes that are relatively unobscured by cosmic dust. These quasars are extremely rare at distances similar to COS-87259, with only a few tens located over the full sky. The surprising discovery of COS-87259 and its black hole raises several questions about the abundance of very early supermassive black holes, as well as the types of galaxies in which they typically form.

Ryan Endsley, the lead author of the paper and now a Postdoctoral Fellow at The University of Texas at Austin, says, "These results suggest that very early supermassive black holes were often heavily obscured by dust, perhaps as a consequence of the intense star formation activity in their host galaxies. This is something others have been predicting for a few years now, and it's really nice to see the first direct observational evidence supporting this scenario."

Similar types of objects have been found in the more local, present-day universe, such as Arp 299. In this system, two galaxies are crashing together generating an intense starburst as well as heavy obscuration of the growing supermassive black hole in one of the two galaxies.

Endsley adds, "While nobody expected to find this kind of object in the very early universe, its discovery takes a step towards building a much better understanding of how billion solar mass black holes were able to form so early on in the lifetime of the universe, as well how the most massive galaxies first evolved."

More information: Ryan Endsley et al, ALMA Confirmation of an Obscured Hyperluminous Radio-Loud AGN at z=6.853 Associated with a Dusty Starburst in the 1.5 deg2 COSMOS Field, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2023). DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stad266 Journal information: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
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Carter G. Woodson. Credit: Smithsonian Institution

Although Black History Month wasn't established until the 1970s, Black teachers in the segregated Jim Crow South, particularly women, had been teaching Black history for decades prior, and were vital to its accuracy and preservation.

That's according to ArCasia James-Gallaway, a professor in the Texas A&M University School of Education and Human Development and an interdisciplinary historian of education who focuses on African Americans. She says much can be learned from these early educators, who worked to infuse culturally-relevant lessons into their classrooms, as well as instill a sense of pride in their Black students.

By analyzing archival and other written documents, as well as drawing on oral history, James-Gallaway found that these educators affirmed their students' cultural, racial and political knowledge, worldview and assets by teaching critical, politically and culturally-informed lessons.

False narratives

During the era of segregation when Jim Crow laws prevailed, prevalent ideas for most of U.S. history, "promoted the notion that Black people either had no pastor one not worth studyingor that our history began at enslavement," James-Gallaway said. Another camp romanticized life in Africa by assuming everyone was royalty.

Arguably the first to institutionalize what we now know as Black History Month, writer and historian Carter G. Woodson made some of the most notable efforts to shift these false narratives. Beginning with what was early-on known as "Negro History Week," Woodson helped lay the foundation for what expanded to Black History Month.

"This initial week started in the 1920s during, in the South, de jure [legalized] segregation or Jim Crow," she said. "Over time segregated Black schools, among others, used this week as an occasion to dedicate focus to a history many had been taught did not exist. But it was a process."

The 1970s saw the one-week recognition shift to a full month. "Woodson, however, was certainly not the first to integrate, albeit on a smaller scale, Black history into his own instruction or curriculum, as myriad Black teachers across the South, Black women in particular, had been doing so for decades," James-Gallaway said.

"In many ways, the South is central because you can't fully understand the history of this country without a deep understanding of the South, and that African Americans have played and continue to play an essential role in it," she said. "Many of Woodson's writings reveal his frustration [about] and disdain for the widescale erasure and distortion of Black history."

She said Black educators fought to challenge harmful mischaracterizations like "the happy slave," which purported that enslaved persons were docile, unthinking, enjoyed enslavement, and relished good treatment from their white enslavers.

"This trope underwrote the belief that Black people would not know what to do with freedom because they did not understand how to take care of themselves," James-Gallaway said. "Such ideas were prevalent throughout textbooks used in Black and white schools for decades, and it grew out of so-called historical research conducted by white historians."

Many related ideas persist about Black people as subhuman and unintelligent, James-Gallaway said, noting, "Broadly, we can think of this as 'anti-Blackness,' which I hold as synonymous with 'anti-Black racism' and define as structural or institutional acts and supporting ideologies that oppress, subjugate, or subordinate Black peoples."

She added that a recent move to block access to an AP African American Studies course is an example of the same efforts to distort Black history that occurred during segregation.

Work to emulate

The work of Southern Black educators during segregation is a rich site of knowledge for today's educators, James-Gallaway said.

"I really admire educators whom I've found in my research that worked withor sometimes againsttheir administration to subvert the system of white supremacy and anti-Blackness, and teach against the grain," she said.

The most gifted Black educators of the past, like many today, took a holistic approach to education. "It was about educating the whole person spiritually, psychologically, culturally, and of course academically," James-Gallaway said. "Studying [the work of] Black women teachers of the South shows us that the best teachers understand that there is far too much at stake to go about their job as if education is an apolitical endeavor with immaterial consequences for oppressed and marginalized communities."
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In Charlotte Brontes novel Shirley, English protagonists Shirley and Caroline use French to resist their patriarchal milieu. Credit: Shutterstock

Linguistic diversity, like other types of diversity, can enrich life. It's a truism that languages and cultures are closely allied. Some believe that language imposes its own unique perceptual grid on its users.

If this were true, translation would be virtually impossible. On the other hand, it's generally accepted that a translation seldom reproduces the exact sense of the original text; nuances don't travel well.

The French phrase joie de vivre can be translated as "joy of living," but that doesn't capture the Gallic flavor of the original "joie," which is why anglophones feel impelled to borrow the French phrase.

My forthcoming book "Words in Collision: Multilingualism in English-Language Fiction" shows how language diversity has been employed by authors.

Resistance, power conflicts

In English-language fiction, a non-English tongue can provide a liberating alternative to conventional norms of behavior. In Charlotte Bronte's 1849 novel Shirley, French serves the dual English protagonists, Shirley and Caroline, as a means of resisting the claustrophobic grip of their patriarchal milieu.

In other works of literature, linguistic clashes feed into broader power conflicts. Shakespeare's play "Henry V", likely written in 1599, includes a remarkable amount of French dialogue. In the play, a literal war on the battlefield is paralleled by a figurative war between languages. Shakespeare's Dauphin brags about the merits of his horse in a mixture of both languages that is likely to strike spectators as absurdly pretentious:

"Ca, ha! He bounds from the earth as if his entrails were hairs; le cheval volant, the Pegasus, chez les narines de feu!"

A less violent but still earnest war of words is fought in Henry James's 1890 novel The Tragic Muse. Here, French language becomes identified with the art of the Paris theater, while English represents the antagonistic forces of Anglo-Saxon sobriety. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichies TED Talk, The Danger of a Single Story.

Political struggles, decolonizing

Linguistic collisions are rife in works of post-colonial literature, where they coincide with political struggles between regimes of European hegemony and decolonizing movements.

A recent example is Arundhati Roy's 1998 novel The God of Small Things. In it, English, a holdover from the British Raj, vies for supremacy with Malayalam, the regional language of Kerala where Roy was born.

In Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's 2003 novel Purple Hibiscus, Eugene, the father of the protagonist, Kambili, imposes English speech on his Igbo-speaking Nigerian family, while they resist by speaking Igbo in private.

Monolingualism as ideology

Comparative literature scholar Sarah Dowling studies "translingual poetries"poetry written in multiple languages "informed by feminist, anti-racist, immigrant rights and Indigenous sovereignty movements." Dowling prefers the term "translingual" because unlike "the term multilingual, which is often associated with dominant multiculturalisms, the term translingual typically describes critical, oppositional and survival practices."

"Monolingualism is an ideology, a structuring principle that touches every aspect of social life," writes Dowling. "It shapes how we understand ourselves and our units of belonging by constructing homologous relationships between mother tongue, ethnicity and nation."

Dowling's insight rings true. As a student, Stephen Miller, the architect of ex-U.S. president Donald Trump's exclusionary immigration policy, protested against the presence of Spanish in his Southern California high school.

Signs of promise

Polyglot texts (texts using multiple languages) have become increasingly common; they are salvos fired against arrogant monolingualism. Monolingual English speakers would do best to join the multilingual world and welcome these texts.

The continuing emergence of polyglot texts like Julia Alvarez's 1996 poetry collection The Other Side/El Otro Lado or Quiara Alegria Hudes's memoir My Broken Language (2021) demonstrate cosmopolitanism rather than insularity.

Such a development is likely to enhance our joie de vivre, however we choose to translate it.

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A Rottnest Island echinoderm photographed during the research. Credit: Curtin University

Curtin University researchers believe rising sea temperatures are to blame for the plummeting number of invertebrates such as mollusks and sea urchins at Rottnest Island off Western Australia, with some species having declined by up to 90 percent between 2007 and 2021.

Lead author Adjunct Professor Fred Wells, from Curtin's School of Molecular and Life Sciences, said the west end of Rottnest Island had suffered a "catastrophic decline" in biodiversity.

"Since 1982, we have monitored biodiversity of marine molluscs and echinoderms including sea snails, clams, starfish and sea urchins on rocky reefs at Rottnest Island, Cottesloe, Trigg Point and Waterman," Professor Wells said.

"Despite being sanctuary zones with the highest level of protection from human activities, we found that Radar Reef and Cape Vlamingh at Rottnest Island had suffered a catastrophic decline in biodiversity between 2007 and 2021, likely due to exposure to the warm Leeuwin Current.

"By contrast, the metropolitan coastline, which is not under the influence of the Leeuwin Current, was found to have well-preserved biodiversity and species richness.

"Overall, at the west end of Rottnest Island, the rocky reefs are badly depleted with a decline of 90 percent or more in biodiversity and density of molluscs.

Professor Wells said a number of marine heatwaves on the west coast of WA in recent years that caused abnormally high ocean temperatures had impacted the area's marine plant and animal populations.

"Our surveys in 1982 and 2007 showed Radar Reef and Cape Vlamingh had a mixture of tropical, temperate and WA endemic species. With increased sea temperatures we expected to see the proportion of tropical species increase, but this did not happen at the West End of Rottnest where all three groups declined substantially," Professor Wells said.

"These findings demonstrate that even with the high degree of protection from direct human activities, these areas are not immune to the effects of global climate change.

"As far as we know, molluscs and echinoderms on other rocky reefs at Rottnest and other areas off the metropolitan coast are in reasonable numbers and we hope that in the near future these can provide larvae for repopulating Radar Reef and Cape Vlamingh."

Published in Frontiers in Marine Science, the research is titled "Responses of intertidal invertebrates to rising sea surface temperatures in the southeastern Indian Ocean."

More information: Fred E. Wells et al, Responses of intertidal invertebrates to rising sea surface temperatures in the southeastern Indian Ocean, Frontiers in Marine Science (2023). DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2023.1075228 Journal information: Frontiers in Marine Science
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Brooksella shapes are variable: typical Brooksella have approximately six lobes (A, B); twinned Brooksella can also occur (C); others can have multiple indistinct lobes (D) or lobes that are completely embedded in a concretion (E). Concretions (FK) also vary in shape, but are mostly round to oblong and many have fossils fragments or whole trilobites embedded in them. Scale bars = one cm. Brooksella figured: (A) UGA 1; (B) UGA WSL2.AL2; (C) UGA WSL2.AL16; (D) UGA WSL2.AL4; (E) UGA LSV1.AL2; concretions figured: (F) UGA 40; (G) UGA 69; (H) UGA 25; (I) UGA 73; (J) UGA 136; (K) UGA 22. Credit: PeerJ (2023). DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14796/fig-5

More than 100 years ago, Charles Doolittle Walcott from the Smithsonian Institution was asked to examine strange star-shaped fossils with lobes hailing from the ~ 514-million-year-old Conasauga Formation in Alabama. Walcott described these odd fossils as jellyfish that likely floated in the middle Cambrian seas of what is now the southeastern United States. Little did he know that the Cambrian fossil he named would cause more than 100 years of controversy.

The controversy hinged on the interpretation of what Brooksella really was: Was it truly a jellyfish that would be important for middle Cambrian marine ecosystems, a time when animals were originating and diversifying for the first time on Earth? Or was Brooksella just preserved gas bubbles? Or maybe it was a type of bulbous algae? Or a glass sponge made of opaline silica?

Or, as hypothesized, perhaps Brooksella was not a fossil at all.

Using shape and chemical analyses combined with high-resolution 3D imaging, we evaluated whether Brooksella was a fossil, like a sponge, a trace fossil, representing the burrows of worm-like animals, or not a fossil. We found that Brooksella lacked characteristics of glass sponges, specifically, the opaline-fused spicules that compose the body. Nor did it grow as a sponge would be expected to over its lifetime. Importantly, in the field, its purported excurrent canal (osculum) was always oriented down in the sediment, which would make it very hardif not impossible to filter water for food.

We also did not find any indication that worms made the iconic star-shaped lobes. We then compared the composition and internal structure of Brooksella to silica concretions from the same middle Cambrian rock beds. We did not find any difference between Brooksella and the concretions, other than Brooksella had lobes and the concretions did not. We thus concluded that Brooksella was not part of early sponge diversification in middle Cambrian seas, but rather, was an unusual type of silica concretion. Concretions can be all kinds of shapes to the point some look like they were organically formed.

The significance of our finding is two-fold: First, there are numerous enigmatic Cambrian fossils that need to be scrutinized to determine if they are really fossils to help paleontologists refine biodiversity estimates for the Cambrian when most of Earth's major animal groups originated. Second, this is not the first time that unusual fossils and rocks from the Cambrian have puzzled scientists, and our findings highlight the necessity of close scrutiny of early fossil materials, especially using newer, powerful analytical techniques like micro-CT in combination with classic lab and field approaches.

Sunset at Weiss Lake where Brooksella alternata were collected. Credit: Morrison R. Nolan

Morrison Nolan, Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, says, "Brooksella alternata interests me because so many scientists have worked on identifying it and have come to very different conclusions. It really illustrates how difficult it can be to distinguish one type of life from another, and even life from non-life, which is especially challenging for early materials in the geologic record.

"Amateur paleontological/geological groups like the Georgia Mineral Society helped me learn about Brooksella and other interesting geological features around me. Such groups do a great job of teaching the public about the geologic past and bringing people to the field to see and learn about these features."

Sally Walker, Professor of Paleontology at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, U.S., says, "Brooksella intrigued me because, unlike most fossils, it had a 3D shape like a star-shaped puffed pastry that is unusual for soft-squishy animals like a sponge. A sponge usually gets flattened like roadkill during the fossilization processespecially a fossil more than 500 million years old.

"Also puzzling was the fact that no one inspected Brooksella where it lived and its orientation; if they did, they would find that most lobes were oriented downward, which does not make sense for a sponge to be eating mud. Lastly, the puzzle of Brooksella continues: What are the physical, chemical and perhaps biological processes that actually formed these strange Brooksella concretions? That is for a future paleontologist to solve.

James Schiffbauer, Associate Professor of Geological Sciences, University of Missouri, says, "While the applications for microCT have been nearly endless in the materials sciences and engineering fields, its capacities for elucidating the fossil record are really just beginning to be explored. This project is an excellent example of the types of fossil mysteries we can solve with applications of microCT. When we can scrutinize the internal construction of Brooksella with reference to its many past interpretations, it becomes increasingly apparent that none of them really match."

More information: Morrison R. Nolan et al, Is the middle Cambrian Brooksella a hexactinellid sponge, trace fossil or pseudofossil?, PeerJ (2023). DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14796 Journal information: PeerJ

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Credit: John Gomez/Shutterstock

The case of David Carrick, a serial rapist and a serving officer in the Metropolitan Police Service, is the latest shocking example of violence against women committed by the police.

For years, I have studied misogyny in policing in England in Wales. I have crunched the numbers when it comes to acts of misconduct by men and women in the force. I have conducted in-depth interviews with policewomen who suffered years of misogynistic bullying at the hands of their male colleagues.

While it's not exactly surprising that policing has long had a misogyny problem, my research shows how this problem appears in policing day to day.

Historically, policing was a job for men. As I explore in my book Women in Policing, the initial 19th-century arguments in favor of allowing women to join focused on their difference from men. Supposedly feminine "moral and maternal" traits were seen as evidence that women could provide protection to female victims, offenders and juveniles.

A toxic, patriarchal culture has persisted throughout policing history. This is true in the experiences of both women officers, and women who interact with the police as victims or perpetrators of crimes.

One area where this can be seen is in misconduct by officers. Using freedom of information requests, I investigated whether male and female officers committed similar numbers and types of misconduct offenses.

I examined records of offenses and misdeeds committed by male and female officers in three forces, from 2007 to 2012. Most of those involving both male and female officers involved minor driving offenses, like using a windscreen wiper from a police car on their own vehicle or claiming garage points to fill up police vehicles.

The sharing of inappropriate images via the force email system was another offense that both men and women committed. The most serious incident of misconduct during this five-year period involved both a male and female officer. It was a single case of "lack of duty resulting in a death in custody."

Overall, many more male officers were reported for violations than their female colleaguesup to seven times more, depending on the type of offense. Yet at the time, the ratio of men to women in the force was closer to five to one. Men were also more involved in offenses related to abuse of authority and misuse of force.

One crucial difference in offenses by male and female officers shows how misconduct, power and misogyny can work together in police forces. Where there were offenses of beginning inappropriate relationships with vulnerable survivors of domestic abuse or sexual assault, the officers involved were all male.

I did not find any examples of female officers doing the same. I also found only male officers had been involved in offenses of domestic violence, abuse and sexual harassment.

The disciplinary data, combined with insights from my interviews with female officers, led me to conclude that the policing environment enables men to combine the power of masculinity (which they have from living in a patriarchal society) with their power as police officers and behave this way. Policewomen, even with their authority as officers, do not have the same kind of power.

Women in policing

My research with women officers also shows the extent of misogyny within force culture. My colleague and I spoke with 23 women who had, between them, four decades of policing careers in different areas in England and Wales.

All of these women entered the force because they wanted to help victims and survivors of crime find justice. Their desire to do this was not diminished in the face of sexual harassment, bullying and intimidation they received from male colleagues.

One officer said she had been invited to a strip club after work with her male peers. Another described the misogynistic labels her male peers used to talk about women.

Others told us of male supervisors who insisted policewomen wear pencil skirts on parade, or suggested their uniform informed their sexuality. One participant said her supervisor had noticed that she cut her hair short and was wearing a men's tie, and asked whether she was a lesbian, suggesting that women's uniforms were tied to their sexual identity and appeal.

Even the recent addition of body cam equipment, the women told us, was not a good fit for many female officers' bodies and often pointed towards the floor as a result.

In one disturbing example, an officer told us that while she was pregnant, her male colleague took a picture of her from her drawer at work, pasted her face onto pictures of an overweight woman's body, photocopied them and sent them to her anonymously.

This case, like many of those shared by our participants, did not go through formal misconduct mechanisms. Instead, it was dealt with by supervisors who requested an apology from the perpetrator but did not discipline him further.

Institutional misogyny

Any instances of police officers engaging in this kind of behavior should have been ringing alarm bells about a pattern of misogyny within the institution. But as recent events show, if alarms have rung, they have not been responded to appropriately.

The scandals of the past few yearsCarrick, Wayne Couzens, Charing Cross, Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallmanshow that policing is still plagued by a misogynistic, hypermasculine culture. While legal efforts like the Centre for Women's Justice 2019 super-complaint against the police have attempted to hold police organizations to account for violence against women, the culture within forces does not appear to have changed.

Police responses calling predatory police perpetrators of violence against women and girls as "unspeakably evil" suggests they are rare events. But while shocking, they aren't uncommonthey are part of a long, systemic pattern of misogyny.

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An illustration of the ULTRASAT satellite. Credit: Weizmann Institute

NASA will launch Israel's first space telescope mission, the Ultraviolet Transient Astronomy Satellite (ULTRASAT). ULTRASAT, an ultraviolet observatory with a large field of view, will investigate the secrets of short-duration events in the universe, such as supernova explosions and mergers of neutron stars.

Led by the Israel Space Agency and Weizmann Institute of Science, ULTRASAT is planned for launch into geostationary orbit around Earth in early 2026. In addition to providing the launch service, NASA will also participate in the mission's science program.

"We are proud to join this partnership, an international effort that will help us better understand the mysteries of the hot, transient universe," said Mark Clampin, director of the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "ULTRASAT will give the global science community another important capability for making new observations in the nascent field of time domain and multimessenger astrophysics programs."

ULTRASAT's wide field of view will allow it to quickly discover and capture ultraviolet light from sources in the cosmos that change on short timescales. Researchers will combine ULTRASAT's observations of these short-term events with information from a variety of other missions, including those studying gravitational waves and particlesa field known as time domain and multimessenger astronomy. The results will shed light on the workings of everything from black holes and gravitational wave sources to supernovae and active galaxies.

"Groundbreaking science calls for cutting-edge technology," said Uri Oron, director of the Israel Space Agency in the Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Technology.

"Our requirements from ULTRASAT, such as a wide field of view, advanced ultraviolet sensitivity, and real-time data control and transfer are at the forefront of technological developments. Israel's space industry can deliver these capabilities. The Israel Space Agency is proud of the cooperation with NASA as a direct example of the strong partnership between the agencies, and of the Israeli space industry's technological effort involved in the development of the telescope."

"This is a breakthrough project that places Israel at the forefront of global research," said Eli Waxman, astrophysicist at the Weizmann Institute of Science and ULTRASAT's head researcher.

"Leading international bodies such as NASA and the DESY research institute have joined this Israeli-led project as partners, having recognized its scientific significance. They are investing considerable resources in the construction and launch of the satellite to become active participants in this mission with access to its scientific products. It's a science-driven partnership."
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Pattern images merge outlines of an organisms position at different timepoints to depict movement, providing a still image that increases LabGyms accuracy in recognizing behavior types. Shown are the pattern images for mice (top right, bottom left) and Drosophila larvae (top left, bottom right). Credit: Yujia Hu and Bing Ye, U-M Life Sciences Institute.

A team from the University of Michigan has developed a new software tool to help researchers across the life sciences more efficiently analyze animal behaviors.

The open-source software, LabGym, capitalizes on artificial intelligence to identify, categorize and count defined behaviors across various animal model systems.

Scientists need to measure animal behaviors for a variety of reasons, from understanding all the ways a particular drug may affect an organism to mapping how circuits in the brain communicate to produce a particular behavior.

Researchers in the lab of U-M faculty member Bing Ye, for example, analyze movements and behaviors in Drosophila melanogasteror fruit fliesas a model to study the development and functions of the nervous system. Because fruit flies and humans share many genes, these studies of fruit flies often offer insights into human health and disease.

"Behavior is a function of the brain. So analyzing animal behavior provides essential information about how the brain works and how it changes in response to disease," said Yujia Hu, a neuroscientist in Ye's lab at the U-M Life Sciences Institute and lead author of a Feb. 24 Cell Reports Methods study describing the new software.

But identifying and counting animal behaviors manually is time-consuming and highly subjective to the researcher who is analyzing the behavior. And while a few software programs exist to automatically quantify animal behaviors, they present challenges.

"Many of these behavior analysis programs are based on pre-set definitions of a behavior," said Ye, who is also a professor of cell and developmental biology at the Medical School. "If a Drosophila larva rolls 360 degrees, for example, some programs will count a roll. But why isn't 270 degrees also a roll? Many programs don't necessarily have the flexibility to count that, without the user knowing how to recode the program."

Thinking more like a scientist

To overcome these challenges, Hu and his colleagues decided to design a new program that more closely replicates the human cognition processthat "thinks" more like a scientist wouldand is more user-friendly for biologists who may not have expertise in coding. Using LabGym, researchers can input examples of the behavior they want to analyze and teach the software what it should count. The program then uses deep learning to improve its ability to recognize and quantify the behavior.

One new development in LabGym that helps it apply this more flexible cognition is the use of both video data and a so-called "pattern image" to improve the program's reliability. Scientists use videos of animals to analyze their behavior, but videos involve time series data that can be challenging for AI programs to analyze.

To help the program identify behaviors more easily, Hu created a still image that shows the pattern of the animal's movement by merging outlines of the animal's position at different timepoints. The team found that combining the video data with the pattern images increased the program's accuracy in recognizing behavior types.

LabGym is also designed to overlook irrelevant background information and consider both the animal's overall movement and the changes in position over space and time, much as a human researcher would. The program can also track multiple animals simultaneously.

Species flexibility improves utility

Another key feature of LabGym is its species flexibility, Ye said. While it was designed using Drosophila, it is not restricted to any one species.

"That's actually rare," he said. "It's written for biologists, so they can adapt it to the species and the behavior they want to study without needing any programming skills or high-powered computing."

After hearing a presentation about the program's early development, U-M pharmacologist Carrie Ferrario offered to help Ye and his team test and refine the program in the rodent model system she works with.

Ferrario, an associate professor of pharmacology and adjunct associate professor of psychology, studies the neural mechanisms that contribute to addiction and obesity, using rats as a model system. To complete the necessary observation of drug-induced behaviors in the animals, she and her lab members have had to rely largely on hand-scoring, which is subjective and extremely time-consuming.

"I've been trying to solve this problem since graduate school, and the technology just wasn't there, in terms of artificial intelligence, deep learning and computation," Ferrario said. "This program solved an existing problem for me, but it also has really broad utility. I see the potential for it to be useful in almost limitless conditions to analyze animal behavior."

The team next plans to further refine the program to improve its performance under even more complex conditions, such as observing animals in nature.
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Lynx are seen by many as the next good candidate for rewilding in the UK, although plans have met resistance from some farming communities. Credit: Tomas Hulik ARTpoint/Shutterstock

The UK's environment secretary Therese Coffey has told farmers that she does not support reintroducing wolves or lynx to the English countryside.

While this was welcomed by some farmers, it has angered conservationists who argue that wild carnivores are needed to successfully restore the environment.

The UK's environment minister has poured cold water on any potential future plans to reintroduce species such as wolves and lynx to England.

Speaking at the annual National Farmers' Union conference in Birmingham this week, in reference to projects to bring back native carnivores Therese Coffey said that "we just don't need to and we won't."

Over recent years, plans to reintroduce species that once lived in the UK but were driven to extinction have rapidly expanded. These have already seen animals such as the white-tailed eagle, red kite, pool frog, ladybird spider, pine marten and Eurasian beaver successfully brought back.

There has been increasing interest in returning once-native carnivores to the UK as part of growing rewilding schemes. While the reintroduction of wolves is highly unlikely any time soon, the return of lynx is seen by some as much more achievable.

But in response to these plans, Coffey told farmers at the conference, "I don't want farmers to constantly have to worry about these issues. We've got plenty to do with the habitats that need improving and expanding."

"That is why I won't be supporting reintroductions of species like lynxes and wolves. We just don't need to and we won't."

More controversially, some conservationists would like to see wolves reintroduced to the UK. Credit: Kenton D. Gomez/Shutterstock

Conservationists, however, have pointed out that the reintroduction of wild species once found in the UK are critical for the improvement and expansion of habitats.

For example, the return of beavers has seen huge benefits to the local environments in which they live. They not only create thriving wetlands that increase the amount of habitat available to insects, fish, amphibians and birds, but also help to protect the environment against the worst effects of droughts and heavy rainfall.

Craig Bennet, the Chief Executive of the Wildlife Trusts, told The Guardian, "This is deeply disappointing, it suggests that sadly the secretary of state is massively out of touch with British public opinion on these issues and in fact the views of many farmers I talk to."

"The fact is, ecosystems are not functioning as they should but where we have seen the reintroductions of beavers, of pine martens, you start to see these ecosystems are functioning properly."

The UK government's 25-year Environment Plan commits ministers to facilitate the reintroduction of once-native species, with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs publishing a code for reintroduction projects in 2021.

Since the success of the beaver reintroductions that have taken place up and down the country, the Eurasian lynx is seen by many as a good next candidate to return to the wild. It is argued that they would help to control the excessive deer population that threatens the regeneration of native forests.

Lynx are medium-sized cats that typically live in woodland, where they feed on smaller deer species such as roe deer.

While some farmers are concerned that lynx will turn to killing sheep, conservationists argue that the cats don't actually stray far from forests and so would be unlikely to enter sheep fields.

While initial plans to release lynx into the Kielder Forest in Northumberland were rejected, there are hopes to revive the project.

This story is republished courtesy of Natural History Museum. Read the original story here
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Photo of roots that contain different dosages of a family of genes that affects root architecture, allowing wheat plants to grow longer roots and take in more water. Credit: Gilad Gabay / UC Davis

Growing wheat in drought conditions may be easier in the future, thanks to new genetic research out of the University of California, Davis.

An international team of scientists found that the right number of copies of a specific group of genes can stimulate longer root growth, enabling wheat plants to pull water from deeper supplies. The resulting plants have more biomass and produce higher grain yield, according to a paper published in the journal Nature Communications.

The research provides novel tools to modify wheat root architecture to withstand low water conditions, said Gilad Gabay, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis and the first author on the paper.

Roots key to better yield in drought

"Roots play a very important role in plants," he said. "The root absorbs the water and the nutrients to support plants' growth. This finding is a useful tool to engineer root systems to improve yield under drought conditions in wheat."

Much has been done to improve wheat production but losses from water stress can erase other improvements. Plants that can adapt to low water conditions but have increased yield will be key to growing enough food for a growing population in the face of global warming.

Until now, little has been known about the genes that affect the root structure of wheat. The discovery of the gene familyknown as OPRIIIand that different copies of these genes affect root length is a significant step, said Distinguished Professor Jorge Dubcovsky, the project leader in the lab where Gabay works.

"The duplication of the OPRIII genes results in increased production of a plant hormone called Jasmonic acid that causes, among other processes, the accelerated production of lateral roots," Dubcovsky said. "Different dosages of these genes can be used to obtain different roots."

From genomics to breeding

To get longer roots, the team of researchers used CRISPR gene editing technology to eliminate some of the OPRIII genes that were duplicated in wheat lines with shorter roots. By contrast, increasing the copies of these genes caused shorter and more branched roots. But inserting a rye chromosome, which result in decreased OPRIII wheat genes, caused longer roots.

"Fine-tuning the dosage of the OPRIII genes can allow us to engineer root systems that are adapted to drought, to normal conditions, to different scenarios," Gabay said.

Knowing the right combination of genes means researchers can search for wheat varieties that have those natural variations and breed for release to growers planting in low-water environments.

Junli Zhang, German Burguener and Tyson Howell from the Department of Plant Sciences contributed to the paper, as did researchers from China Agricultural University in China, Fudan University in China, Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Maryland, Karolinska Institute in Sweden, National University of San Martin in Argentina, Technological Institute of Chascomus in Argentina, UC Berkeley, University of Haifa in Israel and UC Riverside Metabolomics Core Facility.

More information: Gilad Gabay et al, Dosage differences in 12-OXOPHYTODIENOATE REDUCTASE genes modulate wheat root growth, Nature Communications (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36248-y Journal information: Nature Communications
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Workers tasked with moving products in the immense U.S. food system are at a high risk of serious injury, according to a new Penn State-led study, and pandemic-caused, supply-chain problems have worsened the situation, researchers suggest.

The modern food supply chain presents unique hazards to employees that result in higher rates of death and injury when compared to most other industries, noted lead researcher Judd Michael, Penn State professor of agricultural and biological engineering. Employees in food manufacturing, wholesaling and even retailing experience relatively high numbers of occupational injuries and fatalities.

One reason for the high hazard rates may be the reliance on a synergistic packaging system designed to load and transport food products within and between manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers, Michael noted. In the modern system, food products are aggregated and transported after they have been packaged, requiring potentially dangerous machinery, equipment and methods to accomplish those tasks, Michael explained.

"Materials handling and movement within and between facilities is critical to the efficient functioning of all links of the food-related supply chain, but product movement can be a source of occupational injuries," he said. "For example, manufacturers often use palletizers to aggregate individually packaged food products into a unit load before they can be transported using a pallet jack, forklift or other powered industrial truck."

Michael, who is the Penn State Nationwide Insurance Professor of Safety and Health in the College of Agricultural Sciences, noted that the COVID-19 pandemic motivated his team to undertake the research. They were curious about how the added pressure on the food supply chain was affecting workers.

News reports in the first year of the pandemic gave the impression that our food supply chain was not keeping up with the new demands from the pandemic, he explained. It was clear most Americans had to stay home, and that changed the way that food had to be prepared, packaged and moved.

"Suddenly, we weren't eating out at restaurants, we were going to the grocery store or ordering online much more and buying food products that we hadn't purchased the same way before," he said. "We suspected this put a lot of pressure on the workers in the food supply chain. And we wanted to try to document that, to highlight the increase in injuries during the first part of the pandemic when the food supply chain was under tremendous pressure."

And significantly, Michael added, "we wanted to emphasize the importance of the blue-collar food industry workers and the sacrifices they make every day to get food from the farm to our tables."

The researchers used a database maintained by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration to investigate all severe injuries in the six years from 2015 to 2020 in the food supply chain. Their results documented 1,084 severe injuries and 47 fatalities during the six-year period although the researchers noted that actual figures could be twice as high. Data indicated that 2020 saw a significant increase in severe injuries as compared to previous years.

In findings published this morning (Feb. 24) in the Journal of Safety Research, the researchers reported that fractures of the lower extremities were most prevalent, with the most frequent accident event type being transportation-related, such as pedestrian-vehicle incidents.

Large retailers that sell food along with many other productssuch as Walmart, Sam's Club and Costcowere not included in the research, Michael pointed out.

"We wanted to be very narrow with our definition of a grocery store or a food retailer, and those big, multi-faceted operations are not, strictly speaking, just grocery or food retailers, because food is just a part of their overall sales," he said.

"It would not have been possible for us to determine which of their accidents and injuries were related to moving food products. If we had somehow been able to include their statistics, of course, the injury numbers would be considerably higher."

Serap Gorucu, assistant professor of risk analysis, safety, and health of agricultural systems at the University of Florida, contributed to the research.

More information: Judd H. Michael et al, Severe injuries from product movement in the U.S. food supply chain, Journal of Safety Research (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.jsr.2023.02.007
GLENS FALLS  A new city parking study suggests there is no need for a new parking facility or additional spaces. The report also recommends stricter enforcement of parking and charging for parking in the core area of downtown.

The study by BFJ Planning and C.T. Male Associates makes a number of preliminary recommendations to tackle both off-street and on-street parking issues.

Jeff Flagg, the citys economic development director, said the consultants proposed that city officials look into parking management, pricing, parking redistribution, shared parking and wayfinding.

Data was collected on Oct. 27 and 28.

The crux of all of this was to survey what we had available and then they do some field assessments of who was parking where and for how long, he said.

The core area parking is located in the Elm Street, Exchange Street, Ridge Street and Warren Street lots.

On-street and off-street parking in core parking areas had a 78% peak midday occupancy between the hours of noon and 1 p.m. with 81 vacancies. The average occupancy, between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., totaled 68% and 121 spots were vacant, according to the report.

For the outer parking areas, there are spots located in the South Street lot, Clinton Avenue garage ground floor, Park Street garage and at Cool Insuring Arena.

The total midday peak for on- and off-street parking was 62% with 329 spots vacant. The total average occupancy was 50% with 434 spots vacant, the report noted.

Combined, the city has 1,239 parking spots with a midday occupancy of 67% and an average occupancy of 55%. The midday vacancies were 410 spots, with an average occupancy of 555 vacant spots between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Roughly another 23 spots will be created when the Elm Street lot construction involving Glens Falls National Bank concludes.

The study made preliminary recommendations of how to approach city parking, one being parking management. Stricter enforcement through hiring another parking enforcement officer and educating the public on the importance of parking-turnover for local business were suggested.

Flagg said one thing that was not considered in the study was the pause of parking enforcement at the beginning of the pandemic. During the time of the study, two-hour parking limits were not being enforced.

They were trying to get to a picture of who is parking there and how long but you have to keep in mind they did this after the summer season and we still werent enforcing our parking restrictions at the time, he said. Mayor (Bill) Collins said in the fall we would begin ticketing at the first of the year.

Notifications were placed on vehicles parked in a spot for more than two hours at the end of the year.

No enforcement was one thing that skewed the study, and now you might ask to what direction its skewing. In some ways it might mean theres more people parking downtown that would otherwise need to, but certainly with unfettered demand that happened. If you let anybody park anywhere they wanted, the streets and lots are going to be full, he said.

Another recommendation the report makes is to consider charging for parking in the core area, as more than 90% of parking spots were occupied during peak hours. The study said introducing a fee for core parking would increase turnover rates and improve availability among the high-demand streets.

At a Special Projects Committee meeting on Tuesday in City Hall, Flagg said if fees were ever introduced they shouldnt be harsh or expensive.

I dont think anybody would say that the purpose of this is to be punitive. Its not designed to be revenue generated, he said.

Flagg said another factor that was not accounted for in the study was employees returning to the Elm Street lot when renovations are completed to Glens Falls National Bank.

Yeah, those spots are going to open up, but employees will be utilizing some of them again, he said.

As for the recommendation of shared parking, the study suggests maximizing shared parking opportunities within new developments. Along with that, there are suggestions in the report of updating the citys parking map to include the Park Street lot.

Flagg said updating the parking map is something to start with as some exceptions to the two-hour rule are outdated.

The map is showing exceptions for when Verizon was still located on Pine Street. Theres old exceptions that we can get rid of as they are no longer needed and an updated parking map would help, he said.
LAKE GEORGE  Ray Perry is running unopposed for the title of Lake George village mayor, but some competition is brewing for the two vacant Village Board of Trustees seats.

Jose e Filomeno, Alyson Miller and Randy Powell have submitted their letters of intent to run for the position of Village Board trustee. One of the seats is being vacated by Perry and the other by John Earl, a 23-year trustee and the deputy mayor.

Filomeno is the owner and operator of the popular year-round lakeside restaurant, the Lake George Beach Club, and told The Post-Star he is running for the future of the village.

He said as a father of two young children, he wants to continue to be a part of the growing infrastructure of the village.

I have 14 or 15 years ahead of me, with my children in the Lake George school system, so beyond being financially invested (in the village), Im invested for my family. My wife and two kids supersede everything I do here in business, Filomeno told The Post-Star. Their quality of life is pretty much why Im running.

The Albany native said since he has left his hometown city he has seen the decline in the neighborhoods and wants to preserve and make better what the small village between two Northway exits has to offer.

So much change can occur in 15 years  the preservation we can do for this lake and the bolstering of our infrastructure because we are only growing, he said.

The village election is non-partisan, meaning each candidate must create a party aligning with their values to run under.

Filomeno is running with the Our Village Party symbolized by a heart, picked by his 5-year-old daughter.

Powell, currently a student at the Modern School of Welding in Schenectady, is the commander of the Lake George American Legion.

In October 2021, after 27 years of service, he retired from Active Guard Reserve out of the Stratton Air National Guard Base in Scotia. During his career, Powell served two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, as well as annual service in Antarctica and Greenland.

I was deployed for four months and when I came home they said, hey, commander (of the Lake George American Legion). I didnt even run for that position, he chuckled. They needed me.

Powell said Mayor Bob Blais was all for it when he told him he was going to run for one of the board seats. He said he also has connections with trustees Earl and Perry, who is looking to take over for Blais as mayor.

He said he will still go to the board meetings even if he is not elected to one of the two available seats.

I walked around and Ive met the people and there are concerns in the village. I can go to the meetings even if Im not a member. I can still be a voice or even bring them with me, Powell told The Post-Star on Monday.

He said he wanted to help keep village residents informed after he was given misinformation and signed a petition in support of dissolution during the village study in 2022.

Everyone was lied to, so when John Earl said he wasnt running I decided to step up, Powell said.

The avid outdoorsman and Adirondacks 46er is running under the Woodland Party with an oak leaf as the symbol.

Miller is a physical therapist at Saratoga Hospital and mom of a 1-year-old, who recently moved to the area with her husband, Ryan, a Lake George native.

Coming from a small town in central New York, Miller is looking to share her input on how to spread the beauty of the lake onto the village streets.

I really want to promote more green space in the village. The more trees and plants we have, the better it is for the lake, she said over the phone on Thursday.

Miller is running under the Beautification Party, with a flower as her symbol.

She said she loves the small-town feel of the village, where everyone knows their neighbor.

I wanted to become more active in the community and I heard about the elections coming up, Miller said about deciding to run for the seat. The main purpose of the board is to protect the best interests of the residents and thats why Im running: for them, I want to be a voice for the residents.

The village election is March 21.
The groundhog did see its shadow, after all.

A snowy mix swept through the region Wednesday night, causing a slushy Thursday in a stark reminder that Old Man Winter isnt quite finished with us this year.

"This presented itself as a tough storm," said Tim Hardy, Washington County deputy director of public safety, in an email to The Post-Star. "Lots of areas received anywhere from 2 to 6 inches (and some with more in the northern parts of the county), much of which came with a heavy crust or slush, making it tough to remove."

Reports from Weather Routing forecast service in Glens Falls on Thursday showed that most areas stayed within the 3 inches to 5 inches range, with the highest accumulation coming from Hamilton County with 8 inches.

In addition to differences in snowfall, temperatures also varied by region.

If you go up in elevation the temperature rises, which is unusual, but is not in these instances," said Brian Whitley, senior meteorologist/operations manager with Weather Routing. "This is kind of what we refer to as a cold air drainage situation, where the cold air just kind of seeps downward into the Hudson Valley.

Whitley explained that with lighter wind activity, colder air will naturally descend and settle into lower elevations, while warmer air rises into the higher places.

With those light, northerly winds, that cold air keeps getting fed southward, and of course the sunshine through the clouds is trying to warm up the lower atmosphere, but its really struggling to do so, he said.

Moving forward, Whitley said high temperatures will be around the low to middle 20s. Friday will be partly cloudy.

Whitley said that Saturday also looks to stay on the cooler side. The sun should shine for a bit before giving way to potentially more flurries.

The next seven to 10 days, I can say, overall, were going to be in a pretty stormy pattern here, he said. Good news for the snowmobilers, the skiers.

Don Lehman, director of public affairs for Warren County, cautioned residents to stay vigilant during the coming winter weeks, as temperatures and wet, heavy snowfall can affect power lines.

"One concern our Office of Emergency Services folks have for the tail end of this storm is for power outages Friday and Saturday when below zero temperatures arrive for the first part of weekend," he wrote in an email. "Winds are expected to pick up, and with snow and ice on tree limbs, tree damage could cause power outages. Residents should prepare for a potential outage, charge cellphones and fill vehicle gas tanks if possible."

Both Hardy and Lehman encouraged residents to subscribe to their respective county's alert apps to stay up to date on weather conditions and emergency services.

Although it has been a warmer-than-average winter, Whitley said the region is still on par with precipitation levels, which is good news for spring and early summer.

Since the first of January, weve had 4.53 inches (of precipitation), and our normal would be 4.04, he said. But much more of that has been falling as rain instead of snow.
ATLANTIC CITY  A massive amount of work is underway to fix hundreds of health and safety violations at the 420-unit Stanley Holmes Village public housing complex, Atlantic City Housing Authority staff and board members said during a meeting Thursday.

Im no longer feeling like Im stressed, said Stanley Holmes Manager Deirdre Brock during the Zoom meeting. We have contractors on site daily working on plumbing and making sure there are no sewer or heating issues.

Board Chair Stephanie Marshall said the goal of the board is to meet the March 14 deadline for fixing code violations for which the city issued summonses.

A municipal judge this week fined the authority $10,000 and gave it until the above date to fix outstanding mold and infestation issues.

A group of tenants is also suing the authority in Atlantic County Superior Court over conditions.

We are attacking this thing as aggressively as humanly possible, Purchasing Agent Jerry Volpe said. Significant progress has been made in the last couple of weeks.

He said work has been done on mold remediation, replacing gas and water lines, and replacing broken appliances like stoves and refrigerators.

Outside maintenance workers have also been brought in, Volpe said.

A significant number of contractors have been retained on an emergency basis pursuant to the emergency declaration from the city ... and from commissioners, Volpe said.

In October, Mayor Marty Small Sr. declared an emergency over conditions at Stanley Holmes, which at the time included a lack of heat and hot water. The Housing Authority was also without a trash contract, and the city stepped in to provide trash pickup on an emergency basis.

We are doing other work at other properties at the same time under the emergency declaration, Volpe said.

Marshall said the board is bringing in a consultant to take over reporting to the city on progress made on the violations and dealing with meeting the judges requirements.

We did not want to put that on you or other staff members, Marshall told Brock.

Brock also said tenants credits for November rent, which the board voted in December to award because of lack of heating that month, have now been processed.

They started to go out yesterday, she said of credit notices.

A list of rodent complaints has been sent to an extermination company, Brock said.

With the help of Durwood Pinkett, our project manager overseeing contractors, I think Stanley Holmes is going to be OK, Brock said. We still have a long way to go.

The board is still vetting applicants for the full-time executive director position, said attorney Joseph Manfredi.

Stanley Holmes residents still waiting for November rent refunds ATLANTIC CITY  Residents of the public housing complex Stanley Holmes Village, who went wit

We are moving forward to the second round of interviews, Manfredi said. I hope to make a full report to the board in upcoming weeks.

The Housing Authority is now led by part-time interim Executive Director John Clarke, who is also the full-time executive director of the New Brunswick Housing Authority and is acting as interim executive director at the Princeton Housing Authority.

The board on Thursday also approved resolutions to award the following annual contracts as a result of bids:

$260,000 to Volpes company Governance & Fiscal Affairs LLC for qualified purchasing agent services

$250,000 to Manfredi & Pellechio for special legal services

A blanket purchase agreement with Home Depot USA Inc. for general maintenance supplies and materials, under a state contract

A blanket purchase agreement with HD Supply Inc. for general maintenance supplies and materials, under the federal supply schedule of the General Services Administration

$250,000 to Anchor Pest Control for bedbug treatment services

$200,000 for landscaping to Scenic View Landscaping

$175,000 to Whitfield Snyder Enterprises for boiler maintenance and repair

Stanley Holmes Village residents seek refunds over broken stoves, refrigerators ATLANTIC CITY  The property manager at Stanley Holmes Village asked the Atlantic City Housi

Whats occurred between October and now, and continues to occur, is 15 years of work that could have, would have and should have been done, Clarke said of work on the three massive boilers that service all 420 units at Stanley Holmes.

Not just at Stanley but every single site didnt have preventative maintenance, Clarke said. This contract here puts in place that process; now it will occur going forward.
OCEAN CITY  Developer and hotelier Eustace Mita brought a proposal for a $175 million luxury hotel on the Boardwalk between Fifth and Sixth streets to City Council on Thursday.

Mita, and some skeptics at the meeting, said the project had the potential to transform the city.

The project faces multiple hurdles, from acquiring the land from the city to obtaining site plan approval and the needed permits from the state through the Coastal Area Facilities Review Act, better known as CAFRA.

The site appears to include sand dunes, which are protected by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

The property would include 325 rooms, as proposed, with seven stories and 400,000 square feet of space.

Council took no action on the proposal Thursday, nor did Mita ask for any vote. He described the presentation as just the first step but said he hoped the city would help him get the project over the finish line.

Mita: If Cape May community says no, ICONA plan wont move forward CAPE MAY  If the residents of Cape May do not want a proposed seven-story hotel on the site

Plans presented at the council meeting show a multistory property that encompasses the entire block, with an enclosed rooftop pool and retail space along the Boardwalk, along with a central gazebo and an open area.

Mita, who owns the Icona hotel chain, said it has been decades since there has been a hotel built in the city. He described the proposed project as a landmark for the city that will last for generations. He added the property would not include alcohol sales.

And then you ask yourself, what kind of a nutball would invest this kind of money in a dry town to build a hotel? Only someone that has a heart for Ocean City the way that I do, Mita told council. He is an Ocean City resident, and said he raised his family in the community.

As part of the presentation, Mita presented images of other Icona properties in the area, including one with a brew pub.

I want to get that up front, theres not going to be any brew pub in what we want to be Icona Ocean City, Mita said. The town has banned the sale of alcohol since it was founded.

As presented Thursday, the project would include the area between a municipal parking lot and an area of the beach between the bulkhead and the Boardwalk, where there is now a line of sandy volleyball courts.

Will hotels on Ocean City Boardwalk pass go? OCEAN CITY  In early February, several people who own property on the Boardwalk met at Manc

Mita argued the area is not making the city any money right now, and has the potential to be a major revenue source. The property would likely need to go out to bid, as public land, and be independently assessed.

If that assessment came in at $15 million, for example, that would be $15 million the city could immediately use, Mita told council. That money could mean more completed municipal work and lower taxes, he said.

Then there are the property taxes.

We would immediately be the highest taxpayer by a large margin in Ocean City, and thats a gift that would go on for decades and decades and decades, Mita said.

Mita already has multiple hotels in the area, and also builds high-end private homes under the company Achristavest.

Stephen Nehmad, an attorney representing Icona, told council members about other properties that have been transformed into luxury hotels. He mentioned a 1970s-era property in Cape May, describing it as simply an ugly building, that is now a popular option in that city, while Mita mentioned other properties he said he has transformed from eyesores into attractions.

He has also presented plans for another major project in Cape May, at the site of the former Beach Theatre, also with an estimated cost of $150 million. In that case, he has sought to have the Cape May City Council designate the site an area in need of redevelopment.

Nehmad said an Ocean City Icona would grace the skyline of your community for decades to come.

Architect Alvar Cortado with DAS Architects and Interiors in Philadelphia said the design has the tallest section at the center, and then cascades off to either side.

Cortado described the proposed site as the best location in Ocean City, and probably the best on the Jersey shore. He said the design team looked at the work of Vivian Smith, an architect responsible for some of the citys best known structures, including City Hall, The Flanders and the Music Pier.

Those structures informed the proposal for Icona, he said.

Our intent with this building is to create an icon, a symbol of Ocean City, and bring back the tourists, Cortado said.

Hotel developer sues Cape May steak joint for back rent CAPE MAY  Local developer Eustace Mitas company is suing a restaurant occupying space at t

A repeated theme in Mitas presentation was the number of hotels and motels that have become condominiums, saying the city has lost a major driver of tourism. That includes The Flanders, where the rooms are owned by separate individuals.

Council member Karen Bergman, who works at The Flanders, interjected that the property continues to operate as a hotel, regardless of the ownership structure.

Some residents at the meeting said the proposal, if built, could lead to other projects and reshape the city, potentially pricing out the families they say have always defined the seaside resort. They said the proposal was very impressive.

Resident Donna Moore said it would look great in Florida, but she was not as welcoming of it for Ocean City.

The property would be in the same block as Ocean City High School and the Ocean City Tabernacle, at the edge of the Boardwalk commercial district. It would be across Sixth Street from Gillians Wonderland Pier, in which Mayor Jay Gillian is a principal and in which Mita invested heavily in 2021.

After the meeting, Council President Peter Madden said the idea was in its infancy, saying there are multiple steps needed to happen before anything could be built. He added council has a responsibility to listen to new ideas and proposals.

The most important thing is we need the publics input, Madden said.

In the mayors race last year, candidate Keith Hartzell sought to make the possibility of high-rise Boardwalk hotels a central campaign issue in his unsuccessful challenge to incumbent Gillian.

In public comments at the time, Gillian pointed out that such proposals would violate the citys zoning rules.
ATLANTIC CITY  With a crowded agenda and two new members, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority approved several projects, including a new mixed-use building for Tennessee Avenue and a 20-unit project for Westminster Avenue.

The board also offered support for the latest in a series of cannabis projects in the works for Atlantic City, this one a proposal for a 10,000-square-foot dispensary and lounge within the Claridge Hotel at Park Place and Pacific Avenue.

That plan is from High Rollers Dispensary LLC, which will still need a license from the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission. The commission is also in the process of establishing the rules for consumption lounges, where customers over 21 will be able to imbibe. In most instances, visitors will not be allowed to smoke in hotel rooms or other accommodations, whether tobacco or cannabis.

Multiple applications for Atlantic City cannabis businesses have come before the board. In this case, the application did not require a use variance because it falls within the Green Zone, a district in the city created to allow cannabis businesses, with an eye toward drawing jobs and investment.

The board has approved cannabis growing facilities, dispensaries and consumption lounges. For now, there are two legal cannabis operations in the city, both of which serve the medical marijuana market and cannot sell to those without a medical marijuana card.

In one case, the Botanist location is prohibited from serving the recreational market because it is on the Boardwalk.

Free mani-pedis, haircuts improve quality of life for Atlantic City seniors ATLANTIC CITY  William Keenan had his first ever manicure and pedicure Tuesday in a common 

City officials have said no to any Boardwalk cannabis locations.

Board member David Rebuck asked about Boardwalk frontage for The Claridge. It is separated from the Boardwalk by Brighton Park.

Just seeking clarity, thats all, Rebuck said.

Lance Landgraf, the CRDA director of planning and development, said the project is within the Green Zone, and no part of that zone connects with the Boardwalk.

He said the CRDA asked the developers to consult with the city on design standards for signs and other elements within that zone as a condition of approval.

Originally opened in 1930, The Claridge has hosted Frank Sinatra, Marylyn Monroe, Aretha Franklin and other stars. It operated as a casino for a time after legalized gambling arrived in Atlantic City, and remains in operation as a hotel.

The cannabis facility will be on the first floor, Landgraf said. Another condition requested by the authority is to have security guards begin their shifts before the 8 a.m. planned opening to control any crowds that arrive early.

Atlantic City moves to require more outdoor business lighting ATLANTIC CITY  In its quest for a brighter city, the governing body introduced two ordinanc

At the start of the meeting, board Chairman Modia Butler welcomed new members Paulina Banasiak and Michael Laughlin III, and thanked outgoing members Debra DiLorenzo and Gary Hill, whom Butler described as the most distinguished members of the 17-member board.

Butler described the change as a rotation.

DiLorenzo was first appointed to the board in 2011, Hill in 2014.

Laughlin, of Williamstown, Gloucester County, is the president of the Atlantic and Cape May County Building Trades Council and the assistant business manager for the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 21.

Banasiak is a Democratic political operative who lives in Bordentown City, Burlington County. She is a vice president of The Zita Group, a Trenton lobbying firm, whose biography lists years of experience in the executive and legislative branches of state government.

During the meeting, which was held remotely, the board approved a site plan for a new five-story, mixed-use building at 155 and 159 S. Tennessee Ave., to include retail space on the ground floor and 12 one-bedroom apartments.

CRDA seeks new proposals for Atlantic City grocery ATLANTIC CITY  In the 1993 comedy film Groundhog Day, Bill Murrays character finds himse

The CRDA board acts as the Planning Board within the citys Tourism District.

The board also approved a plan to convert a 13-room boarding house at 1729 Atlantic Ave. into a single-family dwelling. According to Landgraf, that was the original use of the property.

Another approved project at Westminster and New York avenues calls for 20 attached single-family units with a parking lot and other improvements.

Other approved plans include apartments upstairs and an indoor-outdoor cafe on the first floor at 147 S. Texas Ave. and the legalization of an already-constructed fourth-floor addition to a three-story building at 2805 Atlantic Ave.
ATLANTIC CITY  Two men were sentenced to prison as a result of two violent incidents that occurred at a bar in the resort, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said Friday.

Frank Torres-Lopez, 27, of Katy, Texas, received 25 years in prison for a shooting death that occurred in 2021. Alejandro Navarette-Gonzalez, 25, of Pleasantville, received 10 years for a stabbing that occurred in 2022.

Torres-Lopez admitted in December to shooting a person, identified only as J.F., outside Los Compadres Bar in Atlantic City, then fleeing to Puerto Rico, where he dyed his hair orange and obtained a fake Puerto Rican ID.

Torres-Lopez pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and hindering apprehension. He is required to serve at least 85% of his sentence before being eligible for parole, the Prosecutor's Office said in a news release.

The shooting occurred about 3 a.m. Aug. 1, 2021, near the bar at California and Arctic avenues. Officers found a 42-year-old man who had been fatally shot, according to the initial report from police.

Fatal shooting reported in Atlantic City ATLANTIC CITY  An early morning shooting left a 42-year-old man dead Sunday.

Torres-Lopez was located and apprehended by the U.S. Marshals Service in October 2021.

The Prosecutor's Office and Atlantic City police led the investigation with help from the U.S. Marshals and the Atlantic County Sherriff's Office.

Navarette-Gonzalez admitted in January to stabbing a victim, identified only as D.A., at the same bar April 3, 2022. The stabbing occurred during a multi-person brawl in which Navarette-Gonzalez stabbed D.A. multiple times while the victim was being assaulted by several other people. D.A. has since recovered from his injuries.

Navarette-Gonzalez pleaded guilty to attempted murder. He will be required to serve at least 85% of his sentence before being eligible for parole.

Atlantic City police led the investigation.
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Delays and detours are to be expected next week in parts of Egg Harbor Township and Hammonton, Atlantic County officials said Friday.

All roadwork is weather pending. Motorists should plan travel time accordingly or seek an alternate route.

Egg Harbor Township

Ocean Heights Avenue: From Monday through Friday, a single-lane, alternating traffic pattern will be in effect between Steelmanville and Blackman roads from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, shoulder closures and/or single-lane, alternating traffic patterns will be in effect between Broadmoor and Turnberry drives from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for county concrete improvements.

Zion Road: From Tuesday through Thursday, a single-lane, alternating traffic pattern will be in effect between Explorer and Village lanes from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for county concrete work and minor drainage improvements.

Mill Road: On Monday, a full detour will be in effect between Fire and Old Zion roads from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Access to Patcong Road for local residents will be available with police on site to assist.

Steelmanville Road: On Wednesday and Thursday, a single-lane, alternating traffic pattern will be in effect between Ocean Heights Avenue and Blackman Road from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Hammonton

Third Street: Beginning Wednesday and continuing for about two weeks, a single-lane, alternating traffic pattern will be in effect between Wood Street and Old Fords Road from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for county roadwork.
For the third Friday in a row, well have a breezy northwest wind with falling temperatures. Saturday will then be the coldest day of the week, again, with snow showers in spots. Sunday will then be brighter and milder.

Temperatures at sunrise Friday will be between the mid-40s and low 50s, warmest farthest south. Winds will have turned to the north already, with a cold front moving offshore.

This will tap into a bit of arctic air that will slip down from Canada. Given the fairly weak sun, and these chilly winds, I expect temperatures to peak around or above 50 degrees in the morning. Then well slowly fall into the afternoon. Generally, well have a mix of sun and clouds.

Wind chills will be in the 30s for the afternoon with gusts getting to around 30 mph. By sunset, well be sliding through the 30s.

As surface high pressure nears us, the air pressure gradient will slacken, weakening our wind. This will create extra downward force on our inland temperatures. Here, well fall into the 20s. Saturday morning lows will be around 20 degrees.

At the coast, the moderate influence of the ocean will keep it milder. Lows will be in the upper 20s. That may sound cold given our recent weather. However, itll really just be seasonable for this time of year.

High pressure will stiff-arm a cold and snowy Alberta Clipper to the north of us. Itll try to also keep a weak storm to our south. Itll be close.

If anywhere, those south of Route 40 can see a snow or rain shower during the day. However, itd be brief. North of there we will be too dry to precipitate.

That said, places like Ocean City, Maryland, and Dewey Beach, Delaware, should have precipitation. Itll be knocking on our doorstep.

Otherwise, it will be a cloudy, chilly day. Highs will be in the mid- to upper 30s. Thatll be our coldest day since Feb. 4, over 20 days ago by then. Itll be about 10 degrees below average.

Winds will turn to the south Saturday evening as the clockwise-moving high-pressure system moves offshore. Itll be one of those nights where our overnight low temperatures will be before midnight. Then, well rise up.

In this case, expect mid-20s for Buena and inland towns, with near 30 readings for Ventnor and the shore.

After midnight, well rise to just around 32 degrees.

Thatll set us up for a milder Sunday on these southerly winds. Highs should hurdle above 50 degrees inland. Well catch some of the chillier ocean for the beaches, where highs will be in the upper 40s.

Expect a mix of sun and clouds on a fairly comfortable February day.

Monday is the next storm day for us. This looks to mainly be Monday night. Rain and stiff winds will be likely. Another winter thunderstorm cant be ruled out either.

Finally, the warm Thursday made it into some but not all of our area. I understand you may be bummed out.

These setups are notoriously hard to forecast. We talked about why just miles can make the difference between who was in April air or February chill. Itll be a learning moment for me as we go into the spring.
A Michigan State student walks past Berkey Hall on his way to class as campus opens for the first day of classes on Feb. 20, 2023, after a mass shooting at the university. [Photo/cfp.cn]



The last time I was in China before the COVID-19 pandemic began, I heard from parents who were afraid to send their children to study in the U.S. because of their fears about school shootings.



For two families from China, their worst fears were almost realized. On Feb. 13, a murderer descended on the Michigan State University campus in Lansing, Michigan, with two handguns and 50 rounds of ammunition. He busted open classroom doors during evening classes and study sessions and unloaded fire. He ended the lives of three students and severely injured five others. Among the injured were two Chinese students. Another was an American-born daughter of immigrants.

John Hao, one of the victims identified by name, will most likely survive, but he could be paralyzed from the chest down. He will have medical problems for the rest of his life, and his freedom of movement will be greatly limited. His parents are visiting him from China. His medical bills are massive, but the community has chipped in, with over $300,000 raised on GoFundMe.

The reality of American carnage leaves no one unscathed. Over a million international students are studying abroad in the U.S., and 28 million foreign-born workers are living in the country. In recent years, Chinese students have been among the victims of shootings, including students at the University of Chicago, Yale, and the University of Utah. The shooting at Monterey Park, California, which occurred during the 2023 Lunar New Year, robbed the lives of three foreign citizens and multiple immigrants. A Mexican traveler was killed while visiting family at a shooting during a parade in Illinois on July 4, 2022.

The frequency of these brutalities is cutting lives short and coloring perceptions of America. Foreign consulates put out warnings. Tourists think twice before adding America to their itineraries.

The Chinese consulate responsible for Michigan took charge, activating its emergency response mechanism and contacting family members, an official said. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a report titled "Gun Violence in the United States: Truth and Facts." The content claims, "Gun violence is a chronic disease in the United States," which leaves "an indelible stain on the country's human rights record."

China is not the only country whose government is expressing dire concern.

Japan has issued an advisory that "one of the main security concerns in the United States is gun crime."

The Mexican government warns that "historical racial and ethnic tensions, including opposition to immigration, have led to attacks by violent extremist groups."

Canada says, "Incidences of mass shootings occur, resulting most often in casualties. Although tourists are rarely involved, there is a risk of being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Germany's travel advisory for the U.S. notes, "The number of arms and ammunition purchases have increased significantly during the COVID-19 crisis."

According to a global survey conducted in partnership with U.S. News and World Report, the perception of the U.S. as a safe country dropped from No. 38 in the world in 2021 to No. 47 in 2022.

Americans, of course, are victims themselves. Unfortunately, there is little that could make the laws or culture around gun violence change. With each tragedy, the supporters of unfettered access to killing weapons voice excuses and platitudes to deny the need for taking action. Now the Republican Party controls the House of Representatives, the lower house of the legislature, and they would block any proposed gun safety laws.

So people will have to live with the slight feeling of uncertain anxiety when visiting the U.S. Or, as the Australian government advises, "If you live in the U.S., learn active shooter drills."

Mitchell Blatt is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/MitchellBlatt.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.
MVA, others hails writer-poet as a hero for taking on neighbour over 26/11 attack

After his kick-ass performance in Pakistan recently, five National Awards winner poet-lyricist Javed Akhtar has suddenly become the new hero of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and others, including those nursing a grudge against him for long.

Attending the famed two-day Faiz Festival in Lahore, the Mumbai celeb known for his loose-fitting colourful kurta-pyjama-chappals and the occasional tints, delivered a gentle kick to Pak on the home-turf - which hit hard.

During a question-answer session at the fest, Akhtar was posed an innocuous query on how to change Indias perception of Pakistan - and the 78-year-old guest jumped to score a goal in the hearts of Indians - much to the chagrin of his hosts.

Urging for cooperation between the two nations, he said it would help the entire region prosper and named other regions in the world that have progressed with partnerships.

But we in Mumbai have seen the attacks (of 26/11, 2008). Those attackers didnt come from Norway or they didnt land from Egypt... They are still roaming freely in your country, Akhtar said to a loud round of claps and cheers from the audience.

Shiv Sena (UT) MP and Chief Spokesperson Sanjay Raut said that for making a statement like Akhtar did, needs guts and he deserves to be appreciated by all political parties and leaders.

He showed them their place in their own land... Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah had made tall claims after the surgical strike (September 2016) as if Pakistan was wiped off the world map. They should commend Akhtar for his statements, Raut said.

Political commentator and former Director of Operations in the PMO Sudheendra Kulkarni lauded Akhtars remarks and fully stood by the poet -who is now being targeted in Pakistan.

I fully support him for speaking the truth about Pakistan to the Pakistanis on their soil... Now, its up to Pakistan to introspect on it, Kulkarni declared.

Shiv Sena (UBT) National Spokesperson Kishore Tiwari hailed Akhtar for his courageous words and said he had thrown the reality on the faces of Pakistanis in their own land.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)s National spokesperson Clyde Crasto said Akhtars observations indicate a positive trend that artists are standing up boldly for the country. IANS
Six flats broken into; valuables worth over 7L stolen from two units; affected residents blame cops

Taking advantage of electioneering, six house break-ins took place on Thursday in the bustling Kasba Peth area, as the police kept busy in VIP bandobast, nakabandi operations or patrolling during the Kasba Peth bypoll.

However, residents are upset that in spite of a heavy police presence in the locality, the house break-in thefts (HBTs) could not be stopped. Valuables amounting to over Rs 7 lakh were stolen. Police officials said the old building where the HBTs took place has no CCTV camera or security guards.

The incident took place in Tapkir Galli, which falls under the Kasba Peth assembly segment. The bypoll campaign is in the final stages. The thieves took advantage of the situation and entered six flats. Expressing their displeasure, the resident blamed laxity in police patrolling and alleged that cops were not able to stop HBTs, chainsnatchings, etc.

According to the police, Satish Kamatkar (52), resident of Shaligram Prasad Apartment, Tapkir Galli, 555 Budhwar Peth, lodged a complaint at the Faraskhana police station. Tapkir Galli is a busy area where Kamatkar lives.

In the intervening night on February 21 and 22, the thieves broke the lock of his closed house and stole cash and gold ornaments worth Rs 3.24 lakh. Later, they broke into another flat and decamped with jewellery and cash worth Rs 3.70 lakh. They broke into four more flats in the area, where they could not lay their hands on anything.

API Santosh Shinde is investigating the matter.

Satish Kamatkar said, I was shocked when I saw the door lock of my flat was broken. My wife and brother entered the house and found that jewellery and cash were stolen. My daughter got married recently. We were staying at her place for two days. We felt our house was the safest place.

The complainant said, We dont understand what sort of patrolling the police are doing. They just go around casually in the locality. They are not carrying out their responsibility properly. We lost all valuables in the incident.

He added: My mother is old and ailing. Hence, we had kept the money in the house for any medical emergency. My daughters gold jewellery was also stolen.

PSI Shinde said, There is no security guard or CCTV installed at the old building. Six houses were broken into. Valuables have been stolen from two flats while in four other flats, they didnt find anything. We are searching for the accused.
Shekhawat was not keeping well since the last two days. He suffered a heart attack two days ago and was undergoing treatment at KEM hospital in Pune. The former MLA passed away at the age of 89

Devisingh Ransingh Shekhawat, the husband of Pratibha Patil, the former President of India, passed away today at KEM hospital in Pune. He was reported dead at about 9:30 in the morning. According to sources, Shekhawat reported being ill for the last two days. He suffered a heart attack and was being treated at the KEM hospital in Pune. The former MLA died at the age of 89. The cremation will take place at around 6 P.M. in Pune.

Devisingh Shekhawat who was a politician and agriculturist was also the first gentleman of India and the husband of the first female President of India Pratibha Patil. He formerly held the positions of first Mayor of Amravati and First Gentleman of Rajasthan.

Devisingh Shekhawat was also quite active in the area of education. In 1972, he completed his PhD at Mumbai University. He was the principal of a college that was run by the Vidya Bharti Shikshan Sanstha Foundation. In 1985, Amravati's Devi Singh Shekhawat won a seat as a state legislator.
Numerous medical conditions, especially stress, and anxiety, can be helped by breathing exercises. When they are a regular part of your schedule, they work best

Breathing is a fundamental and automatic process that sustains life. It's a process that happens without conscious effort, but with a little bit of intention, we can use it to benefit our overall health and well-being. Breathing is the bridge between mind and body, therefore it forms the cornerstone therapy of Mind Body Medicine, a pillar of Wellness at Kshemavana.

There are several different types of breathing techniques, each with its own unique benefits. In this article, we will explore some of the most popular and widely used breathing techniques and their benefits.

Breath control is described by the Sanskrit word pranayama. It's a technique that originated in ancient India and is widely practiced in yoga. Pranayama breathing involves controlled breathing, using specific patterns and rhythms to regulate the flow of air in and out of the body. Traditional yoga texts describe various pranayama techniques to regulate breathing. Dr. Narendra Shetty, Chief Wellness Officer of Kshemavana shares few pranayamas one can practice depending on specific needs.

Ujjayi/ Ocean's Breath

Ocean's Breath provides a quick way to help yourself get unstuck if you've been experiencing depression. Inhale through your mouth, pull in your chin so that your throat feels somewhat constricted and touches the chest, exhale while releasing the chin up, and then deliberately and mindfully inhale and exhale through your nose. At least five to ten times should be repeated.

BENEFITS:

 It soothes the nervous system

 Calms the mind and increases psychic sensitivity.

 It relieves insomnia

 Slows down the heart rate

 Lowers blood pressure.

 Although it is a calming pranayama, it also has a heating effect that encourages oxidation.

Shitali

You can use Shitali to calm yourself down when things become tense, whether emotionally or when the summer heat is at its peak. Roll your tongue in a straw-like motion. Exhale through your nose after holding the inhalation for a few seconds. Repeat.

BENEFITS:

 Reduces excessive pitta.

 Lowers body temperature and eliminates surplus heat.

 Sparks the appetite and encourages healthy digestion.

 Reduces excessive acidity in the gastrointestinal tract.

 Relieves inflammatory skin disorders.

 Assists in reducing inflammation all over the body.

 Promotes mental tranquility by soothing and calming the mind.

Shitkari

You can cool down and calm your nerves by using the yogic breathing technique known as Shitkari. Roll your tongue backward where the tip of the tongue touches the inner edge of the upper palate. Breathe in through the sides of the rolled tongue and close your mouth. Exhale through your nose. Repeat.

BENEFITS:

 Holistic Balance of the Mind and The Body.

 It harmonizes the body's Pitta (Fire Element).

 Enhances Mental Health

 Removes Heat from the Outside.

 Promotes healthy digestion.

 Fevers Treatment and Potential Cure.

 Reduces high blood pressure.

 Detoxifies the entire bodily system and reduces toxins.

Brahmari

If you want to unwind and let go of tension in your body, try using the humming bee breath. Simple yoga breathing techniques include taking a deep breath in through your nose and exhaling with an audible humming sound. One can close your ears with the tip of your index finger as one makes a humming sound. Feel the vibration within.

BENEFITS:

 Reduces stress.

 Improves sleep quality.

 Increases mindfulness.

 Reduces high blood pressure.

 Improves lung function.

 Enhances cognitive function

 Good for Substance abuse as it reduces cravings

Bastrika

To relieve tension and stress, practice Bastrika Pranayama. It also produces a great deal of heat, which can aid in calorie burning for your body. Inhale through your nose while seated in a Lotus position. Force your breath to leave your body through your belly as if it were a "bellows when you exhale. Do this vigorously for ten breaths, then inhale deeply, hold the breath, and exhale slowly.

BENEFITS:

 Benefits the respiratory and digestive systems.

 Drains excess phlegm from the lungs.

 Improves blood oxygenation, giving all tissues and organs a boost in vitality.

 Strengthens and tones the area around the abdomen.

 It soothes the mind.

 Energizes the entire body and mind.

Alternate Nostril Breathing

Alternate Nostril Breathing is a type of pranayama breathing technique that involves breathing through each nostril alternatively. It's believed that this type of breathing helps balance the right and left hemispheres of the brain, resulting in a calm and centered state of mind.

BENEFITS:

 Reduces stress and anxiety

 Improves mental clarity and focus

 Balances the nervous system

 Increases energy and vitality

Diaphragmatic Breathing

Diaphragmatic breathing, also known as belly breathing, is a technique that focuses on deep breathing from the diaphragm, which is the muscle located at the bottom of the ribcage. In diaphragmatic breathing, the diaphragm expands and contracts, causing the lungs to fill with air, resulting in deep, slow breaths.

BENEFITS:

 Reduces stress and anxiety

 Improves sleep quality

 Enhances respiratory and cardiovascular health

 Boosts the immune system

Slow Breathing

Slow breathing is a technique that involves taking slow, deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth. It is a quick and easy method that can be used at any time and anywhere.

BENEFITS:

 Reduces stress and anxiety

 Improves respiratory function

 Lowers blood pressure

 Enhances mental clarity and focus

Box Breathing

Box Breathing is a simple but effective breathing technique that involves taking four equal breaths, each with a specific count. The process involves inhaling for four counts, holding the breath for four counts, exhaling for four counts, and holding the breath again for four counts. This process is repeated several times to achieve the desired level of relaxation.

BENEFITS:

 Reduces stress and anxiety

 Improves sleep quality

 Enhances respiratory and cardiovascular health

 Increases mental clarity and focus IANS
The former executive director of the Freight House Farmers' Market is pleading not guilty to charges of stealing from the nonprofit.

A trial is scheduled for later this year.

According to an affidavit filed by Davenport police, Lorrie Beaman is charged with first-degree theft, accused of stealing $10,455 from the market over at least two years as the executive director.

A pre-trial conference is scheduled for the end of April, and a jury trial is tentatively set to begin May 8.

Police say Beaman used the market's funds to remodel and purchase items for her personal business, Chill Ice Cream & Eats, and other personal purchases, including a trailer and an Apple TV.

Beaman was let go in August, said an attorney for the Freight House board of directors, Cathy Cartee.

Vendors brought some possible discrepancies to the attention of board members, Cartee said. They launched an accounting of the funds and noticed possible misappropriation, which led to a forensic audit.

At the time, the market board was represented by the law firm Lane and Waterman, but the firm stepped away from the case because a conflict arose, Cartee said, and the board retained her instead.

On behalf of the board, Cartee filed a police report and met with law enforcement Oct. 10, she said.

"I thought the board had a fiduciary responsibility to the members to file a complaint with the police department," she said.

The police conducted an investigation, and the Scott County Attorney's Office charged Beaman with first-degree theft in January.

Cartee said the board members were bound by nondisclosure agreements and could not say anything about Beaman's termination until the police investigation concluded. The interim period caused some conflict between farmers' market vendors and the board.

"It was a rough few months for the board and farmers' market members," Cartee said. "I'm sure there were vendors who were wondering why Lorrie was no longer a director, and no one on the board was at liberty to say why she was terminated. The farmers' market is moving forward and letting the criminal charges move ahead."

An attorney for Beaman declined to comment.
An Andalusia man with two orders of protection against him and who is awaiting trial on felony meth and domestic battery charges was arrested this week with a firearm.

Michael J. Berhenke II, 40, is charged with one count of aggravated unlawful use of a firearm. The charge is a Class 4 felony under Illinois law and carries a prison sentence of one to three years. He was arrested by agents with the Quad City Metropolitan Enforcement Group, or MEG.

According to a news release issued by MEG Director Andy Fratzke, MEG agents along with Milan Police arrested Berhenke while he was in possession of the weapon and driving with a revoked license.

Berhenke was booked into the Rock Island County Jail on a bond of $10,000, or 10%, and he remained there Wednesday night. Since his offense is what is known under Illinois law as a Category B offense, $30 will be deducted each day from his 10% cash bond amount. When the cash bond amount reaches zero, Berhenke can be released from the jail on his own recognizance.

He currently has two active orders of protection filed against him, one in Rock Island County that has been in effect since June of 2022, and the other in Scott County that has been in effect since August of 2022.

The no-contact order in Scott County is part of a criminal case against Berhenke in which he is charged with domestic abuse assault, a Class 4 felony under Iowa law that carries a prison sentence of five years.

According to the arrest affidavit in that case filed by Davenport Police Sgt. William Martin, at 12:34 a.m. Aug. 6, 2022, Berhenke strangled his pregnant girlfriend to the point that she passed out. The case is scheduled to go to trial May 15 in Scott County District Court.

He also is awaiting trial in Rock Island County Circuit Court on two meth trafficking cases.

On Dec. 30, 2021, he was arrested on a charge of delivery of less than 5 grams of methamphetamine. The charge is a Class 2 felony under Illinois law that carries a prison sentence of three to seven years.

On Sept. 15, 2022, Berhenke was arrested on a charge of delivering more than 5 grams but less than 15 grams of methamphetamine. That charge is a Class 1 felony under Illinois law that carries a prison sentence of four to 15 years.

A pretrial hearing in both of those cases is scheduled for March 3.

Berhenke also is awaiting trial on two drunken driving cases in Rock Island County, one of which dates back to Dec. 2020, while the other case occurred in February of 2022. Drunken driving in Illinois is a Class A misdemeanor that carries a jail sentence of up to one year.

He also is awaiting trial in circuit court on three counts of driving on a revoked license. Those charges were filed in January and February of 2022. Each of those charges is a Class A misdemeanor.

As Berhenke is prohibited from possessing a firearm because he is the subject of an order of protection, federal authorities could take over the case under Project Safe Neighborhoods, a Justice Department initiative instituted in 2001 that brings together law enforcement at all levels to reduce gun violence.

At the federal level, a prohibited person in possession of a firearm faces a prison sentence of up to 15 years. There is no parole in the federal system.
Oleksandr Krutko arrived at the corner of Elmore Circle and 53rd Street wearing a zip-up hoodie and Nike sweatpants.

It was a little after 10 a.m. Friday in Davenport and the temperature on the breezy grass-and-concrete peninsula in front of Starbucks hadn't reached 20 degrees.

The chilling cold didn't bother Krutko.

He and about a dozen other people were on the corner to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Krutko lived in Kherson, Ukraine until Russian bombs drove him and his family from their home last year. He held a sign that read, "Thank you USA."

"I have lived in Davenport for two months," Krutko said. "I am here today to say thank you to the United States for taking me and my family. My city (Kherson) was bombed and then the Russian occupied it for a time."

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent up to 200,000 soldiers into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022 in the biggest invasion in Europe since the end of World War II.

The year of fighting throughout Ukraine has killed an estimated 7,200 civilians, according to the United Nations, though many Ukrainian officials say the number is much higher. Earlier this week, five people were killed in Kherson as bombs fell on apartment buildings.

"Just before we left, we stopped at a gas station for gas," Krutko said. "Ten minutes later, that gas station was gone. The bombs fell on it. Russian bombs. The Russians, they bomb civilian areas  places where people live and work.

"There are terrible things going on. What is happening is Russian terrorism. So I am here also to remind people of the terroristic acts of the Russian military."

Ukrainian officials allege Russian forces have committed mass executions in the city of Mariupol, where the mayor reported 21,000 were killed in April 2022.

"We are here to remind people that it has been a year and the conflict in Ukraine is still ongoing. The Russians are using terrorism and people must know that," said Lyudmyla Lyashenko, who moved from Ukraine 20 years ago and is one of the founders of the Ukrainian Society of Eastern Iowa. The group organized Friday's rally.

"We are here to stand with Ukraine's defenders, the soldiers fighting to keep the country free," Lyashenko, 42, said. "And we want to encourage other countries to stand with Ukraine. There are things we can send  first-aid supplies, things like that. But there are things we cannot, like weapons."

Erin Hergert came across the Mississippi River from Rock Island to join the rally. She's been a part of a number of gatherings protesting the Russian invasion.

"My husband, Mark, and I have wanted to show our support for the Ukrainian people," she said. "Mark couldn't be here today because of work, but I can. And if all I can do is sit on a corner and wave a flag, I will. I think people have to know what is going on."

Hergert is dismayed by some of the support shown to Putin and his policies by politicians and people throughout the U.S.

"A lot of people are misguided, easily influenced by what they are presented in the media," she said. "I was raised to always question authority. This war scares me. And if there are people who think Russia is justified, that scares me, too."

Xenya Mucha drove to the rally from her home in LeClaire. She echoed Hergert.

"I'm disturbed when I hear politicians supporting Putin," the 67-year-old said. "We don't support terrorists or negotiate with them. Putin stands for terrorism. Why is it anyone would possibly support that kind of leader?

"If we haven't learned anything from history, shame on us."
WESTMONT  A suburban Chicago worker died Thursday after becoming trapped in a vault that filled with water after a line broke.

Westmont Public Works staff contacted fire and police around 11:45 a.m. to respond to the worker, Matt Heiden, who was trapped in an underground vault that was under water from a break in a water main, the village of Westmont said in a news release.

Heiden was recovered around 12:40 p.m. and was found unresponsive, authorities said. Lifesaving measures were attempted and the person was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove.

Westmont is about 20 miles west of Chicago.
GENEVA  A northern Illinois man pleaded guilty Thursday to felony aggravated street racing for his role in a 2021 street racing crash that killed two Judson University students.

In exchange for Kahleel Steele's guilty plea, reckless homicide charges the DeKalb man had faced were dropped, The (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald reported.

Steele, 24, entered a cold plea, meaning there is no agreement on a sentence. His attorney and the Kane County State's Attorney's Office are still negotiating his sentence. If they cannot agree, a judge will decide his sentence at an April hearing.

Prosecutors said Steele and Trevon Morris of Elgin were racing on the night of April 20, 2021, when Morris' car, traveling at more than 91 mph, hit a car carrying four Judson University students that was turning to enter the school's Elgin campus.

Dallas Colburn, 22, of Plano, and Nathanael Madison, 22, of Wernersville, Pennsylvania, died and the two other students were injured. Colburn and Madison were seniors studying architecture and were due to graduate in May 2021.

Morris was sentenced to 12 years in prison in December after pleading guilty to aggravated driving under the influence of cannabis, causing death.
Davenport Police have arrested a man accused of providing false information about a domestic abuse conviction on an ATF form when he attempted to buy a firearm last month.

Treavon Lamonte Clark, 21, is charged with one count of providing false information in acquiring a weapon. The charge is a Class D felony under Iowa law that carries a prison sentence of five years.

According to the arrest affidavit filed by Davenport Police on Jan. 25, Clark attempted to purchase a Taurus 9mm handgun from Theisens Home Farm & Auto in Davenport.

In completing ATF Form 4473, which is required for all firearms purchases, Clark answered no to the question in Section 21, Have you ever been convicted in any court of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, or are you or have you ever been a member of the military and been convicted of a crime that included, as an element, the use of force against a person as identified in the instructions?

On Dec. 15, 2022, Clark pleaded guilty to one count of domestic abuse assault impeding flow of air/blood. The charge is an aggravated misdemeanor under Iowa law that carries a prison sentence of two years.

According to the arrest affidavit in that case, at 11:56 a.m. on May 30, 2022, Clark assaulted a woman with whom he has two children. He punched the woman in the face and put his hands around her neck impeding breathing and circulation by applying pressure. Clark fled the scene when a neighbor yelled she was calling the police.

Clark was sentenced Dec. 15, 2022, to one year on unsupervised probation by Scott County District Associate Judge Korie Talkington. During his probation Clark was ordered to obey all federal, state and city laws. A violation could result in his probation being revoked. Clark also has a no-contact order filed against him that does not expire until Dec. 15, 2027.

During a first appearance on the weapons charge held Thursday in Scott County District Court, Magistrate Jay Sommers scheduled a preliminary hearing in the case for March 3.

Clark was being held Thursday night in the Scott County Jail on a bond of $5,000, cash or surety.

Federal authorities could take over the case under Project Safe Neighborhoods. Instituted in 2001, Project Safe Neighborhoods is a Justice Department initiative that brings together law enforcement at all levels to reduce gun violence.

Providing false information on ATF From 4473 carries a federal prison sentence of up to 15 years and a possible fine of up to $250,000. There is no parole in the federal system.
 Flash

A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia's eastern province of North Maluku on Friday morning, but did not cause casualties or damages, authorities said.

The earthquake occurred at 03:02 a.m. local time Friday (2002 GMT Thursday) with its epicenter located 133 km northwest of Morotai Island district and a depth of 112 km under the seabed, and did not trigger a tsunami, the country's meteorology, climatology and geophysics agency said.

The tremors of the earthquake were also felt in the nearby province of North Sulawesi, according to the agency.

So far, the tremors of the quake did not cause damages on buildings or infrastructure facilities, said Abdul Muhari, spokesman of the National Disaster Management and Mitigation Agency.

"There are no initial reports of damages or casualties after the earthquake," the spokesman told Xinhua via phone.

"The residents in the Morotai Island district felt the tremors, but they were not panic," Yusri A Kasim, head of the emergency unit of the disaster agency in North Maluku province, told Xinhua by phone.

Indonesia sits on a vulnerable quake-hit zone called "the Pacific Ring of Fire."
Among the worker gaps in the Quad-Cities is a shortage of people trained to work in medical labs.

Trinity College of Nursing & Health Sciences has come up with a training plan and the facility to go with it. The college this week detailed an upcoming launch of its first new program since 2017  the Medical Laboratory Science program.

The only program like it in the area, classes begin in May.

Program director Stephanie Tieso said the need for trained medical laboratory staff had long been apparent, but putting together a program took time.

"It actually came about because a local hospital had reached out to us, inquiring if that was something we could bring on," she said. "It's been about a year and a half now, getting it up and rolling. I know both big hospital systems in the area are very excited about this coming on, and there's definitely chatter in the lab community about this new program opening."

It is the only medical lab program offered within a 90-mile radius.

Dr. Tracy Poelvoorde, chancellor of the college, said she looked forward to Trinity being in a position to "fill the gap" in the need for local medical lab scientists.

"We're very excited to have this program in the Quad-Cities," she said. "In keeping with what we do here at Trinity College, we try to take people who are either looking for a first career or second career, and we'd like to make that as easy as possible for them.

"This will speak to people who maybe have a biology degree and they don't know what to do. Somebody whose passionate about helping others, giving back to the community, caring for people  that's what we're looking for as far as prospective students."

The college's first Medical Laboratory cohort will admit 10 students. Employment in the field is projected to grow 7% by 2031, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

An average of 25,600 openings for clinical laboratory technologists and technicians is projected each year over the decade. The Bureau reports, "many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire."

The growth potential is being monitored too.

"We're hoping it's so popular that we have to have conversations of, 'When are we going to start the second and third cohort?' " Poelvoorde said. "Because, definitely, medical laboratory scientists are needed within our community."

Two students are currently enrolled in the MLS program, Tieso said. Students in the one-year blended program will complete all general education courses before starting their MLS coursework, which includes classroom, laboratory, online and clinical work.

Clinical rotations will occur at Trinity's approved clinical laboratory facility and affiliate sites.

"We span all the way out to Cedar Rapids and all the way out to Peoria," Tieso said. "We have quite a few hospitals and clinic sites that have agreed to take on students for the program."

Program majors will earn a Bachelor of Health Sciences degree and qualify to take the MLS certification exam upon program completion and graduation. The program also is available to those with prior baccalaureate degrees or Medical Laboratory Technologist certification.

Trinity hosted an open house on Tuesday for guests and prospective students, offering them a chance to rotate between different learning simulation labs, including the newly-renovated MLS lab, which previously was used for faculty offices.

For more information on the MLS program, or to apply, visit www.trinitycollegeqc.edu/med-lab-sciences.aspx.

Photos: Trinity College of Nursing open house
North Scott agriculture teacher and FFA adviser Emily Kruse is one of seven in Iowa to receive the Golden Owl Award from the Iowa Department of Education, Iowa FFA Foundation and Nationwide.

Kruse was one of 166 Iowa agriculture teachers nominated. The seven finalists, including Kruse, will compete for the grand prize award  to be announced at the Iowa FFA State Leadership Conference in April. The school district presented the award to Kruse at a surprise ceremony Thursday morning at North Scott High School.

The grand prize winner, named the Agricultural Educator of the Year, will receive the coveted Golden Owl Award trophy and $3,000 to support continued education efforts.

Kruse joined North Scott in January of 2022. She teaches high school introductory agriculture courses, sustainable agriculture and plant science. She also leads the schools Greenhand Committee and directs the FFA chapters farm committee, which manages more than 60 acres of crops in Scott County.

Even though Emily has only taught for one year, it is a testament to her abilities as teacher and leader that she was selected as the recipient so early in her career, said co-teacher and FFA adviser Jacob Hunter, who earned the honor in 2018.

In her first year, Kruse has helped facilitate the growth of North Scotts agriculture program, leading to the district hiring another full-time, junior high school agriculture teacher.

North Scott schools have more than 200 students enrolled in high school agriculture classes and 180 at the junior high. Kruse has led several FFA teams to top honors at the state and national levels, including multiple 2022 American Star Finalists, while also directing service projects across the district.

Photos: North Scott FFA annual Outstanding in their Field event
An Army veteran and Scott County deputy is beating the rush and has declared his candidacy for sheriff.

Chris Laye this week announced he'll seek the Republican nomination for Scott County Sheriff. The announcement comes more than a year ahead of the June 2024 primary for the race.

Current Scott County Sheriff Tim Lane, also a Republican, plans to make a formal announcement of his plans closer to the election, he wrote in an email.

Laye moved to Iowa in 2018 and was sworn in as a sheriff deputy in November of that year. He previously worked as a patrol officer for the Lebanon Police Department in Missouri after retiring from a nearly 25-year career in the U.S. Army.

"I'm ready to bring my 29 years of experience in law enforcement to improve the Scott County Sheriff's Office," Laye said. "I know firsthand areas where we can improve to better serve and protect the people of Scott County."

With his experience in the military, Laye said, he thinks his leadership would bring better engagement with community members, Sheriff's Office employees and fellow law enforcement agencies to fight crime at a time when the nation is undergoing cultural change.

"Community outreach would be a big priority of mine," he said.

In particular, Laye said, law enforcement agencies could better engage with residents who may be critical of police in addition to those who vocally support them. One example is going to people and neighborhoods most impacted by violent crime and talking face-to-face, he said.

"We can make changes to better gain respect with both sides," Laye said.

He said he announced early because he wanted ample time to meet with Scott County voters and share his story and perspectives on law enforcement.

In his news release, Laye said his campaign would focus on:

Improving morale within the Sheriff's Office to retain and attract deputies.

Increasing efficiency of the office and managing personnel "to provide a more visible and effective presence across the county."

Improving collaboration and communication between law enforcement agencies, the Board of Supervisors, the County Attorney's Office and the court systems.

Using "the latest tools and statistical analysis available to modernize the Sheriff's Office to stay ahead of the criminal element."

Laye said he wanted to use statistical analysis to target areas with high crime rates at specific times and reach out to residents in those areas.

In the Army, he served as a combat engineer and worked for 21 years as a military police officer. He served two combat tours in Iraq, according to the news release.

On his last duty assignment in Missouri, he and his wife, Christy, ran a beef cattle operation.

He has a master's degree in criminal justice from American Military University, he said, and is pursuing a master's in public administration. He lives in LeClaire.

"My leadership style throughout my whole career in public service  I've always engaged one-on-one with the employees I've led and the people I've served," Laye said. "You've got to be present to those you work with and for. You have to be visible in the community all the time."

Statement from Sheriff Tim Lane "Law Enforcement has been a rapidly changing and challenging profession over the last few years. I still love my career choice and love the connection that being Sheriff gives me with the citizens of Scott County. At this time I have no intention of starting a long 20 month campaign for the November 2024 election and would prefer to focus my attention on running the Scott County Sheriffs Office. As we get closer to the next campaign season I will make a formal announcement of my future intentions."
A sweeping tune spread across the Rock Island High School auditorium stage Wednesday afternoon, drowning out the patter of rain and the echo of student voices in the hallway.

If not looking, the sound could be mistaken for the riff from an electric guitar. But the stringed instrument held in Tracy Silverman's hands was much smaller. Student musicians watched as Silverman demonstrated his craft and settled in to rehearse for the group's upcoming performance with the electric violin soloist.

Rock Island Orchestra Director Matthew Manweiler sat in an auditorium seat, watching the students he works with learn from the professional artist. He said it's taken years of planning to bring Silverman to the Quad-Cities for the first time, and it's wonderful to finally give his students the opportunity to learn from him.

"It takes a lot of work to get these workshops put on, but seeing him working here and performing, that's what it's all about," Manweiler said. "And really seeing the students go into new territory  that's the most exciting thing for me."

Silverman, who is internationally known for pioneering new methods of playing the electric six-string violin, will play alongside the Rock Island and Davenport orchestras 7 p.m. Feb. 24 at Rock Island High School, 1400 25th Ave., Rock Island.

Manweiler started bringing artists to the Quad-Cities to work with students more than a decade ago with the goal of exposing them to new ways to learn and perform music.

"We're always trying to push the boundaries of what our students can do on their instruments  just learning about being humans and ambassadors with their music," he said.

Rock Island High School student Jordan Murray joined the stage with students from Washington Jr. High and Edison Jr. High, making up about half of the group that is set to perform with Silverman.

Murray, who plays viola and bass, has worked with visiting artists before and said they've taught him more than just new techniques. He's also learned new ways to think about music.

He isn't planning to make a career out of music, but Murray said Silverman's influence could light a path forward for other young musicians who hope to enter the industry as professionals.

"I feel like it just shows that there are opportunities to get to a professional level, especially starting at high school," he said. "I started in elementary and all that ... just learning that you can make a career out of something that you enjoy."

Silverman has been playing the violin since he was 4 years old, after hearing a neighbor playing a lilting melody. Now decades into his career, the musician said he's turned more to education  writing books and producing online courses to help teach string players "how to groove."

Part of sharing his knowledge on how to bring rock, pop and funk to traditionally classical instruments is engaging with young people like those in the Quad-Cities orchestras.

His favorite moments when working with students are when they have that "A-ha!" moment of a new technique clicking.

"I keep talking about the future of strings, and this is the future of strings," Silverman said. "You're looking at it right here. So I think it's really important to bring this kind of stuff to them at this formative age."
The National Weather Service previously warned of a wet spring, but its now upping the ante to high flood potential.

The flood-threat level is above average for all points from Dubuque to Burlington, said National Weather Service Hydrologist Matt Wilson. Along the Mississippi, the chance for moderate flooding is greater than 95% and the chance for major flooding is greater than 50%.

The risk is near average for every other major waterway in the area.

A lot of that is due to the fact that over the last two weeks, the Upper Mississippi River Basin has seen 200-400% more precipitation than it normally would in a two-week period, Wilson said Thursday.

Lock and Dam 15 in Rock Island reaches flood stage at 18 feet. In a normal year, the moderate flood risk is 51%. This year, its at 94%.

More concerning, Wilson said, is the major flood risk. In a normal year, there is a 27% risk. As of Tuesday, it was at 69%.

Thats almost three times higher than your average year, he said.

The snow-water equivalent (how much water the snowpack contains) in Minnesota and Wisconsin is well above normal and likely will impact flooding. Locally, snow melt is not a concern.

We pretty much melt off our snowpacks within a few days of it accumulating, Wilson said.

Soil moisture is on the dry side and the ground temperature is about normal, which will help limit runoff. Stream flows are near normal but the Rock and Pecatonica rivers and some upper areas of the Cedar River, are above normal. Wilson said the lower the stream flow, the more run off water it can take before reaching the bank.

Moving into March, this is something to keep an eye on as temperatures are expected to be normal to below normal, but precipitation will be above average, he said.

Whats going to make the story of this spring is how quickly that snowpack melts out up north, he said.
ORLAND PARK  Valentina Bren, who now lives in Orland Park, said she'll never forget going to the funeral for her former student, who died in the line of duty defending Ukraine at the start of the Russian war.

Olenka Sus, who now lives in Palos Hills, said she'll never forget the sounds: the first air siren and the explosion of bombs and rockets.

"That was really awful. We didn't know what to do," Sus said.

On Feb. 24, 2022, Russian soldiers advanced into Ukraine initiating a war that has gone on for a year. In that time, Ukrainian soldiers and citizens have fought to defend their country, but millions of other Ukrainians, like Sus and Bren, left their homes for safety.

Sus, 16, spent about the first two months of the war in her home in Ternopil, a city in Western Ukraine, before she and her mother, Nadia, came to the U.S. as refugees. Bren and her husband volunteered toward the war effort as long as they could, but they came to the U.S. Nov. 28, 2022, through the Uniting for Ukraine program, which allows them to stay for two years.

One year ago, Sus said she woke up at 7 a.m. to a phone call from a friend who told her the war had started.

Sus said she immediately called her mother, who was visiting Ivano-Frankivsk. While they were on the phone, Sus said she heard news of Russia bombing the airport in Ivano-Frankivsk, which was near where her mother was staying.

"She was there, and I was so scared because that airport was so close to her. It was bombed," Sus said.

The first night of the war was terrifying, Sus said, and she'll never forget her grandmother crying after waking up to the sound of an air siren. After that, no one in the house could sleep, Sus said, so they watched the news.

"We didn't know what to expect," Sus said.

The Rev. Vasyl Sendeha, priest at Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Palos Park, helped translate the interview with Bren. One year ago, Bren woke up at 4 a.m. in her home in Volochysk, in Western Ukraine, to the sound of air sirens.

Bren, a literature teacher, said that morning she still went to work because she didn't know what to expect. Many students arrived, she said, but within the first half-hour the majority of parents came to pick up their children.

No lessons were taught that day, Bren recalled, as teachers and students just talked about the shock and confusion.

"It was hard to believe what was happening," she said, via Sendeha's translation.

As the days progressed, Sus said she went to school not as a student but as a volunteer for the war effort. She recalled making protective gear so Ukrainian soldiers wouldn't be seen by Russian soldiers, and a lot of people baked food in the school's kitchen.

When Russian soldiers took control of Chernobyl a few weeks into the war, Sus said an air siren went off while she was volunteering at school. Sus and the other students were instructed to sit in the hallway, where they were told the walls were likely sturdy enough to remain standing if the building was bombed.

"We were just sitting and just really praying for Chernobyl or other cities not being bombed," Sus said.

Bren, 58, said once the war was underway, she and her husband volunteered to help the soldiers on the front lines. They raised funds and then drove to Warsaw to buy medical supplies for soldiers, she said.

Bren said her students also started volunteering to make supplies for soldiers, such as small burners made of old cans with cardboard and wax inside, that could be used to heat up food.

While Bren's town has not been bombed, she said what scared her most was seeing the slow flying missiles headed toward larger cities. She felt the most panicked, she said, when she saw a missile headed in the direction of the city her pregnant daughter drove toward moments before.

Bren and her husband decided to come to live with their son and daughter-in-law in Orland Park because volunteering in Ukraine was becoming increasingly difficult. They decided they could donate and help more if they come to the U.S.

Bren said she's still in contact with her students, who are still making items like Ukrainian flags, and she sells those items here through the Palos Park church and donates the money to the war effort. Bren's husband works as a mechanic through a temporary work visa, so the majority of the money he makes they donate to the war effort.

The pair wants to return to Ukraine one day, Bren said.

Hopefully, Bren said, the war will end soon as countries in Europe and the U.S. continue to support Ukraine. She's proud of her country, Bren said, because everyone, even children, are working tirelessly in some capacity to defeat Russia.

"Such a nation can't be overcome by any kind of aggressor," Bren said.

Sus said she and her mother ultimately decided to leave because each day became increasingly more dangerous. It got to the point where there were as many as eight air sirens a day warning residents about attacks, she said.

They took a bus to Poland, then flew to Germany, then Mexico City. They took a 32-hour bus ride to Tijuana, Mexico and then a 10-hour bus ride to San Francisco, before flying to Chicago, Sus said.

On April 19, 2022, they made it to the U.S. and have been staying with friends in Palos Park, Sus said. Her mom volunteers at the Palos Park church while Sus is now a high school sophomore.

Sus said she expected the war to last a long time because Russian President Vladimir Putin "will not stop."

"The only thing he wants is our blood, our territory, our homeland," Sus said. "He just wants everything to be in his hands. But our people they defend our territory. We're still fighting."

The hope, Sus said, is for her and her mother to return to Ukraine to see their family and friends.

"We hope the war will end as soon as possible. We hope the victory will be on our side," Sus said.
Despite the biting cold outside, dozens gathered at The Monument Fine Arts Theater Thursday to hear Brad Estes announce his intention to run for mayor of Rapid City, a speech he started with a delightful quip  "It takes a guy from Wall to bring everybody out in this bad weather, huh?"

Estes served on the Wall City Council from 1987 to 1991 and 10 years on the Central States Fair Board of Directors, three of those years as president. Central States Fair General Manager Ron Jeffries emceed the event, introducing Estes as "the most qualified person to breed and build consensus and a vision around the city."

Estes also served two terms on the Rapid City Council representing Ward 5, two of those years as president. He joined Keller Williams Rapid City Commercial in early 2018 as a broker associate.

He credits his father with teaching him how to identify an opportunity and do great work. He said his father ran his own company serving ranchers, owned and operated one of the largest homebuilding centers in South Dakota, and owned a general construction company that did work in numerous states.

Being around that business led Estes into multiple residential and commercial construction projects, hotels and restaurants.

"I grew up in Wall during a time and in a place where the promise of free ice water and a nickel cup of coffee fueled one of the hottest economies in South Dakota," Estes said.

He said his past experience in municipal government combined with a background in the private sector sets him apart from other candidates. Estes said his work in construction  with guaranteeing tax increment finance (TIF) districts and having building permits rejected  means he understands those city-developer relationships.

"I just think that having a construction background, having a background of having employees... just being in the building industry... I've been involved in economic development at a pretty sizable scale," Estes said. "I bring real-life, first-hand experience."

Estes said a run for mayor has been on his agenda for a while, but he needed to wrap up other projects first.

He said his focus include public safety, economic development and workforce housing. Estes said he believes that Rapid City is "hungry for a mayor that comes from the private sector," someone who "knows what it's like to take personal risks" to provide for economic development.

"No community will ever reach full potential if its citizens do not feel safe," Estes said. "The need for public safety ranks common among the voters. I look forward to working with law enforcement and the many fantastic community organizations that are working together to find solutions."

Estes praised his friends, family and colleagues for turning out despite the weather, calling himself blessed to have that level of support. He said he couldn't have done it without his wife, Deb, who was seated in the front row.

"These people are just like me though," he said. "They go out and work hard every day, and they just  we all just want a better Rapid City."

Steve Allender was elected mayor in 2015 and made the announcement last August that he wouldnt seek re-election.

Rapid City's municipal election will take place June 6.
Twenty-four states have filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in North Dakota challenging recently finalized federal regulations dealing with navigable waterways across the country, calling the rule "an improper federal power grab over state waters."

It's the latest development in a protracted yo-yo battle that has seen water rules change under the Democratic Obama, Republican Trump and now Democratic Biden administrations. North Dakota and the other states that sued last week -- all of which have Republican attorneys general and all but two of which have GOP governors -- want the courts to throw out the new rule and order federal officials to start over.

The states maintain that the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers "seem intent on pushing the states aside and seizing control over the nation's water management."

Federal attorneys did not immediately file a response to the lawsuit. The Justice Department did not respond to a Tribune request for comment, and the EPA declined comment, citing pending litigation.

The regulations finalized in December define which Waters of the United States are protected by the Clean Water Act. The new rule is built on a pre-2015 definition with updates to reflect court opinions, the latest science, and federal agencies' experience and expertise, according to the EPA. Federal officials said they crafted a durable definition of waterways "to reduce uncertainty from changing regulatory definitions."

The rules clear and supportable definition of Waters of the United States will allow for more efficient and effective implementation and provide the clarity long desired by farmers, industry, environmental organizations and other stakeholders, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Michael Connor said in December.

The rule was published in the Federal Register on Jan. 18 and is to take effect on March 20.

Environmentalists favor stronger protections, but business and agricultural interests worry that broadened regulations will be burdensome to their industries.

North Dakota and other states sued in 2015 when President Barack Obama sought to expand federal protections, and court injunctions prevented his administration's rule from taking effect. Federal courts later threw out a Trump-era rule that North Dakota leaders backed but environmentalists had argued left waterways vulnerable to pollution.

The Biden rule applies federal protections to wetlands, tributaries and other waters that have a significant connection to navigable waters or if wetlands are relatively permanent," according to The Associated Press.

North Dakota and the other 23 suing states contend in the lawsuit that the Biden rule encompasses waters "with no reasonable connection to 'navigable waters,'" and that if left in place, "then ranchers, farmers, miners, homebuilders and other landowners across the country will struggle to undertake even the simplest of activities on their own property without fear of drawing the ire of the federal government."

GOP Gov. Doug Burgum in a statement said the lawsuit was filed in North Dakota because "our many wetlands and waterways make our state particularly susceptible to this misguided rule."

Other plaintiffs are Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.

The U.S. Supreme Court is considering a separate case out of Idaho that could upend the finalized rule, according to AP. Chantell and Michael Sackett wanted to build a home near a lake, but the EPA stopped their work in 2007, finding wetlands on their property were federally regulated.
Rapid City Area Schools officials are considering closing Canyon Lake Elementary and consolidating students to other facilities following the failure of the 2020 school bond election.

According to a news release from the school district, the Board of Education will discuss and possibly vote to close the elementary school at a March 7 meeting.

In 2016, RCAS hired MGT Education to conduct a study on all of the district's schools to rate them for building condition and educational sustainability. Scoring the lowest were South Middle School with Canyon Lake Elementary following in a close second.

RCAS Community Relations Manager Bobbi Schaefbauer said students currently attending Canyon Lake Elementary are losing an estimated 30-40 minutes of educational time weekly due to travel between annex buildings and the school's two main buildings. The news release said there are four annex buildings being used on the campus, which are meant for temporary infrastructure for classrooms.

Canyon Lake West was built in 1949 with steam heating. The school has been partially closed with seven classrooms and other spaces unable to be utilized due to lack of temperature control and other building issues.

The news release said to properly install the heating system required, RCAS was quoted more than $1 million. The district said Canyon Lake West only hosts four usable classrooms and the gym/lunchroom area with some heating updates that were able to be done within the districts budget.

Schaefbauer said another topic of concern with Canyon Lake is safety due to students having to travel distances in between classes and lunch so frequently. She said the district believes it is unfair to continue to educate children in conditions so unequal to other elementary schools within RCAS.

The bond that failed in 2020 addressed the need to close Canyon Lake. Schaefbauer said RCAS has put off the inevitable and is now having to face the closure.

According to the news release, if the Board of Education votes to close Canyon Lake Elementary, new boundaries for elementary school enrollment will be provided. If approved, current students will be split between Meadowbrook Elementary, Knollwood Elementary, South Canyon Elementary, Pinedale Elementary and General Beadle Elementary.

Additionally, all current Canyon Lake employees will be reassigned to other open positions within the district, the news release said.

RCAS Interim CEO Nicole Swigart issued a statement about the possible closure.

We cannot continue to put off facing the issues that have been around for over a decade within the district. RCAS has reached the point that facilities are failing, and closures have to happen," she said. "This is not how RCAS wanted to solve our building issues, but with the failing bond we now find the district in a lose-lose situation. It is more important than ever to prioritize and support our public schools and the hard decisions they face."

For more information on Rapid City Area Schools Board of Education meetings, visit the Board of Education section on the district's website, rcas.org.

All Board of Education meetings are open to the public and can be watched live via the YouTube link on the Rapid City Area Schools website. For any questions, call 605-394-4091.
WOUNDED KNEE  Madonna Thunder Hawk remembers the firefights.

As a medic during the occupation of Wounded Knee in early 1973, Thunder Hawk was stationed each night in a frontline bunker in the combat zone between Native activists and government agents.

I would crawl out there every night, and we'd just be out there in case anybody got hit, said Thunder Hawk, Oohenumpa band of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, one of four women assigned to the bunkers.

Memories of the Wounded Knee occupation  one in a string of protests from 1969 to 1973 that pushed the American Indian Movement to the forefront of Native activism  still run deep within people like Thunder Hawk who were there.

Thunder Hawk, now 83, is careful about what she says today about AIM and the occupation, but she cant forget that tribal elders in 1973 had been raised by grandparents who still remembered the 1890 slaughter of hundreds of Lakota people at Wounded Knee by U.S. soldiers.

That's how close we are to our history, she told ICT recently. So anything that goes on, anything we do, even today with the land-back issue, all of that is just a continuation. It's nothing new.

Other feelings linger, too, over the tensions that emerged in Lakota communities after Wounded Knee and the virtual destruction of the small community. Many still dont want to talk about it.

But the legacy of activism lives on among those who have followed in their footsteps, including the new generations of Native people who turned out at Standing Rock beginning in 2016 for the pipeline protests.

For me, it's important to acknowledge the generation before us  to acknowledge their risk, said Nick Tilsen, founder of NDN Collective and a leader in the Standing Rock protests, whose parents were AIM activists.

It's important for us to honor them. It's important for us to thank them.

Akim D. Reinhardt, who wrote the book, Ruling Pine Ridge: Oglala Lakota Politics from the IRA to Wounded Knee, said the AIM protests had powerful social and cultural impacts.

Collectively, they helped establish a sense of the permanence of Red Power in much the way that Black Power had for African-Americans, a permanent legacy, said Reinhardt, a history professor at Towson University in Towson, Maryland.

It was the cultural legacy that racism isnt okay and people dont need to be quiet and accept it anymore. That its okay to be proud of who you are.

A series of events is planned in South Dakota to recognize the 50th anniversary of the occupation of Wounded Knee, started on Friday in Rapid City, and building to a 50th anniversary pow wow on Sunday in Porcupine, and a Four Direction Walk and Ride on the actual anniversary, on Monday.

The women of Wounded Knee will also be honored on Saturday in Porcupine, and another pow wow is set for Saturday in Rapid City. The documentary film, From Wounded Knee to Standing Rock, will be shown on Sunday in Kyle.

Thunderbolt of protest

The occupation began on the night of Feb. 27, 1973, when a group of warriors led by Oklahoma AIM leader Carter Camp, Ponca, moved into the small town of Wounded Knee. They took over the trading post and established a base of operations along with AIM leaders Russell Means, Oglala Lakota; Dennis Banks, Ojibwe; and Clyde Bellecourt, White Earth Nation.

Within days, hundreds of activists had joined them for what became a 71-day standoff with the U.S. government and other law enforcement.

It was the fourth protest in as many years for AIM. The organization formed in the late 1960s and drew international attention with the occupation of Alcatraz from 1969-1971. In 1972, the Trail of Broken Treaties brought a cross-country caravan of hundreds of Indigenous activists to Washington, D.C., where they occupied the Bureau of Indian Affairs headquarters for six days.

Then, on Feb. 6, 1973, AIM members and others gathered at the courthouse in Custer County to protest the murder of Wesley Bad Heart Bull, Oglala Lakota, and the lenient sentences given to some perpetrators of violence against Native Americans. When they were denied access into the courthouse, the protest turned violent, with the burning of the Chamber of Commerce Building and damage to other buildings and vehicles.

Three weeks later, AIM leaders took over Wounded Knee.

It had been waiting to happen for generations, said Kevin McKiernan, who covered the Wounded Knee occupation as a journalist in his late 20s and who later directed the 2019 documentary film, From Wounded Knee to Standing Rock.

If you look at it as a storm, the storm had been building through abuse, land theft, genocide, religious intoleration, for generations and generations, he said. The storm built up, and built up and built up. The American Indian Movement was simply the thunderbolt.

The takeover at Wounded Knee grew out of a dispute with Oglala Sioux tribal leader Richard Wilson but also put a spotlight on demands that the U.S. government uphold its treaty obligations to the Lakota people.

By March 8, the occupation leaders had declared the Wounded Knee territory to be the Independent Oglala Nation, granting citizenship papers to those who wanted them and demanding recognition as a sovereign nation.

The stand-off was often violent, and supplies became scarce within the occupied territory as the U.S. government worked to cut off support for those behind the lines. Discussions were ongoing throughout much of the occupation, with several government officials working with AIM leaders to try and resolve the issues.

The siege finally ended on May 8 with an agreement to disarm and to further discuss the treaty obligations. By then, at least three people had been killed and more than a dozen wounded, according to reports.

Two Native men died: Frank Clearwater, identified as Cherokee and Apache, who was shot on April 17, 1973, and died eight days later; and Lawrence Buddy LaMont, Oglala, who was shot and killed on April 26, 1973.

Another man, Black activist Ray Robinson, who had been working with the Oglala Sioux Civil Rights Organization, went missing during the siege. The FBI confirmed in 2014 that he had died at Wounded Knee, but his body was never recovered. A U.S. marshal was also shot and paralyzed, but died many years later.

Camp was later convicted of abducting and beating four postal inspectors during the occupation, and served three years in federal prison. Banks and Means were indicted on charges related to the events, but their cases were dismissed by a federal court for prosecutorial misconduct.

Today, the Wounded Knee National Historic Landmark identifies the site of the 1890 massacre, most of which is now under joint ownership of the Oglala Sioux and Cheyenne River Sioux.

The tribes agreed in 2022 to purchase 40 acres of land that included the area where most of the carnage took place in 1890, the ravine where victims fled, and the area where the trading post was located.

The purchase, from a descendant of the original owners of the trading post, included a covenant requiring the land to be preserved as a sacred site and memorial without commercial development.

And though internal tensions emerged in the AIM organization in the years after the Wounded Knee occupation, AIM continues to operate throughout the U.S. in tribal communities and urban areas.

In recent years, members participated in the Standing Rock protests and have persisted in pushing for the release from prison of former AIM leader Leonard Peltier, who was convicted of first-degree murder despite inconsistencies in the evidence in the deaths of two FBI agents during a shootout in 1975 on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

A new generation

Tilsen, now president and chief executive of NDN Collective, an Indigenous-led organization centered around building Indigenous power, traces the roots of his activism to Wounded Knee.

His parents, JoAnn Tall and Mark Tilsen, met at Wounded Knee, and he praises the women of the movement who sustained the traditional matriarchal system during the occupation.

I grew up in the American Indian Movement, said Tilsen, a citizen of the Oglala Lakota Nation. It wasn't a question about what you were fighting for. You were raised up in it. In fact, if you didnt fight, you werent going to live.

Tilsen credits AIM, and those who werent part of the movement, for most of the rights Indigenous people have today, including Indian gaming, tribal colleges, the Indian Self-Determination and Education Act, and the American Indian Religious Freedom Act.

He said the movement showed the world that tribes were sovereign nations and their treaties were being violated. And when AIM and spiritual leaders such as Henry Crow Dog, Leonard Crow Dog and Matthew King joined the fight, it became inter-generational.

It became a spiritual revolution, he said. It also became a fight that was about human rights. It became a fight that was about where Indigenous people aren't just within the political system of America, but within the broader context of the system, of the world.

Tilsen appreciates that his parents were willing to participate in an armed revolution to achieve one of their dreams of establishing KILI radio station, known as the Voice of the Lakota Nation, which began operating in 1983 as the first Indigenous-owned radio station in the United States.

They wanted to communicate and organize with the people as well as create transparency in tribal government, he said.

His own organization, NDN Collective, is based on what the American Indian Movement achieved, he said.

It's why NDN has the balanced approach that it does, Tilsen said. We defend, develop and decolonize.

The Dakota Access Pipeline protest in 2016 came to be a defining moment for him and his brother. They had wondered, he said, what would be their Wounded Knee?

But though Standing Rock grew from the Wounded Knee occupation, it also had its differences, he said.

What made it so powerful and what made it different was that you actually had grassroots organizers and revolutionaries and official tribal governments coming together, too, Tilsen said. I think that Standing Rock in particular actually reached way further than Wounded Knee because of how the issue was framed around water is life.

AIM is the catalyst that started it all, however, he said. He wants the 50th anniversary of Wounded Knee to be a time to reflect on what still needs to be learned about the movement and to know more about the people who werent in the spotlight at the time.

[It] created the pressure, he said. It held the mirror up to the United States government in a very powerful way.

Alex Fire Thunder, deputy director of the Lakota Language Consortium, said the occupation of Wounded Knee and other activism helped revitalize Indigenous language and culture. His mother was too young to have participated in the occupation but he said she remembered visits from AIM members in the community.

The whole point of AIM, the American Indian Movement, was to bring back a sense of pride in our culture, Fire Thunder, Oglala Lakota, told ICT.

A huge aspect of our culture and essence of our whole cultural identity is in the language, he said. A lot of language programs, educational programs, and the element of language in education itself and the whole status of the language, improved as a result of the awareness of the value of culture and the sense of pride that our people had.

Fire Thunder, who now teaches the Lakota language, said he owes a debt of gratitude to AIM and the warriors at Wounded Knee.

I show respect to anybody and everybody that stands up for our way of life, our culture, our language, our spiritual ways, our philosophies and worldviews, he said.  We've been oppressed, we've been silenced

We've been pushed aside and overlooked, I guess invisible to the mainstream American society, he said. And so, I like to pay respect and acknowledge anybody and everybody that stands up for our people in that way.

Future generations

For Thunder Hawk, the issues became her lifelong work rather than momentary activism.

She joined AIM in 1968 and participated in the occupation at Alcatraz, the BIA headquarters, the Custer County Courthouse and Wounded Knee, as well as the Standing Rock pipeline protest in 2016.

She said work being done today by a new generation is a continuation of the work her ancestors did.

That's why we were successful in Indian Country, because we were a movement of families, she said. It wasn't just an age group, a bunch of young people carrying on.

She hopes her legacy will live on, that her great-great-grandchildren will see not just a photo of her but know what she sounded like and the person she seemed to be.

Its something that she cant have when she looks at a photo of her paternal great-grandparents.

Hopefully that's what my descendants will see, you know? she said. And with the technology nowadays, they can press a button, maybe, and it'll come up.

Frank Star Comes Out, the current president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, also believes its time for the previous generations work to be recognized.

He will be at the 50th anniversary events and will speak at the Wounded Knee site. He is aware of the irony that he now leads a government created through the Indian Reorganization Act and opposed by AIM.

But he has family members who were strong supporters of AIM, including his mother and father. He said its important to fight for his people who survived genocide.

That's why I support AIM, not only on a family level, he said. I have a lot of pride in who I am as a Lakota  Times [have] changed. Now I'm using my leadership to help our people rise, to give them a voice. And I believe that's important for Indian Country.

ICT producer Stewart Huntington contributed to this report. You can read the original version of this story online at ictnews.org.
 Flash

This video screenshot released by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) shows the site of a derailed freight train in East Palestine, Ohio, the United States. [Photo/NTSB handout via Xinhua]

A federal agency released a preliminary report Thursday on the derailment of a train carrying hazardous chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio, earlier this month.

The report issued by the National Transportation Security Board (NTSB) said the Norfolk Southern train passed three hot bearing detectors (HBD) on its trip before the derailment on the night of Feb. 3.

The function of the HBD is to detect overheated bearings and provide audible real-time warnings to train crews.

One of the HBDs "transmitted a critical audible alarm message instructing the crew to slow and stop the train to inspect a hot axle," according to the report.

After hearing the warning, the train engineer "increased the dynamic brake application to further slow and stop the train" and the crew later observed fire and smoke and notified the dispatcher of a possible derailment.

The derailed equipment included 11 tank cars carrying hazardous materials that subsequently ignited, fueling fires that damaged an additional 12 non-derailed railcars.

First responders implemented a one-mile evacuation zone surrounding the derailment site that affected up to 2,000 residents. There were no reported fatalities or injuries.

Responders mitigated the fire on Feb. 5, the NTSB report stated. But five derailed "specification tank cars carrying 115,580 gallons of vinyl chloride" continued to concern authorities because the temperature inside one tank car was still rising.

This increase in temperature suggested that the vinyl chloride was undergoing a polymerization reaction, which could pose an explosion hazard.

Vinyl chloride is a colorless gas that burns easily. It does not occur naturally and must be produced industrially for its commercial uses.

Vinyl chloride exposure is associated with an increased risk of a rare form of liver cancer as well as primary liver cancer, brain and lung cancers, lymphoma, and leukemia.

The NTSB said on Thursday that responders scheduled a "controlled venting" of the five vinyl chloride tank cars to release and burn the vinyl chloride and dug ditches to contain released vinyl chloride liquid while it vaporized and burned.

The controlled venting began on Feb. 6, which discharged toxic and potentially deadly fumes into the air.

While residents were allowed to return to their homes in East Palestine two days later, they remain concerned about the handling of the incident as well as the health impact of exposure to those chemicals.

The hazardous material tank cars have been decontaminated, the NTSB said. The agency's investigators returned to Ohio earlier this week to "examine each hazardous material tank car, document damage, and secure evidence for laboratory analysis."

The NTSB added that the investigation is ongoing and will focus on the wheelset and bearing; tank car design and derailment damage; a review of the accident response, including the venting and burning of the vinyl chloride; and railcar design and maintenance procedures and practices, among other things.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited East Palestine on Thursday morning amid criticism that the response from the federal government to the incident has been slow and inadequate.

"This morning I'm in East Palestine, Ohio, to see the site of the Norfolk Southern derailment, hear updates from investigators, and meet first responders," Buttigieg tweeted.

Buttigieg's trip to East Palestine, a village in northeastern Columbiana County, Ohio, came a day after former U.S. President Donald Trump visited the site of the train derailment.

A Republican, Trump said that he thinks it is "terrible" that sitting U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has not yet visited the village.

East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway told reporters during Trump's visit that this has been a "very difficult situation" as the village is struggling to deal with the fallout of the derailment.

Norfolk Southern announced on Wednesday that it would excavate the soil and replace the tracks in the derailment area "as part of an enhanced remediation plan."

The railroad corporation said it had excavated more than 4,800 cubic yards of soil, or approximately 400 truckloads. Additionally, 1.7 million gallons, or approximately 200 tanker loads, of liquid had been collected for disposal.
Bitterroot Health will soon be bringing outpatient dialysis services to the Bitterroot Valley. Bitterroot Health CEO John Bishop said a partnership with Dialysis Clinic Incorporated (DCI), Community Medical Center, and Tigris Nephrology will allow Bitterroot Health to provide a dedicated facility for patients in Hamilton.

We have heard about the necessity for dialysis in Ravalli County for years; the need is very clear, Bishop said. We have been working diligently to bring these services to the valley and have found great partners to join us in making this a reality.

According to recent Medicare data, there are dozens of Medicare patients in Ravalli County currently in need of dialysis services.

When compared with similar communities in Montana, the Bitterroot Valley is uniquely void of these services, Bishop said.

DCI Senior Operations Director Tim Reedy said the project is exciting.

This new state-of-the-art dialysis facility will be approximately 7,500 square feet with 12 comfortable, heated dialysis chairs to ensure patients have the best experience possible when dialyzing, Reedy said. Patient care is our top priority, and we look forward to welcoming and caring for the Bitterroot Valley.

Currently, Tigris Nephrology based out of Missoula, in partnership with Bitterroot Health offers clinic services on the main campus in Hamilton. Patients can be seen in the office for consultations with a nephrologist, then, if they need dialysis treatment, they travel to Missoula. Dialysis treatments are typically done three times a week, with each treatment taking three to four hours to perform.

When you add the additional travel time and expense of driving to Missoula, this puts an extra burden on patients and their families, said nephrologist, Dr. Shahid Chaudhary. Dialysis is a life-saving treatment for advanced kidney disease, and those without adequate kidney function cannot survive without it. Bringing dialysis treatment to patients where they live promotes greater access to life-saving care.

Community Medical Center CEO Bob Gomes explained that a CMC partnership with DCI and Dr. Chaudhary provided a dialysis center in Missoula.

That center has been very successful in caring for patients in and around Missoula, Gomes said. Over the years, weve noticed a significant number of dialysis patients coming to our center from Ravalli County. By partnering with Bitterroot Health, we will be able to bring vitally needed dialysis services to patients in the Bitterroot Valley, furthering our mission of making communities healthier.

Bishop said the need for dialysis in Ravalli County is strong.

The mission of Bitterroot Health is to provide care for all, he said. When someones life is already impacted by the need for dialysis, having it further disrupted by traveling to Missoula means were not fulfilling our mission. Bitterroot Health will bring this care closer to home. Were looking forward to this partnership and offering this vital care to our community.

For more information, contact marketing@bitterroothealth.org, or call 406-375-4589.
Health system Bon Secours and Optima Health have released statements saying that the two parties have reached an agreement that will keep the insurers customers in network at Bon Secours facilities.

Negotiations over a new contract stalled this month with Optima saying that the health system was raising its prices to an unreasonable level while Bon Secours said the rising cost of treating patients necessitated those rate increases.

The two parties had until March 1 to agree to a fresh set of terms before the 55,000 Optima customers living in Virginia lost in-network coverage at Bon Secours hospitals in Virginia. The new agreement will run from March 1 through Feb. 28, 2026.

Bon Secours said in a statement that it advocated for fair market rates that could ensure its patients can get access to quality care.

At Bon Secours, our goal is to have long-term agreements with all major payors, including Optima Health, so our patients can have easy access to quality care in our community, Bon Secours said in the statement. That is why we diligently worked to resolve this situation for the good of this community, and we thank the community for their patience throughout this process.

Asked whether the new agreement could affect medical costs at the hospital, a Bon Secours spokesperson said the hospital system encourages patients to call the number on their health insurance ID card to understand the details of their coverage.

A spokesperson for Optima replied to a media request saying that the company was unable to comment on the terms of the new contract.

Optima Health strives to be a trusted partner with the individuals and communities we serve. As a Virginia-based, not-for-profit health plan, our goal is to deliver access to quality care, while keeping costs down for our members, Optima said in a statement. We believe our new agreement with Bon Secours Mercy Health achieves this goal.

About two-thirds of those patients that would have been affected are Medicaid recipients. Those patients would had to use other hospitals had an agreement not been reached.

The contract with Optima has been in place since 2004 and was last amended two years ago.

Bon Secours Opens New East End Medical Office Building
A Netherlands-based company that specializes in automated horticulture is coming to Chesterfield County.

ISO Group is investing $570,000 to bring its first U.S. assembly and distribution facility to Virginia. Once complete, it will be approximately 11,000 square feet in total with 8,000 square feet of warehouse distribution. It is expected to open in May.

Virginia has emerged as a top state in controlled environment agriculture, and ISO Group is a complementary addition that will enhance our growing industry ecosystem, Gov. Glenn Youngkin said in a statement.

The companys decision to establish its first U.S. operation in Chesterfield County is exemplary of the trust manufacturers have placed in the Commonwealth for centuries, and we are committed to fostering a business climate and workforce to drive ISO Groups long-term success.

ISO Group, an international supplier of industrial machinery for labor-intensive protected horticulture tasks, develops robotics machines that take up less space, are scalable and have lower maintenance costs. The machines offer high efficiency and uniform quality while using the customers production process for developing automated solutions.

A company spokesperson said the new facility gives ISO Group sales and service support for its operations in the Eastern time zone. The company plans to use the Chesterfield headquarters to service customers in North, South and Central America. The spokesperson added that ISO Group is planning to invest in satellite locations should its growth continue.

The assembly and distribution facility for [ISO Groups] innovative and effective machines used in the horticultural industry is the perfect fit to be located in one of Chesterfields designated technology zones, said Chesterfield Board of Supervisors Chairman Kevin Carroll.

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership collaborated with Chesterfield and the Greater Richmond Partnership to secure the project for Virginia and will support ISO Groups job creation through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program, which works to reduce development costs for new companies.

Virginias central location along the Eastern Seaboard made for a compelling destination as it competed with Georgia to land the project.

Our region has been a magnet for agricultural technology and support firms as they identify sustainable means of reaching 45% of the nations population within one days delivery drive, said Jennifer Wakefield, president and CEO of the Greater Richmond Partnership.

In addition to shipping, receiving and coordinating services, ISO Group will have examples of automated machines on-hand throughout the year for service and customer training, operator classes, demonstrations and testing of new applications.

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A Chesterfield County jury Thursday found a 16-year-old boy guilty of murder and two firearm counts in last summers fatal shooting of another 16-year-old during a Latino coming-of-age celebration for the victims cousin at the Cultural Center of India.

After a three-day trial and four hours of deliberation, jurors returned guilty verdicts against David Saul Alvarez Reyes on charges of first-degree murder, felony use of a firearm and shooting into an occupied dwelling in the July 2, 2022, slaying of Joel A. Gonzalez-Alvarado. The victim was shot multiple times during a fight among two groups of teens in the mens restroom.

Reyes claimed he fired in self-defense after he was allegedly fired upon and felt trapped and outnumbered 3-to-1 by teens who knew Gonzalez-Alvardo. Reyes was 15 at the time of the offense. Three other teens have been charged in the case, but Reyes was identified as the one who fired the fatal shots.

Chesterfield Circuit Judge David E. Johnson, who presided over the trial, set sentencing for May 12.

According to the prosecutions evidence presented by Deputy Commonwealths Attorney Barbara Cooke and Assistant Commonwealths Attorney Brittany Hinton, Reyes and his friends had not been invited to the event and crashed the quinceanera, a traditional coming-of-age party for 15-year-olds. The cultural center at 6641 Ironbridge Road had been leased for the occasion.

Reyes and his friends arrived between 10 and 10:30 p.m., and surveillance footage showed one of Reyes friends entering the lobby and standing around for a couple of minutes before going back outside with the others. The friend then returned to the lobby and was followed by Reyes and the others. The group headed directly to the restroom.

Gonzalez-Alvarado and his group of friends then entered the restroom.

A cellphone video taken by a 16-year-old boy who entered the restroom, after sensing trouble was brewing, partially captured the shooting. The video showed one of Reyes friends holding Gonzalez-Alvarado up against a urinal on the wall in the bathroom.

The video also showed Reyes exiting one of the restroom stalls with a gun. He racks the weapon and comes to stand behind his friend who has Gonzalez-Alvarado against the wall. Reyes then raised the gun and pointed it Gonzalez-Alvarado.

The teen who was recording the incident became alarmed after seeing other teens in the restroom armed with guns, so he turned and started to run with other witnesses. One shot, followed by four in succession, can be heard on the video.

Defense attorney Vaughan Jones argued that Reyes resisted using deadly force three times  raising and then lowering his gun  before eventually firing as he tried to break up the fight.

Reyes claimed he was grazed by a bullet as shots were being fired in the restroom. A drop of blood was found on one of his socks, but authorities said there was no entry wound or other evidence that he had been hit. In addition, Reyes did not alert authorities who responded to the scene that he had been struck by gunfire.

The defense noted Reyes injury was so slight that it did not require medical treatment.

Reyes took the stand, insisting he acted in self-defense. He testified he had previous interactions with Gonzalez-Alvarado, had knowledge of his turbulent behavior and was mindful of that when he encountered him the night of the party.

Less than 24 hours after the shooting, Chesterfield police investigators with a warrant searched Reyes Chesterfield home and found a gun under his mattress. A state firearms examiner later matched the weapon to cartridge casings found at the scene and bullet slugs recovered from the victims body.

Two guns were fired in the restroom. Detectives recovered spent cartridge casings from 9 mm and .22-caliber handguns. Reyes fired the .22-caliber weapon.

The only other person struck by gunfire was another partygoer, Kenny Juarez-Arriola, who was wounded by Chesterfield Sheriffs deputy Donte Govine  who was providing security that night  after the deputy saw Juarez-Arriloa fire a gun into the air in the parking lot. Juarez-Arriloa discharged his gun moments after Gonzalez-Alvarado was fatally shot, and the deputy initially believed he might have been involved in the killing.

The co-defendants are scheduled to be tried by juries in coming months.

Yahir Estauardo Barrientos, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, is to be tried March 13-15. Brayan C. Izaguirre-Cuellar, also 17, has a March 20-22 trial date. Lastly, Kevin Benitez Sorto, 16, is scheduled to be tried May 9-11.

Interactive: Find out more about mass killings in the U.S. Interactive: Number of mass killings by year Interactive: Mass killings by location scaled by number of victims Interactive: Search mass killing incidents Interactive: Timeline of mass killings scaled by number of victims killed Interactive: Number of mass killings and victims killed this year compared with previous years Interactive map: People killed by shootings, per 100,000 residents
A former Richmond Public Schools employee is suing the Richmond School Board in federal court after she allegedly tried to blow the whistle on the school division over what she termed its intent to misuse federal funds.

The suit was filed last week under the False Claims Acts anti-retaliation provision, which provides relief to whistleblowers who are retaliated against because they undertook efforts to stop an entity from engaging in practices which defraud the United States government.

Plaintiff Kara Williams was employed by RPS as its manager of the Head Start Program  a federally funded program that provides services to young children in low-income families. RPS fired Williams in January 2021 after Williams had repeatedly objected to violations of Head Start law and regulations, the suit alleges.

A school division spokesperson said the division does not comment on pending litigation.

The school division hired Williams in 2014 after she had worked for various Head Start programs for 19 years. Her job was to ensure compliance with Head Start policies and regulations as well as to prepare an annual budget.

Things went awry in October 2019, the suit says, when the school division hired Kristi DSouza as its director of early childhood education and school readiness, a direct supervisory position to Williams role.

The suit alleges that from the time she was hired, DSouza violated several Head Start laws and policies, and Williams repeatedly opposed those violations and attempts.

DSouza in October 2019 proposed a merger of Head Start with the Virginia Preschool Initiative, which Williams believed to be a violation of Head Starts grant funding terms.

Among other alleged violations, the suit asserts that DSouza also requested that an administrative office assistant for the Head Start program provide administrative services to duties outside of allowable uses for federally provided Head Start funds.

During a one-on-one meeting with DSouza and Williams, DSouza stated that RPS could simply manipulate the funding codes for Head Start and Virginia Preschool Initiative until RPS reported its financial statements and budgets to the Department of Education for funding, according to the suit.

Williams said she adamantly objected, as Head Start standards required the RPS Policy Council to consult and approve all applications for funding and amendments to the budget.

In 2020 after Williams repeated opposition to several other directives that allegedly violated laws and regulations, DSOuza began a targeted effort to remove Williams, the suit says.

DSouza reprimanded Williams for refusing to complete the necessary steps for instructional supplies for preschool students, and wrote that Williams engaged in a combative dialogue and threatened to flag the purchase in the internal accounting, the suit states.

Williams said she objected to the purchase because the materials would have been purchased with Head Start funds and given to students who did not qualify for Head Start, a blatant violation of mandated standards.

After several subsequent, similar incidents, Williams received letter of dismissal in early January 2021.

The school district fired Williams, the suit alleges, at the insistence of DSouza in retaliation for her continued, good faith reports that the RPS Early Childhood Education and Head Start Programs were not in compliance with the Head Start Program Performance Standards.

Williams in the lawsuit requests her job back, and double the amount of back pay owed with interest.

She is being represented by Ashley Passero and Barbara Queen, employment attorneys at LawrenceQueen who declined to comment on the case.

PHOTOS: Media tour of Fox Elementary
Jackson Ward is on its way to better transportation, access to public spaces and future development thanks to a promised $1.35 million in federal grant funds.

The funding comes from a portion of federal money dedicated to creating competitive grants geared at reconnecting primarily historic Black communities displaced by highways and other construction within the larger $1 trillion infrastructure bill signed by President Joe Biden in November 2021.

Maritza Pechin, the citys deputy director for the Office of Equitable Development, said the funds will go toward the citys overall Reconnect Jackson Ward plan  a government-led, community-based initiative to acknowledge previous displacement, address problem areas and develop a strategic plan to reconnect the historic Black neighborhood to other parts of the city.

The project, which was established in the citys Richmond 300 plan, kicked off last year with a state-funded feasibility study to determine how it could best put a lid on the highway without further disturbing the community. In order to do so, the office focused heavily on community engagement and input, Pechin said.

Spanberger, other congressional Dems challenge Youngkin on education aid error The Youngkin administration says the "delayed congressional inquiry" comes weeks after the House budget chairman said the education department's mistake would be offset in the budget.

After the study finished, the office realized it needed more time, effort and funds to create a better plan. As a result, Pechin said the funds obtained through the grant will go toward further building onto that plan.

We realized that we needed a little bit more time and effort spent, like just planning what the reconnection would look like. So, this grant from the federal government will help us do just that, Pechin said. We can plan and get some good drawings and engineering done on what the physical infrastructure would look like.

The announcement of the funding comes from the offices of Sen. Mark Warner and Sen. Tim Kaine, who hailed the grant as a step in the right direction and a feat of bipartisan legislation.

Following the 1950s construction of interstates 64 and 95, Jackson Ward, a redlined district, was physically and economically separated from downtown Richmond, a factor that still sees ramifications today.

The construction of the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike, which became a part of the interstate system, displaced 10% of the citys Black population and damaged a vibrant community coined the Harlem of the South.

Poverty rates are twice as high and the median household income is three times lower on the north side of I-95 than the part of Jackson Ward south of the interstate, according to U.S. census data.

In recent years, Jackson Ward has seen interest from numerous people including U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who took a walking tour of the district in late 2021 to see for himself the ramifications of 1950s architectural segregation and subsequent gentrification.

The citys grant submission to the federal government received support from several politicians, including Buttigieg, Warner and Kaine, who wrote letters of support for the funding.

The City Council approved an ordinance earlier this year to receive and accept the funding that includes a small percent match on behalf of the city. So Pechin and her team can begin their work of further funding the project.

From the Archives: Jackson Ward in the 1970s and 80s
WARSAW, Poland  Months after Russian forces occupied southern Ukraine's Kherson province last year, they started paying visits to the home of a Ukrainian woman and her Russian husband. They smashed their refrigerator and demanded possession of their car. One day, they seized the wife and her teenage daughter, put pillowcases over their heads and led them away.

The woman was locked up for days, her legs beaten with a hammer. The men accused her of revealing Russian soldiers locations. They subjected her to electric shocks and bore down on her feet with the heels of their military boots until two of her toes broke. She heard screams nearby and feared they came from her daughter.

More than once, with a bag on her head and her hands tied, a weapon was pointed at her head. She'd feel the muzzle at her temple, and a man started counting.

One. Two. Two and a half.

Then, a shot fired to the floor.

Although at that moment, it seemed to me that it would be better in my head, she told The Associated Press, recounting the torture that lasted five days, counted by the sliver of sunlight from a tiny window in the room. The only thing that kept me strong was the awareness that my child was somewhere around.

The Russian officials eventually released the woman and her daughter, she said, and she made her way home. She took a long shower and packed a bag, and the two fled the occupied area  first to Russian-occupied Crimea and then to mainland Russia, from where they crossed by land into Latvia and finally Poland.

Her body was still bruised, and she could barely walk. But in December in Warsaw, she reunited with a son. And she and her daughter joined the refugees who have fled their homes since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Nearly a year has passed since the Feb. 24, 2022, invasion sent millions fleeing across Ukraines border into neighboring Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Moldova and Romania. Crowds of terrified, exhausted people boarded trains and waited for days at border crossings.

Across Europe, about 8 million refugees have been recorded, according to U.N. estimates based on data from national governments, and nearly 5 million of those have applied for temporary protection. Experts say those numbers are fluid  some people apply in more than one country  but they agree it's the largest movement of refugees in Europe since World War II. Unlike refugees from recent conflicts in the Middle East and Africa, the Ukrainians were largely met with an outpouring of sympathy and help.

Yet while the Ukrainian refugees have found safety, they have not found peace.

They suffer from trauma and loss  uprooted from their lives, separated from relatives, fearing for loved ones stuck in Russian-occupied areas or fighting on the frontline. Children are separated from fathers, grandparents, pets. Others have no family or homes to return to.

The woman from Kherson spoke to the AP this month at a Warsaw counseling center run in partnership with UNICEF. She insisted on anonymity; she fears for the safety of her husband and other relatives in Russian-occupied areas.

She doesnt like to talk about herself. But she has a goal: For the world to see what Russian troops are doing.

Even now, I am afraid, she said, wiping her eyes with her pastel-color nails and fiddling over a tissue. Do you understand?

She is among the refugees seeking trauma treatment, most often from Ukrainian psychologists who themselves fled home and struggle with their own grief and loss. No agency has definitive numbers on refugees in treatment, but experts say the psychological toll of the conflict is vast, with rates of anxiety and depression skyrocketing.

At the Warsaw center, psychologists describe treating crying children, teenagers separated from everything they know, mothers unknowingly transferring trauma to their kids.

One patient, a boy from Mariupol, was used as a human shield. His hair has already begun to turn gray. The home of the counselor who treats him was destroyed by a Russian bomb.

Refugee mental health is a priority for aid organizations large and small, even as they work to meet needs for housing, work and education.

Anastasiia Gudkova, a Ukrainian providing psychological support to refugees at a Norwegian Refugee Council reception center in Warsaw, said the most traumatized people she meets come from Mariupol, Kherson and other occupied territories. Those who flee bombing in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia also arrive terrified.

But theres pain for those even from relatively safer areas in western Ukraine, she said: All Ukrainians, regardless of their location, are under a lot of stress.

According to the U.N. refugee agency, 90% of the Ukrainians who have sought refuge abroad are women, children and the elderly.

The psychologists see women struggle to put on a brave face for children, trying to survive in countries where they often dont speak the language. Many women with higher education have taken jobs cleaning other peoples homes or working in restaurant kitchens.

The luckiest ones are able to keep doing their old jobs remotely from exile or are beginning to envision new lives.

Last January, Anastasia Lasna was planning to open her own bakery in Mykolaiv after finding success with providing other businesses with her vegan foods and healthy desserts. Today she is running a food pantry of the Jewish Community Center in Krakow, which has helped some 200,000 Ukrainian refugees, and integrating herself into the southern Polish citys growing Jewish community.

She has Israeli citizenship, but doesnt want to live in another conflict-scarred land. Joined now in Krakow by her husband and her 6-year-old daughter, she cannot imagine returning to her former home.

There is no future there, she said.
Tensions are mounting between House Republicans and Senate Democrats over agreement on changes to the state budget, with ongoing negotiations already too late for the General Assembly to adjourn on time on Saturday.

House rules require that legislators receive a copy of the proposed budget agreement at least 48 hours before they vote on it, so the earliest assembly could act on a budget deal would be Sunday to allow staff time to print the document for delegates and senators to read it.

Thats not likely, either.

Im hoping were only two or three days late, Senate Finance Co-Chair Janet Howell, D-Fairfax, said Thursday afternoon, after she said House Appropriations Chair Barry Knight, R-Virginia Beach, did not show for a planned meeting.

Knight said they missed each other in an exchange of text messages and calls between floor sessions in both chambers but, earlier in the day, he was fuming over the slow pace of budget negotiations.

They havent met with me for two days, Knight complained in a text message on Thursday morning.

The political stakes are high in an election year for all 140 members of the General Assembly, many of them facing party primary opponents this spring, as Republicans and Democrats vie for legislative control in the last two years of Gov. Glenn Youngkins term.

The House and Senate are divided by a $1 billion gap in available budget revenues because Republicans support and Democrats oppose a package of tax cuts Youngkin is proposing.

House Republicans have publicly pressured Senate Democrats to speed the pace of negotiations since the chambers adopted their respective budget bills on Feb. 9. There has been little sign of progress amid warnings that the assembly could decline to adopt any changes and rely on the two-year budget that Youngkin signed into law last June.

But that would prevent the adoption of $2.6 billion in new spending, in addition to tax cuts, that Youngkin proposed because of flush state revenues. It also would block the Senate from diverting the money from those tax cut proposals to other priorities, such as additional raises for teachers and state employees and $1 billion more for K-12 schools.

Adjourning without a budget also would prevent Youngkin from securing up to $300 million for a special transportation fund that he would largely control for economic development projects or additional funding for the state to buy land for potential industry megasites to prevent it from being taken for other, less economically valuable uses. It would stop the Senate from blocking any potential bid by the governor to occupy renovated Old City Hall next to Capitol Square instead of sharing it with critical legislative agencies.

No new budget would end Petersburgs bid to hold a referendum this year on a proposed $1.4 billion casino resort and mixed-use development, while allowing Richmond to hold another vote on its proposed $600 million casino. After the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee killed two proposals for the Petersburg casino, its hopes rest on a budget deal, but that also could be unlikely.

Im totally opposed to any more casinos, anywhere, including Tysons Corner or Reston, said Howell, referring to a short-lived proposal by Sen. David Marsden, D-Fairfax, to allow public consideration of a casino along the Metro Silver Line corridor in Northern Virginia.

The House and Senate already were at odds over how much money to devote to preparing megasites for economic development, when Howells committee rankled Knight by gutting his proposal to allow the state to buy property as a last resort to protect it for major industrial projects.

Instead, the Senate committee voted Monday to convene a work group to come up with plan later this year for a business ready site acquisition program.

They tried to play me, Knight said Thursday.

The Senate smoothed over the dispute by amending House Bill 1842 on the Senate floor on Thursday to create the fund with legislative oversight and protection of local government interest in economically valuable land. The revised bill passed by a 39-1 vote, with only Sen. Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield, opposed.

This is a bill where we had a legislative epiphany, said Senate Minority Leader Tommy Norment, R-James City.

Howell, who is not expected to seek re-election this year, said leaving Richmond without a revised budget is not a reasonable option.

Just leave all that money sitting there when we have such pressing needs? It makes no sense, she said.

Howell noted that Youngkin had not met with all budget negotiators or written them a letter about his priorities, as is customary. This year is different, she said.

Youngkin spokesperson Macaulay Porter said the governor had presented his budget proposals to the House and Senate money committees in December. And the governor has met with [Senate Finance Co-Chair George Barker, D-Fairfax] and Howell in budget focused meetings  one as recently as last week, Porter said.

Howell said she is optimistic that when budget negotiators find time to meet, they will be able to reach a compromise that could satisfy both sides, as well as Youngkin, who also will have his chance to propose budget amendments for the assembly to consider at its veto session on April 12.

Were getting a pretty good idea of what the governor will accept and were moving in that direction, Howell said.

Knight said he also is optimistic. It wouldnt surprise me if we come back sometime next week and sign this thing, he said.
Sometimes, what a legislator thinks is a bright idea for a new law just runs out of time at the Virginia General Assembly.

This year, it happened to Del. Les Adams, R-Pittsylvania, with a measure aimed at opening a way for the local teams that coordinate services for troubled children and youth to share highly sensitive information with police and school threat assessment teams. and another on sanctioning people for technical violations of probation.

It happened to Del. Keith Hodges, R-Middlesex, with a bill that would give state regulators a look-in when it takes more than a week for a pharmacy to fill a prescription.

And it came close for a bill from Del. Karrie Delaney, D-Fairfax, to expand the use of closed-circuit television for teenagers testifying in court. That was the last non-procedural matter at the end of a nine-hour day when Senate Minority Leader Tommy Norment, R-James City, moved to re-refer the measure to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

On Thursday, lawmakers rushed to meet a deadline to clear the decks for work on the budget and other bills in conference committees, which resolve differences between House and Senate versions of measures. All that remained on the legislative calendar Friday were bills in conference, resolutions to commend individuals and organizations, and memorial resolutions celebrating notable Virginians who have died.

Lawmakers had been scheduled to adjourn the legislative session on Saturday, but without a budget agreement they could be heading for overtime.

Delaneys bill had sailed through the House, 99-0, and the Senate committee, with support from Norment and state Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax. But between those votes and its arrival before the Senate on Thursday, Norment and Surovell had second thoughts.

Their concern was that the Bill of Rights guarantees accused people the right to confront their accusers, and the bills language seemed out of step to them with U.S. Supreme Court opinions on when remote testimony can be used in criminal trials.

Senators  including state Sen. Janet Howell, D-Fairfax, who shared that abuse when she was young still traumatized her decades later  argued that the measure is needed to protect children and assure justice.

Finally, after a half-hour of lawmakers walking draft amendments around, and huddles of senators with different views on the issue, the Senate agreed on a wording change and passed the measure. Over the next half-hour, the Senate and the House completed the usual exchanges that send a bill to a conference committee.

Sometimes, the clock runs out because of someones memory.

Sen. Lionel Spruill Sr., D-Chesapeake, wanted the state to license mold inspectors and remediators; the Senate agreed 31-7, and so did the House General Laws Committee on a vote of 21-1.

But Del. Michael Webert, R-Fauquier, remembered something no one else did  a law he sponsored that requires a review by the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation before the General Assembly requires additional licensing.

So Webert moved Thursday to send the bill back to the General Laws Committee and, with two days to go before the scheduled end of the session and no committee meeting scheduled, the clock ran out on this bill.

And time ran out for another measure Webert asked to send back to committee.

Under this bill, disbarred attorneys seeking reinstatement could ask a three-judge panel to consider their case as an alternative to a disciplinary committee of the State Bar.

While the one legislator it could affect, state Sen. Joe Morrissey, D-Richmond, abstained, many legislators believe it was aimed at helping him. The measures sponsor, Surovell, said no one approached him to introduce the bill.

Legislators meet for 60 days in even-numbered years in which they consider a new two-year state budget. They meet for 46 days in odd-numbered years in which they consider budget amendments, then adjourn and focus on legislative elections. This year, all 140 House and Senate seats are up in November.

With a ticking clock in an election-year short session, Adams, Hodges and Delaneys bills all involved complex balancing acts.

The sheer volume of bills and resolutions, more than 2,800 this year, means some measures, like the bill on mold inspectors, do not run into problems until the very last moment.

Some more political issues swirled around a bill, sponsored by Del. Marie March, R-Floyd, that would state that life begins at conception and repeal Virginias abortion law. The House Rules Committee opted to deliberately run out the clock, leaving the bill in the panel without a vote.

The measure would have been a sure-fire feature on election mailers this year for Democrats eager to make abortion rights a centerpiece of their campaigns. It could have put Republicans on the spot no matter which way they voted.

Time is the key.

For Adams bill on troubled children and threat assessment teams, the one-vote margins on which it eked through a subcommittee and then the House Health, Welfare and Institutions Committee three weeks ago were early signs of the complications it raised.

Teams that bring together social services, school, juvenile justice and behavioral health specialists with family members to delve deep into what troubled children and the families need, deal with extremely personal and sensitive information, including psychiatric examinations, said Valerie LHerrou, an attorney with the Virginia Poverty Law Center who specializes in child welfare issues.

Adams proposed that if such teams find theres a risk a child will be violent or physically harm others, they be allowed to share that information with police or threat assessment teams.

This is super-dangerous, said state Sen. Monty Mason, D-Williamsburg, raising privacy considerations as Adams outlined his proposal.

Look at the professions out there [in the hearing room]. I think theyre saying it really scares the heck out of them, he said.

The Senate Rehabilitation and Social Services Committee recently spent most of an hour wrangling over the bill. It discussed rules that would keep police from sharing information with still others and pressed Adams about what actions police could take knowing the information. The panel finally added a line that police could use the information to secure a red flag order. The aim was to limit what police could do with the information and, with that, the committee passed the measure.

But members kept brooding about the measure.

Confidentiality is so important, Mason said  but his focus went beyond the issue of where police could share information they got from such teams, or even LHerrous concern about access to psychiatric exams.

Mason, because he had been able to sit in on some such meetings, knew that getting families to participate is often key  helping troubled children, sometimes in difficulties because of family issues, necessarily involves family members, and some of what the teams deal with are matters that are hard to confront.

We want families there, he said. Whats going to happen if you slap down a waiver and say your information could be shared with police? ... We just need more time to think everything through and find the right balance.

So when the bill came up for final passage, the committee chair, Sen. Barbara Favola, D-Arlington, asked the Senate to send it back to her committee for more work  even though, with just a few days to go before Saturdays scheduled adjournment, the committee was not scheduled to meet again.

Many bills set different interests in opposition: It happened, for instance, with Hodges bill on pharmacy regulation.

It started off requiring pharmacies that take more than two days to fill a prescription to report their backlog of unfilled prescriptions to the Board of Pharmacy. They also would have to submit a formal plan detailing staffing, workflow and technology they would deploy to bring down the backlog.

It also required pharmacies that process prescriptions in a remote or centralized manner  that is, mail order pharmacies  to register their technicians with the board.

Hodges, who had run community pharmacies in the Middle Peninsula, has long tried to rein in the big mail order operations and the pharmacy benefit managers that insurers use to control prices and access to medication.

His latest effort brought out legislative heavy hitters and, while it made it out of the House with almost unanimous support, it ran into trouble in a Senate Education and Health subcommittee.

Hodges offered a substitute when the measure came before the full committee. He walked back the bills provisions, with a proposal that the pharmacy board promulgate regulations for central-fill operations and the technicians they employ, as well as setting up a study group to review issues with processing delays.

The committee approved it 11-3, with one abstention.

The idea was to send a radically different bill back to the House and send the matter into a conference committee to see if negotiators from both chambers could agree on an approach.

But lobbying continued that Friday and over a weekend. The following Monday, Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, chair of the Senate Education and Health Committee, asked the Senate to send it back to her committee.

We did not have time to really look at Hodges substitute, she said.

To persuade her fellow senators to stop the clock on Hodges effort, as they did, Lucas cited a decades-old catchphrase that members of the General Assembly use in brokering deals between competing special interests.

There is no peace in the valley, she said.

From the Archives: Richmond buildings that are no longer around
Virginias Senate has passed a bill to adopt a definition of antisemitism.

House Bill 1606 by Del. Anne Ferrell Tata, R-Virginia Beach, would allow Virginia to adopt the non-legally binding Working Definition of Antisemitism that is already adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

The bill is meant to be a tool and guide for training, education, recognizing and combating antisemitic hate crimes or discrimination and for tracking and reporting antisemitic incidents in the Commonwealth.

Tata was not available for an interview by the time of this publication, but during the Senate floor session on Thursday, Sen. Siobahn Dunnavant, R-Henrico, spoke in favor of the legislation.

Weve seen an unprecedented increase in antisemitic hate crimes and aggression, even in our own state, Dunnavant said.

Del. Dan Helmer, D-Fairfax, who voted against the measure when it passed the House on Feb. 7, thinks the legislation will not have the effect people may think it could have. Though defining an issue is a first step toward solutions, he thinks the bill is a symbol more than an action.

The bill is a symbol. And its a symbol to say, Ive done something when I havent,  Helmer said. Its a symbol to cut the conversation off, rather than to get the conversation started.

Helmer said he was subject to an antisemitic campaign flier in 2021 that was funded by the Republican Party of Virginia  a reason he is skeptical about the GOP efforts to address discrimination and hate crimes now. (The flier purported to show Helmer looking at stacks of gold coins.)

He said he would like to see increased awareness of antisemitism and threats or harassment to Jewish communities.

Are these delegates going back and engaging with their Jewish communities? If any legislator in Virginia wants to, I will go and I will meet with them in Jewish communities, Helmer said. And Im happy to have those conversations in a really meaningful way.

He added that Jewish members of the legislature should have been consulted when crafting bills relating to the matter. Del. Eileen Filler-Corn, D-Fairfax, who was Virginias first Jewish speaker of the House, was eventually consulted on the bill and she supported it.

We cannot root out or eliminate antisemitism until we can define it, she said in a recent floor speech.

Last year, Gov. Glenn Youngkin established the Commission to Combat Antisemitism, which released a report in December. The commission recommended 21 initiatives, such as refining state hate crime definitions, calling for new curriculums in schools and recognition of Jewish religious holidays, barring state schools from joining campaigns boycotting nations like those barring financial connections with Israel and calling for training on hate crimes.

More recently, Attorney General Jason Miyares established a task force, and colleges have reported incidents to his office. Earlier in this legislative session, a bill to boycott engaging in business with Israel was voted down.

A point of discussion for Youngkins commission was more than defining antisemitism as prejudice and malice toward Jewish people but also antisemitism 2.0  as stated by Israeli actress Noa Tishby, who participated virtually in the commission.

She was referring to people who criticize the actions of Israels government, which is not technically antisemitism toward all Jewish people.

Conflating hatred of Jewish people with criticism of a Jewish government, a Richmond rabbi said, can be complex.

It is certainly true that rhetoric used by some critics of Israel, such as targeting the wider Jewish community or denying the right of the state of Israel to exist, evokes long-standing stereotypes and antisemitic tropes, Temple Beth-El Rabbi Michael Knopf wrote in a recent opinion piece for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. But conflating antisemitism with all criticism of Israel endangers legitimate free speech and distracts from the primary antisemitic threat, namely white supremacy.

Five years ago, a mix of Confederate groups, the Ku Klux Klan and other far-right groups gathered for the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, where Jewish people and Black people and other people of color were verbally and physically targeted. In the years since, a spate of hate crimes has spread nationwide  prompting legislators and activists alike to try to dampen matters.

Lets not wait for another antisemitic tragedy, Filler-Corn said in a recent floor speech while supporting Senate Bill 1606. We can do more to educate people.

Top 5 weekend events: Pet Expo, Damon Wayans Jr. and 'School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play' Pet Expo from Henrico Humane Society Damon Wayans Jr. School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play Mardi Gras at Busch Gardens African American Read-in
 Flash

Photo taken on Feb. 20, 2023 shows the scene of a shooting during a carnival parade on Feb. 19 in New Orleans, Louisiana, the United States. [Photo/Xinhua]

As of mid-February, the Gun Violence Archive had counted 81 mass shootings in the United States in 2023, reported The New York Times (NYT) on Wednesday.

This was an average of more than one per day, including the shooting that killed three Michigan State University students and badly wounded five others on Feb. 13, said the report.

Gun violence disproportionately affects Black communities. And according to one study, Asians, Pacific Islanders and native Hawaiians living in California were more worried about becoming victims of gun violence than other racial or ethnic groups, it added.
Despite many legislators upset over how tow truck operators take cars that are trespassing on private lots, a bill giving the truckers a fee boost is headed to the governors desk.

Thursday started on a somber note for the General Assembly: news that the nearly 4-month-old baby of one of their own, Del. Mike Mullin, D-Newport News, had died.

As the House Democratic caucus walked back from telling their Republican colleagues, Fairfax Del. Kathleen Murphys face fell and her eyes filled, thinking of her friends loss and the death of her own adult daughter last year, leaving two young children behind. Del. Eileen Filler-Corn, D-Fairfax, was weeping, and Del. Jeion Ward, D-Hampton, buried her face in a tissue as she cried.

We all need to stop and pray and think about the important things in life, Majority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Scott, told the House.

Thursday, glum as it was, was also a day for shoveling bills, with the scheduled end of the session looming.

After much debate in the state Senate on Wednesday and in the House of Delegates on Thursday, the General Assembly said the tow truck operators could levy a $20 surcharge for fuel to the usual $150 bill when they remove a trespassing vehicle from a private lot.

This is for fuel that costs $4 for a tow, said Del. Alfonso Lopez, D-Arlington, whose own effort to make towing operators practices subject to lawsuit under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act died in a House subcommittee.

Lopez said the surcharge is simply a way to get around the states current $150 cap on charges when a trespasser is towed. The bill originally proposed raising the cap to $180.

I dont know any bill that made such a fuss over trying to help some small family-owned businesses ... trying to help their employees in difficult times, said the bills sponsor, Del. Scott Wyatt, R-Hanover.

In the Senate, the bill sparked a long story from state Sen. Joe Morrissey, D-Richmond, about the time his Jaguar was towed for double-parking in a lot it was permitted to be in.

Three wheels were inside the space, one on the line between it and the next space, Morrissey explained, at some length.

He objected to the lot owner; the lot owner said being on the line was double-parking. Morrissey demanded $2,500 for his time and effort to retrieve the car, and sued. He said that in general district court, he won a judgment for $1,650, but told the lot owner he still wanted $2,500 and was planning an appeal in which he would show the jury a picture of how he parked.

I got the $2,500, he concluded.

The bill headed for death on a tie 19-19 vote, after a floor amendment cutting the surcharge from $30 to $20, but when the Senate reconsidered, three senators  Jeremy McPike, D-Prince William; Bryce Reeves, R-Spotsylvania; and Majority Leader Dick Saslaw, D-Fairfax  shifted their votes to support the bill while Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield, who did not vote the first time, opposed the measure. The bill passed 21-19.

The House accepted the Senates cut to $20 by a 50-45 vote, which moves the much-debated bill to the governor.

Unanimity reigned when considering Senate tweaks to a bill requiring that guardians of incapacitated people make at least one face-to-face visit a year, with two additional required checks to be possible with a video call or by sending a substitute.

This bill, sponsored by Del. Danica Roem, D-Prince William, along with a companion saying guardians cant block access to family and friends, also heads to the governor.

The House also unanimously accepted Senate changes to what Del. Rip Sullivan, D-Fairfax, called his peeping eye drone bill  a measure saying using a drone to peer into an occupied building is a crime that could mean a year in jail.

But the House decided to run out the clock on a bill saying disbarred attorneys seeking reinstatement could ask a three-judge panel to consider their case as an alternative to a disciplinary committee of the State Bar.

With a voice vote, the House sent the bill back to the Courts of Justice Committee, which will not meet again this session.

I was hearing a lot of concern about this, said Del. Michael Webert, R-Fauquier, who made the motion.

Former judge Birdie Jamison had complained to the bills sponsor, state Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, that the bill looked to be aimed at helping twice-disbarred Morrissey get a way to circumvent the usual protocol for reinstatement.

Surovell has said no one asked him to introduce the measure. Morrissey and his attorney, state Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Franklin County, said the Richmond senator had nothing to do with the measure. Morrissey abstained when it was before the Senate.
Ebrard on hand for opening of new Cancun SRE office

Cancun, Q.R.  After 23 years, Governor Mara Lezama and Secretary Marcelo Ebrard modernize services for Quintana Roo tourists and visitors. On Thursday, dignitaries inaugurated the new SRE (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) Office in the Cancun Hotel Zone.

The new facilities offer additional services that the previous passport office did not provide. In a statement, Lezama explained that the new SRE office will make data modifications, provide protection services through Mexican consulates in other countries and offer support in locating lost and missing compatriots in other countries. She did note that naturalization processes will no longer be processed in that office.

In addition, the new headquarters will help put an end to the abuses that some managers committed, despite the efforts of the federal authorities.

Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon, Mexicos Secretary of Foreign Affairs, commissioned the new office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) in Plaza Kukulcan at kilometer 13 of the Cancun Hotel Zone. The new SRE office will serve the public from Monday to Sunday from 8:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. and increase service time by more than 400 percent.

Ebrard said the new office is the result of the good relationship between the State Government with the Government of Mexico, which has allowed for the rapid materialization of projects.

New SRE office opens in Cancun Hotel Zone. Photo: CGC February 23, 2023.

The new office consists of just over 800 square meters and cost 22 million peso. Governor Lezama said now that the Cancun office is open, the government is considering renovating the SRE office in Chetumal and creating an SRE office in Cozumel.
National tourist drowns off Cancun Hotel Zone beach

Cancun, Q.R.  A tourist from Monterrey died by drowning off a Cancun Hotel Zone beach Wednesday. The 20-something year old man was visiting the area with friends when the accident happened.

He was swimming with friends at Playa Gaviota in the Cancun Hotel Zone late Wednesday afternoon when he was dragged out to sea. Angel Garay L was returned to shore by on duty lifeguards, however, he did not respond to resusciation attempts.

His friends and family posted on social media that the young man will be returned to Monterrey for burial.
A new poll reveals the disquieting extent of young Americans support for Marxism. However, it also divulges the reasons behind the popularity of collectivism and the seeds of its destruction.

The number of young Americans who have a favorable view of Marxism has increased five-fold in just one year. According to the new survey, nearly one-third of the members of Gen Z  Americans between the ages of 16 and 23  deem Marxism worthy of support. The terms favorability has skyrocketed to 30% among Gen Z respondents, up from 6% in 2019.

Gen Zs approval of socialism also crept up nine points since last year (49% favorable in 2020, compared to 40% in 2019). The results come from the newest edition of the Report on U.S. Attitudes Toward Socialism, Communism, and Collectivism  which is commissioned annually by the Victims of Communism Memorial (VOC) and conducted by YouGov.

But the latest VOC poll, which was released Wednesday, contains an internal contradiction:

Americans increasingly distrust the government to take care of their interests, with 87% saying they trust themselves over the government and their community (a 7% increase from 2019). This is especially the case in younger generations, with only 6% of Gen Z and 5% of Millennials trusting the government to take care of their interests, down 8% and 11% from 2019, respectively.

How can young Americans distrust the government to look after their interests yet endorse socialism, which entrusts the government with the power to redistribute wealth, direct all economic activity, and control their access to such necessities as healthcare?

The polls results highlight two simple answers: ignorance of socialism and a jaundiced view of the United States induced by critical theory.

Americans suffer a two-pronged ignorance of socialism: what it is and what is has done. As Simon van Zuylen-Wood explained in New York magazine last March, the word [socialism] had lost its meaning by the time it got hot again. Thus, 31% of VOC respondents say they believe that socialism [m]eans a free market economy with private property in which the government provides ample social welfare benefits, as in many Scandinavian and Western European countries. In reality, Scandinavian countries have tried for years to inform Americans in general (and Bernie Sanders, in particular) that they are not socialist, and that democratic socialists like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez fundamentally misunderstand the Scandinavian model. The Nordic countries jettisoned policies like the ones AOC proposes after their economies crashed during the 1980s.

Researchers have found that socialisms popularity grew in tandem with public confusion about the economic system. Only 20% of registered voters in the U.S. associated socialism with government ownership of some (13%) or all (7%) of the economy in a Hill-HarrisX survey taken last May. One in three said socialism meant the government would end poverty and provide basic things. The same is true for Americans as a whole. A Gallup poll from October 2018 found that less than one in five U.S. citizens said socialism means abolishing private property, while 23% said socialism stands for equality  equal standing for everybody, all equal in rights, equal in distribution.

Americans also have no grasp of Marxisms bloody past  and present. The VOC finds that 32% of Americans think that Donald Trump is responsible for the deaths of more people than North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. Twice as many Americans (64%) say they are unaware that the Chinese Communist Party is responsible for more deaths than Nazi Germany.

However, young Americans are aware of one nations failings: their own. Gen Z is almost twice as likely to believe America is a racist nation with a long history of discrimination (51%) as to say that America is a leading defender of freedom around the world (27%). Only 44% of Gen Z thinks that the American flag most accurately represents freedom, the poll finds. Hence, Americans are more likely to advocate toppling statues depicting Robert E. Lee (30%) or Christopher Columbus (26%) than Marxist mass murderer Che Guevara (24%). Gen Z even believes U.S. President Trump did more to spread COVID-19 than Chinas Xi Jinping.

It shocks the conscience that four-in-ten Americans believe that their country is a racist nation, says VOC Executive Director Marion Smith. Smith attributes these views to a total failure of our education system, as well as the basic dishonesty in our media and popular culture.

When one-in-four Americans want to eliminate capitalism and embrace socialism, we know that we have failed to educate about the historical and moral failings of these ideologies, he says.

Or perhaps the educational establishment has indoctrinated American students too well. By the time the Pulitzer-Prize-winning 1619 Project backtracked on its central claim that the introduction of slavery represented Americas true founding, public schools had already taught its curriculum to tens of thousands of students in all 50 states  at your expense. Academia has long inculcated the neo-Marxist view of America as a patchwork of competing victim groups (racial, sexual, and gender minorities) and oppressors (straight, white, cisgender males). Discrediting the U.S. Constitution, with its checks on mob rule and embrace of a free-market economic system, as systemically racist represents the high-water mark of Italian Communist Antonio Gramscis long march through history  an effort to form a Marxist consciousness in society.

Identity politics succeeded where Das Kapital fell flat. Americans who see themselves as members of impermeable and warring tribes require the government to mediate their differences  and to assure that resources are evenly distributed between groups, according to a viral speech from Thomas Klingenstein, who is president of the Claremont Institute. But, he warns, achieving this proportional representation requires a never-ending redistribution of wealth and power by the federal government. Such a massive redistribution can only be achieved by a tyrannical government where dissenters are silenced. Such a government could traditionally be labeled socialist or Marxist.

To succeed, socialists must get us to believe we are bad. In reality, America has brought more freedom and more prosperity to more people than any country in the history of mankind. To further that understanding, he has unveiled a petition to declare every election day  when Americans celebrate their right of self-determination  as America is Good Day. The petition has been signed by such notable figures as former Secretary of Education William J. Bennett, former Sen. Jim DeMint, and Hilldale College President Larry Arnn.

In the Cold War, the struggle against Marxism was geostrategic. Today, it takes place within societies and hearts. Halting socialisms ascendancy in the United States demands that we educate young people about socialisms history of poverty and oppression  and replace the masochism masquerading as history with an appreciation of Western civilization.
Shes not the first Republican to want to do away with the DoE, and with good reason. But as with all deeply entrenched bureaucracies, it may no longer be possible.

Betsy DeVos thinks the Department of Education should not exist. Shes not the first secretary of education weve had who understood her central purpose to be the dissolution of the agency of which she was in charge (until she resigned on January 7, 2021). Ronald Reagan famously pledged the elimination of the office when he ran for president in 1980, promising to undo Carters boondoggle. Terrel Bell, Reagans first secretary of education, insisted that the department should be turned into a foundation, and thus placed under the control of the private sector. Once Bell got wobbly on his commitment to eliminate the agency, Reagan turned control over to William Bennett, who actively called for the departments elimination. Reagans appointment of Bennett to run the agency pointed to a central paradox of modern government: Bureaucratic gains are irreversible, and as a result electoral politics become an intense competition for control of the bureaucratic apparatus. Conservatives could not eliminate the department they loathed, but they could support a secretary who at least seemed sympathetic to their interests. Its in the nature of the idea of public education that it will conflict with private ends. Parents are the first and thus primary educators of their children. The only way to bypass this would be to separate infants from their parents at birth, the path suggested by Socrates when he reflected on the proper formation of the guardian class. In Socrates ideal city, well-bred children would be placed in the care of nurses whose sole commitment is to the good of the city. While it is true that American constitutionalism asked for a well-educated citizenry, the request could never be entertained apart from the demands of liberty and the interests of both households and communities to maintain their independence. Education in America stressed both practical competency and mastery of arts and letters, and this emphasis was always connected to principles of freedom. As America transformed itself from a Republic of republics to a nation of consequence, the demand for more state control of education increased as well, bringing with it a seismic shift in our understanding of what the schools are, what role they ought to play, and on what principles education ought to be conducted.

Consider, for example, the educational reforms of Horace Mann, who argued vigorously for government-supported common schools that would bring all children into the nation. Mann stressed three previously contestable aspects of public education: It had to be compulsory, it had to be universal, and it had to be managed by a centralized bureaucracy. Mann cloaked his understanding of public education in religious language, frequently referring to schools as sacred temples or places where, Christ-like, little children were being called to participate in the kingdom of heaven. Clearly schooled in the Bible and Calvinist theology, Mann sought to connect these to life in a democratic society, whose futurity required comprehensive organization and  united effort, acting for a common end and under the focal light of a common intelligence. Mann viewed local governments as essential bunglers who couldnt move education toward its goal of ensuring national progress. Parents, likewise, were benighted educators who had only a minimal claim to their childs development. Parents had their children for only a short period of time, after which they would be bequeathed to society as adults. If parents do a bad job with the children, society pays the price. Better, Mann averred, that society intervene early in the process, protect the child from bad parenting, and ensure, via standardized school systems, the production of moral and intelligent adults. One cant bend an oak, he said, but one can move a seed. We see a similar emphasis in the development of the National Education Association, the main client connected to DoE policy and largesse. By 1918, the NEA insisted that schools be able to reach their authority back into the home and reform it, since the home was often a bastion of backwardness, ethnic division, and benightedness. The student could then be charged with carrying the ethos of the state back into the household for the purpose of standardizing households. Such standardization is the key to educational reform in the 20th century. The increase in centralized state authority found its handmaiden in the emergent social sciences, with their emphases on methods, aggregation of populations, and categorization, the last of which tended to see things only as species. These emphases can clearly be found in contemporary education, with the foci on standardized tests, measurable outcomes, and universal curricular guidelines. This nationalization and standardization received more formal status with the creation of the Department of Education in 1980, whose task it was to nationalize education through data collection and research. The department has not only grown in size since its inception but also has grown to dominate the nations educational landscape by using funds to entice schools to pursue both benchmarks and, more damningly, social reform. The emphasis on STEM to the exclusion of humane learning serves Americas position as a competitor in the local marketplace, and social reform and identity politics provide moral cover. Bureaucrats driven by the current social science research substitute their judgment for that of teachers and parents. Clearly DoE has taken center stage in the culture wars (consider the 2011 Dear Colleague letter as an example) and been a central actor in using the coercive power of federal funding to force compliance around a set of cultural markers and expectations. It has certainly not been immune from using its influence to advance a progressive agenda and identity politics. One would expect parents to push back against this.

Secretary DeVos tenure was not without controversy, but also not without significant successes, even if eliminating the department wasnt one of them. Rolling back the open attacks on due process on our college campuses was a significant albeit short-lived achievement. And Id be remiss not to mention my favorite moment of her administration: threatening to withhold federal funds from Princeton University after the school issued an opportunistic and disingenuous admission of systemic racism. Just slowing down the progressive agenda was no mean feat. And while I cant speak for Secretary DeVos, my guess is that she rightly divines that such successes will last only as long as conservatives hold some kind of power; and that, furthermore, the internal logic of centralized bureaucratic enterprises will always be progressive, in no small part because the roughly 4,400 employees of that department are overwhelmingly progressive in their views. But even if they werent, the animating principle of the enterprise is to replace parents with teachers, experience with expertise, and local control with national objectives. These national objectives, in turn, are often contrary to the interests and well-being of local communities, particularly when those objectives have an economic or military hue. It may be in the interest of the state to sacrifice citizens in war, but its never in the interest of the parent, and thats true whether its a war of a military or a cultural variety.
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.
Earlier this week, Pulitzer Prizewinning New York Times journalist Linda Greenhouse came out of retirement on the opinion page of her former paper to warn Americans that their nation is now on the cusp of seeing religion elevate[d]  over all other elements of civil society. The bold activism of the Supreme Court, according to Greenhouse, has resulted in an America on the verge of a theocracy, with a High Court that understands civil society primarily through the lens of Protestant evangelical religion. This is a remarkable claim about a Court with only two Protestants, neither of whom is evangelical.

The case that Ms. Greenhouse has identified as the next vehicle for reshaping civil society with religion at it center is Groff v. DeJoy. Gerald Groff, the plaintiff in this case who is represented by my firm, First Liberty Institute, was a postal worker in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Mr. Groff, an evangelical Christian, believes that his faith requires him to honor Sunday as the Lords Day, and as a result his conscience does not allow him to work on Sundays. For several years, the U.S. Postal Service made accommodations for Mr. Groff, until 2016, when this abruptly stopped. Over the next several years, he endured mockery, hostility, and unjust disciplinary action because of his convictions until he finally resigned in January 2019.

Mr. Groff filed suit against the Postal Service, and both lower courts that heard his case applied a standard mentioned in a key case, TWA v. Hardison, which states that religious discrimination on the part of an employer is permissible if an accommodation for religious employees would cause undue hardship to the business. The Hardisoncourt ruled that the key phrase left undefined in the four corners of the relevant regulation meant more than a de minimisburden on the employer. The present Courts surely foreordained rejection of the lower courts reasoning, according to Ms. Greenhouse, would represent a wild departure from established law and result in indirect discrimination against the nonreligious in the workplace.

Legal protection for religious freedom in the American system, Ms. Greenhouse argues, is historically oriented toward the vindication of minority rights, and a victory for Gerald Groff would signal the Courts complete identification with and [capture] by a political movement dedicated to granting evangelical religion a place of primacy in our shared life together as Americans and in the wider jurisprudence of the Court.

Ms. Greenhouses analysis of the case, the issues at play, and the ramifications of a victory for Mr. Groff is deeply flawed and construed with a remarkably uncharitable bias.

First, as a reporter and observer of the Court with more than 30 years of experience, Ms. Greenhouse is surely aware that the regulations and statutes relevant to this case are not the only provisions in federal employment law to use the phrase undue hardship. But to interpret this phrase as de minimis burden is wholly inconsistent with other areas of the law. Mr. Groff is not asking for anything extraordinary or for the present Court to invent a standard like the Hardison court did. He is merely asking that the same definition of undue hardship applied in cases involving the Americans with Disabilities Act be applied in this and similar cases. If religion is rightly understood as nothing special, as she claims, Ms. Greenhouses objection to consistent definitions across federal employment law must be anti-religious bias. To borrow the phrase that she herself used when she imagined the exclusively religious motives of the majority in the Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade: There is no other way to understand it.

Second, religious freedom in the American system is not and has never been reserved for a religious minority. Religious freedom is an absolute and, in the U.S. Constitution, an unqualified right. Free exercise attaches to all who find themselves under the jurisdiction of U.S. lawthe religious and the nonreligious, minority and majority, citizen and noncitizen. Ms. Greenhouse cites the Courts decisions throughout the COVID-19 pandemic as early evidence of the willingness of the Courts majority to privilege religion over all other considerations. Given that the Constitution explicitly bars laws prohibiting the free exercise of religion without any enumerated or implied exceptions, it is difficult to see how these cases are evidence of a Court captured by anything but the words of the Constitution. This is hardly bold activism.

But, assuming for the sake of argument that the majority-minority status of an employee is relevant, the definition of majority is crucial to the understanding of minority. It is not common for evangelicals to hold convictions like Mr. Groffs regarding sabbath observance. He is a minority within his own tradition. But, if Ms. Greenhouse is using the absolute number of Christians, Protestants, or evangelicals as the majority for her frame of reference (which she does not make clear), it is still important to define in what context these groups may be majorities or minorities.

Imagine that Mr. Groff worked in Portland, OregonAmericas least-religious citywhere evangelicals constitute only about 15% of a population dominated by atheists and agnostics. Would Ms. Greenhouse then find herself on the side of championing the rights of Mr. Groff as a religious minority? What if Mr. Groff was not an evangelical Christian but an Orthodox Jew living and working at a post office in the heavily Jewish Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York? His employers cruelty and intransigent refusal to accommodate his convictions would be equally egregious and, ultimately, illegal. In a society that is as expansive and pluralistic as the whole of America, with stark demographic variations from state to state and region to region, it is difficult to argue that a majority-minority distinction in a case such as this has much legal or theoretical significance.

Irrespective of how Ms. Greenhouse views the issues at play in Groff v. DeJoy, the current Courts religious freedom jurisprudence, or the nebulous movement in [American] politics driving a particular outcome, the result that we are seeking for our client and for all Americans is that no one be forced to leave religious convictions at home when going to work. No personreligious or nonreligiousshould be forced to choose between conscience and livelihood.
Evangelical has become almost a dirty word, with political and scandalous overtones. But its history, and that of evangelical revivals, is a rich and varied one that includes some of the great social justice movements of the past 250 years.

In the middle decades of the 18th century, a powerful spiritual movement swept through much of North America and Great Britain, as well as some parts of northern Europe. This evangelical revival (or, in North America, the Great Awakening) transformed not only individual believers but culture and society as well, and produced some extraordinary personalities, people used mightily by God.

Over the course of 2023, I will introduce some of the key personalities of the revival in Britain. Some of the names may be known to you; others less so or not at all. However, what we will see is the way in which God transformed the heart and lives of these individuals and how they in turn changed both the church and the society of which they were parta constant, powerful reminder of the impact our faith can have for the sake of our neighbors.

What Was the Evangelical Revival?

The revival is the name given to the series of events of intense religious fervorlocal, regional, national, and internationalthat occurred in the mid-18th century. The revival, and those affected by it, displayed three particular characteristics. First, there was a recovery of personal piety. Britain had sunk into the mire rather quickly despite the accession in 1688 of a Protestant king and queen, William III and Mary II. The nation may have rejected Catholicism, but Protestantism as such seemed unable to renew the moral fabric of English society. The early adherents of revival rose early and prayed often and deeply. Piety shaped life. John Wesley, a Church of England cleric whose powerful preaching and disciplined spiritual practices would give birth to methodism, even gave himself a grace rating, by which he meant a self-assessed measurement of his discipleship and holiness. Second, there was a rejection of superficiality in faith in favor of more personal, intense, and substantive beliefs. This was accompanied by greater emphasis on self-examination and the all-pervading impact of sin. Journals were kept, books devoured, and good works discharged. Third, there was a recovery of the doctrines of the Reformation, a new Protestantism, if you like, giving weight to both salvation and a transformed life.

There were other characteristics, too; the preaching of the new birth (conversion) lay at the heart of the revival movement. All the main participants underwent this experience, mostly dramatically, but also, interestingly, at least in the formative period of the 1730s, independently of each other. Perhaps this was another sign of the divine origin of what was taking place? There was renewed emphasis on the personal experience of God and a desire to spread the gospel to all. Maybe it was old-fashioned Puritanism meeting the new pietism that formed evangelicalism. Revival itself was bound by neither geography nor social class. This message of spiritual renewal reached into the living rooms of the titled and wealthy and into the hearts of the poorminers in the Kingswood district of Bristol in particular. Nor was the new evangelicalism constrained by denomination. In England, the revival progressed and, indeed, was opposed both within the established Church of England and outside of it, in the chapels and congregations of so-called nonconformity (Protestant Christians who broke away from the state church in the 17th century and beyond sometimes referred to as dissenters).

The revival was characterized by relatively large numbers of people having a common experience of Gods action in their heart in comparatively confined areas over a fairly short period of time. As just one example, within a few weeks of beginning to preach in the open air, the crowds of Kingswood miners listening to John Wesley and George Whitefield, the eloquent evangelist and itinerant preacher, grew from 200 to 10,000. Charles Wesley wrote O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing in 1739 just for these occasions; one can only imagine the scene as the words rang out from the mouths of the poor, downtrodden miners. We owe much to the rich hymnody of the revival period.

Where Did the Revival Come From?

One of the classic explanations is that the revival occurred as a reaction to the state of religion in early 18th-century England. The moral standards of the nation were decaying. The great Puritans had mainly died by the 1690s (John Owen in 1683, John Bunyan in 1688, Richard Baxter in 1691). To many it seemed as though storm clouds were gathering. The embers of faith were low; it was time for God to intervene. Society seemed drowned in alcohol (gin in particular), the ministers preferred hunting and drinking to preaching, and the church had lost its waycautious and colourless, as G.R. Balleine wrote in his A History of the Evangelical Party in the Church of England. Revolution may have been one option; but Englands experience of deposing a king and instituting a theocracy a generation earlier had mixed results. William of Orange guaranteed Protestantism; the Act of Toleration (1689) gave new freedoms for worship. The answer, at least for the British Christian, was spiritual rather than political.

A second explanation is that the revival was the outworking of a continued quest for holiness. In other words, there were faithful adherents of the faith always seeking renewal. For some, and this included both John Wesley and George Whitefield, both of whom we will meet more fully in due course, this meant a more disciplined dedication to a life of holinessgiving weight to the church, good order, self-examination, the Eucharist, and social work. This was reflected in the so-called Holy Club in Oxford, where the handful of members undertook good works, engaged in self-reflection, and publicly processed to and attended regular Holy Communions often in the face of mocking and jeering crowds. And yet even this seemed inadequate to effect real spiritual rebirth on a societal scale.

We can also see the revival as a reaction against moralism and rationalism, a protest against the arid intellectualism and the perceived cold formality of much of contemporary religion. Sermons were long, indeed very long, and often dry articulations of obscure points of theology. There seemed very little for the soul. Perhaps this is not surprising in the age of the Enlightenment and of the cultures focus on the powers of human reason.

In some ways, Puritanism was reborn at this time, and it is certainly true that in the revival we are taken down well-known paths with familiar doctrines and many continuities. Yet the revival was not simply a Puritanism redux. The emphasis on new birth rather than mere rote subscription to a creed, the adoption of new means and methods such as field preaching and itinerancy, mass rallies, new churches, and the weight given to the personal experience and encounter with God also remind us that we have here Protestantism both old and new.

Why Does the Revival Matter?

The revival matters because we see God at work in both ordinary and extraordinary ways. Britain, it is said, had a revival rather than a revolution, as happened in France. The revival was both ordered and disordered at the same time. Although often ignored by secular historians, the impact on society was immense and long-lasting. Without Britains evangelical revival, there would have been no William Wilberforce to lead the campaign against slavery and no Lord Shaftesbury to stand as a Christian in public life in the 19th century for nearly 60 years, resisting evil and promoting good in the cause of what we now call social justice. Join me as we travel through these extraordinary times!
The film Women Talking opens with what amounts to a warning: This is an act of female imagination. Thats because its not actually a telling of the events on which it is based, the horrific story of rape and abuse of more than 130 people in a small Bolivian Mennonite community called Manitoba between 2005 and 2009. The abuse story remains the same, though: nine men, and almost certainly others who were never revealed, used cow tranquilizer to gas whole households, brutally raping girls as young as three, women as old as 65, as well as men and boys. These are sometimes referred to as the ghost rapes of Bolivia because the community decided that the women were visited by ghosts, or perhaps by the devil himself. A young woman discovered two men in the act, they named the others, and nine men went to prison. In the real story, the victims were commanded to forgive the men or be damned to hell, they received no counseling or help, and in fact rape and the general prevalence of incestuous sexual abuse has continued until the present day.

Novelist Miriam Teows, a former Plain Person herself, imagined a different outcome for the women of the colony. In her fictionalized version, the women have a few days to respond to the demand to forgive their abusers, since the other men of the colony have gone to post bail for the attackers. Having discovered the real, flesh-and-blood explanation for the assaults, the women are faced with the decision of how to respond. They engage in a debate over three options: leave, stay and fight, or stay and do nothing. In film director Sarah Polleys film version, practical details are eschewed to foreground the days-long conversation between eight women. We are not told why every man in the entire community needs to go to the city to post bail or why these eight women are responsible to decide for all the abused women in the community. Theres a purposeful vagueness to the film: the women are white, so its obviously not set in Bolivia, but the only hint of where these people are is that they are speaking English and a census truck drives by playing a Monkees song. While the women refer to particular religious beliefs and requirements, wear flowery dresses, kerchiefs on their hair, and cannot read, the word Mennonite is not used. Polley wanted to give the womens conversation a certain universality.

Does this universality make sense, though? On one hand, women and girls are sexually abused and raped at a higher rate than men and boys, so the conversations about how to get away, how to protect our children, whether to forgive, and what to think of Gods allowing such things to happen will certainly resonate with women across cultures. The film was deeply moving, and I am not the only woman reporting that elements brought up tears of grief and a sense of healing. On the other hand, most American women are simply not in the position of the characters depicted in the film. We are well educated, do not live under similar religious requirements, and have direct access to legal protections. I dont mean to overstate this; even some modern religious groups have been known to encourage women to endure abuse, to reconcile with abusers, and to avoid using the legal system against church members. Its a good thing that reports of such teaching are now considered scandals, but we have a long way to go for churches to put proper processes and protections in place to deal with sexual abuse cases responsibly. While it may seem ridiculous that such things are not already in place, recall that the true nature of the rapists and pedophiles compulsions and patterns have only been recently understood. As recently as the late 1970s, secular psychologists thought that pedophiles could be cured and reenter environments with access to children. Getting huge institutions to shift their thinking and practices can be a daunting task, but such a shift is finally underway, even if moving at a glacial pace in the eyes of some.

For those either in more mainstream religious communities or in nonreligious ones, however, sexual abuse may be just as prevalent as in isolated religious sects. After all, Hollywood is also the source of some of the most egregious sexual abuse scandals in recent memory, such as the Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby cases, not to mention the devastating child sexual abuse reported by people like Corey Feldman. Its possible that a rumination on the experiences of illiterate women in an obscure religious colony could serve as a kind of allegory for the plight of secular people living in big cities in a high-tech, modern world. Its certain that factors such as lack of sexual education, an exaggerated willingness to ascribe events to supernatural causes, and social isolation from the broader world directly harmed the victims in the Manitoba Colony in Bolivia by allowing these attacks to continue for years. But these are clearly not the issues at play in the lives of most viewers of this film. Instead, I might conjecture that the ethos contributing to the ubiquity of abuse in Hollywood has more to do with an anything goes culture of sexual envelope-pushing; a toleration for putting children in adult situations; and an attitude of success at any price, even the price of silence about disgusting and illegal behavior. Furthermore, those dealing with abuse in, for example, the public school system (where rates of abuse appear to be higherthan in religious communities) may have a different set of concerns to address altogether. The devil, as they say, is in the details.

In this regard, I am sympathetic to the complaint of Jean Freidman-Rudovsky, who both loved the film and regretted that it didnt present the particularities of the actual victims. Friedman-Rudovsky broke the original ghost rapes of Bolivia story, and also did the follow-up with the colony in which we discovered the lack of care for victims. When we disassociate from those who suffered and the specific circumstances of their case, something is lost. The cast is fantastic, however: Two matriarchs, played by Judith Ivey and Sheila McCarthy, play referee between the younger women. (Frances McDormand plays a harsh, scar-faced elder who has already decided that staying, forgiving, and thus getting to the kingdom of God is the only option; she exits the conversation early.) Jessie Buckleys Mariche represents the stay-and-do-nothing option, arguing that anything else is insane. Her rage over suffering and being forced to constantly forgive her abuser husband causes her to lash out at the other women. Mariche represents the classic case of battered-woman syndrome: desperate, frustrated, and oppressed, she can see no way out. Claire Foys strong-willed Salome argues that the women should stay and fight. Incensed at the abuse of her 4-year-old daughter, Salome makes Huck Finns move: it would be better to risk hell than to let terrible things happen to the people we care about. A radiant Rooney Mara plays the gentle, almost other-worldly Ona, who argues for leaving. In spite of Maras masterful acting, its some of her scripted language that seems unlikely and foreign to the cultural context. I couldnt quite picture this illiterate, deeply religious woman using words like process and liberation. Mostly, the dialogue was believable, but every once in a while the milieu of the womens studies classroom slipped in. My guess is that women like these would have used terms they knew from memorized scripture, like mourning, not process, and freedom, not liberation. The most unbelievable character in this regard was that of Nettie, who experienced the deep trauma of becoming pregnant from her rape at a very young age, and realizes that her attacker must have been her brother, since the child was born deformed and died. The film depicts her as deciding to dress as a boy, as only speaking to children, and as wanting to be called Melvin. Furthermore, one matriarch, near the end of the film, calls her Melvin, at which point she finally speaks (to adults) and says, Thank you for saying my name. This scene has the effect of taking the viewer entirely out of the conceit of the film. There is simply no strict Mennonite or Old Order Amish world in which a girl would have been allowed to dress as a boy, or children would have been allowed to call her by a boys name. I actually checked on this with a former Old Amish acquaintance, just to be 100% sure. While hating ones femininity is an understandable response for a young girl in such a terrible reality, the colony simply would not have allowed this. Its an intrusion of hyper-contemporary, secular-left ideas on a community with the exact opposite characteristics.

Another element of the film initially struck me as unrealistic, but after the conversation with my acquaintance, who left the Old Order Amish, I changed my mind. While the threat of losing the kingdom of God is mentioned early, there is no significant theological conversation until well past halfway through the film. When the conversation finally arrives, the ideas the women throw around are strangely basic for such deeply religious people. At one point, Ona suggests that they build a new religion on the old, one based on love. Given the centrality of love to the Christian religion, this sounded like a comment from a teenager or a silly New Ager, not a serious member of a sect born out a desire to detach itself from ancient hierarchical structures, both civil and religious, and to practice strict pacifism. Thats not to say that she has no legitimate point. After all, it seems clear from both the film and our knowledge of the strictest Plain communities that they live under a heavy burden of earning their place in heaven through strict obedience and righteous works. I just assumed that women steeped in this religious tradition would appeal to scripture, to something in the biblical narrative, or to a reinterpretation of a received teaching. A single-sentence suggestion to build a new religion based on love seemed too simplistic for these women.

Other discussions felt right, though, such as how to understand the problem of evil. Yet no one attempts to answer, even badly, as Jobs friends do, the question of why a good God allows terrible things to happen to innocents. Laudably, Polley does depict the women as comforting themselves with memorized Psalms and singing hymns. But there was very little real engagement with scripture, debate over its meaning or possible interpretation, or discussion of details of doctrine. My friend Ruth explained to me that the depiction may have been more believable than I imagined. When her own parents began to discuss the doctrine of salvation by grace, they had to hold Bible studies in secret. When found out, they were told that the Bible is for the bishops to explain to the people in preaching, not for them to study on their own. Furthermore, women in particular do not participate in theological debates, although they are present when Ruths relatives argue with her about doctrine on her occasional visits. I imported my own experience growing up in an evangelical pastors household and assumed that the writers didnt know religious people well enough, if at all, to understand how they argue, but these womens experiences were different from mine. Eventually, they do stumble upon the notion that perhaps some other religious leader, or even God himself, could forgive them, so that they could enter the kingdom of heaven even if they left their present order. Still, the theological implications of their actions, at least from their own perspective, did not seem as prominent as it ought to have been among such people. At the same time, the sweet moments of worship and prayer unite the women in their common, but oddly vague, commitment to God.

The film raises other fascinating questions, particularly around the nature of men. I was puzzled by the fact that the only significant male character in the story, August (in a stunning performance by Ben Whishaw), was a very sensitive, tender, and supportive man by personality. He is a lovely and moving character. But what about the more aggressive men? Were there no husbands infuriated to find that their wives and children were being raped? Was there no threat of violence against, or just reckoning with, the attackers by the other men of the colony? A question is asked early on as to whether the men who were arrested are the correct men. There is a looming sense that all the men are dangerous sexual predators. Even in Jean Friedman-Rudovskys articlethe only place that mentioned the rape of men and boys alsoI did not find any follow-up with men  either male victims or the husbands and fathers of female victims. Were they angry? Tormented? Did they refuse to speak to the journalist? Why did no one check on the men? Generally, male aggression does not express itself only in sexual violence but is often channeled into an impulse to protect and shield the weak. Even pacifists can stand up for their wives and children in church, in the courts, and in the community. They dont need to kill anyone to do that. But here, the options seem to be the rejection of all non-effeminate males or a life of oppression by them. If Polleys vague setting for the film was meant to evoke the universality of this female conversation, it fails here. There are no men here to defend them or support the women, except perhaps the almost effeminate character of August. But while men may often frustrate us women, so, so many of them have loved us, built us up, defended us, agonized over our suffering, threatened violence, and yes, even carried it out against those who hurt us.

Its a sign of a great film that it provokes so many interesting questions, moves to tears, disturbs, and even annoys. Ill be puzzling over it well beyond today, and its worth seeing to participate in the inevitable conversations it will evoke.
 Flash

Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, answers questions at the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on Feb. 18, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Wednesday briefed the media on his trip to Europe and Russia.

Wang has concluded his visit to France, Italy, Hungary and Russia as well as his attendance of the 59th Munich Security Conference.

During the trip, Wang said he mainly introduced China's major policies after the 20th CPC National Congress, and comprehensively expounded on the bright prospect and far-reaching impact of Chinese modernization.

On peace and security, China has proved with numerous facts that the path of peaceful development is not only feasible, but very successful, said Wang.

China stays committed to the path of peaceful development, and hopes that other countries will also join the cause, he added.

Wang said the so-called unmanned airship incident was an entirely isolated and unexpected event caused by force majeure. However, Wang added, the U.S. side ignored the basic facts, abused force, hyped the situation and smeared China.

The U.S. act did not show its power, but revealed its lack of rationality instead, Wang said.

China urges the United States to abandon its obsolete mindset of a zero-sum game, perceive China in an objective and impartial manner and return to a rational and pragmatic policy towards China, said the diplomat.

Friendship is the keynote of China's policy towards the EU with cooperation as the overall goal, Wang said.

If China and the EU choose dialogue and cooperation, bloc confrontation will be out of the question; if the two sides choose peace and stability, there will not be a new Cold War; if both sides choose opening up and win-win cooperation, global development and prosperity stand a chance, Wang said.

China and the EU should exclude external interference, properly manage differences, and enhance exchanges and cooperation to provide stability for the turbulent international situation, Wang said, adding that these efforts are also of great significance to the political settlement of the Ukraine issue.

As permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and Russia shoulder their due responsibility of promoting a multi-polar world and opposing unilateral and bullying actions, Wang said.

He said the results of his visit to Russia can be summarized as three points: both sides reaffirmed the goals of bilateral relations set by the two countries' heads of state, made new efforts to push ahead practical cooperation in various areas, and coordinated over regional and international issues of common concern.

On the Ukraine issue, China has, as always, firmly been standing on the side of peace and dialogue and on the right side of history, Wang said, adding that over the past year, China has actively contributed to promoting de-escalation and supporting all efforts conducive to a peaceful settlement of the crisis.

The crisis has occured in Europe but affected the whole world, and it should not drag on indefinitely, he said, adding that China supports Europe in playing a more active and constructive role in upholding peace and promoting talks.

He said that China is about to issue a position paper on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, which will reiterate Beijing's consistent positions and also take into account reasonable concerns of all parities, in hope of establishing the broadest common ground of the international community on the Ukraine issue.
At the beginning of the final episode of Derry Girls, the British Channel 4 TV series that ran for three seasons and that was also carried by Netflix in the U.S., the character Orla McCool, one of the titular protagonists, leaves a government office after having received her first-ever electoral identification card. It is the week of her 18th birthday and just days before Northern Irelands referendum on the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. Exiting the building, she pulls on her headphones, cutting off the televised voice of the rabidly anti-Catholic Democratic Unionist Party leader Ian Paisley as he encourages citizens to vote no on the upcoming peace deal.

Music begins to play, and Orla, in school uniform and the type of track jacket that any 90s teen would have found familiar, begins to dance down the street, presumably on her way to class at Our Lady Immaculate College, the Catholic girls high school where so much of the show takes place. Along the way she takes viewers on a joyful dancing tour of dreary Derry, complete with a sequence in which shes joined by a troupe of little girls dressed in traditional Irish step-dancer garb. As the scene winds down, Orla is forced to remove the headphonescutting the musicand stop to address a British soldier at a checkpoint. Her matter-of-fact statement to the soldier in this moment provides a summary of the main characters chief aspirationand the viewers hope for themin this coming-of-age series set in the uniquely complicated Northern Ireland of the 1990s: I need to get past.

Orla does indeed get past, and so do the other Derry girlsa group of high school friendsafter wrestling with how to vote on the Good Friday deal, the approval of which involved freeing imprisoned terrorists and murderers from both sides of the British-Irish conflict that had beset Northern Ireland for decades. It is a poignant episode, although perhaps not more so than one from an earlier season that cut back and forth between the girls gleefully dancing during a school talent show and their parents at home watching the unfolding news of a deadly bombinga scene that used real-life news footagethat had taken place elsewhere in Northern Ireland at the same time. That moment left the viewer with very much the opposite sentiment than was imparted by the shows second-season finale, which saw the girls walk happily off through the streets as Bill Clintons 1995 speech in their hometownwhich they had set out to witnessplays in the background. (Show creator Lisa McGee, on whose youth the show is based, actually did write a letter to a teenage Chelsea Clinton ahead of that visitan act replicated in the show and neatly followed up in the closing of the series.)

While these historically based moments stand out, they are fairly rare, as Derry Girls is far from a political show. The conflict is indeed always there in the background, but this is an old-fashioned comedy: character-driven and often purposely absurd, full of pratfalls and physical humor (the main protagonists elastic face is well and routinely employed for laughs). Each of the girls described by the shows title plays faithfully to archetype, with the earnest-if-naive protagonist (Erin), the basket case (Clare), the wild child (Michelle), and the spacey one (Orla), joined by Michelles cousin James, an English transplant that is sent to the girls school for his own safety (owing to his Englishness, it was feared he would not fare well at the boys school). James is a utility player for the show, serving alternately as a love interest, token male presence, and target for the girls one-liners. (In response to James gripe when studying Irish history that he couldnt tell my rebellions from my risings, Michelle shoots back: And whose fault is that? If your lot had stopped invading us for five minutes, thered be a lot less to wade through.)

The ensemble is nicely rounded out by Erins loving and comically functioning family, as well as the shows standout character, Our Lady Immaculate headmistress Sister Michael, whose signature eyerolls and quips provide some of the shows funniest material. After one cringe-inducing skit about the Troubles is performed by a recurring characteran always-eager-to-impress-the-adults classmate of the main girlsthe nun deadpans, The conflict here has led to so many terrible atrocities  and now we must add your play to that list.

Despite the depressing atmosphere of the conflict and the grayness of Northern Ireland in general, theres an overt silliness to the shows proceedings. Indeed, the comedic dynamics, charming and not often trying to be original, allow the series to dip into the bitterly divided politics of its setting not just for poignant moments but also for humor: A wrong turn that puts the whole (Catholic) crew into the midst of an Orange Order parade makes for a hilarious scene, and the discovery of an I.R.A. operative that hid himself in the familys car trunk in order to escape across the border sets up a scene in which the teenage Michelle aggressively and ham-fistedly flirts with the wee RA man, as he is labeled. (Michelle makes a habit of such flirtation, doing the same with, among others, a priest and a constabulary commander.)

It is true, then, that Derry Girls works because of both the charming, throwback nature of its simple humor and the juxtaposition of that type of humor with a sad and violent history that is presented as starkly real but never the primary interest of the characters or the driver of their life stories. The Derry girls just need to get past, and they can because of the other dynamics that the show weaves through their lives so well: loving working-class families, a strong Catholic community, and loyal and enduring friendships. The girls of the show are vibrant and gleefully innocent, and look forward to a future they see can be bright despite their communitys bleak past, thanks indeed to a loving present made possible by those very dynamics. Perhaps there is a lesson here on the proper place of even contentious politics in lifenot just for how it is depicted on television but for how to live despite it.
A new book on the Reagan administration and the battle to win the Cold War gets something that others miss: it was a team effort, and one that was met with both left-wing and White House opposition. But the president and his NSC head believed they were doing Gods work. Literally.

Of all the writers in the limited universe of Reagan biographers (myself included), William Inboden is one I have never met. His Amazon page shows only one previous book. I was surprised by the release of his major work on Reagan, The Peacemaker: Ronald Reagan, the Cold War, and the World on the Brink, covering nearly 600 pages, augmented by many endnotes referencing numerous primary sources. The first thing that will strike anyone who grabs this thick book is the added weight of the endorsers, an impressive mix of historians, scholars, and policymakers: John Lewis Gaddis, Robert Gates, Paul Kennedy, Hal Brands, Graham Allison, among others. Several of them commend Inbodens work as one of the very best on Ronald Reagans foreign policy.

As someone who has written eight books on Reagan (half of them listed in Inbodens bibliography), I must add my name to those praising this one. It is unquestionably one of the best on Reagans presidency and particularly on his effort to peacefully win the Cold War.

That word peacefully says much. It is one I always try to use when writing or speaking on Reagans remarkable victory. Again and again, Im careful to say not only that Reagan won the Cold War but that he peacefully won the Cold War. Typically, of course, when we hear of someone winning a war, we visualize ships and tanks and guns and grenades and exploding missiles and all the various technological innovations and initiatives. In Ronald Reagans case, we need to think of those as well, especially his game-changing Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), but we need not visualize them exploding. The genius in Reagans strategy to win the Cold War was never to use those weapons. Unlike others who developed arsenals to win wars, Reagans goal was to build up in order to build down. He pursued those weapons and initiatives as defensive measuresthat is, so they would never need to be used.

Reagan called this peace through strength. Those three words capture succinctly the strategy behind his national-security thinking.

For instance, Reagan deployed Pershing II intermediate-range nuclear forces (INFs) in Europe not to blast the USSR to smithereens, as his hysterical opponents insisted he was intending, but as bargaining chips to prompt Moscow to remove its own INFs from Eastern Europe. Eventually, under Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet Union did just that. Gorbachev and Reagan met at the Washington Summit in December 1987, where they signed the INF Treaty, the first-ever treaty to ban an entire class of nuclear weapons. It was extraordinary, and Reagans big-mouthed critics were stunned into silence.

With the INFs, Reagan had built up in order to build down.

As Inbodens book might put it (his opening epigraph is Matt. 5:9), Blessed are the peacemakers. Reagan, indeed, had sought to peacefully win the Cold War. And he was driven by a religious sense to literally do Gods will on behalf of peace. To that end, what first struck me about Inbodens book was that title, The Peacemaker, but not merely for the reasons Ive specified thus far. The title hit me for a special reason that speaks to one of the key Reagan figures highlighted in Inbodens book: Reagans closest and most important aide in the strategy and effort to peacefully take down the USSR: William P. Clark, the head of the National Security Council during the two most critical years of the Reagan effort to defeat Soviet communism, 1982 and 1983.

I was Bill Clarks biographer and came to know him almost like a grandfather. There was a Peacemaker other than Reagan himself that played a special role in Clarks lifeas well as in the Reagan plan itself. And it came from Clarks own grandfather.

Clarks grandfather, Robert E. Clark, was a pioneer who helped settle California, which in those days was wild country. He became a U.S. forest ranger. These were Teddy Roosevelts guys, the men who brought law and order to the Wild West and embodied the spirit and constitution of the Rough Rider turned president they proudly served. Bob Clark was one of the first forest rangers hired for TRs new U.S. Forest Service.

Bob met TR when the president rolled into Santa Barbara with the Great White Fleet for the Fourth of July celebration in 1908. Bob later received a commendationa pearl-handled Colt .45 revolver called The Peacemakeras a token of appreciation from the president for his service against lawlessness.

Bill Clark inherited that gun, which he brought with him as a memento to Sacramento when he became Governor Reagans chief of staff, and then also to Washington, when he became Reagans deputy secretary of state and then national security adviser. Reagan, a California transplant with a fondness for the Wild West and gunslingers, loved the Clark memento.

Fast forward several decades. In the fall of 1982, Reagan and Clark pursued the MX missile. The MX was an integral part of Reagans platform of peace through strength with the Soviets. Designed to carry multiple warheads, the missile would be deployed in mobile launchers. Research and development of the MX started before Reagan became president. By the time Reagan became president, however, some doubted whether the missile could be effectively deployed in a mobile manner. Many Democrats in Congress wanted to scrap the program.

Instead, Reagan talked of placing the MX in existing underground Minuteman missile silos. His multibillion-dollar plan began emerging in September 1982 and called for placing 100 missiles in silos, where they would be protected with thickly reinforced concrete and steel. As the Washington Post noted, the presidents decision would be heavily influenced by two men in particular: Secretary of Defense Cap Weinberger and Bill Clark.

The three men wished to devise a name for the MX, a name that would encapsulate the intent of the policy as well as performance. They thought of the Colt .45 owned by Clarks grandfather, now framed and hanging on the national security advisers office wall in the White House basement. Reagan, however, decided to tweak it a bit, suggesting a less aggressive namethe Peacekeeper.

On November 22, in a speech to the nation, Reagan announced his decision to deploy 100 MX missiles. Two weeks later, on December 7, Congress voted to reject funding. The Reagan team, however, would not give up without a fight. This meant an all-out campaign on behalf of the weapon, with Clark one of the central players.

As the debate over the MX intensified, so did the opposition. A left-wing, grassroots, anti-nuclear movement rose up around the country and the world, opposing not only the MX but also such Reagan defense programs as the Pershing II missile and B-1 bomber. The so-called nuclear freeze movement turned out massive protests throughout America and Western Europe, including a crowd of nearly one million in New York Citys Central Park. The freezers included celebrities and vocal leftist groups such as Physicians for Social Responsibility. It also included the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. Clark, a devout Catholic, assumed a crucial and ultimately immeasurably valuable and successful role in dealing with the bishops.

Throughout his book, William Inboden recognizes the special role of individuals like Bill Clark in the effort to peacefully take down the USSR. The crucial chapters of the book, however, are The Battle Is Joined (chapter 4), Raising the Stakes (chapter 6), and The Maelstrom (chapter 7). In my own works on Reagan and the end of the Cold War, especially The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism, plus my Clark biography, The Judge: William P. Clark, Ronald Reagans Top Hand (co-written by Patricia Clark Doerner), I pleaded with scholars to examine the extraordinary record of NSDDs (National Security Decision Directives) produced by Clark and team in 1982 and 1983. That was where the groundwork for peaceful victory was laid. Therein were the details of the plan developed by Clark and Reagan. William Inboden gets it.

That central section of Inbodens book is also critical because it deals (most notably in The Maelstrom) with the opposition and hostility of Secretary of State George Shultz and the conniving cabal of Jim Baker, Mike Deaver, Dick Darman, and even Nancy Reagan. They all turned on Clark in a nasty, devious way and sought to drive him out of office. Eventually, Clark exited in October 1983. Clarks main lieutenants on his NSC staff, brilliant young men like Roger Robinson, John Lenczowski, Sven Kraemer, and Ken deGraffenreid, were mortified and urged him to stay. They were in agony over the recklessly stupid and arrogant White House coup being orchestrated against their humble, beloved boss. But Clark stoically, confidently encouraged them not to worry. And he was ultimately proved right. As Clark and his president realized, the foundation for victory already had been laid and the course had been set.

All along, Clark, like Reagan, was buoyed by a strong sense, literally a spiritual sense, of what he and Reagan called the DP, the Divine Plan. They believed that they had established a policy and plan to peacefully end the Cold Wara plan that they hoped and prayed was Gods will.

It worked, and the rest is history.

Blessed are the peacemakers. Kudos to William Inboden for getting the story right.
We cant change history or attitudes simply by changing the names of monuments and military bases. Confronting the past, and learning from it to produce a generation of new role models, is much harder, and much preferred.

Early in January, the U.S. Department of Defense began a massive undertaking to change the names of nine military bases, two ships, and over 1,000 other items, including signs and roads, all of which are currently linked to Confederate figures. Fort Bragg, Fort Benning, the USS Chancellorsville, and a host of other military properties will undergo the purge, estimated to cost $62.5 million.

Some might view this initiative as caving to societal pressure to blot out all reminders of historic racism from our national field of vision. That seems likely to be the case, whether you view it as laudatory or not. Its worth remembering that legislation paving the way for this project was included in the National Defense Authorization Act of December 2020, which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and an override of President Trumps veto. But there has certainly been popular pushback on the project from sources like this one, claiming that it reflects poorly on our society that some people cannot accept and learn from controversial history and common sense suggests that this kind of money should be used for something more productive.

I think its worth evaluating those claims with a little more nuance than Next News provides. Theres both an economic and a moral-cultural question at play here, and we should give them each their due consideration.

From an economic angle, while only a small portion of the vast U.S. military budget, $62.5 million is still a massive amount of taxpayer money. And yes, that money could be used for something else. The question of whether other uses by the federal government would be more productive, however, may not have a universal, commonsense answer.

On the surface, renaming a bunch of buildings, vessels, and roads makes close to zero difference to most of the people inhabiting, sailing in, or driving on them. I have a couple of friends who have been stationed at Fort Bragg and Fort Benning, and I doubt they would say that their day-to-day operations would be affected in the least if the base names were changed to Fort Liberty and Fort Moore. If human beings lived and acted solely within an economic framework, this decision still makes very little sense, as its hard to see what substantial goods or services would be provided to the consumers of these military institutions in exchange for the exorbitant cost of production.

What people spend money on, however, shows what they value, and theres no exception here. Clearly the DoD (or at least the Congress-appointed Naming Commission that recommended the changes) sees enough value in this project to spend tens of millions of dollars on it. Katherine Kuzminski, senior fellow at the military-research think tank Center for a New American Security, gave a clue to the subjective value of the project when she said, What the Naming Commission was doing  was changing the culture. Congress recognizes that: Whether or not the soldiers themselves see any substantial profit from all the funds going into the name changes, the payoff in cultural modification is, apparently, worth the economic investment.

But will the expected cultural change actually occur? At this point, I am reminded of lines from the second-to-last stanza of the poem Mythopoeia by J.R.R. Tolkien:

I will not walk with your progressive apes,

erect and sapient. Before them gapes

the dark abyss to which their progress tends 

if by Gods mercy progress ever ends,

and does not ceaselessly revolve the same

unfruitful course with changing of a name.

The phrasing of the last three lines makes one wonder: Does changing the name of a place have an effect on its underlying reality?

In the Scriptures, we see instances where God changes a persons name to indicate a new role he is giving them or an affirmation of a future reality. Examples include God changing the name of Abram (high father) to Abraham (father of many) as part of the covenant promise, or Christ changing the name of Simon (God has heard) to Peter (rock) to establish Peters primacy among the apostles. Legally, people change their names when they are adopted or get married. With regard to people, changing a name typically indicates either a past or a future change to that persons identity.

Surely with military outposts this is not the case. Fort Bragg will still cover 251 square miles of North Carolina turf and house 54,000 military personnel, even if you call it Fort Liberty. It will retain the same purpose. The effect of the change is not on the place itself but on the perception of it. The change is in us, the culture-creators and culture-recipients. When we consider this massive initiative our nation is about to assume, we acknowledge that who or what is being honoredand dishonoredis intended to send a very real cultural message, one whose perceived significance is apparently worth $62.5 million.

How much would you pay to end racism in America? Such questions boil down to putting a price tag on human dignity, to bargaining with incommensurate realities. The value of the human person is infinite, but in the practical workings of government, everything costs something. The answer to this question is not a dollar amount, but thats how the DoD is trying to answer it.

Even asking this question, however, assumes that renaming military property will contribute to ending racism in America, which to me seems a shaky assumption at best. I think racism is better combatted through vibrant local communities where people of all races and backgrounds can share their diverse experiences, through strong families who teach their children to value and respect every human person, and through thick cultures embracing and passing on their traditions. And those things are fostered not through top-down legislation but through the principle of subsidiarity.

I think that principle can apply here, too. Rather than seeing the government as a God-like entity trying to alter an entire nations future by pursuing an unfruitful course with changing of a name, I suggest we look at a biblical analogy that more accurately reflects the situation.

In both the Old and New Testaments, there are many examples of places or objects being named or renamed because of something significant having happened in relation to them. For instance, after Jacob wrestles with an angel (incidentally, immediately after he is renamed Israel), he calls the name of the wrestling turf Peniel (face of God) to commemorate his encounter there. Another instance is the naming of the place of Judas death Akeldama (field of blood) in the book of Acts.

These and countless other examples demonstrate a perfectly natural naming methodology. Indeed, it is in large part how the military bases were named after Confederate figures in the first place. Local military communities named local bases after the leaders they found inspiring, after those who influenced events and made history in their particular regions, and those names persisted as bases were consolidated and grew in size. Since this natural outgrowth of history and culture is what we have inherited, it seems acceptable to me (and much less expensive) that the United States leave the names as they are and let that heritage endure.

This does not equate to affirming slavery or proclaiming support of the Confederate side in the Civil War. People are capable of making mental distinctions, and naming a road after a local military officer no more affirms the morality of the causes he fought for than naming a field Akeldama affirms the morality of suicide. You can visit the memorial of Alexander the Great in Thessaloniki without condoning arranging your cousins execution or having a harem. You can walk down the Rue Robespierre outside of Paris without applauding the Reign of Terror. Rather, I think it equates to calling a street in the Catholic neighborhood of a big city after St. Joseph and leaving it that way even after non-Catholics come to predominate and the Catholic residents have stopped going to church.

It also does not equate to deciding in 2023 to name a hypothetical brand-new military base after a Confederate general. For one thing, after World War II, the process of naming new military outposts was standardized. For another, the same principle of respecting local historical significance applies with regard to which figures we choose to honor in our own day and age. National values can shift, as weve seen over the decades, and this is reflected in whom we choose to honor, and where, and when. We honor different types of figures now than in the Civil War era. But this does not mean we need to go back and change who and what was held in honor in the past. Better, and harder, to learn why such honor was bestowed in the first place.

Ultimately, subsidiarity provides a guide here because context matters. The military bases in the South were originally named for Confederate figures because they were great military strategists and leaders, admired for their courage and foresight, not merely the causes for which they fought. Those seem like important qualities for current military personnel to assimilate, and since the bases function within a military context, promoting those virtues through honoring historical instances of them seems appropriate.

It is true that other, less legitimate reasons than an admiration for military virtue may exist in the honoring of these figures. Racist attitudes still abound, but the solution to them is to be found in education and dialogue, not top-down federal spending or Stalin-esque erasure.

So is the economic cost worth the expected cultural payout? In my opinion, no. But there are many moving parts to this issue. Lets not jump immediately from the DoD announcement to a dismissive according to the left, white supremacy is our biggest threat in America. Lets have a more thoughtful, principles-based, constructive conversation.
Sitting in a prison cell, stripped of both legal counsel and liberty, 75-year-old entrepreneur and publisher Jimmy Lai has likely been tempted to give up the fight against the Beijing and its years-long effort to curtail civil and human rights in Hong Kong. Yet the democracy advocate, imprisoned since December 2020, continues to take on Xi Jinpings regime for his right to a fair trial.

The first step for Lai in seeking justice is to get his counsel back: veteran U.K. lawyer Timothy Owen, a specialist in human rights and international law. Hong Kong has repeatedly petitioned Beijing to block Owens admission in the Lai case, saying that nonHong Kong lawyers threaten the countrys ability to try individuals under the sweeping National Security Law (NSL), which Beijing itself implemented in Hong Kong in 2020.

Last December, Beijing ruled that the authority to permit lawyers like Owen to participate in trials involving violations of the NSL lies with Hong Kongs chief executive, John Lee. Lai, who has been charged with two counts of conspiracy and one count of collusion, recently sent a petition of his own to Hong Kong with a simple message: dont let Beijings hostility on this issue determine the fairness of my trial.

The Hong Kong High Court had previously allowed Owen to participate in Lais trial, and thus Lais team likely sees this as a precedent by which to fight for Owens return. Although Lais trial began last December, it was adjourned after one day, until September 2023. Lai will remain in prison until then for all three of the NSL charges against him, as well as an unrelated fraud conviction in relation to the publication of his pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, shuttered in 2021.

The Hong Konger, the Acton Institutes new documentary, tells the story of Jimmy Lais heroic struggle against authoritarian Beijing and its erosion of human rights in Hong Kong. It is currently being screened in cities around the world.
The Super Bowl is behind us, and so is the YMCA at Virginia Techs third annual Souper Bowl Challenge. As in previous years, the challenge included voting for this years favorite, and the winning soup, with 44% of the votes, was Blue Ridge Mountain Catering's mushroom & sherried salmon.

Organizers report that the event was a big success, completely sold out even after more tickets were added. In addition to Blue Ridge Mountain Catering, the other local Blacksburg restaurants that created a signature soup for the occasion were Next Door Bake Shop (Thai coconut soup), Our Daily Bread (white chicken chili), Zeppolis (corn chowder) and Souper Hero (ham & cauliflower).

I would like to thank everyone for enjoying my soup and participating in the event, said Chef Jim Parker in a YMCA news release about the event. I am excited to have won the challenge but even more excited to have been able to help the Y's Meals on Main program. This is a program that Blue Ridge Mountain Catering and countless dedicated volunteers have been working on for years ensuring kids are not going hungry. I know those efforts have made a significant impact in our community so please keep up the support and eat more soup!

In addition to Meals on Main, money raised by the Souper Bowl Challenge helps to fund Senior Connections and other YMCA programs.

Laureen Blakemore, director of community engagement at the Y, said, We were delighted with the enthusiastic support of the five local restaurants and the community for this event.

Organizers are currently working on another popular event, the third annual Try Ys Pi. Like the Souper Bowl Challenge, ticket purchasers receive a sampler from Blacksburg area restaurants, and money raised supports the Ys community programs. Participating bakeries for 2023 include Blacksburg Bagels, Halwa Bakery, Next Door Bake Shop and Our Daily Bread.

Ticket holders will collect their samplers on Tuesday, March 14 (Pi Day), between 5 and 7 p.m. at the YMCA Thrift Shop at 1000 N. Main St. in Blacksburg.

Tickets for Try Ys Pi are $28 and are already going fast. Go to vtymca.org/try-ys-pi/.

- The Roanoke Times
CHRISTIANSBURG  After more than three decades, Helen Royal will leave the office of the Montgomery County commissioner of the revenue.

Royal, a Democrat, said this past week that she wont seek another term as the countys commissioner , a position she was first elected to in 2011. In addition to serving in the elected role for just over a decade, Royal has spent about 37 years working in the office.

I feel that I have accomplished a lot of things during my time in office and now its time to take care of family and enjoy life outside of work, Royal wrote in an email.

Royal said she plans to retire on June 30 and that her chief deputy, Jesse Moore, will take over.

He is more than qualified for this position, but he chose not to run, Royal wrote.

Instead, Brenda Winkle, another veteran of the department, has decided to run for the jobs next four-year term.

She [Winkle] is also more than qualified to run, wrote Royal, who pointed out that Winkle has worked in the commissioners office for about 23 years. She has worked at every job in the office and will have no problem adjusting to her position. She will continue the excellent service that Montgomery County taxpayers have come to expect from us.

Winkle couldnt immediately be reached for comment, but Royal said Winkle plans to formally announce her candidacy on March 3 in the foyer in front of the commissioners office at the County Government Center. The event is scheduled for 2 p.m. that day, Royal said.

Along with another elected office, the county treasurer, the commissioner of the revenue is directly involved in annual property and personal property tax bills.

The commissions office maintains the property assessments that the tax bills are based on and is responsible for sending out the bills. The treasurer collects the payments.

Both the commissioner and treasurer are among Virginias elected constitutional officers  the others are the commonwealths attorney, sheriff and clerk of the circuit court.

Royals office was involved in a few major debates during her time at the helm.

Royal had initially planned to leave her job once her previous term ended in 2019, but decided to stay on following a controversial referendum debate in the county the year before. She said at the time that she had decided to put her retirement on hold and run for one final term so she could remind taxpayers and voters why her office exists.

The debate was over whether the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors should have let voters decide if the commissioner and the treasurer should continue as elected jobs. The proposal ultimately called for the duties of the two elected positions to be placed under the oversight of a county-appointed department head.

The issue was spearheaded by former supervisor and board Chairman Chris Tuck. Among other reasons, he suggested the referendum out of a wish to see some more cost savings for the county. The former supervisor, who left office in 2019, also said that he pursued a referendum then because he was told at the time that neither Royal nor then-treasurer Richard Shelton were planning to seek re-election.

Shelton did retire before the official end of his term in 2019. Current Treasurer Helen St. Clair, who served as the interim immediately following Sheltons departure, ran for the seat and was elected later that year.

The referendum proposal received significant pushback from Royal and Shelton. The two officials  with support from their respective professional associations  argued that placing their jobs under the oversight of a county-appointed department head could lead to a conflict of interest.

Royal said at the time that bringing the two offices together could be grounds for potential collusion. She said employees could decide to improperly raise the value of a property to obtain more money from it.

Some county officials, however, did point out that some localities in the state, including some in Southwest Virginia, operate without an elected commissioner and treasurer.

Tuck, a Republican, eventually dropped the issue and a referendum measure never moved forward.

Some years prior to the referendum discussion, there was a debate over the prorating of the countys personal property tax. In that case, however, the board of supervisors and Royal were ultimately in agreement over the matter, while Shelton opposed it.

Proration, which supervisors unanimously approved in 2015, means residents are taxed on the time they actually own a vehicle instead of having ownership on Jan. 1 determine if they pay a whole years tax  or not.

Under the old system, a resident who owned a car in Montgomery County on Jan. 1 had to pay an entire years tax, even if the vehicle was sold to someone else part-way through the year.

And people who acquired vehicles after Jan. 1 did not have to pay personal property tax to the county that year.

Some proration critics argued that the elimination of that tax free period for cars acquired after Jan. 1 effectively meant a tax increase. Shelton voiced concerns about unnavigable paperwork tangles with the change in the tax assessment method.

Proration supporters offered that residents who own cars in the county on Jan. 1 would no longer pay a full years personal property tax for vehicles they owned just part of that year. County officials who supported the measure described it as a fair way to assess the personal property tax.
Catawba Hospital supporters are holding out hope for state budget funds, as lawmakers continue to contemplate amendments.

It could cost between $147 million to $240 million to renovate and expand the state-run psychiatric hospital in Roanoke County so it can also treat people with substance use disorder, serving a growing statewide need, according to a recently published study.

Del. Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke, carried a bill to the state House this winter to fund those Catawba Hospital improvements. During a phone call from Richmond on Friday, Rasoul said he is feeling very hopeful for a budget amendment that will bring a tranche of funds to begin the work.

This will be addressed in the budget, Rasoul said of Catawba Hospital. What I have is assurance from a lead conferee in the Senate that they will be addressing it that way [through the budget], as opposed to needing to fiddle with a bill.

When a budget amendment could be approved, however, is less certain, he said. Amendments to the biennial state budget certainly will not be ready by Saturday, when the annual lawmaking session was initially scheduled to end.

Unlike in the even years... we have a budget right now. What were trying to do is pass amendments to the current budget, Rasoul said. So we technically arent necessarily under a specific timeline. All of us, though, want to get this done as soon as possible.

Although Rasouls HB 2192 was not heard in the Senate Finance Committee, he said that bill, which had broad bipartisan support, was just a vehicle toward the larger conversation of expanding offerings at Catawba Hospital, beyond current adult mental health services.

Everybody understands this is something we need to tackle, Rasoul said. Talking about the continuum of care that needs to happen in the greater Roanoke region, this is one pillar. Its not the solution to everything.

But Catawba Hospital plans are a new way for lawmakers in the Virginia General Assembly to think about substance use disorder, he said.

This is a vision for a state-of-the-art campus that doesnt exist anywhere in the country at this point, Rasoul said. This is a comprehensive vision.

What makes plans for Catawba Hospital unique is the intent to include inpatient and outpatient health care, plus research and development all together in the same place, he said. But that will happen in phases, not all at once.

This, importantly, is the first step in getting the biggest need, the residential treatment, going, Rasoul said. Were ready to work together with all parties to make it happen.

One of those parties so far involved are students at Virginia Tech, who organized starting in 2021, after Rasoul hosted a bill-writing workshop during classes taught by Associate Professor Emily Satterwhite. She is also director of Appalachian Studies in the Department of Religion and Culture.

Students and peer successors since then have been in the ears of lawmakers, drafting emails, letters and social media posts, making phone calls and recruiting supporters for the Catawba Hospital cause, she said.

This has really been student-driven, Satterwhite said. The students were like, this is important work and we want to keep doing it, can you support us?

Virginia Tech junior Brittany James, a student in public health, said she had no experience with state lawmaking until a few weeks ago. Following a bill through the legislative process has taught her how to navigate a maze of state websites.

If theres one big thing that Ive learned, its that you have to jump on chances like this so quickly, James said. Everything moves so quickly through the process, its a lot shorter than you think.

Jonathan Dance, who is simultaneously seeking undergraduate and graduate degrees, has previously worked helping people recover from substance use disorder. He said the need for expanded services at Catawba Hospital is as real as the need for cancer treatment centers.

I am a person in recovery, thats why I was able to come back to Virginia Tech and finish my degree, Dance said, talking about his previous work for the university recovery community. I stepped away last semester, just to focus on academics, but I still want to be involved somehow.

Involved in negotiating budget amendments that could include Catawba Hospital are chosen state legislators, the Democrat Rasoul among them. He said hang-ups persist regarding partisan divisions on whether to provide tax cuts or invest in state services.

Now is the time to catch up on being historically underfunded with regards to our mental health... to how we pay our teachers... to even certain transportation projects, Rasoul said. We have to be able to fund these core services.

Students for the Catawba Hospital bill said such a large campus, especially in a serene region of Roanoke County, would go a long way in providing a public-owned place where recovering people can find support. And it could help end social stigmas related to addiction and mental health, said Dance.

Mental health and substance use disorder is not a moral failing. Its an actual disease, and people need actual help for it, Dance said. It takes over your mind and body, to where youre completely dependent on it. Like, I was drinking to live, basically.

As important as it is to break down those barriers, he said a simpler sentiment prevails even above that.

Just giving somebody a little bit of hope is the biggest thing, Dance said. Going into a place  whether it be Catawba Hospital or any other facility  gives people that sense of community, shows that people actually care about you, and gives you hope of a better life.
Virginia is considering a massive statewide rail expansion plan, part of which would increase Amtraks daily runs.

In an effort to upgrade the rail system, in 2020 the state instituted a long-term plan that included the creation of the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority as a means to carry out design, construction, financing and maintenance of rail facilities.

Under the rail plan, the authority oversees the passenger rail system while the Department of Rail and Public Transportation oversees the freight system.

The plan included an agreement in which the state bought 386 miles of railroad right of way and 223 miles of track from CSX Transportation. The expansion will add 44 miles of new track between Washington and Richmond.

DJ Stadtler, executive director of the passenger rail authority, recently presented an update on the rail plan to the Policy Committee for the Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Organization.

The authority has $4 billion in rail projects to complete through 2030, to improve infrastructure, he told the committee at its Jan. 23 meeting.

The initial phase of the rail plan runs through 2030 and covers the first two of four phases.

We are not here to build bridges, we are not here to add tracks, Stadtler told the committee. Thats what were doing, but the only reason were doing it is to add more trains for more people to get where they want to go when they want to get there.

The plan calls for adding track along the corridor, including a new bridge to carry trains across the Potomac River between Virginia and D.C., a spot that has long been a chokepoint on the rail system.

A key aspect of the rail corridor expansion is the addition of dedicated passenger tracks between Washington and Richmond that will separate passenger rail from freight train traffic.

Stadtler told the committee the primary cause of passenger train delays is freight train traffic, which travels slower than passenger trains.

The plan includes expanded Virginia Railway Express with six new roundtrip runs for the commuter service in the first two phases, along with late night and weekend service. The late-night VRE service is expected to run from 8 p.m. to 10:20 p.m.

The plan also will increase state-supported Amtrak train service.

During peak hours well have hourly service south to Richmond and also into D.C., which is a lot more trains than you get now, Stadtler said.

Amtrak has received federal funds to upgrade its trains, he told the committee. The new locomotives will run on dual diesel and electric power, which will cut down on delays in D.C.

Stadtler said regular delays are caused in D.C. because the tracks north of Washington are electrified while south of the capitol the trains have to run on diesel engines, requiring an engine switch at Union Station.

He said the upgrades will allow smooth transition between electric and diesel train engines and drastically cut down on delays in D.C.

The long-term rail plan calls for a track expansion along the D.C.-to-Richmond corridor, including a big change at the Fredericksburg station. But that overall expansion wont come all at once, or necessarily anytime soon.

The Policy Committee briefly discussed the rail plan with Stadtler.

One question that came up concerned the drastic drop in train ridership brought on by the pandemic.

VRE service has increased slowly, but still remains far below pre-pandemic ridership.

Stadtler noted that Amtrak saw record ridership figures in 2019, but COVID knocked that down to next to nothing. Ridership has bounced back, he said, with a record-setting December.

Adding trains, Stadtler said, leads to more riders, and weekend service plays a big role.

He said the VPRA needs to do better at getting the word out that taking the train can be a better experience than being stuck in traffic on roads.

Spotsylvania County Supervisor Chris Yakabouski wondered if there are plans to improve transportation for train riders once they get to their destinations.

Stadtler said the U.S. lags on that issue, adding that planners need to be aware of this and seek ways to improve it. He added that there are options, such as ride-hailing services, but agreed the state needs to look for improvements to fill that gap.

He suggested that improving the train system first could naturally lead to improvements on filling those transportation gaps between train stations and passenger destinations.
"Boone was operating his motorcycle and traveling northbound in a curve when it appears he and his motorcycle went down and traveled into the southbound lane into the path of an oncoming motorcycle," the park service said in a news release. "The oncoming motorcycle operator attempted to avoid hitting Boone but was unsuccessful. Preliminary investigations indicate Boone may have suffered a medical emergency."
 Flash

China released a paper stating its position on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis on Friday. The following is the full text.

China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis

1. Respecting the sovereignty of all countries. Universally recognized international law, including the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, must be strictly observed. The sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries must be effectively upheld. All countries, big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, are equal members of the international community. All parties should jointly uphold the basic norms governing international relations and defend international fairness and justice. Equal and uniform application of international law should be promoted, while double standards must be rejected.

2. Abandoning the Cold War mentality. The security of a country should not be pursued at the expense of others. The security of a region should not be achieved by strengthening or expanding military blocs. The legitimate security interests and concerns of all countries must be taken seriously and addressed properly. There is no simple solution to a complex issue. All parties should, following the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and bearing in mind the long-term peace and stability of the world, help forge a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture. All parties should oppose the pursuit of one's own security at the cost of others' security, prevent bloc confrontation, and work together for peace and stability on the Eurasian Continent.

3. Ceasing hostilities. Conflict and war benefit no one. All parties must stay rational and exercise restraint, avoid fanning the flames and aggravating tensions, and prevent the crisis from deteriorating further or even spiraling out of control. All parties should support Russia and Ukraine in working in the same direction and resuming direct dialogue as quickly as possible, so as to gradually deescalate the situation and ultimately reach a comprehensive ceasefire.

4. Resuming peace talks. Dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis. All efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis must be encouraged and supported. The international community should stay committed to the right approach of promoting talks for peace, help parties to the conflict open the door to a political settlement as soon as possible, and create conditions and platforms for the resumption of negotiation. China will continue to play a constructive role in this regard.

5. Resolving the humanitarian crisis. All measures conducive to easing the humanitarian crisis must be encouraged and supported. Humanitarian operations should follow the principles of neutrality and impartiality, and humanitarian issues should not be politicized. The safety of civilians must be effectively protected, and humanitarian corridors should be set up for the evacuation of civilians from conflict zones. Efforts are needed to increase humanitarian assistance to relevant areas, improve humanitarian conditions, and provide rapid, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, with a view to preventing a humanitarian crisis on a larger scale. The UN should be supported in playing a coordinating role in channeling humanitarian aid to conflict zones.

6. Protecting civilians and prisoners of war (POWs). Parties to the conflict should strictly abide by international humanitarian law, avoid attacking civilians or civilian facilities, protect women, children and other victims of the conflict, and respect the basic rights of POWs. China supports the exchange of POWs between Russia and Ukraine, and calls on all parties to create more favorable conditions for this purpose.

7. Keeping nuclear power plants safe. China opposes armed attacks against nuclear power plants or other peaceful nuclear facilities, and calls on all parties to comply with international law including the Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS) and resolutely avoid man-made nuclear accidents. China supports the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in playing a constructive role in promoting the safety and security of peaceful nuclear facilities.

8. Reducing strategic risks. Nuclear weapons must not be used and nuclear wars must not be fought. The threat or use of nuclear weapons should be opposed. Nuclear proliferation must be prevented and nuclear crisis avoided. China opposes the research, development and use of chemical and biological weapons by any country under any circumstances.

9. Facilitating grain exports. All parties need to implement the Black Sea Grain Initiative signed by Russia, Turkiye, Ukraine and the UN fully and effectively in a balanced manner, and support the UN in playing an important role in this regard. The cooperation initiative on global food security proposed by China provides a feasible solution to the global food crisis.

10. Stopping unilateral sanctions. Unilateral sanctions and maximum pressure cannot solve the issue; they only create new problems. China opposes unilateral sanctions unauthorized by the UN Security Council. Relevant countries should stop abusing unilateral sanctions and "long-arm jurisdiction" against other countries, so as to do their share in deescalating the Ukraine crisis and create conditions for developing countries to grow their economies and better the lives of their people.

11. Keeping industrial and supply chains stable. All parties should earnestly maintain the existing world economic system and oppose using the world economy as a tool or weapon for political purposes. Joint efforts are needed to mitigate the spillovers of the crisis and prevent it from disrupting international cooperation in energy, finance, food trade and transportation and undermining the global economic recovery.

12. Promoting post-conflict reconstruction. The international community needs to take measures to support post-conflict reconstruction in conflict zones. China stands ready to provide assistance and play a constructive role in this endeavor.
The Santa Maria Fire Department responded to a blaze that appeared to break out on the roof of the building that houses Party City and Idler's Appliance at the Broadway Pavilion shopping center on South Broadway and East McCoy Lane in Santa Maria on Thursday.

The fire was knocked down in about 10 minutes. The extent of the damage caused by the fire and any information regarding possible injuries was not known Thursday evening.

Crews used a ladder truck parked on the eastbound lane of McCoy Lane to access the Idler's Appliance rooftop. Crews battled through thick black smoke billowing from the building's rooftop to put the fire out.

A county fire crew also responded to the call.
China's anti-corruption drive, which was launched some 10 years ago, has brought major benefits to the country's enterprises and financial markets, according to SMU Associate Professor Yue Heng and his co-researchers. However, there may also be downsides. Credit: Singapore Management University

Chinese President Xi Jinping launched the Communist Party's latest anti-corruption campaign shortly after becoming the country's 'paramount leader' at the end of 2012. Within five years, more than 100,000 people had been reportedly indicted for corruption, along with 120 high-ranking officials, including five national-level leaders.

Singapore Management University Associate Professor of Accounting Yue Heng and his co-researchers began investigating the impact of the anti-corruption campaign in 2015. Five years later, their research paper titled 'China's Anti-Corruption Campaign and Financial Reporting Quality' was published in the journal Contemporary Accounting Research (Vol. 37 No. 2, Summer 2020).

Firms in China had previously hired officials as directors to establish political connections with the government. The paper points out that these connections served as a 'channel for political rent-seeking and corruption', as these directors were in a position to 'help firms to gain a variety of preferential treatments' such as bank loans and favourable court decisions.

'As a result,' the paper continues, these firms had 'less incentive to provide high-quality financial reporting. When the anti-corruption campaign cuts the connection by forcing the officials to resign, these firms lose preferential treatments and therefore may be incentivized to improve FRQ' or financial reporting quality.

The researchers chose to investigate the impact of the anti-corruption drive on firms rather than take a macroeconomic approach as others had done. They also focused on what is known as 'Rule 18' which the Communist Party introduced in October 2013. This measure, the paper states, 'forced officials to resign from listed firms immediately  (triggering) an unprecedented large-scale tide of director resignations.'

Professor Yue told the Office of Research & Tech Transfer that Rule 18 was 'one of the significant regulatory policies in this enormous anti-corruption event, affecting some firms but leaving others untouched.' The latter would act as a 'natural control group' for the research so the two types of firms could be compared. "We observed that more than 400 directors resigned" as a result of the move to sever the political connections of firms.

"Usually, you can't observe so many directors resigning within a short period, so it gave us the opportunity to do this kind of research."

The impact of the anti-corruption drive would be to create a more level playfield, Professor Yue says, especially in regions of China with more developed financial markets and greater judicial efficiency. "If there's a market system, after the political connections have been cut off, firms will compete with each other and use financial reporting quality to send a signal to investors."

While state-owned enterprises could still benefit from their close links to the government and so would be affected less by the campaign, Rule 18 generally meant that firms were competing on a level playing field, Professor Yue said.

This, Professor Yue says, was a step in the right direction. "We believe the improvement in FRQ can contribute to the development of the stock market, the allocation of resources, and contribute to economic growth.'

He himself had previously acted as an independent director in China and before the anti-corruption drive had been obliged to attend business dinners every evening. Following the campaign, he and many other managers had been "quite relieved" that they would no longer have to attend such dinners every day.

He is now focusing on another research project, which is investigating risk-taking by firms, and is hoping to submit a journal paper within a few months. "The basic evidence at this stage is that, after the anti-corruption campaign, firms are taking fewer risks. As China has this very harsh anti-corruption campaign, firms are worried that the more active they are, the more mistakes they'll make and may be accused of corruption." Hence, he says, CEOs are more cautious and risk averse, whereas previously they may have looked to enter new markets with local enterprises.

"If we combine these two studies, on the positive side, some firms have improved their financial reporting quality and efficiency, but on the negative side, managers don't dare to take risks and we know that risk-taking is very important when developing new business and products."

Professor Yue's co-researchers were Ole-Kristian Hope of the University of Toronto and Zhong Qinlin of Renmin University in China.

Provided by Singapore Management University
FLORENCE, S.C. -- Investigators are asking for the public's assistance to locate a suspect in the Valentine's Day shooting death of Dwayne Leon Bines.

"Investigators from the Florence Police Department have obtained arrest warrants of murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime against Antonio Williamson, AKA BOC, according to a release from the agency.

Florence Police spent much of Thursday searching for Williamson, according to the release.

At approximately 1:17 p.m. that night, officers responded to the area of Ingram Street and Cannon Street regarding several reports of shots fired. Officers located the shooting scene in the 700 block of Carver Street and learned that a victim, Bines, was transported by a third party to the hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

Contact Cpl. M Frye of the Florence Police Department with any information regarding this incident at 843-665-3191 or mfrye@cityofflorence.com. Information may also be given through Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC (1-888-274-6372).
FLORENCE, S.C.  Police Chief Allen Heidler

said Friday that police need to regain the publics trust.

Heidler spoke at the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerces legislative breakfast.

Theres a saying that Im sure each of you have all heard before, and that is that time heals all wounds, Heidler said. Now that may generally be a true statement but when the wound is reopened repeatedly by lawless acts made by the very people sworn to protect their communities, that healing time has a tendency to stagnate.

Heidler said accreditation  a voluntary process that ensures a police department is following standards  is one way to build back trust between law enforcement and citizens.

Many years before the nationwide demand for police reform, the Florence Police Department had already ventured out on our own to become accredited by the South Carolina Police Accreditation Council and practice those reforms, Heidler said. We do this because we want our officers to be good cops and to follow the highest standards of police practices.

To become accredited the department commits to maintain 284 standards and conduct audits of its practices. The department is expected to receive another three-year accreditation award on March 3.

Since much of the violent crime and the nonviolent property crimes that we experience in the city of Florence and within the county of Florence overlap with multiple jurisdictions throughout the Pee Dee region, Sheriff Joye and I decided to introduce a viable and sustainable criminal intelligence sharing council, Heidler said.

This council is called the Pee Dee Criminal Intelligence Council (PDCIC) and is open to all Pee Dee region law enforcement. The council has existed for two years and meets monthly. Through the council, law enforcement is able to share information about crime and repeating offenders throughout different jurisdictions.

Were having a lot of success linking criminal intelligence together from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and solving crime, Heidler said.

Heidler also spoke on a violent crime task force that law enforcement participated in last year.

The task force has been very proactive and effective at removing guns, drugs, and violent offenders from our streets, Heidler said.

The chief cited two homicides committed in Florence in the last year and a half  the suspects in both were out of jail on bond in murder cases at the time.

This year legislation has been introduced that, if enacted, would make it harder to get criminal bonds. The Police Chiefs Association is planning to appear at the Statehouse to show support for the legislation as well as lobbying in support alongside the Sheriffs Association and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Association.

The absolute best way to build trust between law enforcement and the citizens we serve is to ensure that our officers are always decent, kind, professional and respectful to everyone that they meet, Heidler said. We accomplish this by providing them with the tools they need to do their job, body cameras to critique their responses, constant and continuous training, leadership and accountability.

According to Heidler, out of 47,000 calls for police service, nine were complaints about Florence officers and one of those nine was verified as true.

Some of the steps taken to reverse a drop in the number of law enforcement officers included a pay increase, a broad marketing and recruitment campaign and looser tattoo and facial hair requirements. Florence Police Department officers were also sent out to recruit potential applicants.

Today, however, Im elated to tell you that in just the last year weve hired 21 qualified police officers, Heidler said. At this current time we only have two vacant positions that we can fill. Now that doesnt mean all those new hires are patrolling the streets of Florence right now.

Heidler said half of the 21 new hires finished 12 weeks of police academy training in addition to 12 weeks of field training while the remaining are still in different phases of training.

Heidler was the first of three speakers at the legislative breakfast. The others were Sheriff T.J. Joye and Chief of SLED, Mark Keel.
FLORENCE, S.C.  South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel on Friday updated members of the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce about the states law enforcement situation at the groups annual legislative breakfast.

Keel has served as SLEDs chief since 2011. Before that he was in charge of the states Department of Public Safety and, prior to that, was SLED chief.

Keel touched on the importance of relationships in law enforcement, struggles of agencies to attract and retain qualified officers, drugs and violent crime.

The communities of Florence and Florence County are fortunate to have a sheriff and chief of police that have the relationships they have, because I can tell you, that is not always the case, Keel said. He was referring to Florence County Sheriff T.J. Joye and Florence Police Chief Allen Heidler.

Having the close relationship here between Chief Heidler and Sheriff Joye, and I still have trouble saying sheriff Joye, I know him just to say Joye; having a close relationship they have is a huge plus for the for the community of Florence and Florence County, said Keel, who formerly worked in state law enforcement with Joye.

Keel addressed situations like George Floyd and other cases in which people died at the hands of law enforcement.

I get angry when I see what happens like the most recent incident in Memphis, Keel said. I would tell you its not a training issue. Nobody trained those officers to do what they did. Theres nobody that trains that. It is a character issue. It is an issue those officers should not have been in the profession to begin with.

Keel said it is imperative that law enforcement, which faces staffing problems, not make the wrong move in reaction to both bad officers and lack of willing workers.

Because of our vacancy rate we cannot afford to lower our standards. We need to keep our standards high and maybe improve on them from where they are, Keel said.

The shortage of officers is cutting into SLED and other state agency resources, Keel said.

We have for the first time, and I can never remember in my time at SLED where we had agents working shifts in small communities. In May of last year we had agents start working shifts in Allendale. We have agents working shifts in Estill. We have agents working shifts in Chester right now. Its not just SLED. Its the Highway Patrol, DNR and (agents with Probation, Pardon and Parole), Keel said.

Keel said SLED was created to be an assisting agency to provide manpower and expertise, which it does frequently in a state where 156 rural law enforcement agencies have 10 or fewer officers on staff.

State law enforcement agencies, he said, are fighting to keep officers in an environment where the pay is low, officers feel unsupported by the citizenry and say there is bad supervision in the profession.

Keel said the state legislature took steps on the pay front with a transformative pay raise for agents  a jump from the mid $30s to just more than $50,000.

Keel, citing something Heidler said in his report to the chamber, said one of the solutions is up to agencies themselves.

Its up to us to try to win back that trust and respect from those we serve, Keel said, quoting Heidler.

Keel also spoke of the importance to win the war on drugs, specifically fentanyl and synthetic opioids.

I dare say everybody in this room knows somebody who has a relative who has been impacted by an overdose death. Ive lost a sister-in-law and a nephew, Keel said.

The veteran law enforcement officer cited U.S. border policies as contributing to the availability of fentanyl.

Were losing a whole generation of young people because of overdose deaths, Keel said. (Overdose deaths are) not going down. In 2021 we saw it increase by 430 here in South Carolina from 1,734 to 2,168 deaths.

In 2012 there were only 563 overdose deaths.

We have to do something about drugs in our community. We cant say this is a war we cant win because we can, Keel said.

Recently passed legislation will give law enforcement agencies more power when it comes to fentanyl-involved crimes, Keel said.
FLORENCE, S.C.  Spectrum on Thursday donated $5,000 to House of Hope of the Pee Dee through the companys national community philanthropic program, Spectrum Employee Community Grants.

House of Hope of the Pee Dee will use funding from Spectrum to support its homeless services and housing programs, including HOPE Village, a long-term transitional housing area for women and children.

I applaud Spectrum for providing this assistance and for encouraging their employees to give back, said state Sen. Kent Williams. This is great news for our community and confirmation of Spectrums commitment to the Pee Dee Region.

The grant came as a result of a nomination by Spectrum employee, and House of Hope volunteer, Perry Chip Benton Jr.

I thought this would be an awesome place to nominate. House of Hope has been here 33 years. I couldnt think of a better place for a charity donation, Benton said as he presented the organization with a check. Ive been with Spectrum a long time and I know they like to donate to local charities and I just wanted to be part of that and wanted to make House of Hope part of that.

Community partnerships are really, really important to the House of Hope, said Julie Maxham, chief development officer. When organizations like Spectrum choose us for these kind of grants it helps so much with what we do.

Maxham said the organization doesnt budget grants as recurring funding, but does look forward to the ones it receives.

Its important for us to get a certain amount of grants in every year and this is a big one for us, Maxham said.

Maxham said the average cost per meal is about $2.75.

Its a lot of meals. It costs about $200 a month to operate one of our tiny houses, keep the heat and hot water and everything else, she said. There are a lot of opportunities to keep the basics going.

We cant tell them about Christ until we give them the basic needs, Maxham said.

Through Spectrum Employee Community Grants, were proud to provide support to vital community organizations with which our local employees are already volunteering their time and talent, said Timothy Williams, Spectrum area vice president, field operations. Together, were building stronger communities where our customers and employees live and work across America.

Spectrum Employee Community Grants have provided funding to nearly 400 local nonprofits in 32 states throughout the companys service area since the programs inception in July 2019.
FLORENCE, S.C.  Dr. Charlene Wages, vice president for administration and planning at Francis Marion University, has received the FMU African-American Faculty and Staff Coalitions Diversity Award.

The award was presented at the organizations 22nd annual scholarship reception held at the FMU Performing Arts Center Thursday night.

Wages joined the faculty of Francis Marion University in 1986 as an instructor of psychology. During her tenure, she has served as chair of the faculty for four terms and has held numerous leadership positions. She has been active in many community organizations and was the first FMU professor to hold the Hugh Leatherman chair for public service. Wages earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia, and her master of arts and doctor of philosophy degrees from Georgia State University.

The AAFSC Diversity Award is given annually by the coalition to highlight the work of individuals who are dedicated to celebrating diversity and inclusiveness at FMU and beyond.

Attorney Linward C. Edwards II served as keynote speaker for the evening and received the coalitions inaugural Together We Can award in recognition of his civic involvement.

Edwards is a 2004 graduate of Francis Marion University, where he received a bachelor of business administration degree before earning his juris doctorate in 2010 from the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law in Washington, D.C. He is the principal and founder of The Law Offices of Linward C. Edwards II, LLC in Florence.

FMU President Fred Carter announced the creation of the Yvette Pierce Graduate Fellowship, which will provide one undergraduate coalition scholarship student with a fellowship to continue education in a graduate program at FMU. The fellowship is named in honor of Yvette Pierce, a longtime reference librarian who recently completed research on the Hewn Timber Cabins and the lives of those who lived in them. Her study is titled A Plantation Economy and African Americans at Mars Bluff: A Brief Historical Perspective.

Carter also announced that Linda Sullen, former and longtime chair of the AAFSC, will receive the Universitys highest honor, the honorary doctor of humanities degree, at the May commencement. Other recipients of this degree will be Robert E. Lee (87), chair of the Board of Trustees, and Dr. Peter King, FMU provost.

The AAFSC was founded at FMU in 1995 to enhance and stimulate cultural awareness, and to promote professional development and welfare among faculty, staff and students.

Dr. Todd Couch, assistant professor of sociology, is the current president of the AAFSC.

Past winners of the AAFSC Diversity Award: Dr. Rebecca Lawson, Dr. Louis Venters, Angela Crosland, Dr. Rhonda Brogdon, Yvonne Davis, Crystal Graham, Dr. Will Wattles, Dr. Jason Owens, Dr. Ruth Wittmann-Price, Dr. Shayna Wrighten, Dr. Erica James, Dr. Daniel Brauss, and LaTasha Brand.
Of the thousands of homes that Frank Lloyd Wright created, only one of them is sited on the oceanand it just sold for a whopping $22 million.

Known as The Mrs. Clinton Walker House, the so-called cabin on the rocks is perched upon a promontory in Carmel, California. Overlooking the Pacific, the storied, 1,400-square-foot residence is reminiscent of the architects other Usonian works with its low-slung roof and large windows. Though, the cottages triangular shape is actually closer to the prow of a ship. According to the Wall Street Journal, the sellers are relatives of the estates original owner, Della Walker, who was married to well-known lumber executive Clinton Walker. In 1945, a year after her husband passed away, she reached out to Wright in a letter asking him to build her a coastal abode similar to that of his Fallingwater project in Pennsylvania.

More from Robb Report

The Mrs. Clinton Walker House, Frank Lloyd Wrights only oceanfront design, just sold for $22 million

I am a woman living aloneI wish protection from the wind and privacy from the road and a house as enduring as the rocks but as transparent and charming as the waves and delicate as the seashore, she wrote. You are the only man who can do thiswill you help me?

Wright agreed and later completed the home in 1952. Constructed largely of cedar and Carmel stone, it also features painted steel, copper, concrete and glass. The highlight is a hexagonal-shaped living room that looks out to the ocean. In total, the lot spans 14,000 square feet and comprises a small beach. In 2016, the property was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Originally built in 1952, the property has since been placed on the National Register of Historic Places

I hope this tiny aristocrat among the Carmel bourgeois, so exciting in itself, is not only a domestic experience giving you the joy you, its progenitor, deserve, but a spiritual uplift, Wright wrote to Walker a few years after the home was finished. The newspaper reported that Esperanza Carmel LLC, a real estate investment and development firm, bought the house from the familys descendants.

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They fell in love with it exactly how it is, right down to the pillows and the books, listing agent Jessica Canning of Canning Properties Group, who represented the sellers, told the WSJ. The authenticity and character of it was one of the major draws.

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The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) conducted a strategic cruise missile launching drill Thursday, a move aimed at examining the rapid response posture of its strategic cruise missile units, the official Korean Central News Agency reported Friday.

A strategic cruise missile unit of the Korean People's Army in the eastern region fired four "Hwasal-2" strategic cruise missiles towards eastern waters at dawn, which traveled on a flight trajectory before hitting target as designed, the report said.

The launching drill "successfully achieved its object," it said.

South Korea and the United States on Wednesday held a combined military exercise at the Pentagon, involving simulations including using a nuclear weapon.
India and China were among the major global powers that abstained from a UN General Assembly vote calling on Russia to end hostilities in Ukraine on the eve of the first anniversary of the invasion.

The UN motion in New York was adopted after 141 UN member nations voted in its favour, while 32 abstained and seven voted against it on Thursday.

The non-binding motion underscored the need to reach, as soon as possible, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine in line with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

India, walking a tightrope between Washington and Moscow, said it is constrained to abstain from the vote and pledged to always call for dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable way out.

The two nuclear-armed south Asian neighbours are engaged in a bitter border dispute since 2020 and have independently found common ground on Russia as both countries enjoy a long-standing relationship with Moscow.

Explaining Indias reasoning for its decision, the countrys permanent UN representative Ruchira Kamboj said after the vote that the UN system was rendered ineffective.

Are we anywhere near a possible solution acceptable to both sides? Can any process that does not involve either of the two sides, ever lead to a credible and meaningful solution? she asked.

Has the UN system, and particularly its principal organ, the UN Security Council, based on a 1945-world construct, not been rendered ineffective to address contemporary challenges to global peace and security? Ms Kamboj said.

While we take note of the stated objectives of todays Resolution, given its inherent limitations in reaching our desired goal of securing lasting peace, we are constrained to abstain.

India, the host of the G20 summit this year, has also consistently stressed that the Global South feels the pain of the ramifications of the war and suffered substantial collateral damage.

The country has abstained on almost all UN resolutions on Russias actions in Ukraine in the past, underlining the need for diplomacy and dialogue despite consistent pressure from the West to take a firm stance on the country.

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Indian leadership has continued to resist pressure and maintained close ties with Moscow as the two enjoy a longstanding relationship since the Cold War.

Germany's foreign minister Annalena Baerbock address the United Nations General Assembly before a vote for a U.N. resolution upholding Ukraine's territorial integrity (AP)

Amid Western-led sanctions to choke Russia economically, India has boosted crude oil imports with Russia, which has become the countrys largest supplier of energy since the war began, apart from widening its imports portfolio.

The vote is in keeping with Indias position of neutrality so far and was expected, Sushant Singh, a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, told The Independent.

It puts New Delhi in the company of countries like China, Pakistan and Bangladesh which sits at odds with how the Narendra Modi government would like to be perceived in the Western capitals.

India and China abstained alongside Pakistan, Iran, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and South Africa, while Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua and Syria voted against it.

But unlike with China, no Western power is going to point fingers at India as they need New Delhi to counter Beijing, Mr Singh pointed out.

China also issued a statement similar to its neighbour and said it wanted Ukraine and Russia to resume direct dialogue as soon as possible.

Relations between China and Russia have become increasingly close as they have aligned their foreign policies to oppose the US-led liberal international order.

China also said it has a no limits relationship with Russia amid concerns that Beijing may be preparing to provide Moscow with military aid, something it has denied.

The country also presented a 12-point peace proposal on Friday to end the conflict and accused the West of provoking the conflict and fanning the flames by providing Ukraine with defensive arms.

Todays vote was really historic, said ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the USs UN representative, after the session. You saw one year after Russias illegal, unprovoked, full-scale invasion into Ukraine where the countries of the world stand. We showed where we stand  with Ukraine.
The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) says it recently arrested a 32-year-old Singaporean man who had drugs worth $182,000 in his home.

The individual was caught by police in his Mercedes, which was parked in the vicinity of Bukit Timah Road. He was then escorted to his home in Punggol Field where the CNB discovered the stash of drugs.

A total of about 2,123g of cannabis, 967g of heroin, 131g of Ice, 123g of ketamine, 263g of Ecstasy tablets, and 1,325g of powdery substances believed to contain controlled drugs, with an estimated street value of $182,000, were seized during the operation, the CNB said in a statement.

To emphasize the amount, the CNB said that the quantity of cannabis confiscated could feed the addiction of about 300 abusers for a week and the amount of heroin in custody could feed the addiction of about 460 abusers for a week.

Despite knowing the harms of drugs, drug traffickers continue to peddle drugs and profit at the expense of peoples lives and livelihoods, said Senior Assistant Director of Intelligence Operations, SUPT William Tan.

He added that to prevent and disrupt the circulation of drugs in society, CNBs tough laws and enforcement hope to send a strong signal of deterrence against illicit drug activities.

Meanwhile, police said investigations are still ongoing.

If found guilty of trafficking drugs in the amounts detailed by the police, the 32-year-old would most likely face a mandatory death penalty sentencing.

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Singaporean based in Turkey raises nearly $70,000 to get tents for the victims When it came to aid and assistance following the earthquake in Turkey, we saw the kindness of people shine. Whether it was recce missions or sending the top dogs (literally)
HARTINGTON, Neb.  A woman charged with murder in connection with a Laurel, Nebraska, quadruple homicide is seeking dismissal of her charges, arguing evidence presented during a previous hearing was not sufficient for the case to proceed toward trial.

Douglas Stratton, who represents Carrie Jones, said in Thursday's court filing that prosecutors failed to establish probable cause that Jones aided and abetted her husband in the Aug. 4 shooting death of Gene Twiford in his Laurel home.

Stratton's plea in abatement says the prosecution didn't present complete evidence that Jones committed the crimes with which she's charged and also failed to present complete sworn testimony on all elements of the crimes. Stratton requested a hearing be conducted on Monday, when he said he would present information to support his plea in abatement.

Jones, 43, of Laurel, is currently scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Cedar County District Court on charges of first-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence and being an accessory to a felony.

At a Feb. 15 hearing, a Nebraska State Patrol investigator testified Carrie Jones told him Twiford had verbally harassed her for three years. The day before the shooting, Jones pointed a loaded handgun at her husband, then held a knife to his throat and told him he needed to stand up for her and end the harassment. She told the investigator she didn't tell her husband to kill Twiford, but did say shed do it if he didnt.

Hours later, Twiford, 86, was found shot to death, along with his wife, Janet, 85, and their daughter Dana Twiford, 55, in their burning home at 503 Elm St.

Assistant Nebraska Attorney Corey OBrien said at the previous hearing Jones had the intent to kill Twiford and either encouraged her husband to commit the crime or participated in it herself.

Jones' attorneys argued prosecutors hadn't shown Jones persuaded her husband to kill Twiford.

At the hearing's conclusion, Judge Douglas Luebe found probable cause for Jones to face trial and ordered her bound over to district court.

Jones' husband, Jason Jones, 42, is charged with four counts each of first-degree murder and use of a firearm to commit a felony and two counts of first-degree arson. Hes accused of shooting the Twifords and also Michele Ebeling, 53, who lived across the street from the Jones' home. He's also accused of setting fire to both homes.

Firefighters responded to Ebelings home at 209 Elm St. after a neighbor reported an explosion just after 3 a.m. Aug. 4. While authorities were at Ebelings home, a fire at the Twiford home at 503 Elm St. was reported.

Jones told investigators she had just gotten home from work when she and neighbors noticed Ebelings house was on fire. Jones said she saw her badly burned husband stumble from the house, and he told her hed been there to see if he could help.

Carrie Jones said she helped him inside, and he handed her his .44-caliber handgun and told her to put it away. Carrie Jones said she peeled burned clothes from his body before washing, bandaging and putting him in bed after he refused to go to the hospital.

Carrie Jones told investigators she put the burned clothing in a bag, tossed it out of the bathroom and doesn't know what happened to them. The clothes have not been found. The .44-caliber handgun was found in their bedroom.

Jason Jones was arrested later that day and taken to a Lincoln, Nebraska, hospital for treatment of severe burns. Carrie Jones was arrested Dec. 16 and remains in custody on a $1 million bond.

Prosecutors have filed notice of intent to seek the death penalty against Jason Jones if hes found guilty of first-degree murder. His attorney has filed a motion to quash portions of Nebraskas death penalty statute, saying theyre unconstitutional. Both sides have until March 17 to file briefs in the case before a judge issues a ruling.
SIOUX CITY  A Sioux City man suspected in several Siouxland armed robberies has pleaded not guilty to a federal gun charge.

Kevon Spratt, 29, entered his plea Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Sioux City to possession of a firearm by a felon. His trial was scheduled for April 17.

According to a grand jury indictment, Spratt, who was prohibited from possessing firearms because of previous felony convictions, was in possession of a 9mm handgun from June 22 through Nov. 14.

Spratt is believed to have robbed six banks and businesses from Oct. 16-Nov. 14 in Dakota City, Nebraska; Onawa, Iowa; Salix, Iowa; Sergeant Bluff; Sioux City and Jefferson, South Dakota. In each instance, surveillance camera footage showed a man believed to be Spratt using a firearm to threaten workers. More than $17,000 was taken during the robberies.

Spratt also is suspected of robbing two individuals at gunpoint on Sept. 30 in Sioux City.

He was arrested Nov. 14 after an attempted bank robbery in Salix.
WAYNE, Neb.  Rising enrollment and an increasingly popular FFA program have Wayne Community Schools facilities bursting at the seams and in need of expansion.

This week, 3,348 registered voters in the school district were mailed a ballot that could be the solution to those issues. The school district is seeking voter approval of a $27.9 million bond issue that would provide funds for construction of a new elementary building to house the district's youngest students and an addition and other renovations at the high school.

"Really, the purpose of this project is to house our current students and deal with our capacity now and also be prepared for the future," school superintendent Mark Lenihan said.

Enrollment in preschool through 12th grade has climbed to 1,000 students, and the district has gained 66 students since classes began in August. With the city's aggressive approach to adding housing, Lenihan said he expects enrollment to continue to rise.

"We want to be ready for that growth," he said.

Completed ballots are due in the Wayne County Clerk's office by 5 p.m. March 14.

The major piece of the bond issue is a building referred to as the Early Learning Center, which would house preschool through second grade in a new school southwest of the junior/senior high school. Preschoolers now attend an off-campus building leased by the district. Kindergarten through second-grade classes would be moved from the current elementary school, which Lenihan said is at capacity, freeing up several classrooms.

An addition to the high school's east side would add seven classrooms, one of them a science lab. Current science classrooms and labs, which have not been updated since the building opened in 1967, also would be renovated and updated.

A new wrestling practice room would be built onto the existing strength and fitness building, making space available in the school for an expansion of the FFA/ag classroom and lab. Since it started six years ago, the FFA program now involves about 25% of junior high and high school students, and the program's current classroom and lab facilities have limited space.

The bond also calls for renovations and upgrades to the school's lecture hall/auditorium, paving of a gravel parking lot and security upgrades throughout the building, which includes the junior high addition that opened in 2012.

In total, the bond provides for the addition of 22 educational spaces that would allow the district to accommodate an enrollment of approximately 1,350 students.

"We're gaining a lot of classrooms," said Lenihan, in his 14th year as superintendent. "I'm excited about the classrooms because we really need that."

Financial figures included on the district's bond issue website show passage of the measure would add $129 in property taxes per $100,000 of residential valuation. Ag land with an assessed value of $1 million would see an $895 increase in property taxes.

If the bond passes, Lenihan said construction could possibly begin this fall.
SIOUX CITY  The Sioux City Community School District and school board members named in former Superintendent Paul Gausmans lawsuit request references to removing them from their elected positions be removed.

Gausman filed a lawsuit in Woodbury County District Court in January claiming school board members Dan Greenwell, Jan George, Taylor Goodvin and Bob Michaelson violated Iowa Open Meetings laws.

The motion to strike filed in Woodbury County District Court on Thursday also requests documents and references to current and former complaints filed to the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners be removed.

According to the lawsuit, board members held two illegal meetings citing the wrong Iowa code sections in order to avoid notifying Gausman or the public of their discussion of him and the following board decision to file a complaint against him with the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners.

Gausman is seeking the removal of the four school board members from their elected positions as well as monetary damages and attorney fees. He is also asking the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners to dismiss the complaints filed by both the district and Greenwell personally against him.

The motion to strike was filed Thursday by the defendants to remove evidence and references to the Board of Educational Examiners' complaints as well as possible removal by the court of the elected officials.

We believe our Motion to Strike serves to remove the theatrics from Dr. Gausmans claim, Greenwell said. We believe the heart of the matter is the [Board of Educational Examiners] investigation by the State of Iowa. We are hopeful that the [Board of Educational Examiners] will proceed in normal course and look forward to receiving those findings.

The motion to strike states an elected official can be removed from office by the court if that individual has had prior open meeting violations and damages were assessed against the member during the members term.

Dr. Paul Gausman press conference Dr. Paul Gausman, Superintendent of Sioux City Community Schools, speaks during a press conference Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022, at the district's

It states none of the defendants have had prior open meeting law violations, and therefore the references to removal should be removed from the lawsuit.

The motion also states the references to complaints filed against Gausman with the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners are not admissible as evidence in the lawsuit according to Iowa Code.

Therefore, all references to pending and former complaints before the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners, information related to the complaints, and the complaints themselves all should be struck from the Plaintiffs Petition, according to court documents.

The school board voted in November 2022 to file a complaint regarding Gausman with the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners.

Greenwell filed the complaint on Dec. 2, 2022.

The complaint claims Gausman attempted to bribe Michaelson and George on Nov. 17, 2021, before their official swearing-in on Nov. 22, 2022. Greenwell claimed it was an attempt to solicit their support to re-elect Alarcon-Flory to board president, in the letter sent to the Iowa Board of Education Examiners.

Dr. Gausman directly offered to allow Mr. Michaelson (board member-elect) and Mr. George (board member-elect) to make any of their desired changes in school operations, programs, activities, and other matters in exchange for their vote for Ms. Alarcon-Flory as president of the board, Greenwell said in the letter.

Greenwell claims the conversation took place at a public place in Des Moines with Gausman, Michaelson, George and Alarcon-Flory present. Greenwell states the pair objected to Gausmans offer multiple times.

Ms. Alarcon-Flory remained silent regarding the bribery offer during the discussions at the table, he said in the letter.

Greenwells letter claims Gausman admitted to the bribery at a meeting on Jan. 27, 2022, with Greenwell and Goodvin present, as well as in a separate discussion with Scarlett.

The letter to the examiner's office also claims Gausman disclosed confidential closed board meeting information to staff members. It states Gausman acquired information from the closed session from Alarcon-Flory and shared it with cabinet members.

Greenwells letter claims Gausman admitted to Greenwell and Goodvin that he shared the information with the cabinet members. He states cabinet members have confirmed the information was shared with them.

The complaint is pending and is meritless and made false claims, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit also states Greenwell himself filed a complaint against Gausman on Aug. 1, 2022, with the same claims in a similarly worded letter, without board support.

The Iowa Board of Educational Examiners requires complaints to be from the district, and the one filed in August was not approved by the school board. Gausman requested Greenwell's complaint be dismissed due to for lack of jurisdiction, but Greenwell had withdrawn his complaint prior to any ruling.
On this weeks edition of the On Iowa Politics podcast: it was a big week for the pipeline debate at the Iowa Capitol, we talk trains in the wake of the Ohio disaster, and were back on the 2024 trail.

On Iowa Politics is a weekly news and analysis podcast that aims to re-create the kinds of conversations that happen when you get political reporters from across Iowa together after the day's deadlines have been met.

This weeks show is hosted by The Gazettes Des Moines Bureau Chief Erin Murphy and features Gazette Deputy Bureau Chief Tom Barton, Lee Des Moines Bureau Chief Caleb McCullough, Sarah Watson of the Quad City Times, Jared McNett of the Sioux City Journal, and Gazette Columnist Todd Dorman.

The show was produced by Stephen M. Colbert, and the music heard on the podcast is courtesy of Kelly Pardekooper and Copperhead.
PORTLAND, Ore.  Winter storms sowed more chaos across the U.S. on Thursday, shutting down much of Portland with almost a foot of snow and paralyzing travel from parts of the Pacific Coast all the way to the northern Plains.

The nearly 11 inches that fell in Portland amounted to the second snowiest day in the city's history. It took drivers by surprise, stalling traffic during the Wednesday evening rush hour and trapping motorists on freeways for hours.

Some spent the night in their vehicles or abandoned them as crews struggled to clear roads. Other commuters got off spun-out buses and walked in groups to safety.

The storms also knocked out power to almost a million homes in multiple states, closed schools and grounded or delayed thousands of flights.

Kim Upham endured a 13-hour ordeal as snow brought to a standstill the traffic on U.S. 26, a mountainous highway that connects Portland to the coast.

Already treacherous because of its steep grade, the highway was covered in a sheet of ice, forcing some drivers to leave their cars in the middle of the road.

"It was so scary to have semi-trucks behind you and semi-trucks in front of you, and you know you're on a slope," she said.

As the hours stretched on, some drivers began to worry about surviving until morning. Upham used a blanket to stay warm and spent the night in her car.

To save gas, she turned the vehicle on only intermittently to run the windshield wipers and inch ahead when traffic moved slightly.

"I really don't want to die on 26," she added. "I was thinking that quite often to be honest with you."

The system even brought snow to usually balmy Southern California. The weather service office in San Diego issued its first-ever blizzard warning, covering the mountains of San Bernardino County from early Friday until Saturday afternoon.

San Bernardino County lies east of Los Angeles County, where the first mountain blizzard warning since 1989 was scheduled to take effect at the same time.

In Wyoming, roads across much of the southern part of the state were impassable, state officials said.

Rescuers tried to reach stranded motorists, but high winds and drifting snow created a "near-impossible situation," said Sgt. Jeremy Beck of the Wyoming Highway Patrol.

High winds and heavy snow in the Cascade Mountains prevented search teams from reaching the bodies of three climbers killed over the weekend in an avalanche on Washington's Colchuck Peak.

In Arizona, several interstates and other highways were closed due to high winds, falling temperatures and blowing snow. The state Department of Transportation advised people not to travel. Forecasters said snow could fall as rapidly as 2 to 3 inches per hour.

A blizzard warning was in effect through Saturday in California for higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada, where forecasters predicted several feet of snow, 60 mph gusts and wind chills as low as minus 40 degrees.

In the state capital of Sacramento, the weather service said it received reports of something that might be either hail or graupel  soft, wet snowflakes encased in supercooled water droplets.

Electrical grids took a beating in the north as heavy ice and strong winds toppled power lines.

A Michigan firefighter died Wednesday after coming in contact with a downed power line in the village of Paw Paw, authorities said. Van Buren County Sheriff Dan Abbott called it a tragic accident that was "no fault of the firefighter."

Large power outages were reported in California, Oregon, Illinois and Michigan, according to the website PowerOutage.us.

More than 820,000 customers in Michigan were without electricity, mostly in the state's southeast corner, where power lines and trees were shrouded in ice. DTE Energy said some outages could last through the weekend.

Afternoon temperatures in the 40s were expected to melt the ice, but DTE said it was bracing for more broken lines.

"A quarter-inch of ice on an electrical system is the equivalent of a baby grand piano hanging on those wires," said Trevor Lauer, the president of DTE's electric arm.

In the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, the city offered free dry ice, an acknowledgment that power could be out for a while. Ash Quam praised a public works crew for getting a large ice-coated tree limb out of the street.

"It was so loud when it came crashing down around midnight. By the time I woke up this morning, it was gone," Quam said on Facebook.

Weather also contributed to another day of problems at the nation's airports. More than 2,000 flights were canceled by Thursday afternoon, according to the tracking service FlightAware, and nearly 14,000 were delayed across the country.

In a few places, the snow offered a delightful diversion. Karen Krenis was driving to a pottery studio Thursday in Santa Cruz, California, when she stopped in her tracks after seeing snow on the beach.

"I have lived in California for 30 years, and I've never seen anything like it," Krenis said.

She said she got out of her car and went to the beach to take photos. By the time she left, about 50 other people were already there. Adults were snapping photos and children were making snowballs.
A 29-year-old Lincoln man, an aspiring law school student, went to prison Wednesday apologizing for his actions while still denying the sex assault charge a jury found him guilty of last month for picking up a drunken college student downtown at bar close and driving her to a dark corner of a campus parking lot where he raped her.

"I'm making the choice to take full responsibility," Hope Npimnee said, asking for leniency.

He said he also was making the choice to apologize to his 21-year-old accuser "for my actions and how I harmed her."

At the same time, his deputy public defender, James Sieben, said it likely comes as no surprise to the prosecutor or the judge that Npimnee maintains his innocence.

"It is our contention here today that that verdict was incorrect," Sieben said.

Npimnee says when his accuser said no, he stopped.

At trial, she testified that she said no more than once, but he didnt stop until police pulled up.

During a routine patrol early July 9, 2021, a University Police officer found them in a University of Nebraska-Lincoln lot at 19th and Vine streets. The young woman was in the passenger seat with her shorts at her ankles.

In a rambling statement Wednesday eventually cut off by the judge, Npimnee spoke about his faith, his "brilliant mind" and his schooling, which includes a master's degree and an ambition to one day go to law school.

And he apologized for lacking discipline to make better decisions and said he accepted his accuser's rage and will spend the rest of his life atoning for it.

"At large, society is a bit more unsafe because of my actions. There are going to be more women at the university campus scared of a rapist. And that was what I did," Npimnee said.

Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Chris Reid said the victim's usual, optimistic outlook on life has been replaced by anxiety and fear.

"What the victim went through was a serious ordeal. It's something that for most people, especially women, would be their worst nightmare: being sexually assaulted by a complete stranger in a dark secluded area," he said.

Reid said this wasn't a case where Npimnee simply chose the wrong person to have sex with, as Npimnee tries to frame it.

"We believe the evidence at trial shows that Mr. Npimnee was a predator," he said.

Yet, Reid said Npimnee has done everything he can to place the blame on others. Since the verdict, he's blamed his attorneys for not winning the case, he's blamed the court, law enforcement, even the victim. In a pre-sentence interview, Npimnee told a probation officer he was only in this position "because he was a Black man who had sex with a white woman."

"But we submit there's no one to blame for the situation he finds himself in but himself," the prosecutor said.

In the end, Lancaster County District Judge Ryan Post said while Npimnee spoke about getting charged for taking an iPod from a high school classmate he omitted the rest of his lengthy criminal history, which crosses multiple states and includes assaultive and violent behavior.

And, he said, the character letters written on Npimnee's behalf paint a completely different picture than the person he's observed in court.

"Your success in school doesn't make up for your actions for what we're here for today," Post said.

He said despite how Npimnee wants to frame it, "this is not a situation where you met a girl at a bar and there was some sort of miscommunication or something like that."

Post said Npimnee went downtown around the time the bars closed, found an intoxicated girl all alone, drove her to a dark corner of a UNL parking lot "and you sexually assaulted her."

And he sentenced Npimnee to 35 to 40 years in prison.

Npimnee will have to serve 17 years before he's eligible for parole and will be subject to lifetime community supervision, a possible civil commitment and will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
A Lincoln Police officer shocked a 14-year-old boy with a Taser while attempting to take him into custody for his alleged role in an assault at the Cedars Home for Children on Monday, authorities said.

Staff members at the nonprofit called police to the home, near 66th Street and Pioneers Boulevard, just before 6 p.m. Monday and reported that the 14-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl had assaulted another 14-year-old boy, Lincoln Police Sgt. Chris Vollmer said.

Police encountered the alleged 14-year-old attacker in a stairwell and spoke with him from a distance before he attempted to flee, Vollmer said.

One officer caught up to the boy on the facility's second floor and attempted to take him into custody, but the teen fought the officer's attempts to detain him, Vollmer said.

A second officer shocked the boy with a Taser amid the struggle.

Vollmer noted that the 14-year-old "is of comparable size" to the officer he allegedly fought with. The police department did not identify the boy or the officers involved in the incident.

Lincoln Fire and Rescue crews took the teen to a local hospital for medical evaluation  a move that is required by Lincoln Police Department policy anytime a Taser is deployed.

Hospital staff medically cleared the boy, who was then taken to the Youth Assessment Center. He was referred to the Lancaster County Attorney's Office on suspicion of assault and resisting arrest, Vollmer said.

The 16-year-old girl was referred on suspicion of assault and released to the care of Cedars staff, Vollmer said.
A 64-year-old Lincoln woman was defrauded of $58,000 in an internet scam that started with an email alerting her of purported fraudulent transactions on her Amazon account, according to police.

The woman called police to her east Lincoln home just after 5 p.m. Tuesday and told officers she had received the email and called an attached phone number to clear up the supposed fraudulent charges on her account, Lincoln Police Sgt. Chris Vollmer said.

The call-taker who answered the woman's phone call directed her to drive to her bank and transfer $58,000 to an account in California, Vollmer said.

She transferred the funds and called the number back, Vollmer said. The suspected scammer told her to return to her bank and cancel the transaction, Vollmer said.

So the woman returned to the bank to cancel the transfer, but that effort apparently came too late, Vollmer said.

Bank employees advised the woman that she had likely been the victim of a scam, leading her to call police.

The Police Department declined to say where the 64-year-old banks.

Photos: Nebraska high school state wrestling championships
OMAHA  In delivering his sentence to a teen who fatally killed his best friend, Douglas County District Judge Peter Bataillon shared the wise words his father had repeated when he was a boy:

"The most dangerous gun is the unloaded gun," Bataillon said.

That advice apparently hadn't reached Blake W. Miller when he was handling what he believed to be an unloaded .22 caliber rifle that killed 18-year-old Tanner Farrell on March 12. Miller pointed the gun at Farrell's chest while "fooling around" and drinking beer, prosecutors said, and pulled the trigger.

Bataillon on Tuesday sentenced Miller to four years of probation on a manslaughter charge. Miller faced up to 20 years in prison.

In brief comments during the 11-minute hearing, Miller apologized for causing "so much pain."

"I wish I could fix this and change what happened," he said. "But I can't. I'd just really like to move on for everybody. That's all. I'm sorry for everything."

Authorities have said that a small group of friends were at Miller's house drinking beer without his parents home when Miller, then 18, pulled out the rifle to show it off. Miller was a Millard West High School senior and Farrell had transferred the summer before from Millard West to Ralston High School.

After Farrell was shot, one teen called parents to come and another called 911. Miller had said he accidentally shot his friend, Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine had said.

It just shows you what can happen when somebody who doesnt apparently know what theyre doing is handling a firearm in an inappropriate manner, and we see the results, Kleine had said. Its tragic. And it should bother everyone.

Miller's attorney, William Bianco, said Miller graduated from high school and began working at a farm in Cedar Rapids with the goal of owning his own farm. Bianco said Miller stayed in close contact with Farrell's family, who were upset when the manslaughter charge was filed and had issued a statement of support to the teen.

More than two dozen family and friends of Miller and Farrell attended the sentencing. All declined to comment after the hearing.

Prosecutor John Alagaban said probation was an appropriate sentence in this case.

"We are wishful that things could be different," Alagaban said. "Some mistakes, though, are criminal. This was truly one of those."

Under state law, manslaughter occurs when someone causes the death of another without malice either upon sudden quarrel or unintentionally while in the commission of an unlawful act.

Kleine had said that Miller pointing the gun at Farrell was unlawful and not a true accidental shooting.

In November, a similar scenario occurred in Imperial. Tristan Ferguson, 19, told authorities that he pointed a shotgun at his roommate Jesse Krausnick, 19, and pulled the trigger once, thinking the gun was unloaded, according to court documents. Krausnick died at Chase County Community Hospital.

A Nebraska state trooper said in an affidavit that Ferguson had purchased alcohol at a local convenience store with a fake ID and that minors had been drinking at the Imperial residence where the shooting occurred. Krausnick now faces manslaughter and firearm charges.

But other recent horseplay-type fatal shootings garnered more prison time for the young people who pulled the trigger.

Last year, a Douglas County district judge sentenced 20-year-old Mason Beaverson to 5 to 10 years in prison after pleading to a manslaughter charge. While at a party and high on an assortment of illegal drugs at an Omaha Motel 6 room, Beaverson aimed a gun at 17-year-old Evan Latto on Sept. 4, 2020, and pulled the trigger, killing him.

And in 2021, another judge sentenced Keat Thon, 19, to 10 to 12 years in prison for fatally shooting his new friend, 19-year-old Nuer Yuek in July 2020. An Omaha police detective had said the two were messing around with a gun, passing it back and forth until Thon, believing the gun was unloaded, pulled the trigger while pointing it at Yuek.

Top Journal Star photos for February 2023
OMAHA  Rep. Don Bacon is calling for an official investigation after his and other Air Force veterans personnel records were released without authorization.

The Nebraska congressmans records were released to a third-party individual without his approval in November 2021, according to a letter from the Air Force. The news outlet Politico was first to report on the existence of the letter, which it obtained a copy of.

Bacons office confirmed that he received the letter from Air Force Maj. Gen. Troy Dunn on Feb. 7.

It states that the Air Forces personnel records branch received multiple requests from Abraham Payton, a backgrounds investigation specialist at Due Diligence Group LLC, for Bacons military personnel records on Nov. 9, 2021. Bacon served for nearly 30 years in the Air Force and retired as a brigadier general before being elected to Congress.

Payton classified the purpose of the records request as employment and benefits and had Bacons Social Security number, according to the letter.

The records department then sent Bacons personal identifying information to Payton on Nov. 12, 2021, the letter said.

Politico reported that Payton was a former research director for American Bridge, a Democratic political group. The news outlet also reported that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee paid Due Diligence just over $110,000 between January 2021 and December 2022.

Bacon, a Republican who in November was elected to a fourth term representing Nebraskas Omaha-area congressional district, told the World-Herald in a statement that he would like to see an investigation into whether the unauthorized release was connected to the Democratic political group.

This isnt just dirty politics, but likely a violation of the law, the statement said. Veterans deserve peace of mind knowing their information is safe and will be protected from political dirty tricksters.

In a statement, the Air Force said an audit found that there was unauthorized release of military records for 11 individuals between October 2021 and October 2022. It did not identify those individuals; however, Politico reported that Rep. Zach Nunn, a Republican from Iowa, said the Air Force informed him that his records were disclosed without his authorization.

Virtually all unauthorized disclosures were in response to a third-party seeking service records for employment or benefit purposes through a process commonly used by other federal agencies to conduct employee background checks, the Air Force said in its statement.

In the letter to Bacon, Dunn said that there was no criminal wrongdoing or malicious intent found on the part of the employee who released the records but that procedural changes to increase security of personnel records were made after the unauthorized release.

Top Journal Star photos for February 2023
Legislation authorizing issuance of up to $450 million in bonds to accelerate completion of Nebraska's long-delayed, four-lane expressway system would generate economic activity while better positioning the state to compete and grow, Gov. Jim Pillen said Wednesday.

"We've really missed the boat," the governor told the Legislature's Revenue Committee, by lagging behind in completing the four-lane expressway system envisioned in the Build Nebraska Act authored by state Sen. Deb Fischer and approved by the Legislature in 2011.

Fischer is now a U.S. senator.

In terms of safety, economic development and connecting Nebraska communities, "this is an incredibly important investment," Pillen said as he testified in support of the bill.

"It's important for the state to be able to compete," he said.

Sen. Mike Moser of Columbus, author of the highway bond bill (LB706) and the senator who hails from Pillen's own community, said the proposal would spur economic development in the state.

The bill provides for up to $450 million in bonding authority and $35 million in annual debt service payments, along with provisions that no bonds would be issued after 2029 and all bonds would be paid in full by June of 2042, when the program would sunset.

Bryan Slone of Omaha, president of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry, spoke in support of the bill, telling the committee that "highways are the lifeblood of business  critical to manufacturing, agriculture and transportation."

Bruce Bohrer, speaking for the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, said highway infrastructure promotes economic development and growth.

Lynn Rex, executive director of the League of Nebraska Municipalities, noted that the bill would "complete the long-promised expressway system."

The proposal also had the endorsement of the Nebraska Association of County Officials.

There was no opposition testimony.

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HOLDREGE  Marilee Malcom credits Catherine Kate Anderson with saving her husbands life.

Growing up, Marilee knew Kate as her grandparents neighbor. Marilee would play with the Anderson kids and indulge in Kates cookies. Little did she know, Kate would have a much bigger impact on her later in life.

It was 1978 when Anderson and her family were driving to Eustis to visit her mother when they saw a crop duster crash into a nearby field.

They pulled over and found the wrecked aircraft. The pilot was Marilees husband, Dave Malcom. Dave escaped the wreckage, but suffered burns over 65% of his body.

A licensed practical nurse, Kate Anderson jumped into action.

They got into a farmhouse and got him all wrapped in wet towels and took care of him. Because of Kate, he is still alive, Marilee said.

When Marilee recently learned about the Nebraska Nurse Honor Guards living tributes for nurses, she immediately knew she wanted to nominate Anderson, Now 93, she was recently honored with a living tribute presented by the NNHG at Phelps Memorial Health Center in Holdrege.

Nebraska Nurse Honor Guard The Nebraska Nurse Honor Guard recognizes and honors the everyday heroes who dedicate their lives to the nursing profession. Honor guard services include: Reciting of the Nightingale Tribute.

Placing a white rose on the casket or urn signifying the nurse's devotion to their profession.

Presentation of a nursing lamp to a living representative of the deceased.

Addition of honored nurse to Virtual Nurse Honor Wall.

Living tributes performed under request of a hospice team member or for nurses over the age of 90. For more information, go to www.nebraskanursehonorguard.org.

About 50 people, including family, friends and former colleagues, gathered at PMHC last week to honor Kate, who worked as a nurse for 42 years.

Kate, we remember you and your years as a nurse. We remember the difference you made during those years by stepping into peoples lives in special moments, said Deb Zobel, president and founder of NNHG. Your caring heart, compassion, guidance, support and medical skills have been a blessing to the medical field. You gave comfort where there was pain, courage where there was fear, hope where there was despair and acceptance when the end was near. Always with a gentle touch, tenderness, patience and love.

Anderson grew up in Farnam, and never had any intention of being a nurse. She planned to teach after high school, but a friend convinced her to go to Holdrege to work toward her license in nursing. She had to get 400 hours of instruction and three years of practical work before she could receive her nursing license.

We went every week, one day a week to Mary Lanning. Thats where we got our first 240 hours. We would work until noon, and six of us would jump in the car and drive to Hastings. We wouldnt get out of that class until nine at night. We put in long days, Anderson said about her training.

In January 1955, she received her license in practical nursing. She worked at Phelps Memorial Health Center when it opened its doors in April 1968.

I worked primarily general duty nursing. Of course, in small rural hospitals, you do everything, you work every area, and you do everything, she said.

Toward the end of her career, Kate primarily worked in the labor and delivery department at PMHC. Once she retired, she realized she wasnt ready to give up her career just yet.

After retiring from the hospital, I missed it so much. I worked three summers at a rest home. ... I enjoyed that, she recalled.

Since retiring, Anderson has devoted her time to volunteering. She ran the Holdrege blood mobile and began a flower ministry at United Methodist Church. She would repurpose altar flowers used during Sunday services to deliver to church families, shut-ins, nursing home residents and the sick. She took courses with the Red Cross Disaster Program and helped organize Holdreges disaster plan. She also volunteered with acute hospice programs.

Retirement brought on more volunteerism because I had to have something to do, she said.

She and her husband, Dean, were married for 57 years before his death in 2011. Together, the couple have four children, four grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. Four years ago, her sons, Bart and Shawn, convinced her to move to Brady to be closer to them.

Shes a driving force in both our lives, Shawn said.

Nursing may have not been what Kate had originally planned to do for her life, but it became a calling she continued to fulfill even after she retired.

I have never been sorry. I loved my work. I never hated to go to work a day of my life, she said.

Photos: National Guard sendoff for Beatrice-based Troop C of the 1-134th Cavalry
One year has passed since Russia invaded Ukraine. It is an open question where the war is going, but we can draw certain lessons from the fight so farsome suggesting the contours of a new geopolitical world, others revealing that the world hasnt changed as much as we have thought.

The most striking revelation is also the most obvious: that a war like this can still happen in the middle of Europe. One reason for President Bidens hesitancy to send tanks to Ukraine is that the U.S. stopped building tanks in the early 1990s. The Pentagon has recently ordered contractors to sextuple the production of ammunition and artillery shells, because no one thought we needed to prepare for a war where both sides fired a million shells a month, and many more rounds of ammunition than that.

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In the mid-2000s, the U.S. Armys training center stopped putting troops through the rigors of combined-arms operationsthe coordinated maneuvers of tanks, infantry, and artillery. Instead, it set up mock villages where troops would practice the complexities of counterinsurgency. Iraq and Afghanistan were seen as the templates of modern combat. Nobody foresaw a reprise, even in miniature, of the First or Second World War. (Fortunately, the Army restored much of its traditional training several years ago.)

Another lesson of the war has been that, like it or not, European defenseand, therefore, a coherent Europe more broadlyis dependent on the United States. A few years ago, French President Emmanuel Macron pushed the idea of strategic autonomy, a European defense force free of American domination. It was a valid goal; the U.S. seemed to be an unreliable protector, with then-President Trump speaking publicly of pulling out of NATO and abandoning all treaty obligations. It is a valid goal now, as Trump is running for president again and as many congressional Republicans push for isolationism.

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Yet, when it comes to European security, the war in Ukraine has highlighted, more than any event since the end of the Cold War, the indispensability of the United States. Without U.S. weapons, training, intelligence-sharing, and diplomatic coordination, Kyiv would have tumbled long ago and the councils of Europe would be negotiating with Moscow for the resumption of cheap oil and gasnot because they would want to, but because they would have no choice.

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That said, the war has built no case for unbridled American power. To the contrary, it has also underscored the necessity of allies. Most of NATOs European members have stepped up to the challenge. They have boosted their defense spending (after decades of half-filled promises to do so), secured alternative sources of energy to the point of ending their dependency on Russia, and provided what aid they cancertainly more than anyone might have expectedto Ukraines war effort. The allied support for Ukraine has been as effective, legitimate, and popular as it is, precisely because it is an allied effortnot, as Putin has tried to portray it, a campaign for American supremacy.

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Ukraine has fought far more valiantly and effectively than anyone had predicted at the start of the warand Russia has fought much more incompetently. Ukrainian forces have recaptured more than half of the territory that Russia occupied in the wars first month. Russia has begun its much-awaited offensive, but it has made little headway, whether due to the inexperience of its newly mobilized troops or to its general inabilitywitnessed throughout the warto mount coordinated offensives against any resistance.

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Still, despite the morale-building talk of an inevitable Ukrainian victory and Russian defeat, both sides are stuck in a stalemate, and the war is likely to persist for a long time. Each side has cause to believe that it can winor at least that the other side can lose. Putin hopes that he can exhaust Ukraine by throwing enough human cannon fodder at its front lines and hurling enough missiles at its cities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hopes that his troops and his people can survive the onslaught long enough for the next round of U.S. and NATO weapons to arrivethe more potent tanks, fighting vehicles, missiles, drones, and air-defense systems that could help Ukraine mount not only a stronger defense but a tide-turning counter-offense.

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Some have urged Biden to send more long-range weapons, or even for U.S. and NATO troops or pilots to intervene in the war directly. Biden and other Western leaders stop short of doing so for one reason: Russia has nuclear weapons, and Putin may use them if the West crosses such a bold red line. In a way, this is unfair: Russia can bomb Ukraine, but Ukraine cant bomb Russia in return (except for some isolated sabotage operations behind enemy lines). But this is the reality of nuclear deterrence: it deters not just nuclear attacks, but certain kinds of conventional attacks as well. Deterrence works both ways. Putin, for instance, has refrained from attacking supply lines bringing NATO weapons in from Poland.

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So how does the war end? Almost certainly not in the way of a total war, with Ukrainian tanks rolling into Moscow in the same way that Allied tanks rolled into Berlin in 1945, for the reason stated above.

More likely, the war will end the way most wars in history have endedthrough a diplomatic settlement. This will likely somehow involve the fate of Crimea and the Donbas region of eastern Ukrainethe disputed, Russia-annexed territories where this war started back in 2014. One can imagine a variety of possible solutions: internationally supervised referendums; a grand bargain where Russia keeps Crimea and Donbas but Ukraine joins NATO and the European Union; some mix of the above, with Crimea and Donbas deemed a demilitarized zone patrolled by international peacekeepers.

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But all these notions seem like the stuff of fantasy for now. There can be no diplomatic solution as long as both sides calculate that they can gain more by continuing to fight than by laying down arms to negotiate.

In which case, its fair to ask whether aiding and abetting the fight is worth the horrible costs. To Ukrainians, its a war for national survival; the stakes are as high as they can be. But what are the stakes for us? Some right-wing Republicans and left-wing Democrats think we should stop sending arms, which they see as fueling the flames, and force both sides to the peace table. This would be tantamount to a Ukrainian surrender, as we have no leverage to bring Russia to the table. Still, its an arguable point. Ukraine, after all, is not a member of NATO; we have no treaty obligation to help defend it from attack. So why should we?

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President Biden has answered the question several times. His stirring speech this week in Warsaw emphasized the need to stand up for sovereignty, democracy, and the right of people to defend themselves against aggression. These are principles worth standing up for, even if the United States hasnt always done so.

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But there are also less lofty, more pragmatic reasons for helping Ukraine. Were Russias troops to win, Putin would probably not order them to march on and conquer the Baltics, Poland, or beyond. For one thing, those are NATO members, and he would have to fear devastating retaliation. For another, his army would have had enough trouble dealing with Ukraine, right on its border; to stretch supply lines farther west would cross a bridge too far.

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But a victorious Putinhaving defeated the Ukrainian army, overthrown Zelensky, and occupied Kyiv, despite vast resistance and NATO-supplied armswould gravely demoralize the Western alliance, erode the very notion of a common defense, and intimidate many Western powers into accommodating Moscows interests. It would also inspire other leadersnot least Chinas Xi Jinpingto believe that they can get away with acting on their territorial ambitions, that even American-aided defenses can only go so far or last so long. This new realization would very likely drive many U.S. allies to lose trust in our security guarantee and build their own nuclear arsenals as a deterrent to a foreign adversarys attackwhich could, in turn, propel a multitude of regional arms races around the world.

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Some might shrug at this scenario. In fact, during his 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump did shrug. At a televised Town Hall, he said that he would end the U.S. commitment to defend Japan and South Korea. When a moderator noted that those countries would respond by building their own nuclear weapons, Trump said maybe they should, since its going to happen sometime anyway.

Much of the world is shrugging as well. Many countries outside what might be called Trans-AtlanticaEurope and North Americaseem indifferent to the wars outcome. This includes countries that are otherwise allied, or at least friendly, with the U.S.India, Brazil, South Africa, and Israel. The war doesnt affect them directly. They have interests in maintaining trade and diplomacy with all the combatants, including Russia, and so they do. Because the world is no longer split in two, the U.S. has much less leverage to sway their behavior than it would have had during the Cold War.

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Which leads to the other power in this conflictChina. The war has put its president, Xi Jinping, in an awkward, though potentially powerful, position. Just weeks before the invasion, he and Putin signed a declaration of a Moscow-Beijing partnership with no limits. The war has exposed some limits. Xi has kept Russia afloat economically, buying its energy and selling it high-tech componentsbut he has not sent Russia any weapons. He wants to see the U.S. pour more of its military power into Ukraine, so it has less ability to counter Chinese pressure in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. At the same time, he doesnt want to tie himself too closely to the aggressor in what could be a losing war. More broadly, he wants to open ties of investment and influence with European leaders, many of whom are alienated by his support of Russia.

Xi claims to have a plan to end the war peacefully, though hes so far been light on the details. He and Putin may meet soon, ostensibly to discuss it. Zelensky says hes interested in seeing it, too. U.S. officials say they have intelligence that Xi is considering sending arms to Russia. If he does, that could tip the balance of power in Moscows direction, not decisively, but substantially. Putin might think that would bring an end to the war more quickly. But it would more likely incite the U.S. to send still more arms to Ukraine, thus escalating the warand kill Xis prospects for good relations with Europe.

On the other hand, if Xi puts forth a plausible plan for an end to the warwhich would have to involve Russias withdrawal from Ukrainian territory that its occupied since the war beganand if he pressures Putin to accept it, then China could emerge as a major power in Europe, a mediator with the demonstrated clout to make peace where Washington and the United Nations proved themselves unable. Taking this tack would mean relieving the pressure on U.S. military forces, allowing them to focus once again on Chinas ambitions in Asia. But the trade-off might be worth it. We shall soon see which path Xi choosesor if he has the power to pressure Putin in this way.

There may be some dramatic breakthrough in the weeks or months to comethe death or overthrow of Putin and the rise of a more conciliatory successor, the death of Zelensky and the subsequent dispiriting of the Ukrainian people, or the emergence of China as an effective mediator. Otherwise, we are likely, in February 2024, to be marking the second anniversary of this bloody, brutal war.
This week, special counsel Jack Smith served Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner with subpoenas as part of his dual investigations into former President Donald Trump. The couple joins a growing list of high-profile members of Trumps inner circle to be called in for questioning.

Ivanka Trump and Kushner have already testified before the Jan. 6 House select committee last year. Both were senior advisers to the former president and present at the White House on Jan. 6. Ivanka described a pretty heated phone call between her father and Mike Pence, allegedly about using Pences powers as president of the Senate to thwart the Electoral College vote count against Joe Biden. She also confirmed that she accepted former Attorney General Bill Barrs assessment that no sufficient voter fraud took place in the 2020 election that would have impacted the outcome.

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The couple could face even more questions about both investigations Smith is currently running: one into whether any person or entity unlawfully interfered with the transfer of power following the 2020 election, and the other into the trove of classified documents found at Trumps Mar-a-Lago residence and office.

I asked Frank Bowman, a former federal prosecutor and a professor emeritus at the University of Missouris Columbia School of Law, what we might be able to expect from Ivanka Trump and Kushners testimony, and how it could influence Smiths investigation.

Heres our conversation, lightly edited and condensed for clarity:

Shirin Ali: Why do you think Ivanka Trump and Kushner were subpoenaed? Especially if theyve already testified to the Jan. 6 House select committee.

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Frank Bowman: We dont know exactly why he wants to talk to the two of them. Presumably, they could, if they chose, offer considerable information about the events leading up to Jan. 6. That includes the effort to overturn the election, because theyre not only Donald Trumps family members, but held positions within the White House and recently were around him.

Smith already has access to the information the couple provided to the Jan. 6 House committee, and he presumably has concluded that there are areas left for him to explore that were unresolved in their testimony. Theyre potential witnesses to any criminal charges that might be contemplated, either against the former president or others around him. Its pretty clear if you read Peter Baker and Susan Glassers book, The Divider, that Kushner was a source. They dont say so, but its obvious he wasand whether his wife was or not isnt clear. But its possible that Smith looked at that material, too, and compared it to the Jan. 6 House testimony and said, Theres some things here I want to get some additional clarification on.

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For the effort to overturn the election, these two are obvious witnesses. One can say that Smith would be derelict in not at least attempting to secure their testimony, leaving everything else aside. Theyre plainly insiders, privy to all sorts of information.

Which investigationelection interference or classified documentsdo you think Ivanka Trump and Kushner will testify for?

It seems more likely to me that the couple will testify in relation to Smiths investigation into Jan. 6, more so than the classified documents found at Trumps property. Maybe Smith has some information suggesting that Ivanka was saying they are stuffing things in boxes? Or she loved to go to daddys office and laugh about the good times they used to have with classified materials. We know that Ivanka, in particular, was present in the White House on Jan. 6 and was being urged to do stuff to try to get her father to respond more quickly. We know that. We have the sense that the two of them were at least privy to information about other things that happened from Election Day to Jan.6. They plainly were witnesses to lots of things relevant to any case relating to Jan. 6it would be prosecutorial malpractice not to at least get them as witnesses, if you could.

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Do you expect the couple to cooperate and agree to testify?

There is no family privilege available to them by virtue of being related to President Trump. They might try to raise some variant of executive or presidential advisertype privileges. But query whether such a privilege covers them at all. Even if it does, theyre going to have a little bit of a problem refusing, given that theyve already testified to the Jan. 6 House committee. The prior testimony would probably act as a waiver of any new invocation of privilege as to subjects previously discussed. In any case, executive privilege would only cover some things and not others. Executive privilege is about the asserted right of the president to get honest, confidential advice from his close advisers and doesnt cover things that you saw, know, or heard outside of that context, things that other people told you. Even if youre trying to claim an executive privilege and have a relationship with the president that arguably entitles you to some coverage, it doesnt cover everything. A blanket assertion of executive privilege legally cant work.

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It doesnt mean they wont do it or that they wont stonewall any effort to talk; they may very well. At the end of the day, if the case is litigated through to its conclusion, they shouldnt be able to have much success in asserting privilege.

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Smith has issued at least 40 subpoenas, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner now joining that list. Do you think hell continue to subpoena more people from Trumps inner circle?

I would expect him to subpoena anybody who he doesnt think is a target. Now, the question becomes, is Smith willing to litigate refusals to testify to their conclusion, before he indicts? Thats the tricky bit. Kushner and Ivanka could file a motion to quash the subpoena they get from him or, even if they come in and testify, they may assert various privileges, validly or otherwise, to an array of stuff that Smith wants to know about.

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Smith has said he wants to move quickly in both of his investigations. Do you think hes moving fast enough?

I certainly approve of his determination to move this thing along. To the extent that his main focus here is whether or not people should be charged for the insurrection, were two years past the insurrection and the immediate post-election stuff. I think he needs to move this thing along and make decisions for all kinds of obvious reasons. That includes the fact that his mandate may not survive more than two years past the current moment. If Republicans were to win the White House come 2024, and Smith has indicted senior Republicans, including Trump, I dont think theres much doubt that, given the present tenor of the Republican Party, that Smith would be fired.

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If prosecution is warranted for people who havent yet been prosecuted for the insurrection and if it doesnt happen soon, its not going to happen at allor its going to be ineffectual. The other problem is, even if you get the indictment tomorrow, getting that case to trial will take at least a year, which is insanely optimistic, just to get the bloody thing to trial.

So, is 2024 the realistic deadline for Smith?

I think the practical deadline for indicting, say, Donald Trump in particular, with any expectation youre going to get him to trial, was yesterday. But certainly within the next couple of months, because it will take forever and hell file every motion imaginable. The discovery pretrial motion process will be extremely protracted. Hell try to take interlocutory appeals all the way to the Supreme Court to prevent a trial from ever happening. Even if the efforts to do that are utterly frivolous, resolving them will take time. Thats the way the system works. Trying such a case would be a months-long process, at a minimum, and even if you get a conviction, there are going to be appeals and those will take a year or two. If youre going to do this, you have to act almost immediately, and therefore Smiths emphasis on speed is entirely appropriate.

Correction: This interview originally included a misquote that mischaracterized the nature of executive privilege.
Can the government arrest and jail citizens for criticizing public officials? The answer might seem obvious in light of the First Amendment. In the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, however, it is not. Instead, the court has blessed the detention of one Texas resident for daring to criticize state officials, and may be on the brink of doing so again. This approval of censorship by force should come as no shock from the far-right 5th Circuit. Whats unusual is who has decided to take the strongest stance against it: James Ho, an ultra-conservative Donald Trump nominee. In two recent major cases, Ho has vociferously condemned Texas brutal retaliation against critics of the government, condemning the practice as totalitarian. It is an ominous sign of the 5th Circuits increasingly authoritarian jurisprudence that Ho must beg his colleagues to safeguard the most foundational guarantees of free speech.

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Ho is an unlikely candidate for this role. Since his appointment in 2018, he has gained notoriety as a hard-right firebrand eager to fight the culture wars from the bench. He fills his opinions with trollish partisan rhetoric, railing against abortion, gun control, vaccine mandates, cancel culture, and the woke Constitution. Recently, he announced that he would boycott clerks from Yale Law School, asserting (dubiously) that the school silenced conservative voices. As a rule, you would not want Ho to be in charge of protecting your constitutional rights, unless you have the kind of grievance that would resonate with Tucker Carlson.

And yet, in two of the most disturbing First Amendment cases of the decade so farGonzalez v. Trevino and Villarreal v. LaredoHo has emerged as an impassioned opponent of crass, carceral censorship. Start with Gonzalez. In 2019, 72-year-old Sylvia Gonzalez ran a successful campaign for city council in Castle Hills, Texas, a town of 5,000. She heard from residents that the current city manager, Ryan Rapelye, was doing a poor job. So, once on the council, Gonzalez launched a nonbinding citizen petition urging the council to replace Rapelye.

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After a council hearing on the city manager, Gonzalez briefly placed the petition papers in her binder. When the mayor, Edward Trevino, asked her for the petition, she located the papers and handed them to him. At the time, both Gonzalez and Trevino said that her misplacement of the petition was a mistake. Yet this brief exchange formed the basis of an alleged conspiracy that would eventually place Gonzalez in jail.

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Trevino, it turns out, saw Gonzalez as an enemy. As mayor, he had appointed Rapelye to be city manager, and he was infuriated that the new councilmember contested his decision. At this point, the citys Police Chief John Siemenswhom Trevino had also appointeddeputized a friend, Alex Wright, to investigate Gonzalez. (Wright was not a detective or even a law enforcement officer of any kind.)

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Wright claimed that, when Gonzalez placed the petitions in her binder, she violated an obscure Texas law that bars individuals from conceal[ing] any government record. Normally, a person charged with such a minor crime is asked to appear before a judge at a specific date. But Wright allegedly deployed a process thats usually reserved for violent felonies, ultimately procuring an arrest warrant. So Gonzalez turned herself in at the local jail. There, she was forced to don an orange shirt and sit handcuffed to a metal bench for a day. Jail staff would not allow her to stand up or use the bathroom in privacy.

When the district attorney caught wind of these events, he dropped all charges. Gonzalez then sued the group said to be behind the arrest, accusing them of retaliating against her in violation of the First Amendment. In July, a three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit ruled against her. The panel reasoned that law enforcement had probable cause to arrest Gonzalez, and that she had not proven that similarly situated individuals had engaged in the same criminal conduct without getting arrested. Thus, she failed to demonstrate that the arrest was a retaliation against her free speech. The majority granted immunity to Trevino, Siemens, and Wright.

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The 5th Circuit then considered rehearing the case en banc, with every judge weighing in. On Wednesday, the full court refused to revisit it by a 106 vote. Six judges dissented, including Dana Douglas, Joe Bidens new addition to the court. Yet Ho was the only dissenter to write an opinion. He sounded furious. The 5th Circuit, he wrote, had left the American people vulnerable to public officials who choose to weaponize criminal statutes against citizens whose political views they disfavor. He decried Gonzalezs tormenters-in-office for violating the most fundamental value in American democracy by using the coercive powers of government to punish and silence their critics. And he insisted that Gonzalez had every right to sue them for their heinous and unconstitutional scheme to arrest her for stating unpopular viewpoints.

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In America, we dont allow the police to arrest and jail our citizens for having the temerity to criticize or question the government, Ho declared. It turns out, though, that we doat least in the 5th Circuit.

Gonzalez marked the second time that Ho has castigated his colleagues for flouting these principles. In another recent case, Villarreal v. Laredo, the 5th Circuit considered the plight of Priscilla Villarreal, a resident of Laredo, Texas. A citizen journalist, Villarreal puts her reporting on Facebook, often live-streaming from car crashes, crime scenes, and other events of public interest. She then provides her own unfiltered commentary on the footage.

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Unsurprisingly, Villarreal has repeatedly earned the ire of Laredo officials. In one report, she noted that the district attorney dropped an arrest warrant for a relative of Marisela Jacaman, a member of his own staff. In another, she live-streamed police officers strangling a driver they had pulled over. Law enforcement expressed their contempt for her journalism.

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In 2017, Villarreal uncovered the name of one local who died by suicide and another who died in a car crash. In both cases, she called a police officer to confirm their identitiesa standard reporting practice. When Laredo officials discovered these calls, they secured a warrant for her arrest. Why? Prosecutors cited a provision of Texas lawone they had never before enforcedthat criminalizes the act of soliciting or receiving nonpublic information from a public servant with intent to obtain a benefit. Prosecutors alleged that Villarreal violated this law because she sought the benefit of more Facebook followers.

Who approved the arrest warrant application? None other than Marisela Jacaman, the district attorney staffer whom Villarreal had criticized for allegedly helping to get a relative off the hook.

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So Villarreal turned herself in. While the police booked her, officers allegedly took pictures of her in handcuffs and openly mocked her. She was then taken to a local jail. A judge threw out the charges, finding the law unconstitutionally vague.

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Later, Villarreal filed a lawsuit alleging that Laredo officials violated her First Amendment rights. In August, a three-judge panel led by Ho ruled in her favor. In his majority opinion, Ho framed the case as a simple one: If the First Amendment means anything, he wrote, it surely means that a citizen journalist has the right to ask a public official a question, without fear of being imprisoned. It should be patently obvious to any reasonable police officer, he continued, that the conduct alleged in the complaint constitutes a blatant violation of Villarreals constitutional rights. He therefore denied the officials immunity.

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In a concurrence to his own majority opinion, Ho went further. This is an exceedingly troubling case, he opined. Its beyond the pale when law enforcement officials weaponize the justice system to punish their political opponents. It is, in fact, downright totalitarian. Prosecutors view of Texas law would condemn countless journalists to arrest and incarceration. That, Ho concluded, cannot be squared with the First Amendment.

That wasnt the end of the story. The full 5th Circuit voted to rehear the casea sign that a majority of judges may disagree with Ho. During oral arguments in January, he questioned the defendants lawyers incredulously. You cant arrest people for asking questions of their government for information, he said. The lawyer responded that, when an individual seeks the information outside of a formal public records request, they are, indeed, breaking Texas law. There is a real chance that the 5th Circuit will soon permit this criminalization of journalism.

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A cynic might say that Ho has seized on this issue to prove he isnt a partisan hack, or to draw accolades from a hostile media. The more straightforward explanation is that, on this issue, Ho is not a lunatic, and so he can see his colleagues lunacy with unusual clarity. It should not be difficult to understand why government conspiracies to jail critics are a danger to the First Amendment. It is only a tough task for far-right judges whose desire to back the blue at all costs overrides freedom of expression. Its gravely concerning that Ho, of all people, has had to step up as the 5th Circuits voice of reason
They often find jobs in business service centres.

Working from home or a hybrid work model is what appeal to Slovaks returning home. (Source: Courtesy of IBM )

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The lack of qualified labour remains a topic for shared and business service centres (BSCs) in Slovakia. They are fishing for talents among foreigners as well as Slovaks with foreign work experience. But while many of the latter had pondered a return to their home country already before Covid-19 broke out, the pandemic accelerated this trend.

Many companies declared that they even stopped hiring foreign nationals, because they have so many Slovaks coming in with a lot of foreign experience and skills, said Gabriel Galgoci, chair of the Business Service Center Forum (BSCF). He added that they have remained even after the pandemic years. They already found their place here.

BSCs had preferred to reach out for Slovaks unless the position required a special expertise or skill not available here.

We only go abroad (to hire new employees) if we dont find any qualifications here, because in economic terms there is no reason to travel far to attract foreigners if its not needed, said Christian Schulz, President of Henkel Slovensko and Head of GBS+ Bratislava and GBS+ Cairo.

Why they return

The experience of BSCs is that Slovaks primarily return for personal reasons and not due to job offers.

They just come here and see an opportunity, said Lucia Gogova, Slovakia HR operations Leader & Strategic HR partner at IBM in Slovakia. At IBM they tracked the last employer of newcomers, and Slovaks returning from abroad during the pandemic accounted for approximately 7 percent.
We commend Slovakias steadfast support of Ukraine, they also write in their statement.

Ukrainian soldiers at Bovington Camp, a British Army military base where they are training on Challenger 2 tanks, in Dorset, England, on February 22, 2023. (Source: SITA/AP)

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Febraury 24, 2023 marks one year since the beginning of Russias illegal, unprovoked and unjustified full scale invasion against Ukraine. Russias barbaric war of aggression has caused untold suffering to the indomitable people of Ukraine. It has also affected millions of people around the world, including in the Global South.

As we mark this sombre milestone, we reaffirm our full support for Ukraines independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders, as well as Ukraines right to defend itself against Russian aggression.

We condemn in the strongest terms Russias ongoing aggression against Ukraine and demand the unconditional withdrawal of Russian forces from the internationally recognised territory of Ukraine.

As partners, friends and allies, we express solidarity with the people of Ukraine and commend their courage and determination in standing up to Russias invasion. Russia must be held to account for the crimes and destruction committed in Ukraine.

Our countries will continue providing political, economic, military and humanitarian support to Ukraine for as long as it takes. We commend Slovakias steadfast stance against Russias actions, the generous welcome given to Ukrainians forced to leave their homes, and the supply of equipment to help Ukraine defend itself.

For peace, freedom and democracy to prevail in Europe, Ukraine must triumph. We stand with Ukraine.

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A joint statement from IOM, UNHCR, UNICEF and WHO in Slovakia.

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A joint statement from IOM, UNHCR, UNICEF and WHO in Slovakia on the one-year mark of the war in Ukraine.

February24 marks one year since the escalation of the war in Ukraine, triggering the largest and fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since the Second World War. The devastation and destruction inside Ukraine have been staggering, uprooting a third of the population. Over 8 million people, 78 percent of whom are women and children, have fled Ukraine, and 100,000 have sought refuge in Slovakia. One year after the first air raid sirens were heard above Kyiv, the protection, health care and education needs of those that left Ukraine remain high.

Slovakia responded quickly, effectively, and compassionately by mobilising a large wave of solidarity for a humanitarian response that involved state institutions and municipalities, as well as civil society organizations and individuals, from its onset. Many Slovak families have opened their doors or donated time and resources to welcome refugees from Ukraine. The Government of Slovakia generously kept borders open and led the response to the Ukraine refugee situation.

IOM, UNHCR, UNICEF and WHO were among the 21 organisations who joined forces, under the umbrella of the Regional Refugee Response Plan to provide humanitarian assistance, focusing on accommodation, access to health and mental health support, education, legal counselling, specialised services for survivors of gender-based violence, as well as cash assistance for the most vulnerable families.

Everyone fleeing war in Ukraine needs support and a safe place where they and their family can recover, says Zuzana Vatralova, Head of IOMs Office in Slovakia. IOM is proud to collaborate with our international and local partners to ensure that people in need have access to adequate support and services. Helping displaced people to get back on their feet and restart life in Slovakia can significantly benefit all of us.

Throughout 2022, UN agencies were present at border crossing points, transit and reception centres, collective sites, help desks and other areas where people who fled the war continued to arrive or seek help. Overall, the inter-agency refugee response supported over 152,000 refugees, including those who moved onwards. For immediate needs, support was provided to the Governments Material Needs cash assistance programme, and to the Government Carer's Grant of Persons with Disability and Specific Needs, reaching nearly 60,000 people including refugees.

In terms of community support, five Blue Dot Safe Spaces, Protection and Support Hubs were established over the last year, providing support and services for over 67,000 children and their families entering Slovakia, including mental health and psychosocial support. Online and remote assistance was provided to people from Ukraine through the Migration Information Centre. As the war continues, ensuring efforts to include people in society have been imperative, including educational programmes, language and vocational courses, and socio-cultural activities.

One of the main goals, says Ms. Danijela Popovic-Efendic, UNHCR Head of National Office Slovakia, is to ensure the inclusion of refugees in Slovak society. Refugees have valuable knowledge, professional skills and experience that are needed in Slovakia. Supporting them to find employment will enable them to rebuild their lives, help the Slovak economy, and actively contribute to their host communities in Slovakia.

It is crucial that refugees and others in need continue to be included in national systems such as for health and education services. In addressing the medical and, in particular, the urgent mental health needs of Ukrainian refugees, the UN worked together with the Government to provide quality health services, as well as to ensure the provision of supplies, vaccines, medicines, and other equipment. Over 52,000 refugees, mostly children and women, accessed primary health care services, and 41,000 consultations were provided for mental health and psychosocial support.

Since the beginning of the crisis, WHO expanded its operations in Slovakia with ultimate goals to ensure access to health care services for refugees and protect public health in host communities, says Dr Tatul Hakobyan - WHO representative to the Slovak Republic. Continuous monitoring and assessment of refugees health needs, advocating for comprehensive strategy for universal health coverage, capacity building of public health institutions and provision of essential medical care, supplies and equipment just to mention among many interventions.

Children are always the greatest victims of war and displacement, says Michaela Bauer, Country Coordinator of the UNICEF Emergency Response in Slovakia. But thanks to the solidarity and kindness of volunteers, teachers, doctors, and everyone else that opened their doors and their hearts to Ukrainians that fled the war, many children can now feel safe and reclaim at least part of their childhood.

With the large number of children who have fled Ukraine, education remains a key priority. The education response reached over 42,000 children through formal and informal education and provided school supplies to over 23,000 children. It also created 3,500 new places in 183 kindergartens and opened 23 Play and Learning Hubs across Slovakia. The Hubs were attended by over 5,800 Ukrainian and Slovak children from 0 to 6 years old.

Approximately 17.6 million people in Ukraine continue to urgently need assistance, and over 8 million Ukrainians who have been forced to flee the country as refugees. The support across states, host communities and families has been immense. As the war in Ukraine and the resulting displacement continue, and needs remain high, it is imperative that solidarity and action for response and inclusion continue, including for the over 100,000 Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia.
Slovak ministers stress Russia's culpability.

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February 24 marks one year since Russian military forces crossed Ukraine's borders and invaded the country.

Slovakia's President Zuzana Caputova today called for her country to continue to stand by Ukraines side in a speech which she recorded in Ukrainian. Slovakia been helping its neighbour to tackle the ongoing humanitarian crisis: Ukrainians began fleeing the country and crossing the Ukraine-Slovakia border soon after the outbreak of the current conflict. Later, Slovakia contributed to the Ukrainian war effort by providing an entire S-300 misile air defence system, Slovak-made Zuzana howitzers and a range of other military aid.

Many Ukrainians who have crossed the border have sought work, despite numerous barriers. Parliament moved to improve legislation in order to make the employment market more inclusive.

Slovak officials stress that the war is not over yet.

There is a saying in Slovakia that a wise person does not hesitate to save a neighbours house from fire, Caputova stated in her speech.

Zuzana Caputova

@ZuzanaCaputova 365 days of Russias full-scale military aggression against our neighbour; 365 days of senseless suffering of innocent Ukrainians; 365 days of brave resistance. 365 days of standing with #Ukraine . Well continue for as long as it takes, so justice can be delivered.  ! https://t.co/bAdo20IvUe Length: (00:00) 24.2.2023 o clock 8:00  archived: 24.2.2023 o clock 10:18 I like it Retweet Reply

Helping Ukraine also benefits Slovakia

To continue helping Ukraine is in the national and security interests of Slovakia, said acting prime minister Eduard Heger (OLaNO), also speaking on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion. Humanitarian help is important, but Ukraine would not manage to survive without military help. If Ukraine were to be defeated, that would make Russia Slovakias direct neighbour, added Heger. In his statement, the prime minister noted that eastern Slovakia would become a zone of tension, resulting in a decline in investment and damage to the Slovak economy, the TASR newswire reported.

Eastern Slovakia is already vulnerable to economic challenges, as the unemployment rate is higher there than elsewhere in the country. It is also the first place where most Ukrainian refugees seek shelter. The first tents in reception camps were set up on February 25, 2022, a day after the Russian invasion started. After being temporarily accommodated in the camps, Ukrainians are helped to either continue their journeys to other destinations, or to stay and look for housing and work. Most of the refugees are women with children, which has resulted in a rise in Ukrainian employment in the caring in the caring professions.

Related article

Related article The war in Ukraine is not over. Solidarity and action for response and inclusion have to continue Read more

Russia need to cease its invasion, top diplomat says

Slovakia's top diplomat, Foreign Affairs Minister Rastislav Kacer, repeated his demand for Russia's military to immediately halt its attacks on Ukraine.

Russia's attempts to re-draw the borders of an independent sovereign country is a serious threat not only to Europe, Kacer stated during a UN meeting in New York, condemning the invasion as an act of war. According to him, Russia  which continues to describe its actions as a "special military operation"  uses manipulative rhetoric to communicate, spreads propaganda and twists facts, the TASR newswire reported.

Pro-Russian propaganda is a serious issue for Slovakia, according to acting Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad (OLaNO). The conflict brought a whole new wave of disinformation and hoaxes, which preys on people who lack the right tools for critical thinking, Nad stated. The active spreading of propaganda and attempts to twist facts represent a threat to the western worlds stability, the minister added.

Read more on Ukrainian war
How Slovakia is helping Ukraine one year on, plus the importance of health care as an election issue, and a judge is convicted.

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Hello. Here is the Friday, February 24 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.

Support needs to continue, officials say

President Zuzana Caputova has made a speech in Ukrainian to mark the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Slovakia's neighbour. For Ukrainians it is important to stay resilient and endure, while for Slovaks it is crucial to continue helping, Caputova said.

Such help also benefits Slovakia's security interests, acting Prime Minister Eduard Heger (OLaNO) added, in his own statement. Ukraine is Slovakia's direct neighbour, whose state sovereignty has been violated, he said, urging that the help be sustained not only in the humanitarian sphere, but in the form of military aid.

Slovak President Zuzana Caputova addressed Ukrainians in a video message, which she recorded in Ukrainian. (Source: Twitter account of Zuzana Caputova.)

The tourism problem of Liptov

Liptovsky Mikulas district is feeling the strain from rising tourist numbers. In Zilina Region, out of a million people visiting in 2022, almost half chose Liptovsky Mikulas for their stay. Even though tourism can create job opportunities and give the regional economy a boost, people in Liptov have a rather negative view of it. Prices have increased, services are more expensive, there's higher demand for real estate, and traffic jams complicate people's day-to-day lives.

Liptov attracts tourists thanks to its mountains, lakes and hot springs. (Source: Courtesy of Visit Liptov)

Feature story for today

Ukraine and the rest of the Europe belong together

The European Union is built on solidarity, justice, and peace. When the war struck, eight million Ukrainians had to flee their country. Their homes had to be abandoned, were destroyed or were too close to the front lines. The countrys sovereignty has been violated. For those who are witnessing the war from a distance, it is clear that such an act is a violation of international law.

The world we knew radically changed on February 24, 2022. On that day and for every day since, the lives of millions of Ukrainian families were shattered, writes President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola.

Read the rest of the article

Read the rest of the article Ukraine is Europe, Europe is Ukraine. We belong together Read more

IN OTHER NEWS

The Education Ministry has provided 721,391 to fund language courses for Ukrainian children . They were designed for Ukrainian children that have chosen to study at Slovak schools. 15,375 children attended the courses. (TASR)

. They were designed for Ukrainian children that have chosen to study at Slovak schools. 15,375 children attended the courses. (TASR) Former judge Miriam Repakova, who was investigated and convicted as part of the so-called Burka (Storm) case, has been sentenced to two years' imprisonment , suspended for three years, and received a four-year ban on working as a judge. Repakova was detained along with 12 other judges in the case, which is related to Technopol Servis and Marian Kocner, who is currently on trial for the murder of journalist Jan Kuciak. (TASR)

, suspended for three years, and received a four-year ban on working as a judge. Repakova was detained along with 12 other judges in the case, which is related to Technopol Servis and Marian Kocner, who is currently on trial for the murder of journalist Jan Kuciak. (TASR) Health care will be a crucial issue in the forthcoming election campaign, a poll suggests. Polling agency AKO conducted a pre-election survey for TV JOJ among 1,000 respondents. Health care, education, and prices increase were the top three topics that should be discussed, respondents said. The war on Ukraine was in ninth place for respondents. The survey took from February 7 to February 13. (SITA)

Polling agency AKO conducted a pre-election survey for TV JOJ among 1,000 respondents. Health care, education, and prices increase were the top three topics that should be discussed, respondents said. The war on Ukraine was in ninth place for respondents. The survey took from February 7 to February 13. (SITA) Bratislava is holding a Concert for Ukraine on Sunday, February 26. The concert will take place in the city's Main Square, starting at 5pm, and is free of charge. Heres where to find the concert:

https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m14!1m8!1m3!1d3009.9405707816513!2d17.106380199107427!3d48.14378803565956!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x476c8942d830f02b%3A0x164ab44f7bdff3aa!2zSGxhdm7DqSBuw6FtZXN0aWU!5e0!3m2!1ssk!2ssk!4v1677231293662!5m2!1ssk!2ssk

A YEAR OF WAR

Read more of our stories related to the first year of the war in Ukraine.

FAMILY OF TWO WARS : A Ukrainian mother has had to flee two wars with her family.

: A Ukrainian mother has had to flee two wars with her family. DIPLOMATS IN SLOVAKIA : We condemn the unprovoked and unjustified Russian invasion of Ukraine.

: We condemn the unprovoked and unjustified Russian invasion of Ukraine. NOT OVER YET : A joint statement by aid agencies active in Slovakia. Slovakia responded quicky and effectively, they say.

: A joint statement by aid agencies active in Slovakia. Slovakia responded quicky and effectively, they say. LIVES TURNED UPSIDE DOWN: How the war in Ukraine has affected children and families.

WEATHER FORECAST

For Sunday, February 25, pack an umbrella. Rainy weather is expected in the western part of the country, with temperatures of between 6C and 9C. Partly cloudy weather is expected in southern parts, with temperatures from 5C to 8C. Eastern Slovakia can expect partly cloudy and cloudy weather, with temperatures from 7C to 9C.

Thank you for subscribing and reading. It means a lot to us.

P.S. If you have suggestions on how our news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.
Year over year, we continue to be inspired and impressed by the work of Gilly Brew Bar, the seminal Georgia coffee company now with three locations in and around Atlanta. Founders Daniel Brown and Nephthaly Leonidas have created an approach to cafe culture that transcends easy definition, something that instead requires long-form contemplation in the form of time, reverence, and an open mind.

Daniel Brown is a Sprudge Twenty class member, and when we asked what drives him, Brown told us, mixing and pairing coffee with other flavors is intriguing to me. Taking risks and challenging myself creatively through innovation, experimentation & revivals of alternative brewing methods & technology are a few causes and elements that drive me.

Gilly Brew Bar pushes quality and innovation across an ever-changing range of premium coffee elixirs with ingredients like dried herbs, bitters, and aromatics. In a profile on Gilly Brew Bar for Sprudge Special Projects in 2021, Jordan Michelman sat down with Daniel Brown and asked why Gilly Brew Bar uses the word elixir over signature drink or coffee mocktail.

I decided to call these drinks elixirs because that word, to its true definition, means a kind of house remedy, medicine, or concoction thats made to help you recover from an ailment, Brown explained, your grandmother may have made you chicken soup; for me, in my family, we saw coffee and tea as a kind of medicine, and I wanted to choose a word that would help express and embed that in peoples heads. Coffee is not just something you consume or enjoy for the flavors. We also want to express that it is a medicinal product, that can be healing to your soul. And the storytelling is all a part of that.

Today we take a closer look at Gilly Brew Bars approach to building these inspiring seasonal menus. We got back in touch with Daniel Brown to talk about the process and to find out more about the new drinks for 2023.

Sprudge: Hey Daniel, thanks for checking back in with us. How long does it take to conceptualize, develop, and create your seasonal menus at Gilly? Are there creative processes like journaling and sketching during this time?

It doesnt take me that long to conceptualize, develop, and/or create my menus. Its a gift; just give me a theme or Ill be inspired with one and the juices just start flowing. I think that my background in music, singing/songwriting makes the process easier for me. The difficult part for me earlier on was teaching my team how to carry the menu, but over time (after years of experience, trial and error), Ive established a system that allows my team to learn and then execute. Im a big kid, so the creative processes I apply always include imagination. I use to sketch and journal myself but as the business grew I got to invite some of my friends over to play along in the process, for my seasonal elixir drops. Friends like, like Mary-Claire Stewart who is a master photographer, Luke and Rachel Garmon and/or David Nobles, Gary Fortner, Kim Powell, who are all amazing video creators. Then theres Leslie Mack a brilliant artist, skilled with the pen and my sis/business partner Nephthaly who is great with words and helps me with telling these stories. Lastly my wife Shellane who has supported me and my wild ideas. Their contributions embellish what I do.

Youve developed a poignant and beautiful archive of menus on your website. Its nice to be able to learn about them, and learn from them. You recently revisited and re-imagined 2018s Fling in 2022. The description of the menu reads almost like an artists statement: Do you feel that? Like youre being pulled? We do and the tug is taking us places that are a bit uncomfortable. Four years ago, Founder, Daniel Brown introduced a collection that only a few would remember. Little did he know that it would be the start of an archive of seasonal elixirs. Those earlier days were rough. Daniel was learning how to run a small business, now were learning how to scale; To be completely honest, were being stretched like nobodys business. I wanted to ask if the process of building and executing these menus is healing, and how youre feeling here in 2023.

The process of building and executing all of my menus is healing, but yes that Fling collection was very healing and special in that. It was my very first elixir collection that I officially launched, after finally opening my first location in Stone Mountain, GA (Sprudge has been following my story for some time now, so you guys know how rough the journey was for me). Opening my second Gilly location wasnt nearly as difficult as the first, however there were some similarities, and so revisiting that first collection (something Ive never done before) just felt like the right thing to do. My thought process was, if they carried me through in the Spring of 2018, they should be able to do the same in the Spring of 2023. And just like that I realized that I have this archive of elixirs that many of my newer customers didnt get the chance to experience, why not bring them back? So now I challenged myself by re-imagining that old menu (which was five elixirs) and I put a new spin on it, renamed it to Someday and reduced it to three elixirs. Ive been retracing all of my collections ever since then, to make them even better. The stories have proven to stand the test of time, theyre all still relevant to this day.

Were there collaborators for these three drinks?

Yes, almost five years ago when I first dropped this collection, one of the elixirs was in collaboration with Metric Coffee (based out of Chi-town), who had a killer Kenyan coffee with savory notes that I was looking for. The base of that same elixirs in this season, Ive now switched to a tea and decided to collaborate with our friends at Just Add Honey who make this amazing tea blend called Farmers Market. If there are any other artists/brands/storytellers out there who want to collaborate, my team and I would love to connect and potentially brew something up with you.

Whats the theme for this season?

The theme that were currently in this Winter is called Hello Beth. Its not a Christmas story, its my artistic depiction of the nativity scene.

Fat-washing is used for the drink The Giver. Can you explain that process?

We use an infusion technique, where we steep our Gilly buttah blend coffee in butter. We also have a vegan option that weve made with a plant-based butter.

Will you describe the components of the drink Oh Mother?

Its a tangy/fruity hibiscus-based tea that already has the addition of savory ingredients. We enhance with more fresh ingredients and citrus to brighten it up and add a tinge of spiciness. Its umami, eccentric, and ingenious, which is just what I hoped. The story were telling is so meaty and juicy, all of the savory deliciousness only deepens the flavor and brings this character of our story to life. Its subliminal but if you read between the lines youll catch the message and if not we encourage our guests to ask one of our baristas what the inspiration was.

How is the process of milk-washing applied to Kidd?

We use a separation technique with a filter, after mixing milk and acidity. For this elixir we chose to milk-wash goat milk and for our vegan friends, weve milk-washed oat milk (because why not).

How long will this menu be available?

This season technically ends on March 20th but we may have leftovers so dont be afraid to ask, we may have just enough for you to experience.

Thank you.

All of the photos were captured by Mary-Claire Stewart, @maryclairephoto on Instagram.

Visit Gilly Brew Bar at their locations across Georgia, and follow them on Instagram.

On The Menu is proudly presented by Oatly. Check out more signature drinks in our On The Menu archive.
Last Friday, Margaret Nyamumbo of Kahawa 1893 continued the long tradition of coffee companies going on Shark Tank in hopes of receiving large sums of investment capital. And like many of those that came before her, Myamumbo scored big time.

As we reported last week, Nyamumbo came in with an opening offer of $350,000 for a 5% stake in Kahawa 1893, who sources coffee directly from African women who often arent fairly compensated for their labor. According to CNBC, her pitch was quite successful, with only one shark, Kevin OLeary, not making Nyamumbo an offer because he believed her $7 million valuation of the company was too high.

Listen to our interview with Margaret Nyamumbo on the Seed to Cup podcast:

Youre worth more, Mark Cuban interjected, and thus began the bidding war. Offers went as high as $700,000 for a 25% stake in the company, which Nyamumbo rejected due to not wanting to give up that large of a percentage of her company. In the end, both Robert Herjavec and guest shark Emma Grede offering the initially requested $350,000 but for an 8% stake, with Nyamumbo accepting Gredes proposal, due in part to her experience as a Black businesswoman and fundraiser.

This is just a dream come true for me, getting another Black woman supporting me and mentoring me, Nyamumbo said. All the other women farmers that we work withtheyre going to be so excited.

So expect to see Kahawa 1893 popping up all over the place. And if youd like to get ahead of the curve, head over to Kahawa 1893s official website to order a couple of bags for yourself and see what all the fuss is about.

Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230223/russian-defense-ministry-ukraine-has-intensified-preparations-for-invasion-of-transnistria-1107752990.html

Russian Defense Ministry: Ukraine Has Intensified Preparations for Invasion of Transnistria

Russian Defense Ministry: Ukraine Has Intensified Preparations for Invasion of Transnistria

Ukraine has intensified preparations for the invasion of Transnistria, which poses a threat to Russian peacekeepers, the Russian military will respond to this in an adequate manner, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

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"The Kiev regime has intensified preparations for the invasion of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR). As previously reported, this provocation of the Ukrainian armed forces will be carried out in response to the alleged offensive of Russian troops from the territory of Transnistria," the statement said. Russia currently sees a significant buildup of Ukrainian troops at the border with Transnistria, according to the ministry. Ukraine's actions pose a direct threat to Russia's peacekeeping contingent in the republic, so the Russian military will provide an adequate reaction to this provocation. "The implementation of the planned provocation by the Ukrainian authorities poses a direct threat to the Russian peacekeeping contingent legally deployed in Transnistria. The Russian armed forces will adequately respond to the upcoming provocation by the Ukrainian side," the ministry stressed.Earlier, the defense ministry detailed that Ukrainian forces intended to clad themselves in Russian uniforms as a pretext for the PMR invasion, underscoring that authorities were closely monitoring the situation. Officials previously noted that the Azov nationalistic battalion (recognized as a terrorist organization and banned in Russia) would be taking part in the provocation.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230223/saudi-arabia-relief-center-ready-to-help-east-ukraine-if-requested---supervisor-general-1107751753.html

Saudi Arabia Relief Center Ready to Help East Ukraine If Requested - Supervisor General

Saudi Arabia Relief Center Ready to Help East Ukraine If Requested - Supervisor General

Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, adviser to the Royal Court and Supervisor General of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center told Sputnik that the center will help the people in eastern Ukraine if such a request comes from their authorities.

2023-02-23T21:21+0000

2023-02-23T21:21+0000

2023-02-23T21:21+0000

world

saudi arabia

ukraine crisis

humanitarian aid

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"Certainly we will work with our partners. East Ukraine is not different than any part of the world. We help people irrespective of where they are, Al-Rabeeah said. Al-Rabeeah noted that the center provides assistance to refugees in Europe and is prepared to help people in Ukraine. The UN agencies for humanitarian and refugee affairs appealed last week for $5 billion in humanitarian aid to help more than 15 million Ukrainians affected by the conflict. Out of this sum, $3.9 billion has been requested under the Humanitarian Response Plan for Ukraine to provide 11.1 million people with food and medicines. The remainder in the amount of $1.7 billion will be used to help 4.2 million Ukrainian refugees hosted in 10 countries  Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia  under the Refugee Response Plan.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230223/unicef-says-over-45000-syrians-received-cash-relief-after-earthquake-program-to-expand-1107753184.html

UNICEF Says Over 45,000 Syrians Received Cash Relief After Earthquake, Program to Expand

UNICEF Says Over 45,000 Syrians Received Cash Relief After Earthquake, Program to Expand

More than 45,000 Syrians received cash relief from UNICEF following the recent devastating earthquakes, with the program set to expand to include thousands more, Adele Khodr, UNICEF regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, told Sputnik.

2023-02-23T23:36+0000

2023-02-23T23:36+0000

2023-02-23T23:36+0000

world

syria

earthquake rocks turkiye and syria

unicef

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"Over 45,000 vulnerable people (such as families caring for children with disabilities, orphans and children with chronic illness and female-headed families) in the most earthquake-affected areas have started to receive emergency cash assistance (people started to receive cash assistance within 96 hours on 9 February) with an anticipated expansion of this program to include thousands more vulnerable people affected by the earthquake to help them cope with the dire situation, worsened by the effect of the cold weather," Khodr said. Khodr stressed the impact on children and families has been catastrophic, putting hundreds of thousands in desperate conditions. Access to safe water and sanitation as well as health needs are now major concerns, the UNICEF director said. "The earthquakes have created a disaster of colossal proportions with many homes and basic service infrastructure destroyed or damaged," she said. "More than 8.8 million people  including 3.7 million children  have been affected and many are now in urgent need of food, water, shelter, and emergency medical and psychosocial assistance." Key civilian objects and infrastructure across the country have also been impacted. "Any disruption to the provision of their services increases the risk of waterborne diseases including cholera and acute watery diarrhea," she said. UNICEF and its partners are working around the clock to provide critical water and sanitation to the affected communities, and has already reached hundreds of thousands of people with life-saving WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene), health and nutrition supplies, and psychosocial services, according to Khodr. UNICEF has delivered more than 800,000 litres of safe water to affected communities. In addition, pre-positioned water and sanitation supplies in northwest Syria were sent to almost 100,000 affected people in 74 reception centers within 48 hours of the earthquake. The fund is also seeking to facilitate childrens return to learning as soon as possible, while also assessing damage to schools and making preparations for immediate repairs and the establishment of temporary learning spaces. UNICEF's support also includes family tracing and reunification, alternative care with the extended family, case management and referral to specialized services through trained case workers and case managers. UNICEF-supported mobile teams were redeployed to provide displaced families with psychological first aid and other mental health and psychosocial help, reaching approximately 18,265 children. In order to quickly expand the reach of psychosocial support for children heavily traumatized by the earthquake, UNICEF trained an additional 273 frontline workers on psychological first aid. On February 6, a series of powerful earthquakes and aftershocks ripped through parts of Turkey and Syria. The death toll has topped 43,000 in Turkey and 1,400 in Syria.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230210/us-eases-syria-sanctions-to-allow-transaction-for-earthquake-relief---treasury-1107284795.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230216/civil-war-enabled-syria-to-respond-quickly-to-earthquakes-president-says-1107519908.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/after-claiming-azov-no-longer-far-right-adl-slaps-label-on-us-shooter-who-used-their-nazi-symbol-1107754193.html

After Claiming Azov No Longer Far-Right, ADL Slaps Label on US Shooter Who Used Their Nazi Symbol

After Claiming Azov No Longer Far-Right, ADL Slaps Label on US Shooter Who Used Their Nazi Symbol

A careful analysis of the ADLs report reveals an alarming double standard in which wearers of a notorious Nazi symbol are labeled far-right  and which are not.

2023-02-24T00:53+0000

2023-02-24T00:53+0000

2023-02-24T03:54+0000

americas

azov battalion

christchurch massacre

nazi symbols

adl

extremism

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Pro-Zionist lobbying group the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has released its annual report titled Murder and Extremism in the United States, and its contents are mostly unsurprising.In 2022, the group writes, domestic extremists killed at least 25 people in the US, in 12 separate incidents. That total, they say represents a decrease from what they labeled 33 extremist-related murders documented in 2021.The ADL, which is headed by former Obama administration official Jonathan Greenblatt, declared in its latest edition that all the extremist-related murders in 2022 were committed by right-wing extremists.But one categorization sticks out  not so much for the crimes committed by the suspect, but for how ADL staffers decided he was a far-right ideologue. Strangely enough, it appears to be the same way millions of social media users realized that nationalist battalions in Ukraine are far-right as well.On Wednesday, the ADLs so-called Center on Extremism wrote that it only included Anderson Lee Aldrich  the perpetrator of a deadly attack on a gay club in Colorado Springs  after lengthy deliberation.The dominant factor in that determination, they say, was the revelation that Aldrich was the administrator of a website which featured a white supremacist video prominently on its front page. To make the case, the report features a screenshot from the video in which Christchurch shooter Brenton Tarrant is displayed alongside a Nazi Sonnenrad, or black sun.But just two months ago, the ADL rejected the idea that the wearer of a Nazi Sonnenrad symbol was automatically far-right, when it came to Ukraines notorious Azov Battalion*.Last year, independent American investigative outlet the Grayzone asked the ADL about an incident in which a Ukrainian militant with a Nazi Sonnenrad tattoo was given an award by American comedian Jon Stewart at the conclusion of the Pentagons Defense's Warrior Games at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.Specifically, journalist Alex Rubinstein wanted to know whether the group would condemn the Department of Defense's invitation of a former member of the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion [with] a Nazi Sonnenrad tattoo on his left elbow and other former members of neo-Nazi organizations to Disney World.Two months later, he got a response: the ADL explicitly stated their Center on Extremism does not see Azov Regiment as the far-right group it once was.As one of the countrys most powerful Zionist organizations, the ADLs classifications are frequently adopted by mainstream media outlets, which tend to treat the lobbying group as a stand-in for Jewish Americans.In 2019, the group seemed willing to call a spade a spade. Their report on international white supremacy warned Azov Regiment members were trying to connect with like-minded extremists from the US. Just a few years later, the consensus seems to be that such extremists exist only in the US now.* a terrorist organisation banned in Russia

https://sputnikglobe.com/20220901/jon-stewart-us-military-spark-outrage-by-honoring-ukrainian-nazi-at-disney-world-1100250887.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/anti-air-activity-over-irans-karaj-tied-to-training-exercises---not-attack-iranian-media-reports-1107755625.html

Anti-Air Activity Over Irans Karaj Tied to Training Exercises - Not Attack, Iranian Media Reports

Anti-Air Activity Over Irans Karaj Tied to Training Exercises - Not Attack, Iranian Media Reports

Iranian media confirmed that the sound of explosions and gunfire in the city of Karaj was the result of a military training exercise by Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) on Thursday night.

2023-02-24T02:19+0000

2023-02-24T02:19+0000

2023-02-24T02:19+0000

military

iran

karaj

military training

islamic revolutionary guard corps (irgc)

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Iranian media confirmed that the sound of explosions and gunfire in the city of Karaj was the result of a military training exercise by Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) on Thursday night.An IRGC's defense exercise was held around Karaj on Thursday night, and for several minutes, hypothetical targets were attacked at night, Irans IRNA news agency reported Thursday.Citing an informed source, the Tasnim News Agency reported that the sounds resulted from a routine exercise being carried out by Basij forces, which is currently underway in the Martyr Motahari Basij training camp near Karaj.Israeli media seized on videos of a blast in a city which is rumored to contain nuclear enrichment facilities to suggest that Iranian forces had suffered a military strike. But so far, theres no evidence proving such stories are anything but rumors.In January 2022, Iranian authorities clarified that a similar explosion heard near Karaj was also the result of a training exercise  not an incoming military strike.The loud noise heard this afternoon in the suburbs of Karaj was caused by the firing of a rocket during a training exercise managed [by] one of the Guards' headquarters, which has caused some speculations and rumors online, an IRGC spokesman reportedly said at the time.Such exercises are not uncommon, and we call upon our dear compatriots not to pay attention to the rumors spread by the opponents and enemies of the Iranian nation, the statement concluded.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/austin-says-he-has-not-spoken-to-chinese-counterpart-for-couple-of-months-1107778334.html

Austin Says He Has Not Spoken to Chinese Counterpart for 'Couple of Months'

Austin Says He Has Not Spoken to Chinese Counterpart for 'Couple of Months'

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on Friday he has not spoken to his Chinese counterpart for a "couple of months" and hopes Wei Fenghe schedules a phone call.

2023-02-24T18:02+0000

2023-02-24T18:02+0000

2023-02-24T18:02+0000

world

us

china

lloyd austin

wei fenghe

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"The last time that I talked to him was a couple of months ago. "I think well continue  to stress how important it is and hopefully Minister Wei will schedule that call," Austin told a American TV channel. The Pentagon chief added his Chinese counterpart "knows where to find" him. Austin expressed his opinion that China is currently not planning to provide Russia with lethal weapons, but it has not been "taken off the table." In early February, Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said China had declined a US request to hold a call between Austin and Wei after the US military downed a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon in US airspace. China maintains that the airship was conducting scientific research.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230217/high-seas-containment-us-military-assets-near-china-1107545938.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/bolton-says-trump-would-withdraw-from-nato-if-reelected-1107780867.html

Bolton Says Trump Would Withdraw From NATO If Reelected

Bolton Says Trump Would Withdraw From NATO If Reelected

Former US President Donald Trump would withdraw from NATO if reelected in 2024, his former national security advisor John Bolton said on Friday.

2023-02-24T19:06+0000

2023-02-24T19:06+0000

2023-02-24T19:06+0000

americas

us

nato

john bolton

donald trump

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"If [Trump] were elected again, I think he would withdraw from NATO," Bolton said during an interview with The Washington Post. Bolton argued that the Republican party's continued adherence to Trump is the longest act of attempted suicide by a political party in history. Bolton announced last month that he was considering running for the 2024 election.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/john-never-seen-a-war-he-didnt-like-bolton-lauds-bidens-purported-plan-to-send-troops-to-taiwan-1107765641.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/burkina-faso-to-enlist-5000-soldiers-to-bolster-fight-against-terrorism-1107769358.html

Burkina Faso to Enlist 5,000 Soldiers to Bolster Fight Against Terrorism

Burkina Faso to Enlist 5,000 Soldiers to Bolster Fight Against Terrorism

Burkina Faso is set to launch a recruitment of 5,000 soldiers to serve in the army for at least five years that is seen as part of the government's efforts to combat jihadists, the country's Minister of Defense has said.

2023-02-24T14:54+0000

2023-02-24T14:54+0000

2023-02-24T14:54+0000

africa

west africa

burkina faso

islamic insurgency

insurgency

terrorism

terrorist groups

army

army recruitment

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Burkina Faso is going to launch the "exceptional recruitment" of 5,000 soldiers to serve in the army for at least five years, which is seen as part of the government's efforts to combat jihadists, the country's minister of defense, Colonel Major Kassoum Coulibaly, has said in a statement. According to the minister, the recruitment of young male soldiers will take place from February 28 to March 7. The young men concerned must have been born between January 1, 1988 and December 31, 2003. Some of Burkina Faso's regions that are most targeted by terrorists will have higher quotas for recruitment, namely Boucle du Mouhoun in the west (1,000), Sahel in the north (900), and the region of Est (750).The recent announcement marks the third in a series of recruitment drives organized by the country's government in less than a year. In April 2022, 3,000 soldiers, whose age did not exceed 26, were recruited. The same process was also launched in October.Captain Ibrahim Traore, who has been the interim leader of Burkina Faso since the military coup of September 2022, set the objective of "reconquering" approximately 40% of Burkinabe territory occupied by jihadist groups. Burkina Faso also announced its plans to raise about one billion West African CFA francs (about $1.6 million) in 2023 in order to finance the national military's war against terrorism, including hiring more volunteers to support the counter-terrorist activities. In December, the government decided to recruit 50,000 members for the Volunteers for the Defense of the Fatherland. The program was initiated in 2019 to fight against terrorist groups linked to Daesh* and al-Qaeda*. In November last year, at least 90,000 civilian volunteers joined Burkina Fasos military forces under the program. * Daesh and al-Qaeda are terrorist organization banned in Russia and many other countries around the world.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221210/burkina-faso-to-employ-volunteers-raise-150-million-euros-to-fund-war-against-terrorist-insurgency-1105332665.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/eu-commission-says-no-evidence-found-of-china-providing-weapons-to-russia-1107778156.html

EU Commission Says No Evidence Found of China Providing Weapons to Russia

EU Commission Says No Evidence Found of China Providing Weapons to Russia

The European Union has not found any evidence that would suggest China is supplying weapons to Russia to help in its military operation in Ukraine, EU Commission Foreign Affairs spokesperson Nabila Massrali said on Friday.

2023-02-24T17:37+0000

2023-02-24T17:37+0000

2023-02-24T17:37+0000

world

european union (eu)

china

russia

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"We currently have no clear evidence of China providing lethal weapon systems to Russia, but we will call on China to refrain from any form of military assistance," Massrali told a briefing. On Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that China would face "real consequences" if it decided to supply Russia with military assistance amid the Ukraine conflict. On the next day, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg added that NATO was concerned about the possibility of China supplying weapons to Russia. However, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that Chinese Central Foreign Affairs Office Director Wang Yi assured him that China was not providing weapons to countries at war.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230221/us-not-china-pouring-weapons-into-ukraine-says-chinese-foreign-ministry-1107645334.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/eu-to-post-border-guards-to-north-macedonia-from-april-amid-migration-surge-1107779533.html

EU to Post Border Guards to North Macedonia From April Amid Migration Surge

EU to Post Border Guards to North Macedonia From April Amid Migration Surge

The European Union authorized a deal with North Macedonia on Friday that allows EU border guards to operate throughout the Balkan nation from April, following calls for tougher actions on illegal migration from front-line member states, the Council of the European Union said.

2023-02-24T18:19+0000

2023-02-24T18:19+0000

2023-02-24T18:19+0000

world

european union (eu)

north macedonia

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"The Council gave today its final green light to an agreement with North Macedonia on operational activities carried out by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex). The agreement will allow joint operations to be organised and Frontex border management teams to be deployed in North Macedonia, subject to the country's agreement," a statement read. The EU granted Frontex a mandate in 2019 to help non-member countries patrol the regions that directly border the bloc. The deal has now been expanded to allow EU agents to operate anywhere in a third country and exercise executive powers, for instance register arrivals. The bloc already has a similar pact in place with Moldova. The EU is seeking to renegotiate existing deals with Albania, Montenegro, and Serbia and open talks with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mauritania, and Senegal. The developments come as EU front-line nations continue mounting pressure on the bloc's executive to curb irregular migrant flows. A meeting of 15 EU countries in Athens on Friday urged Brussels to work closely with third countries to enhance migrant returns.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221206/frontex-staff-may-be-deployed-to-western-balkans-as-eu-struggles-to-curb-migrant-flows-1105105336.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/first-humans-from-africa-may-have-brought-archery-to-europe-study-reveals-1107774417.html

First Humans From Africa May Have Brought Archery to Europe, Study Reveals

First Humans From Africa May Have Brought Archery to Europe, Study Reveals

A recent study on stone points and other artifacts unearthed at a French rock-shelter has revealed that Homo sapiens, who came to Europe about 54,000 years ago from Africa, may have introduced archery to the continet.

2023-02-24T16:53+0000

2023-02-24T16:53+0000

2023-02-24T16:53+0000

africa

archeology

homo sapiens

archery

bow

neanderthals

study

scientific study

neolithic era

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A new study in the Science Advances journal on stone points and other artifacts unearthed in a French rock-shelter has revealed that Homo sapiens, who arrived in Europe about 54,000 years ago from Africa, may have introduced archery to the continent. The researchers examined triangular stone weapon points and other items found at a rock-shelter in southern France called Grotte Mandrin. The study presented the earliest evidence for "mechanically propelled projectile technology" in Eurasia, demonstrating it via use-wear and impact damage analyses. Previous stone point discoveries showed that hunting with a bow and arrow originated in Africa between 80,000 and 60,000 years ago, while recovered human fossils indicated that Homo sapiens visited Grotte Mandrin about 56,800 years ago. Therefore, it was before the demise of Neanderthals, which occurred 40,000 years ago, and earlier than scientists had supposed that Homo sapiens reached Europe. According to the current study, even though no bows were found at the French site, the earliest known Homo sapiens who migrated into Neanderthal territories had purportedly mastered the use of the bow. Among 852 stone artifacts discovered at Grotte Mandrin, which dated back to about 54,000 years, 196 triangular stone points had high-impact damage. Some of the stone points also displayed alterations caused by butchery activities. The researchers compared the findings with damage on stone copies of the artifacts that they used as arrowheads shot from bows and as the tips of spears. Additional comparative evidence was provided from arrowheads used by present-day hunting groups.It was noted that the production of lithic artifacts was focused on standardized tiny points, some clustering around only 1 cm in length. Impact damage analyses showed that these stone points had been attached at the bottom to shafts. The scientists stated that the smallest points could have pierced animals only when shot from bows. Thus, they served as arrowheads. The study concluded that the production of these artifacts was unseen in archaeological assemblages of this period and represented a main structural difference between Neanderthal and modern human social and material organization. The researchers also assumed that this bow-and-arrow technology of the first modern humans in Europe may have given them a competitive advantage over local Neanderthal societies.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20210528/earliest-known-war-turns-out-to-be-series-of-conflicts-13400-years-ago-scientists-say-1083014033.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/how-us-false-flags-record-prompts-public-to-trust-hershs-nord-stream-bombshell-even-more-1107748821.html

How US' False Flags Record Prompts Public to Trust Hersh's Nord Stream Bombshell Even More

How US' False Flags Record Prompts Public to Trust Hersh's Nord Stream Bombshell Even More

Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Seymour Hersh previously teased about unveiling the mechanism of Nord Streams destruction. Despite the media silence... 24.02.2023, Sputnik International

2023-02-24T09:58+0000

2023-02-24T09:58+0000

2023-02-24T09:58+0000

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opinion

seymour hersh

nord stream

sabotage

syria

afghanistan

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"In my view, Hersh is facing a reality which he has never faced before in his long and distinguished life," Hans Mahncke, a US investigative journalist and lawyer, told Sputnik. "His life-long audience of traditional leftists has dissolved. Whereas a Hersh expose in the past would immediately cause a big furor both in media and politics, he is now being ignored. That is an entirely new situation for him. But it is not just Hersh. If the entire Edward Snowden story would play out now in 2023 instead of in 2013, no one would report it or care. This is the new reality we live in."Mahncke drew attention to "the complete disappearance of the old, anti-war left in the United States," which he called "an extraordinary event which historians will study long into the future."Earlier this month, Hersh released a bombshell report on Nord Stream's destruction on September 26, 2022, claiming that US Navy divers, with assistance from Norway, planted explosive charges at the pipeline under the cover of a NATO military exercise in the Baltic during summer 2022.Observers warn that the destruction of the Nord Stream could be equated to a declaration of war, and yet it appears that Western leaderships are not interested in getting to the bottom of it.West Surprisingly Uninterested in Investigating Nord Stream SabotageEarlier this week, Russia presented a UN Security Council draft resolution requesting that the secretary-general conduct an independent international investigation to verify the facts brought forward by Hersh. Moscows request for an independent investigation was prompted by doubts about the integrity and transparency of Denmark, Germany, and Sweden in their ongoing inquiries.Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya has repeatedly noted that Moscow hasnt been allowed to take part in the investigations by any of the three countries. He insisted they were "not only not transparent, but it is quite clear that they seek just to cover the tracks and stick up for their ... American brother."For its part, the US reiterated its "concerns" with regard to the Nord Stream attack, and, simultaneously, bashed Hersh's account of events as "false" and "fiction." Sweden, Denmark, and Germany have yet to complete their separate probes into the blast: they signaled recently that "at this point, it is not possible to say when they will be concluded."Sachs and McGovern: UN Probe is Global PriorityRemarkably, two American experts who testified at the UNSC meeting openly said that they do not buy into the West's Nord Stream narrative. Jeffrey D. Sachs, a professor at Columbia University and specialist in global economy, stated on February 21 that "the investigation by the UN Security Council of the Nord Stream explosions is a high global priority.""There is only one detailed account to date of the Nord Stream destruction, the one recently put forward by investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, ostensibly based on information leaked to Hersh by an unnamed source," stated Sachs. "The White House has described Hershs account as 'completely and utterly false,' but did not offer any information contradicting Hershs account and did not offer any alternative explanation."Retired CIA officer and political activist Raymond McGovern, who also participated in the UNSC summit, said that he "associate[d] [himself] completely with Sachs comments."Sachs was one of the first prominent American figures to suggest in the wake of the blasts that the Biden administration could potentially have been involved in the attack.Growing Mistrust Towards US Government MachineIn his latest Substack report, Hersh shed some light on US-Norwegian military cooperation which started after the Second World War. He also shed light on the special role played by the CIA during the War in Vietnam and, especially, prior to the Gulf of Tonkin "false flag."Indeed, it seems that Americans' trust in their security services and federal government has been shattered by the Trump-Russia hoax, Big Tech's collusion with the feds to censor free speech in the US, and the manhunt for January Sixers, to name but a few.Earlier this month, extensive research by Jeff Gerth debunked the US media's journalistic malpractice in covering Russiagate, while the Twitter Files released by Elon Musk last year told the story of information manipulation and machinations by the FBI and other agencies in coordination with Big Tech and Big Media. Apparently, the potential release of 41,000 hours in footage from January 6, 2021 protests would answer the question whether the crackdown against January Sixers was justified.However, the reported "fakes" and "hoaxes" created and peddled by the feds did not start with Trump's ascendance to power. Back in 2015, Seymour Hersh played down the "glorious" Obama-era story of the capture and elimination of "Terrorist No 1" Osama bin Laden.Osama Bin Laden's DeathAccording to the US government's account of events, the US tracked Bin Laden to a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan; conducted a secret Navy Seal raid which resulted in the terrorist's death; after that, Bin Laden's body was treated with respect and buried at sea. Still, Hersh suggested, citing his sources, that in reality, Pakistani intelligence services captured Bin Laden in 2006 and kept him in prison.In 2010, Pakistan agreed to give Bin Laden away to the US under the guise of a staged military raid. US Navy Seals met no resistance at Abbottabad on May 2, 2011 and killed Osama in his bedroom in cold blood. His body was "torn apart with rifle fire" and his remains were "tossed out over the Hindu Kush mountains" by Navy SEALs during their flight home. There was no burial at the sea since "there wouldnt have been much left of Bin Laden to put into the sea in any case."Khan Sheykhoun False FlagIn 2017, Hersh challenged the US official narrative about a chemical incident in the town of Khan Sheikhoun that was used by the Trump administration to justify the April 6, 2017 US cruise missile strike on Syrian government forces' al-Shayat air base.Hersh's account of events showed that not only was there no evidence to back Washington's claims about Syrian government forces' alleged "chemical attack" on Khan Sheikhoun, but that the US military and intelligence apparatus were not aware of such an "attack" before the cruise missile strike was ordered. In reality, the Khan Sheikhoun chemical incident was staged by al-Nusra* terrorists, according to the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist.The aforementioned cases raise the question: what else could the US government and its agencies be hiding?Meanwhile, Hersh's latest expose describes a case that appears to be far more dangerous than the My Lai massacre or the Khan Sheykhoun false flag.*A terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230222/russias-un-partners-have-no-desire-to-probe-us-role-in-nord-stream-blasts-despite-smoking-gun-1107694722.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230222/cover-up-worse-than-crime-silence-around-hershs-bombshell--ominous-gulf-of-tonkin-parallels-1107715904.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230216/why-elon-musk-would-have-made-great-special-counsel--independent-journos-do-better-job-than-doj-1107514193.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20171013/russia-syria-chemical-attack-staged-1058220255.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20200208/douma-incident-why-whistleblowers-accounts-hold-more-credibility-than-bald-assertions-by-opcw-1078261607.html

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seymour hersh's nord stream bombshell, hersh's nord stream story, nord stream sabotage attack, us false flags, killing of osama bin laden, russiagate, trump-russia hoax, trump-russia investigation, the twitter files, elon musk's twitter files, us overseas wars, jeffrey sachs testimony in the unsc
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/hungary-opposes-to-eus-attempt-to-prolong-review-of-russia-sanctions-up-to-one-year-1107758384.html

Hungary Opposes EU's Attempt to Prolong Review of Russia Sanctions Up to One Year

Hungary Opposes EU's Attempt to Prolong Review of Russia Sanctions Up to One Year

The European Union has made an attempt to increase the period of review of the sanctions lists against Russia from six months to a year while discussing the 10th sanctions package, but Budapest did not support it, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told Sputnik.

2023-02-24T04:42+0000

2023-02-24T04:42+0000

2023-02-24T09:45+0000

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"But we were sticking to the methodology that the sanction list and/or delistings must be reviewed every six months. There was attempt to prolong it to 12 months, but we rejected that to stay at six months," the minister said. Szijjarto also said that the European Union will continue to try to impose sanctions on Russia's nuclear industry, but Hungary will never agree to this."This is something that we would never agree with. This is something that we will definitely veto in case such kind of points are being included into any kind of sanction measures," Szijjarto added.The minister noted there were "strong attempts" to include Russia's nuclear energy sector on the sanctions lists in the course of the development of the 10th sanctions package against Russia, but Budapest has "not let it happen."Some member states of the European Union would definitely like to see Russia's nuclear sector on the sanctions list, the minister said, adding that Budapest has made it very clear that this option was absolutely unacceptable for Hungary."If we cannot continue the construction of Paks II [nuclear power plant], then we will lose the most important pillar of the guarantee for our long-term energy security. And once again, I think energy should be totally left out of sanctions, given the fact that energy is a physical issue that has nothing to do with either politics or ideology," Szijjarto noted.According to the minister, the EU planned to impose sanctions against Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov as part of the 10th package of restrictions, but Hungary opposed the idea."We have also raised our voice against Russian ministers to be put on the list. For example, Minister Manturov. Because if Russian ministers are on the sanctions list, then to whom we are going to talk to about peace, to whom we're going to talk to about how to end the suffering of the people," Szijjarto said, noting that Manturov "was supposed to be there but we have always raised our voice and he was taken off from the sanctions."Hungary has taken this position "not because of the Russians, not to be misunderstood" but because "this is right," the minister said, adding that Budapest finds it "very unfair when we are being judged as if we were propagandists of Kremlin, because we are just simply representing what we think is rational."On Thursday, the European Union once again failed to agree on the 10th sanctions package against Russia, with discussions set to continue on Friday.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/hunter-bidens-close-friend--emotional-pillar-reportedly-cooperating-with-gop-investigators-1107776287.html

Hunter Biden's Close Friend & 'Emotional Pillar' Reportedly Cooperating With GOP Investigators

Hunter Biden's Close Friend & 'Emotional Pillar' Reportedly Cooperating With GOP Investigators

Hunter Biden's key associate, former Rosemont Seneca businessman Eric Schwerin, has reportedly agreed to provide information to the GOP House Oversight... 24.02.2023, Sputnik International

2023-02-24T16:50+0000

2023-02-24T16:50+0000

2023-02-24T16:50+0000

americas

us

hunter biden

joe biden

china

ukraine

gop

house gop

investigation

subpoena

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"[Eric Schwerin] is cooperating with us," House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) revealed on Just the News Not Noise show on February 23. "His attorneys and my counsel are communicating on a regular basis. Now, I feel confident that he's going to work with us, and provide us with the information that we have requested."Schwerin is called by the US press "one of the closest friends," business associate, and "an emotional pillar" for US President Joe Biden's son Hunter. The two reportedly met when they worked in then-President Bill Clintons Commerce Department. Schwerin arrived at the agency in 1994.15 years later, Schwerin was enlisted as the president of investment firm Rosemont Seneca Partners, founded by Hunter Biden, Devon Archer, and Chris Heinz, the stepson of John Kerry (then-US senator from Massachusetts and chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee). At the time, Hunter's father, Joe Biden, assumed the role of Barack Obama's vice president.A review of Hunter Biden's personal calendar on the so-called "laptop from hell," which was abandoned by Hunter at a repair shop in Wilmington, Delaware, in April 2019, indicated that the younger Biden and his friend and business associate Schwerin frequently met with then-US VP Joe Biden between 2008 and 2016. Hunter held at least 30 business meetings with his father either in the White House or the latter's vice presidential residence, the Naval Observatory. Schwerin was reportedly invited to 21 out of the 30 confabs.What's more, US conservative reporters drew attention to the fact that most of the aforementioned meetings occurred days or even hours after Hunter's negotiations with high-profile foreign clients, prompting some American journalists to suggest that the younger Biden apparently discussed his business dealings with his father. In addition, Schwerin was reportedly involved in discussing tax and financial matters with Vice President Biden as early as 2010.It appears that Schwerin could shed light on Hunter's financial schemes and help answer the question whether or not the incumbent president was aware of them. To date, Joe Biden has vehemently denied having any clue about his son's business dealings.The news came as the House Oversight and Accountability Committee learned that Hunter Biden and his uncle, presidential brother James Biden, wouldn't volunteer information for Comer's probe of the first family's overseas dealings, including those in China and Ukraine. That won't stop the committee, which is going to issue subpoenas now, said Comer.The congressman suggested that the Bidens have something to hide, given their unwillingness to cooperate with House GOP investigators. Both the US president and his son have resolutely denied any wrongdoing; still, Hunter earlier acknowledged he is under federal criminal investigation on tax issues.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20220717/laptop-from-hell-hunter-bidens-calendar-suggests-president-joe-was-well-aware-of-business-trips-1097401916.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230209/house-committee-panel-asks-for-hunter-biden-records-on-business-dealings-1107274835.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/kazakh-energy-firm-suggests-russias-gazprom-build-gas-pipeline-to-china-via-kazakhstan-1107780309.html

Kazakh Energy Firm Suggests Russia's Gazprom Build Gas Pipeline to China Via Kazakhstan

Kazakh Energy Firm Suggests Russia's Gazprom Build Gas Pipeline to China Via Kazakhstan

Kazakh energy company Qazaq Gaz has pitched an initiative to Gazprom for the Russian energy giant consider an establishment of a new gas pipeline from Russia to China that would run through Kazakhstan's east and contribute to bringing gas to it, Qazaq Gaz deputy board chairman Arman Kasenov said on Friday.

2023-02-24T18:48+0000

2023-02-24T18:48+0000

2023-02-24T18:48+0000

economy

russia

kazakhstan

china

gazprom

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"With regard to the gasification of [Kazakhstan's] east, we have suggested that Gazprom consider a new transit route via eastern Kazakhstan [to China], which will cover a number of regions. The issue is being worked out, we have already finished technical and economic calculations," Kasenov said at a shareholder meeting. He also said that the proposal was under Gazprom's consideration. The gasification of the country's north and east in the near future with its own gas resources is impossible, Kasemov said, adding that the company was "counting on the newly created conditions for the possible import of Russian gas." Earlier in February, Russia and China signed an intergovernmental agreement on gas supplies through the Far East route, which involved the construction of a cross-border section across the Ussuri River to the Chinese city of Hulin.

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Germany, France, UK Offer Defense Pact to Zelensky Amid Push for Peace Talks - Reports

Germany, France and the United Kingdom have dangled a defense pact in front of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to get him to the negotiating table with Russia, American business newspaper reported on Friday, citing officials from the three governments.

The officials told the newspaper that Berlin, Paris and London were becoming increasingly worried that a drawn-out conflict and a looming stalemate would stretch their capacity to sustain the war effort to the limit.

"We keep repeating that Russia mustn't win, but what does that mean? If the war goes on for long enough with this intensity, Ukraine's losses will become unbearable," a senior French official said, adding that no one believed Ukraine would be able to capture Crimea from Russia.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reportedly wants to table his blueprint of a pact with Ukraine at the next NATO summit in July, while French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told Zelensky at a meeting in Paris in early February that he should start preparing for peace talks with Russia, the daily newspaper cited people familiar with the conversation as saying.

The pact being floated will not put NATO boots on the ground but will apply the Article 5 collective defense clause to Ukraine in the event of an attack on it and will potentially give the eastern European nation access to a broader array of NATO standard weapons.

The report said that German and US officials had declined to comment on the proposed security pact, while spokespeople from the UK and French governments did not immediately respond to its requests for comment.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/nato-ruthlessly-mocked-for-comparing-russia-ukraine-conflict-to-fantasy-movies-1107756760.html

NATO Ruthlessly Mocked for Comparing Russia-Ukraine Conflict to Fantasy Movies

NATO Ruthlessly Mocked for Comparing Russia-Ukraine Conflict to Fantasy Movies

When NATOs Twitter account uploaded a bizarre mishmash of movie references in an unsuccessful effort to reach Western audiences, the most popular reply read: Russia should win for this tweet alone.

2023-02-24T03:43+0000

2023-02-24T03:43+0000

2023-02-24T03:43+0000

viral

star wars

harry potter

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twitter

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NATOs Twitter account was flooded with thousands of derisive replies on Thursday after the military alliance compared the situation in Ukraine to half a dozen fictional films.We are Harry Potter and William Wallace, the Navi and Han Solo, the widely-mocked message insisted.As of publication, the original Twitter post had already been viewed over 16 million times in less than 24 hours. But judging by the replies, social media users werent exactly impressed by the jumble of seemingly-random pop culture references.Russia should win for this tweet alone, read one popular post that had quickly racked up nearly 16,000 likes  almost four times as many as the original message. This is a real tweet from the official NATO account, another incredulous user pointed out.We're being forced into a third World War by people who write tweets like this, Arizonas Rep. Paul Gosar mused.Hundreds of other sarcastic replies mocked the aggressive transatlantic military alliance for being cringe or displaying Reddit behavior.But a handful of users responded more seriously to the sheer absurdity of the situation, pointing out the propagandistic logic of the films being referenced by NATO.Its far from the military alliances first digital fiasco over the past year. Last March, NATOs official Twitter page uploaded a photo of a female Ukrainian militant adorned with the Nazi Sonnenrad to celebrate International Women's Day.The photo was hastily deleted after outrage from users, with a spokesman for the organization reportedly saying that NATO didnt notice the symbol before uploading the photo.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/new-2bln-ukraine-aid-package-includes-himars-ammo-switchblade-drones-pentagon-says-1107765980.html

New $2Bln Ukraine Aid Package Includes HIMARS Ammo, Switchblade Drones, Pentagon Says

New $2Bln Ukraine Aid Package Includes HIMARS Ammo, Switchblade Drones, Pentagon Says

The newly announced $2 billion military assistance package for Ukraine includes additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and Switchblade 600 drones, among other weaponry, the Pentagon said.

2023-02-24T10:40+0000

2023-02-24T10:40+0000

2023-02-24T10:41+0000

russia's special operation in ukraine

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aid

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"Capabilities in this security assistance package include: Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), Additional 155mm artillery rounds, Munitions for laser-guided rocket systems, Switchblade 600 UAS," the Pentagon said in a press release. The package also includes counter-drone and electronic warfare detection equipment, mine clearing equipment, secure communications, support equipment, and surveillance drones, according to the release.US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned in a separate statement that difficult time may lie ahead. The Pentagon noted the United States has committed more than $32 billion in military assistance to Ukraine over the past year, including 38 HIMARS, a Patriot air defense battery, eight National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, 31 Abrams tanks, 109 Bradley combat vehicles, 8,500 Javelin anti-armor systems, 232 howitzers, and 1,600 Stinger anti-aircraft systems. On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine in response to requests by the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics to protect them from intensifying attacks by Ukrainian troops. The Russian Defense Ministry said the operation, which targets Ukrainian military infrastructure, aims to "demilitarize and denazify" Ukraine, and to completely liberate the Donbass region.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/north-korea-warns-us-that-continued-hostility-may-be-considered-declaration-of-war-1107760225.html

North Korea Warns US That Continued 'Hostility' May Be Considered 'Declaration of War'

North Korea Warns US That Continued 'Hostility' May Be Considered 'Declaration of War'

North Korea has warned the US that its continued 'hostility' may be considered a 'declaration of war'.

2023-02-24T06:31+0000

2023-02-24T06:31+0000

2023-02-24T07:14+0000

world

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North Korea has warned the US that its persistent "hostile and provocative practices" in flagrant disregard of repeated protests on the part of Pyongyang may be construed as a 'declaration of war', according to state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).The warning was issued by Kwon Jong-gun, the director-general of the North Korean Foreign Ministry's US affairs department.The only way to quell the "vicious cycle" of escalating military tensions on the Korean Peninsula and in the surrounding region, according to the foreign ministry's official, was for Washington to abandon plans to deploying strategic assets in the South and put and end to joint military drills with allies.Elsewhere in his statement, Kwon Jong-gun lambasted the fact that the US and South Korea "put a sovereign state's legitimate right to self-defence on the agenda of the UNSC" and strongly protested and denounced the move.The official warned of "strong corresponding action" should the United Nations Security Council discuss North Korea's right to self-defense, and deplored the fact that the Council had become nothing but a tool used to exert Washington's pressure on the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.According to reports in North Korean media on February 24, the Korean People's Army test-fired four "Hwasal-2 strategic cruise missiles" from the northeastern city of Kim Chaek aimed towards the Sea of Japan (called the East Sea in Korea).On February 20, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that, following Pyongyang's ICBM launch on February 18, and the Monday test-firing of two ballistic missiles, Japan had requested an extraordinary meeting of the UN Security Council (UNSC).Reports of North Korea's most recent missile tests came against the backdrop of war games hosted by the Pentagon and involving US and South Korean forces. The so-called "table-top exercise" focused on hypothetical scenarios of North Koreas use of nuclear weapons, according to the US Defense Department's statement on February 23.Both sides discussed various options to demonstrate the Alliances strong response capabilities and resolve to respond appropriately to any DPRK nuclear use, the Pentagon stated.US, Japan and South Korea drills held in the Sea of Japan on Wednesday involved three destroyers equipped with the US Aegis combat system.The debut joint drills since South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol took office have infuriated Pyongyang. Back in September 2022, the DPRK resumed its testing of longer-range ballistic missiles, as well as cruise missiles and what it claimed was a hypersonic weapon. Those missile drills also coincided with war games directed against the DPRK by South Korea, Japan, and the United States.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230223/north-korea-test-fired-four-cruise-missile-in-latest-show-of-war-posture-1107752049.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221012/north-korea-launches-two-long-range-strategic-missiles--1101786854.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/pla-fighter-jet-confronts-us-navy-spy-plane-with-cnn-crew-aboard-over-south-china-sea-1107782664.html

PLA Fighter Jet Confronts US Navy Spy Plane With CNN Crew Aboard Over South China Sea

PLA Fighter Jet Confronts US Navy Spy Plane With CNN Crew Aboard Over South China Sea

A recent report by US news company CNN included encounters with Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft and warships while riding along in a US Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft over the South China Sea.

2023-02-24T20:47+0000

2023-02-24T20:47+0000

2023-02-24T20:46+0000

south china sea

cnn

j-11

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military

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According to their report, the Poseidon, which is derived from a Boeing 737 airliner airframe and carries a variety of monitoring equipment as well as anti-ship and anti-submarine torpedoes, was first challenged by a J-11 interceptor about 30 miles from the Paracel Islands.The J-11 soon pulled alongside the US aircraft, sitting about 500 feet off its port side for about 15 minutes. The jet was carrying air-to-air missiles, the report said.Later, the same crew encountered the PLA Navy warship Changsha, a Type 52D guided missile destroyer, near claimed Philippine waters and descended to the low altitude of 1,000 feet. The Changshas crew evidently interpreted this as a potentially hostile action, as maritime patrol aircraft drop to low altitudes to fire their anti-ship torpedoes.However, the Poseidon then tried to assuage the Changshas fears, saying it would keep a safe distance.I am a United States military aircraft. I will maintain a safe distance from your unit, the Poseidon pilot replies. There was no reply from the Changsha after that.Hines later said the interactions were professional and he hoped to keep things that way. A similar, but much more intense encounter between a US Navy EP-3E Aries signals intelligence aircraft and a PLA J-8II interceptor in 2001 resulted in the two planes colliding. The Chinese pilot died and the American plane was forced to land on the Chinese island of Hainan, where the crew were interrogated before being returned to the US.Contentious WaterwayChina has claimed sovereignty over the Paracel Islands and three other island chains in the South China Sea - claims disregarded by the United States and which overlap with claims by several other nations, including Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia. US patrols in the area have aimed to flout those claims - actions the US calls freedom of navigation operations - which often leads to tense confrontations.According to the South China Sea Probing Initiative (SCSPI), a think tank connected to the University of Beijing, US land-based reconnaissance aircraft flew 64 sorties over the waterway in January 2023 - a slight decrease from January 2022, they noted.The majority of the flights were by P-8A Poseidons; others included RC-135S Combat Sent and RC-135V Rivet Joint aircraft, EP-3E Aries, and E-4B Nightwatch aircraft, the lattermost of which is a doomsday plane designed to carry US leadership aloft in the event of a nuclear war. Its presence in the area is not explained.At times, the US spy planes took measures to disguise their identities, performing spoofs of the ICAO hex codes used to identify them to other aircraft in order to seem like airliners from various nations.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230214/us-vows-to-defend-philippines-against-china-after-provocative-laser-incident-in-south-china-sea-1107439698.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/putin-erdogan-discuss-situation-in-ukraine-istanbul-agreements-1107780468.html

Putin, Erdogan Discuss Situation in Ukraine, Istanbul Agreements

Putin, Erdogan Discuss Situation in Ukraine, Istanbul Agreements

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan exchanged views on the situation around Ukraine, and the implementation of Istanbul agreements on the export of grain from Ukraine and the supply of food and fertilizers from Russia, the Kremlin said on Friday.

2023-02-24T18:56+0000

2023-02-24T18:56+0000

2023-02-24T18:56+0000

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"The parties exchanged views on the situation around Ukraine in the context of the principled assessments outlined by the Russian President in a recent address to the Federal Assembly," the statement said. The presidents also discussed the implementation of the Istanbul agreements. The two presidents also discussed energy cooperation, the supply of Russian fuel and the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant (NPP)."Topical issues of Russian-Turkish cooperation, including in the energy sector, were also discussed. The practical aspects of further supplies of Russian fuel and the construction of the Akkuyu NPP were discussed in detail," the statement read.Putin and Erdogan agreed to continue contacts.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/report-dems-gop-to-formalize-process-of-removing-congressional-members-from-committees-1107782916.html

Report: Dems, GOP to Formalize Process of Removing Congressional Members from Committees

Report: Dems, GOP to Formalize Process of Removing Congressional Members from Committees

The Speaker of the US House of Representatives and the House Minority Leader have begun taking steps to create a bipartisan task force that will formalize the process of removing members of Congress from the committees they serve on, aides to both men told NBC News.

2023-02-24T21:01+0000

2023-02-24T21:01+0000

2023-02-24T21:01+0000

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House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California, and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, have agreed to establish a bipartisan task force that will implement a process to remove members from committees, aides for the two lawmakers told NBC News. McCarthy is already contacting members to join the committee and Jeffries is developing a list of Democrats to serve on the committee. The plan comes on the heels of McCarthy engineering the removal of Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee. Several Republicans communicated their concern that the system used to remove Omar lacked proper due process. There was also unease when then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi removed Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar from their committee assignments during the last Congress. McCarthys promise to revamp the process and create the task force gave him the votes he needed to remove Omar. In February 2021, the Democratic-held House voted to remove Greene from the Budget Committee and the Education and Labor Committee because of social media posts where she was spreading what Democrats described as dangerous and racist conspiracy theories. Later, that following November, the House voted to remove Gosar from the Oversight and Reform and Natural Resources after he posted an animated video that showed him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and attacking Joe Biden. McCarthy required a vote of the full House to remove Omar but McCarthy used his power as speaker to block and remove Democrats Eric Swalwell and Adam Schiff from the Intelligence Committee. Three Republican lawmakers - Nancy Mace, Victoria Spartz and Ken Buck - came out early against the effort for several reasons. McCarthy enticed them to vote against Omar by committing to reworking the removal process. McCarthy has committed to instituting the rules so that members would be referred to the House Ethics Committee before a resolution is drawn up to strip them of their committee assignments. Spartz wanted to add due process language in the resolution, Buck said McCarthy suggested he was willing to reform the process for kicking members off committees and Mace said the speaker offered her a "commitment" that there would be a fix to rules that would refer members to the House Ethics Committee before a resolution is drawn up to strip them of their committee assignments. McCarthy on Thursday said two of those lawmakers  Mace and Buck  will be part of the bipartisan group who will write a code of conduct. And he has asked Jeffries to choose himself and a couple of members to be included in the group.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230103/what-will-happen-to-us-house-january-6-committee-after-new-congress-sits--1106013463.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230123/most-americans-prefer-us-govt-shutdown-than-have-congress-approve-more-spending-poll-1106626304.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/russia-turkiye-to-resume-active-talks-on-gas-hub-in-near-future-source-1107765025.html

Russia, Turkiye to Resume Active Talks on Gas Hub in Near Future: Source

Russia, Turkiye to Resume Active Talks on Gas Hub in Near Future: Source

Active negotiations on the gas hub between Ankara and Moscow, which were suspended due to the devastating earthquakes in southeastern Turkey, will resume in the near future, a source familiar with the talks told Sputnik on Friday.

2023-02-24T09:54+0000

2023-02-24T09:54+0000

2023-02-24T09:54+0000

economy

russia

turkiye

gas hub

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"Yes, the 'catastrophe of the century' [the devastating earthquakes in southeastern Turkiye] has made certain adjustments. Active work is underway to eliminate the consequences, processes in the economy are being resumed. In the near future, active negotiations will resume," the source said, adding that Ankara considers the project a priority. The cost of the gas hub project in Turkiye has not been finalized, the source said, adding that the parties are agreeing on the details.Earlier it was reported, that the international meeting of gas consumers and suppliers on the gas hub, scheduled for February in Istanbul, was postponed to a later date due to the devastating earthquake in the country.In January, Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said that meeting on the creation of a gas hub in Turkiye, proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, was planned to be held in Istanbul on February 14-15.In October 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Turkish leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, instructed their governments to map the possibility of creating a gas hub in Turkey where traffic could be diverted from the damaged Nord Stream pipelines. According to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, the idea is not only to create a trading platform in Turkey, but also to develop infrastructure and increase the volume of supplies to Europe. He said other countries can also join in as suppliers, including Algeria, Qatar and Azerbaijan.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/russian-ambassador-to-un-western-leaders-lied-in-past-keep-lying-now-1107780009.html

Russian Ambassador to UN: Western Leaders Lied in Past, Keep Lying Now

Russian Ambassador to UN: Western Leaders Lied in Past, Keep Lying Now

The leaders of the Western countries have repeatedly deceived Russia and want to do so at present, Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia said on Friday.

2023-02-24T18:28+0000

2023-02-24T18:28+0000

2023-02-24T18:28+0000

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vasily nebenzya

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"Western leaders lied to us then and want to continue deceiving us now," Nebenzia said during a meeting of the UN Security Council. Lies about the expansion of NATO and how much they spend on development were told by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the Russian ambassador added. Earlier in the meeting, Blinken said the United States is ready to engage in diplomatic efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine but added that what matters most is the nature of the peace that would ensue. The UN Security Council meeting was organized by Ukraine and its Western allies to mark the one year anniversary of Russia's special military operation. Numerous foreign affairs ministers and other officials from European countries arrived in New York to attend the meeting. Earlier on Friday, the White House announced additional sanctions against Russia, including an increase in tariffs on more than 100 Russian metals, minerals and chemical products worth approximately $2.8 billion.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230221/putins-speech-russia-ready-to-protect-its-god-given-sovereignty--independence-scholar-says-1107675828.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/russo-china-strategic-cooperation-nato-splintering-nord-stream-bombing-1107753883.html

Russo-China Strategic Cooperation; NATO Splintering; Nord Stream Bombing

Russo-China Strategic Cooperation; NATO Splintering; Nord Stream Bombing

The Nord Stream attack was a gangster act that reveals the cancer at the heart of the feudalist "rules-based order." 24.02.2023, Sputnik International

2023-02-24T04:12+0000

2023-02-24T04:12+0000

2023-02-24T09:26+0000

the critical hour

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malcolm x

nato

ukraine

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Russo-China Strategic Cooperation; NATO Splintering; Nord Stream Bombing The Nord Stream attack was a gangster act that reveals the cancer at the heart of the feudalist "rules-based order."

Mark Sleboda, Moscow-based international relations security analyst, joins us to discuss Ukraine. Greece is refusing to supply S300 air defense systems to Ukraine. Also, Russia and China are working to end US warmongering and hegemony.KJ Noh, writer, teacher, and activist, joins us to discuss China. Taiwan media is covering a tweet from Garland Nixon regarding President Biden's dangerous policy. Also, China has a peace plan to end the Ukraine conflict.Caleb Maupin, journalist, and political analyst, joins us to discuss US imperialism. China has written a paper documenting the perils of US hegemony. Also, Israel is threatening Iran and anti-China paranoia is being weaponized by the neocons.Dr. David Oualaalou, international geopolitical consultant, veteran, and author of many books, including "The Dynamics of Russia's Geopolitics: Remaking the Global Order," international security analyst, and host of the "Geopolitics in Conflict" Show on YT, joins us to discuss the Nord Stream attack. The Nord Stream attack was a gangster act that reveals the cancer at the heart of the feudalist "rules-based order."Margaret Kimberley, editor and senior columnist at Black Agenda Report and author of "Prejudential: Black America and the Presidents, joins us to discuss Black politics. Embracing anti-colonialism likely sealed the doom of Malcolm X. Also, the Biden DOJ is supporting the company responsible for the train derailment in Ohio.Essam Elkorghli, Libyan Ph.D. student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, joins us to discuss Norway. Our guest has lived in Norway and reports on Norway's part in NATO and the Nord Stream pipeline attack.Regis Tremblay, an American citizen in Crimea, joins us to discuss NATO. Russia is stepping up its delivery of advanced weaponry. Also, the Munich Security Conference is an exercise in self-delusion.Steve Poikonen, national organizer for Action4Assange, joins us to discuss the military-industrial complex. MSNBC blatantly lies about the anti-war rally. Also, President Biden goes all in on the Ukraine proxy war.We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.comThe views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/snow-storm-leaves-some-800000-people-without-electricity-in-northeastern-us--1107763327.html

Snow Storm Leaves Some 800,000 People Without Electricity in Northeastern US

Snow Storm Leaves Some 800,000 People Without Electricity in Northeastern US

Almost 800,000 consumers have been left without electricity in the northeastern part of the United States due to a heavy snow storm, the monitoring service poweroutage.us said.

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The storm has mostly hit Michigan, where around 730,000 people experienced power outage as of 07:24 GMT on February 24, according to the service. Massive blackouts have also been recorded in Wisconsin, New York and Illinois. Michigan authorities said that, during the storm, a firefighter was killed by a downed power line on Wednesday night. The western part of the country has also been affected by heavy snow, with around 30,000 consumers in California left with no electricity. Bad weather conditions and an icy storm also led to the cancellation of over 1,000 flights in the US on Thursday night, according to FlightAware data.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/top-us-diplomat-says-americans-dislike-countries-bullying-each-other-1107783089.html

Top US Diplomat Says Americans Dislike Countries Bullying Each Other

Top US Diplomat Says Americans Dislike Countries Bullying Each Other

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that Americans dislike seeing countries bully each other, despite the United States maintaining an armed presence at approximately 750 bases across 80 countries.

2023-02-24T21:07+0000

2023-02-24T21:07+0000

2023-02-24T21:07+0000

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"I think viscerally most Americans dont like to see a big country bullying another, and they just feel its wrong and want to do something about it," Blinken said during an interview with CBS. Blinken accused Russia of violating international norms of non-aggression by launching its special military operation in Ukraine. Russia insists the operation is intended to demilitarize and denazify territories targeted by the regime in Kiev, with Moscow also pointing toward NATOs expansion and destabilizing activities in Ukraine as reasons for the operation. The NATO alliance was founded by 12 countries in 1949, expanding to 30 members as of February 2023. Sweden and Finland are also now moving toward finalizing their accession to the alliance, with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia and Ukraine also considered aspiring members. Following the disintegration of the Soviet Union, against which NATO was initially developed, Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the possibility of Russia joining the alliance with then-US President Bill Clinton. Clinton purportedly had no objections. However, the rest of the US delegation accompanying Clinton got very nervous, according to Putin. The idea never came to fruition. In 2008, former US Ambassador to Russia William Burns  who now leads the CIA  sent a classified memo later revealed by WikiLeaks entitled "Nyet Means Nyet," in which he conveys Russias concerns about NATO enlargement, particularly in regards to Ukraine. "Not only does Russia perceive encirclement, and efforts to undermine Russias influence in the region, but it also fears unpredictable and uncontrolled consequences which would seriously affect Russian security interests," Burns said in the memo. Nevertheless, the US and NATO continued to pursue a policy of expansion despite understanding Russias perception and potential reaction to the situation, including the possibility of conflict. On Thursday, US Congressman Paul Gosar said Blinken and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland hold a "deeply rooted, irrational hatred" for Russia. Gosar also criticized NATO for trying to force the US into a third world war.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230221/us-on-road-to-destructive-war-with-russia-warns-former-pentagon-official-1107681077.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/us-admits-russian-economy-showing-resilience-to-sanctions-says-their-impact-can-take-time-1107777617.html

US Admits Russian Economy Showing Resilience to Sanctions, Says Their Impact Can Take Time

US Admits Russian Economy Showing Resilience to Sanctions, Says Their Impact Can Take Time

The Russian economy is showing resilience as Western sanctions take time to produce the intended results, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on Friday.

2023-02-24T17:21+0000

2023-02-24T17:21+0000

2023-02-24T17:32+0000

economy

us

russia

sanctions

anti-russian sanctions

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We believe that these will have an impact, but the second point is that it can take some time. Often, you dont see the immediate impact. It takes a while for the effect to be manifested, Kirby said during a press briefing. I take your point, that [Russias] economy is in some ways showing some resilience. The United States will not take the possibility of additional sanctions against Russia off the table, Kirby added. The United States and other Group of Seven (G7) allies announced a new wave of sanctions on Russia to mark the one-year anniversary of the launch of Moscow's special military operation in Ukraine. As part of the new sanctions, the US will increase tariffs "on more than 100 Russian metals, minerals, and chemical products worth approximately $2.8 billion to Russia." US President Joe Biden signed a proclamation on Friday to impose a 200% tariff on Russian aluminum."To further reduce imports of aluminum articles and increase domestic capacity utilization, I have determined that it is necessary and appropriate to impose: (a) beginning on March 10, 2023, a 200 percent ad valorem tariff on aluminum articles that are the product of Russia and derivative aluminum articles that are the product of Russia," the proclamation read.Beginning on April 10, 2023, a 200% tariff will also be applied to "aluminum articles where any amount of primary aluminum used in the manufacture of the aluminum articles is smelted in Russia, or the aluminum articles are cast in Russia, and derivative aluminum articles where any amount of primary aluminum used in the manufacture of the derivative aluminum articles is smelted in Russia, or the derivative aluminum articles are cast in Russia."Further, the US Department of Commerce announced it expanded luxury goods sanctions to include 276 more Russian and Belarusian entries. The US Department of State in turn announced new visa restrictions on 1,219 members of the Russian military, according to a release.Washington also imposed sanctions on 11 Russian banks and three financial institutions as part of a new package of measures. The list of sanctioned Russian banks includes Credit Bank of Moscow, Lanta Bank, Metallurgical Investment Bank, MTS Bank, Novosibirsk Social Commercial Bank, Bank Saint-Petersburg, Bank Primorye, SDM-Bank, Ural Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Bank Uralsib, Bank Zenit, according to the release.The United States also designated OOO Zenit Finance, OOO Zenit Leasing, and OOO Zenit Factoring MSP for being owned or controlled by, or for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Bank Zenit, the release added.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/why-western-sanctions-against-russia-failed-1107713475.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230213/what-do-you-think-will-be-the-legacy-of-eus-anti-russia-sanctions-in-the-long-run-1107379979.html

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us-russia relations, us sanctions against russia, american sanctions, russian economy
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/us-congressman-says-nuland--blinken-are-dangerous-fools-who-can-get-us-all-killed-1107759759.html

US Congressman Says Nuland & Blinken 'Are Dangerous Fools Who Can Get Us All Killed'

US Congressman Says Nuland & Blinken 'Are Dangerous Fools Who Can Get Us All Killed'

US Congressman Paul Gosar says Victoria Nuland, Antony Blinken are "dangerous fools who can get us all killed".

2023-02-24T05:52+0000

2023-02-24T05:52+0000

2023-02-24T05:52+0000

americas

us

paul gosar

victoria nuland

antony blinken

russia

elon musk

ukraine crisis

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United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US State Department official Victoria Nuland are dangerous fools who can get us all killed, warns Paul Gosar, a Republican Representative of Arizona's 9th Congressional district, in a reference to the two officials warmongering stance on the Ukraine conflict. The Republican Congressman went on Twitter to support a recent statement made by the social media platforms chief executive Elon Musk.Elon is correct, said Gosar, adding that Nuland and Blinken have a deeply rooted irrational hatred of Russia. According to the GOP Representative, the two officials seek to get the US involved in another world war.In a subsequent post on Twitter, Gosar pointed out that Nuland was "willing to endorse violence and war". He lambasted the former assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs, who in 2014 helped to orchestrate the coup that saw Ukraines democratically elected president, Viktor Yanukovych, ousted and replaced with the pro-Western Petro Poroshenko. In 2014, a leaked conversation purportedly between Nuland and then-US Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt revealed that the US officials had been discussing who they would like to see take power in Ukraine among opposition leaders.Nuland "endorsed regime change in Russia, celebrated the US destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines, and called for the indefinite flow of arms into Ukraine," tweeted Gosar.Gosar told Sputnik earlier that the United States should adopt a recent resolution introduced by lawmakers of the US House of Representatives, which calls for an immediate end to US assistance to Kiev and a peace settlement in Ukraine.Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz of Florida's 1st Congressional district, introduced the 'Ukraine Fatigue' resolution arguing that the US should stop arming and funding Kiev and persuade warring parties to reach a peace agreement. Ten House Republicans have co-sponsored the resolution.In response to Thursday's Twitter post by Gosar, his followers on the internet commented that it was time to stop sending "billions of more cash to Ukraine".

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230222/elon-musk-nobody-pushing-ukraine-conflict-more-than-victoria-nuland-1107718556.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230222/biden--nuland-are-leading-us-into-nuclear-armageddon-former-fbi-agent-says-1107721821.html

americas

russia

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Svetlana Ekimenko

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Svetlana Ekimenko

us congressman paul gosar, victoria nuland, antony blinken, dangerous fools, can get us all killed, warmongering, ukraine conflict, ukraine aid, us aid to ukraine, nobody pushing this war more than nuland, elon musk, nuland helped orchestrate 2014 coup
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/us-justified-sabotage-of-nord-stream-pipelines-by-need-for-eus-support-for-nato---hersh-1107754522.html

US Justified Sabotage of Nord Stream Pipelines by Need for EU's Support for NATO - Hersh

US Justified Sabotage of Nord Stream Pipelines by Need for EU's Support for NATO - Hersh

The Biden administration has justified the sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines by the need for Europe's support for NATO in its proxy war against Russia, Pulitzer Prize-winning US investigative journalist Seymour Hersh said on Thursday.

2023-02-24T01:13+0000

2023-02-24T01:13+0000

2023-04-12T17:05+0000

nord stream sabotage

nord stream

us

joe biden

nato

proxy war

seymour hersh

european union (eu)

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Earlier in February, Hersh published a report saying that US Navy divers during NATO Baltops exercises in the summer of 2022 had planted explosives to destroy the Nord Stream pipelines, which Norway activated three months later.The report added that US President Joe Biden had decided to sabotage the Nord Streams after more than nine months of secret discussions with the national security team."He [US President Joe Biden] did it for political purposes. Period. It's not gonna help the war. And what it does, what he was doing it for was to prevent Germany and Western Europe, in case the winter came quickly, from opening up the pipeline. The German government, they have done the sanctions, they have stopped the pipeline, but the German government had the right to open the new one. And that was wanted by Biden," Hersh said in an interview with RT.Hersh said the team that planned the bombing of Nord Streams was upset when Biden publicly said that he knew how to stop the pipelines from operating. The sabotage was originally conceived as a covert operation, he added.The journalist said that no one in the pipeline business would believe that Moscow arranged the blowing up of Nord Streams, adding that everyone understands that this would be "madness" on Russia's part.In September 2022, underwater blasts occurred at three of the four strings of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 underwater pipelines built to carry a combined 110 billion cubic meters of Russian gas to Europe annually. Germany, Denmark, and Sweden launched separate investigations into the incident.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230221/denmark-sweden-germany-unable-to-set-deadline-for-probe-into-nord-stream-blasts-1107678074.html

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nord stream, eu support, nato, seymour hersh, german government, europe
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/us-may-reportedly-send-nuclear-powered-aircraft-carrier-for-drills-with-south-korea-1107762721.html

US May Reportedly Send Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier For Drills With South Korea

US May Reportedly Send Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier For Drills With South Korea

South Korea and the United States are discussing a possible deployment of a US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier during a joint military exercise in March, a South Korean news agency reported on Friday, citing sources.

2023-02-24T08:12+0000

2023-02-24T08:12+0000

2023-02-24T08:12+0000

military

us

south korea

dprk

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The joint US-South Korean Freedom Shield military drills are scheduled to take place in March for the first time since 2018 as the countries are going to conduct field maneuvers, simulate fighting and participate in military games. If agreed, the US could send the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier to take part in the exercise, the news agency reported, adding that the South Korean Defense Ministry was yet to confirm the information. Last year, the US sent the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier to a trilateral naval exercise with Japan and South Korea that took place in the Sea of Japan. In November, the defense officials from the two countries agreed to increase the intensity of the deployment of US major defense forces to the peninsula as part of their bilateral military cooperation. On Friday, Pyongyang warned that it may consider Washington's further hostile actions a "declaration of war."

south korea

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us-south korea drills, korean peninsula tensions, what pyongyang says about us-south korean military exercises
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/us-repatriates-two-brothers-held-at-guantanamo-detention-center-for-20-years-without-charges-1107754682.html

US Repatriates Two Brothers Held at Guantanamo Detention Center for 20 Years Without Charges

US Repatriates Two Brothers Held at Guantanamo Detention Center for 20 Years Without Charges

The US repatriated to Pakistan two more Guantanamo Bay detainees, reducing the number left to 32, the Pentagon said in a statement.

2023-02-24T01:38+0000

2023-02-24T01:38+0000

2023-02-24T01:38+0000

americas

guantanamo bay detention center

repatriation

pakistan

us

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The pair of individuals, who are being repatriated to Pakistan, have been identified as Abdul Rabbani and Mohammad Rabbani. The review board determined their detention was no longer necessary on May 13, 2021 and August 17, 2021, respectively.The Rabbani brothers were in US custody for nearly 20 years and never charged with a crime. A release issued by the Pentagon noted it was not until January 18, 2023 that Congress was notified by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin of the agency's intention to repatriate both detainees.The New York Times, citing two officials, said they were arrested for allegedly operating a terrorist safe house in the wake of 9/11. The pair arrived to the detention center, located on the coast of Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, after being kept at a CIA-run black site in Afghanistan for 1.5 years, the report added. Described in US intelligence files as Pakistani nationals, the brothers were actually born and raised in Saudi Arabia and are ethnically Rohingya. The Pentagon said of the 32 detainees remaining, 18 are eligible for transfer, 12 are in the review or military commission process, and two have been convicted.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230110/amnesty-international-urges-biden-to-close-guantanamo-on-21st-anniversary-of-camp-1106205044.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/washington-finds-no-evidence-of-us-aid-to-kiev-being-misused-or-misspent-1107768007.html

Washington Finds No Evidence of US Aid to Kiev Being Misused or Misspent

Washington Finds No Evidence of US Aid to Kiev Being Misused or Misspent

A growing number of Americans have been asking just where exactly the tax dollars spent on Ukraine are going.

2023-02-24T13:23+0000

2023-02-24T13:23+0000

2023-02-24T13:49+0000

world

samantha power

ukraine

us

usaid

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The Biden administration has no reason to suspect that any of the $100+ billion in US assistance to Kiev has gone somewhere its not supposed to, US Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Samantha Power has assured.Imagine the counterfactual, where we walk away, or we didnt show up in the first place, and what that would mean when a dictator who has shut down civil society, shut down independent media, shut down dissenting voices in his own country and can then turn his sights on a neighbor and with impunity take over that country, Power said.The USAID administrator was presumably referring to Putin, although Zelensky, who has dissolved rival political parties and taken over independent TV channels, and cracked down on the largest denomination of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church over its alleged "ties to Russia," has himself been accused of the very kind of dictatorial behavior Power attributed to the Russian leader.Power went on to praise the coalition of countries engaging Russia in Ukraine, pointing to the Ukrainians role on the front lines [and] doing the fighting while a coalition of fifty countries rall[ies] behind them.Powers comments were met with a surprisingly cool reaction online, with readers of some US outlets known for their decidedly pro-Kiev, anti-Russia bias flooding the news with sarcastic remarks.I feel better already, one person quipped. Oh, well then that settles it, another jested. Unelected Samantha tells us trust me peasant taxpayers, a third angrily wrote. USAID is a front for CIA, a rogue agency committing human rights crimes globally for half a century, another wrote. If we dont investigate, there cant be any evidence. If you ask us to investigate though, we will call you a fascist, Putin asset and fight it with everything we can, another suggested.Ukraines Troubled Record on CorruptionLong before the long-running security crisis in Donbass escalated into a full-blown proxy war between Russia and NATO, Ukraine was recognized even by many Western observers for its problems with corruption. Exiting the Soviet Union as nominally among the top five economies in Europe in 1992, the resource, industry, agriculture, and energy-rich nation gradually slumped over the decades to the status of one of the poorest economies in the region, as decades of corruption and listening to policy advice from the International Monetary Fund took their toll.Successive Ukrainian leaders have been implicated in corruption scandals, with Zelensky proving no exception. In 2021, the Ukrainian president and members of his entourage were implicated via the Pandora Papers in the creation of a network of offshore holding companies designed to hide assets and evade taxes.The flooding of tens of billions of Western assistance to Kiev last year exacerbated corruption concerns, with media reporting that as little as 30 percent of the military support being sent by the US was actually making it to the front lines, and that small arms sent to Kiev were ending up in European countries in the hands of street gangs. A Sputnik Arabic investigation last August involving making contacts with Ukrainian weapons smugglers on the dark web last summer highlighted smugglers readiness to ship US-made M4S assault rifles to Yemen via intermediaries in Poland and Portugal.Zelenskys appearances alongside disgraced cryptocurrency billionaire Ponzi schemer Sam Bankman-Fried, and Kievs decision to hire US hedge fund giant BlackRock for an advisory role coordinating Ukrainian investment and reconstruction have also raised eyebrows and sparked concerns, given that BlackRock is no stranger to generating controversy over its ruthless investment practices.We have already managed to attract attention and have cooperation with such giants of the international financial and investment world as BlackRock, JP Morgan, Golden Sachs [sic], Zelensky proudly reported in a social media address last month. Everyone can become a big business by working with Ukraine, in all sectors, from weapons and defense to construction, from communication to agriculture, from transport to IT, from banks to Medicine. And I believe that freedom must always win! he assured.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230120/kiev-seeks-to-ban-ukrainian-orthodox-church-as-part-of-religious-crackdown-1106526197.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20211004/zelenskyy-used-offshore-schemes-benefiting-family-friends-occrp-says-1089637486.html

ukraine

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Ilya Tsukanov

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Ilya Tsukanov

samantha power, ukraine, volodymyr zelensky, usaid, assistance, support
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/we-have-no-idea-where-all-this-moneys-going-mtg-announces-audit-of-ukraine-aid-bill-1107778650.html

We Have No Idea Where All This Moneys Going: MTG Announces Audit of Ukraine Aid Bill

We Have No Idea Where All This Moneys Going: MTG Announces Audit of Ukraine Aid Bill

US Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) announced on Friday that she had introduced a bill on Friday to force an audit of Washingtons extensive aid to Ukraine... 24.02.2023, Sputnik International

2023-02-24T18:42+0000

2023-02-24T18:42+0000

2023-02-24T18:57+0000

americas

us arms for ukraine

audit

marjorie taylor greene

us

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https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/02/18/1107778503_0:320:3071:2047_1920x0_80_0_0_58d3d17c82e6df8975ddc1a1e0828216.jpg

Greenes Resolution of Inquiry requests US President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken provide the House with relevant information on how US taxpayer dollars are being used in Ukraine, Greene said in a statement."While the warmongers and the Biden Administration have sent over $113 billion in foreign aid to Ukraine, our border patrol asked for just $15.46 billion to secure our southern border," the statement said.Greene announced her intention to bring the bill forward a day prior in a US media appearance.The bill is a resolution of inquiry, a function in the US House of Representatives used to request information from the Executive Branch of the federal government, which includes the White House and various federal law enforcement agencies. Greene noted that a similar attempt in the previous Democrat-controlled House had secured Republican support. The Republicans secured a narrow majority in the House in the November 2022 elections.She continued, noting that "President Trump's border wall would have cost only $22 billion to stop the more than 6 million aliens that have invaded our country illegally since Biden took office," saying the Russian operation in Ukraine "pales in comparison."Aside from Republicans looking to score political points against the Democratic Biden administration, experts have also pointed to the more than $100 billion pledged to Ukraine, which includes weapons as well as aid to civilians and even financing for the government in Kiev, and the relative lack of oversight of how the money and the aid it is buying are being used. Accurate accounting has been a perennial failing for the Pentagon especially, which has repeatedly failed audits.Nicole Angarella, the acting deputy inspector general for the US Agency for International Development (USAID), an arm of the US State Department, said that we have been as creative and you know, out of the box, forward-leaning with the oversight weve been able to accomplish so far. But for real comprehensive, robust oversight, it cant be done remotely.On February 24, 2022Moscow launched a military operation in Ukraine after months of failed negotiations with NATO over security red lines, which included Ukraine potentially joining the alliance and the stationing of offensive NATO weapons on its soil. The operation aims to make Ukraine a neutral state and to end attacks on Russophone minorities in the region by neo-Nazis who enjoy the support of the government in Kiev.A year later, the United States, which told Kiev it had no reason to negotiate prior before the conflict began, has shown little indication it is ready to talk peace with Russia on equal terms, and plans to send main battle tanks, rockets, and other weapons to Ukraine have pushed ahead. However, other nations have advanced peace plans, including most recently China.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/white-house-announces-new-sanctions-against-russia-over-military-operation-1107766716.html

White House Announces New Sanctions Against Russia Over Military Operation

White House Announces New Sanctions Against Russia Over Military Operation

The White House announced a new set of additional sanctions against Russia on Friday that marks the one-year anniversary of Moscow's military operation in Ukraine.

2023-02-24T11:15+0000

2023-02-24T11:15+0000

2023-02-24T11:15+0000

economy

us

russia

sanctions

anti-russian sanctions

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"Today, on the one-year anniversary of Russias invasion, the United States is announcing a series of additional actions to continue providing Ukraine with the support it needs and holding Russia accountable for its war of aggression," the White House said in a statement. As part of the new sanctions, the US will increase tariffs "on more than 100 Russian metals, minerals, and chemical products worth approximately $2.8 billion to Russia." The US, in coordination with G7 partners and allies, will also impose sanctions against "over 200 individuals and entities, including both Russian and third-country actors across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East that are supporting Russias war effort." They will target "key revenue generating sectors in order to further degrade Russias economy and diminish its ability to wage war against Ukraine." "It also includes the targeting of Russias future energy capabilities in a manner that does not impact current production to minimize market disruption," the presidential administration said. Additionally, as part of efforts to respond to Russias strikes against Ukraines critical energy infrastructure, the US will send the third shipment of critical electrical transmission grid equipment to Ukraine by early March. Washington also plans to provide up to $250 million in additional emergency energy assistance to Ukraine to help Kiev "further strengthen its grid in the face of Russias attacks." "To ensure Russia pays for Ukraines long-term reconstruction, G7 countries will continue to keep Russias sovereign assets immobilized until there is a resolution to the conflict that addresses Russias violation of Ukraines sovereignty and integrity," the statement read.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/why-western-sanctions-against-russia-failed-1107713475.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/who-is-marianne-williamson-the-first-democrat-to-announce-her-presidential-bid-for-2024-1107757292.html

Who is Marianne Williamson, the First Democrat to Announce Her Presidential Bid for 2024?

Who is Marianne Williamson, the First Democrat to Announce Her Presidential Bid for 2024?

On Thursday, Marianne Williamson announced her bid for the 2024 US presidential election; however, its not the first time shes run for a political office.

2023-02-24T04:15+0000

2023-02-24T04:15+0000

2023-02-24T04:14+0000

democrats

us democratic party

2024 us presidential elections

sputnik explains

marianne williamson

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On Thursday, Marianne Williamson announced her bid for the 2024 US presidential election; however, its not the first time shes run for a political office.In 2014, she also ran as an Independent to represent Californias 33rd congressional district in the US House, ultimately placing fourth. More recently, she ran for president as a Democrat in the 2020 election, but suspended her campaign a year after it was announced that she was running.Williamson was born in 1952 in Houston, Texas, and was raised in a family who practiced Conservative Judaism. The self-help guru first became interested in social commentary when she heard Rabbi William Malev speak out against the war in Vietnam when she was in her mid-teens.Seasoned politicians took us into the Vietnam War and Iraq and the greatest income inequality since 1929. Americans need to disenthrall ourselves of the myth of the political expert, Williamson said during a talk at Manhattans Marble Collegiate Church in November 2019.But her interest in spiritually took hold when, at a party in New York in 1976, she picked up the book A Course in Miracles by Helen Schucman. At first, the book threw her off because it was overtly Christian.I saw Christian terminology and being Jewish, I put it right back down, Williamson said.But a year later, she was given a copy by her then-boyfriend. Williamson, who also practices transcendental meditation, began doing the books accompanying exercises daily, and has become a popularizer of the book. She has credited it as launching her current career.The book says nothing about [Jesus]. The book does not get us to try to believe in God. The book tries to get us to believe in each other.In 1992, Williamson wrote A Return to Love, which she has described as a CliffNotes version of A Course in Miracles. Oprah Winfrey bought 1,000 copies of A Return to Love and invited Williamson onto her show.Williamsons role as an activist includes starting the Project Angel Food Program in 1989 to help feed people with chronic health issues, such as HIV/AIDS, in the Los Angeles area. She also co-founded The Peace Alliance in 2004, which is a nonprofit aiming to educate and advocate for peacebuilding. Williamson has included the concept in her platform, and is campaigning to establish what she says is a "US Department of Peace."

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Riverstone Bank presented the proceeds of its Pack the Pack Campaign to the Cooperative Ministries Weekend Backpack Program on Thursday morning.

The campaign took place between Jan. 16 and Feb. 16, and involved contributions from area schools, businesses and private donors, in addition to matches made by the bank.

The check presented to the Weekend Backpack Program on Thursday reflected a campaign total of $25,000. When added to a $10,000 check previously given to the program from an anonymous donor through the Oregon Trail Community Foundation, a grant total of $35,000 was raised to feed local school students in the span of a single month.

We were blown away by the generosity of our community, said Riverstone Bank Director of Marketing Rebecca Pierce. We matched up to $5,000 of that amount, but the rest of that money was brought in by our community.

The money will supply nutritious meals to local students.

Im just completely overwhelmed and grateful to Riverstone Bank and the community for their continued support, said Pup Pack Coordinator Tracy Steele. We cannot do this program without this community. Everything that we bring in is generous donations from the community, and they keep this program going.

A large portion of the proceeds came from Gerings three elementary schools, which all held change drives in support of the Pack the Pack Campaign. Collectively, the schools raised over $9,100 to support fellow students in need.

Every Gering elementary student leadership team did a coin drive, and between all three schools they raised over $9,100 for this program. That was fun to watch the three elementary schools of Gering Public Schools back this program, said Steele.

The funds raised by the schools were supplemented by matches and incentives offered by local businesses and organizations such as UCT, Bluffs Physical Therapy and the Mixing Bowl. Calvary Lutheran Church also hosted a Souper Bowl of Caring Soup Luncheon on Super Bowl Sunday where proceeds were donated to Pack the Pack.

According to Steele, the sum from Riverstone Banks campaign is enough to support the program for two months out of the coming school year. Cooperative Ministries said that they now have around three quarters of what theyll need to supply weekend meals for kids throughout the entirety of the 2023-24 school year.

This helps us immensely, and probably helps us get to March of next year. Were closer and closer to getting the rest of next year funded, so were really excited about that, said Steele.

Pierce was impressed by the amount of money raised in such a short time and said that the money was being used to support one of the areas most important populations: our kids.

This program alone in a month raised $35,000 to help our future  our children  eat for the next school year, said Pierce. Were so pleased that we were able to be a part of this jumping off spot for Cooperative Ministries to start their fundraising campaign for the next school year.

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As you walk through the doors of Powerhouse on Broadway youre transported into a chic, but somehow still cozy, restaurant that looks like it could be found in a big city. When customers review the menu, they realize it is diverse  but approachable  and its hard to decide because everything delivered to the neighboring tables looks delicious.

The brainchild of David and Kerri Schaff and the culinary talents of Sam Rodriguez have combined to bring the former power company building back to life featuring a full restaurant and bar on the main level and office suites on the upper floors.

We just have always kept an eye on the building, said Kerri Schaff. We wanted more business downtown, echoed her husband, Dave. The process of bringing it back to its Art Deco glory, while modernizing the building, involved a combination of local and out-of-town contributors from architects to contractors and designers. Due to some delays in getting the best people for the jobs it took just a little longer than planned to get it open, but that really highlights the fact they were focused on quality.

Both Kerri and Dave grew up in the Panhandle, ventured to the University of Wyoming for college, had a brief five year stay in Seattle, and then returned back home to raise their family. When asked what they do when they have a break from launching this ambitious endeavor Kerri laughed, Dave still works full-time, and weve got five kids between our 9-year-old twins and our 21-year-old in college.

Kerri oversees the renovation of the office suites above the restaurant. The second-floor office suites are fully leased and theyre in the midst of the third floor build out, which theyd love to open before the end of the year.

Executive Chef, Sam Rodriguez, moved to the valley six years ago from Denver and, prior to Powerhouse, worked at the Scottsbluff Country Club and 16th Empire. He has been involved with this project from nearly the beginning. He joined the Schaffs as they worked with Hotel Equities, the company that manages the restaurant, in helping design the kitchen layout to his liking. Rodriguez shared that he was very happy with the work the kitchen design team did.

Chef Rodriguez knew he wanted to be a chef from his early childhood following his mom around the kitchen. He couldnt identify a favorite dish from his mom because Everything she makes is delicious. When his parents opened a bar and grill in Denver, he began cooking professionally at the young age of 15. By 17 he headed to culinary school at CEC Denver.

Ive worked in restaurants for 35 years. Ive worked with some of the best Italian chefs, best German chefs, I owned a sushi bar, Rodriguez shared as a reason why the Powerhouse has such a diverse menu.

Ninety percent of the menu is made from scratch and utilizes as many local ingredients as possible. The complimentary popcorn that arrives as customers are seated comes from Big Red Popcorn. They use the brisket from Fitzke BBQ, they proudly serve an amber ale from Flyover Brewing, the mushrooms are from Polarity Mushroom Farm and, most importantly, all of our beef is Nebraska beef.

Rodriguez takes pride in their preparation of all dishes, but the steaks are one of his favorite things to prepare. While touring his kitchen, he indicated that everything is focused on quality and consistency and shared the cookbook that he wrote that sits on the line for reference.

Everything is in here to my exact measurements. If someone is new, I want them to be able to make the dish the same way as the more experienced. It helps with training.

Powerhouse has a staff of 45 with 14 of those working in the kitchen. Chef Gustavo Gus Lucio, from Mitchell, was called out as the reason that Rodriguez can step away from the line to come and greet guests that want to thank the kitchen for their meals. Guss smiles as he answered my questions really supported the way that the Schaffs and Rodriguez feel about their staff. They pride themselves on paying well and the kitchen staff gets two days in a row off  a custom unheard of in most of the restaurant industry  and actually endeavor to focus on quality of life.

The whole staff is working hard through their soft open to get their feet under them as they roll through the punches of opening a new restaurant. Future events include holding a formal grand opening, once their patio is set up; renting out their private dining space for special events; and eventually adding chef specials to the menu.

For more information about The Powerhouse on Broadway, their menu and their office suites, visit their website at PowerhouseonBroadway.com.

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A couple of new deputies will be joining the force at a pair of high schools.

These deputies are a little different however.

They are canines that will be helping out their human counterparts at North Iredell and Lake Norman high schools.

A yellow Labrador named Laker will be patrolling the halls and campus at Lake Norman High School with School Resource Officer Josh Kanupp.

And a black Labrador, appropriately named for the North Iredell mascot, Raider, will be paired with School Resource Officer Travis Lewis.

Iredell Sheriff Darren Campbell said Laker and Raider will be joining two other canines, Rip and Tito, that are working in the schools. Tito and Rip primarily work in the elementary schools, Campbell said.

Campbell said the addition of the two canines in the high schools is something he has been discussing with Iredell-Statesville Schools Superintendent Dr. Jeff James for several months.

Dr. James and I meet every month and we thought it would be a good idea to put the canines in the high schools, Campbell said.

Placing the dogs in opposite ends of the county was a strategic decision, Campbell said. He said the dogs will be available as needed elsewhere but will be primarily walking the halls and campuses of the two high schools.

The two dogs were obtained from and trained by Highland Canine in Harmony.

Both Laker and Raider, along with their handlers, are ready to enter into their roles at their designated schools as they have recently completed a comprehensive training program that included advanced obedience, building searches, tracking, article detection and detection of seven drugs; marijuana, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, PCP, LSD and ecstasy.

Both canines will also be trained to detect fentanyl in the near future.

Campbell said the multifaceted training Raider and Laker, as well as Kanupp and Lewis, received will be beneficial in a number of ways, including tracking a lost student if needed.

The decision to use Labradors, he said, was because of the docile and gentle nature of the breed which makes them ideal for working with young people.

Campbell said hes seen the rapport that Tito and Rip have built with the younger children, and believes Raider and Laker can do the same with the older students. They have been unbelievably successful in the schools, he said.

Campbell said the addition of the two dogs would not have been possible without the support of the school system, and in particular, James.

I want to thank Dr. Jeff James and the Iredell-Statesville school board for working with us to make these two additional dogs possible. Laker and Raider will join with canines Tito and Rip to work in our school system. By being able to have these dogs travel to our various elementary, middle and high schools, we can continue to foster a safe environment within our schools, Campbell said.
An autopsy report led the Iredell County Sheriffs Office to upgrade charges against a Mooresville man in the death of his 5-week-old infant daughter.

Adrian Rashaun Lyons, 25, of Teeter Road, was originally charged with felony intentional child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury, and felony negligent child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury.

Iredell Sheriff Darren Campbell, in a news release, said detectives received the completed autopsy report, which concluded the infant died of blunt force trauma and the official cause of death was the result of an assault.

Detective Heather Little obtained a warrant for first-degree murder for Lyons who was still being held in the Iredell County Detention Center without bond on the original charges. A magistrate ordered the no bond to remain in effect due to the upgraded charge.

Lyons was on probation in Davie County as a result of a 2019 felony child abuse conviction.

Campbell said the case began in September when deputies and emergency personnel were called to Teeter Road regarding CPR in progress on an infant.

Deputies interviewed Lyons, the childs father, and the mother, Calinda Steinseifer, 29, of Teeter Road, about what caused the baby to become unresponsive.

Steinseifer told detectives Lyons awakened her and said they needed to go to the hospital because something was wrong with the child, Campbell said. Lyons told the detectives he had fed the baby, then put her down to sleep and when he checked 30 minutes later, she was limp and not responsive, Campbell said.

Detectives went to Lake Norman Regional Medical Center, where the baby was taken via Iredell EMS, and spoke to the attending medical staff. Campbell said the medical staff said the injuries, which included bleeding on the brain and hemorrhages, were not accidental. The baby was airlifted to Levines Childrens Hospital for more advanced treatment. She died on Sept. 21, two days after she was taken to the hospital.

Lyons and Steinseifer were interviewed again and Lyons admitted to running into a door and striking the childs head against the door two weeks earlier, Campbell said. He told detectives the baby would not eat, was crying a lot and twitching, Campbell said.

Steinseifer admitted to knowing about that incident but did not seek medical attention for fear of getting in trouble, Campbell said.

Detectives arrested both Lyons and Steinseifer on the felony child abuse and neglect charges. A magistrate set Steinseifers bond at $150,000. She has posted bond and is awaiting trial.

Lyons history includes the felony neglect-child abuse inflicting serious injury charge from Davie County as well as carrying a concealed weapon, driving after consuming under age 21, misdemeanor possession of marijuana paraphernalia and improper equipment.
Black History recognitions this month have not just focused on the past but also unveiled plans for a new celebration this summer.

At meetings earlier this month, the Chilhowie and Marion town councils adopted resolutions encouraging an awareness of Black History and celebrating its rich nature. The Chilhowie resolution noted that Virginia has been home to some of the countrys most influential African American leaders. These leaders, too numerous to list, have inspired all Americans with their stories of the triumph of the human spirit.

The resolution also acknowledged the tragic stories of cruelty rooted in bias and bigotry and declared that Every Virginian deserves dignity and respect, the opportunity to pursue our dreams, and inclusion in the Virginia family.

The council presented a copy of the resolution to Deborah Montgomery, who said she was accepting it in honor of the late William Fields, a Chilhowie resident, artist, educator, and advocate for Black citizens. Montgomery said the resolution will hang at the Mount Pleasant museum in Marion, which Fields helped lead and that works to preserve the communitys Black History.

The Marion Town Council also adopted a nearly identical resolution, which encouraged, Let us all celebrate our rich history and acknowledge that diversity, when genuinely embraced, strengthens our Commonwealth.

The Marion resolution was presented to Gregory Rashad and Nolan Wolfe, who were representing a committee planning a Juneteenth celebration in Marion.

Information in the councils packet said theyre working with the Mt. Pleasant Preservation Society to host a Back to Iron Street/Juneteenth Celebration in Marion on Saturday, June 17. The event would be held at the former Carnegie High School, an historic Black school in the community.

The committee asked the town council to support the endeavor with a donation of up to $5,000 to help pay for musicians, DJs, and other expenses.

The request called the celebration a truly historic and prayerfully annual event.

The council referred the financial request to its Finance Committee for consideration.
Police in southeast Alaska arrested three people and confiscated more than $1 million in methamphetamine and the deadly opioid fentanyl, according to court documents and an Alaskan radio station.

A duffel bag with 20 pounds of meth  rolled inside tortillas like a burrito  was seized when the MV Columbia docked in Ketchikan, KRBD-FM reported Monday, Feb. 20.

Columbia is one of several ferries that run the waters of the Inside Passage to Bellingham and back as part of the Alaska Marine Highway system.

An Oregon man boarded the Columbia in Bellingham, and was arrested in Ketchikan, where a police officer and a detective stayed with the bag until the ferry docked in Juneau, KRBD reported.

There, two more people were arrested and police found another half-pound of meth, 150 pills of suspected fentanyl, and nine firearms, KRBD-FM reported.
Three greenfield sites under review for a potential new major airport in Washington might be one step closer to being removed from consideration under a proposed bill that would reset a three-year analysis of the state's commercial aviation future.

House Bill 1791 would supplant the Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission, which was tasked by the state in 2019 with recommending a site appropriate for a new airport. The CACC narrowed options in September to three rural sites in Pierce and Thurston counties, setting off a wave of local opposition. The CACC is scheduled to recommend a single location by June.

An amendment to HB 1791 passed Thursday in the House Transportation Committee would require the CACC's proposed successor  called the Commercial Aviation Work Group  to produce a list of areas that will be barred from analysis because they conflict with military operations.

The work group must include those locations in its first report to the state, according to language in the substitute House bill. If previously reported conflicts with Joint Base Lewis-McChord are any indication, greenfield sites near Graham, Roy and East Olympia would be named as no-go sites for an airport in the work group's report.

JBLM representatives have said that a two-runway airport at any of the three greenfield sites currently under CACC consideration  two in Pierce County and one in Thurston County  are at odds with the nearby military installation.

House Bill 1791, as originally filed, precluded consideration of any greenfield site incompatible with military operations  as did the bill that created the CACC more than three years ago  but airport opponents opposed to the newer legislation were dismayed that it did not explicitly, by name, scrub out the three greenfield sites from any further review.

"I recognize their concerns, with so many of our citizens, whether they felt like they may be losing where they live, they're losing their houses, their homes and having to relocate," Rep. Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake, said Thursday. "I can understand that."

Dent is among the sponsors of the bipartisan bill that, if passed, would immediately ax the CACC and its controversial search for a new airport, which began amid fears that a projected future shortage in regional commercial passenger capacity would hurt travelers and the economy.

The legislation, a response to the outcry over the prospects of siting an airport in the South Puget Sound, calls for a broader review of aviation in the context of the state's transportation needs. While it would direct the new work group to analyze an expanded list of greenfield sites in several counties for the feasibility of a new airport, the bill does not require that group to settle on any single site and instead mandates that it file a report noting each location's strengths and weaknesses.

There were other changes to the bill passed Thursday. The work group would need to consider impacts to water quality, greenhouse gas emission goals and the Growth Management Act and reach out to the Department of Defense. Engagement with Indian tribes will also not replace formal government-to-government consultation.
When grain-carrying ship ASL Uranus docked in the Port of Tacoma this month, 15 Burmese seafarers spoke up: They hadnt been paid in full for seven months, unlike their Chinese and Vietnamese co-workers. Unions stepped in to help and ensure the workers safety.

Unpaid wages are the most common complaint from international seafarers, according to the International Transport Workers Federation, a London-based international association of transport workers unions. In 2021, the organization secured $37.6 million in unpaid wages.

One of the first people to talk with the Burmese workers was ITFs West Coast inspector Jeff Engels, who found out that the seafarers employer, China-based Agricore Group, had withheld $73,458 in unpaid wages. The workers also said the company demanded that, if paid, they would have to return the money to the ships captain once they left U.S. waters. They feared for their lives and the safety of their families, who were also being threatened, the workers told Engels.

Agricore did not respond to inquiries.

The Liberian flag state  that countrys ship registry  became involved in the situation by interviewing the seafarers and detaining the ship after issuing five violations of the Maritime Labour Convention related to unpaid wages. The U.S. has not ratified the MLC, so the Coast Guard has limited power on these issues, Engels said.

Theres no government agency in the world thats looking after (the workers), said Jared Faker, president of International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 23. So really just other workers have to look out for them.

ITF and the Liberian flag state negotiated an agreement with Agricore Group to ensure the payment of wages and guarantee the workers safety after they departed the U.S.

The workers asked for the compensation in cash, and a shipping agent brought the amount to the vessel for the Burmese seafarers, Engels said.

Faker drafted letters to Washingtons congressional delegation, the Coast Guard and law enforcement in case the seafarers needed to be escorted off the ship and flown directly home for safety. The ILWU would not have waited for all the red tape to clear to extract the seafarers if they decided to leave the ship, according to a news release. But the workers ultimately decided to return to China on the boat.

ILWU represents dockworkers on the West Coast as well as Hawaii, Alaska and British Columbia. In cases where there is mistreatment of nonmember workers, the union can still offer assistance, such as drafting letters to authorities or even stopping working on a vessel. Faker said dockworkers  such as tug workers, pilots, longshore line handlers  could have stopped if the Uranus tried to leave the port.

The Uranus is registered in Liberia, which is common practice for shipping companies because of lax labor laws and tax friendliness, ITFs Engels said. Almost half of the worlds entire ship fleet is registered in Liberia, Panama and the Marshall Islands.

The seafarers had been hired by a third-party Myanmar-based staffing company. Two companies from that country, OMI Marine and Golden Bulk Marine, were messaging the seafarers with threats, Engels said.

Neither company responded to inquiries.

Faker said he is cautiously optimistic that the agreement, enforced by the flag state, will be followed once the seafarers make it to China.

So far, Agricore has complied with the agreement regarding record keeping, correcting crew contacts and arranging to bypass crewing agencies to pay the crew directly, Engels said, adding that oversight has been successful since the ship left the Port of Tacoma on Feb. 11.

I can track the vessel. Its only making 9 knots, Engels said last week. I dont think they can send WhatsApp messages when they get too far out there.

Working conditions for seafarers can be scarce, and they can be intimidated to speak up even in unionized ports, Local 23 President Faker said.

These seafarers have working conditions with very little oversight or regulations in their work environment, Faker said, so they have extremely limited power.

Engels, who is months from retiring, said the seafarers courage to speak up amid threats and the outcomes of this case made him hopeful for the future of the ports.

As a grizzled, old cynical ITF inspector, I was inspired by the heart that the crew and the folks ashore displaying solidarity put forth, he said. It just was inspiring, (and) made me happy that I have this career.
Washington lawmakers are considering a bill to limit the length of trains moving through the state, a restriction proponents say could reduce the risk of incidents like the derailment earlier this month in East Palestine, Ohio, that released hazardous chemicals.

House Bill 1839 cleared the state House Transportation Committee Thursday and is strongly opposed by railroad companies. It would cap the length of a train traveling through Washington with a standard crew at no more than 7,500 feet. If an additional crew member was added to the end of the train to monitor movements, the train could be up to 10,000 feet in length.

I am a locomotive engineer, and the forces with long trains are astronomical, and they increase the difficulty for an engineer to control the train in a way thats hard to put into words, said Jared Cassity, chief of safety for SMART-Transportation Division, which represents railroad workers. He testified during a Tuesday committee hearing.

Cassity spoke from East Palestine, where he said he was assisting in the investigation of the Feb. 3 derailment of the Norfolk Southern rail cars that resulted in chemical-fed fires, evacuations and widespread community concerns about the safety of air, water and soil.

Union officials say there has been a nationwide trend in recent years toward longer trains. In Western Washington, these trains can include hazardous cargo and extend to more than 11,000 feet in length.

They say these trains most often run without a railroad worker in a rear car to help spot trouble, such as the axle bearing  captured on video  that flared and overheated on a Norfolk Southern rail car 20 minutes before the derailment.

Representatives of two major railroads operating in Washington state, BNSF Railway and Union Pacific, testified against the bill during the Tuesday hearing. They said that there are no safety benefits to reducing the length of trains, and that the shorter lengths required in the bill would drive up the costs of moving freight and increase greenhouse gas emissions.

BNSFs Johan Hellman said that the company would not run a train if it could not be run safely ... The policy in this bill would increase freight costs and decrease efficiency at a time when Washington, the most trade-dependent state in the nation, is struggling to recover its supply chain.

Hellman said some of the longest trains run by BNSF carry grain to serve farmers, who would be forced to pay more for slower service if the bill passed. He also noted that BNSF has monitors  every 15 to 20 miles along the track  that examine each train car. If a wheel is found to be faulty, or some other problem is found, the train can be stopped and the rail car repaired, Hellman said.

A representative of the ports of Seattle and Tacoma also opposed the bill.

This bill basically would take our average unit trains coming in and require them to be anywhere from 25 to 50% smaller ... Its going to drive away cargo, said Sean Egan, testifying on behalf of the Northwest Seaport Alliance.

Most safety regulations for railroads are done at the federal level, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has said that there would be a review of safety rules in the aftermath of the East Palestine derailment, in which chemicals spewed from 11 derailed cars.

Federal law requires railroad safety regulations to be uniform across the country, to the extent possible. A state may adopt a more stringent law if it is necessary to reduce local safety hazards, does not go against federal law and does not unreasonably burden interstate commerce, according to an analysis of House Bill 1839 by the Legislatures Office of Program Research.

Railroad worker union officials say a state limit on trains would not conflict with federal law, and that states have a key role in matters that impact safety.

The measure, if it clears the Legislature and is signed by Gov. Jay Inslee, could face a legal challenge.

State Rep. Andrew Barkis, the ranking Republican member of the House Transportation Committee, said the derailment in East Palestine was an absolutely tragic thing, but the question of size limitations for trains should be tackled at the federal level.

Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos, a Democrat who introduced the legislation, said this bill is about safety. Weve all seen the devastation that can happen .... So, Im asking for a yes vote.
Dan Christensen waited at the bottom of an icy hill. He was worried.

Christensen, a TriMet bus driver whose route takes him from the Clackamas Town Center to Happy Valley, knew hed need momentum to get to the top. The slope curved to the east, with freezing winds glazing the hill until it looked like glass.

Suddenly a fire truck zoomed past, cutting tracks through the crystalized sleet with its heavy-duty tire chains. It created a path for Christensen to follow.

Still, the hill scared me, Christensen said Thursday morning. Even with the buss drop-down tire chains deployed, it was touch and go all night.

Christensen, whos been a bus driver since 2006, started his usual shift Wednesday afternoon and witnessed the snow and ice progress through the evening rush hour, trapping hundreds of drivers around the metro area.

Christensen weaved around spun-out cars and navigated past bunched-up buses while power outages blacked out the street lights. There were major gaps in service for buses and trains  and frustrated riders, of course, Christensen said. He picked up a few people whose cars were stranded.

Despite the risk of getting stuck, Christensen remained committed to doing his job: getting people home safely. In this kind of weather, the only safe bus is parked in the parking lot at the bus yard, he said.

Theres times that Sir Isaac Newton and his gravity is driving the bus more than you are, he added.

The experienced bus driver made it through his route and shift, clocking out just before midnight. Christensens drive home from the TriMet bus lot in Southeast Portland ended up being the hardest part of the journey. He dug his own car out of a pile of snow using just a handheld ice scraper and then slowly made his way home.

Other drivers werent so fortunate.

Some posted on Twitter to say theyd been stuck overnight on Interstate 84 or Interstate 5, where traffic was at a standstill due to stuck cars and stalled semitrucks.

A collision on southbound I-5 near Woodland closed all lanes from about 7:45 p.m. Wednesday to midnight. A semitruck crashed on southbound I-5 near the ilani Casino in Ridgefield Thursday morning and blocked traffic for about an hour.

Traffic cameras were showing progress and movement Thursday morning at 10 a.m., but I-84 westbound near the I-5 junction was still chaotic. And I-5 southbound near Fremont was backed up down to Taylors Ferry Road. Many of the cars on Interstate 205 near the Gateway Transit Center are also at a halt.

How bad is it out there? One Twitter user said it was an eight-hour drive Wednesday night from the airport to Beaverton.

Another driver said they were heading to Vancouver from Gresham but got stuck for 14 hours.

Lyssia Merrifield, a Portland resident, said people in the Maywood Park neighborhood spent five hours Wednesday night pushing cars up a hill on Northeast 102nd Avenue near Fremont Street  and handing out snacks and handwarmers.

A lot of people abandoned their cars to walk home, Merrifield said, some with no coats or gloves.

There were also plenty of other Good Samaritans helping stranded drivers.

Annie Cathcart, a nurse at Kaiser Permanente Westside Medical Center, was saved by two people as her car slid down the steep, slippery Marquam Hill Road in Portlands Southwest Hills.

Cathcart was stuck for six hours total trying to get to her shift at the hospital but never made it. (Another nurse who lived close by and had a pair of cross-country skis covered for her.)

Andrew Damitio, who lives downtown, said he started getting texts from a stranded friend at around 8 p.m.

His friend had left work in North Portland at 4:15 pm; four hours later, he was in standstill traffic on Interstate 405, without a jacket or water, and rapidly running out of gas and battery power on his phone.

Damitio told his friend to leave his car and spend the night at his house, and then started walking to meet him. He took supplies with him, and handed out water to other stranded motorists along the way.

I wasnt the only one, he told The Oregonian/OregonLive. Others [were] walking around, offering handwarmers and Clif bars, while other do-gooders were trying to help homeless people camped near highway off-ramps.

It would be another two hours until Damitio and his friend finally met up at the intersection of I-405 and U.S. 26. About two dozen other motorists had also abandoned their cars there, Damitio said.

On Thursday morning, Damitio and his friend went to back to retrieve the car, and then drove up 26, passing dozens more abandoned cars, Damitio said.

Lauren McRory, for her part, left work early Wednesday afternoon for her usual commute from Hillsboro to Portlands St. Johns neighborhood. The roads were clear up to Skyline Boulevard, she said, but as she descended toward North Portland, the snow had begun to accumulate.

Everyone was driving at a snails pace, but there was nothing they could do to keep from sliding into a ditch.

The three people behind me followed suit, McRory said. A school bus with children aboard slid past me down the hill and eventually made it out with chains and salt. People began to abandon their cars and walk up or down the road.

A two-truck driver  a snow storm hero  pulled McRory out of the ditch four hours later.

She was shaken and cold, but she made it home safe.

School closures As of deadline Thursday, Rainier and St. Helens school districts report classes are canceled Friday. The Woodland School District reports classes will start two hours late, with no bus to Cascadia Tech. Ridgefield School District is set to start three hours late. Morning preschool is canceled, also with no buses going to Cascadia Tech. EOCF Head Start sites in Cowlitz and Clark counties will be closed.

Editors note: The Daily News contributed to this article.
JONES BLUFF, Lewis County  A western red cedar towers on the slopes above Cannonball Creek. Its scorched core tells of passing flames, and its size suggests it narrowly missed the teeth of loggers saws a century ago.

The giant will be felled in the coming months as part of the over 100 acre McCannon timber sale, auctioned off for $2.8 million in January by the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR). About two-thirds of the proceeds will go to the Capitol Building Trust, which pays for capital projects on the Capitol Campus in Olympia. The rest will be divvied up between public education programs and Lewis County, where the timber is located.

The surrounding forest is one thats becoming increasingly rare in the state  it has remained largely untouched since the chain saw was introduced. A natural patchwork of evergreens, alder and maple of varying heights and ages. The creek, a tributary to the wild Chinook-bearing Chehalis River, burbles beneath the ridge.

This timber sale in Southwest Washington is a common one. But it is also an example of a state forest some conservationists want to preserve.

The state Supreme Court ruled last summer that Washington can, but is not constitutionally obligated to, harvest forests or maximize revenue on state land. As DNR continues to auction off the states most valuable carbon sequestration tool, conservationists wonder if anything will change.

DNR says the ruling maintained the agencys responsibility to sell timber for revenue. Under an antiquated system, state timber revenue helps fund schools, county governments and other essential services.

Older forests like this one, just a postage stamp among heavily logged lands, are on the chopping block. Instead, the department says theyre focusing on conserving more valuable continuous habitat like those flanked by federally protected lands.

DNR is consciously making the decision to basically trade those, Daniel Donato, DNRs old growth expert and research scientist in the Forest Resources Division. Because, in the long run, thats going to be better.

Yet conservationists want to imagine a world where logging isnt the difference between a rural community getting a new fire truck or not. They say nothing will change unless the Legislature responds.

Sale goes ahead

A dirt road winds high above the 600-person, one-diner town of Pe Ell. With each turn opens a new phase of logging history: clear-cut, saplings, and stumps maybe as big as a Smart Car with chewed edges from a handsaw.

Before paved roads or motorized equipment, Pe Ell was a mill town. DNR estimates the McCannon timber was last logged in the early 1900s, with the most recent cuts about a century ago.

Enter the sale and a patch of vine maple, alder and devils club reaching out above a carpet of sword ferns, fragrant decomposing leaves, moss and spongy soil. Travel 100 feet deeper and the overstory begins to filter sunlight as deciduous trees are replaced with century-old cedars, hemlocks and Douglas firs.

The rich biodiversity and carbon sequestering powers of this natural forest will be sacrificed under DNRs responsibility to fund services in the state.

Stephen Kropp has been keeping a watchful eye on how DNR manages public lands for the past few years, advocating the preservation of what he and others call legacy forests.

National Parks and forests hold some of the last trees that outdate Western society. Little old growth is left on state lands.

What remains are forests like this on the border of Lewis and Pacific counties  natural forests that regenerated after early logging. Theyve never been replanted. Unlike homogenous plantations, they preserve biological diversity and support healthy watersheds.

The forests are on a healthy trajectory to old growth.

Kropp, founder of the Legacy Forest Defense Coalition, emailed DNR to ask them to take another look at some trees in the McCannon sale he thought may be old growth. In the past, the department has indeed retracted portions of forests slated to be cut.

Nothing in the McCannon sale meets DNRs definition of old growth, which specifies there be five or more contiguous acres of forest with high levels of structural diversity and predating the year 1850.

Donato, the agencys old-growth expert, and a forester returned to the sale the day before it went up for auction. They said they didnt find trees older than the early 1900s. But they acknowledged the stand was beginning to develop some characteristics of mature forest  larger overstory and shade-tolerant understory.

There are no national forests or national parks in this part of the state, which includes the entire Chehalis River Basin, and all of the watersheds that drain to the Lower Columbia River and Willapa Bay. So this area is not a conservation priority for the state.

The few older stands that remain in Southwest Washington, almost all on state forest lands managed by DNR, could be logged in the next decade.

An emerging market

The way DNR manages public lands may be evolving, as the agency explores its potential role in Washingtons emerging carbon-credit market.

Under state law, DNR is only allowed to sell valuable materials from state-owned lands. That doesnt include selling carbon sequestration and ecosystem services. Companion bills introduced in both chambers of the state Legislature earlier this month would change that.

In lieu of logging all working forests, the legislation would allow DNR to conserve some forestlands and replant areas scorched by wildfire. Then, carbon credits associated with those projects could be sold as offsets under the states new carbon-pricing scheme which requires the states biggest polluters to pay for and reduce their emissions.

Logging wouldnt cease, but the agency could have more flexibility in deciding what forests, and trees, they preserve. DNR anticipates selling credits will eventually add tens of millions to the agencys annual revenue, which is currently upward of $350 million per year.

The revenue from carbon credits would go to the agencys trust beneficiaries, including rural counties and schools. It could also fund additional conservation projects.

But DNR is facing pressure from all angles to evaluate their obligations to the public.

In 1889, U.S. Congress granted Washington state millions of acres of land to support public institutions: public K-12 grade schools statewide, state universities, other state educational institutions, and prisons. Today, DNR manages 3 million acres of these federally granted trust lands, auctioning off natural resources for revenue.

And another 500,000 acres the state manages were acquired in the 20s and 30s through tax foreclosures. Unable to manage these logged and abandoned lands, counties gifted them to the state to manage as trust lands. In exchange, the counties and the taxing districts in which the land is located are given most of the revenue from timber sales.

Some rural counties, who largely rely on revenue from DNRs timber sales for essential services, are nervous that offset projects wont generate revenue thats comparable to logging.

Earlier this month, Mason County commissioners sent a letter opposing the states Carbon Project, an offset project that includes 400 acres within the county. The Shelton-Mason County Journal reported that commissioners said DNR had not provided Mason County or impacted taxing districts estimates of the likely revenues from the project.

These lands were given to the state to manage on our behalf, 100 years ago, before we had anything to do with that, Mason County Commissioner Randy Neatherlin said. They are our fiduciary, and a fiduciary has a responsibility to its client first, not what it wants, not what it desires, but a fiduciary has a responsibility to the client so we get the best reward off of that investment.

Special role of older trees

Older trees  not old growth but those over 150 years old  help sustain biodiversity, said Jerry Franklin, a forest ecologist retired from the University of Washington and the U.S. Forest Service. They also lend to more complex canopies, they are fire resilient and resistant, and they can absorb carbon for thousands of years if left untouched.

A new study of public data from the U.S. Forest Service revealed that existing federal mature and old-growth forests hold nearly 561 million metric tons of carbon. And a 2022 study revealed that old-growth forests store 35 to 70% more carbon, including in the soils, compared to logged stands.

And forests provide myriad benefits to watersheds: naturally regulating streamflows, reducing flood damages and stormwater runoff and replenishing groundwater, to name a few.

Franklin was among a team of scientists whose work led to the protection of millions of acres of old growth on federal land in Washington, Oregon and Northern California with implementation of the Northwest Forest Plan in 1994. And he helped develop what DNR officials deem a catch-all defining guide for old growth on state lands for the west side.

In some forests of the West, Franklin has proposed that mature trees should be considered those naturally regenerated that are 100 years or older. In forests that frequently see fire, he would protect trees of at least 150 years of age, while still allowing work to reduce the risk of future blazes.

Trees that are 100 years old and have been allowed to develop naturally, Franklin said, are just beginning to mature. When theyre 200, theyre truly old, he said.

In the long run, you want to have old trees scattered through even a managed landscape because these older trees play a special role, he said. And so it often makes sense in a heavily managed landscape to hold on to even individual older trees, or clusters of older trees, particularly, if theyre the last of a particular age.

The Supreme Court ruled that logging public land is not a violation of the state constitution but the day-to-day management of the lands is up to the Legislature.

Paula Swedeen, policy director for Conservation Northwest, said the ruling affirmed DNRs flexibility in how they manage public lands for the public benefit. She doesnt anticipate sweeping changes to happen overnight, or even in the next few years.

Swedeen, a former wildlife biologist and endangered species policy analyst with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and DNR, said conservationists dont want to leave beneficiaries like rural counties and schools high and dry.

They instead want more stable funding sources that dont pit financial sustenance against environmental.

The trifecta, Swedeen said, is protecting rare stands of older trees, finding additional timber through thinning rather than clear cutting and managing plantations  trees planted for timber  on longer rotations to maximize their carbon storage capacity.
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Meta has started a pilot rollout of its first paid verification service on Facebook and Instagram in Australia and New Zealand.

Facebook and Instagram began a week-long rollout of their first paid verification service on Friday, testing users' willingness to pay for social media features that until now have been free.

Facing a drop in advertising revenues, parent company Meta is piloting a subscription in Australia and New Zealand before it appears in larger markets. The service will cost US$11.99 on the web and US$14.99 on the iOS and Android mobile platforms.

From Friday, subscribers Down Under who provide government-issued IDs can start applying for a verified badge, offering protection against impersonation, direct access to customer support and more visibility, according to the company.

"We'll be gradually rolling out access to Meta Verified on Facebook and Instagram and expect to reach 100 percent availability within the first 7 days of the rollout," a Meta spokesperson told AFP.

Some attempts to join Meta Verified from Sydney found the service was not available on the first day of the rollout.

"This new feature is about increasing authenticity and security across our services," Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a statement posted on Facebook and Instagram.

Crucially, the move also provides Meta with a way of mining more revenue from its two billion users.

The swelling army of creators, influencers and pseudo-celebrities who make a living online could be obvious users of verification, according to experts.

Many of them complain that it can be difficult to smooth technical and administrative problems, causing delays and lost revenue.

'Slow-burning strategy'

Jonathon Hutchinson, a lecturer in online communication at the University of Sydney, said a kind of "VIP service" could be "quite a valuable proposition for a content creator".

But ahead of the launch, ordinary users seemed less than keen to hand over money to a company that already makes vast sums from their data.

"I think most of my friends would laugh at it," said Ainsley Jade, a 35-year-old social media user in Sydney.

She sees a trend toward more casual use of social media and a shift away from a time when you "put your whole life on there".

"I think people are sort of moving away from that... but definitely, definitely wouldn't pay for itno way!

Some commentators have expressed puzzlement at why Facebook and Instagram would adopt a verification-subscription strategy that rival Twitter tried just weeks agowith less than stellar results.

But Hutchinson said Meta has often shown a willingness to try new, and at times risky models, only to drop what does not work.

He sees this latest gambit as part of a broader effort to condition users to pay for social media.

"I think it's part of a slow-burning strategy to move toward a model that is not free, where more and more services and functionality will be a paid or subscription-based service," he told AFP.

"I think over the long-term the functionality that we have nowjoining groups, selling things on 'Marketplace'- all of these add-ons that have emerged on Facebook over the years will eventually become subscription-based services."

 2023 AFP
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Shut up and take the money, companies told laid-off employees. Literally.

In the tech industry, which recently has been roiled by waves of layoffs, many companies have dangled in front of workers sometimes generous sums of severance pay. The catch: To get it, often they must sign agreements that include a non-disparagement clause prohibiting them from speaking negatively about the company in public.

On Tuesday, the National Labor Relations Board ruled that including such a broad non-disparagement stipulation as a condition of receiving severance violates employees' rights under federal law. While the ruling appears to shift some power back in the hands of workers, much remains unclear on how it will be implemented.

The National Labor Relations Act protects employees' rights to organize, bargain collectively, and "engage in other concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection" while prohibiting employers from interfering with these rights. By stifling the speech of laid-off workers with a non-disparagement agreement, employers would be violating their rights under this law, the board decided.

The decision, made in a case involving hospital workers in Mt. Clemens, Michigan, represents a return to "longstanding precedent" and reverses previous decisions from 2020 in cases involving the Baylor University Medical Center and gambling company International Game Technology that found it was not unlawful to offer these kinds of severance agreements.

The issue of severance pay has been the subject of intense discussion in recent months among thousands of ex-Twitter employees after Tesla billionaire Elon Musk took over the company last October and slashed nearly half its workforce.

When workers received their severance packages months later, they came with some major strings attached: To get the money, they had to sign away their right to ever sue the company, assist anyone in a legal case against the company unless required by law, or speak negatively about Twitter, its management or Musk.

Lisa Bloom, a labor lawyer representing a few hundred ex-Twitter workers in arbitration claims against their former employer, said this was a prime example of the kind of gag order the NLRB was trying to address with its decision.

"If you can't criticize your employer, if you can't talk about terms that you're offered, if you can't help each other with claims, that clearly violates Section 7 of the (federal labor law)," Bloom said.

However, other experts urged former workers to exercise caution before placing too much weight on the board's recent decision.

Shannon Liss-Riordan, whose firm has filed more than 1,300 arbitration claims against Twitter and represents nearly half of the company's laid-off workers, said the issue was "far from settled" and advises ex-employees not to sign a severance agreement if they plan on pursuing any legal claim against Twitter.

"While I do think Twitter's severance agreement is problematic given the NLRB decision  there are still legal obstacles in the way," Liss-Riordan said. "Because this is a board ruling and not a court ruling as of yet. So I expect there will be further litigation about this."

The courts have not always aligned with NLRB decisions in the past. In 2018, the Supreme Court ruled in a case involving Wisconsin healthcare software company Epic Systems that upheld the validity of mandatory arbitration agreements even though the NLRB decided in 2012 they violated workers' rights under federal labor law.

"It is possible that the courts will adopt this ruling from the board," said Liss-Riordan. "But to test it out, someone would need to put themselves at risk that the company will come after them and the court may or may not adopt the board decision."

In addition to arbitration claims, Liss-Riordan also represents ex-Twitter employees in NLRB complaints. This could be one avenue through which workers who already signed severance agreements could challenge the terms they agreed to, using the board's new ruling, without going through the court system, Liss-Riordan said.

Twitter is not the only major company potentially affected by Tuesday's ruling. Meta, Facebook's parent company, also included a non-disparagement clause in its severance packages to the more than 11,000 workers it laid off at the end of last year, according to Business Insider. A worker laid off from Google parent company Alphabet reported seeing non-disparagement in her agreement as well.

Any previously signed non-disparagement agreements that interfere with workers' rights would likely become unenforceable under the NLRB decision. However, the ruling doesn't necessarily mean that companies will immediately follow suit and begin removing them from future severance packages.

Catherine Fisk, a UC Berkeley labor law professor, said the NLRB's decision only applied to "over broad" non-disparagement stipulations that would infringe on employees' rights.

Companies could potentially include a caveat by asking employees not to make disparaging remarks except to the extent that state or federal law allows for.

"And if they don't want to include the caveat, maybe it's because they're actually trying to use termination or severance as a way to force employees to relinquish statutory rights and that raises some issues," Fisk said.

2023 Los Angeles Times.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Simulation of an octopus grasping a cylinder. Credit: The Grainger College of Engineering at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Octopus arms coordinate nearly infinite degrees of freedom to perform complex movements such as reaching, grasping, fetching, crawling, and swimming. How these animals achieve such a wide range of activities remains a source of mystery, amazement, and inspiration. Part of the challenge comes from the intricate organization and biomechanics of the internal muscles.

This problem was tackled in a multidisciplinary project led by Prashant Mehta and Mattia Gazzola, professors of mechanical science & engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. As reported in Proceedings of the Royal Society A, the two researchers and their groups have developed a physiologically accurate model of octopus arm muscles. "Our model, the first of its kind, not only provides insight into the biological problem, but a framework for design and control of soft robots going forward," Mehta said.

The impressive capabilities of octopus arms have long served as an inspiration for the design and control of soft robots. Such soft robots have the potential to perform complex tasks in unstructured environments while operating safely around humans, with applications ranging from agriculture to surgery.

Graduate student Heng-Sheng Chang, the study's lead author, explained that soft-bodied systems like octopuses' arms present a major modeling and control challenge. "They are driven by three major internal muscle groupslongitudinal, transverse, and obliquethat cause the arm to deform in several modesshearing, extending, bending, and twisting," he said. "This endows the soft muscular arms with significant freedom, unlike their rigid counterparts."

The team's key insight was to express the arm musculature using a stored energy function, a concept borrowed from the theory of continuum mechanics. Postdoctoral scholar and corresponding author Udit Halder explained that "The arm rests at the minimum of an energy landscape. Muscle actuations modify the stored energy function, thus shifting the equilibrium position of the arm and guiding the motion."

Interpreting the muscles using stored energy dramatically simplifies the arm's control design. In particular, the study outlines an energy-shaping control methodology to compute the necessary muscle activations for solving manipulation tasks such as reaching and grasping. When this approach was numerically demonstrated in the software environment Elastica, This model led to remarkably life-like motion when an octopus arm was simulated in three dimensions. Moreover, according to Halder, "Our work offers mathematical guarantees of performance that are often lacking in alternative approaches, including machine learning."

"Our work is part of a larger ecosystem of ongoing collaborations at the University of Illinois," Mehta said. "Upstream, there are biologists who perform experiments on octopuses. Downstream, there are roboticists who are taking these mathematical ideas and applying them to real soft robots."

Mehta's and Gazzola's groups collaborated with Rhanor Gillette, Illinois Professor Emeritus of molecular and integrative physiology, to incorporate observed octopus physiology into their mathematical model for this study. Future work will discuss the biological implications of energy-based control. In addition, the researchers are collaborating with Girish Krishnan, an Illinois professor of industrial & enterprise systems engineering, to incorporate their mathematical ideas into real soft robot design and control. This will not only create a systematic way of controlling soft robots, but will also provide a deeper understanding of their working mechanisms.

This work was part of the CyberOctopus project, a multidisciplinary university research initiative in the University of Illinois' Coordinated Science Laboratory supported by the Office of Naval Research.

More information: Heng-Sheng Chang et al, Energy-shaping control of a muscular octopus arm moving in three dimensions, Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences (2023). DOI: 10.1098/rspa.2022.0593 Journal information: Proceedings of the Royal Society A
The average fan has seen Americas Pastime become more and more expensive with each passing season. Its become virtually impossible for a family of four to attend a game and also expect to afford the cost of parking and concessions, on top of the annual ticket price. Well, if youre a San Francisco Giants fan, you received relatively good news on Friday.

Giants CEO Larry Baer announced on KNBR that there would be new, lower beer prices at Oracle Park for the 2023 season. Fans will be able to buy a 14-ounce domestic draft for $9.

Larry Baer tells KNBR beer prices reduced at Oracle Park this season. 14oz beers will sell for $9 now instead of $14. #SFGiants  Amy Gutierrez (@amygmultimedia) February 24, 2023

While the team mightve missed out on both Aaron Judge and Carlos Corea for different reasons this winter, fans seemed to rejoice at the news of the lower beer prices on social media.

Ahh the old beer goggles trick, said one fan. Well played Larry.

Ahhhh the old beer goggles trick. Well played Larry.  Pete Halvorsen (@petehalvorsen) February 24, 2023

This is the most important announcement from spring training, said a fan.

This is the most important announcement from spring training  Moar Bollards Now!  (@whollera) February 24, 2023

Reduced beer prices is my love language, another fan said.

Reduced beer prices is my love language.  Sterling Farrance (@that1crzywhtguy) February 24, 2023

Kind of funny that theyve moved the goalposts though and now everyone will celebrate $9 beer, even though thats still

ridiculous, posed another fan.

Kind of funny that theyve moved the goalposts though and now everyone will celebrate $9 beer, even though thats still ridiculous  NorCalDawg (@norcal_dawg) February 24, 2023

Perhaps the biggest move of the off season! said Bay Area news director, Raj Mathai

[Amy Gutierrez]
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The Franklin County Board of Supervisors reached a stalemate Tuesday when deciding how to proceed with a siting agreement for a solar facility proposed in the Henry area.

Supervisors voted 3-3 with one member absent on a motion to approve the new solar facility in Henry. With the tie, the motion will likely be held over to the next meeting.

Constitution Solar is requesting approval for a 4 megawatt solar generation facility that would be in an open field near the intersection of U.S. 220 and Henry Road. An area of 50 acres inside of the 160 acre property would be used for the solar facility.

Since the proposed solar facility is in a non-zoned area of Franklin County, a siting agreement has been negotiated between the county and Constitution Solar. The agreement allows the county to hold the solar company to certain terms and conditions to mitigate any impact to the community.

This will be the second siting agreement for a solar facility proposed by the county. The first was for Willow Solar, a 12 megawatt facility approved by supervisors in November near the intersection of Davis Mill Road and Virginia 40.

Ed Switzer, senior development manager with Catalyze overseeing Constitution Solar, provided details about the project with supervisors on Tuesday. Catalyze is an independent power producer with several solar projects across the country.

Weve got quite a bit of experience with projects this size, Switzer said.

Blackwater District representative Ronald Mitchell, one of two supervisors who voted against the previous solar facility, questioned how beneficial the proposed Constitution Solar facility would be.

This does not benefit our citizens at all, Mitchell said. While the power generated by the solar facility would be sold to Appalachian Power, he said it would not result in lower energy costs for customers which Switzer agreed would be the case.

Assistant County Administrator Steve Sandy estimated earlier in the meeting that the solar facility would generate $483,705 in revenue for the county in its 35 year life of the project. The amount comes from revenue generated from real estate taxes, revenue share and a one-time capital contribution of $120,000.

Rocky Mount District representative Mike Carter moved to postpone a vote on the solar facility until a later meeting when Boone District representative Ronnie Thompson would be present for the vote. Thompson left the meeting early on Tuesday.

Mitchell, Snow Creek District representative Nick Mitchell and Gills Creek District representative Lorie Smith all voted against the postponement. With the absence of Thompson, the vote failed due to a tie.

Carter then moved to approve the siting agreement for the solar facility. Before taking the vote Blue Ridge District representative Tim Tatum said he was supporting the proposal since it was an agreement between the landowner and Constitution Solar who would be leasing the land.

Im a firm believer in property rights, thats why I represent a district in the county that is unzoned, Tatum said. People that own property should have the right to determine what happens on that property.

When the vote was called, Ronald Mitchell, Nick Mitchell and Smith all voted against the proposal leading to another tie. With that, supervisors decided to take no other action with the proposal which likely means it will be taken up again at the supervisors next meeting.

Supervisors also approved additional limits on solar facilities in the county on Tuesday. The county now has a limit of 1,500 acres of solar facilities in the county. The amount would include all leased land and not just acres where solar panels are placed.

A minimum setback of 300 feet from above ground solar infrastructure to any adjacent off-site residential structure was also approved by supervisors.
More Nebraskans are working remotely, and it seems more businesses appear comfortable with the arrangement.

That was the conclusion of a University of Nebraska-Lincoln survey released recently.

The Bureau of Business Research conducted the survey from June through September to examine the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on commercial real estate usage and remote work in Nebraska.

The survey found changes in attitudes about working from home and the frequency of employees doing so, yet little change in the usage of office space.

On average, 16.5% of workers are fully remote or have a

hybrid work schedule according to the survey, compared with 10.7% before the pandemic. The survey also found that 27.6% of businesses are more comfortable with remote work now than they used to be, while 13.3% are less comfortable.

Despite the increase in remote work, the survey found that very few businesses have reduced their physical footprint.

In fact, the survey found that more businesses (7.3%) increased space than reduced it (3.7%). The rest kept the same amount of space.

Eric Thompson, director of the Bureau of Business Research, said there are likely a couple of reasons for the lack of downsizing. For one, 52% of businesses said they believe it is vital to maintain office space for remote workers on occasions when they come into the office.

Many surveyed businesses also own their own building and do not rent out space. These businesses would have difficulty quickly changing office space use, Thompson said.

The survey was conducted for the Nebraska Business Development Center and funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. It was sent to 1,599 Nebraska businesses and had an 18.9% response rate.

Investment spurs big returns

Another report from the Bureau of Business Research shows that the states Business Innovation Act has been very successful in supporting Nebraska-based startup companies.

The report, released earlier this month, analyzed the overall economic impact the innovation programs have had by spurring the growth of Nebraska startups.

According to the report, every $1 of Business Innovation Act funds invested generated $10.68 in private capital investment. In addition, companies that received the funds generated $12.23 in revenue for every $1 of innovation funds received.

The report also found that businesses taking part in the Innovation Act programs have added 1,604 jobs and created more than $104.7 million in annual wages since their inceptions. In 2022, Innovation Act-supported businesses had a combined economic impact of $752.3 million, resulting in $16.3 million of state and local tax

receipts.

Nebraskas startup scene is as strong as ever, thanks in large part to the Business Innovation Act, Joe Fox, director of business development for the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, said in a news release. BIA programs have sparked investment in innovative Nebraska companies, providing key funding to support entrepreneurship. BIA programs are a valuable tool for the state to invest in high-potential, high-tech small businesses at every stage of growth  from seed funding to prototype development to product commercialization.

Google project still a go

It appears Googles plans for a data center near the 56th Street exit on Interstate 80 are still crawling along.

A representative of Olsson filed an application earlier this month for an administrative amendment on behalf of the yet-unnamed developer to update its approved use permit to provide street profiles, grading and drainage, and water quality information so the applicant may proceed with a building permit and/or final plat.

Google has never been publicly linked with the development, but state tax incentive applications related to the project were filed in 2020 by XXVI Holdings, which is a subsidiary of Googles parent company, Alphabet.

The Lincoln data center was originally proposed in the summer of 2019, and documents submitted to the city at the time suggested that at full build-out it could encompass 2 million square feet of buildings and have nearly 1,000 employees.

The documents estimated construction would start in 2020, with the potential for 160 people to be working in the first buildings by 2022.

Its obvious that timeline was upended by the coronavirus pandemic, but the lack of any announcements surrounding the project, combined with Googles announcement last year that it plans a data center on the northwest side of Omaha  which will be its third in the Omaha metro area  led to some speculation that the company may have changed its plans for Lincoln.

Googles CEO, Sundar Pichai, usually provides an update on the companys annual investment plans in late winter or early spring, so its possible there could be some announcement on the Lincoln plans coming in the next couple of months.

Listing the lists

Regular readers of this column know I like to end it with a rundown of recent rankings of Lincoln and/or Nebraska in national reports. The latest:

* Fifth-best state capital for safety and more (WalletHub)
When the Rev. Susanna DesMarais and the church secretary arrived at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church Thursday morning, they quickly noticed there'd been a break-in.

An outside window was broken and all the cabinets inside in the church were open.

The two women, who arrived at about 8:50 a.m., called the police, saying the church had been burglarized. At that point, DesMarais didn't believe the burglar was still in the building. But as officers were entering the church, the suspect knocked on the door of the office they were in. The women saw the top of his head.

"The police hastily got us out of the way," DesMarais said.

The man wound up barricading himself inside the church for the next hour and a half, during which time Grand Island police officers surrounded the building. At least eight patrol units could be seen outside the church.

The standoff ended peacefully at about 10:35 a.m.

The suspect, Seth Ketelhut, is a 36-year-old homeless man.

Police say Ketelhut was in possession of two large knives.

After locking the area down, police made contact with Ketelhut, who "refused to obey any type of commands," said GIPD Capt. Dean Elliott.

Negotiators communicated with the suspect, who refused to surrender.

The department's tactical response team arrived. Members of that unit brought along their armored rescue vehicle.

Eventually, a diversion device and a canine were deployed, Elliott said. The diversion device, known as a flash bang, creates a loud sound.

Police also launched two "less lethal rounds" at the suspect, Elliott said.

The rounds are small rubber balls, a little smaller than ping pong balls. Unlike pepper balls, they do not contain pepper spray. They are shot out of a 40mm launcher, Elliott said.

During the standoff, the suspect was the only person in the church, Elliott said.

No money was taken from the church, which is at 422 W. Second St.

DesMarais pointed out "that the police have been wonderful, and I thank the Grand Island police for all their help."

DesMarais made her comments late in the morning. "We're about to get started on the cleanup," she said.

Police said there was damage inside the church.

Ketelhut, who is a convicted felon, was arrested on suspicion of burglary, obstructing a police officer, resisting arrest, criminal mischief, possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person, possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony and first-degree criminal trespass.

Around 10 a.m., a man stopped by the Grand Island Independent office looking for his wife, who is the aforementioned church secretary. He was able to get a hold of her and confirm she was safe and not in the church. He then left to meet up with her.

During the night, two windows were broken at The Independent, which is directly across Second Street from the church. Elliott said the burglary suspect may also have broken the newspaper windows.
A farmer plants rice seedlings in a field in Nilphamari, Bangladesh, Feb. 9, 2023. (Xinhua)

NILPHAMARI, Bangladesh, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- China's Chongqing Zhong Yi is a frequent participant in China's aid and technical collaborations and a leader in rice technology cooperation in Bangladesh.

The Chinese seed giant exports 2,600 tons of seeds of high-yielding Chinese rice varieties to Asia and Africa each year.

Of the total, around 1,500 tons go to Bangladesh where the "Janakraj" strain is the most popular with its high yield, high resistance to pests, and high quality.

Currently Bangladesh's Ministry of Agriculture and Chongqing Zhong Yi Seed distribute at least eight hybrid strains in parts of the South Asian country including Nilphamari district, some 360 km northwest of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.

Badal Islam, a farmer from Nilphamari district, has grown Chinese rice varieties with good yields. "We've benefited immensely from the good yields."

"This is why we're cultivating Chinese rice again and again," Islam told Xinhua, adding "Now I'm cultivating Chinese rice in 3 bigha (0.3306 acre) land, this rice looks good, the yield is good and I like to cultivate it."

Farmer Md Asir Uddin said Chinese seeds are vital to their ambition to become self-sufficient in rice production. "We get 24-25 maunds of paddy after harvesting from 1 bigha," he said. He added they grow "Chinese Rice 28" and they benefit from the higher yield.

"We cultivate this rice because this rice is not affected by any viruses or insects," he said. The farmer said they expect a bumper production and a lot of profit if the market is good from Boro, or winter rice cultivation season, when most Bangladeshis eat rice three times a day.

Boro is the predominant crop in the three main crop-growing seasons in Bangladesh. It is also the dry season irrigating rice crop planted from December to early February and harvested between April and June.

Sahirul Islam, a representative of the seed supplier National AgriCare Group, said farmers in northern Bangladesh are widely cultivating high-yielding rice varieties, especially seeds brought from China.

Among high-yielding rice varieties, he said "Janakraj, National AgriCare Dhan 4, National AgriCare Dhan 1 have been widely accepted by farmers. Farmers received good yields last time so this time they are using our seeds."

"If we calculate the (amount of) seeds that the farmers have taken from us, then about 90,000 to 95,000 acres of land is being cultivated in (northern) Rangpur region," he said.

He said so far the weather is fine and seedbeds are good for farmers. "We hope this year's cultivation will be very successful," said Islam. He believed the advantage is that people are planting seeds in trays, following this Chinese machinery is used by farmers to plant rice.

Farmers pick up rice seeds from seedbeds and plant them through China-made machines, he said. "With the advent of Chinese machinery, rice cultivation in our country has become very easy."

In parts of Bangladesh, farmers do not want to plant anything other than high-yielding Chinese rice varieties because Chinese agriculturists work directly with farmers in their fields.

The Chinese experts understand the needs of particular crop and have knowledge of current trends in rice cultivation that Bangladeshi farmers can only dream of.

Ling Jiahu of Chongqing Zhong Yi said they have a world-class research team, seen as the backbone of China's seed industry. According to Ling, yields of high-yielding Chinese rice varieties can reach 11 tons per hectare, 30 percent higher than local Bangladeshi varieties.

Abu Bakkar Siddique of Bangladesh's Department of Agricultural Extension previously told Xinhua that hybrid rice is a winter crop in just over half of the country's paddies and plays an important role in food production.

"AgriCare hybrid seeds from China sold here are very satisfactory," he said. "Chinese companies are crucial to our agricultural development and we're very grateful for their support." 

A farmer uses a machine to plant rice seedlings in a field in Nilphamari, Bangladesh, Feb. 9, 2023. (Xinhua)

Farmers plant rice seedlings in a field in Nilphamari, Bangladesh, Feb. 9, 2023. (Xinhua)

A farmer transports rice seedlings in a field in Nilphamari, Bangladesh, Feb. 9, 2023. (Xinhua)
During his stay inside St. Stephen's Episcopal Church Thursday morning, Seth Ketelhut allegedly expressed hostility to religion in a graphic way.

The 36-year-old homeless man was found inside the church at about 9 a.m. He was arrested following a standoff at about 10:35 a.m.

In its investigation, Grand Island police found that Ketelhut had "defecated on Bibles, damaged crosses and drew symbols of hate on the walls," says GIPD's Friday media report.

The symbols on the wall included a couple of swastikas, said GIPD Capt. Dean Elliott.

Several windows inside the building were broken. When officers first encountered Ketelhut, he was holding two knives, which came from inside the church.

Police say he refused multiple commands to drop the weapons and eventually walked away from officers while they spoke with him.

He was arrested for burglary, obstructing a police officer, resisting arrest (enhanced because of use of a weapon), criminal mischief (enhanced), possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person, possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony and first-degree criminal trespassing.

Ketelhut admitted to breaking two windows at The Independent and damaging a truck outside the newspaper. For that crime, he will be charged with criminal mischief.
His predecessor spent eight years pushing property tax relief. Now, Gov. Jim Pillen wants to clearly tie said property tax relief to school finance. Its up to the Legislature to figure out how to make that work.

Lawmakers are used to people complaining about their property taxes. Now, throw in some school districts that say a proposed distribution of state aid isn't fair and equitable. What do you have? A real mess or a problem begging for a solution?

Pillen is behind three priority measures carried by three senators to implement the plan. He said the bills would increase the states investment in education and reduce school reliance on property taxes, calling them the culmination of great teamwork from groups representing statewide stakeholders

One bill introduced by Sen. Rita Sanders of Bellevue calls on the state to allocate $1,500 annually for every K-12 public school student through the Tax Equity and Educational Opportunities Support Act (TEEOSA). The increase amounts to nearly $113 million in state aid. In addition, the bill proposes a statutory provision that 80% of special education funding be covered through a combination of federal and state funding.

Sen. Rob Clements of Elmwood proposed legislation to create the Education Future Fund, which allocates $1 billion of state general funds during the 2023-2024 biennium and $250 million each year afterward for the purposes of funding that $1,500 per student as well as: special education; grants to retain licensed teachers; fund further career and technical training; and mentoring for K-12 students.

Albion Sen. Tom Briese has a bill that would create a 3% cap on property tax revenue that a school district receives. It is a soft cap that can be overridden by 75% of voting school board members or the approval of 60% of the districts registered voters, should there be a need.

With the cap, district property tax request authority would be determined by subtracting non-property tax revenue from the total revenue limitation. The cap would not apply to property tax revenues required to pay bonded indebtedness. Non-property tax revenue would not include special education funding. A school district may exceed its property tax authority with a 75% majority vote of the school board. Additionally, a district may exceed their property tax request authority by any amount with a 60% vote of the people.

Briese admits that the rest of the package wont likely pass without agreement on the cap. Aye, theres the rub. Lids and caps have been fighting words in government and education for decades. An initial reading of this measure doesnt appear to be all that different.

OpenSky Institute Executive Director Dr. Rebecca Firestone said that while the think tank appreciates the governors interest in increasing state aid to public education and investing more in our states children, there needs to be some caution.

We have long noted that the best way to address property taxes in Nebraska is to increase the share of state support for public K-12 education, she said after the package was introduced.

While some aspects of the package  such as proposed increases in state public education funding  could help address key state needs, their combined fiscal impact could lead policymakers to dip into the states cash reserve, she said later after a brief analysis of the bills. This is concerning because the states cash reserve is meant to be used for rainy days  typically one-time expenditures that serve key state needs in times of economic downturn, she said.

Some education leaders have also noted inequities in funding among same-size districts. To say nothing of the lids which have gained a questionable history in Nebraska as local governments and school districts have found ways around them.

So here we go again. Lets hope it can be different this time around. But I still think it will take a miracle to put all the pieces together just to pass legislative muster, let alone work in the real world.
CARBONDALE  Participants in the Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser will have the opportunity to help those in need at the Carbondale Warming Center and learn about homelessness in our region.

The Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser will be on Saturday at the Grand Avenue Christian Church. There will be a fundraising walk starting at 5 p.m. Walkers can choose either a 2K or 5K walk. After the walk, a meal will be served at the church.

Carmelita Cahill, executive director of the Carbondale Warming Center, said the Coldest Night of the Year began in Canada about 12 years ago. It has expanded to include the United States. This year Canada will host 182 walks, and 21 will be held in the U.S.

The walk is supposed to mimic what its like in Carbondale to be someone without a home when its cold.

Its very experiential, when we are able to put ourselves in somebody elses shoes, Cahill said.

The goal for the Carbondale Warming Center is to raise $20,000. Cahill said they have commitments for 97% of their goal.

We are really excited about this, Cahill said.

Cahill said they plan for the Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser to become an annual event.

Funds are important because the Carbondale Warming Center now has two types of shelters available.

During the pandemic, they expanded their overnight beds to a 24-hour shelter. The upstairs portion of the shelter became a safe place for persons who tested positive for COVID-19. Cahill said they tested positive, but did not have any place to quarantine. That space stayed until hotel grants were issued for those with COVID-19.

It is now kind of an overflow shelter. While the downstairs shelter is 24 hours a day, the upstairs shelter opens at 6 p.m. Those coming in for the evening are served a meal, get a bed to sleep in and are given snacks.

Were really proud of that. When they get hit with rain, snow and everything else, they have a place to go, Cahill said.

The upstairs shelter has the possibility of 40 beds. Cahill said they have had 29 people.

The goal is to be able to continue what were doing, she said.

There are two ways to participate.

The first is to walk. To sign up for the walk, visit cnoy.com. The walk is family friendly, so even children can walk. Currently, the event has 119 walkers with 30 teams.

The other way to participate is to donate. Donations can be made at the website listed above.
CARBONDALE  Its not every day that university students get to play an integral part in fulfilling a $2 million contract, but thats exactly whats been happening at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Illinois State Police (ISP) needed help creating promotional campaigns, and they sought the expertise of SIUs School of Journalism and Advertising, which is part of the College of Arts and Media. The result is a two-year, $2 million contract with the two state agencies to create advertising and promotional materials. SIU officials say its just the start of great things to come.

Its a huge contract for the new college, and it allows our students to work in a real-world environment and gives them tremendous visibility, said Jan Thompson, professor and director of the School of Journalism and Advertising. Its a win-win-win for SIU, the students, the faculty and the clients. SIU is known for its great research, and one reason we were able to do this is our extensive experience and expertise.

Dozens of Salukis involved

This endeavor, launched last summer, involves multiple separate projects for the state agencies. The first IDPH campaign aimed to increase awareness of COVID-19 vaccinations and public health protocols, and the second IDPH promotion encouraged use of gun locks, proper gun storage and other gun safety measures to improve public safety. The gun safety campaign, which also involves the governors office and Illinois legislature, is due to launch in the near future, Thompson said. ISP wanted to increase recruitment for its police academy, and the SIU campaign has helped that happen, Thompson and Lescelius said.

These are tough subjects. It takes a lot of thought, time and homework to get it right, said Bridget Lescelius, associate lecturer in the School of Journalism and Advertising and director of Saluki AdLab.

She and Thompson noted that the dual advertising initiative is innovative and collaborative and that it came about and is proving successful as the result of both the extensive professional experience they bring to the table as well as their tenacity and hard work.

SIU has never won a contract like this before, Lescelius said. No other university in Illinois has partnered to provide these types of professional services.

Students and faculty from across campus have participated, including journalism and advertising majors who created slogans and completed ad campaigns. WSIU has been involved with recording narration, and musicians from the region helped create a jingle. The faculty members hope to bring in other units across campus.

We have so much talent on campus, and this really highlights it, Thompson said. In conjunction with the campaigns, the group has also worked with the criminal justice programs at other universities in promoting the ISP project.

Ryley Bisaillon, a senior advertising major from Carterville, who serves as president of Saluki AdLab, has previously worked with local and national clients on a variety of campaigns. During the course of this contract, she has gotten to take on several roles, everything from developing recruitment messaging for the Illinois State Police social media platforms to working on out-of-home advertising to calling senior citizens centers. Shes also helped create print advertisements and launched and helped grow the Illinois State Police recruiting TikTok posts.

It has been quite an experience, and Im so grateful for it. Applying what we learn in the classroom and seeing it go into the market is an awesome feeling, Bisaillon said. The application of our studies is important because you learn how to pivot and what is effective.

She said working with real clients has strengthened my skillset in every area of advertising and given me the confidence to work with any clients. Since we grew up with social media, bringing a new perspective to these prestigious Illinois accounts and making them relevant and relatable to their target audience is what I especially love.

Bisaillon and the other students and faculty created campaigns that include ads for television, radio, billboards, social media, transit (bus/train) and print, including full-page newspaper advertisements.

She said this experience will help her in the future as she has benefitted not only in the areas of time management, content creation and client relations, but because we really operate like a real-life ad agency. Now, she has a portfolio of quality work amassed before graduation  something students at most universities dont have.

Efforts pay off

Monserrat Munoz, a junior advertising major from Fairmont City, has worked on social media plans for the Illinois State Police, diligently staying on brand and keeping ISPs voice while also relaying the message in a way that interests potential young recruits. Shes created ISPs TikTok posts and helped the agency grow its platform from very few followers to about 300, with more signing on daily. Her efforts involved research and reaching out to radio stations, determining how best to reach the target audience, which helped her to develop relationship skills.

Working on this contract let me use skills I learned in the classroom, Munoz said. Working on things that arent just a project but that have a true impact is something that Saluki AdLab has to offer. It means getting real work experience, building my resume and putting my skills to the test with real client feedback.

She said that working with actual clients has also given her a sense of importance.

It shows that what we do goes beyond classroom projects and that the things I learn in the classroom can be put toward something great, she said. I believe this will enhance my resume because I am working with real state clients while some of my other peers are just doing classwork. By getting real work experience at a young age, it gives me time to grow and develop my skills before entering the work force.

The agencies have already seen the results of the campaigns in tangible ways.

For both IDPH and ISP we have data that shows our campaigns have been successful, Thompson said. Before the IDPH campaign, vaccination rates were in the single digits to low double-digits in our target counties. After our 12-week campaign, the data showed an increase of between 15 and 20 points in the vaccination rates. For ISP, the academy applications rose and exceeded their goal of 200 applications for the June class. They continued the campaign for academy applicants and continue to see positive results.

In addition to boosting ISP social media followers, the cadet recruitment campaign exceeded its summer goals, and SIU is continuing its efforts to bolster interest.

The region and beyond have benefitted from this contract as well. Thompson noted that just recently, thousands of dollars were spent on COVID awareness ads that ran in area newspapers and on radio stations.

Learning from experts

Ryan Edwards, a senior advertising major from Romeoville jumped at the chance to be creative and work with actual clients, using the knowledge he had gained at SIU and getting experience with business practices. As vice president of Saluki AdLab, he has been working alongside his peers, creating content and coverage for small businesses, from media planning to content creation. Working on this contract enabled him to take his experience to the next level. He said he has gained connections and enhanced his skills as well as learned tips and tricks from professionals, including Thompson and Lescelius.

Both are seasoned experts in their fields, which they say definitely played a role in SIU receiving the promotional contract.

An SIU alumna, Lescelius has been involved in the industry for some 30 years, working in Fortune 500 businesses in Boston, Washington D.C. and Phoenix as well as smaller companies. Thompson is three-time Emmy award-winning filmmaker and composer with extensive experience working on documentaries.
COLUMBIA  Fresh off his reelection, supporters of South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster are setting up a nonprofit that organizers say will assist the Republican in promoting his legislative priorities over his final term in office.

The McMaster Leadership Fund will "support the governor's legislative agenda through political and grassroots advocacy and engagement," according to information provided Thursday to The Associated Press.

According to organizers, the 501c(4) nonprofit will focus at first on issues including economic development, education reform, public safety, tax cuts and "preserving the cultural and environmental heritage of South Carolina"  all issues for which McMaster has advocated as the state's chief executive.

"I am honored to continue to have the support of leaders who believe, as I do, that our best days lie ahead," McMaster told the AP. "Working together, the founders of the McMaster Leadership Fund will ensure ... that the issues the people of South Carolina demonstrated in November that they care about are the issues all of us remain focused on in Columbia."

McMaster, 75, defeated Democrat Joe Cunningham in November, winning reelection by more than 17 percentage points  the largest margin of victory a South Carolina gubernatorial election has seen in over three decades. Democrats last won the state's top office in 1998 and have held no statewide elected offices since 2010.

Having finished the two remaining years of Nikki Haley's second term following her appointment as U.N. ambassador and winning election to two four-year terms, McMaster is on track to be South Carolina's longest-serving governor.

Previous governors have set up similar entities in the interest of advocating for their core issues. In 2006, as then-Gov. Mark Sanford angled for a potential future presidential bid, his supporters formed ReformSC, which was aimed at working toward government accountability and restructuring. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush headlined several fundraisers for the group in 2007, raising about $200,000.

The McMaster Leadership Fund counts among its founding board members some of the governor's top supporters. It's chaired by Bill Stern, a Columbia real estate developer who organized both of McMaster's inaugural ceremonies, as well as Sanford's second inaugural, in 2007.

"As the governor reminds us, South Carolina is on the cusp of a new era of unprecedented prosperity," Stern told AP, echoing McMaster's forward-looking messaging. "All we have to do is build on the momentum he and Team South Carolina have generated."

Other members include former AT&T president Pamela Lackey and Henry Swink, owner of McCall Farms. Longtime McMaster advisor and fundraiser Marisa Crawford is leading fundraising.
The Community Resources Depot in Columbia has once again donated new items from Amazon and Walmart valued at over $10,000 to The Feast of the Lord church in Orangeburg.

Other donated items have been added to the lot as well.

The items will be available at the winter giveaway event at noon Saturday, Feb. 25.

Attendees must complete one information card per family to participate. The card is available on-site.

The participants will receive one bag to fill. No additional bags, boxes or containers are allowed in the giveaway area.

A limited number of people will be allowed to browse the items, having 5 minutes to fill their bags.

A limited number of large items were donated and will be available while supplies last. Each family is allowed to carry one large item and one bag.

Once a large item has been acquired and one bag filled, the families will exit with their items. No re-entry is permitted.

Items for men, women, boys, girls, automobiles and households, plus miscellaneous items, will be given away. Free COVID test kits are among the items that will be given away.

The categories of items are limited in quantity.

Dream team members of the church will distribute the free merchandise on a first-come-first-serve basis.

After shopping, participants can exit the event or enter the fellowship hall and explore other on-site services provided as part of the churchs outreach and partnership with the Orangeburg community.

Below are brief descriptions of the organizations and the services they will provide:

 Medical Ministries: Medical Ministries partners with several resources that may interest the community. Medical Ministries will provide blood pressure and weight checks, plus blood/glucose testing and HIV testing. If you need services related to medical care, substance abuse or local food banks, this is the organization to ask.

 S.C. Association of Community Action Partnerships: The diaper dash representative will help eligible recipients obtain free diapers for their precious little ones. This organization strives to help those living in poverty.

Vulnerable populations include seniors, those with disabilities, children, veterans and those lacking access to health care.

Feel free to ask about other services the agency provides and it can put you in touch with people who can help.

 OCAB Community Action Agency: OCAB offers resources to alleviate the causes of poverty by helping low-income families and individuals acquire the skills, knowledge and opportunities needed to become self-sufficient. It works with citizens of Orangeburg, Calhoun, Allendale and Bamberg counties.

It will have a representative from the energy assistance division at the winter giveaway to assist eligible recipients with utility (electric, gas and water) bills.

Feel free to ask about other services the agency provides and it can put you in touch with people who can help.

 S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control: DHEC is the public health department that serves the state of South Carolina. They offer a variety of free and low-cost programs such as preventative health care, immunizations and WIC services. Its team will distribute at-home rapid COVID tests, flu vaccines and COVID vaccines.

 Creative Community Solutions: The group partners with the federal governments Affordable Connectivity Program, providing free tablets with internet and phone service for those eligible.

The organization does not have a card reader and will take cash or Cash App for the one-time, upfront

$10 fee required under the ACP.

Ashlee Marshall, a minister at The Feast of the Lord and an art teacher for the Orangeburg Consolidated School District, is the project manager for this event.

The Feast of the Lord is located at 290 Broughton St., Orangeburg. This event is Saturday, Feb. 25, from noon until all items are distributed.

Parking is available behind the City of Orangeburg Parks and Recreation City Gym at 410 Broughton Street in Orangeburg. For more information, contact the church office at 803-516-8030.
The Southern Baptist Convention on Tuesday ousted its second-largest congregation  Saddleback Church, the renowned California megachurch founded by pastor and best-selling author Rick Warren  for having a woman pastor.

The vote by the conventions Executive Committee culminates growing tension between the nations largest Protestant denomination  which officially opposes women as pastors  and a congregation whose story has been one of the biggest church-growth successes of modern times.

The committee cited Saddlebacks having a female teaching pastor functioning in the office of pastor, an allusion to Stacie Wood, wife of the current lead pastor of Saddleback, Andy Wood.

But the controversy began in 2021, when Warren ordained three women as pastors, prompting discussions within the denomination about possibly expelling the megachurch.

Warren retired last year after more than 42 years at Saddleback. He made an emotional speech in June 2022 at the Southern Baptists annual convention in Anaheim, standing by his ordination of women. He told delegates who debated the issue, We have to decide if we will treat each other as allies or adversaries.

But the Executive Committee took the vote Tuesday without public discussion after meeting in executive session.

It voted to approve a recommendation from the denominations Credentials Committee that Saddleback be deemed not in friendly cooperation with the Convention  the terminology used for ousting a church. While Southern Baptists statement of faith officially opposes women as pastors, each congregation is self-governing, so the main enforcement mechanism is to oust it from membership.

The Executive Committees motion said that Saddleback has a faith and practice that does not closely identify with the Conventions adopted statement of faith, as demonstrated by the church having a female teaching pastor functioning in the office of pastor.

In a statement late Tuesday, the church didnt indicate whether it planned to exercise its right to appeal the decision at the Southern Baptists next annual meeting, scheduled for New Orleans in June.

We love and have always valued our relationship with the SBC and its faithful churches, Saddleback elders said in a statement. We will engage and respond through the proper channels at the appropriate time in hopes to serve other like-minded Bible believing SBC churches. Meanwhile, we remain focused on following Gods leadership to love and serve our church family and the communities around our campuses.

Mike Keahbone, an Executive Committee member and Oklahoma pastor, said an appeal appears likely.

This was the heart of the room; to let the messengers (delegates) of the SBC decide, Keahbone tweeted Tuesday.

With its main campus in Lake Forest, south of Los Angeles, Saddleback Church has grown over four to 14 locations in Southern California, with an average weekly attendance of 30,000. There are four international campuses in Hong Kong, Germany, the Philippines and Argentina.

Wood told The Associated Press last year that the Bible teaches that men and women were given spiritual gifts by God. His wife has served as teaching pastor for Saddleback.

The church should be a place where both men and women can exercise those spiritual gifts, Wood said. My wife has the spiritual gift of teaching and she is really good. People often tell me shes better than me when it comes to preaching, and Im really glad to hear that.

The Executive Committee also voted to oust five other congregations  four over the issue of women as pastors and one over the issue of sexual abuse.

When Southern Baptists last updated their official statement of belief  The Baptist Faith and Message  in 2000, they added this clause: While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.

The five churches ousted for having women as pastors have been valued, cooperating churches for many years, and this decision was not made lightly, Committee Chairman Jared Wellman said in a statement. However, we remain committed to upholding the theological convictions of the SBC and maintaining unity among its cooperating churches.

Warren, with a social media following in the millions, has written multiple books, including the widely successful The Purpose Driven Life. In 2005, Time magazine named Warren one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World, and he delivered the invocation at President Barack Obamas inauguration in 2009.

The church grew from a startup by Rick Warren and his wife, Kay Warren. With his charisma and easy, informal preaching style, Warren attracted thousands to the megachurch. Over the past decade, Warren also launched an ambitious plan to expand the churchs reach across Southern California as well as globally, a vision his successor has promised to complete.

Warren, in a tweet, said he and Kay would respond to #SBC in OUR time & way thru direct channels such as social media and newsletters.

Warren remains listed as founding pastor on the Saddleback website.

The SBC has in recent years authorized the ouster of churches that dont conform to its statement of faith. This includes churches with women pastors, LGBTQ-inclusive polices, support for racism or failure to respond adequately to child sexual abuse, such as employing offenders as pastors.

In some cases, the committee has ousted churches for allegedly failing even to cooperate in answering to such allegations, as reflected in some of the motions approved on Tuesday.

It deemed Freedom Church in Vero Beach, Florida, to be not in friendly cooperation based on a lack of intent to cooperate in resolving concerns regarding a sexual abuse allegation. The denomination has been roiled by allegations in recent years of sexual abusers remaining in ministry, prompting the convention to vote for stricter policies. A task force focused on the issue this week announced the hiring of a firm to oversee a new database of credibly accused ministers.

Freedom Churchs pastor, Richard Demsick, told the AP that the SBC has sent conflicting messages to the church. In a letter to national, state and local Southern Baptist entities, church leaders disputed any allegation of abuse, asked for additional information and said they planned to appeal any ouster.

The Executive Committee ousted New Faith Mission Ministry of Griffin, Georgia, and St. Timothys Christian Baptist in Baltimore, citing their lack of intent to cooperate in resolving a question arising from the churches having women senior pastors.

And it ousted Fern Creek Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, and Calvary Baptist Church in Jackson, Mississippi, both for having female lead pastors, indicating they have a faith and practice at odds with the conventions.

The SBC has 13.7 million members, but has seen net declines over more than a decade in members and baptisms, its key metric for spiritual vitality.
BEIJING, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Friday held phone talks with his Belarusian counterpart, Sergei Aleinik, on bilateral ties and the Ukraine crisis.

Qin noted that bilateral relations realized a historic leap as Chinese President Xi Jinping and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko jointly announced the elevation of China-Belarus relations to an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership during a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Samarkand last September.

China is ready to work with Belarus to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, maintain high-level exchanges, take the head-of-state diplomacy as the strategic guidance, deepen political mutual trust and push for more fruitful cooperation, Qin said.

China will continue to support Belarus in its efforts to safeguard national stability and development, and oppose external interference in Belarus's internal affairs and illegal unilateral sanctions against the country, he said.

For his part, Aleinik said Belarus always takes its relations with China as a diplomatic priority, firmly adheres to the one-China principle, and firmly supports China on issues concerning its core interests.

He calls for further deepening practical cooperation with China in various fields, and pushing forward the all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership between Belarus and China in an all-round way.

The two sides also exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis and other issues of common concern.

Qin briefed Aleinik on a paper stating China's position on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, stressing that China always stands on the side of peace, supports efforts in promoting talks for peace, and calls on relevant parties to stay rational and exercise restraint, avoid escalation and expansion of the crisis, resume negotiations at an early date, respect each other, accommodate each other's legitimate concerns and build a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture.

Aleinik said Belarus fully agrees with and supports the Chinese document, adding that China's relevant proposals are of great significance to resolving the crisis. 
(TBTCO) - Ngay 14/4/2023, Bao hiem Bao Viet chi tra 200 trieu ong boi thuong tu vong theo chuong trinh bao hiem suc khoe cho hai nan nhan do gap su co bat ngo khi du lich Vinh Ha Long (Quang Ninh) tren truc thang Bell 505 vua qua. ay la 2 trong 5 nan nhan, nhung la 2 khach hang a tham gia chuong trinh bao hiem suc khoe cua Bao hiem Bao Viet voi ten goi Bao Viet An gia tu ngay 28/10/2022 cua Bao Viet a Nang.
Wyoming wont change its solar laws this year.

House Bill 124, an attempt to impose the same $1-per-megawatt-hour generation tax on commercial solar farms that is already paid by wind, failed Tuesday in the Senate Revenue Committee.

The bill, which was sponsored by Rep. Albert Sommers, R-Pinedale, was endorsed by the Wyoming County Commissioners Association and the Wyoming Mining Association. It was opposed by the Wyoming Taxpayers Association, along with renewable energy developers and industry and environmental groups.

After narrowly clearing the House of Representatives on Feb. 2 by a vote of 34 to 28, the bill died in its Senate committee after all five members voted not to advance it for the first of three floor votes. Sommers was not present at the meeting.

Similar bills, one of which was also sponsored by Sommers, previously fell short in 2020 and 2021.

The bills defeat comes a week after a similar end for Senate File 92, sponsored by Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander. That bill wouldve handed decisions about crediting rooftop solar users for surplus electricity over to the Wyoming Public Service Commission and removed other protections for those households. According to Case, it was intended to keep electricity rates fair. But environmental groups said the bill was drastic and premature.

Proponents of House Bill 124 believe that by taxing wind but not solar, Wyoming is giving solar an unfair advantage. They want to even out the tax structure  and force solar to pay its way in a state economy that relies heavily on tax revenue from the extraction of coal, oil and gas, and, to a lesser extent, from the generation of electricity from wind.

Those who spoke against the bill argued that it would make Wyoming a less competitive place to build solar farms, forcing prospective developers to build outside the states borders. And they raised concerns about who would end up footing the added costs.

This is a stealth tax, Ashley Harpstreith, executive director of the Wyoming Taxpayers Association, told the Revenue Committee.

Wind and solar, she  and several others  emphasized, already pay property taxes and sales and use taxes to the state and local governments. Those taxes are passed on to ratepayers. So is the wind generation tax. And a solar generation tax would be, too.

It would subject the ratepayers to double taxation on electricity without their knowledge, Harpstreith said.

Both sides worried that the other wanted to pick winners and losers, either by giving solar an edge over other electricity sources or by putting it at a significant disadvantage.

Wyomings top-tier wind resources, among other factors, have helped keep developers coming to the state despite the decade-old tax. Its solar opportunity is more run-of-the-mill, however: The sunshine in nearby states is just as good and sometimes better.
A former warden at the Wyoming Honor Farm, who is suing the Wyoming Department of Corrections for workplace discrimination that led to wrongful termination, can continue her suit on the basis of race and religion but not on age and disability, a federal judge concluded.

Ruby Ziegler, 58, alleged she was discriminated against on the basis of race, sex, religion, age and disability after she was promoted to warden in 2016. But the courts dismissed Zieglers age and disability discrimination claim on Tuesday, court documents show.

Ziegler is a Black, Christian woman who has been diagnosed with occipital neuralgia. This is a cognizable disability in which the nerves that run through the scalp are injured or inflamed, which can trigger severe pain.

She accused a white female corrections officer of making a formal complaint that Ziegler was unsafe at work because of her medical condition. A deputy prison administrator decided she was unfit to operate a state vehicle as a result. This was seven years after Zieglers initial health diagnosis.

The administrator allegedly called Ziegler contentious when she tried to explain the department had been aware of her disability for years and then threatened to terminate her because of her condition, court documents state.

Ziegler claims against the department for age or disability discrimination were tossed because state agencies are protected against being sued under the American Disabilities Act in federal court, the filing says.

The Wyoming Department of Corrections responded to the rest of Zieglers lawsuit last week.

Ziegler was one of only two Black women working for the department during her employment, her attorney said in the lawsuit, which was filed in December. She was simultaneously the first Black woman promoted to warden and the second Black warden in the departments history.

She allegedly received a letter about complaints against her making biblical references that made staff uncomfortable  saying bless you in response to sneezes and playing music in her office that a staff member interpreted as religious.

Zieglers suit accused the administrator of engaging in a pattern of retaliation, even threatening to tear the door to her office off its hinges.

In another alleged incident, a white female colleague was fired from her position as health services administrator in 2019. She told Ziegler she believed she had been terminated because a corrections officer serving as captain was having an extramarital affair with another medical services supervisor.

Ziegler wanted the department to conduct an investigation, but the administrator wouldnt allow her to because it would turn her staff against her, Zieglers attorney said in the filing.

She was ultimately placed on leave in July 2019 after that final incident and fired one month later.

Ziegler was replaced by a white man, the complaint said.

The department argued she was not one of only two Black female employees at the time, and she was fired for legitimate, nondiscriminatory reasons, the agencys lawyer said in their response. It did not offer details about why Zieglers firing was justified.

They had 15 staff members who identified themselves as Black at the end of last year, Paul Martin, Wyoming Department of Corrections spokesperson, said in December. Three of those were women.

A letter was sent to Ziegler regarding her biblical references, and the letter speaks for itself... the departments answer said.

They also admit a health services administrator was fired, but they lack the knowledge to know whether it was related to an affair.
CHEYENNE  Lawmakers have tried for years to push through legislation to restrict crossover voting. This session, they finally succeeded.

House Bill 103, which significantly restricts when people can change their party affiliation, cleared its last vote in the Legislature on Friday in a 19-11 vote.

Though the bill has made it through the Legislature, Gov. Mark Gordon must still decide on it.

The bill, sponsored by Wheatland Republican Rep. Jeremy Haroldson, would bar voters from changing their party affiliation after the first day of the candidate filing period. In other words, voters wouldnt be able to see what their candidate options are before deciding which party ticket they want to vote on for the primary election. There would also be a 14-day blackout period prior to general elections.

Voters wouldnt be able to cancel their registration in those time periods, because allowing those cancellations would make a loophole allowing people to re-register with a different party affiliation.

Proponents of the bill have argued that crossover voting has muddied Republican elections, paving the way for moderate Republicans to get voted in. Primary elections, they say, are meant for parties to select their nominees, and people should commit to a party regardless of the candidate choices come election time.

Those who oppose the bill say that it will disenfranchise voters and push people to permanently switch to the Republican Party, even if they dont agree with that partys values.

Whats more, some argued that in a state where the competition is almost exclusively in the primaries, limiting peoples ability to change parties to select their preferred candidates takes away their ability to make meaningful choices in elections.

I submit to you that what this bill does is eliminate a significant part of our population from participating in the election that actually selects whos going to represent them, Sen. Charles Scott, R-Casper, said earlier this week, calling the restrictions flat-dead wrong.

Three attempts to add amendments to the legislation failed on Friday.

One, brought by Senate Minority Floor Leader Chris Rothfuss, D-Laramie, would have allowed political parties to opt out of the bills restrictions. Sen. Scotts amendment clarified that people who are unregistered can still register to vote in the blackout periods.

The last, sponsored by Lander Republican Sen. Cale Case, would have made the blackout period before the primary election 45 days, rather than beginning from the first day of the candidate filing period. That would have allowed voters to view candidates before deciding which party they wanted to vote for.

In total, there were 12 attempts to make amendments to the bill. Only two of them were adopted, but the second of the two deleted the first, so those amendments dont make any difference to the legislation.

The failure to compromise on any parts of the bill frustrated some lawmakers.

I have voted against [House Bill 103] every single time, and part of the reason Ive voted against it is there seems to be an unwillingness from a lot of folks in my party to make any kind of adjustments to it that make it better, Sen. Wendy Schuler, R-Evanston, said.

Attempts to push through crossover legislation seemed to be at a dead end again this session when, earlier this month, all bills aiming to do so had died. That includes House Bill 103, which was voted down in the Senate Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee in a 3-1 vote.

But then, Senate Majority Floor Leader Sen. Larry Hicks, R-Baggs, called for a vote to revive the bill and send it to the Senate Revenue Committee. Such a move is rare, but within the Senates rules. That motion succeeded.

The Senate Revenue Committee was much more favorable for the bills survival. Ranchester Republican Sen. Bo Biteman, the committees chairman, sponsored a mirror bill that also died in the Senate Corporations Committee. After the legislation cleared that committee in a 3-1 vote, it was practically a given that the bill would make it through the Senate.

PHOTOS: Casper voters head to the polls Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes Casper votes
Law enforcement is seeking public assistance to locate Joseph Sloan, 37, of rural Gering, Nebraska.

Family members reported him missing late in the afternoon of Tuesday, according to a press release issued by Sheriff Mark Overman. He was possibly in the La Grange, Wyoming area.

Sloan is described as a white male, 6-feet tall, weighing 155 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes.

He is believed to be driving a silver 2012 Toyota Tundra Crewmax pickup bearing Nebraska license plate 21-67BE.

Family members have also been circulating a post on social media.

Overman asks that anyone with any information to report contact the Scotts Bluff County Communications Center at 308-436-6666, or other local law enforcement.
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.
CHAGUANAS nightlife is said to be declining as random crimes increase, with food vendors and bar operators calling yesterday for better arrest rates to stop repeat criminals.

Once booming mostly as a result of plentiful fast food options, the Chaguanas Main Road is still a go-to for doubles and gyros but now shows much less activity after dark than in years past.




ROME, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Italy looks forward to the full resumption of bilateral exchanges with China at an early date and aims to strengthen cooperation -- especially in economy and trade -- to better benefit the two peoples, senior figures in the country's political circle have said.

China and Italy are both members of the Group of 20 (G20) and representatives of extremely important civilizations in the world, Gian Marco Centinaio, vice president of the Italian Senate, said at a welcome reception on Wednesday evening for Jia Guide, China's new ambassador to Italy.

"As in the past, trade is a key element in the relations between our countries today," Centinaio said, adding that he expects two-way tourist flows to significantly increase after the easing of pandemic restrictions.

The relations between Italy and China have a long history and a bright future, Centinaio told Xinhua. Italy and China have lively economic and cultural relations, he said.

He praised China's efforts in managing the pandemic and to improve bilateral ties, which "allow trade relationship to improve further."

China is an important and expanding market for Italy, Centinaio said, recalling that he served as his country's minister of agriculture about five years ago.

Chinese consumers have shown growing interest in Italian brands and products across fashion, engineering, automotive, and agricultural industries, he said, adding that Italian wine and food products are also entering the daily life of Chinese consumers.

"This allows us to look at China as a preferred interlocutor with whom we can establish further business relations," he said.

Romano Prodi, former president of the European Commission and Italy's former prime minister, told Xinhua at the reception that Italy-China relations and Europe-China relations are a crucial "component of the future," highlighting "indispensable" cooperation and dialogue between the two countries.

Noting that bilateral direct exchanges have been largely hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic over the past three years, Prodi urged the two countries to quickly resume direct exchanges in various areas.

"Right now, from an economic point of view, China's recovery is indispensable for Europe's recovery," said Prodi, adding that the two countries need to strengthen their Belt and Road cooperation.

According to China's foreign ministry's October 2022 figures, China was Italy's largest trading partner in Asia and Italy was China's fourth largest trading partner in the European Union.

Two-way trade between China and Italy totaled 77.88 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, Chinese customs said.





Produced by Xinhua Global Service
It is indeed heart-warming and refreshing to have seen the news that the Asa Wright Nature Centre will once again be open for business. Plenty thanks and Gods blessings to the persons who have been given the concession and had a vision for the upgrades. The place looks like a paradise, and it is hoped that all would appreciate and protect it.
In her professional life, Bimi Huebner was an engineer who helped manage nuclear weapon systems for the United States Navy  perfect training, as it happened, for the job she does now.

Today she helps coordinate the 1,200 volunteers who will stage the Tucson Festival of Books next weekend at the University of Arizona.

Youd be surprised how often my old work life comes in handy, she laughed.

Together with friend and co-chair LaDonna Aronoff, Huebner has been working the last nine months to recruit, schedule and train the workforce that will turn on the lights Saturday morning and put out the cat Sunday night.

Are they ready?

Not yet, but were getting there, Bimi said. By the time we start our setup we should be close.

Engineers such as Huebner know it is technically impossible for bumblebees to fly. The same might be said for book festivals, too.

Consider this: Next weeks Tucson Festival of Books, on March 4 and 5, will involve more than 300 authors, attract more than 100,000 people and cost more than $1 million to stage.

Now this: the festival employs only one full-time staffer, Executive Director Melanie Morgan.

She is helped by three part-time specialists in the months leading up to the event, but most of the lifting each year is done by community volunteers.

Volunteers invite the authors, woo the sponsors, reach out to vendors, and schedule the weekends activities. They drive authors from the airport to their hotels. They will help visitors navigate the campus on both days.

Without them, we couldnt exist, Morgan said, simply.

Cue Huebner and Aronoff, who are themselves volunteers, to make sense of it all.

Huebner helped stage the first Tucson festival in 2009. She later connected with Aronoff through Pi Beta Phi, their college sorority and an active participant in the book festival since inception. Last summer, the two women agreed to re-tool and re-energize the festivals volunteer program.

In some ways, it was a start-up.

We came up short on volunteers last year, Aronoff said. It was nobodys fault, its just that we hadnt had a live festival since 2019. Some of our people had just moved on to other things. And then the COVID numbers started surging again just when we started looking for new volunteers. People didnt want to go out. We were all worried about big crowds.

Huebner and Aronoff drew up a grid of volunteer slots they wanted to fill for next weekends festival. The total came to 2,400 slots, some 2,000 hours of time.

They then developed a list of local schools, businesses and organizations that might help identify potential volunteers.

We wanted to be proactive this time, Huebner said. We didnt want to wait for people to come to us; we wanted to go out looking for them.

Their message?

This is our festival, Tucsons festival, something we can all do together, Huebner said. Its fun, its free, and its something we can all feel good about. Did I mention its fun?

With the event now one week away, the volunteer force is almost back to pre-COVID levels.

The last time I checked, we had 1,159 people, Huebner said. Many of them are taking more than one slot, so we have around 95% of our slots filled. Naturally, the most important jobs are the hardest to fill. We still need some drivers. If youd like to meet a few authors next weekend, please let us know.

It is impossible to measure how much volunteers mean to the book festival, but Aronoff said it is still fun to try.

Just next weekend our volunteers will donate around 19,000 hours of time, she said. If we paid them minimum wage, it would cost $250,000, and most of these people are worth way more than minimum wage.

Its not too late to sign up as a festival volunteer, Aronoff said. A small number of shifts are still available. If you are interested, email Huebner and Aronoff at volunteers@tucsonfestivalofbooks.org.

FOOTNOTES

The UA Poetry Center will host a celebration of life and legacy honoring the late Richard Shelton Saturday, March 4, at 6 p.m. It is scheduled for book festival weekend so Sheltons out-of-town colleagues can attend while in Tucson. Shelton was an important part of the Poetry Center for almost 60 years. He authored 11 books of poetry and creative nonfiction. In 1974, he established the prison writing workshop program that continues today. Shelton died on Nov. 29 at the age of 89.

Book Festival Sunday will certainly be buzz-worthy. At 1 p.m., Linda Ronstadt and co-author Lawrence Downes will discuss her recently released memoir, Feels Like Home. Three hours later, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and co-author John Nichols will talk about their new book: Its OK to be Angry About Capitalism. Both sessions are scheduled for the UA Student Union Ballroom.

One of the unsung heroes of the book festival is the local chapter Pi Beta Phi. All Pi Phis focus on literacy, and the 400 active members at UA take their role seriously. They have collected 5,000 childrens books and will give them away to kids during next weeks festival.
Prosecutors reduced the murder charge against Arizona border rancher George Alan Kelly from first-degree to second-degree, a lesser offense that doesnt involve premeditation, in court documents filed late Thursday.

Kelly, 74, was arrested after Santa Cruz County sheriffs deputies found the body of Gabriel Cuen Buitimea, 48, of Mexico, Jan. 30 on Kellys property near Nogales and close to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Prosecutor Kim Hunley explained the reduced charge on Friday. She said that even if Kelly shot Cuen Buitimea on accident while intending to fire a warning shot, the state can still establish that he committed second-degree murder because of extreme indifference to human life in which he recklessly caused his death.

The prosecution alleges there was a group of seven to eight undocumented migrants traveling north through Kellys land, unarmed, and that he shot at them without warning or provocation, fatally shooting Cuen Buitimea in the back as he ran away.

Two charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, related to two other alleged victims, were added to the murder charge against Kelly on Tuesday. The two other people are identified only by initials in court documents.

Kelly has pleaded not guilty. His defense says he saw a group of men on his property carrying AK-47s, wearing khakis and camouflaged clothing and carrying large backpacks, and that he fired a warning shot above their heads.

Kelly posted bond and was released from jail Wednesday afternoon, after a judge agreed to change his $1 million cash bond to a surety bond of the same amount, meaning a bail bondsman could post bail, earlier that day.

Bullet casings a match

A detective testified Friday in Nogales in an evidentiary hearing in the case that he found bullet casings around the property that fit an AK-47 and match ammunition connected to Kelly.

The Santa Cruz County Sheriffs Office discovered a bullet casing on Kellys back porch, while executing a search warrant, that can be used in an AK-47 as well as eight additional casings on the property, the lead detective in the case, Jorge Ainza, testified.

Officers who responded to the incident earlier in the day, before Cuen Buitimeas body was discovered, saw Kelly with an AK-47, he said.

The place detectives found the casings was consistent with shots being fired toward where the body was found behind the house, Ainza said. He also found numerous rounds of ammunition matching the casings found on the property as well as a number of other weapons.

Ainza also said the accounts Kelly gave to law enforcement were inconsistent, including changing his statement on whether he shot his gun and how many people he saw, which was part of why Ainza decided to arrest him on suspicion of murder.

Ainza also said Border Patrol agents told him the area of Kellys ranch is a high crime area. One agent told him he had encountered armed people out there before, with both handguns and rifles and that there had been an increased amount of drug trafficking in the area, Ainza said at the hearing.

Alleged victim says group wasnt armed

One of the other alleged victims in the case, only identified as D.R.-R., said he and Cuen Buitimea were crossing into the U.S. that day to find work in Phoenix. They were in a group of seven men total, and no one was armed, he testified Friday.

D.R.-R. said hes a field worker in Sonora and has crossed into the U.S. undocumented about a half-dozen times, getting caught by authorities every time. He has been convicted of illegal entry and spent some time incarcerated for it.

Not much has been released about Cuen Buitimea, but federal court records show someone with the same name and age pleaded guilty to unlawfully entering the country at or near Nogales in 2016 and had been either denied entry or deported several times in previous years.

D.R.-R. said at the hearing that he and Cuen Buitimea worked together and were friends.

When they crossed the border on Jan. 30, they walked to where the border wall ends outside Nogales and entered the U.S. near the Kino Springs area, near Kellys ranch, he said.

D.R.-R said he arranged with someone he met at work to cross the border and agreed to pay $2,500. He paid half up front and planned to pay the rest with money he hoped to make working in Phoenix, he said.

They were resting close to a dirt road when suddenly they were being shot at, D.R.-R. said. Cuen Buitimea clutched his chest, said hed been hit and fell. D.R.-R. could see he was dead.

He ran, and when he turned around, he saw Kelly, he said. He said he saw there was something in Kellys hands, but he did not know what it was.

D.R.-R. said he knew it was an AK-47 shooting at them because he recognized the sound. When defense attorney Brenna Larkin asked him how he knew what an AK-47 sounded like, he said he was used to hearing people fire them to celebrate during holidays.

Detective Joseph Bonting with the Santa Cruz County Sheriffs Office also testified Friday.

There is a lot of brush from mesquite trees between Kellys house and where the body was found, he said. Shooting someone from that distance, about 120 yards, and through the brush would be a hard shot, he said in response to questions from the defense.

Closing arguments in the hearing were yet to be made as of late Friday.
George Alan Kelly, the border rancher charged with murder in the shooting death of a Mexican national on his land near Nogales, posted bond and was released from jail Wednesday afternoon, according to the Santa Cruz County Detention Center.

Kelly, 74, was arrested after Santa Cruz County sheriffs deputies found the body Jan. 30 on Kellys property, close to the U.S.-Mexico border. The man had been fatally shot. Prosecutors contend Kelly shot the unarmed man in the back in an unprovoked attack, and they say there are two other victims who survived. The ranchers defense attorney counters that a group of armed men approached Kelly on his land and that he only fired a warning shot.

During a hearing Wednesday in Nogales, a judge agreed to change Kellys $1 million cash bond to a surety bond of the same amount, meaning a bail bondsman could post bail.

As part of the conditions of release, Kelly is prohibited from possessing firearms, drinking alcohol, contacting any victims in the case or leaving the state without written permission from the court. He is also required to submit to drug and alcohol testing if required by the court.

There were two charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, related to the two other alleged victims, added to the murder charge against Kelly on Tuesday.

The prosecution alleges there was a group of seven to eight undocumented migrants traveling north through Kellys land, unarmed, and that he shot at them without warning or provocation, fatally shooting 48-year-old Gabriel Cuen Buitimea in the back as he ran away.

Kelly has pleaded not guilty. His defense says he saw a group of men on his property carrying AK-47s, wearing khakis and camouflaged clothing and carrying large backpacks, and that he fired a warning shot above their heads.

An evidentiary hearing in Kellys case is scheduled for Friday at 9 a.m. in Nogales.
A man who claimed he shot and killed a woman during an attempted break-in has been arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder, the Pima County Sheriffs Department said.

Raymond Edward Lucas, 71, called the Sheriff's Department in Oct. 23, 2021 claiming that several people were trying to get into his home near the 12000 block of West High Ridge Drive, a news release said.

During the call Lucas said he was getting his firearm and the dispatcher heard the sound of gunfire. Deputies searched Lucas property and found Rachel Crowe, 29, outside the home with gunshot wounds.

Crowe died at the hospital.

No one else was found at the scene and no criminal charges were filed at that time, the news release said.

Detectives got new information and evidence, leading them to issue a warrant against Lucas for second degree murder.

Detectives arrested Lucas Thursday at the Los Angeles International Airport as he entered the United States, the news release said.
PHOENIX  Calling the legislation a flawed solution to the housing crisis, Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed a bill to bar cities from taxing residential rentals.

I appreciate the Legislatures interest in addressing rising housing costs, particularly for renters, Hobbs said Thursday in her 14th veto since the legislative session began last month. Lowering costs for Arizona families is a priority of my administration.

But Hobbs said the measure had defects. One of the biggest, she said, is there is no enforceable mechanism to ensure that landlords, who remit the tax to the cities, would pass along the savings to their tenants.

If we are going to promise relief to renters, its important that we are able to ensure they actually receive it, the Democratic governor said. For working families faced with ever-increasing rental prices, this proposal just doesnt fit the bill.

The vetoed Senate Bill 1184 did have language to require landlords, by the end of the year, to reduce rent due by an amount equal to what they would no longer being paying to cities.

Hobbs said even an attorney for lawmakers said such a provision might not withstand a challenge under state or federal constitutions.

Sen. Mitzi Epstein, D-Tempe, said theres a more practical problem.

Whatever the market price is, thats what the rent will be, she said during debate on the bill. Landlords would simply decide that if tenants were willing to pay a certain amount for a unit, including the tax, they would not balk at paying the same amount even if there was no tax, she said. All the measure would do is allow landlords to pocket what they no longer had to forward to cities in taxes, Epstein said.

But Sen. Steve Kaiser, R-Phoenix, who wrote SB1184, said no legislative attorney questioned the legality of forcing landlords to pass along the tax savings.

He said the nature of residential leases precludes landlords from pocketing the savings.

When you have a landlord and a tenant, theres a contract, Kaiser said. It says, This is your rent and heres the tax underneath it and this is your total rent. When the tax goes away, it just goes away for the renter.

That would make it simple for tenants to determine if they werent getting the financial benefit his bill required, he said.

Governor: Appropriation another issue

Kaiser said its no different than if the state were to eliminate cities ability to levy a tax on groceries.

The tab at the register lists the cost of the items with the tax added at the bottom, Kaiser said. And if that tax went away  something Arizona lawmakers are considering  shoppers would pay just for the groceries.

The question of whether tenants would get relief wasnt Hobbs only stated reason for vetoing the measure.

She pointed out lawmakers in the GOP-controlled Legislature had agreed to divide up nearly $270 million in state tax dollars to give to cities and towns over an 18-month period to help cushion their financial losses. That isnt acceptable, she said.

To approve of such an appropriation outside of a comprehensive budget agreement would be irresponsible, Hobbs wrote in her veto message. She said if Republicans want to spend that kind of money it should become part of bipartisan budget negotiations rather than a stand-alone measure.

Cities urged veto, Hobbs says

Not every city or town taxes residential rentals.

Chandler, for example, has a 1.5% levy that raises about $9.8 million a year, equal to more than 5% of all sales taxes collected.

Bisbees 3.5% tax raises just $69,407, according to figures by the League of Arizona Cities and Towns. A 1.8% tax in Casa Grande generates nearly $1.5 million, Glendale gets $11 million from its 2.2% tax, a 2.75% tax in Prescott produces more than $2.6 million, and Sahuarita gets $175,000 from its 2.0% levy.

Hobbs said in a news release that she was urged by cities and towns to veto the measure.

She cited a message from John Lewis, president and CEO of the PHX East Valley Partnership, which includes elected officials and business leaders.

It will not provide meaningful relief to renters, Lewis wrote. It will force local government to weigh increasing other local taxes or reducing services, putting the vitality of our burgeoning region at risk.

Yuma Mayor Douglas Nicholls, who is president of the League of Arizona Cities and Towns, echoed his belief that SB1184 would not benefit renters and will likely only accomplish providing a tax break for landlords.
The man accused of kidnapping and killing 6-year-old Isabel Celis spent more than $100 cleaning his car the day she was discovered missing from her bedroom, bank records show.

The next day, Christopher Clements made a purchase at a restaurant near the Celis house that Tucson police were using as a command post for their search for Isabel.

Isabel was last seen on April 20, 2012. Her fate was a mystery, and Clements wasnt identified as a suspect until March 2017, when he led authorities to her remains in exchange for the dropping of unrelated charges and his car being released from impound.

Detective Jeff Lockwood testified Thursday at Clements trial about activity he found in Clements bank statements from 2012, and telephone records from 2011, which included calls from Clements phones to the Celis house, although family members have testified they did not know him.

The bank records showed the $110 charge to Simoniz carwash and the purchase at Five Guys burgers in the area of East Broadway and North Craycroft Road. In the days after Isabels disappearance, police used the restaurants parking lot to set up their mobile command post for the search.

While Clements was a frequent visitor of Simoniz, according to his bank records, his typical purchase amount was $15-$25, Lockwood said.

Clements defense attorney, Eric Kessler, asked Lockwood if he knew that Clements told detectives during a 2012 interview that he was self-employed buying and selling cars. Clements told police hed driven to Phoenix to purchase a car on April 19 and spent the day on April 21 trying to sell the car.

Police conducted that routine interview while canvassing homes in the neighborhoods around the Celis home for witnesses and information about the missing child, long before Clements became a suspect.

While Department of Motor Vehicle records showed Clements had five cars registered to his name between January and April 2012, Lockwood said, there were no additional charges at the carwash of more than $100.

On May 18, 2012  10 days after police interviewed Clements  he spent nearly $900 on a plane ticket to Hawaii, Lockwood said. His bank accounts showed activity in Hawaii from May 20 through 24, with purchases in Tucson resuming on May 25.

Six months before Isabels disappearance, in October and November 2011, two phone numbers linked to Clements called the Celis landline, Lockwood said.

On Oct. 23, 2011, one of Clements phones made three calls to the Celis house between 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m., each lasting less than a few seconds. The next day, there were two more phone calls also lasting less than a few seconds.

A month later, on Nov. 28, 2011, another phone belonging to Clements called the Celis house, and the call disconnected immediately after it was answered. Lockwood said a zero-second phone call like that would indicate the line was busy or that one of the parties immediately hung up.

Kessler asked Lockwood if the short length of the calls indicated no conversations took place, and reminded him that call logs dont specify which person made the call.

Kessler also said that in 2012, the Celis family had a nonworking Acura parked on the side of the house. He asked Lockwood if he knew that two of Clements ex-girlfriends told police he used to drive around town and look for Hondas and Acuras to buy.

Ex-neighbor; FBI agent testify

Thursdays testimony opened with a witness for the defense, who was called out of order due to scheduling issues. The state has not rested its case.

Jill Sena, a former neighbor of the Celis family, told jurors her daughter and Isabel played together a few times. She said the morning Isabel was found to be missing, she encountered Isabels father, Sergio Celis.

I saw him on the street riding a bike, Sena said. Slowly.

Sergio Celis told jurors last week that he chose to search for Isabel by bike instead of car because he could cover more ground that way and wouldnt be limited to the roadway.

The states case resumed with testimony from FBI agent Tony Taylor, who described a call that came into the bureaus public assistance line on Feb. 10, 2017, saying a person at the Pima County jail named Christopher Clements had information on the missing Isabel Celis.

Taylor said that when FBI agents went to visit Clements in jail, he was expecting them. The agents opened the conversation with You know why were here, he said.

On March 2, they made a deal with Clements to drop the unrelated charges for which he was being detained and to release his car from impound. After the deal was made, they were handed a document with the words Avera Valley and Trico Road written on the back, Taylor said.

The next day, Taylor and others went with Clements to a desert area near Avra Valley and Trico Roads, where Clements told them to look for a large tree with dense brush underneath.

After a few wrong turns, Clements pointed to a tree line he said looked familiar. A short time later, authorities found partial skull bones, later identified as belonging to Isabel.
For Russia, it's been a year of bold charges and bombardments, humiliating retreats and grinding sieges. Ukraine countered with fierce resistance, surprising counteroffensives and unexpected hit-and-run strikes.

Now, on the anniversary of Russia's Feb. 24, 2022, invasion that has killed tens of thousands and reduced cities to ruins, both sides are preparing for a potentially more disastrous phase.

Russia on Thursday intensified its push to capture all of Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland of the Donbas. Kyiv and its Western allies also say Moscow could try to launch a wider, more ambitious attack elsewhere along the more than 600-mile front line.

Ukraine is waiting for battle tanks and other new weapons pledged by the West for it to reclaim occupied areas.

What's nowhere in sight is a settlement. The Kremlin insists it must include the recognition of the Crimean Peninsula, which it annexed illegally in 2014, along with the acceptance of its other territorial gains. Ukraine categorically rejects those demands and rules out talks until Russia withdraws all forces.

The U.N. General Assembly approved a resolution Thursday that calls for Russia to end hostilities and withdraw its forces, sending a strong message on the eve of the first anniversary of the invasion that Moscow's aggression must end. The 141-7 vote with 32 abstentions was slightly below the highest vote for the five previous resolutions approved by the 193-member world body regarding the war.

The resolutions are not legally binding but serve as a barometer of world opinion. The Security Council, charged with maintaining international peace and security, is paralyzed by Russias veto power.

Foreign ministers and diplomats from more than 75 countries addressed the assembly during two days of debate, many urging support for the resolution that upholds Ukraines territorial integrity, a basic principle of the U.N. Charter that all countries must subscribe to when they join.

Meanwhile, China called for a cease-fire early Friday between Ukraine and Russia and the opening of peace talks as part of a 12-point proposal to end the conflict.

The plan by the Foreign Ministry also urges the end of Western sanctions imposed on Russia, the establishment of humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians and steps to ensure the export of grain after disruptions caused global food prices to spike.

The U.S. wants to see tougher and more effectively enforced sanctions against Russia and additional support for Ukraine, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Thursday during meetings of the Group of 20 leading economies in the Indian technology hub of Bengaluru. She said sanctions are working but more needs to be done to hobble the Russian war effort.

Yellen said the U.S. expects to provide another $10 billion in assistance to Ukraine on top of more than $46 billion already given. She commended allies for their direct aid and said the role of the International Monetary Fund in those efforts is critical."

Experts warn that Europe's largest conflict since World War II could drag on for years, and some fear it could lead to a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO. Putin repeatedly said Russia could use "all available means" to protect its territory, a clear reference to its nuclear arsenal.

In recent months, Russian forces have tried to encircle the Ukrainian stronghold of Bakhmut and push deeper into the Donetsk region. Moscow also aims to wear down Ukrainian forces and prevent them from starting offensives elsewhere.

"Russia currently has the initiative and the advantage on the battlefield," Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said, noting Kyiv's acute shortage of ammunition.

Russia has relied on its massive arsenal, and boosted production of weapons and munitions, giving it a significant edge. While Ukrainian and Western intelligence agencies observed that Moscow is running out of precision missiles, it has plenty of old-style weapons.

Still, a wider Russian offensive beyond the Donbas could be a gamble for Moscow, which mobilized 300,000 reservists last fall to bolster its forces.

Igor Strelkov, a former Russian security officer who led separatist forces in the Donbas when fighting erupted there in 2014, warned that a big offensive could be disastrous for Russia because its preparation would be impossible to conceal and attackers would face a devastating response. He said an offensive would also raise logistical challenges like those that thwarted Russia's attempt to capture Kyiv at the war's start.

"Any large-scale offensive will quickly and inevitably entail very big losses, exhausting the resources accumulated during mobilization," Strelkov warned.

Justin Bronk, a senior research fellow at RUSI in London, predicted a Russian offensive would fail but said it could drain Ukraine's resources and keep it from preparing a large-scale counteroffensive.

Major Ukrainian battlefield successes this summer could fuel "significant political turmoil in Russia, because at that point, Putin's own position within the leadership becomes very, very difficult to see as tenable," he said.

At the same time, if Ukraine fails to reclaim more territory before Russia builds up its troops, it could lead to a "long-term stalemate and sort of a grinding attritional war that just kind of goes on and on," Bronk added.
CANBERRA, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- South Australian authorities have called in extra water bombers amid a perfect storm of bushfire conditions.

Temperatures across Australia's state of South Australia (SA) were forecast to soar above 40 degrees Celsius for the second consecutive day on Friday, with strong winds exacerbating conditions.

Total fire bans have been put in place in eight districts including Adelaide, the capital city of SA, and all available Country Fire Service (CFS) crews have been put on standby.

The State Emergency Service (SES) has issued severe heatwave warnings urging people to stay indoors where possible.

Jonathan Fischer, the Bureau of Meteorology's emergency services meteorologist, said Friday's conditions posed a significant risk with fuel moisture having reached near peak dryness and flammability.

"In terms of the prolonged duration of this heatwave, we are looking at the worst conditions since the 2019-20 season," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

"There's also a risk of dry lightning across the state on Friday and that's going to further elevate that fire risk," said Fischer. "Despite the relatively cool and wet spring that we had, conditions have dried out over the last couple of months."

Crews were on Thursday called out to fight a fire that broke out in an industrial warehouse on the Yorke Peninsula in the state, causing 3 million Australian dollars (2.04 million U.S. dollars) in damage.

In anticipation of Friday's conditions, the fire service department has called on the support of water-bombing aircraft.

One of the areas where the danger has been rated extreme is the Lower Eyre Peninsula where the town of Port Lincoln was hit by a fire earlier in February that was caused by failed power infrastructure, destroying 16 properties and damaging another seven. 
On this version of Hot off the Wire:

 Federal safety investigators have released a preliminary report on the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment and toxic chemical release. The National Transportation Safety Board says the train's crew did not receive a critical warning about an overheated axle until just before dozens of cars went off the tracks.

 Disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh has denied killing his wife and son but admitted lying about when he last saw them alive while testifying in his own defense.

 A Los Angeles judge on Thursday sentenced Harvey Weinstein to 16 years in prison after a jury convicted him of the 2013 rape and sexual assault of an Italian actor and model.

 R. Kelly has received a 20-year prison sentence for child pornography and the enticement of minors for sex. In a victory for Kelly, however, the court said Thursday that he will serve 19 years of that sentence simultaneously with his 30-year sentence imposed last year in New York.

 The number of U.S. mass killings linked to extremism was at least three times higher in the last decade than the total from any other 10-year period since the 1970s.

 Former President Donald Trumps lawyers in Georgia are criticizing the Fulton County investigation into potential illegal election meddling after the foreperson of the special grand jury helping the probe went public.

 Nearly 30 million Americans who got extra government help with grocery bills during the pandemic will soon see that aid shrink.

 Draft U.S. rules would allow soy, oat, almond and other drinks that bill themselves as milk to keep using the name.
Joy Harjo and Kristin Chenoweth, who were jointly honored at the Oklahoma Governors Arts Awards in 2021, will be sharing their latest literary endeavors next month.

Harjo, the Tulsa native and citizen of the Mvskoke Nation who recently ended her tenure as the 23rd U.S. Poet Laureate, will publish her third book for young readers, titled Remember (Random House Studios, $18.99), on March 21.

Broken Arrow native and Tony and Emmy Award winner Chenoweth will be at Oklahoma Citys Full Circle Bookstore March 6 for the first Oklahoma event for her latest book, Im No Philosopher, but I Got Thoughts: Mini-Meditations for Saints, Sinners, and the Rest of Us (Harper Celebrate, $22.99).

Harjos book, illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Michaela Goade, is an adaptation of Harjos poem Remember, which originally appeared in her 1983 collection, She Had Some Horses, which has since become one of the authors best-known works. A selection from the poem is on the NASA probe Lucy, which was sent to study Jupiters Trojan asteroids.

The poem is a reminder and an encouragement to reflect on family, nature, ones heritage, and the world around us. A pre-publication review by Kirkus Reviews calls the book a contemplative, visually dazzling masterpiece that will resonate even more deeply each time it is read. ... Children will take comfort in the words of strength about nature and the universe; adults should use this book to spark dialogue about the natural world and family stories.

Goade, a member of the Tlingit Nation in Alaska whose award-winning books include Berry Song and We Were Protectors, said she was not very familiar with Harjos work before she was approached about the Remember project.

Joys poem is so beautiful and powerful, and it was an exciting creative challenge to weave a visual story into and around her words, said Goade, whose illustrations draw from her own Tlingit heritage.

Joy begins her poem with an invitation to remember the stars, then the moon, and finally the sun, she said. I realized that in traditional Tlingit creation stories, Raven brings us light by first releasing the stars, then the moon, and finally the sun. It was a similarity I couldnt ignore. From that point on, I was inspired to set the visual narrative in traditional Tlingit territory, my ancestral homelands, in southeast Alaska.

Thoughts on life

While not wanting to dispute the declaration that is her books title, one could say that Kristin Chenoweths career in show business is due to philosophy.

She burst on the national scene in 1999, when she was cast as Sally Brown in a new revival of the musical Youre a Good Man, Charlie Brown. This version of the show included a song written especially for Chenoweths character, titled My New Philosophy, and her performance of this peppy number helped to earn her a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress.

And Chenoweth herself admits in the introduction to Im No Philosopher... that philosophy of one form or another has been an integral part of her career.

Im not a philosopher, but Ive played one on TV, she writes. And in the movies. And on Broadway. Every character Ive ever played has her own unique worldview, and cracking that open was key to playing the bejeebers out of her.

Over the course of 16 breezily written chapters, Chenoweth shares her thoughts about everything from love and work to loss and anxiety, harmony and screwing up to openness and closure.

The book also includes several interactive features, such as a pie chart to fill out, questions to answer and other mini-activities, as well as some of Chenoweths own tips for self-care.

I think we can all agree that what this tired world needs right now is one big celebration, she writes. You bring the champagne, and Ill bring this book, which is my gift to you: a celebration of whatever makes this day joyful, a mini-vacation from whatever makes it a challenge.

Oklahoma Citys Full Circle will host a meet-and-greet and book-signing event beginning at 6 p.m. Monday, March 6. Tickets are required and are free with the purchase of the book from Full Circle Bookstore. Copies of Chenoweths other books, which include the childrens book What Shall I Do with My Love Today? and the anthology My Moment, will be available for purchase.
During the time that chef James Shrader oversaw Kitchen 27, the five-star restaurant on the lower level of the Philbrook Museum of Art, the museum has had a tradition that during temperate times, every Friday night was Burger Night at the museum.

The museum chose to shutter Kitchen 27 at the end of last year, but that doesnt mean Philbrook will not have a special treat for those who wish to start their weekend at the museum.

Antoinette Baking Co. has opened Cafe Antoinette at Philbrook, in conjunction with the museums current exhibit, Rembrandt to Monet: 500 Years of European Painting from the Joslyn Museum, which opened to the public Wednesday.

The bakery has its own weekend tradition of Pie Night, offering slices of its unique pies Friday and Saturday night at its Tulsa Arts District location, 207 N. Main St.

That tradition will continue at its Philbrook location, 2727 S. Rockford Road, with the first Philbrook Pie Night taking place 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24.

Cafe Antoinette is located in the main lobby of the museum, just across from the main entrance to the Rembrandt to Monet exhibit.

It will be like our regular pie night, with different flavors available each time, Antoinette co-owner Molly Martin said.

Martin said having this pop-up space in Philbrook is a way to introduce new customers to what Antoinette has to offer, as well as an opportunity to experiment a bit.

We will have a lot of things that have been very popular over the years, she said. And because of the exhibit (which features a number of French artists), well be doing some very French pastries and the like.

Cafe Antoinette will be open during museum hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday (to 9 p.m. on Friday), serving hot and cold beverages, including a new creation called the Almond Arnold Palmer; as well as sandwiches, salads and snacks both sweet and salty, like the brown-butter Rice Krispies treats, caramel-cheddar popcorn or their signature macarons.

Well also have a number of gluten-free and vegan options, Martin said.

The Cafe Antoinette at Philbrook will remain up through the run of Rembrandt to Monet, which closes May 28. Philbrook President and CEO Scott Stulen said the museum is considering long-range options for how it may want to use the kitchen space but that it is likely Philbrook will explore other pop-up concepts from local restaurants in the future.

The restaurant was part of the 75,000-square-foot addition to the original Villa Philbrook, which opened to the public in the fall of 1990. Jody Walls, Tulsas first female chef whose restaurants included Josephines and The Ramekin, served as culinary consultant when the restaurant, called La Villa, opened.

Shrader took over the space in March 2018, renaming it Kitchen 27. It earned five stars for food, service and atmosphere, and ranked No. 3 in that years list of best new restaurants.

Freddys honors founder with shake deal

Freddys Frozen Custard & Steakburgers is honoring its late co-founder, namesake and decorated World War II veteran Freddy Simon, with a special offer on the anniversary of his birthday, Feb. 24.

Guests who visit Freddys and purchase any size Birthday Cake Shake will receive another one to share. The shake is made with vanilla frozen custard blended with confetti cake pieces, cupcake syrup and rainbow sprinkles, then garnished with a piece of cotton candy on top.

This special offer will be available only on Friday at Freddys locations nationwide. Shakes can be ordered and shared via in-restaurant dining and drive-through. Pickup and delivery orders through Freddys mobile app and at freddys.com must use the code FREDDYSBDAY during checkout to redeem the offer. Limit one free Birthday Cake Shake of equal or lesser value per order.

Prossimo offers week-long brunch

Prossimo Ristorante, 1550 E. 15th St., is now offering brunch seven days a week. Brunch hours are 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, and 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The menu features several specialty cocktails including a Creamsicle Mimosa, as well as tableside mozzarella, polenta and meatballs, lemon-zested pancakes, scrambled eggs with roast bone marrow, hundred-layer lasagna, French toast panini and wild mushroom risotto, among other dishes.

Reservations are recommended. 918-271-5096, prossimoristorante.com.

Dalesandros hosts Kids Cooking Camp

Dalesandros Italian Cuisine, 1742 S. Boston Ave., will host its Kids Cooking Camp for young chefs ages 5 to 12. The camp takes place March 14-16, and participants will receive their own apron, lunch each day of the camp, and a take-home dessert on the final day.

The top camper will get to treat his or her family to dinner at the restaurant on March 16 and be introduced as Dalesandros top young chef.

Cost is $150 per person. To register: dalesandros.com/cooking-camp

Tacos 4 Life offers fish tacos

Tacos 4 Life is offering for a limited time only a new Baja Fish Taco, which features a fried white fish filet in a flour tortilla topped with roasted poblano salsa, chipotle aioli, shredded lettuce and pico de gallo, for $5.39.

As is the case with all food purchases at Tacos 4 Life, buying a Baja Fish Taco will prompt the restaurant to donate to Feed My Starving Children, a nonprofit organization working to end hunger throughout the world.

Tacos 4 Life has two area locations: 10732 S. Memorial Drive, and 945 E. Kenosha St., in Broken Arrow. tacos4life.

Metro Diner serving po boys

Metro Diner, 7474 S. Olympia Ave., is offering po boy sandwiches, with a choice of fried chicken or shrimp, topped with lettuce, tomato and chipotle ranch dressing on a hoagie roll. Sandwiches are served with a side of fries.

The sandwiches will be available through April 9. metrodiner.com.
PHNOM PENH, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Paris-headquartered Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on Friday removed Cambodia from its grey list of high-risk countries for money laundering after the Southeast Asian nation had been listed since 2019.

According to the outcomes of its plenary meeting posted on its website, the global money-laundering watchdog said Cambodia had made progress in improving anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) regimes.

The country "has addressed its technical deficiencies to meet the commitments of its action plan on strategic deficiencies that the FATF identified in February 2019," the FATF said.

It added that Cambodia is "no longer subject to the FATF's increased monitoring process." 
Just past the edge of downtown Tulsa and the historic Cains Ballroom, a special home sits on a double lot in The Heights neighborhood.

This home, built in 1914, sits near the intersection of West Marshall Street and North Cheyenne Avenue. The four-bedroom, three-bathroom house, spanning nearly 3,000 square feet, is recognized as part of the National Register of Historic Places, but its much more than just a landmark: Its a fully revitalized family home.

Dave and Heather Kobel bought then-103-year-old estate in 2017 and have made efforts to restore the home to its former glory. On Sunday, Feb. 26, design and construction enthusiasts will have a chance to walk through the home and see those endeavors firsthand. The Tulsa Foundation for Architecture will host a tour of this historic house as part of its Distinctive Dwellings series.

When people come into our home, I hope they see love and warmth, Heather Kobel said.

The Kobel family wasnt always set on living in The Heights neighborhood. The couple lived in a 1930s cottage near Swan Lake and werent intent on moving to another historic home. When they toured 1151 N. Cheyenne Ave., however, they felt especially drawn to it, they said.

We were going to buy something a little newer that didnt need as much work, Dave Kobel said. We were looking at homes up on Reservoir Hill, and we saw they were having a tour of homes in The Heights. We saw that this home was for sale, and we came and did a tour  Heather was the one who first jumped on it.

It reminded me of my childhood friends homes  homes that were big, super old and cool, Heather Kobel said.

Heather Kobel said she could envision their family living there, and after a little convincing, Dave Kobel was on board, too.

When we came in, the feel of the place  the plaster walls, the wood floors  it felt like our style would fit well with it, Dave Kobel said. I grow a lot of cacti, and when we went outside, Heather said Imagine your cacti growing here in front of the house. I did, and we put an offer in two weeks later.

Another couple had already planned to buy the home, but the owner decided Dave and Heather Kobel were the right couple to take over.

Ultimately, the owner said she wanted us as neighbors, and she took a lower bid than the other couple had offered, Heather Kobel said.

The Heights neighborhood, formerly known as Brady Heights, was constructed in the early 20th century, according to the Tulsa Preservation Commission. The area was home to many well-to-do Tulsans, including I.S. Mincks, George Winkler and Diamond Joe Wilson.

The neighborhood was named for W. Tate Brady, who owned the land comprising the neighborhood. However, residents of the historic neighborhood voted by a wide margin in 2021 to erase Bradys name and become known simply as The Heights. One of the signers of Tulsas original city charter in 1898, Brady had later become a member of the Ku Klux Klan.

Since its construction in 1914, the Kobels home has seen many eras and iterations. Its rumored that Nelle Shields Jackson, founder of Miss Jacksons department store, once lived there. During the Great Depression, the home was separated into a triplex, with three separate apartments inside serving as affordable housing for families, Kobel said.

I cant imagine all the history here, all the people who have come in and out and the stories they must have, Heather Kobel said.

Despite The Heights neighborhood being added to the National Register of Historic Places in June 1980, the Kobels home had fallen into complete disarray, Dave Kobel said.

Im told you could stand in the basement and look up and see daylight through the ceiling, Dave Kobel said. It was in pretty bad condition.

According to Dave Kobel, the homes previous owner, Dani Widell of Widell Renovations, bought the fixer-upper in 2015 for $55,000. After completing massive renovations and restorations to the home, Widell lived in the home for one year before putting it on the market.

The owners wanted to take the home back to how it was originally, Widell said. Its much closer now to what it was originally envisioned to look like.

Many of the homes original elements are still intact: original hardwood floors, called firemans floors, curved archways, wooden beams and many of the homes early windows remain.

Though the home had undergone significant improvements to make it livable, the Kobels still had work cut out for them. The couple did extensive work on the homes landscaping, electrical and plumbing systems to bring it up to code, Dave Kobel said.

When we were getting our inspection done for approval, the home inspector said, Please take care of this house  they dont make them like her anymore, Dave Kobel said. There are those times when you think, Wow, theres a lot of stuff to fix up, and you get tired. But then, you think, Well, someones got to take care of and preserve these kinds of places.

Originally from southern Texas, near the border of Mexico, the Kobels said they took great care to maintain the homes historic charm while incorporating their own interior design style. The home is full of artwork and decor reminiscent of the American Southwest, adding a friendly charm to the place.

The home was extremely formal before  there were two fancy pink couches in the living room, Heather Kobel said. I think weve brought it down a few notches and made it much more approachable and warmer.

The Kobels said their favorite part of the home is the front porch, which allows them a great view of The Heights neighborhood.

That was another big draw for us  having a big front porch where everyone can hang out, Heather Kobel said.

We can open the door and watch people walk by and sit out in the rain and watch a storm roll in, Dave Kobel said.

Since its nascence over 100 years ago, The Heights neighborhood has developed and changed significantly. The area has experienced commercial growth, with businesses such as Prism Cafe and Fulton Street Books & Coffee opening within walking distance of the Kobels home.

The diversity of the neighborhood now is one of the things that drew us in, Dave Kobel said. If you look at the history of this neighborhood, theres names tied to it that are associated with some ugly things in Tulsas history. Seeing how much its changed and that its such an integrated area of Tulsa now  its kind of a hit back to those people who did such awful things.

The Kobels said they plan to stay in their home in The Heights for a long time. With a big front porch, a large outdoor living area, guest quarters and plenty of yard space, the house has been a great place to host family and friends, Heather Kobel said.

To the Kobels, the home feels beautiful and special, and they see themselves as stewards of the historic dwelling.

If I had to pick one word to describe this home, it would be graceful, Heather Kobel said. The people who lived here before us, and many others, have referred to it as her. This beautiful home is her.

For more information or to register for the Tulsa Foundation for Architectures tour of the Kobels home, visit tulsaarchitecture.org/programs.
Two Bed Bath & Beyond stores in Tulsa are among those that will be closing, according to a list recently released by the national retailer.

The local stores are in Tulsa Hills, 7410 S. Olympia Ave., and at 5352 E. Skelly Drive.

Other stores impacted in Oklahoma are in Norman and Moore.

Over the past several months, Bed Bath & Beyond has closed or is in the process of closing about 400 locations. All told, the company is reducing the number of Bed Bath & Beyond stores from 760 to about 360, with the company keeping its most profitable stores open in key markets. At its peak in 2017, the storied brand had 1,552 stores open.

The company, which is close to bankruptcy, has avoided Chapter 11 for now by completing a complex stock offering that will give it an immediate injection of $225 million in funds and a pledge for $800 million in the future to pay down its current debt load.
Oklahomas newly elected attorney general has withdrawn an advisory opinion of his predecessors and cautioned the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board against sponsoring what would be the nations first religious charter school.

The Catholic Church in Oklahoma is seeking government sanctioning and taxpayer funds for St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, which it wants to open to serve students in towns without Catholic schools and to expand online course offerings to students in existing Catholic schools.

The matter could be decided by the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board at its next meeting in March.

Gentner Drummond, who was sworn in as attorney general in January, issued a letter Thursday saying his predecessor was wrong to issue legal advice in December that served as a green light for Oklahoma Catholic leaders to submit the proposal.

First, Drummond said the request for a legal opinion should have been rejected in the first place because it came from the Statewide Virtual Charter School Boards executive director rather from the governing board itself after a majority vote in favor of making such a request.

Second, Drummond said then-Attorney General John OConnors opinion that the states current ban on publicly funded charter schools being operated by sectarian and religious organizations could be a violation of the U.S. Constitutions First Amendment and therefore should not be enforced was based not on legal precedent involving public schools but rather private schools. And he said Oklahoma law defines and the Oklahoma Attorney Generals Office has previously recognized charter schools only as public schools.

Lastly, Drummond said sponsoring a religious charter school run by one denomination would create a slippery slope.

Religious liberty is one of our most fundamental freedoms, Drummond wrote in a letter to the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board. It allows us to worship according to our faith, and to be free from any duty that may conflict with our faith. The Opinion as issued by my predecessor misuses the concept of religious liberty by employing it as a means to justify state-funded religion.

While many Oklahomans undoubtedly support charter schools sponsored by various Christian faiths, the precedent created by approval of the  application will compel approval of similar applications by all faiths, Drummond continued.

I doubt most Oklahomans would want their tax dollars to fund a religious school whose tenets are diametrically opposed to their own faith.

Unfortunately, the approval of a charter school by one faith will compel the approval of charter schools by all faiths, even those most Oklahomans would consider reprehensible and unworthy of public funding.

Board Chairman Robert Franklin said he could only speak for himself and not for the entire board, but he said his reaction to Thursdays development was one of gratitude.

What I have been prayerful about is that light would be shown that would add clarity because this has been weighing heavily on me, said Franklin, who works as an administrator at Tulsa Technology Center. We will continue to do our due diligence on this.

Featured video:
OKLAHOMA CITY  State Superintendent and Education Secretary Ryan Walters, speaking to the State Board of Education on Thursday, questioned whether the state should be sending its students to Oklahoma colleges and universities.

He announced at the start of the State Board of Education meeting that he has great concerns about our states universities being focused on ideology rather than setting up students for success in the workforce.

Walters said he questions the current direction students are receiving and whether we should be recommending they go into these institutions.

Walters, a Republican who was elected state superintendent in November and appointed by Gov. Kevin Stitt to his Cabinet, has expressed an ongoing desire to rid Oklahoma public colleges and universities of spending on diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, programs.

After his swearing in in January, he demanded a rapid 10-year review of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Educations spending history on and current materials used for DEI programs.

The regents responded by identifying $10.2 million budgeted for DEI activities for the current fiscal year, of which the state contributed $3.7 million. The regents said that amounts to 0.29% of all higher education spending and 0.11% of state expenditures on higher education.

In addition to DEI programs dealing with race and gender identity, about which Walters has expressed specific concerns since his candidacy for elected state office over all prekindergarten through 12th grade public schools, the Higher Education Regents list of targeted populations includes military veterans, adults, low-income students, disabled people, single mothers, international students including refugees, and students aging out of foster care.

Three Republican leaders of Oklahoma House of Representatives committees dealing with education watched the board meeting and responded later Thursday, taking issue with Walters attack on higher education.

It is clear the State Board of Education has no purview over Oklahomas system of universities and colleges, which are maintained by The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, a constitutional board. Even in his capacity as the governors appointed secretary of education, Walters has no true authority over the states system of higher learning, says the statement from state Reps. Rhonda Baker, R-Yukon; Mark McBride, R-Moore; and Anthony Moore, R-Clinton.

Baker chairs the House Common Education Committee; McBride chairs the House Appropriations and Budget Subcommittee for Education; and Moore chairs the House Higher Education and CareerTech Committee.

Data shows a college degree or Career Tech certification leads to better job opportunities and better salaries for young people, their statement continues.

At a time when building our workforce is more critical than ever in our state, the superintendent should refrain from discouraging any student from pursuing higher learning.

We implore the state superintendent to focus on the job he was elected to do, which includes supporting increased outcomes for the children and the educators in our preK-12 classrooms.

Jan. 30 video: State Superintendent Ryan Walters speaks about DEI spending
After two desperate weeks on the move, trying to avoid Russian troops and tanks, the border was finally within sight.

But for Olha Hrytsaniuk, it was hard to feel too happy about it.

Not everyone in her family, she knew, would be crossing over.

It was such a hard decision, maybe the hardest decision in my life, said Hrytsaniuk, who said goodbye to her husband last March at the Ukraine-Poland border, reluctantly leaving him behind as she continued on with their two children.

On every side of them were other mothers and children, saying similar farewells.

It was such a picture, Hrytsaniuk said. A lot of people around you crying, men crying because they dont know when they see their kids. It was such a hard situation.

Looking back today, almost a year later, she still believes the decision to leave war-torn Ukraine was for the best.

But it might have turned out differently, if she hadnt found a home in a caring community.

On Friday, native Ukrainians from across the Tulsa area, including a number of refugees from the war, will mark the one-year anniversary of Russias invasion of Feb. 24, 2022, with a special gratitude event in downtown Tulsa.

The event, set for 4-5:30 p.m. at the Guthrie Green, is open to the public. Organizers say the goal is to say thank you to Tulsans and all Americans for their support of Ukraine over the past year.

It will include stories by refugees, along with songs and poems by Ukrainian children. Speakers will include former Tulsa Mayor Rodger Randle and representatives from local support organizations that have helped refugees.

We would like to give everyone gifts, but for most Ukrainians right now that is not possible, said Dasha Vershylenko, one of the organizers. So we decided to say thank you with this event.

Vershylenko, who worked in television news in Kyiv, has been in Tulsa for almost a year after fleeing her homeland with her children, Arina, 12, and Vanya, 4.

Her husband, Pavlo, was already in Tulsa, having arrived a month earlier for his new job.

Since her own arrival, Vershylenko has connected with many others who fled Ukraine and who tell stories similar to her own.

She said she and her children were packed up and all set to follow her husband to the U.S. But four days before they were to fly out, the invasion upended the plan.

With the airports destroyed and having to navigate around bombed roads and bridges, they initially fled by car to her parents home outside Kyiv.

I didnt think that I would survive, Vershylenko said. I was sure that I would never see my husband again. I was sure.

Eventually, after facing many dangers, they were able to catch a train for Poland.

Vershylenko said she lost communication with her husband in Tulsa for several hours.

When she finally got through to tell him they had made it out, he was just about to board a plane to return to Ukraine.

Instead, Vershylenko and the children would fly in to Tulsa, setting up a tearful reunion with her husband at Tulsa International Airport.

Decision to flee

Hrytsaniuk cant wait for the day when she and her children  Tymur, 13, and Veronika, 4  will be reunited with her husband, Artem, who is still in Ukraine.

Under wartime law there, most adult males have been barred from leaving in case they are needed to fight.

Its been almost a year, and I have gone around the world  me and my kids alone, Hrytsaniuk said. Im very tired.

How long the war will last, she said, depends on whos doing the speculating. Some experts are predicting years.

The Hrytsaniuks, from the Kyiv area, originally thought they would stay and ride it out.

In the early hours of the invasion, as the explosions rattled the walls of their 11th-floor apartment, they sheltered farther inside, moving away from external walls much like her new Oklahoma friends do during tornados.

But it became clear that it was not safe to stay. That same night, they threw their documents, a few clothes and other items into suitcases and left.

We had two cars, Hrytsaniuk said. So we gave our other car to a neighbor because his was broken and he couldnt take his kids to go away.

Because of traffic jams created by others fleeing, they took side roads to reach the countryside.

Finally, they made it to a relatives place in another area.

It was there, as they sheltered in an underground cellar to the sounds of planes and bombs, that the couple decided she and the children needed to leave the country.

As it turned out, many others had had the same thought. By the time the Hrytsaniuks reached the Polish border, the scene was chaos.

Once she and the children had safely crossed over, her husband volunteered to fight. But as a teacher by trade, he was advised that he was needed more in the classroom.

Since arriving in Tulsa last August, shes been able to talk to him regularly.

Hrytsaniuk, who has family in Tulsa, was able to come through the federal United for Ukraine program.

While the future remains clouded, she expects to start work soon as a teaching assistant.

Vershylenko said its been hard to be so far from Ukraine when so many there are suffering.

Her husband even wanted to return to join the fighting.

She pleaded with him not to. But it was something else, she believes, that finally persuaded him to stay.

A few weeks ago, Vershylenko got the news that she is pregnant.

It was unexpected, she said. It was not our plan, but its happened.

The baby, a girl, will be born in June.

We are very happy, she said, adding that it seems to have changed her husbands mind about returning to Ukraine.

Vershylenko said the one-year mark of the war is a good time to say thank you to their new friends and neighbors.

She said her perception of Oklahoma, as a Red State, was that it was anti-immigration and that Ukrainians would not be warmly received.

I was afraid people would go, Oh, you are immigrants. Why are you here? Go home.

But the reception has been the complete opposite, she said.

I met some very, very kind people, Vershylenko added. People here, they support you and understand you.

We have really seen some American hearts.

Featured video:
WASHINGTON  One month into the invasion of Ukraine, President Joe Biden stood in the courtyard of a grand Polish castle and laid out the punishing economic costs that the U.S. and its allies were inflicting on Vladimir Putin's Russia, declaring that the ruble is almost immediately "reduced to rubble."

Russia is now the world's most heavily sanctioned country, according to U.S. officials. The ruble did take a temporary dive and has been slipping again in recent months. But as the war hit its one-year mark, it's clear the sanctions didn't pack the instantaneous punch many had hoped.

The ruble trades around the same 75-per-dollar rate seen in the weeks before the war, though Russia is using capital controls to prop up the currency. And while Russia's economy did shrink 2.2% in 2022, that was far short of predictions of 15% or more that Biden administration officials showcased. This year, its economy is projected to outperform the U.K.'s, growing 0.3% while the U.K. faces a 0.6% contraction, the International Monetary Fund said.

The West's export controls and financial sanctions appear, instead, to be gradually eroding Russia's industrial capacity, even as its oil and other energy exports last year enabled it to keep funding its war.

Large American multinationals like McDonald's and General Electric fled the country. But if Muscovites can't get a latte at Starbucks, there's an imitation for them at the knockoff Stars Coffee, and one Russian startup created an analogue of McDonald's.

U.S. Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo stressed in an interview that the Western sanctions are only one "tool as part of a larger strategy."

Still, a December Congressional Research Service report drew an underwhelming conclusion, stating "the sanctions have created challenges for Russia but to date, have not delivered the economic 'knockout' that many predicted."

The sanctions, imposed largely through executive orders, are meant to punish Russia and block its access to the international financial systems and bank accounts it needs to finance its war effort. Export controls also limit its access to computer chips and other products needed to equip a modern military.

More than 30 countries, including the U.S., EU nations, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan and others  representing more than half the world's economy  are part of the unprecedented effort. They've imposed price caps on Russian oil and diesel, frozen Russian Central Bank funds and restricted access to SWIFT, the dominant system for global financial transactions.

Beyond targeting key institutions and economic sectors, the West directly sanctioned roughly 2,000 Russian firms, government officials, oligarchs and their families, depriving them of access to their American bank accounts and financial markets, preventing them from doing business with Americans, traveling to the U.S. and more.

Unlike the countrywide sanctions on Iran and North Korea, restrictions placed on Russia target specific industry sectors, firms and individuals. This was designed to keep Russian oil and natural gas flowing to limit disruptions to the wider global economy. But energy exports enabled Russia to replenish its finances and stave off a sharp decline.

The U.S., in coordination with Group of Seven allies, announced new sanctions Friday, aimed at entities that helped Russia evade sanctions earlier in the war. Russias metals and mining sector is among those targeted in one of the U.S. Treasury Department's "most significant sanctions actions to date," the agency said.

An industrialized country of its size  the 11th largest economy in the world in 2021  has never faced such financial pressure.

Daniel Fried, a former assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, said, "policy making of this kind is always a shot in dark."

"You're looking for hits on the Russian economy, it doesn't happen overnight," he said, noting military aid for Ukraine was far more important.

There have been differences in the lengths to which countries are willing to go. European and Asian countries are more dependent on Russian oil and natural gas, making a ban on Russian exports hard for the alliance and forcing compromises that took months to forge.

Ultimately, the countries in December settled on a $60 price cap, which some critics said came too late and was too high to significantly hurt Russia.

Russia is seeking deeper ties with countries that refused to join the sanctions. Its exports to Brazil, China, India and Turkey increased by at least 50% since the war started compared with the previous year, the Congressional Research Service said.

Russia is a different country today than it was just a year ago, Adeyemo said, and theyve given up almost 30 years of progress in terms of their economic policy in the course of one year.

Some sectors suffered greatly from sanctions and the departure of foreign companies. Shopping centers have shuttered shops. Russia's automobile sector took a particular hit.

Still, Russian goods imported to the U.S.  including some lumber, aluminum and other goods  totaled $14.5 billion in 2022. That's less than 1% of all U.S. imports and about half the $30 billion imported from Russia in 2021.
Lotte Vietnam Co., Ltd. on this Thursday morning inaugurated the new Lotte My Phuoc Factory at J1-CN on Road D1, My Phuoc Industrial Park in Ben Cat Town, Binh Duong Province, Vietnam. The new factory will produce Bouchee cake and Chocolate pie under Lotte Chocolat brand, which are planned on launching in Vietnamese market in upcoming April. The original name of Lotte Chocolat is Choco Pie coming from Japan which was launched in 1983 and will be celebrated its 40th anniversary this year. In addition, this year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan. In many ways, I think it is a destiny for us to celebrate the opening ceremony of this factory today, said Mr. Gocho Eiichi, president of Lotte Co., Ltd. Mr. Gocho Eiichi - President of Lotte Co., Ltd. Lottes global expansion is a key aspect of its development strategy, and making stronger headways into the Vietnamese market is critical for its continued expansion in Southeast Asia. Besides our existing chewing gum factory, we plan to quickly expand our presence in Vietnam as a confectionery producer by enhancing our investment in a packaged cake factory and continuing to improve the profitability of this new factory in Binh Duong, Mr. Gocho added. According to Mr. Gocho, uncertainty over the past year has forced many enterprises to adapt in order to meet current geopolitical challenges. In Japan, we were honored to receive a certificate of merit from the Consumer Affairs Agency in March of last year, proving that they acknowledged our successive efforts over the past many years to promote the activities of our main brand Lotte Xylitol chewing gum. We are now proactively dedicated to improving society in Vietnam by boosting activities to improve awareness [of preventing tooth decay and other dental issues] through cooperation with Vietnam Odonto-Stomatology Association. [Lotte Xylitol] is certified as a leading chewing gum brand in both the Vietnamese and Japanese markets. Mr. Yamada Akihiro, General director of Lotte Vietnam Co., Ltd., said the market and the distribution field significantly changed last year, particularly in terms of consumer attitudes and behavior. Mr. Yamada Akihiro, general director of Lotte Vietnam Co. Ltd., speaks at the inauguration ceremony. Over the last two three years, probably due to the influence of the new coronavirus infection, people's awareness of health and infection prevention, as well as environmental protection such as energy saving and decarbonization, has increased rapidly. In that context, the company has been actively using solar power system and reducing plastic raw materials at its chewing-gum factory, which had been operating in Binh Duong since 1998. As for our business performance, we are establishing a traditional distribution system with five branches nationwide so that consumers can buy our products everywhere in Vietnam. We are also working directly with more than 100 accounts of modern trade channel nationwide including hypermarkets, supermarkets, and convenience stores. Right now, we are directly producing, importing, and trading Lotte Xylitol chewing gum, Toppo and Koalas March biscuit imported from Lotte Thailand, as well as global brand ice cream imported from Japan such as Coolish and Mochi Yukimi Daifuku, Mr. Yamada added. Mr. Mizushima Kozo, chairman of the Japanese Business Association of Ho Chi Minh City, delivers a speech at the event. According to Mr. Mizushima Kozo, chairman of the Japanese Business Association of Ho Chi Minh City, amid the hardships caused by the pandemic and ongoing geopolitical conflict, many enterprises are struggling. Amid that context, putting the new factory in Binh Duong province into operation is a great effort. I would like to show my respect for such wonderful efforts. Vietnams efforts in economic recovery were huge and have shown positive results, offering a bright prospect for the business community, including Lotte Vietnam, Mr. Kozo shared. Lotte Co. Ltd. was established in Japan in 1948 and has become a leading confectionery company there. Lotte Vietnam Co. Ltd., which was founded in 1996, focuses on producing chewing gum. Lotte Xylitol, Toppo, Koalas March, and SukuSuku are the four main brands of the companys business in Vietnam. We pay great importance to food safety, material quality, advanced production technologies, diversified products, special ads, and sales to reach every corner of the country. We will maintain the motto in the future, said Mr. Yamada Akihiro, general director of Lotte Vietnam Co., Ltd.. "Lotte seeks to become a favorite enterprise among consumers in the next 100, even 200 years. Furthermore, we will continue striving to become a well-being firm which creates new values and ceaselessly brings these values to consumers. "We will do our utmost to continue contributing to the local development and bringing smiles through Lottes high-quality confectionery products," Gocho Eiichi, president of Lotte Co., Ltd., said. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Lotte Vietnam Co., Ltd. on this Thursday morning inaugurated the new Lotte My Phuoc Factory at J1-CN on Road D1, My Phuoc Industrial Park in Ben Cat Town, Binh Duong Province, Vietnam.

The new factory will produce Bouchee cake and Chocolate pie under Lotte Chocolat brand, which are planned on launching in Vietnamese market in upcoming April.

The original name of Lotte Chocolat is Choco Pie coming from Japan which was launched in 1983 and will be celebrated its 40th anniversary this year.

In addition, this year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan. In many ways, I think it is a destiny for us to celebrate the opening ceremony of this factory today, said Mr. Gocho Eiichi, president of Lotte Co., Ltd.

Mr. Gocho Eiichi - President of Lotte Co., Ltd.

Lottes global expansion is a key aspect of its development strategy, and making stronger headways into the Vietnamese market is critical for its continued expansion in Southeast Asia.

Besides our existing chewing gum factory, we plan to quickly expand our presence in Vietnam as a confectionery producer by enhancing our investment in a packaged cake factory and continuing to improve the profitability of this new factory in Binh Duong, Mr. Gocho added.

According to Mr. Gocho, uncertainty over the past year has forced many enterprises to adapt in order to meet current geopolitical challenges.

In Japan, we were honored to receive a certificate of merit from the Consumer Affairs Agency in March of last year, proving that they acknowledged our successive efforts over the past many years to promote the activities of our main brand Lotte Xylitol chewing gum.

We are now proactively dedicated to improving society in Vietnam by boosting activities to improve awareness [of preventing tooth decay and other dental issues] through cooperation with Vietnam Odonto-Stomatology Association. [Lotte Xylitol] is certified as a leading chewing gum brand in both the Vietnamese and Japanese markets.

Mr. Yamada Akihiro, General director of Lotte Vietnam Co., Ltd., said the market and the distribution field significantly changed last year, particularly in terms of consumer attitudes and behavior.

Mr. Yamada Akihiro, general director of Lotte Vietnam Co. Ltd., speaks at the inauguration ceremony.

Over the last two three years, probably due to the influence of the new coronavirus infection, people's awareness of health and infection prevention, as well as environmental protection such as energy saving and decarbonization, has increased rapidly.

In that context, the company has been actively using solar power system and reducing plastic raw materials at its chewing-gum factory, which had been operating in Binh Duong since 1998.

As for our business performance, we are establishing a traditional distribution system with five branches nationwide so that consumers can buy our products everywhere in Vietnam.

We are also working directly with more than 100 accounts of modern trade channel nationwide including hypermarkets, supermarkets, and convenience stores.

Right now, we are directly producing, importing, and trading Lotte Xylitol chewing gum, Toppo and Koalas March biscuit imported from Lotte Thailand, as well as global brand ice cream imported from Japan such as Coolish and Mochi Yukimi Daifuku, Mr. Yamada added.

Mr. Mizushima Kozo, chairman of the Japanese Business Association of Ho Chi Minh City, delivers a speech at the event.

According to Mr. Mizushima Kozo, chairman of the Japanese Business Association of Ho Chi Minh City, amid the hardships caused by the pandemic and ongoing geopolitical conflict, many enterprises are struggling.

Amid that context, putting the new factory in Binh Duong province into operation is a great effort. I would like to show my respect for such wonderful efforts. Vietnams efforts in economic recovery were huge and have shown positive results, offering a bright prospect for the business community, including Lotte Vietnam, Mr. Kozo shared.

Lotte Co. Ltd. was established in Japan in 1948 and has become a leading confectionery company there.

Lotte Vietnam Co. Ltd., which was founded in 1996, focuses on producing chewing gum. Lotte Xylitol, Toppo, Koalas March, and SukuSuku are the four main brands of the companys business in Vietnam.

We pay great importance to food safety, material quality, advanced production technologies, diversified products, special ads, and sales to reach every corner of the country. We will maintain the motto in the future, said Mr. Yamada Akihiro, general director of Lotte Vietnam Co., Ltd..

"Lotte seeks to become a favorite enterprise among consumers in the next 100, even 200 years. Furthermore, we will continue striving to become a well-being firm which creates new values and ceaselessly brings these values to consumers. "We will do our utmost to continue contributing to the local development and bringing smiles through Lottes high-quality confectionery products," Gocho Eiichi, president of Lotte Co., Ltd., said.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Stems of lepironia articulate, a kind of wild grass in salt-marsh areas in Vietnam, are being used to produce straws, which are popularly used in luxury restaurants and preferred by many foreign customers. Lepironia articulate can be found in southern provinces of Dong Thap, Long An, and Kien Giang. Local residents use the plant to make handicrafts. However, Phan Tan Phat, director of ECO PTP Trading and Producing Co. Ltd., has turned it into eco-friendly straws as replacement of single-use plastic straws. Startup with wild grass Mature Lepironia articulata trees are often one meter high each and their stems are hollow, which is suitable for producing straws. Phat, born in Binh Thanh Trung Commune, Lap Vo District, Dong Thap Province, holds a university degree in accounting and had earlier worked in both Dong Thap and other provinces. During a business trip to the north of Vietnam, he saw bamboo straws were used in a restaurant and he loved them. He found that customers increasingly prefer eco-friendly products. He started thinking of his startup. Although he did not know what to do at the time, he wanted to take advantage of local materials to develop his startups product. At that time, Dong Thap Province had straws made of rice flour with various types and designs. Phat recalled that fresh lepironia articulata straws were quite popular in Ho Chi Minh City but rare in Dong Thap. Therefore, he collected lepironia articulata in Dong Thap. Due to insufficient supplies, he came to Long An and Kien Giang Provinces to buy more, turning his start-up idea into reality. The product is made manually. We use cutting machines and dryers to complete the straws, Phat said. When making the decision on quitting a stable job to begin his start-up in his homeland, Phat himself was worried as the business idea was not clear. He had to carefully calculate the costs for machinery, materials, packaging, and applications for licenses. Grass straws require a large volume of materials. Some 250  300 lepironia articulata trees are needed to produce roughly 300 qualified straws with a sales price of VND350-400, or more than 1 U.S. cents, each. Lepironia articulata stems are washed many times, cut into pieces, classified, dried, polished and packaged. Except for the drying and cutting steps, other steps are manually performed by about ten people. Phat frankly said that he ventured into the business. The required capital was at least VND200 million ($8,462) but he was penniless and had to borrow money from his relatives. After surveying the market and customers demand, he introduced his product on social media first with an aim to popularize the product. Thanks to my relationships, I have offered my product to high-end restaurants and hotels. As a result, grass straws have been well-known by foreign travelers. Many American customers have visited my company and bought the product, Phat said. High export potential His company produces 50,000-100,000 straws per month to fulfill orders. In 2022, his company provided about two million grass straws to the market, with half of them being exported to the U.S. and Europe. Tran Thi Cam, deputy head of the Economy-Infrastructure Division of Lap Vo District, said that the product is quite new but it meets the demands of some customer groups and holds high potential for export. This is a product of a local startup, so the locality has paid great attention to it and is willing to support it. As the main material for the product in the province is not enough and must be bought from other provinces, it is not considered a product of the One Commune, One Product (OCOP) program. "Nevertheless, this is good news for local economic development, Cam said. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Stems of lepironia articulate, a kind of wild grass in salt-marsh areas in Vietnam, are being used to produce straws, which are popularly used in luxury restaurants and preferred by many foreign customers.

Lepironia articulate can be found in southern provinces of Dong Thap, Long An, and Kien Giang.

Local residents use the plant to make handicrafts.

However, Phan Tan Phat, director of ECO PTP Trading and Producing Co. Ltd., has turned it into eco-friendly straws as replacement of single-use plastic straws.

Startup with wild grass

Mature Lepironia articulata trees are often one meter high each and their stems are hollow, which is suitable for producing straws.

Phat, born in Binh Thanh Trung Commune, Lap Vo District, Dong Thap Province, holds a university degree in accounting and had earlier worked in both Dong Thap and other provinces.

During a business trip to the north of Vietnam, he saw bamboo straws were used in a restaurant and he loved them.

He found that customers increasingly prefer eco-friendly products.

He started thinking of his startup. Although he did not know what to do at the time, he wanted to take advantage of local materials to develop his startups product.

At that time, Dong Thap Province had straws made of rice flour with various types and designs.

Phat recalled that fresh lepironia articulata straws were quite popular in Ho Chi Minh City but rare in Dong Thap.

Therefore, he collected lepironia articulata in Dong Thap. Due to insufficient supplies, he came to Long An and Kien Giang Provinces to buy more, turning his start-up idea into reality.

The product is made manually. We use cutting machines and dryers to complete the straws, Phat said.

When making the decision on quitting a stable job to begin his start-up in his homeland, Phat himself was worried as the business idea was not clear.

He had to carefully calculate the costs for machinery, materials, packaging, and applications for licenses.

Grass straws require a large volume of materials. Some 250  300 lepironia articulata trees are needed to produce roughly 300 qualified straws with a sales price of VND350-400, or more than 1 U.S. cents, each.

Lepironia articulata stems are washed many times, cut into pieces, classified, dried, polished and packaged.

Except for the drying and cutting steps, other steps are manually performed by about ten people.

Phat frankly said that he ventured into the business. The required capital was at least VND200 million ($8,462) but he was penniless and had to borrow money from his relatives.

After surveying the market and customers demand, he introduced his product on social media first with an aim to popularize the product.

Thanks to my relationships, I have offered my product to high-end restaurants and hotels.

As a result, grass straws have been well-known by foreign travelers. Many American customers have visited my company and bought the product, Phat said.

High export potential

His company produces 50,000-100,000 straws per month to fulfill orders. In 2022, his company provided about two million grass straws to the market, with half of them being exported to the U.S. and Europe.

Tran Thi Cam, deputy head of the Economy-Infrastructure Division of Lap Vo District, said that the product is quite new but it meets the demands of some customer groups and holds high potential for export.

This is a product of a local startup, so the locality has paid great attention to it and is willing to support it.

As the main material for the product in the province is not enough and must be bought from other provinces, it is not considered a product of the One Commune, One Product (OCOP) program.

"Nevertheless, this is good news for local economic development, Cam said.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Many people on Tuesday bid a final farewell to Nguyen Duy Hai residing in Da Lat central highlands city, who had a 200lb tumor removed in early 2012 and mysteriously died at the age of 33 Oct 25. >> Vietnamese man who had 200lb tumor removed dies >> 200lb tumor patients life one year after surgery Nguyen Thi Cho Con, Hais brother, mourned his death and cried a lot. The hearse transporting Hais body traveled around the city downtown before driving him to the Du Sinh cemetery where Hai was buried beside his fathers grave, according to his family. A representative of Ho Chi Minh City-based FV hospital, where Hai was operated on last year, told Tuoi Tre by phone the same morning that FV will announce the cause of his death soon after they receive feedback from Dr. McKinnon, who removed Hais tumor. Meanwhile, Sam Ottawa, founder of Virtual Medical Miracle Network based in Canada, responded by email on Monday that Dr. McKinnon will not speak with any medial until after FVH talks with Lam Dong hospital, where Hai was treated on Oct. 25, to pinpoint the cause of death.

Many people on Tuesday bid a final farewell to Nguyen Duy Hai residing in Da Lat central highlands city, who had a 200lb tumor removed in early 2012 and mysteriously died at the age of 33 Oct 25.

>> Vietnamese man who had 200lb tumor removed dies >> 200lb tumor patients life one year after surgery Nguyen Thi Cho Con, Hais brother, mourned his death and cried a lot. The hearse transporting Hais body traveled around the city downtown before driving him to the Du Sinh cemetery where Hai was buried beside his fathers grave, according to his family. A representative of Ho Chi Minh City-based FV hospital, where Hai was operated on last year, told Tuoi Tre by phone the same morning that FV will announce the cause of his death soon after they receive feedback from Dr. McKinnon, who removed Hais tumor. Meanwhile, Sam Ottawa, founder of Virtual Medical Miracle Network based in Canada, responded by email on Monday that Dr. McKinnon will not speak with any medial until after FVH talks with Lam Dong hospital, where Hai was treated on Oct. 25, to pinpoint the cause of death.
Five bears which were raised in captivity for more than 20 years in Phuc Tho District, Hanoi, have been handed over to the Vietnam Bear Rescue Center in the Tam Dao National Park in Vinh Phuc Province, Hanois neighbor. The Animals Asia on Wednesday informed that it had cooperated with the Hanoi Forest Protection Department to receive the five bears handed over by a family in Phung Thuong Commune, Phuc Tho District, Hanoi. The family raised the five bears since they were cubs for commercial purposes. The bears had lived in cages for over 20 years, while their average life-span is 30-35 years. After being encouraged by the Hanoi Forest Protection Department, the family voluntarily handed over the bears and proposed transporting them to the Vietnam Bear Rescue Center for better care. The five bears were named Dawn, Noon, Twilight, Midnight, and Chronos to remind that hundreds of bears are still being held in captivity across the country. The Animals Asia lured them to other cages by using their favorite food, such as bananas, dried fruits, jams, condensed milk, and honey. Most of the bears have lost their hair and suffer dermatitis. They will undergo a careful physical examination at the Vietnam Bear Rescue Center. Over the past two years, the Hanoi Forest Protection Department and the Animals Asia have rescued 14 bears. Early last month, they transported two Asian black bears from the Pu Mat National Park in Nghe An Province, north-central Vietnam to the Vietnam Bear Rescue Center. According to the Hanoi Forest Protection Department, 116 bears are still being kept in captivity in Phuc Tho District. Local rangers and authorities will keep encouraging bear farming households to hand over the bears. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Five bears which were raised in captivity for more than 20 years in Phuc Tho District, Hanoi, have been handed over to the Vietnam Bear Rescue Center in the Tam Dao National Park in Vinh Phuc Province, Hanois neighbor.

The Animals Asia on Wednesday informed that it had cooperated with the Hanoi Forest Protection Department to receive the five bears handed over by a family in Phung Thuong Commune, Phuc Tho District, Hanoi.

The family raised the five bears since they were cubs for commercial purposes.

The bears had lived in cages for over 20 years, while their average life-span is 30-35 years.

After being encouraged by the Hanoi Forest Protection Department, the family voluntarily handed over the bears and proposed transporting them to the Vietnam Bear Rescue Center for better care.

The five bears were named Dawn, Noon, Twilight, Midnight, and Chronos to remind that hundreds of bears are still being held in captivity across the country.

The Animals Asia lured them to other cages by using their favorite food, such as bananas, dried fruits, jams, condensed milk, and honey.

Most of the bears have lost their hair and suffer dermatitis.

They will undergo a careful physical examination at the Vietnam Bear Rescue Center.

Over the past two years, the Hanoi Forest Protection Department and the Animals Asia have rescued 14 bears.

Early last month, they transported two Asian black bears from the Pu Mat National Park in Nghe An Province, north-central Vietnam to the Vietnam Bear Rescue Center.

According to the Hanoi Forest Protection Department, 116 bears are still being kept in captivity in Phuc Tho District.

Local rangers and authorities will keep encouraging bear farming households to hand over the bears.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
KUNMING, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Two Chinese law enforcement vessels returned to Guanlei Port in southwest China's Yunnan Province on Friday, concluding the 126th joint Mekong River patrol by China, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand.

Six vessels from the four countries traveled over 550 km for four days and three nights, focusing on tackling cross-border crimes to ensure safety and stability along the river, according to the Yunnan provincial public security department.

The Mekong River, known as the Lancang River in China, is a vital waterway for cross-border shipping.

China, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand have been conducting joint patrols of the river since December 2011. 
A woman in northern Vietnam has welcomed rare identical triplet girls at a hospital in Hanoi. The new mother, 22-year-old Dang Thi H., hailing from northern Hai Duong Province, was admitted to Hanoi Obstetrics & Gynecology Hospital in the Vietnamese capital city at her 37th week of pregnancy with triplets, also her first pregnancy. In order to ensure the safety of both the mother and babies, doctors prescribed a cesarean section. In turn, H. then gave birth to three healthy identical girls weighing 1.8kg, 1.9kg, and 2kg, respectively. This is an extremely rare case of triplets, with the woman three carrying natural fetuses with the same egg, said Dr. Truong Minh Phuong at the hospital. The incidence of this is extremely low, about one in 200,000 births. The triplets were lucky to not suffer from complications such as blood transfusion between fetuses and fetal growth irregularity leading to disproportion between fetuses that can cause damage to all three fetuses during pregnancy, according to the doctor. Phuong also recommends that pregnant women with multiple fetuses should have regular antenatal check-ups at specialized obstetrics facilities in order to detect and intervene possible complications early. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

A woman in northern Vietnam has welcomed rare identical triplet girls at a hospital in Hanoi.

The new mother, 22-year-old Dang Thi H., hailing from northern Hai Duong Province, was admitted to Hanoi Obstetrics & Gynecology Hospital in the Vietnamese capital city at her 37th week of pregnancy with triplets, also her first pregnancy.

In order to ensure the safety of both the mother and babies, doctors prescribed a cesarean section.

In turn, H. then gave birth to three healthy identical girls weighing 1.8kg, 1.9kg, and 2kg, respectively.

This is an extremely rare case of triplets, with the woman three carrying natural fetuses with the same egg, said Dr. Truong Minh Phuong at the hospital.

The incidence of this is extremely low, about one in 200,000 births.

The triplets were lucky to not suffer from complications such as blood transfusion between fetuses and fetal growth irregularity leading to disproportion between fetuses that can cause damage to all three fetuses during pregnancy, according to the doctor.

Phuong also recommends that pregnant women with multiple fetuses should have regular antenatal check-ups at specialized obstetrics facilities in order to detect and intervene possible complications early.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
A communications leader in Vietnams Central Highlands province of Dak Nong has been slapped with two administrative fines totaling VND46 million (US$1,933) for driving a car under the influence of alcohol and without a driver's license last month. The Peoples Committee of Quang Ngai Province in central Vietnam confirmed on Thursday that provincial chairman Dang Van Minh issued the fines to Tran Van Thuong, 47, director of the Department of Information and Communications of Dak Nong. Thuong was pulled over and tested for alcohol concentration by traffic police officers in the namesake capital city of Quang Ngai Province at 10:15 pm on January 19, when he was driving a car with the plate number 48A 082.17 on Phan Boi Chau Street. At the time, Thuong failed to show his drivers license and his breath alcohol concentration was 0.804 milligrams per liter. He also told officers at the scene that he was a freelance worker. The traffic police department of Quang Ngai later determined that Thuong is director of the Department of Information and Communications of Dak Nong and has a B2 class drivers license. Thuong was fined VND35 million ($1,471) for driving a car with a breath alcohol concentration exceeding 0.4 milligrams per liter and VND11 million ($462) for driving without a drivers license. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

A communications leader in Vietnams Central Highlands province of Dak Nong has been slapped with two administrative fines totaling VND46 million (US$1,933) for driving a car under the influence of alcohol and without a driver's license last month.

The Peoples Committee of Quang Ngai Province in central Vietnam confirmed on Thursday that provincial chairman Dang Van Minh issued the fines to Tran Van Thuong, 47, director of the Department of Information and Communications of Dak Nong.

Thuong was pulled over and tested for alcohol concentration by traffic police officers in the namesake capital city of Quang Ngai Province at 10:15 pm on January 19, when he was driving a car with the plate number 48A 082.17 on Phan Boi Chau Street.

At the time, Thuong failed to show his drivers license and his breath alcohol concentration was 0.804 milligrams per liter.

He also told officers at the scene that he was a freelance worker.

The traffic police department of Quang Ngai later determined that Thuong is director of the Department of Information and Communications of Dak Nong and has a B2 class drivers license.

Thuong was fined VND35 million ($1,471) for driving a car with a breath alcohol concentration exceeding 0.4 milligrams per liter and VND11 million ($462) for driving without a drivers license.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Mondays Q+A is in Sydney discussing the war in Ukraine a year after Russias invasion.

This week on Q+A one year on from the invasion that shook the world. Russias offensive in Ukraine has transformed the global landscape  economically, strategically and politically  so what happens next? The US Presidents visit to Kyiv has sent a signal to Vladimir Putin, but just how far will the international community go to support Ukraines fight?

As economic woes continue to put pressure on households at home and abroad, how much appetite is there for countries to spend more on a war that is so far away? And with no end to the conflict in sight, how long can Ukraine count on its international allies?

In the US, politicians are already positioning themselves for the 2024 White House race. Will Donald Trump again prevail as Republican candidate? Or is the party moving on? Joe Biden seems likely to run again, but how much damage will a struggling economy inflict on his presidency?

And here at home, the government is facing pressure over energy, cost of living  and proposed changes to superannuation that will have huge tax implications for all Australians. How will Labor tackle these problems? How much is actually within their control?

Panellists:

Vasyl Myroshnychenko, Ambassador of Ukraine to Australia;

Sarah McBride, US State Senator;

Pat Conroy, Minister for Defence Industry and International Development;

George Brandis, Professor at the National Security College, ANU;

Sharan Burrow, Former General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation.

Monday, February 27 at 9.35pm on ABC.
To trace the buried history of LGBTQIA+ in Australia, Zoe Coombs Marr has had to resort to police and court records, trawling through old microfiche reels with history experts.

While Australia has some solid archives through groups such as Australian Queer Archives, especially from 1970s onwards, looking back at early evidence is more complex.

Its almost like Queer history has been erased and kept in the margins, she suggests.

Was there evidence of homosexuality in early Australia, for example? You bet. One example uncovered dates back to 1727. In her three part series Queerstralia, Coombs Marr raises questions such as Was homophobia exported to the world by the British? Were First Nations societies heteronormative before the whitefellas arrived?

But being queer was invariably being on the wrong side of the law, which is why many of the cases cited in her first episode were uncovered in court documents and newspapers. There are cases of police spying on men in the privacy of their bedroom -even drilling a hole in a roof in order to catch criminals in the act.

The penal colony of Norfolk Island is wryly referred to as being too penile with reports of 150 male couples. There were lady squatters living secretly as a couple in Geelong in 1840 (which sounds to me like an Aussie Gentleman Jack drama in the making). Other early Australian lesbians cited include philanthropist Josephine Beford, Queenslands first female doctor Lilian Cooper and a Tasmanian novelist even named Marie Bjelke Petersen.

After decades of Australian men being convicted of unnatural offences and sodomy (including with Cooma jail being the only homosexual prison in the world), homosexuality was decriminalised under Don Dunstans South Australian government in 1975.

It would take until 1997 for Tasmania to become the last state to follow suit.

Coombs Marr, herself born and bred in Tasmania, speaks with activist Rodney Croome, whose fights through the High Court and all the way to the United Nations were groundbreaking stuff, in the face of police arrests.

She also speaks with famed Tassie comedian Hannah Gadsby, as well as her own parents, as she seeks to find a through-line through mountains of material. Its sometimes jarring in its storytelling, juggling facts and punchlines (bum sex must be an ABC friendly term?), protesting she prefers a looping meta-narrative.

Along the way youll hear about the infamous ABC Chequerboard episode, with 78er Peter de Waal who was one half of the first male kiss on Australian TV. Theres fellow 78ers Kimberley OSullivan & Dennis Altman, Dr Ruth Ford, Ian Roberts, transgender activists Julie Peters & Martine Delaney plus co-host Nayuka Gorrie who steps in unannounced for First Nations history. Wait for the Channel 7 news documentary footage of suburban shoppers in 1966 where we are told how difficult it is to spot a lesbian. No, really?

There is also confronting histories of HIV / AIDS, hate crimes, murders and tragic stories of oppression with Australians forced to hide in the closet or underground.

Even the 1978 riots -out of the bars and into the streets- which would eventually lead to Mardi Gras, were horrific police assaults, followed by the Sydney Morning Herald publishing names and addresses of those arrested. It took until 2016 for the newspaper to apologise.

After the first episode which centres around the Law, Episode 2 explains how Queers have had their identities defined and shaped, at first by others, increasingly by themselves. Episode 3 looks at how Queer people jostled for space and representation, eventually finding their own place within society.

Coombs Marr is to be congratulated for taking on the scale of this and bringing it to the fore during WorldPride. Theres so much history to tell, Ill be surprised if it can all fit into 3 episodes. This would be a perfect compendium with Andrew Mercados doco Outrageous: The Queer History of Australian TV if ABC has any thoughts on a follow-up.

Queerstralia screens 8:30pm Tuesday on ABC.
TV Tonight hears whispers that none other than ABC Chair Ita Buttrose will lead an ABC float in tonights Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade.

Managing Director David Anderson is also understood to be participating in the ABC Queer entry of LGBTQIA+ staff and allies.

Ita Buttrose holds an iconic status in the gay community for her activism in the 1980s for HIV / AIDS education.

She was chairperson of the National Advisory Committee on AIDS from 1984 until 1988. It was pivotal to have the former Womens Weekly editor speak to middle Australia and government for funding and education.

On one occasion, she appeared personally in a nationwide TV campaign to explain that donating blood at a blood bank did not pose a risk of catching AIDS. Australias community-led response to the epidemic will be dramatised in upcoming ABC musical In Our Blood in March.

ABC, which is the broadcast partner for Sydney WorldPride, has previously been an entry in Mardi Gras parade as have SBS.

ABC has been contacted for comment.

Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade Live 7:30pm on ABC.
Russel Howcroft was yesterday inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame at a live event in Sydney for the AdNews Agency of the Year Awards.

Accepting the award from Todd Sampson, Howcroft gave a rousing speech about his years in advertising and broadcasting, including Gruen and his time as an exec at Channel 10.

Howcroft was hired for Gruen by Andrew Denton after radio chats with Virginia Trioli and ad man Harold Mitchell discussing advertising, saying blasphemous words in the eyes of the ABC Like Coca-Cola and Holden. At the time he had no idea who Todd Sampson was.

From 2013  2017 he even became Executive General Manager of Network 10, including a brief stint as acting CEO.

In an interesting plot twist, Lachlan Murdoch, Siobhan McKenna and James Warburton thought I should come and give them a hand at Network 10. At the time, an anonymous quote in the AFR read Russel is confusing being in front of the camera with being behind it. Thanks Mike! Or was it Neil he pondered.

Its true I had no idea about running a TV network or life as a TV exec. But, I did have first had experience of the power of television and, what I did know was that stupidly, advertising had become separated from media.

I also knew that I had little to no idea about how media companies worked.

Some weeks into the job at 10 I received a call from the chairman. James would be leaving and Hamish McLennan would be coming in as CEO (yes, I was there first).

In the meantime I had a few weeks as interim CEO. They were perhaps the best few weeks of my business life. Running a TV network is a lot of fun especially when you know its only for 21 days.

I became very well acquainted with the media side of our business. I learnt from the best sales people  thank you Lou Barrett and Peta Webster.

Meanwhile Gruen was going from strength to strength. We even won a Logie along the way. Its all thanks to the very talented Andrew Denton, Jon Casimir, Polly Connolly, CJZs Nick Murray, Will Anderson and of course Todd.

You can read more at AdNews.
Tim Kano is the latest actor to hint at a return to Neighbours.

I am tightly lipped about it but it is really exciting, Kano has told the Daily Telegraph. There will be a few announcements next week about what is happening, the new cast and the future of the show, it is just awesome.

Kano played Leo Tanaka brother of David (Takaya Honda) from 2016 until 2022.

His comments follow Jodi Gordon this week telling Studio 10, There are conversations happening and I say that with a big smile on my face.

Production is expected to resume in April and hit screens later this year on 10 / Prime Video.
Former Real Madrid defender Marcelo has returned to boyhood club Fluminense, signing a contract through the end of 2024.

The veteran left-back, who started his career with the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A side, returns to Brazil after more than a decade away.

Having come through the youth ranks with the Rio de Janeiro outfit, he made his senior debut for them in 2005 and remained there until 2007.

He subsequently signed for Madrid, where he spent the following 15 years as a key figure, becoming Los Blancos' most decorated player in their history.

The 34-year-old signed for Greek side Olympiacos in September following his exit from the Santiago Bernabeu, but terminated his contract last week.

That has paved the way for his return to Fluminense, who are looking to build on last year's third-placed finish in Serie A as they head into the 2023 campaign.

The club previously expressed an interest in signing the defender last month, with Thiago Silva also mooted as a target.

Marcelo celebrated the announcement with a post to social media, simply writing: "Back to the place where it all started."

During his time at Madrid, the defender won an unmatched 25 honours, including six LaLiga titles and five Champions League crowns, winning the double during his last campaign.

At international level, he won 58 caps for Brazil between 2006 and 2018, and was a member of the squad that claimed victory at the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2013.

In addition, he was a two-time Olympic medallist with their under-23 squad, taking bronze at Beijing 2008 and silver at London 2012.
Hopes grow for Northern Ireland deal as UK politicians ordered to parliament FILE PHOTO: The border between Northern Ireland and Ireland

By Andrew MacAskill and Amanda Ferguson

LONDON/BELFAST (Reuters) -Lawmakers in British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party have been told to be in parliament on Monday in a sign that a new post-Brexit deal to resolve the trading arrangements in Northern Ireland could be getting closer.

After weeks of intense London-Brussels talks, momentum has been building towards an agreement to revise the Northern Ireland Protocol - the arrangements agreed to avoid a hard border with EU member Ireland when Britain exited the EU in 2020.

Conservative lawmakers have been warned by party officials that there is a "three-line whip" to be in parliament on Monday, their strictest order for politicians to be present or they could face disciplinary action.

Cabinet ministers have been put on alert for a possible conference call over the weekend to discuss the deal, according to The Times newspaper, though that would depend on the backing of the biggest unionist party in the British province.

A government official, who asked not to be named, stressed that talks were continuing and said that any discussion of a conference call on Sunday was "purely speculation".

Sunak had a "positive" call with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday, a source at his office said, adding there had been "good progress" and the pair would discuss the issue further in coming days.

SUNAK MEETS RETAILERS

The prime minister also met with British retail executives on Friday to discuss the protocol, where the government's approach was reasonably well-received, according to a person with knowledge of the meeting.

The sense was that the government was trying, but no one was going to get everything they wanted, they added.

Meanwhile Sky News reported that Downing Street had planned a meeting on Saturday between Britain's King Charles and von der Leyen, which the broadcaster said could have suggested he was giving his blessing to the negotiations, or to endorse a deal had one already been agreed.

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However, the meeting was cancelled on Friday, Sky said. Such a meeting would have been controversial as constitutionally the British monarch is not supposed to be involved in political issues.

Neither Downing Street nor Buckingham Palace responded to requests for comment about the Sky report.

DUP KEY

Britain and the EU have been working to revise the protocol which would mark an end to a two-year standoff, but might lead to a new battle for the government with pro-Brexit Conservative lawmakers.

The government needs the support of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) if a deal is to restore Northern Ireland's power-sharing devolved administration, which its lawmakers are boycotting over their opposition to the protocol.

Some of Sunak's lawmakers will refuse to support the deal unless it has the backing of the DUP, which argues the imposition of checks on some goods coming from the rest of the United Kingdom is undermining the union with Britain.

The party has proven to be a central player in almost seven years of often tortuous Brexit talks and its resistance has torpedoed previous attempts at agreement.

Britain's foreign minister James Cleverly said on Friday he hoped any deal, if it were sealed, would address all the conditions laid down by the DUP.

"When, hopefully, we get those issues resolved then I would hope that the DUP would recognise that we've addressed their concerns and until we have addressed those concerns we're not going to sign off on the deal," he said.

Naomi Long, the head of the province's cross-community Alliance Party, said it was wrong to give any individual party what appeared to be a veto on Northern Ireland's future.

A DUP spokesperson said the focus in London and Brussels should be on getting the right deal, not rushing ahead.

"The wrong deal will not restore power-sharing but will cement division for future generations," the spokesperson said.

Opinion polls have consistently shown a majority of Northern Irish voters - who earlier opposed Brexit - favour the idea of the protocol and it is also backed by a majority of lawmakers elected to the devolved assembly last year.

The latest quarterly poll conducted for Queen's University Belfast showed on Friday that 53% see the current lighter touch application of the rules as an appropriate means of managing Brexit, down one percentage point in the last three months.

(Reporting by Andrew MacAskill and Amanda Ferguson; Additional reporting by Padraic Halpin, James Davey and Michael Holden; Editing by Andrew Heavens, Kirsten Donovan and Grant McCool)
Political Consultant Sentenced for Scheme Involving Illegal Foreign Campaign Contribution to 2016 Presidential Campaign

A Texas man was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for his role in funneling illegal foreign campaign contributions from a Russian national to a 2016 presidential campaign.

According to court documents, Jessie R. Benton, 45, of The Woodlands, schemed with another political advisor to funnel political contributions to a 2016 presidential campaign from a Russian national seeking to meet and take a picture with the presidential candidate. Benton arranged for the Russian national  whose nationality Benton concealed from the campaign and the candidate  to attend a campaign fundraising event and to take a picture with the candidate.

As such attendance and engagement required a contribution, Benton caused the Russian national to wire $100,000 to Bentons political consulting firm to make an illegal foreign contribution to the campaign. To disguise the scheme, Benton created a fake invoice, which falsely identified the funds as payment for consulting services. Benton acted as a straw donor and contributed $25,000 of the Russian nationals money to the campaign, falsely identified himself as the contributor, and pocketed the remaining $75,000. Because Benton falsely claimed to have given the contribution himself, the relevant campaign entities unwittingly filed reports with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) that inaccurately reported Benton  instead of the Russian national  as the source of the funds.

In November 2022, Benton was convicted at trial of conspiring to solicit and cause an illegal campaign contribution by a foreign national, effecting a conduit contribution, and causing false records to be filed with the FEC.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Departments Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman for the Southern District of California, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia, Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBIs Criminal Investigative Division, and Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy of the FBI San Diego Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI San Diego Field Office investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys Rebecca G. Ross and Michelle K. Parikh of the Criminal Divisions Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle L. Wasserman for the Southern District of California, while serving in her capacity as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, prosecuted the case.

This story has been published on: 2023-02-23. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
DHAKA, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The International Solar Alliance (ISA) will provide technical support to Bangladesh to pull in financing for the renewable energy sector.

"We'll help Bangladesh find a right policy to introduce a right business model for investment in the solar power sector," ISA Director General Ajay Mathur was quoted as saying by the United News of Bangladesh (UNB) while addressing a press briefing in Dhaka Thursday.

The ISA is an alliance based on an intergovernmental treaty whose primary objective is to work for efficient consumption of solar energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

The remarks came following Bangladesh's signing of a strategic country partnership agreement with the ISA to accelerate the development of solar energy.

Power secretary Habinur Rahman and Mathur signed the agreement on behalf of their respective sides.

The ISA chief said that land scarcity and a right technological solution have been the biggest challenges to the government in achieving a target of generating 40 percent of electricity from renewable sources by 2041.

"Options like floating solar could be an ideal solution for Bangladesh ... We'll be working to find innovative ideas," he said.

Rahman noted that a total of eight projects were to be implemented under the agreement with the ISA.

These include installations of 12 trolley-mounted portable solar irrigation systems of about 2kW capacity, 12c portable solar paddy threshers of about 2kW capacity, two rooftop solar projects with a capacity of 22kW, a solar cold storage for preservation of agricultural produce, the development of a rooftop project at Chattogram or any other railway station, the installation of a floating solar project in Gazipur and Munshiganj.

Conversion of two manually operated sluice gates to floating solar-powered auto sluice gates in two sites under the Bangladesh Water Development Board is also included in the agreement. 
Experienced SaaS Executive to Scale Company for Growth and Drive Global Revenue

SAN RAMON, Calif., February 23, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rootstock Software, provider of the #1 Manufacturing ERP on the Salesforce Platform, today announced the appointment of Joe Massa to the position of Chief Revenue Officer. In this role, Massa will be responsible for global revenue and will help Rootstock expand its sales organization, using a focused approach that starts in geographies, such as North America, Europe, and Japanareas where Rootstock already has a strong customer base.

"Were excited to bring Joe on board, as hes a valuable addition to our executive team," said David Stephans, CEO of Rootstock Software. "Joe has succeeded in helping similarly sized software companies scale for rapid growth. He draws on more than 30 years of experience in the software industry and 15 years in helping sales organizations achieve success. He has in-depth knowledge of manufacturing and supply chain operations, as well as familiarity with the technologiesincluding Cloud ERP and the Salesforce ecosystemthat can help manufacturers digitally transform their businesses."

"This is a great time to join Rootstock," said Massa, who will be based in Boston and report directly to the CEO. "Disruptive conditions originated during COVID, and theyve made cloud solutions essential for manufacturers to support a remote workforce and resilient supply chain. Today, Rootstock has the leadership, board, and employees to take advantage of opportunities to gain further traction in the ERP market. The companys high customer retention proves Rootstock Manufacturing Cloud ERP delivers the robust functionality manufacturers need combined with the powerful capabilities of the Salesforce Platform. Both components are vital to helping manufacturers adapt and thrive in a volatile, post-pandemic world."

Prior to Rootstock, Massa was the VP of Sales in the Americas for Loftware, a supply chain labeling software company. In this role, he drove significant year-over-year growth. Prior to that, he served as VP of Sales in North America at ClickSoftware (a Salesforce company), where he helped customers drive more profit out of their service operations. He also served as Director of Sales in the East for Intershop, a leading e-commerce platform. Massa got his start in sales at industry-leading companies like SAP and Numetrix, an Oracle company. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Maine.

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Massa will soon grow his global sales team; potential candidates should stay tuned to Rootstocks career opportunities: https://rootstock-software.breezy.hr/.

About Rootstock

At Rootstock Software, our connected Manufacturing Cloud ERP enables hundreds of manufacturers, distributors, and supply chain organizations to turbocharge their operations in a dynamic, post-pandemic world. With our solution natively built on the Salesforce Platform, our customers leverage the industrys leading Cloud ERP, Rootstock, to connect with their suppliers, trading partners, and the broader ecosystem.

Ranked as a leader in the ERP Value Matrix by industry analysts, Rootstock has vertical expertise in discrete manufacturing, medical devices and high-tech verticals. Rootstock team members partner with customers as trusted advisors in driving change and transformation to whats next.

We continue to grow, so stay tuned to our new customers, career opportunities, and LinkedIn posts.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230223005312/en/

Contacts

Tammy Delatorre

Director of Public Relations

213-320-1766

tdelatorre@rootstock.com
Agriculture and Cooperative Minister Chalermchai Sri-on said that tapping Thailand's rubber industry could generate trillions of income for Thai people. (Photo credits: REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun; JACK TAYLOR/AFP via Getty Images)

A Thai minister has suggested a unique way to expanding Thailands rubber industry: promoting Thai rubber by tapping into the sex toy market.

In a Facebook post on Thursday (23 February), Thailand's Agriculture and Cooperative Minister Chalermchai Sri-on believes that this approach, under the concept he dubbed Sex Toy  Made in Thailand, will raise the value of Thai rubber and generate revenue for the country.

Chalermchai argues that sex toys are about sexual well-being, not just pornography.

Today we must dare to decide. Should we process rubber into sex toys to make a profit for the country? Its not just about pornography but also a matter of sexual health, the minister said.

Chalermchai also said that the global sex toy market was estimated to be worth 1.3 trillion baht (S$50 billion) in 2021. It has grown 300% in the past five years and is expected to reach 2 trillion baht (S$77 billion) by 2030.

"Rubber Valley"

Chalermchai's proposal is aimed at bolstering the income of rubber farmers, as well as developing a rubber industrial estate to systemise production processes. The plan would also involve introducing economic tourism and increasing rubber exports to cover all types of rubber processing.

We are ready to build an industrial estate called Rubber Valley to [systematise] rubber processing and boost rubber exports, which can double up as a tourist attraction. We should process rubber in all ways. Dare to make the change and unlock income for Thai people, he said.

Chalermchai said that bolstering the sex toy industry could also have social benefits such as less rape and fewer sexually-transmitted diseases cases.

However, the ministers suggestion would require a radical paradigm shift as Thailand still has existing laws on criminalising promiscuity, which violators of the law could get fined or jailed.

Meanwhile, online users seem to support the minister on the issue. One user on Reddit said: The Minister is correct in bringing up that although rules are there on sex product and sale, it is an open market sale, hence why not venture into such market too.

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[N]obody buys a new tire as a gift for themselves or their partner because theyre in the mood for something new or because they noticed some feature that triggered curiosity. Just imagine somebody gifting an extra ribbed moped tire on Valentines day. That simply doesnt happen in the tire industry, but latex gifts/self treats are common in the sex tool industry, another user said.

Marvin Joseph Ang is a news and lifestyle writer who focuses on politics, the economy, and pop culture. Follow him on Twitter at @marvs30ang for latest news and updates.

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Illustration shows letters arranged to read "Sanctions" in front of Union Jack and Russian flag colors

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain marked the one-year anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine by issuing more sanctions against Russia, including export bans on every item it has used on the battlefield and import bans of iron and steel goods.

Britain has frozen assets and targeted a wave of Russian officials and companies in the last year in an effort to cripple Moscow's economy and curb its ability to wage war on its neighbour.

It said it would target another 92 individuals and entities, including allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin such as the boss of Nord Stream 2, Matthias Warnig.

Ahead of a meeting between Group of Seven leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Britain said the internationally coordinated sanctions and trade measures would target aircraft parts, radio equipment and electronic components.

"Today we are sanctioning the elites who run Putin's key industries and committing to prohibit the export to Russia of every item Russia has been found using on the battlefield," Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said in a statement.

Other executives to be targeted include those at the state-owned nuclear power company Rosatom and others who work at defence groups and Russian banks.

"Rosatom has always, under all circumstances, complied with its international obligations," it said in a statement. "We will continue to fulfil all current contracts as long as it remains possible."

It will also ban the import of 140 goods including iron and steel products processed in third countries.

"Trade sanctions are working. UK goods imports from Russia have fallen by 99%, since before the invasion, and goods exports to Russia have fallen by nearly 80%," Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch said.

The meeting of G7 leaders and Zelenskiy is expected to discuss further sanctions on Russia.

(Reporting by Farouq Suleiman; Additional reporting by Caleb Davis in Gdansk; Writing by Kate Holton; Editing by Paul Sandle, Raissa Kasolowsky and Mark Porter)
Landlocked between Romania and Ukraine, Moldova is one of the poorest and smallest countries in Europe, with a population of approximately 2.5 million people.

Yet this hasnt stopped the aspiring EU member from welcoming around 100,000 Ukrainian refugees - many of whom are women and children - since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine one year ago.

Svetlana Berezovskaya is from Moldova. She is housing a mother and her two sons who fled the war in Ukraine. She says the conflict next door made her reflect on the vulnerability of her own country.

"I was here in Moldova when the war with Transnistria started. I know what it is, it's scary. And when you have children, it is very scary. So you have to help somehow," she explained.

Svetlana Berezovskaya, a Moldovan woman housing Ukrainian refugees - Euronews

"I dont know, maybe, God forbid, of course, that such things should happen to us It's scary. And when you have children, it is very scary. So you have to help somehow."

Mobilising civil society

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Moldova has lived under the constant fear of a Russian attack on its soil and has suffered from major energy and cost of living crises, leading to the resignation of pro-Western Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita earlier this month and growing instability in the country.

There are a number of pro-Russian groups in Moldova, particularly in Transnistria, an eastern separatist region. This, along with a severe cost of living crisis, has contributed to instability in the country and the resignation of pro-Western Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita earlier this month.

Despite these hardships, civil society mobilised in an unprecedented way to help refugees.

A year ago, Moldova For Peace started with just a handful of volunteers. Today, this NGO is backed by several international organisations and employs more than 100 people.

"The war started, we all woke up in a huge anxiety [...] And we decided that the least that we can do is come together [...] and try to offer the support we can," said Constanta Dohotaru, the Program Coordinator of Moldova for Peace.

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NGO Moldova For Peace provides teaching for Ukrainian refugees living in Moldova - Euronews

"This is a safe space for women and girls. It's a space where people, can have a psychotherapy session, can ask for legal advice, take part in Romanian lessons, English lessons," she added.

Jennifer Perova is a Ukranian employed by Moldova for Peace. She told Euronews that the support she received inspired her to help others.

"I was impressed by how sincerely people want to help others. That is why, as soon as I arrived in Moldova, I started looking for some options where I could help others as well."

Ukraine's Roma refugees

Before the war, an estimated 400,000 Roma lived in Ukraine. Its unclear how many have fled to Moldova, but most of them who did are staying in refugee accommodation centres scattered across the country.

In Costesti, a village 20 kilometres south of the capital, Euronews met with Iduard Mihay and his family at a refugee centre run by the local municipality.

Iduard says his family hasnt experienced any sort of discrimination, and that the welcome they received in Moldova helped to overcome the traumatic experience they went through in Ukraine.

Iduard Mihay, Ukrainian refugee living in Costesti, Moldova - Euronews

"We left because there were already rockets flying over our heads, there was no light at all. It was cold, and we also have a well, which had no water, and there was no heat and it was cold," he said.

"So we decided to take my children and come here. Everyone helps us here, there are many good people. Everyone helps with clothes, food, with everything."

Palanca: The primary border crossing

The village of Palanca on the Ukrainian border is less than an hour's drive from the city of Odesa and has been the main crossing point for the 750,000 refugees who have fled the war through Moldova.

Today, the relative peace stands in stark contrast with the events that unfolded here a year ago.

Eugen Levco, Head of International Cooperation, Moldova Border Police - Euronews

"At the height of the crisis, the queue to get to this border crossing point would be around eight to eleven kilometres [long]," revealed Eugen Levco, Head of international cooperation at Moldova border police.

"I myself am a father. I have a small daughter. And when you [live] these experiences, you take it very personally," he added.

Holding out for the day they can go home

In January 2023, the Moldovan government granted temporary protection status to all Ukrainian refugees, to ensure a more stable future for them, with automatic rights to housing, healthcare, education and work.

But despite this guarantee, most are dreaming of home.

Dimitro Kochegov, a young Ukrainian refugee living in Moldova - Euronews

"I want to go back," said Dimitro Kochegov, a young Ukrainian refugee who lives with Svetlana Berezovskaya. "But I realise that it's very dangerous there, something can happen."

"God willing, everything will be over fast," Iduard Mihay told Euronews. "Our parents, our houses are there, everything is there. So, we will wait. It's just a matter of time," he concluded.
Bird flu has spread rapidly across Europe in the most recent outbreak among poultry. (Reuters)

An 11-year-old girl has died from bird flu in Cambodia, after contracting the first known human case of the H5N1 virus in the country since 2014.

The girl became ill on 16 February and died on Wednesday, according to the country's health ministry. Her father has since been confirmed to have contracted the virus and 11 other people who came into contact with the child are being tested.

The case has put other countries on high alert for human cases of the virus, which has resulted in the deaths or culling of more than 200 million birds around the world.

Although the virus has spread rapidly among the UK's avian population, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said there is "no evidence so far that the virus is getting better at infecting humans or other mammals".

What is bird flu?

Avian influenza, otherwise known as bird flu, is categorised as influenza A H5N1. The virus has spread widely in birds around the world since 2021 but has thus far resulted in very few infections in humans.

According to the European Centre of Disease Control the virus is a "highly pathogenic avian influenza virus", meaning it has a high mortality rate among infected poultry.

The 2021/2022 epidemic has been among the worst recorded in Europe, and the UKHSA is currently looking into potential response scenarios should the virus begin to transmit to humans more widely.

The agency is currently assessing whether the lateral flow devices used to detect COVID could be used to test for the H5N1 virus in humans, and has been monitoring people who have come into contact with infected birds.

Arturo Casadevall, the chair of the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at Johns Hopkins University in the US, which supplied widely used coronavirus tracking data, said information on whether the 12 suspected new infections in Cambodia would be key.

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Important story to watch. Key information is whether the 12 infected people obtained it from a bird source or from human-to-human transmission, which would be very worrisome. Report indicates that more information should be forthcoming.https://t.co/u5MwSWLRRm  Arturo Casadevall (@ACasadevall1) February 23, 2023

The UKHSA is currently modelling several different potential scenarios of human transmission - one based on the recent coronavirus pandemic, and one based on the 1918 flu outbreak, whose fatality rate was higher.

In a potential scenario with a higher fatality rate, people could see "significant behavioural differences relative to the recent pandemic experience", UKHSA said.

Dr Meera Chand, incident director for avian influenza at UKHSA, said: "The latest evidence suggests that the avian influenza viruses were seeing circulating in birds do not currently spread easily to people.

"However, viruses constantly evolve, and we remain vigilant for any evidence of changing risk to the population, as well as working with partners to address gaps in the scientific evidence."
Poultry 101 began as an idea to broaden UNG's reach and bring students to campus because of UNG's poultry program. Purvis, who has taught at UNG since 2008, explained some students who are interested in agricultural products such as chicken, beef, eggs, and livestock do not have access to the items for hands-on training.

This is the only event in Georgia where college students train middle and high school students in poultry. Poultry 101 offers more hands-on training than just looking at pictures which is all many schools have access to, Purvis said.

Funds were provided by the US Poultry & Egg Foundation education and recruitment grant received by UNG in November. Additionally, several industry partners in the area donated items for the event including Aviagen, Wayne-Sanderson Farms, Lathem Farms, and Chick-fil-A Robinson Crossing.

Koch Foods Inc. has partnered with the program for five years.

"The food industry requires essential workers for sustainability. Opportunities offered in this area promote a pipeline for entry-level supervisors and managerial career advances," Daryl Porter, Koch Foods complex human resources manager, said. "The knowledge gained by students through the UNG poultry science program is very attractive for recruiting purposes to Koch Foods, as well as other poultry companies."

According to a September 2022 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report, overall employment of agricultural and food scientists is projected to grow 8% from 2021 to 2031, faster than the average for all occupations. About 4,100 openings for agricultural and food scientists are projected each year, on average, over the decade.

"While farming is a huge part of the poultry industry, it's not the only part," Purvis said. "You've got veterinarians, pharmaceutical companies, packaging and equipment companies, and transportation. There are labs, testing, health, and nutrition. Students with a wide range of interests can find a poultry career that's right for them."

As a result, a large number of poultry and poultry-related industries are seeking individuals with poultry science degrees to further the advancement of the industry. Events like Poultry 101 are designed to help encourage students to pursue careers in these industries.
PHNOM PENH, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn on Friday concluded his two-day official visit to neighboring Thailand.

The Cambodian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Sokhonn and his Thai counterpart Don Pramudwinai "attached great importance to the joint endeavors to realize the bilateral trade target of 15 billion U.S. dollars by 2025."

The two presided over the soft opening of the Cambodia-Thailand Friendship Bridge (Stung Bot-Ban Nong lan), which would contribute to intensified flow of cross-border trade and investment as well as improved connectivity and well-being among the two peoples, it added.

On tourism, both sides agreed to further enhance collaboration under the slogan "Two Kingdoms, One Destination." On security and defense, they attached significance to the peaceful settlement of the border disputes with a view to jointly building a boundary of peace, friendship, cooperation and development.

As Cambodia and Thailand are steadfast in realizing the goal of mine-free land by 2025 and 2026 respectively, both sides underlined the importance of early conclusion of demining operations along the perimeter, as instructed by the two countries' top leaders, the statement said.

During the visit, Sokhonn also paid a courtesy call on Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, the statement said. 
HA NOI  Vietnamese digital companies should expand their reach to tap into the trillion-dollar global market where the opportunities are abundant for the high-quality IT engineering team of Viet Nam, experts urged at a conference on the matter.

The world technology market is providing significant opportunities for Vietnamese digital companies, Nguyen Thien Nghia, Deputy Director of the Authority of Information Technology and Communication Industry, said at a conference the Ministry of Information and Communications held on Thursday.

The conference Vietnamese digital companies going global: Global digital cooperation  Trusted partners in building the digital world was part of the ministrys campaign to support Vietnamese digital companies to expand their operations abroad this year.

Nghia said that the domestic software and IT services market of Viet Nam was estimated at around US$2 billion in 2022, equivalent to the workload for 200,000 engineers. The domestic market was becoming narrow for the resource of 40,000 IT companies and 550,000 engineers in Viet Nam.

Therefore, going global was essential for digital companies, which would also help bring Vietnamese knowledge and technology.

He also cited statistics that Viet Nams IT export revenue was $2.2 billion last year by 1,000 IT companies and 80,000 engineers, modest figures compared to the global revenue of software and IT services, worth $1,803 trillion.

With the current human resources in IT, which keeps expanding, the opportunities for Vietnamese digital companies in the global market are unlimited, and there is huge untapped potential, Nghia said.

He pointed out that the biggest advantage of Vietnamese firms in the global market was high-quality IT engineers with competitive costs.

On the world level, the salary of IT engineers in Viet Nam is only one-tenth, but the quality of the products was highly appreciated. Viet Nam currently ranks sixth in the world regarding human resources for business processing outsourcing (BPO) and information technology outsourcing (ITO), the second most attractive destination in Southeast Asia IT outsourcing.

Minister of Information and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung said that the explosion in demand for digital transformation was bringing once-in-a-hundred-year opportunities to Vietnamese digital companies to bring Vietnamese knowledge to the world.

While the Internet and digital technology were playing an increasingly important role, about 40 per cent of the worlds population, or nearly 4 billion people, are not connected to the Internet. This is both an opportunity and responsibility of Vietnamese digital companies to contribute to narrowing the digital gap and building a sustainable digital future, Hung said.

Its time Vietnamese digital enterprises entered a new phase of development history which is exploring and opening up new spaces, bringing Vietnamese brands to the world, becoming global corporations and enterprises, moving the focus from the domestic market to the international markets and affirming a position in the world technology map, Hung stressed.

Go global, go together

Hung said that the ministry would deploy a comprehensive campaign to support Vietnamese digital enterprises doing business abroad or going abroad.

Go together to go far. Go together to be more confident and more efficient, Hung said.

The ministry and relevant agencies would pave the way for enterprises, accompany and provide support in any markets where enterprises set foot and enterprises which had successfully gone abroad would support others, thats the way to go, he said.

Sharing the journey of going global during the past two decades, the Chairman of FPT Group Truong Gia Binh said that the beginning was extremely difficult, but the results were strong. FPT was now present in 29 countries with total overseas revenue of $1 billion, 25 times higher, with 27,000 employees, 900 times higher.

To penetrate a foreign market, enterprises must open offices there to understand the market demand to bring products and services matching customers demands, Binh said.

Dont talk about IT, lets talk about digital transformation with new technologies such as the Internet of Things and Blockchain. There will be more opportunities.

He said that technologies integrated into automobiles were a potential sector for domestic IT firms in the international market.

General Director of Viettel Tao uc Thang, which also successfully went global, now present in 10 markets with a revenue of $3 billion and average annual growth of 25 per cent, said that Vietnamese IT enterprises were facing many difficulties and challenges when going abroad, including cultural differences, political instability in the countries of investment destinations.

In addition, enterprises often went abroad alone, so they could not create synergy, Thang said.

Thang said Vietnamese digital companies should study cultures and respect the laws while doing business abroad. Promoting social responsibility in markets where they invested was also important, such as implementing school Internet projects and supporting governments in fighting against diseases.

Viet Nam should improve the legal framework for overseas investment, including mergers and acquisitions, Thang said.

At the conference, representatives from the Japan External Trade Organization, the Korea IT Cooperation Centre in Viet Nam and the European Chamber of Commerce in Viet Nam introduced opportunities for IT companies in their markets.

Also, within the conferences framework, the ministry officially launched a consulting group to support digital companies going abroad.  VNS
HA NOI  The UKs participation in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) will bring about wonderful trade and investment opportunities to each CPTPP member, while affirming the deal as a model of economic cooperation in the region in the 21st century, a Vietnamese official has said.

During his phone talks with Kemi Badenoch, Secretary of State for the Department for Business and Trade of the UK, on February 23, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien stressed that Viet Nam would continue its coordination with other CPTPP members to soon conclude the negotiations on the UKs joining the agreement.

For her part, Badenoch said joining the CPTPP was one of her top priorities as the Secretary of State for the Department for Business and Trade of the UK, and thanked Viet Nam for its cooperation and support for the process.

Viet Nam's hosting the next round of talks in Phu Quoc late this month would contribute to accelerating the process, especially in the context of the two countries celebrating the 50th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties this year, she noted.

Badenoch expressed her hope that CPTPP members and the UK would handle the pending issues during the meeting to end the negotiations in principle.

After the four rounds of talks held online in 2022, the next meeting is scheduled for February 27 in Phu Quoc, off the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang.  VNS
A NANG  Nguyen uc Tai, a 34-year-old resident of a Nang, has been sentenced to 13 years in prison by the a Nang's People's Court.

Tai was found guilty of illegally trading 10 tonnes of rhino horns, ivory, lion's bones, and pangolin scales and intentionally forging seals and documents.

On February 21st, the court declared that Tai had violated regulations to protect endangered and threatened wildlife species while using counterfeit seals and documents from organizations and agencies.

In addition to the prison sentence, Tai was fined VN50 million (US$2,000).

According to a report on July 17, 2021, from the citys Customs department, 138kg of rhino horns and 3.1 tonnes of lions bones were discovered during an inspection at Tien Sa Port.

The department also found 456.9kg of ivory tusks and 6.2 tonnes of pangolin scales from Nigeria.

The smuggled goods are from species listed on the extinction list issued by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

The citys investigation agency of a Nangs Public Security on June 22, 2022, charged Tai with breaking wildlife protection laws and forging seals and documents.

Bui Thi Ha, vice director of Education for Nature  Viet Nam (ENV), a Vietnamese non-governmental organisation, praised the successful prosecution.

However, the final hidden mastermind of the huge wildlife product smuggling case has yet to be unveiled. Anyway, the 13-year prison sentence handed down by the a Nangs peoples court is highly appreciated, Ha said.

She said the case would be a sample for other provinces and cities dealing with illegal trade and transporting the banned wildlife species and products.

According to ENV, about 80 tonnes of illegal wildlife products have been seized at major sea ports of Tien Sa in a Nang, HCM Citys Cat Lai and Hai Phong Port since 2015.

In March 2019, Viet Nam Customs seized over nine tonnes of ivory at a Nang Por, bringing the amount seized in Viet Nam since 2004 to over 70 tonnes.

In 2018, nearly 10 tonnes of smuggled ivory and pangolin scales were discovered in a container at a Nangs Tien Sa Port.

In 2015, eight tonnes of ivory, rhino horns and pangolin scales were found in five containers at Tien Sa Port.

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) partners with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to assist Viet Nams customs and seaport authorities in using technology to counter wildlife trafficking.

USAIDs Saving Threatened Wildlife project, implemented by WWF, convened agencies to discuss tools and technology that combat wildlife trafficking through improved detection and interception at maritime ports.  VNS
This aerial photo taken on Feb. 20, 2023 shows blooming canola field on the outskirts of Gujranwala district in Pakistan's Punjab province. To help the country meet its edible oil demand and support its foreign exchange reserves, Chinese company Wuhan Qingfa Hesheng and a Pakistani company Evyol group jointly provide high-quality hybrid seeds to Pakistani farmers.(Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)

by Misbah Saba Malik

GUJRANWALA, Pakistan, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- On a sunny February morning, the air in a small village in Pakistan's east Gujranwala district carried the sweet scent of the canola flowers, which were dancing gently in the breeze.

Bees whirling on the profuse yellow blossom beaming with lush green pods were not only a view to behold, but also heralded the beginning of a new chapter in the lives of local businesspeople and farmers, who are shifting to a Chinese hybrid variety of canola seeds to reap higher yields and produce cooking oil at home.

"We sowed the new variety on 100 acres of land because of their potential to produce higher yields and more oil as compared to other oilseeds including mustard and rape, which we previously used to cultivate," Intisar Ahmad Chattha, the farm's manager told Xinhua while carefully watching the pods.

Pakistan's annual consumption of cooking oil is around 5 million tons, but due to the low economic potential of oilseeds in the local market, they are not preferred by the farmers. The country has to import about 89 percent of oil to meet the demand, spending 3.6 billion U.S. dollars annually.

To help the country meet its edible oil demand and support its foreign exchange reserves, Chinese company Wuhan Qingfa Hesheng and a Pakistani company Evyol group jointly provide high-quality hybrid seeds to Pakistani farmers.

Ghazanfar Ali, head of marketing in Evyol group told Xinhua it took them 10 years to produce a variety that is compatible with the local climate, produces a good yield and is good for human health.

The crop provides an increased profit for the farmers as its standard 2 kg pack is enough to cultivate 2 acres of land, and the farmer can get 1.5 tons of yield out of it, which is over 10 percent more than the yield from other varieties currently available in Pakistan, he said, when talking about the potential of the crop.

Zhou Xusheng, director of the international business department of Wuhan Qingfa Hesheng Seed company, told Xinhua that his company is working on transferring technology to Pakistan to make it efficient in smart agriculture.

"Through this project, we want to transfer the harvesting technology through which the farmers can use some attachments on the harvesters they already have and reduce the wastage," he said.

His company also wants to introduce processing units across the country, through which even in villages people can install them and produce processed oil for themselves and sell it to others, Zhou added.

He said that the seed is suitable for the environment across Pakistan, and this year they sold 11 tons of seeds across the country, which will be cultivated on 20,000 acres, and their target for next year is 100 tons, which will bring a great change to Pakistan by helping the country become self-sufficient in edible oil production.

The Chinese company will also buy back the canola harvest from some of the farmers and send it to the edible oil factories so that both farmer and the factory owners can realize the potential and health benefits of the oil, Zhou added.

"When Pakistan imports oil, it spends a lot of money and receives only the finished product. But when oil is produced locally, it will generate job opportunities, build an industrial chain and utilize the cakes after oil extraction as power-packed canola meal for cattle," he added.

Talking about the demand for canola meal in Pakistan, Chattha said that they have over 800 cows in the dairy farms in the area and to provide them with good quality food they have to import canola meals, which is a big financial burden due to the devaluation of the local currency.

"Besides getting and selling edible oil, our main purpose to sow canola was to produce the meal for cattle," he said, adding that he observed swarms of bees on the flowers during its ongoing full bloom season, and that they are also planning to work on beekeeping next year.

"The yellow flowers in the vast plain of Gujranwala symbolize the beauty of the Pakistan-China friendship, through which a revolution can be brought to Pakistan's agriculture sector, and the edible oilseed production is a step forward in that direction," Ali said, while standing near a promotional board educating people about the health benefits of the Chinese canola. 

Zhou Xusheng (L), director of the international business department of Wuhan Qingfa Hesheng Seed company, works with a seed expert from Pakistani company Evyol group in canola field on the outskirts of Gujranwala district in Pakistan's Punjab province on Feb. 20, 2023. To help the country meet its edible oil demand and support its foreign exchange reserves, Chinese company Wuhan Qingfa Hesheng and a Pakistani company Evyol group jointly provide high-quality hybrid seeds to Pakistani farmers.(Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)

Zhou Xusheng (L), director of the international business department of Wuhan Qingfa Hesheng Seed company, works with a seed expert from Pakistani company Evyol group in canola field on the outskirts of Gujranwala district in Pakistan's Punjab province on Feb. 20, 2023. To help the country meet its edible oil demand and support its foreign exchange reserves, Chinese company Wuhan Qingfa Hesheng and a Pakistani company Evyol group jointly provide high-quality hybrid seeds to Pakistani farmers.(Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)

This aerial photo taken on Feb. 20, 2023 shows blooming canola field on the outskirts of Gujranwala district in Pakistan's Punjab province. To help the country meet its edible oil demand and support its foreign exchange reserves, Chinese company Wuhan Qingfa Hesheng and a Pakistani company Evyol group jointly provide high-quality hybrid seeds to Pakistani farmers.(Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)

This aerial photo taken on Feb. 20, 2023 shows blooming canola field on the outskirts of Gujranwala district in Pakistan's Punjab province. To help the country meet its edible oil demand and support its foreign exchange reserves, Chinese company Wuhan Qingfa Hesheng and a Pakistani company Evyol group jointly provide high-quality hybrid seeds to Pakistani farmers.(Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)

This photo taken on Feb. 20, 2023 shows blooming canola field on the outskirts of Gujranwala district in Pakistan's Punjab province. To help the country meet its edible oil demand and support its foreign exchange reserves, Chinese company Wuhan Qingfa Hesheng and a Pakistani company Evyol group jointly provide high-quality hybrid seeds to Pakistani farmers.(Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)
HA NOI A joint website featuring archive photos from the French School of Asian Studies (or EFEO in French acronym) and the Institute of Social Sciences Information (ISSI) at the Viet Nam Academy of Social Sciences has been officially launched.

The website, https://collection.efeo.fr/ws/issi/app/report/index.html, is available in Vietnamese, French and English. It features nearly 70,000 photos, with more than 57,000 from the ISSI and 10,000 others from the EFEO.

The archive photos were taken in Viet Nam and many other Asian countries between the early 20th century and the 1980s. They were contributed by researchers, tourists and government agencies.

The archives also contain scientific documents on monuments, archaeological excavations, religious ceremonies, museum artefacts, and aerial photographs.

The website's launch celebrates the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and Viet Nam (1973-2023).

According to French Ambassador to Viet Nam Nicolas Warnery, several activities will be held in both countries this year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and ten years of strategic partnership. Most of those events are related to culture, education, science, and health care.

The launch of the joint photo website aims to honour the EFEOs activities in Viet Nam and cooperation with local partners, including research institutes and universities.

Together with a joint library named Hoa Phuong opened by the national libraries of the two countries in April 2021, the newly launched website will help researchers and the public in Viet Nam and France access precious archives about science, life, and culture, the diplomat noted.

Assoc. Prof Dr Vu Hung Cuong, director of the Institute of Social Sciences Information, said the institutes library of social sciences is keeping a rich diversity of scientific archives, including those from the EFEO. Among them are about 57,000 photos, forming a particularly valuable and unique archive.

To facilitate the public and researchers' access to these photos, a project started in 2019 to build the joint website, he went on.

An exhibition of scientific archive photos from the two sides was also opened on this occasion. VNS
LONDON  UK-based Vietnamese teenager Anna Hoang has launched a new ao dai (Vietnamese traditional long dress) collection to promote Vietnamese culture and diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and the UK.

Fifty ao dai sets of Love Collection brand for adults and children have been displayed at a fundraising event for UNICEF and the Southeast and East Asian Centre (SEEAC) at St Andrew's university.

Themed Viet Nam-UK Colours, the collection is meant to celebrate the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and the UK and convey the 13-year-old designers love to both nations.

Patterns inspired by the iconic symbols of the two countries, such as the lotus, Tudor rose, and famous destinations like Ha Noi, Hoi An, Hue, London, Tower Bridge, and Big Ben, are used to decorate 25 designs for adults. Furthermore, 25 designs for children all have blue colour that symbolises sustainability and a bright future, matching the key theme for this years special anniversary of the UK-Viet Nam relation - Building For The Future.

Annas ao dai designs opened Segment ONE of the House of iKons Fashion Week 2023 on February 18, drawing the attention of designers and fashion magazines in the United Kingdom.

The House of iKons Fashion Week was held within the framework of the prestigious London Fashion Week in February and September annually. This season attracted the participation of 500 models and 28 designers from various countries, including Viet Nam, the US, Italy, Finland, the UK, Thailand and the Philippines.

The young fashion designer has also been invited to attend the UK Festival in Viet Nam in September. She wishes to continue introducing Vietnamese traditional long dress in particular and culture in general at more events not only in the UK and Viet Nam but also in other countries such as the US and Canada.

Love Collection was founded in 2019 by the duo Anna Hoang and Emily Nguyen to honour and promote Vietnamese culture through the traditional costumes of Vietnamese women. The designers wish to spread and inspire love globally with the name Love Collection. VNS

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HA NOI  The European Union sees Viet Nam as an important partner to uphold and reinvigorate a rules-based international order, Chair of the European Parliaments Committee on Foreign Affairs David McAllister, told local media on Thursday.

He also affirmed that Viet Nam was a key partner of the European Union in the region for its active role and function as the gateway for Europe to ASEAN, during the press briefing held in Ha Noi at the end of the EPs delegation tour to Indonesia and Viet Nam on February 21-23.

The purpose of the visit was to reaffirm the Europe Union (EU)s interest in enhancing bilateral relations with Viet Nam and also furthering the EU-ASEAN strategic partnership. During the visit, the delegation met with representatives of the National Assembly, the Government, and the Party on several issues of mutual concern, including political security, trade, energy, and human rights.

Viet Nam was one of the two ASEAN countries with which the EU has an ambitious free trade agreement, David McAllister noted, adding that the Europe-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) was a significant step in solidifying the partnership.

Viet Nam was the largest trading partner of the EU among ASEAN countries, and European companies are one of the largest foreign investors in Viet Nam, McAllister remarked.

He said he was looking forward to the entry into force of the Europe-Viet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA). The EP was waiting for the ratification of this deal from EU member states as only 12 countries had adopted it, and the Chair said he was encouraging European counterparts to move forward on this issue, and the Vietnamese counterparts have made it very clear how important this is.

With regard to political security, the European side noted the ramifications of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, including its impacts on long-term stability and peace in the Indo-Pacific and Southeast Asia, and advocated for a stronger defence of the multilateral system and respect for the United Nations charter.

David also expressed appreciation towards Viet Nam for valuable humanitarian aid for Ukraine.

Regarding the South China Sea issue, the foreign committees chair said the situation was far from stable, and the EU welcomed Viet Nams efforts to work with ASEAN to resolve the conflict in the South China Sea and to negotiate the adoption of a binding Code of Conduct.

The European Union strongly supports the principle of freedom of navigation and valid diplomatic solutions to international conflicts, the EP official noted.

"We like to see Viet Nam and ASEAN-led efforts to settle this business, and most importantly, this shows us once again how important it is that in our world, we follow an international rules-based order," David said.

The EU also valued the participation of the Vietnamese military personnel in the EUs training mission or the Central African Republic, and expressed interest in closer cooperation in maritime security, cybersecurity, and crisis management.

Regarding green transition, McAllister remarked that with 1,200km of coastline, Viet Nam is particularly vulnerable to losing land, coastal settlements and infrastructure to sea level rise.

The EU appreciated Viet Nams ambitious objective of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, and together with international partners, launched the Just Energy Transition Partnership worth US$15.5 billion with Viet Nam.

Giorgio Aliberti, Ambassador of the European Union to Viet Nam, said transition is a costly exercise and there would be some losers, so we must also take care of the workers working in the fossil fuel sector.

We know energy transition is not an easy process, we have to work together, we have the same issue in Europe. So we are facing the same challenges. And we are here to share our experience, the ambassador shared, adding that we want to ensure that no one is a loser in this complex process.

On the issue of the yellow card that the European Commission (EC) has slapped on Vietnamese fisheries, the EP official acknowledged Viet Nams efforts to combat illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing (IUU), including political commitments and implementation.

The Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE) of the EC has made a visit to Viet Nam in October last year to assess the state of the implementation, and it was agreed that a new assessment visit would be carried out this year to review the possibility to lift the IUU yellow card, McAllister noted.

EU Ambassador Giorgio Aliberti however said that we should not be too optimistic ahead of the visit because lifting the yellow card would be a long process, but at the same time, we see progress going in the right direction, and in working together, we will get there.

Its too early now to say when exactly, but its important to continue to cooperate, Aliberti said.

On questions related to parliamentary cooperation, the EP lawmaker noted with pleasure that the National Assembly Chairman Vuong inh Hue himself had said the Vietnamese parliament would be arguing within the ASEAN Inter-Parliament Assembly to work on EPs wish to set up a liaison office in Jakarta as a first step towards a higher degree of cooperation between the two parliaments as EU and ASEAN have lifted ties to a strategic partnership last year.  VNS
HA NOI  According to a seminar yesterday, while 40 per cent of the population of Ha Noi is exposed to high levels of particulate matter, an alarming two-thirds of the city's air pollution originates from external sources.

Titled "Air Pollution Management in Ha Noi: From Commitment to Action," the seminar was jointly organised by The World Bank Vietnam and the Ha Noi People's Committee.

"These figures are much higher compared to the last 7 or 8 years," said Nguyen Thi Le Thu, a representative of The World Bank Vietnam.

According to a World Bank Vietnam study, urban pollution emitters only account for one-third of the total pollution sources.

The rest comes from nearby areas in the form of straw and garbage burning.

A Ha Noi Department of Natural Resources and Environment report also showed that citizens face the negative effects of pollution and climate change.

Out of the city's 9 million inhabitants, there are 7 million motorbikes and 600,000 cars. These are perceived as one of the main causes of air pollution in Ha Noi.

"In 2015, 40 per cent of Ha Noi's inhabitants were exposed to a level of PM2.5 pollutants twice the national standard, and many times higher than the WHO's recommendations," said Le Thu. "The numbers are not updated for 2023, but with the rise of urbanisation, we believe these figures are much higher now."

"Urbanisation has brought a more vibrant, dynamic image of Ha Noi, but it has also brought some new challenges," said Carrie Turk, World Bank's Representative in Viet Nam.

The World Bank Vietnam also gave recommendations to Ha Noi for solving air pollution.

The recommendations include banning trash and agricultural waste from being burnt, better support for agricultural waste management, enforcing motorbike emissions criteria, and encouraging the development and use of public transport and renewable energy vehicles in the city.

A sustainable strategy to manage waste is also recommended to eliminate waste burning, and the criteria for industrial emissions must be tightened.

"One of the challenges in delivering these solutions is raising public awareness," said Mai Trong Thai, Deputy Director of the Ha Noi Department of Natural Resources and Environment to Viet Nam News, "Citizens must comply and stop the burning of waste outdoors."

"To solve the pollution problem, it also requires the cooperation of many localities," Thai added, "The responsibility of protecting the environment must also be shared, and authorities must ensure they develop their industries so that their pollution problems don't affect neighbouring provinces."

"Ha Noi is also pushing to complete waste treatment plants such as Lam Son Thien Y plant in March, with a capacity of 4,000 tonnes per day, and other plants so that by 2025, Ha Noi will have control of waste management in the city, and the burning of the waste outdoors will be eliminated."

"In terms of vehicle emissions, Ha Noi and other localities will build and report to the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment criteria of personal vehicle emissions," said Thai.

In his speech at the conference, Deputy Chairman of Ha Noi People's Committee Nguyen Trong ong asked local authorities to gather feedback from experts and scientists to improve the air quality in the city.

ong said solving these challenges will help Ha Noi develop sustainably and move Viet Nam closer to the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.

"To achieve that goal (net-zero emission by 2050), we need support from international organisations and collective action from all authorities and people of Ha Noi," said ong.  VNS
HA NOI  The Ministry of National Defence held a ceremony on Friday in Ha Noi to commend the Viet Nam People's Army team for their work rescuing victims after the earthquake in Turkey.

Speaking at the ceremony, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Tan Cuong, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army, Deputy Minister of National Defence, praised the units for upholding their responsibilities, directing the full preparation for the delegation, and highly appreciated the results of the team's performance in Turkey.

He said that despite the difficult conditions, the Vietnamese team stayed united and coordinated well with the forces of Turkey, and other countries in the search for victims buried under the rubble.

Humanitarian activities were highly appreciated by the international community, the Government and the people of Turkey, he said.

The Ministry of Defence awarded the Certificate of Merit to 76 individuals who have made outstanding achievements in their duties.

The Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union awarded certificates of merit to 22 individuals, and the Central Committee of the Viet Nam Red Cross presented certificates of merit to eight groups.

At the event, Turkish Ambassador to Viet Nam Haldun Tekneci said that Viet Nam was one of the first countries to send search and rescue forces from the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Public Security to Turkey.

Ambassador Haldun Tekneci highly appreciated the brave efforts, selfless contributions and extremely noble actions of the Vietnamese rescue forces.

From February 13 to February 22, the Vietnamese rescue team worked closely with the Turkish rescue agency and rescuers from other countries to search for and support earthquake victims in 31 areas.

VN10 billion raised by Viet Nam Red Cross

The Central Committee of the Viet Nam Red Cross Society (VRCS) has received nearly VN10 billion (US$434,000) donated by Red Cross workers, organisations and businesses in support of Turkish and Syrian people following the devastating earthquake.

The sum was raised at the launch of a fundraising campaign in Ha Noi on Thursday.

In response to the appeal of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and with the approval of the Prime Minister, the VRCS issued a call for support for those affected by the earthquake in the two countries, which has been widely disseminated by the media and on social media, conveying a message of solidarity and support for the people of Turkey and Syria, demonstrating a sense of solidarity, responsibility, and humanitarianism of the Vietnamese Government, people and the VRCS, President of the VRCS Central Committee Bui Thi Hoa said.

She vowed that all proceeds would be sent to the right recipients in a transparent and timely manner, in line with the law.

Hoa took the occasion to urge VRCS chapters nationwide, agencies, businesses, religious organisations and individuals to help Turkish and Syrian people overcome difficulties and return to normality.

Counsellor at the Turkish Embassy in Viet Nam Gulay Kosem Rignault thanked the Vietnamese Government, people and VRCS for providing invaluable support for Turkey.

Donations for the people of Turkey and Syria can be sent to the VRCS Central Committee at 82 Nguyen Du, Ha Noi, or its representative office in the South at 201 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, District 1, HCM City.

Donors can also send their contributions to the VRCS Central Committee's bank accounts at the Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam, No.124 02 02 005 348 (for donations in VN), No. 124 02 02 018198 (for donations in USD).

The time to receive voluntary contributions will last through May 30.  VNS
by Nguyen Diep

In an effort to raise public awareness about the need to stop rubbish littering, the young man Nguyen Luong Ngoc and his team do not hesitate to take a dip in the black water of the Hy Vong Canal section in Tan Binh District, one of the most polluted canals in HCM City, to collect trash from this canal.

Over the past three months, the trash-collecting team called Sai Gon Xanh (Green Sai Gon) have cleaned up many trash-choked canals across the city and collected dozens of tonnes of trash.

The leader of the team Nguyen Luong Ngoc, 27, an employee at a restaurant in the city, shared that when he was in his hometown, he thought that the city was one of the most beautiful places. But when he came to work, he found that behind the beauty, there were many polluted canals in the city.

There is a strong stench coming from the black water of the canals full of trash, seriously polluting the environment, affecting the landscape and threatening the health of local residents, he said.

With the desire to revive the clean canals and contribute to building a green, clean and beautiful city, Ngoc initiated the Sai Gon Xanh team and brought together young people for action to rescue the polluted canals.

Our work is expected to contribute to raising public awareness, particularly among the younger generation, of environmental protection, he said.

The team initially had only five members, mostly students and freelancers.

The members are spending around three hours picking up trash at the canals three times a week.

Images and video clips about our work have been widely shared on social media and received a lot of attention from the community recently, he said.

As a result, the team has quickly grown to attract dozens of young volunteers, including expats living in the city.

Ho Van Vy, a member of the team, said he was a little scared of the dirty water for the first time, but after doing it a lot, he really like doing this work.

I feel proud of what I have done and want to do this work everyday, he said.

The first day of volunteering, a Lithuanian volunteer, who gave only one name Arturas, said he knew the team through a TikTok video so he asked to join this meaningful work.

When I do this work, I feel very happy because I have contributed something useful to society, he said.

The team repeatedly used a basket to rake in garbage but they never seemed to be able to remove all the trash.

There was trash everywhere in the canal, and because it had been there for so long, the water was murky and putrid.

After about three hours of cleaning the canal, more than 20 plastic bags of trash weighing tens of kilogrammes each were collected and brought up to the street.

The bags were later handed over to a sanitation worker for transporting to waste treatment facilities.

The team leader said that the entire canal could not be cleaned in one time because there was too much trash there.

The team will ask the local government about calling for more volunteers to come and clean up the remaining areas of the canal that are deeper.

Although the participants wear protective clothing, they still have to face many difficulties, and unexpected risks of health effects from pollution and contagious diseases.

If not careful, we could accidentally grab a used needle or broken glass, Ngoc said.

More than 100 used injection needles were found during their trash collection in Go Vap District, he said.

There are other hazardous wastes like animal carcasses that are often collected during the canal cleaning.

The team has helped reduce the surface water pollution of many foul-smelling canals in Tan Binh and Go Vap districts over the last three months.

Nguyen Van Chinh, a resident in Ward 15 in Tan Binh, expressed his support and high appreciation for the team's efforts to clean up the city's waterways, which are seriously polluted by trash.

The canal looks so much better after a lot of trash was collected, he said.

According to Bui Huu Hong Hai, deputy head of the Viet Nam Youth Federation - HCM City, environmental pollution is always a headache for any country.

The city now has more than 2,000km of rivers and canals, with dozens of canal routes being polluted.

The pollution of canals in the city has been worsening as large quantities of household and industrial wastewater, as well as household rubbish, are being discharged or dumped into canals.

The amount of waste collected from these canals across the city ranges from 10 to 40 tonnes per day, even up to 60-80 tonnes on holidays, mostly domestic waste.

The city has made many efforts to call on people to pay more attention to maintain environmental sanitation and not throw waste into rivers, canals and roads.

The cleaning activity carried out by the Sai Gon Xanh team brings encouragement and motivation for the young people in the city to join together in practical and meaningful activities to help keep the city green, clean and beautiful.  VNS
An Cuong introducing products and solutions from industrial wood at the Ho Chi Minh City Export Furniture Fair (HawaExpo 2023)

An Cuongs team has experience with overseas clients and projects in diverse countries and territories. The company is condent in its customer service, innovation, quality, commitment and strives to be the industry standard in customer service provision.

The company is committed to maintaining a sustainable production process, including raw material sourcing, cabinet making, door finishing, hardware preparation, quality control, packaging, and container loading-shipping-exporting solutions.

An Cuong provides professional services to distributors, wholesalers, trading agents, project builders, interior designers, furniture stores, apartments, hotels, residences, and commercial contractors.

Most importantly, it is able to customise any cabinet design in order to develop customers own cabinet lines.

Its extensive 240,000sq.m factory and 5,000sq.m warehouse allows An Cuong to be a strong manufacturer. Its warehouse is stocked with over 1,000 wooden containers of MFC board, laminate, acrylic panels, and veneer.

For export, An Cuong can produce up to 250 containers a month, and its panel boards are certified under most stringent international standards, such as EPA, E1, E2, E0, and super E0.

An Cuongs collection has up to 1,300 different colours and materials

An Cuong hailed Japans Sumitomo Forestry Group as its strategic shareholder in 2017.

With more than 200-year experience in the industry, annual revenue surpassing $10 billion, modern management technology, and a great position in the international market, Sumitomo Forestry has helped An Cuong strive for the best quality, more innovative designs, and better services.

Its products are guaranteed to be compliant with international standards and requirements in addition to being certified as environmentally-friendly.

An Cuongs production line encompasses a melamine impregnation line; a melamine short cycle pressing line; an HPL and veneer laminating line; a high gloss acrylic and lacquered laminate laminating line; painting lines; and a high-gloss acrylic seamless door line.

An Cuongs wooden furniture product lines increasingly meet the demands of many domestic and foreign customers due to the companys high quality and alternative services

To deliver the best value products, An Cuong offers a wide range of service solutions such as slim line, seamless edge-banding technology, and post-forming kitchen and table tops.

For assembly, the company can dowel, glue or camlock structures, allowing cabinets to come ready-to-assemble or be deconstructed.

An Cuong also offers the best packaging methods to maximise the quantity load while minimising cost for clients.

The companys supply chain passes the strictest of factory audits, including ISO 9001, QSA, C-TPAT, SCCS, COC, FCCA, RESA (RS), and GMP.

Besides its advanced machinery, the company possesses an experienced and talented team, having been accredited with SA8000 certification, ensuring the work meets international standards.

Besides its advanced machinery, the company possesses an experienced and talented team, having been accredited with SA8000 certification, ensuring the work meets international standards.

Its top-class facilities and human resources allow An Cuong to deliver the perfect solution with 1,000-plus different colours and surfaces in natural looks, like oak, ash, and walnut, and bold designs with a leather, metal, or fabric effect.

In addition to its wide range of solutions, the company also offers K, J, Z, and U-profiled handles, making cabinet designs more luxurious. It is also flexible in conducting any third-party testing and inspection required by customers.

For its commitment to innovation, An Cuong has been awarded several awards, including the Top 10 Sao Vang Dat Viet, Top 10 Prestigious Building Materials 2022, Sustainable Business CSI 2022, and National Brand of Vietnam Value 2022.

For six consecutive years, the company has received awards for Top 50 Enterprises in Vietnam (from Vietnam Report), HR Awards 2022, and Top 50 Corporate Sustainability Awards 2022.

An Cuong Wood Working Materials, headquartered in Ho Chi Minh City, is a leading manufacturer and supplier of wood-working materials, solutions, and furniture in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.

Established in 1994, it has grown to employ nearly 3,000 employees with an extensive network of nearly 60 luxurious showrooms and advanced manufacturing facilities ready to provide top quality services to customers.

The companys export portfolio covers 25 countries and territories, including the US, Canada, and Japan.

An Cuongs export products include kitchen cabinets, vanity and laundry cabinets, components, oce furniture, bedroom furniture, hospitality furniture, and shipbuilding materials.

Ho Chi Minh City Export Furniture Fair (HawaExpo 2023) Time: February 22-25 Location: Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC), 799 Nguyen Van Linh, Tan Phu ward, District 7, Ho Chi Minh City

The catalyst to boost exports in 2023 Free trade agreements (FTA), particularly new-generation deals, are instrumental in the buoyant performance of Vietnams export businesses, underpinning the countrys export target of 6 per cent in 2023 despite the global headwinds.

Digitalisation in focus at Vietnam's furniture fair An impressive drone performance opened the HawaExpo 2023 event in Ho Chi Minh City on February 22 to highlight the digital transformation trend in the furniture manufacturing industry in Vietnam. The fair claims to gather the nation's largest export manufacturers and is open from now until February 25 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre (SECC).
A tra fish processing factory. Vietnam is currently the biggest exporter of frozen tra fish fillet to the UAE. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi  Products of the processing and manufacturing industry of Vietnam now have great chances to enjoy stronger export to the UAE, which has high demand for imports.

Dubai is stepping up urbanisation and infrastructure development, leading to higher demand for electricity and energy in industrial and trade sectors. The development of smart grids and upgrade of transmission lines will also boost the UAEs electrical cable market.

The UAEs electrical cable market was valued at 192.48 billion USD in 2021 and is forecast to grow by some 4.2% on average between 2022 and 2030. Therefore, electrical cables are a highly potential product for Vietnamese enterprises to invest in and export to the Middle Eastern country, said Truong Xuan Trung, an official of Vietnams Trade Office in the UAE, as cited by the Cong Thuong (Industry & Trade) newspaper.

Among other processed and manufactured products, Vietnam can also boost the shipment of handbags, suitcases, and wallets, he suggested.

In 2022, footwear exports to the UAE brought home 185 million USD, rising nearly 50% from a year earlier; textiles and garments 132 million USD; timber and wood products 27 million USD, statistics show.

The Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of Ho Chi Minh City has registered to take part in a woodworking fair in the UAE in 2023. This event, which will gather many international exporters and importers, will be a good chance for Vietnamese firms to seek partners, Trung said.

In addition, some agricultural and fishery products of Vietnam are holding a big market share in the UAE and can be exported more to this market.

Data in 2022 show that fishery exports to the UAE increased by over 18% year on year. Vietnam is currently the biggest exporter of frozen tra fish fillet there, with an over 50% market share. Such fruits as dragon fruit, watermelon, and seedless lime from the Southeast Asian country are also dominating this market.

However, the UAE is a market with fierce competition in terms of prices and quality, the official noted, adding that the Islamic country requires food and beverage imports to have Halal certificates, and also imposes high import tariffs, up to 50%, on sugar-sweetened beverages.

Despite considerable challenges, Trung held that the UAE is attractive enough for Vietnamese firms to capitalise on since it is a highly open market, has few tariff barriers, and serves as a point of transit for goods to reach the Middle East, Africa, and Southern Europe.

Besides, the UAE is a party to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), whose members share a common customs law system, so when Vietnamese goods are exported to this market, they can enter other GCC members without having to pay more taxes.

The UAE has asked Vietnam to consider the early signing of a bilateral comprehensive economic partnership agreement so as to further facilitate Vietnamese products entry into the Middle Eastern country, according to Trung.

Indonesia, UAE start talks on comprehensive trade deal Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates have launched negotiations within the framework of the Indonesia-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IUAE-CEPA) to boost bilateral trade and investment between the two countries.

UAE vows 'responsible' artificial intelligence rollout The world's first minister for artificial intelligence says the United Arab Emirates isn't only looking for economic benefits as it seeks to become a leading nation in the sector.

Vietnams U23 to play friendly with UAE The U23 Vietnam team will play a friendly with the United Arab Emirates (UAE)s U23 team on May 28.
Nusantara - the new capital city of Indonesia (Photo source: futuresoutheastasia.com)

Jakarta - Indonesia has unveiled a host of tax breaks to attract companies and people to move to its new capital Nusantara in the heart of Borneo.

According to the local investment ministry, banks and insurers operating in Nusantara will have to pay no income tax for up to 25 years if they invest before 2035. Those investing before 2045 can get up to 20 years of tax break.

These are only one of the various incentives being offered by the government to get businesses to support President Joko Widodos 600 trillion rupiah (39.5 billion USD) plan to move the nations capital from Jakarta.

The incentives would only be offered until 2045, when Nusantara, expected to be entirely renewable-powered and technologically advanced, is set to be completed.

So far, 20 companies including local and foreign ones have shown interest in investing in Nusantara, with a few of them having signed deals, said Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia.

The government has begun building basic infrastructure in the new capital, including a water dam, roads and presidential and vice presidential buildings. The target is for public officials to start relocating next year.

Indonesia boosts cooperation with Eurasian Economic Union Indonesias Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hasan has called for the promotion of economic cooperation between his country and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), saying he expects the free trade agreement (FTA) between the two sides to be completed soon.

Indonesia plans to ban copper exports in 2023 Indonesian president Joko Widodo said his government will soon consider halting the export of unprocessed copper ores to encourage domestic processing of raw materials in the countrys industrialisation push, following a similar policy on nickel and bauxite.
ISLAMABAD, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan considers China as an all-weather strategic cooperative partner and is proud of its friendship with China, spokesperson for the Pakistani Foreign Ministry Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in Thursday's weekly press briefing.

When asked about U.S. State Department Counselor Derek Chollet's recent statement regarding Pakistan-China relations, the spokesperson said that Pakistan, as a sovereign state, exercises the right to choose its economic partners from around the globe on mutually beneficially basis.

Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that China has been a consistent, generous and steadfast friend that has stood by Pakistan for the last several decades and has always come to Pakistan's assistance in times of need. 
The scholarship - awarded to university students in their third-year and final year of studies in either science, engineering, technology and business courses - will cover tuition and educational expenses.

The scholars will also be offered with development and career opportunities from Jabil, such as soft skill training workshop, plant tour, internship and Employee in Training.

The scholars will also be offered with development and career opportunities from Jabil.

At our core, we are united in an unshakeable commitment to care about our people, our communities, and our environment, said Khanh Nguyen, Operations director at Jabil Vietnam.

The 2023 Jabil Vietnam Scholarship Programme is our initiative to support and invest in talented young leaders of tomorrow in their journey towards making a positive impact in the community and the world.

Khanh Nguyen, Jabil Vietnam Operations director presents scholarships to students

The selection was based on academic performance, social, and financial circumstances. Jabil worked in partnership with nine universities in Ho Chi Minh City: Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, University of Technical Education, International University, University of Economics and Law, University of Economics, University of Foreign Trade, University of Industry, University of Banking and University of Economics and Finance.

The programme received 385 applications and selected candidates underwent online English tests, ability tests, and face-to-face interviews. The total value of the 20 scholarships is estimated at around $13,000.

All of our scholars demonstrated passion and strength of character. We are confident they have what it takes to lead and shape the next generation of leaders in Vietnam in an increasingly complex world, said Khanh Nguyen.

Jabil also has several structured programmes in place such as the Employee-In-Training programme, a long-term strategic programme to cultivate future company leaders through a deliberate talent development roadmap.

Successful scholars were invited to an awards ceremony attended by the board of directors and functional managers from Jabil Vietnam; as well as representatives from the partner universities.

Ho Chi Minh City to wipe out obstacles for foreign investors Recommendations on the topic were sent by foreign business associations to the leaders of Ho Chi Minh City in a seminar on February 22 in Ho Chi Minh City.

Automechanika Ho Chi Minh City comes back after two years Automechanika Ho Chi Minh City comes back in June, inviting car enthusiasts and industry insiders to one of the most important events in the industry.
Vinh Long aims to create breakthroughs in economic and production restructuring in each sector and develop large-scale and high-tech agriculture.-Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

Vinh Long - Japanese enterprises are interested in and looking for investment opportunities in the Mekong Delta region, especially in Vinh Long province, according to deputy chief representative of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) in HCM City Ida Koji.

At a working session with representatives from the provincial Peoples Committee on the investment environment in the locality on February 23, Koji said Vietnam is one of the most potential and attractive investment destinations for Japanese and international businesses.

In recent years, Japanese businesses have considered Vietnam as one of their important investment destinations, ranking second after the US, he noted.

The official mentioned difficulties facing Japanese companies in the locality related to administrative procedures, expressing his hope that Vinh Long authorities will have appropriate policies to support foreign businesses and speed up the simplification of administrative procedures to facilitate foreign firms operations.

Vice Chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee Nguyen Van Liet said local authorities always accompany and create favourble conditions for investors, especially helping them remove difficulties in implementing projects in the locality.

Vinh Long aims to create breakthroughs in economic and production restructuring in each sector; develop large-scale and high-tech agriculture; and strongly promote the industry as a momentum for economic growth, especially farm produce processing, he said, adding that the locality has been calling for domestic and international resources for concertedly developing and modernising infrastructure facilities, focusing on urban infrastructure, traffic, electricity, irrigation, information and communication technology infrastructure.

It also promotes agriculture and tourism development in connection with the overall development of the Mekong Delta region and the Greater Mekong sub-region, and sustainable socio-economic development in response to climate change and sea level rise, Liet added.

According to Vice Director of the provincial Department of Planning and Investment Nguyen Khac Nhu, Vinh Longs firms earned 60.2 million USD from exporting their products to Japan in 2022, accounting for 8% of the provinces export turnover, and up 40% year-on-year. The main exports were leather shoes, textiles, auto parts, handicrafts, and processed farm produce.

Vinh Long is home to 73 foreign-invested projects from 15 countries and territories. Japan ranked first in terms of total investment capital with 213.8 million USD in 11 projects, mainly in food and farm produce production and processing, warehousing and storage services, and manufacturing sewing machine parts and small precision machine parts.

Vinh Long expects to turn tourism into spearhead economic sector The Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long has mobilised resources to promote tourism development, with the aim of turning tourism into a spearhead economic sector by 2030.

Vinh Long calls for $1.06 billion into 10 key projects Vinh Long Peoples Committee has issued a decision to call for a total of investment VND24.37 trillion ($1.06 billion) into 10 projects.

Vinh Long province enjoys Dutch-backed climate adaptation project The Netherlands granted $19.5 million to a climate adaptation project in Vinh Long province.
As a pioneer in building and developing a safe, closed, and sustainable food supply chain with the From Farm to Fork model, MM Mega Market currently operates five direct sourcing platforms in key agricultural areas. These include Da Lat for vegetables, Can Tho for fish, Dong Nai and Hanoi for pork, and Tien Giang for fruit.

Among these, MM Mega Market Vietnam's We Are Fresh clean pork private label has partnered with over 200 farmers and cooperatives from the country's two large-scale pork production regions that deliver 30 tons of fresh pork to the domestic market daily. It has consistently been the top choice for hotels, restaurants, and canteens, as well as household customers.

Facing the situation of high feed ingredient prices that lead to high livestock costs, farmers' profits are very low, with some even operating at a loss.

Starting on February 24, MM Mega Market Vietnam will implement a shocking price programme for its We are Fresh private label pork products in an effort to promote consumption and increase purchasing power for consumers.

This highlights the company's commitment to sharing to ensure full output for farmers and instilling trust in them so they can focus on production while applying the VietGap standard to raise herds, enhance livestock productivity, and generate stable incomes.

Having had a presence on the market for six years, pork products under MM's We Are Fresh brand have earned the trust of millions of Vietnamese consumers who prioritise clean, safe, and healthy food. From the collaboration with livestock groups, MM enforces rigorous criteria such as requiring VietGAP certification, ensuring a safe breeding environment, and maintaining environmental standards.

In particular, MM's highly skilled agronomists provide continuous support and guidance to farmers, offering advice on best practices for dairy farming, livestock management, breeding and selection, disease prevention, and traceability procedures.

MM uses specialised refrigerated trucks with temperature monitoring equipment during transportation to ensure that the pork is preserved from 0-4 degrees Celsius in a continuous cold supply chain to maintain the safety and taste of the meat. The finished products are packaged properly, with each unit having a traceability stamp and QR code.

This scheme will be implemented throughout the entire MM Mega Market system nationwide, with prices starting at VND79,000 ($3.32) per kg in the south and central regions and VND89,000 ($3.74) per kg in the north.

During these challenging times, MM Mega Market Vietnam is not only supporting pig farmers, it is also proactively promoting the consumption of agricultural products from the Mekong Delta region at non-profit prices. For instance, red-fleshed dragon fruit is being sold at VND19,000 (80 US cents) per kg and oranges at VND10,800 (45 US cents) per kg.

MM Mega Market named among Top 100 Best Places To Work in Vietnam 2021 Thai-backed retailer MM Mega Market Vietnam Co., Ltd. (MM) has been honoured in the Top 100 Best Places to Work in Vietnam 2021 by Anphabe, a pioneer consulting firm providing employer brand and happy workforce solutions, on December 22.

MM Mega Market Vietnam championed for Green Leadership Thai-backed retailer MM Mega Market Vietnam (MM) was honoured as one of the top Asian enterprises to receive the 2022 Asia Responsible Enterprise Award (AREA 2022) for Green Leadership at the virtual awards ceremony held by Enterprise Asia on July 21.
Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Danh Huy met with Spanish Ambassador to Vietnam Pilar Mendez Jimenez on February 23 to discuss the railway cooperation.

Ambassador Jimenez said that the length of the Spanish high-speed railway ranks second globally (following only China), including 30 routes and 229 high-speed trains that can reach a speed of 350km per hour.

"Our trains use renewable energy, contributing to environmental protection," said the ambassador.

The Spanish railway also uses two parallel rail gauges, 1,435mm and 1,668mm, ensuring smooth operation thanks to an automatic gauge changer system to save costs.

Besides this, Renfe  Spain's national railway company  has also developed high-speed railways in the US, Saudi Arabia, France, and Mexico.

The Spanish ambassador would like to work with the Vietnamese Ministry of Transport (MoT) to develop the railway system in the country, especially the high-speed railway. She has therefore asked the MoT to provide information on all relevant projects.

MoT Deputy Minister Nguyen Danh Huy said that the ministry welcomes Spanish enterprises to consider investing in a prioritised transportation portfolio.

"The government of Vietnam has issued its railway network planning for 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, with a total investment of about $200 billion  including the investment cost of the north-south high-speed railway project," said Huy.

The north-south high-speed railway project has been researched since 2005. It is currently being reviewed while the pre-feasibility study is completed. Based on the appraisal results, the MoT will adjust and complete the study before submitting it to the relevant authorities for consideration and in-principle approval.

Previously, also working with the MoT, leaders of the World Bank and the Japanese government expressed their intention to invest and cooperate with Vietnam to develop the north-south high-speed railway.

The MoT and the Ministry of Planning and Investment have agreed to choose an investment plan for the north-south high-speed link with a double track measuring 1,435mm that can facilitate speeds of up to 225km/h. The total investment for this project is around $76 billion.

International contractors given opportunity to join $3.9 billion railway Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh has asked the Ministry of Transport (MoT) to work with Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, and Ho Chi Minh City on the construction plan of two railway routes namely Thu Thiem-Long Thanh International Airport and Bien Hoa-Vung Tau.

Second chance here for high-speed rail The Politburo will decide on the development of a North-South high-speed railway in September, which was previously turned down by the National Assembly in 2010.

Boosting international railway transport investment The initial successes of the railway container transport network from Vietnam to Europe have provided a fulcrum inspiring the railway sector to increasingly engage with the international network.
Illustrative photo (Photo: AFP)

Jakarta  Indonesias Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs has set a target of attracting 1,250 -1,400 trillion rupiah (82-92 billion USD) in investment in 2023 through passing policies to promote business licensing reform.

In a statement released on February 21, Secretary of the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs Susiwijono Moegiarso said that the ministry, as the coordinator of preparations for regulatory reform to improve the investment ecosystem and business activities, has collaborated with the British Government since 2019 in making business licensing reform a success.

Several cooperation programmes with the British Government include technical assistance in formulating risk-based business licensing policies and improving the implementation of risk-based supervision in the field, besides benchmarking the implementation of risk-based licensing and supervision from the British Government.

Cooperation between the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs and the British Government has played a very significant role in the success of regulatory reform in improving the investment ecosystem and ease of doing business in Indonesia, and it is hoped to develop good cooperation to encourage further ease of doing business and a conducive investment climate in Indonesia, according to the statement.

Graham Russell, Chief Executive of the Office of Product Safety and Standards at the UK's Department for Business and Trade, said that the British Government has worked for years to create a regulatory environment where businesses can invest and thrive while protecting citizens and the environment.

He added the UK is enthusiastic about helping the Government of Indonesia focus on business licensing and inspections to reduce risks.

Indonesia readies roadmap for Timor Leste's full ASEAN membership Indonesia, as the chair of ASEAN this year, is preparing a roadmap to support the full membership of Timor Leste in the regional association.
The Dr Pepper Museum is adding to its explanation of the what, how and why of the Waco-rooted soft drink with a revamped exhibit that expands the who of the story: the first workers who bottled the drink on a large scale and delivered it.

The People Who Made Dr Pepper, opening Friday to visitors, revamped the Bottling Room part of the museum tour, the first major exhibit of the museum when it opened to the public in 1991, with an eye to what was previously invisible, the rank-and-file workers of the Artesian Manufacturing and Bottling Co.

The company, which bottled Dr Pepper and Circle A Ginger Ale for much of the first half of the 20th century, operated out of the downtown Waco building that now houses the museum.

Museum Associate Director Joy Summar-Smith said renovating the room to improve traffic flow and upgrade its displays also provided the opportunity to tell a story that connects with todays visitors.

It speaks to who we are as a member of the community.  They (visitors) see themselves reflected back, Summar-Smith said.

And maybe eye-to-eye with the subjects of the exhibit. Life-size photo cutouts of five individuals whose stories are highlighted stand in the Bottling Room space, whose walls now are covered in enormous blow-ups of 20th century photos by Fred Gildersleeve that show the room with its workers in action.

Machines that capped bottles, dispensed syrup and allowed workers to check for impurities and syrup mixtures join the worker photos. Three interactive video screens along one wall let visitors learn about the bottling process, what route drivers did and where the soft drink and syrup bottles went after leaving the Waco plant.

One of the rooms longtime highlights, a 27.5-feet-deep well that once provided the plants water, is still there, but with its surrounding rails removed and a new glass cover over which visitors can walk and look down.

What is missing are the sounds, smells and feel of the work. Summar-Smith said the bottling room was not air-conditioned or heated, and workers had to navigate a concrete floor often splashed with water and syrup.

Machinery often was powered by belts driven by steam engines. The large Gildersleeve photos show long power belts looping above the workspace. Trains loading and unloading their cargo, as well as those passing through downtown, added their noise to the general plant din.

Then there was the physicality of moving cases of bottles, filled and unfilled, and glass jugs of syrup that weighed 40 pounds apiece.

This was hard, difficult work, Summar-Smith said.

The opening of the exhibit will feature a roll call of the names of the 175 workers over the plants history.

The five people profiled in The People Who Made Dr Pepper represent a cross-section of the workers, positions and backgrounds of those who worked at the Artesian plant.

Robert Lazenby  Inventor of Dr Pepper and Circle A Ginger Ale and company president from 1901 to his retirement in 1927. Lazenby was instrumental in building what would become the Dr Pepper Co.

Alma Pick  A line worker who inspected bottles and proper formula levels for a time. Pick and her husband both worked at the plant. She started in the 1940s when more women entered the workforce during World War II.

Ellis Booker  One of the longest-tenured workers at the plant, working from 1899 to 1953. A Black worker, he persisted despite a Ku Klux Klan attempt to run him and other Black workers off. His name also appears in Lazenbys personal book of recipe formulas with a notation that whoever might succeed him in plant management should continue to employ Booker, Summar-Smith said.

Juan Gonzales  Son of a Mexican immigrant, he started work at the plant in 1948 and is pictured in a 1948 photograph of the companys workforce.

Julius Genecov  A Russian immigrant who began working at the plant at the age of 14. Genecov would go on to become a Waco businessman.

The Artesian plant survived its brush with the Waco tornado in 1953, resuming bottling and shipping only a week after the disaster. It closed operation sometime in the early 1960s, its demise hastened in part by aluminum cans replacing glass bottles.

In putting a face on the workers who produced, bottled and shipped Dr Pepper, the new exhibit aims to credit the people behind the scenes.

This business would not be here without those people who started it here, Summar-Smith said.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Joe Biden administration's hysterical overreaction to a Chinese unmanned civilian airship unexpectedly entering U.S. airspace is proof of the current U.S. government's inability to overcome domestic pressure and manage the relationship between Washington and Beijing in times of high tension, a former U.S. diplomat has said.

In an interview with Xinhua, Chas Freeman reiterated his criticism of the Biden administration's strategy toward China that wrongfully prioritizes competition over cooperation and called on the administration to learn from the diplomatic wisdom possessed by the older generation of leaders of both the United States and China that made the normalization of ties between the two countries in the 1970s a reality.

A retired career diplomat, Freeman was a member of then-U.S. President Richard Nixon's entourage during the president's ice-breaking trip to China in 1972, serving as the U.S. delegation's principal interpreter.

"THEY STRUCK ME AS HYSTERIA"

Speaking of the so-called "balloon incident," Freeman highlighted the "clear disconnect" between the initial assessment by the U.S. military and the intelligence community of the non-threatening nature of the airship and the peddling by U.S. politicians of what they speculated to be the craft's purpose of "espionage."

"From the beginning, the military said this did not represent a threat of any consequence to U.S. national security. And it was the politicians who began to invent a series of theories about the use of this balloon for espionage," Freeman said, adding the fact that the arrival of the airship coincided with a polar vortex over North America made him believe that the incident was not something the Chinese side was able to anticipate beforehand. "The course of the balloon may and well have been accidental."

Despite China's timely notification -- based on an earnest verification -- to the United Sates that the airship was used for meteorological research and unintentionally entered U.S. airspace, Washington overreacted to the isolated incident by shooting down the airship, claiming that China has a so-called high-altitude surveillance balloon program and imposing sanctions on Chinese companies it alleged are linked to the program.

"They struck me as hysteria," Freeman said of U.S. perceptions about and reactions to the incident. It was "a kind of almost psychotic reaction to an event in which facts were set aside and replaced by conspiracy theories."

Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, had an informal contact with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday in Munich, Germany, where they were both attending the 59th Munich Security Conference participated by world leaders.

"If the U.S. side continues to fuss over, dramatize and escalate the unintended and isolated incident, it should not expect the Chinese side to flinch," Wang told Blinken when setting forth China's strong position on the "balloon incident," according to a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Freeman said he agreed "completely with the Chinese statement that this was an overreaction" by the U.S. side.

It is "unfortunately not uncommon" for the United States to exaggerate the nature of this unintended accident, he added, given that the country is currently plagued by domestic political polarization.

On the revelation from the Chinese side that the United States illegally flew high-altitude balloons into Chinese airspace multiple times to surveil intelligence information, Freeman said he suspected "maybe there is" a U.S. balloon program that's still in existence, noting "the United States in the 1950s had a very active program of using balloons for military targeting purposes over the Soviet Union."

He suggested that the United States and China discuss "what kind of overflight at what altitude is permissible," so that the flight of high-altitude aerial objects can be governed by either certain "legal standards" or "perhaps some kind of arms control agreement."

"APPARENTLY WE ARE POLITICALLY PARALYZED"

As part of U.S. response to the balloon incident, Blinken postponed his trip to Beijing originally scheduled for early February.

In the view of Freeman, one of Blinken's intended goals for the planned China trip was "a domestic political posturing" to show Americans at home that the Biden administration was "just as tough on China as the Donald Trump administration was." Now the "cancellation of the visit did exactly the opposite," he said.

Blaming the United States for letting the "balloon incident" unnecessarily create "a very unfortunate effect on Sino-American relations," Freeman said the implications of the abrupt scrapping of Blinken's trip to China are threefold, all of which are indicative of the Biden administration's inability to engage with China meaningfully.

"First, it appeared to show that the United States and China cannot talk under conditions of tension," he said. "That is very unnerving to the world. It is a matter of grave concern not just to Americans and Chinese who follow these things, but to many in other countries."

"Second, we showed that we do not know how to manage this relationship in conditions of crisis. And that, too, is a matter of concern," he said. "And third, we showed not that Mr. Biden was politically strong, but that he was weak. He could not stand up to domestic political pressure."

"Apparently we are politically paralyzed in the United States and prevented from taking any initiative to address the first two questions: Can we talk? Can we manage the relationship," said Freeman.

In recent days, the Biden administration's public messaging on China has been self-contradictory.

In what U.S. media interpreted as a move to contain the further fallout of the balloon episode, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris told Politico in a recent interview that she didn't think U.S.-China relations would be impacted by the incident.

Days later, when Harris was in Munich meeting with leaders of France, Germany and Britain, "the challenges posed by China" was a recurring topic during the respective interactions. It's hard for anyone not to read into this as a sign of the Biden administration stepping up its alignment with allies against China.

"I have been a critic of the formula that the Biden administration has adopted for U.S.-China relations," Freeman said.

"They begin by saying we will compete. We are in a competition, but we will cooperate in a few areas where that is mutually advantageous. I think that's the wrong order. We should be focused on cooperation, and at the same time acknowledge that in some respects we will compete. So the question is the priority that you assign," he said.

Freeman categorizes competition into three forms -- "rivalry," a positive process where the two competing parties seek to excel and ultimately result in self-improvement by both; "adversarial animosity," a zero-sum competition like a running race where one party tries to "trip" rather than "outrun" the other party; and "enmity," a destructive mode where one party fight for the complete annihilation of the other party.

The word "competition," Freeman said, has been used by the Biden administration as a "euphemism" and in way that makes the concept hardly distinguishable from "animosity and hostility." The result is that the United States, by failing to accurately describe the status of its relationship with China, has driven bilateral ties into the phase of adversarial animosity.

Freeman lamented the fact that "empathy," which he said is required in diplomacy and was shown by both the U.S. and the Chinese sides when Nixon visited China, is nowhere to be found among those making decisions on China in the current U.S. administration.

"Empathy is understanding where the other side is coming from, what they believe, how they see things," Freeman said. "You must understand the other side's point of view. I don't see much evidence that there's much effort being made to do that on the American side." 
On Feb. 8, students at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, filed into Hughes Auditorium for their regularly scheduled chapel service. What happened was anything but regular. What has continued to happen is far beyond anything anyone could have scheduled.

A spontaneous prayer meeting broke out that has continued for weeks. Tens of thousands of people have since been drawn to Asbury to participate in the outpouring. This week, the continuous prayer service is being moved to various other sites to accommodate the crowds that threaten to overwhelm the small town. The university posted on its website:  ... the university in consultation with local law enforcement and city administration notified incoming visitors that parking and seating had exceeded capacity. The universitys communications director said people were coming from all over the country, including some who just arrived from Finland and the Netherlands.

According to the executive editor of the campus newspaper, the continued prayer meeting has been a mix of worship, testimony, prayer, confession and silence. According to other sources, the Asbury experience has spread to at least four other universities, including Samford University in Homewood, Alabama.

According to Beck Taylor, president of Samford, This is spontaneous, organic, student-led worship. He continued, Whats happening isnt contrived, programmed, or scripted. Nor is it performative or disingenuous. Students and others see it as an opportunity for the Samford campus to find unity in Christ, to encourage one another to faithfulness, and to extend the love and grace of Jesus to everyone.

The participants are young, many are students, others are in their 20s and 30s. It is not the first time. In 1970 a similar spiritual movement started spontaneously at Asbury and spread across the country. The broader context of that movement came to be know as The Jesus Revolution of the late 1960s and 1970s. Thousands of lives were changed as many who had sought fulfillment in drugs and the hippie culture found faith in Christ.

There have been other spiritual movements in our nations history, most notably the Great Awakening of the 1700s that swept England and the American colonies. That movement included John and Charles Wesley, George Whitefield and was witnessed by Benjamin Franklin, who published Whitefields sermons.

At noon on Sept. 23, 1857, a businessman named Jeremiah Lanphier waited for others to join him for prayer in a room on Fulton Street in New York. Six people showed up. The next week, 20 came. Then 40. They started meeting daily. The crowd swelled to more than 3,000 following the financial panic of Oct. 14. In less than 6 months, 10,000 businessmen were attending daily prayer meetings in New York. More than 10,000 came to faith in Philadelphia, 5,000 in Boston. At its peak, 50,000 people a week were professing faith in Christ. In Bethel, Connecticut, businesses closed for prayer. Led by laity and crossing denominational lines, the movement swept more than one million people to faith in Christ leading up to the Civil War.

We dont know what long-term results will come from the current experience at Asbury. It is too early to tell. What is undeniable is the evidence of deep and widespread spiritual hunger across our nation. We can pray that God will do something in our day and in this generation that will redeem our nation and produce the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. (Galatians 5:22-23)
Vanguard College Preparatory School squared off against the Greater Waco Christian Home Educators (GWCHE) team in the final round at the Region 12 Texas High School Mock Trial Competition and won, earning a trip to state.

Six local high schools competed in the regional competition, sponsored by the McLennan County Young Lawyers Association and held at Baylor Law on Feb. 2-4. Regional co-chairs were Gavin Lane of the Zimmerman Law Firm and Jenny Branson of Baylor Law.

Around 30 attorneys, law students and collegiate mock trial members served as judges during the competition. Each team competed in four preliminary rounds. Four teams advanced to the semifinal round, with Vanguard and the Greater Waco Christian Home Educators (GWCHE) advancing to the final round.

The competition was judged by various local attorneys and officials, including Waco City Council Member Josh Borderud and numerous attorneys from the McLennan County District Attorneys Office.

Lily Howell of Waco High School won the award for being the best witness in the preliminary rounds. Madison Evans (GWCHE), Jeziah Cherian (Midway High) and Benjamin Burnias (Waco High) won awards for being the best advocates in the preliminary rounds.

Additionally, this years competition included a courtroom artist competition. Maritza Degollado of Waco High won this competition and will advance to the state level.

The state competition will be held in Dallas during the first weekend in March.
A 76-year-old Eagle man was taken by ambulance to a local hospital Feb. 16 after he crashed his SUV into a creek about 2 miles east of Lincoln, according to authorities.

Joseph E. Slack extricated himself from his GMC Canyon after he was partially submerged in Stevens Creek for at least 20 minutes on the morning of Feb. 16 amid sub-freezing temperatures and snowfall, Lancaster County Chief Deputy Sheriff Ben Houchin said.

Authorities briefly closed O Street near 134th Street after Slack slid off the roadway and into the creek south of the corridor, rolling the SUV onto its side, according to emergency scanner traffic.

Lincoln Fire and Rescue crews were called to the scene, across O Street from DEGuns, after the GMCs OnStar system alerted authorities to the rollover crash at around 8:25 a.m., according to scanner traffic.

Before rescue crews arrived, Slack called dispatchers and reported he had injured his back and water from the creek was still pouring into his SUV, where he remained trapped.

The Eagle man told dispatchers that water rose from knee level and eventually reached the GMCs steering wheel, according to scanner traffic. Lincoln Fire and Rescue crews arrived and reported that the rising water had stabilized.

First responders initially requested more medic units and water rescue crews.

But by 8:55 a.m., Slack freed himself from the vehicle and was taken by ambulance to a local hospital for treatment of hypothermia and back pain, Houchin said.

A separate scanner call at around 9 a.m. indicated another vehicle may have gone off the road and into Salt Creek near Sun Valley Boulevard.

Authorities responded to numerous reports of minor crashes and stranded motorists across Lincoln and Lancaster County over the course of Thursday morning, as snow blanketed Southeast Nebraska, slamming Lincoln with the most snowfall the city has seen in two years.

And by 9 a.m., the State Patrol had responded to 34 calls for motorist assistance in the Lincoln and Omaha metro areas alone, the agency said on social media, where the patrol and other public safety agencies repeatedly urged would-be commuters and travelers to stay off the roads if possible.

If you dont need to be out, dont, Omaha Police Sgt. Jason Menning said in a tweet Thursday morning. Lots of stalled or stuck vehicles in snow ALL over the city. Good day to watch a movie or play board game with kiddos.
Want to live longer? Then prioritize sleep in your life: Following five good sleep habits added nearly five years to a man's life expectancy and almost 2.5 years to a woman's life, a new study found.

"If people have all these ideal sleep behaviors, they are more likely to live longer," said study coauthor Dr. Frank Qian, a clinical fellow in medicine at Harvard Medical School and internal medicine resident physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

"If we can improve sleep overall, and identifying sleep disorders is especially important, we may be able to prevent some of this premature mortality," Qian said in a statement.

What do you do? First, make sure you get a full seven to eight hours of sleep each night. That's tough for many people: 1 in 3 Americans have a sleep deficit, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But you have to do more than just lay in bed longer  you also need have to have an uninterrupted, restful sleep more often than not. That means you don't wake up during the night or have trouble falling asleep more than two times a week. You also have to feel well rested at least five days a week when you wake up. And finally, you can't be using sleep medications to achieve your slumber.

"We're talking about not just quality and quantity of sleep, but regularity, getting the same good sleep night after night," said sleep specialist Dr. Raj Dasgupta, an associate professor of clinical medicine at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine. He was not involved in the study.

"Recent studies have shown irregularity in sleep timing and duration have been linked to metabolic abnormalities and higher cardiovascular disease risk," he said. "Encouraging maintenance of regular sleep schedules with consistent sleep durations may be an important part of lifestyle recommendations for the prevention of heart disease."

A difference between men and women

The preliminary study, presented Thursday at an annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology, analyzed data from over 172,000 people who answered sleep questionnaires between 2013 and 2018 as part of the National Health Interview Survey. The annual survey is done by the CDC and the National Center for Health Statistics.

Each of the five healthy sleep habits  falling asleep easily, staying asleep, getting seven to eight hours of zzz's, waking up rested and foregoing sleep meds  was assigned a number. People were scored on how many of the five habits they had.

About four years later, researchers compared those scores with National Death Index records to see if their sleep behaviors contributed to an early death from certain diseases or any cause.

The team then factored out other potential causes for a higher risk of dying, such as alcohol consumption, lower socioeconomic status and existing medical conditions.

"Compared to individuals who had zero to one favorable sleep factors, those who had all five were 30% less likely to die for any reason, 21% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease, 19% less likely to die from cancer, and 40% less likely to die of causes other than heart disease or cancer," according to a statement on the study.

Men who followed all five of the healthy sleep habits had a life expectancy that was 4.7 years greater than people who had none or only one of the five elements of low-risk sleep, the study found.

The impact of healthy sleep habits was much lower for women: Those who followed all five sleep habits gained 2.4 years compared with those who did none or only one.

"That was an interesting part of the study for me, and I hope we can find that answer with more research," Dasgupta said. One potential reason for that gender difference, he added, could be the difficulty of evaluating women for obstructive sleep apnea, a potentially deadly condition in which breathing stops every few minutes. The more severe the apnea, the greater the risk of coronary artery disease, heart attacks, heart failure and strokes.

"Women with obstructive sleep apnea often get underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed because they may not present with the classic symptoms that we see when we're evaluating men," Dasgupta said. "Maybe we need to ask different questions or look at different parameters, or is there something we're missing here?"

Good sleep hygiene

Would your score be less than five? Don't fret  the good news is that you can easily train your brain to better sleep by following what is called good "sleep hygiene." It's important to go to bed at the same time on most nights and get up at the same time most mornings  even on weekends and holidays.

Make sure your sleeping environment is optimal  cooler and darker is better  and block noise or try a sound machine. Avoid booze before bed  it may seem like you're falling asleep more easily, but when your liver finishes metabolizing the alcohol at 3 a.m., your body will wake up, experts say.

Set up a sleep routine, with no blue lights or distractions at least an hour before bedtime. Try meditation, yoga, tai chi, warm baths  anything that relaxes you is great.

Parents and caregivers can learn these habits and teach them to their children, thus providing them with a better shot at a longer life, Qian said.

"Even from a young age, if people can develop these good sleep habits of getting enough sleep, making sure they are sleeping without too many distractions and have good sleep hygiene overall, it can greatly benefit their overall long-term health," he said.

"Just like we like to say, 'it's never too late to exercise or stop smoking,' it's also never too early. And we should be talking about and assessing sleep more often."

10 tips for managing insomnia How to manage insomnia Consult with your doctor to rule out underlying medical causes Keep a sleep journal to record your nighttime patterns Avoid stimulation from caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine Create a sleep-friendly bedroom Reduce screen time and blue light exposure before bed Relax before bed Try using mindfulness techniques like body scanning and deep breathing Try cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia Avoid overusing naps Ask your doctor about supplements or medications
Normal people's brains at midnight: Wow, it's really late. I'm very tired. I'm going to bed.

My brain at midnight: Wow, it's really late. I'm very tired. I'm going to think about the movie "Footloose" for the next two hours.

My noggin occasionally shifts into overdrive in the middle of the night. Why is beyond me, but I've become accustomed to riding it out. Why "Footloose" was the night's topic is likely because a friend of mine is directing an upcoming high school production of it.

Here's a confession that could destroy my '80s pop culture street cred: I'm not sure I've seen the movie all the way through  just pieces here and there.

As I recall, the plot goes something like this: Kevin Bacon plays Ren, an all-around cool teenage dude whose sole passion in life is dancing around abandoned barns in slow-motion montages while wearing headphones.

Ren and his mom just moved from Chicago to a rural town that hasn't received the memo about the whole separation-of-church-and-state thing. The citizens there are controlled by their conservative minister, who has convinced the town council to ban dancing, secular music, and all forms of fun.

Rebellious Ren won't stand for that, so he does a lot of clandestine barn dancing and gives an impassioned speech to the town council. Ultimately, a senior prom for the ages is held outside town limits. Presumably everyone lives happily ever after and now are raising their own children on Cardi B. and Skrillex.

I have questions.

Let's say you grew up in a town that has banned dancing. No one you know has ever danced. You might not even know what dancing is. But then along comes this rebellious troublemaker with his big-city tales of this mythical "dancing" you've only heard spoken of in whispers.

This city slicker woos you with his devil tongue, telling you how amazing and free and wonderful it is to dance. You're enthralled by the concept. Eventually the unthinkable happens  good wins out  and you're allowed to have a school prom where you can finally, for the first time in your life, dance with carefree abandon.

You know what would happen? You would be the worst dancer in the world. Having never once even considered shaking your booty, how would you even know what to do? You wouldn't. You'd be in a school gymnasium with 250 other stunned teenagers, gyrating randomly while continually apologizing for accidentally kicking your date in the head.

But that doesn't happen in Footloosetown. In the big prom scene at the end of the movie, all it takes is three seconds of the title track to play, and the gym-full of never-danced-before kids are cutting more rug than Carpetland. One busts a full break-dance routine out of thin air.

Also keep in mind, this town banned dancing and secular music. It's the first time the kids are hearing songs that aren't hymns. But they know the tune "Footloose" the second it starts. They know when the chorus is about to drop. They know where the bridge is. They even manage to spontaneously craft and perform a synchronized dance routine to the foreign tune.

All of this can lead us to only one conclusion: KENNY LOGGINS IS A WARLOCK.

How else can a dumb three-minute song suddenly get Louise, Jack, Marie, Milo, and everyone in the place to kick off their Sunday shoes and cut footloose? Clearly, Kenny Loggins is a dark wizard who can turn teenagers around, put their feet on the ground, and take hold of their souls. Clearly, he must be stopped before he reaches ... the danger zone.

But Ren really is a hero, because he missed a delicious opportunity to conduct a cruel sociological experiment. If this town had truly succeeded in banning secular music, none of these kids would have any idea what secular music even is, right? They wouldn't know a rock from a roll.

Ren could've played them anything and told them it was the rebellious rock music they'd been missing out on. He could've played them "Elvira" by the Oak Ridge Boys or the theme from "Barney the Dinosaur." He could've played them a tape loop of a laughing hyena and been like, "doesn't this rock?" Would those kids still have created a choreographed dance routine to laughing hyenas because once dude from Chicago showed up and told them it was cool?

I apologize to the 1980s for buzzkilling one of its most iconic pop culture offerings. I promise never to dis Ferris Bueller. But I'm mostly sorry to my friends who woke up to a 2 a.m. text from me: "Kenny Loggins: Warlock? Discuss."

I was really tired.
In 2022, Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launching airstrikes on cities and military bases and sending troops and tanks from multiple directions. Get more news from today's date in history.
WATERLOO  Hidden behind a large tree on Lafayette Street sits a worn-down house.

The once-inhabited structure at 207 Lafayette St. is now listed as one of the states most endangered properties, according to Preservation Iowa. The organization recognizes historic buildings and advocates for their preservation.

The house was nominated by the Waterloo Historic Preservation Commission, which works to recognize, promote, and preserve historic sites and cultural heritage in the city.

Built in 1913, the four-bedroom and one bathroom is described as an American Foursquare. The hallmarks of this type of house are its box shape, wide porch and large windows. They were most popular from 1895 to 1930.

Ed Ottesen, a project architect with Kirk Gross Company and a member on the commission, said the house utilizes colonial revival features and the combination of that and the foursquare makes it kind of unique, he said. Ottesen also said there have been few changes to the exterior of the house.

However, the house has been abandoned for five years and could be demolished soon, unless someone saves the property.

The house was brought to the historic preservation commission by the city to approve it for demolition. The commission then asked the city to try and find an organization or person to rehabilitate it.

Were hoping we can find somebody, Ottesen said. But, if we dont find anybody, then the city doesnt want to keep it.

Leigh Ann Randak of Preservation Iowa sees some hope for the property, though.

Its in a pretty sad condition, she said. But the reviewers really thought there was some potential if someone was interested.

The porch roof is falling apart and windows are boarded up. On the inside, Ottesen said the stair to the upper level has collapsed. But he remains hopeful.

It is in need of a lot of work and its almost to the point where it cant be, he said. But weve seen projects as bad as this rehabbed before.

He said if no one comes forward to save it, the property will come up in a month or two to approve the demolition request by the city. Then, asbestos would have to be removed. After that, the house would come down in a couple months.

Ottesen hopes that being listed as endangered will bring awareness to the property.

Randak said after being named as endangered many properties have been saved.

Five other properties have been named to the 2023 most endangered property list. They include:

The William Fletcher King Memorial Chapel in Mt. Vernon.

Wilson Middle School in Cedar Rapids.

The Iowa Canning Company Seed House in Vinton.

The Hastie Farmhouse in Carlisle.

The George House in North Liberty.

Many other Waterloo properties have been listed as endangered in the past by Preservation Iowa.

These include the Rath Administration Building, the former Courier building on Commercial Street, the Central Battery building, St. Marys School and Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church.

The program also gives out Preservation at its Best awards. Some area buildings that have been given the award include the former Wonder Bread building  now housing Singlespeed Brewing Co.  and the old Cedar Falls post office which is now Bike Tech.

Photos: Waterloo West girls basketball defeats Waukee in regional championship, Feb. 21 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 1 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 2 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 3 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 4 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 5 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 6 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 7 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 8 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 9 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 10 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 11 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 12 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 13 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 14 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 15 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 16 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 17 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 18
The Red Waist Club, a ladies' social group, taking the steamboat "Umatilla" along the Cedar River in Waterloo, circa 1890s. The boat carried passengers from the Park Avenue landing to Chautauqua Park.

Louisa May Alcott School students, 1889. The school stood on Walnut between East Second and Third streets from 1893 until 1940.

Crowds scaling baggage cars to witness an appearance from President Taft at Waverly Junction, 1908.

Charlie Griggs, shown here in his World War I uniform, was secretary of the Black Austin-Tolliver Legion Post when it was formed in Waterloo in 1922.

African Americans who worked for Illinois Central in Mississippi were given passes to go to Waterloo to help break the strike. Most came from Holmes County in Mississippi. By 1915 there were 400 African Americans living and working in Waterloo.

The Story of Us: People

People arrived in the Cedar Valley with a desire to put down roots and grow a strong and prosperous future. In the early years, folks shared a common commitment and determination to build their communities and lives for themselves and their families through hard work, education and service, as well as socializing and being good neighbors.

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The photos in this and upcoming installment of the Story of Us series have been culled from the Courier's "Cedar Valley Memories" book series.

The three hardcover books, featuring the stories history of the Cedar Valley, are available for purchase here:

http://wcfcourier.com/CedarValleyMemories/

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The second and third parts of the series will publish on the following dates:

Aug. 16 -- The 1940s, 1950s and 1960s

Sept. 20 -- More than 125 years of pictorial history, including recent memories.
With lawmakers in the throes of deciding how much money to appropriate to public universities for the upcoming budget year, the Board of Regents this week released a new economic impact report showing its campuses collectively added $14.9 billion to the states economy in the 2022 budget year.

The study found the University of Northern Iowa contributed $1.6 billion in total added income to Iowas economy during the 2021-2022 fiscal year.

The University of Northern Iowa continues to serve as a vital component in Iowas economic engine, said UNI President Mark Nook. In all 99 counties across the state, UNI is helping fill Iowas workforce needs and so much more. The University of Northern Iowa has provided much-needed resources for the state over many generations and will continue evolving to help meet the needs of Iowa for generations to come.

Anyone whos investing in UNI, whether that be our students, taxpayers or our generous donors, can be confident in seeing a return that benefits the whole state.

The combined impact from the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa operations, construction, health care, economic development, research activities, visitor and student spending, volunteerism and alumni support is equal to about 7% of the states gross state product, the report said.

Educational institutions are like beekeepers, according to the report. While their principal aim is to provide education and raise peoples earnings, in the process they create an array of external benefits. Students health and lifestyles are improved, and society indirectly benefits just as orchard owners indirectly benefit from beekeepers.

The study  conducted by Lightcast, a labor market analytics firm that did the regents first economic impact study in 2018  found the universities total economic impact equal to supporting 198,837 jobs. For perspective, this means that one out of every 10 jobs in Iowa is supported by the activities of the universities and their students, according to the study, which doesnt take into account the campuses extension and outreach activities.

Last week, Iowas public university presidents sat before the Iowa House Education Appropriations Subcommittee in defense of their request for $34.7 million more in education appropriations for the upcoming 2024 budget year  marking the regents largest funding increase ask in nearly a decade.

Lawmakers havent granted the boards full appropriations request in years  and even cut appropriations in 2020. Should they appropriate the full amount this year, total education appropriations for the regents would rise from $575.9 million to $610.5 million.

That, according to the economic impact study, would be money well spent.

For every tax dollar spent educating students attending the universities, taxpayers will receive an average of $2.70 in return over the course of the students working lives, according to the study.

A breakdown of the regents $14.9 billion economic impact includes:

$2.3 billion from operations spending, including $1.9 billion spent paying tens of thousands of employees.

$117.8 million generated through construction spending.

$2 billion added through UI Hospitals and Clinics spending, including to pay employees and support operations.

$607.6 million added through research spending, including on payroll.

$2.3 billion added through economic development, including the universities creation of startup and spinoff companies.

$179.8 million in visitor spending, like on hotels, restaurants and gas.

$166.2 million in student spending, like on housing and other living expenses.

$96.5 million in volunteerism from students and employees who gave nearly 2 million hours of their time in fiscal 2021.

$7.2 billion in alumni contributions, with hundreds of thousands staying in Iowa for work post-graduation.

The analysis found UNI contributes to Iowas economy in the following ways:

One out of every 78 jobs in Iowa is supported by the activities of UNI and its students.

Visitor spending accounts for $50.8 million in added income.

UNI student and employee volunteer hours are valued at $13 million.

The report also highlights the value of earning a college degree  the average bachelors degree graduate will see an increase in earnings of $22,700 each year compared to someone with a high school diploma working in Iowa.

The last economic impact report the board commissioned in the 2018 budget year found its institution had an $11.8 billion boon for the state. The board paid Lightcast $132,000 for its work on the new report and $118,000 for its 2018 report.

Social savings

Beyond straight economics, according to both studies, Iowas public universities benefit students, taxpayers and society at large.

For their investment into tuition, books, supplies and loans, students yield a return of $5.40 in higher future earnings for every dollar they spent at the Iowa universities  correlating to an annual rate of return of 16%, according to the new report.

Put another way, over a working lifetime, benefits of a bachelors degree will amount to $1 million in higher earnings than a high school diploma or equivalent.

Iowa will also benefit from an estimated $814.4 million in present value social savings related to reduced crime, lower welfare and unemployment, and increased health and well-being across the state, according to the study.

Breaking down social savings into three categories  health, crime and income assistance  the analysis tallied avoided costs that otherwise would have been drawn from private and public resources absent the education provided by the universities.

Under health-related savings, the report estimated educated Iowans saved the state $671.6 million due to a reduced demand for medical treatment and social services, improved worker productivity and reduced absenteeism, and a reduced number of vehicle crashes and fires induced by alcohol or smoking-related incidents.

It estimated $133.9 million in crime savings, including savings associated with fewer crime victims, added worker productivity, and reduced expenditures for police and law enforcement, courts and administration of justice, and corrective services.

Regarding income assistance, the report found $8.9 million in savings stemming from a reduced number of persons in need of welfare or unemployment benefits.

Photos: Waterloo West girls basketball defeats Waukee in regional championship, Feb. 21 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 1 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 2 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 3 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 4 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 5 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 6 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 7 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 8 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 9 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 10 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 11 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 12 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 13 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 14 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 15 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 16 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 17 GBBall WW vs. Waukee 18
NEW YORK  Bulletproof vests and drones. Pickup trucks, walkie-talkies and tourniquets. These are just some of the items that individuals and nonprofits have donated to buy and ship to Ukraine, where sometimes they are then used by those fighting Russia's invasion.

Weve had these discussions countless times, said Igor Markov, a director of the nonprofit Nova Ukraine, about where to draw the line between what aid is humanitarian versus that which supports the active defense  the fighting  in his home country.

His Stanford, California-based organization, which delivered some $59 million in aid to Ukraine since Russia invaded a year ago, decided ultimately not to support volunteer fighters.

We realized theres a significant amount of money that would be ruled out, he said, pointing to platforms that facilitate matching employee donations, like Benevity, and some companies, like Google, that require nonprofits to promise their aid does not support active fighting as a condition of receiving contributions.

Throughout the past year, U.S. and European companies, individuals and organizations have navigated local and international regulations to provide aid and grappled with similar moral questions about whether or not to donate to an allied nations defense.

Markov said he contributed to buying equipment for Ukraine's frontline defenders as an individual. And he points out that items like drones and pickup trucks may not usually be considered military equipment before asking, Guess how theyre used?

It could be used to just carry food. It could be used to carry munitions, he said of the vehicles, adding that Ukrainian fighters have been creative in using whatever equipment they have. Drones, meanwhile, have become an essential tool in the fighting.

Under U.S. laws, nonprofits are not allowed to donate to people in combat, said New York attorney, Daniel Kurtz, a partner at Pryor Cashman.

You cant support war fighting, cant support killing people, even if its killing the bad guys," he said. "Its not consistent with the law of charity.

But Kurtz doubts the IRS will examine donations to Ukraine  in part for reasons of capacity, but also because of the political support for Ukraine's government.

While Im sure some of them are carefully lawyered, theres enormous pressure to provide this support, he said of nonprofits. So my guess is probably a lot of people are just going ahead and doing it.

The reality, as described by some nonprofit leaders, is that everyone in Ukraine is fighting to defend the country, from children to an 80-year-old Holocaust survivor.

Were open," said Dora Chomiak, president of Razom for Ukraine, a New York nonprofit that has seen the contributions it receives jump from around $200,000 a year to at least $75 million in 2022. "Our aid and our medical equipment and our communications equipment are going to people who are defending the country.

Though it has delivered more than a thousand drones, her organization ruled out fundraising for military equipment because it did not fit into the organizations charitable mission, said Chomiak. Getting the necessary licenses would also have delayed immediately impactful actions, such as delivering tens of thousands of specialized first aid kits to the frontlines.

Companies, which have given some of the largest publicly known donations to Ukraine, must also consider to what extent their donations are directly supporting Ukraine's war effort. Microsoft Corp. has donated at least $430 million in services and cash in 2022, not including cybersecurity services.

Tom Burt, a Microsoft vice president, said he set up direct, encrypted communication channels with senior cybersecurity officials in Ukraine before the war began and continues to communicate with them regularly. At the start of the war, Microsoft helped move the Ukrainian governments digital infrastructure from physical servers in the country into the cloud. The company also helps protect Ukrainian devices and software from Russian cyber intrusions and attacks that are often coordinated with physical military campaigns.

Its possible, of course, that some of those devices are being used by the military or by logistics organizations, both government and private sector, to provide both humanitarian aid and military supplies and equipment, Burt told The Associated Press. Thats not really our role to get engaged in that.

While supporting the Ukrainian government, Microsoft has learned a great deal about malware used by Russian-aligned groups.

Thats helping us build even more secure products and services, Burt said. But the fundamental reason that were doing this is because we think its the right thing to do.

Microsoft has agreed to provide its services at no cost to Ukraine through 2023. But it's possible Ukraine will turn into a paying customer when the war ends.

Timeline: A look at key moments in a year of war between Russia and Ukraine A month-by-month timeline of the war in Ukraine The war in Ukraine that began a year ago has killed thousands, forced millions to flee their homes, reduced entire cities to rubble and has fueled fears the confrontation could slide into an open conflict between Russia and NATO. A look at some of the main events in the conflict. Feb. 24, 2022: Russia invades Ukraine March 2, 2022: Russia takes Kherson, gets stuck near Kyiv March 29, 2022: Russia withdraws from Kyiv, shifts focus east April 2022: Mass graves discovered in Bucha April 9, 2022: Russia strikes train station, killing 52 civilians April 13, 2022: Ukraine sinks Russian missile cruiser May 16, 2022: Ukraine defenders surrender key steel mill May 18, 2022: Finland, Sweden apply for NATO membership June 2022: Western weapons flow into Ukraine June 30, 2022: Russian troops pull back from Snake Island July 22, 2022: Deal struck on grain exports July 29, 2022: 53 killed in missile strike on prison Aug. 9, 2022: Ukraine strikes air base in Crimea Aug. 20, 2022: Daughter of Russian ideologist killed in car bombing Sept. 6, 2022: Ukraine counteroffensive retakes parts of Kharkiv region Sept. 21, 2022: Putin orders mobilization of reservists, stages illegal "referendums" Sept. 30, 2022: Putin claims annexation of 4 regions October 2022: Bridge linking Crimea and Russia attacked November 2022: Russia retreats from Kherson Dec. 5, 2022: Ukraine uses drones to hit Russian targets Dec. 21, 2022: Zelenskyy visits US Jan. 1, 2023: Ukraine kills scores of freshly mobilized Russian soldiers Jan. 12, 2023: Russia claims capture of Soledar Jan. 14, 2023: Russian strike kills 45 in apartment building Feb. 20, 2023: Biden makes surprise visit to Kyiv
(CNN) -- Spectrum News 13 will never be the same.

The Orlando television station on Wednesday became the latest local news organization faced with the impossibly difficult task of having to report on a deadly attack targeting its own colleagues.

In 2015, it was WDBJ-TV. In 2018, it was the Capital Gazette. And now, in February 2023, it's Spectrum News 13, a Charter Communications-owned cable news outlet in Florida.

On Wednesday afternoon, the station deployed a crew to report from the scene of a shooting that had occurred earlier in the day when, suddenly, bullets started flying once again. A 9-year-old girl was killed. And bullets struck two of the news organization's journalists, fatally wounding one and critically wounding another.

For now, Spectrum News 13 said it is withholding the names of the two journalists who were shot. But its anchors and reporters rallied throughout the evening to provide raw, moving, and at times gut-wrenching coverage of the horrific act of violence against their colleagues.

"This is extremely devastating for all of us," Spectrum News 13 reporter Celeste Springer said on the air. "Please, please say a prayer tonight for our co-worker who is in critical condition."

In a statement, Charter Communications said it was "deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague and the other lives senselessly taken today."

"Our thoughts are with our employee's family, friends and co-workers during this very difficult time," Charter said. "We remain hopeful that our other colleague who was injured makes a full recovery. This is a terrible tragedy for the Orlando community."

A version of this article first appeared in the "Reliable Sources" newsletter. Sign up for the daily digest chronicling the evolving media landscape here.

Working in local television news is unpredictable. One day a reporter might find themselves covering extreme weather, such as a hurricane. The next day they might be assigned to cover a political rally, in which they're denounced as "fake news." And, on yet another day, they might be deployed to the scene of a crime, as was the case for the Spectrum News 13 journalists on Wednesday.

Which is to say that the job carries some risk, a fact that is not lost on those who do it. As WESH-TV reporter Luana Munoz said as she broke down covering the story from the scene on Wednesday evening, "This is every reporter's absolutely worst nightmare."

And yet, scores of reporters happily do it, day in and day out, not for fame or fortune  the pay is far too low and the industry's economics are far too unstable  but because they believe in the mission: informing their neighbors. Bettering their communities by providing the public with important information.

That is what makes Wednesday's senseless violence all the more tragic. The Spectrum News 13 journalists were attacked while doing a job aimed at serving the public.

The violence comes after a particularly dangerous year for members of the press worldwide, with a staggering 67 journalists and others in the media profession killed in 2022, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. That figure is more than double what was reported in 2021, when 28 journalists were killed.

"I don't have the words," Rebecca Turco, one of Spectrum News 13's journalists, tweeted Wednesday evening. "We still have so many questions tonight but even if we get answers, they won't make it make sense."

"Praying our other team member will be okay," Turco added. "Please keep our crew's families in your thoughts."

This story was first published on CNN.com "A Florida TV station offered viewers raw, emotional coverage of the shooting of its own journalists."
Iowa House Republicans may introduce legislation that would ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors, House Speaker Pat Grassley told reporters on Thursday.

The comment came as the House Government Oversight Committee heard testimony from doctors that deal with transgender patients, who said providing gender affirming care to minors is a long, methodical, and deeply personalized process that involves multiple doctors and the consent of parents.

Based on some of the information weve had shared with us, I think that there could be an expectation of seeing some legislation potentially moving forward, Grassley said before the hearing on Thursday. "But obviously we want to see how that hearing plays itself out."

Grassley did not say what exactly the legislation would entail, but he said it could include a ban on puberty blockers, hormones and surgeries, all interventions that are used with varying frequency on youth whose gender identity does not align with their sex assigned at birth.

The move would contradict the guidance of several major American medical groups, including the American Medical Association, the American Pediatric Association, and the American Association of Psychiatrists.

In a letter to state governors in 2021, the American Medical Association urged against limiting the practice and said gender-affirming care correlates with a reduction in mental health problems and suicide attempts.

A wave of similar Legislation in Republican-led states has been considered this year, and Utah and Florida are among the states that have enacted such bans.

House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst of Windsor Heights said the hearing on gender-affirming care was performance and Democrats would oppose any legislation that bans gender-affirming care for minors.

At the end of the day this is really just a show, she said. If something does come forward or if something moves along from the Senate or some language moves forward, of course well be opposing that. But we want to make sure that any legislation we do with regard to health care is based on science and expertise and not internet conspiracy theories.

Legislation has been proposed in the Senate that would ban gender-affirming puberty blockers, hormones or surgeries for minors and allow a person to bring a civil suit against a doctor who performs the care, but they have not moved through the committee process.

Doctors speak on gender-affirming care for youth

In the hearing on Thursday, lawmakers heard from Katie Imborek, the co-director of the University of Iowa Health Cares LGBTQ+ Clinic and Dave Williams, chief medical officer at UnityPoint Health on the medical care that the facilities provide.

Imborek said the UI follows guidelines set out by medical organizations, including the Pediatric Endocrine Society, to treat youth with gender dysphoria.

The clinic treats minors that have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria by a mental health professional. The clinic does not use any medical intervention on minors before theyve reached puberty and does not perform genital reconstruction surgery on minors, Imborek said.

When a patient who has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria reaches puberty, the clinic may prescribe a medication that stops puberty, called puberty blockers. Later in adolescence they may prescribe hormone treatment and in some cases undergo a surgery to remove breast tissue.

She said gender-affirming care leads to a decrease in behavioral and emotional problems, depression and suicidal ideation.

No one is rushed through this process, She said. Minors are not provided care without parental support  The evidence shows it not only helps, but can be life-saving.

Republicans raised concerns about providing irreversible or semi-irreversible care to minors who they said are not old enough to make informed decisions about their gender identities. Rep. Brooke Boden of Indianola, who chairs the committee, cited the fact that the brain is still developing in adolescence and questioned whether a teenager can make the decision to undergo a mastectomy.

Imborek said surgeries are rare for minors  it has been performed five times in the last year at the University of Iowa hospitals  and performed on people who have been living in their gender identity for a long time and have severe gender dysphoria caused by their breast tissue.

Republicans also asked about the frequency of detransitioning, or people deciding to discontinue gender transition care. Imborek said she can count on one hand the number of patients who have chosen to stop hormone therapy in her practice. She said data on adults who detransition shows that a vast majority of them detransition because of social pressures and a lack of acceptance in their lives, not because they want to change their gender identity.

When were talking about irreversible surgeries or partially irreversible surgeries, or really changing childrens endocrine systems that affect them over a lifetime, I dont think we know that were not doing harm to those children, Rep. Phil Thompson, R-Boone said. Especially the ones that choose to reverse those therapies.

What would happen if lawmakers banned gender-affirming care?

Imborek said she is worried a ban on gender-affirming care would have devastating effects on her patients, who she said have thrived with care that reduces gender dysphoria.

I worry about that every day, she said. I am probably worried most that my patients who have already started down this path that are minors, that this would be really devastating for them.

Keenan Crow, a lobbyist with LGBTQ activist group One Iowa, said banning the care would be dangerous for transgender youth who have higher incidences of suicidality without medical care.

We should be letting evidence, science and medical consensus drive these conversations, not the biases of a few politicians trying to score political points against a marginalized group of children, Crow said.
Its been a year since the special operation has been going on. A year since our servicemen restore order, peace and justice in our land, protect our people and destroy the roots of neo-Nazism. They are heroes.

The whole country helps them, supplying the front with everything necessary.

Victory will be achieved. We all want this to happen as soon as possible. And that day will come. We will return our territories and reliably protect our people, who have suffered during the years of genocide and shelling.

Whats next?

Then there will be negotiations, which, I am sure, will become difficult and nervous. First of all, because the formal participants in the negotiations on the part of our enemy are one, and the actual leaders are completely different. And decisions for the Kiev regime will, of course, not be made by some kind of Zelensky, if he is still alive, or his clique. The decision will be made across the ocean by those in whose hands the supply of weapons to Kyiv and the allocation of money to maintain the remains of the Ukrainian economy. The motives of the main enemies of our country are obvious: to weaken Russia as much as possible, to bleed us for a long time. Therefore, they are not interested in ending the conflict. But sooner or later, according to historical laws, they will do it. And then there will be an agreement. Naturally, without fundamental agreements on real borders or on a new Helsinki Pact that ensures security in Europe. Just some kind of agreement.

Then, most likely, no less difficult time will begin. Exhausting months and years of confrontation, tantrums and rudeness on the part of those who will manage the stub that remains of Ukraine. Their fate is unenviable. They will not be able to recognize the results of the SVO without the risk of being executed on the same day. The nationalists will continue to control the powerful camarilla, because none of them have any other ideology than Banderas neo-Nazism. Recognition of defeat for them is like death. Therefore, the ideology of something to win can remain for a long time.

And at some point, the new bloody boys, backed to the wall by once again unleashed Bandera, who call themselves the legal Ukrainian authorities, will again provoke a world conflict. It doesnt matter  on the eve of the elections or just on the next Maidan.

This cannot be allowed.

Therefore, it is so important to achieve all the goals of a special military operation. Push the borders of threats to our country as far as possible, even if these are the borders of Poland. Destroy neo-Nazism to the ground. In order not to waste time later on catching the remnants of Bandera gangs in the Little Russian forests. So that the world will find the long-awaited peace.

Medvedev



Very good information and thoughts by Medvedev

WtR
 The Kiev regime steps up preparations for an invasion of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic

 As previously reported, the Ukrainian Armed Forces will perform this provocation in response to an alleged attack by Russian troops from Transdniestrian territory.

 The Russian Defence Ministry currently reports on significant accumulation of Ukrainian military personnel and hardware close to the TransnistriaUkraine border, the deployment of artillery at firing positions, as well as an unprecedented build-up of UAV flights by the Ukrainian Armed Forces over Transnistrian territory.

 The implementation of the plotted provocation by the Ukrainian authorities poses a direct threat to the Russian peacekeeping contingent legally stationed in Transnistria.

 The Russian Armed Forces will respond adequately to Ukraines impending provocation.

@mod_russia_en

WtR
 Top News Today

 In Krasny Liman direction, the active operations of the Tsentr Group of Forces, as well as the attacks, launched by aviation, artillery, and heavy flamethrower systems, have resulted in the neutralisation of the AFU manpower and hardware in LPR and DPR.

 In Donetsk direction, the offensive operations of volunteers from assault detachments, supported by the units of the Airborne Troops formation from Pskov, as well as the attacks, launched by aviation and the artillery of the Yug Group of Forces, have resulted in the elimination of AFU manpower and hardware.

 In South Donetsk direction, Operational-Tactical Aviation and the artillery of the Vostok Group of Forces have launched a complex fire attack against the AFU units in DPR.

 Central MD Song and Dance Ensemble has given a performance for servicemen in the field hospital.

 Russian Defence Ministry has published footage of Airborne Troops armoured groups, supported by mortar crews and assault detachments, in combat action within the special military operation.

#MoD #TopNews #Russia #Ukraine

@mod_russia_en

WtR
Weather Alert

.Warming temperatures this weekend will bring renewed snowmelt and streamflow rises, especially for snow covered terrain below about 7000 feet. Creeks that brought impacts this past week are likely to be problematic again and potentially reach higher levels, especially by late Sunday. ...FLOOD WATCH FOR SNOWMELT REMAINS IN EFFECT 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...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. &&
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 24) - A year after Russia invaded Ukraine, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reiterated its support for Kyiv, and called on both countries to settle the conflict peacefully.

"On the 1st Anniversary of Russia's Launch of Special Military Operations in Ukraine, the Philippines continues to call on the Parties to settle the conflict through peaceful and diplomatic means," the DFA said Friday.

"The Philippines has pronounced its principled stance on Ukraine and has consistently voted in favor of five earlier UN [United Nations] resolutions on Ukraine reaffirming the country's support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of Ukraine and other UN member states," it added.

Related: DFA: PH joins UN in condemning invasion of Ukraine

The DFA said the Philippines also backed a recent UN resolution calling for a "comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine."

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his Urkainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke over the phone on Feb. 13.

READ: Zelenskyy thanks Marcos for supporting Ukraine

"President Marcos assured Ukraine of the Philippines' continuing support and participation in any effort to reach a peaceful resolution of the crisis. President Marcos further conveyed that the Philippines is with Ukraine in its search for peace," the DFA said.

Russia launched its attack on Ukraine on Feb. 24 last year.


10 Year Exploration and Mining License for Tisma

Sydney, Feb 23, 2023 AEST (ABN Newswire) - PYX Resources Ltd ( LON:PYX ) ( NSX:PYX ) is pleased to announce that it has received notification from the Central Kalimantan Provincial Government (DMPTSP: Head of Investment Office and OneStop Integrated Service Department of Central Kalimantan) that after approval from the Energy and Mineral Resources Department of Central Kalimantan ("ESDM"), PT TGN's application for the renewal of the license for the Tisma tenement has been granted for the maximum authorised period of 10 years, after which the license can be renewed for additional periods. The renewal of the tenement license allows PT. Tisma Global Nusantara ("PT TGN") to continue to perform exploration and mining works in the tenement area.



The terms of the renewed permit, including payment of Indonesian taxes and honouring of other financial obligations of PYX's subsidiary PT Global Nusantara, are set out in the IUP-OP. A summary of some of the key provisions is provided below:



- Royalty on Zircon exported is 1.5%;



- Fixed rent is payable to the Government of Indonesia at a rate of US$4 per hectare per annum;



- Corporate tax of 22% is payable and set by the Government of Indonesia;



- Land and building taxes are payable to the local government, at a rate of 0.5% based on taxable sales value;



- Environmental obligations, including reclamation bonding and plans, approved by the local government as part of the mine approval process.



Commenting on the tenement license approval, PYX's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Oliver Hasler, said:



"PYX Resources is extremely pleased to report receipt of the notification for the renewal of the tenement license for the Tisma asset. This is a key development for the Company, extending the term of the tenement license where the Company operates, and thus enabling PYX to continue its critical exploration and mining activity, at a time when the mineral sands market is experiencing increased demand and consistent growth.



PYX is an Indonesian focused Company looking to consolidate the minerals sands market in the region. We are very lucky to work with a professional and dedicated team and operate in a mining friendly and supportive country like Indonesia. I would like to take the time to thank our team and the Indonesian government departments, officials and stakeholders for the quick decision on the license application."





About Pyx Resources Limited





PYX Resources Limited (NSX:PYX) (LON:PYX) is a global producer of premium zircon listed on the National Stock Exchange of Australia and the London Stock Exchange. The Company's flagship asset is the Mandiri mineral sands deposit, located in the alluvium sediment rich region of Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. Boasting the world's 5th largest producing deposit of zircon, PYX is a large-scale, near-surface open pit operation in production since 2015 and with exploration to date validating the presence of additional Valuable Heavy Minerals such as rutile, ilmenite among others within its mineral sands.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 24)  The European Parliament has urged the Philippines to rejoin the International Criminal Court (ICC) and allow the tribunal's investigation into the country's controversial war on drugs.

"We'll be very happy to see the Philippines rejoining the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, to which all members of the European Union are signatories," Hannah Neumann, a member of the European Parliament, said during their media briefing in Manila on Friday.

"It would clearly reinforce the government's commitment to fight impunity," she added.

Neumann also noted that it would be "very beneficial" for the Philippines to cooperate with the ICC's planned probe.

"We strongly urged the Philippines to make use of the potential that may come [with the court]," the official stressed.

The Philippines' withdrawal from the Rome Statute, the treaty that governs the ICC, formally took effect in March 2019 under the administration of then President Rodrigo Duterte  who launched the flagship anti-drug campaign.

READ: Duterte wants other countries to withdraw from ICC

The European Parliament's delegates, meanwhile, lauded the current administration's plan to shift the focus of the drug war to prevention and rehabilitation.

However, they also noted the number of alleged extrajudicial killings in the country.

"And we underscore the importance of investigations into each alleged case of extrajudicial killing to ensure accountability of perpetrators and to fight impunity," Neumann said.

During their visit to Manila, the European lawmakers also met with various government agencies, including the Department of Justice, to tackle human rights issues and possible areas of cooperation.
On Feb. 13, Eric Blinman was working on a dig site at the Palace of the Governors when he got a call to meet at the Stewart L. Udall Center for Museum Resources around 4 p.m.

Upon arrival, he was told that he was being let go from his position as the director of the New Mexico Office of Archaeological Studies  a department he worked for since 1988.

Blinman is the latest Department of Cultural Affairs director to be let go under the supervision of Cabinet Secretary Debra Garcia y Griego.

Since being appointed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in 2019, Garcia y Griego has been at the helm of a revolving door of directors at a number of state-run museums and historic sites.

The DCA oversees eight state-run museums and seven historic sites around the state.

Executive directors of those entities are exempt employees, which means they can be terminated without a reason.

There have been multiple vacancies and at least five directors have been fired or asked to resign.

There have been two executive directors at the National Hispanic Cultural Center who have left since Garcia y Griego was appointed one was terminated and one resigned. Both of them were directors she hired during her tenure. The NHCC is currently being run by interim directors.

Garcia y Griego has also had director vacancies from five other state-run museums  New Mexico Museum of Art, New Mexico History Museum, Museum of Indian Arts and Culture and the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe and New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces. Employees in four non-executive director positions have been fired.

Garcia y Griego declined to be interviewed for this story.

According to the DCA, effective Feb. 13, 2023, Michelle Ensey and Matthew Barbour are serving as co-interim directors of New Mexico Office of Archaeological Studies (OAS), concurrent with the departure of the former OAS director, Dr. Eric Blinman.

The pair will focus on stabilizing operations, assessing the status of, and managing current contracts of OAS, among other functions.

As a personnel matter, New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs cannot discuss the details of Dr. Blinmans departure, said Daniel Zilmann, DCA spokesman. I can confirm that a personnel investigation was conducted and that Dr. Blinman concluded his employment at OAS on Monday, February 13, 2023. As an at-will employee, his termination was followed according to the proper state processes.

After Blinmans firing, more than 120 distinguished professionals and concerned citizens sent a letter to Lujan Grisham imploring a hard look at Garcia y Griegos management style in advance of a possible Senate confirmation hearing.

The DCA system has in the past often been compared to the excellence of the Smithsonian. New Mexicos cultural resources are the basis of our populations cultural identity and heritage and our international prominence as a heritage tourism destination, the letter stated. The current Cabinet secretary seems to not understand that the management of our cultural resources needs a stable work environment and the highest professional standards to thrive.

On Wednesday, Blinman said he was still in shock over his firing after 35 years in the department.

Blinman said he tried and failed for two years to get the DCA to hire a deputy director. Then he lost a finance position and had to take on those duties too.

I was doing the job of three people, Blinman said. I never got an answer about why the positions were denied to the department. It was over two years I was doing the job of three people in my office.

In January he made an official complaint to the state Office of Human Resources citing a hostile environment within the DCA. On Feb. 13, just weeks later, he was fired.

There is reason to question my performance, he said. I cant do the jobs of three people and keep the department running the way its supposed to.

Margie Marino shares a similar story.

As executive director of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science, Marino was one month shy of her sixth anniversary before she was forced to retire in October 2021.

She said Blinmans firing has brought up memories of her departure from the museum.

I was brought into a room and was given five minutes to decide if I wanted to retire or get fired, Marino said. I didnt react when it happened.

Marino said she was appointed under Gov. Susana Martinezs administration and loved the work she did at the museum.

She was credited with increasing revenue with Da Vinci  The Genius, which pulled in $1.6 million, as well as an increase in attendance in 2018 which was 303,251 for the museum.

When Garcia y Griego was appointed in 2019, the dynamic of DCA changed, she said.

Marino said executive directors were not able to make decisions without Garcia y Griegos approval.

We werent allowed to raise money or allowed to make a strategic plan without her approval, Marino said. Each one of the museum directors were hired for our experience. I have 30 years experience in museums, 25 of those as an executive director. Yet we couldnt make a decision for what we have experience in.

At the National Hispanic Cultural Center, three members of the NHCC Board of Directors sent a letter to Garcia y Griego on Jan. 25 asking for an explanation from the secretary on the dismissal of former NHCC director Margie Huerta.

Huerta had been placed on leave in December and ultimately fired on Jan. 25. According to the DCA, it was a personnel matter and the department couldnt comment.
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The 'Duke of Hazzard' actor has yet to reveal the cause of Alicia Allain's death, but he and his wife previously got candid about her struggles with breast cancer.

Feb 24, 2023

AceShowbiz - John Schneider is mourning the death of his wife. "The Duke of Hazzard" actor announced Alicia Allain's death by sharing a heartbreaking tribute on his social media accounts.

Taking to Instagram, the 62-year-old shared a photo of Alicia and a picture of his hand holding his wife's in bed. "My beautiful Smile is pain free, living in her new body alongside Jesus," he began his caption.

"Please respect our privacy during this time of grief. Please do not ask any questions. If you have any pictures of us and our obvious love and adoration for each other, please post them below," he added. "Lastly hug those you love tight and let them know how you feel. We always did."

John's celebrity friends have since offered their condolences. One in particular was Tom Welling, who commented, "So very sorry - such a light! Best wishes." Erica Durance replied, "I am so sorry for your loss. Praying for you."

While John has yet to reveal the cause of Alicia's death, she previously got candid about her struggles with breast cancer. When appearing on "Fox & Friends", she said she was "diagnosed with stage 4 HER2 negative cancer." The actor chimed in, "She was three years into a five-year shelf life."

Allain went on to note, "I went into like a speed course of reading what path I was going to take. I decided to do keto for cancer, CBD oil and then ground myself in minerals." She continued, "I really got into a really rigid regime."

John and Alicia tied the knot in July 2019 in an intimate ceremony in the barn at John Schneider Studios in Holden, Louisiana. However, the marriage was only symbolic as he was still legally married to his ex Elvira Castle, with whom he shares three children.

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The 64-year-old actor, who remains free without having to post bail, was initially expected to make his first court appearance on Friday, February 24 via Google Meet, but he entered the plea deal instead.

Feb 24, 2023

AceShowbiz - Alec Baldwin has pleaded not guilty in the "Rust" shooting case. The "30 Rock" alum, who accidentally killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie, entered the plea deal on Thursday, February 23.

The 64-year-old remains free without having to post bail. He was initially expected to make his first court appearance on Friday, February 24 via Google Meet, but he entered the plea deal instead.

While Alec remains out of jail, he is not allowed to drink alcohol, own a gun or talk to potential witnesses besides discussing the continuation of filming "Rust".

Alec and armorer Hanna Gutierrez-Reed were officially charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter on January 31. The actor, however, has insisted that he did not pull the trigger when Halyna was shot back in 2021.

Halyna's death was initially ruled an accident but her family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Alec and others involved in the production of "Rust". The lawsuit was settled last October, and it was agreed filming would resume on the western, with the cinematographer's widower, Matthew Hutchins, on board as an executive producer.

Earlier this month, Halyna's parents and sister filed a lawsuit against Alec. According to TMZ, the documents claim several safety protocols on the film set were ignored. Additionally, it's been suggested that the "Saturday Night Live" alum's gun didn't need to be cocked or fired at all for the scene that he was filming.

The family is suing for loss of consortium, negligence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. They are seeking unspecified damages.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 25)  February 25, the anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution that helped topple Ferdinand E. Marcos' dictatorship in 1986, will be a regular working day, the Official Gazette said after Malacanang declared Feb. 24 as the new holiday this year.

The Official Gazette, which is managed by the Presidential Communications Office in Malacanang, clarified this through its Facebook page on Friday.

This was a day after the surprise announcement that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  son and namesake of the late dictator ousted by the peaceful revolt  declared Feb. 24, a Friday, as a special non-working day through Proclamation No. 167.

The Official Gazette stated this was to apply holiday economics, where holidays are moved to allow for longer weekends to encourage domestic travel and increase tourism spending.

It added that the change was made without diminishing the significance of the event.

Declaring Feb. 25 as an ordinary working day, however, negates the holiday economics principle.

CNN Philippines is trying to get further clarification from Malacanang since the detail about Feb. 25 becoming a regular work day was not explicitly stated in Proclamation 167.

Filipinos took to the streets 37 years ago, with a multitude converging on EDSA for the peaceful four-day revolt. It marked the historic end of the elder Marcos' over 20-year regime, which was marred by cases of human rights abuses and issues of corruption.

While the Marcoses have returned to Malacanang, a survey released by the Social Weather Stations on Thursday said majority of Filipinos believe that the spirit of the People Power Revolution remains alive in the country.
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The disgraced Hollywood producer additionally insists he was the victim of a 'set-up' and branded his actress accuser an expert at turning on ' the tears' as he believes that he doesn't deserve the 'cruel' punishment.

Feb 24, 2023

AceShowbiz - Shamed Hollywood titan Harvey Weinstein has been sentenced to another 16 years in jail for rape and sexual assault after he begged the judge for "mercy." He additionally insisted he was the victim of a "set-up" and branded his actress accuser an expert at turning on "the tears."

The 70-year-old former power-player, who produced classics including "Pulp Fiction" and "Good Will Hunting" and who is currently serving 23 years behind bars for a 2020 conviction for raping an aspiring actress and sexually abusing a TV and film production assistant, was handed the term at a Los Angeles courthouse on Thursday, February 23, which has been branded a life sentence given his age and frail health.

After a trial in December, a jury found him guilty on three counts, rape, forced oral sex and sexual penetration by a foreign object, at the Mr C Hotel in Bevely Hills, L.A., in 2013. All charges related to a single victim, a European model and actor who testified anonymously as "Jane Doe One" during hearings.

The woman said she was assaulted after Weinstein turned up uninvited at her hotel room during a L.A. film festival. Jurors remained undecided on two counts related to accusations made by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a documentary filmmaker and the wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom, according to the New York Times.

The publication also stated they could not agree on one count stemming from allegations by model and screenwriter Lauren Young. Jane Doe One said in a statement, "Harvey Weinstein forever destroyed a part of me that night in 2013, and I will never get that back."

While begging judge Lisa Lench for "mercy" on Thursday, Weinstein told her he "didn't deserve" to spend the rest of his life locked up, and insisted the allegations against him were part of a "set up." The former mogul pleaded to the judged in front of a packed court after being wheeled in for sentencing in a grey Los Angeles County jail uniform, "Your Honor... I maintain that I am innocent. I never raped or sexually assaulted Jane Doe One. I don't know that woman and she doesn't know me. This is a made-up story. With all due respect, Jane Doe One is an actress... Jane Doe One can turn on the tears. Please don't sentence me to life in prison, I dont deserve it. I beg your mercy."

A representative for dad-of-five Weinstein, whose fashion designer wife Georgina Chapman, 46, walked out on him in 2017 before their divorce was finalised in 2021, said the verdict was "cruel" given his age and deteriorating physical condition.

Juda S Engelmayer told Page Six on Thursday, "It's not justice, but a pile-on for a man many people just decided should be cast off and discarded regardless of facts. It will be appealed."

Weinstein's lawyers used the L.A. trial to attack the #MeToo movement sparked by Weinstein's abuse, urging jurors to forget it and focus on the case. His attorney Alan Jackson told the jury, "The truth is immutable. It's not a feeling. It's not a whim. It's not a hashtag."

Thursday's sentencing had been delayed from 9 January to allow for a retrial motion to be entered by Weinstein's lawyers, which was rejected by Judge Lench.

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The multi-millionaire hotel heiress, who welcomed her first child named Phoenix Barron Hilton Reum with her husband Carter Reum, shares that she was kissed in her teens by a predatory teacher who bombarded her with phone calls.

Feb 24, 2023

AceShowbiz - Paris Hilton has told for the first time how she was assaulted aged 15 by an older man who knocked her out with date rape drug Rohypnol. The multi-millionaire hotel heiress, who welcomed her first child named Phoenix Barron Hilton Reum with her 42-year-old venture capitalist husband Carter Reum, has also revealed she was kissed in her teens by a predatory teacher who bombarded her with phone calls.

She said in a candid chat on her troubled past with the February issue of Glamour magazine, ahead of the release of her tell-all autobiography "Paris: The Memoir", about being drugged as a teen after she and her friends met a group of men at the Century City Mall in Los Angeles, "We would go there almost every weekend. That was our favorite thing to do and these (older) guys would always just be hanging around the stores... we'd talk to them, give them our beeper numbers."

"And then one day, they invited us to their house and we're drinking these berry wine coolers. I didn't drink or anything back then, but then when I had maybe one or two sips, I just immediately started feeling dizzy and woozy. I don't know what he put in there, I'm assuming it was a roofie (Rohypnol)," she recalled.

The socialite added she woke a few hours later and found her friend had left, but she had memories of being abused. She said, "I remembered it. I have visions of him on top of me, covering my mouth, being like, 'You're dreaming, you're dreaming,' and whispering that in my ear."

The incident happened when Paris was sent to live with her maternal grandmother after she says she was targeted by a teacher. She added, "I was just such a young girl and I got manipulated by my teacher. He took advantage of a young girl and that was something I blocked out as well, I didn't remember it until years later. He would call me on the phone all the time, just flirting with me, trying to put in my mind that I was this mature woman."

One night when he lured her to his car she said they kissed, before her mum and dad drove up - and chased them at 100mph. She said, "We only kissed, but if my parents didn't come, imagine what he would've tried to do? We literally drove through Bel Air at like 100 miles an hour. We were going so fast and somehow we got away from them through a red light. He was freaking out and drove me back home to Bel Air, where he was like, 'Get out.'"

Paris said she went into her house and pretended to be asleep, and added, "To this day, I've not talked about it with my family. I've never told anyone. I don't know what it was, I just felt so ashamed by the whole situation  just from the beginning at such a young age and it really stuck with me in a weird way."

Paris first revealed details of her abusive past in her 2020 YouTube documentary, "This is Paris" - including abuse she suffered during her two years at schools for troubled teens, as well as being the victim of a leaked sex tape.

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Admitting she was shocked by the backlash against the 'Harry Potter' author, the Luna Lovegood depicter calls for people to study what the English writer has to say, rather than condemning her for what they perceive she has said.

Feb 24, 2023

AceShowbiz - Evanna Lynch has called for people to have "more grace and listen" to J.K. Rowling. The 31-year-old actress, who is best known for her portrayal of Luna Lovegood in the "Harry Potter" films, admitted she was shocked by the backlash against the author, who has been accused of transphobia for advocating for single-sex spaces and the importance of biological sex, and wishes people would study what she has to say, rather than condemning her for what they perceive she has said.

She said, "[I was shocked by the backlash] especially when she wrote her essay [revealing experiences in her unhappy first marriage]. I just felt that her character has always been to advocate for the most vulnerable members of society. The problem is that there's a disagreement over who's the most vulnerable. I do wish people would just give her more grace and listen to her."

Evanna, who became penpals with the writer long before she was cast in the movie franchise while she was battling anorexia, insisted she will "always defend her character" and would happily work on more "Harry Potter" projects in the future.

She told the Daily Telegraph newspaper, "These books formed me and J.K. Rowling inspired me. She inspires me still."

The 57-year-old author was first criticized when she tweeted an article referring to "people who menstruate" and said, "I'm sure there used to be a word for those people. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?"

She has been slammed for her comments by a number of prominent figures, including "Harry Potter" stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson and "Fantastic Beasts" actor Eddie Redmayne, while Evanna herself branded J.K. "irresponsible."

She wrote at the time, "I won't be helping to marginalise trans women and men further. I think it's irresponsible to discuss such a delicate topic over Twitter through fragmented thoughts and I wish Jo wouldn't ... That said, as a friend and admirer of Jo I can't forget what a generous and loving person she is."

But now, the former "Dancing with the Stars" contestant admitted she was "very naive" when she waded into the debate, especially as she now understands both sides of the story.

She said, "I was very naive when I was dragged into that conversation. I didn't even know there were two sides. I had a view of, like, good and bad. I do have compassion for both sides of the argument. I know what it was like to be a teenager who hated my body so much I wanted to crawl out of my skin, so I have great compassion for trans people and I don't want to add to their pain. I understand being too triggered to be able to have a conversation. If you put me in a room with one of my doctors who treated me in the past, ooh, Id kick off. Like, I would want to scream and yell names. I do also think it's important that J.K. Rowling has been amplifying the voices of detransitioners. I had this impulse to go, 'Let's all just stop talking about it,' and I think probably I'm a bit braver now about having uncomfortable conversations."

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Back in September last year, the 'Super Freaky Girl' hitmaker sued the blogger, whose real name is Marley Green, for defamation as she accused the rapper of using cocaine.

Feb 24, 2023

AceShowbiz - Nicki Minaj is seeking justice. The Trinidadian hip-hop artist has requested a default judgment in her defamation lawsuit against blogger Nosey Heaux, whom she accused of insulting her son Papa Bear.

According to court documents obtained by AllHipHop, the "Super Freaky Girl" rapper's lawyer Judd Burstein asked the Clerk of the Court to issue a certificate of default on Thursday, February 23.

Judd said Nosey, whose real name is Marley Green, failed to respond to the lawsuit. "Defendants have not answered or otherwise moved with respect to the complaint and the time for them to do so has expired," Judd wrote.

Nicki sued Nosey back in September 2022. Attorney Bobby Samini, who's representing Nosey, agreed to accept service for the blogger in October 2022.

Judd served Nosey by emailing a copy of the summons and complaint to Bobby in October 2022. Nicki's lawyer proposed extending the deadline to respond in December 2022. The court approved the request, setting a new deadline of January 16. However, Judd never heard back from Nosey.

Nicki pursued legal action against Nosey after the blogger accused the rapper of using cocaine. The 40-year-old artist also took issue with remarks about her child. "The Defendants herein have outrageously defamed [Nicki Minaj] by posting a video on their Twitter page in which Defendant Marley Green, who goes by the name of 'Nosey Heaux,' falsely and maliciously stated that [Nicki Minaj] is a 'cokehead' who is 'shoving all this cocaine up her nose,' " Judd wrote in the lawsuit.

"Further, evidencing a fundamental lack of decency, Green has also posted vile comments about [Nicki Minaj's] one year-old son," the complaint further read. "While these comments are not actionable, they nonetheless demonstrate why punitive damages should be awarded in this case."

Judd insisted his client never used cocaine. The lawyer claimed Nosey acted with "actual malice" because she knew the allegation was false or at least "knew that there was a high probability that it was false." Nicki is seeking at least $75,000 in damages.

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Admitting that his Southern Baptist family won't accept his daughter Poison Ivi as a lesbian, the 'Wipe Me Down' rapper declares that they will continue to love the 21-year-old rising rapper unconditionally.

Feb 24, 2023

AceShowbiz - Boosie Badazz a.k.a. Lil Boosie has broken his silence on his daughter coming out as lesbian. Sitting down with VladTV for a new interview, he was asked if he knew Iviona a.k.a. Poison Ivi is gay before she made it public.

"I didn't. Like, she used to be with a boy I thought she was dating. He used to come to the house," Boosie said. "But I don't think that was her boyfriend, now. You know, I think that was just like, a friend or something." Boosie said he learned it through social media like everyone else, "but I was suspicious."

While Boosie is known for his stance against LGBTQ+, he respects his daughter's decision because he thinks she's at the age to know what she wants. "But Ivi got a-our family is real Southern Baptist family. So, Ivi gotta respect for her family and everything for what she does. You know, so her coming out at this age, that's the time when you supposed to know what you want," he explained.

The 40-year-old went on stressing that although his family won't accept Poison Ivi as a lesbian, they will continue to love her unconditionally. "Even though it's not-it won't be accepted as far as-'cause I don't want to think anyone in my family to think it's okay. But what she does, we're not gonna-we're gon' love her to death," he declared. "We gon' love her to death, but at the same time, our family, it's never been that way. It's never been accepted, our preacher, grandfather, grandmother preacher."

Asked if he was disappointed his daughter didn't come to him first to talk about this, he responded, "My daughter never really came to me personally talking about no relationship. She's more of a to herself person."

The Baton Rogue native admitted that because of his stance on LGBTQ+, "that's probably why it took her this long to [come out of the closet]." He added, "I'm respected in my family. What I say goes, and what I say matters."

"But, at the same time, she grown," Boosie continued. "She can do what the hell she want, she old enough to know what she want. And that's her. She's doing a great job, she's making her own money, that's her own talent. I've never wrote not one line for her. The girls can go."

While he said Poison Ivi was his golden child and used to spoil her, he admitted, "I'm not running she... She is grown." Speaking about treating all of his children equally when it comes to their birthday presents, Boosie praised them for being "grateful" kids.

Poison Ivi came out as gay in January after photos of her with her supposed girlfriend surfaced online. Her partner apparently posted the images on her social media account and captioned them, "Endlessly in love with you [kiss emoji]."

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Following the controversial episode, it was rumored that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were planning to pursue legal action against the series though their rep denied the reports.

Feb 24, 2023

AceShowbiz - "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have reacted to reports that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle planned to sue them over an episode of the animated show. The pair discussed the matter during an appearance on "Basic!" podcast on Wednesday, February 22.

In the interview, the showrunners told the podcast's hosts Doug Herzog and Jen Chaney that they are used to getting backlash. They noted that "there are so many [moments] we can't even remember" when it came to criticism of their Comedy Central show.

"It was all coming from the right, we were considered counterculture," the animators said. "The Catholic League are always on our a** - it kind of always came from that side."

"South Park" made headlines earlier this month after its February 15 episode appeared to mock Harry and Meghan. Titled "The Worldwide Privacy Tour", the episode followed the "prince and princess of Canada" as they moved to a fictional Colorado town to get out of the press.

The couple, who bore a striking resemblance to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, could also be seen holding signs saying "we want out privacy" and "stop looking at us." They, however, attracted more attention to them by doing some interviews. The couple eventually moved to South Park in their quest for a normal life.

Kyle wasn't happy with his new neighbor as he ranted, "They have this huge jet parked in front of my house and they keep on wanting me to buy their book. It's seriously driving me crazy. I'm sick of hearing about them. But I can't get away from them, they're everywhere. In my f**king face." Stan then responded, "Look, Kyle, we just kind of don't care about some dumb prince and his stupid wife."

Following the episode, it was rumored that Harry and Meghan were planning to pursue legal action against the series. However, the royal couple's spokesperson denied the reports in a statement. "It's all frankly nonsense. Totally baseless, boring reports," the rep said to PEOPLE.

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The network announces that it's officially moving forward with a show tentatively titled 'Welcome to Derry', which was first reported to be in development in March 2022.

Feb 24, 2023

AceShowbiz - HBO Max is expanding the world of Stephen King's "It" by developing a prequel series set in the universe. On Thursday, February 23, the network announced that it's officially moving forward with a show which is currently titled "Welcome to Derry".

The show was first reported as being in development in March 2022. It will be set in Derry, Maine, which is the town where the shapeshifting demon clown known as Pennywise stalked and killed local children for hundreds of years. As for now, creative details are scarce, except that it promises to "expand the vision" of the movies.

Following the news, King expressed excitement for the project. "I'm excited that the story of Derry, Maine's most haunted city, is continuing, and I'm glad Andy Muschietti is going to be overseeing the frightening festivities, along with a brain trust including his talented sister, Barbara," said King. "Red balloons all around!"

"As teenagers, we took turns reading chapters of Stephen King's 'It' until the thick paperback fell to pieces," filmmakers Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti, who were behind successful movies "It" and "It: Chapter Two", said in a joint statement. " 'It' is an epic story that contains multitudes, far beyond what we could explore in our 'It' movies. We can't wait to share the depths of Steve's novel, in all its heart, humor, humanity, and horror."

Jason Fuchs added, "To be able to return to the world of my all-time favorite horror novel and help build upon the singularly brilliant cinematic universe created by Andy and Barbara is more than the opportunity of a lifetime, it's a dream come true- or, maybe more appropriately, a nightmare."

Meanwhile, Sarah Aubrey, head of original content at HBO Max, said, "We are thrilled to continue this iconic franchise with the brilliant Andy and Barbara Muschietti, Jason Fuchs and Brad Caleb Kane. This prequel will expand the It storytelling canvas and bring fans deeper into the terrifying, mesmerizing town of Derry."

Fuchs is set to write the script for the first episode based on a story by Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti and Fuchs. Fuchs and Brad Caleb Kane, meanwhile, will be co-showrunners on the project, with them all serving as executive producers alongside Shelley Meals, Roy Lee and Dan Lin.

Andy Muschietti will direct multiple episodes of the series, including the first episode. As for HBO Max and Warner Bros. Television, they will produce the series.

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The collaborative single, which is produced by Hitmaka, arrives along with its official music video that shows the pair putting out their chemistry before going their separate ways.

Feb 24, 2023

AceShowbiz - The wait is finally over! More than a week after Chloe Bailey teased fans of her new single "How Does It Feel", the Chloe x Halle member finally released the Chris Brown-assisted song on Friday, February 24.

The tune arrived along with its official music video, which shows the pair putting out their chemistry before going their separate ways. On the Hitmaka-produced track, Chloe sings, "I gave you more than you wanted/ I gave you more than you needed/ So tell me, how does it feel/ To lose the one you believe in?"

"I made you drop it on a Tuesday (Drop), I had the popcorn poppin', we made a movie (Pop)/ So many feelings involved, the way you do me (Do), tell me, you ready or not?" Breezy chimes in. "This ain't The Fugees (Fu')/ Got one shot to do what it takes (Got), got no time for no mistakes (Mistakes)/ I save a lot, 'cause I'm empty (Girl), it shouldn't hurt me, but I let it."

The song's release proved that Chloe remained unbothered by criticism surrounding her collaboration with CB. Beyonce Knowles' protege previously faced backlash after sharing the cover art of the single, with one troll arguing, "We're failing Black women in music if they feel like they have to collaborate with a known abuser in order to chart." The critic was referring to CB's past abuse of Rihanna during their relationship.

Someone else added, "watch people defend her collaborating w/ him while claiming that his history of violence against women was a one time thing that he grew from despite the fact that his track record goes back from 2009 to 2022. in 2019 & 2022 he was accused of sexual assault by 2 different women." One person simply described her collaboration with Breezy "disgusting," adding, "That's how it feels. Stop giving this abusive p.o.s. attention."

Firing back, CB spoke up on his Instagram Story, "IF YALL STILL HATE ME FOR A MISTAKE I MADE AS A 17 year old please kiss my whole entire a**!" He further raged. "IM F**KING 33! IM SO TIRED OF YALL RUNNING WIT THIS NARRATIVE."

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The 'He's All That' actress has been tapped for an upcoming slasher film based on fake trailer in Quentin Tarantino-Robert Rodriguez's double feature 'Grindhouse'.

Feb 25, 2023

AceShowbiz - Addison Rae is attached to upcoming slasher film "Thanksgiving". The social media star joins the cast for director Eli Roth's upcoming horror movie, which is based on the spoof trailer the 50-year-old filmmaker made 16 years ago for the Quentin Tarantino-Robert Rodriguez double bill "Grindhouse", but it is unclear what role she will be playing.

The movie centres on a slasher who arrives at a small town in Massachusetts with the intention of "creating a Thanksgiving carving board out of the town's inhabitants," According sources from The Hollywood Reporter.

"Grey's Anatomy" star Patrick Dempsey is also in talks to join the cast, but the director is hoping to feature a number of unknown names. Production is due to begin in Toronto next month. Eli will also serve as producer alongside Electromagnetic Productions' Roger Birnbaum.

Addison made her movie debut in "He's All That" in 2021 and previously revealed she wanted to prove she's not "limited to one thing" and hoped to explore a variety of acting roles. She said, "I want to show people I'm not just limited to one thing. I want to play the bad guy but also the good guy. I eventually want something really deep and emotional and real as possible."

And the 22-year-old star claimed she had to work "much harder" in order to make it as an actress because of her background. She explained, "In this industry, when you come in and get labelled as one thing ... people like to keep you there. Which is understandable, and I get it, but what people don't realise is I've always wanted to do acting. I've always wanted to do music.

"I've always wanted to do all these other things that they didn't really get to see or know, because I just started being known when I was 19 years old. People haven't really seen the background, or the classes I used to take and things like that. So I try to tell myself, 'You have to work that much harder to get people to take you seriously.' "

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 24)  Former Senator Leila de Lima marked her sixth year in detention on Friday, as various groups pressed for her immediate release and the dropping of what they call fabricated charges against her.

Six years of unjust detention, De Lima said a day ahead of Saturday's EDSA People Power Revolution's 37th year anniversary.

Six years that my persecutors hoped would be spent in futility, submission and silence," she also said. "Instead, it has been 6 years of fighting the good fight... perhaps the most important 6 years of my life.

De Lima was arrested on Feb. 24, 2017 over alleged drug money she used for her senatorial campaign in 2016 when she was still a Justice secretary.

She repeatedly refuted the allegations and said the drug charges against her were fabricated to silence her for investigating former President Rodrigo Dutertes war on drugs.

Six years I stood my ground. I am still fighting for my own innocence and for justice for the victims of extrajudicial killings and the families they left behind, she added.

During the past six years, several witnesses have retracted their testimonies that implicated De Lima in the illegal drug trade.

In April 2022, Kerwin Espinosa, a self-confessed drug lord, also withdrew his testimony and said it was just a result of pressure, coercion, intimidation, and serious threats to his life and family made by the police.

Two months later, Marcelo Adorco, said to be Espinosa's bodyguard and driver, also recanted all his previous allegations against De Lima.

He said a former high-ranking police officer forced him to sign his previous affidavit.

Meanwhile, Rafael Ragos, a former officer-in-charge of the Bureau of Corrections in 2012, also admitted in November 2022 that his testimony against De Lima was coerced upon the instructions of then Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre.

I strongly believe that my vindication is at hand," De Lima said. "But even if they continue to try to silence me, I refuse to cower."

When they come after me and try to silence me, they are actually coming after those who cannot speak for themselves and defend themselves," she added. "I cannot, in good conscience, let that happen."

On Feb. 17, The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the worlds oldest and largest group of national parliaments, renewed its call for De Limas freedom.

The IPU committee said it was ever more convinced that the cases of De Lima were related to her vocal opposition to the deadly war on drugs.

It also requested that an IPU trial observer continue to be present to monitor and report on cases against De Lima before the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court, including in order to assess if and how existing concerns about the legality and fairness of the proceedings are properly reviewed.

READ: TIMELINE: De Lima's five-year struggle in prison

Human rights watchdog Amnesty International, in a statement on Thursday, said De Lima should never have spent a day in prison but instead languished there for six years.

It is a travesty that Leila de Lima has endured six years in detention after bogus charges were brought against her in cases that have utterly collapsed," said Rachel Chhoa-Howard, Southeast Asia researcher for Amnesty International.

"As witness after witness withdraws their testimony, the Marcos administration must put an end to her ongoing persecution, she added.
After the overwhelming success of Coke Studio globally, Coca-Cola launched Coke Studio Bharat in Mumbai earlier this month. The first season is an amalgamation of over 50 artists from across the country who have come together to create over 10 memorable tracks celebrating the roots of Bharat.

With the launch of the debut song Udja with close to 30 Million views on YouTube, since its release on 7th Feb, Coke Studio Bharat releases its second celebratory track Holi Re Rasiya just in time for the festival of colours. The song features a blend of styles - Maithili Thakurs soulful voice, Ravi Kishans playfulness alongside Seedhe Mauts powerful rap.

Holi in India is more than commemorating the victory of good over evil. It brings with it the memories of home, childhood, and the warmth of togetherness with friends and family. Holi Re Rasiya isnt just evocative of these feelings, but also lends itself to lighting up the dance floors at every Holi celebration by adding color, vibes and all the excitement to the festivities.

Maithili Thakur stays connected to her roots and brings new life into the tunes with her beautiful voice, Ravi Kishan adds the light notes of quintessential Holi mischief while Seedhe Maut with his spoken words vibes with the Gen Z.

Ankur Tewari the award-winning musician and acclaimed songwriter, weaves his curatorial skills into the track with his incomparable magic. I am very excited for Holi Re Rasiya, I think we have a great song that can make it to your playlist this Holi. Celebrating the cultural traditions of Bharat, Coke Studio is bringing together talents from different regions that resonates with the new and young India while also connecting them to their roots.

Ankur has collaborated with a thinktank including critically acclaimed poet, lyricist, and scriptwriter Kausar Munir along with national award-winning sound engineer and music producer KJ Singh. Together they handpicked artists from Indias hinterlands enabling their diverse voices to take center stage in tune with their own individual niche and identity.

Speaking of their association with Coke Studio Bharat and working with one another, Seedhe Maut stated, When Ankur offered the platform to us to make this track, we couldnt believe it. This was very surreal and strengthened our belief in our art even more. This is a fun song, and we hope the audience makes it a part of their Holi celebrations and create unforgettable memories with their loved ones.

Maithili added, It feels great to be a part of Coke Studio Bharat and to collaborate with many talented artists around the country. Holi Re Rasiya is very personal to all of us as we bring in the mythological stories from Vrindavan and celebrate the festivity. We hope you like the song as much as we loved making it.

Ravi Kishan said, This has been a fun experience for me, to be recognised by Coke Studio Bharat and to work together with young talents who bring in different genres to the platform. I have sung a few songs in the past that had a traditional touch but to be a part of traditional and new age music was a thrilling experience for me.

Coca-Cola has partnered with Universal Music India (UMI) as executive producers for the launch of Coke Studio Bharat. Every track from Coke Studio Bharat appeals to the mindset of the younger generation, on the one hand helping them connect with their roots, and on the other hand coupling it with sounds, notes, and musical genre that are familiar to them.

You are invited to tune into Coke Studio Bharat that is available across all audio OTT platforms including Spotify, Gaana, Saavn, Wynk Music, and Audible worldwide, with distribution managed by UMI.
EVs will become mainstream but when they will become that is unpredictable. Cost of the acquisition is one of the important factors impeding EV adoption in India, Maruti Suzuki India Limited Senior Executive Officer (Marketing & Sales), Shashank Srivastava said here today.

Speaking at the second edition of ABPs Ideas of India Summit, he said, If a normal car is 100 then EV is 160 due to the high cost of batteries. Maruti Suzuki is trying to bring down battery costs. Also, we will have six EVs in different segments by 2030. Our estimate is this market which is 1% today will be around 3% in 2024-25, and will be about 17% in 2030 which is about out of 6 million cars, 1 million will be EVs in 2030.

Srivastava further added, I think the attitude of trying to be better and that's also something we have learnt from the Japanese system of Kaizen, which is you have to improve continuously and competition in one way helps that Kaizen and the desire to improve continuously and that is why we welcome the competition. One of the biggest strengths Suzuki has is its market share and we are looking forward to strengthening our SUV space.

Speaking on the growth and market demand, Srivastava said, "Maruti is 60% by volume for the overall Suzuki Motor Corporation, it's a great achievement of India. It shows the upswing in the Indian economy. Our demography is very young. In consumption terms, We expect car consumption in India will continue to increase. Our projections show almost 6 million by 2030 from current 3.8 million in 2022"

The ABP Networks Ideas of India Summit 2023 was discussing the topic of Brand India-Ready for the World. The summit has brought together policymakers, cultural ambassadors, industry experts, celebrities, and business leaders to discuss the critical role of India during the global churn and changing dynamics. ABP Network is a leading multi-language channel reaching 535 million individuals in India therefore this summit provides one of the biggest platforms for the brightest minds across various sectors to express their views.
Future Generali India Life Insurance Company Ltd. strengthens its senior leadership team by appointing Shirish Jagnani as the Chief Risk Officer and Aditya Mall as the Appointed Actuary.

To keep growing in this rapidly evolving life insurance ecosystem, Bruce de Broize, Managing Director & CEO, Future Generali India Life Insurance Company Ltd. said, As Future Generali India Life Insurance Company Ltd. embarks on a new chapter of growth and innovation, it is crucial to have an experienced and dynamic leadership team in place which can deliver value to our customers, partners, and employees. Both, Shirish and Aditya bring an impressive depth of knowledge and experience in their respective fields that will greatly support our companys next phase of growth and expansion.

Appointed recently, Shirish Jagnani brings over a decade of extensive and rich experience in Financial and Risk Management areas. Before joining Future Generali India Life Insurance Company Ltd., Shirish was associated with a leading life insurance player in Actuarial Risk Reporting and Shareholder Reporting Areas. He started his career managing actuarial regulatory reporting and then moved to an actuarial shareholder reporting role. He has also worked for leading financial Global Services in Actuarial Auditing Areas. Shirish is a qualified Chartered Accountant and fellow member of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, UK.

Shirish Jagnani, Chief Risk Officer, Future Generali India Life Insurance Company Ltd. said, I am very excited to be a part of a company that has significantly grown in the last few years. As we pivot to lead in a rapidly evolving insurance space, risk plays an even more strategic role. I look forward to working closely with Bruce de Broize and the Future Generali India Life Insurance team in our journey to further strengthen relationships with our stakeholders.

As the new Chief Risk Officer, Shirish will strengthen the companys Risk function and help it become a long-term sustainable organization. Shirish will also oversee the Information Security vertical.

Aditya Mall has been elevated to the role of Appointed Actuary and will lead the Actuarial function for the business. Aditya is a Chartered Accountant and Fellow from the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, UK & Institute of Actuaries of India. He has been with Future Generali India Life Insurance for more than 7 years now. His last position held has been Vice President, Actuary. In the past, after starting his professional journey in the areas of Accountancy and Audit, he has worked for leading, global, financial brands managing work related to Life Insurance companies globally.

Aditya Mall, Appointed Actuary, Future Generali India Life Insurance Company Ltd. said, As I transition into this new role, I am both, thrilled and motivated to be leading the team as the company eyes growth and transformation. I hope to make significant contributions to make better policy offerings, conduct regular valuations of our policyholder liabilities and ensure that the interest of policyholders is always protected. I look forward to working with Bruce de Broize, our Leadership team, and Senior Generali colleagues as I embark on this new role at Future Generali India Life Insurance Company Ltd.

With these new appointments, Future Generali India Life Insurance Company Ltd. looks at strengthening its market position and targeting more opportunities to grow strongly in the life insurance space.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 24)  The camp of Leila de Lima is seeking again outright case dismissal, immediate release, and bail after key witness Rafael Ragos recanted his previous allegations against the former senator.

The supplemental omnibus motion for Criminal Case 17-165 was filed on Feb. 23 through De Limas lawyer Teddy Rigoroso, but the copy was released to the media on Feb. 24, coinciding with her sixth year in detention. Ronnie Palisoc Dayan, former driver and alleged illegal drug money bagman of De Lima, is the co-accused.

Given her innocence, as now plainly revealed in Ragoss 30 April 2022 Affidavit, freely and voluntarily executed, affirmed in open court and subjected to, and hurdled, the crucibles of lengthy-cross-examination, accused De Lima must now be spared from further inconvenience, expense, pain, anxiety and the ignominy of prolonged trial proceedings through outright dismissal of the instant case, the supplemental motion read.

She has suffered enough, not the least of all barely surviving a hostage-taking incident that almost cost her life, it added.

READ: De Lima recounts 'near-death' hostage-taking incident

At the very least, herein Accused should be granted her constitutional right to bail in light of the retraction of the only testimony offered by the Prosecution that supposedly directly links her to the offense charged.

The De Lima camp argued that Ragos reversal has already satisfied two of four standards for the consideration of recantations as a ground for a new trial or an acquittal of the accused  he is neither a poor nor ignorant witness and he has undergone hours of gruelling cross-examination by the prosecution in four separate hearings.

It said that the discussion they added in the supplemental motion would also satisfy the remaining standards  the special circumstances that raise doubt as to the truth of the original testimony and if its elimination would lead the court to a different conclusion, and the comparison and juxtaposition of the original and subsequent testimony.

De Lima, one of the most vocal critic of former President Rodrigo Duterte's brutal war on drugs, has been acquitted in one of her three drug-related charges.

Ragos, the former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) officer-in-charge, ended his testimony affirming his recantation on Feb. 10. He is one of the several witnesses who withdrew their testimonies against De Lima.

After the Feb. 10 hearing, Boni Tacardon, one of De Limas lawyers, told reporters that Ragos reiterated that he was coerced to implicate the former senator and co-accused Dayan in the illegal drug trade inside the national penitentiary, as instructed by then Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre.

The ex-BuCor chief, according to the De Limas legal counsels, was clear and categorical in his direct examination on the witness stand that there was no 10 million  allegedly coming from illegal drug trade proceeds  which he supposedly received and delivered to De Limas residence.

The supplemental motion said: The falsity of Ragoss initial testimony, insofar as it attempted to implicate Accused De Lima, has been indubitably proven in light of his retraction. So much so that, instead of strong evidence of guilt, what is now left is strong evidence of Accused De Limas innocence and the unjustness of her (continued) detention, thus warranting the outright dismissal of the case against her.

It added that Ragos retraction showed how his initial testimony in court directly contradicted his earlier affidavits and testimonies before the House of Representatives and the Justice Department.

It continued: Given the clear and material coercion exercised upon Ragos, a clear picture emerges of the escalatingly false evidence he helped fabricate against the Accused De Lima in an effort to save his own career, protect his family, and, ultimately, secure his own immunity from prosecution.

Members of the European Parliament, who visited De Lima on Thursday, said they were quite impressed at how positive and brilliant she was given all that she had to endure.

Our hope is that she will at least be released on bail until this (the next hearing of De Limas cases) is so, said Hannah Neumann, vice chairperson of the European Parliament subcommittee on human rights.

The former lawmaker marked her detention anniversary by saying it was the most important six years of my life.

Today, more than ever, I am convinced that I did the right thing of sacrificing my personal liberty and even my political career, De Lima said in a statement.

I strongly believe that my vindication is at hand. But even if they continue to try to silence me, I refuse to cower, she added.

READ: I stood my ground: Leila de Lima marks her 6th year in prison
Here I sit, a middle-aged academic who lived and studies war, suffering daily from wounds received in a battle that has long since been forgotten, struggling to make sense of the Wests strategy in Ukraine. What are we doing? Are we waging a proxy war simply to bleed Russian military resources with the bodies of Ukrainian warriors? Do our leaders really have no understanding of the Ukrainian and Russian people and their long, distinguished history of strategic stubbornness? What about the Russian Federations brutal effectiveness in Chechnya, Georgia, and Syria? Are our leaders, particularly our military commanders, lacking strategic empathy, the ability to disassociate from oneself and assume the mind of the other? The evidence suggests that they are.

Recently, Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley declared that Russia has lost strategically, operationally, and tactically in Ukraine. This, quite simply, is bombast, borderline propaganda, possibly even rising to the level of disinformation. We are continually led to believe that it is only a matter of months until the whole Russian Army collapses. Almost a year ago, some of our political leaders, military strategists, and media pundits were wildly making claims that Russian President Vladimir Putins reign would end due to his special military operation. There were even allusions that Putin was near death.

The Wests sanctions, we were told, would cripple the Russian economy, forcing Putin to his knees. The ruble would crash as it did when the Soviet Union disintegrated. The backbone of the Russian economy, its fossil fuel production, would be crushed under the weight of a united West. There was no way that Russia could sustain its invasion given that it was isolated from American and European industry and technology. A year ago, it would have been absurd for someone to advance the idea that Iran, a terrorist regime under strict Western sanctions for almost 50 years, would provide Russia with military technology used to fight in Ukraine.

The American people have heard these fantastical declarations before. Just a few short years ago, American generals annually testified before Congress that it was only a matter of time before Iraq and Afghanistan would be pacified, the insurgencies defeated. One more surge, just a few more resources, only a couple more thousand troops, and then, yes, the entire insurgency would effectively cease to exist!

Image: Vladimir Putin. YouTube screen grab.

It is time to strip away the puffery from the generals and our so-called strategic experts. First, we must acknowledge that Russia will continue to wage this war for years. To the Russians, they have already been fighting for close to ten years, since 2014. The invasion last February was merely a new phase in an ongoing war.

Unlike the American military, Russian military doctrine and strategic thinking recognize, account for, and embrace the possibility of decades-long military engagements that transition between periods of high-intensity combat operations and low-intensity, population-centric police actions. Chechnya, South Ossetia, Transnistria, and Syria are all examples of such practices.

Second, Russias strategic objectives are fluid and will change according to the conditions on the ground. Western intelligence agencies are still trying to understand why Putin decided to move on Kyiv in 2022, especially because it appeared he was winning on all fronts beforehand. Whatever the reason, Putins generals were able to recognize their failed strategy, disengage tens of thousands of troops, and redeploy them to prosecute campaigns in the south and east.

Similarly, Ukraines eastern-marching offensive several months ago showed that Russian forces were willing to accept tactical and operational defeat to maintain a strategic foothold in Donetsk and Luhansk. Unofficial reports on the ground indicate that Russian soldiers initially withdrew immediately, without much of a fight. This, however, changed when the Ukrainians ran into successive Russian defensive lines that were prepared well in advance.

Furthermore, the West is completely unsure as to what Putins grand vision is for Ukraine. Is the goal to take the entire country? Is it to consolidate the annexed territory in the east? Is it to crush Ukraines military capacity to render it harmless to Russian interests? Is it to depose the Zelensky government and install one friendly to Russia? Is it to keep NATO from accepting Ukraine as a treaty partner? Is it all of them? Is it a combination of them?

Most likely, Putins own inner circle is asking the same questions. The answer lies somewhere in the broad category of yes, no, perhaps, maybe so. Traditionally, Russians are pragmatists, willing to trade short-term losses in the hope that the weight of their efforts will ultimately prevail. Ardant du Picq, the famed French tactician who died in 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War, described this phenomenon as that inertia of the Russians which is called tenacity. The Russian militarys embrace of long-duration conflict indicates the continued presence of such thinking.

Third, there is a constant, unrelenting echo that Russias military is incompetent. There is little doubt that its tactical performance has been lackluster at best. Russias initial invasion plan was based on faulty intelligence and the overconfidence of braggadocios generals. This is quite typical of the Russian military. It is why improving military success in the initial period of war was a continuing theme throughout their military journals from 2010 onwards. They are learning, adapting, and prosecuting their war, according to their timeline, not ours.

The constant relief of Russian generals for failing is an organizational strength, not a weakness. The battlefield deaths of senior officers indicate a willingness to share in the danger of combat with their soldiers, something the troops admire. In the end, however, the Russian militarys strategic acumen and stubborn resolve are the most deadly.

I have seen the destruction of war, the mangled bodies of the dead and the dying, and the shattered souls of those touched by its cold embrace. I continue to bury my brothers who succumbed to the wounds they received almost 20 years ago. We, the warfighters, believed that our commanders' strategies in Iraq and Afghanistan were rooted in a deep understanding of our enemy. Victory was always only one more battle away. As the recent past demonstrates, those strategies were built on flawed assumptions that, ultimately, led to perpetual, never-ending conflict.

The Wests unwillingness to acknowledge these Russian realities will only lead to failures like Iraq and Afghanistan. Here, once again, we are supporting a brave people, fighting for their homeland while lying to ourselves about the adversary. Real peoplemen, women, and childrenare dying by the thousands. The Ukrainian fighting soldiers, those who are being maimed and killed, deserve an honest, clearheaded assessment of the situation. It is, without a doubt, a moral imperative that we craft a coherent strategy focused on ending this war on terms that both sides can live with. Unfortunately, as of this writing, our only strategy is to bleed the Russians through an unending blood sacrifice of Ukrainians.

Dr. Earl J. Catagnus Jr. is currently an instructor of security and risk analysis at Penn State Brandywine, and was previously a visiting professor in the Department of Military Strategy, Planning, and Operations at the U.S. Army War College. He is also a combat wounded former U.S. Marine scout/sniper section leader who fought in the Second Battle of Fallujah.
The Biden administration's $1.2 trillion American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) gives cities a blank check for hundreds of billions of dollars in federal grants. An astonishingly massive windfall for municipal budgets. Janet Yellen, U.S. Treasury Secretary, followed up by forming an Advisory Committee on Racial Equity (a.k.a. TACRE) to ensure cities channel those funds and future federal grants towards racial equity justice.

The Committee's mission is to "identify, monitor, and review aspects of the domestic economy that have directly and indirectly resulted in unfavorable conditions...for persons of color."

The ulterior motive is to produce a permanent mechanism that is a data-driven approach forcing racial equity justice outcomes. Leftists refer to the concept as "democratizing data," a contrary term that is an affirmative action contrivance.

At the TACRE launch, Ron Nirenberg, ultra-leftist Mayor of San Antonio, promoted (see this 45-second clip) the Citys first-of-its-kind working Equity Atlas model as the best practice for measuring and doling out resources based on equity. The Citys Equity Atlas is a workaround to the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.

San Antonio's model assigns equity scores by census tracts and then aggregates them by districts. Census tracts can earn a favorable score based on the higher percentage of Spanish as a first language, high illiteracy, people of color, and below-median household income. Census tracts with the highest scores receive prioritized resource allocationsviolating the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and Article 1 of the Texas Constitution. Shouldn't the City focus on tracking spiking crime rates and street potholes instead?

Case Study

The City of San Antonio's Equity Atlas is an ideal case study of how data-driven narratives are used for citywide equity goals and strategies. No surprise, the City is dedicating most of its $465.5 million in ARP grants for affordable housing, drug rehabilitation, violence prevention, small business equitable outcomes, and community benefit navigators. Like a spoiled trust-fund baby, the City foolishly spends on those progressive pet projects will likely result in fraud, waste, and abuse - bank on it. All the while ignoring over $6 billion in crumbling infrastructure.

Below is the Citys equity map using GIS technology. The darker the shade, the greater allocation of resources and opportunities. The lighter shade areas have the highest tax burdens and coincidentally contain the most significant share of the Citys 23% non-Hispanic white minority population. This is blatant and shameful redlining around the neighborhoods where the City will limit or not invest based on race and affluence.

I filed an Open Records Request for my census tract 1211.10, asking for the data sources and the calculation for race, income, education, language, and combined components.

The census tract has one of the lowest equity scores in the City, with two out of a possible ten. The low score means that the census tract and, indirectly, the district have the lowest priority for resources. Astonishingly, the City coughed up the citywide Equity Atlas database in an Excel workbook which can be downloaded HERE.

The calculations rely on problematic federal government estimates and census data with an unacceptably high statistical margin of error, as high as 16%. As a result, the data lacks precision and has an inherent bias invalidating the Equity Atlas. But, of course, the mandarins couldnt care less as long as it advances their social justice agenda.

Mark Twain defines it best: Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are pliable.

Deep-Pocketed Influencers

Large donations and government grants are pouring into nonprofits to promote the adoption of a data-driven system for social justice. One of the most militant and influential nonprofit organizations is PolicyLink, which advocates for wealth redistribution, reparations, and abolishing the police. PolicyLink is supported by overly generous grants from the usual suspects like Gates, Ford, Packard, and Johnson foundations.

PolicyLink partnered with USC Equity Research Institute and created the National Equity Atlas. This platform provides starter dashboards and how-tos for municipalities to advance racial equity.

Michael Bloomberg's Bloomberg Philanthropies has initiatives called "Bloomberg City Network" and "C40," focusing on social justice and climate change. The initiatives promote data-smart city solutions and provide training and grants to cities. Bloomberg, through Harvard University, also has funded Data-Smart City Solutions using what it calls civic engagement technology. Bloomberg, like other billionaires, supports radical nonprofits as 'tribute' to avoid criticism of his pursuit of wealth.

Cities like Portland, Austin, and Tacoma have created custom equity dashboards. Visit your municipal website, and you may discover the city is developing its own custom dashboard or an equity atlas.

So where is your city spending its windfall ARPA grant?

Equity is not Equality

Equity is a Neo-Marxist euphemism for resource redistribution to favored racial and ethnic groups. Equity isnt equality; its meaning and use are deliberately inverted to mislead the gullible and ignorant public. The term clashes with the Constitution and the Bill of Rights bedrock principle that the law must equally protect everyone.

Constitutionally protected personal and economic freedom can lead to inequitable consequences based on an individuals abilities, intellect, deferred gratification, impulse control, and motivation. Yet, it creates a more dynamic and affluent society. On the other hand, equity is utopian socialism destroying personal responsibility and property rights, producing third-world living standards, conflict, and violence.

Bob Bishop is a forensic investigator and a retired CPA.
I never said, I want to be alone. I only said I want to be let alone! There is all the difference.  Greta Garbo

On February 2, Americans were treated to the spectacle of a giant balloon floating over Montana wilderness that would go on to traverse the entire length of the United States. Of Chinese origin, this giant balloon was loaded with what appeared to be potential reconnaissance or communications equipment. Depending on what side of the political aisle observers were on, there was one of two responses from the public: First, shoot it down. We dont appreciate foreign adversaries using espionage tools or potential weapons overhead. Second, Biden did the right thing by ensuring it was over open waters before dispatching it. Its normal, they flew over during the Trump administration as well.

For myself, I fall squarely into the shoot-it-down camp. There is something intrusive about a foreign object the width of several school buses entering my personal space that demands a decisive response. Given the sparse population of Montana, it seemed the appropriate time to dispatch it while above remote territory with the least risk to bystanders below. The concern wasnt so much that China was gathering intelligence from above as some other potential for a weaponized payload like explosives, bioweapons, or an electromagnetic pulse device. The Chinese have no shortage of satellites or technology required to spy on Americans. Most Americans have willingly adopted Chinese manufactured and even branded surveillance technology into their homes, myself included.

I consider myself an early technology adopter. I was an alpha tester of Amazons first Echo home speaker device. An entire global library of music on-demand? Yes, please! What would follow is a connected home of lights, switches, thermostats, sprinkler controllers, alarm systems, cameras, etc. The convenient control over ones home that technology allows is fantastic. But it has come at a cost.

During my foray into writing, one of the first articles I penned concerned the Faustian bargain we enter into when we trade privacy for convenience. The crux of this dilemma is that the parties we enter into these agreements with have ulterior motives.

Take social media, for example. We traded free personal connections online for a seat at the table in our daily lives. Technology corporations performed massive data mining campaigns to paint a picture of your entire life. They know who you are, your family and friends, your interests and hobbies, your jobs and colleagues, and your daily habits from sun up to sun up. Theyre even listening while you sleep.

Once these corporations were firmly entrenched in our lives, they began to apply social pressure to engineer society in their twisted mold. From campaigns regarding topics such as diversity, equity, and inclusion, to election interference like that of the Center for Tech and Civic Life, to silencing political dissent by censorship or steering press coverage in manners favorable to themselves, big tech utilized the monetized data that they controlled against those theyd taken it from.

But Im different. I have nothing to hide. Right? This is a common retort when debating the merits of privacy with the average American. Its a good thing they have nothing to hide because theyve given up any possible place to hide. I started my blog, WithdrawConsent.org, to explore withdrawing consent from a system and society that had abused it. A part of that process was taking back control over my personal information, including what parts of my life I allow the rest of the world into.

A few years ago, I installed a Firewalla on my home network. A Firewalla is an inexpensive home firewall device that is easy to set up and has a minimal footprint on my home network performance without ongoing subscription costs. It allowed me to secure my home network from outside threats and gave me a picture of what was happening with devices inside my home network. What I learned raised some serious red flags.

At some point, my wife found a Shark Robotic vacuum on clearance at the store. Excitedly, she set it up on our home network, and it went to work mapping out its cleaning path. Unfortunately, the Firewalla began to set off alarms at odd times, suggesting that the Shark Vacuum was uploading a data feed to Shenzen, China. Regardless of how innocuous this could be, I find no reason why any home appliance needs to send data it collects in my home to servers in China. I took the Shark vacuum off our network, and we got rid of it. We exchanged it for a different model with no data connection that works only on light detection and ranging, or lidar, to determine its path.

Recently, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology published an article demonstrating how one womans Roomba vacuum took pictures of her sitting on the toilet, and they were published on the internet. Sometimes what seems innocuous is quite dangerous. It was for this reason that I took a deeper look at what devices on my home network were uploading data to the internet. I found that the most egregious offenders were smart televisions and speakers. For the televisions, we turned off the wifi and utilize separate devices for streaming. In the case of the smart speakers, the simple solution was to disable the hardware microphone buttons on top. While inconvenient, it completely stopped the data uploads until we want to utilize the speakers.

The elephant in the room on intelligent devices and privacy intrusion is the smartphone. Most of us have them, and most of us make exceptions for the smartphone to maintain communications with family and friends. Though there are solutions to increase privacy, such as choosing a privacy-oriented device like a de-googled phone or installing privacy-focused software, your privacy only goes so far as the vendors whose apps and services you utilize. I will soon be getting rid of my Samsung phone because they consistently solicit me to accept changes to their privacy terms of service and to install their adware to earn money for globalist charities.

When adversarial nations fly unidentified objects over our borders, were paralyzed by the threat. Meanwhile, most of us whitewash the daily micro-intrusions we accept at a much more frequent pace. At issue is not the absence or the presence of personal indiscretions. At issue is the incremental nature of our daily concessions until were left with no privacy at all.

Photo by Denny Muller on Unsplash

Brian Parsons is a paleoconservative columnist in Idaho, a proud husband and father, and saved by Grace. You can follow him at WithdrawConsent.org or find his columns at the American Thinker, in the Idaho State Journal, or in other regional publications. Email | Gab
More evidence on how social media works to promote Islamic radicalization  while suppressing its victims  recently emerged. According to a Feb. 20, 2023 report, "bombshell findings" by the Tech Transparency Project (TTP) allege that

Facebook created over 100 pages for ISIS (Islamic State), as well as pages for other terror organizations, including the group behind the 9/11 attacks on the U.S., Al-Qaeda. TTP reported that Facebook creates the pages based on its algorithm, automatically generating them when users add the terror groups to their profiles. The platform's so-called ban on the groups apparently did little to prevent the automatic process that generated the terror group pages. "Some of these automatically generated pages have been living on Facebook for years, racking up likes and posts with terrorist propaganda and imagery," reported the Jerusalem Post in its coverage of the TTP's findings. "The company could potentially be held responsible for these pages as Facebook not just hosting but actually creating them." This is only the latest chapter in Facebook's struggles to keep hate off its platform.

Indeed it is. For example, according to a Jun. 14, 2022 report,

[a] new study has found that Facebook has failed to catch Islamic State group and al-Shabab extremist content in posts aimed at East Africa as the region remains under threat from violent attacks. ... [Facebook] repeatedly failed to act on sensitive content including hate speech in many places around the world.

Posts calling for violence and murder "in languages including Swahili, Somali and Arabic  were allowed to be widely shared."

Responding to these at the time shocking findings, Leah Kimathi, a Kenyan consultant in governance, peace, and security, said, "The least they [Facebook] can do is ensure that something they're selling to us is not going to kill us."

Similarly, "Why are they not acting on rampant content put up by [the Islamic terrorist group] al-Shabab?" asked Moustafa Ayad, who worked on the report. "You'd think that after 20 years of dealing with al-Qaida, they'd have a good understanding of the language they [jihadists] use, the symbolism."

Yes, you'd think.

Another report, from Dec. 2021, found that

Facebook allowed photos of beheadings and violent hate speech from ISIS and the Taliban to be tagged as "insightful" and "engaging[.]" ... Extremists have turned to the social media platform as a weapon "to promote their hate-filled agenda and rally supporters" on hundreds of groups[.] ... These groups have sprouted up across the platform over the last 18 months and vary in size from a few hundred to tens of thousands of members, the review found. One pro-Taliban group created in spring this year and had grown to 107,000 members before it was deleted[.] ... Overall, extremist content is "routinely getting through the net," despite claims from Meta  the company that owns Facebook  that it's cracking down on extremists. There were reportedly "scores of groups" allowed to operate on Facebook that were supportive of either Islamic State or the Taliban, according to a new report.

In the summer of 2022, a Muslim man in the U.K. was found guilty of sharing propaganda videos that glorified Islamic terrorists, including videos made by the Islamic State. Where did he share them with impunity? On Facebook and other social media.

Needless to say, this issue is significantly worse when one considers non-English and non-European-language content. Over the years, I've personally seen extensive Arabic-language content on Facebook and other social media giants that amounts to nothing less than terroristic incitement. Usually, these posts remain on social media platforms for years  until I or others draw attention to them in English-language articles, at which point they are conveniently removed.

In other words, as long as only Muslims see  and are radicalized by  these posts full of hatred and incitement to violence against non-Muslims, social media tend to leave them up. Once a Western audience learns about these posts, which make both Islam and social media look bad, they are taken down.

This is not always the case. For example, in December 2021, I translated an immensely profane and hate-filled Arabic-language tirade from a New York-based Muslim man against two Christian men from Egypt  a rant that culminates in him loudly threatening decapitation to anyone who "hurts the reputation of Muhammad." This video, which currently has nearly 115,000 views, is, apparently because it's only in Arabic, still up on YouTube, though the "warning" that "this video may be inappropriate for some users" now accompanies it.

On the other hand, and despite the leniency shown to Islamic terrorist content, social media, especially Facebook, are notoriously quick to censor content that exposes the jihadists. This it calls "hate speech" or "offensive content." In one especially stark example, Facebook censored the campaign of a charity that sought to draw attention to the plight of Christian women in Muslim nations.

I too have been censored by Facebook  and am constantly "shadowbanned"  for posting on the Muslim persecution of Christians.

And while Islamic extremist groups managed to get away with posting "pornographic images" on social media, some U.S. wi-fi networks ban my website, which is devoted to the Islamic question, on grounds that it is "pornography."

Such is the true extent of the problem posed by the social media giants: not only do they, as many already know, censor those who say anything that goes against the narrative, in this case by exposing Islamic hate and violence, but they also allow Islamic hate and violence to proliferate and radicalize Muslims, who go on to murder "infidels."

Raymond Ibrahim, author most recently of Defenders of the West, is the Distinguished Senior Shillman Fellow at the Gatestone Institute and the Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum.

Image via Max Pixel.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 24)  The mayor of Datu Montawal municipality in Maguindanao Del Sur was wounded in a shooting in Pasay City, police said Friday.

At 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Mayor Ohto Caumbo Montawal was attacked while travelling with a companion along Roxas Boulevard in a Toyota van towards Senator Gil Puyat Avenue.

Two unidentified men approached Montawals vehicle. One of the suspects pulled out a gun and opened fire at the van.

Montawal sustained gunshot wounds on his hip and left arm. He was rushed to Ospital ng Maynila by his companion and transferred to the Asian Hospital in Muntinlupa City,

The police report, citing witness, said the suspects fled in the direction of Senator Gil Puyat Ave., Pasay City.

Police are currently investigating the shooting. At the scene, they recovered two spent cartridges from the suspects firearm and also began a review of CCTV footage.

A week earlier on Feb. 17, Lanao Del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr. was wounded while four of his aides were killed in an ambush in Maguing Municipality, Lanao Del Sur.

Meanwhile, on Feb. 19, Vice Mayor Rommel Alameda of Aparri town, Cagayan Province and five of his companions were killed in an ambush in Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya.
Id like to offer some advice to Donald Trump. This offer comes from someone who, in November, talked about following him into a raging inferno and then, in January, questioned whether supporting him was worth the fight.

How does one go from being a rabid fan to sitting on the fence in such a short period of time? Messaging. As I mentioned in January, Trumps embrace of the grifters running the GOP suggests that he might be taking his eye off the ball. As such, Id like to offer four bits of unsolicited advice to the former and, I hope, future president.

First, stop focusing on the stolen 2020 election and focus on America today. As important as 2020 was, its 2023, and were 20 months away from the next election. There simply isnt time to fix 2020, and any energy spent trying to do is that much less energy going into saving the country in 2024. Given Americas trajectory, if were not victorious in 2024, there will likely be no more America as we know it by 2028.

Second, stop taking credit for the vaccine. The more Americans know about vaccines, the less they like them, and many of us hated them from day one. While putting the development in motion was understandable at the time, the fact is that they may have terrible long-term consequences to come. Additionally, even though it was others, not Trump, who used them as a cudgel to control, Trump inevitably associates himself with that coercion. Its an issue best let go, as his supporters hate it, and his enemies wouldnt give him credit for it regardless.

Third, stop trying to demonize Ron DeSantis, the most popular Republican in the country not named Trump. Not only is it not working, but once Trump secures the nomination he will need as many allies as he can get, including DeSantis and his supporters.

Image: Donald Trump by Gage Skidmore (edited). CC BY-SA 2.0.

Fourth, and most importantly, focus on issues that affect Americans where the rubber hits the road. Here are seven:

1) Immigration: Guarantee that the first thing he will do in office is to resume building his wall from Brownsville to San Diego. No nation can be a nation if it doesnt have a border, and the invasion on our southern border is far more of a threat to Americans than anything happening in Ukraine.

Biden has virtually eliminated the border, allowing at least five million illegal aliens to enter unimpeded. Simultaneously, weve seen 100,000 deaths a year from Fentanyl overdoses and witnessed cartels bring violence to American streets, mimicking Mexico by bringing their infrastructure here and having comrades take powerful positions in government. Trump should promise that, if Democrats and activist judges throw roadblocks along the way again, he will use the military to patrol the border where no wall exists until the wall is completed.

2) Wokeness in government: Promise to eliminate every element of the racist Critical Race Theory in government along with the DEI diversity, equity and inclusion treachery. He should tell America that the government will stop operating programs based on race and setting various groups of Americans against one another in the name of equity and victimhood. The governments police power will no longer favor any group over another, nor will it use demographic data to achieve diversity objectives. He should promise that every single element of the federal government will be agnostic as it relates to immutable characteristics.

3) Energy independence : Promise to return the United States to energy independence. This means ending the governments demonization of fossil fuels. No more having the nations economic well-being taken for granted and sacrificed at the altar of the climate change hoax. Trump will stop wasting American tax dollars pursuing the fiction of green energy, especially because the environments destruction associated with mining and producing materials used in car batteries, solar panels, and wind turbines is far greater than that associated with producing natural gas and oil.

4) Return to gender normalcy: Eliminate every element of the federal government that blurs the lines between men and women. While there may indeed be a tiny number of Americans who suffer from gender dysphoria, the reality is men are men and women are women. This has been a fact throughout human history and remains so today for 99.995% of human beings. Our government should no more base public policy on the desires of the minute portion of the population who genuinely suffer from gender dysphoria than they should base it on the slightly less frequent existence of Siamese twins. And he should promise to pass a federal law outlawing gender-affirming poison and operations for children under 18.

5) School Choice : Work to give every parent in America school choice. School is often the primary place where children learn about Americas history and the three Rs. Increasingly, our schools not only fail to teach students to read, write, and do arithmetic, but they are becoming indoctrination camps for the anti-American, anti-science, racist poison that is undermining the foundations of American liberty, opportunity, and prosperity. Although most education is administered at the state level, the Department of Education plays a significant role, and he should promise to harness DOEs resources to encourage every state to give parents control over their childrens education.

6) Crime : Use every constitutional resource available to reverse the Democrats war on police and the American people in the name of equity. Democrat soft-on-crime policies have put citizens lives at risk, and cost the lives of thousands of people across the country since the fiction of Michael Browns Hands Up, Dont Shoot in 2014 and the riots in response to Saint George Floyds death in 2020.

Gone will be the days when the justice system is more interested in criminals rights at the expense of the victims rights, safety, and lives. If Democrats were really interested in helping minorities and poor Americans, theyd call for more police and longer prison sentences for criminals. But they dont.

Trump should make it clear he does. He wants to protect night clerks, subway riders, kids walking to school, and all other law-abiding Americans as they simply go through their daily lives. Victims lives matter. Certainly, they matter more than those of criminals who prey upon the innocent and the weak.

7) Overhaul the security apparatus : Promise to return the American security agencies to their original mandates, i.e. protecting the lives, property, and rights of the American people and their country. This means cleaning out the activist, partisan leadership in the Justice Department, FBI, CIA, and NSA so that the American people can once again have confidence that their government is there to protect them, not act as the enforcement arm of a political party and persecute them for exercising constitutional rights.

Trump should also promise to get passed legislation that explicitly says government agencies cannot work with social media firms to infringe on the First Amendment.

The entire point of this suggestion is for Trump to make it crystal clear that his sole focus is saving the American Republic, securing for all Americans the ability to exercise their God-given rights and the ability to go through their daily lives without fear that the Borg of government or the thugs empowered by it will destroy all that they live for.

If Trump can convince voters his focus is on their future and not his past, the White House is his for the taking.

Follow Vince on Twitter at @ImperfectUSA.
Sometime in the late 70s or early 80s, I had the opportunity to work in Senegal for several months. My very first experience in-country was that the rental vehicle wouldnt start. While the friendly and talkative mechanic repaired the jeep, he inquired if this was my first trip to Africa. No, I replied. Ahhh! he said, then I dont have to explain the meaning of TIA to you.

But Id never heard that term or what it meant. When I asked, he explained, saying, This is Africa; nothing works! Indeed, in my travels, it was much the same in Latin America and other places I have lived, worked, or visited back in the day. When I returned to the U.S. it was a joy to drop a quarter into a payphone and hear a dial tone, or find that the nearest toilet always had toilet paper at hand.

But, in 2023, in Bidens America, the acronym takes on a whole new meaning. Last week my wifes car wouldnt start, and after several return visits to the dealership, the problem remained undiagnosed. The service tech apologized and said, its TIA. I asked him what that meant, and he said, This is America; no one knows how to fix things anymore. Talk about a reflective moment.

Consider recent news items reporting stories of unusual events, ones growing in frequency. With the technology and knowledge developed over decades, stupid stuff shouldnt happen nearly as much as it does.

A United Flight loses altitude rapidly after takeoff, narrowly avoiding crashing. Why? The pilots were momentarily distracted at a critical moment.

A railroad derailment in Ohio caused toxic gasses to sicken hundreds. Railroad knew they had a hot box situation with the cars journal bearings discovered by trackside devices just before the accident.

Balloongate raised the specter that China or Russia could have been floating nukes over the U.S. for years because someone manually changed the filters on U.S. radar displays to exclude balloons.

Ford halted production of their newest E.V. vehicle due to battery problems.

Southwest Airlines stranded thousands of passengers because outdated scheduling software was not equal to the tasks at hand.

An outside hack crippled Floridas Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. Surgeries were canceled, manual record-keeping returned to use, and general chaos ensued.

Fabled Boeing Aircraft hasnt built a clean sheet  i.e., newly designed aircraft  since 2003. They recently announced that another new plane would not be built until the 2030s. This follows a series of major snafus, including crashes of the Boeing Max and problems with almost all other civilian and military contracts. Boeing is now a distant second to European upstart Airbus.

mRNA Vaccines may not be vaccines at all? Traditionally, vaccines provide immunity from a disease. Today, we understand that the primary value is not immunity but rather a reduction of symptoms and death. This is not what was asserted to the public by the CDC, which continually appears to redefine the intent of the shot.

Approximately 9 million Americans receive Federal Disability Benefits, and another 5.5 million former military receive full or partial disability. An additional million plus receive private disability. These numbers are the highest in history and call into question the legitimacy of the process, which seems to offer government-funded disincentives to work.

Is our education system failing? Today, 65% of children cant read at grade level. Reading ability has been on a downhill trajectory since 1992, but the government and teachers unions underplay that obvious and disturbing failure all too easily.

Four issues help us understand how these sad scenarios came to be:

Lack of competency Disincentives to succeed Workarounds to working Wokeism

Lack of Competency: Whether we are building something new or repairing something old, too often, we cant seem to match our accomplishments from the old days. For example, the new Artemis rocketship uses 1970s space shuttle engines because of an inability to replicate the technology today.

The competency issue is vital because, without competent people, there will be fewer breakthrough technologies. Competency is exceedingly crucial because it has the capacity to make our lives better. The speed of breakthrough products has slowed in recent years, with a focus on incremental improvement rather than embracing the inherent risks of novel technologies that made our country wealthy and successful.

Disincentives to succeed: Eliminating the trend toward mediocrity is likely the most crucial nugget we should glean. We have gone from a culture of highlighting our best and brightest to flipping that winning strategy on its head as we hold back our geniuses in myriad ways. Our capital system, taxation, government policies, social media, and even our educational systems no longer reward risk, instead insisting on playing it safe, and stifling the higher intellect students in the name of social justice and White privilege. The downside of the promotion of mediocrity is that the risking and striving by the many, which was so much a defining aspect of America, is becoming all too rare. Why? Because the promotion of self  individuality  particularly if they are White, is actively discouraged and considered anti-social and anti-progressive in todays new vision of America.

Workarounds to working: Living off of family money, unemployment insurance, disability insurance, government grants, friends, subsidized homelessness, becoming a perpetual student, and/or working off the books all come together to allow an unprecedented number of people to fail to contribute to the continuing success and financing of our country.

There is a monthly government statistic called U-6 and another metric called Civilian Labor Force Participation Rate. These two stats, added to the official Unemployment rate, reveal another estimated 12 million unemployed or underemployed individuals over and above the official stats. Another important metric is people who could work but choose not to do so. Yes, the government keeps that number as well.

When you combine all these numbers, you approach 100 million people who dont work for a variety of reasons. That number has risen by about 35 million in the last ten years.

Wokeism: Ostensibly about fundamental fairness, Wokeism is a destructive force aimed directly at everything that made America great. No aspect of Wokeism is productive, fair, or a natural evolution of who we are, and it contradicts family values, a strong work ethic, good race relations, and essential capitalism. Wokeism is death, and Wokeists walk off a cliff called misdirection all too willingly.

I dont want to live in a country where TIA, once ascribed to a dysfunctional Africa, is now used to describe us as we descend into economic and social oblivion. This may be where the enemies of America desire us to go, but it is up to the few to triumph over a victory of Wokeism, which seems close to actualization.

The new version of TIA is slavery in the making. How ironic that the lefts primary tool, if realized, will inevitably bring about the enslavement of us all. We must fight and not let that happen. What will you do?

Allan J. Feifer is a patriot, author, businessman, and thinker. Read more about Allan, his background, and his ideas to create a better tomorrow at www.1plus1equals2.com.

Image: Free image, Pixabay license, no attribution required.
A Wall Street Journal editorial this week highlighted the absurdity of America's strategy in Ukraine. The Journal urges the U.S. to provide more advanced weapons to Ukraine, including a longer-range missile system, which Biden is reluctant to do. Ukraine, with America's help, must win, argues the Journal, in part to thwart a developing Russia-China-Iran axis of power. The Journal doesn't seem to notice that U.S. and Western support for Ukraine's military has been the impetus for this incipient axis.

Yet the fundamental flaw with America's position is being overlooked  not just by the Journal, but more importantly, by nearly the entire political class and media. There's a good reason Biden is rightfully fearful of providing more advanced weapons: Russia is armed to the teeth with nukes. So we'll help Ukraine only up to a point. And Putin is well aware that Biden is terribly afraid of "escalating."

In war, telling your enemy you'll push only so hard is a serious handicap. It cedes a critical tactical advantage to the Russians, because you can be sure Putin won't hesitate to escalate, if he thinks he might lose in Ukraine, and compel us to retreat. He can force America's hand by announcing that Western support for Ukraine violates Russia's sovereignty, backing it up with a significant escalation.

What might that look like? For a venal mind like Putin's, the possibilities are endless. Perhaps he'd start with an "anonymous" cyber-attack against our power grid that cripples one or more major U.S. cities. That would further weaken the already tepid American resolve on Ukraine. He might then threaten to incinerate Kiev and other Ukrainian cities with ballistic missiles equipped with powerful non-nuclear (or nuclear) warheads if we don't stop supplying arms. Of course, the Russians could also use their air superiority to identify and bomb Western arms shipments. Are we prepared to bomb Russian assets in Ukraine in response?

What would Biden do? I suspect that the Russians believe he'd fold like a cheap suit. Biden can hardly afford to meaningfully respond to a major escalation by Russia over Ukraine, given the threat of Russia's nukes and weak support for the war at home.

In short, Putin can call the bluff of Western commitment in Ukraine and force us to back off. So far, he hasn't needed to. But if he feels Ukraine slipping away, he undoubtedly will. At bottom, our support for Ukraine  beyond just costing billions of dollars  will only bolster the growing perception of America as a foolish and feckless superpower.

David Culver Brenner writes and produces the humor and commentary site, SpoofsandProofs.com. He is the author of a novella portraying the dangers of socialism, The Un-Socialist Chickens (UnsocialistChickens.com).

Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Remember that famous recurring line from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid?

Worse than the Pinkerton agents to Butch and Sundance, Cloward and Piven are to the stability and future of America.

If the Cloward-Piven Strategy is new to you, Fred Elbel's "ClowardPiven strategy - fundamentally transforming America" does an outstanding job breaking it down into bite-size pieces.

Basically:

[D]eveloped in 1966 by Americans Richard Cloward and Frances Fox Piven  both sociologists and political activists ... [t]he strategy focused on overloading the United States public welfare system in order to precipitate a crisis, which would ultimately lead to replacing the welfare system with a national system of "a guaranteed annual income and thus an end to poverty.

It worked pretty well  so well, in fact, the outline has been applied in many instances to bring about the disruption of public programs, policies and systems:

Time marches on and the ClowardPiven strategy, as Elbel puts it, "remains an active instrument of change in America. Ultimately, it is the tool by which multicultural elites aim to "fundamentally transform America."

To fully appreciate the genius of the strategy, just look around at the other pressure points of American society being clogged and hamstrung by the nonstop avalanche of C-P red tape.

The southern  and now northern  borders are beyond overwhelmed. Border Patrol agents are taken away from the flood of illegals and reassigned to paper-pushing, babysitting, and chauffeuring gigs. And the flood continues unabated.

As the immigrant invasion continues  over 5 million by current estimates  local support structures and systems are overwhelmed: schools, housing, law enforcement, retail outlets are unable to cope. The damage is not reserved to the systems. Visit a local hospital E.R. And not just in towns in Texas, Arizona, Oklahoma, and California. Identical issues around the country are similarly effected as "got-aways" and exported aliens make their way to Chicago, New York, Miami, L.A., San Francisco. All those cities already had overcrowding problems left over from the COVID-19 "pandemic." Crime stats are skyrocketing, primarily in Democrat-governed cities and blue states.

Food shortages are ubiquitous. Baby formula to Brussels sprouts to ground meat to eggs continue to run in short supply as prices rise. Suspicious fires, bombings, and "accidents" at food processing plants are blamed without explanation along with droughts, avian flu, and the dreaded (supposed) COVID-19 super-duper "sub-variants." Government regulations reducing the application of certain fertilizers on farms in Holland, Spain, France are proliferating, forcing crop, flock, and herd reductions. Results: farms closing, creating more food shortages, unemployment, and increasing welfare rolls.

Public outcry and political pressure have been suppressed through ignorance caused by the media. The MSM's OCR (Obsessive Compulsive Regurgitation) of the most salacious to the most dramatic to the most irrelevant "news of the day" leaves no air time for hard news stories and continuing tragedies that will inform the affected about the coming tragedies of system collapse.

Meanwhile, politicians continue to focus on J6, laptops, classified docs, name-calling, distractions, denials, Harry and Meghan, and similar matters irrelevant to the preservation of liberty, erecting a fog bank over the news and information the public needs. People sufficiently talented to get themselves elected can whistle and chew gum simultaneously. But the analogy is lost on the blow-dried celebrity news media set.

Don't presume that the C-P strategy can't  or doesn't  work both ways. What if the internals of the bureaucratic deep swamp work in harmony with the overwhelming external pressures by slow-walking the very administrative solutions to the problem?

Overall, that's been the plan all along. Proven effective over decades, Cloward-Piven remains the strategy "multicultural elites are using to fundamentally transform America."

Nothing good can come of it. It's rotten to the core.

Image via Pxfuel.
In interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell asked,

[W]hat does Governor Ron DeSantis not know about black history and the black experience when he says that slavery and the aftermath of slavery should not be taught to Florida schoolchildren?

In fact, DeSantis never said any such thing. In January, however, his administration blocked the teaching of a course on Black history that it said was historically inaccurate and violated state law.

After receiving criticism for her falsely premised question, Mitchell issued not an apology, but a "postscript," saying she had been "imprecise" in her question. "Governor DeSantis," she said, "is not opposed to teaching the fact of slavery in schools; therefore the premise of my question was false and defamatory, and I sincerely apologize."

Well, actually, I kind of made up that last part. (And I apologize  but not sincerely.)

What Mitchell actually said was this:

Governor DeSantis is not opposed to teaching the fact of slavery in schools, but ...

"But"? "But" what? Is he or isn't he?

... but he has opposed the teaching of an African American studies curriculum as well as the use of some authors and source materials that historians and teachers say makes it all but impossible for students to understand the broader historic and political context behind slavery and its aftermath in the years since.

Aha! So what Mitchell is saying is that, unless students have this course, it will be all but impossible for them to understand the "broader historic and political context behind slavery and its aftermath."

How do we know this? Because "historians and teachers" say so.

Really? Apparently, not all of them do, or Mitchell would have said so. So if it wasn't "all," then she should have made that clear by saying "some historians." But if she says that, then the justification for her "imprecision" disappears. So instead, she presents viewers with another "imprecision."

Image: Andrea Mitchell. Credit: TODAY via YouTube, CC BY 3.0 (cropped).
We know that San Francisco has been the open defecation capital of the U.S. for more than a decade.

This once fine city has been ruined by the misgovernance of the Democrats. In other words, all progress has been ruined by "progressive" politics.

One of the solutions to this crisis, which causes the surroundings to be unhygienic and unsafe for walking, is to build public toilets that are freely accessible.

This is exactly what the powers that be in San Francisco set forth to do.

The first step of any project is to perform a feasibility study to deduce the cost versus the benefits. In this particular case, the benefits are already known, and hence the focus was on the estimates of cost.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the proposed budget for one solitary toilet  i.e., just one commode in 150 square feet of space  was estimated to be roughly $1.7 million.

That wasn't the only bad news.

This expensive toilet would be ready for use only in 2025.

So why is this toilet so ridiculously expensive, and why does it take so long to build?

A joint statement from the Recreaction and Parks Department and the Department of Public Works revealed the reasons behind this expense.

First, that San Francisco is the most expensive city in the world for any construction.

Bidenflation is also a leading cause.

The already high construction costs have increased by around 30% in the past couple of years, due to the rise in costs of fuel, labor, and materials.

But most of all there are "process-related" expenditures.

The statement from Rec and Park and Public Works revealed that like all public projects, the overall cost estimates don't just reflect the price of building structures, but also the costs related to planning, drawing, permits, reviews, and even public outreach.

The cycle is as follows:

An architect draws plans for the toilet.

The city shares these plans for the toilet with the community for feedback.

Simultaneously, the plans are subjected to a review from the Arts Commission's Civic Design committee comprising two architects, a landscape architect, and two other design professionals, who, under the city charter, "conduct a multi-phase review" of all city projects on public land  ranging from buildings to bathrooms to historic plaques, fences, and lamps.

The project then heads to the Recreation and Parks Commission and to the Board of Supervisors.

There will also be a review under the California Environmental Quality Act.

Then the city will put the project up for bid.

But none of these satisfactorily explains the $1.7 million for just one toilet when experts say the highest estimate for the toilet would be not more than $200,000.

The news caused outrage not just in San Francisco, but across the U.S.

The controversy was so intense that California governor Gavin Newsom, himself a proponent of big government spending, placed the state funds earmarked for the public restroom on hold.

Most of the above occurred in October 2022.

The best headline about this controversy was from the U.K. Guardian, which read: "Loo-dicrous: San Franciscans flushed with anger over $1.7m public toilet."

By November 2022, Chad Kaufman, president of Public Restroom Company based in Nevada, said his firm could donate a pre-fabricated building, including the toilet, the enclosure, a locking door, and a sink, which would normally sell for $135,000.

Kaufman said the city must have a local labor union to install it and waive all the usual bureaucratic red tape.

He also said the toilet could be up and working in three days.

You would think the authorities would accept this before taking the next breath.

But there is a problem.

Nevada is on San Francisco's list of states the city won't do business with because of that state's alleged stance on abortion, LGBT issues, and voting rights.

But accepting a gift isn't actually doing business.

Hence, a few weeks ago, by the end of January 2023, the toilet and the building, along with a sink, were installed.

But all of the $1.7 million is not going to be saved.

The Recreation and Parks Department has spent $300,000 on other costs like landscaping design, permits, and environmental reviews.

This episode highlights the role of the media in a democracy.

At the risk of stating the obvious, the job of the news media is to be watchdogs on behalf of the tax-paying public and keep them informed of all the excesses, abnormalities, and corruption occurring.

The San Francisco officials took remedial action not because it suddenly dawned upon them that they have to be fiscally responsible. It was because of the copious public outrage after the San Francisco Chronicle broke the story and several others carried it.

This toilet is merely an example of how the government functions.

The amount required to install the toilet was not more than $200,000, which is roughly one eighth of the $1.7 million projected. The rest is dedicated to processing, for which consultants and advisers are appointed, and most of these are probably cronies of government officials, obviously. Contracts and tenders are granted with implicit quid pro quo understandings.

This is exactly what is happening in D.C.

Some $111 billion of taxpayer money has been pledged for Ukraine, and Biden recently announced $500 million more.

It is likely that a small percentage of the amount in the form of arms and aid pledged actually lands in Ukraine. Once again, there must be legal and implicit quid pro quo agreements for those approving of these funds. This explains why there is such a consensus between parties on dispatching them.

Last December, Sen. Rand Paul released his "Festivus" report, which details wasteful government spending in 2022. Among the craziest items was $2.3 million dedicated for studying beagle puppies when injected with cocaine. The most scandalous was that $77 million was wasted on un-tracked fuel purchases.

Regrettably, unlike in San Francisco, the mainstream news media aren't investigating or reporting on government excess; they are instead focused on doing P.R. work for the Democrats. So there will be very public little outrage, which means this waste will continue.

The $1.7-million toilet in San Francisco is being called proof of the fiscal irresponsibility of the government and how bureaucracy and regulations cloud common sense.

That claim is partially true.

The chief cause for these bloated budgets and estimates is corruption. The money isn't wasted; it actually ends up in the pockets of cronies and eventually in the pockets of politicians and bureaucrats with authority to approve.

Make no mistake: this $1.7-million toilet isn't an anomaly, but a norm.

The real anomaly is that this instance of government excess was reported by the media, and the powers that be reacted to the public backlash.

It proves that democracy is still alive in the U.S., albeit not as strong and ubiquitous as it used to be.

Image: Public Domain Pictures, CC0 public domain.
There is no doubt that the Biden White House, transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg, and the leftist media sycophants want nothing more than for the train derailment in East Palestine to disappear.

Initially, almost no attention was paid to the disaster on February 3, which by all accounts created a hellish, toxic chemical landscape for the residents of the small town in northeastern Ohio. The White House minions did their utmost best to ignore the crisis. Was it bad timing on the part of the doomed train, the weak response of the glaringly incompetent Pete Buttigieg, or perhaps is something much more nefarious at play?

Without question, the train derailment catastrophe in Ohio interfered with the aggrandizement of Joe Biden's visit to Ukraine on February 20. According to the NPR curated script, the president's visit to the conflict-torn country was not only historic, but audacious. Biden's unannounced visit, disregarding the fact that the Russian government was notified in advance of the president's flight plans, was well planned. In fact, the trip was a completely staged event to prop up and facilitate the war effort of the beleaguered Ukrainian president. The Biden White House was relying upon the optics of his surprise visit; therefore, the Norfolk Southern train catastrophe in East Palestine had to be sidelined for 17 days in order not to derail Biden's grandiose gesture of dropping yet another multi-million-dollar money bomb on Ukraine. Despite the fact the 4,000-plus residents of East Palestine are the unfortunate victims of the toxic chemical spill, apparently, Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg felt that immediately addressing the here and now was not necessary.

While Joe Biden has yet to appear in East Palestine, Pete Buttigieg finally arrived on scene in the early morning hours of February 23, nearly three weeks after the accident. It didn't go well. After surveying the area of the accident, he took questions from reporters. Asked if he had waited too long to speak about the train derailment, he responded by acknowledging that "letting a week and a half go by before tweeting about the train derailment was too long." He then told reporters he had "tried to balance his desire to get involved with the norm of transportation secretaries."

Adding further insult, it's not out of the realm of possibility that, having been advised on the combination of toxic chemicals in the air, in the water, and on the ground in East Palestine, Mayor Pete waited for the contaminants to sufficiently dissipate to be considered relatively safe for his short visit. Sadly, the residents of East Palestine will suffer the aftermath long after Mayor Pete's visit. There will never be enough money raised, nor awarded in future legal settlements, to compensate the people of East Palestine for what no doubt will be decades of unspeakable illness and suffering.

Finally, it hasn't gone unnoticed that the majority of residents of East Palestine, Ohio are overwhelmingly Trump-supporters. On cue, Joy Behar of the daytime television show The View suggested that the residents of East Palestine "got what they deserved" because they supported Trump. Joy Behar's lack of empathy and compassion for her fellow human beings is par for the course; she routinely exploits her television platform, spewing hateful rhetoric.

With that said, it's also been suggested that the Biden administration's lack of immediate response to the train derailment in East Palestine may be tied to the fact that the state of Ohio is a Republican stronghold as of the midterm elections in 2022. The Executive Branch in the state comprises Republicans, and the newly elected Ohio senator, J.D. Vance, is a Republican as well and an outspoken critic of Joe Biden. The Ohio state House and Senate are under Republican control, and of the fifteen Congressional Districts in Ohio, ten seats are held by Republicans.

Is the toxic chemical train derailment in East Palestine a portent regarding the Biden administration's response to natural or man-made disasters in Republican-held regions of the country? And is the lack of immediate response by the president, including the feeble excuses offered up by his transportation secretary about finding "balance," is code speak for "we'll get around it to eventually and when it's convenient to do so"? Instead of lobbing baseless claims at Donald Trump for the train derailment, Pete Buttigieg and his absentee boss ought to man up and thank the Trump team for donating water, food, and supplies, and more importantly the much-needed support for the residents of East Palestine.

Image: Pete Buttigieg. Credit: Edward Kimmel via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
This week, Alabama Congressman Barry Moore put forth a bill to recognize the AR-15 as America's national firearm. As we all know, it's just for show  even if it were to pass the House, it won't pass the Senate  but that doesn't mean the Democrats aren't currently in the midst of a hysterical meltdown over the move. In response, the greasy Ken doll of California (Gavin Newsom) posted the following tweet:

Here is a (partial) list of when an AR-15-style weapon was used in a mass shooting:

- Las Vegas, 58 dead

- Pulse nightclub, 49 dead

- Sandy Hook, 27 dead

- Sutherland Springs, 26 dead

- Uvalde, 21 dead

- Stoneman Douglas High, 17 dead.



This is what you're promoting. https://t.co/HbGXgLN5WJ  Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) February 23, 2023

My immediate thought? "Now do abortion, or fentanyl." Turns out, I wasn't the only one thinking that  the comments lit up, and Twitter users fried Newsom alive. Below, you'll find a couple of the best one-liners:

@TimRunsHisMouth: "If you hate guns so much, give up your armed security."

@DC_Draino: "Now do the number of abortions every day in just 1 California city[.]"

@merissahansen17: "Who wants to discuss the governments [sic] "oopsies" with all these events?"

@politstrip: "How many of these shooters were 'known to the FBI'?"

Perhaps my favorite, though, was from the Arizona Libertarian Party, as it subtly addressed the naked truth of "gun control" measures:

Heres a partial list of populations which were ordered to disarm by government:

Lakota: 300 dead at wounded knee (1890).

European Jews: 6,000,000 est. (1938)

Turkey: 1.5 Armenians killed (1915)

Russia: 20 million (1929)

China: 20 million (1935)

Cambodia: 1 million 1956  Arizona Libertarian Party (@Arizona_LP) February 23, 2023

Reliably, a Democrat's hypocrisy is off the charts.

Newsom cites murder statistics  indisputable hard data  with the common denominator among the tragedies being a criminal misusing a firearm. Then he explicitly accuses Rep. Moore of "promoting" such criminality. Last time I checked, it was the Democrats, particularly those like Newsom, who promote pro-crime Soros "prosecutors" and pedophilic policies  all while conservative Republicans beg for law and order and morality.

Maybe they'll just invoke the ol' tried and true "the parties switched"  it seems to be a surefire way to skirt any accountability.

Most importantly, Newsom just flaunts his remarkable illiteracy  or is it his wickedness? The Second Amendment was written to protect a right we were endowed with by our Creator: the right to self-defense. The Second Amendment is not a pro-murder license to murder  unlike Newsom's abortion policies. Newsom either completely lacks any understanding of America's history, her foundation, and the Constitution, or has a vested interest in what comes after law-abiding citizens are disarmed. With Democrats, it's hard to know.

Image: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons..
In 1985, I was a young physician in internal medicine training. In that year, pharmaceutical companies were allowed to advertise not only to physicians, as had been true in the past, but now to the general public. At the time, I wondered why Pharma would want to spend more money less efficiently. Over the years, as I have observed little evidence in support of direct-to-patient marketing, the question remained.

Recent events, however, have opened my eyes.

At the end of January, Project Veritas released a video featuring a senior executive physician at Pfizer caught with an undercover camera admitting to some extremely damaging information regarding Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine. This official, Jordan Walker, M.D., is described on the Pfizer website as "Pfizer Global Director of Research and Development-Strategic Operations and mRNA Scientific Planning."

Among his admissions were:

1. The virus and the vaccine were a "cash cow" for Pfizer (no surprise).

2. The FDA and CDC have been "captured" by Pharma, resulting in lax oversight. This is because of a "revolving door" between employees at the federal agencies moving to Pharma for better jobs and more money. He admits that this is "pretty good for the industry" but "bad for everyone else."

3. That Pfizer has been growing SARS-coV-2 in monkeys and encouraging mutations so Pfizer can develop pre-emptive vaccines. They refer to this as "directed evolution" rather than "gain of function," which is of course illegal in the United States. One of the most chilling parts of the interview is his blase attitude about the possibility of these viruses escaping into the community.

4. He admits that there appears to be a problem with female fertility and menstrual issues secondary to the vaccine. He admits that the Pfizer scientists don't know the mechanism and, from his statements, aren't particularly interested. He is mainly concerned about liability issues. To quote the good doctor: "I hope we don't find that this mRNA lingers in the body." He then offers the possibility that the vaccine has "f----- up an entire generation." He glibly notes that if this were true, he would have to remove his employment at Pfizer from his resume.

You need to watch these videos. They're absolutely infuriating.

For about two days, the release of this interview achieved widespread coverage in conservative media. It received little to no coverage in traditional mainstream outlets.

Despite this, given all we've been through over the last three years, these revelations should have rocked the country. Where is the public outrage? Where are the congressional committees that should be investigating these statements? For that matter, where is the Department of Justice?

It is possible that this has been buried by the long arm of Pfizer through its influence not only on government agencies, but also on the news media through the sponsorship of their broadcasts. By January 28, any mention of this controversy was gone, and news coverage was all about the Chinese balloon. The revelation that Pfizer was mutating new COVID-19 viruses, and had possibly damaged the health of a whole generation, was forgotten.

If Dr. Walker's story is true, and his incredibly callous attitude is any sign, Pfizer would seem to have created a rapacious, amoral, and arguably criminal corporate culture. This description might also extend to the cultures of the FDA, the CDC, and our corporate media, who appear to have buried this incredibly important information in the face of Pfizer's continuing advertisement dollars and employment opportunities.

All those years, I wondered why Pharma spent so richly on advertising.

It's because I had the target wrong. The money wasn't meant for prescriptions.

It was for media influence. And it worked.

Dr. Smith is a pulmonary and sleep physician who practices in Northeast Pennsylvania. He has published articles on multiple topics including the outdoors, photography, and science/medicine. He has been featured in multiple regional and national publications. He blogs at henrysmithscottage.com.

Image: Pfizer.
The Biden administration has the East Palestine, Ohio toxic train wreck all figured out.

Just blame Trump.

No wonder it hasn't done jack for the battered Ohio community, whose residents had to flee their homes based on toxic fumes from the wreck, and who continue to fear for their safety as officials assure them that all's safe. After all, there's no evidence these guys actually care if they get poisoned.

Why should they? If it happens, they will blame Trump.

Here's how bad it is, according to a splendid editorial from Issues & Insights titled "Amtrak Joe couldn't be bothered to visit a train wreck":

Official word from the White House accuses "congressional Republicans and former Trump administration officials" [of] selling out "to rail industry lobbyists when they dismantled the Obama-Biden rail safety protections as well as EPA powers to rapidly contain spills." The administration believes Trump, who beat Biden Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (who is utterly useless) to the site, and GOP lawmakers, owe "East Palestine an apology." "Congressional Republicans laid the groundwork for the Trump administration to tear up requirements for more effective train brakes," Andrew Bates, a deputy White House press secretary, ranted on Wednesday, "and last year most House Republicans wanted to defund our ability to protect drinking water."

The must-read editorial points out that even the press  you read that right: the press  is pointing out what nonsense these claims are, starting with USA Today:

"Jennifer Homendy, who chairs the National Transportation Safety Board, said the brake rule would not have prevented the East Palestine derailment because it was proposed for 'high-hazard flammable' trains carrying 20 or more loaded tank cars. The train that derailed did not meet that threshold," writes USA Today's Joey Garrison. Forbes, The Hill and even Newsweek also referred to Homendy's statement.

Homendy actually blasted transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg's statements as "misinformation," citing tripe like this dreary excuse-making Buttigieg tweet claiming: "We're constrained by law on some areas of rail regulation (like the braking rule withdrawn by the Trump administration in 2018 because of a law passed by Congress in 2015), but we are using the powers we do have to keep people safe."

No, that's not what's happening. That's "narrative," and from an inattentive administration focused on covering the administration's backside as its priority. They don't actually pay attention to what actually happened. Nor do they care.

In a fact-check put out by the Washington Free Beacon, not only would Homendy's notation have held water, but here's the actual Biden record:

Furthermore, the Biden administration has done little to revive the braking rule, which would have mandated technology that would enable all rail cars on a single train system to apply brakes simultaneously. Federal officials told the Washington Post that the Biden administration tried to restart the rule, only to drop the effort after a cost-benefit analysis showed the cost-prohibitive regulation would produce little real-world benefits.

Meanwhile, somewhere out there, there are some pros within government who do their jobs, though, and have no stomach for this spin, starting with Homendy.

That's a substantial warning to the Bidenites that the government's willingness to blame Trump for every problem out there has limits.

Those officials are charged with finding out what happened, and with Buttigieg making up a blame-Trump narrative out of thin air, it's pretty obvious that the transportation secretary has absolutely no interest in actually finding out what happened.

As it happens, there are signs suggesting that it could have been mechanical failure, which would not have been covered under the rule Trump eliminated, and from that, even the possibility of sabotage, which should not be discounted, given the number of infrastructural fires and blowouts that have been going on in recent weeks. Was that Russia's or China's doing? Don't rule it out, given that both have the motivation and the moral elasticity.

Yelling that Trump did it only stands in the way of actually finding out what happened. And that has got to be obvious to residents, who already know that the Bidenites don't care about them based on their cavalier attitude toward their return to their toxic-infused homes.

Now word is getting out to everyone else: blaming Trump for this mess, amid a slow response from the Bidenites (and a fast one from Trump himself, who sent water and burgers to residents), is not working as a spin narrative anymore. It's falling apart. Seems the biggest train wreck here is the Biden administration's credibility. That's obvious enough in their "blame Trump" response.

Image: Screen shot from Good Morning America video via YouTube.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 24)  The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) on Friday warned that there will be a tight power supply this coming summer due to higher demand for 2023.

The Department of Energy (DOE) is forecasting a total peak power supply demand of 13,125 megawatts for Luzon that will occur towards the end of May 2023. This is 8.35% higher from the actual 2022 peak load of 12,113 megawatts in May 2022.

For the Visayas, NGCP said the peak demand is seen to occur in September 2023, while in Mindanao, the peak demand will occur in June.

The NGCP forecasts a 16.19% increase in demand for the Visayas this year, while a 10.52% increase is expected for Mindanao.

Although the projection does not include occurrence of yellow or red alerts, NGCP noted that there are weeks between March and April 2023 where operating margins are below required levels due to higher demand and planned outages of plants.

NGCP spokesperson Cynthia Alabanza earlier said that the supply of power reserves in Luzon is still running a bit thin.

READ: NGCP warns of thin reserves in Luzon grid, appeals for more energy sources

A yellow alert is issued when the operating margin is insufficient to meet the transmission grids regulating and contingency requirement  which is at 668MW each.

Meanwhile, a red alert status is issued when supplies are insufficient to meet consumers demand and the transmission grids regulating requirement.
In recent years, TikToks alleged mishandling of user data and its parent companys connection to the Chinese government has prompted many US states and government entities to ban the app on their devices. Now, the European Commission (EC), the executive wing of the European Union, has also decided to ban TikTok and asked its staff to remove the app from their personal phones and tablets that are part of its mobile device service, according to a report from Politico.

The Commission made this decision to better protect itself against cybersecurity threats and actions that may be exploited for cyber-attacks against its corporate environment. The ban will take effect on March 15, and those who fail to comply will lose access to corporate apps, including the ECs email service and Skype for Business. Reports also suggest that the European Union Council and Parliament may follow suit.

Tightening the grip on TikTok

This decision by the European Commission to ban TikTok mirrors the moves made in the US, where the House of Representatives and at least 20 states have banned the app on government devices due to concerns about the Chinese governments alleged involvement in accessing user data and other security issues. However, in an effort to ease tensions between lawmakers and TikTok, CEO Shou Zi Chew will appear before the US Congress on March 23 to answer questions about US user safety and security.

Despite the efforts of governments worldwide to hold TikTok accountable for its data privacy practices, the company denies any wrongdoing and argues that the ban is based on fundamental misconceptions. TikTok has requested a meeting with the EC to address concerns and explain how they protect user data.

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Were continuing to enhance our approach to data security, including by establishing three data centres in Europe to store user data locally, further reducing employee access to data, and minimizing data flows outside of Europe, said a TikTok spokesperson.
Over the past few years, concerns over national security with Chinese-owned apps like TikTok have skyrocketed. In an effort to combat this problem and make consumers aware of the potential risks of installing an app, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has proposed a new policy to flag foreign-owned and developed apps with a special icon or designation.

Moodys concerns over TikTok stem from the apps data privacy practices and national security risks. While other states and government entities have taken steps to ban TikTok on government devices, Moodys proposal focuses on informing consumers of the risks associated with foreign-owned and developed apps.

She also cited Pushwoosh, a Russian malicious code discovered in thousands of apps on the App Store, including those of The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Army, as one of the major reasons that prompted her to write letters to Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Empowering Consumers to Make Informed Decisions

According to Moody, the lack of transparency in app stores poses a significant risk to American citizens. Her proposal aims to empower consumers by providing clear and easy-to-understand information about the origin of an app, enabling them to make more informed decisions about their data privacy and security. By adding a foreign-owned or developed designation to apps related to certain countries, consumers will have access to the highest level of transparency and protection.

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Consumers have a right to know if these countries are related to the origination, development, or ownership of these applications. Informing consumers of this foreign-based status allows consumers to decide whether or not they want to subject themselves, or this country, to the inherent and increased risks associated with such foreign applications, reads her letter.

Its not clear whether Apple or Google will flag foreign-owned apps in response to Moodys proposal, as they already label the developer and include links to their website. However, with the growing concerns about data privacy and security, app stores need to take action to protect their users.
YouTube Music is reportedly working on adding support for podcasts in the near future. YouTubes head of podcasting, Kai Chuk, confirmed the news at Hot Pod Summit.

While there are dedicated podcast apps in the market, many users prefer to listen to their favorite podcasts on YouTube. The well-known podcasters also share the video version of their podcasts on the Google-owned video-sharing app and enjoy the monetization. However, you might soon be able to listen to podcasts on YouTube Music.

The music streaming platform currently hosts some of the worlds most famous artists, and its library is filled with over 60 million tracks. This library could soon be richer with podcasts. Google challenged Spotifys dominance in the music industry by launching YouTube Music, and now it wants to target the podcast business.

According to Chuk, YouTube Music allows for free ad-supported background listening to podcasts with enhanced library tools.

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YouTube Music brings podcasts to challenge Spotify

Spotify could establish itself in the podcast market by hosting popular podcasters like Joe Rogan. While Google says it has yet no plan to add exclusive shows or licensed originals to YouTube Music, it seems like a competitive advantage to sign publishing deals with famous podcasters.

If someone wants to watch a podcast, we have a solution, Chuk added. If someone wants to listen to a podcast only, we should have a great experience for that as well.

Chuk and Steve McLendon, Googles product lead for podcasting, say their goal of adding podcast support to YouTube Music is to make great tools for show creators. Additionally, their success is defined by whether creators find it successful and helpful. Were just focused on the YouTube users and ecosystem and bringing podcasts into that fold, Chuk said.

Spotify currently has over 200 million paid subscribers. YouTube Music could also surpass 80 million Music and Premium subscribers globally. While theres a big gap between platforms in terms of user reach, YouTube Music can certainly challenge Spotify in the coming years by relying on YouTubes 2.6 billion user base.
Xiaomi will be ditching its high-end S series phones this year, so dont expect the Xiaomi 13S phones to come knocking. This is something the companys CEO himself, Lei Jun, confirmed. He confirmed it via Weibo.

The Xiaomi S series phones wont launch this year, Xiaomi is ditching them

Xiaomis S series phones usually come half a year after its hero flagships. The Xiaomi 12S Ultra launched last year to become the first smartphone with a 1-inch camera sensor made for smartphones. That device looked truly great, but it never made it to global markets. The Xiaomi 13 Pro will deliver that very same sensor to global consumers.

Lei Jun flat-out said that users shouldnt wait for the Xiaomi 13S series, as it wont be coming. Xiaomi is looking to place full focus on its main flagship smartphones, the Xiaomi 13 and 13 Pro. The Xiaomi 13 Ultra was also rumored, so it remains to be seen if it will launch at some point.

The Xiaomi 13, 13 Pro, and 13 Lite will become official on February 26. This launch will happen as part of MWC in Barcelona. Xiaomi already confirmed that its flagships are coming, and has been intensively teasing the devices.

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The Xiaomi 13 Pro is the most powerful smartphone Xiaomi will deliver. The regular model will not include a 1-inch camera sensor. How do we know that? Well, both phones already launched in China, a couple of months ago.

Both Xiaomi 13 flagships will be fueled by Qualcomms most powerful SoC

The Xiaomi 13 and 13 Pro will be fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, though, the most powerful processor Qualcomm has to offer. Both phones will also include LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 flash storage.

You can also expect blazing-fast charging on both devices, and that goes for both wired and wireless charging. The Pro model will offer faster wired charging, though.

Android 13 will come pre-installed on both phones, along with Xiaomis MIUI 14 skin. The devices will be water and dust resistant, while the Pro model will likely include a ceramic backplate.

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Stay tuned, as both devices are launching on February 26, which is this Sunday.
(ANSA) - ROME, FEB 24 - ANSA has signed a new partnership deal with Mauritania agency AMI as it expands its international collaboration network after similar recent deals with Dutch agency ANP, India's PTI, Argentina's TELAM, Uruguay's Uypress, Filipino press agency PNA, Tanjug of Serbia, Moldovan agency Moldpres and Vietnamese agency VTA.

Like the others, the accord with the Nouakchott-based agency envisages an exchange of content and forging an enriched offering of international news for clients as well as developing joint commercial offers to boost the communication of institutions and businesses in their respective countries.

Italian Ambassador to Marocco and Mauritania, attending the signing via videolink, stressed how the agreement is a great step forward between the two countries.

"This is a crucial moment in the history of relations between Mauritania and Italy," he said.

"Ever since I was installed I have worked to develop ties between our two countries; we consider Mauritania an important partner in the region, also for the fundamental role it plays in the stability of the area, and strong cooperation is necessary between the two press agencies ANSA and AMI, also within the framework of collaboration between Rome and Nouakchott".

Mauritanian Ambassador to Italy Zeineb Ely Salem, present at the signing at ANSA HQ in Rome, said "information is vital and the accord signed today boosts relations between Mauritania and Italy. As an embassy we are ready to support this cooperation that we deem decidedly important." AMI Director General Mohamed Fall Oumeir Beye stressed that the accord was the first agreement of its kind between the the Agence Mauritanienne d'Information and ANSA, saying "this will enable both agencies to benefit from mutual experience in their respective working fields; thanks to this accord, both parties will be able to benefit from the information services provided by each partner in their respective countries and in the other geographic zones covered by their journalists".

He also said the deal would enhance the communication of businesses and institutions in both countries, and stressed its importance for bilateral cooperation and cooperation "between our country and the ambits in which Italy plays a leading role, such as the European Union, the 5+5 Dialogue, and the Sahel Alliance".

ANSA Managing Director Stefano De Alessandri said "I'm happy to sign this accord through which we will start the exchange of news on Italy and Mauritania which will help improve the mutual knowledge of our two countries," and added "I consider this accord an important starting point for substantive collaboration which I hope will soon produce communication projects in support of businesses and institutions in the two countries". (ANSA).


Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 24)  A suspect in the killing of a tourist from New Zealand in Makati City surrendered to authorities, the Southern Police District (SPD) said on Friday.

Speaking to CNN Philippines, SPD chief PBGen Kirby Kraft said John Mar Manalo himself expressed willingness to surrender after a press conference on Thursday in which his pictures were revealed.

The SPD earlier tagged Manalo as the one who shot 34-year-old tourist Nicholas Stacey on Feb. 19.

Authorities met with the suspect, who was with his family, during his surrender in Pasig City.

In a statement, the SPD said the surrender happened at 1:11 a.m. on Hill Crest Drive in Barangay Oranbo, Pasig City.

Manalo denied he had a hand in the killing.

Personnel from the SPD Special Operations Unit, and other relevant authorities also served a warrant of arrest for robbery with violence or intimidation of persons against Manalo in relation to another case he is facing before a court in Malolos, Bulacan.

He is now under the custody of the SPD.

The police earlier said Manalo may face robbery with homicide charges.
Albania PM, Putin invested 25bn for regime change in Kyiv Rama reveals foreign ruler's secret

(ANSA) - ROME, FEB 23 - Before waging war on Ukraine, Putin had tried to achieve regime change in Kyiv, which failed due to Ukrainian resistance and incorruptibility, said Albanian Premier Edi Rama in an interview with the periodical The Post International (TPI). Rama thus cited a secret that a ruler of a "neighboring country" - whose name he did not disclose - had told him then. (ANSA).





 Copyright ANSA - All rights reserved
(by Massimo Lomonaco)

TEL AVIV - "Electricity is not needed, wifi is not necessary, all that is needed is a piece of paper and you start writing". Light years away from today, but simplicity and brilliance remain and the exhibit "Olivetti- Not just a type writer" at the "Vitrina" Gallery in Holon near Tel Aviv brings one of Italy's most famous world brands from the nineteen-hundreds to Israel. A cross section of a company that was created to build type-writers and became leader of the technology sector in Italy revolutionizing the communication field, from managerial work to the office. Since its inception, the company was forged by the cultural knowledge and spirit of Camillo and of his son Adrian, who invented a "social welfare" company, an absolute novelty in the Italian capitalistic world at the time. The exhibit was curated by Ivry Baumgarten and is the result of the collaboration between the "Vitrina Gallery of the HIT Holon Institute of Technology", the Olivetti Archives and the Italian Cultural Institute in Tel Aviv, the venue will remain open until 2 May.



In addition to the iconic products of the company, the exhibit - say the organizers - "extends to the innovative graphic and publicity aspects of the firm, through posters and publicity spots created by the most famous Italian designers", such as Ettore Sottsass and Giovanni Pintori. Other parts of the exhibit are dedicated to the "evolution of the Olivetti logo, to different characters created for the type writers and to the city of Ivrea, which in 2018 was recognized as a Unesco world heritage site as "Industrial city of the twentieth century".



Across all aspects what emerges is the absolute ability to go through time creating radical innovation on the products' design. It would suffice to highlight "the letter twentytwo" (dating back to 1950 and now on exhibit at the MoMa in New York) or "Valentine" (1968) with its unmistakable red. And also, further along in the time machine, the "M24", the personal computer designed by Sottsass, or the "Notebook" (Quaderno) a portable computer created by Mario Bellini in 1992. What stands out in terms of elegance is, however, the "Studio 42", which was completely black with only one red key.



"The exhibit - highlighted the Italian Ambassador to Israel Sergio Barbanti - offers a special trip in the time machine through products, architecture, people and places that summarize the international story of the "Olivetti style" and of its revolutionary approach in the business world. Over one century of successes which, thanks to the contribution of enlightened artists, philosophers, sociologists and great technicians, shows how excellence can develop in diversity and become a distinctive trait of a company's DNA and of the community that surrounds it".
BEIRUT - It's a foreign court, the High Court in London, to issue the first ruling on the partial responsibility for the devastating blast of the Beirut port in August 2020 in which approximately 250 lost their lives.



The Beirut media this morning reported the news that the High Court in London has issued a ruling against Savaro Ltd, a company registered in the United Kingdom, finding it responsible for the 250 deaths caused by the explosion of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate which were stored illegally for years in one of the Lebanese's capital port hangars.



According to the prosecution, the UK company had a role in acquiring the explosive material before its arrival at the Beirut port in 2013. The companies and individuals involved and possibly responsible, at different levels, for the 4 August 2020 blast at the Beirut port, are many and of different nationalities. The Beirut lawyers' bar association had sued Savaro Ltd company in the United Kingdom and communicated to the media the news of the London Court.



The judicial inquiry in Lebanon remains de facto frozen after some institutional and security apparatus members, who were called to answer for their responsibily for the crime have the protection of the decade-old oligarchy in power, which resulted in judge Tareq Bitar's inquiry to be blocked with political and judicial methods.




TUNIS - "Our parents sent us here thinking that we would be safe and that we would have had the opportunity to study in a serene environment, but unfortunately it no longer is the case". There is worry among sub-Saharan students in Tunisia following the suggestion by the Association of African Students and Trainees in Tunisia (AESAT) not to attend classes unless obliged to, following the recent declarations of the Tunisian President Kais Saied who called for "urgent measures" against illegal migration of sub-Saharan Africans to his country.



"Our responsibility as student body is to place the safety of our students first", explains the AESAT press release, according to which in the last days a number of arrests of sub-Saharans found without papers but also with a regular residency permit took place. Among the students there is an "increasingly tense climate" that is spreading, states the association, which concludes in its press release with a call on Tunisian authorities to ensure the safety of African students and trainees in Tunisia.



The private University of Ibn Khaldoun in Tunis created a crisis unit to support sub-Saharan students with a hotline to call in case of problems while a group of Tunisian NGOs announced the founding of an Anti-Fascist Front and announced a march against racism for 25 February in the capital. The march will protest to the slogan of "abolish Fascism, Tunisia is an African country".
ISTANBUL - The Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) killed Halil Menci, member of the Kurdish YPG (The People's Defense Units) in Syria. The man was considered by Ankara to be mind behind the last 13 November attack in Istanbul where 6 people were killed and over 80 were wounded. The Turkish daily Sabah reported the news.
TEL AVIV - A Palestinian man who was hit in the head yesterday by an Israeli sniper during clashes in the el-Arub refugee camp near Hebron in the West Bank, died today in a local hospital. The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported the man killed was Muhammad Jawabreh, 22 years old. He was part of the Palestinian Authority police forces.



Last night the main cities in the West Bank saw crowds of people taking to the streets to express solidarity for the 11 Palestinians killed over the past days during an "anti-terrorist operation" conducted by the Israeli army in the Nablus Casbah.



Among those who were killed at least six were members of a local armed faction known as "the Lions' Den". During these protests many slogans in support of this faction and for the armed struggle against occupation were heard. The protests also took place in the Gaza Strip from where Hamas made its voice heard.



Every once in a while tension stirs up in Hebron around the time of the anniversary of the massacre of 29 Palestinian which took place at the Tomb of the Patriarchs on 25 February 1994.



The massacre was conducted by a Jewish settler who ended up killed by Muslims reacting to his act.
The coastguard has stood down their part in a major rescue operation in Greenock after a tugboat capsized in the River Clyde.

Helensburgh RNLI lifeboat, several police launch boats and rescue crafts from vessels in the area went to the scene when the alarm was raised at around 3.30pm on Friday.

The coastguard rescue helicopter and coastguard rescue teams were also at the scene.

The coastguard said there were two people on board the vessel when it capsized.

They stood down the search at around 8pm.

The scene in East India Harbour, Greenock after a rescue operation was launched after a tugboat with two people on board capsized in the River Clyde off Greenock. (PA)

Police have cordoned off the area near Custom House Quay in the Inverclyde town.

A coastguard spokesman said: HM Coastguard has been responding to reports of a capsized vessel off Custom House Quay in Greenock today, February 24.

It is believed the vessel had two crew members onboard.

Just before 3.30pm Coastguard Rescue Teams from Helensburgh and Greenock, a lifeboat from Helensburgh RNLI and the Coastguard helicopter from Prestwick were sent to assist and searched the area.

Multiple vessels on the Clyde in the vicinity of the incident also responded, including an MOD Police vessel.

The Coastguards involvement in the surface search was terminated at 8pm.

The search will resume at 8am on Saturday morning, police confirmed.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: Police were made aware of a tugboat having capsized off Custom House Quay in Greenock around 3.30pm on February 24.

Emergency services attended, including HM Coastguard and RNLI.

Officers, including Police Scotlands Dive and Marine Unit and Air Support Unit, have been carrying out searches in the area and these searches will resume on the morning of February 25.

Inquiries are ongoing, assisted by partners, to establish the full circumstances.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 24)  The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Friday clarified that traditional jeepneys will still be allowed to ply the road if they are able to comply with the modernization requirement to consolidate until June 30.

Ang sinasabi lang ho ng circular (What the circular is saying), you first form a juridical entity or a consolidated entity then you will continue to operate even if your unit is still traditional or the old unit, LTFRB Technical Division head Joel Bolano told CNN Philippines The Source.

He was referring to Memorandum Circular No. 2023-013 that extended the previous March deadline for traditional jeepney franchise holders to consolidate or join existing cooperatives.

What is important is the individual operator will be consolidated into a juridical or consolidated entity at least before June 30, Bolano added.

Those who are part of a consolidated entity will have their provisional authority extended until Dec. 31, LTFRB said.

Piston national president Mody Floranda on Thursday said the deadline given to traditional jeepney franchise holders to comply is too early given the cost of a modern jeepney that may burden operators.

While the LTFRB remains open for dialogues, Bolano said the memorandum circular will be followed for now. The government also has subsidies for those who will be purchasing units of modern jeepneys, he added.

Prior to the June 30 deadline, Bolano said the LTFRB will issue new guidelines to set the next steps for the modernization program. The compliance of operators will also determine what will happen after Dec. 31.

READ: LTFRB rules out transportation crisis after PUV consolidation deadline

Piston also raised the concern on the move possibly wiping out the livelihood of drivers and operators, as well as the local manufacturers of jeepneys.

Bolano noted that the consolidation does not automatically require the purchase of modern units.

He also said local jeep producers are a possible source of new units as long as they are able to comply with the standards issued by the government.

So far, 61% of the 158,000 target units nationwide have been consolidated, Bolano said.
Police in Northern Ireland have arrested a fourth person in connection with the attempted murder of an off-duty police officer who was shot several times.

Gunmen shot Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell in front of his young son in the attack at a sports complex in Omagh, Co Tyrone, on Wednesday evening.

Mr Caldwell ran a short distance and fell to the ground where the attackers continued to fire at him as children ran in terror to get to safety, police said.

Mr Caldwell remains in a critical but stable condition in hospital after the attack at the Youth Sports Centre.

Detectives investigating the attempted murder of Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell of the Police Service of Northern Irelands Major Investigation Team on Wednesday 22nd February at Killyclogher Road area of Omagh have this morning, Friday 24th February,made a 4th arrest. pic.twitter.com/QKil9LnxEY  Police Service NI (@PoliceServiceNI) February 24, 2023

In a statement, PSNI said a 22-year-old man was arrested early on Friday morning in the Coalisland area.

The force said the arrest was made under the Terrorism Act and the man is currently being questioned by detectives in Musgrave serious crime suite.

It comes after PSNI chief constable Simon Byrne told a press conference in Belfast on Thursday that three men had been arrested in connection with the attempted murder of Mr Caldwell.

He said: This morning we have arrested three men aged 38, 45 and 47 in Omagh and Coalisland in connection with Johns attempted murder.

Theyre currently being questioned by detectives at Musgrave serious crime suite.

The dissident republican group the New IRA are the primary focus of the PSNIs attempted murder probe.

The attack has been condemned by political leaders across the UK and Ireland.

Mr Caldwell was coaching a youth sports team at the facility on Wednesday evening.

Mr Byrne said: Clearly as an organisation, we are utterly shocked and angered by last nights brazen and calculated attack.

John is a father, husband and colleague, and a valued and active member of his local community.

He said Mr Caldwell has been a valued police officer for 26 years committed to public service as a senior investigating officer supporting victims and their families in bringing offenders to justice.

He added: John is held in the highest esteem within our organisation. He is a credit to his family and to the police service.

And of course our thoughts are with John and his family as he fights for his life in hospital today.

Mr Byrne added: This has sent a huge shockwave across the organisation.

Weve been speaking principally with the Police Federation but also with those representatives of senior officers and police staff who would see themselves under threat.

Clearly, one of the things that defines us is our resilience and our commitment to keep going in dark times and tough times.

PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne said John is held in the highest esteem within our organisation (Brian Lawless/PA)

So John knows that his colleagues will now be working tirelessly around the clock to support his recovery but also to bring the offenders that have tried to kill him to swift justice.

Assistant Chief Constable Mark McEwan said there were many other young people, children waiting to be picked up by their parents when the attack on Mr Caldwell took place.

And those children ran for cover in sheer terror towards the centre, he told reporters.

He said: The two gunmen, who were dressed in dark clothing, carried out this cowardly attack and left the scene on foot. At least two other vehicles were struck by their volley of shots.

We believe the gunmen fled the scene in a small, dark-coloured vehicle shortly after 8pm. We believe this vehicle was abandoned and set on fire in Racolpa Road, Omagh.

We want to hear from anyone who was in the area or who witnessed what happened to get in touch with any information that could help with our investigation.

Mr Caldwell is a high-profile officer who has led a number of major investigations, including taking a leading role in the murder probe following the killing of Natalie McNally in Lurgan in December.

According to the BBC, Liam Kelly, chair of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, described Mr Caldwells injuries as life-changing.

Irish police are working closely in co-operation with their counterparts in the PSNI and have intensified patrols.

Christos Gaitatzis, the principal of Omagh High School whose students were at the scene of the shooting, told BBC Radio Ulster: I can only imagine how difficult it must be for the youngsters this morning, waking up in the aftershock of what they experienced last night.

I feel that those people affected here last night were my children, were my family.

The New IRA has been blamed for the killing of journalist Lyra McKee in Londonderry in 2019 (Chiho Tang/Oranga Creative/PA)

We really need to get together as a community in order to make sure that these types of instances, that contain violence in the most heinous way I can describe, have to be pushed away from our community.

(We have to) make sure that those individuals are caught and isolated out of our community to make sure that Omagh remains the town that it always has been  a town that is together, is coming together at all times, especially during difficult circumstances like this.

The New IRA has been blamed for the killing of journalist Lyra McKee in Londonderry in 2019.

Last November, the group was also thought to be behind the attempted murder of two police officers in a bomb attack in Strabane, Co Tyrone.

Omagh has seen significant dissident violence in the past, including a Real IRA bomb attack in 1998 which killed 29 people  one of whom was a woman pregnant with twins.

It was also where Constable Ronan Kerr was murdered in April 2011.

The terrorism threat level in Northern Ireland was lowered from severe to substantial for the first time in 12 years last March.
Junior doctors will be balloted for strike action from late March, the British Medical Association (BMA) Scotland has confirmed.

BMA Scotlands junior doctor committee is in formal dispute with the Scottish Government over what the union says is 15 years of pay erosion and sees a junior doctor earning 23.5% less than if they were doing the same job in 2008.

Junior doctors were offered an increase of 4.5%, which they say is a real-terms pay cut.

The ballot will run from March 29 to May 5.

Right, so that's our juniors' ballot date out there  March 29th. You can read all the background here from @ChrisSmith2211 "When ballot envelopes drop, we want everyone to have their say. Dont miss out: join the BMA, make your vote count, and win."https://t.co/OiVgo7jhga  BMA Scotland (@BMAScotland) February 24, 2023

Chris Smith, chairman of the committee, said: This is a significant moment for junior doctors in Scotland and March 29 will be a hugely important day.

Not only do we need pay restoration to finally value our work appropriately, we also need it to address the staffing crisis in our NHS.

The first and easiest step towards this is to begin negotiations with us on a clear plan for pay restoration  which would in effect be a down payment to secure a sustainable future for the NHS.

Dr Smith said the union had seen no evidence that the Scottish Government is prepared to enter into any formal negotiations around delivering full pay restoration for junior doctors, and it will meet the Scottish Health Secretary to discuss the issue soon.

Dr Smith added: Based on our experience so far, I am not holding my breath.

If the Scottish Government wants to keep using its line about no NHS strikes in Scotland, junior doctors are going to need a rapid and tangible change of direction.

Our message is clear: the only way to resolve this dispute is direct and formal pay negotiations between the BMA Scotland junior doctors committee and Scottish Government, tasked to address 15 years of pay erosion.

Previously, Dr Smith said some junior doctors making life or death decisions and staffing wards across the country were earning a basic salary that equates to about 14 an hour and he warned the situation was not sustainable.

Scottish Health Secretary Humza Yousaf has often highlighted that NHS staff in Scotland have not been involved in recent strike action (PA)

Other NHS staff in Scotland, including nurses, paramedics and midwives, have been offered a 6.5% increase on average, which Unison and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland have urged members to accept.

Under plans announced by Health Secretary Humza Yousaf last week, workers on the Agenda for Change pay scale will see rises as well as a one-off payment of between 387 and 939 depending on what band they are on.

Mr Yousaf, who is fighting to become the next leader of the SNP and first minister of Scotland, said if workers accept the deal they will be by far and away the best paid anywhere in the UK.

Under the proposals, those on band one, the lowest, will see their pay go up to 23,240 in 2023/24, an increase of 7.14%. They will also get a one-off payment of 387.

Those on the highest band nine will see their pay go up by 3.33% next financial year.
The King has paid tribute to the remarkable courage and resilience of Ukraines people on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion.

Charles, who earlier this week met Ukrainian recruits being trained by UK and international forces, said he hoped the outpouring of solidarity with the nation would bring strength from the knowledge that, together, we stand united.

In a message to mark one year on from the start of the conflict, the King said: It has now been a year that the people of Ukraine have suffered unimaginably from an unprovoked full-scale attack on their nation.

They have shown truly remarkable courage and resilience in the face of such human tragedy.

Charles met Ukrainian recruits earlier this week undergoing training at a military base in Wiltshire (Chris Jackson/PA)

The world has watched in horror at all the unnecessary suffering inflicted upon Ukrainians, many of whom I have had the great pleasure of meeting here in the UK and, indeed, across the world, from Romania to Canada.

Earlier this month I met President Zelensky at Buckingham Palace to express my personal support for the people of Ukraine. It is heartening that the United Kingdom, along with its allies, is doing everything possible to help at this most difficult time.

Therefore, I can only hope the outpouring of solidarity from across the globe may bring not only practical aid, but also strength from the knowledge that, together, we stand united.

The anniversary of the conflict was marked by a minutes silence observed across the country at 11am, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak joined outside No 10 by his wife Akshata Murty, Kyivs ambassador to Britain Vadym Prystaiko and dozens of Ukrainian troops being trained in the UK.

On Monday, Charles met new recruits from Ukraine being taught the basics of combat in just five weeks and described them as amazing.

The King meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Buckingham Palace (Aaron Chown/PA)

At a military base in Wiltshire he watched as they were put through their paces learning trench warfare  famously used by First World War troops  which has become a factor of the conflict in Ukraine.

During the past 12 months the King has met Ukrainians who have fled the conflict and settled temporarily in the UK a number of times, spoken out to condemn the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and lit candles and left floral tributes at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London.

When Mr Putin launched his renewed invasion of Ukraine on February 24 last year, many believed his military might would capture Kyiv within weeks or even days.

But the Ukrainian resistance led by Mr Zelensky and assisted by the weapons and support provided by allies, including Britain, repelled the invasion to the east.

At least 100,000 of each sides soldiers are estimated to have been killed or injured, thousands more civilians have died and more than 13 million people have been made refugees or displaced inside Ukraine.
Nicola Hinds (left) and Ann Gath (right) meeting up after their kidney transplant surgery. (SWNS)

A woman who has a rare genetic kidney disease has undergone a life-saving transplant after successfully appealing for an organ donor on Facebook.

Ann Gath, 43, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, launched an online campaign to find a kidney donor in 2021 after her rare blood type meant she struggled to find a suitable transplant match.

She received thousands of comments from well-wishers and several people were tested to see if they could give her a kidney, but unfortunately they were all unsuccessful.

Thankfully, however, despite being a complete stranger, Nicola Hinds, 36, saw the post and reached out to Gath, also offering to be tested to see if she was a match.

In June last year Hinds discovered she was indeed a match and the two women are currently in the final stages of recovery from the transplant that they had in December last year.

Read more: Woman living with lupus given kidney by 'hero' boyfriend: 'I owe him my life'

Gath having dialysis. (SWNS)

"When I did the post in September [2021] and again in January [2022], I never really believed that a stranger would come forward and donate," Gath, a Slimming World consultant, explains.

"It just felt like it was the only control I had to put it out there and see what happened."

t The mum-of-five says receiving the phone call to say Hinds was a match was like "winning the lottery".

"It was just incredible," she recalls. "And very surreal.

"In June when I found out, I was really struggling with energy levels and it was getting harder and harder being on dialysis so it was amazing news."

Read more: Woman who says cervical cancer symptoms were 'so mild' she dismissed them as hormonal changes has womb removed

Watch: Father of child needing heart transplant considers taking legal action over organ donation law delays

Gath was diagnosed with Autosomal Dominant Tubulointerstitial Kidney Disease in 2017, which means her kidneys were gradually deteriorating.

Within 18 months, she was forced to undertake life-saving dialysis sessions, where doctors regularly removed waste products and excess fluid from her blood.

This left her feeling "exhausted" and suffering from chronic fatigue, but following the transplant she can now do "basic stuff" like cooking her children's meals and taking them to the park.

Nicola Hinds (left) and Ann Gath (right) the first time they met in November 2022. (SWNS)

"I'm back to my normal self," she says. "I can go shopping and it's not an ordeal, I can go for a walk and do all the housework.

"It was simple stuff like that that I couldn't do," she adds.

"I've started doing yoga again, so life is starting to return to normal."

Read more: Neighbour saves life of Dad who had cardiac arrest in front of his children

Nicola Hinds (left) and Ann Gath (right) in the Northern General Hospital, recovering from surgery. (SWNS)

Hinds says she saw Gath's Facebook post by chance and, after realising they share the same blood group, "immediately" decided she would put herself forward.

"I knew the biggest hurdle she would face is her blood group," Hinds explains.

"The chances of someone being a good blood group match were very slim so I thought that I could help her overcome that hurdle straight away.

"The fact she is able to do all of those things she wanted to do but was unable to do, makes me think that my decision to donate was the right decision.

"I just feel like now the mission is complete."

Read more: Signs and symptoms of iron deficiency anaemia

Ann Gath (left) and Nicola Hinds (right) being discharged from hospital together with their medication. (SWNS)

Since the surgery, in December 2022, Gath and Hinds have become firm friends, meeting up together several times and planning a trip to the seaside in the summer.

"It's almost like we forget how we met," Gath explains. "It feels like we've always been in each other's lives.

"I was a little bit reluctant to meet [Nicola] at first because I didn't want her to feel under pressure or feel guilted into it [donating her kidney] if that makes sense?

"But when we met, in November 2022, just before the surgery, it was just like meeting an old school friend, we never stopped talking and we've kept in touch ever since."

Ann Gath was struggling being on dialysis before her kidney transplant. (SWNS)

The pair now hope to encourage anyone who has ever wondered about being a donor to find out more information and help spread awareness.

"If you have an interest in being a living donor, please go onto the NHS website," Hinds says.

"I'm not asking people to do it and I don't expect anyone else to become a donor because it's a massive decision to make.

"But if anyone has ever thought about donating to a family member or friend, then please do consider it for a stranger too.

"And if you can't donate, the best thing you can do to raise awareness is by sharing posts and engaging with charities."

Additional reporting SWNS.
Cineworld hopes to be back from bankruptcy protection before the middle of the year, but the debt-ridden business expects any deal with its creditors will wipe out its shareholders.

The worlds second-largest cinema chain said Friday that it had been approached by a number of potential suitors, but none of them had been willing to pay in cash to buy the whole business.

Cineworld may have been hoping for a sale, but it was always seen as unlikely that it would find someone who was willing to take over the business and deal with its six billion dollar (5 billion) pile of debt.

Cineworlds cinemas include Picturehouse in the UK (Jonathan Brady/PA)

So while the business now hopes to come out of US bankruptcy protection some time in the first half of this year, it will likely spell a painful end for its current shareholders.

Based on the discussions it has had, Cineworld said there is a route to emerging from the so-called Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.

But, it added, the company does not believe that there will be sufficient creditor support for a plan that contemplates any recovery for equity interests.

It is thought that any rescue deal for the business will mean handing over control to the companies and people that Cineworld owes money to. And shareholders are unlikely to get anything back.

Cineworlds cinemas  which include Picturehouse in the UK  are still open as usual during the bankruptcy proceedings.

On Friday, Cineworld said: The company has now received non-binding proposals from a number of potential transaction counterparties for some or all of the groups business.

None of these proposals involves an all-cash bid for the entire business.

The company is reviewing such proposals in conjunction with its advisers and key stakeholders and, whilst no decision has been made as to whether to pursue a sale transaction, and the terms of any such transaction remain uncertain, based on the proposals received to date, it is not expected that any sale transaction will provide any recovery for the holders of the companys equity interests.

Cineworld entered bankruptcy protection in September, weighed down by heavy debts accumulated in part during Covid-19. Today the company owes around six billion dollars.

Shares in the business dropped by a third in London after the news on Friday.
The Government has condemned disgusting scam emails that are seeking to rip off people trying to access its energy bills support.

Scammers have attempted to target UK households by impersonating the Government through emails saying they are eligible for a 400 discount under the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS).

The emails ask the recipient to share details including their name, address and debit or credit card details in order to receive the rebate.

The EBSS entitles every household in England, Scotland and Wales to a 400 discount to help with bills.

Households in Northern Ireland automatically get a 600 payment towards their energy bills through the separate Northern Ireland EBSS.

The package of support was brought in in May last year after wholesale energy costs soared following Russias invasion of Ukraine, this time last year.

But the Government stressed that most households do not need to apply for the energy support because it is received automatically through their electricity bill or via credit or vouchers directly from their electricity supplier.

A spokesperson for the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said: It is disgusting that scammers seek to rip off people at a time when they are simply trying to get the Government support theyre entitled to.

Households with a direct connection to an electricity supplier do not need to apply for the Energy Bills Support Scheme.

Most customers receive it automatically through their electricity bill and customers on prepayment meters receive a credit or vouchers direct from their electricity supplier.

Consumers should stay alert to potential scams and report them when they are suspected.

Watch out for Energy Bills Support Scheme scams!  You dont need to apply for the scheme You dont need to give your bank details If you get a message asking you to apply or for details  its a scam. Heres what you need to know https://t.co/OowYFumRS3 pic.twitter.com/jDbOpwInrv  CitizensAdvice (@CitizensAdvice) December 7, 2022

More than three quarters of all EBSS vouchers have been redeemed and 1.7 million was used in January alone, BEIS said this week.

It means that a record amount of Government support reached some of the countrys most vulnerable households in January, with vouchers redeemed by those on traditional prepayment meters.

Some 530 million has been provided so far under the scheme, it revealed.

It comes after fraudulent texts began circulating last year, inviting people to apply for the 400 discount and encouraging them to set up a direct debit to receive the money.

The Government said it does not currently have data on the total volume of scams in this area, but it is trying to track down scammers and counteract them.

It added that cyber criminals are opportunistic and will use issues such as rising energy bills to try to trick people into sharing their financial or personal details.

People who think they have received suspect emails can forward them to report@phishing.gov.uk and to Action Fraud.
Junior doctors in England are to strike for three days next month in the increasingly bitter dispute over pay, it has been announced.

The British Medical Association (BMA) said the doctors had no option and would strike from March 13, having voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action earlier this month.

The BMA said that junior doctors have called on Health Secretary Steve Barclay twice in the past week to meet with them urgently, but added that no date had been set.

A meeting with Department of Health civil servants earlier this week yielded nothing in terms of meaningful progress, said the BMA, adding that the minister had refused to attend.

(PA Graphics)

NHS Confederation chief executive Matthew Taylor warned the health service would struggle to cope in the face of the walkout.

This is news NHS leaders were dreading. I think this action will be extremely difficult for us to manage, he told BBC Radio 4s The World At One.

We are going to have to  as we did in the last junior doctors strike  ask consultants to take on a greater load.

The problem is the consultants themselves are having an indicative ballot, so it is very unclear the degree to which consultants will necessarily be willing to fill in for junior doctors.

If you take out 40% of the medical workforce, it is going to have a huge impact.

The co-chairs of the BMA junior doctors committee, Dr Rob Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, said patients and public alike need to know the blame for the strike action lies squarely at the Governments door.

They said: Make no mistake, this strike was absolutely in the Governments gift to avert; they know it, we know it and our patients also need to know it.

We have tried, since last summer, to get each Health Secretary we have had round the negotiating table. We have written many times and, even as late as yesterday, we were hopeful Steve Barclay would recognise the need to meet with us to find a workable solution that could have averted this strike.

We have not been told why we have not been offered intensive negotiations nor what we need to do for the government to begin negotiations with us. We are left with no option but to proceed with this action.

The fact that so many junior doctors in England have voted yes for strike action should leave Ministers in absolutely no doubt what we have known for a long time and have been trying to tell them, we are demoralised, angry and no longer willing to work for wages that have seen a real terms decline of over 26% in the past 15 years.

This, together with the stress and exhaustion of working in an NHS in crisis, has brought us to this moment, brought us to a 72-hour walk out.

How, in all conscience, can the Health Secretary continue to put his head in the sand and hope that by not meeting with us, this crisis of his Governments making, will somehow just disappear?

It wont, and patients and the public will continue to feel the brunt of his inaction, until he starts to negotiate with us and we agree a deal that truly values junior doctors and pays us what we are worth.

The British Dental Association announced that dentists working in hospitals employed under the junior contract will join the 72-hour walkout after voting for industrial action.

British Dental Association chairman Eddie Crouch said: This small but important group of dentists are working to the same contracts as their medical colleagues, and like them are not worth a penny less than they were 15 years ago.

Our members will down drills until the government comes back to the table with a serious offer.

Miriam Deakin, director of policy at NHS Providers, said: Trust leaders are deeply concerned by the details of the BMA junior doctors 72-hour strike next month.

The possibility of a full stoppage of work by striking junior doctors in this period, including nights and on-call shifts, will have significant ramifications for patient care.

The effects will also be compounded by the HCSA junior doctors strike and hot on the heels of walkouts by ambulance workers.

This unprecedented scale of industrial action in the NHS threatens to cause serious disruption to patients, which is the last thing anyone wants. It will also likely hamper the hard efforts of NHS staff to tackle backlogs and meet elective targets.

We understand junior doctors feel theyve been pushed to this point by factors including below-inflation pay uplifts and the vast workforce shortages.

As ever, trust leaders will be working flat out to ensure disruption is minimised on strike dates, but they desperately need action on a national level to bring this to an end.

Were encouraged by the Government opening talks with the RCN on pay, but its clear these negotiations need to take place immediately and with all other striking unions.

Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said: We hugely value the work of junior doctors and it is deeply disappointing union members have voted for strike action.

As part of a multi-year deal we agreed with the BMA, junior doctors pay has increased by a cumulative 8.2% since 2019/20. We also introduced a higher pay band for the most experienced staff and increased rates for night shifts.

Ive met with the BMA and other medical unions to discuss what is fair and affordable, as well as wider concerns around conditions and workload.

Ive written to the BMA to arrange a meeting and want to continue discussing how we can make the NHS a better place to work for all.
Tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees have been able to access banking services in the UK, according to the Treasury.

UK basic bank account providers were brought together, with action taken to remove barriers to opening UK bank accounts faced by Ukrainian nationals, such as the lack of a conventional ID.

This has helped more than 70,000 people to build their lives more easily in the UK by enabling them to receive their income, send money and pay for goods.

Basic bank accounts allow people with a limited credit history to access and carry out everyday banking.

In general, basic bank accounts must be fee-free for standard use and do not have a borrowing facility, such as an overdraft, to help prevent people getting into unaffordable debt.

Economic Secretary to the Treasury Andrew Griffith said: We will continue to help as many Ukrainian refugees as possible access the banking services they need to build a life here  and Id like to thank UK banks and building societies for their support to date.

A year on from the invasion, Putin should be left in no doubt that the West will not waver in its support for Ukraine and its people.

Under the Payment Account Regulations 2015, the nine biggest personal current account (PCA) providers in the UK are legally required to offer basic bank accounts to customers who do not have a bank account or who are not eligible for a banks standard current account.

The nine institutions are Barclays, the Co-operative Bank, HSBC UK, Lloyds Banking Group (which also includes Halifax and Bank of Scotland brands), Nationwide Building Society, NatWest Group (including RBS and Ulster Bank brands), Santander UK, TSB and Virgin Money.

A spokesperson for trade association UK Finance said: UK Finance and the industry is proud to have provided support to help Ukrainian refugees and we will continue to do so.

Last year we worked at pace with members and Government to make sure banking services were available to those fleeing the conflict and we are pleased so many could access an account which has proved vital to helping them settle, and in day-to-day life.
Parliament must decide whether psychologists giving expert evidence in family court cases should be subjected to a tighter regulatory regime, the most senior family court judge in England and Wales has said.

Sir Andrew McFarlane said the generic label psychologist is not protected and may be used by any individual, whether registered or not.

He said the open-house nature of the term psychologist is unhelpful and potentially confusing but he said Parliament must ultimately decide whether a tighter regime should be imposed.

Sir Andrew, the president of the Family Division of the High Court, outlined his thoughts in a written ruling on a case in which a woman and her ex-partner were involved in a dispute centred on the care of their children.

The woman complained that a psychologist who said she was alienating her children from their father was not an appropriately qualified expert.

She appealed after a judge who oversaw family court hearings in Peterborough refused to order a re-hearing of her case.

Sir Andrew, who dismissed her appeal at a hearing in December, has analysed the role of psychologists giving expert evidence in a written ruling on the case published online.

He said the question of whether an expert is qualified to give expert evidence is generally a matter for judges overseeing individual cases.

Certain categories of psychologist, for example clinical psychologist, have a protected title, which may only be used by those who are validly registered, he said.

The generic label psychologist is not protected and may be used by any individual, whether registered or not.

A report by an unregistered person calling themselves a psychologist may be called a psychological report.

From the perspective of the court, and it may be from a wider public perspective, the open-house nature of the term psychologist is unhelpful and potentially confusing.

He added: It is, however, a matter for the psychological profession and, ultimately, Parliament, whether a tighter regime should be imposed.

Melanie Gill leaves the Royal Courts of Justice in London after a court hearing last year (PA)

The woman who mounted the appeal had raised concern about psychologist Melanie Gill

A judge who oversaw earlier stages of the litigation in Peterborough explained in a ruling how the children at the centre of the case had lived with their mother after their parents separated.

Judge Lindsay Davies said another judge had initially found there had been coercive and controlling behaviour on the part of the father.

But Judge Davies subsequently ruled that the children should move from their mothers care and live with their father after accepting Ms Gills conclusion about alienation.

Ms Gill argued that she was an expert and raised concern about a witch-hunt.

Sir Andrew said the children at the centre of the case could not be identified in media reports of the litigation.
MPs ordered into Commons on Monday as Sunak appears to close in on Brexit deal

Rishi Sunak appears to be closing in on announcing a new post-Brexit deal for Northern Ireland, as Conservative MPs were ordered to be in Parliament on Monday.

The Prime Minister would be expected to hold final discussions over the Northern Ireland Protocol with the European Unions Ursula von der Leyen before making a formal announcement.

The PA news agency has been told that Tory MPs have received a three-line whip for Monday, meaning they must be in the Commons.

Cabinet ministers have been put on alert for a possible conference call over the weekend, according to The Times.

Mr Sunak has promised MPs that Parliament will be able to express its view over any deal, which he hopes will get the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to restore powersharing in Northern Ireland.

But he would come under intense pressure if he does not give them an explicit vote, amid fears there could be a rebellion from hardline Brexiteers.

A deal had been hoped for this week but Downing Street said on Friday that intensive discussions with the EU were ongoing.

Unusually, Downing Street declined to set out Mr Sunaks plans for the weekend, only saying that he was working in No 10 on Friday.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly indicated that ministers will not sign off on a deal over the protocol with Brussels until the DUPs concerns are addressed.

The protocol  signed by Boris Johnson in 2020  was designed to prevent a hard border with Ireland after Brexit.

But unionists have been incensed by the trade barriers it has created between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom.

Downing Street declined to set out Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks plans for the weekend (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Mr Cleverly told Times Radio: The things theyre concerned about, the things were concerned about, are absolutely in alignment and we are focused on resolving all the issues that need resolving.

Some of them are technical trade issues and very complicated and some of them are really simple but important principles, like Northern Irelands place as an integral part of the United Kingdom. And that sense of sovereignty, the importance of a democratic voice.

So when, hopefully, we get those issues resolved then I would hope that the DUP would recognise that weve addressed their concerns and until we have addressed those concerns were not going to sign off on the deal.

However, when asked again if the Government would not press ahead with a deal not backed by the DUP, he said: No, what Ive said is weve got to make sure that the issues theyve highlighted are addressed.

The DUP has issued seven tests to win its backing for any deal, including addressing what it calls the democratic deficit meaning the nation is subject to EU rules.

Meanwhile, Mr Johnson declined to say whether he would back any new deal negotiated by his successor Mr Sunak in the latest sign he could face a rebellion on the Tory backbenches.

Instead, the former prime minister backed as the best solution his Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which could effectively rip up parts of the agreement he brokered.

Mr Johnson told Sky News: I think that it is important to wait to see what there may be but I think the best way forward, as I said when I was running the Government, is the Northern Ireland Bill, which cleared the Commons very comfortably, I think unamended, when I was in office and only a few months ago.

So, I think that is the best way forward.

The Downing Street spokesman responded: Negotiations are continuing so there isnt a finalised deal for people to take a judgment on.
(CNN)  The US believes the training and equipment it is providing Ukraine will "change the dynamics on the battlefield" in the war against Russia and allow Kyiv's forces to "breach Russian defenses," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in an interview with CNN's Kaitlan Collins for "CNN This Morning" on Thursday.

"We're training and equipping several brigades of mechanized infantry  that's a pretty substantial capability," Austin said. "In addition to that, additional artillery, and so they'll have the ability to breach Russian defenses and maneuver, and I think that will create a different dynamic."

Austin's comments come as the war in Ukraine reaches the one-year mark, with seemingly no end in sight. It also comes on the heels of a highly secretive and surprise visit to Kyiv by President Joe Biden, which aimed to send a stark message about the strength of the two nations' alliance to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Indeed, Austin echoed a common sentiment among other American officials, including Biden, to CNN, reiterating that the US will stick with Ukraine for as long as it takes.

"As long as Ukraine continues to conduct operations and continues to work to take back its sovereign territory, we'll be there with them," he said, adding that "the international community will be with Ukraine once the fighting stops."

The US and its allies have provided billions of dollars' worth of ammunition, weapons systems, and training to the Ukrainians since the war began one year ago -- $29.8 billion of that coming from the US alone since the beginning of Russia's invasion. Recently that has included significant items like the Patriot missile system and M1 Abrams tanks, though both require substantial training and maintenance capabilities.

Those additional capabilities will make all the difference, Austin said.

"I think the things that we're doing, the capability that we're providing -- again, capability, not just a platform -- the capabilities that we're providing I think will enable the Ukrainians begin to change the dynamics on the battlefield," he said. "And so rather than having a stalemate, what you'll probably see is Ukrainians shaping this fight so they can create opportunities for themselves and exploit those opportunities going forward."

Austin said in Brussels last week that countries involved in the Ukraine Defense Contact Group have been "working hard" to ensure Ukraine has the capability it needs to create "the effects on the battlefield they want to create," particularly in a renewed offensive he expects Ukraine to launch this spring.

Meanwhile, US officials have said China could be preparing to provide lethal military aid to Russia. Austin said he had not yet seen China do so, but that China "hasn't taken that off the table for sure."

"I've engaged my counterpart early on and told him that this would be a very bad mistake if China were to do this. It would complicate things," he said.

Ultimately, the war will most likely "end with some sort of negotiation," Austin told CNN. In recent months, the prospect of negotiations taking place have seemed unlikely as Russia has continued to bombard Ukrainian infrastructure and population centers.

"[W]hat the Ukrainians are interested in is getting the Russians out of their sovereign territory," he said. "And I think that's probably going to be their going-in point, but I'll let the Ukrainians speak for themselves."

This story was first published on CNN.com, "US defense secretary tells CNN military aid to Ukraine will change the dynamics of war with Russia."
Ukraines national anthem echoed around the walls of the national war memorial at the top of Edinburgh Castle as a service took place to mark the anniversary of Russias invasion.

It has been one year since Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his troops into the country, starting a conflict which has left tens of thousands of people dead and millions displaced.

On Friday, Ukrainian families, representatives from the Scottish and UK governments, members of the armed forces and consuls from countries worldwide gathered to pay tribute to the lives lost so far.

They laid dozens of wreaths at the Scottish National War Memorial, which is located in the castle, during the service.

Wreaths were laid in tribute to those fighting in Ukraine, and to those who have fallen (Katharine Hay/PA)

Led by one of Scotlands Ukrainian Catholic priests, Father Vasyl Kren, and Karen Campbell, padre to Legion Scotland, the service heard prayers and the call to remembrance, and observed a one-minute silence.

The Last Post and The Rouse were played, before the event ended with the national anthem of Ukraine being sung to an accompanying piper.

The service came after people across Scotland fell silent at 11am for one minute to show their support for Ukrainians.

South of the border, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was joined outside Number 10 by wife Akshata Murthy, Kyivs ambassador to Britain Vadym Prystaiko and dozens of Ukrainian troops being trained in the UK for the moment of reflection.

Speaking after the service in Edinburgh, Tanya Balanova, who attended on behalf of the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, was full of emotion for the people fighting in her home country.

The 28-year-old said: Its been 365 days since our country has been fighting for our identity and our freedom.

The soldiers are giving their lives for our tomorrow.

I lay a wreath on behalf of all the displaced Ukrainians.

She said the memorial service was moving for Ukrainian families, adding: We have told everyone, all our friends and families, that we here in Scotland are paying our tribute to people of our country.

Lord Provost of Edinburgh Robert Aldridge, speaking after the service, said it had been a moving day, especially for the families with loved ones still fighting.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak observed the silence outside Number 10 (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

Speaking on behalf of the city, he added: Our job here in Edinburgh is to make those people displaced feel as welcome as possible to show that we have complete solidarity with Ukraine.

Edinburgh stands full-square behind Ukraine.

We want people from Ukraine and who are displaced and who live here to feel as welcome as possible.

We really welcome what they are giving to our community to keep Edinburgh vibrant. But we hope those who wish to can return as soon as possible in peace to a victorious Ukraine.

Mr Aldridge said he was particularly moved when he saw two children lay wreaths at the memorial during the service.

I presume their fathers are perhaps still fighting in Ukraine, he said.

 One year on since Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. Ukraines suffering is heart-breaking, but its courage and resilience continue to inspire. We stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, today and always, as they fight for freedom and democracy.#SlavaUkraini   Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) February 24, 2023

Speaking about the location, he added: This is a real place of sanctuary, and a place where you can reflect on the sacrifices that have been made to allow us to live the lives that we currently live today.

Scotlands First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: One year on since Russias illegal invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraines suffering is heart-breaking, but its courage and resilience continue to inspire.

We stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, today and always, as they fight for freedom and democracy.

Since the invasion, millions of people have been forced from their homes and have found refuge in the UK with the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.

Neil Gray, the Scottish minister with special responsibility for refugees from Ukraine, said more than 23,000 Ukrainians with a Scottish sponsor have arrived in the UK since last February.

Later on Friday, around 50 peace activists gathered on Princes Street in Edinburgh for a vigil to mark the first anniversary of the war.

They sang and held placards calling for an end to the war.

Lynn Jamieson, chair of Scottish CND, said: We unequivocally condemned Russias invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The unacceptable risks of nuclear war (or a continent-contaminating fire at a nuclear power station such as Chernobyl) have run alongside the hell of killing, destruction and deadly actions.

These have exacerbated climate change as governments choose to build war machines instead of green transitions. The only gains are by the arms industries whose hike in profits may outpace those of the energy companies.
Poet Laureate Simon Armitage has written a poem to mark 100 years since the locomotive Flying Scotsman first entered service.

His poem describes how the world famous steam engine coughed into life featuring vast steel circumferences and rippling bodywork pouring with sweat.

Celebrations are taking place in Edinburgh on Friday to mark the day Flying Scotsman entered service on February 24 1923.

Poet Laureate Simon Armitage on board Flying Scotsman at Edinburgh Waverley station (Andrew Milligan/PA)

Mr Armitage rode on the locomotive as part of the process of writing the poem.

He said he was struck by this incredible coming together of both mechanics and metaphysics.

The poet told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: Theres something very dreamlike about the whole contraption and the experience of standing next to it.

Flying Scotsman passes Alnmouth in Northumberland (Owen Humphreys/PA)

He added: Theres just something absolutely incredible when youre up close and personal with it.

Mr Armitage said he wanted to celebrate the analogue world, when people had an actual relationship with physical objects.

He continued: I think in the digital world its often a very detached and dispassionate experience.

Flying Scotsman is an emblem of when we could have pride about the railways, he said.

My railway at the moment through Huddersfield is absolutely shameful and shambolic.

 A new exhibition has opened at the Danum Gallery in Doncaster to celebrate 100 years of Flying Scotsman. The original watercolours from Michael Morpurgo & Foreman's book, Flying Scotsman and the Best Birthday Ever, are on display now!  Credit: @DanumGLAM pic.twitter.com/TSYqYQsPWz  National Railway Museum (@RailwayMuseum) February 17, 2023

Flying Scotsman was designed by Sir Nigel Gresley and built in Doncaster.

Its achievements include hauling the inaugural non-stop London to Edinburgh train service in 1928, and becoming the UKs first locomotive to reach 100mph six years later.

The York-based National Railway Museum (NRM) has organised a centenary programme featuring events and exhibitions.

NRM director Judith McNicol said there are many reason why Flying Scotsman is so special.

The locomotive has style and sophistication, and it was a very emotive experience for people when they first saw it, she said.
An SNP leadership candidate has said that Nicola Sturgeons husband running the contest to replace her is a conflict of interest.

Party chief executive Peter Murrell, who married the First Minister in 2010, is ultimately in charge of the contest to crown a replacement for his wife.

Speaking as she officially launched her campaign, Ash Regan further distanced herself from the current leadership, saying the situation where youve got a party leader whos married to the chief executive of the party was inappropriate.

Ash Regan spoke as she was launching her campaign to become SNP leader (Jane Barlow/PA)

Asked if she believed Mr Murrell should stand down from his role within the party, which he has held since 1999, the Edinburgh Eastern MSP declined to do so.

I think this situation that weve got ourselves into, where youve got a party leader whos married to the chief executive of the party, I dont think we would accept that in a corporate setting, I dont think its appropriate, she said.

I think the fact that Peter Murrell is running this contest to replace Nicola Sturgeon is a clear conflict of interest.

Asked if he should stand down, Ms Regan said: I think its a conflict of interest, thats my position on that.

The statement further widens the split between Ms Regan and the top of the party after she resigned from government over opposition to gender reforms, going on to become a critic on the backbenches.

She did not go as far as her most high-profile backer, MP Joanna Cherry, who after the announcement that Ms Sturgeon would resign, called for Mr Murrell to do the same.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf, who is running against Ms Regan for leadership of the SNP, told journalists on Friday that internal party reform was not out of the question but he stressed that Mr Murrells contribution to the party had been justified.

I think there is a discussion to be had about internal reform and Ill speak to that in the coming days and weeks, he said.

But Peter Murrell is an election winner and he has helped us win countless elections time and time again.
Rishi Sunak is closing in on announcing a new post-Brexit deal for Northern Ireland after holding a positive call with the EUs Ursula von der Leyen ahead of an expected meeting.

The Prime Minister and the European Commission president are likely to hold in-person talks on the Northern Ireland Protocol this weekend, sources told the PA news agency.

Securing a deal would set up a possible clash with Conservative Brexit hardliners, with Tory MPs being ordered to be in Parliament on a three-line whip on Monday.

Mr Sunak has promised that Parliament will be able to express its view over any deal, which he hopes will get the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to restore powersharing in Northern Ireland.

But he would come under intense pressure if he does not give them an explicit vote, amid fears there could be a rebellion.

A deal had been hoped for this week but Downing Street said on Friday that intensive discussions with the EU were ongoing.

But the likelihood of an announcement was boosted after sources in London and Brussels described the call between the Prime Minister and Ms von der Leyen as positive.

A Downing Street source said there had been good progress.

No 10 sources confirmed that Mr Sunak on Friday also had constructive engagement with supermarket bosses and fast parcel operators, along with other businesses, about the protocol and the issues he is attempting to fix.

Cabinet ministers have been put on alert for a possible conference call over the weekend, according to The Times.

Unusually, Downing Street declined to set out Mr Sunaks plans for the weekend, only saying that he was working in No 10 on Friday.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly indicated that ministers will not sign off on a deal over the protocol with Brussels until the DUPs concerns are addressed.

The protocol  signed by Boris Johnson in 2020  was designed to prevent a hard border with Ireland after Brexit.

Downing Street declined to set out Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks plans for the weekend (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

But unionists have been incensed by the trade barriers it has created between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom.

Mr Cleverly told Times Radio: The things theyre concerned about, the things were concerned about, are absolutely in alignment and we are focused on resolving all the issues that need resolving.

Some of them are technical trade issues and very complicated and some of them are really simple but important principles, like Northern Irelands place as an integral part of the United Kingdom. And that sense of sovereignty, the importance of a democratic voice.

So when, hopefully, we get those issues resolved, then I would hope that the DUP would recognise that weve addressed their concerns and until we have addressed those concerns were not going to sign off on the deal.

However, when asked again whether the Government would not press ahead with a deal not backed by the DUP, he said: No, what Ive said is weve got to make sure that the issues theyve highlighted are addressed.

The DUP has issued seven tests to win its backing for any deal, including addressing what it calls the democratic deficit meaning the nation is subject to EU rules.

Meanwhile, Mr Johnson declined to say whether he would back any new deal negotiated by his successor Mr Sunak in the latest sign he could face a rebellion on the Tory backbenches.

Instead, the former prime minister backed as the best solution his Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which could effectively rip up parts of the agreement he brokered.

Mr Johnson told Sky News: I think that it is important to wait to see what there may be but I think the best way forward, as I said when I was running the Government, is the Northern Ireland Bill, which cleared the Commons very comfortably, I think unamended, when I was in office and only a few months ago.

So, I think that is the best way forward.

The Downing Street spokesman responded: Negotiations are continuing so there isnt a finalised deal for people to take a judgment on.
Tables were flipped over during a student protest over new toilet rules at a Cornwall academy, according to one of its pupils.

A protest broke out at Penrice Academy in St Austell, Cornwall, on Friday, as hundreds of students demonstrated against a new school rule which bans pupils from going to the toilet during lessons.

The new rules are also said to include a red card scheme in which female students need a special card to go to the toilet during class when on their periods.

One student at the academy told the PA news agency he was not involved but witnessed the demonstration by scores of pupils.

A bunch of students were protesting about the new toilet rules that were put in place at my school, he said.

It was originally meant to be a peaceful protest but it escalated relatively fast.

People started like flipping tables and climbing fences.

He added that something like a bin was thrown through a window during the violence.

The teenager estimated around 300 students took part, adding that quite a number of them were suspended immediately and sent home.

He said he heard about one injury in which a student fell off a fence while trying to climb it.

The protest followed the implementation of new rules on Friday that mean students are no longer allowed to go to the toilet during lessons and can only go during break times.

So we can only really go twice in a day, he added.

He thought the new rules make sense and could be to do with the fact that toilets at Penrice Academy have been getting vandalised.

His father told PA the school had consulted with parents about the new rules, and confirmed there has been a lot of abuse of toilets by students while they have been out of lessons.

He added: My son said when he came back from school earlier on, I think a lot of the students had seen a news report the day before where some girls had had their skirts measured, the length of skirts, by a male teacher, apparently.

They saw this as a protest and decided to do something at the school, and obviously the new toilet rule came in today and it was based on that, I think.

He said he was less concerned about the new rules than some of the parents of female students who may object to the red card scheme.

Penrice Academy sent an email to parents on Friday afternoon explaining that some students had protested due to a social media post yesterday evening.

The school told parents and carers: Our students have the right to express their opinions in a calm and safe manner, however a small number of students behaviour was unacceptable.

A number of parents have already been contacted to collect their children.

For the majority of our students, lessons and lunch time will continue as normal. If you have not been contacted, there is no need to collect your child.

We hope to engage with them to find a solution that works for everyone as soon as possible. The safety and wellbeing of our students is always our priority.

Penrice Academy has been contacted for comment.
Irelands deputy leader and foreign affairs minister Micheal Martin has addressed a crowd of Ukrainian nationals and their supporters to mark the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion.

Hundreds gathered outside Dublins famous GPO building on OConnell Street on Friday draped in the yellow and blue colours of the Ukrainian flag, donning flower crowns and holding up signs calling for an end to the war.

They chanted Thank you Ireland and Slava Ukraini and the Ukrainian national anthem and Irish anthem were played before speakers addressed the crowd, including the Ukrainian Ambassador Larysa Gerasko and political leaders.

Mr Martin was applauded after stating that Irelands friendship would be extended for as long as you need.

He said that it was outside the GPO that Irelands republic was proclaimed, and pledged that Ireland would continue to support Ukraine in its application for EU membership.

Although he said that Ireland was militarily neutral, Mr Martin added we are not politically or morally neutral when international law is broken and war crimes are committed.

To those who have arrived here from Ukraine, I hope that you have found in Ireland safe harbour and friendship for as long as you need, he said.

Most of you, I know, look forward to the day when you can return to a peaceful and free Ukraine, to the family and friends you have left behind.

That day will come. In the meantime, our home is your home.

#Ukraine is part of our shared European family. Ireland will be with you every step of the way to EU membership, and you can always count on our support. Slava Ukraini! pic.twitter.com/ueNMjQLX9q  Micheal Martin (@MichealMartinTD) February 24, 2023

Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald said the gathering was a demonstration of our unwavering unity and solidarity with Ukraine.

She added: There can be no victory for Russian military aggression over Ukraine sovereignty, no victory for a power that brazenly violates international law. So Putin must immediately withdraw his army and end his criminal invasion.

Youve shown the world that you will not give way to Putins onslaught. Today, against all of the odds and in the face of immense brutality, you hold your country. Long may you hold your country.

I believe that Ukraine will win out.

Two men who had fought the Russian army and are now receiving treatment for their injuries in Ireland also addressed the crowd briefly in Ukrainian.

It comes as the Central Statistics Office released figures on Friday that show there are 75,000 Ukrainian nationals in Ireland; around two-thirds of the total are in State-provided or pledged accommodation.

The Dublin demonstration is one of several being held across Ireland to mark the anniversary of the invasion.
Vernon Kay will replace Ken Bruce on his BBC Radio 2 mid-morning weekday show, the BBC has confirmed.

The well-known TV presenter will take over in May following the announcement last month that Scottish broadcasting veteran Bruce would be stepping down from presenting his mid-morning show on the station after 31 years.

Bruce will present his final 9.30am to midday show on March 3, the BBC confirmed on Friday.

Bruce announced he was leaving the BBC in January and is due to present his final show on March 3 (PA)

Kay, who is celebrating his 20th wedding anniversary to Strictly Come Dancing presenter Tess Daly this year, is known for fronting various shows on Channel 4s T4 as well as ITV programmes including All Star Family Fortunes, Just The Two Of Us, and Beat The Star.

The 48-year-old presented his own BBC Radio 1 show between 2004 and 2012, and another on Radio X between 2015 and 2017.

He is a familiar face on Radio 2 having previously filled in for presenters including Zoe Ball, Steve Wright, Rylan Clark and Dermot OLeary.

We're delighted to announce that Vernon Kay will be taking over the mid-morning show on Radio 2 later this year!  pic.twitter.com/IVm3xYbOpw  BBC Radio 2 (@BBCRadio2) February 24, 2023

Kay said: Im absolutely over the moon to be handed the microphone to present the mid-morning show on Radio 2, and what an honour to follow in the footsteps of the mighty Ken Bruce.

I look forward to playing some of the best music in the world whilst in the company of the Radio 2 listeners who I feel Ive got to know over the last 18 months. Its a dream come true to join the Radio 2 family and I cant wait to start.

Helen Thomas, head of Radio 2, said: Radio 2 is home to some of the UKs best-loved presenters, and Im thrilled to welcome Vernon to mid-mornings on Radio 2.

Hes a hugely talented, warm and witty host who has already proved himself to be a firm favourite with our listeners when hes presented many and varied shows across the station. I cant wait to hear his brilliant new show.

I will be presenting my last show on Radio 2 next Friday. I had intended fulfilling my contract until the end of March but the BBC has decided it wants me to leave earlier. Lets enjoy the week ahead!  Ken Bruce (@RealKenBruce) February 24, 2023

The BBC confirmed Gary Davies, host of the stations Sounds Of The 80s, will present the mid-morning show from March 6 until Kay takes over the helm in May on a date which is yet to be announced.

The DJ will usher in Radio 2s new weekday pop quiz to replace Bruces popular PopMaster format as well as continuing his own radio show which he has fronted since 2018.

It comes after 72-year-old Bruce announced he was leaving the BBC in January before confirming he would be moving to Bauers Greatest Hits Radio in April to present a brand new mid-morning show from 10am to 1pm.

The radio DJ, who started at the BBC in his early 30s, said he would always be proud of his association with the BBC and Radio 2, but that he wanted to continue his career in a slightly different way in the next few years.

Vernon Kay will replace Ken Bruce on BBC Radio 2 (BBC/PA)

On Friday, Bruce said he had intended to fulfil his contract at Radio 2, previously due to finish at the end of March, but that the BBC had decided it wants me to leave earlier.

I will be presenting my last show on Radio 2 next Friday, he tweeted.

I had intended fulfilling my contract until the end of March but the BBC has decided it wants me to leave earlier. Lets enjoy the week ahead!

His departure follows a number of high-profile exits and reshuffling at BBC Radio recently, including Scott Mills leaving BBC Radio 1 after 24 years at the network to join Radio 2 for a new weekday show.

Ken Bruce and comic Rob Brydon (BBC/PA)

Mills took over the 2-4pm slot from presenter Steve Wright, who stepped down from his afternoon show at the end of September after 23 years. Wright continues to present his Radio 2 Sunday Love Songs programme as well as specials on the station.

Paul OGrady also quit his Radio 2 Sunday afternoon show, which he had presented for around 14 years, because he was not happy with a schedule shake-up which saw him share the slot with comic Rob Beckett.

Bruce first joined the corporation in 1977 as a BBC Radio Scotland presenter and his first regular slot on Radio 2 was the Saturday Late Show in 1984. The following year he fronted the Radio 2 Breakfast Show, taking over from Sir Terry Wogan.

He later moved to mid-mornings in 1986 and after a brief stint on late nights and early mornings, he returned to mid-mornings in January 1992.

Bruce has also presented Radio 2s coverage of Eurovision since 1988, and has been a regular presenter of Sunday Night Is Music Night.
A powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Tajikistan on Thursday morning, with tremors strongly shaking parts of neighbouring China.

The quake hit around 8.37am Beijing local time at a depth of 6 miles, Chinese state media CCTV reported, citing the China Earthquake Networks Center.

The epicentre was located nearly 82km from the nearest border with China and was felt across the Xinjiang region, including Kashgar and Artux.

The epicentre appeared to be in Gorno-Badakhshan, a semi-autonomous and sparsely populated eastern region dominated by the towering Pamir Mountains.

So far there have been no reports of injuries or casualties.

The region was hit by two aftershocks of magnitude 5 and 4.6 about 20 minutes after the initial jolt.

The USGS estimated that little or no population would be exposed to landslides from the quake.

     7.2   #    #



    -                # .#tajikistan #earthquake pic.twitter.com/uSZh9gG5Tb  Erem News -   (@EremNews) February 23, 2023

Power supply and communication remained normal in Kashgar, while the Xinjiang railroad department called a halt to passenger trains running on the Aksu to Kashgar section, China state news agency Xinhua reported.

Local authorities in China said they were inspecting bridges, tunnels and signal equipment.

Tajikistan, a landlocked central Asian country, is highly prone to natural disasters and has a history of earthquakes and avalanches. At least nine people died in February in an avalanche in the Gorno-Badakhshan region, while a person was killed in a separate avalanche near the capital Dushanbe.
Thomas Lee, founder of Thomas H. Lee Capital, speaks at a panel discussion at the 2009 Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California. Fred Prouser/Reuters

A family spokesperson announced Thursday that Thomas H. Lee died. He was 78.

NYPD told Insider a man was found dead in the office but did not confirm the identity.

"The investigation remains ongoing at this time," an NYPD spokesperson wrote in an email.

Billionaire investor and financier Thomas H. Lee has died, according to a statement published Thursday from family spokesperson Michael Sitrick. He was 78.

Sitrick declined to comment on the cause of death.

The New York Post reported that Lee was found inside his Manhattan office on Fifth Avenue with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, citing police sources. Police responded to an emergency call from 767 Fifth Ave. around 11:10 a.m., according to the report. Insider could not confirm the Post's reporting.

A spokesperson from the New York Police Department said in a statement to Insider that police responded to a call from Fifth Avenue, "within the confines of the Midtown North Precinct," and emergency medical services pronounced a male dead at the scene. The spokesperson did not confirm the identity of the individual.

"The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) will determine the cause of death. The investigation remains ongoing at this time," an NYPD spokesperson wrote in an email.

Lee founded his namesake private equity firm, Thomas H. Lee Partners, in 1974, which focused on leveraged buyouts and purchasing midsize companies.

According to The New York Times, Lee started the firm with $150,000 from an inheritance and a loan from his brother.

In one of its most notable acquisitions, Thomas H. Lee Partners purchased Snapple for $135 million before selling it two years later to Quaker Oats for $1.7 billion, The Times reported.

He "was a pioneer and lion of the private equity and leveraged buyout industries, with the purchase and subsequent sale of Snapple Beverages and Warner Music among his many successful transactions," his family wrote in a statement.

"Over the past 46 years, Mr. Lee has been responsible for investing over $15 billion of capital in hundreds of transactions," according to the family.

Lee stepped down from Thomas H. Lee Partners, a $12-billion-firm at the time, in 2006 and formed Lee Equity that year.

This story is developing. Please check back for updates.

Read the original article on Business Insider
(CNN)  She used to jump up and down like a butterfly. Now, she is psychologically broken.

Samer Sharif, 51, is talking about his 15-year-old daughter Salma, who witnessed the death of her brother and mother in the February 6 earthquake, and who for several days believed was orphaned before unexpectedly being reunited with her father.

After the earthquake struck, Sharif was told that Salma, her 10-year-old brother Mohammed and his ex-wife had all died.

Standing before the building that collapsed on top of his family, in Antakya, southern Turkey, Sharif said that he met with death at that moment.

There is nothing left in Antakya. Its all gone, he told CNN.

After sleeping on the streets for two days, Sharif left for Istanbul where he stayed with his sister and her husband.

While there he received some rare good news  his daughter was alive, and recovering in hospital.

The father and daughter were re-united, and while they were relieved, they will never be the same  especially Salma.

And Salma is not the only one.

Around 4.6 million children were living in the 10 Turkish provinces hit by the earthquake, according to UNICEF, and an additional 2.5 million children were affected in neighboring Syria.

UNICEF added that families with children are sleeping in the streets, malls, schools, mosques, bus stations and under bridges, all afraid to sleep indoors should more aftershocks bring buildings down.

I saw a lot of traumatized kids in Antakya, said 37-year-old Bilal Kazak, a Kazakhstan-born Turkish citizen who lost his mother and sister in the earthquake.

While food, tents and caravans with some heating have arrived in the days following the earthquake, says Kazak, there still isnt enough mental health support, especially for children.

Speaking to CNNs Zain Asher, a spokesperson for Save the Children relief organization in Turkey, Oben Coban, said that victims are showing clear signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), especially children, many of whom have been left without parents.

What we are also seeing is that those children who have lost their education, their families, their hopes, they are now struggling to find a reason to keep themselves in this world, said Coban.

At the moment, the only thing that can keep them in their lives is hope for the future.

Relived trauma in Syria

For victims in Syria, the earthquake is another crisis amid a devastating 12-year civil war.

Children and families who were recovering from PTSD and ongoing trauma from the scars of war are back in survival mode, Dr. Alexandra Chen, a trauma psychologist treating earthquake victims, told CNN.

For people who have slowly begun to recover and regain a sense of normalcy and rebuilt their lives over the last decade, this has been terrifying and destabilizing for both children and adults, said Chen. Some are still in denial while others are experiencing hallucinations.

The United Nations estimates over 30,000 lives have been lost in the Syrian civil war. People were already struggling to rebuild their lives, while thousands fled the country seeking refuge in nearby countries.

While a semblance of routine had been established before, Chen says the situation has now changed.

Prior to the earthquake, therapy was not emergency-based, and we had the time and the space to process very difficult things, especially for those who have experienced torture and sexual violence, she said, adding that were back in emergency mode.

Chen says that aid workers are also struggling. Between losing their own family members and homes, while rescuing people from the rubble, their mental health has deteriorated amid the ongoing rescue efforts, she said.

Aid workers say that the mental health struggles are clear and are happening amid needs for more food and shelter.

Repeated aftershocks

Making matters worse, the risks of further tremors have not gone away.

Many people do not feel comfortable living inside (intact buildings), said Arlan Fuller, director of Emergency Response & Preparedness at Project Hope, a US-based non-profit, non-governmental organization that supports healthcare workers in times of crisis. Fuller and Project Hope are currently on the ground in Gaziantep.

Ive heard and seen many situations where people do not want to go back inside, Fuller told CNN, Or when they are inside, they are constantly focusing on the chandelier, waiting for it to move.

Many children are clinging to their parents and cant let go, he added, noting that repeated aftershocks only act as triggers.

Aftershocks continue to be felt across Turkey. Just on Monday, a magnitude 6.3 aftershock struck Turkeys southern Hatay province, near the Syrian border, killing at least six people and injuring hundreds.

The Turkish Red Crescent previously said it is providing psychological first aid to both adults and children impacted by the earthquake, reported the state news agency Anadolu. These include therapy sessions, as well as psychosocial support tents set up by the ministry of family and the ministry of health, added Anadolu.

Salma, 15, remains distraught. She spends most of her time on her phone and refuses to properly eat, her father Samer says.

She wants to buy those little hot wheels car toys that Hammoudeh (her brother Mohammeds nickname) loved to put them on her shelf to look at them and remember him, said Sharif.

I keep trying to make her laugh, but its not like before.

Ukraine war anniversary

The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday overwhelmingly voted to condemn Russias war in Ukraine. While the resolution isnt binding, it sheds light on where nations stand in this conflict one year since it started.

Among Middle East and Arab nations, only Syria rejected the resolution while Algeria, Iran and Sudan abstained. The rest supported it.

Last year, less than a week after Russias invasion, the same UN body passed a resolution demanding that Russia withdraw all military forces from Ukraine. During that vote, all Arab and Middle Eastern states voted the same way they did on Thursday except for Iraq, which abstained.

The region has largely made clear that it supports Ukraines position in this conflict  publicly at least.

The behind-the-scenes diplomacy over the past year, however, tells a different story. Middle East nations have found themselves in a difficult position, juggling between their obligations to their Western allies and their own interests.

The United Arab Emirates, for example, abstained from a symbolic a UN Security Council resolution condemning the war on February 27 of last year (Russia vetoed that resolution). Less than a week later, it voted in favor of a similar resolution at the General Assembly. UAE officials have said the war demonstrates that the world order is no longer unipolar with the US at its helm. The UAE has also become a safe haven for many Russian citizens and businesses since the war.

Abu Dhabi, along with Saudi Arabia, also counts Russia as an ally in the OPEC+ oil cartel. That alliance allows member states to control the supply of oil, which in turn determines prices. The US warned Saudi Arabia last year that restricting the supply of oil would be tantamount to supporting Russia in the war. That warning fell on deaf ears.

Iran, like Syria, is globally isolated and counts Russia as its main international ally. But the Islamic Republic, whose leaders regularly launch tirades against foreign intervention and imperialism, has abstained from such votes instead of vetoing them as Syria has. This is despite Tehrans role as a player in the war through its supply of killer drones to Russia.

Israel, too, finds itself in a complicated situation. While it has publicly opposed the war, it has economic, cultural, political and security considerations in its dealings with Russia. What it cares most about with Russia is its influence on Iran and its presence in Syria. Israel regularly carries out airstrikes on Iranian targets in Syria, which it regards as critical to prevent the transfer of missile technology to Lebanons Hezbollah militant group. It usually communicates with the Russians ahead of those strikes for deconfliction purposes.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Afraid to sleep indoors: Child survivors of deadly quake left traumatized"
Jean Smart attends the Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 10 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/FilmMagic)

Award-winning actress Jean Smart revealed Thursday that she's recovering from a heart procedure.

"February is American Heart Month  a time when the nation spotlights heart health, so it feels important to share with all of you that I am recovering from a recent, successful heart procedure," the 71-year-old wrote on social media Thursday. "I am fortunate to have excellent professional care and support from family and friends while I continue to recuperate. Please listen to your body and talk to your doctor  I'm very glad I did!"

Smart did not disclose details of her procedure.

On the same day, Hacks' production company, Universal Television, and HBO Max issued a statement: "We are so happy that our beloved Jean Smart's heart procedure was successful and she's on the mend. HBO Max and UTV send their well wishes."

The acclaimed show is currently on a scheduled hiatus. However, production on next season began last month, and that's been paused for some departments. According to Deadline, production is scheduled to resume "on or around March 13."

Smart is a beloved TV veteran who's won five Emmys for her work  two for guest roles on Frasier, one for her work on Samantha Who? and two for playing her current character, veteran comic Deborah Vance. (Surprisingly, she never won one for her funny and sweet portrayal of Charlene on Designing Women!) She's also appeared on Dirty John; Arrested Development; Fargo; 24; Watchmen; Mare of Easttown; and many more series over the decades. Movies on her resume include last year's Babylon, Sweet Home Alabama in 2003 and, in 2009, Youth in Revolt.

"Hacks" stars Hannah Einbinder and Jean Smart attend the HBO Max after-party for the second season premiere on May 9 in Los Angeles. (Photo: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic for HBO)

Smart has faced challenges while filming Hacks before. She revealed in June 2021 that her husband of nearly 34 years, actor Richard Gilliland, died suddenly of a heart condition at age 71.

"I feel like I just should say something about my husband, because he passed away very unexpectedly," Smart told the New Yorker. "I still had a week of Hacks left to do. It was hard. I had to do a funeral scene."

Smart said she was "a wreck" while filming the scene, which was part of the first season finale, but "it actually turned out to be very funny."

The actress had met Gilliland on Designing Women, when he played J.D., the boyfriend of Annie Potts's character, Mary Jo.
FILE - This aerial photo shows the movie set of "Rust" at Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, N.M., on Oct. 23, 2021. Prosecutors have dropped the possibility of a sentence enhancement that could have carried a mandatory five-year sentence against Alec Baldwin in the fatal film-set shooting, according to new court filings made public Monday, Feb. 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

A weapons supervisor charged with a felony for her alleged role in the shooting death of a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie pleaded not guilty during her first formal court appearance Friday.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and Alec Baldwin were charged last month with felony involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who died shortly after being wounded during rehearsals at a ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe in October 2021.

A New Mexico judge set conditions of release that allowed Gutierrez-Reed to keep a gun at home for self-defense. Her attorney told the judge his client has received numerous threats and was forced to file for a restraining order against a stalker. He said authorities released documents related to the case and failed to redact identifying information that included phone numbers.

District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies told the judge she adamantly opposed the request because of Gutierrez-Reed's sloppy mishandling of firearms and guns on the set. She suggested Gutierrez-Reed could either move or keep a bat or pepper spray in her house instead.

Gutierrez-Reed's attorney, Jason Bowles, challenged the district attorney's characterization and disputed the claim about sloppiness.

There is no allegation that she is a danger to anyone having a firearm within her home and it's for self-protection because of actions that the state took in releasing private information. That is the reason for that request, he said.

In addition to allowing Gutierrez-Reed to have a gun at home, the judge ordered her not to have any contact with witnesses who might testify as part of the case.

A day earlier Baldwin agreed to forgo a hearing to have his rights explained to him and entered a plea of not guilty.

The judge allowed Baldwin to have limited contact with potential witnesses in connection with plans to complete the filming of Rust. Other provisions included a prohibition on consuming alcohol and against any possession of weapons, including firearms.

Work on Rust was halted with Hutchins death. Rust Movie Productions says filming is expected to resume this spring, without the use of real weapons or ammunition.

The involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin, a lead actor and co-producer on Rust, and Gutierrez-Reed, the film's armor, are punishable by up to 18 months in jail and a $5,000 fine under New Mexico law.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys are preparing for a likely preliminary hearing within a few months to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed to trial.

Authorities said Baldwin was pointing a pistol at Hutchins when the gun went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza.

Baldwins attorney Luke Nikas said when the charges were announced that they were a terrible miscarriage of justice. He said Baldwin relied on the professionals with whom he worked and had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun.

Bowles had said the charges were the result of a very flawed investigation and an inaccurate understanding of the full facts. He said he believed jurors will exonerate his client.

Prosecutors say assistant director David Halls, who oversaw safety on set, has signed an agreement to plead guilty in the negligent use of a deadly weapon, explaining that he may have handled the gun improperly before it was given to Baldwin.

A judge is scheduled to consider approval of the plea agreement in March. Halls waived his first appearance in court.

___

Montoya Bryan reported from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Associated Press writer Morgan Lee contributed from Santa Fe, New Mexico.
A Ukrainian soldier's equipment on the snow-covered ground near the city of Bakhmut on Feb. 1. (Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via Getty Images)

KYIV  A year ago today, Ukraine was under attack from three directions in what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told his French counterpart, who was still not yet convinced that the invasion had begun, was a state of total war.

Kyiv, we were confidently told by officials and analysts alike, had at most three days before it fell to Vladimir Putins invading army, airborne, special forces and naval troops and Russian tanks, accompanied perhaps by a triumphant Putin himself, moving unimpeded down Khreschatyk, the main thoroughfare of the Ukrainian capital.

You have only a few hours left was the assessment of Germanys finance minister, Christian Lindner, to Ukrainian Ambassador Andriy Melnyk immediately after the first Russian tanks began rolling across Ukraines northern border. In the run-up to the war, the German government had gone to extreme lengths to placate Moscow, even requiring British transport aircraft delivering NLAW antitank rockets to fly a circuitous route in order to avoid overflying German airspace.

Much has changed in a year.

A man on a bicycle rides past destroyed residential buildings in Borodyanka, near Kyiv, on Monday. (Roman Pilipey/Getty Images)

The United States has upgraded its defensive weaponry provisions from antitank missiles to one of its most sophisticated and sensitive pieces of equipment, the PAC-3 Patriot air defense system  arguably the most definitive statement of confidence in long-term Ukrainian survival than any political statement. Washington is now also sending M1A2 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, and Germany is sending its own Leopard-2s or allowing a dozen or so European nations to reexport them.

After months of terrorizing cruise missile and drone attacks on critical infrastructure, meant to freeze and darken Ukrainians into submission, the streets of Kyiv are now quieter than ever. Ukraines state energy company Ukrenergo recorded no outages or energy shortages for the week of Feb. 17.

The only Russian tanks visible to passersby are charred skeins of metal on display in front of St. Michaels Golden-Domed Cathedral, a living exhibit of successful Ukrainian resistance and humiliating Russian defeat. Instead of Putin, U.S. President Biden made it to Kyiv on Monday, saying at a joint news conference with Zelensky: This is the largest land war in Europe in three-quarters of a century, and youre succeeding against all and every expectation except your own.

Yahoo News was in Kyiv in January 2022, in the weeks preceding Russias invasion. The general mood was tense and perplexed but not quite panicked. Almost all in government, military and intelligence roles queried about the likelihood or inevitability of war were skeptical Putin would go through with it because they were confident it would be a catastrophe  for him. Putin will choke on Ukraine, said Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, Ukraines former deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration.

People near a cordoned-off area in Kyiv that had been shelled on Feb. 24, 2022. (Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images)

As of this writing, Russia has lost nearly half of its entire stock of tanks, either destroyed or captured on the battlefield. Close to 200,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or injured, according to the latest U.S. and European estimates. Putins original invasion force was around 160,000. More than half the territory Russia conquered in the early days of the war  2,000 square miles  Ukraine has now retaken.

Ukrainian gains have also come at a steep price.

Western officials estimate that Ukraine has suffered up to 100,000 killed, wounded, or missing in action. After a pitched and symbolically rallying last stand in May, Ukraine lost the port city of Mariupol, a major industrial center on the coast of the Sea of Azov. This seizure of Mariupol and the fall of surrounding territory enabled Russia to gain a valuable land bridge to the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, which it illegally annexed in 2014.

So far, the war has been devastating to Ukraines economy and infrastructure. The Kyiv School of Economics estimates the current damage to be close to $140 billion, a figure bound to increase as the fighting continues. The human costs of the war are even higher.

A common refrain among Ukrainians is that the best of their society is being sacrificed as a matter of sheer survival. Artists, writers, ballet dancers, engineers and businesspeople from across the country have already been sent into battle and lost.

A street-art piece by Italian urban artist TvBoy on a destroyed Russian tank near the village of Dmytrivka, outside Kyiv, on Feb. 1. (Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images)

Russia, meanwhile, has mainly mobilized its provincial poor and disenfranchised minorities. Some Russian press estimates claim that as many as 700,000, the majority of whom are comparatively wealthy elites, have evaded conscription by fleeing Russia. Moscow has even resorted to emptying its prisons to make up for its military personnel shortages.

Britains defense secretary, Ben Wallace, told BBC Radio 4 on Feb. 15, We now estimate 97% of the Russian army, the whole Russian army, is in Ukraine. But Russia has still not been able to advance significantly along any frontline for months: Its biggest capture this year was the strategically negligible salt-mine town of Soledar, for which it was thought to have expended an inordinate amount in blood and treasure. More tellingly, Russia recently lost an entire brigade of elite naval infantry fighting forces near Vuhledar, in addition to dozens of pieces of heavy armor.

One Western diplomat, privy to confidential briefings by Ukraines general staff, has told Yahoo News that Kyiv believes Russia is sustaining as many as 40,000 casualties per month  a staggering figure, albeit one Yahoo News cannot independently verify. Though a Western consensus does suggest that, due to the absence of proper Russian medical care on the battlefield, many if not most of Russias critically wounded die.

How did this happen? And how did so many Western officials and military analysts get the course of this war wrong? Below are five events that telegraphed Russias manifold problems in tactics, techniques and procedures, not to mention the core competency and will of its invading troops, and foretold Ukraines capacity for beating the odds.

The Battle of Kyiv

The site of a rocket explosion where a shopping mall used to be, on March 23, 2022, in Kyiv. (Anastasia Vlasova/Getty Images)

Russian failure to capture Kyiv was the first indication that things were not going Putins way.

The plan was relatively simple. Russian troops would punch through disorganized, unprepared and poorly motivated Ukrainian defenders, quickly secure Hostomel Airport on the outskirts of Kyiv with a daring airborne assault and use that as a springboard to take key points in the Ukrainian capital. Zelenskys shell-shocked administration would either have to flee the city in terror or risk having its leadership captured.

Although the Russians were initially able to secure Hostomel Airport, a determined Ukrainian counterattack and the resultant battle meant the Russians werent able to use the runway to fly in reinforcements for their push into Kyiv. An unknown number of huge Russian IL-76 strategic airlifters, en route to Hostomel with paratrooper reinforcements, were forced to turn around and fly back to Russia.

With the arrival of armored reinforcements from their bases in Belarus, the Russians were eventually able to secure the airport on Feb. 25, but by then it was too late. The initial shock of the Russian invasion had subsided, and Ukrainian defenders quickly realized there was no need to be in awe of the modernized Russian army. Whatever its potential strengths on paper, it was unable to fight the war Moscow thought it could, against the enemy Moscow thought it was facing. Back in 2014, Putin boasted of the Russian army being capable of taking Kyiv in two weeks.

The family of Bogdan Volodymerovuch Tromssa, 24, at his funeral in Bucha, Ukraine, on April 23, 2022. (Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire)

At the time, his assessment was probably correct. But the Ukrainian army of 2014 was a long, long way away from the Ukrainian army Russia faced in 2022, a far larger force and battle-hardened from years of fighting in the East; approximately 1 percent of Ukraines total population of 43.7 million had seen some form of combat against pro-Russian forces since 2014. Also, Ukraines military was increasingly led by more capable commanders, many trained by the United States and its NATO allies, who had wisely abandoned the top-down, centralized model of command and control inherited from the Soviet era.

In the end, the Russians barely even entered Ukraines capital. The troops were largely confined to the suburbs of the city  Bucha, Irpin, Borodyanka  where they took out their frustrations on civilians, targets that couldnt fight back. When Russian troops were forced to withdraw under Ukrainian fire in April 2022, they left the evidence of their crimes behind them.

The sinking of the Moskva

The Russian missile cruiser Moskva sails in the Bosphorus Strait, on its way to the Black Sea, in July 2021. (Yoruk Isik/Reuters)

In many ways, the Moskva (Moscow)  the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, stationed in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol  was emblematic of the Russian army that marched into Ukraine in 2022. The Slava-class cruiser was a Soviet-era relic that had been superficially but ineffectively modernized, with large amounts of the budget designated for upgrading the ship apparently being lost to corruption.

On paper, however, it was still a formidable opponent. The ship was designed to attack and destroy NATO carrier groups during the Cold War, with its huge P-700 Granit missiles, each weighing 7 tons, flying at twice the speed of sound and capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

Absent any Ukrainian carriers in the Black Sea  the largest Ukrainian warship, the Krivak-class frigate Hetman Sahaidachny, was scuttled by her crew at the start of the invasion  the Moskvas most significant weapons system was 64 long-range S-300F surface-to-air missiles onboard. These systems were the one realm in which the Soviets  and later the Russians  were genuine technological world leaders, owing to their well-grounded fears of superior NATO airpower.

Ukraines Hetman Sahaidachny frigate sets sail in the Bosphorus in 2014. (Murad Sezer/Reuters)

In theory, the Moskvas S-300F would enable the Russian navy to project a bubble of air defense coverage 150 km around the ship. No other Russian ship in the Black Sea Fleet had air defenses with anything close to this range, and the closure of the Bosphorus Strait by Turkey on March 1, 2022, removed the ability to simply replace the ship with one of her sisters.

The way the Moskva met her end is also arguably metaphoric of the Russian approach to the overall war. She was around 80 nautical miles off the coast of Ukraine on April 14 when she was hit by two Neptune anti-ship missiles  missiles of native Ukrainian manufacture. An analysis of pictures of her smoking, sinking hulk showed that her air defense radar systems were in the standby position either through simple overconfidence or the poor training of the crew.

After the ship was sunk by the Ukrainian missiles, the Kremlin simply lied about her fate, claiming she was lost after a fire broke out in an onboard magazine. The loss of her antiair capability was not something that could be hand-waved away, however, leaving the rest of the Black Sea Fleet vulnerable without its protective shield of missile coverage.

A soldier stands guard near the Odesa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre in March of last year. (Scott Peterson/Getty Images)

Without the Moskva, the threat of a Russian amphibious landing near Odesa  long a fear of the Ukrainian military  vanished. The Russians were forced to abandon their position on Zmiinyi (Snake) Island, now hopelessly vulnerable to Ukrainian airpower. For the rest of the war, the Russian Black Sea Fleet would largely remain in port, only leaving to fire cruise missiles at Ukrainian targets hundreds of miles away.

Though even the fleets home base would have to change following a surprise attack on Saky air base in southern Crimea in August, an attack that liquidated more than half of the fleets naval aviation group, according to one Western official. How the Ukrainians managed to strike deep behind enemy lines in occupied Crimea  around 140 miles from the closest Ukrainian-held territory at the time  remains a mystery, although Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the commander in chief of Ukraines armed forces, said it was a series of successful missile strikes.

That sortie caused a mass exodus of Russian tourists from Crimea and fear of what it foretold of Ukraines hitherto undeclared long-range missile capabilities caused most of the Black Sea Fleet to relocate from Sevastopol to Novorossiysk, in mainland Russia, 253 nautical miles away.

The Kharkiv counteroffensive

A Ukrainian fighter examines a destroyed Russian infantry mobility vehicle after a fight in Kharkiv on Feb. 27, 2022. (Sergey Bobok/AFP via Getty Images)

As the war progressed into summer, the Russians retreated from central and northern Ukraine. Putin seemed to be refocusing his efforts on what was notionally the original target of his special military operation, Donbas, in eastern Ukraine. Fighting had been largely static for months, with neither side making much progress. Much was written about the primacy of defense, and the death of maneuver warfare, with many analogies being made with the attritional trench warfare of World War I.

Again, the Ukrainians rubbished the conventional wisdom.

After announcing a long anticipated offensive in Kherson Oblast, in the southeast of the country, the Ukrainian military secretly began building up strength behind the frontline around Kharkiv, in the northeast. Kherson was the most obvious target for the Ukrainian counteroffensive because the Russians were situated on the wrong side of the Dnipro river (the right bank), with all their logistics having to cross one of three key bridges from Russian held territory on the east bank. These bridges were now in range of Western-supplied Ukrainian artillery, in particular the U.S. M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS).

Ukrainian artillery unit members fire toward Kherson on Oct. 28, 2022. (Bulent Kilic/AFP via Getty Images)

But the Kherson offensive was, if not entirely a feint, more of a fixing action, designed to tie down the best Russian units that had been moved to that area of the front to withstand the forecasted Ukrainian push. Ceaseless Ukrainian publicity surrounding the imminent launch of their southern offensive was in effect just advertising a trap they hoped the witless Russian bear would stumble into. And stumble it did. Russian lines around Kharkiv were denuded of Russias best troops as part of the effort to reinforce Kherson.

When the secretly assembled Ukrainian strike forces around Kharkiv launched their attack, using speed and shock to their advantage, they pushed through sparsely defended Russian positions, routing the occupiers and moving at speed up to, and then beyond, the Oskil River, a waterway that flows north to south in Kharkiv Oblast and that should have acted as natural defensive barrier for the Russians.

The cities of Izium and Lyman, strategically key locations that Russia had bled for months to capture, were retaken by Ukraine within six days, along with nearly 1,000 square miles of other territory. The Ukrainian military had once again done what nobody else thought was possible, as much through adept psychological warfare as through fire and steel. To add insult to injury, the Russians also had to retreat from Kherson two months later, following months of corrosive Ukrainian artillery attacks on their right bank positions. This withdrawal, to the left bank of the Dnipro, was largely well planned and organized, with little of the chaos of the Kharkiv rout.

Russian mobilization and its discontents

A Russian serviceman patrols a destroyed residential area in Severodonetsk on July 12, 2022. (Olga Maltsev/AFP via Getty Images)

After the debacle at Kharkiv, it had become increasingly clear to the Kremlin that the Russian army that marched into Ukraine on Feb. 24 simply didnt have enough troops to even defend Russias current gains, let alone take large-scale offensive operations. Putin had gambled on a quick collapse of the Ukrainian government and conventional military, and with it, Ukrainians will to resist. (There is credible evidence that he was also badly misled by his own intelligence services as to Ukrainians amenability to Russian occupation.)

If Putins initial assumption had been true, the small size of the Russian invasion force, organized around battalion tactical groups that supposedly utilized mechanization and heavy artillery support to make up for manpower deficiencies, would have been perfectly adequate. Virtually none of his assumptions about Ukraine panned out.

Putin therefore needed a huge expansion of his army in order to stand any chance at even holding Russias currently occupied areas of Ukraine. The partial mobilization he announced on Sept. 21 was Russias answer to this personnel shortage, though it was implemented with as much competency and skill as the war itself. Hundreds of thousands of Russian civilians were conscripted, leading far more than that number to flee Russia by any available means. Mobilization centers were set alight, protesters were imprisoned and those who did turn up for service were given substandard basic training, armed in many cases with antique weaponry, and dispatched to the front.

Russian recruits outside a military processing center say goodbye to their families in October of last year. (Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Mobilization undoubtedly provided the Russians with additional soldiers to fill trenches. But it hardly constituted a sufficient regeneration of well-trained and well-equipped troops. A disproportionate number of these mobiks were nonethnic Russians: Chechens, Dagestanis, Circassians from the Caucasus or Buryats or other Mongolic minorities from the Far East. A villager from Irkutsk with a rusty Kalashnikov did not overnight become a soldier; he became a villager with a Kalashnikov.

Mobiks proved capable of holding a defensive position, if adequately supported, but were incapable of doing much more. They werent even close to being able to carry out combined arms warfare, operating alongside tanks, artillery and airpower that would be required for offensive operations.

Other easy fixes for losses have been subject to diminishing returns. The infamous Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary army that is now a U.S.-designated transnational criminal organization, has lost 80% of some of its assault units, according to Ukraines deputy minister of defense, Hanna Maliar. Wagner mercenaries managed to secure some advances, such as in the salt-mine town of Soledar, but at the cost of horrific casualties.

The White House calculates that 90% of 30,000 Wagner casualties have been convicts recruited to serve as cannon fodder in Donbas. Unsurprisingly, once word of these losses trickled back into Russian prisons, Wagner found it increasingly difficult to get more criminals to sign up.

A destroyed Russian tank in front of an orthodox temple in the town of Sviatohirsk. (Andriy Andriyenko/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

For weeks, Ukraine has been warning of a large-scale and dire new Russian offensive, fielding as many as half a million soldiers. U.S. and European officials also signaled to Western media that a second assault on Kyiv may be in the offing, this one with significant Russian airpower.

Now that forecast has given way to anticlimactic assessments.

The offensive, in fact, appears to have been underway for weeks. Rather than a blitzkrieg from multiple fronts, Russia has funneled recently mobilized troops into existing campaigns in Donbas, albeit to no discernible effect outside of more losses. Wallace, the U.K. defense secretary, told the Financial Times that Russias forces were advancing, if at all, in meters not kilometers.

Wagner financier Yevgeny Prigozhin, meanwhile, has gone from taking vainglorious selfies on the battlefield and daring Zelensky to a dogfight in the skies of Donbas to pleading for ammunition and sapper shovels from the Russian Ministry of Defense for his battered cadre of criminals and other guns for hire.

The annexation of Ukraine

A woman in the city center of Simferopol, Crimea, last March walks past huge placards bearing images of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The signs read: Russia does not start wars, it ends them and We will aim for the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine. (Stringer/AFP via Getty Images)

On Sept. 30, Russia announced the annexation of four regions of Ukraine  Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia  none of which it completely controlled at the time, and one of which, Kherson, it has further lost control over. Quite apart from undermining Putins original purpose for war, the de-Nazification and demilitarization of Ukraine and the protection of supposedly imperiled Russian-speakers in Donbas, the announcement was as clear-cut a statement that this was always designed as a war of conquest.

Indeed, on the eve of what he euphemistically termed a special military operation, Putin had only acceded to the independence of Russian-occupied areas in Donetsk and Luhansk, the so-called peoples republics that had been installed already for eight years. Now, six months on, he signaled his intention to absorb them fully into the Russian Federation.

The annexations were preceded by coercive and illegitimate referendums of the local populations, the outcomes of which were predetermined to be in favor of incorporation with Russia. In liberated Kherson, residents told Yahoo News how election officials accompanied by heavily armed Russian soldiers brought ballot boxes to their doors and watched them cast their vote.

No country, except for North Korea, has recognized the takeover of these regions. Nor has it diminished Ukraines resolve to recapture them. Just over a month after the annexation announcement by Russia, Ukraine liberated the city of Kherson on Nov. 11. Russian forces blew up the Antonovsky Bridge as they retreated across the Dnipro, a reliable indication they had no plans to return anytime soon.

A damaged Antonovsky Bridge in Kherson on Nov. 13, 2022. (LIBKOS/AP)

None of this has had any bearing on Kyivs own war plans. If anything, its made Ukrainian officials more hawkish and confident in their ability to push the Russians back not only beyond Feb. 24 borders, but from territory taken in 2014-2015.

Ukrainian troops are fighting for every inch of their internationally recognized borders of Ukraine. In the past week they have pounded Russian positions in Zaporizhzhia and Mariupol. Yesterday, Ukraines southern command declared Mariupol, once thought to be out of the range of HIMARS and multiple-launch rocket systems, no longer completely unreachable.

The Pentagon, once reluctant to see the war taken to Crimea for fear of how it might provoke Putin into a dangerous retaliation, perhaps using weapons of mass destruction, is now reportedly more bullish. The New York Times reported in January that the Biden administration is considering what would be one of its boldest moves yet, helping Ukraine to attack the peninsula, as a way of strengthening Kyivs negotiating position with Moscow.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian hackers took control of two Russian radio stations in Crimea. After playing the Ukrainian national anthem, a brief address from Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov was aired.

Ukraine is taking back all of its occupied territories, he said. The Donbas and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea will be coming home forever.  Stay tuned. Were coming to you.
Russian asylum seekers warm up by a small fire at the U.S.-Mexico border fence near Somerton, Ariz., on Dec. 26. (Rebecca Noble / AFP via Getty Images)

Inside a tent near the Rio Grande in Matamoros, Mexico, Jeyson woke up every day for a month before 3 a.m. to fill out applications to request asylum for his family of four through a U.S. government mobile app.

The 25-year-old from Venezuela eventually secured appointments for himself and his wife, but the slots filled up so quickly that he couldnt get two more for their children. They werent worried though  they had heard about families in similar situations being waved through by border officials.

Instead, he said, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent told them last week that because each member of the family did not have an appointment: You two can enter, but not your children." Jeyson asked The Times to withhold his last name out of fear for his family's safety.

Now many families like Jeysons have found themselves confronted with a seemingly impossible decision: Wait indefinitely for enough appointments for the whole family, or split up. It is unclear just how many migrants have been affected.

Venezuelan and Nicaraguan migrants are transferred by agents of the Border Patrol after crossing the Rio Grande from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, to El Paso, Texas, to ask for political asylum on Dec. 27. (Herika Martinez / AFP via Getty Images)

The CBP One mobile application, which was rolled out last month, was intended to reduce the number of illegal crossings between ports of entry. Now the only government-sanctioned way to request humanitarian protection at the border, it requires all members of a family to have confirmed appointments. But with such high demand, families have found it practically impossible to secure enough slots.

Migrants and advocates near the Texas, Arizona and California borders said that initially, CBP agents overlooked the requirement and accepted families as long as at least one person had a registered appointment. Earlier this month, however, as demand for appointments grew, agents began enforcing the policy.

Now what you have is a system that privileges single people, said Priscilla Orta, a supervising attorney at Lawyers for Good Government in Brownsville, Texas.

Migrants in northern Mexico near the U.S. border say they've encountered a variety of technical issues while attempting to secure appointments with border agents: Daily appointments run out within minutes on the app, which has been prone to crashing and is unavailable in most languages. Users of the app have also reported that the facial recognition feature has failed to capture users with darker skin or fidgeting babies.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees CBP, said errors during submission are due to appointments no longer being available, not problems with facial recognition, and that the feature thwarts scammers who could book appointments to later sell them. CBP said it has updated the face capture process to resolve the issue, now allowing migrants to submit still photos during registration.

DHS spokesman Luis Miranda said the free app cuts out smugglers, decreases migrant exploitation and improves security and efficiency. He said CBP updated the app this week to make it easier for family units to secure appointments by releasing them in larger batches at fewer intervals of time. For example, instead of 20 appointments released every 15 seconds, 40 appointments could be released every 30 seconds, giving families a better chance to compete before the slots run out.

DHS is committed to family unity, he said. The CBP One app is a transparent and publicly accessible way to schedule appointments for migrants seeking to arrive at a land port of entry.

Seeking asylum is a legal right under U.S. and international law, regardless of how someone arrives on U.S. soil. But under a pandemic-era public health policy called Title 42, migrants are prevented from seeking asylum at the border. On Jan. 12, immigration authorities started allowing migrants to request exceptions to the policy if they met certain "vulnerability criteria" such as having immediate safety or medical concerns.

Use of Title 42 at the border is expected to end on May 23, and officials have said they are negotiating a deal to deport non-Mexican migrants to Mexico after that time. On Tuesday, the Biden administration announced a policy that would limit asylum access for migrants who cross into the U.S. without authorization and fail to apply for protections on the way to the southern border.

Meanwhile, many migrants live in unsanitary tent encampments without regular access to food and clean water. Human Rights First has tracked more than 13,480 reports of violent attacks on migrants blocked in or expelled to Mexico, including murder, kidnapping and rape, since President Biden took office in January 2021.

DHS is under federal court order to track and report the number of people allowed into the country through exceptions. Filings show nearly 21,900 people used CBP One to enter the U.S. in January, a slight decrease from just over 23,000 people who entered under a similar process in December. Republican-led states that sued to keep Title 42 in place have closely monitored those monthly reports and in November filed a motion accusing DHS of increasing exceptions without properly notifying the court, which the federal government denied.

Mostly Haitian migrants prepare to board a bus taking them from a shelter to a U.S. port of entry to start legal paperwork in Reynosa, Tamaulipas state, Mexico, on the border with McAllen, Texas, on May 19. (Pedro Pardo / AFP via Getty Images)

DHS officials said that border agents have occasionally used their discretion to allow unscheduled family members entry, but that large numbers of people recently began showing up with just one appointment scheduled for an entire family. The agency hasnt seen an indication that any particular group is being disadvantaged based on appointment data, officials said, and more improvements to streamline scheduling will roll out soon.

Pedro de Velasco, advocacy director at the Kino Border Initiative, a Catholic humanitarian aid group based in Nogales, Ariz., disagreed that migrants intentionally failed to schedule enough appointments. He said CBP should dedicate some employees to process migrants who need help troubleshooting the app, much like cashiers available to help customers who get stuck when using the self-checkout line at a grocery store. He also recommended the agency designate appointments each day for larger families.

Tom Cartwright, who tracks deportation flights for the organization Witness at the Border, said DHS should publicly communicate all changes to the process so applicants aren't left in the dark and have a clear understanding of the requirements.

Applying for asylum through the app is a two-step process: Migrants must first register and then schedule an appointment, which could require trying daily until a sufficient number of spots are secured. Many migrant families were unaware that they should register as individuals under the same group.

Jean, 31, of Haiti, who asked to be identified by his first name for his safety, had scheduled two appointments last week in Laredo, Texas, which was six hours from the shelter in Reynosa, Mexico, where his family has lived for the past three months. He, his wife and daughter rode two buses to avoid cartel-controlled roads and paid about $300 in transportation and lodging to get to the appointments, only to be turned back. Despite daily attempts on the app for the past week, they havent been able to secure three new appointments.

Its too complicated, too difficult, he said of the app. Now we have nothing. When I returned here, I asked a woman for a little food to eat.

Jeyson said his family's journey to the U.S.-Mexico border was harrowing. They left Venezuela in September after government-affiliated armed groups threatened them, he said, crossed the dangerous jungle between Colombia and Panama, were jailed three times in southern Mexico and arrived in Matamoros to find migrant shelters full.

Some days, they dont eat, he said. The squalid living conditions at their tent encampment, where hundreds of migrants share five portable toilets, left his son with an eye infection and his wife with a urinary tract infection.

Penniless and too afraid to travel to a different city, Jeyson hoped four spots would open up at the Brownsville, Texas, port of entry. On the international bridge last week, they and several other families tearfully pleaded with a CBP agent, who replied that he would start taking photos of those who refused to leave, Jeyson said. His family fled, forgetting a suitcase that contained all their spare clothes.

Jeyson's wife has since managed to secure a single appointment for next month. Their new plan is for her to go alone and Jeyson to stay behind with their children until he can get three additional appointments.

We already risked it all, he said. What can we do? We are hopeful that we can get three appointments. Three, in the end, is less than four.

Advocates said some parents are making the decision to leave their children in the care of extended family or friends and keep their appointments with CBP.

Jeyson said another couple from the tent encampment did just that, leaving their five children at the border bridge and entering the U.S. after managing to get only two appointments.

Children who are unaccompanied by a parent are exempt from Title 42. Those in the care of adults who are not their legal guardian  even if they are extended family  are separated until a guardian can be properly vetted. Jeyson said he watched as the children walked up to a border agent and were taken into custody.

Felicia Rangel-Samponaro, director of the Sidewalk School, a nonprofit that offers education, medical care and other assistance to migrants in Mexican border towns, has organized sessions with parents at various shelters and encampments in Matamoros and Reynosa to explain what will happen if they send their child across the border unaccompanied.

We dont want them to think you cross and then your child crosses and will come back to you a day later, she said. We were surrounded by parents who were showing us, one after the other, how they have an appointment but their child does not.

Rangel-Samponaro recommended to parents that they cancel the appointment and restart their search. But after the sessions, some parents told her they would separate from their kids anyway.

Family separation has never stopped, she said, referencing the Trump administrations zero tolerance border policy that led to thousands of migrant children being taken from their parents, prompting outrage and investigation. The only difference here is that CBP One is now doing it instead of the other ways its been done since 2018.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A Mesa Airlines flight this week was forced to abort its landing at Hollywood Burbank Airport to avoid colliding with a flight that had been cleared to take off at the same time, authorities said. Above, a Delta Air Lines jet takes off from Burbank in July 2021. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

A flight arriving at Hollywood Burbank Airport this week was forced to abort its landing about 1,000 feet above the runway after an air traffic controller cleared another flight for takeoff at the same time, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The aborted Mesa Airlines landing was the latest in a string of errors involving U.S. flights and airports that have led to near misses between planes and left passengers holding their breath. But the high-profile incidents don't necessarily mean there is a trend toward more mistakes occurring, according to the FAA and aviation experts, who say it is still the safest time to fly in history.

"There are a lot of airports in the United States and a lot of daily takeoffs and landings  on the order of 5,000. So having one or two [issues] occur in a weeks time is not a large number in comparison to the total number," said Robert Ditchey, an aviation expert and former Navy pilot.

The Mesa Airlines flight was 1.3 miles from Burbank airport when it was forced to start regaining altitude in order to avoid a collision with a SkyWest Airlines Embraer E175 that was taking off from Runway 33 around 6:55 p.m. Wednesday, the FAA said.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident, it said Friday.

The issue was likely "human error" on the part of the air traffic controller who cleared the SkyWest flight for takeoff as another flight was coming in to land, Ditchey said. Still, he added, the pilot in the Mesa aircraft would have been the final decision maker on landing in a clear path.

Aborting a landing while still 1,000 feet up is easy for pilots, Ditchey said.

"People should be thankful that the safety system as designed and experienced in this country worked as supposed to," he said. "Give credit where credit is due. There was no accident. We should be happy. Were pretty damn good in the United States in preventing accidents."

The aborted landing comes just a month after a Delta flight taking off from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York nearly struck an American Airlines flight that was crossing the runway at the same time. The Delta plane came to a stop about 1,000 feet before it would have struck the other, according to the FAA.

In December, a United Airlines flight heading to San Francisco from Maui nearly plunged into the Pacific shortly after takeoff under unclear circumstances. The FAA said there was nothing wrong with the plane and that the pilots received additional training after the incident, in which the plane plummeted from 2,200 feet to 775 feet above the water in less than 20 seconds.

And earlier this month, a taxiing American Airlines plane struck a shuttle bus on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport, injuring four people.

The FAA seemingly took notice of some of the issues on Valentine's Day when it cited "recent events" as the reason for renewed scrutiny of its safety practices.

"We must ensure that our structure is fit for purpose for the U.S. aerospace system of both today and the future. Thats why Im forming a safety review team to examine the U.S. aerospace systems structure, culture, processes, systems, and integration of safety efforts," FAA acting Administrator Billy Nolen said in a memorandum to the FAA's Management Board.

The memo said it would focus on the "internal processes, systems, and operational integration" of the Air Traffic Organization, the arm of the FAA that oversees air traffic controllers, technicians and engineers.

"We know that our aviation system is changing dramatically. Now is the time to act," Nolen wrote.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
India and China were among the major global powers that abstained from a UN General Assembly vote calling on Russia to end hostilities in Ukraine on the eve of the first anniversary of the invasion.

The UN motion in New York was adopted after 141 UN member nations voted in its favour, while 32 abstained and seven voted against it on Thursday.

The non-binding motion underscored the need to reach, as soon as possible, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine in line with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

India, walking a tightrope between Washington and Moscow, said it is constrained to abstain from the vote and pledged to always call for dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable way out.

The two nuclear-armed south Asian neighbours are engaged in a bitter border dispute since 2020 and have independently found common ground on Russia as both countries enjoy a long-standing relationship with Moscow.

Explaining Indias reasoning for its decision, the countrys permanent UN representative Ruchira Kamboj said after the vote that the UN system was rendered ineffective.

Are we anywhere near a possible solution acceptable to both sides? Can any process that does not involve either of the two sides, ever lead to a credible and meaningful solution? she asked.

Has the UN system, and particularly its principal organ, the UN Security Council, based on a 1945-world construct, not been rendered ineffective to address contemporary challenges to global peace and security? Ms Kamboj said.

While we take note of the stated objectives of todays Resolution, given its inherent limitations in reaching our desired goal of securing lasting peace, we are constrained to abstain.

India, the host of the G20 summit this year, has also consistently stressed that the Global South feels the pain of the ramifications of the war and suffered substantial collateral damage.

The country has abstained on almost all UN resolutions on Russias actions in Ukraine in the past, underlining the need for diplomacy and dialogue despite consistent pressure from the West to take a firm stance on the country.

Indian leadership has continued to resist pressure and maintained close ties with Moscow as the two enjoy a longstanding relationship since the Cold War.

Germany's foreign minister Annalena Baerbock address the United Nations General Assembly before a vote for a U.N. resolution upholding Ukraine's territorial integrity (AP)

Amid Western-led sanctions to choke Russia economically, India has boosted crude oil imports with Russia, which has become the countrys largest supplier of energy since the war began, apart from widening its imports portfolio.

The vote is in keeping with Indias position of neutrality so far and was expected, Sushant Singh, a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, told The Independent.

It puts New Delhi in the company of countries like China, Pakistan and Bangladesh which sits at odds with how the Narendra Modi government would like to be perceived in the Western capitals.

India and China abstained alongside Pakistan, Iran, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and South Africa, while Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua and Syria voted against it.

But unlike with China, no Western power is going to point fingers at India as they need New Delhi to counter Beijing, Mr Singh pointed out.

China also issued a statement similar to its neighbour and said it wanted Ukraine and Russia to resume direct dialogue as soon as possible.

Relations between China and Russia have become increasingly close as they have aligned their foreign policies to oppose the US-led liberal international order.

China also said it has a no limits relationship with Russia amid concerns that Beijing may be preparing to provide Moscow with military aid, something it has denied.

The country also presented a 12-point peace proposal on Friday to end the conflict and accused the West of provoking the conflict and fanning the flames by providing Ukraine with defensive arms.

Todays vote was really historic, said ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the USs UN representative, after the session. You saw one year after Russias illegal, unprovoked, full-scale invasion into Ukraine where the countries of the world stand. We showed where we stand  with Ukraine.
Andrey Liscovich left behind his life in Silicon Valley and is now advising the Ukrainian government (Andrey Liscovich)

On 24 February 2022, Andrey Liscovich was working on the launch of his latest start-up in Silicon Valley.

Today, on 24 February 2023, he is in eastern Ukraine helping advise President Volodymyr Zelenskys government on the war efforts.

He may have no military experience. But years of working in the start-up culture of the California tech industry have given him a different set of skills.

Its a skill set that he is now using to source crucial supplies for Ukrainian troops and distribute them to soldiers and volunteer fighters on the frontline.

The army has limited bandwidth to liaise with foreign stakeholders, and military officials have not necessarily dealt with supply chain issues and big deals before, he says.

Im now helping in areas where they dont have that expertise.

While I dont have military experience, I do have experience in commercial transactions  and this is whats needed here.

Speaking to The Independent on Wednesday  two days before the one-year anniversary of Russias invasion  he is en route to his hometown of Zaporizhzhia from Warsaw.

Its a journey he has made countless times over the past year for his non-profit, the Ukraine Defense Fund, which sources much-needed supplies for thousands of Ukrainian fighters.

This latest trip to Warsaw overlapped with US president Joe Bidens visit to Poland (something which he noted had left him priced out of his usual hotel in the downtown area of the city).

Andrey Liscovich, founder of the Ukraine Defense Fund, pictured in Ukraine (Andrey Liscovich)

As a Ukrainian national who grew up in the southeast region of the country, Liscovich also has strong ties to the US as well as to the nation whose forces are now attacking his home.

Having gone to college in Moscow, he has many close friends there and holidayed in Russia just weeks before the war began.

After college, Liscovich made the US his home  first doing his PhD at Harvard University and then moving to San Francisco for a career in the heart of Silicon Valley.

There, he spent years working as CEO of Uber Works  Ubers aaformer offshoot matching gig workers with jobs in various industries  and then as an adviser to start-up businesses while also developing his own start-up.

Tackling supply chain issues is what he knows best.

Swapping Silicon Valley for the battleground

When Russia declared war one year ago, Liscovich packed up his life in San Francisco and headed to Ukraine to help.

When he arrived, he quickly learnt that there was no lack of fighters  but rather a lack of essential goods that the military and volunteer fighters need in order to be prepared for the frontline.

Using his start-up and supply chain background, he launched the US-based non-profit Ukraine Defense Fund and began sourcing any and all non-lethal items soldiers needed.

Back in early March 2022, when Liscovich first spoke to The Independent, the Ukraine Defense Fund was still in its infancy.

It was using private donations from members of the public to procure small quantities of goods.

The supplies in question were basic, non-lethal, but much-needed items including boots, clothing, food, phones, portable chargers and first aid kits.

The focus was predominantly on sourcing locally, so that the items could reach fighters on the frontline as quickly as possible at a time when Russia was bombarding Ukrainian airspace and bombing bridges and routes in and out of cities.

We were getting things from cities to the frontline within 90 hours  thats the fastest that I know of, Liscovich says.

Things look a little bit different today.

Now, the Ukraine Defense Fund is using millions of dollars of funds from contracts with Western governments to procure items on a much larger scale.

Ukrainian soldiers in the Kharkiv region back in September 2022 (AP)

Supplies now include non-lethal equipment including satellite imagery, drones, anti-drone equipment, and cell communications equipment.

The items are now sourced and bought from across Europe and the US and shipped to Ukraine.

And Liscovich is now acting as an unpaid adviser to the Command of Communications and Cybersecurity Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

War is unpredictable

For him, this means liaising between the Ukrainian government, the Western governments donating aid money and Western suppliers, in order to procure items through large contracts and get them to the areas on the ground where theyre needed.

Much like the evolution of a start-up, these changes were all necessary to adapt to the changing needs of wartime Ukraine.

War is unpredictable so you have to respond when changes come, says Liscovich.

I knew that problems would likely evolve and change along the way.

A couple of months into the war, private donations had begun to dry up, he explains.

It was around June and Western governments were pledging significant aid to Ukraine, meaning members of the public likely thought their donations wouldnt be needed when compared to what was coming from Uncle Sam, he says.

Private funds could not deliver anywhere near the volume or quantity of products that can be unlocked through brokering transactions, he says.

So our focus shifted to a model focused on procuring things that are paid for by donor government funds. This way we can tap into much larger resources.

Advising the Ukrainian government

Now, the supplier signs a contract with the Ukraine Ministry of Defence but the supplier is paid with Western government aid.

As such, each deal involves the Ukrainian government, at least one donor government and at least one supplier.

Liscovich explains that procurement and working on commercial transactions dont generally fall under the expertise and experience of members of the military.

So this is where his experience in procurement and start-up environments  tackling supply chain issues, working with stakeholders and making commercial transactions  comes in.

While he insists that several people are involved in making these deals happen, he plays a key role among all the stakeholders.

The shift to government adviser was also something that came about naturally as the needs on the ground changed.

Through helping to distribute equipment to the army, I was often asked about where products and equipment should go so I just developed connections with the general staff and command, he says.

Over time, I was being asked for advice on various topics and started to informally advise the relevant people in the army on things like how to better communicate with stakeholders in the West.

The challenges of sourcing and supplying goods to the frontline has also changed over the course of the war  creating a need to source from further afield rather than from local vendors.

Andrey Liscovich is now using his start-up skills as an adviser to the Ukrainian government (Andrey Liscovich)

Things have changed drastically so logistics are no longer a problem, he says.

Commercial carriers can now deliver anything from the Polish border to the frontline in less than 48 hours and cheaply.

Now, the challenge is having the products to ship. While lots of items that were out of stock at the start of the war  like boots and uniforms  are now being manufactured in Ukraine and are available, Ukraine doesnt manufacture drone products and supply is limited.

Which is why the focus has shifted from buying locally to buying goods from the West and sending them to Ukraine.

Were following through on the idea of making the West the rear of Ukrainian operations, he says.

In between liaising with Western governments and suppliers, Liscovich also regularly travels to the frontline to see what the true needs are on the ground.

A few weeks ago I was in the trenches at the very, very front, he says.

Its essential to go there to see what morale is like and what people are saying there in the trenches as things can get distorted up the chain of command.

He adds: Having run Silicon Valley start-ups, I know how important it is to get close to the problem in order to understand what needs to be solved and how to make the most impact. Its incredibly difficult to do that from a distance.

As a public charity, the goods sourced continue to be non-lethal  involving anything a soldier needs other than weapons.

The importance of these items to performance on the battlefield shouldnt be underestimated, he says.

All the pieces of equipment we source are commercial products, he says.

Our focus is on augmenting the capabilities to affect the military outcome without touching lethal things.

This war has shown the impact non-lethal things can have on the battlefield.

Andrey Liscovichs life has changed dramatically over the last year (Andrey Liscovich)

In total, the Ukraine Defense Fund has now directly raised around $7m (5.8m) in contributions and has helped broker transactions and deals worth $70m.

A lot of these contracts have been with money from the German government.

Support from Uncle Sam

Liscovich hopes that, in time, he can start working with the US government on funding non-lethal aid as well.

One of the key things were trying to achieve  and havent yet managed  is to unlock US funding for non-lethal aid. The US has much larger resources but Ukraine has so far mostly asked for and received lethal aid from the US, he says.

Thats not an accident as Ukraine doesnt want to stop getting lethal aid from the US but were trying to make the case that non-lethal aid is not a substitute.

Non-lethal items are crucial as well as lethal items as they, for example, augment intelligence and communications on the frontline.

As someone who has worked and lived in the US for years, he says its difficult to say what his views are about Americas response to the war.

The aid that the US has so far provided to Ukraine has been essential, he says, but it is far less than what Ukraine has asked for  and needs.

Ukraine needs more equipment  tanks, artillery systems. Ukraine has repeatedly requested more aid and the US has that in its inventory, he says.

Its not about the availability of inventory but policy decisions in the administration.

But its a difficult question in a sense that the Biden administration is making decisions on information that may not be publicly available.

When Liscovich himself will return to California depends largely on the war.

How life has changed

He says he has been back to the US four times over the last year  but only to meet with vendors face-to-face as part of his work for the Ukraine Defense Fund.

Now, he spends 70 to 80 per cent of his time in Ukraine, mostly in his hometown and travelling to and from the frontline.

One year ago he says he could absolutely not have ever imagined this would be what he was doing.

My life has changed in many ways over the last year, he says.

A year ago I thought I would be running my company in Silicon Valley.

I never planned on running a non-profit or working with governments. This was not on my radar.

Coming face to face with the prospect of his own mortality is also not something he contended with when he was back in the Bay Area.

Ive been confronted with mortality very directly here so there have been times where Ive reassessed life, he says.

Two missiles landed next to my office, two landed next to where I was staying and one landed next to the restaurant where I used to go every day, he says.

For him, he says the dangers have always felt like calculated risks.

I dont think Im taking unnecessary personal risks. There are missile strikes but Im not playing Russian roulette, he says.

Im trying to be rational and recognise that in most places the risk is lower than being killed in a traffic accident.

While the dangers have never prompted him to reconsider packing up and heading back to his old life in Silicon Valley, they have given him a new perspective on life.

When you start to see these things up close you have to reassess your life priorities. It forces a different perspective on you and you realise the things that matter and the things that are secondary, he says.

I hope we get peace. But not peace on any terms. Peace that creates a sustainable precedence for the future.
(CNN)  China has reiterated its calls for a political settlement to the Ukraine conflict on the one-year anniversary of Russias invasion, as Beijing comes under increasing pressure from the United States and its allies over its growing partnership with Moscow.

In a newly released position paper Friday, Chinas Foreign Ministry called for a resumption of peace talks, an end to unilateral sanctions, and stressed its opposition to the use of nuclear weapons  a stance Chinese leader Xi Jinping communicated to Western leaders last year.

The 12-point document is part of Beijings latest efforts to present itself as a neutral peace broker, as it struggles to balance its no-limits relationship with Moscow and fraying ties with the West as the war drags on.

Conflict and war benefit no one. All parties must stay rational and exercise restraint, avoid fanning the flames and aggravating tensions, and prevent the crisis from deteriorating further or even spiraling out of control, the paper said.

Beijings claim to neutrality has been severely undermined by its refusal to acknowledge the nature of the conflict  it has so far avoided calling it an invasion  and its diplomatic and economic support for Moscow.

Western officials have also raised concerns that China may be considering providing Russia with lethal military assistance, an accusation denied by Beijing.

The policy document reiterates many of Chinas standard talking points, which include urging both sides to resume peace talks. Dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis, it said, adding that China will play a constructive role, without offering details.

And despite claiming the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries must be effectively upheld, the document fails to acknowledge Russias violation of Ukrainian sovereignty.

Much of the language used in the document appears targeted at the West. In a thinly veiled criticism of the United States, the paper said, Cold War mentality should be abandoned.

The security of a region should not be achieved by strengthening or expanding military blocs. The legitimate security interests and concerns of all countries must be taken seriously and addressed properly, it said, apparently echoing Moscows view the West provoked the war through the expansion of NATO.

It also appears to criticize the wide-ranging economic sanctions imposed by the US and other Western countries on Russia. Unilateral sanctions and maximum pressure cannot solve the issue; they only create new problems, it said. Relevant countries should stop abusing unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction against other countries, so as to do their share in deescalating the Ukraine crisis.

The paper was swiftly criticized by American officials, with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan saying the war could end tomorrow if Russia stopped attacking Ukraine and withdrew its forces.

My first reaction to it is that it could stop at point one, which is to respect the sovereignty of all nations, Sullivan told CNN. Ukraine wasnt attacking Russia. NATO wasnt attacking Russia. The United States wasnt attacking Russia. This was a war of choice waged by Putin.

In Beijing, the ambassador of the European Union to China, Jorge Toledo, told reporters at a briefing that Chinas position paper was not a peace proposal, adding that the EU is studying the paper closely, according to Reuters.

Ukraine, meanwhile, called the position paper a good sign but urged China to do more.

China should do everything in its power to stop the war and restore peace in Ukraine and urge Russia to withdraw its troops, Ukraines Charge dAffaires to China Zhanna Leshchynska said at the same briefing in Beijing.

In neutrality, China should talk to both sides: Russia and Ukraine, and now we can see China is not talking to Ukraine, she said, noting that Kyiv was not consulted before the release of the paper.

The position paper was first discussed last week by top diplomat Wang Yi at a security conference in Munich, as he attempted to cast Beijing as a responsible negotiator for peace during a diplomatic charm offensive in Europe.

Wang visited Moscow as the final stop of his European tour, and met with Putin on Wednesday.

Putin, who welcomed Wang with outstretched arms as the Chinese diplomat entered the meeting room, said relations between Russia and China were reaching new milestones.

Russian-Chinese relations are developing as we planned in previous years. Everything is moving forward and developing, Putin told reporters as he sat beside Wang. Cooperation in the international arena between the Russian Federation and the Peoples Republic of China, as we have repeatedly said, is very important for stabilizing the international situation.

Wang said the two countries often face crisis and chaos, but there are always opportunities in a crisis.

This requires us to identify changes more voluntarily and respond to the changes more actively to further strengthen our comprehensive strategic partnership, Wang said.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "China calls for Russia-Ukraine ceasefire as claims to neutrality questioned"
(Reuters) -Russia told the West on Friday that it would view as an attack on itself any actions that threatened Russian peacekeepers in Moldova's breakaway Transdniestria region, one day after Moscow accused Ukraine of planning an invasion.

In Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy rejected Moscow's assertion that Ukraine wanted to take over the region.

The warning comes amid increased concerns in Moldova, a small ex-Soviet republic bordering Ukraine, of a possible Russian threat. Its pro-European president, Maia Sandu, this month accused Moscow of plotting a coup.

On Thursday, Russia accused Kyiv of planning to invade Transdniestria, which borders Ukraine. The mainly Russian-speaking territory broke from Moldova's control in 1990, a year before the collapse of the Soviet Union.

"We warn the United States, NATO member states and their Ukrainian wards against taking yet another reckless step," Russia's foreign ministry.

"Any action that threatens their security will be considered under international law as an attack on the Russian Federation."

There are around 1,700 Russian troops in Transdniestria, which has a population of roughly 440,000.

Zelenskiy told a news conference that Russia was engaging on constant provocations.

"They clearly understand that we respect the territorial integrity of Moldova and we believe the territory of Transdniestria is the territory of the independent state of Moldova," he said.

Moldova's defence ministry has dismissed Russia's claims of a Ukrainian troop build-up.

"We note that there are currently no direct threats to the state's military security... If possible threats to the security of the country are identified, the ministry will immediately inform the public," the Moldovan ministry said.

"The false information being spread is intended to cause panic and confusion among the population on both banks of the Dniester river. We urge citizens to remain calm."

Zelenskiy last week said it was "obvious" Ukraine was not the last country in Moscow's sights and that the Kremlin was thinking about ways to "strangle" Moldova.

(Reporting by Caleb Davis, Alexander Tanas and Dan Peleschuk; Editing by David Ljunggren and Alistair Bell)
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed on the set of "Rust" in October 2021. (Roberto E. Rosales / Albuquerque Journal)

Rust Movie Productions, the company behind the troubled western whose cinematographer was killed, has reached a settlement with New Mexico's Health and Safety Bureau.

As part of the deal, the New Mexico Environment Departments Occupational Health and Safety Bureau agreed to downgrade its citation of the production from "willful-serious" to "serious" and reduce the penalty it levied from its maximum of $136,793 to $100,000, Rust Movie Productions said Friday.

"Our top priority has always been resuming production and completing this film so we can honor the life and work of Halyna Hutchins," said Melina Spadone, senior counsel at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman and attorney for Rust Movie Productions. "Settling this case rather than litigating is how we can best move forward to achieve that goal."

The settlement brings to an end a battle with the government agency after it said the film's managers demonstrated plain indifference to employee safety after actor Alec Baldwin accidentally shot and killed cinematographer Hutchins during a rehearsal in October 2021, according to authorities. Director Joel Souza also was injured.

The agency said procedures were not being followed on set and management failed to review work practices and take corrective action.

Rust Productions had denied the allegations of wrongdoing. The production is planning to resume filming this spring in Montana.

On Thursday, Baldwin pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter charges in New Mexico.

The film's armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, was also charged with involuntary manslaughter and has denied wrongdoing. She appeared for the first time in a Santa Fe court Friday virtually. Gutierrez Reed's attorney, Jason Bowles, argued for her to be able to have a gun in her home for protection after her personal information was made public during the investigation, he said.

"Miss Gutierrez Reed then had numerous threats, phone threats. She had voicemails that were very, very, very bad," Bowles said. "She has had a stalker, and so she had a restraining order she had to get."

New Mexicos First Judicial Dist. Atty. Mary Carmack-Altwies argued that Gutierrez Reed should not have access to guns because of her "sloppy mishandling" of guns on the set of "Rust," a claim that Bowles denied.

"There is no allegation that she is a danger to anyone having a firearm within her home," Bowles countered.

The court agreed and allowed Gutierrez Reed the right to a gun for self defense. Among other release conditions, she is not allowed contact with witnesses.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Only future generations looking through the lens of history will know the true effects and human cost of the Russia-Ukraine war, Europes biggest land conflict since World War II.

For now, as we reach the first anniversary of President Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine on Friday, we can report on the stories of those trapped, killed or transformed by the war and highlight the numbers that illustrate its intensity and scale.

So far 100,000 Russian and 13,000 Ukrainian service personnel have been killed, according to Western leaders and Ukraines armed forces. And more than 7,000 Ukrainian civilians have died in the last year as a result of war, including at least 400 children.

Given the sheer number of missiles and drone attacks being launched every day, the true figure is almost certainly much higher on both sides.

Russia is firing about 20,000 artillery rounds a day, while Ukraine is firing 4,000 to 7,000 rounds daily, a senior U.S. official told NBC News in November.

None of those figures include the human toll since 2014, when a grinding war of attrition began between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists in Ukraines eastern Luhansk and Donetsk provinces, known as the Donbas, in which more than 3,400 civilians died, according to the United Nations.

More than 8 million Ukrainians have left the country and not returned, the majority finding refuge in neighboring Poland and Romania, according to the U.N.  an exodus not seen on the continent since the 1940s.

Ukraines population was 41.9 million in 2020, excluding the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula, according to the Ukrainian governments statistics service. That means about 19% of Ukraines prewar population, roughly the equivalent of the population of Washington state, have fled the country.

Russia has had its own mass migration as a result of the war.

At least 419,000 people fled the country in the first half of 2022, according to Russias Federal State Statistics Service, Rosstat, many of them traveling to former Soviet states that dont require visa approval for Russians, such as Georgia. By contrast, in the first half of 2021 just 202,000 left the country.

Hit by this exodus and by Western sanctions, the Russian economy has nonetheless defied the worst predictions to allow many in the country to proceed with life as normal. However the effects of the war are biting beneath the surface.

More people fled after Putin mobilized 300,000 soldiers from Russias wide pool of reservists in September, such was the need for reinforcements to be sent to the front line. By the end of the year, the population had fallen by 555,332, from 146.98 million to 146.42 million, the state-owned news agency RIA Novosti reported.

High-security prisoners convicted of serious crimes were also recruited to fight in Ukraine by the Wagner Group, a private military company headed by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a longtime Putin ally.

As for the course of the war, momentum has shifted wildly.

Before the invasion, Russia controlled about 16,000 square miles of Ukraine, which rose to 62,000 square miles, about 27% of the countrys landmass, in the weeks after the invasion began on Feb. 24, according to charts from the Institute of the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank.

But in a spirited counteroffensive in the second half of 2022, Ukraine took back almost 29,000 square miles by November, including the key southern city of Kherson. That left Russia in control of about 18% of the country.

Russia is now engaged in a new offensive in the Donbas region, hoping to take and hold Donetsk and Luhansk and execute a plan Russian military leaders announced in April after having retreated from a failed attempt to take Ukraines capital, Kyiv, and other key cities in the west and the north.

Ukraine's fierce defensive stand has been made possible by arms, financial aid and training from the U.S. and other Western allies. Though strains have been evident in the alliance and Ukraine may fear it might not count on such support indefinitely, President Joe Biden's surprise Kyiv visit underlined the commitment from Washington to Warsaw.

After weeks of stalemate, it already looks like 2023 could bring some dynamic shifts on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Nevertheless, many military experts have cautioned that there is no end in sight for a war that could last many more years.
Jane Doe 1 from Harvey Weinstein's L.A. rape trial has revealed her identity: She's Evgeniya Chernyshova, seen here at a 2010 photo call in Italy. (Elisabetta A. Villa / WireImage)

In December, Harvey Weinstein was convicted in L.A. of the 2013 rape of "Jane Doe 1." On Thursday, he got a 16-year sentence that, added to the 23-year sentence he's been serving in New York, likely ensures the 70-year-old ends his life in prison.

On Friday, Jane Doe 1 finally revealed her identity to the Hollywood Reporter.

She is Evgeniya Chernyshova, a 43-year-old mother of two who was born in Siberia, won a modeling contest at age 15 and eventually moved to Italy, where she was a model and actor. At some point she moved to Southern California; she now runs a floral design business in Beverly Hills, according to an interview published Friday by THR.

About two weeks ago, after Weinstein's conviction but before his sentencing, Chernyshova sued the disgraced mogul in civil court under her alias, alleging sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

In October 2017, speaking anonymously to The Times after reporting the rape to police, she told the same story that was shared in court and with THR:

Weinstein, whom she had met briefly once before in Rome, introduced himself anew during Oscars week in 2013 at an Italian film festival at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. When they were in Rome, he had invited her up to his room, but she declined, she told The Times.

Later that night she returned to her hotel and changed into a robe, only to have Weinstein call up from the lobby "without warning"  she hadn't told him where she was staying  and demand to know her room number. He told her they had to talk. She didn't reveal her number, but he showed up at her door anyway, knocking loudly and telling her he just wanted to talk and was "not going to f" her.

Chernyshova told THR that she let him in because she was embarrassed by the loud man outside her door.

She told The Times in 2017 that once he was in her room, Weinstein repeatedly bragged about his power and influence and told her not to fight him. She tried to show him pictures of her children and her mother, who was undergoing chemotherapy at the time, as she cried and begged him to go away, she said.

He grabbed me by the hair and forced me to do something I did not want to do, she said in 2017. He then dragged me to the bathroom and forcibly raped me. When he left, she said, he told her she was very beautiful and that she could work in Hollywood. Later, he invited her to several parties at his house, but she didn't attend any of them.

He acted like nothing happened, Chernyshova said in 2017. I barely knew this man. It was the most demeaning thing ever done to me by far. It sickens me still.  He made me feel like an object, like nothing, with all his power.

Harvey Weinstein arrives at the Oscars in Hollywood in February 2015. (Vince Bucci / Invision/Associated Press)

Chernyshova appears to have a few regrets. One of them is that she stayed anonymous.

I did it because I was ashamed and humiliated, she told THR. I thought it was a good decision to protect my kids. But it was a horrible decision for myself because Ive been cut off from everyone. It isnt right to go through this hell alone.

Chernyshova is well known in Italy, where she appeared on the cover of Italian Vogue and as an actor in Italian films, The Times reported in 2017. After the attack, she told THR, she fell into depression and began drinking heavily. She and her husband separated, and he has since died.

She told The Times in 2017 that she revealed the rape while counseling her daughter about a week before the New York Times published the first investigation of Weinstein. That was followed days later by a similar piece from the New Yorker. Previously Chernyshova had told only her priest, her nanny and a friend about her experience with Weinstein. Her daughter pushed her to report the incident to the police, which she did.

Chernyshova also wishes she had never opened the door of her hotel room that night in 2013.

"That is the thing I have regretted for the last 10 years  that I did open this door, she told THR, echoing what she told The Times in 2017.

On Dec. 19. 2022, an L.A. jury convicted Weinstein of forcible rape, forcible oral copulation and sexual penetration by a foreign object, based on Chernyshova's account of that night at the hotel.

Harvey Weinstein forever destroyed a part of me that night. I will never get that back, she told The Times in a statement after the verdict was read, still identifying herself as Jane Doe 1 after her three days of painful testimony in his trial. But I knew I had to see this through to the end. ... I hope Weinstein never sees the outside of a prison cell during his lifetime.

And before Weinstein's sentencing Thursday, trembling and crying as she spoke in court, Chernyshova told the judge, There is no prison sentence long enough to erase the damage. ... He deserves to experience the same shame, humiliation and fear as I did."

After sentencing the disgraced former producer, Judge Lisa Lench ruled that Weinstein could not serve his New York and L.A. sentences concurrently, likely fulfilling Chernyshova's wishes. Weinstein, who is 70, will not be eligible for release until at least the 2050s.

Times staff writers Richard Winton and James Queally contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.


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(CNN)  The US Navy reconnaissance jet flies at 21,500 feet over the South China Sea, 30 miles from the contested Paracel Islands, a group of about 130 small atolls, the biggest of which are home to Chinese military bases.

A voice, saying its coming from a Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) airport, crackles over the radio of the US Navy P-8 Poseidon as a CNN crew, given rare access aboard the US flight, listens in.s

American aircraft. Chinese airspace is 12 nautical miles. Not approaching any more or you bear all responsibility, it says.

In a few minutes, a Chinese fighter jet armed with air-to-air missiles intercepts the US plane, nestling in just 500 feet off its port side.

The Chinese fighter jet was so close, the CNN crew could see the pilots turning their heads to look at them  and could make out the red star on the tail fins and the missiles it was armed with.

Lt. Nikki Slaughter, the pilot of the American plane, hails the twin-seat, twin-engine PLA aircraft.

PLA fighter aircraft, this is US Navy P-8A  I have you off my left wing and I intend to proceed to the west. I request that you do the same, over.

Theres no reply from the Chinese fighter jet, which escorted the US plane for 15 minutes before turning away.

To a CNN crew aboard the American jet, its stark evidence of the tensions brewing in the South China Sea, and between the US and China.

The commander of this US Navy mission has a different take.

Id say its another Friday afternoon in the South China Sea, Navy Cmdr. Marc Hines tells the CNN crew.

Potential flashpoint

Over the past several years, the South China Sea has emerged as a major potential flashpoint in the Asia Pacific. Islands in it, like the Paracels near which the US Navy plane was intercepted Friday, are the subject of overlapping territorial claims in part from China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

Not only does the strategic waterway hold vast resources of fish, oil and gas, but about a third of global shipping passes through it  worth about $3.4 trillion in 2016, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) China Power Project.

China claims historic jurisdiction over almost the entirety of the vast sea, and since 2014 has built up tiny reefs and sandbars into artificial islands heavily fortified with missiles, runways and weapons systems  sparking outcry from the other claimants.

The Paracel Islands, called the Xisha Islands by China, are in the northern part of the South China Sea, east of Da Nang, Vietnam, and south of Chinas Hainan Island.

Named by 16th century Portuguese mapmakers, they have no indigenous population to speak of, only Chinese military garrisons amounting to 1,400 people, according to the CIA Factbook.

Surrounding them is 12 nautical miles of airspace that China was claiming as its own Friday  a claim Washington doesnt recognize.

Far to the southeast sits the Spratly Islands chain, just 186 miles from the Philippine island of Palawan.

In 2016, in a case brought by the Philippines, an international tribunal in the Hague ruled that Chinas claim to historic rights to the bulk of the sea had no legal basis.

But Beijing has rejected the tribunals ruling and continued its military buildup, building bases in the Spratlys, which it calls the Nansha Islands.

China also conducts regular military exercises in much of the South China Sea and maintains a large presence of coast guard and fishing vessels in the disputed waters  which has frequently stoked tensions with its neighbors.

On Friday, while flying close to the Philippines, the US Navy P-8 spotted a PLA Navy guided-missile destroyer and descended to around 1,000 feet to get a closer look  bringing more warnings from the PLA.

US aircraft. US aircraft. This is Chinese naval warship 173. You are approaching to me at low altitude. State your intention over, a voice comes over the US planes radio.

PLA warship 173 is the destroyer Changsha, likely armed with dozens of surface-to-air missiles.

The US plane will keep a safe distance, its pilot, Lt. Slaughter, replies.

US aircraft. US aircraft. This is Chinese naval warship 173. You are clearly endangering my safety. You are clearly endangering my safety, the Chinese ship says.

I am a United States military aircraft. I will maintain a safe distance from your unit, Slaughter replies, and the US mission continues.

The US Navy says these missions are routine.

US vessels and aircraft operate regularly where international law allows, the Pentagon says. But China claims the US presence in the South China Sea is whats fueling the tensions.

When a US guided-missile cruiser steamed near the Spratly Islands in November, the PLA said such action seriously infringes on Chinas sovereignty and security and is hard proof is that the US is seeking maritime hegemony and militarizing the South China Sea.

The US Navy said the US cruiser conducted the operation in accordance with international law and then continued on to conduct normal operations in waters where high seas freedoms apply.

For Hines, the US commander of Fridays mission, the tensions are always less when hes talking with the Chinese side.

Silence brings uncertainty, he says.

Whenever theres no response, it leaves questions. Do they understand what were saying? Do they understand our intentions? Do they understand we dont mean any harm? he says.

For the most part Friday, the answers were there. And the encounters were professional, Hines says. And he wants to keep it that way.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Chinese fighter jet confronts US Navy plane with CNN crew aboard as tensions simmer in South China Sea""
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. The United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken underscored the need for free and open commercial and private transit through the Lachin corridor, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said at a press briefing.

we have made clear through our word and our deed that we are ready and able to help the parties  Armenia and Azerbaijan  advance progress on these very difficult questions in any way that we can. We have done so bilaterally, we have done so trilaterally with the parties, including when Secretary Blinken sat down with his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts in Munich. We are and have been working with and through our partners. Were very supportive of the EU process, and I should note that there is an offer from President Michel of the EU to host the parties in Brussels. Its an opportunity, should they accept it, to sit down to continue the progress that weve seen in recent weeks.

When it comes to the Lachin corridor, the Secretary raised this in his engagement with the prime minister and with the president in Munich last weekend. He underscored the need for free and open commercial and private transit through the Lachin corridor. He also called on the parties to open other transportation routes. We think it in the first instance is incumbent on the parties themselves to resolve these impediments to the free flow of goods, including humanitarian assistance to the people who need it most in this corridor, and were going to focus our diplomacy on attempting to bring  to help bring that about, Price said.

Asked when the Brussels meeting is expected to take place, Price said: My understanding is that the invitation and the opportunity has been extended to the parties. Ultimately, its going to have to be up to the parties themselves  our Armenian partners, our Azerbaijani partners  to speak to their potential participation in any such meeting.

The Lachin Corridor is blocked by Azerbaijan since 12 December 2022.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. On February 24, Prosecutor General of the Republic of Artsakh, Gurgen Nersisyan, submitted his resignation, ARMENPRESS reports, Chairman of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh Artur Tovmasyan said.

According to the legislation of Artsakh, in the event of resignation, the powers of the Prosecutor General cease, if the Prosecutor General submits another resignation within one week after the submission of the resignation application.

Earlier, the President of Artsakh proposed the Prosecutor General Gurgen Nersisyan to take over the duties of the State Minister.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received Toivo Klaar, EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister highly valued the cooperation between Armenia and the European Union and noted with satisfaction the fact of the institutional reforms being implemented in our country with the support of the EU. At the same time, Nikol Pashinyan emphasized the importance of the activities of the EU civilian mission in Armenia, which will contribute to stability and peace in the region.

The interlocutors referred to the consequences of the humanitarian, environmental and energy crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh resulted by Azerbaijan's illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor. Prime Minister Pashinyan emphasized the importance of the resolution adopted by the European Parliament regarding the unblocking of the Lachin Corridor.

The interlocutors exchanged ideas on the process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
In his words: "I am just a professional writer, which means I don't do blogs and try and get money for whatever I write."

BoJo signed a deal whereby the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland would remain open for the passage of goods

O Bachchoo, why not we instead of they

And why not and in place of or?

We share the light and darkness, night and day

The present, future and what went before

No shaman can deny our common fate

The flock pass through the pastures open gate.

From The Rumbaba of Bumbaba, by Bachchoo

Pity Hedgie Sunak, the Prime Minister with the small broom to sweep up the mountain of rubbish left to him by his predecessors. His latest venture is an attempt to solve the Northern Ireland Protocol, which BoJo negotiated with the European Union in his desperation to claim that he would Get Brexit Done.

BoJo signed a deal whereby the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland would remain open for the passage of goods. That meant goods travelling from mainland Britain to Northern Ireland would be subject to controls, checks, customs and import duties to ensure that Britain was not sneaking goods into the Republic, which is an EU country.

This meant, as the Ulster Protestant political party, the DUP, describes it, that there would be a hard border between Northern Ireland and the rest of Great Britain. They said this was unacceptable and in protest refused to take their place as the Opposition party in the Northern Ireland parliament. The parliament became inactive, violating the Good Friday peace agreement between the representatives of the Catholic and Protestant populations.

Hedgie is desperate to solve this dilemma as Joe Biden has repeatedly implied that no trade deal between the UK and the United States can go ahead while the Good Friday peace deal is suspended. It gives Hedgie a huge headache, especially as BoJo wont keep his mouth shut and is making noises which indicate that he will raise objections to any reversals that Hedgie thrashes out with the European Union.

My reading, gentle reader, is that BoJo is on manoeuvres to try and oust Hedgie and regain the prime ministership. He has just bought a 4 million mansion in Oxfordshire and perhaps intends to contest the next election from the constituency in which he will be living.

Not that Hedgie was absent when all the apocalyptic horsemen were riding towards this happy land. He was chancellor of the exchequer and a Cabinet member when the protocol went through. He was at the Cabinet table between 2017 and 2020 when Priti Clueless and then Cruella Braverman, as successive home secretaries, increased their ministrys outsourcing consultancy fees by 788 per cent on contracts dealing with security, immigration and border preparations for leaving the EU. So, did one of these highly-paid consultants come up with the idea of sending immigrants to Rwanda? I mention the decisions of these home secretaries to point out that poor Hedgie is not only dealing with these border preparations but with the complete mess in which these consultants relied on by Clueless and Cruella have left security and immigration.

BoJos ambition to return to 10 Downing Street may be a pie in the sky. He is undoubtedly smart and charming, if a bit economical with the truth. I met him several times when he was the editor of the right-wing weekly The Spectator and when he was a backbench MP. One of the first times we met was when, over breakfast at the house of one of the Speccies writers, I introduced him to Charles Sobhraj, who had a story about selling nuclear triggers to some Arab customers. BoJo heard the story which would have, if it was believed and substantiated, supported George W. Bush and Tony Blairs claim that Saddam Hussein was in possession of, or was planning to possess, weapons of mass destruction. BoJo unselfishly concluded that the story was too big for his weekly publication and said hed put Sobhraj in touch with a national daily. Nothing came of it as Ive recalled in Hawk and Hyena, my memoir of my dealings with Sobhraj.

BoJos claim to be the prodigal who shall or must return is based on three distinct boasts. He and his supporters reiterate these at every opportunity. He says he led the Wests support for Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukraine. Second, he Got Brexit Done -- though it seems to have escaped him that over 60 per cent of the British public now think that was a grave mistake.

And third, he says it was he -- and he alone -- who rolled out the anti-Covid vaccine and saved thousands of lives in these islands. There now emerge dissenting opinions about BoJos reluctance to order a lockdown to save lives.

The other contradictory fact is that the AstraZeneca vaccine was researched in Oxford in collaboration with the largest manufacturers of vaccines in the world, the Serum Institute of India in Pune. I am reliably informed that Oxford and the Serum Institute spent millions, if not billions, of pounds on the research and manufacture of the vaccine. AstraZeneca came in at the testing stage of the vaccine. When it was ready for distribution in Britain and internationally, it was BoJo who insisted that it be attributed to AstraZeneca, and that its name and labelling should bear the name of a British company rather than that of the Indian Serum Institute. All very patriotic.

Last week, the country was informed that the renowned British firm AstraZeneca was taking its operations to the Republic of Ireland to take advantage of EU tax laws and subsidies. Has Brexit now done Bojexit?
(CNN)  A winter heatwave, record low levels of rain and a startling lack of snow in Europe are pushing rivers, canals and lakes across the continent to alarmingly low levels, with experts warning there could be repeat of last years severe droughts.

Images of dried-up river beds and shrunken lakes are usually associated with the scorching heat of summer  not the winter. But an exceptionally warm and dry start to the year is affecting a swath of Europe, including central and southwest France, northern Spain and northern Italy.

There are concerns for what this might mean for water supplies.

Europes water situation has become very precarious, according to a study published in January by researchers at the Graz University of Technology in Austria, which used satellite data to analyze the worlds groundwater resources.

A few years ago, I would never have imagined that water would be a problem here in Europe, said Torsten Mayer-Gurr, one of the researchers. We are actually getting problems with the water supply here  we have to think about this.

Record-breaking dry spell in France

France, which is experiencing its driest stretch in more than 60 years, may soon bring in water restrictions.

The country suffered a series of 32 consecutive days without any significant rainfall from January 21 to February 21, Simon Mittelberger, a climatologist at Meteo-France, told CNN  the longest stretch since records began in 1959.

It is having a damaging effect on the countrys rivers and lakes, Mittelberger said, as well as the countrys soils.

Soils are much drier than usual, he said. Frances current soil moisture levels would not normally be seen until mid-April.

Snowfall has also been low. The situation in the Pyrenees is close to the lowest record of snow quantity for that time of year, Mittelberger said. The Alps have seen 63% less snow than usual, according to CIMA Research Foundation.

A lack of snow in the winter can threaten water reserves in the spring and summer, as there is less snowmelt to sustain rivers.

Last summer, France suffered its worst drought on record but, Mittelberger warned, this year the situation could be worse if we dont have significant rainfall in the next couple of months.

Christophe Bechu, the minister for ecological transition, called the winter drought unprecedented, and warned the country is in a state of alert.

Exposed lake beds and dried up canals

In Italy, some of countrys most famous bodies of water are drying up.

Water levels at Lake Garda are so low that it is now possible to walk to an island in the middle, along a strip of exposed lake bed. A few months ago, this walkway did not exist.

It is now also a lot harder to take a water taxi in Venice, as some of its canals have become too shallow to keep gondolas afloat, in part, because of a lack of rainfall.

The city which has long feared flooding is now grappling with the opposite problem.

Italys longest river, the Po, which winds through its northern agricultural heartland, has 61% less water than usual for this time of year.

Last summer, the Italian government declared a state of emergency for the area surrounding the Po, which experienced its worst drought in 70 years.

Giorgio Zampetti, general manager of Legambiente, an Italian environmental group, fears that the worst is yet to come: 2023 has just begun, but it is showing worrying signs in terms of extreme weather events [and] drought levels, he said in a press statement.

Fears for water supplies

In Spain, which experienced its hottest year on record last year, there are concerns about water supplies.

We cannot guarantee water supply for drinking water or for economic uses by relying exclusively on rain, Teresa Ribera, Minister for the Ecological Transition recently said at a press conference.

The country has approved plans to invest around $24 billion in water management, including measures to improve sanitation and treatment and modernize irrigation.

Since 1980 the average available water has decreased by 12%, with projections that there may be a further decrease of up to 40% by 2050.

Dry weather in Spain is also threatening the countrys prized jamon iberico bellota, as low rainfall and rising temperatures affect the acorns eaten by the pigs.

'The coming weeks will be crucial'

While Europe has previously been blighted by summer droughts, experts fear the exceptionally dry last two months may signal a new reality, caused in part by rising average global temperatures.

These conditions were rare in the past, but climate change is altering precipitation regimes over Europe and making these extremes more recurrent and intense, Andrea Toreti, a climatologist at the European Commissions Joint Research Centre, told CNN.

There is a growing concern due to the lack of precipitation in the last weeks and also considering the 2022 drought. The coming weeks will be crucial, Torerti said.

While Toreti said attributing the winter drought to climate change would require a specific analysis that has not yet been conducted, he added such events are an expected effect of climate change in terms of more frequent and intense extremes.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Dry canals, low rivers and shrunken lakes: Europe braces for severe drought amid winter heatwave"
by Vladimir Rozanskij

They are economists, journalists, academics and activists. They demand the truth about the arrests after the January 2022 protests. The system favours parties directly and indirectly linked to the ruling elite. Electoral Commission controlled by the government.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - As their manifesto states, "we want the rule of law, a strong parliament able to control the activities of the government, and a fair balance of the three branches of power, ensuring the independence of the media, the fourth power".

A group of Kazakh candidates in the uninominal constituencies for the 19 March parliamentary elections presented their election programme at a press conference in Almaty. The city is the most populous in Kazakhstan, the scene of the January 2022 protests suppressed by the police with the help of Russian soldiers. The main aim of their initiative is to 'elevate the powers of parliament'.

Economists Ayman Tursynkan and Mukhtar Tayzan, journalist Ermurat Bapi, political scientist Sanzar Bokaev, humanitarian activist Erlan Kaliev and independent observer Arajlym Nazarova will be among the most well-known independent candidates in the elections. According to Tursynkan, 'in order to realise the reforms, it is necessary to return the effective legislative function to the parliament, we want a true parliamentary republic'.

All members of the group express considerable scepticism about the real will of the current power to make reforms that are not just cosmetic. Commenting on the slogan of the 'new Kazakhstan' launched by President Tokaev, Tayzan says that 'this is the refrain invented by Nazarbaev's students, raised in the cult of the first president's personality, all members of his Nur Otan party'. Nazarova considers the recent changes to be 'a pile of dust in the eyes', so much so that in the elections, candidates not controlled from above can reach a maximum of 30 per cent, 'but it is not the case that we should sit on our hands'.

In Almaty, independents have also created the Altynsy Kantar (Six January) movement to commemorate the start of the popular protests in 2022, and the bloody repression that followed. It will be led by Nazarova together with lawyer Alnur Iljasev and journalists Dinara Egeubaeva and Duman Mukhammedkarim, who are among the most insistent in demanding transparency on the arrests at the time and the fate of the prisoners.

In the Mazilis, the lower house of parliament, a total of 107 seats are up for grabs: 29 in uninominal constituencies, with an average of 15 candidates for each. The seven officially admitted political parties, none of which can be considered opposition, present a total of 281 candidates. The mixed electoral system is one of the novelties of these elections, which anticipate the expiry of the legislature following the elections that re-elected Tokaev president at the end of last year.

The presidency argues that the enlargement of the nomination system is a clear sign of the course taken towards the full democratisation of Kazakh society. As the independents insist, this is not matched by the liberalisation of other institutions and mechanisms of the system, including the formation of electoral commissions and polling stations, where tellers are appointed from above, and no real freedom is left to observers.
Delegates from the Catholic Churches in 29 countries have gathered for three days to draft a paper that reflects the thoughts and ideas generated in Asia by the process laid down by Pope Francis ahead of the Synod set for Rome next October. For Archbishop Kikuchi of Tokyo, the Church is called to generate hope". A laywoman from Singapore, Christina Kheng, notes that the purpose of the Synod [. . .] is not to produce documents but weave together relationships as the people of God in Asia.

Bangkok (AsiaNews)  The Asian Continental Assembly on Synodality opened today in Bangkok at the Baan Phu Waan Centre with a celebration led by Archbishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo, who is also secretary of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC).

About 17 bishops conferences and two synods of Eastern Rite Churches representing 29 countries in the FABC have sent representatives to the assembly, which is designed to give Asian Churches an opportunity to discuss the path towards the Synod laid out by Pope Francis.

Participants, including six cardinals, five archbishops, 18 bishops, 28 priests, four nuns and 19 lay people, will meet this Sunday to reflect on a working paper titled Enlarge the space of your tent released last October by the General Secretariat of the Synod, based on contributions sent to Rome from Churches around the world.

Like similar documents from other continents, the output of this meeting will shape the Instrumentum Laboris for the first phase of the Synod, set for the Vatican next October.

In his homily, Archbishop Kikuchi said that the Church should be at the centre of producing hope rather than be a source of despair and sadness.

In his view, walking together on the path of synodality means for the Church in Asia to walk in solidary with all the peoples of Asia, especially, the marginalised, abused and the poor at the periphery.

Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary general of the Synod, said during the first session of the gathering that we are all learners in Synodality, adding that every voice in the Church should be heeded, both those that agitate and those who do not speak.

He explained that the proper exercise of synodality never puts the people of God in competition with pastors, but keeps them in constant relationship, allowing both to fulfil their roles and responsibilities.

For her part, Christina Kheng, a laywoman from Singapore and member of the Commission on the methodology for the Synod, talked about the journey taken so far, stressing that "the purpose of the Synod [. . .] is not to produce documents, but to meet, and engage in dialogue, and weave together relationships as well as give strength, grow as a community of discernment and experience walking together in the Spirit as the people of God in Asia.

Fr Clarence Devadass, from the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, presented the draft framework to discuss in coming days, describing it as a working paper to help delegates discern, discuss and decide.

The draft revolves around five topics: Asian resonances, Asian tensions, Asian realities and divergences, identified gaps in Asian responses and priorities of Asian responses.

As such Fr Devadass expressed hope that the discerning process  which began this afternoon via working groups  can result in a document that truly represents, "the dream, hopes, aspirations and the pains that echo within the continent of Asia.
Today's headlines: as Pyongyang tests more missiles, Seoul warns of risk of exposure to radioactive materials. In Vietnam, US diplomats prevented from meeting Christian leaders. 150 asylum seekers died in Malaysia in 2022, while on the island of Nauru two migrants sewed their lips shut in protest.

LEBANON

Lebanese Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh has been charged with money laundering, embezzlement and illicit enrichment for embezzling 0 million from the Banque du Liban between 2002 and 2015. The prosecutor also filed charges against Salameh's brother Raja and an adviser. The judge's charges come after an 18-month investigation while Lebanon is experiencing a moon and severe economic depression.

NORTH KOREA

As Pyongyang tests four cruise missiles to demonstrate its ability to conduct a nuclear counterattack (so said North Korean state media), Seoul warns that hundreds of thousands of North Koreans could be exposed to radioactive materials that end up in the water. A risk, the Transitional Justice Wrking Group specified, that also extends to citizens of China, Japan and South Korea.

VIETNAM

Local authorities prevented the staff of the American Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City from meeting Christian leaders living in Dak Lak Province to talk about religious freedom. Members of the Central Highlands Evangelical Church of Christ reported that police officers were deployed in front of their homes. In recent months, many religious groups in the region have been prevented from holding services or performing rituals on the pretext that the groups have not registered with the government and are therefore illegitimate.

SRI LANKA

The chaos over the local elections in Sri Lanka continued. The Supreme Court postponed until 11 May the hearing of the appeal against the government's failure to fund the voting operations, scheduled for 9 March. The move effectively sanctions the impossibility of holding the elections on the scheduled date.

MALAYSIA

Human rights groups urged Malaysia to investigate living conditions in migrant detention centres after the government claimed that 150 foreigners, including seven children, died inside the facilities in 2022. The causes of the deaths or the number of migrants detained have not been revealed, but according to data from last year, Malaysia is holding more than 17,700 people in its centres.

AUSTRALIA

In another migrant detention centre, in the small island nation of Nauru, two refugees from Bangladesh literally sewed their lips shut in protest after nearly 10 years of detention on the island. "In Nauru, people treat us like animals, not humans," said Mohammad Shofiqul Islam and Mohammad Kaium. About 150 migrants are still in Narau and Papua New Guinea, the two countries where Australia has sent asylum seekers it does not want to accept on its territory.

RUSSIA - UKRAINE

An investigation by Currentime.tv, with the participation of several associations, informed about sexual violence by Russian soldiers in Ukraine, for which so far only 155 people have filed formal complaints, but which would in fact be several hundred, including against children, minors, the elderly, and numerous gang rapes.

UZBEKISTAN - EGYPT

President Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan paid an official visit to Egypt, where at the Business-Forum in Cairo he concluded an agreement with the country's largest companies to implement 20 projects, with a total investment of USD 1.6 billion, before meeting Egyptian President Al-Sisi.
by Steve Suwannarat

Foreign workers come mainly from Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Indonesia and have few rights, as indicated by a recent report by the International Organisation for Migration. Malaysia is the worlds second-largest palm oil producer, but its exports are threatened by environmental restrictions adopted last December by the European Union.

Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews)  About 80 per cent of the workforce of half a million employed in Malaysias palm oil industry are migrant workers from Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Indonesia; their rights are not guaranteed and they are the first to feel the impact of negative shifts in the markets.

A report titled The Cost of Hope: Stories of Migrant Workers in Palm Oil Plantations in Malaysia, by the International Organisation for Migration (IMO) reads: In the palm oil sector, employers reportedly often seize and withhold migrant workers passports, and use this method as a safeguard against workers escaping. This is banned under both Malaysian and international law.

Companies have also reportedly requested that workers keep their passport in lockers on the oil palm plantation estates main office. While workers would have the keys of their own locker, they would need permission from the management to enter the main office. In the oil palm plantation estate where Panji (a worker cited in the report) works, the lockers room is located directly opposite the management office.

While workers would have the keys of their own locker, they would need permission from the management to enter the main office. In the oil palm plantation estate where Panji works, the lockers room is located directly opposite the management office.

Malaysia is a major palm oil producer, with 44 per cent of world exports, with world production at around 74 million tonnes a year, with India and China as the main importers, although some also goes to Indonesia. However, as a result of new environmental regulations adopted by the European Union last December, export to European markets are endangered.

As a result, Malaysia, along with Indonesia, appears to be moving towards an export ban to the European Union, even though the latter has rejected allegations that it is banning the product.

In 2022, the EU was the world's third-largest importer of Malaysian palm oil with 9.4 per cent. Thus, its restrictions and similar moves by other importers would have a serious impact on the countrys palm oil sector, which covers more than 70 per cent of its agricultural land, some 2.3 million hectares in Peninsular Malaysia alone.

One of the reasons for EU restrictions is that palm oil production has led to large-scale deforestation with related habitat loss for several animal species now on the brink of extinction.

In Malaysia, if fully implemented, restrictions could have a devastating impact on jobs, especially for migrant workers, many of whom would be forced to go home or join the underground economy in a country where they are already victims of abuse and exploitation.

Overall, foreign workers, who already play a major role in many sectors of Malaysias economy, number two million out of a workforce of some 16 million.
The Holy See and Oman established full diplomatic relations yesterday, opening their respective nunciature and embassy. Their aim is to promote mutual understanding and further strengthening friendship and cooperation. The local multi-ethnic Church must maintain communal ties.

Muscat (AsiaNews)  The Vatican and Oman announced full diplomatic relations yesterday, based on the Vienna Convention of 1961, with an apostolic nunciature in Oman and an embassy at the Holy See.

It its communique, the Vatican explains that the goal is to promote mutual understanding and further strengthening friendship and cooperation between the Holy See and Oman while serving the common interests of the two parties, based on the principles of sovereign equality, independence, territorial integrity and non-interference.

With Oman, the the Holy See can now count on having diplomatic relations with 184 states, including all those in the Arabian Peninsula, except for Saudi Arabia.

Located in the south-eastern part of the region, the Sultanate of Oman is divided into 11 governorates and 61 provinces. Like many countries in the region, its economy is based on natural resources, especially natural gas, and tourism.

Arabs constitute the majority of its population of about 4 and a half million, with a significant percentage of foreign workers from other Middle Eastern countries, as well as the Philippines, India and Pakistan.

About 86 per cent are Muslim, while Christians are around 6.5 per cent or about 300,000 (70 per cent Catholic, 13 per cent Orthodox, 6 per cent Protestant, 11 per cent others).

Almost all Christians are foreign workers from other Asian nations, particularly the Philippines and India, and live in large towns and cities, like the capital Muscat as well as Sohar and Salalah.

Politically, Oman has sought to maintain a balance between Shia Iran and its Sunni neighbours, like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Qatar. The latter have been involved in a proxy war in Yemen and elsewhere in the region.

In the past, Oman was praised by the Vatican for helping to secure the release of Fr Tom Uzhunnalil, an Indian Salesian, who was held hostage in Aden (Yemen) by jihadis after they attacked a locale home run by the Missionaries of Charity.

Oman comes under the jurisdiction of the Apostolic Vicariate of South Arabia (UAE, Yemen and Oman). Based in Abu Dhabi, it is headed by Bishop Paolo Martinelli, and is divided into four parishes and has 12 resident priests.

The Vatican note ends by expressing hope that "with the establishment of full diplomatic relations with the Holy See, the Catholic Church in Oman, through its priests and religious, can continue to contribute to the social well-being of the Sultanate."

In late March 2022, the then vicar of Southern Arabia, Bishop Paul Hinder, celebrated the first priestly ordination in the local Church.

Speaking to AsiaNews at the time, he spoke about the local migrant" community made up of Indian, Filipino, European, American and African workers, whose strong community spirit should prevent them from turning inward and becoming ethnocentric or nationalistic.

Like in all Gulf countries, the challenge is to respect the [pastoral] needs of each, starting with language, while maintaining communal ties even if "it is not always easy to pursue this goal.

The first locally ordained priest, Fr Dickson Eugene, belongs to the Salesian province of Bangalore, but was raised in Oman. Since his ordination, he has been able to celebrate scores of confirmations and organise a meeting with all the priests, to discuss future challenges.

One of those challenges, Bishop Hinder noted, was joblessness among migrants, especially after the Omani government launched a policy aimed at encouraging the employment of locals, resulting on migrants leaving.

This has had a negative impact on local parishes; yet, they are still surviving even though their numbers [. . .] are visibly decreasing.

Hence, it becomes essential to find jobs and provide training and catechesis to young people. This is also a problem that the local Church is called to address.
by Shafique Khokhar

In the country shaken for months by political and economic tensions, the polls are set for 9 April in the provinces of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The Justice and Peace Commission of the Pakistani Church: "A denial of the right to vote. The date should be changed as soon as possible."

Lahore (AsiaNews) - The National Justice and Peace Commission - a body of the Catholic Church in Pakistan - has expressed serious reservations about the provincial elections set in the provinces of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa for 9 April, Easter Day.

The decree indicating the vote was signed on 20 February by President Arif Alvi, a member of the Pti, Imran Khan's party. The vote in the two main provinces is a very delicate appointment given the political and economic crisis the country has been going through for some time.

After the announcement of the elections in Pakistan's two main provinces, the Christian minority expressed their concerns and reservations about the fact that the date of the elections falls on Easter Day, and the Christians appealed to the president to reconsider and announce another date instead of 9 April.

"Holding the elections on Easter Day," the Justice and Peace Commission argues, "would exclude the participation of a community that has played a fundamental role in the creation and building of Pakistan. It would therefore be a blatant denial of Christians' right to vote, which is guaranteed to every citizen by the Constitution of Pakistan. We trust that the relevant authorities will review the election date and change it accordingly."

Roheel Zafar Shahi, Secretary General of the Pakistan Minority Rights Commission, said that Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs and many other peoples live in Pakistan, but the government has become so blind that it has no respect for the religious holidays of other religions.

"Christians in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province strongly demand that the election date be changed as soon as possible so that Christians can also exercise their right to vote in the elections. After consulting our lawyers, we will file a petition against this election date in the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa High Court," he added.
The data contained in the 2022 report by Article18 activists. At least 134 believers were arrested because of their Christian affiliation, 30 were sentenced to jail or exile, 61 served time in prison. Those who promote prayer services in house churches are also in the crosshairs. Places of worship still closed due to restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Tehran (AsiaNews) - In the year of the demonstrations for Mahsa Amini, the Iranian authorities have intensified their persecution of Christians, both recognised and "clandestine", it has emerged from the report drawn up by Article18 activists, confirming a harassing and discriminatory practice towards religious minorities that continues to grow.

Religiously motivated violations of worship and persecution, most often passed over in silence or in the indifference of an international community that has reacted timidly even in the face of the bloody repression of protests.

A popular uprising, with women at the forefront and largely peaceful, triggered by the killing of the 22-year-old Kurdish woman at the hands of the morality police in Tehran, whose only crime was not wearing the hijab, the compulsory veil that has become a symbol of oppression.

The 2023 report on "Violations of Christians' Rights in Iran" is a study prepared by activists of Article18, together with Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), Middle East Concern and Open Doors International now in its fifth edition.

The 25-page document was published in recent days to coincide with the 44th anniversary of the murder of Reverend Arastoo Sayyah, the first Christian killed for his faith in the Islamic Republic of Iran, just eight days after its founding.

Today, violent deaths of Christians are a less common phenomenon than in the past, as studies document, but, contrary to the claims of the leadership in Tehran, the country is still far from guaranteeing full freedom of faith.

On the contrary, religious minorities including Christians - both 'recognised' communities such as the Chaldeans and Armenians and converts who do not enjoy constitutional rights - are 'systematically' deprived of the right to worship. A repressive policy in open violation of its obligations as a signatory country of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The street protests linked to the killing of the young woman and the perception of the veil as an element of "oppression" show the growing "cry for freedom" among Iranians, especially the young.

Activists explain, freedom means being able to live "in accordance with one's beliefs and ideals" and which applies even more to Christians, who are also persecuted for their faith.

The numbers contained in the report reveal the emergency: 134 Christians were arrested last year for faith-related matters, more than double the 59 in 2021; at least 30 were sentenced to prison or forced into exile; another 61 served time in prison, again a far higher figure than the 34 in the previous year.

At the end of 2022, 17 Christians were in jail with sentences of up to 10 years for "acting against national security" or "propaganda against the regime", while it remains common practice to target those who do not profess Shia Islam by branding them as a "threat" to the Republic and its values.

Last year, two believers were sentenced to 10 years for holding a prayer service inside a private home, in so-called 'house churches'. Again, in 2022, 49 cases of psychological torture and 98 reports of abuse emerged (but the actual figure is far higher because victims often do not report the violence) and 468 individuals - among them non-Christian relatives of the defendants - ended up in the sights of justice.

The last aspect concerns places of worship: only four Persian-speaking churches are still authorised to operate within the territory of the Islamic Republic. However, the authorities have not yet granted permission for their definitive reopening after blocking services as a countermeasure for the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, the communities are not allowed to accept new believers and their numbers are gradually decreasing, so that they do not exceed 70 members in total.
Performers strike a pose at the 2019 Green is the New Black fashion event in Carbondale. Returning for its 12th year under the title theme Mirror Mirror, the show will feature performers, designers and models from around the valley and different places across Colorado.
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(CNN)  When dozens of security personnel crowded onto the runway of New Delhis Indira Gandhi Airport on Thursday, it was not to capture a terrorist or fleeing criminal mastermind, or even to apprehend an unruly passenger.

It was to arrest an opposition politician who had allegedly disturbed harmony  by misstating the Prime Ministers middle name.

Pawan Khera, the spokesperson for the Congress party, had been on his way to his partys national convention when he was forced off his plane and arrested by police.

His alleged crime? Disturbing communal harmony by making a jibe at Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whom he had referred to on live TV last week as Narendra Gautamdas Modi in reference to embattled business magnate Gautam Adani.

Adani, seen as a close ally of Modi and one of the wealthiest people in the world, saw his net worth halved in less than two weeks last month after a report by financial research firm Hindenburg leveled allegations of stock market manipulation and fraud against the Adani Group. The Adani Group condemned the report as baseless and malicious.

Police from the state of Assam said they had deployed a team to New Delhi to arrest Khera for questioning after a case was registered on Wednesday for his objectionable remarks about the Prime Minister.

[Khera] was trying to disturb the communal harmony in society, (according to) sections of the Indian Penal Code under criminal conspiracy, Prasanta Kumar Bhuyan, Assam police spokesperson, told CNN.

But the arrest of Khera has set the stage for a dramatic showdown between Indias ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress party, which has accused the government of stiffling dissent in the worlds largest democracy of 1.3 billion people.

Scores of Congress politicians responded to the arrest by sitting on the airstrip in protest. Khera was released hours later, after Indias Supreme Court ordered him to be released on interim bail. But his brief detention set off a media frenzy in the country, dominating prime time news and headlines.

Speaking to reporters after his release on Thursday, Khera said he was asked to deplane as if I was a terrorist.

This is not the only example of peoples rights and liberties being curtailed. Today its me, tomorrow it could be anyone, he said.

Congress member Supriya Shrinate, who was traveling with Khera at the time of his arrest, added, If this isnt tyranny, then what is?

The Congress party said in a statement that Kheras arrest was undemocratic, and arbitrary, adding: We vehemently oppose this dictatorial behavior.

This charade is not going to deter us from raising questions about the Adani group and its alleged ties to Modi, it said.

CNN has contacted a BJP national spokesperson for a comment but has not yet had a response.

Speaking to Indian news channel NDTV late Thursday, the BJP chief minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, said: Police have all the rights to arrest (Khera).

Kheras arrest comes weeks after the country banned a documentary from the BBC that was critical of the Prime Ministers alleged role in deadly riots more than 20 years ago. Indian tax authorities raided the BBCs offices in New Delhi and Mumbai earlier this month citing irregularities and discrepancies in the BBCs taxes. The BBC defended its documentary and said it was complying with the tax investigation.

Days before Kheras arrest, Sarma, the Assam chief minister, had warned there would be consequences to his remarks about Modi.

India will not forget or forgive these horrible remarks of Congressmen, he wrote on Twitter on Monday.

CNN has not yet been able to reach Khera and his lawyers.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Indias opposition vows to keep raising questions about Adani group after spokesperson arrested"
Swapping battery is the fastest way to charge an EV

Photo: NIO

The drawbacks of swapping batteries

Photo: NIO

A whole debate around swap-battery tech feasibility

ICE

Statistics show that the average American drives around 40 miles (56 km) per day. Thats less than the shortest-range electric vehicle in the worst-case condition. But statistics dont consider those scenarios when the average American simply wants to go on a hundred- or thousand-mile trip in his car.They also dont apply to long-haul freight, especially when perishable goods need to be on time to their destination. Todays electric vehicles simply cant match the long range offered by internal combustion engines and the fast way we charge the tank at a gas station.Chinese carmaker NIO and Taiwanese scooter manufacturer Gogoro are todays leaders in swapping battery technologies. NIO has already deployed 1,300 stations in China, and this year it aims to add another 1,000 stations in China and Europe. Meanwhile, Gogoro has reached almost 350 million battery swaps since it began operations in 2015.In the case of NIO, it allegedly takes around 3 minutes for the fully automatic system to swap a depleted battery with a fully charged one, good for other hundreds of miles of driving. In the case of Gogoro, the much smaller battery is simply swapped by the rider, and in Taiwans capital Taipei, theres a swap station every kilometer  less than 0.6 miles.So why hasn't everyone jumped into swap battery already? Well, theres some history with this technology that doesnt make it the first choice for everybody. As unbelievable as it may seem, swap battery technology is old. Very old. The first concept appeared in the late 1890s, while the first real-world operating service was put in place in Connecticut.Between 1910 and 1924, the General Vehicle Company offered a subscription-based battery-swapping service for the customers of its GeVeCo electric trucks. Almost a century later, the U.S.-Israeli start-up Better Place came up with the idea of a battery-swapping station infrastructure, and the first one was opened in 2008, in Tel Aviv.Soon after, Better Place partnered with Renault-Nissan, and in 2012 they launched Renault Fluence Z.E. in Israel and Denmark. It was the first mass-market battery-swapping electric car, but unfortunately, the business model soon proved not to be economically feasible.In 2013, Better Place went bankrupt because of several reasons. Firstly, a swap station cost was estimated at $500,000 (390,000 in 2012). It was almost half the cost of an average petrol station, but it meant a huge investment upfront for putting up a large infrastructure in a reasonably short time.Secondly, the business scenario required the car industry to quickly adopt the swap battery technology, but there were hardly a few carmakers into electromobility at that time. Thirdly, Fluences battery cost was around $30,000 (23,300 in 2012), and stockpiling many of them was too costly.Finally, although the battery leasing program made Renault and Nissan EVs a little more affordable, the large public wasnt enthusiastic about it. This is odd because the vast majority of new car customers in the western world prefer paying installments for their new car.Tesla was interested in swapping battery technology for a while, but in 2015 they gave up on the idea, because battery swapping is riddled with problems and not suitable for widescale use. It seems that most problems were caused by worn connecting electronics and the bodys rigidity issues. BMW also showed reluctance by calling this idea a waste of time.Besides, this technology requires standardization, which is very hard to put in place because of the very different types of cars and batteries chemistries and capacities and many other technical details. Many fear that such a system would lead to a monopoly in the market because of patent-protected technologies.The battery-swapping solution seems more appropriate for heavy-duty vehicles, like trucks or buses. For instance, at the 2008 Summer Olympics, the Beijing Institute of Technology converted 50 electric buses to allow battery swapping.Then the government started pouring billions into research for this technology and it sparked a flock of pilot projects. At the end of 2021, China was the first to release industry standards for battery swapping technology.And now, several Chinese corporations plan to establish a network of 25,000 swapping battery stations in China by 2025. Its a one-hundred-fold increase than today, in just two years!But for the moment, no western carmaker is willing to follow in NIOs footsteps, mainly because of the huge costs and technical issues. Many analysts estimate that plug-in fast-charging station networks are faster, easier, and cheaper to put in place. Especially thanks to government subsidies.The charging time factor will gradually be solved by rapid advancement in battery tech, so too few investors are willing to bet on swapping battery tech. The U.S. or EUs subsidy programs dont cover this field, and many consider a global industry standardization not likely because of economic and political tensions between the U.S. and China.So, while battery-swapping technology looks easy and convenient for the end user, the background hurdles seem much more serious for western companies and policymakers. However, we should not dismiss this idea just yet, because it could be pretty interesting for the oil companies.For instance, state-owned Chinese oil company Sinopec is deeply involved in developing swapping battery station networks, along with Aulton, NIO and Geely. It fits conveniently the business-as-usual model of gas station networks, and it keeps users addicted to their services.In 2022, Shell, Repsol and Eneos invested more than $200 million (189 million) in the San Francisco-based startup Ample, which currently runs pilot programs with Uber. The start-up aims to develop the battery swap tech especially for fleets, where vehicles are heavily utilized and short charging time is of the essence.Well keep an eye on how things will evolve in the following years. In the next part of this material, well take a look at the conductive charging alternative  maybe this is the real deal for getting electric vehicles on par with theircounterparts and making range anxiety history.
One of them is the premium B-Class , which wont live past its current generation. The other is the Citan, a vehicle based on the same platform as the Renault Kangoo and Nissan Townstar, joined by more upmarket versions, with more bells and whistles, the T-Class. And it is the Citan that is now getting ready to welcome a new addition to the family.Spied in a premiere by our vigilant photographers, the long wheelbase version of the Citan will accommodate an extra row of seats behind the second one. This was made possible by extending the space between the axles, which will otherwise translate to increased hauling when it comes to the panel vans. On models sporting the elongated wheelbase, the rear arch does not protrude into the rear door, unlike the standard-length versions.As for the prototypes snapped by our man with the cam, there were quite a few of them resting on the back of a trailer that was supposedly heading to Europes frozen north for cold-weather testing. A closer look at the images shared in the gallery above reveals that we are looking at the Tourer Base and Tourer Pro variants of the Citan, with the former featuring black plastic bumpers and hubcaps, joined by the short wheelbase T-Class. A second batch of scoops reveals pre-production LWB Citans, in the same configurations, quietly sitting in a parking lot surrounded by ice and snow.It is likely that the long wheelbase versions of the Mercedes-Benz Citan will still be offered with the same assortment of engines. These comprise the Alliances 1.3-liter gasoline burner and 1.5-liter diesel, with six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmissions available. Chances are we will see a zero-emission variant of the longer models too, featuring the e prefix, offered as an all-quiet alternative to the ICE-powered derivatives mentioned above.Sales of the Citan LWB (name unconfirmed) are expected to kick off in the Old Continent later this year, subsequent to the grand unveiling that is probably a few months away. Look for slightly more expensive starting prices compared to the standard wheelbase options, and the same amount of gizmos on the inside. You dont have to be a minivan connoisseur to tell that it wont make its way to North America at all, where the only Mercedes vans on sale remain the Sprinter and the Metris . Mind you, the latter is understood to be discontinued after the current model year, thus leaving Americans with the Sprinter as the only choice when it comes to the three-pointed star brand.
Photo: AM via Facebook

EV

Photo: AL via Facebook

HVAC

Photo: AM via Facebook

Photo: DL via Facebook

Photo: AM via Facebook

Photo: AL via Facebook

SUV

Photo: 519 Kustomz

Photo: 519 Kustomz

Photo: 519 Kustomz

Starting with what Tesla should have already fixed, water ingress is a notorious problem with the companys EVs: I have been writing about it since I began to cover electric cars more frequently in 2019. Tesla vehicles may retain water in their trunk lids, doors, and also inside their trunks and frunks. Some units allow liquids to invade the cabin through their A-pillars when they hit puddles and also through the air vents behind the glove box. The first time I wrote about this last issue was in January 2020.Caleb Sundvall had just taken delivery of his Tesla Model 3 in December 2019. After leaving a touchless car wash, he noticed soapy water pouring in at the front passengers footwell. I never heard back from Sundvall, but I hope Tesla fixed it for him. Similar cases popped up here and there until I did not hear about them anymore. I hoped that was fixed, but I was wrong.In a Facebook group, the user AM posted a video in which she shared the same issue Sundvall experienced three years ago. I have not spoken to these users, so I will not reveal their true identities. The main differences between her case and Sundvalls are related to the car  a 2022 Tesla Model Y Performance  and the date: the incident occurred after a rainy February 13 in her neighborhood.With more than three years to fix the problem, Tesla keeps reproducing it on God knows how many other units and even in different models. When I published my first story about the issue, the Tesla Model Y was still two months from its first deliveries. There was plenty of time to fix it with the Model 3 and to avoid it on the Model Y, but, as I have written before, the Americanmaker thought making cars on a large scale was like writing software and that over-the-air (OTA) updates would fix everything. Long story short, they dont.In the same thread started by AM, I learned about ALs case, who complained about the same problem in March 2022. He also shared footage of what happened with his car. AL had been driving his then brand-new Model Y for two weeks before noticing the water dropping from behind the glove box into the front passengers footwell. Nine other people experienced the same flaw in that discussion alone.One of them was CD, who came up with another video and the explanation provided by the Tesla Service Center: the water drainage under the HEPA filter. When it has issues, the water sloshes back under acceleration and comes out of thevents. You can check a compilation of the videos below.This is something that also happened to Thomas Hiyil. As he publicly complained about that on Twitter, I can tell his story without using initials. Hiyil took delivery of his Model S Plaid on August 25, 2021, and accelerated it hard with a Tesla representative. According to the frustrated owner, nearly three cups of water flew out of the rear vents and soaked the flooring of the Plaid. Hiyil tagged Elon Musk and apparently managed to return the car and get a refund. According to the Tesla customer, the issue was also related to the water drainage because the EV maker forgot to install the AC drain pipe.The Model S uses a different platform than that underpinning the Model 3 and Y, so the possibility that the issue is the same is very remote. Anyway, the electric sedan and the Model X are no strangers to air-conditioning problems. A drainage hose placed right over their battery packs caused the steel cover of the fuse box to rust, which made water invade and kill several of these components.Why does the water drainage in the Model 3 and Model Y have issues under the HEPA filter? If these were used cars, some could argue leaves or other sorts of dirt accumulated there. However, some of these vehicles had just left the Tesla Service Center lots. I don't know if that was the case for the Model Y DL, but it was hopefully covered under the 50,000-mile warranty when the right rear door panel just decided to eject. This is the first new problem this story reveals.As anecdotal as this may sound, there is at least one more case: AW reported the same issue in the thread, just stressing the door panel in his Model Y did not adopt the Wrangler package, as some other users joked. In other words, the door trim would not detach from the door: it would just prevent it from opening by getting jammed around the latch area.Some other users came up with a possible explanation for the defect: two retention bolts that are probably missing. One commenter used that to bash Teslas lack of quality control, and another one, who is used to disassembling his car, stated the bolts are certainly missing because the trim would never have moved had they been in place.The last new issue relates to the castings Tesla uses in the Model Y  and will probably also adopt on the Model 3 Highland. Several safety specialists and repair experts have anticipated that crashing a vehicle with these cast parts would most certainly imply writing off these cars. Oliver Zipse was even more vocal about that. The BMW CEO said the manufacturing advantages of a massive cast part would not compensate for the higher repair costs . This was the reason the German carmaker would never adopt the same strategy.Tesla fans argued that a crash that destroyed one of the companys castings would certainly turn any vehicle into junkyard material. A video from Dan Roelofsen, from 519 Kustomz, suggests that is not always the case. On the contrary: the concerns about reparability are well-founded.The welder and builder bought a salvage-title 2022 Tesla Model Y made at Giga Austin. The vehicle was involved in a front collision that broke a small part of the front cast structure of the electric. It is not clear if that was what totaled the EV. However, insurance companies probably do not recommend repairing the casting, which implies having to replace the entire structure. It is not financially feasible to do so.Although the EV was bought so that 519 Kustomz could extract its 4680 cells , Roelofsen decided to try to weld the casting part that broke. He presented it in his video: it is a weird appendix on each side of the cast component where wings that support the front side of the fenders are joined by three welding points each.Roelofsen calls the appendix a completely unnecessary part, which would likely break in any sort of accident. The builder thinks it would be cleverer just to have the entire wing bolted to the massive casting to favor repairability. It is a pity that Tesla does not give a damn about that.When anything breaks, the company just replaces the entire module because that is easier for Tesla Service Centers: they spend less time putting the car back to work. That happens with rear seats, battery packs , and other expensive components. Even with that strategy, these repair centers are crowded, and getting an appointment is either very complicated or is only possible weeks or months from when the problem manifests.Too bad for Tesla customers if they have to spend more than they can afford or for insurance companies if they have to pay for new cars for their customers, even in minor crashes. Insurance companies still have the option to charge much higher for EV policies, which is the main reason for Tesla to think it has to compete with them.There you have it: multiple Tesla customers are affected either by old problems the EV maker should have already fixed or by new ones that minimally competent quality control teams could avoid. If they did so, Tesla Service Centers would not have to spend so much time fixing what the factories did not deliver as they should in the first place.Mind you that this does not include design flaws or service strategies that will cost these owners buckets of money to fix should anything go wrong. If that is not an ethos, I have no idea what that means. So much so that Id feel gullible to attribute these things to misfortune, incompetence, or accidents. This has been happening for so long that it has to be by design.
ICE

PHEV

EV

MPV

If we look at the current mix of models, just for a little while automotive enthusiasts can still enjoy theshenanigans provided by the gas-powered 2023 Charger sedan and Challenger pony/muscle cars. They can also haul the entire family in style with the Durango, right up to the extent of SRT Hellcat craziness, by the way.And the little Hornet (aka the Alfa Romeo Tonale from an American father) has already arrived and promises affordableelectrification down the road. Then, soon enough, therevolution will take hold, and the nine levels of Banshee EV power will engulf the production version of the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept after the ICE-powered Charger and Challenger will have had that seven special series  Last Call .This is because Stellantis has decided that zero-emission sustainability is the new lifestyle that every brand should adopt  and as soon as possible. But that is only valid in the real world, as across the imaginative realm of digital car content creators the EV memo has not gotten through. At least, not to Dimas Ramadhan, the virtual automotive artist behind the Digimods DESIGN channel on YouTube, who has taken up the task of revealing a new Grand Caravan. Only in CGI, though, as it is obvious that the news of minivans going out of fashion in the U.S. has also flown under his radar.And that is not surprising when considering the abundance of vans and MPVs in his CGI reel. Just recently, we witnessed the digital birth of stuff like the 2025 Mercedes-Benz Citan, the all-new Dacia Dokker, the Mercedes V-Class, the Toyota Hiace and Proace, and more. One of the most interesting ideas  at least as far as American customers might be concerned  also had to do with the arrival of an all-new, sixth generation of the Honda Odyssey , and of course, we have that one also embedded (second) below. Now, back to a different sixth iteration.The virtual Dodge Grand Caravan is not only another generation for the iconic series of minivans, but would also act as a revival because the real-world Dodge Caravan, which came to life in 1984, was sent to the greener pastures of the car retirement asylum back in 2020 as MPVs have been slowly but steadily falling out of favor in America for years. Sure, its Chrysler sibling has not abandoned the segment, and the Pacifica fights on equal footing with the popular Toyota Sienna  but this reinvented, ICE-powered Grand Caravan certainly did not get notified that Stellantis is allegedly thinking about turning the Chrysler Pacifica into a full EV
Photo: Petersen Automotive Museum

With a rich history in racing, cinematography, and television, the glossy red McGee Roadster ended up in the hands of renowned car collector Bruce Meyer, who has recently donated it to the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, thus ensuring that current and future generations of fans are able to enjoy an icon of American hot rod history.In a recent ceremony, Bruce Meyer symbolically handed over the keys to the legendary 1932 Ford McGee Roadster to Terry L. Karges, executive director of the Petersen Automotive Museum. From now on, the roadster will remain part of the automotive museums permanent collection, and visitors will be able to see it on display in the Ross & Beth Myers Gallery.The Ford McGee Roadster and the Petersen Automotive Museum are connected in more ways than one, as Robert E. Petersen, the man who founded the museum in 1994 is also the founder of the Hot Rod Magazine, the publication that propelled the car to fame. The hot rod was featured on the cover of the October 1948 issue of the magazine, and it was the first street car to do so.Bruce Meyer, a founding chairman of the Petersen himself, has said, Hot rods are vital to the entire automotive industry, and Robert Petersen is the man who really brought hot rodding to the people. This car is an important piece of automotive history, and there is no more worthy destination than the Petersen Automotive Museum.The history of the McGee Roadster starts in 1947 when renowned hot-rod builder Bob McGee returned from the Philipines, where he served as a Military Police officer during World War II, and found his previous roadster wrecked by a friend. He bought another 32 Ford Roadster and modified it with the aim of transforming it into something more. And that he did.Among the tweaks he performed was a lowered suspension, larger Lincoln Zephyr wheels in the rear, a peaked and filled grille shell, a custom paint job, and leather upholstery done by Summers. He also removed the door handles and added hidden door hinges to make the car look sleeker, replaced the two-piece hood with an easier-to-manage custom three-piece hood, welded the decklid to the rear panel and smoothed the cowl vent, all of which were meant to give the roadster a dramatic yet seamless look The modifications didnt stop at the aesthetic part, though. To squeeze more power out of the cars Ford V8 engine, McGee fitted Burns dual carb intake manifold, Federal Mogul bronze heads with thermal-flow cooling, and a Filcoolater oil filter.Dick Scritchfield, the cars next owner, contributed to the hot rods cinematography career by leasing it to movie producers and television shows. The car made appearances in the 1958s Hot Rod Gang, an episode of Happy Days, Dragnet, and Fantasy Island, which helped it gain even more notoriety. Under Scritchfields ownership, the car underwent plenty of additional modifications.Meyer bought the car in 1992 and did his best - with help from the SO-CAL Speed Shop - to return it to its 1948 Hot Rod Magazine cover specifications with era-correct pieces.Since then, the McGee Roadster has been shown and won accolades at the Pebble Beach Concours dElegance and the Grand National Roadster Show, and in 2017, became the only hot rod to be added to the National Historic Vehicle Register.
ADAS

IIHS

2023 Tesla Model Y;

2023 Rivian R1T;

2023 Subaru Solterra;

2023 Volkswagen ID.4.

SUV

Photo: IIHS - YouTube

The automotive landscape is constantly changing because almost all industry players are racing toward finding the best zero-tailpipe solution possible and developing the most advanced driver-assistance systems () possible. Besides these two major aspects, the push for driving automation is also creating some safety-related worries.All this progress and constant competition led to vehicles becoming bigger , faster, and heavier. The latter is especially worrying because more moving mass needs more stopping power and better braking assistance systems that can jump in when the human doesnt react properly. Similarly, improved crumple zones that can dissipate the energy of a crash are necessary and the chassis must be rigid enough to keep the cabin occupants safe in case a collision happens.Last year, thewarned us that American roads are not as safe as those in Europe and provided us with the data that supported this claim. This was a last warning of sorts for automakers that they need to implement some serious upgrades and improve everything safety-related. However, now it is entirely official.After the qualifying rules for the Top Safety Pick+ (the gold medal) and Top Safety Pick (the silver medal) have been changed, just four EVs remained among the champions. These are, as follows:The Tesla unit recorded a stellar performance after it scored superior in all three crash avoidance and mitigation testing categories. The luxury crossoveralso proved its worth in real life when a unit was seen plunging off a cliff on Highway 1 and everyone survived the incident.The Rivian R1T is nearly perfect, but the only drawback was that it scored an advanced rating in the vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention at night.The IIHS introduced the previously mentioned category as a key criterion for the TPS+ award, which requires at least an advanced rating and the side crash test which must result in a minimum rating of good. The last part is especially challenging because now the nonprofit does the test with 82% more energy than before.According to the organization, approximately half of all fatal crashes and 75 percent of deadly pedestrian crashes happen at night in the U.S. This means the IIHS will focus more on headlight technology and driver-assistance systems.Besides the abovementioned all-electric stars, Toyota (including Lexus) leads in the TPS+ category with nine models that have received the updated version of the award. Honda (including Acura) follows in the second spot, while the podium is completed by Subarus three vehicles (or Hyundais, if you include its Kia and Genesis counterparts).Besides updating the new testing procedures, the IIHS removed the roof strength, head restraint, and vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention evaluations from the award criteria.Finally, the organization will change the rules again next year, when it makes getting into the highest tier a lot more complicated. It sounds bad for the automakers, but these requirements eventually lead to better overall protection for consumers and protect insurers from having to pay too often for road incidents.
kW

Set to replace the current one, which has been in its third generation since 2019, with production taking place in Turkey, India, and Vietnam, the 2024 Hyundai i10 will bring the usual stylistic updates at both ends. The latest prototype snapped testing in Europe by our spy photographers had its front and rear ends completely covered by heavy camouflage.Sporting a bi-tone finish, with white for the body and black for the roof and pillars, this tester had new headlamps that appear to be about the same size and shape. Further down, we can see the new daytime running lights, with their different graphics, which replaced the round units of its predecessor . Due to the placement of the fake skin, its impossible to tell what they did to the upper and lower grilles, and the side vents with incorporated fog lamps, but everything should be new here as well.The same goes for the entire back end, including the taillights and bumper, which were updated. The reversing light and fog lamp still sit on each side of the license plate, and the tiny hatchback will probably still display its name and the Hyundai emblem on the right- and left-hand side of the tailgate respectively, with the corporate logo sitting in the middle. We are by no means wheel experts, but from what we can tell, these carry over from the current iteration.More importantly, if you look under the rear bumper, on the right side, you will see a tailpipe, which tells us that the Hyundai i10 will stay committed to gasoline power for a few more years. It is likely that it will feature tiny three- and four-cylinder engines, though some of these units could be partially electrified, with our bet being on 48-volt systems. The N Line is still expected to sit at the top of the range, with its 100 ps (99 hp/74) 1.0-liter three-cylinder turbocharged engine, and exclusive upgrades inside and out.The interior was not under wraps anymore, and zooming in on certain images reveals the same infotainment system placed above the central air vents. If anything, Hyundai probably gave it new software and played around with the upholstery and trim. Nonetheless, we will find out exactly what they did to it here when the car premieres, likely before the end of the year or in early 2024.
Described in a patent intuitively called ultra-violet light sanitizing of a vehicle, such technology could play the role of a germicidal agent.After 2020, everybody knows why this would come in handy. Ultra-violet light is being used for disinfection, as it can kill or inactivate various microorganisms. Toyota thinks such an approach makes sense for vehicle interiors as well, especially as we step into the car after previously touching contaminated surfaces or objects.Additionally, Toyotas idea would also make sense in vehicles used for ride-sharing services or taxis. Once a passenger arrives at the destination, the driver can take a break and let the vehicle sanitize the interior.The Japanese firm says the system relies on an army of sensors whose first role is to determine when the vehicle door is open or closed. This way, the disinfection can be triggered right after you step outside the vehicle.Toyota explains that sanitizing the vehicle can target either the whole interior or just a certain part. The latter is particularly aimed at taxis, and the driver would be allowed to control the area covered by the disinfection.While it feels like 2020 all over again, Toyotas idea could be further enhanced to be more effective and meet the needs of drivers. The company says that the predetermined time period when the sanitizing runs can be configured by a user or directly by the car manufacturer. This means the vehicle would ship with a predefined time, but drivers would be allowed to adjust the settings.The carmaker has also envisioned more advanced controls. When the process is running and someone opens the vehicle door, sanitizing is automatically suspended. The ultra-violet light sources can be installed in the roof in the proximity of the interior lights. A second module would be fitted in the back specifically to cover as much of the cabin as possible.The lights can also be installed in the door panels. This way, the system would provide more efficient sanitizing of the doors themselves, as these are the areas that people touch when stepping in and out of the car.Toyota filed the patent back in June 2020, at a time when the fight against germs was the worlds number one priority. While the planet is slowly leaving the global health crisis behind, Toyotas systems could still prove useful, not only to deal with a pandemic, but also to keep the interior of a car germ-free.For now, the system continues to be in the patent stage, so there is no guarantee it would ever make its way to mass production.
Photo: Northern Rivers Tiny Homes

Photo: Northern Rivers Tiny Homes

Photo: Northern Rivers Tiny Homes

Photo: Northern Rivers Tiny Homes

After a hard day of work, few things sound better than lounging in the living room, in front of the TV. With Clunes, this daily luxury is still at your fingertips. Although only 4.3 meters high (14 feet) and 7.2 meters long (23.6 feet) this tiny home includes a welcoming living area.The sofa sits strategically next to the large windows, so that you also get to enjoy a nice view, while the entire spot benefits from natural light. You could even opt for an L-shaped lounge with extra storage underneath, that feels more lavish and can convert to a guest bed.The Clunes seems to invite the outdoors inside, in the best way possible, thanks to its window design. Youll find these generous, stylish windows in the lounge area, in the bathroom, and the main loft bedroom.The kitchen is also specifically designed with windows on each side. Together with the ceiling fan, they ensure the cross-ventilation that is so important in small dwellings. They bring fresh air and light in while keeping unwanted bugs out, thanks to the insect screens.Lighting is another important detail that can totally transform a space. When it comes to tiny homes, discrete LED lights that can be incorporated without taking too much space, in strategic areas, are one of the best choices.Both the kitchen and the bathroom of the Clunes feature overhead task lighting, while wall-mounted reading lights were added in the loft rooms (two for the main bedroom and one in the second loft).The team at Northern Rivers Tiny Homes even made sure that the staircase leading to the loft bedroom was well-lit, with two-way switches making things easier and safer when you need to go downstairs at night.Last but not least, the Clunes also comes with outdoor lighting, which comes in handy especially if you also decide to add the optional deck, to spend more time outdoors.USB charging points also turn the Clunes tiny home into a perfect space for modern living. Thanks to this tiny detail, the L-shaped bench in the kitchen, with two stools underneath, becomes a practical office space as if by magic. Then, in the evening, it simply reverts to being a cozy dining area.This is also what makes the second loft area more functional. Without the lighting fixture and the USB point, it could only serve as a basic storage area. By simply adding these elements, it can work either as a second office or even a smaller bedroom. This is more important than it may seem, not just for better use of space, but also because privacy can be an issue with tiny homes.Through these small, but essential additions, Clunes can provide two different office areas or two bedrooms (plus the convertible sofa in the lounge area) which makes it a lot more practical, despite its size limitations.Even Clunes style helps it feel more spacious and airy. Its no surprise that youd find lots of white everywhere, but the black fixtures and dark wooden elements (such as the floors and kitchen bench top) add visual interest and a touch of elegance. In the bathroom, the addition of easy-to-clean, subway tile panels is both elegant and helpful.Premium, full-size appliances also play a big part in making Clunes a modern home. The bathroom reveals a full-size frame shower and even a laundry space that can fit in a 4.6 kg (10 lb) washing machine. The kitchen comes with an oven and a full-size fridge, plus plenty of storage both above and underneath the bench.The Clunes home on wheels was designed to withstand even the toughest Australian weather, and that says a lot. Plus, it can even be converted into an off-grid haven on wheels. The Northern Rivers Tiny Homes builder isnt a big company, but it makes all of its homes solar-ready, and offers an interesting off-grid package that includes a composting toilet, and a grey water management system.Plus, rainwater can be collected from the roof and stored in a dedicated tank, which this Aussie tiny even more sustainable.The Clunes version with all the bells and whistles will go up to AUD $125,000 (approximately $85,000) but there are also basic versions available, for much less. This brand also focuses on building highly-resistant frameworks made of termite-treated pine that comes from local sources. Together with the high-quality insulation layers, this makes the Clunes tiny a home that isnt made just for today.
The maritime sector brings more money to the UK than aviation and rail together. So, it makes sense for the government to also pour more money into it, in support of innovative, green technologies. The Department for Transport now includes a new division known as UK SHORE, thats supposed to be 100% about decarbonizing maritime transportation and shipping.At the beginning of 2022, UK SHORE got 206 million (nearly $250 million) which is the largest government investment ever made in this country in commercial maritime transportation. By the end of that same year, the Round 3 of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC3) was launched. The CMDC is UK SHOREs main multi-year program.Through the CMDC3 , 19 projects will be awarded a total of 60 million ($72 million). One of the latest to be part of this prestigious selection is a consortium named HI-FIVED (Hydrogen Innovation  Future Infrastructure & Vessel Evaluation and Demonstration).The HI-FIVED project could truly change shipping as we know it. The idea of ships powered only by hydrogen, carrying cargo with no crew onboard, is one of the most futuristic ones out there. Yet, the members of this consortium believe that it can be done right now.What they envision is a pioneering green shipping corridor stretching between Aberdeen and the Orkney and Shetland Islands. ACUA Ocean , the consortium leader, is the one who will be building the autonomous vessels. Unitrove, which claims to have developed the first liquid hydrogen bunkering facility in the world, will work with the Port of Aberdeen to set up the refueling infrastructure.The University of Southampton, plus several other industry players, such as Trident Marine Electrical, and NASH Maritime, will also give a helping hand.ACUA Ocean has an impressive technological breakthrough under its belt. At the beginning of 2022, it launched what claimed to be the worlds first hydrogen-powered drone surface vessel (H-USV), which won the CMDC2 competition.This autonomous vessel would be able to handle between 40 and 60 days at sea, powered only by liquid hydrogen. During this time, it would cruise at only four knots (4.6 mph/7.5 kph) boasting a maximum payload capacity of almost 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg). What makes it unique is the combination of autonomous capabilities with zero-emission propulsion based on liquid hydrogen.The same H-USV will be at the forefront of this new project, coupled with the mobile fueling technology developed by Unitrove. Its set to be delivered no later than the Fall of 2024, when it will start operating in the pre-established green corridor.
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You can reach Ishani Desai at 661-395-7417. You can also follow her at @_ishanidesai on Twitter.
What's Old is New Again on Oregon Coast: Inn of the Four Winds Reopens As New Hotel

Published 02/23/23 at 7:29 PM

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Seaside, Oregon)  It's not just a case of what's is new again: in this case it is, in essence, a new hotel.

It was legendary and lots of fun for many years  and then it wasn't. Dynamic, powerhouse ocean views at this hotel were some of the best in the north Oregon coast burgh of Seaside; this was a beautiful, stand-out historical kind of building, and the Inn of the Four Winds had quite the following. However, something went wrong along the way. (Photos of the Inn courtesy photos; all other Seaside photos Oregon Coast Beach Connection)

Inn of the Four Winds shut down when COVID hit in 2020 and stayed shut down. Now, it's back open under new owners and the place is making quite the splash again.

However, old customer reviews remain online from over two years ago, and Fusion Lodging and the Inn of the Four Winds are still fighting some headwinds left behind from the old guard. New clientele and some old fans of the place are finding it a delight, and the new blood there is hoping to get that word out. What sounded like scenes from the '70s Brit hotel comedy Fawlty Towers are no more.

There were Google reviews of the manager yelling at people, ignoring their reservations, being rude to guest requests, etc., said Fusion Lodging owner Sazzadur Rahman.

Rahman told Oregon Coast Beach Connection these are no longer the vibes there, and they're striving hard to whisk that old reputation away.

We want all previous guests to know that we are working to bring back the boutique charm of this oceanfront property in Seaside that many generations have stayed in, he said.

There's a lot that's changed since Fusion scooped it up recently, and there's more pleasantries on the horizon. They've still got pet-free rooms for those with allergies, yet some surprises are coming. Adding to a long list of amenities already, Rahman offered a preview.

We are looking to make some rooms pet friendly; before the property has not been pet friendly and we want all guests and their pets to enjoy this property, he said. We are looking into in-room hot tubs by the windows so guests can enjoy the incredible view and relax in the tub.

Inn at the Four Winds is looking into even more special packages, though their current roster of them is already enticing enough with lovelies like s'mores, romance packages or birthday packages.

Then there's the amenities you'll find: cookies and salt water taffy upon check-in, DVD players; or fun stuff for kiddies and adults like beach towels, mini-wagons, blankets and lawn chairs. There are wet bars and mini-fridges, comfortable spa robes, gas fireplaces, in-room safes, and even bicycles to borrow for adventures along the 100-year-old Promenade.

All rooms are oceanfront except one that has a partial ocean view, but it hosts a jetted tub.

Each of these units are dressed up in elegant, spry colors that are equated to a cool drink at the beach. Some rooms come with grand, curved windows that make you feel like you're in some Victorian home, at a time when Seaside was just getting started.

The Inn at the Four Winds is located at the very northern edge of this famed and elder Oregon coast town, at the end of the Promenade. This beach access  at 12th Ave. - has some particularly interesting finds for the beachgoer. It's one of the few spots on the entire coastline where you'll find a lot of whole, untouched and unbroken sand dollars. This is due to a unique ecosystem right offshore here that makes for what is likely way more sand dollars than anywhere else. 820 North Prom. Seaside, Oregon. 503-307-8431. See the Inn of the Four Winds website.

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'No Treaties for North Oregon Coast' a Glimpse Into U.S. Betrayal of Local Tribes

Published 02/20/23 at 5:49 AM

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff





(Nehalem, Oregon) - Treaties between tribes of the north Oregon coast and regional white settlers became almost a dime a dozen, beginning in the 1850s, and then broken over and over again. Among them were those negotiated carefully by Anson Dart, the first superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Oregon Territory. What amounts to going through the motions on the part of the U.S. government turned to absolute betrayal, and Dart's treaties were quickly opposed by the Secretary of the Interior and then never ratified by Congress. It led to decades of confusion and heartache for regional tribes. (Above: Anson Dart)

This dark chapter in Oregon coast history will get some exposure to the light on March 4 in Nehalem, as Dr. David Lewis presents No Treaties for the North Coast, a history presentation given at the North County Recreation District (NCRD) at 3:30 p.m. you'll hear the story of these experiences, including forced removal from native lands.

Dr. Lewis is an Assistant Professor, School of Language, Culture and Society at Oregon State University, and conducts ethnohistory research. He is a member of the Grand Ronde Tribe, where he managed the Cultural Resources Department, and cultural archives and exhibits. He publishes Quartux, the Journal of Critical Indigenous Anthropology about Oregon Territory and north coast tribal history.



Oregon has at best a horrific past when it comes to native tribes throughout the state and along the coast. For thousands of years  perhaps tens of thousands  they lived in this area. There are even theories their great flood stories could be from the massive Missoula Flood in the last Ice Age, when an immense ice damn broke in what is now Montana and carved out the Columbia Gorge and many other features of coastal Oregon and near the coast.



Nehalem

The northwestern region  the Oregon coast, essentially  was populated from Astoria down to Gold Beach, and included the teeming Willamette Valley. As Europeans began trickling in during the early part of the 1800s, violent encounters grew. In the 1850s, the Oregon Donation Land Act was enacted, which began giving away 320-acre tracts of land to thousands of incoming settlers. It was a deed that started even before there were any treaties.

Among the standout encounters was a group of Cayuse warriors attacking the Whitman expedition in Walla Walla, blaming them for the various pandemics that wiped many tribes out.

Another occurred in what would become Bandon on the south Oregon coast, where a group of whites came barreling through, angry over some minor offense of one tribal man, attacking their village, burning everything down and even killing the children. The village of the Coquille was wiped out.

These random, fierce attacks on the part of whites became common throughout the territory.

The presentation is sponsored by Nehalem Valley Historical Society; $10 fee at the door supports NVHS educational programs. NCRD is located at 36155 9th Street, Nehalem. For more information, contact Tom Campbell, Executive Director at info@nehalemvalleyhistory.org. MORE NEHALEM / MANZANITA BELOW

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What's Up With All Those Orcas on Oregon Coast? Talk in Cannon Beach Explains

Published 02/22/23 at 5:59 PM

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff





(Cannon Beach, Oregon)  The interwebs ether along the Oregon coast and Washington coast has been on fire the last two, three years with a lot of observations about orcas. The resulting excitement has been catchy as well. (Photo courtesy Josh McInnes)

Behind much of that is one Facebook page especially: the Oregon Coast Killer Whale group. Spearheading that, and a lot more kinds of communication about killer whales in this region, is a researcher from British Columbia. Josh McInnes, out of British Columbia's Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries Marine Mammal Research Unit, has been a bit of a PR guy for all things orca in this region lately.

In some ways, McInnes is a kind of orca science rock star at the moment, not only great at the communication aspect of educating the public but doing research and compiling other research to assist in even more finds.

Thus the next installment of World of Haystack Rock Library Lecture Series happens March 8, featuring McInnes and a talk on Transient Killer Whales of the Outer Coast of Oregon and California. The event is at Cannon Beach Library, 131 N. Hemlock St, Cannon Beach, starting at 7 p.m. It's also available to watch live on Facebook Live.



Courtesy NOAA

For a couple of decades, Oregon coast experts would talk about the transient killer whales coming in every spring, how these whales were different than most orcas  and that little was known about them. Back in 2019, it turned out McInnes and the various groups he worked with through National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) farther north of here had many of them cataloged. It was a sizable sea change for fans of whale watching on the Oregon and Washington coast.

Then, McInnes' groups put out the publication Transient Killer Whales of Central and Northern California and Oregon: a Catalog of Photo-Identified Individuals, which had well over 140 of the familiar faces (or snouts, in this case) photographed and named.

McInnes will talk about these and many other aspects of the still-sometimes mysterious cetaceans, and how their presence as apex predators makes them an important part of the oceanic ecosystems of the region. Insights into the latest findings regarding ecology, abundance, distribution, and community structure of these whales along the outer coast and offshore waters of Oregon and California will be presented.

McInnes told Oregon Coast Beach Connection there are three main types of killer whales: residents, offshore whales and the transients, which contain something relatively new called the outer coast transients (they were discovered about ten years ago). The talk will be an interesting dive into one of the Oregon coast's most exhilarating sights.

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Photos above courtesy NOAA



Orcas on the south Oregon coast this year, courtesy Brookings Fishing Charters



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The Government has hit back at disgusting scam emails that are seeking to rip off people trying to access its energy bills support (Tim Goode/ PA)   Tim Goode

The Government has condemned disgusting scam emails that are seeking to rip off people trying to access its energy bills support.

Scammers have attempted to target UK households by impersonating the Government through emails saying they are eligible for a 400 discount under the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS).

The emails ask the recipient to share details including their name, address and debit or credit card details in order to receive the rebate.

The EBSS entitles every household in England, Scotland and Wales to a 400 discount to help with bills.

Households in Northern Ireland automatically get a 600 payment towards their energy bills through the separate Northern Ireland EBSS.

The package of support was brought in in May last year after wholesale energy costs soared following Russias invasion of Ukraine, this time last year.

But the Government stressed that most households do not need to apply for the energy support because it is received automatically through their electricity bill or via credit or vouchers directly from their electricity supplier.

A spokesperson for the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said: It is disgusting that scammers seek to rip off people at a time when they are simply trying to get the Government support theyre entitled to.

Households with a direct connection to an electricity supplier do not need to apply for the Energy Bills Support Scheme.

Most customers receive it automatically through their electricity bill and customers on prepayment meters receive a credit or vouchers direct from their electricity supplier.

Consumers should stay alert to potential scams and report them when they are suspected.

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More than three quarters of all EBSS vouchers have been redeemed and 1.7 million was used in January alone, BEIS said this week.

It means that a record amount of Government support reached some of the countrys most vulnerable households in January, with vouchers redeemed by those on traditional prepayment meters.

Some 530 million has been provided so far under the scheme, it revealed.

It comes after fraudulent texts began circulating last year, inviting people to apply for the 400 discount and encouraging them to set up a direct debit to receive the money.

The Government said it does not currently have data on the total volume of scams in this area, but it is trying to track down scammers and counteract them.

It added that cyber criminals are opportunistic and will use issues such as rising energy bills to try to trick people into sharing their financial or personal details.

People who think they have received suspect emails can forward them to report@phishing.gov.uk and to Action Fraud.
Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union on the picket line (Aaron Chown/PA)   Aaron Chown

Industrial action in different sectors will continue to cause disruption across the UK in the coming weeks.

Services from health to education to transport are set to be hit by walkouts this month and beyond.

(PA Graphics)   PA Graphics

Here are some of the strikes planned:

 February 24

Contracted-out staff working for ISS on the Docklands Light Railway will stage a 48-hour strike, the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has said.

 February 28

National Education Union (NEU) strike action in England and Wales is due to take place on February 28, March 1 and 2  but the union has suggested these could be paused if real progress is made in negotiations over pay.

NEU members in the Northern, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber regions in England are due to strike.

Teachers from the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) will start a fresh wave of strikes.

More than 350 Amazon workers at the West Midland fulfilment centre in Coventry will walk out, the GMB union has said.

The University and College Union (UCU) has paused a further seven days of strikes, which were due to start from February 21, after real progress was made in talks with employers over pay, conditions and pensions.

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 March 1

Teachers from the NEU in the East Midlands, West Midlands and Eastern regions in England will strike.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has called off a 48-hour strike by members at 128 NHS employers in England that was due to start at 6am on March 1 after the Government agreed to enter pay talks.

Teachers from the EIS will strike.

 March 2

Teachers from the NEU in the London, South East and South West regions in England will strike and members of the NEU Cymru are also due to walk out in schools across Wales.

Amazon workers in Coventry who are members of the GMB union are to strike again.

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 March 6

Ambulance workers will strike in a dispute over pay and staffing, after GMB said more than 10,000 of its members, including paramedics, emergency care assistants, call handlers and other staff, will walk out.

Unite members employed by different ambulance trusts will be striking in the West Midlands; the North East; the East Midlands; the North West and Wales.

Driving test examiners will take the first of 10 days of strike action across England, Scotland and Wales, with more than 1,600 members of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) employed by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency set to take rolling days of industrial action from March 6 to 28.

Unite members within the Welsh Ambulance Service are to strike.

Teachers from the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) union take part in a rally earlier this month (Jane Barlow/PA)   Jane Barlow

 March 7

EIS members will take targeted strike action in Glasgow Southside, Dunfermline, Perthshire North, the part of Clydebank and Milngavie constituency that lies within the East Dunbartonshire Council area and Mid Galloway & Wigtown West from March 7 to 9 in a dispute over pay.

 March 8

Unison health workers in England including blood collection staff, nurses, healthcare assistants, cleaners and porters and other health workers at a number of NHS organisations, such as NHS Blood and Transport and Great Ormond Street Hospital, will strike

Unison members working for ambulance services in London, Yorkshire, the North East, North West, East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, South East Coast and South West will also walk out

 March 10

Welsh ambulance workers who are members of Unite to strike again.

 March 13

Teachers from the EIS will begin a rolling programme of strikes for 20 days from March 13 until April 21.

Junior doctors in England will strike for three days from March 13 in a dispute over pay, the British Medical Association announced.

Amazon workers in Coventry are to take further industrial action for one week from March 13 to 17.

 March 15

Some 100,000 members of the PCS union, and London Underground workers in Aslef will strike on Budget day in separate disputes.

Teachers from the NEU in England and Wales are due to stage the final two days of walkouts.

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 March 16

RMT members will take nationwide strike action across the railways in a long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.

Teachers from the NEU in England and Wales will strike in a final day of walkouts.

 March 18

Members of the RMT union at train operators strike again.

 March 20

GMB and Unite ambulance workers will strike in a dispute over pay and staffing.

 March 30

RMT members walk out.

 April 1

RMT members strike again.
Vicki Michelle has joined the cast of EastEnders for a short stint in the role of Jo Cotton, wife to Rocky Cotton, played by Brian Conley (BBC/PA)

Actress Vicki Michelle has joined the cast of EastEnders as Rocky Cottons wife.

The former Allo Allo! star, 72, will take on the role of brash and glamorous Jo Cotton for a short stint in the long-running BBC soap.

Rocky is the son of Charlie Cotton, the bigamist husband of late chain-smoking laundrette worker Dot Branning, and half brother of her children Nick and Andrew Cotton.

When Rocky, played by Brian Conley, first came to Albert Square he called himself Terry Cant and little is known about his past.

He married Jo 25 years ago.

Michelle said: Im so excited to be in EastEnders and everyone has been so lovely.

Jo Cotton is a great character and it is such a great story. I cant wait for the audience to meet her.

Brian Conley plays Rocky Cotton (PA)   Yui Mok

Michelle played waitress Yvette Carte-Blanche in Allo Allo!, a popular 1980s BBC comedy which ran for nine series, ending in 1992, and briefly returned for a special in 2007.

Set in Nazi-occupied France during the Second World War, Yvette was the mistress of cafe owner and resistance volunteer Rene Artois, played by Gorden Kaye, who died in 2017 at the age of 77.

Michelle also starred in ITVs village soap Emmerdale and was a contestant on Im a CelebrityGet Me Out of Here in 2014.

Chris Clenshaw, executive producer, said: Were thrilled to welcome the immensely talented Vicki to the EastEnders family, as she brings to life the character of Jo Cotton.

Vicki is the perfect fit to take on the elusive character of Rockys wife that we know very little about.

Brash, quick-witted, and extremely glamorous, Jo is akin to her long-lost husband, Rocky, and as you would expect she is immediately thrown into the heart of the drama when she arrives in Walford.

Michelle, who has started filming for EastEnders, will appear on screen in two episodes next month on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
A US court has allowed Rust armourer Hannah Gutierrez Reed to keep a firearm at home for safety purposes, after revealing she had received threats.

The weapons supervisor is charged alongside Alec Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter following the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in October 2021.

Ms Gutierrez Reed attended her first appearance hearing at a US court on Friday, but did not enter a plea to the charges.

It comes after Baldwin waived his right to the first appearance hearing, and entered pleas of not guilty to the charges on Thursday.

Gutierrez Reed (centre right) appeared at a virtual hearing on Friday (New Mexico Administrative Office of the Courts/PA)

At Fridays hearing at Santa Fe Magistrates court in New Mexico, the court heard that Gutierrez Reed had received numerous threats and had been forced to file a restraining order against a stalker.

Her lawyer Jason Bowles said authorities had released documents related to the case and failed to redact identifying information that included phone numbers.

Ms Gutierrez Reed then had numerous threats, phone threats. She had voicemails that were very, very, very bad, he said.

She is asking the court just to be able to have for self defence in her home only, not to be able to possess a firearm generally outside of her home.

District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies told the judge she adamantly opposed the request because of Gutierrez-Reeds sloppy mishandling of firearms and guns on the set.

She suggested Gutierrez-Reed could either move or keep a bat or pepper spray in her house instead.

Mr Bowles said he disagreed with the DAs remarks, saying There is no allegation that she is a danger to anyone having a firearm within her home.

Its for self-protection because of actions that the state took in releasing private information.

That is the reason for that request.

Both Gutierrez Reed and Baldwin will next appear for a preliminary hearing, where it it will be determined whether or not the case will proceed to trial.
Former health secretary Matt Hancock said he was incredibly proud to support Iryna Korobkina and her artist husband Oleg Mischenko (Aaron Chown/PA)   Aaron Chown

A Ukrainian refugee family who are being hosted by former health secretary Matt Hancock are putting a collection of NFT paintings up for a charity sale.

The West Suffolk MP has announced that the money raised would go to relief and aid agency Care International UKs Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

Mr Hancock, who began hosting the family in April, said he was incredibly proud to support Iryna Korobkina and her artist husband Oleg Mischenko, who are selling the 15-piece NFT collection.

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The former Im A Celebrity  Get Me Out of Here contestant added: Their spirit and bravery in the face of adversity  like so many Ukrainians  is inspiring and I urge people to help in any way they can.

Oleg is an incredibly talented artist and his From Ukraine, With Love collection is truly stunning.

Mr Mischenkos works were painted before the war, and later turned into digital items called non-fungible tokens (NFT)  a type of certificate of ownership for virtual assets such as memes or tweets.

After escaping Russian forces in March, he stayed behind while his family found refuge in the UK.

Mr Mischenko joined the army, but due to his health he was not sent to fight and in December was reunited with his family in Suffolk.

The member of the National Union of Artists in Ukraine said: Selling off my works as part of this NFT collection is a way of serving my country and its people.

Its also my way of defending our cultural values, our philosophy and our European way of life.

He also had his works, which were on display in the Ukrainian port city of Odesa, shipped to West Suffolk.

Ms Korobkina said: My husband has captured Ukraines beauty. Tragically, some of these places are now unrecognisable following the war.

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She also thanked Mr Hancock and the UK for welcoming refugees into their homes.

People have been very kind here in England. We want to thank you all from the bottom of our hearts, she added.

In February this year, Mr Hancock announced that the Ukrainian family had found jobs, a school for their five-year-old daughter Mariana and a new home.

Coinbase, which is conducting the NFT sale, is not taking a fee and 90% of all money raised is going to Care International UKs Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, with 10% going to Ms Korobkinas family.

Care International UK have been supporting Ukrainian refugees with basic needs and psychological support in the UK and abroad.

The NFTs will be sold at The NFT Gallery, on Dover Street, in Londons Mayfair on Monday February 27.
Cabinet ministers have also been told to be ready for a potential conference likely to take place on Sunday.

Conservative MPs have been ordered to attend the House of Commons on Monday amid expectations of a deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Cabinet ministers have also been told to be ready for a potential conference call this weekend, which is likely to take place on Sunday.

MPs have been informed there is to be a three-line whip on Monday, meaning they must attend the Commons, The Times has reported.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to hold further talks with the DUP and president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyden ahead of any announcement.

No 10 sources confirmed that Mr Sunak on Friday also had "constructive engagement" with supermarket bosses and "fast parcel operators", along with other businesses, about the protocol and the issues he is attempting to fix.

Read more PSNI officer yelled run to son and terrified children as masked gunmen opened fire

Any attempt by the DUP to oppose the governments potential deal could once again delay its announcement.

The PM had been intending to announce the deal this week, but opposition from the DUP and other Eurosceptic MPs have forced a delay.

A source told The Times that Mr Sunak just wants to get this done and believes the NI Protocol is simply not working, but the PM is expected to face opposition from within his own party.

It comes after Sunaks predecessor Boris Johnson warned that dropping the NI Protocol Bill would be a mistake.

"I think the best way forward is the Northern Ireland bill, he told Sky News.

"Its a very good bill. It fixes all the problems. It solves the problems that we have in the Irish Sea, it solves the problems of paperwork, VAT and so on.

He added: Id go with that one.

Under Mr Sunaks plan almost all checks on goods travelling between Britain and Northern Ireland would be removed, while Westminster would also be free to set Northern Irelands VAT and state aid policy for the first time since Brexit.

The deal would also give the NI Assembly and UK government the right to be consulted on new EU laws affecting NI for the first time, giving the potential for them to be disapplied.

It is understood that it does not meet the DUPs main demand of a Stormont veto on single market legislation affecting Northern Ireland.

Senior Eurosceptic Conservatives have said any significant change needs to be scrutinised by MPs, with Mr Sunak suggesting during Prime Ministers Questions on Wednesday that MPs would be given a say.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly indicated that ministers will not sign off on a deal over the protocol with Brussels until the DUP's concerns are addressed.

Mr Cleverly told Times Radio: "The things they're concerned about, the things we're concerned about, are absolutely in alignment and we are focused on resolving all the issues that need resolving.

"Some of them are technical trade issues and very complicated and some of them are really simple but important principles, like Northern Ireland's place as an integral part of the United Kingdom. And that sense of sovereignty, the importance of a democratic voice.

"So when, hopefully, we get those issues resolved, then I would hope that the DUP would recognise that we've addressed their concerns and until we have addressed those concerns we're not going to sign off on the deal."

However, when asked again whether the Government would not press ahead with a deal not backed by the DUP, he said: "No, what I've said is we've got to make sure that the issues they've highlighted are addressed."

Downing Street insisted that no decision had yet been made.
Gerard McKenna was tried fairly before being convicted of rape, sexual assault, child abduction and offering to supply a Class A drug

A man jailed for abducting and raping a schoolgirl failed today in a legal bid to clear his name.

The Court of Appeal rejected claims that Gerard McKenna did not get a fair trial due to flaws in how police obtained evidence from the 12-year-old victim.

With the challenge to his conviction dismissed, the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) is pressing ahead with a separate attempt to have him kept in prison for longer.

The authority contends that the sentences imposed on both McKenna, 30, and his 26-year-old co-accused Paul Sheridan were too lenient.

In October last year, the pair were jailed for the abduction and rape of the vulnerable girl and sexual assault of her 15-year-old friend.

The victims were attacked on the Lagan towpath near Lisburn two days before Christmas in 2019. A jury heard the girls had been plied with vodka and offered cocaine during the incident.

Paul Sheridan (L) and Gerard McKenna.

Sheridan, from Hillfoot Crescent in Ballynahinch, pleaded guilty to rape, sexual assault and child abduction. He received a sentence of six-and-a-half years.

McKenna, originally from the Whiterock in west Belfast, protested his innocence. During interviews, he denied knowing the younger girls name or any involvement in her rape. Amid a series of derogatory comments about the complainants, he expressed a hope that they burnt in hell for trying to ruin any mans reputation like that.

After being convicted of rape, sexual assault, child abduction and offering to supply a Class A drug, McKenna was handed a nine-year prison sentence.

The PPS has referred both sentences to the Court of Appeal to determine if they were unduly lenient.

Initially, however, senior judges heard claims that McKennas conviction was unsafe.

His lawyers argued that a detective had prompted the girl when obtaining an additional statement from her about one of the alleged sexual assaults.

The trial judge wrongly declined to exclude the improperly obtained evidence and should instead have directed the jury to acquit McKenna on that count, it was contended.

Ruling on the appeal, Lady Chief Justice Dame Siobhan Keegan accepted a clear mistake was made in taking the supplementary statement, but this did not result in an unfair trial.

She pointed out that the girl had also made an immediate complaint about the assault, which was not the most serious of the allegations against McKenna.

Jurors were aware of how the child had been prompted and the police officers accepted error.

The judge was entirely correct to refuse to exclude the evidence and leave this matter to the jury. This approach did not result in unfairness to the applicant, the Chief Justice said.

Accordingly, we dismiss the appeal against conviction. We consider that this verdict is safe.

In a separate move, the PPS has referred both mens sentences for the court to determine if they were unduly lenient.

That process had been put on hold pending the outcome of McKennas challenge to his conviction.

Dame Siobhan indicated the PPS appeal will now be listed for hearing after the Easter recess.
A Co Antrim chauffeur who admitted supplying drugs to family and friends has been jailed for 13 months.

At Belfast Crown Court, James Nelson was handed a 26-month sentence, divided equally between prison and licence, for five offences in December 2021.

Following his arrest, the 50-year-old, from Randox Road in Crumlin, claimed he became involved in the supply of drugs when trying to pay off drug debts racked up by his sons.

Branding this "a bizarre story", Judge Richard Greene KC said while he accepted Nelson's business as an executive chauffeur would be affected by his incarceration, the offences warranted a prison sentence.

It was heard that on December 15, 2021, a police surveillance team stopped a car, and following a search of the boot, 60 grams of cannabis were located alongside 20,000 in cash.

Following this, Nelsons home was searched, with quantities of herbal cannabis and 26 grams of high purity cocaine being seized.

After being arrested, Nelson admitted possessing the drugs found in his home. He also confessed to cutting the cocaine in his property and selling it to family and friends.

He subsequently pleaded guilty to five charges including possessing criminal property on December 15, 2021, as well as possessing class A and class B drugs with intent to supply.

Defence submissions made by barrister Aaron Thompson indicated Nelson's arrest had been a "wake-up call". He also asked Judge Greene to note his client's long-standing work record.

The judge replied: "The issue of how he came to supply class A and B drugs from a standing position of trying to help his sons is, in my view, something of a bizarre story."
Really annoyed shed owner hits out at the police as two Vietnamese men appear in court

A farmer whose shed housed one of the biggest and most sophisticated cannabis farms ever discovered in Northern Ireland has criticised police for not doing enough to find those responsible.
Two women and a man have been sentenced following the death of a teenager who took ecstasy tablets three years ago.

At Downpatrick Crown Court, sitting in Belfast, Judge Geoffrey Miller KC warned that it was not cool to take drugs.

Victoria Burgess, of East Link, Holywood, and Holly Martin, of Ashdale Crescent, Bangor, were told they must both carry out 75 hours of community service and placed on probation for two years.

Burgess (20) had previously pleaded guilty to encouraging or assisting the supply of class A drugs by providing her bank details and cash to another.

Martin, also 20, pleaded guilty to supplying a class A drug, namely ecstasy tablets.

Matthew Kane (23), of Eia Street, Belfast, was handed a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years after he admitted possessing ecstasy and cannabis with intent to supply.

The court heard that at around 10.50pm on Sunday, February 1, 2020, police were called to Market Street in Bangor after receiving a report that a 17 year-old had collapsed.

Prosecution counsel Laura Ivers said that despite the efforts of the emergency services, the young man died at the scene.

Ms Ivers explained that a toxicology report said he had died from ecstasy poisoning.

She added: "Police spoke to his friends who confirmed he had been taking ecstasy that evening. Holly Martin and another person were taken to hospital after ingesting the same drug.''

Police established that Kurt Burgess, the brother of Victoria Burgess and who was previously sentenced for his role in the case, had travelled to east Belfast earlier that day to buy the drugs.

"When Kurt Burgess arrived back in Holywood, he supplied the ecstasy tablets to another. Holly Martin was one of the people who supplied him with the money to buy the drugs, Ms Ivers said.

Later in the evening, Martin went to Bangor and shared the drugs with the victim. The prosecution said Martin's bank accounts were examined and showed she had transferred 130 to Victoria Burgess's account. She withdrew 140 from her account which enabled her brother to buy the ecstasy tablets.

Ms Ivers said: "Police searched Matthew Kane's home and found herbal cannabis and ecstasy tablets in the living room along with dealer bags, scales and a drug cutting agent.''

The seized drugs had a street value of up to 2,683.

In a statement, the deceased's mother said the impact of his death has been "intense and deeply traumatic.

Judge Miller concluded: "It is important to remember that, as a result of these events, a young man, in truth no more than a boy, lost his life.

"No one intended that this would occur, but it did. This provides the clearest possible warning as to the consequences that follow when young people experiment with these drugs.

"The notion that it is cool and it is safe to do so is tragically misplaced, as this case so clearly illustrates.''
One of Northern Irelands leading providers in learning disability support services says it has been forced to place over 50 staff members on protective notice after months of uncertainty regarding European Social Funding (ESF).

An Alliance MLA has described the situation as disgraceful as many people with learning disabilities are about to lose crucial support.

The funding is due to end on March 31 and will be replaced with the UK governments new UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) which Mencap said falls significantly short of the ESF funding pot by at least 50%.

This announcement points to a worrying wider picture of service cuts being made to social care services for people with a learning disability across the country, and reduced opportunities for people to exercise their rights to find, access and stay in work.

Speaking about the protective notice announcement Grainne Close, Mencap NI Director said: We have had to make the difficult decision to place our staff on protective notice as we approach the end of ESF funding on 31st March.

Unfortunately, with no guarantee of replacement funding and the knowledge that any replacement funding will be at least 50% less than before, it is no longer sustainable for the organisation to deliver services at this level beyond the end of March 2023.

The Mencap NI Executive team have looked at all options and tried to find alternative solutions however with the current situation and lack of clarity from government departments this has proved exceedingly difficult.

The ending of these vital services will have a direct impact on people with a learning disability into employment and will also have a direct impact on their social and emotional wellbeing.

Ms Close added: With no local government in place, vital support organisations are being left in a precarious position, and are being forced to remove access to services which enrich the lives of some of the most vulnerable in our society

We need local government officials to do the right thing by providing resource and support to allow these services to continue.

Our colleagues in Mencap NI, who work in communities across Northern Ireland are highly skilled and dedicated, having built up many years of expertise in supporting people with a learning disability to access training opportunities and jobs.

They are doing all they can to ensure continuity of services, whilst also trying to deal with their own personal circumstances in this difficult situation.

Across the wider voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland it is estimated that the end of ESF could mean a loss of service for up to 17,000 people and will affect 1,700 employees who support them across multiple organisations

Urgent clarification on budgets for the forthcoming financial year is needed after a major charity placed their employment services staff on 30-day redundancy notice, Alliance MLA Kellie Armstrong has said.

Mencap NI took the decision to inform the employment services staff, who train people with disabilities

Strangford MLA Ms Armstrong, Chair of the Assemblys All-Party Group on Learning Disabilities, said it was disgraceful Mencap had been forced into the move.

The last thing Mencap wanted to do was to put staff in this horrendous and upsetting situation, or to leave so many people with learning disabilities with no support in only a few weeks, she said.

Northern Ireland has the highest level of unemployment of people with disabilities. For months I have listened to officials from the Department for Communities talk about how we need to help them into employment.

"Yet here we are with one of the largest employment support services preparing to make this move, closing the door on a major support mechanism to do exactly that.

Ms Armstrong added: Those stopping the restoration of the Executive need to get real. This impasse is leading to job losses and the removal of fundamental support for the most vulnerable people in society. It is disgraceful Mencap has been forced into this move.

Everyone was aware the ending of the European Social Fund due to Brexit would be a disaster and were now seeing the outworkings of that, with vital services being ripped away.

The Secretary of State and Departmental Permanent Secretaries need to come together to put a funding plan in place, in order to prevent hundreds of people with learning disabilities from being disadvantaged.

The NIO and Department for Communities have been contacted for comment.
A pensioner has been found guilty of drugging and sexually abusing a schoolboy more than 20 years ago.

At Craigavon Crown Court today, a jury returned a 10-2 verdict against Noel Brendan Cooney (72), convicting him of inciting gross indecency with a child.

Judge Patrick Lynch KC remanded him into custody, with sentencing on March 31.

Last week, a different jury convicted Cooney, with an address at Deramore Mews in Belfast, of further charges of gross indecency and indecent assault of the same victim between January 1999 and December 31, 2002.

It was heard that using the lure of watching cartoons on TV, he enticed the boy into his home before getting the victim to pull his trousers down. On another occasion, the boy, who was between eight and 11, sat on Cooneys knee.

Prosecuting counsel Joseph Murphy told the court that additionally, when the boy was in Cooneys house, the defendant asked him if he wanted a drink.

He could see Cooney put something back in his pocket, but he consumed the drink and began to pass out, the lawyer explained.

When the victim came round, he could feel something on the back of his head and neck.

At this stage, Cooney was behind him sexually assaulting the boy, who fell unconscious again. The jury heard that when he awoke he felt hazy, and that this was the perverts eighth victim.

The defendant told him to leave and pushed him out the door. The next day, he said that he had difficulty walking as a result of the injury to his anus, Mr Murphy said.

Arrested and interviewed in 2021, Cooney had denied the accusations.

In 2008, Cooney was handed an 18-year sentence for 37 offences. These included three of raping a girl, and indecent assault and gross indecency of a boy and four girls from 1989 to 1993.

The judge at the time placed him on the sex offenders register for life, saying he had carried out a "campaign" of abuse.

In court on Friday, Judge Lynch said Cooney had shown no remorse whatsoever and still regarded him as still a danger to society.
Mountain climbs will mark road crash victims 40th birthday

Co Down man climbing UKs highest peaks in memory of brother following crash death

A Co Down man will climb four of the highest mountains in the UK to raise money for Air Ambulance NI in memory of his brother who died in a road crash.

Richard Stuart (43), from Ballynahinch, plans to take on the challenge in each of the four regions of the UK over four days in April.

Starting with Ben Nevis in Scotland and finishing with Slieve Donard in Northern Ireland, the combined ascent and descent of the four mountains is 8,516m, just shy of Mount Everests elevation at 8,848m.

Proceeds of the climb will go to Air Ambulance NI in memory of Richards brother Matt, who died in a road accident in 2020.

I thought climbing the four mountains would be something significant to help raise money for the Air Ambulance, Mr Stuart said.

Air Ambulance NI attended the scene of Matts accident and Richard wanted to show his appreciation for the charity.

Matt Stuart pictured who died in a road collision in 2020

Matt would have turned 40 years old on April 18 this year, with Richard deciding the climb would be a great way to celebrate his brothers life.

Im not sure if he would have relished turning 40, but Matt died in 2020 during the Covid lockdown, so we didnt really get a chance to have a proper gathering with everyone to remember him.

He had a huge friendship group and he had a lot of friends from different backgrounds and none of them got the chance to say goodbye. I thought, for his birthday, we could do something to remember him by, something that anyone who wanted to could join in with.

Some of Mr Stuarts work colleagues will travel with him on the climb, with more friends and relatives joining in on the last day, when he will climb Slieve Donard.

Mr Stuart said anyone wishing to show their support should come to Slieve Donard on April 18.

While the cause is to remember his sibling, Mr Stuart isnt entirely sure if his brother would approve of his plan.

Matt would probably tell me climbing isnt going to do me any good, that I should just get into the gym instead.

He was into going to the gym; he loved the gym.

Proceeds of the fundraising challenge will go to Air Ambulance NI

As April steadily approaches and the prospect of the challenge nears, Mr Stuart jokingly suggested he is not sure himself if the climb is still a good idea.

The idea came into my head last October. It seemed like a great idea then: I had a long time to train. Now Ive got a lot less training time, it seems like less of a good idea, he joked.

So far, Mr Stuart has raised over 6,000 for Air Ambulance NI.

We originally set the target at 5,500, because thats how much it costs to run the Air Ambulance a day. But we hit that, so we raised it to 7,500. We just want to raise as much money as possible, he added.

Mr Stuart said anyone wishing to show their support should come to Slieve Donard on April 18 or donate to the JustGiving page.
Detectives investigating a burglary in Dromore where a gun cabinet was taken from a property have arrested a man and recovered the cabinet and its contents.

Police highlighted that an officer was assaulted as he apprehended the suspect.

A report was made to police shortly before 5pm on Thursday, February 23, that entry had been gained to a property in the area and the cabinet taken sometime between 2pm and 4.30pm.

It was further reported that the cabinet contained one firearm, while items of jewellery and medication were also reported to have been stolen during the burglary.

Detective Inspector Handley said: "Initial enquiries were conducted and a man, aged in his thirties, was arrested a short time later.

"He remains in custody at this time, assisting with enquiries in relation to a number of offences, including possession of controlled drugs

"During the course of the arrest, the suspect struck a police officer to the head a number of times.

"Thankfully, the officer has not reported any serious injuries as a result of this but once again, we have seen another unacceptable attack on a police officer who was simply doing their job.

"Our investigation remains ongoing and I would appeal to anyone with any information to contact us on 101, quoting reference 1428 of 23/2/23."

Alternatively, you can submit a report online using the non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/.

You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/
A 29-year-old and 22-year-old are in custody following the incident on Thursday night

Two men have been arrested after a police officer was dragged along the ground by a reversing car on the forecourt of a north Belfast petrol station.

The incident occurred after a blue Saab was reported stolen in the Tober Park area of Cullybackey on Thursday February 23.

Inspector Adams said: Later that evening police received a report of a suspicious vehicle in the Brookhill Avenue area of north Belfast.

Shortly before 9.30pm police observed the car in the forecourt area of a petrol station on the Antrim Road.

As officers approached the vehicle and spoke with the driver, he reversed at speed and dragged an officer along the ground before making off and colliding with another car.

The officer sustained injuries to both his knees and hands and required hospital treatment. It is completely unacceptable what happened and he was injured just for doing his job.

"This is a prime example of dangerous and reckless driving and it could have had the most serious of consequences for our officer and the public.

Police received a further report that the vehicle had collided with another car further up the Antrim Road that had been observed driving erratically prior to the collision. Officers attended and two men were arrested.

A 29-year-old was arrested on suspicion of attempted grievous bodily harm and a number of driving offences including aggravated vehicle taking in which a vehicle is driven dangerously, two counts of aggravated vehicle causing damage to another vehicle, no driving licence or insurance and driving when unfit through drink or drugs.

Meanwhile, a 24-year-old was also arrested on suspicion of aggravated vehicle taking causing injury, two counts of aggravated vehicle taking causing damage to another vehicle and aggravated vehicle taking in which a vehicle is driven dangerously.

Both men remain in police custody at this time, assisting officers with enquiries.

Our investigation is now underway and we are appealing to anyone who was in the area at the time and witnessed what happened or has dash-cam footage that could help with our enquiries, to call police on 101, quoting reference number 1764 of 23/02/23.

SDLP councillor Carl Whyte was on the scene soon after the collision took place.

"This incident could easily have resulted in severe injury or worse for other drivers or passers-by, he said.

"One car wheel had flown completely across the road, the area was covered in shattered glass and bodywork and the stolen Saab was halfway up the kerb facing the wrong way down the road.

"A local doctor provided medical aid before paramedics and police arrived. Thanks to PSNI, Ambulance Service and the local medics who assisted during the aftermath and hopefully the PSNI officer injured earlier makes a full recovery.

"This area is populated by walkers and cyclists of all ages and if this incident had taken place even an hour earlier the result could have been potentially devastating.
Mr Heaton-Harris said the UK government would continue to stand with Ukraine.

More than 2,000 Ukrainians have been offered support in Northern Ireland since the Russian invasion

The UK government has committed 3.6 billion in military, economic and humanitarian support to Ukraine, NI Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris has said.

Speaking on the one-year anniversary of Russias invasion of Ukraine, Mr Heaton-Harris thanked the people of Northern Ireland for the support shown to Ukrainian refugees.

"Today marks a year since Russias unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine, he said in a video posted to his Twitter account.

"The UK government continues to hold the people of Ukraine in our hearts and minds at this terrible moment in their nations history.

"Since that invasion, over 2,000 people have come from Ukraine to Northern Ireland through the Homes for Ukraine or the Ukraine Family schemes.

Read more 2,000 Ukrainians supported in Northern Ireland since Russian invasion a year ago

"My colleague Steve Baker has met with the Belfast group which helps Ukrainian refugees arriving in Northern Ireland by providing information and support and raising awareness and of course funds to support humanitarian efforts.

"Id like to thank this group and everyone in Northern Ireland who supported the people of Ukraine by welcoming them into their homes, fundraising and so many other things.

"The UK government has been unwavering in its support for the people of Ukraine. Last year, we provided 2.3 billion in military aid to that country, and indeed have pledged 1.5 billion in economic and humanitarian support to Ukraine going forward.

"We will continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.

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It comes after Ian Snowden, who has been leading the Ukrainian Refugee Support Team in Northern Ireland, said 1,855 Ukrainians have arrived under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme and 276 have moved here under the Ukraine Family Scheme.

Soon after the war began it became clear that millions of Ukrainians needed urgent sanctuary, he said.

"We have been working closely with public bodies, voluntary organisations and district councils to ensure the Ukrainian people who came here were offered the support they needed.

To date, 1,855 Ukrainians are known to have arrived here under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme and 276 Ukrainians have moved here under the Ukraine Family Scheme.

Ukrainians are now living in 671 properties which have been very generously provided by local people.

A total of 1,184,750 has also been paid in thank you payments to Homes for Ukraine hosts here to date.

Mr Snowden said one of the most importance sources of support for arriving Ukrainians has been the Ukraine assistance centres, which have been operating since early April.

Representatives from various organisations are available at the centres to offer advice on a range of issues including education, health, applying for benefits, housing and jobs, he said.

So far, there have been over 3,300 visits to the assistance centres by Ukrainians, which shows how valuable they have been over the past year.

As many of them are now settled here, we are looking at other ways we can offer support including helplines, online guides and support workers to help those with the most significant needs.

One year on, all the partners involved remain committed to doing all we can to help the Ukrainians who come here and we will continue to adapt our services to meet their needs for as long as the support is required.
The Northern Ireland Protocol is not of major concern to most voters, a survey has suggested.

Women are far more worried about bread-and-butter issues than they are about the controversial Brexit mechanism, according to a LucidTalk poll for Queens University, Belfast.

The results came as Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris met the EUs Maros Sefcovic in Belgium yesterday, but government sources downplayed the chances of a protocol deal being struck this week.

The issue of top concern to most respondents among the six listed  healthcare, economy, education, environment, transport, and the protocol  was the health service (42%), followed by the economy (31%).

Read more PM Rishi Sunak left squirming by Starmer as pair clash over deal progress

The protocol was ranked as the top concern by only 22% of respondents, and twice as many (44%) ranked it as the least important issue.

The survey indicated unionists were far more likely to rank the deal as a top concern.

But there were big differences between the three parties at Stormont  73% of TUV supporters, 55% of DUP supporters and 19% of UUP supporters say the protocol is their biggest concern.

Meanwhile, female voters were four times more likely to rank the trading arrangements as the issue of least concern (54%) than of most concern (13%).

Men were split almost evenly, with 34% rating the protocol as of the lowest concern, and 31% as of the top concern.

Almost two-thirds of respondents (64%) thought the Executive should be functioning fully regardless of what happens with the protocol. Almost a third (32%) disagreed.

The poll was conducted from February 3 to 6, before more recent speculation about an imminent EU-UK deal.

No announcement of an agreement is expected today as it marks a year since Russia began its all-out assault on Ukraine.

Asked if something could be finalised this week, the prime minsters official spokesman said: We are still in intensive negotiations. He added there was still more to do.

Elsewhere, former taoiseach Bertie Ahern said that if a deal was not struck soon, it would probably not happen until there was a Labour government.

I hope that isnt what happens. I hope they can sort it out, he added.

Mr Ahern was speaking during a panel discussion with Alastair Campbell, former press secretary to Tony Blair.

Mr Campbell agreed a new government may be needed before a deal is struck.

He said: A combination of Brexit, populism, the utter charlatanistic opportunism of [Boris] Johnson and his lying to the unionist community, that is what has driven us to the point were at now.
Car had to be written off when he returned from India

Ravi Joshi found a StenaLine ticket in his destroyed BMW indicating it had been driven to Belfast after he parked it at Heathrow Airport.

Ravi Joshis BMW 5 Series was so badly damaged that it had to be written off

A man who left his car at Heathrow Airport before catching a long-haul flight has told of his horror after discovering that his 18,000 BMW was driven to Northern Ireland while he was away.

Ravi Joshi, from Warwickshire, left his beloved 5 Series with what he thought was a meet-and-greet parking service on December 6.

He then flew to India to take care of his mother, who is suffering from cancer.

Mr Joshi bought the parking space via a price comparison website called Ezybook Airport Parking for 122.69.

Despite becoming suspicious by the unprofessional and immature nature of the men he handed the keys to, the 42-year-old had no other option but to proceed with his journey and hope for the best.

However, when he returned 30 days later, Mr Joshi was devastated to find that his grey family saloon had been vandalised.

It was taken to Belfast but returned back to Heathrow Airport in a damaged condition.

Im not sure for what reason it was taken, he told this newspaper.

I figured it out from a ferry receipt that was thrown on the floor of the car.

Not only had the bonnet been dented, the headlight and indicator smashed, the ABS braking system broken and the engine ruined, but the vehicle also had an additional 2,400 miles on the clock.

Ravi Joshi found a StenaLine ticket in his destroyed BMW indicating it had been driven to Belfast after he parked it at Heathrow Airport.

While he was away, the BMW was spotted in Sussex, north London, west London and Cairnryan in Scotland, where it was loaded onto a Stena Line ferry to Belfast.

The ferry receipt shows that two passengers made the 7.30am crossing on December 21.

This has taken a heavy toll on me, Mr Joshi explained.

Its been a total misery and has given me nightmares. We were standing in the freezing cold for two hours waiting for the car at Heathrow.

Mr Joshi reported the incident to police and decided to drive home.

However, due to the damage, he was forced to stop at a service station and shell out 150 for a hotel where he spent the night with his wife and their two children.

I only realised the extent of damage once I entered the M25, and to my horror the engine got overheated and my car was not even exceeding 20mph on the motorway due to a broken coolant system, he added.

My family was left traumatised in freezing conditions.

After paying another 350 on a recovery truck to take the vehicle back to his home in Rugby, Mr Joshi was informed by his insurance company that the car was a write-off, meaning hell lose his eight-year no-claims bonus. The IT consultant has since received numerous fixed penalty notice fines through the post after the car was caught illegally parked in a range of locations while he was in India.

Mr Joshi, who thought the parking fee was a bargain, said that with the benefit of hindsight he would have just got a taxi to the airport.

No one from Ezybook picked up the phone when contacted by the Belfast Telegraph.

A Metropolitan Police investigation is under way following similar reports of damaged or missing vehicles from customers.

Heathrow Airport encourages passengers to use only trusted services.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty with members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, outside 10 Downing Street on Friday (Jordan Pettitt/PA)   Jordan Pettitt

Rishi Sunak and his fellow world leaders have pledged to stand with Ukraine for as long as needed, after a year of war that has left hundreds of thousands dead and millions more displaced.

Earlier, the Prime Minister led the UK in a minutes silence to mark the one-year anniversary of the war, as the world reflected on the conflict initiated by Vladimir Putins full-scale invasion last February.

A call on Friday afternoon saw Mr Sunak join fellow leaders, including US President Joe Biden, to discuss the war effort and how best to support Ukraine going forward.

(PA Graphics)   PA Graphics

In a joint statement, G7 leaders committed to intensifying diplomatic, financial and military support for Ukraine as well as increasing the costs to Russia and those supporting its war effort.

They also pledged that solidarity will never waver in standing with Ukraine, in supporting countries and people in need, and in upholding the international order based on the rule of law.

According to a Downing Street readout, Mr Sunak urged allies to support Ukraine with long-term military and security assurances to send a strong message to President Putin that the global support was enduring.

Outside No 10 on Friday morning, the Prime Minister had been joined by his wife Akshata Murthy, Kyivs ambassador to Britain Vadym Prystaiko and dozens of Ukrainian troops being trained by the UK for the national pause on Friday morning.

The King also issued a message praising the remarkable courage and resilience of the Ukrainian people.

To give Kyiv a decisive advantage, Britain was trying to revive plans to provide eastern European allies with fighter jets so they can release their Soviet-era planes to Ukraine.

Britain also announced a new package of sanctions, imposing an export ban on every piece of equipment Russia has been found using on the battlefield in Ukraine.

When Mr Putin launched his renewed invasion of Ukraine on February 24 last year, many believed his military might would capture Kyiv within weeks or even days.

But the Ukrainian resistance led by President Volodymyr Zelensky and assisted by the weapons and support provided by allies, including Britain, repelled the invasion to the east.

At least 100,000 of each sides soldiers are estimated to have been killed or injured, thousands more civilians have died and more than 13 million people have been made refugees or displaced inside Ukraine.

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On Friday, Mr Zelensky vowed Ukraine will do everything in its power to defeat the invasion before another anniversary can be marked.

It was a year of resilience. A year of care. A year of bravery. A year of pain. A year of hope. A year of endurance. A year of unity, he said in a national address.

The year of invincibility. The furious year of invincibility. Its main result is that we endured. We were not defeated. And we will do everything to gain victory this year.

Britain will be training Ukrainian pilots on Nato-standard jets but allies have been reluctant to release the modern warplanes requested by the Ukrainian president.

A part-destroyed business tower in Kyiv, ahead of the first anniversary (Aaron Chown/PA)   Aaron Chown

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said backfilling allies with the UKs jets to free up their own would be a quicker way to bolster Kyivs defences than providing them with British Typhoons.

Mr Wallace told Times Radio the other quick way that Ukraine can benefit from fighter jets is for those countries in Europe that have Russian Soviet fighter jets  MiG 29s or Su-24s  if they wish to donate we can use our fighter jets to backfill and provide security for them as a result.

They are already configured to fight in a Nato way, where of course Ukraine isnt, he said.

Mr Wallace said the Russian army was suffering huge losses on the battlefield for territorial gain measured in metres not miles and will sacrifice a growing number of troops to satisfy Mr Putins demands.

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Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced the internationally co-ordinated new package of sanctions and warned the failing Russian president will probably threaten nuclear use.

Export bans have been extended to include hundreds of goods, including aircraft parts, radio equipment and electronic components that can be used by the Russian military industrial complex.

The UK also sanctioned senior executives at the Russian state-owned nuclear power company Rosatom, as well as bosses at Russias two largest defence companies and four banks.

Addressing the UN Security Council in New York, Mr Cleverly said that Mr Putin would attempt to intimidate Ukraines allies in his bid for imperial expansion, as the conflict drags on.

He added: His land grabs in eastern and southern Ukraine show us that his heart is set on imperial expansion. But 800 Russian soldiers a day are dying for his hopeless ambitions.

They are paying for his ego with their lives. As he sees that his aggression against Ukraine is failing, we should expect him to try and strongarm us into backing down with every dirty, coercive instrument at his disposal.

Some 461 paper angels, one for each child that has died in the past year according to official statistics, hang from the roof of the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London (Yui Mok/PA)   Yui Mok

Charles, who hosted Mr Zelensky at Buckingham Palace earlier this month, said that Ukraine has shown truly remarkable courage and resilience while suffering unimaginably from an unprovoked full-scale attack on their nation.

It is heartening that the United Kingdom, along with its allies, is doing everything possible to help at this most difficult time, the King said in his message.

Therefore, I can only hope the outpouring of solidarity from across the globe may bring not only practical aid, but also strength from the knowledge that, together, we stand united.

Ukrainian troops and their UK military instructors (Gareth Fuller/PA)   Gareth Fuller

The UK remains a prominent supporter of Kyiv, with the Government announcing earlier this year that Britain would be the first country to supply tanks to its armed forces.

But fears remain that the war could continue for at least another year, even as Ukraine insists that further support and weaponry can help bring the conflict to a conclusion.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said that the countrys support is as firm and unstinting today as it was on that dark day one year ago.

As we mark this solemn anniversary and look ahead to the coming months, we must do the same. Regardless of what other political disagreements we may have, we stand in lockstep with the Government on this issue, he said.

Former Labour leader Sir Tony Blair lent his support to calls for Ukraine to receive the much-desired jets.

He told BBC Radio 4s PM programme that if thats what Ukraine needs then support should include jets.

He added: They have to be given what is necessary for them to defend themselves. But the single biggest thing they are going to need is munitions and artillery.
Ukrainians and supporters gather at the GPO on Dublins OConnell Street to mark a year since Russias invasion of Ukraine (Grainne Ni Aodha/PA)   Grainne Ni Aodha

Irelands deputy leader and foreign affairs minister Micheal Martin has addressed a crowd of Ukrainian nationals and their supporters to mark the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion.

Hundreds gathered outside Dublins famous GPO building on OConnell Street on Friday draped in the yellow and blue colours of the Ukrainian flag, donning flower crowns and holding up signs calling for an end to the war.

They chanted Thank you Ireland and Slava Ukraini and the Ukrainian national anthem and Irish anthem were played before speakers addressed the crowd, including the Ukrainian Ambassador Larysa Gerasko and political leaders.

Mr Martin was applauded after stating that Irelands friendship would be extended for as long as you need.

He said that it was outside the GPO that Irelands republic was proclaimed, and pledged that Ireland would continue to support Ukraine in its application for EU membership.

Although he said that Ireland was militarily neutral, Mr Martin added we are not politically or morally neutral when international law is broken and war crimes are committed.

To those who have arrived here from Ukraine, I hope that you have found in Ireland safe harbour and friendship for as long as you need, he said.

Most of you, I know, look forward to the day when you can return to a peaceful and free Ukraine, to the family and friends you have left behind.

That day will come. In the meantime, our home is your home.

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Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald said the gathering was a demonstration of our unwavering unity and solidarity with Ukraine.

She added: There can be no victory for Russian military aggression over Ukraine sovereignty, no victory for a power that brazenly violates international law. So Putin must immediately withdraw his army and end his criminal invasion.

Youve shown the world that you will not give way to Putins onslaught. Today, against all of the odds and in the face of immense brutality, you hold your country. Long may you hold your country.

I believe that Ukraine will win out.

Two men who had fought the Russian army and are now receiving treatment for their injuries in Ireland also addressed the crowd briefly in Ukrainian.

It comes as the Central Statistics Office released figures on Friday that show there are 75,000 Ukrainian nationals in Ireland; around two-thirds of the total are in State-provided or pledged accommodation.

The Dublin demonstration is one of several being held across Ireland to mark the anniversary of the invasion.
Two Pakistani brothers held by the United States at Guantanamo Bay military prison for two decades were freed by US officials and returned home on Friday.

They will be reunited with their families after formal questioning by Pakistani authorities, according to security officials and a Pakistani senator.

Pakistan arrested Abdul and Mohammed Rabbani on suspicion of their links to al Qaida in 2002 in Karachi, the countrys largest southern port city.

It was the same year Ramzi Binalshibh, a top al Qaida leader, was arrested by Pakistans spy agency on a tip-off from the CIA.

US officials at Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba have returned two Pakistani brothers, Abdul and Mohammed Rabbani, to their home country (Alex Brandon/AP/PA)   Alex Brandon

The releases come months after a 75-year-old Pakistani, Saifullah Paracha, was freed from the Guantanamo Bay detention centre in Cuba.

The two brothers arrived at an airport in the capital, Islamabad on Friday.

Pakistani senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan, the chairman of the human rights committee in the upper house of Pakistans Parliament, tweeted on Friday that the two brothers had reached Islamabad airport.

He said the men were innocently imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay for 21 years. There was no trial, no court proceedings, no charges against them. Congratulations on their release. Thank you Senate of Pakistan, he wrote on Twitter.

Mr Khan later told The Associated Press that the brothers were being sent to Karachi, the capital of southern Sindh province, where they lived with their families. He said he hoped the men will be reunited with their families soon.

The brothers release was the latest US move towards emptying and shutting down the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.

Former President George W Bushs administration set it up to house extremist suspects after the September 11, 2001 al Qaida attacks on the United States.

US officials accused the brothers of helping al Qaida members with housing and other logistical support.

The brothers alleged torture while in CIA custody before being transferred to Guantanamo. US military records describe the two as providing little intelligence of value, and that they did not recant statements made during interrogations on the grounds they were obtained by physical abuse.

The US Defence Department announced their repatriation in a statement the previous day.

On Friday, a close family friend of the two brothers told the AP that Pakistani authorities had formally informed the brothers family about the release and their return to Pakistan.

The family friend, who is Pakistani and refused to be identified for security reasons, said the younger Rabbani learned painting during his detention at Guantanamo Bay, and that he was expected to bring with him some of those paintings.

He said Ahmed Rabbani frequently went on hunger strikes and prison officials fed him through a tube. He said the man remained on the nutritional supplements.

Guantanamo at its peak in 2003 held about 600 people considered terrorists by the US.

Supporters of using the detention facility for such figures say doing so prevented attacks. Critics say the military detention and courts subverted human rights and constitutional rights and undermined American standing abroad.

Thirty-two detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay, including 18 eligible for transfer if stable third-party countries can be found to take them, the Pentagon said.

Many are from Yemen, a country considered too plagued with war and extremist groups and too devoid of services for freed Yemeni detainees to be sent there.

Nine of the detainees are defendants in slow-moving military-run tribunals. Two others have been convicted.
Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg attends a wreath-laying ceremony at the Monument to the War of Independence, on Freedom Square in Tallinn, Estonia, Friday, February 24, 2023 (Sergei Grits/AP/PA)   Sergei Grits

Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing for more war and that he wants a Europe in which Russia can dictate what neighbours do.

Mr Stoltenberg made the remarks on Friday in the Estonian capital where he was joined by EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to commemorate the Baltic countrys independence day.

Ms Von der Leyen said Mr Putin has failed to achieve any of his strategic goals and that Russia is becoming increasingly isolated, citing Thursdays UN General Assembly vote approving a nonbinding resolution that calls for Russia to end hostilities in Ukraine and withdraw its forces.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Tallinn, Estonia (Pavel Golovkin/AP/PA)   Pavel Golovkin

Mr Stoltenberg also said that he has invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to attend a Nato summit in Lithuania in July, expressing hope that the Ukrainian leader can attend in person.

Nato will hold a summit in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, from July 11-13.

Mr Stoltenbergs comments came as Mr Zelensky thanked Germany for its support in the first year of Russias invasion and said his country can end Russian aggression this year.

Mr Zelensky spoke in a video message to a memorial event in Berlin Friday led by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and attended by Germanys top politicians and the Ukrainian ambassador.

Mr Zelensky, who spoke through an interpreter, said that now is the time when, with our courage and our weapons, we can restore peace and create a historically important safeguard against every aggression.

Mr Steinmeier led a minute of silence for the victims of the war. He said that Germany is not at war, but this war concerns us  Russias war of aggression has wrecked the European security order.

He pledged that Kyiv can rely on Germany.

The German parliament on Friday replaced one of the German flags on top of its Reichstag building  which usually has three German flags and one European Union flag  with a Ukrainian flag. A Ukrainian flag was also raised outside the chancellery.

In Poland, Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said that preventive barriers are being put up along the countrys borders with Russia and Belarus.

Mr Blaszczak posted on Twitter on Friday that the barriers were elements of a strategy of defence and deterrence.
The president of Ukraine has used a news conference on the anniversary of Russias invasion to urge Moscow to change course, saying: Please respect our right to live on our land. Leave our territory. Stop bombing us.

Breaking with his offices usual wartime security protocols, President Volodymyr Zelenskys news conference was broadcast live on Friday.

Mr Zelensky got emotional when talking about how the war could end, arguing that only if Russia halts its aggression can a diplomatic path be followed.

Stop (destroying) all our infrastructure, energy, drinking water. Stop bombing towns, villages, killing dogs and cats, simply animals, torching forests, he said.

Although China on Friday called for a ceasefire, peace was nowhere in sight. Ukraine previously rejected a pause in the fighting for fear it would allow Russia to regroup militarily after bruising battlefield setbacks.

Mr Zelensky gave qualified support to Chinas new pronouncements about the ceasefire and peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in a vaguely worded proposal released on Friday.

China has shown its thoughts. I believe that the fact that China started talking about Ukraine is not bad, the president said during a wide-ranging news conference.

But the question is what follows the words. The question is in the steps and where they will lead to.

A 12-point paper issued by Chinas Foreign Ministry also urged an end to sanctions that aim to squeeze Russias economy.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)   Alexei Druzhinin

That suggestion also looked like a non-starter, given that Western nations are working to further tighten the sanctions noose, not loosen it. Both the UK and US imposed more sanctions on Friday.

Ukraine is readying another military push to roll back Russian forces with the help of weaponry that has poured in from the West.

Nato member Poland said that it had delivered four advanced Leopard 2A4 tanks, making it the first country to hand the German-made armour to Ukraine.

The prime minister of Poland said on a visit to Kyiv that more Leopards are coming. Polands defence minister said contributions from other countries would help form Ukraines first Leopard battalion of 31 tanks.

Ukraine is entering a new period, with a new task  to win, Ukrainian Defensc Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said.

It will not be easy. But we will manage, he added. There is rage and a desire to avenge the fallen.

Air raid alarms did not sound overnight in Kyiv, alleviating concerns that Russia might unleash another barrage of missiles to pile yet more sadness on Ukraine on the anniversary.

(PA Graphics)   PA Graphics

Still, the government recommended that schools move classes online, and office employees were asked to work from home. And even as they rode Kyivs subway to work, bought coffee and got busy, Ukrainians were unavoidably haunted by thoughts of loss and memories of when missiles struck, troops rolled across Ukraines borders and a refugee exodus began a year ago.

Back then, there were fears the country might fall within weeks. Mr Zelensky referred to those dark moments in a video address.

We fiercely fought for every day. And we endured the second day. And then, the third, he said. And we still know: Every tomorrow is worth fighting for.

Tributes to Ukraines resilience took place in other countries. The Eiffel Tower in Paris was among monuments illuminated in Ukraines colors  yellow and blue. In Berlin, a wrecked Russian tank was put on display.

Anti-war activists in Belgrade, Serbia, left a cake covered with red icing representing blood and a skull on top on a pavement near the Russian Embassy, which police stopped them from approaching.

In Russia, media and rights groups reported more police arrests of protesters who took to streets with anti-war slogans and flowers in various parts of the country.

In Ukraine, Mr Zelensky was particularly busy  kicking off the day with an early morning tweet that promised: We know that 2023 will be the year of our victory.

He followed that up with his video address in which he also pledged not to abandon Ukrainians living under Russian occupation, vowing: One way or another, we will liberate all our lands.

Mr Zelensky said one of his biggest disappointments of the war had been to see people who could have fought leave the country when Russia invaded, referring to officials who fled.

He said a low point was when Russian atrocities were discovered in the recaptured town of Bucha near Kyiv.

It was very scary, he said. We saw that the devil is not somewhere out there, but on Earth.

Earlier on Friday, the Ukrainian leader addressed troops on a Kyiv square and handed out honours, including to the widow and daughter of a fallen soldier, telling them: We will never forget.

In a Kyiv hospital, he also decorated wounded fighters.

A year on, casualty figures are horrific on both sides, although Moscow and Kyiv keep precise numbers under wraps. Western estimates suggest hundreds of thousands of killed and wounded.
Olha Kosianchuk, 64, cries during a memorial service to mark the one-year anniversary of the start of the Russia Ukraine war, in Bucha, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 24, 2023. Olhas husband was killed during the occupation of Bucha by Russian troops during the first weeks of the war (Emilio Morenatti/AP/PA)   Emilio Morenatti

The anniversary of Russias invasion of Ukraine was a sombre day for many of the countrys 43 million people.

Ukrainians described the anniversary as both terrible and inspiring for them because Ukraine has defied expectations that it might quickly fall to Moscows invasion forces.

I can sum up the last year in three words: Fear, love, hope, said Oleksandr Hranyk, a school director in Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city.

A woman cries during a memorial service to mark the one-year anniversary of the start of the Russia Ukraine war, in a cemetery in Bucha (Emilio Morenatti/AP/PA)   Emilio Morenatti

Victory is ours, young people will live, said Nelia Zamostian, 62, who was attending a church memorial service in Bucha, the town outside Kyiv that became an early symbol of Russian atrocities.

And Daria Horda, 25, who has not seen her family in Russian-occupied Nova Kakhovka since Moscows troops rolled across Ukraines borders on February 24, 2022, said: For me, its a terrible pain and a day where I dont want to go back in my thoughts, rewatch photos or videos. A very tough day.

Maria Kurbet, 77, weeps at the grave of her son, a serviceman killed in Bakhmut, during a memorial service to mark the one-year anniversary of the start of the war, in a cemetery in Bucha (Emilio Morenatti/AP/PA)   Emilio Morenatti

Lining up in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, to buy anniversary commemorative postage stamps, Tetiana Klimkova said that a year into the invasion, shes been unable to shake the feeling that your heart is constantly falling, it is falling and hurting.

This day has become a symbol for me that we have survived for a whole year and will continue to live, she said. On this day, our children and grandchildren will remember how strong Ukrainians are mentally, physically, and spiritually.

In Berlin, a wrecked Russian tank brought from Ukraine has been put on display outside the Russian Embassy to mark the anniversary of Moscows invasion.

The T-72 tank was put on display in Berlins Unter den Linden boulevard, in front of the embassy.

The tank was brought to Berlin by a private group, which said that the Ukrainian defence ministrys military history museum loaned the vehicle and helped it with logistics.

It says the vehicle was hit in the Kyiv region in the early stages of the war.

One of the organisers, Wieland Giebel of the Berlin Story group, said that the whole world recognises that many Germans stand behind Ukraine.

A man dressed as a peace dove stands in front of a wreck of a Russian T-72 tank placed in front of the Russian Embassy to mark the anniversary in Berlin (Markus Schreiber/AP/PA)   Markus Schreiber

In Serbia, police prevented a group of anti-war activists from reaching the Russian embassy to presenting a skull-adorned cake in commemoration of the wars anniversary.

Activists left the cake soaked in red dye on the pavement near the embassy in central Belgrade. Activists also wanted to hand embassy staff a demand for Russian President Vladimir Putin to stand trial for genocide.

A traditional Slavic ally, Serbia has maintained friendly relations with Russia despite the invasion. While formally seeking European Union entry, Belgrade has refused to join Western sanctions designed to punish Moscow for the aggression.

People around the world marked the anniversary with candlelit vigils and marches.

A Ukrainian national lights a candle to pay tribute to people killed in Russias war against Ukraine at the Ukrainian consulate in Bali, Indonesia (Firdia Lisnawati/AP/PA)   Firdia Lisnawati

The commemorations of a grim year for Ukraine spread as far as Asia. As well as peace rallies in Tokyo and Seoul, Ukrainians living in Thailand gathered outside their embassy in Bangkok.

About 50 people, many of whom were wearing national colors, sang the national anthem as an embassy official raised the flag. Several wept during a speech by the embassys charge daffaires, in which he urged them to stay strong.

Iliana Martsenyak, originally from the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, which has been pummelled by Russian barrages, wiped tears from her eyes as she spoke of how the anniversary made her feel.

Honestly, I cannot find any words to describe how me and every single Ukrainian feels today because of this absolutely irrational, cruel and awful war that has been brought to our land, she said.

The group marched to a nearby city park, holding Ukrainian flags and protest signs aloft. The group stopped at the library of Lumpini park, largely in silence as a mother embraced her young daughter and others stared resolutely into the distance.

Members of Sydneys Ukraine community hold a candlelight vigil to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Russias invasion of Ukraine, in front of St Marys Cathedral in Sydney (Dean Lewins/AAP Image via AP/PA)   Dean Lewins

Some of the anniversary commemorations began Thursday evening, when the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Portuguese parliament building in Lisbon were lit up in the colours of the Ukrainian flag. The Sydney Opera House followed suit on Friday.

A vigil took place in Londons Trafalgar Square, organised by the Ukrainian and US embassies, and 461 paper angels were hung from the roof of the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London to commemorate each Ukrainian child that has died in the past year.

People gather at the Old Town Square to mark the first anniversary in Prague, Czech Republic (Petr David Josek/AP/PA)   Petr David Josek

At a convention centre in Utrecht, Netherlands, about 2,000 Ukrainian refugees gathered to hear by video link a speech by Volodymyr Zelensky, and in Brussels hundreds gathered to wave the Ukrainian flag and chant Slava Ukraini! (Glory to Ukraine).

In northern Europe, people placed candles on the steps of Helsinki Cathedral at a memorial event for Ukraine war victims, and in southern Europe peace quotations printed on jute bags were displayed in Rome as part of an installation by Italian artist Gianfranco Meggiato entitled The Meeting: The Symbol of Peace.

Ukrainians living in Brazil protested outside the Russian Consulate in Sao Paulo, with one sign comparing Mr Putin to Adolf Hitler.

Ukrainians in Lebanon chanted slogans during a Beirut rally and held up signs saying, Stand strong with Ukraine and No terrorism. Ukrainians and their supporters also marked the anniversary in Tel Aviv.

Dozens of South Koreans and Ukrainian expatriates gathered outside the Russian Embassy in Seoul. They held candles and banners demanding the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory.

A peace rally was also held in Tokyo, and people placed flowers outside the Ukrainian consulate in Bali, Indonesia in tribute to those killed in the war.

Police detain a man who laid flowers to the monument of Ukrainian author Taras Shevchenko in St Petersburg, Russia (Dmitri Lovetsky/AP/PA)   Dmitri Lovetsky

Moscow planned no special events for Friday, as most Russians took a nationwide day off amid an extended public holiday.

As part of authorities relentless effort to prevent any sign of dissent, police in some areas visited activists homes to warn them against trying to stage any demonstrations.
Airmen with the 436th Aerial Port Squadron use a forklift to move 155 mm shells ultimately bound for Ukraine, April 29, 2022 (Alex Brandon/AP/PA)   Alex Brandon

By Lolita C Baldor and Tara Copp, Associated Press

By Lolita C Baldor and Tara Copp, Associated Press PA Media

The Pentagon announced a new package of long-term security assistance for Ukraine on Friday, marking the first anniversary of Russias invasion with a two billion dollar (1.6 billion) commitment to send more rounds of ammunition and a variety of small, high-tech drones into the fight.

The announcement comes just days after US President Joe Biden made an unannounced visit to Kyiv and pledged Americas continuing commitment to Ukraine.

Mr Biden told President Volodymyr Zelensky and his people that Americans stand with you, and the world stands with you.

In a statement on Friday, the Pentagon said the aid includes weapons to counter Russias unmanned systems and several types of drones, including the upgraded Switchblade 600 Kamikaze drone, as well as electronic warfare detection equipment.

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin underlined his countrys support for Ukraine (Sergei Grits/AP/PA)   Sergei Grits

It also includes money for additional ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, artillery rounds and munitions for laser-guided rocket systems. But the Pentagon provided no details on how many rounds of any kind will be bought.

Including this latest package, the US has now committed more than 32 billion dollars (26.6 billion) in security assistance to Ukraine since Russias invasion.

US Defence Secretary said in a statement that the first anniversary of Russias invasion is a chance for all who believe in freedom to recommit ourselves to supporting Ukraines brave defenders for the long haul  and to recall that the stakes of Russias war stretch far beyond Ukraine.

Mr Biden was scheduled to meet virtually Friday with other Group of Seven leaders and Mr Zelensky to continue coordinating our efforts to support Ukraine and hold Russia accountable for its war, the White House said.

Those efforts include what the White House called sweeping sanctions on over 200 people and entities to further degrade Russias economy and diminish its ability to wage war against Ukraine.

The Biden administration will also further restrict exports to Russia and raise tariffs on some Russian products imported to the US.

Pallets of 155 mm shells bound for Ukraine (Alex Brandon/AP/PA)   Alex Brandon

The White House statement also said: G7 countries will continue to keep Russias sovereign assets immobilised until there is a resolution to the conflict that addresses Russias violation of Ukraines sovereignty and integrity.

Just days after Mr Austin travelled to Kyiv in April 2022 to meet Mr Zelensky, he launched a now-monthly meeting of ministers of defence and defence chiefs to make sure momentum on assisting Ukraine does not fade.

The most recent meeting was last week in Brussels, and over the past year the sessions have resulted in regular announcements by international partners of increasingly lethal weapons systems to help Ukraine defend itself.

That effort also spawned a spin-off group of the chief weapons buyers for each partner nation. They now meet regularly to address the pressure that support for Ukraine has put on international weapons stockpiles, to make sure equipment continues to flow and manufacturing meets the demands.

Allies and partners, said Mr Austin, have committed more than 20 billion dollars (16.6 billion) in security assistance to Ukraine, including tanks, armoured vehicles, air-defence systems, artillery systems and weapons.

Difficult times may lie ahead, but let us remain clear-eyed about what is at stake in Ukraine, Mr Austin said, to ensure that a world of rules and rights is not replaced by one of tyranny and turmoil.

The latest aid package uses the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative to provide funding for longer-term contracts to buy weapons and equipment.

Unlike the presidential drawdown authority that the Pentagon has used repeatedly over the past year to pull weapons from its own stocks and quickly ship them to Ukraine, the USAI-funded equipment could take a year or two to get to the battlefront. As a result, it will do little to help Ukraine prepare for an expected new offensive in the spring.

According to the Pentagon, the money will also buy mine clearing and communications equipment and fund training, maintenance and sustainment for Ukraines forces.

On Thursday night, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed that Mr Biden and Mr Zelensky discussed Ukraines request for F-16 fighter jets during the US presidents visit week to Kyiv.

European Union officials on Friday also pledged continued support to millions of Ukrainian refugees, as they marked the anniversary of the Russian invasion.

Ukraine can win this war, but we will be with Ukraine as long as it takes, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson told The Associated Press at a conference on migration near Athens.

European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson speaks during the 2nd European Conference on Border Management, in Athens (Michael Varaklas/AP/PA)   Michael Varaklas

Ms Johansson urged members to conclude long-running negotiations to adopt new EU-wide migration rules and to assist Ukrainians who wished to return home but maintain their temporary residence status in the EU.

More than eight million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the war, according to the United Nations refugee agency, and nearly five million have registered for EU temporary protection or similar national protection schemes in Europe.

Bartosz Grodecki, the Polish deputy interior minister, whose country has taken in the most refugees traveling westward since the start of the war, said his government was prepared to receive more people who could be displaced by a widely anticipated spring offensive by Russian forces in Ukraine.

We have this contingency planning, Mr Grodecki told the AP. I hope that it will not be necessary (but)  weve been trained, planned properly, and we know how to be prepared.

Margaritis Schinas, the EU Commission vice president, said Vladimir Putin had failed in an effort to divide EU countries by applying pressure through high energy prices and migration.

This is a sad anniversary, but its also an opportunity to draw some lessons from these horrible 12 months were leaving behind, Mr Schinas said.

And as far as (refugees from) Ukraine are concerned, the figures are stable, he said.

Mr Schinas added that he did not think it was automatic that refugee numbers would increase in the coming months.

If it happens, we are ready, but it doesnt seem to be the case for the time being.

The migration conference Friday was organised by Greece, Austria, Poland and Lithuania to discuss issues that include border management problems, including border wall construction.

Officials attending the conference observed a minute of silence for the victims of the war in Ukraine.
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Have you ever had a conversation with another believer that made your spirit quiver? Maybe hearing about a relationship, lifestyle, or even a new philosophy or perspective gave you a sick feeling in your stomach. Did you think your internal response was an indication that you were critical, judgmental, or intolerant of that believer? Or could it be that youve been blessed with the gift of discernment? If youve ever thought, What is a spirit of discernment? you wouldnt be the first to ask.

What is the gift of discernment?

In First Corinthians 12:10, Paul describes distinguishing between spirits, or discerning of spirits in the NKJV, as a spiritual gift God gives to believers to recognize lying spirits and identify deceptive and erroneous doctrines. Paul warned when this gift of discernment is not being used in the church, the truth gets distorted. However, this gift of discernment is not something that is only exercised in a business church setting. In 1 John 4:1, believers were urged to not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Todays believers follow that instruction to test worldly philosophies, foreign doctrines, and even new perspectives and ideas from politicians, celebrities, community leaders, and even pastors and religious leaders. We have to test everything that comes through our television, radios, laptops, and phone screens.

Having the spirit of discernment means you can judge well. The English word aesthetic comes from the Greek word for discernment, meaning moral perception, insight, and the practical application of knowledge. Timothy 4:1 says, The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Thus, we are encouraged to See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ (Colossians 2:8).

Where is the gift of discernment mentioned in the Bible?

In 1 Kings 3, when the Lord came to Solomon in a dream and asked him to name whatever he wanted, Solomon pleased God by asking for the spirit of discernment. In Kings 3:9, Solomon says, So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and distinguish between right and wrong.

Not only did God give Solomon a discerning and wise heart, but He also gave him something he didnt ask for, wealth and honor, so that in your lifetime, you will have no equal among kings, detailed in 1 Kings 3:13. In the New Testament, Paul prayed that believers would have and use the spirit of discernment: In Philippians 1:9-10, he says, And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.

Paul realized if believers could discern what is best from what is just acceptable, they would be pure and blameless and stand apart from the rest of the world. The Apostle John also encouraged first-century Christians to use discernment because they could face deception if they werent founded in the truth. In 1 John 4:1, he says, Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

How do I know if I have the gift of discernment?

The Bible suggests that if we are wise and walk in the ways of the Lord, our lives are testimony of a spirit of discernment. All spiritual gifts are abilities authorized and supported by the Holy Spirit and used to improve the church. If you have the advantage of insight, it isnt demonstrated by your wisdom and savvy at work or your strong opinions that stand out among unbelievers. If it is a gift, it is given to you to uplift and encourage the body of Christ.

Are you someone who studies the Bible so you can have a discerning heart? Are you someone who pours over His teachings, so you know how to discern Gods truth to teach and apply it? Hebrews 5:14 says if we are mature in the word, we likely possess a spirit of discernment: But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

How do I pray for discernment?

Since Solomon pleased God by asking for a wise and discerning heart, we should follow his example. We can pray for a spirit of discernment as the Psalmist did in Psalm 119:25, saying, I am your servant; give me discernment that I may understand your statutes.

When we ask God for discernment, we must ask for it in faith, as we would with anything else. We should also have the right motives when we ask for it. James 4:3 reminds us, When you ask, you do not receive that you may spend what you get on your pleasures because you ask with wrong motives.

If you ask God for anything, not believing God will give it to you, James 1:7 tells us that we should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Also, if you ask so that you can use a spiritual superpower and look more spiritual than others, that isnt pleasing to the Lord.

Instead, ask humbly, in faith, and with the motive of living a more holy life. God will hear you. You should also pray for a renewed mind and stronger yearning for Gods Word instead of worldly philosophies. Worldly philosophies will have you thinking about material things that dont matter. However, by tapping into the gift of discernment, we can see what God wants for us. What He wants for us is always better than what we want for ourselves. The more you grow in your love for and knowledge of Gods Word, the more discerning you will be.
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Youve decided that you want to start going to therapy. Now, you have to find a therapist, but how do you go about doing so? Finding the right therapist is the first hurdle to cross, whether to rebuild a relationship, recover from trauma, adapt to a new life phase, or enhance your mental health.

Researchers believe that the bond between you and your therapist will likely affect your growth. Thats why its essential to do your research, ask questions, and pay attention to your responses in your search for the therapist thats right for you. Here are some tried-and-true methods for finding a therapist to help you reach your therapeutic goals.

Check your insurers directory.

If you want to pay for therapy through your insurance plan, your first step should be to look through your plans provider network. That way, youll get a good idea of who your insurance covers and what they provide. It would also be helpful to determine if your plan limits the number of sessions you can go to each year and whether using an out-of-network therapist will affect your out-of-pocket costs.

Use a dependable online database.

Several mental health organizations provide up-to-date, searchable databases of licensed therapists. Your search could begin by typing in your ZIP code to produce a list of counselors near you. You may also be able to look for specialists, like marriage and family counselors or therapists who focus on drug and alcohol use. Some database examples include the American Psychological Association and the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.

Think about what you want to accomplish.

What do you want to achieve in therapy? Research has found that your attitude will be better when you and your therapist work together toward the same goals. If you believe medication may help with your symptoms, try finding a psychiatrist or practitioner who can prescribe medications.

Let's say youve learned that cognitive behavioral therapy or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy have been helpful for others with your condition. In that case, you should look for a therapist with certifications or specialized training in those treatment methods.

What if you want to join a supportive network of people who understand your experiences? In that case, you may want to think about looking for a therapist whos involved with support groups or group therapy sessions. Your goals may change as you work with your therapist. Its okay to talk to them about changing the direction of your treatment plan as your needs change.

Check out local resources.

The first place you should consider for therapy suggestions is the community around you. Your community may provide resources to help you. If youre a student, your school might give you access to a counseling center. Your human resources team might offer a list of therapists available through a workplace wellness or employee assistance program if youre employed.

If you need counseling linked to domestic or sexual abuse, you might be able to find a group or individual therapy through a local advocacy organization. If you want your faith to advise your treatment, consider reaching out to your church, synagogue, mosque, or other worship centers for a list of licensed therapists affiliated with your faith. Your worship center may even offer some therapy or support groups.

Contact organizations that address your area of concern.

Suppose youre looking for a therapist to help with a specific mental health issue or disorder. In that case, it may be helpful to consider finding a therapist through a national network, association, or helpline.

A few examples of organizations that offer search tools to help you find a specialized therapist near you include the National Eating Disorders Association, the National Center for PTSD, and the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. If your job causes stress and anxiety, you might find local therapists through a professional organization.

Several of these organizations and trade unions have resources to help you identify professionals who can help with mental health needs. For example, the International Association of Firefighters offers help with mental health, PTSD, and substance abuse.

Try an online therapy app.

Betterhelp and Talkspace offer resources to help you discover the kind of therapy you want. They can also match you with a licensed, accredited therapist you can work with online or via phone. Some people find a digital therapy platform more accessible and affordable than in-person therapy. Weekly sessions range from $35 to $80 for online treatment. At least one study found that people with depression felt that their symptoms improved after online sessions. Its worth noting, however, that two of the researchers involved with this study were consultants or employees of the digital therapy provider used.

Ask questions about the things that matter to you.

Whether online, on the phone, or in person, its not uncommon to completely forget every question you want to ask when you meet with your therapist.

To ensure you have the information you need to make the right decision, keep paper and a pen or a notes app handy for a few days before you meet. Write down questions as they come to you.

The American Psychological Association suggests a few questions for you to consider asking your therapist during your first session:

Are you a licensed psychologist in this state?

How many years have you been in practice?

How much experience do you have working with people dealing with [the issue youd like to resolve]?

What do you consider to be your specialty or area of expertise?

What kinds of treatments have you found effective in resolving [the issue youd like to work out]?

Whether youre coping with grief, trauma, relationship issues, or want treatment for a mental illness, finding a helpful therapist can change your voyage. To find a good fit therapist, start by considering practical matters like licensure, insurance coverage, location, and specialties.

Ultimately, finding the right therapist is all about what you're dealing with and your goals. Human connection is at the heart of successful therapy, and you can build that sense of connection whether you meet your therapist in person, on the phone, or online.
Members of the Bangladesh Journalists Union protest the shutdown of the Dainik Dinkal newspaper in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka, Feb. 20, 2023.

International press groups are condemning the shutting down of Dainik Dinkal, a Bengali-language daily run by the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, in what critics say is the latest sign of the governments tightening grip on the news media.

The government said the daily was shut down because its publisher, Tarique Rahman, son of opposition figurehead Khaleda Zia, has been convicted of crimes in Bangladesh, violating the Printing and Publishing Law.

However, human rights groups as well as Western governments, including the United Stated administration, have in recent months expressed concern about the shrinking space for freedom of speech and criticism of the Sheikh Hasina government ahead of the general election scheduled for December or January 2024.

On Friday, Media Freedom Coalition in Bangladesh, a partnership of countries jointly working for media freedom, said a free press and free speech play a key role in a transparent democracy.

We  express our concern about the Government of Bangladeshs recent decision to cancel the declaration (authorization to publish) of the Dainik Dinkal, said the coalition whose members are from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The Committee to Protect Journalists, a media rights group, noted that Dainik Dinkal covers BNP activities and has frequently criticized the ruling Awami League party, including the arrests of BNP politicians and supporters in what rights groups have characterized as a crackdown ahead of elections.

Earlier this week, Carlos Martinez de la Serna, CPJs program director in New York, said the newspapers shutdown was a blatant attack on media freedom ahead of Bangladeshs January 2024 national election.

Closing a newspaper violates the democratic principles purportedly espoused by the Awami League-led government, and we call on the Bangladesh Press Council to review its order and uphold the free flow of information, he said.

Dainik Dinkal, which had a circulation of about 3,000, stopped publication on Feb. 20. It had been the mouthpiece of the opposition BNP since 1991.

The Dhaka District Magistrate office canceled the newspapers registration on Dec. 26, citing publisher Rahmans criminal conviction along with violation of publishing laws.

Rahman, who is acting chairman of the BNP and opposition leader Khaledas political heir, has been convicted of corruption in relation to a 2004 grenade attack targeting Hasina, who was serving as opposition leader back then.

The district magistrate office said Rahman, who has been living in London since 2008, had not handed over the publisher position to someone living in Bangladesh like he should have. Additionally, the publication changed the office address and its printer without permission, actions which were against the law.

The newspaper then suspended publication Dec. 27, but resumed printing after filing an appeal against the district magistrates order on Dec. 29.

That appeal filed with the Appellate Board of the Bangladesh Press Council was rejected on Feb. 19.

The Appellate Boards head Justice Md. Nizamul Haque Nasim spoke to BenarNews, but did not offer details.

This daily cannot be published anymore. They must comply with the rules in order to be published, he told BenarNews.

Why now?

BenarNews was unable to get clear answers on why action was taken against Dainik Dinkal at this time since Rahman has been living abroad since 2008.

The Dhaka District Magistrate offices order revoking the newspapers registration said the Department of Film and Publication (DFP) had recommended action in October 2019. The department regulates the publishing industry.

BenarNews spoke to S. M. Golam Kibria, DFPs director general in October 2019. He said the newspaper made many changes without informing the government, which was against the law.

There is an obligation to inform the government according to the Publication Act in the case of any such decision. So we had to request the district magistrate as per law to take action on such irregularities, he told BenarNews.

But Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas, managing editor of Dainik Dinkal, said the government had been informed of a change in publisher.

After being convicted, Tarique Rahman submitted an application to the Bangladesh Embassy in London, appointing Mr. Ahmed Azam Khan as the publisher through an affidavit in 2016. But we were never told why the government did not take it into account, Shimul Biswas told BenarNews.

We think the government did not accept the application of the Dinkal publisher as it had already planned it was going to close Dinkal.
Indonesian police (foreground) disperse protesters gathering for a demonstration against the Indonesian governments plan to develop new administrative areas within Papua province, in Timika on April 1, 2022.

Updated at 10:40 a.m. ET on 2023-02-24

At least 10 people were killed and nearly two dozen others injured after security forces opened fire to quell rioting that broke out in Indonesias volatile Papua region amid rumors about a child having been kidnapped, police and the military said Friday.

Soldiers and police were forced to open fire after a crowd armed with arrows and rocks attacked them during the riot on Thursday in Sinakma, a district in the Papua Highlands province, police spokesman Benny Adi Prabowo said.

The police will take strong action against anyone responsible for the riot that has claimed casualties, Benny said in a statement.

The situation is gradually returning to normal and under control, he said.

Benny said two people of the 10 people who died had arrow and stabbing injuries.

Tensions have been high in Papua since Indonesia moved last year to further divide the region into more administrative units by creating three new provinces, including Papua Highlands.

Separatist rebels have also become more aggressive in carrying out attacks lately in the deeply impoverished and underdeveloped region. Earlier this month, rebels kidnapped a pilot from New Zealand after setting his commercial aviation plane on fire at a local tarmac. His current whereabouts are unknown.

The police spokesman said the latest unrest started around 12:30 p.m. Thursday after residents stopped a vendors truck in Sinakma, suspecting that the trucks occupants were kidnappers of a child.

Police officers arrived on site to handle the case and took the suspects to the police station, but people began protesting and attacking them, Benny said.

The military was called in to assist as the situation escalated and protesters began burning down shops and homes, he said.

Our personnel are on stand-by to prevent further escalation, Benny said.

Meanwhile, local military commander Lt. Col Arhenius Murib said soldiers were trying to calm the crowds and assist with mediation to stop the rioting.

We have communicated and coordinated with all parties to prevent the riots from spreading, restore peace, and prevent casualties, he told BenarNews.

A Papua human rights activist, Theo Hesegem, expressed concern about the situation and called for a peaceful resolution to the violence.

In my opinion, this is very inhumane. When will the violence end? The humanitarian crisis continues to occur, and this is a very brutal act, he told BenarNews.

Based on our observation, in the emergency room at the Jawaijaya General Hospital the patients were being treated for gunshot wounds, he said.

Papua police chief Mathius Fakhiri said he had ordered an investigation into the conduct of officers in handling the riot.

I have asked the head of the internal affairs division to conduct a thorough evaluation of the handling [of the riot] on the ground, Fakhiri told reporters.

We dont want things like that to happen again in the future, he said.

The violence was the deadliest in the province since its establishment in November 2022. In December, one person died and eight others were injured when police fired on rioting villagers in a local regency.

At the time, villagers who were armed with arrows and crude weapons attacked a police station in Tolikara regency, after two apparently drunk people allegedly assaulted an officer, police spokesman Ahmad Musthofa Kamal said. Three civilians and five officers were injured.

The Papua region, located in Indonesias far east, is home to a decades-old insurgency that has heated up in recent years.

The region, in the western half of New Guinea island, is notorious for human rights abuses committed by members of the Indonesian police and security forces. Armed separatist Papuan rebels have also been accused of committing atrocities against civilians.

In 1963, Indonesian forces invaded Papua  like Indonesia, a former Dutch colony  and annexed the region.

Six years later, only about 1,000 people voted in the U.N.-sponsored referendum, called a sham by locals and activists. The U.N. accepted the vote, essentially endorsing Jakartas rule.
Egianus Kogoya gestures while sitting on a captured Susi Air plane in the central highlands of Indonesias Papua region, Feb. 7, 2023.

Updated at 11 a.m. ET on 2023-02-24

The kidnapping of a New Zealand pilot in Indonesias volatile Papua region is the latest in a series of attention-grabbing attacks by 24-year-old Egianus Kogoya and his faction of Papuan independence fighters.

Since about 2017 Indonesian authorities have blamed the group he leads for massacres of civilians, kidnappings, property destruction and firing at aircraft, tactics that some analysts say mark an escalation of a conflict, which has endured for decades.

They dont conduct regular attacks as other factions have, said Hipolitus Wangge, a researcher at Australian National University. Instead, their focus is acts that achieve massive public attention, he said.

Philip Mehrtens, the pilot from New Zealand, was seized by the fighters on Feb. 7 in the central highlands of Papua, Indonesias easternmost region. They burned the small Susi Air plane he was piloting and released passengers who Indonesian authorities said were indigenous Papuans.

The groups demands include independence for the region they refer to as West Papua and an end to military cooperation between Indonesia and countries including New Zealand, Australia and the United States.

Indonesias military attributes 65 attacks to Kogoya and his group since 2017, when the combination of his youth and radicalism began to attract the attention of conflict researchers.

Kogoya vaulted to notoriety in Indonesia in December 2018, when aged about 19 he led his group in slaying 23 people, mostly construction workers on the Trans-Papua highway that is meant to link far flung towns and cities in the mountainous and jungled region.

Poorly armed Papuan fighters  collectively known as the West Papua National Liberation Army  have battled Indonesia since the early 1960s, when it took control of the region from the Dutch.

Papuans, culturally and ethnically distinct from the rest of Indonesia, say they were denied the right to decide their own future. Indonesian control was formalized in 1969 with a U.N.-backed referendum in which little more than 1,000 Papuans were allowed to vote.

Documented and alleged killings and abuses by Indonesian military and police, from the 1960s until the present day  along with impunity and the exploitation of the regions natural resources and widespread poverty  have fueled resentment of Indonesian rule.

Kogoya and his group are responsible for brutal and sadistic killings of civilians and attacks on security forces, said the Indonesian militarys spokesman in Papua, Herman Taryaman. He said Kogoyas militancy was partly driven by internal rivalry and the desire for prestige within the liberation army.

A plane burns after being set alight in the central highlands of Indonesias Papua region by Papuan independence fighters, Feb. 7, 2023. [Handout photo/West Papua National Liberation Army]

Mehrtens, the pilot, is safe and unharmed, said Sebby Sambom, a spokesman for the liberation army.

Last week it released photos and videos of Mehrtens that also show Kogoya, wearing a Papuan headdress, sunglasses, green gumboots and a camouflage-patterned t-shirt.

In one of the videos, Kogoya states that Mehrtens would be shot if Indonesian forces try to rescue him.

Were taking him hostage for the sake of Papuan independence, not for anything else. Countries must support our fight for independence, Kogoya said in Bahasa Indonesia in a video recorded as he sat in the cockpit of the captured plane. They cant continue working with Indonesia.

According to Sambom, Kogoya is the son of Silas Kogoya, who was prominent in the rebel army and died in 2011. He was involved in the 1996 hostage-taking of 26 people including foreigners, according to an account of events by the International Committee of the Red Cross, which attempted to negotiate the release of the captives.

Papuan activist Theo Hesegem said many of the liberation army fighters are aged 15-20.

Like them, Egianus Kogoya, he said, is a product of the conflict with Indonesia and tradition.

They left school to join, Hesegem said.

It is a mandate that children must undertake to continue the struggle of their parents generation, he said.

With the kidnapping of Mehrtens, the rebels are hoping for international attention to their cause and Indonesian concessions, Hesegem said.

Kogoya and his group are part of a shift in tactics under a more unified and better armed Papuan rebel army since 2018, according to a report last year by Deka Anwar at the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict in Jakarta.

Attacks have become more frequent and more civilian deaths are being suffered on both sides, the report said. In April 2021, an Indonesian intelligence chief was assassinated by fighters commanded by Lekagak Telenggen, a top figure among the rebels.

Some 125 civilians were killed in insurgency-related violence between 2018 and 2021, the report said, more than double the deaths between 2010 and 2017.

Recent developments such as Indonesias further administrative subdivision of Papua into six provinces and changes to the special autonomy law for the region are also fuel for the conflict, said Matthew Wale, leader of the Solomon Islands opposition and a long-time advocate of West Papuan self-determination.

Indonesia also has attempted to reduce support for the nonviolent wing of the independence movement by cultivating ties with Pacific island nations that have criticized human rights abuses in Papua.

Western nations have consistently backed Indonesias sovereignty over Papua. The massacre of communists and leftists in Indonesia in the mid-1960s put the country into the pro-Western fold and was a Cold War-era victory for the United States.

Nowadays, the United States and countries such as Australia seek closer security ties with Indonesia in response to Chinas burgeoning influence in Southeast Asia and elsewhere.

Wangge, the ANU researcher, said the liberation army has for several years warned commercial flights and non-Papuans to stop entering areas it considers to be conflict zones. The landing site of the plane piloted by Mehrtens also was far from the reach of Indonesian forces.

We should have seen this one coming, he said.

Update: An earlier version of the story listed an incorrect number of provinces in Papua.
The Pentagon plans to quadruple the number of American troops in Taiwan and Taipei is to send a combined arms battalion to the United States, both for training purposes in the face of a growing threat from China, according to media reports.

The United States will deploy between 100 and 200 troops to Taiwan to bolster a training program for the local military, a report published by the Wall Street Journal on Thursday quoted unnamed U.S. officials as saying.

As of September 2022, the Pentagon had 39 personnel stationed in Taiwan, including 23 on active duty from all four military branches, according to the U.S. Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC).

The unnamed officials who were quoted said this deployment was planned for months to help strengthen the islands self-defense against potential attacks from China, and was not connected with the latest dip in Sino-U.S. relations after the Pentagon shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon.

This is a good development, said Grant Newsham, a former U.S. Marine colonel and diplomat. Even 100 or 200 troops can have a positive effect on Taiwans military if they are properly deployed.

Taiwans military needs as much direct exposure to other militaries as possible as it has been isolated for over 40 years and its capability development has languished as a result, said Newsham, who spent a whole year studying Taiwans defense in 2019.

In his opinion, both militaries should work on a joint operation planning for future contingencies.

Several prominent figures in the U.S. military have predicted different timelines for a possible Chinese invasion and urged the islands leadership to build up defense capabilities.

Aircraft of the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) conduct a joint combat training exercise around the Taiwan Island, Aug. 7, 2022. [Xinhua]

Handcuffed by fear of CCP

Newsham told Radio Free Asia (RFA) that theres also a psychological aspect as the U.S. new deployment would bolster confidence with the military, the government, and the public at large.

This matters as much as new tactics, techniques, and procedures the military might learn, he said, adding, Never overlook the mental aspects of a national defense.

By law, Washington is obligated to help Taiwan to strengthen its defenses but every movement is being closely watched by Beijing, which considers Taiwan a Chinese province and threatens to take it back by force if needed.

According to the Wall Street Journal, U.S. officials were apparently mindful of possible reactions from Beijing when they said that its a question that is constantly being evaluated and looked at specifically with every decision involving support to Taiwan.

This is worrisome. It suggests that American support for Taiwan is still handcuffed by fear of the Chinese Communist Party, Newsham said.

If America indicates it will back down if seriously pressured by Beijing, China will have the advantage, and is far more likely to use force against Taiwan, he added.

Taiwanese Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng, when asked about the U.S. deployment plan, only said that more information needs to be gathered to provide a thorough explanation.

Radical change

Meanwhile the official Central News Agency (CNA) quoted Taiwanese military experts who said that Taipei is to send a combined arms battalion to the United States for training in the second half of this year at.

The CNA said in a report that the joint battalion will be composed mainly of soldiers from the Armys 333rd Mechanized Infantry Brigade and 542nd Armor Brigade. A battalion has around 500 troops.

Up to now, Taiwan has only sent platoon-level (25-60 troops) and company-level (80-150 troops) teams to the U.S. as part of military exchanges.

Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng again didnt confirm the report but neither did he deny it.

This new development would be a radical change in U.S. foreign policy, if true, said Wendell Minnick, a Taiwan-based U.S. defense analyst.

The U.S. has allowed Taiwanese military personnel to attend schools, such as SEAL, or special ops, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; and the U.S. Army Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia, according to Minnick.

Taiwan also has a training squadron of F-16 fighters at Luke Air Base in Arizona but to send a battalion of men would be hard to believe, the expert said.

One problem is these men are needed here. A battalion would be a lot of manpower needed for a war, Minnick told RFA.

Chinese navy vessels take part in a drill in Zhoushan in east Chinas Zhejiang province, Oct. 19, 2012. [AP Photo/File]

Newsham meanwhile argued that an increase in troop numbers would be a good thing as its important to operate with a fairly large unit, also to expose larger numbers of troops to a different environment and a new training setting.

This is how a military improves.

A report released last month by the influential Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington said that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would not succeed should the U.S. and Japan back Taipei but it would come at a high cost for all involved.

The report predicted that a Taiwan-U.S.-Japan alliance could defeat a conventional amphibious invasion by China and maintain an autonomous Taiwan. However, they would lose dozens of ships, hundreds of aircraft, and tens of thousands of service members.

Chinas leaders have become increasingly strident about unifying the island with the mainland, therefore a military invasion is not out of the question, the report said.
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Features Editor

Jennifer Huberdeau is The Eagle's features editor. Prior to The Eagle, she worked at The North Adams Transcript. She is a 2021 Rabkin Award Winner, 2020 New England First Amendment Institute Fellow and a 2010 BCBS Health Care Fellow.
Select Board member Michael Murphy said it may be time for Lanesborough to consider ways to cut taxes, perhaps by splitting its tax rate to shift the tax burden to businesses.
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.
AMHERST  John Olver, the former congressman who represented Western Massachusetts for over a decade, was remembered Friday as a humble public servant with the heart of an activist.

Those were the words of a former colleague, U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Worcester, who represents the 2nd Congressional District.

John was truly a champion for the people of Western and Central Massachusetts, McGovern said in a statement.

Olver, a Democrat, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1991 to take the seat of U.S. Rep. Silvio O. Conte, R-Pittsfield, when he died. He represented the 1st Congressional District of Massachusetts until he retired in 2013.

He was born in Honesdale, Pa., and worked as a chemistry professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst before getting into politics.

He served in the state House of Representatives from 1969 to 1973, and the state Senate from 1973 to 1991.

When he wasn't at work, Olver liked to stay active, said his daughter Martha Olver. She recalled hiking, gardening and bird watching with him while growing up in Western Massachusetts.

A student at Miss Halls School in Pittsfield as a teen, Martha Olver remembered coming home to the familys house in Amherst, where Olver would host the Democratic Town Committee barbecue. She helped her dad behind the grill, where he stood throughout the evening, cooking burgers and hot dogs for attendees.

Her father was a political bellwether for some, she said; the person they queried to see who he would be voting for in a particular election. She said he was known as a workhorse, and the description was apt.

He was there, always willing to do what needed to be done, and very willing to help, she said. People knew who to call on if they needed something.

He cared about forestry and the environment, his daughter said, so said it made sense that he pressed for the eponymous John W. Olver Design Building to be built sustainably of wood.

By the time Olver retired from Congress, his wife of more than five decades  the late Amherst College professor Rose Richardson Olver  had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

We spent as much time as we could with each other, Olver said of family.

Her father remained in contact with his former staffers after his time in government, keeping an eye trained on their careers with the same sense of caring that he brought to his constituents.

It was no wonder voters kept returning him to office, she said. He won every time he ran.

In his statement, McGovern recounted how the two were arrested together twice in Washington, D.C. while protesting humanitarian crisis concerns in Sudan.

The first time I asked him, I noted that we would likely be arrested and spend hours in jail. He agreed right away  his conscience would allow no less, McGovern wrote. The second time, I didnt have to ask. John knew what was right and just did it. It was an honor to share a cell with him. His integrity and support of human rights remains a source of great inspiration for me and so many others around the world.

Quote "So many times he delivered for us. State Rep. John Barrett III, former North Adams mayor

State Rep. John Barrett III worked with Olver while Barrett was mayor of North Adams. When the city acquired the North Adams Armory building on Ashland Street, Olver helped secure funding to renovate it, Barrett said.

Hundreds of kids have benefited from it, he said. So many times he delivered for us.

Barrett also recalled Olver securing funding for a program to transport people to work at all hours of the day.

It was very important at the time  many were unemployed here at the time when Sprague Electric closed and there was a need for workers in Pittsfield.

Describing Olver as humble, Barrett noted it was not uncommon to see him visit North Adams and dropping by events like free lunch programs. He did it very quietly, without a lot of fanfare, Barrett said.

Outside of work, he loved hiking and the outdoors.

It was a real passion for him. He knew everything about plants and birds and trees, said longtime friend Patricia Lee Lewis, who described him as a fast hiker. He really was a mountain goat.

One of the times she remembers him happiest was rock climbing the Shawangunk Mountains in the Hudson Valley of New York.

That kind of focus and kind of daring willingness to go out on a limb and just not do what everybody else is doing become a kind of symbol to me, Lewis said.

She was first his friend and later worked for him for five years when he was first in Congress and afterward they remained close.

He was a very genuine person. I would say he was an introvert in a professional where people are usually extroverts, she said. When he got to work on something it was because he really believed in it.

In the House, Olver served on the appropriations committee as well as subcommittees on transportation, housing and urban development, energy and water development, and homeland security, according to the UMass library that holds his papers. A member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, he backed health care reform and opposed the war in Iraq, according to UMass.

Olver announced his retirement in 2011 ahead of redistricting that reshaped Western Massachusetts congressional districts into the single seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield.

At the time, local politicians lauded Olvers role in revitalizing Pittsfields airport, downtown streetscape and public transit hub. He backed projects throughout the Berkshires, including veterans and social services.

Hes a public servant of principle who has served Western Massachusetts with great skill and deep passions belied by his unassuming and humble demeanor, then-U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said in a statement at the time. Kerry called Olver a congressional workhorse with the heart of an Amherst activist.

Neal said in a statement that Olver was "an effective leader and steadfast advocate for the people of western and central Massachusetts."

"He lacked any malice and had the purest of intentions, focusing solely on delivering for the people he felt privileged to represent," Neal said.

During Olvers time in the U.S. House, he was called one of its most liberal members. When he retired from Congress, then-President Barack Obama praised him in a statement.

He has fought tirelessly for a cleaner environment, modern infrastructure, more affordable housing, and more accessible health care, Obama said at the time.
PITTSFIELD  Melissa Mazzeo, a former city councilor and one-time mayoral candidate, is asking a Berkshire Superior Court judge to dismiss a defamation case filed against her by Barry Clairmont, the husband of Mayor Linda Tyer.

Lawyers for Mazzeo and Clairmont appeared at a virtual hearing with Judge John Agostini on Thursday  some three years after the election at the center of the case.

Tyer prevailed by a 528-vote margin in the hard-fought 2019 mayoral campaign. In the days that followed, Mazzeo filed a request for a recount of the ballots and issued a statement that an individual closely related to the Tyer campaign had unauthorized direct access to ballots inside City Hall.

Clairmont served as his wifes campaign treasurer, and had reportedly been seen leaving the city clerks office during absentee voting. In interviews after the statement was released, Mazzeo confirmed she had been referring to Clairmont.

Attorney Casey McCaffrey, representing Mazzeo, argued what her client did doesnt meet the standard for defamation  essentially claiming that what Mazzeo said in her post-election statement about Clairmont was true.

But Clairmonts attorney, David Rich, wants the judge to reject Mazzeos motion so they can present the case to a jury. They believe they can show, through Mazzeos own communications with state election officials, that she didnt believe her own claims about their client  strengthening their claim that she acted with malice.

Exhibits filed with the court show that Mazzeo made her claim after she was contacted via text by a woman who said she had seen Clairmont leaving the clerks office during absentee voting, and that she was concerned about his presence there.

Mazzeo filed a complaint with the state Elections Division in late October 2019, roughly a week before the general election.

City Clerk Michele Benjamin has repeatedly stated that Clairmont was in her office retrieving a records request and never had access to any ballots.

A state investigation ultimately found Mazzeos allegations were baseless, and the recount confirmed that Tyer had won the election.

In the weeks after the recount, according to court documents, Clairmont reached out to Mazzeo through his attorney and asked that she issue a new press release apologizing to him and his family, and stating, among other things, that there is no evidence that Mr. Clairmont accessed any ballots inside City Hall or anywhere else.

Mazzeo never responded, so Clairmont filed a lawsuit, seeking compensatory damages, emotional distress damages and reputational damages, as well as reimbursement for legal fees.

McCaffrey argued in her motion for summary judgment that everything Mazzeo said in her press release was true, and that truth is a complete defense to defamation.

She told Agostini that when Mazzeo released her statement after the election she wasnt claiming to have firsthand knowledge of election tampering but that she was stating these were concerns that third parties brought to her.

Rich argued that Mazzeos release wasnt really about an airing of concerns brought to her by voters; her goal was to get people to believe Clairmont had stolen the election.

In a press release about election integrity, when someones saying they have unauthorized direct access to ballots, the claim is unmistakable: hes trying to steal the election, Rich said.

A pretrial hearing is scheduled for March 27 in the case, pending Agostinis decision on the motion for summary judgment.
Many Christians love the book of Psalms. Throughout our lives, we read and speak the Psalms both in joyful praise to our Lord and in times of trouble. Studying and praying through the Psalms teaches us how to praise, trust, beseech, and rejoice in the Lord. And through them all, we see a focus on the promises of the coming Messiah.

Its fitting Jesus quoted Psalms more than any other Old Testament book. One of the Psalms quoted in all four Gospels is Psalm 118:26(a), which says, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD! (Matthew 21:9; 23:39; Mark 11:9; Luke 13:35; John 12:13).

What Are the Psalms?

The Psalms are Hebrew poetry, and the title of the book comes from the Greek Septuagint. The word Psalms alludes to a connection with music. Basically, the psalms are Israels olden hymn book, and they are often referred to as the Psalter.

The Psalms integrate what we can call poetic theology, both in their proclamation of Gods sovereignty and in Israels history. The worldview is one centered on the Lord God, no matter which human servant He used to pen each one. Theological themes include mans sin, Gods righteousness, holiness, and sovereignty, His providence, and His future promises. Their purpose is to teach us how to properly worship and praise God in all seasons of life. Psalm 150 is a fitting end to the book as it tells us to, Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!

James M. Hamilton (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) wrote, No other body of poetry has as its [principal] author Gods chosen king, whose line of descent traces back through Judah to Abraham, and further still to Shem, Noah, and Adam. Nor can any other poetic or literary tradition lay claim to the fact that King David, in writing of his own experience with God in the world, simultaneously wrote as a type of the one to come, Jesus, the worlds best and only hope.

What Is the Context of Psalm 118:26

Psalm 118 is a portion of the heartfelt six-psalm praise to God titled the Egyptian Hallel (Psalms 113-118). Hallel also means praise in Hebrew, and this section of the Psalms focuses on the Jewish exodus from Egypt. These psalms were sung during Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). Understandably, the Passover Psalms are accorded greater prominence, for they distinctly celebrate the Jews exodus from Egypt. Psalms 115-118 were traditionally sung after the Passover meal, and it is highly likely Jesus and His disciples sang Psalm 118 before they left the Upper Room on the night He was betrayed (Matthew 26:30; Mark 14:26).

This psalm has an unnamed author, but its inferred a royal person leads this song of praise  a person who endured individual deliverance in a military setting. He now celebrates by addressing the Lord God with praise. Verse 14 says The Lord is my strength and my defense; He has become my salvation.

Pastor John MacArthur writes, It seems reasonable to propose that Moses possibly wrote this beautiful psalm to look back in worship at the historical Passover and look ahead in wonder to the spiritual Passover in Christ.

Verses 1-4 proclaim the Lords love endures forever; great praise is offered to Him.

Verse 5 begins with a recounting of what happened to the writer and his response, and within each verse is a praise to God, who brought him into a spacious place (verse 5), who was with him (verse 6), and who gave the writer victory (verse 10). Gods sovereignty is a focus in verses 6, 8, 14, 15 and 16.

The author then exalts God by saying he will proclaim what the Lord has done (verse 17). In verses 18-21, we see the Lord chastened the psalmist severely, but not to death. The author desires entrance to the gates of the righteous so he may give thanks to the Lord, for He had become his salvation.

Verse 22 begins a section which includes verses quoted in the New Testament and speaks of the path from rejection to righteousness. God gave them triumph and a metaphoric distinction as people like the cornerstone of a holy edifice. Jesus quoted this verse in Matthew 21:42, Mark 12:10, and Luke 20:17, because He is the chief Cornerstone upon which salvific victory rests.

Verse 23 gives all honor to the Lord God for His work. Jesus quotes this verse in Matthew 21:42 and Mark 12:11.

Verses 27-29 further extol the Lord God by proclaiming He is God and by speaking of how they will praise and thank Him.

What Does It Mean "Blessed Is He Who Comes in the Name of the Lord"?

In its immediate context, this verse is surrounded by praise to God for a military victory and worship of Him as sovereign Lord who is God, and who is the Grantor of success. The author also praises Him for granting them entrance into His house (the temple).

In its greater context, this Psalm is one of the Egyptian Hallel psalms which are read during the Feasts of Pentecost, Tabernacles, and Passover.

The overarching context of the Bible is about Jesus and Gods redemptive plan throughout history. Verse 26 refers to those who enter the house of the Lord who are blessed, for they come in His name and for His glory. We see this in the second part of verse 26, We bless you from the house of the LORD. The greater meaning is brought to light when Jesus enters Jerusalem during His last earthly week. Jesus taught that the people of Israel would not view Him again until they could honestly proclaim this blessing to Him at His second advent (Matthew 23:39; Luke 13:35). Those are daunting words for the Jews unless they accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, and on His terms alone.

Why Does Jesus Quote This Verse in Matthew?

Matthew wrote his Gospel to a Jewish audience and his main purpose served to exalt Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah and King of Israel.

Zechariah 9:9 foretells how the King would arrive in Jerusalem.

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!

Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation,

Lowly and riding on a donkey,

A colt, the foal of a donkey.

Jesus quoted this verse in Matthew 21:5 when He said, Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold, your King is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.'

Matthew 21:9 is telling. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' Hosanna in the highest! (Matthew 21:9, emphasis added). Because He did not come as they expected, less than a week later they shouted, Let Him be crucified! (Matthew 27:23).

Jesus Himself is the One who comes in the name of the Lord, as foretold in Psalm 118:26. Hosanna is a celebratory word which means save us now, and its through these Hallel Psalms the word found its beginning in the preceding verse 25. LORD, save us! The Gospel writers recorded the crowds shouting, Hosanna to the Son of David! Son of David is a Messianic title pointing to Gods promise of salvation through His anointed King. The people expected a mounted warrior king who would remove their yoke of Roman oppression.

Peace comes only when people surrender to Jesus as Lord and Savior. Jesus came to testify to the truth and His truth  His very nature brings division (Luke 12:49-53). Dr. R.C. Sproul interprets Luke 12:51 as All human history will be divided by Me. Why? Because a person is either for Him or against Him. No neutral ground exists.

Jesus also came in the name of the Lord to accomplish His will (John 4:34; 17:6). No one else could provide what He provides as the true and faithful Israelsalvation (Hosea 11:1; Matthew 2:1316; 3:1317).

What Does This Verse Mean for Us Today?

A seminary student could write a dissertation on this question (and many probably have).

The Psalms are a rich treasure for us, and when we come upon one with specific implications about Jesus Christ, we are treated to a stunning look at how Almighty God brought the knowledge and record of Jesus to us throughout the Scriptures.

Psalm 118:26 is no exception. In it we see a portion of the scarlet thread of Scripture and how the history of Gods creation intimately involves Jesus Christ, from beginning to end. Augustine of Hippo declared The new is in the old concealed; the old is in the new revealed. Without the Psalms  and much more the entire Old Testament  we would miss the rest of the story.

Quite a bit of the Old Testament includes prophecy, and the Lord Jesus fulfilled over 300 prophecies. Thats stunning (and true!).

We are given cause to rejoice and be awestruck by Gods faithfulness, love, plan of redemption, and His holiness and sovereignty. Hes given us much to learn through even this one verse. Jesus is He who comes in Gods name, and He is blessed. We find out why throughout the rest of the Bible, which cements His truth.

Source

ESV Bibles. The MacArthur Study Bible (p. 4201). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

Photo credit: Getty Images/azerberber

Lisa Loraine Baker is the multiple award-winning author of Someplace to be Somebody. She writes fiction and nonfiction. In addition to writing for the Salem Web Network, Lisa serves as a Word Weavers mentor and is part of a critique group. She also is a member of BRRC. Lisa and her husband, Stephen, a pastor, live in a small Ohio village with their crazy cat, Lewis.
Tonight's rundown:

 Talking Points Memo: Joe Biden continues to decline with the world watching and remains out of the press reach

 Presidential Historian Larry Cook weighs in on how Bidens relationship with the press compares to past presidents

 US Special Forces have been confirmed to be in Ukraine

 OReilly describes Democrats hosting the DNC in Chicago as Crazy Arrogant

 The trial of Fox News gets underway

 58% of Americans are now living paycheck to paycheck even as inflation begins to cool off

 Smart Life: Utilizing Kelly Blue Book when searching for a new car

 This Day in History: FDR dies in office

 Final Thought: what to do when someone is disrespectful to you

In Case You Missed It:

 Read Bill's latest column, "Reason to Believe"

 Join 'Team Normal!' Order your gear now at BillOReilly.com!

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For her outstanding contribution in promoting science and technology in India

Dr B S Bajaj Memorial FABA Excellence Award-2023 has been conferred upon to Dr Renu Swarup, former Secretary, Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India for her outstanding contribution in promoting science and technology in the country.

Federation of Asian Biotech Associations (FABA) is a non-profit society, which represents 20 Asian countries with a common interest in promoting human health through advances in biotechnology.

The award was conferred during the Hyderabad Life Sciences innovation cluster meeting on 23rd February 2023 at the Indian council of medical research - National Animal Resource Facility for Biomedical Research (ICMR-NARFBR) situated in Genome valley, Hyderabad.

Dr Renu Swarup has been instrumental in the planning and implementation of national programmes and actively engaged in the formulation of National Biotechnology Vision & Strategy. She served as a member of the Task Force on Women in Science by the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Prime Minister.

As the Secretary of DBT, she led a Network of 16 Autonomous Research Institutes, 2 Public Sector Undertakings, and R&D Network of more than 5000 projects across 100 research institutes, Universities & Laboratories. During the pandemic, she led the COVID-19 Vaccine, Diagnostic & Genome sequencing Mission. She was the founding Managing Director and Chairperson of the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), and has supported more than 5000 startups and 60 incubators.
WHO and ESCEO will collaborate to develop global estimates on fracture and osteoporosis

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases (ESCEO) have signed an agreement to develop a strategic roadmap on bone health and ageing and advocate for a public health strategy to prevent fractures among older people.

The five-year agreement was signed at the WHO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland by Dr Anshu Banerjee, WHO Assistant Director-General ad interim, Universal Health Coverage/Life Course and Dr Jean-Yves Reginster, President of ESCEO.

The agreement includes the development of a public health strategy and action plan to prevent fractures among older people as well as to improve the coverage of health services for fractures which are critical for achieving the triple billion targets of WHOs Thirteen General Programme of Work (GPW13).

As part of the agreement, WHO and ESCEO will collaborate to develop global estimates on fracture and osteoporosis; review evidence-based interventions to prevent fractures; create an economic model for an investment case in fracture prevention and care; provide guidance to countries on strengthening national health information systems by integrating osteoporosis and fractures in routine data monitoring; and provide guidance to countries on using data to design evidence-informed policies and programmes to reduce the risk of fractures in older people.

WHO will establish a Bone Health Expert Working Group to advance the five-year workplan with support from the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) and the WHO Collaborating Center for Epidemiology of Musculoskeletal Health and Ageing at the University of Liege, Belgium, which was previously designated by WHO as a technical partner for osteoporosis and musculoskeletal ageing.
With an aim to achieve enhanced patient safety in wards

Central Referral Hospital (CRH) Sikkim Manipal Institute of Medical Sciences (SMIMS), Tadong has entered a partnership with Bengaluru-based startup Dozee to implement continuous patient monitoring.

30 beds in CRH will now be upgraded to Dozee connected beds powered with contactless continuous vitals monitoring and an Early warning alert system. Dozees solution is cloud-enabled and comes with a central and remote patient monitoring capability that empowers healthcare providers to monitor the patient more effectively and provide timely medical interventions for improved patient safety and clinical outcomes.

Dozee enables healthcare workers to remotely monitor patients vital parameters such as heart rate, respiration rate, blood pressure, SPO2 levels, temperature, and electrocardiogram (ECG). Dozees Early Warning System (EWS) tracks vital parameter trends and alerts healthcare providers to detect patients' clinical deterioration early, enabling timely medical intervention.

Dozee uses artificial intelligence (AI)-powered Ballistocardiography (BCG) for contactless vitals monitoring. Dozees technology is patented and made in India, and it has been clinically proven to be 98.4% accurate.
A net benefit of $15.42 billion for the nation after taking into consideration the cost of the vaccination campaign

A working paper by Stanford University and Institute for Competitiveness titled Healing the Economy: Estimating the Economic Impact on Indias vaccination and related issues was released by Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare as he virtually addressed the 'The India Dialog' session on the Economic Impact of Vaccination & Related Matters.

According to the World Banks future estimates, all advanced economies will have attained a full output recovery by 2023, and output in emerging and developing economies is expected to remain 4% below its pre-pandemic trend.

As a major developing economy with increasing geopolitical clout, Indias post-COVID-19 progress has been a subject of much discussion regarding its pandemic

management, vaccine administration, and economic growth, to name a few. India has registered a positive development on multiple economic parameters. The country also witnessed a strong export performance that outperformed its pre-pandemic level.

The paper highlights that India systematically tackled COVID-19 using a strategy based on three cornerstones  Containment, Vaccination, and a comprehensive yet targeted Relief Package. The uniqueness of each of the three approaches is in the manner in which they were implemented.

The report reflected that the benefits of vaccination exceeded its cost and suggested that vaccination be considered a macroeconomic stabilising indicator contrary to just a health intervention.
South Africa's three largest grocery retailers joined forces to criticise the government on Thursday, 23 February for not offering a tax rebate on diesel use, as crippling load shedding increases their costs.

Shoprite Group CEO, Pieter Engelbrecht. Source: Shoprite Group

The chief executives of Shoprite, Pick n Pay and Spar said in a joint statement they were "very disappointed" that the government in its annual budget speech had extended a diesel levy refund to food manufacturers but not to food retailers.

"The government has accepted the logic that the food industry should not be penalised for the energy crisis, but has only done half the job," the CEOs said in their statement. "We are doing our best to absorb as much as possible of this cost, rather than pass it on to the public at this most difficult time. But we cannot do so indefinitely."

Eskom is currently implementing the worst rolling blackouts on record, leaving households in the dark for up to 10 hours a day and disrupting businesses. Retailers are having to crank up diesel generators for hours to power their vast stores, additional costs that are putting pressure on their margins.

The CEOs said running their emergency generators was costing them billions of rands in diesel and urged the government to extend the refund to retailers as well.

SA's largest grocery retailer Shoprite spent R560m on diesel in the six months ended 1 January, while Pick n Pay is spending R60m, according to its latest sales updates.

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said in his budget speech on Wednesday that he was including food manufacturers in the diesel tax rebate in order to ease the impact of the electricity crisis on food prices.

Previously, only the mining and agriculture industries were eligible to claim a tax rebate on every litre of fuel they buy to keep generators running.
One person with no travel history has died due to cholera in South Africa, the health department said on Thursday, as the number of confirmed cases in the country rose to five.

Source: Reuters.

The development comes on the heels of rising cases of cholera in Southern Africa, with Malawi battling its deadliest outbreak yet, with more than 1,300 deaths.

Cholera can cause acute diarrhoea, vomiting and weakness and is mainly spread by contaminated food or water. It can kill within hours if untreated.

The two new cases in South Africa are of men in their 20s who had no travel history, the health department said, adding one of them has subsequently died.

"One of his contacts is still in hospital and further investigation is being conducted," it said in a statement.

South Africa reported two imported cases of the disease from Malawi earlier this month. The husband of one of the first two cases also later tested positive.

While cholera is not endemic in South Africa, health officials have called for vigilance and hygiene amid fears of local transmission of the disease.

Malawi's neighbours Mozambique and Zambia have also reported cholera cases, while Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia in the East are responding to outbreaks amid a terrible and protracted drought.

In West and Central Africa, there have been cases in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria.
It's that time of the year to shave, spray and donate at the Cancer Association of South Africa's (Cansa) 20th annual Shavathon fundraising event taking place, at various shopping centres across South Africa, on Saturday 25 February 2023, with certain venues also hosting events on Sunday, 26 February 2023.

Workplaces, businesses, clubs, organisations and schools can host events for an entire month from 27 February to 31 March 2023. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Shavathon is one of the highlights on the Cansa calendar bringing families, friends and colleagues together in solidarity with cancer survivors. Losing hair is a common side effect of cancer treatment so participants show support by donating a fee to shave or spray their hair.

#CansaShavathon #CansaCares

Elize Joubert, Cansa CEO says Were truly overwhelmed to still be running our Shavathon after all these years, and more so for the ongoing enthusiasm of South Africans to support it. The wonderful support that we receive from the public, companies, clubs and schools who take part on behalf of a loved one on a journey with cancer, or one who has been lost to cancer, makes it possible to celebrate the 20th anniversary of this fundraising event this year. Were once again inviting all and asking What will you do for a cancer survivor and join us in in showing support for a cancer survivor, patient, warrior or thriver. And, if youve been part of Shavathon over the years, please share your stories, moments, memories and photos with us and tell us why this event is so special. Stories can be submitted here: https://shavathon.org.za/share-your-story/.

To shave or spray in a variety of colours, requires a donation fee of only R50 per adult and R25 for children under 12 years and all funds raised go directly towards providing Cansas education and screening initiatives as well as care and support service to cancer patients and loved ones. Stencils are available to add fun designs when spraying hair and donations of hair can be made towards making a wig for cancer survivors. The colour spray is safe to use, being made of vegetable dye, and comes out when washing hair. A limited-edition certificate of honour will be given to those who make hair donations of 25cm or longer and limited edition Cansa Headwear is available for R55 per item (while stock lasts).

In the last two decades, many celebrities and personalities have been part of Shavathon and given their time, talents and support: cancer survivor Mark Pilgrim, Mi Casa, Freshly Ground, The Parlotones, Marc Lottering, Danny K, Toya Delazy, Gert-Johan Coetzee, Natalie Du Toit and many more. The late Jeremy Mansfield has also graciously encouraged South Africans to support Shavathon. This year, friend of Cansa, Rozanne McKenzie, presenter, MC and co-host of Jacaranda FMs The Drive Show with Rob and Roz, lends her well-known voice to the Shavathon hype while platinum-selling artist and popular musician Daniel Baron, pledges his support with the song A Lions Heart written for his cousin who passed away from cancer at age 14 and inspired him to write the song about his love for life.

The first Shavathon took place at the Crazy Zebra in Gqeberha in 2003. Hosted by a local biker group, the initiative was started to show support for a member affected by cancer, and this is still the main focus of the event today.

Over the years, Shavathon has grown to become one of the most-loved events in South Africa. It encompasses the true spirit of Ubuntu by uniting South Africans from all walks of life to stand together in the fight against cancer and to honour those it affects.

What will you do for a cancer survivor?

Apart from visiting Shavathon venues at shopping malls, anyone can also host a Shavathon event including workplaces, businesses, clubs, organisations and schools. Cansa will be offering the opportunity to host events for an entire month from 27 February to 31 March 2023. To host an event as an individual or workplace, please register and order Shavathon products through the Cansa eShop.

Joubert adds, We challenge workplaces and organisations to take part in this special event and have fun with it! Why not see which department or branch can raise the most funds with their Shavathon or collect the most hair donations - teams can compete against each other to see who raises the most online by creating an online fundraising page per team on our Shavathon event page on GivenGain. Our top corporate team raising the most funds will win a prize. And if you are working from home, you can still join in by paying a Bail Out Fee online.

Online champions

Cansa also welcomes participants to open an online fundraising page before participating in a Shavathon event and to invite their contacts to support the action they will take on behalf of cancer Survivors on the day, whether they shave, or spray, by making an online donation to the participants fundraising page.

Participants can then share their online fundraising efforts on their social media platforms using the hashtag #CansaShavathon in the weeks leading up to their participation and top fundraisers stand a chance to win awesome prizes. The online Bail Out Fee is also applicable for anyone who wants to be involved but cannot make it to a venue on the day.

To find out all about Shavathon, see the Shavathon FAQs and to find a venue, see the participating shopping centres listed online (events will be added here weekly leading up to Shavathon).

20 ways to make a difference

Although Shavathon is hosted once a year, Cansas services are on-going. Being a non-profit organisation, Cansa is reliant on the kindness and generosity of donors and sponsors to continue with its service delivery across South Africa. Here are ways in which you can join the fight against cancer through your Shavathon donation and more:

(For more information, please contact Anita Snyders, national sustainability manager at Cansa at email az.gro.asnaC@sredynsa. Call 012 329 3036 or mobile 083 633 5798.)
Doctors Without Borders/ Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) is a global network of principled medical and other professionals working in teams to respond to the medical needs of people affected by conflict, disasters, epidemics, and those excluded from healthcare. MSF has and continues to run projects in Southern African countries including eSwatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

You are invited to join MSF for an evening of art and storytelling as we showcase one-of-a-kind documentary-style photographs that give us a glimpse into the emotional and psychological experiences of people's journeys.

To highlight the stories of People On The Move, we invite you to attend our photo exhibition featuring the work you support and the patients we serve. Featuring photographs from award-winning photojournalist Luca Sola and other accomplished visual artists, the exhibition will provide a nuanced perspective on migration that emphasises the humanity and complexity of these journeys.

These works by Luca Sola, Ben Mphande, Bekezela Mabena, Mario Soares and Gildo Soares will be available for purchase through a silent auction throughout the evening. The majority of the proceeds will go to Doctors Without Borders, to support our humanitarian work in the region and worldwide.

We look forward to hosting you.

Date: Thursday, 16 March 2023

Programme:

6pm: Welcome Drinks

6:30pm: Open remarks by MSF's Claire Waterhouse

7pm: Canapes served, exhibit continues & socialising Venue Inanda Club, Sandton

RSVP to gro.fsm.gruboj@pvsr by 13 March 2023.
The City of Cape Town is considering treating up to 39-million litres of essentially raw sewage pumped out to sea daily via three marine outfalls, the first of which was built 122 years ago.

Up to 30-million litres of essentially raw sewage are pumped out to sea every day via a 1.7km pipe off the Green Point promenade. Photo: Steve Kretzmann/GroundUp

The release of sewage into a Marine Protected Area, as is the case with the Camps Bay and Hout Bay outfalls, has been a subject of controversy since photos of the sewage reaching the surface were published in 2016.

The citys permits to discharge sewage at the outfalls at Green Point (which was built 122 years ago), Camps Bay and Hout Bay were renewed on 11 January by the Department of Forestry Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), acting mayoral committee member for water and sanitation Siseko Mbandezi said. The Green Point and Camps Bay permits are valid for five years and the Hout Bay permit for 10 years.

But, Mbandezi said, at the same time the city was assessing the feasibility of measures to further mitigate the environmental impact of the three coastal outfalls, including additional higher level pre-treatment on land prior to discharge.

Under the previous water and sanitation administration, questions from GroundUp as to whether the city was considering treating the sewage before pumping it out to sea, the answer was always: no.

However, the city continues to defend the existence of the marine sewage outfalls, citing studies by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) which they commissioned in 2016. In a report of September 2022 on the findings of CSIR studies since then, the citys Coastal Management Branch states the extensive data collected and analysed  shows surprisingly low environmental impact.

In fact, the report says, the marine sewage outfalls are less damaging than some of the land-based waste water treatment works.

The land-based systems are contaminating and polluting multiple environmental systems (land, groundwater, river, estuary and the ocean) and often exceed the carrying/assimilative capacity of these much smaller systems resulting in their ecological deterioration, the report says. After seven years of data collection, the city had not found equivalent damage at any of the marine outfalls compared to some of the land-based environments where water treatment works discharge into small systems, notably the Diep River, Black River and Eerste River.

Appeals against the permits

ActionSA and the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) are appealing against the granting of discharge permits for the marine sewage outfalls, through which sewage and wastewater from industry and hospitals is pumped through a 20mm and 3mm sieve, without further treatment.

On 13 February, ActionSA provincial chairperson Michelle Wasserman paddled 1.7km out to sea to the end of the Green Point outfall pipe to photograph a slick of faeces that had risen 28m from the underwater outfall to float on the surface. The weather was mild with a light south-south-west wind in the morning.

Wasserman posted photographs and said she saw islands of floating sewage, as well as sanitary pads, tampons and condoms. She said it appeared that even the sieving of solid objects was ineffective. She said ActionSA disagreed with the departments description of the effluent as preliminary treated sewage rather than raw sewage. This term is purely designed to mislead the public, she said.

Any permit granted by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment must ensure that, within the shortest possible time, the City of Cape Town establishes the infrastructure necessary to process the sewage so that all harmful elements, including chemicals, toxins and hormones, are removed before the remaining water is discharged into the sea.

Oversight visit

Two days after Wassermans paddle to the end of the Green Point outfall, deputy chair of the Water Quality in Wetlands and Waterways Advisory Committee Alex Lansdowne took a boat there.

Lansdowne released a video of his oversight visit on Twitter, showing the water was clean with no visible sewage or solids on the surface. In a statement, he said the coastline was visibly healthy and ecologically functional.

But, as noted in some social media comments on Lansdownes post, the sewage is dispersed in certain swell and wind conditions, such as rougher seas and south or southeast winds as on the day Lansdowne inspected the area, whereas many ocean users have reported it forming a slick on the surface on calmer days.

Lansdowne said in his statement the CSIRs independent findings were that there is no immediate ecological disaster or major risks to human health forthcoming as a result of the effluent discharged.

However, he said, echoing Mbandezi: Following the above-mentioned marine impact study, the City of Cape Town has commissioned a feasibility study into technologies and treatments to further improve the quality of discharge. This was expected to be completed around the middle of 2023.

Pharmaceutical compounds

NSRI chief executive Cleeve Robertson said the institute was appealing against the granting of the permits from a health and a conservation point of view.

I have to put rescue personnel into the water all the time, he said.

Robertson said whenever the Hout Bay crew launched their boat, they travelled over the end of the Hout Bay outfall pipe.

The sewage slick just drifts on top of the water, and it is known Hout Bay beach is one of the most polluted in the city.

He said the city was neglecting to mention the industrial chemicals and pharmaceuticals released through sewage outfalls, although studies have shown these are accumulating in the marine environment and up the food chain.

Its a disaster, he said.

The studies he referred to are those by Senior Professor Leslie Petrik at the University of the Western Capes Chemistry Department, and Cecilia Y. Ojemaye who found that fish caught by small-scale commercial fishers in Kalk Bay are contaminated by antibiotics, pain killers, antiretrovirals, disinfectants, and industrial chemicals.

Studies by the CSIR on the behalf of the City of Cape Town have also found 37 pharmaceutical compounds off Cape Towns coast during winter, and 45 in summer after analysing samples from 28 coastal sites during summer and winter. (This report can be found on the City of Cape Town website here, under Reports.)

The pharmaceutical compounds found most often were acetaminophen (paracetamol); ofloxacin (an antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections); valsartan (used to treat high blood pressure, heart failure, and diabetic kidney disease); sulfamethoxazole (an antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections); codeine (an analgesic and anti-inflammatory drug); and bezafibrate (used to lower cholesterol levels in the blood).

The CSIR study notes that these are released into the environment from sewage as the drugs are not fully metabolised in the body before being excreted in faeces or urine.

The results tie in with a 2017 study on pharmaceutical compounds and household chemicals in seawater near the Green Point sewage outfall conducted by Petrik, Lesley Green, Adeola P. Abegunde, Melissa Zackon, Cecilia Y. Sanusi, and Jo Barnes.

In its own report on the CSIRs findings, the city says that even if the sewage was treated before being piped into the ocean, these forever chemicals would flow into the sea anyway. Current technology in waste water treatment plants does not remove these chemical compounds, the city says.

Article originally published on GroundUp.


Recently Continental Tyre South Africa announced that it appointed Matt Livigni to be its new managing director (MD). Livigni, who has worked for Continental for 33 years, was MD of Continental Tire Canada for six years, and also served as executive director of the Tire and Rubber Association of Canada before joining Continental Tyre SA.

Matt Livigni, MD of Continental Tyre South Africa | image supplied

He succeeds Martin Buday, who headed up the South African operations from 2020, and has been appointed to lead Continentals South East Europe division. Livigni has held various roles at Continental, including sales, marketing and product management, with a particular emphasis on the commercial vehicle tyre (CVT) segment.

Bizcommunity caught up Livigni to find out more about his new role and his main objectives as MD of Continental Tyre SA.

Congratulations on your appointment. How are you feeling about it?

Thank you, this is really an exciting opportunity for me. I look forward to bringing a different perspective and my experience to grow the company and the great people within it. I am sure I have much to learn as well especially working in such a dynamic and diverse environment.

Tell us about your new role and your goals as Continental Tyre SAs new MD?

Having moved to South Africa in January this year, my main objective has been to focus on sustainability. The number one priority for me is to ensure the sustainability of local manufacturing of quality tyres for the domestic market, supported by cost-competitive exports that enable future investments and the long-term stability of our plant here in South Africa.

At Continental, we are excited about adapting the materials and production of our tyres to contribute to a better, more sustainable future. For me, this is one of the biggest challenges ahead, which will affect our whole value chain.

Most important for me as the new MD is the growth and development of our people and improving the health of our culture while continuing to focus on diversity, equity and inclusion.

What are some of your career highlights?

My wealth of experience spans a 33-year career with Continental and 35 years in our industry. My previous roles include sales, marketing, product management, retail management, general management and most recently Managing Director for Continental Tire Canada for the past six years. I now look forward to this new chapter as MD of CTSA.

What kind of approach will you be taking in this new role?

As a people-oriented company, I believe in empowering Continentals employees while also making a positive contribution to the broader community. We need to continue providing opportunities for both professional and personal development and growth for our staff at every level, while simultaneously addressing the issues of diversity, equity and inclusion. At the same time, we have a key role to play in supporting economic growth as a means of creating new job opportunities for all South Africans to tackle the high levels of unemployment.

What do you love most about your career and the industry you are in?

People are my passion, developing them makes me want to get up every morning and start the day. My primary job as a leader is not to have the best ideas and ensure the execution of those ideas, no, my job is to create a culture where these ideas come from the team and the team is developed in a way that they live out their true potential and take ownership for the success of the organisation.

On a personal level, I am looking forward to the opportunity for growth and improvement, and the chance to play a small part in creating a better tomorrow, both for our Continental Tyre SA employees and as well for all of South Africa. My wife Paula and I are also excited about intermingling with all of the wildlife. We look forward to all the great adventures in and around South Africa and Africa in general, particularly engaging with new and diverse people.

Take us through a day in the life of Matt Livigni

The plan, which oftentimes varies from reality, is as follows: 5:30am workout to increase my endorphin and dopamine levels for 20 to 30 minutes. The next 30 minutes would be spent in quiet solitude, prayer and planning for the day.

After a shower and a commute to the office, I spend the first two hours of every day preparing and spending two 30-minute 1:1's with members of the team. (I started this practice years ago when I decided to spend the first two hours of the day on my projects that are most important and require the most amount of focus and energy - the conclusion then for me was that the most important task for me as a senior leader is to look after the culture and development of our people - due to this I meet with everyone across the organisation 1:1 at least once per year).

The rest of the day contains steering and operational activities normally enjoying lunch at my desk (typically leftovers from the night before:)). My plan once up and running here is to spend at least a few days a week during lunch in the plant canteen with the team. During the commute home I normally stop at the local Woolies to grab food for dinner as I am the chef at our house and very much enjoy a glass of wine or two with my beautiful wife Paula while preparing dinner each evening.
Hollywood actor and comedian, Kevin Hart, who is currently in South Africa for the world premiere of his Amazon film Die Hart the Movie as well as his "Reality Check" stand-up comedy tour, took time out to visit Orange Farm's Masibambane College as a guest of Education Africa. Masibambane College is a flagship project of Education Africa - a Johannesburg-based NPO with a diverse portfolio of educational projects assisting disadvantaged South African communities for more than three decades.

Kevin Hart and US Ambassador visit Masibambane College in Orange FarmSource: Education Africa

Accompanied by HE Dr. Reuben E. Brigety II, ambassador of the USA to the Republic of South Africa, and Lord Matt Scheckner, chairman of Advertising Week and president of Education Africa Inc, Hart undertook an interactive tour of the school before taking to the stage to engage in conversation with some 2,000 school learners.

James Urdang, CEO and founder of Education Africa said, When we heard that Kevin Hart was coming to our school, we wanted to share the experience with other schools in the Orange Farm community, as well as St Johns College with whom we partner in ensuring the maintenance of high academic standards at Masibambane College.

The learners who braved the wet weather and participated in this social cohesion event represented the following schools: Masibambane College, St Johns College, Highlands North High School, Leshata Secondary School, Mphethi Mahlatsi High School, Jabulile Secondary School and Aha-Thuto Secondary School. They were not aware that Hart would be addressing them.

You can imagine their surprise when we announced that Kevin Hart was our special guest, said Urdang. The level of excitement was off the charts!

Hart shared the stage with five of the high school learners, answered their questions, and offered some heartfelt words of motivation to the enthusiastic audience. He expressed how moved he was by the people he had met at the school and told the learners that, Knowing that you guys are part of the future; that you guys will be a part of the change; that you guys are responsible for breaking new ground is what Im most excited about. I hope you guys truly understand how bright your future is. I am so inspired by everyone that I have met today. Dream big, love strong and take advantage of your now.

He added that some people struggle at times with being themselves. But things become easier once you find the happiness in you, and then everything else will fall into place. Through comedy, I found the happiness in telling my story, living my story and putting that story on display for everybody to see. You must always be true to yourself. I love to put people in an environment where we can all laugh together.

Hart also shared some advice on the important aspect of mindset. You can choose to focus on the bad and let the bad weigh you down, or you can find new reasons to live and smile. Embrace the idea of dream, because thats what keeps you going. When you dont have a dream, thats when life gets stagnant." He also encouraged the learners to embrace the idea of work. "Always give 100% - sometimes when you give 100% you get 1,000% in return; stay grounded; life is hard but know that the sun always comes out at the end of a storm."

And finally, he urged learners to take advantage of their education. I challenge you guys to take advantage of your now; I challenge you to think about your future. Be a future leader; be a ground-breaker; be a changer  thats what youre supposed to do because you are the next generation. You are the future of South Africa. If you want change, then make change.

Urdang presented Kevin Hart with a gift from Education Africa  a framed plate of the late Walter Sisulu who was a great friend and supporter of Education Africa, and on whose recommendation Masibambane College was built in Orange Farm.
This article was originally published at The Post Millennial, a part of the Human Events Media Group.



The sheriff's report on the disturbing scene where a top Bill Clinton advisor with ties to Jeffrey Epstein was found shot and hanged from a tree has finally been released, prompting sleuths to question why the death was ruled a suicide.



Mark Middleton, 59, was a special advisor to the former president in the 1990s, authorizing Epstein's visits to the White House seven out of the 17 times the infamous pedophile met with top government officials there. Additionally, he was also on the flight logs of Epstein's private jet. According to the Perry County sheriff's office, Middleton was found dead on May 7, 2022 with a gunshot wound to his chest and an extension cord tying his neck to a tree in Perryville, Arkansas.







As obtained by the Daily Mail, Sheriff's Deputy Jeremy Lawson's firsthand report on the mysterious death claims that "I could see what at first appeared to be a man sitting near a tree, as my eyes focused better, I could see a rope of some type going from the tree limb to the male."



Middleton's body was found at the Heifer Ranch, after worker Samantha McElroy called police after finding Middleton's abandoned black BMW SUV at the property.



"I could see that he had a gunshot wound to the chest and that he had a knot tied in an extension cord that was around his neck and it was attached to the limb directly above him," Lawson added.



Ammunition and a gun case were found in Middleton's vehicle  but the weapon itself never turned up.



Despite the confusing details of the case, Sheriff Scott Montgomery said Middleton had apparently shot himself in the chest with a shotgun and also somehow hung himself, reported the Arkansas Times.



According to the outlet, the late presidential advisor's family said he "was being treated for depression" before his death.



Despite unsealing the sheriff deputy's report nine months after Middleton's death, Circuit Judge Alice Gray granted a request from his family to keep the crime scene photos sealed.



"The Court finds that since Mr. Middleton's death, the Middletons have been harassed by individuals with outlandish, hurtful, unsubstantiated, and offensive conspiracy theories regarding Mr. Middleton, his death, and his family, which have caused the Middletons immense harm and anguish," the decision reads.



"These same individuals have indicated and communicated that they will attempt to obtain the File, including Media Content depicting Mr. Middleton's body and the scene of his death, by way of an Arkansas Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request," the judge continued. "The purpose of this Order is to prevent further irreparable injury to the Middletons."



Middleton left the White House in February 1995. The following year, a White House investigation determined that he had "abused his access to impress business clients" leading him to be "barred from the executive mansion without senior approval," reported the Daily Mail. He has denied those accusations.



"Any journalists want to investigate why Mark Middleton died hanging by an electrical cord from a tree with a shotgun blast to his chest?," one Twitter user wrote of the story.



"What the heck? How can this be a suicide? I think Mark Middleton was arkancided!," another commenter said, using a slang term to refer to someone being killed by a member of the Clinton family, who hail from Arkansas.



Other commenters pointed out that this may be another "Clinton body," referring to the theory that the politically-powerful family has had other people killed, including Epstein himself.
In two days of United Nations special sessions this week related to Ukraine as well as the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage, Russia mounted a robust defense, arguing that it sees its ongoing military action in Ukraine is a matter of "survival".

Russias Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya voiced the stark perspective on Wednesday, casting the war as one against the collective West. "As for our country, we see all of this as a war with the West for survival, for the future of our country, for our children, for our identity," he said.

He stated that "Ukraine is nothing but a bargaining chip in this plot" - part of a broader plan which was long in implementation, going back to 2014.

Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN Vasily Nebenzya, via AP

The Russian diplomat's words followed a surprise admission by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who in a Feb.14 press conference in Brussels described that "the war didn't start in February last year. The war started in 2014."

The day prior to Nebenzya's remarks, the UN Security Council had convened at the urging of permanent member Russia to consider fresh allegations surrounding the Nord Stream sabotage. Nebenzia during that session called for establishing an independent investigation.

He specifically invoked Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Seymour Hersh's bombshell report which said the pipelines were bombed as part of an elaborate covert CIA operation involving the US Navy and help from the Norwegians:

"This journalist is telling the truth," Nebenzia said at the meeting. "This is more than just a smoking gun that detectives love in Hollywood blockbusters. Its a basic principle of justice; everything is in your hands, and we can resolve this today."

Crucially, China immediately backed the call. "As the most authoritative and representative international organization, the UN can play an active role in conducting an international investigation and ensuring the security of transboundary infrastructure," the Chinese ambassador told the Security Council.

But US Ambassador John Kelley slammed what he called Moscow's attempts to obfuscate and deflect blame from its aggression in Ukraine, saying that "todays meeting is a blatant attempt to distract" from the forthcoming emergency meeting of the General Assembly. The US at that upcoming meeting is expected to rally in favor of a scathing UN condemnation of Moscow to mark one-year since Moscows Feb.24 invasion.

"That is what our focus should be on," Kelly said. "Russia desperately wants to change the subject."

But also addressing the council as outside experts were American economist Jeffrey Sachs and Ray McGovern, a former CIA analyst and author Ray McGovern. They made compelling cases during their presentations, saying that the Hersh report is accurate also on account of recent statements from US officials. Those presentations before the UN body be viewed below:
The Biden administration is preparing to sign up the United States to a legally binding accord with the World Health Organisation (WHO) that would give it the lawful authority to dictate Americas policies during a pandemic. The Epoch Times has more.

Despite widespread criticism of the WHOs response to the Covid pandemic, US Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra joined with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in September 2022 to announce the U.S.-WHO Strategic Dialogue. Together, they developed a platform to maximise the longstanding U.S. Government-WHO partnership, and to protect and promote the health of all people around the globe, including the American people.

These discussions and others spawned the zero draft of a pandemic treaty, published on February 1st, which now seeks ratification by all 194 WHO member states. A meeting of the WHOs Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) is scheduled for February 27th to work out the final terms, which all members will then sign.

Written under the banner of the world together equitably, the zero draft grants the WHO the power to declare and manage a global pandemic emergency. Once a health emergency is declared, all signatories, including the United States, would submit to the authority of the WHO regarding treatments, government regulations such as lockdowns and vaccine mandates, global supply chains, and monitoring and surveillance of populations.

They want to see a centralised, vaccine-and-medication-based response, and a very restrictive response in terms of controlling populations, David Bell, a public health physician and former WHO staffer specialising in epidemic policy, told the Epoch Times. They get to decide what is a health emergency, and they are putting in place a surveillance mechanism that will ensure that there are potential emergencies to declare.

The WHO pandemic treaty is part of a two-track effort, coinciding with an initiative by the World Health Assembly (WHA) to create new global pandemic regulations that would also supersede the laws of member states. The WHA is the rule-making body of the WHO, comprised of representatives from the member states.

Both [initiatives] are fatally dangerous, Francis Boyle, Professor of International Law at Illinois University, told the Epoch Times. Either one or both would set up a worldwide medical police state under the control of the WHO, and in particular WHO Director-General Tedros. If either one or both of these go through, Tedros or his successor will be able to issue orders that will go all the way down the pipe to your primary care physicians.

Physician Meryl Nass told the Epoch Times: If these rules go through as currently drafted, I, as a doctor, will be told what I am allowed to give a patient and what I am prohibited from giving a patient whenever the WHO declares a public health emergency. So they can tell you youre getting remdesivir, but you cant have hydroxychloroquine or ivermectin. What theyre also saying is they believe in equity, which means everybody in the world gets vaccinated, whether or not you need it, whether or not youre already immune.

Regarding medical treatments, the accord would require member nations to monitor and regulate against substandard and falsified pandemic-related products. Based on previous WHO and Biden administration policy, this would likely include forcing populations to take newly-developed vaccines while preventing doctors from prescribing non-vaccine treatments or medicines.
Via: Daily Mail:

A billionaire financier and investor was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his office in New York City on Thursday.

Thomas H. Lee was confirmed dead in a statement released by his family. He was 78.

Police responded to Lees office at 767 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan around 11:10 a.m. His firm, Thomas H. Lee Capital, LLC is located on the sixth floor of the building.

Lee, a Harvard graduate, had a net worth of roughly $2 billion at the time of his death, according to Forbes.



Lee was a good friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton and in June 2008, following Hillarys unsuccessful presidential run, the couple reportedly stayed at his East Hampton home.
When covid-19 vaccines were granted emergency authorization in Dec 2020, there was consternation over whether pregnant women should be vaccinated.

Pregnant and breastfeeding women were excluded from the original Pfizer and Moderna phase III clinical trials, so any recommendation to vaccinate them was a gamble.

The world was dealing with a novel vaccine technology, tested under warp speed conditions, and no long-term safety data to speak of.

For this reason, the WHO did not widely recommend the covid-19 vaccine during pregnancy because of insufficient safety data. But not everyone agreed.

In January 2021, soon after the vaccine roll-out commenced, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its website saying that the mRNA vaccines were unlikely to pose a specific risk for people who are pregnant.

Professional societies such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) both advised that covid-19 vaccines not be withheld from pregnant or lactating women.

Similarly, the UKs Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) released a statement saying that COVID-19 vaccines are strongly recommended in pregnancy.

So, as the months passed, hundreds of thousands of pregnant women globally, rolled up their sleeves to receive the vaccine, despite the absence of any clinical trials.
Explaining the various terms in the objective, the paper notes that to preserve savings restricts access to superannuation savings for a persons retirement only. The paper seeks feedback on the wording, and the government will make its decision. But, on the face of it, if this wording were legislated, a future Coalition government that wanted super to be used for housing would have to alter the definition. When Anthony Albanese was asked on Wednesday whether a definition of superannuations purpose would rule out the policy the Liberals had offered, he declined to pre-empt the process. During the pandemic, the Morrison government allowed people to access $20,000 of their superannuation. This was a bad judgement. A massive $36 billion was taken out. Many, especially younger people, have been left worse off for the future as a result.

As a general principle, super should be preserved for retirement (apart from the limited hardship provisions now available). But the case of housing is arguable. Loading Home ownership can be seen, as much as super, as a pillar for a dignified retirement. Older people with their own homes are better placed than others. Many older women, in particular, with smaller nest eggs and paying rent, increasingly find themselves in dire straits. So, there is a case for the proposed objective to be flexible enough to encompass a policy allowing a limited dip into super for a first home. This would be consistent with Labor saying that, for its part, it does not believe super should be used for this purpose. Meanwhile the government is examining the tax breaks available for superannuation.

It is constrained by what was said before the election. Australians shouldnt expect major changes to superannuation, Chalmers declared. That at least left some room to manoeuvre (while opening an argument about what is major). Albanese was less nuanced, insisting Labor had no intention of making any super changes. While the government says no decisions have been made, it indicates tweaks are in prospect, aimed at those with big balances. Chalmers this week told 3AW: The average is 150 grand in super. Less than 1 per cent of people have got more than three million bucks. The average for them is about 5.8 million bucks. I think the country should have a conversation about whether concessional tax treatment on balances that big is the best use of the taxpayer money.

The Retirement Income Review, reporting in 2020, noted that while tax concessions were given to support savings for retirement, most retirees leave the bulk of the wealth they had at retirement as a bequest. Loading The Grattan Institutes superannuation expert, Brendan Coates, puts it bluntly: Superannuation has become a taxpayer-funded inheritance scheme. By 2060, Treasury estimates one-third of all withdrawals from superannuation will be paid out as bequests. The concessions, with their ballooning cost to revenue, clearly should be trimmed, on the grounds of budget cost and equity. Consider this: the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Bill Shorten, is at present seeking savings in the NDIS to make it more sustainable in the long term. If thats reasonable for the NDIS, it is more than reasonable for super tax breaks.

Chalmers also wants the government to collaborate with super funds to facilitate investment in priority areas, such as affordable housing. This raises knotty issues, including the imperative that super fund members money should be invested in their best interests. The best investments for their financial interests and the best investments for the national interest may not align. The desirability and viability of such collaboration  Chalmers emphasises participation would be entirely up to funds  would depend on particular circumstances. The initiative would require maximum caution by funds and government. The risks are obvious. The renewed debate around superannuation is manna for the opposition. For his part, Chalmers is frustrated observers are overlooking the Turnbull governments changes to super concessions. Condemning opposition hypocritical hyperventilating, he said on Thursday: I call on them to explain the difference between what they did in office and what they are railing against now. Fair point. But there is another point too. The Liberals would remember the huge electoral blowback they ran into with their superannuation changes.
Luther: The Fallen Sun 

(MA) 229 minutes

There is no sun at all in The Fallen Sun, the feature-length follow-up to Luther, the TV crime series that made Idris Elba a star. Were in rainy London until the climax sweeps us off to Scandinavia and a landscape sculpted out of snow.

Idris Elba is compelling in Luther: The Fallen Sun, so you can just about go along with the wildly implausible train of events. Credit: John Wilson/Netflix

Luthers creator, Neil Cross, has been toying with the desire to do a Luther feature since 2021. At that stage, he wanted to make it a prequel so he could bring back Ruth Wilsons Alice Morgan, a killer whose obsessive attachment to Detective Chief Inspector Luther accounted for much of the psychological complexity powering the plots.

But time went on, and he finally settled on a sequel. Luther is pursuing a serial killer, which is nothing new. Cross has never held back when it comes to a touch of the gruesome and here, he excels himself. Andy Serkis plays the villain. With a grey bouffant and a creepy air of self-satisfaction, he is cast as David Robey, a cyber tycoon with a side interest in blackmail and murder, the more ingeniously sadistic the better. Whats more, he telegraphs his every move in the jolly tones of someone planning the office Christmas party.
The last words my mother spoke to me were a surprise, to say the least. I was reminded of that unexpected scene three days ago, after Richard Belzer, the actor who played the irascible detective John Munch on Law & Order, died and one of his friends revealed what he said right before his final breath.

He had lots of health issues, and his last words were, F--- you, motherf---er, Bill Scheft told The Hollywood Reporter.

Samantha Selinger-Morris with her mother, Sylvia Morris.

It made me think of my mothers final words in a new light. You and your brother, youre two f---ing assholes! she said, shakily waving a finger in my direction. She was in unspeakable pain. And incandescent with rage. This was near the end of a four-hour period when she screamed at me on and off as I sat next to her hospital bed in Canada last April. Four-letter words ricocheted in my ears. She died the next day.

Now, did I have any preconceived ideas about what my mother might say to me before she died? At the time, I didnt think I did. At least not consciously. For one thing, I was by my fathers side when he took his last breath, 18 years prior, and I cant tell you what his last words were. He was slipping in and out of a coma for a couple of weeks, so his last utterance would have been weeks before he died. I remember him speaking about his desire to visit the Rocky Mountains.
Good Weekend devotes five pages to The Agitator, while relegating his criminal record of domestic violence and stalking to a mere half-paragraph. Whatever happened to judging a man by his actions?

A.B.

Docklands, VIC Foreign Correspondence As always, it was a pleasure reading Foreign Correspondence on the weekend [February 18]. Amelia Lesters account on life approaching her 40th birthday was full of her usual sharp and witty observations, but I was downcast to read her closing paragraph  that it would be her last column. Ive so enjoyed her amusing and on-point insights of a young family living overseas; always my first read on a Saturday morning. Best wishes and I hope we meet again, Amelia.

Wendy OBrien

Nelson Bay, NSW Loading As a fellow early-1980s baby, I will miss Amelia Lesters weekly musings. From playground fun to the worlds happiest countries, her column has offered an antidote to bigger global concerns such as war in Europe, the rising cost of living and the increasing threat of the climate crisis. Like Amelia, at 40 I feel a frisson of excitement and freedom to focus less on what others think and more on what really matters: capturing the joys of life.

Amy Hiller

Kew, VIC

As an Aussie who raised our family in the US, I have loved reading Amelia Lesters experiences and views as she raised a family in Japan then Washington DC. But Foreign Correspondence has ended now, so thanks and farewell.

Barbara Fraser

Burwood, VIC I thought I would be reading Amelia Lesters column forever. I so looked forward to her little observations, bringing her 40-year-old life into mine.

Jenny Slattery

Hampton, VIC Dicey Topics I just wanted to let you know that I love reading Benjamin Laws Dicey Topics each week in Good Weekend.

Narelle Collins

South Morang, VIC Online comments

Finding Samuel Loading I had a similar experience to the one described in Finding Samuel [February 18]. A number of years ago when I came across the body of a young man who had hanged himself near my local ferry stop. It was in a dark corner among some beautiful fig trees. I could easily have walked past and not noticed, but the shape near the base of the tree was out-of-place, and it drew my eye. I, too, called out to him, but it was obvious he was beyond assistance. I didnt have a mobile phone at the time and went to the ferry that had just come in and asked them to dial 000. I showed them where the body was and waited, not wanting to draw attention to him among the commuters arriving to catch the ferry. I then waited till they confirmed an ambulance was on its way and supplied my contact details. I made my way to work. It was a very surreal experience. I knew nothing of him and despite looking in papers there was no mention of who he was and why he had decided to take his life. The police visited my house 2 days later  ostensibly to check on my welfare, but they offered no other support or insight. I still walk past that place at least once a day, and it always leaves me feeling mournful and wondering what could have been done differently that would have not left him thinking that that was the only reasonable way out.

Kristian Hanlon A very interesting and well-written piece. It just goes to show how any death can affect us and that your gut feelings about your connection with that person are probably correct.

Man in the Moon A beautiful and compelling piece of writing that brought tears to my eyes. Thank you.

libbytopp
A Colombian student who killed a sex worker in her apartment in Sydneys eastern suburbs before fleeing the country has been found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter.

Hector Enrique Valencia Valencia, 23, pleaded not guilty in the NSW Supreme Court to the murder of Kimberley McRae, 69, in Coogee in January 2020. His plea of guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter was rejected by prosecutors.

Hector Valencia, right, was extradited from Aruba over the death of Sydney woman Kimberley McRae in 2020.

The accused gave evidence at his judge-alone trial before Justice Dina Yehia that he had become upset after discovering McRae was transgender and said he hit her in the face and stomach.

Under cross-examination, Valencia agreed he had been fuelled by anger when he assaulted McRae but claimed the victim had grabbed a lamp and tried to choke him with the cord, and that he was scared and in panic.
Notorious Sydney underworld figure Arthur Stanley Neddy Smith lived a long life of crime and jail time, but his final day in court was over in less than 30 minutes.

An inquest into the death of the 76-year-old in Long Bay jail in September 2021 was held at the NSW Coroners Court on Friday, when Deputy State Coroner Derek Lee found Smiths cause of death was pneumonia, with Parkinsons disease and dementia being significant contributing conditions.

Neddy Smith spent decades in custody before his death in 2021. Credit: Dean Sewell

Mr Smith died of natural causes whilst in lawful custody serving a sentence of imprisonment, Lee said.

The brief hearing provided further insight into how Smith, whose life was immortalised in Ian Davids acclaimed television drama series Blue Murder, whiled away his many decades behind bars serving two life sentences for two murders.
A 13-year-old girl has been assaulted by her schoolmates at a public high school in Perths northern suburbs.

A video taken of Mondays incident, later sent to Nine News Perth shows one of the attackers being pushed towards the victim by a friend, before she starts to verbally abuse her.

The second attacker comes up behind the victim and pulls her to the floor by the collar of her shirt. She hits the ground hard and is then repeatedly punched in the head and smacked on the hip and ribs.

The attackers then leave her lying on the floor as they walk away.
Australias support for Ukraine and its rise as a global player through partnerships such as AUKUS have transformed the nation into a prime target for Russian spying in a major change from just five years ago, a former American intelligence chief says.

The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age revealed on Friday that a highly active hive of Russian spies posing as diplomats had operated in Australia for more than 18 months before it was dismantled as part of a sweeping counter-espionage offensive by ASIO.

Retired admiral Mike Rogers, former head of US Cyber Command, says Russia is taking an intense interest in Australia. Credit: Oscar Colman

Mike Rogers, who headed the US National Security Agency and Cyber Command during the Obama and Trump administrations, warned that Australia would become an even more alluring honeypot for foreign spies when it acquired top-secret nuclear-powered submarine technology from the United States and United Kingdom.

Rogers, a retired four-star US Navy admiral, said the AUKUS pact would require Australia to urgently fortify its cyber defence and intelligence-gathering capabilities.
There are exceptions in which people have been able to use their superannuation, but thats the objective. That is what we have said, that is what we are doing. Loading Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said anyone with superannuation should be worried by Labor, noting a person who had enjoyed a windfall or strong investment returns would be punished under any changes. Maybe they put money into crypto or into some sort of shares that have gone through the roof and their balance has gone up dramatically. Now theyre the people that Labor is talking about taxing and taxing a lot, he said. But 2019-2020 financial year figures from the Australian Tax Office show few have enjoyed such substantial windfalls, with about two-thirds of Australians or 11.3 million people holding less than $100,000 in superannuation. Their balances are worth a combined $321 billion. This cohort is dominated by young people, women and part-time workers.

At the other end of the scale, just under 80,000 Australians  or 0.5 per cent of the population  have super balances worth $2 million or more. Their accounts total $302 billion. The figures, provided by the ATO to the Grattan Institute, show the bulk of the countrys $3.3 trillion in superannuation are held in accounts worth between $200,000 and $1 million. The Grattan Institutes Brendan Coates says there are a growing number of people who have so much money in super they will never spend it. Grattan Institutes economic policy program director Brendan Coates said the easiest change to superannuation tax concessions would be adding a higher super surcharge to balances of more than $2 million. The big problem here is that were giving concessions for people with very large balances that never spend them in retirement, he said. Therefore the concessions are basically subsidising inheritances.

Estimates for what people need in their super balances to live a good retirement vary. The superannuation peak body ASFA says that for a comfortable lifestyle, couples need about $68,000 a year and singles require about $48,000. Loading Super Consumers Australia suggests singles who own their own home outright and plan to spend about $44,000 a year will need $301,000 by the time they retire, and for couples who plan to spend $64,000 they suggest $402,000. Coates said the government should not introduce a cap  or a hard limit  on the amount people can have in their super. People are welcome to have $2, $3, $4, or $5 million in super, they just shouldnt be getting concessions that come at the cost of other taxpayers, he said.

The idea of a higher tax rate is to say well done, youve saved that amount, but that you shouldnt be earning tax concessions on that balance that are more generous than what youd be paying in the personal income tax system if that money was saved there. Loading Independent MP Allegra Spender, who represents the eastern Sydney seat of Wentworth, said she was concerned about the class-focused comments of the government. She said her electorate, the wealthiest in the country, was home to people who paid a large amount tax. They would be open to changes in superannuation, she said, but the government had to explain their proposals rather than just engaging in rhetoric.

The people in this seat do pay a lot of tax. If they want to increase taxes on super, they will want to see that it is spent on services efficiently and with good value for money, she said. Loading Teal independent MPs representing wealthy electorates in Melbourne also reacted negatively to the governments mooted reforms. Kooyong MP Monique Ryan said she did not have an in-principle position on whether the retirement income framework required refinements. But she said Labors floating of legislative change this week was unhelpful because it creates a degree of uncertainty.
If anyone believed the Coalition would revisit the superannuations objective, that died in the final week of last years election campaign when Morrison unveiled a plan to allow first-time buyers to withdraw up to $50,000 from their super. And this week, deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley signalled her support for expanding the ability to use super to buy a house despite warnings this would drive up house prices in a country with some of the most unaffordable property in the world. The opposition is backing opening super up to buy a house  even though it would pump up prices. Credit: Peter Rae While Chalmers outlined the case for an objective, he also noted that the cost of super  about $50 billion in tax concessions a year and growing  was putting extraordinary pressure on the budget. Right now, were on track to spend more on super tax concessions than the age pension by around 2050, he said. Im not convinced thats a sustainable way to get to our destination  good retirement incomes for more Australians, now and into the future.

Those comments started a political firestorm that was seized upon by the Coalition, the huge vested interests in super and by ordinary Australians fearful of yet more change to their most important asset outside of the family home. Ever since the Keating government introduced the superannuation guarantee in 1992 (at 3 per cent), there has been controversy. Both sides of politics have changed it, most recently by Morrison in 2016 in reforms that cost the Coalition plenty of political paint among Liberal voters. Almost all proposed reforms, including those floated since Chalmers comments, have gone to the cost of superannuation and the benefits flowing to high-income earners. But there are even larger issues coming to the fore. Paul Keating introduced superannuation 30 years ago. Credit: Peter Rae. Super was set up partly because humans are terrible at making long-term financial decisions. The superannuation guarantee is forced savings, giving Australians a lump sum when they finally retire. But 30 years on from its inception, another issue is emerging  the troubles we have managing large sums of cash while facing high degrees of uncertainty. And the biggest uncertainty in super is how much money we need to have a dignified and enjoyable retirement.

One often quoted benchmark is the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australias retirement standard. At present, the standard suggests that if you want a comfortable retirement, a couple needs $640,000 in savings when they leave the workforce. (A $70,000 lump sum will give you a modest standard). Just how comfortable is that comfortable? It means top-level private health insurance, fast streaming services, regular professional haircuts, confidence to use air conditioning, and an annual domestic holiday plus an overseas trip every seven years. If you think that comfortable retirement is better than your life in the workforce, youre not wrong.

The comfortable retirement allows for $128 a week on bathroom and kitchen renovations, $206 a week on travel and holidays, $82 a week on appliances and professional haircuts plus $135 a week on restaurant dining and quality food. While this standard is often quoted as the benchmark, the reality of what Australians spend in their retirement is vastly different. As we age, our spending levels fall dramatically. People find it hard to determine how much they need for a comfortable retirement. Credit: Ros Holcombe The 2020 Retirement Income Review, headed by Mike Callaghan, looked over the nations retirement settings. While prevented from making any recommendations, the findings were astonishing. A surge in large super balances was being driven by tax strategies. The number of balances greater than $10 million grew by 1110 per cent between 2005 and 2017. It appears that large balances are held in the superannuation system mainly as a tax minimisation strategy, separate to any retirement income goals, it found. About $1 of every $5 paid from super accounts in 2019 was as a bequest or inheritance. Thats excluding the family home, savings outside of super and any other asset a person might have. By 2059 this will reach $1 in every $3. Bequests from housing assets will also increase if housing assets continue to grow and retirees avoid drawing on their housing wealth, the review found.

It also found people, to their detriment, struggle to use their retirement savings as they were designed. Fearful of running out of money, they are dying with tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in their super accounts plus their house and other assets. People could have a higher standard of living, either in retirement (by consuming more) or during their working lives (by saving less), it found. The review found a string of contributing factors to the problem. Retirees face a huge amount of complexity and little guidance about how to maximise their retirement incomes, they fear about their future health and aged care costs while many worry they will out-live their super. Even the nomenclature around superannuation is a problem. Who wants to dip into their savings or their investments or their nest eggs? These findings were reinforced this year when a review of the quality of financial advice (that had been ordered by the previous government) was released.

Report author Michelle Levy revealed her views on the superannuation system changed during her time heading the inquiry. Early in the review I was asked whether our superannuation system made it more important that people have financial advice, she wrote. My somewhat hasty response was no, because of the defaults in the system  the superannuation guarantee means most employees have superannuation and the MySuper rules set high minimum standards for default superannuation. On reflection and with the benefit of the review, my opinion has changed. Michelle Levy, who led the Quality of Advice Review, admitted her views on the need for financial advice in retirement changed. Credit: Rhett Wyman Levy discovered that Australians approaching retirement would benefit greatly with even some general advice. Contribution and tax rules are complex; superannuation fund, investment and insurance choices matter; and, decisions about retirement products are difficult and important, she found.

Decisions about all of these matters have long-term implications for our standard of living in retirement, our entitlement to social security and even decisions about aged care. This is an issue of concern to Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones who has just started consultation on Levys report. Jones says setting an objective for superannuation is the governments top priority, but issues such as making sure people have good financial advice when they retire must also be addressed. Australians are retiring with more money than ever. They need advice on how to make that money work for them, he said. There are 7.5 million people at or approaching retirement but only 16,000 advisers. The numbers dont add up. We need to do this advice differently. We need to do it better.

In the run-up to the 2019 election, Labors plans to change the tax arrangements around franking credits became a retiree tax in the eyes of opponents and the Coalition. Chalmers commentary this week has already set the political hares running with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton accusing the government of breaking election promises and of seeking to retrospectively tax superannuation. There are also economic risks around any changes to super. In the early stages of the COVID pandemic, the Morrison government decided to allow people in financial distress to withdraw up to $20,000 from their superannuation accounts. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton says the government is breaking a pre-election promises by floating changes to superannuation. Credit: Joe Armao More than $38 billion was withdrawn with many young Australians effectively emptying their super accounts.

Analysis of the program by economists Tristram Sainsbury, Bob Breunig and Timothy Watson at the ANUs Crawford School of Public Policy found substantial unintended consequences as 3 million people accessed the scheme. Loading If someone withdrew their full entitlement, they were much more likely to be on JobSeeker over the next nine months. Over 15 months, 14 per cent were more likely to be on welfare. An additional 162,000 people who took money from their super accounts spent an average extra seven weeks on unemployment benefits, at a cost to the federal budget of $580 million. People used the money to stop looking for work.

We conclude that it was the COVID-19-related access to lump sums from otherwise locked-away private pensions that drove delayed exit from unemployment payments, they found. Loading Chalmers has made much of the $48 billion in foregone revenue due to the various tax concessions around super. But Breunig cautions that anyone who expects a fiscal windfall from tightening rules around super will end up sorely disappointed. He said people will change their superannuation and saving patterns if tax concessions are changed too much. Even a minor change is unlikely to bring home the financial bacon envisaged by many proponents.
More than 100 poker machines in the centre of Sydneys CBD have been adapted with cashless gaming technology ahead of an imminent industry-led trial for voluntary punters.

The digital wallet solution designed by international gaming machine manufacturer IGT will be activated on machines at Club York, where the opt-in trial will aim to pick up at least 100 participants.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet announced his plan to turn NSW poker machines cashless earlier this month. Credit: Rhett Wyman

However, experts warn voluntary programs by industry risk producing unscientific results that lack methodology and muddy the waters, when trials over the past decade have well established the harm minimisation benefits of cashless gaming.

Using an app, players in the IGT trial can transfer money from their smartphone to the gaming machine via Bluetooth. They must verify their identity and link a debit card to the digital wallet to access funds.
Three months in Ukraine, bearing witness to the horror and trauma, teaches you to never underestimate the power of optimism over cynicism and perseverance over despair.

In countries such as Australia, it can be all too easy to succumb to cynicism.

Eight-year-old Timosha stands with his bicycle in front of the burning Palace of Culture in Lysychansk. The city is now occupied by Russia. Credit: Kate Geraghty

On one day in July last year, just after I had returned from my second trip to Ukraine, one of the biggest political stories in Australia was the fact that all Labor MPs were wearing a face mask in parliament, while most Coalition MPs were sitting in the chamber bare-faced.

While the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic were, and are, a genuine issue, the framing of the pandemic through the lens of identity politics was jarring after being on the front line in Ukraine.
Wellington: Fresh evacuation orders have been issued for the Esk Valley, the site of much devastation from Cyclone Gabrielle, as heavy rain returns to New Zealand.

Cyclone-ravaged parts of the North Island were under heavy rain watches on Friday, with up to 200 millimetres forecast by MetService.

Hawkes Bay Civil Defence Controller Ian Macdonald said the decision to evacuate the Esk Valley, just north of Napier, was precautionary ahead of an expected deluge.

A horse died on the roof of this house in Napier, after swimming there in flood water on February 16. Cyclone Gabrielle caused widespread destruction across New Zealands North Island. Credit: Getty

The timing is to ensure people can evacuate safely in daylight and before the impacts of the heavy rain make driving dangerous, he told Radio NZ.
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Max Raine (pictured above), former chairman of Raine & Horne, died on Feb. 22 at age 91, following a couple of years battle with dementia.

Raine, the third generation Raine family member to lead the Raine & Horne property group, was born in 1931. He joined the family business at age 18, and in 1973, became chairman of the group until his retirement in 2011.

A key innovator in Australias real estate industry, Raine pioneered the growth of suburban real estate offices in the late 1960s and introduced franchising to the property industry in the 1970s.

The real estate industry has lost one of its most forceful and influential advocates with the passing of Max Raine, said Brian Reid, director of Raine & Horne Group. Max was a driving force in the generational change that saw the emergence of national franchising businesses in the 1970s and 1980s.

Under Raines leadership, the Raine & Horne brand expanded to more than 300 offices across Australia. He also pioneered the first overseas franchised offices by launching a network in Malaysia in the late 1980s.

Today, Raine & Horne Group employs 3,000-plus people globally. The company sold $10 billion worth of real estate and managed more than 120,000 properties worldwide in 2022.

Max could see the continuing sophistication of the commercial property market along with the emergence of listed property trusts and launched Raine & Horne Commercial in 1984 as a separate brand that boasts 36 offices around Australia today, Reid said. During his leadership, Max was responsible for lobbying the government and was constantly quoted in the media resulting in many changes to the industry and legislation.

Raine served on many boards and committees, including the City Branch of the Real Estate Institute of NSW, Council of Auctioneers Education Committee, Corporate Committee of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA), Anglican Retirement Villages Foundation, and Barnardos and Edina Retirement Villages.

In 1988, he was appointed by the NSW Government as chairman of a ministerial enquiry into inner-city accommodation.

There is a hole left in my family that will eventually repair but will never be replaced, said Angus Raine, Raines son and executive chairman of Raine & Horne. At our upcoming state and national awards, we are celebrating 140 years of our business success, and now we will also celebrate my fathers life too.

Raines funeral details will be announced in the next few days.

Use the comment section below to tell us how you felt about this story.






The group will hold a roadshow in Singapore on Feb. 27, and Hong Kong on Feb. 28 and March 1, according to a person familiar with the matter. Among the executives in attendance will be group chief financial officer Jugeshinder Singh and corporate finance head Anupam Misra, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private. The Adani Group will hold a fixed-income investor roadshow in Asia next week as the embattled Indian conglomerate seeks to repair the damage caused by a shock short-seller report.

The empire of Indian billionaire Gautam Adani is seeking to stem fallout after a report by US short seller Hindenburg Research last month accused it of accounting fraud and stock manipulation  claims the group have denied. Adanis US-currency bonds have slumped since the report was published, and the conglomerate faces maturities from a number of its companies by the end of next year.



Adani bonds were mixed Friday, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Adani Green Energy Ltd.s September 2024 bond was little changed at 79.8 cents per dollar at 2:45 p.m. in Hong Kong, while the 2029 note issued by Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone Ltd. rose 0.4 cents to 77.9 cents. Moodys Investors Service has cut the outlook on several Adani firms, citing concern over the impact of any big jump in funding costs.

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The Adani Group held calls with bondholders earlier this month as well. The ports-to-power group has lost about $146 billion in equity market value since Jan. 24, when Hindenburg published its scathing report. The Adani firms have hired legal and communication teams, cut expenses and repaid debt as they seek to calm traders concerned about the groups access to financing.
Mobility solutions firm Comviva is focusing on martech, the business vertical engaged in cross sell, upsale and real time marketing through their telecom partners, the company's chief executive officer (CEO) Manoranjan Mohapatra told Business Standard.

Martech describes the software end functions marketers use to optimise their marketing efforts.

For Comviva a subsidiary of Tech Mahindra India constitutes only 10-15 per cent of the total Martech business, and the company believes significant room to grow exists.

We are consuming a lot of goods and services leveraging the telecom sector. A telco has a customer base buying data, devices and bundles while a bank offers financial products. Martech would aim to upsell more to the customer base, he said.
Listed IT companies reported a sharp cutback in net hiring in the third quarter, or October-December (Q3), of FY23 as against the July-September quarter (Q2) and even the corresponding year-ago period. The top five listed of them together added just 1,940 people (on a net basis) to their rolls in Q3FY23, down sharply from 28,836 in Q2FY23 and 61,137 people in Q3FY22.

Any slowdown in their employee expenses is expected to weigh on income growth in the economy. This can adversely affect demand for big-ticket consumer goods such as cars, high-end mobiles, home appliances, and new homes.
Godrej Appliances anticipates over 2x growth in AC sales over last year and is targeting a growth of 40 per cent this summer season over last year from the entire set of cooling appliances like air conditioners, refrigerators, air coolers, and deep freezers.

The consumer durables sector is expected to grow by 15-20 per cent in the next financial year (FY24) due to a resurgence in demand and the government's efforts to boost consumers' discretionary spending, say industry experts.
Not just Galaxy S23 series, engineers and researchers at Samsung R&D Institute Bangalore (SRI-B) are working on creating multi-device experiences between personal home and open ecosystem devices for Indian consumers, its top executive has said.

Dipesh Shah, Managing Director, SRI-Bangalore, told IANS that at Samsung, they call it Calm Technology, where devices connect seamlessly for a more intelligent consumer experience that takes place instantly.

"What we are trying to tell the consumer is when more devices come into your life, you should not be adapting to how the devices want you to use them. Devices need to adapt to your needs and do automatic inter-device experiences," Shah said.

"I think there is a lot of focus at SRI-Bangalore and there is a big team working on creating multi device experiences between personal home and open ecosystem devices," he emphasized.

Samsung has created multiple devices that are in people's homes and in personal lives.

"In your personal life, there is your smartphone, Galaxy Buds, Galaxy Watch, Galaxy Tablet and now Galaxy Book3 that we recently launched. Then there are smart home devices like washing machines, refrigerators, family hubs, robot vacuum cleaners and smart televisions," he said.

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Eventually, "we are an open ecosystem company for many third-party devices like your door sensor, smart plug, LED light bulb, etc. So all of these devices, when they are working independently, give you a certain amount of experience but when they work connectedly, they just take your experience to another level," Shah told IANS.

This is what Samsung R&D Centre in Bengaluru, the company's largest software R&D centre outside South Korea, is busy achieving at the moment.

In India, when we look at the young consumers' lifestyles, the first thing they want is personal space.

So, you just put your Galaxy Buds in and then only you are enjoying the content on your TV.

"But also, when a call comes on your mobile, it automatically switches and it automatically brings you back into your TV programme or your gaming experience without getting disturbed. So, we have these kinds of multi-device connected experiences without the user having to do anything," said Shah.

The SRI-Bangalore has about 250 startups that it is connected with on how they can modify their products, their services, their experiences based on Samsung's consumer understanding and to match with its consumer needs.

SRI-B contributed towards the development of breakthrough innovations in the new Galaxy S23 series by closely collaborating with Korean teams and other overseas R&D centres like Samsung Research America (SRA).

The SRI-B engineers made significant contributions to the development of key features in the Galaxy S23 camera, multi-device experience (SmartThings), on-device AI, 5G and services.

In camera, the SRI-B engineers focused on continuous R&D efforts to enhance the smartphone photography experience in every flagship device.

To provide the best capture, edit and share experience, the engineers have contributed to the development of Photo Remaster and Object Eraser features.

Moreover, the engineers also contributed to the development of seamless IoT (Internet of Things) device registration services known as "Calm Technology" and have been part of the team to achieve the world's first matter-certified IoT ecosystem device.

To enhance the Galaxy's One UI experience, the SRI-B engineers contributed to On Device Intelligence Powered Personalisation, Productivity & Automation features which provide convenience in consumers' daily lives.

--IANS

na/
Reliance Retail announced the opening of the first freestanding Gap store in India in partnership with Gap Inc. on Friday. Reliance Retail is the official retailer of Gap across all channels in India, the company said in a press release.

Reliance Retail opened over 50 Gap shops-in-shops since last year. The launch of the new Gap store in Infiniti Mall, Mumbai, marks the launch of the second phase of the Gap-Reliance partnership.

Speaking about the opening of Gap's first store in India, Akhilesh Prasad, President & CEO, Fashion & Lifestyle, Reliance Retail Limited, said "We are thrilled to bring the iconic Gap back to India in a new avatar. On visiting the new Gap stores, customers will not only discover a brand new retail identity, but also a tech-enabled shopping experience including smart trial rooms, express check-out, and an omni experience, along with a better price value. While the opening of freestanding stores is an important driver of Gaps long-term growth plan in India, it also gives us yet another opportunity to bring world-class brands and a differentiated shopping experience to our discerning Indian consumers."



The expansion of Gaps India presence will include a series of freestanding store openings across the country in the coming months. Gap store at Infiniti Mall will feature denim, logo products, khakis, and modern essentials for women, men, kids, and babies, according to the press release.
Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena on Friday handed over appointment letters to 1,200 newly selected people in various departments of the city government.

Addressing an event organised by the Services Department at Vigyan Bhawan here, Saxena said efforts to fill up long-pending permanent government vacancies have started showing results.

"In Education department itself, 9,369 fresh recruitment have been made during the last eight months and including these, more than 12,000 fresh recruitment have been made in different departments/agencies.

"This is more than double the average per year recruitment made during the last five years between 2017-21, which stood at 5,880 only," Saxena said, as quoted by an official statement.

A total of 1,200 successful appointees selected for various posts through exams conducted by Delhi Subordinate Selection Board (DSSSB) were invited to collect their appointment letters.

Directorate of Education alone accounted for as many as 600 new recruitment, whereas in Delhi Transport Corporation 360 fresh appointments have been made.

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The LG said it was expected from new appointees they would continue to work with dedication, honesty and transparency in the future.

DSSSB conducted recruitment exams for more than 18,000 vacant posts in various departments of Delhi government. These vacancies came from different departments, including the Education Department, Transport Department, Social Welfare, and Women & Child Development.

"DSSSB is in the process of conducting competitive exams for more than 25,000 posts in coming days," he said and stressed that it is his priority that there should not remain any permanent post vacant or filled up by way of contractual or ad hoc appointments.

He further said that department has been instructed to remove any hurdles in such recruitment.

The LG also emphasised the need to restructure different cadres to ensure that all eligible employees get timely promotion.

He stressed the need for expeditious redressal of pension matters.


The aircraft  with 168 passengers  made an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram, two hours after its departure from Kozhikode. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is probing a suspected tail strike incident involving a Dammam (Saudi Arabia)-bound Air India Express Boeing 737 aircraft on Friday.



We are looking into the incident, a senior DGCA official said. No one was hurt and the aircraft flew to Damman in the evening after inspection and necessary maintenance. Pilots operating in the Kozhikode-Dammam flight have been derostered.



The airline did not respond to queries from Business Standard. This is the fourth air safety incident involving Air India Express aircraft in a month.

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While the cause of the tail strike will be investigated, aviation sources said this can occur due to various reasons such as wrong take off speed or faulty flap settings. According to an Air India Express official, the Dammam-bound flight took off around 9.45 am and landed safely at 12.15 pm in Thiruvananthapuram, which has a longer runway. Also, a maintenance repair overhaul (MRO) unit of the airline is present at the airport.



Aircraft manufacturers such as Boeing instruct pilots not to pressurise aircraft in case of a tail strike. A probable cause for such occurrences could also be the piloting technique. Pilots pull back the control column in the cockpit after the aircraft attains a particular speed before take off. If this manoeuvre is not carried out correctly, it could result in a tail strike, a senior captain added.



While Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram are a few minutes away, pilots burnt fuel and landed two and half hours later keeping in mind the aircrafts minimum landing weight. This is because continued pressurisation of aircraft can cause structural damage. Pilots are also advised to land at nearest suitable airports.

Recent incidents

January 29: Aircraft coming from Sharjah makes an emergency landing at Kochi after suspected hydraulic failure

February 3: A Kozhikode-bound aircraft returned to Abu Dhabi following an engine snags February 19: Aircraft towed upon arrival from Dubai in Thiruvananthapuram due to nose wheel issue : A Kozhikode-bound aircraft returned to Abu Dhabi following an engine snags

February 24: Dammam-bound aircraft involved in a tail strike incident
The South Central Railway (SCR) zone has completed the doubling and electrification works of 90-km stretch between Gooty and Dharmavaram at a cost of Rs 636 crore, resulting in decongesting and enhancing the connectivity to South Indian states.

Following the doubling and electrification of railway tracks between Chigicherla and Dharmavaram section, the zone achieved this milestone.

"The GootyDharmavaram doubling project is a vital rail link in Andhra Pradesh state and acts as a gateway to South India states. This line serves as one of the important routes connecting both the Telugu states with Bengaluru and beyond," an official was quoted as saying in a press note late on Thursday.

The project was executed by Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) and was totally funded by the Railways.

According to the release, the newly doubled and electrified stretch will ease congestion on a saturated but vital section, enabling running of more passenger and freight trains towards Bengaluru and beyond.

"It will also help in increasing the average speed of trains in this section, while also aiding in the socio-economic development of the region with enhanced train connectivity," the official added.
A Delhi court on Friday extended by three days the ED custody of Sukesh Chandrashekhar in a money laundering case related to alleged extortion of around Rs 4 crore from prominent entrepreneur Malvinder Singh's wife Japna M Singh.

The judge extended the custody of the alleged conman after he was produced before court on expiry of his nine-day ED custody.

The court passed the order on an application filed by the Enforcement Directorate which said it needed to interrogate him to track the money trail.

The anti-money laundering probe agency also got 5 days' police remand of co-accused Deepak Ramdani.

Sukesh Chandrashekhar was arrested following registration of an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), the ED's version of an FIR, for allegedly duping Malvinder Singh's Wife Japna Singh of Rs 3.5 crore in order to secure bail for her husband arrested in a criminal case.

Singh is a former promoter of Fortis Healthcare.

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According to the complaint, Chandrashekhar had called Japna M Singh multiple times while impersonating as senior government officials and extorted money from her with the promise of facilitating her husband's release on bail.

The ED's case is based on an FIR filed by Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) against Sukesh Chandrasekhar who is also accused of cheating Aditi Singh, the wife of Shivinder Singh, the brother of Malvinder and former promoter of Religare Enterprises, on identical promise. Chandrashekhar allegedly took around Rs 200 crore from Aditi Singh, according to the ED.

The two brothers are in judicial custody in a case related to alleged misappropriation of funds at Religare Finvest Ltd.

Both Chandrasekhar and his actor wife Leena Maria Paul were arrested by the Delhi Police in September 2022 for their alleged role in the duping case.

The names of Bollywood actors Jacqueline Fernandez and Nora Fatehi besides several others had surfaced during the investigation by the Economic Offences Wing of the Delhi Police and the ED.
A farmer from Maharashtra's Solapur was in for a rude shock when he got to know that he has earned a profit of merely Rs 2.49 against the sale of his 512 kg onions to a trader in the district.

The farmer, 63-year-old Rajendra Chavan who resides in Barshi tehsil of Solapur, said his onion yield fetched a price of Rs 1 per kg at the Solapur market yard and after all the deductions he received this paltry sum as his net profit last week.

Talking to PTI, Chavan said, "I had sent 10 bags of onions weighing more than five quintals to an onion trader in Solapur for sale. But after deducting charges towards loading, transport, labour and others, I received a net profit of just Rs 2.49 from him." The rate the trader offered to me was Rs 100 per quintal. The overall weight of the crop was 512 kg and the total price he got for the produce was Rs 512, he said. "After deductions worth Rs 509.51 against labour, weighing, transportation and other charges, I received a net profit of Rs 2.49. This is an insult to me and other onion-growers in the state. If we get such returns, how will we survive?" he asked. He said the onion farmers need to get a good price for the crop and the affected farmers get compensation. While Chavan claimed that the produce was of good quality, the trader said it was low grade. "The farmer had brought only 10 bags and the produce was also of low grade. That is why, he got Rs 100 per quintal rate. So after all the deductions, he got Rs 2 as net profit," the trader said. He added that the same farmer had received good returns in the recent past by selling more than 400 bags to me. "This time he brought the remaining produce that was hardly 10 bags and since the prices have gone down, he got this rate," he said. Speaking to PTI, farmers leader and former MP Raju Shetti said that the onion hitting the market now is a 'kharip' produce and cannot be stored for a long time and that is why the shelf life of the product is short. "This onion needs to be sold in the market immediately and exported out. But due to glut, the prices of onions have nosedived in the market," he said. He added that this onion is not being purchased by NAFED, so the only option is that the government should make the market available for this 'kharif' onion. "The government's export and import policy regarding onions is not consistent. We had two permanent markets - Pakistan and Bangladesh, but they preferred buying onions from Iran instead of us due to the inconsistent policy of the government. The third market is Sri Lanka, but everyone knows their situation and no one is taking risks to send their produce," he said. He added that the government should buy this onion or give subsidies to farmers.


At the time, nobody really knew what it was. As hundreds of people on the Andaman and Nicobar islands ventured outside and snapped photos of the unusual flying object that lit up social media, Indias defense establishment became alarmed. About a year ago, locals on a strategic Indian island chain that sits closer to Singapore than New Delhi spotted an unusual object in the sky: a giant balloon similar to the one the US downed earlier this month.



Now, in the aftermath of the US shooting down a balloon it alleged was part of Chinese surveillance, Indian officials are revisiting the incident while developing protocols to improve their ability to detect similar threats and respond more quickly in the future, the officials said. The islands are close to Indias missile testing areas in the Bay of Bengal and sit near the Malacca Strait, a key bottleneck for supplies of energy and other goods to China and other North Asian nations.









The object had appeared suddenly over the island chain, slipping past numerous Indian radar systems on the way, multiple officials with knowledge of the matter said this week. Before authorities could determine the balloons origin and reach a decision on whether to bring it down, the object drifted southwest into the ocean, they said. Unlike the US, which used a pricey Aim-9X Sidewinder missile to bring down the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon, India favors cheaper options such as fighter jets or heavy machine guns attached to transporter aircraft, the officials added.

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The US-China balloon spat derailed a mini-thaw between the worlds two largest economies following President Joe Bidens meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in November. Beijing has said the device was a civilian craft collecting weather data, and accused the US of overreacting by ordering a fighter jet to shoot it down. Representatives of Indias Ministry of External Affairs, the navy and the air force didnt immediately respond to calls seeking comment. The Indian officials were reluctant to speculate on the origin of the balloon. Prime Minister Narendra Modis government is hosting the Group of 20 meetings this year, and is seeking to avoid stoking diplomatic rifts as it looks to make progress on goals such as alleviating the debt burden of developing nations.
Food Corporation of India (FCI) has sold 18.05 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of wheat in the open market through three e-auctions till date, after government decided to augment supplies last month in order to rein in rising prices of the essential commodity.

Government plans to sell a total of 30 LMT wheat in the open market.

About 11 LMT wheat has already been lifted by successful bidders which is available in the market.

Open sale of wheat through e-auction shall take place every Wednesday till March 15, 2023 in an effort to augment wheat availability and safeguard the interests of consumers.

Roller flour millers and traders during an interaction with the government have assured that the benefit of highly subsidised sale of wheat under Open Market Sales Scheme, shall be adequately passed on to consumers.

--IANS

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With the objective of curbing paper leaks in government recruitment exams, the Gujarat Legislative Assembly has unanimously passed a Bill that provides for up to 10 years in prison for such malpractices.

As per the provisions of the bill, the accused shall also be liable for fine which shall not be less than Rs 10 lakh, which may extend to Rs 1 crore.

Following a heated debate, the Gujarat Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2023, tabled by Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi, was passed on Thursday as opposition Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members gave their nod.

The bill is aimed at curbing "unfair means" which include to leak or attempt to leak a question paper, procure a question paper in an unauthorised manner and to solve such a paper in an unauthorised manner.

Unfair means also include an act of assisting an examinee during examination for monetary gains.

Any examinee (candidate appearing for an exam) indulging in unfair means shall be punished with imprisonment up to three years, and shall also be liable for a fine of not less than Rs one lakh.

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If any person obstructs or threatens any member of the inspection team or a person appointed by the examination authority for performing duty, he shall be punished with imprisonment of up to three years, and a fine of not less than Rs one lakh.

If any person, including an examinee, indulges in unfair means or contravenes any of the provisions of the Act, he or she shall be punished with imprisonment for five years which may extend up to 10 years.

Moreover, the accused "shall also be liable for fine which shall not be less than Rs 10 lakh, which may extend to Rs 1 crore".

The offence will become more serious if it falls in the category of "organised crime".

"If any person in an organised crime in conspiracy with the examination authority indulges in unfair means, he shall be punished with seven years of imprisonment, which may extend to 10 years with fine of Rs 1 crore," said the bill.

A court can also order attachment of the assets of convicted persons involved in "organised crime."



A person convicted under this Act shall be debarred from any public examination for two years.

If a person associated with an institution is found guilty under this Act, such a business entity or institution "shall be liable to pay all cost and expenditure related to the public examination and shall be banned forever".

Any offence committed under the Act shall be investigated by a police officer not below the rank of police inspector but preferably by a deputy superintendent of police, the bill said.

The bill was introduced days after the question paper of the panchayat junior clerk examination was found to have been leaked. On January 29, this examination was postponed.

Congress Legislature Party leader Amit Chavda pointed out during the debate that question papers of 13 recruitment exams have got leaked in the state since 2014.

"To set an example and instil fear among culprits, this Act should be implemented through retrospective effect from 2014," he said.

He also suggested that instead of outsourcing the printing of question papers, the Gujarat government should use its own printing presses.

AAP leader Chaitar Vasava said the state government must ensure that main conspirators do not escape.

Another AAP MLA Umesh Makwana suggested that all the cases registered under this Act be investigated by an IPS officer and tried in a fast-track court.

He also agreed with the Congress's demand that question papers should be printed in a government-run press.

Senior Congress legislator Arjun Modhwadia pointed out that though the 'Objects and Reasons' of the bill says that it deals with paper leaks of "recruitment examinations", the bill also covers school board exams and university exams, which means even school and college students can be arrested under this Act.

Minister Sanghavi clarified that candidates of school board and university exams would not fall under the bill's ambit, only officials or others facilitating unfair practices would be covered.

"It was the need of the hour to bring such a stringent bill because Indian Penal Code (IPC) was not enough to punish the culprits. We have prepared this bill after studying such bills brought by other states, such as Uttar Pradesh," he added.

He refused to accept the Opposition's demands for retrospective implementation and printing of question papers in state-owned presses on various technical grounds.
Himachal Pradesh plans to collaborate with the Japan International Cooperation Agency for a financial assistance of Rs 2,835 crore to strengthen health infrastructure, a state government statement said on Friday.

The Health department is working on a preliminary project report for detailed discussions with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), it added.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has placed the health sector as one of his flagship programmes. He is prioritising strengthening healthcare facilities to extend the best medical services to citizens.

Of the total funding, the state government proposes to allocate Rs 1,620 crore towards tertiary care infrastructure.

This includes strengthening new medical colleges in Hamirpur, Chamba and Nahan with a proposed outlay of Rs 1,010 crore, a state government spokesperson said.

Additionally, Rs 400 crore is proposed to be spent on developing super-speciality services for cancer treatment at the medical college in Hamirpur.

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The government is also to allocate Rs 60 crore for nursing education infrastructure and developing high-end diagnostic capacity at the new medical colleges.

The remaining Rs 1,215 crore of the JICA funding is proposed to be allocated to enhance secondary care facilities.

This includes Rs 988 crore for infrastructure development and equipment in select facilities, including at civil hospitals per medical block.

Rs 135 crore is proposed for need-based strengthening of secondary care facilities and Rs 92 crore for repair and maintenance, strengthening diagnostics, power backup and Hospital Management Information System at the remaining civil hospitals and community health centres.

"The state government is committed to providing world-class healthcare facilities to the people of the state at their doorstep, particularly in the tribal and far-flung areas," Sukhu said, adding that "our goal is to introduce modern technology in the health sector and there will be no shortage of funds for this vital sector".

The state government also plans to introduce 5G technology in state health institutions for enhanced digital connectivity to facilitate online consultations.
The Himachal Pradesh government on Friday asserted that officers of All India Services, excise, taxation and police department as well as those at district-level will not be posted in their home districts, adding that violation of the rules will attract strict punishment.

The government has also called for a list of officers who are currently posted in violation of the rules in this regard.

The government reiterated the Comprehensive Guiding Principles-2013 for regulating the transfer of state government employees.

The latest order of the government pertains to para 3 of the guideline which deals with posting of officers in home districts or home subdivision.

The directive clearly stated that transfer orders be issued very scrupulously and strictly as per the provisions laid down, and pointed out that the transfer proposals are still being considered in contravention of the settled provision and orders are being issued in a routine manner.

In a letter issued here, the deputy secretary (Personnel) said a departure from the guiding principles is a serious administrative lapse warranting stern action against the violators and it has been decided that the transfer orders issued and adjustment made in violation of Para 3 of the guidelines be cancelled/withdrawn forthwith under intimation to the personnel department.

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"The instructions also requested to bring to the notice of competent authority instances of those officers who are currently posted in relaxation of above said principles and take orders of the competent authority for continuation of these officers in their home districts," the order said.

According to para 3 of the guidelines, the officers of IAS, IPS and IFS cadre, all district-level officers and their equivalent officers, divisional forest officers, assistant excise and taxation commissioners and inspectors, police inspectors, sub inspectors, district attorneys, deputy district attorneys and public prosecutors will not be posted in their home districts.

Further assistant district attorneys, block development officers, tehsildars, Naib Tehsildars, forest range officers, deputy rangers, assistant engineers and junior engineers will not be posted in their home sub-divisions, while superintending engineers (SE) will not be posted in home circles and executive engineers in home division, except in design.

"Forest guards will not be posted in home block, Kanungos in home tehsil/sub tehsil, patwaris in home patwari circle, panchayat secretaries in home panchayats, and panchayat inspectors in home blocks.

"However, relaxation has been given to widows, wives of soldiers, more than 60 per cent disabled persons, couple cases and tribal areas," the order added.
Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga on Thursday said the implementation of the healthcare scheme is one of the top priorities of his government under the state's flagship programme Socio-Economic Development Policy (SEDP).

He informed the state assembly that his government has so far allocated about Rs 150 crore under SEDP for the implementation of the healthcare scheme during five financial years from 2019.

Replying to a question from opposition Congress leader Zodintluanga Ralte, Zoramthanga, who also holds the planning and programme implementation portfolio, said that under the flagship programme, the government allocated Rs 10 crore in 2020-21, Rs 10 crore in 2021-22 and Rs 20 crore in 2022-23 fiscals for the implementation of Mizoram State Health Care Scheme (MSHCS).

Zoramthanga also said that government has also sought Rs 1,000 crore loan from Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the implementation of the healthcare scheme.

The proposal for loan has been already been approved by the Centre, which would repay Rs 720 crore out of the total amount, while the state government would repay the remaining Rs 280 crore, he said.

The MSHCS was launched by the Mizo National Front (MNF) government headed by Zoramthanga in October 2019.

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Under this scheme, the government provides health cover of up to Rs 2 each to beneficiaries in a year.

The Zoramthanga government has come under severe attack by opposition parties due to its failure to release medical bills to beneficiaries for more than year.

On Tuesday, health minister Dr R Lalthangliana informed the assembly that the government is yet to clear medical bills amounting to over Rs. 66.2 crore to 23,421 beneficiaries.

The medical bills are pending for release since October 2021, he had said.


India was among the 32 nations that abstained as the 193-member General Assembly adopted the resolution Principles of the Charter of the United Nations underlying a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine, put forward by Ukraine and its supporters.

India has abstained in the UN General Assembly on a resolution that underscored the need to reach comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine, as it questioned whether the world was anywhere near a possible solution.

Are we anywhere near a possible solution acceptable to both sides? Can any process that does not involve either of the two sides, ever lead to a credible and meaningful solution? Indias Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador, Ruchira Kamboj said. The non-binding resolution, which received 141 votes in favour and seven against, underscored the need to reach, as soon as possible, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine in line with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.



She stressed that India continues to remain concerned over the situation in Ukraine, noting that the conflict has resulted in the loss of countless lives and misery, particularly for women, children, and the elderly, with millions becoming homeless and forced to seek shelter in neighbouring countries. Reports of attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are also deeply concerning, she added.

Are we anywhere near a possible solution acceptable to both sides? Can any process that does not involve either of the two sides, ever lead to a credible and meaningful solution? Has the UN system, and particularly its principal organ, the UN Security Council, based on a 1945-world construct, not been rendered ineffective to address contemporary challenges to global peace and security? Kamboj said.

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Kamboj termed as understandable the overall objective of the resolution seeking lasting peace in line with the UN Charter. The resolution called upon member states and international organisations to redouble support for diplomatic efforts to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine, consistent with the Charter.



Reiterating that India remains steadfastly committed to multilateralism and upholds the principles of the UN Charter, Kamboj stressed we will always call for dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable way out. While we take note of the stated objectives of today's resolution, given its inherent limitations in reaching our desired goal of securing a lasting peace, we are constrained to abstain. General Assembly resolutions are not binding unlike the Security Council resolutions and carry mainly symbolic weight at the United Nations.

We also note the emphasis on increasing support by member states for diplomatic efforts to achieve peace, as well as support for the Secretary General's efforts to promote a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in Ukraine. However, reports from the ground portray a complex scenario, with the conflict intensifying on several fronts, she said.



The General Assembly has met in this Emergency Special Session on Ukraine six times in the past year. Since Russia's February 24, 2022 invasion of Ukraine, several UN resolutions - in the General Assembly, Security Council and Human Rights Council, have condemned the invasion and underlined the commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine.



Kamboj said that New Delhi has consistently advocated that no solution can ever be found at the cost of human lives. India, which maintains good relations with Russia, has abstained from the UN resolutions on Ukraine and consistently underlined the need to respect the UN Charter, international law and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states. New Delhi has also urged that all efforts be made for an immediate cessation of hostilities and an urgent return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy.



Instead an urgent return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy is the way forward, the Indian envoy said.

She said that in this context, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement that this cannot be an era of war bears repetition and underlined that escalation of hostilities and violence is in no one's interest.



India stressed that it is unfortunate that as the trajectory of the Ukrainian conflict unfolds, the entire Global South has suffered its unintended consequences. It is critical that the voice of the Global South be heard and their legitimate concerns are duly addressed, it said.

India's approach to the Ukraine conflict will continue to be people-centric. We are providing both humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and economic support to some of our neighbours in the Global South under economic distress, even as they stare at the escalating costs of food, fuel, and fertilisers, which has been a consequential fallout of the ongoing conflict, she said.
In a much-needed relief for foreign students looking to study in the US, the Biden administration has announced they can now apply for a visa up to a year before their academic term begins.

The State Department, however, said that international students will not be allowed to enter the country on a student visa more than 30 days before the start of their programme.

International students are normally issued two categories of US visas F and M. Student (F and M) visas for new students can be issued up to 365 days in advance of the start date for a course of study, the State Department said.

However, you will not be allowed to enter the United States on your student visa more than 30 days before the start date, it said on Tuesday.

A student can enter the US before 30 days of the start of their programme on a valid visitor (B) visa.

A student visa is issued by US embassies and consulates based on the I-20 form issued by their academic institutions.

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The State Department mandates that all students must be registered in the Student and Exchange Visitor System (SEVIS).

The spouse and minor children, if they intend to live in the United States with the student, each need to receive an individual Form I-20 from the academic institution of the student, it said.

According to the State Department, foreign students in the United States with F visas must depart the US within 60 days after the programme end date listed on Form I-20, including any authorised practical training.

The new announcement means that universities can accept and issue I-20 forms 12-14 months before term time.

Earlier, visa interviews could be scheduled only up to 120 days, and I-20 forms 4-6 months before the term started.

The update comes after Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services, Julie Stufft told PTI the US is "putting every ounce of its energy" to eliminate the long visa wait time in India.

India broke the record for most student visas last year and it may do so this year again, she said, adding that India is now number two in the world in terms of international students coming to the United States.

"We are really, we're putting all of our efforts now focusing on this visa for visitors and those, in particular, if you don't need an interview, you don't need to wait very long at all for a visa renewal. And that's also one part of our strategy as well," she said.

There have been growing concerns in India over the long waiting period for first-time visa applicants, especially for those applying under B1 (business) and B2 (tourist) categories.

The waiting period of first-time B1/B2 visa applicants in India was close to three years in October last year.

India was one of the very few countries where applications for US visas saw a major upswing after coronavirus-related travel restrictions were lifted.
The discovery of lithium in Jammu and Kashmir is significant for India's push towards electric vehicles but any environmental gains could be negated if it is not mined carefully, say experts, citing risks such as air pollution and soil degradation in the fragile Himalayan region.

The Geological Survey of India recently identified a potential deposit of 5.9 million tonnes of lithium in Reasi district's Salal-Haimana area, the first such anywhere in India, which imports lithium. GSI said the site is an "inferred resource" of the metal, which means it is at a preliminary exploration stage, the second of a four-step process.

The discovery of lithium deposits can be a potential "game changer" for the country's clean energy manufacturing ambitions in several ways, said Siddharth Goel, senior policy advisor at the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD).

"First of all, the scale of the reserves is significant, and can -- if proven to be commercially viable -- reduce India's reliance on imports of lithium-ion cells, which are a key component for EV batteries and other clean energy technologies," he said.

But there is a flip side too.

"Reports indicate that approximately 2.2 million litres of water are needed to produce one tonne of lithium. Further, mining in the unstable Himalayan terrain is fraught with risks," cautioned Saleem H. Ali, distinguished professor of Energy and the Environment at the University of Delaware.

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Lithium mining in Chile, Argentina and Bolivia, for instance, has led to concerns over soil degradation, water shortages and contamination, air pollution and biodiversity loss.

"This is because the mining process is extremely water-intensive, and also contaminates the landscape and the water supplies if not done in a sustainable method," Ali said.

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), about a fourth of the Earth's known lithium deposits (88 million tonnes) would be economical to mine, said Charith Konda, energy analyst, Electricity Sector at at US-based Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).

"Applying this benchmark, India could probably economically extract 1.5 million tonnes of lithium from the 5.9 million tonnes discovered in preliminary studies," Konda told PTI.

Economically here would mean that the resources and technology used to extract will give good return in terms of usage of the resource.

"India has a vision of increasing the share of electric vehicle sales to 30 per cent in private cars, 70 per cent in commercial vehicles, 40 per cent in buses, and 80 per cent in two- and three-wheelers by 2030. In absolute numbers, this could translate to 80 million EVs on Indian roads by 2030," Konda said.

The battery pack of an average electric car, he explained, requires 8 kg of lithium. By this metric, India's economically extractable lithium reserves should be enough to power 184.4 million electric cars.

Currently, India is import dependent for several elements such as lithium, nickel and cobalt. Ministry of Commerce data shows that India spent around Rs 26,000 crore importing lithium between 2018-2021.

In 2021, preliminary surveys by Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD) showed the presence of lithium resources of 1,600 tonnes in Mandya District in Karnataka. However, there has been no report of mining the resource till date.

An IISD study found that access to critical elements such as lithium is a key challenge faced by companies investing in India's EV ecosystem.

"These reserves could potentially be a huge carrot to attract investment into domestic battery manufacturing and other clean energy technologies," Goel said



The potential site in Reasi has the same amount of lithium as the reserves in the US and more than China's current reserves which are around 4.5 million tonnes.

However, the world's largest lithium reserves in South America -- especially in Bolivia, Chile and Argentina -- are several times greater, collectively over 40 million metric tonnes.

According to University of Delaware's Ali, domestic supply of usable lithium, if developed, could help develop batteries for solar and wind storage and EV usage.

What is critical in this scenario is the government putting in place the right support to make sure that securing these critical minerals is done in a socially and environmentally responsible manner, experts agree.

Environmentalists also argue that the focus should be on redesigning cities to reduce car usage in general instead of using metals like lithium to shift to EVs.

"This could specially be done in high density population centres of India with smarter urban planning," Ali said.

This is because even when safeguards try to limit the social and environmental harm around fossil fuel extraction, which is considerable, there is no "fix" for air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, IISD's Goel added.

"Given that lithium-ion batteries are the most advanced batteries available, they would continue to play a major role for the foreseeable future. India should mine lithium with proper environmental and social safeguards in place given the ecological and political sensitivities of the area," IEEFA's Konda said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit poll-bound Meghalaya on Friday and will take part in a roadshow in Shillong.

Security has been beefed up in Shillong in view of PM Modi's visit.

The roadshow will start at Central Library and end at the Police Bazar where he will address a public meeting.

More than 1,000 security personnel including Meghalaya Police and Central Armed Police Forces have been deployed in the route of the roadshow and Police Bazar point in Shillong.

PM Modi will pay floral tributes to three freedom fighters of the state - U Tirot Sing, U Kiang Nangbah and Pa Togan Sangma in Shillong.

"Special security arrangements have been made in Shillong for the Prime Minister. More than 1000 security personnel have been deployed in the city," Assistant Superintendent of Police, Shillong Pawar Swapnil Vasantrao told ANI.

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Later on Friday, PM Modi will address an election campaign rally at Alotgre Stadium in Tura in Garo Hills.

Pertinent to mention, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had earlier sought permission for the Prime Minister's rally at PA Sangma Stadium in Tura. BJP alleged that permission to hold the rally at PA Sangma Stadium was denied by the National People's Party (NPP) government, citing the stadium was still under construction.

Later, the party got permission for Alotgre Stadium in Tura as an alternative arrangement for the PM's rally.

This time BJP is contesting in all 60 seats.

The Meghalaya assembly polls will be held on February 27 and the counting of votes will take place on March 2.


"We are not going to issue any injunction ever against the media", the Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud told Sharma. Earlier, Sharma filed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking an investigation against Hindenburg Research. The Supreme Court on Friday rejected the plea made by advocate M L Sharma to stop the media from reporting on the Adani-Hindenburg issue till the court announces its order, according to LiveLaw.



Last week, SC had reserved orders on constituting an expert committee to review the regulatory mechanism in India to protect the investors. Chandrachud also said that the court would pass the orders shortly. He told the court that the media was creating a "sensation". CJI Chandrachud replied, "make a reasonable argument, not for an injunction to the media".



"We will select the experts and maintain full transparency. If we take names from the government, it would amount to a government-constituted committee. There has to be full (public) confidence in the committee," the CJI said. The bench headed by CJI also rejected the Centre's offer to provide the names in a sealed cover.
A 19-year-old Berlin man was charged with DUI after crashing into a Connecticut Department of Transportation plow truck on Route 9 early Friday, according to the Connecticut State Police.

Troop H in Hartford received reports of a motor vehicle crash on Route 9 southbound in the area of Exit 23 in Berlin around 1 a.m. on Friday involving a DOT plow truck and a passenger vehicle, state police said.

The driver of the DOT plow truck told troopers he was treating the roadway on Route 9 when he was rear-ended by a Honda Accord. He said that two passengers in the Honda ran from the scene but the driver remained, according to state police.

The two passengers who fled were located a short distance away by officers from the Berlin Police Department and brought back to the scene, state police said.

Troopers alleged that the Honda driver, identified as Nicholas John Jutras, 19, of Berlin, was showing signs of possible impairment and said they detected a smell of alcohol.

State police said Jutras agreed to participate in field sobriety tests, which he allegedly failed. He was taken into custody and transported to Troop H in Hartford where he was charged with operating under the influence under age 21 and following too close resulting in a motor vehicle accident.

Jutras was released on a $1,500 bond and is scheduled for arraignment at New Britain Superior Court on March 9.

No injuries were reported, and the two Honda passengers were not charged in the incident, state police said.
Observing that a victim has a fundamental right to a fair trial, the Supreme Court on Friday ordered Maharashtra Police to further investigate the alleged assault on a man at NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad's bungalow over an objectionable social media post.

The alleged incident had taken place on the night of April 5, 2020.

According to the victim's complaint, some policemen were also involved in "abducting" him and taking him to the bungalow of the former Maharashtra minister.

While refusing to order a CBI probe in the matter, a bench of Justices MR Shah and CT Ravikumar said the Bombay High Court has not committed any error in refusing to transfer the investigation to CBI.

The apex court said it is in complete agreement with the view taken by the High Court insofar as refusing to transfer the investigation to CBI is concerned.

"Even according to the state investigation agency, a further investigation is required. As observed and held by this Court in the aforesaid decisions, the victim has a fundamental right of a fair investigation and fair trial.

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"Therefore, mere filing of the chargesheet and framing of the charges cannot be an impediment in ordering further investigation/re-investigation/de novo investigation, if the facts so warrant," the bench said.

"It is further observed and held that the power to order fresh, de novo or re-investigation being vested with the constitutional courts, the commencement of a trial and examination of some witnesses cannot be an absolute impediment for exercising the said constitutional power which is meant to ensure a fair and just investigation," it said.

The apex court instructed authorities to conduct a further investigation and complete it as early as possible, ideally within a period of three months.

Reportedly, Anant Karmuse, 40, a city-based civil engineer, was visited by some police personnel at his house, who told him he needed to come with them to the police station, but they instead took him to Awhad's bungalow.

At the bungalow, he was beaten black and blue by some 10-15 men over a morphed picture of the minister he had shared on Facebook, Karmuse had alleged in his complaint.

Karmuse had also criticised Awhad on social media when the latter announced that he would not follow Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to light lamps on April 5, 2020.
Andhra Pradesh boasts of three industrial corridors passing through it with 48,000 acres of land set aside for industries, state IT and Industries Minister Gudivada Amarnath said at a roadshow in Hyderabad on Friday.

He revealed the availability of such huge parcels of land for industrial allotment in the run-up to the Global Investors Summit (GIS) scheduled on March 3 and March 4 in Visakhapatnam.

"Andhra Pradesh is the only state with three industrial corridors i.e Visakhapatnam-Chennai, Chennai-Bengaluru and Hyderabad-Bengaluru where we have 48,000 acres of land for industrial allocation," said Amarnath.

According to the minister, AP is the only state in south India to get a bulk 'drugs park' as well as being consistently ranked number one for ease of doing business in the past three years.

"With a new policy coming up for 2023-2028 in the next few days, we are aiming to create an inclusive and balanced regional development, promote startup culture and ensure skill development," he said, about the forthcoming industrial policy.

Further, he noted that the state government is focusing on building port city Visakhapatnam as the next global IT destination.

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The industries minister exuded confidence that the southern state is heading towards becoming the 'best destination for investment in the country'.

AP has already successfully completed a slew of roadshows in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai to woo investors to the summit.
Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal on Friday said a free trade agreement with the European Union (EU) will take longer as negotiations with the 27-country bloc will be prolonged.

Active negotiations for the FTAs (free trade agreements) are ongoing with two-three countries and the EU, Goyal said speaking at the Technotex event here organised by industry lobby Ficci.

He said there will soon be some "good news", the pact with the EU may take longer.

"EU will take a longer time, because there are 27 countries which have to come on the same page," the minister said.

Last year, India signed FTAs with Australia and United Arab Emirates. Reports had suggested that the country is in talks with other countries including the United Kingdom, Israel and Canada.

Goyal said the government is mulling to come out with a production linked incentive scheme for the finished goods sector, but did not elaborate on the same.

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He said the government has received applications for only Rs 250 crore for research and development purposes in textiles, despite allocating Rs 1,400 crore fund for the same under the technical textiles research mission, and urged the industry to up its efforts.

The minister said there is tremendous potential in the technical or man-made textiles business, and asked the industry to increase its investments, saying the Indian market will grow faster than the current 10-12 per cent.

The USD 22-billion industry should conservatively aim to be a USD 125 billion in size by 2047, Goyal said, asking participants to focus more on exports as well.

Stating that the industry has neglected skilling in the last few years, Goyal exhorted the technical textile players to help train 2 lakh people under two dedicated schemes launched by the government.

While asking the industry to focus on sustainability and circular economy, Goyal also took potshots at the Opposition, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi's wearing of a jacket made of recycled plastic bottles is a "big contrast" to wearing designer Louis Vuitton's scarfs.

The Union minister also said that many in the world have got concerned while witnessing the high growth in India, and are attempting to "derail" the story.


Germany will pursue a $5.2 billion deal with India to jointly build six conventional submarines in the country during Chancellor Olaf Scholzs February 25-26 visit, two Indian and two German sources said. New Delhi/Berlin



The Indian Navy also has two indigenous nuclear-powered submarines. The naval project is the latest attempt by a Western military manufacturing power to wean New Delhi away from its dependence on Russia for military hardware. India seeks to replace its ageing submarine fleet, with 11 of its 16 conventional submarines more than two decades old, and as it seeks to counter Chinas growing presence in the Indian Ocean.



The submarine project, for which Germanys ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) is one of two international bidders, will be discussed between the two countries during Scholzs trip and Berlin would support the deal, one source said. The central government wants the country to manufacture more weapons at home in collaboration with foreign partners after decades of being one of the worlds largest arms importers.

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Frances Naval Group had pulled out of the project just ahead of Modis visit to Paris in May 2022, citing its inability to meet conditions listed by the Indian government in 2021. Under the deal, a foreign submarine manufacturer will have to partner with an Indian company to build the submarines in the country. The foreign company will also need to transfer a niche technology for fuel-cell based Air Independent Propulsion (AIP), a clause that has been a sore point for most foreign firms.



That leaves German TKMS, which just signed a contract for jointly building six submarines with Norway, and Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering of South Korea in contention. The foreign and defence ministries did not respond to requests for comment. The German government and TKMS declined to comment. Russias Rosoboronexport and Spains Navantia Group are also not in the fray anymore, said a source in Indias defence ministry who did not want to be identified as they are not authorised to speak to the media.



Such a deal would probably find the support of the German government, people in government in Berlin said. Although there is no formal decision, the coalition government has relaxed the arms export policy for India and in the beginning of February allowed the export of a package of military equipment. An Indian diplomatic source told Reuters that the country has asked Germany for an assurance for joint manufacturing for the submarines, not just supply-side support. Another official from the foreign ministry said that Scholz was determined to reinvigorate trade and defence ties with India.

We would like to continue doing so, said a German government official. India is for a good part dependent on Russian arms. It cannot be in our interest that this remains the case.


Addressing a media briefing on the sidelines of the G20 meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) in Bengaluru, Le Marie said France would oppose any step-back from the communique of the G20 Heads of States in Bali last November (specifically on Russia-Ukraine), and that a common framework to deal with global debt needs to be implemented urgently. France Finance Minister Bruno Le Marie on Wednesday said the members of Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) need to implement pillar two of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting framework, and the negotiations on pillar one should be completed without delay.



We urge all OECD member states to complete the negotiation of pillar one on digital taxation. We have been waiting too long. International community should give the evidence that we are ready not only to talk, but also to decide, he said. We seek the implementation of the pillar two on the OECD-BEPS framework and the completion of the negotiation of pillar one, which should be decided without any delay, Le Marie said.



I want to make it very clear that we will oppose any step-back from the statement of the leaders in Bali on this question of the war in Ukraine, Le Marie said. Under Pillar One of BEPS, multinational enterprises with global turnover of above 20 billion and pre-tax profit above 10 per cent of revenue (known as super normal profit) will have to pay 25 per cent of the profit before tax. Pillar Two mandates a global minimum tax of 15 per cent. It is aimed to eliminate the concept of race to the bottom in terms of tax competition.

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Le Marie said in the current G20 meeting, European members reaffirmed their unity and their total determination to adopt new sanctions against Russia. We fully trust India to reach a strong communique and we are quite happy to see India at the driving seat today. We share the view of Prime Minister Modi: this is not and this must not be an era of war, he said.



As reported, India is averse to the use of the term war in the communique, but softer terms like crisis may not be acceptable to the G-7 members, all of whom are a part of G-20 as well. At the final meeting of G-20 under Indonesias presidency in November last year, the terms war in Ukraine and aggression by the Russian Federation were used. Either we stick to the Bali communique, or France will oppose any communique during this G20 of the finance ministers. I cannot be any clearer, Le Marie said, adding that the finance ministers should try to bring changes to the language on Ukraine already decided by their bosses (Presidents and Prime Ministers) last year.


In his video address to the G20 meeting of the finance ministers and central bank governors, Modi said it was imperative for the grouping to provide stability, confidence and growth to the global economy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday made a case for strengthening multilateral development banks to meet the challenges facing the world, especially climate change.



"You represent the leadership of global finance and economy at a time when the world is facing serious economic difficulties. The COVID-19 pandemic has delivered a once-in-a-century blow to the global economy. Many countries, especially developing economies, are still coping with its after-effects. We are also witnessing rising geopolitical tensions in different parts of the world," Modi said in a video message.

India took over the presidency of G20 in December last year and hosted various events and conferences. The meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors is the first major event of G20 under India's presidency.



"We need to collectively work to strengthen multilateral development banks for meeting global challenges like climate change and high debt levels," he said.

The prime minister said even as the world population has crossed 8 billion, progress on Sustainable Development Goals seems to be slowing down.

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Union Textiles Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday said he is all for a freeze in fee hikes at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT).

Speaking at the convocation of NIFT Mumbai at the Kharghar node, Goyal said the entire admission process also needs to be "replanned" in such a way that students enter on merit and are not asked about their fee-paying ability.

Those who cannot afford the education will get scholarships which will also be increased, he said.

"I have asked the governing council to consider a freeze for some time on your fees," he said, addressing the graduating students at the campus here,"



However, it was not clear if the proposal is only for the Mumbai campus or all the 18 campuses of the institute.

As per the NIFT website, non-NRI students pay about Rs 3 lakh as fee for the two semesters in an academic year.

Goyal said the 35-year-old institution also requires a facelift and promised to hold a call with architect Hafeez Contractor to give the 10-acre campus a new look and shape.

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Promising students that the ministry will coordinate more with the industry for internships and placements, Goyal said there is a need for the internships to be extended to six months instead of the present eight weeks and also stressed that students should be paid for the same.

He said scholarships also need to be doubled and the whole admission process which takes over six months at present should be halved in time.

The minister departed from the written convocation speech and chose to make it an interactive where he gets to know the students' demands first hand. "Over a period of time, there is a status quoism. I am hoping that today's visit will help shake the system a little bit," he said.

After finding out that very few students go for the dual degree course by travelling to New York for a course at the Fashion Institute of Technology, he said the government of India will consider sending one student per NIFT campus to the US.

He said NIFT represents the best chance to bolster India's soft skills due to which it requires all the possible handholding.

"Honestly to my mind India's soft skills will determine our future," he said, adding that given their talent, industry should chase talent at the institute.

He exhorted the students to be entrepreneurs, become designers and launch their own labels, help preserve traditional handicrafts, and also consider becoming a journalist to document and write about the Indian fashion scene.
A 54-year-old Waterbury man was sentenced to 105 years in prison on Wednesday for the stabbing death of a Waterbury mother and the attempted murder of her young son in their home in 2018, according to the States Attorneys office.

On Aug. 28, 2018, the Waterbury Police Department responded to a report of a woman bleeding. Officers found 48-year-old Solita Billups dead inside her home on White Rose Avenue.

Police said Billups husband came home after working an overnight shift and called 911 after he found his wife dead.

According to court records, Christopher Iverson, who had a personal relationship with Billups, stabbed her 26 times when an argument about their relationship turned violent. Iverson also struck her then-11-year-old son, who was home during the attack, in the head several times while he was bound to a chair before setting Billups Waterbury home on fire, court records said.

The mother of four worked for the Waterbury Board of Education as an administrative assistant for over 13 years, according to her obituary.

A Superior Court jury found Iverson guilty on the charges of murder, attempted murder, first-degree arson and first-degree burglary on Nov. 23, 2022. He was sentenced by Judge Hunchu Kwak in Waterbury Superior Court on Wednesday.

As States Attorney for the Waterbury Judicial District, I am extremely proud that this office was able to secure a conviction and justice for the family and friends of Solita Billups, States Attorney Maureen T. Platt said in a release on Thursday.

Through the efforts and hard work of Supervisory Assistant States Attorney Don Therkildsen, Deputy Assistant States Attorney Alex Arroyo, our inspectors and the Waterbury Police Department, the family and public can be assured that the person responsible for this horrific crime has been held accountable and no longer poses a threat to public safety.
Irrespective of borrower, you have underwriting standards and you stick to them in good times as well as bad times, Sanjiv Chadha, chief executive officer and managing director at Bank of Baroda, said in an interview in Mumbai.

One of Indias biggest state-backed lenders will consider all borrower requests if the proposal meets the banks underwriting standards, a top official said when asked if it will consider lending to the beleaguered Adani Group.
The Reserve Bank of India on Friday put several restrictions on Shankarrao Mohite Patil Sahakari Bank, Akluj in Maharashtra, including a Rs 5,000 cap on withdrawal per customer, in wake of its deteriorating financial position.

The restrictions or Direction under Section 35 A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 effective close of the banking business hour on Friday.

With restrictions imposed, the bank, without prior approval of RBI, cannot grant loans, make any investment, incur any liability, and transfer or otherwise dispose of any of its properties.

"In particular, a sum not exceeding Rs 5,000 of the total balance across all savings bank or current accounts or any other account of a depositor, may be allowed to be withdrawn...," the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in a statement.

The restrictions, RBI said, will remain in force for six months from the close of business on February 24, 2023 and are subject to review.

The issue of the Directions should not per se be construed as cancellation of banking license by RBI, it added.

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"The bank will continue to undertake banking business with restrictions till its financial position improves," RBI said.

The eligible depositors would be entitled to receive deposit insurance claim amount of his/her deposits up to Rs 5 lakh from the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation.


Washingtons selection of former Mastercard Inc. Chief Executive Officer Ajay Banga to be the World Banks president was being condemned as a forfeited opportunity to tap a candidate with deep public-sector experience combating economic inequality and climate change. Progressive groups that have long advocated for a change in the leadership of the World Bank decried the Biden administrations nomination of a former Wall Street and corporate executive as more of the same at the anti-poverty lender.



To be sure, Bangas selection drew praise from supporters who said the 63-year-old raised in India brings a different perspective to an institution whose leaders typically have been deeply embedded in the US. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Thursday said Bangas track record forging partnerships between the public sector, private sector and nonprofits uniquely equips him to help mobilize the private capital and press for the reforms needed to meet our shared ambitions. The World Bank needs a leader who will prioritize the urgency of the climate crisis, not another big business executive, said Collin Rees, US program co-manager at Oil Change International, a group that pushes a pivot away from fossil fuels. Bangas long career at predatory banks and corporations does not inspire confidence that he would transform the World Bank into an institution that can work for people and the planet.



But climate activists and progressive groups said Banga still hews too closely to the typical mold of male World Bank presidents with deep ties to Wall Street and corporate America, including its current head, David Malpass, who previously was a chief economist at Bear Stearns Cos. Banga, now vice chairman at US investment firm General Atlantic LP., has previously worked for Nestle SA, PepsiCo Inc., and Citigroup Inc. And John Kerry, the US special presidential envoy for climate, hailed Banga as the right choice, casting his corporate experience as an asset. Banga has proven his ability as a manager of large institutions and understands investment and the mobilization of capital to power the green transition, Kerry said.

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Hauser called on President Joe Biden and Yellen to retract the nomination. Despite an abundance of highly accomplished figures committed to the public interest, he said, the administrations choice seems rooted in an assumption those who govern best are those who have profited the most from deregulation, economic predation and the shrinking of the public sphere. Nothing in Bangas resume inspires confidence that he will turn the World Bank away from a path of neocolonialism and predation by Global North corporations upon Global South countries, said Jeff Hauser, executive director of the Revolving Door Project, a not-for-profit group that fights corporate influence in Washington.



Michael Schlein, the chief executive officer of Accion, a global microfinance and impact investment nonprofit, said Banga brings a deep knowledge of the challenges  and keen insights into the solutions  to tackle some of the worlds most urgent problems. A Treasury spokesperson pointed to support from former financial and government leaders, including former Vice President Al Gore and former Bank of England Governor Mark Carney.



The departing president, Malpass, came under fire after appearing to dodge questions on whether he accepted the scientific consensus that climate change is driven by the burning of fossil fuels and the resulting man-made greenhouse gas emissions. The next World Bank leader will take over at a pivotal time, amid a growing clamor for reform of multilateral development banks and international financial institutions to unlock more climate finance in the developing world. Yellen is pushing the World Bank to evolve from its traditional focus on country-specific lending and shift to broader, global goods, such as fighting climate change.



Traditionally, the US nominates the president of the World Bank; as the institutions largest shareholder, the countrys voice usually carries the biggest weight. However, some progressives were goading other countries to advance credible challengers for the post. We dont need another World Bank president who will further corporate interests like fossil fuels and industrial agriculture, said Kate DeAngelis, international finance program manager for the environmental group Friends of the Earth.

The rest of the worlds governments still have the opportunity to step in, said Bronwen Tucker, co-manager of the public-finance campaign at Oil Change International. They can and should nominate their own candidates, vote freely and demand a fair process.




As the UN General Assembly marked one year of the Ukraine conflict, Mahatma Gandhi's message of peace and trusteeship was highlighted at a special event hosted by India here.

India's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in partnership with the University for Peace organised a high-level panel discussion on Gandhian Trusteeship: Mission LiFE and Human Flourishing' at the UN headquarters on Thursday.

The event highlighted and deliberated on Gandhi's doctrine of Trusteeship and its relevance in today's world with a focus on the concept of Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) and Human Flourishing to promote sustainable lifestyles and enduring peace.

"Today's event is very unique. What I find very, very powerful is that we are talking about peace, about non-violence when even in the General Assembly we have a vote on the crisis in Ukraine, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj said at the panel discussion.

The UN General Assembly adopted a nonbinding resolution, put forward by Ukraine and its supporters, titled Principles of the Charter of the United Nations underlying a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine'.

The resolution, which got 141 votes in favour and 7 against, underscores the need to reach, as soon as possible, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine in line with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

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India abstained from the vote on the resolution over its inherent limitations in reaching the desired goal of securing a lasting peace.

In the context of human flourishing, Kamboj said Prime Minister Narendra Modi feels very strongly that the world is one large interconnected family and his model is one of a human-centric global development approach, not a self-centered model.

She cited the example of India sending COVID-19 vaccines to more than 100 countries during the pandemic. And may I remind all of you that we did not commercialize this moment, she said.

Kamboj further said that India has always been there as a "first responder and during the recent devastating earthquakes in Turkiye and Syria, India was among the first countries to dispatch emergency relief material and assistance within 24 hours.

I do want to say in future too we will always be there in line with the vision of the Prime Minister of the world being one large interconnected family.

The event was attended by the representatives of the United Nations member States, UN officials, academic institutions and civil society organisations.

The panel discussion was organised as a part of the India Roundtables' at the United Nations.

The roundtables, being organised to commemorate India@75, will showcase India's achievements in various areas of development, including financial inclusion, social development, climate action and many more, a press release from the Indian mission said.

According to the concept note for the event, Gandhi, the Father of modern India, had taught the world the doctrine of Trusteeship and continuing the idea of Gandhian Trusteeship, India embarks upon the role of the Chair of G20 this year.

The motto of the G20 Presidency is "One world, One family, One future", inspired by India's ancient cultural ethos of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.

The panel aimed to discuss examples of how sustainable lifestyles can be promoted to combat the adverse effects of climate and environmental degradation and how the fundamental values of pluralism, democracy, and rule of law can be strengthened to build peaceful and inclusive societies.

Gandhi had said that "the world has enough for everyone's needs, but not everyone's greed."



The underlying meaning is that every member of society should utilise his mental, moral, physical, and material resources for the common interest and welfare of society and not only for his self-interest, the concept note said.

Panelists included Permanent Representative of South Africa Mathu Joyini, Deputy Permanent Representative of Norway Trine Heimerback, Vice Rector, University for Peace Dr Juan Carlos Sainz-Borgo and President of Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs Dr Joel H Rosenthal.


Its safe to say that Turkey and war-torn Syria are far from the most-prepared countries. The death toll from Februarys quakes is nearing 50,000, and expected to rise further with untold numbers still missing. The damage is continuing, with more deaths coming this week from powerful aftershocks collapsing buildings that survived the initial tremors. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that it was impossible to prepare for a disaster this big. Earthquakes can neither be prevented nor predicted. If a Category 5 typhoon nears, evacuations are possible; there can be time to move to a safe zone before the pyroclastic flow of a volcano sweeps all in its path. But when the earth shakes, it almost never comes with a warning. Even in the most technologically prepared countries, theres typically just seconds to alert operating rooms and halt trains before the devastation hits.



With over 300,000 apartments destroyed in Turkey, fingers are already being pointed at below-par building codes and corruption in construction quality and enforcement. A 2019 amnesty hailed by Erdogan seems to have allowed builders to simply pay fines to get around standards. Syria, meanwhile, is in no position to enforce such rules, with a dozen years of brutality by President Bashar Al-Assads regime devastating the country and bringing to the economy to its knees. In terms of preventing it from occurring, thats true. But considering the saying among seismic watchers  that earthquakes dont kill people, buildings do  and its convenient at best. Damage from temblors can never be eliminated, but it can be mitigated with modern building techniques. Japan, for example, has become a pioneer of cutting-edge techniques such as seismic isolation.



In most US states, including those at greatest risk from quakes like California, the relevant building code is a minimum requirement standard that specifically assumes buildings may be damaged even beyond repair, aiming to keep construction costs low while reducing the likelihood of death. That sounds good in theory, but in practice means that even if a temblor of expected strength hits California, the codes are not intended to ensure a building will be useable or even repairable after strong shaking, according to one report from the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center. It would be a mistake, however, to shrug this off as the problems of an increasingly authoritarian developing nation and one paralyzed by over a decade of war. Some experts warn that building codes in much of the US, on which Turkeys were based, mean disaster may not be so far from home.

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The devastation of a West Coast event, even of recent magnitudes, could be much greater than many anticipate. Expectations are often rooted to the most recent occasions in living memory; for the US, this means 1989 in Loma Prieta and 1994 in Northridge. Both were below magnitude 7, causing fewer than 100 fatalities. Its conclusions find that, if such a quake hits, the chances for life safety  jargon for the prevention of deaths  in so-called ordinary buildings such as homes, schools and offices is likely. Thats good news. But if a quake strikes at the upper bounds of what buildings were built for, that probability drops to possibly.



A Cascadia event is estimated to happen about once every 500 years, with the last coming before the area had been settled by Europeans. The US Navy is so concerned, its halting four dry docks on the West Coast while it boosts safety standards. But quakes occur on geological timelines, not human ones. The ancient past doesn't need to be examined to find far more damaging events: the 1906 magnitude 7.9 San Francisco tremor, for example, or the Cascadia subduction zone event in 1700, estimated to have had a magnitude of between 8.7 and 9.2.



Thats down to tougher building standards, the result of tragic trial and error. Multiple revisions to the construction code have been made since the country rushed to rebuild after World War II. After extensive damage to housing from a tremor in 1978, it was significantly overhauled in 1981, becoming a standard that emphasizes both preventing collapse of buildings and saving the lives of those inside. Preparations can be made. Just ask Japan. While 20,000 died almost 12 years ago when the strongest quake the country ever experienced struck off the north of the country, fewer than 5% came as a result of the shaking; the vast majority were killed in the subsequent tsunami.



Some 80% of deaths in Kobe in 1995 came from collapsing buildings. But the damage was overwhelmingly to those made under the pre-1981 standard. Japan has doubled down, offering preferential loans for dwellings that meet newer codes. Most of the buildings that suffered the greatest damage in the 2004 Niigata temblor, the 2011 disaster or the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake were built under the old code, and few had been retrofitted, according to an analysis by veteran seismic specialist Tsuneo Okada of the University of Tokyo.

The countrys disposable approach to buildings has its downsides, most notably in largely static property prices. But it also means that within the next decade, the government aims to mostly eliminate the stock of pre-1981 dwellings.
A Los Angeles judge on Thursday sentenced Harvey Weinstein to 16 years in prison after a jury convicted him of the 2013 rape and sexual assault of an Italian actor and model.

The sentence comes on top of the more than 20 years the 70-year-old Weinstein has left to serve for a similar 2020 conviction in New York, furthering the fall of the onetime movie magnate who became a #MeToo magnet.

Weinstein directly appealed to Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lisa B. Lench, saying: I maintain that I'm innocent. I never raped or sexually assaulted Jane Doe 1." The woman who Weinstein was convicted of raping sobbed in the courtroom as he spoke.

Moments earlier she had told the judge about the pain she felt after being attacked by Weinstein.

Before that night I was a very happy and confident woman. I valued myself and the relationship I had with God, the woman, who was identified in court only as Jane Doe 1, said.

I was excited about my future. Everything changed after the defendant brutally assaulted me. There is no prison sentence long enough to undo the damage.

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Lench handed down the sentence Thursday after rejecting a motion by Weinstein's lawyers for a new trial.

Jurors in December convicted Weinstein of one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault against the woman who at the trial's opening in October gave a dramatic and emotional account of him arriving uninvited at her hotel room, talking his way in and assaulting her during a film festival.

The jury spared Weinstein an even longer sentence when they acquitted him of the sexual battery of a massage therapist and failed to reach verdicts on counts involving two other women.

The defense contended during the trial that Weinstein had consensual sex with two of the women he was charged with assaulting and that two others including the one who led to his conviction were making up the incidents entirely.

Last week, Lench rejected a request from Gloria Allred, an attorney for some of the women who testified at trial, to allow others to make similar statements in court about the man who has for five years been a magnet for the #MeToo movement.

I'm not going to make this an open forum on Mr. Weinstein's conduct," Lench said at the time.

The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually assaulted.

Legal uncertainties will remain on both coasts for Weinstein.

New York's highest court has agreed to hear his appeal in his rape and sexual assault convictions there. And prosecutors in Los Angeles have yet to say whether they will retry Weinstein on counts they were unable to reach a verdict on.

It is not yet clear where he will serve his time while these issues are decided.

His New York sentence would be served before a California prison term, though a retrial or other issues could keep him from being sent back there soon.

Weinstein is eligible for parole in New York in 2039.
A Hartford man was sentenced to more than six year in federal prison this week for trafficking large amounts of cocaine throughout Connecticut, according to the U.S. Attorneys office.

Luis Carrasquillo, also known as Cuchi, 52, of Hartford, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to a total of 78 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release, federal authorities said.

The FBI, along with the Norwich, New London and Hartford police departments, led a joint investigation into a drug trafficking ring that stretched from southeastern Connecticut to the Hartford, New Britain and Waterbury areas, according to court records.

Investigators used court-authorized wiretaps, surveillance, search warrants, and seizures of cocaine and crack cocaine to reveal that Carrasquillo was getting large amount of cocaine and selling it to other dealers, some of whom converted the drug to crack, court records revealed.

Law enforcement made a court-authorized search of Carrasquillos Adelaide Street home on March 17, 2020 and seized around three kilograms of cocaine and $71,340 in cash, according to court records.

On June 30, 2020, a grand jury indicted Carrasquillo and eight others on charges related to the drug trafficking ring. Carrasquillo was arrested on July 1, 2020, the U.S. Attorneys office said.

On June 9, 2022, Carrasquillo pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, his second federal conviction for a cocaine trafficking-related offense, according to the U.S. Attorneys office.

Carrasquillo, who is free on a $270,000 bond, must report to prison on April 6.


Internal doubts are mounting at the Taiwanese chip maker over its US factory, according to interviews with 11 TSMC employees. Many of the workers said the project could distract from the research and development focus that had long helped TSMC outmaneuver rivals. Some added that they were hesitant to move to the US because of potential culture clashes. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the worlds biggest maker of advanced computer chips, is upgrading and expanding a new factory in Arizona that promises to help move the US toward a more self-reliant technological future. But to some at the company, the $40 billion project is something else: a bad business decision.



Its factory expansion in the northern outskirts of Phoenix is meant to bring advanced microchip production closer to the US and away from any potential standoff with China. Yet the effort has stoked internal apprehension, with high costs and managerial challenges showing how difficult it is to transplant one of the most complicated manufacturing processes halfway across the world. Their concerns underline TSMCs tricky position. As the biggest maker of chips that power everything from phones to cars to missiles, the firm is strategically important with highly coveted technical know-how. But caught in a deepening battle between the US and China over technological leadership, TSMC has tried to hedge its bets  only to find that its actions are creating new tensions.



The chip giant, which has long had almost all its factories in Taiwan, is now also building a facility in Japan. European policymakers have rolled out plans to attract a TSMC factory, and the company is in the final stages of making a decision about that plant,sources said. The pressure for the Arizona factory to succeed is immense. Failure would mean a setback for US efforts to cultivate the advanced chip manufacturing that mostly moved to Asia decades ago. And TSMC would have spent billions on a plant that did not produce enough viable chips to make it worth the effort.

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2023 The New York Times News Service Nina Kao, a TSMC spokeswoman, did not directly address the internal concerns over the Arizona investment. But in an email, she said the decision on the US factory location had been based on various factors, including customer demand, market opportunity and the chance to tap global talent. Kao added that TSMC was strengthening its training to integrate overseas talent into its corporate culture. The firm will actively listen and provide change where needed, she said.

Hyundai to divest Alabama subsidiary following child labour revelations

South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor on Friday told shareholders that it would divest its controlling stake in a major Alabama auto parts plant where Reuters last year documented children as young as 12 were working.




The SEC said the jury verdict earlier this month is a non sequitur. The US Securities and Exchange Commission said Elon Musk is reading too much into his win at a securities fraud trial in San Francisco if he thinks the result has any bearing on his 2018 deal with the agency requiring a Tesla Inc. lawyer to screen his company-related tweets.



The judge handling the SEC case has refused to let Musk out of the deal, prompting the Tesla CEO to appeal to the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals. Musk has battled with the SEC over his social media posts since he tweeted in 2018 that funding was secured to take Tesla private. That prompted the regulator to sue, claiming Musk and Tesla had misled shareholders. Both settled with the SEC, each paying $20 million and agreeing that Musks Tesla-related tweets would be reviewed by a lawyer  often referred to as a Twitter sitter  before he posts them.



That verdict is irrelevant, the SEC said in response Thursday. Musk forfeited his chance to test the SECs claims at trial when he twice voluntarily agreed to settle, according to the filing. Musks lawyer argued to the appeals court that the San Francisco verdict confirms that Musks tweets didnt violate securities laws. Investors had sued Musk over the funding secured tweet, claiming he defrauded them. A federal jury took just two hours to clear him, sending shares of the electric car maker surging.

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Musks lawyer, Alex Spiro, didnt immediately respond to an email sent late Thursday seeking comment on the SEC filing. Even if the verdict were somehow relevant, Musk reads too much into it, the SEC said. The settlement was not conditioned upon the outcome of the private litigation, lawyers for the agency added. The Commission had no role in that case.
North Korea on Friday said it test-fired long-range cruise missiles in waters off its eastern coast a day earlier, adding to a provocative streak in weapons demonstrations as its rivals step up military training.

The launches came as the United States and South Korea held a simulated military exercise in Washington, DC, aimed at sharpening their response to North Korean nuclear threats.

North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said that Thursday's launches were aimed at verifying the reliability of the missiles and the rapid-response capabilities of the unit that operates those weapons.

The agency said the exercise involved four missiles, which flew for nearly three hours, drawing oval and figure-eight shaped patterns above the sea, and showed that they can hit targets 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) away.

North Korea first tested a long-range cruise missile system in September 2021 and has since described those weapons as strategic, wording that implies they are being developed with intent to arm them with nuclear warheads.

The latest launches successfully demonstrated the war readiness of North Korea's nuclear combat forces, which are strengthening their lethal nuclear counterattack capabilities against hostile forces in all directions, the KCNA said.

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The US and South Korean militaries didn't immediately confirm the exercise described by North Korea.

Thursday's launches came after North Korea test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile from its capital area on Saturday and then flew a pair of short-range missiles into sea off its eastern coast on Monday, in a continued attempt to demonstrate dual ability to conduct nuclear strikes on South Korea and the US mainland.

North Korea said Monday's short-range launches were a response to the United States flying B-1B bombers to the region for joint training with South Korean and Japanese warplanes on Sunday in a show of force following the North's ICBM test.

Prior to the ICBM launch, North Korea vowed an unprecedentedly strong response over a series of military drills planned by Seoul and Washington in coming weeks.

North Korea for decades has described the annual US-South Korea drills as rehearsals for a potential invasion, although the allies say their exercises are defensive in nature.

North Korea is coming off a record year in weapons demonstrations with more than 70 ballistic missiles fired, including ICBMs with potential to reach the US mainland.

The North also conducted a slew of launches it described as simulated nuclear attacks against South Korean and US targets in response to the allies' resumption of large-scale joint military exercise that had been downsized for years.

North Korea's missile tests have been punctuated by threats of preemptive nuclear attacks against South Korea or the United States over what it perceives as a broad range of scenarios that put its leadership under threat.

The country's authoritarian leader, Kim Jong Un, doubled down on his nuclear push entering 2023, calling for an exponential increase in the country's nuclear warheads, mass production of battlefield tactical nuclear weapons targeting enemy South Korea and the development of more advanced ICBMs.

The US Department of Defense said the US and South Korean militaries conducted a tabletop exercise at the Pentagon on Wednesday that was focused on the possibility of the North Korean use of nuclear weapons.

It said the allies also discussed various adoptions to demonstrate their strong response capabilities and resolve to response appropriately to any North Korean nuclear use.

The US and South Korean militaries are also to conduct another joint computer simulated exercise and field training in March.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday highlighted the significance of long-standing cooperation with the US and the need to make this partnership diverse and multidimensional.

He was talking to a six-member US Senate delegation from the Democratic Party, led by Senate Majority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer that called on him.

Other members of the delegation included Senators Maria Cantwell, Amy Klobuchar, Gary Peters, Catherine Cortez Masto, and Peter Welch.

According to a statement by the Prime Minister's Office, the Prime Minister underscored the significance of long-standing cooperation between Pakistan and the US and the need to make this partnership diverse and multidimensional.

He underlined that parliamentary exchanges between the two countries, as vibrant democracies, are vital to promoting understanding of each other's perspectives at the political level.

The Prime Minister highlighted that Pakistan and the US celebrated 75 years of diplomatic relations last year and that this diplomatic milestone presented an ideal opportunity to chart a future course for Pak-US bilateral ties.

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Pointing to the unrealised potential in the trade, investment and technology realms, he emphasised the importance of forging a more robust and mutually beneficial bilateral economic partnership.

The Prime Minister recognised the important role that the vibrant Pakistani community plays in serving as an important bridge between the two countries.

He thanked the US for its support and solidarity with the people of Pakistan during the 2022 floods and its participation in the International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan.

A number of issues of mutual interest and importance including the situation in Afghanistan were also discussed during the meeting.

Senator Schumer, thanking the Prime Minister on behalf of the delegation, affirmed the desire to further strengthen Pakistan-US bilateral ties in various dimensions through continued engagement and wider cooperation, according to the statement.
After facing an intense scrutiny of its Search and advertising businesses, Google is reportedly facing another potential probe from the US Department of Justice (DoJ) -- this time a potential anti-trust investigation into Maps.

According to a report in Politico, Justice Department antitrust lawyers are working to target Google's vast mapping business, focusing on the company's control of digital maps and location data.

"A lawsuit targeting Google Maps could be filed this year," said the report, citing people familiar with the matter.

"DOJ officials have been meeting with Google's competitors and customers in recent weeks to decide who would be the best witnesses in any potential lawsuit challenging its dominant position in the market for digital maps and location information," the report mentioned.

The Google Maps investigation is "a priority for the department's antitrust division, and prosecutors are working quickly to reach a conclusion".

The DOJ is also scrutinising the Google Automotive Services offering for automakers, which offers Google Maps with Google Play app store and the company's voice assistant.

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The DOJ and a group of state attorneys general first sued Google in October 2020, accusing the company of illegally monopolising the online search market.

The case is currently set to go to trial in September.

Google was also hit with a second case from the DOJ and an overlapping group of states targeting its online advertising business.

The company has always said its policies are designed to improve user experience.

A Google spokesperson was quoted as saying that "developers choose to use Google Maps Platform out of many options because they recognize it provides helpful, high-quality information".

"They are also free to use other mapping services in addition to Google Maps Platform - and many do," the spokesperson was quoted as saying.

In September last year, a US court allowed a larger antitrust case against Google to proceed that alleged that the tech giant monopolised the ad-tech market and suppressed competition by its access to data.

The judge, however, dismissed claims of collusion between Google and Facebook (now Meta) in the "Jedi Blue" programme, a deal in which Google and Facebook allegedly joined hands for ad auctions.
A 39-year-old former Waterbury resident was sentenced to more than five years in federal prison this week for supplying heroin to a member of a Waterbury-area drug trafficking ring, the U.S. Attorneys office said.

Jesus Nieves, also known as Pop, formerly of Waterbury and Springfield, Massachusetts, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 63 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release.

In May 2020, the DEA New Haven Task Force and Waterbury Police Department started an investigation into a drug trafficking ring that was distributing large amounts of heroin, cocaine and crack in the Waterbury area, court records said.

The drug ring was reportedly headed up by Zachary Lee Foster, who worked closely with Jason Metz of Naugatuck, according to court records.

Investigators conducted court-authorized wiretaps on multiple phones used by members of the drug ring, surveillance, controlled purchases of drugs and motor vehicle stops that resulted in the seizure of drugs.

The investigation revealed that Nieves supplied Metz with pre-packaged heroin that he redistributed to others, court records showed.

A federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment charging Nieves, Foster, Metz and 14 others on March 1, 2021, the U.S. Attorneys office said. Nieves, Foster, Metz, and several others were then arrested on March 3, 2021.

According to court records, law enforcement executed seven search warrants and seized approximately 40,000 bags of suspected heroin, 350 grams of cocaine, 50 grams of crack cocaine and nine firearms.

Nieves has been detained since his 2021 arrest. He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin on April 26, 2022.

Foster and Metz also pleaded guilty, the U.S. Attorneys office said. On June 8, 2022, Metz was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison and Foster is awaiting sentencing.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave qualified support Friday for China's new pronouncements about the war in his country, saying Beijing's interest is not bad" and might be useful in isolating Russia.

Our task is to gather everyone to isolate the one, Zelenskyy told a news conference on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion.

China has shown its thoughts. I believe that the fact that China started talking about Ukraine is not bad. But the question is what follows the words. The question is in the steps and where they will lead to.

China called for a cease-fire and peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in a vaguely worded proposal released Friday that analysts said was unlikely to deliver results.

Beijing claims to have a neutral stance in the war that began one year ago, but has also said it has a no limits friendship with Russia and has refused to criticize Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, or even refer to it as an invasion. It has accused the West of provoking the conflict and fanning the flames by providing Ukraine with defensive arms.

Zelenskyy said there were points in the Chinese proposals that he agreed with and those that we don't.

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But it's something, he added.

He also said he was doing everything possible to prevent China from arming Russia.

I really want to believe that China will not supply weapons to the Russian Federation.... It is Point No. 1, Zelenskyy said. He added that he wanted believe that China will be on the side of the just world, which means on our side.

Russia's Foreign Ministry also welcomed China's peace plan Friday, and said it remains open to political and diplomatic efforts.

The plan released by China's Foreign Ministry mainly reiterated long-held positions, and analysts said Beijing would be an unlikely broker.

It calls for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries to be respected, but does not say what will happen to the territory Russia has occupied since the invasion. It also calls for an end to unilateral sanctions on Russia, indirectly criticizes the expansion of the NATO alliance, and condemns threats of nuclear force.

The proposal is an attempt for public relations on the part of China, said Li Mingjiang, a professor and international security expert at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University. I'm not convinced that this policy is going to improve their credibility in being an honest broker.

Speaking after China issued the paper, but without referring to it, Zhanna Leshchynska, charge d'affaires at the Ukrainian embassy in Beijing, said her country doesn't want peace at any price.

We will not agree to anything that keeps Ukrainian territories occupied and puts our people at the aggressor's mercy, Leshchynska told a gathering at the EU mission to China marking the anniversary of the invasion.

In Russia, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova praised the plan for, among other things, implying halting the flow of Western weapons," ending hostilities, restoring a neutral and non-block status for Ukraine, and acknowledging the territorial realities that have emerged. That would include Russia's illegal annexation of parts of Ukraine.

Leonid Slutsky, a senior Russian lawmaker, said the plan contains moves that would mark an end of the hegemony of the collective West."



Ukraine's allies expressed skepticism. U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on CNN that his first reaction to the proposal was that it could stop at point one, which is: Respect the sovereignty of all nations.

He added: This war could end tomorrow if Russia stopped attacking Ukraine and withdrew its forces.... This was a war of choice.

German government spokesman Wolfgang Buchner said the Chinese proposal contained several important points, but was missing a key one: first and foremost the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.

China abstained Thursday when the U.N. General Assembly approved a nonbinding resolution that calls for Russia to end hostilities in Ukraine and withdraw its forces.

The 12-point paper also urges measures to prevent attacks on civilians and civilian facilities, keep nuclear facilities safe, establish humanitarian corridors for civilians and ensure the export of grain. It called for an end to the Cold War mentality China's standard term for what it regards as U.S. hegemony, and maintenance of alliances such as NATO.

Dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis. the proposal said. It offered no details on what form talks should take but said China will continue to play a constructive role in this regard.

While neither Kyiv nor Moscow might pay much heed to the Chinese proposal, Beijing needed to clarify its stance, said Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Beijing's Renmin University.

China feels it necessary to repeat its self-perceived neutrality at this juncture, to save some international inference by not only criticising NATO but also distinguishing itself from Russia's behavior, Shi said.

The proposal comes as U.S.-China relations have hit a historic low over Taiwan, disputes over trade and technology, human rights, and China's aggressive actions in the South China Sea.

The U.S. recently said China may be preparing to provide Russia with military aid, an allegation that Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin called nothing more than slander and smears.

On Friday he referred to a massive disinformation in this respect against China.

Wang was responding to a report in the German magazine Der Spiegel that Russia's military was negotiating with a small Chinese drone manufacturer for the components and know-how to allow the country to manufacture about 100 suicide drones a month.
Of the view that there is an unprecedented opportunity for India-US defence co-production, a US-based think-tank that is dedicated to addressing policy challenges has said that operationalising more defence industry partnerships between the companies of the two countries is contingent on commercial and regulatory factors.

In a report titled Precision Targets: Accelerating the US-India Defense Industrial Partnership that was released on Thursday, the Observer Research Foundation (America) said that there is a requirement for making a strong business case for long-term investments and technology transfers, ensuring predictable demand in India.

The US-India defence industry partnership is ripe for acceleration given a range of factors, spanning supportive domestic policies and favorable geopolitics, including the urgent circumstances that have arisen due to the war in Ukraine, ORF (America) said in the report.

Capitalising on these factors will require making a strong business case for long-term investments and technology transfers, ensuring predictable demand in India, improving public-private cooperation in both countries, and translating high-level political agreement into tangible outcomes, the report further added.

Observing that the inauguration of the US-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) in early 2023 has created greater momentum for bilateral defense industrial cooperation, ORF (America) said recent developments have created new openings.

Many old impediments, including stifling export controls, insufficient enabling agreements, and lack of political engagement, have largely been addressed.

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On the Indian side, elements of an industrial policy that involve the private sector have begun to take shape, creating more attractive conditions for private investment and supply chain integration.

Geopolitical factors are also more conducive, given the growth in India-US coordination on the Indo-Pacific and the declining relevance of US-Pakistan security cooperation, it said.

Meanwhile, wartime attrition, supply chain disruptions, and secondary sanctions will create challenges for Russia's 1,300 defense companies which account for 20 per cent of the world's weapons sales resulting in a partial vacuum in the global arms market.

Other actors are already seeking to fill some of that gap, the report said.

Taken together, these circumstances present an unprecedented opportunity for India-US defense co production. But this will require translating the tremendous political progress at the government-to-government level into concrete outcomes at the business-to-business level, the report said.

Priority areas discussed in iCET include jet engines and munition related technologies, but coproduction could extend to anti-tank and anti-air missile systems, fixed-wing and rotary aircraft, armoured vehicles, artillery, small arms, maritime surveillance systems, drones and counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS), and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facilities and services.

In addition to creating a viable commercial basis for defense co production, the two governments could take several discrete policy steps to facilitate and accelerate such cooperation.

This would include: (a) translating political agreement into outcomes such as approvals and procurement requests, (b) ensuring a greater predictability for demand on the Indian side to accelerate investment and technology transfers, and (c) on the US side, improving public-private cooperation to ensure timely responses to proposals, it said.

From a value proposition perspective, the major categories of potential US-India joint ventures would include anti-tank and anti-air missile systems, ORF (America) said.

In addition to missile systems, aircraft, aircraft engines, and marine turbines represent the most lucrative opportunities in the global arms market, it said.

Armoured vehicles, artillery, small arms, and munitions are other high potential products for US-India partnerships, the report said, adding that among emerging systems, there is considerable interest in both drones, counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS), and maritime surveillance systems.

A final and highly promising area of partnership is maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO). US-India partnerships on MRO could service demand in India as well as more broadly, including South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and East Africa. US-supported MRO facilities in India could also have strategic importance given the high and increasing number of joint military exercises and coordination by the US, India, Quad partners, and other countries in the Indo-Pacific, the report said.

The repairs and allied services of the USNS Charles Drew in India in August could be the start of a wide suite of operations to support the military assets of India, the United States, an their partners, it said.
The Pentagon announced a new package of long-term security assistance for Ukraine on Friday, marking the first anniversary of Russia's invasion with a USD 2 billion commitment to send more rounds of ammunition and a variety of small, high-tech drones into the fight.

The announcement comes just days after President Joe Biden made an unannounced visit to Kyiv and pledged America's continuing commitment to Ukraine.

Biden told President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his people that "Americans stand with you, and the world stands with you."



In a statement on Friday, the Pentagon said the aid includes weapons to counter Russia's unmanned systems and several types of drones, including the upgraded Switchblade 600 Kamikaze drone, as well as electronic warfare detection equipment.

It also includes money for additional ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), artillery rounds and munitions for laser-guided rocket systems.

But, in an unusual move, the Pentagon provided no details on how many rounds of any kind will be bought. Including this latest package, the US has now committed more than USD 32 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia's invasion.

Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement that the first anniversary of Russia's invasion is a chance for all who believe in freedom "to recommit ourselves to supporting Ukraine's brave defenders for the long haul and to recall that the stakes of Russia's war stretch far beyond Ukraine."



Biden was scheduled to meet virtually on Friday with other Group of Seven leaders and Zelenskyy "to continue coordinating our efforts to support Ukraine and hold Russia accountable for its war," the White House said.
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The 10 group stocks have lost an average of Rs 52,343 crore each day since the release of the report. The total market capitalisation or m-cap erosion for the group has been Rs 12.05 trillion ($145 billion), or 63 per cent, from Rs 19.2 trillion in just one month  in what is called the biggest-ever wipeout of wealth globally. Adani Group stocks continued to reel under pressure even a month after the US-short seller Hindenburg Researchs scathing report, alleging irregularities in the group, was made public on January 24.



With a total m-cap of Rs 7.16 trillion, the conglomerate is now fourth biggest after the Tata group, Reliance and the Rahul Bajaj group. Before the Hindenburg report, the Adani Group ranked number two -- just behind the Tatas. Gautam Adanis ranking on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index has slipped from number 4 on January 24 to number 29, with an erosion of close to $80 billion in wealth in just 23 trading sessions.



The Nifty 500 index  a gauge for the performance of the countrys top 500 stocks  has declined nearly 5 per cent since January 24, signally that the Adani saga has also weighed on the overall performance of the market. As a result, Indias m-cap too has fallen by Rs 20.4 trillion -- from Rs 280.4 trillion to Rs 260 trillion -- during the period, with the countrys ranking on the global m-cap league table falling from five to seven. Bulk of this erosion has been on account of the fall in Adani Group stocks.

Also Read What is a follow-on public offer? Hindenburg Research: All you need to know about US-based investment firm Adani Enterprises FPO: Issue fully subscribed on the last day with NII push Sebi probing Hindenburg Research allegations against Adani Group Rs 8.7 trn mcap loss for Adani cos in 6 days; Adani Ent tanks 35% since Tue SpiceJet soars 15% as net profit jumps five-fold to Rs 107 crore in Q3 Counting on RBI support, offshore investors build rupee crosses positions GAIL India rallies 5% in weak market; hits 8-month high on heavy volumes NSE Indices launches country's first ever Nifty India Municipal Bond Index Olectra, in partnership with RIL, unveils hydrogen bus; stock zooms 20%





The fall in the Adani Group stocks has impacted the average investor on the Street. On January 30, insurance major Life Insurance Corporation, in a statement, had said that its total purchase value of Adani Group stocks worked out to Rs 30,127, which has now declined to around Rs 25,000 crore. To be sure, one cannot ascertain if the state-owned insurer has sold any of its Adani holdings or purchased more shares since the release of the Hindenburg report.



Meanwhile, Adani Enterprises and Adani Ports & SEZ, down 62 per cent and 27 per cent, respectively, since January 24, are part of Nifty 50 index, which is tracked by funds with assets under management of over Rs 2 trillion. Although both stocks now have a combined weighting of less than 2 per cent. In comparison, domestic mutual funds had limited exposure to the firms. Most of it is through index funds and exchange traded funds linked to the Nifty 50 and Nifty Next 50 index.
KFin Technologies rose 1.11% to Rs 295.30 after the company announced its plans to invest in Fintech Products and Solutions for entering into the account aggregator business.

FinTech Products and Solutions India (FPSIPL), brand name MoneyOne, is in the business of providing technology solutions for the BFSI sector. It is focused on promoting data democracy to empower citizens and enterprises, including MSMEs, to utilize and monetize their own data to enhance participation in the economy through efficient digital financial relationships.

Their initial products are, as a technology service provider (TSP), a data gateway "MoneyOne FinPro and "MoneyOne FinShare, to provide a platform for enabling data sharing, data governance and analysis, and related solutions to the clientele in the BFSI sector.

FPSIPL's subsidiary, FinSec AA Solutions (FASPL), brand name OneMoney, is India's first account aggregator (AA), with an NBFC AA license from the RBI. OneMoney, is a leading player in the market with over 45% market share in a competitive and emerging AA domain.

FPSIPL had recorded a turnover of Rs 21.05 lakh.

KFin Technologies has entered into definitive agreements for subscribing to 1,041,525 equity shares of FPSIPL for a consideration of Rs. 6.50 crore translating into an equity shareholding of 25.63% of the post-issue share capital of FPSIPL. This initial primary transaction is expected to be completed within a period of 1 to 2 months.

Also Read KFin Technologies sign deal to acquire 25.63% stake in Fintech Products and Solutions (India) India Finsec consolidated net profit rises 273.08% in the December 2022 quarter Smart Finsec standalone net profit declines 76.00% in the September 2022 quarter India Finsec consolidated net profit rises 45.16% in the September 2022 quarter Smart Finsec standalone net profit declines 14.00% in the December 2022 quarter G R Infra gains on emerging highest bidder for Rs 758.10 cr project in MP Bharat Forge to house all defense related investments under Kalyani Strategic Systems Skipper Ltd leads gainers in 'B' group Olectra Greentech spurts on developing Hydrogen bus in partnership with Reliance Fitch affirms Adani Transmission's restricted group notes at 'BBB-'; maintains 'stable' outlook

After this investment, KFin Technologies will own 25.63% of the post-issue equity share capital of FPSIPL. KFintech can acquire additional equity share capital of FPSIPL, taking its aggregate shareholding in FPSIPL to 75.01%, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions and receipt of regulatory approvals.

This additional transaction is expected to be completed within a period of 2 to 3 months. Cash consideration for the Additional Transaction shall not exceed Rs. 22.60 crore.

The partnership will help KFintech venture into technical service provider (TSP) and account aggregators (AA) business as it looks to diversify beyond its current offerings across asset classes in the financial services ecosystem.

Sreekanth Nadella, managing director and chief executive officer of KFin Technologies, said, As a scaled multi-asset global solution provider for fund management, we are focusing on expanding our portfolio of products and solutions to foster the financialization of India's economy.

KFintech has an extensive reach of over 5000+ clients locally and globally being serviced through at-scale and innovative technology solutions.

Combined with the proven capabilities of the market leader in account aggregation - OneMoney, we are excited at the prospect to deliver several best in class fintech solutions across the sectors of lending, asset & wealth management, administration & onboarding solutions amongst several others.

KFin Technologies is a leading technology driven financial services platform providing comprehensive services and solutions to the capital markets ecosystem including asset managers and corporate issuers across asset classes in India and provide several investor solutions including transaction origination and processing for mutual funds and private retirement schemes to asset managers in Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong and Canada. In India, KFintech is the largest investor solutions provider to Indian mutual funds, based on number of AMCs serviced as on 31 December 2022, and the largest issuer solutions provider based on number of clients serviced, as on 31 December 2022.

The company reported 78.59% jump in consolidated net profit to Rs 53.38 crore on a 12.15% rise in sales to Rs 188.13 crore in Q3 FY23 over Q3 FY22.

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The Rocky Hill Police Department is investigating four overnight burglaries at the Shunpike Village Shopping Center in Rocky Hill early Friday morning.

Rocky Hill patrol officers were dispatched to the Shunpike Village Shopping Center at 825 Cromwell Avenue just after 4:30 a.m. on Friday after employees of Elizabeths Restaurant reported a burglary.

Upon arrival, officers discovered that three other businesses  The Jamaican Kitchen, Michel Angelos Pizzeria and Sweets By Jenna  were burglarized as well, police said

Officers searched the area for suspects but none were located, according to police.

The incident is under investigation by the Rocky Hill Police Department Detective Division. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Seguin at 860-258-7640.
Strides Pharma Science announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) today issued an Establishment Inspection Report (EIR) in relation to the inspection of the Company's flagship facility in Bangalore, India.

The Company's flagship facility was inspected by the USFDA between 5-9 December 2022, and a form 483 listing three inspectional observations was issued.

Based on the Company's response to the observations and subsequent commitments, the USFDA has classified the outcome of this inspection as VAI (voluntary action indicated), and the EIR states that the inspection is closed.

The flagship facility in Bangalore is the largest manufacturing facility for the company, with the capability to produce finished dosage formulation products across multiple dosage formats, including tablets, capsules, ointments, creams, and liquids. The facility services the key regulated markets of the US, Europe, and Australia.

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From TII, Multiples and SBITI Clean Mobility, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tube Investments of India, has signed definitive documents with TII, Multiples Private Equity Fund III (Multiples), State Bank of India (SBI) along with other Co-investors to raise capital up to Rs. 1950 crore in the form of equity and CCPS.

The total investment by Multiples, SBI and other Co-investors would aggregate up to Rs.1200 crore. TII's total investment would be Rs.750 crore, of which TII has already invested Rs.639 crore by way of equity and ICD. Further, TICMPL plans to raise additional funding of Rs.1,050 crore by the end of March 2024, thereby taking the total fund raise to Rs.3,000 crore.

TICMPL has already unveiled its passenger 3-wheeler electric vehicle; sales of which are expected to ramp up over the next few quarters. The company, through its subsidiaries, is driving the design and development of electric tractors and electric Heavy Commercial Vehicles.

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The U.S. announced a new round of sanctions on Russian firms, banks, manufacturers and people Friday, aiming them at entities that helped Russia evade sanctions earlier in the year-old war against Ukraine.

Russia's metals and mining sector is among those targeted in one of the U.S. Treasury Department's "most significant sanctions actions to date, according to the agency.

The action, taken in coordination with Group of Seven allies, seeks to punish 250 people and firms, puts financial blocks on banks, arms dealers and technology companies tied to weapons production, and goes after alleged sanctions evaders in countries from the United Arab Emirates to Switzerland.

Our sanctions have had both short-term and long-term impact, seen acutely in Russia's struggle to replenish its weapons and in its isolated economy, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a written statement.

"Our actions today with our G7 partners show that we will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.

Yellen is attending the G-20 finance ministers' meetings in Bengaluru, India, this week.

Also Read Senators urge Biden admin for secondary sanctions on Russian oil purchases US to continue sanctions on Russian, Iranian arms trade: White House European Union approves new sanctions against Russia over war in Ukraine Iran to uphold nuke commitments, if sanctions removed: Iranian atomic chief US looking to ease sanctions on Venezuela to boost oil supply: Report US commits $2 billion in drones, ammunition, aid in new package to Ukraine We remain committed to multilateralism: Envoy to UN after India abstains Antony Blinken to travel to India on March 1 to participate in G20 meeting Ramaswamy will be formidable if he can marshal polling support: Report Yellen, G7 urge more aid for Ukraine and adherence to Russia sanctions

On Friday morning she told senior Russian officials attending meetings that their continued work for the Kremlin makes them complicit in Putin's atrocities.

They bear responsibility for the lives and livelihoods being taken in Ukraine and the harm caused globally, she said.

The sanctions come after the White House announced early Friday morning that the Pentagon would commit $2 billion for more rounds of ammunition and a variety of small, high-tech drones into the fight against Russia.

The State and Commerce departments and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will also issue plans Friday to increase pressure on Russia.

These steps increase tariffs on Russian products and add nearly 90 Russian and third-country companies, including from China, to a list of identified sanctions evaders.

Named in Friday's sanctions package are a dozen financial institutions, including Russia's largest non-state public bank, importers of microelectronics and producers of carbon fiber, a key material for defense systems.

The package names more than 30 people and firms allegedly connected to Russia's sanctions evasion efforts. Among them: Swiss-Italian businessman Walter Moretti and his businesses; Nurmurad Kurbanov, a Russian-Turkmen arms dealer who is alleged to have represented Russian and Belarusian defense firms abroad; and Russian businessman Aleksandr Yevgenyevich Udodov, the former brother-in-law of Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

More than 30 countries representing more than half the world's economy have already imposed unprecedented sanctions on the Russian economy, making it the most sanctioned nation in the world.

They have imposed price caps on Russian oil and diesel, frozen Russian Central Bank funds and restricted access to SWIFT, the dominant system for global financial transactions.

The West has directly sanctioned roughly 2,500 Russian firms, government officials, oligarchs and their families. The sanctions are depriving them of access to their American bank accounts and financial markets, preventing them from doing business with Americans and travelling to the U.S, and more.

After a year, the West's export controls and financial sanctions appear to be gradually eroding Russia's industrial capacity, even as its oil and other energy exports last year enabled it to keep funding a catastrophic war.

At the G-20 meetings Friday, Britain's treasury chief, Jeremy Hunt said, We don't think the job is by any means done.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Marie, at a G-20 press conference said, our sanctions are strong, they are efficient, they are hitting and reducing all revenues of Russia."



They are disorganising Russian industry, undermining war efforts," he said. Sanctions are effective and will be more effective in the long term.
Following are the latest Corporate Social Responsibility news releases and story ideas available from Business Wire. These recaps, curated by Business Wire, provide reporters and bloggers around the globe instant access to the latest news releases, providing relevant and trending content to share with their audiences. Discover more news via Business Wires Hot Topic recaps or create a custom news feed specific to your needs here. This service is provided at no charge to members of the media and financial communities.

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PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Ken Frazier to Chair Transcarent Board of Directors Issuer: Transcarent

BOSTON -- Fidelity Charitable donors recommend a record $11.2 billion in grants during 2022bolstering nonprofits with $1 billion more during a year of economic downturn Issuer: Fidelity Charitable

LONDON -- NatureAlpha Announces Collaboration With MSCI Issuer: NatureAlpha

IRVINE, Calif. -- Non-Profits Shine at NASCAR: Jessie Rees Foundation Partners With Spire Motorsports to Bring National Attention to Kids Fighting Cancer Issuer: Jessie Rees Foundation

MILWAUKEE -- Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Publishes 2022 Sustainability Report; Product Donations Provide Safer Drinking Water for School Children Issuer: Zurn Elkay Water Solutions

LUGANO, Switzerland -- The Second Season of Sailing into the Future. Together Is About to Start Issuer: IBSA

MUMBAI & HYDERABAD & BENGALURU & PUNE, India -- Wellness, Inclusive Camaraderie and Community Impact Take Center Stage at J.P. Morgan Run Issuer: JPMorgan Chase & Co.

PARIS -- Teleperformance: 2022: Robust Growth and Record Profitability in a Highly Challenging Year Issuer: Teleperformance SE

NEW YORK -- Colgate Womens Games Returns for 48th Season Issuer: Colgate-Palmolive Company

MONTERREY, Mexico & ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. & LUGANO, Switzerland -- CEMEX, Sandia Labs, and Synhelion to Scale Solar Energy Technology to Produce Cement Issuer: CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V. and Sandia National Laboratories and Synhelion

TORONTO -- Xaba Closes Seed Funding to Drive Intelligent Automation for Sustainable Manufacturing Issuer: Xaba

LONDON -- GSR Launches Foundation with $10m Pledge Celebrating 10 years of Business Issuer: GSR

PITTSBURGH -- PPG, PPG Foundation invested $16.2 million in communities worldwide in 2022 Issuer: PPG

EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- Berry Appoints New VP of Global Diversity and Inclusion to Develop Leading D&I Strategy Issuer: Berry Global Group, Inc.

DENVER -- CSG Publishes Inaugural Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures Report Issuer: CSG

CHICAGO -- Motorola Solutions Foundation Sets a New Record of Giving Through Employee Volunteerism and Strategic Grants Issuer: Motorola Solutions

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- Black & Veatch Appoints Industry Thought Leader to Sustainability Leadership Role Issuer: Black & Veatch

MIAMI & DALLAS -- Southern Glazers Wine & Spirits Launches Incubator Academy Education Program for Diverse- and Women-Owned Brands Issuer: Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits

NEW YORK -- Moodys Seeking Nonprofit Partners Aligned with Community Impact Strategy Issuer: Moodys Corporation Investor Relations

CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. -- Aptar Again Receives Platinum Rating from EcoVadis Issuer: AptarGroup, Inc.

WYOMISSING, Pa. -- UGI Launches Joint Venture with Archaea Energy to Develop Renewable Natural Gas Project in Pennsylvania Issuer: UGI Corporation

PARIS -- After Colombia, Teleperformance Receives Independent Assurance from Bureau Veritas Regarding Use and Inclusion of International Standard ISO 26000 Guidelines in Six Countries Issuer: Teleperformance Group

FREMONT, Calif., & CLEARWATER, Fla. -- TD SYNNEX Unveils First Corporate Citizenship Report Issuer: TD SYNNEX

HERZOGENAURACH, Germany -- PUMA Joins Zero100 to Find Industry-wide Solutions to Reduce Carbon Emissions in the Supply Chain Issuer: PUMA

MONTERREY, Mexico -- Volvo Trucks and CEMEX Unveil First Fully Electric Heavy Concrete Mixer Truck Issuer: CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V.

VANCOUVER, Canada -- Global Partners Announce Innovations for Marine Managers to Help Our Oceans With Private Sector Support From Mary Kay Inc. Issuer: Mary Kay

NEWARK, Del. -- Application Window Open for The Sallie Mae Funds Bridging the Dream Scholarship Program Issuer: Sallie Mae

CHICAGO -- American Dental Association Foundation Kicks Off the 21st Year of Give Kids A Smile With Exclusive National Sponsors, Henry Schein and Colgate-Palmolive Issuer: ADA Foundation and Henry Schein, Inc. and Colgate-Palmolive Company

LOS ANGELES -- Next Level Apparel and GK Global Form Strategic Nearshore Fabric Supply Partnership Issuer: Next Level Apparel

CINCINNATI -- Cintas Kicks Off Heart Health Month with TJ McMahons Life-Saving Story Issuer: Cintas Corporation

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Rayonier Advanced Materials Publishes 2022 ESG Progress Update Issuer: Rayonier Advanced Materials Inc.

HAMILTON, Bermuda -- Bacardi Plants a Tree for Every Employee to Celebrate 161st Anniversary With a Gift to the Planet Issuer: Bacardi Limited

SWORDS, Ireland -- Trane Technologies Named to FORTUNE Magazine Worlds Most Admired Companies List for Eleventh Consecutive Year Issuer: Trane Technologies

DAVIDSON, N.C. -- Ingersoll Rand Acquires Paragon Tank Truck Issuer: Ingersoll Rand Inc.

BROOKWOOD, Ala. -- Warrior Met Coal Publishes 2022 Corporate Responsibility Report Issuer: Warrior Met Coal, Inc.

NEW YORK -- Moodys Named to Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index for Fourth Consecutive Year Issuer: Moodys Corporation Investor Relations

NEW YORK -- Church Pension Group Hosts Conversation on 2023 Sustainable Investing Landscape and Strategies Issuer: The Church Pension Group

CHICAGO -- Hyatt Named to Institutional Investor 2023 All-America Executive Team Issuer: Hyatt Hotels Corporation

PARIS -- Teleperformance Announces Results of Trust and Safety Global Employee Experience Survey Issuer: Teleperformance

CINCINNATI -- Cincinnati Leader of Impact: Cintas Katie Gough-Edwards Issuer: Cintas Corporation

DALLAS -- Colossal Biosciences Secures $150M Series B and Announces Plan to De-Extinct the Iconic Dodo Issuer: Colossal Biosciences

PHILADELPHIA -- Aramark Publishes Annual ESG Progress Report: Companys Be Well. Do Well. Platform Provides Update on Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance Performance Issuer: Aramark

NEW YORK -- Tapestry, Inc. Highlights Commitment to Sustainability and Inclusion in FY2022 Corporate Responsibility Report Issuer: Tapestry, Inc.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- PPG global leaders transform Boys & Girls Club in Florida with COLORFUL COMMUNITIES project Issuer: PPG

CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. -- Aptar Pharma Launches First Metal-Free Nasal Spray Pump, Meeting Growing Need for Highly Recyclable Packaging Issuer: AptarGroup, Inc.

PARIS -- Teleperformance Commended by the OECD French National Contact Point for Implementing Its Recommendations and Maintaining Duty of Care Issuer: Teleperformance

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- GEA Debuts Launchpad Program for Diverse-Owned Suppliers Issuer: GE Appliances

NEW YORK -- The BuildESG Membership Expands Features to Include Benchmarking of Private Equity and Venture Capital Firms ESG Programs Issuer: BuildESG

PARIS -- Teleperformance Opens Its Sites to Investors in Six Countries Across Four Continents Issuer: Teleperformance

EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- Berry, Coca-Cola Collaborate to implement Tethered caps in EU markets Issuer: Berry Global Group, Inc.

BENSHEIM, Germany -- CBM Distributes 600 Millionth Drug Dose to Protect Against Neglected Tropical Diseases Issuer: Christian Blind Mission

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The worlds leading maritime organisations and companies have released an open letter calling on United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to urgently prioritise the evacuation of 331 seafarers and 62 ships that remain trapped in Ukrainian ports.

The 34 signatories, including the International Chamber of Shipping, NKY Line, the Union of Greek Shipowners, Danish Shipping, and seafarer charities, called the situation an unacceptable risk to life.

In February 2022, 112 vessels crewed by more than 2,000 seafarers were berthed in Ukranian ports across the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Since then, 1,700 have been safely evacuated and have been able to return to their families or return to their work of keeping global trade flowing.

The remaining 331 seafarers from countries such as Bangladesh, Philippines, Turkey, Syria, China, Egypt, Lebanon, Greece, Indonesia, Ghana, India, Azerbaijan and Georgia, remain to maintain the safety and protect against environmental harm. No other industry have non-combatants in the area over a year on from the start of the conflict, as they can only leave when the ships leave.

Some of the ports where these seafarers remain have resumed operability, facilitating the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Shipping has been integral in carrying out this UN-brokered humanitarian effort, with crews sailing along the borders of the conflict zone to ensure the world continues to receive vital grain deliveries. However, ships who are not able to transport grain are excluded and remain trapped.

Since the onset of the war, shipping companies, charities, and unions have continually called for the safe and immediate evacuation of the trapped seafarers. They have also worked in coordination with international organisations to facilitate the evacuation effort, supported the trapped seafarers families, and provided the seafarers with provisions including food, clean water, and medical supplies.

To mark the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine, the shipping community sent this open letter to UNSG Guterres, calling on him to use his diplomatic abilities to evacuate the remaining seafarers ships.

- ENDS -

Notes to editors:

About ICS

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) is the principal international trade association for merchant shipowners and operators, representing all sectors and trades and over 80% of the world merchant fleet.

www.ics-shipping.org

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The Government of Luxembourg unveiled its intent to leverage SESs high-performance, second-generation Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) system  O3b mPOWER  as a critical resilient satcom infrastructure for Luxembourg, its partners and NATO in the areas of defence and security, disaster recovery and more, SES announced today.

In a press conference, Luxembourg Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, Francois Bausch said that the Luxembourg Government is proud to be utilising highly innovative satellite technology that was developed in the country by its leading space player, SES. The programme  MEO Global Services (MGS)  valued at 195 million over 10 years will authorise, when passed by Luxembourg parliament, the acquisition and operation of O3b mPOWER services. In late 2022, Luxembourg and the U.S. entered into a support partnership with the aim of commercially contracting satellite communications capabilities through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA). The MGS programme will be realised through this partnership.

The O3b mPOWER MEO system that SES began launching in 2022 brings unrivalled performance for a wide range of sovereign government missions spanning defence, disaster recovery, operations, and community building and welfare for deployed staff. With its unprecedented levels of flexibility, the unique system provides guaranteed performance and uncontended connectivity services for dedicated, protected, carrier-grade data, unlocking full access to real-time information, high-resolution images and video, cloud applications and secure networks.

The open architecture and unique security features of the O3b mPOWER system enables governments to operate sovereign gateways and networks on a global basis. It can also be easily integrated into existing governments' satcom capabilities, permitting multi-orbit resiliency to NATO and allies systems and elevating them to the next level of performance and security.

This ambitious new project carried out through the NSPA will consolidate Luxembourgs position as a reliable partner in space. The satellite communication capabilities of SESs O3b mPOWER will reinforce Euro-Atlantic joint deterrence and defence. The aim is to support our Allies, the EU Member States and the international organisations of which Luxembourg is a member, said Minister Bausch. We will increase the resilience, flexibility and connectivity of our satcom capabilities while creating synergies through cooperation with nations who share our values.

We are proud to support the Luxembourg Governments space defence strategy and leverage the unique space-based capabilities of SES to enable greater cooperation between Luxembourg and its partners, said Steve Collar, CEO of SES. O3b mPOWER has been designed with the unique needs of governments firmly in mind and brings unprecedented levels of guaranteed performance to support defence, security and sovereign networks as well as disaster recovery and response for a safer and more secure Europe and beyond.

For more information and photos about O3b mPOWER, please visit the newsroom and the media gallery.

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About SES

SES has a bold vision to deliver amazing experiences everywhere on earth by distributing the highest quality video content and providing seamless connectivity around the world. As the leader in global content connectivity solutions, SES operates the worlds only multi-orbit constellation of satellites with the unique combination of global coverage and high performance, including the commercially-proven, low-latency Medium Earth Orbit O3b system. By leveraging a vast and intelligent, cloud-enabled network, SES is able to deliver high-quality connectivity solutions anywhere on land, at sea or in the air, and is a trusted partner to the worlds leading telecommunications companies, mobile network operators, governments, connectivity and cloud service providers, broadcasters, video platform operators and content owners. SESs video network carries over ~8,200 channels and has an unparalleled reach of 366 million households, delivering managed media services for both linear and non-linear content. The company is listed on Paris and Luxembourg stock exchanges (Ticker: SESG). Further information is available at: www.ses.com

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Radisys Corporation, a global leader of open telecom solutions, today announced the addition of Engage Media Analytics within the acclaimed Engage Digital Platform (EDP). Engage Media Analytics is a comprehensive solution that provides Communication Service Providers (CSPs), System Integrators, and Enterprises with cost-effective low-code/no-code visual design tools to create Industry 4.0 applications with new AI-powered audio analytics and computer vision capabilities.

Engage Media Analytics application possibilities include notifying medical personnel when a patient in a wheelchair needs assistance or an elderly at-home patient has fallen from the bed; or identifying critical keywords or background sounds on an emergency call to augment the live agent discussion and help make life-saving decisions; detecting a fire in a factory, campus building, or other location and alerting emergency services personnel; monitoring retail shelves and combing customer identification, location, and live video to send money saving coupons to a frequent shoppers phone as they near a location with promotional items; and many other Industry 4.0 services.

The Engage Media Analytics solution offers a unique combination of capabilities:

Off-the-shelf models including people and object counting, object and sound detection and classification, and biometric authentication. Engage Media Analytics also supports model customization and new model creation.

Ability to create trigger actions based on insights derived from the media stream whether through other communication capabilities in the EDP, including voice and video calling, creating an on-the-fly conference, sending alerts, and recording, as well as interworking with external systems for initiating business processes in enterprise workflow tools.

Distributed deployment of services spanning public and private clouds, network edge infrastructure, and on enterprise premises, enabling applications that demand low latency, cost and bandwidth-efficient network utilization for local breakout, and ensuring data privacy and security.



Alan Quayle, Founder TADHack, TADSummit, said: The programmable communications industry (CPaaS) is evolving from a focus on connectivity to understanding the content of communications through programmable media analytics. Actionable intelligence and compliance are important in delivering innovative new services. The all-in-one Engage Digital Platform delivers AI-based actionable intelligence that enables service providers to deliver business efficiencies for their customers' mission-critical applications.

Radisys Engage Media Analytics can be deployed on distributed edge cloud and integrates with public or private 4G/5G RAN and core network functions such as Network Exposure Function (NEF), abstracting complexities for application developers to productize Industry 4.0 applications quickly and cost-effectively.

Al Balasco, Head of Media and Application Solutions, Radisys, said: The convergence and simultaneous maturity of multiple technologies like AI-based computer vision, 5G, edge cloud, and programmable communications opens new opportunities for service providers and system integrators to collaborate with enterprises in their digital transformation. Engage Media Analytics lets service providers combine the advantages of the bandwidth, low latency, Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity, and edge cloud resources to monetize public and private 5G networks and deliver customized solutions like predictive surveillance in smart cities, remote monitoring of enterprise campuses, business workflow automation for product quality assurance, traffic monitoring, and more.

About Radisys

Radisys, a global leader in open telecom solutions, enables service providers to drive disruption with new open architecture business models. Radisys innovative disaggregated and virtualized enabling technology solutions leverage open reference architectures and standards, combined with open software and hardware to power business transformation for the telecom industry, while its world-class services organization delivers systems integration expertise necessary to solve communications and content providers complex deployment challenges. For more information, visit www.radisys.com.

Radisys Engage Digital Platform is an award-winning programmable communications platform. Radisys' capacity-based versus consumption-based licensing approach for all products in the Engage Digital Platform offers a truly disruptive economic model relative to alternative programmable communications solutions. It dramatically improves the total cost of ownership (TCO) savings to 70% and greater over competitive cloud-based programmable communications and video analytics solutions, allowing service providers to reap the benefits.

For more information, visit www.engagedigital.ai.

Radisys is a registered trademark of Radisys. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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In celebrating National Love Your Library Month, Mayor Luke Bronin and Hartford Public Library Director of Public Services Marie Jarry provided updates on ongoing repairs at the Main Street branch and the Albany Library expansion plan, part of which has gone out to bid.

Library officials said additional work is being done in the Hartford Public Library Downtown Branch, after water damaged the building on Dec. 23, leaving many residents who relied on its services and classes severely impacted.

Library officials said the work that has been done to date includes ServPro crews being on site for several weeks with specialized equipment to remove moisture from the building and combat mold growth.

About the Albany Avenue library branch, Bronin said it would become a part of a mini library campus, which will include the historic Northwest Jones School that is next door.

According to Bronin, the school is a historic building that has been vacant for a long time and in some disrepair. The city has gone out to bid now for remediation work to begin doing environmental work, as there has already been some work done to the building.

Im really looking forward to the formal groundbreaking and then ultimately looking forward to uniting these two buildings  into one expanded library here on Albany Avenue. And thats something that is made possible, in part because of the American Rescue Plan resources that weve got, in part, because of our companies which stepped up in such a big way to be part of our long-term recovery, Bronin said.

He said the Albany Avenue library branch has now become the main YOUmedia studio, where youth can get access to new technology and learn how to do design and animation work, and other opportunities, as the Main Street branch is closed for repairs.

Mayor Luke Bronin speaking about the recent updates for the Hartford Public Library Albany Avenue and Main Street library branches.

City Councilwoman Shirley Surgeon said she was excited to hear there was extra funding available from the American Rescue Funds to turn the Northwest Jones School into the extension of the library.

This library really is for so many kids, like a home away from home. Its a safe environment for kids in the community. And thats what the library provides. You know, we have the media information, we have books, kids can rent a video, and take it home. Thats the service that library provides. And so therefore, when we talk about extending the library, to the Northwest Jones building, we are extending more of a home to the kids in the neighborhood, she said.

She also said that she wanted to let the community know that while the Main Street library branch is closed, the Albany Avenue branch is home for all community members.

Jarry said while the Main Street will be closed for many months, the silver lining is the opportunity to highlight and feature the other six branches across the city, which have expanded hours across all seven days of the week to serve the Hartford community.

She also announced that the Ropkins Library branch, located inside of S.A.N.D. Elementary school, will be opening Monday-Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. after its renovation, along with featuring a satellite Hartford History Center.

The Ropkins branch has been closed since the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.

She also said that since the original Hartford History Center was damaged at the Main Street branch, library staff have been working out of Ropkins and community members can make appointments to view center materials there.

Officials said the environmental and air quality test have also been ongoing at the main branch, while items were removed from the Hartford History Center and stored safely in other parts of the building. IT staff are assessing extensive damage to library technology. The library has contracted with Downes Construction Co. to oversee repairs to the building and is consulting with TKSP Studio and Margaret Sullivan Studio on redesigning the space.

Councilwoman Shirley Surgeon speaking about the recent updates about the Hartford Public Library Albany Avenue and Main Street library branches.

Large sections of ceiling, flooring, and sheetrock need to be replaced. Most furniture, fixtures, and other materials in areas impacted by water have been discarded, with the Hartford History Center reading room and offices for The American Place suffering the most damage, officials said. The atrium staircase suffered structural damage and needs repair in order to be made safe and one elevator is currently inoperable.

There is still no exact cost estimate for the remediation work, but it is expected to run into the millions of dollars, said officials. However, the library is working with its insurer and is continuing to fundraise through its HPL Restore and Renew emergency campaign and pursue grant opportunities, including through the states Community Investment Fund.

Officials also said that they estimate about 75% of costs will go toward the rebuilding of the library to how it was before the water damage and 25% of costs will be focused on enhancements and upgrades that can most efficiently be completed while the building is closed.

They anticipate being able to restore access to the ground floor UConn area more quickly than other areas of the building, potentially by the end of summer. It could be a year or longer before the building is fully operational.

Lastly, Bronin thanked the entire team at the Hartford Public Library for all of their hard work.
About SBIF



SBI Foundation (SBIF) is the CSR arm of the State Bank of India. True to its tradition of service beyond banking, the foundation currently works in over 28 states and union territories of India, on rural development, healthcare, education, livelihood and skill development, youth empowerment, promotion of sports, and more. SBI Foundation believes in reflecting the ethos of the SBI group, in running interventions that are ethical, promote growth and equality, and create a positive impact on society. https://www.sbifoundation.in/



About American India Foundation



The American India Foundation (AIF) is dedicated to catalyzing social and economic change in India and building a lasting bridge between the United States and India. AIF is committed to improving the lives of Indias underprivileged, with a special focus on women, children, and youth. AIF does this through high-impact interventions in education, health, and livelihoods, because poverty is multidimensional. AIFs unique value proposition is its broad engagement between communities, civil society, and expertise thereby building a lasting bridge between the United States and India. Working closely with local communities, AIF partners with non-government organizations (NGOs) to develop and test innovative solutions and with governments to create and scale sustainable impact. Founded in 2001, AIF has so far impacted the lives of 12.9 million of Indias poor across 35 states and union territories. Learn more at www.AIF.org



About Project SAMEIP



Project SAMEIP, a joint initiative of SBI Foundation & Microsoft India, aims to create a disability-friendly workplace in the digitally transformed BFSI sector through advocacy and collaboration with like-minded corporates. It is led on the ground by American India Foundation, and the project partners include Team Lease Skills University, V-shesh, and WinVinaya Foundation.



Utilizing the F.A.T.E (Facilitation.Alliance.Technology.Employment) model, Project SAMEIP, since 2020, has empowered 500 PwDs through skills development and linked 338 PwDs with sustainable livelihoods within the BFSI sector across Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai. In the second phase of the program, it would empower 650 PwDs through skill development and place 455 people with disabilities across the BFSI sector in Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai, and Bangalore.
After months of litigation and years of complaints by residents, a lawyer for the Town of Rocky Hill said he expects the owners of an apartment complex to agree to an outline of repairs by Friday.

If they cared about their reputation, I dont see how they can allow this to go on, town legal counsel Morris Borea said publicly of the owners of Concierge Apartments at a town council meeting Tuesday.

If they dont do what they need to do, we will try the case. They will pay. They will lose, he said.

In addition, renters at the 544-unit Cold Spring Road complex  at the council meeting, one called it a hell hole and another alleged it should be condemned  were publicly offered the services of an attorney to file a class-action suit against Century Hills Property Owner LLC.

In May 2021, the town and Central Connecticut Health District filed suit against Century Hills. The suit alleged five counts: violation of building codes, violation of Connecticut fire safety code, violation of public health code, violation of the towns housing standards and public nuisance.

Rent, living conditions

Borea said residents complaints regarding rent started in 2016, about three years after Century Hills bought the apartment complex. Complaints about living conditions have increased in the ensuing years, he said.

The complex has five buildings. Borea said residents in all buildings have reported problems, some buildings more than others. Mayor Lisa Marotta, in a phone interview Thursday, said many of the problems are in common areas, affecting all tenants.

Marotta said in response to the Concierge complaints, the town reactivated its Fair Rent Commission in 2021, after months of inactivity. In addition, the town is restructuring its team that handles the uptick in resident complaints, and is hiring someone to help in the Human Services Department.

Its actually a busy task for a small town, Marotta said.

We certainly understand families are experiencing horrible living conditions. They are horribly frustrated.  Some are displaced. Its no way to live, she said.

Grim conditions

At the town council meeting, four residents of the complex painted a grim picture of life at the Concierge.

Gary Pope described the most often-cited complaint, of hot water that shuts off frequently and for lengthy periods of time.

I havent had a lukewarm shower in two weeks. We are currently staying at a hotel two nights. This is the second time weve had to do this in the past two weeks, Pope said. Weve been living there for about four months, five months now at this point and this has been a problem since day one.

Another renter, Stella Onochie, also cited water issues. I have to take my kids to a hotel, she said. They are learning how to take a shower using a baby wipe and some rubbing alcohol  or hand sanitizer.

She said before renting, she was given a tour of the complex, entering by the back door.

If we had entered through the lobby, we would have seen there were buckets, big plastic tubs, there to catch the leaks, the water falling from the roof of the lobby in building 200. If we had gone through the front we would have seen the damage of the graffiti, she said.

Onochie, who called the complex a hell hole, said the town should warn potential renters about the pending litigation. Making it clear what people are getting into is probably the chiefest thing that people could do now, she said.

Jason Barco, a firefighter, said he has to shower at work because his apartment had no hot water.

In three months I called them 15 times for the same issue, no heat, no hot water, Barco said.

Borea said a few weeks ago, the fire department distributed palettes of bottled drinking water to residents who had no water at all.

Barco said management has used extension cords to place space heaters in the drop ceiling to prevent pipes from freezing.

Pope added that parking costs extra and the conditions in the garage are harmful to cars. Its totally normal for the pipes to just suddenly burst. Water falls on your car in freezing weather and it damages your car, he said.

Barco agreed. I pay to park my car. The ceiling fell on my vehicle. [Management said] Go to your insurance company, he said.

Julian Finnegan said she pays $2,100 a month for a two-bedroom apartment that is not safe, that is a literal death trap for my children and myself.

She cited broken glass, broken windows and racist graffiti at the complex. It is dilapidated. It should be condemned, she said.

Top taxpayer

Century Hills is a subsidiary of JRK Property Holdings of Los Angeles, which owns 80,000 residential and business rental and hotel units in 30 states. In the towns 2021 grand list, Century Hills is listed as the top taxpayer in town, with an assessment of $41,972,350.

At the meeting, Borea said JRK management in Los Angeles may not have been completely aware of the extent of the Concierge complaints. Borea also believes the on-site managers misled town officials.

I think  they took advantage of some of  our enforcement officials, that they made promises and representations that they did not keep, he said.

The defendants attorney, Evan J. Seeman, did not attend the meeting Tuesday to hear Boreas update.

Through Seeman, Concierges management team issued an email statement on Thursday: We were alerted to an isolated issue late last week involving a single boiler at the property. Our maintenance team, in conjunction with third party contractors, worked quickly to resolve the issue. Like all property owners, our complex experiences maintenance issues from time to time. Since acquiring Concierge Rocky Hill we have spent nearly $10M improving the property to create a better living environment for our tenants. As a customer facing company, we pride ourselves on providing a best in class living experience for all our tenants.

Over the course of the lawsuit, the plaintiffs have filed two motions for default for the defendants failure to plead, and one motion for the defendants failure to appear. All three motions were denied.

Susan Dunne can be reached at sdunne@courant.com.
Publisher Penguin Random House announced Friday it will publish classic unexpurgated versions of Roald Dahls childrens novels after it received criticism for cuts and rewrites that were intended to make the books suitable for modern readers.

Along with the new editions, the company said 17 of Dahls books would be published in their original form later this year as The Roald Dahl Classic Collection so readers will be free to choose which version of Dahls stories they prefer.

The move comes after criticism of scores of changes made to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and other much-loved classics for recent editions published under the companys Puffin childrens label, in which passages relating to weight, mental health, gender and race were altered.

Augustus Gloop, Charlies gluttonous antagonist in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory  originally published in 1964  became enormous rather than enormously fat. In Witches, an old hag became an old crow, and a supernatural female posing as an ordinary woman may be a top scientist or running a business instead of a cashier in a supermarket or typing letters for a businessman.

In Fantastic Mr. Fox, the word black was removed from a description of the murderous, brutal-looking tractors.

The Roald Dahl Story Company, which controls the rights to the books, said it had worked with Puffin to review and revise the texts because it wanted to ensure that Dahls wonderful stories and characters continue to be enjoyed by all children today.

While tweaking old books for modern sensibilities is not a new phenomenon in publishing, the scale of the edits drew strong criticism from free-speech groups such as writers organization PEN America, and from authors including Salman Rushdie.

Rushdie, who lived under threat of death from Irans Islamic regime for years because of the alleged blasphemy of his novel The Satanic Verses, called the revisions absurd censorship.

Rushdie, who was attacked and seriously injured last year at an event in New York state, tweeted news of Penguins change of heart on Friday with the words Penguin Books back down after Roald Dahl backlash!

PEN America chief executive Suzanne Nossel wrote on Twitter: I applaud Penguin for hearing out critics, taking the time to rethink this, and coming to the right place.

Camilla, Britains queen consort, appeared to offer her view at a literary reception on Thursday. She urged writers to remain true to your calling, unimpeded by those who may wish to curb the freedom of your expression or impose limits on your imagination.

Dahls books, with their mischievous children, strange beasts and often beastly adults, have sold more than 300 million copies and continue to be read by children around the world. Their multiple stage and screen adaptations include Matilda the Musical and two Willy Wonka films based on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, with a third in the works.

But Dahl, who died in 1990, is also a controversial figure because of antisemitic comments made throughout his life. His family apologized in 2020.

In 2021, Dahls estate sold the rights to the books to Netflix, which plans to produce a new generation of films based on the stories.

Francesca Dow, managing director of Penguin Random House Childrens, said the publisher had listened to the debate over the past week which has reaffirmed the extraordinary power of Roald Dahls books and the very real questions around how stories from another era can be kept relevant for each new generation.

Roald Dahls fantastic books are often the first stories young children will read independently, and taking care for the imaginations and fast-developing minds of young readers is both a privilege and a responsibility, she said.

We also recognize the importance of keeping Dahls classic texts in print, Dow said. By making both Puffin and Penguin versions available, we are offering readers the choice to decide how they experience Roald Dahls magical, marvelous stories.
Ukraines leader pledged Friday to push for victory in 2023 as he and other Ukrainians marked the somber anniversary of the Russian invasion that upended their lives and Europes security.

It was Ukraines longest day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, but the countrys dogged resistance a year on has proven that every tomorrow is worth fighting for.

On a day of commemorations, reflection and tears, the Ukrainian presidents defiant tone captured the national mood of resilience in the face of Europes biggest and deadliest war since World War II. Zelenskyy, who has himself become a symbol of Ukraines refusal to bow to Moscow, said Ukrainians proved themselves to be invincible during a year of pain, sorrow, faith and unity.

We have been standing for exactly one year, Zelenskyy said. Feb. 24, 2022, he said, was the longest day of our lives. The hardest day of our modern history. We woke up early and havent fallen asleep since.

Ukrainians wept at memorials for their tens of thousands of dead  a toll growing inexorably as fighting rages in eastern Ukraine in particular. Although Friday marked the anniversary of the full-scale invasion, combat between Russian-backed forces and Ukrainian troops has raged in the countrys east since 2014. New video from there shot with a drone for The Associated Press showed how the town of Marinka has been razed, along with others.

The killing continued: Russian shelling killed another three civilians and wounded 19 others in the most recent 24-hour spell, Ukraines presidential office said.

Around the country, Ukrainians looked back at a year that changed their lives and at the clouded future.

I can sum up the last year in three words: Fear, love, hope, Oleksandr Hranyk, a school director in Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city, said.

Lining up in the capital, Kyiv, to buy anniversary commemorative postage stamps, Tetiana Klimkova described her heart as falling and hurting.

Still, this day has become a symbol for me that we have survived for a whole year and will continue to live, she said. On this day, our children and grandchildren will remember how strong Ukrainians are mentally, physically, and spiritually.

Although China on Friday called for a cease-fire, peace was nowhere in sight. Ukraine previously rejected a pause in the fighting for fear it would allow Russia to regroup militarily after bruising battlefield setbacks.

Zelenskyy gave qualified support to Chinas new pronouncements about the cease-fire and peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in a vaguely worded proposal released Friday.

China has shown its thoughts. I believe that the fact that China started talking about Ukraine is not bad, the president said during a wide-ranging news conference. But the question is what follows the words. The question is in the steps and where they will lead to.

A 12-point paper issued by Chinas Foreign Ministry also urged an end to sanctions that aim to squeeze Russias economy.

That suggestion also looked like a non-starter, given that Western nations are working to further tighten the sanctions noose, not loosen it. Both the U.K. and U.S. imposed more sanctions Friday.

Ukraine is readying another military push to roll back Russian forces with the help of weaponry that has poured in from the West. NATO member Poland said Friday that it had delivered four advanced Leopard 2A4 tanks, making it the first country to hand the German-made armor to Ukraine.

The prime minister of Poland said on a visit to Kyiv that more Leopards are coming. Polands defense minister said contributions from other countries would help form Ukraines first Leopard battalion of 31 tanks.

Ukraine is entering a new period, with a new task  to win, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said.

It will not be easy. But we will manage, he added. There is rage and a desire to avenge the fallen.

Air raid alarms didnt sound overnight in Kyiv, alleviating concerns that Russia might unleash another barrage of missiles to pile yet more sadness on Ukraine on the anniversary.

Still, the government recommended that schools move classes online, and office employees were asked to work from home. And even as they rode Kyivs subway to work, bought coffee and got busy, Ukrainians were unavoidably haunted by thoughts of loss and memories of when missiles struck, troops rolled across Ukraines borders and a refugee exodus began a year ago.

Back then, there were fears the country might fall within weeks. Zelenskyy referred to those dark moments in a video address.

We fiercely fought for every day. And we endured the second day. And then, the third, he said. And we still know: Every tomorrow is worth fighting for.

The anniversary was also poignant for the parents of children born exactly a year ago as bombs began killing and maiming.

Its a tragedy for the whole country, for every Ukrainian, said Alina Mustafaieva, who gave birth to daughter Yeva that day.

My family was lucky. We didnt lose anyone or anything. But many did, and we have to share this loss together, she said.

Tributes to Ukraines resilience took place in other countries. The Eiffel Tower in Paris was among monuments illuminated in Ukraines colors  yellow and blue. In Berlin, a wrecked Russian tank was put on display. Anti-war activists in Belgrade, Serbia, left a cake covered with red icing representing blood and a skull on top on a pavement near the Russian Embassy, which police stopped them from approaching.

In Russia, media and rights groups reported more police arrests of protesters who took to streets with antiwar slogans and flowers in various parts of the country.

In Ukraine, Zelenskyy was particularly busy  kicking off the day with an early morning tweet that promised: We know that 2023 will be the year of our victory!

He followed that up with his video address in which he also pledged not to abandon Ukrainians living under Russian occupation, vowing: One way or another, we will liberate all our lands.

He also held the televised news conference, where he urged Moscow to change course, saying: Please respect our right to live on our land. Leave our territory. Stop bombing us.

Zelenskyy got emotional when talking about how the war could end, arguing that only if Russia halts its aggression can a diplomatic path be followed.

Stop (destroying) all our infrastructure, energy, drinking water. Stop bombing towns, villages, killing dogs and cats, simply animals, torching forests, he said.

Zelenskyy said one of his biggest disappointments of the war had been to see people who could have fought leave the country when Russia invaded, referring to officials who fled. He said a low point was when Russian atrocities were discovered in the recaptured town of Bucha near Kyiv. It was very scary, he said. We saw that the devil is not somewhere out there, but on Earth.

Earlier Friday, the Ukrainian leader addressed troops on a Kyiv square and handed out honors, including to the widow and daughter of a fallen soldier, telling them: We will never forget. In a Kyiv hospital, he also decorated wounded fighters.

A year on, casualty figures are horrific on both sides, although Moscow and Kyiv keep precise numbers under wraps. Western estimates suggest hundreds of thousands of killed and wounded.

In Kharkiv, Ukrainian serviceman Dmytro Kovalenko was buried Fridayin the citys main cemetery for soldiers, which has added 15 new rows of graves this past year. Kovalenko was killed Monday in the fiercely contested eastern city of Bakhmut. Those saying final goodbyes included Andrii Zatsorenko, a friend who lay red carnations on the grave.

I never thought Id be giving him flowers, Zatsorenko said.

The war will not end soon, he added. We have a powerful enemy.

Samya Kullab reported from Kharhiv, Ukraine. Vasilisa Stepanenko in Kharhiv, Yuras Karmanau and Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, Joanna Kozlowska in London, Monika Scislowska in Warsaw, Poland, and Sophiko Megrelidze in Tbilisi, Georgia, contributed to this report.
NEWARK, N.J. (AP)  The man who admitted to helping carry out a murder-for-hire plot engineered by a former New Jersey political consultant was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison.

Bomani Africa appeared in federal district court for sentencing in the 2014 death of Michael Galdieri, the son of a former state senator, after pleading guilty just over a year ago.

According to prosecutors, Africa and George Bratsenis stabbed Galdieri and then set his Jersey City apartment on fire in exchange for cash at the request of political consultant Sean Caddle. Bratsenis and Caddle both pleaded guilty in the case that stunned New Jersey politics but have yet to be sentenced.

A number of questions about the case remain unanswered: Why did Caddle want Galdieri, his one-time friend, dead? Why was he given house arrest after pleading guilty last year? And were the guilty pleas connected to other investigations?

The revelations about Galdieris killing jolted political circles in New Jersey  a state infamous for dozens of political corruption convictions over the past three decades, as well as skullduggery like the 2013 Bridgegate scandal involving traffic jams purposely created near the busy George Washington Bridge for political retribution.

Caddle was well-known in northern New Jersey politics, with past clients including current Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez and former Democratic state Sen. Raymond Lesniak.

Africa, already imprisoned in Rhode Island, was sentenced last week to a decade in prison over a pair of Connecticut robberies.

Bratsenis was sentenced last year to eight years for his role in one of those robberies.

Bratsenis and Caddle are scheduled to be sentenced in the killing plot next month.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose for a photo prior to their talks in Beijing, China, Feb. 4, 2022 AP Photo

Exhortant les deux pays en conflit a engager un dialogue direct des que possible, dans le respect de la souverainete de tous les pays

La Chine a devoile, ce vendredi, une proposition de resolution "pacifique" de la crise entre la Russie et l'Ukraine, a l'occasion du premier anniversaire du debut de la guerre menee par la Russie contre l'Ukraine le 24 fevrier 2022.

Cest ce qui ressort dun communique du ministere chinois des Affaires etrangeres, soulignant la necessite de reprendre le "dialogue direct" entre la Russie et l'Ukraine des que possible.

Dans ce meme communique, le ministere chinois a publie une proposition en 12 points explicitant la vision de Pekin d'une "resolution pacifique" entre Moscou et Kiev, apres un an de conflit arme.

Les clauses ont souligne la necessite de respecter la souverainete de tous les pays, d'appliquer uniformement le droit international et d'abandonner les deux poids deux mesures.

La Chine a egalement souligne l'importance de "Renoncer a la mentalite de la guerre froide" tout en respectant et en repondant de maniere appropriee aux interets legitimes et aux preoccupations securitaires de tous les pays.

Les dispositions chinoises incluent egalement un appel explicite a l'arret des combats et des conflits, et Pekin a declare dans le meme communique que "Les conflits et guerres ne font de bien a personne", soulignant que "Les parties doivent toutes garder la raison et la retenue, s'abstenir de mettre de l'huile sur le feu et d'aggraver les tensions, et prevenir une nouvelle deterioration ou meme un derapage de la crise ukrainienne".

Les relations entre la Russie et la Chine ne cessent de se renforcer, ce qui alimente les inquietudes de l'OTAN concernant la possibilite dun soutien "militaire" a Moscou fourni par Pekin, dans la guerre actuelle en Ukraine.

Le secretaire general de l'OTAN, Jens Stoltenberg, a fait etat, dans la journee du mardi dernier, d"une inquietude grandissante" quant a l'intention de la Chine "d'armer et de soutenir la Russie dans la guerre" en Ukraine.

Stoltenberg a ajoute, lors d'une conference de presse tenue dans la capitale belge Bruxelles, que "C'est le president Poutine qui a commence cette guerre de conquete imperialiste et continue de l'intensifier, et nous sommes egalement de plus en plus preoccupes par la possibilite que la Chine envisage de fournir un soutien letal a la guerre de la Russie".

Le ministre chinois des Affaires etrangeres, Wang Yi, avait clairement indique, suite a sa rencontre avec le president russe, Vladimir Poutine, dans la capitale russe Moscou, que les relations entre la Russie et la Chine "ne sont pas dirigees contre des pays tiers, mais qu'elles ne sont pas non plus soumises a la pression de pays tiers".

AA / Pekin / Mennatallah Ahmed

...

China stresses Russia-Ukraine direct talks, offers to play role in ending war

Foreign Ministry issues 12-point paper on political settlement of crisis on 1st anniversary of Russia-Ukraine war

ANKARA (AA) - China has made an offer to help find a political solution to the Russia-Ukraine war, which entered its second year on Friday, emphasizing that negotiation is the only viable option for ending the current crisis.

The Foreign Ministry issued a 12-point paper on the political settlement of the crisis on the first anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war.

According to a detailed statement published by the state-run CGTN, Beijing stated that all countries' sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity must be effectively maintained.

"All countries, big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, are equal members of the international community. Equal and uniform application of international law should be promoted, while double standards must be rejected," said the ministry.

China urged all parties involved in the conflict to resume peace talks, stating that negotiation is the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis.

"All efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis must be encouraged and supported," it said, urging the international community to stay committed to the right approach of promoting talks for peace, helping parties to the conflict, opening the door to a political settlement as soon as possible, and creating conditions and platforms for the resumption of negotiation.

"China will continue to play a constructive role in this regard," the ministry pledged.

Beijing also proposed that all parties support Russia and Ukraine in holding direct talks as soon as possible in order to reach a comprehensive ceasefire.

- Oppose use of nuclear weapons

China opposed the threat or use of nuclear weapons, stating that nuclear weapons must not be used and nuclear wars must not be fought.

"The threat or use of nuclear weapons should be opposed. Nuclear proliferation must be prevented and the nuclear crisis avoided. China opposes the research, development and use of chemical and biological weapons by any country under any circumstances," it said, adding that Beijing also opposed attacks on nuclear power plants and other peaceful nuclear facilities.

China also pledged to support the protection of civilians and the exchange of prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine and urged all parties to create more favorable conditions for this purpose.

While not naming any countries, the statement criticized the cold war mentality and stated that a country's security should not be pursued at the expense of others.

"The security of a region should not be achieved by strengthening or expanding military blocs," it said, adding that "all parties should oppose the pursuit of one's own security at the cost of others' security, prevent bloc confrontation, and work together for peace and stability on the Eurasian Continent."

- Facilitating grain exports

Beijing urged all parties to implement the Black Sea Grain Initiative signed by Russia, Turkiye, Ukraine, and the UN fully and effectively in a balanced manner, and support the UN in playing an important role in this regard.

To resolve the humanitarian crisis, China urged for all measures conducive to easing the humanitarian crisis and said such measures must be encouraged and supported.

"Humanitarian operations should follow the principles of neutrality and impartiality, and humanitarian issues should not be politicized. The safety of civilians must be effectively protected, and humanitarian corridors should be set up for the evacuation of civilians from conflict zones," the ministry stated, emphasizing the importance of the UN playing a coordinating role in channeling humanitarian aid to conflict zones.

AA/Ankara
A Manchester middle school teacher saved a man in a wheelchair who was trapped inside his burning van on Thursday, fire officials said.

A man who uses a wheelchair due to limited mobility was driving his red van on Main Street in Manchester on Thursday when he smelled smoke and then saw flames erupt from his dashboard, Manchester Fire Rescue EMS said in a statement on Facebook Thursday.

The man, identified only as John, pulled over on a ramp to Interstate 384 as his vehicle became engulfed in flames, according to the Manchester Fire Rescue EMS.

A man who uses a wheelchair due to limited mobility was driving his van on Thursday when he smelled smoke and then saw flames erupt from his dashboard. Photos provided by Manchester Fire Rescue EMS.

Heather Sica Leonard, a teacher at Illing Middle School in Manchester, was driving down the ramp when she spotted the flaming car.

She immediately stopped, approached the burning vehicle and selflessly got John and his wheelchair out of the car and moved him to safety, all at great personal risk to injury, the Manchester Fire Rescue EMS said in the statement.

Fire officials said Leonards quick action likely saved the mans life.

Her actions averted an almost certain fatal outcome and prevented anyone from being injured, the department said.

Firefighters arrived to find flames pouring from the van. Fire officials said they extinguished the fire using water, foam and dry chemical agents.

The vehicles fuel tank ruptured, causing a fuel fire and fuel spill that entered storm drains. Officials said that the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection responded to assess the damage and coordinate cleanup.
Last year, Flor Callazos oldest child graduated from a Bridgeport high school.

But the time leading up to graduation left her angry and humiliated as she, a mother who doesnt speak English, tried to navigate the process of college applications and scholarships.

School counselors wouldnt meet with her, she said. She was kicked off a Zoom call with school officials after disclosing her immigration status, she said.

She soon moved to Trumbull, hoping the school system and its resources would be better for her 6-year-old daughter.

That was until she received documents she couldnt understand. After finding someone to translate the pages, she realized it concerned her daughters health. Without the translation, she wouldnt have known.

Callazos was among several dozen advocates who spoke or submitted written testimony to the Education Committee this week in favor of House Bill 6663, or the creation of a bill of rights for the parents of English language learners.

The bill of rights would require that parents of an ELL student have the right for information to be communicated in the language instruction program that their child is taught in, in addition to the presentation and clarification of 17 rights, including that children may receive a free public education regardless of immigration status and that parents are able to request a qualified translator for critical interactions.

Other parents had stories similar to the on Callezos shared.

Rosalina Rojano immigrated to the United States 27 years ago from Mexico. Her youngest child is a sixth-grade student in Hartford Public Schools. She said she wants to advocate for her son but feels shell never be able to because she doesnt speak English.

I have lost all confidence in the ability to call my childs school because I know that there will never be anyone to talk to, Rojano wrote in public testimony. I want to learn more about the half days HPS has; I want to inform the school when my child is sick and cant attend school, and I want to be able to call the school when something has happened in my childs life and it may impact his education. I will never be able to do any of these because the school has no one that speaks my language available to help.

And for Sayda Alverto, who lives in Bridgeport, she spent the last five years without knowing her son had been switched into regular instruction instead of classes for English language learners.

No one had told her about the switch, and she says she never received progress reports regarding her sons success or if hes doing well in his classes.

The hearing opened with comment by state Department of Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker, who voiced her support for the bill, saying the legislation could help Connecticuts growing ELL population of over 45,000 students.

A cornerstone of the work of the agency has always been to ensure educational access and opportunity, Russell-Tucker testified. To achieve this goal and meet the needs of English Learner/multilingual learners, it is imperative that we build the systemic supports in this proposed bill at the local level.

Rep. Devin Carney, R-Old Lyme, had concerns about the bill, including what it means to have a qualified translator and how to establish reliable resources to help non-English-speaking parents, especially if its a language other than Spanish.

One of my concerns is the amount of people we have to perform these services, Carney said. In one of my towns, theres a large Brazilian community, and their first language is Portuguese. Sometimes, from what Im told, it can be difficult to find the amount of people really necessary to help the number of children who speak Portuguese as their first language. And theres a whole array of languages students speak primarily.

Russell-Tucker countered that for some districts, language barriers arent a new situation and something theyve been working on combating for years.

This bill is making sure were solidifying that focused conversation, she said. Its about not making excuses for supporting our English language learners in our state.

Rep. Antonio Felipe, D-Bridgeport, who co-sponsored the bill, also had a similar sentiment as Carney and asked the Department of Education if it would be willing to work with lawmakers to ensure if a school district didnt have the right resources, that theyd be able to rely on neighboring towns.

Thats something wed certainly work with our districts on and continue to have those conversations because it is important, Russell-Tucker said.

Alongside HB-6663, lawmakers heard testimony regarding four other bills:

House Bill 6662  An act implementing the Governors budget recommendations concerning education;

House Bill 6686  An act implementing the recommendations of the office of early childhood;

Senate Bill 1028  An act implementing the recommendations of the Department of Education;

Senate Bill 1029  An act concerning the legislative commissioners recommendations for technical revisions to the education and early childhood statutes.

Jessika Harkay is a reporter for The Connecticut Mirror (https://ctmirror.org/ ). Copyright 2023 (c) The Connecticut Mirror.
MPGCL 2023: The Madhya Pradesh Power Generating Company Limited, MPCGL has begun the application process for AE, JE and other posts. Interested candidates can apply online through the official website at mppgcl.mp.gov.in. The deadline for the submission of the application form is March 16.

MPGCL Recruitment 2023 vacancy details: This recruitment drive is being conducted to fill 453 posts of which 444 are regular posts and 9 are contractual posts.MPGCL Recruitment 2023 application fee: The application fee is 1200 for the unreserved category. For SC/ST /OBC/EWS/PWD candidates of MP, the application fee is 600.

Application Fees

The application fees for general candidates is Rs 150. Whereas, for SC/BC/EWS male and female candidates of Haryana state are required to pay a fees of Rs18 respectively.

MPGCL Recruitment 2023: Know how to apply
CEMEX signs ETFuels agreement

24 February 2023

CEMEX has signed an agreement with green fuels producer ETFuels, to transform CO 2 from CEMEXs Alicante cement plant in Spain into green fuels. Under this agreement, ETFuels will combine up to 450,000tpa of captured CO 2 with green hydrogen to produce more sustainable fuels in the form of green methanol (e-methanol). CEMEX is evaluating several strategies and partners to perform CO 2 capture for this project.

Our goal of reaching net-zero CO 2 emissions is achievable and will be driven by collaboration and innovation, said Fernando A Gonzalez, CEO of CEMEX. Our decarbonisation roadmap includes reducing emissions to the lowest possible level through proven levers such as clinker substitution and alternative fuels. New levers, such as rapidly developing CCUS initiatives, must effectively tackle the remaining CO 2 emissions to hit our ambitious 2050 objectives.

The fuel produced through this agreement is intended to be used in the shipping industry, with the goal of further reducing overall carbon emissions in the global supply chain.

UK-based ETFuels aims to be Europe's largest and lowest-cost producer of green fuels through pioneering a new model, disrupting current decarbonisation approaches to provide Europe with a pathway to energy security.

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SCG reports 7% increase in revenue

ICR Newsroom By 24 February 2023

The Siam Cement Public Co Ltd (SCG) reported a 14 per cent drop in sales revenue to THB122,190m (US$3510.1m) in the 4Q22 when compare with the 4Q21. The companys EBITDA fell by 53 per cent YoY to THB10,122m while profit was down by 98 per cent YoY to THB157m.



The results were affected by lower chemicals product prices and volume driven by softer demand.



In the 2022 financial year, sales revenues increased seven per cent YoY to THB569,609m, supported by the companys Packaging and Cement-Building Material businesses. However, EBITDA declined by 33 per cent YoY to THB61,912m. Profit was down 55 per cent YoY to THB21,382m due to the chemicals business.



In the Cement-Building Materials business the 4Q22 sales revenue saw a seven per cent advance to THB49,265m thanks to the companys commercial strategy which resulted in higher domestic and regional sales. This led to a 4Q profit of THB1385m. For the full-year 2022, SCGs Cement-Building Materials business unit saw a 12 per cent increase in sales revenues to THB204,594m, but EBITDA was down seven per cent YoY to THB17,540m and profit contracted by 11 per cent YoY to THB3789m.

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Moms for Liberty, Hamilton County TN, a grassroots organization "dedicated to unifying, informing and empowering parents to defend parental rights at all levels of government," announced the election of Tonya Dodd as chapter chair, Robert Edwards as co-chair and Cindy Fain as treasurer.

Tonya Dodd succeeds Brandy Howard, Moms for Liberty Hamilton County TN founder, who served as chair since the inception of the local chapter in April 2021.

It has been a great honor to serve as chapter chair of Moms for Liberty, Hamilton County TN, said Ms. Howard. I am incredibly proud of the work we have done over the last two years and excited to see that work continue."

Ms. Dodd is a mom whose son graduated from public school, and she has experience as a public school teacher in the Hamilton County Schools system. Her first-hand knowledge and unique insight into what is happening inside the schools, along with a large network of friends inside the system, made her an ideal choice to lead, it was stated.

She said, Now more than ever before, I think it is important for the entire community to take an active role in preparing our countys children for the real world and guiding them safely through the maze of our public education system.

I agreed to accept this position because I have a passion for helping students succeed and desire to help parents speak up and advocate for their children. Parents have the right to guide their children as they see fit and the public school system should not assume this responsibility. To our teachers, I promise I will speak up for you.

Ms. Fain joined M4L in 2022 and will continue her role as treasurer. She is the mother of two daughters attending public schools. She has been a small business owner for four years in downtown Chattanooga.

She said, "Like many other parents, I woke up in 2020 and experienced first-hand that children were not learning the basics, but instead groomed with the lies of CRT, gender identity and emotional social learning. I almost pulled my youngest out of the school system, but that's when I met Brandy Howard with M4L and soon found many other parents dealing with the same issues and concerns for their children.

"My husband and I decided to keep our daughters in public schools and make others aware of the self-inflicted problems in the education system. Now, along with many other parents and guardians, we are standing up against the anti-family political and social indoctrination of our children."

Mr. Edwardss first job out of college was as an English teacher in Communist China. Later he studied and taught English in Taiwan/Republic of China. In 1986, he served for the first three sessions of the Tennessee Governors School for International Studies as a Mandarin Chinese instructor. Following a career in international business, he began a Mandarin program for middle and high school students at Sewanee-St Andrews School. Later he taught Chinese at McCallie School and served as an English as Second Language instructor at Tyner Academy and The Howard School.

Im honored to be asked to serve as co-chairman of M4L Hamilton County chapter, he said. Im convinced the present structure of Tennessee public schools needs to be flipped. Public schools now serve in order the interests of 1.) administrators, 2.) teachers, 3.) students and 4.) Parents. That paradigm should be turned around, with parents given greater control over their childs education.

"The state of Tennessee should offer all parents a voucher equivalent to the per-capita public expense of educating a child to apply to private or home school choice of the parent. When parents are given a private school option, the public schools will overnight decide to discard the CRT and DEI nonsense so destructive to our character of our children in order to compete for state dollars."

Ms. Howard said, Events and actions surrounding COVID made parents aware that parental rights were under attack. As an organization, we researched hundreds of hours to understand the issues and threats to parental authority in Chattanooga, Hamilton County Schools, across the state and our country. Weve learned third party activist organizations are at work in our state, influencing our local schools. We believe parents are the best decision makers for their children, not the government or other organizations.

Historically, parents have not had an organization to represent them. Moms for Liberty raised awareness of these threats to parental rights. We encouraged and educated parents about action steps they can and should take to exercise parental rights. We met with local and state leaders to make sure parents voices are heard. I am confident that we have built a strong foundation, and this is just the beginning.
To prevent a new U.S. Department of Labor rule from inflicting substantial financial damage on the American people, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, in partnership with 24 other state attorneys general, took the next step in his previously announced lawsuit against President Bidens administration by filing a motion for preliminary injunction.

The DOL rule "sacrifices millions of Americans retirement plans on the altar of Environmental, Social, and Governance investing by placing the radical lefts climate and social agenda above sound financial investment principles."

Under the rule, certain fund managers would be allowed to make investment decisions based on nonfinancial or nonpecuniary factors, such as ESG considerations, even when those decisions are not in the best interests of their clients long-term financial stability.

Federal lawspecifically, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 has long protected hardworking Americans retirement accounts by ensuring that the number one priority of fund administrators is the financial prosperity of those who have entrusted them with their life savings. This new rule directly undermines ERISA and the reasoning behind why Congress enacted it.
Southern Adventist University invites the community to two performances on campus by guest cellist Stephen Framil.



The first performance will be held on Saturday, March 4 at 7:30 p.m. in Ackerman Auditorium.



The second performance will be held on Sunday, March 5 at 7:30 p.m., where Mr. Framil will perform with Southerns Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Laurie Redmer Cadwallader, in Collegedale Church of Seventh-day Adventists.



Distinguished as the first American cellist to perform in Hanoi since the Vietnam War, Mr. Framil has performed around the world as a concert soloist, chamber musician and conductor. He serves as an educator at multiple schools and universities, including Southerns sister school in Michigan, Andrews University.



Both free events are open to the public, and the March 5 concert will be livestreamed.

For more information, visit southern.edu/musicevents or call 423-236-2880.
Police spoke with a man on Lee Highway who said his ex-girlfriend had texted him saying that she was coming over. The man told her she didnt need to come and they were not dating anymore. The woman showed up and walked through the unlocked front door where the man confronted her and escorted her out. The woman then stuck her head through his bedroom window, seeing the man and his current girlfriend and said, "This is all I wanted to see." The woman left before police arrived. The man said his ex-girlfriend was intoxicated at the time she came into the house. He said he is already going to court, so he would just like this documented.

* * *

A woman on Boriss Drive told police an unknown man and woman were at her home in a black truck. She said a different unknown woman in a silver car pulled into her driveway and was in a verbal disorder with the couple in the truck about the man cheating on the woman. Police searched the area but couldnt find either vehicle.

* * *

A man on Brook Manor Drive requested police stand by while he entered a house. He had a locksmith pick the lock after his sister had the locks changed. The man presented documentation showing him as the owner of the home.

* * *

Police were called to Element Chattanooga East at 2312 Center St. where a man wouldnt leave the hotel. Upon arrival, the manager told police he was behind a wall. An officer spoke with the man, who was on a computer and drinking coffee. The officer told the man the manager wanted him to leave and he left without incident.

* * *

A woman on Wilson Street called police and said she got into a verbal argument with her father because she didnt want to eat. Police arrived and instructed both to stay away from each other to cool off. Both agreed to stay away.



* * *

A woman at Walmart at 490 Greenway View Dr. was caught on camera concealing merchandise in a bag without purchasing the items. She passed all points of sale without paying. She was not charged with the theft but was trespassed from all Walmart property. She signed a ban form.

* * *

While sitting at the 4000 block of Cromwell Road, an officer saw a grey KIA Optima fail to stop at the stop sign exiting Cromwell Hills. The officer attempted a traffic stop on the 3900 block of Cromwell Road but the vehicle fled at a high rate of speed. It was last seen headed west on the 4300 block of Shallowford Road towards the Wilcox Tunnel. Police did not pursue.

* * *

Police were called to Maude Street on a report of a disorder. Police arrived and didnt find a disorder. They spoke with several neighbors who said they hadnt heard anything.

* * *

A man on Gunbarrel Road told police the check he had written to his electrical company was somehow altered and had been written out to a different name - "Stephen Wright." The man said his bank, Truist Bank, said the check was deposited via Regions Bank mobile deposit. A photo copy of the check/deposit had multiple inconsistencies. The man will follow up with his bank to see if they can find out any more information regarding this incident or who the possible suspect is. USPS retrieves the mans mail from inside of his business, not a mailbox. The man believes someone possibly used "White-Out" to alter the check.

* * *

Police responded to a disorder with a weapon at ABC Liquor on 3998 Brainerd Road. The complainant said a black male wearing a blue jacket, blue jeans, and a white hat came into the store. An employee noticed him stealing a liquor bottle. The employee said he confronted the suspect at the front corner, and, when he attempted to leave, the employee locked the door and called the police. After the suspect couldn't get out of the front door, he dropped two of the liquor bottles. The employee said while the suspect was in the liquor store, he pulled out a knife and threatened the employee to open the door. The employee told police he felt like his life was endangered. He said the man went to one of the side doors, which was locked at the time and kicked it open, breaking the locking mechanism. The employee said he got into a blue car with an unknown tag and left. Police observed in the video a black male suspect matching the same description the employee described, grabbing a bottle, attempting to put it in his pants, and trying to leave the property. Police also observed the suspect walking around the store with a knife in his right hand, kicking open the door, and leaving the scene. The employee said he wanted to press charges if the suspect was identified. Police took photos of the suspect and will put them on CPD sworn email to attempt to identify the suspect.
A multi-agency investigation by special agents with the Drug Investigation Division of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Knoxville Police Department, Knox County Sheriffs Office, and the 5th Judicial District Drug Task Force has resulted in the arrest of five people and the seizure of more than two pounds of deadly fentanyl in connection to a Detroit, Michigan drug trafficking ring.

As part of an ongoing investigation, TBI special agents, working alongside the Knoxville Police Department Organized Crime Unit, the Knox County Sheriffs Office Narcotics Unit, and the 5th Judicial District Drug Task Force, obtained a search warrant for a residence along Willoughby Road in Knoxville.

On Thursday afternoon, with assistance from the Knoxville Police Department Special Operations Squad and agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, investigators executed the search warrant, seizing over two pounds of fentanyl. Several ounces of methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana, cash, and a firearm were also seized. The following individuals, all from Detroit, Michigan, were arrested as part of the investigation and are facing felony charges. All are being held in the Knox County Jail.

These arrests are part of an initiative that began in December. The 313 Initiative is a concerted and organized effort by numerous state and local law enforcement agencies to identify, target, and dismantle individuals and groups from the Detroit area who are bringing deadly drug combinations into Knox County and surrounding areas. Click the link below to read more about the 313 Initiative.

https://dag.knoxcountytn.gov/ news/district-attorneys- announce-313-initiative/

Those arrested were:

Ricardo Diandre Briggs (DOB: 1/10/85)

Sylvester Neal III (DOB: 4/14/78)

Paul Sanchez Biggs (DOB: 12/31/87)

Eric Nathaniel Bradford (DOB: 1/6/69)
4/15/2023

Police were informed of a man claiming stolen valor who had been panhandling near the Aubrey's at Northgate Mall. Police observed the man panhandling at the entrance of Northgate Mall near Highway ... more
Hallie Williams Haley has joined Susan Reynolds as a partner in Bud Home, which is co-located with Bud Floral + Home at 2206 Dayton Boulevard.

Together, they have expanded their tabletop options to provide the areas premier bridal registry, featuring popular china brands Anna Weatherley, Juliska, Montes Doggett, and Vietri. They are also introducing on trend home and glassware lines including Estelle Colored Glass and Saban Handblown Glassware, it was stated.

Officials said, "Bud Home intertwines the unique elegance of on-trend styles with simplistic living. The result is a lifestyle destination for home decor, gifts and fine art."

Prior to joining Bud Home, Ms. Haley lived in Washington, D.C. where she worked for former Senator Bob Corker for a decade. Following her time in the Senate, she worked for Dori Thornton Waller with The Social Office before moving back to D.C. to serve as a confidential assistant to the head of a government agency. She and her husband, John, moved home to Lookout Mountain in 2021 where they live with their dog, Rosie.

Ms. Reynolds said, Im thrilled to have Hallie joining me at Bud Home. As someone who has established herself with connections from Chattanooga to Washington, DC, Hallie is well prepared to meet very diverse tastes and styles of our clients and thats exactly what Bud Home is all about.

Bud Home is open Monday through Friday from 10-6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10-2 p.m.
Sue Hunter Harper gracefully passed at her home on February 23, 2023.

Sue was born on Feb. 18, 1932, in Chattanooga, but spent most of her adolescent years in Dallas, Tx. In 1948, Sues parents brought her back to the Chattanooga area, and she attended Red Bank High School where she met her future husband Harris Harper. Sue and Harris both graduated from Red Bank High School in 1949. They were married on February 2, 1951.

In 1967, Sue became the first employee of a new Chattanooga-based textile company called Fibron. Sue rose through the ranks at Fibron to become its Human Resources manager, a position that she held with Fibrons successor organizations American Enka and Synthetic Industries.

Sue was a trailblazer in the field of human resources, especially advocating for the rights of individuals with disabilities. In 1985 (five years before the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act), Sue was quoted as saying, I feel that the biggest barrier [faced by individuals with disabilities] is not an architectural one, but the attitudes about handicapped people that take a long time to turn around. During that year she served as a member of President Reagans Committee on Hiring the Handicapped. Sue also served on a number of other state and local organizations that supported the employment rights of individuals with disabilities.

The Tennessee Industrial Personnel Conference honored Sue with the prestigious James House Williamson Award for outstanding contributions in the field of industrial personnel management. Sue was an active member and the first woman President of the Chattanooga Industrial Personnel Club.

In addition to her work in the area of human resources, Sue Harper was also very active in many civic and educational endeavors. She served on the Board of Associates at Chattanooga State, the Board of Directors for Goodwill of Chattanooga, the Greater Chattanooga Area United Way, and she served as President of the Soddy-Daisy Chamber of Commerce.

Sue was a consummate Southern lady, always exhibiting grace and kindness. She attended Soddy Methodist Church.

Sue was preceded in death by her husband Harris Harper and her parents William and Hazel (Van Hooser) Hunter. She is survived by her daughter Trudy Harper and husband Roger Knipp, daughter Lori Harper Goforth and husband Bruce Goforth, her beloved granddaughter Paige Goforth, and countless friends and neighbors.

The family will receive visitors at the Chattanooga Funeral Home  North Chapel on Sunday, Feb. 26, from 3-6 p.m., and on Monday, Feb. 27, from 12-2 p.m. Services will be held at the funeral home at 2 p.m. on Monday. The family requests that visitors wear a splash of red to honor Sues love for that color.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Sue Hunter Harper Class of 1949 Red Bank High School Scholarship. Donations to this scholarship fund can be made by mailing checks to the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga, 1400 Williams Street, Chattanooga, Tn. 37408 with Memo: Sue Harper Red Bank HS Scholarship Fund, or donations can be made on-line through the Community Foundations website www.cfgc.org (please select the Sue Harper Scholarship Fund from the available fund options).
The Office: Steve Carell Has a Side Business That Will Never Make a Penny and Hes OK With That

On The Office, Steve Carell played the worst manager imaginable as Michael Scott. In real life, hes a business owner. Carell and his wife, Nancy, reopened the Marshfield Hills General Store in Massachusetts in 2009 but they did not start a second business to make money, though. As long as Marshfield Hills remains open, Carell considers it a success, and so far so good.

Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

Carell was on a Television Critics Association panel for The Office in 2011 on the set of the show. He discussed Marshfield Hills and why it will never make a profit for him, but hell still be happy. The Office is now streaming on Peacock.

Marshfield Hills General Store customers recognized Steve Carell from The Office

Carell returned to work on The Office by August, but hed spent the summer refurbishing Marshfield Hills General Store. He shared stories about fans recognizing him at his other job.

They freak out, Carell said. I was there this summer, and were redoing the outside. Its 150 years old. Were just trying to do enough to keep it standing.

They didnt restore Marshfield Hills to make money

Carell explained why Marshfield Hills General Store was a worthwhile project for him, even if it is not a profitable one. At least he knows where the company stands, unlike Michael Scott.

It will never make a penny, Carell said. The reason my wife and I bought it was to preserve it, because I grew up with a general store like that that had since closed. And places like that dont really exist. Its on the south shore of Massachusetts and my family and my wifes family are from that area. I just wanted to preserve it and, you know, have it as a gathering place for families. You know, its the local barber shop. Its a community spot, which I think is important. And theyre few and far between these days.

Steve Carell may break even on The Office memorabilia

Carell joked about turning Marshfield Hills into a supplement for The Office. The store does sell Dunder Mifflin tumblers along with Marshfield Hills mugs and shirts. The store also sells james, jellies and preserves along with gifts.

Raise your hand if you'd let Michael give a speech at your wedding.



Season 6 Superfan Episodes are streaming now on @peacock. pic.twitter.com/cV8vTldxI6  The Office on Peacock (@theofficetv) February 21, 2023

Well, theres a little tiny corner of it that has Office paraphernalia, Carell said. And John [Krasisnki] is stocking shelves.

In all seriousness, Carell was not entertaining any business proposals.

Theres just so much penny candy you can sell, Carell said. So that wasnt the point. Its really not about turning an enormous profit, but about kind of keeping the thing alive. And the neighbors are so appreciative that it didnt turn into a Starbucks or a real estate office or something. So, you know, I feel like it was a decent thing to do.

The Office ended in 2013 but Marshfield Hills is still open, so mission accomplished, Steve.
China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) held launching ceremonies of its first hydrogen demonstration project in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the Inner Mongolia Erdos Wind-Solar Green Hydrogen Project, on February 16 in Beijing, Hohhot and Erdos.

The Project will utilize the rich solar and wind energy resources in the Erdos region to produce green hydrogen directly, projecting to reach an annual production capacity of 30,000 tons of green hydrogen and 240,000 tons of green oxygen, which will be used for the carbon reduction initiatives of the adjacent ZTHC Energy intensive coal processing pilot project in Erdos.

A milestone in Sinopec's hydrogen development roadmap following its green hydrogen pilot project in Kuqa Xinjiang in 2021, the Project, the world's largest in the green hydrogen coal-chemical field, will further expand China's and global green hydrogen production capacity, promote the development of the green hydrogen industry chain and advance China's green energy goals.

The Project's scope covers wind and photovoltaic power generation, power transmission and transformation, hydrogen production by water electrolysis, hydrogen storage and transport. The installed power-generating capacity of wind and PV power will reach 450 megawatts and 270 megawatts respectively; the hydrogen production by water electrolysis will achieve a capacity of 30,000 tons annually, and the hydrogen storage capacity will reach 288,000 standard cubic meters.

With a 5.7-billion-yuan (USD 828.04 million) investment, the project is estimated to reduce carbon emission by 1.43 million tons annually, contributing 600 million yuan (USD 87.17 million) in GDP and 30 million yuan (USD 4.36 million) of tax.

"The Project is of great significance to guaranteeing China's energy security, building new energy systems and advancing green energy and low-carbon development in Inner Mongolia, leading towards a new, high-quality development roadmap that prioritizes ecological conservation and green development," said Ma Yongsheng, Chairman of Sinopec.

The Project has achieved numerous technological breakthroughs including hydrogen production under renewable fluctuating power conditions. Leveraging advanced clean energy production technologies (wind, power, and hydrogen production by water electrolysis), Sinopec has lowered hydrogen production costs and improved system efficiency while guaranteeing safety and reliability.

Looking ahead, Sinopec, as China's largest hydrogen production enterprise, will continue advancing hydrogen energy industry chain development in China with the R&D of innovative technologies, a forward-looking roadmap and comprehensive industry layout.
A new website, cherokeenationjobs.org, allows job seekers to apply for careers within the tribe.
The reactions to the spiritual awakening that began at Asbury are almost as fascinating as the event itself. By and large, the response has been one of awe and hopeas countless pastors and lay Christians, including myself, have flocked to Wilmore to get a sense of whats in the air.

But there have also been numerous critical reactions from many corners of Christian culture that range across the ideological spectrum.

Revival is more than singing and crying, Ive seen some say. Ill believe its revival when they denounce their toxic and abusive theology, others have said. Frankly, you can name almost any topic and find someone tweeting or blogging about how the Asbury revival is or isnt adequately addressing it.

Some say the gathering was too evangelical, not evangelical enough, too socially conscious, not socially conscious enough, too LGBT-affirming, not LGBT-affirming enough, and so forth.

Others have judged these events entirely through the lens of our political polarizationlumping Asbury students in with their complaints against white evangelicals at large and accusing them of being guilty by association. And although several charismatic figures aligned with Trump have endorsed the event, the student leaders, some of whom arent even white, have expressed no ties to them.

Such reactions have revealed the fault lines in evangelicalism today that, superficially, represent the anxieties and culture wars of the moment. At their roots, however, many of these criticisms point back to a more fundamental theological anxiety. In asking what should or shouldnt be celebrated as a revival, we quickly find ourselves asking what is and isnt the gospel.

As John Frame and Vern Poythress argued (and Tim Keller further developed), the gospel might refer to any one of three interrelated paradigms: the gospel as cross, focused on the atoning work of God through Jesus; the gospel as kingdom, focused on the new-making of all things; or the gospel as grace, focused on sinners adoption by God the Father.

Emphasizing one aspect of these over the othersas different streams within evangelicalism and the church more broadly have tended to dohas a powerful effect on the shape of ministry and the kind of language used to describe the gospel.

For instance, accentuating the gospel as cross can result in a greater awareness of sin and holiness (think John Stott). Highlighting the gospel as kingdom can lead to a stronger sense of duty around social and cultural transformation (think N. T. Wright). Underscoring gospel as grace can create a community of radical acceptance (think Brennan Manning).

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Overemphasizing any one of these gospel perspectives over the others has liabilities as well. Leaning too heavily on the gospel as cross can make the gospel transactional: I believe the right things, and God forgives me. With this, you can lose sight of the gospel as gift, and doctrinal orthodoxy becomes determinative of whos in and whos out.

An overreliance on the gospel as kingdom can turn into its own kind of legalism, where anyone not devoted to a specific social cause is denying the faith. And if the gospel as grace is framed in a way that overshadows the other two approaches, we can lose sight of orthodoxy or find ourselves endorsing an antinomian spirit of lets go on sinning so that grace may increase (Rom. 6:1).

These lenses can be helpful in thinking about the various reactions to the Asbury awakening.

Those with a gospel-as-cross mentality might feel anxious about whether sin and holiness are being sufficiently confronted or whether doctrinal orthodoxy is sufficiently policed. Those with a gospel-as-kingdom mindset might worry about how the Asbury revival reflects or impacts other relevant social issues plaguing the evangelical community today like racism, political authoritarianism, the crisis of leadership, and abuse in the church.

It seems to me that the gospel-as-grace folks are somewhat content with the recent events, and perhaps this adds one more reason for the other two groups to be critical.

Now, there are good-faith and bad-faith versions of all these critiques. It is always worth asking whether a revival is centered on Jesus and presents him as our only hope in life and death. And in the time I spent at the gathering myself, I found this was unabashedly clear.

Perhaps the most intriguing critique to me comes from disillusioned evangelicalsa community dear to my own heart as, in many ways, I count myself among them.

Im a child of the 80s and 90s. I went to See You at the Pole prayer events, filled out a True Love Waits commitment-to-purity card, and participated in more high-intensity extended worship gatherings than I can count. Ive even had a couple of encounters with third-wave charismatic events, witnessing everything from promises of healing to holy barking.

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For better and worse, Ive been to all the emotion-driven mountaintop experiences the evangelical world has had to offer.

These kinds of hyped events understandably have a bad rap these days, especially for those who are still reeling from the shock of abuse scandals and political power grabs. Thus, a certain amount of suspicion about such events is justifiable.

But skepticism is also unavoidable in our day, since we live in what philosopher Charles Taylor calls cross-pressurethe intersection of multiple accounts of belief and unbelief. While the struggle between faith and doubt is nothing new, the age we live in has amplified it by making doubts about the supernatural a default setting, meaning that our imaginations and instincts are inclined to doubt in ways that are uniquely modern.

For Christians whose faith is disrupted by pain or grief, that disenchanted narrative has an intensity that doesnt just call our own experience into question; it calls into question the possibility of spiritual experience altogether. Theres a fine line between rightful discernment and undue cynicismand for those of us clinging to faith on the other side of grief and loss, that distinction is critical.

Cross-pressure can also cause us to reinforce our views and protect ourselves against healthy challenges to our theological blind spots. By defining faith as right doctrine, right practice, or right politics, we reduce it to something manageable. We also erect borders that can clearly determine whos in and whos out.

But grace is an untamed thing, consistent only in its tendency to defy reason and laugh at our expectations. Theres a lavishness to it, whether its in Gods tendency to save the greatest of sinners or in the indiscriminate way Jesus dispensed miracles and mercy in his ministry.

Recognizing this fact doesnt mean we should dismiss concerns about the doctrines inside the chapel and social action outside the chapel. The history of revival should remind us that both matter in the long-term success of any movement.

But it does mean we should have humility when grace shows up in ways we did not expect, as well as patience for the work of God that might follow it.

Its also worth asking whetherlike so much else in lifemountaintops in general ought to be viewed with suspicion. Or, to put it differently, what role do high-water events like those of the students gathered in Hughes Chapel have to play in the Christian life?

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Some mountaintops are manufactured, and in time they crumble and disappoint. But not all of them are. The fact is that God seems to like these pinnacle experiences. He showed his glory in a sky full of stars to Abraham and in fire and smoke atop Mount Sinai. Jacob wrestled with the presence of God and was never the same again. Peter, James, and John saw Jesus in all of his glory at the Transfiguration. Paul was taken up into the third heaven (whatever that means).

Wisdom also pays attention to church history, where figures like Teresa of Avila had profound experiences of intimacy with God, or where John and Charles Wesley had religious awakenings in midlife while already serving and working in ministry.

There are times when God shows up in our lives in uniquely rich, powerful, and humbling ways. They are unpredictable and often fleeting, but they seem to be part of the way he works in the lives of believers. We ought to welcome them for ourselves and others, and we ought to resist responding to them with a wary pessimism.

Perhaps the most important thing we ought to offer those whove gathered inside Hughes Chapel is our attention.

When I was there, I saw that the leaders had made a deliberate decision to amplify only the voices of the students and leaders on the campus. Both well-meaning Christian celebrities and grifting hucksters were turned away. There were no lights, smoke, or lasers. There was lots of prayer, Scripture, and testimony. Contrary to the complaints of some on social media, many spoke of Gods holiness, our sinfulness, and Christs saving work on the cross.

There was no talk of culture war, no indulging of identitarian hostilities. Instead, the students were crying out to God for relief from depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and addictions. They prayed for their lost friends and family members. They confessed their own sins and asked for holiness. The word humility came up again and again.

And this is where my own heart broke.

So much of life in the modern church is designed to compete with the noise and energy of the world around it: celebrity, production, hype, conspicuous consumption of Christian goods. At Asbury, I witnessed a community of young people who found what they were looking for in an entirely different place. They heard stories of a revival at Asbury in the decades before them, got on their knees, and asked God, Do it again. Do it with our generation. Do it here.

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It reminded me of the best of my own mountaintop experiences, which didnt take place at big concerts or well-planned retreats. Instead, they happened in ordinary or quiet places: an Ash Wednesday service, a living room, or a monastery basement. Like the folks I met at Asbury, I dont have words to describe those experiences beyond saying that they changed me and left me with a deeper sense of Gods grace, presence, and kindness.

The administration at Asbury has chosen to return the campus to its regular rhythms. Theyve encouraged other churches and ministries to bring that spirit of awakening home with them, reviving their own communities with a renewed commitment to prayer and worship. The students will return to class, the giant screens on the lawn will be taken down, and the buses and RVs will leave.

My hope is that it will remain a milestone for those who gathered there and met Jesus through songs, prayers, and tears. I hope well continue to see the fruit of revivala renewed commitment to sharing the gospel, to loving our neighbors, to seeking justice for the poor and oppressed.

Maybe what some sneer at as the foolishness of youth is simply their earnestness. Maybe the inner voice that mocks their naivete is the voice of the devil. Maybe we dont know the stories of the young people in that room and what they have suffered.

And maybe we dont know just how much our own mountaintop experiences have sustained our faith over the yearseven on the other side of loss and grief.

As discouraging as the last decade has been, as wary as we may be from the churchs crises of leadership and abuse, Asbury ought to remind us that we cant predict what God might do at any given timeand that revival is never foreclosed as a possibility for the church. I hope and pray that we all might have the spark of hope to remember our own past encounters with Gods grace and pray, Lord, do it again. Do it here. Do it with me.

Mike Cosper is the director of CT Media. He is the host of The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill and cohost of The Bulletin podcasts.

[ This article is also available in Indonesian. ]
War, abuse, and trauma are complex subjects to wrap our heads around. Rarely do we find easy answers, identify quick fixes, or come to simple, satisfying conclusions. Nonetheless, the Christian gospel calls believers to engage with these difficult issues for the sake of those who bear Gods image.

This week on The Bulletin, host Mike Cosper invites three special gueststheologian Miroslav Volf, reporter Kate Shellnutt, and author and pastor Ed Stetzerto wrestle with these topics and draw forth salient truth. In this episode, Volf reflects on his own childhood at the edge of Soviet influence as he engages with Jesus command to love your enemies, a truth writ painfully large over the current Russian/Ukrainian conflicts. Shellnutt discusses other complexities, this time on the homefront, as she talks about her recent investigative reporting on church abuse cover-ups. And Stetzer rounds up the thoughtful conversation with hope and helpful insights about Christians colleges and seminaries.

Joining us this week:

Miroslav Volf is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School and is the founder and director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture. He was educated in his native Croatia, the United States, and Germany, earning doctoral and post-doctoral degrees (with highest honors) from the University of Tubingen, Germany. He has written or edited more than 20 books, over 100 scholarly articles, and his work has been featured in the Washington Post, Christianity Today, Christian Century, Sojourners, and several other outlets, including NPRs Speaking of Faith (now On Being with Krista Tippett) and public televisions Religion and Ethics NewsWeekly.

Kate Shellnutt is editorial director of news and online for Christianity Today, where she leads the magazines news team and reports and edits for online. In her role, Kate has written several stories around the churchs response to sexual abuse and spiritual abuse, including involving leaders with Acts 29, the Southern Baptist Convention, and Kanakuk Kamps.

Ed Stetzer, PhD, served formerly as executive director of the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center and this year enters a new season as dean of Talbot School of Theology at Biola University. He has planted, revitalized, and pastored churches; trained pastors and church planters on six continents; earned two masters degrees and two doctorates; and he has written hundreds of articles and a dozen books. He is the founding editor of The Gospel Project, a curriculum used by more than 1.7 million individuals each week for Bible study. Stetzers national radio show, Ed Stetzer Live, airs Saturdays on Moody Radio and affiliates.

Resources Referenced:

The Home of God: A Brief Story of Everythingby Miroslav Volf

Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Mostby Miroslav Volf, Matthew Croasmun, and Ryan McAnnally-Linz

For the Life of the Worldpodcast

Grace Community Church Rejected Elders Calls to Do Justice in Abuse Case by Kate Shellnutt

John MacArthur Shamed, Excommunicated Mother for Refusing to Take Back Child Abuser by Julie Roys

TIU Announces Plans to Move Undergrad Program Online by Hannah McClellan

Waking up in 2030 by Ross Douthat

Facts are our Friends by Ed Stetzer

The Bulletin is a production of Christianity Today

Executive Producer: Erik Petrik

Host: Mike Cosper

Producer: Matt Stevens

Associate Producer: Azurae Phelps

Editing and Mix: TJ Hester

Music: Dan Phelps

Graphic Design: Bryan Todd

Social Media: Kate Lucky
Detransitioners sue medical providers over body-mutilating sex-change surgeries

Two detransitioners have taken legal action against the healthcare providers that they claim pushed them to pursue surgical gender transitions instead of offering mental health treatment.

Michelle Zacchigna, an Ontario woman who previously identified as a man before detransitioning, has filed a statement of claim to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. She accuses eight doctors and mental health professionals of failing to properly address her mental health needs and instead providing her with hormonal intervention, a bilateral mastectomy and a hysterectomy.

Meanwhile, Chloe Cole, a California woman who took cross-sex hormones and underwent a double mastectomy, formally filed a lawsuit against a medical group she accuses of performing a "mutilating, mimicry sex change experiment" on her when she was 13.

Cole is being represented by The Center for American Liberty, a public-interest nonprofit organization that filed the lawsuit in the Superior Court of California on Wednesday against Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, the Permanente Medical Group and affiliated health professionals.

Zacchigna claims that the medical professionals enabled her to identify as the opposite sex and undergo various surgical procedures to make her body more masculine.

In a Tuesday tweet, Zacchigna wrote that she's "ready to show" a card that she's been holding "close to [her] chest," linking to a Monday article published by The Post Millenial detailing her lawsuit.

"In November 2022, I commenced legal action against the Canadian health care providers that facilitated my medical transition in Ontario," the detransitioner wrote.

In a 2021 blog post written for Gender Dysphoria Alliance, a nonpartisan organization concerned with the direction of "gender medicine," Zacchigna recalled that as a child, she struggled with anxiety and depression.

After discovering the concept of "gender identity" online, she decided that her issues were related to gender, an idea that she claimed healthcare providers never challenged.

In 2010, Zacchigna met a doctor through a Toronto-based support group called "Gender Journey," who she said referred her for hormone therapy after a single one-hour appointment.

In her blog post, the young woman remembered that she received assurances on websites like Tumblr to transition. In addition to taking testosterone, Zacchigna underwent a double mastectomy at the beginning of 2012.

"My mental health improved for a short while after I started transitioning, but then it plummeted," she wrote. "I remained socially anxious. It continued to be difficult for me to make friends."

She said she still felt depressed but couldn't cry due to the hormones. She also recalled that the hormones caused her to gain around 70 to 80 pounds.

"I lost my salaried job shortly after my first surgery in 2012 for 'inconsistent' work output," Zacchigna continued. "I had difficulty keeping up with eating and cleaning, and I couldn't stick to a specific sleep schedule."

Around this time, she stopped taking her scheduled testosterone shots, adding that she no longer cared about her appearance. Then, in 2018, she had a partial hysterectomy, admitting she couldn't remember why she thought it was a good idea. But she recalled how she knew at the time that the surgery was covered by insurance and liked the idea of not having periods anymore or being forced to have pap smears.

In 2017, Zacchigna was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, ADHD and various other mental health conditions after going for a fulsome psychoeducational assessment.

"Gender dysphoria wasn't really addressed in my assessment," she stated. "As such, I continued to identify as transgender  though as non-binary at that time. In my mind, since I had already made permanent changes to my body and figured I was always going to be seen as 'weird,' I thought I might as well just keep going."

"It's not so easy to admit to yourself that you have spent a decade of your life on a mistake," Zacchigna continued. "It's even harder to admit it to everyone else."

In 2020, Zacchigna had a "breakthrough" because the COVID-19 pandemic allowed her time for reflection. Zacchigna once again began identifying as a woman and asked her loved ones to resume calling her by her birth name.

"I've had almost a decade to come to terms with my chest, but acknowledging that I cannot bear my own children has been devastating," she wrote. "Some days, the pain of what I've done to myself is overwhelming. I cry and I can't stop."

"Other days, I'm angry that I wasn't screened for the diagnoses I later received before I was prescribed hormones."

She stressed the "one-size-fits-all approach to medical transition" exposes vulnerable people like herself to "medical trauma." Zacchigna said that the trans community that supported her for 10 years has made it clear that "they don't care about collateral damage."

As for Cole, she also began identifying as a boy after viewing content online that encouraged the idea. After telling her parents that she wanted to be a boy, they took her for medical help. Doctors "immediately affirmed Chloe in her self-diagnosed gender dysphoria," her lawsuit states.

The doctors told Cole's parents that she was at risk for suicide unless she transitioned, asking, "would you rather have a dead daughter or a live son?"

At the time, Cole was struggling with a variety of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, body dysmorphia. She also had several learning disabilities, according to the lawsuit.

In addition to fears about being sexually assaulted, the teenager was also confused about her gender, and the lawsuit asserts that she "needed love, care, attention, and regular weekly psychotherapy, not cross-sex hormones and mutilating surgery."

The lawsuit also claims that Cole's mental health declined due to the "gender dysphoria treatment," and she began to have suicidal thoughts after having a double mastectomy. The filing accuses doctors of "experimenting" on the teenager for financial gain, emphasizing that Cole now suffers from "deep physical and emotional wounds, severe regrets, and distrust of the medical system."

In a statement responding to the lawsuit provided to NBC Bay Area, Kaiser stated that its hormonal and surgical gender interventions meet medical standards. The organization contends that all decisions rest with the patients and their parents.

Other detransitioners have expressed regret about their decisions to transition and claimed that they were not properly warned about the side effects beforehand.

As The Christian Post reported, Helena Kerschner started identifying as a boy at the age of 15 during a time in her life when she was struggling with depression and an eating disorder. At the age of 18, and after an hour-long appointment at Planned Parenthood, Kerschner received a high dosage of testosterone.

According to a February 2022 post on Kerschner's Substack, at 19, she stopped taking hormones and "began the process of getting [her] life back on track."

In 2021, CBS' "60 Minutes" aired a segment featuring several young people who underwent gender transition procedures. Many said they were rushed into a decision, affirmed their transgender identities too hastily and "didn't get enough pushback."

"I went for two appointments and after the second one, I had my letter to go get on cross-sex hormones," said a young man named Garrett from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Some states have taken steps to prohibit medical professionals from conducting sex-change surgeries or hormone interventions on minors struggling with gender dysphoria.

Earlier this month, Missouri's attorney general announced an investigation into a gender clinic in St. Louis accused by a former clinic worker of "permanently harming the vulnerable patients in our care."
'Jesus Revolution' star Jonathan Roumie on surrendering ego in ministry: Satan 'targets' those who proclaim God

LOS ANGELES  Jesus Revolution star Jonathan Roumie reflected on how God uses imperfect people to carry out His will and stressed the importance of surrendering ones ego, as Satan targets those who boldly proclaim Jesus name.

The 48-year-old actor, best known for playing Jesus in The Chosen, stars as real-life evangelist Lonnie Frisbee in the forthcoming Lionsgate film Jesus Revolution. Based on a book by Harvest Pasto Greg Laurie, the film follows the Jesus Movement of the late '60s and '70s, when thousands of hippies came to know the Lord.

A charismatic preacher, Frisbee played a key role in the Jesus Movement, partnering with Chuck Smith at Calvary Chapel (Kelsey Grammer) to attract young people into the congregation. The film highlights Frisbees positive impact, including how he mentored and championed a young Greg Laure (Joel Courtney).

But it also depicts how, as the church grows bigger, Frisbees ego begins to blind him and causes conflict with Smith and eventually, ministry separation.

First and foremost, he was driven by his love of the Lord, Roumie told The Christian Post at the red carpet premiere of the film. And then, as things got bigger, they just found themselves at the wrong end of a spiritual attack. And then his ego became a thing, but it didn't start out like that. He was as human as any one of us.

I think the more powerful you are in the spirit world, in proclaiming God and looking to promote Jesus Christ, the bigger target you are for Satan, for the enemy, for the devil, because he doesnt want that. He wants nobody to praise Jesus and talk about God; he wants people just ignorant and ambiguous and lukewarm and unfaithful. Lonnie was the opposite of that. He was bold; he would just walk up to people on the beach and start preaching the Gospel, and he was mesmerizing. Because of the power that God gave him, he pulled people into church. He just had too many slings and arrows painted on him.

After Frisbee and Smith parted ways, the former traveled to Florida and joined the Shepherding Movement. He would later help launch the Vineyard Movement, a neo-charismatic renewal in California. Later on in life, Frisbee lost his way, Roumie said, but eventually reconciled and returned to the church before he passed.

He was an extraordinary man, Roumie said. He pointed out that just like Frisbee, Jesus used the disciples to proclaim His name  yet Peter denied Him and Judas betrayed Him.

They were all part of Jesus ministry handpicked by Jesus, but Scripture said that Satan entered into Judas and he betrayed Him and sent Him to His death, Roumie reflected. God uses anybody who is willing in any way that He wants. We cant put God in a box.

Roumie is keenly aware of the platform he has and the calling God has placed on his life. The Chosen, a multi-season series on the life of Christ, has seen staggering success and propelled Roumie to the limelight. He's outspoken about his faith and the role it plays in his life. In January, he spoke at the March for Life and implied that abortion is satanic in nature.

Though he sometimes gets flak for his boldness, Roumie told CP, Im not here to serve people, Im here to serve God. And I go where He leads me, and I do what He calls me to do and where He pushes me, even when its uncomfortable to do so.

God called me to be at the March for Life, and I was like, Really God? You want me to put my hat in this ring? Id never done that before, he continued. And He said, Just trust me. A lot of people need to hear the things Im going to have you say. I said, OK, and I did, and I couldn't have had a better experience and I wouldnt take it back. Id do it all over again. Any time Ive committed myself to following Gods voice as best I can hear it, my expectations have been more than surpassed.

And playing Frisbee in Jesus Revolution," Roumie said, made him even more aware of the power of the Holy Spirit. The film shows how Frisbee carried out acts of healing and could sense when others were struggling, both physically and mentally.

"To me, like, having that kind of charism and studying this movement and ... the kinds of congregations that really put this priority on the fact that everyone has this potential to have this within them as a Christian and called to witness to it, it wasn't anything that I had known about previously," Roumie said. "I wasn't aware of the movement until I got the script and started studying and thought, wow, this is, this is hugely impactful. So it got me more curious about this kind of testimony, this kind of expression of faith.

Through his work, Roumie said he hopes to encourage others to put God at the center of their lives, especially in a society that would have people believe otherwise for all sorts of reasons.

I think finding examples of faith and inspiration in their lives, and then modeling themselves after a life akin to a disciple of Christ, this is something that it's only going to improve your life, he said.

The actor revealed that when he personally surrendered his ego and the things he thought were important in his life and put God front and center, everything changed.

My career changed, my life changed, the things that were important to me changed only for the better. Everything's only gotten better, he said. I haven't been spared from struggle and trial and suffering, like anyone else. That's just part of the human condition. But now I have a sense of trust that I didn't have before; just implicit trust that it's going to be OK. And inevitably, it always is. And that's what you get from making God the center of your life.

Jesus Revolution is directed by Jon Erwin and Brent McCorkle, and scripted by Erwin and Jon Gunn. Producers are Kevin Downes, Jon Erwin, Andrew Erwin, Daryl Lefever, Joshua Walsh and Jerilyn Esquibel. Lionsgate opens it Friday only in theaters.
Teen pressured into abortion by social service agent without parents' consent, lawsuit claims

An employee for a Virginia-based social services organization allegedly worked alongside an abortion clinic to pressure a 15-year-old girl into aborting her pregnancy, a new lawsuit claims.

A civil suit filed by the girl's parents in the Circuit Court of Dickson County claims that the Dickenson County Department of Social Services (DSS) arranged for the minor to have an abortion at the Bristol Women's Health abortion clinic after being removed from her father's custody on Jan. 19.

The director of DSS is also named as a defendant.

The civil suit seeks $10 million in compensatory damages and $5.4 million in punitive damages, according to a copy of the lawsuit obtained by The Christian Post.

The filing claims the actions of the abortion clinic and the DSS employee caused the teenager to experience physical and emotional side effects and that the defendants interfered with her parents' rights.

The minor, identified as "CRFM," was approximately three months pregnant when she was removed from her father's custody and placed with a family friend. The plaintiffs allege the teenager "intended to take her child to full term and intended to deliver her baby at the appropriate time."

CRFM reportedly told her mother that DSS was pressuring her to have an abortion, and she "promised her mother that she was not going to abort the baby."

A DSS employee allegedly persuaded the teen to have an abortion instead, arranging for an appointment on Jan. 19, where the pair met with the clinic's director, Olivia Nickles.

A provider at the facility provided CRFM with chemical abortion pills, with the second pill expelling the unborn child's remains within 48 hours of the minor leaving the clinic.

The suit alleges that CRFM "remained upset throughout the process and initially refused to cooperate with any abortion" but was eventually persuaded otherwise. The complaint also alleges that legal consent was never obtained, accusing the clinic, the facility's physician and the DSS of violating CRFM and her parents' rights.

DSS is also accused of continuing contact with CRFM despite being told to recuse themselves after being notified on Jan. 30 that a claim had been filed.

The Dickenson County Department of Social Services (DSS) and clinic owner Diane Derzis did not immediately respond to The Christian Post's request for comment.

Attorney Tim McAfee, representing the family, told WJHL that the teenager believes that she "has killed her baby."

"That's how she looks at it," he said.

In a separate statement to the local news outlet, Derzis denied that her clinic has ever pressured anyone into an abortion, claiming that it would never coerce anyone to undergo the procedure. She commented that the decision to have an abortion is a woman's choice, regardless of age.

"I am confident that all the paperwork was done according to state law," she said.

The landlord who owns the property where the Bristol Women's Health abortion facility is based filed a lawsuit against the clinic in December, accusing the abortion provider of fraud and misrepresentation.

Property owner Kilo Delta claims that she did not know it would be used to conduct abortions. Delta seeks an order of rescission, which would rescind the leasing agreement. In response to the suit, the Bristol Women's Health clinic argued that the landlord still accepted payments and made repairs to the facility despite learning about its operations.

As CP reported, a recent study by the pro-life research organization Charlotte Lozier Institute suggests that women who terminate their first pregnancies are more likely to face greater health risks than women who carry to term. The study, published in October, examined data from over 5,400 Medicaid beneficiaries between 1999 and 2015 in 17 states.

The study organized women ages 16 and older into three separate groups depending on whether they gave birth or if their pregnancy ended in an abortion or a natural miscarriage.

According to the researchers, compared to women whose first pregnancies resulted in a live birth, women who aborted their first pregnancies had, on average, 53% more miscarriages.
Does the Holy Spirit depart from us when we grieve Him?

When I was a young believer, I was often told that as soon as a Christian sins, the Holy Spirit walks out on the individual. This belief has made me feel empty whenever I did anything contrary to the Word of God. I was told by my pastor that the Holy Spirit does not dwell in any vessel that is not pure or holy. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:13). This verse was often used to teach that the Spirit abandons us whenever we grieve Him.

If the Holy Spirit angrily departs from us when we grieve Him, what hope do we have as believers?

Christ called the Holy Spirit the Helper. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you (John 14:26). We need help from God especially when we fall into sin. If our Helper abandons us in the moment of darkness, then He is not the Spirit of God. The Scripture says, There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Romans 8:1).

The truth is, there are only two categories of people in this world: Christians who walk by the Spirit and those who walk by the flesh. Those who walk by the flesh are condemned because the Holy Spirit does not dwell in so-called fleshy Christians. "For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God" (Roman 8:14). Unfortunately, there are people who claim to be Christians who are led purely by their flesh.

There is a great difference between falling into sin and living in sin. The Holy Spirit will walk away from Christians who habitually live in sin and use the grace of God as a license to sin. But those who are led by Him, who deviate from Gods law, are always restored and receive forgiveness.

David was afraid that God would take away the Holy Spirit from him: Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me (Psalm 51:11). David committed murder and adultery and realized his mistakes and cried unto God for forgiveness. David requested that God should create in him a new heart. He realized what lust has done to him and desired to make immediate restitution. He asked God not to cast him out and not to take the Holy Spirit from him, and God answered his prayer.

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? (Romans 6:1). Inasmuch as we believe that we are eternally sealed by the Holy Spirit, we should strive to please Him by shunning fleshy desires, walking after Him and allowing Him to lead us in all we do.
Has the lightning of revival struck in the United States?

Revival happened in Wales in 1904-1905, beginning with youth. Is it happening now in the United States?

In Wales, Evan Roberts, a coal miner barely out of his teens, had been struck by the lightning, and everyone with whom he came into contact was ignited, I will never forget the lightning in his voice, said Alun Morgan of Caerfarchell, an older man who was in contact with Evan in those days.

When the revival volt hit Evan Roberts, a church leader described Evan as acting like an article of radium  a consuming fire which took away sleep, cleared the channels of tears and sped the wheel of prayer throughout this district.

W.T. Stead, a skeptical journalist, would write that it seemed like living energy had invaded Evans soul, burst all bonds, and overwhelmed him.[1]

It happened to Evan during a prayer service on September 29, 1904. During that session, Evan began to sense an irresistible influence coming upon him as he listened to Pastor Seth Lloyd pray for God to bend me!

In a short time, the humble youth, a gangly former coal miner and blacksmith would be regarded as the leader of the revival.

Meanwhile, the lightning of revival had struck a teen-aged girl in a Calvinist Chapel in West Wales. A historian described Florrie Evans as one of the highly significant figures in the revival. During a church service, the pastor asked people to answer the question: What does Jesus mean to you?

Florrie, a new believer, could not be silent. I love Jesus with all my heart, she declared. With that, conviction spread audibly and tangibly throughout the room.

From those beginnings, a powerful revival began to spread throughout the country. And it was much needed. Churches had gone cold, and attendance had declined. Immorality and drunkenness were corrupting the society, destroying families and wrenching the beauty and life from Wales, which had been known as a land of inspiring worship music sung by mighty choirs

In 1902, David Howell, a prominent pastor, had written an open letter sounding the alarm.

Wales was headed for a train wreck spiritually, theologically, morally, and culturally. The authority of the Bible and the foundational truths of Christianity were being judged in the court of reason and criticism, he lamented. Pulpits were spiritually vacuous and pews deserted.

As Howell described the crises of his time, Roger Cohen, in a New York Times article, wrote decades later about the unraveling of our present age: The fabric of society frayed. Democracy looked quaint and outmoded beside new authoritarianisms  politicians, haunted by their incapacity, played on the fears of their populations. Dystopia was a vogue word the great rising nations of vast populations held the fate of the world in their hands but hardly seemed to care  until it was too late and people could see the Great Unraveling for what it was and what it has wrought.



Fruit is proof of genuine revival. Thus, the most important question: What was wrought from the Welsh Revival? Consider this:

Within eight months more than 100,000-150,000 people had joined churches. David Matthews, a revival participant, summed it up: It is a fact that large numbers have been added to the churches. Not merely converted or restored, or helped on, but to become full members

Matthew continued: That which costly legislation, cumbersome philanthropic effort, or organizations have failed to do, here the Spirit of God is doing with ease and thoroughness surprising to behold. Drunkards give up drinking without pledge or pressure  quarrels are healed without the courts  Homes made happy  Debts paid without legislation  Streets purified without threat or fine  The quest for holiness became the passion of the man in the street. Matthews also noted that every pub in Llanfair in Anglesey was closed.

F.B. Meyer wrote: Judging from the fruits. In the vast multitude who have been truly converted and have joined the churches, and the transformation wrought over wide districts in the country. It is impossible to doubt that there has been a deep and real work by the Spirit of God.

Vynrwy Morgan, a critic of Evan Roberts and the revival, later said that men who had been regarded as either too old or too wicked to be touched and saved, surrendered fully and absolutely, and have since become useful citizens and church members.

Again, the fruit is the real proof of revival, and the standard of measurement of the revival that may be forming now in America through the students could be a hint of what is to come. So, think now about all those students calling down lightning on college campuses in our day.

Is revival on the horizon? We need to join in spirit and soul at least their worship and intercession. Its either revival or unraveling.

And if there is an end to the campus rallies, hopefully, the students will continue calling down lightning, worship, and repentance on behalf of themselves, their institutions, and the nation.
5 things to know about James O'Keefe's departure from Project Veritas

James O'Keefe, the founder and longtime president of Project Veritas, a conservative activist organization known for producing undercover videos, has stepped aside after a prolonged conflict with its board of directors.

O'Keefe, 38, founded Project Veritas in 2011. The organization describes itself as an entity that "investigates and exposes corruption, dishonesty, self-dealing, waste, fraud and other misconduct in both public and private institutions to achieve a more ethical and transparent society."

O'Keefe's departure Monday follows the publication of a late January video purporting to show Pfizer executive Jordon Trishton Walker saying the company was considering whether to "mutate" the coronavirus to "preemptively" develop new vaccines for potential variants. The coronavirus has killed millions of people worldwide and has had devastating implications for the global economy since late 2019.

When O'Keefe confronted Walker about his remarks in the undercover video, a confrontation ensued.

In the past, Project Veritas has reported on Google's "blacklisting" of conservative and Christian media sources, including The Christian Post, by disfavoring such organizations in their algorithms.

O'Keefe's departure has raised several questions and resulted in immense backlash. The following pages highlight five things to know about O'Keefe's departure from Project Veritas.

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As vigil continues for Jimmy Carter, many celebrate his legacy of faith

As former President Jimmy Carter entered at-home hospice over the weekend and the nation prepares for the inevitable, many who know him, including his pastor at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia, agree that a big part of his legacy is his exemplary life of faith.

The Rev. Tony Lowden, who became the first black pastor to lead the predominantly white Maranatha Baptist Church in 2019, told Fox 5 that the 98-year-old Carter, who selected him to lead the church, has since become a father figure to him.

"America, he became a father figure. He ministered to me more than I ministered to him," Lowden told the news outlet. "So many people around the world are hurting right now because they see hospice as a bad thing, but Mr. Carter will tell you that hes given all that he can give."

Lowden said he visited with the former president shortly after it was announced that he was entering hospice care at his longtime home in Plains, and he found the 39th president surrounded by love.

We were just celebrating life yesterday at the home and thats what we are going to do and watching him love on his bride," Lowden said. "Weve seen the work hes done. Weve seen him giving himself at all times and thats something to celebrate.

On Saturday, both the former presidents church where he famously taught Sunday school for decades and The Carter Center announced that he would stop further medical intervention and enter into hospice care.

After a series of short hospital stays, former President Jimmy Carter today decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention, a statement shared by the church and The Carter Center noted.

Since that time, there has been a national outpouring of praise and prayerful support for Carter, who never stopped teaching his Sunday school class at Maranatha Baptist Church after he was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2015.

Marvin Laster, the former chief executive of the Boys & Girls Club in nearby Albany, who became friends with Carter while working with him at the organizations outpost in Plains, recently told The New York Times that despite his terminal illness, Carter remains strong in his faith.

People ask me all the time: How is he doing? Laster said. Hes good with the spirit and hes strong in his faith, and thats all that matters.

In summarizing the legacy of Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, Laster paraphrased from the Gospel of Matthew when he told the Times, They were really led by the words of the maker.

They tried to do everything they could for the least of those, he said.

While Jeff Clements, an owner of the Buffalo Peanut Company, a commercial peanut sheller and seed treater who owns what had once been the Carter familys warehouse in Plains, does not support Carters politics, he told the Times that he respects him for taking a stand on his faith.

The fact he was still willing to be a Christian and act in a Christian way and not be afraid to do so in todays time, he said, thats more so his legacy than anything he did while he was president.
Cedarville University students spread the spirit of revival at other college campuses

Inspired by the revival worship at their campus, scores of students from Cedarville University in Ohio traveled to campuses across the region to proclaim the Gospel.

Last week, following a Tuesday evening gathering of worship and prayer, students went to various college campuses to evangelize after being encouraged to do so by Cedarville University President Thomas White.

Gabriel Cherry is a Cedarville student who attended the evening service. He helped organize an outreach trip to Michigan State University in East Lansing last Wednesday.

In an interview with The Christian Post, Cherry said a friend felt especially compelled to go to MSU as that campus is grieving the aftermath of a mass shooting earlier this month that left three students dead.

"We talked about it for a few minutes and felt convicted that we needed to find a team and go to MSU to love on a campus that was hurting. After all, what's the point of brokenness and darkness if it is not for the light to shine through?" said Cherry.

"Over the next 14 hours, the Lord provided us with a 15-passenger van, a place to spend the night, a contact on campus at MSU, and 14 people willing to make the trip. It was clear that this was what we had to do."

Cherry said six of the 14 who went on the trip were individuals he didn't know personally. The attendees had to go around the van to share their names after they left.

The group left for MSU around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, arriving a few hours later as the campus community held a candlelight vigil in memory of those lost.

"We met up with our contact on campus, who told us what was going on, and then we just started praying for the campus and walking up to people asking how they were doing. There were 18 people who we were able to pray for and get their names, who heard the Gospel in some way," Cherry told CP.

"There were many sobering conversations that we had with students who were going through an unimaginable pain, but we were able to pray for them and encourage them in an eternal hope."

Describing the trip as "incredible," Cherry noted that while "no salvation decisions were made on the spot, seeds were planted, and there was an overwhelming sense of gratitude that we were there just to love the students and community."

"God's name was being lifted up in the midst of darkness, and the students were able to be encouraged, not by our efforts, but by the provision of the Lord," said Cherry.

"We understand that the ministry at MSU is not over. Our trip was one instance where we were able to spread light on the campus, but it did not 'fix' everything. The names of the students are still being prayed for, and additional teams are planning to go to MSU to continue what we started."

Cherry believes the trip to MSU was "a growing and humbling experience to see the Lord provide," saying that God "showed up in every way, including providing someone willing to open up their house that no one on the team had ever met."

"It is sobering to return to campus after an experience like this, but I am excited to continue to pray for the campus, deepen the relationships that were created through this trip, and see what the Holy Spirit has for us next," he added.

Christianna G. Galkin, another Cedarville student, went with friends to Ohio State University in Columbus, where they partnered with Rock City Church for worship.

From there, they split off into small groups who went about OSU to evangelize and pray for people they encountered.

"I personally interacted with several students and young professionals who were interested in sharing their story and hearing ours," Galkin told CP.

"Many of those people allowed us to pray for tangible needs, such as exams the next morning or their search for a job or continued success in their field. We were also able to pray for their intangible needs, like their search for significance and community."

Galkin "left encouraged that some were willing to listen about who Jesus is and engage in conversations about their own faith traditions."

"I am praying that the Christian community at OSU would continue serving their community well with truth and love. I hope that by partnering with them in prayer and community outreach, we would all spend more time in prayer and intentional relationship-building," Galkin continued.

"I am praying that the individuals we met at OSU would continue to search for the truth about God and His Word and that the Lord would bring them to Himself through future interaction with the message of the Bible. I am praying that, in hearing people openly talk about spiritual topics, students would consider their own spiritual state and seek help."

In Christian tradition, revivals are gatherings where individuals come together for prayer and worship, with many seeking forgiveness, confession and sometimes conversion to Christianity.

Earlier this month, the revival at Asbury University of Wilmore, Kentucky, appeared to spread to Cedarville. Cedarville President White described it to CP in an earlier interview as "a special outpouring and sensing of the presence of the Lord."

According to White, the outpouring began during Cedarville's morning chapel service on Feb. 13, when approximately 1,000 of the 3,000 student attendees felt inspired to stay after the service ended to continue worshipping.

After that, multiple services were held at the chapel, with hundreds of attendees. One service began at 8 p.m., technically concluding at 10 p.m., but continued for about another hour as students continued praying and worshipping.

Regarding parallels between Asbury and Cedarville, White told CP that the outpouring at his university has not "been continuous" like at Asbury, adding that he felt God was "not working here the same way that He is working at Asbury."

"He works in different places in different ways, and that's great," White continued. "We're just happy He's working all across the country."

Were you there? Use #MyRevivalStory to share your story.
Jesus Revolution a real love story that brought Greg and Cathe Laurie to revival and each other

The love story of Pastor Greg Laurie and his wife, Cathe, is depicted in the new film Jesus Revolution, and now, 50 years later, Cathe is reflecting on the long-lasting love that she encountered with both Jesus and her husband back during the revival of the 1970s.

"Here we are 50 years later to have our young lives depicted in a major motion picture like this is really quite surprising for me, Cathe told The Christian Post in a video interview. I will be totally honest with you, I was a little terrified by the idea. In the beginning stages, when John Irwin was interviewing Greg and myself, he just wanted to know people who lived through this revival.

Jesus Revolution, which is now showing in theaters nationwide, was inspired by the true story of the spiritual awakening that swept Southern California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The Kingdom Story film, in collaboration with Lionsgate, was directed by filmmakers Jon Erwin (I Can Only Imagine) and Brent McCorkle and produced by Kevin Downes. Erwin and Jon Gunn wrote the script after they decided to explore Greg and Cathe's love story with God and each other as a major premise of the film.

"I'll be totally honest with you, I read the script and what these actors do when they bring the script to life is remarkable, because I was a little nervous reading, Cathe revealed. My parents are in this; my sister's life is in this. I'm willing, 'Here I am, Lord. Whatever you can use of me, I want to be available.' But at the same time, it is very personal.

In the movie, the Lauries, who are best known for leading Harvest Christian Fellowship, represent a young, wayward generation that was lost. But after meeting Lonnie Frisbee, a charismatic hippie street preacher, this group finds themselves at the church of Pastor Chuck Smith which sparked this generation's Jesus movement.

"It's remarkable because it shows what God can do when He breaks through to a generation, Cathe explained. It was not organized. It was not orchestrated by a particular parachurch group. It was not organized by a particular church. It was a spontaneous intervention, I believe, of the Holy Spirit into a generation that was lost and searching.

Cathe has been praying to see that kind of revival breakthrough for subsequent generations. The film happens to be coming out at a time when her prayers are being answered. Earlier this month, at Asbury University, a small Christian college in Wilmore, Kentucky, a small chapel service turned into a continuous prayer and worship gathering where students and people worldwide have been praising and worshipping Jesus around the clock. The revival has now spread to other campuses, churches and schools across the United States.

Jesus Revolution will now reach many others with a message of revival on the big screen.

"It is a real love story. It's a love story with Jesus, and it's a love story between Greg and myself, and what God did in our lives, Cathe declared.

When asked what she advised church leaders to do to reach this generation, the founder and director of Virtue, the women's ministry at Harvest Christian Fellowship, said genuinely living for Christ is what will reach others.

"I think for us, first of all, we need to be authentically walking with Jesus, living in a real relationship with Him in order for us to communicate that to somebody else. And if it doesn't impact your joy, if it doesn't impact your compassion, if it doesn't impact your interest in outsiders, then I would question whether or not you're really living in that what we would call first love relationship with Jesus. And we need to return to that again and again and again, she advised.

"Those of us that have been on the inside of church for a number of years, we can grow apathetic, we kind of have our little clique, we have our little group. We check the boxes. We go to church on Sunday, and we go out and we live our lives. But can I tell you, that kind of Christianity is not what reached me, Cathe explained. What reached me was a radical change in the person who was talking to me [who] was like, 'You have to hear what I'm going to say because this could change your life.'

The California native said people cannot bring a move of God, but they can posture themselves in a way that allows God to do what He desires to do in the hearts of others.

"We cannot bring revival on our own. It's not by might, nor by power, nor by an organization, nor by a movie, nor by a program that we change culture. We change culture as we live authentically and the Holy Spirit Himself has to invade people's hearts and minds, she declared.

"We have to live authentically as Christians in a world that is watching and is very suspicious and as dismissed Christianity by in large, as judgmental and uncaring and hyper-political at times. We have to find ourselves living as Jesus did. Go back to the book of Acts, go back to the disciples, go back to Jesus life and His Words and His compassion for sinners. We need that in a world today where there's so much division and anger.

Cathe and Greg have been married and working in ministry for almost 50 years. The success of their union throughout their time in ministry is credited to their intentionality of being one with Jesus and each other.

"I wanted Jesus first and in my marriage, and over the years, I've always wanted to come back, time and time again, to Jesus at the center, Jesus in between the two of us holding us together, Cathe told CP. The Bible talks about how can two walk together except they be agreed. Also, it speaks about that if one falls down the other will pick them up. In the book of Ecclesiastes, it says that a threefold cord is not easily broken. Let Jesus be that third cord that is binding your hearts and calling you together.

The mother of two sons  their eldest, Christopher, tragically died in 2008, which inspired Greg Laurie to write a book to help those going through grief after suffering a loss, titled Hope for Hurting Hearts)  said marriage over the years and ministry requires a bending in of your own desires, your own will, meeting your spouse in the middle with putting Jesus first.

"This year, well celebrate 50 years of ministry as Greg and I enter into our 50th year of marriage. Over the stages of ministry, life and married life, God has continually been faithful to call us back to each other and to Himself, she noted. Whenever we began to sort of go off in our own selfish directions, He brings us back and we still are at that, still having to do that daily surrender.

"Repentance is huge in marriage, [be] willing to say I'm sorry, I got that wrong. It was my fault.

Cathe concluded her interview with CP by saying she doesn't always do things perfectly, but she and Greg desire to finish well.

God will take you at your word if you're willing and you're saying, 'Lord, I want to finish well; I want my marriage to last. I want to build a legacy that I will not look back on and regret. I want this to stand the test of time,' she instructed. "If we build on the right foundation, we build on the rock of His word. He will do it. He is able!

Jesus Revolution is now in theaters and stars five-time Emmy winner Kelsey Grammer, The Chosens Jonathan Roumie, Joel Courtney (Super 8), Kimberly Williams-Paisley (According to Jim), Anna Grace Barlow and Nicholas Cirillo.
'Jesus Revolution' red carpet: Greg Laurie, cast share how film will reach 'lost' generation in need of hope

LOS ANGELES  The filmmakers, cast and real-life people behind Jesus Revolution descended on the Chinese Theater last Wednesday to celebrate the film's release and reflect on the story's timeliness  especially for young people today.

Hitting theaters on Friday, Jesus Revolution stars Kelsey Grammer (Frasier), Jonathan Roumie (The Chosen), Joel Courtney (The Kissing Booth) and Anna Grace Barlow. Its directed by Jon Erwin (American Underdog, I Can Only Imagine) and Brent McCorkle.

Based on a true story, the film follows a young Greg Laurie as he searches for purpose and meaning in all the wrong places. After meeting Lonnie Frisbee, a winsome hippie street preacher, he embraces the Gospel, and alongside Pastor Chuck Smith, helps launch a revival that leads to what Time magazine later called the "Jesus Revolution."

Laurie, who today pastors Harvest Christian Fellowship, told The Christian Post that the film will provide hope to todays lost and searching generation  not unlike the climate he grew up in. He shared how the film was delayed for several years, which at the time was discouraging.

And now, as I look back on the schedule and where we're at in this moment in American history, I think this is the exact right moment for this film to be coming out, he said. So now I look back and I see that God had His hand on it all along. Its a true story; its a relevant story. I think we're representative of a generation of young people back then that's very similar to a younger generation, searching for answers now.  This generation needs hope, just like our generation needed it.

Heavily featured in the film is the love story between Laurie and his now-wife, Cathe. They met as rebellious teenagers, casting aside all rules in a bid to find freedom. After embracing the Gospel, both of their lives were radically changed. Today, the couple has been married for 50 years.

Cathe Laurie told CP that as a young woman, she was looking in all the wrong places to find meaning and purpose for living and something beyond myself  until God stepped in. Many of the internal struggles she faced, she said, she sees in young women today.

I feel like today, young people are lost. They're looking at social media, they're looking at their friends and looking in all the wrong places like I did, she said. And what they're really searching for is a truth to stand on, and I know that the Bible is alive, and Jesus wants relationships with anyone who is willing to ask Him into their lives. I believe that today, people want to experience that.

Theyve taken God out of everything; out of classrooms, our government, it seems like everything is pushing down the reality of Jesus Christ, she added. And yet, the hunger and thirst for spiritual truth, a deeper truth, is in every human heart.

Courtney, who plays a young Greg Laurie in the film, shared how his own spiritual journey was impacted as he brought the pastors story to life. Laurie grew up with an alcoholic mother and an absent father, and struggled to find hope and meaning in life. In the film, its a near-death experience that finally causes him to open his heart and mind to the truth of the Gospel.

I had such a fun time filming this movie in that I really took in the grace that is shown to all in Christ, Courtney said. Learning about Greg and taking on his past and the hardship that he really went through and then the excitement to understand that grace was extended to him was incredible. Your life doesnt just become easy once you become a Christian, but there is a foundational strength and power, Gods power, that we can lean on to get through the tough times in life.

Courtney said hes hopeful there will be another revival in his lifetime, adding: Not only do I think that we need it, but Lord willing, I believe it will happen.

My hope for this film is that people will go see it and have conversations afterward, he said. I think art strives to create a conversation. I hope people appreciate it for the story and the art that that it is, and then talk about it, because I think really good conversations can come from it.

To young people who might be struggling to find meaning and purpose today, Courtney offered a word of encouragement: There is a love that lifts that burden off your shoulders  God gives you strength. If you put your faith in Him, there is hope. If youre struggling with youre identity, look to the Bible for strength.

Anna Grace Barlow, who plays a young Cathe, said that getting to know the real-life Cathe Laurie and witnessing her faith firsthand also strengthened her own faith. She expressed hope that viewers, too, will be inspired to find hope and purpose outside themselves.

The reminder that there's something bigger than me and it's guiding me and it loves me and it's keeping me safe  that has taken me through hard times I've had since filming, she said. My hope for this movie is that so many people see it and they're so uplifted and they love the music and they love the clothes and they take home that feeling; a renewed reassurance that everything is taken care of and it's going to be OK.

Jesus Revolution is scripted by Erwin and Jon Gunn. Producers are Kevin Downes, Jon Erwin, Andrew Erwin, Daryl Lefever, Joshua Walsh and Jerilyn Esquibel. Lionsgate opens it Friday only in theaters.
My title isn't important': Jesus actor Jonathan Roumie says he's committed to living for God, not fame

HOLLYWOOD  Actor Jonathan Roumie plays revivalist Lonnie Frisbee in the new film Jesus Revolution, and despite his growing popularity and influence, he says he's committed to picking up his cross daily and finishing the race well.

Roumie has played Jesus for three seasons so far in the history-making series, The Chosen, and at the 30th annual Movieguide Awards held earlier this month, the actor shared why he continues to look to God in the midst of his massive success.

At the end of the day, the title isn't important. My title isn't important. The need to have a title isn't important, none of it matters, said Roumie to The Christian Post on the red carpet of the Movieguide Awards. which will air on UPtv this Sunday.

What matters is that people know that God is love and mercy and compassion. And there's always more room for people to know and discover who He is and how He can radically and profoundly change their lives if they give Him a chance to do so, he said.

Jesus Revolution, which is now showing in theaters nationwide, was inspired by the true story of the spiritual awakening that swept Southern California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The Kingdom Story film, in collaboration with Lionsgate, was directed by filmmakers Jon Erwin (I Can Only Imagine) and Brent McCorkle and produced by Kevin Downes.

In the movie, Pastor Greg Laurie and his wife, Cathe, who are best known for leading Harvest Christian Fellowship, represent a young, wayward generation that was lost. But after meeting Lonnie Frisbee (Roumie), a charismatic hippie street preacher, this group finds themselves at the church of Pastor Chuck Smith, which sparked this generation's Jesus movement.

Despite Frisbees significant influence and leadership during the Jesus movement, and later Vineyard Church in Yorba Linda, he struggled with his faith, drug use and homosexuality. He died from AIDS at the age of 43.

When asked how he, unlike the man he portrays in the film, would finish his Christian race, Roumie said following Jesus until the end is the only worthwhile solution.

"I think picking up your cross daily is not an easy task but it's the only worthwhile task at the end of the day, Roumie told CP.

He added, When we all depart from this Earth and meet our Maker, hopefully, we're going to be responsible for the lives that we lead while we were here on Earth. How we treated each other and the respect we gave each other and the people around us.

"I think committing to excellence in life affects every area of life, not just your family relationships but work, career, the whole thing.

Along with Roumie, Jesus Revolution stars five-time Emmy winner Kelsey Grammer, Joel Courtney (Super 8), Kimberly Williams-Paisley (According to Jim), Anna Grace Barlow and Nicholas Cirillo.
Pregnant woman charged with murder claims unborn baby is illegally detained, seeks release

An incarcerated pregnant woman accused of murder is petitioning for her release on the grounds that her unborn child is being unlawfully detained and being prevented from receiving proper medical care.

Attorney William M. Norris filed an emergency petition on Feb. 16 in Florida's 3rd District Court of Appeal, alleging that defendant Natalia Harrell's incarceration violates her unborn child's right to due process of law. The petition asks for Harrell's release until the conclusion of her criminal case.

Harrell was six weeks pregnant at the time of her arrest on July 26, 2022, and she has been jailed without bond in Miami-Dade County while she awaits trial. The mother was charged with second-degree murder for the July 23 shooting of Gladys Yvette Borcela after the pair got into an argument in an Uber.

The filing petitions for a writ of habeas corpus, arguing that the unborn child "is a person under the Florida constitution and the United States Constitution."

"The unborn child has not been charged with a criminal offense by respondents or the Miami Dade state attorney's office, yet respondents have unborn child in a detention center known as TGK in Miami Dade county, Florida," the filing states.

The filing claims the conditions at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center are "deplorable" and "depriving the unborn child of needed medical care and monitoring for the unborn child."

The filing alleges that Harrell, 24, has not received proper medical treatment from the jail, including prenatal care. The petition claims that Harrell has not been seen by an OB-GYN since October and has been housed in a cell block with violent crimals, endangering her unborn child.

On one occasion, Harrell, her unborn child and another inmate were left inside a transport van without air conditioning when temperatures outside were over 90 degrees, causing the van to reach over 100 degrees. The petition further alleges Harrell banged on the door until a Miami-Dade County jail employee eventually opened it to let air inside.

The baby's father has offered his home in Miami for Harrell and the unborn child to live in until her case is concluded.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody's office filed a motion Monday to dismiss the petition, citing a lack of documentation to support the allegations. The office also noted that habeas corpus is not an effective legal argument for relief in this case.

Miami-Dade County did not immediately respond to The Christian Post's request for comment.

Thomas Jipping, a senior legal fellow at the Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation, believes the attorney's argument is "legally unsupportable."

Jipping noted that no court has recognized that the unborn are "constitutional persons," but the argument about whether they should be recognized as such is a different issue.

"And the argument here, I guess, is that the unborn child has a right to a certain level of medical care," he told CP. "That's not even the kind of rights that are in the Constitution. Our Constitutional rights are rights to be free from certain government actions, so even the legal theory here is really flawed."

"The fact is, there currently is a legal avenue for incarcerated persons to challenge the conditions of their confinement, including the adequacy of medical care," Jipping said.

He noted that the correctional facility appears to be reviewing the level of care Harrell is receiving during her pregnancy, arguing that this is "exactly what should happen."

However, there is a legal basis for concluding that reference to "person" in the 14th Amendment includes the unborn, Jipping said, citing a December 2022 paper he published for the Heritage Foundation on the subject.

"It's a political spin to say, 'No, person only covers human beings after, but not before birth," Jipping said. "That doesn't even make logical sense."

"However, that's never been done, and I think to succeed, it would have to be done in a particular way with certain kinds of arguments," he continued, pointing to the arguments presented in his paper. "This case is not it."
School chaplain reported as terror threat for opposing LGBT curriculum challenges firing

A school chaplain lost his job at a Christian school and was reported to the government's counter-terrorism watchdog, Prevent, after telling students they were not compelled to "accept an ideology they disagree with," his lawyers say.

The Rev. Bernard Randall, 48, is taking Trent College to court for discrimination, harassment, victimization and unfair dismissal.

He says he preached a sermon on the biblical view of gender identity and same-sex relationships after being approached by students who were confused and upset by some of the material being taught in a new LGBT-inclusive curriculum at the school.

The curriculum was introduced at the independent school after a visit by Elly Barnes, founder of Educate & Celebrate, an LGBT education charity.

Barnes held training with staff on how they could "embed gender, gender identity and sexual orientation into the fabric of your school," he says.

Randall said he became alarmed when staff were instructed during the training session to chant "smash heteronormativity," and told that gender identity is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act.

He says that when he raised concerns, he was told by the head teacher that he would be involved in any decision on whether the school would implement the Educate & Celebrate program, but he discovered at the following staff training day in January 2019 that it had already been adopted.

When he asked why he had not been included in discussions, he says it was because he "might disagree."

In a sermon called 'Competing ideologies,' Randall presented the Christian view on gender identity, encouraged debate and told the students, aged 11 to 17, that no characteristic in the Equality Act was more protected than another.

He also told the students that they could make up their own minds about gender identity and sexuality.

The following week, he was told that his sermon had hurt people's feelings and that he was being suspended pending an investigation. He was also reported to Prevent, which deals with terrorism threats, and the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), the point of contact for child protection allegations.

In August 2019, he was informed by the school that he was being dismissed for gross misconduct.

Although his dismissal was overturned on appeal, he says he was forbidden from speaking on topics "likely to cause offense or distress to members of the school body," and was told not to "publicly express beliefs in ways which exploit our pupils' vulnerability."

He says the school also required that he submit a draft sermon in advance for approval and that an observer be present during services.

Randall said he was "terrified" and unabled to sleep when he found out he had been reported to Prevent.

What was I supposed to tell my family? Being reported as a potential terrorist, extremist and a danger to children are arguably the worst crimes you could be accused of," he said.

"When I found out that they had reported me without telling me, my mind was blown trying to comprehend it. I had gone to such lengths in the sermon to stress that we must respect one another no matter what, even people we disagree with. I am not ashamed to say that I cried with relief when I was told that the report to Prevent was not going to be taken further.

"Yet I ended up being told that I had to support everybody else's beliefs, no matter what, while my Christian beliefs, the Church of England's beliefs, were blatantly censored."

He continued, "I don't think the Church of England is an extremist organization.

"I was doing the job I was employed to do. I wasn't saying anything that I should not have been able to say in any liberal secular institution. Everyone should be free to accept or reject an ideology. Isn't that what liberal democracy means?"

Randall was placed on furlough during the first national lockdown in March 2020 but was later made redundant last December.

"My story sends a message to other Christians that you are not free to talk about your faith. It seems it is no longer enough to just 'tolerate' LGBT ideology," he said.

"You must accept it without question and no debate is allowed without serious consequences. Someone else will decide what is and what isn't acceptable, and suddenly you can become an outcast, possibly for the rest of your life.

"I one hundred percent see what has happened to me in Orwellian terms. Truth matters, but increasingly powerful groups in our society do not care about the truth.

"My career and life are in tatters. I believe that if this is the Cross that I have to carry to help prevent others from experiencing the same as me, I have no choice but to pursue justice."

East Midlands Employment Tribunal is expected to hear his case on June 14.

Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, which is defending Randall, said: "When an ordained Church of England minister can't give a simple sermon in a Church of England school without being reported as an extremist and hounded out of his job then who is safe?

"For many years Bernard Randall has worked in education motivated by his love for God and others," Williams added. "When someone like him is pursued and punished it's an attack on us all. It's time to stand up and speak up for these freedoms.

"Is this the kind of behavior we expect from those with the care and protection of our children? Now is the time for ordinary people to wake up and contend for vital freedoms," she continued.

"All those that said it couldn't happen  punishing and criminalizing a Christian minister for preaching from the Bible  need to take a long, hard look at the story of Bernard Randall.

"Who are the extremists in this story? The moderate school chaplain with an intelligent, mild-mannered and thoughtful sermon or Educate and Celebrate encouraging staff to smash heteronormativity?"

Originally published at Christian Today
Strip club owner gets baptized, halts businesses after uncovering sex trafficking

A former owner of two gentlemen's clubs in Ohio said she rediscovered her Christian faith and felt convicted by God to sell both businesses after a human trafficker was caught at one of her clubs.

Lexington resident Donna Holbrook closed the doors of two of her gentlemen's clubs after being baptized Jesus in 2019. She said what started as a vision to help steer women in the right direction turned into mostly darkness masquerading as some light.

She and her husband, Steve, who died of cancer in 2020, opened the Country Time Gentlemen's Club in 2014 and sold the property in 2020. They opened the Showtime Gentlemen's Club near Mansfield in 2017, closing in 2021.

In an interview with The Christian Post, Holbrook detailed that she once viewed her gentleman's clubs as a safe space for women to dance and for her to share the Gospel with as many women as she could and invite them to church.

The 55-year-old, who now works as a real estate agent, said after a human trafficker was apprehended at one of her clubs, she felt conviction deep in her soul about the darkness that potentially lurked within the walls of her clubs.

"My husband and I decided to start two gentlemen's clubs because we both had a passion for trying to help people," Holbrook recalled. "I remember my husband said: 'what better way than if we go in and own the clubs? Then, we can actually go in and help those ladies become ladies and get back to school and get them out of the clubs.'"

The married couple, who were both non-denominational Christians, opened their first gentleman's club in 2014, and three years later, they opened a second gentleman's club.

They aimed to help every woman who entered their businesses for work, sharing Scripture with them and encouraging them to pursue higher education to allow them to eventually leave the club scene.

'We were mom and dad to them'

"I would say 90% of the 100% that would come in; we helped each and every one of them to come out of there and get a different life or go back to school. I mean, we really helped them, as far as getting clothes for them and food for them and their children," Holbrook said.

"Some of them, we gave cars to. We helped them get their GED if they quit school. We got some of them back in college if they had quit college. It was just so amazing the transformation that was made through these beautiful people, and they were just lost souls at the time."

Holbrook said both gentlemen's clubs were unlike many other clubs with no cameras and no accountability over what happens behind closed doors.

"Most clubs have no cameras. Stuff happens. I had cameras everywhere. Those girls knew they were being watched.  I mean, we taught these ladies that their body was theirs. They had never ever been taught that their body was theirs and that they had a right to say 'no,'" Holbrook said, adding that she always kept a Bible in the clubs to minister to the women when needed.

"Men had always taken advantage of them. We made strong, beautiful women coming up out of there because they learned that that wasn't the way it was supposed to be. A gentleman's club was supposed to be just a little dance and make a little money and move on," she continued.

"These girls respected us as we were mom and dad to them. Whether they had a mom or dad or not, they respected us, and they called us their mom and dad."

She said the clubs made enough money to pay the bills, and her husband also worked a second job. What extra money they did make, she said, typically was given to the women to buy things like clothes for the jobs they were trying to land.

"[Steve] was the sole provider with driving the semi while we help these girls' souls," she explained.

Before her husband's sudden death and the selling of the clubs, Holbrook said she rediscovered her Christian faith in a new way in 2019. She said she had "given her life" to the Lord and was baptized three or four months later at Fusion Church in Lexington.

Holbrook said she has always "believed" but felt she needed a "closer connection."

"I have always known God, but I felt I needed a closer connection. And so I rededicated my life," she said. "Reverend [El Akuckie] from Fusion Church and I talked, and I was explaining things to him. And so I gave my life back to God. And then I had a baptism after that."

"After the baptism, that's what really changed my whole entire being," she said. "I just feel light, and I don't have a heaviness anymore, and it's just I don't know how to explain it. It's just an amazing feeling."

'Stirred something in my soul'

After roughly half a decade of running the gentlemen's clubs, it was uncovered that a man had been sex trafficking women out of one of the Holbrook's clubs.

"We did have a human traffic guy that we did get caught in one of the clubs that we owned, and that really stirred something in my soul," Holbrook said.

Upon discovering what Holbrook described as a heartbreaking realization, she and her husband closed the first gentlemen's club in 2020.

While still running the second club for a final 10 months, her husband became sick and died of cancer in September 2020. Shortly after, Holbrook sold the second club in 2021.

"It was just a different time. The Lord was calling us to close them. I had no idea that my husband would get sick. And we had already shut down one. So that's one of the reasons I believe God allowed the doors to shut in both the clubs because He knew I couldn't run them without my husband. We were always a unit. We worked as one," Holbrook said.

Holbrook refused to sell the gentlemen's clubs to any buyer who wanted to continue running the businesses. As a result, both gentlemen's clubs were sold to alternative businesses.

One of the buildings is now a Mexican restaurant and the other facility is now owned by a towing company.

As a born-again Christian, Holbrook said she had found new ways to spread the Gospel by volunteering with many local Christian ministries.

She said God has opened her heart to doing local ministry outreach to help victims of sex trafficking in the Mansfield area. Through her volunteer work with the ministry, she shares the Gospel with women directly impacted by human trafficking.

"[I want] to help them become born-again Christians and feel good about themselves and live a good Christian life," she said.

Alluding to Ephesians 5:8, Holbrook said she remains motivated to fulfill the Great Commission for as long as she lives. The verse reads: "For you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light."

"If it wasn't for God's grace, I would not be able to tell this story. He is so merciful, so gracious," she said. "I just want to cry because I'm so overjoyed because He makes me so happy, and He is so good."
Tribunal examining role of CofE bishop in blacklisting chaplain wrongly reported as a 'terrorist' 'Church of England seems to care more about its reputation in the secular world than showing spiritual leadership'

An employment tribunal is scrutinizing the role of a bishop in blacklisting a chaplain from officiating in the Church of England after he was wrongly reported as a potential terrorist for preaching traditional Christian views on sexual ethics during a chapel service.

The case involves the Rev. Bernard Randall, 50, who was denied permission by the Bishop of Derby, the Rt. Rev. Libby Lane, to work as a minister following his dismissal by Trent College in Nottingham in August 2019, labeling him a moderate risk to children and vulnerable adults over his beliefs on sexual ethics.

East Midlands Employment Tribunal is to decide whether the actions of Bishop Lane fall within the remit of an employment tribunal, with Randall's lawyers arguing that he was never employed by the diocese and, therefore, this is not an employment matter, the U.K.-based group Christian Concern, whose legal arm, the Christian Legal Centre, is supporting the chaplain's case, said in a statement Thursday.

Randall's lawyers say that he has remained unemployable as a priest due to the bishop's actions and, therefore, the entire claim must be heard in that forum, the group said. The lawyers also argue that he would not have been treated in this way by the bishop if he had been approving of same-sex marriage and transgender beliefs.

In a past sermon at Trent College, Randall questioned the legitimacy of a new LGBT-inclusive curriculum at the school and said students should be allowed to question the curriculum and convey conservative views on sexual ethics.

The diocese did not specify what the allegations against him were, and no evidence has ever been disclosed showing that he has done anything wrong or behaved inappropriately toward anyone, Christian Concern noted.

The teaching material from the Educate and Celebrate curriculum had been adopted by the college after a visit by Elly Barnes, founder of Educate & Celebrate, an LGBT education charity. The material aims to equip ... communities with the knowledge, skills and confidence to embed gender, gender identity and sexual orientation into the fabric of your organization.

Documents have revealed that a senior member of the diocese stated in regard to Randalls sermon, There are a disproportionate number of people who are drawn to schools via the Church who have this way of thinking.

The Diocesan Safeguarding Team was also concerned that Randall represented a reputational risk to the CofE because of the denomination's own teaching on marriage and human identity, which were expressed in Randall's sermon. They concluded in a risk assessment that because the Bible supports this position, the CofE could even be a risk factor to itself.

Ahead of the hearings, which began Thursday, Randall said, Im being charged with wrongthink. There is no allegation that my behavior towards any person has ever fallen below proper standards. Only my thinking is being checked. Even the Spanish Inquisition told people what the charges were.

The chaplain said because he preached what the CofE teaches, they think I am too dangerous to be allowed to preach in any Church.

He added: The Bishop of Derby has shown moral cowardice in refusing to stand up for the goodness of the Churchs own teaching, and totally failed to support and vindicate me. Sadly, the CofE seems to care more about its reputation in the secular world than showing spiritual leadership.  The human cost on me has been immense and I have no idea what the future holds.

Despite behind-the-scenes efforts to resolve the situation, Randall has faced no alternative but to bring a claim against the Bishop of Derby and the dioceses safeguarding team on the grounds of religious discrimination, harassment, and a breach of the Equality Act 2010, Christian concern said.

Randall is seeking damages for financial loss and a recommendation that the Bishop and the Diocesan Safeguarding Team undergo training on Discrimination Law, especially as it pertains to the Christian faith and freedom of speech.

CLCs Chief Executive Andrea Williams said Randall is one of many faithful CofE ministers who have been targeted for believing and defending the Christian views on sexuality, gender, and marriage.

On paper, the Church of England believes and teaches exactly what Bernard said. But in practice, ministers like him are put through cruel safeguarding procedures as if believing the church's own doctrine makes him a danger. The Bishop failed in any way to stand up for Bernard and is effectively seeking to end his ordained ministry, he said.
The recent book that screams Im a classic!: How the Protestant-Catholic alliance was formed (pt 2)

The more one digs in to Social Conservatism for the Common Good (Wheaton: Crossway, 2023), the more one realizes this volume is a classic, destined to be much read and much referenced for at least a generation to come.

As I said in part I of this essay review last week, Social Conservatism for the Common Good, edited by Andrew T. Walker and Ben Sasse, is the right book at the right time at what may well be a moment of a tectonic shift in American and Western Civilization.

The culture wars of the last half of the 20th century and the first third of the 21st century in America have produced some previously unimaginable alliances.

It must always be remembered, to paraphrase and expand upon the late Richard John Neuhauss profound observation, politics is downstream from public policy, which is downstream from culture, which is downstream from religion. And, religion should be understood in this context either as religion in the more traditional sense for those who have rejected traditional spirituality, whatever philosophy or ideology provides for them an ultimate sense of meaning and purpose in life (i.e. Marxism, Secular Humanism, etc.).

Thus, it makes sense that in a culture war in a country as religious as America historically has been, religion would play a crucial role. Social Conservatism for the Common Good explains that the development of the Roman Catholic-Evangelical Protestant Alliance, to the astonishment of all concerned (friend and foe alike), developed into a powerful cultural and political force from the late 1960s up to the present day.

It becomes clear from the outset of these uniformly excellent and quite readable chapters that Robert George, the Roman Catholic legal scholar and philosopher, was, and is, an absolutely essential catalyst for that alliance, which explains Social Conservatisms subtitle, A Protestant Engagement with Robert P. George.

For those of us who have lived through these historic decades, the deep and lasting alliance that was forged by Roman Catholics and Evangelicals was almost unimaginable before it actually happened.

David Dockery, in his chapter, From Separation to Cobelligerency does a masterful job of surveying the history of American Protestantism and Evangelicalisms place within that tradition.

Evangelicals are men and women who love Jesus Christ, love the Bible, and love the gospel message.Evangelicalism, a cross denominational movement that emphasizes classical Protestant theology, is often best understood as a culturally engaged, historically shaped response to mainline liberalism, on the one hand, and reactionary fundamentalism on the other.

The soil in which the Roman Catholic-Evangelical Protestant Alliance was forged was one where, as the 1950s progressed, Evangelicals and Catholics began to realize they had more in common with each other theologically than either did with the rapidly declining and secularizing mainline Protestant denomination.

Then, beginning in 1962, the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II) commenced in Rome, and rather remarkably, instituted major reforms which made a significant degree of rapprochement between Evangelicals and Roman Catholics possible. Perhaps most importantly, Vatican II designated Protestants as separated brethren. Additionally, Vatican II opened the door for Pope John Paul II to become one of the most eloquent spokespersons for freedom of conscience for all people of faith.

Robert George himself cites the paramount importance of Vatican II in the remarkably informative Afterword to Social Conservatism for the Common Good, Seeking the Truth, Speaking the Truth. A Dialogue between Robert P. George and Andrew T. Walker.

Dr. George acknowledged, There needed to be some action on the Catholic side, and I think the Second Vatican Council initiated that action.

Robby George went on to say this:

I think Catholicsbecause of our engagement with Protestants beginning in a certain way in the trenches, the ecumenism of the trenches, in the pro-life struggle, in the struggle to defend marriage and other important moral normsCatholics have learned from Protestants the importance of the Bible should be part of our personal spiritual lives, that the devotional use of the Bible is important, that reading the Bible for ourselves and not just listening to the proclamations of Scripture Mass on Sunday is necessary. Understanding the Bible is really important.

Dr. George then explains that from the Evangelical Protestant side, Catholics helped Protestants understand a profoundly illuminating and thus valuable tradition of thought about moral questions, political questions, metaphysical issues that have been historically nurtured by Catholicism. They find that it is a tradition that Protestants can benefit from, can draw on, can become part of.

I experienced both the importance of Vatican II and the Alliance of Cobelligerency as it formed and swelled in numbers and influence. Once Vatican II acknowledged Protestants as separated brethren, the foundation was there for pro-life Catholics and pro-life Protestants to work together on the common goal of defending the unborn.

Personally, I was introduced to the rich cultural and spiritual heritage of Catholic social thought through the centuries during my time as a student of Dr. Paul Ramsey (himself a Methodist) but thoroughly steeped in classical Catholic thought. He also attended part of Vatican II and lectured his students on its importance when I was an undergraduate in his classes in 1967 and 1968.

When I was elected in 1988 as the head of the Southern Baptist Conventions Christian Life Commission, I was the first baby boomer agency head in that denomination. I was 41, and I was 14 years younger than the next youngest agency head. And the average age of the agency heads was approximately 60.

When I came to Nashville, I got involved in the pro-life movement and I met and got to know as a friend and colleague the Roman Catholic Bishop of Nashville. We had dinner together with my wife. There was an event in Nashville I attended with several of the Southern Baptist agency heads and when the Roman Catholic Bishop came in, he greeted me, said, Brother Richard, Good to see you, and embraced me. I thought the other Southern Baptist agency heads were going to faint. It was obvious that none of them knew him and they were shocked that we would embrace. All of these men had come to maturity and lived their adult lives with the pre-Vatican II Catholic church. All of my experience in ministry had been with the post-Vatican II Catholic church. A very different institution indeed!

This does not mean that Evangelicals and Catholics did not acknowledge their differences. In various Evangelical-Catholic joint statements, Catholics acknowledged they believed Evangelicals truncated the Gospel by refusing to acknowledge the authority of the Catholic traditions beyond the Apostles. And the Evangelicals felt that the Catholics added to the Gospel by giving authority to the leading of the church as a continuity with the apostolic tradition. Nevertheless, having acknowledged these major differences, they were going to jointly fight in culture for the permanent things, among them the protection of life, marriage, freedom of conscience, and religious liberty, understanding that civilization itself was at stake.

Both Robby George and Andrew Walker remind each other and the readers of the wise and prescient words imparted to each of them personally by Richard John Neuhaus:

We have to remember that we are not in charge of making things turn out all right. Thats Gods job. We are in charge of being faithful. Were just supposed to be faithful. The rest is Gods part!
Is Asbury University the beginning of the next 'Jesus Revolution?'

The CDC released the results of a survey revealing that most teen girls (57%) felt persistently sad or hopeless in 2021, which is double the rate for teen boys. Even more alarming, nearly 1 in 3 teen girls seriously considered attempting suicide.

You may have read the tragic story of a young New Jersey teen named Adriana Kuch, who was assaulted at her school, and the video of the incident was posted on social media. Adriana was so despondent that she saw no escape but to take her own life. My heart broke looking at the photo of this beautiful young girl with her whole life ahead of her.

No doubt, social media has contributed to this crisis among our youth, as gas fuels a fire. Despite the devastation and loss, I see more than a glimmer of hope for this young generation.

Spiritual awakening at Asbury University

What some are describing as a revival-fire has broken out at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. It is the chapel service that did not end. Hundreds of students, professors and staff have been praying, worshiping and turning from their sins.

People have traveled from around the world to see for themselves, and theyre finding God clearly at work. Recent reports share that revival is even spreading to another nearby campus. In an interview with Tucker Carlson, Asbury Student Body President Alison Perfather said, There is a young army of believers who are rising to claim Christianity as their own, as a young generation, as a free generation, and thats why people cant get enough.

The last great spiritual awakening happened with young people back in 1970. It was called the Jesus Movement. In a time not unlike our own, God worked a miracle in American history.

There were riots in the streets, racial tension, the fear of nuclear war in the air and what appeared to be the unraveling of our nation. There was talk of revolution, and one actually took place. But it was not a political revolution or a moral revolution. It was what TIME Magazine called a Jesus Revolution.

It changed the nation and the world.

A new movie telling the story of that last great spiritual awakening in America opens nationwide in over 2,000 theaters on Feb 24. This film follows two unlikely people coming together  a staid pastor, Chuck Smith and a young hippy evangelist, Lonnie Frisbee.

It was like nitro met glycerin, and the result was explosive. Thousands of young people, most of whom had no Church background, came to faith all at once.

On a more granular level, Jesus Revolution tells the story of a young couple searching for meaning. The film shows Greg and Cathe navigating a profound emptiness and their quest to fill it with drugs and other unsatisfactory means. Eventually, we see their lives transformed by an encounter with Jesus Christ.

That young man was me. And Cathe is my wife. Our prayer is that God will be glorified in the telling of our story, and that others will find the fulfillment and meaning we so desperately searched for during the Jesus Revolution. I pray it happens again.

As people see this film about the most profound spiritual awakening of our day, we hope and pray for God to do it again. The Psalmist wrote, Will you not revive us again that your people may rejoice in you? (Psalm 85:6).

In light of current events, the timing of this film seems providential. Our young people need it so desperately, and so do we older folks.
An interview with Cozomo de Medici, the grand patron of the digital art renaissance

The pseudonymous digital art collector sat down with Christies to chat about the future of art on the blockchain

Taking his name from the Florentine banker who financed foundational artworks of the early Italian Renaissance, the digital art collector and angel investor Cozomo de Medici burst onto the crypto art scene in 2021, dropping 1550 ETH (then worth $2.63 million) on two CryptoPunk Zombies. Since then he has amassed a large and varied collection of digital art on the blockchain, including major works by Sam Spratt, DeeKay Motion and XCOPY. In his Medici Minutes, the self-described grand patron of the digital arts documents his collecting journey and insights for more than 278K followers on Twitter. Much speculation has swirled on social media regarding the pseudonymous influencers identity. He made headlines in 2021 when Snoop Dogg claimed to be the real Cozomo. I'm fortunate to have some friends who enjoy trolling Twitter as much as I do, Medici said of the stunt. Medici is in the news again these days, but this time the focus is not on him but on his collection. He recently gifted 22 blockchain artworks to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which according to the institution is the largest donation of its kind to an American museum. Medici spoke with Christies about the importance of institutional recognition for digital art and his predictions for the future of collecting digital art. How did you come to be Cozomo de Medici? Cozomo de Medici: It started by accident in a way. In July 2021, I was shopping for a CryptoPunk Ape. I made up a random alias and joined the CryptoPunks Discord, where I connected with a gentleman named Justin Aversano. He generously began helping me contact the owners of these Apes, even though he had no idea who I was. We started some negotiations, and in the meantime, there was an Ape listed at the floor price [the lowest Buy Now price for an NFT within a collection], which was 1600 ETH.

Open a larger version of this image Justin Aversano, Twin Flames #64. Este & Lucja Hetman-Smith, 2018. Collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, gift of The Cozomo de Medici Collection, Justin Aversano, courtesy of the artist

I wanted an Ape that had a unique look, and that one was very similar to the collector Gmoneys Ape, plus I thought it was overpriced. So I continued to search, and then one day my mobile started blowing up with messages about the floor Ape. It had sold to Gary Vaynerchuk. When I went back to the collectors I was negotiating with, they had of course raised their prices. As I was debating biting the bullet and buying one, the prices just kept going up. My dreams of owning a CryptoPunk Ape were shattered. Justin suggested I grab two CryptoPunk Zombies, which had looked extremely overpriced that morning but by the afternoon looked like a good deal. I purchased them both, and that was when The Medici Collection was born. One of the Zombies I bought had a mask and was known in CryptoPunk lore as Cozom  for Covid Zombie. Knowing that Cosimo de Medici of the Early Renaissance had such a similar name, it was a natural transition to tweak the spelling a little  thats how I became Cozomo de Medici. How did the collection grow from there? CDM: When I acquired those CryptoPunks, it was supposed to be one and done. But then I started looking at other digital artwork and NFT projects.

Open a larger version of this image Matt DesLauriers, Meridian #547, 2021. Collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, gift of The Cozomo de Medici Collection

There's a great collector named BatSoupYum, and he tweeted this pyramid-shaped diagram of NFT Money Flow that shows the typical progression of the digital art collector, where you start with PFPs, like CryptoPunks. Then you find generative art, like the amazing work that's being done on Art Blocks, and then it ends with you acquiring one of one [1/1] artworks. That was basically my journey, same as many others. How would you describe your journey through this diagram? CDM: The term PFP is profile picture, and thats really what brought this big wave of people into the NFT space because people use PFPs as a digital flex on social media. As their value went up, they also became a wealth flex, like having a Rolex or the orange Lamborghini. After that I dove deep into the Art Blocks world and started acquiring some really exceptional generative art [NFTs that use algorithms to create content]. AC the Collectors online gallery was a real inspiration to me to start collecting generative art, seeing how well the works paired together and made this beautiful space.

Open a larger version of this image Yam Karkai, Woman n01, 2021. Collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, gift of The Cozomo de' Medici Collection, Yam Karkai, courtesy of the artist Open a larger version of this image Yam Karkai, Woman n015, 2021. Collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, gift of The Cozomo de' Medici Collection, Yam Karkai, courtesy of the artist

And that eventually led me to 1/1 art [single, unique editions] from artists like DeeKay, Claire Silver, Yam Karkai and of course XCOPY, of whom I'm one of the biggest collectors. That's how the spiral began, and now not a day or even an hour goes by that I'm not thinking about my next 1/1 digital fine art purchase. What does it mean to be a patron in the digital art world? CDM: I think the definition of patronage is buying art that you love. And not thinking, Is the price going up? Is this a flex? It's exploring a wide array of artists and artworks rather than sticking to the blue chip crypto art collections. Patrons have a responsibility to uplift emerging artists. Nasser David Khalili said in an interview recently that a true collector must not only collect but conserve, research, publish and exhibit his collection. I really resonated with that, and the digital art space makes it fairly easy to exhibit your collection in beautiful online galleries using platforms like Deca and On Cyber. You get more eyeballs virtually than you would at many IRL exhibitions. At the same time, Im passionate about putting on mind-blowing displays of digital art in real life. I think that will be key to onboarding the next 100 million collectors. And so that's a big focus of The Medici Collection, putting on some of the most elaborate displays of digital art in the physical world.

We want to show people that anyone can be an art collector  Cozomo de Medici

Our mission is to put digital art in every home. In a sense, it already is in every home because everyone has a smartphone. But theres a special pride of ownership with on-chain art. It's the difference between having a reproduction of a Picasso and having something created by Picasso's master hand on your wall. We want to show people that anyone can be an art collector. The digital art world has been primarily dominated by men, and we're really excited to help change that as well, supporting women-led digital art projects and encouraging new voices in the space, both artists and collectors. Vissyarts is one of my favourite stories. Shes an artist from Malaysia who was rejected by every gallery in her home city. They told her she would never make it in the art world. Then she started minting work online and grabbed the attention of digital art collectors, who really became a fanbase for her. Now she has collectors in all different parts of the world, after she was shunned by the traditional system. Tell us about your recent donation of 22 blockchain artworks to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. CDM: Im very excited. The goal was to gift a prominent museum a collection of works that tell a representative history of on-chain digital art. Its a well-rounded grouping that includes everything from NFT photography to 1/1 art to CryptoPunks to some of the earliest AI artworks.

Open a larger version of this image Pindar Van Arman, AI Imagined Portrait Painted by a Robot #2, 2018. Collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, gift of The Cozomo de Medici Collection, Pindar Van Arman, courtesy of the artist

LACMA has long been at the forefront of innovation in the art world, and it's been a joy having a mutual dialogue about the canon of art on the blockchain. This is the first and largest donation of its kind to an American art museum. We hope it will open the floodgates and inspire more collectors to place their art in institutions to be preserved and enjoyed as pieces of history in this digital renaissance. Where do you see the future of collecting digital art and its market? CDM: AI works are really disrupting everything. With platforms like DALL-E, anyone can type a sentence and spit out an artwork that had Van Gogh seen it in his lifetime his jaw would drop. There's a lot of noise that comes along with that, which is getting tougher to sort through. But artists like Claire Silver, Helena Sarin and Van Arman are mixing machine learning with a human touch in truly fascinating ways. New technological advancements are allowing humans to push the limits of the digital canvas and make interactive works that haven't been done before.

Open a larger version of this image Claire Silver, a feeling i cant put my finger on, 2021. Collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, gift of The Cozomo de Medici Collection

Right now, the traditional art market is dipping their toe into digital fine art. More and more people can see the value of blockchain technology when it comes to recording provenance data for traditional art. I think this year well see new platforms that enable artists who paint on physical canvas to record their provenance on the blockchain. I also see digital artists continuing to create physical works to accompany digital art. For example, Tyler Hobbss Fidenza NFTs come with a signed print. That's important right now because the digital displays are getting there, but they're not yet at a price that most people can afford. I think something that will really drive the next wave of digital art collecting is beautiful in-home displays. We're investing in in companies that are creating great displays, and it's also great to see some of the biggest screen makers in the world like Samsung embrace this technology and engineer their products to be more friendly to digital art display. How do you find new artists? CDM: It's a challenge. I've found a surprising number of artists through them commenting on my Tweets. And I encourage people to do so. I've been meaning to do a post on my Hall of Fame of Missed Direct Messages. I have many missed DMs from artists that have since had huge breakouts. I also like to ask artists who theyre into. I found Sam Spratt through FEWOCiOUS, who tweeted about him. And then I saw FEWO placing bids on Sam's I. Birth of Luci. And I thought, Wow, this is captivating. It was the last half hour of the auction. There were three people going for it. I quickly looked up Sam and saw the work he had done with amazing musicians. He had a lot of depth to his style, and seeing FEWO bidding was also a big sign for me because talent recognises talent. I bid on it and won. That was the first piece of his I acquired. It led me to a great friendship with Sam and to later acquire his VII. Wormfood at Christies.

Open a larger version of this image Matt Hall and John Watkinson, CryptoPunk #3831, 2017. Collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, gift of The Cozomo de Medici Collection

Do you have anything to say about all the speculation around your identity? CDM: Let's seeI love the guesses, and as everyone has seen, I like to have some fun with it. I'm fortunate to have some friends who enjoy trolling Twitter as much as I do. But I promised I would never speak about my identity again. Anonymity is critical for security in this space because of hacking, phishing attacks, and so on. I think the real identity story is the art and artists we support with the collection, that's why I do this.
As things stand, officials are yet to prepare pattas and there is no clarity on pattas for non-tribals so far. (DC File Photo)

HYDERABAD: The distribution of pattas for podu land to tribals is likely to be delayed further. As things stand, officials are yet to prepare pattas and there is no clarity on pattas for non-tribals so far.

Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao had assured the Legislative Assembly on February 10 that the state government will commence distribution of pattas in the last week of the month, after certain conditions were met.

Rao had announced that the state government would distribute pattas to beneficiaries of podu land spread over 11.5 lakh acres, which are in possession of tribals and others who are undertaking podu cultivation.

The CM had made it clear that pattas would be handed over to the beneficiaries only after village committees, ZPTCs, sarpanches and local tribal leaders of respective areas give a written undertaking to the government that there would be no further encroachment of forests.

Moreover, the government is uncertain on how to proceed on podu land held by non-tribals. It is learnt that it has decided to write to the Centre seeking permission to give pattas to non-tribals.
Rare and overlooked: four 20th-century works not to be missed

Specialist Katarina Stojanovic selects a quartet of particularly intriguing lots from the Impressionist and Modern Art Day and Works on Paper Sale at Christies in London on 3 March 2023

Stella Snead (1910-2006), Ritual, 1992 Stella Snead never set out to be part of the official Surrealist group, says Katarina Stojanovic, a specialist in Impressionist and Modern Art at Christies in London. She didnt want to join them because of the way the men looked down on their female counterparts. Snead was first introduced to the movement towards the end of the 1930s, initially in London, then later in New York  where many Surrealists had fled to escape war in Europe  by her friend from art school, Leonora Carrington. Turning her back on the collective, Snead moved to New Mexico, where she began to make paintings that were her own take on Surrealism, inspired by Native American myths and rituals. In the early 1950s Snead abandoned painting in favour of photography, spending the following two decades documenting her travels around the Middle East and Asia  in particular India. Travel was a form of liberation for Snead, Stojanovic explains. It meant an escape from the confines of the home, not just for her but for women generally  an idea that had infiltrated her paintings.

In 1987, Snead decided to return to the easel in a bid to reimagine her earlier paintings, the majority of which were now missing. Ritual (above), which was painted in 1992, is a recreation of a work originally conceived in the late 1940s. Ritual was included in Sneads 1999 show Rediscovery at CFM Gallery, New York, which marked only the second time any of her paintings had been exhibited to the public in half a century. I failed to get even a toe in the door of the New York art world or among the Surrealists. In 1998, I had turned 88 and time was running out to be rediscovered as a painter, Snead recalled. Quite suddenly the doors were flung open, and there was Neil Zukerman [owner of CFM Gallery] wanting to do just that!... What lovely luck! Six years later  and a year before her death  Sneads acclaim went institutional when one of her paintings was hung alongside works by Max Ernst, Yves Tanguy, Salvador Dali, Arshile Gorky and Joseph Cornell in the major retrospective Surrealism USA at New Yorks National Academy Museum.

Max Beckmann (1884-1950), Adam und Eva, conceived 1936 The horrors of the First World War caused the German artist Max Beckmann to have a nervous breakdown, which transformed his work from history paintings inspired by Old Masters to a new style of Expressionist art filled with narrative depictions of a dystopian post-war Berlin. He was relatively successful until 1933, when Hitler was appointed German chancellor. Beckmann was dismissed from his teaching post at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Frankfurt, and his works were removed from view in Berlins National Gallery.

Around the same time, Beckmann began to experiment with sculpture, creating just a handful of works in clay and plaster over the course of three years. Eight years after his death in 1950, Beckmanns widow, Mathilde (known as Quappi), and Catherine Viviano, who represented his estate, authorised bronzes to be cast from his only surviving terracotta sculpture: Adam und Eva. They were encouraged to do so by the young American collector Stanley Seeger. This cast, the first of an edition of five, was acquired by Seeger, explains Stojanovic. It depicts a seated man with a snake coiling around him, and in his lap he clutches an infantile Eve. Adam has a palpable sense of hopelessness and suffering that reflects Beckmanns fears about the rise of Nazism. Seeger became one of the most celebrated champions of modern art, owning more than 80 Picassos. Seeger provenance is highly prized, says the specialist. When you combine that with the rarity of a Beckmann sculpture, the sale of this work is quite a special moment.

Hannah Hoch (1889-1978), Der schone Po, 1958 Hannah Hoch was a pioneer of photomontage art in Germany during the Weimar Republic. She was introduced to Dada by the artist Raoul Hausmann, and not long after accepted into the Berlin Dada group. Other members included Max Ernst, George Grosz and Kurt Schwitters. Hoch, however, was the only female artist among the provocative ensemble. In 1920, she was invited to exhibit her montages  lampooning popular culture, politics and the role of women  at the First International Dada Fair. Yet despite the critical acclaim she received, her male peers were patronising. They continued for a long while to look upon [women] as charming and gifted amateurs, denying us implicitly any real professional status, Hoch later recalled. A few years later, the group disbanded. Hoch moved to The Hague, where she caused scandal by having a love affair with a woman. Then, in 1934, she was declared a Cultural Bolshevist by the Nazi party and banned from exhibiting. She returned to Germany but spent the war living and working incognito outside Berlin.

Open a larger version of this image Hannah Hoch (1889-1978), Der schone Po, 1958. Photomontage on paper laid down on the artists mount. Image: 14 x 10 in (35.9 x 26 cm). Sold for 63,000 on 3 March 2023 at Christies in London

Whats fascinating about Hoch is that she stayed true to her discipline and worked in photomontage for the rest of her life, says Stojanovic. Der schone Po, which was made in 1958, collages a females naked behind with ducks and waves. Its title is a play on words, referring simultaneously to the River Po, which flows through a fertile valley in northern Italy, and the German slang for butt. Its typical of her tongue-in-cheek style. Hochs reputation began to return to pre-war levels just before her death in 1978: between 1971 and 1976 she had retrospectives at the Akademie der Kunste in Berlin, the National Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto and the Musee dArt Moderne in Paris.

Felix Nussbaum (1904-1944), Netzflicker, 1928 This picture was painted by the German artist Felix Nussbaum in 1928  a time when Germany was at a crossroads between modernity and tradition, explains Stojanovic. It was an era of rapid industrialisation, which also saw a growing conservative backlash against the frivolity and avant-garde culture of the Weimar Republic. This painting is an interesting reflection of these tensions. The netmaker is a classical art motif, but Nussbaum uses it in a totally radical, modern style, as though trying to reconcile these two identities. Whether or not he realised it, Nussbaum was also discussing national identity with foresight  being German and Jewish would soon have deadly consequences.

Open a larger version of this image Felix Nussbaum (1904-1944), Netzflicker, 1928. Oil on canvas. 21 x 15 in (55.3 x 40.3 cm). Sold for 69,300 on 3 March 2023 at Christies in London

In 1932, Nussbaum won a scholarship at the German Academy in Rome. The following year, however, Hitler assumed power and sent his minister of propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, to the Italian capital. In Rome, Goebbels declared that art should promote Nazi ideology, and Nussbaum had his scholarship revoked. The artist never returned to Germany, instead settling in Brussels, where he painted depictions of people suffering from fear and persecution. In 1940, he was arrested and sent to a camp in the south of France, but he managed to escape and returned to Brussels. He worked for several years in hiding in an attic, until, following a tip-off, he was re-arrested by the Gestapo in 1944 and sent to Auschwitz, where he was murdered soon after arrival.

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India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ms. Ruchira Kamboj. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi/New York: Ahead of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting scheduled to be held in New Delhi on March 1 and 2, India early on Friday abstained from voting in the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on a resolution that reaffirmed commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders, reiterated the demand that Russia immediately withdraw all its military forces from Ukraine, called for a cessation of hostilities and emphasised the need to reach a "comprehensive, just and lasting peace" in Ukraine in line with the principles of the UN Charter.

Friday also saw the global observance of the first anniversary of the start of the Russian military offensive in Ukraine, with the Ukraine conflict dragging on in the past one year with no solution in sight. India meanwhile also slammed Pakistan after it referred to Jammu and Kashmir during the special session on Ukraine in the UNGA.

The 193-member General Assembly adopted the draft resolution, put forward by Ukraine and its supporters, titled 'Principles of the Charter of the United Nations underlying a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine' in which 141 nations voted in favour, 32 nations including India abstained and seven voted against. New Delhi questioned whether the UN Security Council (UNSC), based "on a 1945-world construct" has not been rendered ineffective in resolving the conflict, adding that given the resolution's "inherent limitations in reaching our desired goal of securing a lasting peace, we are constrained to abstain".

It may be recalled that India has abstained during the voting on all the resolutions so far in the past one year at the UNSC and UNGA that have been directly critical of Russia. New Delhi has also so far not condemned the Russian military offensive in Ukraine but has supported the need to respect territorial integrity of nations.

In the Explanation of Vote after the resolution was adopted, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ms. Ruchira Kamboj was quoted by news agencies as saying that as the General Assembly marks a year of the Ukrainian conflict, "it is important that we ask ourselves a few pertinent questions. Are we anywhere near a possible solution acceptable to both sides? Can any process that does not involve either of the two sides, ever lead to a credible and meaningful solution? Has the UN system, and particularly its principal organ, the UN Security Council, based on a 1945-world construct, not been rendered ineffective to address contemporary challenges to global peace and security?"

Reiterating that India remains steadfastly committed to multilateralism and upholds the principles of the UN Charter, she added, "We will always call for dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable way out. While we take note of the stated objectives of today's resolution, given its inherent limitations in reaching our desired goal of securing a lasting peace, we are constrained to abstain."

"Instead an urgent return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy is the way forward  India's approach to the Ukraine conflict will continue to be people-centric. We are providing both humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and economic support to some of our neighbours in the Global South under economic distress, even as they stare at the escalating costs of food, fuel, and fertilisers, which has been a consequential fallout of the ongoing conflict," Ms. Kamboj said.

Meanwhile, India slammed Pakistan after it referred to J&K during the special session on Ukraine UNGA, terming the provocation as "regrettable and misplaced" and calling out Islamabad's track record of harbouring and providing safe havens to terrorists with impunity.

"I'm taking the floor today to say that India chooses this time not to respond to Pakistan's mischievious provocations. Our advice to the delegate of Pakistan is to refer to our numerous Rights of Reply that we have exercised in the past," Counsellor in India's Permanent Mission to the UN Mr. Pratik Mathur was quoted as saying.

"Pakistan has only to look at itself and its own track record as a state that harbours and provides safe havens to terrorists and does so with impunity. Such uncalled for provocation is particularly regrettable and certainly misplaced at a time when after two days of intense discussions, we have all agreed that the path of peace can be the only path forward to resolve conflict and discord," Mr. Mathur added.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses Finance ministers and central bank governors at G-20 financial conclave being held in Bangaluru, through a video message from New Delhi (AP)

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday urged G20 nations to focus on the worlds most vulnerable citizens as the financial viability of many countries was under threat due to unsustainable debt.

"Trust in international financial institutions has eroded, partly because the lenders were slow to reform themselves," Modi said in a video message at the start of a two-day meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors in Bengaluru.

"I urge that discussions focus on the most vulnerable. Only by creating an inclusive agenda will the global economic leadership win back the confidence of the world. The theme of our G20 presidency also promotes this vision  one earth, one family, one future," he noted.

"The first ministerial-level dialogue will be spread over multiple sessions aimed at fostering global economic cooperation. It will focus on issues relating to the international financial architecture, sustainable finance, infrastructure, financial sector and financial inclusion etc," he said.

Modi said that global economy faced multiple challenges. "It is now up to you  the custodians of the leading economies and monetary systems to bring back stability, confidence and growth to the global economy. It is not an easy task," he said. Modi also urged the top finance officials to draw inspiration from the "vibrancy of the Indian economy".

"Indian consumers and producers are optimistic and confident about the future. We hope that you will be able to transmit the same positive spirit to the global economy," he said.

He also noted that progress in sustainable development goals was slowing when the world population has crossed eight billion. "A collective effort is needed to strengthen multilateral development banks to meet global challenges like climate change and high debt levels," he said.

Pointing to the emergence of technology solutions and digital payments during the pandemic, Modi noted that some innovations in digital finance posed "risks of destabilisation and misuse". "I hope that you will explore how the power of technology can be used for good, while developing standards to regulate its possible risks. India's own experience can be a model," he said.

"Over the past few years, we have created a highly secure, highly trusted, and highly efficient public digital infrastructure. Our digital payments eco-system has been developed as a free public good. This has radically transformed governance, financial inclusion, and ease-of-living in India," he said, adding that examples like UPI can be templates for many other countries too.
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Job Description



Background



UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.



UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

The Swiss-UNDP project Resilient, Inclusive Markets in Moldova (PRIM) is set to contribute to the promotion of integrated approaches to inclusive and sustainable local economic development and employment creation, in partnership with ILO and SDC, targeting both local populations, as well as returning migrants and refugees.

Previous and ongoing SDC  UNDP efforts to address the positive impact of migration and engage migrants in local socio-economic development, along with design and piloting of local economic developments models and partnerships shaped an enabling environment to expand the current work and take it to another level. In this context, Moldova has several comparative advantages that can be harnessed to steam up the growth, broaden its geography, and make it more socially inclusive.

To do so, UNDP Moldova will further advance the successful LED interventions by scaling up the focus from local to (micro)-regional, while at the same time leveraging revenue generation, strengthening business support services and value chains to increase the competitiveness of local economy, retention of human capital and facilitate local socio-economic development. The role of the SMEs, including owned and led by migrants, is crucial, being potentially the most efficient connection between the economic growth and welfare of the employed persons, particularly in the remote rural communities and small towns. Also new political and socio-economic development required new approaches, taking into consideration the need to build more resilient, inclusive, and innovative local communities and local markets.

Hence, the strategic goal of the PRIM project is to enhance the SMEs-based sustainable economic development and promote equal access to decent work at the local and (micro)-regional levels, targeting both local populations, as well as returning migrants and refugees. It leverages the enhanced multi-stakeholder cooperation, improved business support services and complementary regulatory frameworks at the level of individual communities and micro-regions.

The Project will enhance sustainability of the results from the previous efforts supported by the Swiss Government, shape them to the new political and socio-economic developments, by embracing and promoting relevant policy and community-action innovations and by ensuring engagement of all relevant stakeholders in the design and implementation of local development solutions for building responsive institutions, inclusive economy, and resilient communities. In light of the regional security environment that is expected to remain turbulent even in the most optimistic scenarios, the Project is intended to bring a valuable contribution to the triple humanitarian-development-peace nexus at the local/regional level.

The strategic goal of the PRIM project is to enhance the inclusive, competitive, and sustainable economic development, and promote equal access to decent work at the local and (micro)-regional levels, by leveraging the enhanced multi-stakeholder cooperation, improved business support services and complementary regulatory frameworks. The Project targets three interrelated Outcomes.

As part of Outcome 1, policy and institutional frameworks create an empowering environment for inclusive and sustainable economic development in the targeted economic sectors.

Outcome 2 assumes that local/regional communities including private sector representatives, meaningfully cooperate in cluster formats to enhance value chains and improve their competitiveness.

As part of Outcome 3, the people of Moldova, especially women, youth, returning migrants and refugees, will benefit from improved economic opportunities in the pilot micro-regions.

Duties and Responsibilities



Administrative management:

Assume overall responsibility for the coordination of project administrative matters;

Contribute to project implementation and ensure conformity to expected results and work plans;

Monitor compliance with both UNDP and Donor standards and ensure the corresponding quality control;

Provide advice to the project team on administrative issues and financial issues;

Maintain records on all project personnel and consultants, including their respective status (e.g. contracts, ToRs and reports, etc.) in accordance with accepted policies and procedures;

Ensure compliance with corporate human resources policies and strategies under UNDP HR procedures;

Undertake other administrative tasks on an ad hoc basis.

Financial management:

Ensure compliance with all corporate rules of UNDP in the field of financial planning, reporting, and auditing;

Monitor budget expenditures and maintain a proper record of approved project budgets and their revisions;

Produce relevant operational and financial reports according to UNDP rules and procedures;

Respond to queries from the UNDP and SDC with respect to financial aspects of the programme, liaise with UNDP-appointed and external auditors wherever required;

Prepare requests for advance of funds and/or direct payments, as well as proposals for budget revisions;

Prepare recurring reports as scheduled and other reports as required for budget preparations and audit;

Perform necessary checks of the financial reports submitted by sub-contracted project implementers;

Advise and assist international and national consultants on all aspects of allowances, travel claims and other financial matters and calculate payments due for claims and services;

Provide advice to the team on project financial issues;

Undertake other financial tasks on an ad hoc basis.

Procurement:

Organize procurement processes in full compliance with UNDP rules and regulations;

Elaborate the Projects procurement plan and monitor its implementation;

Process transactions in Quantum, in line with the Internal Control Framework;

Prepare and issue project contracts;

Prepare and oversee the Projects asset inventory;

Institutional Arrangement

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the PRIM Project Manager and in close cooperation with the Policy Component Manager, the Project Associate shall contribute to an effective and efficient implementation of the project activities via administrative and financial management.

The Project Associate will work in close collaboration with the Project team as well as the team in the Country Office (CO) for effective achievement of results, anticipating and contributing to resolving complex project-related issues and information delivery.

Competencies

Core Competencies

Achieve Results: LEVEL 2: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work

Think Innovatively: LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking

Learn Continuously: LEVEL 2: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others and support their learning

Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process

Act with Determination: LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously

Engage and Partner: LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships

Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision making

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

Business management - Resource management:

Ability to allocate and use resources in a strategic or tactical way in line with principles of accountability and integrity

Business management - Digital awareness and literacy:

Ability and inclination to rapidly adopt new technologies, either through skillfully grasping their usage or through understanding their impact and empowering others to use them as needed

Business management - Working with evidence and data:

Ability to inspect, cleanse, transform and model data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions, and supporting decision-making

Business management - Monitoring:

Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results

Digital & Innovation - Data analysis:

Ability to extract, analyze and visualize data (including Real-Time Data) to form meaningful insights and aid effective decision making

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section:

Proven experience in a similar position in UN Agencies will be considered an advantage.

Commitment to UNDP mission, vision, and values.

Openness to change and ability to manage complexities.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Secondary education.

Bachelor's degree in economics, finance, accounting, or other related field is desirable.

Experience:

Minimum 7 years (with Secondary education) or 4 years (with Bachelors degree) of experience in administrative work, accounting/finance, economics, or other substantive area.

Required skills:

Experience in development assistance or related work for a development organization, consulting company, or NGO.

Familiarity with the internal control framework and results-based management tools is a must.

Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.), advance knowledge of automated procurement systems, experience in handling of web-based management systems.

Language:

Fluency in English and Romanian.

Knowledge of one or more minority languages relevant for Moldova, including Russian, Romani, Gagauzian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian and sign language, is an asset.

The following documents shall be required from the applicants:

Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.

A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.

Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns or other materials.

Disclaimer



Applicant information about UNDP rosters



Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.



Scam warning



The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

Data de incheiere a postului vacant: 9 March 2023

Pentru a aplica, va rugam sa adresati link-ul: http://bit.ly/3xR0Lle
Since Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago today, countless charities and volunteers have offered support to those left stranded and displaced by the war.

The humanitarian response has been immense. Take the Disasters Emergency Committees (DEC) Ukraine fundraising appeal . So far, it has raised over 400m, of which 71% was donated directly to DEC and 29% to its member charities that used DEC co-branding.

Many individuals wanted to do more than donate to support victims of the war. According to the Charity Commission website, 31 charities across the UK have registered in response to Russias escalation of the war so far with the sole aim of relieving the needs of the people of Ukraine.

These newly-registered charities have faced specific challenges. Not only do they operate in a high-risk environment, but they also do not have access to the same resources as their long-standing counterparts.

A difficult start

Nearly a month after the start of the conflict, the Commission said that it was prioritising applications to register charities with objects that relate to the crisis in Ukraine, recognising that people wanted to take urgent action and help those in need.

However, some charities still reported difficulties getting registered.

Richard Jones, chair of Revive Ukraine, says: We waited seven months for the Charity Commissions approval. For novices such as ourselves, it wasnt straightforward to set up everything.

A spokesperson for the regulator said: We introduced a special priority route for all new applications connected to the war to be assessed within 48 hours whilst still ensuring we applied our necessarily robust legal test for charitable status.

On top of this test, we identified certain risk areas, such as in aid convoys and medical supplies, which required further scrutiny in the context of the dangerous and complex situation these charities were seeking to operate in.

While we appreciate that speed in registration was important to applicants reacting to the invasion of Ukraine, it is right that we assessed all applications carefully to make sure that only those which met the test for charitable status were registered.

Another challenge faced by some charities was accessing banking services.

Steve Lewis, chair of Hope for Ukraine, recalls that after his charity was able to put 10,000 into a new account, the bank blocked it for three months while seeking further information.

It took them two months before they asked for that information and a further month to process it. The admin of complaining to the chair of the Charity Commission, the bank and the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) and reporting a serious incident to the Commission put a significant strain on our resources. The FOS enquiry was only completed [in February 2023].

Peter Martin, founding director of Hope Lebedyn, says it was a nightmare to set up a bank account.

Getting money out to Ukraine at the beginning was hard and traditional bank methods almost impossible. It took a month to clear funds. We had to be innovative to find new ways to get funds out to the team working on the ground in Ukraine.

Donor fatigue and lack of funding

Jones believes that supporters seem to be less interested now in helping Ukrainians than they were when the conflict started.

His charity began collecting humanitarian aid for Ukraine at the outset of the war, receiving enough donations to send a fully loaded van to the country within a week. It now focuses on helping Ukrainian refugee families in the Hart and Rushmoor areas of Hampshire.

Funding was initially relatively forthcoming through crowdfunding when the objectives for the public were obvious, he says. Its very difficult to raise funding now because there is a general perception that our Ukrainian refugees are getting everything they need.

Theres also a very competitive market aimed at the public who, with ever more financial pressures, are very choosy about where they give when they feel inclined to support a cause. The current earthquake disaster [in southern Turkey and north-west Syria] quite rightly goes to the top of the need list. However, we still need to support our Ukrainian guests.

Lewis of Hope for Ukraine also notes a decline in donations. We were established at the Charity Commission on 28 April. Throughout the summer and autumn of last year, our donations were fairly stable but as winter approached, we started to see some donor fatigue and had to turn to more commercial ways of raising the donations we need.

The other issue for recently registered charities, Jones points out, is the lack of expertise to apply for grant and government funding, with processes that are slow and demanding.

This is a view shared by Karol Swiacki, founder and chief executive office of Ukraine Relief, a charity that sends essential supplies to Ukrainians in need.

The charity received about 200,000 in donations last year which allowed to send tonnes of aid to Ukraine and cover fuel costs of the trucks carrying the goods.

Ukraine Relief began its life as Help from Bournemouth to Ukraine on the second day of the conflict. Swiacki explains that the initiative received so many goods from various countries that it then changed its name to Ukraine Relief and registered as a charitable incorporated organisation in July.

As the charity has gained more traction both nationally and internationally, Swiacki says it is now looking to obtain government funding. But it is really difficult to know how to go about it when you dont have knowledge as a charity, he says.

Rebuilding is a challenge

With the war showing no signs of abating, it is difficult for charities to plan ahead. It is estimated that 18 million of people in Ukraine will need humanitarian aid and protection this year.

Martin of Hope Lebedyn says: We will endeavour in our small way to reach the people and help within the bounds of the trust but each day is different with military activity some days and not others.

Rebuilding is a challenge therefore as we dont know for how long this war will continue. In our work, were confident we will be making a difference in the region in which we operate.

For Swiacki, this year will be about helping more children and families who cannot run away from Ukraine as well as investing in schools.

We want to help rebuild Ukraine so people can feel safe in that country. Its a huge plan but it can be done because of our contacts in Ukraine. Were working not to be involved in corruption. Its important to listen to the people youre helping so the money and aid are going to the right places, he says.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to include comment and further information from the Charity Commission.

sign up to receive the Civil Society News daily bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector,
Charities sector bodies have urged Keir Starmer to work with charities as he develops Labours policy proposals for the next general election.

The leader of the opposition said central government needed to support civil society organisations to achieve long-term goals as he outlined the five missions he will put at the centre of Labours offer to voters at the next election this week.

Charity bodies NCVO, NPC, and the Sheila McKechnie Foundation (SMK) all said they were encouraged by Starmers speech and urged him to consult charities in the coming months as Labour develops its policy proposals further.

NCVO: Ensure civil society has a seat at the table

Labours report says: If we are to credibly achieve our long-term goals, we need government to be more agile, empowering, and catalytic - supporting a whole range of public, private and civil society players to make an impact.

Sarah Vibert, chief executive at NCVO said: We were happy to hear Keir Starmer acknowledge the need for greater investment in our public services and local government, alongside reform, to deliver better outcomes.

She added: We must also urgently invest in, value, and listen to the charities, volunteers, organisations, and groups found in every community. Our vibrant civil society is essential to achieving inclusive economic growth, net zero, better public services, and stronger communities. They must be at the heart of delivering the kind of change Labour is setting out.

We encourage Labour to ensure civil society has a seat at the table as they continue to develop their proposals.

Vibert emphasised the importance of not losing focus on the immediate and pressing crises facing communities as many of our members are struggling with spiralling costs, rising demand and falling income.

The NCVO boss called for targeted support for charities so they can continue to deliver vital services.

SMK: Starmer should protect charities basic right to campaign

Rob Abercrombie, deputy director at SMK told Civil Society News it was heartening to hear Starmer recognise the big issues of the day can only be tackled together, drawing on expertise of charities.

Any government that neglects the unique insights offered by our sector will, more likely than not, fail to address the root causes of issues, he said.

Abercrombie added: The SMK hopes Starmer envisages a country where charities are free to pursue their missions, without fear of reprisal. Recent years have seen charities' right to campaign continually attacked and undermined.

Going forward it is vital Starmer commits to protecting and strengthening charities' basic right to campaign for their mission.

Charities could bring huge value to policy proposals

Theo Clay, policy manager at NPC, said Starmers five missions are ambitious and he will need to use all the resources available to achieve them.

Charities and communities could bring huge value to confronting the challenges Starmer identified, from preventing social problems arising, to giving people a say in decisions which affect them or building the skills to create the world leading growth Starmer wants to see.

Harnessing this ready-resource embedded in charities and communities is a key way that any government will achieve its social and economic goals, a point we will continue to make to Labour as well as to the Conservatives.

sign up to receive the Civil Society News daily bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector,
This is part of a series on platforms and the press published jointly by CJR and the UCLA Institute for Technology, Law & Policy.



In his book Custodians of the Internet, Tarleton Gillespie argues that a platform is not a platform without moderation. The question, however, is how the content moderation policies imposed by the platforms affect the news. How do these policies affect the self-censorship of journalists and media outlets when writing news, especially in communities like Palestine, where people and journalists are exposed to more censorship on the platforms?

In May 2021, the Israeli authorities were forcibly displacing Palestinians from their homes in some neighborhoods in Jerusalem, where Palestinians rose up in what they called the May uprising, which was followed by an attack on the Gaza Strip. During the two weeks of the uprising, my organization, 7amlehThe Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media, documented five hundred content censorship cases on the social media platforms, 85 percent of which were on Metas platforms, in cases involving journalists and activists, as well as organizations and individuals. Ultimately, 7amleh was able to restore many of those cases, as they werent violating Metas community standards.

During the same time period, an Egyptian journalist shared a post via the Al Jazeera Arabic page and was censored based on Metas dangerous organizations and individuals policy (DOI). Later on, the issue was escalated to Metas Oversight Board, which after reviewing the case recommended that the content did not violate its rules. Based on this case, the Oversight Board recommended Meta adopt a set of recommendations, including that it conduct a thorough examination (by an independent third-party institution) to determine whether Facebooks content moderation in Arabic and Hebrew, including its use of automation, have been applied without bias.

The Business Social Responsibility Network (BSR) report proved that Metas policies are biased against Palestinians and that company practices over-enforce its content moderation policies on Palestinian Arabic content and under-enforce Israeli Hebrew content. The report pointed out that this affects the right to freedom of expression in Palestine, among many other rights, while allowing hate speech and incitement against Palestinians to remain on the platform, which often leads to real-world harm. Another report by 7amleh confirmed a fifteen-fold increase in incitement, hate speech, and violent discourse in Hebrew during the May uprising, compared with the same period of the previous year.

The biased content moderation policies against Palestinians raise the rate of self-censorship and have a chilling effect among activists and journalists. Two-thirds of Palestinian youth refrain from political participation on social media platforms because of censorship, according to 7amleh. Self-censorship also prompted them, in many cases, to circumvent the platforms policies by changing some keywords, such as the names of some Palestinian political parties, many of which are included in Metas DOI list, to avoid the imposed censorship.

According to a leak of the list published by The Intercept, forty-eight Palestinian individuals and organizations were designated, many of them factions and political parties in Palestine. The list included only two Israeli names, one for an organization and the other for an individual who is considered the founder of the organization. Although there are calls within the Israeli government to designate more militarized groups as terrorist organizations, Meta does not take this into consideration. Journalists have to think carefully about how to frame news pieces to avoid censorship. Sometimes, when writing the names of some Palestinian political parties, these media organizations write them in an encrypted way by entering some letters in English between the Arabic letters, or via the use of some symbols, to minimize content censorship. This affects the form of the final news that is transmitted through the platforms of Arabic-speaking media organizations.

The Egyptian journalist had the courage, time, and effort to escalate his case to Metas Oversight Board. Most Palestinian journalists and news organizations dont have the same privilege.

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Mona Shtaya is the advocacy and communications manager at 7amlehThe Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media.
Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. (Twitter)

VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy dared his arch rival and Telugu Desam president N. Chandrababu Naidu to convince the people of anything he says, including the latest promise that he would continue the welfare schemes of the YSR Congress government.

Dismissing the allegations of excess borrowings and reckless spending by his government as a smear campaign by Naidu and the media houses loyal to him, the Chief Minister, armed with statistical data, said his government is always well within borrowing limits fixed by the Centre.

"Who in Andhra Pradesh believes him (Naidu)," Jagan told Deccan Chronicle. The Direct Benefit Transfer amounting to nearly two lakh crore rupees helped people in particular poor survive, sustain and pump back into the economy, he pointed out.

According to the Chief Minister, the borrowings resorted to by the Naidu government when the overall economy was registering growth were much higher than his governments at a time when economy had nosedived due to global pandemic. The compounded annual growth rate of state debt during 2014-19 was 19.02 per cent against 13.55 per cent between 2019-23.

When compared with Centre, the states debt grew at 19.02 per cent CAGR during 2014-19 while that of the Centre was just 9.89 per cent. On the contrary, the states debt grew at 13.55 per cent between 2019-23 during which period the Centres debt growth stood at 13.85 per cent.

The states debt grew at a very fast pace when there was no significant economic stress (during the Naidu regime) and grew at a slower pace in Jagan Mohan Reddys regime when the debt burden increased across economies.

Referring to the net borrowing ceiling fixed by the Centre, state financial adviser D. Krishna said the TD government had resorted to borrowing of Rs 48,128 cr in excess to the ceiling in the first five years post-bifurcation, while the Jagan Mohan Reddy government borrowed Rs 2,696 crore less than the permitted ceiling.

On contributing to the national income, he said that owning to favourable policies of the YSRC government, the average contribution to national income during the TD regime was 4.45 per cent which had risen to 5 per cent in the present government.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. (PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI: The Congress has decided not to hold elections to its highest decision making body, the Congress Working Committee (CWC). Its members will be nominated by the Congress president. The decision was taken at the Steering Committee meeting.

The Gandhis skipped the meeting during the ongoing 85th plenary session in Raipur. Congress leaders Digvijay Singh, Ajay Maken and Dr Abhishek Singhvi were in favour of holding elections to the CWC.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge told the steering committee, "There is a big challenge and opportunity before us. The party's constructive message should reach the partys rank and file across the country and infuse a fresh energy in every worker to reach out to the common people and help win their confidence. Whatever decision we take, will lay a strong foundation for our partys future from Kanyakumari to Kashmir," he said.

The plenary session is being held in Chhattisgarh ahead of Assembly elections to half a dozen states and the 2024 Parliamentary elections.

The Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh said, "Keeping in mind the political challenges facing the country and the Congress as Opposition, and the far-reaching amendments that are to take place in the Congress Constitution, the committee decided that this is the time to empower the president." The Congress steering committee also approved several amendments to the party constitution, one of which is to give permanent membership to former prime ministers and former party presidents in the all-powerful working committee. The party will also amend its constitution to provide reservation of up to 50 per cent to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs, women, minorities and the youth in the Congress Working Committee (CWC). In all, 16 provisions and 32 rules would be changed in the Congress constitution. The amendment to be brought in the party constitution says "among the 23 members of the Congress Working Committee (other than the president of the Congress and the chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary party, the Congress prime minister/former prime ministers, the leaders of the Congress in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and former presidents of the Congress). Later in the evening the subjects committee of the plenary also met under the leadership of the Congress President. It was also attended by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

The plenary on Saturday will start with the address of the Congress president Kharge followed by the address of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi. After that the delegates will break into their respective groups and deliberate. The party is expected to come out with a five-point programme on Sunday. The party has already declared that it will be leading the Opposition alliance to take on the Modi juggernaut.
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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.
Chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) plans to set up a second semiconductor manufacturing plant in Japan with an investment of about $7.4 billion, Japanese newspaper Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun reported.

TSMC will build the new plant in the southwestern region of Kumamoto to manufacture 5nm and 10nm chips from 2025, the report said.

A TSMC spokesperson declined to comment on the development but instead pointed to CEO CC Weis comment from the companys last quarterly earnings call in January, which said, In Japan, we are building a specialty technology fab, which will utilize 12 and 16 nanometer, and 22/28 process technologies. Volume production is scheduled for late 2024. We are also considering building a second fab in Japan, as long as the demand from customers and the level of government support makes sense.

TSMCs global expansion plans

TSMC has been looking to expand beyond Taiwan to places such as the US, Europe, and Japan. This expansion is also expected to be supported by subsidies offered by the host countries, which are looking at reducing their dependence on China.

The company has already started work at its massive chip factory in Arizona, while it continues to scout for locations for a factory in Europe. Experts believe this global expansion could significantly benefit the chipmaker even if the cost of production is much higher in the new locations.

The construction cost of building and facilities for the US fab is up to 5x greater versus a fab in Taiwan, per TSMC, said Sravan Kundojjala, an analyst at the market research firm TechInsights. TSMC spends 80% of its CapEx on equipment and 20% on construction. Overall, a fab in the US can cost 80% higher than a fab in Taiwan. However, TSMC seeks to narrow this cost gap with government incentives.

Why is it important for TSMC to expand beyond Taiwan?

TSMC needs to diversify beyond Taiwan to access a wider talent pool and stay close to customer locations, Kundojjala said. Moreover, it has become imperative for foundries to guarantee manufacturing capacity to customers amid the US-China chip war. Diversifying its operational locations could help TSMC withstand climate, talent shortage, and political tensions between Taiwan and China.

TSMCs US fab will help it stay close to customers and immune to potential China invasion. Arizona is known for its talent pool, subsidies, and foundry ecosystem. Intel has been operating in Arizona for years. Despite its presence in Arizona, TSMC will not be able to meet all its US customer demands immediately. Taiwan will continue to be a big part of its plans, said Kundojjala.

The US fab will help TSMC serve leading-edge US customers, while the Japan fab will help the company gain traction in specialty technologies (image sensor, auto MCUs etc.), and 3D IC research, Kundojjala said. Apple, AMD, NVIDIA and Qualcomm support the Chips Act to help TSMC narrow the cost gap.

Despite political and trade tensions between Taiwan and China, China continues to be a big revenue source for TSMC. TSMC continued to serve Chinese customers that are not on the entity list. China accounted for around 10% of TSMCs revenue in 2022, Kundojjala said.
More employers are leaving behind college degree requirements and embracing a skills-based hiring approach that emphasizes strong work backgrounds, certifications, assessments, and endorsements. And soft skills are becoming a key focus of hiring managers, even over hard skills.

Large companies, including Boeing, Walmart, and IBM, have signed on to varying skills-based employment projects, such as Rework America Alliance, the Business Roundtables Multiple Pathways program, and the campaign to Tear the Paper Ceiling, pledging to implement skills-based practices, according to McKinsey & Co.

So far, theyve removed degree requirements from certain job postings and have worked with other organizations to help workers progress from lower- to higher-wage jobs, McKinsey said in a November report.

Skills-based hiring helps companies find and attract a broader pool of candidates who are better suited to fill positions the long term, and it opens up opportunities to non-traditional candidates, including women and minorities, according to McKinsey.

At Google, a four-year degree is not required for almost any role at the company  and a computer science degree isn't required for most software engineering or product manager positions. Our focus is on demonstrated skills and experience, and this can come through degrees or it can come through relevant experience, said Tom Dewaele, Googles vice president of people experience.

Similarly, Bank of America has refocused its hiring to use a skills-based approach. We recognize that prospective talent think they need a degree to work for us, but that is not the case, said Christie Gragnani-Woods, a Bank of America global talent acquisition executive. We are dedicated to recruiting from a diverse talent pool to provide an equal opportunity for all to find careers in financial services, including those that dont require a degree.

Hard skills, such as cybersecurity and software development, are still in peak demand, but organizations are finding soft skills can be just as importanr, according to Jamie Kohn, research director in the Gartner Researchs human resources practice.

Soft skills, which are often innate, include adaptability, leadership, communications, creativity, problem solving or critical thinking, good interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate with others.

Also, people dont learn all their [hard] skills at college, Kohn said. They havent for some time, but theres definitely a surge in self-taught skills or taking online courses. You may have a history major whos a great programmer. Thats not at all unusual anymore. Companies that dont consider that are missing out by requiring specific degrees.

A lessening of 'degree discrimnation'

From 2000 through 2020 degree discrimination, cost employees who were skilled through alternative routes 7.4 million jobs, according to Opportunity@Work, a Washington-based nonprofit promoting workers who are skilled through alternatives routes. Alternative routes include skills learned on the job, in the military, through training programs, or at community colleges, for example.

They are among our countrys greatest under-valued resources  the invisible casualties of Americas broken labor market  where low-wage work is often equated with low-skill work and the lack of a degree is presumed to be synonymous with a lack of skills, Opportunity@Work explains on its site.

Over the past few years, however, job postings with a degree requirement have dropped from 51% of jobs in 2017 to 44% in 2021, according to the Burning Glass Institute.

Much of the recent shift to skills-based hiring is due to the dearth of tech talent created by the Great Resignation and a growin number of digital transformation projects. While the US unemployment rate hovers around 3.5%, in technology fields, its less than half that (1.5%).

While many IT occupations have also seen degree requirements vanish, there remain three where bachelor's degrees are still blocking the more than 70 million workers who have skills gained through alternatives to college, according Opportunity@Work:

Computer & Information Systems Managers : 698,000 workers hold such jobs today  and 19% of them are alternatively trained. Yet, 94% of those jobs require a bachelor's degree.

: 698,000 workers hold such jobs today  and 19% of them are alternatively trained. Yet, 94% of those jobs require a bachelor's degree. Computer Programmers : 481,000 workers fill these jobs today, 21% of whom are alternatively trained. But 76% of those jobs require a bachelor's degree.

: 481,000 workers fill these jobs today, 21% of whom are alternatively trained. But 76% of those jobs require a bachelor's degree. Computer Support Specialists: 539,000 workers now have these jobs, with 45% of them alternatively trained. And still, 45% of ttheose jobs require a bachelor's degree.

As many as 70% of organizations have rolled out some kind of workplace technology education in the past year, according to a survey of HR professionals and workers by digital consulting agency West Monroe.

With this figure in mind, it will be imperative for these organizations to assess their workforce and invest in teaching their workers new skills instead of taking the time, effort and cost to fill a new position, West Monroe said.

While the cost and time it takes to acquire skills in software development, Java, Python, big data, risk management, and algorithms is high, so is their longevity.

The payoff for skills in this group is often as long as a persons entire career, the Burning Glass Institute stated in a report this month. Historically, these are the skills that are ripe for reskilling and redeploying talent for the long term.

Other skills such as risk management and project management also stand out as being particularly durable, yet costly to develop  but theyre not typically as expensive to hire for, according to Burning Glass Institute.

Skills that can be built on an as-needed basis  because the time to learn them is generally low but the return on investment is high  include salesforce, data structures, data analysis, visual design, SAS (software) and cost estimation, the report said.

Many organizations are already implementing internal programs to upskill new and existing employees.

According to research firm IDC, 60% of the Global 2000 corporations have or will have a citizen developer training ecosystem. A significant number of those developers will come not from IT, but from business units looking to digitize processes and using low-code or no-code software tools.

While citizen developers may have little coding knowledge, theyre generally tech savvy; theyve worked with spreadsheets and databases, or theyre intimately familiar with corporate technology because they're customer service representatives or business analysts.

We have seen a surge in demand for particularly digital and tech-related skills, Kohn said. "A lot of companies have accelerated their digital transformation. So, theres a huge demand and not enough talent going around."

The change isn't just in private industry

Skills-based hiring practices aren't limited to the private sector. Last year, the White House announced new limits on the use of educational requirements. Over the past year, five governors removed most college degree requirements for entry-level state jobs.

In January, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced that his first executive order would ensure 92% of state government jobs no longer require a four-year college degree. The move opened up 65,000 state jobs that previously required a college degree and meant candidates are free to compete for those positions based on skills, relevant experience, and merit. Shapiros move followed similar actions in other states, such as Colorado, Utah and Maryland. In Utahs case, 98% of its civil servant jobs will no longer require a college degree.

Degrees have become a blanketed barrier-to-entry in too many jobs, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said in a statement. Instead of focusing on demonstrated competence, the focus too often has been on a piece of paper. We are changing that.

And just this week, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy ordered a review of which state jobs could have four-year college degree requirements eliminated as a way to tackle the public sectors recruitment and retention crisis.

Relying too much on academic degrees is a significant factor in the over-speccing of job requirements for tech positions, according to CompTIA, a nonprofit association for the IT industry and its workers. CompTIA's research has found that a notable segment of HR professionals are unaware of the concept of overspeccing when creating job postings.

In 2022, 61% of all employer job postings for tech positions nationally listed a four-year degree or higher as a requirement. In Pennsylvania, a degree was required in 62% of postings for tech jobs, in Utah, 59%; and in Maryland, 69%.

Thats not to say a degree doesnt play some role later in the process, Kohn said. Hiring managers are still skeptical of candidates who dont have a traditional technology background. The difference is theyre allowing people with different backgrounds to get a foot in the door.

For example, a marketing professional with data analytics skills might not be able to land an IT role. They may be a great fit it," Kohn said, "but they just dont have the background companies traditionally look for."
The threat landscape is highly diverse and attacks range in sophistication from the most basic scams to nation-state-level cyberespionage. However, companies need to prioritize their defenses against the most common threats that are likely to impact them and their employees.

In its newly released annual State of Malware report, cybersecurity firm Malwarebytes selected five threats that they consider to be archetypes for some of the most common malware families observed in 2022:

LockBit ransomware

The Emotet botnet

The SocGholish drive-by download

Android droppers

macOS Genio adware

"Protecting your business for the rest of 2023 requires one critical understanding: The most dangerous cyberthreats you will face are not the strangest attacks you will see on any given week, or the most sophisticated, or the most eye-catching. They are not even the most prevalent," the company said in its report. "Instead, the most dangerous threats come from a set of known, mature tools and tactics that an entire ecosystem of cybercriminals rely upon to take in billions of dollars a year."

LockBit is the king of ransomware

Last year saw big changes in the ransomware threat landscape with highly successful gangs such as Conti shutting down operations. The void was quickly filled by a plethora of other smaller groups. By far the stand out was LockBit, a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) operation that quickly innovated and attracted a large number of affiliates.

Affiliates are the cybercrime underground's mercenaries. Either lone hackers or groups of specialized individuals, they handle the initial access and lateral movement aspects of an intrusion before deploying the ransomware program they're affiliated with for a significant portion of the ransoms paid by victims. Meanwhile the ransomware creators provide the software itself, the back-end infrastructure and handle the negotiation with victims.

LockBit is not a new threat and has been around since 2019, originally under the name ABCD. For the first two years of its existence, the operation was overshadowed by bigger and more prolific groups such as Maze, Ryuk, and Conti that managed to attract most of the hacking talent. This began to change in 2021 with the release of LockBit 2.0 but really exploded last year when LockBit 3.0 was launched and the entire affiliate program was revamped to make it more attractive to affiliates looking for work in the wake of Conti's demise.

LockBit "puts a lot of effort into marketing itself to affiliates, maintains a slick dark web website, conducts PR stunts, and pays bug bounties for finding flaws in its software," the Malwarebytes researchers said. "It claims to have 100 affiliates. So, if one is caught, the LockBit operation is not disrupted."

According to Malwarebytes' telemetry, LockBit was by far the most prolific ransomware operation last year, with 3.5 times the number of victims than the next most active ransomware: ALPHV. Overall, one in three ransomware incidents in 2022 involved LockBit and the largest ransom demanded by the gang was $50 million. The LockBit affiliates hit all types of businesses, from small law firms to large multinational corporations, and use various methods of gaining initial access, from abusing weak remote access credentials (RDP and VPN), to exploiting vulnerabilities in public-facing systems to phishing emails with malicious attachments. Once inside the group destroys backups and uses lateral movement techniques to gain domain administrative access.

"If you can understand and address LockBit, youll greatly reduce the risk of any ransomware attack on your organization," the Malware researchers said.

Emotet, the immortal botnet

Another big player in the cybercrime underground is Emotet, a botnet that serves as a delivery platform for other malware families, including some of the most prolific ransomware and Trojan programs in recent years.

Dating back to 2014, Emotet went through many iterations, originally starting out as a banking Trojan -- a program focused on stealing online banking credentials. When that branch of cybercrime became less popular, the botnet's owners pivoted to malware distribution. Emotet's modular architecture makes it very flexible and easily customizable for different tasks.

Europol once called Emotet the world's most dangerous malware. In 2021 law enforcement agencies from multiple countries including the US, the UK, Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands managed to take over the botnet's command-and-control infrastructure. The takedown attempt was short-lived and Emotet was soon rebuilt showing its resiliency.

In November 2022, the botnet returned with a new iteration, after a four-month break, distributing hundreds of thousands of malicious emails every day. Using email as the primary delivery mechanism, Emotet's creators are specialized in spam lures, using techniques such as thread hijacking and language localization. The latest spam campaign distributed archives with Excel files that contained malicious macros.

Post-deployment Emotet will drop additional malware in systems. In the past it used to install TrickBot, another botnet that had a close relationship with the Ryuk ransomware. In the latest campaigns, the botnet was seen dropping the XMRig cryptominer and the IcedID Trojan, which itself is associated with other malware families. Emotet will also steal contacts from Outlook accounts installed on computers and use them to send further spam emails and will attempt to crack the password of network shares.

"Because it infects and reinfects other machines so ferociously, removing Emotet from an organization can be an extremely complex and costly task," the Malwarebytes researchers said. "In the city of Allentown, Pennsylvania, a single errant click caused an outbreak that cost a reported $1 million to remediate."

Just like LockBit is an archetype of modern ransomware programs, Emotet is the archetype for botnets that function as malware delivery platforms and are one of the initial access providers into enterprise networks.

Drive-by downloads alive and well with SocGholish

Drive-by downloads is a term used for malware threats that are delivered through websites instead of email. Back in the days of browser plug-ins such as Java, Flash Player, and Adobe Reader, this used to be a popular technique because attackers could exploit vulnerabilities in outdated versions of those plug-ins. However, the method is still used, even if it now requires user interaction and a bit of social engineering.

SocGholish is a remote access Trojan (RAT) that's used as a malware loader. It's typically distributed via fake pop-ups about critical browser updates that are displayed on compromised websites or through malicious ads. If users accept the rogue browser update, they usually get a ZIP archive with a JavaScript file inside. If executed, this file performs reconnaissance on the machine and network and then deploys some other malware threat, usually ransomware.

"SocGholish is simple, but its use of social engineering and target fingerprinting is effective enough to have compromised high profile companies and even critical infrastructure," the Malwarebytes researchers warn. "Its end goal is delivering ransomware, and its a threat to treat with respect.

Android droppers

With mobile devices representing a large percentage of any company's fleet of devices, Android threats should not be neglected. Android droppers are Trojan programs that usually masquerade as legitimate applications or free versions of paid apps and are distributed from third-party app stores and various websites users might visit.

In general, they're not as easy to install as malware on Windows, because users need to change the default security settings and ignore warnings, but there have cases of malicious apps being discovered on the official Google Play store. These droppers can be used to deploy other threats such as hidden ads, banking Trojans and apps that steal passwords, emails, record audio and take pictures.

"In 2022, droppers accounted for 14% of detections on Android," Malwarebytes said. "Other malware is more widespread, but droppers pose the greatest danger to organizations."

Adware is the most prevalent threat on Macs

Compared to Windows, the macOS malware ecosystem is much smaller, but threats do exist. One of the most prevalent type is adware -- applications that inject unwanted ads. One of the oldest such programs on macOS is called Genio and is used to hijack browser searches.

Like Android droppers, most macOS adware and malware in general is distributed as fake applications or updates. Genio used to masquerade as Flash Player updates or was bundled with video codecs, but these days it poses as PDF reading or video converter apps.

Once deployed Genio can be very hard to remove because it's very aggressive in hiding itself. It imitates system files and files belonging to other applications and uses code obfuscation. It injects libraries into other processes, it exploits system flaws to grant itself permissions, installs browser extensions without consent, and manipulates users' password keychains.

"Though classified as adware, Genio has deployed an array of malware-like behaviors to dig further into the computers its installed on, piercing defenses and compromising security in the name of making itself extremely difficult to remove," the Malwarebytes researchers said about this threat that accounted for one in ten threat detections on macOS last year.
An alleged report that EU countries have not strictly applied the rule of law in its deliberation is getting attention in the bloc.Where moderation was the mode is now replaced by extremist views arising, as mentioned by an NGO.

EU Countries Breach Rule of Law

In its fourth annual release, Liberties disclosed that the EU ignored these rules over the past year noted. These issues about the law with concerns were dealt with without basis on the legal system that should be followed.

Those pegged as violators by Brussels are Poland and Hungary called the most terrible offenders. This resulted in moves by bloc chiefs to pin them down with measures to focus power in Brussels by stopping dissent altogether. But efforts to retain control via public opinion to ensure the winners are pro-EU is preferred citing Euronews.

EU chiefs demanding that all processes are according to them is very pronounced with no hesitation to use an iron first. The watchdog organization has called not giving funds to bloc members who don't comply will not work. Suggesting more constructive methods would be better as a whole.

Liberties state that Italy and Sweden learn fast after the winner of elections are right-wingers beating conservatives. The groups have amped up attacks on NGOs with media once they took power.

Data collected by Human Rights organizations say that 18 bloc members suppress news in these countries. They claim that a few governments control information via public broadcasters like Budapest and Warsaw, per Yahoo.

Read Also: Orban Tells Zelensky To Stop Rhetoric on Russia-Ukraine War

Giving the impression that non-government outlets control what information goes to the public.

One of the concerns voiced by the report is that an independent justice system is not preferred; instead, political manipulation is rampant. Leaders who don't allow judges to be chosen or promoted in Bulgaria, Czech, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Spain are culprits in doing this.

Rule of Law Needs Enforcement

Sources say ways to stop corruption are not enough to prevent it in a few countries, repudiating transparency or safeguarding whistleblowers that never reveal such wrongdoings.

Governments are not keen on non-profit civil society organizations having a way to operate freely. They are hampered by limiting their efficacy instead of supporting them.

A top official of the Civil Liberties Union for Europe, Balazs Denes, stated that Euro states should not hinder the democratic process which is dangerous. This would allow extremism in politics to cause detrimental changes to legal systems.

He added that Brussels is half-baked due to interested parties with a stake in outcomes. The bloc should activate the conditionality mechanism to rein in Warsaw and Budapest.

Denes suggested that the funds meant for Hungary's Orban and Poland's Kaczynski be held to force them to heed democracy. He added that they need to realize that their association with Russia will come with backlash. Viktor Orban has supported Putin from the start, which has been a thorn in the bloc.

PM Orban has called the sanctions a failure, blocked Ukraine's funds and is a dissenting voice that Brussels sees as a nuisance. These EU countries have a problem with the rule of law, as told in the alleged report by Liberties. It espouses extreme means to rein these bloc members.

Related Article: Brussels To Withhold Funds for Hungary as Penalty for Alleged Corruption

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Proof-of-concept exploit code is now available for a critical vulnerability in Fortinet FortiNAC appliances and attackers have already started using it in the wild. Users are advised to patch their systems as soon as possible.

FortiNAC is a zero-trust network access solution that can be deployed both as a hardware device or as a virtual machine appliance. It is used for network segmentation, visibility, and control of devices and users connected to the network. As such, it can be deployed at the network perimeter, making it an easier target for internet-based attacks. However, in a blog post Fortinet claims that "most organizations leverage FortiNAC in air-gapped environments" that are not exposed to the internet.

According to Shodan searches performed by CronUp, a cybersecurity company based in Chile, more than 700,000 devices made by Fortinet are connected to the internet around the world, but these are not only FortiNAC installations and they're not necessarily vulnerable. Fortinet claims it has shipped over 10 million security appliances to date.

Unauthenticated remote code execution

The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2022-39952, was disclosed and patched by Fortinet last week. It allows unauthenticated attackers to write arbitrary files on the system, which can result in code or command execution. The flaw was discovered internally by a member of the Fortinet product security team and is rated 9.8 out of 10 on the CVSS severity scale.

Researchers from security consultancy Horizon3.ai performed a comparison of the patched and vulnerable FortiNAC appliance versions and were able to locate and confirm the vulnerability. It is located in a file called keyUpload.jsp that allows the upload of files that are then saved locally in the location /bsc/campusMgr/config.applianceKey.

The operating system then executes a bash script that runs an unzip command against the stored file. Initially this hinted at a potential path traversal vulnerability, where attackers could create an archive that, when unpacked, writes files outside of the intended path. However, this is not the case for unzip, which strips relative paths and therefore protects against path traversal issues, the researchers said. The bash script that calls unzip in this case first changes the current working directory to / which on Linux systems is the root of the partition.

"Unzip will allow placing files in any paths as long as they do not traverse above the current working directory," the researchers said. "Because the working directory is /, the call unzip inside the bash script allows any arbitrary file to be written."

In other words, the attackers can create a zip file that unpacks its contents in any file path under the whole partition. To demonstrate a weaponized exploit, the Horizon3 researchers exploited the vulnerability to write a malicious payload under /etc/cron.d/ which is the scheduled task mechanism in Linux. This task executes every minute and initiates a reverse shell to the attacker.

Abusing cron.d is only one way of exploiting this flaw and achieving remote code execution. Attackers could also choose to overwrite any binary file on the system that they know the OS will execute, or they could add their own SSH key to a user profile, enabling remote access to that user via SSH.

"Unfortunately, the FortiNAC appliance does not allow access to the GUI unless a license key has been added, so no native GUI logs were available to check for indicators," the researchers said. "However, exploitation of the issue was observable in filesystem logs located at /bsc/logs/output.master. Specifically, you could check for the line Running configApplianceXml as long as the attacker has not cleared out this log file."

Fortinet advises users to upgrade to FortiNAC version 9.2.6 or above, 9.1.8 or above and 7.2.0 or above, depending on which supported release they use.

Active attacks using the FortiNAC vulnerability

CronUp reported seeing attacks that exploit the FortiNAC vulnerability hitting its honeypot systems. First they saw attempts that created reverse shells like in Horizon3's proof-of-concept.

Then attackers switched to deploying webshells -- web-based backdoor scripts that allow remote execution of commands. Two webshells observed in exploitation attempts so far were deployed under bsc/campusMgr/ui/ROOT/fortii.jsp and bsc/campusMgr/ui/ROOT/shell.jsp. GreyNoise, a service that tracks malicious traffic on the internet, added the ability to detect attacks that target this vulnerability and has started seeing exploitation attempts.

Attackers have targeted other Fortinet security appliances in the past, which suggests there's an interest in such vulnerabilities. In January, Fortinet warned users that attackers were exploiting a critical vulnerability in FortiOS SSL-VPN that was patched in December to deploy a sophisticated Linux implant.
The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has issued an advisory urging organizations to increase cybersecurity vigilance today, the anniversary of Russias invasion of Ukraine, in the wake of a cyberattack against several Ukrainian government websites.

"The United States and European nations may experience disruptive and defacement attacks against websites in an attempt to sow chaos and societal discord," the CISA advisory said.

The cyberattack in Ukraine, detected yesterday, hit the websites of a number of central and local authorities, "modifying the content of some of their webpages," according to a statement from the State Service of Special Communication and Information Protection of Ukraine.

Apparently, on the eve of the anniversary of the full-scale invasion, Russia is attempting to stay visible in cyberspace where it acts, traditionally, as a terrorist state by attacking civilian targets, the Ukrainian state agency said.

The attack did not cause critical system interruptions, and most of the affected information resources were quickly recovered, the agency said.

The websites were breached using a backdoor planted in December 2021, according to the Computer Emergency Response Team of Ukraine (CERT-UA) , which discovered the attacks after investigating a web shell on one of the hacked websites that the threat actors used to install malware.

The web shell was used to install several backdoors (dubbed CredPump, HoaxPen, and HoaxApe) a year ago, and created an index.php file in the root web directory, which modified the content of the affected sites, CERT-UA said.

Ukraine cyberattack attributed Russia-aligned Ember Bear group

CERT-UA attributed the cyberattack to the Ember Bear threat group, also known as UAC-0056, or Lorec53. Ember Bear is thought to be a cyberespionage group that has operated organizations in Eastern Europe since early 2021.

Based on the set of signs, we can make a preliminary conclusion that the violation of the normal operation mode of the investigated web resources was carried out by the UAC-0056 group, CERT-UA said.

Russian government-backed attackers ramped up cyberattacks beginning in 2021 during the run-up to the invasion, according to a report from Google's Threat Analysis Group week. In 2022, Russia increased the targeting of users in Ukraine by 250% compared to 2020, and the targeting of users in NATO countries increased over 300% in the same period, Google said.

We assess with high confidence that Russian government-backed attackers will continue to conduct cyberattacks against Ukraine and NATO partners to further Russian strategic objectives, the report said.

The report also said that Moscow will increase disruptive and destructive attacks in response to developments on the battlefield that fundamentally shift the balance toward Ukraine These attacks will primarily target Ukraine, but increasingly expand to include NATO partners, Google said in the report.

Russian or Russia-aligned groups have increasingly been targeting nations that have shown support to Ukraine. On Tuesday this week, Mike Burgess, director general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), said in a speech that a Russian spy ring whose members were posing as diplomats in Australia was dismantled. The spies were highly trained and used sophisticated tradecraft to try to disguise their activities, and have been expelled from the country, he said.

A report Friday in the Sydney Morning Herald said that the spy ring had been operating for 18 months before being dismantled.

In its advisory, CISA said that it maintains cybersecurity resources including Shields Up, which it describes as "one-stop webpage that provides resources to increase organizational vigilance and keep the public informed about current cybersecurity threats."
Ukrainian authorities imposed precautions all around the country on Friday's first anniversary of the commencement of the Russia-Ukraine war on Friday.

Classes have been relocated online, telecommuting is being promoted, and security patrols have been increased in anticipation of Russian airstrikes.

US-Russia Tensions Intensify

In a statement on Tuesday, Serhiy Shkarlet, the Education Minister of Ukraine, said that virtual lessons had been ordered "as a precaution" for the schools in the country, CNN reported.

Ukraine's regional military administration noted that students in Kyiv and the surrounding area would participate in online lessons from February 22 to 24. The heightened possibility of enemy bombardment and probable provocative acts on the eve of the first anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war prompted the measure.

According to Ukrainian authorities, Mariupol, a significant supply center and rear headquarters for Moscow's soldiers has reportedly been hit by several explosives. Deputy Mayor of Mariupol Petro Andriushchenko reported three blasts on Thursday.

In the recent days leading up to the war's first anniversary, US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin have each delivered high-profile addresses this week in which they condemn each other's nations and exchange insults over the Russia-Ukraine war.

Vladimir Putin blasted the West for the Ukrainian war in his State of the Union address on Tuesday, and at a pro-war rally on Wednesday, per CNBC.

While in Europe this week, Joe Biden reiterated the United States' support for Ukraine and promised that Russia would "never" win the conflict. He also blasted Russia's suspension of the New START nuclear weapons restriction accord with the US as a "big mistake."

Read Also: Biden Changes US Weapons Sales Policy

NATO Warns China Against Weapons Support For Russia

On Wednesday, Vladimir Putin met with one of Beijing's senior diplomats in the Kremlin to strengthen ties with China. Moscow has been actively wooing China in anticipation of a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Moscow this spring.

As reported by Al Jazeera, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has cautioned China against providing military aid to Moscow after the coalition detected indicators that Beijing was contemplating delivering weaponry to Russia.

The statements on Thursday followed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's warning that China would face repercussions if it supported Moscow's aggression in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Related Article: TikTok Banned From European Commission Official Devices

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Oil Talking Points:

WTI Crude Oil searches for resistance above $70 per barrel.

Brent Crude finds support above $80.00

Russia, Ukraine conflict reaches one year mark, adding pressure to the oil trajectory over the next year.

Recommended by Tammy Da Costa Get Your Free Oil Forecast Get My Guide

Today marks the one-year anniversary since the invasion of Ukraine which has had detrimental effects on the oil and energy market.

With the Covid-19 pandemic and stringent lockdowns pushing WTI crude oil futures into negative territory for the first time in history, prices have rebounded, rising above the 80.00 handle.

As the economy rebounded and the conflict exacerbated supply constraints, both WTI and Brent Crude oil have remained above the 70.00 mark.

Since Russia is a major exporter of oil and other energy supplies, Brent crude has illustrated a slightly higher degree of sensitivity to the supply disruptions that drove BR Crude futures to a high of 139.13 in March of last year (07 March 22). Although the lockdowns in China have provided an additional catalyst for the short-term move, the reopening of the second largest economy has contributed to higher prices.

Brent Crude Oil Futures (BR1!) Daily Chart

Chart prepared by Tammy Da Costa using TradingView

While the 50-day MA (moving average) holds as resistance at $83.44, Brent crude remains suppressed, treading around $81.95. Although a reduction in supplies were temporarily offset by the lower demand, the descending trendline from the last years move has now come in as resistance at the psychological level of $82.00 p/b. A move higher brings the 88% retracement of the 2022 move into the spotlight at 82.79, paving the way for a break of the bearish trendline resistance.

WTI (CL1) Daily Chart

Oil - US Crude Mixed Data provided by of clients are net long. of clients are net short.

Change in Longs Shorts OI Daily -2% -9% -6% Weekly -9% 6% -1%

Chart prepared by Tammy Da Costa using TradingView

For US WTI futures, a move above support at 73.6 has pushed prices toward the next level of psychological resistance at the upper bound of the descending triangle at 76.00. If prices are able to break the 50-day MA (at 77.56), there may be a probable retest of 80.00, with the opposite said true for a downward break of 73.60 (which could drive prices to the 70.00) mark.

--- Written by Tammy Da Costa, Analyst for DailyFX.com

Contact and follow Tammy on Twitter: @Tams707
Alex Murdaugh, the disgraced South Carolina attorney facing accusations that he killed his wife and son, testified in his defense, denying allegations but acknowledging that he lied to investigators.

The testimony on Thursday comes as 54-year-old Murdaugh pleaded not guilty to the fatal 2021 shootings of his 52-year-old wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and 22-year-old son, Paul Murdaugh. At the outset of the former attorney's testimony, he vehemently denied being responsible for the victims' deaths, which occurred at the family's property in Colleton County on June 7, 2021.

Alex Murdaugh Testifies

When Murdaugh was questioned by his defense team, he said that he did not shoot his wife or his son at any point in his life. He continued to say that he would never intentionally hurt either of them.

Defense attorney Jim Griffin on Wednesday asked Judge Clifton Newman if the defendant could plead the Fifth Amendment protection against incriminating himself as he faces allegations in almost 100 other financial crimes. As per USA Today, these include stealing money from clients, money laundering, tax evasion, and insurance fraud.

The South Carolina Attorney General's Office seeks to put Murdaugh away for life if he is convicted of the murders. The defendant did admit that his voice was the one that could be heard on a cellphone video that was taken at the kennels where Maggie and Paul were brutally killed five minutes before the incident.

Murdaugh also confessed that he lied several times to South Carolina Law Enforcement Division investigators when he was asked when was the last time he had seen his wife and son. He referred to the victims as "Mags" and "Pau-pau" on the stand.

Appearing emotional at times, the defendant was at a loss for words before he told Griffin that he lied to federal agents about where he was on the night of the murders. He said that he did not trust the agency and was paranoid, which was induced by his drug addiction.

Read Also: Florida Shooting Spree Update

Lying to Federal Agents

Speaking to a packed Colleton County courtroom, Murdaugh said that he lied multiple times, citing his evolving addiction. According to the Daily Beast, he said that he would get into such circumstances or situations where he would start being paranoid.

Prior to his confession that he was at the kennels shortly before the death of his wife and son, he told investigators that he was sleeping at the main house during that time. Before this, prosecutors showed the jurors a video Paul filmed minutes before his death. In it, Alex and Maggie's voices could be heard in the background.

The defendant claims that he was not thinking clearly on the day of his loved ones' deaths, which made him incapable of reasoning. He said this was the reason for his lying to federal agents.

Now, the prosecution begins its cross-examination of the case, with lead prosecutor Creighton Waters being the one to ask Murdaugh questions. Shortly before this, Murdaugh also spoke about a time when he asked a man to shoot him in September 2021. The defendant argued that he had withdrawal symptoms during the encounter, which caused him to act differently, said CNN.

Related Article: Five-Decade-Old Vermont Murder Mystery Finally Solved

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US Intelligence reports suggesting China plans to supply Russia with weapons and ammunition to fight in Ukraine have caused intense concern in Kyiv and other Western capitals.

While Beijing has denied the claims, such a move would represent a dramatic escalation in the conflict and risk a major confrontation between the emerging superpower and its bitter rival, America.

JUSTIN BRONK, a research fellow at London's Royal United Services Institute, said the issue of how far President Xi could be willing to go to support his friend, Vladimir Putin, was a 'key question'.

Below, he says that while China's leaders remain 'uncomfortable' about Russia's invasion, it is 'highly likely' they will begin supplying the country with weapons at some point in the long term, perhaps by taking advantage of a ceasefire.

He also examines what form this support could take and what it could mean for Ukraine's fight for freedom.

A graphic showing some of the weapons, equipment and services China could possibly decide to supply to Russia. As of today, it has not begun supplying any weapons

Russian president Vladimir Putin recently declared his readiness to fight a long war against Ukraine and its Western supporters in his annual state of the nation speech.

If Ukraine is not able to make decisive gains on the battlefield by the Autumn this year, then the war may indeed bog down into a attritional test of endurance.

In the short term, the outlook for Russia is poor.

The Russian Army is currently short of trained soldiers and is facing a major shortage of artillery ammunition.

It expended vast quantities of both in Ukraine over the past year, but Russian leaders only began to seriously plan for a long conflict in recent months.

Meanwhile, the US, UK and other European partners continue to supply Ukraine with significant amounts of artillery, armoured vehicles, weapons, and ammunition to keep its forces fighting.

However, Western stocks will start running dangerously low as the year goes on, due to the UK and other European powers having failed to invest in large scale weapons production capacity or stockpiles during two decades of discretionary counter-insurgency campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In essence, if the war cannot be won by Ukraine this year on the battlefield, then it will be decided by which of Russia or the West can better sustain the cost and production burdens of maintaining the necessary supply of weapons, vehicles, and ammunition.

Vladimir Putin poses for a photo with China's President Xi when the two leaders met last year

Neither Russia nor Ukraine is likely to run out of people or will to fight on current trends, but without sustained supplies of equipment and ammunition to not only fight but also train new units with, there is a limit to how much combat power each can generate and sustain.

In the West, the question of capacity to sustain supplies to Ukraine and also rebuild our own military capabilities to ensure longer term deterrence is one of political will to invest in factory capacity and skilled workers.

For Russia, however, a key question is Chinas willingness to support its war effort.

The Russian economy has contracted by a little over two per cent since the war began and Western sanctions were imposed; proving more resilient than most forecasts had predicted in cash terms.

However, there has been a much more serious impact on Russias access to high-end micro-electronics, export-controlled military components and other key technology items that it relied on importing from the West.

Now, it is heavily reliant on China not only to replace the lost demand for oil and gas exports from Europe, but even more so to provide an alternative source of electronics, weapon components and other key technologies required for sustaining and increasing weapons production.

Thus, Chinas attitude to Russias ongoing war is a critical variable that will influence Russias ability to rebuild and resupply its battered armed forces and sustain a long-term confrontation.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has maintained a consistently cautious and even critical stance on Russias invasion of Ukraine.

It has also remained deeply reluctant so far to be seen to be openly supporting Russias war effort; partly to avoid its own economy being hit by secondary sanctions.

On the other hand, Chinese companies (especially in Hong Kong) have been critical to enabling Russia to smuggle Western micro-electronics and other high-tech components into the country to build missiles, UAVs and other weapons.

Ukrainian servicemen fire with a French self-propelled 155 mm/52-calibre gun Caesar towards Russian positions

Chinese bulk-purchases of Russian gas and oil at cheap prices have also proven an important source of economic support for Moscow since February last year.

However, Beijing has held back from supplying ammunition or export its own weapons systems to Russian forces.

China wants the war in Ukraine to be over, but it is also keen to avoid a Russian collapse since Moscow remains an important ally for China in its efforts to challenge US-led Western geopolitical leadership on the global stage.

However, as the war continues and Russias short-term position weakens, Russia is putting diplomatic pressure on China to increase its support to include more direct supplies of weaponry and other direct assistance measures.

The recent visit by a senior Chinese diplomat and announcement that Xi Jinping plans to visit Moscow in the coming months have certainly caused alarm in the US.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressly warned China against supplying weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine in mid-February, citing US Intelligence community reports that Beijing was considering such a move.

If China were to begin supplying Russia with ammunition, vehicles and potentially training for new recruits, it would certainly significantly increase the rate at which Russia could solve its current shortages on the battlefield and reduce the window for potential Ukrainian reconquest of lost territory.

In the longer term, however, it is highly likely that China will supply weapons, training, components and other assistance to help Russia rebuild and modernise its battered armed forces.

A local resident bicycle past damaged building today in Orihiv, Zaporizhzhya region

Chinese leaders remain deeply uncomfortable with Russias illegal and brazen invasion of a sovereign neighbour, and do not want to see the conflict escalate beyond its current political parameters.

However, once there is a ceasefire of some sort  whatever that looks like  China will likely feel freer to help its ally rearm.

The Chinese Communist Party has made the re-integration of Taiwan, which it insists is part of China rather than an independent, sovereign, democratic state, a core part of its ideological mission and a test point for its leadership of the country.

Therefore, China needs Russia to remain a credible military threat to Europe so that European and, ideally, American military forces are tied down there and are not free to be deployed to the Indo-Pacific in a crisis over Taiwan.

Therefore, it is in their interests to support Russias armed forces in the long term, and they will likely expand their existing covert assistance programmes for electronic components to include full weapons systems and training to that end.
Mary Forrest, wife of NBC News chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel, has opened up about the heartbreaking final days she spent with her six-year-old son Henry's body before he was cremated.

The couple's oldest child passed away last August after a years-long battle with Rett Syndrome, a genetic mutation that leads to severe cognitive deficits and physical impairment. The condition is rare, even more so in boys, and there is no cure.

In an essay published by Today, Forrest reflected on the day Henry died and the last moments she spent with him in their home.

'As long as he remained a physical presence on this Earth, I wanted to be with him,' she wrote. 'We sat with him in our home for hours.'

Mary Forrest, wife of NBC News chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel, penned an essay for Today about the final days she spent with their six-year-old son Henry after his death

The couple's oldest child passed away last August after a years-long battle with Rett Syndrome, a genetic mutation that leads to severe cognitive deficits and physical impairment

The mother of two, who also has a three-year-old son Theo, recalled carrying Henry to the car when the funeral home workers came to pick up his body later that night.

'It was the last time I would ever carry my beautiful Henry. How many times had I carried him in his life? Hundreds? Thousands? He was almost like an appendage to me; we were physically intertwined due to his disability and him needing me to move him around, to be his legs,' she explained.

After Henry's death, her daily routine with him evolved. She visited his body in the funeral home and would sit with him daily during the week leading up to his cremation.

Forrest said she would 'cry, stroke his hair and face and rest [her] head next to his.' She brought his books and toys and played his favorite songs.

'That period of my life is a blur, but those hours with Henrys body are vivid in my mind,' she wrote. 'I would wake up feeling anxious to see him. Longing for him. Each time I went I would stay for about an hour, then leave the room and head to the front door of the funeral home before turning back for one last goodbye.'

She recalled how a few friends came to see Henry with her one day, and through their tears, they managed to laugh at something said that was funny. She likes to think that Henry was 'enjoying watching' them, saying, 'He always liked to be in the mix.'

Forrest said her husband was concerned about her daily ritual at first and feared it was only exasperating her grief, but going to the funeral home with her helped him understand.

She remembered how she noticed that Henry's nose was leaking fluid and would wipe his nose with tissues as she sat with him. She still keeps some of the tissues in her dresser.

Forrest shared how she visited Henry's body in the funeral home and would sit with him daily during the week leading up to his cremation

Forrest said she would 'cry, stroke his hair and face and rest [her] head next to his.' She brought his books and toys and played his favorite songs

The Engels scattered some of their son's ashes at a tree in a park that he loved, and she recalled seeing the remnants for months afterward and thinking, 'He's here'

'Will I keep them forever? I dont know. But any part of Henry in any form  be it hair, teeth, runny nose tissues  is precious right now,' she explained.

On the day of the cremation, Forrest and Engel sat with their son multiple times. The funeral director told her she 'would know when it was the time to say goodbye,' and to her surprise she did.

She shared that she is grateful to have had that final week with Henry, saying, 'It was surreal, heartbreaking, gut-wrenching  and also filled with so much love. Theres just so much love, and thats what has gotten me through.'

Forrest insisted that would relive every second she had with Henry again, despite 'knowing there would be this much pain at the end.'

The Engels scattered some of their son's ashes at a tree in a park that he loved, and she recalled seeing the remnants for months afterward when she visited.

'I didnt expect to see them for that long, and it was comforting. "Hes here," I thought. Six months later, Ive now come to realize that hes everywhere,' she wrote. 'Wherever I go and whatever I do, hes with me.'

Engel and Forrest have been candid about Henry's medical journey following his diagnosis of Rett Syndrome in 2017.

The mutation stops the brain from growing properly, and according to WebMD, symptoms include slowed growth, issues with hand movements, a lack of language skills, problems with muscles and coordination, and trouble breathing.

Henry, pictured as a baby, was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome in 2017. There is no cure for the mutation, which stops the brain from growing properly.

Henry was unable able to walk, talk, dress himself, or have the mental capacity beyond a toddler. He was three and a half years old when he said 'Dada' for the first time

Henry could only interact through 'sight, sound, and touch,' so Engel and Forrest constantly cuddled him, praised him, massaged him, and gave him kisses

Engel and Forrest welcomed their son Theo in 2019, and he told People at the time that it was difficult to know that their baby boy would soon pass Henry's developmental milestones

So far, the treatments for the incurable condition are mostly limited to various forms of therapy, like physical therapy, speech therapy, and behavioral therapy.

'Its not just delay. It means lifelong, permanent, untreatable physical and intellectual impairment,' Engel said on the Today show in 2018. 'Unfortunately, the more we learned about it, the worse the news got.'

They were told Henry would likely never be able to walk, talk, dress himself, or have the mental capacity beyond a toddler. He was three and a half years old when he said 'Dada' for the first time, a milestone that Engel wrote about in an essay for Today.

'To parents with typically developing children, a little Dada may not seem like a big deal,' he explained. 'But for me it was a validation, an acknowledgment that hes in there, knows me, knows that his mother and I are forces for good in his life, and above all, that he loves us.'

Engel and Forrest welcomed their son Theo in 2019, and he admitted that it was difficult to know that their baby boy would soon pass Henry's developmental milestones.

'You hold a baby like Theo and hes wriggling. His muscles are moving. When he is upset, he screams with his whole body and kicks his legs with power. Its something we never saw with Henry,' Engel told People in 2019.

Their oldest son had started having seizures that year, and they were trying to manage his compulsive repetitive motion, which had become more pronounced.

Engel and Forrest had to watch Henry constantly and stop him from putting his hands in his mouth and scratching his eyes because he could have hurt himself.

A large part of Henry's daily routine was physical therapy because movement was essential for him to build strength

Engel and Forrest had been candid about their son Henry's medical journey

In 2020, Engel opened up about how the COVID-19 pandemic had been a 'nightmare' for his son who had been cut off from the therapies that had enriched his life

'Were hoping, in a few years, we can start a treatment that is still being invented,' he explained at the time.

'The problem is, while we wait [for a treatment], things deteriorate,' he added. 'The body starts to go, the hips start to go  the spine hasnt been an issue, but it could be. Were in a race against the clock no matter how much physical therapy we do, and we do a ton.'

In 2020, Engel wrote an essay for Today about how the COVID-19 pandemic had been a 'nightmare' for his son who had been cut off from the therapies that had enriched his life.

The dad said that without therapy, Henry was 'bored' and 'whiny.' He could only interact through 'sight, sound, and touch,' so they constantly cuddled him, praised him, massaged him, and gave him kisses.

They noticed a 'deterioration in Henry's overall condition.' His tremors and body shakes became more pronounced, and his hand-mouthing became more frequent.

The parents had to put his arms in braces or socks over his hands to keep him from chewing his skin until it bleeds. They weren't sure if these symptoms were due to stress or just the progression of his condition.

In May 2022, Engel shared that Henry had spent six weeks in the hospital after developing uncontrollable shaking and stiffness

'For everyone following Henrys story, unfortunately hes taken a turn for the worse,' Engel tweeted along with a touching video of his younger son, Theo, cuddled in bed with his big brother

In May 2022, Engel shared that his oldest son had developed dystonia, which is characterized by involuntary muscle contractions and stiffness

Engel included a video of his three-year-old son Theo lying in bed with his big brother

Engel announced Henry's death in a joint statement with his wife on Twitter

The couple encouraged those who want to honor Henry's memory to donate to the hospital's Rett Syndrome research

Engel paid tribute to his late son Henry's bittersweet birthday in September 2022, nearly two months after he passed away

The grieving father shared that his oldest son 'would have turned 7 today' and used his nickname when he wrote, 'Happy Birthday Binks'

'His condition progressed and hes developed dystonia: uncontrolled shaking/ stiffness,' he explained on Twitter. 'He was in the hospital for 6 weeks, but is now home and getting love from brother Theo.'

The father of two announced the heartbreaking news of Henry's death in a joint statement with his wife on Twitter on August 18, nine days after he passed.

'Our beloved son Henry passed away. He had the softest blue eyes, an easy smile, and a contagious giggle. We always surrounded him with love and he returned it, and so much more. Mary and Richard,' he wrote.

The couple encouraged those who wanted to honor Henry's memory to make a contribution to the Texas Children's Hospital in support of its Rett Syndrome research. Their son had been treated by doctors at the hospital's Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute before his death.

'Researchers are making amazing progress using Henrys cells to help cure RETT Syndrome so others dont have to endure this terrible disease,' Engel added in a follow-up tweet, including a link to the donation page.

Nearly two months after Henry's death, his father paid tribute to him with a heartfelt message on what would have been his seventh birthday.

'Henry would have turned 7 today,' Engel tweeted. 'A big thank you to everyone who sent kind and thoughtful messages, and donated to support medical research to defeat Rett Syndrome. Happy Birthday Binks (our nickname).'
Apple, the company behind the globally successful iPhone mobile and other devices, has reached a new milestone in its efforts to create a smartwatch that can track glucose levels with non-invasive technology.

The plan, initially part of a "fake" startup, has made significant progress in producing a glucose test for diabetics through the Apple Watch's potential new sensor. This type of technology has been in development since 2010. At the time, then-Apple CEO and founder Steve Jobs bought out RareLight, a small startup.

Apple's Planned Glucose Sensor

While the total production of such technology will still need years, the approval of such a case would allow health experts to measure diabetic people's glucose levels. This process could also be used as a preventive measure to alert pre-diabetic people.

The technology company uses a chip technology called silicon photonics that is combined with absorption spectroscopy, which measures reflected light to determine a person's blood sugar levels.

The Apple Watch has, in recent times, become increasingly more of a tool that people use to monitor their health. It has features such as a heart rate monitor, fitness tracker, and body temperature sensors, as per Gizmodo.

However, the latest test data for the company's new sensor have yet to be peer-reviewed and are only in the proof-of-concept stage. Furthermore, sources said that the technology is, at this point, too big and needs to become smaller to be effectively used on wearable devices for people.

The tech company did not immediately respond to questions for comments regarding the technology. The situation comes as the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows data that about one in 10 Americans have diabetes.

So far, people diagnosed with diabetes can manage their condition by pricking their fingers to test their glucose levels. They can also attach patches that Dexcom or Abbott Laboratories have developed onto their skin.

Read Also: Doomsday Glacier Melting Could Cause Catastrophic Rise in Sea Levels

Proof-of-Concept Stage

Apple has tasked hundreds of its engineers in its Exploratory Design Group (XDG) to work on the project. According to MacRumors, the tech company has reportedly spent hundreds of millions of dollars in the development of non-invasive glucose monitoring.

The project comes as health experts have found risks associated with controlling blood sugar in the ICU. An analysis published in Diabetes Care noted that efforts to read patients with diabetes of their glucose levels were doing more harm than good.

The study's lead author, Dr. Michael Schwartz, who is also a UW Medicine endocrinologist, said that he pursued the study of the phenomenon after discussing it with his colleague, Dr. Irl Hirsch. The latter had also witnessed issues emerging from his patients in the ICU.

The team found that efforts to reduce blood glucose levels in patients with diabetes to normal levels could harm them by triggering a dangerous reaction. The study noted that relative hypoglycemia, a decrease in glucose levels of at least 30% below pre-hospital admission levels, has become a significant concern, said UW Medicine.

Related Article: Scientists Discover Bizzare New Form of Ice

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A serial conman who has 23 convictions after a lifetime of scamming women and men he befriended and seduced via dating websites has lamented he 'hated' the lifestyle of splashing other people's money.

David Coombs, who was sentenced to four years in jail for multiple fraud offences in 2017 and had his sentence extended in 2020 after he absconded to Russia, appeared on BBC Two's Parole this week in which his parole board hearing was filmed and broadcast.

The 56-year-old fraudster, who was nicknamed 'Casanova Coombs' at the height of his deception, claimed he didn't enjoy his life of living off money he'd gained from scamming people as he sat down for an interview with parole officer Lucy Gampell (left), and forensic psychologist Noreen Shami.

As he made excuses for his repeat offending in the meeting held at Wormwood Scrubs prison, Coombs claimed he had 'low confidence' which compelled him to pursue a life of crime.

After hearing from the offender who was first convicted in 1982, his community offender manager and his victims, the parole board decided not to release Coombs, concluding he was capable of capable of 'really very serious, abusive behaviour'.

In the first episode of the documentary series, fraudster Coombs discussed the details of his offences against multiple victims with the parole board.

Speaking about one of his victims; a woman he began a relationship with before taking 3396 from her and never paying it back, Coombs said: 'I asked for some money. She said, 'it's fine'. No questions asked. I kind of... abused that.'

He went on to insist he had never threatened or been violent towards anyone in pursuit of cash.

David Coombs, 56 (pictured) appeared in BBC Two documentary Parole in which he made his bid for early release following his conviction for several counts of fraud. During his hearing, he told the parole board he scammed women he seduced and befriended because he had 'low confidence'

One of Coombs's victims, Carol-Anne, revealed she met the conman when she was visiting her friend in hospital who was having her leg amputated, and Coombs was also visiting the friend. He defrauded her of 500 under the guise of a house deposit

Coombs (pictured after his arrest) was jailed in 2017 for four years after being convicted of multiple counts of fraud

Judgement: The Parole Board members, Lucy Gampell (left), Noreen Shami And Robert Mckeon (right) are featured in the BBC documentary. Lucy and Noreen are in charge of making the decision about Coombs

One of Coombs's victims, Carol-Anne, revealed to the programme how she had been scammed by him after the pair became friends. As she was looking for somewhere new to live, Coombs said he knew of a property she could rent and asked her for money so he could put down a deposit for the house on her behalf. He never paid it back.

Carol-Anne told the programme: 'I met David Coombs when my friend was in hospital. As a clinical hypnotherapist I was working with her because she was having her leg amputated and [David] came round and sat with her every day. To be friends with her.'

The mother, from Poole, added David told her his friend was a property developer in the exclusive Sandbanks area and was renting out his annexe. As he weaved a web of lies, Coombs convinced Carol-Anne the property would be a 'fantastic place for the children' - and she gave him 500 for the deposit.

'He seemed, he came across as a kind man. A very kind, caring, confident, wanted to help... you know, genuine. He came across as a very genuine man,' she said.

After revealing to the parole board that he spent every penny of the money Carol-Anne gave him, Ms Gampell asked him what it was about the lifestyle of a con artist that appealed to him.

Coombs replied: 'I hate it.'

Ms Gampell challenged his answer and said: 'Well you clearly didn't hate it so, you know, you were doing it for a heck of a long time, to all these different women.'

Coombs said: 'I'm not using an excuse, I was in a difficult position.'

He added: 'It was a behaviour thing... low confidence in myself, like I'm not good enough for anyone.'

Later in the episode, it was revealed that Coombs, who was jailed for four years in 2017, was released on license the following year. In line with his probation, he was required to have regular meetings with his community offender manager Caroline Walsh.

She described how, despite being a regular and reliable attendee at first, Coombs began to grow 'anxious' at his meetings over time. When she checked his phone, she discovered messages he had exchanged with a woman named Olga, who lived in Russia. Within a few weeks, he had fled the country to Turkey, and eventually ended up in Russia, where he remained for two years.

Describing how he absconded, Coombs told Ms Gampell and Ms Shami how he took trains through eastern Europe, before meeting two men who smuggled him across the Russian border to reach Moscow, where Olga and her family were waiting for him.

However, according to Coombs's version of events, the honeymoon period with Olga was short lived - and he soon discovered he had become the victim of her attempted scam.

He claimed Olga had tried to coerce him into giving her $2,500, but he foiled her plot and confronted her, at which point he claims she turned.

'She said: 'I'm in my country. I control you when you're here',' David claimed. 'Olga turned the situation around like I used to be, she put it on me.

'So I realised what type of person I was and I thought: 'I'm not that person anymore. I don't want to be that person ever again'.' When he returned to the UK, he was arrested and given an extended sentence.

At the end of the episode, which also features the story of a convicted murderer, Coombs receives a letter confirming he will not be eligible for release.

Explaining their decision, psychologist Noreen Shami said she reviewed the victim statements from Coombs's court case which painted a different picture of the con artist.

She explained: 'He was very coercive, very controlling, and there's nothing to suggest that he's worked on those personality traits, and that was what kind of swayed me not to release at this stage.'

Ms Gampell added: 'Witness statements from the victims really affirmed that this was a dangerous man that is capable of really very serious, abusive behaviour.'

She added the danger he posed to potential new victims was 'significantly more than minimal'.

Coombs said: 'I feel that they have made the wrong decision because they're not giving me a chance to prove myself. They are looking on my past more than my future and I think that's wrong of them to do that.

'They say a leopard can never change his spots - that's not in all cases.'
Princess Eugenie paid a secret visit to California last week amid speculation she and her husband Jack Brooksbank are looking for houses in California.

The Duke of York's daughter, 32, made an incognito appearance at the Frieze LA VIP art show held at Santa Monica Airport on February 16.

Dressed in a pink jacket and black roll neck, the royal, who is currently expecting her second child, could be seen texting on her phone as she attended the show.

While it is not known how long Eugenie was in California for, it appears quite likely she caught up with her cousin Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle while visiting the state.

Santa Monica airport is just 90 minutes drive from the exclusive celebrity enclave, Montecito, where the couple live.

Princess Eugenie, 32, made an incognito appearance at an art fair in Santa Monica last week - which is just 90 minutes from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (pictured on February 16)

Eugenie is known to be close to Harry  she was pictured with her cousin at the Super Bowl last February, and in his memoir, Spare, Harry writes that Eugenie and Jack were the first Royals to meet Meghan.

Of this first meeting, Harry wrote: 'I remember Euge hugging Meg as if they were sisters.'

In the early days of Meghan and Harry's relationship, Eugenie and her now-husband Jack went on double dates with the couple.

They also visited Toronto, Canada, to see the pair after the Prince had travelled to be with Meghan during her time filming legal drama Suits.

Eugenie went on to visit Prince Harry and Meghan last February, when she joined her cousin to attend the Super Bowl in Los Angeles.

She was also the only member of the royal family to feature in personal photos shared in Harry's Netflix documentary.

One sweet snap of Prince Andrew's daughter, 32, in the second episode shows the pair out for a bike ride along a palm tree-lined stretch of pavement in California.

A source told MailOnline at the time: 'Harry and Eugenie have always been close ever since they were children. He always makes her laugh. They share a sense of humour.

Eugenie is known to be close to Harry and Meghan  she was pictured with her cousin at the Super Bowl last February, and was the only royal who was featured in their Netflix documentary

'She is friends with Meghan too, and was close to his two previous girlfriends Chelsy Davy and Cressida Bonas. It was Eugenie who helped set up Harry and Cressida. She refuses to abandon him. She is a very loyal lady. She is not one for taking sides.

It comes after an insider told Mail On Sunday Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack could be about to do their own Megxit as they may be considering following Prince Harry and Meghan to sunny California after the birth of their second child.

The Sussexes have been sending 32-year-old Eugenie, the youngest daughter of Prince Andrew, details of homes close to where they live in Montecito, a source claimed.

According to Emily Prescott, the couple are also looking at homes in the West Hollywood area of Los Angeles, and they plan to rent first before taking the plunge and snapping up a property.

America won't be totally unfamiliar territory for Eugenie, who spent two years living in New York between 2013 and 2015, when she worked for the auction house Paddle8.

It comes after an insider told Mail On Sunday Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack could be about to do their own Megxit as they may be considering following Prince Harry and Meghan to sunny California after the birth of their second child

Sources claimed the Sussexes have been sending 32-year-old Eugenie, the youngest daughter of Prince Andrew, details of homes close to where they live in Montecito (pictured, the Sussexes home)

At the moment Jack and Eugenie, who have just announced they're expecting a sibling for two-year-old August, split their time between the UK and Portugal, where Jack works in high-end property development.

Although he recently took a job at Discovery Land Company with property tycoon Mike Meldman, a transition is likely to be fairly smooth as the company's core properties are dotted around the United States.

When in Britain, Jack and Eugenie have been staying at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor.

The late Queen gave the property to Harry and Meghan before they left to pursue their American dream.

A source said: 'With a growing family, it all feels like it is about new starts. This isn't just a pipe dream.'
The winner of the reality show I Wanna Marry Harry said she thinks it's 'ironic' that Prince Harry chose Meghan Markle to be his wife - almost a decade after the show's critics told her she had no chance with him because he'd never date a 'nobody actress.'

I Wanna Marry Harry was a Fox reality show that aired for one season in May 2014, and it followed 12 American women who believed they were competing for a chance for date Prince Harry. Instead, however, it was a lookalike named Matthew Hicks.

After winning the series, Kimberly Birch, an aspiring actress living in New York City, faced a slew of nasty comments from viewers who told her the royal would never actually be interested in her since she wasn't British or famous enough.

Now, nine years after appearing in the I Wanna Marry Harry, she has reflected on her win in a new interview with Insider, she said she finally feels 'vindicated' knowing he went on to wed an American 'B-list' actress like Meghan.

The winner of I Wanna Marry Harry said she thinks it's 'ironic' that Prince Harry chose Meghan Markle to be his wife - after the show's critics told her he'd never date a 'nobody actress'

I Wanna Marry Harry was a Fox reality show that aired for one season in May 2014. It followed 12 American women who believed they were competing for a chance for date Prince Harry

Fooled: Instead, however, it was a lookalike named Matthew Hicks. Prince Harry is seen (left) while Matthew is seen (right)

After winning the series, Kimberly Birch, an aspiring actress living in New York City, faced a slew of nasty comments from viewers who told her she had no chance with the royal

'At the time, it was just something that seemed so far-fetched for people,' she explained.

Now, nine years after appearing in the I Wanna Marry Harry, she has reflected on her win in a new interview with Insider , she said she finally feels 'vindicated' knowing he went on to wed an American 'B-list' actress like Meghan

'There were a lot of comments like, "Did you really think that Prince Harry would ever actually date some nobody actress in America?"

'Then I remember hearing about the backlash that Meghan Markle got. She was just this B-list actress.

'She was a nobody, and now she's married to Prince Harry. For me, it's just so ironic. It was life imitating art.'

While contestants on the show weren't told that the suitor they were fighting for was Prince Harry at first, they were all made to believe it was him thanks to Matthew's strikingly similar looks to the Duke of Sussex.

They were also all housed in the luxurious Englefield House in England - which resembles a castle - and were constantly surrounded by security and servants who only referred to Matthew as 'Sir.'

The show even went as far as staging paparazzi following them and security threats to make the women believe they were dating Prince Harry.

Viewers watched on as the women went on a series of lavish dates with the man whom they believed to be the Prince, but the show was ultimately pulled from the air after only four episodes due to low ratings. The rest premiered on Fox's website.

While contestants weren't told that the suitor they were fighting for was Prince Harry at first, they were made to believe it was him thanks to Matthew's similar looks to the Duke

They were also all housed in the luxurious Englefield House in England - which resembles a castle - and were surrounded by security and servants who only referred to Matthew as 'Sir'

The show even went as far as staging paparazzi following them and security threats to make the women believe they were dating Prince Harry

During her chat with Insider, Kimberly said that while she went back on forth on whether she believed Matthew was Prince Harry or not during her time on the show, she insisted that she knew it wasn't really him by the end.

When asked if she still wanted to marry Harry, Kimberly admitted that after seeing everything Meghan went through, she didn't think she'd be able to handle it - especially after seeing the backlash she got just from being on the show.

'Absolutely not. Hell no,' she said. 'I give Meghan Markle so much credit. I, personally, wouldn't be able to handle being under a microscope like that.

'When I was younger, being famous was something that seemed so enticing, and I've grown to feel the complete opposite of that. I don't want all that pressure.'

She also praised the father-of-two for stepping away from the 'outdated' royal family and for 'mirroring' his mother, Princess Diana, who passed away in 1997, when Harry was 12, after she got into a car accident.

'[Diana] tried to break away from stereotypes and she was a free spirit, and it's kind of like watching her come back to life,' Kimberly said. 'He's really taking a leap and finding happiness, so I think it's beautiful.'

After the show first premiered in 2014, Kimberly sat down with Fusion TV to discuss some of the ways the crew 'messed with' the contestants - by doing things like purposely letting them overhear fake conversations and allegedly hiring people to pose as therapists - and slammed them for 'brainwashing' them into thinking it was the real Prince Harry.

Viewers watched on as the women went on a series of lavish dates with the man whom they believed to be the Prince, but it was pulled from the air after only four episodes

Kimberly told Insider that while she went back on forth on whether she believed Matthew was Prince Harry or not, she insisted that she knew it wasn't really him by the end

After the show first premiered in 2014, Kimberly (left) sat down with Fusion TV to discuss some of the ways the crew 'messed with' the contestants and slammed them for 'brainwashing' them

She recalled: 'People from production would stand outside your room. When youd think that they didnt know you were up, theyd whisper, "You have to get him back to Buckingham Palace. The Royal Familys very upset. Theyre not happy about the show. Its this new thing theyve never done before, and theyre trying to be up and up with social media, and the way that the world is." They really messed with us.

She said they would do things like purposely let them overhear fake conversations and allegedly hired people to pose as therapists

'They actually had a therapist come on set at one point and talk to a few of us who were saying it wasnt him.

'We found out later that it wasnt a real, licensed therapist. It was just someone from the production team.

'Youre so brainwashed into it that you go with everything in order to keep yourself feeling sane.'

She said the therapist would tell her things like, 'You have to learn how to trust your mind. I understand that youre in a different country, and you dont know whats going on, but you have to trust the people here. Its not good for you to keep questioning.'

Harry married Meghan in 2018, and they announced in 2020 that they were cutting ties with the monarchy to move to America full time.

They are now living in a $14 million mansion in Montecito, California, with their two kids, Archie, three, and Lilibet, one.

Matthew said he only agreed to do the show if he didn't have to flat-out lie to the women - and that he was told to act like himself, not a royal

Kimberly said the moment she realized for sure that she was being lied to was when she saw a photo of the real Prince Harry while out on a date with the fake

Kimberly spoke about her time in the ill-fated series again to Refinery29 in 2020, alongside her fellow contestants Meghan Jones and Rose Bricklin (formerly Copeland).

The women said they were told they were joining a show called Dream Date and knew little else when they were whisked off to England.

When they arrived at Englefield House, they said it was filled with tabloids featuring headlines about Prince Harry being ready to find his princess, which in hindsight, Kimberly said 'all felt very fake.'

When it was finally time for the contestants to meet their mystery suitor, Matthew exited a helicopter wearing khakis and a blue button-down that matched one of the real Prince Harry's outfits.

Matthew said he only agreed to do the show if he didn't have to flat-out lie to the women - he was told to act like himself, not a royal, but that didn't stop others from nudging the women's speculation along.

Producers arranged for fake paparazzi to follow him and for fans to come up to him asking for photos.

Paul Leonard, who played a butler on the show, named Kingsley, finally told the women in episode five that they were indeed dating 'Prince Harry.'

'[The] logical part of my brain was telling me this does not look like Prince Harry,' Kimberly told Refinery29 of the moment they told her his identity.

In a 2020 interview, Kimberly and her fellow cast mates said they had no animosity toward the show or its producers, despite being dubbed as 'America's most gullible women' by Time after

Kimberly went on to get her master's degree in drama therapy - and she actually did her thesis on 'brainwashing' on the show

'This is an absolute ridiculous premise. This would never happen in real life. But the other part of your brain is being completely brainwashed.

'You're secluded from your friends and family, you have no access to any sort of media outlet, and you are in this castle [being told that] if you're questioning if this is Prince Harry or not, you're crazy.'

But she added that the moment she realized for sure that she was being lied to was when she saw a photo of the real Prince Harry while out on a date with the fake and realized it didn't look anything like the man she was dating.

After winning, she split the prize - about $300,000 - with Matthew, and after a few show-related meetups, they went their separate ways.

At the time, Kimberly and her fellow cast mates had no animosity toward the show or its producers, despite being dubbed as 'America's most gullible women' by Time after.

'They're just doing their job and they did a really good job,' she said. 'Like, you made me feel really screwed up in the head.'

Kimberly went on to get her master's degree in drama therapy - and she actually did her thesis on 'brainwashing' on the show.
Billionaire Charles Koch's heiress daughter has come under furious fire after lamenting the many traumas of her privileged upbringing in a 'pathetic' interview with the New York Times - while also touting her own woo woo 'Perception Box' therapy that she claims allowed her to overcome the 'internal conflict' caused as a result of her family's wealth.

Elizabeth Koch, 47, who grew up in in a $13 million mansion in Wichita, Kansas, spoke to the Times about the trauma she faced thanks to her wealthy upbringing, and her comments sparked fierce fury from social media users who branded the outlet as 'embarrassing' and 'humiliating' for giving the billionaires a platform 'to rehabilitate their public images.'

Elizabeth stated that being around so much money as a kid left her severely damaged, thanks to the deep 'fear' she developed over being judged for her riches and her long-lasting struggle to impress her powerful father.

While the heiress spoke negatively about the impact that her dad's riches have had on her - she has certainly enjoyed some of the perks that come with being the daughter of a billionaire over the years.

Billionaire Charles Koch's heiress daughter has revealed that growing up in her privileged family left her with depression, OCD, and an eating disorder

Elizabeth Koch, 47, who grew up in in a $13 million mansion in Wichita, Kansas, spoke out about the trauma she faced thanks to her wealthy upbringing in a new interview. Her dad is seen

Elizabeth that being around so much money as a kid left her severely damaged, thanks to the deep 'fear' she developed over being judged for her riches and her struggle to impress her dad

She attended an Ivy League college - Princeton - and often jets off on lavish getaways (most recently, she visited Bali with her husband, a biotech entrepreneur named Jason Kakoyiannis) - but when the Times asked her how much money she has inherited, she replied 'no comment.'

According to the now-47-year-old she knew her family was well-off from as long as she could remember, despite her 'beloved' parents' attempts to not raise her and her brother as 'spoiled pieces of [s**t].'

From a young age, Elizabeth said she worried that people would dislike her due to her 'privilege,' and when her classmates started to treat her 'differently,' she said it resulted in her becoming severely insecure.

'Its not like growing up in New York City, where a lot of people are wealthy,' she explained.

'We were very different in Wichita. I had so much fear that people would hate me. I heard about [my wealth] a lot, and I could see how other people responded to us.

'I sensed it everywhere. I didnt get that it was about the family. I just [assumed] that it was about me, so I must be bad.'

She said she got 'trapped' in a spiral of 'feeling like she was never good enough', while also struggling 'please' her 'daddy.'

Charles, now 87, who as of January 2023, had a reported net worth of $68 billion and was ranked as the 14th richest person in the world per Bloomberg, is the co-owner and CEO of the massive oil company Koch Industries - which is now the largest privately held company in the US.

Her comments sparked fierce fury from social media users who branded the outlet as 'embarrassing' for giving the billionaires a platform 'to rehabilitate their public images'

He and his late brother, David Koch, inherited it from their father, Fred Koch, in 1967, and went on to expand it to manufacture a series of other things like petroleum, energy, fiber, minerals, fertilizer, paper, and pollution control equipment.

Charles, now 87, who as of January 2023, had a reported net worth of $68 billion and was ranked as the 14th richest person in the world per Bloomberg , is the co-owner and CEO of the massive oil company Koch Industries

The brothers are also known for making a series of mega donations to Republican politicians over the years - and have been among the biggest donors to the GOP since the 1980s.

Despite the pressure that Elizabeth felt to live up to her father's enormous reputation, Elizabeth insisted that it wasn't his fault.

'There is no blame there. I was just confused, and I was putting things together in a really distorted way,' she explained. 'And then I had so much shame about it that I couldnt talk about it.'

The Times reported that Elizabeth's wealthy upbringing left her with 'depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and an eating disorder,' adding that she was 'driven to the brink of insanity by her last name.'

In a 2007 essay for Smith Magazine, she described her childhood as filled with 'panic attacks and meltdowns and doctors and pharmaceuticals.'

He and his late brother, David Koch, inherited it from their father, Fred Koch, in 1967, and went on to expand it to manufacture a series of other things like petroleum, energy, and minerals

The brothers are also known for making a series of mega donations to Republican politicians over the years - and have been among the biggest donors to the GOP since the 1980s

From a young age, Elizabeth said she worried that people would dislike her due to her 'privilege,' which resulted in her becoming severely insecure

She went through a phase of using psychedelic drugs - she flew to Peru to try ayahuasca - and she even spent time 'in a mental institution.'

'[I would stare] down that dark well of, "Nothing you do will ever be good enough you privileged waste of flesh,"' she wrote.

She said she got 'trapped' in a spiral of 'feeling like she was never good enough', while also struggling 'please' her 'daddy'

But Elizabeth told the Times she has since 'done a lot of work' in an attempt to heal from her past.

In 2021, she launched a nonprofit organization called Unlikely Collaborator, which is dedicated to 'provoking powerful acceptance of self and others' in people, and 'untangling the stories that hold us back - as individuals, communities, nations, and humanity at large,' according to its website.

It's built around the concept of a something she calls the 'Perception Box.'

'We all live inside an invisible but ever-present mental box - a Perception Box,' she told the publication.

'This box distorts our perceptions of everything and everyone around us. It distorts our ability to understand other people, to see them clearly, to connect with them. And it distorts our ability to really even know ourselves.

'Most of the external conflict, messiness and miscommunication in the world - in corporations, in relationships, in families, in every aspect of our lives - is caused by internal conflict.

'And most of the internal conflict is caused by unconscious beliefs that we have been carrying around since we are very young - like zero to five - and that we project on everyone around us.'

While the heiress spoke negatively about the impact that her dad's riches have had on her - she has certainly enjoyed some of the perks that come with being the daughter of a billionaire

In 2021, she launched a nonprofit organization called Unlikely Collaborator, which is dedicated to 'provoking powerful acceptance of self and others' in people

Unlikely Collaborators tries to 'get people to stop signaling, bragging, fronting, and masking who they really are and just get real with one another' by holding workshops and lectures. Elizabeth also has plans to someday release books and movies on the topic.

In an email to the Times, Charles said he was 'delighted' and 'couldnt be more proud' that his daughter had 'dedicated her life to making the world a better place for everyone.'

'When the kids were young, I pushed them to work hard and be the best them they could be,' he added.

'Thats the job of a parent - to help their children realize their full potential and live a life of meaning.

'We wanted our kids to discover their gifts and where they could passionately apply them to help others improve their lives.

'For most of us, this takes time and involves struggle and trial and error. Our children were no exceptions.'

In the end, the self-described 'apolitical, privileged, pasty, white girl from the Midwest' told the publication that there's one thing she wants in life: 'To no be hated.'

In the end, the self-described 'apolitical, privileged, pasty, white girl from the Midwest' told the publication that there's one thing she wants in life: 'To no be hated.' She's seen with a friend

But Elizabeth's interview with the Times resulted in just the opposite, and sparked a spew of backlash for the public speaker.

'There's a very easy way for her to change what people think of her and that is by using her wealth and influence to do good things in the world,' one person pointed out.

'Another route would be for her to find a rube like you who is either willing or naive enough to launder her PR.'

'So, instead of using her fortune and privilege to try and undo her family's evil, she's using it to come up with jargon to talk herself into not caring about the harm her family's money has caused and then used it to get free publicity from an unethical newspaper,' added another.

One person even called the Times 'embarrassing' and 'humiliating' for interviewing her in the first place, while another slammed the outlet for 'carrying water for the rich and powerful.'

'So you went to journalism school and took out student loans all to end up doing this?' read another scathing reply.

'This is legit one of the most embarrassing things Ive ever seen printed in the Times,' said someone else.

'When you set out to report this story, who did you envision was the audience it would benefit?' asked a different user. 'Because it seems more in service of the subject than the audience.'

'Anyone else concerned by the fact that the NYT is a captured tool for billionaires to rehabilitate their public image?' another person tweeted.
Tom Bower says the monarch can be 'weak' when it comes to his youngest son

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's attendance has the potential to 'ruin' the coronation and 'overshadow' King Charles, an expert has claimed.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to be invited to the Coronation on May 6, despite the fallout from Harry's explosive memoir Spare.

Appearing on GB News earlier this week, royal author Tom Bower discussed whether or not the couple will attend the upcoming royal occasion.

Speaking to the Daily Mail's columnist Dan Wootton, the expert argued that King Charles can be 'weak' when it comes to Prince Harry.

Discussing how the Duke of Sussex won't be given a starring role if he chooses to attend, the expert said: '[King Charles] is worried about Harry.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to be invited to the Coronation on May 6, despite the fallout from Harry's explosive memoir Spare

'If only he said to Harry, "look, come to the Coronation, but you can have row Q, seat 54 and views partly obscured by a column", then the message will get through.'

What's more, the expert says the Duke and Duchess of Sussex - who publicly attacked the firm in their Netflix documentary - would potentially draw focus away from the monarch.

He continued: 'I think if he allows Harry to come to the Coronation, it is going to ruin the Coronation.

'It'll be overshadowed by Harry's presence and Meghan's too. So I think Charles has to make a decision now.

'The king has to decide and I think that people are on the whole getting sick to death of Harry.'

Earlier this month, former BBC royal correspondent Michael Cole said the King will come off well whatever he chooses to do about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Praising the monarch's handling of the situation, Michael told Sky News Australia: 'The King, actually, has played a blinder here.

'Hes made it clear from the very beginning that his youngest son, and his youngest sons wife, are perfectly welcome at the coronation.'

Tom Bower said the monarch can be 'weak' when it comes to Prince Harry and warned that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex could 'overshadow' the coronation

Royal expert Tom Bower said King Charles (pictured in May 2022) is 'worried' about his youngest son

Read More: King and Prince William WON'T give Harry the apology he is demanding before he agrees to fly to Britain to attend coronation Advertisement

Describing how the 'ball is in their court', the expert pointed out how they may be seen as 'petty and mean-spirited' if they choose not to attend.

However if they do fly over from California, the royal expert says they run the risk of being accused of 'hypocrisy' - having publicly criticised the institution in their six-part Netflix special.

It comes after friends of the couple said this week they are 'in limbo' and considering the 'million different variables' impacting their decision.

Harry wants to be by his father's side on 'pretty much the most important day' and hopes to salvage his strained relationship with the Royal Family, sources close to the Duke told The Daily Telegraph.

The insiders claim it's a 'complicated' decision because the couple may be accused of 'snubbing' the family by not attending but also risk 'being booed or labelled hypocrites.'

The couple's friends say they will not make a decision about attending the Coronation until a formal invitation arrives at their home in California.

They will then decide if they will go to the historic event together or if Harry, 38, would attend without Meghan. It is also possible that neither makes an appearance.

If either Harry or Meghan, 41, visit the UK for the ceremony, it is understood that their visit would be 'brief.'

It comes as the MailOnline exclusively revealed that 'ill will is still boiling over in the family' - with King Charles and William refusing to give in to Harry's demands for an apology.
An influencer has shared a genius hack for getting a free Cartier bracelet - and her tip has left many people on the web stunned.

London-based social media star and jewelry designer Amelia Liana, who has gained more than 128,000 followers on TikTok and 512,000 followers on Instagram, recently went viral for revealing how you can earn yourself a brand new bracelet from the popular brand Cartier without spending any extra money.

According to the TikToker, if you own the Cartier Trinity bracelet, which costs $710, the company will replace the band any time you want at no cost to you.

She explained that all you have to do is go into any Cartier store and an employee will help you switch your old bracelet out for a new one.

An influencer has shared a genius hack for getting a free Cartier bracelet - and her tip has left many people on the web stunned

British social media star and jewelry designer Amelia Liana recently went viral for revealing how you can earn yourself a brand new bracelet from Cartier without spending extra money

According to the TikToker, if you own the Cartier Trinity bracelet, which costs $710, the company will replace the band any time you want at no cost to you

She explained that all you have to do is go into any Cartier store and an employee will help you switch your old bracelet out for a new one

'Not many people know this secret about Cartier, but if you have the Trinity bracelet, which happens to be one the cheapest bracelets that Cartier do, you can go into their store and change the color of the string as much as you like in your lifetime for free and often as you'd like,' dished Amelia in the viral clip.

The Trinity bracelet consists of three circular charms wrapped around one another - one made out of 18-karat white gold, one made from 18-karat rose gold, and one made out of 18-karat yellow gold

'You end up with a brand new-looking bracelet in five minutes.'

The Trinity bracelet consists of three circular charms wrapped around one another - one made out of 18-karat white gold, one made from 18-karat rose gold, and one made out of 18-karat yellow gold.

It sits on a thin 'cord' - which comes in a range of colors like green, blue, red, purple, pink, black, brown, and white.

While Cartier's website doesn't mention the hack Amelia discussed in her TikTok, someone backed up her claim on Reddit.

'Yes, cord [change] is free - Cartier can do it in store on the spot,' one user wrote in response to someone who asked if the brand would replace theirs.

However, on a forum called PurseBlog.com, someone else said it 'depends on the Cartier store or and/or repair salesperson.

'There's no hard and fast rule,' the person explained. 'Some people have never gotten charged and seem to change a lot and some have been charged.'

It sits on a thin 'cord' - which comes in a range of colors like green, blue, red, purple, pink, black, brown, and white

Amelia's TikTok got over 1.3 million views in a matter of days. Some viewers loved the tip, while others claimed the cord should be free anyway, since once person said it was 'just a string'

Another user chimed in and wrote: 'Hi, I have never been charged, in fact I have been given a couple of extra silk cords in different colors each time.'

'No charge for me,' commented someone else, while a fourth person said, 'I have changed my cord MANY times, white, hot pink, gray, black, etc. and it was free EVERY time.

'I am in Southern California. The Sales persons were always very kind, always encouraging me to come back and change up the colors for free any time I got bored.'

Amelia's TikTok got over 1.3 million views in a matter of days, and it sparked a slew of comments from people who were excited to try it out themselves.

However, others claimed the cord should be free anyway, since once person pointed out that you're spending so much on a bracelet that they described as 'legit just a string.'

'For the price of this little thing Im gonna be changing the string everyday until I make up my money back,' one person joked, while another added, 'It looks like a hair tie.'

'I can make this for free,' said someone else. A fourth comment read: 'This is like the friendship bracelets I made in 1993.'

'Go on a holiday near the beach youll get one of those for [a few dollars],' wrote a different user.
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Make no mistake, it will be the dress of her life. The gown Camilla wears as she is crowned next to King Charles in Westminster Abbey on May 6 will define her as no other outfit has done yet, or will hence.

So perhaps its understandable that the news that the Queen Consort has chosen one of Dianas favourite designers, Bruce Oldfield, to create her Coronation dress, has caused some surprise. Wearing the gown of a man so indelibly associated with your husbands late ex-wife on such a landmark day could be seen as a risky move.

I, however, feel precisely the opposite. Bruce, whom I have known for many years, is the perfect match for Camilla.

More than being just the ideal craftsman for such an occasion in terms of style and sartorial skill, hes the dream man for such a high-pressure occasion. The kind of designer who puts a woman in a dress and gasps along with her, as thrilled as she is by the result, hell be as invested as Camilla in her Coronation robes.

Back in black: Diana at the Barbican in 1985 and Camilla at a movie premiere in London in 2019

Gala glamour: The Princess at Londons Grosvenor House Hotel in 1988 and, right, Charless 70th birthday party in 2018

And forget the chance of it being as ill-fitting as Meghans wedding dress, or as crushed as Dianas Emanuel-designed bridal gown as she emerged from her fairytale carriage. If I know Bruce, hell be there on the day, pinning Camilla in to absolute perfection until the very last moment. Camilla simply couldnt be in better hands.

As well she knows. For all his past association with Diana, Bruce, 72, has been dressing Camilla, 75, with great success for a decade now, and they get on like a house on fire. After all, choosing a designer youve never worked with for such a huge occasion would be rather akin to using a hairdresser for the very first time on your wedding day. As he puts it himself: She is a good egg. We get on bloody well.

But theres far more to Camillas choice of Bruce than his genius at constructing internal corsets ideal for holding in middle-aged figures  or the fact that hes British, a vital consideration for an occasion of such national significance. Camilla could just as easily have steered clear of him so as to not invite comparison to Diana. But I feel it shows she is no longer avoiding comparisons with Diana  because that battle is finally over.

And Coronation day will show it. Confident in a way almost unrecognisable when compared to the early days of her relationship with Charles after Dianas death, Camilla doesnt need to over-analyse her choices any more. She can just be herself.

Perhaps theres a chance that her choice of Bruce might even be a subconscious nod to the late Princess, an olive branch of sorts. Surely, despite all the pain of the past, Dianas sons will appreciate her choice on the day, this acknowledgement of their mother in some way. And really, considering that both women loved Charles so, is it any wonder that Bruce won both their hearts, too?

Ladies in red: Lady Diana in Melbourne in 1985, left, and the Queen Consort in London last year

Effortless elegance: Diana in Canada in 1983, left, and Camilla in Sri Lanka in 2013

Pink parade: Diana on a Royal visit to Coventry in 1986, left, and Camilla in Colombia in 2014

All white now: Diana at Somerset House in 1990, Camilla at 2016 State Opening of Parliament

Bruce has a lot in common with both women  wonderfully warm, and with a terrific natural empathy, he has as good a sense of humour as Diana famously did, and as Camilla most certainly has.

Today, Bruce is understandably tight-lipped on the Coronation. But he has spoken about his relationship with both royal women, saying: I gave Diana her glamour and Camilla her confidence.

After meeting Diana in 1980, when she asked him to make her something to wear to switch on the Oxford Street Christmas lights, he steered her away from Sloane Ranger style into something far more chic. She was, he has said, the perfect client. She once wrote to him admitting that she was his No 1 fan.

In those days, I worked opposite Bruce in Knightsbridge, in the Beauchamp Place shop. Bruces dresses were the ultimate. Anything but froth  the antithesis of the Emanuels  Bruce exemplified great structure and femininity. Business boomed for him. Celebrities including Joan Collins, the ultimate 1980s fashionista, and Faye Dunaway adored him.

Then came the 1990s and the royal divorce, after which Diana dropped Bruce. Her new single life meant she didnt have as much need for his formal wear. He was a casualty in a war very much not of his making. Oh no, I no longer need to go to Ascot. I hated it anyway, she apparently told him.

The loss of her patronage, in favour of European designers such as Versace, whom she understandably sought out in her post-divorce reinvention, was a blow.

We were shunned, he has said in past interviews. We were p***** off, I can tell you. It wasnt good. It means everybody looks at you as if to say, Youre rubbish. Were not going to buy from you any more. 

Supporting Barnardos: Bruce Oldfield with Princess Diana in 1988

Supporting Barnardos: Bruce Oldfield with Queen Consort Camilla in 2016

Indeed, the recession which struck in the 1990s saw Bruce sell his flat and use the money to shore up his business. A deeper cut came for him when Diana  again, understandably  streamlined her charity commitments in 1996 after her divorce.

Among those charities to lose out was Barnardos, of which she had been president. This was a cause close to Bruces heart. Born in London to a young half-Irish woman and a Jamaican boxer, he was given up for adoption shortly after his birth. His seamstress foster mother in County Durham taught him to sew and he developed a love of fashion and clothing.

Described as uncontrollable, Bruce was placed in a Barnardos home in Yorkshire when he was 11. It didnt stop him passing the exams to attend Ripon Grammar School, however. He first trained as a teacher, but in his early 20s moved to London and was the star pupil in his year at Central Saint Martins. Today, he remains vice-president of Barnardos.

Discussing the split with Diana, he once commented: We were more angry about the Barnardos connection. To lose your president in such a visible way, we were pretty upset.

Today, in another uncanny echo, Camilla is patron of Barnardos.

Bruce, when he does speak of the Queen Consort, is clearly enamoured: Shes fabulous, he told one interviewer several years ago. Im really pleased that people are warming to her. In America it was quite difficult, because people were very pro . . . somebody else [Diana]. But its 20 years ago, you know? Please!

It seems testament to Bruces talent that he can make women of such divergent styles  Diana, a fashion icon by the end of her life; Camilla, far more traditional  look so elegant. The ranginess of the late Princess of Wales would appear to be easier to dress than Camillas 5 ft 6 in frame. But there are similarities. He is singularly unfussy in his clothing, preferring block colour rather than patterns, and tailoring to flounces.

No doubt Camilla and Bruce are entirely in tune as they mull what shades suit her best. Just witness the creations he has crafted for her already. The narrow, pale turquoise gown with lace he made for her for a tour of Sri Lanka in 2013. That dazzling white number at the State Opening of Parliament in 2015 and 2016. He elevates her into the kind of regal elegance the late Queen was known for. It seems certain that Camilla will choose something pale for the Coronation, and will choose with care.

Im lucky enough to have met Camilla just the once. Our families are friendly, and I know her sister Annabel well. And the sisters are known to be great fun. Both have a wonderful sense of style: clean lines and uncomplicated with no unnecessary fuss or frills.

But where Bruce will come into his own is the trust that Camilla already has in him. Over 50, all a woman ever wants from a dress is to be confident. And yes, some of his detractors might say that Bruce is a bit mother of the bride, but theres a security to him that Camilla would so need on this biggest of all days. She will be able to have a wobbly in front of him, and know shes in safe hands.

One interviewer asked him whether Camilla ever spoke to him about Diana. The answer was so endearingly, wonderfully Bruce: I dont have many clients who discuss their husbands previous wives with me. It just doesnt happen. Moving on! I think Camilla has become more relaxed and  whats the word?  confident. In dealing with me, shes much more accepting of what I propose, you know? Trusting, thats the word.
Up to the point where I got pregnant, Id taken for granted that men and women are substantially the same apart from our dangly bits.

The experience of being a mother blew this out of the water.

Until then Id bought uncritically into the idea that individual freedom is the highest good, that bonds or obligations are acceptable only inasmuch as they are optional, and that men and women can and should pursue this equally.

Then I went through the wonderful and disorienting experience of finding my sense of self partly merged with a dependent infant. The kind of absolute freedom Id accepted as an unalloyed good was suddenly a great deal less appealing to me because I actively enjoyed belonging to my daughter.

It was obviously not in her interests to go on insisting that my obligations to her were optional. Where, pre-baby, I could do more or less what I liked, as a mother I couldnt refuse to get up and feed my crying newborn at 3.30am just because I didnt feel like it.

Her interests mattered more than my once-treasured autonomy.

I lived for years in a sexually liberated lesbian commune, but only found true peace and equality when I married a man and became a devoted mother (stock image)

Then I went through the wonderful and disorienting experience of finding my sense of self partly merged with a dependent infant. The kind of absolute freedom Id accepted as an unalloyed good was suddenly a great deal less appealing to me because I actively enjoyed belonging to my daughter (stock image)

It meant a fundamental break with my past way of thinking. I was in my early teens when I started to notice how Mum would cook dinner and after wed all eaten, my dad would get up and leave her to clear the table. Then my two brothers began to follow his example. This seemed unfair, to say the least.

It left me with a dilemma. As the households other female, I felt a clear solidarity with my mum. But I also believed I had equal status with my brothers. Should I exempt myself from these petty chores like they did?

And if I did, what did that say about how we all saw my mum? In turn, as another female, what did this imply for me when I reached adulthood? Trying to answer these questions led me to feminism and a world in which women were creatures in our own right, rather than second-class support humans.

But I soon learned that membership of the feminist club comes with small print. You cannot pursue feminist goals without signing up to a larger bundle of commitments under the banner of progress, such as climate justice, racial and gender-minority rights, wealth redistribution and so on. Reject those, and you will be excommunicated from the coalition of the righteous.

I tried living my adult life according to those ideals, pursuing low-carbon life, non-hierarchical social forms and maximum sexual freedom, in a culture hell-bent on individualism and fluid relationships.

By the end of my 20s, however, I had found that being determinedly counter-cultural was taking a great deal of emotional and intellectual effort, for questionable returns. I concluded that sexual freedom brings alienation and that too little interdependence, rather than too much, is actually precipitating a collapse of social life.

A website I co-founded with four others imploded, turning out not to be the harmonious co-operative Id envisaged but beset by muddled objectives and bitter interpersonal conflicts in which I lost my best friend and my social circle.

Around the same time, I also discovered that the supposedly egalitarian and sexually liberated all-lesbian community I lived in was in fact hierarchical and riddled with competition. Whether the issue was who was cleaning the kitchen or who was sleeping with whom, excluding males from the household did not vanquish rivalry and exploitation.

Even as I wrestled with these discoveries, I met the man who became my husband. Even as my life was falling apart, I had already started to rebuild it  in a different form.

Some years into our life together, I have found more peace and equality, not to mention more freedom from futile power games, in the countless ways we co-operate building a home and family than I ever achieved in my progressive 20s, trying to run away from commitment and constraint.

It turns out that accepting some limits is liberating, not restrictive. And getting to grips with how we divide the countless little jobs that keep a home going hasnt stuffed me into a patriarchal box at all. Rather, it has produced a set-up that looks fairly conventional but is well adapted to each of us and our shared goals.

Around the same time, I also discovered that the supposedly egalitarian and sexually liberated all-lesbian community I lived in was in fact hierarchical and riddled with competition (stock image)

As Ive set about trying to square these discoveries with my previous beliefs, I have come to rethink my previous belief that patriarchy is a mass conspiracy to oppress women. Instead, I have come to see it as the result of historical human efforts to balance the conflicting interests of the two sexes.

Admittedly, that result hasnt always been perfect. You can point to plenty of abuses and injustices, many targeted especially at women. These are rightly to be condemned. But the solution is not to be found in some state of perfect symmetry between the sexes  because this cant be had. The sexes are not interchangeable.

Take premarital sex as an example. The truth is that it carries much greater risks for women than for men. Marriage as a precondition for sex benefits women (and children)  and its not clear to me that feminist efforts to smash the norms around this have delivered greater happiness for women.

Dont get me wrong. My aim is not to stuff feminism back into its box. I have no wish to be banned from voting or working, any more than I want my political agency to be subsumed into that of my husband.

Nor do I want to return to a pre-1960s understanding of marriage, and with it the traditional relationship in which women serve as home-makers, while relying on their husbands goodwill and good character to offset the loss of agency this implies.

As if such a thing were even possible. Such a notion ignores the downsides that drove women to abandon this model in the first place. And in any case, those material conditions are long gone. Dual-earner households are now the norm and the two-income trap means supporting a stay-at-home parent is economically unfeasible below a certain earning threshold.

But sex continues to be politically important. Men and women will continue to exist, and certain basic facts about us will remain true. Most of us want children; most want a life lived in common, usually with a member of the opposite sex.

Same-sex-attracted men and women exist, of course, but heterosexuality is still the default.

Humans cant change sex. The shape of our bodies still matters, despite everything the modern world has done to minimise those disparities.

But that doesnt leave women powerless. We can and must work out how men and women can be human together, opting for certain constraints which are in fact beneficial and help us live well.

But sex continues to be politically important. Men and women will continue to exist, and certain basic facts about us will remain true. Most of us want children; most want a life lived in common, usually with a member of the opposite sex (stock image)

Happily, there already exists a vintage social technology we can deploy, if we can only upcycle it for the 21st century: marriage.

Its not a magic bullet to solve every challenge. Nothing will ever do that. Nor, as even happily married people will tell you, is every marriage utopian. But the fact is that women who are mothers flourish in a society where their role is more clearly defined  and married family units are essential to creating stability.

I recognise that this puts me at odds with the prevailing feminist culture in our society. But Im not alone in thinking this. Many who grew up in the post-1960s world of autonomy and self-actualisation are now rebelling against the culture of absolute self-centredness and seeking and sustaining marriage as a kind of radical solidarity.

The bleak liberated view is exemplified by the U.S. writer Honor Jones, who wrote last year about how she loved her husband  but still divorced him, because their marriage wasnt self-expressive enough and he was an obstacle to her personal fulfilment.

From perspectives such as hers, marriage is tantamount to prostitution, a fake contract that enables exploitation of one sex by the other. Far better to deregulate relations between the sexes altogether and let everyone embrace their own needs. Ironically, you hear this from both feminists and anti-feminists.

And the cost is loneliness and mutual hostility  which is in no ones interest.

I spent 15 adult years living as a single entity before I married. I have done all the things Jones lists as upsides of the atomised life. But from where Im sitting, what she characterises as stifling isnt a bugbear. Rather, the closing down of limitless options is actually liberating and what I do every day is meaningful to the extent that I have been willing to accept constraints.

Im not claiming either that everyone must get married. There have always been women who dont want to be mothers, who dont want relationships with men, or who dont want relationships full stop. But especially in todays uncertain climate, a more stable society is an urgent feminist issue  especially if youre among the great majority who want kids. And the simplest, most well-tested route to more widespread social stability is more marriage.

And this means I am also opposed to easy divorce. Lest anyone mistake me, this isnt a conservative argument. With only two marriages for every divorce, there is very little left to conserve. Nor am I arguing that anyone should remain in a violent or otherwise abusive relationship for the sake of the children.

My argument for marriage is about loyalty. Its not to be treated as a contract  a business arrangement that you drop if it stops being win/win. Its a covenant. And as such it should be indissoluble.

Choosing one person means continuing to choose them: that is, opting to ignore all the ways the grass might be greener somewhere else  and continuing to do so, even when things are a bit rough. Every marriage has ups and downs, and some of them can last for years. But in most cases this isnt an argument for calling it quits.

According to sociologist Dr Paul Amato, high-conflict marriages are characterised by heated argument or even violence, and in these cases divorce may be beneficial for children.

But around half of divorces are in what he calls low-conflict marriages: that is, the relationship was not perfect but they muddled along well enough. For 55-60 per cent of couples, he says, these are not bad marriages. They are just not ecstatic marriages.

Same-sex-attracted men and women exist, of course, but heterosexuality is still the default (stock image)

And where things are not ecstatic, which is to say for most marriages at least occasionally, the reactionary feminist emphasis has to be on absolute, unshakable loyalty. You can get a long way on stoicism and common purpose but to do so, you have to foreclose separation as a possibility.

And those who wish to do this are up against a modern belief that if a partnership isnt perfect at all times, like a consumer product, you should take it back to the shop. Backing out of this destructive illusion wont be easy. Every millennial couple I know with young children struggles with the gap between ideal and reality, especially where parenting disrupts the relationship: new resentments, new asymmetries, sometimes simmering tensions.

But its exactly in functional but less-than-perfect families that statistics show children are most deeply hurt by divorce  because, actually, it was good enough for them. In many cases, little more than a change in attitude can make it good enough for us as well.

Lest anyone accuse me of arguing against womens emancipation and wellbeing in the name of family stability, studies show that a third of men and women who get divorced subsequently regret it. More freedom doesnt always equal more happiness.

And sticking with an imperfect-but-functional partnership doesnt self-evidently mean never-ending misery. Life is long, and I have seen even extended rough patches in relationships smooth back out into affection, respect and intimacy.

We just need to tilt the scales back towards erring on the side of stability rather than that of freedom. By shifting our focus from emotional fulfilment to long-term thinking and the practical work of building together, we can reclaim marriage as a post-romantic covenant between two willing partners that gives all of us infinitely more opportunity to thrive.

But what use is it telling women to get married, if theres no one to marry? In just contemplating this we run the gauntlet of every feminist who has ever conceived of womens interests as necessitating the total exclusion or defeat of men. In my vision, women operate alongside men. Where, though, have all the good men gone?

Part of the answer is that, outside the elite and labouring classes, they are increasingly out-competed by women.

This has resulted in a devastating loss of purpose and dignity that has disproportionately affected working-class and lower middle-class men. Over recent decades, there has been a steady rise in deaths of despair  from suicide, drug and alcohol abuse and other self-inflicted conditions associated with loneliness and lack of hope.

Male friendship is on the decline. This leaves many men dependent on a partner for social connection and wider friendship, which in turn leaves them desperately vulnerable if the relationship ends.

The highest-risk group for suicide in the UK is divorced men, followed by widowers.

Yet should any straight white man show signs of distress, liberal feminism will dismiss this as further evidence of aggrieved entitlement and misogyny.

When a U.S. senator called last year for policies to restore the well-being of lower-class men, The Washington Post accused him of prejudice and Rolling Stone magazine interpreted his plea as a return to the days when men could indulge their masculine urges by groping women and worse.

And yet the wellbeing of working-class men is straightforwardly in womens interests  specifically, the interests of those women who might form families with such men. They would also benefit from more and better jobs for men: more dignity; less porn and video games; more responsibility.

I maintain that theres nothing anti-feminist (at least, not for a reactionary feminist) about defending mens interests as distinct from those of women. And even if the big economic picture is tricky to solve, there is one thing we can help to address: the death of male friendship.

Spaces where men socialise without women are increasingly rare  and this is partly thanks to feminism. Mens private clubs are seen as beyond the pale, prima facie evidence of patriarchy. The Garrick, for example, one of the last all-male London members clubs, is currently subject to a legal challenge by women demanding admission.

But its all very well for barristers to demand access to elite mens clubs. What happens when that travels down the social scale? When one of the last all-male working mens clubs, in Shropshire, sought 50,000 funding for repairs to its Grade II-listed building, it was turned down by the National Lottery on the grounds of its sex-discriminatory membership policy.

But what use is it telling women to get married, if theres no one to marry? In just contemplating this we run the gauntlet of every feminist who has ever conceived of womens interests as necessitating the total exclusion or defeat of men. In my vision, women operate alongside men. Where, though, have all the good men gone? (stock image)

Four years later, its members voted overwhelmingly to close down rather than succumb to institutional pressure to admit women who were not the wives of existing members.

No one talks about what might be lost, for ordinary men, when their spaces go mixed-sex. Harvard evolutionary biologist Dr Joyce Benenson argues that women and men socialise in distinct ways, a disparity structured around evolved strategies for survival.

Human female survival strategies turn on excluding other females in the search for mates, then enlisting peers and elders to help with the care of dependents. In contrast, males tend towards social patterns in which they co-operate with peers and compete with those they see as opponents.

This means men find companionship with other male peers in ways that often dont make sense to the opposite sex.

Sometimes, out running with the dog, I pass a field where two or three (always male) figures stand hundreds of metres apart, scanning with metal detectors. Its obvious to me that for these men, what they are doing counts as socialising, even if theyre not exchanging a word.

You often read concerned women saying that men would be less lonely if only theyd spend time in groups or talk about their feelings more  but really, that just means telling men to be more like women.

What if, actually, men socialising together looks like nothing women would want to do? What if its not possible in mixed company?

Last year, woman farmer Lisa Edwards faced a fierce backlash when she accused the 94-year-old Liverpool Agricultural Discussion Society of sexism for restricting membership to men and excluding her.

A senior member told her: There are conversations that are different between men and women. To take away a space to chat is wrong.

I agree. If we want a world of good men, we need to accept that good men are formed not by women but by other men  and be willing to let that happen without us.

Of course, this carries the risk that male mentorship will take forms that women find uncomfortable. But if you look at the popularity of so-called king of toxic masculinity Andrew Tate, youll see that this is still happening, even when mens opportunities for single-sex social life are heavily scrutinised for anti-feminist wrongthink.

If we dont grant good men space to be themselves, we will get more Andrew Tates: not good men but isolated, bitter ones who blame women for their suffering.

This is not the world I want my young daughter to grow up in.

It might seem perverse for a feminist to make the case for men being freer to exclude women. But we cannot wring our hands about mens ailing mental health while reacting with fear and hostility to every fraternal organisation that focuses on practical activities and produces, as a side-effect, more confident and well-adjusted men.

If we want to see more of these men in the world, women need to step back a little and give them space.

Doing this might also have a bonus  returning a measure of mystery to the opposite sex, which in turn creates more space for desire to flourish.
An Australian mother-of-three was left horrified by what she found in her 12-year-old's backpack.

Sarah, from Perth, discovered an electronic cigarette in her daughter's bag and panic set in after realising she smokes vapes.

'Honestly, I was mortified, it has completely imploded now. We've, to some extent, left it a little bit too late,' she told 7News.

The electronic cigarettes that usually contain nicotine and are available in different flavours; they've become increasingly popular among young adult and teenagers and are a substitute for regular cigarettes.

Young people who vape nicotine are exposed to a toxic chemical that can harm adolescent brain development.

Sarah, from Perth, (pictured) discovered an electronic cigarette in her daughter's bag and panic set in after realising she smokes vapes

According to a survey by the Alcohol and Drug Foundation (ADF), in Australia around 14 per cent of 12 to 17-year-olds have ever tried an e-cigarette, with around 32 per cent of these students having used one in the past month.

The survey also found 74 per cent of young adults aged 18-24 initially only tried vapes out of curiosity in their younger years, and now 64 per cent of them are still addicted.

Cancer Council Western Australia CEO Ashley Reid said: 'Young people are attracted to vapes for their bright colours and broad range of flavours, and then become hooked due to the nicotine content.

Vapes have become increasingly popular among young adult and teenagers and are a substitute for regular cigarettes. Young people who vape nicotine are exposed to a toxic chemical that can harm adolescent brain development (stock image)

'These products carry serious health risks, such as nicotine addiction, poisoning, seizures, burns and acute lung injuries from inhaling harmful chemicals.'

Research strongly suggests non-smokers who use e-cigarettes are three times more likely to go on to smoke 'combustible tobacco cigarettes as non-users'.

Cancer Council will receive $375,000 from Healthway to develop a pilot project highlighting the impacts of e-cigarette use.

Maurice Swanston, the recently retired CEO of the Australian Council on Smoking and Health, admitted the achievements made in kicking the national nicotine habit could vanish thanks to vapes.

'E-cigarettes are undermining the incredible progress that Australia has made in the last 40 years I have been working in reducing smoking,' he previously told Daily Mail Australia.

Federal Minister Mark Butler signalled in early December that the Albanese government would look at cracking down on the e-cigarettes, also known as vapes, flooding into Australia.

Mr Swanston said it's the right approach.

'Our borders are leaking like a sieve, there are massive illegal imports of e-cigarettes and those cigarettes have been intentionally mislabeled, so that Border Force can't tell whether they contain nicotine or not,' Mr Swanston said.

In October 2021, the Therapeutic Goods Administration made it illegal to buy e-cigarettes, which electronically heat a fluid mixture to produce an aerosol or vapour to be inhaled, without a doctor's prescription.

Is vaping worse than smoking? Many people believe that e-cigarettes are 'less damaging' for you than traditional cigarette smoking. With a rise in vaping by Australians, particularly among young people, it's important to understand the long-term health risks. Some vapes are designed to look similar to tobacco cigarettes, cigars, and pipes, while others resemble everyday items, such as pens and USBs ven though e-cigarettes do not contain tobacco many liquids still contain nicotine, which is highly addictive, as well as other chemicals. These chemicals can be toxic when they are inhaled. It is illegal to use, sell or buy nicotine for use in e-cigarettes to anyone in Australia without a prescription. Source: Lung Foundation Advertisement

A recent study on e-cigarette use by 14-17 year-olds in NSW illustrated how freely available vapes are.

It estimated more than 30 per cent of young people in the age group had tried vaping.

Seventeen-year-old Ruby Ellis told the study she had vaped for three years but had been trying to quit for nine months.

'I knew that it was addictive when I first started vaping, but you don't really think about it too much,' Ruby said.

'You don't fully realise what addicted means or how addictive it is until you become hooked'.
A fascinating interactive map today lays bare the UK's bird flu hotspots amid fears the killer virus could soon jump to humans.

Since the nation's biggest ever outbreak began in October 2021, more than 1,000 dead wild birds have tested positive for H5N1.

Aberdeenshire, the Scottish Highlands and Cornwall are among the worst-hit areas, MailOnline analysis of Government data revealed.

The pathogen has already jumped from birds to mammals, sparking fears that it is now one step closer to spreading in humans  a hurdle which has so far stopped it from triggering a pandemic.

Officials yesterday confirmed that they are modelling how many Britons could die in a bird flu outbreak to 'facilitate preparedness'.

Among those working on the models is Professor Neil Ferguson, an epidemiologist whose chilling projections of the Covid outbreak led the UK Government to impose the first lockdown.

Among those working on the models is Professor Neil Ferguson (pictured), an epidemiologist whose projections of the Covid outbreak led the UK Government to impose the first lockdown

This picture released by Cambodia's Communicable Disease Control Department (CDCD) on Thursday shows villagers posing with posters about the H5N1 virus in Prey Veng province where a girl died from the virus this week

Some 85, 46 and 39 cases have been confirmed in those areas respectively since January 2022, according to data from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (Apha).

However, the true number will be much higher as only a fraction of dead birds are tested for the virus and it can take months for an infection to be confirmed.

Bird flu detections were also prevalent in Northumberland (39), Fife (37) and Moray (30).

Cases in West Lancashire (25), Angus (22) and Argyll and Bute (22) are also among the highest in the UK.

At least one case has been spotted in around 250 parts of the UK.

Pink-footed and greylag geese, along with mute swans and common buzzards, are among those spotted in the bird flu hotspots.

The Apha conducts year-round testing of dead wild birds, which are reported to it by the public.

The surveillance aims to provide information on where and which strains of the virus are circulating.

It comes as the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) yesterday confirmed it is modelling scenarios of how an outbreak among humans could take off in the UK.

Under a 'mild scenario', the scientists estimate that one in 400 people who catch bird flu would die due to the virus.

This infection fatality rate (IFR) of 0.25 per cent is similar to Covid's in mid-2021 and the 2009 swine flu outbreak.

But under a 'more severe scenario', the virus would be fatal among one in 40 people who became infected (an IFR of 2.5 per cent).

However, the World Health Organisation warns that of the 868 human H5N1 cases reported to it over the last two decades, 456  just over half  have been fatal.

The Avian Influenza Technical Group noted that while other H5N1 outbreaks have had 'much higher fatality estimates', these did not involve sustained human-to-human transmission, so are not 'directly comparable'.

UK officials including 'Professor Lockdown' begin Covid-style 'worst-case scenario' planning for if bird flu becomes transmissible in humans Imperial College London published a paper in March 2020 on the potential impact of coronavirus. It weighed up options on how a lockdown could reduce demand on hospitals Advertisement

Among those working on the models is Professor Neil Ferguson, an epidemiologist whose chilling projections of the Covid outbreak led the UK Government to impose the first lockdown.

Modelling from Professor Ferguson and his colleagues at Imperial College London in March 2020 predicted the NHS would be overwhelmed within weeks and a terrible death toll would arise if nothing was done to stop the spread of the disease.

In light of the bird flu modelling, the UKHSA said it would continue to investigate how it could detect cases if there was an outbreak among people.

This could see Covid-style lateral flow tests rolled out to test Brits for bird flu, it said.

The UKHSA said it is investigating whether the swabs, which provided results in as little as 15 minutes during the Covid pandemic, would detect the circulating H5N1 strain.

It is also probing whether a blood test could be developed that detects antibodies against the virus.

Genetic mutations in positive samples are also being monitored for any signal that the virus is mutating to become a bigger risk to people.

The UKHSA said it will 'remain vigilant' over whether the 'constantly' evolving virus, which kills over half of those it infects, has gained mutations that may better allow it to spread among people.

It also noted that the 'very high levels' of transmission in wild birds present a 'constant risk'.

The agency said that there is 'no evidence so far that the virus is getting better at infecting humans or other mammals' and data suggests H5N1 'does not pass easily to people'.

But it warned there is an 'increased chance' of people coming into contact with the virus due to the sky-high rates among birds.

It urged Brits to avoid contact with sick or dead wild birds in parks and waterways and wash their hands after feeding wild birds to reduce the risk of exposure to bird flu.

Dr Meera Chand, incident director for avian influenza at the UKHSA, said: 'The latest evidence suggests that the avian influenza viruses we're seeing circulating in birds do not currently spread easily to people.

The UKHSA graph shows the number of bird flu cases, by region in England, confirmed among kept and wild birds between October 2022 and February 2023

The UKHSA graph shows the number of cases of the H5N1 bird flu strain detected among mammals, such as foxes and otters, between October 2021 and January 2023 in England (light blue), Scotland (dark blue) and Wales (green)

The graph, from the UKHSA, displays cases of H5N1 among mammals worldwide between January 2020 and February 2023

The UKHSA graphic shows the number of people exposed to bird flu between October 2022 and February 2023 by region in England

'However, viruses constantly evolve, and we remain vigilant for any evidence of changing risk to the population, as well as working with partners to address gaps in the scientific evidence.'

It comes as health chiefs in Cambodia rush to contain an outbreak, after an 11-year-old girl died from the virus on Wednesday.

She had started suffering from a fever, cough and sore throat last week and was taken to a children's hospital in Phnom Penh, the capital. However, she died shortly after doctors confirmed she was infected.

It marks the first known human case of H5N1 in the country in nine years, which was last detected among people in 2014. In the last two decades, 56 cases and 37 deaths due to the strain have been logged in Cambodia.

The girl's father subsequently tested positive, raising fears the virus may be spreading among humans. A dozen others have also been tested.

Bird flu outbreak: Everything you need to know What is it? Avian flu is an infectious type of influenza that spreads among birds. In rare cases, it can be transmitted to humans through close contact with a dead or alive infected bird. This includes touching infected birds, their droppings or bedding. People can also catch bird flu if they kill or prepare infected poultry for eating. Wild birds are carriers, especially through migration. As they cluster together to breed, the virus spreads rapidly and is then carried to other parts of the globe. New strains tend to appear first in Asia, from where more than 60 species of shore birds, waders and waterfowl head off to Alaska to breed and mix with migratory birds from the US. Others go west and infect European species. What strain is currently spreading? H5N1. So far the new virus has been detected in some 80million birds and poultry globally since September 2021  double the previous record the year before. Not only is the virus spreading at speed, it is also killing at an unprecedented level, leading some experts to say this is the deadliest variant so far. Millions of chickens and turkeys in the UK have been culled or put into lockdown, affecting the availability of Christmas turkey and free-range eggs. Can it infect people? Yes, but only 860 human cases have been reported to the World Health Organization since 2003. The risk to people has been deemed 'low'. But people are strongly urged not to touch sick or dead birds because the virus is lethal, killing 56 per cent of people it does manage to infect. Advertisement

Officials have urged those in her village not to touch sick or dead birds and collected samples from birds in the area.

Professor Ian Brown, head of virology at the Apha, said potential clusters of H5N1 require 'prompt investigation' to find out whether the virus has spread human to human or whether those affected were infected by birds.

'Almost all cases to date have not resulted in human-to-human transmission but vigilance is required,' he said.

Professor Jonathan Ball, a virologist from the University of Nottingham, said: 'There is always a risk of human infection, particularly in people in close contact with poultry or wild birds and this risk increases during times where circulation of avian influenza is particularly high as it is now.

'Thankfully, human infections are still rare and the likelihood of onward human to human transmission very low.

'But this virus keeps cropping up in various mammals and this could potentially increase the possibility of further human infections.

'The risk to humans is still very low but it's important that we continue to monitor circulation of flu in both bird and mammal populations and do everything we can to reduce the number of infections seen.

'It also highlights why efforts to develop next generation cross-reactive vaccines are so important.'

There is currently no vaccine against bird flu. Treatment for those infected includes antiviral medicine.

Bird flu levels in the UK usually decrease in the spring and summer months. However, monitoring revealed that the outbreak had continued past this point.

Health chiefs have warned that the winter migration of wild birds is likely to further hike avian flu transmission in the coming months. This is because migrating birds can infect local kept and wild birds, driving up cases.

The unprecedented outbreak has also been seen around the globe.

As well as record cases in birds, the virus has also been spotted in other animals, such as foxes, otters and seals in the UK, mink in Spain and sea lions in Peru.

This sparked concern that the virus may be spreading between the mammals, which would indicate it had picked up a mutation that could, in theory, make it easier for humans to become infected.

Further testing is still required to determine if mammals are transmitting the virus.

This is because the cases in other animals may have been caused by them eating the carcasses of bird infected with avian flu rather than spreading it between themselves.

Officials insists there is no evidence that the virus is getting better at infecting people or mammals.

But the World Organisation for Animal Health (Woah) this month warned mammals could act as 'mixing vessels' for different influenza viruses, potentially unleashing a new variant that could be 'more harmful' to humans.

Alan Gosling (pictured), a retired engineer in Devon, caught the virus after his ducks, some of which lived inside his home, became infected. No one else caught the virus

Pictured: A National Trust ranger clears dead birds from Staple Island in July

Brits have told MailOnline that Defra call handlers at the 'overwhelmed' service are advising them to put carcasses into the bin themselves without recommending any PPE. Pictured: A swan on the River Thames in Windsor, Berkshire

Pictured: A dead bird in Heywood, Rochdale, amid the bird flu outbreak

For decades, scientists have warned that bird flu is the most likely contender for triggering the next pandemic.

Experts say this is because of the threat of recombination  with high levels of human flu raising the risk of a human becoming co-infected with avian flu as well.

This could see a deadly strain of bird flu merge with a transmissible seasonal flu.

But there has only been one case of a British person becoming infected since the current outbreak began.

Alan Gosling, a retired engineer in Devon, caught the virus in early 2022 after his ducks, some of which lived inside his home, became infected.

Until the new Cambodia cases, there had been eight human cases around the world since 2021, including in China, India, Spain, the UK (Mr Gosling) and the US.

However, MailOnline revealed last week that UK Government call handlers had advised Brits who spotted dead birds with suspected avian flu to bag and bin them  which goes against official guidance not to touch dead wild birds.

While not all carcasses will be victims of bird flu, experts warned the birds could be a 'possible source of contamination'.

Bird flu doesn't easily spread to humans but it can be transmitted by touching an infected bird, regardless of whether it is dead or alive, as birds shed the virus through their saliva, mucous and faeces.

The World Health Organisation said of 868 human H5N1 cases reported to it over the last two decades, 456  just over half  have been fatal.

The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs has since re-stated that the public should not touch dead wild birds.
Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy admitted that he provided Fox News host Tucker Carlson with Jan. 6 security footage, defending his decision by saying he had already "promised" to give the tapes to the press.

The GOP lawmaker said he was frequently asked about the press regarding the tapes, which he said belonged to the American public. McCarthy argued that he thinks everyone should be given a chance to make their judgment regarding the violent Capitol riot.

Security Footage of Jan. 6 Riot

The House speaker promised to provide the video footage as part of his efforts to shore up support to be elected as speaker. Specifically, it was something that GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz was demanding from McCarthy.

It was also part of an extensive list of demands that the Florida representative brought into McCarthy's office the night before the vote for speaker. However, the list did not include a section that said the list had to go to Carlson, which was decided on later, as per CNN.

While the House speaker could have given the responsibility of sorting through the footage and presenting it to his committees, a source close to McCarthy claims that he has long been skeptical of having the House GOP look as if it was investigating or litigating the Capitol Hill riot.

The Republicans instead chose to give the security footage to a socially conservative media network. He specifically gave them to Carlson, one of the most vocal voices in conservative media who had been calling for the release of the footage.

The Fox News host has also criticized the House speaker, which causes the move to seem like McCarthy is trying to gain favor with Carlson's camp. The Republican lawmaker is now hoping that his decision to outsource the review of the security footage will appease the right without upsetting moderates and majority makers.

Read Also: Bill Clinton Advisor's Mysterious Death Ruled as a Suicide

Review of Thousands of Hours of Footage

During a brief phone interview on Wednesday, McCarthy said that his decision was because of his commitment to providing the video footage that lasted more than 40,000 hours. The House speaker said he would make the footage more widely accessible after Carlson has his "exclusive" way with it, according to the New York Times.

The Fox News host also declined to comment on Wednesday regarding his review of the security footage. He only said that he and many staff members looked through the videos and took the situation "very seriously."

The situation is eerily similar to the circumstance of Reality Winner, who became a whistleblower in 2017 while working as a security consultant. This was after she learned that the federal government knew much more about Russia's involvement in hacking the United States election systems than it was telling the people.

The then 25-year-old Army veteran worked to leak one document to the public, which got the desired impact of leading to greater vigilance and amped-up security. However, she was not praised for her actions; instead, she was hounded by federal agents and prosecutors from former President Donald Trump's administration, who was Moscow's preferred candidate, said Inquirer.

Related Article: Biden Administration Revamps US Weapons Sales Policy

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It was the news that shocked millions of Brits.

Sudafed could be pulled from shelves or even made prescription-only because of links to extremely rare but deadly brain disorders.

But some countries have already taken similar action to control access to cold and flu remedy pseudoephedrine.

For example, the drug  which unblocks noses  has been banned from shelves in the Netherlands for over 30 years over heart concerns.

And in France, drugs containing the chemical are only available after a pharmacist consultation.

More than 10 countries worldwide already implement restrictions on sale of pseudoephedrine-containing medicines. in the Netherlands, drugs containing pseudoephedrine have already been banned from shelves for over 30 years, over heart concerns. The Colombian government meanwhile, prohibited the trade of medicines containing the chemical more than a decade ago after it was found to make crystal meth

Meanwhile, some countries  including the US  have tougher limits on how much pseudoephedrine consumers can purchase because of how easily it can be turned into meth.

Tablets and capsules taken to relieve a blocked nose  including some made by Day & Night Nurse and Benadryl  contain pseudoephedrine.

In exceptionally rare cases, this drug can trigger posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) or reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS).

These reactions can both increase the risk of strokes, by putting pressure on blood vessels, reducing blood supply to the brain, causing it to swell.

Although known about for decades, regulators are spooked by the 'new cases'.

Bosses at the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, which polices the safety of drugs, is 'reviewing available evidence' to see if the sale rules need to change.

Whitehall sources told MailOnline, however, that such a decision was unlikely.

Michelle Riddalls, chief executive of PAGB  the consumer healthcare association, which represents manufacturers of OTC medicines, said: 'Warnings related to these concerns are already present on the product information in the UK.

'However as is right, MHRA will also being making an assessment to see if any changes are needed in the UK.'

She added: 'If people have any concerns about the medicines they are taking, they can speak to a pharmacist.

'Pharmacists are expert healthcare professionals who can provide advice and support on self-treatable conditions and consumer healthcare products.'

The European Medicines Agency is carrying out its own probe into the medicine's side effects.

Officials on the continent had noted a 'small number' of new PRES and RCVS cases in surveillance databases and medical literature.

Initiated at the request of the French medicines agency, the review will determine whether pseudoephedrine should 'be maintained, varied, suspended or withdrawn across the EU'.

In France, access to pseudoephedrine was tightened back in 2020 in response to cases of serious adverse events  in particular heart attacks and strokes.

It followed warnings in 2008 and again in 2012 by the country's own National Pharmacovigilance Commission about the cardiovascular side effects.

Recent studies suggest that RCVS and PRES both increase the long-term risk of strokes, raising the risk of death. PRES is linked with a swathe of conditions, though most frequently with high blood pressure, eclampsia, severe infection, kidney disease and some autoimmune diseases

Risk factors associated with RCVS include certain prescription medications, such as anti-depressants, nasal decongestants, nicotine patches and head injuries

Drugs containing the chemical are now only available to patients after a consultation with a pharmacist.

But the Netherlands withdrew pseudoephedrine completely in 1989 over similar fears.

Concerns over pseudoephedrine are not just limited to health, however.

Crystal meth in recent years has become more available, potent, and cheaper than ever before.

And as Netflix hit Breaking Bad illustrated, pseudoephedrine also works as an 'essential' ingredient in making the recreational drug.

Mexico enforced a ban in 2007 after concerns over its use in making meth.

It means people in Mexico cannot legally use medicines containing the chemical.

Colombia followed for the same reason in 2010.

In the US, attempts to control the sale of medicines with the chemical date back to 1986, to prevent illegal manufacture of crystal meth.

How you purchase medications containing pseudoephedrine varies state by state.

In nearly 40 states, including Florida, Ohio and California, there are laws requiring pharmacies to sell it 'behind the counter'.

But the US Food and Drug Administration also sets limits nationwide on how much pseudoephedrine consumers can purchase over a month-long period.

Across the country, no-one can purchase more than 3.6g of pseudoephedrine a day or 9g over a 30 day period.

Everyday decongestant tablets found on pharmacy shelves often contain between 30mg and 60mg of pseudoephedrine hydrochloride.

In the UK for instance, 60mg can be found in Sudafed decongestant tablets or Benadryl Plus Capsules, for example, available over the counter in Boots or Lloydspharmacy.

The US isn't alone in restricting its use.

Sales restrictions are already placed on pseudoephedrine in the UK, despite it being widely available for decades.

It has been illegal to sell or supply any product to Brits which contains more than 720mg of pseudoephedrine without a prescription since 2008.

Everyday decongestant tablets found on pharmacy shelves often contain between 30mg and 60mg of pseudoephedrine hydrochloride. In the UK for instance, 60mg can be found in Sudafed decongestant tablets or Benadryl Plus Capsules, for example, available over the counter in Boots or Lloydspharmacy

It followed a ruling from the Commission on Human Medicines, which claimed it implemented the restriction 'to manage the risk of misuse of pseudoephedrine'.

Under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, in New Zealand it is also only possible to get medications containing pseudoephedrine on prescription.

Likewise, in Australia, illicit use of pseudoephedrine saw all products containing the chemical labelled either 'pharmacist only medicines' or 'prescription only medicines' in 2006.

Whether they can be sold when a pharmacist is directly involved or require GP intervention depends on the amount of the chemical in the medicine.

The nation also encourages its pharmacists to log purchases of pseudoephedrine containing products on the online database Project STOP, helping to prevent people buying small amounts of the medicines from different pharmacies in a short space of time.

Meanwhile in Japan, medications that contain more than 10 per cent pseudoephedrine are prohibited under their Stimulants Control Law.
The father of an 11-year-old girl who died from bird flu in Cambodia has also tested positive for the virus, raising fears it is spreading between people.

Eleven other close contacts of the girl - the country's 'patient zero' - have been tested and are waiting on their results, including several who are symptomatic.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has described the situation as 'worrying'  with human-to-human transmission of avian influenza not seen in decades.

The father, 49, who is not showing any symptoms, received a positive result today, two days after his daughter died from the H5N1 strain and became the world's first bird flu victim in 2023.

Cambodia health experts work during spray disinfectant at a village in Prey Veng eastern province Cambodia - where a father has been diagnosed with bird flu

This picture released by Cambodia's Communicable Disease Control Department (CDCD) on Thursday shows villagers posing with posters about the H5N1 virus in Prey Veng

A young girl from Prey Veng in Cambodia (shown on map) has died from the H5N1 bird flu. She was infected with the virus last week. She is the nation's first case since 2014

Before the cases in Cambodia, only one case of H5N1 in humans had been detected this year. Cases in humans have been rare in recent years

The above map shows bird flu cases detected in poultry facilities (left) and in wild birds (right) in 2022 and 2023. The WHO has warned the world to prepare for a potential bird flu pandemic saying the virus could jump to humans

The strain has caused an unprecedented explosion in cases among birds and poultry over the past year, indicating it has evolved to be more infectious.

Concerns reached new heights in recent weeks when it emerged the virus had also begun to infect mammals, including mink, sea lions and foxes.

The more the virus spreads between different animals, the more opportunity it has to mutate.

Only eight human cases have been spotted among people so far this outbreak, all of which were traced back to close contact with infected birds.

Cambodia's Ministry of Health confirmed today that it has tested at least 12 people for the H5N1 strain of avian in a bid to contain the outbreak.

The WHO said it was working with local health officials to contain the potential outbreak.

Dr Sylvie Briand, the WHO's director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, told reporters in a virtual briefing that the agency was reviewing its global risk assessment in light of the recent developments.

It comes after the health agency assessed the risk to humans from avian flu as 'low' earlier this month.

'The global H5N1 situation is worrying given the wide spread of the virus in birds around the world and the increasing reports of cases in mammals including humans,' said Briand.

The above map shows locations where there is a growing risk of a zoonotic virus outbreak. Dr Jennifer Nuzzo, a public health expert at Brown University in Rhode Island, warned that Texas was also a potential epicenter

A worker catches chickens at a market in Phnom Penh on February 24, 2023. The father of an 11-year-old Cambodian girl who died earlier in the week from bird flu tested positive for the virus, health officials said

Only eight human cases have been spotted among people so far this outbreak, all of which were traced back to close contact with infected birds

'WHO takes the risk from this virus seriously and urges heightened vigilance from all countries.'

She said it was not yet clear whether there had been any human-to-human transmission or if the two cases were due to the 'same environmental conditions', likely close contact with infected birds or other animals.

Cambodia has become a tourist trap in recent years with swathes of Americans trekking to South East Asia for their gap years. A quarter of a million people from the US visit Cambodia every year, as do roughly 160,000 Britons.

It is estimated there are now more than 100,000 expats living in Cambodia, with around 2,500 thought to be American.

On Wednesday, local health officials there confirmed that an 11-year-old from Prey Veng, in the south of Cambodia, has died following a positive bird flu result.

She started suffering from a fever, cough and sore throat six days earlier and was taken to a children's hospital in Phnom Penh, the capital  around 100km (62 miles) away.

It marks the first known human case of H5N1 in the country in nine years  the last was in 2014. In the last two decades, 56 cases and 37 deaths due to the strain have been logged in Cambodia.

The girl's father subsequently tested positive, raising fears the virus may be spreading among humans.

Health chiefs did not confirm whether he contracted the virus from his daughter, or if they had both been infected by a bird.

A statement from Health Minister Mam Bunheng today did not disclose the test results from the 12 others who were tested.

But officials have urged those in her village not to touch sick or dead birds and collected samples from birds in the area.

Since early last year, bird flu has ravaged farms around the world, leading to the deaths of more than 200million birds because of the disease or mass culls, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).

The WHO earlier this month noted that H5N1 had spread to mammals, but said the risk to humans remained low.

The virus has only ever been detected in around 870 human cases in history, but around half resulted in death.

H5N1 was first detected in chickens in Scotland in 1959, and again in China and Hong Kong in 1996. It first was detected in humans in 1997.

Human-to-human transmission of H5N1 is incredibly rare, but not impossible. In 1997, officials confirmed 18 H5N1 cases in Hong Kong, some of which were acquired through human-to-human transmission. The outbreak stayed relatively small, though. And did not spiral into a massive issue at either the local or global level.

This recent outbreak has caused particular concern. More than 15million domesticated birds, and countless wild animals, have been struck down by the virus. There is nothing to be done that can prevent the spread among wild birds, but officials are working to keep domesticated populations away from them. In the UK, all farmed chickens are now required to stay indoors.

While the virus is believed to be constantly circulating among wild birds, the massive swell of cases among domesticated birds has alarmed experts. Because domesticated birds often interact with humans, the risks of a spillover event are greatly increased.
It kills almost 100 percent of birds and roughly half of humans who get the virus

A fresh outbreak of bird flu cases in humans has emerged in Cambodia, leading to fears a new Covid-like pandemic could be on the horizon.

The father of an 11-year-old girl who died from bird flu this week has also tested positive for the H5N1 strain. Eleven more are being tested for the virus, four of whom are symptomatic.

It's still unclear if the parent caught the virus from his daughter or if they were both exposed to the same reservoir - likely an infected bird. But it could be the first example of human-to-human spread since an outbreak in Hong Kong in the late nineties.

That outbreak petered out, however, so even if the virus has once again started to spread between people, it does not necessarily mean it will cause an epidemic in humans.

There is also a question about how efficient the frighteningly lethal H5N1 strain really is as a pandemic virus. It kills around half of the people it infects, which greatly limits how widely it can spread. Dead people do not make good hosts for a pathogen with the sole goal of spreading and multiplying.

Here's everything you need to know about the bird flu strain:

Like all flus, the virus is spread primarily through droplets in the air which are breathed in or get into a person's mouth, eyes or nose

Health experts work during spray disinfectant at a village in Prey Veng province Cambodia - where a father has been diagnosed with bird flu

What is H5N1?

H5N1 is a highly infectious strain of flu that causes severe respiratory disease in birds and humans.

It is highly contagious among birds and poultry and has a near-100 percent case fatality rate.

There have been fewer than 1,000 cases in people, but it has killed roughly 53 percent of the people diagnosed with the disease.

The H5N1 strain was first detected in Scotland in 1959, but this outbreak was contained to chickens.

The virus was first detected in humans in 1997 in Hong Kong, thought to be contracted from chickens in a live poultry market, better known as a 'wet market', where live and dead animals are often kept in squalid conditions and slaughtered on order.

Wet markets have also been linked to Covid's origins, with the first cluster of cases in 2019 traced back to a small radius near the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan.

There has only ever been one human bird flu case in America, which occurred last year in April. The patient's only symptom was tiredness for a few days. They were treated with the flu antiviral drug oseltamivir and made a full recovery.

Infected birds can spread H5N1 to other birds through their saliva, nasal secretions and feces.

They can also catch it through contact with surfaces that are contaminated with the virus.

Before the cases in Cambodia, only one case of H5N1 in humans had been detected this year. Cases in humans have been rare in recent years

A worker catches chickens at a market in Phnom Penh on February 24, 2023. The father of an 11-year-old Cambodian girl who died earlier in the week from bird flu tested positive for the virus, health officials said

Bird flu infections among people are rare, however, they can happen when enough virus gets into a persons eyes, nose, or mouth, or is inhaled.

People with close or prolonged unprotected contact (not wearing respiratory and eye protection) with infected birds or places where sick birds or their mucous, saliva, or feces have contaminated might be at greater risk of bird flu virus infection.

It is unlikely that a human could catch the virus from eating poultry and game birds because it is heat-sensitive. This means the meat won't contain the virus as long as it is properly cooked.

An infected bird might appear lethargic, stop eating, have swollen body parts, and cough and sneeze. Other birds might die suddenly without any symptoms.

The symptoms in humans are a high fever (often above 100 F), a cough, sore throat, muscle aches and general feeling of malaise.

Additional early symptoms could include pain in the abdomen and chest and diarrhea.

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It can quickly develop into serious respiratory illness, including shortness of breath and difficulty breathing and pneumonia. People may also suffer an altered mental state or seizures.

Should I be worried?

Yes and no.

There have been mounting fears over the past year as the strain tore through the world's domestic bird and poultry populations.

More than 15million animals have been struck down and killed by the virus itself, while governments have collectively culled more than 200m worldwide to curb the virus' spread, including 58m in the US alone.

But those fears reached new heights today as the father of a girl who died from the virus was also diagnosed with the disease.

The World Health Organization (WHO) described the situation in Cambodia as 'worrying', in a noticeable shift in rhetoric.

Earlier this month the global health agency had assessed the threat of bird flu to humans as 'low'. But the WHO says it may reconsider that status based on the latest update.

Dr Sylvie Briand, the WHO's director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, told reporters in a virtual briefing that the agency was reviewing its global risk assessment in light of the recent developments.

She said: 'The global H5N1 situation is worrying given the wide spread of the virus in birds around the world and the increasing reports of cases in mammals including humans.'

Not only is bird flu spreading more easily and quickly through bird populations, but concerns have also been heightened in recent weeks as it emerged the virus had also begun to infect mammals, including minks, sea lions and foxes.

Two weeks ago, a paper published in the journal Eurosurveillance said that the virus found in the Spanish mink carried a mutation to the PB2 gene, which is not dissimilar to the mutation found when bird flu found its way into pigs over a decade ago.

The more the virus spreads between different animals, the more opportunity it has to mutate, meaning the recent cross-species transmission is more worrying and could be a warning sign of a more significant mutation.

But even the potential outbreak in Cambodia is unlikely to become an epidemic.

Only eight human cases have been spotted among people so far this outbreak, all of which were traced back to close contact with infected birds.

There is nothing to be done that can prevent the spread among wild birds, but officials are working to keep domesticated populations away from them.

Prior to the recent Cambodia cases, there have only been around 870 globally.

In 1997, officials confirmed 18 H5N1 cases in Hong Kong, some of which were acquired through human-to-human transmission.

However, the outbreak petered out after more than 1.5 million chickens in the area were slaughtered, and it did not spiral into a significant local or global issue.

Bird flu virus has a harder time spreading in humans because the mortality rate is so high and the infection can kill so swiftly, meaning people are dead before they have a chance to pass it on.

Covid has a far lower case fatality rate  it currently kills one percent of cases in the US and at its peak killed six percent in March 2020.

However, the asymptomatic nature of Covid meant that it could spread far more easily as people could pass it on without realizing they had it.

Cambodia has become a tourist trap in recent years with swathes of Americans trekking to South East Asia for their gap years. A quarter of a million people from the US visit Cambodia every year, as do roughly 160,000 Britons.

It is estimated there are now more than 100,000 expats living in Cambodia, with around 2,500 thought to be American.

Professor Francois Balloux wrote on Twitter today that avian flu is a 'serious concern'.

But he said that although human-to-human transmission occurs, it isn't happening any more at the moment than it did before, and 'by far the most likely scenario for H5N1 is that nothing happens right now'.

Is it the new Covid?

The short answer is no... not yet.

With a few limited exceptions, the virus has never managed to make the jump to humans at a scale big enough to cause an outbreak.

Flu viruses are constantly mutating. In birds, H5N1 has divided into more than 30 genetic variants and caused widespread deaths in bird populations as well as mammals who eat birds.

The fresh outbreak of bird flu cases in humans in Cambodia has lead to fears a new Covid-like pandemic could be on the horizon

Scientists are yet to find any evidence that different variants are being transmitted between mammals.

Could it become the next pandemic? Time will tell.

Is there a vaccine/treatment?

There are animal vaccines for bird flu, but they are not used on a wide scale on bird farms because it lessens the ability to monitor outbreaks of the disease.

Plus, vaccinated birds can still contract the disease and transmit it.

There are currently no vaccines developed for bird flu in humans, but this is only because there is no need for it yet.

In order to make an effective vaccine in humans, scientists would need to know the specific variant causing the human spread so the treatment could be tailored.

The WHO has sent samples of H5N1 viruses to vaccine manufacturers, but mass production will not happen until they know the strain.

However, there are some readily antiviral drugs that can treat severe flu, like oseltamivir.

Hopefully these would work on any pandemic bird flu virus, but viruses can become resistant.

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention told DailyMail.com it was 'working closely with the Cambodian Ministry of Health and other public health partners during their investigations into these two human cases' in Cambodia.
Britain's Covid lockdown architect once warned that up to 200million people could die worldwide during a bird flu pandemic.

Professor Neil Ferguson, tasked with forecasting coronavirus-style scenarios in case the pathogen mutates to spread among humans easier, made the dire prediction in 2005 when fears of an avian influenza crisis were similarly high.

It comes as two cases of the deadly H5N1 strain have been confirmed in Cambodia, following the death of an 11-year-old girl due to the virus. Her father is also infected, while a dozen more people are being tested.

The case has sparked concerns that the virus could be spreading between humans.

The Government has now stepped up its preparation for a UK outbreak, with officials modelling how bird flu may take off among people and probing whether Covid-style lateral flow tests could detect the virus.

Among those working on the models is Professor Neil Ferguson (pictured), an epidemiologist whose projections of the Covid outbreak led the UK Government to impose the first lockdown

Imperial College London published a paper in March 2020 on the potential impact of coronavirus. It weighed up options on how a lockdown could reduce demand on hospitals

Official contingency plans, drawn up 18 years ago, warned of a death toll of up to 710,000 in the UK alone due to flu.

It was published during the heightened concerns about bird flu.

The 710,000 figure is based on half of the population becoming infected, with a fatality rate of around 2.5 per cent.

That doomsday death toll is three times higher than that of Covid pandemic, which stands at around 220,000 since March 2020.

The Avian Influenza Technical Group, part of the UK Health Security Agency, is now working on fresh modelling scenarios on how bird flu could take off in Britain.

Professor Ferguson, an epidemiologist whose chilling projections of the Covid outbreak led the Government to impose the first lockdown, is one of those in the group.

Bird flu outbreak: Everything you need to know What is it? Avian flu is an infectious type of influenza that spreads among birds. In rare cases, it can be transmitted to humans through close contact with a dead or alive infected bird. This includes touching infected birds, their droppings or bedding. People can also catch bird flu if they kill or prepare infected poultry for eating. Wild birds are carriers, especially through migration. As they cluster together to breed, the virus spreads rapidly and is then carried to other parts of the globe. New strains tend to appear first in Asia, from where more than 60 species of shore birds, waders and waterfowl head off to Alaska to breed and mix with migratory birds from the US. Others go west and infect European species. What strain is currently spreading? H5N1. So far the new virus has been detected in some 80million birds and poultry globally since September 2021  double the previous record the year before. Not only is the virus spreading at speed, it is also killing at an unprecedented level, leading some experts to say this is the deadliest variant so far. Millions of chickens and turkeys in the UK have been culled or put into lockdown, affecting the availability of Christmas turkey and free-range eggs. Can it infect people? Yes, but only 860 human cases have been reported to the World Health Organization since 2003. The risk to people has been deemed 'low'. But people are strongly urged not to touch sick or dead birds because the virus is lethal, killing 56 per cent of people it does manage to infect. Advertisement

Under a 'mild scenario', the scientists estimate that one in 400 people who catch bird flu would die due to the virus.

This infection fatality rate (IFR) of 0.25 per cent is similar to Covid's in mid-2021 and the 2009 swine flu outbreak.

But under a 'more severe scenario', the virus would be fatal among one in 40 people who became infected (an IFR of 2.5 per cent)  just like in the contingency plans published in 2005.

However, the virus has an actual case-fatality rate of around 50 per cent in humans.

Professor Ferguson, who has advised No10 for two decades, has a 'patchy' record on modelling, however, according to critics.

The Imperial College London epidemiologist drew heavy flak for his team's modelling on the Covid pandemic.

His original apocalyptic conclusion that up to 500,000 Brits could die if nothing was done to stop the spread of Covid spooked then-PM Boris Johnson into lockdown.

It saw schools, shops and hospitality close, social distancing come into force and Brits only allowed to exercise outdoors once a day.

Experts largely accepted that the economically-crippling measures were vital to control the spread of the virus, as there was no vaccine to prevent severe illness and stunt hospital admissions at the time.

But other epidemiologists and public health scientists shared 'grave concerns' about the collateral damages of such policies on the NHS and other parts of society in future.

The wave ended up being much less severe than Professor Ferguson predicted, leading some to call the modelling 'totally unreliable'.

Others insist that lockdown is why cases didn't reach the eye-watering levels set out in Professor Ferguson's models.

He made other gloomy models throughout the pandemic, and later accepted that some were 'off'.

Professor Ferguson was also, according to insiders, instrumental in modelling which led to the cull of more than 6million animals during the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001.

The move was estimated to cost the UK 10billion and left rural Britain economically devastated.

The epidemiologist and his colleagues concluded that 'extensive culling' was the only option to control the epidemic.

Pictured: A notice board warns people against feeding the birds in Regent's Park in London due to rise in bird flu

Brits have told MailOnline that Defra call handlers at the 'overwhelmed' service are advising them to put carcasses into the bin themselves without recommending any PPE. Pictured: A swan on the River Thames in Windsor, Berkshire

Pictured: A National Trust ranger clears deceased birds from Staple Island in July 2022

Professor Michael Thrusfield, a veterinary epidemiologist at the University of Edinburgh, said the model was 'severely flawed' and made incorrect assumptions about how foot and mouth disease was transmitted.

But Professor Ferguson has defended Imperial's foot and mouth work, saying they were doing 'modelling in real time' with 'limited data'. He added: 'I think the broad conclusions reached were still valid.'

In 2009, his modelling suggested a 'realistic worst-case scenario' would see 65,000 die due to swine flu outbreak. Around 450 died due to the virus.

In terms of bird flu, Professor Lockdown did not previously model the outbreak.

But he told The Guardian in August 2005 that up to 200million people  equivalent to the entire combined population of the UK, France, Spain, Portugal and Belgium  could be wiped out across the world during a bird flu pandemic.

UK officials including 'Professor Lockdown' begin Covid-style 'worst-case scenario' planning for if bird flu becomes transmissible in humans Imperial College London published a paper in March 2020 on the potential impact of coronavirus. It weighed up options on how a lockdown could reduce demand on hospitals Advertisement

He said: 'Around 40million people died in 1918 Spanish flu outbreak.

'There are six-times more people on the planet now so you could scale it up to around 200 million people probably.'

Professor Ferguson's comments were made when the global population stood at 6.56billion.

But the number of people on the planet hit 8billion at the end of last year  which suggests the death toll could hit 244million if the outbreak occurred now.

It comes as health chiefs in Cambodia are rushing to contain an outbreak, after an 11-year-old girl died from bird flu on Wednesday.

She had started suffering from a fever, cough and sore throat last week and was taken to a children's hospital in Phnom Penh, the capital. However, she died shortly after doctors confirmed she was infected.

It marks the first known human case of H5N1 in the country in nine years, which was last detected among people in 2014. In the last two decades, 56 cases and 37 deaths due to the strain have been logged in Cambodia.

The girl's father subsequently tested positive, raising fears the virus may be spreading among humans. A dozen others have also been tested.

The UKHSA yesterday said it will 'remain vigilant' over whether the 'constantly' evolving virus, which kills over half of those it infects, has gained mutations that may better allow it to spread among people.

It also noted that the 'very high levels' of transmission in wild birds present a 'constant risk'.

The agency said that there is 'no evidence so far that the virus is getting better at infecting humans or other mammals' and data suggests H5N1 'does not pass easily to people'.

But it warned there is an 'increased chance' of people coming into contact with the virus due to the sky-high rates among birds.

It urged Brits to avoid contact with sick or dead wild birds in parks and waterways and wash their hands after feeding wild birds to reduce the risk of exposure to bird flu.
NHS bosses were today urged to start using 'women' and 'woman' again on health pages online.

Gender-specific terms have been quietly scrubbed on official advice sites under a woke inclusivity drive.

Pages on ovarian, womb and cervical cancer as well as the menopause, which can only biological women can suffer, were affected by the changes.

Ministers, including ex-Health Secretary Sajid Javid, had pledged to crackdown on the practice  but action has yet to be taken.

Here are some examples of the woke language changes that have engulfed NHS communications. Some of these examples have been taken from national NHS communications while others are used by individual hospitals

The old version of the NHS ovarian cancer page as of December 30 2021 (left) mentions women specifically twice, whereas the new version (right) omits them

The NHS has quietly omitted the terms 'women' and 'woman' from its webpage on menopause. Pictured here is the older version of the menopause overview page (May 16) which mentioned women six times

But a newer version omits women from the overview entirely. Experts have warned women could be disadvantaged by de-gendered medical advice confusing health messaging

Now a 1,400-strong group of campaigners have demanded immediate action, in an open letter started by the Clinical Advisory Network on Sex and Gender (CAN-SG).

Doctors, nurses and healthcare practitioners are among the signatories.

The letter is addressed to NHS chief executives, ministers and chief nursing officers from across the UK.

CAN-SG said the changes have 'occurred by stealth over the past couple of years'.

Campaigners claimed that the scrubbing was discriminatory, given that conditions specific to men haven't been affected as prominently.

They also claimed patients felt the updated language 'dehumanising', making it less clear about who is the 'intended audience' of such advice.

Experts have long warned that de-gendering medical advice could be dangerous for women by over-complicating vital health messaging.

Replace female with 'egg-producing' and avoid using the term 'fitness', woke scientists say in push to get rid of 'harmful' phrases The term 'optimization' enforces the idea that a species is evolving to a defined, fixed optimum, researchers said (stock) Advertisement

The group said the NHS website is a 'specific, significant source of health information for everyone' but there has been a 'gradual eradication' of the word 'woman'.

It accuses the health service of 'reducing' the word 'woman' to phrases such as 'anyone with a cervix' and failing to explain that ovaries are female reproductive organs.

The changes were made without conducting an equality impact assessment, consulting the public, considering how women would feel or analysing how it could impact women's health.

The health service also failed to seek legal advice on whether its actions are discriminatory.

Dr Louse Irvine, spokesperson for CAN-SG, said: 'The incredible response to this letter  over 1,400 signatures in 24 hours  shows how strongly women patients and clinicians feel about this issue.

'The NHS should heed these views: accurate sex-based language is important to ensure life saving health communication is understood by those for whom it is intended, and to convey respect for women, their bodies and health issues.

'For example women's awareness and uptake of cervical screening is on the wane.

'Many women do not know they have a cervix - or that cervical screening is life saving  so a phrase like 'anyone with a cervix' is meaningless to them.

'That is why we need simple clear language when talking about women's health.

'Many women find it disrespectful that communication about their health issues erases the word "woman", and this undermines trust and confidence in that communication.'
Who needs dividends when, suddenly, there are other ways to earn a decent income on your savings

Next month, National Savings & Investments will raise its Premium Bond prize fund rate to 3.3 per cent.

A few easy access accounts offer 3 per cent, and First Direct, a division of HSBC, has a regular savings account that pays 7 per cent (don't get too excited  the most you can contribute each month is 300).

Deposit rates have been low for so long that these returns can seem the ideal solution  a way for those who require an income to escape the vagaries of the stock markets. I have been stashing my cash buffer in such accounts.

Yet most deposit accounts still have deplorably low rates. And many investors are shunning shares and the capital growth they can provide. That means they are also depriving themselves of dividends, which are more than the icing on the cake.

This mix of appreciation and income explains why US long-term investors favour 'dividend aristocrat' companies, such as the food processing leviathan Archer Daniels Midland, which have a record of dividend increases.

The dividend aristocrats of the UK, such as insurance giant Legal & General, also know how to be consistently generous.

As Rob Morgan, chief investment analyst at investment management company Charles Stanley, points out, dividends have accounted for 67 per cent of the total returns from the UK's largest companies over the past 20 years.

In 2023, AJ Bell is forecasting that FTSE 100 companies will distribute a record 85.8billion to shareholders. The bulk of this will come from Shell, BP and Glencore, the commodities giant. The trio will together distribute 15billion.

HSBC, however, intends to be even more open-handed to appease the Chinese insurer Ping An, its largest shareholder.

In addition to dividends, Glencore and others will be carrying out billions of pounds' worth of share buybacks, which are regarded as the cousin of dividends. Under this arrangement, a company buys back its shares, reducing the number on the market so as to boost the price.

Separate figures from fund administration firm Link suggest that smaller companies, hit by higher borrowing costs, may be less munificent this year.

Buybacks: Glencore and others will be carrying out billions of pounds' worth of share buybacks

But dividend payouts from all UK-listed companies could still be 91.7billion  just 2.8 per cent lower than in the bumper year of 2022.

This is good news for those who need an income, many of whom feel a lingering sense of deprivation after the cancelling of dividends during the pandemic.

But this bounty is also a boon for those who reinvest their dividends. Morgan says: 'If you'd invested 1,000 in the US S&P 500 index 20 years ago, it would have turned into 6,361 without dividends, but into 8,384 if the dividends had been reinvested.

'Putting 1,000 into the FTSE 100 would have given you 2,179. But, with dividends reinvested, it would be 4,577.'

The data is impressive, although those who prioritise sustainability may be dismayed by the nature of the industries that are the richest source of dividends.

AJ Bell says that the average dividend cover of FTSE 100 stocks is 2.24 times.

Cover of 2 or above means profits are twice the amount of the dividend distribution, enabling the business to undertake capital investment and other projects, while maintaining the payout.

If you are seeking to improve your income, it is important to check the dividend cover and the dividend yield (the dividend as a percentage of the share price). The average dividend yield on the FTSE 100 is 3.58 per cent, but some constituents offer more, which is a signal to be cautious.

Persimmon's yield is 16 per cent, for example. But the housebuilder is coping with issues like the dip in demand for new homes  and the company's future dividend policy will be more penny-pinching.

The difficulty of assessing such stuff as dividend yields is a reason why it is tempting at present to prefer one-year bonds from National Savings & Investments and others paying 4 per cent.

Another excuse is the cut in the value of the tax allowance on dividend income from 2,000 to 1,000, with effect from April.

The reduction in this concession may be irritating. But, by way of consolation, it is possible to subcontract the chore of finding reliable sources of income  at home and abroad.

Morgan suggests the combination of the JO Hambro Capital Management UK equity income fund and M&G Global Dividend.

The investment trust sector has its own aristocracy  the dividend heroes, trusts that have increased dividends for at least 20 consecutive years.

They include City of London which has a dividend yield of 4.7 per cent. The trust holds British household names, but also has international exposure.
Cinema chain says it expects to emerge from Chapter 11 in the first of 2023

Embattled cinema group Cineworld expects to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the first half of 2023, as it mulls bids for some or all of the business.

But long-suffering Cineworld shareholders look set to be left out in the cold as it warned that it does not expect that any sale transaction will provide any recovery for the holders of the company's equity interests.

In September last year, the cinema chain plunged into Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which allows it to continue trading and borrow money with court approval, as Cineworld struggles under a 4billion debt pile and a lacklustre recovery from Covid-19-enforced closures.

But on Friday it revealed it had received initial proposals from a number of counterparties for some or all of its business. However, none involve an all-cash bid for the entire company.

Cinema chain says it expects to emerge from Chapter 11 in the first of 2023

Cineworld is also in talks with stakeholders about a possible plan of reorganisation in parallel with a potential sale of its assets.

The group said: In light of the level of existing debt that is expected to be released under any Plan, the Company does not believe that there will be sufficient creditor support for a Plan that contemplates any recovery for equity interests, and it is therefore not expected at this time that any Plan will provide any recovery for holders of Cineworld's existing equity interests.

Based on the current status of these discussions, Cineworld now expects to emerge from the Chapter 11 cases during the first half of 2023.

Although any sale transaction resulting from the Marketing Process, among other things, may delay emergence beyond the first half of 2023, the Company remains committed to emerging from the Chapter 11 cases as expeditiously as possible.

Cineworld shares, which remain listed, fell more than 20 per cent in early trading to 3.17p. Having began 2020 with a value of 220p, the share price has all but collapsed.

Cineworld gave no details on who the potential buyers are, but recent reports have indicated contact with rival Vue and at least 30 other parties since the start of December 2022.

Any potential deal will also raise inevitable questions about the future of chief executive Mooky Greidinger, recently handed a criminal conviction by a court in Israel.

Head of investment at Interactive Investor Victoria Scholar said: While the embattled cinema chain looks set to come out of bankruptcy proceedings this year, its shareholders are likely to suffer with little chance of a deal to salvage its equity interests.

Last month Cineworld denied media speculation that it had been in discussions over the sale of some of its assets to AMC.

Cineworld had an extremely tough time during the pandemic. Covid meant that cinemas were closed for many months, Hollywood was unable to churn out hits and consumer preferences shifted towards streaming instead which has caused lasting damage for ticket demand even after movie theatres reopened.

On top of that, Sky for example now releases new blockbusters around the same time as the cinemas, again reducing the incentive to leave the house and organise a cinema trip. Plus, Cineworld also had problems of its own with its 700 million damages bill for abandoning its takeover of Cineplex.
IAG roared back into the black last year as demand for air travel rebounded from its pandemic slump.

The group, which also owns British Airways, Aer Lingus and Iberia, posted a 1.1billion profit for 2022, up from a 2.4billion loss in 2021 as its revenues more than doubled to 20billion from 7.5billion.

The results are another boon for British industry and come just a day after jet engine maker Rolls-Royce reported a 57 per cent surge in profit to 652m while defence giant BAE, which makes parts for the Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, also saw profits rise 5.5 per cent to 2.48billion.

IAG said demand in Europe had recovered 'to a greater extent' than other parts of the world, with its capacity in the region inching ahead of pre-pandemic levels, boosted by strong passenger demand for destinations such as the Canary and Balearic Islands.

The group also said its capacity had surged over 2022 as most countries relaxed their Covid-19 travel restrictions, leaving airlines scrambling to get more planes back in the air to meet the demand from customers.

IAG reported its capacity had reached 87 per cent of 2019 levels in the final quarter of last year.

The group's net debt declined to 9.2billion from 10bn after ballooning by over 3.5billion during the pandemic as it racked up losses of 9billion across 2020 and 2021.

But issues remain, especially jet fuel costs which rose sharply in 2022 and were 30 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels as global oil prices surged following the outbreak of war in Ukraine.

The firm also refrained from reinstating its dividend despite the return to profit, defying speculation earlier this week from Heathrow boss John Holland-Kaye that the airline group could resume payments in its results.

But IAG remained optimistic and expects a bigger profit in 2023 of between 1.6billion and 2billion as air travel continued to recover and capacity improved.

Boss Luis Gallego also said the group was seeing 'robust forward bookings' for flights and planned for the company to return to 'pre-Covid levels of profit within the next few years'.

In a separate announcement, the group unveiled plans to buy the 80 per cent share of Spanish airline Air Europa it did not already own for 353million in cash.

Gallego said the purchase would allow the group to grow its hub in Madrid as well as offer 'a gateway to Latin America and beyond, with benefits for customers, employees and shareholders.' But the lack of a dividend and the large debt pile unnerved investors and the shares dropped 6.5 per cent, or 10.68p, to 154.76p.

'IAG has a major task in repairing its balance sheet after the pandemic tore through revenues and forced the group into substantial borrowings,' said Richard Hunter, head of markets at Interactive Investor.

He also said 'somewhat concerningly' that IAG did not expect its debt to fall meaningfully by the end of this year, so investors would likely be waiting a while for dividends to resume.

Aside from the lingering effects of the pandemic, IAG and other travel firms are now battling with the cost of living squeeze as customers increasingly opt for cheaper trips or eschew travel altogether as they tighten their belts.

The ongoing pressure on the industry was laid bare last month when low-cost carrier FlyBe collapsed into administration.
Rolls-Royce shares hit a fresh 15-month high amid growing hopes that a long-awaited turnaround is finally on the horizon.

Having gained nearly 24 per cent yesterday on the back of an upbeat set of results, the stock rose another 2.2 per cent, or 2.94p, to 136.04p.

That was the highest level since November 2021 and took gains for this year to 50 per cent  making Rolls one of the best performing blue chips of 2023 so far.

The rally came after Rolls smashed forecasts with a 57 per cent jump in profits in 2022 to 652million.

Alongside the bullish results, chief executive Tufan Erginbilgic  who described Rolls as a 'burning platform' soon after taking over in January  hinted at a sweeping shake-up of the company as he seeks to return it to its former glories.

Bullish results: Having gained nearly 24 per cent on the back of an upbeat set of results, the stock rose another 2.2 per cent

'No company can continue like this and therefore we need to change,' he declared.

The FTSE 100 fell 0.4 per cent, or 29.06 points, to 7878.66 and the FTSE 250 slid 0.5 per cent, or 93.96 points, to 19696.53. Gambling stocks took a hit yesterday as uncertainty continues to loom over the white paper.

The gambling review, which looks to modernise rules in the industry, has already been delayed for nearly two years due to government instability and department reshuffles.

Conservative MP Stuart Andrew was appointed to oversee the review this week, but there are no specific dates for when the paper will be released.

The lack of transparency has left investors concerned.

There are fears that a review could mean strict rules on online gambling and affordability checks on players, ultimately cutting into revenues at the betting giants. There is talk that the paper may not be released until after Easter recess.

Shares in Ladbrokes owner Entain slid 3.6 per cent, or 48.5p, to 1306.5p. Rival Flutter, which owns Paddy Power, slumped 6.2 per cent, or 860p, to 13065p. 888, meanwhile, fell 2.6 per cent, or 1.85p, to 69.05p.

Mining stocks sank on the back of a slump in metal prices. Anglo American lost 5.4 per cent, or 163.5p, to 2846p, Antofagasta fell 2.7 per cent, or 42.5p, to 1540p and Rio Tinto shed 2.9 per cent, or 169p, to 5667p.

It was a positive end to the week for M&G after the investment group rose highest among the blue-chip stocks. City analysts said the gains were most likely driven by the positive read-across from Jupiter's results and revived bid rumours that M&G could be a takeover target for one of the larger asset managers. Shares soared 7 per cent, or 13.8p, to 211.3p.

IOG is set to appoint Esa Ikaheimonen as interim chairman after Fiona MacAulay said she would not stand for re-election at the North Sea oil and gas firm's annual general meeting in May. Shares slid 2.7 per cent, or 0.14p, to 5.1p.

At the same time, Avation flew higher as it said its results for the year to June 30 should be 'significantly ahead' of market forecasts.

The Singapore-based company, which owns aircraft such as the Airbus A320, used by the likes of Easyjet (down 2.5 per cent, or 12.1p, to 476.9p), issued the positive outlook following lower business costs, improved income and a return on an investment.

City broker WH Ireland expects Avation to post annual revenues of 93million and profit of 86.2million. Shares jumped 7.8 per cent, or 9p, to 124.5p.

Meanwhile, the outgoing boss of Future will become the chairman of Trustpilot on April 3. Zillah Byng-Thorne, who became chief executive of the magazine publisher in 2014, will replace Tim Weller as he steps down from the customer review website after ten years. Future investors pushed the stock down 3.2 per cent, or 45p, to 1383p. But Trustpilot shares gained 1.3 per cent, or 1.3p, to 99.25p.
Ten political reporter Tegan George endured a 'sexually hostile, demeaning and oppressive' workplace at the network's Canberra bureau, new court documents claim.

George lodged an updated statement of claim in her Federal Court case against Ten this week alleging her employer accepted a workplace hostile to women, she was subjected to workplace gossip and felt 'embarrassed, isolated and unsupported'.

In the statement, lodged by Maurice and Blackburn lawyer Josh Borstein, George claimed the workplace issues affected her her mental health and led to her taking leave in June 2021, which she is still on.

The documents allege the network's political editor Peter van Onselen repeatedly tweeted about George despite knowing she was in hospital undergoing mental health treatment, though he did not mention her by name.

George claimed that van Onselen excluded her from regular informal meetings he would have over coffee with other Ten colleagues.

Van Onselen is not being sued personally but is specifically named in George's statement of claim against Ten.

Network Ten political reporter (pictured) Tegan George is seeking unspecified damages against Network Ten

Included in the court documents is a series of tweets van Onselen exchanged with former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins in 2022, praising his colleagues in Canberra and stating he wanted to catch up with them over coffee.

George claims these tweets were pointed barbs at her exclusion from such meetings while she was in the Canberra bureau.

Higgins lashed out at van Onselen in a reply to one of his tweets suggesting they go for coffee.

'Honestly, youve made your point. Enough with the coffee barbs,' she wrote.

From 2019, when George began working in Ten's Canberra bureau, she claims van Onselen treated her with disdain, did not return her calls and relocated her desk to flaunt his authority.

In August 2020, George emailed her colleagues to thank them for their condolences following the stillbirth of her niece.

She claims van Onselen asked other employees whether the email was a personal attack on him.

The new claims stated that in mid-February, 2020, Ten's human resources manager Kathy Fernandez expressed concern that George would be the only woman in the bureau when another political reporter, Amber Austin-Wright, took parental leave.

George claims this was in response to concerns both she and Austin-Wright had raised about being treated unfairly in the bureau.

In the new statement of claims George says that Ten political editor Peter van Onselen has continued to torment her with tweets even as she has been on leave with mental health issues

George claims van Onselen's tweets rubbed in the fact she was excluded from coffee meetings while in the Canberra bureau

Ten did not comment on the new claims but has repeatedly denied any bullying allegations.

In a statement in June, 2022, after George updated her statement of claim, a Ten spokesperson denied allegations.

'In its filed defence, Network 10 has previously denied the claims of victimisation and adverse action,' a spokesperson said.

'Network 10 values and supports all employees. Any inference to the contrary is completely false.'

In May, 2022 the network asked for 20 of George's claims struck out because they were 'vague' and 'embarrassing'.

The network denied senior editors, including van Onselen, ignored, undermined or humiliated her, and alleged George took text messages out of context.

It also denies van Onselen's 2021 tweets referred to Ms George, and said van Onselen had offered his support, with new working conditions outlined in text messages sent to her in 2020.

Van Onselen has said he is not allowed to comment but denies the allegations.

In May, 2022 van Onselen told Daily Mail Australia: 'I very much look forward to fully ventilating the truth about these utterly vexatious claims as soon as Im in a position to be able to do so.'

Previously George claimed that when she complained about her workload to Ten's executive editor Anthony Murdoch, he replied: 'What, do you need Peter to come down here and hold your hand?'

Mr Mudoch allegedly said George needed 'to sort this out and apologise because Peter does not give a shit' about how she was feeling, according to the court documents.

According to the new claims George sought the advice of Ten's national affairs editor Hugh Riminton on some of the exchanges she had with Mr Murdoch and van Onselen.

George sought advice from Ten's national affairs editor Hugh Riminton (pictured right) over her alleged poor treatment

Riminton allegedly told her that he had previously pulled Mr Murdoch up on 'speaking inappropriately to women' and that George was doing a good job.

The new documents also contain claims that Ten's network editor of news content, Ross Dagan, in a meeting with George on September 9, 2020, told her she 'had taken a lot of sick leave' and he wanted to know if she was 'genuinely sick' or just 'unhappy'.

George said she was suffering from a 'genuine illness', the court documents claimed.

In earlier filings George said she had been hounded out of Ten after overhearing sexist remarks allegedly made by a former employee about fellow reporter Stela Todorovic.

George reported the conversation but refused to file a complaint, sparking a showdown with station management which ultimately led to the lawsuit.

The case, which began in the middle of last year, is being heard by Justice Judith Katzmann.

Ten has been given until March 1 to file an amended defence.

Network Ten, van Onselen and Maurice Blackburn all declined to comment on the updated claims.
By J. Keeler Johnson ("Keelerman") Twitter: @J_Keelerman

The Road to the Kentucky Derby takes an exciting turn this Saturday with the running of the 1 1/16-mile Rebel S. (G2) at Oaklawn Park.

The last 20 years have seen the Rebel rise steadily in prominence. Rebel winners Smarty Jones (2004) and American Pharoah (2015) both went on to claim victory in the Kentucky Derby (G1), while the Rebel purse has risen from $125,000 in 2003 to $1 million in 2023.

A strong field has lined up for this year's Rebel. Several exciting sophomores are among the entries, and it wouldn't be surprising to see the Kentucky Derby winner emerge from this 11-horse field.

One of the most accomplished entrants is #6 Reincarnate (7-2), who wasuntil recentlytrained by Bob Baffert, who has saddled eight Rebel winners from 16 starters since 2010. Now conditioned by Baffert's former assistant Tim Yakteen, Reincarnate enters the Rebel off a determined victory in the one-mile Sham S. (G3) at Santa Anita, in which he led virtually all the way to defeat next-out Robert B. Lewis S. (G3) winner Newgate by a neck.

Reincarnate has put together a sharp series of workouts and has every chance to secure first prize under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, but he's hardly the only viable win contender in the Rebel field. #5 Giant Mischief (5-2) is an exciting colt conditioned by red-hot trainer Brad Cox, who has won four of the 11 Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifiers contested since Jan. 1.

Giant Mischief went 2-for-2 sprinting as a juvenile, but arguably his most impressive performance was a runner-up finish in the Remington Springboard Mile S. at Remington Park. Giant Mischief broke poorly in the one-mile Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifier and raced in last place for half a mile. But from the half-mile marker to the quarter pole, Giant Mischief gained five lengths with a gigantic outside rally, running that quarter-mile section in approximately :24.10 seconds.

Giant Mischief had every reason to falter after unleashing such an eye-catching midrace move, but although he lost ground early in the homestretch, he re-rallied in the final furlong to finish only 1 1/4 lengths behind the ground-saving winner Wildatlanticstorm.

I think a case can be made that Giant Mischief ran the best race in the Springboard Mile, so if he breaks better in the Rebel, I expect him to deliver another strong showing. Four-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Irad Ortiz is picking up the mount, and Giant Mischief enters off a pair of fast :59 4/5 five-furlong workouts at Fair Grounds.

But as much as I like the chances of Giant Mischief, he's not my pick to win the Rebel. My top choice is actually Giant Mischief's stablemate #1 Verifying (2-1), a colt I've thought a lot of since he wired his debut sprinting six furlongs at Saratoga last summer.

A son of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify out of the Repent mare Diva Delite, Verifying is a half-brother to Midnight Bisou, a champion who won 13 graded stakes (including five Grade 1s) during her decorated career. Midnight Bisou proved stakes-caliber as a juvenile but improved steadily with age, and I'm optimistic Verifying is progressing down a similar path.

Verifying joined the Road to the Kentucky Derby with a runner-up finish in the Champagne S. (G1) at Belmont Park, after which he misfired with a sixth-place effort in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1). But after taking a couple months off, Verifying returned better than ever in an allowance optional claimer on Jan. 14 at Oaklawn. Pace-pressing tactics carried Verifying to a 5 1/4-length triumph in the one-mile contest, and his performance was flattered when runner-up #4 Gun Pilot (8-1) and third-place finisher Two Eagles River came right back to win against similar competition.

Verifying has trained strongly for the Rebel, twice breezing five furlongs in :59 4/5 at Fair Grounds in recent weeks. The dates, distances, and times of his workouts are identical to the recent exercises posted by Giant Mischief, suggesting the two have been working in company.

Building on that point, hot jockey Florent Geroux (a 42% winner teaming up with Cox over the last two months per Brisnet stats) is set to ride Verifying for the first time, even though Geroux had previously been the rider of Giant Mischief. While conceding that I might be reading too much into workout lines and jockey assignments, I do wonder if Verifying is considered the top hope from Cox's barn this Saturday.

I'd also like to give a shout-out to Gun Pilot as a top-four contender. Following his runner-up finish behind Verifying, Gun Pilot overcame a slightly troubled trip to win a one-mile allowance optional claimer at Oaklawn by two lengths. The son of Gun Runner has improved with every start for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen and is eligible to move forward again on Saturday.

Selections

1st: Verifying

2nd: Giant Mischief

3rd: Reincarnate

4th: Gun Pilot

Now it's your turn! Who do you like in the Rebel?

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J. Keeler Johnson (also known as "Keelerman") is a writer, videographer, voice actor, handicapper, and all-around horse racing enthusiast. A great fan of racing history, he considers Dr. Fager to be the greatest racehorse ever produced in America, but counts Zenyatta as his all-time favorite.
Chinese President Xi Jinping unveils his country's 12-point plan designed to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine while urging both sides to engage in peace talks.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry presented Xi's plan on Friday morning, where officials called for an end to Western sanctions on Russia, measures to ensure the safety of nuclear facilities, establishing humanitarian corridors, and providing grain export from Ukraine.

China's 12-Point Plan

Beijing, which has continued to claim that it was taking a neutral stance in the war, has refused to criticize Russia's invasion of Ukraine but has repeatedly accused the West of provoking the conflict and "fanning the flames" by choosing to provide Kyiv with military supplies.

Recently, China and Russia have increasingly aligned their foreign policies to fight against the U.S.-led liberal international order. In a statement, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Russian President Vladimir Putin in what seemed to reaffirm those relations, as per the Associated Press.

The United States government has also accused China of potentially preparing to provide Russia with military assistance, an allegation that Beijing vehemently denied, saying it lacked evidence.

With China's stance on the matter, many are skeptical of Xi's 12-point plan and whether the proposal has any chance of moving forward and raises doubts about Beijing being an honest broker.

Before China announced the proposal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called it a crucial first step. "I think that, in general, the fact that China started talking about peace in Ukraine, I think that it is not bad. It is important for us that all states are on our side, on the side of justice," he said during a Friday news conference alongside the Spanish prime minister.

When asked about a potential meeting with Xi, Zelensky said that he was willing to meet with China's representatives. Speaking beside Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, the Ukrainian president said that a meeting was in the interests of Kyiv, according to Reuters.

Read Also: Russia-Ukraine War Update

An End to the Conflict

The Chinese president, who was previously reported to have planned a meeting with his Russian counterpart in the next few months, was set to deliver a "peace speech" regarding the anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Zelensky said Ukrainian diplomats had only told him "general things" about China's 12-point plan. He noted that peace would happen sooner the more countries think about how to end the conflict with Russia.

In a statement, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that the top Chinese diplomat, Wang, shared some of the plan's main points with him in a meeting in New York. However, the former noted that Ukraine needed to see official documents to conclude the plan.

China's 12-point plan comes as Putin has threatened to use nuclear force in his war with Ukraine. On the other hand, Beijing has made it clear that it opposed not only the use of such forces but also the threat of deploying them in the conflict, said NDTV.

Related Article: Gaza Rocket Strikes Raise Tensions With Israel

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The last time the United States gave Europe such substantial financial backing, President Harry Truman was trying to rebuild a continent ravaged by the Second World War.

It was 1947, and the Democrat was trying to persuade a weary population mourning the deaths of 470,000 American troops that other countries destroyed by war needed aid to rebuild and fight off the ongoing threat from Joseph Stalin's Soviet Union.

The United States would provide support in the form of the $13 billion Marshall Plan - which was worth $160 billion in today's money - and the Truman Doctrine.

Seventy-five years on, the Biden administration and Congress have now set aside a similarly staggering $113 billion in American taxpayer funds for Ukraine in a conflict that has no end in sight.

The bill on the first anniversary of Vladimir Putin's invasion confirms the U.S. is by far the world's biggest contributor to Volodymyr Zelensky's war effort - followed by the UK and European Union - and the White House has signaled support will continue.

But Americans are starting to wonder where the money goes, how it is being spent, and if it the cost of the aid is worth it.

The Biden administration and Congress has set aside a staggering $113 billion in American taxpayer funds for Ukraine in a conflict that has no end in sight

Public sentiment has started to drop, and Republicans are now warning they will audit all the money that has been sent to Kyiv to make sure it hasn't been wasted.

The GOP believes accelerated financial packages - similar to those approved during the COVID pandemic - are open to mismanagement or abuse.

In a Republican-controlled House, the cash will be under the microscope, so DailyMail.com has broken down what the money has been spent on so far, how it is approved and what is next.

THE $46 BILLION IN AID ON DRONES, TANKS AND MILITARY HARDWARE

The huge support package - three times more than what the U.S. spent in Afghanistan in a year - is dominated by the $46.6 billion in military equipment and support.

The total is by far the biggest of all Western allies, with the UK in second giving $5.1 billion since the start of the invasion and the EU handing over $3.3billion.

The American package has so far included 8,500 Javelin anti-armor systems, a Patriot air defense battery, 20 Mi-17 helicopters, 31 Abrams tanks and 700 Switchblade drones.

109 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, 75,000 sets of body armor and helmets, 38 High Mobility Artillery Rocket systems, and 4,000 Zuni aircraft rockets have also been sent over.

Military analysts believe the Western hardware has been essential in helping Ukrainian forces keep the Russians at bay.

And Zelensky wants more, including fighter jets. There has been a push from both Republicans and Democrats to provide F-16s.

But the Biden administration has been hesitant to provide more firepower fearing Putin would see it as a sign of escalation.

Former acting Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Nathan Sales told DailyMail.com: 'The Biden administration needs to do more. It must help Ukraine win, not just fight to a draw.

'That means providing long range missiles, more tanks, fighter jets, and air defense systems.

'Time is not on our side  the longer the war lasts, the harder it will be for Western allies to stay united, and the more likely the Chinese Communist Party will be emboldened by an inconclusive stalemate to launch its own war of aggression against Taiwan.'

The rest of the United States' financial assistance covers funds for humanitarian and financial aid such as food, safe drinking water and medical supplies.

There is also money to support refugee programs for the vast number of Ukrainians who have been forced to flee their homes.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, more than half the funds will have been spent by the end of 2024 and three-quarters will have been used by the end of 2026.

'The Americans are setting the pace in supporting Ukraine,' Christoph Trebesch, the head of the Ukraine Support Tracker team at the Kiel Institute said.

'The Europeans' hesitancy in the first year of the war is a remarkable phenomenon, especially since financial resources can be quickly mobilized,' he added.

'This is shown, for example, by the vast amount of funds that EU governments mobilized to cushion the energy price shock at home.'

HOW AMERICANS ARE BEGINNING TO QUESTION THE AID BEING SENT TO UKRAINE - AND HOW SUPPORT FOR CONTINUED FUNDS IS DWINDLING

Biden announced $500 million more in assistance during his secret trip to Kyiv on Monday, and has shown no signs of stopping the money flowing until Ukraine achieves

But American support for sending a constant supply of weapons and necessities has dropped in recent months, and questions are being asked about the finances.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted between February 6 and 13 found 58 percent of Americans approved of military support, compared to 73 percent in April 2022.

On January 31, results of a PEW Research poll showed the share of Americans saying the U.S. was giving to much support to Ukraine had grown to 26 percent from 7 percent in March 2022.

President Biden has three methods at his disposal to provide direct aid to Ukraine: The Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), and Foreign Military Financing (FMF).

Joe Biden is pictured on Monday in Kyiv alongside Ukrainian counterpart Zelensky. The U.S. President pledged another $500 million aid and signalled financial support would continue for a war that has no end in sight

The last time the United States gave a Europe such substantial financial backing, President Harry Truman was trying to rebuild a continent ravaged by the Second World War

For example, Biden has used the PDA 29 times since Russia invaded, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

This involves delivering supplies from the U.S. military's own arsenal. Last May, Congress passed setting a $11billon limit on equipment for Biden to use through the PDA.

Biden utilized the authority to send $9.2 billion - or roughly 84 percent - worth of supplies from the U.S. stockpiles.

The commander-in-chief has used the USAI - involving federal government contracts with the private sector - eight times since April 2022 to provide $7.2 billion in support.

The FMF replenishes the stockpiles of NATO allies, and Biden has used that three times to hand over $3.1billion of support.

When pressed about continued aid on Thursday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden is 'going to focus on what the American people want to focus on.'

'We have seen bipartisan support when it comes to Ukraine aid,' Jean Pierre said and pointed out that Republicans have also visited the war-torn country since the invasion.

GOP investigators have said they will keep an eye on where the money is going, while a faction of the party has called for aid to be drastically reduced.

A Ukrainian squad launches one of four rockets at a Russian infantry position from their BM-21 Grad 122mm multiple rocket launcher, in the southern Donbas region, Ukraine, on 20 February

REPUBLICAN OVERSIGHT WHILE STILL SUPPORTING UKRAINE

House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer said: 'Since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly a year ago, Congress has provided more than $113 billion for security, humanitarian, economic, and governance assistance.

'It is critical that government agencies administering these funds ensure they are used for their intended purposes to prevent and reduce the risk of waste, fraud, and abuse.

'The Committee seeks documents and information to understand how the Department of Defense (DOD), Department of State (State), and the U.S. Agency for International Developments (USAID) are conducting oversight of these fund.'

Comer and his Republican colleagues highlighted how pandemic programs - which were approved quickly - later fell victims to fraud and abuse.

Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee have urged Biden to keep providing the lethal aid necessary for Ukraine to counter Putin's 'unprovoked' invasion.

But they have also promised 'robust' oversight to protect American taxpayers while making sure weapons make an impact on the battlefield.

'American taxpayers are rightly frustrated with over a hundred billion U.S. dollars that have been spent in Ukraine, especially given the lack of a clear vision or strategic objective in the conflict' Heritage Action for America executive director Jessica Anderson told DailyMail.com.

'Before Congress even discusses the possibility of additional aid, the public must get answers to a number of important questions.

'This includes some kind of public disclosure of where and how the previous economic aid has been spent, and public disclosure of the impact of drawdown authority.

'Additionally, the Biden administration must articulate a plan on what victory is, the American commitment to that victory, and the American financial commitment in a post-conflict reconstruction phase.'

'Giving $113 billion in aid to Ukraine without meaningful oversight is a recipe for fiscal disaster,' Taxpayers Protection Alliance David Williams also told DailyMail.com.

'When will politicians and bureaucrats learn that you just cant hand out money and expect it to go the right people and places?

'President Biden has been complaining that the Republicans dont care about the deficit or debt and here he is handing out billions of taxpayer dollars in additional aid to Ukraine.

'America cant afford to keep on writing checks. If Biden is serious about avoiding a debt ceiling disaster, he needs to act like it and put away the taxpayers checkbook.'

Ukrainian servicemen of the 3rd Separate Tank Iron Brigde take part in an exercise in the Kharkiv area on 23 February 2023, the day before the one year mark since the war began
He was on death row for 32 years before the death warrant was finally signed

The first death row prisoner to be executed in Florida in nearly four years launched a foul-mouthed attack on Governor Ron DeSantis moments before his lethal injection yesterday.

Donald Dillbeck, 59, said he spoke for all men, women and children in saying the governor of Florida could 'suck our d**ks' after his Supreme Court appeal to avoid the death penalty was denied Wednesday.

Dillbeck had argued that fetal alcohol syndrome as a result of his mother's drinking during pregnancy was a reason to spare his life, after waiting 32 years on death row for a decision. But he launched into a foul-mouthed tirade after that failed to work, and he was put to death for the killing of a mom-of-two.

He chose a last meal of shrimp, mushrooms, onion rings, butter pecan ice cream, pecan pie and a chocolate bar before showing remorse for stabbing a woman to death in 1990.

Dillbeck was put on death row after he escaped from prison and stabbed Faye Vann, 44, more than 20 times and slit her throat in a shopping mall parking lot in an attempted carjacking.

Donald Dillbeck (left), the first death row prisoner to be executed in Florida in nearly four years, launched a foul-mouthed attack on Governor Ron DeSantis (right) moments before his lethal injection yesterday

Vann's children, Tony and Laura, said in a statement: '11,932 days ago, Donald Dillbeck brutally killed our mother.

'We were robbed of years of memories with her, and it has been very painful ever since.'

They thanked DeSantis for carrying out the execution, saying it 'has given us some closure'.

Dillbeck was originally in prison for stabbing a man in Indiana while trying to steal a CB radio, shooting Lee County Deputy Dwight Lynn Hall twice as he tried to flee.

Ahead of his execution, Dillbeck said: 'I know I hurt people when I was young. I really messed up.

'But I know Ron DeSantis has done a lot worse. He's taken from a lot of people.

'I speak for all men, women and children... Ron DeSantis and other people like him can suck our d**ks.'

Image shows victim Faye Vann who was stabbed to death by Dillbeck back in 1990

Dillbeck was pronounced dead at 6:13pm local time after receiving a lethal injection at Florida State Prison, the governor's office said.

The execution was the state's first in nearly four years and the third under Republican governor Ron DeSantis.

His predecessor, Republican Senator Rick Scott, oversaw 28 executions in the post.

The curtain between the death chamber and the viewing room opened at 6pm on Thursday and the execution began at 6:02pm.

By 6:07pm he appeared to stop breathing.

Dillbeck was 11 years into a life sentence for killing the deputy when he walked away from a work release assignment in 1990, court records showed.

Despite a prior escape attempt and an assault on another prisoner, he had been placed in a minimum security facility.

After his escape, he bought a paring knife and walked to Tallahassee.

Ms Vann was meanwhile waiting for her family in her car when Dillbeck approached with the knife and demanded a ride.

He said he had forgotten how to drive.

Ms Vann honked the horn and tried to drive off, but was repeatedly stabbed by Dillbeck.

He crashed the car soon after and was caught by police running from the scene.

The Supreme Court Wednesday denied appeals claims saying he should not be put to death because he suffers from fetal alcohol syndrome.

It also noted it was cruel and unusual to keep him on death row for more than 30 years before his death warrant was signed.

DeSantis - a potential 2024 presidential candidate - was quiet on the death penalty during his first term.

But he did criticize a Broward County jury's failure to sentence Nikolas Cruz to death for fatally shooting 17 students and staff at a high school, and said since he wants to change a 2017 state law that requires a unanimous jury recommendation to impose the death penalty.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, Florida has been one of the most active states in carrying out executions.

Democratic Gov. Bob Graham oversaw 16 executions between 1979 and 1987. Martinez oversaw nine in his one term in office, Democratic Gov. Lawton Chiles oversaw 18, and 21 prisoners were executed under Republican Gov. Jeb Bush. Gov. Charlie Crist oversaw five executions in his single term in office.
Jenny Tian says she's filled with dread when she misses a parcel

A frustrated Australia Post customer has launched an extraordinary attack on the postal service - hammering it for limited opening hours, 'slow' staff, lengthy queues and the strange items they sell.

Sydneysider Jenny Tian said that she is filled with dread whenever she misses a parcel at home and has to line up at the Australia Post office - fearing its long wait times and difficult operating hours.

'Can someone please explain to me why Australia Post is so sh**?,' she said. 'Every time I get one of there cards (asking to come into the office) I think "oh no, I've been summoned to waste an hour of my life".

'The staff are dressed in red and white and they're handing out packages. They should feel jolly like Santa but no, they're as grumpy as the Grinch.

'Their personalities are as unavailable as their opening hours.'

Sydneysider Jenny Tian (above) slammed Australia Post staff for being 'grumpy' and said collecting parcels is like being 'summoned to waste an hour of my life'

Ms Tian also commented on the strange selection of goods to buy at the Australia Post outlets, which can range anywhere from books to home wares.

'They've got, like, airfryers and breadmakers and coffee machines on sale,' she said.

'I came here to pick up a parcel, not kitchen appliances.'

Hundreds of viewers agreed with her in the comments.

'Im just wondering how I missed the delivery when I havent left the house in month?,' one person wrote - an experience many Australians who live in a major city could relate to.

'It's a nightmare when you get a pick up slip for a parcel that will easily fit into the letter slot but they make you waste 20 minutes instead,' another said.

'They need (to sell the) appliances to keep you in the store or youd see the line and walk out and say I dont need the parcel,' a third person wrote.

A fourth commented: 'I always get these even when I've been home all day, never hear a knock.'

Hundreds of frustrated Aussies vented in the comments about Australia Post''s long queues (above)

People also commented on the strange items for sale at Australia Post offices, saying they 'keep you in the store or youd see the line and walk out' (pictured, toys for sale at Australia Post)

Adding to frustrations is the fact that eight senior executives and 362 non-executive employees for the company received about $24million worth of taxpayer-funded bonuses in the last financial year.

Another frustrated customer, Teddy, shared his own video where he labelled the office as having 'the worst customer service in Australia'.

'Australia Post, this is the only place that will have you waiting in line for 30 minutes only for you to get to the front and have zero sense of urgency,' he said.

'It's like the more frustrated you are, the slower they work. Taking their sweet time.

Aussie TikToker Teddy (above) said it's frustrating visiting the Australia Post office because 'it's like the more frustrated you are, the slower they work'

'Brother, I've been in line for so long I bought an airfryer and a Foo Fighters CD. Can we get some hussle? There's more action in a graveyard than there is in this store.'

Hundreds of commenters rallied behind Teddy and complained about their own Australia Post experiences.

'AusPost - they send you away to fill out a form and you have to start the lining up process all over again,' one commenter said.

'Australia Post only puts one or two people on the register,' another wrote.

'Can we highlight that were in line at AusPost because their delivery drivers cant use doorbells,' a third person said.

Australia Post told Daily Mail Australia: '(We are) always looking for ways to improve its in-store customer experience at our more than 4,300 outlets across the country.

'Customers are encouraged to call 13 76 78 (13 POST) for help and support or to pass on any feedback.'

Australia Post said it also recommends customers use its parcel locker service if they're unable to visit an office during opening hours.

'Parcel lockers are a great option for customers needing a flexible self-service option and can be used to send and receive parcels for free 24 hours a day, seven days a week,' a spokesperson said.
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Relaxing on the sofa with his wife, smiling broadly in a picture with his extended family and cooking with a granddaughter, this is the handyman accused of murdering Bishop David OConnell pictured for the first time.

The alleged killer, Carlos Medina Vallejo, 61, has a history of drug-taking and DUIs  but there is nothing in his record that foreshadowed the violence of the attack that took the life of the 69-year-old priest.

OConnell, 69, was born in County Cork, Ireland, and moved to the US in the 1980s to work for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He was appointed auxiliary bishop by Pope Francis in 2015.

He was found dead from a single gunshot wound to the chest on Saturday.

The alleged killer of Auxiliary Bishop David O'Connell is handyman Carlos Medina Vallejo, 61. He is pictured with his wife, Simona Salazar, 75, who was the bishop's housekeeper

Medina's criminal record dates back to 1989 and includes multiple DUIs, as well as two meth busts  the most recent of which came in 2011

Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop David O'Connell, found dead in the bed of his Hacienda Heights home on Saturday

Early Monday morning, the LA County Sheriffs Department tweeted that they had conducted a SWAT operation on Kenwood Road in Torrance  a suburb of Los Angeles that butts on to neighboring Long Beach.

Later that day, Sheriff Robert Luna announced they had arrested Medina who is the husband of OConnells housekeeper and mistakenly said he was aged 65. Jail records seen by DailyMail.com say he is actually 61.

Medina's criminal record dates back to 1989 and includes multiple DUIs, as well as two meth busts  the most recent of which came in 2011.

Due to his penchant for hard drugs, he has repeatedly served time in the LA County Jail and spent years on probation in blocks of 30 to 60 months at a time.

Other punishments include 10 days spent working for the California Department for Transportation cleaning verges, several fines and participation in court-ordered drug and alcohol programs.

His most recent brush with the law  until Monday  came in December 2016. Court records show he was caught driving without a valid license, registration or insurance, and that he was slapped with a $75 fine as a result.

Simona Salazar, wife of suspect Carlos Medina, is seen in a family gathering with Bishop O'Connell

Along with his wife, family man Medina was an outwardly cheerful presence on the quiet street where he lived

Police surrounded this home on Kenwood Avenue in Torrance early on Monday. Suspected killer Medina surrendered after an hours-long standoff

Police remove a dark blue compact SUV from the home of Carlos Medina on Monday. A similar vehicle was spotted on surveillance video outside the bishop's home

But despite his drug taking past, Medina, who is being held in the Men's Central Jail in Los Angeles on a $2million bond, was formally charged with Bishop OConnors murder during a brief court appearance on Wednesday.

His neighbors say he had never raised any red flags with neighbors.

Along with his wife, Simona Salazar, 75, Medina had been an outwardly cheerful presence on the quiet street where he lived in a small brown and cream painted home dominated by a large garage at the front of a compound of three properties.

A neighbor who lives behind the house and who confirmed that the pictures show Medina and Simona told DailyMail.com he saw the couple out walking regularly.

He said: I never noticed anything strange about him. He just seemed like a nice older guy.

That perception was shattered on Monday morning when a SWAT team arrived to arrest Medina who had barricaded himself inside the modest home where he and Simona had lived for a decade.

The neighbor said: I saw the whole thing. I couldnt believe what was going on at first. It was scary.

Speaking after Medina's brief appearance in front of a judge to be formally charged, Los Angeles County DA George Gascon described Bishop OConnells murder as a brutal act of violence.

Votive candles and messages were left outside the bishop's residence following his death

Another neighbor, Francisco Medina Lopez, described the couple as religious in an interview with NBC News on Tuesday  and described Medina as a good person.

He told how he would often see Medina driving his wife to work at the Hacienda Heights home of Bishop OConnell, and couldnt think what could have driven him to murder.

On Monday morning, after the SWAT team left, the suspects dark blue SUV was seen being towed away by law enforcement with Sheriff Luna later saying the vehicle had been caught on camera at the scene of OConnells murder around the time he was killed.

He also said two handguns had been discovered at Medina's home and were undergoing ballistics tests.

Medina, meanwhile, has offered a series of conflicting explanations for his actions. Sheriff Luna said during a press conference Monday the alleged killer had been heard complaining that OConnell owed him money .

Neighbor, Francisco Medina Lopez, described the couple as religious in an interview with NBC News on Tuesday  and described Medina as a good person

Prior to being promoted to auxiliary bishop by Pope Francis in 2015, O'Connell served as an associate pastor at several Los Angeles parishes. He is pictured here in June 2016

But by Wednesday, investigators said he had offered multiple reasons for the crime. Speaking to CBS Sacramento, Lieutenant Mike Modica said Medina gave several different reasons and added that none of them made any sense to investigators.

Medina has now been charged with one felony count of first-degree murder and faces up to 35 years in jail for the crime.

Speaking after Medina's brief appearance in front of a judge to be formally charged, Los Angeles County DA George Gascon described Bishop OConnells murder as a brutal act of violence against a person who dedicated a life to making our neighborhood safer, healthier and always serving with love and compassion.

Charging Mr. Medina will never repair the tremendous harm that was caused by this callous act, but it does take one step closer to accountability.

Medina is scheduled to return to court in Los Angeles for his arraignment on March 22.
A young mum has undergone Australia's first uterus transplant and hopes to soon carry her second child in the womb she grew in herself thanks to a generous donation from her mum.

Kirsty Bryant, 29, and her mum Michelle Hayton, 53, from Coffs Harbour on NSW's Central Coast, underwent the successful surgery at Sydney's Royal Hospital for Women on January 10.

Ms Bryant lost her uterus in an emergency hysterectomy due to a major haemorrhage after the birth of her first child, Violet, in 2021.

The mother and daughter duo shared their unique medical journey on 60 Minutes, with the episode set to air on Sunday.

In a preview clip of the episode, Ms Bryant explained: 'I am going to carry a baby in the same womb I was grown in'.

Kirsty Bryant (right) and her mother Michelle Hayton (right) underwent one of Australia's first uterus transplants on January 10

Ms Hayton said she was shocked by the procedure when Ms Bryant first told her about it.

'I was like, "I beg your pardon, is that a thing?",' she said.

Uterus transplants were trialled in Australia for the first time this year in two Sydney hospitals.

Previously, Ms Bryant said the procedure was 'pretty hard to get your head around'.

'But I know that this is my only option to carry another baby,' she told the ABC in September.

'It's an amazing gift my mum is giving me  she is incredibly generous and she is the reason I wanted to become a mother in the first place.'

The project was lead by gynaecologist and fertility specialist Rebecca Deans at the Royal Hospital for Women.

She explained uterus transplants are unusual because the organ is only given temporarily due to the immunosuppressant drugs the patient needs to be on.

'This is different to other forms of organ transplants as it's a temporary transplant which usually lasts around five years  enough time to allow a woman to have children,' Dr Deans said.

Ms Hayton (left) donated her uterus to her daughter (right) after Ms Bryant lost her uterus in an emergency hysterectomy due to a major haemorrhage in 2021

Ms Bryant's surgery was one of 12 Dr Deans and her team will perform throughout 2023.

Six of the donated uteruses are from live donors while six are from deceased donors.

'The live donors are always an altruistic donor; typically around the world they have been someone like a sister, mother, cousin or close friend,' Dr Deans told the ABC.

'Deceased donors are people who have passed away in an untimely way; sometimes through a car accident or a bleed to the brain, some very unfortunate event.'

The surgeries are being supervised by Professor Mats Brannstrom, the doctor behind the world's first successful uterus transplant in Sweden in 2012.

She will live in Sydney for much of 2023 to oversee the doctors performing the transplants at the Royal Hospital for Women.
One of Anthony Albanese's junior ministers landed himself in a sticky situation with a bizarre comment likening superannuation to 'honey'.

Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones was addressing a self-managed super fund convention on Thursday, with a review now underway into Australia's retirement savings system.

The Labor government is reconsidering tax concessions for the wealthy and exploring a crackdown on the rules allowing Australians early access to their super.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers' deputy sparked outrage on Thursday when he compared superannuation to honey that should be managed 'in the best interests of the hive'.

'In the self-managed sector, there are over 600,000 funds holding around $870billion in retirement savings  that's a lot of honey,' Mr Jones told the superannuation convention in Melbourne.

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Treasurer Jim Chalmers (pictured with wife Laura) and the federal government have come under fire over plans to overhaul the superannuation system

'We want to make sure there's plenty of honey to go around.'

Reasons to access super early Compassionate grounds: Palliative care for the individual or someone dependent on them. Terminal medical condition: Two registered doctors must conclude someone will die within 24 months. Permanent incapacity: Someone cannot work because of a physical or mental impairment. Financial hardship: This has to be proven to super provider. Advertisement

He ended his address with a final corny metaphor as he urged Australians to join the government's national conversation about the objective of superannuation.

'You could even say that if we get this right, it will help ensure that superannuation is the bees' knees of public policy,' Mr Jones said.

His choice of words sparked widespread outrage and prompted his spokesman to later tell NewsCorp the metaphor was simply a reference to the 'bees' theme of this year's conference.

Australia is home to 16million superannuation accounts collectively worth $3.3trillion, with self-managed funds making up 600,000 of that, worth $870billion.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton led the outrage by accusing Mr Jones of treating super as 'honey to be raided'.

'The government is now describing your superannuation balance  your hard-earned money  as 'honey' to be raided.

'This is a deeply concerning development,' he said.

'It's a sticky metaphor from a tricky government.

'It's a shambles, and the Prime Minister should simply honour his pre-election commitment: no changes to your super.'

Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones referred to Aussies' retirement savings as honey (stock image)

The assistant treasurer's comments have self-funded retirees who are now concerned about their savings (stock image)

Mr Dutton's Liberal deputy Sussan Ley accused Labor of breaking an election promise.

'The government said before the election they had no intention of changing superannuation,' she told Sunrise on Friday.

'They floated the idea earlier this week and now they seem to be making jokes about it, calling it a honeypot to be raided for the things they want to spend it on instead of fiscal responsibility and managing the economy in a way that protects the retirement incomes of Australians that have worked really, really hard.'

She added she's met many self-funded retirees who are now concerned about their savings.

'I don't know if anyone can explain to me in the Labor Party what it actually is and that's the problem, they're talking about it as if it is honey to be raided and shared around,' Ms Ley said.

'It's not honey, it's not funny and we actually need the government to stick to its election promises.'

Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones has come under fire for his poor choice of words about retirement savings

Education Minister Jason Clare tried to repeatedly deflect the question when asked by Sunrise host Natalie Barr if his ministerial colleague used a poor choice of words.

'I will use my words. Our superannuation accounts are there today because of the Labor Party. We created it,' he said.

When can you access your super? For those born before July 1, 1960, it's 55 The rises to 56 for baby boomers born between July 1, 1960 and June 30, 1961 It's 57 for those born between July 1, 1961 and June 30, 1962 It's 58 for those born between July 1, 1962 and June 30, 1963 It's 59 for those born between July 1, 1963 and June 30, 1964 It's 60 for anyone born after July 1, 1964 Advertisement

'The awful truth is for most Aussies, they have less money in their super today than they should because of the Liberal Party under Howard and Abbott, they froze super which means we got less than we should.

'I won't cop hypocrisy from the Liberal Party on superannuation.

'We created it, built up for Australians. Whenever Liberals get a chance, they take it away.'

Industry leaders were also baffled by Mr Jones' metaphor.

'If it's a hive of honey, who is it for? It sounds like he is talking about workers bringing back honey for the whole hive, not just their individual accounts,' Association of Independent Retirees director John Ritchie said.

Australians earning up to $250,000 a year can deposit up to $27,500 a year into their super and pay a concessional tax rate of 15 per cent, which is well below the 45 per cent marginal tax rate for someone earning more than $180,000.

But those concessional tax rates cost the Budget $53billion a year with Dr Chalmers suggesting he would review the sweeteners for those with more than $3million in super savings.

Compulsory super debuted in 1992 when Paul Keating was Labor prime minister but in 2006, John Howard's Coalition government introduced the 15 per cent concessional tax rate for super contributions.

The super contribution guarantee is rising to 11 per cent, from 10.5 per cent, on July 1 this year but in 2014, former Liberal prime minister Tony Abbott's government froze it at 9.5 per cent until 2021.

It is now rising by half a percentage point every year until it reaches 12 per cent in July 2025.
Council said there were 'inconsistencies' in approval

A housing development that was labelled a 'glass monstrosity' by furious neighbours has been found to have 'inconsistencies' with council approval despite the owner claiming it was all approved.

Tensions have flared over the two three-storey homes being built by Scott Koning and his wife Xumei Chi on a single block in Mermaid Waters, on the Gold Coast.

Neighbouring couple Gary Hopkinson and Bijma Wati moved from Sydney and bought their home to retire but now say their slice of paradise is ruined because the new development is too 'intrusive'.

Mr Hopkinson and Ms Wati said they could no longer comfortably use their pool or outdoor showers as their new neighbours can look down into their backyard, and also into the guest room they hoped their grandkids would stay in.

Rita, the neighbour on the other side, has stopped her daily ritual of having breakfast next to the pool because of how loud the construction is.

Mr Koning earlier said he didn't care about his neighbour's 'little emotions' and said he'd been granted approval for the build.

But he and his wife have since been given a letter from Gold Coast City Council saying otherwise.

Tensions have flared over the two three-storey development projects being built by Scott Koning and his wife Xumei Chi in Mermaid Waters, on the Gold Coast

'The City has recently issued correspondence to the applicant identifying some inconsistencies with the planning approval,' a council spokesperson said.

'This includes screening treatments, opening windows in locations conflicting with the approval and balcony balustrading.

'The development is not yet complete and is still under construction. The City will continue to monitor the progress of the development to ensure that the completed development complies with the approved plans and that any non-compliances are rectified.'

Last month, Mr Hopkinson told A Current Affair the new duplex was so close to his home that they could 'almost dive into our pool'.

Developers Scott Koning (right) and wife Xumei Chi (centre) were confronted about the neighbours concerns, to which Mr Koning said their 'little emotions' don't matter because the neighbouring homes are old and 'a dump'

When asked about his neighbours' complaints, Mr Koning said: 'I don't care about people's little emotions, I'm building within the law.'

When A Current Affair returned to the construction site this week to ask Mr Koning and his wife about the council's letter, Ms Chi said he'd gone overseas.

She then became visibly distressed and repeatedly said her husband was not a 'criminal'.

'I'm very nervous you guys have hurt me,' she said, but declined to give any explanation to the council's warning, claiming limited English.

There is no suggestion Mr Koning is a criminal.

'We've worked hard all our lives for this. Why should we have to give up everything we've worked so hard for?' Mr Hopkinson said.

Last month tensions reached boiling point between the couple and Mr Hopkinson when he visited the duplex's front yard.

He and Ms Wati claimed they've sent several emails and arranged times with Ms Chi to try and sit both sides down and reach an agreement about the property.

Neighbours have complained the 'glass monstrosity' has ruined their privacy

But they said each time they've been dismissed.

During the heated exchange, Mr Hopkinson called Mr Koning a 'liar' and his wife a 'lying b****'.

Mr Koning then began aggressively moving toward Mr Hopkinson while Ms Chi yelled and separated them.

After the confrontation, Mr Koning said it didn't matter what his neighbours thought of the duplex.

'That (Mr Hopkinson and Ms Wati's home) is gonna get pulled down relatively soon one would imagine being its age, next door (Rita's home) - well it's a dump so it'll get pulled down at some stage too,' he said.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Design Vibe Pty. Ltd, where Mr Koning is a director, for comment.

Council officers will inspect the property this week.
Campaigners have slammed as 'reckless' and 'horrible' a plan by a Canadian parliamentary committee to expand the country's assisted-suicide program to terminally sick children.

They told DailyMail.com that sick and disabled kids could soon be joining the roughly 10,000 adults who end their lives each year by state-sanctioned euthanasia in the world's most permissive such program.

In its long-awaited report, the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) recommended that 'mature minors' whose deaths were 'reasonably foreseeable' could access assisted suicide, even without parental consent.

The report and its 23 recommendations will be discussed in the House of Commons in the coming months and could prompt revisions of Canada's assisted dying laws as soon as this year.

'I think it's horrible,' said Amy Hasbrouck, who campaigns against MAiD for the group Not Dead Yet.

'Teenagers are not in a good position to judge whether to commit suicide or not. Any teenagers with a disability, who's constantly told their life is useless and pitiful, will be depressed, and of course they're going to want to die.'

Mike Schouten, whose son, Markus, died of cancer last year aged 18, said letting youngsters end their lives with doctor-prescribed drugs was 'reckless'

There were more than 10,000 deaths by euthanasia in 2021, an increase of about a third from the previous year

Alex Schadenberg, executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, another campaign outfit, said Canada had been on a dangerous 'slippery slope' to widespread assisted suicide since the law was introduced in 2016.

'We said we were going to have safeguards and guardrails, but the next government can simply open it up further by making a decision  and that's exactly what's happening,' Schadenberg said.

After hearing from some 150 witnesses and reviewing hundreds of briefs, the joint committee of Canadian politicians earlier this month concluded that children who could competently make decisions should have access to MAiD.

Poll Should doctor-assisted suicide be available where you live? Yes No Not sure Should doctor-assisted suicide be available where you live? Yes 2110 votes

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Witnesses had told members that children were ill-equipped to manage such a weighty decision, that they were more vulnerable to external pressure than adults, and that there was no going back from an irreversible decision.

Still, others noted that poorly Canadian children can already decide to stop receiving life-saving treatment for their condition, even when doing so hastens their death.

Ultimately, members agreed that children with terminal illnesses, most likely aged between 14 and 17, could be influenced by many factors and that 'eligibility for MAiD should not be denied on the basis of age alone'.

In their 138-page report, members said the procedure  typically a lethal injection administered by a doctor  should be available to 'mature minors  whose natural death is reasonably foreseeable.'

They also called for more research into the experiences of minors in relation to assisted suicide and for an independent expert panel to investigate criminal issues around child access to MAiD.

It remains unclear whether the Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would immediately push for expanded access to children. This month, ministers deferred by a year plans to extend MAiD to the mentally ill.

Mike Schouten, director of advocacy for the Association for Reformed Political Action (ARPA), called the committee 'reckless' and urged members of parliament to ensure the 'committee's recommendation do not become law'.

Mike Schouten, director of advocacy for the Association for Reformed Political Action (ARPA), urged members of parliament to ensure the 'committee's recommendation do not become law'

Alex Schadenberg (left), executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, and Amy Hasbrouck, from the group Not Dead Yet, say politicians should not expand accesss to MAiD

'There would be vigorous debate and hopefully, people would make the right decisions, although we don't have much faith in some of those institutions at the moment, considering our current government,' said Schouten.

Schouten's son, Markus, was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma in February 2021 and died just 15 months later, on May 29, 2022, aged 18, after multiple operations, chemotherapy and 25 rounds of radiation therapy.

His father said an assisted suicide law for children would have told his son that caregivers had 'given up' on him.

Appearing with his wife, Jennifer, Mr Schouten told the Canadian parliamentary committee: 'By giving some minors the right to request, you put all minors and their families in a position where they are obliged to consider.'

Campaigners often highlight the case of Robert Latimer, a Saskatchewan farmer who was convicted of killing his 12-year-old daughter, Tracy, in 1993. He said it was a mercy killing because of the chronic pain linked to her severe cerebral palsy.

Many Canadians support euthanasia and the campaign group Dying With Dignity says the procedure is 'driven by compassion, an end to suffering and discrimination and desire for personal autonomy.'

But human rights advocates say the country's regulations lack necessary safeguards, devalue the lives of disabled people, and are prompting doctors and health workers to suggest the procedure to those who might not otherwise consider it.

The Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) recommended that 'mature minors' whose deaths were 'reasonably foreseeable' could access assisted suicide, even without parental consent

Markus Schouten was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma in February 2021 and died just 15 months later, on May 29, 2022, aged 18, after multiple operations, chemotherapy and 25 rounds of radiation therapy

It's not yet clear whether the Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (center) would immediately push for expanded access of assisted suicide to children

Euthanasia, where doctors use drugs to kill patients, is legal in seven countries  Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand and Spain  plus several states in Australia.

Other jurisdictions, including a growing number of US states, allow doctor-assisted suicide  in which patients take the lethal drug themselves, typically crushing up and drinking a lethal dose of pills prescribed by a doctor.

In Canada, the two options are referred to as MAiD, though more than 99.9 percent of such deaths are euthanasia. There were more than 10,000 deaths by euthanasia in 2021, an increase of about a third from the previous year.

Canada's road to allowing euthanasia began in 2015, when its highest court declared that outlawing assisted suicide deprived people of their dignity and autonomy. It gave national leaders a year to draft legislation.

The resulting 2016 law legalized both euthanasia and assisted suicide for people aged 18 and over provided they met certain conditions: They had to have a serious, advanced condition, disease or disability that was causing suffering and their death was looming.

The law was later amended to allow people who are not terminally ill to choose death, significantly broadening the number of eligible people. Critics say that change removed a key safeguard aimed at protecting people with potentially years or decades of life left.

Today, any adult with a serious illness, disease or disability can seek help in dying.

Wires contributed to this report.
A plot of dirt has earnt a whopping $4,000 a week - more than double the average weekly wage - after it sat idle for three years in a prestigious beachside location.

The 974 square-metre block of land on Chipping Rd in Perth's ritzy City Beach made $620,000 for its owner, renowned builder Rob Spadaccini.

He bought the land 'on a whim' for $3.18million in 2019 and had approved plans to construct a 1,082sq m home with garages for 10 cars.

But he ended up selling the undeveloped land - with its 180-degree ocean views - for $3.8million last year for a cool $620,000 profit, the West Australian reported.

The windfall equals to almost $4,000 per week of income over the three years.

The 974 square-metre block of land on Chipping Rd in Perth's ritzy City Beach (pictured) made $620,000 for its owner, renowned builder Rob Spadaccini

Mr Spadaccini bought the land for $3.18million with its 180-degree ocean views in 2019 and had a plan to construct a 1,082sq m home with a garage for 10 cars on it (pictured, a view from the property)

But Mr Spadaccini (pictured, with his wife Maria) ended up selling the undeveloped land for $3.8million last year making a cool $620,000 profit

Mr Spadaccini bought the property in 2019 with hopes to cash in on the promising potential of the seaside location (pictured) - which cannot be built out

The home builder let it go after deciding to live closer to friends and family in the northern coastal suburbs (pictured, another view from the land)

The award-winning builder heads up Spadaccini Homes, which he founded in 1997 to constructs upmarket homes.

Mr Spadaccini bought the property with hopes to cash in on the promising potential of the seaside location - which cannot be built out.

But he let it go after deciding to live closer to friends and family in the northern coastal suburbs.

'I bought it on a bit of a whim,' Mr Spadaccini said.

'As a developer, you often make your money on the land,' he said. 'Money is also tied up in the house as well, so if you get the right combination, it is a great investment.'

City Beach has grown in home sales prices in the last 10 years with blocks of land averaging at $2.76million - a massive increase of 61 per cent over last year's $1.76million average.
Controversial Outback nurse Rachel Hale has narrowly avoided jail for terrorising a beauty salon rival with menacing messages and a torrent of fake damaging reviews on Facebook and Instagram.

The vile messages posted by Hale - who became the face of the Alice Springs crime crisis last month - include calling her 26-year-old victim a 'fat f***', mocking her skills, saying she ran a 'dirty shop' and 'you damage and scar clients'.

Police seized 77 pages of screenshots intended to destroy Josie-Anne Fritts's career as a beautician in the remote Northern territory town.

Hale also got a male friend to post a review claiming Ms Fritts was 'one of the worst liars about her experience I've ever met' and was 'never to be trusted with your skin'.

Many of the texts, emails and derogatory reviews obtained by Daily Mail Australia were posted under Hale's fake Instagram and Facebook profiles under the name 'Gemma White'.

Outback nurse Rachel Hale carried out an 'outrageous' campaign of harassment against the 26-year-old beautician who set up a rival salon, said the judge who sentenced her to a six month suspended jail term

Hale, 45, targeted Josie-Anne Fritts (above) after the 26-year-old ran a 'dirty shop' and 'you damage and scar clients' and was 'never to be trusted with your skin'

Hale's revenge campaign began when the younger beautician ceased working as a dermal therapist for Hale's business, Alice Laserthetics, and started up at a competing business, Eco Beauty Lounge.

The NT court documents state that Hale kept 134 images relating to Ms Fritts and a telephone contact list including the victim's phone numbers in files Hale labelled 'Josie D***head' and 'Josie-Fat F***'.

The NT Police Statement of Facts says that 45-year-old Hale's hate campaign caused Ms Fritts to lose clients, money and her position at Eco Beauty.

This prompted Hale to send Ms Fritts a belittling text about a post on her Facebook business page, saying 'Hilarious! Globally trained ... thanks for the laugh!

'Eco Beauty turned out well for you? Ah must be very difficult to burn so many bridges in a small town ... the way clients talk about you is very amusing. Good luck - you'll need it'.

Hale, 45, pleaded guilty in Darwin Local Court on Thursday to bombarding Ms Fritts with 'menacing, harassing and offensive' messages.

Labelling her conduct as 'outrageous', Judge Ben O'Loughlin sentenced her to six months in prison, but wholly suspended the term for a period of two years.

Hale is the cosmetic surgery specialist who filmed Indigenous youth on the streets from her Alice Springs hotel room last month, then claimed they were running riot because they were raped and beaten at home.

Her videos of teens punching and spitting on patrons at Alice Springs' Diplomat Hotel briefly made her the face of the remote Northern Territory town's crime crisis, drawing praise from Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and others.

It has since emerged that Hale filmed the melee while visiting to give clients injectable and laser beauty treatments for her Alice Laserthetics business, which still operates a clinic and describes her as a 'Cosmetic Injector' and Cosmetic Nurse Rachel.

Outback nurse Rachel Hale (left) , the face of Alice Springs' crime crisis, set up the fake profile Gemma White (right) to write vile reviews of 26-year-old Josie Fritts and destroy her career as a beautician in the town

When 26-year-old Josie Fritts left Eco Beauty Lounge (above) to start her own business, Rachel Hale got a man to post reviews saying 'Globally trained ... you haven't left Alice Springs. One of the worst liars about her experience. Never to be trusted with your skin'

Darwin Local Court heard that Hale had employed Ms Fritts at her clinic between May and August 2021 before their business relationship became toxic and woman resigned and 'stole the client list'.

A seven-month hate campaign by Hale ensued up until April 2022, and when the younger cosmetician begged her to stop, Hale laughed at her and lodged a fake Covid report to have Ms Fritts' salon shut down.

By that time, Josie Fritts had started her own beauty business, Paramedink Cosmetic & Paramedical Tattoo Studio, and used Facebook and Instagram to promote it.

On the afternoon of January 18 last year - which was at the height of the Northern Territory's Covid outbreak - Hale impersonated Ms Fritts by submitting a statutory declaration to the NT Government in her name.

The forged document, using Ms Fritts' name, date of birth and contact details , stated that said she was infected which Covid, which would shut down her salon and force her into isolation.

Image from one of the videos Rachel Hale filmed from her Alice Springs hotel in January, later claiming the unruly children spitting on hotel patrons were abused in their homes, as she visited the town to conduct cosmetic treatments

Nurse Rachel Hale (above) arriving at Darwin court on Thursday to plead guilty to three charges, of forgery, making a false declaration and using a carriage service to harass, just weeks after she filmed youths from her Alice Springs hotel

When Ms Fritts asked Hale to stop sending messages to her and to her business, Hale texted: 'Lol. I have no idea what you're talking about'.

Evidence seized by police included Hale's messages to a male friend, Scott Richards, asking him to post a fake bad review, saying 'do your worst. This is that fat b****h who stole from me in Alice'.

After Richards replied, 'you write it and I'll cut paste', Hale asked 'Can you do a review stating that she's a lying and deceiving, unskilled individual'.

Richards, using a Facebook Messenger account in the name of Mike Teixeira, posted a review on Ms Fritt's Paramedink studio Facebook page, saying 'Globally trained ... you haven't left Alice Springs.

'Para-medical you have zero medical training. One of the worst liars about her experience I've ever met.

'She is NOT a dermal therapist. Burns bridges wherever she goes. Never to be trusted with your skin'

After Hale pleaded guilty in Darwin Local Court to three charges - using a carriage service to menace, harass and offend, forgery and making a false declaration - Hale's lawyer Ray Murphy told the court his client had been provoked.

He said that when Hale's relationship with Ms Fritts foundered, the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal had ordered the 26-year-old to pay $700 to Hale.

Mr Murphy said this was because NTCAT had ruled that when Ms Fritts resigned, she had deleted a week of bookings and consent forms and stolen the client list.

Mr Murphy said Hale had worked at Darwin's Don Dale Youth Detention Centre, in Berrimah prison, and in drug and alcohol services, but primarily had been a self-employed cosmetic nurse for years.

Outback nurse Rachel Hale who claimed Alice Springs youth were violent on the streets because they were being raped and beaten at home has been convicted of three offences

Hale described her 'terrifying night' recording numerous videos, after which she spoke out about the sexual abuse of children in remote Indigenous communities.

He said her 'antipathy' over the business break-up with Ms Fritts had fuelled the 'ongoing campaign of harassment' by Hale, a mother of two.

Prosecutor Charlotte Maybery-Reupert said Ms Hale's campaign to destroy her rival's business was especially dangerous in such a small town as Alice Springs.

Ms Fritts told police that Hale has 'done everything in her power to ensure the destruction of my livelihood, my reputation and my business.

'I now live in constant fear and stress of the next thing she can do to harm me,' she said.

NT Police facts say Ms Fritts has 'suffered emotional and mental exhausting ... and it has affected her social life due to the damaging comments'.

On sentencing Rachel Hale, Judge O'Loughlin said 'what she has done is outrageous  an ongoing campaign of harassment apparently to intentionally inflict damage'.

Hale came to prominence in January after claiming she 'feared for her life' while filming dozens of young people causing chaos on the streets below her hotel room.

It is unclear whether the charges against Rachel Hale (above) in Darwin Local Court have any connection with Ms Hale's recent online battle with trolls which followed her posting numerous videos of Alice Springs teenagers

'Can anyone confirm if Rachel Hale has ever worked as a nurse (no not a cosmetic nurse) in Alice Springs?' one person questioned on Facebook.

She later claimed the main reason kids were on the street was because of their deplorable home lives and vicious sexual assaults in the communities which she had witnessed during 14 years of nursing in the NT.

Much of the town's violence has been blamed on the lifting of alcohol bans in Aboriginal communities outside of Alice Springs in July last year.

The bans have since been reinstated after a national outcry.
Harvey Weinstein, a former head of Hollywood already serving a 23-year prison term in New York, was given an additional 16 years in prison for rape and sexual assault on Thursday in Los Angeles.

Before the verdict, Weinstein spoke in court and maintained his innocence, calling the prosecution's case a "setup."

Harvey Weinstein Prison Sentence

As a 70-year-old man in poor health, his attorneys requested the judge a sentence that would run concurrently with his present 23-year sentence. The model and actress Jane Doe 1, whose evidence was crucial to the convictions, also described to the judge how the assault had altered her.

Jane Doe 1 testified that Weinstein, 70, abused her in a Beverly Hills hotel room in February 2013 and was charged with rape, sexual penetration by a foreign object, and forcible oral copulation. Weinstein was found guilty of these crimes in December.

A jury could not agree on three other counts against Weinstein, including one involving Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a filmmaker and the wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom. Weinstein was also acquitted on one charge. During the trial, CNN reported that four counts related to an anonymous woman who did not testify were also dismissed.

The New York Times and The New Yorker's reporting in 2017 alleged Weinstein's history of sexual abuse, harassment, and secret settlements as he exploited his influence as a Hollywood power broker to use young women culminated in the second sentencing for Weinstein on sexual assault charges.

Weinstein was one of the most influential figures in Hollywood at the time and worked on the creation of "Pulp Fiction," "Clerks," and "Shakespeare in Love," among other films. In what became known as the #MeToo movement, the revelations sparked a wave of women speaking out publicly about the prevalence of sexual abuse and harassment.

The disgraced movie mogul is halfway through a 23-year jail term handed down in New York in 2020 after he was found guilty of third-degree rape and a first-degree criminal sexual act. He appealed the conviction.

Weinstein might have received an additional 18 years in prison following his trial in Los Angeles. Judge Lisa B. Lench of the Los Angeles Superior Court received a direct appeal from Weinstein, who stated: "I steadfastly maintain my innocence. I never sexually assaulted or raped Jane Doe 1."

As Weinstein spoke, the victim of the rape for which he was found guilty sobbed in the courtroom. As per USA Today, Lench delivered the verdict on Thursday after denying Weinstein's legal team's request for a fresh trial.

Read Also: 'Aquaman 2' Gets Bad Reviews After Early Test Screening

Online Users React to Harvey Weinstein Trial's Result

Weinstein appeared to bury his face in his hands while the first guilty counts were being read. As the remainder of the verdict was being read, he anticipated it. There were no quick comments from prosecutors or defense lawyers regarding the ruling.

Harvey Weinstein is seen in this courtroom file photo from the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles on October 4, 2022. Due to the jury's inability to agree on whether Weinstein had intended to attack a model actor in 2013, he might have received up to 18 years in jail.

The panel concluded that it could not reach a consensus about specific claims that Weinstein planned his attack on the lady and whether or not she was "especially vulnerable," therefore Lench declared a mistrial on the case the following day. If the jury had determined that either situation applied, Weinstein would have been sentenced to an enhanced maximum term of 24 years.

Several online users supported Weinstein's 16-year prison term when he was found guilty of the Los Angeles rape, while others wished for a longer prison time for him. Per Meaww, one person said, "So grateful for the victims that spoke out against this monster. Good to have some Justice," and another commented, "Still not enough time! Give him more."

So grateful for the victims that spoke out against this monster. Good to have some Justice.    (@sassybibrarian) February 23, 2023

Still not enough time! Give him MORE.  Adeles Bantu Knots (@OkHeDidTHAT) February 23, 2023

Throw away the key and let him rot like he deserves to.  Brandy with a why? (@brandy_withawhy) February 23, 2023

Good. I don't know if that woman has found peace, but at least she's found some justice.  elcine (@elcine19) February 23, 2023

Related Article: Nipsey Hussle Killer Gets Punishment from LA Court



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Comedian Joe Rogan went after the official symbol of America, the bald eagle, during a riff on his wildly successful podcast - which has been controversial as ever lately.

Rogan, 55, hosts a semi-regular special called 'Protect Our Parks' on The Joe Rogan Experience, which the comic has said in the past is an excuse for he and his guests to 'talk s**t.'

Thursday's episode was the seventh edition of Protect Our Parks, which featured Rogan speaking with comics Ari Shaffir, Mark Normand and one-time 'SNL' hire Shane Gillis.

The jokesters were discussing how China often leases pandas to the United States' zoos and noted that the panda was associated with the country.

'If there's an animal that represents America, it's funny that it's an eagle,' Rogan then said.

Comedian Joe Rogan went after the official symbol of America, the bald eagle, during a riff on his wildly successful podcast - which has been controversial as ever lately - on Thursday

He then bizarrely characterized the birds: 'Because eagles are - it's kind of a fu**ing soulless, evil creature. That likes to eat dead fish.'

Gillis, who was fired shortly after being hired by Saturday Night Live for past tweets, chimed in: '[Benjamin] Franklin was right. We should've had a turkey.'

'Didn't it used to be a dog?' Rogan responded. 'I think at one point in time was the dog. It was like a pit bull. Is that true? That America's national animals was a pit bull at one point in time?'

Normand than joked that it was actually just the rapper Pitbull.

A few Twitter users responded to Rogan's comments by taking shots at the hugely influential podcaster and MMA commentator.

One bluntly responded to the jokes by saying: 'Tell me you're a boorish ignorant American caucasian male without telling me you're a boorish ignorant American caucasian male.'

Another obviously referenced the bald part and Rogan saying it was a 'soulless, evil creature' by saying: 'Well... like you, Joe.'

One more responded in kind: 'Isn't that what people say about him?'

'If there's an animal that represents America, it's funny that it's an eagle,' Rogan said. He then bizarrely characterized the birds: 'Because eagles are - it's kind of a fu**ing soulless, evil creature. That likes to eat dead fish'

Thursday's episode was the seventh edition of Protect Our Parks, which featured Rogan speaking with comics Ari Shaffir, Mark Normand and one-time 'SNL' hire Shane Gillis (pictured)

The podcast is often the target of ire but lately, Rogan has been angering people on all sides of the aisle with his commentary.

Rogan joked that Democrats want people to 'just eat donuts and just fu**ing vote' after the controversial podcaster discussed a story about the far right being connected to 'being healthy.'

Rogan, speaking to writer and podcaster Bridget Phetasy on, was likely reacting to an MSNBC article titled 'Pandemic fitness trends have gone extreme - literally.'

Phetasy asked: 'Aren't they connecting being healthy to the far-right now? I've seen so many articles that are like 'oh the far-right obsession with being in shape,' like it's a bad thing somehow.'

The comic and MMA commentator agreed: 'There's a giant percentage of our population that is really lazy and fat, and if you want those people on your team you have to say, 'There's nothing wrong with being lazy and fat, in fact; not being lazy and fat is actually connected to misogyny, racism, and fascism, and the far right.'

He concluded that people on the left who think this way 'are like, 'Great, let's just eat donuts and just fu**ing vote blue.'

Former CNN host Brian Stelter took a shot at Rogan after the latter accused him of working for the 'lizard' people who run the World Economic Forum.

Podcast host extraordinaire Joe Rogan mocked Brian Stelter for his recent panel appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland

Stelters CNN show Reliable Sources was axed back in August. He said he went to Davos on his own dime to cover the global summit, where he hosted a panel about hate speech and disinformation

Last month, Rogan went off on Stelter while discussing the much-maligned global conference that takes place annually in Davos, Switzerland.

He and journalist Matt Taibbi mocked and criticized Stelter's appearance on a panel that he hosted, calling him 'basically a prostitute,' and comfortable grinning around the elitists who seek to impose restrictive laws on the global masses.

However, Stelter said that, unlike Rogan claimed, he had no 'bosses' who were puppeteering his panel performance and the journalist traveled to Davos at his own expense.

'Joe Rogan got it all wrong, again. The World Economic Forum did not hire me to 'work' in Davos. I went there on my own dime to write about the conference,' Stelter said in response to a story from the New York Post about Rogan's bit.

He was just weeks ago accused of 'casually spouting anti-Semitism' after trying to defend woke Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.

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

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.'
A cleaner and aspiring beautician has been jailed for at least ten months after breaking into her ex-boyfriend's house and tasering him while drunk and high on drugs.

Tegan Lee Martin, 24, rushed through the unlocked sliding doors of her ex Jacob Tiller's home in Port Lincoln, South Australia, on October 6, 2021.

Mr Tiller, who Martin had been in a relationship with for about five years, had been in the bathroom when his ex and her co-accused suddenly burst in.

Martin used a taser on Mr Tiller while her co-accused allegedly bashed his elbow with a metal pole.

As Mr Tiller tried to run to the back door, he fell to the ground before Martin's co-accused allegedly stabbed him in the side of his head.

Martin used the taser on him again before the pair fled the house.

Tegan Lee Martin, 24, has been jailed after tasering her ex-boyfriend during a violent home invasion in South Australia in October, 2021

Mr Tiller suffered an 8cm laceration to his head and had to undergo emergency surgery with the wound cutting down to the bone.

Martin pleaded guilty to aggravated serious criminal trespass in a place of residence, and one count of aggravated causing harm with intent to cause harm.

Adelaide District Court Justice Julie McIntyre said Martin and Mr Tiller had split up some three years before the incident but said there was 'plainly ill will' between them.

'Your relationship was characterised by dysfunction and immaturity on both sides,' she said in sentencing on Monday.

Justice McIntyre said the home invasion was 'premeditated' and that Martin was 'heavily intoxicated' at the time.

She said Martin had struggled with addictions to marijuana, MDMA and alcohol but hadn't used any of the substances since her arrest.

Martin also has 'significant issues' with her mental health which she was hospitalised for, and was found to fit the criteria for borderline personality disorder.

Justice McIntyre said the fact Martin was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time of the home invasion didn't excuse the pain she'd caused to Mr Tiller.

'You were an active participant in the assault upon Mr Tiller, using the taser on several occasions. The fact that you were, at the time, under the influence of drugs and alcohol does not excuse your appalling behaviour in any way,' she said.

The 24-year-old suffered from mental health issues and had been addicted to marijuana, MDMA and alcohol

She added it was possible Mr Tiller may not recover fully from the violent assault.

'He has post-traumatic stress disorder. He no longer feels safe in his own home and has described feelings of anxiety, paranoia and depression,' she said.

'Mr Tiller says he has also developed a short-term memory loss and has continuing head pain due to his injury. It will be a long process before Mr Tiller is fully recovered, if at all.'

Justice McIntyre accepted Martin showed remorse, and took into account the one month she'd spent behind bars following her arrest.

Martin was sentenced to two years and five months behind bars.

She will be eligible for parole in December this year.

Martin had been working as a cleaner and had hoped to work in skin care after completing more training in the beauty industry.
Claims he would have got a medal in another state for his actions

The policeman who fatally shot an Indigenous man in Central Australia has penned an open letter claiming he would have 'got a medal' for his actions if the incident had occurred in another state.

Northern Territory Constable Zachary Rolfe shot Kumanjayi Walker in the back and torso after the 19-year-old stabbed him in the shoulder with a pair of scissors as Rolfe and his partner tried to arrest him at his grandmother's home at Yuendumu in November, 2019.

Rolfe was subsequently charged with murder but was found not guilty after a month-long trial in Darwin in March, 2022.

In an extensive 2500-word-open letter, the 31-year-old took aim at NT police hierarchy and a 'biased' coronial inquest which he says painted him as a 'violent thug'.

He also claimed that in another state of Australia, his act in protecting his police partner's life would have seen him lauded instead of vilified.

Northern Territory Constable Zachary Rolfe - who fatally shot Indigenous man Kumanjayi Walker - believes he would have 'got a medal' if the incident had occurred in another state

Rolfe and Eberl were deployed to Yuendumu to arrest Kumanjayi Walker (pictured) for wielding an axe in the direction of their colleagues on November 9, 2019. Const Rolfe then shot Walker in the back and torso as the 19-year-old resisted being placed in handcuffs at his grandmother's home

Rolfe also made reference to NT Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker, calling for his resignation and noting his refusal to meet with him.

The letter - which has been published by several media outlets - painted the Aboriginal teen as a violent abuser who tried to kill both him and his partner Adam Eberl.

It comes as the coronial inquest into Walker's death in Yuendumu is set to resume next week.

Rolfe and Eberl were deployed to Yuendumu to arrest Walker for wielding an axe in the direction of their colleagues on November 9, 2019.

Const Rolfe then shot Walker in the back and torso as the 19-year-old resisted being placed in handcuffs at his grandmother's home.

The 31-year-old was charged with murder four days later before his not guilty in March, 2002 after a five-week jury trial divided opinion across the NT.

The verdict left the grieving Warlpiri community angry and calling for justice to be served for their beloved son.

In an extensive 2500-word-open letter Zachary Rolfe, 31, took aim at NT police and a 'biased' coronial inquest which he says painted him as a 'violent thug'

Rolfe painted a very different picture saying his actions on the day were solely to defend his partner.

'Walker was a young man with a violent past who abused many in his community, including young girls and boys,' he said in the open letter.

'When he tried to kill my partner and I  I did not think about his race, upbringing or his past trauma, I thought about defending my partner's life, and that's what I did.

'In a different state, I would have got a medal for it, and none of you would ever have known my name.'

During the inquest, offensive messages sent by Rolfe were tendered which he says were an attempt to paint him as 'a racist, violent cop', however, he did apologise for sending the messages.

'They had access to every single one of my messages and knew that I did not treat a single race differently from others. In private, I talked s*** about nearly every group at times,' he said.

'Yet they released just a tiny snippet to make me out to be a racist. The parties knew that the messages had nothing to do with the death of Kumanjayi Walker.

'They knew the damage they would do once in public  they would hurt the community, the police force and the relationship between them  but they didn't care. If the coronial's goal was to 'heal', it has failed.'

The former soldier who spent time fighting in Afghanistan said he was 'a good cop' and did the job to protect people.

'I did it because I wanted to help people who needed help, to protect those who needed protection; I was good at it,' Rolfe said.

'I was in the job to protect people, but if you were a violent offender, causing others harm, or you tried to prevent me doing my job to protect and defend, I make no apologies for doing my job.'

Rolfe said he is now focused on continuing to help people, whether that be in the police force or elsewhere

Rolfe said he is now focused on continuing to help people, whether that be in the police force or elsewhere.

'I will continue to help people who need help and protect those who need to be protected; if it's not in the police, it'll be somewhere else,' he said.

'I'll live my life knowing I have the loyalty of those I worked with and those who know me  I was a good cop, my integrity is intact, and I am proud of that.'

Coroner Elisabeth Armitage earlier this month extended the inquest into the death of Walker, adding two more sitting weeks from July 31 and August 21.
Musk, 51, moved the company to Austin, Texas in 2021 over tax breaks, a cheaper cost of labor, and a battle with California health officials during COVID-19

Musk announced the move during a press conference with Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, 55, at the site of the new HQ in Palo Alto

Elon Musk on Wednesday announced that Tesla would return to California to set up its engineering headquarters while corporate HQ would stay in Texas

After less than two years in Texas, Tesla is moving its engineering headquarters back up to northern California, a smitten-sounding Elon Musk announced Wednesday.

During a press conference alongside Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom, 55, the pair announced that the electric vehicle manufacturer would return to Palo Alto.

Musk, 51, moved Tesla down to Austin, Texas in the fall of 2021 over tax breaks, the cheaper cost of labor, and a battle between himself and local health officials.

Questions remain as to how Newsom, considered a possible future Democratic presidential candidate, was able lure the car manufacturer back to California. But he and Musk's mutual admiration for one another was in evidence during Wednesday's press event.

Since leaving the Golden State in 2021, Musk has been hugely critical of California. He has called it a haven of overregulation, over taxation and accused the state's leadership of complacency.

During a press conference alongside Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom, the pair announced that the electric vehicle manufacturer would return to Palo Alto

At the time, Musk was adamant about his desire to reopen a massive manufacturing plant in Freemont, which was argued against by the Alameda County Department of Public Health

'Some of my best friends are in California. I do miss many aspects of California, especially my friends,' Musk said while glugging a White Claw in a 2021 interview with the conservative satire site The Babylon Bee.

'But it's increasingly difficult to get things done. California used to be the land of opportunity. Now it has become and is becoming more so the land of overregulation, overlitigation, over taxation, and scorn,' he added.

Musk usually stopped short of blasting Newsom, with the two men reportedly enjoying a warm relationship, despite the tycoon's repeated Golden State attacks.

The same year, Musk sold his $30 million Bay Area estate, saying at the time that it was the last home that he owned. When he announced the move to Austin, Musk called the Texas capital the 'biggest boomtown that America has seen in 50 years.'

Musk said at The Wall Street Journals CEO Council in 2020 that he felt Northern California had 'too much influence in the world.'

'I think well see some reduction in the influence of Silicon Valley,' he added.

'If a team has been winning for too long, they do tend to get a little complacent, a little entitled, and then they don't win the championship anymore,' Musk said at the same conference.

'California has been winning for a long time... and they are taking it for granted,' the South African continued.

Newsom has spoken publicly about Tesla and Musk in the past. In 2020, the Democrat told CNBC that he felt as though Musk would never leave California.

'We may not be the cheapest place to do business but we are the best place to do business,' Newsom said.

In September 2022, Newsom went as far as to take credit for Tesla's success saying: 'There was no Tesla without Californias regulatory bodies.'

Old friends? Musk and Newsom talk inside of Tesla's new Palo Alto engineering HQ

Musk holding his son, X A A-12, while in deep conversation with Newsom

Tesla will return to Palo Alto, California with their engineering HQ. The company's corporate HQ will remain in Austin, Texas

Musk said in 2021 that he made the final decision to leave California after then-Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez tweeted: 'F*** Elon Musk' in 2020

Musk said in a 2021 tweet that the final decision to leave California was made after a Democratic state legislator tweeted: 'F*** Elon Musk' over his insistence on opening his Fremont plant amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

A Tesla fan blog called the tweet and indicator of 'serious problems in the apparatus of the state.' Musk replied to the tweeted version of the article saying: 'Exactly.'

The Democrat in question, Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, has since left the legislature to assume a leadership role in the California Labor Federation.

'He never left. His Fremont plant was growing while he supposedly left. Its just a reminder that Elon Musk is a drama queen,' Fletcher told DailyMail.com when asked about Musk's supposed return to Palo Alto.

Another Democrat who took aim at Musk was San Francisco Mayor London Breed who once called him 'the person who got a ton of tax breaks in California and decided to take that money and run.'

Musk moved Tesla down to Austin, Texas in the fall of 2021 over tax breaks, the cheaper cost of labor, and a battle between himself and local health officials

During his press conference Wednesday the tech CEO described the move as a 'poetic transition,' while also stating Tesla's corporate HQ will remain in Texas, where there is no state income tax.

At the time he left, Musk was adamant about his desire to reopen a massive manufacturing plant in Fremont, which was argued against by the Alameda County Department of Public Health.

Musk said he was giddy to announce the move while standing next to the California governor.

'We're excited to announce that Tesla's global engineering headquarters will be right here in the former headquarters of Hewlett-Packard,' Musk said.

Not all of Tesla's operations will be centered in the Golden State, however, as the company's corporate headquarters will remain in Texas.

When Musk moved Tesla down to Texas, he also moved his own residence.

Texas is known for having no state personal income tax which could have been one of the biggest attractions for the CEO who is worth an estimated $182 billion.

The move will put Musk closer to Twitter's headquarters, as well, located in San Francisco. Musk purchased the social media app for more than $40 billion in the fall.

The distance between Palo Alto and San Francisco is less than 30 miles.

During their joint conference yesterday, Governor Newsom applauded Musk and Tesla's decision to come back to the Golden State.

'Tesla is a California company,' Governor Newsom said. 'It started here first.'

'We say about our state, the future happens here first. We are America's coming attraction,' Newsom continued.

Musk Wednesday said he was giddy to announce the move while standing next to the California governor

'We're excited to announce that Tesla's global engineering headquarters will be right here in the former headquarters of Hewlett-Packard,' Musk said.

A sign marks the entrance of Tesla Motors Inc. headquarters in Palo Alto, California

Charging stations are seen at the Tesla Corporate Headquarters on January 03, 2023

'Tesla is a California company,' Governor Newsom said. 'It started here first'

Musk moved Tesla down from Palo Alto, California to Austin, Texas in 2021

Tesla was given its own border patrol lane at the Texas-Mexico gate

During Wednesday's press conference, Musk did not specifically address the reason for the move to the west, however, tax incentives could be the reason.

Newsom and the state of California are electric-focused and have supported Tesla over the years.

The governor said bringing Tesla back was critical for the state to become the leader in automotive manufacturing.

'We are able to lay claim to 44 manufacturing headquarter companies in the electric vehicle space, but none that dominate like Tesla,' Newsom said.

Overall, California is the largest car manufacturer in the United States.

The factory in Fremont, California is expected to solidify California's standing as Musk predicts some 600,000 vehicles will be manufactured at the site over the next year.

The governor said bringing Tesla back was critical for the state to become the leader in automotive manufacturing

Newsom and Musk appeared chummy at times throughout the meeting, even joking about their decades long 'relationship'

Newsom and Musk appeared chummy at times throughout the meeting, even joking about their decades-long 'relationship.'

Musk joked that Newsom, whose state has put significant emphasis on going electric, likely put down a $100,000 deposit for his first Tesla in 2007.

Newsome joked back that he only purchased his Tesla when he 'had money' to do so and said he and Musk had similar net worth at the time.

'Your [net worth] went negative, and I got a pension, so eat your heart out,' Newsom laughed.
A billionaire financier and investor was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his office in New York City on Thursday.

Thomas H. Lee was confirmed dead in a statement released by his family. He was 78.

Police responded to Lee's office at 767 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan around 11:10 a.m. His firm, Thomas H. Lee Capital, LLC is located on the sixth floor of the building.

Lee, a Harvard graduate, had a net worth of roughly $2 billion at the time of his death, according to Forbes.

The financier struck gold in his career by acquiring midsized companies, restoring their worth, and then selling them for wild profits - and his technique and success at the time was described as the 'envy of Wall Street.'

His leveraged-buyout deals were legendary in the 1990s - pioneering financial transactions which allowed his company, in some instances, to produce more than 30-fold gains in a matter of years.

Thomas H. Lee, 78, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound yesterday at his Fifth Avenue office

Billionaire financier and investor Thomas H. Lee, 78, pictured here with his wife Ann Tenenbaum in 2019, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Thursday

Lee, the co-founder and chairman of Lee Equity Partners LLC, is pictured in his office in New York, on March 8, 2019

Police found the billionaire's body at the office. EMTs pronounced him dead at the scene. Lee's official cause of death will be determined by the Chief Medical Examiner.

The family's spokesperson Michael Sitrick released a statement about Lee's death on Thursday: 'The family is extremely saddened by Tom's death.

'While the world knew him as one of the pioneers in the private equity business and a successful businessman, we knew him as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, sibling, friend and philanthropist who always put others' needs before his own.

'Our hearts are broken. We ask that our privacy be respected and that we be allowed to grieve.'

Lee was the founder and chairman of Lee Equity and had served as chairman and CEO of Thomas H. Lee Partners, according to the Lee Equity website.

He founded his Boston-based firm in 1974, and is credited with being one of the early pioneers in private equity and specifically leveraged buyouts.

Lee is pictured golfing with then President Bill Clinton on Martha's Vineyard in 1999

Lee with former NBC host Matt Lauer and socialite Joanne Leonhardt Cassullo in 2005

A fixture on the New York City social scene, Lee is shown with Bob Kraft and Glenn and Eva Dubin (far right), both of whom were friends with Jeffrey Epstein

The NYPD responded to 767 Fifth Avenue  where Thomas H. Lee Capital, LLC is located on the sixth floor  around 11:10 a.m. and found Lee's body, it was reported

The businessman may be best known for the sale of Snapple for $1.7 billion in 1992. He acquired the firm for $135 million - then invested $28 million into it - before selling it on.

He boosted the company's revenue from $95 million a year to $750 million.

In his career, Lee has invested more than $15billion in hundreds of transactions.

Lee resigned from Thomas H. Lee Partners in 2006, and later that year formed Lee Equity Partners - a private equity firm focused more on growth capital transactions than the leveraged buyouts favored by THL.

He served as chairman until his death.

Just last week, it was announced that former Willis Towers Watson CEO John Haley had been appointed as an Executive Partner in the firms Financial Technology and Services investment group, Business Wire reported.

Michael Bloomberg, Ann Tenenbaum, Thomas H. Lee attend a gala in NYC in 2015

Thomas H Lee, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Diana Taylor, Barbara Haskell, and Donna De Salvo as they attend the Whitney Museum of American Art's Inaugural Dinner in 2015

Michael Milken, Thomas H Lee, Peter Thoren and Cliff Robbins attend a dinner at Daniel benefitting The Prostate Cancer Foundation in 2022

Lee has been married twice - first to Barbara Fish Lee, in 1968. They had two children, Zach and Robbie, before divorcing in 1995.

He married his second wife Ann Tenenbaum of Savannah, Georgia in 1997 and they had three children: Jesse, Nathan, and Rosalie. He also has two grandchildren.

Lee was a good friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton and in June 2008, following Hillary's unsuccessful presidential run, the couple reportedly stayed at his East Hampton home.

Over the past 46 years, Lee was responsible for investing more than $15 billion of capital in hundreds of transactions, including the acquisition and subsequent sales of such brand names as Snapple Beverages and Warner Music.

He was also known as a philanthropist and trustee who served on the boards of many organizations, including the Lincoln Center, the Museum of Modern Art, Brandeis University, Harvard University and the Museum of Jewish Heritage.

Lee's East Hampton home. The philanthropist served on the boards of many organizations
Australia Post customers are being warned about a new email scam that's trying to steal their credit card details and personal information.

Cybersecurity expert Mail Guard says the scam email impersonates Australia post, with the subject line: 'invalid address, we couldn't find you'.

It tells the customer they have entered an invalid address for a shipment and requests a $4.92 'correction service' fee.

The email appears to come from Australia Post, with the address using the same URL as the postal service's official website.

But a few telling clues will help you spot the scam.

Firstly, Australia Post says it will never request payments or personal information over the phone, through text or by email.

Secondly, the formatting of the email is not quite as clean as you would expect from Australia Post and doesn't use any branding except for the red that you typically see in its logo.

A new scam email (above) asks Australia Post customers to pay a 'correction service' fee for supplying the wrong address information

The email also warns the customer they have just two days to pay the fee and correct their information before their package is returned to its sender.

'The scammer creates a sense of urgency by adding, "Note: unconfirmed parcels/registered letters will be returned to the merchant within 48 hours" at the bottom of the email,' MailGuard said.

If the receiver clicks through the email link, they'll be taken to a website that uses the Australia Post logo, asking the receiver to provide their phone number, email address, street address and city.

They are then taken to a 'card verification' page and asked to make the fee payment of $4.92 by entering their credit card details.

'Given the scammer only demands a few dollars, victims may not think twice about the charge when they're eager to receive their parcel, but the true cost is much higher. If they enter their data, their personal information and credit card details will be stolen and used for identity and/or financial fraud,' MailGuard explains.

Australia Post (above) warned it will never request a payment over the phone, by text or email

As a final step, the receiver is asked to confirm their detail through an SMS verification, adding to the apparent authenticity of the scam.

'This is common in credit card scams, as the attacker attempts to charge the card to check that it's valid before storing it for later use,' MailGuard said.

MailGuard warned Australia Post customers who receive the email to delete it immediately and avoid opening any links.
Britons could consider eating turnips to ease the national vegetable shortage, the Environment Secretary suggested yesterday.

While farmers also warned of a shortage of leeks that is likely to hamper St David's Day celebrations in Wales next week.

Therese Coffey told MPs the 'temporary' shortages were caused by 'very unusual weather' but were expected to end in another four weeks.

Supermarkets including Aldi Morrisons, Asda and Tesco have limited sales of tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers to customers as frosty weather in Spain and Morocco has hit imports.

Ms Coffey said that consumers might want to turn to British 'specialisms' at this time of year to support domestic farmers.

She added: 'I am led to believe by my officials... we anticipate the situation will last about another two to four weeks.

Supermarkets including Aldi Morrisons, Asda and Tesco have limited sales of vegetables, but Therese Coffey suggested people could use turnips as a substitute

Leek yields were down by as much as 30 per cent following the 'most difficult growing season ever'

'Even if we cannot control the weather it is important that we try and make sure the supply continues to not be frustrated in quite the way it has been due to these unusual weather incidents.'

Ms Coffey agreed with Tory MP Selaine Saxby who suggested eating seasonal vegetables could solve the issue. Ms Saxby said: 'We should be eating more seasonally and supporting our own British farmers', adding that if shoppers did so, 'a lot of these problems would be avoided'.

Ms Coffey said: 'It's important to make sure that we cherish the specialisms that we have in this country. A lot of people would be eating turnips right now rather than thinking necessarily about... lettuce and tomatoes and similar, but I'm conscious that consumers want a year-round choice and that is what our supermarkets, food producers and growers around the world are trying to satisfy.'

Labour's environment spokesman Jim McMahon questioned suggestions that food shortages were entirely caused by external forces, claiming ministers could have done more to support farmers with access to 'the energy-intensive support scheme', and increased quotas on labour to help with workforce shortages.

Conservative former minister Sir Desmond Swayne ridiculed suggestions that Brexit was responsible for the shortages. He told the Commons: 'If only I had been told before I voted for Brexit that it was going to cause frosts in Morocco, I could have made a different decision, couldn't I?'

Asked about the turnip suggestion, a No 10 spokesman said: 'We don't believe it's for us to tell people what they should or shouldn't buy.' He added: 'What the Secretary of State was doing was setting out the importance of celebrating the produce that we grow here in the UK.'

Ms Coffey drew further criticism for suggesting people struggling to afford food bills could consider working more hours.

She said: 'One of the best ways to boost their incomes is not only to get into work if they're not in work already, but potentially to work some more hours.'

Ms Coffey said: 'It's important to make sure that we cherish the specialisms that we have in this country. A lot of people would be eating turnips right now rather than thinking necessarily about... lettuce and tomatoes and similar

After the debate, Labour's Rachael Maskell accused Ms Coffey of 'shifting blame for food poverty on to people because they are on low wages and are poor'.

Budget supermarket food is seeing average annual price rises of an astonishing 21.5 per cent.

A Which? study found the poorest homes were the worst hit.

Some products have seen huge increases, such as tins of Growers Harvest sliced carrots up 63 per cent at Tesco to 33p, and packs of pork sausages at Asda up 58 per cent to 1.27. Budget Creamfields French brie also saw a 96.6 per cent rise at Tesco to 1.57.

Farmers are warning of an 'extraordinary' shortage of leeks which threatens St David's Day celebrations in Wales next week.

A sign limiting customers to three items each is seen next to empty boxes in the tomato and peppers section of a Tesco

British producers of the much-loved seasonal vegetable, as well as onions, cauliflower and broccoli, have had to write off crops due to a lack of rain and deep frosts.

Some supermarkets have already run out of leeks, while the ones that do reach the shelves are often of poor quality and stunted  bad news for anyone planning to serve up traditional dishes such as a Welsh cawl or Wrexham bake on March 1.

Leek Growers Association chairman Tim Casey said yields were down by as much as 30 per cent following the 'most difficult growing season ever'. He added: 'We are predicting the supply of home-grown leeks will be exhausted by April, with no British leeks in the shops during May and June.'

Reputedly introduced to Wales by the Phoenicians when they were trading for tin in the British Isles, the leek has long been associated with the Welsh Saint David.

In 640AD, according to legend, the Briton King Cadwaladr and his men wore leeks in their hats to distinguish themselves in battle against invading Saxons. The leek has remained a national symbol ever since.
Princess Diana's 'favourite' designer Bruce Oldfield has been chosen to make the Queen Consort's gown for the coronation, a source claims.

Oldfield, 72, had a professional relationship with Diana for 10 years and designed some of her most well known outfits.

Over the years, he's also developed a close bond with Camilla and dressed her for several significant occasions.

And one insider told The Sun he was the 'obvious' choice for Camilla ahead of King Charles's coronation on May 6.

'Camilla has a very close friendship with Bruce spanning many years so in many ways it is the natural and obvious choice,' the source said.

Princess Diana's 'favourite' designer Bruce Oldfield has been chosen to make the Queen Consort's gown for the coronation, a source claims

Over the years, he's also developed a close bond with Camilla and dressed her for several significant occasions

Oldfield, 72, had a professional relationship with Diana for 10 years and designed some of her most well known outfits

'Camilla trusts Bruce because he has really delivered on dresses for so many important occasions recently for her.'

While Oldfield has not commented on the suggestion he's designing the gown, he previously said: 'I gave Diana her glamour and Camilla her confidence.'

Born in London to a half-Irish woman and a Jamaican boxer, Oldfield grew up in children's homes around Ripon before he tried teaching in his 20s.

Later a course at Central Saint Martins led him to a career in fashion. He began making couture clothes in 1978 before opening his first shop selling ready-to-wear and couture designs in 1984.

It was through children's charity Barnardo's that Oldfield met Diana - who was president of the charity from 1984 to 1996.

The royal was regularly spotted at functions wearing his designs.

While Oldfield has not commented on the suggestion he's designing the gown, he previously said: 'I gave Diana her glamour and Camilla her confidence'

In addition to the Oldfield gown, Queen Consort Camilla will pay tribute to her late mother-in-law by resetting her coronation crown with the former monarch's diamonds, Buckingham Palace revealed

Born in London to a half-Irish woman and a Jamaican boxer, Oldfield grew up in children's homes around Ripon before he tried teaching in his 20s

Oldfield previously described work for Diana as 'relentless', explaining she would be 'dressed up like she was going to a wedding every day'.

'That relationship lasted almost 10 years', he said, 'It was really important for me. She was the perfect client.'

In addition to the Oldfield gown, Queen Consort Camilla will pay tribute to her late mother-in-law by resetting her coronation crown with the former monarch's diamonds, Buckingham Palace revealed.

Queen Mary's Crown  which was made by Garrard & Co for Mary of Teck in 1911  has been removed from display at the Tower of London for modification ahead of the ceremony, it was announced.

A palace statement said Camilla wanted to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth by incorporating diamonds from her personal jewellery collection into the crown.

The historic ceremony will begin with Camilla's crowning, before Charles is officially named as monarch when the St Edward's Crown is placed on his head by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

A procession will then lead the newly-crowned King past thousands of people to Buckingham Palace, where he will join members of his family on the balcony to wave at the crowd.
Most parents will know the feeling of getting home, opening the door and realising your child has somehow lost a shoe.

Scientists now think it could be a feeling that tens of billions of parents have felt for millennia.

A 3,000-year-old toddler's shoe from the Bronze Age, dating from between 888 and 781BC, has been discovered in a north Kent riverbed.

A comforting fact is since then at least 62 billion people have come and gone on Earth and many have likely also faced the same shoe problem that parents today often scratch their heads about.

The rare Bronze Age 15cm leather shoe is thought to be the oldest found in the UK and was found by archaeologist Steve Tomlinson, 51, as he was mudlarking in September.

A Bronze Age leather shoe (pictured) thought to be the oldest in the UK was unearthed in north Kent riverbed

Archaeologist Steve Tomlinson, 51, (pictured) discovered the 3,000-year-old shoe that belonged to a toddler

A micro-CAT scan (pictured) of the shoe discovered that the sole was made from several layers

Mr Tomlinson, from Ramsgate, Kent, didn't think much of the find at first but sent it for carbon-dating at a unit in East Kilbride, Scotland.

Five weeks later he received the 'shocking' result that dated the show from the late Bronze Age.

Mr Tomlinson said: 'I thought it was something good but I still thought it was medieval.

'I sent it off for carbon-dating and five weeks later I got a call from a gentleman at the lab who said to me, "I think you better sit down for this".

'I'd had a good day's mudlarking that day - I'd found quite a few Roman pottery shards - but I was not expecting that.

'I could've quite easily missed it but I had an inkling it was something special.

'It's absolutely fascinating.'

The shoe is 15cm long, meaning in today's terms the child would have been a size seven

The child is thought to have been around two or three years old and scientists will do DNA tests to try to determine whether the show's owner was a boy or a girl

An X-ray carried out at Canterbury Christchurch University found the underside of the sole is imprinted with a textile pattern

In today's sizes the shoe would be a size seven and archaeologists think its owner was around two or three years old.

Mr Tomlinson said he is 'confident' it is the oldest of its kind in the UK and possibly the smallest in the world.

He said: 'It's a tiny little thing really.'

'We hope professionals might be able to reconstruct it eventually and that it might go into the British Museum down the line.

'It's of incredible national interest.'

The shoe is now in the care of heritage scientist and archaeological conservator Dana Goodburn-Brown, 63, who specialises in micro-excavation.

Ms Goodburn-Brown said: 'Organic materials like leather, textiles or wood will not survive unless they're somewhere very arid or in mud without oxygen.

'This shoe has been in a silt environment with sediment, without oxygen.

'It's what we call anaerobic conditions .

'It gets to this equilibrium state where it doesn't biodegrade. That's why it's so rare.

'It's amazing that it survived so long.

'The fact that it dislodged from elsewhere and Steve came across it before it started to degrade is incredible.

'We don't know where it originated but it's most likely it was either washed out with cliff erosion, which happens quite regularly in Kent, or emerged during dredging.

Dana, from Sittingbourne, Kent, took the shoe to experts at the University of Kent who examined it under a micro-CT scanner, where they discovered the sole was made up of several layers.

More significantly, an X-ray carried out at Canterbury Christchurch University found the underside of the sole is imprinted with a textile pattern, suggesting it had either been wrapped in or pressed against a piece of material for some time.

The next step is to send the leather for DNA testing to see what they can learn about the shoe's original owner.

Scientists might even be able to tell whether the toddler was a boy or a girl and what animal the leather came from.
War, said Leon Trotsky, is the locomotive of history. To make sure it is the West in the driving seat of that locomotive and not Vladimir Putin, Ukraine must be saved.

Thanks to their heroic bravery and the provision of Nato weapons, President Zelensky's forces have secured victories few thought possible when Russia launched its unprovoked and barbaric invasion.

But a year on from the unleashing of horrors so recently unthinkable in Europe, the war hangs in the balance. The free world is at a fork in the track.

How the West continues supporting Ukraine is critical. Does it supply just enough weapons for our friends to survive repeated Russian onslaughts, but not enough to win on the battlefield and bring the carnage to an end?

Or do we step up support, sending more tanks, long-range missile systems and, yes, fighter planes, to give Ukraine the wherewithal to push the invaders back?

President Zelensky's forces have secured victories few thought possible when Russia launched its unprovoked and barbaric invasion. Pictured: Ukrainian soldiers help a wounded comrade, Bakhmut, Ukraine, February 20, 2023

The answer is obvious. As Boris Johnson, who galvanised the West when other leaders wrung their hands, says pointedly: 'The world is facing the decisive moment of the early 21st Century.'

There is only one option: To give the Ukrainians all the tools they need to defeat Putin  and give them now. The tyrant cannot be permitted to succeed in his brutal expansionism.

He has proved himself to be a colossal blunderer who's succeeded in delivering his own worst nightmare. His aggression has united the West, strengthened Nato and reinvigorated liberal democracy.

We should be doing everything in our power to hasten Putin's defeat, end his atrocities, preserve the global order  and send a warning to other dictators.

A year ago, this column said that Britain had a solemn duty to offer the Ukrainian people our steel and succour. We must continue to do so.

Keir can't be trusted

Seeking to articulate his political vision, Sir Keir Starmer has set out what he dubbed his 'five missions' for transforming Britain.

Such pronouncements are important, offering the public a chance to assess the quality and priorities of those seeking their vote at the next election. But what did we actually learn from Labour's leader  other than that worrying questions remain about his integrity and originality?

His bold blueprint for the UK involves economic growth, a better NHS, safer streets, more opportunities for people and cleaner, green energy. But who's not in favour of those things? He may as well say he wants the sun to shine for longer.

Beyond generalities and platitudes, there was no clue as to how he'd achieve any of these goals or pay for them (although taxing the strivers until the pips squeak must be a hot favourite).

Nor do voters know his views on other key issues. Illegal small boat migrants? Silence. The housing crisis? Silence. The definition of a woman? Silence. As a Boris Johnson ally says cuttingly, he's a human bollard.

Seeking to articulate his political vision, Sir Keir Starmer set out what he dubbed his 'five missions' for transforming Britain yesterday

While this paper does not always see eye to eye with the BBC, Radio 4 presenter Amol Rajan deserves great praise for not letting Sir Keir squirm off the hook during a flagship interview yesterday.

The Opposition leader could only bluster when asked how voters can trust his promises, when he's broken so many. Abolishing tuition fees, renationalising utilities  both ditched for expedience.

Yes, Sir Keir may be a ruthless pragmatist who is focused only on winning the election. But right-thinking voters in Britain will surely see his true colours  someone who'll say anything if it will win him votes.

True, the Tories are on the political ropes. But if they can tackle the Channel migrants, protect Northern Ireland and face down the unions, there's no reason they can't get back in the fight.
Accused of abusing and killing his wife is a former North Carolina Police officer who later shoots himself in a murder-suicide.Pitty County police said William Oscar Small, 62, and Heather Davenport Small, 44, his spouse, were found dead.

Former North Carolina Police Officer Kills Wife

Details about the crime scene have been revealed, which showed that no intruder killed them. Findings from the autopsy done of the bodies found at the crime scene is a murder-suicide, noted a Twitter post. The suspect has been determined to be William, and Heather is his victim.

Based on details that reveal when the authorities entered their home to find both dead in Pitt county, reported Meaww. A statement released said the dual gunshot wounds to the cop's chest were inflicted by himself.

Sources claim some facts that were part of the case relating to the couple's deaths. A total of four shots were aimed at the victim, killing her, and the cop got two-point black shots. The investigator stated that two fatal bullet wounds were aimed at the chest, showing the victim did not fire them.

Suspect Had History of Abusing the Victim

The history of Small is not squeaky clean as he was charged with domestic abuse committed against his spouse, cited People. Included in the release from the sheriff's office is the suspect, who was an on-and-off abuser for twenty years. Directing his aggression which his spouse had to suffer on and off.

Read Also: Adriana Kuch Suicide: Bullies Get Arrested, New Jersey High School Blamed

The perpetrator of the murder-suicide had served in the military and later in law enforcement which contradicted his image as a marital abuser. The deceased man's obituary is about service in the Marines with a stint as an ex-Greenville police officer.

She served as a police officer in Greenville spanning 1994 to 2000, noted sources. Heather is also a police officer starting in 1998, but the force in Pitt County was dissolved later.

But the victim shifted to the medical field as Clinical Adjunct Nursing Instructor at the local community college, which was mentioned in her obituary. Those who the victim described her as easygoing and forgiving to everybody. Others called her needed and will be missed by acquaintances.

Their unexpected deaths left several children that prompted support via a GoFundMe by those concerned.

Another Murder-Suicide case involving officers

Another case involved two officers from Detroit, identified as Matthew Ethington II, 26, and Maria Martin, 22, who were discovered dead last Sunday. On Sunday last, February 19, a couple found a home in Livonia, Michigan, per Fox2.

The two were a couple killed in what seemed to be a fight between the two, which ended in a murder-suicide. Investigators looked at the crime scene and concluded it was another murder-suicide.

Probers said Maria got shot more than once by Matthew, who used his gun to kill himself. Like the Smalls, the victim was killed, but the shooter chose to end their life on the spot.

A Former North Carolina Police officer murders his wife and shoots himself in a tragic murder-suicide in Pitty County, leaving several children. It had similarities to the Detroit case with similar circumstances,

Related Article: Minnesota Man Slays, Shoots Wife Dead Over Eviction Notice

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby says 'a just peace can be achieved'

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has warned against treating Russia 'like Germany' after the first World War to mark the one year anniversary of the Ukraine invasion.

He wrote in The Telegraph Kyiv must not be humiliated like Berlin was in 1919, in which the Treaty of Versailles ordered Germany to disarm and pay crippling reparations.

'Provided a just peace between Russia and Ukraine can be achieved, there must be a security structure that makes another war unlikely,' Rev Welby said.

'Russia cannot end up like Germany after 1919; it must be able to recover and be secure without being allowed to repeat its aggression.

'The great powers must find ways, ideally through a conference, to design the conditions for long-term security, as was done in 1945. Today, it must be done for a new century, including UN reform, while the cost of conflict is fading from most European memories.'

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has warned against treating Russia 'like Germany' after the first World War to mark the one year anniversary of the Ukraine invasion

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky attends a joint press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez following their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, 23 February 2023

'Provided a just peace between Russia and Ukraine can be achieved, there must be a security structure that makes another war unlikely,' Rev Welby said

The Treaty of Versailles, signed in Paris in 1919, was seen as humiliating by many Germans and some historians argue it created an enduring bitterness that helped the Nazis rise to power.

Rev Welby drew further comparisons to the first World War, citing the war of attrition currently taking place on the ground in Ukraine.

But the Archbishop also urged world leaders not to force Ukraine into an 'unjust peace'.

Vladimir Putin's army invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, starting a war that has already claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and forced millions of others to flee their homes.

People cross a destroyed bridge as they evacuate the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv, during heavy shelling on March 5. The city was overrun by Russian forces in the early days of the war, and would be occupied for a month

Servicemen fire artillery at Ukrainian troops from their position in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine

Vladimir Putin's army invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, starting a war that has already claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and forced millions of others to flee their homes

The Treaty of Versailles, signed in Paris in 1919, was seen as humiliating by many Germans and left many without any hope. Some historians argue it created an enduring bitterness that helped the Nazis rise to power. Pictured: Poor German women sifting through garbage in 1918

On Thursday evening the United Nations voted overwhelmingly to demand Russia 'immediately' and 'unconditionally' withdraw its troops from Ukraine and called for a 'just and lasting' peace.

In the UN General Assembly this evening, 141 members voted in favor of a resolution, that reaffirmed support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, seven opposed it, and 32 abstained, including China and India.

Meanwhile, the White House said the United States will announce 'sweeping' new sanctions.

Zelensky vowed to keep up the fight as Ukraine prepared to mark one year since the invasion on Friday.

'We have not broken down, we have overcome many ordeals and we will prevail,' Zelensky said on social media.

'We will hold to account all those who brought this evil, this war to our land.'

Ukrainian President Zelensky's wife Olena said the nation will not be commemorating the first anniversary of the Russian invasion but a year of successful resistance.

Remotely addressing an anniversary event in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Thursday evening, she said Ukraine had suffered 'a year of hell'.

She said: 'A year of full-scale war is a terrible date to mark. Because it is a year of attack, aggression, and murders.

'Today we are not commemorating a year of war, but we are celebrating a year of resistance to aggression, a year of courage, a year of mutual assistance and rescue of each other, a year of humanity, and a year of friendship.

'I am sure that soon we will be able to share with you the most valuable thing: the victory.'

Over the last year, the UK has been among the most vocal supporters of Ukraine's efforts to push back the Kremlin's troops, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announcing earlier this year that Britain would be the first country to supply tanks to its armed forces.

And Foreign Secretary James Cleverly is today expected to reiterate the nation's continued support.

Mr Sunak (pictured with Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this month) will host Ukrainian Ambassador Vadym Prystaiko and members of the country's armed forces in Downing Street before the minute's silence

A giant peace sign was formed with candles in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin marking the anniversary of deranged despot Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine a year ago
SNP leadership frontrunner Humza Yousaf deliberately skipped the final vote on same-sex marriage in the Scottish Parliament because of his religious views, a former colleague claimed yesterday.

Ex-Scottish health secretary Alex Neil claimed that Mr Yousaf, a Muslim, asked for permission to miss the crucial 2014 vote because he 'was under so much pressure from the mosque'.

He alleged that Scottish government business was organised for him as an 'excuse' to miss the vote, and claimed his former colleague has been 'dishonest' about his reasons for not taking part.

The bombshell allegations come after Mr Yousaf's main leadership rival, devout Christian Kate Forbes, faced an outcry from within the SNP for saying she would have voted against same-sex marriage.

But an ally of Mr Yousaf insists he never raised concerns with him about the same-sex marriage Bill.

SNP leadership frontrunner Humza Yousaf deliberately skipped the final vote on same-sex marriage in the Scottish Parliament because of his religious views, it is alleged

Ex-Scottish health secretary Alex Neil claimed that Mr Yousaf, a Muslim, asked for permission to miss the crucial 2014 vote because he 'was under so much pressure from the mosque'

Mr Yousaf, the current Scottish Health Secretary, has repeatedly said this week that, while Islam opposes gay marriage, he does not use his faith as the basis for legislating.

But Mr Neil said: 'I was the cabinet minister who took the equal marriage Bill through the Parliament for the government and three weeks before the vote, which was a free vote, unlike the GRR [Gender Recognition Reform Bill]... Humza went to Alex Salmond as the First Minister and asked for permission to skip the vote because, quote, "he was under so much pressure from the mosque", end quote.

'So Alex agreed and allowed him to go and organise a ministerial meeting which wasn't actually organised until 19 days later I think... which was his excuse for missing the vote.

'So if he was so devoted to the principle of equal marriage why did he deliberately manoeuvre it so that he skipped the vote and wasn't there and was dishonest about his reasons why? That's not leadership, that's absolute gutlessness quite frankly.'

He said he knows about the issue because he was the minister taking the Bill through parliament and was informed about who was going to be there to vote for it.

On Mr Yousaf's claim that he does not use his faith as the basis for legislating, Mr Neil said: 'I think what I've just told you proves that's not the case.

'His reason for skipping the vote was he didn't want to annoy the people at the mosque - he was frightened of the pressure at the mosque.

'I would have thought that proves in that case he was motivated by opinion at the mosque and a fear of standing up for what he said he believed in.'

The bombshell allegations come after devout Christian Kate Forbes faced an outcry from within the SNP for saying she would have voted against same-sex marriage

When approached about the claims, Mr Salmond said: 'Alex Neil as Health Secretary and I as first minister guided the Equal Marriage Bill through as a conscience vote.

'That is one reason why the legislation, initially controversial, became the settled will of the Parliament and the people. The Gender Recognition Bill would have benefitted immeasurably from a similar approach.

'Thus it was up to every MSP to vote, or not to vote, according to their own conscience.'

Ms Forbes has endured heavy criticism from SNP politicians since she said in a series of interviews on the first day of her campaign that she would have voted against same-sex marriage if she had taken part in the 2014 vote.

Responding to Mr Neil's claims, Mr Yousaf said: 'I was proud to vote in favour of the Equal Marriage Bill in Scotland's Parliament.

'I was vocal about my support for marriage equality at the time and I remain unequivocal on that position.

'As your SNP first minister, and as someone from a minority background myself, I will stand up and champion equal rights for all.'

In November 2013, Mr Yousaf voted in favour of the Marriage and Civil Partnerships (Scotland) Bill but missed the key final vote on the Bill that went through Holyrood on 4 February 2014.

Joe FitzPatrick said: 'I was the Government's minister for parliamentary business at the time.

When approached about the claims, Mr Salmond said that 'it was up to every MSP to vote, or not to vote, according to their own conscience'

'All arrangements for ministers being handed permission to conduct vital government business during votes in parliament were handled and approved by myself.

'While other ministers did raise concerns about the Bill at the time, Humza was not one of them. Humza gave his full backing to the Bill in its first vote through Parliament and he continues to be a staunch ally of the LGBTQ+ community to this day and beyond.'

Asked earlier yesterday if he intentionally skipped the vote, Mr Yousaf said: 'I've said already no, and it is incredible that in the years that have receded since then that nobody has ever raised the issue.

'It says to me [that it is] somewhat convenient that it is happening during an election leadership bid.'
The security minister said British intelligence could confirm the reports

An earlier report detailed how Iran is 'mapping' British Jews as murder targets

British Jews are being spied on by organised criminal gangs hired by Iran and targeted for potential assassination, the Security minister has warned.

Tom Tugendhat confirmed reports that high-profile members of the Jewish community were being tracked as revenge killings by Tehran.

This follows a report from the Jewish Chronicle that detailed how the Iranian regime was 'mapping' Jews in the UK as murder targets should Israel launch an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Mr Tugendhat has since confirmed the report and said British intelligence was keeping a close eye on the regime's agents.

He said Iran was backing organised criminal gangs in Britain to carry out its surveillance.

Tom Tugendhat (pictured) confirmed reports that high-profile members of the Jewish community were being tracked as revenge killings by Tehran

The security minister, who is responsible for MI5, told The Jewish Chronicle: 'We have very clear intelligence about the activities of hostile regimes in the UK and we keep a very close eye on what their agents and those close to them are doing.

'We know that the Iranians are using non-traditional sources to carry out these operations, including organised criminal gangs.

'They are paying criminal gangs to conduct surveillance.

Mr Tugendhat added: 'Basically, the Iranians are using crooks based in Britain to spy for them.

'You can be very clear that I wouldn't have mentioned Jewish and Israeli targets unless I had good reason to do so.

'I take all threats against anyone in the UK very seriously and the reason I highlighted Israelis and the Jewish community is that we have been seeing threats and Iranian operational activity directed against them. I do not issue these warnings lightly.'

Mr Tugendhat did not give further precise details of his intelligence but said Iran was conducting these operations in Britain and other Western countries.

The security minister's comments will likely fuel debate within government as to whether Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) should be described by the UK as a terrorist group - as is the case in the US.

Mr Tugendhat said: 'Basically, the Iranians are using crooks based in Britain to spy for them.' Pictured: Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, February 15, 2023

Mr Tugendhat reportedly believes IRGC should be prescribed the identification, but that Foreign Secretary James Cleverly is against the plans amid concerns about keeping communication channels open with the Iranian regime.

Prescription as a terrorist group would make it a criminal offence in the UK to be a member, encourage support for, or provide funds for the group.
Less than half of Brits think the UK should send war planes to help Ukraine fight crazed tyrant Vladimir Putin and his Russian invaders.

A survey found just 41 per cent of British people supported sending the planes President Zelensky pleaded for when he visited the UK earlier this month.

The Ukrainian President was given a rapturous reception at the Palace of Westminster on February 8, during 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.

A survey found just 41 per cent of British people supported sending the war planes President Zelensky pleaded for when he visited the UK earlier this month (pictured with PM Rishi Sunak in London on February 8)

Royal Air Force Typhoons positioned at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus after arriving from the UK

Ukrainian servicemen prepare to change their position at the frontline in Vuhledar, Ukraine, February 22, 2023

The body of Ukrainian serviceman rests in a coffin during his funeral in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on October 17, 2022

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.'

However, a poll by The Daily Telegraph found just 41 per cent think Rishi Sunak should send the jets Zelensky desires.

More than a quarter (27 per cent) think the UK should be less involved in Putin's illegal war that has already claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands and displaced millions.

Ukrainian service member loads anti tank grenade as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, near the frontline town of Vuhledar, Ukraine, February 22, 2023

President Zelensky's forces have secured victories few thought possible when Russia launched its unprovoked and barbaric invasion. Pictured: Ukrainian soldiers help a wounded comrade, Bakhmut, Ukraine, February 20, 2023

Crazed tyrant Vladimir Putin's brutal invasion has already claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions

Friday marks the one-year mark since deranged despot Putin ordered his troops to invade Ukraine.

Putin's claim of a motive for the invasion being to fight Nazism in Europe has been debunked by people who are not under the alleged war criminal's thumb.

The shocking findings of the survey came as countries around the world rallied in support of Ukraine's heroic resistance against Moscow's brutal war-mongering.

On Thursday, Dame Helen Mirren joined with Defence Secretary Ben Wallace as they spoke at a vigil marking the one-year anniversary of the start of the war.

Helen Mirren led a vigil on Thursday marking the one-year anniversary of Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine

Hundreds of people gathered to show their support for the people of Ukraine, who have battled heroically against the illegal Russian invaders

Mirren raised a gloved hand to her eye during the vigil United With Ukraine on Thursday evening as she spoke with Defence Secretary Ben Wallace

People were visibly emotional during the vigil in Trafalgar Square in central London on Thursday evening

A giant peace sign was formed with candles in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin marking the anniversary of deranged despot Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine a year ago

Ukraine's allies across the world marked the eve of the anniversary in a show of strength against Moscow's illegal invasion, which has led to copious allegations of war crimes by Russian soldiers.

From Paris to Berlin and Lisbon to Prague, Europe stood firm in its support of Ukraine.

On Thursday evening the United Nations voted overwhelmingly to demand Russia 'immediately' and 'unconditionally' withdraw its troops from Ukraine and called for a 'just and lasting' peace.

The Eiffel Tower was illuminated in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, blue and yellow, in a show of French support

Teddy bears and toys, representing children abducted during the war in Ukraine, are seen on the ground during an event organised by Avaaz NGO and Ukranian refugees at the Rond-point Schuman in Brussels

The Europa, headquarter of the EU Council is lighted with an Ukrainian flag for the anniversary

A light installation by Swiss artist Gerry Hofstetter is projected on the National Opera House of Ukraine in Kyiv on February 23

In the UN General Assembly this evening, 141 members voted in favor of a resolution, that reaffirmed support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, seven opposed it, and 32 abstained, including China and India.

Meanwhile, the White House said the United States will announce 'sweeping' new sanctions.

Zelensky vowed to keep up the fight as Ukraine prepared to mark one year since the invasion on Friday.

'We have not broken down, we have overcome many ordeals and we will prevail,' Zelensky said on social media.

'We will hold to account all those who brought this evil, this war to our land.'
Author and self-help guru Marianne Williamson is set to take another run at the White House, with the 2020 candidate challenging President Joe Biden in the Democratic Primary.

Williamson competed in the 2020 Democratic primary and created viral debate moments like when she said that her rivals' 'wonkiness' wouldn't triumph over the 'dark psychic force' of 'collectivized hatred' brought about by former President Donald Trump.

She posted On Twitter Thursday that she would be making an 'important announcement' Saturday at 2 p.m. on her socials.

The best-selling author - who endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders over Biden after dropping out in 2020 - also posted a lengthy tribute to former President Franklin D. Roosevelt and called crony capitalism 'institutionalized theft' to ramp up publicity for the announcement.

Virtually every Democrat thought to have presidential aspirations has already promised to unite behind President Joe Biden, assuming the 78-year-old Democrat follows through on his plan to seek a second term.

Author and self-help guru Marianne Williamson (pictured) is set to take another run at the White House , with the 2020 candidate challenging President Joe Biden in the Democratic Primary

'If I run, clearly there are forces within the Democratic Party who will be trying to invisible-ize me. I think they would have an easier time trying to invisible-ize me if I run third party,' she said Wednesday. 'If I do run and I run as a Democrat, I will be more inconvenient to the people who need to be inconvenienced.'

President Joe Biden has made New Hampshire ripe ground for an insurgent's bid as he's pushed the Democratic Party to reorder the primaries - giving South Carolina, where he mounted a comeback in 2020, first place.

Traditionally, Iowa holds the first presidential caucus followed by New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary.

In 2020, however, Iowa's Democratic Party's mobile tool to count caucus results failed and the winner of the contest wasn't known for hours.

New Hampshire's primary was conducted without any major hiccups.

Still, with Biden's blessing, New Hampshire's primary would be held the same day as Nevada's contest, a week after South Carolina's voters headed to the polls.

That runs counter to a New Hampshire state law that mandates the first primary.

New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley warned Democratic leaders in a letter that there could be trouble if the Granite State loses first position, writing it could 'create an opening for an insurgent candidate - serious or not - who can garner media attention and capitalize on Granite Staters' anger about being passed over by [Biden's] campaign.'

Virtually every Democrat thought to have presidential aspirations has already promised to unite behind President Joe Biden (pictured), assuming the 78-year-old Democrat follows through on his plan to seek a second term

Williamson competed in the 2020 Democratic primary and created viral debate moments like when she said that her rivals' 'wonkiness' wouldn't triumph over the 'dark psychic force' of 'collectivized hatred' brought about by former President Donald Trump

Williamson competed in the 2020 Democratic primary but then endorsed Bernie Sanders

And Williamson already has beef with Biden, over how he won the 2020 Democratic primary.

Williamson called it a 'coup' when moderate Democratic candidates Sen. Amy Klobuchar and now Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg dropped out and endorsed Biden before Super Tuesday, essentially killing Bernie Sanders' presidential hopes.

After dropping her own bid before the Iowa caucuses, Williamson endorsed Sanders after his blowout win in the Nevada caucuses - the third presidential contest.

But Sanders' momentum was stalled by Biden's first place finish in South Carolina and every moderate getting behind him before and directly after Super Tuesday.
A black healthcare manager was discriminated against by her NHS boss who undermined her authority and excluded her from two team away days, a tribunal has found.

Annette 'Michelle' Cox took part in a conference for ethnic minority nurses during Black History Month, as part of her duties running an advisory board.

Ms Cox described how her manager Gill Paxton arranged a team awayday at exactly the same time, which she was forced to miss.

She also claimed she was 'undermined, marginalised and ignored' by Ms Paxton, who berated her for 'causing trouble', The Times reports.

Now, a tribunal has found in Ms Cox's favour - while NHS England manager Ms Paxton's evidence was described by Judge Marion Batten as 'less than credible'.

Annette 'Michelle' Cox was the only black nurse working in NHS England's north region when she was discriminated against by manager Gill Paxton, a tribunal found.

Ms Cox started her 55,000 role in 2017 and was at the time, the only black nurse working for NHS England in the north region.

After 12 months, she was made regional representative for the chief nursing officers' black minority ethnic strategic advisory board - and was required to comment publicly about issues affecting racial inequality in nursing.

The tribunal heard the first grievance occurred in 2019, when Paxton arranged a team awayday while Ms Cox was recovering from knee replacement surgery, and would not allow her to attend in any circumstances

Gill Paxton organised two team away days which Ms Cox was excluded from attending, and also upped a junior colleague's salary to match Ms Cox's without telling her, it was heard

Months later, Paxton organised a second awayday which clashed with the ethnic minority nursing conference Ms Cox was speaking at.

Giving evidence, Paxton insisted there was a 'scheduling error' in both cases, adding that staff diaries were not checked and she was unaware of the conference. The panel dubbed her explanation 'inconceivable'.

Cox described feeling excluded after the second awayday. She said her authority was undermined further when Paxton increased the pay of a junior colleague she managed up to her own salary, without telling her.

Following this Ms Cox lodged an official complaint.

In addition to her credibility, Judge Batten categorised Ms Paxton's evidence unhelpful, evasive or defensive.

She said the scheduling mistakes were 'careless and unnecessary' and her failure to make reasonable inquiries led the tribunal conclude she did not want Ms Cox to attend the awaydays.

As a result, Ms Cox had been excluded and undermined, the tribunal found.

A separate hearing will decide on compensation from the NHS Commissioning Board, the official name for NHS England.
The students' names are not being released as they are all under age but shocking video of an attack on Kuch was posted online before her death

Four juveniles have been charged with harassment pertaining to an alleged attack on Kuch that happened in a school hallway two days before her suicide

One of the four teens accused of attacking 'bullied to death' New Jersey teen Adriana Kuch, 14, is facing a conspiracy to commit aggravated assault charge

One of the four girls accused of brutally attacking a New Jersey teen who later committed suicide is facing a conspiracy to commit aggravated assault charge on top of a previous harassment charge.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a statement Thursday that one of girls who allegedly participated in an attack on Adriana Kuch, 14, just days before her death is facing the additional charge.

Video of the February 1 beating was posted online and led to additional harassment and bullying for Kuch, who was just one month from celebrating her birthday.

As of Thursday, one teen has been charged with aggravated assault and three have been charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated assault.

The students, who are not being named due to their young age, would be facing third-degree crimes if tried as adults which could result in up to five years in prison and thousands in fines.

Adriana Kuch, 14, took her own life on February 3, two days after she was brutally attacked in the hallway at Central Regional High School in Berkeley Township, New Jersey

Adriana Kuch, attended Central Regional High School in Berkeley Township, and was found dead at her home two days after the shocking video surfaced on Feb 1, said police

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer has confirmed the additional charge for one of the four teens accused of viscously attacking Adriana Kuch

On top of the charges they face, all four teens have been suspended indefinitely from Central Regional High School in Berkeley Township, New Jersey.

In a recent interview with FOX News, Adriana's father, Michael Kuch, said he is intent on making sure the students responsible for the attack are punished.

'I want laws put in place that these kids are prosecuted for making, posting, and sharing these videos,' Michael said.

'I would love it if these kids were not even allowed to have a phone in school. I mean, that would stop this because there's a culture where these kids think it's fun,' the grieving father said.

The video the father is speaking of shows Adriana and a friend walking down the hallway before a girl walks up and begins hitting her in the face with a water bottle.

Adriana falls to the ground and is repeatedly punched and kicked by a group of students as cheering is heard.

Eventually, two school workers stepped in and stopped the unprovoked attack.

'These 4 girls planned and executed an attack. If you watch the videos I have, they are laughing while talking about what they are going to do at the start of the video,' he said.

The father posted a message along with grabs of the video to his Facebook page.

Michael said his daughter faced bullying for months before the video was taken.

'I do know why it happened. It happened because these two haven't liked each other for a couple years, and she had been threatening my daughter online,' he stated.

The death Adriana Kuch, 14, has left a New Jersey community in shock and has led to accusations against Central Regional School District for ignoring bullying

Adriana killed herself sometime after 10.46pm on February 2

According to her father Kuch was 'smashed in the face three times with a water bottle' and 'blacked out.' He then had to take his blood covered daughter to the police station to file a report because the school refused to do so

Adriana's bruised legs after the attack. Her father said she was mostly 'humiliated' by the video, which made her feel like she'd been attacked 'twice'

One of the girls involved in the attack posted these heartless messages on Snapchat. Adriana's father said: 'It used to be you'd go to school, get bullied and then you left. But now you come home and you keep getting bullied - they still keep picking at you home.'

Michael Kuch, shown here at his daughter's visitation, told DailyMail.com that he in discussions with a family lawyer regarding the family's next legal steps

Michael Kuch speaking to DailyMail.com outside of his daughter's visitation

Just last week, DailyMail.com reported on several students coming forward to allege how taunting and intimidation was rife in classrooms and hallways.

Multiple pupils from Central Regional School District say that bullying was part of everyday life at the school.

Critics, including Adriana's former classmate Emily Strick, are blaming the school district for neglecting and inadequately addressing such incidents.

'It was absolutely terrible and it was unbelievable that they didn't do anything about it', Strick told Fox News last week.

Emily said that at one stage the bullying got so bad she was afraid to go to her classes.

'I didn't go to school for a full week because in Central you could get jumped very easily. I didn't want to go. I was terrified. There were rumors and everything you can imagine. I'm not sure if the bullies got punished, but I'm pretty sure they did not.'

Emily's mother, Jo Siclari, explained how despite efforts to alert the school, the district, and the police, no action appeared to have been taken.

'I went to the school and went to the police and file reports. I wrote letters to the Board of Education and the superintendent. I sent everything certified actually, at the advice of Diane Grossman, who created Mallory's Law after her daughter committed suicide, and I got no response,' Siclari told Fox.

'It makes me very angry. I mean, sending our children to school every day should not be a liability, and they're the people that are there. We're not there as parents, so we expect them to be our stand-ins when they have our children in the building.

'They won't tell us if the bullies got punished or not.'

The school district has had issues with bullying in the past, it has been revealed, as parents and students continue to come forward detailing how they or their loved ones were bullied at the high school, where they say the administration failed to act.

Several students, including Adriana's former classmate Emily Strick say the school and district completely ignored and inadequately handled bullying issues. Emily's mother, Jo Siclari, left, also tried to bring the matter to the attention of the school but to no avail

More than 200 students protested outside Central Regional High, demanding action over bullying which they believe is systemic across the school district

Students from the Central Regional High School were protesting on February 10 over the suicide of Adriana due to bullying

In reviews posted online from six years ago, students shared how they were 'constantly bullied, and no one tried to stop it no matter what'

Amanda Ramirez, mother of Nevaeh Alvarez Ramirez a student who took part in a protest following Adrianna's death told DailyMail.com as she mourned the loss of the 'beautiful' teen, she supports the students speaking out about the bullying.

'I 100 percent support her it's just hard to watch these kids hurting they just want to be heard,' she said.

She was appalled by the lack of sensitivity shown by the school saying there was 'no moment of silence or assembly' for the students or staff to process the horrific death.

'It was just like swept under the rug they talk about how 'oh if you're fighting there will be consequences' but a kid is gone because nobody did anything,' she said.

'The fact that she was beat up on school premises, she blacked out, that her parents weren't called, that an ambulance wasn't called a kid blacked out that is a medical emergency.

'Her hair was ripped out and on the floor like it's just disgusting and I hurt because I have a lot of respect for teachers there, but hearing that some of them saying it 'wasn't a big deal' that's, uh, a lot it's just mental health is so serious.'

Trisha Tucker, who had also been paying her respects at the visitation told DailyMail.com that her daughter had also been bullied at the school.

'My daughter was being bullied from September/October and I'd been to the freshman principal numerous times told me that it was being handled, my daughter went from being an honor role student to dropping out of marching band to failing her classes and not even wanting to go to school,' she said.

'Now she's cutting herself so yeah they don't do a damn thing they don't care about these kids they're going to sweep it under the rug so they aren't embarrassed.'

In response to the community's concerns, the district released a statement, saying that they are evaluating all current and past allegations of bullying and will be undergoing an independent assessment of their anti-bullying policies.

Dr. Triantafilos Parlapanides, the former superintendent, also resigned follows a series of interviews that caught the attention of the school board including some with DailyMail.com.

Dr. Triantafilos Parlapanides, the former superintendent, also resigned follows a series of interviews that caught the attention of the school board including some with DailyMail.com

This is the email response Parlapanides provided to DailyMail.com when asked what counseling Adriana had been given. He claimed her 'choices declined', that her mother committed suicide 'since her father had an affair'

In his interviews, Parlapanides made comments regarding Adriana's behavior and possible drug use, which prompted action from the board.

'The Central Regional School District Board of Education has accepted the resignation of Dr. Triantafillos Parlapanides,' the board said in a statement on Saturday evening.

'The Central Regional family continues to mourn the loss of one of our children. We are all praying for the family and loved ones and our entire community. The Central Regional School District is evaluating all current and past allegations of bullying.

'The District has contacted the Department of Education and will undergo an independent assessment of the District's anti-bullying policies and ensure every necessary safeguard is in place to protect our students and staff. Dr. Douglas Corbett is acting Superintendent effective immediately.'

Parlapanides told DailyMail.com personally, 'Her father was having an affair at the end of her 6th grade. Her father married the woman he had an affair with and moved her into the house.'

He continued, 'Her grades and choices declined in 7th and 8th grade. We offered her drug rehab and mental services on five occasions but the father refused every time.'

His comments sparked backlash from the community which led to his resignation.
China's foreign ministry on Thursday called for a ceasefire and peace talks - as the country pushed for the end of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The communist state claimed it wants to prevent the crisis from getting out of hand, noting that dialogue and negotiation are the only viable ways to resolve the conflict, according to a position paper released on Friday.

On the one-year anniversary of Russia invading Ukraine, China called for a comprehensive ceasefire and gradually promoted the de-escalation and easing of what Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky called 'a year of pain, sorrow, faith and unity' as he marked the grim milestone for his country this morning.

However, the proposal has been met with scepticism in Ukraine and the West. In its 12-point plan, Beijing called for an end to Western sanctions, negotiations which would likely see Ukraine ceding territory, a NATO pull-back from its eastern borders and reconstruction efforts that would probably benefit Chinese contractors.

Meanwhile, US intelligence has warned that China is planning to supply Moscow with weapons and ammunition - something that Beijing denies.

The Russian despot smiled as he shook hands with Wang Yi inside the Kremlin yesterday during their impromptu meeting - proudly showcasing his deepening ties with China amid his barbaric invasion of Ukraine

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Friday reacted reservedly to the Chinese proposal, saying Beijing did not have a lot of credibility as a mediator.

WHAT IS CHINA'S 12-POINT CEASE-FIRE PROPOSAL? 1. Respecting the sovereignty of all countries. Universally recognised international law, including the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, must be strictly observed. The sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries must be effectively upheld. All countries, big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, are equal members of the international community. All parties should jointly uphold the basic norms governing international relations and defend international fairness and justice. Equal and uniform application of international law should be promoted, while double standards must be rejected. 2. Abandoning the Cold War mentality. The security of a country should not be pursued at the expense of others. The security of a region should not be achieved by strengthening or expanding military blocs. The legitimate security interests and concerns of all countries must be taken seriously and addressed properly. There is no simple solution to a complex issue. All parties should, following the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and bearing in mind the long-term peace and stability of the world, help forge a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture. All parties should oppose the pursuit of one's own security at the cost of others' security, prevent bloc confrontation, and work together for peace and stability on the Eurasian Continent. 3. Ceasing hostilities. Conflict and war benefit no one. All parties must stay rational and exercise restraint, avoid fanning the flames and aggravating tensions, and prevent the crisis from deteriorating further or even spiralling out of control. All parties should support Russia and Ukraine in working in the same direction and resuming direct dialogue as quickly as possible, so as to gradually de-escalate the situation and ultimately reach a comprehensive ceasefire. 4. Resuming peace talks. Dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis. All efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis must be encouraged and supported. The international community should stay committed to the right approach of promoting talks for peace, help parties to the conflict open the door to a political settlement as soon as possible and create conditions and platforms for the resumption of negotiation. China will continue to play a constructive role in this regard. 5. Resolving the humanitarian crisis. All measures conducive to easing the humanitarian crisis must be encouraged and supported. Humanitarian operations should follow the principles of neutrality and impartiality, and humanitarian issues should not be politicised. The safety of civilians must be effectively protected, and humanitarian corridors should be set up for the evacuation of civilians from conflict zones. Efforts are needed to increase humanitarian assistance to relevant areas, improve humanitarian conditions, and provide rapid, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, with a view to preventing a humanitarian crisis on a larger scale. The UN should be supported in playing a coordinating role in channelling humanitarian aid to conflict zones. 6. Protecting civilians and prisoners of war (POWs). Parties to the conflict should strictly abide by international humanitarian law, avoid attacking civilians or civilian facilities, protect women, children and other victims of the conflict, and respect the basic rights of POWs. China supports the exchange of POWs between Russia and Ukraine, and calls on all parties to create more favourable conditions for this purpose. 7. Keeping nuclear power plants safe. China opposes armed attacks against nuclear power plants or other peaceful nuclear facilities, and calls on all parties to comply with international law including the Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS) and resolutely avoid man-made nuclear accidents. China supports the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in playing a constructive role in promoting the safety and security of peaceful nuclear facilities. 8. Reducing strategic risks. Nuclear weapons must not be used and nuclear wars must not be fought. The threat or use of nuclear weapons should be opposed. Nuclear proliferation must be prevented and nuclear crisis avoided. China opposes the research, development and use of chemical and biological weapons by any country under any circumstances. 9. Facilitating grain exports. All parties need to implement the Black Sea Grain Initiative signed by Russia, Turkiye, Ukraine and the UN fully and effectively in a balanced manner, and support the UN in playing an important role in this regard. The cooperation initiative on global food security proposed by China provides a feasible solution to the global food crisis. 10. Stopping unilateral sanctions. Unilateral sanctions and maximum pressure cannot solve the issue; they only create new problems. China opposes unilateral sanctions unauthorised by the UN Security Council. Relevant countries should stop abusing unilateral sanctions and 'long-arm jurisdiction' against other countries, so as to do their share in deescalating the Ukraine crisis and create conditions for developing countries to grow their economies and better the lives of their people. 11. Keeping industrial and supply chains stable. All parties should earnestly maintain the existing world economic system and oppose using the world economy as a tool or weapon for political purposes. Joint efforts are needed to mitigate the spillovers of the crisis and prevent it from disrupting international cooperation in energy, finance, food trade and transportation and undermining the global economic recovery. 12. Promoting post-conflict reconstruction. The international community needs to take measures to support post-conflict reconstruction in conflict zones. China stands ready to provide assistance and play a constructive role in this endeavour. Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China Advertisement

'China doesn't have much credibility because they have not been able to condemn the illegal invasion of Ukraine,' he told reporters in Tallinn, adding Beijing had signed an agreement with Putin only days before the invasion.

Stoltenberg also said that while there was no evidence so far that China has supplied weapons to Russia, there were signs that it might.

'We have not seen actual delivery of lethal aid, but what we have seen are signs and indications that China may be planning and considering the supply of military aid to Russia, he said.

He added: 'China should not do that.'

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said China had not shared a peace plan - just a series of principles.

'You have to see them against a specific backdrop, and that is the backdrop that China has already taken sides by signing, for example, an unlimited friendship [treaty] right before the invasion,' she noted.

'So we will look at the principles, of course, but we will look at them against the backdrop that China has taken sides,' she added.

Speaking after the paper's release, a representative from the Ukrainian embassy in China said: 'If it is neutral, then China should talk to both sides... And now, we see the Chinese side mostly talks to Russia but not with Ukraine.'

Jorge Toledo, the European Union's ambassador to China, said Beijing had 'a special responsibility' to uphold the goals and values of the United Nations, especially when it came to war and peace.

'Whether this is compatible with neutrality, I'm not sure - it depends on what neutrality means,' he added.

The plan also urged for measures to ensure the safety of nuclear facilities, the establishment of humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians, and steps to ensure the export of grain after disruptions caused global food prices to spike.

'Conflict and war benefit no one. All parties must stay rational and exercise restraint, avoid fanning the flames and aggravating tensions, and prevent the crisis from deteriorating further or even spiralling out of control,' China's statement said.

Ukraine has said that victory in the conflict would mean pushing all Russian forces out of its territory, including areas occupied by Russia since 2014. NATO, meanwhile, will not pull its forces from its eastern borders so long as Russia poses a threat.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has set out aims for the second year of the invasion and after a series of speeches in the run-up to the anniversary, he announced plans to deploy the new Sarmat multi-warhead intercontinental ballistic missiles.

'Nuclear weapons must not be used and nuclear war cannot be fought,' the statement said. 'We oppose development [and] use of biological and chemical weapons by any country under any circumstances.'

China has claimed to be neutral in the conflict, but it has a 'no-limits' relationship with Russia and has refused to criticize its invasion of Ukraine, while accusing the West of provoking the conflict and 'fanning the flames' by providing Kyiv with defensive arms.

Russia and China have increasingly aligned their foreign policies to oppose the US-led liberal international order.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi reaffirmed the strength of those ties when he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a visit to Moscow this week.

China has also been accused by the US of possibly preparing to provide Russia with military aid, something Beijing says lacks evidence.

Before China's 12-point proposal was released, Zelensky called it an important first step.

'I think that, in general, the fact that China started talking about peace in Ukraine, I think that it is not bad. It is important for us that all states are on our side, on the side of justice,' he said at a news conference on Friday with Spain's prime minister.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said earlier on Thursday that the US would reserve judgment but that Chinas allegiance with Russia meant it was not a neutral mediator.

'We would like to see nothing more than a just and durable peace... but we are sceptical that reports of a proposal like this will be a constructive path forward,' he said.

Price added that the US hopes 'all countries that have a relationship with Russia unlike the one that we have will use that leverage, will use that influence to push Russia meaningfully and usefully to end this brutal war of aggression.

'(China) is in a position to do that in ways that we just aren't.'

The peace proposal mainly elaborated on long-held Chinese positions, including referring to the need that all countries' 'sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity be effectively guaranteed'.

It also called an end to the 'Cold War mentality' - its standard term for what it regards as US hegemony and interference in other countries.

'A country's security cannot be at the expense of other countries' security, and regional security cannot be guaranteed by strengthening or even expanding military blocs,' the proposal said.

'The legitimate security interests and concerns of all countries should be taken seriously and properly addressed.'

China abstained on Thursday when the UN General Assembly approved a non-binding resolution calling for Russia to end hostilities in Ukraine and withdraw its forces.

It is one of 16 countries that either voted against or abstained on almost all of five previous resolutions on Ukraine.

The resolution, drafted by Ukraine in consultation with its allies, passed 141-7 with 32 abstentions, sending a strong message on the eve of the first anniversary of the invasion that appears to leave Russia more isolated than ever.

While China has not been openly critical of Moscow, it has said that the present conflict is 'not something it wishes to see', and has repeatedly said any use of nuclear weapons would be completely unacceptable, in an implied repudiation of Putin's statement that Russia would use 'all available means' to protect its territory.

'There are no winners in conflict wars,' the proposal said.

'All parties should maintain rationality and restraint... support Russia and Ukraine to meet each other, resume direct dialogue as soon as possible, gradually promote the de-escalation and relaxation of the situation and finally reach a comprehensive ceasefire,' it said.

Putin met with China's top diplomat in Moscow yesterday and declared 'other countries will not influence our relations' as he doubled down on forging ties with Beijing amid the West's condemnation of his war in Ukraine.

In a clear sign of his desire to cosy up to the eastern superpower, Putin warmly greeted Wang Yi at the Kremlin yesterday before the pair sat down to talk business face to face, mere feet from one another.

Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during the New Year gathering organized by the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing

China's deputy United Nations Ambassador Dai Bing address the UN General Assembly before a vote for a resolution upholding Ukraine's territorial integrity and calling for a cessation of hostilities after Russia's invasion

A teenager takes a photo on top of the remains of a Russian tank destroyed at the beginning of the war as the first anniversary of the war between Russia and Ukraine nears in Bucha

It was a stark contrast to Putin's treatment of other world leaders which has seen the likes of French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban forced to sit at the opposite end of the room, separated by a large table.

Even some of the Kremlin's top insiders, including loyal foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, hapless defence minister Sergei Shoigu and Ukraine war architect Valery Gerasimov are subjected to extreme social distancing - yet Wang was allowed direct contact with the Russian despot.

Putin told Wang, the Chinese Communist Party's most senior foreign policy official, that he looked forward to President Xi Jinping visiting him in Moscow.

The Russian President said ties between Russia and Beijing are important to 'stabilise the international situation' amid crippling Western sanctions against Moscow in response to Putin's invasion of Ukraine nearly a year ago.

The pair insisted that relations between Russia and China could not be influenced by other countries in a two-fingered salute to the West and Ukrainians.

Wang meanwhile told Putin told that Beijing will play a constructive role in reaching a political settlement of the crisis in Ukraine, the TASS news agency reported.

On Friday, to mark the first anniversary of the war, Zelensky hailed Ukraine and its people for fighting back against Russia and vowed victory.

'We endured. We were not defeated. And we will do everything to gain victory this year!' Zelensky said in a statement released on social media.

Early in the morning a year ago, Russian troops invaded Ukraine, leading to the worst conflict in Europe since World War II.

The war has devastated swathes of Ukraine, displaced millions, turned Russia into a pariah in the West and, according to Western sources, has caused more than 150,000 casualties on each side.

Sitting at a desk, dressed in a blue sweatshirt with Ukraine's trident emblem, Zelensky paid homage to cities that have become bywords for alleged Russian war crimes like Bucha, Irpin and Mariupol as 'capitals of invincibility'.

Ukraine's resistance has surprised Russia, which was expecting a quick victory, as well as observers all around the world.

Zelensky said the first months of the war 'changed the world's perception of Ukraine. It did not fall in three days. It stopped the second army of the world!'

The Ukrainian leader managed to rally Western financial and military support, which helped Kyiv push back Russian troops.

Protesters against the war in Ukraine stand shoulder to shoulder

Signs in English, Russian and Ukrainian all adorned with signs begging to stop Putin

One protester with a sign saying: 'I'm Russian. I stand with Ukraine. Putin is a killer'

The Eiffel Tower was illuminated in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, blue and yellow, in a show of French support

Hundreds of people gathered in London last night to show their support for the people of Ukraine, who have battled heroically against the illegal Russian invaders

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen attends wreath-laying ceremony at the War of Independence Victory Column during Independence Day celebrations in Tallinn, Estonia on February 24

'Ukraine has inspired the world. Ukraine has united the world,' in a 'furious year of invincibility,' he said. 'We will never rest until the Russian murderers face deserved punishment.'

Ukraine's defence minister Oleksiy Reznikov said on Friday that his forces were making plans to push Russian troops out of the country.

'A year ago, it was difficult for us to get serious weapons. Today, civilised countries see that you are the shield of Europe in the east,' Reznikov told the armed forces.

'There will be a counteroffensive. We are working hard to prepare and secure it.'

'Before the war, we saw Russians alive. Now we only see them dead': IAN BIRRELL spends two frozen days dug in with a heavy gun unit in Ukraine... read his vivid dispatch and you'll almost feel the earth shake beneath your feet

The Ukrainian soldiers were hiding among the trees and buried in hobbit-like holes beneath the snow. But the Russian drones were still buzzing overhead.

Over the past two days, the troops had managed to shoot down six of these aircraft  often packed with explosives. The team's medic offered me a set of wings as a souvenir.

Shells were also landing in this wooded encampment by the frontline. Three men had been wounded by shrapnel and the back wheels off a lorry had been blown off.

Several trees bore the scars of war, with splintered trunks and branches ripped off. 'Now we have lots of wood for the fire,' joked one soldier, wearing a fleece over his camouflage gear.

But then, soon after breakfast on Monday, an enemy drone evaded all their efforts to bring it down and it dropped a bomb directly onto one of the Ukrainians' precious U.S.-made howitzers. The long barrel was ripped open near the base, the targeting mechanism ruined  so after one week in this frontline position, firing up to 150 rounds a day, the unit hastily moved two miles away to protect their remaining two field guns.

The Team's medic showed a set of Russian wings of the drone they have hit early in the morning that day

The only way for Ukrainians to escape the Russian drone or winter cold is to hide in the dugout

Over the past year of Vladimir Putin's war, they have swept more than 100 miles east, from Ukraine's second city of Kharkiv to their current position attacking enemy forces in occupied Luhansk

The war in Ukraine has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands and displaced millions more

DAILY MAIL COMMENT: Make this Ukraine's last year of horror War, said Leon Trotsky, is the locomotive of history. To make sure it is the West in the driving seat of that locomotive and not Vladimir Putin, Ukraine must be saved. Thanks to their heroic bravery and the provision of Nato weapons, President Zelensky's forces have secured victories few thought possible when Russia launched its unprovoked and barbaric invasion. But a year on from the unleashing of horrors so recently unthinkable in Europe, the war hangs in the balance. The free world is at a fork in the track. How the West continues supporting Ukraine is critical. Does it supply just enough weapons for our friends to survive repeated Russian onslaughts, but not enough to win on the battlefield and bring the carnage to an end? Or do we step up support, sending more tanks, long-range missile systems and, yes, fighter planes, to give Ukraine the wherewithal to push the invaders back? President Zelensky's forces have secured victories few thought possible when Russia launched its unprovoked and barbaric invasion. Pictured: Ukrainian soldiers help a wounded comrade, Bakhmut, Ukraine, February 20, 2023 The answer is obvious. As Boris Johnson, who galvanised the West when other leaders wrung their hands, says pointedly: 'The world is facing the decisive moment of the early 21st Century.' There is only one option: To give the Ukrainians all the tools they need to defeat Putin  and give them now. The tyrant cannot be permitted to succeed in his brutal expansionism. He has proved himself to be a colossal blunderer who's succeeded in delivering his own worst nightmare. His aggression has united the West, strengthened Nato and reinvigorated liberal democracy. We should be doing everything in our power to hasten Putin's defeat, end his atrocities, preserve the global order  and send a warning to other dictators. A year ago, this column said that Britain had a solemn duty to offer the Ukrainian people our steel and succour. We must continue to do so. Advertisement

'It's difficult to relocate all the time and dig new dugouts in this solid winter ground,' admitted Vitaly, their 23-year-old commander, as his men packed up their few possessions and the ammunition scattered around us in the snow and mud.

'Now we need to move again. Go to the new place, dig new dugouts. We'll try to move closer, to reach the enemy with our shells. We can target anything: tanks, infantry, drones. Sometimes we know the results, but not often.'

Earlier this week, I spent two days with the 76 soldiers in this Ukrainian artillery team. Over the past year of Vladimir Putin's war, they have swept more than 100 miles east, from Ukraine's second city of Kharkiv to their current position attacking enemy forces in occupied Luhansk.

Distant explosions  the drumbeat of battle  echoed around the frozen landscape. At one point, while we were speaking, the men suddenly went silent. 'You need constantly to listen to the surroundings. Where do the sounds come from?' one told me later.

On the first day, thick snow fell. The next, it turned to slush and mud. My hands froze on both days as a biting wind whipped over fields of unharvested sunflowers, their blackened heads drooping as if in mourning for this terrible war.

On the stove in the makeshift kitchen, a pan had been filled with snow, which was being melted for water. One middle-aged soldier told me how he wished he was back home. 'I'm from Odesa and it's 4C there,' he said.

Yet for this band of Ukrainian brothers, there was no rest from their relentless mission to move, dig fresh bunkers, fire at their Russian foes and then move on again. 'It's a war, so what can you do?' said one. 'It feels like eternal migration with digging.'

With two volunteers, I drove to their frontline position  about 20 miles from the recaptured town of Kupiansk, now coming under heavy Russian bombardment. They were delivering a generator, along with supplies of food, toilet paper and wet wipes.

Our journey was complicated: many bridges have been destroyed and a dam blown up. At the edge of one broken crossing I saw five men fishing through the thick ice below.

We stopped at a field hospital to deliver medicine and clean clothes to the unit's men hurt in recent shelling. A young soldier collected them, his discoloured fingers sticking out of a bandaged arm as he showed us a wound on the back of his head.

Then, as we turned off the icy track and crossed snowy fields to our destination, we passed two self-propelled artillery that had been crunched into piles of burnt and twisted metal. 'They're ours,' said Andriy, one of the volunteers.

It was a bleak place in winter: desolate-looking villages studding the open, flat fields  many filled with mines  and fringed with straggly lines of trees. Inside one such thicket, we found our battery.

Earlier this week, I spent two days with the 76 soldiers in this Ukrainian artillery team

Distant explosions  the drumbeat of battle  echoed around the frozen landscape. At one point, while we were speaking, the men suddenly went silent. 'You need constantly to listen to the surroundings. Where do the sounds come from?' one told me later

Several trees bore the scars of war with splintered trunks and branches ripped off. 'Now we have lots of wood for the fire,' joked one man

We stopped at a field hospital to deliver medicine and clean clothes to the unit's men hurt in recent shelling

The men have a loathing of the Russian invasion and a fierce desire for freedom

Little wonder the troops enduring such challenging conditions on the frontline all said they were motivated by patriotism and a desperate desire to protect their people

For this band of Ukrainian brothers, there was no rest from their relentless mission to move, dig fresh bunkers, fire at their Russian foes and then move on again. 'It's a war, so what can you do?' said one. 'It feels like eternal migration with digging'

It was a bleak place in winter: desolate-looking villages studding the open, flat fields  many filled with mines  and fringed with straggly lines of trees. Inside one such thicket, we found our battery

The artillery team is hidden in trees beside frozen fields as they search for the enemy

'These are antiques,' said Mykhailo, 41, a businessman before mobilisation last June and another of the commanders

After we parked the car, I came across a soldier digging out a new bunker. Even the commander, who joined a military academy in his teens and took charge of the unit five months ago, told me he dug out his own holes in the ground for survival.

The men explained how they use a small bit of explosive to blow off frozen topsoil. Then, after hollowing out their burrows in the earth, they cover the roof with chopped logs, cardboard wrapping from shells, sheets of plastic and finally soil.

'If you want to live, you need to dig,' said Ivan, 37, a father of two young children who first joined the army eight years ago. 'I'm a good digger since I'm a builder. If I had to choose between a spade and a gun, I'd definitely chose the spade.'

Yet he admitted their nomadic lifestyle was tough. 'You just settle down, build a little kitchen, dig the dugouts and suddenly need to leave. You can't really get used to it.'

He has been unable to visit his family for five months. 'My wife misses me so much, she wants me home. I call her every day,' he said. 'It's good that it's not 1943 when you had to write letters to your family at least we can talk with video.'

Ivan admitted he was lucky to survive the latest attack, since he was close to the targeted howitzer. 'When it hit us, I'd gone for a cigarette in the dugout,' he said. 'So you see, smoking can actually save your life.'

A former infantryman, this soldier admitted it was easier in the artillery since they did not actually see the Russians. 'Mentally, it's much tougher in the infantry. You need to kill people face-to-face, but here you just shoot and don't see anybody.' Or as one of his comrades later put it: 'Before the war, we saw Russians alive. After the war, we only see them dead.'

Walking between the trees, I saw men chopping wood for fires. Piles of logs had been cut with chainsaws. It looked almost like a forestry encampment  apart from the clusters of unfired shells and snouts of artillery sticking out from under netting.

Chimneys poked through the snow, puffing smoke. Descending some roughly hewn steps, I found a burrow for eight troops that was surprisingly warm. 'We have food, internet, water  who could ask for anything more?' said one soldier, laughing.

'It's difficult to relocate all the time and dig new dugouts in this solid winter ground,' admitted Vitaly, their 23-year-old commander, as his men packed up their few possessions and the ammunition scattered around us in the snow and mud

The Ukrainian soldiers said while they had enough shorter-range shells, which can travel about five miles, they were down to just nine longer-range ones that can hit both targets 25 miles away and anti-aircraft defences

Before the war, this man  also the father of a young child  made heating briquettes. But he was mobilised after the full-scale invasion. 'When the heavy hitting starts, we hide here in the dugout,' he said. 'But we always have the feeling of danger.'

US gives Ukraine an extra $2BILLION in security aid The United States will provide Ukraine an additional $2 billion in security assistance, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Thursday. 'We're going to continue to look at what is necessary, and make sure that we provide what is necessary that Ukraine has what it needs to succeed on the battlefield,' Sullivan said at a CNN town hall event, where he announced the additional aid. He said the G7 nations will announce on Friday a new round of sanctions that will include countries that are trying to backfill products that are denied to Russia because of Ukraine-related sanctions on Moscow. 'You will see as time goes on the continued erosion of the quality and capacity of the Russian economy, even as Vladimir Putin races to spend money in an effort to prop it up,' Sullivan said. Pictured: Jake Sullivan Advertisement

Earlier, I met an infantryman who told me his comrades had been facing more confrontations with enemy sabotage and reconnaissance units in recent weeks. He presumed this was ahead of the anticipated Russian offensive. 'They're coming closer, sneaking for weak points to break through. We're in woods, so the fights can be very tight over 30 or 40 metres,' he told me.

In this war, artillery has become strategically vital, after an era of U.S.-led conflicts in which control of the skies rendered shelling on the ground less effective.

'Artillery was the dominant weapon on the battlefields of both the First and Second World Wars, but then it played a lesser role in Vietnam and Iraq,' said Phillips O'Brien, professor of strategic studies at St Andrews University in Scotland.

'But in this war, neither side controls the air, tanks seem so vulnerable and moving forward so difficult. This means that artillery has become more significant and the artillery duel is hugely important.'

But Vitaly, the impressive young commander of one of Ukraine's biggest batteries, said his troops lacked sufficient artillery after suffering 'lots of losses' to Russia's Lancets, a sophisticated new 'loitering' drone with a range of 25 miles. 'We would like Great Britain to send us more weapons,' he told me.

Later, their quartermaster explained how they started the war using Soviet-made Giatsints, which were heavier, harder to calibrate but tougher than their U.S.-made Excaliburs. 'You can beat them with a hammer and they'd still work,' said Anton.

'With the American ones, you must care more for them, which is difficult in these conditions. The Excaliburs can shoot four times a minute while the Giatsints go six or seven times a minute. But of course, the American ones are better.'

Other soldiers said many of their donated shells were very old, showing me pictures of an American missile dated 1958  when Dwight D. Eisenhower was in the White House and Elvis Presley had released Jailhouse Rock.

'These are antiques,' said Mykhailo, 41, a businessman before mobilisation last June and another of the commanders. 'But the problem is not the age of the weapons but the range of shooting. The older weapons are short-range. We have to move close and become like the infantry  and the closer we go, the more dangerous it is. It is like a suicide mission. When we go so close, even the mortar can reach us.'

The Ukrainian soldiers said while they had enough shorter-range shells, which can travel about five miles, they were down to just nine longer-range ones that can hit both targets 25 miles away and anti-aircraft defences.

Many of the men told me they had lost friends fighting in this war and all admitted to being scared at times. 'We're humans, after all,' said one.

When we left, the volunteers gave a lift back to Kharkiv to a soldier who was bunking off for the night after being refused permission to see his pregnant wife. He bought her a big bunch of flowers and a teddy bear in the national colours of blue and yellow.

These volunteers  working out of a cafe that's been turned into a field kitchen churning out 1,500 meals a day  have followed this unit on its advance in the region, visiting the men up to three times a week with supplies to keep up morale.

Among the chefs peeling mountains of beetroot, potatoes and onions, I found one man who had served in Russia's army during its brutal war in Chechnya, which was infamous for atrocities.

On the stove in the makeshift kitchen, a pan had been filled with snow, which was being melted for water

Even the commander, who joined a military academy in his teens and took charge of the unit five months ago, told me he dug out his own holes in the ground for survival

'I knew what would happen if they came here,' said Adalyat Vezirov, 47, a builder originally from Azerbaijan. 'I heard what the soldiers talked about when they went there, hearing about lots of murder and raping. I knew it would be the same here.'

Little wonder the troops enduring such challenging conditions on the frontline all said they were motivated by patriotism and a desperate desire to protect their people, fused with loathing of the Russian invasion and a fierce desire for freedom.

'I don't hate Russians  I just want them to disappear from the political map,' said one. 'My conscience is clear. I'm defending my country and my family. I am fighting for freedom.'

Yet Anton, the 29-year-old quartermaster from Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine, underscored the strange complexities of this epochal conflict. As we sat in an underground burrow on the frontline, he told me how his Russian-speaking grandmother so inspired him to love Ukraine with its traditional poetry that he joined the pro-democracy protests that sparked Russia's attack on Crimea in 2014.

Yet, at the same time, his own mother misses the Soviet Union and admires the despotic Putin.

'We have lots of conflicts since I'm a patriot and she is pro-Russian,' he said. 'Now she doesn't know what to think. She tells me 'it is most important that you stay alive, all the rest is nothing.'

He added with a shrug that he had become so used to the conditions that if the war dragged on for many years, 'maybe I will even miss it'.

Then came the successful drone attack  and the dutiful men in this artillery battery packed up their missiles. They moved on with their guns to dig a fresh warren of survival holes in another freezing stretch of woodland on the frontline of this terrible war.

Additional reporting: Dzvinka Pinchuk

'Freedom for Ukraine': Dame Helen Mirren leads Trafalgar Square vigil tonight on the anniversary of Putin's invasion as the world goes blue and yellow to highlight the plight

Dame Helen Mirren has led a vigil marking the one-year anniversary of Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine.

Deranged despot Vladimir Putin's Russian army invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, starting a war in Europe that has already claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and forced millions to flee their homes.

Ukraine's allies across the world marked the eve of the anniversary in a show of strength against Moscow's illegal invasion, which has led to copious allegations of war crimes by Russian soldiers.

On Thursday evening the United Nations voted overwhelmingly to demand Russia 'immediately' and 'unconditionally' withdraw its troops from Ukraine and called for a 'just and lasting' peace.

In London, Oscar-winning actress Mirren recited a Ukrainian poem as she addressed the crowds in Trafalgar Square today.

Helen Mirren has led a vigil marking the one-year anniversary of Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine

People were visibly emotional during the vigil in Trafalgar Square in central London on Thursday evening

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace also spoke at the vigil, which was called United With Ukraine

The Minister was seen talking to Oscar-winning actress Mirren during the moving vigil

Mirren raised a gloved hand to her eye during the vigil United With Ukraine on Thursday evening

A woman and her daughter stand as they listen to a prayer for fallen soldiers at Lviv cemetery, western Ukraine, on Thursday. Family members gathered at the military cemetery in Lviv for a 'lights of memory' event to honor those who died fighting the Russians

In Paris the Eiffel Tower was illuminated in the colors of the Ukrainian flag to mark the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine

A giant peace sign was formed with candles in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin marking the anniversary of deranged despot Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine a year ago

A woman looks on as she attend a vigil in Trafalgar Square, central London, on February 23, 2023

Two men and a woman, each wrapped in the Ukrainian flag, attend the vigil in Trafalgar Square

A woman with a tiara of roses appeared to have tears in her eyes as she listened to the vigil in London

Throughout the evening there were moments of contemplation for many people attending

Although the vigil had its sombre moments, there was still time for Brits to show their rapturous support for the UK's ally Ukraine

She read out the English translation of Take Only What Is Most Important by Serhiy Zhadan.

The poem included the line: 'You will not return and friends will never come back.'

At the end of the recitation, Mirren added: 'But I think you will be back.'

She said: 'Peace for Ukraine, democracy for Ukraine and freedom for Ukraine.'

At the same vigil, US ambassador Jane Hartley told the crowd that the event is a reminder the US and the UK will 'always stand by our friends in Ukraine'.

She said: 'It's been one year since Russia invaded Ukraine  a shocking and brutal act committed by a remorseless tyrant.

'Through this entire war the Ukrainian people have shown the world their strength and incredible courage.

'That's what Putin underestimated all along.'

She added: 'Blinded by arrogance, Putin believed the Ukrainian army was weak.

'He believed that the international community would look the other way.

'He believed that the war would be over in days. Well, how wrong was he?'

US ambassador Jane Hartley told the crowd that the event is a reminder the US and the UK will 'always stand by our friends in Ukraine'

Londoners wrapped up warm, with many having the Ukrainian flag around their shoulders, as they attended the vigil

People waved Ukrainian flags as they listened to speakers including Dame Helen Mirren

Meanwhile, similar support was shown in Brussels, Belgium, where charity workers placed children's toys and candles in front of a sign reading 'Justice For Ukraine'

Teddy bears and toys, representing children abducted during the war in Ukraine, are seen on the ground during an event organised by Avaaz NGO and Ukranian refugees at the Rond-point Schuman in Brussels

The Europa, headquarter of the EU Council is lighted with an Ukrainian flag for the anniversary

A light installation by Swiss artist Gerry Hofstetter is projected on the National Opera House of Ukraine in Kyiv on February 23

Hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost already in the war that has raged for a year in Ukraine

More than 10 million people have been forced to flee their homes after Putin and his Russian army's invasion

However, Ukrainian President Zelensky's wife Olena said Ukraine will not be commemorating the first anniversary of the Russian invasion but a year of successful resistance.

Remotely addressing an anniversary event in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Thursday evening, she said Ukraine had suffered 'a year of hell.'

She said: 'A year of full-scale war is a terrible date to mark. Because it is a year of attack, aggression, and murders.

'Today we are not commemorating a year of war, but we are celebrating a year of resistance to aggression, a year of courage, a year of mutual assistance and rescue of each other, a year of humanity, and a year of friendship.

'I am sure that soon we will be able to share with you the most valuable thing: the victory.'

The event in Vilnius was attended by several dozen Ukrainian refugees, mostly women and children, and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda.

Viktoriia Dolbitseva, 54, a refugee from Kharkiv now living in Vilnius, said: 'It's a year of horror that we have all experienced.

'The next year will definitely be victorious.'

Ukraine's central bank marked the invasion anniversary by issuing a new banknote commemorating resistance in the war

One side depicted three soldiers raising the national flag while a person's bound hands are on the opposite side

Maria Kolomiets, 43, another Ukrainian from Kharkiv, now living in Wroclaw, said: 'Where horror is happening, alongside it, humanity is revealing itself.

'It is really incredible. I saw how ordinary people become heroes because they had no other choice.'

Ukraine's central bank marked the invasion anniversary by issuing a new banknote commemorating resistance in the war, with one side depicting three soldiers raising the national flag.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday expressed confidence in his country's victory over invading Russian forces as fears mounted of strikes on the war's first anniversary.

The war has seen Western leaders step up their support for Kyiv, and on Thursday, the eve of the anniversary, G7 ministers discussed new sanctions on Russia as the UN General Assembly prepared to vote on a motion calling for 'lasting' peace.

Despot Vladimir Putin laid flowers at a memorial to the Hero Cities of the Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany, by the Kremlin Wall on the Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow today

A boy watches fireworks standing at a gun installed at the Artillery museum during the national celebration of 'Defender of the Fatherland Day' in St. Petersburg on Thursday

Putin and his Russian generals have told the people of Russia that the invasion was to fight Nazism in Europe

Fireworks illuminate the sky over Moscow's University building, in Moscow. Meanwhile, 620 miles away in Ukraine, many are preparing for a Russian missile strike expected tomorrow

Fireworks burst behind cathedrals of the Novodevichy Convent during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow on February 23

In the UN General Assembly this evening, 141 members voted in favor of a resolution, that reaffirmed support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, seven opposed it, and 32 abstained, including China and India.

Meanwhile, the White House said the United States will announce 'sweeping' new sanctions.

Zelensky vowed to keep up the fight as Ukraine prepared to mark one year since the invasion on Friday.

'We have not broken down, we have overcome many ordeals and we will prevail,' Zelensky said on social media.

'We will hold to account all those who brought this evil, this war to our land.'

In the capital Kyiv, which saw Russian troops at its doorstep at the start of the invasion last February and relentless attacks on energy infrastructure since, residents remained defiant.

'This has been the most difficult year of my life and that of all Ukrainians,' said Diana Shestakova, 23, whose boyfriend has spent the last year away in the army.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country's 'unbreakable unity is the key to our victory'

Yesterday Russians waved national flags during the ''Glory to the Defenders of the Fatherland'' concert waiting for Russian President Vladimir Putin, a day before the Defender of the Fatherland Day, a holiday honouring Russia's armed forces at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, addresses the crowd during the ''Glory to the Defenders of the Fatherland'' concert

'I am sure that we will be victorious, but we don't know how long we will have to wait and how many victims there are still to come,' said Shestakova, who works for a publishing house.

Ukraine's military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov warned that Russia was planning a missile attack on Friday to mark the first year of the war.

In Moscow, crazed tyrant Vladimir Putin promised victory as he laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier before meeting soldiers in Red Square under blue skies and brisk temperatures.

He said Russia's 'unbreakable unity is the key to our victory.'

The year-long conflict has devastated swathes of Ukraine and turned Russia into a pariah in the West.

G7 finance ministers met in Bengaluru, India, to discuss further sanctions and more financial aid for Ukraine.

The G7 said that for 2023, based on Ukraine's needs, it had increased its commitment of budget and economic support to $39billion.

It said sanctions so far have 'significantly undermined Russia's capacity to wage its illegal war' and the G7 would 'take further actions as needed'.

The United States and its G7 allies plan to unveil 'a big new package of sanctions' around the anniversary, including measures to crack down on the evasion of existing sanctions, a senior US official said.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said: 'The United States will implement sweeping sanctions against key sectors that generate revenue for Putin.'

The latest Western leader to visit the Ukrainian capital, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, said he hoped to send up to ten Leopard tanks to Ukraine in the coming months.

After months of hesitation European countries agreed in January to send battle tanks to Ukraine to help force back Russian forces.

Russia has denounced the growing arms deliveries to Ukraine, saying they only lead to escalation.

Russian Defence chief Sergei Shoigu accused the West of 'using Ukraine [as it] is seeking to dismember Russia, to deprive it of independence'.
A powerful photo of a homeless person sleeping rough in a park metres from Sydney Harbour has divided the internet.

A passer-by came across the extraordinary scene where maintenance staff decided not to disturb the lone camper lying on the grass - instead mowing around him.

'Rather than disturb the happy camper, they mowed around at a safe distance,' the witness said.

The photo, which was taken in First Fleet Park, sparked furious debate over whether maintenance staff were lazy or courteous.

The photo shows a lone camper sleeping on the partly-mowed lawn at First Fleet Park

Poll What do you think of the actions of maintenance staff? It's appalling It's generous It's an act of laziness What do you think of the actions of maintenance staff? It's appalling 33 votes

It's generous 255 votes

It's an act of laziness 58 votes Now share your opinion





Online debate raged as to whether maintenance staff had done the right thing by leaving the camper in peace.

'Rather than risk an interaction with a homeless person, the minimum wage grounds keeper avoided the situation,' one person wrote.

Another added: 'Remember, this is a council worker, nothing to do with being nice and everything to do with not having to deal with him.'

Another believed maintenance staff were lazy and should have woken the camper to complete the job.

'As someone who mows lawns on the side, I would have mowed this far, stopped my mower and politely asked the person if they would mind moving whilst I mowed the grass under them, Id only be 15mins and Id help them move and move back,' they wrote

Debate raged online as to whether maintenance staff were right to leave the camper in peace

Others praised maintenance staff on the condition of the park as well as their courtesy

'Im 99% sure if you asked nicely and gave the person the same respect you want in return they wouldnt mind moving for 15mins.'

Others praised maintenance workers for not disturbing the camper and the condition of the park.

'The person mowing the lawns has spent hundreds if not thousands of hours mowing lawns while the 'upper class' look down upon them. They would never look down upon anyone, even this happy camper,' one commented.

A third wrote: 'How good is that grass looking. Makes me wanna bring my swag down.'

Some were captured by the powerful photo.

'That is not something anyone should forget,' one wrote.

Hundreds of rough sleepers take shelter in the streets of Sydney's CBD each night (stock image)

Some took aim at the author who uploaded the photo.

'Sounds like the spin a politician would put on a homeless problem, no no they are happy campers not homeless,' one person commented.

Another added: '1000 per cent agreed. Bigger issue is lost in the 'compassion'.

Daily Mail Australia contacted City of Sydney Council for comment, which redirected questions to Place Management NSW, which manages the historic precinct.

Place Management NSW is a signatory of the Homeless People in Public Places protocol, which requires homeless people in public places be left alone.

'In line with this protocol, our rangers conduct welfare checks on all new homeless persons that are identified, and also conduct a weekly register of all homeless persons, a spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia.

'Yesterday morning February 23) at 8am, our rangers conducted a welfare check with the person in the photo. On later review, the person had moved on.'

A City of Sydney street count taken last year shows 225 people sleeping rough on one night, a 17 per cent reduction from 12 months earlier and a 48 per cent crop in five years.
Commissioners of the Tennessee county that includes Memphis have voted to launch a feasibility study to examine reparations for the descendants of slaves.

The Shelby County Board of Commissioners voted on the measure on Wednesday, which allocates $5 million to fund a feasibility study to 'establish, develop, and implement reparations.'

All eight black members of the commission voted in favor of the measure, while the five white members all voted against it or abstained, citing financial concerns about the $5 million allocation.

The reparations study, which is just the latest of similar pushes in many US cities and states, follows the police killing of Tyre Nichols, a black man, in Memphis last month, in a beating by police officers who were also black.

Nichols death was referenced in by many of those in favor of the reparations study, including Commissioner Miska Clay Bibbs, who said: 'My people are dying on the daily. That's why I support this.'

The Shelby County Board of Commissioners voted to launch a feasibility study to examine reparations for the descendants of slaves. All eight black members of the commission voted in favor of the measure, while the five white members all voted against it or abstained

'It's clear something has to be done. That's all this resolution is trying to do is saying we have to address what's happening in Shelby County in a different way,' said Bibbs, according to the Commercial Appeal.

The commissioners who opposed the measure cited budget constraints, legal concerns, and fears that it would prove divisive in the community.

'I just don't think this is the best way to move the community forward in a unified manner, and that is my reasoning, as well as the financial piece,' said Commissioner Brandon Morrison, who voted 'no'.

Before calling the vote, Commission Chair Mickell Lowrey addressed his colleagues, saying: 'Commissioners, it's ok to disagree. We all represent different communities, and we're supposed to disagree, our constituents don't all have the same issues or concerns.'

'Our diversity makes us better, so I appreciate all the comments, and respect all of them,' he added.

The population of Shelby County is about 52% black, 41% white, 6% Hispanic and 2% Asian, according to county government data.

This year, the county budget projected total functional expenditures of about $1.5 billion, with 29% devoted to education and 25% devoted to criminal justice.

The Shelby County reparations study, which is just the latest of similar pushes in many US cities and states, follows the police killing of Tyre Nichols , a black man, in Memphis

Memphis is seen in a file photo. The commissioners who opposed the measure cited budget constraints, legal concerns, and fears that it would prove divisive in the community

The resolution on the reparations study that passed on Wednesday orders the feasibility study to examine five areas: access to affordable housing and homeownership, affordable healthcare, systemic disenfranchisement in the criminal justice system, career opportunities, and financial literacy and generational wealth.

The resolution uses the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America's definition of 'reparations.'

That group defines it as 'a process of repairing, healing, and restoring a people injured because of their group identity and in violation of their fundamental human rights by governments, corporations, institutions and families.'

Shelby County is just the latest jurisdiction to consider reparations for slavery, a topic that has proved divisive in many places.

Cities including Boston, Massachusetts, St Paul, Minnesota, and St Louis, Missouri, as well as the California cities, San Francisco and Los Angeles, have set up task forces and panels to hatch their own reparations plans.

Much of the focus is on California, where a state-wide task force has until July 1 to issue a final report of its recommendations for how it can atone for and address its legacy of discriminatory policies against black people.

All panels face the same conundrum  how to fairly calculate the losses that black people have incurred over the centuries, and what might be required to prove eligibility for any payout.

San Francisco's own city reparations panel has proposed a one-time lump sum payment of $5 million to each eligible black person, and debt forgiveness, to correct decades of 'systematic oppression' there.

Meanwhile, the Illinois city of Evanston has been helping residents who suffered from long-forgotten racist housing policies. Its grants have paid off a few mortgages, but also stoked divisions between winners and losers.
Australia had identified and discreetly eliminated a major Russian spy network masquerading as diplomats days after its intelligence director announced a significant counterespionage accomplishment, a local newspaper reported.

The Sydney Morning Herald noted on Friday, citing anonymous individuals with information about the operation, that the Russian spy ring included individuals posing as embassy and consular workers and other agents using deep-cover credentials, Al Jazeera reported.

The publication said that the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), the country's primary domestic surveillance agency, discovered the ring and broke up its operations after it had been active in Australia for 18 months.

ASIO's secretary-general of security Michael Burgess called the network a "hive" of spies because it was larger and more threatening than the "nest" recently dismantled. No precise figures have been presented.

Burgess further noted that the spies were "highly trained" due to the "sophisticated tradecraft" they use "to disguise their activities." per ABC News.

Read Also: 11-Year-Old Girl in Cambodia Dies Due to Bird Flu

Australian Diplomats Fear Russian Retaliation

The publication said that Russian agents were discreetly expelled from Australia during the previous six months.

Publicly removing the Russian spy ring raised fears that Moscow may retaliate toward diplomats and other Australians residing in Russia.

A Friday request for a response from the Russian Embassy in Australia on the Russian spy ring issue went unanswered.

The Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, refused to confirm whether or not the broken surveillance network was Russian, as reported by AP News.

Albanese told members of the press that he does not comment "on national security briefings, but I just say that ASIO does a very good job in defending Australia's national interest and they have my absolute confidence and support in doing that job."

Related Article: China Calls for Peace Talks To End Russia-Ukraine War





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An industry leader claims businesses around Australia are under constant pressure to bring kids up to speed after they leave school because of unacceptable levels of literacy and numeracy.

President of the Business Council of Australia, Tim Reed, told a conference students are posing a challenge to business owners entering the workforce because their levels of reading, writing and mathematics are poor.

Data from 2019's National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) showed that year nine students - students that would now be entering the workforce - were more capable at reading and mathematics than those assessed in 2022.

'It is a real challenge for businesses that an increasing part of the community dont have basic skills in numeracy, literacy and digital skills,' Mr Reed told the Universities Australia conference in Canberra.

A worrying trend has emerged of Australian students entering the workforce with unacceptable levels of reading, writing and maths (stock image)

'The role that business plays is to try and not exclude people from careers because of that fact,' he continued.

'That becomes very challenging for individual businesses. But it is a reality for the community and so industry has to be a part of seeking and driving solutions.'

The falling standard of education is also playing a role in industries outside of tertiary or office occupations.

'From what we expected 20 years ago, there are significant literacy, numeracy and digital literacy problems coming into some of those [trade apprenticeship] courses that are so critical for our economy,' chief executive of TAFE Directors Australia, Jenny Todd, told the conference.

'A good example is Certificate III in electrotechnology. That turns out our electricians. The people entering that now do not necessarily have the mathematical skills that you need for success.'

President of the Business Council of Australia, Tim Reed (pictured), claims that the trend of declining educational standards is placing stress on Australian businesses who have had to teach new recruits on the go

NAPLAN results show an increase of students under the national minimum standard in reading and mathematics tests after Covid lockdowns forced students into online learning.

The percentage of students below the minimum standard in reading jumped from 8.2 per cent in 2019 to 10.3 per cent in 2021, and now stands at 10.4 percent, meaning that more than one in 10 students are functionally illiterate.

While at a high 15.9 per cent in 2022, the number of students below the minimum writing standard was not affected by the Covid pandemic, and has instead continuously dropped from 20.5 per cent in 2018.

'Business has to stare into the problems of numeracy, literacy, a lack of digital skills, social exclusion,' Mr Reed told the Australian Financial Review.

'Those who are excluded from the learning system then face the potential of being excluded from the workforce.

'It takes longer to train people just in the very basics because they dont have those foundational skills.'
A new poll among 1,000 Republicans shows that the preference for voters in the 2024 primary is increasingly for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to be the GOP nominee  even when put up against eight other candidates.

Results of a WPA Intelligence poll taken February 13-16 and shared with DailyMail.com before its release reveals that DeSantis would also win in a head-to-head with former President Donald Trump by 24 percent.

In the nine-way primary, DeSantis would take a commanding victory with 40 percent of the Republican vote. This includes candidates who have already announced and some of the bigger-name politicians who are likely to join the race in coming months.

Trump comes in second in the hypothetical race with 31 percent support  a 9 percent trail behind the Florida governor who, according to several recent polls, is remaining steady as the most popular GOP candidate for 2024.

A new poll shows that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (pictured on February 20 in Staten Island, New York) wins with a commanding 40% in a hypothetical nine-field GOP primary contest

Former President Donald Trump comes in second place with 31%, according to the WPA Intelligence poll shared with DailyMail.com

Principal at WPA Intelligence Amanda Iovino said in a statement to DailyMail.com that polling has consistently shown while concerns grow over Trump's ability to be the 'face' of the GOP, DeSantis' landslide 2022 victory in Florida has continued his momentum as a rising star of the party.

'Since the midterm elections, our polling has consistently found that while former President Trump is still popular among Republicans, GOP primary voters have concerns as to whether he should continue being the face and leader of the party,' Iovino said.

'Concurrently, Gov. DeSantis' popularity has grown since his 19-point victory in Florida. This combination appears to be weakening Trump's standing in the primary and bolstering the Florida governor.'

The remaining seven candidates in the proposed race all earned under 10 percent of the Republican voting bloc  showing that while their existence in the race does narrow the gap between the top two candidates, it does not fully serve as a spoiler to DeSantis.

Trump-era Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who is also the former governor of South Carolina, earned 8 percent of the vote. She announced her candidacy for president last week with a kick-off event in her home state, which is also an early primary contest state.

No other candidate included in WPA's hypothetical election has officially announced a bid.

A hypothetical head-to-head matchup between Trump and DeSantis shows the Florida governor's lead increasing to 24% ahead of the former president

Trump has claimed that he is still winning in all the polls  and has dismissed polling that shows him trailing DeSantis

Other candidates in the matchup all got less than 10% of the Republican primary voting bloc, including Nikki Haley, who earned 8% announced her candidacy last week

This field includes former Vice President Mike Pence, who also earned 8 percent; former Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming earning 5 percent support; and Trump-era Secretary of State Mike Pompeo bringing in 2 percent of the hypothetical vote.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who ran in the 2016 primary, and former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan both earned 1 percent of the vote in the poll and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, who recently traveled to Iowa, earned less than 1 percent.

Biotech multi-millionaire Vivek Ramaswamy was not included in the survey. The lesser-known GOP candidate announced his White House bid on Tuesday  after the poll was conducted.

When Trump was put head-to-head with DeSantis, the Florida governor's victory margin widened to a commanding 57 percent to 33 percent. The remaining 10 percent of voters said that they are undecided between the two GOP super stars.

'Some underlying attitudes among Republicans appear to be hurting Trump,' Iovino explained.

'For instance, nearly half of Republicans believe he bears at least some responsibility for the party's weak performance in the midterms,' she added. 'Also, when asked which is more important  exciting the party's activists or persuading swing voters  when winning elections, Republican voters say the latter by a 4:1 margin.'

'There's a long way to go until the 2024 primaries, but there is enthusiasm around Ron DeSantis as a potential candidate,' Iovino concluded of the poll's results.
She was slapped with a $362 fine as a result of a mobile phone camera

A mother has been slapped with a fine for holding a mobile while driving - but she claims it was only her daughter's Bluey toy phone.

The woman was caught by a traffic camera on the Princes Highway between Brodie Spark Drive and Holbeach Avenue, Tempe, in Sydney's inner south, at 7.29am on February 10.

Shocked by the $362 fine in the mail and the loss of five demerit points, she immediately requested the photo evidence.

When looking over the image taken by the state's high-tech cameras she joined the dots - it wasn't her mobile, it was her daughter's toy.

Tara McCarthy from Transport for NSW told Daily Mail Australia it will work with Revenue NSW to review the incident.

A mother has been slapped with a $362 fine after being captured by a hi-tech traffic camera holding what she says was her daughter's Bluey phone while on the Princess Highway, in Sydney's inner south

The Bluey toy phone features characters from the popular children's television series and let's children talk to characters Bluey and Bingo

'These types of incidents are unusual,' Ms McCarthy said.

'Transport for NSW will work with Revenue NSW to review the penalty notice in question.'

Transport for NSW says any member of the public who has questions about an infringement notice can request Revenue NSW to review their case.

If Revenue NSW still determines the fine should stand, the driver can then choose to take the matter to court.

The Bluey toy phone features characters from the popular children's television series and let's children talk to characters Bluey and Bingo.

The toy also allows children to play four different games based on various episodes in the show.

While it is common knowledge it is illegal to use a mobile device while driving, things such as eating or drinking behind the wheel and holding another item are grey areas.

While there are no specific road rules that prohibit holding a drink, food or a toy while behind the wheel, drivers can be fined if doing so is judged to affect their control of the vehicle or their level of concentration.

NSW Road Rule 297(1) refers to driver distraction and states, 'a driver must not drive a vehicle unless the driver has proper control of the vehicle'.

The fine for this offence is $464 and three demerit points.
Vivek Ramaswamy told an intimate group of business leaders near Des Moines, Iowa on Thursday that he would need to be tough enough to take some potential name-calling from former President Donald Trump if he wants to be a formidable candidate.

The biotech millionaire who announced his candidacy for president on Tuesday said that he recognizes Trump was able to bring light to larger issues in the U.S.  but admitted he was unable to deliver on enacting meaningful change during his four years in the White House.

Ramaswamy also dismissed concerns that he would inevitably earn a nickname from Trump, saying the leader of the United States needs to have tough skin.

The so-called CEO of 'anti-woke' has entered what is expected to be a crowded Republican field in the 2024 battle for the White House.

Vivek Ramaswamy told an intimate group of business leaders near Des Moines, Iowa on Thursday that he would need to be tough enough to take some potential name-calling from former President Donald Trump if he wants to be a formidable candidate

He kicked has kicked off his campaign as an underdog, with Trump and potential rival Ron DeSantis leading in the polls.

Trump has already dished out personal attacks against his opponents and has handed out nicknames, such as 'Ron DeSanctimonious'.

But Ramaswamy has insisted he is ready for the dogfight when he hits the campaign trail.

'Good things are going to happen next year and I'll also put up with some name-calling along the way,' Ramaswamy said.

'If you want to sit across the table from [Chinese President] Xi Jinping and declare independence from China, you better be willing to take some name-calling here at home,' he added. 'You don't deserve that job, if you can't handle a little bit of that.'

The candidate spoke with just two dozen invited business leaders at Accumold, a micro-molding and plastic fabrication company in Ankeny, Iowa.

He told the room while enjoying pizza that he wants to 'embrace radicalism' instead of trying to pander to the far left or appeal to Democrats. Only there, he says, can Americans begin to unite.

Ramaswamy detailed on Thursday that he has respect for Trump, but claimed the former president was unable to put into action solutions to the problems that he identified in his single term.

The biotech millionaire who announced his candidacy for president on Tuesday said that he recognizes Trump was able to bring light to larger issues in the U.S.  but said he was unable to deliver on enacting meaningful change during his four years in the White House

Ramaswamy also dismissed concerns that he would inevitably earn a nickname from Trump, saying the leader of the United States needs to have tough skin

The new candidate thinks that he has the solutions for America's so-called 'identity crisis,' including getting rid of affirmative action.

'The first thing that I'm a big fan of doing is giving people credit where credit is due,' Ramaswamy told a group of about 20 Iowa business leaders.

'President Trump is actually a friend,' the candidate and best-selling author added. 'If I'm being really honest, I probably wouldn't have thoughts of doing what I'm doing now if he hadn't successfully done what he did in 2015 and 2016  came as a political outsider, shook it up, was able to say things that other Republican candidates refused or were unable to say.'

'Got to give credit where credit is due. He was the OG of America First  and, for what it's worth, I'm an unapologetic American First conservative, too,' Ramaswamy said. 'But the question is  Where do we go from here? To put America first, we first have to rediscover what America is.'

Ramaswamy said that he wants to roll out 'America First 2.0', which he says would include how to take Trump's agenda 'to the next level.'
A prisoner who killed body-in-a-barrel murderer Zlatko Sikorsky during a violent jailhouse bashing has admitted striking the notorious criminal in the head.

Sikorsky, 37, was on remand at Wolston Correctional Centre in Queensland awaiting trial for killing his teenage girlfriend Larissa Beilby when he was attacked by Isaac James Martin in November 2020.

Martin was alleged to have struck his fellow inmate in the head, causing fatal injuries, with Sikorsky dying in hospital days later.

At Brisbane Supreme Court on Friday, Martin pleaded guilty to a single count of unlawful striking causing death.

Martin, who represented himself during the arraignment, made a bizarre quip to Supreme Court Justice Peter Callaghan as his matter was adjourned for sentence.

'Just out of curiosity, how many episodes of Judge Judy do you reckon you could get on cable TV here? Just so I can prepare,' Martin asked Justice Callaghan.

Zlatko Sikorsky, 37, was on remand at Wolston Correctional Centre in Queensland awaiting trial for killing his teenage girlfriend Larissa Beilby

At the time of his death, Sikorsky was on remand awaiting his trial for torturing and murdering his girlfriend Larissa Beilby

Audible chuckles were heard in the courtroom as Martin said: 'You have a great day mate, cheers.'

The court was told Martin previously had legal representation but it was withdrawn after he refused to see a psychiatrist in prison.

Crown prosecutor Philip McCarthy said there would have been 'some potentiality' for Martin's matter to be referred to the mental health court had a report been prepared.

He said there was no suggestion on the crown's material that Martin was not criminally responsible for Sikorksy's death.

'Nonetheless, that (mental health) history may be relevant to the sentencing judge,' Mr McCarthy said.

The court was told Sikorsky's death was captured on video.

Interrupting proceedings, Martin told the court he 'didn't mean' to kill Sikorsky.

'I thought I was getting attacked,' he said.

Ms Beilby's decomposing body was found stuffed in a barrel attached to a ute which Sikorsky had dumped in Stapylton on the Gold Coast

'I heard something earlier in the day, and it just wasn't about me.'

Justice Callaghan recommended he save his submissions until his sentencing, but Martin replied he had a 'good memory' and could 'walk away' with a lesser sentence.

He continued rambling about how an investigation should be held into the incident because of 'a lot of things that haven't been said'.

'And a lot of things that can be brought into (the) allegations, and a whole lot of stuff that I can sit here and point out myself,' Martin said.

'Just with the knowledge I know about that, what happened months before, leading up to that, how I met Sikorsky, all that could be investigated.'

Justice Callaghan ordered a pre-sentence report be prepared before Martin's sentencing on April 6.

At the time of his death, Sikorsky was awaiting trial for torturing and murdering Ms Beilby, 16, in June 2018.

It was alleged he killed the young schoolgirl at a property in Buccan, south of Brisbane.

Ms Beilby's decomposing body was found stuffed in a barrel attached to a ute which Sikorsky had dumped in Stapylton on the Gold Coast.

He eventually surrendered after holing up in an Alexandra Hills unit for more than a day.
Russia has been accused of not being a 'good faith actor' when it comes to international diplomacy and the activities of its embassies.

A hive of foreign spies busted by Australia's intelligence agency in the past year was reportedly linked to Russia.

Nine newspapers on Friday cited unnamed sources as saying the spies posed as diplomats and had been operating for more than 18 months in multiple locations, including the Russian embassy in Canberra.

The busting of the 'hive' was revealed by ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess in a speech on Tuesday, but he did not not attribute it to any country.

The agents were trying to recruit Australians with access to classified information to steal data.

Nine newspapers on Friday cited unnamed sources as saying the spies posed as diplomats and had been operating for more than 18 months in multiple locations, including the Russian embassy (pictured) in Canberra

The busting of the 'hive' was revealed by ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess (pictured) in a speech on Tuesday, but he did not not attribute it to any country

Ukraine's ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko told the National Press Club on Friday it was up to Australia's intelligence agencies to deal with such matters.

'Of course, it's pretty clear we know how spies work - we know what they're doing here,' he said.

'Russia is not participating in international diplomacy or international relations as a good faith actor.'

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, who held the defence portfolio under the previous coalition government, said many countries were looking at Australia.

'The ASIO director-general hasn't confirmed the nationality of this ring,' he told Sky News.

'I don't think it would come as a surprise to anyone that certain countries are involved in those (espionage) activities on a daily basis.

'It's not just Russia and China but many other countries trying to work out their opportunities in Australia.'

Despite the report, Trade Minister Don Farrell rejected calls for the Russian ambassador to Australia to be expelled.

'If you expel the Russian ambassador, then you have no mechanism of communicating our displeasure with the decisions that the Russian government are taking,' he told ABC Radio.

'These are operational matters, of course, and they're not the sort of matters that we will discuss publicly.'

In his annual threat assessment delivered earlier this week, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation chief said intelligence officers uncovered a group of spies and had them removed from the country.

Mr Burgess said the 'hive' was working undercover and some of the spies had been put in place years earlier.

Proxies and agents were recruited as part of a wider network.

'Among other malicious activities, they wanted to steal sensitive information,' Mr Burgess said on Tuesday.

'We watched them. We mapped their activities. We mounted an intense and sustained campaign of operational activity.

'We confronted them. And, working with our partners, we removed them from this country, privately and professionally. The hive is history.'

Senator Farrell said he was confident in leaving the matter in the hands of the director-general.

Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said the speech by the ASIO boss showed the dangers being faced by the country.

'The events following (the speech) show that our country has never faced more sophisticated and difficult foreign interference threats than we do right now,' Senator Watt told Sky News.

'That's exactly why we're putting in place with ASIO the kind of mechanisms to keep Australian information and Australian people safe.'
A 4.2metre crocodile that attacked a man and ate his dog in far north Queensland has been shot dead by wildlife officers with rangers finding the fisherman's beloved pet inside its stomach.

Alister MacPhee and his dog were going for a Wednesday evening dip at Bloomfield boat ramp, north of Cairns, when the reptile erupted from the shallows, latched onto his leg and knocked him over.

The 37-year-old broke free from the crocodile's clutches, but it quickly snapped into his dog and dragged it underwater.

Mr MacPhee suffered wounds to his lower leg and was airlifted to Cairns Hospital, where he's refused to speak about the incident.

Parks and Wildlife Rangers found the same crocodile about 200m from where the attack happened and shot it dead on Thursday night.

Rangers later found the dog's remains inside the reptile's stomach.

Alister MacPhee and his dog were going for a Wednesday evening dip at Bloomfield boat ramp, north of Cairns, when the reptile erupted from the shallows, latched onto his leg and knocked him over

Pictured is the 4.2m crocodile that attacked a man and ate his dog in Bloomfield, Queensland

Northern wildlife operations manager Michael Joyce on Friday said the most important thing was public safety.

'This crocodile has built an association between food and humans and that's an unacceptable risk to the community and therefore we had to act,' he said.

'A majority of our wildlife officers are trained to shoot crocodiles from a moving vessel.

'Shooting a crocodile is a one-shot process, it is a very challenging job to do and one they train a lot to do and they are very skilled at doing that.

'Imagine from a moving vessel - from one or 200m away - shooting a 50-cent piece. That's basically what they have to do.'

Mr Joyce said the euthanasia of such a large crocodile in its natural habitat was 'unfortunately unavoidable'.

'It's important for communities in croc country to feel safe and for problem crocodiles to be dealt with appropriately,' he said.

The operations manager said the Bloomfield River is a well-known crocodile habitat, so the incident should be a warning to people to be cautious.

'Swimming in croc country is a choice,' he said.

Alister MacPhee, 37, was bitten on the leg by the croc, before his dog was also mauled

'Remember, warning signs are not there as decoration and swimming in croc country is a choice.'

'I suggest to people if they want to protect themselves and their families and their pets, is make good choices.'

Shocking footage earlier emerged of the attack.

Mr MacPhee's dog appeared to bravely attempt to save his owner, only for the crocodile to turn its attention to the pooch and grab it in its jaws.

Incredibly, Mr MacPhee then tried to rescue his dog, with footage showing him raining punches down on the massive reptile.

However, the croc won the battle and went back underwater with the dog, leaving Mr MacPhee to walk up the boat ramp, clutching his leg in shock after suffering several bites.

A nearby ranger rushed to Mr MacPhee's aid and he was treated at the Wujal Wujal clinic before a rescue helicopter airlifted him to Cairns Hospital in a stable condition.

He is understood to have undergone surgery on Thursday morning.

The ranger who came to Mr MacPhee's aid has been left shaken by the harrowing scenes.

The man and his dog were attacked at a boat ramp on Bloomfield River in far north Queensland

A crocodile lunged at the man and dragged him into the water at boat ramp on the Bloomfield River (pictured)

It's understood she was awarded ranger of the month in January and is likely to retain the title for a second consecutive month.

The terrifying happened just weeks after local issued a warning by sharing footage of a large crocodile lurking in the water near the boat ramp.

See that croc everyone,' the man who filmed a video of the waterway says. 'Beware of your children ... because he is hanging around here.'

Department of Environment and Science (DES) officers will seek the guidance of traditional owners of the area in regards to the disposal of the croc's remains.

The department has urged people to be 'crocwise' by anticipating crocodiles in all waterways and obeying the signs when in croc country.
Arizona rancher George Alan Kelly - who is charged with murdering a Mexican migrant by shooting him dead on his land last month - was released from custody Thursday on a $1million surety bond secured by his ranch.

Family members for Kelly, 73, have been able to raise over $350,000 on GiveSendGo, a Christian alternative to GoFundMe after the mainstream crowdfunder took pages Kelly's pages down.

Kelly was in custody on a single murder charge for shooting Gabriel Cuen-Butimea, on January 30.

He told police and border patrol agents that he fired warning shots when he saw Cuen-Butimea and at least eight other Mexican men running through his land.

The 73-year-old says he believed they were drug runners, and wanted to scare them away, but took care not to shoot at them directly.

George Alan Kelly, 73, says he was defending his land in Arizona when a group of up to 10 Mexican migrants ran through it on January 30, firing shots and carrying backpacks and radios

In court Wednesday, a judge agreed to convert Kelly's $1million cash bond to a surety bond, which will allow him to use his 170-acre ranch to get out after nearly a month in custody.

He will be backed to the tune of several hundred thousand dollars thanks to GiveSendGo, which first rose to prominence when it allowed people to help the Canadian trucker protest.

Much like that case, Kelly's is one where GoFundMe has not allowed fundraisers for the 73-year-old on the platform.

'GoFundMe's Terms of Service explicitly prohibit campaigns that raise money to cover the legal defense of anyone formally charged with an alleged violent crime. Consistent with this long-standing policy, any fundraising campaigns for the legal defense of someone charged with murder are removed from our platform,' a spokesperson told Fox News.

'Donors who contributed to the fundraising campaigns for George Alan Kelly's legal expenses have been fully refunded.'

GiveSendGo co-founder Heather Wilson told Fox that this was exactly why her platform exists.

'To allow people to have a voice and gain support in times of need. At this time [we] do not know any more than what is being shared on the news, but we do know that in our country a legal defense is not just for the wealthy,' she said.

'We will continue to allow the raising of funds for legal defense on GiveSendGo, as the presumption of innocent until proven guilty is a bedrock to our Justice system.'

In court Wednesday, a judge agreed to convert Kelly's $1million cash bond to a surety bond, which will allow him to use his 170-acre ranch to get out after nearly a month in custody

Kelly will be backed to the tune of several hundred thousand dollars thanks to GiveSendGo, which first rose to prominence when it allowed people to help the Canadian trucker protest

Kelly called border patrol after the shooting and the entire ranch was searched immediately but no bodies were found. It was only hours later, when he was trying to find his horse, that he found the man's body and called the authorities again to report the death.

Prosecutors however say Kelly - who has no criminal history and lives alone with his wife Wanda - deliberately 'hunted' the men down with an AK-47, and that he later changed his story multiple times while speaking with police and border patrol.

They say he shot 'innocent man' Cuen-Butimea in the back as he ran 'for his life', and are resting their case largely on the witness statements of two other men who have come forward recently and claim they were there that day.

Those men claim they were all migrants trying to sneak into America but that when Kelly started shooting, they jumped back over his fence and 'made it back to Mexico.'

He has also been charged with two counts of aggravated assault against 'Daniel' and 'Ramon' - the two migrants who have now come forward to assist the prosecution.

This photo provided by the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office in Nogales, Arizona shows rancher George Alan Kelly

George Alan Kelly, center, enters court for his preliminary hearing in Nogales Justice Court

An additional GiveSendGo page has raised over $50,000

Prosecutors today said Kelly shot an 'innocent man in the back as he fled for his life.'

In a filing, they said the migrants posed 'no threat to him or his family.'

'This type of unprovoked attack presents a significant danger to the victims and community,' Deputy County Attorney Kimberly Hunley said in the filing.

Kelly's attorney said the two men who have come forward have been afforded complete faith by the prosecution - whereas all of the rancher's comments have been scrutinized.

She also pointed to the fact that these men have only now come forward as witnesses, nearly a month after the shooting, after the case gained national and international media attention.

'There is a very large incentive structure for people to come forward - people can obtain immigration benefits for dong so. They can also succumb to pressure from traffickers, who have an interest in blaming this event on Mr. Kelly,' she said.

'Testimony is bought and sold by drug traffickers. It's a commodity and it is used.

'The benefit they are getting here is security for their smuggling route through his property, and they are sending a message to anyone else, that if you defend your property against us, you'll be arrested and there will be witnesses.'

Kelly listens to prosecutors in court on Wednesday. His $1 million bond was converted from cash to security meaning he can use his home to secure release.

Kelly's wife Wanda leaving court on Wednesday. He says he was only trying to protect her

Kelly's 170-acre ranch is a stone's throw from the border. He told police he was having lunch with his wife when he heard gunshots on January 30. He went to the porch with his gun, and says he fired warning shots while watching a group of men run through the trees

Kimberly Hunley, Chief Deputy County Attorney, called Kelly a danger to society in her brief

Kelly's lawyer said that the case was 'decided' before it was even charged, and that he is being unfairly tarnished as a violent racist.

The body of Gabriel Cuen-Butimea was later found on the ranch land

'There was no bullet. There were no witnesses. But the government jumps the gun and decides to charge premeditated, first degree murder,' she said.

'This lit a match over a very intense political powder keg and predictably there was an explosion.

'This case has been highly publicized, highly politicized. People have already prejudged this case very loudly.

'After this giant, political explosion happened, random witnesses start to come forward. They come forward very much after the fact - after the investigation is compromised by all of the publicity - essentially anyone can come forward.

'The state doesn't appear to have vetted any of these witnesses.

'The state does not appear to scrutinize these witness statements the same way they've his there appears to be a double standard and confirmation bias.'

The prosecution, in their own filing, asked the judge to keep Kelly behind bars so that the witnesses - and the victim's family - would feel safe attending court.
A photojournalist who was injured in a Florida shooting rampage that took the life of his colleague while they were covering an earlier murder has been identified.

Jesse Walden was photographing the crime scene on Wednesday in Pine Hills when the gunman returned and continued shooting, killing Spectrum News 13 reporter Dylan Lyons and a nine-year-old girl.

Walden spoke out from his hospital bed on Thursday where he was recovering from surgery. He said Lyons was more than a co-worker - he was a friend.

Walden and Lyons were covering the murder of Nathacha Augustin, 38, who died at the scene after being shot earlier that morning. After opening fire on reporters later that day, the gunman also shot and killed a nine-year-old girl and injured her mother.

Keith Melvin Moses, 19, was taken into custody where he screamed that he couldn't breathe and then allegedly pretended to be asleep to avoid police questioning.

Jesse Walden is a photojournalist who was injured in a Florida shooting rampage that took the life of his reporter colleague Dylan Lyons and a nine-year-old girl

Dylan Lyons, 24, was shot and killed while reporting on a shooting in Pine Hills, Florida, yesterday. He was just six months into his job at Spectrum News 13

Keith Melvin Moses, 19, was taken into custody where he screamed that he couldn't breathe and then allegedly pretended to be asleep to avoid police questioning

Walden is expected to be released from the hospital within a day or two, but knows he faces a long road of recovery. He also faces the pain of losing his friend.

'Dylan was a very, very wholesome person,' Walden said from his hospital bed on Thursday. 'Like, he had a great sense of humor too.'

Walden and Lyons became close when they started at Spectrum News 13 around the same time last year and ended up on the night shift together.

He said Lyons was happy to be doing what he loved.

'He had a very strong sense of justice,' he added. 'He would really want everyone to follow the rules when it came to people with power.'

Walden said he's going to keep his spirits up and keep on for his friend.

'Every step of the way, I've been blessed. You know, just -- people care,' he said.

Walden is expected to be released from the hospital within a day or two, but knows he faces a long road of recovery. He also faces the pain of losing his friend

Walden and Lyons became close when they started at Spectrum News 13 around the same time last year and ended up on the night shift together

Walden and Lyons were in an unmarked news vehicle on Wednesday afternoon covering the first homicide when a man approached and shot them.

The alleged gunman then went to a nearby home where he fatally shot 9-year-old T'yonna Major and critically wounded the girl's mother.

Moses was taken to the hospital following his arrest and a motive for the killings remain unclear.

After complaining that he couldn't breathe, he then began 'fighting with hospital staff' and had to be restrained.

Once in police custody, Moses 'pretended to be asleep' to try to get out of his interview. He remains in custody but is refusing to talk to detectives.

'Moses is not speaking to us. We're unable to determine a motive at this time.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office released video of Moses' arrest that shows the deputies placing struggling Moses in handcuffs as he yells that he can't breath and screams: 'They're killing me!'

Moses is charged with first-degree murder in the initial shooting that killed Nathacha Augustin, 38, that morning and officials said 'numerous more charges' will follow.

Moses smirked and smiled as he was taken away in handcuffs after being arrested in connection to the three killings in Orlando, Florida

T'Yonna Major, 9, was shot dead in her home when the gunman stormed in and opened fire

T'Yonna's mother Brandi was also shot. She remains in the hospital

The arrest on Wednesday came after the shooting spree that began early that morning and ended with three dead and two injured.

Video released shows the moment deputies put an end to his rampage. 'Get on your face!' the deputies are heard yelling. 'Let me go!' Moses yells back. 'They're killing me! Let me go!'

Deputies placed him in handcuffs and then could be seen cutting open Moses' jeans and seized a Glock semiautomatic weapon that 'was still hot to the touch, meaning it had just been fired, and there were no more rounds.'

Orange County Sheriff John Mina characterized the shootings Wednesday as random acts of violence.

Moses complained he was hurt and was taken to a hospital where he attacked medical staff, Mina said. He has since refused to speak with detectives.
Five consultants who were killed when a twin-engine plane crashed shortly after takeoff in Arkansas have been identified.

The colleagues who worked with The Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health were on their way to probe a deadly explosion at a manufacturing plant in Bedford, Ohio, when the plane went down on Wednesday.

Gunter Beaty, Kyle Bennett, Micah Kendrick, Sean Sweeney and Glenmarkus Walker were identified as the five who died in the crash, according to a Twitter post from CTEH that read: 'They were valuable members of our team and CTEH family.'

The twin-engine Beech BE20 crashed near Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, Arkansas shortly after takeoff.

Five consultants for The Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, who were killed when their plane crashed in Arkansas, have been identified. Pictured L to R are Micah Kendrick, Kyle Bennett, Gunter Beaty, Glenmarkus Walker, and Sean Sweeney

The twin-engine Beech BE20 crashed near Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, Arkansas shortly after takeoff

Everyone on the plane, including the pilot, worked at CTEH. The company specializes in environmental data collection and incident management - especially in terms of industrial hygiene and toxicology.

'It is with a heavy heart that we acknowledge the passing of our colleagues - Gunter Beaty, Kyle Bennett, Micah Kendrick, Sean Sweeney and Glenmarkus Walker,' the tweet read. 'They were valuable members of our team and CTEH family.'

Sean Sweeney, 64, was the pilot; Gunter Beaty, 23, was a production safety data manager; and Glenmarkus Walker, 32, was a rapid responder.

Micah Kendrick, 41, was a safety supervisor with experience in conducting real-time air monitoring during chemical release responses, according to the company's website.

Kyle Bennett, 36, was a staffing manager with a focus on logistics, and has experience responding to crude oil releases, train derailments, chemical spills and other emergency responses, the website said.

Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to the crash, with local reports indicating there were high winds and thunderstorms in the area at the time.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have since taken over the investigation.

Sean Sweeney was a 64-year-old pilot who was identified as one of the victims in the crash

Micah Kendrick, 41, was a safety supervisor with experience in conducting real-time air monitoring during chemical release responses, according to the company's website

Kyle Bennett, 36, was a staffing manager with a focus on logistics, and has experience responding to crude oil releases, train derailments, chemical spills and other emergencies

Glenmarkus Walker, 32, was a rapid responder

Gunter Beaty, 23, was a production safety data manager

The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane was a twin propeller engine Beech BE20. Aircraft pictured is not the plane involved in Wednesday's incident

Dr. Paul Nony (pictured) is senior vice president of The Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, and confirmed five of his employees died in the small plane crash

Dr. Paul Nony, senior vice president of CTEH, confirmed that the five deceased worked at the company. They were heading to investigate I. Schumann & Co's recent explosion - in which the brass and bronze alloys firm burst into flames, leaving molten metal raining down on the surrounding area, and killing one staff member.

Dr Nony told DailyMail.com: 'We are incredibly saddened to report the loss of our Little Rock colleagues. We ask everyone to keep the families of those lost and the entire CTEH team in their thoughts and prayers.'

The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane was a twin propeller-engine Beech BE20, which was bound for Columbus International Airport in Ohio when it went down shortly after takeoff.

A large plume of white smoke could be seen rising from the crash site, which was reportedly outside a 3M Co factory plant.

It is still unclear what caused the plane to crash that killed the five colleagues.

Authorities noted that the weather in the area had been severe, which was hampering their immediate investigations into the wreck.

According to Arkansas Storm Team meteorologist Pat Walker, weather around the airport had seen significant wind gusts around the time of the crash.

The National Weather Service said a line of thunderstorms had been moving through the area, including wind gusts of 40 miles per hour. The Pulaski Sheriff's Office said it is investigating if weather was a factor in the incident.

Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to the crash, with local reports indicating there were high winds and thunderstorms in the area at the time

The small twin engine plane was bound for Ohio when it went down shortly after takeoff

Witness Dennis Gordon told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that he was standing nearby when he heard a large explosion after strong winds blew into the area.

He said the initial explosion was followed by several other smaller explosions, leading to a fire and a large plume of smoke.

'It was just red, then it starts turning black, and there's this burnt smell,' Gordon said.

The witness added that a large amount of smoke filled the sky following the crash, with fire crews quickly on the scene to extinguish the fire.

The consultants were on their way to probe a deadly explosion at a manufacturing plant in Bedford, Ohio, when the plane went down on Wednesday. The blast sent smoke billowing into the sky that could be seen for miles around the damaged factory

Ambulances were on the scene of I. Schumann & Co., which makes brass and bronze alloys

The plane was en route to a large explosion at the metal manufacturing plant in Bedford, Ohio, that killed one and injured at least 13 people.

The explosion in Bedford, Ohio is located just about 70 miles northwest of East Palestine, where a toxic train derailed on February 3. It is just south of Cleveland.

The blast sent smoke billowing into the sky that could be seen for miles around the damaged factory.

All of those injured were on site, the falling debris having spared those at neighboring businesses, Oakwood Fire Department Captain Brian DiRocco said.
As the Russia-Ukraine war marks one year, Ukrainians paid respect to their loved ones and swore to win the fight against invaders.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was scheduled to take part in a virtual meeting with US officials, per an Reuters report.

Western and Japanese politicians, including US President Joe Biden, praised Ukraine for having a "year of invincibility" as the Russia Ukraine war entered its second year.

Further sanctions on Russia were anticipated to be announced by the leaders.

In a televised speech, Volodymyr Zelensky underscored the unity among Ukrainians as they "have become one family" amid the crisis.

"Ukrainians have sheltered Ukrainians, opened their homes and hearts to those who were forced to flee the war," Zelenskiy said.

The Ukrainian leader also noted that Ukrainians have shown that they are stronger than artillery, "cluster bombs, cruise missiles, kamikaze drones, blackouts, and cold."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pledged to 'do everything to win this year' in a video address on the 1-year anniversary of Russias invasion of his country 



: https://t.co/vqPSHxdQhU pic.twitter.com/mWA1pUi2o4  Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) February 24, 2023

"We were not defeated. And we will do everything to gain victory this year!" Ukraine's head of state remarked.

President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed diplomats and troops in Kyiv's Saint Sophia Square and presented a medal to the mother of a fallen soldier, who fought back her tears.

Read Also: Australia Ousts Russian Spies From Country

The capital of Ukraine is not hosting any big events to commemorate the first anniversary of the Ukraine war. But many people attended church services and other activities taking place throughout Kyiv, per an Al Jazeera report.

Candles were lit and prayers were offered as soldiers prepared to return to the front lines of the Ukraine war.

Zelensky Interested To Meet with Xi Jinping

Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelensky said he was interested in talking to China although he had not yet seen China's proposal to halt Russia's conflict in Ukraine.

China, a strong Russian ally, will outline its view on resolving the Russia Ukraine war politically in a paper that considers territorial sovereignty, and security.

"We would like to meet with China," Pres. Zelensky told a Kyiv press conference when asked about engaging with Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to CNBC.

Related Article: Xi Jinping Reveals Plan To Help End Russia-Ukraine War

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A Colombian student who killed a Coogee sex worker when he discovered she was transgender has been found not guilty of murder after a judge found he did not intend to seriously injure her.

Hector Enrique Valencia Valencia, 23, killed Kimberley McRae, 69, in January 2020.

He punched her in the stomach and face before pressing a lamp cord against her neck and left her lifeless body inside her apartment.

Throughout his trial, Valencia admitted to assaulting and killing Ms McRae after going to her Mount Street home in Sydney's east and paying $100 for oral sex.

He argued he did not intend to cause grievous bodily harm to Ms McRae, who was found dead on January 14 after a concerned relative contacted her real estate agent.

Hector Enrique Valencia Valencia, 23, killed Kimberley McRae, 69, (pictured) when he pressed a lamp cord against her neck and left her lifeless body inside her apartment in January 2020

Throughout his trial, Valencia (pictured) admitted to assaulting and killing Ms McRae after going to her Mount Street home and paying $100 for oral sex

Earlier this month he stood trial in the NSW Supreme Court where he pleaded guilty to manslaughter but not guilty to murder.

Justice Dina Yehia on Friday found the former business student not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter.

She said that the Crown prosecution had not proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Valencia intended to either kill or cause serious harm to Ms McRae.

Her decomposing body was found on the floor of her bedroom covered in a doona, with a pillow over her head and part of a lamp cord sitting over her neck.

Crown prosecutor Craig Everson argued that by pressing the cord on Ms McRae's neck, Valencia exhibited 'an intention to inflict really serious injury' after he became angry and upset upon discovering that she was transgender.

Hector Enrique Valencia Valencia was extradited back to Australia. Picture: NSW Police

The court has heard that Ms McRae advertised her services online as a 38-year-old female and she described herself as a 'MILF' with 'G-cup breasts'.

After getting naked and receiving sexual services for around five to 10 minutes, Mr Valencia became 'suspicious' about Ms McRae's gender, he told the court during his trial.

He said in his testimony that at the time he believed she was a woman and that it was against his religious beliefs 'that I had sexual intimacy with another man' leading him to feel 'upset'.

During his evidence, he told the court that while still naked, he punched Ms McRae before she grabbed a nearby lamp which she used to strike him on the shoulder.

They then wrestled over control of the lamp and its cord.

'The accused explained this was to stop her attack,' Justice Yehia said.

Valencia (pictured) sold his motorcycle for $2000, borrowed $1000 from friends and bought a ticket, using his landlord's credit card, back to Colombia

Two days after the deadly attack, Valencia sent a series of Facebook messages to a friend in Spanish, the court was told (above, a digital mock-up of the translated evidence read out in court)

'He said he was scared and panicked and he was scared she was going to choke him.'

As they wrestled on the ground, Valencia pressed the cord against Ms McRae's neck, telling the court he 'probably' watched her die.

He forcefully held it there for 'a few seconds' until she stopped resisting, Valencia told the court.

Justice Yehia said she was satisfied by the forensic evidence that Ms McRae died due to asphyxiation caused by 'neck compression'.

An autopsy stated she died of neck compression, leading to asphyxiation, as well as noting she had suffered a fractured thyroid cartilage.

In finding Valencia not guilty of murder, she pointed to key pieces of forensic evidence including that a thyroid can be fractured with just 2kgs of pressure.

Valencia had admitted he killed Ms McRae during a violent altercation inside her Mount Street unit after paying her for sexual services

As well, she said that a person can be rendered unconscious in just seconds.

The court also heard Ms McRae had undergone surgery to shave her Adam's apple, which could have made her more vulnerable to a fractured thyroid cartilage.

Two days after killing Ms McRae, Valencia sent a message to a friend saying: 'I threw my life away dude' and that he was fearful of going to jail.

'I die of shame to tell this to anybody. I believe I killed a w****... I better go Colombia before they catch me. But I cannot see her in the news,' the message said.

'I do not know if she is dead, but she must be after what happened.'

Hector Enrique Valencia Valencia (pictured in red) returned to Colombia but was arrested in Aruba and extradited back to Australia where he has been in custody ever since

Mr Valencia sold his motorcycle for $2,000 and stole his landlord's credit card to buy a plane ticket back to Colombia before he was later arrested in Aruba, which has an extradition agreement with Australia.

He was brought back to Sydney under police guard to stand trial and on Friday afternoon was found not guilty of murder.

Wearing prison greens, Valencia listened to Justice Yehia's two-hour judgment via a Spanish translator and did not react as he was found not guilty.

Valencia will face sentence proceedings for manslaughter in May.
The decision by BBC bosses to hand Ken Bruce's mid-morning slot to Vernon Kay has upset listeners and further deepened the 'ageism' storm engulfing Radio 2 - with bosses accused of choosing 'younger, cheaper' TV stars over veteran DJs.

Mr Bruce, 72, will present his final 9.30am to midday show on March 3, the BBC confirmed on Friday, before moving over to rival Greatest Hits radio, with Kay signing a two-year deal to replace him.

But industry insiders have said that Vernon is unlikely to be given Ken Bruce's 389,999-a-year salary because of his age and lack of radio experience compared to the veteran, who draws in 8.2million listeners each week.

A senior radio source told MailOnline: 'Vernon's agents would have used Ken's salary as a starting point but would probably have been negotiated down to 250,000 to 300,000, reflecting that he's much less experienced than Ken. He is younger and probably cheaper.'

Kay said today that he was 'absolutely over the moon to be handed the microphone to present the mid-morning show on Radio 2,' adding that it was 'an honour to follow in the footsteps of the mighty Ken Bruce.'

Veteran DJ Ken Bruce is to step down from his popular BBC Radio 2 show in April and will be succeeded by Vernon Kay

Kay, who is married to Strictly presenter Tess Daly, will host his first show in May

Poll Is Vernon Kay the best replacement for Ken Bruce? Yes No Is Vernon Kay the best replacement for Ken Bruce? Yes 1280 votes

No 5952 votes Now share your opinion





He added: 'I look forward to playing some of the best music in the world whilst in the company of the Radio 2 listeners who I feel I've got to know over the last 18 months.

'It's a dream come true to join the Radio 2 family and I can't wait to start.'

Helen Thomas, head of Radio 2, said: 'Radio 2 is home to some of the UK's best-loved presenters, and I'm thrilled to welcome Vernon to mid-mornings on Radio 2.

'He's a hugely talented, warm and witty host who has already proved himself to be a firm favourite with our listeners when he's presented many and varied shows across the station. I can't wait to hear his brilliant new show.'

The BBC confirmed Gary Davies, host of the station's Sounds Of The 80s, will present the mid-morning show from March 6 until Kay takes over the helm in May on a date which is yet to be announced.

The DJ will usher in Radio 2's new weekday pop quiz to replace Bruce's popular PopMaster format as well as continuing his own radio show which he has fronted since 2018.

It comes after legendary local radio DJ Roger 'Twiggy' Day, who now works for Boom Radio, said today: 'Vernon Kay to replace Ken Bruce on Radio Two. Great news for Boom. They should rename it [Radio 2] TV on Radio' - a reference to the number of TV stars now on the station, which on Friday confirmed former model and T4 presenter Kay as host.

Radio 2 fans have accused the BBC of ageism as a string of older DJs step back, including Paul O'Grady, Steve Wright, Ken Bruce and Simon Mayo

Vernon Kay: From magazine model to one of Britain's most recognisable broadcasters Vernon Kay has become a familiar face and voice to the British public after fronting a variety of TV shows and radio programmes across his career. The 48-year-old presenter will once again be heard by listeners across the country as he replaces Ken Bruce on his BBC Radio 2 mid-morning weekday show. Brought up in Bolton, Greater Manchester, Kay started his career in the industry after he was scouted by a modelling agency while on a drunken night out with friends. The broadcaster had been working for his cousin in his DIY shop at the time when he was asked to do a catwalk by a scout while attending the BBC Clothes Show Live. After he strutted for the agent, he was invited to London and did a number of magazine modelling gigs. Kay later moved into presenting and has hosted TV shows for ITV including All Star Family Fortunes, Splash!, Just The Two Of Us, Beat The Star and 1,000 Heartbeats. He also presented his own BBC Radio 1 show between 2004 and 2012, and another on Radio X between 2015 and 2017. Kay previously filled in for other Radio 2 presenters including Zoe Ball and Scott Mills. He has also hosted coverage of Formula E motor racing and previously said he thinks sports presenting is more difficult than some of his previous jobs. In 2020, he appeared on the 20th series of I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here!, finishing in third place behind radio DJ Jordan North and podcaster and presenter Giovanna Fletcher, who was crowned Queen of the Jungle. Kay has also led two all-male takeovers of Loose Women to celebrate International Men's Day and Mental Health Awareness Week. On the special editions, dubbed Loose Men, he discussed the importance of men speaking about their mental health alongside famous faces including rugby player Mike Tindall, radio presenter Roman Kemp and comedian Iain Stirling. Kay has been married to Strictly Come Dancing host Tess Daly, 53, since 2003 and the couple have two daughters, Phoebe and Amber. Advertisement

Ken Bruce is the latest in a long line of older DJs to leave Radio 2 - and his loyal fans have vowed to follow him and his much-loved Popmaster quiz. His mid-morning show is the most popular in the UK.

So-called 'Radio 2 refugees' are upset by ever-younger DJs playing increasingly modern hits, with Ken also reportedly said to share concerns about the station's edgier playlist.

Radio 2 has haemorrhaged 580,000 listeners in the last year after axing older stars.

Former fan of the station Fiona Rees tweeted: 'This has had a huge impact on me.

'All negative... Vernon Kay now replacing Ken Bruce. Radio 2 is totally unrecognisable.'

The BBC has continually been accused of ageism as Paul O'Grady exited Radio 2 - preceded by Steve Wright, 68, Graham Norton, 59, and Simon Mayo, 64, all replaced with a younger line-up.

Vanessa Feltz, 60, and Craig Charles, 58, have also moved on, with Ms Feltz saying her exit was because she was a woman over the age of 60.

This sidelining of older 'baby-boomer' DJs and pursuing 'Gen Z' and younger listeners with under-50 presenters playing fewer classic hits and more modern pop has coincided with listeners going elsewhere.

Listener Dan Tappin wrote: 'I've been quite supportive of the changes to Radio 2 because the station has to change to reflect 40-year-olds of now.

'But Vernon Kay is not the correct replacement for Ken Bruce.'

Dan Rowley added: 'Vernon Kay to replace Ken Bruce. Poor lad. It's like when Moyes replaced Fergie.'

Bruce's slot has been hailed as the 'biggest, most coveted' job in radio.

A source said: 'Ken's show is the most listened to in Europe so Vernon has massive shoes to fill.

'But he's such a warm, easy presenter and listeners have really taken to him.

'Vernon has a raft of fresh, new ideas and content, but will not be trying to reinvent the wheel here - he knows how important this show is to listeners, and wants them to feel welcome and safe.

'Everyone at the Beeb is hugely excited to have him on board.'

A formal announcement confirming Kay was made on Friday, after contracts were understood to have been signed last week.

Kay, who is married to Strictly presenter Tess Daly, will host his first show in May.

A source told the Sun: 'Ken is Europe's most listened-to DJ and has nothing left to prove at the BBC.

'He's had an incredible time working there and is so grateful for the loyalty of all his listeners.

'But in recent years, there's been a noticeable shift in direction, with a drive to attract a younger audience.'

Ken Bruce (pictured with his good friend Rod Stewart) is leaving the BBC after 45 years, quitting Radio 2 for Greatest Hits Radio

Ken Bruce said he has done all he could at the BBC and wants a fresh challenge for the end of his career. Many fans will follow him

BBC Radio 2 has been accused of ageism after the mass departure of some of its best-known hosts

Last month, it was reported Bruce quit Radio 2 because he felt 'unloved' by bosses  who failed to reassure him over a new contract even though they wanted to keep him, BBC insiders say.

One source claimed that despite the desire to hang on to the DJ  Britain's most popular radio host  a 'mix-up' meant he wasn't told. This is said to have helped convince him to join commercial rival Greatest Hits Radio.

The unexpected announcement of the 71-year-old presenter's departure is now said to have sparked discord at the BBC, as many regard it as completely avoidable.

One well-placed source said: 'They definitely wanted to renew his contract but because of a mix-up nobody told him. He is a proud man and did not want to ask. When he told them he was going they were all saying, 'but we were about to offer you a three-year deal'... Bit late.'

But another source close to the station disputed the contract claims, saying: 'Ken was reassured on more than one occasion that his future on Radio 2 was safe.'

The Scottish star is believed to have been unsettled by the way the corporation had axed presenter Steve Wright's long-running show last year amid a push to appeal to younger listeners.

Bruce is also said to have asked bosses to stop making him play 'tuneless dance music' but had not received any proper responses to his pleas.

The Radio 2 insider told the Mail: 'Ken felt unloved. Part of the issue was being told our target audience is 'mood mums' but never hearing who they are or what they want! We have started to play a lot of tuneless dance music and Ken had begged them to stop making him play it but apparently his emails never got responses.'

The source, who accused bosses of being 'asleep at the wheel', added: '[Wright's departure] just focused his mind. When they sacked Steve they didn't consider the effect it might have on the rest of the presenters.'

Bruce has been at the BBC for 45 years  31 of them presenting his Radio 2 mid-morning show.
He described the day of invasion as the 'most difficult day in our recent history'

Volodymyr Zelensky today marked the anniversary of Russia's barbaric invasion with a sombre message of defiance as he vowed to bring Russian 'murderers' to justice.

As dawn broke on a day of commemorations, the Ukrainian president hailed his nation for fighting back against Vladimir Putin's troops during 'a year of pain, sorrow, faith and unity'.

In an emotional video address, he said: 'We have endured. We were not defeated. And we will do everything to gain victory this year.'

Hailing cities such as Bucha, Irpin and Mariupol as 'capitals of invincibility', he added: 'Ukraine has inspired the world. Ukraine has united the world...

'We will never rest until the Russian murderers face deserved punishment.'

Volodymyr Zelensky, left, holds the flag of a military unit as an officer kisses it during a commemorative event to mark the anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine

The Ukrainian president gave a sombre message of defiance, saying 'we will do everything to gain victory this year'. Pictured: A father holds his daughter in Ukraine in the video shared by Mr Zelensky

In a video released to the media and titled 'The Year of Invincibility', the 45-year-old recalled the day Vladimir Putin's forces invaded

In an emotional video address, Zelensky said: 'We will never rest until the Russian murderers face deserved punishment'

Speaking about February 24, 2022, the date of the Russian invasion, Mr Zelensky said: 'We survived the first day of the full-scale war. We didn't know what tomorrow would bring, but we clearly understood that for each tomorrow, you need to fight. And we fought.

'It was the longest day of our lives. The hardest day of our modern history. We woke up early and haven't fallen asleep since.'

On the first anniversary of the invasion, Ukrainians planned memorials and candle vigils for their tens of thousands of dead - a toll that continues to grow as fighting rages in eastern Ukraine.

However former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev today vowed Russia would win the war and was ready to fight up to Poland's borders if needed to counter 'threats'.

In a chilling message on social media site, Medvedev said: 'Victory will be achieved. This is why it is so important to reach all the goals of the special military operation. To push back the borders of the threats against our country as far as possible, even if this is to the borders of Poland.'

It came as China called for a ceasefire between the two nations - an idea previously rejected by Ukraine for fear it would allow Russia to regroup militarily after bruising battlefield setbacks.

A 12-point paper issued this morning by China's foreign ministry also called for the end of Western sanctions that are squeezing Russia's economy.

In Ukraine, there were concerns that Russia might unleash another barrage of missiles against Ukraine to pile yet more sadness on the grim day.

Mercifully, air raid alarms did not sound overnight in the capital, Kyiv, but the government recommended that schools move classes online and office employees work from home.

Tributes to Ukraine poured in from overseas with the Eiffel Tower lit up yellow and blue - the colours of the Ukrainian flag.

Nato said it was 'resolute' in supporting Ukraine while German chancellor Olaf Scholz insisted that Putin will not reach his aims in Ukraine.

'The earlier the Russian president realises that he will not reach his imperialistic goal, the bigger the chance that the war will end soon. Putin has it in his hands. He can end this war,' said Mr Scholz.

EU President Ursula von der Leyen hailed the 'heroic' fighting spirit of Ukrainians, adding: 'One year of brutal Russian aggression. One year of heroic Ukrainian resistance. One year of European solidarity. Ahead of us is a future of unity.

'You are fighting for freedom, for democracy, and for your place in the European Union. We are with you, for as long as it takes.'

Mr Zelensky attends a commemorative event in Kyiv on Friday

Mr Zelensky gives the award of Hero of Ukraine to relatives of a soldier who was killed on the frontline

Commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces Valery Zaluzhny, right, talks to an officer during a commemorative event

Paramedics move a Ukrainian soldier wounded at the Bakhmut frontline to a field hospital on Thursday

A Ukrainian army serviceman lies in a newly dug trench as troops fire an anti-tank grenade launcher towards a Russian position, near Bakhmut on February 23

A year ago, on Feb. 24, 2022, Russia launched attacks across Ukraine, triggering a humanitarian crisis and fierce Western condemnation.



This is how battleground control shifted throughout the next year: https://t.co/C4htdUJa0l pic.twitter.com/1jbgvOUHOS  The Associated Press (@AP) February 24, 2023

In a tweet, Mr Zelensky said the Russian assault had been a moment when 'millions of us made a choice'.

Ukrainians chose not the white flag of surrender 'but the blue and yellow one. Not fleeing, but facing. Resisting and fighting.'

In the year since, the world has watched in horror as Putin's soldiers have dropped missiles on apartment buildings, tortured civilians before shooting them dead, and systematically raped women and girls.

Men, women and children - the youngest known victim being a 14-year-old boy - have been executed by Russian soldiers, their bodies thrown into deep troughs dug into the ground.

The scale of the suffering and the indiscriminate targeting of men, women and children has seen at least 7,000 civilians killed and nearly eight million Ukrainians flee to countries across Europe.

When the first air strikes hit Ukrainian cities a year ago today, hundreds of thousands fled across the border to neighbouring countries. Thousands more had fled in the days leading up to the invasion, fearing the worst.

Emotional scenes at train stations showed fathers waving tearful goodbyes to their wives and children before returning to fight for Ukraine. Some families have been torn apart forever, with tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers killed so far.

For those Ukrainians who have stayed in Ukraine, they have seen their homes and towns razed and their loved ones killed or wounded by Russian missiles.

In March last year, a month into the war, Russian soldiers unleashed a series of indiscriminate bombs on civilian areas, leaving death and destruction in their wake.

During a three-month siege in the southern city of Mariupol, Russian forces levelled the city and killed hundreds of civilians in missile attacks. The world watched in horror as Russian forces bombed a maternity hospital on March 9, killing a pregnant woman and her baby, and wounding at least 17 people.

A week later, Russian aircraft again dropped missiles on civilian areas - this time on the Donetsk Regional Theatre in Mariupol, which was housing hundreds of civilians and had 'children' written in large white letters outside. At least a dozen people were killed and scores more were injured in the attack.

The attacks on civilians continue. Last month, on January 14, a Russian missile strike on an apartment building in the city of Dnipro killed at least 44 people, including five children, and injured 79 people.

Ukrainian troops and their UK military instructors mark one year since the start of the war at Lydd army camp in Kent

Ukrainian military recruits take part in prayers, blessings and a one-minute silence alongside British and Canadian troops

Since October, Russian forces have also repeatedly targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure, plunging cities into darkness and leaving millions without heat during the bitterly cold winter months.

In the early months of the war, Russian forces were forced to retreat from towns and cities across Ukraine - but as they retreated, the war crimes they have committed against civilians has become clear.

Since March, mass graves have been filled with the bodies of thousands of civilians, many with their hands tied behind their backs, along with torture chambers discovered in liberated areas of Ukraine in areas across the Kyiv and Kharkiv regions - including the cities of Bucha, Irpin and Izyum.

Mr Zelensky was visibly emotional and stood motionless as he surveyed the scene of utter devastation he encountered when he visited Bucha in April last year, with dozens of bodies shot at close range lying on the empty streets.

The civilians who survived have detailed how Russian soldiers detained them for months and subjected them to electric shocks, waterboarding and beatings.

Horrific testimonies - including how Russian soldiers gang-raped a 22-year-old Ukrainian mother, sexually abused her husband and made the couple have sex in front of them before raping their four-year-old daughter - have also shown how Putin's men have used rape as a weapon of war.

In many cases, the Russian soldiers would shoot dead the women's husbands - or threaten to do so - as soon as they tried to defend their wives and stop them from being raped.

Russian soldiers have also detained more than 20,000 Ukrainian 'hostages' and sent them to Russia, Ukraine's human rights envoy said last month.

In response, economic and diplomatic repercussions have rippled across the globe.

The West has continued to hit Moscow with sanctions, cutting its biggest banks off from the Swift financial network, curbing its access to technology and restricting its ability to export oil and gas.

Ursula von der Leyen attends a wreath-laying ceremony in Tallin, Estonia, on Friday

The president of the European Commission marks the anniversary of the conflict at the War of Independence Victory Column on Friday

A Ukrainian national flag flies from the Reichstag building in Berlin

As a result of the crippling sanctions, Russia was forced to miss a key payment deadline in June, meaning Moscow defaulted on its foreign debt for the first time since the Bolshevik coup more than a century ago.

Moscow has retaliated to the Western sanctions by cutting off the supplies of cheap natural gas to European countries, driving up inflation and energy prices there. European officials accused Russia of 'energy blackmail' after its state-owned gas exporter Gazprom closed its Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany.

Higher costs for energy and food have destabilised business activity around the world.

While Western nations are supporting Ukraine militarily, financially and politically, China, India and countries in the global south have proven ambivalent about Western arguments that Ukraine is the front line of a fight for freedom and democracy.

And in a blow to the West, the Kremlin has sought to replace revenues lost from its oil and gas exports to Europe with a pivot to China, India and other Asian countries. Trade between Russia and China hit a record high of $190billion last year.
Calls for her to resign as President of Federal Women's Committee

Liberal Party veteran Robyn Nolan has apologised to Brittany Higgins after she made 'shocking' comments about the former staffer during a Liberal Party women's event.

The former politician said she was 'deeply sorry' for 'inappropriate' comments she made towards Ms Higgins, who has faced vitriol since her high profile rape case against Bruce Lehrmann.

The remarks, which were made at an ACT Women's Council meeting on Wednesday night, cannot be revealed for legal reasons.

'I am deeply sorry for any comments I made,' Ms Nolan, who is also the President of the Federal Women's Committee in the Liberal Party, told news.com.au.

Liberal Party veteran Robyn Nolan has apologised to Brittany Higgins (pictured) after she made 'shocking' comments about the former Liberal staffer during an ACT Liberal Party women's event

The former politician (circled in red) said she was 'deeply sorry' for 'inappropriate' comments she made towards Ms Higgins at the women's event held in the ACT

'They were inappropriate, and I apologise unreservedly. I apologise to Ms Higgins and, also, to all those who were at the event.'

The comments have sparked complaints to the Liberal Party and calls for Ms Nolan to resign from her current position, which expires later this year.

Ms Higgins accused her colleague Bruce Lehrmann of sexually assaulting her in Parliament House in March 2019.

He has always maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty at trial last year. Lehrmann's trial collapsed last year after juror misconduct.

Prosecutors later dropped the sexual assault charge against him over concerns about Ms Higgins' mental health.

Pictured: Brittany Higgins and her lawyers arrive at the ACT Supreme Court in October, 2022

Ms Nolan, who is also the President of the Federal Women's Committee in the Liberal Party, said she was 'deeply sorry' for her comments made at a meeting on Wednesday night

Ms Nolan's comments come after Ms Higgins ex-boss Linda Reynolds branded her a 'lying cow'.

Ms Reynolds made the comment on February 15, 2021, a day after Ms Higgins went public with allegations she was raped by another staffer in 2019.

It was inferred at the time Ms Reynolds had doubted Ms Higgins, but the former defence minister said the comment was made for a completely different reason.

Ms Reynolds and chief-of-staff Fiona Brown had been accused of failing to help Ms Higgins after she went to them for support shortly after the alleged incident.

The former defence minister insisted she had offered support and claimed the accusations prompted her to call Ms Higgins a 'lying cow'.

Ms Reynolds publicly apologised and paid damages to Ms Higgins, and it was reported the former Liberal staffer 'planned' to donate the money to charity.

Ms Higgins took issue with the wording and fired off a heated tweet in response to the interview published by Newscorp.

Ms Higgins accused her colleague Bruce Lehrmann (pictured) of sexually assaulting her in Parliament House in March 2019. He has always maintained his innocence

'As I wasn't given a right of reply for this particular story, I figured I'd clear it up here,' she wrote on Twitter on Sunday.

'I donated all funds from my defamation case against Senator Reynolds to a sexual assault charity the moment they were received by my lawyer in 2021.

'See the receipt below.'

The tweet came after an earlier Instagram post made by Ms Higgins in which she hit back at Ms Reynolds and her interview with The Weekend Australian.

Ms Reynolds and Ms Brown have continually claimed they did offer support to Ms Higgins, while the former staffer claims she believed her job was on the line.

Ms Reynolds said the 'lying cow' comment was misconstrued but she was 'in no state to defend myself' at the time.

'I was on sick leave, my whole world had come crashing down,' she said.

Ms Nolan's comments come after Ms Higgins ex-boss Linda Reynolds (pictured) branded her a 'lying cow'

Ms Higgins accused Ms Reynolds of playing the victim in her Instagram post.

'Let me get this straight,' she wrote. 'I'm the one who was publicly defamed by my former employer.

'I donate the money to charity because all I wanted was an apology and a retraction, and yet Linda Reynolds is somehow the victim?'

Then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison condemned the senator's 'lying cow' comment at the time, labelling it 'inappropriate and wrong', but conceded Ms Higgins was under 'significant stress' at the time.

'(Her) comments  related to the commentary about levels of support provided and her frustrations about how she felt that they were doing everything they believed in their power to provide support,' he said.
Seven people, including a 2-year-old toddler, her mother, and five teenagers, were wounded at a shooting on a street corner in north Philadelphia, as the city's police hunt three male suspects.

The gunfire erupted shortly before 6pm local time just a few hundred feet away from the James G. Blaine school, in the Strawberry Mansion area.

However, Philadelphia police claim the incident did not appear to have started there.

Police said they found nearly 30 spent shell casings at 31st and Norris in front of an alcohol distributor.

The two-year-old girl was taken to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia after she was shot once in the left thigh. She was in a stable condition.

Police are looking for three males in connection with the shooting which occurred in the Strawberry Mansion area, north Philadelphia. Pictured: The armed men dressed in a black hoodies

Philadelphia Police Chief Danielle Outlaw (pictured) confirmed that seven victims were injured as a result of the gunfire, however, they were all in a stable condition

The gunfire erupted shortly before 6pm local time just a few hundred feet away from the James G. Blaine school

Her mother was also among the victims after having been shot twice in the thigh, Philadelphia Police Chief Danielle Outlaw told a news conference.

A 13-year-old boy who was shot in the hand was also taken to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in a stable condition.

Among the teenagers, a 15-year-old male was shot twice in the chest and was taken to Temple University Hospital.

Two 16-year-old boys suffered gunshot wounds in their limbs, including arms and a thigh, and were also taken to Jefferson University Hospital.

A 17-year-old male suffered a graze wound to the thigh and was taken by Uber to the hospital along with the other teenagers.

All five males were listed in a stable condition following the attack.

'As a parent myself I understand the fear that people have,' Outlaw said.

While the shootings took place on Norris Street, Philadelphia police claim the incident did not appear to have started there

Police said they found nearly 30 spent shell casings at 31st and Norris in front of an alcohol distributor

She added: 'This has been a fairly quiet portion of the 22nd district for quite some time now.

'At this point, we're piecing everything together to figure out if this is retaliatory, if some of those victims were intended or not, but it's still really early to tell.'

Philadelphia School Board president, Reginald Streater, claimed the shooting took place as a non-school event was ending.

In a statement on Twitter, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney called the shooting 'heartbreaking and infuriating' whilst offering his prayers for the victims.

Schools and other public spaces must remain safe havens for youth and the community. Its heartbreaking and infuriating to learn of another shooting occurring on or near school grounds. Im praying for the victims involved. https://t.co/dr5LtUeXsP  Mayor Jim Kenney (@PhillyMayor) February 24, 2023

Police are looking for three males in connection with the shooting, however, the motive behind the shooting is not currently known.

The suspects were caught driving a 2011-2016 grey four-door Hyundai Elantra with an unknown Pennsylvania tag.

Currently, no arrests have been made in connection with the shooting.
The UK could offer Typhoon jets to NATO countries that give Ukraine MiGs that can be deployed immediately.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace confirmed the idea of a 'swap' is in play on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion.

Volodymyr Zelensky has been pleading for fighter planes to help drive Vladimir Putin's forces out, but there are concerns that it would take years to train up Ukrainian pilots and ground crew to use Britain's Typhoons and F-35s.

Experts say they also would not be the most effective jets for the battleground.

In a round of interviews this morning, Ben Wallace suggested Britain could supply fighter jets to eastern European allies to enable them to release their Soviet-era planes

There are concerns that it would take years to train up Ukrainian pilots and ground crew to use Britain's Typhoons (pictured) and F-35s

MiG-29 fighters from the Polish air force take part in NATO exercises

In a round of interviews this morning, Mr Wallace suggested Britain could supply fighter jets to eastern European allies to enable them to release their Soviet-era planes.

Mr Wallace told Times Radio: 'In the timescale of this conflict right now, the ability for us to train pilots on Typhoons and then train them on the fighting of Typhoon because fighting aircraft is a very complicated layered process.

'And you also require about 200 people to look after the jets like a Formula One pit crew... the West is not putting in RAF personnel or other Air Force personnel into Ukraine.

'So the other quick way that Ukraine can benefit from fighter jets is for those countries in Europe that have Russian Soviet fighter jets  MiG 29s or Su-24s  if they wish to donate we can use our fighter jets to backfill and provide security for them as a result.

'They are already configured to fight in a Nato way, where of course Ukraine isn't.'

with the UK set to join allies in pledging to stand with the war-torn country for as long as is needed.

The UK remains a prominent supporter of Kyiv, with the Government announcing earlier this year that Britain would be the first country to supply tanks to its armed forces.

But Mr Zelensky's call for fighter jets has so far been met with reluctance by Western allies.

Mr Zelensky, whose leadership during the war has turned him into a global figure, embarked on a whirlwind of diplomacy in recent weeks as he toured Washington and European capitals to pressure allies on the need for further help.

At a G7 meeting, Mr Sunak is expected to urge other nations to supply longer-range weapons to Kyiv, while also repeating his offer of British support to countries able to provide planes.

'As we mark one year since a full-scale war broke out on our continent, I urge everyone to reflect on the courage and bravery of our Ukrainian friends who, every hour since, have fought heroically for their country,' he said.

'I am proud that the UK has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine through this horrific conflict. As I stand with brave Ukrainian soldiers outside Downing Street today, my thoughts will be with all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to defend freedom and return peace to Europe.'

In London, Mr Sunak will lead a national minute's silence to mark the anniversary.

Mr Sunak, who also will host members of the Ukrainian armed forces in Downing Street as well as ambassador Vadym Prystaiko, will hang a blue and yellow wreath on the door of No 10 accompanied by his wife Akshata Murty.

G7 leaders are set to meet to discuss a conflict that has scarred Europe and shaken the West.

With no end in sight for the war, Mr Sunak will urge his fellow world leaders to 'move faster' in arming Ukraine's troops as the battle against Vladimir Putin's forces continues.

'For Ukraine to win this war  and to accelerate that day  they must gain a decisive advantage on the battlefield. That is what it will take to shift Putin's mindset. This must be our priority now. Instead of an incremental approach, we need to move faster on artillery, armour, and air defence,' Mr Sunak is expected to tell world leaders in a virtual meeting.

Ukraine has been coping with the devastation of the Russian invasion for a year (pictured, Mariupol last April)

Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded for fighter jets on a tour of Europe that started in the UK earlier this month (pictured)

'The coming weeks will be difficult for Ukraine, but they will also be difficult for Russia. They are over-reaching once again. So now is the time to support Ukraine's plan to re-arm, regroup, and push forward.'

Crowds gathered in Trafalgar Square in London to mark the anniversary on Thursday evening, where Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and other speakers praised the bravery of Ukrainian fighters.

In his interviews, Mr Wallace said Russia has been forced to adopt a 'meat-grinder approach' after its forces failed to make a breakthrough in Ukraine.

Mr Wallace said the Russian army was suffering 'huge losses' on the battlefield for very little gain in territory.

'It will move effectively to a meat-grinder approach where it just keeps sacrificing its own soldiers for the vanity of the Kremlin

'That's why we see huge losses amongst the Russian army and only gains, where we see gains, in metres not miles.'
Devastated friends of Nicola Bulley have staged a candlelight vigil in her hometown as they said: 'Our hearts are broken without you, Nikki.'

A crowd of about 250 mourners gathered last night at the bandstand in South Woodham Ferrers, Essex, where Ms Bulley grew up.

The vigil was held four days after the 45-year-old was found dead in the River Wyre close to her home in Lancashire following a huge search lasting more than three weeks.

Thursday's tribute saw flowers being laid on the ground and candles lit in remembrance of the beloved mortgage advisor.

The vigil was organised by family friends, Kerry Linehan and Debbie Nelson. Kerry said: 'Nikki touched hearts in every possible way and will be terribly missed by everyone, but never forgotten.

More than 200 people gathered in South Woodham Ferrers, the Essex Town where Nicola Bulley grew up, to join a vigil. Pictured: a young child watches as a woman lights a candle in honour of Ms Bulley

Floral tributes were left at the bandstand as family friends of Ms Bulley said: 'Our hearts are broken without you. A void will always be in our hearts, but her memory will live on'

Mother of two Nicola Bulley (pictured) was discovered on Sunday morning in the River Wyre in Lancashire, more than three weeks after she disappeared

'The lights have dimmed in all our lives. She had the most infectious smile. Nicola, you had so many friends and everybody loves you.

'Our hearts are broken without you. A void will always be in our hearts, but her memory will live on. Rest in peace, Nikki.'

Just around the corner in Hullbridge Road, a local artist and family friend Danny Bench completed a stunning 6ft mural of Nicola on the wall next to the One Stop store in South Woodham Ferrers.

The mural was created by street artist Danny Bench, 48, who went to William de Ferrers School with Nicola and was friends with her sister Louise Cunningham.

He got Louise's approval after sending her a mock-up of his proposed painting.

Danny who runs his own business Murals by Danny Bench did the bulk of the painting over four hours on Wednesday.

Describing how he had the approval of Nicola's sister, he said: 'I didn't want to do it off my own back so I messaged her and said I want to do a piece for Nicola and she said, 'I'd love that'.'

He told the Mirror he was lying in bed late on Monday night when he decided he had to do something to mark Nicola's death.

He said: 'I finished it just before the school run and it went a bit crazy with everyone stopping and taking pictures and putting flowers down.

A huge mural memorial to Ms Bulley was unveiled this week in her old home town, on the wall beside the One Stop store in South Woodham Ferrers, Essex

The tribute was painted by street artist Danny Bench (pictured) who is a friend of Nicola's sister, Louise Cunningham

Mr Bench was given permission by Nicola's sister Louise to paint the tribute to the 45-year-old and said: 'When I heard about Nicola, I thought I've got to do something'

'It was really nice for people to stop and see it.'

Danny who now lives in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, found a love for street art while still at school, and has previously had commissions from Liverpool FC and Red Bull.

He added: 'When I heard about Nicola, I thought I've got to do something.

'That's the ideal wall to do it because it's in her home town, it's on a main road, on a T-junction so you can see it.

'Everybody can see it, everybody can appreciate it. I just had to do it.'

As the Thursday's vigil, onlookers gathered in silence around a large picture of Nicola on an easel, decorated with flowers and surrounded by candles.

At the vigil on Thursday, flowers and tributes were left around an easel with Ms Bulley's picture on

Mourners came together in silence to honour the mother of two, who moved from Essex to Lancashire with her family before she died

Nicola's friend, Kerry, said South Woodham Ferrers was a 'very close-knit community'. Pictured are mourners lighting candles in memory of Ms Bulley

'South Woodham Ferrers is a very close-knit community. When unfortunately tragic events happen everyone kind of pulls together,' said Kerry, who is friend with Ms Bulley's sister Louise.

'There's a lot of people that still live in the community who know Nicola or her sister Louise. The family is well known and even though they moved up north, they still hold a massive piece of all of our hearts.

'When Nicola went missing, we all felt so helpless being down south, but we all remained beside the family.

'For support, we will do whatever we can and this is our way of coming together to show our love and respect.

'I suggested maybe we should all meet together to pay our respects and Debbie said she'd help me do it if I could organise it.'

Reverend Adrian Ward spoke during the tribute while 15-year-old Lily, a pupil at William de Ferrers School, where Nicola also attended, created a floral tribute.

'The truth is that none of us want to be here tonight,' Rev Ward said. 'We would have preferred it if Nicola had not gone missing. We would all prefer it if she was with her family who loved her.

'But as the news came through this week, we had to face the reality that she had died.

'Now South Woodham Ferrers as a community has gathered together to pay tribute for the life of Nicola Bulley.'

Rev Ward led prayers asking for Nicola's grieving partner Paul Ansell, her two daughters, parents Ernest and Dot, and her sister Louise to receive 'light in the darkness and hope in their sadness'.

During the service of remembrances in her old home town, people prayed for Ms Bulley's family and her partner Paul Ansell (pictured, right, with Nicola)

Reverend Adrian Ward is pictured leading the service of remembrance from the bandstand on Thursday evening

Nicola vanished on January 27 while walking her dog Willow in St Michael's on Wyre, having dropped off her two girls at the village school earlier in the morning.

Describing how St Michael's on Wyre was 266 miles from her Essex hometown, Rev Ward told mourners: 'Today you have shown that love, friendship and compassion cannot be separated by any kind of distance or time.'

The tribute comes after Ms Bulley was hailed as the 'type of mum everyone wanted to be' by her devastated friend and neighbour, Charlotte Drake.

'Nikki, There are no words to express or understand what has happened,' she said. 'No emotions deep enough for any of us to feel.

'As I said last week 'You truly are the type of mum everyone wanted to be' and I will always continue to strive to be like that.'

Paul Ansell pictured with his partner Nicola, 45, who vanished on January 27 and was found more than three weeks later, dead in the River Wyre, Lancashire

On Wednesday it was revealed Nicola's body was identified by dental records.

An inquest into her death was opened at Preston Coroner's Court on Thursday, with Ms Bulley's family choosing not to attend.

The court heard how surgeon Andrew Ian Edwards had examined her dental records, which had been obtained by police from a previous surgery.

Senior coroner Dr James Adeley said: 'He examined the body that was located in the River Wyre near Rawcliffe Road in St Michael's on Wyre at 2.15pm on February 20.'

Dr Adeley said the surgeon found restorative work carried out was identical.

He added: 'I am satisfied on the balance of probabilities, and more, that positive identification has been made.'

The five-minute hearing did not determine the cause of her death.

A full inquest is expected to take place in June.
Vladimir Putin is 'terribly scared' as he marks the first anniversary of his invasion of Ukraine, says an ex-Russian secret services general.

The Russian dictator has badly misread the West's resolve to stand up to him, and did not realise his army's incompetence, according to the former chief of the Moscow division of the FSB.

'Putin perfectly understands the mood of people who have lost everything because of him,' said retired General Yevgeny Savostyanov. 'He understands this anger can find a way out, so he keeps them away.

'Putin is now terribly scared. He understands that he is in trouble,' he said.

Putin's problems were self-inflicted by going to war, he added. 'He lived happily [yet] with his own hands, he took and ruined everything. Amazing story.' Now, he is 'in such a psychological state that he is clinging to any opportunity to win'.

Vladimir Putin (pictured on Thursday) is 'terribly scared' as he marks the first anniversary of his invasion of Ukraine, according to a Russian secret services General

Yesterday, leaked documents suggested that the FSB mislead Putin about his chances of victory, telling the despot that his forces would seize Kyiv in just three days, and that Ukrainians would welcome Russian soldiers with open arms.

However, today marks one year since Putin launched the invasion. Russian forces are pinned down in the east, and Volodymyr Zelensky remains president.

And while Russia has managed so far to mitigate the impact of Western sanctions, Savostyanov said thanks to Putin and his invasion of Ukraine - the Russian people 'will live very poorly no matter what - it's already inevitable'.

He predicts a move by Putin and his henchmen to pass on the presidency to an ally less toxic in the West yet a figure who will preserve 70-year-old Putin's circle, in the hope of preventing any kind of domestic revolution.

He suspects this figure will be agriculture minister Dmitry Patrushev, 45, son of Putin's hardline security advisor Nikolai Patrushev, 71, one of the architects of the disastrous war in Ukraine.

'Patrushev's son is named as a possible successor,' said Savostyanov, 70, also a former deputy head of the Kremlin administration who had predicted Putin's unexpected rise to power before the year 2000.

Dmitry Patrushev was seen as a 'suitable figure' who 'will be provided with strong support' to control Russia. And 'in the eyes of the West, he is not too smeared', having had no significant role in the war. Significantly, Putin praised Dmitry Patrushev in his state of the nation address this week.

Yet there was 'no reason for optimism' due to the 'absurdity' of the crisis facing Russia, caused by Putin, Savostyanov told Republic in savage criticism of Putin.

'Russia is slipping down into the role of the leader of the third world, where we are needed only as long as we can give money,' he said.

'The time will come, and [in Russia] we will see empty shelves, goods shortages, people impoverishment, and technological backwardness in all areas.

Friday marks one year since Putin launched the invasion. Russian forces are pinned down in the east, and Volodymyr Zelensky remains president. Pictured: Ukrainian troops drive a tank close to the city of Bakhmut - the focus of heavy fighting in recent months - on February 19

A Ukrainian squad launches one of four rockets at a Russian infantry position from their BM-21 Grad 122mm multiple rocket launcher, in the southern Donbas region, on February 20

'One of Putin's mistakes is that at the beginning of last summer, he did not catch the moment that the West stopped being afraid of him and would no longer retreat.

'The first mistake is to lead a campaign against the West. The second is to believe that in Ukraine, they were waiting for us with flowers and hugs.

'Corrupt propagandists and those who mastered big money allocated for creating the 'fifth column' in Ukraine - this is his mistake.

'The third is that he, it turns out, did not know how his own army works. And this is the most amazing thing. The army was built all these years in the expectation that there would be no need to fight in the West,' Savostyanov said.

'The calculation was that Europe is in a hopeless energy situation.

'It can spin as it wants, but it will not do without Russia, so it will again be forced to devour what will be put on the table.'

Putin calculated the West would swallow his hoped-for 'quick victory' in Ukraine, but he got that wrong just as he did not understand his army's incompetence in a 'tragedy of mistakes'. Russia has suffered several defeats in the last year, as well as a series of damaging blows against the Moskva cruiser and Kerch bridge.

'When we see that Russia puts private military companies to the front, in addition to being staffed with an armed criminal element, it denies the very idea of its own statehood,' the former FSB chief said.

Savostyanov predicts that Russia now faces a bleak future. If Putin somehow succeeds in Ukraine he would enact a repressive crackdown.

His angry inner circle 'which has lost everything accumulated over 20 years' would need to be eliminated.

'If the [war] fails, the question will arise - either hard tightening the screws to keep order in the country - or chaos. Under the conditions of sanctions and restrictions, nothing good can be expected either.'

Despite Putin's desperation, Savostyanov rated the chances of Putin using his nuclear arsenal as slight. 'I can say no more than one per cent that Putin will decide to carry out the nuclear threat,' he said.

'The fundamental difference is that when I predicted who would replace [Boris] Yeltsin [is that the] procedure was obvious. The procedure for replacing Putin, frankly, is not obvious. But I understand one thing. In the foreground, there should be a person who will keep the situation under control.

'There will be too many factors that will be able to increase destabilisation - from the [tanking] economy to separatist sentiments in the regions.'

Pictured: Retired General Yevgeny Savostyanov, who has said Putin is 'terribly scared' of his position amid his failing on-going invasion of Ukraine

This could lead to breakaway attempts by some regions, he said.

'As the federal budget is reduced, subsidies will be reduced, respectively, in the regions., and they will say: 'Why do we need Moscow?'

He forecast an attempt to bring to power a figure who 'will be able to keep the situation under control and, on the other, start reforms'.

This could be Dmitry Patrushev who, through his father, secretary of the Kremlin security council and a former FSB chief, might fulfil this role.
Independent greengrocers which have remained fully stocked despite the ongoing vegetable shortage say they have seen 'queues out the door' - while supermarket shelves are left bare.

Thomas Hagon, 39, from Reg The Veg green grocers in Clifton, Bristol, claimed 'the produce is there for supermarkets to purchase but higher prices have turned the chains off'.

Meanwhile, Baz Dawson, owner of Fresh and Fruity, in Preston, revealed his salad stocks have not been directly affected because he buys locally, as he urged people to head to their local market stalls.

And Paul Semple, 43, manager at Lloyds Greengrocer, in Bristol, said his footfall is up 10 per cent, with new customers telling him they 'can't believe how stocked up' his shop is.

It comes as the likes of Aldi, Morrisons, Asda and Tesco have limited sales of tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers as frosty weather in Spain and Morocco has hit imports - with customers in all four stores given limits to how much produce they can buy.

But despite an increase in cost price, Mr Hagon claims greengrocers have been able to remain stocked up, and says he has fresh tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers because 'customers are happy to pay extra for them'.

He predicted supermarkets will be forced to increase prices in the near future - after Environment Secretary Therese Coffey warned the crisis could last for another month, as she advised struggling families to turn to British vegetables such as turnips.

Meanwhile, some restaurants struggling to cope with the shortages have been forced to remove tomato-dependent items such as pizza and pasta from their menus.

Thomas Hagon (pictured), 39, from Reg The Veg green grocers in Clifton, Bristol, claimed 'the produce is there for supermarkets to purchase but higher prices have turned the chains off'

Baz Dawson (pictured), owner of Fresh and Fruity, in Preston, revealed his salad stocks have not been directly affected during the national shortage because he buys locally

A view of empty shelves in a supermarket in Liverpool, Britain, on February 20, 2023

READ MORE: Now pizzas and pasta dishes are hit by vegetable shortage: Industry bosses say Italian restaurants are removing items from menus due to lack of tomatoes Advertisement

Mr Hagon said Reg The Veg had a period of low stock a few weeks ago when supermarkets were selling the vegetables at a lower price.

But since the wholesale price has reportedly nearly doubled, averaging at 15 before and now as much as 30, Mr Hagon said supermarkets 'won't pay it', while greengrocers, like Reg The Veg, will.

He said: 'We had shortages due to availability and low numbers about three weeks ago and supermarkets were still pumping out vegetables at low prices.

'It's got to the point where now supermarkets can't buy it at the right price as it's increased so much.

'It is available they just won't pay the money for it.

'Whereas we can, and we can then supply our customers and pass on the slight increase in price.

'We've still had to increase our own prices in some areas - cherry vine tomatoes are now 9.99 a kilo which is around double the normal price.

'We do say to customers that these peppers or tomatoes for example can be quite expensive but they're happy to pay that.

'Of course, nationally it's very difficult because of the volumes that supermarkets get in, but if they're quoted 25 or 30 pounds for a wholesale shipment, and they wont pay for it.'

The likes of Aldi , Morrisons, Asda and Tesco have limited sales of tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers to customers as frosty weather in Spain and Morocco has hit imports (Pictured: Independent greengrocer Thomas Hagon inside his fully stocked shop in Bristol)

Empty crates in the tomatoes section of a fresh produce aisle of a Tesco supermarket in London on February 23

Why are there shortages of fruit and veg in the UK? Rising prices, heating costs and bad weather abroad are all blamed What is causing the shortages? Cold weather in Spain and Morocco has drastically hit the availability of vegetables in British markets along with soaring energy prices. The supply problems are blamed on bad weather and high energy costs making greenhouses more costly to heat. Some critics have cited red tape on post-Brexit imports from the EU as an issue. Tim O'Malley, of major importer Nationwide Produce, said volatile growing conditions had seen wholesale spot prices for fresh produce lines soar by as much as 300 per cent. Growers in Spain and elsewhere on the Continent are reportedly sending produce to European supermarkets rather than to the UK because they are more willing to pay the higher prices. High energy prices - linked to Russia's invasion of Ukraine - are also a factor because it has become more expensive to heat greenhouses. Which fruit and veg are affected? The problem started with tomatoes but has since widened to peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, salad bags, broccoli, cauliflower and raspberries. Is Brexit to blame? While some critics have cited red tape on imports from Europe, industry expert Mr O'Malley said the single biggest factor behind the crisis was 'Mother Nature'. He said: 'I can honestly say that in the 40 years I've been in this trade, I've never seen such high spot prices across such a broad range of products for such a prolonged period of time.' He added: 'It's not about Brexit - it's about different buying models'. Farming minister Mark Spencer said at the NFU conference yesterday: 'What has driven some of this is a frost in Morocco and Spain in November and December. 'This can damage a lot of the salad and brassica crops, which we have traditionally relied on at this time of year so that has created a gap in the market. 'It's very difficult for UK producers to grow cauliflowers, for example over winter. They are not resistant to frost. It's not possible to grow cauliflowers in January in the United Kingdom unless you grow them in a greenhouse.' Why are European supermarkets not suffering from shortages? Experts say that it is because of the way that British supermarkets buy produce compared to those on the continent. Tim O'Malley says retailers in the UK tend to agree prices once or twice a year so they and shoppers can get certainty on price. This tends to be a winter deal for produce from Spain and Morocco and a summer deal for UK produce. Mr O'Malley says that in Europe they tend to agree monthly prices, meaning that supermarkets find it easier to buy when prices change. Adam Leyland, Editor-in-Chief of The Grocer, said that UK supermarkets are 'in denial' and need to be more nimble to avoid shortages like the current one. What are the other factors? Travel disruption including ferry cancellations have also caused disruption. There has been strong winds disrupting ferries from Morocco and flooding in the country. Frost has also slowed growth and damaged crops. How long will it last? Phil Pearson, group development director at APS Produce said delays are likely to continue until, 'the end of April into May.' Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, which represents UK supermarkets, said: 'Difficult weather conditions in the south of Europe and northern Africa have disrupted harvest for some fruit and vegetables including tomatoes and peppers. 'While disruption is expected to last a few weeks, supermarkets are adept at managing supply chain issues and are working with farmers to ensure that customers are able to access a wide range of fresh produce.' Advertisement

One of his colleagues said there were queues stretching out the door on Sunday after customers scrambled for tomatoes and peppers.

She initially wasn't sure why but then realised it may have been down to the supermarket shortage.

Mr Hagon said he isn't sure what the solution to the problem is, but that it will probably result in supermarkets having to charge more.

He said conditions on the continent have left prices at an 'exceptionally high' rate.

He added: 'I don't know what the solution is to it, they'll just have to charge more - some fruit or veg hasn't gone up for a decade or more.

'When there's more competition from other European countries that supply produce it'll bring prices down - It's always high at this time of the year, it's just exceptionally high at the moment.

'We've seen the cold weather in Morocco. They've got snow - it's crazy.

'We've got used to eating what we want to eat all year round so when things go a bit short it can be a bit of a shock.'

Other greengrocers have also found themselves with no choice but to double their prices.

Paul Semple, 43, of Lloyds Green Grocers in Bristol, said: 'Tomatoes are hard to get, courgette, cucumbers all hard to get hold of.

'They're twice the price, that's how scarce they are.

'It's always hard to get produce this time a year but this year we're nearly at 10 a kilo for tomatoes when we rarely go above 5.

'We're still getting the gear, just prices are up and very expensive.'

Another fruit and veg trader urged people to head to their local market stalls for fresh groceries.

Baz Dawson, owner of Fresh and Fruity, in Preston, revealed his salad stocks have not been directly affected during the national shortage because he buys locally.

The Preston Market trader said that while big supermarkets will now struggle to get hold of their usual cheaper items from abroad, he will continue to buy from farmers in Lancashire and the surrounding areas.

Four of the UK's leading supermarkets - Tesco, Aldi, Asda and Morrisons - have put limitations in place on the amount of certain items customers can buy.

The problem started with tomatoes but has since widened to peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, salad bags, broccoli, cauliflower and raspberries.

Tesco and Aldi have introduced limits of three per customer on sales of tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. Asda is limiting customers to three on sales of lettuce, salad bags, broccoli, cauliflowers and raspberry punnets, along with tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. Morrisons has set a limit of two on cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce and peppers.

Mr Dawson says it is the international transportation that has got the supermarkets in a pickle, with fewer places for them to buy their goods.

But because traders like him keep things local, they are not worried about stocks lasting.

He says every day can be different when it comes to buying locally and because of that, he is less worried he'll face what the supermarkets are currently dealing with.

Mr Dawson said: 'We only deal with top end fresh fruits, veg and salads. There's currently such a national shortage on salads and foreign vegetables.

'We go to the wholesalers and buy either direct or off the farmer or the wholesaler to cut costs, but to stick with the quality.

'With it being such a struggle nationally, the supermarkets will struggle but with us going direct to the wholesalers, we can still get hold of limited salad stock.

'Most of our vegetables are grown and cut within a ten mile radius during certain seasons of the year. Even for us, when we're in the depths of winter we sometimes have to go for the cheaper produce too.

'Supermarkets have not got the stock of salads in now whatsoever but here we do have, from the wholesaler.

'Because they haven't got it in the supermarket, like they didn't when the pandemic hit, they come to us in the market to buy fresh produce and salad. We keep going, like we did two years ago.'

Fluctuating stocks can occur daily in the market trade, Mr Dawson says, but having already dealt with it since the day he began selling, he says the fear of low stocks of certain items is less of a fear.

In the winter months the UK imports around 95 per cent of its tomatoes and 90 per cent of its lettuces, mostly from Spain and northern Africa. The British Retail Consortium said disruption was expected to last a few weeks.

Retailers have stressed that buying limits are temporary until supplies improve in the coming days or weeks, helped by the UK moving into its growing season.

It comes after the Environment Secretary suggested yesterday that Brits could consider eating turnips to ease the national vegetable shortage.

Farmers also warned of a shortage of leeks that is likely to hamper St David's Day celebrations in Wales next week.

Therese Coffey told MPs the 'temporary' shortages were caused by 'very unusual weather' but were expected to end in another four weeks.

Ms Coffey said that consumers might want to turn to British 'specialisms' at this time of year to support domestic farmers.

She added: 'I am led to believe by my officials... we anticipate the situation will last about another two to four weeks.

'Even if we cannot control the weather it is important that we try and make sure the supply continues to not be frustrated in quite the way it has been due to these unusual weather incidents.'

Salad fans told to buy Micro Tom plant that can produce 6,000 cherry tomatoes in a year Salad fans are being urged to start growing a super plant that can yield thousands of tomatoes in case the fruit and veg shortage continues into summer. The Micro Tom is a small plant that has been known to produce a staggering 6,000 cherry tomatoes in a single year. In contrast, people can only expect to harvest 200 tomatoes from a regular plant. Greenfingered Joy and Michael Michaud are encouraging growers to get hold of hanging baskets and start planting seeds now to enjoy a steady supply of tomatoes from June through to November. Last year, Joy, from West Bexington, Dorset, kept a tally of the number she was picking and all her plants produced 5,000 to 6,000 tomatoes each. She said they 'couldn't eat them fast enough' and had to give away bags of toms to neighbours to save them from the compost heap. Joy, 64, said: 'We recommend that people enjoy the winter vegetables during this shortage and get planting to ensure a supply of delicious tomatoes in summer. 'If people can get hold of hanging baskets and polytunnels that will be the perfect environment to grow them in through March and April. 'Homegrown tomatoes always taste better than shop bought ones and this way people can make sure they have plenty to eat. 'Last year I was struggling to count the number I was picking off our Micro Tomato plants. 'Every plant we had produced around 6,000 tomatoes each. We couldn't believe it, they are miracle plants. 'I set an initial target of 1,000 tomatoes a plant but we quickly passed that and I set another one at 5,000. 'That is thousands more than you could expect to get from a normal tomato plant. It's just an incredible variety. 'While the tomatoes are small they're very tasty - they're little balls of flavour.' Joy and Michael run Sea Spring Seeds and grow and sell seeds for 150 types of chilli. Advertisement

Ms Coffey agreed with Tory MP Selaine Saxby who suggested eating seasonal vegetables could solve the issue.

Ms Saxby said: 'We should be eating more seasonally and supporting our own British farmers', adding that if shoppers did so, 'a lot of these problems would be avoided'.

Ms Coffey said: 'It's important to make sure that we cherish the specialisms that we have in this country.

'A lot of people would be eating turnips right now rather than thinking necessarily about... lettuce and tomatoes and similar, but I'm conscious that consumers want a year-round choice and that is what our supermarkets, food producers and growers around the world are trying to satisfy.'

Labour's environment spokesman Jim McMahon questioned suggestions that food shortages were entirely caused by external forces, claiming ministers could have done more to support farmers with access to 'the energy-intensive support scheme', and increased quotas on labour to help with workforce shortages.

Conservative former minister Sir Desmond Swayne ridiculed suggestions that Brexit was responsible for the shortages.

He told the Commons: 'If only I had been told before I voted for Brexit that it was going to cause frosts in Morocco, I could have made a different decision, couldn't I?'

Asked about the turnip suggestion, a No 10 spokesman said: 'We don't believe it's for us to tell people what they should or shouldn't buy.'

He added: 'What the Secretary of State was doing was setting out the importance of celebrating the produce that we grow here in the UK.'

Ms Coffey drew further criticism for suggesting people struggling to afford food bills could consider working more hours.

She said: 'One of the best ways to boost their incomes is not only to get into work if they're not in work already, but potentially to work some more hours.'

After the debate, Labour's Rachael Maskell accused Ms Coffey of 'shifting blame for food poverty on to people because they are on low wages and are poor'.

Budget supermarket food is seeing average annual price rises of an astonishing 21.5 per cent.

A Which? study found the poorest homes were the worst hit.

Some products have seen huge increases, such as tins of Growers Harvest sliced carrots up 63 per cent at Tesco to 33p, and packs of pork sausages at Asda up 58 per cent to 1.27. Budget Creamfields French brie also saw a 96.6 per cent rise at Tesco to 1.57.

Farmers are warning of an 'extraordinary' shortage of leeks which threatens St David's Day celebrations in Wales next week.

British producers of the much-loved seasonal vegetable, as well as onions, cauliflower and broccoli, have had to write off crops due to a lack of rain and deep frosts.

Supermarkets including Aldi Morrisons, Asda and Tesco have limited sales of vegetables, but Therese Coffey suggested people could use turnips as a substitute

Leek yields were down by as much as 30 per cent following the 'most difficult growing season ever'

A sign limiting customers to three items each is seen next to empty boxes in the tomato and peppers section of a Tesco

Some supermarkets have already run out of leeks, while the ones that do reach the shelves are often of poor quality and stunted  bad news for anyone planning to serve up traditional dishes such as a Welsh cawl or Wrexham bake on March 1.

Leek Growers Association chairman Tim Casey said yields were down by as much as 30 per cent following the 'most difficult growing season ever'. He added: 'We are predicting the supply of home-grown leeks will be exhausted by April, with no British leeks in the shops during May and June.'

Reputedly introduced to Wales by the Phoenicians when they were trading for tin in the British Isles, the leek has long been associated with the Welsh Saint David.

In 640AD, according to legend, the Briton King Cadwaladr and his men wore leeks in their hats to distinguish themselves in battle against invading Saxons. The leek has remained a national symbol ever since.
After tumours grew he was denied transplant and had to go to Turkey for surgery

A cancer-stricken father who was 'left to die' after being refused an NHS liver transplant says he'd been forced to fly to Turkey for 80,000 emergency treatment.

Don Jackson, in his 50s, branded his care 'horrendous' after he waited seven months for a new organ before doctors said his tumours were too big for surgery.

He has since flown to the Turkish capital Istanbul where laws permit him to have a life-saving liver transplant operation - if he can stump up thousands for his medical bills.

The father-of-five from York said British doctors had told him he would need a transplant in June last year after finding a cancerous 3cm tumour during an MRI scan on his liver.

Mr Jackson claims he was told it would take roughly two months to secure a suitable organ, but by Christmas, he was still waiting despite numerous 'promises' from medics.

Cancer-stricken Don Jackson (pictured), from York, says he was 'left to die' after being refused an NHS liver transplant says he'd been forced to fly to Turkey for 80,0000 emergency treatment

Father-of-five Mr Jackson (pictured with three of his children), in his 50s, branded his care 'horrendous' after he waited seven months for a new organ before doctors said his tumours were too big for surgery

In January this year, scans revealed his main tumour had grown and a second lump had appeared in his liver, leading doctors to refuse treatment as they were too large.

The musician says he's furious with the NHS care he received after being forced to seek help abroad - with just three months to live.

He said: 'The way it's treated me has been absolutely horrendous.

'Every time I went there, they promised it would be a week or another week or two. One of the consultants even said: 'I will put every penny on you getting it next week'.'

'But basically, it's ridiculous. I have been left to die by the UK, and I've needed to go to another country and find 80,000 to try and get some help.

He added: 'I've got five kids and they've been going through hell while this has been going on. One minute I'm going to die, and another minute I can maybe survive.'

Mr Jackson fell sick in November 2021 and was diagnosed with ascites, a condition where fluid collects around the abdomen.

Doctors said this had been caused by cirrhosis of the liver, which had been triggered by Hepatitis C, a leading cause of cancerous cells.

In June last year, an MRI scan confirmed he had a 3cm tumour in his liver, and he was then referred to St James's University Hospital, Leeds, for cancer treatment.

Mr Jackson said: 'They said the only way of curing it would be taking the liver out and putting a new one in. I had a series of tests in Leeds through July, and in August, they put me on a waitlist.

'So I waited a month in Leeds to get on the list, which is a ridiculous amount of time to wait. But I was promised a transplant within two to three months.

'They told me the average wait time was 65 days. And they kept promising and promising and promising that I would get a liver transplant.

'But this went on for seven months.'

Don Jackson at the airport on his way to Turkey to get treatment for his liver cancer

'So you are going to let me die and leave my five kids without a father because of this stupid law?' Mr Jackson asked doctors when they said he could not get a liver transplant as the cancer had grown and spread in the organ

Mr Jackson said he was due a check-up scan before Christmas, but when he contacted the hospital in the New Year, he claims staff admitted they'd 'forgotten' to book him in.

And when doctors finally reviewed his scans in January, they found his original tumour had grown and was now joined by a second tumour - meaning he couldn't have a transplant due to the 'Milan Criteria'.

This states that a liver cancer patient should not receive a transplant if they have two tumours or more where one measures over 3cm in diameter.

Mr Jackson said: 'They put it through as an emergency scan, and following that they found another tumour had appeared that was 1.5cm long, and the first tumour, which was 3cm, had gone to 3.6cm.

'I said to the doctors "So you are going to let me die and leave my five kids without a father because of this stupid law?"

'They said "There is nothing else we can do", and they took me off the transplant list at Leeds.'

Mr Jackson launched an appeal, but this was rejected, and he then read out about the possibility of going to Turkey, where doctors can offer treatment for larger growths.

And after securing half the 80,000 needed for his treatment, he flew to Turkey on February 15, where he is now a patient at the Sisli Memorial Hospital in Istanbul.

He added: 'Here, I've done all the tests in two days, which just shows how ridiculous the NHS is, how painfully slow they are. In the UK I had to wait for a CT scan for one and a half months. Here I had to wait ten minutes.'

Mr Jackson says when he returns from Turkey after an expected two and half month's stay, he hopes to launch a campaign to get the law changed surrounding liver transplants.

Mr Jackson in his hospital bed in Turkey, where he received treatment for his liver cancer

He added: 'If MPs get their act together and go to parliament, they can change that law and it would save hundreds of lives a year. It's like manslaughter now.

'It's a scandal. They are going to leave them to die when they can be operated on and saved.'

Dr John Adams, Medical Director (Governance & Risk) at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, said in response that the criteria for transplant patients was governed by 'nationally agreed guidelines'.

He said: 'The safety of our patients is our top priority. Our specialist clinical teams individually assess the suitability of each patient waiting for a liver transplant.

'The eligibility criteria for liver transplantation in the UK is based on nationally agreed guidelines, administered through the Liver Advisory Group, and aligned with international practice.'

You can donate to Mr Jackson's fundraiser on GoFundMe here.
Could solar panel arrays boldly go where none have before and help fight the climate crisis in the process?

Believe it or not but various experts and organisations believe just that.

While the only solar system in space right now is the one that orbits the sun, in the coming decades, it's entirely possible that this new frontier of renewable energy may truly take off.

But how viable is it? And what are the pros and cons?

What is Space-based Solar?

The idea behind space-based solar power or SBSP is that you'd have a PV solar panel array located high up in Earth orbit that is capable of transmitting the sun's energy back to Earth wirelessly.

More specifically, such a system would involve inflatable mirrors/reflectors capable of directing solar radiation onto panels before converting this energy into microwave energy.

This energy would be sent wirelessly to the Earth in the form of an invisible microwave energy beam (don't worry research is taking place to ensure the safety of this technology, which we'll discuss more of later).

The energy would then reach a microwave antenna, also known as a rectenna, on Earth where it would be converted into electricity.

How Viable is Space-based Solar?

While solar panel arrays in space may sound like the stuff of science fiction, it is not as futuristic as it sounds.

In fact, the concept behind space-based solar (i.e., wirelessly transmitting energy in the form of microwaves before converting it into electricity) has been a proven idea for many decades.

One example of this concept being put into practice was seen with a 1978 study by NASA in relation to solar power satellites.

In this case, they performed research on Earth whereby a 1km diameter antenna sent a microwave beam (at 2.45 GHz) to a 10km rectenna before being converted into electricity.

So, the concept behind space-based solar is sound, at least on a small scale but could it work on a larger scale with space-based solar systems? That has yet to be proven but an interest in testing out and even commercializing such technology is on the rise.

Of course, sufficient efforts and further investment (we look at current investments below) will be required to make space-based solar a reality, however, based on research up to this point, it is feasible.

One aspect of space-based solar that could make it more than worthwhile is the efficiency. Some estimates suggest that space-based solar could generate over forty times as much solar energy as the same array located on Earth.

However, other claims suggest that it might be closer to x10 what is possible on Earth. Either way, these would be impressive figures if made a reality.

The Race to Save The Planet

In 2015, global mean temperature warming reached one degree Celsius over preindustrial times for the first time. This was the result of a gradual (but accelerating) process of global temperature warming due to human activities.

Per the Paris Agreement, the world's nations are aiming to limit the average global temperature (since pre industrial levels) firmly below 2C and as close to 1.5C as possible.

With our world facing countless disastrous consequences from a warming planet (which in all likelihood will involve the Earth nearing or surpassing two-degree warming), there is growing urgency to reduce global emissions.

Earth-based renewable technology is one weapon in our humanity-saving arsenal; however, it will still take many years before such technology can meet most of our energy needs.

What's more, while nuclear power is another alternative to fossil fuels, it remains a controversial option and its use on a global scale is stagnant without much growth towards increased use of fission power.

There is, of course, research into nuclear fusion (which promises a bountiful energy revolution), but its commercial viability is also decades away if not more. Despite recent breakthroughs, the joke over nuclear fusion always being twenty years away remains a popular trope online.

Perhaps that will change eventually as it becomes more commercially viable but only time will tell how fast nuclear fusion will develop from here.

Ultimately, space-based solar could prove very advantageous if the right funding and desire is there to make it a reality.

Obviously, it too would take decades to master but if there were fully operable commercial solar systems in space in say 40 years' time, this could accelerate global efforts to reduce and eventually eliminate fossil fuels.

As great as a net zero world would be (which may be feasible around the middle of the century), we really need a zero-carbon world or/and major advances in carbon reduction technology to human-made global warming entirely.

Therefore, space-based solar could help humanity make a major push toward this ultimate environmental goal toward the end of the century. But what is the state of space-based solar in 2023?

Current Research and Plans

The United States, China and Japan are among the primary nations investing in space-based solar research. However, the UK government has also expressed interest.

Starting across the Atlantic, there exists a $100 million partnership between the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory and multinational aerospace and defence technology company Northrop Grumman to develop and further SBSP.

Moreover, there is also a $17.5 million initiative with the goal of developing technology so that space-based solar can be made more affordable.

Beyond that, the development of reusable launch systems (something that private companies like SpaceX are working on) would help make the launch of space solar arrays more economically viable.

China has ambitious plans of its own with the emerging space superpower aiming to first launch a space-based solar array to test the concept in practice in 2028.

Their current plans involve performing such a test in low Earth orbit in 2028 before establishing space-based solar in geosynchronous orbit in 2030.

Of course, many government space ambitions tend to be delayed (whether from China, the US or elsewhere), so whether or not these targets will be met is yet to be seen but the ambition clearly exists.

The Chinese government is also targeting to generate a megawatt of solar energy via a space-based setup in the coming decades before creating a commercially viable space-based solar plant by mid-century.

Another country which has delved into this area is Japan. For instance, researchers in Japan have also successfully transmitted electric power wirelessly via microwaves. Beyond that, space-based solar is part of the future vision of Japan's space exploration for the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

Notably, even the UK government has expressed interest in space-based solar. For example, in 2022, the government ran the Space Based Solar Power Innovation Competition which serves the purpose of providing grant support to projects that relate to SBSP.

In addition, a study from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy found that space solar power is not only technically feasible but affordable and could support the UK both economically and in terms of its push toward Net Zero by 2050.

Does this mean that the UK government are going to back UK space solar arrays in the future? While it does seem unlikely given that countries like China and the US have far larger budgets to work with, it's not entirely impossible.

Would Space Solar Power Be Safe?

One important focus of SBSP research is to determine its level of safety. Of course, the public will need confidence that space-based solar is not a health hazard to get behind such technology.

According to ex-NASA physicist John Mankins the peak intensity of the wireless energy transmission at the centre of a rectenna of a proposed SBSP would be less than that of regular sunlight.

Moreover, with the wavelength being long (about 12cm), it would lack the ability to break apart the electron bonds of atoms in DNA. Therefore, it done properly such systems would not pose a cancer risk.

Ultimately though, more research will be required to reassure the public. Naturally, more research into any potential concerns should take place as this technology evolves and particularly if it starts to gain ground.

After all, space-based solar has not yet been tested in practice, so there is always a chance that new issues or concerns may arise (whether health-related or otherwise) once the practical testing phase gets underway.

Pros and Cons of Space-based Solar Power

As you'll already have a sense of, there are a range of advantages and disadvantages to using solar panels in space to power homes and businesses on Earth. We'll now look at these in more detail.

Pros

SBSP is feasible - While space-based solar may seem a little absurd at first (at least at this stage in history), as highlighted by Heatable, data suggests that solar panels in space could not only work but prove commercially viable.

Much more energy - As discussed, space-based solar arrays would generate far more energy than those located on Earth, potentially somewhere between x10 and x40 as much, if not even more! Combine this fact with the emergence of reusable launch vehicles and their potential to become more common in the future and SBSP is shining bright as a prospective technology.

Wireless beamed energy - Notably, this technology could be beamed practically to anywhere on Earth. This would make it especially useful for remote locations without access to a national energy grid (e.g., bases in Antarctica) and to transmit energy to areas that are suddenly cut-off due to natural disasters. Being able to beam energy wirelessly from space could ultimately save lives as for instance it could help ensure that life support technology remains active as a last resort backup.

Can offer 24/7 zero-carbon electricity - Not only would space-based solar be a zero-carbon solution to our energy needs but these systems could generate energy 24/7. This is because proposed systems would be located high enough up in Earth orbit that they would never be subject to the Earth's shadow. This would mean constant access to sunlight and thus constant energy generation.

May even power airplanes mid-flight - Airbus has even envisioned space-based solar benign used to power aircraft and help push the aviation industry toward a low- or zero-carbon future.

Cons

Highly ambitious - While space-based solar could prove commercially viable, getting such projects off the ground (and above the atmosphere to Earth orbit) will be no easy feat. This is particularly with regards to ensuring that the funding is there to back and maintain large solar systems orbiting the Earth. More than likely this would require consistent government backing, although private space companies are already showing their potential when it comes to space launch.

Space debris and geopolitical hazards - One major issue that SBSP would face that Earth-based solar arrays would not is space junk. If even a tiny piece of debris struck a solar system, it could cause serious damage or even destroy it due to the immense speeds involved in objects orbiting the Earth. Aside from a space debris accident, there's also the risk of a solar system being intentionally destroyed. Already, in 2021, Russia performed a test in which they blew up one of their own satellites. As technology and geopolitics are involved, the risk of space conflict may be ever present. Furthermore, by 2050 or 2060, non-state actors may even be capable of interplanetary sabotage. The future brings with it plenty of hope but also new potential threats.

Micrometeorites - Similarly to space debris, micrometeorites could strike space-based solar panels and either damage or entirely destroy them. Ultimately, whether the danger be man-made or from the heavens, we will likely need to see innovations in space monitoring (perhaps something resembling air traffic control but for Earth orbit) to ensure that future SBSP projects are kept as safe as possible.

Adding to space debris - When a solar array reaches the end of its life, there is a serious risk that it could break apart and add to the existing space debris. Either way, a redundant solar system will only add to the amount of unnecessary material in space, which could prove a hazard to manned and unmanned spacecraft.

Light pollution - Some concerns have been raised that due to the light reflecting element of hypothetical space-based solar arrays, they may end up looking like little stars in the sky. While this may not be a huge deal for most people, it could prove an issue for astronomy. Debate on the potential light pollution of SBSP is ongoing and will certainly continue if space-based solar gathers more momentum.

Are Solar Panels in Space the Future?

It's impossible to say at this stage whether space-based solar will be our future. However, there is real potential and so far, it looks like solar panels in space would be commercially viable if there was sufficient investment to get the necessary projects off the ground.

Of course, even if SBSP could be part of humanity's future, which doesn't guarantee that they'll be ready for commercial use in time to help alleviate the climate crisis. Obviously if humanity wants to survive into the 22nd century and beyond, we'll need to find large-scale solutions in the near future while taking the necessary steps toward a green future that are currently within our grasp.

The next 10-15 years may make or break the prospect of there being SBSP en masse within our lifetimes (if ever). Right now, there are emerging signs of government and private interest in space-based solar and if momentum gathers, then anything is possible.

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
MailOnline has compiled a list of the most unexpected turnip recipes

Celebrating turnips may have been the last thing on people's minds amid a national food shortage.

But Therese Coffey had other ideas, as she encouraged the UK to 'cherish' the root vegetable instead of lettuce and tomatoes.

Her views come as supermarkets such as Aldi, Morrisons, Asda and Tesco have limited sales of peppers and cucumbers while frosty weather hits Spain and Morocco imports.

The Secretary of State emphasised that it was 'important to make sure that we cherish the specialisms' of this country.

She added: 'A lot of people would be eating turnips right now rather than thinking necessarily about... lettuce and tomatoes and similar, but I'm conscious that consumers want a year-round choice and that is what our supermarkets, food producers and growers around the world are trying to satisfy.'

Following her comments, 'turnip' blew up on Twitter, with one user commenting: 'Eat turnips instead of tomatoes! Just love a turnip pizza topping don't you?'

Another added: 'Turnip ketchup for me.'

With the question of turnip dishes now on everyone's minds, MailOnline took to compiling a list of the most unexpected root vegetable recipes.

Turnip hash browns

Turnips can be used to make the familiar breakfast favourite in around of half an hour

A recipe from It's a Veg World Afterall:

Ingredients: Two grated turnips, salt, two garlic cloves, a beaten egg, cornmeal.

1. Mix together the turnips, scallions, a beaten egg, garlic and cornmeal.

2. Keep stirring together, also adding a little salt, until a batter forms.

3. When ready, take small clumps of the batter by hand to form small cake shapes.

4. Now the cakes can be placed into a skillet over medium heat and flipped every now and again with a spatula.

5. After three minutes the cakes should be golden brown and ready to eat.

Pink pickled turnips

A recipe from Olive magazine:

Ingredients: Two small beetroot, four small turnips, 100g of caster sugar, two teaspoon of sea salt, one teaspoon of dried chilli flakes.

1. First, allow the water, sugar, vinegar, and chillies simmer in a pan on the stove.

2. Meanwhile, place the peeled turnips and beetroots into a jar.

3. Once the sugar in the pan has dissolved, let the liquid flow over the contained vegetables.

4. After this has cooled down, seal the jar and place in a cool spot in your home for seven days. This place should also not be brightly lit.

Unbeetable: The easy recipe takes less than half an hour and can serve around eight people

Potato ice cream

TikToker Poppycooks has whipped up a recipe for potato ice cream:

Turnip fries

Inspired by: Girl Heart Food:

Ingredients: One turnip, half a teaspoon of paprika, one and a half tablespoons of oil, salt and pepper to season.

1. Switch on the oven and preheat to 200 C.

2. Cut the peeled turnips into chip-shaped slices.

3. Put the slices in a bowl and mix with olive oil and paprika.

4. Bake for approximately 30 minutes.

A delicious alternative to potato fries that can work as the ideal side dish to your dinner

Turnip soup

A recipe from EatingWell:

Ingredients: Four turnips, half a teaspoon of dried rosemary, four cups of chicken broth, shredded carrot, two tablespoons of scallion greens, one tablespoon of butter, an onion, two tablespoons of olive oil, salt and white pepper.

1. Put the oil and butter in a pan and fry the onions for a couple of minutes.

2. As the onions turn golden, drop in the turnips, salt, vinegar, and pepper - cooking for 10 minutes.

4. Once the time's up, switch up the heat and mix in the broth.

5. Cook for a further 12 minutes before adding the carrots and other greens.

6. Pop the mixture into a blender until you are happy with the consistency.

Souperb: Making this creamy dish takes less than an hour and has also been described as high in fibre

Turnip salad

A recipe from Holistic Nutrionist Maria Ushakova:

Ingredients: Grated carrot, turnips, parsley, lemon juice, salt, olive oil, and pumpkin seeds.

1. After the carrot and turnips are peeled, put these into a bowl.

2. Toss the veggies in olive oil, parsley, pumpkin seeds and lemon juice for flavour.

3. Sprinkle with salt and serve.

The quick dish crammed with fibre and nutrients is possible to make in just 10 minutes

Turnip mash

A recipe from The Spruce Eats:

Ingredients: One diced turnip, one teaspoon of sugar, three tablespoons of butter, black pepper and salt.

1. Boil the turnip in a saucepan and allow it to soften for around half an hour.

2. After this, drain the veggies before putting them back into a large bowl or the same empty pot.

3. Sprinkle the turnips with the salt, pepper and add the butter.

4. Use a masher to pound the turnips into what will become a familiar potato-mash-like texture.

Mashterpiece: Despite its simple recipe this turnip dish offers a punchy flavour

Marmalade turnips

A recipe from BBC Good Food:

Ingredients: Eight small turnips, 100ml of double cream, 75g of marmalade, 100ml of chicken stock, 50g of butter, one tablespoon of oil, a little chopped rosemary.

1. Preheat oven to 140C.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil and butter in a large dish over the hob.

3. After a few minutes, pop in the onions, stock and a marmalade of your choice and stock.

4. Once the mixture appears to be boiling, add the turnips to the mixture.

5. Put a lid to the dish and leave the brew in the oven for around half an hour.

6. Once the turnips have softened, bring them back to stove and stir in the cream at medium heat.

7. Add a dash of rosemary for extra flavour.

Cooking this unexpected combination can take just less than an hour overall

Curried turnips

A recipe from Green Bowl 2 Soul:

Ingredients: Three turnips, an onion, one chopped tomato, cilantro, ginger garlic paste, cumin seeds, two small green chillies, red chilli powder, tumeric powder, coriander powder, oil and salt.

1. Add onion and cumin seeds to a frying pan until golden brown.

2. Put in the ginger garlic paste and green chillies, followed by each of the different powdered ingredients.

3. Stir in the chopped tomatoes until soft and pop in the diced turnips.

4. Cook for 20 minutes.

5. Pop chopped cilantro on the served dish.

Curried turnips offer a taste of familiar Indian spices but the chance to try something new

Lemony turnip chowder

A recipe from Healthy Midwestern Girl:

Ingredients: One turnip, a cup of red lentils, two cloves of garlic, two diced celery stalks, two small turnips, a quarter teaspoon of celery seed, a quarter cup of chopped fresh dill, three cups of vegetable broth, 30 ml of coconut milk, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

1. Heat the onion, celery and garlic until soft over medium heat.

2. Pop in the turnips, celery seed and lentils.

3. Once the mixture is hot, stir in the coconut milk and broth.

4. Reduce the stove temperature slightly before covering and leaving the pot for around 20 minutes.

5. After the timer goes off, stir in the lemon juice.

6. Pop this mixture into a blender until smooth.

7. Season with a dash of salt, pepper and the chopped dill.

Beetroot bolognese

A recipe from Go Plant Based:

Ingredients: Can of chopped tomatoes, six grated beetroot, one chopped red onion, five crushed garlic cloves, ten red olives, a tablespoon of tomato puree, 150g of pasta, five tablespoons of water, one tablespoon of miso paste, one teaspoon of paprika, 400g of chopped tomatoes, and one teaspoon of dried oregano.

1. Pop the beetroot and onion into a frying pan with a little bit of water.

2. Let this simmer for a few minutes before adding in all of the other bolognese ingredients listed.

3. Allow this to cook while preparing the accompanying spaghetti.

Taking just five minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook, this dish serves two people

Turnip ice cream

A recipe from Jennifer McLagan's Bitter: A Taste of the World's Most Dangerous Flavor, with Recipes:

Ingredients: Three grated turnips, three egg yolks, 250ml of whipped cream, 250ml of whole milk, 75g of sugar, one tablespoon, a sprinkle of salt and a pinch of nutmeg.

1. Pop the grated turnips, milk, cream and nutmeg into a saucepan over medium heat.

2. Let this boil before covering and leaving to the side for just under 20 minutes.

3. Once the time's up, sieve this mixture into a bowl, then leave to the side once again.

4. Separately, put the eggs, sugar and salt in a bowl and whisk.

5. When the mixture is of a thick consistency, add in the other sieved mix before whisking further.

6. Stir the mixture over medium heat on the hob.

7. Once it looks even thicker than before, sieve again into a bowl of cold water and ice, making sure to keep stirring.

8. Put this cooled mixture in the fridge overnight.

9. The vodka can be popped in the following day before the mixture is put through an ice cream machine.

Ginger root cookies

A recipe from Live Naturally:

Ingredients: Two cans of coconut cream, three grated carrots, half a cup of candied ginger root, three-quarter cup of coconut sugar, one and a half cups of whole-wheat flour, one and a half teaspoons of baking powder, sprinkles, and two tablespoons of flax seeds.

1. Line some baking paper in a tray after preheating the oven to nearly 180C.

2. Pop the coconut sugar, flour, baking powder and flax seeds into a bowl and whisk.

3. Then add the candied ginger and grated carrot - continue whisking until a batter is made.

4. Spoon clumps of the mixture onto the prepared baking tray, making sure to leave space between each of the unbaked cookies.

5. Place the cookies in the oven for up to 20 minutes.

6. Once they are golden brown, add some sprinkles or any decorations you wish.

Ginger root is the key to adding sweetness and flavour to these easy-to-make cookies

Parsnip cake

A recipe from The Baking Explorer:

Ingredients for the cake: Four eggs, 325g of self-raising flour, 200g of light brown sugar, 125ml of maple syrup, 250g of grated parsnips, one teaspoon of vanilla extract, 50g of chopped pecans, 235g of vegetable oil, half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda, half a teaspoon of ground ginger, two teaspoons of mixed spice, one an a half teaspoons of cinnamon, one teaspoon of baking powder, 250g of mascarpone, three tablespoons of additional maple syrup.
A Labor politician once described as Anthony Albanese's 'biggest weapon' has amused Aussies after leaving a cheeky comment on an Aldi Facebook post.

Daniel Repacholi, the MP for NSW's Hunter Region, made the remark about an ad promoting a phallic-shaped face roller for $19.99.

Aldi's 'sonic vibrations' facial roller promises to 'help relieve tension as well as sculpt the face and body'.

Shoppers were quick to liken the new gadget to a sex toy, with the politician clearly enjoying the comparison.

'Ahhh the comments. You didn't fail to deliver,' he wrote.

Daniel Repacholi, the MP for Hunter, made a cheeky remark on an Aldi Facebook post promoting a phallic-shaped face roller (he is pictured with Anthony Albanese in April)

The purple and silver device, made up of a long stick with two balls on the end, prompted some eyebrow-raising among Aldi enthusiasts

The MP's constituents appeared to appreciate his comments, with one writing 'this is why you're my favourite politician' as others praised his sense of humour.

The purple and silver device, made up of a long stick with two balls on the end, prompted some eyebrow-raising among Aldi enthusiasts.

'Kick your feet up and get self-care mode on,' the advertisement read.

'The sonic vibrations of the Sculpting Facial Roller will help relieve tension as well as sculpt the face and body.

'The set is complete with a contour roller and T-bar under eye massager for ultimate relaxation. On sale this Saturday 25 February'.

Dozens of Aussies loved the ad, with one brazenly joking: 'I'm cuming to get one'.

Another added: 'Yes well, I'm sure the use of the product could result in some kind of "facial".'

While another cheekily commented: 'Does this come in a bigger size?'.

The MP's constituents appeared to appreciate his comments, with one writing 'this is why your my favourite politician' while others praised his sense of humour

Mr Albanese and Mr Repacholi pose in front of a mining truck last year, with the Labor leader failing to even come up to the Hunter candidates neck

It's not the first time Mr Repacholi has gone viral.

In April, the two-metre tall MP towered over leader Anthony Albanese during a comical press conference.

The former Olympian shooter was the ALP's candidate for the seat of Hunter in NSW's coal-mining region at the time.
The deadly disease came from an infected water supply in the Florida Airbnb

A British holiday-maker was almost killed after contracting a deadly disease from an Airbnb hot tub in Florida.

Pamela Farman, 75, from Somerleyton, Suffolk, was having the holiday of a lifetime with her family in Florida when she began having difficulty breathing.

Doctors said she is 'lucky to be alive' after her lungs became 'severely damaged' by the bacterial infection contracted in the hot tub.

Pamela was left in hospital for weeks after contracting Legionnaires' disease, an often fatal form of pneumonia caused by bacteria infecting the lungs.

The retired mum said: 'The Legionnaires' disease has stolen the joy of living from me.

Pamela Farman, 75, from Somerleyton, Suffolk, was having the holiday of a lifetime with her family in Florida but ended up in hospital after contracting a disease from the Airbnb's hot tub

Pamela was left in hospital for weeks after contracting the deadly Legionnaires' disease, an often fatal form of pneumonia caused by bacteria infecting the lungs. Pictured: The hot tub

'Because of my trouble breathing and extreme fatigue as a result of the disease, I dread that I may never get back to the way I was prior to staying at the Airbnb.

'I can no longer exercise, and trying to go for a walk is a nightmare.'

She now struggles to do daily tasks, suffering from fatigue similar to severe long-Covid.

Legionnaires' disease is often caught around hotels, pools, hospitals and office air conditioners with an infected water supply, becoming much riskier for people over the age of 45.

The long-term effects which she has lived with for nine months have also stopped her from accessing treatment for her osteoporosis, which she has been waiting for for over two years.

Pamela arrived with her husband and daughter in the sunshine state for a holiday in May 2022.

The family were then ferried between three different Airbnb villas after they found the first two were found dirty with algae growing in the pools.

After staying at the third accommodation for a few days, Pamela developed a cough and difficulty breathing.

Suffering from the aftermath of the disease, the retired mum said: 'The Legionnaires' disease has stolen the joy of living from me'

Legionnaires' disease is often caught in hotels, pools, hospitals and around office air conditioners with an infected water supply

She was rushed to hospital, where she remained for a week before flying home. Pamela then had to spend a further four days in hospital in the UK.

The family have since slammed the 'awful' customer service received by Airbnb after the holiday accommodation company initially refused to accept any responsibility or offer a refund.

Pamela's daughter Lindsay Martin said: 'We immediately called Airbnb to report what had happened so they could get the pools and hot tubs cleaned to prevent any more cases.

'Their customer service was awful and we spent hours communicating with them on an online chat.'

'It wasn't about the money, we didn't want anyone else to become ill and go through this - people can die from it.

'Airbnb should take more responsibility for how the hosts maintain their properties.'

According to the family, they are now in the process of filing a lawsuit against the company.

Thomas Scolaro from US-based legal firm Leesfield Scolaro representing Pamela said: 'If Airbnbs are unregulated there is no uniformity in cleaning policies.

The family have since slammed the 'awful' customer service received by Airbnb after the holiday accommodation company initially refused to accept any responsibility

'We all know if we stay in a hotel or resort there are expectations that rooms are cleaned on a regular schedule.

'There is no policy or standard in the Airbnb industry - it's the Wild West.

'Folks like Ms Farman are unfortunate victims of lax oversight and unscrupulous practices.'

He added: 'Pamala Farman is living proof that Airbnb fails to live up to its own promises.

'A wonderful woman has now contracted Legionnaires' disease because Airbnb did not do its job.

'She is in the fight of her life against this deadly bacterium all because Airbnb gives lip service to safety.'

A spokesman for Airbnb said: 'The safety of our community is our priority.

'We were concerned to learn about this, and are in contact with the guest to support them as we investigate this matter.'

The company said it holds hosts to 'high standards' and works with safety experts around the world to ensure guests' safety.

MailOnline have reached out to Airbnb for a comment.
A woman who claims she was the victim of a sexual assault bit off her attacker's tongue and handed it in to police as evidence.

The 57-year-old woman said she was walking her dog at 4am on Sunday 19 February in Avignon, France, when a man in his 30s started following her.

He reportedly approached her, attempted to forcefully hug and kiss her while also slipping his hands down her trousers.

After a struggle, the woman bit off the aggressor's tongue and returned home.

She and her son then handed it in to the local police station.

The 57-year-old woman said she was walking her dog at 4am on Sunday 19 February in Avignon, France, when a man started following her. Pictured: File image

Officers went to the scene and arrested the man, who is originally from Tunisia and said to be living in France illegally.

The man, who faces immediate trial and is obliged to leave France, reportedly told officials that the woman was the one who had attacked him, according to France Bleu.

The incident is similar to a recent Spanish case which saw a woman cut off the penis of her would-be rapist.

The pair, both originally from Bangladesh, worked together in a bar in Sant Andreu de la Barca near Barcelona.

The man allegedly attempted to rape the woman, who then cut off his penis in retaliation.

The unnamed woman contacted police to admit to her assault and the man was rushed to hospital for an emergency operation so medics could attempt to reattach his penis.

Both were arrested by Spanish police. The man was charged with attempted rape while the woman with assault and amputation.
He was reportedly concerned about affording upkeep as allowance is slashed

Prince Andrew should be slung out of his grace-and-favour mansion unless he agrees to pays more than the 250-a-week peppercorn rent he is reportedly being charged, royal experts told MailOnline today.

The disgraced Duke of York has told friends he will not be able to afford the upkeep at Royal Lodge in Windsor when his annual 249,000 grant is slashed from April.

There is mounting speculation he may be forced out after the King as part of his plan to cut royal costs. With a row brewing, Andrew has indicated he won't leave without a fight - but he has been 'selfish' by critics.

Incredibly he has a 60-plus year lease on the 30-room property and reportedly pays 250-a-week for it, which former MP Norman Baker, an expert on royal finances, told MailOnline 'wouldn't get you a cupboard in London'.

Mr Baker said: 'It's time Andrew started living within his means rather than expecting other people to subsidise his luxurious lifestyle. If he can't pay a commercial rent for the property with his own money, he should be evicted and relocate to somewhere much smaller. The taxpayer is subsidising him.

King Charles is being urged to take a hard line on his brother Andrew and kick him out of his home unless he pays more

The Duke of York reportedly told friends he is unlikely to be able to maintain upkeep of his Windsor home (pictured) without receiving hundreds of thousands of pounds every year from the King

Biographer and investigative journalist Tom Bower said: 'Andrews selfish behaviour threatens King Charles reputation and even the Coronation. Andrew thinks that he can brazen out the bad predicament he himself created. By issuing threats, he is playing with fire.

'The Kings best solution is to force Andrew out of the vast house, accept much more modest accommodation and persuade him that his bid for rehabilitation is pointless  and in the end will be self-destructive. Not only for himself but also his two daughters'.

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said: 'What the Royal Family do with a problem like Andrew is unclear.

'He has, as far can can be seen, absolutely no intention of undertaking charitable duties, as the Queen reportedly suggested, in search of future redemption, since he sees no reason for penance. In the court of public opinion he is already guilty.

'Yet it would appear he has, or will have, access to very considerable funds. King Charles may reduce his grant. It seems, however, extremely unlikely that he will change his lifestyle, however reprehensible it may appear to the public'.

Andrew is reportedly refusing to move.

An insider told The Mirror: 'He (said) he's not leaving, there is no chance that will happen and even if the King wanted him how would that work?

'If he (the King) wants to spend millions reimbursing him for the money he's already spent on the property, that's another matter.'

'Could you imagine a situation where the Duke threatens to sue his brother, the King, over money. It would be unthinkable.'

Prince Andrew has reportedly told friends he has no intention of leaving his Windsor estate after signing a 250-a-week lease for the next 75 years

There are mounting suggestions he may be forced out after the King indicated he would slash Andrew's allowance of 250,000 by April as part of his plan to reduce royal costs

And Andrew does have some grounds to argue his case to stay.

In 2003, he signed a 75-year lease for the home on the proviso he pays 250-a-week. As a result, he thought he'd be able to call the estate home for the rest of his life.

Royal Lodge has 30 bedrooms and sits on 98 acres of land. Andrew is said to spend most of his time on the property.

The Duke of York reportedly previously told friends may struggle to maintain upkeep of the home without receiving hundreds of thousands of pounds every year from the King.

When Andrew was hit by bombshell allegations of sexual abuse in 2019 - which he strenuously denies - he stepped down from being a working royal and therefore no longer received public funds.

Instead, he relied on the generosity of his late mother who supported him with private funds from the Duchy of Lancaster. The sum has been reported to have been approximately 249,000 per year.

However in the last few weeks, the King has reportedly asked all members of the royal family to tighten their belts and to expect less money from the Duchy  now owned by Charles  than in the past.

Now, there are suggestions the family's solution to Andrew potentially losing his home could be to move him into the 'nest egg' Fergie purchased as an investment for their daughters, Princess Beatrice, 34, and Princess Eugenie, 32.

Prince Andrew could be set to move into his ex-wife's 4.25 million Belgravia mews as plans to rent out the newly renovated terrace 'fall quiet'

Sarah Ferguson paid all cash for the Belgravia home in June last year and has spent the months since completely renovating it in anticipation of renting it out to tenants

Now, there are suggestions the family's solution to Andrew potentially losing his home could be to move him into the 'nest egg' Fergie purchased as an investment for their daughters, Princess Beatrice, 34, and Princess Eugenie, 32.

Mail on Sunday earlier revealed the duo may have event helped cover the cost of the home.

Sarah Ferguson paid all cash for the Belgravia home in June last year and has spent the months since completely renovating it in anticipation of renting it out to tenants.

A source told The Sun all talk about moving a tenant in 'has suddenly all gone quiet' amid reports Andrew fears his older brother King Charles is trying to force him out of his 30 million Windsor home.

'They are looking to keep it empty to use themselves,' the insider said.

'It's a far cry from a mansion on the Windsor estate, but this is their only London property.'

There are suggestions the family's solution to Andrew potentially losing his home could be to move him into the 'nest egg' Fergie purchased as an investment for their daughters, Princess Beatrice, 34, and Princess Eugenie, 32 (pictured together)

Official Land Registry documents revealed she cannot sell it without written consent signed by her daughters. One legal expert suggested the clause may have been added if Beatrice and Eugenie stumped up the funds.

'That could be one explanation,' they said, adding: 'But it also could mean that whoever purchased the property wants to make sure that her daughters ultimately benefit from it.

'Usually a restriction like this one is needed to stop conmen taking advantage of vulnerable elderly relatives and selling their house from under them when they are in a care home, but I don't think that applies in this case.'

A source close to the Duchess declined to discuss whether she had paid for the mews home herself, stating it was a 'private matter'.

However, they alluded to Fergie's recent publishing success, adding: 'She has bought it very much as a nest egg for the girls so it does not surprise me at all that she has put that kind of provision in.'

The terrace is a short walk from Ghislaine Maxwell's old home where Prince Andrew was pictured with his arm around the waist of the then 17-year-old Virginia Roberts, who claims she was trafficked to London to have sex with him in 2001.

Fergie bought it a few months after he reached a multi-million pound settlement with Ms Roberts. He did not accept any liability and strongly denies the claims.

Late last year, Andrew finally offloaded his seven-bedroom Swiss ski chalet for 19 million.
The head of the feared Russian Wagner mercenary group was able to get past UK money laundering checks by submitting his elderly mother's gas bill.

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin was under US, EU and US sanctions in 2021 when British law firm Discreet Law requested identification documents from him as part of anti-money laundering checks before taking him on as a client.

Prigozhin's Russian lawyers responded by sending the London-based law firm a picture of his passport along with a gas bill listed to the mercenary chief's then 81-year-old mother Violetta Prigozhina , leaked emails seen by the Financial Times show. The bill involved an address in St Petersburg, Russia.

The Russian lawyers wrote in an email: 'The bill is issued in the name of the claimant's mother who actually lives at the client's residential address and pays the bill.'

A solicitor at Discreet Law responded: 'We are satisfied with the [anti-money laundering] documents.'

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin (pictured) was under sanctions in 2021 by the US, EU and US when British law firm Discreet Law requested identification documents from him as part of anti-money laundering checks before taking him on as a client

Prigozhina, now 83, was placed under sanctions by the EU last year in response to her support of her son's activities in the Wagner group.

Prigozhin, a millionaire with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, has approximately 50,000 fighters in Ukraine, of whom 40,000 are convicts and 10,000 contractors, according to UK and US intelligence.

Prigozhin, dubbed 'Putin's Chef' having once provided catering services to the Kremlin, hired Discreet Law in 2021 to file a libel case in London against Eliot Higgins, the founder of investigative news service Bellingcat, over tweets he had made about the Wagner group.

The legal proceedings were struck out in May last year by the High Court in London - two months earlier, Discreet Law had withdrawn its services for Prigozhin.

Margaret Hodge, a Labour MP, said the British law firm's acceptance of a gas bill in the name of Prigozhin's mother showed the need for urgent reform in the UK.

'It is ridiculous that a Russian warlord avoided all suspicion of money laundering by simply using his elderly mother's gas bills,' she told the FT.

'Our bankers, accountants and lawyers all have a duty to perform robust checks on their customers,' said Hodge.

Prigozhin, dubbed 'Putin's Chef' having once provided catering services to the Kremlin, hired Discreet Law in 2021 to file a libel case in London against Eliot Higgins, the founder of investigative news service Bellingcat, over tweets he had made about the Wagner group.

Prigozhin, dubbed 'Putin's Chef' (pictured together) having once provided catering services to the Kremlin, hired Discreet Law in 2021 to file a libel case in London against Eliot Higgins

The legal proceedings were struck out in May last year by the High Court in London - two months earlier, Discreet Law had withdrawn its services for Prigozhin.

Roger Gherson, the founder of Discreet Law, said his law firm 'cannot comment on confidential communications with their former clients'.

'Discreet Law's position is that in taking instructions and undertaking due diligence they have at all times complied fully with their legal and professional obligations,' said Gherson.

It came after Prigozhin accused Russias defense minister and chief of general staff on Tuesday of starving his fighters in Ukraine of ammunition, which he said amounts to an attempt to destroy the force.

Prigozhin said in a raised voice that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov are handing out orders left and right not to supply Wagner with ammunition and or air transport. The company has been involved in heavy fighting in the east of Ukraine.

This can be likened to high treason in the very moment when Wagner is fighting for Bakhmut, losing hundreds of its fighters every day, Prigozhin said.

The millionaire Prigozhin and his fighters have been claimed for weeks that the military doesnt provide them with enough ammunition. Wagners push to take over Bakhmut, a city in Ukraines partially occupied eastern Donetsk region, has stalled and turned into a grinding battle.

Prigozhin also has repeatedly accused Russias top military brass in recent months of incompetence. He has raised his public profile, issuing daily statements that boast about Wagners purported victories and mock his opponents.

His criticism, however, appears to have fallen on deaf ears. Last month, Putin reaffirmed his trust in Gerasimov by putting him in direct charge of Russian forces in Ukraine, a move that some observers also interpreted as an attempt to cut Prigozhin down to size.

On Tuesday, in his long-anticipated state-of-the-nation address, Putin profusely thanked his military, but he made no mention of Wagner.
The wife of an Australian man found dead in Bali has slammed his alleged killer as she recalls the moment she found him lying in a pool of his own blood.

Troy Scott Johnston, 40, was holidaying in Indonesia with his wife, Oman, and young son when he went out drinking on Wednesday night.

His wife became concerned after he failed to return to their accomodation by 3am and decided to search for her husband with the help of her brother.

The pair found Mr Johnston unresponsive and lying in a pool of his own blood at the Uncle Benz Cafe in South Kuta just before 4am on Thursday.

Mr Johnston was rushed to hospital but pronounced dead on arrival.

The owner of the cafe, Gede Wijaya, 20, has been charged with the 40-year-old's murder by Indonesian police.

Mr Johnston is believed to have died after being hit over the head with a wooden bar stool after a fight broke out at the cafe.

His heartbroken wife and work colleagues have paid tribute to the father and airport controller on social media.

Troy Scott Johnston has died while on holiday in Bali with his wife (left) and young son. It is believed the 40-year-old died after he was allegedly hit over the head with a bar stool

Mr Johnston is believed to have died after being hit over the head with a wooden stool at the Uncle Benz Cafe in South Kuta (pictured)

Wijaya told a police press conference that Mr Johnston was drunk and had been 'throwing bottles on the street'.

'He was drunk and lost control... I tried to calm him down,' he said.

'I am very regretful and have no intention to do that because I know him very well so I don't have any intention to do that.'

However, police allege that Wijaya was also drinking before a fight broke out.

'Wijaya was attacked and slammed, they both wrestled on the floor, Scott quickly got up and grab a chair and throw it at Wijaya,' they said.

The cafe owner allegedly grabbed the bar stool from Johnston and hit his head, leaving him with severe head injuries.

Mr Johnston's wife Oman has recalled the moment she found her husband unresponsive and lying in a pool of his own blood.

'I find him already on the ground with lots of blood,' she told 7News.

'My husband didn't know him (Mr Wijaya).'

She penned an emotional message to her husband on social media pleading for him to 'wake up for us' and called his alleged killer a 'f***ing liar'.

'You said you know my husband (today). You just know my husband that (night),' she wrote.

'I just want to tell you... he's the owner of the bar where my husband is going to drink. My brother and me were the ones who call the ambulance and police.'

Troy Scott Johnston, 40, was found by his wife Oman at the Uncle Benz Cafe in South Kuta, Indonesia and died in hospital

Mr Johnston was on holiday in Indonesia with his wife and son. She told police that her husband went out for a night of drinking around 7.30pm on Wednesday night

She told police that her husband went out at about 7.30pm and that she and her brother had gone out searching for him when he failed to return at 3:45am.

'At 10.30pm Purnianti contacted Scott and he replied that he was still drinking,' police said.

'Purnianti and her brother were shocked after they found Johnston was lying in a pool of blood on the terrace of Uncle Benz Cafe.'

Mr Johnston had been employed by Rio Tinto at its Perth Airport operations centre as an airport controller.

The news of his death reached his workmates Friday, according to The West.

'We are devastated by the news that one of our much loved and valued team members has tragically passed away overseas,' a Rio Tinto spokesperson said.

Wijaya claimed that Mr Johnston was drunk and 'lost control', before he tried to calm him down

Mr Johnston's wife went looking for her husband after he failed to return to their accomodation in west Kuta, Indonesia, after 3am

'Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Troy's family and friends, and we are providing them all the support we can during this very difficult time.

'Troy's colleagues are deeply saddened and we are providing them access to a range of support services.'

'Rest in peace you crazy, funny man, not forgotten,' Phil Byrne said.

Mark Dryhurst said: 'RIP mate had some drinking time in Pattaya happy days'.

Wijaya is facing 15 years in jail in Indonesia if found guilty of murder.
PM Rishi Sunak was joined by his wife and Ukrainian troops outside No.10

Rishi Sunak has led a poignant national silence from Downing Street to mark a year of Ukrainian resistance to the Russian invasion.

The Prime Minister was joined outside No 10 by wife Akshata Murthy, Kyiv's ambassador to Britain Vadym Prystaiko and dozens of Ukrainian troops being trained by the UK. After the national pause, the Ukrainian national anthem was sung.

The tribute came after Boris Johnson lit one of 52 candles - each marking a week of Russia's war on Ukraine - during a poignant prayer service.

The former Prime Minister joined the service at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London today, the one year anniversary. He looked solemn as he took part in the tribute.

Mr Prystaiko and his wife Inna were also among the attendees, as well as Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, all who were pictured lighting candles.

Mr Johnson described it as a 'powerful' service in a tweet this morning. 'We paid tribute to all those who have lost their lives in the year since Putin launched his illegal and horrific invasion,' he wrote.

His message came as King Charles III condemned the 'unprovoked full-scale attack' on Ukraine and declared that the world stood 'united'.

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson lights one of 52 candles - one for each week of the war

PM Rishi Sunak hung a blue and yellow wreath on the door of No 10.

'As we mark one year since a full-scale war broke out on our continent, I urge everyone to reflect on the courage and bravery of our Ukrainian friends who, every hour since, have fought heroically for their country,' he said.

'I am proud that the UK has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine through this horrific conflict.

'As I stand with brave Ukrainian soldiers outside Downing Street today, my thoughts will be with all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to defend freedom and return peace to Europe.'

King Charles said in his message: 'It has now been a year that the people of Ukraine have suffered unimaginably from an unprovoked full-scale attack on their nation. They have shown truly remarkable courage and resilience in the face of such human tragedy.

'The world has watched in horror at all the unnecessary suffering inflicted upon Ukrainians, many of whom I have had the great pleasure of meeting here in the UK and, indeed, across the world, from Romania to Canada.

'Earlier this month I met President Zelensky at Buckingham Palace to express my personal support for the people of Ukraine. It is heartening that the United Kingdom, along with its allies, is doing everything possible to help at this most difficult time.

'Therefore, I can only hope the outpouring of solidarity from across the globe may bring not only practical aid, but also strength from the knowledge that, together, we stand united.'

A one minute silence outside Downing Street - The Prime Minister was joined outside No 10 by wife Akshata Murthy, Kyiv's ambassador to Britain Vadym Prystaiko and dozens of Ukrainian troops being trained by the UK

Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murthy look on as Ukrainian Ambassador to UK Vadym Prystaiko and wife Inna Prystaiko pause

Britain's Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, his wife Akshata Murty, Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko and his wife Inna Prystaiko, observe a one-minute silence

Rishi Sunak has led a poignant national silence from Downing Street - pictured here with wife Akshata Murthy

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan also lights one of the candles during the prayer service in London

An ecumenical prayer service at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London

Ukraine's embassador for Britain Vadym Prystaiko (R) and his wife Inna Prystaiko (L)

Boris Johnson described the service as 'powerful' in a tweet this morning

A woman dries her tears during the prayer service today, on the one year anniversary of Ukraine's invasion by Russia

'We paid tribute to all those who have lost their lives in the year since Putin launched his illegal and horrific invasion,' Mr Johnson said

A woman praying during the service as many paid poignant tributes

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson (right) speaks to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan (left)

Children from St Mary's Ukrainian School attended the service

MPs also stood in silence in the Commons chamber to mark a year since the invasion of Ukraine began.

The one-minute silence halted Commons proceedings at 11am during a Friday sitting, when a small group of backbench MPs usually attend to consider private member's bills.

Several ministers and shadow ministers joined the cohort of backbench Labour and Conservative MPs in the Commons for the occasion.

Deputy Commons Speaker Dame Rosie Winterton said 'Slava Ukraini' - meaning 'Glory to Ukraine' in the Ukrainian language - as the silence came to an end.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said that the country's support 'is as firm and unstinting today as it was on that dark day one year ago'.

'As we mark this solemn anniversary and look ahead to the coming months, we must do the same. Regardless of what other political disagreements we may have, we stand in lockstep with the Government on this issue,' he said.

'No-one should ever have to face the hardship and loss that the Ukrainian people have over the last year.

'Their fight for democracy, freedom and liberty in the face of tyranny is also our fight. Standing with our Nato allies, we will ensure Putin's defeat and Ukraine's victory.'

King Charles III condemned the 'unprovoked full-scale attack' on Ukraine and declared that the world stood 'united'

Mr Johnson, who was Prime Minister when the war began and when few believed Ukraine could hold out against Russia, has become a vocal advocate of the need to send fighter jets to the Ukrainians.

'Now is the time to give President Zelensky the tools the Ukrainians need to finish the job,' he has said.

'The last year has taught us that sooner or later, the West gives the Ukrainians what they need.

'And if that is the choice - sooner or later - let's make it sooner, for the sake of Ukraine and the world.

'A swift Ukrainian victory is the humane, compassionate and economically sensible outcome.'

Ukraine's president has pledged to push for victory in 2023 as he and other Ukrainians marked the sombre first anniversary of the Russian invasion that changed their lives.

As dawn broke on a day of commemorations and defiance, President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted that Ukrainians had proven themselves to be 'invincible' in what he called 'a year of pain, sorrow, faith and unity'.

'We know that 2023 will be the year of our victory!' the tweet said.

In a defiant video address, Mr Zelensky recalled the terror unleashed a year ago by the Russian assault, triggering Europe's biggest and deadliest war since the Second World War.

He said February 24, 2022, the date of the Russian invasion, was 'the longest day of our lives'.

'We survived the first day of the full-scale war. We didn't know what tomorrow would bring, but we clearly understood that for each tomorrow, you need to fight. And we fought,' he said.

A year on, casualty figures are horrific on both sides, with Western estimates suggesting hundreds of thousands have been killed or wounded.

Economic and diplomatic repercussions have rippled across the globe.
A black nurse has accused NHS England of 'institutional racism' after winning a landmark discrimination claim against her boss.

Michelle Cox, 55, was harassed and victimised 'because of her race' when she challenged decisions and 'blew the whistle' on manager Gill Paxton, an employment tribunal has found.

Ms Paxton, then head of Continuing Healthcare (CHC) in the North at NHS England, 'side-lined, intimidated and undermined' Ms Cox, who is one of the most senior black nurses in the NHS and the regional lead to the chief nursing officers' black and minority ethnic advisory group for the North, Judge Marion Batten said.

At a hearing, in September, Ms Paxton 'extraordinarily' made reference to Miss Cox 'eating bananas' when trying to make a point about meeting notes  which was 'shockingly poor' and evidence of possible 'subconscious discrimination,' the judge said.

She described Ms Paxton as an 'unreliable' witness who was 'evasive and defensive' when questioned about her behaviour. In contrast, Miss Cox, who works as a Continuing Healthcare Manager and was Ms Paxton's deputy, was 'measured' and her evidence 'stood up to proof,' Judge Batten said.

Michelle Coz, 55, was harassed and victimised 'because of her race' when she challenged decisions and 'blew the whistle' on manager Gill Paxton, an employment tribunal has found. She is pictured arriving at the tribunal

Manager Gill Paxton (pictured) 'side-lined, intimidated and undermined' Ms Cox, who is one of the most senior black nurses in the NHS, 'because of her race,' Judge Marion Batten said

Miss Cox, whose case was supported by the Royal College of Nursing, is now in line to secure substantial compensation, which could potentially run into six figures. There is no cap on racial discrimination damages.

'I am clearly delighted with the outcome,' the Band 8 nurse, who is still employed by NHS England, said. 'I was confident that the evidence put forward demonstrated a pattern in discriminatory behaviours due to the colour of my skin.

'It sadly proves that institutional racism is still present in organisations, despite the efforts to make it more inclusive for people of all races and backgrounds.'

She added: 'I want this outcome to send a strong message to anyone facing similar behaviour in the workplace particularly due to race, to have the courage to speak up. Too often this behaviour becomes the 'norm', it needs to be challenged more often and organisations need to work towards a no tolerance policy where discriminatory attitudes, behaviour and racism is concerned.'

The tribunal, in Manchester, was told Ms Paxton was responsible for setting up special appeal hearings, known as Independent Review Panels (IRPs), which decide whether vulnerable and elderly patients should pay for their own healthcare needs outside of hospital.

Ms Paxton asked other nurses at NHS England to sit on such panels, but when Miss Cox's pointed out this amounted to a conflict of interest and compromised the legality of the IRP decisions, she said Ms Paxton began undermining her role and subjecting her to racial discrimination and harassment.

The nurse, who has had a 25-year unblemished career in the NHS and was one of only two black nurses in NHS England's Northern office, claimed that Ms Paxton promoted one of her team without her knowledge when she was on holiday; tried to interview another two staff members behind her back when she was on annual leave and urged another to flag up concerns about her, including about her mental health, in 'retaliation' for her whistleblowing.

Work events, including at least two team 'away days' were also organised by Ms Paxton for dates when Miss Cox couldn't attend, including on one occasion during Black History Month when she was giving a presentation to the National Nursing Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) conference.

Ms Paxton (pictured) organised work events, including at least two 'away days', for dates when Ms Cox couldn't attend, the tribunal heard, including on one occasion during Black History Month Ms Cox was giving a presentation to the National Nursing Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) conference

Ms Cox, who has had a 25-year unblemished career in the NHS and was one of only two black nurses in NHS England's Northern office, is now in line to secure substantial compensation, which could potentially run into six figures. She is pictured arriving at the employment tribunal in Manchester

'The only reason it appeared I was being cut out was because of my race, or related to it,' Miss Cox, of Liverpool, added.

Miss Cox, who started work at NHS England in May 2017, raised a formal complaint against Ms Paxton in September 2019. The issues were not resolved, however, and, in January 2020, she decided to pursue a grievance against her employer.

NHS England launched an internal investigation, but, the judge found, the inquiry failed to deal with the issues of race discrimination and was 'woefully inadequate.'

Ms Paxton, a qualified nurse and midwife, left her role at NHS England two months later (November 2020). According to LinkedIn she is currently the associate director of nursing at NHS Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership.

In her statement to the tribunal Ms Paxton denied being racist.

'I absolutely deny that my behaviour towards the claimant (Miss Cox) changed as a result of her raising this issue with me or that she was subjected to any detrimental behaviour from me as a result,' she said.

A spokesman for NHS England said it did not want to comment about any individuals at this stage.

He added: 'No one should ever experience racism, discrimination or prejudice at work and NHS England will fully consider the learning from the employment tribunal.'

The employment tribunal was staged at Alexandra House, in Manchester, where Ms Cox won her landmark discrimination case

Asked whether Ms Paxton had been formally disciplined, a spokesman for her employers NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board said: 'We are committed to creating an environment that recognises and values the diversity of all colleagues and people using our services. We will consider the outcome of the tribunal and any actions for our organisation'.

Ferguson Doyle, senior legal officer for the RCN in the North West, said: 'This is a landmark case, especially given that the employer's mishandling of Michelle's grievance and appeal was found to be acts of discrimination in themselves. It is clear she has been extremely let down by her employer.'

The tribunal decision casts doubt on IRPs held during Ms Paxton's tenure at NHS England, and could prompt patients to go to the ombudsman or take legal action to challenge the outcome, with potentially expensive consequences for the NHS.

Under Continuing Healthcare (CHC) rules, the NHS has a legal duty to fund care for an individual if their needs are primarily health-related, for example, if they are suffering from dementia.

But strict assessment criteria mean tens of thousands of families who apply to their local commissioning board each year are turned down, forcing patients to sell their homes to pay for expensive residential and nursing homes.

However, they can appeal to NHS England for a funding review (IRP) to challenge the decision.

Since 2018 around 3,930 IRPs have been held in England to contest refusals by the NHS to pay for patients' care. Of those more than a third  or 1,200  were overturned or partially overturned, meaning those patients were in fact eligible for funding.
The Pentagon announced a new package of long-term security assistance for Ukraine on Friday, marking the first anniversary of Russia's invasion with a $2 billion commitment to send more rounds of ammunition and a variety of small, high-tech drones into the fight.

The announcement comes just days after President Joe Biden made an unannounced visit to Kyiv and pledged America's continuing commitment to Ukraine, as well as $500mn in artillery, ammunition and air surveillance radar.

Biden told President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his people Friday that 'Americans stand with you, and the world stands with you.'

In a statement, the Pentagon said the aid includes weapons to counter Russia's unmanned systems and several types of drones, including the upgraded Switchblade 600 Kamikaze drone, as well as electronic warfare detection equipment.

Meeting virtually with G7 leaders and Zelenskyy, Biden also pledged today to add new sanctions to target Russian banks, technology and defence sectors.

Switchblade drones weigh around 50lbs and can be easily carried in a backpack

It also includes money for additional ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, artillery rounds and munitions for laser-guided rocket systems.

But, in an unusual move, the Pentagon provided no details on how many rounds of any kind will be bought.

Including this latest package, the U.S. has now committed more than $32 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia's invasion.

The Kamikaze drones sent have been have been in use since 2011.

They are currently operated by the US, Britain and Ukraine.

Lithuania signed a similar contract to buy Switchblades at the end of last year.

About 4,000 were tested and used in Afghanistan, prompting further deployments by special forces against ISIS.

It was reported in March last year that the US was considering sending Switchblade drones to support Ukraine's defence.

One hundred were initially sent as part of an $800mn aid package, followed by another 600 in April.

Ukraine has had mixed success with the drones so far.

The upgraded Switchblade 600s, first shared with Ukraine in October, offer better damage against armor.

The High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) has been central to Ukraine's defence against the invasion.

They allow the Ukrainian forces to 'shoot and scoot', meaning they can rapidly set up, fire and move.

This has been important in undermining the efficiency of Russian artillery set back from the front lines.

The Biden administration and Congress has set aside a staggering $113 billion in American taxpayer funds for Ukraine in a conflict that has no end in sight

The Pentagon announced a new package of long-term security assistance for Ukraine on Friday, marking the first anniversary of Russia's invasion with a $2 billion commitment to send more rounds of ammunition and a variety of small, high-tech drones into the fight

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement that the first anniversary of Russia's invasion is a chance for all who believe in freedom 'to recommit ourselves to supporting Ukraines brave defenders for the long haul - and to recall that the stakes of Russias war stretch far beyond Ukraine.'

Biden was scheduled to meet virtually Friday with other Group of Seven leaders and Zelenskyy 'to continue coordinating our efforts to support Ukraine and hold Russia accountable for its war,' the White House said.

Those efforts include what the White House called 'sweeping' sanctions on over 200 people and entities 'to further degrade Russias economy and diminish its ability to wage war against Ukraine.' The Biden administration will also further restrict exports to Russia and raise tariffs on some Russian products imported to the U.S.

The White House statement released Friday also said, 'G7 countries will continue to keep Russias sovereign assets immobilized until there is a resolution to the conflict that addresses Russias violation of Ukraines sovereignty and integrity.'

Just days after Austin traveled to Kyiv in April 2022 to meet with Zelenskyy, he launched a now-monthly meeting of ministers of defense and defense chiefs to make sure momentum on assisting Ukraine does not fade. The most recent meeting was last week in Brussels, and over the past year the sessions have resulted in regular announcements by international partners of increasingly lethal weapons systems to help Ukraine defend itself.

That effort also spawned a spin-off group of the chief weapons buyers for each partner nation. They now meet regularly to address the pressure that support for Ukraine has put on international weapons stockpiles, to make sure equipment continues to flow and manufacturing meets the demands.

Allies and partners, said Austin, have committed more than $20 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, including tanks, armored vehicles, air-defense systems, artillery systems and weapons.

United States President Joe Biden waves on the South Lawn of the White House after arriving on Marine One in Washington, DC, earlier this week

'Difficult times may lie ahead, but let us remain clear-eyed about what is at stake in Ukraine,' Austin said, 'to ensure that a world of rules and rights is not replaced by one of tyranny and turmoil.'

The latest aid package uses the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative to provide funding for longer-term contracts to buy weapons and equipment. Unlike the presidential drawdown authority that the Pentagon has used repeatedly over the past year to pull weapons from its own stocks and quickly ship them to Ukraine, the USAI-funded equipment could take a year or two to get to the battlefront. As a result, it will do little to help Ukraine prepare for an expected new offensive in the spring.

According to the Pentagon, the money will also buy mine clearing and communications equipment and fund training, maintenance and sustainment for Ukraines forces.

On CNN Thursday night, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed that Biden and Zelenskyy discussed Ukraines request for F-16 fighter jets during the U.S. presidents visit week to Kyiv.

'Theyre about to mount a significant counter offense,' Sullivan noted, referring to expectations that Ukraine will mount a spring offensive. 'From our perspective, F-16s are not the key capability for that offensive.' He suggested, however, that the F-16 request could be revisited for long-term defense.
A US judge ordered former President Donald Trump on Thursday to be questioned in two cases against the Justice Department and FBI by two former agency employees who claim his White House improperly pressured them.

US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson ordered FBI Director Christopher Wray to be deposed by lawyers for Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, who traded text messages disparaging Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.

According to the judge's short ruling, both Trump and Wray must answer questions for two hours, but only on a "narrow set" of issues, according to Reuters.

Jackson ordered US President Joe Biden till March 24 to determine whether to assert presidential privilege to restrict deposition questions.

Read Also: Russia-Ukraine War Anniversary Update

Trump's claim that the FBI was prejudiced against him because of his politics relied mostly on communications between Strzok and Page.

Since 2017, Donald Trump has blasted Strzok and Page for sending anti-Trump messages while working for the FBI and having an affair with one another.

An Unlawful Dismissal

Strzok, a senior FBI counterintelligence employee at the time, was removed from a Department of Justice investigation into Russian election activity after special counsel Robert Mueller discovered his messages. In 2018, Strzok lost his job.

In 2019, Strzok and Page each sued the Justice Department and the FBI in a civil lawsuit, as reported by CNBC.

Strzok said he was dismissed "because of his protected political speech," which desecrates his constitutional right.

Strzok and Page's lawyers requested information from Donald Trump and Wray after interviewing several lower-ranking officers and people linked to the complaint.

A Washington Post report alleged that Donald Trump's recent interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, in which he boasted about dismissing the duo and other officials, may have persuaded the judge, per The Huff Post.

Related Article: Australia Discovers Major Russian Spy Ring

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Two Pakistani brothers held by the United States at Guantanamo Bay military prison for two decades were freed by US officials and returned home on Friday.

They will be reunited with their families after formal questioning by Pakistani authorities, according to security officials and a Pakistani senator.

Pakistan arrested Abdul and Mohammed Ahmad Ghulam Rabbani on suspicion of their links to Al-Qaeda in 2002 in Karachi, the country's largest southern port city.

Abdul was accused of working for avowed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) and operating an Al-Qaeda safe house in Karachi, but his detainee assessment indicates he was not believed to have had 'specific insight into Al-Qaeda operational plans'.

Mohammed was accused of recruiting his older brother into extremist circles. He is believed to have organized travel and funds for KSM and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, the mastermind of the October 2000 suicide bombing of the USS Cole missile destroyer, which left 17 US sailors dead.

They were never charged with any crimes during 20 years in U.S. custody.

After about 18 months in an Afghan detention site, they were moved to Guantanamo Bay in 2004, where they say they were subject to torture.

U.S. military records note the brother provided 'little intelligence of value' and did not recant statements during interrogations on grounds they were obtained by physical abuse.

Abdul (L) and Mohammad (R) Rabbani were finally freed from Guantanamo Bay on Friday

The USS Cole was attacked by two suicide pilots in a small bomb-laden boat in October 2000. The Rabbanis were believed to be associated with the attack but were never charged

Set up in the wake of the September 11 attacks, Guantanamo has held many without charge

Image shows a cell in the Guantanamo Bay prison, with only a bed, sink, toilet and thin window

The two brothers were approved for transfer in 2021 and it is unclear why they remained in prison for so long.

At last, they arrived at an airport in the capital, Islamabad on Friday.

The US Defence Department announced their repatriation in a statement the day before.

Pakistani senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan, the chairman of the human rights committee in the upper house of Pakistan's Parliament, tweeted on Friday that the two brothers had reached Islamabad airport.

He said the men were 'innocently imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay for 21 years. There was no trial, no court proceedings, no charges against them. Congratulations on their release. Thank you Senate of Pakistan', he wrote on Twitter.

Mr Khan told the Associated Press he expected the men would soon be reunited with their families.

The site, which opened in 2002 after the September 11 attacks, has been controversial since opening.

Amnesty International considered the indefinite detention without trial of prisoners to be a major breach of human rights, in violation of the Fifth and Fourteenth amendments of the US constitution.

Since the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, President Biden and his top aides have had found it easier to repeatedly express intent to close the site.

Saifullah Paracha was the camp's longest-detained prisoner when he was released in October 2022, 19 years after he was first detained.

The businessman was arrested in 2003, accused of financing Al Qaeda.

He always maintained his innocence.

In May, the US acknowledged that Paracha, now aged 74 or 75, was 'not a continuing threat' to the country.

The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67) is towed away from the port city of Aden, Yemen, into open sea by the Military Sealift Command ocean-going tug USNS Catawba in 2000

The port side of the guided missile destroyer USS Cole damaged after a suspected terrorist bomb exploded during a refueling operation in the port of Aden in Yemen in 2000

Prison cells are viewed in camp 6 where prisoners are housed in a communal facility at the U.S. military prison for 'enemy combatants' on June 25, 2013 in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

Guantanamo at its peak in 2003 held about 600 people considered terrorists by the US.

Supporters of using the detention facility for such figures say doing so prevented attacks. Critics say the military detention and courts subverted human rights and constitutional rights and undermined American standing abroad.

Thirty-two detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay, including 18 eligible for transfer if stable third-party countries can be found to take them, the Pentagon said.

Many are from Yemen, a country considered too plagued with war and extremist groups and too devoid of services for freed Yemeni detainees to be sent there.

Nine of the detainees are defendants in slow-moving military-run tribunals. Two others have been convicted.
Sasha Walpole - the woman who took Prince Harry's virginity in a field behind a pub and slapped his bottom like a 'stallion' afterwards - is back at the day job today.

The mother-of-two, now 40, had said all she wanted was to 'hide back under my rock' and do her job after it emerged that she was the first person the Duke of Sussex ever had sex with.

And today she was doing just that, expertly driving a digger and a dumper truck on a building site in Wiltshire while her royal former lover luxuriates in a $14.6million California mansion with his ex-actress wife and their two children more than 5,300 miles away.

Wearing a black top with the hood up, Ms Walpole moved rubble and earth around with heavy machinery on a cold winter's morning in the South-West of England.

Sasha Walpole, the woman who took Prince Harry's virginity in a field behind a pub, is back at work today driving her digger

The mother-of-two drove a digger and a dumper truck on a building site in Wiltshire

Sasha said she was forced to speak out, claiming that Harry has effectively outed her

Sasha was thrust into the spotlight after Harry (pictured together in 2001) decided to recount losing his virginity to her in his book that gave huge hints about who she was. They are together here the same year they became intimate following a night out at a pub

Sasha was thrust into the global spotlight by Harry who wrote in his memoir how he lost his virginity in a field behind a busy pub with a lady with a love of horses who treated him like a 'young stallion'.

She kept her romp with him secret for nearly 22 years - until he spoke about it in his book, sparking an international guessing game about the identity of the mystery 'older woman'.

His decision to include the most intimate details of his love life left her and other women involved shocked and saddened.

Harry wrote how a horse-loving 'older woman' treated him 'not unlike a young stallion' and 'smacked my rump and sent me off to graze' after a 'quick ride'. Harry was 16 at the time and Mrs Walpole was celebrating her 19th birthday.

His graphic description of the 'inglorious episode' provoked international intrigue over the mystery lover's identity which saw a number of women rule themselves out.

Former Highgrove groom Mrs Walpole knew that it was only a matter of time until her name leaked and so decided to tell her story to The Mail on Sunday.

She had only told her mother and sister about the liaison in July 2001. But her father had remained oblivious for 21 years  until the publication of Spare sparked a global guessing game and forced her to tell him.

'It is something your parents probably should never read,' said Mrs Walpole, a mother-of-two and expert digger driver.

'The day after I had sex with Harry I was in the kitchen at home and told my mum, but I didn't give details. I think she was just like, 'OK'. She trusted me, she knew I was on the Pill.

'I thought we told Dad too but now I realise he hadn't listened because he didn't want to hear about what his teenage daughter was doing.'

The family never spoke about the encounter again until Harry published his infamous description last month.

Shortly after Spare came out, Mrs Walpole phoned her father to get his opinion on giving her version of events to the Press.

'I was on the way to Morrisons to do the grocery shopping,' she said. 'At first we were talking about a job and then I said, 'I just don't know what to do about speaking out.' He didn't react. Normally Dad would give his advice. I could tell by the tone of his voice that he just didn't know.

'I was thinking, 'I am sure he knows.' The next day I spoke to Mum and said, 'Does Dad know?' She said, 'I think so.' She spoke to him and he was like, 'I did not know.' He explained that he probably wasn't listening [back in 2001] because he didn't want to know.'

Sasha is one of several women who were discussed by Harry as he described his love life

Sasha said after various interviews that she wanted to get back to work - and that's what she is doing

Mother-of-two Sasha Walpole (pictured in her digger) claims Harry kissed her after asking her if she wanted to go outside for a cigarette during her 19th birthday party back in 2001

Digger driver Sasha says she was forced to say she was the mystery horse-lover who had a 'passionate' five-minute sex session with the duke in pub field

The Vine Tree Pub, Norton, Wiltshire where Prince Harry had sex with Sasha Walpole in a field, which the duke sensationally revealed in his bombshell memoir Spare

Aerial pictures of the Vine tree pub showing the surrounding fields where Sasha says the pair had sex

It meant Mr Alvis was then forced to read and listen to all the details about his daughter.

Mrs Walpole said: 'It is awkward because of what Harry has written about me slapping his bum, really cringey.

'It flared up because of the way Harry has written it. That is why I am in this situation. Harry has put it out there.

'If Dad has an opinion on what Harry has done, he wouldn't say it. He wouldn't stew on it, as long as I am OK. My parents' concern is for my safety. They just want me to be OK.'

Despite being a 'private' couple, Mrs Walpole's parents backed her decision to speak out.

She has said she is 'relieved' the truth is finally out. 'I don't have to worry any more and I can get back to my life,' she said.

'There's no regret. It was a moment of madness and life is about experiences.

'I have no idea what Harry thought when he read it. He hasn't contacted me and I don't think he will. I'm not the same girl I was back then and he's not the same lad. From my side of things it's done and I don't have to live in fear it's going to come out.'

Sasha and Prince Harry pictured as youngsters. Left to right: Emma Lippiatt, Sasha Walpole (nee Alvis), Prince Harry and Lizzie Ward at The Beaufort Polo Club, near Tetbury, Gloucestershire

The Miss Piggy Toy Harry bought for Sasha for her birthday. The Duke bought it at Thorpe Park and gave it to her at her party with a card

The birthday card Prince Harry wrote to his close friend Sasha Walpole back in 2001. It reads: 'To Sasha, have a very happy birthday, and don't get too pi***d! Luckily I'll be there to keep an eye on you, loads of love, Baz... PS. Thanks for everything'

Mrs Walpole has received hundreds of supportive messages from the public calling her 'authentic' and praising her for taking ownership of the story away from Prince Harry.

'I'm so grateful people have understood this is something I had to do,' she said. 'I'm so happy.'

Mrs Walpole has also been dubbed a 'dark horse' by her shocked friends who had no idea that she had slept with Harry until her revelation.

She told how she and the young prince had become friends while she was a groom at the future King Charles's Gloucestershire estate, Highgrove. Mrs Walpole had invited the then 16-year-old to her 19th birthday party at The Vine Tree pub in the Wiltshire village of Norton in July 2001.

Harry arrived with a stuffed Miss Piggy and a comedy birthday card with a joke about a flatulent whale on the front.

With her down in the dumps over an ex, Harry cheered her up by buying them ten shots. But when they sneaked out of the pub for a crafty Marlboro Light cigarette, they ended up clambering over a fence to make love in a field.

'He started to kiss me,' she told The Mail on Sunday. 'It was passionate, intense. We both knew. It went from a kiss on to the floor pretty quickly.

'It was instant, fiery, wham bam, between two friends. It was sparky because we shouldn't have been doing it. He wasn't 'Prince Harry' to me, this was Harry, my friend, and the situation had got a little bit out of control. It felt naughty, I suppose, in the sense that it shouldn't be happening.

'We didn't set out to do it  it wasn't premeditated and I didn't know he was a virgin. There were no virgin vibes  he seemed to know what he was doing. It was quick, wild, exciting. We were both drunk. It wouldn't have happened if we weren't.'

She then returned to the pub while Harry hid in a phone box where his security detail found him.
China's call for an urgent ceasefire and peace talks to end the war between Ukraine and Russia was today met with scepticism in Kyiv and the West, with the head of NATO arguing that Beijing 'doesn't have much credibility'.

Western leaders have questioned what the real motive behind China's 12-point peace plan is - given that Beijing has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Russia and parroted the Kremlin's talking points about NATO expansionism.

China has claimed it wants to prevent the crisis from getting out of control, noting that dialogue and negotiation are the only viable ways to resolve the conflict, according to a position paper released on Friday.

But its 'peace' proposal has been met with scepticism in the West and Ukraine. In its 12-point plan, Beijing called for an end to Western sanctions, negotiations which would likely see Ukraine ceding territory, a NATO pull-back from its eastern borders and reconstruction efforts that would likely benefit Chinese contractors.

The President of Germany said he was 'doubtful' about China's willingness to mediate in the conflict, while NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Beijing lacks credibility. Indeed, Stoltenberg said there were signs China is planning to supply Moscow with weapons and ammunition.

China's call for an urgent ceasefire and peace talks to end the war between Ukraine and Russia was today met with scepticism in Kyiv and the West, with the head of NATO arguing that Beijing 'doesn't have much credibility'. Pictured: Russian President Vladimir Putin smiles as he greets China's top diplomat Wang Yi in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday

Ukrainian service members ride a tank, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, near the town of Lyman, Donetsk region, Ukraine, on February 23

Ukrainian service members ride a tank, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, near the town of Lyman, Donetsk region, Ukraine, on February 23

'China doesn't have much credibility because they have not been able to condemn the illegal invasion of Ukraine,' Stoltenberg told reporters in Tallinn, adding Beijing had signed an agreement with Putin only days before the invasion.

WHAT IS CHINA'S 12-POINT CEASE-FIRE PROPOSAL? 1. Respecting the sovereignty of all countries. Universally recognized international law, including the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, must be strictly observed. The sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries must be effectively upheld. All countries, big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, are equal members of the international community. All parties should jointly uphold the basic norms governing international relations and defend international fairness and justice. Equal and uniform application of international law should be promoted, while double standards must be rejected. 2. Abandoning the Cold War mentality. The security of a country should not be pursued at the expense of others. The security of a region should not be achieved by strengthening or expanding military blocs. The legitimate security interests and concerns of all countries must be taken seriously and addressed properly. There is no simple solution to a complex issue. All parties should, following the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and bearing in mind the long-term peace and stability of the world, help forge a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture. All parties should oppose the pursuit of one's own security at the cost of others' security, prevent bloc confrontation, and work together for peace and stability on the Eurasian Continent. 3. Ceasing hostilities. Conflict and war benefit no one. All parties must stay rational and exercise restraint, avoid fanning the flames and aggravating tensions, and prevent the crisis from deteriorating further or even spiraling out of control. All parties should support Russia and Ukraine in working in the same direction and resuming direct dialogue as quickly as possible, so as to gradually deescalate the situation and ultimately reach a comprehensive ceasefire. 4. Resuming peace talks. Dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis. All efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis must be encouraged and supported. The international community should stay committed to the right approach of promoting talks for peace, help parties to the conflict open the door to a political settlement as soon as possible, and create conditions and platforms for the resumption of negotiation. China will continue to play a constructive role in this regard. 5. Resolving the humanitarian crisis. All measures conducive to easing the humanitarian crisis must be encouraged and supported. Humanitarian operations should follow the principles of neutrality and impartiality, and humanitarian issues should not be politicized. The safety of civilians must be effectively protected, and humanitarian corridors should be set up for the evacuation of civilians from conflict zones. Efforts are needed to increase humanitarian assistance to relevant areas, improve humanitarian conditions, and provide rapid, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, with a view to preventing a humanitarian crisis on a larger scale. The UN should be supported in playing a coordinating role in channeling humanitarian aid to conflict zones. 6. Protecting civilians and prisoners of war (POWs). Parties to the conflict should strictly abide by international humanitarian law, avoid attacking civilians or civilian facilities, protect women, children and other victims of the conflict, and respect the basic rights of POWs. China supports the exchange of POWs between Russia and Ukraine, and calls on all parties to create more favorable conditions for this purpose. 7. Keeping nuclear power plants safe. China opposes armed attacks against nuclear power plants or other peaceful nuclear facilities, and calls on all parties to comply with international law including the Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS) and resolutely avoid man-made nuclear accidents. China supports the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in playing a constructive role in promoting the safety and security of peaceful nuclear facilities. 8. Reducing strategic risks. Nuclear weapons must not be used and nuclear wars must not be fought. The threat or use of nuclear weapons should be opposed. Nuclear proliferation must be prevented and nuclear crisis avoided. China opposes the research, development and use of chemical and biological weapons by any country under any circumstances. 9. Facilitating grain exports. All parties need to implement the Black Sea Grain Initiative signed by Russia, Turkiye, Ukraine and the UN fully and effectively in a balanced manner, and support the UN in playing an important role in this regard. The cooperation initiative on global food security proposed by China provides a feasible solution to the global food crisis. 10. Stopping unilateral sanctions. Unilateral sanctions and maximum pressure cannot solve the issue; they only create new problems. China opposes unilateral sanctions unauthorized by the UN Security Council. Relevant countries should stop abusing unilateral sanctions and 'long-arm jurisdiction' against other countries, so as to do their share in deescalating the Ukraine crisis and create conditions for developing countries to grow their economies and better the lives of their people. 11. Keeping industrial and supply chains stable. All parties should earnestly maintain the existing world economic system and oppose using the world economy as a tool or weapon for political purposes. Joint efforts are needed to mitigate the spillovers of the crisis and prevent it from disrupting international cooperation in energy, finance, food trade and transportation and undermining the global economic recovery. 12. Promoting post-conflict reconstruction. The international community needs to take measures to support post-conflict reconstruction in conflict zones. China stands ready to provide assistance and play a constructive role in this endeavor. Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China Advertisement

Stoltenberg also said that while there was no evidence so far that China has supplied weapons to Russia, there were signs that it might. US intelligence has also raised the same concerns that China is planning to supply Moscow with weapons and ammunition - something that Beijing denies.

'We have not seen actual delivery of lethal aid, but what we have seen are signs and indications that China may be planning and considering the supply of military aid to Russia,' Stoltenberg said. 'China should not do that.'

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said China had not shared a peace plan - just a series of principles.

'You have to see them against a specific backdrop, and that is the backdrop that China has already taken sides by signing, for example, an unlimited friendship [treaty] right before the invasion,' she noted.

'So we will look at the principles, of course, but we will look at them against the backdrop that China has taken sides,' she added.

Speaking after the paper's release, a representative from the Ukrainian embassy in China said: 'If it is neutral, then China should talk to both sides... And now, we see the Chinese side mostly talks to Russia but not with Ukraine.'

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier questioned China's willingness to mediate in the conflict and said: 'Every constructive suggestion that brings us closer on the path to a just peace is highly welcome.

'Whether global power China wants to play such a constructive role is still doubtful.'

If China did want to play a constructive role it should 'not just speak with Moscow, but also with Kyiv', Steinmeier said.

China should also 'join the overwhelming majority of states and work for peace under the umbrella of the United Nations', Steinmeier added.

Beijing on Thursday abstained in a nonbinding UN vote to demand Russia immediately and unconditionally withdraw its troops from Ukraine.

Jorge Toledo, the European Union's ambassador to China, said Beijing had 'a special responsibility' to uphold the goals and values of the United Nations, especially when it came to war and peace.

'Whether this is compatible with neutrality, I'm not sure - it depends on what neutrality means,' he added.

China's plan also urged for measures to ensure the safety of nuclear facilities, the establishment of humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians, and steps to ensure the export of grain after disruptions caused global food prices to spike.

'Conflict and war benefit no one. All parties must stay rational and exercise restraint, avoid fanning the flames and aggravating tensions, and prevent the crisis from deteriorating further or even spiralling out of control,' China's statement said.

Ukraine has said that victory in the conflict would mean pushing all Russian forces out of its territory, including areas occupied by Russia since 2014. NATO, meanwhile, will not pull its forces from its eastern borders so long as Russia poses a threat.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has set out aims for the second year of the invasion and after a series of speeches in the run-up to the anniversary, he announced plans to deploy the new Sarmat multi-warhead intercontinental ballistic missiles.

'Nuclear weapons must not be used and nuclear war cannot be fought,' the statement said. 'We oppose development [and] use of biological and chemical weapons by any country under any circumstances.'

China has claimed to be neutral in the conflict, but it has a 'no-limits' relationship with Russia and has refused to criticize its invasion of Ukraine, while accusing the West of provoking the conflict and 'fanning the flames' by providing Kyiv with defensive arms.

Russia and China have increasingly aligned their foreign policies to oppose the US-led liberal international order.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi reaffirmed the strength of those ties when he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a visit to Moscow this week.

China has also been accused by the US of possibly preparing to provide Russia with military aid, something Beijing says lacks evidence.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday he had not seen any Chinese peace plan and wanted to meet with Beijing over the proposal before assessing it.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said earlier on Thursday that the US would reserve judgement but that China's allegiance with Russia meant it was not a neutral mediator.

'We would like to see nothing more than a just and durable peace... but we are sceptical that reports of a proposal like this will be a constructive path forward,' he said.

Price added that the US hopes 'all countries that have a relationship with Russia unlike the one that we have will use that leverage, will use that influence to push Russia meaningfully and usefully to end this brutal war of aggression.

'(China) is in a position to do that in ways that we just aren't.'

The peace proposal mainly elaborated on long-held Chinese positions, including referring to the need that all countries' 'sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity be effectively guaranteed'.

It also called an end to the 'Cold War mentality' - its standard term for what it regards as US hegemony and interference in other countries.

'A country's security cannot be at the expense of other countries security, and regional security cannot be guaranteed by strengthening or even expanding military blocs,' the proposal said. '

The legitimate security interests and concerns of all countries should be taken seriously and properly addressed.'

China abstained Thursday when the U.N. General Assembly approved a nonbinding resolution that calls for Russia to end hostilities in Ukraine and withdraw its forces.

It is one of 16 countries that either voted against or abstained on almost all of five previous resolutions on Ukraine.

The resolution, drafted by Ukraine in consultation with its allies, passed 141-7 with 32 abstentions, sending a strong message on the eve of the first anniversary of the invasion that appears to leave Russia more isolated than ever.

While China has not been openly critical of Moscow, it has said that the present conflict is 'not something it wishes to see,' and has repeatedly said any use of nuclear weapons would be completely unacceptable, in an implied repudiation of Putins statement that Russia would use 'all available means' to protect its territory.

'There are no winners in conflict wars,' the proposal said.

'All parties should maintain rationality and restraint ... support Russia and Ukraine to meet each other, resume direct dialogue as soon as possible, gradually promote the de-escalation and relaxation of the situation, and finally reach a comprehensive ceasefire,' it said.

Putin met with China's top diplomat in Moscow on Wednesday and declared 'other countries will not influence our relations' as he doubles down on forging ties with Beijing amid the West's condemnation of his war in Ukraine.

In a clear sign of his desire to cozy up to the eastern superpower, Putin warmly greeted Wang Yi at the Kremlin on Wednesday before the pair sat down to talk business face-to-face, mere feet from one another.

Olha Kosianchuk, 64, cries during a memorial service to mark the one-year anniversary of the start of the Russia Ukraine war, in Bucha, Ukraine, on Friday

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, left, hands over the flag of a military unit as an officer kneels during a commemorative event on the occasion of the Russia Ukraine war one year anniversary in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Friday

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen attends wreath-laying ceremony at the War of Independence Victory Column during Independence Day celebrations in Tallinn, Estonia February 24

Military servicemen carry the coffin of 42 year-old soldier Andrii Bontsiun during a funeral ceremony outside the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul Church in Lviv, western Ukraine, on Thursday

It was a stark contrast to Putin's treatment of other world leaders which has seen the likes of French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban forced to sit at the opposite end of the room, separated by a large table.

Even some of the Kremlin's top insiders, including loyal foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, hapless defense minister Sergei Shoigu and Ukraine war architect Valery Gerasimov are subjected to extreme social distancing - yet Wang was allowed direct contact with the Russian despot.

Putin told Wang, the Chinese Communist Party's most senior foreign policy official, that he looked forward to President Xi Jinping visiting him in Moscow.

The Russian President said ties between Russia and Beijing are important to 'stabilize the international situation' amid crippling Western sanctions against Moscow in response to Putin's invasion of Ukraine nearly a year ago.

The pair insisted that relations between Russia and China could not be influenced by other countries in a two-fingered salute to the West and Ukrainians.

Wang meanwhile told Putin told that Beijing will play a constructive role in reaching a political settlement of the crisis in Ukraine, the TASS news agency reported.

On Friday, to mark the first anniversary of the war, Zelensky hailed Ukraine and its people for fighting back against Russia and vowed victory.

'We endured. We were not defeated. And we will do everything to gain victory this year!' Zelensky said in a statement released on social media.

Early in the morning a year ago, Russian troops invaded Ukraine, leading to the worst conflict in Europe since World War II.

The war has devastated swathes of Ukraine, displaced millions, turned Russia into a pariah in the West and, according to Western sources, has caused more than 150,000 casualties on each side.

Sitting at a desk, dressed in a blue sweatshirt with Ukraine's trident emblem, Zelensky paid homage to cities that have become bywords for alleged Russian war crimes like Bucha, Irpin and Mariupol as 'capitals of invincibility'.

Ukraine's resistance has surprised Russia, which was expecting a quick victory, as well as observers all around the world.

Zelensky said the first months of the war 'changed the world's perception of Ukraine. It did not fall in three days. It stopped the second army of the world!'

The Ukrainian leader managed to rally Western financial and military support, which helped Kyiv push back Russian troops.

'Ukraine has inspired the world. Ukraine has united the world,' in a 'furious year of invincibility,' he said. 'We will never rest until the Russian murderers face deserved punishment,' he also said.

Ukraine's defence minister Oleksiy Reznikov said Friday his forces were making plans to push Russian troops out of the country.

'A year ago, it was difficult for us to get serious weapons. Today, civilised countries see that you are the shield of Europe in the east,' Reznikov told the armed forces.

'There will be a counteroffensive. We are working hard to prepare and secure it.'
Boris Johnson's furious response on being woken and told that Vladimir Putin had invaded Ukraine was revealed today - a year on from the start of the war.

After the then-PM was roused by aides in the middle of the night and informed the 'special military operation' had begun, he is understood to have swiped: 'That f***ing c***.'

The blunt language emerged as Mr Johnson joined events to mark the anniversary of Putin's effort to seize more of Kyiv's territory.

Moscow's plans have since gone badly wrong, with Western-backed Ukraine forces not only defending the capital but driving the invaders out of many areas.

But there are fears the conflict will go on much longer, with Volodymyr Zelensky pleading for more weapons and fighter jets to break the stalemate.

Boris Johnson, who struck up a bromance with Mr Zelensky before leaving No10 last summer, has been one of the loudest voices pushing for the NATO to step up support for Ukraine. They are pictured together in Kyiv in January

Mr Johnson's furious response on being woken and told that Vladimir Putin (pictured) had invaded Ukraine was revealed today - a year on from the start of the war

The devastation in the Ukrainian town of Marinka this month, as the world marks the anniversary of Putin's war

Mr Johnson, who struck up a bromance with Mr Zelensky before leaving No10 last summer, has been one of the loudest voices pushing for the NATO to step up support for Ukraine.

Speaking to the Washington Post, Mr Johnson said: 'I was disgusted by Putin. I was disgusted by what he was doing.

'I was nauseated by his language, by his lies, by his aggression, by his condescension toward Ukraine. I thought the whole thing was repellent, arrogant, chauvinistic, wrong.'

Mr Johnson said Mr Zelensky had been relaying in phone calls that the situation was 'absolutely appalling'.

'Tanks are swarming toward Kyiv from several directions. He's talking about the way the Ukrainians are fighting. The bravery they're showing  His message is, 'Give me help.'

'His message is, 'Give me the kit now.' He has a purpose. His purpose is not just to say, 'Oh, my God, I'm being attacked.' His purpose is to say, 'Johnson, we need military help now. Help us organize it.'

Mr Johnson said he was struck at the time by Mr Zelensky's 'sublime indifference to the suggestion that he might want to move his cabinet or his government to Lviv', which was in a safer part of Ukraine.

'I'm saying to him whatever you do, do not get taken out by the Russians. You are the resistance. Ukraine's fight needs to coalesce around you,' the ex-PM said.

'Is there anything we can do [to assist in his protection or relocation], and he said, 'We're fine, we just need weapons.'
The aunt of Zara Aleena whose killer refused to leave his cell to attend his sentencing hearing and avoid facing his victim's family said they wanted him to know he 'completely destroyed' them.

This comes amid calls for tougher sentences for murderers who do not face their victims - as, after meeting Ms Aleena's family, Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said he hoped to ensure they face longer behind bars if they opt to skip court in future.

Jordan McSweeney, 29, was handed a life sentence and jailed for at least 38 years after admitting sexually assaulting and murdering 35-year-old law graduate Zara Aleena in Ilford, east London, in June last year.

Ms Aleena's aunt Farah Naz said the sentencing would have been McSweeney's opportunity to be 'human' and that she wanted him to hear he had 'completely destroyed us as a family' and it will take 'years and years' to accept what happened.

Ms Naz told BBC Breakfast this morning: 'He needed to look at our faces and see how he hadn't just killed Zara, he had killed a whole family.'

The aunt of Zara Aleena (pictured) whose killer refused to attend his sentencing hearing and avoid facing his victim's family said they wanted him to know he 'completely destroyed' them

Jordan McSweeney, 29, was handed a life sentence for Zara Aleena's murder

Zara Aleena's aunt, Ms Naz also told the news programme: 'My mother and myself, Zara's grandmother, we both made victim impact statements.

'And we wanted him to hear that, and human to human we wanted him to know the impact that he, his actions, his atrocious, horrendous, horrific actions have left, the mark that he's left on us, that he's completely destroyed us as a family and we have years and years of finding a way through accepting what's happened.

'And we needed that. And the other side to this is that we also feel that he needed it too, as he needed to face his actions.'

In a statement after meeting Ms Naz on Thursday, Mr Raab said the Ministry of Justice is 'looking carefully' at changing the law to ensure defendants can no longer 'hide' from hearings.

He said: 'This was a despicable crime and we apologise unreservedly to Zara Aleena's family for the unacceptable failings in this case.

'Defendants who hide from justice can prolong the suffering of victims.

'That is why we are looking carefully at changing the law to compel offenders to attend their sentencing - making sure they face up to their actions and victims can see justice being served.'

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Raab also said that making convicts appear at sentencing hearings was 'the very least the victims deserve' and a 'basic principle of British justice'.

He added that he is considering granting judges the power to impose longer terms on those who refuse to appear.

Ms Naz said McSweeney's absence at the sentencing hearing was a 'slap in the face' for her family.

Ms Aleena's aunt Farah Naz (pictured) said the sentencing would have been McSweeney's opportunity to be 'human' and that she wanted him to hear he had 'completely destroyed us as a family'

After meeting Ms Aleena's family, Justice Secretary Dominic Raab (pictured) said he hoped to ensure they face longer behind bars if they opt to skip court in future

Mr Raab ordered a review of how probation staff supervised McSweeney - a career criminal who had been in and out of jail since he was 16 and had a history of violence - when it emerged he was freed from prison on licence nine days before the murder.

In that time, his licence had been revoked after he failed three times to meet probation officers - but he was not recalled to prison.

In a report published last month, chief inspector of probation Justin Russell said McSweeney was not treated as a high-risk offender when he should have been and chances to get him back behind bars sooner were missed.
A man has used the government's 2 bus fare cap to go on a 137-mile journey across England.

Andrew Cowell, 47, travelled on five buses from his home in Derby, Derbyshire, to Whitby, North Yorkshire, on Thursday.

Mr Cowell left his home in Allestree, Derbyshire, at 6.40am and arrived in the seaside town of Whitby, North Yorkshire, at 4.40pm.

The journey cost 10 and involved five buses through Derbyshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire.

Andrew Cowell, 47, (pictured) travelled 137 miles on buses from his home in Derby, Derbyshire, to Whitby, North Yorkshire, on Thursday

Mr Cowell left his home in Allestree, Derbyshire, at 6.40am and arrived in the seaside town of Whitby, North Yorkshire, at 4.40pm

The journey cost 10 and involved five buses through Derbyshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire

Mr Cowell, a railway operations planner, said he liked 'scenery' and the 'sea' so Whitby was the obvious choice of destination.

He added: 'It was partly inspired by a woman who travelled from London to Scotland on buses.

'I knew I was going to have some holidays between jobs so I just looked where I could get from Derby that was sort of a pleasant place to spend the night.

'I've got a little bit of background knowledge because I work in public transport but I planned it out and researched it on the bus companies' websites.'

What is the Government 2 bus fare cap? The Department for Transport announced the 60million scheme in September 2022 to help with the cost-of-living crisis - as well as helping the bus industry recover after the pandemic. The scheme applied to 130 bus operators outside London and capped single adult bus fares at 2 - bringing fares down from the national average of 2.80 - and some rural prices of over 5. Manchester, Liverpool and West Yorkshire - all of which have Labour mayors - had already introduced 2 caps as part of longer-term schemes. The national scheme is expected to continue until June 2023. Advertisement

Mr Cowell said 'everything worked faultlessly' and all the buses 'arrived and departed right on time.'

He added: 'The coast liner which I was catching was the last one from Leeds to Whitby.

'I had a five minute connection in Barnsley so I was a bit worried but everything worked faultlessly and arrived and departed right on time.'

He said his favourite bus route was the 840 Coastliner which goes from Leeds to Whitby through the Yorkshire Moors.

He added: 'The Coastliner goes right through the Yorkshire Moors and then it goes to where they film Heartbeat.

''It was a sunny day so it was a nice journey from the top deck of the bus.

'It's three and a half hours but to be honest, it doesn't feel like that when you're on the top deck as there's a lot to keep you interested as soon as you're out of Leeds.'

He said that although the 'industry is under threat' with rising costs, his journey proved that 'buses turn up' and that they aren't 'as bad as what people think'.

He added: 'The industry is under threat like never before with rising costs and the bounce back from Covid.

'But I think as this journey proved, the basics were right and the buses turned up so it's probably not as bad as what people think.'

'I have a car like a lot of people but I use it when there isn't an alternative.

'I think the thing is about public transport is that it tends to be looked at as a profit for loss but it provides a safe service for quite a few older people.

'It combats loneliness and gives access to people with jobs who otherwise wouldn't be able to have that job if the bus wasn't there.

'You need to value the bus because you won't know what you've lost before it's gone.'
The 79-year-old owner of Diamond Collect suffered from injuries to the head

Disguised as Amazon delivery men, the pair ambushed and attacked the owner

Police have released surveillance footage of a jewelry store in New York City after its elderly owner was beaten and pistol-whipped during a $500,000 daylight robbery heist.

Two unidentified men entered the Queens jewelry shop at 2.30pm, before striking the store owner in the head with a weapon and taking off with $500,000 worth of stolen goods.

The 79-year-old owner of Diamond Collect, who was watching over the business at the time, suffered from injuries to the head after the robbery at the 39th Avenue store on Wednesday, February 22.

The video footage displays one of the robbers, who is caught wearing a blue Amazon delivery worker jacket, luring the vulnerable woman to open the front door.

The imposter delivery man waited within a close distance of the shop before ambushing the woman, named Yuchi Lin, who went to open the door to grab the parcel.

Two unidentified men entered the Queens jewelry shop at 2.30pm, before striking the store owner in the head with a weapon and taking off with $500,000 worth of stolen goods

The pair of burglars was last spotted running north on Prince Street, officials claimed, as police urge anyone with information to come forward

He proceeded to run towards the woman and pushed her inside, before entering the establishment along with his accomplice.

Eva Cheng, the victim's daughter, told NBC New York: 'My mom didn't open the door because, for security reasons, we usually ask the delivery man to drop off at the front door. My mom thought the guy left'.

She added that someone had rung up the store beforehand to confirm the delivery minutes before the crooks arrived.

Police claim that the two thieves smashed display cases in the store before stashing their merchandise into a brown Amazon box.

The second robber, dressed in a black hoodie and face mask, is also caught on video carrying a brightly-colored bag.

Footage released by the NYPD shows both of the men pulling out guns whilst they ransacked the high-end store.

According to Eva, the robbers took her mother into the office and 'forced' her to open up the valuable safe, despite the woman insisting that she did not have access to the key.

The wicked pair of burglars was last spotted running north on Prince Street, officials claimed.

Footage released by the NYPD shows both of the men pulling out guns during the daylight heist

The two thieves smashed display cases in the store before stashing their merchandise

The video footage displays one of the robbers wearing a blue Amazon delivery worker jacket as a part of his disguise

Although the police believe they stole a grand total of half a million dollars' worth of items, Eva said it could be double.

She said: 'I would say more than a million dollars.

'I sell diamonds, colored diamonds, more like precious investments kind of diamonds.'

After a decade of running their business from the Flushing neighbourhood of Queens, the citys largest Chinatown, the jewelery store will be leaving its site for a new location.

Eva explained how they no longer feel secure in the establishment and will not allow a repeat offense.

Whilst frightened by the ordeal, the shop owner is now recovering from the assault.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
Police are probing an arson attack on the former home of a gangster's moll who was jailed for conspiring with her drug dealer ex-husband's killer.

Firefighters were called to Coleen Campbell's house in Clayton, east Manchester, on February 23 - just hours after she was locked up for 13 years for the manslaughter of Thomas Campbell.

Firefighters rushed to the scene and put out the blaze. It is understood the property is currently empty, and no injuries were reported.

This comes after it emerged that the gangster's ex-wife posted posted lovey-dovey messages paying tribute to him.

The 38-year-old posted two-faced messages on Facebook just days after the murder of father-of-two Thomas Campbell, 36.

Police are probing Coleen Campbell's (pictured) home following an arson attack, Greater Manchester Police have confirmed

The Facebook messages Coleen posted after Thomas' murder. The posts paying tribute to Thomas came just 48 hours after he was tortured to death

Coleen Campbell posted two-faced lovey-dovey messages paying tribute to him on Facebook in the days after his murder

The former Matalan store assistant and beauty salon boss posted broken heart emojis on the social media site and called her cheating ex-husband: 'The best dad anyone could wish for'.

And in another crocodile teared post - complete with romantic pictures of the couple in happier times - Coleen said: '13 years and 2 beautiful children. Forever grateful. I would do anything to hear your giddy laugh or your none [sic] stop moaning just one more time.'

Coleen also helped to photograph and arrange the ceremonial releasing of balloons in memory of the personal trainer that she helped kill at his home in Manchester in July 2022.

She added: 'I would like to thank everyone for the messages and calls we have received, I'm sorry I haven't answered everyone, my concern is my children at this very sad time.'

Coleen Campbell, 38, was jailed for 13 years after being found guilty of manslaughter. Her ex-husband Thomas Campbell was ambushed and murdered in July 2022

At Bolton Crown Court, Coleen, of Clayton was found guilty of manslaughter, following a five week trial

The posts paying tribute to Thomas came just 48 hours after he was tortured to death in a revenge attack following a feud over his mistress.

In confirming the arson attack at Coleen's home - hours after she was locked up - a spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said no arrests have been made and an investigation has been launched.

The spokesperson added: 'Police were called just before 12.30am last night (Wednesday 23 February 2023) to a report of a fire at a property on Bamford Street, Clayton, Manchester.

'Emergency services attended and the fire was safely extinguished. No one sustained any injuries.

'Officers are currently treating the fire as arson.

'No arrests have currently been made and enquiries are ongoing.

'Anyone who has any information should call police on 0161 856 1146 quoting incident number 40 of 23/2/2023

'Details can also be passed on anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.'

The Facebook messages Coleen posted after Thomas' murder. Coleen Campbell, 38, plotted to have him robbed of cash or drugs in his own home, a trial at Bolton Crown Court heard

Coleen also helped to photograph and arrange the ceremonial releasing of balloons in memory of the personal trainer

The 36-year-old father, who led a lavish lifestyle through drug dealing and laundering dirty money, suffered 61 separate injuries during an ambush on July 2 2022 at his 350,000 townhouse in Mossley, Greater Manchester.

He was stabbed, punched and stamped on before boiling water was poured on his buttocks. Neighbours found his body in the hallway naked except for his socks.

Within days, detectives arrested Coleen on suspicion of murder after inquiries revealed she had been tipping off the killers about Thomas' movements and whereabouts in the run up to his death.

However, she inadvertently implicated herself in the killing of her ex-husband after giving details of the murder which she claimed Thomas had disclosed to her from beyond the grave during a seance.

At the spiritual meeting, she claimed Thomas was summoned by the clairvoyant and said he gave intimate details about both the killing and his injuries as she listened in.

The former store assistant then relayed the messages to the victim's suspicious mother - who went on to alert police about the bizarre conversation.

Coleen and Thomas (pictured on holiday, above) initially became notorious over a string extravagant trips abroad funded by their family-run cocaine trafficking racket

Holiday pictures of Thomas and Coleen Campbell. Coleen helped arrange the ceremonial releasing of balloons in memory of the dad-of-two she helped kill

Thomas was dragged around his home and viciously attacked for two hours, into the morning of July 3. Pictured: Coleen (left) and Thomas Campbell (right)

Thomas Campbell pictured on holiday. Coleen and Thomas met in 2008 and married in 2011, but split up in 2021 after they were detained in a police operation in 2018

As Thomas Campbell, 38, opened his front door in Mossley, Greater Manchester, he was ambushed and attacked by three men

Coleen had also sent messages to friends about her ex, saying: 'Best thing this man did was sh*g my baggy mate 12 months ago. Roll on new beginnings.

'Never let the actions of a man that cannot be loyal to his own family and a woman with no morals and has to sleep with other women's husbands, change and provoke you. Karma is best served cold - and then tables turn real fast. I be the coldest MF you ever met.'

At Bolton Crown Court, Coleen, of Clayton was found guilty of manslaughter, following a five week trial.

She was jailed for 13 years after being found guilty of manslaughter.

In a statement Thomas' brother Daniel said: 'During the days after Thomas was killed, well-wishers were coming to pay their respects and offering to help but there was one visitor who we welcomed with open arms, and it has haunted us ever since.

'When Coleen Campbell appeared at my mum and dad's front door after the news was passed, we thought nothing of letting her in and consoling her as much as we possibly could. She sat in my mum and dad's house, surrounded by Thomas' closest family and friends, and expressed how much she was upset.

'She shared stories about their marriage and said how much she still loved him. Every single one of my family has hugged her and tried to make her feel better, All along, Coleen knew the part she played in the plot that cost Thomas his life.

'Knowing we hugged her and spent time with her during the worst time of our lives has added an extra burden, an unimaginable pain. She has shown no remorse, in our opinion. She concealed her involvement and watched us all hurt.'

Lynn Campbell (above), told police how Coleen shared intimate details of her son's injuries and information on his attackers

Coleen later got caught up in the sinister plot after the unnamed mistress' ex-boyfriend John Bellfield (pictured above), 28, also learnt of the romance. He is on the run and wanted by police

Coleen and Thomas met in 2008 and married in 2011, but split up in 2021 after they were detained in a police operation in 2018

Bellfield met up with Coleen after messaging her on Instagram and despite previously being strangers. They subsequently shared 35 phone calls and 68 messages

Thomas's father Terry said: 'Animals are beautiful things, all I can call these people are creatures. Since Thomas was brutally murdered, every morning when I wake up, the first thing I think about is him alone in the house with those people.'

Coleen and Thomas met in 2008 and married in 2011, but split up in 2021 after they were detained in a police operation in 2018 having spent dirty money from a family run cocaine racket on a string of exotic holidays.

Following this, Coleen was given a suspended sentence but Thomas served two years in jail.

After his release from jail he started an affair with another woman.

Coleen later got caught up in the sinister plot after the unnamed mistress' ex-boyfriend John Bellfield, 28, also learnt of the romance.

He decided to rob Thomas of cash, drugs and valuables in a revenge raid on his home.

Bellfield is currently still on the run and wanted by police.

In texts to his ex, Belllfield said: 'You and that helmet will get domed. You will never have a boyfriend. You will have to move country. Give it a week and you will see why and what happens when you take the pi**. Why would I respect you getting sha**** off Tom Campbell.'

Later Bellfield met up with Coleen after messaging her on Instagram and despite previously being strangers.

They subsequently shared 35 phone calls and 68 messages.

She also shared key information about her ex, including details of his van's registration plate, his house number and his movements and a tracking device was placed on the vehicle whilst Thomas was picking his daughter up from school.

On July 2 2022, Thomas was ambushed and attacked by two or three men as he unlocked his front door.

Reece Steven (left), 29, was convicted of murder and was jailed for life with a minimum of 37 years whilst Stephen Cleworth (right), 38, was found guilty of manslaughter and jailed for 12 years

Police outside the home of Mr Campbell in Mossley, Greater Manchester, in July 2022

Police launched a murder investigation after Mr Campbell's body was discovered by neighbours on July 3

After being subdued he was dragged around his home and viciously attacked for two hours.

The court heard Coleen went to see the clairvoyant four days later, where Thomas' mother, Lynn Campbell, said in a statement: 'Coleen told me she had visited a psychic in Wythenshawe.

'She told me that Thomas had come through during her visit to the psychic and asked her to come to my house. She said he had told her these lads had hurt him and done something to his face. It was over a girl or girls. While she was saying these words Coleen gestured with her hand across her cheek.

'I told her I don't want to know and told the police about what she said about Thomas' injuries. She said there were only two people involved in the incident and not three, and they were still in the country. Coleen then told me Thomas had said he wasn't bothered about dying young as he had lived a full life. I didn't see Coleen again following this and haven't seen her since.'

Prosecutor Mr Nicholas de la Poer KC said: 'At this stage, the police had not revealed to the public the injuries to Thomas Campbell's face. So this information could only have come to Coleen Campbell from one of those who were present and participating in the attack. The telephone evidence demonstrates that she spoke to John Belfield within hours of the attack ending.'

Coleen denied wrongdoing.

Reece Steven, 29, was convicted of murder and was jailed for life with a minimum of 37 years whilst Stephen Cleworth, 38, was found guilty of manslaughter and jailed for 12 years.

Karl Murphy, 50, was found not guilty of participating in the activities of an organised crime group.

Belfield who is said to be 'heavily concerned in the large scale supply of class A drugs', is thought to be on the run in Spain.
A Romanian councillor was left embarrassed today as his camera turned on while having a shower - while 'working' from home.

When the chairman of the meeting called for attendance, Social Democratic (PSD) councillor Alberto-Iosif Caraian appeared live from a shower, naked and wet.

Mr Caraian then spends the next few moments battling to turn the camera off, and is noticed by everyone at the meeting.

Councillors at the meeting then proceeded to burst into laughter, with the chairwoman attempting not to smile and someone else shouting at Mr Caraian to turn his video off.

'But I can't hang up, I can't hang up, I apologize profusely. I have a bad cold, but I don't know how to hang up,' he insisted.

Social Democratic councillor Alberto-Iosif Caraian appeared live from a shower, naked and wet on a council meeting live stream

Mr Caraian then tried to hide from view as he attempted to turn his camera off

The chairwoman was holding back her laughter and someone else shouted at Mr Caraian to turn his video off

After the incident, Mr Caraian reappeared on meeting's live stream - but this time he was fully dressed.

'Technology still plays tricks. Unfortunately, haste has spoken! I apologise for the unfortunate incident... Apologies once again to everyone!', he wrote on his Facebook page.

The technology issues did not stop there, however. Mr Caraian's screen also turned black at one point and he failed to pick up after being called again.
Earthquake hit Cornwall with epicentre in Penryn at around 6.30am this morning

Cornwall was hit by an earthquake this morning as locals said they felt a 'rumble' and houses 'shake' as the earth moved beneath them.

The quake - which had a magnitude of 1.5 on the Richter scale - began in Penryn, two miles west of Falmouth.

The British Geological Survey said the earthquake, which struck at around 6.30am, had a depth of 1.25 miles (2km).

Cornwall residents said they were woken up by the impact, with one social media user in Helston tweeting that the stone cottage she lived in 'shook'.

She wrote: 'Just heard what I believe was an earthquake near Helston UK. The stone cottage I live in just shook! Woke all the birds up too.'

Map showing where a 1.5 magnitude earthquake hit Cornwall this morning

She later added: 'Helston was woke at 6.30am this morning to a large tremor. House shook. Multiple people verified the same sound/feeling.'

A user on website Volcano Discovery said they felt a light shaking which lasted between five and ten seconds in Helston. They described the quake as: 'Rolling rumble. Sound not too dissimilar to a long rumble of thunder.'

This morning's earthquake does not appear to have caused any significant damage to the area, as Volcano Discovery described it as merely a 'light shaking'.

Some reports say the impact was felt 14 miles away in Porthleven.

One local initially thought the rumbling sound was thunder and another who lives ten miles from Helston heard the noise and felt a 'shake', CornwallLive reports.

The quake began in Penryn (pictured), two miles west of Falmouth.

One social media user in Helston, pictured, tweeted that the stone cottage she lived in 'shook'

A local described the sound of the earthquake as a 'massive rumble' that 'sounded a bit like thunder but clearly wasn't'.

One resident claimed that they thought a 'great big truck was coming towards the house', despite the fact they don't live near a road.

They said the noise 'got louder then the house shook and it went away'.

The last earthquake to be recorded in Cornwall had a magnitude of 0.5 and happened in late October last year. It occurred at 6.42pm in Penpol, near Truro, on October 25.
China's Zhurong Mars Rover may be oversleeping on the job.

NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter recently confirmed that China's Zhurong rover has been stationary for months since its hibernation in May 2022, during the Martian winter.

China's space agency recently celebrated the second anniversary of its first interplanetary mission in Mars' orbit, but it didn't give an update about Zhurong, per Space.com.

NASA's Findings On Zhurong's Possible Issues

NASA recently published pictures from its Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter that gives people a clearer sense of what happened to China's Zhurong Mars rover.

The pictures, which the HiRRISE Operations Center published on Feb. 21, revealed that Zhurong has not awakened from its hibernation since it entered it in May 2022, per Space News. Based on the pictures, Zhurong is currently within the Utopia Planitia region, a place Chinese astronomers like Zongcheng Ling and their team thought to be the "origination area" of dust storms and the main route of the Artic dust storm sequences in their study.

The Rover should have woken up from its slumber in December 2022, around the time of the Martian Spring equinox in the northern hemisphere. During this period, temperatures and light levels reach a point that allows Zhurong's battery and solar arrays to generate sufficient electrical power to wake it up.

However, there may be some unseen factors from space at play. The progression of the HiRISE images suggests that Zhurong may have accumulated a covering of Martian dust on its surface - a fact not unheard of on Mars.

Read More: Fake ChatGPT Apps and Links Are Used to Spread Malware on Windows, Android

You may remember that NASA's Mars InSight Lander may have shut down by now due to the layers of dust it accumulated on its solar panels. It may have even transmitted its final image in late December as it neared the end of its lifespan.

Combine that fact with the knowledge that Utopia Panitia is the origination point of Mars' dust storms, and Zhurong had likely accumulated layers of Martian dust preventing it from waking up from its hibernation.

Whether Zhurong can operate using reduced power levels is still unclear. It was supposed to wake when its key components reached a temperature greater than five degrees Fahrenheit and energy generation greater than 140 watts. Though it doesn't carry a radioisotope heart unit like other rovers, Zhurong has a pair of n-undecane windows to store heat energy.

China's Silence on Zhurong

Despite celebrating the second anniversary of its first interplanetary mission in Mars' orbit, China's National Space Administration (CNSA) mentioned that its Tianwen 1 spacecraft was "in good condition" and would continue to perform multiple tasks related to Mars, per Chinese state media Xinhua.

However, it only made passing remarks about its Zhurong Mars rover, with the space agency recounting its landing on Mars and its communications with its Tianwen 1 spacecraft for nearly six months.

This silence isn't one of ignorance on CNSA's part. An anonymous source told the South China Morning Post that Zhurong has been completely quiet since entering hibernation, but CNSA continued ta trend of secrecy over its missions, choosing to remain silent about Zhurong's true status, per Gizmodo.

Related Article: China's Zhurong Mars Rover Possibly Missing in Action - What Happened?
A pair of Rottweilers who mauled a five-week-old baby to death have been put down as a local council reveals residents had complained about the killer dogs.

Mia Jade Riley was killed in a vicious dog attack at a home in Moruya, on the NSW south coast, at about 10.40pm on Saturday night.

The newborn had been asleep in a bassinet at the end of a table surrounded by adults when the two Rottweilers, who had been sleeping just three metres away, suddenly pounced and mauled her to death.

On Friday, a NSW council confirmed the dogs had been euthanised.

'Eurobodalla Council can confirm two dogs were seized by rangers. The dogs were euthanised on Friday following advice from NSW Police,' a spokesman said.

The local council said it had previously received noise complaints about the dogs but no complaints that the animals were dangerous.

Mia Jade Riley's family said the infant was asleep when the vicious dog attack occurred (Mia is pictured being held by her older sister)

On Friday, a NSW council confirmed the dogs responsible for the attack had been euthanised

'Council has no reports regarding dangerous or menacing dogs associated with the address,' the spokesman said.

'The barking complaints were followed up with the dogs' owners as per standard practice.'

It comes as dog experts have theorised why the Rottweilers may have snapped and attacked the newborn baby.

Friends insisted the attack came out of nowhere but leading dog trainers now claim a sound or a smell could been a trigger to overstimulate the animals.

K9 Trainer Liarne Henry said the dogs could have been affected by 'sleep startle', which occurs when dogs are woken up suddenly or unexpectedly.

'Every dog breed has the potential to attack even their owner at that moment, because it's a fearful reaction and it just takes them by surprise,' she explained.

The trainer, who has also owned Rottweilers, told news.com.au that some dogs affected by 'sleep startle' could become aggressive without realising it.

'We forget that dogs possess up to 300 million olfactory receptors. So they smell millions of times better than us, so that could have been a trigger,' she said.

'Or even the sound. Just because we can't hear something it doesn't mean that dogs can't because dogs have a huge frequency range up to 60,000 hertz.'

Friends of the family told Daily Mail Australia that the dog's attack was completely random. (pictured is one of the Rottweilers that was put down on Friday)

K9 Trainer Liarne Henry (pictured) said the dogs could have been affected by something called 'sleep startle', which occurs when dogs are woken up suddenly or unexpectedly

Dog Behaviour Specialist Nathan Williams (pictured) also suggested that the dogs may have been overstimulated

Another dog trainer, Mark Hickey, suggested one of the canines could've gotten overexcited, stimulating the other.

'When you get one dog that gets really excited, the other dog can feed into that and then, obviously, you don't just have one dog that's bitten a child or a person, you've got two, so the damage is just going to be way worse,' he said.

'It's just another timely reminder that children should never be left alone. Things can happen so quickly within a couple of seconds.'

Dog Behaviour Specialist Nathan Williams also suggested that the dogs may have been overstimulated.

'In Sydney right now there'd be thousands of Rottweilers, but we hear of one story which is the exception to the rule,' Mr Williams said.

'So unfortunately, in situations like this, dogs are typically overstimulated and played with, especially with things like squeaky toys and tug of war.

'It's not in a dog's nature to kill - no dog has that nature - and especially Rottweilers, if anything.

'But if we stimulate them, teach them to chew and bite on things they shouldn't be, then that causes these potential side effects.'

A friend said Tom and Lani Riley's two-year-old daughter had also been around the dogs repeatedly since she was born without any incident (pictured are Mia's parents)

Pictured: Ross Galvin, Mia's grandfather. The little girl was mauled to death by dogs during a family dinner

The dogs belonged to the neighbour of Mia's grandfather Ross Galvin, whose house the family were visiting for dinner.

In 2018, one of the neighbours posted a photo on Facebook of the two Rottweilers believed to be responsible for the attack.

The image shows the dogs sitting side by side looking up at the camera, their tongues happily dangling from their mouths.

In a tragic twist, baby Mia's mother lovingly gushed over the animals in comments on the photo, writing: 'Haha so proud.'

Prior to Mia's death, the dogs had reportedly spent time around the newborn's older sister, aged two, without any issues.

A family friend told Daily Mail Australia both sides of Mia family 'are not doing very good'.

'It's just a tragedy for everyone involved,' they said.

'Our thoughts are just with the parents and everyone involved who is going to be affected by this for the rest of their lives.'
Roald Dahl's classic books will now be republished without 'woke' editing after a huge outcry that saw the King's wife Camilla wade in at a reception where she was cheered by Britain's best-selling authors.

Puffin has been under fire over changes to many of his most famous children's classics as critics including the Queen Consort demanded they do not put curbs on 'freedom of expression'.

Today the publisher has announced the release of the Roald Dahl Classic Collection 'to keep the author's classic texts in print' claiming they had 'listened to the debate' following criticism of recent changing of his work to remove words such as 'fat'.

But these unedited versions will still sit alongside the newly released Roald Dahl books, which have been controversially rewritten - sparking outrage in Britain. Some have said that Puffin must still go further, and cancel the new censored versions completely.

It came as new polling for MailOnline by Redfield & Wilton Strategies found almost two out of three Britons (60 per cent) disagree with changing language in classic children's books and 63 per cent opposed recent changes to the books of Roald Dahl. Just 20 per cent supported the edits.

The latest editions of Mr Dahl's children's books have been edited to remove language which could be deemed offensive - Puffin says they will now republish them unedited too

In the new version of The Twits, Mrs Twit's 'fearful ugliness' has been chopped to 'ugliness'

Dahl's 17 books, read and loved by tens of millions, will be available later this year and will include archive material relevant to each of the stories by the much-loved children's author.

Camilla's comments at Clarence House yesterday were greeted by laughter and chants of 'hear, hear!' from Richard Osman, Sebastian Faulks, William Boyd, Simon Sebag Montefiore, Ben Okri and Charlie Mackesy. Her intervention is being credited with forcing a partial U-turn. Sir Salman Rushdie and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have also condemned the changes.

Puffin has sparked a revisionism row after they decided that words such as 'fat' should be removed  Augustus Gloop can now be referred to only as 'enormous'  and Charlie and The Chocolate Factory's Oompa Loompas being made gender neutral.

How editors changed Roald Dahl's stories CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY 2001 - Mrs Salt was a great fat creature with short legs, and she was blowing like a rhinoceros 2022 - Mrs Salt was so out of breath, she was blowing like a rhinoceros THE TWITS 2001 - Mrs Twit may have been ugly and she may have been beastly, but she was not stupid 2022 - Mrs Twit may have been beastly, but she was not stupid. MATILDA 2001 - Get your mother or father 2022 - Get your family THE BFG 2001 - 'BFG,' she said, 'would you please tell these rather dim-witted characters exactly what to do.' 2022 - 'BFG,' she said, 'would you please tell them exactly what to do'. THE ENORMOUS CROCODILE 2001 - We eat little boys and girls 2022 - We eat little children ESIO TROT 2001 - 'I beg you to tell me Mr Hoppy! I'll be your slave for life.' 2022 - 'I beg you to tell me Mr Hoppy! You'll be my hero for life.' FANTASTIC MR FOX 2001 - Bunce, the little pot-bellied dwarf, looked up at Bean 2022 - Bunce looked up at Bean JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH 2001 - They were like a couple of hunters who had just shot an elephant 2022 - They were like a couple of hunters who had just shot their prey Advertisement

Mrs Twit's 'fearful ugliness' has been cut to 'ugliness' and Mrs Hoppy in Esio Trot is not an 'attractive middle-aged lady' but a 'kind middle-aged lady'.

Passages not written by Dahl, who died in 1990, have also been added by the publisher.

In The Witches, a paragraph describing them as bald under their wigs is followed shortly by a new line: 'There are plenty of other reasons why women might wear wigs and there is certainly nothing wrong with that.'

Puffin said in a statement this afternoon that they will release two versions of each book - the original and the newer edited ones.

Francesca Dow, managing director of Penguin Random House Children's, said: 'At Puffin we have proudly published Roald Dahl's stories for more than 40 years in partnership with the Roald Dahl Story Company. Their mischievous spirit and his unique storytelling genius have delighted the imaginations of readers across many generations.

'We've listened to the debate over the past week which has reaffirmed the extraordinary power of Roald Dahl's books and the very real questions around how stories from another era can be kept relevant for each new generation.

'As a children's publisher, our role is to share the magic of stories with children with the greatest thought and care. Roald Dahl's fantastic books are often the first stories young children will read independently, and taking care for the imaginations and fast-developing minds of young readers is both a privilege and a responsibility.

'We also recognise the importance of keeping Dahl's classic texts in print. By making both Puffin and Penguin versions available, we are offering readers the choice to decide how they experience Roald Dahl's magical, marvellous stories.'

She added: 'Roald Dahl once said: 'If my books can help children become readers, then I feel I have accomplished something important.' At Puffin, we'll keep pursuing that ambition for as long as we make books.'

Yesterday Camilla spoke out at a reception with many of Britain's top writers amid anger that publishers have hired 'sensitivity gurus' to remove 'offensive' language in Dahl's books.

She told the authors: 'Please remain true to your calling, unimpeded by those who may wish to curb the freedom of your expression or impose limits on your imagination.' The 73-year-old royal looked up with a mischievous smile and added: 'Enough said.'

Her comments were greeted by laughter and cheers of 'hear, hear!' from the best-selling authors, including Sebastian Faulks, William Boyd, Ben Okri, Philippa Gregory and Charlie Mackesy.

The Queen Consort told them: 'Let there be no squeaking like mice about your achievements, but only roaring like a pride of lions.'

During her speech Camilla waded in on the debate surrounding author Roald Dahl's (pictured) sensitivity rewrite

In her speech Camilla quoted John Steinbeck, who said: 'I am impelled, not to squeak like a grateful and apologetic mouse, but to roar like a lion out of pride in my profession'

Puffin says it made the changes so that Dahl's works 'can continue to be enjoyed by all today'.

The Queen Consort  an avid reader and champion of improving literacy rates, particularly for children  was backed last night by a host of authors.

They argued that the works of writers such as Dahl should be preserved as products of their time.

William Boyd, the author of Any Human Heart, said: 'If you ask children why they like Roald Dahl, it's because he is naughty and transgressive, so you end up throwing the baby out with the bath water.'

Peter James, one of the world's best-selling crime writers, added: 'There is an old tradition in publishing, of publish and be damned. And I think Her Majesty was just endorsing that to some extent. She was just saying 'be brave'.

'The big question is how far back are we going to go? Are we going to censor Dickens? There is some pretty tough stuff in Dickens that is quite offensive. Are we going to look at Shakespeare?

'I think what we have got to accept is that it was a moment in time and this is now. We are so blessed to have the Queen Consort championing us.'

Publishers Puffin and the Roald Dahl Story Company have changed how Gloop (pictured far left in 1971's Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory) is described, with the character no longer called fat in new versions of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

In The Witches (pictured), 'old hag' has been changed to 'old crow', while 'you must be mad, woman' is now 'you must be out of your mind'

Richard Osman, the author of the best-selling novel The Thursday Murder Club, agreed, adding: 'My view is one only: the more we read, the better.

'I try to write the most entertaining book I can. You always have to bear in mind your audience.

'That's why a book from the 19th Century is different to a book from the 20th Century, is different to a book from the 21st Century. That's what literature is. It reflects what's in the artist's heart and what's in the reader's heart.'

Actor and writer Richard E Grant added: 'I've always thought what's amazing about Britain is that there's no restriction on freedom of speech.

'You go back just ten years in literature and there is something that wouldn't be acceptable now.'

Ben Okri, the Booker Prize-winning author of The Famished Road, praised the Queen Consort's decision to set up her Reading Room, describing it as a 'wonderful idea'.

He said: 'Kings and queens and princes on the whole are not famous for being champions of literature. Often they are afraid of literature, for some reason or another. Literature is very bold and very questioning.

'So to have a Queen who supports reading and literacy is a really great sign of openness in the culture. We need it, we need that support on all levels of society.

'Many of us writers were amazed when she talked about echoing the lion's roar. That's a very seductive thing to say to writers. Because we are constantly aware that our roar could get us into trouble.'

Gyles Brandreth, a trustee of the Queen's Reading Room, revealed that around 40 years ago he shared a train journey with Dahl.

He recalled: 'We had a disagreement about something, and I remember him saying to me, 'It's quite possible to disagree with somebody but still find them interesting, isn't it?'

Camilla was joined yesterday by King Charles as she urged all the authors gathered to take 'the most enormous pride' in their profession and in the part they play in opening readers' eyes to others' experiences.

Her online book club has become so successful it is now being turned into a charity to foster a love of literature among adults and children around the world.

It also aims to close the gap between writers and readers through accessible, educational and free literary content.

The Queen's Reading Room will hold its first literary festival at Hampton Court in June.
A Texas mother-of-two has become a quadruple amputee after going into septic shock days after having her second child via a C-section.

Krysten Pacheco, 29, lost both her hands and feet as a result of an infection from the C-section in October.

She had just welcomed her daughter, Amelia, and had been discharged from the hospital where she delivered in Pleasanton, Texas, when she started to feel 'feverish'.

Within days, she was airlifted to a hospital in San Antonio, where doctors told her she'd gone into septic shock.

Krysten Pacheco, 29, lost both her hands and feet as a result of an infection from the C-section in October. She is shown holding her daughter Amelia, months after giving birth to her, while recovering in the hospital

Krysten with Amelia and her two-year-old son Owen. She was discharged from the hospital before she began feeling unwell

She spent two weeks in intensive care breathing through a tube, then was told before Thanksgiving that the poor blood flow to her hands and feet had caused so much damage that all needed to be amputated.

'My hands and feet were black. They looked like a person who had gotten frostbite," she said, adding that her medical team "tried to do everything they could" to avoid having to amputate,' Krysten told ABC 7.

After undergoing the double amputation, she also had to have a dozen skin grafts to repair the damaged skin on her limbs.

By the time Krysten came to, two weeks after first being taken to the hospital, her hands and feet had turned black from lack of blood flow

She spent the next two months in the hospital before finally being discharged to go to a rehab facility.

Krysten was finally allowed to go home on February 11, nearly four months since she'd given birth.

Now, she is caring for both her daughter and her two-year-old son. After more rehabilitation, she will be able to receive prosthetics.

In the meantime, she said she is excited to catch up on lost time with her baby daughter.

'That's one of the things that does break my heart a little bit still and that I'm working through is that mommy guilt of not being able to be with my baby every day for her first three months of her life.

'But you know, I'm home now and we're making those adaptations as we go and we're adjusting and being a little family again.'
Tesco stores have run out of turnips after the Government advised Brits to stock up on the root vegetable amid ongoing shortages of lettuce, cucumber and other everyday greens.

Environment Secretary Therese Coffey suggested turnips as a suitable alternative while other items - including tomatoes and peppers - remain in short supply due to poor weather in Spain and Morocco.

But just hours after the MP offered her advice in the House of Commons, turnips were out of stock on Tesco's website, with the supermarket instead suggesting swedes.

Tesco shopper Louis Henwood said he was met with a message saying: 'This product is currently out of stock'.

Other supermarkets such as Morrisons and Asda also do not provide turnips when searched - instead offering up swedes as well.

A turnip tray in Tesco in Ely, Cambridgeshire, is left bare on Friday after environment secretary Therese Coffey said people should be eating them

Environment Secretary Therese Coffey (pictured) suggested turnips as a suitable alternative while other items - including cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers - remain in short supply due to poor weather in Spain and Morocco

Meanwhile a tray for turnips in a Tesco in Ely, Cambridgeshire, was pictured empty on Friday.

It comes as Brits have been rushing to their local greengrocers, who have remained fully stocked despite the shortages.

Thomas Hagon, 39, from Reg The Veg green grocers in Clifton, Bristol, claimed 'the produce is there for supermarkets to purchase but higher prices have turned the chains off'.

Meanwhile, Baz Dawson, owner of Fresh and Fruity, in Preston, revealed his salad stocks have not been directly affected because he buys locally, as he urged people to head to their local market stalls.

And Paul Semple, 43, manager at Lloyds Greengrocer, in Bristol, said his footfall is up 10 per cent, with new customers telling him they 'can't believe how stocked up' his shop is.

It comes as the likes of Aldi, Morrisons, Asda and Tesco have limited sales of tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers as frosty weather in Spain and Morocco has hit imports - with customers in all four stores given limits to how much produce they can buy.

But despite an increase in cost price, Mr Hagon claims greengrocers have been able to remain stocked up, and says he has fresh tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers because 'customers are happy to pay extra for them'.

He predicted supermarkets will be forced to increase prices in the near future - after Environment Secretary Therese Coffey warned the crisis could last for another month.

Meanwhile, some restaurants struggling to cope with the shortages have been forced to remove tomato-dependent items such as pizza and pasta from their menus.

Thomas Hagon (pictured), 39, from Reg The Veg green grocers in Clifton, Bristol, claimed 'the produce is there for supermarkets to purchase but higher prices have turned the chains off'

Baz Dawson (pictured), owner of Fresh and Fruity, in Preston, revealed his salad stocks have not been directly affected during the national shortage because he buys locally

A view of empty shelves in a supermarket in Liverpool, Britain, on February 20, 2023

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Mr Hagon said Reg The Veg had a period of low stock a few weeks ago when supermarkets were selling the vegetables at a lower price.

But since the wholesale price has reportedly nearly doubled, averaging at 15 before and now as much as 30, Mr Hagon said supermarkets 'won't pay it', while greengrocers, like Reg The Veg, will.

He said: 'We had shortages due to availability and low numbers about three weeks ago and supermarkets were still pumping out vegetables at low prices.

'It's got to the point where now supermarkets can't buy it at the right price as it's increased so much.

'It is available they just won't pay the money for it.

'Whereas we can, and we can then supply our customers and pass on the slight increase in price.

'We've still had to increase our own prices in some areas - cherry vine tomatoes are now 9.99 a kilo which is around double the normal price.

'We do say to customers that these peppers or tomatoes for example can be quite expensive but they're happy to pay that.

'Of course, nationally it's very difficult because of the volumes that supermarkets get in, but if they're quoted 25 or 30 pounds for a wholesale shipment, and they wont pay for it.'

The likes of Aldi , Morrisons, Asda and Tesco have limited sales of tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers to customers as frosty weather in Spain and Morocco has hit imports (Pictured: Independent greengrocer Thomas Hagon inside his fully stocked shop in Bristol)

Empty crates in the tomatoes section of a fresh produce aisle of a Tesco supermarket in London on February 23

Why are there shortages of fruit and veg in the UK? Rising prices, heating costs and bad weather abroad are all blamed What is causing the shortages? Cold weather in Spain and Morocco has drastically hit the availability of vegetables in British markets along with soaring energy prices. The supply problems are blamed on bad weather and high energy costs making greenhouses more costly to heat. Some critics have cited red tape on post-Brexit imports from the EU as an issue. Tim O'Malley, of major importer Nationwide Produce, said volatile growing conditions had seen wholesale spot prices for fresh produce lines soar by as much as 300 per cent. Growers in Spain and elsewhere on the Continent are reportedly sending produce to European supermarkets rather than to the UK because they are more willing to pay the higher prices. High energy prices - linked to Russia's invasion of Ukraine - are also a factor because it has become more expensive to heat greenhouses. Which fruit and veg are affected? The problem started with tomatoes but has since widened to peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, salad bags, broccoli, cauliflower and raspberries. Is Brexit to blame? While some critics have cited red tape on imports from Europe, industry expert Mr O'Malley said the single biggest factor behind the crisis was 'Mother Nature'. He said: 'I can honestly say that in the 40 years I've been in this trade, I've never seen such high spot prices across such a broad range of products for such a prolonged period of time.' He added: 'It's not about Brexit - it's about different buying models'. Farming minister Mark Spencer said at the NFU conference yesterday: 'What has driven some of this is a frost in Morocco and Spain in November and December. 'This can damage a lot of the salad and brassica crops, which we have traditionally relied on at this time of year so that has created a gap in the market. 'It's very difficult for UK producers to grow cauliflowers, for example over winter. They are not resistant to frost. It's not possible to grow cauliflowers in January in the United Kingdom unless you grow them in a greenhouse.' Why are European supermarkets not suffering from shortages? Experts say that it is because of the way that British supermarkets buy produce compared to those on the continent. Tim O'Malley says retailers in the UK tend to agree prices once or twice a year so they and shoppers can get certainty on price. This tends to be a winter deal for produce from Spain and Morocco and a summer deal for UK produce. Mr O'Malley says that in Europe they tend to agree monthly prices, meaning that supermarkets find it easier to buy when prices change. Adam Leyland, Editor-in-Chief of The Grocer, said that UK supermarkets are 'in denial' and need to be more nimble to avoid shortages like the current one. What are the other factors? Travel disruption including ferry cancellations have also caused disruption. There has been strong winds disrupting ferries from Morocco and flooding in the country. Frost has also slowed growth and damaged crops. How long will it last? Phil Pearson, group development director at APS Produce said delays are likely to continue until, 'the end of April into May.' Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, which represents UK supermarkets, said: 'Difficult weather conditions in the south of Europe and northern Africa have disrupted harvest for some fruit and vegetables including tomatoes and peppers. 'While disruption is expected to last a few weeks, supermarkets are adept at managing supply chain issues and are working with farmers to ensure that customers are able to access a wide range of fresh produce.' Advertisement

One of his colleagues said there were queues stretching out the door on Sunday after customers scrambled for tomatoes and peppers.

She initially wasn't sure why but then realised it may have been down to the supermarket shortage.

Mr Hagon said he isn't sure what the solution to the problem is, but that it will probably result in supermarkets having to charge more.

He said conditions on the continent have left prices at an 'exceptionally high' rate.

He added: 'I don't know what the solution is to it, they'll just have to charge more - some fruit or veg hasn't gone up for a decade or more.

'When there's more competition from other European countries that supply produce it'll bring prices down - It's always high at this time of the year, it's just exceptionally high at the moment.

'We've seen the cold weather in Morocco. They've got snow - it's crazy.

'We've got used to eating what we want to eat all year round so when things go a bit short it can be a bit of a shock.'

Other greengrocers have also found themselves with no choice but to double their prices.

Paul Semple, 43, of Lloyds Green Grocers in Bristol, said: 'Tomatoes are hard to get, courgette, cucumbers all hard to get hold of.

'They're twice the price, that's how scarce they are.

'It's always hard to get produce this time a year but this year we're nearly at 10 a kilo for tomatoes when we rarely go above 5.

'We're still getting the gear, just prices are up and very expensive.'

Another fruit and veg trader urged people to head to their local market stalls for fresh groceries.

Baz Dawson, owner of Fresh and Fruity, in Preston, revealed his salad stocks have not been directly affected during the national shortage because he buys locally.

The Preston Market trader said that while big supermarkets will now struggle to get hold of their usual cheaper items from abroad, he will continue to buy from farmers in Lancashire and the surrounding areas.

Four of the UK's leading supermarkets - Tesco, Aldi, Asda and Morrisons - have put limitations in place on the amount of certain items customers can buy.

The problem started with tomatoes but has since widened to peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, salad bags, broccoli, cauliflower and raspberries.

Tesco and Aldi have introduced limits of three per customer on sales of tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. Asda is limiting customers to three on sales of lettuce, salad bags, broccoli, cauliflowers and raspberry punnets, along with tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. Morrisons has set a limit of two on cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce and peppers.

Mr Dawson says it is the international transportation that has got the supermarkets in a pickle, with fewer places for them to buy their goods.

But because traders like him keep things local, they are not worried about stocks lasting.

He says every day can be different when it comes to buying locally and because of that, he is less worried he'll face what the supermarkets are currently dealing with.

Mr Dawson said: 'We only deal with top end fresh fruits, veg and salads. There's currently such a national shortage on salads and foreign vegetables.

'We go to the wholesalers and buy either direct or off the farmer or the wholesaler to cut costs, but to stick with the quality.

'With it being such a struggle nationally, the supermarkets will struggle but with us going direct to the wholesalers, we can still get hold of limited salad stock.

'Most of our vegetables are grown and cut within a ten mile radius during certain seasons of the year. Even for us, when we're in the depths of winter we sometimes have to go for the cheaper produce too.

'Supermarkets have not got the stock of salads in now whatsoever but here we do have, from the wholesaler.

'Because they haven't got it in the supermarket, like they didn't when the pandemic hit, they come to us in the market to buy fresh produce and salad. We keep going, like we did two years ago.'

Fluctuating stocks can occur daily in the market trade, Mr Dawson says, but having already dealt with it since the day he began selling, he says the fear of low stocks of certain items is less of a fear.

In the winter months the UK imports around 95 per cent of its tomatoes and 90 per cent of its lettuces, mostly from Spain and northern Africa. The British Retail Consortium said disruption was expected to last a few weeks.

Retailers have stressed that buying limits are temporary until supplies improve in the coming days or weeks, helped by the UK moving into its growing season.

It comes after the Environment Secretary suggested yesterday that Brits could consider eating turnips to ease the national vegetable shortage.

Farmers also warned of a shortage of leeks that is likely to hamper St David's Day celebrations in Wales next week.

Therese Coffey told MPs the 'temporary' shortages were caused by 'very unusual weather' but were expected to end in another four weeks.

Ms Coffey said that consumers might want to turn to British 'specialisms' at this time of year to support domestic farmers.

She added: 'I am led to believe by my officials... we anticipate the situation will last about another two to four weeks.

'Even if we cannot control the weather it is important that we try and make sure the supply continues to not be frustrated in quite the way it has been due to these unusual weather incidents.'

Salad fans told to buy Micro Tom plant that can produce 6,000 cherry tomatoes in a year Salad fans are being urged to start growing a super plant that can yield thousands of tomatoes in case the fruit and veg shortage continues into summer. The Micro Tom is a small plant that has been known to produce a staggering 6,000 cherry tomatoes in a single year. In contrast, people can only expect to harvest 200 tomatoes from a regular plant. Greenfingered Joy and Michael Michaud are encouraging growers to get hold of hanging baskets and start planting seeds now to enjoy a steady supply of tomatoes from June through to November. Last year, Joy, from West Bexington, Dorset, kept a tally of the number she was picking and all her plants produced 5,000 to 6,000 tomatoes each. She said they 'couldn't eat them fast enough' and had to give away bags of toms to neighbours to save them from the compost heap. Joy, 64, said: 'We recommend that people enjoy the winter vegetables during this shortage and get planting to ensure a supply of delicious tomatoes in summer. 'If people can get hold of hanging baskets and polytunnels that will be the perfect environment to grow them in through March and April. 'Homegrown tomatoes always taste better than shop bought ones and this way people can make sure they have plenty to eat. 'Last year I was struggling to count the number I was picking off our Micro Tomato plants. 'Every plant we had produced around 6,000 tomatoes each. We couldn't believe it, they are miracle plants. 'I set an initial target of 1,000 tomatoes a plant but we quickly passed that and I set another one at 5,000. 'That is thousands more than you could expect to get from a normal tomato plant. It's just an incredible variety. 'While the tomatoes are small they're very tasty - they're little balls of flavour.' Joy and Michael run Sea Spring Seeds and grow and sell seeds for 150 types of chilli. Advertisement

Ms Coffey agreed with Tory MP Selaine Saxby who suggested eating seasonal vegetables could solve the issue.

Ms Saxby said: 'We should be eating more seasonally and supporting our own British farmers', adding that if shoppers did so, 'a lot of these problems would be avoided'.

Ms Coffey said: 'It's important to make sure that we cherish the specialisms that we have in this country.

'A lot of people would be eating turnips right now rather than thinking necessarily about... lettuce and tomatoes and similar, but I'm conscious that consumers want a year-round choice and that is what our supermarkets, food producers and growers around the world are trying to satisfy.'

Labour's environment spokesman Jim McMahon questioned suggestions that food shortages were entirely caused by external forces, claiming ministers could have done more to support farmers with access to 'the energy-intensive support scheme', and increased quotas on labour to help with workforce shortages.

Conservative former minister Sir Desmond Swayne ridiculed suggestions that Brexit was responsible for the shortages.

He told the Commons: 'If only I had been told before I voted for Brexit that it was going to cause frosts in Morocco, I could have made a different decision, couldn't I?'

Asked about the turnip suggestion, a No 10 spokesman said: 'We don't believe it's for us to tell people what they should or shouldn't buy.'

He added: 'What the Secretary of State was doing was setting out the importance of celebrating the produce that we grow here in the UK.'

Ms Coffey drew further criticism for suggesting people struggling to afford food bills could consider working more hours.

She said: 'One of the best ways to boost their incomes is not only to get into work if they're not in work already, but potentially to work some more hours.'

After the debate, Labour's Rachael Maskell accused Ms Coffey of 'shifting blame for food poverty on to people because they are on low wages and are poor'.

Budget supermarket food is seeing average annual price rises of an astonishing 21.5 per cent.

A Which? study found the poorest homes were the worst hit.

Some products have seen huge increases, such as tins of Growers Harvest sliced carrots up 63 per cent at Tesco to 33p, and packs of pork sausages at Asda up 58 per cent to 1.27. Budget Creamfields French brie also saw a 96.6 per cent rise at Tesco to 1.57.

Farmers are warning of an 'extraordinary' shortage of leeks which threatens St David's Day celebrations in Wales next week.

British producers of the much-loved seasonal vegetable, as well as onions, cauliflower and broccoli, have had to write off crops due to a lack of rain and deep frosts.

Supermarkets including Aldi Morrisons, Asda and Tesco have limited sales of vegetables, but Therese Coffey suggested people could use turnips as a substitute

Leek yields were down by as much as 30 per cent following the 'most difficult growing season ever'

A sign limiting customers to three items each is seen next to empty boxes in the tomato and peppers section of a Tesco

Some supermarkets have already run out of leeks, while the ones that do reach the shelves are often of poor quality and stunted  bad news for anyone planning to serve up traditional dishes such as a Welsh cawl or Wrexham bake on March 1.

Leek Growers Association chairman Tim Casey said yields were down by as much as 30 per cent following the 'most difficult growing season ever'. He added: 'We are predicting the supply of home-grown leeks will be exhausted by April, with no British leeks in the shops during May and June.'

Reputedly introduced to Wales by the Phoenicians when they were trading for tin in the British Isles, the leek has long been associated with the Welsh Saint David.

In 640AD, according to legend, the Briton King Cadwaladr and his men wore leeks in their hats to distinguish themselves in battle against invading Saxons. The leek has remained a national symbol ever since.
Downing Street says there is no ban on government officials using media site

TikTok, which is owned by ByteDance, has faced scrutiny over its access to data

A Tory MP has posted a video showing Downing Street's security layout - as Rishi Sunak resists calls to ban Government officials from using the site.

Backbencher Luke Evans yesterday uploaded footage of himself going through the gates and up to the famous black door - although he did not include images from inside the search point.

Many other MPs are keen users of the Chinese social media giant.

A spokesman for the PM insisted today that there is no plan to impose blanket restrictions on staff using TikTok, despite some Conservatives suggesting the UK should follow the example of the European Commission.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said in interviews this morning that he did not personally have TikTok and people should be 'careful' what data they shared with it.

The government's stance is under fresh scrutiny after the European Commission decision to suspend the use of TikTok on devices issued to staff, and personal devices that staff use for work.

A similar ban has already been introduced in the US for federal government employees.

Tory MP Luke Evans yesterday uploaded footage of himself going through the gates and up to the famous black door - although he did not include images from inside the search point

The government's stance is under fresh scrutiny after the European Commission decision to suspend the use of TikTok on devices issued to staff, and personal devices that staff use for work

Alicia Kearns, the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman, is leading the call for the Government in the UK to follow suit.

'We've now seen both the EU and the US take action on TikTok over security concerns: the acquisition of our personal data by a hostile state,' she told the Telegraph.

'The Government needs to review its policies and look to ban government officials and parliamentary staff from installing the app on any mobile phones utilised for work, if not any device.'

Parliament's TikTok account was shut down last year after MPs raised concerns on the firm's links to China.

The app has nonetheless become increasingly popular among politicians in recent years, with some MPs amassing tens of thousands of followers.

Former health secretary and reality TV star Matt Hancock is a regular user while Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Grant Shapps also has an account.

A No10 spokesman said that he was 'not aware' of any ban on Downing Street staff using TikTok.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said in interviews this morning that he did not personally have TikTok and people should be 'careful' what data they shared with it

'We have got a TikTok account but I don't think we've put anything on it for a little while now,' he said.

'It's for individual departments and ministers to choose which social media platforms they want to use.'

Mr Wallace said he did not have TikTok but warned it was important to be 'careful' about any social media site.

'We should all be careful, whatever social media we use. They all collect data about us. There's a phrase about the internet which is 'If it's free, it's probably because you're the product'. That is how these companies work,' he told LBC.

'TikTok is overall owned by a Chinese company and I think if you put your data on there you are not just sharing it with the person publishing it. The caution is, be careful what you put on these things.'
Ukrainians living in the UK have shared their feelings about life in Britain one year on from Vladimir Putin's invasion - and say their home country will 'never be the same again'.

The world paid tribute to fallen heroes on Friday as Ukrainians vowed to fight on to victory, while Russia said its forces were making battlefield gains in the east as its invasion entered a second year with no end in sight.

Twelve months on, many who fled Ukraine still don't know when they will return and what 'home' will be like if they do.

Yuliia Kuznetsova, 25, told the BBC: 'It's like there is a life before and after, there is nothing in between and life as we knew it ended on the 24th.

'It's never going to be the same, it's never going to be even close to what it was before. I do miss home but at the same time I realised that home as I remember it does not exist anymore.'

Speaking of his experience of moving to Britain, Nikita Vikhorev added: 'It's not my home, not my country, but I'm making a new life here'.

Violinist Nikita Vikhorev avoided being conscripted as the London Performing Academy of Music brought Ukrainian students to the UK

Nikita says his mission is to use his music to help people to care about Ukraine.'

Violinist Nikita avoided being conscripted into the army as the London Performing Academy of Music (LPMAM) brought Ukrainian students to the UK, offering them bursaries and providing military exemption.

But his father is a soldier fighting in Ukraine - and his mother and sister also remain in Kharkiv.

He described his violin as his 'weapon' and said his mission is to use music to help people care about his home country.

Julia Sviatenko, 40, fled her home town Kyiv with her 16-year-old son Arseniy and after a three day journey they arrived in Ayr, Scotland, last April and have been living with sponsors.

Back home she worked as a psychologist and taught at the National Pedagogical Dragomanov University - and now she works for Barnardo's charity.

She told the Daily Record she has found the UK a 'wonderful' country where she has been met by kind and incredible people who have offered support.

But despite this, she will always miss her life back home.

'As soon as it is safe we want to move back to Ukraine,' she said.

Yuliia Kuznetsova, 25, said: 'Home as I remember it does not exist anymore'

Julia Sviatenko, 40, praised the support she has received in Scotland but still wants to move back to Ukraine when she can

'Scotland will always be our second home but we do miss our previous lives.'

Anna Matiunina, from Ukraine, and her husband James Gibson, who lived and grew up in Kilmarnock, Scotland, before moving to Ukraine, were both also forced to flee.

They left Ukraine on the second day of the war - packing up their lives in ten minutes in time to get a ride with friends.

Anna, 37, has managed to get a job teaching jazz dance to children but says there are many things in her new life she still needs to adjust to.

However, Anna says the most important thing she wants is peace for Ukraine and for separated families to come together again.

Anna Matiunina, from Ukraine, and her husband James Gibson

Young refugees discussed fleeing their homes and coming to Britain
A Latvian politician was so furious that a Moscow delegation was allowed to attend a UN security meeting that he quoted Ukrainian Snake Island defenders and told them: 'Russian warship, go f*** yourself'.

During his extraordinary and passionate speech, Rihards Kols said it was 'a disgrace' that Vladimir Putin's delegates were allowed to attend the gathering in Vienna.

Kols, who was visibly seething during his blistering speech, said he could no longer sit in the same room as the Russian lawmakers and act as if 'nothing had happened' when thousands of Ukrainians had been killed since Putin invaded a year ago.

At one point, Kols pointed towards the Russian delegation, accusing them of being war criminals before he quoted Ukrainian sailors who defiantly defended Snake Island against the Russian navy.

Kols seethed as he said: 'I will convey a message to the Russian Federation delegation sitting in this room and I will quote the Ukrainian border guards. Russian warship, go f*** yourself.'

During his extraordinary and passionate speech, Rihards Kols said it was 'a disgrace' that Vladimir Putin's delegates were allowed to attend the gathering in Vienna

That message of defiance - which was shouted across a radio by Ukrainian sailors after Putin's troops had ordered them to surrender Snake Island - has come to symbolise the Ukrainian resistance in the face of Russian aggression.

The 19 Ukrainian soldiers on the island were thought dead after Russian troops on the warship Moskva bombarded the island with artillery fire, but they miraculously survived and were given awards upon being returned to Ukrainian soil in a prisoner transfer last year.

Kols, his chair draped in a Ukrainian flag, quoted those soldiers during the a meeting of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe to discuss Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

In a scathing speech, he said: 'We say that we stand up for our principles and values and statutes and we don't. I mean there's an elephant in this room which is called by name the Russian Federation delegation.'

'I mean, if I were a witness and somebody asked me who is the war criminal, well I would point to the back benches in this room,' Kol said as he pointed to where the Russian delegation were sitting.

Kol, who was visibly angry at this stage, said: 'It's a disgrace that this delegation is here. Particularly the delegation that consists of members who are sanctioned in Russia, individuals who voted to annex an independent countries' territory.' He listed off Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk on his hand.

The Latvian politician, raising his voice further, added: 'Those are the principles that this institution has vouched to protect and guard. And we're sitting here like nothing is happening.'

This handout picture taken and released by State Border Guard Service of Ukraine on July 7, 2022 shows the Ukrainian flag set on Bile village on Snake Island, Odessa region in Black Sea

Later, as a Russian lawmaker began speaking at the meeting, a large number of delegates walked out of the room in protest.

Austria granted the Russian lawmakers visas even though they are under European Union sanctions and despite protests from 20 countries including Britain, France and Canada.

Austria's government said that as host nation it was obliged to grant visas to representatives from all OSCE member nations. Delegates from Ukraine and Lithuania did not attend the meeting in protest over Russia's attendance.

The Vienna-based OSCE, whose 57 members include both Ukraine and Russia, was created during the Cold War as a platform for dialogue between East and West.

The group has a wide-ranging mission, including peace, human rights, arms control and other security issues.

A Slovak delegate read out a statement from the Ukrainian delegation that said 'the presence of these warmongers in Vienna is an affront to everything that the OSCE stands for.'

They are not here for genuine dialogue nor for cooperation,' it added. 'They are here to spread their propaganda ... they are here to try and justify the war crimes they have committed and desecrate the principles of international law and human decency.'
A TikTok trend is causing chaos at schools as protests broke out over rules banning pupils going to the toilet during class, girls having to show a 'red card' when on their period and skirt-measuring.

In a letter to parents, one headteacher said pupils had 'decided to imitate a trend relating to school protests' on social media and that similar protests were taking place at 'numerous schools throughout the country'.

Penrice Academy in St Austell, Cornwall, told parents that 'due to a social media post yesterday evening, some of our students took the decision to protest'.

Protests took place at schools in Cornwall, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire and Essex with videos of furious children rebelling being shared on social media.

Meanwhile, others commented on TikTok videos asking how they could stage a protest at their school, with one saying: 'I'm a year seven but want to start a protest for the same reasons...how do I start it'.

Messages on TIkTok show pupils asking how they could replicate a protest at their school

Students at Penrice Academy, St Austell, are reportedly 'throwing tables' and 'breaking fences' as they dispute the changes

Pupils at the Farnley Academy, Leeds, were seen standing outside the school this morning with 'disgusted' parents who claimed the policy had 'taken away their human rights'

Crowded school halls at Haven High Academy in Lincolnshire yesterday afternoon in video captured on TikTok

Parents at Rainford High School in St Helens, Merseyside, claimed girls whose skirts were deemed too short were made to queue up and asked to adjust their skirts by teachers

At Penrice Academy, students reportedly 'flipped tables' and broke fences over rule changes which also forced girls to show a 'red card' when they are on their period.

Pupils at the Farnley Academy, Leeds, were seen standing outside the school gates as parents claimed a policy stating children must get a written note to use the toilet during class 'had taken away their human rights'

Similar scenes were filmed at Haven High Academy, Lincolnshire, yesterday with one parent comparing its new policy which locked toilets and corridors during lessons to 'prison rules'.

It comes after students yesterday protested at Rainford High in St. Helens, Merseyside over male teachers measuring the length of girls' skirts.

READ MORE: Schoolgirls are left in tears after being ordered to stand in line as 'male teachers inspected the length of their skirts to make sure they are not too short' Advertisement

A video taken at Penrice Academy showed pupils shaking the fence while chanting and shouting, as one parent claimed a girl had been injured during the protest.

Speaking to Cornwall Live, the mother said: 'My daughter has just called me to say the protest has got out of hand and students are flipping tables. The children are now not allowed out for break.'

Another parent said: 'Since the red pass scheme was announced and reported about in the press, the school has issued no official statements to parents or children about the news coverage, has not responded to emails sent by parents asking about the toilet passes, and has not changed their policy.

'They are just not listening to parents or children - and unfortunately the kids are taking things into their own hands today.'

Another video taken at Farnley Academy, Leeds, showed furious pupils demonstrating against a new policy of toilet doors being locked during lesson time.

Parent Natalie Hennessy, who has a son in Year 9, told Leeds Live: 'My son, who is a high achiever, is so fed up of the way he's being treated.

'He says he feels manipulated all the time and the school is like a prison. I feel disgusted.

'The amount of times I've contacted the school and it's falling on deaf ears. They're taking away their human rights.'

Farnley Academy's statement for parents We are aware that some comments are being made in respect of toilets and their availability during the school day. To keep all students safe during times when members of staff are not on duty, we have asked that the only toilets that are used by students during lesson time are the Bronte Toilets. These toilets are OPEN during ALL lesson times and a member of staff is present. During break and lunch, students are then able to use all of the toilets in school. We actively encourage all students to ensure that they go to the toilet before school, at break and at lunch, to avoid needing to go during precious lesson time, however, the option remains where it is needed. Advertisement

Furious parents expressed their outrage over the school policy on social media.

One mother said Farnley Academy called her four times about picking up her daughter after her 'behaviour was out of control' at the protests today, but she was unable to pick her up as she was at work.

Mother Helen Walker said: 'Well my daughter's been excluded for going to toilet yesterday without having a note and she was really desperate.'

'This is beyond a joke,' she said. 'Why are they treating our kids unfairly like this?'

And another parent went on: 'Why are our children been treated like they are in a prison of war camp.

'This is not how our children should be treated if they need toilet let then go it's not a crime and to limit them with toilet roll is totally unacceptable in all the ways.'

A spokesperson for The Farnley Academy, writing on Facebook, confirmed students had been asked to use the centrally located toilets during lesson times.

But they added that these bathrooms always remained available to children if they needed to use the toilet and were being marshalled by teachers to keep them safe.

Videos of pupils demonstrating outside Haven High Academy, in Boston, Lincolnshire, over similar toilet use rules also appeared on TikTok yesterday.

Dozens of pupils were also seen protesting outside Haven High Academy, Lincolnshire, with one parent comparing its new policy to 'prison rules'

Pupils marching through the school hallways in Haven High Academy, Lincolnshire

Full letter from Penrice Academy to parents and carers Dear Parent/Carer Due to a social media post yesterday evening, some of our students took the decision to protest. Our students have the right to express their opinions in a calm and safe manner, however a small number of students' behaviour was unacceptable. A number of parents have already been contacted to collect their children. For the majority of our students, lessons and lunch time will continue as normal. If you have not been contacted, there is no need to collect your child. We hope to engage with them to find a solution that works for everyone as soon as possible. The safety and wellbeing of our students is always our priority. Kind Regards Penrice Academy Advertisement

One parent claimed the school's headteacher was introducing 'prison rules' for the pupils and claimed corridors and toilets were being locked during lesson time.

In a letter to parents and carers yesterday, Haven High headteacher Stuart Rees wrote: 'As you may be aware, a small group of students decided to imitate a trend relating to school protests that has been trending on Tik Tok within school today.

'Such school protests have happened in numerous schools throughout the country and unfortunately a number of students decided to engage in a protest relating to certain school rules.'

He said a small number of pupils took the 'opportunity to misbehave' and said the behaviour was 'unacceptable', LincolnshireLive reports.

He said that any pupil that does not attend lessons or refuses to comply with 'reasonable requests from staff' will have their parent/carer called and be 'issued with an appropriate sanction'.

Meanwhile students in Essex also protested after finding their toilets locked by gates during lesson times.

One parent to two daughters who attend Castle View School in Canvey Island, Essex, said one had been denied use of a bathroom during lesson time despite being on her period.

She said her other daughter who suffers from an incurable autoimmune condition affecting the bowels, was also denied access.

The concerned parent said today (Feb 24): 'Castle View students are currently protesting their toilets being taken away.

'My youngest menstruating girl was forbidden from using the loo to check if she had leaked!

'My coeliac daughter has not been issued a pass.

'They aren't issuing the passes and there are long queues to use the toilets at break times which means kids can't get lunch and use the loo in the same allocated time.'

Videos shot at the school show chaotic scenes with children gathered in a field chanting 'free our bladders because we matter'.

Another shows students filing out of classrooms into the halls and gathering in the corridors en masse.

A 14-year-old male student at the school, who did not want to be named, reported that 'kids are hitting kids and a teacher did lock us outside.'

Gates across the toilets at Castle View School in Canvey, Essex

Was your child involved? Email alexander.butler.mol@mailonline.co.uk Advertisement

He added: 'The Castle View students are protesting the toilets. People are getting hit. It's so bad. Kid's got hit and it got manic.

'The protest is over now but for most of the day kids were protesting.

'We are children, we don't need to be locked up.

'It shows an extreme lack of trust, which is understandable as we are kids, but the level they are going at is getting out of control.

'We understand why it was put in place to stop vaping and because of safeguarding issues.

'But if you want to stop that then put smoke detectors closer and use thermal cameras like other schools are.'

Castle View School headteacher Steve Durkin said: 'Pupils are able to access all toilets before school, break times, and after school.

'If a pupil requires access to the toilet during lesson time, they request a pass from their teacher and are allowed access.'

Parents have slammed a secondary schools decision to barricade toilets during lesson time

Penrice Academy have now sent a letter to parents and carers saying that a 'small number of students' behaviour was unacceptable'.

The letter said that students decided to protest 'due to a social media post yesterday evening'.

They added that several parents had been contacted to collect their children and that for most pupils, lessons and lunch time will 'continue as normal'.

The academy also said they want to 'engage' with pupils to 'find a solution that works for everyone as soon as possible'.

Farnley Academy and Haven High Academy have been approached for comment.

Devon and Cornwall Police said: 'Police are aware of a protest at the academy, but have not been called or asked to attend'.

West Yorkshire Police and Lincolnshire Police have been approached for comment.

It comes after Rainford High School in St Helens, Merseyside, sparked fury from pupils and parents over a uniform policy which states skirts must be knee length - with the risk of detention or suspension for failure to adhere to the rules.

Boys wore skirts in protests of the rules at the school in support of their fellow pupils.

A parent claimed some pupils had been left 'crying and embarrassed' as a petition was started titled 'Stop Rainford High controlling girls skirts.'

Pupils outside a school in Lincolnshire during protests today

Rainford High School in St Helens, Merseyside, said they had been 'concerned about the failure of a significant number of students to wear the skirt to the standards and expectations laid down in the uniform policy'

Boys wearing school skirts during the protests at Rainford High School

One woman told the Liverpool Echo her 'granddaughter came home mortified that her skirt height was inspected by a male teacher in front of male pupils'.

Another told the St Helens Star: 'My daughter stated that they are asked to adjust their skirt and if they say no or cannot then parents are contacted and told their child must come in the following day in a longer skirt or they will be given a detention.'

Ian Young, principal of Rainford High in St. Helens, Merseyside, said: 'Like many schools, we have a clear uniform policy in place and understand there are often sensitivities around this matter.

'Student voice is important in all aspects of school life, and we have been keen to find an acceptable viewpoint on uniform from all members of our school community.

'Work has been, and is continuing to be, undertaken with our young people by consulting student leadership teams to find an agreeable solution for both staff and students.

'Our focus is for all our young people to exemplify and learn the importance of high standards and expectations, so they are ready to contribute to the wider community as successfully as possible.'

He added: 'One block of toilets is currently closed for essential repairs as we wait for the scheduled works to take place

'In total, Rainford High has five toilet blocks as well as seven disabled toilets, available for students. These toilets are open and available to use at all times throughout the school day.'
An Italian tourist who shot and killed his lifelong friend during a pigeon-hunting trip to Scotland has been cleared of culpable homicide.

Franco Moroni bowed to the jury and said 'grazie' after they took just 30 minutes to find him unanimously not guilty at the end of a week-long trial.

Moroni - who admitted killing Marco Cavola by blasting a shotgun at his head at point-blank range - wept and embraced a supporter after the jury ruled it was a catastrophic accident.

It can now be reported that the shooting agent who organised the trip had already been fined nearly 5,000 for health and safety breaches and for supplying the fatal weapon to an unlicensed shooter.

Members of Mr Cavola's family had been in court to hear the evidence but had flown home to Italy prior to the final day of the trial and the verdict.

Moroni, whose family run a paint shop in Loriano, near Rome, told the trial the incident had completely changed his life and had turned him into a virtual recluse.

He described how he was filled with shame after shooting his friend dead on the Rossie Estate in Inchture, near Dundee, on March 25, 2019.

Franco Moroni bowed to the jury and said 'grazie' after they took just 30 minutes to find him unanimously not guilty at the end of a week-long trial

Marco Cavola sustained severe head injuries and died in March 2019

Moroni, sporting long white hair and a beard, told the High Court in Dundee that he had not had a haircut since the incident almost four years ago.

Asked if he had cut his hair since the shooting, he said: 'No, I'm ashamed to go out and about in Loriano. From this incident, yes.' He added that his marriage of more than 30 years had also ended.

He told the trial that he and his victim - who had been a childhood friend - were keen porcini mushroom collectors in the woods near their home in the Rome region.

He said Mr Cavola and fellow holidaymaker Onorio Galoni were keen hunters and had persuaded him to join their pigeon shooting trip to Scotland in March 2019.

Moroni said: 'Marco was passionate about hunting and mushrooms. Marco convinced me to go with him for four or five days.

'I didn't want to go very much, because I'm not very passionate about hunting. Marco was very good at involving and persuading people, so I agreed to go along with him.

'I decided about 15 days prior to going. Marco and Onorio organised the trip. I had shot two or three times, but it was not like I'm a hunting expert.'

He said the trio were met by local sporting agent Peter Bruce and had a brief shooting outing on the day they arrived. The tragedy occurred the following day.

Moroni said the group were taken to Rossie Estate at Inchture and were each given a shotgun and a warning not to aim towards the road when firing the weapons. He said no further instruction was given.

Mr Galoni was put in one hide, while Moroni and Mr Cavola were placed together in a second hide. The jury had already heard how having two shooters together in the same hide could be 'extremely dangerous.'

'I don't think I had more than five shots. He shot more than me but I don't know how many. There were many birds. We were in the hide and I was sitting down because I didn't feel comfortable with the situation.

'At a certain point, a bird came across. Marco shot three times. He then told me 'shoot, shoot, shoot' and then he got down,' Moroni said.

'At that point I rose to my feet and shot and then he also got up at that point. He did the movement so quickly - lowering himself and getting up again.

'As I was turning I shot him. It was a complete tragedy. Everything was happening. I was screaming for Onorio.'

The court was told Moroni did not have a valid visitor's gun license as Mr Bruce - whose license provided temporary cover - had driven from the scene to buy petrol.

Moroni told the court that Mr Bruce told him to tell the police he and Mr Cavola had been sharing a shotgun, which is what he initially did. However, when he was interviewed the following day he admitted they both had shotguns.

He told the jury he had lied because he was in a panic and did not know what to do. He said he had subsequently told Police Scotland the complete truth.

Moroni said his friend had been around a metre away when he had shot him in the back of the head and it was immediately apparent that he had been killed instantly.

Sergeant Ian Borthwick, 39, told the court Moroni was 'extremely distraught, distressed, in a state, shouting and wailing' as he was being interviewed.

Det Con Andrew Howe, 44, took a further statement the following day and said Moroni was 'very upset, crying, shouting out in pain, repeatedly the name Marco.'

Wildlife and shooting expert witness Stewart Scull told the jury that having two guns shooting from the same hide could be 'extremely dangerous.'

Mr Scull said it was clearly recommended in the Wood Pigeon Shooting Code of Practice that the safest way to conduct pigeon shooting was by limiting guns to one per hide.

He added that it was not an unknown practice to have two shooters in the same hide, but told the jury that it could be 'extremely' dangerous.

Colin Shedden, 65, Scottish Director of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, agreed it was a risk for two people to share a hide.

Mr Shedden said: Our code of practice clearly states it can be dangerous for two people to be shooting from a hide at the same time.'

The court has already heard how Mr Cavola was fatally wounded by a shotgun blast minutes after the party were left unsupervised in the field.

Shooting agent Peter Bruce, 56, told the court he had slipped away briefly to buy diesel and returned to discover Mr Cavola had been shot dead.

Mr Bruce, from Meigle, said he had known the victim for a decade and had organised a number of shooting trips for him and his friends.

Moroni, 62, was found not guilty of culpably and recklessly discharging a loaded shotgun in the direction of Mr Cavola, whereby he was struck on the head by shot and gases from the shotgun, sustaining severe head injuries and dying as a consequence of his injuries.
In a horrifying moment, a 6'6' schoolboy who weighs 270 pounds knocked a female teaching aide unconscious and severely beat her for taking away his handheld Nintendo Switch.

The 17-year-old Matanzas High School student from Palm Coast, Florida who was not named due to his age, violently attacked the teaching aide after telling another student he was 'going to kill her' for taking his game away on Tuesday.

'This could have been a homicide,' Sheriff Rick Staly told WESH 2.

In surveillance footage, released by the Flagler County Sheriff's Office, the hulking student can be seen rushing up to the teacher, who was also not identified, before launching her across the room, her body flying several feet.

She hits the ground head-first, rendering her unconscious. The special needs student immediately begins kicking her before kneeling down to punch her in the head and torso.

In surveillance footage, released by the Flagler County Sheriff's Office, the hulking student, 17, of Palm Coast, can be seen rushing up to the teacher, who was also not identified, before launching her across the room

She hits the ground head-first, rendering her unconscious. The special needs student immediately begins kicking her before kneeling down to punch her in the head and torso

Another woman runs up to the student and grabs his arm, but is unable to pull him off the aide before several others rush to drag him off her. Even after they manage to push him to the ground, he still reaches his leg out to hit her a few more times.

It takes five staff members to restrain and drag him away from her body as he fought against them.

The Flagler County Sheriff's Office found the woman with 'severe injuries' and she was transported to the hospital for treatment.

The teen claimed he would 'beat her up every time she takes away his game,' and spit on the teacher as deputies escorted him away, according to the arrest report.

The student was arrested and taken to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, before being turned over to the Department of Juvenile Justice. He was charged with Felony Aggravated Battery with Bodily Harm, which is punishable up to five years in Florida.

Her body flew several feet before she was knocked unconscious. The student had said he would 'beat her up every time she takes away his game.' The aide, who began working at the school in 2021, was left with severe injuries and was transported to the hospital

It takes five staff members to restrain and drag him away from her body as he fought against them

The student was arrested and taken to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, before being turned over to the Department of Juvenile Justice. He was charged with Felony Aggravated Battery with Bodily Harm, which is punishable up to five years in Florida

He also faces expulsion from the school.

In bodycam footage, the student can be seen asking officers if he is 'going to jail,' while they handcuff him in the school.

'For how long?' the students asked.

'I don't know,' the officer replied.

Moments later he told officers: 'F**k you, I don't want to go to jail. I have more important things to do,' before accusing them of manhandling him.

Staly called the ordeal 'absolutely horrendous and completely uncalled for.'

The Matanzas High School student (pictured), who was not named due to his age, violently attacked the teaching aide after telling another student he was 'going to kill her' for taking his $200 handheld game away on Tuesday

He also told officers while being arrested: 'F**k you, I don't want to go to jail. I have more important things to do'

'We hope the victim will be able to recover, both mentally and physically, from this incident,' he said in a statement. 'Our schools should be a safe place  for both employees and students.'

Flagler Schools Superintendent Cathy Mittelstadt agreed, saying: 'Creating a safe learning and working environment on our campuses is critical. Violence is never an appropriate reaction.'

Matanzas High School said it had 'no comment,' when reached for comment.

The Flagler School Board did say at a meeting after the event that they have made it a 'high priority' to go over policy to 'help with this.'

The teaching aide has worked within the school district since 2004 and started as an aide at Matanzas in 2021.
A malicious version of Final Cut Pro that often goes unnoticed by antivirus software was used in a crypto mining operation that targeted macOS, according to security researchers.

Bleeping Computer writes that the malicious variant, which mined for the cryptocurrency Monero using the XMRig tool, was disseminated through torrent.

The MacOS Threat Has Evolved

This specific macOS threat was discovered by the Jamf Threat Labs team, traced to malicious torrents published on The Pirate Bay by a user going by the handle wtfisthat34698409672.

Since 2019, it appears that the user has been downloading additional macOS programs with a payload for cryptocurrency mining, including Adobe Photoshop and Logic Pro X.

After a more thorough study, the researchers concluded that the virus had gone through three significant development stages, incorporating incredibly advanced evasion strategies at each stage.

It is notable that current security tools routinely only identify the first generation of the danger, which stopped existing in April 2021.

In order to anonymize traffic for command and control (C2) communications, malware has used an i2p (Invisible Internet Project) network layer since its first generation, Dark Reading says.

The second version of malware, which used base 64 encoding for executables concealed in the app bundle, emerged for a brief period between April 2021 and October 2021.

Beginning in May 2022, the lone variety of the current generation, which debuted in October 2021, was dispersed in the wild.

This variant's new capability allows it to mask its malicious processes on Spotlight as system processes in order to avoid detection.

The most recent version also includes a script that checks for the Activity Monitor on a regular basis, and if it appears, it instantly kills all of its processes to avoid being discovered by the user.

Read More: Democrats Want to Know How Much Energy Crypto Mining Companies in Texas Consume

MacOS Is Looking To Deal With Threats Better In The Future

More rigorous code-signing checks introduced in the most recent macOS build, code-named "Ventura," pose a danger to render user-launched apps, particularly pirated ones, useless for hiding and launching malware.

The original code-signing certificate was preserved by the pirates in this instance, who only slightly altered Final Cut Pro.

Ventura, nevertheless, invalidated it since it discovered a change to the software's substance, according to Bleeping Computer.

It is important to note that Apple's new security system still has a ways to go before it can successfully protect users.

This is because it just stopped the lawful application from operating, not the cryptocurrency miner.

Finally, since peer-to-peer networks are virtually always infected with spyware or adware, it is advised against downloading pirated software from them.

According to Dark Reading, there have not been many instances of threat actors including malware in illegal macOS software.

In fact, one of the most recent well-known examples of such an operation occurred in July 2020 when Malwarebytes researchers uncovered a pirated version of the application firewall Little Snitch, including a downloader for macOS ransomware.

Related Article: China Remains East Asia's Largest Crypto Market Despite Crackdown
The chair of the Framingham Democratic Committee is facing calls to resign, however he has said he has no intention of doing so

Michael Hugo argued that disabled children are a strain on the city's school budget

A Massachusetts Democrat is facing calls to resign after he caused outrage by suggesting disabled children should have been aborted to save on the city's school budget.

Michael Hugo, the chair of the Framingham Democratic Committee, made the shocking proposal during a city council meeting earlier this month.

He questioned whether these centers misdiagnose women who have disabled children as informing them may convince them to get an abortion.

'Our fear is that if an unqualified stenographer misdiagnoses a heart defect, an organ defect, spina bifida or encephalopathic defect, that becomes a very local issue, because our school budget would have to absorb the cost of the child in our special education budget,' he said.

In a letter sent before the meeting that offered a preview of his remarks, he asked whether Massachusetts would 'cover the cover the medical costs for a fetus that had sound medical reason to be terminated.'

He then went on to ask if the state 'would cover the costs of special education for a Down syndrome-affected child,' or 'pay the extraordinary medical expense of a child with a (serious heart condition),' implying he thought fetuses found to have either condition should have been terminated.

Michael Hugo, pictured, is facing calls to resign after suggesting disabled children should be aborted to save money in the school's budget

The outlandish remarks were made at a Framingham, Massachusetts City Council meeting on February 7

The official's comments disgusted his local constituents, and he is now facing fierce protests outside City Hall and calls to stand down.

Hugo made the outlandish remarks during a city council meeting on February 7, where he hit out at crisis pregnancy centers during a debate over abortion policy.

Crisis pregnancy centers are facilities which claim to offer legitimate abortion services, but actually intend to dissuade pregnant women from using the healthcare clinics.

Hugo, who is director of policy and government relations for the Massachusetts Association of Health Board, also argued whether the city should have to 'pay for the extraordinary medical expense of a child with an atrial septal defect?'

His comments sparked fury in the local community, with a member of Hugo's own party, who spoke soon after at the meeting, slating his colleague for going 'off the rails.'

'I am absolutely horrified about what I just heard our chairman say and relate the entire issue to special needs costs to our school,' added Cheryl Tully-Stoll, also a Framingham Democratic Committee member and former city councilor.

City Councilor Adam Steiner said that he was 'disappointed and saddened' by the remarks.

'Unfortunately, there has been a long history of arguments in our town/city pitting the needs of particular students against the financial constraints of the Framingham budget,' Steiner wrote on Facebook.

'In the context of reproductive freedom and abortion rights, making this connection was totally unacceptable and disturbing.'

Hugo issued a public apology 10 days after the council meeting, with the embattled Democrat branding his own comments 'offensive and hurtful.'

But local residents remain outraged at the statements, with parents of special needs children in the area hitting out at his controversial suggestion.

'I saw what Michael had said as a personal attack against my own children,' said Sheryl Goldstein, the chair of the Framingham Disabilities Commission, to FoxNews.

'That my children who had special needs were not worth the expense in the school system.'

Local resident Jon Fetherston has organized a demonstration outside City Hall to protest Hugo's remarks

The Democrat official argued that babies being misdiagnosed in the womb could become a strain on the city's school budget

Michael Hugo apologized for his 'offensive' remarks 10 days later, but has since revealed that he has no intention of resigning

Disability advocate Laura Green said that she does not accept his apology, slamming it as 'lackluster' compared to the offensive comments.

'I feel like after a statement like that is made, you cant just pretend that it didn't happen or take it back because it's damaging to a community of people,' she said.

'The disability community is the only minority group that you can become a part of at any time.'

Large numbers of those in the community have been in uproar since Hugo made the comments, leading locals to organize a protest outside City Hall which is scheduled for next week.

An event listing for the demonstration, organized to coincide with a City Council meeting on the same night on February 28, says it will 'show support for the special needs community.'

Jon Fetherston, who organized the protest, says he couldn't believe a government official would make the offensive comments.

'As a parent of an autistic child, I read those comments and go "what?"' he said.

'A peer of mine thinks that I shouldve aborted my child because he was going to be a burden to a school budget?'

'This is discrimination plain and simple,' added Kristan Hawkins, a mother of two children with cystic fibrosis.

'This is eugenics, this is eugenics in 2023 America, this is an argument that sadly weve heard before and throughout American history, just regurgitated using a bunch of fancy lingo or support for abortion.'

Despite the widespread calls for his resignation, Hugo told The Daily News that he will not be standing down as chair of the committee.
When Therese Coffey urged Brits to 'cherish' our nation's turnips, social media went into a frenzy, mercilessly mocking the MP for her bold suggestions.

Advocation for home-grown produce came after supermarkets such as Aldi, Morrisons and Asda limited sales of certain vegetables while frosty weather hit Spain and Morocco imports.

Tomatoes, cucumber and broccoli have been especially impacted by this with Morrisons allowing only two or three items of produce per customer in a host of stores up and down the country.

Although turnips can unexpectedly be transformed into hash browns, curry and even ice cream, the idea of switching out tomatoes for the root vegetable has not been so popular.

Talk of turnips was slammed on Twitter, with a number of Brits photoshopping the Secretary of State into a hilarious array of scenes.

Turniping heads: Therese Coffey caught red-handed gazing at the root vegetable

Gruelling: One Twitter user popped Ms Coffey in Oliver Twist's workhouse

One Twitter user stuck Ms Coffey into a scene of Oliver Twist's workhouse with the caption of 'Therese Coffee visiting UK schools in 2023, making sure they're getting their turnip soup rations'.

Turkey was also swapped for turnips in a play on the classic line from Scrooge, with one person posting: 'You boy! Run off and bring me back the biggest turnip in all of London Town!'

Another photoshopped the minister's head onto the 'distracted boyfriend meme', hand-in-hand with a tomato but gazing back at the root vegetable.

Rishi Sunak made it into the jokes too, asking a woman on the bus whether she knew how to cook a turnip.

Another Twitter user imagined Rishi Sunak asking a bus user whether they could cook a turnip

Could the war over pineapple on pizza be a thing of the past? This Twitter user raises the prospect of turnip on the Italian dish

Bah humbug! Who knew turnips could star in the Charles Dickens Christmas classic

The uproar follows Ms Coffey's suggestion that consumers may want to turn to British 'specialisms' at this time of year to support domestic farmers.

She said: 'It's important to make sure that we cherish the specialisms that we have in this country.

'A lot of people would be eating turnips right now rather than thinking necessarily about... lettuce and tomatoes and similar, but I'm conscious that consumers want a year-round choice and that is what our supermarkets, food producers and growers around the world are trying to satisfy.'

Asked about the turnip suggestion, a No 10 spokesman said: 'We don't believe it's for us to tell people what they should or shouldn't buy.' He added: 'What the Secretary of State was doing was setting out the importance of celebrating the produce that we grow here in the UK.'

After the debate, Labour's Rachael Maskell also accused Ms Coffey of 'shifting blame for food poverty on to people because they are on low wages and are poor'.

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs minister drew further criticism for suggesting people struggling to afford food bills could consider working more hours.

She said: 'One of the best ways to boost their incomes is not only to get into work if they're not in work already, but potentially to work some more hours.'
More than 60 firefighters battling the blaze

A major fire has erupted at a petrol station with more than 60 firefighters expected to battle the fierce blaze for several hours.

NSW Fire and Rescue said the fire started at a business on Lindesay Street in Campbelltown, in Sydney's south-west, just after 10.15pm on Friday.

The main building on the premises was totally engulfed in flames and has partially collapsed. A petrol tanker, three cars and several LPG cylinders were also on fire.

Photos from the scene show huge flames and plumes of black smoke above the station.

NSW Fire and Rescue said 16 fire trucks were at the scene.

A major fire has erupted at a petrol station in Sydney's southwest with more than 60 firefighters expected to battle the fierce blaze for several hours

The blaze broke out at a business on Lindesay Street in Campbelltown, just after 10:15pm, with staff immediately calling emergency services

A petrol tanker, three cars and several LPG cylinders are also on fire, with up to 16 fire trucks on the scene (pictured)

More than 60 firefighters are battling a fire at a petrol station in Campbelltown

Efforts to extinguish the flames are expected to continue well into the early hours of Saturday morning.

Road closures are in place with the public urged to avoid the area.
The White House has announced yet another package of sweeping sanctions targeting Russia on the one-year anniversary of its brutal invasion of Ukraine  with new efforts to target third countries including China for sanctions evasion.

The latest sanctions, which come on top of a series of previous efforts, target 200 individuals or entities, and bring in such sectors as finance, defense, and technology  amid the ongoing clash of powers to see which side's arms, ammunition and stockpiles can hold out.

'We are continuing to impose significant costs on Russia for its illegal war against Ukraine, including through additional sanctions measures,' Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in India during a meeting with U.K. finance minister Jeremy Hunt.

'Our global coalition is working relentlessly to disrupt Russian military supply chains, limit the Kremlins revenue, and make it harder for them to use the money they have to source military equipment from abroad,' she said.

President Joe Biden (C-L) walks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (C-R) at St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral during an unannounced visit, in Kyiv on February 20, 2023. The U.S. announced additional sanctions on Russia and third countries who evade sanctions

Russian T-72B3 tanks fire at Ukrainian fortified positions in Ukraine in undated footage.

The sanctions come amid allied concerns about increasingly close ties between Russia and China

The Treasury Department, the State Department, and the Commerce Department were each announcing coordinated new sanctions efforts.

The White House touted the new package of sanctions, which it had forecast during President Biden's surprise trip to Ukraine, in a release.

'As part of this announcement, we will target a dozen Russian financial institutions, in alignment with allies and partners, as well as Russian officials and proxy authorities illegitimately operating in Ukraine,' according to the White House.

'We will sanction additional actors tied to Russias defense and technology industry, including those responsible for backfilling Russian stocks of sanctioned items or enabling Russian sanctions evasion.'

The sanctions target Russias future energy capabilities 'in a manner that does not impact current production to minimize market disruption,' according to the White House  amid Europe's continued reliance on Russia for its energy needs.

Sanctions are also enhanced against Russias metals and mining sector, again 'tailored to minimize market disruption'  amid indications that some of Russia's most withering attacks are on parts of Ukraine that have mineral or mining assets.

The government is slapping increased tariffs on more than 100 Russian metals, minerals, and chemical products valued at $2.8 billion, according to the White House.

Biden is set to hold a virtual meeting from the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House Friday over the efforts. The event is set to be closed to the press.

Yellen spoke about the sanctions at a meeting with fellow finance ministers and bank governors in Bengaluru amid India's G20 Presidency.

'In the year ahead, well redouble our efforts at disrupting Russian sanctions evasion efforts. That includes by sharing intelligence, identifying and eliminating specific networks, and making it harder for companies and jurisdictions to serve as evasion channels,' she vowed.

'Our work together also includes the price cap on Russian crude oil and refined products. While it is still early, we are seeing progress towards its twin goals of reducing Russian revenue and promoting stability in global oil markets,' she said.

The White House released a detailed fact sheet on its efforts to date. The moves, together with actions by allies, have isolated Russia.

The data mentions China by name as among those on the 'entity list' of those evading sanctions and helping backfill Russia's defense sector.

'These listings will prohibit the targeted companies from purchasing items, such as semiconductors, whether made in the U.S. or with certain U.S. technology or software abroad,' according to the White House.

A view of damaged building is seen after Russian attack as Russia-Ukraine war continues in Kherson Oblast, Ukraine on February 22, 2023

A Ukrainian Army doctor from the 72nd Mechanized Brigade treats a soldier at a stabilization hospital near the frontline in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

'We are continuing to impose significant costs on Russia for its illegal war against Ukraine,' said Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen

.
It has sparked backlash from Democrats who claim it will 'ban trans people from public spaces'

The move paves the way for further legislature protecting single-sex spaces such as public restrooms

Kansas has become the first state to pass a bill that defines 'woman' as someone who is biologically born female in a move that paves the way for banning transgender people from single-sex areas.

Legislators voted in favor of the Women's Bill of Rights on Thursday which has already sparked fierce backlash from the Kansas Senate Democrats who said it was 'equally offensive' to trans and cisgender women.

But Republican Senator Renee Ericksson, who spearheaded the bill, insisted it was a 'very factual' and 'objective' move.

The bill defines a female as someone 'whose biological reproductive system is developed to produce ova' while 'male' refers to anyone whose reproductive system 'is developed to fertilize the ova of a female.'

It lies the foundation for future laws banning transgender athletes from girls and women's K-12, club and college sports.

Kansas became the first state to pass a bill that defines 'woman' as someone who is biologically born female. The move was spearheaded by Republican Senator Renee Erickson, pictured

The bill received no Democratic support and was vetoed by Democratic Governor Laura Kelly, pictured, who had previously quashed two similar bills

It could also prevent transgender men and women from changing their birth certificates and driver's licenses after transitioning and they may be forced to use restrooms and other facilities associated with the gender assigned to them at birth.

Senators voted 26-10 to approve the bill though it received no Democratic support.

It had already been vetoed by Democratic Governor Laura Kelly who had quashed two previous proposals.

The issue of what a 'woman' is has been the center of a fiery culture war in the US, with trans activists arguing its definition should be inclusive of people who were born male but later identify as female.

Left-leaning politicians all over the world have been caught up in knots by interviewers who asked them to define what a 'woman' is.

Last year Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson sparked ridicule when she answered the question by saying 'I am not a biologist.'

Senator Erickson told the Washington Times: 'What this does is simply codify in the law the definition of sex.

'It simply says that in existing statute or law, where there is a definition of sex, it means biological male and female as determined at birth. Thats very factual, its very objective.'

However she said the bill does not deal with 'gender identity.'

'There are legitimate reasons to distinguish between the sexes with respect to prisons, domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers and other areas where safety and privacy are needed,' Erickson added.

'This bill does not create any new rights or entitlements. It simply codifies the definition of sex as biological male and female in existing statutes and laws.'

It has had several public advocates including former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines who has called for greater protections of female athletes.

Gaines has spoken out against the presence of transgender athletes in women's locker rooms.

Former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines has previously spoken out in favor of the bill as she condemned the decision to allow transgender athletes into female locker rooms

Gaines, left, competed against transgender athlete Lia Thomas, right, a biological man who spent the first three years as a college swimmer for the University of Pennsylvania men's swim team. She came back for the final year as a female swimmer, breaking records in the pool

The 23-year-old swan against Lia Thomas, a biological man who spent the first three years as a college swimmer for the University of Pennsylvania men's swim team.

She came back for the final year as a female swimmer, breaking records in the pool.

It comes after similar measures have been considered in Oklahoma, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Tennessee and Texas.

Legislators in South Carolina are considering a joint resolution which would amend the state constitution to defines sex as biological sex at birth.

Last night the Kansas Senate Democrats published a long thread on Twitter condemning the news.

Defining what a woman is has become the center of a fiery culture war, dividing women's rights campaigners and trans activists. Pictured: LGBTQ+ activists celebrating the first ever pride day parade in Kansas, June 2021

'In case you were concerned that #ksleg politicians had come up with this themselves, have no fear: this is part of a national push to put biologically essentialist language in statute so that legislators have basis to ban trans people from public spaces,' a spokesman wrote.

However the move was welcomed by women's rights campaigners.

Jennifer C. Braceras, director of the Independent Women's Law Center' told the Washington Times: 'It codifies the current constitutional jurisprudence and the intermediate scrutiny standard that weve all come to rely on to protect womens rights, but also to recognize that there are certain situations in which men and women can be separated without violating the constitution.

'Bathrooms, prisons, sports, domestic-violence shelters, etc.'
Infowars host Alex Jones is petrified that the Department of Justice is coming for beloved ragdoll cat Mushu, following the various damning verdicts he received in the lawsuits brought the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre.

Jones, who is bankrupt and owes $1.5 billion to the Sandy Hook families, made his latest claims in a video posted on Twitter by his wife, Erika Wulff Jones, on Thursday. During the clip, Jones cradles the $2,000 pedigree as it mews and tries to escape.

Jones accused the DOJ of 'harassment' over the cat and stated: 'The deals broke, you arent getting the cat. This is next level. What? You want my children next? You want to sacrifice my children or something?'

'They spent probably five minutes of the meeting that was over three hours long, on my cat. They wanted to know if assets were hidden in the cat,' Jones said while admitting that the feline cost $2,000.

The conspiracy theorist believes that the DOJ is 'very serious about the cat and its value and they may want the cat for Sandy Hook families.' He's claimed he can't pay the sum he's been ordered to hand over, and fears feds are now looking to seize his assets - including Mushu.

In a new video, Alex Jones cradles his beloved ragdoll cat, Mushu, as he claims the feds want to take his feline away

Mushu, part of a breed that is known for their 'dog like' loyalty' to their owners, walks away from Jones in the video

Jones called the DOJ's pursuit of his cat a 'line in the sand' and expressed his worries for the future of the country

Poll Should the feds take Alex Jones' cat? Yes No Should the feds take Alex Jones' cat? Yes 116 votes

No 499 votes Now share your opinion





'It makes me really upset for this country. Now they want my cat. The line in the sand is, you cannot have my cat,' Jones added.

The video was also shared by Jones' attorney Ron Filipkowski.

Ragdoll cats are known for the gentle, calm and sociable demeanor with an almost 'dog-like' devotion to their owners and are a 'perfect companion animal,' according to Pet Plan.

The far-right host also said that the cat was named by his daughter. Mushu is the name of the sidekick in the 1990s Disney animated movie, Mulan.

Last April, Jones attacked Disney for sexualizing children on an Infowars broadcast in which he was joined by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

'This is supposed to be the happiest place on Earth, a place where innocence is celebrated. But it seems to be the place where innocence is actually under attack,' Jones said.

Documents released by a Texas court earlier this month showed that Jones is still spending $100,000 a month despite owing more than a billion dollars and filing for insolvency.

In addition to his spending, Jones, 49, is thought to have around $10 million in assets, including multiple properties, an arsenal of weapons and two boats.

Following the first Sandy Hook trial, Jones was accused of transferring millions of dollars from Infowars to friends and family. In February, a bankruptcy filing in Texas found that he had given his parents $1.3 million.

Exclusive: DOJ investigates Alex Joness cat. Not Satire! pic.twitter.com/BteGs3OChu  Erika Wulff Jones (@WulffJones) February 24, 2023

Twenty first graders and six educators were killed in the shooting on Dec. 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut

Jones' claims have been met with huge support on Donald Trump's TruthSocial network.

'Thats right Alex, NEVER f*** with my animals,' wrote one fan. Another wrote: 'Tell them to get f****d. They are owed nothing.' While another said: 'Hang in there! God sees the whole picture! We stand with you!!! Beautiful kitty.'

On Gab, one fan offered advice. He wrote: 'Time for a quick divorce, let your wife loot you first, and then make up with her later.'

'I'm so sorry. Who are these corrupt judges allowing this!!?,' wrote another Gab user.

Twenty first graders and six educators were killed in the shooting on Dec. 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut.

Plaintiffs and their attorney react following the jury verdict and reading of monetary damages in the Alex Jones defamation trial in October

Relatives of eight victims, as well as an FBI agent who responded to the shooting, sued Jones and his Austin, Texas-based company, Free Speech Systems, over the hoax claims, alleging defamation and infliction of emotional distress.

The plaintiffs testified during a monthlong trial about being threatened and harassed for years by people who deny the shooting happened. Strangers showed up at some of their homes and confronted some of them in public.

People hurled abusive comments at them on social media and in emails. Some received death and rape threats.

Last week, the parents of a six-year old child killed in the 2012 massacre asked a U.S. bankruptcy judge on Tuesday to allow them proceed to trial against right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who claimed for years that the shooting was a hoax.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez said at a hearing in Houston on Tuesday that he will consider their request at a March 24 court hearing.

Because Jones and his company are bankrupt, lawsuits against them cannot proceed without the permission of a bankruptcy judge.

Leonard Pozner and Veronique De La Rosa's son Noah was killed in the massacre.

'Pozner and De La Rosa deserve their day in court,' not only to determine the value of their legal claims against Jones, 'but also as parents determined to protect Noah's legacy,' their attorneys wrote in a January court filing.

Jones has argued the trial would 'accomplish little' at a "great deal of unnecessary expense.'

He estimated a two-week trial would cost $600,000, reducing the amount of money available to pay Pozner, De La Rosa and other Sandy Hook parents with legal claims against him.
A photojournalist who was injured in a shooting in Florida that killed his fellow reporter and a nine-year-old girl described how he 'played cat and mouse' with the gunman who 'kept shooting' at him.

Jesse Walden, 29, arrived to a murder scene to film a segment with his colleague and 'best friend' Dylan Lyons, 24, when a crazed gunman returned and opened fire on their parked car.

Walden told his former news station KOB4 from a hospital bed in Orlando that he had to hide behind one of the wheels of his car to avoid gunfire, and that Lyons was shot as he sat inside.

The two were covering the murder of Nathacha Augustin, 38, who died at the scene after being shot earlier in the morning. After opening fire on the reporters later that day, the gunman also shot and killed nine-year-old T'Yonna Major and injured her mother.

Keith Melvin Moses, 19, was taken into custody where he screamed that he couldn't breathe and then allegedly pretended to be asleep to avoid police questioning.

Jesse Walden, 29, arrived to a crime scene to film a segment with his colleague and 'best friend' Dylan Lyons, 24, when the crazed gunman returned and opened fire on their parked car

Dylan Lyons, 24, was shot and killed while reporting on a shooting in Pine Hills, Florida, yesterday. He was just six months into his job at Spectrum News 13

'A woman was shot in her car so we rolled out there to go do a live shot at 4 o'clock,' he told the station. 'The crime scene had already wrapped up, so we had no real clue where the car was previously, and apparently I ended up parking exactly where that car was before.'

Once the pair arrived at the scene Walden got out of the car to access his equipment while Lyons stayed inside.

'As I'm about to open my trunk, I hear gunshots and I feel that I get hit. I feel some pain in my groin,' he said. 'I guess whoever this guy is, there's something wrong with him, but he was shooting people that were parked there.'

'I turned around, because I'm like, "Oh, there must be a drive by shooting going on," and I see that he's shooting at me. I was trying to figure out if I could play cat and mouse with him, and avoid being shot,' he added.

'I was assuming he was shooting at a house or something behind me and I just happened to catch a bullet. But he kept shooting at me. And so I ducked behind the wheel of my car. And he walked forward and shot into my car and ended up striking my reporter, Dylan Lyons and killing him.

After the pair were shot others arrived to offer help, but Lyons has suffered a fatal shot to his heart.

'A photographer with another station ran over and rendered aid to me and actually helped put pressure on me and got his hands all bloody keeping me alive,' Walden told KOB4.

'Then I was waiting for an ambulance to get there. The neighbors opened the car door and they said, "Oh, this guys dead." They said he's been shot in the heart.'

Walden appeared to choke back tears as he described how Lyons was shot to the heart. He went on to describe his colleague as a best friend and commended his work ethic and determination as a reporter.

Keith Melvin Moses, 19, was taken into custody where he screamed that he couldn't breathe and then allegedly pretended to be asleep to avoid police questioning

T'Yonna Major, 9, was shot dead in her home when the gunman stormed in and opened fire

Jesse Walden is a photojournalist who was injured in a Florida shooting rampage that took the life of his reporter colleague Dylan Lyons and a nine-year-old girl

Walden is expected to be released from the hospital within a day or two, but knows he faces a long road of recovery. He also faces the pain of losing his friend

'Dylan was a reporter I worked with every day. We were best friends. He was just a sweet guy, he was young. He really did a good job, he loved trying hard and that's what we like to do, we like to push the boundaries and we like to get our hands dirty,' he said.

'It's so unfair that it happened to Dylan, that he died.'

Walden is expected to be released from the hospital within a day or two, but knows he faces a long road of recovery.

He and Lyons became close when they started at Spectrum News 13 around the same time last year and ended up on the night shift together.

He said Lyons was happy to be doing what he loved.

'He had a very strong sense of justice,' he added. 'He would really want everyone to follow the rules when it came to people with power.'

Walden said he's going to keep his spirits up and keep on for his friend.

'Every step of the way, I've been blessed. You know, just -- people care,' he said.

Walden and Lyons became close when they started at Spectrum News 13 around the same time last year and ended up on the night shift together

Moses was taken to the hospital following his arrest and a motive for the killings remain unclear.

After complaining that he couldn't breathe, he then began 'fighting with hospital staff' and had to be restrained.

Once in police custody, Moses 'pretended to be asleep' to try to get out of his interview. He remains in custody but is refusing to talk to detectives.

'Moses is not speaking to us. We're unable to determine a motive at this time.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office released video of Moses' arrest that shows the deputies placing struggling Moses in handcuffs as he yells that he can't breath and screams: 'They're killing me!'

Moses is charged with first-degree murder in the initial shooting that killed Nathacha Augustin, 38, that morning and officials said 'numerous more charges' will follow.

Moses smirked and smiled as he was taken away in handcuffs after being arrested in connection to the three killings in Orlando, Florida

T'Yonna's mother Brandi was also shot. She remains in the hospital

The arrest on Wednesday came after the shooting spree that began early that morning and ended with three dead and two injured.

Video released shows the moment deputies put an end to his rampage. 'Get on your face!' the deputies are heard yelling. 'Let me go!' Moses yells back. 'They're killing me! Let me go!'

Deputies placed him in handcuffs and then could be seen cutting open Moses' jeans and seized a Glock semiautomatic weapon that 'was still hot to the touch, meaning it had just been fired, and there were no more rounds.'

Orange County Sheriff John Mina characterized the shootings Wednesday as random acts of violence.

Moses complained he was hurt and was taken to a hospital where he attacked medical staff, Mina said. He has since refused to speak with detectives.
Kate Forbes, Humza Yousaf and Ash Regan were confirmed as the three contenders to take over from Nicola Sturgeon as SNP leader today.

The trio were the only candidates when nominations closed this lunchtime, ending the possibility of a surprise challenger entering.

The news fires the starting gun on a month-long campaign that looks set to expose huge rifts at the heart of the SNP.

And it could be existential for the separatists' ambitions of splitting the UK. A poll released today suggests that support for independence has slipped further, with 55 per cent of Scots opposed.

Ms Forbes still looks like the front runner in the leadership contest despite the backlash at her devout Christian views.

A survey of party supporters found 28 per cent backed her, while 20 per cent favoured Health Secretary Mr Yousaf and 7 per cent wanted Ms Regan.

Although the survey was conducted between Monday and Wednesday and might not reflect the full impact of the bitter row over Ms Forbes' stance on gay marriage and gender identity rules, it suggests she remains the candidate to beat.

The Opinion Matters poll of 1,001 people who voted SNP in the 2021 Holyrood election was carried out for the Big Partnership communications agency

A poll of party supporters found 28 per cent backed Kate Forbes (right) for leader. Just 20 per cent favoured Health Secretary Humza Yousaf (left)

Ash Regan is also running to become the next SNP leader after Ms Sturgeon quit

A spokesman for the SNP said: 'With the 12pm deadline now past, we can confirm that all three declared candidates for the leadership of the SNP  Kate Forbes, Ash Regan and Humza Yousaf  have passed the threshold of nominations by at least 100 SNP members drawn from at least 20 SNP branches.'

The candidates will now hit the campaign trail to persuade members they can lead the party  and the country as first minister.

The ballot will open at noon on March 13, closing two weeks later at the same time on March 27.

Speaking after nominations closed, Mr Yousaf said he is 'honoured' to have cleared the threshold.

'The grassroots of the SNP are trusting me to drive forward our independence movement at this important juncture in our party and nation's history. I will not let you down,' he said.

Mr Yousaf said he is the only candidate who can 'protect our pro-independence majority Government in Holyrood', after reports emerged that the Scottish Greens may rip up their powersharing agreement with the SNP if either Ms Forbes or Ms Regan are elected and abandon gender reforms.

Ms Forbes appeared to have crashed her campaign within 24 hours after she confirmed she would have voted against same-sex marriage if she had been an MSP during the 2014 vote.

A series of her backers dropped their support in the wake of the comments.

Ms Forbes said yesterday she felt 'greatly burdened and heartsore' that her remarks had hurt people, and pledged to protect the rights of minorities and promote 'tolerance' if she becomes First Minister.

But Culture Minister Neil Gray, who backs Mr Yousaf, said people need a First Minister 'who minorities in our society know will protect and promote their rights at all times'.

The Opinion Matters poll of 1,001 people who voted SNP in the 2021 Holyrood election was carried out for the Big Partnership communications agency.

It found 31 per cent did not know who they would vote for.

Ms Forbes was on 28 per cent, followed by Mr Yousaf on 20 per cent and ex-community safety minister Ash Regan on 7 per cent.

Just 5 per cent of SNP voters said they thought the new leader's faith or personal beliefs were important  with having a plan to tackle the cost of living crisis seen as critical by 58 per cent.

Paul Robertson, head of public affairs at The Big Partnership, said: 'Our poll indicates that SNP voters want to judge the candidates on their plans for the bread-and-butter issues of government... whilst questions of faith and personal belief, which have dominated the headlines, are relatively unimportant for those choosing the new leader.'

Nicola Sturgeon said that 'holding Christian views doesn't bar you from holding high office', but swiped that those seeking to replace her as First Minister have to 'expect scrutiny of their views'

Nicola Sturgeon said that 'holding Christian views doesn't bar you from holding high office', but swiped that those seeking to replace her as First Minister have to 'expect scrutiny of their views'.

Scottish Tory chairman Craig Hoy said SNP party discipline 'has fallen apart and their MSPs are now scrapping like ferrets in a sack'.
A U.S. judge on Thursday ordered former Donald Trump to be questioned in a pair of lawsuits against the Justice Department and FBI by two former agency officials who claim they were the targets of an improper political pressure campaign by his White House.

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson decided that FBI Director Christopher Wray also must sit for a deposition by attorneys for the pair, Peter Strzok and Lisa Page.

Page and Strzok, who had an intimate relationship and Trump dubbed the 'FBI love birds,' exchanged anti-Trump texts ahead of the 2016 presidential elections.

The judge in a brief order said that Trump should submit to two hours of questions on a 'narrow set' of topics and that Wray should be questioned under the same limited parameters.

A U.S. judge on Thursday ordered former Donald Trump to be questioned in a pair of lawsuits against the Justice Department and FBI by two former agency officials who claim they were the targets of an improper political pressure campaign by his White House

Jackson gave President Joe Biden until March 24 to decide whether to invoke executive privilege to limit the scope of the questioning in the depositions.

Strzok and Page factored prominently in Trump's contention that the FBI was politically biased against him.

Strzok, an FBI special agent who worked on investigations into Trump's ties to Russia and Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while secretary of state, sued in 2019, alleging that his 2018 firing was the result of political pressure from Trump.

His lawsuit claims wrongful termination.

Page, who resigned her position as a senior FBI lawyer, sued over alleged privacy violations stemming from the leak of the messages.

The Justice Department has argued that Strzok was fired for violating FBI policies and undermining trust in the bureau.

Both Trump and Wray had resisted subpoenas to appear for depositions, arguing that Strzok had not cleared the high bar to depose senior government officials by showing that Trump and Wray had information relevant to the case.

Jackson held a hearing under seal on Thursday to hear arguments on those issues.

Strzok's lawsuit claims that he was fired for speech protected under the U.S. Constitution and is seeking reinstatement, back pay and unspecified monetary damages. Page is seeking at least $1,000 in damages.

Representatives for Trump and the U.S. Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A lawyer for Strzok did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A lawyer for Page declined to comment.

Trump has resisted sitting for depositions in civil cases, but has been ordered to sit for questioning in lawsuits by writer E. Jean Carroll, who accused him of sexual assault, and New York state Attorney General Letitia James's investigation into his family business.

In the latter case, Trump declined to answer questions, invoking his right against self-incrimination under the U.S. Constitution's Fifth Amendment more than 400 times.
Alex Murdaugh's blockbuster testimony will continue today as he goes head-to-head with prosecutors in his double murder trial after admitting he was a liar and thief.

The disgraced legal scion, 54, defied his own legal team to take the stand yesterday to deny killing his wife Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, at their home in Moselle, SC.

Murdaugh broke down as he described finding their blood-soaked bodies on the night of June 7, 2021. But then prosecutors began cross-examination, grilling him over the millions he stole from clients and alleged obstruction of justice after his son's fatal boat wreck.

'I admit candidly in all of these cases that I took money that was not mine,' Murdaugh said. 'I hate the fact that I did it. I'm embarrassed by it.'

In furious exchanges with prosecutor Creighton Waters, Murdaugh even suggested they 'get through this quicker' as he walked him through the catalogue of deceit.

'You may want to get through this quicker, but we're not,' Waters interrupted.

Alex Murdaugh going int the Colleton County Court, South Carolina, on Friday

Crusading Creighton Waters barracks Murdaugh during cross examination Thursday

Buster, Maggie, Paul and Alex Murdaugh in a photo the mother posted for Father's Day in 2020

The State says Murdaugh's financial crimes help to show how his life was spiraling out of control - he had racked up millions in debt and was 'out of options and out of time.'

The defense had sought to exclude the evidence, warning the judge that prosecutors would spend days questioning their client on the minutiae of his financial crimes.

'I could have sworn this was a murder case,' Harpootlian joked after yesterday's testimony. 'For the last two hours we haven't heard the word murder.'

As well as his financial crimes, Waters questioned the legal heir over alleged obstruction of justice following his son Paul's drunken boat wreck in which 19-year-old Mallory Beach was killed in February, 2019.

At the time of Maggie and Paul's deaths, Murdaugh was being sued by Beach's family over the fatal boat crash.

Waters questioned Murdaugh about whether he walked into the hospital that night flashing his solicitor's badge, if he pressured other teenagers who were in the crash to lie to the cops, and why he had blue lights installed on his car.

Murdaugh first said he could not remember whether he was wearing the badge before jurors were shown photos where it was hanging out of his left pocket. 'A badge has a warming effect with other law enforcement. If I was seeking an advantage as you say,' he eventually conceded.

Defense attorneys Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian looked strained as they listen to the grilling Thursday

Prosecutor Creighton Waters, left, asks Alex Murdaugh if he recognizes two solicitors badges during Murdaugh's murder trial at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, S.C., on Thursday

Alex Murdaugh admitted he 'may' have purposely dangled his solicitor's badge out of his pocket on the night of his son's boat crash to elicit a 'warmer' response from law enforcement

Murdaugh first said he could not remember whether he was wearing the badge before jurors were shown photos which showed the badge was hanging out of his left pocket. 'A badge has a warming effect with other law enforcement. If I was seeking an advantage as you say,' he eventually conceded

Murdaugh's solicitor's badge which he allegedly flashed at cops the night of the boat wreck

Murdaugh admitted he routinely left his badge on the dash to get better treatment if he was pulled over by cops

Waters asked: 'Did you tell any of the kids not to cooperate with law enforcement?'

Murdaugh replied: 'I never told anybody not to cooperate with law enforcement.'

Earlier he admitted he routinely left his badge on the dash to get better treatment if he was pulled over by cops.

Waters asked: 'You used it to get better treatment if you got pulled over?'

Murdaugh answered: 'I'd say that's true.'

He said he had blue lights installed on his law firm-owned car by somebody who did work at one of the local sheriff's offices.

He agreed that he got permission from his friend, Colleton County Sheriff Andy Strickland, who pleaded guilty to misconduct in office, assault and battery in 2020 when he was ousted from office.

Murdaugh testified that he had five cases in his two decades of working as a volunteer solicitor.

His main line of work was in securing lucrative settlements in personal injury cases for his family firm, Peters Murdaugh Parker Eltzroth and Detrick. The firm has since been dissolved because he stole more than $10m from clients and partners.

Waters then moved on to grill the disgraced scion over the money he stole, including from a teenage car crash victim who was left a quadriplegic.

He told the court he got almost $4.1m in legal fees from the $10.2m recovery he got for Hakeem Pinckney. But he stole Pickney's settlement as well.

'I admit candidly in all of these cases that I took money that was not mine, and I shouldn't have done it,' Murdaugh said. 'I hate the fact that I did it. I'm embarrassed by it.'

At the time of Paul's death, Murdaugh was facing a lawsuit over allowing his son to drive his boat under the influence of alcohol when 19-year-old Mallory (left and right) was killed in February 2019. Murdaugh told cops Paul and Maggie had been killed in revenge for the accident

Photos of the Murdaugh boat, the Sea Hunt, taken by investigators after Paul's drunken boat wreck in February 2019

Pictured: Paul (right) walking with the group of friends to the yacht on the night of the crash

Maggie, Paul and Alex are pictured at the younger son's high school graduation

Murdaugh broke down as he described finding their blood-soaked bodies on the night of June 7, 2021

Murdaugh said: 'There were plenty of times where I took money that I shouldn't have took ... I lied to my clients, I mislead my clients and I stole money from my clients.'

He claimed: 'They're people that I still care about and I did them this way ... The actions that I did wrong hurt the people that I cared about the most and I reaped a lot of havoc.'

The disgraced legal scion attempted to speed the line of questioning along as Waters walked him through specific cases where he wronged his clients and firm.

'Mr. Waters, just to get through this quicker,' Murdaugh said.

Waters interjected: 'You may want to get through this quicker, but we're not.'

Waters questioned Murdaugh if he was successful before the inherited legal empire crumbled over his thefts.

Murdaugh was hesitant to answer, saying he no longer views himself as successful. He denied that people saw him as a 'big shot' in the local community.

But he did agree that he might have been considered successful because he secured millions of dollars in lawsuits.

'By those criteria, I was successful, certainly,' he said. 'But we've talked about a lot of my flaws here today, too. Do I feel like I was successful? No, sir.'

Murdaugh decided to take the stand Thursday in a last ditch move which his defense attorneys said they had advised him against over the raft of cross-examination he faces because of his financial crimes.

The disgraced legal scion, 54, told jurors: 'Paul was so bad ... My boy was lying face down and I could see his brain hanging on the side wall'

Buster watches his father with his hands over his mouth in the Colleton County courthouse Thursday

John Marvin Murdaugh and his wife Lizzie are followed by Buster and his girlfriend and Randy Murdaugh (blue shirt) arrive at the court Thursday

The Murdaugh clan including Alex's sister Lynn (from left) his son Buster, sister-in-law Lizzie, and brothers John Marvin and Randy

Alex's sister Lynn wipes her nose as Buster and his girlfriend Brooklynn White sit to her left

Defense attorney Dick Harpootlian this morning admitted to the judge '[Murdaugh] indicated he doesn't need to talk to me. It hurts my feelings.'

Harpootlian said 'our advice to take the stand or not would have been different' if the financial crimes he is accused of had been ruled out from cross examination.

The defense requested the judge bar prosecutors from questioning their client about the litany of financial crimes.

'This is a Bernie Madoff trial, this isn't a murder trial,' Harpootlian said, as he warned the judge that the cross examination would last several days, with prosecutors poring over his financial misdeeds in minute detail.

Judge Clifton Newman has allowed the malfeasance into evidence because prosecutors say his soaring debts motivated the killings of his wife and son.
As part of a campaign to promote podcasting on the platform as a whole, YouTube has now officially announced that podcasts will soon be delivered through YouTube Music after months of build-up.

According to The Verge, with its existing dominance in podcasting, YouTube is now bolstering its subscription music app with specialized support.

YouTube Music Is Continuously Expanding

Google recently revealed that the number of subscribers to YouTube Music and Premium had reached a record 80 million.

With this, the video streaming company said that it would be increasing its investment in these services going forward.

Several podcasts are available in video form on YouTube, some of which receive hundreds of thousands or even millions of views per episode.

The audio service has not yet entered the podcast market, but that is about to change, according to YouTube's podcast chief Kai Chuk, who made the announcement on Thursday at the Hot Pod Summit.

"We will soon start to bring both audio and video-first podcasts to YouTube Music for users in the US, making podcasts more discoverable and accessible, with more regions to come," a YouTube spokesperson says.

Engadget writes that this will make it possible for people to access their favorite podcasts from YouTube wherever they wish to listen.

The move would put YouTube Music up against Spotify, which has turned to podcasts and high-profile exclusives like Joe Rogan to attract new listeners and maintain existing ones.

YouTube Music will allow free ad-supported background listening to podcasts and offer "enhanced library tools," Chuk claims.

The company is not currently considering adding exclusive shows or licensed originals, but there will be a podcast badge to indicate audio-first shows.

Read More: YouTube Music Now Comes With Custom Radio Stations - How Can You Make One?

YouTube's Plans Have Been Leading Up To This

Later this year, producers will be able to upload audio podcasts to YouTube via RSS feeds thanks to the addition of podcast creation tools to YouTube Studio.

Podcast playlists will be eligible for all of YouTube's current and future podcast services, including inclusion in the YouTube Music app, podcast badging, and youtube.com/podcasts.

Chuk and Steve McLendon, Google's product lead for podcasting, claimed that the objective of YouTube Music's podcasting features was to create fantastic tools for those who create shows.

The announcement went on to say that YouTube will make podcast recommendations based on a user's listening preferences and that YouTube Channels may eventually have a separate "podcast" category.

According to 9to5 Google, this information was released just a few days after YouTube announced a number of new podcasting tools on desktop as part of a new test.

These capabilities include a specific method for uploading podcasts via the "Create" button on the platform, as well as curation and analytics tools for podcasts.

The goal of podcasting on YouTube was originally alluded to in a study that covered some of the company's intentions in 2021.

It can be remembered that YouTube created a page just for podcasts through 2022, and later published a guide outlining the best ways to podcast on the platform.

Related Article: YouTube Music and Premium Total 80 Million Paid Subscribers - How Does This Compare to Spotify?
The actress who was the victim of the 2013 rape Harvey Weinstein was jailed for yesterday has come forward a day after his sentencing.

Evgeniya Chernyshova, now 43, has previously only been referred to as 'Jane Doe 1', a nameless Italian actress who Weinstein attacked in Beverly Hills ten years ago.

Today, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Siberian-born model-turned-actress-turned-florist is speaking out for the first time.

Weinstein was yesterday sentenced for an additional 16 years following a trial in Los Angeles. He was already serving a 23-year prison sentence in New York.

'Im tired of hiding. I want my life back. Im Evgeniya, Ive been raped. This is my story.

Evgeniya Chernyshova, now 43, has previously only been referred to as 'Jane Doe 1', a nameless Italian actress who Weinstein attacked in Beverly Hills ten years ago. She is shown in 2013 during the trip where Weinstein attacked her

Weinstein is shown in court in October 2022. He was already serving a 23-year prison sentence in New York but has now been given an additional 16 years behind bars

'Part of me, Im fearing for my future. But Im proud of myself. If I continue to hide, I cannot do anything. I will just be there with my pain,' she said.

Chernyshova told the court how Weinstein raped her in 2013 after showing up uninvited at her hotel room at the Mr. C Beverly Hills hotel.

Chernyshova grew up in Siberia but had moved to Italy and was living there with her husband at the time of the attack.

She was in L.A. for a business trip when Weinstein attacked her. She still lives in L.A.,where she runs a florist.

After showing up at her hotel room, he told her through the door: 'Hey, its Harvey Weinstein. Open the door. We have to talk. Im not going to f**k you, I just have to talk to you."'

They had met just twice prior; once in Rome, and earlier that day at an event.

Weinstein presented himself at her hotel room and she allowed him to come inside.

'And that is the thing I have regretted for the last 10 years  that I did open this door.

Chernyshova, left, in 2013, and right, more recently. She has decided to come forward now after enduring the 'hell' of remaining anonymous and not being able to connect with Weinstein's other victims

Chernyshova told the court how Weinstein raped her in 2013 after showing up uninvited at her hotel room at the Mr. C Beverly Hills hotel

Chernyshova told the court how Weinstein showed up unannounced at her hotel room door

'He assaulted me in the bedroom, and then he dragged me to the bathroom and he raped me there,' she said

'He just walked through me and went directly to the chair. He was like, "Were just talking. Theres nothing happening. Why are you so nervous?

'Something clicked, like a change in his eyes. I realized that something was wrong,' she said.

'He opened his pants, and I became hysterical. I was continuing to show my kids pictures, to try to convince him that, "I have kids, please do not do that."

'But he did what he did. He assaulted me in the bedroom, and then he dragged me to the bathroom and he raped me there.

'I felt very, very dirty and like I have to die,' she said.

After the rape, Chernyshova and her husband separated. He has since died. She later moved to the US with her children.

'I was hating myself. I was thinking all the time, "There were a lot of beautiful women and stars there, and he chose you. So its you who did something."

'I was depressed, I was mentally not stable. I was out of my mind.'

In 2017, her Maria, who is 21 now but was 16 at the time, told her she'd been sexually assaulted by a boy at school.

Jurors remained deadlocked over sexual battery allegations leveled by the massage therapist, who broke down in court earlier this month as she recalled how Weinstein groped her and masturbated in front of her in a bathroom after one of their appointments in 2010

Shouting through tears at times during her impassioned testimony, the 48-year-old wife of California's more prominent politician testified that Weinstein raped her when she was 31 and trying to build a career as an actor and producer. Jurors voted 8-4 in her favor but could not reach a verdict

Jurors also remained deadlocked in regards to rape and sexual assault charges leveled by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who claims Weinstein sexually assaulted her during a 2005 meeting  telling her relax, this is going to make you feel better'

She begged her to allow her to go the police, but the teenager resisted, telling her she 'wouldn't understand' what she was going through.

'I told her that she would never really be able to understand me. And she told me that she does understand, because she has been raped,' Maria, who agreed to be identified, said.

They made a pact that they would both report their abusers.

She had begun consulting with a lawyer when The New York Times broke the first story of Weinstein's abuse of women in Hollywood.

Chernyshova chose to remain anonymous throughout the trial in an effort to shield her children's privacy.

Now, she says she wished she'd come forward sooner.

'I did it because I was ashamed and humiliated. I thought it was a good decision to protect my kids.

'But it was a horrible decision for myself because Ive been cut off from everyone. It isnt right to go through this hell alone,' she said.

She watched Weinstein's New York trial from afar, awaiting her own day in court, which came this year.

Testifying was the 'worst experience of her life', she said.

'The defense lawyers techniques, how they harass and humiliate you, it is brutal,' she said.

'I was scared of Harvey Weinstein - that he would hurt me, or send someone to hurt me, or ruin my career, or make my life hell,' Lauren Young said during an emotional testimony

Weinstein's lawyer asked why she'd posted a photo from the film festival after the rape in which she appears smiling next to Al Pacino.

'He wanted to make me look not credible. "You dont go out, you dont smile, You have to die. If youve been raped, you have to die, thats it. Its no life after."'

Chernyshova's testimony led to her claim being the only one that was convicted among four.

The jury acquitted Weinstein on one other allegation, and failed to reach a verdict on the other two.

She says she believes all of the women who testified, and considers his conviction a victory for them all.

Weinstein, at his sentencing, accused her of lying.

'This is a made-up story. Jane Doe 1 is an actress, and she turned the tears on,' he told the court.

The once powerful media mogul, 70, was found guilty of rape and two other counts of sexual assault at a trial in Los Angeles in December after previously being sentenced in 2020 for sex crimes in New York City.
Russia is in talks with a Chinese manufacturer about buying 100 military drones, with a delivery date of April, German press reported on Friday.

The report came as Bejing put forward a twelve-point peace plan for Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine - which includes a call for an urgent ceasefire and peace talks. The proposal was met with scepticism by Kyiv and its allies in the West.

In recent days, the United States, Germany and other Western countries have warned China not to sell weapons to Russia for its war against Ukraine, saying that any such move would have severe consequences.

Russia, hemmed in by tough Western sanctions imposed in response to its attack on Ukraine, is believed to have bought weaponry from Iran and North Korea, including 'kamikaze' drones from the former. China has so far stood aside.

But German magazine Der Spiegel reported Friday that Chinese drone manufacturer Xian Bingo Intelligent Aviation Technology had said it was prepared to make 100 prototypes of its ZT-180 drone, which the magazine said could carry a 35-50kg warhead. Der Spiegel did not cite specific sources.

Russia is in talks with a Chinese manufacturer about buying 100 military drones, with a delivery date of April, German press reported on Friday. Newspaper Der Spiegel said it was similar to Iran's Shaheed-136 suicide drone (pictured in October moments before striking Kyiv), with which Russia has launched countless attacks

China's support for Russia has been largely rhetorical and political. Beijing has helped to prevent efforts to condemn Moscow at the United Nations after signing a 'no limits' friendship agreement weeks before the invasion began.

There is no public evidence it is currently supplying arms to Russia.

However, the US has said China is providing non-lethal support already and may do more. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said the United States has long been concerned that China would provide weapons to Russia.

'We have information that gives us concern that they are considering providing lethal support to Russia,' Blinken said last week in Munich. He said he had expressed to the Chinese envoy to the meeting, Wang Yi, that 'this would be a serious problem.'

China has called the allegation that it is considering sending weapons to Russia a 'smear' and said it lacks evidence. It has insisted it is a neutral party in the conflict, and has pointed the finger at the US and NATO for fanning the flames.

But Ukraine has questioned China's neutrality.

Speaking after the paper's release on Friday, a representative from the Ukrainian embassy in China said: 'If it is neutral, then China should talk to both sides... And now, we see the Chinese side mostly talks to Russia but not with Ukraine.'

On the Chinese drone, Der Spiegel said it was similar to Iran's Shaheed-136 suicide drone, with which Russia has launched countless attacks on Ukraine wreaking havoc across the country - claiming hundreds of lives and damaging civilian infrastructure.

The magazine also said Bingo had plans to help establish a production site for the drone in Russia, where up to 100 aircraft could be made a month.

It added that there had been earlier plans for a company controlled by the Chinese army to send Russia spare parts for its SU-27 warplane.

Bingo did not respond to an e-mailed request for comment.

The company was founded in 2017 by Ma Jingdong, a graduate of China's Northwestern Polytechnical University.

Its drones have been used by the likes of China's electricity network operator State Grid to carry out environmental monitoring work, according to posts on its official WeChat account.

In November 2018, Bingo said it had signed a strategic cooperation agreement with an online platform established by Poly Technology Defense Investment.

The firm is a unit of state-owned China Poly Group which aims to support military trade and research into military equipment.

A procurement document published by the government of China's farwestern Xinjiang region in August 2021 said drones developed by Bingo had been used in military exercises and described their technical strength as 'first class'.

Iranian drones have been used by Russia in countless attacks on Ukraine wreaking havoc across the country - claiming hundreds of lives and damaging civilian infrastructure

Pictured: A residential building destroyed by a Russian drone strike, which authorities consider to be Iranian-made Shahed-136 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine October 17

Released on Friday as Putin's invasion entered its second year, China's proposal calls for a cease-fire and peace talks, and an end to sanctions against Russia.

China placed responsibility for sanctions on other 'relevant countries' without naming them. These countries, it says, 'should stop abusing unilateral sanctions' and 'do their share in de-escalating the Ukraine crisis.'

Many of the 12 points were very general and did not contain specific proposals.

Without mentioning either Russia or Ukraine, it says sovereignty of all countries should be upheld. It didn't specify what that would look like for Ukraine, and the land taken from it since Russia seized Crimea in 2014.

The proposal also condemns a 'Cold War mentality,' a term that often refers to the United States and the U.S.-European military alliance NATO. 'The security of a region should not be achieved by strengthening or expanding military blocs,' the proposal says. Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded a promise that Ukraine will not join the bloc before the invasion.

Other points call for a cease-fire, peace talks, protection for prisoners of war and stopping attacks on civilians, without elaborating, as well as keeping nuclear power plants safe and facilitating grain exports.

'The basic tone and the fundamental message in the policy is quite pro-Russia,' said Li Mingjiang, a professor of Chinese foreign policy and international security at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University.

At the Munich security conference last week, Blinken expressed scepticism about Beijing's position before the twelve-point plan was even released.

This scepticism was echoed on Friday by European officials.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg reacted reservedly to the Chinese proposal, saying Beijing did not have a lot of credibility as a mediator.

'China doesn't have much credibility because they have not been able to condemn the illegal invasion of Ukraine,' he told reporters in Tallinn, adding Beijing had signed an agreement with Putin only days before the invasion.

Stoltenberg also said that while there was no evidence so far that China has supplied weapons to Russia, there were signs that it might.

'We have not seen actual delivery of lethal aid, but what we have seen are signs and indications that China may be planning and considering the supply of military aid to Russia, he said, adding: 'China should not do that.'

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said China had not shared a peace plan - just a series of principles.

China's support for Russia has been largely rhetorical and political. Beijing has helped to prevent efforts to condemn Moscow at the United Nations after signing a 'no limits' friendship agreement weeks before the invasion began. The West fears this could soon change, and see China supplying Russia with arms - even as it puts forward a 'peace plan'. Pictured: Putin (left) and Chinese president Xi Jinping meet in Beijing in February 2022, weeks before the war

'You have to see them against a specific backdrop, and that is the backdrop that China has already taken sides by signing, for example, an unlimited friendship [treaty] right before the invasion,' she noted.

'So we will look at the principles, of course, but we will look at them against the backdrop that China has taken sides,' she added.

Jorge Toledo, the European Union's ambassador to China, said Beijing had 'a special responsibility' to uphold the goals and values of the United Nations, especially when it came to war and peace.

'Whether this is compatible with neutrality, I'm not sure - it depends on what neutrality means,' he added.
A news photographer has been stabbed and beaten to death in an attack in the northern Mexico border state of Baja California.

Jose Ramiro Araujo, 67, died of stab wounds in the Pacific coast city of Ensenada, around 64 miles south of Tijuana, during the early hours of last Monday.

The attack on Mr Araujo Tuesday, in which he also was beaten, may have been a robbery attempt, prosecutors said.

Police arrested two youths on a beach near the scene of the attack who they said had a knife and blood stains on their clothing. The suspects face charges of homicide and robbery.

Local media reported that Mr Araujo, who worked as an independent journalist, had been photographing a festival in Ensenada for a local magazine and that the youths allegedly tried to steal his camera.

Jose Ramiro Araujo, 67, died of stab wounds in the Pacific coast city of Ensenada during the early hours of last Monday

Police arrested two youths on a beach near the scene of the attack who they said had a knife and blood stains on their clothing

The event occurred on the Malecon of Boulevard Costero, between Estancia and Plinta streets where the journalist died from his injuries.

The two young men were found carrying a cell phone and a knife, as well as a pipe intended for drug use already.

The Association of Journalists of Ensenada released a statement following his death: 'We demand that justice be done. That the people who are responsible receive an exemplary punishment'.

Before his passing, Mr Araujo worked for El Mexicano Ensenada, Novedades de Baja California, and Diario 29.

He was also a founding member of the Ensenada Press Club in the 1980s.

According to reports, Mr Araujo is the second Mexican-based journalist to have been murdered in 2023 so far.

The first killing against an individual from the union was on February 14, when Abisai Perez Romero was found dead in Tula, Hidalgo, Mexico.

The year 2022 was among the deadliest ever for Mexican media workers, with at least 18 reported kills by August.

The passing of Mr Araujo marks the second of 2023, following a deadly year for Mexican journalists in 2022 with at least 18 confirmed deaths

Of the 18 deaths, Article 19 had identified a potential link to their work in nine cases so far, the organization's regional director Leopoldo Maldonado claimed.

The death toll for 2022 surpassed the 13 murders recorded in 2021 and the 14 recorded in 2020.

On January 10, journalist Jose Luis Gamboa Arenas was found in the Floresta neighborhood of the eastern city of Veracruz with at least seven stab wounds.

Following a string of murders, over ten months later in November 2022, Pedro Pablo Kamul, a radio reporter, was shot dead in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, the home turf for several violent drug gangs.
A newly-hired nurse has been fired after a father filmed her slamming his newborn baby boy face-down into a bassinet at a hospital's neonatal intensive care unit.

The two-day-old named Nikko was born at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip, Long Island, and was under the care of the NICU being treated with antibiotics when the horrific attack happened.

Nikko's father, Fidel Sinclair, had gone to check on his baby and started taking a video of him crying through the window of the nursery when he witnessed a nurse pick up his son and forcefully turn him around, slamming him face-first into his bassinet.

Sinclair told NBC New York witnessing the incident 'broke' him. Mom Consuelo Saravia confronted the nurse immediately, telling her: 'I don't want you to touch my child! You just slammed him.'

She claims the nurse responded by saying: 'Oh no, if you think I mishandled him or anything, I'm sorry.'

Baby Nikko whose dad, Fidel Sinclair, filmed being slammed face-first into his bassinet by a nurse at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip, Long Island

The parents - Conseulo Saravia and Fidel Sinclair - were grateful that they were

Good Samaritan Hospital located on Montauk Highway in West Islip, Long Island is where the incident took place. The hospital is part of the Catholic Health System and is one of six hospitals

'I dont know, it just broke me,' Sinclair told NBC New York. 'I didnt know what to do.'

Saravia alerted other nurses and administrators to the shocking video. The nurse, whose name was not released, has been fired.

"I dont know, it just broke me," said Sinclair. "I didnt know what to do."

Saravia alerted other nurses and administrators to the shocking video. The nurse, whose name was not released, has been fired.

A spokesperson at Good Samaritan Hospital told DailyMail.com on Friday that the nurse was a 'recent hire' and she terminated immediately after the incident. They gave no further information on how long the NICU nurse had been at the hospital.

'Upon learning of this incident, swift and immediate action was taken, including conducting an investigation and consequently terminating the individual involved,' the hospital official said.

'Additionally, we reported the individual to the Department of Health for further review. Keeping our patients safe remains our paramount concern.'

The spokesperson said that immediate family members are permitted inside the neonatal ICU to spend time with their loved ones.

It is unclear the number of babies and nurses are in the NICU at a given time, but Sinclair said that there were many based on his observation.

'There were a lot of babies in there and it made me feel like if that happened to Nikko who else did that happen to,' Sinclair said.

He added: 'I find it messed up that in a room like that they have all the curtains closed.'

The parents said the room had no security cameras and Sinclair felt that he was fortunate enough to be able to catch the nurse in action and see his son to through the curtain and capture the wrongdoing taking place.

The spokesperson told DailyMail.com that having the curtains in the ICU are 'standard procedure.'

'It is standard procedure to have curtains in the neonatal ICU to provide privacy for the patients and their families and because services are being administered at the bedside,' they said.

Baby Nikko who was attacked in the NICU at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip, Long Island when a nurse slammed him face-down into his bassinet

A clip from from Sinclair's video of Nikko at the NICU unit when the nurse flipped him over and slammed him into his bassinet

Nikko's parents Fidel Sinclair and Conseulo Saravia spoke to NBC New York about their ordeal

The New York State Department of Health told DailyMail.com that they are taking the 'disturbing allegation seriously,' but could not comment further since it is an open investigation, the news outlet reported.

'All hospital complaints are kept confidential and at the conclusion of an investigation the outcome is shared with the complainant,' they said.

Luckily baby Nikko, who was born at 7 lbs. 32oz., is now at home and thriving, according to his parents.

His father said: 'If it wasnt for God who sent me to check on him we would have never seen any of that happen.'

He added: 'And it would have kept happening overnight not only to him but the other babies too.'

Good Samaritan Hospital is one of six hospitals under Catholic Health system.
Naomi Biden helped Jill Biden hold down her dress upon their windy arrival in Kenya on Friday, keeping her grandmother from experiencing an embarrassing moment in front of the cameras.

The first granddaughter, 29, stepped in to help after a gust of wind sent the first lady's dress up past her knees and into potentially dangerous territory after she stepped out of her blue-and-white Air Force airplane.

Naomi kept one hand firmly on the skirt of Jill Biden's blue dress as the two walked down the stairs side-by-side.

Jill Biden and her granddaughter are on the third day of their five-day trip to Africa, where they are working on shoring up U.S. relation and trying to counter China's influence on the continent. They arrived in Nairobi after spending three days in Namibia.

Jill Biden was greeted with gusts of wind upon her arrival on Kenya

Naomi Biden stepped in to help hold down Jill Biden's skirt

The wind was a menace as Jill Biden accepted flowers upon her arrival

The first lady will spend much of her time in Kenya focused on food insecurity, an issue that affects about six million Kenyans due to drought conditions in the arid nation. The Biden administration also blames the Russian invasion of Ukraine for contributing to the food shortages.

And Jill Biden sent her prayers to her Ukrainian counterpart Olena Zelensky and all Ukrainians on the first anniversary of the invasion.

'I just wanted to say on the one-year anniversary of Ukraine that not a day goes by that I dont think of President Zelensky, Olena, their family, and all the people in Ukraine and what they are going through and how hard theyre fighting to keep their freedom,' she told reporters traveling with her on her plane.

At the bottom of the plane, upon her arrival in Kenya, two little girls in pink dresses gave Jill Biden flowers to welcome her to the country.

The wind stepped in again, sending the first lady's dress soaring.

At the side, a troupe of dancers sang 'Welcome to Kenya' in Swahili and danced to the beat of wooden drums.

It is Jill Biden's third trip to Kenya.

During her three days in the country, she will visit a drought-affected area in Kenya to highlight the food insecurity issue.

'The Horn of Africa is experiencing historic drought, which, compounded by the impacts of climate change and Russias war of aggression in Ukraine, has increased food insecurity and threatened livelihoods across the region,' the White House noted.

According to the UN World Food Program, about one-third of Kenyans live in poverty and 29% of children in rural areas have been affected by food insecurity.

Jill Biden visited Kenya in 2011 - when she was second lady - amid the worst drought in East Africa in 60 years. During that trip, she also met with Somali refugees and held meetings on how the U.S. could help with the ongoing food and refugee crisis.

She later wrote of visiting the Kibera community in Nairobi: 'The quality of life is nearly unimaginable  there is no electricity in the homes, and little access to running water. But its where I met some of the bravest women and girls that I will never forget, who are fighting to change the circumstances for their community.'

Kenya has been plagued by a dry rainy season.

Kenyan First Lady Rachel Ruto (2nd Left) welcomes US First Lady Jill Biden (2nd Right) upon her arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi

Jill Biden's plane lands in Nairobi

Jill Biden watches the dance performance

President Joe Biden, speaking in Poland on Tuesday, criticized Russia for exacerbating the global food crisis.

'Putin tried to starve the world, blocking the ports in the Black Sea to try and stop Ukraine for exporting its grain, exacerbating the global food crisis that hit developing nations in Africa especially hard,' he said. 'This week, my wife Jill Biden is traveling to Africa to help bring attention to this critical issue.'

Additionally on her trip, the first lady will focus on the empowerment of women - including issues relating to gender-based violence - and youth and promoting the administration's pro-democracy message.

Kenya has experienced violence around its elections. The country also has seen its rate of violence against women increase since the COVID pandemic.

Nearly half of women in the region experience gender-based violence over the course of their lifetimes, and a third of Kenyan girls experience some form of sexual violence before turning 18, according to the Gender Violence Recovery Centre at the Nairobi Women's Hospital.

Naomi Biden has been at the first lady's side at every stop during her trip, thus far.

Naomi Biden is the first family's oldest grandchild and lives in the White House. She had her wedding to Peter Neal on the South Lawn in November.

Jill Biden defended bringing granddaughter on a taxpayer funded trip to Africa, noting that other presidents and first ladies have brought family members on foreign trips.

'It's so great for me to be able to bring a member of the family. I think it's a tradition, or, actually that we've seen other families from first families, bring members of their family to just see the rest of the world and just experience the world,' she said during a stop in Namibia.

Michelle Obama brought daughters Sasha and Malia to Africa when she visited in June 2016. And Hillary Clinton brought daughter Chelsea when she traveled to the region.
A group of Georgia moms have won $100,000 from a school board that banned them from reading an X-rated book at a meeting - even though the same tome is available in its libraries.

The 'Mama Bears' group sued Forsyth County School District after one of its members, Alison Hair, was barred from school board meetings for defiantly reading passages from controversial book 'Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close'.

It contained graphic descriptions of oral sex, which the Mama Bears deemed inappropriate.

After being silenced during the February 2022 meeting, they claimed their First Amendment right to free speech had been violated. A court agreed. The Mama Bears were awarded just under $18 in nominal damages - but Forsyth County was also ordered to pay their $100,000 legal fees.

The protest group have said they're delighted with the result - and explicit books have now been removed from the district's school libraries.

Mama Bears member Alison Hair, center, was banned after reading passages of an elicit book in a school board meeting that was available to her son

Hair read aloud excerpts from 'Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close', a 2005 novel that includes details of male genitalia

The Mama Bears group is a collection of parents who publicly challenge school boards over the availability of books they deem inappropriate for children.

The activists encourage parents nationwide to read aloud passages during school board meetings, a tactic that the Forsyth County board attempted to bring to a halt.

Mama Bears and their supporters say that if the book is too explicit to read aloud at a school board meeting, it shouldn't be available in a school library.

In the recent case in Georgia, Hair took particular offense to 2005 novel 'Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close', which tells the story of a nine-year-old boy whose father was killed in the 9/11 attacks.

In a campaign that caught national attention, she repeatedly confronted school board members over the sexually explicit details within the book, which she said her young son was able to read despite its content.

At a meeting in February 2022, Hair was abruptly cut off after reading a passage of the book that read 'I know that you give someone a blow job by putting your penis...'

The mom was interrupted by the county's Board of Education chairman Wesley McCall, who snapped at her: 'We understand your point'.

'My sons a minor, and this book that you all have copies of is in my sons middle school,' she fired back.

After attempting to confront the board again at another meeting a month later, Hair was warned in a letter by McCall that she was banned from all future meetings.

He noted that board policy prohibits 'profane, rude, defamatory remarks' during their meetings, an issue that Hair's Mama Bears group claims was itself prominent in the school library.

Forsyth County Board of Education chairman Wesley McCall, pictured, barred the mom from attending school board hearings due to her tactic of reading passages of controversial books

Hair and her fellow-Mama Bears group members subsequently sued the school board in July for infringing on her right to free speech.

'The Forsyth County School Board, embarrassed by debate about its choices, has gone so far as to silence and banish from its meetings any parent who simply reads aloud from its schools' library books,' the lawsuit read.

Their lawsuit was filed by the Institute of Free Speech on behalf of the group, with a judge later siding with the parents after agreeing that the board's barring of Hair was unconstitutional.

Following the ruling, the school board also voted on Monday to approve a new public participation police that removed the language that speakers must be respectful when they voice concerns at meetings.

They also eliminated a rule that prohibited speakers from aggressively addressing board members individually or being 'boisterous'.

The legal victory by the Mama Bear group underscores a recent trend of parents across the US standing up to school authorities pushing liberal agendas in curriculums.

Book bans across the nation have gathered pace in recent years, with thousands of schools pulling titles from classrooms and libraries in efforts to tackle 'culture wars' issues including sexuality and race.

Last year, there were 2,532 instances of individual book bans affecting 1,648 titles at some 5,000 schools with 4 million students in the 2021-2022 school year, the anti-censorship group PEN America said in a report.

The struggle has managed to divide left and right-wingers. Some of the books censored have been condemned for allegedly promoting transgenderism to young children, which parents say is inappropriate.

But other books targeted have included classics like Toni Morrison's Beloved. It contains explicit sex scenes, but many conservatives concede it's a classic, and that it should be available for older children to read.
Former president Donald Trump trumpeted his record of restricting retirement funds from investing in environmental, social and governance-focused assets during his time in office, saying on Friday that people who promoted them were 'sick.'

'These poorly performing woke financial scams are radical left garbage that would never be funded on their own and certainly never be funded on their own merits,' he said in a video obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com.

In the video, he set out his plans to sign an executive order to protect investors' cash before working with Congress on legislation.

It comes three days after Vivek Ramaswamy launched his campaign for the Republican nomination, staking out some of the same ground.

Ramaswamy made his name as a crusader against 'woke capitalism.'

Former President Donald Trump on Friday promised to take fresh action to prevent retirement funds from investing in environmental, social and governance-focused assets

He will not be the last candidate to try to muscle in on the populist Trump playbook.

The two-and-a-half-minute video, recorded before Ramaswamy's announcement shows how the former president's campaign will rely on the achievements of his time in office to protect his territory.

'I'm very proud that as president I issued a historic rule banning Wall Street and employers from pouring your 401ks, pensions and retirement accounts into so-called ESG or environmental, social and governance investments, for political reasons ... strictly for political reasons,' he said.

'These people are sick.'

ESG investing weighs non-financial factors into investment decisions. That could include avoiding firearms manufacturers or fossil fuel companies, for example.

According to accounting firm PwC, more than 20 percent of all managed assets will be in ESG funds by 2026.

The idea has gained traction on Wall Street, but Republicans have condemned financial institutions making decisions according to what they see as a political agenda.

Trump's rule was overturned by the Biden administration, although that decision faces a challenge in Congress, as Republicans  joined by Democratic Senator Joe Manchin  seek to keep the rule in force.

The former president said he was pleased that Republicans were following his lead.

'The entire ESG scheme is designed to funnel your retirement money to the maniacs on the radical left the rule we issued under my leadership was the first ESG ban anywhere in the world,' he said.

'And I'm delighted that Republicans in Congress and across the country have been waking up to this threat and following my lead.

'Unfortunately, Joe Biden gutted my ESG rule, and now his Department of Labour has declared that fund managers can play politics with our seniors' hard-earned savings'.

Vivek Ramaswamy, author of 'Woke Inc.' launched his campaign for the Republican nomination on Tuesday, staking out some of the same ground as Trump.

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley announced her 2024 ambitions in mid-February but has not gone on the attack against her former boss, Trump

The video is the latest in 'Agenda 47'  a series of policy announcements that forms the first phase of Trump's campaign.

He used his latest one to rail against Biden and the way struggling stock markets had eaten into 401ks and other savings.

But his main target was ESG investing.

'He's trying to use your money to fund fringe left wing causes at your expense,' he said.

'You're paying the price for all of this, and it's destroying our country.

'Besides, when I'm back in the White House I will sign an executive order and, with Congress's support, a law to keep politics away from America's retirement accounts forever.

'I will demand that funds invest your money to help you not them.'

He holds the early lead in the race for the Republican nomination but has seen challengers begin to emerge.

Last week his former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley announced her run from the more traditional conservative wing of the party.

She was followed by Ramaswamy on Tuesday. He came to prominence as the head of the financial firm Strive, which offers funds for investors who believe that companies should put profits ahead of social issues from climate change to racial justice.

He stepped down from the company to pursue his run.

He is a longshot candidate but seems to be gambling on making a similar impact to Trump in 2016, entering the race as an entrepreneur and outsider with unorthodox ideas before making an upset.
Snow and freezing temperatures are set to hit Britain tonight, as forecasters warn of 'widespread' frost and colder weather next week.

The Met Office has forecast below freezing temperatures and patches of snow as a cold front from mainland Europe crosses across Britain.

The forecast comes after a relatively mild start to the week with steadily falling temperatures throughout.

But despite the freezing temperatures, dry and bright weather with only a few sporadic showers in south and eastern England are expected over the weekend.

The Met Office has forecast below freezing temperatures and patches of snow as a cold front from mainland Europe crosses across Britain

The forecast comes after a relatively mild start to the week with steadily falling temperatures throughout

A 'widespread' frost is expected across Scotland, Northern Ireland, and western parts of England and Wales.

READ MORE: Are we due another 'Beast from the East'? Met Office warns of event which can spark harsh wintry conditions as yellow weather freezing fog alert covers south of England and flights are cancelled amid -3C temperatures Advertisement

Snow is also forecast for the Pennines later in the day on Saturday but dry, bright and cloudy weather is expected across most of Britain.

Western and central parts of Britain are forecast to be dry with some sunshine, with cloudier conditions in east.

Scattered showers are expected to extend further west through the day and it is supposed to be breezy south and east, making it feel much colder.

It comes after forecasters warned 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.

The Met Office said there was 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.
Britain announced new package of sanctions, imposing an export ban on Russia

Volodymyr Zelensky said the UK's support in these 'difficult times is invaluable'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today thanked Rishi Sunak and the people of Britain for their 'steadfast support' in Ukraine's fight against Russian forces.

Zelensky said the UK's support in these 'difficult times is invaluable', as he marked a year since Vladimir Putin launched his barbaric invasion of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian leader said the new sanctions against Russia that Britain announced today is 'evidence of the UK's steadfast solidarity' with Ukraine.

The UK remains a prominent supporter of Kyiv, with Sunak announcing earlier this year that Britain would be the first country to supply tanks to its armed forces.

And today, Britain announced a new package of sanctions, imposing an export ban on every piece of equipment Russia has been found using on the battlefield in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko (second left) with his wife Inna Prystaiko (left) along with UK PM Rishi Sunak with his wife Akshata Murthy an an Ukrainian Army officer (right) observe a minute of silence outside No. 10 Downing Street to mark the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in London on Friday

Ukrainian servicemen of the 80th Independent Air Assault Brigade fire a Howitzer D-30 artillery weapon towards Russian troops, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, near the frontline town of Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Friday

Volodymyr Zelensky (pictured) said the UK's support in these 'difficult times is invaluable', as he marked a year since Vladimir Putin launched his barbaric invasion of Ukraine

Zelensky shared a tweet by Sunak today in which the British Prime Minister said Britain stands with all Ukrainians 'in remembrance, in solidarity, in unity.'

In response, Zelensky wrote: 'We thank the Prime Minister and the British people for their steadfast support in the fight against Russian aggression. Your help in these difficult times is invaluable.

'The new package of sanctions against the Russian Federation announced today is evidence of steadfast solidarity. Let's put pressure on the Russian Federation together. We will definitely win!'

Sunak today joined Ukraine's ambassador and some Ukrainian soldiers being trained in the United Kingdom outside Downing Street for a minute's silence in commemoration of those killed in the war.

Meanwhile, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said Britain is prepared to supply fighter jets to eastern European allies to enable them to release their Soviet-era planes to Ukraine.

Wallace said back-filling allies with the UK's jets to free up their own would be a quicker way to bolster Kyiv's defences than providing them with British Typhoons.

Britain are set to train Ukrainian pilots on Nato-standard jets but allies have been reluctant to release the modern warplanes requested by the Ukrainian President.

Mr Wallace told Times Radio: 'The other quick way that Ukraine can benefit from fighter jets is for those countries in Europe that have Russian Soviet fighter jets - MiG 29s or Su-24s - if they wish to donate we can use our fighter jets to backfill and provide security for them as a result.'

'They are already configured to fight in a Nato way, where of course Ukraine isn't,' he said.

Mr Wallace said the Russian army was suffering 'huge losses' on the battlefield for very little territorial gain and will sacrifice a growing number of troops to satisfy Mr Putin's demands.

'It will move effectively to a meat-grinder approach where it just keeps sacrificing its own soldiers for the vanity of the Kremlin,' he told Times Radio.

'That's why we see huge losses amongst the Russian army and only gains - where we see gains - in metres not miles.'

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced the internationally co-ordinated new package of sanctions.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attends memorial service for those killed and injured since beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war on the first anniversary in Kyiv, Ukraine on February 24

Ukrainians attend a tactical training and evacuation of injured people during military training organised by the Ukrainian political organisation 'Right Sector', in the Lviv region, western Ukraine, on Friday

Export bans have been extended to include hundreds of goods, including aircraft parts, radio equipment and electronic components that can be used by the Russian military industrial complex.

The UK also sanctioned senior executives at the Russian state-owned nuclear power company Rosatom, as well as bosses at Russia's two largest defence companies and four banks.

Mr Cleverly warned Mr Putin will 'probably threaten nuclear use' as he fails in Ukraine.

'We have committed to ensure that Putin fails in his attempt to invade Ukraine and as that realisation of his failure dawns on him, he will use every trick in the book,' he told Times Radio.

'He will use cyber, he will use disinformation, he will try and call in any and every favour in the international community that he can.

'He will threaten escalation and he will probably threaten nuclear use. What we have to say to the Russian people is that there is not and has never been a threat to Russia itself.

'This is a purely defensive posture. No one else is talking about this kind of escalation and there is no threat to Russia itself.'

Ukrainian troops and their UK military instructors mark one year since the start of the war at Lydd army camp in Kent

Later, Sunak will use a call with G7 leaders, including US President Joe Biden, to urge allies to 'move faster' in arming Zelensky's resistance against the invasion.

Over the last year, the UK has been among the most vocal supporters of Ukraine's efforts to push back the Kremlin's troops, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announcing earlier this year that Britain would be the first country to supply tanks to its armed forces.

Mr Sunak said 14 Challenger 2 tanks will be supplied, with the war machines set to arrive in eastern Europe next month.

Ukraine has over the last 12 months benefited from a broad coalition of support led by the US, UK and a host of European states amid international condemnation of Russia's invasion.

Washington is sending 31 of its fast-moving M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, while Berlin will initially supply at least 14 Leopard 2 tanks and give permission to other NATO countries - including Poland, Norway, Finland and Spain - to deliver their own to Kyiv.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, visiting Kyiv, said a first batch of four German Leopard tanks - among scores promised - were already in Ukraine.

The prime minister said Poland will provide more Leopard tanks soon, as well as a number of upgraded, Soviet-era T-72 tanks.

Meanwhile, Sweden on Friday said it would send around 10 Leopard 2 tanks and anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine.

But fears remain that the war could continue for at least another year, even as Ukraine insists that further support and weaponry can help bring the conflict to a conclusion.
A missing two-year-old boy was found in the woods more than 24 hours after he disappeared from the yard of his family home in Florida.

Joshua 'JJ' Rowland was photographed barefoot and grazed but smiling in the arms of a volunteer who discovered him around half a mile north of his home in Brooksville, near Tampa.

He was last seen at around 10am on Thursday morning playing with dogs in his yard while his mother was sleeping inside.

More than 500 volunteers turned up on Friday morning to assist nearly 100 law enforcement officials in the search, which saw the use of ATVs, infrared cameras, horses and helicopters.

Rowland was found by Roy Link, a retired marine and one of the volunteers, who said that after spending the night alone the boy was so scared he wouldn't let him go of him.

After spending more than 24 hours outside Joshua 'JJ' Rowland, two, was found by volunteer and retired marine Roy Link (pictured) who was one of 500 that come out to search for him on Friday morning

Another photo of Rowland shared by his father moments after his discovery shows him on the lap of a tearful woman. Scattered across his body were were scratches and what looked to be nettle stings

Rowland was last seen at around 10am on Thursday morning playing with dogs in his yard while his mother was sleeping inside

'I was hoping and praying for a miracle. I certainly was not expecting one but, I think a lot of people were praying and prayer works,' said Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis.

Link told the Sheriff that he too had said a prayer just ten minutes before finding the child.

Another photo of Rowland shared by his father moments after his discovery shows him on the lap of a tearful woman. 'He's home safe thank you God,' he wrote.

The boy was still grinning but scattered across his body were were scratches and what looked to be nettle stings.

The search was paused overnight while law enforcement used the IR cameras to scour the area but nothing of significance was found, the Hernando County Sheriff said on Friday morning.

'He's definitely going to have something to tell his kids and grandkids about and I'm sure mom and dad are going to keep a closer eye on him from this point forward,' the sheriff said.

'We had no clue what happened to him,' he added. Rowland's mother told deputies that she and the boy were settled in for a nap around 9.30am and when she woke up he was missing.

She said she spent around an hour looking for him before alerting authorities. On Friday evening the Florida Department of Law Enforcement issued a statewide Missing Child Alert.

The alert listed the boy as being in a batman t-shirt and gray pajama bottoms, the same clothes he was found in.

People wailing in reliefnearly 24 hours after he was last seen, 2 year-old JJ Rowland was found alive, breathing scratched up but he is on his way home.



An impressive search effort from hundreds concludes with an unimaginable happy ending @10TampaBay pic.twitter.com/BvVfaZL7d8  Aaron Parseghian WTSP (@AaronParseghian) February 24, 2023

'I was hoping and praying for a miracle. I certainly was not expecting one but, I think a lot of people were praying and prayer works,' said Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis

He was found just south of Parrott Middle School, around half a mile north of where he was last seen in the area of Yontz Road and Cheever road, the sheriff's office said

Nearly 100 law enforcement officials were involved in the search, which saw the use of ATVs, infrared cameras, horses and helicopters

A renewed search effort began as the sun rose on Friday morning

He was found just south of Parrott Middle School, around half a mile north of where he was last seen in the area of Yontz Road and Cheever road, the sheriff's office said.

Initially on Thursday afternoon people were being asked to search their personal property, including houses and cars.

'We ask everyone in the area who lives in this general area to please go outside of their property, look at bushes, look at any cars that are unlockedto find this little fellow,' Denise Maloney, a spokesperson for the Hernando County Sheriff's Office said at the time.

The renewed search effort began as the sun rose on Friday morning. Hernando County Sheriff's Office put out a notice at around 10am saying that it had an abundance of volunteers and did not need any more.

Rowlands aunt and father were both appealing for help finding the boy. Tonya Lindblade, his aunt, posted on Facebook on Monday night, saying: 'We are worried sick people are still frantically search for him and thank you so much for all the prayers and the people searching. I hope he is safe and comes home soon.'

His father shared the positive news on Friday afternoon: 'Dealing with a lot but it meant the world for everybody reaching out for my baby. Amen.'
HCM City high-end apartments remain empty despite steep fall in rents

While rents for affordable apartments remain steady in HCM City, they have fallen sharply and continue to do so in the case of high-end apartments.













Illustrative photo

According to a report by Colliers Vietnam, the highest rental for a serviced apartment has decreased from US$8,125 per month (VN190 million) last year to $7,500 (VN175 million) now.



The same has happened in the mid-priced segment, with rents dropping from VN10-15 million ($436-654) to VN6-12 million ($260-523).



Nguyen Trung Trinh, who owns a residential building on Ly Tu Trong Street in District 1, said her tenants used to be foreigners working for international companies who were willing to pay $600 or more for a serviced apartment.



But after COVID-19 began she could not find any takers even when offered discounts of 15 per cent for six months and 30 per cent for a year.



Apartments on Le Thanh Ton, Hai Ba Trung and Ly Tu Trong, where many international companies are located, have also suffered rental drops. But despite a fall in rents from VN10-15 million to VN6-12 million now, and easing of lease conditions, they find it hard to attract lessees.



The chief reason is that a large number of foreign experts have not returned to work after the pandemic, especially from China.



Besides, COVID-19 has altered working habits, and professionals can now work and manage remotely and do not need to come to Vietnam or stay for long, experts pointed out.



Since the beginning of 2020, the citys high-end apartment leasing market has seen a drop of 30 per cent.



But demand for apartments costing up to VN5 million, located mostly in outlying districts and rented by young families, has been strong.
The Canadian government is not growing any fonder of TikTok.

The country's Privacy Commissioner recently launched a joint federal and provincial investigation to determine if TikTok collects data from its users, particularly young children.

The investigation follows the ongoing international trend of countries investigating TikTok over privacy concerns, such as the ones initiated in the US, France, and Ireland, per Tech Crunch.

Canada TikTok Joint Investigation Details

Canada's Office of the Privacy Commissioner announced in a statement that the joint investigation launched will examine whether TikTok's practices comply with the country's privacy legislation and if it obtains valid and meaningful consent for the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information.

The joint investigation will also determine if TikTok is meeting its transparency obligations, especially when it comes to the collection of personal information from its users, particularly of young children, since they make up "an important proportion of the social media platform's users."

To be exact, the joint investigation will examine TIkTOk's compliance with the following Canadian privacy protection laws:

Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act

Act Respecting the Protection of Personal Information in the Private Sector

Act to Establish a Legal Framework for Information Technology in Quebec.

Personal Information Protection Act in British Columbia and Alberta

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The joint federal and provincial investigation, which the Privacy Commissioner heads, is joined by the Commission d'acces a l'information du Quebec and the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia. The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta is also included in the agencies conducting the joint investigation.

Canada's privacy regulators launched this joint investigation "in the wake of now settled class action lawsuits in the US and Canada," along with many reports related to TikTok's collection, use, and disclosure of personal information.

You may remember that the US is currently undergoing a vote to determine if it should pass a bill aimed at blocking TikTok in the US, while the country, along with the EU has banned the social media platform from government-owned devices and staff phones, per Reuters and Republican senator Marco Rubio.

TikTok Welcomes The Investigation

TikTok, meanwhile, mentioned to CTV News that it welcomes the opportunity to work with Canada's federal and provincial authorities to "set the record straight" with Canadians.

According to a TikTok spokesperson, the privacy and safety of its community, particularly of its younger users, is always a top priority for the company. They also mentioned that TikTok is committed to operating "with transparency to earn and maintain the trust" of its Canadian users who create and find joy in its platform.

Whatever the results of the investigation will be, it will nevertheless add another potential thorn in Sino-Canadian relations, which have already been tense for various reasons.

Canada has recently accused China of trying to influence its elections and that it has been running air and maritime surveillance activities on the country, though China denies the allegations, saying that Canada should stop unwarranted speculation and smearing.

Related Article: Google Will Start Testing its AR Prototype in Canada This November
A young rapper who bragged about stabbing a teenager to death has today been jailed for life.

Abdirahaman Yussuf was sentenced following the death of 18-year-old Yahya Sharif who was killed just seconds after getting out of his car on December 10, 2021.

The victim tried to flee but collapsed in a pool of blood at the scene in Small Heath, Birmingham after suffering fatal injuries.

Yussuf, 19, was later arrested by police who found an envelope featuring a handwritten rap song about the murder.

Lyrics included words such as 'ching' and 'flash' - slang to describe stabbings.

Yussuf, 19, arrested by police who found an envelope featuring a handwritten rap song about the murder of 18-year-old Yahya Sharif

The song also referenced 'Canada Goose' - the same brand as the jacket Mr Sharif was wearing when he died.

Following a police appeal to find Yussuf, he was arrested in London on February 16 last year and was later convicted of murder by a jury at Birmingham Crown Court.

Three other men with him at the time denied a charge of murder and were found not guilty following a trial. A fifth man was acquitted during the trial.

Today's court proceedings heard a victim impact statement from the mother of Yahya.

Muna Sharif said 'His death left a hole in my heart which can not be fixed. He was a nice, pleasant boy. He was always smiling and loved jokes.

'He looked after his own siblings. Yahya's death has affected everyone. I still don't know why my son was killed. My life has been destroyed. When he died I felt he was alive in my heart.'

Icah Peart KC, defending, said the murder was 'not premeditated.'

He added: 'It was committed on the spur of the moment. There is a doubt whether the court can be sure of an intention to kill. There is ample evidence that he was not holding the blade against his chest.

'It was committed in public and there was an attempt to dispose of the knife. He had just turned 19 at the time of the events. He has been in the country since he was three.

'He was educated at a local school. He did warehouse work. He was on the verge of signing a contract with Sony. He had no previous convictions.'

Yahya Sharif, 18, was killed just seconds after getting out of his car on December 10, 2021

Yussuf, from Yardley, has now been jailed for life and will serve a minimum of 22 years.

In passing sentence today, Mr Justice Choudhury said: 'Just after 5.20pm Mr Sharif was fatally stabbed and killed. He was only 18. You and two of your friends had gathered outside a barber's shop. There was nothing to indicate there was any violence intended.

'Yahya was not carrying a knife. You were carrying one because it was your choice. Your group decided to head off to another barbers.

'At around that time Yahya had parked... he was holding a mobile phone. You paused and stabbed him in the chest. The true reason may never be known. You said you had problems with his friends.

He added: 'The moment you stabbed him can be seen in the CCTV footage. Your knife went through his heart, the force was severe. Paramedics came on the scene but he could not be saved. The cause of death was catastrophic blood loss.

'You claimed you did this in self-defence. The jury rejected your account. It is clear he presented no threat. He was walking to where he was going.'
The migrant shot dead by an Arizona rancher on his land last month was likely a cartel drug smuggler or scout, according to a former Border Patrol chief, who says the area is known for 'violence'.

George Alan Kelly, 73, was arrested on charges of first degree murder for shooting Gabriel Cuen-Butimea on January 30 at his home. That charge has now been downgraded to a second degree murder charge.

He denies the murder, insisting he only ever fired warning shots when he saw what he perceived to be a gang of cartel smugglers on his land.

Former Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott, who was previously a supervisor in the area, told NewsNation that the area has a 'propensity for violence'.

'Everything that I have seen, my professional experience would tell me that that guy was either a scout or an actual guide for a group.

'With the radio, [it's] much more likely he was actually scouting out in advance, or the front-man, but that type of activity and behavior doesn't take place out there unless it's part of the cartel,' he said.

George Alan Kelly, 73, was arrested on charges of first degree murder for shooting Gabriel Cuen-Butimea on January 30 at his home. He is shown arriving at court today after being freed on a $1million surety bond

Former Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott, who was previously a supervisor in the area, told NewsNation that the area has a 'propensity for violence'

He added: 'That has been a tough area to work for many, many years. The cartel operation in that area has had a propensity for violence.

'A good friend of mine was actually pinned down by automatic weapons fire for 20 minutes while the cartel came, recovered the narcotics they were trying to smuggle in.'

Today, the first degree charge against Kelly was dramatically downgraded to second degree murder amid growing questions surrounding the case, and after well-wishers raised enough money for Kelly to meet his $1million bail.

Kelly - who has no criminal history - told called Border Patrol on January 30 at 2.30pm to report a group of Mexican men running through his land.

He said he was being 'shot at' and fired his own warning shots but was careful not to shoot any of the men directly.

At an evidentiary hearing, Kelly's Brenna Larkin grilled the detective who questioned Kelly after his arrest.

She suggested it was entirely possible that a rival cartel could have shot Cuen-Butimea - not Kelly - but that cops tried to get him to admit to it anyway.

The detective had testified that he found an AK-47 shell casing on Kelly's porch.

'Isn't the AK47 is most common rifle carried by drug smugglers?' Larkin asked.

'Yes.'

She argued the investigation was biased from the beginning.

Prosecutors called one to the stand a Mexican man who claims he was with Cuen-Butimea on the day he was shot.

Answering questions with the help of a translator, the man - going only by his initials - claims he works 'in the fields'.

He admitted illegally crossing into the US 'six or seven times', and said he was caught by border patrol agents 'every time'.

Gabriel Cuen-Butimea, 48, was shot dead on January 30 while on George Kelly's land. He was wearing combat boots and was carrying a radio - which the border patrol chief says suggests he was part of the cartel

Kelly's ranch in Nogales is a stone's throw from the border. Nogales is a known hot zone for drug smuggling, where the cartel is 'particularly aggressive', according to border agents

Kelly, 73, was charged with first degree murder and taken to the county jail in January. He begged to be allowed to go home to look after his wife, but a judge refused. Finally yesterday, he was freed after well-wishers raised enough money for him to make bond

Kelly's ranch in Arizona where he says he fired warning shots from his porch

The detective admitted that Kelly had called Border Patrol liaisons in the past begging for help, and that sheriffs always took too long to respond.

Prosecutors described Cuen-Butimea as an 'innocent man who was shot in the back while running for his life'.

They wanted to keep Kelly in prison to allow two other Mexican men to testify in court.

Those men say they were there that day, and that Kelly also shot at them. He was charged with first degree murder and put on a $1million bond immediately.

Earlier this week, after submitting a full-throated defense, the judge agreed to convert his bond from cash to surety.

It allowed him to combine the value of his home with $350,000 raised by strangers on a GiveSendGo account and return home to his wife Wanda.

KELLY'S VERSION OF THE STORY: GANG OF DRUG RUNNERS IN COMBAT BOOTS AND CARRYING RADIOS WERE HEARD FIRING THEIR GUNS AND RUNNING THROUGH HIS LAND

The following description is taken from a motion filed by George Alan Kelly's attorney in court.

On January 30, George Alan Kelly reported the discovery of a body on his property near Kino Springs, where he and his wife have lived for the past two decades.

Earlier in the day, he had completed chores on his ranch and had come to his house to eat lunch with his wife.

As they ate, Mr. Kelly heard a single gunshot. Next, he saw his horse - who is old - running away scared and at full speed. Finally, he saw a group of men moving through the trees around his home.

They were armed with AK-47 rifles, dressed in khakis and camouflaged clothing, and carrying large backpacks. None of them were known to him. He hadn't given any of them permission to come onto his land. Based on the foregoing, Mr. Kelly was understandably concerned and reasonably feared for his safety.

He called the United States Border Patrol Ranch Liaison to report what he had seen and to summon immediate help. He told his wife to stay inside, away from the windows, and to stay silent so as not to alert the men to her presence.

Mr. Kelly then went to the porch with his rifle. The leader of the armed group of men saw Mr. Kelly and pointed an AK-47 right at him.

Mr. Kelly, fearing for his life and safety, fired several shots from his rifle, hoping to scare them away from his wife, his animals and his home.

Mr. Kelly took care to aim well over the heads of the armed group of men.

In a written defense submitted to the court, Kelly's attorneys described how he was at home having lunch when he heard shots fired outside and then saw his horse running. He called border patrol, and later the sheriff's department. None of them found the victim's body initially

The group then began running into the desert surrounding his home. Once the group had fled, Mr. Kelly walked over to his barn to see if it was safe and secure.

Mr. Kelly had a conversation with Border Patrol again that ended at 2.36pm....while Mr. Kelly was checking his barn, a number of Border Patrol agents and Sheriff's deputies arrived on the property.

[They] walked all over Mr. Kelly's property in search of the group of people and did not find anybody.

Later that day, as the sun was going down, Mr. Kelly went to his pastures in order to check on his horse. He took his dogs with him. After locating the horse, Mr. Kelly noticed that his dogs were focused on something on the ground near a mesquite tree. Mr. Kelly approached his dogs and observed a body lying face down in the grass.

Mr. Kelly then called Border Patrol Ranch Liaison again.

The body was that of a male foreign national. The person did not have any firearms or a backpack on him. The cause of death appeared to be a single gunshot wound and it appeared the body was fresh.

The person had a radio with him and he was wearing tactical boots, indicating that he was possible involved in illegal activity.

Mr. Kelly does not believe that any of his warning shots could have possibly hit the person or caused the death.

All of the shooting that Mr. Kelly did on the date of that incident was in self-defense and justified.

PROSECUTORS & MIGRANTS' VERSION OF THE STORY: KELLY EMERGED 'UNPROVOKED' WITH AK-47 AND STARTED SHOOTING AT 'INNOCENT' MEN WHO 'POSED NO THREAT TO HIS FAMILY'

The following description is taken from a filing submitted by Santa Cruz County Attorney George E. Silva and Chief Deputy County Attorney Kimberly Hunley.

On January 30, 2023, at around 2.30pm, a group of approximately 7 to 8 undocumented immigrants were traveling north through the Kino Springs area from Mexico. Contrary to Kelly's account, no one in the group was carrying any weapons.

The group , which included R.F-G and D.R.-R, was within sight of the Kelly residence when out of nowhere, Kelly began to shoot at them with an AK-47. Kelly issued no warnings and made no requests.

He just started shooting at them. D.R-R was just one step behind Gabriel when he heard Gabriel call out in Spanish: 'I'm hit', grab his chest and fall to the ground. He saw Gabriel's eyes roll back in his head and when he could only see the whites of his eyes, he knew that Gabriel was dead.

He felt like they were being hunted. Kelly shot at least 8 rounds at them, Both R.F-G and D.R-R jumped the fence and made it back to Mexico. Are willing and available to testify.

Approximately 6 minutes later, Kelly called Agent Morsell again. This time Kelly said he lost visual of the subjects running toward Kino Springs. When asked if he was being shot at, Kelly claimed he heard a gunshot in his direction. He saw his horse running by and he was inspecting his horse but he didn't appear to be stuck,

Prosecutors have now filed additional charges against Kelly for aggravated assault

Prosecutors asked for Kelly to remain in jail on a $1million so that the victim's family in Mexico could travel over the border and attend proceedings

Kelly said it was 'too far to tell if they had any firearms'. Border Patrol Agents and Sheriff's Deputies responded to the scene and walked the property. They did not locate anything at that time,

Kelly called Agent Morsell again at 4.23pm. By this time, his story had significantly changed. He told Agent Morsell he was sitting in the house with his wife when 'we' heard a gunshot.

He said he saw 10 subjects all loaded down with AR Assault rifles. He said his wife saw it too.

Then at 5.23pm, he tried calling Agent Morsell again. He left a message saying 'you need to call me immediately. This is serious. Call me immediately. I can't say more over the phone.'

Agent Morsell returned his call. At this point, Kelly's tone had completely changed. He sounded nervous or scared. Kelly said: 'This is worse than you can imagine. This is bad.'

Kelly told him that he needed Morsell to send Border Patrol because this is a broader issue.

When Morsell requested the details, Kelly continued to be evasive and said: 'This is bad. I need someone to respond out here.' You know how shots were fired earlier, something was possibly shot. I can't say more over the phone.

One of the deputies turned on the recorder on his phone while they talked and walked with Kelly. Kelly told him that there was a shot fired and he didn't know what it was about. He went out to get his horse.

He said he 'walked all over it' and claimed 'maybe this happened after you left' referring to the earlier visit by deputies.

He said 'there's a body over there, as soon as I saw it I backed away from it.' Later, Kelly spoke with detectives. After initially denying that he shot at the group, he later admitted shooting.

He claimed he directed his shots over the heads of the group.
Iceland boss Richard Walker

The boss of supermarket chain Iceland had warned that he has been forced to shelve new store openings after his latest energy bill rose by 20million - before it was announced a number of stores are set to close from tomorrow.

Richard Walker previously said his group was 'fighting to keep the lights on' and called for an energy price cap for British businesses after his recent bill doubled.

He said Iceland was bearing the brunt of soaring prices more than other supermarkets because of its reliance on storing food in fridges and freezers.

Mr Walker earlier told The Mail on Sunday: 'We've got to make decisions because we have got this unmanageable volatility. In some instances, it might just be easier to mothball shops or temporarily close them because the energy costs are just completely unsustainable.'

His comments came before Iceland revealed it will permanently close a number of its shops across the UK - starting tomorrow.

The supermarket confirmed at least six stores will close their doors for good in February and March, with the first locking up on Saturday, The Sun reported.

The reason for the closures has not yet been confirmed - or if it means any job losses. MailOnline has contacted Iceland for comment.

The full list of closures and when these will happen is as follows:

Mill Lane, Bromsgrove - February 25

Chipenham Shopping Centre, Basingtstoke - February 25

White Rose Centre, Rhyl - March 14

South Street, Newport, Isle of Wight - March 25

St Catherine's Place, Bedminster, Bristol - March 25

Deiniol Centre, Bangor - March 27

Iceland has announced it will close half a dozen stores in the coming weeks (stock image)

An Iceland spokesperson earlier told the Sun: 'We continually review our Iceland Foods and The Food Warehouse store portfolio to ensure we're delivering the best experiences for our customers across the country.'

Mr Walker earlier said Iceland is facing the prospect of a cliff edge as his firm's energy remains hedged for just the next ten weeks. 'We are good at selling frozen peas,' said Walker. 'We are not electricity traders.

'If you look at the spiralling energy markets, then you know it won't stop there. We've got the winter coming and nothing is being done about it. Consumers rightly need to be supported, but business needs to be supported as well.'

He said many of his small and mid-sized suppliers were warning of collapse. 'Iceland is going to be large and strong enough to ride out this storm,' he said, but he added that suppliers were at a 'real risk of going bust', threatening thousands of jobs.

Iceland, which specialises in frozen foods but has branched out in recent years to expand its offering, recorded an operating loss of 4million for the six months up to September.

That month its boss Richard Walker warned it had been forced to shelve new store openings as it dealt with a 20million increase in its energy bills.
Billionaire and former president of Purdue Pharma, Richard Sackler, is set up to sell a third luxury property after the company has been hit with a slew of lawsuits over the opioid crisis.

Sackler, 77, has put his Beverly Hills mansion on the market for just shy of $20million. The Angelo View Drive home is a three-story four-bed, six-bath home with incredible views of the hills.

It's the third property he has put on the market as Purdue Pharma continues to be blamed for starting the opioid crisis in the US. The family, estimated to be worth up to $15billion, has denied all wrongdoing.

Sackler has also offloaded his Cicero Lane home in Austin, Texas, in 2018 for more than $3million and a Princeton Place mansion in Boca Raton, Florida, in 2022 for $4.88million.

The Sackler family, who are estimated to be worth up to $15billion, have denied any wrongdoing involving the opioid crisis (pictured: FRONT: Raymond Sackler, Beverly Sackler, Thomas, BACK: Thomas Lynch, Richard Sackler, Jonathan, Sackler, and Dean Robert Alpern)

The sale of the Florida home came shortly after Purdue Pharma reached a $6billion settlement with several US states about the opioid crisis after more than 1million Americans died from overdoses since 1999. $5.5million of the settlement went toward funding treatment centers for addicts, according to the New York Post.

At the time of the settlement, the high-powered family said they 'sincerely regret' that their painkiller OxyContin 'unexpectedly became part of an opioid crisis.'

Richard currently lives in another Boca Raton home, which he purchased for $1.71million in June 2021.

Sackler's Beverly Hills mansion is currently on the market for $19,995,000

It initially hit the market for $25.5million in April, before it was pulled. It later placed back on the market for $20million in May 2022

Sackler holds a stake where the mansion is located, as he helped developed the property.

It initially hit the market for $25.5million in April, before it was pulled. It later placed back on the market for $20million in May 2022, the New York Post reported.

The 7,000-square-foot space has a modern feel to it with an open floor plan and a unique structural design.

It features floor-to-ceiling windows, an outdoor lounge area with a pool, and a large fireplace in the living room.

The home also has a theater, a bar, and unobstructed views of Beverly Hills.

The master suite has its own balcony, walk-in closet, and a soaking tub to live the high life right at home and is surrounded by retractable doors.

The 7,000-square-foot space has a modern feel to it with an open floor plan and a unique structural design.

Homeowners would be able to enjoy the views of the hills straight from their bed or from the private balcony. The main wall in the room also has green granite and wooden slates, leaving the room feeling warm and relaxing.

The bathroom features beautiful glass walls, a tub located right next to the windows, and a large vanity. It also has a glass shower.

Another bedroom also has retractable doors that lead out to a patio area with a large art piece adorning the wall across from the bed.

That room also features a glass shower with a dark interior and plenty of storage space beneath the vanity.

A third bedroom also has access to the patio area and features a similar design to the second room.

The large back patio has plenty of room for sitting and also features a fireplace.

The living room, dining room, and kitchen are connected through an open concept on the main floor.

Sackler offloaded a Boca Raton property in 2022 for $4.88million

The Spanish-style home - located on Princeton Place - has plenty of bright green trees and plants are littered around the home and property

The Spanish-style home - located on Princeton Place - features an arched entryway and two large trees in front of the home for ultimate privacy.

Serenity seems to be the mainstay of the home, as plenty of bright green trees and plants are littered around the home and property, complementing the off-white exterior and soft lighting.

Each room of the eight-bed, 9.5-bath house has its own unique shape, with most to failing to adhere to the normal square or rectangular forms.

The living room has a large domed window that reaches floor-to-ceiling and two other small windows near the ceiling. the room is decorated with fine art pieces and a chandelier.

The kitchen matches a similar style to the living room with a light gray walls and plenty of natural light. It also provides ample prep space, plenty of cabinets, and tons of room to move freely. The stove is located in the center of the almost-circular room with a hood hanging over top. Additional oven space is located on the back fall and the fridge is concealed behind cabinet-style doors.

Other parts of the home feature dark wood and give off a more serious vibe, such as one of the studies that feature dark red furniture and dark accessories.

The billionaire sold his Austin home in 2018 for more than $3million

Billionaire and former president of Purdue Pharma, Richard Sackler's former home in Austin, Texas, which he sold for more than $3million in 2018

His former Austin home sits at one of the highest points in the city and has been described as a 'private enclave.'

The home is surrounded by lots of greenery to offer the perfect secluded space and also boasts beautiful views of the mountains.

Much of the house is decorated in muted tones and gives off a homely feeling.

Much like the other two properties, the home has high ceilings, plenty of natural light, and hardwood flooring.

The home also features an L-shaped pool with gorgeous views of the mountains and plenty of seating spaces.

One of the bedrooms has sliding doors that lead out to a balcony and windows near the ceiling. The tone of the room is warmed through the usage of wooden beams on the ceiling surrounding the recess lighting.

The kitchen feature granite countertops, a small candle chandelier, and a large cooking area.
King Charles and the Prince of Wales have no intention of giving Prince Harry the apology he is demanding from them if he is to attend the Coronation.

Neither Charles nor William is said to be in any mood to pander to Harry's demands following his latest attacks on the Royal Family.

With just over 70 days to go before the King is officially crowned on May 6, alongside the Queen Consort, the Daily Mail can reveal how icy family relations still are.

Some sources sympathetic to the royals' predicament have described the situation as a 'toxic stalemate'.

'There is still a huge amount of ill will boiling over in the family,' one said.

Prince William and Harry pictured in July 2021. Royal sources claim neither Charles nor William is said to be in any mood to pander to Harry's demands

King Charles III is set to be coronated on May 6, but there still remains a question over whether Prince Harry will attend

'Save the date' cards are set to be sent out in two weeks to the 2,000 guests who have been chosen to attend the pared-down spring ceremony.

Numbers have been drastically reduced from the 8,251 guests who attended Queen Elizabeth II's 1953 coronation to make the event more streamlined amid the cost of living crisis.

Formal invitations to those who have indicated they will accept will not be posted until three weeks before the event itself.

But, as the Mail reported last year, Harry, 38, has long had an 'open' invitation to all family events as a member of the Royal Family, despite having quit official duties.

That olive branch is still there, although it has been stretched to the limit by his and wife Meghan's repeated attacks on the family via their Netflix documentary series, Harry's memoir and numerous critical television and print interviews.

King Charles III and Prince Harry (pictured last year). Neither Charles nor William is said to be in any mood to pander to Harry's demands

That olive branch is still there, although it has been stretched to the limit by his and wife Meghan's repeated attacks on the family via their Netflix documentary series

One journalist with close links to the Sussexes, Omid Scobie, claimed this week that 'no-one knows their plans right now  the couple has yet to be invited and can't make a decision, nor any form of itinerary, until that happens'.

But those with knowledge of the Coronation's planning have greeted this claim with snorts of derision, and describe it as 'the Sussexes' classic get-out clause'.

'As if a piece of gold-embossed card would change everything,' one said. 'The problem goes far, far deeper than that.'

One well-placed source says Harry has made it clear that he wants a private 'apology' of some sort from both Charles and William before he will attend.

Another source said it was likely there would be conversations between the two camps in the coming weeks over arrangements for May

A royal source has said: 'Conversations could still happen in the next few weeks [over the Sussexes' attendance], I am sure'

There is no mention of Meghan, but as their son, Archie, celebrates his fourth birthday on the same day, there is an assumption by many that she is unlikely to go to Westminster Abbey for the Coronation anyway.

The idea of an apology is something Harry has raised publicly, when he told ITV's Tom Bradby in an interview that 'the ball is in their court'.

'There's a lot to be discussed and I really hope that they're [the family] willing to sit down and talk about it,' he said.

The Mail has been told that King Charles, 74, is at least prepared to speak to Harry  'he's his son, he loves him', a friend declared.

But William, 40, is said to be emphatically 'not in the mood for any kind of conversation'.

And Harry's private insistence that he and his wife are owed an apology before any rapprochement can begin has become a major sticking point for both the King and his elder son.

'What are the family meant to apologise for?' one insider asked. 'As the late Queen said, recollections may vary.'

Another source said it was likely there would be conversations between the two camps in the coming weeks over arrangements for May.

But they warned: 'I don't think His Majesty is minded to apologise for anything at present. Quite the opposite. There is still a huge amount of ill will boiling over in the family.

'Conversations could still happen in the next few weeks [over the Sussexes' attendance], I am sure, but they will be waiting a very long time for an apology. There's a great deal of hurt [at Harry's actions].'

The Mail has been told that King Charles, 74, is at least prepared to speak to Harry  'he's his son, he loves him', a friend declared

Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on the matter

Another family friend added: 'I hear that William has no intention whatsoever of apologising and remains incandescent, especially around the way his wife, the Princess of Wales, has been treated.'

The Mail has previously reported that William is furious about the attacks meted out to Kate, particularly in his brother's memoir, Spare, which came out last month.

Harry  who always had a warm relationship with his sister-in-law  painted her as cold and aloof towards his future bride.

And shockingly  given his repeated attacks on those he believes have 'leaked' information about the family drama  he also revealed intimate details of private conversations, both verbally and by text, between her and Meghan during their infamous disagreement over Princess Charlotte's bridesmaid dress.

'The relationship isn't even rock bottom now, it's non-existent,' the source said. 'And I just don't see, if Harry were to come to the Coronation, how William could even bring himself to look his brother in the face.'

Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
He said it should be for 'all of those who perished' including those since 2014

The United Nations Security Council held a minute's silence on Friday, after Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba accused Russia of genocide against his country.

However, the silence was interrupted by Russia's UN envoy, who insisted that it was held for 'all of those who perished' in the conflict - including those since 2014.

'All lives are priceless,' Russia's UN envoy Vasily Nebenzya said, who in the same session in New York City accused the West of using the security council to push its own agenda.

Kuleba proposed a minute's silence to honour the 'victims of the aggression' during Friday's session - to mark the one-year anniversary of Vladimir Putin's invasion.

But as he and other members of the assembly stood up, the Russian ambassador began to tap his microphone. As dismayed envoys looked on, he then insisted: 'We are getting up on our feet to honour the memory of all victims of what has happened in Ukraine, starting in 2014.'

A minute silence proposed by Ukraine's foreign minister was interrupted by Russia's UN envoy Vasily Nebenzya (pictured), who insisted that it should held for 'all of those who perished' in the conflict, including those since 2014

Moscow - without evidence - has accused Kyiv of committing genocide against Russian speakers in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine, which has seen fighting between Ukraine's forces and Russian separatists since 2014.

Nebenzya's comments appeared to be a nod to this claim, as well as Russia's insistence that the blame lies with Ukraine and the West for the fighting in the region, and for Putin's invasion on February 24, 2022.

The members of the assembly were forced to sat back down again to listen to Nebenzya. 'All of those who perished. All lives are priceless,' he told the session.

According to the UN, more than 8,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed in the country since the invasion was launched a year ago today, as well as 13,000 injured.

In addition, both sides are thought to have lose tens of thousands of casualties in brutal fighting. A recent British estimate suggested Russia alone has so far seen more than 200,000 soldiers lost to either death or injury.

The fracas came after the UN voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to demand Russia immediately and unconditionally withdraw its troops from Ukraine.

Ukraine earned strong backing in a nonbinding vote that saw 141 of the 193 UN members in support, seven opposed and 32, including China and India abstaining.

Coming on the eve of the first anniversary of the brutal war, support for Kyiv was little-changed from that of last October when 143 countries voted to condemn Russia's declared annexation of four Ukraine regions.

'Today, United Nations General Assembly has just spoken very clear,' said European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

'This vote shows that the international community stands with Ukraine.'

The vote came after two days of debate during which Kuleba urged the international community to choose 'between good and evil.'

He rejected the idea that Kyiv only enjoyed the support of the West - the European Union, the United States and their key allies.

'The vote defies the argument that the Global South does not stand on Ukraine's side, because many countries representing Latin America, Africa, Asia voted in favor today,' Kuleba said. 'The support is much broader, and it will only continue to be consolidated and to be solidified,' he added.

Pictured: Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba and other representatives stand for a moment of silence during a United Nations Security Council meeting to mark one year since Russia invaded Ukraine. However, the gesture was interrupted by Russia's representative

Pictured: An aerial view of the city of Bakhmut (Feb. 14), in Ukraine's east, which has been almost totally destroyed as Kyiv's soldiers fight to defend it against Russia's invaders

Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, expressed gratitude to all those 'who stood up for Ukraine on the anniversary of the unprovoked Russian aggression.'

'The world understands whose side the truth is on,' he said.

However, Nebenzya on Friday insisted the motion was put forward only to serve the West's agenda.

'What we are seeing today is another attempt to give certain rights to a group of the country whereas you, as a representative of the golden billion, give preference to Ukraine just because that she is a part of your geopolitical project,' he said.

'It turns out it would seem the problems of the rest of the world are of no concern to you. It seems the unprecedented number of delegations invited today... 12 EU countries... it's clear all of these countries who have the same EU position dictated by Brussels will bring no added value to the discussion,' he added.

A day earlier, he had dismissed the resolution, called Ukraine 'neo-Nazi' and accusing the West of sacrificing the country and the developing world in their desire to beat Russia. 'They are ready to plunge the entire world into the abyss of war' to maintain their own 'hegemony,' Nebenzya said.

The resolution reaffirmed support for Ukraine's 'sovereignty' and 'territorial integrity,' rejecting any Russian claims to parts of the country.

It also demanded 'that the Russian Federation immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders,' and called 'for a cessation of hostilities.'

The vote showed Moscow's continued isolation on the world stage after 12 months of war. It only earned support from six other nations: Belarus, Syria, North Korea, Mali, Nicaragua, and Eritrea.

Despite its limited backing, Russia has used its veto power to block any binding motions against it in the UN Security Council.

Instead, the UN General Assembly has taken up the issue, displaying solid support for Kyiv in successive votes. 'Next year, we should not meet here to mark the second anniversary of this senseless war of aggression,' said Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi during the debate.

'Russia can and must stop, tomorrow,' French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said. 'This war waged by Russia is everybody's business because it threatens the existence of a state, because it represents a domineering and imperialist plan, and because it denies the existence of borders.'

The vote showed India and China had not been swayed to outright condemn Moscow's invasion, even while both have criticized Moscow's threats to deploy nuclear weapons in the conflict.

Vasily Nebenzya, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation of the United Nations, speaks during the Eleventh Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly on Ukraine, at UN headquarters in New York City on February 22

Before the vote Dai Bing, China's deputy representative at the United Nations, took a neutral stance, calling on both sides to cease fighting and enter peace talks.

'We support Russia and Ukraine moving towards each other, resuming direct dialogue as soon as possible,' he said.

But he also gave voice to one of Russia's justifications for the invasion, that its own security was under threat by Ukraine's tilt toward Western Europe and NATO.

Any settlement, he said, should give 'due regard to ... the reasonable security concerns of all countries, thereby properly addressing their legitimate security aspirations.'
A boyfriend accused of murdering his partner's 15-month-old son has told a court the baby boy was jealous of him.

Jacob Lennon died of serious head injuries in August 2019 and had dozens of other injuries consistent with horrific long-term abuse at his home in Putney, south west London.

Jacob's eyes were so swollen he could not open them and he 'looked like a panda' because he had dark bruises under them, the Old Bailey has heard.

The boy's mother, Louise Lennon, 32, and Jake Drummond, 33, her boyfriend, both face charges arising from Jacob's death.

Drummond denies murdering Jacob and a further charge of wounding the baby with intent in relation to earlier injuries, which include one caused to the genitals with a sharp object.

Lennon denies causing or allowing the death of a child and cruelty to a child.

Jacob Lennon (pictured) died of serious head injuries in August 2019 and had dozens of other injuries consistent with horrific long-term abuse

Jake Drummond (pictured) denies murdering Jacob and a further charge of wounding the baby with intent in relation to earlier injuries

Giving evidence Friday, wearing a suit and glasses, Drummond said Jacob's injuries were from his four-year-old brother or self-inflicted.

Referring to this relationship with Jacob, Drummond told the court: 'At first he was okay with me, I'd say hello to him he couldn't really reply but I'd say hello and he'd be affectionate towards me.

'Then after a while he just changed with me, he seemed to be jealous that I was close to Louise.

'Did Jacob seem like a normal toddler?' defence lawyer Anna Whyte, KC, asked.

'Yes and no, he was normal-ish, he did have a few bad habits, I think he picked them up from [his brother].

'He was walking into his mum and just slapping her, screaming because [his brother] was screaming, stuff like that.

He claimed that in early August 2019 Lennon sent him a photo of a burn on Jacob, and told him he had got hold of some Veet hair removal cream and put it on himself.

He said he had brought clippers round to the house and cut Jacob's hair.

'Can you remember any incident with Jacob that could have put him at risk?' Ms Whyte asked.

'Yeah I'd seen [Jacob's brother] lash out at Jacob a few times and hit him.

'I'd seen him get angry that Jacob was playing with his toys and I'd seen him punch him in the face and slap him.

Loise Lennon denies causing or allowing the death of a child and cruelty to a child

'Louise turned it into a big joke, she would pick up Jacob and pick up his hands and use them to punch his brother, turn it into a game

'I never saw [Jacob's brother] told off for it. The only time he was told off was when I told him off when I caught him hitting him once.

'I know Jacob falls out of [his brother's] bed.

'There was a couple of times when I stayed over and had gone to the toilet in the middle of the night and heard a bang and cry, and Jacob was on the floor next to [his brother's] bed, crying.

'I went and picked him up, gave him his dummy, gave him a cuddle, rocked him and put him back into bed.'

'Had you ever seen Jacob hitting his head on any surface?' Ms Whyte asked.

'Yes, I would see him throwing a temper tantrum, throwing his head forwards and hitting his head on the floor.

'He'd have red marks all over his head and then the next day little bruises.

'On one occasion had a gash on his mouth, Louise told me [his brother] had kicked him in his mouth when he had his dummy in mouth and it had cut his lip.

'I said she needed to take him to the doctors but she she said 'no, no. its fine I'll just put some Savlon on it.'

Drummond had known Ms Lennon since he was 16 years old when they lived in the same bed and breakfast.

The pair later connected by social media after Drummond split from Julie Sanders, the mother of his two daughters.

Drummond said that while in a relationship with Lennon he was still sleeping with Ms Sanders and would have got back with her if she ever wanted to.

Drummond had known Louise Lennon (pictured) since he was 16 years old when they lived in the same bed and breakfast

He said: 'I got on really, really well with [Jacob's brother] he came out his shell a lot, he used to call me buddy.

'He just needed a bit of attention.'

Drummond said the child was still wearing nappies day and night at four years old.

'I thought it was a bit weird because I've got a daughter the same age and by the time he was two she didn't need nappies.

'She said it was because he likes to wear them so she let him.

'Then within a few days she said it's so much easier if he just wears nappies, then I don't have to keep taking him to the toilet.

Drummond said he would never change the boy's nappies: 'I would never change a child that was not my own's nappy, I don't think that's right unless it your own child.

'I would cook for him sometimes because Louise was sometimes unable.'

'Was there anything about the children's care that caused you concern?' Ms Whyte asked.

'They didn't have bedtimes, she was letting them go to sleep at 1 to 2 o'clock in the morning,' Drummond replied.

'I didn't think that was right. [Jacob's brother] was just sleeping wherever he fell asleep.

'Louise was just letting him pass out wherever he wanted, not taking him to bed.

'She wasn't doing them dinner at a regular time, it would sometimes be very late.'

He said he was feeling very depressed in the days before Jacob's death due to Ms Sanders preventing him from seeing his children. He was also suspicious that she was seeing another man.

Drummond denies murder and causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

Lennon denies causing or allowing the death of a child and child cruelty.

Drummond's evidence will continue on Monday.
A Massachusetts man is facing charges of allegedly running a secret cryptocurrency mining operation out of a crawlspace at a middle school and using nearly $18,000-worth of their electricity.

Nadeam Nahas pled not guilty when he appeared in Quincy District Court on Friday, one day after he failed to appear for a scheduled arraignment and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Nahas, who worked as an assistant facilities director for the town of Cohasset, is accused of connecting the school's electrical system to help run the illegal scheme that took place for nearly nine-months April through December 2021.

Police were tipped off when the director of facilities for the Cohasset Middle/High School noticed out-of-place electrical wires, computers and temporary ductwork found in a crawlspace near the school's boiler room.

Cops called in the town's IT director and together they discovered a secret cryptocurrency mining operation consisting of eleven powerful computers and a cooling system.

Things escalated further in the small-town case when the Coast Guard Investigative Service and the Department of Homeland Security were drafted in to find the culprit. After a three-month investigation, Nahas was identified as the suspect and he resigned from his job in March 2022.

Nadeam Nahas, 39 (pictured) in court on Friday pled not guilty in court on Friday after he was accused of running an crypto mining operation and using nearly $18,000 worth of electricity from the Cohasset Middle/High School

Nahas walking outside the Quincy District Court, one day after he failed to appear for a scheduled arraignment and a warrant was issued for his arrest

Police were tipped off when the director of facilities for the Cohasset Middle/High School noticed out-of-place electrical wires, computers and temporary ductwork found in a crawlspace near the school's boiler room

The process of 'mining' cryptocurrency used computers to verify transactions by solving complex equations, requiring a 'considerable amount of electricity, according to The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

As of August 2022, published estimates of the total global electricity usage for crypto-assets are 120 to 240 billion kilowatt-hours per year, a range that exceeds the total annual electricity usage of many individual countries, such as Argentina or Australia, the OSTP states.

According to the University of Cambridge, bitcoin (which is just one of many cryptocurrencies) requires roughly 14 gigawatts of electricity daily.

According to the Department of Energy, the daily energy needs of bitcoin would require approximately 43 million solar panels or 4,662 utility-scale wind turbines.

Nahas is one of many accused of stealing electricity to power cryptocurrency mining operation.

In 2021, Malaysia seized 1,720 bitcoin mining machines during an electricity theft crackdown, and arrested more than 600 people for stealing electricity to mine cryptocurrency over the past two years, Crypto News reported.

A kennel owner in China was arrested in 2020 for stealing power to run a bitcoin mining farm.

Two brothers were arrested in Rotterdam, Netherlands in 2016 for stealing electricity to mine bitcoin and grow cannabis, the new outlet said.
Rishi Sunak appears on the cusp of unveiling an EU Brexit agreement on Northern Ireland tonight, with an announcement possible as soon as this weekend, despite the refusal of unionists to back it.

The Prime Minister held 'positive' talks with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen today over a deal that would end months of political paralysis in the province.

It has been suggested they could meet face-to-face over the weekend to seal the agreement to solve a longstanding row over customs arrangements could be announced to MPs on Monday.

If so, all eyes will turn to the Democratic Unionist Party, which has so far said it will not support what is being put forward.

Several ministers are said to be on resignation watch, with Tory eurosceptics saying they will take their lead from the unions.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly today said the agreement would not be sealed without the party's backing.

It means that the PM faces a heavy weekend of behind-the-scenes bargaining if he is to push it through, and the country is not to face another failed bid to smooth what has become a political sore.

The Prime Minister held 'positive' talks with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen today over a deal that would end months of political paralysis in the province.

It has been suggested the agreement to solve a longstanding row over customs arrangements could be announced to MPs on Monday.

If so, all eyes will turn to the Democratic Unionist Party (leader Jeffrey Donaldson pictured) which has so far said it will not support what is being put forward.

Britain and the EU have been working for weeks to try to revise the Protocol - the arrangements agreed to avoid a hard border with EU member Ireland when Britain exited the European Union in 2020.

But London needs the support of the DUP if a deal is to restore Northern Ireland's power sharing government that the DUP is currently boycotting over its opposition to the protocol.

The party has proven to be a central player in almost seven years of often tortuous Brexit talks and its resistance has torpedoed previous attempts at agreement.

The PM's plans are expected to end EU checks on most British goods sent to Northern Ireland and restore Westminster's right to set tax policy in the Province, which was effectively still left in the EU's single market after Brexit in order to prevent a hard border with Northern Ireland.

But Northern Ireland is still expected to be subject to some EU trade laws, over which it currently has no say, and which is a red line for the DUP.

'When, hopefully, we get those issues resolved then I would hope that the DUP would recognise that we've addressed their concerns and until we have addressed those concerns we're not going to sign off on the deal,' Mr Cleverly told Times Radio on Friday.

Tory MPs have received a three-line whip for Monday, meaning they must be in the Commons.

Cabinet ministers have been put on alert for a possible conference call over the weekend, according to The Times.

Mr Sunak has promised MPs that Parliament will be able to 'express its view' over any deal, which he hopes will get the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to restore powersharing in Northern Ireland.

But he would come under intense pressure if he does not give them an explicit vote, amid fears there could be a rebellion from hardline Brexiteers.

A deal had been hoped for this week but Downing Street said on Friday that 'intensive discussions' with the EU were ongoing.

Unusually, Downing Street declined to set out Mr Sunak's plans for the weekend, only saying that he was working in No 10 on Friday.

Naomi Long, the head of the province's cross-community Alliance Party, told Reuters it was wrong to give any individual party what appeared to be a veto on Northern Ireland's future.

The Times newspaper reported on Friday that Sunak was preparing the ground to announce the deal on Monday, but any announcement would depend on the DUP, with further talks expected over the weekend.

Asked for a response to Cleverly's comment, a spokesman for the DUP said the focus in London and Brussels should be on getting the right deal, not rushing ahead. 'The wrong deal will not restore powersharing but will cement division for future generations,' the spokesman told Reuters.

Opinion polls have consistently shown a majority of Northern Irish voters - who earlier opposed Brexit - favour the idea of the protocol and it is also backed by a majority of lawmakers elected to the devolved assembly last year.

But the imposition of checks on some goods coming from the rest of the United Kingdom has angered many pro-British unionists who see it as undermining the union with Britain.

The latest quarterly poll conducted for Queen's University Belfast showed on Friday that 53% see the current lighter touch application of the rules as an appropriate means of managing Brexit, down one percentage point in the last three months. The number opposed rose to 38% from 34% last time out.
A woman known as the 'Governor' of downtown Los Angeles' notorious Skid Row section has slammed city officials who destroyed her luxurious tent last week.

Stephanie Arnold Williams blasted the destruction of her luxurious dwelling - dubbed the White House - even though she also owns a nearby tiny home.

The brazen vagrant's former property came equipped with a hot tube, generator, solar panels, toilet, kitchenette, sewing machines and a walk-in closet.

In a video posted on Twitter a week before authorities moved in, Williams showed her home off in a manner similar to the popular MTV series Cribs. 'Every person should have one... You might as well do it right,' Williams said as she lay across her immaculate white sheets.

'I call it the White House because the government's not doing their job correctly so I'm here to show them how to do it... they just sit at a round table and talk about stuff that don't work,' she added.

Stephanie Williams shows off her hot tub in a recent video that was posted to TikTok

In the recent video, Williams said: 'Every person should have one... You might as well do it right'

A crowd gathered to watch the home known in the area as The White House get taken away

The canopy of Williams' home is loaded into the back of a dump truck

Williams' hot tub was one of the many items that were destroyed

The mother of four's home was destroyed as part of what's been called a 'routine cleanup' by the Department of Sanitation & Environment, reports ABC Los Angeles.

The station described crews dismantling several homeless encampments along Skid Row. Camera's captured the moments when a the crane of a dump truck grabbed the canopy of Williams' tent.

The canopy, along with the home's floor and walls were then loaded into the truck.

'So I built my house right here on wheels. I was going to start building it for the homeless. They don't want tiny houses here,' Williams told the gathered reporters.

Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Williams said: 'I said wait a minute, its on wheels. I can push it around the corner. We can push it to the street. We can do a lot of things other than demolishing it.'

On her Facebook page, Williams references one of her jobs as 'freedom fighter at Stop Police Brutality Now.'

Williams told social issues publication Red Canary in a 2022 interview that she moved to Skid Row from her native Indianapolis in 2013 after she became involved in a 'beef' with the local police.

She said that an Indianapolis cop broke her leg during an altercation in which she was accused of trespassing in her son's apartment.

'We called the police cause we was having a family dispute, and when they came in, they was like: "I hate black people,"' Williams said. She went on to allege that an officer handcuffed her and then proceeded to break her leg.

The impeccable white sheets and bedspread in Williams' home

Williams speaking to the media on the day her home was destroyed

Crews sweeping up the debris after the destruction of Williams' home

In an interview with LA Magazine, Williams said that on February 13, the day her home was destroyed, it was encircled by members of the Los Angeles Police Department.

'They didnt offer me housing. They didnt offer me anything. They took my blankets, my contact lenses, all my food. They threw away pots and pans and cups and things I needed to eat,' Williams told the magazine.

She went on to say that she was given 30 minutes notice before the destruction and spent most of that time remonstrating with the police officers.

A GoFundMe page has been set up by Williams' assistant Debra Reed in order to help her to back on her feet.

Williams also said that she is known locally as either The Governor or Mama Stephanie. In November 2020, she wrote in a Facebook post that she had suffered a stroke.

'I provide tents around me while people are waiting for housing. There are also protesters and a community watch team that help watch the community. And were our own security,' Williams continued.

'It was callous, it was mean and, in many ways, it was calculative. You had no less than 12 to 15 cops, you had heavy equipment and the [sanitation crews] came out to essentially demolish that corner while letting the tents across the street remain,' a witness to the demolishing, Pete White, told the Los Angeles Times.

Williams pictured on her Facebook page prior to moving to Skid Row in 2013

Williams posted this photo shortly after she suffered a stroke in November 2020

The Times article goes on to say that a spokesperson for the Department of Public Works said that all of Williams' belongings were available to be picked up at a storage facility.

'News footage and videos on social media showed a crane from a dump truck damaging the canopies as it scooped them off the sidewalk, and crews discarding tables used for the distribution of food and clothes,' the Times reported.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass pledged in 2022 to get over 17,000 homeless people into housing in her first year through a mix of interim and permanent facilities.

On the same day as the LA Magazine interview, Williams spoke to a representative from the Mayor's Office of City Homelessness, Jarvis Emerson. He told Williams that he did not know about the planned destruction.

'I put wheels on my house so that you can clean underneath. Im the one that gets on my hands and knees and scrubs this ground with a mop. I use a toothbrush to get into cracks. Theres not even a cigarette butt on this ground. Im the best cleaner,' Williams said in her interview.

Earlier this week, Culver City officials voted three to two on Monday to bar tents and other structures - and the change will come into effect when more housing models for the homeless become available, including a Project Room Key site and a designated homeless area at Virginia Parking Lot.

Culver City is located just west of Los Angeles.

In total, there are around 100,000 unhoused people in California. With other high concentrations in the northern part of the state in cities such as San Francisco where nearly 8,000 people are sleeping on the streets.

Homelessness is hugely visible throughout California with people living in tents and cars and sleeping outdoors on sidewalks and under highway overpasses.

Mayor Bass vowed to get people housed and more housing built so that residents can see a real difference, which hasnt been visible despite billions spent on programs to curb homelessness, including $1.2 billion in the current city budget.

The leading cause of death among homeless people in Los Angeles is drug overdoses, other leading causes include murder and suicide.

Between 2016 and 2021, fentanyl overdose deaths in Los Angeles County increased a whopping 1280 percent, between 2019 and 2020, they increased 149 percent from 462 to 1,149, and were up 31 percent in 2021 to 1,504.
A woman views the interactive computer-based installation "YOU:R:CODE" (2017), produced by Bernd Lintermann and Peter Weibel, at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) in central Seoul. Newsis





By Park Han-sol







A 1967 black-and-white composite photograph, produced by Austrian new media and post-conceptual artist Peter Weibel, shows a curious-looking technological "invention."







It combines images of a camera, walkie-talkie, speaker, television and telephone into one imaginary mini-electronic device that can perform every function a modern human would need.







What was an idealistic project for the artist nearly six decades ago has indeed become a reality for today's audiences with the advent of smartphones.







This prophetic photograph, entitled "Information Unit," offers a peek into the art world of Weibel, whose forward-looking oeuvre since the 1960s has become a present-day icon of media art.







Installation view of Peter Weibel's retrospective, "respectively, Peter Weibel. Art as an Act of Cognition," at the MMCA / Courtesy of MMCA





His retrospective, "respectively, Peter Weibel. Art as an Act of Cognition," mounted at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), brings in some 70 of his seminal works in the form of reproduced photography, digital poetry, expanded cinema and computer-based installations. The show has been jointly curated by the ZKM Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe in Germany, where Weibel serves as chairman.







"Normally, media art is seen in the history of art as a medium of images, as a medium of representation to depict the world," Weibel, who could not attend the press preview in person held early this month at the museum, said in a video message.







"But I have a different position: I say the media are extensions of all sensory organs, artificial sensory organs. And with these organs, we don't only receive the world, we also produce the world."







Peter Weibel's 11-channel video installation "Chants of the Pluriverse" (1986-88/2023) / Courtesy of MMCA





The pieces spanning the two floors of the museum are as eye-catching as they are philosophical, aiming to convey that "art is the process of cognition and thinking that opens our eyes to the ontological difference between representation and reality," as Philipp Ziegler, head of ZKM's curatorial department, puts it.







The 11-channel video installation, "Chants of the Pluriverse," combines different commercial video footage, photography, film and digital special effects that the artist accumulated for two years in the late 1980s and remixes them to create an "audiovisual pluriverse."







This kaleidoscopic visualization of the modern age of technology is reminiscent of video art visionary Nam June Paik's psychedelic collages of electronic images created around the same time.







"Alphabet Space" (2017), produced by Peter Weibel, Christian Lolkes and Adam Slowik / Newsis





Since taking the helm of ZKM in 1999, Weibel has become increasingly aware of the significance of audience participation in his works.







These participatory installations, mostly nestled on the museum's second floor, are the elements that stand out the most in the show.







"YOU:R:CODE"  the title with the double meaning of "your code" and "you are code"  begins with visitors seeing themselves reflected in a mirror. What they will find next are four LED screens equipped with cameras  all ready to scan the moving bodies and convert them into abstract digital data.







Accordingly, each viewer's silhouette is soon rendered onscreen as a collage of social media icons, genetic code and, finally, industrial readable barcodes.







"Bibliotheca Digitalis: Three Phases of Digitization" (2017), produced by Bernd Lintermann, Nikolaus Volzow and Peter Weibel / Korea Times photo by Park Han-sol





Visitors can also play around with a peculiar-looking 3D object in "Alphabet Space," which is capable of representing all 26 letters in the alphabet by itself through rotations.







"The artist encourages the viewer to write down any message with this object that would then appear on the digital screen in front. He thereby invites them to physically experience how we humans use languages to communicate and muse on how digital tools mediate that experience," MMCA's curator Hong Lee-ji explained.







There are even books with completely blank pages in "Bibliotheca Digitalis: Three phases of Digitization," whose texts describing the foundational theories of logical thinking only become magically visible when they are viewed through a transparent disc and projected onto an electronic screen.







"respectively, Peter Weibel. Art as an Act of Cognition" runs through May 14 at the MMCA Seoul.


A prison reform boss is herself behind bars tonight after subjecting her husband to 15 years of physical attacks and verbal humiliation which has left him with mental scars 'that will last a lifetime'.

Sheree Spencer, 45, was jailed for four years for making husband Richard's life a living hell with daily beatings and verbal attacks that left him cowering on the floor in the foetal position.

On one occasion she defecated on the floor and forced him to clean it up, and on another she beat him with a wine bottle so hard it permanently disfigured his ear.

In furious wine-fuelled tirades she would call him 'fat boy,' 'a pussy' and 'dumb dumb' and caused bruises and scratches that he would need to cover with make-up before going outside.

For years he secretly recorded video and audio of his wife's attacks on him and when police became involved he handed over 43 images of his bruised face, taken on different dates following savage assaults he had suffered.

Sheree Spencer, 45, was jailed for four years for making her husband Richard's life a living hell with daily beatings and verbal attacks that left him cowering on the floor in the foetal position

Richard Spencer, pictured, secretly recorded video and audio of his wife's attacks on him for years. When police became involved he handed over 43 images of his bruised face and scratches that he would need to cover with make-up before going outside

Mr Spencer would email them to himself and delete them from his phone so his wife didn't realise he was recording her violent assaults.

Hull Crown Court heard that Spencer was a mother of three young children and that many of the attacks on her husband had occured in the family home.

It was described as 'a great irony' that Spencer had done so much work aimed at investigating the effect of custodial sentences on the family.

She worked at the highest levels for HM Prison and Probation Service and bragged to friends that she had the ear of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Spencer, of upmarket Bubwith, East Yorkshire, was a project manager in the department's directorate of strategy and performance.

A former friend said: 'She would brag about being only two down from the Prime Minister in her field and had meetings with Boris Johnson, who she spoke of as though he were a friend.

'She was bragging about her high flying career while subjecting her poor husband, a lovely man, to daily abuse, degradation and humiliation.'

Spencer worked at the highest levels for HM Prison and Probation Service and bragged to friends that she had the ear of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson

Her reign of domestic terror finally ended in June 2021 when the police were called to their family home by a concerned welfare worker

Within months of becoming a couple in 2000, Richard Spencer endured her violent rages, which happened whether she was drunk or sober.

Mr Spencer told the court that although he was bigger and physically stronger than his petit wife, he did not fight back when she began to attack him.

He said he became almost immune to the physical abuse she meted out, even though she would cause him immense pain by sinking her teeth into him.

But he said the mental scars left by 16 years of her hate-filled attacks were what would leave the most lasting effect.

Spencer's reign of domestic terror finally ended in June 2021 when the police were called to their family home by a concerned welfare worker.

Her arrest that day on suspicion of assaulting her husband opened a door into the hell he had kept private for his entire married life.

He stood before the court today and at one point struggled to choke back tears as he described his nightmare marriage in a personal statement.

Mr Spencer said: 'From September 2000 to June 2021 Sheree subjected me to hundreds of physically, mentally, and emotionally abusive episodes perpetrated in a pattern of behaviour going back over 20 years, almost half my life.

Her arrest that day on suspicion of assaulting her husband opened a door into the hell he had kept private for his entire married life

Hull Crown Court (pictured) heard that Spencer was a mother of three young children, and that many of the attacks on her husband had occurred in the family home

'I have become resigned to the fact that I will never fully recover from her abuse and that it will have a permanent damaging impact on mine and my family's life.

'Sheree's abuse towards me evolved and escalated over time, she used repeated acts of physical assault, threats, verbal abuse, and humiliation to punish and exercise control over me.

'The abuse was hidden from the outside world, including friends and family. Sheree manipulated me into believing that I was a responsible and willing participant in the abuse. She remorselessly proclaimed that I deserved to be punished, and that it was a justifiable consequence of me disappointing her in some way.

'Little by little, I lost my independence and willpower and just accepted that was how my life was going to be. I complied with Sheree's demands, and she controlled most aspects of my everyday life, including things like what activities I could participate in and when, which room I could sleep in, and even which toilet I could use.

'Gradually I became isolated from family and friends and was left deep in debt causing me to feel trapped.'

Mr Spencer said that restraining his wife was his only hope of avoiding serious injury - but the act of holding her still provoked her wrath.

He told the court: 'I became increasingly hardened to the physical attacks that were usually inflicted when Sheree had been drinking alcohol, such as the kicking and the punching, although some things were particularly painful such as biting and nipping.

'I'm physically bigger and stronger than Sheree so I could restrain her if the pain became unbearable; however, I could only hold her for so long, and when the time came to let go, she would be even angrier and the injuries she would inflict afterwards were always worse.

The court heard that Spencer beat him with the bottle all over his head and body, but caused a serious injury to his ear, which swelled dramatically

'After a while, I learnt to cover my face with my hands and curl up into a foetal position to try and avoid sustaining any visible facial injuries, so that I could still take the children to school and nursery.'

The worst of the assaults on him happened in April 2021 when his wife attacked him with an empty wine bottle.

The court heard that Spencer beat him with the bottle all over his head and body, but caused a serious injury to his ear, which swelled dramatically.

Richard said he needed hospital treatment, which his wife responded to by calling him a 'pussy.' She looked up YouTube videos on how to drain blood from the ear by puncturing it with a knife.

When Richard refused she told him that if he used his name at the hospital she would stop him coming back into the family home.

She ordered him to use her brother's name and he did as he was told as he was booked into A and E, fearing the reprisals that would happen if he did not.

Richard Pratt, KC, said there was little he could say to mitigate against Spencer's appalling treatment of her husband and described her professional accomplishments as 'ironic.'

He said it was 'almost impossible to recognise' her professional person as the same woman who subjected her husband to the 'shocking and distressing' attacks.

Mr Pratt said: 'It is perhaps particularly ironic that one of the projects she had been working on has been dealing with the effects of custodial sentences on the family.

'That is an irony but what is important and significant is that she continued to work and has an excellent work reputation and record.'

He said that Spencer had suffered bouts of depression and anxiety throughout her life which she had 'wrongly' sought to self medicate by drinking alcohol.

The court was told that on some days she would drink as much as three bottles of wine.

Judge Kate Rayfield told Spencer: 'This is the worst case of controlling and coercive behaviour I have seen.'

She described how she had sat through two hours of video and audio recordings of Spencer hurling hateful abuse at her husband.

Judge Rayfield said: 'In one of these recordings it is clear you had defecated on the floor. Your husband can be heard scrubbing while you are heard to say to him: 'I made you do that, all I asked you to do was go to the shop.

'I watched as you spat in his face time and time again and called him 'bitch, tiny c*** and skank and insulted members of his family.

'You whispered in his face in the most sinister way, shouted demands and instructions at him - 'Get the f***ing chicken on, get to the f***ing shop' and warning him 'you will learn.'

The judge added: 'By your actions you intended to humiliate or degrade Richard and you have caused him significant psychological harm.

'Richard Spencer was a vulnerable victim, isolated from his family and trapped financially.'

Spencer admitted coercive and controlling behaviour and three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The charges could only cover a five year period dating from the time the law on controlling and coercive behaviour was passed in late 2015.

But Judge Rayfield said she took account of her persistent behaviour towards her husband because it cast light on his vulnerability as her victim.

Spencer could be heard sobbing as she was led away to the cells to begin her four year term.
Aides expect President Joe Biden's announcement in April - around the same time President Barack Obama officially launched his campaign

U.S. first lady Jill Biden gave one of the clearest indications yet that President Joe Biden will run for a second term, telling The Associated Press in an exclusive interview on Friday that there's 'pretty much' nothing left to do but figure out the time and place for the announcement.

Although Biden has long said that it's his intention to seek reelection, he has yet to make it official, and he's struggled to dispel questions about whether he's too old to continue serving as president.

Biden would be 86 at the end of a second term.

'He says hes not done,' the first lady said in Nairobi, the second and final stop of her five-day trip to Africa. 'Hes not finished what hes started. And that's what's important.'

First Lady Jill Biden, waves as she arrives in Nairobi, Kenya, Friday, Feb.24, 2023 for a three-day visit to the country

Jill Biden gave one of the clearest indications yet that President Joe Biden will run for a second term, telling The Associated Press in an exclusive interview on Friday that there's 'pretty much' nothing left to do but figure out the time and place for the announcement

She added: 'How many times does he have to say it for you to believe it?'

Biden aides have said an announcement is likely to come in April, after the first fundraising quarter ends, which is around the time that President Barack Obama officially launched his reelection campaign.

The first lady has long been described as a key figure in Biden's orbit as he plans his future.

'Because I'm his wife,' she laughed.

But she brushed off the question about whether she has the deciding vote on whether the president runs for reelection.

'Of course he'll listen to me, because we're a married couple,' she said. But, she added later, 'he makes up his own mind, believe me.'

Joining the first lady on her latest visit to Africa is her granddaughter, Naomi Biden who stepped in to help after a gust of wind sent the first lady's dress up past her knees after she stepped out of the blue-and-white Air Force airplane in Kenya.

Naomi, 29, kept one hand firmly on the skirt of Jill Biden's blue dress as the two walked down the stairs side-by-side.

The first lady is using the trip to focus on empowering women and girls as well as to highlight a devastating drought across the Horn of Africa.

'We must build on the foundation of democracy by lifting up those voices that have gone unheard, particularly women and girls, people living on the margins of society, or those vulnerable to abuse,' Biden told the audience of more than 1,000 students from different schools seated around her in a campus courtyard.

Biden, an educator for more than three decades, teaches English Composition at Northern Virginia Community College in addition to her demanding role as first lady, said students must exercise their rights to disagree and to dissent, to speak up when they see injustice and support leaders who listen to their concerns.

The first lady pointed out that, in the United States, 'we are still defending and strengthening our democracy, almost 250 years after our founding.'

Democracy isnt easy. It takes work, she said during the rousing, rally-style speech. But its worth it, because democracy delivers.

Naomi Biden stepped in to help hold down Jill Biden's skirt

The first lady has long been described as a key figure in Biden's orbit as he plans his future. 'Because I'm his wife,' she laughed
Three US nationals tried to smuggle cannabis worth more than 1.7 million into the UK in their baggage when they flew from LA to Heathrow Airport.

Barrington Walters, 24, from Los Angeles, and Mandy Silowka, 34, from Princeton, New Jersey, were caught with a total of nearly 60 kilos -9.45st- of marijuana.

Border Force officers found 33 kilos of herbal cannabis in bags belonging to Walters and another 26.5 kilos in suitcases checked in by Silowka when they landed on flights from LAX.

Both were stopped after arriving on the same United Airlines flight from Los Angeles on January, 17, police said.

Investigators estimate the total amount of all the cannabis found in their luggage had a combined street value of over 1.7 million.

Barrington Walters, 24, from Los Angeles, and Mandy Silowka, 34, from Princeton, New Jersey, were caught with a total of nearly 60 kilos -9.45st- of marijuana on January, 17 and Kiara Lanee Malone, 31, from St Louis, Missouri, was also arrested after also arriving at Heathrow Airport from California with 27.5 kilos of cannabis in her luggage on January, 10

Investigators estimate the total amount of all the cannabis found in their luggage belonging to Walters and Silowka had a combined street value of over 1.7 million

Kiara Lanee Malone, 31, from St Louis, Missouri, was also arrested after also arriving at Heathrow Airport from California with 27.5 kilos of cannabis in her luggage on January 10.

Malone claimed she was travelling to the UK to have cosmetic procedures and said she was given the bags to bring to the UK by someone else, but believed they only had clothes inside.

The convictions follow a string of arrests involving seizures made from flights from the US.

Cannabis grown legally in parts of America can attract a premium price in the UK.

Experts said cannabis from California, where it can be grown legally, can fetch a much higher price by selling to gangs in the UK.

At Isleworth Crown Court yesterday, Silowka was jailed for a year and Walters was handed a 10-month prison term. Both pleaded guilty during an earlier hearing.

At Isleworth Crown Court yesterday, Silowka was jailed for a year and Walters was handed a 10-month prison term

Malone claimed she was travelling to the UK to have cosmetic procedures and was given the bags by someone else

Cannabis grown legally in parts of America can attract a premium price in the UK

Malone also admitted the offence at the same court today and was remanded in custody to be sentenced next month.

NCA Heathrow branch commander, Andy Noyes, said: 'These cases serve as further warnings to those who think they can get away with smuggling drugs into the UK.

'No matter what you might get told by those organising these trips, you will get caught, and as these individuals will tell you, you will face jail time.'

Fellow US national, Isabella Carrasco, was arrested following a large cannabis seizure at Edinburgh airport when she arrived on a flight from LA, via London.

Carrasco has been charged and committed to appear before Edinburgh Sheriff Court next week.

The case is being investigated by the Organised Crime Partnership in Scotland, a joint team of NCA and Police Scotland officers.
The Ukrainian President reiterated he would not hold talks with Vladimir Putin

It will be 'beneficial for our countries and for security in the world,' Zelensky said

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday he plans to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping after Beijing called for urgent peace talks to end the war in Ukraine.

Mr Zelensky did not say when such a meeting might take place but said he believed the talks would be crucial for global security.

'I plan to meet Xi Jinping and believe this will be beneficial for our countries and for security in the world,' he told a news conference in Kyiv on the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Mr Zelensky also reiterated that he would not hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The news comes after China called for an urgent ceasefire and for immediate peace talks to end the war between Ukraine and Russia earlier on Friday.

Mr Zelensky said he believed Russia-allied China did not offer a concrete plan but some 'thoughts'. Pictured: Xi Jinping and Putin in Beijing, China, February 4, 2022

Mr Zelensky also reiterated that he would not hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, at a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine today

China said it wants to prevent the crisis from getting further out of control, noting that dialogue and negotiation are the only viable ways to resolve the conflict, according to a position paper released on Friday.

In a 12-point peace plan, Beijing most notably called for an end to Western sanctions, negotiations between the countries which would likely see Ukraine ceding territory, a NATO pull-back from its eastern borders, and reconstruction efforts that would likely benefit Chinese contractors.

Mr Zelensky said he welcomed some elements of the Chinese proposal for a ceasefire, but said only the country where a war is being fought should be the initiator of a peace plan.

'It's an important signal that they are preparing to take part in this theme,' he said during a news conference in Kyiv, referring to China's bid to broker peace.

'So far, I see this as a signal - I don't know what will happen later.'

Mr Zelensky, who said he believed Russia-allied China did not offer a concrete plan but some 'thoughts', also warned Beijing against providing Moscow with arms.

'I very much want to believe that China will not deliver weapons to Russia, and for me this is very important,' he said, speaking on the first anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion.

'This is point number one.'

The Ukrainian leader also said that any plan that did not include a full Russian troop withdrawal would be unacceptable to Kyiv and that peace could not be agreed without the return of all its territory.

China said it wants to prevent the crisis from getting further out of control. Pictured: Vladimir Putin greets China's top diplomat Wang Yi in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday

Ukrainian service members in a tank, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, near the town of Lyman, Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Thursday

A Ukrainian serviceman prepares a Javelin missile system for shooting during an exercise, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, near the town of Lyman, Donetsk region on Thursday

WHAT IS CHINA'S 12-POINT CEASE-FIRE PROPOSAL? 1. Respecting the sovereignty of all countries. Universally recognized international law, including the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, must be strictly observed. The sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries must be effectively upheld. All countries, big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, are equal members of the international community. All parties should jointly uphold the basic norms governing international relations and defend international fairness and justice. Equal and uniform application of international law should be promoted, while double standards must be rejected. 2. Abandoning the Cold War mentality. The security of a country should not be pursued at the expense of others. The security of a region should not be achieved by strengthening or expanding military blocs. The legitimate security interests and concerns of all countries must be taken seriously and addressed properly. There is no simple solution to a complex issue. All parties should, following the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and bearing in mind the long-term peace and stability of the world, help forge a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture. All parties should oppose the pursuit of one's own security at the cost of others' security, prevent bloc confrontation, and work together for peace and stability on the Eurasian Continent. 3. Ceasing hostilities. Conflict and war benefit no one. All parties must stay rational and exercise restraint, avoid fanning the flames and aggravating tensions, and prevent the crisis from deteriorating further or even spiraling out of control. All parties should support Russia and Ukraine in working in the same direction and resuming direct dialogue as quickly as possible, so as to gradually deescalate the situation and ultimately reach a comprehensive ceasefire. 4. Resuming peace talks. Dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis. All efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis must be encouraged and supported. The international community should stay committed to the right approach of promoting talks for peace, help parties to the conflict open the door to a political settlement as soon as possible, and create conditions and platforms for the resumption of negotiation. China will continue to play a constructive role in this regard. 5. Resolving the humanitarian crisis. All measures conducive to easing the humanitarian crisis must be encouraged and supported. Humanitarian operations should follow the principles of neutrality and impartiality, and humanitarian issues should not be politicized. The safety of civilians must be effectively protected, and humanitarian corridors should be set up for the evacuation of civilians from conflict zones. Efforts are needed to increase humanitarian assistance to relevant areas, improve humanitarian conditions, and provide rapid, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, with a view to preventing a humanitarian crisis on a larger scale. The UN should be supported in playing a coordinating role in channeling humanitarian aid to conflict zones. 6. Protecting civilians and prisoners of war (POWs). Parties to the conflict should strictly abide by international humanitarian law, avoid attacking civilians or civilian facilities, protect women, children and other victims of the conflict, and respect the basic rights of POWs. China supports the exchange of POWs between Russia and Ukraine, and calls on all parties to create more favorable conditions for this purpose. 7. Keeping nuclear power plants safe. China opposes armed attacks against nuclear power plants or other peaceful nuclear facilities, and calls on all parties to comply with international law including the Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS) and resolutely avoid man-made nuclear accidents. China supports the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in playing a constructive role in promoting the safety and security of peaceful nuclear facilities. 8. Reducing strategic risks. Nuclear weapons must not be used and nuclear wars must not be fought. The threat or use of nuclear weapons should be opposed. Nuclear proliferation must be prevented and nuclear crisis avoided. China opposes the research, development and use of chemical and biological weapons by any country under any circumstances. 9. Facilitating grain exports. All parties need to implement the Black Sea Grain Initiative signed by Russia, Turkiye, Ukraine and the UN fully and effectively in a balanced manner, and support the UN in playing an important role in this regard. The cooperation initiative on global food security proposed by China provides a feasible solution to the global food crisis. 10. Stopping unilateral sanctions. Unilateral sanctions and maximum pressure cannot solve the issue; they only create new problems. China opposes unilateral sanctions unauthorized by the UN Security Council. Relevant countries should stop abusing unilateral sanctions and 'long-arm jurisdiction' against other countries, so as to do their share in deescalating the Ukraine crisis and create conditions for developing countries to grow their economies and better the lives of their people. 11. Keeping industrial and supply chains stable. All parties should earnestly maintain the existing world economic system and oppose using the world economy as a tool or weapon for political purposes. Joint efforts are needed to mitigate the spillovers of the crisis and prevent it from disrupting international cooperation in energy, finance, food trade and transportation and undermining the global economic recovery. 12. Promoting post-conflict reconstruction. The international community needs to take measures to support post-conflict reconstruction in conflict zones. China stands ready to provide assistance and play a constructive role in this endeavor. Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China Advertisement

Russia's Foreign Ministry welcomed the proposal from its Chinese allies, and said it remains open to political and diplomatic efforts. The Russian ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova praised the plan for 'implying halting the flow of Western weapons' and 'acknowledging the territorial realities that have emerged.'

China's proposal was largely met with scepticism in the West and in Kyiv, with the head of NATO arguing that Beijing 'doesn't have much credibility'.

Western leaders questioned what the real motive behind China's 12-point peace plan is - given that Beijing has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Russia and parroted the Kremlin's talking points about NATO expansionism.

The President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he was 'doubtful' about China's willingness to mediate in the conflict, while NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Beijing lacks credibility. Indeed, Stoltenberg said there were signs China is planning to supply Moscow with weapons and ammunition.

'China doesn't have much credibility because they have not been able to condemn the illegal invasion of Ukraine,' Stoltenberg told reporters in Tallinn, adding Beijing had signed an agreement with Putin only days before the invasion.

Stoltenberg also said that while there was no evidence so far that China has supplied weapons to Russia, there were signs that it might. US intelligence has also raised the same concerns that China is planning to supply Moscow with weapons and ammunition - something that Beijing denies.

'We have not seen actual delivery of lethal aid, but what we have seen are signs and indications that China may be planning and considering the supply of military aid to Russia,' Stoltenberg said. 'China should not do that.'

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said China had not shared a peace plan - just a series of principles.

'You have to see them against a specific backdrop, and that is the backdrop that China has already taken sides by signing, for example, an unlimited friendship [treaty] right before the invasion,' she noted.

'So we will look at the principles, of course, but we will look at them against the backdrop that China has taken sides,' she added.

The proposal is 'an attempt for public relations on the part of China,' said Li Mingjiang, a professor and international security expert at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University. 'I'm not convinced that this policy is going to improve their credibility in being an honest broker.'

Speaking after China issued the paper, but without referring to it, Zhanna Leshchynska, charge d'affaires at the Ukrainian embassy in Beijing, said her country doesn't want peace at any price.

'We will not agree to anything that keeps Ukrainian territories occupied and puts our people at the aggressor's mercy,' Leshchynska told a gathering at the EU mission to China marking the anniversary of the invasion.

Leonid Slutsky, a senior Russian lawmaker, said the plan contains moves that would mark 'an end of the hegemony of the collective West.'

Ukraine's allies expressed skepticism. U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on CNN that his first reaction to the proposal was that 'it could stop at point one, which is: Respect the sovereignty of all nations.'

He added: 'This war could end tomorrow if Russia stopped attacking Ukraine and withdrew its forces.... This was a war of choice.'

German government spokesman Wolfgang Buchner said the Chinese proposal contained several important points, but was missing a key one: 'first and foremost the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.'

China abstained Thursday when the U.N. General Assembly approved a nonbinding resolution that calls for Russia to end hostilities in Ukraine and withdraw its forces.

The 12-point paper also urges measures to prevent attacks on civilians and civilian facilities, keep nuclear facilities safe, establish humanitarian corridors for civilians and ensure the export of grain. It called for an end to the 'Cold War mentality' - China's standard term for what it regards as U.S. hegemony, and maintenance of alliances such as NATO.

'Dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis.' the proposal said. It offered no details on what form talks should take but said 'China will continue to play a constructive role in this regard.'

While neither Kyiv nor Moscow might pay much heed to the Chinese proposal, Beijing needed to clarify its stance, said Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Beijing's Renmin University.

'China feels it necessary to repeat its self-perceived neutrality at this juncture, to save some international inference by not only criticizing NATO but also distinguishing itself from Russia's behavior,' Shi said.

The proposal comes as U.S.-China relations have hit a historic low over Taiwan, disputes over trade and technology, human rights, and China's aggressive actions in the South China Sea.

The U.S. recently said China may be preparing to provide Russia with military aid, an allegation that Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin called 'nothing more than slander and smears.'

On Friday he referred to a 'massive disinformation in this respect against China.'

Wang was responding to a report in the German magazine Der Spiegel that Russia's military was negotiating with a small Chinese drone manufacturer for the 'components and know-how' to allow the country to manufacture about 100 suicide drones a month.

China has claimed to be neutral in the conflict, but it has a 'no-limits' relationship with Russia and has refused to criticize its invasion of Ukraine, while accusing the West of provoking the conflict and 'fanning the flames' by providing Kyiv with defensive arms.

Russia and China have increasingly aligned their foreign policies to oppose the US-led liberal international order.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi reaffirmed the strength of those ties when he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a visit to Moscow this week.

China has also been accused by the US of possibly preparing to provide Russia with military aid, something Beijing says lacks evidence.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said earlier on Thursday that the US would reserve judgement but that China's allegiance with Russia meant it was not a neutral mediator.

'We would like to see nothing more than a just and durable peace... but we are sceptical that reports of a proposal like this will be a constructive path forward,' he said.

Price added that the US hopes 'all countries that have a relationship with Russia unlike the one that we have will use that leverage, will use that influence to push Russia meaningfully and usefully to end this brutal war of aggression.

'(China) is in a position to do that in ways that we just aren't.'

The peace proposal mainly elaborated on long-held Chinese positions, including referring to the need that all countries' 'sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity be effectively guaranteed'.

It also called an end to the 'Cold War mentality' - its standard term for what it regards as US hegemony and interference in other countries.

'A country's security cannot be at the expense of other countries security, and regional security cannot be guaranteed by strengthening or even expanding military blocs,' the proposal said. '

The legitimate security interests and concerns of all countries should be taken seriously and properly addressed.'
During Margaret Thatcher's 11 years as Prime Minister, hundreds of different faces passed through the doors of Downing Street.

But one man who was by her side for nearly all her time in office was her gruff press secretary Sir Bernard Ingham.

Dubbed the forerunner to New Labour's 'master of spin' Alastair Campbell, he was an abrasive gatekeeper of information for the British media.

Sir Bernard, who has died aged 90, was a professional shield and personal confidant to Mrs Thatcher, a radical Conservative.

He stood by her in her times of greatest need, with Mrs Thatcher describing him as a 'tough, blunt, humorous Yorkshireman he never let me down.'

With his forthright way of speaking and his famously large eyebrows, he was an instantly recognisable figure both within and beyond politics  and was at times variously described by critics as 'an obnoxious rent-a-spleen', 'a mound of poisoned suet' and the 'Yorkshire Rasputin.'

When Margaret Thatcher was forced by her own ministers to resign in November 1990 after 11 years in power, her press secretary Bernard Ingham stayed loyal until the very end. Pictured: The pair in Downing Street in 1983

But Sir Bernard didn't have the background that would be expected for someone who was so close to the 20th-century's longest-serving Conservative PM.

Born in Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire, on 21 June 1932, young Bernard was the son of a cotton weaver.

He attended Hebden Bridge Grammar School and became a journalist and activist for the Labour Party.

Sir Bernard worked as a reporter first for the Hebden Bridge Times and then the Yorkshire Post before spending five years at the Guardian from 1962.

His time on the press side of communications ended when he joined the civil service in 1967 as an information officer.

The role saw him work for Labour grandees Barbara Castle and Tony Benn, who were ministers in James Callaghan's government.

Despite Benn being a million miles politically from his future boss, Sir Bernard had good memories of him.

'He was a wonderful person to work for when he wasn't playing politics,' Sir Bernard said in a 2017 interview.

'Wonderful sense of humour, marvellous to travel with. It was only when he started playing politics that he went barmy.'

Five months after Mrs Thatcher won the 1979 election, her aides cast around for a new press secretary.

It was Sir Bernard, plucked from the Department for Energy, who Mrs Thatcher turned to.

Born on June 21, 1932 and educated at Hebden Bridge Grammar School, Sir Bernard started his career in journalism aged 16 on his local paper in West Yorkshire

Sir Bernard is seen with Mrs Thatcher and minister Geoffrey Howe at Brize Norton in December 1987, after their return from a meeting with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev

A close relationship quickly developed between the pair and Sir Bernard ensured that Mrs Thatcher pay proper attention to how she was reported in the media.

He built up a more formidable operation than previous administrations, becoming the effective head of government information as well as the Downing Street press office.

In carrying out his duties, he gained some public notoriety in his own right.

Off the record comments in press briefings which often ended up being attributed to Downing Street, or the Prime Minister herself, got him into trouble more than once.

This ability to 'spin' a line helped though in international affairs, with Mrs Thatcher's famous assertion that Gorbachev was 'a man I can do business with', coming from his pen.

It was this talent which led journalist Peter Oborne to assert that Alastair Campbell would 'not have been possible' had the Yorkshireman not made such an impression on the role.

But unlike Campbell, Sir Bernard was and remained a civil servant.

Margaret Thatcher is seen with her Press Secretary in Downing Street in April 1988

Sir Bernard sits next to his boss at a press conference in 1982, the year of the Falklands War

He never attended party functions, did not have sway over government ministers and did not attend cabinet meetings.

Campbell  a political appointee  was given the unprecedented power by Tony Blair to dictate to civil servants and was overtly party-political.

Like his famously forthright boss though, Sir Bernard clearly struggled with accepting when he was wrong.

In an infamous 1996 reply to Liverpool fan Graham Skinner following the 1989 Hillsborough tragedy, he wrote: 'I am sorry you are disgusted with the uncomfortable truth about the real cause of the Hillsborough disaster.

'who if not the tanked-up yobs who turned up late determined to get into the ground caused the disaster?

'To blame the police, even though they have made mistakes, is contemptible.'

Even following the 2016 finding that the 96 Liverpool fans who died were unlawfully killed  in part due to police failings  and had played no role in the disaster, Sir Bernard refused to withdraw his remarks.

Bernard Ingham at the funeral of Margaret Thatcher in St Paul's Cathedral in 2013

Sir Bernard Ingham arriving at the funeral of Sir Denis Thatcher in 2002

Following Mrs Thatcher's political demise in November 1990, Sir Bernard left the civil service.

Perhaps ironic for someone whose background and character seemed so at odds with patronage and privilege, Thatcher gave Sir Bernard a knighthood as a parting gift.

He went on to write several books, including his memoirs, Kill The Messenger, and his diaries, which were released in 2019.

In 1991, he joined fast food chain McDonald's as a non-executive director.

When asked in a 2003 interview with the Independent if he liked their food, he said in typical cantankerous style: 'Yes. I do.

'People will say that's the final nail in my coffin but I think there is an enormous snobbery about food in Britain.

'I can't stand those food snobs who look down their long, aquiline noses at McDonald's and take their kids in at the weekends.

He returned to journalism too, writing columns for the Daily Express the Yorkshire Post until a few days before his death.

His Hillsborough comments came back to bite him again in 2013 with a successful campaign to remove him as a columnist for the Hebden Bridge Times, which he had returned to following his retirement from the civil service.

Sir Bernard was married to his wife Nancy for 61 years until her death in January 2017.

'I think it is generally recognised I could not have done my 11 years in No 10 without her support, given the hours worked and the time abroad,' he said in tribute.

He is survived by his son John, two grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
A Christian trust running 11 schools has told teachers to 're-educate' children who make non-PC comments in the playground.

The Aquinas Church of England Education Trust was today warned by a former Downing Street adviser that its approach appeared 'very sinister'  and could even backfire by turning controversial phrases into 'forbidden fruit'.

The trust, named after noted medieval philosopher and theologian Saint Thomas Aquinas, set out its move to challenge 'negative language and actions' in its Equality, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion policy.

In the latest woke move, its schools, in south-east London, Kent and East Sussex, are urged to 'challenge negative language and actions, re-educating and using sanctions where appropriate'.

The trust says teachers 'must challenge' pupils using phrases such as 'that is mental'  an expression heavily used by celebrities  and 'stop acting like a girl'.

A Christian trust running 11 schools has told teachers to 're-educate' children who make non-PC comments in the playground (File image)

It advises teachers that initially they should reason with children and explain why the terms are offensive or inappropriate.

But the policy goes on to say: 'If repeated, the form tutor needs to 're-educate' the student. More than two occasions = sanctions.' It adds that for 'direct name calling' involving sexuality or disability, 'the form tutor/pastoral leader MUST give a sanction, eg a phone call home, detention, community service'.

Retired headteacher Chris McGovern, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education and a former education adviser to David Cameron when he was Prime Minister, said the trust's approach was wrong.

He said: 'It's very sinister. The phrases are in common use in the playground and if you start to focus on those for re-education, pupils could actually be drawn to them because you are making them forbidden fruit.

'While certain children will take the policy seriously, others could be drawn to the phrases deemed as not acceptable and will see it as a challenge. Re-education is a very unfortunate term as it is associated with authoritarian and totalitarian thinking.'

Mr McGovern said the schools should instead 'give a broad view' of the issue and 'talk about how certain types of language can be considered'.

He criticised the wider situation, including revisions of books by children's author Roald Dahl, as 'a narrowing of language to suit an increasingly woke ideology'. He added: 'I don't think the great St Thomas Aquinas would have been happy about this.'

Retired headteacher Chris McGovern (pictured), chairman of the Campaign for Real Education and a former education adviser to David Cameron when he was Prime Minister, said the trust's approach was wrong

The trust runs ten primary schools in Bromley, Chislehurst and Penge in south-east London, Keston and Westerham in Kent, and Rye in East Sussex, and one secondary school, Rye College.

A parent at St Nicholas' Church of England Primary, Chislehurst - one of the schools run by the Aquinas Trust - said children are 'far too young' to understand the language policy.

The 30-year-old administration assistant, who asked to remain anonymous, said: 'It's too confusing for children at that age to be told they can't say certain things.

The mother-of-three, who has three children at the school, added: 'They're far too young.'I think schools should at least wait until they're older and they've got more knowledge and their brain can actually understand these things.'

Another mother, whose son attends St Nicholas', raised concerns the policy is pushing an 'ideology' rather than promoting equality.

The 36-year-old finance assistant said: 'I honestly think these subjects should be left until they're older.

'I'm very much for equality and education, and all identities should be celebrated, but our children need to come first.

'Lobby groups have so much influence on the government. It needs to be looked into as to whether this is equality or whether it's going further and pushing some kind of ideology.'

The controversy comes after Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service's 172,000 chief fire officer said use of the word 'firemen' will no longer be tolerated.

Meanwhile, Dahl's classic books have been changed, altering references about weight, mental health, violence, gender and race.

The Aquinas Trust, whose schools are rated 'good' by Ofsted inspectors, said 'all staff, pupils and volunteers' have a 'duty to act in accordance with this policy and treat others with dignity at all times, and not to discriminate against or harass others'.

The trust, based in Bromley, added: 'This policy has been developed with the trust's Christian values and principles as its basis.

'The entitlement to develop, learn and work in an environment free from discrimination is implicit in the Trust's Christian ethos, the core of which is the ultimate worth and dignity of every human being before God.'
House Democrats are revolting after Texas Republican Rep. Lance Gooden questioned the loyalty of Chinese-American Rep. Judy Chu and suggested she shouldn't be privy to classified information.

The remarks came after Chu defended President Biden's pick to lead U.S. trade interests in Asia, Dominic Ng against accusations that he is working on behalf of Beijing.

'I question her either loyalty or competence,' Gooden said on Fox News on Wednesday. 'If she doesn't realize what's going on then she's totally out of touch with one of her core constituencies.'

Chu, a Democrat from California, called Gooden's remarks 'racist' and demanded an apology.

Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries called the accusations 'unconscionable and xenophobic.'

'Congressman Gooden appears to sympathize with violent insurrectionists and spreads big lies to the American people, having voted not to certify the election of President Joe Biden. Look in the mirror, Lance. You have zero credibility,' Jeffries said.

House Democrats are revolting after Texas Republican Rep. Lance Gooden questioned the loyalty of Chinese-American Rep. Judy Chu and suggested she shouldn't be privy to classified information

Chu had defended business executive and Democratic donor Ng after the Daily Caller published a report saying that Ng had been a member of two Chinese front groups.

Biden appointed Ng, CEO of East West Bank, last year to head the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Advisory Council.

Ng served as executive director at the China Overseas Exchange Association (COEA) from 2013 to 2017, before taking on a five-year term as executive director of the related China Overseas Friendship Association (COFA) in 2019, according to the Caller.

'I question her either loyalty or competence,' Rep Lance Gooden said on Fox News on Wednesday. 'If she doesn't realize what's going on then she's totally out of touch with one of her core constituencies'

The remarks came after Chu defended President Biden's pick to lead U.S. trade interests in Asia , Dominic Ng against accusations that he is working on behalf of Beijing

The Caller cited reports from the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) that found both the COEA and COFA are front groups for United Front Work Department (UFWD), a CCP agency that does intelligence and influence operations.

Gooden, member of the Judiciary Committee, and five other Republicans demanded Ng be investigated by the FBI.

Chu, head of the Asian Pacific American Caucus, led her Democratic colleagues in a statement condemning the outrage over Ng as 'profiling.'

'No Chinese Americans  indeed no Americans  should face suspicions of disloyalty or treason based on their ethnicity, nation of origin, or that of their family members,' the Democrats said.

Gooden characterized Chu as the 'ringleader' of Ng's defense and told Fox: 'We're standing up to communist China and these Democrats' first reaction is to come to their defense and call us all racists.'

'I'm really disappointed and shocked that someone like Judy Chu would have a security clearance and be entitled to confidential intelligence briefings until this is figured out.'

Members of Congress don't always hold official security clearances but are generally deemed trustworthy with classified information in briefings.

Asked about the criticism of his remarks from Chu and Jeffries, Gooden said in a statement: 'Rather than following facts that indicate the presence of Chinese espionage, Chu and Jeffries are playing the race card in a sick display of disloyalty to our nation.'

The clash comes at a time of fraught political tensions between Beijing and Washington, with House Republicans setting their sights on China competition and Covid-19 origins and the Pentagon upping the number of U.S. forces in Taiwan amid fears of a Chinese invasion.

Efforts to limit Beijing's power around the world are ramping up amid fears that the CCP will provide assistance to Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.

The accusations of racial profiling come as the nation marked 81 years of another time when Asian Americans were targeted during another time of bitter geopolitical divide. In February 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized rounding up Japanese-Americans and shipping them off to internment camps months after the U.S. entered World War II.
Rushdie has led the charge against free speech censorship since his 1988 novel The Satanic Verses led to a fatwah placed against him

PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel said he reached out to ask if the organization can 'take some sort of stand against this'. They've now backed down

Salman Rushdie waded into the debate over woke editing of Roald Dahl's books

Salman Rushdie helped stamp out woke plans to censor Roald Dahl's books with a heartfelt tweet blasting the toned-down updates.

Suzanne Nossel, PEN America's chief executive, shared in a tweet how the celebrated author reached out to her after news that Dahl's work would be airbrushed to fit woke standards.

In a note to Nossel, Rushdie slammed the move as 'insane', adding: 'Roald Dahl was a bigot and he never supported me, but really?'

'We cant say fat or female? Can we take some sort of stand against this? Or pointless?'

Rushdie is a champion of free speech after hardline Islamists ordered him killed over his 1988 novel The Satanic Verses. In August 2022, he was stabbed by an Islamist fanatic at an upstate New York literary festival, and almost lost an eye.

Outrage from Rushdie and others on Friday led Dahl publisher Penguin-Puffin to backtrack, with 'classic' uncensored versions of the popular children's novels to remain on sale alongside the updated tomes.

Author Salman Rushdie, pictured, is among those to criticize the move to edit Roald Dahl's books, slamming the move as 'insane'

New editions of Roald Dahl's work are being edited by 'sensitivity gurus' to meet woke standards

Public debate of the 'Orwellian' censorship of Dahl's work has seen severe backlash launched at publishing house Puffin, ran by parent company Penguin.

The revision of the classic books, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The BFG, will see the publisher edit out words such as 'fat' and 'ugly' to appease woke standards.

Following its unpopular decision modify his books, the company announced it will now 'keep the author's classic texts' in print, which will remain in circulation alongside the reworked novels.

The U-turn came in part thanks to persistent pressure from the industry itself, with PEN America representing over 7,000 people within the US writers' network.

Revealing how Rushdie, who is a member of the organization, waded into the debate, Nossel said she immediately knew: 'We've got to do something'.

Despite his questioning over whether speaking out would be 'pointless', she added that the un-edited work will remain in bookstores 'thanks to his clarion voice and that of others.'

'Readers can choose which they want... I applaud Penguin for hearing out critics, taking the time to rethink this, and coming to the right place.

'So many of us agree on the need to build a more inclusive, equitable world, and also that that quest need not - and must not - come at the expense of free speech, truth, and reckoning with what is difficult.

'Here's hoping we can freely debate other issues that divide us, sustaining a society that is open to both all people and all ideas.'

Rushdie also took to Twitter to blast the censorship of the classic children's books himself, saying: 'Roald Dahl was no angel but this is absurd censorship.

'Puffin Books and the Dahl estate should be ashamed.'

Salman Rushdie has been a leader in the fight for free speech since since his novel The Satanic Verses led the Supreme Leader of Iran Ruhollah Khomeini to declare a fatwa against him in 1989

EN America CEO Suzanne Nossel has revealed how Rushdie waded into the debate, reaching out to her to brand the move as 'insane'

The woke editing of Dahl's work will see Charlie and the Chocolate character Augustus Gloop be described as 'enormous' instead of 'fat', while Oompa Loompas are set to become gender neutral

How editors changed Roald Dahl's stories CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY 2001 - Mrs Salt was a great fat creature with short legs, and she was blowing like a rhinoceros 2022 - Mrs Salt was so out of breath, she was blowing like a rhinoceros THE TWITS 2001 - Mrs Twit may have been ugly and she may have been beastly, but she was not stupid 2022 - Mrs Twit may have been beastly, but she was not stupid. MATILDA 2001 - Get your mother or father 2022 - Get your family THE BFG 2001 - 'BFG,' she said, 'would you please tell these rather dim-witted characters exactly what to do.' 2022 - 'BFG,' she said, 'would you please tell them exactly what to do'. THE ENORMOUS CROCODILE 2001 - We eat little boys and girls 2022 - We eat little children ESIO TROT 2001 - 'I beg you to tell me Mr Hoppy! I'll be your slave for life.' 2022 - 'I beg you to tell me Mr Hoppy! You'll be my hero for life.' FANTASTIC MR FOX 2001 - Bunce, the little pot-bellied dwarf, looked up at Bean 2022 - Bunce looked up at Bean JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH 2001 - They were like a couple of hunters who had just shot an elephant 2022 - They were like a couple of hunters who had just shot their prey Advertisement

Puffin said in a statement this afternoon that they will release two versions of each of Dahl's work, one the original and the other to meet the new 'criteria'.

Among the changes being made to Dahl's books include editing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, where Augustus Gloop will be branded 'enormous' instead of fat while Oompa Loompas will be made gender neutral.

Mrs Twit's 'fearful ugliness' has been cut to 'ugliness' and Mrs Hoppy in Esio Trot is not an 'attractive middle-aged lady' but a 'kind middle-aged lady'.

As well as the removal of certain words, the publisher is also adding extra passages to add woke context to the books.

For example, in The Witches, a paragraph detailing how they wore wigs because they are bald is followed by: 'There are plenty of other reasons why women might wear wigs and there is certainly nothing wrong with that.'

Backlash over the changes came as new polling for MailOnline by Redfield & Wilton Strategies found almost two out of three Britons (60 per cent) disagree with changing language in classic children's books and 63 per cent opposed recent changes to the books of Roald Dahl.

Just 20 per cent supported the edits.

Joining Rushdie in his criticism of the move is Queen Consort Camilla, who hit out at the decision during a reception with many of Britain's top writers.

Amid criticism that publishers are hiring 'sensitivity gurus' to remove 'offensive' language in Dahl's work, she said: 'Please remain true to your calling, unimpeded by those who may wish to curb the freedom of your expression or impose limits on your imagination.'

Alongside detailing her interaction with Rushdie, Nossel admitted it was a 'miracle that Salman is back in action', following a horrific attempted assassination spurred by the 30-year fatwa placed on him by the ayatollah of Iran.

The attack, which took place in New York in August 2022, saw a New Jersey man with 'sympathies toward the Iranian government' stab the novelist ahead of a speech in Buffalo.

Witnesses claim that Rushdie was stabbed 10 to 15 times, before the alleged attacker Hadi Matar, 24, of Fairview, New Jersey, was arrested by law enforcement.
Heavy snow and rainfall battered large swathes of California on Friday while thousands of households in Michigan suffered power outages as the country was hit by one of the worst ice storms in decades.

The Hollywood sign was submerged in heavy clouds as children in the Golden State made the most of the rare, icy weather by initiating snowball fights.

'Storm Olive,' as it has been coined, also wreaked havoc on airlines with thousands of flights delayed and hundreds cancelled.

The extreme weather caused major vehicle pileups and road closures. Many schools also shut their doors.

It comes as the storm claimed its first victim on Wednesday when a Michigan firefighter died from being struck by a downed powerline. The weather had already dumped more than two feet of snow on parts of Utah earlier in the week.

The Hollywood sign was pictured though heavy clouds on Friday February 23 during a rare wintry spell in Los Angeles

Gael Guzman, eight, is pictured making a snowball with his family including 11-year-old brother Atziel

Atziel is pictured making the most of the rare, icy weather in the Golden State by having a snowball fight with his family

The National Weather Service warned of a ' cold and dangerous winter storm ' that would last through Saturday in California.

Blizzard warnings were posted in the Sierra Nevada and Southern California mountain ranges, where as much as 5 feet (1.5 meters) of snow was expected.

'Simply put, this will be a historic event for the amount of snow over the higher peaks and lower elevation snow,' said the regional weather office.

Interstate 5, the West Coasts major north-south highway, was closed south of the Oregon border as snow fell to the floor of the Sacramento Valley and in a high mountain pass north of Los Angeles, where blizzard warnings were in effect.

Smaller roads were also closed.

Forecasters warned of severe thunderstorms that could create waterspouts off the Southern California coast.

A blizzard warning was in effect in part of Nevada.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, hundreds of people drove up to 2,500-foot Mount Tamalpais to play in the snow including 19-year-old Julian Skerrett, of Corte Madera.

'It looks like were in Tahoe almost,' he said as flakes fell steadily. 'Its like a powder day, pretty fluffy snow.'

In other storm-battered parts of the country, though, the beauty was lost on most.

More than 300 flights were canceled and over 3,000 delayed as of midday Friday, according to FlightAware.com.

A ventusky map shows parts of the area, marked in purple, were covered in up to 30 inches of snow

Snow covers mailboxes in Angwin, California, on Friday afternoon. A large winter storm brought snow overnight to parts of Napa Valley

A sign for a vineyard is covered in snow as storm battered parts of California and left 820,000 households in Michigan without power

Much of Portland, Oregon, remained shut down Friday with icy roads not expected to thaw until Saturday after the citys second-heaviest snowfall on record this week - nearly 11 inches.

The storms have blacked out nearly 1 million homes and businesses from coast to coast.

Michigan was hardest hit after a storm this week coated branches, power lines and utility poles with ice as thick as three-quarters of an inch, putting more than 820,000 customers in the dark at one point.

By Friday, that was down to under 700,000, most in the state's populous southeastern corner, around Detroit.

Power is expected to be restored by Sunday - though temperatures are expected to climb back above zero by then.

Apurva Gokhale, of Walled Lake, Michigan, said: 'Thats really vague and thats really long,'

'Thats four days without power in such weather. Its unthinkable.'

Her home lost power early Thursday. By that evening, the temperature inside had dropped to 55 degrees (12 Celsius). She, her husband and son stayed the night with relatives.

Tom Rankin, 70, said he and his wife were unable to reach his 100-year-old mother-in-law Friday morning by phone.

The couple drove to her home in Bloomfield Township, Michigan, to find her in bed 'with a whole lot of blankets,' Rankin said.

A car drives through the snowy weather in the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles National Forest on Friday

A truck drives on a snow-covered road in Angwin, California. The National Weather Service warned the 'cold and dangerous winter storm' would last through Saturday

Other parts of the Golden State were hit by heavy rain. A passer-by carries an orange umberella through the rain at Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles on Friday

Venice Beach Boardwalk appeared virtually empty on Friday afternoon as locals avoided the rain

Tim Varner, 57, uses blankets to stay warm in the snow as he huddles with his belongings in a storefront in Portland, Oregon

She was fine and the temperature in her home was about 65 degrees after she lost power Thursday afternoon.

A Michigan firefighter died Wednesday after coming in contact with a downed power line in Paw Paw, authorities said.

'Weve not had an ice storm in the last 50 years that has impacted our infrastructure like this,' said Trevor Lauer, president of DTE Electric.

In Southern California, the latest storm began moving in Thursday with rain and snow flurries.

Flood watches and warnings were in effect through Saturday afternoon for some coastal regions and valleys, and the potential for rainfall causing flooding and debris flow in some areas burned by wildfires in recent years.

Parts of Interstate 80 in California and Wyoming closed, including about a 70-mile (112-kilometer) stretch over the top of the Sierra Nevada linking California and Nevada.

Evacuation warnings also were issued in Ventura County for four areas considered unstable after being hit hard by storms last month.

The storm has added to major precipitation from December and January 'atmospheric rivers' that improved Californias drought outlook, but authorities who allocate water to farms, cities and industries remain cautious because of a recent history of abrupt changes in hydrologic conditions.

A dusting of snow covers the property at Castello di Amorosa Winery on February 24 in Calistoga, California

The rare winter blizzard was one of the first to hit California in more than 30 years. A vehicle is photographed stuck on a roadway in the San Gabriel Mountains

Kevin Savaya, manager at Mr. C's Deli, carries bags of ice past empty coolers in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. The business stayed open using a generator

The weather service said temperatures could drop far below normal in the region, posing a special risk to homeless people.
A mental health advocate has launched a furious defense for the 6'6" boy, 17, who attacked and knocked a teaching aide unconscious after she took his Nintendo Switch away from him.

Sue Urban - whose 17-year-old son Nicholas graduated from Matanzas High School before taking his own life - has responded to the incident where a 17-year-old special needs student, who weighs 270 pounds, attacked his teaching aide on Tuesday.

Neither the student nor the teaching aide's names have been released publicly.

'This is not this child's fault. He is not a threat,' Urban said in an emotionally Facebook Live. 'This is a mental health issue. This is a problem with our system, it is broken.

'That post needs to be removed from the Flagler County Sheriff's website immediately.'

Urban, who also has a stepson in the same behavioral wing as the boy in the video, told DailyMail.com this special wing is for 'children that are not in the general population of the high school,' and that her son and the boy were 'school friends,' but in separate classes.

'This is not just a thug,' she told DailyMail.com. 'People need to be educated on children that have ESE [Exceptional Student Education]. They should also be educated on impulsive aggression behavior, and that most times these children do not understand the consequences of the behavior.'

Sue Urban - whose 17-year-old son graduated from Matanzas High School before taking his own life - has responded to the incident where a 17-year-old special needs student, who weighs 270 pounds, attacked his teaching aide on Tuesday

The Matanzas High School student (pictured), who was not named due to his age, violently attacked the teaching aide after telling another student he was 'going to kill her' for taking his $300 handheld game away on Tuesday

She also told DailyMail.com that the child lived in a group home and his mother did not live in Flagler County, which a faculty member told her at the school board meeting on Wednesday night.

In an emotional Facebook Live, Urban, who became a mental health advocate after her son's death, continued: 'That child has mental health issues. He is just that, a child.'

'That teacher - that paraprofessional - should have never been left alone in a situation where she could have been attacked.'

Urban said she is 'sick of these kids being labeled as a threat.' Many have taken to social media to call for jail time for the student - who has been charged with a juvenile felony for aggravated battery - and to call the boy an 'animal.'

He is currently in the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice and could face up to five years for the attack.

'That child should not have been transported to jail, he should have been transported to a mental health facility,' she said on Facebook Live. 'Please stop labeling this child as a monster. Yes, his size is a big factor, [but] he did not know he was doing wrong.

'These kids are given extra attention in those classes. They are given leeway to have these devices, so when they do lose their tempers or if they do get into that mental space, that they can have those Switches or phones or their comfort devices, [so] that they can calm down.'

In surveillance footage, released by the Flagler County Sheriff's Office, the hulking student, 17, of Palm Coast, can be seen rushing up to the teacher, who was also not identified, before launching her across the room

She hits the ground head-first, rendering her unconscious. The special needs student immediately begins kicking her before kneeling down to punch her in the head and torso

However, many do not agree with Urban's position.

Kimberly Rosania told DailyMail.com that 'one of the reasons Im being so vocal is [their identities have] not been released. I care more about whether an innocent woman than I do a predator.'

She also claimed in a Facebook post that the community members 'defended this behavior and this animal.'

'Claiming his disabilities are and should keep him protected, this is insanity! If he was not stable enough to value human life over a $300.00 video game why was he among innocent lives to begin with? Why were those lives less valuable than his education? This a broken system!'

Another woman, Karen Puca, said the video was 'concerning' and said she would 'love to hear how the MHS leadership is handling such nonsense' as several have reported there were more fights this week.

Urban confirmed to DailyMail.com that a lot of fights happen at the school and that the school's leadership needs to do better.

Her body flew several feet before she was knocked unconscious. The student had said he would 'beat her up every time she takes away his game.' The aide, who began working at the school in 2021, was left with severe injuries and was transported to the hospital

It takes five staff members to restrain and drag him away from her body as he fought against them

The student was arrested and taken to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, before being turned over to the Department of Juvenile Justice. He was charged with Felony Aggravated Battery with Bodily Harm, which is punishable up to five years in Florida

Another, CH Crawley, said: 'Put him in prison for assault and attempted murder.'

In surveillance footage, released by the Flagler County Sheriff's Office, the hulking student can be seen rushing up to the teacher, who was also not identified, before launching her across the room, her body flying several feet.

She hits the ground head-first, rendering her unconscious. The special needs student immediately begins kicking her before kneeling down to punch her in the head and torso.

Another woman runs up to the student and grabs his arm, but is unable to pull him off the aide before several others rush to drag him off her. Even after they manage to push him to the ground, he still reaches his leg out to hit her a few more times.

It takes five staff members to restrain and drag him away from her body as he fought against them.

The Flagler County Sheriff's Office found the woman with 'severe injuries' and she was transported to the hospital for treatment.

Many disagree with Sue, saying the boy is an 'animal' an should go to 'prison'

The teen claimed he would 'beat her up every time she takes away his game,' and spit on the teacher as deputies escorted him away, according to the arrest report.

The student was arrested and taken to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, before being turned over to the Department of Juvenile Justice.

'This could have been a homicide,' Sheriff Rick Staly told WESH 2.

'We hope the victim will be able to recover, both mentally and physically, from this incident,' he said in a statement. 'Our schools should be a safe place  for both employees and students.'

Flagler Schools Superintendent Cathy Mittelstadt agreed, saying: 'Creating a safe learning and working environment on our campuses is critical. Violence is never an appropriate reaction.'

Matanzas High School said it had 'no comment,' when reached for comment.

The Flagler School Board did say at a meeting after the event that they have made it a 'high priority' to go over policy to 'help with this.'

The teaching aide has worked within the school district since 2004 and started as an aide at Matanzas in 2021.
Handmade shoemaker Ko Kee-hwang smiles during an interview with The Korea Times at Italy Shoes, his shoe shop located on the corner of Yeomcheongyo Shoe Street in Seoul, Feb. 14. / Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min



By Lee Min-young



The handmade shoe stores near Yeomcheon Bridge in Seoul have a history dating back almost a century. This block represents Korea's first-ever community of shoe merchants. The shoemakers in the area have passed down their knowledge and skills over the generations, making it a unique example of Korean craftsmanship.





Korea Times video by Kim Kang-min, Lee Ka-jin



This road is also a testament to the resilience and dedication of the country's shoe merchants, who have overcome countless obstacles to remain operating for nearly a century.



Competition from overseas suppliers of cheaper goods and large retail stores caused a decrease in profit margins for the street's small businesses, making it harder for them to stay in business.





Hand-made shoe shops line Yeomcheongyo Shoe Street, Feb. 14. / Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min



There are, however, still around 130 shops operating on Yeomcheongyo Shoe Street, according to its website.



The unique experience they offer has allowed them to stand out in the crowded market and attract customers who are looking for more than just a pair of shoes. By focusing on quality and customer service, they have been able to maintain the loyalty of their customers, despite the competition.





Shoemaker Ko Kee-hwang shapes a cast that has been made by plaster poured on top of the paraffin wax mold, Feb. 14. / Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min



The Korea Times visited traditional handmade shoemaker Ko Kee-hwang at his shoe shop Italy Shoes, located on the corner of Yeomcheongyo Shoe Street, just west of Yeomcheon Bridge to the north of Seoul Station. His shop has stood in the same spot for the last half-century.



"We used to take combat boots discarded by the U.S. military to make shoes in those early years. That's how this community began," Ko said recalling the old days.



Ko makes handmade shoes out of high-quality materials that are known for their comfort and durability.





Shoemaker Ko Kee-hwang places a piece of leather on a shoe to make custom-fitting shoes, Feb. 14. / Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min



The customers he gets are usually those who find standard-fitting shoes uncomfortable or those with disabilities as well as people who are looking for a very specific and unique design.



"When customers walk in, I have them take off their shoes so I can inspect their feet by hand. I would ask if they have any specific needs or if there's anything that's making their feet uncomfortable so I can customize a shoe that's right for them," Ko said.



By physically inspecting their feet, Ko can get a better idea of the customer's needs and be sure to find a shoe that fits them perfectly and provides the support they need.



The customer then puts on wool socks that he has on hand and dips their feet in paraffin wax. The socks are taken off and plaster is poured on top to make a cast.



He then uses a sponge-like mold to measure the feet more precisely.





A customer's feet are measured with a sponge-like mold at Italy Shoes in Yeomcheongyo Shoe Street, Feb. 14. / Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min



"The foot is measured by being pressed against it. You can see that it leaves behind a footprint, and I've put a checkmark on the spot where the customers said their feet hurt," he explained while measuring the feet of a customer. By placing a mark on the spot, he can successfully chart the customer's exact area of discomfort, as he has a visual reference for the exact dimensions of their feet.



What he does includes providing customers with a more customized solution for their foot pain. "This customer has benign tumors on both sides and a shallow arch here. So, I've put a checkmark here to add arch support," Ko explained.





Shoemaker Ko Kee-hwang marks the spots where a customer says their feet hurt, Feb. 14. / Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min



He said arch support will help distribute the weight on the customer's feet more evenly and reduce the pressure on the areas with tumors. This will help reduce pain and protect the customer's feet from further injury.



The next step is to pour the plaster, which creates a cast when taken off the mold.



"This is what we use to make insoles and we can create a perfect replica of the shape of your feet," Ko said. "This customer here has benign tumors here called Morton's neuroma. We'll leave the cushion strength of the insole as is, but just cut out the part where the tumor is rubbing against the shoe and fill it with latex. Eventually, the gentle massaging will soften the tumor and make it invisible in the long run."



When the cast comes out, he covers it with a piece of leather to make custom-fitted shoes.





Custom-made shoes by Ko Kee-hwang at Italy Shoes in Yeomcheongyo Shoe Street, Feb. 14 / Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min



"They call me an artisan in this craft," Ko said proudly with a custom shoe in one hand. The attention to detail and the care he takes in crafting each pair of shoes is what has earned him such a prestigious title, he believes.



However, the uncertainty about his future is what troubles him these days.





Shoemaker Ko Kee-hwang wants to make sure that his knowledge and skills are preserved for generations to come. / Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min



"I'm getting old, so I'm hoping there are people out there who are willing to carry the torch. In Korea and around the world, there are still so many people out there who are in pain because their feet aren't made to wear standard-fitting shoes," he said.



He is hoping that younger generations will continue to create and advocate for custom-made traditional footwear options for people with different foot shapes, sizes and needs.



"I wanted to help people with the knowledge I have, and that's why I never applied for a patent," he said. "I wish someone would come into my workshop asking me to teach them what I know. But no one has stepped through that door."



He believes that his knowledge should be shared with the world and not kept to himself, and he is looking for someone with the same passion to pass on his knowledge to. He is worried, however, that it may be too late as he is getting older and time is running out.





Yeomcheongyo Shoe Street has been designated as Seoul Future Heritage. / Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min
Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed convinced a judge to allow her to keep a gun at home while on bail.

Gutierrez-Reed's lawyer told a virtual court hearing that she needed it for 'self-defense'.

Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed by Alec Baldwin on the film set in October 2021. Gutirerrez-Reed was in charge of the weapons onset.

Both she and Baldwin have been charged with involuntary manslaughter and are facing 18 months in prison if convicted.

Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed appeared before a judge virtually on Friday

Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer agreed to Gutierrez-Reed's request

Today, her attorney pleaded that she needed it for self-defense in her home.

'It's for self-protection,' he said, claiming prosecutors released personal information about her that put her safety at risk.

Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer agreed.

Gutierrez-Reed did not speak during the brief virtual appearance.

Baldwin waived his first appearance yesterday and entered a not guilty plea from afar.

The judge will now set a date in his case.

Court documents obtained by DailyMail.com show Baldwin's attorneys check the 'not guilty' box when asked how he will plead.

Court documents obtained by DailyMail.com show Baldwin's attorneys check the 'not guilty' box when asked how he will plead.

He had been facing five years in prison on a gun enhancement to the charge, but that was dropped.

Now, the actor faces a maximum of 18 months behind bars.

Under the terms set by a judge, Baldwin must not drink alcohol or possess firearms.

There is no restriction on his travel, but he must stay in contact with his attorney.

Baldwin shot and killed Hutchins accidentally in October 2021 while filming Rust on the outskirts of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The movie will resume production in Montana in the spring, shooting at the Yellowstone Film Ranch.

Baldwin will remain in the lead role and will also serve as a producer.

Alec and the family nanny were seen enjoying a casual stroll with two of his young children today

Earlier in the morning, Baldwin ran errands with his wife Hilaria

He has always maintained he did not pull the trigger, and that the gun fired spontaneously.

He insists it was the armorer's responsibility to ensure the gun was safe before handing it to him.

Prosecutors in New Mexico and the FBI however say it would have been impossible for the gun to fire without him pulling the trigger.

They say he had been seen pulling the trigger on the same gun in earlier rehearsals and practices.

Baldwin has already settled a civil lawsuit brought by Halyna's widower, Matthew. Her family in Ukraine are also now suing him separately.
No charges are going to be brought against the officers involved, with Knoxville Police launching an internal probe

Lisa Edwards, 60, was found unresponsive in the back of a cop car after struggling with officers for over an hour

Horrific footage released by police shows a wheelchair-bound woman slurring and pleading with police as she is arrested for refusing to leave hospital, just moments before she died from a stroke in the back of a cop car.

Knoxville Police have released their body camera video of the harrowing incident which happened at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, in Tennessee, on February 6.

Lisa Edwards, 60, had been refusing to leave the hospital and was arrested on trespassing charges when she died in the back of the police cruiser  minutes after telling cops 'you're going to kill me'.

The footage shows Lisa being taken into custody, gasping and wheezing before she tells officers that she 'can't breathe'. Her skin becomes grayer, and her voice more slurred as the footage continues. The latter is a well-known symptom of a stroke.

Authorities released the hour and 16-minute video with a warning that some of the video may be distressing.

Knoxville Police have released their body camera video of the harrowing incident which happened at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, in Tennessee, on February 6

Lisa starts telling an officer that she can't get back up to the hospital, with officers struggling to get her into the back of the van before she says she needs to sit down.

Officers can be heard being brusque with her, telling her to 'help them help her' as she starts wheezing and slurring her words while wearing a hospital

One cop can be heard telling her that she's 'been medically cleared' before another says 'you weren't having any breathing problems when you were out here smoking a cigarette.'

Lisa is then told to 'stop' when she says 'I'm going to pass out', with the officer telling her 'you're going to get in there one way or another.'

The horrific footage continues for another hour, showing officers trying to force her into the back of the van as they tell her she doesn't have an inhaler.

Another officer then tells her that he will 'stuff her in' if she doesn't help, with Lisa crying out as they try to move her.

They then tell her she will 'get more charges' and another says they are 'tired of her deadweight crap'.

Lisa is then told she is being 'ridiculous', before protesting and saying 'help lift me up, oh please' as cops threaten to slam the door on her foot.

Lisa's family have said that they 'can't believe the way she was treated', adding 'she did not deserve to be treated like that, nobody does'

Lisa Edwards, 60, had been refusing to leave the hospital and was arrested on trespassing charges when she died in the back of the police cruiser  minutes after telling cops 'you're going to kill me'

They say that she was left physically disabled in August 2019 after suffering from her first stroke, but she was still mentally sound

She can then be heard saying 'you're going to kill me' in her final moments, begging for help before the footage cuts off.

Police confirmed that Officer Timothy Distasio started to transport Lisa to Roger Wilson Detention Facility before pulling over a car that was driving recklessly.

He then discovered that Lisa was unresponsive in the backseat of the cruiser, with more footage being released of her in the back of the car.

Throughout the horrifying footage Lisa can be heard struggling to breathe, and making noises in the back of the cruiser before Distasio radios other offers to say he 'doesn't know if she is faking it' after she suffered the stroke.

He can then be seen off camera shaking Lisa and shouting 'wake up' several times before calling for more help after she fell silent.

In the final moments of the clip, an ambulance can be seen pulling up behind Lisa's car to try and revive her.

Lisa's family have said that they 'can't believe the way she was treated', adding 'she did not deserve to be treated like that, nobody does.'

They say that she was left physically disabled in August 2019 after suffering from her first stroke, but she was still mentally sound.

Her daughter-in-law August Boylan, a nurse, told WATE: 'It's totally irrelevant of how she got to where she was that morning, but that whole situation that played out for an extended period of time is horrible, absolutely horrible.

'The police officers may not have done anything intentionally criminal to cause anything to happen to her, but they definitely were negligent and had no respect for human life, any basic needs, anything.

The horrific footage continues for another hour, showing officers trying to force her into the back of the van as they tell her she doesn't have an inhaler

According to the DA's office, Lisa died of natural causes and law enforcement interaction did not cause or contribute to her death

Another officer then tells her that he will 'stuff her in' if she doesn't help, with Lisa crying out as they try to move her

'You don't have to be a medical professional to know what the signs of stroke are. And you can see that in her, you know, start to finish.

'That is not somebody working themselves up like they said in there. That is not somebody faking it.

'She, I mean, she said it herself, that she was dying, that she was having a stroke.'

On Tuesday, the Knox County District Attorney's Office announced that no charges were being filed against the officers involved.

According to the DA's office, Lisa died of natural causes and law enforcement interaction did not cause or contribute to her death.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said she had flown t to Knoxville from a nursing home in Rhode Island on February 4.

During the flight, she reported abdominal pain and was taken to Blount Memorial Hospital upon arrival, with the TBI confirming that she was discharged with constipation.

She sought additional treatment on February 4, where she was observed overnight and discharged but refused to leave the hospital meaning police were called.

Security at the hospital issued her a trespass warning, before officers decided to arrest her for criminal trespassing.

Knoxville Police say there is an internal investigation to determine if any department policies or procedures were violated, with the officers involved currently on paid leave.

In a statement they said: 'The KPD extends its deepest and most heartfelt condolences to the family of Lisa Edwards.'
Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav has insisted flailing CNN is 'making real progress' in winning back viewers by including more Republican voices on its shows.

Last month the network welcomed more than 70 GOP members to its programs, Zaslav claimed as he addressed the disappointing earnings at the media giant on Thursday.

However the CEO conspicuously failed to mention the ongoing turmoil around 'CNN This Morning' which saw anchor Don Lemon taken off-air this week over 'sexist remarks' in which he claimed politician Nikki Haley wasn't 'in her prime.'

Instead he championed the network's refreshed image and 'balanced strategy,' after a year of sweeping changes brought in by him and CNN president Chris Licht.

'We are already seeing a more inclusive range of voices and viewpoints,' Zaslav told analysts Thursday, reports the New York Post.

CEO David Zaslav insisted CNN was moving in the 'right direction' after interviewing more than 70 GOP candidates last month

The Warner Bros Discovery CEO conspicuously made no reference to the network's beleaguered morning show which saw host Don Lemon, center, plunged in controversy this week over 'sexist' remarks

Lemon has also clashed several times with White House Correspondent Kaitlan Colins, left, live on air, with the pair repeatedly talking over each other

'As demonstrated last month, when over 70 Republicans came on our air during their congressional speaker election process, a first in a very long time, and we intend to continue advancing on this balanced strategy.

'We must get it right. Nowhere is this more important, in my view, and it isnt going to happen overnight, and I believe we are on the right path,' he added.

His comments appear to be a dig at former boss Jeff Zucker who was repeatedly accused of making the network too critical of then-President Trump.

Tensions between Trump's government and Zucker's CNN reached boiling point when one of its correspondents Jim Acosta was barred from the White House after a confrontation with the President.

Zucker previously said he was not 'anti-Trump' but 'pro-Truth'.

It prompted ratings to tank, with the network losing 90 percent of its viewers between January 2021 and 2022.

Shortly afterwards Zucker was replaced with Chris Licht in February 2022.

Since then the network CNN has undergone a dramatic overhaul which included firing longtime anchor Brina Stelter.

Zaslav publicly backed Licht's direction on Thursday, adding: 'The team are focused on building an asset for the long term across cable and digital that is worthy of that great global brand.'

Zaslav's latest remarks could be seen as a dig at former network president Jeff Zucker who came under fire for criticizing Trump so heavily during his presidency. He was replaced by Chris Licht in February last year

CNN has undergone a dramatic overhaul in the last 12 months with HBO's 'Real Time with Bill Maher' added to its primetime lineup on Friday nights

It comes after CNN recently added a segment from HBO's 'Real Time with Bill Maher' to its primetime lineup on Friday nights.

NBA legend Charles Barkley is said to have also been approached about a potential hosting gig.

However much of this progress has been overshadowed by CNN's beleaguered revamp of its morning show which has failed to resonate with viewers.

Meanwhile anchor Don Lemon was said to have been upset after discovering his name would not be included on the show after bosses cut his prime-time program.

The 56-year-old has also been accused of berating colleague Kaitlan Collins, 30, for reportedly interrupting him on air.

The incident resulted in a bust-up between the pair, with Lemon 'screaming' at Collins on December 8, which resulted in her running from the set in tears.

After that, he was reportedly told to take a day to 'cool off' by boss Chris Licht but instead blew up on staffers after a company newsletter featured a story about his altercation with the White House Correspondent.

He faced even more sour headlines this week after making a litany of 'sexist' remarks in which he claimed GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley 'isn't in her prime.'

He took a three-day absence from the show and is now said to be undergoing 'formal training' as a result of the controversy. He also apologized on Twitter.

The program saw a 5 percent bump in viewership during his absence, the New York Post reports.

NBA legend Charles Barkley, pictured, is said to have been approached about a potential hosting gig at the network

Lemon was was forced to undergo 'formal training' after making sexist comments about 2024 presidential hopeful Nikki Haley, 51, being past her prime

Zaslav's comments came as Warner Bros. Discovery reported that its streaming subscriptions grew just 1.1 million last quarter, less than Wall Street expected.

That was despite a slate of hot HBO Max debuts including House of the Dragon and season two of The White Lotus.

For the quarter that ended in December, WBD's streaming unit, which includes HBO Max and Discovery+, reported an operating loss of $217 million on $2.45 billion in revenue, down from losses of $728 million a year ago.

Overall, the company missed expectations on the top and bottom lines, reporting revenue of $11 billion and losses of $2.1 billion that were mostly due to ongoing restructuring charges from last year's merger between Warner Bros. and Discovery.

Warner Bros. Discover stock was down 1.5% in extended trading on Thursday

Zaslav said that after completing 10 months of restructuring, the media company now looks to 'take full advantage' of its roster of globally recognized franchises, including Superman, Batman, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.

'I believe that we have an overwhelming advantage in the marketplace with the IP that we own,' he said, using the industry's shorthand for intellectual property.

'To get that advantage, we have to create great content.'
Republicans in Congress have opened an investigation into Pete Buttigieg's response to the train derailment in Ohio and are demanding to know why he 'ignored' the disaster for over a week.

The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability has written to the embattled Transportation Secretary, asking for an explanation for his alleged 'apathy' towards East Palestine.

It took Buttigieg 10 days to address the incident that prompted toxic chemicals being released into the air and 20 days to visit the community.

Some Republicans have called for his resignation, while he blamed the Trump administration and rail companies for underming safety.

The White House has defended its response, and said attacks on Buttigieg have been in 'bad faith'.

SCROLL DOWN TO READ THE LETTER

Republicans in Congress have opened an investigation into Pete Buttigieg's response to the train derailment in Ohio and are demanding to know why he 'ignored' the disaster for over a week

He has also had two run-ins with reporters this week who questioned him about the derailment - one in the street near his Washington D.C. home and another in East Palestine when he toured the site on Thursday.

Despite the backlash, Buttigieg told reporters in Ohio that he is 'proud' of how the federal government has handled the situation - and critics are trying to take a 'political advantage' of the situation.

'This incident is an environmental and public health emergency that now threatens Americans across state lines,' the letter to Buttigieg signed by 21 Republicans states.

'Despite the U.S. Department of Transportations (DOT) responsibility to ensure safe and reliable transport in the United States, you ignored the catastrophe for over a week,' it continues.

'The American people deserve answers as to what caused the derailment, and DOT needs to provide an explanation for its leaderships apathy in the face of this emergency.

'We request documents and information regarding DOTs response to the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment and ensuing environmental and public health emergency.'

Republicans claim America is now facing one of it's 'largest transportation failures', even though, Biden's Infrastructure Bill has included billions of dollars to revamp railways.

The White House has defended its response, and said attacks on Buttigieg have been in 'bad faith'. He is pictured touring the site of the train derailment in East Palestine on Thursday

In an interview last Thursday, Buttigieg admitted that there are 'roughly 1,0000' train derailments every year across the country.

Results of a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) preliminary investigation released Thursday did not give a concrete cause of the derailment.

But initial findings suggest one of the Norfolk Southern freight train's wheels may have overheated and caught fire.

Republicans on the Oversight Committee say the 'infrastructure failure that caused the derailment has led to an environmental disaster'.

'After the derailment, crews held a controlled release and burn of the toxic chemicalsincluding the explosive and carcinogenic vinyl chloride carried in the railcars.' the letter reads.

'The controlled burn created a massive smoke plume above East Palestine for several hours.

'Alarmingly, some of these chemicals may still be present in the area, with residents reporting dead animals, strong odors, burning sensations, rashes, and watery eyes

'One hazardous materials specialist explained, We basically nuked a town with chemicals so we could get a railroad open.

The letter finishes by saying: 'The Committee is deeply concerned by DOTs slow pace in resolving this matter'

Then it lists five requests asking for a multitude of documents related to the public response to the train derailment, when Buttigieg learned about the derailment and the progress of the NTSB investigation.

DailyMail.com has contacted the Department of Transportation for comment.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against the Texas FedEx driver accused of kidnapping and strangling a seven-year-old girl while delivering her Barbie Doll Christmas gifts.

Tanner Lynn Horner, 31, was arrested and charged with capital murder and aggravated kidnapping in the death of Athena Strand. Horner is currently being held in the Wise County Jail on $1.5 million bond.

Earlier this week, District Attorney James Stainton filed court documents in federal court informing the judge that he will seek the death penalty against Horner if he is found guilty of capital murder.

Under Texas law, capital murder of a person under ten years old qualifies the perpetrator for the death penalty.

Horner confessed to the heinous crime while he was delivering gifts to the family's North Texas home. He told investigators that he accidentally hit Athena with his truck on November 30, 'panicked' before grabbing her and putting her in the vehicle.

Fearing what would happen if he told her parents, he strangled her inside the truck and dumped her body seven miles from her home, beside a country road. She was found on December 2, 2022 in Wise County, Texas- just weeks away from Christmas.

Athena Strand, 7, was kidnapped and strangled on November 30, 2022 by a contracted FedEx worker delivering gifts to her family home in North Texas

Tanner Lynn Horner, 31, was arrested and charged with capital murder and aggravated kidnapping in the death of Athena Strand. Horner is currently being held in the Wise County Jail on a $1.5 million bond

Horner was arrested December 2, 2022 the same day Athena's body was found. He confessed to police that he abducted and kidnapped the child during a delivery to her family's home.

Earlier this week, District Attorney James Stainton(pictured) filed court documents in federal court informing the judge that he will seek the death penalty against Horner if he is found guilty of capital murder

On February 17, a jury in Wise County formally charged Horner with kidnapping and murdering the young girl.

Police have told prosecutors they want them to seek the death penalty, according to NBC5. If convicted, Horner faces either execution or life in prison.

Strand's mother, Maitlyn Gandy, released a statement on the indictment.

'I would like to thank the Wise County grand jury for their role in this process. Hearing the facts and circumstances of my 7-year-old daughter's kidnapping and murder was undoubtedly very difficult for them.'

'I want them to know that their work is deeply appreciated,' she added. 'Tanner Horner's indictment is the beginning of a long road through the justice system.

'I appreciate everyone's continued support and for keeping Athena's name and memory alive. Please take a moment to hug your children and loved ones. No one is promised another day.'

Horner has been charged with sexually assaulting a child almost a decade ago and faces three additional counts of sexually abusing a child in 2013, in Fort Worth. He is being held in jail on a $1.5 million bail.

Athena's father, Jacob Strand, has launched legal action against FedEx, claiming they did not carry out sufficient background checks before hiring Horner.

'I support the death penalty. In any sentencing that may come,' Gandy told WFAA.

'Every breath he takes is one my daughter doesn't.

'If I could sit down in front of him, I would tell him that he is nothing, but that Athena is absolutely everything - and I will make sure that everybody in this world knows that he is nothing and that she is everything.'

Gandy says she wished he had simply driven away and let her daughter walk.

'We are very forgiving people,' she said.

'If Athena was not injured or even if she had a few bumps and scrapes, he could have just driven away. We could have forgiven him.

'Accidents do happen, but he chose to do more - and what he did was unforgivable.

'I have a hard time believing Athena couldn't have walked away. Athena could have just walked away, and I wish he would have let her.'

Gandy says she is still grieving for her daughter while still trying to care for her younger sister, Rilyn.

'I triple-check my doors every night, and I hold my three-year-old tighter. I'm scared to let her go. Everything is just very, very scary and very, very sad,' Gandy said through tears.

'It's been rough for our family. For my other three-year-old. She doesn't understand why she can't call 'sissy' or why she hasn't come home yet. It's a long time for her to go without seeing her sister', she explains.

'We're coping. We're trying to function. It's been long. Hard but very chaotic at the same time.

'I'm sad. I'm angry. I'm confused. I am doing my best.

'I've been very scared, and I don't sleep very often or for an extended period of time. Noises at night scare me.'

Horner's FedEx truck is pictured, in which he killed the little girl

The mother of seven-year-old Athena Strand, Maitlyn Gandy (right, Athena is centre) has filed a wrongful death lawsuit

Athena was abducted from her father's home in Paradise, Texas, on November 30 by FedEx driver Tanner Horner, police say

'I triple-check my doors every night, and I hold my three-year-old tighter. I'm scared to let her go. Everything is just very very scary and very very sad,' Gandy said through tears
Teachers told a 15-year-old schoolgirl she needed to cover her ankles because they might be sexually attractive.

Olivia Williams, 15, a pupil at Trinity Academy Cathedral school in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, was told her trousers should not be tight and she had to cover her ankles to avoid 'drawing sexual attraction'.

Schoolmasters at the academy rated as 'outstanding' by Ofsted have banned pupils from going to the toilet unless they have a special pass, or a pink pass for girls on their period.

Although the NHS says periods can last for up to a week, the Academy's pink passes are reportedly taken away from the girls after only four days.

Olivia was suspended for two days after she organised a protest against the rules yesterday.

Teachers told 15-year-old schoolgirl Olivia Williams (left) she needed to cover her ankles because they might be sexually attractive, her mother Katie McLoughlin, 35, (right) told MailOnline.

Olivia (pictured) was suspended for two days after she organised a protest against new school rules that include pupils being banned from going to the toilet unless they have a special pass. Girls are given pink passes for when they are on their period, but these passes are taken away after four days

Trinity Academy Cathedral school in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, was rated as 'outstanding' by Ofsted but has faced protests over its draconian rules

Her mother Katie McLoughlin, 35, told MailOnline: 'It's ridiculous. Who looks at ankles and thinks they are attractive?

'All the children have got toilet passes. The girls have got pink passes. Everybody knows what it means.

'After four days the passes have been taken from the girls.'

Although Katie was shocked at the school's new rules, she said she was 'overwhelmed' and 'so proud' of her daughter for standing up for what she believed in.

Olivia told MailOnline that the stringent rules made her feel 'embarrassed'.

She said: 'We are singled out for going to the bathroom.

'Everybody should be allowed to be themselves.'

Dozens of other pupils protested with her on Thursday, chanting 'freedom' as they demonstrated.

Even though Olivia was suspended she went to protest again today but was told she would be expelled if she continued demonstrating against the draconian measures.

In a letter to parents, the school's principal Rob Marsh said: 'Student toilets are open before school, between lessons, at breaktimes, lunchtimes and after school.

'Students are allowed to go to the toilet at any point during these times. We understand that at times, some students may need to attend the toilet more frequently.

'For this reason, we have a toilet pass system.

'We also grant access to girls who need to attend toilets at specific times.

'Our uniform rules have not changed for quite some time and are standard for a secondary school.

'We have been in contact with parents of those students involved [in protests] throughout the day.

'The first contact was largely about trying to encourage support to get students back into school.

'We will be in touch again regarding sanctions and next steps.'

MailOnline has contacted Trinity Academy Cathedral for comment.

It came as protests broke out over similar rules at schools across the country this week.

The demonstrations have turned into a TikTok trend that is causing chaos at schools.

Protests started after rules were introduced that banned pupils going to the toilet during class, forced girls to show a 'red card' when on their period and undergo skirt-measuring by teachers.

In a letter to parents, one headteacher said pupils had 'decided to imitate a trend relating to school protests' on social media and that similar protests were taking place at 'numerous schools throughout the country'.

At Penrice Academy in St Austell, Cornwall, told parents that 'due to a social media post yesterday evening, some of our students took the decision to protest'.

Protests took place at schools in Cornwall, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire and Essex with videos of furious children rebelling being shared on social media.

Meanwhile, others commented on TikTok videos asking how they could stage a protest at their school, with one saying: 'I'm a year seven but want to start a protest for the same reasons...how do I start it'.

Messages on TikTok show pupils asking how they could replicate a protest at their school

Students at Penrice Academy, St Austell, are reportedly 'throwing tables' and 'breaking fences' as they dispute the changes

Pupils at the Farnley Academy, Leeds, were seen standing outside the school this morning with 'disgusted' parents who claimed the policy had 'taken away their human rights'

Crowded school halls at Haven High Academy in Lincolnshire yesterday afternoon in video captured on TikTok

Parents at Rainford High School in St Helens, Merseyside, claimed girls whose skirts were deemed too short were made to queue up and asked to adjust their skirts by teachers

At Penrice Academy, students reportedly 'flipped tables' and broke fences over rule changes which also forced girls to show a 'red card' when they are on their period.

Pupils at the Farnley Academy, Leeds, were seen standing outside the school gates as parents claimed a policy stating children must get a written note to use the toilet during class 'had taken away their human rights'

Similar scenes were found at Haven High Academy, Boston, yesterday with one parent comparing its new policy which locked toilets and corridors during lessons to 'prison rules'.

It comes after students yesterday protested at Rainford High in St. Helens, Merseyside over male teachers measuring the length of girls' skirts.

READ MORE: Schoolgirls are left in tears after being ordered to stand in line as 'male teachers inspected the length of their skirts to make sure they are not too short' Advertisement

A video taken at Penrice Academy showed pupils shaking the fence while chanting and shouting, as one parent claimed a girl had been injured during the protest.

Speaking to Cornwall Live, the mother said: 'My daughter has just called me to say the protest has got out of hand and students are flipping tables. The children are now not allowed out for break.'

Another parent said: 'Since the red pass scheme was announced and reported about in the press, the school has issued no official statements to parents or children about the news coverage, has not responded to emails sent by parents asking about the toilet passes, and has not changed their policy.

'They are just not listening to parents or children - and unfortunately the kids are taking things into their own hands today.'

There were similar scenes of outrage at Farnley Academy in Leeds.

A video showed furious pupils demonstrating against a new policy of toilet doors being locked during lesson time.

Parent Natalie Hennessy, who has a son in Year 9, told Leeds Live: 'My son, who is a high achiever, is so fed up of the way he's being treated.

'He says he feels manipulated all the time and the school is like a prison. I feel disgusted.

'The amount of times I've contacted the school and it's falling on deaf ears. They're taking away their human rights.'

Farnley Academy's statement for parents We are aware that some comments are being made in respect of toilets and their availability during the school day. To keep all students safe during times when members of staff are not on duty, we have asked that the only toilets that are used by students during lesson time are the Bronte Toilets. These toilets are OPEN during ALL lesson times and a member of staff is present. During break and lunch, students are then able to use all of the toilets in school. We actively encourage all students to ensure that they go to the toilet before school, at break and at lunch, to avoid needing to go during precious lesson time, however, the option remains where it is needed. Advertisement

Furious parents expressed their outrage over the school policy on social media.

One mother said Farnley Academy called her four times about picking up her daughter after her 'behaviour was out of control' at the protests today, but she was unable to pick her up as she was at work.

Mother Helen Walker said: 'Well my daughter's been excluded for going to toilet yesterday without having a note and she was really desperate.'

'This is beyond a joke,' she said. 'Why are they treating our kids unfair[ly] like this?'

And another parent went on: 'Why is our children been treated like they are in a prison of war camp.

'This is not how our children should be treated if they need toilet let then go it's not a crime and to limit them with toilet roll is totally unacceptable in all the ways.'

A spokesperson for The Farnley Academy, writing on Facebook, confirmed students had been asked to use the centrally located toilets during lesson times.

But they added that these bathrooms always remained available to children if they needed to use the toilet and were being marshalled by teachers to keep them safe.

Videos of pupils demonstrating outside Haven High Academy, in Boston, Lincolnshire, over similar toilet use rules also appeared on TikTok yesterday.

Dozens of pupils were also seen protesting outside Haven High Academy, Lincolnshire, with one parent comparing its new policy to 'prison rules'

Pupils marching through the school hallways in Haven High Academy, Lincolnshire

Full letter from Penrice Academy to parents and carers Dear Parent/Carer Due to a social media post yesterday evening, some of our students took the decision to protest. Our students have the right to express their opinions in a calm and safe manner, however a small number of students' behaviour was unacceptable. A number of parents have already been contacted to collect their children. For the majority of our students, lessons and lunch time will continue as normal. If you have not been contacted, there is no need to collect your child. We hope to engage with them to find a solution that works for everyone as soon as possible. The safety and wellbeing of our students is always our priority. Kind Regards Penrice Academy Advertisement

One parent claimed the school's headteacher was introducing 'prison rules' for the pupils and claimed corridors and toilets were being locked during lesson time.

In a letter to parents and carers yesterday, Haven High headteacher Stuart Rees wrote: 'As you may be aware, a small group of students decided to imitate a trend relating to school protests that has been trending on Tik Tok within school today.

'Such school protests have happened in numerous schools throughout the country and unfortunately a number of students decided to engage in a protest relating to certain school rules.'

He said a small number of pupils took the 'opportunity to misbehave' and said the behaviour was 'unacceptable', LincolnshireLive reports.

He said that any pupil that does not attend lessons or refuses to comply with 'reasonable requests from staff' will have their parent/carer called and be 'issued with an appropriate sanction'.

Meanwhile students in Essex also protested after finding their toilets locked by gates during lesson times.

One parent to two daughters who attend Castle View School in Canvey Island, Essex, said one had been denied use of a bathroom during lesson time despite being on her period.

She said her other daughter who suffers from an incurable autoimmune condition affecting the bowels, was also denied access.

The concerned parent said today (Feb 24): 'Castle View students are currently protesting their toilets being taken away.

'My youngest menstruating girl was forbidden from using the loo to check if she had leaked!

'My coeliac daughter has not been issued a pass.

'They aren't issuing the passes and there are long queues to use the toilets at break times which means kids can't get lunch and use the loo in the same allocated time.'

Videos shot at the school show chaotic scenes with children gathered in a field chanting 'free our bladders because we matter'.

Another shows students filing out of classrooms into the halls and gathering in the corridors en masse.

A 14-year-old male student at the school, who did not want to be named, reported that 'kids are hitting kids and a teacher did lock us outside.'

Gates across the toilets at Castle View School in Canvey, Essex

Was your child involved? Email chris.matthews@mailonline.co.uk Advertisement

He added: 'The Castle View students are protesting the toilets. People are getting hit. It's so bad. Kid's got hit and it got manic.

'The protest is over now but for most of the day kids were protesting.

'We are children, we don't need to be locked up.

'It shows an extreme lack of trust, which is understandable as we are kids, but the level they are going at is getting out of control.

'We understand why it was put in place to stop vaping and because of safeguarding issues.

'But if you want to stop that then put smoke detectors closer and use thermal cameras like other schools are.'

Castle View School headteacher Steve Durkin said: 'Pupils are able to access all toilets before school, break times, and after school.

'If a pupil requires access to the toilet during lesson time, they request a pass from their teacher and are allowed access.'

Parents have slammed a secondary schools decision to barricade toilets during lesson time

Penrice Academy have now sent a letter to parents and carers saying that a 'small number of students' behaviour was unacceptable'.

The letter said that students decided to protest 'due to a social media post yesterday evening'.

They added that several parents had been contacted to collect their children and that for most pupils, lessons and lunch time will 'continue as normal'.

The academy also said they want to 'engage' with pupils to 'find a solution that works for everyone as soon as possible'.

Farnley Academy and Haven High Academy have been approached for comment.

Devon and Cornwall Police said: 'Police are aware of a protest at the academy, but have not been called or asked to attend'.

West Yorkshire Police and Lincolnshire Police have been approached for comment.

It comes after Rainford High School in St Helens, Merseyside, sparked fury from pupils and parents over a uniform policy which states skirts must be knee length - with the risk of detention or suspension for failure to adhere to the rules.

Boys wore skirts in protests of the rules at the school in support of their fellow pupils.

One woman told the Liverpool Echo her 'granddaughter came home mortified that her skirt height was inspected by a male teacher in front of male pupils'.

A parent claimed some pupils had been left 'crying and embarrassed' as a petition was started titled 'Stop Rainford High controlling girls skirts.'

Pupils outside school in Lincolnshire during protests today

Rainford High School in St Helens, Merseyside, said they had been 'concerned about the failure of a significant number of students to wear the skirt to the standards and expectations laid down in the uniform policy'

Boys wearing school skirts during the protests at Rainford High School

One woman told the Liverpool Echo her 'granddaughter came home mortified that her skirt height was inspected by a male teacher in front of male pupils'.

Another told the St Helens Star: 'My daughter stated that they are asked to adjust their skirt and if they say no or cannot then parents are contacted and told their child must come in the following day in a longer skirt or they will be given a detention.'

Ian Young, principal of Rainford High in St. Helens, Merseyside, said: 'Like many schools, we have a clear uniform policy in place and understand there are often sensitivities around this matter.

'Student voice is important in all aspects of school life, and we have been keen to find an acceptable viewpoint on uniform from all members of our school community.

'Work has been, and is continuing to be, undertaken with our young people by consulting student leadership teams to find an agreeable solution for both staff and students.

'Our focus is for all our young people to exemplify and learn the importance of high standards and expectations, so they are ready to contribute to the wider community as successfully as possible.'

He added: 'One block of toilets is currently closed for essential repairs as we wait for the scheduled works to take place

'In total, Rainford High has five toilet blocks as well as seven disabled toilets, available for students. These toilets are open and available to use at all times throughout the school day.'
The near miss was the latest in a series of almost-disasters on in US airports in recent months

A Mesa Airlines flight was forced to abort its landing at the last minute this week as it approached Hollywood Burbank Airport, in the latest near-miss between American airplanes.

Flight number CRJ900 was forced to begin ascending again within a mile of the airport, after a SkyWest plane was given the green light to take off at the same time, with the close call coming at around 7pm Wednesday.

The pilot of the Mesa Airlines jet successfully aborted the landing just minutes from the runway, while air traffic control allowed SkyWest aircraft E175 to take off unimpeded.

Last week's narrow escape was the latest in a string of almost-disasters in major US airports in recent months, including one last month where two Alaska Airlines planes came close to scraping their tales on the tarmac due to a software glitch.

Mesa Airlines CRJ900 came within minutes of colliding with another aircraft this week in the latest of a series of close-calls

Air traffic control allowed a SkyWest aircraft to take off unimpeded following the near-miss

The near-disaster occurred at Hollywood Burbank Airport, pictured, at around 7pm Wednesday night

Officials from the the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are currently investigating the incident in Hollywood Burbank Airport.

The close shave joins a growing list of eye-catching fiascos for the nation's aviation industry, which has led to an impending federal review of the nation's aerospace system.

According to the FAA, the number of 'runway incursions' hit 1,633 last year.

A runway incursion is any time an aircraft, vehicle or person is incorrectly in a protected area while an aircraft is taking off or landing.

The frightening number of close calls is up from 1,397 in 2012, while in 2002 there were just 987 reported incidents.

In the most alarming near miss of recent times, two Alaska Airlines planes almost collided as they took off, due to a technical glitch that told the pilots their aircrafts were 20,000 pounds lighter than they were.

The planes took off six minutes apart on January 26.

While they didn't make physical contact with each other, the issue was serious enough for Alaska Airlines to initiate a nationwide stoppage of all aircraft in the immediate aftermath, according to the Seattle Times.

The pilot of the first flight, which was bound for Kona, Hawaii, decided to bring the plane back to the airport due to the near-disaster.

This was quickly followed by the second, which was also returned back to Alaska as the pilots breathed a sight of relief.

That morning, the system that was used to determine the takeoff metrics, named DynamicSource, had undergone a software update that caused a bug.

The glitch meant that the pilots believed the planes were 20,000 to 30,000 pounds lighter than they actually were.

Just weeks before, a separate flight in John F. Kennedy International Airport almost saw a similar wreck, as a Delta plane nearly drove nose-first into the side of an American Airlines jet that crossed onto its runway.

The Boeing 737 was already travelling at 115mph when an air traffic controller noticed the impending disaster.

Last month, a Delta flight almost collided with an American Airlines plane when their paths crossed, in one of the latest iterations of close calls in America's airports

A United Airlines flight from Hawaii to San Francisco plummeted in the air and came within just 775 feet of the Pacific Ocean in a terrifying incident in December 2022

What are the rules on serious incursions? The Federal Aviation Administration has four categories of runway incursion (when a plane, vehicle or person is incorrectly on a runway). These range from Category D (least serious) to Category A (most severe). Category D has 'no immediate safety consequences', while the next stage, Category C, says there is 'ample time and/or distance to avoid a collision'. Category B demonstrates 'significant potential' for a collision. Category A is 'a series incident in which a collision was narrowly avoided' - the final stage before an accident itself occurring. The near miss on Friday 13 at JFK was defined by US Department of Transportation general Mary Schiavo as being a Category A incursion Source: FAA Advertisement

The Delta pilot was forced to abruptly apply the brake, traveling another 661 feet before he came to a complete stop with just 1,000 feet to spare before the plane would have T-boned the American Airlines Boeing 777.

Despite the massive aircrafts almost colliding, the Delta pilot was later heard on cockpit audio recordings casually saying he will need to simply make a few phone calls about the nearly fatal crash.

'Yeah, we're gonna have to go somewhere, run a couple of checklists and probably make some phone calls for Delta 1943,' the pilot says calmly, adding that he figures the crew will just head back to the gate.

Another terrifying near-accident almost struck at the end of 2022, when a United Airlines flight came within feet of crashing into the Pacific Ocean.

The plane had been headed to San Francisco from Hawaii when it found itself in an intense storm.

It proceeded to go into a 'dramatic, nose-down' dive for about eight to 10 seconds, creating mass pandemonium in the cabin.

The harrowing ordeal was recalled by a passenger, who told CNN that being on the plane was like 'the top of a roller coaster' before the terrifying plunge, which came less than 775 feet from hitting the ocean.

The recent string of near misses is a chilling reminder of the infamous Tenerife Airport Disaster in 1977.

583 people lost their lives in the tragedy, which saw two Boeing 747 passenger jets collide on the runway.

Both flights had been redirected to the airport on the Spanish island of Tenerife that day after members of the Canary Islands Independence Movement set off a bomb at the Gran Canaria Airports.

The congestion led to a litany of parked planes to block the only taxiway, forcing all departing planes onto the runway. While KLM flight 4805 was beginning its takeoff, Pan-Am flight 1736 was still on the runway.

The impact and resulting fire killed everyone on board the KLM flight and most of the occupants of the Pan-Am flight, leaving only 61 survivors in the front of the aircraft, making it the deadliest aviation accident in history.
Early yesterday morning, as I left my flat in the centre of the city, ten young joggers from a local running club pounded past me along the pavement. Every last one of them was wearing the Ukrainian flag wrapped around their shoulders.

It was yet another symbol of the nations unyielding patriotism - and a reminder of Vladimir Putins failure to crush Ukraine with his full-scale invasion that started a year ago.

In St Sophia Square, the president who symbolised Ukraines refusal to bow to Moscow presented medals to members of the armed forces and some of the families of his fellow citizens who have been killed since the Russian attack.

Slava Ukraini (Glory to Ukraine)! said Volodymyr Zelensky, the nations battle-cry that has been heard around the world. Hundreds of soldiers, holding their guns to their chests, thundered back: Heroyam Slava (Glory to the Heroes)!

In the moving ceremony, a mournful, solitary trumpet carried over the ranks of uniformed troops, standing before a beautiful golden-domed cathedral.

Children from St Mary's Ukrainian School lighting some of the 52 candles - one for each week of the war

Members of the Ukrainian community hold a large flag as they take part in a rally outside the Russian Embassy to mark the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine

People attending a commemoration march led by the Ukrainian community

A picture from the frontline in Ukraine. Yesterdays date, February 24, is etched in the memory of every Ukrainian - the day that industrial warfare returned to Europe

Yesterdays date, February 24, is etched in the memory of every Ukrainian - the day that industrial warfare returned to Europe.

So after a nightmarish year, this was a day for sombre reflection - but also to recall the nations fortitude in fighting back against the Kremlin.

On this day, our children and grandchildren will remember how strong Ukrainians are mentally, physically and spiritually, said Tetiana Klimkova as she queued to buy special commemorative postage stamps released for the anniversary.

Many people shared memories on social media of that bleak day a year ago when they woke to the sounds of missiles and, in many parts of the country including the capitals outskirts, saw Russian troops and tanks on their streets.

Others posted the last images of normality they had captured before the darkness of war descended. Hauntingly, there were thousands of pictures of families, friends and homes, many since ripped apart by the depravity of war.

Kyiv has suffered less than some other Ukrainian cities. Yet still, over the past year, the air-raid sirens have wailed 680 times, 160 civilians have been killed in Russias attacks and 700 buildings have been damaged.

Outside a supermarket, Olexsandr, a 52-year-old rail worker, told me he came from Bakhmut: a town in the eastern Donbas region that now lies in ruins after some of the wars fiercest fighting.

A woman dries her tears during the ecumenical prayer service at Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral

Natalia, 42, a former actress in a Kyiv theatre, said two of her fellow stage performers have died fighting on the frontline. We have to all help and do whatever we can to support the army, she said

Outside a supermarket, Olexsandr, a 52-year-old rail worker, told me he came from Bakhmut: a town in the eastern Donbas region that now lies in ruins after some of the wars fiercest fighting

He fled to Kyiv with his wife in April; their grown-up children are abroad. I try to stay positive, he said. Putin thought it would be quick and that people in the east would support him - but he was wrong. Its tough to be Ukrainian but I hope all this pain will be worth it.

Natalia, 42, a former actress in a Kyiv theatre, said two of her fellow stage performers have died fighting on the frontline.

At least Natalias brother, who joined the military after war broke out, is so far unharmed. A recent poll found almost one in five Ukrainians has lost a loved one in the war.

She told how, when war broke out, her nine-year-old son covered the windows of their home in tape to stop them shattering in the event of a bomb blast. He later asked her if they were all going to die. We never expected Putin would be so crazy to attack Ukraine, she admitted.

A medic in Ukraine showed a set of Russian wings of the drone they have hit early in the morning that day

The only way for Ukrainians to escape the Russian drone or winter cold is to hide in the dugout

The war in Ukraine has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands and displaced millions more

Yet like many of her people, her response was one of steely resolve - although she initially fled abroad at start of the war. We have to all help and do whatever we can to support the army, she said.

She now spends $5,000 a month with her businessman husband buying items for troops - and so far they have donated four cars, six drones and many sets of body armour. Meanwhile her mother is part of a group that has made 300 camouflage nets.

Such determination and unity underlines why - against all odds - Kyiv still stands free at the heart of a nation that defied a dictator and turned back Russias tanks.

This has been the most difficult year of my life and that of all Ukrainians, said Diana Shestakova, 23. I am sure we will be victorious - but we dont know how long we will have to wait.
Hollywood couple are ardent monarchists and now have many royal neighbours

Royalists Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas have reportedly moved into a new apartment inside St James's Palace.

The Hollywood superstars are now a stone's throw from the home of the King and Queen Consort, while Princesses Anne and Beatrice are even closer neighbours.

The couple, who are ardent monarchists, are understood to have rented a flat at London's oldest palace recently to be their base in the city.

One insider said: 'It's just perfect for their requirements when they're visiting the capital.'

A one-bedroom flat at the palace, likely to be much smaller than the couple's, is currently on the rental market for just under 4,000 a month.

Rentals within the palace first became available in 2015.

Royalists Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas have reportedly moved into a new apartment inside St James's Palace

The St James's Palace detachment of The Queen's Guard turns out in Colour Court, St James Palace, back in 2013

At the time, a source said: 'In theory, anyone can apply but all prospective tenants will be subject to security and background checks.'

St James's Palace was built by Henry VIII in the 16th century.

Zeta Jones and Fatal Attraction star Douglas, 78, have a son, Dylan, 22, and daughter, Carys, 19.

They previously divided their time between a 4million mansion in Irvington, New York state, and a 12-bedroom holiday home in Majorca. They are also thought to own properties in Bermuda and Canada.

The Hollywood superstars are now a stone's throw from the home of the King and Queen Consort, while Princesses Anne and Beatrice are even closer neighbours.

Zeta-Jones spoke this week about her admiration for the Royal Family and revealed that she had once had lunch with Queen Camilla.

'I'm a massive royalist,' she said.

'In our family, we'll dress up on royal occasions. My son will wear a top hat and tails and have scones.

'I had a wonderful lunch with Camilla and Lady Astor in New York years ago, before they were even married, and I loved her. What you see is what you get with Camilla.'

A one-bedroom flat at the palace, likely to be much smaller than the couple's, is currently on the rental market for just under 4,000 a month. Rentals within the palace first became available in 2015

The christenings of the Prince and Princess of Wales's sons, Prince George and Prince Louis, were held at the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace.

Prince Charles was proclaimed King at the palace.

As the son of Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas, Michael grew up in luxury in New York, while Zeta-Jones was raised in a semi-detached house in Swansea, South Wales.

Her parents won 100,000 in a bingo game which paid for their daughter's dance and ballet tuition and launched her career.

Hollywood star looks unrecognisable as she rides the Tube  so can you work out who it is?

She went from the Mumbles district of Swansea to the bright lights of Hollywood.

Yet this Hollywood star proved she hadn't forgotten her humble roots as she filmed herself on the London Underground on Tuesday.

She might be more at home in Chicago than in London and in The Terminal of airports ahead of boarding private jets, but her public transport use ensured she beat the Traffic in the big city.

Plus the 53-year-old film star managed to nab the entire carriage to herself so she wasn't mobbed by any fellow travellers.

So can you guess who it is?

Out and about: Catherine Zeta-Jones showed she is still one of the people as she filmed herself on the London Underground on Tuesday

Trip: The film star, 53, wasn't spotted by any fellow travellers as she had the entire carriage to herself

That's right, it's Catherine-Zeta Jones!

Catherine kept a low profile as she sported a large pair of sunglasses, a grey hat and scarf during the trip.

Speaking to the camera, she said: 'When you're the only one on the tube and you're very happy. London, just me, on public transport.'

Alongside the clip, she wrote: 'Tube Time! London Transport!'

Catherine, who is married to fellow A-list actor Michael Douglas, is thought to have a net worth of $150million.

She was paid an impressive $3million for her role in Traffic in 2000 and earned $million for Chicago just two years later.

The star has also made millions from endorsements such as her deal with T-Mobile where she earned a reported $10million.

In addition, Catherine has millions tied up in properties she shares with her husband Michael.

Incognito: It appeard Catherine did wish to keep a low profile however as she sported a large pair of sunglasses, a grey hat and scarf during the trip

It comes after Michael detailed how he and Catherine manage to juggle family life with A-list acting gigs.

The actor, 78, explained that, particularly when their children were young, they have always tried to take big jobs at different times to avoid conflicting schedules.

He and Catherine, who tied the knot back in 2000, share two children, Carys, 18, and Dylan, 20. While Michael is also dad to Cameron, 44, from his marriage to Diandra Luker.

Insisting that there's no competition between the Hollywood couple, Michael explained that they simply work on their own projects.

Family: It comes after Catherine's husband Michael detailed how the pair manage to juggle family life with A-list acting gigs (pictured with children Carys, 18, and Dylan, 20)

Speaking on ITV's Lorraine, he said: 'I don't know about that [competition].. I think we both do our own things.

'We try and do it at different times so when the kids were younger, so we could be there. But no competition, Catherine's going to do another year of Wednesday and a lot of other projects right now.

'Truth be told, my kids couldn't see the films I've made.

'It's another generation of fans, it's as close as you get to immortality, a bunch of kids now know who you were before, that part is fun,' he jested.
King Charles was at risk of being dragged into politics last night as it emerged he had been lined up to meet the EU president as Brexit negotiations came to a head.

Details emerged of an extraordinary plan for the King to host European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen at Windsor today as negotiations with Rishi Sunak over Northern Ireland reached a critical stage.

The Prime Minister is on the brink of hammering out the details of a new trade deal governing Northern Ireland, despite warnings it could destabilise his premiership.

Further talks were due to have been held at No 10 today before Ms von der Leyens proposed audience with the King.

Sources said the two leaders had made significant progress and would hold further talks in the coming days after making positive breakthroughs this week.

King Charles was at risk of being dragged into politics last night as it emerged he had been lined up to meet the EU president as Brexit negotiations came to a head

Further talks were due to have been held at No 10 today before Ms von der Leyens proposed audience with the King

The Kings meeting with the European President at such a sensitive time would have been highly unusual  and is likely to raise questions about the judgment of both No 10 and the Palace.

Although the monarch would not have taken part in political negotiations, his involvement in any form would have given the impression that he had given the deal his blessing.

There were even discussions about calling the deal the Windsor Agreement, according to Sky News.

Some may have hoped the impression of royal authority would help win over unionists in Northern Ireland, whose support is crucial if new trading arrangements are to be agreed.

But it risked accusations that the PM was dragging the monarch into a controversial political issue.

The proposed audience with the King has now been cancelled for unspecified reasons. No 10 and Buckingham Palace both declined to comment last night.

Yesterday Downing Street was tight-lipped about the timetable for an agreement, but one Whitehall source said it was likely to come in the next 72 hours, or even tomorrow.

Cabinet ministers have been put on standby for a possible conference call to discuss the details this weekend, and MPs believe an agreement could be unveiled to Parliament on Monday.

The Prime Minister is on the brink of hammering out the details of a new trade deal governing Northern Ireland, despite warnings it could destabilise his premiership

Mr Sunak is also expected to hold further talks with DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson in a bid to win his backing

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly yesterday insisted Mr Sunak is not going to sign a Brexit deal that fails to meet the demands of the DUP

However, it is not clear when  or even if  MPs will be given a vote on the deal. A senior Tory, who met the PM this week, discouraged him from putting it to MPs, saying: If you hold a vote you just cement divisions.

Mr Sunak is also expected to hold further talks with DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson in a bid to win his backing.

Eurosceptic MPs including Boris Johnson have signalled they could try and vote against the deal if the Prime Minister cedes too much ground to Brussels, with threats of resignations.

But Foreign Secretary James Cleverly yesterday insisted Mr Sunak is not going to sign a Brexit deal that fails to meet the demands of the DUP.
This Feb. 24 photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows the North staging "strategic cruise missile" launch drills in an area of the northeastern city of Kim Chaek the previous day. Yonhap



North Korea has conducted "strategic cruise missile" launching drills, with the "war posture" of the country's nuclear combat forces clearly demonstrated, its state media said Friday, as South Korea and the United States held joint military exercises this week.



A subunit of the North's strategic cruise missile unit fired four "Hwasal-2 strategic cruise missiles" from an area of the northeastern city of Kim Chaek in North Hamgyong Province toward the East Sea at dawn Thursday, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).



"The four strategic cruise missiles precisely hit the preset target on the East Sea of Korea after traveling the 2,000 kilometer-long elliptical and eight-shaped flight orbits for 10,208 seconds to 10,224 seconds," the KCNA said in an English-language report. "The drill reconfirmed the reliability of the weapon system and examined the rapid response posture of strategic cruise missile units that constitute one of major forces of the DPRK nuclear deterrent.



"The drill clearly demonstrated once again the war posture of the DPRK nuclear combat force bolstering up in every way its deadly nuclear counterattack capability against the hostile forces," it added.






One hundred and fifty miles east of Moscow in the high-security IK-6 penal colony, a brutal battle of wills is playing out  between a merciless tyrant and the bravest of men who refuses to be cowed by him.

For it is here that Vladimir Putin has set out to break his foe, the Russian political prisoner he most fears.

He is 46-year-old Alexei Navalny  lawyer, opposition leader and the man who has done more than any to document the dictators shocking corruption.

IK-6 is notorious, even by Russian standards. Violence and rape among the prisoners are commonplace. The jailers are well-known for their cruelty. And Navalny is entirely at their mercy.

He is continually being sentenced to ten-day periods of solitary confinement for imagined infractions.

Alexei Navalny is the Kremlin critic who survived a poison attack and is now rotting in a brutal penal colony

The man Putin fears: Opposition leader Alexei Navalny, now an inmate of a Russian penal colony (top). And, inset, a selfie with his wife Yulia in hospital in Berlin  where he was being treated for nerve-agent poisoning

On one occasion he was punished for washing his hands six minutes ahead of schedule. On another for undoing the top button of his shirt.

And as soon as he is released from one period of solitary, he is punished with another.

It must be all but impossible for him to keep track of time. His sentence of 11 and a half years  on trumped-up charges of fraud and violating parole  stretches out endlessly ahead of him. The days are without feature. He is allowed one book, one mug and one metal stool fixed to the floor of his punishment cell.

For 30 minutes each day he is allowed a pen and piece of paper but no more. The bed is folded during the day so that he cannot lie down.

He has said the authorities have put a mentally disturbed patient  who shouts and screams incessantly  in the adjoining cell in an attempt to deprive him of sleep.

The aim is clear: to force him to submit to Putins twisted will.

Two weeks ago, Navalny emerged from his 11th separate period of incarceration in a hellish 10ft by 7ft concrete kennel with only a hole in the ground for a toilet.

He had lost more than a stone in weight and was suffering from a severe lung infection he had caught in prison  though it would be more correct to say that he was deliberately infected with it.

His vindictive jailers had previously put a tramp with a contagious respiratory condition in the same cell as him and, naturally, when Navalny became sick they neglected to treat him.

Those close to the charismatic dissident had hoped he would have an opportunity to spend a few weeks in the standard dormitory accommodation within the penal colony, offering respite of a sort.

But instead, Navalny chose this very moment to display his characteristic fearlessness, at great personal cost.

Through his lawyers, he sanctioned the release of information about his corrupt jailers themselves, the people who have made his life an inhuman misery since he arrived at IK-6 last summer.

The dossier was put together by Navalnys now-exiled Anti-Corruption Foundation team who, over the years, have investigated and exposed, with breathtaking clarity, the debasement of Putins rule.

They shone a light on a dozen sadist prison officers in a facility long known for the savage abuse of its inmates  in an attempt to make clear to them that, when the day of reckoning comes after Putins fall, they will be held responsible for their part in supporting his criminal regime.

He refuses to stop exposing the regimes sickening cruelty and corruption  no matter the horrors his sadistic guards inflict...

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is shown on a monitor screen via video link from the penal colony No. 2 (IK-2) in Pokrov in Vladimir region, during a hearing of an appeal against Lefortovsky court sentence at the Moscow city court in Moscow, Russia, May, 24, 2022

The dossier homed in on the man tasked with breaking Navalny, the jails governor, Colonel Dmitry Nozhkin. It named Nozhkins glamorous mistress, and revealed his penchant, along with that of his wife, for threesomes, as indicated by their membership of a specialist website.

It noted the anomaly that allowed another cruel senior warder, Lt Col Yury Fomin, to own a BMW X5 costing four times his declared salary.

Meanhwhile, Lt Mikhail Neimovich, 25, was identified as the person entrusted with scrupulously writing reports on Navalny and his torture in jail.

The lieutenants painstaking notes, detailing how Navalny has been punished for failing to address warders the proper way, and much more, are said to land regularly on Putins desk.

The dossier revealed, too, how Nozhkin receives orders from Moscow and holds lengthy meetings in his grim jail on making life worse for Putins main enemy, according to Navalnys Anti-Corruption Foundation.

Unsurprisingly, following the release of this information by Navalnys team, there was a lightning response.

Navalny was told he would be placed in a new harsh solitary confinement cell, with all visits by his economist wife Yulia, 46, and his family, banned. His legal team saw this as the latest episode in a blatant and sinister strategy to destroy Navalnys health, killing him slowly.

As he put it himself: The main torment of imprisonment is, of course, the inability to see the faces of your family, to talk to your loved ones.

I havent had any visits for eight months and [now] I was told that I would be transferred to a cell-type facility for the maximum possible term of six months.

No visits are allowed there. This means more than a year without a visit. Even maniacs and serial killers serving life sentences have the right to receive a visit, but I do not.

Not only are such criminals allowed visits, but Russias maniacs and serial killers have even been eligible for release  if they are willing to fight in Ukraine, and if they survive six months, Putin wipes their convictions clean.

There are murderers freely walking Russian streets because they were willing to kill in Ukraine also. There will be many more soon. Yet hell will freeze over before Putin liberates Navalny, a man he is so scared of that he cannot even publicly utter his name.

There is a saying in Russia: the truth is good, but happiness is better. As long as they are able to enjoy happiness and prosperity, the Russian people have been willing to ignore or even believe Putins lies. Many are in favour of the war.

Navalny, however, has chosen the truth  and the misery that results from telling it.

This week he published a 15-point statement calling for an end to the war, prosecutions against war criminals, reparations for the Ukrainians, and democracy in Russia.

Time and again he has spoken out, heedless of the consequences. A revelation that caused particular anger in the Kremlin was the 2021 documentary Putins Palace: The History Of The Worlds Largest Bribe, which Navalny scripted and presented.

It revealed the secret construction of a 1 billion residence for the Russian president by the Black Sea.

Perched on a clifftop estate 39 times the size of Monaco, this gaudy Versailles has its own Orthodox church, as well as boasting a pole-dancing hookah boudoir, a casino, a vineyard, and a 16-storey underground complex, likened to a Bond villains lair.

Many of the oligarchs who got rich in the Putin years contributed to it, as if paying protection money to a godfather. Putin, it has often been said, runs a mafia state  one with hypersonic nuclear missiles.

Naturally, Putin denied the place had anything to do with him, instead asserting it belonged to his billionaire consigliere Arkady Rotenberg, 71, who struggled to keep a straight face while insisting it was his.

The president is notoriously secretive about his private life, which is why Navalnys repeated efforts to inform the Russian public about it have so enraged him.

Eleven months ago, Navalnys team launched a new Exocet, revealing details of the dictators carefully concealed royal yacht, the 460ft Scheherazade, crewed by agents of the FSO and FSB, two Russian secret services, except for the figurehead British captain.

Scheherazade has been used by Putins sanctioned mistress, the former gymnast Alina Kabaeva, with whom it is said he has a secret family about which Russians are forbidden to know.

Moment Putin breaks his own law by using banned word 'war'

Happily for the purposes of domestic harmony, Putins alleged former mistress Svetlana Krivonogikh, 47, who owns a striptease club in St Petersburg and was this month sanctioned by Britain, has her own yacht.

She also boasts a property and banking fortune, making the cleaner-turned-multimillionairess one of Russias richest women.

Other investigations from Navalnys team have eviscerated many of Putins cronies.

A new one this month exposed how the as-yet unsanctioned family of one of his leading missile engine designers, Mkrtich Okroyan  whose lethal Kh-22s have unleashed mayhem and death upon civilians including children in Ukraine  owns a secret luxury mansion in Virginia Water, Surrey.

It was Navalnys uncompromising commitment to tell truth to power that resulted in the August 2020 attempt on his life.

On a plane over Siberia, he began to suffer convulsions induced by poisoning. An FSB federal security service hit squad, which had been tailing him for years, had sprinkled a version of the nerve agent Novichok on his underwear after breaking into his hotel room.

Navalny was allowed, inexplicably, to fly to Germany for lifesaving medical treatment.

In an admirable show of chutzpah, Navalny later personally exposed this FSB assassination bid by posing on the phone as a security official and duping the poisoner into admitting his role.

The secret services operative responsible for the blunder, Konstantin Kudryavtsev, has now vanished, and is feared dead as punishment for his indiscretion.

After recovering from the botched assassination plot, Navalny then made the most extraordinary decision. On January 17, 2021, he flew back to Russia from Berlin. Putins officials couldnt believe their luck. His Pobeda Airlines plane was diverted from Vnukovo to Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow, where he was promptly detained again.

Some see Navalnys decision to return to Russia as the defining act of a modern-day martyr, a commitment to give his life if necessary to fight Putins regime inside the country, not from the comfort of the West.

He can have had no illusions as to the danger after the attempt to murder him, nor after the earlier brutal gunning down of another prominent opposition leader, Boris Nemtsov, 55, in 2015, just yards from the Kremlin.

Despite this, he has continued to expose jaw-dropping details of corruption involving the Russian president and his crooks and thieves circle. He refuses to be silenced, no matter the scale of savagery he faces.

These revelations have all emerged while Navalny is behind bars in the Vladimir region, his every movement monitored by Lt Neimovich.

Yet, effective as this has been in spotlighting Putins corruption, it is hard now not to question that decision to fly back from Berlin.

Whatever convinced Navalny  then a free man  to return to what now seems certain and endless custody as long as Putin rules, it is interesting to speculate what might have been had he not boarded flight DP936 and remained in the West.

Naturally, Putin denied the place had anything to do with him, instead asserting it belonged to his billionaire consigliere Arkady Rotenberg, 71, who struggled to keep a straight face while insisting it was his

The separation from his family is particularly hard. Last week, Navalny had a better reason than any to fail to mark Valentines Day.

Still, he had planned ahead. In a long message posted to his social media accounts, he told his wife: I havent seen you so terribly long, Yulyashka. I talk to you constantly. Like a madman, I sit at breakfast and imagine us all gathering together as a family, I make a joke to tease you, then make your joke at me, then my next joke. I love you. I miss you. Your husband.

Many will see it as odd that Navalny has not been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his attempts to end tyranny in Russia.

He has now been jailed or held in detention an astonishing 22 separate times since he was handcuffed at a Russia without Putin protest in 2011.

And it is very far from certain he will remain alive inside his current jail as the war deepens in Ukraine and earlier constraints on Kremlin behaviour evaporate.

Navalny has been labelled  outrageously  an extremist and terrorist. He has been barred by myriad politically motivated prosecutions and sleights of hand from offering Russians the chance to elect him, which in a genuinely free poll they might well do.

More than any other opposition leader he inspired people onto the streets. Like Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, Navalny is a politician with that rare quality of cut-through.

He has told how the invasion of Ukraine was unleashed by a maniac possessed by some nonsense about geopolitics, history and the structure of the world.

He [Putin] is addicted to death, war and lies like a drug  he needs them to maintain power.

In a call to action, Navalny urged: It is everyones duty to make at least some, even the smallest contribution to stopping this war and remove Putin from power.

He adds: Our unfortunate tormented motherland needs to be saved. It was robbed, wounded, drawn into an aggressive war and turned into a prison run by the most shameless and deceitful villains.

I am not going to give them my country and I believe that the darkness will disappear.

There are some who say Navalny should not be made a hero. That he is motivated by personal and political interest. That he is hardly a Western liberal. Even that his suffering is inconsequential compared to the suffering of the many thousands of Ukrainians who have lost their homes or their lives in Putins senseless war.

But that is to miss the point. In a country where the truth has been abandoned, Alexei Navalny has made a personal crusade of telling it.

Not only did he refuse to flee when he had the opportunity, he went willingly into the clutches of his tormentor. And as he languishes in a prison cell in the grip of his enemy, still he refuses to yield to the tyrant.

The man Putin fears: Opposition leader Alexei Navalny, now an inmate of a Russian penal colony (top). And, inset, a selfie with his wife Yulia in hospital in Berlin  where he was being treated for nerve-agent poisoning
Dawn breaks one January morning and the hunched silhouettes of a man and woman are caught on camera heading into the Sussex countryside carrying a tent and sleeping bags.

It is cold and dark  no time for camping and certainly no place for the new-born baby concealed beneath the coat of the female figure.

Tomorrow marks the 50th day since that sighting. Fifty days in which Constance Marten, her partner Mark Gordon and their child have seemingly vanished into thin air.

In that time, the trio has been the focus of one of the most high-profile police searches of recent years, one that has seen 100 officers trawl through endless hours of CCTV footage while following up 350 calls from members of the public. Search teams on the ground and thermal imaging drones in the air have been used to scour hundreds of acres of land.

In appeal after appeal, Martens family and the police have implored the couple to come forward for the sake and health of the baby. A 10,000 reward has been put on offer. And yet still no sign of them.

Tomorrow marks the 50th since that last sighting of Constance Marten (pictured), her partner Mark Gordon and their child

Marten is a blue-blooded aristocrat, Mark Gordon a convicted rapist who served 20 years in a U.S. jail

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon on Avis Road, Newhaven, January 8, 2023. It has been more than six weeks since police found the car that they were believed to be travelling in

They could be absolutely anywhere in the UK, admitted the Metropolitan Polices Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford, speaking exclusively to the Mail this week.

To many it will seem incredible that in modern Britain, a nation bristling with CCTV cameras, anyone could evade detection for so long. Marten is a blue-blooded aristocrat, Gordon a convicted rapist who served 20 years in a U.S. jail. So where on earth could they be?

There are a number of possibilities, none of which has been ruled out by police.

One theory is that they might have been smuggled across the Channel in a small boat. As thousands of migrants have demonstrated, if you have the money its possible and Marten, with a family trust fund, most certainly does. Before going on the run she withdrew large amounts of cash,  between 5,000 and 15,000.

Then there is the fact that in the days following the birth of their child they headed first to the port of Harwich in Essex and then to Newhaven in East Sussex. Yet it can be revealed neither Marten nor Gordon has a passport.

Another possibility is that they could be being helped by a sympathetic third party. Police have ruled out family or friends  Marten is estranged from everyone  but someone could have been persuaded with cash.

But most likely of all, say police, is that they are simply hunkered down and living off-grid. Detectives who studied CCTV of their movements in the days after they went missing have established they knew the risk of their phones being traced and were swapping SIM cards in and out of their mobile devices.

Exhibiting paranoid behaviour, they quizzed the taxi drivers who ferried them around the country to find out whether their vehicles were equipped with cameras.

Police released this picture of Marten and Gordon outside East Ham station at around 11.45am on Saturday January 7, 2023

Marten is believed to have been spotted wrapped in red blanket in Harwich Port, Essex on Saturday at 9am on January 7, 2023

Marten is described by Det Supt Basford as very, very intelligent while other experts say Gordons time in a U.S. prison will mean he is hyper-vigilant.

And so police are once again calling on the public to help, warning that every passing day is another in which the baby is living in far from ideal circumstances.

We just need someone who has a concern, or an intuition, to ring us, Det Supt Basford says. That would give us a lead and allow us to pick up on them again.

At 6.33pm on Thursday, January 5, the emergency services were called to reports of a broken-down car on fire on the hard shoulder of the M61 near Bolton. Its occupants were nowhere to be seen.

But what was found inside  blood and a placenta  caused immediate concern.

An investigation was launched by Greater Manchester Police, who located 35-year-old Martens passport in the car. It was quickly established that the vehicle had been bought for cash by the couple just days earlier in London, where they had been living.

A pathologist was able to estimate the baby  sex unknown  was probably born in the last 24 hours. If it wasnt for that car fire, we probably, today, would be unaware that the baby had been born, admits Det Supt Basford, explaining that Marten had concealed the pregnancy.

Since meeting Gordon in 2016, police say the pair had led an extraordinarily insular existence together. They had strikingly different backgrounds. Constance was privately educated and her family boasted links to the royals and a 100 million Dorset estate.

Friends claim she was traumatised after spending six months at a cult-like Nigerian church in 2006 where disciples were allegedly abused by the groups self-proclaimed prophet. Her father described it as a trigger, setting up a pattern of behaviour exposing her to easy manipulation.

Martens family and the police have implored the couple to come forward for the sake and health of the baby

Constance Marten is missing with her rapist boyfriend and their newborn baby in the UK

Quite what attracted her to Gordon is unclear. Raised in Birmingham, he was the youngest of seven children born to mother Sylvia, a nurse who came to Britain from Jamaica as part of the Windrush generation.

In the mid-1980s, when Gordon was 11, the family moved to Florida. It was here, in 1989, the then 14-year-old Gordon was arrested by police for attacking two neighbours. His first victim was a 30-year-old whom he held captive for more than four hours, threatening to kill her two children sleeping in the next room as he sexually assaulted her.

Weeks later he broke into another neighbours home, attacking him with a shovel. He was convicted of rape, kidnap and battery and served 20 years in prison before being deported to the UK in 2010.

On returning, he met Marten who largely funded their transient lives together. Where they were heading when their car broke down is unclear. After they were pictured buying camping gear at Argos on Whitechapel Road on January 7, they took a taxi to Haringey, and then, in the early hours of Sunday morning, to Newhaven  paying with cash.

Dropped outside the port shortly before 5am on January 8, they sheltered in an underpass before being seen for the final time walking towards the South Downs National Park. By the time Scotland Yard found that footage, several weeks had passed. While detectives believe they may have camped in the area, subsequent searches found no trace of them.

The CCTV footage captured in those early days only served to raise the concerns of the authorities. Preparing to go out and camp, walking into the field with the tent and sleeping bags and the baby under a coat that is two days old. All the decisions we have observed in that time period point to vulnerabilities and risk, says Det Supt Basford.

As to where they may be now, the detective says he has not ruled anything out but thinks it is unlikely they have left the country by legal or illegal means.

My belief is that they dont have the criminal associations to be able to do that, he says. Police also think they may be starting to run low on money. If they had carried on moving at that rate that money would have finished a few weeks ago.

Newhaven ferry port CCTV picked up the couple on January 8, circled in red in this still

Detectives continue their appeal to the public to help the find a newborn baby. They went into Argos on Whitechapel Road, E1, at 18:19hrs on Saturday, January 7, 2023

As for third-party help, he says he is confident there is no one known to them or linked to them that is actively aiding them.

My only concern  and that links into us offering a 10,000 reward  is have they come across somebody who is anti-police, anti-establishment and they have said to them, We have got cash, can you help us?

On social media sites the couples disappearance has attracted widespread discussion, with some calling for the police to let them get on with their lives.

The officer says the wider public needs to trust the polices evaluation and risk assessments and to be aware that they have the full support of Martens family.

He added: We have a genuine concern for the health and wellbeing of the baby, and Constance and Mark, and it is our duty to ensure that they are OK.

Martens father and mother, who are divorced, have both issued heartfelt appeals to their daughter. Her mother, Virginie de Selliers, said: I know that you want to keep your precious new-born child at all costs. With all that you have gone through, this baby cannot be removed from you but instead needs looking after in a kind and warm environment.

Something a tent on the South Downs, or a life on the run, can clearly never offer.
A man in his 80s died after he was savagely mauled by three dogs including several pitbulls in the west side of San Antonio on Friday afternoon.

Firefighters arrived just after 1:45pm to what has been described as a 'horrific' scene where the man was being dragged by the vicious animals as emergency services go to the scene.

The firefighters were forced to intervene using their pickaxes in order to get the dogs and release their grip.

Two other people including an elderly woman were also hurt during the attack with one bit on the hand.

'As they rounded the corner they could see a man being dragged by a dog. He was completely bloodied before they got out of the truck,' San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said at the scene.

'This is not something that is normal for us. We don't normally have to defend patients from animals or ourselves. The firefighters in this instance were very heroic fighting off these pit bulls with pickaxes and pipes to try and get to the patients,' Hood said.

'Two people were mauled with a confirmed fatality who was treated and given blood on the scene, together with a female in critical condition. Another individual was bitten on the hand and also taken to the hospital.

'It has been a horrific scene and horrific experience for everyone involved including firefighters which was essentially a rescue to save themselves,' Hood said.

Firefighters were forced to use pickaxes and metal poles to fight off the savage animals

Firefighters can be seen holding their metal pickaxes to force the animals away

San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said it was not yet clear whether the owners of the dogs responsible for the attack will face any charges

Emergency services are seen at the location of a fatal dog attack in which an 80-year-old man died

Police provide details of a deadly West Side dog attack. https://t.co/zf0RzDWxrp  KABB FOX 29 (@KABBFOX29) February 24, 2023

A San Antonio Fire Captain who arrived on scene was also bitten in the leg during the attack which occurred in the 2800 block of Depla Street, on the city's west side.

Fire Chief Charles Hood said it was not yet clear whether the owners of the dogs responsible for the attack will face any charges, although it is more than likely they will.

Chief Hood said that the entire experience had likely 'emotionally scarred' the firefighters involved.

The dogs involved were American Staffordshire Terriers (file photo)

'Nobody expects to go out and fight dogs in a situation like they did today,' Hood said.

Both women who were attacked have been taken to University Hospital for treatment. One of the women is currently in critical condition.

Shannon Wade Sims, Director Animal Care Services at City of San Antoni, says the dogs were American Staffordshire dogs. ACS officers responded soon after receiving the call and managed to remove all of the animals from the property as well as question the owners.

Neighbors say they had reported bites occurring in the past with multiple calls to the city's 311 complaint line. The dogs had been previously impounded for a 'mild bite' in 2021.

Other calls made by neighbors within the past two years were concerns about animal neglect and aggression.

San Antonio Animal Care Services have taken all of the dogs involved and placed them in quarantine kennels, where they will remain until further notice.

The face of a bloodied pit bull can be seen in this photo with a dead man's body lying nearby

One of the dogs that carried out the attack with a bloody face can be seen standing at the scene

Shannon Wade Sims, Director Animal Care Services at City of San Antonio, said all of the dogs involved have been placed in quarantine kennels where they will remain until further notice
The White House is raising alarms that Russia will provide advanced defense equipment to Iran, after Tehran has provided Russia's forces with a supply of lethal drones it has used to inflict punishing damage on Ukrainian infrastructure and civilians.

And President Joe Biden told reporters he isn't worried at present that China will throw its support to Russia in its war on Ukraine.

'There is no evidence of that so far,' Biden said. He said he held a 'private discussion' with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about his request about providing U.S. F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby mentioned the prospect on a call with reporters, on a day the administration imposed further sanctions on Russia on the anniversary of its invasion of Ukraine.

'We believe Russia might provide Iran unprecedented defense cooperation, including missiles, electronics and air defense. We believe that Russia might provide Iran with fighter jets,' said Kirby.

He made the comment following reports Russia is in talks to purchase military drones from China, despite repeated warnings from western powers to stay out of the conflict.

Adm. John Kirby warned Russia may provide 'unprecedented' defense cooperation to Iran, which has been supplying Russia with drones

President Joe Biden said 'there is no evidence of that so far,' when asked if he was concerned China would assist Russia's war in Ukraine

'Iran is seeking billions of dollars worth of military equipment,' said Kirby, who mentioned helicopters and radar.

He didn't provide information on the type of jets or the time-frame.

It all comes amid a relentless war that has both sides scouring the globe for ammunition and equipment.

The Pentagon announced its own $2 billion aid package for Ukraine Friday, with new Switchblade 600 killer drones, along with artillery rounds and laser-guided munitions.

In a break with the past, DOD did not provide the numbers of artillery rounds provided, amid concern about the size of stockpiles and following a stunning intelligence breach.

The White House has announced yet another package of sweeping sanctions targeting Russia on the one-year anniversary of its brutal invasion of Ukraine  with new efforts to target third countries including China for sanctions evasion.

The latest sanctions, which come on top of a series of previous efforts, target 200 individuals or entities, and bring in such sectors as finance, defense, and technology  amid the ongoing clash of powers to see which side's arms, ammunition and stockpiles can hold out.

'We are continuing to impose significant costs on Russia for its illegal war against Ukraine, including through additional sanctions measures,' Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in India during a meeting with U.K. finance minister Jeremy Hunt.

'Our global coalition is working relentlessly to disrupt Russian military supply chains, limit the Kremlins revenue, and make it harder for them to use the money they have to source military equipment from abroad,' she said.

President Joe Biden (C-L) walks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (C-R) at St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral during an unannounced visit, in Kyiv on February 20, 2023. The U.S. announced additional sanctions on Russia and third countries who evade sanctions

Russian T-72B3 tanks fire at Ukrainian fortified positions in Ukraine in undated footage.

The sanctions come amid allied concerns about increasingly close ties between Russia and China

The Treasury Department, the State Department, and the Commerce Department were each announcing coordinated new sanctions efforts.

The White House touted the new package of sanctions, which it had forecast during President Biden's surprise trip to Ukraine, in a release.

'As part of this announcement, we will target a dozen Russian financial institutions, in alignment with allies and partners, as well as Russian officials and proxy authorities illegitimately operating in Ukraine,' according to the White House.

'We will sanction additional actors tied to Russias defense and technology industry, including those responsible for backfilling Russian stocks of sanctioned items or enabling Russian sanctions evasion.'

The sanctions target Russias future energy capabilities 'in a manner that does not impact current production to minimize market disruption,' according to the White House  amid Europe's continued reliance on Russia for its energy needs.

Sanctions are also enhanced against Russias metals and mining sector, again 'tailored to minimize market disruption'  amid indications that some of Russia's most withering attacks are on parts of Ukraine that have mineral or mining assets.

The government is slapping increased tariffs on more than 100 Russian metals, minerals, and chemical products valued at $2.8 billion, according to the White House.

Biden is set to hold a virtual meeting from the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House Friday over the efforts. The event is set to be closed to the press.

Yellen spoke about the sanctions at a meeting with fellow finance ministers and bank governors in Bengaluru amid India's G20 Presidency.

'In the year ahead, well redouble our efforts at disrupting Russian sanctions evasion efforts. That includes by sharing intelligence, identifying and eliminating specific networks, and making it harder for companies and jurisdictions to serve as evasion channels,' she vowed.

'Our work together also includes the price cap on Russian crude oil and refined products. While it is still early, we are seeing progress towards its twin goals of reducing Russian revenue and promoting stability in global oil markets,' she said.

The White House released a detailed fact sheet on its efforts to date. The moves, together with actions by allies, have isolated Russia.

The data mentions China by name as among those on the 'entity list' of those evading sanctions and helping backfill Russia's defense sector.

'These listings will prohibit the targeted companies from purchasing items, such as semiconductors, whether made in the U.S. or with certain U.S. technology or software abroad,' according to the White House.

A view of damaged building is seen after Russian attack as Russia-Ukraine war continues in Kherson Oblast, Ukraine on February 22, 2023

A Ukrainian Army doctor from the 72nd Mechanized Brigade treats a soldier at a stabilization hospital near the frontline in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

'We are continuing to impose significant costs on Russia for its illegal war against Ukraine,' said Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen

.
A mummified ancestor of Boris Johnson didn't die of syphilis, shocked scientists have revealed  and the true culprit is something we've never seen before.

Branded 'Switzerland's most famous mummy', the corpse made headlines in 2018 when it was identified as Anna Catharina Bischoff, Johnson's sixth great-grandmother.

Her remains, which were found in 1975, contained high levels of mercury  historically, a treatment for syphilis  so it was assumed that the disease had killed her.

But now an analysis of the microbes in her mummified organs has revealed not syphilis, but high levels of a bacterium previously unknown to science.

Microbiologist Mohamed Sarhan from Eurac Research said: 'The initial assumption was based on the mercury presence in her body, especially in the lungs.

A mummified ancestor of Boris Johnson didn't die of syphilis, shocked scientists have revealed  and the true culprit is something we've never seen before

'This might indicate inhalation treatment for syphilis, as this was the followed protocol back then.

What is syphilis and how is it spread? Syphilis is a bacterial infection that's usually caught by having sex with someone who's infected. But it can be spread to anyone who comes into close contact with an infected sore. This usually happens during sex, but could occur if treating a patient unprotected. Pregnant women with syphilis can also pass the infection to their unborn baby. It may be possible to catch syphilis if you're an injecting drug user and you share needles with somebody who's infected, or through blood transfusions. The first symptom is a painless, round red sore around the affected area. It is easily treated but if left, can spread to the brain and cause serious long-term problems. Source: NHS Choices Advertisement

'We therefore analysed many samples from every organ in her body to see whether we can find any DNA traces of the syphilis-causing pathogen, but we couldn't.

'Instead we found this new bacterium that was highly abundant in the brain tissues and correlated with the highest mercury concentration in the brain.'

Comparing the mysterious old bacteria with bacteria from today revealed something intriguing.

It contained similar sets of genes to those found in modern bacteria that cause bone lesions and pulmonary symptoms.

Bone lesions, which are visible in Bischoff's remains, are a known symptom of untreated late-stage syphilis.

So she may have been misdiagnosed with the sexually-transmitted infection, when the true cause of her sickness was something unknown.

For Dr Sarhan, it's enough to rule out syphilis as a cause of death.

He said: 'The assumption that she might have died of syphilis can be excluded even if she had it.

'Syphilis at an advanced stage has very clear signs that she did not have.

'Additionally, she died at age of 69, so not very young.

'Also, she had other health issues  for example: she was overweight and had gallstones, and had other issues that are currently under research.

'The mercury treatment might have weakened her body and immune system over time, but was not really the main cause of her death.'

Dr Sarhan's conclusions aren't without controversy, however.

Her remains, which were found in 1975, contained high levels of mercury  historically, a treatment for syphilis  so it was assumed that the disease had killed her

An analysis of the microbes in her mummified organs has revealed not syphilis, but high levels of a bacterium previously unknown to science

Gerhard Hotz of the Natural History Museum of Basel, where the mummy is now kept, said: 'This is the point where we have different opinions.

'In the late stages of syphilis you don't find a lot of bacteria in the body anymore. So it was very difficult to find the old genome of the bacteria.

'So it's not proof that she didn't have it  for me personally, I still think she had it. Her skull clearly shows signs of syphilis. But we can't prove it by genomes.'

Whatever the case, Bischoff's illness was certainly assumed to be syphilis in her time.

And for the wealthy widow of a priest, that was a damning diagnosis.

Dr Hotz said: 'Nobody wanted to talk about it. Normally when people died of her social class from Basel, there was a written obituary about the person, who she was and so on.

'We found it about everybody, but not about her. So we think she died, and she was very quickly and privately buried in the church.'

He said her diagnosis would have barred her from using public baths and even being treated in a normal hospital.

But it didn't necessarily indicate any illicit sexual activity.

Dr Hotz said the scrutiny of the churchgoing community would have made an affair difficult to conceal, and letters from her husband detailing his own illnesses give no symptoms of syphilis.

Comparing the mysterious old bacteria with bacteria from today revealed something intriguing. It contained similar sets of genes to those found in modern bacteria that cause bone lesions and pulmonary symptoms

She may have been misdiagnosed with the sexually transmitted infection, when the true cause of her sickness was something unknown

Bischoff was born to a wealthy family in Strasbourg, France, in 1719. Her father, himself a priest, ministered to the Swiss families of the city, but when he died aged 40 the rest of the family rejoined their relations in Basel

He continued: 'We don't think it was an affair, either from her husband or from herself.

'But there's another explanation  because she was the wife of a priest, she had to visit sick people, to console them.

'And in Strasbourg, near where she lived, there was a hospital for syphilis, so we think she was going there to visit sick people.

'And if somebody was newly infected, you can easily be infected.'

Bischoff was born to a wealthy family in Strasbourg, France, in 1719.

Her father, himself a priest, ministered to the Swiss families of the city, but when he died aged 40 the rest of the family rejoined their relations in Basel.

Bischoff's husband would ultimately take her father's old job in Strasbourg, and she lived there for more than 40 years, having seven children  four of whom survived to adulthood.

Her oldest daughter, also called Anna Katharina, is Boris Johnson's fifth great-grandmother.

After her husband's death, Bischoff returned once more to Basel, where she died in 1787.

And when she was buried in Barfusser Church, the mercury that had been used to treat her slowed her putrefaction and turned her into a mummy.
Ben & Jerry's and Magnum ice creams are undergoing a secret new recipe revolution to stop them melting at higher temperatures.

The aim is to make the cold treats stay solid for longer in warmer conditions as part of a drive to save energy and slash the carbon footprint of the brands' owner.

British consumer giant Unilever has not disclosed exactly how it will make the new ice cream, but experts believe the answer is likely to lie in either using more starch, or removing some of the sugar.

The tricky problem with the latter, however, is that slight changes to the formula of an ice cream can affect the delicate balance between texture and sweetness.

The goal of the ambitious experiment is to find a formula that retains the taste, firmness, and 'mouth feel' of each Ben & Jerry's and Magnum product at higher temperatures.

Revolution: Ben & Jerry's and Magnum ice creams are undergoing a secret new recipe revolution to stop them melting at higher temperatures

Scientists for Unilever want to create a new recipe for Ben & Jerry's and Magnum ice creams to stop them melting in higher temperatures. Experts say there are likely two options: reducing the sugar in the ice cream, or adding some modified starch

If the company can solve the conundrum, the hope is this will cut the carbon footprint of its freezers in shops across the world by as much as 30 per cent.

Currently Ben & Jerry's and Magnum ice creams are stored at -18C, but Unilever wants to keep it at -12C.

Dr Edward Breeds, Principal Lecturer of Physics at Nottingham Trent University, told MailOnline that the idea was possible 'by carefully selecting the ingredients'.

HOW COULD ICE CREAM BE MADE TO STOP MELTING IN WARMER CLIMES? Scientists for Unilever want to create a new recipe for Ben & Jerry's and Magnum ice creams to stop them melting in higher temperatures. The company wants to be able to store them in freezers at -12C, rather than -18C, to cut its carbon footprint and save money, but hasn't revealed how it will do it. Experts say there are likely two options: 1. Reduce the sugar in the ice cream Hardness of ice cream depends on how much sugar and lactose is dissolved in the water. Take out some sugar, and the treat will freeze at a higher temperature. 2. Add some modified starch This would wrap around the water and fat to give the ice cream more stability at warmer temperatures. Advertisement

He said: 'Adjusting the balance of sugars, starches, and other contributors (such as flavours and colours) would likely be the way to approach this challenge initially.'

The reason it is soft and scoopable at sub-zero temperatures is because sugar lowers the freezing temperature of the water they are dissolved in, an expert at the University of Guelph in Canada explained.

Professor Douglas Goff, who teaches courses on ice cream, told the Times: 'What controls the amount of ice at any given temperature (hence the hardness) is how much sugars, and lactose from the milk solids, is dissolved in the water.

'Since sugars dont dissolve in ice, if there is less water, there is more sugar dissolved in it, hence it stays unfrozen until the temperature is lowered a bit more.'

He added: 'So if your goal is to make harder ice cream, you simply use less sugar. Of course, now you have to rebalance the sweetness.'

That is one option, but co-founder of food development experts Bingham & Jones says there would be another way.

David Jones added that the key to stopping ice cream melting at higher temperatures would be to 'lock in the water'.

'The way to do that would be with some kind of modified starch or gums that would wrap themselves around the water and the fat and give it stability,' he told the Telegraph.

'It's all about stability.'

Mr Jones said the benefit of doing this, rather than trying to take away sugar, is that the starch wouldn't necessarily change the taste of the ice cream because most are soluble and wouldn't impair flavour.

He explained that adding starch could potentially increase the cost of production, but this might be negated by a saving on the cost of energy.

Unilever has been working on the idea for around a decade.

Most recently it has been trialling warmer freezers in Germany, and will soon kick off new tests of its revamped recipes in Indonesia.

Goal: The aim is to make the cold treats stay solid for longer in warmer conditions as part of a drive to save energy and slash the carbon footprint of the brands' owner, Unilever

Vision: British consumer giant Unilever has not disclosed exactly how it will make the new ice cream, but experts believe the answer is likely to lie in either using more starch, or removing some of the sugar

The German study was aimed at discovering which ice creams would potentially need to be reformulated, while the Indonesian tests will include melting point observations and taste tests of the new formulations.

Andrew Sztehlo, the company's chief research and development officer, told the Wall Street Journal: 'When my boss initially said, "Why don't we just do this?" I said, "You're crazy, it's just not possible."'

If successful, Unilever is considering sharing the technology with other brands whose products are stocked in its freezers.

The reason for this is that a stumbling block to the company's vision is that many retailers use its freezers to store other brands' ice cream products as well, which could lead to melting problems.

Unilever has insisted it is not attempting to run competitors out of the market, which is why it wants to share any new formula it comes up with.

This would allow other companies to join in on the energy-saving efforts.
The largest two-dimensional map of the universe ever created just got even bigger.

Thanks to a 'colossal' update, the ambitious project to chart the vast night sky above our heads now features more than one billion galaxies.

Its aim is to help astronomers better understand the make-up of the universe, which in turn could help them unravel the mysterious properties of dark matter and dark energy.

Creating comprehensive maps of even the dimmest and most-distant galaxies boosts this endeavour, which is why the tenth data release from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Legacy Imaging Survey is so important.

Ultimately, astronomers want to precisely map the expansion history of the universe over the last 12 billion years.

Vast: The largest two-dimensional map of the universe ever created has just got even bigger

Mesmerising: Thanks to the tenth data release from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Legacy Imaging Survey (pictured), the ambitious project to chart the vast night sky above our heads now features more than one billion galaxies

The DESI survey is one of three that together have imaged 14,000 square degrees of the sky from the northern hemisphere using telescopes at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona and Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile.

DARK ENERGY SPECTROSCOPIC INSTRUMENT (DESI) The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) is an international science collaboration project involving researchers from the US, China, Spain, UK, France and more. The DESI survey is one of three that together have imaged 14,000 square degrees of the sky from the northern hemisphere using telescopes at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona and Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. This ambitious six-year effort involved one petabyte (1000 trillion bytes) of data, and 100 million CPU hours on one of the world's most powerful computers at the US Department of Energy's National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center. It culminated in the largest two-dimensional map of the sky ever created. The previous largest galaxy survey is the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). One of the key aims for the map is to identify roughly 40 million target galaxies for the five-year DESI Spectroscopic Survey, to help better understand mysterious dark energy. The latest data release added to the 2D map incorporates images of the southern extragalactic sky, especially in areas away from the Milky Way's disk, which are ideal for looking far into the cosmos. With the addition of this view of the southern sky, it brings the total area mapped to over 20,000 square degrees  nearly half the sky. Advertisement

One of the key aims for the map is to identify roughly 40 million target galaxies for the five-year DESI Spectroscopic Survey, to help better understand mysterious dark energy.

This unusual 'something'  one of the great mysteries of cosmology  is believed to be an unknown force that is pushing things apart more strongly than gravity and causing the universe's expansion to accelerate.

Dark energy makes up almost 70 per cent of the universe but hardly anything is known about it.

Just last week, however, scientists from Imperial College London suggested that they may finally have an explanation for its source  black holes.

They observed ancient and dormant galaxies and found that black holes gain mass in a way that is consistent with them containing vacuum energy, or dark energy.

In fact, the size of the universe at different points in time fitted closely with the mass of supermassive black holes at the heart of galaxies.

In other words, the amount of dark energy in the universe can be accounted for by black hole vacuum energy  meaning black holes are the source of dark energy.

Separately, researchers behind the DESI project have selected its targets and a spectroscopic survey is currently under way, which experts hope could offer more insight into this unseen part of the universe.

The latest data release added to the 2D map incorporates images of the southern extragalactic sky, especially in areas away from the Milky Way's disk, which are ideal for looking far into the cosmos.

With the addition of this view of the southern sky, it brings the total area mapped to over 20,000 square degrees  nearly half the sky.

Not only that, but the images have been taken in a new infrared colour filter which allows scientists to identify even more of the distant galaxies in different sections of the night sky because it captures a redder spectrum than the human eye can see.

The more redshifted a galaxy's spectrum is, in general, the farther away it is.

'The addition of near-infrared wavelength data to the Legacy Survey will allow us to better calculate the redshifts of distant galaxies, or the amount of time it took light from those galaxies to reach Earth,' said Alfredo Zenteno, an astronomer with NSF's NOIRLab.

Mapping the sky: The DESI survey is one of three that together have imaged 14,000 square degrees of the sky from the northern hemisphere using telescopes at the Kitt Peak National Observatory (pictured) in Arizona and Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile

Mara Salvato, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, added: 'This is essential for surveys at radio and X-ray wavelengths that need the complete "optical" view to identify the origin of the emission, like clusters of galaxies and active supermassive black holes.'

The other great thing about this new data is that it has been made publicly available.

This means that astronomy enthusiasts or those curious enough to want a glimpse of the massive universe around us can also take a peak.

'Anyone can use the survey data to explore the sky and make discoveries,' said Arjun Dey, an astronomer with NSF's NOIRLab.

'In my opinion it is this ease of access which has made this survey so impactful.

'We hope that in a few years the Legacy Surveys will have the most complete map of the entire sky, and provide a treasure trove for scientists well into the future.'
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It was hailed as the biggest maritime discovery since the Mary Rose was found back in the 1970s.

Now, incredible underwater footage reveals the 'awe-inspiring' wreck of royal warship HMS Gloucester, which sank on May 6, 1682 after hitting the Norfolk sandbanks in the southern North Sea.

The 'outstanding' ship foundered while carrying the future King of England and Scotland James Stuart, then the Duke of York, who survived at the expense of up to 250 crew and passengers.

Its remains were finally uncovered in 2007, around 28 miles off the coast of Great Yarmouth half-buried on the seabed  but it wasn't until last year that the discovery was made public.

Artefacts recovered from the wreck  including clothes, shoes, navigational equipment, glass bottles and the ship's bell  will go on public display for the first time in Norwich from this weekend.

The 'outstanding' ship, which sank on May 6, 1682 after hitting the Norfolk sandbanks in the southern North Sea, was uncovered 28 miles off the coast of Great Yarmouth half-buried on the seabed - but the find was kept secret for more than a decade to conserve the ship

HMS Gloucester is now split down the keel and the remains of the hull are submerged in sand, although items including an anchor, rope and cannon are visible in the new film.

How did HMS Gloucester sink? The vessels sinking is a matter of great historical debate. Some accounts claim the vessel sank as a result over a dispute between James, a former Lord High Admiral, and the ships pilot James Ayres about the best route through the treacherous Norfolk sandbanks. James barely survived, and delayed abandoning ship until the last minute - possibly resulting in the deaths of sailors who were forbidden to leave the ship before the persons of quality as royalty were known. James took no responsibility for the disaster, instead blaming the pilot who he demanded be hanged immediately. Mr Ayres was instead court-martialled and imprisoned. James went on to reign as King James II of England and Ireland and James VII of Scotland from 1685 until 1688, when he was deposed by the Glorious Revolution. Diarist and naval administrator Samuel Pepys, who witnessed events from another ship in the fleet, wrote his own account - describing the harrowing experience for victims and survivors, with some picked up half dead from the water. As well as James, HMS Gloucester carried a number of prominent English and Scottish courtiers including John Churchill, later the 1st Duke of Marlborough. Advertisement

The fact Gloucester has been covered and uncovered by sand over hundreds of years is also helping preserve the wreck, while some of the artefacts have been well-preserved due to anaerobic conditions underwater.

Authorities say there are currently no plans to bring any part of the remains to land, but site surveys and almost 7,000 photos taken by the Maritime Archaeology Trust have provided a new 3D image of the full wreck site.

'The deep water within which the site lies and the low visibility provided challenging conditions for site surveys,' said Garry Momber, director of Maritime Archaeology Trust.

'However, every minute spent underwater on such a historically important site was invaluable, allowing us to take almost 7,000 photographs during the diving mission in 2022 to record the wreck in fine detail, and enable the creation of a 3D model.

'Now the public can see through the murk to the collapsed ship on the seabed and gain an insight into the archaeological potential that remains.

'Significantly, we can also see the impact of shifting sands that are covering and uncovering different areas of the ship, exposing it to ongoing degradation.'

HMS Gloucester represents an 'almost' moment in British political history, as it nearly caused the death of the Catholic heir to the Protestant throne at a time of great political and religious tension.

James Stuart, later James II of England, who would be Britain's last Catholic king, survived the sinking but up to around 250 sailors and passengers lost their lives, largely due to his actions.

James barely survived, having delayed abandoning ship until the last minute, needlessly costing the lives of between 130 and 250 people on board who, because of protocol, could not abandon the ship before royalty.

The future king denied any responsibility for the loss of life, instead blaming the ship's captain, James Ayres, who was imprisoned.

The disaster was witnessed by diarist Samuel Pepys, who was on another vessel in the fleet and wrote a harrowing account of victims and survivors being picked up 'half dead' from the water.

Artefacts rescued and conserved from the wreck include clothes and shoes, navigational and other professional naval equipment, personal possessions, and many wine bottles. Pictured, Bellarmine bottles, a type of stoneware

The wreck of a royal warship which sank in 1682 while carrying the future King of England James Stuart was discovered off the coast of Norfolk in 2007. Photo shows divers Julian and Lincoln Barnwell measuring a canon that was found with the wreck

New 2D photogrammetry image of the full wreck site. Photogrammetry involves analysing and comparing 2D photographs to create a composite

Leather pouch with crown symbols taken from the wreck. The ship itself is fragmented and still on the seafloor, and authorities say there are currently no plans to bring any part of the remains to land

Pictured, glass urine flask from HMS Gloucester. No-one knew the Gloucesters exact whereabouts until it was found in 2007 by the Barnwells and their friend, retired ex-Royal Navy submariner and diver James Little

In 2012, one of the rescued finds - the ship's bell, manufactured in 1681 (pictured) - was used by the Receiver of Wreck and Ministry of Defence to conclusively confirm the wreck was the Gloucester

Pictured, a trumpet mouthpiece, broken off from the rest of the instrument. Prior to electronic loud speakers and two-way radios, speaking trumpets served to amplify voices

The 54-gun frigate, which sank on May 6, 1682 after hitting the Norfolk sandbanks in the southern North Sea, was uncovered 28 miles off the coast of Great Yarmouth. The exact location of the wreck is protected and cannot be made public

Efforts to locate the wreck of HMS Gloucester were led by brothers Julian and Lincoln Barnwell, along with their late father Michael and two friends including James Little, a former Royal Navy submariner and diver.

'Best find since the Mary Rose': Divers discover HMS Gloucester's 'awe-inspiring' wreck - READ MORE Photo shows divers Julian and Lincoln Barnwell measuring a canon that was found with the wreck Advertisement

The brothers had decided to hunt for the vessel after reading about it in a book in 2003, but they were beginning to give up hope after four fruitless years.

Finally, efforts proved successful in June 2007 following a four-year search covering 5,000 nautical miles, but the brothers  printers by trade  didn't disclose their find for 15 years to keep it safe from treasure hunters as it was in international waters.

In 2012, one of the rescued finds  the ship's bell, manufactured in 1681  was used by the Receiver of Wreck and Ministry of Defence to conclusively confirm the wreck was the Gloucester.

'We're delighted to be able to share these glimpses of the wreck site, more of which visitors will be able to see in the exhibition, and excited to share the rescued artefacts for the first time with the public,' Lincoln said.

'The footage also highlights how vulnerable the wreck is, with fishing nets visible, and artefacts exposed on the surface of the seabed.

'This dynamic wreck site is clearly "at risk" and there is a real urgency to secure the heritage of the Gloucester and the connected artefacts.'

Professor Claire Jowitt, a maritime history expert at the University of East Anglia, has called HMS Gloucester the most important maritime discovery since the Mary Rose, the warship from the Tudor navy of King Henry VIII.

The Mary Rose sank in battle in the Solent in 1545, and was raised in 1982, later being put on display in Portsmouth.

'Until now, only a handful of people have been able to see what the Gloucester wreck site looks like,' Professor Jowitt said.

'This new footage, together with the artefacts and ongoing historical research, will help underline the importance of Britains maritime heritage to our island story.'

Divers Julian and Lincoln Barnwell are pictured with the ships bell - used to conclusively confirm the wreck was the Gloucester

Ship's dividers recovered from the wreck. These navigational dividers measure the distance between two points on a chart to mark the ship's position

Glasses from the wreck. The exhibition, 'The Last Voyage of The Gloucester: Norfolk's Royal Shipwreck, 1682', will open on Saturday (February 25) at Norwich Castle Museum

Selection of glass bottles. The artefacts were underwater from more than 300 years but can finally be seen by the public starting this Saturday

An astonishingly-preserved assemblage of Pipes from HMS Gloucester, which will likely eventfully disintegrate on the seafloor

Pictured, one of the glass bottles found with the wreck, which also bears a seal with the crest of the Legge family, ancestors of George Washington, the first US President

The exhibition, 'The Last Voyage of The Gloucester: Norfolk's Royal Shipwreck, 1682', will open on Saturday (February 25) at Norwich Castle Museum.

It's been created by Norfolk Museums Service and UEA in partnership with Norfolk Historic Shipwrecks and The National Museum of the Royal Navy.

The exhibition reveals the story of the ship's ill-fated final journey and the painstaking work to retrieve, conserve and research some of its artefacts, including wine bottles, spectacles, clay pipes, navigational tools, textiles, and the ship's bell.

'We are confident that anyone who visits the exhibition will come away with a better understanding of the events of May 6, 1682, and not only their historical and political impacts, but also the human impact on the individuals involved,' Julian said.

Experts are also in the process of forming a new charity, 'The Gloucester 1682 Charitable Trust', which will explore the possibility of a permanent museum in the coastal town of Great Yarmouth  the closest settlement to the wreck site  and fundraise for further fieldwork and conservation.

Researchers also want to shed more light on the identity and lives of those who sadly perished.

'A tragedy of considerable proportions in terms of loss of life, both privileged and ordinary, the full story of the Gloucester's last voyage and the impact of its aftermath needs re-telling, including its cultural and political importance, and legacy,' Professor Jowitt said.

'We will also try to establish who else died and tell their stories, as the identities of a fraction of the victims are currently known.'
China has blocked OpenAI's ChatGPT over fears the American company will use the AI to spread propaganda.

Major tech companies nationwide have been ordered not to offer the chatbot to the public, specifically firms in the social media app business.

The ban is due to ChatGPT generating replies that the Chinese Communist Party would otherwise censor, according to Nikkie Asia.

However, users have found a workaround with a virtual private network (VPN) and dozens of 'mini programs' released by third-party developers on Tencent's WeChat social media app that claim to offer services from ChatGPT.

China has blocked ChatGPT from its big tech industry over fears the chatbot will generate replies that are typically censored in the nation

The report states that Chinese regulators told tech firms Tencent and Ant Group (a subsidiary of e-commerce giant Alibaba) to restrict access to ChatGPT and report to officials prior to releasing their own chatbots.

China is one of the world's most restrictive regarding the internet and media, as it controls the news, online environment and social media platforms.

And ChatGPT joins the likes of Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, YouTube Wikipedia and some Google services that are also blocked nationwide.

However, the US has also looked to ban the Chinese app TikTok over the same fears Chinese officials have with ChatGPT.

State-owned media outlet China Daily posted on Weibo that ChatGPT 'could provide a helping hand to the U.S. government in its spread of disinformation and its manipulation of global narratives for its own geopolitical interests.'

And while people worldwide may be surprised by the move, those in China's tech industry saw the ban coming.

'Our understanding from the beginning is that ChatGPT can never enter China due to issues with censorship, and China will need its own versions of ChatGPT,' one executive from a leading tech company told Nikkei.

An executive from another leading Chinese tech player said the firm had no plans to use ChatGPT - even before the ban.

'We have already been a target of the Chinese regulator [amid the tech industry crackdown in recent years], so even if there were no such ban, we would never take the initiative to add ChatGPT to our platforms because its responses are uncontrollable,' the person said.

Users have found a workaround with a virtual private network (VPN) and dozens of 'mini programs' released by third-party developers on Tencent's WeChat social media app that claim to offer services from ChatGPT.

'There will inevitably be some users who ask the chatbot politically sensitive questions, but the platform would be held accountable for the results.'

Earlier this month, CNBC reported that Chinese companies, including Alibaba and NetEase, announced plans to launch their ChatGPT copycats.

Alibaba announced via its cloud division that it is working on an AI-powered chatbot that would be integrated into its cloud computing products.

READ MORE: Would YOU buy a book written by ChatGPT? Human authors are raising concerns over the more than 200 books written by ChatGPT that are available for purchase on Amazon, warning AI will turn the craft of writing into a commodity. Advertisement

And NetEase said it could add the technology to some of its education products.

Xin Sun, senior lecturer in Chinese and East Asian business at Kings College London, told CNBC: 'In their responses, these tech giants face a dilemma: on the one hand they need to convince consumers and investors that they are not lagging behind in the development of the new technology.'

Industries in the US are also making similar moves.

Jp Morgan revealed this week that it is restricting use of ChatGPT among the company's some 250,000 staff over concerns about data privacy.

The restrictions stretch across the Wall Street giant's different divisions. Its implementation is not due to any specific incident but is part of the company's 'normal controls around third-party software,' reports Bloomberg.

Bosses at JP Morgan are concerned that information shared across the platform could be leaked and lead to regulatory concerns.

OpenAI invented ChatGPT, a startup co-founded by billionaire and Twitter CEO Elon Musk, and is headquartered in San Francisco.

A system prototype went online on November 30, 2022, and quickly climbed the popularity ladder, garnishing over one million users in its first week.

ChatGPT uses a machine-learning technique called Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF).

This means it learns through interactions with its environment.

The model was trained with 570 GB of data collected from books, web text, Wikipedia articles and other online writings.
A new biogel injected intravenously has healed heart attack damage from the inside out - and it starts working the moment it is infused into the patient.

Scientists at the University of California, San Diego removed large particles from hydrogel, diluting it with water to make it an injectable substance.

Once injected, the treatment binds with cells, closing the gaps and accelerating the healing of the blood vessels.

The innovation has been tested on rodents and pigs, successfully repairing the damage sustained by the heart and reducing inflammation - and now, researchers are looking to start human trials in one to two years.

The team believes it could treat a patient 'immediately when they are having a heart attack to try to salvage some of the tissue and promote regeneration,' said Karen Christman, a bioengineer at the University of California, San Diego.

A new biogel is found to heal heart attack damage while the event is happening and meds tissue from the inside out

The team has been developing the biomaterial for more than a decade.

Christman and her colleagues created a hydrogel in 2012 when it was tested on pigs and found the liquid formed a fibrous and porous matrix.

'It then induces the body's own cells to come into that and help to prevent this negative remodeling process that happens after a heart attack and therefore prevent heart failure,' she said in a 2012 interview.

There are at least 785,000 new heart attack cases in the US each year, and a treatment to repair damage to cardiac tissue has yet to be created.

Dr Ryan R. Reeves, a physician in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at UC San Diego Health, said in a statement: 'Coronary artery disease, acute myocardial infarction, and congestive heart failure continue to be the most burdensome public health problems affecting our society today.

'As an interventional cardiologist, who treats patients with coronary artery disease and congestive heart failure on a daily basis, I would love to have another therapy to improve patient outcomes and reduce debilitating symptoms.'

The team chose hydrogel because it is compatible with blood injections. Hydrogel is used in wound dressings.

It was developed using hydrogel, which is used in wound dressings. Scientists separated the large particles and added water to let it flow through the IV

The team believes it could treat a patient 'immediately when they are having a heart attack to try to salvage some of the tissue and promote regeneration,' said Karen Christman, a bioengineer at the University of California, San Diego

READ MORE: What IS the difference between a heart attack and cardiac arrest? It's easy to get confused by medical jargon, especially when phrases can sound so similar. Advertisement

However, they had to remove large particles, leaving only nano-sized, for the treatment to pass intravenously.

The material was put through dialysis and sterile filtering before being freeze-dried.

And sterile water was added to form the biomaterial that could be infused into the patient.

When tested on rodents, scientists expected the biomaterial to pass through the blood vessels and into the tissue because gaps develop between endothelial cells in blood vessels after a heart attack.

Instead, the treatment binds to cells, closing the gaps and accelerating the healing of the blood vessels, reducing inflammation.

Further rat experiments showed that the biomaterial particles could also be used to treat traumatic brain injuries and pulmonary arterial hypertension.

With the successful results, the team is planning to seek approval from the Food and Drug Administration to conduct a study on humans, which means testing could begin a year or two from now.
This captured image shows Alan Estevez, U.S. under secretary of commerce for industry and security, delivering keynote remarks at a forum hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington on Feb. 23. Yonhap



The United States will likely limit the level of advanced semiconductors produced by Korean companies in China to prevent the advanced technology from falling into the wrong hands, a ranking U.S. official said Thursday.



Alan Estevez, under secretary of commerce for industry and security, said the U.S. is also working closely with Korean companies that produce semiconductors in China to help minimize the potential damage to their business there.



Korean semiconductor producers were given a one-year license to continue producing their products in China on October 7, 2022 as part of U.S. export controls on semiconductors and other advanced technologies to China.



"So (there) will likely be a cap on the levels that they can grow to in China," he said when asked what will happen when the one-year license expires at a forum hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank.



When asked to clarify, Estevez said the companies will be asked to stop at "whatever layer they are at" or "somewhere in that range."



The U.S. official stressed the importance of protecting advanced technologies and limiting access to such technologies by adversaries.



"We are now in a world where technology is the driver of military power, advanced technologies, cutting-edge critical technologies, semiconductors being at the center of those technologies," he told the forum.



"So we are continuing to have dialogue around that area," he added. "The threats from our adversaries need to be impeded. Otherwise, they will turn those threats against us."



Estevez said the U.S. is in "deep dialogue" with South Korean companies to help mitigate potential damage to their business.



"We work with them to ensure that we weren't going to harm our ally's companies. At the same time, we are going to impede the Chinese's capability, building capabilities that are going to threaten us collectively," he said. (Yonhap)


Jewel cut a stylish figure when she was spotted Thursday in New York amid the publicity rounds her new project Innerworld.

The 48-year-old is a co-founder of the new virtual reality platform, which can be accessed from any device including Meta Quest, PC, Mac, iPad or iPhone.

Innerworld is focused on helping its users with their mental health, including via virtual support groups they can attend anonymously.

While dashing around Manhattan this week, Jewel was a sight to see in a striped monochrome Alice + Olivia suit reminiscent of the Tim Burton classic Beetlejuice.

She accessorized the stylish ensemble by popping on several colorful rings from her own jewelry brand Songlines, which she launched in 2018.

Off she goes: Jewel cut a stylish figure when she was spotted Thursday in New York amid the publicity rounds her new project Innerworld

Unmistakable: While dashing around Manhattan this week, Jewel was a sight to see in a striped monochrome Alice + Olivia suit reminiscent of the Tim Burton classic Beetlejuice (left)

Jewel wore her wavy strawberry blonde locks down in a look styled by Nicole Blais and sharpened her features with makeup applied by Josee Leduc.

The You Were Meant For Me songstress fired up her Instagram that day to post at selfie video showing off her latest look to her more than 400,000 followers.

'Can we just talk about the bulls*** I got going on here?' she vamped. 'Oh, yeah, serving up some more business looks. How cute is this Alice and Olivia suit?'

She gushed: 'Its like business with swagger - ooh, we have our Songlines rings, little pops of color,' adding: 'I should do business all the time!'

Over the past few days she has been busily promoting Innerworld, telling People she embarked on the project because 'Accessibility is critical.'

Jewel, who was born in Utah and raised in Alaska, explained: 'We cannot let happiness be elitist. It cannot be just for the wealthy who can afford a therapist.'

She also shed some light on how the platform works, saying: 'When you log into Innerworld, you go into your own private living room, and then you enter a portal where there's a community center around the fire pit, and there's people from all over the world hanging out in a safe, supported environment.'

Jewel continued: 'You can say to the guide: "My pet just died. I'm really sad. What do you recommend?" And then they can pull up a visual tool, like the grief cycle, and you can talk about it with the guide, or you can talk to other community members.'

The last detail: Jewel wore her wavy strawberry blonde locks down in a look styled by Nicole Blais and sharpened her features with makeup applied by Josee Leduc

Having a ball: The You Were Meant For Me songstress fired up her Instagram that day to post at selfie video showing off her latest look to her more than 400,000 followers

Such fun: She gushed: 'Its like business with swagger - ooh, we have our Songlines rings, little pops of color,' adding: 'I should do business all the time!'

In December Jewel got candid in an interview with People magazine in which she discussed mental health.

The Intuition hitmaker said she almost didn't sign her record deal at age 15 because she wanted to avoid 'a breakdown.'

The mom-of-one told the publication, 'In this job, we lose more people to addiction, overdose, suicide, mental breakdowns, and I didn't want to be a statistic.'

Elaborating on her mindset, she dished: 'My goal when I moved out [of my house] at 15 was to learn a new emotional language.'

As a precocious teen she added that she 'knew that as much as I had a genetic inheritance that might predispose me to diabetes or heart disease, I could tell that I had an emotional inheritance and that might predispose me to cycles of addiction and abuse.'

The music artist left home as a teenager and was homeless, living in her car when she was discovered.

'When I got discovered  it's funny  I almost didn't sign my record contract because I was so aware that if you take somebody with my emotional background, and God forbid, I get famous' she explained.

As a compromise, the bright young woman said she came to a personal agreement with herself.

'I made myself a deal that I would sign that contract as long as my number one job remained learning how to be a happy, whole human,' she told the outlet.

As a result, at the peak of her music career she took a break due to needing 'time to psychologically adjust to the level of fame.'

Another look: Also on Thursday she wore a red patterned suit outside Tamron Hall Show

And she spent the past seven years solely focused on her role as mom to eleven-year-old son Kace, who she shares with ex-husband Ty Murray.

In the sit-down chat she posed the questions, 'What's the point of a career If you want to jump off a building or take your life?

'What's the point of fame? What's the point of likes if you're not happy and if you don't like yourself?'

Taking action, the blonde superstar launched a campaign to combat mental health challenges in conjunction with the Inspiring Children Foundation, which she's been part of for nearly two decades.

In conversation with People, Jewel said, 'We really wanted to launch this campaign around the holidays to remind people they're not alone.

'It's not enough to just raise awareness. We have to offer solutions to people and that's my favorite part about the #NotAloneChallenge, is they can see resources that are free, that are available, and that are proven to work.'
Al Perkins has finally addressed his relationship with 18-year-old TikTok star Hope Kelesis.

The MAFS and Love Island star, 26, went Instagram official with Hope on Valentine's Day, but didn't reveal any details about their relationship at the time.

But speaking on his Back to Reality podcast this week, Al opened up about his new love interest for the first time.

He told his co-host Taku Chimwaza that Hope was his first 'proper girlfriend' and that he was 'over the moon'.

Al also mentioned the pair met on The Island, a floating club on Sydney Harbour.

MAFS and Love Island star Al Perkins, 26, has finally addressed his new relationship with 19-year-old TikTok star Hope Kelesis (both pictured)

'I want to respect her privacy, so I don't want to talk about her too much...' he said.

'But we met on The Island and had an amazing time there, and then we've just been speaking ever since.'

He continued: 'It wasn't until last week that we did the official hard launch on the Instagram Story.

Speaking on his podcast this week, Al opened up about his new love interest for the first time

'We'd been talking for a few months  it was nothing crazy, just chatting a little bit. Then we started hanging out at the beach more, and then yeah. Spending January at Coogee Beach and Maroubra.

'Yeah! [She's] my first proper girlfriend. Then we went ahead with the hard launch [on Instagram] last week  it was crazy. I got so much support, heaps of support.'

Despite receiving a few negative comments from trolls due to the couple's age gap, the reality star said he was happier than ever.

Al confirmed Hope was his first 'proper girlfriend' and said he was 'over the moon'

'As of now, I'm the happiest I've ever been. Life was amazing being single, and I said to myself I was going to be single for the next year or two. But it's when you least expect it... it crept up on me. She's an amazing person,' he said.

Al and Hope officially debuted their relationship on Valentine's Day.

'My first valentine [sic] and here's to many more,' he captioned a mirror selfie of the pair having drinks at a restaurant.

He mentioned the pair met on The Island, a floating club on Sydney Harbour

Meanwhile, Hope wrote 'Happy Valentine's Day @al.perkinss' over the photo.

Romance rumours between the pair began to swirl last month after they were first spotted together in early January, according to So Dramatic.

Earlier this month, Al denied the romance rumours during an appearance on the Sit With Us podcast with hosts and his former MAFS co-stars Domenica Calarco and Ella Ding.

When Ella and Dom asked about his relationship status, he was quick to shut down the rumours.

Al Perkins officially debuted his new girlfriend Hope Kelesis on Valentine's Day. The former Married At First Sight and Love Island star, 26, went Instagram official last Tuesday with his new love interest

'Al, true or false, are you dating someone who is 17?' Dom asked.

'False, false! You can't believe everything you see on the internet or whatever, but I'm just really happy at the moment, that's all I can really say on the matter,' he replied.

'And that's all that matters,' Dom added.

Earlier this month, Al denied the romance rumours during an appearance on the Sit With Us podcast with hosts and his former MAFS co-stars Domenica Calarco and Ella Ding

'That you're happy, you're healthy and you're living your best life, and the bullsh*t that comes out in the media, we know all about it.'

Last month, Al revealed he'd snagged a new girlfriend after things didn't work out between him and his Love Island co-star Jessica Losurdo.

'I wouldn't say I'm single. I'm really happy where I'm at. That's all I'm going to say on the matter,' he told a shocked Jessica.
Beauty queen Olivia Molly Rogers has been the talk of the town ever since her shock split from ex-husband Justin McKeone last year.

The 30-year-old has now admitted one reason she was afraid of getting divorced was the judgement she'd receive for being so young and breaking up so soon after tying the knot.

Speaking to the Happy Hour podcast, the model said that while people in her age group have been supportive, older women have judged and criticised her for separating just seven months into her marriage.

'Our generation are definitely more accepting of it,' she told podcast hosts Lucy Jackson and Nikki Westcott.

'But I've felt more judgement from middle-aged women and they're often the people that troll me, unfortunately,' she added.

Beauty queen Olivia Molly Rogers (pictured) has been the talk of the town ever since her shock split from ex-husband Justin McKeone last year

'Just saying, "Marriage is hard, babe. You've just gotta make it work." I'm like, "It shouldn't be that hard after seven months!" I just don't agree with that.'

Olivia also admitted the public scrutiny that comes with divorcing young and being famous on social media weighed on her before she walked away from her marriage.

'That played a lot on my mind for sure,' she said.

'I'd lie in bed awake at night thinking, "How am I going to do this without it causing this massive stir? Without everybody hating me or judging me?"'

Olivia has been on a podcast tour over the last week to discuss her relationship woes and marriage breakdown.

The influencer recently told the Life Uncut podcast her relationship made her 'miserable' and she made the mistake of thinking marriage would fix the problems they were having - when in fact it only made things worse.

She also admitted the thought of falling pregnant with Justin's baby 'terrified' her despite them undergoing fertility treatments for 10 months.

'There's something to say about thinking marriage is going to be a solution. He's made a commitment to me so I thought things would improve,' she told hosts Laura Byrne and Brittany Hockley.

Olivia (right) recently broke her silence on why she ended things with her husband Justin McKeone (left) after just seven months of marriage

'But whatever you think is going to change when you get married, it doesn't. It won't suddenly heal everything.'

Olivia admitted she had serious 'doubts' about marrying Justin before their big day, but got so caught up in the wedding planning she didn't know how to cancel.

'It felt like I had too much to lose,' the former Miss Universe Australia said.

Speaking of the problems in their four-and-a-half-year relationship, she confessed 'there were a lot of big issues'.

'When it's a healthy relationship you can work on it as a team. But when the same things keep coming up over and over again you're flogging a dead horse,' Olivia said.

'I felt like I didn't have anything left to give.'

She then said a short marriage should not be viewed as a 'failure' but rather as someone bravely walking away because something 'is really wrong'.

Olivia revealed she'd called her sister Eleanor on the day she decided to leave Justin, and told her: 'I feel like an idiot because we haven't been married for very long.'

Eleanor then said: 'You're not an idiot; you're an optimist. You've been trying at this for five years - it's not just the period of a marriage.'

The influencer said the relationship made her 'miserable' and she made the mistake of thinking marriage would fix the problems they were having - when in fact it only made things worse

Olivia confirmed her split from finance expert Justin in October last year, after just eight months of marriage.

Break-up rumours began swirling in September after fans noticed she'd reverted to her maiden name on Instagram and unpinned all photos from her February wedding.

The former couple, who met in 2018, were last pictured together in August 2022 in a series of loved-up holiday snaps from their trip to New York City.

Olivia addressed her break-up in an Instagram post on October 3.

'After 4.5 years together, Justin and I have come to the difficult decision to separate as a couple,' she wrote.

'I do not wish to make any further statements about this in the near future.

'Please respect our decision and privacy at this time. Thank you for all your private DMs, kindness and support.'
American boy band The Backstreet Boys have touched down in Australia ahead of their tour.

Nick Carter, AJ McLean and Brian Littrell were spotted having dinner at a hotel in Perth on Thursday.

The trio looked almost unrecognisable as they grabbed a bite to eat and puffed away on cigarettes, keeping a low profile ahead of their string of shows, which begin on Saturday at the RAC Arena.

The Backstreet Boys, consisting of Nick, AJ, Brian, Howie Dorough and Kevin Richardson, are the biggest selling boy band of all time and have sold a whopping 100 million albums.

They are set to play in Perth on Saturday, before heading to Melbourne, Sydney and Queensland as part of their DNA World Tour.

The Backstreet Boys looked almost unrecognisable as they grabbed a bite to eat in Perth on Thursday ahead of their Australian tour. Brian Littrell is pictured

The Backstreet Boys, consisting of Nick, AJ, Brian, Howie Dorough and Kevin Richardson, are the biggest selling Boy Band of all time and have sold a whopping 100 million albums. They are pictured here in 1995

Samantha Jade will be their supporting act for the Australian shows.

Brian, 48, and Nick Carter, 43, kept a low profile and sported caps as they sat down together for their meal on Thursday.

AJ, 45, flashed his numerous tattoos in a navy T-shirt.

He also puffed away on a cigarette in an area away from diners, before returning to the table to finish his meal.

Brian, 48, and Nick Carter, 43, kept a low profile and sported caps as they sat down together for a meal

AJ, 45, puffed on a cigarette and flashed his numerous tattoos in a navy T-shirt

The boys kept a low profile ahead of their string of shows that begin on Saturday at the RAC Arena in Western Australia

The band first formed in Florida in 1993 and they last toured Australia in 2015

The band first formed in Florida in 1993 and they last toured Australia in 2015.

Last month, Nick Carter held a benefit concert in memory of his estranged late brother Aaron Carter and raised $150k for a children's mental health charity.

Former child star Aaron was found dead in his bathtub at his Lancaster, California home on November 5 at age 34.

Last month, Nick held a benefit concert in memory of his estranged late brother Aaron Carter and raised $150k for a children's mental health charity

He was also joined by Backstreet Boy bandmate AJ, 98 Degrees' Jeff Timmons, O-Town and LFO for the concert reports TMZ - which saw him break down in tears onstage as he paid tribute to Aaron

Samantha Jade is set to be The Backstreet Boys' supporting act for the Australian shows

'See ya Down Under,' the group posted when they shared the news about their supporting act

Troubled former teen idol Aaron Carter was found dead aged 34 in the bathtub of his California home on November 5 - he and Nick were estranged at the time of his death (pictured 2004)

His fiancee Melanie Martin and mother Jane have recently claimed he died from an overdose and did not drown in his bath as previously suspected.

Nick was also joined by Backstreet Boy bandmate AJ, 98 Degrees' Jeff Timmons, O-Town and LFO for the concert reports TMZ - which saw him break down in tears onstage as he paid tribute to Aaron.

He also performed a song penned in Aaron's memory called Hurts to Love You.

Aaron, who rose to fame as a child star, battled mental health conditions including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and manic depression, as well as substance abuse during his lifetime.

The group are soon set to play dates in Iceland, Egypt, India and the UAE
Kylie Minogue is set for a show-stopping performance at WorldPride in Sydney.

And on Friday, just hours before she was due to take to the stage, the pop princess was spotted with her younger sister Dannii.

The Aussie sisters almost looked like identical twins as they sported matching black ensembles and similar hairstyles.

Kylie, 54, and Dannii, 51, both appeared to be in good spirits as they stopped to take photos with fans.

It's unclear if Dannii will be a surprise guest during Kylie's performance or if she is simply there to support her big sister.

Kylie (left) and Dannii Minogue (right) were spotted in Sydney ahead of WorldPride on Friday

Sydney will be hosting the WorldPride event in 2023, and the opening concert is set to be a winner.

Kylie, Charli XCX and Jessica Mauboy will headline the Live and Proud gig on Friday, February 24.

The show will also air on television around the nation on ABC TV and ABC iview.

The concert will be followed by the 45th Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras on Saturday, February 25.

Other highlights during WorldPride include the Human Rights Conference, The First Nations Gala Concert and Pride March.

Sydney is set make history as the first city in the southern hemisphere to host a WorldPride event, after winning the rights in 2019.

Dannii was all smiles and appeared grateful as she greeted a loyal fan

Throwback: The lookalike sisters are pictured hugging each other at a premiere in October 2007

Sisters: Dannii is pictured on The X Factor (left) back in 2010 while Kylie is seen in London in July 2010 (right)

Star: Kylie rose to fame portraying Charlene Robinson on Australian soap opera Neighbours

Members of the worldwide InterPride network voted for Sydney to host in 2023, which will coincide with the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

Sydney overwhelmingly defeated Montreal and Houston in a vote in Athens to decide on hosting rights for the festival, which is held every two years.

WorldPride Committee Chair Robyn Kennedy said the organisation had recognised the efforts of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

The event is expected to bring more than one million extra visitors to Sydney and inject $664million into the economy.

WorldPride is described as an event which promotes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues on an international level through parades, festivals and other cultural activities.

The first WorldPride event was launched in the year 2000 and was held in Rome.
The Supervet: Safari Special

Rating: ****

The Apprentice

Rating: **

What goes thump, thump, thump, clunk, thump, thump, thump, clunk? A rhinoceros with a wooden leg.

Noel Fitzpatrick was in South Africa on The Supervet: Safari Special (Ch4) to help build a prosthetic foot for a young rhino called Kolisi. The orphaned animal, cared for at a secret sanctuary to protect him from poachers, was savaged by hyenas when he was three months old.

Were more used to seeing the animal surgeon at his practice in Surrey, where he has pioneered bionic implants for injured cats and dogs.

Packing his suitcase, and wearing a T-shirt celebrating Pets & Hugs & Rock n Roll, Noel looked more anxious than weve seen him before. In his consulting room, hes in command. This show took him 6,000 miles out of his comfort zone. Hed never seen rhinos or lions in the wild  and it turns out that hes less confident with animals much bigger than he is.

Noel Fitzpatrick was in South Africa on The Supervet: Safari Special (Ch4) to help build a prosthetic foot for a young rhino called Kolisi.

Its not a Chihuahua, he murmured uneasily, as he surveyed a tiger that was briefly under the influence of anaesthetic. Tigers dont roam wild in South Africa, of course, but this one was a refugee

Its not a Chihuahua, he murmured uneasily, as he surveyed a tiger that was briefly under the influence of anaesthetic. Tigers dont roam wild in South Africa, of course, but this one was a refugee. Laziz, a beautiful Bengal tiger, had been kept captive in a tiny cage on the Gaza Strip, at a menagerie notorious as the worst zoo in the world.

Barely able to turn around, Laziz developed osteoarthritis in his leg joints and became lame. The biggest cat Ive ever operated on is a Maine Coon, worried Noel, as he prepared to inject lubricant into the tigers limb.

For animal lovers who can bear to see pets on the operating table, The Supervet has been a reliably absorbing series for the past decade. Noels skill with microscopic techniques and implants, many of which he has designed himself, is always fascinating to watch.

But to see him so far out of his depth added a new dimension to the show. Many celebs imagine that their previous success gives them the superpower to master anything they try, as long as a camera is pointing at them.

Not Supervet. He clearly had no certainty that hed succeed  and he didnt always. The first plastic brace he designed for Kolisi fell apart as soon as the animal broke into a trot. Thump, thump, crunch, snap, it went.

But he persevered, and the rhino was soon strapped into an armoured brace that looked indestructible. Noel was in tears, though not at the plight of the rhinos. He just didnt want to go home. Weve all felt like that at the end of a holiday.

One of the apprentices, banker Avi Sharma, was so condescending that I squirmed every time he was on screen. He lectured his rivals on how to fool customers with psychological pricing

One bunch were dressed up as Victorian schoolteachers, the other as prison warders

None of the remaining contestants on The Apprentice (BBC1) is afflicted with a shortage of confidence. With a lack of self-awareness that is nearly too painful to watch, they believe they can do anything  when all the evidence suggests that they are incompetent at everything. This years clutch have been incessant bickerers, and they were still indulging in the pettiest arguments as they set off to sell tickets for immersive experiences.

One bunch were dressed up as Victorian schoolteachers, the other as prison warders. The emphasis was on corporal punishments and handcuffs. Perhaps they thought they were selling immoral experiences.

One of the apprentices, banker Avi Sharma, was so condescending that I squirmed every time he was on screen. He lectured his rivals on how to fool customers with psychological pricing. He explained that 99, being the biggest double-digit number, sounded far less than 100. Perhaps thats true, but only if youre as dim as Avi.

He was slapped down in the boardroom by Baroness Karren Brady, when he attempted to tell her that, for me, profit is revenue minus cost. It is for everyone, Avi! she retorted.

Rocking chair of the night: First, Mark Gatiss brings Saturday night variety star Larry Grayson back to life, in ITVXs Crossroads tale, Nolly, and now, its the turn of Val Doonican  with Mike Prior as the Irish crooner in Funny Woman (Sky Max). Whos next  Andy Stewart? Dickie Valentine?
Love Island's Shaq Muhammad burst into tears on Thursday night's episode after an explosive Movie Night saw him argue with partner Tanya Manhenga.

The star had watched Tanya, 23, kissing Nigerian-Irish bombshell Martin Akinola during one of the clips, before breaking down later in the evening.

Viewers watched as the couple descended into an almighty row, which led to Shaq storming out of the villa where he was consoled by his pal Tom Clare.

He got angry after watching the footage and Tanya did not apologise, which later led to a clash between the pair.

Shaq said: 'So it was just a peck, yeah, and he went to kiss you? So we're lying now?'

Sad: Love Island's Shaq Muhammad burst into tears on Thursday night's episode after an explosive Movie Night saw him argue with partner Tanya Manhenga

Drama: The star had watched Tanya, 23, (pictured with Shaq) cheating on him with Irish bombshell Martin Akinola during one of the clips

Upset: After Tanya ignored Shaq in the kitchen, he left the villa, later crying as he spoke to friend Tom Clare

But Tanya stood her ground and said: 'If you're looking for something to be angry about, this isn't it.'

The confrontation led to Shaq later saying to the boys: 'I cant lie, I feel like she's a liar, I feel like she's full of s**t.'

Tanya became irritated, telling Olivia that she did not know what else to do and she felt she kept having to prove her love for Shaq.

After Tanya ignored Shaq in the kitchen, he left the villa, later crying as he spoke to friend Tom.

Twitter was full of furious commenters after the feud, angry at Tanya's behaviour.

One person wrote: 'Tanya is actually the WORST person on #loveisland. Biggest gaslighter and hypocrite. Shaq deserves much better.'

Another added: 'Tanya don't deserve Shaq' while a third said: 'Tanya continues to prove she is too emotionally IMMATURE to be in a relationship.

The emotional manipulation she uses on Shaq to continuously justify her bad behaviour is actually MAD... honestly this whole lot of girls left can be chucked. Well except Sanam.'

Meanwhile, a separate person penned: 'Not Tanya saying the old shaq is back and she doesn't like it as soon as he shows human emotion... genuine gaslighting! It's not an old version of him, he's just hurt and reacting to your b********!'

Tears: Shaq had a heart-to-heart with co-star Tom after the argument, who comforted him as he cried

Hugs: Tom gave Shaq a hug as he was clearly upset by the events of the Movie Night in the Islander villa

Anger: Tanya sat with her fellow Islanders and expressed her frustration, revealing that she did not know what to do

Anger: Twitter was full of furious commenters after the feud, angry at Tanya's behaviour and that she made him cry

It comes after fans were left in stitches at Martin's reaction to his time with Tanya in Casa Amor being shown on the big screen.

The pair struck up a romance during the show's ultimate test, before she returned to the main villa and patched things up with partner Shaq Muhammad.

But as the latter saw first-hand what really went on between Tanya and Martin when he wasn't around, viewers couldn't help but notice how much the Senior Software Engineer enjoyed the showdown.

Snacking on popcorn with a cheeky smile on his face, he appeared all but delighted to see things kick off - as Shaq and Tanya hit out at one another over the clips.

The boys and girls were seperated into two tables for the evening, as they were given pub quiz questions to answer - with the team who answered correctly getting to choose a moment from the villa to watch back.

As the villa were asked how many times a person has sex in their life, on average, the boys went for the closest answer.

They chose to watch a movie named: 'Catch me if you Tan,' which showed clips of Tanya talking behind Shaq's back in the main villa, before showing her chatting with Martin in Casa Amor.

Even showing the pair as they shared a steamy kiss in bed, the clip left Tanya with her head in her hands as Shaq began to see red.

But while others began to fret, Martin appeared to remain unfazed - watching on with a smirk as the drama brewed.

The latter was furious after Tanya had previously claimed she and Martin only shared a 'quick kiss', despite the clip showing a very passionate lock of lips in bed.

After watching, Shaq shouted over to Tanya: 'So it was just a peck yeah? He went in to kiss you? Is that what we're doing, we're lying now?'

'We kissed, I didn't say it was just a peck,' argued Tanya, as her partner confirmed: 'You said that Martin kissed you and it was just a little one'.
Romeo and Julie (Dorfman, National Theatre, London)

Verdict: Far cry from Shakespeare

Rating: ****

Trouble in Butetown (Donmar Warehouse, London)

Verdict: Tough but rose tinted

Rating: ***

Two London theatres have taken a break from metropolitan navel gazing and rediscovered a place called . . . Wales.

A small, former principality to the left of England, its capital, Cardiff, is apparently a poor but vibrant community, full of big-hearted characters.

At the National Theatre, we have Romeo And Julie  a work that has nothing to do with Shakespeare. Its an urban love story from Welsh writer Gary Owen  the troubadour of Tremorfa  who chronicles post-industrial strife in the Cardiff suburb of Splott.

His tale is of 18-year-old single-dad Romeo, whos living with his alcoholic mum. He cant help doing the right thing and rather than give up his one-night stand baby, he takes on the paternal challenge to (as his cider-guzzling mum puts it) push a pram round an industrial estate full of prossies.

At the National Theatre, we have Romeo And Julie  a work that has nothing to do with Shakespeare

Theres exceptional acting from the leads Callum Scott Howells and Rosie Sheehy

Happily, while trying to kip with his baby in a library, he meets teenage neighbour Julie: an aspiring physicist with an offer to study at Cambridge. Both incredibly gobby, they hit it off like a wheelie bin on fire.

Instead of Shakespeares warring houses, its the newborn babe that sets the stakes sky-high.

The two kids have little idea how to cope with Romeos infant, and can turn neither to Romeos boozy mother, nor to Julies scrimping parents, who are desperate for her to escape to uni.

And yet there is an honesty and tenderness to Owens often sexually graphic, four-letter vernacular. He reduces the audience to the silence of rapt foreboding and nervous laughter, as we fearfully wait to see how his tale unfolds.

Instead of Shakespeares warring houses, its the newborn babe that sets the stakes sky-high

Theres exceptional acting, too, from the leads Callum Scott Howells and Rosie Sheehy.

And while Hayley Grindles stark set references the theoretical science of string theory  with neon loops and squiggles dangling over a bare brick stage  Rachel ORiordans gutsy production is as sweet as it is moving.

Over at the Donmar, writer Diana Nneka Atuona shows, with her new play Trouble In Butetown, that she has a big heart, too.

Her first work, Liberian Girl  the tale of a child soldier  ran ten years ago at the Royal Court; but this one is set in a Cardiff boarding house during World War II. Here, overbearing matriarch Gwyneth (Sarah Parish) finds herself harbouring a black American GI called Nate (Samuel Adewunmi) whos on the run from the military police.

In a scenario reminiscent of Sean OCaseys The Shadow Of A Gunman, widowed Gwyneth lives with her two half-Nigerian daughters: restless 20-year-old Connie (Rita Bernard-Shaw) and subversive little sister Georgina (Rosie Ekenna the night I was in).

Sarah Parish (left) in the new play Trouble in Butetown by writer Diana Nneka Atuona

Widowed Gwyneth (Sarah Parish) lives with her two half-Nigerian daughters restless: 20-year-old Connie (Rita Bernard-Shaw) and subversive little sister Georgina (Rosie Ekenna the night I was in)

The plot creaks like an old mans joints. No one thinks to ask why Nate is Awol  and only Connie and Nate have much of a mission

Other characters include the Falstaff of Tiger Bay, Patsy (Ifan Huw Dafydd), who dispenses beer, wisdom and the odd threat; and West Indian wag Norman (Zephryn Taitte), who earns his keep by firing off sub-Biblical proverbs. Nneka Atuona is good on period detail and amusing one-liners.

Otherwise, the plot creaks like an old mans joints.

No one thinks to ask why Nate is Awol  and only Connie and Nate have much of a mission.

But Tinuke Craigs production, on a set with yellowing wallpaper, sepia photos, and upholstery so decrepit you fear for the casts derrieres, is pleasingly homely.

Parishs Gwyneth has a heart of coal that does, eventually, glow. Bernard-Shaws Connie swoons nicely over Adewunmis bashful Nate. And Ekenna, as the little sister, sows heart-melting mischief.
Lori Harvey shared several snaps and videos taken during her trip to Brazil to her Instagram account on Thursday.

In the posts, the 26-year-old social media personality took in the sights of Rio de Janeiro and spent time with her friends while exploring the city.

The entrepreneur, who recently attended the premiere of Snowfall's sixth season, wrote a short message in her post's caption that read: 'Seeing all the footage from carnival made me miss Brazil.'

Harvey also wrote that visiting Rio de Janeiro had proven to be 'one of my favorite trips ever!'

She finished her message by remarking that she 'can't wait to go back' to Brazil for another visit.

Looking back: Lori Harvey shared several snaps and videos taken during her trip to Brazil to her Instagram account on Thursday.

Good company: In the posts, the 26-year-old social media personality took in the sights of Rio de Janeiro and spent time with her friends while exploring the city

In her first shot, the model was seen while wading in the water at one of Rio's many sun-kissed beaches.

The social media personality wore a white sleeveless crop top and a pair of slightly oversize light green pants during her trip to the beach.

Harvey went on to share a video of a coconut salesman selling fruit to one of her friends.

After posting a shot of a meal she shared with her traveling partners, she shared a photo of Christ the Redeemer.

The entrepreneur added a snap of herself spending time with her friend Amina Muaddi as they sat on a balcony.

The adopted daughter of Steve Harvey gave her followers a better look at her outfit in another shot, in which she wore a revealing white dress and matching high-heeled shoes.

Her gorgeous dark brunette braids were tied back, although one strand made its way onto her chest as she posed on the balcony.

Harvey also included a snap that had been taken during a boating trip, as well as a video of the sunrise over Copacabana beach.

The entrepreneur gave a shout-out to her hotel while taking a mirror shot in one of her dressing rooms.

Glammed up: The entrepreneur added a snap of herself spending time with her friend Amina Muaddi as they sat on a balcony

Fresh fruit: Harvey went on to share a video of a coconut salesman selling fruit to one of her friends

Iconic: After posting a shot of a meal she shared with her traveling partners, she shared a photo of Christ the Redeemer

Dressed up: The adopted daughter of Steve Harvey gave her followers a better look at her outfit in another shot, in which she wore a revealing white dress and matching high-heeled shoes

Accomodations: The entrepreneur gave a shout-out to her hotel while taking a mirror shot in one of her dressing rooms

She wore a white crop top that showcased her toned abs, as well as a pair of dark gray jeans.

The model finished off her look with a white purse that was contrasted with black sandals and matching sunglasses.

Harvey also shared a video of herself and one of her friends holding hands as they strolled down a beach.

The social media figure added a text graphic to express that they were having the 'time of our lives.'
The Kid Laroi stepped out for a date night with his girlfriend Katarina Deme in West Hollywood on Wednesday night.

The Stay hit-maker and the TikTok star, both 19, dined at celebrity hotspot Sushi Park.

Laroi and Katarina kept a low profile in casual clothing as they exited the restaurant.

The rapper, whose real name is Charlton Howard, wore a brown T-shirt under a black hoodie with a 'security' logo printed on the back.

He completed his look with a pair of black pants and a matching beanie.

The Kid Laroi stepped out for a date night with his girlfriend Katarina Deme in West Hollywood on Wednesday night

Katarina also kept things casual in low-rise jeans and a white top.

She layered her look with a cream knitted cardigan and styled her brunette tresses in loose waves.

The model accessorised with gold hoop earrings, a gold pendant necklace and small black handbag.

As the couple left the restaurant, Katarina gave a friendly fist-bump to a fan

As the couple left the restaurant, Katarina gave a friendly fist-bump to a fan.

The pair then walked back to their car, where Laroi kissed his stunning in girlfriend.

It comes a week after Katarina celebrated her 19th birthday.

The ARIA Award winner posted a series of photos to Instagram of the couple dressed up in bizarre costumes, with Deme appearing to sport prosthetic breasts and lips.

The pair then walked back to their car, where Laroi kissed his stunning in girlfriend

'Happy birthday, my love. I love you more than life itself. Thank you for being you,' he wrote in the caption.

Laroi and Katarina celebrated their two-year anniversary last August.

'Happy two-year anniversary, queen. Thank you for teaching me what love is. I am happiest with you,' the Without You star wrote on Instagram at the time.

Katarina, who often posts racy photos to on social media, posted her own gallery of snaps of the loved-up couple, and wrote: 'I love you with all my f**king heart. Thank you for being there for me and having unconditional love.

Katarina celebrated her 19th birthday last week. The ARIA Award winner posted a series of photos to Instagram of the couple dressed up in bizarre costumes, with Deme appearing to sport prosthetic breasts and lips

'I love you more than life itself.'

It has been more than three years since Laroi left Australia and moved to LA to follow his dreams of becoming a chart-topping rapper.

He is now one of the most famous hip-hop stars in the world, and has collaborated with the likes of Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus.
Estonian Ambassador to Korea Sten Schwede poses at the newly opened Estonian Business Hub on the first floor of the Seoul Square building in central Seoul, Jan. 25. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk



By Kwon Mee-yoo



Estonia, a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe, is famous for its digital technology and infrastructure, which has earned it the nickname "e-Estonia." Approximately 99 percent of government services are available online throughout the year around the clock, 98 percent of businesses are established online and 67 percent of Estonians regularly use digital identification in everyday life.



With its advancement in information technology (IT) and digitalization, Estonia seeks to strengthen its cooperation with Korea in these areas and explore new opportunities by opening the Estonian Business Hub in the heart of Seoul.



Estonian Ambassador to Korea Sten Schwede said though Estonia is a small country, it is gaining more awareness in Korea and the business hub is part of the embassy's efforts to attract more attention from the Korean general audience.



The Estonian Business Hub, located on the first floor of the Seoul Square building right in front of Seoul Station, aims to showcase the digital infrastructure of Estonia and bridge Korean and Estonian businesses interested.



"The purpose of this space is to facilitate business-to-business and human-to-human contacts, so we hope it will work that way. For example, when Estonian businessmen come to Seoul and want to meet potential partners or (existing) partners or talk to a group of businessmen about what they offer, there is this space," the Estonian ambassador said during an interview with The Korea Times in January.



"And the other way around, when Koreans who wonder about Estonia as a travel destination or an investment destination, they have a space to come to and get information."



Schwede is Estonia's first resident ambassador in Korea, taking office in August 2021 and reflecting Estonia's growing interest in Korea.



Korea and Estonia established diplomatic relations back in 1991, but it took 30 years for Estonia to open an embassy here in Seoul. Ambassador Schwede said ??Estonia's then-President Kersti Kaljulaid's visited Korea during the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.



"I think we realized back then that we have to take our ties with the Republic of Korea to another level. So this is approximately the time when the political decision was taken in Estonia to establish an embassy and this business hub together," he explained.





A special exhibition at the Estonian Business Hub introduces the country's rich forestry and wood industry. Courtesy of Embassy of Estonia in Korea



Schwede said the hub's location was selected strategically in the center of Seoul in a large office building where thousands of people work and pass by daily.



"During the day, all these people pass by our hub, when they arrive at work, when they go and have lunch and when they go home. This building has many businesses, many startups and young people with business minds who are curious about how things are done abroad. So that explains the location," he said.



The hub has three permanent displays themed e-Government, e-Residency and Tourism and Food as well as special exhibitions changing twice a year.



Currently, the inaugural special exhibit features Estonia's timber industry due to the country's abundant forest resources and its long tradition of forestry.



"Our forest is one of our most important natural resources. Estonia is not very rich in different natural resources, a bit like South Korea," the ambassador said of how Estonia cultivates, maintains and exports its forest resources.



A variety of wood products  from everyday items such as toothpicks and pellets to high-end products such as designer furniture  are on display at the hall.



"Forests are part of Estonians' daily lives. We go and pick mushrooms and berries or branches to fire up the barbeque in your backyard," he explained. "So when we thought about what the most representative thing to present is, forests came to mind. Furthermore, 40 percent of our exports to South Korea are wood and wood products. So it makes sense."



The Estonian Business Hub also sheds light on the Northern European country's digitalized system  ahead of its time.



"It is kind of ironic if you think of Estonia as a nature-loving and forest-based country when Estonia has this e-government system where 99 percent of public services are online," Schwede said.





Estonian Ambassador to Korea Sten Schwede speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the Estonian Business Hub in central Seoul, Jan. 25. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk



The ambassador said Estonia's early adaptation of digital infrastructure dates back to the country's restoration of independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.



"We realized that the industrial base was very bad and we didn't have really anything to build our economy on after the collapse of the Soviet Union. After two or three years of a shrinking economy, the government had reached the point where it had to make the decision. And the decision was to allocate some of the budget just for IT development every year," he said.



"So the government thought let's invest into something very new in this world, called the Internet, which was very revolutionary back then."



With the early investment, public agencies, schools and libraries of Estonia all had internet connections by the late 1990s and the government introduced the idea of digital identification in the early 2000s.



"And then the government started to add up services online. The first digital signature was given just more than 20 years ago as (we celebrated the) 20th-anniversary last year. Now it is just normal in Estonia," Schwede said.



"The government now works very hard on getting all the services also onto a smartphone. So we have mobile ID and smart ID, which has the same function of the electronic chip card."



Estonia pioneered the concept of e-government during the early stages of the digital era. It earned the trust of its citizens by guaranteeing them complete control over their personal data which was collected by the government.



"Every citizen can go into their state account with all the services and check the log, seeing who has accessed their data. And you can always then send in an application asking why this official looked at your data. It's kind of transparent and that has given the system strength. People trust it."



Schwede recognizes the differences in digital services between Korea and Estonia with Korea relying on big IT companies while Estonia keeps its data under the control of the state.



"I never tell Koreans to copy what we have because it is not possible. Every country has its own way. But we can take some ideas or learn from other countries. We can cooperate in cyber security  how to defend all the data we have, especially against foreign intruders," he said, welcoming Korea's joining of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn last year.





The Estonian Business Hub aims to be a connection between Korean businesses that are already operating or planning to operate in Estonia with Estonian businesses interested in expanding to Korea. Courtesy of Embassy of Estonia in Korea
Booby Tape co-founder Bridgett Roccisano has kicked off her lavish hens party with a private jet flight from Melbourne to Sydney.

The savvy entrepreneur, 31, was joined by her sister and business partner Bianca and a group of girlfriends for the weekend-long celebrations.

She is set to marry graphic designer Joshua Cavallaro in the coming weeks, after he proposed in late 2021.

Bridgett looked gorgeous in a black bridal T-shirt and denim skirt, and accessorised with sunglasses, slides and gold jewellery.

The bride-to-be couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she walked across the tarmac and boarded the luxury jet.

Booby Tape co-founder Bridgett Roccisano (pictured) has kicked off her lavish hens party with a private jet flight from Melbourne to Sydney

The savvy entrepreneur, 31, was joined by her sister and business partner Bianca (right) and a group of girlfriends for the weekend-long celebrations

The hens party guests posed for a group photo in front of their private jet

The bridal party will be staying at Crown Sydney and have planned a big night out in the city on Friday, followed by a recovery brunch and pool party on Saturday.

Bridgett got engaged to Joshua, a senior draftsman for the civil engineering firm Laker Group, in November 2021.

Joshua, 31, proposed with a six-carat diamond ring while the couple was staying at the world-famous Claridge's hotel in Mayfair, London.

The bride-to-be couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she walked across the tarmac and boarded the luxury plane

Bridgett looked gorgeous in a black bridal T-shirt and denim skirt, and accessorised with sunglasses, black slides and gold jewellery

She wore a 'bride' T-shirt while her friends wore T-shirts with the words 'Bridgett's bridal party'

He arranged an elaborate display in their suite, where he scattered petals, white hydrangeas and candles, and set up the initials of their first names in big lights.

The pair's love story started decades ago when Bridgett and Joshua were in high school together.

But they didn't start dating until a few years ago when the Covid pandemic brought her back to her home town of Mildura, Victoria.

The bridal party will be staying at Crown Sydney and have planned a big night out in the city on Friday, followed by a recovery brunch and pool party on Saturday

Bridgett looked very windswept as she walked across the airstrip

The Roccisano sisters (pictured) are co-founders of the eponymous clothing label Bianca and Bridgett and beauty brand Booby Tape, which has been described as a 'breast lift in a box'

The pair posed for selfies on the steps of their private jet before take-off

'Bridgett had a crush on Joshua in school. Only due to Covid-19 she went back to our hometown of Mildura and they connected in 2020 and the rest is history,' her sister Bianca previously said.

The Roccisano sisters are co-founders of the eponymous clothing label Bianca and Bridgett and beauty brand Booby Tape, which has been described as a 'breast lift in a box'.

Worn by the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Booby Tape products are sold in more than 35 countries.

Bridgett got engaged to Joshua Cavallaro, a senior draftsman for the civil engineering firm Laker Group, in November 2021

Joshua, 31, proposed with a six-carat diamond ring while the couple was staying at the world-famous Claridge's hotel in Mayfair, London
She announced her pregnancy at age 48 just a few days ago.

And Da Brat's baby bump made its red carpet debut at the premiere of Creed III in Atlanta, Georgia on Thursday.

The rapper, 48, was glowing with joy as she posed with her wife Jesseca Dupart, 41, on the red carpet, where they both wore camouflage green jackets.

Da Brat tenderly placed a hand upon her growing bump as she posed for the camera, all cosied up to her partner.

She wore a scarf in her braided hair, gold hoop earrings, and a tiger print top. Full lashes, red lipstick, and a dashing of blush amplified her naturally stunning features.

Bumping along just nicely! Da Brat displayed her baby bump as she attended the premiere of Creed III with her wife Jesseca Dupart in Atlanta, Georgia on Thursday

As for her wife, Jesseca was the epitome of cool in olive green trousers that buttoned along the leg, a fitted black top, and Chanel clutch.

She worked the poof ponytail look along with white hoop earrings.

The parents-to-be were the picture of happiness enjoying a night out, shortly after revealing their expanding family.

The rapper - who has been married to Jesseca since last year, shared her pregnancy joy with People, where she discussed her IVF journey and heartbreaking miscarriage for the first time.

Da Brat - real name Shawntae Harris-Dupart said: 'I never thought I was going to have kids. I just thought it wasn't in the cards for me. I've had a great career, a full life. I felt like, because I didn't get pregnant earlier on, then it just wasn't going to happen for me.

After she met Harris-Dupart, who is a mom of three - her outlook changed, and she said: 'I started looking at life so differently. I was like, I want a little me with you. Something special from the both of us that we can share and raise and love unconditionally.'

Da Brat is now 18 weeks pregnant, with the couple using Harris-Dupart's eggs and an anonymous sperm donor - who she branded 'an eager entrepreneur' - to conceive.

The rapper had to undergo surgery to remove fibroids and polyps before the embryo transfer, while Harris-Dupart had suffered 'major' health complications during her egg retrieval.

Aww! The rapper, 48, was glowing with joy as she posed with her wife on the red carpet, where they both wore camouflage green jackets

Date night! The parents-to-be looked blissful enjoying some quality time together

Da Brat also revealed she'd had a devastating miscarriage, saying: "I had never been so excited about something that I didn't even know I wanted. I fell in love with the idea and then it was all snatched away from me. Luckily we still had quite a few of her eggs left.

The musician said she is feeling 'excited and exhausted' in her second trimester, adding she doesn't have any cravings or nausea yet.

Da Brat and Dupart-Harris made their relationship public in March 2021 when the celebrated rapper came out as a lesbian in her mid-40s.

Da Brat admitted she used to be terrified of Dupart seeing her 'imperfections' at the start of the relationship.

'At first I would hide behind furniture when she would talk to me,' the Chicago native said. 'I would cover up my face when I laughed.'

And though Da Brat was shy, Jesseca found her quirks utterly charming.

'It was the cutest thing ever,' she gigged in the couple's confessional.
Married At First Sight star Evelyn Ellis has broken her silence on a resurfaced photo of herself posing with woman-hating 'influencer' Andrew Tate - who is now facing sex trafficking charges in Romania.

The stunning model, who debuted as an intruder bride on Monday's episode, was pictured with Tate when they were on holiday together in Thailand in 2016, after they had previously been housemates on Big Brother UK earlier that year.

During an appearance on We've Done The MAFS podcast, the 26-year-old said the pair remained friends for a while after their Big Brother stints, but clarified they 'definitely don't keep in contact now'.

'Andrew and I were in the [Big Brother] house briefly at the same time, and he left early,' she explained.

'We stayed friends and when Andrew was in my life and we were mates or whatever, he wasn't Andrew Tate [that we know today].'

Married At First Sight star Evelyn Ellis has broken her silence on a resurfaced photo of herself posing with woman-hating 'influencer' Andrew Tate in Thailand back in 2016

'One, he's in jail. Two, it's definitely my old life and I think his old life. It all kind of blew up out of nowhere and I can't believe they found that photo and it's resurfaced. I did not expect that at all,' Evelyn continued.

As for her time on Big Brother, the MAFS bride said it wasn't the finest performance' in her life and it left her with a few regrets.

'I struggled a lot after when I left Big Brother. I don't think I was mentally in the right place to sign myself up to be in a situation to be so vulnerable, especially so young as well,' she said.

During an appearance on We've Done The MAFS podcast, the 26-year-old said the pair remained friends for a while after their Big Brother stints, but clarified they 'definitely don't keep in contact now'

'I'm still living through the Big Brother stuff. Now, after signing up to marry a stranger, I'm still seeing videos and pictures resurface from 10 years ago so for me that's hard to re-watch.

'I don't think I'm ever going to fully be completely okay with that.'

The photo of Ellis and Tate in question was posted on his Instagram account years before he was banned from the Meta-owned social media platform for hate speech.

The image showed Ellis sitting next to the British-American kickboxer at a restaurant or bar on the island Koh Samui.

The photo of Ellis and Tate in question was posted on his Instagram account years before he was banned from the Meta-owned social media platform for hate speech.

When Sydney-born Ellis went into the Big Brother house in 2016, she was working in London as a nightclub hostess.

She engaged in some late-night hot tub escapades with Tate.

Laura Carter, another contestant on the show, locked lips with both Tate and Ellis during a game of truth and dare while other housemates watched on.

Channel 5 later removed Tate from the house for undisclosed reasons.

However, Tate accused the network of giving him the boot over a an 'edited' video of him beating a woman with a 'felt' belt.

'The video The Sun will release is me hitting a girl with a belt. They edited out all of the laughing and joking and it's felt!' he wrote on Twitter at the time.

Sydney-born Ellis went into the Big Brother UK house in 2016 and participated in some late-night hot tub escapades involving Tate. Laura Carter (right), another contestant, locked lips with both Tate and Ellis during a game of truth and dare

'They are pretending I beat her up when we were joking and the belt made noise but didn't hurt! They cut all laughing.

'I am not a violent man. Kinky yes, violent no. Such a stupid story! I didn't even hit Marco or Jackson or Chelsea [other BB UK contestants] when they threatened me.'

Tate, a self-proclaimed misogynist, went on to say he had 'never hurt a girl' in his life and the media was 'trying to make me look bad'.

In an unrelated matter, Tate was arrested in Romania on December 29 alongside his brother Tristan, 34, and two women as authorities investigate numerous allegations of sex trafficking and rape. They remain in custody and deny the charges.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel Nine and Ellis for comment.
Married At First Sight's Ella Ding is arguably one of the biggest stars to come out of the series.

The former beauty therapist now boasts almost 600,000 followers and has signed lucrative endorsement deals with big brands like Pretty Little Thing and L'Oreal.

However, her latest brand deal has outraged some of her followers.

This week, the 28-year-old starred in a raunchy Instagram ad to promote sex toy company Vush's new lingerie collection.

Not only did Ella shock her fans by posing provocatively in the extremely revealing garments, she also waved around various Vush vibrators.

Married At First Sight's Ella Ding is receiving backlash for starring in an X-rated Instagram ad for sex toys and lingerie

'I really don't want to see what you get your rocks off to!! You're far too good to be doing these ads!' commented one fan.

'You dont have to sell your body or your soul,' added another.

'Sell out,' commented another, while one said that the star was 'Z-grade' now that she'd jumped on the sex toy bandwagon.

'Is this an R-rated platform now?' asked another. 'Not appropriate. Hope your mum isnt watching how totally embarrassing. Sorry, but as this post just opened on my feed when I was about to show my young daughter something on Instagram, it is just not appropriate.'

Despite the backlash, many of Ella's followers also supported her decision to strip down.

In addition to hundreds of fire emojis and splashing eggplants, many fans praised Ella's decision to bare all.

'If I looked like you I'd be whipping my kit off at every opportunity!' gushed one.

'Your body is fire! And no one should ever be ashamed to use or promote vibrators!' added another.

'I really don't want to see what you get your rocks off to!! You're far too good to be doing these ads!' commented one fan

'Sell out,' commented another, while one said that the star was 'Z-grade' now that she'd jumped on the sex toy bandwagon

Up until now, Ella has been more strategic and selective with the brands she's aligned with on Instagram.

The fitness fanatic has primarily stuck to promoting fashion brands and activewear.

The brunette beauty's biggest partnership is with global fashion giant Pretty Little Thing, with Ella coming on as an official ambassador with her own 'edit' available to purchase on their website.

She also recently teamed up with an eyewear brand for her own line of stylish sunglasses, and is even working on her very own health and fitness app.

Her podcast co-host and former MAFS co-star Domenica Calarco was much quicker to capitalise off her sex appeal.

Not only is Domenica on OnlyFans, she's also been working with Vush vibrators since last year and also recently partnered with a 'sex positive' app designed for people with unique kinks.
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Riley Keough is making her return to the spotlight since the sudden passing of her mother Lisa Marie Presley.

The actress, 33, looked breathtaking in a plunging black dress as she attended her first red carpet event since the death of her mother on Thursday, the premiere of her upcoming miniseries Daisy Jones & the Six.

She worked an ornate pair of jade green earrings encased in gold while her red tresses cascade down her back with a slight wave framing her face.

Her arms encased in long black gloves, she was the epitome of glamour as she posed up a storm alongside her husband Ben Smith-Petersen at the Los Angeles event.

Keough stars as lead character Daisy, in the Prime Video series Daisy Jones and The Six, which follows the rise of rock band Daisy Jones and The Six through the '70s LA music scene on their quest for worldwide icon status.

Dazzling! Riley Keough - who plays Daisy , looked breathtaking in a plunging black dress as she attended her first red carpet event since the death of her mother on Thursday, the premiere of her upcoming miniseries, Daisy Jones & the Six

The show is based on the New York Times bestselling novel, also starring Suki Waterhouse, Camila Morrone, Sam Claflin, Sebastian Chacon, Josh Waterhouse, Nabiyah Be and Tom Wright. It's set to premiere on Prime Video on March 3.

Riley hit a fashion high note as she served poses on the red carpet with her dashing husband by her side.

She slipped her feet into classic black high heels and accented her radiant complexion with a rosy bush and pink lipstick.

Her husband looked handsome in a black suit, white button down, and leather footwear.

He tenderly placed a hand upon her waist as she flashed a radiant beam.

Riley was joined by her glamorous co-stars Suki Waterhouse and Camila Morrone on the red carpet.

Suki wowed in a sheer jade green look with a dangerously low neckline. The fashion forward ensemble left little of her stunning legs to the imagination.

She wore her blonde hair down in loose waves with pink gloss upon her lips.

Support system! She was joined by her handsome husband Ben Smith-Petersen

Tender loving care: He gently held his wife close to him as they posed up a storm

New parents! Riley and her husband recently welcomed their first child together, a baby girl

Captivating: Her arms encased in long black gloves, she was the epitome of glamour

Camila, meanwhile, worked a classic black dress which displayed a hint of cleavage. A sheer cape was draped over her shoulders and cascaded down her back.

Other big names on the red carpet included Reese Witherspoon and Maren Morris.

The Legally Blonde actress wowed in a chic LBD adorned with gold buttons while Maren put on a sizzling display in a sheer copper dress with plunging neckline.

Riley is back supporting her new project after skipping the U.K. premiere of Daisy Jones and the Six earlier this month.

'No one really thought Riley would be involved in the screen and Q&A, given everything she has been through over recent weeks, but her absence was noticeable as her co-stars discussed scenes involving Daisy,' a guest at the London event told the Daily Mirror.

'It felt a little odd that the lead actress wasn't there but Camila was absolutely enchanting during the discussion and wowed the audience with her witty observations and quips.'

The gang's all here! Riley's co-stars Suki Waterhouse and Camila Morrone were the epitome of glamour

Going green! Suki displayed her legs in a sheer jade green look with strappy heels

Whoa! She displayed the dramatic look in all it's glory

Elegant! Camila, meanwhile, worked a classic black dress which displayed a hint of cleavage

The actress lost her mother Lisa Marie Presley last month, after she suffered cardiac arrest at her Calabasas, California home in January.

She has also been locked into a bitter feud with grandmother Priscila Presley over the will that Lisa Marie left.

The dispute stemmed from both Keough and her brother Benjamin being named trustees to Lisa Marie's estate in 2016, after she was the sole trustee for years.

Benjamin died by suicide in 2020 meaning the fortune now belongs to Keough.

Priscilla is contending the 2016 amendment and has questioned the authenticity of her late daughter's signatures on the document.

'Riley has been mourning the loss of her mother and is heartbroken to have to deal with a trust dispute with a family member,' an insider told ET.

Va va voom! Camila also played around with her sheer cape

A-list! Reese Witherspoon and Maren Morris were among the big names at the event

Strike a pose! Maren shared the spotlight with Blake Mills and Marcus Mumford

Co-stars! Sam Claflin, Josh Whitehouse, and Tom Wright showed their support for their new miniseries

Let's get together! The cast gathered around for a group photo

After-party: Camila, Riley and Suki changed outfits to attend the after-party

They all posed for pictures while partying the night away
The latest season of Channel Nine's Married at First Sight Australia is set to hit UK screens next month.

The controversial local ratings blockbuster will air on Channel Four's E4 free-to-air channel from Monday, March 6.

MAFS' relationship guru Mel Schilling made the exciting announcement in an Instagram video on Thursday.

Wearing a lime green sleeveless dress with diamante collar, Mel gushed with excitement as she shared details of the MAFS Australia premiere with her 134,000 followers.

MAFS Australia has be comes a global phenomenon and has been sold to various countries, including the Netherlands and New Zealand.

The latest season of Channel Nine's Married at First Sight Australia is set to hit UK screens next month

The controversial local ratings blockbuster will air on Channel Four's E4 free-to-air channel from Monday, March 6

The Aussie version of the show, which is thought of by UK fans as 'wilder' and sexier than their homegrown version of the social experiment, regularly pulls more than a million viewers for E4.

Meanwhile, MAFS Australia has been a ratings juggernaut for Channel Nine, with past seasons racing to the top of the viewing surveys thanks to the show's steady dose of drama.

From cheating accusations to explosive fights, MAFS has seen its fair share of scandals over the years.

Last year viewers were enthralled as Olivia Frazer infamously outed rival bride Domenica Calarco for having an OnlyFans account during a dinner party.

The drama escalated after Olivia refused to apologise for sharing Dom's racy photos, which a friend of hers had discovered circulating on Twitter and Reddit.

While the distribution of the image was described by many viewers at the time as 'revenge porn', a police investigation into the matter has effectively been closed after Olivia refused to speak with officers.

Meanwhile, during the 2021 season, Coco Stedman and Cameron Dunne were at the centre of an explosive cheating scandal that divided fans.

MAFS' relationship guru Mel Schilling made the exciting announcement in an Instagram video on Thursday

The Aussie version of the show, which is thought of by UK fans as 'wilder' and sexier than their homegrown version of the social experiment, regularly pulls more than a million viewers for E4

Coco, who was paired with Sam Carraro, sought comfort in Cameron after multiple clashes with her uninterested 'husband'.

It didn't take long for the two to hit it off, and the other brides and grooms weren't shy about discussing their budding romance.

But it turns out their relationship didn't last once the cameras stopped rolling.

It follows the premiere of Season 10 of MAFS which scored a whopping 840,000 fan in the major metro centres last month.
Sam Claflin was ready for the spotlight at the premiere of his new show Daisy Jones & The Six on Thursday night in Los Angeles.

The Peaky Blinders alumnus, 36, looked dapper in a dark red suit as he strutted the carpet at TCL Chinese Theatre alongside the rest of the show's cast.

He dressed his look down by wearing a black T-shirt underneath his unbuttoned jacket, which he tucked into his matching dark red trousers.

Claflin kept the rest of his look simple with a pair of R.M.Williams boots and a silver watch on his wrist.

The Me Before You actor had his brunette hair cut close to his head and went unshaven.

Three's company: Sam Claflin larked around with Riley Keough and Reese Witherspoon at the Daisy Jones & The Six premiere in Los Angeles on Thursday

Larking around: Riley and Sam got the giggles as they chatted away together

It's a stark contrast to his character in the show, the rock & roll rebel Billy Dunne, who wears his hair down to his shoulders and has a clean-shaven face.

Daisy Jones & The Six is an adaptation of The New York Times bestselling book of the same name.

It was written in 2019 by Taylor Jenkins Reid, who wrote The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Malibu Rising and Carrie Soto Is Back.

She also wrote the book One True Loves, which is being made into a movie and will star Simu Liu, Luke Bracey and Phillipa Soo.

Daisy Jones & The Six follows the rise of rock band Daisy Jones & The Six through the '70s LA music scene on their quest for worldwide icon status.

Claflin was joined on the carpet by his fellow cast members, including Riley Keough, who will play the titular character of Daisy Jones in the show.

Keough, 33, is the granddaughter of the 'King of Rock & Roll,' Elvis Presley, and the daughter of the late Lisa Marie Presley.

On the carpet, the beauty flaunted her gorgeous figure in a black strapless top with a plunging neckline that went down to the middle of her chest.

Grinning: The 36-year-old dressed his look down by wearing a black T-shirt underneath his unbuttoned jacket, which he tucked into his matching dark red trousers

Peace: He had his brunette hair cut close to his head and went unshaven

Stars: Keough stars as the eponymous lead character, Daisy Jones

Chatting: The actress is the granddaughter of the 'King of Rock & Roll,' Elvis Presley, and the daughter of the late Lisa Marie Presley

Looker: Claflin stars as the brooding rock & roller Billy Dunne

She paired that with a shimmering black mermaid-cut skirt that stopped just above her ankles.

Sam and Riley, who play music stars and potential lovers in the show, joined one another for pictures.

Reese Witherspoon, who founded Hello Sunshine, the production company that is producing the show, squeezed in for more photos with Sam and Riley.

The Legally Blonde actress, 46, wore a strapless black dress with gold buttons down the front and a heart-shaped neckline.

Alongside Riley and Sam, the rest of the 'band' will be played by Suki Waterhouse, Sebastian Chacon, Josh Whitehouse and Will Harrison.

Camila Morrone, 25, who was recently in a relationship with Leonardo DiCaprio, plays Sam's wife in the show.

Cast: The whole cast gathered for a photo on the carpet; (L-R) Sebastian Chacon, Josh Whitehouse, Camila Morrone, Riley Keough, Sam Claflin, Suki Waterhouse, Nabiyah Be, Timothy Olyphant, and Tom Wright

Missing one: Will Harrison, who plays Graham Dunne, was absent from the premiere so Claflin held up a picture of his character for the photo

Pals: The Hunger Games actor with music producer Blake Mills

Forbidden romance: Claflin and Keough play music legends and potential lovers in the show

The band: Daisy Jones & The Six follows the rise of rock band Daisy Jones & The Six through the '70s LA music scene on their quest for worldwide icon status

Daisy Jones & The Six will feature music for the fictional band written by multiple music legends.

Producer Blake Mills helmed the creation of Aurora, the fictional album, as both writer and producer.

He recruited musicians Phoebe Bridgers, Madison Cunningham, Marcus Mumford, Jackson Browne, and more to co-write the songs Reid dreamed up in the book.

Daisy Jones & The Six is set to release on Amazon Prime on March 3.
Reese Witherspoon turned heads at the Daisy Jones & The Six premiere in Los Angeles on Thursday.

The 46-year-old Legally Blonde icon looked incredible as she commanded attention in a strapless little black dress.

The mother-of-three appeared upbeat and youthful as she showed off her slim figure in the clinging number.

It boasted a low-cut neckline that bared the star's perky cleavage and exposed her tanned, toned arms.

Reese's production company Hello Sunshine is behind the upcoming Amazon fictional series.

Incredible: Reese Witherspoon turned heads at the Daisy Jones & The Six premiere in Los Angeles on Thursday

Witherspoon's classic look had coin-like gold buttons going down the middle from top to bottom.

She teamed the timeless ensemble with a pair of pointy-toe black Christian Louboutin heels.

The Hollywood staple showed off a nude manicure and adorned her fingers with various rings.

For the special occasion, Reese parted her blonde locks on the side and modeled a sleek updo.

Her glossy locks were slicked back into a neat and low ponytail that floated down her back in loose spirals.

The style allowed her to show off her delicate and dazzling diamond teardrop earrings.

The Sweet Home Alabama actress put on a glowing display in a full face of flattering makeup.

She made her big blue eyes pop with fluttery eyelashes and her cheeks were dusted in a bronzy pink hue.

Stunner: The 46-year-old Legally Blonde icon looked incredible as she commanded attention in a strapless little black dress

Jovial: The mother-of-three appeared upbeat and youthful as she showed off her slim figure in the clinging number. Reese's production company Hello Sunshine is behind the upcoming Amazon fictional series

Reese finished with a moisturizing pink lip stain as she smiled for photos on the step-and-repeat.

The entertainer was joined by Riley Keough, 33, and Sam Claflin, 36, on the red carpet.

Riley, the star of the 70s-based television show, looked incredible as she attended the event just weeks after mom Lisa Marie Presley's death.

The Girlfriend Experience actress wore a plunging black dress with a shimmering textured black skirt and black opera gloves.

The Zola star donned large statement-making earrings with big emerald stones and gold hardware.

Sam looked handsome in a cherry-toned suit and a fitted, low-cut crew neck black shirt tucked into his pants.

He added black dress shoes and rocked a full beard with his dark hair lightly tousled.

The Prime Video series follows the rise of rock band Daisy Jones and The Six through the '70s LA music scene on their quest for worldwide icon status.

Keough recently opened up about playing a musician for the first time and her family legacy in an interview with ET.

Phenomenal: The dress boasted a low-cut neckline that bared the star's perky cleavage and exposed her tanned, toned arms

Group shot: The longtime entertainer was joined by Riley Keough, 33, and Sam Claflin, 36, on the red carpet

Good spirits: Riley, the star of the 70s-based television show, looked incredible as she attended the event just weeks after mom Lisa Marie Presley's death

Special: Reese shared a sentimental moment with actress and model Suki Waterhouse, who plays Karen Sirko in the new series

She shared that she and costar Claflin were musical newbies who are now putting out an album for the series, based on the book of the same name by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

The fictional band  comprised of Keough, Claflin, Suki Waterhouse, Will Harrison, Josh Whitehouse, and Sebastian Chacon  performed 24 original songs for a new album entitled Aurora, which will debut on March 3 along with the Prime Video show.

When asked if she feels this show is a way of carrying on her family's musical legacy, Keough didn't quite see it that way.

'I certainly wouldnt put that pressure on it. I dont know if there is continuing my grandfathers legacy, its its own sort of thing to me. But it was a really fun experience for me,' Riley shared.
Nicky Hilton was spotted while stepping out on a grocery run in New York City's SoHo neighborhood on Thursday afternoon.

The 39-year-old layered up in various articles of warm clothing as she took a short stroll through the Big Apple's streets after making her purchases.

The socialite, who was recently spotted in an all-Valentino ensemble, recently shared a collection of images taken during her time at New York Fashion Week.

Hilton wore a green fur-lined overcoat on top of a black turtleneck sweater during her outing.

The designer also wore a form-hugging pair of leather pants and a pair of light brown boots.

Running errands: Nicky Hilton was spotted while stepping out on a grocery run in New York City's SoHo neighborhood on Thursday afternoon

Staying comfortable: The 39-year-old layered up in articles of warm clothing as she took a stroll through the Big Apple after making her purchases. Hilton wore a green fur-lined overcoat on top of a black turtleneck sweater during her outing

The social media figure accessorized with a stylish leather bag and a pair of sunglasses.

Much of her gorgeous blonde hair was covered underneath a woven cap, although several strands shot out from underneath her headwear.

Hilton shared her snaps from New York Fashion Week to her Instagram account on Wednesday.

In one of the shots, the socialite was seen while getting ready to head to one of the events held as part of the weeklong function.

The social media figure also showed off one of her outfits for the week while standing in a heavily defaced doorway.

The designer went on to include a shot of a baby's feet, although it was not clear if they belonged to those of her son, seven months, or her sister Paris' newborn child.

Hilton shares her baby son, whose name has not been revealed to the public as of yet, as well as her older daughters Lily and Teddy  seven and five, respectively  with her husband, James Rothschild.

The pair initially met at a wedding in 2011 and got engaged three years later.

The happy couple subsequently held a marriage ceremony in London in 2015.

The designer and her husband started a family with Lily's birth in 2016, and Teddy was added to their lives the following year.

It was announced last January that Hilton was pregnant for the third time, and she announced that her son had been born last July.

Stylish: The designer also wore a form-hugging pair of leather pants and a pair of light brown boots

Cozy: Much of her gorgeous blonde hair was covered underneath a woven cap, although several strands shot out from underneath her headwear

Memories: Hilton shared her snaps from New York Fashion Week to her Instagram account on Wednesday

Dressed up: The social media figure also showed off one of her outfits for the week while standing in a heavily defaced doorway

Baby love: The designer went on to include a shot of a baby's feet, although it was not clear if they belonged to those of her son, aged seven months, or her sister Paris' newborn child

The social media personality spoke about her child during an interview with E! News, where she expressed that Rothschild was the one who wanted to keep her baby boy's name withheld from the public.

The socialite remarked: 'My husband is very private. This world is very foreign to him.'

Hilton also stated that she was getting used to a new sleep schedule after welcoming her son into her life.

The designer said that 'I used to be able to sneak a nap in. But now that's impossible.'
Tim Burton and Monica Bellucci looked every inch the happy couple as they held hands during an afternoon stroll in Madrid, Spain this week.

The film director, 64, and the model, 58, who were spotted sharing a passionate kiss on Valentine's Day, put on a cosy display after it was recently revealed they have been secretly dating for the last four months.

Monica cut a trendy figure for the outing, wearing a black v-neck top along with a pair of matching trousers.

The Italian beauty wrapped up for the day in a black coat and added height to her frame with a matching pair of boots.

Carrying a black handbag, Monica completed her outfit with a pair of sunglasses.

Couple: Tim Burton and Monica Bellucci looked every inch the happy couple as they held hands during an afternoon stroll in Madrid, Spain this week

Pair: The film director, 64, and the model, 58, put on a cosy display after it was recently revealed they have been secretly dating for the last four months

Tim also went for an all-black look, wearing a jacket with a matching shirt and slim-fitting jeans.

Monica and Tim first met 16 years ago but are said to have started dating after seeing one another at the Lumiere Film Festival in Lyon in October.

Paris Match writes that Monica and Tim 'briefly met on the steps of the Palais des Festivals in Cannes in 2006, but it was only sixteen years later, behind the scenes of another festival, that they got closer.'

MailOnline has contacted reps for both Tim Burton and Monica Bellucci for more information.

Monica had been single since she split from artist Nicolas Lefebvre in 2019. She was previously married to Vincent Cassel from 1997-2013.

The former model met Cassel in 1996 on the set of Gilles Mimounis film lAppartement.

They have two daughters, Deva, who was born in 2004, and Leonie, who entered the world in 2010.

They were together for three years before marrying in a quiet ceremony in Monaco, on the French Riviera.

Outfit: Monica cut a trendy figure for the outing, wearing a black v-neck top along with a pair of matching trousers

Style: The Italian beauty wrapped up for the day in a black coat and added height to her frame with a matching pair of boots

Casual: Tim also went for an all-black look, wearing a jacket with a matching shirt and slim-fitting jeans

Trip: The pair looked in good spirits on the outing, which comes after they were recently spotted locking lips for the first time

History: Monica and Tim first met 16 years ago but are said to have started dating after seeing one another at the Lumiere Film Festival in Lyon in October

Monica spoke about love in an interview with Paris Match back in 2011 when she was still married to Cassel, admitting there is 'no rationality' for her when it comes to relationships.

She said: 'I am carried by the moment and instinct. No rationality, only emotions. You love or you don't.'

'You don't decide sitting around a table: OK, so I have two kids, 16 years of life as a couple, that would be nice if it lasts, but how I am going to make it work?

'I don't think at all that a couple is something "you work out", as we say.'

Tim was famously in a relationship with The Crown actress Helena Bonham Carter, 56, but they sadly split in 2014.

The pair were never married, but were together for 13 years and share two children; son Billy, 20, and daughter Nell, 16.

Helena spoke about the split with Harper's Bazaar magazine in 2016.

First meeting: Paris Match writes that Monica and Tim 'briefly met on the steps of the Palais des Festivals in Cannes in 2006, but it was only sixteen years later, behind the scenes of another festival, that they got closer'

Relationships: Monica had been single since she split from artist Nicolas Lefebvre in 2019. She was previously married to Vincent Cassel from 1997-2013

Back in the day: The former model met Cassel in 1996 on the set of Gilles Mimounis film lAppartement

Family: They have two daughters, Deva, who was born in 2004, and Leonie, who entered the world in 2010

Candid: Monica spoke about love in an interview with Paris Match back in 2011 when she was still married to Cassel, admitting there is 'no rationality' for her when it comes to relationships

She said: 'I am carried by the moment and instinct. No rationality, only emotions. You love or you don't'

She said: 'You go through massive grief - it is a death of a relationship, so its utterly bewildering. Your identity, everything, changes.'

'Just saying: "I'm not myself at the moment, so be careful. Everyone always says you have to be strong and have a stiff upper lip, but its okay to be fragile.'

Helena and Tim got together in 2001 after he cast her as an ape in Planet Of The Apes.

They famously lived in inter-connecting houses during their relationship, with each property decorated to their own his 'n' hers tastes and personal styles.

All change: Helena Bonham Carter and long-term partner Tim Burton split in late 2014 after 13 years together (pictured in 2012)

Past love: Monica was previously married to Vincent Cassel from 1997-2013 (pictured together in 2008 )

Now in a relationship with writer Rye Dag Holmboe, 34, Helena told Daily Mail's Richard Eden in 2022 she felt 'very lucky' to have met him.

She said she had made the step of choosing to share a home with her academic boyfriend, even adding to their domestic bliss by adopting house rabbits.

The couple met at a wedding in 2018.
gettyimagesbank



By Kwon Mee-yoo



The Embassy of Kuwait in Korea held a reception to commemorate the country's 62nd National Day and the 32nd Anniversary of Liberation of the State of Kuwait, Thursday.



Ambassador of Kuwait to Korea Deyab Farhan Al-Rashidi expressed gratitude for Korea's decades-long support and hoped to broaden cooperation in new fields. The Middle Eastern country aims to achieve "Kuwait Vision 2035" to become a financial and trade hub on both the regional and international levels.



Kuwait's National Day, which falls on Feb. 25, commemorates the ascension of Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah as the ruler of Kuwait in 1950. Al-Sabah secured Kuwait's independence from Britain and established the Constitution of Kuwait and the Parliament of Kuwait during his reign.



On Feb. 26, Kuwaiti people celebrate the day that their country was liberated from Iraqi occupation in 1991.



Ambassador Al-Rashidi said these are two occasions which Kuwaiti people cherish deeply in their hearts.



"They are also the occasions when we Kuwaitis remember the loyalty of our forefathers and martyrs who sacrificed their lives to build the State of Kuwait  a civil state based on the principles of respecting the constitution and protecting freedom," he said.



Al-Rashidi thanked Korea for supporting his country during the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait.



"We will always remember in our hearts the support from the Korean people which reflected the depth of the relations between both of our nations, which has been growing stronger in all fields to achieve the interests of our friendly people," the ambassador said.



He also noted the longstanding relationship between Korea and Kuwait, which is considered "an exemplary model for political, economic and peaceful cooperation."



"During the past 20 years, Korean companies have played an important role in implementing several mega-projects in the fields of infrastructure, construction and energy in Kuwait worth billions of U.S. dollars," Al-Rashidi said, listing Sheikh Jaber Causeway, the Al Zour Refinery Plant, the Abdullah & Al Ahmadi Refinery Plants and other projects.



The ambassador showed high hopes for the latest project as the Incheon International Airport Corporation operates the new terminal (T4) at Kuwait International Airport.



"Kuwait looks forward to opening the doors to Korean companies to play an important role in executing the projects related to Kuwait Vision 2035," he said.



On behalf of the Korean government, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong gave a congratulatory speech.



The minister briefed the audience on the Korea-Kuwait relationship across political, economic, cultural and other areas.



"During the Gulf War, about 350 Korean soldiers joined the UN coalition and fought to restore the territory of Kuwait ... More recently, in 2021, Korea successfully completed the world's largest Al-Zour LNG import terminal, despite all the difficulties caused by the pandemic," Won said.



"It is our sincere hope that the Korean government and companies join the efforts of Kuwait in accomplishing New Kuwait 2035. With our hands together, we will be able to create magnificent successes again."


Jamie Oliver's 12-year-old son Buddy has become an internet sensation after starring in adorable cooking demonstration videos.

The celebrity chef, 47, has been sharing throwback videos of his son cooking up a storm, last week sharing a clip of Buddy making tuna pasta that received a 'like' from A-lister Jennifer Aniston.

On Thursday, Jamie delighted followers as he posted a throwback of the then-ten-year-old Buddy whipping up fajitas on Instagram on Thursday.

Buddy proved to be a chip off the old block as he demonstrated his cooking skills while providing a series of zingy one-liners and joking that he 'might die' if he includes too much chilli.

The video delighted his followers, including supermodel Helena Christensen, who was left in hysterics by Buddy's joke, commenting: 'Chili out cause might die!'

Chip off the old (chopping) block: Jamie Oliver's son Buddy delighted fans after the celebrity chef shared a throwback video of the then-ten-year-old whipping up fajitas on Instagram

Other fans penned: 'I love this kid! He needs his own channel. Adorable!'; 'What a brilliant wee chef love him'; 'Just adorable, love watching you Buddy '.

'Great job Buddy, they look delicious!'; 'Oh, I love this chap. What a darling young man. A chip off the old block'; 'Funny to see, he has his look from his mother and body language from his dad', others said.

'Gonna take the chilli out cos I might die . Bless him '; 'I wish my parents taught me how to cook when I was young' ; 'Apple don t fall far away from appletree [sic],' more added.

In the clip, Buddy highlighted his excellent knifework while chopping up onions and peppers to go in his dish and displayed excellent food hygiene skills while separating the meat and vegetables.

Jamie, who was just 23 years old when he burst into the spotlight with The Naked Chef, showed his son is following in his footsteps as he shared the clip with his 9.3million followers.

The cookbook author, 47, captioned the video: 'Sharing another recipe from my boy Buddy that will make a great dinner tonight for you and the family that you can never go wrong with... fajitas!!! These are always a big hit in our house!'

Jamie shares four other children with his wife Jools: Poppy, 20, Daisy, 19, Petal, 13, and River, six.

Buddy isn't the only celebrity child to try his hand at cooking.

Two of a kind: Jamie, who was just 23 years old when he burst into the spotlight with The Naked Chef, showed his son is following in his footsteps

Fans in high places: Buddy has earned himself some A-list fans, with supermodel Helena Christensen commenting on the latest video and Jennifer Aniston giving the last post a 'like'

Delighted: The video delighted his followers, including supermodel Helena Christensen, who was left in hysterics by Buddy's joke, commenting: 'Chili out cause might die!'

David and Victoria Beckham's son Brooklyn has been cooking for Instagram videos over the past few years as he shares basic tips with his followers on meals such as burgers and sandwiches.

With Brooklyn, eyebrows have been raised over his many career paths after he jumped from photography to cooking and now trying his hand at being a fashion stylist.

Brooklyn is only 23, and some would argue he's at an age where it's normal to experiment with your career and hobbies.

However, most people trying to figure out their passion don't get the opportunity to publish a photography book when they have no photography training, or create a $100,000-per-episode online cookery series when they are no more than an enthusiastic home cook.

The social media discourse surrounding 'nepotism babies' in Hollywood has reached fever pitch in recent months.

Sweet: Buddy, now 12, proved to be a chip off the old block as he demonstrated his cooking skills while providing a series of zingy one-liners

Fan favourite: Last week Jamie shared a clip of Buddy making tuna pasta that received a 'like' from A-lister Jennifer Aniston

During lockdown, Brooklyn developed a penchant for basic home cooking and decided to launch his own online Cookin' With Brooklyn series, which saw him enlist a 62-person crew at the eye-watering cost of $100,000 to film him making a sandwich.

In one of the eight-minute episodes, Brooklyn, who has no professional training as a chef, shows his Instagram and Facebook followers how to make a bagel sandwich with a hash brown, coleslaw and fried sea bream.

According to the New York Post, the video had a team of professionals on hand including a 'culinary producer' who approves the recipes, five camera operators and nine other producers.

Brooklyn was also panned for another televised cooking stunt  making a simple breakfast sandwich during a food segment on The Today Show.

Brooklyn came under furious fire after landing a slot on The Late Late Show to plug his cooking career - despite having no professional training as a chef and boasting no personal claim to fame beyond his parents' prominence.

Picking up tips: Buddy isn't the only celebrity child to try his hand at cooking in recent weeks. David and Victoria Beckham's son Brooklyn has been cooking for Instagram videos

Tasty: During lockdown, Brooklyn developed a penchant for basic home cooking and decided to launch his own online Cookin' With Brooklyn series

Culinary whizz? Brooklyn's new career path has been met with raised eyebrows before, with his segment on The Today Show being mocked by viewers when it aired back in October

An online critic mocked up a faux CV for the Beckham boy, poking fun at his brief career stints

The superstar offspring chatted to close family friend James Corden on the hit show - in a slot typically saved for esteemed stars with talents under their belt - during which he showcased his frequently ridiculed cooking skills.

His appearance on the show was also slammed by several professional chefs.

The eldest son of David and Victoria Beckham also decided to enter the Japanese booze industry, causing fans to roll their eyes.

Brooklyn, who has married into the billionaire Peltz family, co-founded a Sake brand - a day after telling his fans how to make a gin and tonic.
In most public settings, social media sensation-turned-actress Addison Rae is seen dressed to the nines in full hair and makeup.

But on Thursday, Addison - who has been ranked as the highest-earning TikTok personality by Forbes - let her natural beauty shine while making her way out of Carnival restaurant in Los Angeles.

She was noticeably dressed down in baggy blue denim cargo pants, an oversized black t-shirt and slip-on shoes.

The 22-year-old pulled her dark brown hair into a ponytail and rocked a natural complexion.

The sighting comes shortly after it was revealed that Addison landed the lead role in Eli Roth's upcoming horror film Thanksgiving, as reported by Deadline.

Casual: Addison Rae, 22, was spotted seemingly makeup-free while making her way out of Carnival restaurant in Los Angeles on Thursday

Comfy: She was noticeably dressed down in baggy blue denim cargo pants, an oversized black t-shirt and slip-on shoes

While out and about on Thursday, Rae witnessed a rainbow high into the sky, and pulled out her camera phone to record it.

'Today is a magical day,' Addison posted on her Instagram Story, which included a photo of the colorful rainbow stretching over a gas station and restaurant.

After her latest acting gig was unveiled, Addison eagerly returned to social media to share the Deadline article announcing Thanksgiving.

She captioned the post, 'Lets eat,' as an obvious reference to the film's storyline.

Eli Roth's latest project - which also stars Patrick Dempsey - is said to be based on the fake movie trailer from the double feature Grindhouse (2007)

Spyglass Media is producing the film, written by Jeff Rendel, with Roth to direct.

The shoot is expected to begin in March, while Roger Birnbaum and Roth are among those who are producing.

Rae first gained recognition as a social media darling, who went on to amass 88 million followers on TikTok by the end of July 2022.

She is the fourth most-followed individual on the platform.

Rae now has nearly 89 million TikTok fans and followers, to go along with the 39 million she has on her Instagram page.

Rising star: The TikTok sensation now has a burgeoning acting career, which includes starring in He's All That (2021), a gender-swapped remake of the 1999 film She's All That.

Somewhere over the rainbow: The Louisiana native also took to her Instagram page to share a video of a rainbow that appeared over the 101 Hollywood Freeway in Los Angeles

Her magical day: The social media sensation also shared a small photo of the rainbow stretching over a gas station and restaurant

The sighting comes shortly after it was revealed that Addison landed the lead role in Eli Roth's upcoming horror film Thanksgiving, as reported by Deadline

She has since gone on to shift some of her focus to acting.

Her acting career kicked off after starring in the lead role in He's All That (2021), a gender-swapped remake of the 1999 film She's All That.

Due to her massive social media presence, and burgeoning acting career, companies have been lining up to do business with the star.

Netflix signed her to a massive multi-million dollar deal similar to that of A-list actors who have worked out deals of their own with the streamer.
Paris Hilton has revealed her first sexual experience was non-consensual, when she was raped by an older man at the age of 15.

The heiress, 42, has spoken candidly of the abuse she suffered while attending a boarding school for troubled teens in the 1990s.

And speaking to Glamour UK, she has now spoken about another horrific encounter she was subjected to after consuming a spiked drink.

At the time, Paris was living with her grandmother in Palm Springs and would often visit the Westfield Century City shopping centre in Los Angeles with her friends.

She said older men would often hang around the stores and speak to them and one day they invited Paris and her friends back 'to their house'.

Horrifying: Paris Hilton has revealed her first sexual experience was non-consensual, when she was raped by an older man at the age of 15 (pictured in February 2023)

Candid: The heiress, 42, has spoken candidly of the abuse she suffered while attending a boarding school for troubled teens in the 1990s

Paris said she was offered 'berry wine coolers' to drink and one of the men was particularly forceful about getting her to drink it.

She said: 'When I had maybe one or two sips, I just immediately started feeling dizzy and woozy. I don't know what he put in there; I'm assuming it was a roofie [Rohypnol].'

Paris, who recently welcomed her first child with husband Carter Reum, said she woke up several hours later knowing something bad had happened.

She said: 'I remembered it. I have visions of him on top of me, covering my mouth, being like, "You're dreaming, you're dreaming," and whispering that in my ear.'

Paris added the experience made her feel ashamed and she went to boarding school in Utah for two years soon after.

The reality star claimed she was sexually abused after being forced to undergo cervical exams performed by staff members in the early hours of the morning while attending the school.

Paris previously said her childhood was 'stolen' by the alleged abuse at Provo Canyon School where she spent 11 months when she was 17 years old.

Testifying to Utah lawmakers in February 2021, the hotel heiress said she was 'verbally, mentally and physically abused on a daily basis' at Provo Canyon.

Past: At the time, Paris was living with her grandmother in Palm Springs and would often visit the Westfield Century City shopping centre in Los Angeles with her friends (pictured with her parents Richard and Kathy in 1996)

Interview: Paris said she was offered 'berry wine coolers' and one of the men was particularly forceful about getting her to drink it (pictured in 2022)

'I was cut off from the outside world and stripped of all of my human rights. I was not allowed to be myself, hold my own opinions or even speak. Without a diagnosis I was forced to consume medication that made me feel numb and exhausted. I didn't breathe fresh air or see the sunlight for 11 months,' she said.

'Children were restrained, hit, thrown into walls, strangled and sexually abused regularly at Provo I could not report this because all communication with my family was monitored and censored.

'That was the worst of the worst There's no getting out of there. You're sitting on a chair and staring at a wall all day long, getting yelled at or getting hit.'

The socialite slammed the institution in her 2020 documentary This Is Paris and succeeded in pushing for new, tighter regulation on schools for troubled teens.

Paris also revealed she and Carter had named their son Phoenix Barron Hilton Reum after sharing that they became parents last month.

The star already has 'seven' more embryos in the hope of having more children, adding that the embryos are 'all boys'.

Meet Phoenix! Paris shared the surprise news of her son Phoenix's birth last month, and her interview comes just a day after revealing his mythical name for the first time

Paris added that she decided to use a surrogate as she has always been 'scared' of childbirth.

She also confessed that she had previously had her eggs frozen on the advice of her pal Kim Kardashian, and had been planning to have a child on her own before she and Carter met.

Read the full interview in the Glamour UK February Digital Issue online now.

If you have been affected by this story, in the US contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800-656-4673 or visit www.rainn.org.

In the UK contact, Rape Crisis on 0808 802 9999 on contact the service using their online chat function.
Lorraine Kelly missed her ITV chat show for the third day in a row on Friday after being sent home by bosses.

The presenter's show was thrown into chaos on Wednesday morning after Lorraine was forced to pull out of hosting her show at the last minute.

Ranvir Singh has been filling in for Lorraine during her absense and told viewers on Thursday she was 'still recovering' after coming down with a 'hideous bug'.

On Friday, the Good Morning Britain star gave fans another update, saying Lorraine was 'feeling better' and would be back in the hosting chair on Monday.

Kate Garraway informed viewers of the last-minute line-up change on Wednesday and praised Ranvir for agreeing to step in and host the morning chat show.

Absent: Lorraine Kelly missed her ITV chat show for the third day in a row on Friday after being sent home by bosses

Filling in: Ranvir Singh has been filling in for Lorraine during her absense and told viewers on Thursday she was 'still recovering' after coming down with a 'hideous bug'

Announcing the news, Kate explained: 'Usually at this point in the show we'd be chatting to Lorraine but I think in almost a first in her 30 year plus history, she's actually gone home, she's not well.

'She's got a bug! We're wishing you well Lorraine. Ranvir is to the rescue, she's on her way in.'

Taking to Twitter, Lorraine revealed that she had been sent home after being 'suddenly attacked by a hideous bug'.

She shared her disappointment as she admitted she had been looking forward to interviewing guest Adam Lambert but couldn't due to fears of 'infecting' him.

She wrote: 'When you have to be sent home from work early in the morning because you are suddenly attacked by a hideous bug and were looking forward to interviewing @adamlambert THAT! Beyond disappointed but imagine if I had infected him !!!!!!'

Ranvir also stepped in to host Good Morning Britain alongside Ed Balls on Monday while Susanna Reid is in Ukraine, giving a live interview from the war-torn country.

It comes after Lorraine was left blushing earlier this month when Ben Shephard shared the very racy texts her husband of 30 years sends her during her live shows.

Ben and co-host Susanna Reid were wrapping up GMB before doing a live link to Lorraine, with the presenter unable to resist bringing up an article involving her and Steve Steve.

Ill: ITV was thrown into chaos on Wednesday morning after Lorraine Kelly was forced to pull out of hosting her show at the last minute

And Lorraine was clearly blindsided by her partner's saucy messages being revealed as she asked Ben: 'How did they get hold of that?'

During the live link where Lorraine explained what was coming up on her show, Ben, 48, quizzed her about the newspaper article, teasing: 'It would appear he's very generous with his affections while you're on air.

'He often likes to say how wonderful you're looking in the morning in an affectionate way.'

To which a red-faced Lorraine responded: 'It depends what I'm wearing. It depends how much I'm showing.'

Going into further detail, she continued: 'Sometimes he does say 'Nice boobs', before asking of the story: 'How did they get hold of that? Where did that come from? Have I been talking too much again?'

And while Ben suggested Steve could be the source, Lorraine did in fact spill the beans herself in an interview with Woman's Weekly magazine.

Meanwhile, Susanna, 52, said of the situation: 'As we're coming up to Valentine's Day, how lovely. Your husband still texts you to say 'Nice boobs'.'

Oh dear! Taking to Twitter, Lorraine revealed that she had been sent home after being 'suddenly attacked by a hideous bug'

Get well soon! Kate said: 'Usually at this point in the show we'd be chatting to Lorraine but I think in almost a first in her 30 year plus history, she's actually gone home'

Romantic: It comes after Lorraine was left blushing earlier this month when Ben Shephard shared the very racy texts her husband Steve Smith sends her during her live shows

With Ben piping up, saying: 'Next time Lorraine's on her show and she looks down at her phone, it could be Steve sending a little message.'

However, Lorraine didn't feel so sure at this as pointing to her geometric print shirt dress which was buttoned up to the neck, she said: 'This dress isn't going to get any comments from him this morning though, Ben.'

As Ben replied: 'I'm sure he will send you something lovely regardless.'

Concluding the light-hearted exchange, Susanna said: 'You always look fab Lorraine. There are lots of serious issues, so it's nice to have a moment of joy.'
Lewis Capaldi fans helped the star by singing his hit Someone You Loved for him in Frankfurt this week when he experienced Tourette's symptoms mid show.

The Scottish musician, 26, revealed he had the neurological condition - which is characterised by a combination of involuntary noises and movements called tics - last year.

In the now-viral clip Capaldi can be seen turning away from the microphone as he struggled with his head and shoulder twitching uncontrollably.

However the audience were quick to show their support for the star and continued singing the song en masse.

Capaldi then appeared to regain his composure as he continued with the performance.

Support: Lewis Capaldi fans finished singing his hit Someone You Loved in Frankfurt this week after the star experienced Tourette's symptoms mid show

The Scottish musician, 26, revealed he had the neurological condition - which is characterised by a combination of involuntary noises and movements called tics - last year

Sharing the clip to TikTok, one fan wrote: 'We support you!' and captioned the video: 'Fans finishing off the song for Lewis as he struggles with his Tourette's.'

Tourette's syndrome is a neurological condition characterised by a combination of involuntary noises and movements called tics.

The disorder usually starts during childhood and continues into adulthood. Tics can be either vocal, such as swearing, or physical, such as head shaking.

The cause of Tourette's syndrome is unknown. However, it's thought to be linked to problems with a part of the brain known as the basal ganglia, which helps regulate body movements.

This disorder impacts an estimated 78million people worldwide and there is currently no cure, only treatments that control symptoms.

Recently the Brit Award winner tested a new watch-like device to relieve tics , finding the gadget suppressed movements in his head and shoulders.

The Neupulse device, developed at the University of Nottingham, delivers mild electrical stimulation currents to nerves in the wrist and influences the brain networks involved in generating tics.

The device seems to be a game-changer for the musician - he instantly felt calm once the device was activated.

Pause: In the clip Capaldi can be seen turning away from the microphone as he struggled with his head and shoulder twitching uncontrollably

Help: Recently the Brit Award winner tested a new watch-like device to relieve tics , finding the gadget suppressed movements in his head and shoulders

It comes after the Hold Me While You Wait hitmaker said that learning he had Tourette's was 'quite a relief', and he is now embracing his new role as 'poster boy' for the condition.

Appearing on the The Jonathan Ross Show last year, he said: ' I do have Tourette's. I didn't mean for it to be a big thing. I twitch a lot.

'My left shoulder goes up and I do this with my head. Now I am the poster boy for Tourette's. I'll take it, I'll gladly accept that.

'It was seven or eight months ago [that I was diagnosed]. I thought I had a degenerative disease. So to be told it was in fact that I have Tourette's, as you can imagine, was quite a relief. It's fine. Everything works.

'I thought I was quite alone in being twitchy. It's been a relief and, if anything, nice to know I have a community. I'm quite an anxious person, I really start to overthink things if something's wrong - this was a weight off my mind.'

Capaldi admitted his condition can 'really affect my performance', but his tics come in 'ebbs and flows' - and he tends to notice the effects of Tourette's less if he takes care of himself with regular exercise and a healthy lifestyle.

He told host Jonathan Ross, 62, on the ITV chat show: 'It definitely gets worse sometimes on stage. Sometimes it can really affect my performance.

'It ebbs and flows. If I look after myself, exercise, go to the gym - which is the same thing by the way - if I don't drink too much or take a walk in the park and breathe in a nice summer air. I f***ing hate commitment. I'm a loose guy.'
James Lock and Jordan Brook showed off their gym-honed physiques as they hit the beach in Phuket, Thailand on Wednesday.

The TOWIE stars were joined by Dan Edgar and Roman Hackett for the outing as they took a break from filming the show's Thailand special.

James, 36, displayed his muscular physique as he went for a dip in the ocean while soaking up the warm weather.

Showing off his tan, the reality star sported a pair of black swimming trunks as the lads made the most of their time off.

Earlier in the day, James sported a tan short-sleeved shirt with black shorts and matching sliders.

Sun's out, guns out: James Lock howed off his gym-honed physique as he hit the beach in Phuket, Thailand on Wednesday

On location: Joining him was Jordan Brook as the cast have flown to Thailand for the new series

Looking good: James, 36, displayed his muscular physique as he went for a dip in the ocean while soaking up the warm weather

Jordan, 25, showed off his bronzed tan in a pair of blue shorts as he kicked a ball with Dan, 32, and Roman, 20.

Jordan and Roman were later seen larking about on the shore as Jordan lifted his co-star over his head and tossed him in the water.

Dan sported a white T-shirt and dark green shorts while Roman opted for a printed, multi-coloured shirt.

Taking further advantage of the warm weather, the group were also seen boarding jet ski's during the outing.

The latest season of TOWIE began filming in Thailand earlier this week, with all major cast members making the trip.

James' brother George has also joined the show for the new series and was seen with his sibling in Phuket in recent days.

Filming for the latest series comes after long-standing cast member Pete Wicks quit the show after seven years, MailOnline exclusively revealed.

After seven years on the show, which has seen the hunk rise to fame thanks to his relationships with former cast mates Megan McKenna, 30, Chloe Sims, 41, and Ella, 22, Pete is looking to explore fresh opportunities away from the world of reality TV.

Cast: Dan Edgar (left) and Roman Hackett (right) joined the lads on the day out

Filming: Dan showed off his recent hard work in the gym as he hit the beac with his pals

Splash: Jordan and Roman were later seen larking about on the shore as Jordan lifted his co-star over his head and tossed him in the water

Casual: Jordan sported pair of light blue shorts and sunglasses while Dan opted for dark green shorts

Fun in the sun: Taking further advantage of the warm weather, the group were also seen boarding jet ski's during the outing

A source told MailOnline Pete's departure has been a huge blow for ITVBe executives.

The show has already suffered the loss of longstanding cast member Chloe, as well as her sisters Demi and Frankie, last year.

An insider revealed: 'Pete is a hugely loved member of TOWIE both among viewers and the cast.

'But it's time for him to move on now, he's slightly older than the rest of the cast, and he's hoping to achieve more in his career after being on the show for such a long time.

'It's been a monumental stint and his storylines will go down in TOWIE history but for now he's taking a step away.'

A second source added: 'Pete will continue to cameo on TOWIE when it makes sense to appear alongside his friends, but he will no longer be a fully-fledged cast member.'

Style: James opted ofr a tan shirt and black shorts while Roman sported a tie-due shirt with beige shorts

Change: Filming for the latest series comes after long-standing cast member Pete Wicks quit the show after seven years, MailOnline exclusively revealed

Departure: A source told MailOnline Pete's departure has been a huge blow for ITVBe executives

An insider revealed: 'Pete is a hugely loved member of TOWIE both among viewers and the cast'

They added: 'But it's time for him to move on now, he's slightly older than the rest of the cast, and he's hoping to achieve more in his career after being on the show for such a long time' (Pete pictured)

MailOnline approached TOWIE and Pete's spokesperson for comment at the time.

Pete joined TOWIE in 2015 introduced as James Lock's best pal and immediately set eyes on Jess Wright.

He soon became a main character on the series, romancing the likes of The X Factor: Celebrity winner Megan, who he had a tempestuous relationship with.

Their romance came to an explosive end when Megan discovered Pete had been sending explicit text messages to his ex-girlfriend Jacqui Ryland.

He dated Miss Great Britain and co-star Shelby Tribble, who's since had a baby with former TOWIE cast member Sam Mucklow.

He later had a rocky relationship with Chloe, who was left brokenhearted when Pete wasn't prepared to commit and it dramatically impacted their friendship.
A TikTok star who lived in both the USA and Australia as a child has revealed the differences between the countries school lunches.

Jesse Sunset, 32, real name Jesse Willesee, revealed he's spent half of his life in each country as his father - respected TV journalist Terry Willesee - is Australian, while his mother, Melissa, is American.

The creator said there are some big differences between school lunches in the two countries, with the biggest being children in the receiving their food in cafeterias while in Australia most bring their own lunch from home.

In a video to his 40k followers, he said: 'In America they have a cafeteria and most people eat lunch here, some of the food here was awesome, not healthy but awesome.'

Jesse revealed that while he would regularly eat footlong hot dogs, cheese burgers and tater tots, they also had Domino's pizza in his American school.

@jessesunset Ya boy shares some differences between school lunch in Australia vs America   Back In Black - AC/DC

A TikTok star who lived in both the USA and Australia as a child has revealed the differences between the countries school lunches. Jesse Sunset is pictured

'On a Friday Dominos would bring in hundreds of pizzas and you would be sitting there in class on Friday and you would smell the pizzas down in the cafeteria,' he said.

'In Australia almost everyone brings their lunch in a lunch box, lots of Vegemite sandwiches and some little snacks.

'(In Australia) we do have what's called a tuck shop and that has snacks like chips, ice cream, pot noodles, and they sometimes have pies and sausage rolls.'

The influencer said when he was in school in Australia the kids would often beg others for money so they could buy treats, but he never saw that happen in the US.

Jesse revealed that he would regularly eat footlong hot dogs, cheese burgers and tater tots, and they also got Domino's pizza delivered in droves at his American school

Tater tots were regularly on offer at his American cafeteria

The influencer said when he was in school in Australia the kids would often beg others for money so they could buy treats, but he never saw that happen in the US. Jesse regularly ate pies while in school in Australia

'One thing I saw in the tuck shop that I never saw in America is "scabbing", where you stand in line and ask for money so you can get some treats from the tuck shop,' he said.

'I never saw that in America. For me I did it because my mum packed pretty healthy lunches and I would eat my healthy lunch but then I would want an ice cream or noodles.

'In one school in Australia they would bring the lunch in a laundry basket and I would get a pie or an ice cream or both and flavoured milk, that was a standard lunch.'
The Bridgerton cast were seen riding in horse drawn carriage outside the family's Wysteria-clad mansion as filming for season three continued on Thursday.

Actor's donned regency attire as they arrived on set at Ranger's House in Greenwich, London.

A man sported a navy blue hat with a gold trim with a red jacket as he sat in the drivers seat of the cart, with two black horses in front.

Extras shielded from the cold and covered up their elaborate period costumes with coats as they moved between sets.

Filming for the Netflix hit's third season began last month, with stars of show pictured shooting scenes around London.

Exciting: The Bridgerton cast were seen riding in horse drawn carriage outside the family's Wysteria-clad mansion as filming for season three continued on Thursday

It come after the next series of Bridgerton has been plunged into chaos after bosses thought that some of the storylines had gone 'too dark'.

Sources working on the production of the Netflix bonkbuster say that some of the scripts have had to be rewritten as Shonda Rhimes, the programme's producer, wants to give viewers more joy.

It is understood that there were concerns over a sex plotline.

It was reported last year that Ms Rhimes has been joined by another executive producer, Jess Brownell.

One source told The Mail on Sunday: 'Filming has been delayed due to the screenwriter not being happy with the direction of it.

'We have been told that it needs the fun back so there are changes, which of course means delays. One thing is for sure though, the production team want to get it right for Bridgerton fans so they enjoy it as much as they have in the past.

'There are some elements that Shonda is just not happy with so wants to change them. Some of it got very dark.'

It was announced in 2021 that there would be a third and fourth series of Bridgerton following the success of the first two. The show is based on the series of romantic novels by American author Julia Quinn.

Coming soon: Actor's donned regency attire as they arrived on set at Ranger's House in Greenwich, London

Shooting: A man sported a navy blue hat with a gold trim with a red jacket as he sat in the drivers seat of the cart, with two black horses in front

Last year actress Simone Ashley, who portrays Kate Sharma, told how she was 'very happy when reading the scripts. When I receive them, I've got a beaming smile on my face'.

She also said that the third series is about to get 'super steamy' and added that it would be 'condensation central'.

The new series will see the return of Phoebe Dynevor as Daphne, the eldest daughter in the Bridgerton family.

It will be based on the fourth book in the series, called Romancing Mister Bridgerton, and will follow the budding romance between Penelope  played by Nicola Coughlan  and Colin Bridgerton.
Amanda Abbington has admitted she got her role in Sherlock because of 'nepotism' because of her relationship with ex Martin Freeman.

The actress, 48, joined her then partner as his on-screen wife Mary Watson in the smash hit detective series.

Speaking on the Full Disclosure podcast she said: 'Because I was with Martin at the time [of getting the part of Mary], there was a lot of nepotism being banded around'.

'It's true, it was that. Both Mark and Steven [writers Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat] said they were trying to figure out who the best person would be to play Mary - Watson's wife - and they thought it would be the person who was going out with him.

'It made sense. And we'd worked together on many things' before adding: 'It seemed like a natural thing, and I was over the moon because I loved that show.'

Honesty: Amanda Abbington, 48, has admitted she got her role in Sherlock because of 'nepotism' because of her relationship with ex Martin Freeman

Cast: The actress, 48, joined her then partner as his on-screen wife Mary Watson in the smash hit detective series (the pair pictured on the show with Benedict Cumberbatch, centre)

The two actors were together for 16 years, and share son Joe, 17, and daughter Grace, 14, before splitting in 2016.

She went on to discuss her former partner's Hollywood career saying: 'People always ask if I was jealous or resentful [of Freeman]. No, because we would never go up for the same parts!'

'I loved supporting him in his career. I was very proud of him I remember him showing me [BBC sitcom] The Office.'

'I just remember watching it and thinking 'this is incredible' and loving it'.

'He's a phenomenal actor, and I was only ever completely supportive of everything he did.

'I would say to him, 'is there anything in The Office for me?' I went up for the second season of The Office to play Rachel, his girlfriend, and I didn't get it.'

'But when I saw who got it [actress, Stacey Roca] I was like 'that makes sense'.

Amanda - who is now in a relationship with Jonathan Goodwin - spoke in the past of how they kept their split secret six months before the news became public.

Candid: 'It's true, it was that. Both Mark and Steven [writers Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat] said they were trying to figure out who the best person would be to play Mary - Watson's wife - and they thought it would be the person who was going out with him (pictured on the show)

Throwback: The two actors were together for 16 years, and share son Joe, 17, and daughter Grace, 14, before splitting in 2016 (pictured in 2013)

She told The Sunday Times magazine: 'When we broke up nobody knew, we didnt tell anybody except for a few key people because they had to know, because of the logistics of hotels and stuff.

'It took six months for it to get out and a lot of that was while we were working on Sherlock... We were professional and we were going to get on and make a show and be civil to each other.

'We still get on really well, we still really both admire each other as actors... hes a great guy, but we just couldnt live with each other any more.'

Stepping into the limelight: It comes as the couple's son Joe is set to follow in his famous parent's footsteps as he prepares to tread the boards in a production of Everybody's Talking About Jamie in Tunbridge Wells

It comes as the couple's son Joe is set to follow in his famous parent's footsteps as he prepares to tread the boards in a production of Everybody's Talking About Jamie in Tunbridge Wells.

The youngster is currently a cast member in a version of the gender-fluid musical specially adapted for a teen cast in the Kent town, and is apparently set to follow in their footsteps professionally.

Inspired by the 2011 British television documentary Jamie: Drag Queen at 16, Everybody's Talking About Jamie follows the real-life story of a 16-year-old British schoolboy called Jamie Campbell who lives on a council estate in Sheffield.

Jamie is seen overcoming prejudice and bullying to follow his dream of becoming a drag queen.
Booby tape co-founder Bridgett Roccisano kicked off her lavish hens party with a private flight to Sydney.

The bride-to-be gathered her best girl friends and treated them to a luxurious weekend away that kicked off with a private jet ride from Melbourne.

The Australian entrepreneur is engaged to Joshua Cavallaro, who proposed to her last year in London and popped the question with a six-carat diamond ring.

Bridgett, 30, posted multiple photos to her Instagram of the private jet, where she and her crew wore black and pink t-shirts with the writing 'Bridgett's Bachelorette' on them.

Posing outside the private jet on the stairs, she captioned the photo: 'Blessed to have these women in my life! My nearest and dearest what a weekend we are going to experience together!'

Booby tape co-founder Bridgett Roccisano (pictured) kicked off her lavish hens party with a private flight to Sydney

On the flight, they enjoyed champagne and each party member was given a pillow with their name on it and the slogan 'What happens in Sydney stays in Sydney'.

The women then got a mini disco bus to the lavish Crown Hotel in Barangaroo for the weekend.

It wasn't the only party bus the girls would be treated to for the weekend.

A massive pink and white bus with 'Booby Tape' and 'Brigett's Bachelorette' written across it picked them up from their ritzy hotel for a night on the town.

The bride-to-be gathered her best girl friends and treated them to a luxurious weekend away that kicked off with a private jet ride from Melbourne

The Australian entrepreneur is engaged to Joshua Cavallaro, who proposed to her last year in London and popped the question with a six-carat diamond ring

Aboard the private jet, the party girls posed with the pilots

Bridgett was practicing for her big day as a bride as she donned a white blazer dress while her sister and co-founder Bianca sported a pink mini dress.

The bride-to-be kept her blonde locks off her face in a high bun while she accesorised her outfit with a diamond choker necklace.

The party bus then took the group to the luxurious Mimi's restaurant in the Coogee Pavillion where the room was filled with red and pink roses and personalised name places for the Bachelorette party.

The Australian became engaged to her partner Joshua Cavallaro in 2021.

Bridgett, 30, posted multiple photos to her Instagram of the private jet, where she and her crew wore black and pink t-shirts with the writing 'Bridgett's Bachelorette' on them

Posing outside the private jet on the stairs, she captioned the photo: 'Blessed to have these women in my life! My nearest and dearest what a weekend we are going to experience together!'

The girls looked very much ready to let loose

It was selfie time aboard the short flight

She shared the news on Instagram after Josh, 32, proposed at the iconic Claridge's hotel in Mayfair, London, with a six-carat diamond ring.

Bridgett, who flew to the UK on a business trip, said the romantic proposal 'felt like a dream' and that Josh had made her the 'happiest girl alive'.

'I can't believe not only have I found my soulmate but my best friend,' Bridgett said.

'Thank you for making me the happiest girl alive. I love you, Josh, more than words can describe.'

The women got a mini disco bus to the lavish Crown Hotel in Barangaroo for the weekend

Bridgett was practicing for her big day as a bride as she donned a white blazer dress while her sister and co-founder Bianca (right) sported a pink mini dress

Guests dressed up for what was a lavish weekend of fun

One guest stunned in a leather mini dress and towering heels

The sisters stunned in their designer ensembles

The bus was loaded with women ready to party

'I feel like I'm in a dream,' Bridgett added in another Instagram post.

Bridgett's sister and business partner, Bianca Roccisano, told Daily Mail Australia that Joshua proposed with a 6ct diamond ring from high-end jewellers House of K'dor.

He set up an elaborate display for Bridgett in their five-star hotel room, scattering flower petals, white hydrangeas and candles throughout, and set up the initials of their first names in big lights.

He also arranged food and champagne for the special moment, and flew over his girlfriend's brother, Joseph, who lives in Switzerland.

A massive pink and white bus with 'Booby Tape' and 'Brigett's Bachelorette' written across it picked them up from their ritzy hotel for a night on the town

The party bus then took the group to the luxurious Mimi's restaurant in the Coogee Pavillion

The room was filled with red and pink roses and personalised name places for the Bachelorette party

Bridgett had a crush on Joshua in high school but they only reconnected in recent years.

The sisters are co-founders of the eponymous clothing label Bianca and Bridgett and beauty brand Booby Tape, which has been described as a 'breast lift in a box'.

Booby Tape products are sold in more than 35 countries.

Their standard breast tape, which launched in 2018, retails for $21.95. One of their latest products sold out in just 24 hours.

The ladies were loaded up with designer luggage

Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior bags were popular in the group

A lavish spread of treats awaited the bachelorettes

The sisters are co-founders of the eponymous clothing label Bianca and Bridgett and beauty brand Booby Tape, which has been described as a 'breast lift in a box'

Booby Tape products are sold in more than 35 countries

The pair told Daily Mail Australia last year they'd noticed there was a gap in the market for products focusing on supporting women's breasts.

'It's been crazy; we have been overwhelmed with the global response and support we have received from customers,' Bianca said.

Speaking to Forbes earlier this year about creating their multimillion-dollar business, Bianca said they started with just $15,000, which came from their fashion line.
Foreign Minister Park Jin, right, speaks during a meeting with Ukrainian Ambassador Dmytro Ponomarenko at the foreign ministry in Seoul, Feb. 23. Yonhap



South Korea plans to provide $130 million in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine on the occasion of the first anniversary of Russia's invasion, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday.



The government reaffirmed its position through the ministry's statement that the "sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine must be respected."



The latest aid package will include financial aid, humanitarian assistance in demining, aid in the construction of infrastructure, such as the restoration of power grid, as well as in reconstruction efforts through official development assistance (ODA) projects, according to the ministry.



Last year, South Korea provided Ukraine with a total of $100 million in humanitarian aid. (Yonhap)


Amanda Holden accidentally flashed her bottom as she suffered a 'Marilyn Monroe moment' while filming with Alan Carr in Italy.

The presenter, 52, and the comedian, 46, spent three months renovating flats in the medieval town of Salemi for BBC show Amanda and Alan: The Italian Job.

With the duo's Sicilian flat now set to be sold for Children In Need, Amanda celebrated the sale by sharing a blooper clip.

She looked incredible in a white tea dress with completed with a summery lemon print and matching gingham headscarf.

But things didn't go to plan when the floaty number got taken by a strong gust of wind, resulting in Amanda flashing her kickers at Alan.

Amanda Holden, 52, accidentally flashed her bottom as she suffered a 'Marilyn Monroe moment' while filming with Alan Carr in Italy

'You can see everything!' Alan shouted as he attempted to pull her dress back down as they walked around the town.

'I know!' Amanda replied.

Alongside the video she penned: 'To Celebrate- heres a blooper reel of Alan and Amanda's #Italianjob last ep tonight on @bbc or whole series on @bbciplayer.

'Our beautiful apartment is for sale. All proceeds go to @bbccin @comicrelief all the details are in my stories.'

After buying the two flats for a euro each, the pair documented the renovation process of knocking them together on the show.

Now, the flat is up for sale and the proceeds for the furnishes two-bedroom, two bathroom holiday home will be split between Comic Relief and Children In Need.

The 1,300sq ft apartment has been completely overhauled - after the pair first found it abandoned, filled with rubbish and used by squatters.

Amanda and Alan tackled the property from the ground up and threw themselves at DIY jobs from plastering to plumbing.

On screen: The presenter and the comedian, 46, spent three months renovating flats in the medieval town of Salemi for BBC show Amanda and Alan: The Italian Job

Oops: She looked incredible in a white tea dress, but things didn't go to plan when the floaty number got taken by a strong gust of wind

Funny: 'You can see everything!' Alan shouted as he attempted to pull her dress back down as they walked around the town

The stunning flat is listed on Rightmove, with the description: 'The three balconies offer breathtaking views of the landscape, making this the perfect spot to watch the sunset.

'It also comes with a shared, walled courtyard, perfect for al fresco dining or just enjoying the Mediterranean sunshine.'

In the last episode, the pals admire their work after tackling a bedroom and bathroom each and the living room and kitchen together.

The actress says: 'It's gorgeous! Even though our tastes are very different, its got a really lovely flow. I feel a bit sad its done. I really love it.'

Style: Amanda looked incredilbe in a beige top and matching pencil skirt as she left Heart Radio on Friday

Fashion: Amanda added height to her frame with a pair of white heels

Wow: Amanda flicked her blonde locks as she strolled through the city centre

On point: Amanda's co-host Ashley Roberts sported a fuchsia jumper along with a black leather mini skirt

Sensational: The star also wore a pair of beige boots and black sheer tights

Wow: Ashley styled her blonde tresses into an updo and also wore a pair of sunglasses

The show has drawn in 4.5million viewers and there are now reports the BBC are planning a second series next year in a different location.

A source told The Mirror: 'BBC bosses have been thrilled. The warmth and humour of their friendship as theyve got stuck in to DIY, design and the Sicilian lifestyle has proved to be a big hit.'

Amanda previously spoke about how The Italian Job, was born out of her desire to do something nice for close pal Alan.

MailOnline has contacted the BBC for comment.
Sydney Sweeney was hard at work on Friday, come rain or shine.

The Euphoria star, who is currently in Australia, was busy on the set of her new romantic comedy, which is being shot in Sydney.

The 25-year-old hid under Bunnings brand umbrellas in between takes on what was a rainy day in the upmarket Sydney suburb of Double Bay.

She was shielded by staff during the occasional bursts of drizzle, and to provide privacy while shooting.

Sydney looked stunning in a hot pink silk shirt which she wore partially unbuttoned to show off some cleavage.

Sydney Sweeney (pictured) was hard at work on Friday, come rain or shine

A hint of her lacy bra poked out from beneath the slinky long-sleeved blouse which she paired with fitted blue jeans.

The actress added a fine gold choker chain to the look, as well as a pair of leather heeled boots.

Sydney had on a warm makeup look, with peachy blush and just a hint of nude lipstick, while wearing her blonde locks down around her face.

She later changed into a white blouse paired with a latex mini skirt and was again shielded by umbrellas.

The yet-to-be-titled romantic comedy is filming around Sydney and NSW and is directed by Will Gluck, who helmed romcoms Easy A and Friends With Benefits.

The Euphoria star, who is currently in Australia, was busy on the set of her new romantic comedy, which is being shot in Sydney

Sydney looked stunning in a hot pink silk shirt which she wore partially unbuttoned to show off some cleavage

A hint of her lacy bra poked out from beneath the slinky long-sleeved blouse which she paired with fitted blue jeans

The actress added a fine gold choker chain to the look

The beauty added to her ensemble with a black leather heeled boots

Details on the plot of the R-rated flick are being kept under wraps, but the film will also star Bryan Brown, Michelle Hurd, Hadley Robinson and Darren Barnet.

The project is expected to bring AUD $41 million into the local NSW economy, as well as creating over 440 jobs for cast and crew.

'After two wonderful experiences on the Peter Rabbit movies, my family and I have a deep connection to Sydney and Australia,' Gluck told IF of the project.

'I am so excited to make a movie that shows Sydney for Sydney, especially because I won't have to frame out the Opera House.'

Sydney had on a warm makeup look, with peachy blush and just a hint of nude lipstick

The White Lotus star was wearing her blonde locks down around her face

The yet-to-be-titled romantic comedy is filming around Sydney and NSW

It is being directed by Will Gluck, who helmed romcoms Easy A and Friends With Benefits

Details on the plot of the R-rated flick are being kept under wraps

Sydney is best known for her racy role on the teen series Euphoria, but she has recently been promoting her latest film Reality.

Reality is based on true events that took place in the life of a woman named Reality Winner in 2017.

On June 3, Reality, a 25-year-old former Air Force linguist, was surprised by the FBI at her home in Augusta, Georgia.

She was interrogated and eventually charged with leaking evidence of Russian interference in the U.S. election of Donald Trump to the online whistleblower site The Intercept.

It will also star Bryan Brown, Michelle Hurd, Hadley Robinson and Darren Barnet

The project is expected to bring AUD $41 million into the local NSW economy

Additionally, the production will be creating over 440 jobs for cast and crew

The 25-year-old hid under Bunnings brand umbrellas in between takes on what was a rainy day

The shoot was taking place in the upmarket Sydney suburb of Double Bay

She was shielded by staff during the occasional bursts of drizzle, and to provide privacy while shooting

In between takes Sydney wore jeans with a long sleeved white shirt

Reality was sentenced to five years and three months in prison, the longest federal sentence ever ordered for the unauthorized release of government information to the media.

The film itself is just an hour and a half of the interrogation that took place at her home.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the beauty talked about what it was like playing the role of Reality.

'I definitely felt the weight of the importance of every word and every moment that was shared between these characters, because Reality had lived a life before this.

Sydney later changed, pairing the white blouse with a latex mini skirt

She was again shielded by umbrellas held by a number of minders

Sydney is best known for her racy role on the teen series Euphoria, but she has recently been promoting her latest film Reality

Reality is based on true events that took place in the life of a woman named Reality Winner in 2017

The film itself is just an hour and a half of the interrogation that took place at Reality's home

'We show this very incredible snapshot of a moment and from my conversations with Reality, I filled it in,' she dished.

She went on to say: 'So when you meet this character on screen, you meet Reality.

'You just meet her for this one day in her life, but you can get a sense of who she is, where she came from, what's going on in her mind as she's trying to figure out what to say to these FBI agents.'

The film was directed by Tina Satter, who wrote the Broadway play Is This A Room, which was also about the interrogation of Reality Winner.

Satter also wrote the script for the film alongside James Paul Dallas.
Salma Hayek and Jodie-Turner Smith looked radiant as ever as they attended Gucci sexy womenswear runway show during Milan Fashion Week on Friday.

Actress Salma, 56, cut a trendy figure for the event, donning a blue long-sleeved midi dress with a silver sequinned print.

The garment also featured a cut out detail along the chest while Selma cinched her waist with a matching strap.

The film star added height to her frame with a pair of silver open-toed heels while she also carried a matching clutch bag.

Wearing her brunette locks in a poker straight style, Salma added to her outfit with a pair of aviator sunglasses.

Glam: Salma Hayek (left) and Jodie-Turner Smith (right) looked radiant as ever as they attended the Gucci womenswear runway show during Milan Fashion Week on Friday

Stunning: Salma Hayek looked radiant in a blue long-sleeved midi dress as she attended the Gucci show for Milan Fashion Week on Friday

Fashion: Selma cinched her waist with a matching strap as she sat front row to enjoy the show

Pals: Jodie Turner-Smith was all smiles as she posed for a snap alongside Salma ahead of the show

Pose: Jodie looked incredible in a gold shimmering animal print top along with towering black boots

Incredible: She completed the eye-catching look with thigh-high boots and quirky hat

Sporting gold bracelets, the Magic Mike star completed her look for the day with silver stud earrings.

Salma's daughter Valentina, 15 - who she shares with billionaire husband Francois-Henri Pinault - was also in attendance at the event.

Jodie Turner-Smith looked incredible in a gold shimmering animal print top along with towering black boots.

The actress cinched her waist with a chunky black belt and added to her outfit with a sequinned bag.

Also in attendance at the show was Florence Welch who looked incredible in a dark grey gown with a glowing train.

The garment featured a sheer detail and a pleated embellishment along with a high collar and flared sleeves

Florence wore her flame-haired locks loose down her shoulders and added to her look with a yellow handbag.

Halle Bailey turned heads in a light pink midi dress with an a-symmetric hemline and sheer detail.

Style: Donning a glamorous palette of make-up she toted her essentials in a spiked handbag

The big boss: The actress also posed for snaps alongside Gucci CEO Marco Bizzarri

Beaming: The duo appeared in great spirits as they caught up before the show

Front row: Jodie (right) was joined in the star-studded front row alongside singer Beth Ditto (left)

Hot stuff: They led the stars at one of Gucci's sexiest ever shows

High fashion family: Salma Hayek's daughter Valentina 15 (right) attended the show with her lookalike mum and sister Mathilde, 22 (left)

Stylish: She added to her frame with a pair of platform heels and donned kooky Gucci ankle socks and a chunky gold necklace

Chic: Mathilde looked chic in a black mini dress and thigh-high leather boots

Family: As Francois-Henri Pinault is founder of Kering, who own the Gucci brand, it was no surprise to see his family out supporting the fashion house

Fantastic four: The quartet seemed in good spirits as they posed for snaps together

Cute couple: The pair looked smitten as they held hands while watching the show

Glamorous: She posed for a slew of snaps with her sister

Sizzle: Dakota Johnson sizzled in a sheer lace blouse and tiny black mini skirt

Hot stuff: She wore her dark locks loose and sported a full face of make-up for the event

Leggy: She completed the look with knee-high boots and arrived donning oversized shades

Beauty: Florence wore her flame-haired locks loose down her shoulders and added to her look with a yellow handbag

Beaming: The stunner looked in great spirits as she arrived at the event

Front row: She sheer frock gave a hint of her long toned legs beneath

Perfection: The songstress sported a dewey make-up look and wore her gorgeous tresses loose

Looking good! Romee Strijd cut an edgy figure in a 90s-inspired denim bomber jacket and matching embroidered jeans

Best pals! She posed up a storm with her fiance Laurens van Leeuwen

Picture perfect! The couple were every inch the stylish duo as they posed at the swanky fashion show, with Laurens donning a zipped black jacket and grey pinstriped trousers

What an outfit! Romee accessorised her look with a white handbag as she arrived for the show

Dapper: Rihanna's partner A$AP Rocky was also in attendance at the show but was flying solo for the day

Suave: The rapper donned a black blazer along with matching flared trousers and black shoes

Diamonds: He completed the look with a pair of HUGE diamond earrings

Wow: Once inside the star showed off his impressive braids that were styled into a G for Gucci

Famous friends: A$AP Rocky later posed with Gucci GEO Marco Bizzarri (left)

Busy boy! Next the rapper (left) grabbed a snap with Damiano David, frontman of the italian rock band Maneskin (right)

Band: (L-R) Ethan Torchio, Victoria De Angelis, A$AP Rocky, Damiano David and Thomas Raggi

Elegant: Halle Bailey turned heads in a light pink midi dress with an a-symmetric hemline and sheer detail

Couple: Halle was joined at the show by her boyfriend DDG - whose real name is Darryl Dwayne Granberry - as the pair put on a cosy display in the front row

Making a statement: Sabrina Elba opted for an androgynous look with a long wool coat ovcer a shirt and tie

Gucci! She was dressed in head to toe by the designer including socks with their famous logo

Stunning: The beauty sported a gorgeous palette of make-up with perfectly contoured complexion and flossy lip

Stylish arrival: She arrived donning shades and appeared in great spirits ahead of the catwalk show

Ensemble: Caroline Daur looked sensational as she wrapped up in a faux fur coat which she paired with a black mini dress

Halle was joined at the show by her boyfriend DDG - whose real name is Darryl Dwayne Granberry - as the pair put on a cosy display in the front row.

The Little Mermaid actress boosted her frame with a pair of bright red open-toed heels and carried a white handbag.

Posing up a storm for the cameras, Halle also wore a silver necklace and matching earrings.

Julia Garner showed off her sense of style in a black leather mini dress which she paired with matching shoes.

The Ozark star also carried a black handbag while her platinum locks were styled into an updo.

Rihanna's partner A$AP Rocky was also in attendance at the show but was flying solo for the day.

The rapper donned a black blazer along with matching flared trousers and black shoes.

On point: Julia Garner showed off her sense of style in a black leather mini dress

Classic: She sported a radiant palette of make-up complete with a classic pilar box red lip

Stunning: The stylish frock hugged every inch of her jaw-dropping figure

Glam: Julia shrugged a cream coat with furry shrug over her shoulders as she entered the building

Icon: The actress appeared in her element as she mingled with the fashionistas

Front row: The actress sat next to Gucci GEO Marco Bizzarri

Rockers: (L-R) Thomas Raggi, Victoria De Angelis, Damiano David Ethan Torchio of the band Maneskin made a stylish entrance

Turning heads: Mia Regan opted for a black leather coat and matching trousers

Disco diva: The stunner opted for a pair of 70s inspired shades and wore her blonde locks in a chic pixie cut

Heels! She completed the look with towering metallic heels

Style: Singer Beth Ditto looked chic in a beige trench coat

Fun times: She appeared in great spirits as she joked around for the cameras

Show: There were several eye-catching looks on display during the show

Shock! One model flaunted her underwear in a racy gown that featured a split up to her waist

Caroline Daur looked sensational as she wrapped up in a faux fur coat which she paired with a black mini dress.

The model put on a leggy display in a pair of thigh-high black boots while she also carried a matching handbag.

Styling her blonde locks into an updo, she completed her look with a blue faux fur collar.

Bash: Tina Kunakey kept a casual look as she was spotted at the ahow's after-party

Stunner: She looked effortlessly chic in a pair of light-wash jeans, with her locks left in a natural spiralled curl
Love Island star Marcel Somerville has revealed he has tragically lost four family members in just three weeks.

Taking to Instagram on Thursday, the reality star, 37, admitted he feels 2023 has 'slapped him in the face' as he mourns the loss of four loved ones.

Detailing why he has been quiet on social media as of late, Marcel wrote: 'This year has had so many highs and lows and it's only February.

'I've lost 4 family members in 3 weeks and it's really slapped me in the face.

'Life is short, you never know what's around the corner. So for the short time we are here fill you[r] life with love and adventure!

Heartbreak: Love Island star Marcel Somerville has revealed he has tragically lost four family members in just three weeks

'Do the things that make you happy and enjoy every moment you can with the ones you love. Exclude all the negativity from your life and live for the people that bring positivity to your world.'

Marcel didn't elaborate on which beloved family members he had lost.

MailOnline has contacted his representatives for further comment.

The Blazin Squad star was met with a flurry of condolences messages in the comments.

Jake Quickenden wrote: 'Sending love bro always here if you wanna have a cuppa round mine x', while DJ Tom Zanetti posted a red love heart.

Last year, Marcel tied the knot with his love Rebecca Vieira in Portugal.

Marcel and Rebecca met in a London nightclub in 2018 and had been together for 14 months when they discovered she was pregnant.

The media personality announced he was expecting his first child in July 2020, and popped the question a month later during their baby shower.

Tough: Taking to Instagram on Thursday, the reality star wrote: 'This year has had so many highs and lows and it's only February' (pictured with wife Rebecca and son Roman)

The couple then welcomed a baby boy called Roman, now two, with his partner in February 2021.

Marcel, also known as Rocky B, Plat'num B or Bezzle, first rose to fame as a former member of 10-piece UK hip hop group Blazin' Squad.

He then starred in the third series of Love Island and was coupled up with Gabby Allen.

But their relationship fell apart a year later after Marcel was caught being unfaithful to her during a holiday in Mexico.
Paris Hilton revealed she had an abortion when she was in her early 20s because she 'was a kid and was not ready' for a baby.

The 42-year-old has just become a mother, having announced this January that she and her husband Carter Reum welcomed their son Phoenix via surrogate.

She has been assiduously private about her newborn, waiting until this week to disclose his name and post pictures of his face to social media.

In a new interview she confessed she was also reticent to go public with the fact that she once terminated a pregnancy.

'This was also something that I didnt want to talk about because there was so much shame around that,' she told Glamour UK.

Throwback: Paris Hilton revealed she had an abortion in her early 20s as she 'was a kid and was not ready' for a baby; pictured at her 21st birthday party in London in 2002

Rising starlet: Paris is pictured aged 20 posing up at the iconic Hotel du Cap in the South Of France while attending the 2001 Cannes Film Festival

Her beaus in her early 20s included model Jason Shaw, Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley, Greek shipping heirs Stavros Niarchos and Paris Kassidokostas-Latsis, Backstreet Boy Nick Carter - and Rick Salomon, her co-star in her infamous sex tape.

She feels her abortion is 'important' to discuss now in light of last year's Supreme Court ruling overturning the landmark 1973 decision Roe v Wade, which had guaranteed abortion rights nationwide for nearly half a century.

The power to set abortion law has reverted to the states, many of which have passed various limits and restrictions on the procedure.

'Theres just so much politics around it and all that, but its a womans body Why should there be a law based on that?' Paris wondered.

'Its your body, your choice and I really believe in that. Its mind-boggling to me that theyre making laws about what you do with your reproductive health, because if it were the other way around with the guys, it would not be this way at all.'

During the interview she laid bare the dark side of her past, revealing she was drugged and raped when she was just 15.

While living with her grandmother in Palm Springs, she recalled, she and her friends visited the Century City mall 'almost every weekend' for fun.

'That was our favorite thing to do and these [older] guys would always just be hanging around the stores,' Paris shared with the magazine, adding that 'wed talk to them, give them our beeper numbers.'

Candor: 'This was also something that I didnt want to talk about because there was so much shame around that,' she told Glamour UK of her abortion

Baby mine: The 42-year-old has just become a mother, having announced this January that she and her husband Carter Reum welcomed their son Phoenix via surrogate

She recounted the story of how 'one day, they invited us to their house and were drinking these berry wine coolers.'

One of her hosts was especially insistent that she drink up, and when she did so she began to sense that the beverage had been spiked.

'I didnt drink or anything back then, but then when I had maybe one or two sips, I just immediately started feeling dizzy and woozy,' she said. 'I dont know what he put in there, Im assuming it was a roofie.'

Although she only came to hours later, she 'remembered' what happened while she was drugged and still has 'visions of him on top of me, covering my mouth, being like: "Youre dreaming, youre dreaming," and whispering that in my ear.'

Paris is now in a much happier phase of her life, embracing new parenthood and marital bliss with Carter, whom she married in 2021.

She dished that during the coronavirus lockdowns she underwent in vitro fertilization seven times so she and Carter could expand their family.

They now have 20 embryos, 'all boys,' but they want to eventually have a daughter as well, and as a result Paris 'went through the process again a month ago, so Im waiting for the results to see if theres any girls.'

Recently she divulged that she and Carter hid the baby's birth from even their immediate families until right before she broke the news on social media.

Milestone: Paris recently revealed that she hid her baby's birth from even her family until right before she broke the news on social media (pictured)

Resemblance: Her decision was notable considering how close she is to her family, particularly her sister Nicky Hilton Rothschild (right) and her mother Kathy Hilton (center); seen in 2021

'My entire life has been so public,' she told Harper's Bazaar. 'Ive never had anything for myself. We decided that we wanted to have this whole experience to ourselves.'

While the surrogate was in labor, Paris was so determined to protect her privacy that she even went to the trouble of disguising herself with a brunette wig and checking into the hospital under an alias.

Her decision was especially notable considering how close she is to her family, particularly her sister Nicky Hilton Rothschild and her mother Kathy Hilton.

However tension flared up between mother and daughter in November when Kathy let slip to E! News that IVF had been a 'struggle' for Paris.

'I don't know where she got that,' Paris shot back in a TMZ interview the following day. 'Its never been a struggle at all.'

When Paris announced the arrival of her firstborn child, all she said was 'You are already loved beyond words,' on a photo of the babys hand holding Pariss finger.

On a new episode of her podcast This Is Paris, she spilled that Phoenix was 'like over a week old' before she told Kathy and Nicky about his birth.

'When I introduced my mom to our baby boy, it was amazing to see the look on her face, she was so surprised,' said Paris. 'Just the look on her face, it was just priceless.'
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Kim Kardashian posted new eye-popping bikini images to her social media early on Friday morning.

The 42-year-old reality TV siren was seen in a skimpy white string two piece swimsuit from her brand SKIMS SWIM.

The Keeping Up With The Kardashians vet - who was accused on Thursday of trying to resemble Megan Fox - was climbing a concrete staircase on the beach as her long jet black hair blew in the wind while she added white-framed shades.

The ex-wife of rapper Kanye West has been promoting her new collection of SKIMS SWIM all week after unveiling her highly anticipated second collection.

The Selfish author appeared to be in the best shape of her life as the little bathing suit showed off her flat tummy and sculpted legs.

Siren: Kim Kardashian posted new eye-popping bikini images on social media on Friday morning

She was also accessorized well with sunglasses, a belly chain and an anklet bracelet. Her mani/pedi was white to match her suit and glasses.

The photographer was her younger half-sister Kendall Jenner, shared the mother of four in her caption.

'Long handed @kendalljenner on the lense,' wrote Kim, which was a nod to recent criticism of how long Kendall's hand appears in photos.

The concrete stairs were on a sandy beach that had special markings dug into the surface.

And Kim also took to her Insta Stories to share a very old flashback photo from her childhood while she was in a park. Over the image she wrote, 'Same Baby K! Same!'

This comes after Kim was accused to of trying to resemble Jennifer's Body actress Megan Fox.

When posing for her newest SKIMS campaign, Kim's face looked very differed. Her nose appeared thinner and her lips looked even bigger than usual.

Some Instagram followers said that she may have had plastic surgery to look more like pinup Fox.

Beach babe at play: The 42-year-old reality TV siren was seen in a skimpy white string two piece swimsuit from her brand SKIMS SWIM

Easy on the eyes: The Keeping Up With The Kardashians vet was climbing a concrete staircase on the beach as her long jet black hair blew in the wind while she added shades

Fans have long accused the model of undergoing plastic surgery, and rushed to the comments section to question why she looked different in the snaps.

They penned: '@kimkardashian can barely recognize you here. Still love you though! I love your brain the most xoxo!'; 'Looking 10 years younger with the dark hair'; 'Her face looks so different.'; '@meganfox is that you?'

The snaps were shared on the SKIMS Instagram page, captioned: 'Dressed to rest. Sexy, new silhouettes made from our comfy, coveted Cotton Jersey fabric drop tomorrow,' it read in the caption.

'Join the waitlist for early access to shop Cotton Sleep. @KimKardashian wears the Cotton Sleep Scoop Dress, size XS, in Onyx. Photo: @vitali_gelwich.'

This comes after she posed in more styles from the new SKIMS drop.

Fit: The ex-wife of rapper Kanye West has been promoting her new collection of SKIMS SWIM all week after unveiling her highly anticipated second collection

She rocked it: Kim appeared to be in the best shape of her life as the little bathing suit showed off her flat tummy and sculpted legs

On Wednesday she modeled several of her company's new offerings while showing off her enviable form in the shots.

The social media mainstay, who recently showed her affection for her half-sister Kylie Jenner, initially wore an all-white outfit that included a split neck tank top that showed off a slight portion of her upper chest.

The entrepreneur also showcased her curvy thighs in a pair of drawstring shorts during the photoshoot.

Flashback: Kim also shared a new flashback photo where she was in a park setting. She said, 'Same baby K, SAME!'

The star also had on a mock neck t-shirt that exposed part of her toned tummy for the second part of the shoot.

She paired her top with a matching high-waisted bottom that placed her chiseled hips on near-full display.

Kardashian also shared several videos to her Instagram Story in which she showed off her two looks for the day.

The entrepreneur previously founded SKIMS alongside Jens and Emma Grede in 2019.

The company was previously known as Kimono, although its name was changed after Kardashian was accused of cultural appropriation.

The model has since appeared in several of her brand's promotional campaigns following the name change.

Several of her family members, including her sisters Khloe and Kourtney and half-sister Kendall, have also been featured in SKIMS' photoshoots.

Kardashian previously spoke about working on her company's various projects during an interview with Marie Claire, where she remarked that she was very involved in the development process of her offerings.

'I have to figure out how thick I want the fabric to be, how stretchy it is, how sheer I want [the material to be], whether I want a high-waist [style] or not.

'Our material is also all custom woven just for us,' she said.

The social media personality also expressed that she favored a hands-on approach to building her brand.

'I have learned from my own experience that if you want to get things done, you have to do it yourself,' she stated.

Who's that girl? Kim was branded 'unrecognizable' on Thursday as she displayed a noticeably plump pout and a tiny nose in a new SKIMS campaign
She previously revealed she's inherited her mother's love of fashion.

So it came as no surprise to see Salma Hayek's daughter Valentina Pinault looking stylish at Gucci's Milan Fashion Week show on Friday.

The trendy teen, 15, was joined at the show by her half-sister Mathilde, 22, as well as her superstar mother.

Valentina is Salma's only daughter with Francois-Henri Pinault but the French businessman has three more children from previous relationships.

As Francois-Henri is founder of Kering, who own the Gucci brand, it was no surprise to see his family out supporting the fashion house.

High fashion family: Salma Hayek's daughter Valentina Pinault, 15, attended Gucci's Milan Fashion Week show on Friday with her lookalike mum and sister Mathilde, 22

Valentina looked stylish as she attended the show in a blue button down shirt paired with a leather skirt.

She added to her frame with a pair of platform heels and donned kooky Gucci ankle socks and a chunky gold necklace.

She posed for a slew of snaps with her sister, who also looked incredible in an off the shoulder black dress paired with knee high boots.

Mathilde is Francois-Henri's child with his first wife, Dorothee Lepere. The exes also share son Francois, 25. Francois-Henri also has 16-year-old son Augustin from his relationship with Linda Evangelista.

He began dating Salma in 2006 and the couple tied the knot three years later.

He opted for a dapper suit at the show while Salma, 56, cut a chic figure for the event, donning a blue long-sleeved midi dress with a silver sequinned print.

The garment also featured a cut out detail along the chest while Selma cinched her waist with a matching strap.

The film star added height to her frame with a pair of silver open-toed heels while she also carried a matching clutch bag.

Chic: Valentina looked stylish as she attended the show in a blue button down shirt paired with a leather skirt and a small patent handbag

Stylish: She added to her frame with a pair of platform heels and donned kooky Gucci ankle socks and a chunky gold necklace

Family: As Francois-Henri Pinault is founder of Kering, who own the Gucci brand, it was no surprise to see his family out supporting the fashion house

Wearing her brunette locks in a poker straight style, Salma added to her outfit with a pair of aviator sunglasses.

Last year, Valentina appeared on her first ever Vogue cover for the publication's Mexican edition, posing for a shoot alongside her famous mother.

In an interview conducted in Spanish, Salma opens up about coming to motherhood later in life, and what she thinks about Valentina following in her Hollywood footsteps.

Meanwhile, Valentina revealed her dreams of becoming an actress and a director, but also stressed the importance of helping others, which she did through volunteering at a soup kitchen.

Both mother and daughter donned designer clothes for the photoshoot, though Valentina insisted she often wears sweats.

Still, she does benefit from her mother's closet of designer clothes  furnished in part by dad Francois-Henri Pinault's company, which owns fashion brands including Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Gucci, Alexander McQueen, and Yves Saint Laurent.

Fantastic four: The quartet seemed in good spirits as they posed for snaps together

High fashion family: Valentina and Mathilda posed for a slew of snaps outside the Gucci lift

Cute couple: The pair looked smitten as they held hands while watching the show

Glamorous: Salma, 56, cut a chic figure for the event, donning a blue long-sleeved midi dress with a silver sequinned print

'We fight over clothes because she takes everything from my closet,' Salma said.

'Since she was little she never let me choose her clothes, and I always liked that,' Salma added. '[And] she's very good with makeup. I'm good at makeup, but now she teaches me.'

The pair have more in common than just clothes: They also both speak Spanish, and like to do so to speak privately in public.

'When we are with more people I like it because it is like a secret because nobody speaks Spanish, because with my dad I speak French,' Valentina said.

What's more, Valentina wants to follow her mom into Hollywood, first as an actress and then as a director.

The teen also talked about how important it is to be passionate about fixing world's problems. In particular, she is moved by the problem of homelessness, 'because I have friends who don't have a home.'

Glamorous: She posed for a slew of snaps with her sister, who also looked incredible in an off the shoulder black dress paired with knee high boots
Vicki Michelle has joined the cast of EastEnders and is set to star as Brian Conley's onscreen wife Jo Cotton.

The actress, 72, who is best known for her role as Yvette Carte-Blanche in BBC series 'Allo! 'Allo!, was pictured in Albert Square for the first time on Friday.

Producers revealed that Vicki has already began filming and will appear on screen in two episodes set to air next month.

Her character Jo married Rocky over 25 years ago but her arrival could spell trouble for the Car dealer who is currently engaged to Kathy Beale.

With the truth about his marriage status set to be revealed, viewers of the soap will have to wait and see what Rocky's reaction will be.

New role: Vicki Michelle, 72, has joined the cast of EastEnders and is set to star as Brian Conley's onscreen spouse Jo Cotton

Familiar face: Brian plays Sonia's long-lost father in the soap

Speaking on joining the show, Vicki said: 'I'm so excited to be in EastEnders and everyone has been so lovely.

'Jo Cotton is a great character and it is such a great story. I cant wait for the audience to meet her.'

Chris Clenshaw, Executive Producer added: 'Were thrilled to welcome the immensely talented Vicki to the EastEnders family, as she brings to life the character of Jo Cotton.

'Vicki is the perfect fit to take on the elusive character of Rockys wife that we know very little about.

'Brash, quick-witted, and extremely glamorous, Jo is akin to her long-lost husband, Rocky and as you would expect she is immediately thrown into the heart of the drama when she arrives in Walford.'

It comes after EastEnders fans were treated to a never-before flash-forward scene of the mysterious Christmas Day episode which show's Walford's leading ladies standing over a dead man.

On Monday night, the legendary London-based soap focused solely on the storylines of the square's matriarchs.

Denise (Diane Parish), Kathy (Gillian Taylforth), Linda (Kellie Bright), Sharon (Letitia Dean), Stacey (Lacey Turner) and Suki (Balvinder Sopal) spent the evening at the Queen Vic putting out fires in their personal lives.

On set: The actress who is best known for her role as Yvette Carte-Blanche in BBC series Allo! Allo!, was pictured in Albert Square for the first time on Friday

Throwback: She appeared in all episodes of the comedy series which ran from 1982 until 1992 (pictured with costar Gordon Kaye in 1989)

As they became the last stragglers in the pub after last orders were drank, Linda agreed to a lock-in and the six women began toasting to 'the men in our lives'.

Sharon begins, telling her friends: 'To the ones who give us false hope and security', and Stacey adds: 'To the ones who try and undermine us.'

Linda says: 'To the ones who hurt us', while Denise replies: 'The ones who play with our hearts.'

Kathy says: 'The ones who take us for granted... and I've had a few of them', and Suki adds: 'The ones who try to keep us in the shadows.'

Exciting: It comes after EastEnders fans were treated to a never-before flash-forward scene of the Christmas Day episode which show's Walford's leading ladies standing over a dead man

Back around to Sharon, she says: 'To all the scumbags we've been stupid enough to let into our hearts. To men, may they get what they deserve.'

All six women repeat Sharon's final statement, and clink their drinks together - before the scene cuts and fans watch the flash-forward.

With the Queen Vic decorated in beautiful Christmas-themed floral displays everywhere as well as a well-lit festive tree, the camera pans around to show Linda walking into the pub with a shocked look on her face.

Then the audience is shown an unidentified man's body, dressed in black trousers and a white shirt.
Dakota Johnson set pulses racing in a sexy sheer lingerie bodysuit and miniskirt when she attended the Gucci show for Milan Fashion Week on Friday.

The Fifty Shades actress, 33, looked incredible when she teamed the number with a black miniskirt as she posed for pictures.

The sheer number was emblazoned with the fashion house's famous GG logo and she covered her modesty with a black blazer.

The star's miniskirt and low denier Calzedonia tights revealed almost every inch of her slender legs.

She finished off the ensemble with a pair of chunky knee high-boots and subtle gold and pearl jewellery.

Fifty Shades of yay: Dakota Johnson, 33, set pulses racing as she attended Milan Fashion Week's Gucci womenswear runway show in a sexy black lace number on Friday

Sexy: The Fifty Shades of Grey actress flaunted her long legs in a miniskirt suit and sheer black Calzedonia tights which she teamed with chunky boots

She accessorised the outfit with large black square sunglasses and an unusual black leather handbag with silver spikes and a turquoise strap.

Dakota left her brunette tresses down and opted for heavy eyeliner, a touch of blusher, and a dark pink lipstick.

Other attendees included Salma Hayek and Jodie-Turner Smith who looked incredible in their fashion get-ups.

Actress Salma, 56, cut a trendy figure for the event, donning a blue long-sleeved midi dress with a silver sequinned print.

The garment also featured a cut out detail along the chest while Selma cinched her waist with a matching strap.

The film star added height to her frame with a pair of silver open-toed heels while she also carried a matching clutch bag.

Wearing her brunette locks in a poker straight style, Salma added to her outfit with a pair of aviator sunglasses.

Sporting gold bracelets, the Magic Mike star completed her look for the day with silver stud earrings.

Quirky: She accessorised the outfit with an unusual black leather handbag with silver spikes and a turquoise strap

Finishing touches: Dakota completed her ensemble with a pair of chunky knee high-boots and large square sunglasses

Stunning: Salma Hayek looked radiant in a blue long-sleeved midi dress as she attended the same show

Pals: Jodie Turner-Smith was all smiles as she posed for a snap alongside Salma ahead of the show

Salma's daughter Valentina, 15 - who she shares with billionaire husband Francois-Henri Pinault - was also in attendance at the event.

Jodie Turner-Smith looked incredible in a gold shimmering animal print top along with towering black boots.

The actress cinched her waist with a chunky black belt and added to her outfit with a sequinned bag.

Also in attendance at the show was Florence Welch who looked incredible in a dark grey gown with a glowing train.

The garment featured a sheer detail and a pleated embellishment along with a high collar and flared sleeves

Florence wore her flame-haired locks loose down her shoulders and added to her look with a yellow handbag.

Halle Bailey turned heads in a light pink midi dress with an a-symmetric hemline and sheer detail.

Fashion: Selma cinched her waist with a matching strap as she sat front row to enjoy the show

Family: Salma's daughter Valentina, 15 - who she shares with billionaire husband Francois-Henri Pinault - was also in attendance at the event

Beauty: Florence wore her flame-haired locks loose down her shoulders and added to her look with a yellow handbag

Elegant: Halle Bailey turned heads in a light pink midi dress with an a-symmetric hemline and sheer detail

Dapper: Rihanna's partner A$AP Rocky was also in attendance at the show but was flying solo for the day

On point: Julia Garner showed off her sense of style in a black leather mini dress

Halle was joined at the show by her boyfriend DDG - whose real name is Darryl Dwayne Granberry - as the pair put on a cosy display in the front row.

The Little Mermaid actress boosted her frame with a pair of bright red open-toed heels and carried a white handbag.

Posing up a storm for the cameras, Halle also wore a silver necklace and matching earrings.

Julia Garner showed off her sense of style in a black leather mini dress which she paired with matching shoes.

The Ozark star also carried a black handbag while her platinum locks were styled into an updo.

Rihanna's partner A$AP Rocky was also in attendance at the show but was flying solo for the day.

The rapper donned a black blazer along with matching flared trousers and black shoes.

Couple: Halle was joined at the show by her boyfriend DDG - whose real name is Darryl Dwayne Granberry - as the pair put on a cosy display in the front row

Pose: Jodie looked incredible in a gold shimmering animal print top along with towering black boots

Show: There were several eye-catching looks on display during the show

Caroline Daur looked sensational as she wrapped up in a faux fur coat which she paired with a black mini dress.

The model put on a leggy display in a pair of thigh-high black boots while she also carried a matching handbag.

Styling her blonde locks into an updo, she completed her look with a blue faux fur collar.
Paul Walker's daughter Meadow Walker, 24, is all grown up in a new ad campaign for clothing brand Rag and Bone.

The only child of the late Fast and Furious star and his ex-girlfriend Rebecca Soteros looked ethereal in the mostly black and white snaps.

Meadow - who enjoyed a snowy getaway to Austria last month with her husband Louis Thornton-Allan - wore various looks for the campaign including a white suit and a cropped tank and low rise pants.

Her dark hair was styled in a number of different looks including a sleek shoulder length bob and in a more casual pulled back look.

The campaign is for the brand's ICONS line for Spring/Summer 2023.

Throwback photo: Meadow is the only daughter of the late Paul Walker

Ethereal beauty: Paul Walker's daughter Meadow Walker, 24, is all grown up in the ICONS campaign for Rag and Bone

Only daughter: The model is the late Fast & Furious star's only child

Aloha: She grew up with her mother, Rebecca Soteros in Hawaii until 2011, when she moved to California to live with her father

Last month, the model shared a snowy getaway to Austria with her husband.

Meadow looked blissfully happy as she enjoyed breathtaking views of snowy mountains from her balcony while cozying up to Thornton-Allan, 25, as he wrapped his arms around her slim waist.

During her trip to the exclusive ski resort in the Bludenz district, the model cut a casual figure matching drawstring sweatpants and her hair in a low bun.

The couple appeared to be traveling with friends, who joined them on numerous fun excursions.

In October, she and Thornton-Allan celebrated one year of marriage after tying the knot in the Dominican Republic.

Paul's Fast and Furious co-star, Vin Diesel, walked Meadow down the aisle. The actor is also her godfather and the two remain very close.

And around their one year anniversary, the couple appeared to have some drama.

Thornton-Allan posted a cryptic Instagram photo of himself underneath a statue, which hung close to his head.

Best Dad: Meadow shared a throwback photo on Mother's Day thanking her father for being the best parent in the world

Model behavior: Her father died in a car accident in 2013 at age 40

Model behaviour: The only child of the late Fast and Furious star and his ex-girlfriend Rebecca Soteros looked ethereal in the mostly black and white snaps

Newlywed: The model has been married to actor Louis Thornton-Allan since October 2021

He captioned the post: 'Please break please break please' to which Meadow responded: 'I dont like this caption. NEVER BREAK NEVER BREAK.'

Days later, Meadow was seen sobbing as she walked away from her husband during date at a restaurant in New York City.

The model broke down in tears at the table, before walking away from her spouse.

A tearful Meadow was seen crouching down in a doorway before returning to her husband at the table.

The breakdown came days after Meadow took to Instagram to wish her husband a happy one-year anniversary.

'Happy anniversary my love! One year married to you,' she wrote on a fairly dark image that shows the loving couple hugging amid the backdrop of what appears to be an outdoor horse stable.

On her Instagram stories, the beauty posted a picture of her husband smiling in a grey and white jacket with his hair messed up, captioned, 'ONE YEAR' with a red heart.

Thornton-Allan is an actor known for the 2017 short film Excoriated.

Trouble in paradise: In October, shortly after the couple celebrated one year of marriage, Meadow was seen crying as she walked away from her husband at a New York City restaurant

Best man: Paul Walker's Fast & Furious co-star Vin Diesel walked Meadow down the aisle when she got married

Godfather: Diesel is also Meadow's godfather and the two are close friends

Icon: The Rag and Bone campaign she modeled for is called the Icons campaign for Spring/Summer 2023
The U.S. carrier USS Ronald Reagan is escorted as it arrives in Busan, South Korea on Sept. 23, 2022. AP-Yonhap



South Korea and the United States are in consultation over the possible deployment of a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to Korea for allied drills next month, an informed source said Friday.



The move is in tune with the allies' stepped-up efforts to reinforce deterrence following the North's missile provocations, including the launch of a long-range ballistic missile last Saturday.



If agreed, the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, a centerpiece of America's naval might, is likely to make a port call in South Korea and take part in the allies' springtime Freedom Shield exercise to begin in the middle of March, according to observers.



The U.S. previously sent the USS Ronald Reagan carrier to the peninsula last year.



Seoul's defense ministry refused to confirm whether the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier will be deployed to Korea anytime soon.



"The deployment of the U.S.' key military assets has proceeded in close consultation between South Korea and the U.S.," it said in a press statement.



During the allies' annual defense ministerial talks in November last year, the two sides agreed to increase the frequency and intensity in the deployment of U.S. strategic assets to the peninsula. Strategic assets usually mean aircraft carriers, strategic bombers and nuclear-powered submarines. (Yonhap)


Matthew Perry was seen receiving an affectionate embrace from a mystery woman after lunch with pals at E. Baldi Restaurant in Beverly Hills on Thursday afternoon.

While preparing to leave the upscale Italian eatery, the Friends star, 53, wrapped his arms around a glamorous brunette, who sported a plunging black crop top, skintight leather leggings and a green jacket.

The actor, who previously revealed he is looking for a 'self-supporting' partner after being 'burned a few times by women' that were just interested in his money, looked smitten as he bid farewell to his female companion.

He was also joined by a male acquaintance, who stood by Perry's side as he took one final look at the mystery woman from behind as she walked away.

For their outing, the Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing author wore a grey jacket over a red t-shirt and a pair of dark-wash jeans.

Friendly: Matthew Perry was seen receiving an affectionate embrace from a mystery woman after lunch with pals at E. Baldi Restaurant in Beverly Hills on Thursday afternoon

Back in October, Perry told People he was no longer 'afraid of love' and is striving to love and build a family after getting sober following a more than 30-year battle with addiction.

'The next person I really take seriously is somebody that Im going to be in love with and not be scared by the things that used to scare me,' the Emmy nominee explained.

When asked what he is looking for in his next relationship, Perry said he's looking for 'somebody whos self-supporting in every way, but monetarily, especially.'

'I got burned a few times by women who wanted my money, not really caring about me,' recalled Perry, who previously dated Julia Roberts, Yasmine Bleeth, and, most recently, literary manager Molly Hurwitz, who he was engaged to from November 2020 to June 2021.

The performer also admitted that 'manifest something wrong' with his past partners and then 'break up with them.'

'There can't be something wrong with everyone. I'm the common denominator. I left first because I thought they were going to annihilate me,' he recognized.

After a lot of work, he 'got over that fear' and plans on taking his next relationship very 'seriously.'

As for what he's looking for, Perry wants a woman that is 'caring' with 'a sense of humor' and is 'beautiful inside and out.'

Lunch date: While preparing to leave the upscale Italian eatery, the Friends star, 53, wrapped his arms around a glamorous brunette, who sported a plunging black crop top, skintight leather leggings and a green jacket

New woman? The actor, who previously revealed he is looking for a 'self-supporting' partner after being 'burned a few times by women' that were just interested in his money, looked smitten as he bid farewell to his female companion

In 2022, the actor revealed he was given just a two per cent chance of survival after an opioid addiction caused his colon to burst at age 49.

After suffering from a gastrointestinal perforation, he was in a coma for two weeks and had to use a colostomy bag for nine months.

He has had 14 surgeries on his stomach in total and been to rehab 15 times in a bid to get clean.

Now sober, the beloved actor, best known for playing hapless Chandler Bing has detailed his decades-long battle to rid himself of the disease of addiction.

When he was first admitted to the hospital, he said: 'the doctors told my family that I had a 2 percent chance to live. I was put on a thing called an ECMO machine, which does all the breathing for your heart and your lungs. And that's called a Hail Mary. No one survives that.'

Ready to settle down: Back in October, Perry told People he was no longer 'afraid of love' and is striving to love and build a family after getting sober following a more than 30-year battle with addiction (seen in November 2022)

Scary: In 2022, the actor revealed he was given just a two per cent chance of survival after an opioid addiction caused his colon to burst at age 49

At the time, he told People: 'I wanted to share when I was safe from going into the dark side of everything again.

'I had to wait until I was pretty safely sober  and away from the active disease of alcoholism and addiction  to write it all down. And the main thing was, I was pretty certain that it would help people.'

Talking about his starring role on Friends at aged 24, his alcohol addiction was starting to surface.
Screenwriter Lesley Paterson had the time of her life at the Baftas, where her movie All Quiet On The Western Front scooped seven awards.

However she confides that she took a tumble as she made her way across the 'slippery' floor to collect the Best Adapted Screenplay gong  ending up in the arms of Jamie Dornan.

Paterson tells me: 'I was in very high heels and the floor was shiny and slippery. After they announced the win I was running to the stage and just went over and someone caught me as I fell and put me back on my feet.

Later that night Jamie Dornan came up to me and told me that he was the person who had saved me.'

She adds: 'I actually had taken my shoes off by the time that they later announced Best Film and was barefoot, so there was no problem getting up there.'

Congrats! Screenwriter Lesley Paterson had the time of her life at the Baftas, where her movie All Quiet On The Western Front scooped seven awards

The former triathlete, who spent 16 years trying to get the film made, also had a long conversation with Prince William, Bafta president, after the ceremony.

'We spoke at length and very specifically about certain aspects of it, so he had definitely seen it. He said that he loved the film,' she said.

Paterson bought the rights to the classic German book All Quiet On The Western Front, and spent 16 years trying to get the film off the ground, all the while having to raise money to keep renewing the deal.

'I did the script in English and (writing partner) Ian Stokell and I did a lot of historical research, which is how we came up with the Armistice storyline. We approached a lot of German directors and didn't get anywhere,' she told me.

'Eventually we got the script to Edward Berger, who said he wanted to do the German story in the German language.'

She added: 'He made changes to the script in English, taking it back closer to the book  and then Edward himself translated the whole thing into German.

'As a film it has an unusual perspective, both inside the conflict and outside it, and I think that is what helps it to be so powerful.'

The film has since gone on to become an Oscar frontrunner as well, earning nine Academy Award nominations.

Saviour: She took a tumble as she made her way across the 'slippery' floor to collect the Best Adapted Screenplay gong  ending up in the arms of Jamie Dornan

Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet On The Western Front was serialised in a newspaper in 1928 and published as a book the following year.

But it proved controversial when it was first released and was banned by the Nazis.

The bestseller, based on Remarques experience as a German solider, sold more than three million copies in 22 languages during its first two years in print.

It shocked many audiences when it was first released, instead of celebrating the heroism of war it highlighted its futility.

All Quiet on the Western Front is a gripping account of the horrors of trench warfare, told by 17-year-old German soldier Paul Baumer.

The book details the extreme physical and mental trauma soldiers had to endure, as well as the detachment from civilian life felt by many upon returning home from the war.
Internet personality Emma Chamberlain, 21, looked stunning if a bit soggy leaving a photo shoot in Los Angeles without an umbrella.

The social media star wore a black, ribbed, long-sleeved black mock turtleneck shirt from designer John Elliot with a triangle cut out over her belly button that exposed her trim and toned abs.

The model - who gave fans an inside look at her $4.3 million Beverly Hills home - wore tan Aeron pants with black platform Miista boots. She added vintage Mugler sunglasses on the grey day. The Louis Vuitton model completed the look with a black tote bag from Loewe and a pair of gold hoop earrings.

Her short, layered brown hair was wet and she carried a cup of coffee as she scurried to her car in the rain.

The social media star announced the launch of her new Spotify podcast, Anything Goes, with a spirited video on Instagram on Thursday. In the video she is wearing a pajama set by Cou Cou Intimates - consisting of the brand's Picot Tank, Short, and Crop Cardi.

Caught in the rain: Internet personality Emma Chamberlain, 21, looked stunning if a bit soggy leaving a photo shoot in Los Angeles without an umbrella

The YouTube star, who has 12 million subscribers, welcomed Architectural Digest into her Benedict Canyon home last fall.

Emma bought the half-acre property in May 2021 after selling her previous home in West Hollywood for $5.26 million.

The Benedict Canyon house - which is a Zen paradise in the Santa Monica mountains - is in a gated estate, mostly invisible from the quiet side street used only by local residents.

The sprawling mid-century abode in Beverly Hills was built in the 1950s and has five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a walk-in wardrobe and a large pool.

Emma has made the most of the light-filled space home with the use of warm colors and soft tones, while also choosing to decorate with her father Michael Chamberlains art throughout the space.

'My dads a rock star and I love his stuff,' she gushed in the house tour video. 'It would be kind of awkward if I didnt, so Im really glad I do like it.'

The Chamberlain Coffee founder's standout design elements in her home include a $31,000 Trueing Studio chandelier, which hangs above a Martin Masse dining table.

She explained to the publication: 'I think I love it because it looks so soft, but its hard. Thats something I love  I love when somethings made of hard material but it still finds a way to look soft.'

Casual look: The social media star wore a black, ribbed, long-sleeved black mock turtleneck shirt from designer John Elliot with a triangle cut out over her belly button that exposed her trim and toned abs

On the go: The model wore tan Aeron pants. The Louis Vuitton model completed the look with a black tote bag from Loewe and a pair of gold hoop earrings

Emma Chamberlain went from total obscurity - where her first and only follower was her dad - to being credited for spawning a new aesthetic on social media.

Instead of hyper-produced, stylized videos edited and filmed by a team, Emma's uploads give followers an insight into regular life as a 'normal' teen, zits and all.

She is the most talked about Gen Z influencer in the world, with 12 million followers eagerly anticipating her next video.

Her self-filmed, self-edited vlogs are far from the type of glossy, aspirational content that millennial consumers have become familiar with.

She moved to Los Angeles on her own at 17, and five years later continues to share snippets into her life in her signature irreverent footage uploads.

On top: She is the most talked about Gen Z influencer in the world, with 12 million followers eagerly anticipating her next video. Seen in France in December

An average video, which could rake in seven million views, might include random flashbacks, intense zooms, jumpy cuts - and she'll likely be wearing no makeup.

YouTube considers her channel one of the fastest growing on the entire platform, and her 'growth' has been called 'f**king insane' by a leading YouTube strategist.

Emma, the only child of divorced parents, attended Paris Fashion Week in March 2019 in a co-sponsorship between YouTube and Louis Vuitton.

She credits her explosion in popularity to one of her early videos, a 'dollar store haul', which went unexpectedly viral (though the topic seemed to be trending at the time) and put her name on the social media map.
Spencer Matthews attempts to retrace the steps of his older brother Michael with the help of survivalist Bear Grylls and record-breaking mountaineer Nirmal 'Nims' Purja in the trailer clip for his documentary Finding Michael.

The Disney+ feature-length film details the emotional story of 34-year-old Spencer's attempt to find the body of his brother who disappeared on Mount Everest in 1999.

Michael Matthews became the youngest Briton to reach the summit of Everest at the age of 22, but disappeared on the mountain just three hours later.

The trailer begins with former Made In Chelsea star Spencer looking at a picture of his brother wearing a red ski jacket, saying: 'I hate the picture. All I see is a young man in the process of losing his life.'

He continued: 'Michael was my big brother. 20 odd years later we are sent this photograph of a body, it looks like it could be Michael.

Emotional: Spencer Matthews, 34, tries to retrace the steps of his brother Michael with survivalist Bear Grylls and mountaineer Nirmal Purja in the trailer for Finding Michael (Spencer pictured in documentary)

Sibling: The Disney+ feature-length film details the emotional story of 34-year-old Matthews' attempt to find the body of his brother who disappeared on Mount Everest in 1999 (Spencer's brother Michael pictured)

'My heart says we should go and find him. And if we can, bring him home.

'We need the best people possible. We have one of the greatest, Nims Purja. We have to look all over the mountain.'

Spencer can be seen kissing his wife Vogue Williams, holding their new-born baby, who says: 'God I hope you find him.'

She is later seen getting emotional while on a video call to Spencer who is out on the expedition.

World '14 peak' record holder Nirmal Purja leads the 10-man search crew armed with drones and the trailer shows the crew as they face unexpected and extreme challenges as well as intense time pressures when the weather closes in.

TV presenter and executive producer Bear says: 'Stay safe. If you get hold of Mike, I hear his voice screaming that one loud.'

He later added: 'On average, seven people every year of those attempting Everest will lose their lives.

'No mountain is worth dying for a second time over.'

Mission: World '14 peak' record holder Nirmal Purja (right) leads the 10-man search crew armed with drones and the trailer shows the crew as they face extreme challenges

Extreme: TV presenter and executive producer Bear (pictured) says: 'On average, seven people every year of those attempting Everest will lose their lives'

Missing: Michael Matthews became the youngest Briton to reach the summit of Everest at the age of 22, but disappeared on the mountain just three hours later

Spencer retraced the 'exact steps' his sibling took when he died descending the world's highest peak in 1999.

Michael is said to have got in trouble after beginning to make his way down the south descent through the 'death zone' on May 13, 1999.

He was the brother of Pippa Middleton's husband, the racing driver turned hedge fund manager James Matthews, 47.

The experienced mountaineer, who had previously conquered Aconcagua, the Pyrenees and the Swiss Alps, was the 162nd person to die on Everest.

Michael's body has never been recovered and his family have never been able to fully understand what happened to him.

But in the new documentary with Disney+, Spencer - who was only ten at the time of his death - embarks on a journey to find his brother's body and bring it home.

He was said to have the backing of his parents and his brother James to create the 'emotional' project.

He told Holly Rubenstein's The Travel Diaries podcast: 'I was aching to find out more about his death. I was 10 at the time. I remember thinking it was really unfair.

Brothers: TV personality Spencer was 10 years old when Michael (left next to sibling James) tragically died aged 22 - after becoming the youngest Brit to reach the peak in 1999

Project: During the film, Spencer undertook a 'gut-wrenching' mission to climb Mount Everest to find the body of his brother Michael

'I always believed that I'd see him again and never took it on the chin that he was dead. I thought it was impossible. It never crushed me in the way it affected my parents and my brother.

'We would read that you could recover bodies from Everest. I know now that you can fly helicopters into Camp 2. For people who don't know Everest, that's quite a big deal.

'From base camp there is the Khumbu Icefall leading up to Camp 1. Then Camp 2 is at the end of a long plain right at the base of what you would think is the beginning of the climb.

'It makes it easier to bring bodies down  I mean it is not easy  it requires a lot of manpower, but getting them to Camp 2 can be done and then helicopter back down.

'I've always been uncomfortable with him being up there, especially in plain sight. Around 600 people a year summit Everest.

'I've always been uncomfortable that he could be laying up there like some kind of tourist attraction but also on his own, away from us.

'He died up there and his last thoughts will probably have been that he's never going to see his family again. We have not seen his body and I set off to go to Everest and find him and bring him home.'

Spencer trekked to South Base Camp base camp via Namche Bazaar, a town in north-eastern Nepal, often the staging point for expeditions to and other Himalayan peaks.

He made the journey just five days after the birth of his son Otto after a 'weather window' made scaling the mountain feasible.

Spencer would have otherwise been left facing another year of waiting to begin the search, revealing that he had the backing of his wife Vogue.

Huge task: Spencer retraced the 'exact steps' his sibling took when he died descending the world's highest peak in 1999

Tragic: Michael is said to have got in trouble after beginning to make his way down the south descent through the 'death zone' on May 13, 1999

Loss: He was the brother of Pippa Middleton's husband, the racing driver turned hedge fund manager James Matthews, 47.

The South Base Camp is at an altitude of 5,364 metres.

Describing the trek, he said: 'You don't have to be superman to do it. You come across this town [Namche Bazaar] in the sky. It's amazing. It's above the clouds. It reminded me of Asgard.

'Part of the film is that we retrace the exact steps that Mike and his friends took. We stay in the same places and do the same path as he did. It'll be a really powerful and amazing film'.

Finding Michael, directed by Tom Beard, is set to premiere on Disney+ on March 3.
Joe Exotic's medical team believe his prostate cancer has spread to his bladder, but the jailed Tiger King star is refusing treatment, reports TMZ.

The 59-year-old - who is currently serving a 21-year prison sentence after being found guilty of a murder-for-hire plot against rival Carole Baskin - revealed he recently had a lot of blood in his urine and has bled a lot during his cancer treatments in a letter obtained by the publication.

His urology specialist now believes the cancer has spread to his bladder and wants the star to have further testing to confirm this, but Exotic has reportedly decided not to have treatment, writing: 'I want to stay here and just let it take its course.'

Exotic - whose real name is Joseph Maldonado- also writes: 'The world has to know just how corrupt our justice system is  If I have to be the one to die innocent in here fighting for the truth maybe people around the world will finally speak up for the truth for once.'

Referring to his fiance Seth - who has left everything to in a new will, he said: 'I could care less about dying, my birthday is coming up soon and all I want is to see Seth.'

Letter: Joe Exotic's medical team believe his prostate cancer has spread to his bladder, but the jailed Tiger King star is refusing treatment, reports TMZ

Concern: The 59-year-old - who is currently serving a 21-year prison sentence after being found guilty of a murder-for-hire plot against rival Carole Baskin - revealed he recently had a lot of blood in his urine and has bled a lot during his cancer treatments

Exotic got back together with former flame Seth last June and has now revealed that he doesn't want anyone from his family to have anything when he dies.

Joe said, 'I'm so tired of everything that's going on there with people trying to exploit me and trying to write off my name and everything else.

'So I have my attorney Autumn Blackledge, she is the executor of the will, and I don't want any of my will or Jeff Lowe, nobody to be able to get anything from me. Trademarks, copyrights, I just gave everything to my fiance, Seth Posey.'

He continued, 'He has been there every day for five years. I know everything about Seth, I talk to his mom and I talk to everybody.

'All these people who try to f*** with other people, just give it up because I gave it all away. And if something happens to Seth, it is in the will that it goes to his son,' said Joe.

The former zookeeper - who shot to fame alongside Carole on the Netflix documentary series 'Tiger King' - was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2021 and went on to reveal that he has signed a DNR with the Federal Medical Center, Fort Worth.

He explained that he wants former co-star John Reinke to take care of the funeral plans with his fiance by with the help of a GoFundMe page before scattering his ashes next to those of his late husband Travis Maldonado, who took his own life at the age of 23 in 2017.

Battle: His urology specialist now believes the cancer has spread to his bladder and wants the star to have further testing to confirm this, but Exotic has reportedly decided not to have treatment, writing: 'I want to stay here and just let it take its course

Fiance: Referring to his fiance Seth - who has left everything to in a new will, he said: ' I could care less about dying, my birthday is coming up soon and all I want is to see Seth'

Speaking to TMZ on the phone from his prison cell in Texas, he said: 'It has been five years since 'Tiger King' and since I got arrested. I am the only Tiger King, I am the only one who will ever be the Tiger King! Okay? So move on!

'The only thing that I wanna make very clear to the world is that when I die - I've been through cancer, I've been through five years of prison - I've signed a DNR with the prison. No one is going to resuscitate me, okay?

'I want everyone to know that John Reinke has to raise a GoFundMe for my funeral, alright? And to have me cremated and to have a funeral and scatter my ashes where Travis's are at the lake. And whatever is left over, I want him and Seth to split it.

'He's been stuck with me all this time and Seth has been with be. There are so many of us in here who don't belong in here and we should be with our families, so I appreciate your support. Be my voice!'

In November 2022 Exotic claimed he is living 'in the bottom of hell' as he complained about alleged dangerous living conditions inside an Atlanta federal prison.

In impassioned posts from behind bars at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta, the former G.W. Zoo owner claims he is being subjected to deplorable living conditions in prison, was denied basic sanitary items and threatened with stints in solitary - as he begged his 'millions of fans' to help him secure release.

Exotic also declared he will be forced to run for President in 2024 if he remains 'unheard' - he previously ran in 2016.

Posting a snap of himself with a newborn lion cub, he wrote: 'I have officially landed at the bottom of hell, at the Federal Prison in Atlanta GA. Senator Ossoff, Warnock and Walker are all lying to you Black Voters of Georgia because the Animals at the Atlanta Zoo are living better then your loved ones are in here I promise.'

Cancer: In November, Exotic requested a prison release to seek treatment as he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer

He shared a screenshot of a letter sent to Atlanta Uncensored News in which he again begged for a presidential pardon.

It was captioned: 'Since being in custody I have seen more #drugs then I ever saw on the street, I watched young and old people die from overdoses, kill themselves and die from lack of medical care.

'This would not be allowed at any #zoo governed by the United States Department of Agriculture. #fixthiss**t #hearmeroar #tigerking #innocent #hostage #usa #pardonjoeexotic @atluncensorednews.'

The letter read: 'I would love to mail you a letter but you cannot get an envelope here, paper nor a stamp here to do that with am sending you an email of thanks for helping keep my voice alive not just for me but the over 155,000 other humans living in this hell we call American justice.

'After your story broke they threatened to lock me down for causing a mess in the media and was called into the Administrators office for nearly an hour.

'They met at least my needs of providing me with soap, toothbrush, toothpaste and toilet paper, however I still have no shampoo or a razor to finish cleaning up with and this was only done for me , the rest of the people in need have still been overlooked.

'The Administrator seemed to care about what my complaints were but let's see if anything changes once I am gone and things go back to normal around here.

'The people not only of Georgia but all over the USA must keep my voice alive for me and their loved ones living in the hell of America Federal Prisons. I cannot do this alone.'

'Since being in custody I have seen more drugs than I ever saw on the street. I watched young and old people die from overdoses, kill themselves and die from lack of medical care.

'This would not be allowed at any zoo governed by the United States Department of Agriculture. There should be a law that NO politicians can own or invest in any product made or sold to a prison.

'There are too many hands in the cookie jar here in America. There are three things that should happen here because the evidence at www.joeexoticusa.co/evidence proves I am innocent and the Government knows it

'1 - President Biden should do the Democrats a favor and sign my pardon and make good on his promise to reform the Justice System and Prison System and allow me to testify in front of Congress as to how to fix some the problems with both Systems

'2- Senator Lankford should demand a prisoner swap, me for the Big Cat Safety Act, since he is the hold out of keeping it from passing and everyone knows this is why I am really here and do the Republicans a favour and make this happen and allow me to go home and testify in front of Congress

'3 - If neither happen, I will be forced to run for President of 2024 from federal prison as a Libertarian and make this country listen to me about the corruption in both institutions which we expect Ms Peter to have me locked down in solitary to shut me up which will be the worst mistake that could ever be made because the millions of fans I have all over the world will not just sit by and watch this happen.'

He continued: 'Just to clear things up... I have never offered any undercover FBI agent $10,000 and their hitman Allen Glover has admitted to perjury and that they had a plot to kill me first, which opens the question why am I still in here and he is not?

'Again, go look at all the new evidence. And last my fiance lives in Arkansas not Texas. I just want the truth to get out about everything and I want to be the voice of everyone in this system living like animals. America cannot complain about Russia's prison system or its justice system until we fix America's.

Dailymail.com has contacted the United States Department of Justice for comment.

Back in August Exotic revealed his hopes that his new friendship with 90 Day Fiance's Jesse Meester could bring him one step closer to President Biden granting him clemency.

The felon shared a shirtless snap of the reality star, 29, who he called an 'amazing dear friend.'

'You will see him around on my stuff more and more as he is going to help me get a voice to the White House for President Biden to sign my pardon before November of this year,' the disgraced zookeeper captioned the image.

In response, the 90 Day alum left a comment under the post, in which he praised Exotic for his resilience.

'We love you too Joe! People close to you turned their back on you, but not us. You helped many people through lockdown and we should never forget the truth and authenticity you lived your life with,' Meester wrote.

The reality star concluded: 'It's sad that the backstabbing and lying has become the norm [in] this society. Time to unite and fight back to get you out.'

In November, Exotic requested a prison release in order to seek treatment another he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.

'Update [sad face emoji] Everyone, It is with a sad face that I have to tell you the doctors called me in today to break the news that my prostate biopsy came back with an aggressive cancer, I am still waiting on the results from other test as well,' he told his followers.

Exotic continued: 'Right now I don't want anyone's pity and I'm sure Carole Will have her own party over this! What I need is the world to be my voice to be released, they have the proof I DID NOT DO THIS!'

In January 2020, a federal jury found him guilty on two counts of hiring someone to murder Baskin in Florida, on eight counts of violating the Lacey Act by falsifying wildlife records, and on nine counts of violating the Endangered Species Act by killing five tigers and for selling tigers across state lines

Back in August 2021, he revealed that his prostate cancer may have spread to his stomach and pelvis and prefers to die if it is stage three or four as he criticized the US criminal justice system over lack of medical treatment for prisoners.

At the time, the zoo owner said that he has not had any treatment in jail - as he serves a 22 year prison sentence in Fort Worth, Texas - since his diagnosis months ago and fears that the cancer has spread.

On August 9, Exotic told The Sun: 'I have been waiting for a colonoscopy and endoscopy since October. Medical treatment in a prison is worse than at any humane society for dogs.'

The American media personality was convicted on 17 federal charges of animal abuse and two counts of attempted murder for hire in his plot to kill nemesis and Big Cat Rescue owner, Carole Baskin in 2019.

The case was the focus of highly-popular 2020 Netflix series Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness.

Exotic explained that he was recently forced to undergo a CT scan last week and the results were not encouraging.

He said: 'They are concerned it is in my stomach and pelvis. I have not had any treatment or anything since May. I puke when I pee - the pain is that bad.

'I'm losing weight all the time and the pain in my hip and pelvis hurts. I limp to walk. And my stomach has hurt for over a year.'

The Netflix star said that he hopes to be taken to a specialist medical center for 'many tests' including a 'biopsy of my prostate and bladder, colonoscopy and endoscopy.'

However, Exotic says that he will refuse medical treatment if the disease has progressed to stage three or four.

Controversial: The case was the focus of highly-popular 2020 Netflix series Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness

He explained: 'When we find out where and how bad it is I will decide if I am going to do treatment. If it's stage three or four I am going to let it take me.'

Exotic also criticized the US criminal justice system over lack of medical treatment for prisoners as he accused prison doctors of 'not giving a s***.'

He told the publication: 'This is crazy how they put people in here and just let you die.

'The things that I've seen and the dead people I've seen wheeled out of here is outrageous and it's time that our president and our politicians hear the truth.'
Jennifer Stone has opened up about a date when went on with Austin Butler back in the day when they were both working on Wizards of Waverly Place.

The actress, now 30, starred on the hit Disney show for five years from 2007 to 2012 as Harper, the best friend of Selena Gomez's character Alex.

In 2010, the Elvis actor made an appearance on the show as Alex's love interest, but it was Jennifer who was crushing on the future Oscar nominee.

'He was a big movie buff, which was something that we really loved,' she revealed on her Wizards of Waverly Pod podcast, while answering questions from fans with David DeLuise, who played Jerry Russo.

'I was like we should go get a movie, whatever. And this was I think Blockbuster still existed. No maybe it was Netflix when they still sent out DVDs....but he like came over to the house, and we went somewhere to get snacks and stuff.'

Date: Jennifer Stone, 30, revealed that she and Austin Butler,31, went on a date in 2010, after the actor appeared in an episode of Wizards of Waverly Place. 'He was a big movie buff, which was something that we really loved,' she recalled on her Wizards of Waverly Pod podcast

She recalled that they settled on Swimming with Sharks.

When David suggested it might have been a 'Netflix and chill' sort of night, Jennifer answered 'kind of.'

She then quickly added, 'It was not that for him at all.'

Austin, 31, did begin dating High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens shortly after his appearance on Wizards.

And they were together for nine years between 2011 and 2020.

He is now dating Cindy Crawford's model daughter Kaia Gerber, 21.

Jennifer, who went on to become a registered nurse, admitted she would 'always have crushes on all of Selena's (TV) boyfriends.'

That was because 'ever since I was a wee little child... I've liked the men,' she said.

Guest star: In 2010, the Elvis actor made an appearance on the show the love interest of Selena Gomez's Alex, but it was Jennifer who was crushing on the future Oscar nominee

Movie: Jennifer said Austin came over to her house to watch a movie, and they settled on Swimming with Sharks. When it was suggested it was a 'Netflix and chill' kind of date, Jennifer said, 'it was not that for him at all' (Pictured February 13 in Beverly Hills)

Her hopes of romance, however, were often dashed.

'A lot of times what would happen is the guy would talk to me and we'd have a great time and I'd feel like, "Oh this is going well."

'And then at the end of the week they would pass me their number to give to Selena.'

She added, 'I don't think Austin was one of these people, but that happened to me a lot, which was really sh**ty.

'It took me a lot of years to get my confidence up with dudes, but now I'm doing okay,' she joked in a 'fake cry' voice.

She and David both agreed that the strength of Wizards was the ensemble cast.

Crushes: Jennifer, who played Alex's bestie Harper on the show, admitted she had crushes on a lot of guest stars, but 'at the end of the week they would pass me their number to give to Selena' but that Austin did not do that

Reunion: The actress shared the story with former co-star David DeLuise during a question and answer session on the podcast. Both admitted they would like to have a reunion, show, but 'it's a matter of having a story to tell, and timing'

'Like a good meal, every different little spice has to go together, we had all the little spices that came in,' David explained.

'We had the 11 herbs and spices,' she agreed.

'We never worried about what people think... it was made for us, loving what we do and loving the people we got to work with.'

Both stars admitted they would be up for a reunion show, but 'it's a matter of having the right story to tell, and timing.'

Gomez is now busy on her series Only Murders In The Building.

Her costars are Steve Martin and Martin Short.

In the new season, Meryl Streep has a guest starring role on the acclaimed series.
Bianca Gascoigne took to Instagram on Friday to share a sweet snap of her newborn baby girl.

The former Celebrity Big Brother star, 36, welcomed her daughter, known as Baby B, with her partner Arron Wright on Monday.

She gave birth to Baby B, who is her first child, at The Portland Hospital in London.

In the post, Bianca leaned over her baby's hospital crib, donning a stylish pink and black patterned jumpsuit, with her has blonde hair scraped into a bun.

She held a colourful soft toy above her sleeping baby, who is already snuggled up with a large monkey teddy.

Motherly love: Bianca Gascoigne, 36, took to Instagram on Friday to share a sweet snap of her baby girl while she gazed at the newborn nestled in a hospital cot

Cute: The former Celebrity Big Brother star left a short but touching caption on the post after becoming a mother for the first time

She captioned the post: 'I can't believe you're mine.'

The TV personality's fans and friends were quick to congratulate the star.

Former Hollyoaks actress Ciara Janson Zelmerlow penned: 'You did it girl! So many congratulations'.

Geordie Shore's Chloe Ferry kept it simple writing: 'Congrats'.

Dancer Vitto Coppola equally shared his excitement writing: 'Congraaaaaaats' with three heart-eye emojis.

This post comes after Bianca took to Instagram on Thursday to share the happy news, posting a reel documenting her daughter's arrival.

Captioning the post, she wrote: '20/02/23 You are perfect Baby B.'

The reel showed Bianca in the midst of her labour in the hospital, along with a glimpse of her lavish birthing suite.

Support: The star's friends and fans, including Hollyoaks' Ciara Janson Zelmerlow and Geordie Shore's Chloe Ferry showed their approval

Happy family: Bianca shared the news she had welcomed her first child partner Arron Wright, on Instagram on Thursday

Precious: The TV personality posted a reel documenting Baby B's arrival at The Portland Hospital in London

She then included several snaps taken moments after her daughter was born, showing her newborn nestled in a cot and wrapped in a pink blanket, and a glimpse of her brother Regan holding his niece for the first time.

Bianca first shared that she was expecting her first child with Arron back in August, posting a hilarious snap with her boyfriend that recreated the poster for the romantic comedy Knocked Up.

It comes after Bianca shared with fans a picture of her 'basic' nursery in January, saying she thought it looked 'basic' as she had 'left it so last minute'.

Showing off the white bedroom set and grey carpeting in the room, she told fans: 'We finally have baby furniture. I've left it so last minute. Obviously she's coming next month but I'm really impressed.'

'Obviously that's the wardrobe and that's the chest drawers. I've actually got to move that so changing has got to be a bit more easy access.'

She added at the time: 'There's the cot and yeah I know it's so basic at the moment but it will all come together and my mum was like you know, saying I've left everything last minute as per usual, but we will get there.'

She finished: 'Still so much work to do! Can't wait to see the room when it's all done. We need to get our skates on.'

It comes after Bianca revealed she was suffering from antenatal depression and has been finding her pregnancy 'a little bit scary'.

The daughter of Paul and Sheryl Gascoigne told her fans what she has been doing to help her through her pregnancy.

She said that all she can pray for is that her unborn baby is healthy as she admitted her worries over the 'unknown'.

Bianca, who announced her pregnancy in August, shared the update alongside a bikini snap of her bump from her trip to Tenerife.

She said: 'New Year and definitely gonna be a new me! Still can't believe I'm going to be a Mummy next month!

She added: 'Finding everything a little bit scary as I'm sure most new parents feel! It's the unknown isn't it. All you can pray for is the baby is healthy and everything will to fall into place.'

In a further post, Bianca added: 'Had my first Reading of the Year with my real life angel @theangelic.medium It's the best way to start the new year! Her guidance is magical.

Expecting: Bianca first shared that she was pregnant with her first child with Arron in August

Revealing her battle with depression, Bianca said: 'Emma has massively helped me through my Antenatal Depression and everything she predicts always comes true!!! .. it's crazy scary. Her gift is unreal and extremely very lucky to have her in my life.'

Bianca received some supportive remarks from her pals in the comments section, including former Big Brother winner Kate Lawler who wrote 'beautiful'.

Bianca and Arron, who confirmed their romance in December 2021, have been friends for 14 years and announced they were expecting a baby in February 2023.

The couple celebrated their one year anniversary on August 7 with a romantic trip to Paris.
Supermodel Helena Christensen celebrated her dog Kuma's seventh birthday in celebrity style as she treated the pup to a 20-layer lasagne and dressed her in a white lace cape.

The Danish beauty, 54, shared a slew of snaps on Thursday of her Australian Shepherd wearing a party hat and her candle-topped dinner.

Sharing to her 1million followers on Instagram, Helena penned: 'All she wanted for her seventh birthday was a 20-layer lasagne.'

The following day, Helena thanked her fans for the birthday wishes sent to her beloved dog, who she has previously credited for 'saving' her spirit during a 'rough time' in her life.

'Kuma would like to thank everyone for their birthday wishes,' Helena said on Friday. 'She also wants you to know she loves getting dressed up.

Happy Birthday! Supermodel Helena Christensen celebrated her dog Kuma's seventh birthday in celebrity style as she treated the pup to a 20-layer lasagne and dressed her in a white lace cape

Faithful friend: The Danish beauty, 54, shared a slew of snaps on Thursday of her Australian Shepherd wearing a party hat and her candle-topped dinner

Party time: The following day, Helena thanked her fans for the birthday wishes sent to her beloved dog, who she has previously credited for 'saving' her spirit during a 'rough time' in her life

'It makes her feel very important and she would like for it to happen more often but her mama refuses to listen to such nonsense.'

Kuma's pink frilly top hat was right in theme for her dog birthday get-up, with her delicate white lace cape tied up with a beautiful satin blue bow at the front.

In a few of the snaps, the dog looks on intently at the perfectly plated dinner in front of her.

Another picture showed the white and brown fur pup on the waterfront while the pair were out for a walk as the sun set on the city.

In February 2021, Helena penned a gushing tribute to her pooch to mark her 5th birthday on Instagram on Tuesday, saying Kuma 'saved my spirit'.

The supermodel celebrated the occasion by sharing a series of throwback snaps with the Australian Shepherd.

Helena wrote: 'This little angel is 5 today. I never had a dog before her and had no idea how much love and joy these four-legged friends bring into our lives.

Dress-up: Sharing to her 1million followers on Instagram, Helena penned: 'All she wanted for her seventh birthday was a 20-layer lasagne'

Birthday girl: Kuma's pink frilly top hat was right in theme for her dog birthday get-up, with her delicate white lace cape tied up with a beautiful satin blue bow at the front

Celebrate: Another picture showed the white and brown fur pup on the waterfront while the pair were out for a walk as the sun set on the city

Beloved pup: In February 2021, Helena penned a gushing tribute to her pooch to mark her 5th birthday on Instagram on Tuesday, saying Kuma 'saved my spirit'

'Kuma is so smart, loyal, protective, incredibly loving and more than anything, very funny. She makes us laugh all day long.

'I was going through a rough time when we got her and its fair to say she pretty much saved my spirit.

'They say we dont deserve dogs and perhaps thats true, but I will do my damn best to deserve Kuma every single day shes with me '.

In one photo, Helena cosied up to Kuma and even gave her a kiss as she praised her 'smart' and 'loyal' pet.
A huge feud reportedly erupted between members of The Only Way Is Essex cast as they filmed in Thailand.

It is claimed there was a 'frosty' atmosphere between some members of the show as soon as they reached the hotel reception after their flight.

A source told The Sun there was 'a lot of drama' with Chloe Brockett and Jordan Brook, with them clashing in 'a big way'.

They added: 'Chloe has been involved but this time she had a reason to kick off and all will become clear as filming rumbles on.'

The source continued: 'There is no love lost between Junaid and Amber either  the pair are taking their dislike to the next level and let their feelings be crystal clear.

War zone? A huge feud reportedly erupted between members of The Only Way Is Essex cast as they filmed in Thailand, including between Chloe Brockett (pictured) and Jordan Brook

Fallen out? Amber Turner (pictured) is said to have had a tiff with fellow cast member Junaid Ahmed

'To say the atmosphere in Thailand is frosty is a huge understatement. There are two camps in the cast opening up and a big divide is emerging.

'It is the worst in terms of atmosphere that has ever been seen. Amber and Junaid are on very rocky ground, and even girl band are not unscathed.'

MailOnline has contacted TOWIE for comment.

The latest season of TOWIE began filming in Thailand last week, with all major cast members making the trip.

James Lock's brother George has also joined the show for the new series and was seen with his sibling in Phuket in recent days.

Filming for the latest series comes after long-standing cast member Pete Wicks quit the show after seven years, MailOnline exclusively revealed.

The show has seen the hunk rise to fame thanks to his relationships with former cast mates Megan McKenna, 30, Chloe Sims, 41, and Ella, 22.

Pete is looking to explore fresh opportunities away from the world of reality television.

Not all fun in the sun: Jordan (pictured) and Chloe are said to have had a falling out, with all the cast members arriving to film in Thailand last week

Trouble abroad: There was reportedly a 'frosty' atmosphere between the cast members, including Junaid (Junaid, centre, is seen with Dani Imbert, left, and Ella Rae Wise, right)

A source told MailOnline Pete's departure has been a huge blow for ITVBe executives.

The show has already suffered the loss of longstanding cast member Chloe Sims, as well as her sisters Demi and Frankie, last year.

An insider revealed: 'Pete is a hugely loved member of TOWIE both among viewers and the cast.

'But it's time for him to move on now, he's slightly older than the rest of the cast, and he's hoping to achieve more in his career after being on the show for such a long time.

'It's been a monumental stint and his storylines will go down in TOWIE history but for now he's taking a step away.'

A second source added: 'Pete will continue to cameo on TOWIE when it makes sense to appear alongside his friends, but he will no longer be a fully-fledged cast member.'

MailOnline approached TOWIE and Pete's spokesperson for comment at the time.

Pete joined TOWIE in 2015 introduced as James Lock's best pal and immediately set eyes on Jess Wright.

Out on the town: TOWIE stars Courtney Green (left) looked stylish in a unique blue top and white shorts while Ella Rae Wise (right) wore a metallic silver dress in Thailand this week

Good spirits: Junaid and his co-star Harry Derbidge (right) appeared to be enjoying themselves while on a night out in the Far East

Sun-kissed: Amber showed off her glowing tan as she enjoyed some time on the beach during a break from filming in Thailand

He soon became a main character on the series, romancing the likes of The X Factor: Celebrity winner Megan, who he had a tempestuous relationship with.

Their romance came to an explosive end when Megan discovered Pete had been sending explicit text messages to his ex-girlfriend Jacqui Ryland.

He dated Miss Great Britain and co-star Shelby Tribble, who's since had a baby with former TOWIE cast member Sam Mucklow.

He later had a rocky relationship with Chloe, who was left brokenhearted when Pete wasn't prepared to commit and it dramatically impacted their friendship.
Lauren Goodger has been 'begged' by her friends to 'not get back together with ex Charles Drury after he reportedly spent the night at her house this week.

The former TOWIE star, 36, has had a tumultuous relationship with her builder ex-boyfriend Charles, 25, and have been on-and-off since the tragic death of their second daughter, Lorena.

Lorena was born with two knots in her umbilical cord, tied around her neck and despite ten doctors fighting to save her, she passed away shortly after her birth.

On Monday, Lauren and Charles appeared to be getting along well as they took their little one Larose to Woburn Safari Park, taking turns to have their pictures taken.

It comes months after Lauren was allegedly assaulted on the day of funeral. Charles - who has denied attacking Lauren - was later arrested and bailed.

Exes: Lauren Goodger has been 'begged' by her friends to 'not get back together with ex Charles Drury after he reportedly spent the night at her house this week

Difficult: The ex TOWIE star, 36, has had a tumultuous relationship with her builder ex-Charles, 25, and have been on-and-off since the tragic death of their second daughter, Lorena

But now pals of Lauren have reportedly become concerned with the two getting back together again after he slept at her house this week.

A source revealed to The Sun: 'Lauren's friends have begged her not to get back together with her ex Charles Drury after they heard Charles had spent the night at her house this week.

'A few of them reached out to her and told her to stay away from him as they feel like he is bad news and will only bring her more heartache.

'Lauren insisted that he just slept in the spare room and that they are working on co-parenting Larose, but those closest to her know she and Charles are growing closer. They feel it's only a matter of time before they are back together.'

A representative for Lauren told MailOnline: 'Lauren is focused on the welfare as a mother to her daughter- this puts co- parenting at the top of her priorities.'

When the pair arrived at Woburn Safari Park on Monday, they were seen cuddling and playing with their infant daughter as they stepped out of the back of a safari vehicle as they made the most of the sights at the park.

It comes after Lauren revealed that she lost three stone in the wake of the tragic death of Lorena.

The harrowing grief Lauren experienced following Lorena's death meant she was unable to eat, but she has put on a stone as her mental health has improved.

Speaking to OK!, she said: 'I lost nearly three stone after I lost Lorena because of the stress. I didn't eat. I'm now eating again and I've put a stone back on because I'm being more healthy.

Ties: It comes months after Lauren was allegedly assaulted on the day of funeral. Charles - who has denied attacking Lauren - was later arrested and bailed

Family: But now pals of Lauren have reportedly become concerned with the two getting back together again after he slept at her house this week

'I stayed indoors and I didn't go out, and now I feel I'm in a better place mentally. This year is about focusing on me and getting back on track.'

The TV personality also said that her infant daughter Larose has been a 'rock' for her and without her, she wouldn't have been able to have survived Lorena's death.

She said: 'She's the best. She makes me so proud every single day. She's unbelievable. She's my rock.

'After everything I went through, Larose is definitely my inspiration. She inspires me and she's kept me going through the hardest times. Without her, I wouldn't survive.'

Elsewhere, Lauren recently opened up about her 'hellish' 2022 after the loss of Lorena and her bitter split with Charles.

Speaking to MailOnline, Lauren put on a brave face as she arrived at The Inspiration Awards in London last month where she said she is 'ready to come back to the industry in the right way' after a string of difficult events.

Split: Lauren said that she finds her strength in being a mother to her daughter Larose, who she shares with ex-boyfriend Charles Drury (pictured together)

Tragic: The former TOWIE cast-member confirmed the terrible news of her newborn's death in an Instagram post in July last year, admitting the child was born 'without complications' prior to her death

When explaining why she wanted to come to the event, Lauren said: 'It's an amazing cause, I can't wait to hear all the stories.

'I feel like I've been through a hell of a lot and I feel like it was the right one for me to go to. I've been asked to do a lot of things, I'm coming back slowly.

'I took a break and now I am ready to come back to the industry in the right way.

'I'm very new to this, like I say, I've been through massive trauma, I'm not gonna sugarcoat it but everyone knows and I feel like one day I want to inspire other women.'
South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup / Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-geun



A North Korean foreign ministry official on Friday warned that Pyongyang will regard what it claims to be "hostile practices" from the United States as a "declaration of war" against the reclusive country.



Kwon Jong-gun, director-general for U.S. affairs at the ministry, also called on Washington to halt its deployment of strategic assets to Korea and combined drills with Seoul to prevent the "vicious cycle" of escalating military tension on the peninsula, in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).



"The U.S. should bear in mind that if it persists in its hostile and provocative practices against the DPRK despite the latter's repeated protest and warning, it can be regarded as a declaration of war against the DPRK," the KCNA said in the English-language report.



DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.



He condemned South Korea and the United States for staging a tabletop exercise (TTX) at the Pentagon on Wednesday, labeling it as a "nuclear war demonstration against the DPRK."



In a joint press release issued after the practice, the allies said it focused on potential options for responding to the North's nuclear weapons use and allied deterrence, given Pyongyang's "recent aggressive nuclear policy and advancements in nuclear capabilities."



It added the U.S. will "continue to field flexible nuclear forces suited to deterring regional nuclear conflict, including the capability to forward deploy strategic bombers, dual-capable fighter aircraft, and nuclear weapons to the region."



Kwon also denounced the visit of U.S. officials and the South Korean delegation to Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia, a southeastern coastal base home to key nuclear submarines.



"This clearly proves what phase their attempt to confront with the DPRK has reached," he said.



During the allies' annual defense ministerial talks in November last year, the two sides agreed to increase the frequency and intensity in the deployment of U.S. strategic assets to the peninsula. Militarily, strategic assets refer to such high-powered weapon systems as aircraft carriers, advanced stealth jets, strategic bombers and nuclear-powered submarines.



Kwon strongly criticized the U.N. Security Council for taking issue with the North's recent missile provocations at an emergency meeting earlier this week, claiming the tests are an exercise of its "right to self-defense.



"If the UNSC has a true intention to contribute to peace and security in the Korean peninsula, it will have to bitterly condemn the U.S. and South Korea for their moves of escalating military tension such as frequent deployment of strategic assets and large-scale joint military drills against the DPRK," he said, slamming the UNSC as merely a "tool" of the U.S to pressure the North.



He warned that the North will take "corresponding strong countermeasure" if the UNSC, "led by the U.S.," puts the issue of its "right to self-defense on the table again." (Yonhap)


Tasha Ghouri enjoyed a meet and greet event at Superdrug Presents in London on Friday evening.

The former Love Island star, 24, stunned in a white and grey biker jacket as she arrived at the Truman Brewery for the beauty festival.

She paired the look, which showed off her toned stomach, with white trousers.

The star added chunky white trainers to the stylish ensemble, wearing her blonde tresses in loose waves.

Tasha accessorised with silver hoops, keeping her makeup minimal for her fun evening out.

Beauty: Tasha Ghouri flashed her toned tummy in a biker jacket and white trousers as she hosted a meet and greet at Superdrug Presents in London on Friday night

Stunner: The Love Island star added chunky white trainers to the stylish ensemble, wearing her blonde tresses in loose waves

Glam: Tasha accessorised with silver hoops, keeping her makeup minimal for her evening out

She was all smiles as she prepared for her meet and greet, blowing kisses to fans, grinning and pouting.

It comes after Tasha was quick to jump to her boyfriend Andrew's defence after fans mocked his new 'fashion era' look.

Andrew showed off his bold style in an eye-catching lilac ensemble while attending London Fashion Week.

The reality stars look included the flared trousers and a matching jacket which he left open to show off his impressive abs.

He donned a pair of white trainers and accessorised with a long silver necklace as he posed for a slew of Instagram snaps.

But Andrew's followers were left unimpressed with his new look and left negative comments.

One wrote: 'What in the Aladdin is happening'.

Another added: 'Not an era you need to return too anytime soon.'

Gorgeous: She was all smiles as she prepared for her meet and greet, blowing kisses to fans, grinning and pouting

Glam girl: The star pouted and made peace signs as she prepared for her meet and greet with her fans

Pals: Tasha smiled with friend Ash Holme, who opted for a sporty jersey and posed with her tongue out ahead of the beauty event

A third said: 'And I'm a fan so don't block me, I just don't like it. You still look handsome though.'

One penned: 'If this is fashion then shoot me. What a generation we are living in'

Tasha responded to the negative comments by penning: 'People not understanding what fashion is in the comments [fuming face emoji] props to you for going outside the box, proud of you.'

She also added: 'I'll never get over this moment,' followed by fire emojis.

Others loved the look, with one fan writing: 'It's literally SO hot when guys are secure enough to experiment with fashion.

'Sad to see so much retrogressive fragile masculinity nonsense in these comments.'

While another agreed: 'Love this! Women wear "mens" clothes all the time...

'Why can't men dress more feminine?'

Stepping out in style: The television personality also stood in front of a wall of pink telephones at the evening out

Amazing: The television star also looked over her shoulder as she strolled into the event with Superdrug

Bold: It comes after Tasha was quick to jump to her boyfriend Andrew 's defence after fans mocked his new 'fashion era' look (pictured)

The couple, who found fame on ITV's Love Island last summer, also posed for loved-up snaps together at the fashion event.

Tasha, 24, put on a very leggy display in a plunging green blazer dress, while boosting her height in a pair of black strappy heels.

Andrew and Tasha came fourth place in last year's series and the relationship appears to be going from strength to strength.

Tasha herself also turned heads as she took to the runway at Oxfam's London Fashion Week show.
Monica Bellucci exuded glamour in a red floor-length gown at the Cesar Film Awards on Friday after being spotted going hand-in-hand with her reported new love interest Tim Burton.

The 58-year-old Italian actress, looked jaw-droppingly gorgeous in her fiery red dress which complimented her svelte waist.

Brunette beauty Monica stole the show on the red carpet with her outfit, with her plunging v-neckline contrasting the pleated material of her skirt.

It also featured a sheer cape which cascaded over her shoulders right down to the red carpet, creating a trail of red behind her as she waltzed into the event in L'Olympia, Paris.

She held onto a red floral clutch bag which perfectly matched the red of her attention-grabbing dress for the night.

Wow! Monica Bellucci exuded glamor in a red floor-length gown at the Cesar Film Awards on Friday after being spotted going hand-in-hand with her reported new love interest Tim Burton

Stepping out: The 58-year-old Italian actress, looked jaw-droppingly gorgeous in her fiery red dress which complimented her svelte waist

Gorgeous: Brunette beauty Monica stole the show on the red carpet with her outfit, with her plunging v-neckline contrasting the pleated material of her skirt

Her chocolate brown tresses were styled in a bouncy blow dry and her front pieces framed her face perfectly.

Monica kept a glamorous and flawless face of makeup, adding a dark smokey eye look and a glossy light red lip colour.

She accessorised with a statement silver necklace which had plenty of diamonds and complimented her red carpet ensemble.

Also in attendance on Friday was Juliette Binoche, who looked stunning in a white button-up dress with a wrap skirt.

The French actress, 58, oozed confidence in the striking dress which hugged her enviable figure.

With a material belt tied around her waist, the beauty posed for pictures ahead of the big event in film in France's capital.

She wore a unique gold choker necklace and quirky statement earrings which were mismatched.

Her raven locks were worn poker straight and kept tucked behind her ears to show her photogenic features.

Stunning: It also featured a sheer cape which cascaded over her shoulders right down to the red carpet, creating a trail of red behind her as she waltzed into the event in L'Olympia, Paris

Looking good: She held onto a red floral clutch bag which perfectly matched the red of her attention-grabbing dress for the night

Glamorous: Her chocolate brown tresses were styled in a bouncy blow dry and her front pieces framed her face perfectly

Jaw-dropping: She accessorised with a statement silver necklace which had plenty of diamonds and complimented her red carpet ensemble.

She beamed with her Hollywood smile as she stood for snaps on the red carpet before joining the other stars inside the venue.

Monica's appearance comes after she was spotted holding hands with reported new love interest Tim Burton during a stroll in Madrid, Spain this week.

The film director, 64, and the model who were spotted sharing a passionate kiss on Valentine's Day, put on a cosy display after it was recently revealed they have been secretly dating for the last four months.

Monica and Tim first met 16 years ago but are said to have started dating after seeing one another at the Lumiere Film Festival in Lyon in October.

Paris Match writes that Monica and Tim 'briefly met on the steps of the Palais des Festivals in Cannes in 2006, but it was only sixteen years later, behind the scenes of another festival, that they got closer.'

MailOnline has contacted reps for both Tim Burton and Monica Bellucci for more information.

Monica had been single since she split from artist Nicolas Lefebvre in 2019. She was previously married to Vincent Cassel from 1997-2013.

Beauty: Also in attendance on Friday was Juliette Binoche, who looked stunning in a white button-up dress with a wrap skirt

All white for the night: The French actress, 58, oozed confidence in the striking dress which hugged her enviable figure

Red carpet: She wore a unique gold choker necklace and quirky statement earrings which were mismatched

The former model met Cassel in 1996 on the set of Gilles Mimounis film lAppartement.

They have two daughters, Deva, who was born in 2004, and Leonie, who entered the world in 2010.

They were together for three years before marrying in a quiet ceremony in Monaco, on the French Riviera.

She said: 'You go through massive grief - it is a death of a relationship, so its utterly bewildering. Your identity, everything, changes.'

'Just saying: "I'm not myself at the moment, so be careful. Everyone always says you have to be strong and have a stiff upper lip, but its okay to be fragile.'

Helena and Tim got together in 2001 after he cast her as an ape in Planet Of The Apes.

Past love: Monica was previously married to Vincent Cassel from 1997-2013 (pictured together in 2008 )

All change: Helena Bonham Carter and long-term partner Tim Burton split in late 2014 after 13 years together (pictured in 2012)

They famously lived in inter-connecting houses during their relationship, with each property decorated to their own his 'n' hers tastes and personal styles.

Now in a relationship with writer Rye Dag Holmboe, 34, Helena told Daily Mail's Richard Eden in 2022 she felt 'very lucky' to have met him.

She said she had made the step of choosing to share a home with her academic boyfriend, even adding to their domestic bliss by adopting house rabbits.

The couple met at a wedding in 2018.
Bradley Cooper looked happy as he strolled through the streets of New York City on Friday.

The Philadelphia-native - who wasn't in the UK when Sophie Habboo claims she talked to him - wore a green beanie with the Philadelphia Eagles logo on it with a dark blue jacket over a black shirt, tight grey sweatpants and black high-top shoes.

He also wore a dog-carrying backpack that upon close inspection seemed to contain an animal of some sort.

The Star Is Born director, 48, had a big smile on his face as he talked to someone on the phone. He also wore a pair of aviator-style sunglasses.

It is not known if Cooper has recently adopted a new animal. He already has a Labradoodle named Charlie that was used in his 2018 film A Star Is Born.

Puppy on board: Bradley Cooper, 48, walked through New York City on Friday with a large black backpack

Woof ride: The backpack seemed to contain an animal inside, perhaps a dog or cat

On Thursday, the Silver Linings Playbook actor was spotted carrying another backpack - that of his daughter, Lea, five, as he took a walk with her.

Cooper shares Lea with his ex-girlfriend, Russian super model Irina Shayk.

The actor and the model originally started dating around 2015 before calling it quits in 2019.

Since then, the pair have been spotted together a number of times amid rumors that they have rekindled their romance and are allegedly trying for baby number two.

Less than two weeks ago, the parents were spotted picking up Lea from school together.

The former couple both held onto each of Lea's hands as they walked side by side.

The nine-time Academy Award nominee left Lea at home on Friday and took his dog for a walk - albeit on his back - instead.

Meanwhile, Made in Chelsea's Sophie Habboo tried to stir up some drama with Cooper by claiming he came on to her in line for the bathroom at a London nightclub.

Layered up: The Wedding Crashers star was layered up for the crisp February Friday

However, the BAFTA-winning film star wasn't in the country at the time,

He seemed to be across the pond in New York with his family.

Woof woof: The dog was in a backpack designed for carrying an animal with mesh to let air in and let the dog see out

An insider told MailOnline: 'Bradley wasn't in London that night.

'He was with his family in New York and drove to Pennsylvania that day.'

The reality TV personality, 29, told listeners on her NearlyWeds podcast earlier this week that she rejected Bradley's advances and 'ran away.'

That was because she was 'so nervous' about the encounter.

Admitting he found the situation 'hard' to handle, her fiance Jamie Laing said: 'Sophie met Bradley Cooper in this bar. And he walked up to her.'

Continuing, Sophie interjected: 'I said, "I'm engaged."

Laughter is best: The Alias alum smiled and laughed as he talked to someone on the phone

'And he said, "Where's your fiance?" and I said, "He's downstairs."

'I ran away, I got so nervous. I went bright red - my whole body. I'm not normally a nervous person.

'I was waiting in the queue to go to the loo by the way and I was so desperate but I didn't even end up going.

'My chat was shocking - I do replay it in my head sometimes - thinking, "Why didn't I say this or this?" I'm so lame. I was like, "Oh no I'm engaged", I could've just been like it's an open relationship.'

Jumping in, Jamie quickly reassured listeners the pair were not in an open relationship.
Sharon Osbourne looked somber as she recently visited the Manchester cemetery where her father Don Arden is buried - 15 years after his death.

The star, 70, who was estranged from Arden for 20 years before reconciling in 2001 - was joined by a camera crew as she filmed scenes for reality show, Home To Roost - documenting her and husband Ozzy Osbourne's move home to the UK from the United States.

Sharon wore a black coat and fuchsia slacks as she arrived to pay her respects, accompanied by loved ones.

Arden died on July 21, 2007 aged 81 following a battle with Alzheimer's disease. Sharon did not attend his funeral, with a source telling The Sun at the time she was 'too traumatized to attend.'

Sharon and Ozzy met when she was just 18-years-old through Don, who was the manager of Osbourne's metal band Black Sabbath.

Tragic loss: Sharon Osbourne looked somber as she recently visited the Manchester cemetery where her father Don Arden is buried - 15 years after his death

Rocky bond: The star, 70 was estranged from Arden for 20 years before reconciling in 2001 (pictured 2002)

She entered into a relationship with Osbourne and took over his management, which infuriated Arden.

It was claimed that when Sharon next visited Don, she was savaged by his pet dogs, causing her to lose her unborn child.

She married Osbourne and she and Don did not speak for 20 years.

Sharon had thrown soup over the woman Don had begun an extramarital relationship with in Hollywood in the early Eighties (leaving Sharon's mother to live alone in England) and once even tried to run over Don in her car  as Ozzy cowered in the passenger seat.

For his part, Don had sued Sharon for millions when she took Ozzy away from his record label, Jet, and threatened her.

'There were times when I was on the floor crying and shaking because he'd threatened to come over to the house and kill me,' she once told me.

'He's an evil old bastard and I can't wait for him to die.'

She has described Don as 'notoriously violent' in the past.

Sighting: Sharon wore a black coat and fuchsia slacks as she arrived to pay her respects, accompanied by loved ones

Respects: Arden died on July 21, 2007 following a battle with Alzheimer's disease. Sharon did not attend his funeral, with a source telling The Sun at the time she was 'too traumatized to attend'

Chat: The star was seen speaking with loved ones during the visit

Group: The star was filming scenes for her new reality series

Camera crew: A cameraman was seen readying for the day

Indeed, as far as Sharon and Ozzy's three children  Aimee, Kelly and Jack  were concerned, their grandfather was already dead.

'I told them that because I didn't want him anywhere near them and I certainly didn't want them seeing him,' Sharon explained.

Once, after they had all watched from a car as Sharon screamed obscenities at her father in the street, she told her baffled children that the white-haired old man she was yelling at was Tony Curtis (a friend of Don and 'just the first name that came into my head').

When her brother David called her with news that Don, now in his mid-70s, had been diagnosed as suffering from the early stages of Alzheimer's, she had decided the time was right for a reconciliation.

When Don agreed, 'everyone was very nervous', David told me. 'But as soon as the two of them were together in the same room again, the bad feelings just melted away.'

Determined to do something for her ailing father, Sharon encouraged Don to finish his memoirs, a project he had been working on sporadically for five years.

Sharon and David laterr stopped speaking after they fell out over where to lay their father to rest following his 2007 death.
Coronation Street's Daisy Midgeley (Charlotte Jordan) was dealt another blow during Friday evening's episode as her stalker Justin amped up the ante.

Over recent weeks, the influencer has been stalked and bombarded with uncomfortable messages from Justin - who left her shaken up with chilling threats at the end of the new episode.

And crossing paths with one another in the street earlier, she sees Justin with flowers in his hands - assuming he is coming to give them to her.

Coming face-to-face with one another, Daisy fights back at Justin and even swings at him, punching him in the cheek before throwing down the flowers and stomping on them.

But as it's then revealed that the flowers were actually for his late mother, she is left in tears after being blamed for hitting out at him by onlookers.

Coming to blows: Coronation Street's Daisy was left in tears as she lashed out and punched her stalker Justin during Friday's episode

Furious: She fought back at Justin and even swung at him, punching him in the cheek

Later discussing the incident with fiance Daniel Osbourne in the pub, things go from bad to worse as the police arrive to inform her that Justin has issued an assault complaint for the punch.

Despite complying and talking over the incident with the police, Daisy is then informed that Justin has dropped his complaint and taken full responsibility.

But things didn't stop there as Justin later came to talk to Daisy, with Daniel accompanying her for the chat.

'I hate what happened earlier, I should never have called the police, now we have to make it right. I'm willing to give you another chance Daisy,' said Justin.

With his delusions making her even more angry, Daisy responded: 'I knew you were deluded, but this is just a whole new level. You're nothing to me, you never will be.'

But things took a turn later as Justin managed to corner Daisy in the street during her walk home from work, leaving her shaking with fear.

'I know you only said what you said because he [Daniel] was there, I love you,' said Daniel in the street.

Scared and angry, Daisy replies: Stop it, I said stop it. If this carries on I am taking out a protection order, Ive already started the process

Getting physical: As the pair crossed paths in the street, Daisy saw Justin with flowers in his hands - assuming he was coming to give them to her

Questioned: Later, things go from bad to worse as the police arrive to inform her that Justin has issued an assault complaint for the punch

This left Justin furious as he got close to Daisy and threatened: 'After all Ive put up with, you self-centred ungrateful b***h, you led me on.

The pair were interruped by worried onlookers who checked in, with Justin fleeing off as Daisy was left shaking with fear.

Set to take an even more serious turn, it has been reported that Daisy will be the victim of a horrific acid attack.

As reported by The Mirror, Justins depravity will stoop to a new low as he throws acid at Daisy in The Rovers.

Bosses at ITV are said to be hoping to raise awareness on the subject matter, with the storyline being written alongside with several research partners.

Fans rushed to Twitter to share their empathy for Daisy, as one penned: 'Daisy, I just want to hug her'.

'Daisys being questioned for assaulting Justin but no one has arrested Justin for stalking & harassing daisy? Really?!' added another.
She is an Instagram sensation boasting just shy of 20million followers.

And Demi Rose looked sensational as she shared a slew of sizzling throwback snaps from her trip to Egypt on Thursday.

The model, 27, sent temperatures soaring in a plunging plunging blue gown complete with daring thigh-high split.

She put on a busty display in the embroidered frock, while accessorising with several necklaces.

Demi wrapped a long pashmina scarf around her neck as she posed up a storm for the camera.

The beauty opted for a bronzed makeup palette which accentuated her natural features, teamed with a glossy nude lip.

Sensational: Demi Rose looked sensational as she shared a slew of sizzling throwback snaps from her trip to Egypt on Thursday

Hot stuff: The model sent temperatures soaring in a plunging plunging blue gown complete with daring thigh-high split

Demi tied back her long brunette locks waves as she explored historic looking buildings.

Slipping her feet into knee-high cowboy boots she captioned the stunning snaps: 'Magical Mornings'.

It comes after Demi was happy to arrive back home in Ibiza earlier this month after her extended trip to Egypt - despite only now sharing these pictures from her trip.

The model shared a series of photos of her last shoot in the Middle East before she headed back to Ibiza, with a quick stop off in London.

She shared one last sizzling snap from her Red Sea stay, fashioning a barely-there outfit out of a piece of fabric as she posed on a balcony.

'Bliss' Demi captioned the photo as she pulled off a seductive pose and perfect pout.

Then it was time to catch a flight, with Demi landing in London where she underwent some cosmetic treatments.

Then finally the star was on her way to Ibiza, which she currently calls home.

Style: Demi wrapped a long pashmina scarf around her neck as she posed up a storm for the camera

Stunning: She captioned the snaps 'Magical mornings'

Saucy: In other snaps from the trip she went underwear free below a flowing maxi skirt

After touching down, the social media model couldn't resist a welcome home shoot, stripping down to black lace lingerie.

Sharing selfies in the mirror, Demi flaunted her curves in a strapless bra, playfully pouting for the camera.

'There's no place like home' Demi gushed as she also shared a look at the incredible landscape near her Ibiza home.

Demi, who was once romantically linked to rapper Tyga, recently opened up about her sexuality and her troubled childhood in a candid Instagram Q&A.

Sizzling: It comes after Demi was happy to arrive back home in Ibiza last week after her extended trip to Egypt as she posed in a lace black bra on her Instagram Story

The model has not previously discussed her sexuality but admitted to her followers that she is open to dating women.

Asked 'Boys, girls or both?' by a follower, she responded: 'I went through a phase of liking girls more than guys. Now I'm more into guys. It just depends.'

Detailing what she's looking for in partner she went on to share that she's on the hunt for someone 'inspiring, honest, well put together, a deep soul that's open minded, kind, ambitious and thoughtful'.
Geordie Shore has reportedly been AXED after 12 years on screens.

The MTV reality show - which followed the lives of partying stars such as Vicky Pattison and Charlotte Crosby in Newcastle - has been pulled amid plummeting ratings, The Sun claims.

The series started in 2011 and has produced hosts of celebrities and influencers including Marnie Simpson , Holly Hagan and Sophie Kasaei.

A source told the publication of the axing: 'MTV chiefs have decided the time has come to call it a day on Geordie Shore.

'The already commissioned series, which is the show's 24th, will go ahead with filming kicking off this weekend and the reunion will go ahead as planned later this summer.

'But once those have been filmed MTV have decided to rest the series and will not be commissioning any more. Think of it as resting the format rather than cancelling it out right.'

And as the reality stars gear up to film their last ever series of Geordie Shore, MailOnline takes a look at the wildest moments of all time.

Sad times: Geordie Shore has reportedly been AXED after 12 years on screens (the cast are pictured)

The end: The MTV reality show - which followed the lives of partying stars such as Vicky Pattison and Charlotte Crosby in Newcastle - has been pulled amid plummeting ratings

Shocking: As the reality stars gear up to film their last ever series of Geordie Shore, MailOnline takes a look at the wildest moments of all time - including violent fights and weeing the bed

Charlotte and Marnie's 'mother of all cat fights'

The Geordie Shore house has seen its fair share of catfights over the years.

But the MTV reality show featured one of the most violent arguments to date when Charlotte Crosby and Marnie Simpson came to blows in an almighty clash.

Charlotte lashed out at the brunette beauty for kissing house newcomer Marty McKenna, mere hours after he had pulled her close pal Chloe Ferry.

Marnie's lack of apology for her actions and shouting at Chloe rubbed Charlotte up the wrong way and to quote Holly the girls: 'launched themselves at each other like two rockets in space'.

Brutal: The MTV reality show featured one of the most violent arguments to date when Charlotte Crosby and Marnie Simpson came to blows in an almighty clash

Charlotte's shock exit in 2016 after Gaz cheated

Charlotte shocked viewers when she quit Geordie Shore following claims love interest Gary 'Gaz' Beadle slept with Ex on the Beach star Jemma Lucy.

During her call, it's claimed the reality star insisted on handing in her notice and has told her friends that she is done with Gary for good.

'Gaz bedding Lucy came as a total shock to Charlotte's system - she's devastated,' a source told The Sun.

They added: 'What's making it worse is that she knows their romp will be shown on TV later this year and she won't be able to avoid it.

'She is very, very upset and angry with Gary right now - and she thinks quitting Geordie Shore is the only way she'll ever truly get to move on with her life.'

Charlotte was going through an ectopic pregnancy at the time, which is when a fertilised egg implants itself outside of the womb, usually in the fallopian tube, meaning a baby is unable to develop and leaving the mother's health in danger.

She recently admitted she hasn't forgiven ex Gary Beadle after she went through the ectopic pregnancy alone while he was filming Ex On The Beach.

The end: Charlotte shocked viewers when she quit Geordie Shore following claims love interest Gary 'Gaz' Beadle slept with Ex on the Beach star Jemma Lucy

Charlotte and Chloe have sex

Things took a raunchy turn in Geordie Shore when Charlotte and Chloe Ferry engaged in a very racy sex act on the show in April 2016.

Charlotte, who was in an on/off relationship with co-star Gaz, explains what happened between the pair, following a drunken night out together, during the next episode.

She said: 'So me and Chloe are in the double bed and this is perfectly acceptable. I share a bed with Holly every single night. But we're naked! But that's fine, it's hot in here.

'Now we're kissing, this is strange. Chloe's slipping to the bottom of the bed. What are you doing? OH!'

The next morning in the girls' room, Chantelle asked them: 'Girls, what the f*** were yous doing last night?'

Charlotte and Holly burst out laughing.

OMG! Things took a raunchy turn in Geordie Shore when Charlotte and Chloe engaged in a very racy sex act on the show in April 2016

Chloe attacking Zahida Allen

Chloe was shown the door on the MTV series after she aggressively lashed out at housemate Zahida Allen during their first night on the town.

An inside source told the paper that the reality star began 'kicking the new girl in the head' when she saw her holding hands with her ex Marty.

The eyewitness explained: 'Chloe was completely mortal. She kicked off in the club after seeing Marty holding hands with Zahida. She was totally radge.'

Admitting it had been a usually wild night for the crew, the source continued: 'Chloe had been drinking all night and just lost it. She was kicked out and sent home in a cab.'

However matters soon turned sour as the girls came face-to-face back at the Geordie Shore house - where Chloe reportedly unleashed her rage.

The insider continued: 'All of a sudden Zahida was cowering on the floor as Chloe began kicking her in the head.'

The rival: Chloe was shown the door on the MTV series after she aggressively lashed out at housemate Zahida Allen (pictured) during their first night on the town

Fight: An inside source told the paper that the reality star began 'kicking the new girl in the head' when she saw her holding hands with her ex Marty

Charlotte weeing on Gary

It's been well documented in the past that Charlotte has had issues with her bladder, having wet the bed en route to winning Celebrity Big Brother in 2013, when entering Ex On The Beach and even while bouncing on a trampoline sober.

After a drunken night in the famous CCTV house, a dishevelled Charlotte moaned: 'I've weed me bed' while lying next to ex Gary.

She added: 'It's a disaster, I'm having a disaster and I'm lying on it.'

After their split, Gary appeared to aim a dig at Charlotte through a fan Q&A in his Daily Star column.

The reality star star was asked what his worst sexual experience was, and replied: 'There was one time when the girl p****d the bed'

Hilarious: After a drunken night in the famous CCTV house, a dishevelled Charlotte moaned: 'I've weed me bed' while lying next to ex Gary

Holly trashes the entire house after explosive fight with Kyle

Holly Hagan is best known for her Geordie Shore tantrums when she's had a few too many.

Holly and her ex-boyfriend Kyle Christie often got into explosive fights on the show during their on-off relationship.

The pair appeared to be happier than ever after a night out, with viewers thinking the bad times were behind them.

But it descended into carnage, as Holly was left in tears following a huge fight.

She proceeded to trash the entire house, leaving it in chaos and forcing her to stay behind and clean up the whole of the next day.

Drama: After Holly and ex-boyfriend Kyle got into an explosive fight she trashed the entire house

Vicky Pattison and Ricci Guarnaccio's awkward engagement

They never had an easy ride of things when it came to their explosive relationship.

But Vicky Pattison and Ricci Guarnaccio overcame all the obstacles in their way and got engaged while filming the third series of the show in Cancun, Mexico.

The pair didn't make it down the aisle and called time on their relationship - which Ricci says was filled with 'constant fighting' - shortly after.

Despite there being an attraction between the couple, Vicky was involved with someone else at the time, which stopped them from starting a relationship.

However, as things heated up, Vicky decided to end her relationship with her boyfriend to concentrate on making a go of it with Ricci.

But, as is the way on the Geordie Shore, after an idyllic few weeks, things turned rocky again when Ricci caused issues by telling Vicky he wanted to go to a strip club with his friends.

The argument caused a brief split but the pair soon rekindled their romance and are now happier than ever.
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Riot in Indonesia's Papua leaves 10 dead
South Korean delegates pose with U.S. officials inside the USS West Virginia, a U.S. Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine, during their visit to the nuclear submarine training facilities at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia. Courtesy of South Korea's Ministry of Defense



US considers deploying nuclear-powered aircraft carrier for drills in South Korea next month



By Jung Min-ho



South Korea and the United States have conducted a tabletop exercise on responding to possible North Korean nuclear attacks and reaffirmed pledges to do so every year as part of their joint efforts to reinforce deterrence capabilities, the allies said in a statement, Friday (KST).



In addition, Washington is also considering sending a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, among other strategic assets, to South Korea for Freedom Shield, a large-scale combined exercise planned for next month, military sources said.



"Both sides affirmed that the alliance stands ready to respond to the DPRK's (North Korea) nuclear threats," the South Korean and U.S. delegations said in the statement after the drill, known as DSC TTX, at the Pentagon. "The U.S. side highlighted that its 2022 Nuclear Posture Review states, "any nuclear attack by North Korea against the United States or its allies and partners is unacceptable and will result in the end of that regime."



During that exercise, the allies discussed ways to maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula, including "potential options" in the case of North Korea's nuclear weapons use.









"The United States will continue to field flexible nuclear forces suited to deterring regional nuclear conflict, including the capability to forward deploy strategic bombers, dual-capable fighter aircraft, and nuclear weapons to the region," the U.S. delegation said in the statement. "The United States will continue to work with the ROK (South Korea) to ensure an effective mix of capabilities, concepts, deployments, exercises, and tailored options to deter and, if necessary, respond to coercion and aggression by the DPRK."



After the DSC TTX, the delegations visited nuclear submarine training facilities in Georgia, where they were briefed on the mission of Ohio-class nuclear-powered submarines, which act as virtually undetectable undersea launch platforms for intercontinental ballistic missiles.





This photo, released Friday by North Korea's state media, shows the military test-firing a cruise missile during shooting drills in Kim Chaek in North Hamgyong Province, Thursday. Yonhap



The very same day, North Korea announced that it test-fired four long-range cruise missiles in waters off its eastern coast in its latest provocation.



The launches, confirmed by South Korea's military, were intended to verify the reliability of the missiles and "war posture" of North Korea's nuclear combat unit, according to its state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).



"The four strategic cruise missiles precisely hit the preset target on the East Sea of Korea after traveling the 2,000 kilometer-long elliptical and eight-shaped flight orbits for 10,208 seconds to 10,224 seconds," the KCNA said of the weapons drills conducted the previous day in Kim Chaek, a city in North Hamgyong Province. "The drill clearly demonstrated once again the war posture of the DPRK nuclear combat force bolstering in every way its deadly nuclear counterattack capability against the hostile forces."



Speaking to The Korea Times, Shin Jong-woo, a senior researcher at the Korea Defense and Security Forum, a think tank, said the range of the missiles was 200 kilometers longer than the ones test-launched on Jan. 25, 2022. Given North Korea's message that followed and the timing of the DSC TTX, he believes the North was sending a warning to the U.S. forces stationed in Japan.





U.S. B-1B bombers fly in formation with South Korea's F-35A fighter jets and U.S. F-16 fighter jets over South Korean waters during a joint air drill, Feb. 19. Courtesy of South Korea's Ministry of Defense
KAI CEO Kang Gu-young, right, and Datuk Muez bin Abd Aziz, secretary general of Malaysia's defense ministry, sign the FA-50 aircraft deal in the ministry office in Malaysia, Friday. Courtesy of KAI



By Jung Min-ho



Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the nation's sole aircraft maker, has won a 1.2 trillion won ($920 million) deal to export 18 FA-50 light attack aircraft to Malaysia, the company announced Friday.



KAI signed the contract with Malaysia's defense ministry after beating rival bidders, including India's Tejas, Pakistan's JF-17, Russia's MIG-35 and Turkey's Hurizet. The achievement is the company's latest expansion into the Southeast Asian market after Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.



At the request of Malaysia, KAI will modify the model by adding an aerial refueling system and expanding its weapons capacity, a KAI official told The Korea Times. The goal is to start delivering them in 2026.



Malaysia is considering procuring an additional 18 FA-50 aircraft, the company noted.



KAI attributed the success to the superior quality of its aircraft and the follow-up support, which has been demonstrated in partner countries.



Buoyed by the latest good news, KAI is trying to expand its overseas business to other parts of the world including the United States and Australia.



Last year, the Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province-based company signed a deal to export 48 FA-50s to Poland.



In 2022, KAI's sales surged to 2.78 trillion won from 2.56 trillion won the previous year. This year, it aims to boost the amount to 3.83 trillion won.




Andhra Pradesh finance minister Buggana Rajendranath speaks at the Hyderabad Industry meet (Photo by arrangement)

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh finance minister Buggana Rajendranath on Friday assured investors that the decision to have three capitals for the state had the backing of statute and would address regional aspirations of the people. "It is a decision that will keep people from all the three regions happy and ensure stability," he said.

The minister was speaking at a road show organised here as part of preparations for ensuing global investment summit in Visakhapatnam March 3 and 4. The Sivaramakrishna committee appointed under the AP Reorganisation Act that was passed by the highest legislative body in the country  Parliament  had made a strong recommendation for decentralisation of administration.

Earlier too there were pacts like the Gentlemens Agreement, Sree Bagh Agreement entered into for meeting regional aspirations, he said.

The minister ruled out a power shortage in Andhra Pradesh and said the state was power surplus. "The greatest advantage is that we have a strong presence of renewable energy and are taking a giant leap in creating pump storage which plays crucial role in the era of hydrogen fuel," he said. "People can come and invest now and get the early bird advantage," he said.

On why an investor should think about Andhra Pradesh as the destination, the minister said the eco-system for several sectors like pharma, aqua, food processing, automobile and renewable energy was in place and in addition to it the state would provide best road, rail and air connectivity. "We are the gateway for Asean trade, Rajendranath pointed out. The government had kept 48,000 acres of land with clear title for immediate allotment to industries, he said adding that land bank of another one lakh acres was also identified.

The minister said; "Our focus is on building Visakhapatnam as the next global IT destination. Andhra Pradesh is the only state with three industrial corridors i.e Visakhapatnam-Chennai, Chennai-Bengaluru and Hyderabad-Bengaluru". Drawing comparisons, the minister said since the state is land-locked, Andhra Pradesh with six ports would be suitable for export oriented industries.

CII-Telangana vice-chairman C. Sekhar Reddy, AP bureaucrats K. Sunitha, Sagil Shanmohan, Dr Srijana Gummalla, Bharat Thota and APTPC chairman Ravichandra Reddy were present.
Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera. (Photo: Twitter)

The timely and resolute intervention of the Supreme Court to prevent the incarceration of Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera for cases registered against him over his comment that was critical of the Prime Minister has spared our blushes seeing as we call ourselves the oldest democracy in the world.

The court was categorical in its response  while registering its disapproval of the statement by Mr Khera, reminding him that a certain decorum needs to be maintained in public discourse, it held that the charges against him were unmaintainable and directed the magistrate to grant him bail. It also issued notices to the Uttar Pradesh and Assam governments to submit their opinions on Mr Kheras appeal to club the various first information reports filed against him in these states.

As admitted by Mr Kheras lawyer in the court, and the Chief Justice himself suggests, Mr Kheras comment leaves a bad taste in the mouth. He and his party may believe that the government favoured a particular corporate but they should realise that making disparaging remarks against an elected PM is not the way to advance their argument against policies made or administrative actions taken or not taken by his government. As a political party in the Opposition, the Congress job is to explain and expose misdeeds of the government before the people. This is precisely why lowering the standard of discourse cannot be a part of its project.

That said, one cannot lose sight of how the BJP government at the Centre is using legal provisions to silence its critics. The Supreme Court was last year forced to suspend the operation of the Raj-era sedition law, Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code, after it was seen being repeated invoked against dissenters. The Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation have, meanwhile, rendered themselves to be puppets in the hands of the establishment.

One condemnable tactic of the ruling party and its constituents is that organisations cause multiple FIRs to be filed against their opponents in various courts across the country. This is a gross abuse of jurisprudence. It is not the first time that the Supreme Court has stepped in to pre-empt this mode of harassment of citizens. The court must now consider putting in place a foolproof mechanism to end this once and for all as not all those in the dock can afford the services of top-notch lawyers.

The leaders of the BJP, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, must know very well how the government sought to muzzle Opposition voices in the country during the Emergency and how the people of India punished it at the first opportunity.

It cannot be overemphasised that democracy is all about dialogue and debate, and that people from all over the political spectrum must be shown a way to participate in these exercises just so that it may be successful and even when they speak words that the rulers may not like to hear. The BJP is a beneficiary of the same democratic process and hence it is its duty not to let this right be trampled upon.
Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup, left, and his Polish counterpart, Mariusz Blaszczak, attend a test firing of K9 self-propelled howitzers at an artillery range in Torun, Poland, Feb. 23. Yonhap



The defense chiefs of South Korea and Poland have agreed to launch a ministerial dialogue on arms industry cooperation and joint military drills during their talks in Warsaw, Seoul's defense ministry said Friday.



Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and his Polish counterpart, Mariusz Blaszczak, met Thursday, as the two countries seek to deepen security cooperation on the back of last year's deals for the South to supply tanks, howitzers and fighter jets to Poland.



They agreed to create the regular consultative body to "systematically" manage defense and arms industry cooperation between the two countries. The two sides plan to discuss its makeup and modus operandi in a "swift" manner, according to the ministry.



They also agreed to hold joint military drills to share their respective experiences in operating Korean-made weapons, and strengthen "interoperability" between the two militaries, it added.



Bilateral arms industry cooperation deepened last year as the South inked deals to supply Warsaw with K9 self-propelled howitzers, K2 battle tanks and FA-50 light attack aircraft.



Blaszczak said his country plans to continue to introduce South Korean weapons systems, and noted the need for "strategic and long-term" cooperation, according to the ministry.



Lee made a proposal to craft an arms industry cooperation model beneficial for both sides, such as one that would help Poland advance its defense technologies and South Korea secure a "bridgehead" to tap into the European arms market.



The ministers later visited an artillery range in Torun to observe a live-fire demonstration by K9 howitzers with shells manufactured by a Polish company. (Yonhap)


Edappadi K. Palaniswami (PTI)

Though vignettes from the lakeside resort at Koovathur, 80 km south of Chennai, in 2017 were not that complimentary to Edappadi K. Palaniswami despite his walking out of the premises as the chief minister designate, he managed to shrug off that image of a V.K. Sasikala acolyte soon. With Ms Sasikala holding the reins of AIADMK after the passing of its legendary leader J. Jayalalithaa on December 5, 2016, Mr Palaniswami had to kowtow to her. But he soon proved wrong the naysayers, who were sceptical of him emerging as a leader in his own right to keep the AIADMK flock together despite his long association with the party as MP, MLA, minister and so on.

Now if the partys cadre rally around Mr Palaniswami without any question it is because he turned out to be politically savvy, making the right moves at the right moment. Soon after Ms Sasikala was packed off to prison, he threw her out along with nephew T.T.V. Dinakaran, and magnanimously re-admitted O. Panneerselvam back to the party. But for Mr Panneerselvams open attempt to scuttle Ms Sasikalas ascendency to the chief ministers throne by staging a "Dharma Yudham" at the memorial of Ms Jayalalithaa, Mr Palaniswami might not have got the opportunity at Koovathur.

EPS wished to complete his term as chief minister without ruffling any feathers though he knew of Mr Panneerselvams aspirations to be CM and party head, which led him to rebel against Ms Sasikala. So Mr Palaniswami waited and struck at his rival after consolidating his position within the party by winning over the functionaries and leaders. Then he overcame the legal challenges valiantly to come out as the undisputed supremo of AIADMK. But to prove himself as a worthy successor of M.G. Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa, he may have to come out of the trappings of BJP. A tall order, that Mr Palaniswami might just accomplish, given his latest manoeuvres in the run up to the by-elections to Erode East.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that if the country has to rise like an "economic tiger", lawmakers must rise above personal likes and dislikes, as he chaired a high-level National Apex Committee meeting to formulate a strategy to deal with the rising incidents of terror attacks.

The meeting was attended by a raft of high-profile members from the political and military establishment.

Prime Minister Sharif criticised Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for skipping an apex committee meeting held last month.

After the Peshawar incident, I invited all political stakeholders but they [PTI] did not consider it appropriate to participate in the huddle and they are still trying to resolve matters on the streets, he said.

On January 30, a Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up during the afternoon prayers in a mosque in Peshawar, killing 101 people and injuring more than 200 others.

The suicide bomber disguised himself in a police uniform to sneak into the high-security zone and was riding a motorcycle with a helmet and mask on, police said.

For the sake of prosperity, we must sit down and resolve the matter amicably but unfortunately one segment is still trying to sabotage the matters, which is condemnable, Sharif said.

If we want to make Pakistan an economic tiger then we must rise above personal likes and dislikes, he added.

Speaking on the precarious security situation in the country, Prime Minister Sharif said NACTA has become a "dormant institution," and the time was ripe to replace it with the National Action Plan (NAP).

The NAP was devised by the then governors of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)following the heinous Army Public School attack in Peshawar in 2014, in which over 130 students were killed.

The attack was orchestrated by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Friday's meeting comes after Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and the Director General of the country's spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt. General Nadeem Anjum met the top brass of the Afghanistan Taliban regime in Kabul to discuss the rise in terror attacks in Pakistan masterminded by the TTP.

Pakistan has been hit by a wave of terrorism, mostly in the country's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, but also in Balochistan, the Punjab town of Mianwali, which borders the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and also in the Sindh province.

During the Apex Committee meeting held last month, Pakistans civil and military leadership decided to seek Afghan Taliban chief Haibuttallah Akhundzadas intervention to control the TTP.

In November last year, the TTP called off an indefinite ceasefire agreed with the government in June 2022 and ordered its militants to carry out attacks on the security forces.

Pakistan hoped that the Afghan Taliban after coming to power would stop the use of their soil against Pakistan by expelling the TTP operatives but they have apparently refused to do so at the cost of straining ties with Islamabad.

The TTP, set up as an umbrella group of several militant outfits in 2007, called off a ceasefire with the federal government and ordered its militants to stage terrorist attacks across the country.

The group, which is believed to be close to Al-Qaeda, has been blamed for several deadly attacks across Pakistan, including an attack on army headquarters in 2009, assaults on military bases, and the 2008 bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad.
Pakistan's Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday his country has received $700 million funds from the China Development Bank.

Beijing approved the refinancing for the South Asian nation this week.
A man has been returned for trial to Derry Crown Court on charges linked to an incident where a police officer was carried on the bonnet of a vehicle.

Adam McMonagle (29) with an address as Hall Lane in London appeared at a preliminary enquiry at Derry Magistrate's Court today.

He was charged with attempting to cause grievous bodily injury to a police officer on May 2 last year.

He was also charged with dangerous driving on the same date and two charges of assault, one of them on a police officer.

It was accepted there was a case to answer and there were no contrary submissions.

McMonagle said he did not want to call any witnesses or make any statement at this stage.

He was returned for trial to Derry Crown Court on March 24 and released on bail.
A student at the Ulster University at Magee has been jailed at Derry Magistrate's Court today for 'scaring the living daylights' out of two females he was sharing a house with.

Daniel Ianko (22) with an address in Tralee County Kerry admitted two counts of assault against two females on January 30 and a charge of criminal damage on the same date.

The court earlier heard that police were called to Argyle Terrace to student accommodation where a male was acting aggressively.

They found two females in 'hysterics' who threw a bunch of keys down so police could let themselves into the property.

They found Ianko banging loudly on the bedroom door where the two females were.

The injured parties told police they only knew the defendant a matter of days and earlier in evening he had been 'acting odd' and making sexist remarks towards them and drinking from a bottle of vodka.

When one of the females was in the bathroom Ianko tried to gain entry.

Afterwards the females went to challenge him about that and found him urinating against a wall.

He began' shouting aggressively' towards them and waving his fists about leading the females to believe they were going to be assaulted.

Ianko took his shirt off and wrapped it around his fist and was 'using aggressive and foul language'.

The women locked themselves in a room and called the police.

Damage estimated at 200 was caused by Ianko.

The court heard that Ianko had no record in this jurisdiction but had 33 previous convictions in the Republic.

At today's hearing a defence barrister, Sinead Rogan, said her client wished to waive his right to a pre-sentence report.

She asked the court to allow the defendant to return to his family.

She said that the defendant was going to lose his place at university due to the incident where he had been studying drama.

District Judge Barney McElholm said that these were 'serious matters' and added that the defendant had 'a relevant violent record' and he would prefer to have a pre-sentence report.

However, he said he could not force Ianko to complete a report.

Ms Rogan said that her client wanted the case dealt with without a report.

Judge McElholm said that this man had scared the living daylights out of these two girls.

He said something similar had happened with his daughter because 'some English thug had not liked her accent.'

Ianko was jailed for three months and ordered to pay 200 in compensation.

A Restraining Order was also imposed prohibiting the accused coming within 5 miles of Derry City Centre.
District Judge Barney McElholm has said that police officers should not have to go to work 'in the expectation that they will be assaulted before the day is over.'

He was speaking at Derry Magistrate's Court today as he ordered a local man to pay an officer 1,000 in compensation.

Joseph O'Hagan (33) of Cornshell Fields in Derry appeared charged with assaulting police and a series of driving offences including dangerous driving and driving while unfit on July 4 last.

The court heard that police were called to a report of a hit and run in the Rosemount area where a woman who was driving signalled to stop and another car collided with her.

The car made off and the woman followed him before he parked.

The woman confronted O'Hagan and asked for insurance details but the defendant refused and drove away going the wrong way round a roundabout.

When the car was located open bottles of wine could be seen in the vehicle.

Police attended O'Hagan's address and he confronted police 'in an aggressive manner'.

He then headbutted the window of the police vehicle and spat at an officer telling him he had Covid.

At interview he denied drinking while driving and said he had taken alcohol after the incident.

Defence counsel Sinead Rogan said that these were 'a nasty set of offences'.

She said her client accepted full responsibility and said the background was 'alcohol related'.

The barrister said that O'Hagan was 'moving away from alcohol.'

Judge McElholm said that he didn't know where people felt they had the right to assault police officers.

He said this man had 'spat in the face of an officer quite deliberately'.

He sentenced O'Hagan to six months in prison suspended for 3 years, disqualified him from driving for 18 months and fined him 200.

He also ordered O'Hagan to pay 1,000 in compensation to the officer and said no one should 'have to suffer this type of behaviour at their work.'

The judge said that O'Hagan had come 'within millimetres of going to prison.'
More than 2,000 Ukrainians have been offered support in Northern Ireland since the Russian invasion a year ago.

The war has seen swathes of Ukrainians have to flee their homes due to the conflict.

The Executive Office has been running a sponsorship scheme in Northern Ireland where Ukrainians are hosted by local families.

Figures to this week ahead of the first anniversary of the war show that more than 1 million had been paid out in thank you payments to those families who have offered accommodation for Ukrainians.

Ian Snowden, who has been leading the Ukrainian Refugee Support Team in Northern Ireland, said 1,855 Ukrainians have arrived under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme and 276 have moved here under the Ukraine Family Scheme.

Soon after the war began it became clear that millions of Ukrainians needed urgent sanctuary, he said.

We have been working closely with public bodies, voluntary organisations and district councils to ensure the Ukrainian people who came here were offered the support they needed.

To date, 1,855 Ukrainians are known to have arrived here under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme and 276 Ukrainians have moved here under the Ukraine Family Scheme.

Ukrainians are now living in 671 properties which have been very generously provided by local people.

A total of 1,184,750 has also been paid in thank you payments to Homes for Ukraine hosts here to date.

Mr Snowden said one of the most importance sources of support for arriving Ukrainians has been the Ukraine assistance centres, which have been operating since early April.

Representatives from various organisations are available at the centres to offer advice on a range of issues including education, health, applying for benefits, housing and jobs, he said.

So far, there have been over 3,300 visits to the assistance centres by Ukrainians, which shows how valuable they have been over the past year.

As many of them are now settled here, we are looking at other ways we can offer support including helplines, online guides and support workers to help those with the most significant needs.

One year on, all the partners involved remain committed to doing all we can to help the Ukrainians who come here and we will continue to adapt our services to meet their needs for as long as the support is required.
A police officer has been treated in hospital for injuries after being dragged along the ground by a car in north Belfast.

The incident happened as police investigated a report of a car stolen from Cullybackey, Co Antrim on Thursday.

It was spotted in the forecourt area of a petrol station on the Antrim Road at around 9.30pm.

As officers approached the vehicle and spoke with the driver, he reversed at speed and dragged an officer along the ground before making off and colliding with another car, police said.

The officer sustained injuries to both his knees and hands and required hospital treatment, a PSNI spokesperson said.

It is completely unacceptable what happened and he was injured just for doing his job.

This is a prime example of dangerous and reckless driving and it could have had the most serious of consequences for our officer and the public.

Police received a further report that the vehicle had collided with another car on the Antrim Road and had been seen driving erratically.

Two men have been arrested.

Police have made an appeal for anyone who was in the area at the time and witnessed what happened or has dash-cam footage that could help with enquiries, to call police on 101, quoting reference number 1764 of 23/02/23.

Meanwhile in Co Tyrone, a PSNI vehicle was damaged in the Lifford Road area of Strabane after it was struck by an articulated lorry on Thursday evening.

The driver of the lorry, which had been reported stolen from the Donegal area, failed to stop for gardai in the Lifford Bridge area and drove off towards Strabane.

It failed to stop for police in Strabane, driving on and colliding with the back of a parked police vehicle causing some damage.

No officers were in the vehicle at the time.

A 37-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and handling stolen goods.

Police are working with the Garda and have appealed for anyone who captured dash cam footage to call 101 and quote 1894 23/02/23.
Rishi Sunak appears to be closing in on announcing a new post-Brexit deal for Northern Ireland, as Conservative MPs were ordered to be in Parliament on Monday.

The Prime Minister would be expected to hold final discussions over the Northern Ireland Protocol with the European Unions Ursula von der Leyen before making a formal announcement.

The PA news agency has been told that Tory MPs have received a three-line whip for Monday, meaning they must be in the Commons.

Cabinet ministers have been put on alert for a possible conference call over the weekend, according to The Times.

Mr Sunak has promised MPs that Parliament will be able to express its view over any deal, which he hopes will get the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to restore powersharing in Northern Ireland.

But he would come under intense pressure if he does not give them an explicit vote, amid fears there could be a rebellion from hardline Brexiteers.

A deal had been hoped for this week but Downing Street said on Friday that intensive discussions with the EU were ongoing.

Unusually, Downing Street declined to set out Mr Sunaks plans for the weekend, only saying that he was working in No 10 on Friday.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly indicated that ministers will not sign off on a deal over the protocol with Brussels until the DUPs concerns are addressed.

The protocol  signed by Boris Johnson in 2020  was designed to prevent a hard border with Ireland after Brexit.

But unionists have been incensed by the trade barriers it has created between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom.

Mr Cleverly told Times Radio: The things theyre concerned about, the things were concerned about, are absolutely in alignment and we are focused on resolving all the issues that need resolving.

Some of them are technical trade issues and very complicated and some of them are really simple but important principles, like Northern Irelands place as an integral part of the United Kingdom. And that sense of sovereignty, the importance of a democratic voice.

So when, hopefully, we get those issues resolved then I would hope that the DUP would recognise that weve addressed their concerns and until we have addressed those concerns were not going to sign off on the deal.

However, when asked again if the Government would not press ahead with a deal not backed by the DUP, he said: No, what Ive said is weve got to make sure that the issues theyve highlighted are addressed.

The DUP has issued seven tests to win its backing for any deal, including addressing what it calls the democratic deficit meaning the nation is subject to EU rules.

Meanwhile, Mr Johnson declined to say whether he would back any new deal negotiated by his successor Mr Sunak in the latest sign he could face a rebellion on the Tory backbenches.

Instead, the former prime minister backed as the best solution his Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which could effectively rip up parts of the agreement he brokered.

Mr Johnson told Sky News: I think that it is important to wait to see what there may be but I think the best way forward, as I said when I was running the Government, is the Northern Ireland Bill, which cleared the Commons very comfortably, I think unamended, when I was in office and only a few months ago.

So, I think that is the best way forward.

The Downing Street spokesman responded: Negotiations are continuing so there isnt a finalised deal for people to take a judgment on.
Address by Tanaiste, Micheal Martin TD, on Anniversary of Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Speech

Ambassador Gerasko, I am honoured to be here with you today.

In this iconic location 107 years ago, our republic was proclaimed.

Last December we marked 100 years since we began our journey as an independent, sovereign nation.

One of the guiding principles since our independence has been our belief in multilateralism, in the rule of law, in the principle of the sovereign equality of states and of friendly relations between nations.

One year ago today, the people of Ukraine were awakened in their sleep by a full-scale invasion by Russia.

The invasion was unprovoked, unlawful and unjustifiable.

For the last 365 days, Ukraine has fought day and night to protect itself and defend its people.

In so doing, it has been exercising its inherent and solemn right of self-defence against Russian aggression in accordance with international law and the UN Charter.

Ukraine has been subjected to a brutal and reckless campaign of violence, the likes of which has not darkened our shared continent in decades.

Russias invasion of a sovereign independent state is an affront to humanity and is being conducted with flagrant disregard for international law.

The illegal and immoral actions carried out daily by the forces of the Russian Federation on the sovereign territory of Ukraine are the actions of a rogue state.

Ireland is a militarily neutral country.

But we are not politically or morally neutral in the face of violations of international law and war crimes. Quite the opposite. Our position is informed by the principles that drive our foreign policy  support for international human rights, for humanitarian law and for a rules-based international order.

The right of all countries to choose their own path.

We are not neutral when Russia disregards all of these principles.

No, we stand with Ukraine.

That is why we are committed to promoting accountability for violations of international law arising out of Russias invasion of Ukraine.

As the first permanent international court with the power to prosecute atrocity crimes, the International Criminal Court plays a crucial role in fighting impunity for the sort of war crimes which have occurred, and continue to occur, in Ukraine.

Ireland has demonstrated our commitment to Justice by filing what is called a Declaration of Intervention in the case brought by Ukraine against Russia under the Genocide Convention at the International Court of Justice.

We are also one of a number of states that have applied to the European Court of Human Rights for leave to intervene as a third party in proceedings arising from the invasion of Ukraine.

And we support the establishment of an International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression in Ukraine in The Hague, which will be another important step in advancing accountability for what Russia is doing in Ukraine.

In July, I had the honour to make the first visit by an Irish head of Government to Ukraine and meet with President Zelenskyy in Kyiv; a vibrant and ancient city with roots extending back longer than any city in Ireland.

A city that was being pummelled mercilessly, but which continued to stand strong.

I travelled to Bucha and heard first-hand accounts from civilians of the brutality and violence visited upon men, women and children by occupying Russian forces.

And where Russias forces have been pushed back, we have seen the wanton destruction, and the uncovering of mass civilian graves.

The people of Ukraine are enduring wide-scale and systematic damage and destruction of infrastructure critical to the survival of the civilian population.

This is not so-called collateral damage. These tactics are designed explicitly and specifically to create terror among the women and children who remain.

And yet, the will and determination of the people of Ukraine remains unbowed and unbroken.

To those who have arrived here from Ukraine, I hope that you have found in Ireland safe harbour and friendship for as long as you need.

Most of you, I know, look forward to the day when you can return to a peaceful and free Ukraine, to the family and friends you have left behind.

That day will come.

In the meantime, our home is your home.

Ukraine is part of our shared European family. As Ireland celebrates 50 years since we joined the European Union, we know that EU membership is transformative.

Ukraine made the choice to submit a formal application for EU membership even in the dark hours of an invasion.

As Taoiseach, I argued strongly for Ukraine to be granted EU candidate status. As Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, I will continue to advocate strongly on your behalf.

Your cause is just.

Ireland will be with you every step of the way to EU membership, and you can always count on our support.

Slava Ukraini!

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Kim Myeong-ho, deputy director-general for Narcotics Safety Planning Division under the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, poses during an interview with The Korea Times at the newspaper's office in Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul





By Lee Hyo-jin







As drug crimes have become a major concern in Korea, the Yoon Suk Yeol administration declared a "war on drugs" in October last year. Hence, related ministries, including the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, are scrambling to develop countermeasures to regain the country's reputation as a "drug-free" nation.







Among the policymakers tasked with deterring drug offenses is Kim Myeong-ho, deputy director-general for the Narcotics Safety Planning Division under the drug ministry. The division was a temporary project team for four years, but in January, it earned the current position as a leading organization on drug policy.







When it comes to drug offenses, the government has so far prioritized punishment over rehabilitation. But Kim believes that Korea cannot win the war on drugs using only penalties and enforcement measures.







"In the last few months, there has been a major paradigm shift in our policies. Whereas previous measures were centered at tight monitoring and crackdowns on drug users, we are now focusing more on how to effectively treat and rehabilitate them," he said during an interview with The Korea Times at the newspaper's office, Wednesday.







"If you look at the drug policies in developed nations, drug addiction is regarded as a health-based issue. In other words, they believe that people with substance disorders need treatment and medical attention. We should go in that direction too."







The senior official said health-based policy measures should be carried out in line with existing criminal punishment measures.







Against this backdrop, the drug ministry will introduce comprehensive reduction measures in June, which will include support measures such as social integration and addiction prevention methods.







Moreover, the ministry is planning to establish one more state-run drug rehabilitation center by July  either in Gyeonggi Province or Chungcheong Province. Currently, there are only two such centers nationwide, one in Seoul and the other in Busan.







"Our ultimate goal is to launch a center in every one of the 17 provinces and metropolitan cities, where people struggling with addiction can receive well-structured rehab programs," Kim said. "We are also currently working to introduce integrated rehabilitation services in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Prosecutors' Office."







In the long term, the government is considering adopting a criminal justice system specifically handling drug offenders, similar to drug courts in the United States. The specialized courts offer individuals an opportunity to enter long-term drug treatment programs and court supervision, rather than receiving a jail sentence.







Fentanyl patches are seen in this illustration picture taken in 2020. Teenagers' misuse of fentanyl is among the most serious concerns for authorities. Korea Times file









In Korea, illicit drugs are classified into three categories: narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and cannabis. Psychotropic drugs such as propofol and zolpidem, as well as certain types of narcotics drugs including fentanyl and morphine, require a prescription by doctors.







Between 2019 and 2021, psychotropic drugs accounted for an average of 55 percent of total drug offenses. Narcotics drugs such as cocaine and heroin made up 24 percent and marijuana accounted for 21 percent.







According to Kim, the drug ministry regularly monitors a so-called "comprehensive drug monitoring system," a database that tracks prescriptions of controlled substances and drugs nationwide.







In the case of prescriptions that are suspected to be for non-medical purposes, the officials contact physicians and conduct on-site inspections of hospitals. Then, cases that are deemed as violations of the Narcotics Control Act are referred to law enforcement authorities.







This is how actor Yoo Ah-in was recently caught for alleged illegal use of propofol, Kim said. In a regular monitoring process, officials speculated that Yoo's prescription purchases, made from early 2021, for the sleep-inducing drug were "too frequent" to be considered as purely for medical purposes.







"Frankly speaking, we didn't know that the patient was Yoo before we sent the case to the police, because the monitoring system identified the actor by his real name," Kim said. Yoo's real name is Eom Hong-shik.







Nonetheless, some people questioned why Yoo's alleged misuse of drugs had gone unnoticed by the authorities for nearly two years, pointing to the ministry's lax control over prescription drugs.







Regarding this, Kim said, "Unfortunately, due to a lack of personnel, it took some time for us to detect the case. In order to speed up the monitoring process, we are planning to increase manpower and increase the system's monitoring capacity with an improved algorithm."







Kim also explained that a revision bill is under discussion at the National Assembly, aimed at obligating healthcare providers to check the comprehensive drug monitoring system before prescribing certain drugs.







Kim Myeong-ho, deputy director-general for the Narcotics Safety Planning Division under the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul





Soaring drug use among young people is another urgent issue Kim's division is trying to address. According to police data, the number of drug offenders in their teens to 30s has increased sharply in the past three years. It comprises 59 percent of the total convicted of drug crimes in 2021.







Teenagers' misuse of fentanyl is among the most serious concerns for authorities. Pharmaceutical fentanyl was developed as a pain management treatment for cancer patients and applied in the form of a patch on the skin. The synthetic opioid is 100 times stronger than morphine, and just two milligrams of it is considered a potentially lethal dose.







"Some teenagers seem to receive prescriptions by faking their symptoms, saying that they are in severe pain," Kim said. "We are currently developing various education programs using virtual reality technologies for minors in order to warn them about drug abuse."






gettyimagesbank



By Jun Ji-hye



Do you think that parents who ask restaurant staff to warm up baby food they have brought  either by microwave or hot water  are overly demanding?



This question has been sparking heated debate in online communities in recent days.



Some say the request asks too much of restaurant staff as baby food is purchased or cooked outside a restaurant. Others say such requests are acceptable if a restaurant does not sell food for babies.



The debate started with a post uploaded on Feb. 17 on the local online community Nate Pann. In the posting, a user who claimed to be a single woman talked about her friend who brought her baby to a friend's gathering and asked restaurant workers to warm up baby food and bring a teaspoon for the baby.



The user asked other people whether or not they thought her friend's behavior was acceptable.



The post drew great attention and was followed by other related posts.



Another user, who claimed to be an owner of a restaurant, wrote that parents who ask for baby food to be warmed up are unwelcome guests.



"I think such parents are demanding even though they ask restaurant workers nicely," the user wrote.



The user cited that the restaurant should take all responsibility for any accidents that occur within the place.



"For example, if the baby food is heated too much and the baby gets burned, I have to take responsibility for that according to laws," the user wrote. "Plus, I cannot claim compensation to parents even if the tablecloth in my restaurant gets dirty because of the baby food."



This was soon refuted by another user who also claimed to be a restaurant owner.



This user pointed out that the ongoing debate reflects a widespread hatred against parents and children.



"Those who eat baby food are usually babies between six and 12 months old. Many restaurants do not sell proper food for these young babies," the user wrote. "I hope parents with babies are not hurt by these debates."



Online commentators presented a variety of opinions about the issue. But the majority of people appeared to stand by parents with babies, citing that hatred against parents and babies has led to falling birthrates which are seen as one of the most serious problems facing the country.



"If people are more reluctant to give birth, there will be nobody to go to restaurants in the future," one commentator wrote.



Hatred against parents and babies has been a long debated topic here with the emergence of "no-kids" zones banning customers accompanied by children.



Supporters for such child-free venues cited the right to not be disturbed, while objectors say such venues harmed the basic rights of those affected.



In contrast, an increasing number of establishments equipped with facilities for children have started to emerge.



The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) has recently developed a policy to expand the so-called "okay zones" that welcome customers accompanied by children, offering financial support to restaurants that participate in the policy.




A prosecutor-turned-lawyer has been recommended as the new chief of the National Office of Investigation in charge of commanding police investigation forces nationwide, officials said Friday.







National Police Agency Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun recently recommended Chung Sun-sin, 57, to President Yoon Suk Yeol to replace Nan Gu-jun, whose term is set to expire Saturday, officials said.







Chung had worked for the prosecution for about 20 years and served as the head of the Institute of Justice's branch in Yongin, 40 kilometers south of Seoul. (Yonhap)


Dundalk-based Sing Li Foods have been selected as one of five producers across Ireland that will have their product stocked in SuperValu stores nationwide as part of SuperValus Taste of Local initiative, which highlights quality local Irish food and drink products in-store.

The much loved Sing Li foods offer a range of curry sauces, and their original curry paste has been selected for distribution at SuperValu stores across Ireland.

They are one of five producers from the Food Academy Programme, the business support programme for innovative food and drinks producers, to be stocked as Guest Stars in Taste of Local fixtures in SuperValu stores nationwide for three weeks, beginning on March 2nd.

The five products selected for nationwide distribution this March are: Chicory Root Syrup from Homespun, Co. Dublin; Belgian Chocolate Chip Cookies from West Cork Biscuits, Co. Cork; Curry Paste from Sing Li Foods, Co. Louth; Ginger Beer from Zingibeer, Co. Dublin and Original Gravy from Porter & Nash, Co. Dublin.

SuperValu said they are keen to shine a light on Irish-made produce, and offering this chance to sell their products nationwide is a huge opportunity for these small producers.

The SuperValu Taste of Local initiative showcases the producers who have gone through the Food Academy Programme as well as highlighting hyperlocal products that are unique to local stores.

The producers chosen to be stocked nationwide from March 2nd are part of the Food Academy programme in SuperValu which mentors budding entrepreneurs and producers giving them the tools to take their business to the next level.

Each one has demonstrated that they are ready to grow and being chosen as an in-store Guest Star means they will be exposed to new audiences.

Speaking about their Food Academy journey Sing Li Foods Co-Founder Owen Fee said: We joined Food Academy in 2015 and have found the entire experience brilliant, it has boosted our business and given us access to stores around Leinster.

We have learned so much from the Food Academys mentorship in terms of sales, distribution and social media, and even food tastings.

We started out running a chip van in Dundalk, our curry was particularly popular with customers who were always asking about purchasing the curry sauce to use at home, and we began supplying to local shops and restaurants around Dundalk.

Our curry paste is suitable for vegans and has a Chinese-inspired flavour  we were actually ahead of the big brands as one of the first to create a curry paste as opposed to a sauce.

We are over the moon to be chosen for Taste of Local, we are mainly supplying to North Leinster stores and restaurants, so the opportunity to reach customers nationwide is amazing.

Speaking about the launch of the five Guest Stars products, Carmel Biggane, Food Academy Manager said: SuperValu are incredibly proud to support growing Irish food and drink producers, it is an important part of our company ethos, and we are delighted that the five producers products will now be available to purchase nationwide.

Starting your own business can be an overwhelming experience and our Food Academy programme provides the producers with the tools they need to thrive and grow their businesses to their fullest potential.

Each of the producers have such inspiring stories and SuperValu is thrilled to be on this journey with them.

The Food Academy programme is a unique food business development programme between SuperValu, Bord Bia and the Local Enterprise Offices.

The programme supports Irish producers in navigating the food business industry, teaching vital skills and knowledge including branding, digital marketing, driving sales, sustainability, food safety and labelling, finance and one-to-one mentoring.

Some 270 producers are on the programme, and 98% feel that Food Academy has been very beneficial to developing their business.

Food and drinks producers, who are in the early stages of developing their business and would like to see their products on shelves in SuperValu are strongly encouraged to apply for the programme. Applications for this years intake are now open, and the deadline for application is Friday, April 7th 2023.

The programme will commence in September 2023. Those interested in applying can find further details on www.localenterprise.ie/FoodSupports/Food-Academy-Programme.

This years Guest Star Products are available at over 150 SuperValu stores nationwide from March 2nd until March 22nd.
EBRD boosts development of the Greek synthetic securitisation market

Support for Piraeus Bank in enhancing its capital resilience and increasing lending capacity

Piraeus Bank to commit 170 per cent of the EBRDs participation to green projects

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing 10 million in credit protection to Piraeus Bank SA, one of Greeces four systemic banks and a long-standing partner of the EBRD. It is investing in the senior mezzanine tranche of a synthetic balance sheet securitisation of a 1.3 billion portfolio of performing SME (small and medium-sized enterprises) and corporate loans, originated by Piraeus Bank.

The transaction is expected to support Piraeus Bank in its efforts to further enhance its capital resilience by achieving a risk-weighted assets relief, and free up lending capacity to the real economy. Moreover, Piraeus Bank is committing 170 per cent of the EBRDs participation to finance new green investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency.

The transaction is the EBRDs second investment in a synthetic securitisation by a Greek bank and, through its participation, the Bank aims to further support the development of the Greek synthetic securitisation market.

The transaction has been structured in such a way as to satisfy the requirements for significant risk transfer under the European Unions Capital Requirements Regulation and to achieve simple, transparent and standardised eligibility (subject to all customary approvals), promoting transparency and higher transaction standards.

The EBRD started operating in Greece on a temporary basis in 2015 to support the countrys economic recovery. To date the Bank has invested more than 6.3 billion in over 100 projects Greeces corporate, financial, energy and infrastructure sectors.
AN increase to social housing income thresholds has been criticised by a local councillor who fears it has created unprecedented demand and vicious competition.

Workers Party Cork City North-East councillor Ted Tynan expressed concern after receiving 19 phone calls in the space of one day with enquiries from potential candidates seeking to access social housing.

It comes months after Housing Minister Darragh OBrien informed Government of a 5,000 increase to all social housing eligibility thresholds. It took effect from January 1 and was adopted pending the development and rollout of a revised income eligibility model. While the new model may be helpful to those in need of Housing Assistance Payment, Mr Tynan said it is only going to increase demand that Government is already unable to meet.

I recently received 19 calls in one day from people interested in enquiring about social housing, he said.

This is putting a huge strain on the housing department in City Hall. The housing crisis is going to deteriorate even more because there are no allowances being made.

Mr Tynan said those in power are not as invested in solving the housing crisis as they should be.

Even though Cork City Council is one of the best local authorities in the country, the political system that dominates is overpowered by private interests, he said.

There is no interest in the housing crisis being resolved because housing has become such an expensive commodity. We were told that houses wouldnt be built overnight. That was 10 years ago, and there are still not enough houses being produced.

He voiced concern that unprecedented competition might leave some at a disadvantage, saying: This is only adding to a list that is getting longer all the time. It is also extending the time limit for anyone trying to access social housing.

Meanwhile, Cork North Central Sinn Fein TD Thomas Gould welcomed the increase.

In the past I dealt with a number of people who were taken off the housing list because their incomes had gone up due to overtime and longer hours during covid, he said.

I had an extreme case with one man who was distraught, angry, and frustrated after being refused due to an increase of 600 in his salary. He had been interviewed for a house and undergone the Garda checks but was still refused after 11 years on the list.

I have had a dozen cases where people were taken off the list because their income was raised. Sadly, they cant afford rents which are just too high at the moment for a family.

This is a welcome measure, and I hope to see all these people put back on the list so they will be eligible for HAP. However, the construction of housing will need to reflect the demand that currently exists.
South Korea's National Assembly endorses a resolution calling for further strengthening the bilateral alliance with the United States to mark the 70th anniversary of the alliance, Feb. 24. Yonhap



The National Assembly on Friday passed a resolution calling for further strengthening the alliance with the United States to mark its 70th anniversary this year.



"The National Assembly reaffirms that the S. Korea-U.S. alliance was the foundation for the Republic of Korea's democratization and economic growth and continues to function as a linchpin of peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula, the region and the world," the resolution said.



"We make clear, internally and externally, the need to reciprocally expand and improve the alliance for mutual prosperity in line with the 70th anniversary of the alliance," it said.



The resolution also calls on the two governments to bolster cooperation in fields like semiconductors, artificial intelligence and space technology as well as work together to stabilize the global supply chain as an "economic security and technology alliance."



It also expressed concern over North Korea's escalating nuclear and missile threats and called for the alliance to effectively deter such threats while working to bring peace through dialogue with the North.



Also included in the resolution were calls for stepping up legal and policy support for the "global strategic comprehensive alliance" agreed between President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden last year and strengthening parliamentary exchange between the two countries.



South Korea and the U.S. signed their mutual defense treaty in October 1953, months after the end of the three-year Korean War. (Yonhap)


The Fermoy International Choir is encouraging cultural collaboration after welcoming members from 17 nationalities in a recent practice.

Set up in 2018 by Sanctuary Runners founder, Graham Clifford, the group has provided solace for almost 400 members in the North Cork town.

The Fermoy International Choir is a really good example of how singing shoulder to shoulder can truly foster the kind of community integration that is sustainable, that is all-inclusive and is positive, which is so needed right now especially,  Mr Clifford said.

To date, the music group have welcomed members from Nigeria, West Polynesia, Madagascar, China, Mexico and from various European countries, as well as Irish nationals.

Read More Cork Principal: Children coming into class hungry every day

The organisation is set to launch a new initiative, One Town, One Voice. The programme will see community singing groups being set up in towns across Cork in conjunction with Cork City and County Council, in an effort to replicate the social inclusion being demonstrated in Fermoy, with hopes of expanding the initiative to the rest of the country.

From people who have just moved here, to people that have lived here for a few years and even people who have lived in Fermoy their whole lives. Even businesses, everything prospers when there is social cohesion.

The group has become a home away from home for many who have found themselves isolated after emigrating. Through the Fermoy International Choir, residents have found solace from the pressures and prejudice of the world.

Fermoy International Choir is a recent practice, joined by members from 70 nationalites.

The choir founder told: The whole point of what we do is using song to bring people together in a really positive, joyful and inclusive way. We dont take ourselves too seriously, it is less about the quality of our pitch-perfect singing than it is about coming together.

In early December in Fermoy around 70 people attended an anti-immigrant rally. This was met by a rally in support of refugees attended by around 300, with organisers claiming the former was not representative of the town.

Through the Fermoy International Choir, Mr Clifford has seen how beneficial community groups can be.

I think the examples that we see are the best ways to demonstrate the good that this community singing group is doing. We have a woman from South Korea, who has lived near Fermoy for a good few years. She told us that for five years she would walk down the street with her head down because she didnt know anyone. Now, she told us that she walks with her head high and she knows so many of the people that pass her in the street. Over the years, the group has fostered so many connections and friendships, he revealed.
TIMBER company GP Wood Ltd of Enniskeane was fined 90,000 for health and safety breaches in a case that was investigated following a fatal incident at their facility.

Judge Helen Boyle said that in fairness to the defendant company before Cork Circuit Criminal Court for penalty, there was an absence of aggravating factors.

Many of these cases involve companies taking shortcuts to increase their profits  that is not present here, Judge Boyle said.

The judge also stated that no fine could equate with the loss of life of Pat Lacey who worked for many years for the defendant company.

Judge Boyle said that in legal terms there was no reference to the death of Mr Lacey in the charges to which the company had pleaded guilty. In strict legal terms, the charges would not allow for a victim impact statement. However, the company indicated that they had absolutely no difficulty with members of the Lacey family presenting victim impact statements to the court.

The charges do not relate to causing the death but GP Wood consent to victim impact statements being read out.

Pat Lacey  who was a valued employee of the company  was struck by the CAT front loader which collided with him and caused his death. The charges do not refer to the causation of death.

This was not a deliberate attempt to get around safety. Nevertheless, companies must ensure the enforcement of Health and Safety statements. Things can get complacent.

It is accepted that the company should have tapped people on the shoulder and ensured they walked in appropriate areas and ensured front loaders were driven in the proper way with the loader down rather than up to ensure (maximum) visibility, the judge said.

As well as the 90,000 fine, the company was directed to pay costs of 2,400 for the Health and Safety Authority, at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

Frances Murphy, Health and Safety Authority inspector, said they were notified on February 26 2019 about the fatal incident which claimed the life of 53-year-old Pat Lacey who had worked with GP Wood Ltd for approximately 30 years.

Guilty pleas to charges under the Safety, Health, and Welfare at Work Act were entered on behalf of GP Wood Ltd.

Ms Murphy said CCTV of the fatal incident showed the heavy machine  a front loader which loads logs at the mill  unfortunately colliding with the late Mr Lacey. She described GP Wood Ltd as fully cooperative with the HSA investigation. Prosecution senior counsel Ray Boland asked her: Where did you find fault?

She replied:

Essentially in the area where large machinery was working, pedestrians were not segregated from that work area. The late Pat Lacey walked across an area where the machine was operating.

Ms Murphy agreed there was a pedestrian area in being at the time of the incident but she said: There was no signage or yellow hatch markings. Mr Boland suggested: Some people were using it (the walkway) and some were not? Ms Murphy replied: It was a bit ad hoc.

She said the company had not come to her attention in the HSA prior to the incident in February 2019.

From the family of the deceased, two sisters, Catriona and Carmel, and his brother, John, all prepared brief victim impact statements in which they stated that they missed their dear brother, Pat, every day and were deeply saddened by the fact that they would not get to share family experiences with him in the future.

'Beefing up' of safety

Defence senior counsel Tom Creed said there was a beefing up of the safety of the plant following the incident. He said that even before the fatal incident they were a company that had a lot of safety measures in place.

The breach was in failure of enforcement and not disciplining people for not using the walkway and driving machines in the way they do There was never a question of any financial profit or of a deliberate breach of safety with a view to making profit. This was an isolated incident with devastating consequences.

They carried out significant works at the plant, all of it revolving around traffic management assessment (since the incident). [Some] 200,000 worth of infrastructural work has been carried out since and its goal was pedestrian safety and they continue to modify the site, the object being to separate the pedestrian and traffic flow.

They have introduced several other new barriered walkways on the site at considerable expense, Mr Creed said.

Compliance manager with GP Wood, Conor McSweeney confirmed that extensive work had taken place to improve safety and that it included floodlit barriered walkway that is separate from the work area for vehicles.

The pleas of guilty were entered on behalf of the company previously at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

Charges

The first count stated that as an employer they failed to manage and conduct work activities, specifically the operation of a CAT938M front-loader vehicle, at or near the log storage yard area of the premises in such a way as at to ensure the safety, health, and welfare of employees, and in particular that they failed to ensure the segregation of pedestrians from the operational area of the vehicle.

The second charge was of failing to provide systems of work in similar circumstances that were planned, organised, performed, maintained, revised as appropriate, so as to be safe and without risk to health.

The third count was of failure to ensure organisational measures were taken to prevent employees on foot coming within the area of operation of the self-propelled work equipment, specifically the front-loader vehicle.

To members of the late Mr Laceys family who were present, Judge Boyle said: I want to extend my sincere condolences on your loss.
AT about 9.30am today, three armed men entered the premises of Hilser & Sons, jewellers, on South Main Street, demanding two dozen watches, the Echo reported 100 years ago today, on Saturday, February 24, 1923.

They then concealed their revolvers and stood back from the counter to allow normal business to proceed.

Somebody, however, must have got suspicious for the military at the Courthouse were quickly alerted and gave chase as the robbers made off with wristlet watches to the value of 25.

Two were pursued down the North Main Street, dodging in and around the lanes before being lost at North Gate Bridge. The third ran into Liberty Street, doubled down at the Courthouse and turned into James Street, running hard all the time.

The two officers in pursuit fired and it is believed the robber was hit in the shoulder.

The chase continued up Washington Street, through Woods Street, back down Sheares Street then across the network of lanes near the Mercy Hospital where he was lost.

Rebuilding of Cork

At Cork Corporations meeting yesterday, John Horgan and Jeremiah Kelleher reported on their visit to Dublin in relation to funds for the rebuilding of Cork.

They said that in one case, that of a defended decree, the funds for rebuilding had already been allocated and there is money for stock only. In the other cases they were told the money for rebuilding is available and has been for some time.

But in order to ensure that the destroyed premises would be rebuilt, it would not be paid out until architects certificates were produced. Technically, the affected merchants were right in saying they had not got any money, but it was available whenever they were ready to start. A vote of thanks was accorded to the deputation and to Robert Day, Cork Labour T.D.

District Sessions

Michael ODriscoll, of Carrignavar, was charged with having, on February 20, caused grievous bodily harm to a child named John Naughton by knocking him down with a pony and trap on the Watercourse Road.

Detective Quinn deposed that the injured boy was in the North Infirmary and his life was not yet out of danger.

Mr Dunlea, solicitor for the defendant, applied for bail. He said, when the case would be gone into, it would be found that there was a grave error of judgement regarding identification. Defendant was a respectable farmer who never took a drink in his life.

Wireless hopes

Postmaster General and Cork T.D., J.J. Walsh, spoke at length to the press in Dublin yesterday. I am frequently asked about broadcasting, he said, when are we going to start in the Free State? Well, as I have made clear before, all wireless developments are suspended because of the military situation. When that clears up, we hope to have our scheme ready for immediate introduction.

But a matter of far greater concern than the satisfaction of a fad like broadcasting is the introduction of electrical manufacturing in Ireland. We are one of the few countries where practically no electrical appliances are made, yet increasingly such appliances are appearing in every street, office and house. It is difficult to give an idea how much money is leaving the country in this regard.

Pertaining to other matters, Mr Walsh said many people seemed to think 5.30pm was the last opportunity to make the night mail. But this is not so. An extra d stamp gives an additional hour for posting.

There is also the possibility of express delivery whereby an item can be collected and delivered wholly or partially by special messenger.

If you are a telephone subscriber, you can even telephone your message to the Post Office for immediate delivery from there. If not a subscriber, you can still dictate a message or letter from a Telephone Call Office to another Office to be sent as an express or as an ordinary letter.

Telephone subscribers themselves are linked to one another and can get in touch readily, but any member of the public can use a Telephone Call Office.

Many people are also unaware of the option of private post boxes, available for an annual charge and offering great utility for businesses. They are made much use of in America.

Pre-war Price Breakfasts

The egg-packers strike has been a blessing! Pre-war prices have returned to the egg baskets in the shops and all that is now required for the reintroduction of the 1914 breakfast is a refusal by the Saxon to consume Irish bacon. A thing highly unlikely.

But at least farmers and egg producers are learning that, to reap advantages from their occupations, they must learn to market their produce themselves.

Now, on account of the strike, eggs may be got from country folk almost for the collecting.

If the dispute will bring home to them the vital necessity of combining to market their goods themselves it will have accrued another advantage.
Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

After the current head of the World Bank stepped down early following accusations of climate denial, it seems the U.S. wants to make sure its next leader is ready to face the climate crisis with eyes open.

President Joe Biden announced Thursday that the U.S. was nominating business leader Ajay Banga for the role, partly based on his experience leading private-public partnerships to address climate change.

Ajay is uniquely equipped to lead the World Bank at this critical moment in history. He has spent more than three decades building and managing successful, global companies that create jobs and bring investment to developing economies, and guiding organizations through periods of fundamental change. He has a proven track record managing people and systems, and partnering with global leaders around the world to deliver results, Biden said in a statement. He also has critical experience mobilizing public-private resources to tackle the most urgent challenges of our time, including climate change.

Banga, who is 63, was born in India and is now a U.S. citizen, according to Reuters. He was CEO of Mastercard for 12 years before retiring in 2021. He now serves as vice chair of private equity firm General Atlantic, which has invested more than $800 million in solar power, sustainable agriculture and charging stations for electric vehicles, administration officials told Reuters. Further, he advises the firms BeyondNetZero fund, according to Climate Home News.

Despite its name, the president of the World Bank is normally nominated by the U.S. Its previous president, David Malpass, was appointed by former President Donald Trump. Earlier this month, Malpass said he would step down in June, around a year before his normal term would have ended, as Climate Home News reported at the time. Malpass had faced criticism following remarks he made in September 2022, when he responded to questions about the climate crisis with the answer, Im not a scientist.

The World Bank itself is under pressure to reform in order to take the climate crisis into account. Barbadoss Prime Minister Mia Mottley has been leading the charge with something called the Bridgetown agenda, which calls upon the bank to make more money available for climate finance. It has been backed by the U.S., Germany and India as well as all governments attending last years COP27 climate conference.

There was a mixed response to Bangas nomination from advocacy groups.

Banga will be a fresh pair of hands at the wheel of what we hope will be a greener, bigger, transformational and reformed World Bank capable of leading a global response to global challenges, climate think tank E3G public banks lead Sonia Dunlop said, as Climate Home News reported.

But Revolving Door Project leader Jeff Hauser called on Biden to walk back the nomination based on concerns about Bangas exclusively private sector background. (He has also served on the boards of Kraft Foods and Dow, according to the White House.)

Nothing in Bangas resume inspires confidence that he will turn the World Bank away from a path of neocolonialism and predation by Global North corporations upon Global South countries, Hauser said in a statement. [U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet ] Yellen pledged that the Administrations nominee would build on the Banks longstanding work to fight extreme poverty, [and] promote shared prosperity. But neither private equity, nor Mastercard, nor Citigroup, nor PepsiCo, nor Nestle, nor Dow promote shared prosperity. They all do vastly more to exacerbate inequality than to fight it.

Biden and Yellen should be ashamed of their choice to nominate private equity executive Ajay Banga for president of the World Bank. https://t.co/V5A1HUEh2q  Revolving Door Project (@revolvingdoorDC) February 24, 2023

The World Bank will take nominations for the top spot from member countries until March 29, according to Reuters. Bangas is the only nomination to be made public so far. However, Germanys world bank governor Svenja Schulze tweeted that the next president should be a woman, something that has never happened before.

The World Bank needs to become the frontrunner in fighting poverty and global crises such as #climatechange, #biodiversity loss & #pandemics. And it is definitely time for a woman to lead the World Bank.  Svenja Schulze (@SvenjaSchulze68) February 22, 2023

The World Bank needs to become the frontrunner in fighting poverty and global crises such as #climatechange, #biodiversity loss & #pandemics. And it is definitely time for a woman to lead the World Bank, she said.
Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

There are more than 17,000 sites across Europe that have been contaminated with toxic forever chemicals and another more than 21,000 sites that have likely been polluted.

Thats one main finding from The Forever Pollution Project, a months-long collaboration between 18 European newsrooms to investigate and map the extent of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) pollution across the continent and in the UK.

After our data collection on an unprecedented scale, this map is the first to illustrate the widespread contamination of Europe by these toxic and persistent substances, reporters at Le Monde wrote on Thursday.

The French newspaper developed the investigation along with Germanys NDR, WDR and Suddeutsche Zeitung; Italys RADAR Magazine and Le Scienze; and the Netherlands The Investigative Desk and NRC, according to the project website. It involved scouring over more than 1,200 confidential documents from the European Commission and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). The final result was a Forever Pollution Map that revealed the following data points, according to Le Monde:

20 PFAS production facilities, where the chemicals are actually synthesized. More than 17,000 sites that have tested positive for PFAS contamination. 232 sites that use PFAS to make other products, from plastics to pesticides to waterproof clothing. More than 21,000 sites that have not been tested, but where contamination is likely based on the industrial or military activities that occurred there. More than 2,100 hotspots with contamination levels of at least 100 nanograms per liter (ng/L), which experts consider a health risk.

At around 640 hotspot sites, concentrations were more than 1,000 ng/L and, at 300 sites, more than 10,000 ng/L, The Guardian reported.

These sorts of concentrations raise concerns with me, professor Crispin Halsall, a Lancaster University environmental chemist, told The Guardian. You have the risk of livestock gaining access to those waters and [then PFAS is] in the human food web.

PFAS are a class of chemicals that have been widely used in a variety of products including firefighting foam, nonstick cookware and stain- or water-resistant clothing. They are concerning because they have been linked to a number of human health ailments including cancer, immune suppression, metabolic diseases and developmental or reproductive problems. Further, they are difficult to break down and therefore persist in the environment or the human body, hence the name forever chemicals.

The map is the first such map to cover Europe and the UK, and the journalists based their work on peer-reviewed methods from the U.S.-based PFAS Project Lab and PFAS Sites and Community Resources Map, according to the project website.

It is a necessary and also scary result that you have achieved here, said Phil Brown of Northeastern University, who coordinated the U.S. map.

The map comes the same month that the ECHA proposed an EU-wide PFAS ban. In the UK, only the two PFAS PFOA and PFOS are covered by regulations, according to The Guardian.

Our primary goal is to inform the public and to provide data to impacted community members, researchers and regulators, and to contribute to building knowledge on PFAS contamination for the public interest, Le Monde wrote. Potentially contaminated sites could therefore be prioritized by governments to conduct sampling campaigns and tailor action plans to protect the public.
From being a student in a country which is bearing the wrath of a brutal war to studying in another that is responsible for this mayhem, Jisna Jiji (25), a final-year medical student who was among thousands evacuated from Ukraine nearly a year ago, has ended up in Russia to complete her education.

"Russia has been very welcoming to us. It did not impose any extra charges. We were allowed to continue our studies and our hard work has not been wasted," Jiji told over the phone, as per a report by PTI.

Hailing from Kerala, Jiji is pursuing her MBBS from the Northern State Medical University in Russia's Arkhangelsk. Exactly a year ago, Jiji, who was in her fifth year at a university in Sumy in Ukraine, was looking forward to completing her studies in Ukraine and had no inkling that 2022 would be so tumultuous for her and the country in which she was studying.

Read Also : Uzbekistan offers MBBS admission to 2000 Telangana students who returned from Ukraine

The war waged by Russia took everyone by surprise. Jiji along with several hundred students took an excruciating journey from Sumy to the western borders after the war broke out in Ukraine. The students were evacuated to India through Operation Ganga conducted by the Indian government.

More than 17,000 Indians, mostly students, were evacuated from the war-hit Ukraine under the mission. Several Indian medical students were left with no choice after their evacuation from Ukraine and have taken transfers to universities in other countries to continue their studies. Many have gone to Russia, Serbia, Uzbekistan and other European countries.

"The period after coming to India was very uncertain. We thought the war would end soon and we will be able to return. However, months passed and our student coordinator was also not giving straight answers," said Jiji.

Opting for transfers

Students have taken transfers to other universities through the academic mobility programme. Last year in September, the Ministry of External Affairs and the National Medical Council (NMC) issued a notice through which the NMC would accept completion of their remaining courses in other countries (with the approval of the parent university/institution in Ukraine). Jiji would complete her study in July 2023.

"There are around 150 students in Russia that I know who are from Ukraine. We took a transfer. We came in October when there was no hope left," she said. A few of her acquaintances have also gone back to Ukraine but she believes hers was the best decision to come to Russia.

"Financially and credibility-wise also, I feel this was the best option. Students who have gone back to Ukraine are still struggling as they are facing several kinds of issues like water shortage and power cuts," Jiji said, as per PTI.

Asked whether she feels safe in Russia, she replied in affirmation. Several Russian universities have welcomed Indian students from Ukrainian medical universities. They put hoardings and banners welcoming them. They also posted photos of Indian students on their official Instagram pages.

How many have chosen to go back to Ukraine?

One of the posts reads, "150+ Indian students from Ukrainian medical universities took transfers to Northern State Medical University." RB Gupta, president of the Parent's Association of Ukraine MBBS Students (PAUMS), claimed that around 2,500 students have gone back to Ukraine, and nearly 4,000 have taken transfers to other countries including Serbia, Russia and Uzbekistan.

"Those who have taken transfer are mostly fifth and sixth-year students as practicals are necessary. Around 3,000 students are still in India and taking online classes. While around 500 have changed streams also," he claimed.

Gupta, who for the last year has been spearheading the campaign demanding one-time accommodation of evacuated students in MBBS colleges in India, said he has no hope that any help would come from the government side. Gupta said his son, who is in his third year of MBBS, has taken transfer to a Serbian university after waiting for several months.

Uncertainty abounds

Ameen, 23, is in the last year of his MBBS and has taken transfer to a university in Uzbekistan. Reflecting on the last year, Ameen, who goes by his first name, said, "It was hectic in terms of mental pressure regarding our studies. Mostly because we were uncertain about our online degree from Ukraine."

Ameen came to Tashkent on December 10 to resume his study. He is pretty content with his decision to transfer. "I decided to study in Uzbekistan because of the academic mobility programme. At the time, that was the only safe option according to NMC guidelines for Ukraine returnee students," he said.

Asked whether the transfer programme was heavy on his family's pocket, he said, "We had to pay extra fees for the continuation of the mobility programme but the university fee hasn't changed that much," as per PTI.

"Mobility is actually a choice. We can either go to Ukraine, study online or choose mobility. We have to pay 1,500 dollars extra for this. But you can be sure that you are getting enough practical classes," he added.

Among those who are still in India taking online classes is Kanishk, a second-year student. He is still uncertain whether to opt for a transfer or go back to Ukraine. "I am not sure. Right now I am taking online classes. We had a pretty rough year. Nobody is helping us. We are somehow managing through online classes. You can't learn to treat people through online classes," he pointed out.






Alternative fish feed project in Lanao, del Norte, Philippines, produces 867kg of tilapia

The Philippines' Department of Agriculture's (DA) pilot test on cost-effective alternative fish feed has yielded 867 kilogrammes of tilapia in Lanao del Norte, the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute's (NFRDI) said on February 22.



According to the NFRDI, the tilapia was grown in a brackishwater pond for four months. The pilot project was held in Pacita, Lala, Lanao del Norte, by one of the project's six partner cooperators, Benita Maldepena.



"Maldepena used the technology on cost-effective aquafeed for tilapia developed by the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center-Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC-AQD)," the NFRDI said in a statement.



In 2022, the DA announced that the SEAFDEC-AQD developed an alternative feed for tilapia and milkfish made from corn, poultry abattoirs and coconut-fermented copra meal byproducts.



The project aimed to "determine growth and biological parameters and economic viability in using the feeds across the country," the NFRDI said.



According to the DA, the alternative feeds would cut feeding costs by 25-32% for tilapia, and 18-23% for milkfish.



The project was made possible through the collaboration of NFRDI, ARDEP, SEAFDEC-AQD and the Brackishwater Fisheries Research and Development Center.



- Inquirer.Net






Novus International launches "Scale Up program for Sows" at PorciFORUM 2023

Novus International, Inc. will debut its latest programme for swine producers next month with the launch of its "Scale Up program for Sows" during PorciFORUM 2023 in Spain.



Scale Up for Sows aims to optimise sow lifetime productivity, achieving more pigs per sow lifetime through improvements in reproductive performance, structural integrity of the musculoskeletal system, sow longevity and offspring uniformity and health. Novus has found focusing on these aspects can ultimately lead to more kilogrammes of meat/pounds of pork produced per inventoried sow.



"Optimising and maintaining the health of the sow takes a combination of good management practices, quality feeding programmes and effective feed additives," Marisol Castillo, Global Swine Solutions senior manager at Novus, said. "Through the Scale Up program for Sows, we work with producers to identify the ways they can adjust these factors to positively impact their financial outcomes."



Novus has already demonstrated how the programme can impact sows and their progeny. Commercial and research trials featuring MINTREX bis-chelated trace minerals have shown positive improvements including an average of three more pigs per sow lifetime, 9% less sow mortality and 9% more meat/pork marketed per inventoried sow.



Silvia Peris, Novus executive regional technical services manager for EMEA, attributed these outcomes to the organic trace mineral's superior availability.



"MINTREX is different from other organic trace minerals on the market. It's bonded to methionine source HMTBa, which protects the mineral as it travels through the digestive system to the site of absorption," Peris said. "This means less mineral is impacted by antagonists and excreted without ever being used by the sow. With MINTREX, more mineral is available for the sow to use and, from the results, it is being used."



The Scale Up program for Sows is supported by XPERT LINK, a network of leading industry experts covering topics from nutrition, management, health and feed manufacturing. These external partners help Novus representatives develop unique management suggestions and feed recommendations for each customer.



"We're a 30-year-plus international company with connections all over the world. Through XPERT LINK, we are using those relationships to help our customers meet their production goals," Castillo said.



Novus International will launch the Scale Up program for Sows during the eighth annual PorciFORUM, on March 1-2 at the La Llotja Conference Center in Lleida, Spain. The event is catered for those in the Spanish swine community and will feature presentations on the latest innovations in swine farming.



Attendees can also speak with Novus representatives during the event to learn more how Scale Up uses the science behind Novus's solutions to create practical plans to meet production goals.



Visitors can also take a Novus[1]sponsored survey on sow production for a special thank-you gift.



- Novus International




Brazil suspends exports of beef to China

Carlos Favaro, Brazil's Agriculture Minister, said they have suspended beef exports to China after detecting a case of mad cow disease in the country, but experts believe it is the less-dangerous "atypical" variant, The Straits Times reported.

Under an agreement signed between both countries, exports are immediately suspended if authorities detect the disease, known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

China's is Brazil's biggest beef export market.

The disease had been detected in a nine-year-old male animal on a small farm in the northern state of Para, according to a statement from Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply.

Samples have been sent to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) in Canada for testing.

If contaminated meat is consumed, BSE is linked to the fatal human condition Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

The atypical variant of BSE sporadically affects older cattle, while the classic form of BSE is spread when farmers feed their herds the meat and bone meal of infected animals.

Favaro said that because the farm in question raised grass-fed cattle, the case was likely atypical BSE.

He said the farm in question was quarantined, and the animal had been slaughtered and incinerated.

Brazilian industry association Abrafrigo said Brazil exported 2.3 million tonnes of beef last year for a total of US$13.1 billion.

- The Straits Times
Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup, left, shakes hands with his Polish counterpart, Mariusz Blaszczak, during his visit to a firing range in Torun, Poland, Thursday (local time), to inspect a firing drill of K9 self-propelled howitzers, which Korea exported to the Eastern European country. Courtesy of Ministry of National Defense
Witness appeal to altercation

Police are investigating an altercation in Douglas.

It happened on Melbourne Street between1.30pm and 1.50pm on Wednesday.

As a result, a 48-year-old male sustained injuries requiring hospital treatment.

Officers believe there were members of the public present at the time, so are appealing for anyone who witnessed the altercation to call Police Headquarters on 631212 quoting reference number 97/1 989/23 or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
The AI news just wont stop! This week, Cherlynn and Devindra discuss the latest on Bing AI  Microsoft is loosening up some recent restrictions, following reports of its bad behavior  as well as the rise of ChatGPT stories on the Kindle store. Spotify is also launching its own AI DJ, starring the digitized voice of one of its current hosts. In other news, we discuss Microsofts recent agreements with NVIDIA and Nintendo, which could warm regulators towards approving its Activision Blizzard acquisition.

Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!



Topics

After the Microsoft and Google announcements, AI is suddenly everywhere  1:17

Microsoft tries to win over regulators by putting Xbox games on GeForce Now  26:29

Glucose monitoring on the Apple Watch could be coming soon  28:16

Twitter limits SMS two-factor authentication to Blue users  30:43

Amazons acquisition of One Medical is finished, regulators are still curious  35:31

No Mans Sky Fractal VR update is out just in time for PS VR 2  39:04

Working on  42:58

Pop culture picks  46:10

Livestream

Credits

Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Devindra Hardawar

Producer: Ben Ellman

Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien

Livestream producers: Julio Barrientos

Graphic artists: Luke Brooks

All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. All prices are correct at the time of publishing.
Members of the Korean Construction Workers' Union hold a rally in Suwon, 34 kilometers south of Seoul, on Feb. 21. Yonhap



Police warned Friday they will mobilize all available measures to deal sternly with any illegal acts during a large-scale rally by a major labor union of construction workers slated for next week.



Some 46,500 members of the Korean Construction Workers' Union, affiliated with one of the country's two major umbrella labor organizations  the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions  will gather in central Seoul on Tuesday.



The rally comes as the government of President Yoon Suk Yeol has made labor reform a key policy focus, vowing in particular to eradicate illegal practices by labor unions at construction sites, such as forcing employers to hire people they want.



The National Police Agency (NPA) said it will dispatch some 100 units to the rally site to prevent any illegal acts by participants, such as illegally occupying roads that could possibly cause traffic congestion during rush hour.



Union members who assault or interfere with police officers will immediately be detained, it said.



Since December, police have been carrying out a 200-day special crackdown to respond to violence at construction sites. (Yonhap)


It is concerning to note that despite the challenges posed by private hospitals, such as increased healthcare costs, inequitable access to quality healthcare, and the exploitation of healthcare workers, the government seems to be encouraging their growth. This trend is reflective of a broader trend in the country where the government is increasingly outsourcing its responsibilities regarding healthcare to the private sector.

While it is understandable that the government may not have the resources to provide quality healthcare to all its citizens, it is crucial that it regulates the private sector effectively to ensure that healthcare is affordable and accessible to all. It is also important to recognise that healthcare is a fundamental right, and it is the governments responsibility to ensure that this right is protected and upheld.
Now that AI has been changing the world through ChatGPT, image-generating programs, and hundreds of startups developing AI apps, a new documentary The AI Revolution is in production. It features interviews with two dozen individuals from all walks of life on how AI is changing their life and the lives of others. It is being produced by Changemakers Productions and Dear Skyyler Productions and will be released at the American Film Market in November in Santa Monica. You can see an introduction to the film at https://youtu.be/MEPO9ONuJRk

The producers expect this to be a big breakthrough film, given the massive interest in AI all over the world. This is the first in a series of documentaries, featuring individuals in the fields most impacted by the AI revolution -- artists, writers, teachers, businesspeople, musicians, medical professionals, lawyers, law enforcement, software developers, inventors, financial people, social media influencers, and criminals/scammers.

There are also opportunities for two or three sponsors and investors to participate in the film as Co-Producers and Executive Producers, and anyone interested is invited to contact Gini Graham Scott, CEO of Changemakers Productions (www.changemakersproductionsfilms.com) , who is the Creative Director and Executive Producer for the film. Sponsors will receive promotional clips from the end of the film along with international publicity, while investors will share in the proceeds forever.

Before producing this film, Changemakers and Dear Skyyler productions have produced 17 films together, 11 in distribution, and others in post-and pre-production. Gini Graham Scott has received 182 awards for scripts in international film festivals. Especially notable are the feature films Driver, about a Uber-like driver who becomes a serial killer and Deadly Infidelity, about three couples threatened by a caller who warns of a bomb if they don't reveal their secret. The popular documentaries include New Age of Aging, about individuals 80 and older living active healthy lives, and Rescue Me, a film about how rescue dogs find forever homes.

For more information on The AI Revolution and the production team behind it, you can see descriptions of previous films in a video featuring their AFM exhibit at https://youtu.be/7p_3Dq0HRN8 or on the www.changemakersproductionsfilms.com website. There is also a screeners and trailers flyer with complete features and documentaries available for viewing on request. You can also see additional information about The AI revolution and how you can participate.

For more details on participating in this breakthrough film for a small contribution, contact Karen Andrews of Changemakers Production, who can arrange for you to speak with Gini Graham Scott, Alex Zinzopoulos, or Jack Skyyler.

Sincerely,

Karen Andrews, Executive Assistant

Changemakers Productions

www.changemakersproductionsfilms.com

San Ramon, California

changemakersprod@att.net

(925) 804-6333
Sen. Mark Kelly, who previously served as a decorated space shuttle pilot with NASA, waded into the Chinese spy balloon uproar early this week after keeping publicly mum about it for several weeks.

The Arizona Democrat said it makes no sense for the U.S. military to launch expensive missiles at weather balloons or other benign floating objects. Kelly was referring to a heat-seeking, air-to-air missile used in recent weeks to shoot down several high-flying aerial objects that the administration later suggested likely didnt pose a threat. Earlier in the month, a U.S. Air Force F-22 shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon after it breached American airspace and floated across the country, setting off a firestorm in Washington.

Kelly, who is set to be inducted into the U.S. Astronauts Hall of Fame in May, says hes working on legislation that would require weather balloons to carry transponders that would communicate with air traffic control systems to separate research balloons from mysterious objects.

It would really help the Defense Department to be able to sort out what is civilian science payload, whats a weather balloon, whats a NASA balloon, whats a private company in the United States doing, what might be even a U.S. military, Kelly, who was tapped to chair a Senate Armed Services subcommittee amid the balloon controversy, told the Associated Press.

Sen. John Tester, a Montana Democrat who is heading up the investigation into how a Chinese surveillance balloon was allowed to pass over crucial U.S. missile sites, including some in his state, was more forceful.

Were going to get to the bottom of what happened and make sure we have a plan going forward to detect and then find out what potential problems this balloon may have caused, Tester told Fox News.

Chinas high-altitude spy balloon controversy appears to have taken most Washington lawmakers and the intelligence community by surprise, but it really shouldnt have. Chinas interest in these stratospheric dirigibles has been an open secret for nearly a decade.

Kelly himself has first-hand knowledge of Chinas investments in near-space balloon technology. The Arizona senator co-founded a balloon space-exploration company named World View in 2012. Just two years later, he helped facilitate investments for the firm from Chinese tech giant Tencent, RealClearPolitics reported in 2020. Kellys eldest daughter, Claudia Kelly, served as World Views business opportunity manager from 2016 to 2019, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Tencent is one of the worlds largest Internet enterprises and owns the popular social media platform WeChat, a texting application with more than one billion users worldwide.

In recent years Tencent has faced international bans and scrutiny over its practice of monitoring the activity of its users inside and outside China and for the Chinese governments use of the data as a key component in its mass surveillance and persecution of the Uyghur population and other minorities, as well as dissidents  even those who have escaped China.

In 2020, President Trump issued an executive order banning it and the popular social media app TikTok in the United States. But a U.S. district court judge issued an injunction blocking the order several months later. President Biden withdrew the order in 2021, while directing the Commerce Department to investigate foreign influence enacted through the apps.

To be fair to Kelly and his role in facilitating the Tencent investment in World View, in 2014, WeChats surveillance applications in China were either not widely known or werent yet fully instituted.

When the Tucson-based company was first launched, it focused on space tourism with plans to charge $75,000 per commercial passenger on flights to near outer space in a capsule attached to a giant helium balloon. By 2015, the company shifted to contracting with NASA and the Department of Defense to use the balloon, known as a stratollite, to carry unmanned payloads for extended periods and provide imagery of the earth with a resolution sharp to five centimeters, far better than satellites can offer.

Kelly served as a strategic adviser to World View until launching his senate campaign in 2019. According to his 2019-2021 financial disclosure report and amendments filed with the Senate as required, he maintained a $100,000-$250,000 financial stake in the company.

Its unknown how much the stock is worth now  or whether Kelly still owns it. After this investment and others drew scrutiny in his Senate campaign, in 2021 Kelly moved his assets to a blind trust, a formal arrangement in which lawmakers officially transfer management of their financial assets to an independent trustee to oversee.

Kelly has at least one other tie to Tencent. His 2020 Senate campaign accepted $5,000 from David Wallerstein, Tencents chief exploration officer, responsible for the companys operations outside mainland China and business initiatives with multinational partners.

Neither Kelly nor World View has disclosed the total amount of investments the company received from Tencent. In the fall of 2014, Jane Poynter, the then-CEO of World View Enterprises, announced during a visit to Beijing that Tencent had invested an undisclosed sum in the venture. In April 2016, as part of a subsequent $15 million investment round, World View announced that it had received more funds from Tencent and three other venture capital firms.

Chinese news reports from November 2014 quoting Poynter show that Kelly was instrumental in securing the first Tencent investment. In an article in the Oriental Morning Post, translated from Mandarin, Poynter is quoted as saying that a Tencent American leader named David met Mark Kelly, a space pilot of our team.

After Mark introduced him to space travel technology, David was very interested and willing to invest at this stage, she added. When I choose a partner, I value the contribution this partner can bring to the project, and Tencent can push our cooperation to China. I think it is very important.

Back in 2020, the company did not respond to several RCP requests to clarify Poynters statements about Kellys role in facilitating the Tencent investments and what Poynter meant when she touted Tencents ability to push our cooperation to China.

Another article in English-language newspaper China Daily elaborated on how Tencent became involved in World View. Poynter told the paper that Wallerstein has already met with one of World Views pilots and exchanged ideas on future technology and that she considered the passion and contribution that Tencent could give to the project of huge significance to her operation.

Jacob Peters, who served as a Kelly campaign spokesman, in an email exchange with RCP in 2020, confirmed that Kelly was a World View co-founder and that in the early stages, he spoke to many people about his experiences as a pilot and astronaut.

He argued that Tencent has no influence in the companys day-to-day business and referred questions about the companys future to World View.

Peters touted World Views work with the Department of Defense and NASA and its role in creating jobs and generating millions for Arizonas economy.

He didnt mention, however, that World View never reached its job-creation goals, promised as part of a deal to allow the company to lease a $15 million county facility for no upfront costs. It also experienced several setbacks in its early years, including an explosion of a stratospheric balloon during ground testing in 2019 that caused more than $475,000 in damages to the companys county-owned building, and ceiling tiles to fall on employees at a Raytheon missile storage facility near the property.

No one from Kellys Senate office, including Peters, his press secretary, responded to several email inquiries from RCP over the last week. World Views press office also didnt respond to several inquiries.

From 2014 to 2016, when World View was a new start-up company, U.S.-China relations were far less acrimonious than they are now. However, there were still grave intelligence concerns about their governments theft of U.S. intellectual property and outright hacking of U.S. government agencies and private companies.

For more than a decade U.S. law has barred American astronauts from working with China in space due to security concerns. In 2012, National Security Agency Director Keith Alexander said Chinas cyber espionage of U.S. intellectual property constituted the greatest transfer of wealth in history. And in 2014 and 2015, the U.S. formally blamed China for hacking into the Office of Personnel Management, compromising the personal data of hundreds of thousands of federal workers, including all who had applied for top secret clearances.

In his blind trust filings with the Senate, Kelly also reported having a $100,001-$250,000 stake in Boom Technology, a high-speed aircraft company in Colorado that partnered with a Chinese based travel company to help bring supersonic flight to China.

World View executives have repeatedly denied sharing any technology information with Tencent. But the near-space travel business model was something the company openly marketed, and Chinese companies apparently were eager to copy it.

In 2016, the same year of TenCents second investment in World View, a Chinese company, Kuang-Chi Science, poured a whopping $1.5 billion into a space balloon tourism business. ArsTechnica, a website covering news and opinions about technology and science, reported that the Kuang-Chi operations appears to be similar to that of an American company, World View Enterprises.

Citing the Chinese companys website and a China Daily report, ArsTechnica said human flights would reach an altitude of 24 kilometers (about 15 miles) and then cruise for two to three hours before a controlled descent.

If this experience sounds a bit familiar, thats because it seems modeled after that of Tucson, Arizona-based World View, which plans to fly six passengers in a pressured cabin to an altitude of 30km, the website noted.

When RCP reached out to World View in 2020, Ashley Smith, a company spokeswoman, downplayed Tencents level of investment, calling the Chinese company an early investor that now maintains less than 5% in common stock.

They do not have a seat on the board, means of control, or any access to inside information about the company or its technology, she told RCP at the time.

Since World View shifted its focus to the unmanned stratollites for Earth observation, which have defense applications, Smith said, World View has not taken foreign investment and has reported all foreign interest and its entire ownership structure to the Defense Counterintelligence Security Agency (DCSA) to obtain security and facility clearance.

The DCSA has concluded that foreign interests do not have any influence, control, or authority over World View, Smith added.

However, when RCP contacted DCSA directly to verify that it had given World View its seal of approval, the DCSA Office of Communications and Congressional Affairs denied that it had offered a clearance for World View.

The agency told RCP in an email that in January 2020, it had suspended the process to grant World View a clearance for defense work, though it would not disclose the internal deliberations or specific communications that led to the decision.

The international uproar over Chinas spy balloon comes at a sensitive time for World View. In January, the company announced plans to go public in a merger with special-purpose acquisition company Leo Holdings, a deal worth $350 million. Its expected to close in the second quarter of this year.

Last November, World View also announced a partnership with Sierra Nevada Corp, an American aerospace and national security contractor, to jointly operate balloons for defense intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.

Over the last several years, plenty of U.S. China experts have been warning about Chinese investment in the U.S. space industry. A 2018 article in The Hill newspaper said China was increasingly investing in U.S. space industry start-ups, including the one in World View, even as it increased its cyberattacks on U.S. technology companies. The article noted that the Justice Department had charged Chinese hackers with stealing data from 45 technology companies and government agencies, including NASA. It also highlighted a decision by Boeing to cancel a satellite order with Global IP, a Los Angeles-based start-up, following a Wall Street Journal investigation that shed light on a $200 million investment by a Chinese company into the startup.

In 2021, the U.S. intelligence community in a Global Risk Assessment report warned that China was working to weaponize space and gain a strategic edge in operations integral to potential military campaigns by the [Peoples Liberation Army].

Since the China spy balloon controversy rattled Washington earlier this month, U.S. intelligence sources have confirmed that Chinas balloon fleet is part of a broader effort to beat the U.S. on a new near-space battlefield.

Brendan Mulvaney, the director of the China Aerospace Institute, a research center serving the U.S. Air Force, told RCP that China has gone to great lengths to build up its technological high-flying balloon capabilities  some quite publicly.

I remind people that not only does China steal technology, but they are more than willing to legally purchase it, invest in it, hire people, etc., whenever possible, he said in an email. Without knowing the exact details, its hard to say how this [near-space balloon technology] information was transferred, but we can say for sure that this and other technology is making its way to China.

Yet, if U.S. intelligence knew about the coming threat, why didnt it prevent Chinese investments in U.S. space exploration companies?

The Committee on Foreign Investments in the U.S. is designed to monitor and prevent U.S. adversaries influence on U.S. companies that could be detrimental to national security. But the agency usually focuses on mergers and doesnt prevent smaller start-up investments from Chinese companies, experts told RCP.

In recent years, U.S. agencies have instituted several safeguards to monitor foreign investment and restrict the flow of high-tech exports to China and other adversaries. The Treasury and Commerce Departments also have slapped sanctions on Chinese companies widely known for their surveillance products.

In early February, the U.S. Department of Commerces Bureau of Industry and Security added six Chinese companies linked to Peoples Liberation Army aerospace programs to a sanctions blacklist for being a national security threat as a result of the tension between Washington and Beijing over the incursion of a hot air balloon in U.S. airspace.

As a result, the six Chinese companies are prohibited from obtaining U.S. goods and technologies without prior authorization or a license from the U.S. Government.

Amy Mitchell, a former senior official at the Departments of State and Defense, said the U.S. government could do far better than this scattershot approach with its Chinese sanctions. Instead, lawmakers should be establishing some across-the-board prohibitions for Chinese investments and U.S. exports, she said.

It can be some decoupling of the very problematic companies, it can be additional sanctions  there are multiple ways to do this, Mitchell told RCP. But what we are doing right now is like whack-a-mole. We dont have one kind of comprehensive approach to this issue, and the first step is closing the loopholes in the current system that the CCP is exploiting.

Others urge a more cautious approach. Matt Turpin, a visiting fellow at Stanfords Hoover Institution who served on the National Security Council during the Trump administration, warns against going too far in arbitrarily passing punitive laws aimed at China that could weaken U.S. competitiveness.

In a capitalist system, arbitrarily changing private investment rules will disadvantage the companies in the long term, Turpin said. So, we want to be certain about where to draw the lines.

On the flip side, Chinese companies  even those closely affiliated with PLA and some that the U.S. has sanctioned  are increasingly funded by U.S. investors. Many China companies also are listed on U.S. stock exchanges.

We need to plug the holes, Mitchell said. We have to come up with a formula that protects our national security, and for some reason, we're just not doing it.

According to the 2021 Annual Report to Congress of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, U.S. holdings of Chinese equity and debt securities have risen by 57.5% since 2017 to $1.2 trillion total.

Many Republicans want to force these Chinese companies to give up their listings on Wall Street if they refuse to open their books to U.S. accounting regulators. New laws could also bar them from raising money from American investors.

A Senate bill, sponsored by Sens. Todd Young and Mike Braun of Indiana and Marco Rubio of Florida, would prohibit investments in Chinese companies and entities reasonably believed to be involved in activities contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States. Rep. Mike Gallagher, who chairs the new House China Select Committee, plans to introduce a House version of the bill.

Gordan Chang, a Chinese American lawyer who lived and worked in Hong Kong for two decades, says Americans need to step out of their comfort zone and do far more to confront the growing national security and economic threat from China.

China has a doctrine of civil-military fusion, which means that the Chinese military has access to everything that every Chinese company or university or research institution has gained, he said. So, if we ignore those differences between the U.S. and China, we are effectively allowing the Chinese to pillage the United States.

Its a very simple question: If we want to survive, were going to have to take measures that once were considered to be extreme against China.
Traffic is down to one lane on Highway 22 in New Sit
Adrian Jawort, who performs as Anastasia Steele, participates in an all ages drag show as part of Montana Pride Org's Former Felon's Ball in Helena on Feb. 18, 2023. (Photo by Nicole Girten/Daily Montanan)

Rep. Zooey Zephyr, D-Missoula, said she is tired of having to stand up for bills that impact her community.

Zephyr, the first openly transgender woman elected to the Montana Legislature, gave an impassioned speech on the House floor in opposition to a bill that aims to ban minors from attending drag shows.

I clearly am impacted by this and hurt strongly. I also worry for the rest of my community who has to see bills like this brought forward, Zephyr said. I had to take a call from a 14-year-old child who tried to take her life after listening to testimony.

Republican proponents said the bill was about protecting kids and taxpayer dollars. Democrats said the bill was harmful to the LGBTQ community and went against parental rights and the First Amendment.

House Bill 359 sponsor Rep. Braxton Mitchell, R-Columbia Falls, said he brought the bill because a sick agenda was being pushed via drag shows.

Democrats rose in opposition to his statement and a handful of others made during debate on the bill. Minority Leader Rep. Kim Abbott, D-Helena, asked there not be assumptions voiced about the people performing and their intentions, saying that the all-ages events are family friendly.

Mitchell said the Republican caucus does not believe there is such a thing as a family-friendly drag show.

Why should children be at these drag shows? Mitchell said.

The bill passed second reading in the House on a 66-33 partisan vote with Republicans  save for Rep. Greg Frazer, R-Deer Lodge  in favor.

As of Thursday morning, 149 constituents had messaged legislators in support of the bill and 270 constituents had sent messages in opposition. Opponents outweighed supporters when the bill was heard in the House Judiciary Committee earlier this month.

When questions arose as to why children are coming to drag shows now, Zephyr said it was because the LGBTQ community that survived the AIDS epidemic has families now.

And now were taking some of our children and sharing an art form thats valuable to our community in a way that is age appropriate to them, she said. And to answer the sponsors question directly, Why should children be there? Thats why. Because it matters to us and our community. Because we lived.

Zephyr said the bill could be interpreted to target the transgender community, as the bills language bans male or female impersonators but does not explicitly define them.

Majority Leader Rep. Sue Vinton, R-Billings, rose in opposition to Zephyrs comments, saying the bill has nothing to do with the transgender community.

Emails exchanged by Mitchell and bill drafters before the legislation was introduced show Mitchells original intention for the bill came about in part because trans strippers should not be around minors. Mitchell also linked to the Drag Queen Story Hour website  where performers in elaborate costumes read library books to children and families  and said he wanted to go against everything on it.

Speaking against the bill, Rep. Jedediah Hinkle, R-Belgrade, echoed an argument he made during executive action in the House Judiciary Committee  posing the question, What if strippers started a stripper story hour?

Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe, R-Billings, said this bill was about protecting childrens innocence.

When theyre exposed to people who are gyrating in front of them, thats not kid friendly, she said.

Democrats rose in opposition.

Im going to object today every time were equating a drag performance to sexualizing children, Abbott said.

Rep. Connie Keogh, D-Missoula, said she wanted to correct misinformation surrounding the bill. She told the House she attended her first drag show last Saturday  an all-ages event in Helena.

I find it irresponsible to create law based on a complete lack of understanding and determined willful misrepresentation of what drag actually is. I discovered, just Saturday night, that drag is a form of creative expression, like music, dance, and theater, she said. It is part of the cultural fabric of the LGBTQ+ community and has been around for centuries.

Also in attendance at the show on Saturday were House Judiciary Committee members Rep. Donavon Hawk, D-Butte, and Rep. Tom France, D-Missoula.

Rep. Sherry Essmann, R-Billings, said she did not see hate in the legislative body and that the bill has nothing to do with how she feels about anybody in the chamber.

I hope that the rest of you can take that into your hearts and your minds and forget all the silly arguments about what this bill is not doing and address what this bill is doing. And that is protecting taxpayer dollars, she said.

The bill would prevent drag performances on any public property in the presence of someone under age 18 and at any location owned by an entity that receives any state funding.

Rep. Alice Buckley, D-Bozeman, tried and failed to amend the bill by striking the word drag and replacing it with adult-oriented. Mitchell said in opposition to the amendment that Buckley wasnt going to vote for the bill anyway and that the proposed amendment derailed the bills intent.

The bill will need to clear third reading in the House before being sent to the Senate.

The post House forwards bill targeting drag shows along party lines appeared first on Daily Montanan.
Lee Kyung-sub, left, POSCO Holdings' head of LiB Materials Business, signs a memorandum of agreement for mutual cooperation in nickel production with Jiang Xinfang, CEO of Lygend Resources & Technology, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday. Courtesy of POSCO Holdings



By Kim Hyun-bin



POSCO Holdings is starting a nickel business for secondary batteries in Indonesia. The company signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with China's Lygend Resources & Technology in Jakarta, Indonesia to cooperate in nickel production. With this MOA, POSCO Holdings will have a nickel supply network in Indonesia, the world's No. 1 nickel holder and producer, the company announced, Friday.



Indonesia is a major nickel hub for secondary batteries. Its total nickel reserves reach 21 million tons. Nickel is a key raw material that determines the performance of vehicle mileage by increasing the charging capacity of secondary batteries for electric vehicles (EVs). The growth of the EV market is sharply increasing demand for nickel for secondary batteries.



Lygend is a Chinese company that conducts business throughout the value chain, from nickel mining to smelting and trading. The company specializes in hydrometallurgical technology which extracts nickel ore by dissolving it in acid. In 2021, Indonesia's first nickel hydrometallurgical plant for secondary batteries was established and is in operation.



With this agreement, POSCO Holdings and Lygend plan to build a nickel mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP) production plant with an annual capacity of 120,000 tons based on nickel content in Sulawesi, Indonesia. Construction of a production plant with a capacity of 60,000 tons based on nickel content will begin this year and production will begin in 2025.



The signing ceremony was attended by Lee Kyung-sub, head of POSCO Holdings' LiB Materials Business, and Jiang Xinfang, CEO of Lygend Resources & Technology.



"By cooperating with Lygend, a leading nickel hydrometallurgical company, we will be able to further strengthen the competitiveness of the nickel business, which is one of the pillars of the POSCO Group's secondary battery material business, by stably securing cost-competitive Indonesian nickel," Lee said.


It is the policy of Cowles Montana Media to not name minor children accused of a crime unless they are charged as an adult. Therefore we will not be naming the suspect in this case.

GREAT FALLS, MT - Newly released court records are sharing more details about a shooting that left one teenager in the hospital and another at the Juvenile Detention Center (JDC) after an early morning shooting on February 21st.

The affidavit from Youth Court states an officer with Great Falls Police Department found a 15-year-old boy who had been shot once in the stomach on the 1600 block of Valeria Way.

The victim told GFPD two other teen boys were involved with the shooting. He gave them their names and police began canvassing the neighborhood looking for them and any other witnesses.

One witness said she saw one boy run away from the area and gave police a description of a boy wearing a black hoodie and black jogger style pants which were tight at the ankle.

With name and description in hand, GFPD was able to locate one of the boys the victim had told them about at his residence. That individual told police he was not involved with the shooting but did say the suspect had come to his home and told him he had, "really messed up and he was going away for a long time." according to court documents

While waiting for a search warrant at that residence, police found the suspect inside that same home and noticed he was wearing a black hoodie and black jogger style pants which were tight at the ankle.

The 14-year-old suspect was taken to GFPD for further questioning. The suspect's parents refused to provide a statement without an attorney present.

GFPD Detectives found the suspects girlfriend and while talking with her the suspect eventually admitted to shooting the victim and hiding the gun behind a business off of 10th Avenue South. That gun, which police state is a semiautomatic hand gun, was located.

The 14-year-old suspect was charged with felony assault with a weapon. He is being held at the JDC on a $75,000 bond

According to GFPD the victim was shot once in the lower abdomen and hit his lower intestine and colon. The bullet entered but did not exit his body. He was listed in stable condition.
Two men have been banned from owning or keeping dogs for three years under new legislative powers designed to target poachers.

On 21 February, Colchester magistrates handed David Hilden and Tyron Young disqualification orders in what is believed to be a national first, after the pair each admitted a charge of daytime trespass in pursuit of game.

Magistrates made the orders after hearing both men had travelled to the Saffron Walden area from south London with dogs which were to be used to poach game.

The poaching of wild animals can also cause significant damage to crops and farmland, which is costly for the landowner or farmer.

Investigating officer PC Nigel Wright, of the Rural Engagement Team, said: I am delighted that the magistrates were able to use this new legislation to deprive these two poachers of any access to dogs, even just walking someone elses, for the next three years.

We look forward to working with the CPS to have these disqualification orders applied in cases of hare coursing and other poaching offences in the future.

Hilden, 39, of Lathams Way, Croydon, and Young, 35, of Bolton Drive, Morden, were detained by rural engagement officers while walking across crop fields with four dogs on Peacock Hill, near Littlebury, Saffron Walden, in October 2022.

There were no public footpaths in the area and the landowner had not given the men permission to be on the land.

When interviewed by officers at the scene, Hilden admitted he had gone on to the land to pursue rabbits while Young claimed to be walking his dog.

Officers seized their vehicle at the time and, following further enquiries, Hilden and Young were summonsed to appear at court to answer the charges.

Hilden was also fined 120 and ordered to pay court costs of 105 and a victim surcharge of 48, while Young was fined 200 and ordered to pay 105 costs and an 80 victim surcharge.

Sally Robinson, District Crown Prosecutor for CPS East of England, said: "This type of offending has a profound impact on rural and farming communities.

I hope this sends a warning to anyone who thinks about poaching any form of wildlife, that we will not hesitate to ask for these orders whenever possible.

We will continue to clamp down on poachers - working closely with the police and other partner agencies - using all the powers at our disposal.
South Africa: Electoral Amendment Bill sent to the President for assent

The National Assembly (NA) has passed the Electoral Amendment Bill and adopted the Report of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs, along with amendments proposed by the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), during its virtual plenary on Thursday.

The Electoral Amendment Bill was approved by the National Assembly on 20 October 2022 and referred to the NCOP for further consideration and concurrence.

The NCOP also approved it with further proposed amendments, and returned it to the NA on 29 November 2022 for further processing.

The NCOP proposed amendments to the Bill, including an amendment to clause 3, by proposing the inclusion of a further paragraph to section 27 of the Electoral Act, 1998, to address the disparity between party candidates and independent candidates.

The Bill currently only requires independent candidates to produce signatures supporting their candidature totalling 20% of the quota for a seat in the previous comparable election.

Parliament spokesperson, Moloto Mothapo, said the proposed amendment to this section now intends to provide that parties, who are registered but not represented in the National Assembly or provincial legislatures, will also have to produce the same amount of signatures in support of their party when intending to contest an election.

Once the independent candidates and registered parties are represented in the NA or provincial legislatures, they would be exempt from this requirement. The NCOP further proposed amendments to clause 6 to bring the wording and requirements imposed on independent candidates to be aligned with the requirements now being imposed on parties by the amendment to clause 3, Mothapo explained.

Other amendments relating to clause 21 of the Bill dealing with Schedule 1A, include:

An amendment removing most votes and substituting this phrase with the phrase highest proportion of votes;

An amendment in order to rectify the forfeiture calculation, as the Bill incorrectly excluded those independent candidates who have gained one seat from the calculation;

An amendment to the calculation formula that will apply when an independent candidate must make a choice between either taking up a seat in the provincial legislature or the NA;

Deletions to certain phrases that are redundant and errors that appeared in the Bill; and

An inclusion of a new item 24(3), which is required in order to do a reverse forfeiture calculation, which is essential to protect seats mid-term, should a vacancy arise.

Mothapo said that the NCOP further proposed the inclusion of an entirely new clause 23 in the Bill (which will not form part of the Electoral Act) establishing an Electoral Reform Consultation Panel to investigate, consult on and make recommendations in respect of potential reforms of the electoral system

Given the nature of the NCOPs proposed amendments, the Committee resolved to advertise the NCOPs proposed amendments for public comment. The Committee also resolved that given the extensive nationwide consultation already conducted on the Bill; as well as the work still required by the Independent Electoral Commission to implement amendments before the next National Elections in 2024, it would not conduct public hearings again after calling for further comments on the Bill.

Having considered the proposed amendments passed by the NCOP, the Committee tabled the report to the NA with the additional changes referred to above. The report was considered and passed by the NA today, Mothapo said.

The Bill was initially warranted by the Constitutional Court judgment in the New Nation Movement NPC and Others vs President of the Republic of South Africa and Others case in June 2020, which ruled that the Electoral Act of 1998 was unconstitutional, to the extent that adult citizens may be elected to the NA and Provincial Legislature, only through their membership of political parties.

Due to the call for public comment on the NCOPs proposed amendments and the time given for such public comment to be submitted, it became clear that Parliament would not be able to pass the Bill before the Constitutional Court deadline of 10 December 2022, and therefore the Committee resolved to urgently apply for a further extension of the deadline to the Constitutional Court.

The Constitutional Court granted Parliament an extension until 28 February 2023 to finalise the Bill.

The Bill will now be sent to the president for assent.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2023-02-24. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Xi stresses grasping, carrying forward Lei Feng spirit

Xinhua) 17:02, February 23, 2023

BEIJING, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed the importance of gaining a deep understanding of the Lei Feng spirit so that the spirit will shine more brightly in the new era.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in an important instruction on further carrying out the activities of learning from Lei Feng, a late ordinary soldier and a household icon in China celebrated for selflessly helping others.

Xi noted that 2023 marks the 60th year since revolutionaries of the older generation, including Mao Zedong, wrote inscriptions for comrade Lei Feng. He said that activities of learning from Lei Feng have been carried out continuously and extensively over the past six decades.

Lei Feng has become a household name in China, and his deeds resonate with the public, Xi said, adding that his spirit has nurtured the minds of Chinese people from generation to generation.

It has been proved that no matter how times change, the spirit of Lei Feng will always be relevant, Xi said.

Xi underlined the importance of earnestly grasping the contemporary connotations of the Lei Feng spirit, and of giving full play to the exemplary role of Party members and officials.

Xi urged redoubled efforts to guarantee and support volunteer services, continue fostering and expanding volunteer teams dedicated to learning from Lei Feng, and promote such activities throughout society, especially among the youth, thus creating a mighty force for building a modern socialist country in all respects and advancing national rejuvenation on all fronts.

Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, on Thursday addressed a symposium marking the 60th anniversary of the call to learn from Lei Feng by Mao Zedong and other older generation revolutionaries.

He stressed the importance of studying in depth Xi's important expositions on carrying forward the Lei Feng spirit to guide Party members, officials and the general public to pursue lofty ideals, practice core socialist values, and consciously integrate their personal aims into hard work for the cause of the Party and the people.

Efforts should be made to deepen the study and interpretation of the Lei Feng spirit, strengthen theoretical and political guidance, and give full play to the exemplary role of Party members, officials and role models, Cai noted. He said the platforms hosting activities on learning from Lei Feng should be enriched to ensure such activities are appealing in this era, and that they are carried out on a regular and long-term basis.

A symposium marking the 60th anniversary of the call to learn from Lei Feng by Mao Zedong and other older generation revolutionaries is held in Beijing, China, Feb. 23, 2023. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made remarks in an important instruction on further carrying out the activities of learning from Lei Feng, a late ordinary soldier and a household icon in China celebrated for selflessly helping others. Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, addressed the symposium and stressed the importance of studying in depth Xi's important expositions. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

(Web editor: Liang Jun, Wu Chaolan)
Samsung Electronics' semiconductor factory in Xi'an / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics





By Park Jae-hyuk







Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have maintained a cautious stance toward a high-ranking U.S. government official's remarks that the Korean chipmakers could be barred from producing more advanced semiconductors in China later this year.







U.S. Department of Commerce's Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Alan Estevez said Thursday (local time) that there will likely be a "cap on the levels" of growth for Samsung and SK in China. This was in response to a question about what the companies should expect after their one-year reprieves from U.S. chip restrictions on China.







Last October, the Korean chipmakers earned one-year waivers from the U.S. Department of Commerce's export control measure that prohibits U.S.-based companies from exporting their semiconductor equipment to chip production companies in China.







"If you're at whatever layer, we'll stop it somewhere in that range," Estevez said during a conference co-hosted by the Korea Foundation and the Center for Strategic & International Studies in Washington, D.C. "It will depend on what the Chinese are doing too, but we're in a deep dialogue with the companies."







His remarks were interpreted as the U.S. government's intention to prevent China from learning advanced semiconductor technologies from Korean chipmakers. Amid the growing concerns, the Korean government asked the U.S. government to exempt Samsung and SK from the export ban even after the one-year waivers.







SK hynix officials celebrate the completion of the company's DRAM plant in Wuxi, China, in this 2019 file photo. Courtesy of SK hynix





Both Samsung and SK declined to comment on this issue, considering the fact that the U.S. government has yet to state its official position on this matter.







The two companies also took a cautious stance toward worries over the U.S. government's plan to offer subsidies to chipmakers that promise not to increase their production capacities in China and other countries of concern over the next 10 years.







U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said on Thursday that her department will start to receive applications for a total of $39 billion in chips funding next Tuesday, in order to incentivize companies to manufacture semiconductors on American soil. Both Samsung and SK are reportedly planning to apply for subsidies.







"Over the last two years, China has produced more than 80 percent of new global capacity for certain mature chips, and their market share is growing," she said. "Without manufacturing strength in the U.S. and the innovation that flows from it, we are at a clear disadvantage in the race to invent and commercialize future generations of technology."







Given that Samsung and SK have operated multiple semiconductor factories in China, the U.S. CHIPS Act is feared to pose a setback in increasing their investments in the Chinese market.


Cambodia has registered impressive growth in apparel exports to its neighbouring countries such as Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia. Shipments to Thailand and Malaysia grew by more than 40 per cent, while that to Singapore registered a mild growth during 2022. The exports to neighbouring countries compensated for slower shipments to the West.

Cambodia exported apparel worth $57.604 million to Thailand during 2022, up from $41.010 million in 2021. Cambodia managed to recover the shipment in 2022 after a steep fall in 2021. The exports increased to $95.806 million in 2019 from $89.081 million in 2018, but it slipped to $73.986 million in 2020 and further nosedived to $41.010 million in 2021, as per Fibre2Fashions market insight tool TexPro.

Cambodia has registered impressive growth in apparel exports to its neighbouring countries such as Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia. Shipments to Thailand and Malaysia grew by more than 40 per cent, while that to Singapore registered a mild growth during 2022. The exports to neighbouring countries compensated for slower shipments to the West.

The exports to neighbouring countries witnessed a downward trend in 2021 in comparison to 2020. Cambodias exports of apparel to Singapore fell to one third to $50.700 million in 2021 from $156.221 million in 2020. It recovered to $51.625 million in 2022. The exports amounted to $81.615 million in 2019, $66.590 million in 2018 and $71.047 million in 2017.

The exports to Malaysia increased to $50.435 million till November 2022 from $33.169 million in 2021. The exports until November 2022 were 50 per cent higher than last year. However, it registered negative growth since 2019 when the shipment slipped to $57.973 million from $58.424 million in 2018. It further declined to $37.602 million in 2020 and $33.169 million in 2021, according to TexPro.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL)


COURBEVOIE (dpa-AFX) - French building materials firm Saint-Gobain (CODGF.PK) reported that its net attributable income for fiscal year 2022 rose 19.1% to 3.00 billion euros from 2.52 billion euros in the prior year. Earnings per share were 5.84 euros up from 4.79 euros in the previous year.



EBITDA climbed 15% to 7.12 billion euros from the previous year.



Recurring net income was 3.34 billion euros up 18% from the prior year.



On a reported basis, sales jumped 15.9% to 51.2 billion euros, with a positive currency effect of 3.6% over the year as a whole. The Group structure impact reduced sales by 1.0% over the year as a whole but was positive in the second half, adding 1.3% to sales.



The company said its board decided to recommend to the Shareholders' Meeting on June 8, 2023 a cash dividend up 23% to 2.00 euros per share for 2022. The ex-dividend date has been set at June 12 and the dividend will be paid on June 14, 2023.



The Group noted that it will allocate at least 400 million euros for share buybacks in 2023 in line with the objectives set out in its 'Grow & Impact' plan.



Saint-Gobain expects a moderate slowdown in its markets in 2023, with contrasting trends: a decline in new construction in certain regions but good resilience overall in renovation.



For 2023,Saint-Gobain targets an operating margin of between 9% and 11%, in line with the 'Grow & Impact' strategic plan target.



For more earnings news, earnings calendar, and earnings for stocks, visit rttnews.com



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SHANGHAI, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Cao Renxian, Chairman of Sungrow, met with Mr. Mohammad Abunayyan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ACWA Power on February 18th. The two parties held an in-depth discussion on cutting-edge technologies such as water desalination using renewable energy, green hydrogen production, and clean energy cooperation. James Wu, Sungrow's Senior Vice President, and Peng Chaocai, Sungrow's Vice President, also attended the meeting.





Mr. Mohammad Abunayyan said that ACWA Power and Sungrow maintain a long-term and robust strategic partnership and have common goals in contributing to the energy transition and carbon neutrality. The two parties will give full play to their respective leading advantages in the renewable energy industry, and strengthen cooperation in fields including PV, energy storage, and green hydrogen, contributing to a more sustainable and cleaner future.

Cao Renxian expressed his gratitude to ACWA Power for its continued trust and support, and shared Sungrow's innovation and global experience in the fields of PV, wind power, energy storage, electric vehicle chargers, and hydrogen during the meeting. Cao Renxian said that the convergence of the "Belt and Road" initiative and Saudi Arabia's "Vision 2030" provides diversified opportunities for industry players. Sungrow will continue providing industry-leading innovations to meet the demand for ACWA Power. The Company will continue to embed sustainability at the heart of its business and contribute its wisdom and strength to promote benefits for both parties.

About Sungrow

Sungrow Power Supply Co., Ltd. ("Sungrow") is the world's most bankable inverter brand with over 269 GW installed worldwide as of June 2022. Founded in 1997 by Professor Cao Renxian, Sungrow is a leader in the research and development of solar inverters with the largest dedicated R&D team in the industry and a broad product portfolio offering PV inverter solutions and energy storage systems for utility-scale, commercial & industrial, and residential applications, as well as internationally recognized floating PV plant solutions, NEV driving solutions, EV charging solutions and renewable hydrogen production systems. With a strong 25-year track record in the PV space, Sungrow products power over 150 countries worldwide. Learn more about Sungrow by visiting www.sungrowpower.com.





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Houston, Texas--(Newsfile Corp. - February 24, 2023) - San Jacinto College announced a partnership today with Nuro, a leading autonomous vehicle (AV) company, to create the first AV technician certificate program in Texas as part of Nuro's national Autonomous Upskilling Initiative.

San Jacinto students will be able to start this unique, one-year certificate program starting Fall 2023. It includes hybrid coursework allowing students to merge computer design and automotive engineering skills, and prepare for jobs in the AV industry. The AV delivery service industry has the potential to create and sustain 3.4 million jobs annually between 2025-2035, according to a Steer report.

"San Jacinto College has a rich history of being at the forefront of helping students build industry-relevant skills. From maritime, aerospace, and automotive technician training, to supporting the petrochemical and medical industries in our region, our college has always done a great job preparing the workforce for the future. We're excited to partner with Nuro to create the state's first autonomous technician certificate program for our students, and we appreciate their partnership," said Dr. Brenda Hellyer, San Jacinto College Chancellor.

Nuro sees tremendous potential in the AV industry. There is a massive demand for autonomous delivery at scale, which the company aims to meet by partnering with some of the world's leading brands and making last-mile deliveries in communities with its zero-occupant, zero-emission electric delivery vehicles. By scaling up this service, Nuro wants to strengthen local commerce and drive equitable access to fresh food and other essential goods to underserved communities across the United States.

"Nuro's expansion in the Houston area will benefit from our ability not only to attract talent but also to meet the growing demand in this field. What's unique about this program is that it's open to everyone from first-year students to experienced professionals who want to explore the electric and autonomous vehicle industry. I'm excited to be a part of an effort that will redefine how we train and retain the future workforce in this industry," said EV Ellington, Head of On-Road Operations at Nuro.

Nuro has also partnered with the California Bay Area-based De Anza College as part of its Upskilling Initiative to create education and training opportunities in AV.

About San Jacinto College

Surrounded by monuments of history, evolving industries, maritime enterprises of today, and the space age of tomorrow, San Jacinto College has served the people of East Harris County, Texas, since 1961. The College is one of the top five community colleges in the nation as designated by the Aspen Institute, and was named an Achieving the Dream Leader College of Distinction in 2020. The College is a Hispanic-Serving Institution that spans five campuses, serving approximately 41,000 credit and non-credit students annually. It offers more than 200 degrees and certificates across eight major areas of study that put students on a path to transfer to four-year institutions or enter the workforce. The College is fiscally sound, holding bond ratings of AA and Aa2 by Standard & Poor's and Moody's.

For more information about San Jacinto College visit sanjac.edu.

About Nuro

Nuro exists to better everyday life through robotics. The company's custom electric autonomous vehicles are designed to bring the things you need-from produce to prescriptions-right to your home. Nuro's autonomous, goods-focused solution can give you valuable time back and more freedom to do what you love. This convenient, eco-friendly alternative to driving has the potential to make streets safer and cities more livable. Nuro has piloted autonomous local delivery for communities in Texas, Arizona, and California-for less driving and more thriving.

Contact:

For San Jacinto College: Amanda Fewick, amanda.fenwick@sjcd.edu | 281.998.6160

For Nuro: Mark Solano, msolano@nuro.ai | 832.248.7704

###

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156026
Regulatory News:

Sopra Steria Group (SOP, Euronext Paris [Compartment A] ISIN: FR0000050809) (Paris:SOP) today announced the launch of We Share 2023, a new employee share ownership plan. Its subscription period will run from 27 March to 12 April 2023.

We Share 2023 is being offered to approximately 96% of Sopra Steria Group employees, in 14 countries: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom*. At 31 December 2022, investments managed on behalf of Group employees** represented 6.4% of the share capital and 8.1% of voting rights, positioning Sopra Steria as one of the leading listed French companies when it comes to employee share ownership. At the date of this press release, after adding the shares held directly in registered form by current and former Group employees, these proportions amount to nearly 10% of the share capital and 13% of voting rights.

This new plan is in keeping with Sopra Steria's continuing aim to give employees the opportunity to share in the success of the Group's corporate plan and performance over the long term. "With this new plan, we want to recognise the commitment of our employees to the business and reaffirm our aim of being an independent Group, combining our entrepreneurial DNA with our collective force," said Pierre Pasquier, Chairman of Sopra Steria Group's Board of Directors.

At its meeting of 11 January 2023, the Board of Directors decided to implement this new employee share ownership plan under the same conditions as the previous plans, given their success. The plan involves the transfer of existing shares.

Under We Share 2023, employees will receive a matching employer contribution of one free share per share purchased, with the individual employee contribution capped at 3,000. Depending on their country of residence, employees will be able to acquire Sopra Steria shares either through an employee mutual investment fund (FCPE) or directly.

The purchase price will be equal to the average of weighted average prices for Sopra Steria shares on the Euronext Paris market over the 20 trading days preceding the date of the decision by the Chief Executive Officer, scheduled for 24 March 2023, setting this purchase price as well as the start date for the subscription period.

The plan is limited to a total of 200,000 shares: 100,000 shares purchased by employees and 100,000 free shares granted as the matching employer contribution. If subscriptions by employees exceed this overall limit, the share purchase order amounts will be reduced according to a capping method, i.e. starting with the highest purchase order amounts, by successive iterations, until a level is reached at which the total number of available shares can be distributed. According to the provisional timetable, the settlement-delivery of shares will occur on 10 May 2023.

Including employees eligible for the Share Incentive Plan (SIP) in the United Kingdom.

** Investments managed on behalf of employees include shares held through company mutual funds (FCPEs), SIPs and UK trusts.

About Sopra Steria

Sopra Steria, a European tech leader recognised for its consulting, digital services and software development, helps its clients drive their digital transformation to obtain tangible and sustainable benefits. It provides end-to-end solutions to make large companies and organisations more competitive by combining in-depth knowledge of a wide range of business sectors and innovative technologies with a fully collaborative approach. Sopra Steria places people at the heart of everything it does and is committed to putting digital to work for its clients in order to build a positive future for all. With 50,000 employees in nearly 30 countries, the Group generated revenue of 5.1 billion in 2022.

The world is how we shape it.

Sopra Steria (SOP) is listed on Euronext Paris (Compartment A) ISIN: FR0000050809

For more information, visit us at www.soprasteria.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230223005587/en/

Contacts:

Investor Relations

Olivier Psaume

olivier.psaume@soprasteria.com

+33 (0)1 40 67 68 16

Press Relations

Caroline Simon (Image 7)

caroline.simon@image7.fr

+33 (0)1 53 70 74 65
LG Innotek CEO Jeong Cheol-dong, fourth from left in the front, raises his fist with other CEOs of partner firms at LG Science Park in Magok, Seoul, Thursday. LG Innotek



By Lee Kyung-min



LG Innotek held an event promoting mutual growth with its small partner firms at LG Science Park in Magok, Seoul, Thursday, the electronic components manufacturing affiliate of LG Group said Friday.



About 50 people attended the event, including CEO Jeong Cheol-dong and other management officials. They discussed ways to foster long-term business relationships to benefit both sides.



"A variety of activities that promote sustainable mutual growth with our partner firms are the most important foundation for creating unmatched customer value," Jeong said at the event.



"We will support environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) management activities for us both to become sustainable entities."



The LG affiliate introduced a program whereby the firm and its partners will be able to seek cooperation across the financial, technological advancement, management and education sectors. The efforts will be underpinned by a memorandum of understanding for 2023 signed by over 100 partner firms.



LG Innotek will establish a mutual growth fund of 143 billion won ($109 million) this year, an increase of 40 billion won compared to 2022.



The fund will assist the partner firm's ESG management activities by offering borrowing rates far lower than market rates.



Jeong plans to pay a visit to major partner companies this year to better address and resolve their difficulties, thereby establishing a strong partnership.



The firm also plans to organize a "growth camp" before the year's end to share knowledge and recommendations to advance practical solutions for sustainable growth and strengthen open and frequent communication.



Over 100 of its partner firms will attend an academic session in November organized by the LG affiliate, where participants will be trained to hone their leadership skills and broaden their understanding of humanities. The annual event has drawn positive reviews from the participants over the past few years.


Press Release

Nokia AVA for Energy SaaS chosen by O 2 Telefonica Germany to curb energy useMWC23

Nokia AVA for Energy SaaS uses artificial intelligence to reduce energy consumption across the Nokia radio access network





24 February 2023

Espoo, Finland -Nokia today announced that its AVA for EnergySaaS solution, based on a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) delivery model, has been chosen by O 2 Telefonica Germany to strengthen the operator's energy efficiency efforts across the Nokia radio access network.

Nokia AVA for Energy SaaS automatically monitors network traffic patterns in order to allow operators to throttle back connectivity resources, like base stations, during low usage periods, enabling reductions in power usage. The technology pursues the claim that mobile customers will not notice any difference in terms of network quality despite these active energy-saving measures.

The solution is consumed purely on demand through a subscription, eliminating large up front capital expenditure and avoiding the need to perform on-site software maintenance and updates.

It continually monitors network performance to ensure that energy saving measures do not have any adverse impact on the quality of service for O 2 Telefonica Germany subscribers. Nokia AVA for Energy SaaS can realize around a two-fold energy saving compared to non-AI systems that perform temporary network resource shutdowns based on fixed schedules.

Nokia AVA for Energy SaaS allows operators to locate network anomalies and benchmark the energy efficiency of passive infrastructure, such as batteries and air conditioning units that can account for up to 20 percent of overall energy consumption.

In its test of Nokia AVA for Energy SaaS, O 2 Telefonica Germany realized significant energy savings by automatically switching off unused Radio Access Network resources, while maintaining the customer experience.

Matthias Sauder, Director Mobile Access & Transport Networksat O 2 Telefonica Germany,said: "Efficient energy consumption is an increasingly important aspect of our network operations. We are using intelligent systems and efficient tools like Nokia AVA for Energy SaaS to achieve significant energy savings in our mobile network and help move us forward in delivering on our sustainability goals."

Hamdy Farid,Senior Vice President, Business Applications at Nokia, said: "Nokia AVA for Energy SaaS is a reflection not only of our technology leadership, providing customers such as O 2 Telefonica Germany with rapid time to value with on-demand access to our software applications, but also of Nokia's broader commitment to cut emissions across its value chain, including its own operations and products in use."

Resources

Nokia AVA for Energy Efficiency SaaS (https://www.nokia.com/networks/bss-oss/ava/energy-efficiency/)

Nokia SaaS (https://www.nokia.com/networks/as-a-service/saas/)

Explaining SaaS for communication service providers and enterprise (https://www.nokia.com/about-us/newsroom/articles/explaining-saas-for-communication-service-providers-and-enterprise/)





About Nokia

At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together.

As a trusted partner for critical networks, we are committed to innovation and technology leadership across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. We create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs.

Adhering to high standards of integrity and security, we help build the capabilities needed for a more productive, sustainable and inclusive world.

About O 2 Telefonica

O 2 Telefonica is a leading full-service provider of telecommunications services for consumers and business customers. In addition to traditional telephony and Internet connections, the portfolio of the core brand O 2 and various secondary and partner brands also includes innovative digital services in the area of the Internet of Things and data analysis. In mobile communications, O 2 Telefonica serves around 47 million mobile lines (incl. M2M - as of September 30, 2022). No other network operator connects more people in this country. The company's high-performance, award-winning mobile network reaches over 99% of the population. In the fixed network, O 2 Telefonica offers its customers the greatest technological diversity and geographical availability of any provider in Germany.?Telefonica Deutschland Holding AG is listed on the TecDAX and MDax and has been part of the Stoxx Europe 600 since June 2022. In fiscal year 2021, the company generated revenues of 7.8 billion euros with around 7,400 employees. The company is majority-owned by the Spanish telecommunications group Telefonica S.A., headquartered in Madrid, one of the largest telecommunications groups in the world.

Media Inquiries

Nokia

Communications

Email: press.services@nokia.com
PERTH, AUSTRALIA / ACCESSWIRE / February 24, 2023 / Centamin will announce its audited financial results for the twelve months ended 31 December 2022 on Thursday, 16 March 2023.

The Company will host a conference call and webcast presentation on the same day, at 08.30 GMT, to discuss the results with investors and analysts, followed by an opportunity to ask questions.

Please find below the required participation details. A replay will be made available on the Company website.

WEBCAST PRESENTATION AND CONFERENCE CALL

To join the webcast: https://www.investis-live.com/centamin/63eb959d33aa1a120095c6ee/gqruu

Please allow a few minutes to register.

Dial-in telephone numbers:

United Kingdom +44 (0) 203 936 2999

United States +1 646 664 1960

South Africa +27 (0)87 550 8441

All other locations +44 (0) 203 936 2999

Participation access code: 640480

ABOUT CENTAMIN

Centamin is an established gold producer, with a premium listing on the London Stock Exchange and Toronto Stock Exchange. The Company's flagship asset is the Sukari Gold Mine ("Sukari"), Egypt's largest and first modern gold mine, as well as one of the world's largest producing mines. Since production began in 2009 Sukari has produced circa 5 million ounces of gold, and today has a projected mine life of 12 years.

Through its large portfolio of exploration assets in Egypt and West Africa, Centamin is advancing an active pipeline of future growth prospects, including the Doropo Project in Cote d'Ivoire, and approximately 3,000km2 of highly prospective exploration ground in Egypt's Nubian Shield.

Centamin practices responsible mining activities, recognising its responsibility to not only deliver operational and financial performance but to create lasting mutual benefit for all stakeholders through good corporate citizenship.

FOR MORE INFORMATION please visit the website www.centamin.com or contact:

Centamin plc

Alexandra Barter-Carse, Head of Corporate Communications

investor@centaminplc.com Buchanan

Bobby Morse /Oonagh Reidy/ George Cleary

+ 44 (0) 20 7466 5000

centamin@buchanan.uk.com

LEI: 213800PDI9G7OUKLPV84

Company No: 109180

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.

SOURCE: Centamin PLC

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/740637/Centamin-PLC-Announces-Notice-of-Full-Year-2022-Results
Regulatory News:

TME Pharma N.V. (Euronext Growth Paris: ALTME), a biotechnology company focused on developing novel therapies for treatment of cancer by targeting the tumor microenvironment (TME), released today a message from Aram Mangasarian, CEO of TME Pharma, to its shareholders with the following key highlights:

Exceptional clinical results generated in brain cancer trial evaluating NOX-A12 in combination with radiotherapy and bevacizumab

Maturing brain cancer survival data confirmed 83% of patients still alive at 10 months

12-month median follow-up survival data expected in early Q2 2023

Intensified partnering and financing discussions to secure future clinical development of NOX-A12 without reliance on convertible debt financing

Cash runway projected into September 2023

Dear Shareholders,

I would like to take a moment to both look back at 2022 and to look ahead to the 2023 catalysts that can move TME Pharma forward.

With the exceptional clinical results emerging from our brain cancer program throughout last year, it was time to make our transformation into an oncology biotech with a focus on therapeutics altering the tumor microenvironment TME visible with our new name. Our current strategy focuses all facets of our and collaborators' expertise on the development of our lead asset NOX-A12 in brain cancer as the opportunity with the fastest path to approval. Indeed, recent work has revealed a potential biomarker that may predict clinical response of brain cancer patients to NOX-A12-based therapy. Being able to select patients who will benefit most strongly from our therapy should increase chances of regulatory approval and commercial success while at the same time reducing cost and duration of associated trials.

At TME Pharma we pride ourselves on taking on one of the most difficult to treat and underserved cancer indications brain cancer (glioblastoma multiforme, GBM). GBM is one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer and the most common malignant central nervous system tumor in adults. Patients with this devastating orphan disease are faced with extremely poor prognosis and a staggering 95% of them will not survive beyond 5 years. There is a huge unmet medical need for an effective approach to treat GBM where the standard of care a combination treatment including surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy unfortunately is not curative, and provides only a minimal survival benefit despite its heavy toll on the last few months of the patients' and their families' lives. Moreover, not all patients will benefit clinically from the chemotherapy, which limits the efficacy of the treatment while adding side effects for patients. Our approach, built on research into the tumor microenvironment, has delivered a series of highly encouraging results in the clinic and demonstrates that NOX-A12 combinations, granted orphan drug designation in the US and Europe, have the potential to considerably improve therapy of this disease.

Although we were confident that NOX-A12 could generate clinical benefit for patients, the data generated from the GLORIA study in newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients surpassed our expectations, in particular the interim results in the expansion arm evaluating the triple combination of NOX-A12, radiotherapy and bevacizumab, the antibody also known as Avastin from Roche. These results were reported in November at the Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO) Annual Meeting in Tampa, US and showed that almost all patients responded to the NOX-A12 triple combination in an impressive manner: 100% of targeted lesions treated with the NOX-A12 combination shrank by more than 50% with 83% of patients achieving durable partial responses lasting longer than six months. Two of the six patients experienced tumor size reduction greater than 99%. These are exceptionally positive treatment outcomes for this patient group: a matched historical cohort treated with the standard of care showed only 25% of patients with tumor size reduction and 10% of patients with a reduction of 50% or more in tumor size.

The GLORIA study continues to generate important data, and we have not yet reached median overall survival (mOS). We recently reported that 83% of patients are still alive with the median time on study of 10 months. The 10-month timepoint is an important landmark for assessment since this is the expected median survival for our patient population with chemorefractory tumors and incomplete surgical removal. We are now keenly awaiting the 12-month median follow-up survival data which are due in early Q2 2023. More mature survival data will allow us to initiate discussions with the regulators and design the optimal regulatory path forward for NOX-A12.

As announced in June 2022, in response to the emerging positive data we have decided to focus our strategy so that our capabilities and resources advance the glioblastoma program. Over the last months we have been considering different options to maximize availability of mature data from the GLORIA brain cancer trial with available funds and we have now made the decision to pause the recruitment of additional patients in the other expansion arms. These changes provide additional cash runway with funding of TME Pharma projected into early September 2023. As such, to execute on its plans and meet its future financial obligations, the company will need to access additional financing in May 2023.

The goal of these actions is to enable us to deliver the datapoints needed to attract an industry partner or long-term investors. Throughout the last year, the TME Pharma team has participated in a range of industry events and conferences. Key clinical readouts were accepted for presentation at two of the most high-profile congresses related to novel cancer therapies, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO) annual meetings. This was a welcome validation of the importance of our research and development and contributed to raising awareness of the work we are doing in brain cancer among the wider scientific community. However, despite the recognition of our promising data, glioblastoma is generally perceived as one of the riskiest indications both by industrial partners and investors. Reluctance to invest in this particularly challenging indication has left patients without effective therapies for decades and made the pursuit for a new treatment so much more critical.

Advancing and financing of the glioblastoma program remains our priority for as long as data continues to show positive efficacy signals and generates interest among potential partners. In order to drive clinical development into the next phase we need long-term support from a strategic or financial partner. Prospective partners and investors would like to wait though for more mature survival data and feedback from the regulatory agencies to advance the discussions.

The agreement put in place with Atlas Special Opportunities (ASO) in 2020 has served the company for more than 2.5 years as a predominant source of financing, however it is dilutive for our shareholders and puts downward pressure on the share price. It is our goal to bring long-term investors on board and to end reliance of the company on convertible debt financing. We are actively pursuing multiple alternatives to secure funding for TME Pharma and our clinical programs. We are optimistic that with more mature data and the potential to select patients that will respond to treatment with NOX-A12 we will be able to attract needed financial support to our program.

Although I am writing to you during a challenging time for the biotech industry, especially for a small company such as ours, I remain proud of our achievements at TME Pharma and convinced that investors and partners will ultimately see significant value in our NOX-A12 program. I would like to thank the entire TME Pharma team for their diligence and dedication. I know they share my excitement and expectations for the year ahead. I would also like to express my gratitude to our shareholders for their belief in the company and I look forward to updating you on our progress in 2023. We have entered 2023 with enthusiasm and determination for the busy time ahead of us, which contains a great promise for TME Pharma

Yours sincerely,

Aram Mangasarian

CEO, TME Pharma

February 24, 2023

About TME Pharma

TME Pharma is a clinical-stage company focused on developing novel therapies for treatment of the most aggressive cancers. The company's oncology-focused pipeline is designed to act on the tumor microenvironment (TME) and the cancer immunity cycle by breaking tumor protection barriers against the immune system and blocking tumor repair. By neutralizing chemokines in the TME, TME Pharma's approach works in combination with other forms of treatment to weaken tumor defenses and enable greater therapeutic impact. In the GLORIA clinical trial, TME Pharma is studying its lead drug candidate NOX-A12 in newly diagnosed brain cancer patients who will not benefit clinically from standard chemotherapy. TME Pharma has delivered top-line data from the NOX-A12 three dose-escalation cohorts combined with radiotherapy of the GLORIA clinical trial, observing consistent tumor reductions and objective tumor responses. Additionally, GLORIA expansion arms evaluate safety and efficacy of NOX-A12 in other combinations where the interim results from the triple combination of NOX-A12, radiotherapy and bevacizumab suggest even deeper and more durable responses. NOX-A12 in combination with radiotherapy has received orphan drug designation for glioblastoma in the United States and glioma in Europe. TME Pharma has delivered final top-line data with encouraging overall survival and safety profile from its NOX-A12 combination trial with Keytruda in metastatic colorectal and pancreatic cancer patients, which was published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer in October 2021. The company has entered in its second collaboration with MSD/Merck for its Phase 2 study, OPTIMUS, to further evaluate safety and efficacy of NOX-A12 in combination with Merck's Keytruda and two different chemotherapy regimens as second-line therapy in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. The design of the trial has been approved in France and Spain and is in discussion with regulatory authorities in the United States. The company's second clinical-stage drug candidate, NOX-E36, is designed to target the innate immune system. TME Pharma is considering several solid tumors for further clinical development. Further information can be found at: www.tmepharma.com.

TME Pharma and the TME Pharma logo are registered trademarks.

Keytruda is a registered trademark of Merck Sharp Dohme Corp.

Visit TME Pharma on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About the GLORIA Study

GLORIA (NCT04121455) is TME Pharma's dose-escalation, Phase 1/2 study of NOX-A12 in combination with radiotherapy in first-line partially resected or unresected glioblastoma (brain cancer) patients with unmethylated MGMT promoter (resistant to standard chemotherapy). GLORIA further evaluates safety and efficacy of NOX-A12 three additional arms combining NOX-A12 with: A. radiotherapy in patients with complete tumor resection; B. radiotherapy and bevacizumab; and C. radiotherapy and pembrolizumab.

About the OPTIMUS Study

OPTIMUS (NCT04901741) is TME Pharma's planned open-label two-arm Phase 2 study of NOX-A12 combined with pembrolizumab and nanoliposomal irinotecan/5-FU/leucovorin or gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel in microsatellite-stable metastatic pancreatic cancer patients.

Disclaimer

Translations of any press release into languages other than English are intended solely as a convenience to the non-English-reading audience. The company has attempted to provide an accurate translation of the original text in English, but due to the nuances in translating into another language, slight differences may exist. This press release includes certain disclosures that contain "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are based on TME Pharma's current expectations and are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, but are not limited to, the risks inherent in oncology drug development, including clinical trials and the timing of and TME Pharma's ability to obtain regulatory approvals for NOX-A12 as well as any other drug candidates. Forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are made as of this date, and TME Pharma undertakes no duty to update such information except as required under applicable law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230223005865/en/

Contacts:

For more information:

TME Pharma N.V.

Aram Mangasarian, Ph.D., CEO

Tel. +49 (0) 30 726247 0

investors@tmepharma.com

Investor and Media Relations:

LifeSci Advisors

Guillaume van Renterghem

Tel. +41 (0) 76 735 01 31

gvanrenterghem@lifesciadvisors.com

NewCap

Arthur Rouille

Tel. +33 (0) 1 44 71 00 15

arouille@newcap.fr
FirstGroup plc

Transaction in own shares

FirstGroup plc ("FirstGroup") announces that, in accordance with the terms of its share buyback programme (the "Programme") announced on 16 December 2022, it has purchased the following number of its ordinary shares of 5 pence each ("Ordinary Shares") through RBC Europe Limited.

Date of Purchase 23 February 2023 Number of ordinary shares purchased 438,846 Weighted average price paid (p) 100.64 Highest price paid (p) 103.20 Lowest price paid (p) 100.00

Following the above purchase, FirstGroup holds 20,049,096 Ordinary Shares in treasury. The total number of Ordinary Shares in issue excluding shares held as treasury shares is 730,509,608. FirstGroup initially intends to hold the purchased shares as treasury shares but may cancel them in the due course.

The total number of voting rights in FirstGroup, excluding treasury shares as at 23 February 2023 is 730,509,608. This figure may be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, FirstGroup under the FCA's Disclosure and Transparency Rules.

Contacts at FirstGroup:



Marianna Bowes, Head of Investor Relations

David Blizzard, Company Secretary

corporate.comms@firstgroup.co.uk

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7725 3354 Contacts at Brunswick PR:



Andrew Porter / Simone Selzer

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7404 5959 Contacts at Liberum Capital Limited:



Nicholas How / John Fishley / William Hall

Tel: +44 (0) 20 3100 2000 Contacts at RBC Europe Limited:



James Agnew / Jonathan Hardy / Jack Wood

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7653 4000

Transaction details

Issuer name: FirstGroup PLC

LEI: 549300DEJZCPWA4HKM93

ISIN: GB0003452173

Classification: 2.4. Acquisition or disposal of the issuer's own shares

Intermediary name: RBC Europe Limited

Intermediary Code: ROYCGB22

Timezone: GMT

Currency: GBp

In accordance with Article 5(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 (the Market Abuse Regulation), a breakdown of the individual trades made by RBC Europe Limited on behalf of FirstGroup as part of the Programme is detailed below:

Aggregate information:

Venue Weighted average price (pence per share) Aggregated volume XLON 320,397 100.32 BATE 47,849 101.52 CHIX 36,007 101.60 TRQX 34,593 101.45

Individual transactions:
24 February 2023

Third Point Issues Letter to Bath & Body Works Inc.

Third Point LLC, the Investment Manager of Third Point Investors Limited ("TPIL" or the "Company") announces that on 22 February it issued a letter to portfolio holding company Bath & Body Works Inc. Bath & Body Works Inc. (NYSE: BBWI) is an American specialty retail company with a market capitalization of approximately $9.7 billion, and is the Company's fourth largest equity position. Please find the full letter copied below and via the following link:

https://www.thirdpointlimited.com/announcements/investment-communications/

- Ends -

Press Enquiries

Third Point

Elissa Doyle, Chief Communications Officer and Head of ESG Engagement

edoyle@thirdpoint.com

Tel: +1 212-715-4907 Buchanan

Charles Ryland

charlesr@buchanan.uk.com

Tel: +44 (0)20 7466 5107

Henry Wilson

henryw@buchanan.uk.com

Tel: +44 (0)20 7466 5111





Bath & Body Works, Inc.

Attn: The Board of Directors

3 Limited Parkway

Columbus, Ohio 43230

February 22, 2023

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:

Third Point LLC (collectively with its affiliates, "Third Point") is a top five shareholder of Bath & Body Works Inc. ("BBWI" or the "Company"), with a beneficial ownership position of more than 6% of the Company's outstanding common shares. We hold such a large stake because of our confidence in BBWI's business model, products, and potential for greater growth and efficiency now that it is a standalone entity. In our November 30, 2022 13D filing and in subsequent private discussions with Board Chair Sarah Nash and Chief Executive Officer Gina Boswell, we raised concerns about the Company's corporate governance and decision-making processes. We have identified numerous issues pertaining to the Board of Directors' (the "Board") oversight of executive compensation, succession planning, capital allocation, investor communication, and strategy for enduring value creation.

This Board's stumbles have resulted in more than a year of stagnation, which BBWI's new Chief Executive Officer must now contend with. Ms. Boswell seems to have "hit the ground running" and is focused on addressing certain issues that were ignored by prior executive leadership. Given the many tasks confronting the Company, we had hoped that there would be a willingness to engage in constructive, transparent collaboration. Conversations with Ms. Nash initially led to productive initiatives, including acting on our suggestion to appoint Lucy Brady - an accomplished consumer executive who previously led the digital business at McDonald's Corp. and is currently the president of a large consumer products company - as an independent director. Regrettably, our discussions have stalled and our concerns about the way this Board operates have intensified. We believe it is imperative that a shareholder representative is added to provide necessary oversight and have been clear with the Company that failure to do so would leave us no alternative but to pursue a proxy contest.

Recent Actions Show Exactly Why Shareholders Deserve Oversight of BBWI's Compromised Board

Since our engagement with Ms. Nash began, we have detected a pronounced aversion to including a shareholder representative on the Board. At the same time as we identified Ms. Brady, we proposed a fellow shareholder with impeccable credentials as a second candidate. This individual has years of public market experience, an exemplary record as a corporate director of a larger company, and a strong relationship with one of the top consumer investment companies in the world. Ms. Nash, who was presumably speaking on behalf of the Board, gave unconvincing explanations for rejecting this candidate.

Shortly after rebuffing our candidate, and within a week of accepting Lucy Brady (though, oddly without recognizing our role in proposing her), yesterday, the Company hastily announced the appointment of Steve Voskuil to the Board. While we recognize Mr. Voskuil's financial experience, this Board's handpicked new director does not assuage our concerns about substantial corporate governance shortcomings. It is further concerning that the Board added a shareholder-identified candidate without being fully transparent about the process that led to her selection.

It seems as if this Board is operating in triage mode rather than via best corporate governance practices. We fear the reason that the Board is reacting this way is because they (and others) have many reasons to close the curtain before shareholders can take a closer look at what transpired on their watch.

Corporate Governance Issues Are Extensive and Processes Are Opaque

Perhaps the most damning indictment of this Board is the eye-popping sum of nearly $18 million (the "Windfall") Ms. Nash received for taking on a new role as Executive Chair and interim CEO in 2022. That payment came on top of the $700,000 she was already receiving annually to serve as Board Chair. Ms. Nash's exorbitant compensation is even more remarkable when compared to her counterpart at the Company's closest and much larger competitor, Ulta Beauty, which paid its Chief Executive Officer approximately $8.9 million in 2022. It is also worth noting that Ulta Beauty's highest paid independent director received less than half of Ms. Nash's Board compensation.

In addition to her responsibilities at BBWI, Ms. Nash is also the Chief Executive Officer of Novagard Solutions, Inc. ("Novagard"), a company she owns that is "a manufacturer of silicone coatings and sealants used in electronics, electric vehicle batteries, medical electronics, aerospace, window & door manufacturing, and construction." We wonder how much time Ms. Nash was truly able to dedicate to her BBWI role while simultaneously working as "full-time" Chief Executive Officer for Novagard.

Ms. Nash's outsized pay package is a red flag for shareholders and signals a massive governance failure. We are concerned that Ms. Nash, by virtue of the Windfall (and her excessive Board pay), is no longer "independent," according to the Company's own policies. We refer the Board to the Human Capital and Compensation ("HCC") Committee Charter Adopted as of January 27, 2022.

Since the Company's policies mandate that the Board "consider the impact of the compensation on the directors' independence," we wonder how the Board came to formally decide that, despite Ms. Nash's receipt of the Windfall, she can still be considered independent. We would be curious to know what amount of compensation (for only seven months of part-time service as interim CEO) would compromise independence: $20 million? $50 million? $100 million?

We believe this $18 million payout - or roughly $2.5 million per month for part-time service - is prima facie evidence that additional oversight is required on the Board when it comes to corporate governance, executive compensation, and shareholder rights.

We wonder how the Head of the Human Capital & Compensation Committee, Michael Morris, could have possibly justified such a payment, and how such a payment was inexplicably approved by the Board. Third Point plans to make a books and records request under Delaware law to assess the HCC Committee's analysis that the Board surely relied on to justify such an astonishing payout to an incumbent Board Chair taking on the interim Chief Executive Officer role and how they determined her ongoing independent status. Please preserve all documents and records including email, and text messages relating to compensation decisions for Ms. Nash, so that they can be readily produced when our formal demand is made.

BBWI's Travails Under This Board's Leadership

BBWI was plainly ill-prepared for its separation from Victoria's Secret in 2021. Making matters worse, the organization was caught flat-footed when its Chief Executive Officer departed in early 2022. The Board's decision to then appoint an interim CEO who lacked relevant retail and consumer operations experience surely contributed to BBWI's poor execution against a challenging backdrop in 2022. The rudderless strategy the interim CEO presided over resulted in a dramatic rebase of earnings over the course of the year, which is something the Company struggled to contextualize and justify to investors (perhaps because the Investor Relations function was outsourced to a third-party firm for most of the year). Notably, Ms. Nash's track record as interim Chief Executive Office (from May 12, 2022 to November 30, 2022) includes a total shareholder return of negative 11%, nearly 16% below the S&P over the same period.

In addition to botching succession planning and appointing Ms. Nash to a role she was ill-suited for, the Board's poor oversight resulted in sloppy execution of the Company's share repurchase program in the first part of the year. BBWI bought back $1.3 billion of stock at an average price of nearly $50 before multiple cuts in earnings guidance sent the stock as low as $25. The Company and its shareholders would have been better served if the Board had been more disciplined in its approach to repurchasing shares and instead allocated some of that "wasted" capital to needed business reinvestments.

Our Director Candidates and the Company's Decision to Force an Election Contest

It is wishful thinking to believe that simply adding two new members can change the insouciant culture that led to so many value-destructive missteps by this Board. We are disappointed they would choose to fight - rather than work cooperatively with - a major shareholder that is committed to realizing BBWI's significant long-term potential. However, we suspect the same Board that made the decision to appoint Ms. Nash as Executive Chair and interim CEO, and the same Board that awarded her such an outrageous compensation package, would rather see these decisions swept under the rug by moving around some of the furniture.

Although we always prefer to reach private resolutions that benefit all shareholders, it seems Ms. Nash and, presumably, the Board prefer to pursue a costly and distracting proxy contest to protect themselves. As fiduciaries, we have no choice but to put forth qualified director candidates and give our fellow shareholders the opportunity to elect directors who can hold the stewards of their capital responsible for the decisions they make. We believe that our slate will bring a breadth of talent to support long-term growth and sustained share price appreciation at Bath & Body Works.

Sincerely,

Daniel S. Loeb

The information in this presentation is for information purposes only, and this presentation does not constitute an offer to purchase or sell any security or investment product, nor does it constitute professional or investment advice. The information in this presentation is based on publicly available information about Bath & Body Works Inc. (the "Company"). Except where otherwise indicated, the information in this presentation speaks only as of the date set forth on the cover page, and no obligation is undertaken to update or correct this presentation after the date hereof. Permission to quote third party reports in this presentation has been neither sought nor obtained.

This presentation may include forward-looking statements that reflect the current views of Third Point LLC or certain of its affiliates ("Third Point") with respect to future events. Statements that include the words "expect," "intend," "plan," "believe," "project," "anticipate," "will," "may," "would," and similar words are often used to identify forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements address matters that involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of the parties making such statements. Accordingly, there are or will be important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in such statements and, therefore, you should not place undue reliance on any such statements. Any forward-looking statements made in this presentation are qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements, and there can be no assurance that the actual results or developments anticipated will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, the Company or its business, operations, or financial condition. Except to the extent required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise.

Third Point currently has an economic interest in the price movement of the securities of the Company. It is possible that there will be developments in the future that cause Third Point to modify this economic interest at any time or from time to time. This may include a decision to sell all or a portion of its holdings of Company securities in open market transactions or otherwise (including via short sales), purchase additional Company securities (in open market or privately negotiated transactions or otherwise), or trade in options, puts, calls or other derivative instruments relating to such securities. Third Point also reserves the right to take any actions with respect to its investment in the Company as it may deem appropriate, including, but not limited to, communicating with the board of directors, management and other investors.

Although Third Point believes the information herein to be reliable, Third Point makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of those statements or any other written or oral communication it makes with respect to the Company and any other companies mentioned, and Third Point expressly disclaims any liability relating to those statements or communications (or any inaccuracies or omissions therein). Thus, shareholders and others should conduct their own independent investigations and analysis of those statements and communications and of the Company and any other companies to which those statements or communications may be relevant.

Notes to Editors



About Third Point Investors Limited

www.thirdpointlimited.com

Third Point Investors Limited (LSE: TPOU) was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2007 and is a feeder fund that invests in the Third Point Offshore Fund (the Master Fund), offering investors a unique opportunity to gain direct exposure to founder Daniel S. Loeb's investment strategy. The Master Fund employs an event-driven, opportunistic strategy to invest globally across the capital structure and in diversified asset classes to optimize risk-reward through a market cycle. TPIL's portfolio is 100% aligned with the Master Fund, which is Third Point's largest investment strategy. TPIL's assets under management are currently $700 million.

About Third Point LLC

Third Point LLC is an institutional investment manager that actively engages with companies across their lifecycle, using dynamic asset allocation and an ethos of continuous learning to drive long-term shareholder return. Led by Daniel S. Loeb since its inception in 1995, the Firm has a 36-person investment team, a robust quantitative data and analytics team, and a deep, tenured business team. Third Point manages approximately $12.7 billion in assets for sovereign wealth funds, endowments, foundations, corporate & public pensions, high-net-worth individuals, and employees.
LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Jupiter Fund Management PLC (JUP.L) reported fiscal 2022 pretax profit of 58.0 million pounds compared to 183.7 million pounds, prior year. Earnings per share declined to 8.8 pence from 26.9 pence. Underlying profit before tax was 77.6 million pounds compared to 216.7 million pounds, last year. Underlying earnings per share was 11.3 pence compared to 31.7 pence. For the year ended 31 December 2022, net revenue declined to 397.3 million pounds from 568.6 million pounds, prior year. The company noted that 60% of this decline was due to the decrease in performance fees after unusually high performance fees in 2021. Assets under management or AUM ended the year at 50.2 billion pounds. The Board has proposed a final ordinary dividend of 0.5 pence, taking total full year dividends to 8.4 pence. 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.
World's first cell phone for seniors introduced 20 years ago

Something of a sensation was sparked at the end of February 2003 in Cannes when the small Linz-based company, emporia Telecom, traveled to the 3GSM World Congress (rebranded today as MWC Barcelona) on the Cote d'Azur. They brought along with them a small cell phone featuring large keys, an emergency call button and a ringtone that whines like a baby. This was the unveiling of the world's first cell phone for senior citizens.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230220005131/en/

emporia owner Eveline Pupeter: "We launched the world's first cell phone for seniors 20 years ago." Photo: emporia/Markus Zahradnik

Twenty years later, emporia has sold around 16 million cell phones, and currently three million people make calls with the easy-to-use smartphone or keypad cell phone that were developed and designed in Austria. The product range is also being successively expanded to include tablets, watches, health products and accessories.

The most important parameters have always been the simple menu navigation and operability, good readability and finely tuned loudspeakers, large keys (or control panels), robustness and an emergency button just in case.

"Still today, every emporia push-button cell phone and smartphone is equipped with the patented emergency button, because safety remains something essential in old age," says Eveline Pupeter, sole owner and Managing Director of emporia Telecom.

emporia works closely with universities and research institutions such as Cambridge, TU Chemnitz, MIT and Johannes Kepler University in Linz. In addition, Europe's only smartphone manufacturer conducts intensive field research among senior citizens and works together with them to develop the best solutions for simple communication. "Even though our phones are easy to use, they're still absolutely state-of-the-art in terms of technology," underlines Pupeter.

In 2021 and 2022, emporia was voted seniors' smartphone brand of the year by retailers in Germany. In the summer of this year, emporia will launch its first 5G senior smartphone. And this model will also embody the slogan "Simple is the new smart". Is this slogan really the program, we ask? "Yes, no matter what we invent, design or produce, ease of use is our top priority. My warrant is: the future is simple," pledges Eveline Pupeter.

www.emporiamobile.com

The original source-language text of this announcement is the official, authoritative version. Translations are provided as an accommodation only, and should be cross-referenced with the source-language text, which is the only version of the text intended to have legal effect.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230220005131/en/

Contacts:

Walter Deil

Company Spokesman

Phone: +43 670 7010 322

E-mail: deil@emporia.at
SINGAPORE, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NILE (NFT Is Life Evolution), a DAO & NFT platform based on the WEMIX3.0 mainnet, has unveiled its first DAO lineup: WONDER DAO, ARTEUM DAO, DELTA DAO, and ORACLE DAO. Each DAO has its own community that works together to achieve common goals, like the WONDER DAO mission to grow the ecosystem.





WONDER DAO, WONDER 1 of 40 WONDERS, or node council partners of the mainnet WEMIX3.0, has been formed to contribute to the growth and advance of the WEMIX ecosystem. It strives to build a community that can continue to grow sustainably along with the advance of the mega ecosystem of the WEMIX3.0 via democratic and transparent management. This will be the first DAO on NILE to accept participants.

ARTEUM DAO is a community with a new concept for art collectors. The DAO as a whole aims to form a new art community that collects a range of artworks, discovers rising artists, and expands into the cultural business sector.

In addition, NILE is currently developing DELTA DAO, a WEMIX3.0-based automatic asset management protocol which users can use to easily access and utilize DeFi services.

ORACLE DAO is a protocol that refines actual data and provides accurate numbers in real-time by connecting with blockchain technology. The data will be utilized in designing financial products that can enrich the WEMIX ecosystem even further.

Every DAO is operated and serviced on the Neith Protocol, a programmable smart contract mechanism that enables the community to create, facilitate, and manage all aspects of potential projects including funding of the DAO, facilitation of the business or project, and distribution of profit. The Neith Protocol lowers the entry barriers to DAO creation, and community activities in scale and scope infeasible before are now made possible.

More details at:

Official NILE (NFT Is Life Evolution) website

1st DAO Lineup of NILE Intro

Telegram community chat groups:

1) WONDER DAO

2) ORACLE DAO

3) DELTA DAO

4) ARTEUM DAO

About NILE

NILE is the world's first DAO-powered blockchain NFT platform based on a fully decentralized smart contract infrastructure that will redefine the way we identify and express inspiration, creativity, and opportunity. NILE enables trustless and transparent projects in the form of concerts, art exhibits, sports, music, investments, and even businesses to be facilitated and managed through the DAO. More at www.nile.io





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With experienced leaders and dynamic solutions in place, UST builds on positive 2022 results and will expand operations in the rapidly transforming market

LONDON, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- UST, a leading digital transformation solutions company, is proud to announce its continued growth and success in the banking and financial services industry. Today, UST is a trusted partner in the sector, supporting operations for two of the top three U.S.-based asset and wealth management companies.





UST has seen significant traction in its client base and revenue in the past year due to its innovation and personalized approach to financial services. UST's unique blend of technology and industry expertise has allowed it to provide clients with comprehensive solutions tailored to meet their customers' specific needs. Furthermore, UST is expanding its global impact in the dynamic banking and finance sector, leveraging two decades of deep domain experience to provide technology solutions to some of the most prominent companies in the industry. In recent months, UST has expanded its transformation offerings with several initiatives including:

The launch of UST FinX , UST's Financial Services Platform and Fintech Partner Ecosystem which helps financial institutions rapidly transform, deploy products and optimize services. Clients include banks, building societies, credit unions, new challengers and other firms that require financial services.

, UST's Financial Services Platform and Fintech Partner Ecosystem which helps financial institutions rapidly transform, deploy products and optimize services. Clients include banks, building societies, credit unions, new challengers and other firms that require financial services. The acquisition of Canada -based Prodigy Labs , a leading provider of innovative technology solutions designed to help financial services firms deliver comprehensive digital transformations. The acquisition significantly strengthens UST's position in the financial services sector and the Canadian market.

-based , a leading provider of innovative technology solutions designed to help financial services firms deliver comprehensive digital transformations. The acquisition significantly strengthens UST's position in the financial services sector and the Canadian market. A strategic collaboration with AWS and Mendix , a Siemens business to develop comprehensive solutions and go-to-market strategies for the financial services industry. This initiative helps firms expedite digital transformations by leveraging UST's expertise within the financial services sector. UST will be able to offer a greater array of technologies to help customers achieve operational excellence and modernize legacy applications.

and a Siemens business to develop comprehensive solutions and go-to-market strategies for the financial services industry. This initiative helps firms expedite digital transformations by leveraging UST's expertise within the financial services sector. UST will be able to offer a greater array of technologies to help customers achieve operational excellence and modernize legacy applications. UST's Partnership with TreasuryPay accelerates innovation in the financial sector while also driving the transformation and optimization of treasury and trade functions. The exciting collaboration puts UST in a leadership position at the forefront of a dynamic field.

accelerates innovation in the financial sector while also driving the transformation and optimization of treasury and trade functions. The exciting collaboration puts UST in a leadership position at the forefront of a dynamic field. Development of advanced Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning solutions to deliver seamless, personalized results for financial advisors to generate impact and unlock value.

solutions to deliver seamless, personalized results for financial advisors to generate impact and unlock value. Recognition by ISG Paragon Awards for 'Excellence in Outstanding Delivery by a Technology or Service Provider' for the transformative customer service solution developed for Wolters Kluwer . By building a bespoke solution, UST was able to create IT savings of 40% over five years while also increasing user satisfaction.

In addition, UST has worked to modernize the platforms of one of the largest payments companies in the world, developing microservices and migrating applications to the cloud. Other exciting work includes driving efficiency gains and developing new products for consumer finance giants, transforming platforms in the B2B payments sector and advising a leading telecommunications firm on payments infrastructure modernization.

These recent wins demonstrate UST's ability to deliver value in diverse areas including architecture, data integration and implementation services. Moving forward, UST will further evolve the scope of its consulting, service, platform, and product engineering offerings to create new efficiency and growth opportunities for sector clients. This success has been made possible by the talented team of professionals that UST has assembled to lead its growing banking and finance team.

Mehmet Pasa is General Manager of Banking and Payments at UST. In this role, he oversees strategy and digital transformation in the financial services, payments, and retail sectors. Pasa has extensive experience across the globe in various industries and settings, leading and helping companies of all sizes.

"Our dynamic range of innovative solutions has reimagined and redefined digital transformation in the finance and banking industry and we will continue working to build on this legacy of success. In addition to our efforts to prioritize innovation, we are partnering with other dynamic leaders in this sector so that we are equipped to meet the growing demand for tangible digital transformation impact," said Mehmet Pasa, General Manager - Banking & Payments, UST.

Maureen Doyle-Spare is General Manager for Asset & Wealth Management and Insurance at UST. She is an experienced consulting and solution leader who delivers innovation through the intersection of business strategy, domain and technology to develop disruptive solutions that drive business impact in our constantly changing world. Doyle-Spare has worked extensively in the US, Europe and the UK.

"We have found success in this sector because we build all our solutions with end users in mind; we want to exceed expectations in all that we do so that they are empowered to deliver exceptional service. UST is committed to nimble innovation and offering digital transformation solutions that scale efficiently and streamline all areas of operation," said Maureen Doyle-Spare, General Manager - Financial Services, UST.

Over the past two decades UST has established itself as a key business transformation partner in the banking and financial services sector. The company will build on recent momentum to expand its presence in this rapidly evolving industry by leveraging the team's deep expertise in delivering strategic consulting, human-centered design, transformation and technology solutions.

About UST

For more than 23 years, UST has worked side by side with the world's best companies to make a real impact through transformation. Powered by technology, inspired by people, and led by our purpose, we partner with our clients from design to operation. Through our nimble approach, we identify their core challenges, and craft disruptive solutions that bring their vision to life. With deep domain expertise and a future-proof philosophy, we embed innovation and agility into our clients' organizations-delivering measurable value and lasting change across industries, and around the world. Together, with over 30,000 employees in 30+ countries, we build for boundless impact-touching billions of lives in the process. Visit us at www.UST.com

Media Contacts, UST:

Tinu Cherian Abraham

+1 (949) 415-9857

Merrick Laravea

+1 (949) 416-6212

Neha Misri

+91-9284726602

media.relations@ust.com

Media Contacts, U.S.:

S&C PR

+1-646.941.9139

media@scprgroup.com

Makovsky

ust@makovsky.com

Media Contacts, Australia:

Team Lewis

ust@teamlewis.com

Media Contacts, U.K.:

FTI Consulting

UST@fticonsulting.com

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1422658/UST_Logo.jpg

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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.




By Kim Hyun-bin







Samsung Electronics will hold a European Tech Seminar to introduce core technologies for new TVs in 2023, centered on Neo QLED, in Frankfurt, Germany, for two days starting on Feb. 23 (local time), the company announced, Friday.







The Tech Seminar, which celebrates its 12th anniversary this year, is a place to introduce Samsung TV's latest technologies and services to video and audio experts in major regions around the world and listen to their various opinions. It is the first time in four years, since the outbreak of COVID-19, for the event to not be held online.







This event consists of various programs where participants can directly experience the improved picture quality of the 2023 Neo QLED and OLED lineup including the performance of the 2023 OLED gaming monitor, the evolved HDR picture quality, and the display of the lifestyle TV The Frame.







Starting with this European event, Samsung Electronics plans to hold tech seminars sequentially in other major markets such as Australia, Southeast Asia, and Latin America starting in April.


NEW DELHI, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- FreshToHome , the world's largest fully integrated online consumer brand for preservative and antibiotic-residue free fresh fish and meat, has closed $104 million in Series D funding with Amazon Smbhav Venture Fund leading the round. Existing investors in FreshToHome including Iron Pillar, Investcorp, Investment Corporation of Dubai (the principal investment arm of the Government of Dubai), Ascent Capital and others have also participated in this round. New investors joining this round include E20 Investment Ltd, Mount Judi Ventures and Dallah Albaraka. JP Morgan was the placement agent to FreshToHome for the fundraise.





The current funding will strengthen FreshToHome's mission to make 100% preservative and antibiotic-residue free fish, seafood, and meat accessible and affordable to millions of meat lovers. Launched in 2015, FreshToHome operates in 160+ cities in India and the UAE and offers more than 2,000 certified fresh and chemical-free products.

Shan Kadavil, CEO & Co-founder, FreshToHome said, "We are excited to have Amazon Smbhav Venture Fund lead our Series D funding round. FreshToHome has pioneered the revolution of making 100% preservative and antibiotic-residue free fresh fish, seafood, meat and meat products accessible and affordable to all and that is our biggest USP. We are now a 'Proficorn' with operational profitability across the company. As we strive to offer more value to our farmers and fishers, customers, employees and investors, our focus is on profitability and sustainable value creation."

Amazon Smbhav Venture Fund, through its official spokesperson stated "Our vision with the $250MM Amazon Smbhav Venture Fund is to empower the next generation of innovative, technology enabled companies led by visionary founders. We are impressed with the FreshToHome management team led by Shan Kadavil and they have done some quality work in creating a robust technology enabled supply chain and scalable backward integrated capabilities to serve both customers as well as farmers and fishers. We are excited to partner with FreshToHome for the next phase of its growth."

FreshToHome's core strengths lie in its brand promise for its quality and consumer trust and in its technology-enabled offering - Commodities Exchange, empowering over 4,000+ fishers and farmers to electronically auction their produce for sale on www.FreshToHome.com .

Two years ago, FreshToHome raised $121MM in its Series C round, led by Dubai's Investment Corporation of Dubai, Investcorp, IronPillar, Ascent Capital and U.S. Government's development finance institution - DFC.

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MONTREAL, Feb. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd (the "Company" or "Osisko") (OR: TSX & NYSE) is pleased to announce a first quarter 2023 dividend of C$0.055 per common share. The dividend will be paid on April 14, 2023 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on March 31, 2023. This dividend is an "eligible dividend" as defined in the Income Tax Act (Canada).

For shareholders residing in the United States, the U.S. dollar equivalent will be determined based on the daily rate published by the Bank of Canada on March 31, 2023.

The Company also wishes to remind its shareholders that it has implemented a dividend reinvestment plan (the "Plan"). Shareholders who are residents of Canada and the United States may elect to participate in the Plan in connection with the dividend to be paid on April 14, 2023 to shareholders on record as of March 31, 2023. More details are available on Osisko's website at http://osiskogr.com/en/dividends/drip/

Non-registered beneficial shareholders who wish to participate in the Plan should contact their financial advisor, broker, investment dealer, bank or other financial institution that holds their common shares to inquire about the applicable enrolment deadline and to request enrolment in the Plan. For more information on how to enroll or any other inquiries, contact our transfer agent at 1-800-387-0825 (toll-free in Canada) or shareholderinquiries@tmx.com.

Participation in the Plan does not relieve shareholders of any liability for taxes that may be payable in respect of dividends that are reinvested in common shares under the Plan. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors concerning the tax implications of their participation in the Plan having regard to their particular circumstances.

This press release is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction.

About Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd

Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd is an intermediate precious metal royalty company which holds a North American focused portfolio of over 180 royalties, streams and precious metal offtakes. Osisko's portfolio is anchored by its cornerstone asset, a 5% net smelter return royalty on the Canadian Malartic mine, which is the largest gold mine in Canada.

Osisko's head office is located at 1100 Avenue des Canadiens-de-Montreal, Suite 300, Montreal, Quebec, H3B 2S2.

For further information, please contact Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd:

Heather Taylor

Vice President, Investor Relations

Tel. (514) 940-0670 x105

htaylor@osiskogr.com

Forward-looking statements

Certain statements contained in this press release may be deemed "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities laws. These forward-looking statements, by their nature, require the Company to make certain assumptions and necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. In this news release, these forward-looking statements may involve, but are not limited to, comments with respect to the directors and officers of the Company, information pertaining to the fact that all conditions for payment of the dividend will be met and that such dividend will continue to be an "eligible dividend" as defined in the Income Tax Act (Canada). Words such as "may", "will", "would", "could", "expect", "believe", "plan", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "continue", or the negative or comparable terminology, as well as terms usually used in the future and the conditional, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Information contained in forward-looking statements is based upon certain material assumptions that were applied in drawing a conclusion or making a forecast or projection, including that the financial situation of the Company will remain favourable. The Company considers its assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available, but cautions the reader that its assumptions regarding future events, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, may ultimately prove to be incorrect since they are subject to risks and uncertainties that affect the Company and its business.

For additional information with respect to these and other factors and assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements made in this press release, see the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the most recent Annual Information Form of Osisko which is filed with the Canadian securities commissions and available electronically under Osisko's issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and available electronically under Osisko's issuer profile on EDGAR at www.sec.gov. The forward-looking information set forth herein reflects Osisko's expectations as at the date of this press release and is subject to change after such date. Osisko 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 required by law.
Kharkiv, Ukraine--(Newsfile Corp. - February 24, 2023) - VektorT13 Technologies opens a breakthrough in the cybersecurity world by spotlighting the Antidetect system and allowing new and aspiring ethical hackers to spot bugs and earn knowledge and skill.

Antidetect is a new trend on the internet, and Vektor13 created a learning program that teaches users how to interact with Antidect and become an ethical hacker with little to no prior experience. It demonstrates how to use the antifrauding system and how their personal data is protected from the outside world and cybercriminals.

VektorT13 Technologies Displays Bug Bounty Innovation Awards for Ethical Hackers



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

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The Antidetect system

VektorT13 developed the Antidetect system (https://detect.expert/) as a way for users to create multiple accounts, customize their anonymity, and test programs. It utilizes virtual machines to encrypt data and allows users to make unique online personalities for their websites and installed software. Identifiers and fingerprints that detect a user's hardware, operating system, and browser information are spoofed through Antidetect such that the user's personal data is not revealed.

Antidetect allows users to create millions of different personalities on one PC. The system protects users, their personal data and their interests by allowing them to create and configure emulated hardware of their choosing through virtual machines. As an antifraud system, it receives regular updates and accessible customer service and technical support for any users with questions. It permits users to check the fraud score of suspicious emails and phone numbers.

The system does not collect or store any private user data but rather masks it. Some browser antidetect systems are cloud-based and store a user's private data - IP address, actions performed, and when the browser was launched. These cloud-based systems allow a user's data to be schematically monetized whereas Antidetect does not steal a user's data, ideas, or solutions for any reason.

The antifraud system course

VectorT13 Technologies collaborated with Cyberyozh Academy to develop the "Ethical hacking of antifraud system" course (https://academy.cyberyozh.com/courses/antifraud/en). It is a unique 5-month training program that is designed to teach users how to work with Antidetect and learn the strategies that cybercriminals employ to launch cybercriminal attacks on websites and software.

The educational course aims to teach users how to test their custom websites and services for bugs and learn how cybercriminals are able to exploit vulnerabilities. In some scenarios, a cybersecurity team tests bugs in their website using checklists that do not relate to real cybercriminal attacks and practices.

The program outlines how users, who are working in the IT security department, can check websites for vulnerabilities against popular cybercriminal schemes and consult professional businesses on how they can receive antifraud protection. For business-oriented users, the course demarcates how they can bypass regional and verification methods without being blocked. At the end of the course, users will know the minds of cybercriminals, see vulnerabilities in existing web services and applications, and take the steps necessary to prevent fraud as cyberdetectives.

About VektorT13

VektorT13 - Dmytro Momot - is an information security specialist who works with anonymity and internet security. In the IT security market, he is known for being knowledgeable in forensic analysis, security for both SS7 networks and mobile devices, anti-fraud systems, and protection against deanonymization. He regularly speaks at various conferences in Europe about IT security and consults with large companies about their security issues.

VektorT13

61007, m. Kharkiv, vul. Pototskoho Severyna, 32, k. 85

Dmytro Momot

Telegram: https://t.me/antidetect

+380 (050) 029 0292

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/155763
NOIDA, India, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new report published by UnivDatos Markets Insights, theSensor Data Analytics Market was valued at more than USD 10 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 14% from 2022-2028. The analysis has been segmented into Component (Hardware and Software); Application (Manufacturing, Healthcare, Automotive, BFSI, and Telecommunication) Region/Country.





Click here to view the Report Description & TOC

https://univdatos.com/report/sensor-data-analytics-market/

The sensor data analytics market report has been aggregated by collecting informative data on various dynamics such as market drivers, restraints, and opportunities. This innovative report makes use of several analyses to get a closer outlook on the Sensor Data Analytics market. The sensor data analytics market report offers a detailed analysis of the latest industry developments and trending factors in the market that are influencing the market growth. Furthermore, this statistical market research repository examines and estimates the sensor data analytics market at the global and regional levels.

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Market Overview

Sensor data analytics is a technique for analyzing the data collected by the data sensor. The output of a device that detects and reacts to some kind of input from the physical environment is called sensor data. The output could be used to direct a process, supply data or input to another system, etc. Almost any physical element may be found with sensors. The growing adoption of sensor data analytics is mainly attributed to the growing prominence of artificial intelligence across different industries. Artificial intelligence can be used to automate the data processing collected by the sensor. Moreover, the rising demand for wearables and IoT, in general, is expected to significantly influence the market growth during the forecast period. For instance, according to comparitech, in 2021, the number of total connected devices reached 10 billion. Furthermore, the growing technological advancements in the artificial intelligence industry is also expected to surge the market growth during the forecast period.

Some of the major players operating in the market include TATA Consultancy Services Limited, IBM, SAP SE, Cisco Systems, Inc, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc, Schneider Electric, Verizon, Talend.

COVID-19 Impact

The recent covid-19 pandemic has disrupted the world and has brought a state of shock to the global economy. The global pandemic has impacted the healthcare industry and has transformed the way healthcare is delivered. The Sensor data analytics market has been significantly positively influenced by the covid as the sensor data analytics technologies were used for the patient screenings and to collected data of the covid affected people to curb the spread of the virus.

The global sensor data analytics market report is studied thoroughly with several aspects that would help stakeholders in making their decisions more curated.

On the basis of component, the market is bifurcated into hardware and software. The hardware segment is expected to achieve a larger share in 2020 and is expected to maintain during the forecast period. The demand for hardware platforms is significantly impacted by the rapid rise in the use of sensor nodes, routers, and gateways to build a network infrastructure for various customer segments. Additionally, sensors have an advantage over other components due to their ease of deployment in technologically inaccessible locations.

Based on application the market is segmented into applications manufacturing, healthcare, automotive, BFSI, and telecommunication. The healthcare segment is expected to achieve a significant market share in 2021. Factors, including the rapid rise in the cost of medical care, the growing demand for better clinical outcomes, the significant need for better patient care, are expected to drive the market during the analysis time period. Moreover, in healthcare centers, the use of sensor data analytics helps with better patient management, which in turn leads to better patient care, increased operational productivity, and reduced workload on doctors is expected to significantly influence the market during the forecast period.

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Sensor Data Analytics Market Geographical Segmentation Includes:

North America ( United States , Canada , and Rest of North America )

( , , and Rest of ) Europe ( Germany , United Kingdom , Spain , Italy , France , and the Rest of Europe )

( , , , , , and the Rest of ) Asia-Pacific ( China , Japan , India , and the Rest of Asia-Pacific )

( , , , and the Rest of ) Rest of the World

North America is anticipated to dominate the sensor data analytics market and is expected to maintain this during the forecast period. This is mainly due to the rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and the internet of things (IoT) within industries and technological advancements in the Information and communication technology (ICT) sector in the region. Moreover, the growth of the sensor data analytics industry is being helped by research and innovation and the development of wireless sensors for use in consumer electronics and healthcare, as well as the rising demand for predictive analytics for forecasting and machine learning in various industries.

The major players targeting the market include

TATA Consultancy Services Limited

IBM

SAP SE

Cisco Systems, Inc

Microsoft

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc

Schneider Electric

Verizon

Talend

Competitive Landscape

The degree of competition among prominent global companies has been elaborated by analyzing several leading key players operating worldwide. The specialist team of research analysts sheds light on various traits such as global market competition, market share, most recent industry advancements, innovative product launches, partnerships, mergers, or acquisitions by leading companies in the sensor data analytics market. The major players have been analyzed by using research methodologies for getting insight views on global competition.

Key questions resolved through this analytical market research report include:

What are the latest trends, new patterns, and technological advancements in the sensor data analytics market?

Which factors are influencing the sensor data analytics market over the forecast period?

What are the global challenges, threats, and risks in the sensor data analytics market?

Which factors are propelling and restraining the sensor data analytics market?

What are the demanding global regions of the sensor data analytics market?

What will be the global market size in the upcoming years?

What are the crucial market acquisition strategies and policies applied by global companies?

We understand the requirement of different businesses, regions, and countries, we offer customized reports as per your requirements of business nature and geography. Please let us know If you have any custom needs.

About UnivDatos Market Insights (UMI)

Browse Other Related Research Reports from UnivDatos Market Insights

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Sensor Data Analytics Market Report Coverage

Report Attribute Details Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2028 Growth momentum Accelerate at a CAGR of over 14% Market size 2021 USD 10 billion Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, Rest of World Major contributing region North America to Dominate the Global Sensor Data Analytics Market Key countries covered United States, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, France, China, Japan, India, and Australia Companies profiled TATA Consultancy Services Limited, IBM, SAP SE, Cisco Systems, Inc, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc, Schneider Electric, Verizon, Talend. Report Scope Market Trends, Drivers, and Restraints; Revenue Estimation and Forecast; Segmentation Analysis; Impact of COVID-19; Demand and Supply Side Analysis; Competitive Landscape; Company Profiling Segments Covered By Component; By Application; By Region/Country

About UnivDatos Market Insights

UnivDatos Market Insights (UMI) is a passionate market research firm and a subsidiary of Universal Data Solutions. We believe in delivering insights through Market Intelligence Reports, Customized Business Research, and Primary Research. Our research studies are spread across topics across the world, we cover markets in over 100 countries using smart research techniques and agile methodologies. We offer in-depth studies, detailed analysis, and customized reports that help shape winning business strategies for our clients.

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Ankita Gupta

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SUZHOU, China, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- After three years of online teaching, virtual interactions and negotiating time zones, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University's international students gathered on campus for the first time since China's borders reopened.





On 22 February, XJTLU welcomed over 260 international students from around the world at an onsite induction. Students were able to meet in person, explore the campus and begin enjoying the benefits of being international students in China.

For many, this is their first time on campus.

Fenela Ariya Claresta is in her second year of BEng Computer Science and Technology but completed her first year of studies online.

She says: "I arrived about a week ago and have been exploring Suzhou since then. I'm excited to get started with onsite lectures as there are too many distractions at home, and it's difficult to focus during online classes.

"It's also so much easier and less awkward to interact with the other students now that we're all here. It's great to be on campus and finally meet everyone. I can't wait to get to know everyone properly and adapt to life in China."

Onsite lectures start this week. For many, this will be a welcome return to face-to-face teaching.

Michelle Lionard, a Year Four BSc Financial Mathematics student, also from Indonesia, says: "After nearly three years away, it feels strange being back and adjusting to life here again. Most of my friends who started at the same time as me have gone on to get jobs, and I was beginning to think that I would never be able to come back. I'm so pleased to have finally made it."

Kanghyun Kim and Seungje Lee, both from South Korea and Year Two BA TV production students, have also been away from the campus since the first semester of their programme. During the pandemic, they both returned to South Korea to complete their military service and arrived back in Suzhou this month.

Kim says: "I'm excited to be back in this environment, to live in Suzhou again and to meet new and old friends. It's great to have our lectures in English and be able to practice our Chinese at the same time."

Lee adds: "I'm really happy to be back on campus again and for classes to no longer be online. It feels like returning to my second hometown."

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CHICAGO (dpa-AFX) - Boeing Co. temporarily stopped deliveries of its 787 Dreamliners as directed by the Federal Aviation Administration, pending an additional analysis on a fuselage component, reports said.



The FAA stated that the company cannot resume deliveries of the plane, which was halted earlier too to a series of manufacturing flaws until the agency is satisfied that the issue has been addressed. However, the aerospace and defense major will continue its production, and the company doesn't expect the issue to require additional work on the 787s.



Boeing noted that the near-term deliveries will be impacted, but it does not anticipate a change to production and delivery outlook for the year.



Boeing said, 'In reviewing certification records, Boeing discovered an analysis error by our supplier related to the 787 forward pressure bulkhead. We notified the FAA and have paused 787 deliveries while we complete the required analysis and documentation.'



The company added that there is no immediate safety of flight concern for the in-service fleet and that it will continue to follow the lead of the FAA.



Boeing previously had faced serious issues related to its 787 Dreamliners over certain manufacturing defects.



In 2020, the company had stopped the deliveries of the wide-body planes, which are often used for long-haul international routes, for nearly five months after acknowledging problems with incorrect spacing in some parts of the 787 aircraft, including the fuselage.



In May 2021, the company again had to halt the deliveries of the plane after the FAA found issues with the manufacturer's method for evaluating the aircraft.



However, Boeing in August 2022 delivered its first 787 Dreamliner since its 2021 delivery pause, to American Airlines. The airline in late 2021 had announced its plans to cut down on the number of its international flights during the busy summer period due to long delays in the delivery of Boeing's 787 Dreamliners.



Following a long pause, United Airlines ordered 100 787 Dreamliners in December last year, with the option to buy 100 more, to replace some of its older planes. The planes were slated to be delivered between 2024 and 2032.



For Boeing, the 787 Dreamliners are an important source of cash, and the bulk of an aircraft's price is paid upon delivery. In early 2022, Boeing had said that the production defects and a drop in output during the delivery hold would come to the tune of $5.5 billion.



Following the news, Boeing shares were losing around 3 percent in the pre-market activity on the NYSE.



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Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 24, 2023) - Happy Belly Food Group Inc. (CSE: HBFG) (OTCQB: VGANF) ("Happy Belly" or the "Company"), a leading consolidator of emerging food brands is pleased to announce that it has signed a lead order for a non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") of unsecured convertible debentures (the "Debentures") for total gross proceeds of $1,000,000 CDN received from a strategic investor.



"I would very much like to thank this existing shareholder for his dedication to Happy Belly and his continued support as we execute on our growth strategy focused on building a stable of emerging brands," said Sean Black, Chief Investment Officer of Happy Belly. "Receiving this kind of support and confidence in our plan as a company allows us to accelerate both our organic and inorganic growth in 2023. We look forward to further strengthening our relationship with this strategic investor to support future accretive M&A opportunities as they present themselves."



"This is our second consecutive above-market convertible debenture for Happy Belly. This demonstrates the market support for this management team despite the current challenging times for many companies attempting to raise capital. With the support and confidence of shareholders alike, we will continue to deliver shareholder value as we grow Happy Belly."



Debenture Details

Each Debenture has a principal amount of $1,000, a 36 month term earning interest at the rate of twelve percent (12%) per annum payable quarterly after the Closing Date, maturing on the date that is the third anniversary of the first date that the Debentures are issued (the "Maturity Date") and are convertible at the holder's option into common shares of the Company every three months after the closing date (the "Closing Date"), but prior to the Maturity Date, into common shares at a conversion price equal to (a) C$0.30 per common share, provided that not less than 25% of the outstanding principal, and any interest amounts owed, is converted (the "Conversion Price").

On the Maturity Date, any outstanding principal amount of the Debentures, plus any accrued and unpaid interest, shall be paid in cash. All securities issued in connection with the closing of the Private Placement are subject to a four-month and one-day statutory hold period in accordance with applicable securities laws. The proceeds of the Private Placement will be used for M&A purposes.

Anticipated close is March 30th or sooner.

About Happy Belly Food Group

Happy Belly Brands



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6625/156046_4b97a65c745f3bb2_001full.jpg

Happy Belly Food Group Inc. (CSE: HBFG) (OTCQB: VGANF) ("Happy Belly" or the "Company"), a leading consolidator of emerging food brands.

For more information please visit: www.HolyCrap.com, www.YamChops.com, www.LumberHeads.com, www.HealWellness.ca, www.LettuceLoveCafe.com, www.LadyGlazeDoughnuts.com, www.PirhoGrill.com, and www.HappyBellyFG.com.

Happy Belly Food Group

Shawn Moniz

Chief Executive Officer

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT:

www: www.happybellyfg.com or email hello@happybellyfg.com



Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release, which has been prepared by management.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur, and include the future performance of LumberHeads Food Co. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Company's control. There are no assurances that the business plans for Happy Belly described in this news release will come into effect on the terms or time frame described herein. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis and other disclosure filings with Canadian securities regulators, which are posted on www.sedar.com.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156046
The global military embedded systems market is expected to grow by 2031 due growing government military expenditure. The hardware sub-segment is expected to flourish immensely. The market in the North America region to be highly lucrative.

NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Research Dive has added a new report to its offering titled, "Military Embedded Systems Market by Product Type (Motherboard & Computer-On-module (COM), OPEN VPX, VME Bus, Compact-PCI (Board & Serial), and Others), Component Type (Hardware and Software), Platform Type (Airborne, Land, Naval, and Space), Application (Radar, Command & Control, Avionics, Electronic Warfare, Communication & Navigation, Weapon Fire Control System, and Others), and Regional Analysis (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2022-2031".





According to the report, the global military embedded systems market is predicted to register a revenue of $3,259.3 million by 2031, growing at a healthy CAGR of 7.9% during the forecast period 2022-2031.

Dynamics of the Market

Drivers: The military embedded systems market is expected to flourish in the forecast period on account of the growing defense and military expenditure by various governments across the globe. Along with this, development of electronic warfare systems with increased capabilities is predicted to push the market forward in the forecast period.

Opportunities: High durability, effectiveness, and simplicity of structure offered by electronics in military embedded systems is expected to offer numerous growth opportunities to the market. Along with this, the widespread adoption of multi-core processors, wireless technologies, and revolutionary warfare systems is predicted to take the market higher.

Restraints: According to market analysts, legal concerns and security issues, however, may become a challenge in the growth trajectory of the military embedded systems market.

To Get Access to the Exclusive PDF Sample of Military Embedded Systems Market Click Here!

Covid-19 Impact on the Market

Since the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic, strict lockdowns and travel restrictions were put in place by various governments across the world. This negatively impacted several industries and businesses causing disruptions in supply chains and manufacturing processes. The military embedded systems market faced a similar situation wherein there was a disruption in supply of raw materials, shortage of labor, and closure of several manufacturing industries. This led to disturbances in manufacturing and supply of finished products which finally led to a decline in the growth rate of the market.

Segments of the Market

The report has fragmented the military embedded systems market into a few segments based on product type, component, platform, and regional analysis.

By product type, the motherboard & computer-on-module sub-segment of the military embedded systems market is anticipated to have a dominating market share by 2031. Because of their unique feature of secure knowledge, computer-on-modules is highly effective for military use. This applicability of computer-on-module is predicted to boost the growth of this sub-segment in the forecast period.

By component, the hardware sub-segment is predicted to garner a significant revenue by 2031. The ability of military computer hardware to function in difficult and severe conditions like deserts or high mountains is anticipated to push the growth rate of this sub-segment higher.

By platform, the land sub-segment is anticipated to have a high growth rate by 2031. Governments across the world have invested heavily and developed a wide range of land-based platforms and vehicles equipped with variety of instruments like cameras, visible and infrared and thermal infrared scanners, radar systems, etc. Development of such land-based platforms is projected to augment the growth rate of this sub-segment in the forecast period.

By application, the weapon fire control system sub-segment is predicted to be immensely profitable in the forecast period. Growing development of automatic and consolidated weapon fire systems predicted to help in the growth of this sub-segment.

By regional analysis, military embedded systems market in the North America region is estimated to be the most dominant in the forecast period. The rapid advancement in military and aerospace sector of different countries in this region, especially the United States , is estimated to help the market grow substantially in this region.

Schedule a call with an Expert Analyst to get more insights of Military Embedded Systems Market

Prominent Market Players

Some prominent market players are

Intel Corporation

BAE Systems

General Dynamics Corporation

Kontron (S&T)

Mercury Systems Inc.

SMART Embedded Computing

Curtiss-Wright Corporation

SDK Embedded Systems Ltd.

Xilinx Inc.

Advantech Co. Ltd.

These players are building several strategies like product development and enhancement, merger and acquisition, partnerships and collaborations to assist the market growth.

For example, in April 2020, Abaco Systems, a leading aerospace and defense company, announced the launch of a new product- a 6U VME Ethernet switch, called NETernity. The ethernet switch provides support to four 10G SFP+ modules and can be used with any network configuration. This product launch is predicted to boost the company's market share substantially in the coming period.

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The report also sums up various crucial facets including financial performance of the global market players, SWOT analysis, product portfolio, and the latest strategic developments.

More about Military Embedded Systems Market:

What are the Key Applications of Military Embedded Systems?

Why Are Military Embedded Systems Important for Every Country?

Global Military Embedded Systems Market to Witness Extensive Growth with Growing Military Expenditure in Developing Nations

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About Research Dive

Research Dive is a market research firm based in Pune, India. Maintaining the integrity and authenticity of the services, the firm provides the services that are solely based on its exclusive data model, compelled by the 360-degree research methodology, which guarantees comprehensive and accurate analysis. With an unprecedented access to several paid data resources, team of expert researchers, and strict work ethic, the firm offers insights that are extremely precise and reliable. Scrutinizing relevant news releases, government publications, decades of trade data, and technical & white papers, Research dive deliver the required services to its clients well within the required timeframe. Its expertise is focused on examining niche markets, targeting its major driving factors, and spotting threatening hindrances. Complementarily, it also has a seamless collaboration with the major industry aficionado that further offers its research an edge.

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Hole V-22-029 returned 1.26 g/t Au over 558.7 m from surface, including 2.04 g/t Au over 202.0 m in 207 m step-back from previous highlight hole V-22-010

Longest mineralized intersection to date at Valley, expands width of central high-grade zone significantly to the north and demonstrates strong continuity to depth

Assays still pending for 3 holes drilled at Rogue in 2022, along with surface results from various targets and properties in Snowline's portfolio.

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 24, 2023 / SNOWLINE GOLD CORP. (CSE:SGD)(OTCQB:SNWGF) (the "Company" or "Snowline") is pleased to announce additional preliminary assay results from its 2022 drilling programs at its Rogue Project in Canada's Yukon Territory. Hole V-22-029 intersected sheeted quartz vein mineralization within the Valley intrusion averaging 1.26 g/t Au over 558.7 m from surface, including 2.04 g/t Au over 202.0 m, with additional mineralization at depth (Tables 1 and 2). The hole was collared at a 207 m step-back perpendicular to strike from V-22-010 (318.8 m @ 2.55 g/t Au from surface) to test the local width of Valley's near-surface, well mineralized corridor and the continuity of mineralization to depth.



Please Click on Image to enlarge.

Table 1 - Preliminary highlight summary of Snowline's latest assay results. *Interval widths reported; true widths of the system are not yet known.

"V-22-029 exceeded our expectations, intersecting strong mineralization much higher in the hole than we originally anticipated and continuing to significant depth," said Scott Berdahl, CEO & Director of Snowline. "It's the longest continuously mineralized interval we've drilled at Valley to date, and like many of Valley's best holes the interval begins at bedrock surface. For perspective, I invite anybody visiting Toronto for PDAC to look at the CN Tower, which stands 553.3 m tall, just shy of the length of this mineralized interval. The scale, grade and continuity of the gold system at Valley continue to impress us, and we look forward to additional results."

Please Click on Image to enlarge.

Figure 1 - 2021 and 2022 drilling at the Valley Zone, showing assays received to date (top) and vein densities alongside instances of visible gold observed during logging (bottom). Visual results indicate the presence of a large central zone within the broader Valley intrusion bearing higher vein densities. Initial analytical results for this zone consistently carry unusually high grades for a reduced intrusion-related gold system.

Please Click on Image to enlarge.

Figure 2 - Cross-section A, showing results received (top) and vein densities alongside instances of visible gold observed during logging (bottom). V-22-029 curves into the page at depth such that the bottom of the hole is roughly 100 m behind section.

Please Click on Image to enlarge.

Table 2 - Summary of mineralization in current holes. Gold intervals are typically long and relatively continuous, with little influence on overall interval grade from unusually high samples evidenced by strong "remainder" assays and strong values after capping assays at 10 g/t Au. *Interval widths reported; true widths of the system are not yet known, with different vein generations, orientations and grade distributions within given intervals through the bulk tonnage gold target.

HOLE V-22-029

Hole V-22-029 was collared within the Valley intrusion and to the north of the known near-surface well-mineralized corridor. The hole was a 207 m step-back along section to the northeast from the collar site for V-22-010 (318.8 m @ 2.55 g/t Au including 108.0 m @ 4.14 g/t Au from surface, see Snowline news release dated October 12, 2022), designed to test the local width of the array of steeply dipping, northwest-striking mineralized quartz veins. Additional mineralized holes V-22-005, 006, 007, 015 and 020 are located between 167 and 177 m from the collar site to the west, south and east (Figure 1), and V-22-033 was collared from the same drill pad.

The hole encountered abundant sheeted quartz veins with trace visible gold, returning 1.26 g/t Au over 558.7 m from bedrock surface at approximately 4.4 m downhole depth, including a higher-grade interval of 2.04 g/t Au over 202.0 m from 90.0 m downhole. Below this, a second zone of mineralization, averaging 0.81 g/t Au over 58.5 m from 630.5 m downhole, was encountered where the drill hole leaves the intrusion at approximately 662.3 m depth. Two 0.5 m intervals of unusually high grade mineralization were intersected at 508.5 m and 646.5 m downhole (69.50 g/t Au and 38.60 g/t Au respectively). These correspond to observations of unusually large (5 to 10 mm scale) bismuth and tellurium minerals in tight spatial association with clusters of trace visible gold.

The hole extends the known width of near surface, >1 gram per tonne gold mineralization at Valley, and demonstrates continuity of mineralization to depths greater than 400 m below surface.

As with previous holes at Valley, gold grades are carried across broad intervals, and they are not heavily affected by local high-grade (>10 g/t Au) intersections (Table 2).

Please Click on Image to enlarge.

Figure 3 - Quartz vein mineralization in V-22-029, from 127.7 m to 152.7 m downhole. The hole encountered high density quartz veining father to the northeast than expected, locally expanding the width of the high-density central vein corridor. Instances of visible gold are marked by orange flags above core. The interval, previously shown in a September 20, 2022 News Release by the Company, averaged 1.47 g/t Au.

QA/QC

On receipt from the drill site, Valley's NQ2-sized drill core was systematically logged for geological attributes, photographed and sampled at Snowline's 2022 field camp. Sample lengths as small as 0.5 m were used to isolate features of interest, otherwise a default 1.5 m downhole sample length was used. Core was cut in half lengthwise along a pre-determined line, with one half (same half, consistently) collected for analysis and one half stored as a record. Standard reference materials, blanks and duplicate samples were inserted by Snowline personnel at regular intervals into the sample stream. Bagged samples were sealed with security tags to ensure integrity during transport. They were delivered by expeditor and by Snowline personnel to ALS Laboratories' preparatory facility in Whitehorse, Yukon. Sample preparation was completed at different facilities in Whitehorse, Sudbury, ON, Thunder Bay, ON and Langley, BC with analyses completed in Vancouver.

ALS is accredited to ISO 17025:2005 UKAS ref 4028 for its laboratory analysis. Samples were crushed by ALS to >70% passing below 2 mm and split using a riffle splitter. 250 g splits were pulverized to >85% passing below 75 microns. A four-acid digest with an inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) finish was used for 48-element analysis on 0.25 g sample pulps (ALS code: ME-MS61L). All samples were analysed for gold content by fire assay with an atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) finish on 30 g samples (ALS code: Au-AA23). Any sample returning >10 g/t Au was reanalysed by fire assay with a gravimetric finish on a 30 g sample (ALS code: Au-GRA21).

Samples with visible gold and other samples returning >2.0 g/t Au by fire assay, along with a set of randomly selected samples, will undergo further processing, analysing the screen rejects to determine whether the screening process could introduce a sampling bias in current results by excluding coarse gold from analysis, resulting in an under-reporting of true grades. Other biases are also possible.

Results reported herein are considered preliminary following receipt of a low but expected percentage of abnormal assays from standard and blank samples inserted by the Company into the Valley sample stream. (Standard samples are prepared by a third-party laboratory to have known quantities of gold, and blank samples are known to contain very limited concentrations of gold.) Reanalysis of samples run along with these reference materials will provide greater certainty in the final assay numbers. These results will be reported if a material difference is identified between the current assays and the re-run sample batches. Based on the widespread and relatively consistent mineralization throughout mineralized zones, however, the Company does not believe that the re-analysis of this relatively small number of samples will have a significant impact on the preliminary mineralized intervals reported herein.

ABOUT ROGUE

Rogue's Valley Zone is a newly discovered, bulk tonnage style, reduced intrusion-related gold system (RIRGS), with geological similarities to multi-million-ounce deposits currently in production like Kinross's Fort Knox Mine in Alaska and Victoria Gold's Eagle Mine in the Yukon. Early drill results demonstrate unusually high gold grades for such a system present near surface across intersections of hundreds of metres. Gold is associated with bismuthinite and telluride minerals hosted in sheeted quartz vein arrays along the margins of and within a one-kilometer-scale, mid-Cretaceous aged Mayo-series intrusion. Valley is an early-stage exploration project without a resource estimate, and while initial results are encouraging, the presence or absence of an economically viable orebody cannot be determined until significant additional work is completed.

The Rogue Project area hosts multiple intrusions similar to Valley along with widespread gold anomalism in stream sediment, soil and rock samples. Elsewhere, RIRGS deposits are known to occur in clusters. The Rogue Project is thus considered by the Company to have district-scale potential for additional reduced intrusion-related gold systems.

ABOUT SNOWLINE GOLD CORP.

Snowline Gold Corp. is a Yukon Territory focused gold exploration company with an eight-project portfolio covering >280,000 ha. The Company is exploring its flagship >137,000 ha Rogue and Einarson gold projects in the highly prospective yet underexplored Selwyn Basin. Snowline's project portfolio sits within the prolific Tintina Gold Province, host to multiple million-ounce-plus gold mines and deposits including Kinross' Fort Knox mine, Newmont's Coffee deposit, and Victoria Gold's Eagle Mine. The Company's first-mover land position and extensive database provide a unique opportunity for investors to be part of multiple discoveries and the creation of a new gold district.

Please Click on Image to enlarge.

Figure 4 - Project location map for Snowline Gold's eastern Selwyn Basin properties. The Valley and Gracie Zones on the Rogue are the sites of Snowline's 2022 drill programs.

QUALIFIED PERSON

Information in this release has been prepared under supervision of and approved by Thomas K. Branson, M.Sc., P. Geo., Exploration Manager for Snowline and a Qualified Person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Scott Berdahl

CEO & Director

For further information, please contact:

Snowline Gold Corp.

+1 778 650 5485

info@snowlinegold.com

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, including statements about the Company's drill program, results, implied significance of visual inspection of drill core, and surface work and plans for exploring and expanding a new greenfield, district-scale gold system. Wherever possible, words such as "may", "will", "should", "could", "expect", "plan", "intend", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "predict" or "potential" or the negative or other variations of these words, or similar words or phrases, have been used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management as at the date hereof.

Forward-looking statements involve significant risk, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results discussed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among other things: risks related to uncertainties inherent in drill results and the estimation of mineral resources; and risks associated with executing the Company's plans and intentions. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure readers that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.

SOURCE: Snowline Gold Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/740633/Snowline-Gold-Intersects-5587-m-of-13-grams-per-tonne-Gold-from-Surface-Including-2020-m-of-20-grams-per-tonne-Gold-at-Its-Valley-Discovery-Rogue-Project-Yukon
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 24, 2023) - Vatic Ventures Corp. (TSXV: VCV) (FSE: V8V) (OTCQB: VCVVF) (the "Company" or "Vatic") is pleased to announce that effective February 24, 2023, the Company is listed on the OTCQB under the symbol "VCVVF". This enables US investors to purchase and hold the Company's shares in their accounts.

The OTCQB, which is a U.S. trading platform operated by OTC Markets Group Inc., offers investors transparent trading in entrepreneurial and development stage companies. The OTCQB is recognized by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as an established public market providing public information for analysis and value of securities. To be eligible, companies must be current in their reporting and must undergo an annual verification and management certification process. Becoming an OTCQB-listed issuer introduces additional international compliance and disclosure standards for the Company. The potential benefits of trading on the OTCQB include efficient market standards, as well as increased transparency, liquidity and visibility within the U.S. investment community.

The Company's shares will continue to be listed and trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "VCV", and on the Frankfurt Exchange under the symbol "V8V".

Investors or other interested parties in the U.S. can obtain real-time quotes for Vatic, as well as access the Company's most current news and information at www.otcmarkets.com.

ABOUT VATIC VENTURES CORP.

The Company has an option to earn a 100% interest in the Hansen gold property in the Chapais area of Northern Quebec, strategically situated in a very active and emerging gold exploration area with over 6.7 million ounces of gold produced in the greater Chibougamau district. In addition, the Company has an option to acquire a 100% interest in a Rare Earth Elements (REE) and polymetallic claims package known as the Sister's Mountain project located in Southwestern New Brunswick.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF VATIC VENTURES CORP.

"Loren Currie"

Loren Currie

CEO & Director

info@vaticventures.com

604-757-9792

"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." The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156003
In this 2022 May file photo, President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, poses with Yasir Othman Al-Rumayyan, chairman of Saudi Aramco's board of directors and the governor of the Public Investment Fund, at the presidential office in Seoul. Yonhap



Saudi Arabian Oil Company, one of the world's largest crude oil exporters, will hold a meeting of its board of directors in Seoul next month, with its chairman also likely to attend the annual gathering, industry sources here said Friday.



It is the third time that Saudi's state-run oil giant, also called Saudi Aramco, will hold its annual board meeting in South Korea, the world's fifth-largest crude importer, following the first in 2011 and the second in 2015.



Along with board members, its Chairman Yasir Othman Al-Rumayyan is expected to come to South Korea to attend the event slated for early next month, according to the sources.



But the detailed list of participants is not yet determined, they added.



Al-Rumayyan, who also governs the Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, had visited Seoul in May last year to attend the inauguration ceremony of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.



Saudi Aramco is the largest shareholder of S-Oil, South Korea's No. 3 oil refiner, with a 63.4 percent stake.



During the visit of the board members, S-Oil will hold a groundbreaking ceremony of a large-scale petrochemical plant in the nation's southeastern city of Ulsan on March 6 to mark the start of the Shaheen project.



The $7 billion project was announced late last year when Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited South Korea. The project is expected to be completed by 2026. (Yonhap)


Tibsovo  (ivosidenib tablets) is the first IDH1 inhibitor recommended for approval in Europe

The positive CHMP opinion is based on clinical data from the AGILE (in AML) and ClarIDHy (in CCA) studies

PARIS, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Servier, a global pharmaceutical company, today announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has adopted a positive opinion and recommended granting a marketing authorization for Tibsovo (ivosidenib tablets) - an inhibitor of the mutated isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 (IDH1) enzyme - for two indications:

in combination with azacitidine, for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed IDH1-mutated Acute Myeloid Leukemia and not eligible for standard induction chemotherapy,

in monotherapy, for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic IDH1-mutated Cholangiocarcinoma, previously treated by at least one prior line of systemic therapy.

Claude Bertrand, Executive Vice President R&D of Servier, said: "The positive CHMP opinion is a further step towards the availability, in the European Union, of Tibsovo which is the first IDH1 inhibitor to be recommended for approval in Europe for patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Cholangiocarcinoma for whom therapeutic options are very limited. Tibsovo is an illustration of the Group's transformation and commitment in oncology which focuses its research on hard-to-treat cancers with the development of targeted therapies being a promising path for patients."

The positive CHMP opinion is based on clinical data from the AGILE (AML) and ClarIDHy (CCA) studies.

The CHMP's positive opinion on Tibsovo in IDH1 mutated AML and CCA patients will be referred to the European Commission (EC) which will deliver a final decision in the coming months. The decision will be applicable to all 27 EU member states plus Iceland, Norway, Northern Ireland and Liechtenstein.

PDF - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2009347/PR___Servier.pdf

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1914957/Servier_Logo.jpg

Contact: presse@servier.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/servier-receives-a-positive-chmp-opinion-for-tibsovo-in-idh1-mutated-acute-myeloid-leukemia-aml-and-cholangiocarcinoma-cca-patients-301755348.html
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 24, 2023) - Aurania Resources Ltd. (TSXV: ARU) (OTCQB: AUIAF) (FSE: 20Q) ("Aurania" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it will be attending the Prospectors and Developers International Convention (PDAC) being held March 5th - 8th, 2023 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) in Toronto, Canada.

PDAC Booth Location

Aurania will be exhibiting at booth 2948 in the Investors Exchange located in the MTCC South Building, Level 800. Please note our new booth location. For more information about PDAC and registration, please visit https://www.pdac.ca/convention/registration.

March 5th - 5:00pm Shareholder Meet and Greet with Management

Aurania is hosting a meet-and-greet for shareholders on Sunday, March 5th from 5:00pm-8:00pm in Salon 1, 19th Floor, at The Fairmont Royal York Hotel, 100 Front Street West, Toronto, Ontario. Due to capacity limitations, we kindly ask that you confirm your attendance no later than March 1st by RSVP to info@aurania.com.

March 6th - 9:05am Ecuador Day

Ecuador Day will take place on Monday, March 6th at 8:00am ET in Room 206F at the MTCC. Ecuador Day is being organized and hosted by the Ecuador Chamber of Mines and will run from 8:00am-12:00pm. Representatives from the Government of Ecuador are expected to provide an update on the mining industry in Ecuador during this event.

March 7th - 10:00am Panel on Planning for Sustainable Mineral Development 101

Aurania's Head of CSR, Ms. Carolina Lasso, has been invited to participate in a session sub-topic titled "Setting the stage for success with the S in ESG: Engagement and agreement making in early exploration" on Tuesday, March 7th at 10:00am in Room 715 at the MTCC.

ERM - Environmental Resources Management has put together this two-hour lightning talks panel in collaboration with the PDAC Sustainability Committee. The panel will feature key sub-topics within the sustainable mining framework explored by junior companies, community members, investors, and expert speakers. Click here for more information.

https://www.pdac.ca/convention/programming/sustainability-program/sessions/sustainability-program/planning-for-sustainable-mineral-development-101

About Aurania

Aurania is a mineral exploration company engaged in the identification, evaluation, acquisition and exploration of mineral property interests, with a focus on precious metals and copper in South America. Its flagship asset, The Lost Cities - Cutucu Project, is located in the Jurassic Metallogenic Belt in the eastern foothills of the Andes mountain range of southeastern Ecuador.

Information on Aurania and technical reports are available at www.aurania.com and www.sedar.com, as well as on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/auranialtd/, Twitter at https://twitter.com/auranialtd, and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/aurania-resources-ltd-.

For further information, please contact:

Carolyn Muir

VP Corporate Development & Investor Relations

Aurania Resources Ltd.

(416) 367-3200

carolyn.muir@aurania.com

Neither the TSX-V nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX-V) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156011
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 24, 2023 / Gold Terra Resource Corp. (TSXV:YGT)(Frankfurt:TX0)(OTCQX:YGTFF) ("Gold Terra" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the 8,000-metre winter drilling program on the Con Mine Option ("CMO") Property in Yellowknife, NWT is progressing well with the completion of the first eight holes designed to expand the Yellorex North gold zone. The CMO property is under option from subsidiaries of Newmont Corporation and is acquirable by the Company upon fulfillment of certain conditions set out in the CMO agreement, as reported in the Company's news release dated November 22, 2021. Assays are pending and anticipated to be received in March.

Chairman and CEO, Gerald Panneton, commented, "We are extremely pleased with the Yellorex North drilling as all eight holes have hit the targeted Campbell Shear with the drill core showing significant intersections of multi-metre veining and sulphide mineralization. The objective of the winter drill program is to expand the current near-surface mineral resources on the CMO, and the initial visual observations of the core indicate that we are on track. The Campbell Shear structure is our highest priority target as the Con Mine produced more than 5 million ounces of high-grade gold (16 g/t Au). "

Drilling Update Highlights

Eight holes (GTCM23-042 to 049) have been completed on the Yellorex North zone for a total of 3076.53 metres. All eight holes have intersected significant widths of the Campbell Shear with notable highlights shown in the following table:

DDH # From (m) To (m) Length (m) Mineralization & Alteration GTCM23-042 234.30 243.00 8.70 Smoky quartz veining with strong pyrite and arsenopyrite mineralization; strong sericite alteration GTCM23-045 257.00 261.00 4.00 Smoky quartz veining with strong pyrite and arsenopyrite mineralization; strong sericite alteration and 261.00 265.00 4.00 Quartz-ankerite veining; strong sericite alteration mineralized with banded pyrite GTCM23-048 382.40 386.00 3.60 Smoky quartz veining with strong pyrite-arsenopyrite-stibnite-sphalerite mineralization; strong sericite alteration and 391.00 397.50 6.50 Smoky quartz veining with strong pyrite-arsenopyrite-stibnite mineralization; strong sericite alteration

Figures 1 and 2 show the location of the completed Yellorex North drill holes.

Figures 1 and 2 - Yellorex North Zone Drill Hole Locations

Background

The focus of the winter drilling program is to expand the September 2022 initial Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE")(see September 7, 2022 press release) along the Campbell Shear immediately south of the Con Mine. The initial mineral resource estimate from drilling in 2022 is 109,000 Indicated ounces of contained gold and 432,000 Inferred ounces of contained gold between surface and to a depth of 500 metres below surface along a 2-kilometre corridor. Please refer to the October 21, 2022 technical report, titled "Initial Mineral Resource Estimate for the CMO Property, Yellowknife City Gold Project, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada" with an effective date of September 2, 2022 which can be found on the Company's website at https://www.goldterracorp.com and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

All the drilling targets on the Yellorex North, Yellorex Main and Kam Point deposits are located along the Campbell Shear structure between surface and 500 metres vertical depth with the exception of one hole which will test the depth extent of the Yellorex Main deposit where most of the initial MRE is located.

The eight holes were drilled near surface on Yellorex North as this represents the best underexplored target in the area. The target area is very close to existing underground mining infrastructure and tested only by one hole in 2022, GTCM22-039 (see August 3, 2022 press release), which returned two mineralized zones as follows:

DDH # From (m) To (m) Length (m) Au (g/t) GTCM22-039 306.00 312.00 6.00 3.31 including 309.00 311.00 2.00 5.38 GTCM22-039 324.00 329.00 5.00 2.18

Figure 3 shows the Yellorex North 2023 drilling and hole GTCM22-039.

Figure 3 - Long section showing 2023 drilling and hole GTCM22-039

Next Steps

Drilling will continue over a 2-kilometre stretch along the Campbell Shear south of the Con Mine as follows:

Three to four holes on the Kam North and Con81 zones, and

One hole to test the down-dip depth extension the Yellorex Deposit.

Another 2,000 -3,000 metres is anticipated as follow-up to areas of interest.

A second drill capable of drilling 2,500 metres depth down the hole, will be moving to the target site and is expected to start drilling in March, once the planning of the target is completed. The objective is to drill the high-grade gold shoots beneath the Con Mine workings, at approximately -2000 metres vertical.

Qualified Persons

Joe Campbell, P. Geo., Senior Technical Advisor for Gold Terra is a Qualified Person within the meaning of NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release.

About Gold Terra

The YCG project encompasses 800 sq. km of contiguous land immediately north, south and east of the City of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories. Through a series of acquisitions, Gold Terra controls one of the six major high-grade gold camps in Canada. Being within 10 kilometers of the City of Yellowknife, the YCG is close to vital infrastructure, including all-season roads, air transportation, service providers, hydro-electric power, and skilled tradespeople. Gold Terra is currently focusing its drilling on the prolific Campbell Shear, where 14 Moz of gold has been produced, and most recently on the Con Mine Option claims immediately south of the past producing Con Mine (1938-2003).

The YCG and CMO property lie on the prolific Yellowknife greenstone belt, covering nearly 70 kilometers of strike length along the main mineralized shear system that host the former-producing high-grade Con and Giant gold mines. The Company's exploration programs have successfully identified significant zones of gold mineralization and multiple targets that remain to be tested which reinforces the Company's objective of re-establishing Yellowknife as one of the premier gold mining districts in Canada.

Visit our website at www.goldterracorp.com.

For more information, please contact:

Gerald Panneton, Chairman & CEO

gpanneton@goldterracorp.com

Mara Strazdins, Manager of Investor Relations

Phone: 1-778-897-1590 | 604-689-1749 ext 102

strazdins@goldterracorp.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.

Information Concerning Estimates of Mineral Resources

Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Therefore, investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an Inferred Mineral Resource could ever be mined economically. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of "Measured Mineral Resources," "Indicated Mineral Resources," or "Inferred Mineral Resources" will ever be upgraded to a higher category. The Mineral Resource estimates contained herein may be subject to legal, political, environmental or other risks that could materially affect the potential development of such mineral resources. Refer to the Technical Report, once filed, for more information with respect to the key assumptions, parameters, methods and risks of determination associated with the foregoing.

Cautionary Note to United States Investors

The Company prepares its disclosure in accordance with the requirements of securities laws in effect in Canada, which differ from the requirements of U.S. securities laws. Terms relating to Mineral Resources in this news release are defined in accordance with NI 43-101 under the guidelines set out in CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves, adopted by the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Council on May 19, 2014, as amended ("CIM Standards"). The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") has adopted amendments effective February 25, 2019 (the "SEC Modernization Rules") to its disclosure rules to modernize the mineral property disclosure requirements for issuers whose securities are registered with the SEC under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934. As a result of the adoption of the SEC Modernization Rules, the SEC will now recognize estimates of "Measured Mineral Resources", "Indicated Mineral Resources" and "Inferred Mineral Resources", which are defined in substantially similar terms to the corresponding CIM Standards. In addition, the SEC has amended its definitions of "Proven Mineral Reserves" and "Probable Mineral Reserves" to be substantially similar to the corresponding CIM Standards.

U.S. investors are cautioned that while the foregoing terms are "substantially similar" to corresponding definitions under the CIM Standards, there are differences in the definitions under the SEC Modernization Rules and the CIM Standards. Accordingly, there is no assurance any Mineral Resources that the Company may report as "Measured Mineral Resources", "Indicated Mineral Resources" and "Inferred Mineral Resources" under NI 43-101 would be the same had the Company prepared the Mineral Resource estimates under the standards adopted under the SEC Modernization Rules. In accordance with Canadian securities laws, estimates of "Inferred Mineral Resources" cannot form the basis of feasibility or other economic studies, except in limited circumstances where permitted under NI 43-101.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements made and information contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation ("forward-looking information"). Generally, this forward-looking information can, but not always, be identified by use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events, conditions or results "will", "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative connotations thereof.

All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is necessarily based on estimates and assumptions that are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information regarding the current drilling on the Campbell Shear, potentially adding ounces to the Company's current YCG mineral resource, and the Company's objective of re-establishing Yellowknife as one of the premier gold mining districts in Canada.

There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as the Company's actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information as a result of the factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section in the Company's most recent MD&A and annual information form available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that would cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on information available to the Company as of the date of this news release. 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. All of the forward-looking information contained in this news release is qualified by these cautionary statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information due to the inherent uncertainty thereof. Except as required under applicable securities legislation and regulations applicable to the Company, the Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update this forward-looking information.

SOURCE: Gold Terra Resource Corp

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/740610/Gold-Terra-Completes-the-First-8-Hole-Drill-Program-on-Con-Mine-Option-Property-to-Expand-Yellorex-North-Zone


KENILWORTH (NJ) (dpa-AFX) - Merck & Co Inc. (MRK) and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics said Friday that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended against approval of Lagevrio (molnupiravir) for the treatment of certain adults who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the European Union.



Merck noted that the companies will appeal the decision and request a re-examination of the CHMP's opinion. The companies remain confident that Lagevrio has an important role to play in the COVID-19 treatment landscape.



Merck said that more than 4 million patients worldwide have been treated with Lagevrio. Recent real-world studies support the clinical profile of Lagevrio as a treatment option for certain adults with mild to moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk for severe disease.



Lagevrio is approved or authorized for use in more than 25 countries, including Australia, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and China for the treatment of certain adults who have been diagnosed with COVID-19.



Lagevrio is not authorized for use in patients less than 18 years of age or for initiation of treatment in patients hospitalized due to COVID-19. Benefit of treatment with Lagevrio has not been observed in subjects when treatment was initiated after hospitalization due to COVID-19.



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NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / February 24, 2023 / The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers (IFPW), in partnership with member companies including global healthcare company AmerisourceBergen and IQVIA , a leading provider of advanced analytics and technology solutions, today launched an ESG framework and toolkit to serve as a resource for the industry. Leveraging insights from a wide range of healthcare organizations, which included Farmacos Nacionales, McKesson, Profarma, Walgreens Boots Alliance, and Zuellig Pharma, the IFPW Framework for ESG is intended to create global alignment and consistency across the pharmaceutical sector regarding how to effectively communicate and report on the impact of environmental, social, and corporate governance initiatives to advance the supply chain forward.

"Prioritizing ESG strategies is crucial within the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry, and we are excited to provide a resource that is available for use by industry leaders across the globe as they develop their own initiatives," said Mark Parrish, President of IFPW. "Our hope is that this framework will allow healthcare organizations, and the broader healthcare supply chain, to elevate and optimize their approaches to ESG over time and to commit even further to creating a healthier, more sustainable, and more equitable industry."

The IFPW framework carefully analyzes all aspects of ESG to provide pharmaceutical wholesalers and distributors with best practices and guidance to inform their efforts, including:

Addressing carbon emissions, energy use, and climate change

Portraying environmental stewardship through waste management, packaging design, and regulatory compliance

Protecting access to medicine and advancing global health equity via security of medical supplies, affordability, and community engagement

Human capital management through diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, talent acquisition, and ensuring employee health and safety

Ethics compliance and engagement via codes of practice and guidelines, data privacy, stakeholder engagement, and human rights throughout the supply chain

"This collaboration and the resulting framework are a testament to the crucial role and influence of distributors within the pharmaceutical supply chain," said Susan Lorenz-Fisher, Senior Vice President of Global Sustainability & ESG Integration at AmerisourceBergen and chair of IFPW's ESG Advisory Committee. "By leveraging our experience, reach, and relationships across our sector, we are able to inform best practices to elevate the industry's collective impact on ESG. We are proud to align with both IFPW and IQVIA to enable a more sustainable and equitable global supply chain."

"The last few years have highlighted the critical role that the supply chain plays in delivering healthcare," said Simon Tottman, Vice President, Global Strategic Partners, IQVIA. "As the industry looks to advance and strengthen sustainability and citizenship efforts, the ESG framework sets out a clear roadmap for development of key focus areas for the coming years. As global partners for IQVIA, it has been an honor to work with the IFPW, AmerisourceBergen and the broader industry to provide practical ways that the healthcare supply chain can operate in an even more ESG considerate manner."

For more information on the IFPW Framework for ESG and to access the tool kit, visit https://ifpw.com/esg/ .

About IFPW

IFPW (International Federation of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers) is the global industry association bringing together the leading full service pharmaceutical distributors and wholesalers, national industry associations, service organizations and pharmaceutical manufacturers from 6 continents, in 26 countries. The association provides a global platform for dialogue and is dedicated to helping its members and stakeholders advance the safe, efficient and continuous access to pharmaceuticals worldwide through the promotion of good distribution practices and services. For more information, visit https://www.ifpw.com/ .

About AmerisourceBergen

AmerisourceBergen is a leading global pharmaceutical solutions organization centered on improving the lives of people and animals around the world. We partner with pharmaceutical innovators across the value chain to facilitate and optimize market access to therapies. Care providers depend on us for the secure, reliable delivery of pharmaceuticals, healthcare products, and solutions. Our 44,000+ worldwide team members contribute to positive health outcomes through the power of our purpose: We are united in our responsibility to create healthier futures. AmerisourceBergen is ranked #10 on the Fortune 500 and #21 on the Global Fortune 500 with more than $200 billion in annual revenue. Learn more at www.amerisourcebergen.com .

About IQVIA

IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) is a leading global provider of advanced analytics, technology solutions, and clinical research services to the life sciences industry. IQVIA creates intelligent connections across all aspects of healthcare through its analytics, transformative technology, big data resources and extensive domain expertise. IQVIA Connected Intelligence delivers powerful insights with speed and agility - enabling customers to accelerate the clinical development and commercialization of innovative medical treatments that improve healthcare outcomes for patients. With approximately 83,000 employees, IQVIA conducts operations in more than 100 countries. To learn more, visit https://www.iqvia.com

Media Contacts:

IFPW - Christopher Goetz, Executive Vice President & General Manager chris.goetz@ifpw.com

AmerisourceBergen - Lauren Esposito, Vice President External Communications lesposito@amerisourcebergen.com

Read More



View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from AmerisourceBergen on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: AmerisourceBergen

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/amerisourcebergen

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: AmerisourceBergen

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/740647/IFPW-Launches-Environmental-Social-and-Corporate-Governance-ESG-Framework-To-Serve-as-a-Resource-for-the-Pharmaceutical-Industry
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 24, 2023) - 1111 Exploration Corp. (CSE: ELVN) (the "Company" or "ELVN") is pleased to announce that Eric Roth, Sylvain Laberge and Rob Duncan have joined the Company as advisors effective immediately.

Eric Roth - President, CEO & Director of Capella Minerals Ltd.

Eric holds a Ph.D. in Economic Geology from the University of Western Australia and is an economic geologist with over 30 years of experience in international minerals exploration and mining project evaluation. He was most recently Chief Operating Officer of Mariana Resources Ltd., which was acquired by Sandstorm Gold Royalties in July 2017 for the high-grade Hod Maden copper-gold discovery in NE Turkey. Prior to this, Mr. Roth was Chief Executive Officer of Aegean Metals Group Inc. (original acquirer of the Hod Maden project) and President and Chief Executive Officer of Extorre Gold Mines Ltd. (discoverer of the high-grade Cerro Moro gold-silver deposit in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina, which was acquired by Yamana Gold Inc. in mid-2012 for CAD 440M).

Eric worked for AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. ("AGA") between 2002 and 2008, initially as the Lima-based Peruvian project and South American opportunities manager and subsequently as the Johannesburg-based Global Head of greenfields exploration. During his Johannesburg tenure, AGA's greenfields exploration teams brought in over 20+Moz Au in new Inferred Resources through discoveries in Colombia (Colosa, Gramalote), Australia (Tropicana), and the DRC (Mongwalu) at a discovery cost of Eric is currently a Non-Executive Director of Ivory Coast-focused Awale Resources Ltd. He is also a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (FAusIMM), a Fellow of the Society of Economic Geologists (SEG), and principal of consulting firm ER Global Consulting SA. Sylvain Laberge, President & CEO and Director of 1844 Resources Inc. ("1884") After obtaining a degree in hotel management, Sylvain entered into a sales career in different sectors. He became part of a new company founded in 1999, Renmark Financial Communications Inc., an enterprise specializing in investor relations, where he became Vice-President and developed an interest in emerging companies, and especially mining exploration. Sylvain has been managing 1844, formerly Gespeg Copper Resources Inc., since 2013, and also managed other junior companies during that period. Over the years, he assisted a number of companies in raising over 100,000,000 dollars. He is presently a director of Omineca Mining and Metals Ltd. and a director of Royal Helium Ltd. Sylvain has also been on the Board of Directors of La Maison des Greffes Lina Cyr for the last 20 years, a Non-Profit Organization that helps people from regions outside of Montreal waiting for transplants. Sylvain a long-time cyclist, is also on the organization of Defi Velo, an annual 330 km two day event from Montreal to Quebec City that raises money for La Maison des Greffes Lina Cyr.

Rob Duncan, M.Sc. - VP Exploration of Alianza Minerals

Rob has over 30 years of experience in mineral exploration with a wide range of companies, from major producers, such as Rio Tinto and Inmet Mining Corporation, to junior explorers. He has held senior management positions at several junior explorers exploring throughout the North American Cordillera, Canadian Shield and Eastern Europe on a wide variety of deposit types including orogenic gold, porphyry copper (gold), VMS, intrusion related gold, and epithermal gold-silver systems. He also has over ten years of management experience specifically with prospect generator companies, having held the position of Exploration Manager at Rimfire Minerals Corporation and VP Exploration and Project Development at Evrim Resources Corp.

Sven Gollan, Manager of Business Development, comments; "We are excited to welcome three new ELVN team members to our Special Advisory Board, each with a unique and specialized expertise in one of our three target areas going forward. With their individual experience in Norway/Finland, Quebec/Ontario and BC/Yukon, our new advisors bring a wealth of knowledge and experience that will be invaluable in helping us advance our exploration and development efforts in these important regions going forward. We are confident that their insights and guidance will help us achieve our goals and position our company for success."

CEO, Rob Cameron comments; "We are pleased to have Eric, Sylvain and Rob join the Company in an advisory role. These three additions are a welcome addition to our expanding technical and advisory team."

About 1111 Exploration Corp.:

1111 Exploration Corp. is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on creating shareholder value through exploration, acquisition, and development of mineral projects. The Company is currently in the process of a name change whereby it will be called Teako Minerals Corp.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Scott Young

Director

For further information, please call:

Scott Young

604-377-5781

syoung@freeformcom.com

Neither CSE Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release may include forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements within, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward looking. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required under the applicable laws.

Not for dissemination in the United States or through U.S. newswires

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156044
SAINT-HUBERT, Quebec, Feb. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Urbanimmersive Inc. ("Urbanimmersive," the "Company" or "UI") (TSV-V UI) (OTCQB: UBMRF) today reported financial results and presents business highlights for the first quarter ended December 31, 2022. The interim condensed financial statements and related management's discussion and analysis ("MD&A") can be viewed on SEDAR at https://www.sedar.com/.



Three-month period ended

Dec. 31, 2022 Three-month period ended

Dec. 31, 2021 In thousands $ In thousands $ Revenues 3,177 995 COGS and direct charges 1,722 439 Gross margin

(before amortization) 1,454 556 Amortization 506 249 Operating expenses 2,040 868 Adj. EBITDA* 31 (204) Other expenses 3 36 Net income (loss) (1,094) (597) Basic net income (loss) per share (0.02) (0.02)

* Q1-23 adjusted EBITDA includes $617,000 for non-cash items related to share and share-based payments $99,000 and non-recurring items such as transition costs ($473,000) and business acquisition costs ($45,000). Q1-22 adjusted EBITDA includes $108,000 for non-cash items related to share and share-based payments ($47,000) and non-recurring items such as CEWS wage subsidies (-$3,000), restructuring charges ($60,000) and business acquisition costs ($33,000).

"During the most recent quarter, we have successfully integrated HomeVisit, the largest acquisition in Urbanimmersive's history. This strategic acquisition brings technology, revenues, large U.S. customer base and opportunities to upsell Urbanimmersive's solutions. This transaction positions Urbanimmersive to address the $US 1.5 billion addressable market for the photography of residential real estate. Concurrently to the acquisition, CoreLogic the largest real estate technology provider in North America, became a shareholder of Urbanimmersive and has signed a strategic partnership. This partnership, which is the result of several months of technology due diligence, allows Urbanimmersive to onboard MLS agencies and real estate brokers to its marketplace and benefit from our fully integrated and proprietary solutions. This deal fits perfectly with our U.S. expansion strategy," said Ghislain Lemire, President and CEO of Urbanimmersive.

"Although we are still navigating in a difficult real estate market environment, the rapid integration of HomeVisit's activities into our state-of-the-art management system ('ERP') and our enhanced global product and service offering, including 3D visits, marketplace and metaverse experience, allows us to consider the future with optimism in terms of growth and financial performance," added Mr. Lemire.

HIGHLIGHTS

For its first quarter ending December 31, 2022 (Q1-23), the Company generated revenues of $3.2 million compared to $1.0 million for Q1-22, an increase of $2.2 million or 219%;



For Q1-23, the Company generated adjusted EBITDA of $31,000 compared to adjusted EBITDA loss of $204,000 for Q1-22, an increase of $235,000;



In October 2022, the Company completed the strategic acquisition of HomeVisit, LLC, a major photography service agency in the United States owned by CoreLogic, LLC, for a purchase price of $8.2 million, financed by the issuance of Company' shares ($2.7 million) and a 5-year guaranteed debenture worth $5.5 million. As part of this acquisition, the Company acquired a working capital of US$ 1.2 million.



The Company's liquidities totaled $1.5 million as of December 31, 2022.



The Company has issued 121,740 shares at a price of $0.27 to Management as part of their variable compensation plan.

TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed this press release and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.

Investor Video Conference Call

Urbanimmersive will be hosting a video conference to discuss its 2023 first quarter results and answer questions at 1p.m. (ET) on Friday, February 24, 2023. To participate to the video conference, please use the following link: https://urbanimmersive.zoom.us/j/82083359092.

About Urbanimmersive

Urbanimmersive develops and commercializes real estate photography technologies and services focused on redefining industry visual content standards. The Company all-in-one platform enables high-volume photography businesses to increase operational productivity delivering feature-rich 3D tours and floor plans, leading-edge property websites and high-resolution AI-indexed images. The Company operating segments include software (SaaS), 3D photography equipment and, in a growing number of North American cities, technology-powered real estate photography service business units leading the industry photo-shoots standards transformation. Learn more at urbanimmersive.com.

Caution of Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this news release, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking information that involves various risks and uncertainties. Such statements relating to, among other things, the prospects for the company to enhance operating results, are necessarily subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which are significant in scope and nature. These uncertainties may cause actual results to differ from information contained herein. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. These and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements are based on the estimates and opinions of the management on the dates they are made and expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. The Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements should circumstances or management estimates or opinions change.

For more information, please contact:

Urbanimmersive Ghislain Lemire

President & CEO

514-394-7820 X 202

ghislainlemire@urbanimmersive.com

Simon Bedard, CA, CPA, CFA, MBA

Chief Financial Officer

514-394-7820 X 224

simonbedard@urbanimmersive.com
CHINO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / February 24, 2023 / Harrison, Vickers & Waterman, Inc. ("HVCW"), through its operating subsidiary, Pacific Energy Network LLC, d/b/a Modern Pro Solutions ("MPS"), (together the "Company") (OTC PINK:HVCW) announces corporate restructuring to increase profitability while decreasing overhead and liabilities.

Modern Pro Solutions has determined that as the solar residential rooftop industry continues to face certain challenges, it is time to get ahead of the curve and revamp the way it does business. In order to cut costs and liabilities, the company has created a new structure in which four new divisions have been created. These include sales, lead generation, training and consulting services to other industry partners, and mergers and acquisitions of other sales and lead generating companies. MPS will no longer be performing in-house installations, as the need for more flexibility within the markets the company services nationwide is paramount at this time. Installations will now be sub-contracted. This allows MPS to cut expenses and overhead. The costs of managing large warehouses, trucks, gasoline, insurance, certain licenses and equipment procurement are no longer needed. This also means that a more remote employee structure, along with utilization of artificial intelligence and technologies, still allows the company to run a large solar company with less people. Although revenues will most likely decrease, doubling its profitability is a much more sustainable model for the business and shareholders.

The state of California will soon be implementing NEM 3.0, an initiative that increases costs across the board, thus making it more difficult to operate a profitable solar company. Mr. Tetsch states, "California basically bet against local solar. California has about a 20% penetration rate of solar customers which becomes a red flag, so it's at this point when government feels the need to place its hands on the industry. However, this is a great opportunity to seek those places where there is only a 6%-8% penetration. Fortunately, we have those relationships in place and ready to move forward."

MPS has already solidified several relationships within the solar panel installation industry where they will be able to absorb all projects that have not been completed to date.

"Taking care of the customer is our ultimate objective and this is the best way to accomplish that going forward," says Tetsch.

There is great opportunity for mergers and acquisitions in the space and the company has already been in negotiations with several companies.

"There are a multitude of smaller companies that will benefit from our resources such as lead generation, consulting, marketing, sales, and recruiting. Each party, having an equity stake, creates the perfect environment to help grow the business," says Tetsch.

A share structure update as well as additional opportunities will be announced soon.

About Modern Pro Solutions

Founded in 2016, Pacific Energy Network LLC, d/b/a Modern Pro Solutions, has quickly become one of the largest and most successful home services companies in the nation with a footprint across multiple states. With a focus on customer satisfaction and strategic business planning, MPS has grown into a multi-product business that has increased revenue year over year and expanded its reach into new markets across the United States.

For further information, please visit the Modern Pro Solutions website at www.joinmps.com.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

The statements contained in this news release which are not historical facts may be "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated. For example, statements that describe MPS's hopes, plans, objectives, goals, intentions, or expectations are forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements made herein are only made as of the date of this news release. Numerous factors, many of which are beyond HVCW and MPS's control, will affect actual results. HVCW and MPS undertake no obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. This news release should be read in conjunction with HVCW's most recent financial reports and other filings posted with the OTC Markets and/or the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission by HVCW.

For More Information Contact

Investor Relations

Scott Martin

investorrelations@joinmps.com

SOURCE: Harrison Vickers and Waterman, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/740623/Modern-Pro-Solutions-Announces-Corporate-Restructuring-Plan
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / February 24, 2023 / Baker Hughes:

Baker Hughes Chairman and CEO Lorenzo Simonelli opening the Annual Meeting 2023

On 30th - 31st January 2023, Baker Hughes held its annual forum hosting energy and industry thought leaders from around the globe in Florence, Italy.

The mission for the 2-day agenda was clear: to drive meaningful dialogue on how we balance the energy trilemma and continue momentum in the energy transition. Below are key takeaways from the event:

Sustainability: this is an 'energy transition not an energy switch'

In his opening keynote, Chairman and CEO Lorenzo Simonelli addressed the audience with his thoughts on the energy trilemma and the case for transition at pace and with purpose.

As participants on the main stage shared their vision for a sustainable future where net zero commitments are met through social, environmental and governance excellence, Baker Hughes end-to-end solutions serving the energy value chain were showcased during deep dive technology sessions, local plant tours and in the ambient solutions fair, enabling visitors to better understand what is currently available to meet their sustainability goals.

Sustainability is also about energy security and affordability. Several panel discussions explored both themes concurrently. The principles of a just and social transition require balancing the needs of and effective social dialogue with all impacted groups during the switch to a lower carbon energy system. 'To thrive today and tomorrow, companies must give more to the world than they take. This means improving the lives of everyone the company touches, taking ownership of all the social and environmental impacts of its business.' Paul Polman, business leader, campaigner, co-author of 'Net Positive' said in closing the Day 1 proceedings.

Participants agreed that net-zero energy is possible, and several speakers aptly quoted transformation and change can be conservative at first, but then become quick to progress. The quick progress was evident at the event and backed by a new industry report. The newly published research from FT Longitude, the specialist research division of the Financial Times Group, showed that in 2022, more organizations say they are prepared to transition to net zero by 2050 than they were in 2021. Read more here: https://baker-hughes.ft.com/

Technology is at the center of this transformation

Alongside the conference plenary, over 200 subject-matter experts supported 25 tech sessions and more than 20 plant tours of local Baker Hughes facilities. The 'show and tell' featured 60+ technologies built for progress, and brought together the power of engineering, science and data to redefine what is possible in this context of an energy trilemma.

Leveraging its value-chain portfolio as an engine for innovation and new product development, Baker Hughes continues to partner with key industry players to help accelerate the pace of change in the energy transition. This was evident at the event, which featured impressive industry and adjacent industry collaborations such as Air Products, Ekona Power, HIF e-fuels, Bloom Energy, Solvay materials and chemicalsetc., all bringing cleaner and more intelligent energy solutions to market.

Heard on the main stage: Ilham Kadri, CEO of Solvay 'Carbon is not the enemy, the emissions are. We need clean energy at cost and at scale and we cannot do it alone.'

Together we can: accelerate collaboration and partnerships

Leaders from the energy majors, national oil companies and engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) organizations across the globe are pivoting from acting as traditional producers of hydrocarbons to providers of multiple forms of energy, in order to lead the transition to a lower carbon energy system and in turn safeguard the future of their organizations.

While the destination of a net-zero carbon future is well defined, the pathway to this end goal is still under development. Speakers and participants alike agreed: the need for decarbonization at pace across the energy sector has precipitated a radical rethink of the traditional business models that have dominated this industry in the past.

At the event, a great example of such initiatives was the announcement that Baker Hughes and Fortescue Future Industries are to collaborate on exploring green hydrogen and geothermal projects for hard to abate industries. The multiplication of similar partnerships, designed to leverage respective expertise to explore opportunities for scale-up and adoption of new technology to help reduce GHG emissions, is a trend which we see continuing throughout 2023 and beyond.

Digital enablement: connect for cleaner energy

One of the themes at the event was 'More Intelligent Operations'. Every company will need to be digital in some way, shape or form in the future. It is how companies are creating continuous efficiency and ultimately reducing emissions.

On the opening day, Baker Hughes announced the launch of multiple new digital solutions for more intelligent operations and cleaner energy, as an expansion on its own digital ecosystem, to provide new levels of efficiency, performance and emissions reduction for oilfield, gas and industrial segments:

Leucipa - a new solution that automates field production,

Cordant - an integrated suite of asset performance management and process optimization solutions for energy and industrial customers,

An investment and collaboration with Corva, to provide intelligent rig visualization and drilling operations.

Baker Hughes' expertise lies in the enablement piece: digital tools and systems that enable increased efficiencies, improved performance, reduced downtime, monitored and reduced emissions. Participants were able to experience the reality of the digitalization of business objectives and the practical use of automation and AI for both day-to-day operations and longer-term forward looking predictive analytics.

This story first appeared on Baker Hughes' Energy Forward Stories.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Baker Hughes on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Baker Hughes

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/baker-hughes

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Baker Hughes

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/740649/Key-Takeaways-From-the-Baker-Hughes-Annual-Meeting-2023
Voting results begin to be counted before the U.N. General Assembly adopts Ukraine's peace resolution in day two of the 11th Emergency Session of the United Nations on the conflict in Ukraine at United Nations headquarters, Feb. 23, in New York City. UPI-Yonhap



China told the United Nations on Thursday that one year into the Ukraine war "brutal facts offer an ample proof that sending weapons will not bring peace," just days after the United States and NATO warned Beijing against giving Russia military support.



"Adding fuel to the fire will only exacerbate tensions. Prolonging and expanding the conflict will only make ordinary people pay an even heftier price," China's deputy U.N. Ambassador Dai Bing told the U.N. General Assembly.



Western powers have provided Ukraine with billions of dollars in weapons since Russia invaded. The United States and NATO have in the past week accused China of considering supplying arms to Russia and warned Beijing against such a move. China has dismissed the accusations.



Dai was speaking at the United Nations a day after China's top diplomat Wang Yi visited Moscow and pledged a deeper partnership with Russia. China and Russia announced a "no limits" partnership shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine.



The European Union's top foreign affairs official Josep Borrell met with Wang in Munich last week. He said he asked Wang about the possibility of Chinese military support for Russia.



"He was very clear and assertive," Borrell told reporters at the United Nations on Thursday, noting that the pair have had a good personal relationship for many years.



"I can only repeat what he told me: China is not providing arms for Russia and it will not provide arms to Russia because it's part of their foreign policy not to arm parties in a conflict," he said. "We have to remain vigilant."



The 193-member U.N. General Assembly will vote later on Thursday on a draft resolution calling a "comprehensive, just and lasting peace" and demanding Russia withdraw its troops.



"We stand ready to continue playing a constructive role in resolving the Ukraine crisis, and bring about peace at an early date," said Dai.



Since Moscow invaded its neighbor on Feb. 24 last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly hinted that Russia could use a nuclear weapon if threatened.



"Nuclear weapons cannot be used, nuclear war cannot be fought," Dai said. "All parties should join together against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons, prevent nuclear proliferation and avoid a nuclear crisis." (Reuters)




MetLife

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / February 24, 2023 / MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) announced that it once again has been named to Fortune magazine's 2023 list of the "World's Most Admired Companies." Eight life insurers were included in the annual report card of the best-regarded companies.

Annually, Fortune partners with Korn Ferry to rank companies by their corporate reputation. Corporate executives, directors, and analysts are asked to rate enterprises in their own industry on nine criteria, from investment value and quality of management to financial soundness, social responsibility, and ability to attract talent.

"MetLife is committed to building a more inclusive and equitable workplace and society," said MetLife President and CEO Michel Khalaf. "We are proud of the work we are doing at MetLife and this recognition is illustrative of the dedication and commitment of our employees to make a positive impact now, and into the future."

Additional details about the rankings are available at Fortune.com.

About MetLife

MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), through its subsidiaries and affiliates ("MetLife"), is one of the world's leading financial services companies, providing insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management to help individual and institutional customers build a more confident future. Founded in 1868, MetLife has operations in more than 40 markets globally and holds leading positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.metlife.com.

Contact:

MetLife

For Media: Brian Blaser

(212) 578-2415

bblaser@metlife.com



View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from MetLife, Inc. on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: MetLife, Inc.

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/metlife-inc

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: MetLife, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/740650/MetLife-Among-the-Worlds-Most-Admired-Companies-According-to-Fortune-Magazine
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 24, 2023 / New Destiny Mining Corp. (TSXV:NED), (the "Company" or "NED") is pleased to announce it has arranged a non-brokered private placement of up to $2,250,000 in non-flow-through financing and up to $1,500,000 in flow-through financing. The offering will consist of up to 22.5 million non-flow-through units priced at $0.10 and up to 10 million flow-through units priced at $0.15.

Each non-flow-through unit will comprise of one common share and one share purchase warrant. Each warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one additional common share at the price of $0.25 for a period of 18 months after closing.

Each flow-through unit will comprise one common share (which is a flow-through share for Canadian income tax purposes) and one-half share purchase warrant. Each whole flow-through warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one additional common share which is a non-flow-through share at the price of $0.25 for 18 months after closing.

Proceeds from the private placement will be used for the continued exploration work on the Company's Treasury Mountain Property, potential project acquisitions, as well as general working capital.

A finder's fee may be paid to eligible finders in accordance with the TSX-V policies. All securities issued pursuant to the offering will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day from the date of closing. The offerings and payment of finders' fees are both subject to approval by the TSX-V.

Directors, officers or other insiders of the Company may participate in the foregoing offerings, and such parties may sell securities of the Company owned or controlled by them personally through the facilities of the TSX Venture Exchange to finance participation in such offerings.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

"Barry Brown"

Director

604-488-3900

Office@NewDestinyMining.com

Forward Looking Information

This news release includes certain statements that constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law, including without limitation, the Company's information and statements regarding or inferring the future business, operations, financial performance, prospects, and other plans, intentions, expectations, estimates, and beliefs of the Company. Such statements include statements regarding the completion of the proposed transactions. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions. These statements relate to analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "estimates" or "intends", or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved), and variations of such words, and similar expressions are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statement are necessarily based upon several factors that, if untrue, could cause the actual results, performances or achievements of the Company to be materially different from future results, performances or achievements express or implied by such statements. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, including the price of gold and other metals, anticipated costs and the ability to achieve goals, and the Company will be able to obtain required licenses and permits. While such estimates and assumptions are considered reasonable by the management of the Company, they are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive and regulatory uncertainties and risks including that resource exploration and development is a speculative business; that environmental laws and regulations may become more onerous; that the Company may not be able to raise additional funds when necessary; fluctuating prices of metals; the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; operating hazards and risks; and competition. There can be no assurance that economic resources will be discovered or developed. Accordingly, actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions, the loss of key directors, employees, advisors or consultants, equipment failures, litigation, competition, fees charged by service providers and failure of counterparties to perform their contractual obligations. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and, accordingly are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements due to the inherent uncertainty of such statements. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date hereof and 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, except as expressly required by applicable securities legislation.

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.

SOURCE: New Destiny Mining Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/740644/New-Destiny-Announces-Financing
Investment in Indonesian-based Pertamina Geothermal Energy marks Masdar's entry into geothermal energy

Increases Masdar's footprint in the Asia-Pacific region and gives company access to second-largest geothermal market in the world

Geothermal is a stable, dispatchable, clean renewable resource, which helps to balance intermittency of wind and solar

ABU DHABI, UAE, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Masdar, a global clean energy powerhouse, is entering the geothermal energy sector, through a strategic investment in Pertamina Geothermal Energy (PGE), one of the world's largest geothermal players.





The investment marks Masdar's entry into geothermal energy, in the second-largest geothermal market in the world.

HE Dr Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and Chairman, Masdar, said, "Achieving the 1.5C target set out in the Paris Accords will require humanity to leverage all sources of low-carbon energy, including sources that are currently under-utilized, like geothermal. Through its investment in PGE, Masdar is demonstrating its continuing commitment to Indonesia's energy transition and its support of one of the major focus areas of the upcoming COP28, which is to provide practical energy security solutions while reducing emissions."

Ahmad Yuniarto, Chief Executive Officer, PGE, said, "We look forward to working with Masdar in the areas which complement and grow further our capabilities to be a world class green energy company, with the largest geothermal capacity globally. We endeavor to develop 600 megawatts (MW) in additional installed capacity over the next five years to support Indonesia's renewable energy mix."

Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer, Masdar, said, "Masdar's strategic investment in PGE will complement our already strong footprint in Indonesia, the world's second largest geothermal market. We are especially excited to add geothermal energy to our clean energy portfolio, a clean energy source that can deliver dispatchable power 24 hours a day, which further underscores our position as a global leader in delivering clean energy solutions that help drive the global energy transition."

Indonesia has a goal of increasing its installed geothermal capacity from 2.8 gigawatts (GW) in 2022 to 6.2 GW by 2030. The Government is targeting net-zero emissions by 2060 and having renewables provide 23 percent of the energy mix by 2023.

PGE has been operating geothermal facilities in Indonesia for the last 40 years, with a portfolio capacity exceeding 1.87 GW.

Geothermal energy harnesses the heat generated within the Earth's core to provide a constant energy source, unlike solar or wind, which are intermittent in nature. Geothermal energy plants also have high-capacity factors, meaning they can run at maximum power for longer periods. These attributes mean geothermal energy could potentially play a significant role in the clean energy transition, helping nations with a high concentration of geothermal activity to reduce carbon emissions.

The PGE investment is the latest in Masdar's ongoing effort to expand and increase its strategic partnerships in the Asia-Pacific region. Masdar is already developing the region's largest floating solar facility - the 145-MW Cirata Floating Solar PV Plant in Indonesia - and last year signed an agreement with Tuas Power, EDF Renewables, and PT Indonesia Power to explore development of up to 1.2 GW solar capacity in Indonesia for export to Singapore.

Masdar recently announced a new shareholding structure and additional focus on green hydrogen, making it one of the largest clean energy companies of its kind. With a goal of achieving 100 GW renewable energy capacity and green hydrogen production of 1 million tonnes per annum annually by 2030, the new Masdar is a clean energy powerhouse that will spearhead the UAE's Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative and drive the global energy transition.

For more information please visit: http://www.masdar.ae and connect: facebook.com/masdar.ae and twitter.com/masdar

About Masdar

Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) is the UAE's clean energy champion and one of the largest companies of its kind in the world, advancing the development and deployment of renewable energy and green hydrogen technologies to address global sustainability challenges. Established in 2006, Masdar is today active in over 40 countries, helping them to achieve their clean energy objectives and advance sustainable development. Masdar is jointly owned by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), Mubadala Investment Company (Mubadala), and Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA), and under this ownership the company is targeting a renewable energy portfolio capacity of at least 100 gigawatts (GW) by 2030 and an annual green hydrogen production capacity of up to 1 million tonnes by the same year.

This material is distributed by Daniel J. Edelman, Inc. on behalf of Masdar. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2009443/Masdar_Indonesia_Geothermal.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1973446/Masdar_Logo.jpg





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Abbott

"What Does STEM Look Like?"

Click here to read the children's book created by Women in STEM at Abbott.

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / February 24, 2023 / It's no secret that children are fascinated with science, technology, engineering, and math - or STEM.

Building blocks, insect-collection kits and remote-control dinosaurs are popular (and fun!) ways to introduce curious young people to STEM ideas and concepts. But what's the best way to inspire them to consider taking related classes in high school and college and pursuing a STEM career?

Abbott's Women in STEM employee network created a children's book with hopes of doing just that.

In "What Does STEM Look Like?" readers can follow Anna's journey as she discovers how her interests in animals, art and space could lead to professions in biology, astronomy, or geometry - or any of the STEM fields.

Network members hope the book will help break stigmas around what "STEM" looks like - STEM workers can be anybody!

The book is available for free download here.

Network members, who work in divisions and businesses across Abbott, hope this book will encourage and educate children about why STEM is important and let them know that anyone can work in STEM fields. It's a critically important message, because federal data anticipate the U.S. alone will need more than 1 million more STEM workers by 2031.

Abbott's Women in STEM Network elevates women working in STEM with career development, networking, recruitment and recognition opportunities and community outreach. Members hope to inspire rising STEM talent today to be tomorrow's problem solvers.

Inspiring and supporting students, particularly girls and those from diverse backgrounds, to pursue STEM careers is part of Abbott's 2030 Sustainability Plan. Goals include creating opportunities in our STEM programs and internships for more than 100,000 young people, including 50% from underrepresented groups.

Find out more about STEM at Abbott at www.stem.abbott

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Abbott on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Abbott

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/abbott

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Abbott

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/740653/Inspiring-the-Next-Generation-of-STEM-Pioneers
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / February 24, 2023 / U.S. Bank



Johnny Little chatting with customers at his Southern-style breakfast and brunch restaurant Elicious in Ferguson, Missouri.

Originally published on U.S. Bank company blog

Tony Dansberry and Johnny Little's friendship grew from what started out as purely a business relationship. In 2016, Dansberry, now a U.S. Bank District Manager in St. Louis, was a branch manager and met with Little when he came to the branch to talk about his business goals.

Little is CEO of eLittle Communications Group , which provides public relations, marketing, advertising and other services for clients that include federal entities, nonprofits, school districts and a public transit agency. After their first conversation, Dansberry knew then that Little had big dreams.

"As a private citizen and now as an entrepreneur with multiple businesses, Johnny has always been a philanthropist for North St. Louis County who wanted to make a difference," Dansberry said. "When he first started thinking about expanding his communications business, I began putting him in touch with the right team at U.S. Bank to help him pave the way for success."??

The team helped Little develop plans that have paid off.

"I can truly say that in the last seven years or so we have grown tremendously in the PR field," Little said. "Headquartered in St. Louis, we now have several employees across the country. U.S. Bank has helped us be able to access capital and sustain our growth."?

Little moved from Holly Springs, Mississippi, to Ferguson in the late 1990's after he graduated from Rust College, a historically Black college and university. Part of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area and known as North County, the Ferguson community has remained important to Little, who has made it his mission to bring businesses and opportunities to the area.?

"I wanted to invest more in Ferguson, so I purchased a building that had closed during the pandemic in November 2020," Little said. "My No. 1 goal is for people who want to visit our city to feel safe and want to be a part of this resurgence in the community."

"Little obtained a loan from U.S. Bank to get funding that enabled him to do a total renovation. He opened Elicious, a Southern-style breakfast and brunch restaurant, in November 2021.?

"Within the last 60 days or so, we've become one of the most popular restaurants in St. Louis County," said Little, who started banking with U.S. Bank in 2007.?

At the restaurant's grand opening, Little donated to the Ferguson Youth Initiative by starting scholarships for two students who are interested in the hospitality industry. The students work alongside Little and his staff on the weekends to learn the business. Both high schoolers are officers/leaders with Ferguson Youth Initiative.

Throughout February, in honor of Black History Month, Little and his staff are saluting African American chefs in the St. Louis community and special dishes will be served in their honor.?

"It's been great to see this endeavor succeed, which is wonderful for Johnny but also the community," Dansberry said. "It was a privilege to help him grow his businesses and help facilitate his dream of changing the perception of the Ferguson area."

Little said he appreciates the partnership with U.S. Bank.

"Tony has been the perfect banking partner and we have developed a friendship on top of that," he said. "He has listened to my vision and has asked me the important questions so he and U.S. Bank can come alongside me. I am grateful."

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from U.S. Bank on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: U.S. Bank

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/us-bank

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: U.S. Bank

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/740654/St-Louis-Banker-and-Entrepreneur-Build-Friendship-and-Businesses
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / February 24, 2023 / North Kitsap Trails Association (NKTA) has announced Jonathan Rose, vice president of real estate for Raydient Places + Properties-a taxable real estate investment trust subsidiary of Rayonier-as the recipient of its first Golden Pulaski Award. Rose is being recognized for his vision, leadership and follow-through on implementing Kitsap County's "String of Pearls" Trail Plan connecting local communities, parks and open space with recreational and non-motorized transportations options, including biking, hiking, equestrian and wheelchairs.

"By thinking globally and acting locally, Jon's trail-blazing ideas, level of energy and personal contributions are an inspiration to the Board. He has offered more than fifteen years of steadfast support that is key to our community's outdoor enjoyment while enhancing our livability, physical health and environmental sustainability," said Doug Maraist of NKTA.

The name of this award is derived from the pulaski, a multiuse hand tool that was first introduced in 1876 by the Collins Tool Company. It is credited to Ed Pulaski, an assistant ranger with the United States Forest Service around 1911, and today it is often used in trail building and wildland firefighting.

This award acknowledges Rose's vision and leadership on all the complex issues of the initiation and implementation of Kitsap County's "String of Pearls" Trail Plan, that was written by NKTA and adopted by the County in 2011. Rose has been instrumental in the preservation of open space that create these linear parks for public access to connect local communities, parks and open space across the north end of Kitsap County.

The concept name was borrowed from the historic "Emerald Necklace Park", a trail system in Boston, MA, which connects local communities and serves as a recreational destination. Stretching from the Back Bay to Dorchester, this inviting linear park greenway connects people and nature, just as landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted intended when he designed it more than 150 years ago.

NKTA advocates for future Kitsap generations to have a similar benefit from the Kitsap community "String of Pearls" amenity that connects their local communities with recreation and transportation options. This multi-modal recreational network of urban and rural paths interconnect with a paved multi-use arterial route called the Sound-to-Olympics (STO) trail. The STO will run across north Kitsap County from the Bainbridge Island and Kingston ferry terminals to the Hood Canal Bridge and will be an integral part of completing Washington's Cross State Trail. The STO will link-up the Palouse-to-Cascades State Park Trail and the Mountains-to-Sound Greenway with the Olympic Discovery Trail (ODT) in Jefferson and Clallam Counties. The Bainbridge-Poulsbo-Port Gamble STO route is also the designated Great American Rail Trail from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

About NKTA

It is NKTA's mission to unite North Kitsap with a regional system of land and water trails connecting communities, parks, and open space with recreational and non-motorized transportation options that promote stewardship of their natural resources and addresses climate change issues while enhancing our communities' livability. Discover more at www.northkitsaptrails.org.

About Raydient

Raydient masterplans, develops, builds, markets and sells "places and properties" ranging from multi-use communities and industrial parks to rural homesteads and recreational lands. Raydient is a taxable subsidiary of Rayonier (NYSE:RYN), a leading timberland real estate investment trust with assets located in some of the most productive timber growing regions in the U.S. and New Zealand. When the real estate market demands a higher and better use for a property, our team steps in to transition that timberland for its future purpose. Get to know us at www.raydient.com.

About Rayonier

Rayonier (NYSE:RYN) is a leading timberland real estate investment trust with assets located in some of the most productive softwood timber growing regions in the United States and New Zealand. We own or lease under long-term agreements approximately 2.8 million acres of timberlands. We are More than trees because we recognize that our 90+ years of success in the timberland industry comes from our people, an empowering culture and the courage to constantly challenge "the way it's always been done." Get to know us at www.rayonier.com.

Group Photo (right to left): Judy Willott, Kitsap Audubon Member; Don Willott, NKTA Vice President; Doug Maraist, NKTA Board Member; Linda Berry-Maraist, NKTA Interim President; Jon Rose, Raydient Places + Properties; Read Ferguson, NKTA Board Member; Patsy Bryan, NKTA Board Member; Debbie Griffin, Port Gamble Forest Heritage Park Steward; Kelly Campo, Port Gamble Forest Heritage Park Steward; Stephanie Foster, Raydient Places + Properties

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Rayonier on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Rayonier

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/rayonier

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Rayonier

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/740663/Jonathan-Rose-Honored-with-Golden-Pulaski-Award-from-North-Kitsap-Trails-Association
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / February 24, 2023 / Chris Pinilla , also known as Mr Chris Hypnotyc, is quite an amazing businessman and entrepreneur. He is a latino immigrant who came to the United States at the age of 11 with the dream of helping others and being successful! Chris went from living in a room to becoming a homeowner and running a very successful marketing firm, where he works with the biggest artist. What's more, he is also a top radio personality.

Year after year Chris is invited to The Billboards and Grammys Awards for his great positive impact on society. In 2022 he launched his podcast, " El Brunch Online ", where he brings to light many stories of successful people who had experienced hard moments but managed to overcome it and succeed in today's world.

"I created El Brunch Online to motivate young kings and queens to go for their dreams. My mission is to inspire people to go for their goals and show them that their past does not define their future", Chris explains.

Chris was inspired to get into this industry by the love he had for music and for helping people. He knows firsthand that having a difficult past shouldn't stop anyone from having a successful future. No one should ever let the events of their past limit their future, and that's precisely what Chris teaches through each of his podcast episodes!

Giving back to his community is also extremely important to Chris. That is why he visited 6+ high schools in Montgomery county for Hispanic Heritage Month, including Quince Orchard high school where he graduated to bring positive messages with his Energia Tour!

Chris has also worked with different counties collaborating on education and cultural habits, and his work was recognized by the Montgomery County, Prince George County Maryland and Washington DC Ministry of Communication.

But that is not all! He works selflessly and tirelessly for the Latino community day after day to make sure everyone has equal opportunities and can be successful, no matter what their dream is. The truth is that the positive impact that Chris and his many projects are having on society is incredible and that is part of why his success is growing day after day.

But of course, not everything has been easy on his path. Chris has faced numerous obstacles just as every successful entrepreneur, the most difficult one being finding his identity and becoming more secure of himself. He was able to overcome this challenge by working hard, trying trial and error and understanding that his work is helping to improve the lives of hundreds of people around the world.

"I don't care about being an icon, I want to be an inspiration. Remember, it is not about following someone else's path, it is about going where there is no path and leaving your own mark"", Chris adds.

Without a doubt, El Brunch Online is one of the most viral and influential podcasts in Spanish. Chris always has the most special guests, successful artists and entrepreneurs, and invites them to share their experience with all listeners and motivate them to follow their dreams. Undoubtedly, this is the podcast everyone needs to hear to get inspired and pursue their goals!

To find out more about El Brunch Online, click here . You can also follow Chris on Instagram here .

About El Brunch Online:

El Brunch Online is a successful podcast which brings to light many stories of successful people who had experienced hard moments but managed to overcome it and succeed in today's world.

Contact:

Paula Henderson

561-768-4444

phendersonnews@gmail.com

SOURCE: El Brunch Online

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/740659/El-Brunch-Online-Is-The-Successful-Creative-Podcast-That-Everybody-Needs-to-Hear-In-Order-To-Get-Motivated-Inspired-Learn-More-Here


JERUSALEM (dpa-AFX) - The US Government has praised Oman's decision to open its airspace to all carriers, and said that it will help promote prosperity in the Middle East.



'As part of the Sultanate of Oman's continuous efforts to fulfill its obligations under the Chicago Convention of 1944, the Civil Aviation Authority affirms that the Sultanate's airspace is open for all carriers that meet the requirements of the Authority for overflying' Oman's CAA wrote on Twitter.



'Oman's announcement promotes President Biden's vision of a more integrated, stable, and prosperous Middle East region, which is vital for the security and prosperity of the American people and our regional partners,' NSC Spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.



The United States was pleased to support these efforts through months of quiet diplomatic engagement. We are particularly grateful for the long-standing partnership with Oman and the leadership of Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, he added.



A key advantage of the announcement by the Gulf sultanate on Thursday is that it will allow Israeli passenger flights to cross its airspace.



For the first time in history, passengers flying to and from Israel will now be able to travel on direct routes between Israel, Asia, and points in between.



This historic step completes a process begun last year, during President Joe Biden's visit to the Middle East region, when Saudi Arabia similarly opened its airspace to all civilian planes.



Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / February 24, 2023 / KEY TAKEAWAYS

Sky has partnered with Multiverse, the tech start-up, which aims to provide an alternative to university and corporate training. This investment will fund training for apprentices in skills such as digital marketing and data analytics

Sky has partnered with the tech start-up Multiverse to gift 1 million of its unspent apprenticeship levy to organizations looking to develop digital, data and technical skills within its workforce.

More than 1 billion worth of business apprenticeship levy goes unspent each year. That would be enough to create 115,540 apprenticeships* - the equivalent of almost halving the number of 16-24 year olds not in education, employment or training.

However, through the levy transfer system businesses who pay the Apprenticeship Levy each year have the ability to transfer this money to other organizations.

Sky's work with Multiverse means that its unspent apprenticeship levy expire can go directly to small businesses who are looking to provide crucial skills within their organization.

This is part of the Sky's contribution to the UK cultural economy through skills, jobs, and investment, and comes as nine in 10 (88%) UK organizations are facing a shortage of digital skills impacting growth, efficiency and competitiveness.

"There's a huge demand from small businesses to upskill their workforce, yet many don't have access to the funding needed to do this. Multiverse's apprenticeship gifting program enables businesses like Sky to help boost skills and training in our economy," said Dana Strong, Group Chief Executive Officer at Sky.

Working with Multiverse, we're supporting apprentices up and down the UK to develop crucial skills that play an important role in the UK economy. DANA STRONG Group Chief Executive Officer at Sky

Jeremy Duggan, President at Multiverse, said: "Every organization in the world now needs capabilities like digital marketing, data analytics, and increasingly software engineering. The ability for small businesses to grow is contingent on having the right skills in place."

"We know that small businesses are crying out for more apprenticeships. Through the levy transfer system, Sky is supporting the growth of these SMEs by 'donating' these vital digital skills through apprenticeships - which are simply the best way to build capabilities within an organization."

SMEs can request to enroll their colleagues onto Multiverse programs with no cost to the business - this can be requested on the Multiverse website.

This announcement follows the recent launch of Sky's Sky Up Tech Grants initiative which is an investment of 220,000 to provide those leaving the care system with equipment and connectivity so they can access the digital world. This initiative is part of the 10 million Sky Up program, created to ensure that groups who are most at risk of digital exclusion - under 25s in under-served communities and over 65s - are provided with the skills they need to succeed.

All companies with payroll over 3 million are required to pay 0.5% Apprenticeship Levy - which goes into a pot that can be spent on training costs, or transferred to other organizations through the government's Levy Transfer system.

* Based on average apprenticeship cost calculated by IFATE

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Comcast Corporation on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Comcast Corporation

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/comcast-corporation

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Comcast Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/740668/Sky-Pledges-1-Million-in-Apprenticeship-Funding-to-Small-Businesses
COPENHAGEN, Denmark - February 24, 2023 - Bavarian Nordic A/S (OMX: BAVA) will publish its 2022 annual report on Thursday, March 2, 2023.

The management of Bavarian Nordic will host a conference call at 2:00 pm CET. To join the Q&A session, please register in advance via http://bit.ly/3IQRBLV .

About Bavarian Nordic

Bavarian Nordic is a fully integrated vaccines company focused on the research and development, manufacturing and commercialization of life-saving vaccines. We are a global leader in smallpox and mpox vaccines, which have been developed through our long-standing partnership with the U.S. Government to enhance the public health preparedness. Our commercial product portfolio furthermore contains market-leading vaccines against rabies and tick-borne encephalitis. Using our live virus vaccine platform technology, MVA-BN and in-licensed technologies, we have created a diverse portfolio of proprietary and partnered product candidates designed to save and improve lives by unlocking the power of the immune system, including late-stage development programs for an RSV vaccine for older adults and a next generation COVID-19 vaccine. For more information visit www.bavarian-nordic.com .

Contacts

Europe: Rolf Sass Srensen, Vice President Investor Relations & Communications. Tel: +45 61 77 47 43

U.S.: Graham Morrell, Paddock Circle Advisors (US), Tel: +1 781 686 9600


Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a joint press conference with Sweden's Prime Minister Kristersson following their meeting, in Kyiv (Kiev), Ukraine, Feb. 15. EPA-Yonhap





Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday expressed confidence in his country's victory over invading Russian forces, as the United Nations marked the eve of the war's first anniversary by voting overwhelmingly to demand Moscow withdraw.







Since the war started, Western leaders have rushed to support Kyiv, and G7 ministers discussed new sanctions on Russia Thursday, while the White House said Washington would announce "sweeping" new measures.







Zelenskyy vowed to keep up the fight as Ukraine prepared to mark one year since the invasion on Friday.







"We have not broken down, we have overcome many ordeals and we will prevail," Zelenskyy said on social media.







"We will hold to account all those who brought this evil, this war to our land."







In the capital Kyiv, which saw Russian troops at its doorstep at the start of the invasion last February and which has suffered relentless attacks since, residents remained defiant.







"This has been the most difficult year of my life and that of all Ukrainians," said Diana Shestakova, 23, whose boyfriend has spent the last year away in the army.







"I am sure that we will be victorious, but we don't know how long we will have to wait and how many victims there are still to come," said Shestakova, who works for a publishing house.







People kneel as the funeral procession of Mykola, 45, passes by during his funeral in Brovary, near Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday. Feb. 21. Mykola Kuzmenko voluntarily joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces and was killed in the southeast of the country. AP-Yonhap





I don't see any future







Ahead of the anniversary, Ukraine's military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov warned that Russia was planning a missile attack on Friday to mark the day.







In Moscow, President Vladimir Putin promised victory as he laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier before meeting soldiers in Red Square under blue skies and brisk temperatures.







Russia's "unbreakable unity is the key to our victory," said Putin, who has likened his offensive to Moscow's fight against Nazi Germany in 1941-1945.







Political commentators say the 70-year-old Kremlin chief is steeling Russians for long conflict with the West, insisting the country's survival is at stake.







Many Russians have embraced that rhetoric.







"The country is really changing for the better," Lyubov Yudina, a 48-year-old guard, told AFP.







Yudina said a lot of her friends had seen their sons drafted.







"Some of them died. That's how it is."







But others say the country is heading in the wrong direction.







"I don't see any future now. I do not see why I would have children, for what reason I would have children now?" said Ruslan Melnikov, a 28-year-old teacher.







Ukrainian designer Margarita Chala drapped in a Ukrainian flag stands next to the shoes symbolising war crimes committed against Ukrainian civilians at the Old Town Square in Prague, Czech Republic. Jan. 15. AFP-Yonhap





Call for immediate withdrawal







The conflict has devastated swathes of Ukraine, turned Russia into a pariah in the West and, according to Western sources, is estimated to have caused more than 150,000 casualties on each side.







The UN General Assembly voted Thursday to demand Russia immediately and unconditionally withdraw its troops from Ukraine and called for a "just and lasting" peace in the war-torn country.







While non-binding, the vote made clear the extent of support for Kyiv around the world, with 141 of the 193 UN members in support, seven opposed and 32 abstaining.







In India, Group of Seven finance ministers met in the city of Bengaluru to discuss further sanctions and more financial help for Ukraine.







The G7 said that for 2023, based on Ukraine's needs, it had increased its commitment of economic support to $39 billion.







It added that sanctions so far have "significantly undermined Russia's capacity to wage its illegal war" and that the G7 would "take further actions".







The United States and its G7 allies plan to unveil "a big new package of sanctions" around the anniversary, including measures to crack down on the evasion of existing sanctions.







"The United States will implement sweeping sanctions against key sectors that generate revenue for Putin," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Thursday.







The latest Western leader to visit the Ukrainian capital, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, said he hoped to send up to 10 Leopard tanks to Ukraine in the coming months.







British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy meet Ukrainian troops being trained to command Challenger 2 tanks at a military facility in Lulworth, Dorset, Britain, Feb. 8. Reuters-Yonhap





And on Friday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will tell G7 allies that they must increase aid to Kyiv faster to give Ukraine a "decisive" battlefield advantage, according to a statement issued by his office.







"Instead of an incremental approach, we need to move faster on artillery, armour, and air defence," Sunak is expected to say in a virtual meeting on the first anniversary of Russia's invasion.







After months of hesitation, European countries agreed in January to send battle tanks to Ukraine to help repel Russian forces.







Moscow has denounced the growing arms deliveries to Ukraine, saying they only lead to escalation.







"Today we are once again in serious danger," Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said Thursday.







"Using Ukraine, the collective West is seeking to dismember Russia, to deprive it of independence." (AFP)


French public limited company (societe anonyme) with share capital of 1,476,302,545.00

Registered office: 1973 boulevard de la Defense, F-92000 Nanterre

552 037 806 RCS Nanterre

www.vinci.com

_____________________________________________________

Description of the 2023-2024 treasury share buy-back programme

submitted by the Board of Directors

for the approval of the Combined General Meeting of Shareholders of 13 April 2023

_________________________________________________________________________

I-Summary

The shares concerned by the 2023-2024 buy-back programme are VINCI shares listed for trading in the A Compartment of the regulated market of NYSE Euronext in Paris under ISIN code FR0000125486.



The programme offers the possibility of purchasing shares up to a maximum of 10% of the number of shares making up the Company's share capital over a period of 18 months from 13 April 2023 to 12 October 2024 (see duration of programme below). This limit is based on the number of shares making up the share capital at the time of the purchases.

Since the programme provides for the possibility of using derivatives in performing it, the treasury shares that the Company could purchase through the exercise of the share purchase options that it may have bought previously will be included in the calculation of the maximum number of shares authorised over the 18-month duration of the programme, at the time of the purchase of these share purchase options, and not at the time of their exercise, if any.

Maximum purchase price : 140.



: 140. Maximum amount of purchases authorised : 4 billion.



: 4 billion. The purchase cost of any derivatives used by the Company in connection with the programme shall be recognised in the maximum amount authorised at the time they are put in place. The amount relating to the price of any treasury shares acquired through the exercise of share purchase options shall only be recognised at the time of their exercise. Additional amounts that may be allocated to the liquidity agreement shall be recognised in the maximum amount of purchases authorised.



Objectives : (1) disposals or transfers of Company shares to eligible employees and/or company officers of VINCI Group companies in the context of savings plans or any share ownership plan governed by French or foreign law, share and/or share purchase option allocation plans; (2) cancellation of shares; (3) delivery of shares pursuant to the exercise of the rights attached to securities giving access to the share capital; (4) transfers of shares for payment or exchange purposes, in particular in connection with transactions involving external growth; (5) ensuring market liquidity under a liquidity agreement that complies with a code of ethics recognised by the Autorite des Marches Financiers (AMF, the French financial markets regulator) and entrusted to an investment service provider acting independently; and (6) implementation of any market practice, any objective or any transaction that would be accepted under laws or regulations in force or by the AMF with respect to share buy-back programmes.



: (1) disposals or transfers of Company shares to eligible employees and/or company officers of VINCI Group companies in the context of savings plans or any share ownership plan governed by French or foreign law, share and/or share purchase option allocation plans; (2) cancellation of shares; (3) delivery of shares pursuant to the exercise of the rights attached to securities giving access to the share capital; (4) transfers of shares for payment or exchange purposes, in particular in connection with transactions involving external growth; (5) ensuring market liquidity under a liquidity agreement that complies with a code of ethics recognised by the Autorite des Marches Financiers (AMF, the French financial markets regulator) and entrusted to an investment service provider acting independently; and (6) implementation of any market practice, any objective or any transaction that would be accepted under laws or regulations in force or by the AMF with respect to share buy-back programmes. Duration of the programme : 18 months from the approval of the Combined Shareholders' General Meeting of 13 April 2023, i.e. until 12 October 2024.

II-Objectives of the 2023-2024 share buy-back programme: use of shares purchased

VINCI wishes to implement a new share buy-back programme with the objectives described below.

1. Disposals or transfers of Company shares to eligible employees and/or company officers of VINCI Group companies in the context of savings plans or any share ownership plan governed by French or foreign law, share and/or share purchase option allocation plans, including disposals to any approved service provider appointed to design, implement and manage any employee savings UCITS or similar employee savings structure on behalf of the VINCI Group, and pledges of shares as guarantees under employee savings plans.

2. Cancellation, as part of the Company's financial policy, of the shares thus purchased, subject to the adoption of the fifteenth resolution of the 13 April 2023 Shareholders' General Meeting.

3. Fulfilment of obligations to transfer or exchange shares pursuant to the exercise of the rights attached to securities giving access to the Company's share capital.

4. Transfers of shares for payment or exchange purposes, in particular in connection with transactions involving external growth.

5. Market-making through a liquidity agreement that complies with a code of ethics recognised by the AMF and entrusted to an investment service provider acting independently.

6. Implementation of any market practice, any objective or any transaction that would be accepted under laws or regulations in force or by the AMF with respect to share buy-back programmes.

The shares purchased and retained by VINCI shall not carry any voting rights and shall not give right to the payment of dividends.

The Company reserves the right to use derivatives in implementing this new programme.

Furthermore, in compliance with the applicable legal and regulatory provisions, including those relating to stock exchange disclosure requirements, it reserves the right to carry out authorised reallocations of shares purchased in view of one of the programme's objectives to one or more of its other objectives, or to sell them on-market or off-market through an investment service provider acting independently.

III-Legal framework

This programme is within the framework of the provisions of Articles L.22-10-62 et seq. and Articles L.225-210 to L.225-212 of the French Commercial Code and shall be submitted on 13 April 2023 to VINCI's Shareholders' General Meeting, acting in accordance with the quorum and majority requirements for ordinary (tenth resolution) and extraordinary (fifteenth resolution) shareholders' meetings:

Tenth resolution

Renewal of the delegation of powers to the Board of Directors in view of the purchase by the Company of its own shares

The Shareholders' General Meeting, having taken note of (a) the Report of the Board of Directors and (b) the description of the new 2023-2024 share buy-back programme, in accordance with the provisions of Articles L.22-10-62 et seq. and Articles L.225-210 et seq. of the French Commercial Code as well as European regulation 596/2014 of 16 April 2014 on market abuse, authorises the Board of Directors, with the ability to sub-delegate such powers, within the limits provided for by law and regulations, on one or more occasions, on the stock market or otherwise, including by blocks of shares or through the use of options or derivatives, to purchase the Company's shares for the conduct of the following:

1. disposals or transfers of Company shares to eligible employees and/or company officers of VINCI Group companies in the context of savings plans or any share ownership plan governed by French or foreign law, share and/or share purchase option allocation plans, including any disposals to any approved service provider appointed for the design, implementation and management of any employee savings UCITS or similar structure on behalf of the VINCI Group, and pledges of shares as guarantee under employee savings plans;

2. cancellation, as part of the Company's financial policy, of the shares thus purchased, subject to the adoption of the fifteenth resolution hereunder;

3. transfers or exchanges of shares upon the exercise of the rights attached to securities giving access to the Company's share capital;

4. retention and future delivery for payment or exchange purposes in connection with transactions involving external growth;

5. ensuring market liquidity within the framework of a liquidity agreement that complies with a code of ethics recognised by the Autorite des Marches Financiers and entrusted to an investment service provider acting independently;

6. implementation of any market practice, any objective or any transaction that may be accepted by laws or regulations or in force or by the Autorite des Marches Financiers in respect of share buy-back programmes.

The maximum purchase price per share is set at 140. The maximum number of shares purchased by virtue of this authorisation shall not exceed 10% of the share capital. This limit is calculated at the time of the purchases and the maximum amount of shares thus purchased shall not exceed 4 billion.

The share purchase price shall be adjusted by the Board of Directors in the event of transactions involving the Company's capital in compliance with the conditions provided for by the applicable regulations. In particular, in the event of a capital increase through the capitalisation of reserves and the allotment of performance shares, the price specified above shall be adjusted by a multiplier equal to the ratio of the number of shares making up the share capital before the transaction to the number of shares after the transaction.

The acquisition, disposal, transfer, allotment or exchange of these shares may be carried out by any means that are authorised or that may become authorised by regulations in force, either on-market or off-market, including block transactions or through the use of derivatives, in particular through share purchase options in accordance with the regulations in force. There is no restriction on the proportion of the share buy-back programme that may be carried out through block transactions.

These transactions may be carried out at any time in compliance with the current regulations, except during a public offering period.

The Shareholders' General Meeting grants full powers to the Board of Directors, including the ability to delegate such powers, so that, in compliance with the applicable legal and regulatory provisions, including those on stock exchange disclosure requirements, it may proceed with the authorised reallocations of the shares purchased in view of one of the programme's objectives to one or more of its other objectives, or sell them on-market or off-market, it being specified that these reallocations and disposals may concern shares purchased pursuant to previously authorised share buy-back programmes.

The Shareholders' General Meeting grants full powers to the Board of Directors, including the ability to delegate such powers, for the purpose of placing stock market orders, signing any deed of purchase, sale or transfer, entering into any agreement, carrying out any necessary adjustments, making all declarations and completing all formalities.

This authorisation is granted for a period of 18 months from the date of this Shareholders' General Meeting. It renders ineffective and replaces the authorisation granted by the Shareholders' General Meeting on 12 April 2022 in its tenth resolution.

Fifteenth resolution

Renewal of the authorisation granted to the Board of Directors in view of the reduction of the share capital through cancellation of VINCI shares held in treasury

The Shareholders' General Meeting, voting under the quorum and majority conditions required for Extraordinary Shareholders' General Meetings, having considered the Report of the Board of Directors and the Special Report of the Statutory Auditors, in accordance with the provisions of Article L.22-10-62 of the French Commercial Code, authorises the Board of Directors to cancel, at its sole discretion, on one or more occasions, within the limit of 10% of the number of shares making up the share capital on the date when the Board of Directors takes a decision to cancel and over successive periods of 24 months for the determination of this limit, the shares purchased by virtue of the authorisations granted to the Company to purchase its own shares, and to proceed with a reduction in share capital equivalent to that amount.

The Shareholders' General Meeting establishes the validity of this authorisation at 26 months as from the date of the present Meeting and grants full powers to the Board of Directors, including the powers to delegate such powers, to take all decisions necessary for the cancellation of shares and reduction of the share capital, to recognise the difference between the purchase price and the nominal value of the shares in the reserve account of its choice, including the account for "share premiums arising on contributions or mergers", to perform all actions, formalities or declarations to finalise the reductions in capital which may be carried out by virtue of this authorisation, and to amend the Company's Articles of Association accordingly.

This authorisation renders ineffective and replaces the authorisation granted by the Shareholders' General Meeting on 12 April 2022 in its fifteenth resolution.

IV-Arrangements

1. Maximum proportion of the share capital that may be acquired and maximum amount payable by VINCI

The maximum proportion of the share capital that VINCI may acquire is 10% of the share capital on the date of the Combined Shareholders' General Meeting. However, in the event of a change in the share capital after that date, the authorisation granted by the General Meeting would apply to 10% of the new share capital.

The maximum purchase price per share is set at 140.

The maximum total amount of capital that may be allocated to share purchases by virtue of this programme amounts to 4 billion. This maximum amount shall apply for all transactions carried out from 13 April 2023 over the duration of the programme: purchases of treasury shares, acquisitions of derivatives on treasury shares, treasury share subscriptions through the exercise of derivatives previously put in place, additional amounts that may be allocated to the liquidity agreement.

The Company reserves the right to use the entire programme.

VINCI shall ensure that it does not directly or indirectly exceed the buy-back ceiling of 10% of the share capital authorised by the Shareholders' General Meeting over the programme's 18-month term.

It shall furthermore ensure that it does not own at any time, directly or indirectly, more than 10% of its share capital.

Moreover, the share buy-back programme shall not have any significant impact on VINCI's free float, which amounted to 82.4% of the share capital on 31 December 2022.

The amount of the Company's available reserves, which was 29,144 million at 31 December 2022, is, as required by law, higher than the amount of the share buy-back programme.

2. Share buy-back arrangements

Shares may be purchased fully or partly by any means that are authorised or that may become authorised by regulations in force, either on-market or off-market, including block transactions or through the use of derivatives, including through share purchase options in accordance with regulations in force. The Company shall be careful not to increase the volatility of its share price if it uses derivatives.

These transactions may be carried out at any time in compliance with the current regulations, except during a public offering period.

The proposed authorisation submitted to the General Meeting does not restrict the proportion of the programme that may be carried out through the acquisition of blocks of shares.

3. Duration and timeframe of the share purchase and cancellation programme

Share purchases may be carried out over a period of 18 months following the date of the Shareholders' General Meeting, i.e. from 13 April 2023 until 12 October 2024.

Pursuant to paragraph 4 of Article L.22-10-62 of the French Commercial Code, the shares purchased can only be cancelled up to a limit of 10% of the share capital over successive rolling periods of 24 months.

4. Use of derivatives

VINCI reserves the right to use derivatives for the implementation of this programme in order to cover, under current regulations, option positions that it has taken separately (such as share subscription or purchase options granted or issued debt securities giving access to the share capital). Information on the use of derivatives on treasury shares is systematically provided to the Board of Directors.

Board of Directors of VINCI

and, by delegation of the Board of Directors,

________________________

Xavier Huillard

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

le 23 February 2023

This document, which constitutes the 2023-2024 share buy-back programme submitted for the approval of VINCI's Shareholders' General Meeting on 13 April 2023, is available free of charge on request from:

VINCI Shareholder Relations Department

1973 boulevard de la Defense, F-92000 Nanterre.

It is available online on the VINCI website (www.vinci.com) and has been filed with the Autorite des Marches Financiers.
Finsbury Growth & Income Trust Plc - Transaction in Own Shares

For immediate release

24 February 2023

FINSBURY GROWTH & INCOME TRUST PLC

(the "Company")

MARKET PURCHASE OF COMPANY'S OWN SHARES

The Company announces that it has today purchased 100,000 of its own shares ("Ordinary Shares") at a price of 883.91 pence per Ordinary Share. Such shares will be held in treasury by the Company.

The transaction was made pursuant to the authority granted at the Annual General Meeting of the Company held on 17 January 2023.

Following this transaction, the total number of Ordinary Shares held by the Company in treasury is 15,150,803; the total number of Ordinary Shares that the Company has in issue, less the total number of Ordinary Shares held by the Company in treasury following such purchase, and therefore, the total number of voting rights in the Company is 209,840,500.

The figure of 209,840,500 may be used by shareholders as the denominator for calculations of interests in the Company's voting rights in accordance with the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules.

For and on behalf of

Frostrow Capital LLP

Company Secretary

For further information, please contact:

Victoria Hale

Frostrow Capital LLP

Tel: 020 3 170 8732
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / February 24, 2023 / America's Charities



World Sleep Day, which takes place on March 17th in 2023 (March 15, 2024 and March 14, 2025 for those who like to plan ahead), was founded by the World Sleep Day Committee to educate the public on ways of lessening the burdens of sleep problems.

Many of us know we don't get enough sleep and think we can make up for lost hours on weekends or holidays - yet few of us prioritize the importance of sleep.

Chronic sleep deprivation can impact multiple aspects of our lives, including health, work performance, and even financial wellness. According to MoneyGeek.com:

Excellent sleepers tend to have more savings: 70% said they saved money to prepare for their children's college education; 63% saved for unforeseen expenses; 54% saved for medical expenses; 58% saved for retirement. Meanwhile, poor sleepers reported that they struggle with their finances.

70% said they saved money to prepare for their children's college education; 63% saved for unforeseen expenses; 54% saved for medical expenses; 58% saved for retirement. Meanwhile, poor sleepers reported that they struggle with their finances. Sleep disorders contribute approximately $94.9 billion in health care costs in the U.S. every year.

in the U.S. every year. Racial and ethnic minorities tend to experience a lack of sleep. Black, Hispanic/Latino and Chinese adults reported shorter sleep duration (less than six hours). They are also likely to report poor sleep quality - at 8.3%, 6.7% and 6.6%, respectively. In comparison, white Americans typically spend 6.05 hours sleeping, with 5% reporting poor sleep quality.

While there are numerous causes that contribute to sleep disorders and low sleep quality, 64% of adults say that money is a significant source of stress in their life. This is something employers can actually help employees address through an Employee Assistance Fund (EAF), also known as an Employee Relief Fund or an Employee Crisis Fund. EAFs can be used to provide financial support to employees impacted by disasters, personal emergencies, and other financial hardships that might be keeping them from getting the rest they need to feel well and perform well at work.

This World Sleep Day, launch an Employees Assistance Fund (or lay the groundwork to start one). If you already have an EAF, don't forget to remind employees about this incredible employee benefit to show them you care.

Ready to get started or want to learn more? You can learn more about the benefits of working with America's Charities as your EAF partner here.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from America's Charities on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: America's Charities

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/americas-charities

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: America's Charities

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/740675/World-Sleep-Day
Bensalem, Pennsylvania--(Newsfile Corp. - February 24, 2023) - Law Offices of Howard G. Smith announces that investors with substantial losses have opportunity to lead the securities fraud class action lawsuit against Gaotu Techedu Inc. f/k/a GSX Techedu Inc. ("Gaotu" or the "Company") (NYSE: GOTU).

Class Period: March 5, 2021 - July 23, 2021

Lead Plaintiff Deadline: February 28, 2023

Investors suffering losses on their Gaotu investments are encouraged to contact the Law Offices of Howard G. Smith to discuss their legal rights in this class action at 888-638-4847 or by email to howardsmith@howardsmithlaw.com.

The complaint filed alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants failed to disclose to investors that: (1) China was barring tutoring for profit in core school subjects and the policy change would restrict foreign investment in a sector that had become essential to success in Chinese school exams; (2) the impact such regulations would have on Gaotu's operations and profitability and the value of Company securities; and (3) as a result, Defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times.

To be a member of the class action you need not take any action at this time; you may retain counsel of your choice or take no action and remain an absent member of the class action. If you wish to learn more about this class action, or if you have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to the pending class action lawsuit, please contact Howard G. Smith, Esquire, of Law Offices of Howard G. Smith, 3070 Bristol Pike, Suite 112, Bensalem, Pennsylvania 19020, by telephone at (215) 638-4847, toll-free at (888) 638-4847, or by email to howardsmith@howardsmithlaw.com, or visit our website at www.howardsmithlaw.com.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.

Contacts

Law Offices of Howard G. Smith

Howard G. Smith, Esquire

215-638-4847

888-638-4847

howardsmith@howardsmithlaw.com

www.howardsmithlaw.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156005


MOSCOW (dpa-AFX) - On the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the United States announced a new range of sanctions targeting Russia's key sectors, holding it accountable for its war of aggression.



In coordination with G7 partners and allies, the Departments of the Treasury and State will implement sweeping sanctions against key revenue generating sectors in order to further degrade Russia's economy and diminish its ability to wage war against Ukraine.



This will result in sanctions being imposed on over 200 individuals and entities, including both Russian and third-country actors across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East that are supporting Russia's war effort, the White House said Friday.



As part of this announcement, the United States will target a dozen Russian financial institutions, in alignment with allies and partners, as well as Russian officials and proxy authorities illegitimately operating in Ukraine. The sanctions also target additional actors tied to Russia's defense and technology industry, including those responsible for backfilling Russian stocks of sanctioned items or enabling Russian sanctions evasion. It also includes the targeting of Russia's future energy capabilities in a manner that does not impact current production to minimize market disruption. The United States also is expanding its sanctions authorities to Russia's metals and mining sector, tailored to minimize market disruption.



The Department of Commerce listed nearly 90 Russian and third country companies, including in China among other countries, on the Entity List for engaging in sanction evasion and backfill activities in support of Russia's defense sector.



President Joe Biden will sign proclamations to raise tariffs on certain Russian products imported to the United States.



This will result in increased tariffs on more than 100 Russian metals, minerals, and chemical products worth approximately $2.8 billion to Russia. It will also significantly increase costs for aluminum that was smelted or cast in Russia to enter the U.S. market in order to counter harm to the domestic aluminum industry, which is being squeezed by energy costs as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.



Today, the Department of Defense announced an additional security assistance package worth $2 billion for Ukraine.



Capabilities in this security assistance package include Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and counter-UAS and electronic warfare detection equipment, as well as critical ammunition stocks for artillery and precision fires capabilities that will bolster Ukraine's ability to repel Russian aggression.



The package also includes a large amount of ammunition for 155mm artillery systems and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) that have proved so effective on the battlefield, as well as mine clearing equipment and secure communications support equipment.



Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved



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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 24, 2023 / The Power Play by The Market Herald has announced the release of a new interview with Magna Mining discussing their latest news.

The Power Play by The Market Herald provides investors with a quick snapshot of what they need to know about the company's latest press release through exclusive insights and interviews with company executives.

Magna Mining (TSXV:NICU) discovers new zone of near surface sulphide mineralization

Magna Mining Inc. (NICU) has confirmed a new zone of near-surface sulphide mineralization 1,000 metres east of the Crean Hill Main Zone. Four holes have been completed and have intersected and disseminated to locally semi-massive sulphides at the Sudbury Igneous Complex. CEO Jason Jessup met with Shoran Devi to discuss the news.

For the full interview with Jason Jessup and to learn about Magna Mining Inc., click here.

Interviews for The Power Play by The Market Herald are released daily. To learn more about the companies featured in The Power Play or to explore our other interviews visit? The Power Play by The Market Herald.

About The Market Herald

The Market Herald Canada is the leading source of authoritative breaking stock market news for self-directed investors. Our team of Canadian markets reporters, editors and technologists covers the entire listed company universe in Canada. We cover over 3,985 businesses, their people, their investors, and their customers. We write the stories that move the Canadian capital markets.

DISCLAIMER: Report Card Canada Media Ltd. ("Report Card") is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Market Herald Limited, an Australian company ("Market Herald"). Report Card is not an advisory service, and does not offer, buy, sell, or provide any other rating, analysis or opinion on the securities we discuss. We are retained and compensated by the companies that we provide information on to assist them with making information available to the public. All information available on themarketherald.ca and/or this press release should be considered as commercial advertisement and not an endorsement, offer or recommendation to buy or sell securities. Report Card is not registered with any financial or securities regulatory authority in any province or territory of Canada, will not be performing any registerable activity as defined by the applicable regulatory bodies and do not provide nor claim to provide investment advice or recommendations to any visitor of this site or readers of any content on or originating from themarketherald.ca. Market Herald and/or its affiliates and/or their respective officers, directors or employees may from time to time acquire, hold or sell securities and/or commodities and/or commodity futures contracts in certain underlying companies mentioned in this site and which may also be clients of Market Herald's affiliates. In such instances, Market Herald and/or its affiliates and/or their respective officers, directors or employees will use all reasonable efforts to avoid engaging in activities that would lead to conflicts of interest and Market Herald and/or its affiliates will use all reasonable efforts to comply with conflicts of interest disclosures and regulations to minimize any conflict. All the information on this document and/or the website - themarketherald.ca - is published in good faith and for general information purpose only. Report Card does not make any warranties about the completeness, reliability, and accuracy of this information. Any action you take upon the information you find on this document and/or website (themarketherald.ca) is strictly at your own risk. Report Card will not be liable for any losses and/or damages in connection with the use of our website. From our website, you can visit other websites by following hyperlinks to such external sites. While we strive to provide only quality links to useful and ethical websites, we have no control over the content and nature of these sites. These links to other websites do not imply a recommendation for all the content found on these sites. Site owners and content may change without notice and may occur before we have the opportunity to remove a link which may have gone 'bad'. Please be also aware that when you leave our website, other sites may have different privacy policies and terms which are beyond our control. Please be sure to check the Privacy Policies of these sites as well as their "Terms of Service" before engaging in any business or uploading any information.

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SOURCE:?The Market Herald

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/740698/The-Power-Play-by-The-Market-Herald-Releases-a-New-Interview-with-Magna-Mining-Discussing-Their-Latest-News
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / February 24, 2023 / Regions Bank



Regions associates Irina Pritchett, Kate Laminack and Ed Cotter have formed a lasting friendship with the Vyshyvanyuk family.

By Doug Segrest

As Mykola and Olena Vyshyvanyuk escort new friends to their car, the stillness of the suburban night is briefly interrupted by an almost imperceptible sound in the distance: the wail of an ambulance siren headed to a nearby hospital.

Yet on this winter evening, no one notices. That itself is a miracle.

For the past year, Mykola and Olena and their three children lived with the constant cacophony of war - sirens, gunfire and missile strikes back home in L'viv, Ukraine.

But now, thanks to a handful of Regions associates, numerous friends and local churches in Birmingham, the Vyshyvanyuks and their three children have started a new life in a quiet, safe suburb of Alabama's largest city.

"Back home, it's very, very cold," Olena said with a soft smile. "I don't like winter anymore. The Alabama winter is much better."

"We are still adjusting," added Mykola. "But not our kids. In two or three weeks, they made new friends and made this home."

How do you change lives, escape a war and find a new life in a year's time? For the Vyshyvanyuks, it started with an article in the Wall Street Journal.

Ed Cotter remembers reading about a program called Uniting for Ukraine, a program implemented by the White House, to fast-track immigration from the war-torn nation to the U.S.

"I signed up as a lark," explained Cotter, Regions' assistant general counsel. "You set up a profile, then people ping you and you start talking from there.

"I connected with this family - parents and three children, ages, 6, 11 and 13 - from L'viv in Western Ukraine. We agreed we'd help them move to America."

It sounded so easy. It was anything but.

I made donations, but it didn't seem like that was what my soul needed. But this - what Ed was doing - felt like a direct impact on someone's life and I was excited to be a part of that. Kate Laminack, Modernization and Transformation Partner at Regions

Making a connection was the first step. Sponsors also had to provide two years of financial support, find housing, jobs, cars, and line up schools. With his wife, Natalie, fully on board, Ed began sharing his plans with friends and church members. It would take a team, and an active GoFundMe, to bring the Vyshyvanyuks to Birmingham.

Inspired by Experience

Irina Pritchett was one of the first co-workers to jump headfirst into the effort.

"Ed suspected I'd be interested after we had a passing conversation in the early days of the war," Pritchett said. "Weeks later, he reached out about the sponsorship. But what I heard was, 'My wife and I are thinking of doing this amazing thing but need a community to make it happen.'"

For Pritchett, a Risk Initiative and Integration manager at Regions, the response was immediate. How could it be anything else?

As a child, Pritchett's family emigrated to the U.S. as political refugees due to growing, institutional antisemitism in the Soviet Union.

I feel grateful to be able to pay forward the help that we received when we came to the U.S. and honor a piece of my parents' journey in doing so. Irina Pritchett, Risk Initiative and Integration manager at Regions

"My parents left behind family, friends - everything they knew - and became 'traitors to the (Soviet) state' without knowing where we would end up," Pritchett said. "Like the Vyshyvanyuks, my parents packed our lives into one suitcase per person and took an indescribable leap of faith motivated by love for their children.

"I feel grateful to be able to pay forward the help that we received when we came to the U.S. and honor a piece of my parents' journey in doing so."

Other associates came on board, including Franklin Danley, Payment and Credit Card Operations group manager, and Susan Anderson, Enterprise Reputational Risk administrator. Both jumped in enthusiastically.

Then Kate Laminack of the Transformation team learned of the endeavor. Like Pritchett, it hit close to home.

She was 11 when she first moved to the United Kingdom, then to Birmingham, Alabama. Both of her parents were scientists who found new academic positions at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

"It was ridiculously hard," Laminack said. "To come at that age, in 6th grade, it was like stepping into a new world - especially as a kid. I looked different, spoke differently and my new classmates had no concept of what we were going through."

Yet, since the onset of the invasion, she knew she had to help.

"I'd been thinking about what I could do to help since the war started," Laminack said. "I made donations, but it didn't seem like that was what my soul needed. But this - what Ed was doing - felt like a direct impact on someone's life and I was excited to be a part of that."

An Idyllic Life No More

A year ago, Mykola and Olena had a thriving wedding gown business, a new home, a brick-and-mortar storefront, and a website that made their venture a success not only locally, but across international borders.

But as they settled in for a long Ukrainian winter, rumors of an impending war were soon replaced by the terrifying Russian invasion, and the kind of naked brutality that Europe hadn't seen since the end of World War II.

Air raids became the norm. Idyllic neighborhoods were turned into rubble. Home became an underground shelter that provided a layer of security but did little to stop the winter's chill without electricity and gas. Food became a luxury.

As for the business, how do you survive when life has been turned upside down?

"We were in danger from the first day," Olena said. "So we sent the kids off to their grandparents. And we began helping make uniforms for our soldiers - many of whom didn't have anything."

Mykola focused on making vests, but where do you find fabric when all the banks are closed, and you can't access your money? They used what they had, and what others scrounged, and sewed from morning through night, often by hand. They had a mission and a vision.

But not a future.

"We had to get out for our children," Olena said.

They found Ed and Natalie Cotter. And plans began formulating.

Back in Birmingham, Cotter now had an army of volunteers of his own. They began meeting regularly at a public library, creating checklists of things they had to accomplish in addition to raising funds - find schools, jobs, housing. Using WhatsApp, Cotter, Pritchett and Laminack began regularly texting the Vyshyvanyuks, forming a friendship while keeping them informed of progress. By August, there was no turning back.

The U.S. was fast-tracking applications, as Uniting for Ukraine was proving to exceed the most optimistic expectations. The family was approved in August. By November, when the Birmingham crew had raised the funds to bring the Vyshyvanyuks to the U.S., the White House had approved more than 100,000 applications.

For Mykola, Olena and their children, the first step was to make it across the border to Poland, where they were placed in refugee housing. Immediately, Oleana noticed a difference.

"We spent two weeks getting processed in Poland - two weeks without air raids," Olena said. "I knew then we couldn't go back home."

A New Start, A New Home

Two months ago, they took their final flight to Atlanta, where they were shuttled to Birmingham in a van supplied by Vestavia Methodist Church. They arrived to find a furnished new home, with a refrigerator filled with their favorite foods, children's bedrooms stuffed with toys and two automobiles out front.

In the front room, Mykola found a sewing machine to continue his work. And a job at a local wedding boutique. The children were enrolled in school and the family began weekly English as a Second Language (ESL) classes scheduled at another church, Trinity Methodist. When Cotter and Regions associate Tommy McCain went to the local branch to open up a checking account for the family, Kismet followed.

"The relationship manager we talked to, Tatsiana Hall, spoke Russian," Pritchett recalled. "At first, we thought that was just a crazy coincidence. But it was more than that."

Hall, who moved to Birmingham from her native Belarus in 2010, agreed.

"I said, 'Let me be your personal banker,'" Hall said. "God brought me to you."

This is home and we are safe. My hope is that family and friends can join us here. Olena Vyshyvanyuk

Just before Christmas, Olena received a call that she was needed at Vestavia East Elementary immediately. Fearing the worst, she headed over only to find a room full of Christmas gifts for 13-year-old Eva, 11-year-old Ioanna and 6-year-old Viktoriia the school had gathered for their first holiday in Alabama.

The winters in Birmingham are mild and the suburban noises are soothing - a stark contrast to the life they left behind.

"This is home," Olena said, "and we are safe. My hope is that family and friends can join us here."

And, for the first time in a year, there is security. Both Mykola and Olena have jobs. They pay taxes. And their children are learning safely in school.

What started with a newspaper article and a conversation led to a year of change no one could have imagined prior to war, proving anything is possible. What transpired has forever transformed the Vyshyvanyuks.

And the team that came together to provide a new home.

"The kids are doing great. They have each other," Laminack said. "They have a support network. And a really good ESL teacher.

"When this started, we didn't know who we were looking for, only that we just wanted to help someone. But it turned into a real relationship. We've made friends for life."

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/740710/What-My-Soul-Needed
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 24, 2023) - World Copper Ltd. (TSXV: WCU) (OTCQX: WCUFF) (FSE: 7LY0) ("World Copper", "Cardero" or the "Company"), reports that pursuant to their news release dated December 29, 2022, the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") has accepted the consolidation and extension of the due dates on advances from E.L. II Properties Trust, a company owned by Robert C. Kopple, a director of the Company (the "Lender"). Four loans in the aggregate amount of USD 1,065,265 equivalent Canadian amount converted at CAD 1.3565, CAD 1,445,031.97 (the "Loans") have been extended to February 22, 2024 (the New "Maturity Dates"). The Company has issued in aggregate 10,321,657 non-transferable bonus common share purchase warrants (each, a "Bonus Warrant") to the Lender. Each Bonus Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one common share in the capital of the Company at an exercise price of CAD 0.14 per share expiring on February 22, 2024. The Bonus Warrants were calculated based on the original loan amount of USD 1,065,265 converted to CAD 1,445,031.97 based on the exchange rate on December 29, 2022. All securities issued pursuant to the Loans will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day in Canada from the date of issuance. Further, a clause has been added to the warrant certificate that restricts the exercise of warrants such that the holders' ownership would not be above 19.99%.

This transaction constitutes a "related party transaction" as such term is defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company is relying on the exemptions from the formal valuation and minority approval requirements under MI 61- 101. The Company is exempt from the formal valuation and minority approval requirements of MI 61-101 in reliance on sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 as the fair market value of the transaction, insofar as it involves interested parties, is not more than the 25% of the Company's market capitalization."

ABOUT WORLD COPPER LTD.

World Copper Ltd., headquartered in Vancouver, BC, is a Canadian resource company focused on the exploration and development of its two primary copper porphyry projects, Escalones and Cristal, both located in Chile. World Copper has laid claim to four copper porphyry targets, one with estimated resources, significant soluble copper mineralization, and exciting potential to expand the resource base.

The World Copper team has a unique skill in navigating the mining sector within Chile, with some members having worked in the country for more than 40 years and with discovery success.

Detailed information is available at the Company's website at www.worldcopperltd.com, and for general Company updates you may follow us on our social media pages via Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn.

For further details on the Company readers are referred to the Company's website. To view the Company's Canadian regulatory filings, please visit SEDAR.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors of

WORLD COPPER LTD.

"Nolan Peterson"

Nolan Peterson

Chief Executive Officer

For further information, or to schedule a Zoom meeting with Management, please contact:

Nolan Peterson or Michael Pound

Phone: 604-638-3287

E-mail: info@worldcopperltd.com

For all Investor Relations inquiries, please contact:

John Liviakis

Liviakis Financial Communications Inc.

Phone: 415-389-4670

For all Public Relations inquiries, please contact:

Nancy Thompson

Vorticom, Inc.

Office: 212-532-2208 | Mobile: 917-371-4053

Follow Us:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WorldCopperLtd

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorldCopperLtd

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/worldcopperltd

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. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, including, without limitation, 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. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "estimates", "plans", "may", "should", "would", "will", "potential", "scheduled" or variations of such words and phrases and similar expressions, which, by their nature, refer to future events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. 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, statements as to the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, the ability of the Company to obtain sufficient financing to fund its business activities and plans, delays in obtaining governmental and regulatory approvals (including of the TSX Venture Exchange), permits or financing, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, currency fluctuations, title disputes or claims, environmental issues and liabilities, risks relating to epidemics or pandemics such as COVID-19, including the impact of COVID-19 on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, title disputes, the inability of the Company to obtain any necessary permits, consents, approvals or authorizations, the timing and possible outcome of any pending litigation, environmental issues and liabilities, and risks related to joint venture operations, and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's continuous disclosure documents. All of the Company's Canadian public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedar.com and readers are urged to review these materials.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements in this news release or incorporated by reference herein, except as otherwise required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156000
STOCKHOLM (dpa-AFX) - Swedish telecom equipment maker Ericsson will reportedly lay off 8,500 workers as part of its plan to cut costs. Reuters reported on the layoffs, which will affect roughly 8% of its staff of 105,529 worldwide. Most of the layoffs would take effect in the first half of 2023 but could also extend into 2024. 'The way headcount reductions will be managed will differ depending on local country practice,' the spokesperson said in a statement. 'Our aim is to manage the process in every country with fairness, respect, professionalism and in line with local labor legislation. Any impact to employees will be first communicated to them.' According to reports, North America would likely be most affected by the layoffs and growing markets such as India the least. The company is seeking cost reductions at a run-rate of 9 billion Swedish kronor, or about $860 million, by the end of 2023. Ericsson said it expects to start seeing the effect of its cost savings in the second quarter of this year. 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.
BELTON, MO / ACCESSWIRE / February 24, 2023 / Industry Source Consulting, Inc. (OTC PINK:INSO) clarifies the details of its recent transaction with Missouri based Phyto Life Organics, LLC. INSO recently announced it had purchased the company, Phyto Life Organics. The announcement should have stated that INSO purchased the assets of Phyto Life Organics in an Asset Purchase Agreement.

"The misstated announcement was unintentional and we wanted to clarify the matter to avoid confusion with our shareholders, stated INSO spokesperson, Eric Szia."

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release are forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or to the Company's future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Investors should not place any undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Company's control which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects the Company's current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could impact the Company and the forward-looking statements contained herein are included in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

CONTACT: info@industrysource.us

SOURCE: Industry Source Consulting, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/740724/Industry-Source-Consulting-Clarifies-Details-of-Transaction-With-Phyto-Life-Organics
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky attends a joint press conference with his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki (not pictured) following their meeting in Kyiv, Feb. 24. EPA-Yonhap





Ukraine's leader pledged to push for victory in 2023 as he and other Ukrainians marked the somber anniversary, Friday, of the Russian invasion that upended their lives and Europe's security.







It was Ukraine's "longest day," President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, but the country's dogged resistance a year on has proven that "every tomorrow is worth fighting for."







On a day of commemorations, reflection and tears, the Ukrainian president's defiant tone captured the national mood of resilience in the face of Europe's biggest and deadliest war since World War II. Zelenskyy, who has himself become a symbol of Ukraine's refusal to bow to Moscow, said Ukrainians proved themselves to be invincible during "a year of pain, sorrow, faith and unity."







"We have been standing for exactly one year," Zelenskyy said. Feb. 24, 2022, he said, was "the longest day of our lives. The hardest day of our modern history. We woke up early and haven't fallen asleep since."







Ukrainians wept at memorials for their tens of thousands of dead  a toll growing inexorably as fighting rages in eastern Ukraine in particular. Although Friday marked the anniversary of the full-scale invasion, combat between Russian-backed forces and Ukrainian troops has raged in the country's east since 2014. New video from there shot with a drone for The Associated Press showed how the town of Marinka has been razed, along with others.







And the killing continued: Russian shelling killed another three civilians and wounded 19 others in the most recent 24-hour spell, Ukraine's presidential office said.







Around the country, Ukrainians looked both back and forward.







"I can sum up the last year in three words: Fear, love, hope," Oleksandr Hranyk, a school director in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, said.







Lining up in the capital, Kyiv, to buy anniversary commemorative postage stamps, Tetiana Klimkova described her heart as "falling and hurting."







Still, "this day has become a symbol for me that we have survived for a whole year and will continue to live," she said. "On this day, our children and grandchildren will remember how strong Ukrainians are mentally, physically, and spiritually."







But peace is nowhere in sight, even though China on Friday called for a cease-fire. Ukraine previously rejected the idea for fear a cease-fire would allow Russia to regroup militarily after bruising battlefield setbacks.







A 12-point paper issued by China's Foreign Ministry also urged an end to sanctions that are squeezing Russia's economy.







That suggestion also looks like a non-starter, given that Western nations are working to further tighten the sanctions noose, not loosen it. The U.K. government imposed more sanctions Friday on firms supplying military equipment to Moscow and said it would bar exports to Russia of aircraft parts and other components.







Ukraine also is readying another military push to roll back Russian forces  with weaponry that has been pouring in from the West. Poland announced Friday that it has delivered Leopard tanks to Ukraine  the first of dozens of that Western countries have pledged.







"Ukraine is entering a new period, with a new task  to win," Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said on Facebook.







"It will not be easy. But we will manage," he said. "There is rage and a desire to avenge the fallen."







Air raid alarms didn't sound overnight in Kyiv and the morning started quietly, allaying concerns that Russia might unleash another barrage of missiles to pile yet more sadness on Ukraine on the anniversary.







Still, the government recommended that schools move classes online, and office employees were asked to work from home. And even as they rode Kyiv's subway to work, bought coffee and got busy, Ukrainians were unavoidably haunted by thoughts of loss and memories of a year ago when missiles struck, troops rolled across Ukraine's borders and a refugee exodus began. Back then, there were fears the country might fall within weeks.







Zelenskyy referred to those dark moments in a video address.







"We fiercely fought for every day. And we endured the second day. And then, the third," he said. "And we still know: Every tomorrow is worth fighting for."







Yeva, a Ukrainian toddler who was born on Feb. 24, 2022 plays with her mother Alina Mustafaieva at their home in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Feb. 17. AP-Yonhap





The anniversary was also particularly poignant for the parents of children born exactly a year ago as bombs began killing and maiming.







"It's a tragedy for the whole country, for every Ukrainian," said Alina Mustafaieva, who gave birth to daughter Yeva that day.







"My family was lucky. We didn't lose anyone or anything. But many did, and we have to share this loss together," she said.







Tributes to Ukraine's resilience flowed from overseas. The Eiffel Tower in Paris was among monuments illuminated in Ukraine's colors  yellow and blue.







Zelenskyy was particularly busy  kicking off the day with an early morning tweet that promised: "We know that 2023 will be the year of our victory!"







He followed that up with his video address in which he also pledged not to abandon Ukrainians living under Russian occupation, vowing: "One way or another, we will liberate all our lands."







He also addressed troops on a Kyiv square and handed out honors, including to the pained widow and daughter of a fallen soldier, telling them: "We will never forget."







A year on, casualty figures are horrific on both sides, although Moscow and Kyiv are keeping precise numbers under wraps. Western estimates suggest hundreds of thousands of killed and wounded.







The war, including the Russia's failure to fulfill its initial objective of capturing Kyiv, also has severely dented the Russian military's reputation as a fighting force. Still, it has unleashed an unrelenting barrage of firepower on Ukraine over the past year. Ukrainian armed forces put the tally at roughly 5,000 missile strikes, 3,500 airstrikes and 1,000 drone strikes.







Economic repercussions have rippled across the globe. Diplomatic repercussions, too. Western nations are supporting Ukraine militarily, financially and politically. But China, India and countries in the global south have proven ambivalent about Western arguments that Ukraine is the front line of a fight for freedom and democracy. (AP)


OTTAWA, ON / ACCESSWIRE / February 24, 2023 / Focus Graphite Inc. (TSXV:FMS) ("Focus Graphite" or the "Company") announces that on February 23, 2023 the Board of Directorsadopted an amended stock option plan (the "Amended Option Plan") which will replace the Company's current option plan.

The Amended Option Plan increases the number of shares reserved for issuance pursuant to the exercise of stock options from 11,033,278 to 11,504,920, representing 20% of the issued and outstanding shares of the Corporation as of the date the Amended Option Plan was adopted. The Amended Option Plan is subject to approval by the shareholders of the Company at the meeting to be held on April 19, 2023 and final TSX-V approval.

About Focus Graphite

Focus Graphite Inc. is an advanced exploration company with an objective of producing flake graphite concentrate at its wholly owned Lac Knife and Lac Tetepisca flake graphite projects located in the Cote-Nord administrative region of Quebec. In a second stage, to meet Quebec stakeholder interests in developing second transformation industries within the province and to add shareholder value, Focus is evaluating the feasibility of producing value added specialty graphite products including battery-grade spherical graphite. Focus Graphite is a technology-oriented graphite development company with a vision for building long-term, sustainable shareholder value. Focus also holds a significant equity position in graphene applications developer Grafoid Inc. For more information about Focus Graphite, please visit www.focusgraphite.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.

Forward Looking Information

This news release may contain certain forward-looking information and statements, including without limitation, the Company's ability to obtain necessary approvals from the TSX-V. All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking information and such information involves various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. A description of assumptions used to develop such forward-looking information and a description of risk factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking information can be found in Focus Graphite's disclosure documents on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

For more information about Focus Graphite and the Company's Lac Tetepisca and Lac Knife projects, please visit Focus's website at www.focusgraphite.com or contact:

Kimberly Darlington

Communications, Focus Graphite

kdarlington@focusgraphite.com

Judith Mazvihwa-MacLean

CFO, Focus Graphite

jmazvihwa@focusgraphite.com

(613) 581-4040

SOURCE: Focus Graphite, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/740735/Focus-Graphite-Amends-Stock-Option-Plan
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 24, 2023) - Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. (TSX: AVL) (OTCQB: AVLNF) ("Avalon" or the "Company") announces the results of its 2023 Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders held in Toronto, Ontario on February 23, 2023 (the "Meeting"). At the Meeting, all six director nominees listed in the Company's information circular dated January 10, 2023, were elected as directors of the Company. The detailed results of the vote are as follows:

Director Number of

Votes Cast Percentage of

Votes Cast Donald Bubar For:

Against: 86,024,853

3,998,463 95.558%

4.442% Alan Ferry For:

Against: 83,870,489

6,152,827 93.165%

6.835% Naomi Johnson For:

Against: 83,846,213

6,177,103 93.138%

6.862% John E. Fisher For:

Against: 84,225,135

5,798,181 93.559%

6.441% Marilyn Spink For:

Against: 84,133,756

5,889,560 93.458%

6.542% Harvey L. A. Yesno For:

Against: 84,727,835

5,295,481 94.118%

5.882%

At the Meeting, shareholders also re-appointed Ernst & Young LLP as auditors of the Company, approved the unallocated options, rights or other entitlements under the Company's stock option plan and restricted share unit ("RSU") plan and approved an amendment to the Company's By-Law No. 1 to reduce the quorum requirement for a meeting of shareholders from 25% of the issued and outstanding common shares to 20%.

About Avalon Advanced Materials Inc.

Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. is a Canadian mineral development company specializing in sustainably-produced materials for clean technology. The Company now has four advanced stage projects, providing investors with exposure to lithium, tin and indium, as well as rare earth elements, tantalum, cesium and zirconium. Avalon is currently focusing on developing its Separation Rapids Lithium Project near Kenora, Ontario, while continuing to advance other projects, including its 100%-owned Lilypad Cesium-Tantalum-Lithium Project located near Fort Hope, Ontario. Social responsibility and environmental stewardship are corporate cornerstones.

For questions and feedback, please e-mail the Company at ir@AvalonAM.com, or phone Don Bubar, President & CEO, directly at 416-723-9132.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156168
While investing in certain standalone companies can yield excellent results, you always need to look at the context surrounding their sectors.

15-20 years ago, a new clothes store popping up in malls all over the country might have been a tempting investment. Clothes stores were booming, right? Thats until you looked at the data and saw that eCommerce was the up-and-coming retail sector, not brick-and-mortar stores.

Keeping an eye on which sectors are set to have a boom paid off for investors in the energy sector, which delivered a return of 54% in 2022.

And with the market only making modest increases on its 2022 performance, now is not the time to be playing fast and loose with your investments. Nows the time to make data-driven decisions only, about which sectors to invest in and when.

With that in mind, here are some of the best sectors to invest in this year, according to the experts.

Healthcare

While the world is breathing a collective sigh of relief at COVID-19 drawing to a close, the importance of having a robust healthcare system is at the front of everybodys minds. Few industries have played such a central part in our recovery as healthcare, and, to be more specific, the biopharmaceutical industry.

Biopharma is responsible for many of the everyday treatments we take for granted, such as insulin, and more topically, the COVID-19 vaccine. Biopharma differs from traditional pharmaceuticals in that the treatments are cultivated from living cells, not synthetic chemicals.

From sterile fill and finish service providers to biopharmaceutical manufacturers, these companies are in high demand  and for good reason. As antibiotic resistance becomes more prevalent and new diseases emerge, well be looking to this sector to answer our woes with the creation of new treatments, as well as gene therapies.

The fear of the emergence of another COVID variant or an even more deadly infectious disease makes this industry particularly lucrative, so its well worth your investment money this year.

Energy

In 2021 and 2022, we saw the supply of oil and gas reduce, especially as Russias grip on its resources tightened due to the war in Ukraine. As economic principles demand, when supply goes down, demand goes up, so we saw energy prices soar.

Theyre due to even out a little over 2023, but we still expect to see high returns on energy investments. If you want to make some money while doing your part for the planet, consider investing in green energy.

Many companies and governments are scrambling to reduce their dependence on oil and gas by introducing renewable energies to the market, making green energy a sub-sector well worth exploring.

Consumer Staples

There are global reports that the UK, US, and Europe will enter a recession in the next year or so. While this recession isnt likely to occur at the same level as 2008s economic crisis, it will still have a significant effect on consumer spending.

With this in mind, the safest choice for investors this year is consumer staples that households buy whether in a recession or otherwise. Look for companies that produce everyday necessities including food and beverages and hygiene products.

According to Fidelity, consumer staples is known as a defensive sector, meaning it holds up much better than other sectors during a market rout. This analysis held up during 2022 when despite global economic difficulties, consumers continued to shop for necessities.

Low unemployment has helped to give households a buffer against rising grocery prices, meaning that although these high prices have significantly affected those in precarious or poorly-paid work, the majority of the middle classes are continuing to shop for essentials as normal, with only a few adjustments to spending habits.

Disclaimer
Shan Kadavil, CEO & Co-founder, FreshToHome

FreshToHome, a New Delhi, India-based online brand for free fresh fish and meat, raised $104M in Series D funding.

The round was led by Amazon Smbhav Venture Fund with participation from Iron Pillar, Investcorp, Investment Corporation of Dubai, Ascent Capital, E20 Investment Ltd, Mount Judi Ventures and Dallah Albaraka.

The company intends to use the funds to accelerate growth, expand operations and its business reach.

Led by Shan Kadavil, CEO, FreshToHome is a fully integrated online consumer brand for preservative and antibiotic-residue free fresh fish and meat. Launched in 2015, the company operates in 160+ cities in Indiaand the UAE and offers more than 2,000 certified fresh and chemical-free products.

Two years ago, FreshToHome raised $121MM in its Series C round, led by Dubais Investment Corporation of Dubai, Investcorp, IronPillar, Ascent Capital and U.S. Governments development finance institution  DFC.

FinSMEs

24/02/2023
Futura Gaia, a French startup that designs and markets ready-to-use vertical farms, raised 11m in a second funding round.

The round table was composed of historical partners (UI Investissement, Sofilaro, Region Sud Investissement, Caap Creation a subsidiary company of Credit Agricole Alpes Provence, Occipac, Elpis and Alain Francois Raymond) and of new investors including Banque des Territoires, Abeille Impact Investing France, Colam Impact, InvESSt PACA and several dozens of private individuals through Sowefund, a participative funding platform.

The company intends to use the funds to enhance agronomical and technological R&D capacities along with the installation of a first vertical farm at an industrial scale.

Led by Pascal Thomas, co-founder and CEO, Futura Gaia designs an automated soil-based vertical farming solution, complementary to open field and greenhouse agriculture. This solution meets the needs of pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries by providing both pesticide-free and high-quality locally grown produce.

The company built its first indoor farm of 1 900 m in Tarascon (Bouches-du-Rhone region, France), which includes 50 growing systems and combined advanced agronomical and technological innovations (the rotating geopony uses the Canadian GiGrow cultivation system. The Tarascon experimental farm is currently the most advanced GiGrow technology implementation project in the world).

FinSMEs

24/02/2023
Nosto, a Helsinki, Finland-based provider of a commerce experience platform (CXP), raised $16M in funding.

The round was led by Mandatum Asset Managements Growth Equity team (MAM GE), with participation from OpenOcean, Wellington Partners, Eurazeo, and Tesi.

The company intends to use the funds to scale its personalized site search solution globally, accelerating the development of its platform.

Led by Jim Lofgren, CEO, and Juha Valvanne, Founder and Chief Corporate Development Officer, Nosto enables online brands to deliver experiences at touchpoint, across devices. The AI-Powered Commerce Experience Platform (CXP) empowers brands to build, launch, and optimize compelling digital experiences without the need for dedicated IT resources or lengthy implementation processes.

Nosto supports its clients from its offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Kaunas, Paris, Berlin, Stockholm, Salzburg, Sydney, and Helsinki. Since its founding in 2011, its technology has been used by over 2,500 global commerce brands such as Paul Smith, Kylie Cosmetics, Muji, Dermalogica, Centric Brands, and Princess Polly, create their online experience for shoppers.

FinSMEs

24/02/2023
Rebuy, a Salt Lake City, UT-based provider of a personalization platform for online retailers, raised $17M in Series A funding.

The round, which brought total funding to $21.5M, was led by M13 with participation from Dynamism Capital, R-Squared Ventures, Peterson Ventures, Sidekick Partners, Ben Jabbawy of Privy and Nik Sharma.

The company intends to use the funds to enhance its intelligence engine, expand platform capabilities, hire talent, and accelerate the development of new and innovative products like Rebuy Search, Rebuy Intelligence Graph, and Visual Editor.

Led by CEO John Erck, Rebuy is an omnichannel personalization platform empowering ecommerce brands on Shopify to increase AOV, accelerate sales, and grow quickly. The company provides a full suite of personalization, marketing, and retention services, white-glove support, and a customizable shopping cart. In the last year, Rebuy has tripled its revenue, released 218 new products or feature enhancements, and launched integrations with some of the most prominent solutions in ecommerce, including; Klaviyo, Attentive, and, Tapcart. The technology is used by 7,000+ retailers worldwide.

FinSMEs

24/02/2023
Sonata Software acquires Texas-based Quant Systems Inc.

Sonata Software, a Bangalore, India-based Modernization and Digital Engineering company, announced that its wholly owned subsidiary Sonata Software North America Inc., signed a definitive agreement with the Shareholders of Quant Systems Inc., a Texas (USA) based IT Solutions and Software company, to acquire a 100% stake.

The amount of the deal was not disclosed.

The acquisition will accelerate Sonatas capabilities in Enterprise Data Analytics, Cloud modernization, Cyber security, Salesforce, Data Privacy, Adobe, and Digital & Mobile App solutions, including differentiated IPs for Salesforce (workbox.io) and Chatbot (LISA) technologies. It will also expand its domain expertise in Banking and Financial Services, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Consumer/Retail and others. Its leadership team has rich experience and a track record in client services, and technology innovation in the areas of Digital transformation, Enterprise Data, Salesforce, Data Privacy, Snowflake and Adobe.

Founded in 2008 and led by Srini Veeravelli, CEO, Quant Systems has a team of over 300 Engineers in delivery centres across India (Hyderabad) and Costa Rica along with Onshore presence in North America to deliver client service. Quant boasts of marquee logos in BFSI, Healthcare & Life Sciences and Consumer & Retail. It has built a partner ecosystem of players including, AWS, Adobe, Salesforce, Snowflake, and Google Cloud.

FinSMEs

24/02/2023
Paytm Payments Bank has launched UPI Lite Payments, which will enable customers to make payments up to 200 with one tap on the Paytm app. This service will never fail, even during peak transaction hours, when banks have success rate issues.

PPBL, the Paytm Payments Bank Limited, recently introduced UPI LITE, a feature that enables users to carry out UPI transactions with one click.

Launching lightning-fast UPI payments that never fail. Exclusively on Paytm!  Upgrade your UPI experience today. Download the latest version of Paytm App now. #PaytmSeUPI  Paytm (@Paytm) February 24, 2023

Paytm UPI LITE for Quick and Seamless Transactions

Paytm UPI LITE, enabled by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), enables users to easily and quickly make multiple small-value UPI transactions without the need of a PIN.

It is possible to make payments up to Rs. 200 at a time in a fast, convenient and hassle-free manner. Additionally, users can transfer UPI balance back to their bank account anytime, free of charge.

Through Paytm UPI LITE, a single money transfer entry is recorded in the users bank account, simplifying their bank statements. An SMS is sent to the customer from the bank daily which outlines a history of all UPI LITE transactions from the previous day.

To encourage users to activate and add at least 1000 as balance, the company is offering a 100 cashback. Currently, nine banks are supporting Paytm UPI LITE, such as Canara Bank, Central Bank of India, HDFC Bank, Indian Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Punjab National Bank, State Bank of India, Union Bank of India, and Utkarsh Small Finance Bank.

Paytm Payments Bank is the biggest P2M acquirer and beneficiary bank, as well as a well-known remitter bank.

Speaking on the announcement, Paytm Payments Bank Spokesperson, said
Bullitt Group, a British mobile phone manufacturer, and Motorola Mobility, a Lenovo company, have released two new devices in the Motorola Defy range.

The Motorola Defy 2 is a rugged smartphone, while the Motorola Defy Satellite Link is a Bluetooth device that provides satellite connectivity to any smartphone.

Motorola Defy 2

The Motorola Defy 2 offers satellite connectivity and 5G, combined with a highly robust design. It is designed to survive drops and falls, and has been tested to heights of 1.8 meters and subjected to repeated drops onto a steel plate.

It is dust, sand, dirt and waterproof, with IP68 and IP69K ratings, and has passed Mil-Spec 810H tests for high and low temperature extremes, humid environments, salt mist conditions, vibration and tumble tests.

The Motorola Defy 2 is hygienic, able to be cleaned and sanitized with soap and water or alcohol wipes. It includes Bullitts Hygiene+ technology, with all external surfaces manufactured with materials blended with antimicrobial, antibacterial additives.

The Motorola Defy 2 is a robust, slim and pocketable device that features a large 6.6 FHD+ display, with a 20:9 aspect ratio and up to 120Hz refresh rate. It is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 930 octa-core 2.2GHz processor, with 6GB RAM and 128GB of storage, that is expandable with MicroSD cards.

It packs a large 5000mAh battery, with up to 2 days of power and support for 15W fast-charging and Qi wireless charging. The phone comes with a triple camera array (50MP main sensor, 8MP ultrawide sensor, 2MP macro sensor) at the rear 8MP front facing camera. The Motorola Def runs on Android 12 and will receive two OS updates, as well as 5 years of security patches.

Quick specifications: motorola defy 2

Hygiene+ technology by Bullitt

6.6 FHD+ 120Hz display with 20:9 aspect ratio and Gorilla Glass Victus

Military-grade Mil-Spec 810H durability with IP68 and IP69K ingress protection

MediaTeks Dimensity 930 octa-core 2.2GHz processor

5000mAh Battery with 15W charging and Qi wireless charging

Camera: 50MP + 8MP (Ultra-Wide) + 2MP (macro); Front: 8MP

128GB of storage  expandable with MicroSD cards

MediaTek Bullitt and 3GPP NTN Technology

Bullitt Satellite Messenger service

Android 12 with 2 OS updates and 5 years of security patches

Motorola Defy Satellite Link

This robust Bluetooth accessory offers Bullitt Satellite Connectivity and is packed with features. It has a handy attachment loop that allows any Android or iOS device to utilize the full functionality of the application, including two-way messaging, location sharing and SOS assistance.

Plus, it has passed Mil-Spec 810H testing and is waterproof and dustproof with an IP68 rating. The design also includes physical SOS and location Check In buttons and a 600mAh battery for multiple days of use. With the power of satellite connectivity, the Motorola Defy Satellite Link ensures peace of mind wherever you go.

The motorola defy range will use the first 3GPP standards-based satellite NTN (direct-to-device) service, providing affordable and continuous coverage internationally over existing, well-established infrastructure. This technology allows customers to message over satellite, as long as they have a clear view of the sky.

The device will connect to any smartphone, and messages sent or received over satellite will be deducted from the satellite messaging subscribers plan with no cost. Additionally, all plans include SOS Assist, with 24/7 access to emergency response centers provided by FocusPoint International.

Quick specifications: Motorola Defy Satellite Link

Compact and lightweight Bluetooth accessory

Compatible with iOS 14 or later, Android 10 or later.

Bullitt Satellite Messenger app for true two-way messaging, location sharing and SOS assistance

Mil-Spec 810H tested, waterproof and dustproof with IP68 rating

600mAh battery

Design includes physical SOS and location Check In button

Powered by MediaTek Bullitt and 3GPP NTN Technology

Pricing and availability

The Motorola Defy 2 will be available from Q2 2023 from selected operators across North America, Latin America and Canada, priced from US$599 (Rs. 49,549 approx.) including 12 months of SOS Assist.

The Motorola Defy Satellite Link will be available from April 2023 across international retailers. The device alone is priced from US$99 (Rs. 8,190 approx.).

A bundle with 12 months subscription to the Essentials Messaging Service Plan (up to 30 two-way messages per month and SOS Assist) will start at US$149 (Rs. 12,325).

Motorola Defy 2 Demonstrations at MWC 2023

The Motorola Defy Satellite Link is available for hands-on demonstrations at the following locations:

Showstoppers at MWC23, Sunday, 26 February, 4-7pm, Maritime Museum

Bullitt Stand, Hall 7, Stand B50

Lenovo Stand in Hall 3, Stand 3N30

MediaTek in Hall 3, Stand 3D10

Speaking on the announcement, Dave Carroll, Vice President of Strategic Brand Partnerships at Motorola, said,

The defy range of rugged devices have broad appeal, from outdoor enthusiasts and adventure seekers to consumers who just want an ultra-durable phone. Adding assured connectivity with two-way satellite messaging broadens the appeal of the motorola defy 2 to anyone who finds themselves outside of traditional messaging coverage. We look forward to bringing the motorola defy 2 to a new segment of mobile phone users in the coming months.

Dave Floyd, Co-Founder at Bullitt, said,
"China is an opportunity not a threat": Spanish business executive

Xinhua) 08:21, February 24, 2023

Staff members pose for a photo in front of a Chinese exhibition booth during the International Tourism Fair FITUR 2023 in Madrid, Spain, Jan. 18, 2023. (Photo by Gustavo Valiente/Xinhua)

Orriols said Spanish companies have a great opportunity to help satisfy the growing demand in China for quality consumer products and services.

BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- "My business advice after working in and interacting with the Chinese market since 2004 is that we should not see China as a threat but as an opportunity," Marin Orriols, director of the International Department of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, told Xinhua in an interview on Thursday.

"The best advice I can give as a specialist is to learn about the Chinese market, visit that market, talk to that market, forge alliances with that market," and try to benefit from the market knowledge, he said.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Spain in March 1973, bilateral trade has increased to more than 43 billion euros (45.5 billion U.S. dollars), according to 2021 figures from the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX).

A resident poses for a photo with a lion dancer during an event to celebrate the Chinese New Year in Madrid, Spain, Jan. 20, 2023. (Photo by Gustavo Valiente/Xinhua)

"I encourage our businesspeople to go to China, to do business in China. It's complicated ... but it is worth it, and we are in a fantastic position to become good trading partners," Orriols said.

He argued that Spanish companies have a great opportunity to help satisfy the growing demand in China for quality consumer products and services.

"Trade is growing rapidly," he said, "while the consumption of China's expanding middle class continues to grow, it favors Spanish exports."

In the past 50 years, economic links between the two countries have been strengthened by high-level visits. According to Spanish press reports, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is scheduled to visit China this year.

Chinese New Year posters are seen on a street in Madrid, Spain, Jan. 21, 2023. (Photo by Gustavo Valiente/Xinhua)

Travel is another business opportunity that Orriols points to, with Spain being a global powerhouse in the tourism industry and China being the largest source of international tourists, especially now that the pandemic restrictions have been removed.

Orriols said that in places like Barcelona, more groups of Chinese tourists are seen. The tourists not only generate very significant revenue but also act as ambassadors for Spanish products and services when they return China.

Orriols also believes that China's increasing investment abroad offers new business opportunities for Spanish companies.

"What do the Chinese need? Local partners. So, if we find that Chinese business with a good product or service that we believe has a future here, then what makes the most sense is to ally with them and to grow stronger together."

Spanish buyer Daniel Javier Salvador (C) talks with an exhibitor at the booth of a home appliances producer during the 130th session of the China Import and Export Fair, or the Canton Fair, in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, Oct. 15, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Dawei)

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
Promoted by some activists as a means of combating oppression, identity politics is increasingly being used by the establishment to attack the left and the labour movement. Workers and youth must fight back with revolutionary class struggle.

Originally published on socialist.net on 9 December 2022 |

With the coronation of Rishi Sunak as prime minister, right-wing and establishment politicians and commentators have taken the opportunity to pat themselves on the back for being part of such a modern, progressive society that has a member of an ethnic minority as the countrys leader.

Sunaks premiership is also accompanied by another politician of Indian heritage as home secretary, Suella Braverman. It would be fair to say that their government is not only very reactionary in general, but also specifically towards immigrants. In fact, Braverman singled out Indians as the worst breachers of Britains borders.

Thanks to events like this, it has become increasingly obvious to many on the left that identity politics is not only hollow, but is in fact a cynical tool of the right wing to sow confusion and division.

Trojan horse

In fact, through a process of trial and error, the ruling class has settled on identity politics as their primary weapon against the left. It has discovered that the subjectivism of this trend, and its appearance as being left-wing or progressive, is invaluable.

Leaders of left-wing organisations are afraid to reject false accusations of racism or misogyny for fear of appearing reactionary. Like the citizens of Troy, the left has accepted and internalised the weapons of the enemy. Consequently, the movement increasingly finds itself being attacked from within its own walls.

What distinguishes identity politics is its subjective individualism. It is not interested in the objective causes of oppression, nor of proposing any way of fighting collectively to end this oppression. Instead, it simply talks about the experiences of members of oppressed groups as individuals.

It assumes that only individuals from the oppressed group in question have any ability to understand  or right to represent  that oppressed grouping. And it insists that any accusation of racism, sexism etc. must automatically be accepted when made by a member of an oppressed group. If this accusation is rejected by anyone, that is itself, automatically, an act of oppression.

This subjectivism is very useful to the ruling class. Not only does it relegate any understanding of how capitalism and class society necessarily produces oppression, but it also allows them to undermine the left by dissolving its collective organisations in favour of tokenism.

Rather than fighting for a political programme that can liberate oppressed groups, right-wing or apolitical individuals who happen to personally be members of an oppressed group can be promoted and even given leading positions  all with the appearance of being a step on the path to liberation.

Representation and oppression

It is now the case that almost all trade unions, workers parties, and other left organisations have quotas or reserved seats in leading bodies for members of minorities and oppressed groups. This is accepted almost without question.

It was obvious to everyone that Corbyns left-wing politics completely outweighed questions of personal identity / Image: Garry Knight, Flickr

This is supposedly to ensure sufficient representation for groups who have historically been very underrepresented and oppressed. Yet on closer examination, it is clear this policy has very little to do with how to liberate these groups as a whole, and is instead based on giving a few individuals token positions. It is as if it is more important that a few individuals get to be a voice, a role model for oppressed people, than that we effectively fight for liberation.

This becomes clear when advocates of these politics attack white people, or men, for daring to have an opinion on how to fight racism or misogyny. The objection is not that their ideas are wrong, but simply that these individuals cannot possibly understand what it is like to experience racism or misogyny, and that by speaking they are taking up the time and space of people from oppressed groups.

But such an objection completely misses the task of the workers movement, which is not to give voice to the experiences of oppression, but to understand the historic basis for it and to propose political solutions.

Karl Marx never worked as a wage slave, but that is not a problem because the purpose of Capital is not to describe the experience of being an exploited worker. It is a theoretical, historical materialist analysis of the laws of capitalism, and as such it explains why capitalism must exploit the working class and must periodically have economic crises.

Would we be better off ignoring Marxs theoretical insights, and instead basing our movement simply on detailed descriptions of what it is like to be an exploited worker?

The insincerity of identity politics in the labour movement is clear when we consider how inconsistently it is applied.

On the left of the Labour Party, for example, the system of quotas for oppressed groups finds almost unanimous support. And yet, when Corbyn stood against Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall, not a single left-winger suggested voting for these female candidates against Corbyn, even though they stood to be Labours first ever female leader.

In the circumstances, it was obvious to everyone that Corbyns left-wing politics completely outweighed questions of personal identity. It was clear to Corbyn supporters that his politics would have been better for working-class women than those of Liz Kendall, despite the fact he has never experienced misogynistic abuse.

We even had the phenomenon of Grime4Corbyn, which was a spontaneous expression from musicians in the Grime music scene, an overwhelmingly black genre, even though Corbyn is white.

In the 2015 leadership election won by Corbyn, Chuka Umunna initially stood (he withdrew his candidacy before the end). Umunna is of Nigerian heritage, but he is also an ardent Blairite. Had he become Labour leader, what are the chances we would have seen Grime4Umunna? It seems highly unlikely, because Umunna is obviously an establishment politician.

What does that tell us about what inspires many young black people? It tells us that they understand that someones politics, their principles, are far more important to the struggle against injustice, than their personal identity.

When Corbyn was leader, right-wingers attacked him for having too few women in the top positions in his shadow cabinet, calling him a brocialist. These attacks were revealed for the cynical game of identity politics they were when, in the 2020 Labour leadership election, the same right-wingers backed Keir Starmer over Rebecca Long Bailey. Suddenly, what counted was ones political position, not personal identity.

Racist ruling class

It is never stated openly (for fear of sounding insensitive or racist), but in reality everyone recognises that the personal identity of members of oppressed groups does not guarantee they have a correct understanding of the very oppression their own group suffers from.

Shaun Bailey and Barack Obama show that personal experience of racism does not automatically produce a good position on the struggle against racism today / Image: Socialist Appeal

What do those on the left, who are opposed to racism, think about politicians like Shaun Bailey? He was the Tory candidate for London Mayor in 2021. Not only is he a Tory, but in 2005 he said that accommodating Hindus robs Britain of its community and turns the country into a crime ridden cesspool. Should we uncritically take his advice on racism, since as a black man he has most likely been on the receiving end of it?

The same can be said for many other reactionary politicians from oppressed identities: Suella Braverman, Rishi Sunak, Kwasi Kwarteng, Priti Patel, Kemi Badenoch, etc., etc. Of course, their views on racism  and everything else  are wildly at odds with those of the majority of black, Muslim, and Asian working-class people. Nevertheless, politicians from ethnic minorities with reactionary positions on racism and immigration certainly do exist, and some of them hold positions of power.

It is also not uncommon for middle-class members of oppressed groups to blame working-class members of their own group for their oppression.

Barack Obama is a typical example. In 2008, speaking on the topic of racism and black underachievement, he said that: We cannot use injustice as an excuse. We can't use poverty as an excuse. There are things under our control that we've got to attend to.

In another speech in the same year, he said that:

We need [black] fathers to realise that responsibility does not end at conception. We need them to realise that what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child  it's the courage to raise one... It's up to us  as fathers and parents  to instil this ethic of excellence in our children.

In other words, for the likes of Obama, many of the problems of racism are actually the fault of black people, whose culture is apparently insufficiently proactive. What this shows is that personal experience of racism, which Obama has undoubtedly had, does not automatically produce a good position on the struggle against racism today.

Quotas and careerism

The use of quotas to guarantee a desired proportion of people of colour or of women in positions of power is a completely artificial and bureaucratic method. It does nothing to diminish racism or misogyny, or to remove the real material barriers that prevent the most oppressed and exploited layers of society from engaging in politics.

Unison's tokenistic policies have done nothing to help the plight of working class black people and women / Image: Socialist Appeal

In the labour movement, any method that is bureaucratic is to the detriment of the working class as whole, because it discourages rank-and-file involvement and the formation of class consciousness.

The working class is not strengthened by the careers that a small minority of their class are bureaucratically rewarded with. The more they are discouraged from collective participation, in favour of bureaucratic guarantees for a small number, the easier it is for the ruling class to get what it wants. What the ruling class fears more than anything else, is a mass movement of the working class.

Unison, the biggest trade union in the country, has for decades had a set number of seats on its National Executive Council (NEC) that can only be filled by members from various groups. For example, there are four seats that can only be filled by black members of the union. That means that no white members of the union can stand in the elections for those seats.

In practice, this often means that the candidates for these seats are unopposed, because not enough black members put themselves forward for a competition. As a result, those who do put themselves forward are automatically given the position.

What this means is that they do not hold these positions on the basis of a campaign. In reality, they lack a base of support in the membership and are unknown to them. They do not have these positions because they have a radical programme to fight for the interests of the black working class. Instead, their seat on the NEC is exactly what it is: the filling of a quota as a substitute for fighting for the interests of workers.

In 2016, Unisons leadership proposed to reduce the number of seats reserved for black members in favour of an extra seat for a disabled member. This led to the unedifying sight of black members of the union spending their energy at the conference campaigning against this decision  essentially arguing with disabled members over which oppressed group needed reserved seats more than the other.

Instead, these members could have spent the week campaigning for a fighting programme so that the union would lead the struggle against austerity. Given that Unison organises an extremely large number of low-paid black workers in the public sector, such a programme would be of enormous benefit to black workers. Instead, all their energy went into fighting for a bureaucratically-guaranteed seat.

These policies have been in place in the labour movement for decades now. We are entitled to ask: what results have they given for working-class black people, or for working-class women?

After decades of such policies, inequality between ethnicities and the sexes has either not changed or has worsened; we have seen the rise of vicious anti-immigrant politics; weve seen attacks on benefits for working-class women; and there has been years of massive austerity, which has disproportionately harmed women and black workers.

There is no evidence that these tokenistic policies have done anything to help prevent or mitigate these disastrous changes. In fact, they worsen them, by providing the illusion that something is being done, and by discouraging conscious, mass participation from black and female workers, in favour of fixed quotas.

Accusations and apologies

The same subjective idealist position lies behind the position that an accusation of racism, sexual abuse, or misogyny must automatically be accepted in the labour movement.

The argument given for this is twofold. Firstly, there are very few false accusations of sexual and racist abuse in society, but there are very many sexual and racially-motivated attacks that go unpunished. Therefore, we should always accept any such accusation, because it will most likely be true, and this will even slightly redress the balance.

Secondly, instances of abuse can only be understood by the victim; and other parties  especially if they dont share the victims ethnic or sexual identity  are not in a position to judge.

We do not have to look very far to find out what the repercussions of this ideology are for the labour movement. We have witnessed the so-called antisemitism scandal in the Labour Party, for example; and more recently, the debacle in Unison regarding the alleged racism of the left-led NEC.

In both cases, the entrenched right-wing bureaucracy launched campaigns of accusations regarding racism. In both cases this worked, because the left leaders capitulated to the moral panic the accusations generated.

In both cases, despite the accusations being patently false, the lefts leaders apologised for their racism and thereby gave credibility to these slanders.

The Forde inquiry has confirmed (in hindsight) that the Labour right wing was cynically utilising antisemitism accusations for factional purposes. Nevertheless, John McDonnell and other leading left-wingers would regularly say the party must apologise to the Jewish community for its problem with antisemitism. And under Corbyns leadership, left-wing MP Chris Williamson was suspended for saying they had apologised too much over the matter.

In the leadership election following Corbyns resignation, left-wing candidate Rebecca Long Bailey said that Labour "owed Jewish people an apology". And at one leadership hustings, she agreed it was anti-Semitic to describe Israel, its policies, or the circumstances around its foundation as racist.

Thanks to the lefts tendency to accept these bogus allegations and apologise, making unfounded allegations like this is now the right wings preferred method for destroying the threat from the left.

It is now standard practice whenever a left-winger wins a position, for the right wing to trawl through their social media history and dig up some post that can be construed as in some way racist, even if it was from when they were a child.

One doesnt even need to find an accusation from an alleged victim, one simply needs to show some perceived insensitivity to racism or misogyny by the left winger.

Unisons left-wing NEC, for example, was accused of racism purely because the proportion of their activists who are black was not as high as it could be. The NEC made the grave mistake of admitting to this racism and apologising for it, obviously fearing the inevitable confirmation of their racism had they been so bold as to deny being racists.

By now it is clear that to go along with this moral pressure, and accept any accusation regardless of its credibility, means nothing short of agreeing to liquidate any left-wing organisation.

With these ideas, all any enemy of the left needs to do is hurl an accusation, no matter how absurd, and the left will immediately collapse in order to atone for the sin of which they are accused.

Morality and hypocrisy

Under class society, official morality is always hypocritical. Morality serves class ends, but is presented as if it is above such interests; as if there are timeless moral laws one must apply, above and regardless of the interests of the working class.

The moral code seemingly never applies to those on the right wing / Image: Socialist Appeal

One must be seen to say the right thing  which is easy enough to do, since words are cheap. What one actually does is, of course, another matter!

Naturally, any mass movement will have within it individuals with prejudices; and abuses can and will take place in such movements. Unfortunately, there is no way for the left to perfectly seal itself off from capitalist society and its horrors.

Any such instances of abuse must be dealt with by the movement in a serious and firm manner, to make it clear that there is no tolerance for discrimination and abuse within the movement, which only serves to weaken and divide the working class.

But the effect of bowing to this moral pressure from the class enemy and automatically accepting each and every accusation promoted by them means the liquidation of any gains the left makes.

Of course, a genuine fighting organisation of the working class must also be one as free from prejudice and abuse as possible. But it is absolutely impermissible to threaten the viability of a revolutionary organisation, or of a broader left movement of the class, by automatically accepting accusations, no matter who is throwing them and to what ends.

It must also be understood that accusations that are cynically used for political ends, as in the case of alleged Labour antisemitism, do not help to bring about some degree of justice; nor do they help to make discrimination unacceptable.

In fact, the obvious cynicism and dishonesty behind these accusations only serves to produce more cynicism in society, and most likely actually increases racism.

There will be confused people who supported Corbyn, and then saw him relentlessly, falsely attacked over antisemitism, who as a result wrongly conclude that there is a Jewish campaign against the left. In reality, it was a right-wing campaign that was using the existence of Jewish oppression to achieve its own ends.

As with all moral crusades of the ruling class, this was characterised by hypocrisy. The moral code never applies to those on the right wing. Hence, Labour right-winger Margaret Hodge recently felt confident enough to attack the Campaign Against Antisemitism after it criticised Keir Starmer, tweeting that she is:

Fed up of CAA using antisemitism as a front to attack Labour. Time to call them out for what and who they really are. More concerned with undermining Labour than rooting out antisemitism.

One can only imagine the outcry had a Corbyn supporter accused a Jewish organisation of deceitfully using antisemitism to attack Labour, such that it needed to be called out for what it really is. Strangely, Hodges tweet sparked no controversy in the press.

The hypocrisy of this moral campaign against antisemitism was clear at the time  most notably from the fact that the Tories received no such campaign, even though it is known that the party has far more racists  including antisemites  within its ranks; not to mention the fact that its leaders actively promote racist policies.

But whenever this was pointed out, the establishments moral crusaders would smugly reply: So, youre saying that racism within the Labour Party is ok, and we should ignore it, because the Tories have similar problems.

It is also important to note that in this campaign, the supposedly left-wing Guardian newspaper carried far more articles accusing Corbyns supporters of antisemitism than any other paper. According to Declassified UK:

Since January 2016, The Guardian has published 1,215 stories mentioning Labour and anti-Semitism, an average of around one per day, according to a search on Factiva, the database of newspaper articles. In the same period, The Guardian published just 194 articles mentioning the Conservative Partys much more serious problem with Islamophobia. A YouGov poll in 2019, for example, found that nearly half of the Tory Party membership would prefer not to have a Muslim prime minister.

This underlines the point that identity politics is so useful to the ruling class because of how sensitive the left is to accusations of racism or discrimination of any kind.

Who better than to wield this weapon of antisemitism accusations than the paper with a reputation for being left-wing? That was far more damaging than if the accusations were mainly publicised by the Daily Mail.

Revolutionary struggle

The strength of this line of attack lies in the political weakness of the left, and in nothing else. If the left confidently refuted patently false accusations  and rallied its supporters to go on the offensive, pointing out the hypocrisy of the racist ruling class  this method would be quickly abandoned.

The labour movement must fight racism and inequality by mobilising its members around a socialist programme / Image: Socialist Appeal

Likewise, if the labour movement fought racism and inequality by mobilising its members around a socialist programme, laying the blame for racism, misogyny, and other forms of oppression at the feet of the capitalists, it would inspire far more black and female activists to get involved than the promise of a few guaranteed seats.

The labour movement needs to understand this. Understanding it is also part and parcel of understanding that capitalism cannot be reformed in the interests of the working class, and that the ruling class interests are irreconcilable with those of the workers. This is why the accusations it lays at the door of the workers organisations cannot be taken at face value.

In the words of Leon Trotsky:
Story Highlights Customer trust has been in decline for years

Organizations must rethink their approach to customer retention

Earn Gen Z trust with investment in your mission and empowered employees

For all the workplace trends nabbing headlines over the last few years, one trend with far-reaching effects and implications hasnt garnered much attention yet: the growing deficit in customer trust.

Gallups annual measure of public trust in U.S. institutions has been on the decline, with sharp downturns across many industries -- including big business and banks -- from 2021 to 2022.

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The unfortunate result of this dissipating trust across industries is that it affects all businesses. And it isnt just customer trust thats scarce -- customer satisfaction has been on the decline as well. The American Customer Satisfaction Index reports a sharp decline in customer satisfaction since 2019.1

The drop in customer satisfaction makes sense. When a relationship suffers a breach of trust, it can influence every interaction in the future -- and even how people view past interactions. An experience that was previously satisfactory might now, upon further reflection, seem less than.

The truth is, when trust is lost, customers are less likely to give you the benefit of the doubt and more likely to view the relationship with a critical eye. And in todays digitally connected world, consumers can share that critical perspective far and wide with just a few clicks.

To overcome a trust deficit, you cant just keep doing what youve always done. Recovering lost ground demands change.

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Whats contributing to the trust deficit?

So how did we get here? Shifting customer expectations have altered the landscape for most businesses and industries. From an increased awareness of and importance placed on your companys mission and purpose (or lack thereof) and your organizations environmental impact to the shift in the balance of power between customer and business, customer expectations are ever-evolving -- and organizations that dont keep up will be left behind.

Greater access to information has shifted control to the customers hands.

The internet is the great equalizer. It has empowered customers with more knowledge than ever before. Price shopping, product reviews and service reviews are at customers fingertips -- even apps designed to help them sort through all of that information. The days of a customer walking into a store to make a large purchase without doing any research first are all but a relic.

And social media has given customers a megaphone to communicate with the general public (i.e., current and potential customers, C-level executives, potential applicants, current employees, current vendors). Access to such a large platform for customers can result in heartwarming stories that amplify brand engagement just as easily as havoc when customers share negative experiences.

Customer expectations are ever-evolving -- and organizations that dont keep up will be left behind.

Companies have failed to keep up with shifting expectations from millennials and Gen Z.

As of 2021, Gallups research showed that Gen Z and young millennials made up nearly half of the full-time U.S. workforce -- a share that is only growing with each year as more baby boomers exit the workforce. As employees, they prioritize purpose and social elements more highly than did generations that came before them -- and theyre no different as customers.

When Gen Z customers learn a brand supports a social cause or is viewed as socially responsible, 85% say they trust the brand more, 84% say they are likely to purchase the brands products, and 82% say they are likely to recommend that brand to their friends and family.2 Yet, most organizations still lack an authentic mission and purpose: A 2022 Gallup study found that just three in 10 employees strongly agree the mission or purpose of their company makes them feel their job is important.3

And we are seeing the impact of the growing Gen Z and millennial generations in B2B. Sixty percent of B2B tech buyers are now millennials -- and this generation is two times more likely than older generations to discover products and brands online.4 Gen Z customers are close behind, along with their intense focus on purpose and social causes.

An organizations future success depends on whether theyre able to connect with this young and growing share of the market.

Employees are no longer empowered to delight customers.

A great customer experience requires a smooth process and experience with technology, but most important are those less common -- yet critical  human-to-human interactions. Unfortunately, most employees dont feel empowered to create magic in those moments: Only 23% of U.S. workers believe their organization always delivers on the promises it makes to customers.5

On the other hand, employees who are connected to their workplaces culture or who are engaged are four times as likely to strongly agree their organization always delivers on the promise it makes to customers.6 The employee experience directly affects the customer experience -- for ill or good.

What can leaders do to address this?

Embrace and lead with your authentic higher mission and purpose.

Change the narrative by leaning in to your organizations core values and purpose. We know that young millennials and Gen Z genuinely care about brand values and are more selective about who they do business with, so embrace your values and find ways to share them with customers transparently. Dont just tell customers about your values -- embody them in decision-making at every level, from interactions with staff to customers.

Make your human interactions with customers count.

Technology is a wonderful way to reduce friction when customers have a need. And its a great solution for meeting customers expectations that an organization be always on -- but it does not create magic or authentically generate a connection to your brand. Very few customers have closed an app, smiled to themself and walked away with a deeper psychological connection to the brand. Human interactions with customers, when done right, create magic that technology cannot replicate. When you have the opportunity to indulge in those moments, seize it.

Empower your people to deliver magic to customers.

If most employees dont agree that their company delivers on its brand promise to customers, how must the customers feel? Start by revisiting what your brand promise is. Check in with your employees to see where they feel unable to deliver on that promise, and develop action items to bridge those gaps.
Les conseillers des divers gouvernements, en matiere de securite, de la region se sont donnes rendez-vous a Maurice pour la 6e reunion qui est prevue dans le troisieme trimestre de 2023.

Cabinet has agreed to the 6th National Security Adviser Level Meeting of the Colombo Security Conclave being held in Mauritius during the third quarter of 2023.

The Colombo Security Conclave is a trilateral initiative comprising India, Sri Lanka and Maldives for cooperation in the field of maritime security.

The focus of the Conclave comprises cooperation in combating human trafficking, counter terrorism, protection of critical infrastructure, information warfare and technology, cyber security and oil pollution response plan and COVID-19 concerns.

Around 52 participants were expected to attend the meeting.

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NEW YORK, Feb. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, continues its investigation of potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of adidas AG (OTC: ADDYY, ADDDF) resulting from allegations that adidas may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public.

SO WHAT: If you purchased adidas securities you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. The Rosen Law Firm is preparing a class action seeking recovery of investor losses.

WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the prospective class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=12204 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action.

WHAT IS THIS ABOUT: On October 25, 2022, adidas ended its lucrative business partnership with Kanye West (under which it sold shoes designed by West under the brand name Yeezy) as a result of his anti-Semitic rhetoric.

On November 27, 2022, The Wall Street Journal published an article entitled Adidas Top Executives Discussed Risk of Staffs Direct Exposure to Kanye West Years Ago. According to the article, as early as 2018, adidas executives discussed ending the business partnership with West as a result of his behavior. Reportedly adidas feared continuing the relationship with West, as they feared it could blow up at any moment. The article added that West made anti-Semitic statements in front of adidas staff, and that he told adidas staff that he was considering naming an album after Adolf Hitler.

On February 9, 2023 adidas announced that while the company continues to review future options for the utilization of its Yeezy inventory, this guidance already accounts for the significant adverse impact from not selling the existing stock. This would lower revenues by around  1.2 billion and operating profit by around  500 million this year. Further, should the company irrevocably decide not to repurpose any of the existing Yeezy product going forward, this would result in the write-off of the existing Yeezy inventory and would lower the companys operating profit by an additional  500 million this year. In addition, adidas expects one-off costs of up to  200 million in 2023. These costs are part of a strategic review the company is currently conducting aimed at reigniting profitable growth as of 2024. If all these effects were to materialize, the company would expect to report an operating loss of  700 million in 2023. adidas CEO stated, [t]he numbers speak for themselves. We are currently not performing the way we should[.]

As a result of these adverse disclosures the price of adidas securities have fallen, damaging investors.

WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs Bar. Many of the firms attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Contact Information:

Laurence Rosen, Esq.

Phillip Kim, Esq.

The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.

275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor

New York, NY 10016

Tel: (212) 686-1060

Toll Free: (866) 767-3653

Fax: (212) 202-3827

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cases@rosenlegal.com

www.rosenlegal.com
Vancouver, BC, Feb. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Praxis Spinal Cord Institute

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

February 23, 2023

VANCOUVER, BC  February 23, 2023  Praxis Spinal Cord Institute is pleased to announce the three transformative technologies selected as the SCI Incubate program cohort for 2023. Three companies Battelle, inContAlert, and Focal Lines Technologies [supported under the SCI Validate program]will take part in the four-month intensive mentoring program to accelerate innovation into commercial reality for the spinal cord injury (SCI) community.

Following a worldwide call for innovations, the three companies were selected by an expert panel of people with lived experience of SCI (PLEX), researchers, and commercial leaders. The three early stage technologies address care- and cure-related treatments for people with SCI, with the potential to transform healthcare outcomes for the broader community.

As part of the Praxis Commercialization initiative, the SCI Incubate Program provides support and resources to help early-stage start-ups grow care- and cure-related treatments that address quality of life for people with SCI. Throughout the four months, the cohort companies have access to mentorship and networking opportunities to help them reach their goals. This support includes up to $20K CAD in targeted funding to help assist with key objectives set during the program.

As part of SCI Incubate, SCI Validate is geared towards early-stage innovation projects, and will be supporting Focal Lines Technologies. There is additional focus on PLEX-based user testing for developing the pre-prototype technologies.

SCI Incubate 2023 Cohort:

Battelles NeuroLife wearable sleeve technology allows measurement of the nerves and muscles of the forearm with high resolution and in real-time. The result is targeted stimulation interventions that recreate complex, dexterous hand movements. Visit their website

inContAlert helps incontinence patients monitor the filling level of their urinary bladder. Wearable technology scans the bladder unobtrusively throughout the day. Machine learning algorithms developed using the patients data can then generate an alert when a predefined filling level is reached. This minimizes the risk of leakage and harmful over-distension of the bladder. Visit their website

Focal Lines Technologies [supported through SCI Validate] is a Vancouver, BC-based company pioneering in the field of smart material development and remote health technology and virtual care. An advanced e-textile sensor system, based on novel nanomaterials, seamlessly connects and monitors patients remotely for smart rehabilitation insights to help individuals regain independence.

Praxis is grateful to the Government of Canada, the Province of BC and Genome BC for funding support for SCI Incubate.

For more information please contact:

Amanda Maxwell, Marketing Communications Lead

Email: amaxwell@praxisinstitute.org

For general questions about the Praxis SCI Incubate Program, please email SCI_Incubate@praxisinstitute.org . Applications open again in the fall.

About Praxis Spinal Cord Institute

Praxis Spinal Cord Institute plays a key role in the development of new technologies and treatments for those living with SCI. Our vision is a world without paralysis after SCI. We advance research and innovation worldwide through networks of international researchers, health care professionals, clinical trials, entrepreneurs, investors, and PLEX.

Based in Vancouver, BC Canada we facilitate an international network of people with SCI and world-class experts who work together to identify, prioritize and solve the most urgent challenges.

Our multi-disciplinary, adaptable approach maximizes our impact, to accelerates discovery and innovation to benefit quality of life for the SCI community.

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Feb. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global Distribution components market is expected to reach a valuation of around US$ 39,236.6 Million in 2022. As per a new report by Future Market Insights, the market is projected to exhibit growth at a CAGR of 4.4% from 2022 to 2032. It is likely to be valued at US$ 60,525.1 Million by the end of 2032.



The market for distribution components witnessed moderate growth during the past few years, primarily due to the rising number of residential & infrastructure development projects across the globe. The power generation sector has experienced high investments from governments of various countries around the world to support the development of renewable energy sources. The ever-increasing population and rapid urbanization have also resulted in a moderate surge in terms of new residential construction. It is projected to lead to high demand for residential and commercial construction, which would have a positive impact on the demand for distribution components.

Get a sample PDF of the report @: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-15752

Besides, demand for distribution components has significantly increased as a result of rapid expansion of the industrial sector throughout the world, as well as rising public awareness regarding the need to save electricity by integrating distribution components into electrical systems. It is also anticipated that the implementation of energy-efficiency norms and regulations for the building of public lighting & power systems will surge the need for distribution components.

Key Takeaways from the Distribution Components Market Study

Over the course of the forecast period, the controls stations and covers segment is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.7% and reach around US$ 9,454.3 Million by 2032.

and reach around by 2032. By country, the U.S. is expected to remain dominant throughout the forecast period and is anticipated to account for more than 20% of market share by 2032.

of market share by 2032. China is expected to develop at a 6.2% CAGR in the distribution components market during the evaluation period.

CAGR in the distribution components market during the evaluation period. From 2022 to 2032, the India distribution components market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 6.6% .

. Based on product type, the distribution segment is likely to showcase a moderate growth rate at a CAGR of 3.6% in the evaluation period from 2022 to 2032.





"Power consumption at various production facilities is anticipated to increase as the production capacity surges. Manufacturers nowadays are concentrating on reducing their operational costs through efficient power supply with the use of distribution components for efficient and cost-effective production," says a Future Market Insights analyst.

Buy now @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/checkout/15752

Competitive Landscape: Distribution Components Market

The distribution components market is highly fragmented, with top players accounting for less than one third of the global market revenue in 2021. The unorganized sector includes both European and Chinese brands, which are selling their products through local dealers and distributors. European brands mainly depend on their high durability, whereas Chinese brands' USP remains their significantly lower pricing.

Eaton Corporation, Johnson Electric Holding Ltd, Schneider Electric, ABB Ltd, General Electric, Legrand, Hitachi Ltd, Panasonic Corporation, Leviton, Mitsubishi Electric, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Emerson Electric Co, Fuji Electric, and Toshiba Corporation among others are a few of the major participants in the global distribution components market.

Get More Insights into the Distribution Components Market Report

In its latest report, Future Market Insights offers an unbiased analysis of the global distribution components market, providing historical data from 2017 to 2021 and forecast statistics for the period 2022-to 2032. To understand the global market potential, growth, and scope, the market is segmented based on by product type and by region.

Key Segments Covered In Distribution Components Market Analysis

By Product Type:

Wiring Devices

Fire Rated Poke Through

Floor Boxes

Cable Glands

Controls Stations and Covers

Distribution

Enclosures

Brake Modules

Mobile Electrification





By Region:

North America

Latin America

Europe

East Asia

South Asia and Pacific

Middle East & Africa

Customization Report For You: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/customization-available/rep-gb-15752

Table of Content

1. Executive Summary | Distribution Components Market

1.1. Global Market Outlook

1.2. Demand Side Trends

1.3. Supply Side Trends

1.4. Technology Roadmap

1.5. 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. Key Success Factors

4.1. Product Adoption / Usage Analysis

4.2. Product USPs / Features

4.3. Strategic Promotional Strategies

Read Full Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/distribution-components-market

Explore FMIs Extensive Coverage on Industrial Automation Domain:

Vacuum Cleaner Filter Market Size : The global vacuum cleaner filter market was valued at US$ 1,755.4 million in 2022 and is projected to expand at an impressive CAGR of 9.3% to reach a market valuation of close to US$ 4,670.0 million in 2032.

Industrial Motors Market Keytrends: The global industrial motors market was valued at US$ 653.0 million in 2022. From 2022 to 2032, the market is projected to expand slowly at a CAGR of 3.5%. This is likely to propel the markets valuation to US$ 917.3 million in 2032.

Polymer Seals Market Research : The global polymer seals market was estimated to have reached a value of US$ 11.3 billion in 2022. From 2022 to 2032, the market is projected to expand at a CAGR of 5.1% to reach a valuation of US$ 18.7 billion in 2032.

Cattle Handling Systems Market Overview : The global cattle handling systems market is estimated to develop at a moderate CAGR of 6.6% during the forecast period. The market for cattle handling systems is estimated to reach from US$ 2,630 Million in 2023 to US$

Expansion Valves Market Share: Sales in the expansion valves market are projected to total US$ 17.4 Billion in 2023 from US$ 11.5 Billion in 2023. Increasing demand for advanced air conditioning systems for installation in diverse sectors will drive growth in the market by 4.2% CAGR between 2023 and 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.

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Plot No: JLT-PH2-X2A,

Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai,

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For Sales Enquiries: sales@futuremarketinsights.com
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SINGAPORE, Feb. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APF Canada) and Universities Canada concluded a successful Canada-in-Asia Conference (CIAC2023) in Singapore on February 23, 2023. This first-of-its-kind event gathered Canada-connected individuals and organizations from across Asia to catalyze a new phase of Canada-Asia engagement.



Over two days at the Fairmont Singapores Raffles City Convention Centre, more than 585 attendees  including 330 from 17 economies across the Asia Pacific and over 400 Canadian university alumni  discussed the next phase in Canadas engagement with Asia, a dynamic and growing region currently home to 55 per cent of the worlds population and responsible for 45 per cent of global consumption. Looking at Asias growth projections for the next decade underscores the importance and urgency for Canada to diversify and solidify its presence in a region that has become the worlds centre of economic and geopolitical gravity.

As the Government of Canada begins to action a new Indo-Pacific Strategy with funding initiatives and long-term commitments in the region of unprecedented scale and scope, CIAC2023 arrived in Singapore at an opportune time in Canada-Asia relations. The event gathered Asia-based alumni of Canadian universities alongside key leaders from business, government, and universities in Canada, Singapore, and across Asia around themes including enhancing trade and investment, food security, clean energy transition, building equitable and inclusive societies, higher education, and tackling climate change. Panellists included university presidents, thought-leaders, and industry changemakers from Canada and Asia who deeply engaged with the session themes providing unique perspectives from their varied institutional and personal backgrounds.

The first CIAC program combined keynote and interdisciplinary plenary sessions, high-level thematic panel discussions, strategic networking opportunities, and an evening gala. Featured speakers at CIAC2023 included federal and provincial ministers, heads of major corporations and organizations, Canadian Nobel Laureate Dr. Donna Strickland, global strategy advisor and bestselling author Parag Khanna, and the renowned international architect Moshe Safdie. The keynote session showcased the important work being done at Canadian, Singaporean, and regional post-secondary institutions, industries, and financial institutional  including multi-national partnerships, collaboration agreements, and joint initiatives.

We established the Canada-in-Asia Conference to build networks that would inform and facilitate collaboration between partners across and within Canada and Asia, said Jeff Nankivell, President and CEO, Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. While much of our discussion at CIAC2023 touched on geopolitical risks and challenges, what I heard over the past two days was consensus on a positive agenda for broader and deeper Canadian engagement in the region.

The inaugural Canada-in-Asia Conference was an enormous success, said Paul Davidson, President of Universities Canada. Great conversations took place, and many new connections were formed amongst global leaders and Canadian university alumni in Asia. I am optimistic that this conference will springboard us into a new era of Canada-Asia engagement  one where we combine our strengths and work together to solve the worlds toughest problems.

The Canada-in-Asia Conference is presented with the assistance of the Government of Canada. APF Canada and Universities Canada are grateful for this support. We would also like to thank our Major Partners, Sun Life, Invest in Canada, Export Development Canada, and Royal Bank of Canada; our Supporting Partners, Gouvernement du Quebec & Investissement Quebec; and our Associate Partners, BMO, Bombardier, CIBC, Government of Saskatchewan, Invest Alberta, McMillan LLP, Fasken, Gowling WLG, McCarthy Tetrault; and our Official Airline Partner, Air Canada.

The Canada-in-Asia Conference would also not be possible without our Gold University Partners, University of Waterloo, McGill University, University of Toronto, York University, University of British Columbia, Western University, and the University of Alberta; our Silver University Partners, The Research Universities Council of British Columbia, University of Ottawa, University of Saskatchewan, and University of Calgary; and our Bronze University Partner, SFU Alumni.

Key Links:

Conference Website: www.canada-in-asia.ca

AP Event Images: https://apimages.photoshelter.com/galleries/G0000KvVgYI2Dq3c/G0000KvVgYI2Dq3c/CANADA-IN-ASIA-CONFERENCE-2023-distributed-photos-from-Day-1-2-and-3

APF Canada: www.asiapacific.ca

Universities Canada: www.univcan.ca



Contacts :

Media

Michael Roberts

Communications Director

Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada

communications@asiapacific.ca

Mobile: 604-649-4863

Universities Canada

Lisa Wallace

Assistant Director, Communications | Directeur adjoint Communications

Universities Canada | Universites Canada

lwallace@univcan.ca

Mobile: 343-999-7183

About the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada:

The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada is dedicated to strengthening ties between Canada and Asia with a focus on expanding economic relations through trade, investment and innovation; promoting Canadas expertise in offering solutions to Asias climate change, energy, food security and natural resource management challenges; building Asia skills and competencies among Canadians, including young Canadians; and, improving Canadians general understanding of Asia and its growing global influence.



Visit APF Canada at www.asiapacific.ca

About Universities Canada:

Universities Canada is the voice of Canadian universities, at home and abroad. A membership organization providing university presidents with a unified voice for higher education, research, and innovation, Universities Canada advances the mission of its member institutions to transform lives, strengthen communities, and find solutions to the most pressing challenges facing our world. The organization advocates for Canadian universities at the federal level, provides a forum for university leaders to share ideas and address challenges in higher education, supports students by providing information on university study and offering scholarships on behalf of private sector companies, and fosters collaboration among universities and governments, the private sector, communities, and international partners.



Visit Universities Canada at www.univcan.ca
Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, Feb. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Silver Tiger Metals Inc. (TSXV:SLVR) (Silver Tiger or the Corporation) is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced bought deal offering (the Offering) of common shares of the Company (the Shares) with a syndicate of underwriters. An aggregate of 58,100,000 Shares at a price of C$0.31 per Share for gross proceeds to the Company of approximately C$18 million were sold. The Corporation intends to use the proceeds of the Offering to continue advancement of the El Tigre mining project and for general corporate purposes.



The syndicate of underwriters was led by BMO Capital Markets, as lead underwriter and sole bookrunner, and included Desjardins Securities Inc., PI Financial Corp., Sprott Capital Partners LP, Echelon Wealth Partners Inc. and Eight Capital (collectively, the Underwriters). The Underwriters were paid a cash commission of 6% on the gross proceeds of the Offering.

The Offering was completed by way of short form prospectus in each of the provinces of Canada, except Quebec, pursuant to National Instrument 44-101  Short Form Prospectus Distributions. The Shares were not offered or sold in the United States except under Rule 144A or Regulation D or in such other manner as to not require registration under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of any of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the U.S. Securities Act), or any applicable state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold within the United States unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration requirements is available.

About Silver Tiger and the El Tigre Historic Mine District

Silver Tiger Metals Inc. is a Canadian company whose management has more than 25 years experience discovering, financing and building large hydrothermal silver projects in Mexico. Silver Tigers 100% owned 28,414 hectare Historic El Tigre Mining District is located in Sonora, Mexico. Principled environmental, social and governance practices are core priorities at Silver Tiger.

The El Tigre historic mine district is located in Sonora, Mexico and lies at the northern end of the Sierra Madre silver and gold belt which hosts many epithermal silver and gold deposits, including Dolores, Santa Elena and Las Chispas at the northern end. In 1896, gold was first discovered on the property in the Gold Hill area and mining started with the Brown Shaft in 1903. The focus soon changed to mining high-grade silver veins in the area with production coming from 3 parallel veins the El Tigre Vein, the Seitz Kelly Vein and the Sooy Vein. Underground mining on the middle El Tigre vein extended 1,450 meters along strike and was mined on 14 levels to a depth of approximately 450 meters. The Seitz Kelly Vein was developed along strike for 1 kilometer to a depth of approximately 200 meters. The Sooy Vein was only mined along strike for 250 meters to a depth of approximately 150 meters. Mining abruptly stopped on all 3 of these veins when the price of silver collapsed to less than 20 per ounce with the onset of the Great Depression. By the time the mine closed in 1932, it is reported to have produced a total of 353,000 ounces of gold and 67.4 million ounces of silver from 1.87 million tons (Craig, 2012). The average grade mined during this period was over 2 kilograms silver equivalent per ton.

The El Tigre silver and gold deposit is related to a series of high-grade epithermal veins controlled by a north-south trending structure cutting across the andesitic and rhyolitic tuffs of the Sierra Madre Volcanic Complex within a broad silver and gold mineralized prophylitic alteration zone developed in the El Tigre Formation that can be up to 150 meters wide. The veins dip steeply to the west and are typically 0.5 meter wide but locally can be up to 5 meters in width. The veins, structures and mineralized zones outcrop on surface and have been traced for 5.3 kilometers along strike in our brownfield exploration area. Historical mining and exploration activities focused on a 1.6 kilometer portion of the southern end of the deposits, principally on the El Tigre, Seitz Kelly and Sooy veins. The under explored Caleigh, Benjamin, Protectora and the Fundadora exposed veins continue north for more than 3 kilometers. Silver Tiger has delivered its maiden 43-101 compliant resource estimate and is currently drilling to update its resource estimate and publish a PEA.

VRIFY Slide Deck and 3D Presentation  Silver Tigers El Tigre Project

VRIFY is a platform being used by companies to communicate with investors using 360 virtual tours of remote mining assets, 3D models and interactive presentations. VRIFY can be accessed by website and with the VRIFY iOS and Android apps.

Access the Silver Tiger Metals Inc. Corporate Profile on VRIFY at: https://vrify.com

The VRIFY Slide Deck and 3D Presentation for Silver Tiger Metals Inc. can be viewed at: https://vrify.com/explore/decks/492 and on the Companys website at: www.silvertigermetals.com.

Qualified Person

David R. Duncan, P. Geo., V.P. Exploration of the Corporation, is the Qualified Person for Silver Tiger as defined under National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Duncan has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this press release.

For further information, please contact:

Glenn Jessome

President and CEO

902 492 0298

jessome@silvertigermetals.com

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT:

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 News Release includes certain forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including, without limitation, the intended use of proceeds from the Offering, statements regarding potential mineralization, resources and reserves, the ability to convert inferred resources to indicated resources, the similarity of mineralization at El Tigre to Delores, Santa Elena and Chispas, the ability to complete future drilling programs and infill sampling, the ability to extend resource blocks, exploration results and the future plans and objectives of Silver Tiger, are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as may, is expected to, anticipates, estimates, intends, plans, projection, could, vision, goals, objective and outlook and other similar words. Although Silver Tiger believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, 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. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Silver Tigers expectations include risks and uncertainties related to exploration, development, operations, commodity prices and global financial volatility, risk and uncertainties of operating in a foreign jurisdiction as well as additional risks described from time to time in the filings made by Silver Tiger with securities regulators.




5 Ways to get closure without talking to your ex

Greatist.com Relationships May - 03 - 2018 , 12:32

I just need closure. These words are way too familiar to anyone who's gone through a bad breakup. As you spend your first newly single days sobbing and bouncing back and forth between I can do better and Ill be alone forever, it seems like the best way to make the pain stopstat.

But it's an elusive conceptand it may not even be a real thing. "Closure doesnt exist," says Nancy Berns, Ph.D., sociologist and author of Closure: The Rush to End Grief and What It Costs Us. "Its an ambiguous term that means something different to every person." Forgiveness, revenge, forgettingyou have to figure out the root of your yearning first.

A more tangible definition of closure: healing. In other words, even though closure doesnt exist, it doesnt mean youll be in pain forever, Berns says. "You can heal without closure."

Still, that's easier said than done. Why is it so freakin' hard to feel better? One explanation comes from a Russian psychologist, Bluma Zeigarnik, in the late 1920s: She hypothesized the reason waiters could remember orders up until they delivered the food was because unprocessed material lingers in our brain.

This so-called Zeigarnik effect applies to loose ends throughout our lives, says Don Cole, LMFT, master certified Gottman therapist and co-founder of The Center for Relationship Wellness in Houston. Until the information is processed, its being worked on in part of our brain. And it keeps nagging at you, kind of like a stone in your shoe.

Once the case is closed, we can let it gobut that need for closure is a built-in system. Shifting those lingering thoughts into storage typically involves having questions answered, Cole says. And yes, sometimes you have to talk to the other person for this to happenplain and simple. But communicating with your ex can trigger painful memorieseven physical painand set you back in your healing process, Cole points out. Reward, addiction, and emotion regulation systems associated with rejection in love. Fisher HE, Brown LL, Aron A. Journal of neurophysiology, 2010, May.;104(1):1522-1598.

To top it off, it's likely your ex wont be able to explain why it ended all that well, Cole adds. In short, unless the breakup was amicable, youre probably going to leave even more frustrated and wounded than you went in. So, how do you heal without reaching out to catch up over coffee, drinks, or having a screaming match over the phone? Keep reading.

Talk things out with a (neutral) friend

The single best thing you can do: Find a truly empathic friend who can listen to your feelings, Cole says. Science agrees: A study found actively reflecting on a recent breakup can actually help speed the healing process, since it lets you process that information aloud.

But choose your confidante carefully. Youre vulnerable, so its important to find someone who wont tell you how to feel or think but will just be a witness to your pain, both experts agree. Be upfront and tell them what you need, Cole suggests. The payoff is worth any awkwardness you may feel at reaching out for help.

A therapist will work too, but Cole actually recommends the friend route for the neurochemical boost we get from being around people we love.

Load up your Netflix queue with comedies

Your body responds to a breakup like it would any threatfiring up your sympathetic nervous system and flooding your body with chemicals like adrenaline and cortisol. You need to downregulate, Cole says, and convince your body to chill on the internal chaos.

Humor naturally does this, as it helps to buffer some of the negative effects of your fight-or-flight response and may slightly ease anxiety, studies show. You have to restore the balance to be able to start healing, Cole adds. Queue up your favorite funny flicks, or grab a friend and head to a comedy clubthat way you score the perks of a good laugh and companionship.

Pick up an old hobby you used to love

Dont confuse staying busy with distracting yourselfyou have to let yourself think and feel. Thinking about things away from other people can help you process your thoughts and feelings, Berns says. However, focusing on something you enjoy will help you understand what you want, what you miss, and what you need, Berns explains.

Balance your days or weeks with alone time spent grieving and thinking, and activities you really enjoy and can find fulfillment inwhether it's picking up a paintbrush (or coloring book) or volunteering with animals. Plus, regaining a clear sense of self after a breakup is key to moving on, research shows, so remembering what makes you you will bring you closer to feeling back to normal.

Sweat it off

Any activity that pushes your brain chemistry back toward a more stable state can help too, Cole adds. Exercise offers a ton of unexpected mental health benefits, including stress-relieving, happiness-boosting endorphins, and it provides a way for you to be alone with your thoughts without being still, Berns says. Pounding the pavement also helps restore the balance of your autonomic nervous system, putting your body into a more orderly state. (Scoring that revenge body is just a bonus.)

Take your time

Being in a relationship creates a very real neurochemical and emotional attachment to someonethats not going to just heal overnight. One small study even found that on an MRI, the brains of the heartbroken can resemble the brains of those experiencing cocaine withdrawal.

This process takes time, so ignore anyone who says you should just get over it, Bern advises. A week, a month, a yearits different for everyone. And remember, healing is different than forgetting about your ex completely, Berns points out. Plus, the loss of a relationship can tap into other losses weve had in our lives too, so youre probably processing more than just this breakup.

Finally, some good news: Studies have shown people often overestimate how long itll take them to get over their ex, so your heartache will stop a lot sooner than you think. But if you go beyond two weeks of serious symptomsones that affect your life, like oversleeping, not sleeping, skipping work, constant anger, or social media stalkingseek help from a therapist to avoid slipping into a clinical situation, Cole recommends.
Court orders Sedina Attionu to be tried in absentia

Emmanuel Ebo Hawkson Feb - 24 - 2023 , 11:10

The Accra High Court has ordered that a former CEO of Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedina Tamakloe Attionu, will be tried in absentia.

Attionu, who is on trial for allegedly causing financial loss of GH90 million to the state during her tenure as the CEO of MASLOC between 2013 and January 2017, has failed to show up for the trial since October 2021, after being granted permission by the court to travel to the USA for medical treatment.

In a ruling today, the presiding judge, Justice Afia Serwaa - Botwe, held that Attionu should be tried in absentia because she had refused to participate in the trial for more than a year.

The ruling by the court was in accordance with Article 19(3a) of the 1992 Constitution which allows a court to try an accused who refuses to show up for trial in absentia.

Per the court, the order for trial in absentia should be posted on the notice board of the court and in a national newspaper for 21 days.

Hearing continues on March 28, 2023.

Not guilty

Mrs Attionu is on trial with Daniel Axim, a former Operations Manager of MASLOC, on 78 counts of willfully causing financial loss to the state, stealing, contravention of the public procurement act, among other charges.

The two have denied any wrongdoing and have pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

Prosecutions case

The prosecution has accused Attionu of engaging in some illegalities leading to the alleged accused stealing and financial loss.

For instance, it has accused Attionu of embezzling GH500,000 that was paid by a company which benefitted from MASLOC support in 2014.

It is also the case of the prosecution that in 2013, following a fire disaster at the Kantamanto Market, then President John Mahama directed MASLOC to provide assistance of GH1.46 million to victims of the disaster but Attionu embezzled part of the money.
Project to bring back dropouts: 70,000 Children returning to school

Severious Kale-Dery Feb - 24 - 2023 , 08:38

A four-year national project to reintegrate 70,000 out-of-school children from 29 selected districts in school has been launched.

In addition, the project is designed to improve learning outcomes for an estimated 98,000 children for the in-school mainstream school improvement programme (MSIP).

On the theme: Getting all children educated through support to schools and communities, the project, the first of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa, also seeks to improve the quality of education in low performing basic schools and strengthen the educational sector.

Specifically, the outcomes-based financing project has a focus to improve the quality of education in low-performing basic education schools in the country and build the human capital index of children by letting them acquire basic numeracy and literacy skills.

Besides, it has the objective of improving learning outcomes for the targeted population by re-integrating the out-of-school children into mainstream beneficiary schools as well as improve their retention in the beneficiary schools over a period of two years.

The project is being funded with a grant of $25.5 million from the Foreign Commonwealth Development Organisation (FCDO) through the Global Partnerships for Result-Based Approaches Trust Fund (G0RBA-TF) and a counterpart funding of $4.5 million from the government of Ghana.

The Senior Presidential Advisor, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, launched the project on behalf of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in Accra yesterday.

Outcomes-based

In a speech read on his behalf by Mr Osafo-Maafo at the launch, President Akufo-Addo explained that the financing agreement was signed by the Ministry of Finance and the World Bank and declared effective June 21, 2020.

These 70,000 children will be taken through a robust accelerated learning programme (ALP) known as the Complementary Basic Education (CBE), a nine-month programme, where these children will be trained to acquire basic numeracy and literacy skills through this period, President Akufo-Addo explained.

He further explained that the children would be re-integrated into Primary One through to Four of the mainstream schools after being assessed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA).

President Akufo-Addo explained that the outcomes-based partnership approach was selected by the Ministry, because it brings together a pool of experts from the government, international donors, social investors and service providers with the sole aim of getting our children back into school as well as collectively supporting our schools and teachers to improve learning.

Statistics

President Akufo-Addo said data from the UNESCO Institute of Statistics 2020 revealed that 1,028,000 children, aged between six and 17 were out of school.

Out of the number, he said, 283,000 of the children aged between six and 11 were supposed to have been in the primary school, while 135,000 aged between 12 and 14 were expected to have been in junior high school and the remaining 610,000 between ages 15 and 17 were supposed to have been in senior high school.

President Akufo-Addo said over the years, the country had made significant progress in improving learning outcomes in schools and getting children back to school through policy and, therefore, described the statistics as worrying.

Given these research findings and my desire to ensure that every Ghanaian child has the opportunity to access basic education, the Education Ministry, in partnership with key development partners, has carefully designed an outcomes-based financing project, he explained.

Providing further figures, the President said, statistics from the Population and Housing Census (PHC) showed that a total of 1,215,546 children of school age (four and 17) in the country were not attending school, out of which 942,427 had never attended school.

President Akufo-Addo stated that the research indicated that the Savannah Region had the highest percentage of 43.2 per cent of children who had never attended school.

Refreshing

In a welcome address, the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, expressed delight that through the project, children who were out of school would be brought back to the classroom.

He said the good thing about the project was that those children would not just be brought back, but would be provided with counselling support.

Govt commended

The Education Practice Manager of the World Bank in charge of West and Central Region of Africa, Dr Scherezad Latif, commended the government, the Ministry of Education and its agencies for the demonstrated ownership of the Ghana education outcomes project.

We are pleased to note that preparatory activities for the fund for the project have already started, he said.

Today, even though most children in the world are in school, a large proportion are not acquiring fundamental skills. In fact, 200 million children are not even in school. This is a learning crisis. It threatens countries or countries human capital development, he added.

Exciting initiative

The British High Commissioner to Ghana, Harriet Thompson, expressed delight to be part of this exciting and transformative initiative.

She said the project made Ghana the leading country in Africa on results-based financing, saying, this is the first outcomes-based project in Ghana and now, the largest education outcomes fund in the world.
Protect migrants from exploitation - Chinery-Hesse to African governments

Augustina Tawiah & Diana Mensah Feb - 24 - 2023 , 13:04

AFRICAN governments have an obligation to protect their citizens who migrate abroad from exploitation, a former Deputy Director-General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Dr Mary Chinery-Hesse, has said.

She said until African governments were able to make their countries attractive to discourage their citizens from leaving, they owed it a duty to protect the migrants.

According to Dr Chinery-Hesse, the youth could not be blamed for leaving their countries, in spite of the difficulties and the dangers associated with migration.

"As the world gets tougher, people will move, so it is urgent we look at how we can provide guidelines and the legal framework to guide migration in Africa," she said.

Dr Chinery-Hesse said this at a forum on fair and ethical recruitment of international labour through safe and well-managed migration.

It was organised by the International Migration, Policy, Recruitment and Advisory Centre (IMPRAC), the Board of Directors of which she is the Chair.

The IMPRAC is a registered non-governmental organisation with particular focus on assisting migrants and potential migrants and their families to make timely and informed decisions about their migration adventure.

Established by retired international civil servants, national civil servants and migration experts, the centre also provides a structured platform for the facilitation of fair and ethical recruitment for decent work abroad.

Critical look

Dr Chinery-Hesse, who is also the Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Legon, further called for a critical look to be taken at migration problems in Africa, especially around this period of global difficulties arising mainly from the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.

Labour mobility has direct contribution to national labour market needs and economy.

They are key pillars within the continental integrative agenda of Africa.

We have to think collectively about how to handle migration problems, such as the point of recruitment and the difficulties migrants face on their way.

If you take Ghana and consider the trips people make across the Sahara and what they go through trying to get to Europe, there is a lot of work to be done, she said.

Economic globalisation

The UN Resident Coordinator in Ghana, Charles Abaani, said the growing pace of economic globalisation had created more migrant workers than ever before, with 281 million people, representing 3.6 per cent of the worlds total population, living outside their countries in 2020.

In 2019, he said, 970,600 Ghanaians departed the country, with majority headed to the US, the UK, Cote dIvoire and Nigeria.

With the COVID-19 pandemic and global crises impacting economic stability, these numbers are set to rise further.

Migration has long been used as a means of coping with poverty for many families, allowing them to invest resources and influence the migration decisions of household members, Mr Abaani said.

The Chief Executive Officer of IMPRAC, Charles Allan Kwenin, said the forum sought to address three key principles  SDG 10.7, SDG target 23, which speaks specifically on fair and ethical recruitment and also ensuring decent work conditions, as well as partnerships.

Pathways

In a speech read on his behalf, the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffour Awuah, said although individuals could not be stopped from migrating, it behoved the authorities to ensure that such pathways were safe, lawful and devoid of the activities of charlatans.
Childhood vaccine shortage: Parliament summons Agyeman Manu

Getrude Ankah Nyavi Health Feb - 24 - 2023 , 19:38

Parliament has summoned the Health Minister, Kwaku Agyeman Manu to appear before the House and answer questions about vaccine shortages in Ghana.

Mr Agyeman Manu is also expected to explain measures to address the situation.

It followed a Daily Graphic report about the nationwide shortage of childhood vaccines.

Under the routine vaccination programme, Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG), a vaccine for tuberculosis (TB) disease; oral polio vaccine 0 (OPV); Measles-Rubella; Meningitis and Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough) are administered.

Vaccines against polio, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenza type B (DPT/Hep B/ Hib 1) and six infectious diseases that are particularly dangerous to babies are also among those administered.

The Clerk of Parliaments Health Committee in a letter to the Health Minister said I have the direction of the Chairman of the Committee on Health to invite you to an emergency meeting to brief the Committee on the cause of vaccine shortage in Ghana and the measures being put in place to address the situation, on Tuesday, 28th February 2023 at 9:00 a.m. at the Committee Room 1&2, New Administration Block, Parliament House, the clerk of Parliaments Health Committee wrote in a letter to the Health Minister and copied to the heads.

The Committee also requests the presence of the following institutions heads and relevant officers: the Ghana Health Service, the National Health Insurance Authority, the Global Fund, the Ministry of Finance, and the Vaccine Control Programme.

Meanwhile, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye says efforts are underway to replenish vaccines used for routine immunization of babies from birth to at least 18 months, which are currently in short supply.

Reacting to the Daily Graphic publication on the shortage, he gave the assurance that Ghana will receive new stocks of the childhood vaccines in the next two weeks.

"We have acknowledged that there has been a shortage, we were anticipating we will get it much earlier [but] it was delayed ...we are working with UNICEF and their other partners to ensure that within the next two weeks, we are able to bring you the vaccines", he said.
Dr Duffuor picks NDC nomination forms

Dickson Worlanyo Dotse Politics Feb - 24 - 2023 , 07:36

A former Minister of Finance, Dr Kwabena Duffuor, yesterday picked nomination forms to contest the flagbearership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Dr Duffuor is the fourth aspirant to pick forms to put himself up for the presidential slot since the party opened nominations for its presidential and parliamentary primary elections last Wednesday.

The first three were former President John Dramani Mahama, a businessman from the Weija-Gbawe Constituency of the party, Ernest Kwaku Kobeah, and a former Chief Executive of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), Kojo Bonsu.

The Ashanti Regional Womens Organiser, Gloria Huze, led some female constituency and branch executives from the region to pick the form on behalf of Dr Duffuor, after paying the GH30,000 nomination fee to the Presidential and Parliamentary Election Committee.

They were accompanied by some supporters of the party who carried portraits of Dr Duffuor and sang popular party songs amidst brass band music.

Grassroots, Ahortor project

Dr Duffuor who was later presented with the nomination forms at his office, in an address said consultations by his team had revealed that the partys grass roots was yearning to be led by a new face.

Under my leadership, the true meaning of power to the people shall be brought to reality as the constituencies and branch executives shall be empowered politically but more importantly economically to fully participate in the democratic processes of the NDC and Ghana, he said.

Dr Duffuor, therefore, vowed that under one of his economic empowerment programmes when elected, the Ahotor project, unemployment and poverty would be a thing of the past at the grass-root level of the party.

Restoration

On the economy, the former Governor of the Bank of Ghana promised to lift the country out of its financial crisis and put it on a path of economic recovery and restoration within two years.

It took us only one year in 2009, and we can do it again because Ghana, the Black Star of Africa, cannot afford to be in this position; Ghana will soar again under the NDC, he stressed .

He noted that the country under the NDC between 2009 and 2012 had an enviable Gross Domestic Product growth rate of 14.5 per cent, the highest in its history.

He, therefore, called on all delegates and party faithful to support his candidature in order to lead the country to similar heights.

Women support

Ms Huze maintained that the socio-economic hardships created by the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) was adversely affecting women the most, which necessitated the move to support a competent leader.

This is why all the women contributed the little they can to support Dr Duffuor because we believe he can help alleviate the plight of women in the country, she added.
Former President Mahama leads West African Elders to observe Nigeria elections

Political Desk Report Politics Feb - 24 - 2023 , 19:18

Former President John Dramani Mahama is leading the West African Elders Forum (WAEF) which is in Nigeria on mediation mission as the country goes to the polls to elect a new president.

Touted as the biggest election in Africa with a voter population of about 90 million, Mr Mahama and his team, based in Abuja, would ensure that all stakeholders in the election play to the rules.

During a press briefing, he told reporters in the federal capital, Abuja, that former West African leaders are in the country to ensure that there is a peaceful outcome to the polls.

West African Elders Forum

According to him, they were invited by the federal government to observe the polls, adding that they were impressed by the commitment of all the 18 candidates to ensure a violent-free polls.

He said the 2023 election was attracting a high level of interest because Nigerias success and progress in that regard would go a long way in stabilising democracy, promoting good governance and maintaining peace in the sub-region.

We are pleased with the level of preparedness by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the security forces policing the elections and other stakeholders involved in the elections, towards conducting a free and fair exercise, he said at the media briefing.

The West African Elders Forum in December last year, deployed a three-man delegation to Nigeria to undertake a pre-election mediation mission.

The delegation was made up of the former President of Sierra Leone, Ernest Koroma, former Vice President of the Gambia, Fatoumata Tambajang and former President of the ECOWAS Commission and former Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas.

Mahama leads

Among other things, the delegation met with President Muhammadu Buhari, the Chairman of INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, the National Security Adviser, presidential candidates, political parties, civil society leaders, President of the ECOWAS Commission, development partners and other stakeholders.

Former President Mahama indicated that meetings have been held with a former Nigeria Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar and some other former leaders to ensure peaceful polls.

We are pleased that Gen. Abubakar is a member of our Elders of Forum, just as we also have former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan as our members, he said.

He said the forum members would also visit other key stakeholders to encourage them in the job they were doing to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections.

The Nigeria election is slated for Saturday, February 25, 2023.
Ghana better off having some ministries consolidated - Kwabena Agyepong

Getrude Ankah Nyavi Politics Feb - 24 - 2023 , 20:32

A flagbearer aspirant of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. Kwabena Agyei Agyapong, has joined the call for some ministries to be consolidated.

A lot of the ministries have to be consolidated to reduce the numbers. There are others I think should not exist in the first place, Parliamentary Affairs, and even Chieftaincy used to be a secretariat at the Presidency.

The former General Secretary of the NPP said this in a radio interview on Accra-based Citi FM and on Thursday, February 23, 2023.

Some groups such as OccupyGhana, Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC), the minority in Parliament, and governance experts have called for the reduction in the size of the government as a measure to reduce the strain on the public purse.

Adding his voice to the call, Mr Agyapong said the framers of the constitution did not put in the 19 limits for cabinet ministers for nothing, but they were giving us an idea of the size of government.

He said apart from being economical, consolidating and collapsing some of the ministries will send a strong moral message to Ghanaians that leadership is indeed tightening its belt and is serious about working towards attaining economic recovery

Ghanas government is too big, and I have said this a long time ago, I think it has become a bit more fashionable for other people to say. As far back as 2015 when I was General Secretary of the NPP, I said that the framers of the constitution did not put in the 19 limits for cabinet ministers for nothing, they were giving us an idea of the size of government., he stressed.
Parliament demands briefing from EC Chair on new voters C.I.

Nana Konadu Agyeman Politics Feb - 23 - 2023 , 22:14

Parliament has invited the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) to brief the Committee of the Whole on a new Constitutional Instrument (C.I.) ahead of Election 2024.

The Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban S.K. Bagbin has directed that the Chairperson herself, Jean Mensah should appear for the briefing.

According to the Speaker, the EC must be represented at the highest level at the next meeting of the committee with officials of the commission and the National Identification Authority (NIA).

The Speaker told the House that the appearance of Mrs Jean Mensah would help members obtain the required assurances into how the commission would address their concerns before laying the new C.I. before the House.

The C.I. is seeking to rely solely on the national identification card - Ghana Card - as the only form of identification to register new voters.

Parliament to be specific in future letters

Addressing the House soon after a meeting of the Committee of the Whole with the officials of the EC and the NIA, Mr Bagbin also directed that if members of Parliament wanted to invite any personality to brief them on any issue, they should state so in the future letters.

He said earlier communications by the House was only directed at institutions and therefore the EC did not err in sending a deputy chairperson to brief members of Parliament on the new C.I.

The deputy chairperson in charge of operations is quite high enough but he cannot be giving the assurances that the Chairperson will give.

voters registration

The directive of the Speaker came after the Minority Leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, per the report of the Special Budget Committee, which had been adopted, indicated that the two leaders of the EC and the NIA were to sit together to listen to themselves and for members to listen to them to make a determination and most importantly for us to have an assurance from the two institutions before the C.I. will proceed to its laying.

Mr Speaker, unfortunately the Chairperson of the EC is not here; I recognised that the deputy is here but it is not the same as the Chairperson of the EC.

EC Chair

The Chairperson of the EC has consistently avoided Parliament and we are of the view that the issues that we have raised since morning are issues that we prefer the EC chairperson to be here to give us the needed assurance before we can proceed on this path.

But her absence will make it difficult for us to accept the deputy to be the one to give that kind of assurances, he said.

He urged the House to wait for the EC Chairperson to be here and if the Chairperson is here the needed assurances, we on this side need, we will be able to get it.

Letters were not specific

Responding, the Majority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said the letters that were transmitted to the two institutions did not stress they must be necessarily represented by the heads.

He, therefore, suggested future letters to specifically indicate which authority the House needed to brief them on important national matters.

Background

The EC and the NIA, in the presence of the Minister of Finance, today engaged in a closed-door meeting with the Committee of the Whole to brief members on the various concerns raised ahead of the laying of the new Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations, 2022.

The EC team was led by the Deputy Chairman in charge of Corporate Services, Dr Bossman Eric Asare, and the Director of Electoral Services, Dr Serebour Quaicoe.

The 12-member delegation from the NIA was led by the Executive Secretary of the authority, Professor Kenneth Agyeman Attafuah.

The meeting was part of efforts to build a consensus before the EC could proceed to lay the new C.I. in Parliament.
Amogy Inc., a developer of emission-free, energy-dense ammonia power solutions (earlier post), signed a letter of intent and a lease with Sustainable Energy Catapult Center in Norway to initiate testing operations for Amogys 200kW ammonia-to-power platform at the recently-launched testing facility for new and sustainable energy solutions in Stord, Norway.

This is an important next step as Amogy expands its footprint in Norway and seeks to be the first to demonstrate the viability of its platform for decarbonizing maritime vessels.

Amogy announced the opening of its Stavanger, Norway headquarters and the appointment of Christian Berg as Managing Director of Amogy Norway in September 2022. Establishing a presence at Stord Energy House provides Amogy with new opportunities to test and demonstrate its platform as well as access to collaborative opportunities with industry partners pursuing similar and supplemental projects.

The Amogy team will focus on test programs for a 200kW powerpack prior to its installation on a tugboat later this year. Following the tugboat demo, Amogy plans to continue using the Stord facility for continuous testing for up to several months at a time.

Amogy has developed a proprietary ammonia-to-power platform that relies on unique ammonia cracking technology. By extracting hydrogen onboard for fuel in a hydrogen engine, Amogys platform offers a scalable, sustainable solution to decarbonizing heavy duty vehicles and supply chains.

To date, the technology has been successfully demonstrated in a drone, John Deere tractor, and Class 8 Semi truck. Amogy is actively scaling it for use in maritime vessels, with plans to pursue a 1MW ammonia-powered tug boat demonstration and an inland barge retrofit in partnership with Southern Devall.





The Catapult Center in Stord will suit our local teams needs incredibly well. The facility already performs tests on other ammonia projects and possesses the necessary infrastructure to support testing on our powerpack. Were grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with their team of experienced engineers and access their innovative technologies as we expand our footprint in Norway and seek commercial opportunities in the maritime sector. Christian Berg, Managing Director for Amogy Norway

Founded in 2020 by four MIT PhD alumni, Amogy aims to enable the decarbonization of the heavy-duty transportation sector, accelerating the global journey towards Net Zero 2050. The companys investors include Amazons Climate Pledge Fund, AP Ventures, SK, Saudi Aramco and DCVC.
Ford Motor Company, LG Energy Solution and Koc Holding signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) to form a new joint venture subject to final agreement by all the parties to create one of Europes largest commercial electric vehicle battery cell facilities near Ankara, Turkey.

The new joint venture will be located in an organized industrial zone in Baskent, near Ankara. The project is on track and expected to break ground later this year. Production is intended to start in 2026 with the three parties committing to at least 25 GWh of annual production capacity, which could potentially expand up to 45 GWh.

Ford and Koc Holding had originally signed a non-binding MoU with battery maker SK On to build the battery JV in Turkey. (Earlier post.) Yonhap in January reported that SK On was considering withdrawing from the project partnership in Turkey.

This new joint venture project builds on long-standing business relationships Ford has with both LGES and Koc Holding. Ford and LGES have worked together for more than a decade, with LGES most recently supplying batteries from its plant in Poland for the Ford Mustang Mach-E and E-Transit. Ford Motor Company and Koc Holding enjoy a strong relationship that stretches back almost a century and includes the successful Ford Otosan joint venture, established more than 60 years ago.

LGES has a global battery manufacturing network consisting of its manufacturing facilities in six countries (Korea, US, China, Poland, Indonesia, and Canada), with a total annual production capacity of 200GWh. Due to the surge in global demand, the companys order backlog recorded KRW 385 trillion (US$300 billion) at the end of 2022. LGES aims to expand its global production capacity to 300GWh by the end of this year.
Feb. 9

At 2:21 p.m., officers responded to a residence on Yates Street regarding an individual who was possibly a victim of a scam. Officers met with the individual who reported sending funds in order to receive a grant. Officers advised of current scams, gathered information, and completed a report of the incident.

Feb. 10

At 4:04 p.m., officers conducted a traffic stop and issued the driver a written warning for alleged expired temporary license permit/improper registration.

At 7:52 p.m., officers responded to a report of a juvenile runaway. It was reported the juvenile, age 15, left the house, but was found and safely returned. Officers gathered information and completed a report of the incident.

At 10:44 p.m., officers were dispatched to the area of Commerce Drive in reference to a barking dog complaint. Officers located the dog at a residence on Bailey Court, attempted to make contact with an owner, left a door hanger, and completed a report of the incident.

Feb. 11

At 1:02 p.m., officers responded to a report of a disturbance. Officers met with the individuals involved in a verbal dispute. Officers gathered information and completed a report of the incident.

Feb. 12

At 2:07 a.m., officers were dispatched to the area of E 2nd S Street and Uinta Drive in regards to an alleged traffic offense. A vehicle was reportedly driving in a reckless manner. Officers conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and met with the driver and an occupant who reported a dispute. Officers gathered information and completed a report of the incident.

At 11:23 a.m., officers responded to the area of W Teton Boulevard for a report of a civil standby. Officers conducted the civil standby, gathered information, and completed a report of the incident.

Feb. 13

At 9:52 a.m., officers responded to a report of a two-vehicle collision. It was reported one vehicle was parked and unoccupied in the parking spaces directly in front of the front entrance to the Loaf N Jug located at 895 Uinta Drive. A second vehicle was at the gas pump directly behind the first vehicle. The second vehicle pulled forward to park in the parking spaces moving directly east and struck the first vehicle. Officers gathered information, issued the driver of the second vehicle, Spencer Greene, of Green River, a citation for alleged inattentive driving with a crash, and completed a report of the incident.

At 6:26 p.m., officers responded to a report of a two-vehicle collision on Fawn Circle. It was reported one vehicle backed into a second vehicle which was parked in their driveway directly behind the first vehicle. Officers gathered information and completed a report of the incident.

Feb. 14

At 8:58 a.m., officers responded to a report of a vehicle that hit a deer. It was reported the vehicle was traveling east on Flaming Gorge Way when a deer ran out into the roadway and slammed into the driver side door. Officers searched the area for the deer but were unable to locate it, gathered information, and completed a report of the incident.

At 12:02 p.m., officers responded to a report of a two-vehicle collision. It was reported one vehicle was traveling north through the parking lot in front of 329 Uinta Drive. Another vehicle was backing out of a parking spot and the driver did not see the first vehicle and backed into it, causing functional damage to both vehicles. Officers gathered information, issued the driver of the second vehicle, Mckenzie Mcghee, of Green River, a citation for alleged inattentive driving, and completed a report of the incident.

At 12:28 p.m., officers responded to a report of a two-vehicle collision in the GRHS parking lot. It was reported both vehicles were parked adjacent to each other in the east side of the parking lot. One vehicle proceeded out of the parking space, making a right-hand turn out of the spot, and the passenger side of the vehicle struck the front drivers side of the second vehicle, causing damage. Officers gathered information and issued the driver of the first vehicle, a juvenile, age 16, of Green River, a citation for alleged inattentive driving with a crash.

At 5:32 p.m., Animal Control Officers received a call in reference to a dog that had bitten a child. Officers met with the dogs owner, received the vaccination record, and found the dog was current on its rabies vaccination. The owner requested the dog be taken to the shelter and held for safety reasons. Officers booked the dog, gathered information, and completed a report of the incident.

Feb. 15

At 7:35 a.m., officers responded to the area of Astle Avenue for a report of a dog at large that was attacking a deer. The dog ran off and officers followed the dog to its residence. Officers were advised by Wyoming Game & Fish to dispatch the deer. Officers met with the owner of the dog and issued a citation to Grace Saltz, of Green River, for alleged animal at large. Officers gathered information and completed a report of the incident.

At 9:18 p.m., officers conducted a traffic stop in the area of Uinta Drive for a turn signal violation and issued the driver, Kara Seivers, of Green River, a citation for alleged failure to provide proof of liability insurance.

Feb. 16

At 7:23 a.m., officers responded to a report of a two-vehicle collision in the parking lot at the GRHS. It was reported one vehicle was traveling southeast through the parking lot and a second vehicle was traveling west in the driving alleyway when the first vehicle turned in front of the second vehicle and the front corner of the first vehicle stuck the front corner of the second vehicle. Officers issued the driver of the first vehicle, Blain Kennah, of Green River, a citation for alleged inattentive driving with a crash.

At 10:36 a.m., officers responded to a report of a hit and run in the Expedition Academy parking lot. A vehicle was found to have damage to the front of the vehicle. Officers gathered information and were able to locate the other vehicle and the driver. It was reported the vehicle was negotiating a right-hand turn into a driving lane when the front of the vehicle struck the front of the other vehicle, which was parked and unoccupied at the time of the incident. Officers issued the driver, a juvenile, age 17, of Green River, a citation for alleged hit and run - duty to report, and completed a report of the incident.

Feb. 17

At 7:22 a.m., officers were dispatched to 1700 Wilson Street for a report of a hit and run. Officers met with the owner of the vehicle who reported finding damage to their work vehicle, which had been parked and unoccupied. They also reported that they had received a message from the driver that had hit their vehicle. Officers gathered information, contacted the driver of the other vehicle, and completed a report of the incident.

At 9:12 a.m., officers responded to WYHY FCU at 110 Commerce Drive for a report of fraud. Officers met with an account recovery specialist who reported a suspected fraud case. Multiple suspicious transactions were reported. Officers gathered information and completed a report of the incident.

At 8:29 p.m., officers responded to the area of Medicine Bow Drive in reference to a noise complaint. Officers met with the individual causing the disturbance, advised of the complaint, and completed a report of the incident.
Sweetwater County School District No. 2 is generating more than it is allotted in education funding, becoming one of the states few recapture districts.

Recapture districts are important to the state as the excess funds generated are spread to the other counties to help make education more equitable between districts. District officials announced the districts status during the monthly board of trustees meeting last week.

According to Chris Dean, the districts business manager, the district mineral production mill taxes are being generated at a very healthy rate. Statute chan...
US Representative Harriet Hageman comes to Green River

US Representative Harriet Hageman hugs Harrison Elementary student A'Mita Travis while Sweetwater County School District No. 2 Assistant Superintendent Jason Fuss looks on. Hageman visited Harrison last Thursday.

US Representative Harriet Hageman recently visited Green River, stopping at a local school to meet a student who wrote her a letter and then talking with local officials at City Hall.

A visit to school

Last Thursday morning, Hageman attended an assembly at Harrison Elementary School, showing up in response to a student's letter.

"The Governor did the proclamation of 'Invite Your Elected Official to School,'" Hageman explained. "And so little Carter wrote me a letter in first grade and invited me to come to the school. And they didn't think I would ever do it."

Hageman's staff found out...
U.S. agency releases report on Ohio train derailment but questions, concerns linger

Xinhua) 08:22, February 24, 2023

This video screenshot released by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) shows the site of a derailed freight train in East Palestine, Ohio, the United States. (NTSB/Handout via Xinhua)

The controlled venting began on Feb. 6, which discharged toxic and potentially deadly fumes into the air, according to the report.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- A federal agency released a preliminary report Thursday on the derailment of a train carrying hazardous chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio, earlier this month.

The report issued by the National Transportation Security Board (NTSB) said the Norfolk Southern train passed three hot bearing detectors (HBD) on its trip before the derailment on the night of Feb. 3.

The function of the HBD is to detect overheated bearings and provide audible real-time warnings to train crews.

One of the HBDs "transmitted a critical audible alarm message instructing the crew to slow and stop the train to inspect a hot axle," according to the report.

After hearing the warning, the train engineer "increased the dynamic brake application to further slow and stop the train" and the crew later observed fire and smoke and notified the dispatcher of a possible derailment.

The derailed equipment included 11 tank cars carrying hazardous materials that subsequently ignited, fueling fires that damaged an additional 12 non-derailed railcars.

First responders implemented a one-mile evacuation zone surrounding the derailment site that affected up to 2,000 residents. There were no reported fatalities or injuries.

Responders mitigated the fire on Feb. 5, the NTSB report stated. But five derailed "specification tank cars carrying 115,580 gallons of vinyl chloride" continued to concern authorities because the temperature inside one tank car was still rising.

This increase in temperature suggested that the vinyl chloride was undergoing a polymerization reaction, which could pose an explosion hazard.

This video screenshot released by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) shows the site of a derailed freight train in East Palestine, Ohio, the United States. (NTSB/Handout via Xinhua)

Vinyl chloride is a colorless gas that burns easily. It does not occur naturally and must be produced industrially for its commercial uses.

Vinyl chloride exposure is associated with an increased risk of a rare form of liver cancer as well as primary liver cancer, brain and lung cancers, lymphoma, and leukemia.

The NTSB said on Thursday that responders scheduled a "controlled venting" of the five vinyl chloride tank cars to release and burn the vinyl chloride and dug ditches to contain released vinyl chloride liquid while it vaporized and burned.

The controlled venting began on Feb. 6, which discharged toxic and potentially deadly fumes into the air.

While residents were allowed to return to their homes in East Palestine two days later, they remain concerned about the handling of the incident as well as the health impact of exposure to those chemicals.

The hazardous material tank cars have been decontaminated, the NTSB said. The agency's investigators returned to Ohio earlier this week to "examine each hazardous material tank car, document damage, and secure evidence for laboratory analysis."

The NTSB added that the investigation is ongoing and will focus on the wheelset and bearing; tank car design and derailment damage; a review of the accident response, including the venting and burning of the vinyl chloride; and railcar design and maintenance procedures and practices, among other things.

Excavators dig up contaminated soil on the site of the Feb. 3 derailment on the outskirts of the village of East Palestine, Ohio, the United States, on Feb. 14, 2023. (Photo by Phil Zhang/Xinhua)

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited East Palestine on Thursday morning amid criticism that the response from the federal government to the incident has been slow and inadequate.

"This morning I'm in East Palestine, Ohio, to see the site of the Norfolk Southern derailment, hear updates from investigators, and meet first responders," Buttigieg tweeted.

Buttigieg's trip to East Palestine, a village in northeastern Columbiana County, Ohio, came a day after former U.S. President Donald Trump visited the site of the train derailment.

A Republican, Trump said that he thinks it is "terrible" that sitting U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has not yet visited the village.

East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway told reporters during Trump's visit that this has been a "very difficult situation" as the village is struggling to deal with the fallout of the derailment.

Norfolk Southern announced on Wednesday that it would excavate the soil and replace the tracks in the derailment area "as part of an enhanced remediation plan."

The railroad corporation said it had excavated more than 4,800 cubic yards of soil, or approximately 400 truckloads. Additionally, 1.7 million gallons, or approximately 200 tanker loads, of liquid had been collected for disposal.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
The biggest annual mobile tech show is taking place next week and we thought you'll enjoy a roundup of the major events and attendees that confirmed their presence. There are several high-profile debuts set to take place from the likes of Xiaomi, Honor and Realme as well as plenty of other interesting product launches.

Saturday, February 25 - HMD Global

HMD is kicking things off with its announcements on Saturday. While we dont have actual confirmation of what devices are launching, were expecting new Nokia smartphones and perhaps some smart accessories too.

Sunday, February 26 - Xiaomi, OnePlus, TCL

Sunday is shaping up to be a big day with Xiaomis global launch event for its Xiaomi 13 series. Well finally get the Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro pricing and availability details. Were also hoping on some news about the rumored Xiaomi 13 Lite and Xiaomi 13 Ultra models.

OnePlus is expected to show off its OnePlus 11 Concept device with its unique light strips on the back. Weve seen two official teasers for the device, but the actual functionality of the blue colored back strips remains a mystery. One rumored possibility is that they are used to provide active cooling for the device.



OnePlus 11 Concept teasers

TCL is also gearing up to host its own launch event on Sunday where well likely see the latest installments in its smartphone and tablet lineups.

Monday, February 27 - Honor

Honor is announcing the Magic5 series flagships on Monday consisting of the Magic5 and Magic5 Pro. Based on the latest rumors, both phones will come equipped with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset and at least 66W fast charging.

The Magic Vs foldable which launched in China back in November is also due for a global release.

Tuesday, February 28 - Realme, Tecno, ZTE

Realme will announce its GT3 smartphone on February 28. The device is expected to be the global variant of the GT Neo5 and will feature the same blazing-fast 240W charging system that does a full 0-100% charge in just 9 minutes and 37 seconds.

Tecno is also looking to get in on the MWC stage with its first foldable phone  the Phantom V Fold. We already got confirmation that the device is powered by the Dimensity 9000+ chipset, but well get to learn all of its details as well as pricing and availability at the event.

ZTE will also hold a keynote event where well see the brands interesting Nubia Pad 3D tablet and Neovision AR smart glasses.



ZTE Nubia Pad 3D tablet and Neovision AR smart glasses

Well make sure to cover all of the mentioned product launches as well as other interesting events live from MWC Barcelona 2023 so stay tuned!
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Eviction notices are being served to homeless people living in encampments on public land and private property at the behest of landowners, the Office of the Attorney General announced Friday.

This new Homeless Relocation Initiative is starting with the encampment on private property across from Micronesia Mall along Marine Corps Drive and Route 34 in Dededo.

Eviction notices were posted Thursday, warning that people there are violating Guam statues of criminal trespass and public nuisance.

The notice states the people there have five days to leave the premises. However Attorney General Douglas Moylan said the exact time and day his office, the Guam Police Department and other agencies will enforce the eviction still is being determined.

The program initiative is intended to relocate these people from the current location where they are at throughout the island to alternate locations to receive the help that they need to get back on their feet, said Moylan.

Ken Certeza, 60, who describes his situation as roaming homeless, said he and his wife are among eight homeless residents he is aware of living across from the mall.

In the bushes above the sidewalk, they constructed several small wooden shacks with tarp roofs to sleep, cook and store their things, surrounded by a makeshift wooden fence.

Certeza said although he is aware he is on private property and that the owner has the right to evict him, he doesn't think five days is enough time to move. He said he and his wife will probably find a new plot of land on which to set up camp.

On the day of evictions, agencies and nonprofits that work with the Office of the Governor and Mayors' Council of Guam will help find available shelter placement, public housing or enroll people in social services or substance use recovery programs.

Priority placement for shelter and services will be for families with children, said Dededo Mayor Melissa Savares.

Left shelters

Certeza said he temporarily lived at the former Global Dorm homeless shelter, and then at the Tamuning Plaza Hotel shelter, but decided to leave because he disagreed with the rules.

How would you feel if you were told you cant have guests, you have five minutes to smoke and you have a curfew of 8 p.m.? he said.

He said the Guam Homeless Coalition several years helped him get a birth certificate to apply for and receive benefits from the Department of Public Health and Social Services, but he hasn't received a follow-up to find housing and is skeptical of how helpful the services will be.

Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio said while the initiative is to help homeless people get off the streets and find long-term shelter, it is also in response to illegal panhandling along center medians and public disturbance and drug use complaints.

Being homeless is not a crime, but we also have a responsibility on this island to make sure we follow the laws, said Tenorio.

Worst-case scenario

Acting Chief Prosecutor Heather Zona explained what would happen in the worst-case scenario if someone refuses to comply with the eviction.

In an instance where someone is refusing to leave, they are then breaking the law. The police standing by would make an arrest and our office will prosecute as appropriate, she said.

Moylan said another reason to tackle these encampments before they get bigger is because they hurt Guams image and make the island a less desirable place for tourists.

What makes him think we disrupt tourism?" Certeza asked. "A lot of tourist people pass by here and I never hear them, or the Guam Visitors Bureau, complain about homeless people."
The first cruise ship to come to Guam since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic sailed into Apra Harbor early Friday morning.

The MS Amadea, with 523 passengers and 302 crew members on board, sails under the Bahamas flag. The 567-foot-long vessel arrived from Pohnpei and will be dockside at the port until its estimated departure at 9 p.m., according to a Port Authority of Guam news release.

Passengers disembarking will spend the day touring and visiting malls and restaurants.

We have been looking forward to receiving cruise ships following a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, Port General Manager Rory J. Respicio said in the release. We are excited to welcome these international luxury cruise ships back to our shores as our island continues to recover from the pandemic.

Five cruise liners are set to arrive throughout this year, the release stated.

This is great news as our tourism industry continues to see a steady increase of visitor arrivals to Guam, he added.

Respicio said once the rehabilitation of Hotel Wharf is complete, cruise liners will be be docked, processed and welcomed at the expanded facility.

The last cruise liner that called on the Port Authority of Guam was the Crystal Symphony in February 2020.

The next cruise ship scheduled to sail to Guam is the Diamond Princess, arriving at 8:15 a.m. March 3 with an estimated 1,629 passengers and 1,100 crew members.
Voting for four tourism industry representatives to serve on the Guam Visitors Bureau board of directors started Friday morning, with a total of seven nominees.

GVB said the voting is open until noon at Hotel Nikko Guam in Tumon.

The nominees are:

George Chu of Tan Holdings.

Joaquin Cook of Bank of Guam.

Jeff Jones of Triple J.

Paula Monk of United Airlines.

William Bill Nault of Nautech Guam Corp.

Carlos Taitano of the University of Guam.

Rachel Tan of T Galleria by DFS.

GVB President and CEO Carl Gutierrez addressed the general membership prior to the start of the voting.

Tourism has to work for the people of Guam, Gutierrez said, adding that if there are inequities between one law and bylaws, lets fix it up.

GVB leadership has been plagued with differences of opinion between Gutierrez and board members over board terms and appointments, ethics and legalities, among other things.

Election of board members to the tourism board comes at a time when arrivals to Guam are still at about 40% of their pre-pandemic level.

This story will be updated.
A man on probation in a 2021 burglary and theft case was charged with burglary and theft Friday.

On Thursday morning, police were called to Harmon, where a man was reportedly walking around and opening doors near Napa Auto Parts, according to a magistrate's complaint filed in Superior Court.

During the investigation, a woman told police she woke up to find a strange man in her home. He ran toward her, grabbed her sister's laptop and fled the home.

Officers apprehended Tomas Toves Quichocho Jr., 41, who was identified by the woman. The laptop was returned to the owner.

Quichocho reportedly told police he entered the home through a window "to steal anything valuable," the complaint stated. "He had made his way to the living room and saw a young female sitting on the couch," then saw the laptop, grabbed it and fled.

He was charged with burglary as a second-degree felony and theft as a misdemeanor.

Quichocho is on probation in a 2021 case involving burglary to a motor vehicle and theft.

On Aug. 25 of that year, a woman stopped to put air in her tires at the Shell Station by Micronesia Mall in Dededo when Quichocho came from the jungle area, opened her passenger door, grabbed her gym bag and fled, charging documents stated.

Using an Apple tracker keychain device, the woman followed a pinging sound to a makeshift camp area at the intersection of Routes 1 and 34.

Police later identified him through surveillance footage, charging documents state.

At the time of his arrest in that case, according to the documents, he was on parole for second-degree robbery and was "being investigated for at least five other burglaries at the same location."
Tourism industry representatives on Friday voted for four individuals to sit on the Guam Visitors Bureaus Board of Directors, which is expected to meet shortly and help steer the islands tourism recovery from the pandemic.

A total of 506 votes were up for grabs. The four newly elected GVB board directors are:

Paula Monk, United Airlines manager of sales for Guam and Micronesia.

George Chiu, Tan Holdings Corp. executive vice president.

Joaquin Cook, Bank of Guam president and CEO. He is Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero's son.

Jeff Jones, Triple J Enterprises president and CEO.

The three other nominees were:

William Bill Nault of Nautech Guam Corp.

Carlos Taitano of the University of Guams Global Learning and Engagement.

Rachel Tan of T Galleria by DFS.

Before the voting began at Hotel Nikko Guam in Tumon, the seven nominees or their proxies addressed the general membership about their professional backgrounds and their goals of helping Guam tourism recover and grow.

Each of the newly elected board directors will serve a two-year term. They will join the other board directors whose terms and appointments still are valid.

"We thank our members for choosing who will represent them in our board of directors for the next two years and also thank the candidates for their commitment to the visitor industry," GVB President and CEO Carl T.C. Gutierrez said in a statement. "Vice President Gerry Perez and I have worked very hard the past several months in the absence of a board to focus on Guams recovery efforts. We must work magnanimously together toward a new golden age of tourism. If tourism works at all, then it must also work for all. I look forward to a new board and management working together harmoniously while following the laws of Guam."

Necessary

Gutierrez addressed the general membership prior to the voting, calling on them to move forward from the issues that happened at the bureau the past months and to move the tourism industry forward.

Looks like the peace that you see and feel in the air is so palpable that I think what was going on over the last few months, I think was not necessarily necessary but in some essence was necessary, the former two-term governor said.

He and board members had differences in opinion on the boards role, appointments, terms and other legalities.

Gutierrez in early 2022 started accusing board members of holding meetings that didnt comply with the Open Government Act and being unethical for participating in discussions that directly benefitted their private companies, among other things.

Heated exchanges marked every board meeting since then, until GVB Board Chairman Milton Morinaga and other directors voted to suspend all meetings starting in May until the inconsistencies between the law that created the bureau and the bylaws were identified.

At Fridays membership meeting, Gutierrez also talked about how some mayors have become so involved with GVBs efforts to bring tourism into the different villages because they believe in making sure tourism works for the people of Guam and not just for businesses.

He said when tourists visit Guam, they should be able to see and feel the local culture, the food and the islands natural beauty.

Its not just about money, ladies and gentlemen. But its part of the program, not just the main one. Tourism has to work for the people of Guam. If tourism can work, it's got to work for all. That's all what I'm fighting for, he said. And if there are some inequities between one law and bylaws and all that, lets fix it up.

Whats next?

Gutierrez, in an interview after the meeting, said once the winners of the GVB election are known, it would be up to the board to call their first meeting.

When Morinaga tried to reconvene the board on Jan. 31, that meeting was canceled over a lack of quorum, which requires a minimum of eight directors present.

Gutierrez said the proposed amendments to the bylaws will be presented to the board as well. Ratification of a proposed third amendment to the bylaws can happen either by the vote of the general membership or the board.

The board, he said, can propose further amendments as long as those suggested changes stay within the law or if they are not incongruent to the law that created GVB.

Gutierrez said hes glad that some corporations that are members of GVB have started following the law, including issuing a resolution authorizing individuals to represent them at the meeting and the voting.

"So that was a first good step that they did, he said. Theres still a little bit more of the old past habits that were gonna have to change.
A genome sequencing machine thats been on Guam since the omicron surge in early 2022 is now being used by the Department of Public Health and Social Services to confirm the variants of COVID-19 present here.

The highly transmissible omicron sub-variant XBB.1.5 is among those confirmed by the Guam Public Health Laboratory staff using the machine.

Public Health Director Art San Agustin announced the department received on Thursday the first results of SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequencing that was performed and completed by Guam Public Health Laboratory staff.

The results of the sample sequencing showed five sub-variants of omicron, from samples collected on Jan. 27 to Feb. 12, based on information from AnneMarie Santos, Guam Public Health Laboratory administrator:

2 XBB.1.5

2 BQ.1.3 sub-variant

1 BQ 1.23

The highly transmissible omicron sub-variant XBB.1.5 now accounts for more than 80% of new COVID-19 cases reported in the United States.

San Agustin issued a statement Friday afternoon, announcing the start of the SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequencing at the Guam Public Health Laboratory for samples meeting U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sample criteria. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19.

This means that Public Health does not have to send COVID-19 specimens to Honolulu or Atlanta to confirm variants that are already on Guam, which has so far reported 419 COVID-19-related deaths and nearly 61,000 cases on Guam since March 2020.

When Guam sends COVID-19 specimens to Honolulu or Atlanta, it takes three to four weeks for the results to come back.

A faster turnaround for the results using Guams genome sequencing machine could help the department respond more quickly and prevent further spread of the virus.

The results of the local laboratorys first COVID-19-related genome sequencing will be included in the Joint Information Centers weekly COVID-19 report Monday.

Lab staff diligently implemented sequencing, which is an ambitious and complicated project, requiring a highly coveted skill set,  making this extremely valuable to not only Guam, but to every aspect of health diagnosis on the island and neighboring islands, Dr. Mugdha Vasireddi, director of the Guam Public Health Laboratory, said in a statement.

Using federal grants from years ago, Public Health ordered the genome sequencing machine in late 2021. The machine arrived in January 2022, at the height of the omicron surge.

Delays in procuring reagents and other necessary supply kits for the $25,000 equipment, as well as preparing the laboratory for the machine, prevented Public Health from using the machine sooner.

Genome sequencing includes transferring samples from tubes to processing plates. It involves examining and decoding the genetic material of a virus, in this case the virus that causes COVID-19, to identify how it has changed or mutated over time.
Robert Underwood is the former president of the University of Guam and Guams former delegate in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Published on 2023/02/23 | Source

"It was really hard because of the large amount of energy consumed mentally, but all the actors on the scene put their lives and lives on the line".

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Is this the actress who played Choi Hye-jeong in "The Glory"? @star1 met with Cha Joo-young, who played 'Stewardess Hye-jeong', who is united by material desire and honor in Netflix's "The Glory". She met with splendidly inflated bobbed hair and a sensuous silhouette.

After explaining the fierce atmosphere of the drama scene, Cha Joo-young raised expectations for the remaining episodes by saying, ""The Glory" part 2 is more".

Cha Joo-young drew admiration by presenting a brilliant visual through the March issue of 2023 @star1. In particular, in a pictorial with Italian luxury fashion house Etro, Cha Joo-young revealed a series of colorful outfits reminiscent of spring, showing off her urban and trendy charm.

Cha Joo-young expressed her feelings about the sensational popularity of "The Glory" by saying, "I'm always grateful".

Cha Joo-young then replied that she paid attention to the overall details such as hair, makeup, and clothes to complete the character Choi Hye-jeong in "The Glory". Both Choi Hye-jeong's 'bomb hair' and crew uniform were her ideas, and she showed deep affection for the character, adding, "I was nervous not to miss even a little detail and gave a lot of opinions".

After "The Glory", Cha Joo-young made her face known to the public. When asked to pick her favorite modifier among the various modifiers that explain her, she replied at once, "Stewardess Hye-jeong" and said, "That's what everyone calls me. I'm so happy with it", she said gratefully.

Honest interviews and pictorials with Cha Joo-young, the colorful main character of "The Glory", can be found in the March issue of @style1 2023.
The Ministry of Defence on Thursday revealed that the over 160-million-euro package will include heavy weaponry, ammunition and three mine-clearing Leopard 2 tanks, as well as related training and maintenance. Finland has thereby pledged around 750 million euros worth of defence materiel assistance to Ukraine.

Minister of Defence Mikko Savola (Centre) highlighted in the press release that today marks the one-year anniversary of the war of aggression instigated by Russia.

Together with the tanks donated by other countries, the tanks donated by Finland will offer Ukraine the capabilities that it needs to reclaim its own territory, he added at a press conference in the Parliament House.

The Leopard 2 tanks to be delivered to the country, he told, are equipped with a machine gun, but not a tank gun, and a mine flail that makes it possible for the tank to clear a safe path through a minefield for itself and the vehicles following it.

The Ministry of Defence said the content of the package has been determined based on the needs of both Finland and Ukraine.

Riitta Makinen (SDP), a member of the Parliaments Defence Committee, stated to YLE on Thursday that she believes the mine-clearing tanks will have a key role in enabling advances for Ukraine.

This package has been considered carefully also based on the needs of Ukraine, she stated to the Finnish public broadcasting company. Its principally materiel thats already been decommissioned in Finland because we dont have an acute need for it. But its good to understand that all the materiel Finland is sending to Ukraine is serviceable and current.

The Ministry of Defence said in its press release that no detailed information on either the content of the package, or the method or schedule of delivery will be provided for operational reason and to make sure the package reaches its intended destination.

A final decision on the package was made yesterday, based on a proposal by the government, by President Sauli Niinisto.

Several other countries have pledged to deliver battle tanks to Ukraine. In January, Germany pledged to send 14 Leopard 2 battle tanks and the United States 31 M1 Abrams battle tanks to help Ukraine to reclaim territory captured by Russia. Norway, Poland and Spain, meanwhile, have pledged to deliver altogether 28 tanks to Ukraine since mid-February.

Also Canada and the United Kingdom have pledged tanks to support Ukraine, the former Leopard tanks and the latter Challenger 2 tanks.

China, meanwhile, is believed to be considering providing lethal support to Russia, according to reports that have been firmly denied by Beijing. German daily Der Spiegel on Thursday reported that Russia is in engaged negotiations about mass production of kamikaze drones with Xian Bingo Intelligent Aviation Technology, a Chinese manufacturer of drones.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT
The due date for the student healthcare fee was 31 January 2023 for students studying for a degree who registered as attending for the spring term by 31 January 2023.

Kela sends late payment reminders to higher education students studying for a degree who registered as attending by 31 January 2023 but did not pay the student healthcare fee by the due date.

The total number of students required to pay the fee is approximately 275,000. Most of them, some 213,000 students, paid the healthcare fee by the due date.

About 56,000 students have yet to pay the student healthcare fee. Kela has now sent these students a late payment reminder, which includes a EUR 5 fixed late fee, which is set by law.

Students have a lot of things to keep track of and we fully understand that they might forget to pay the healthcare fee. However, there is still time to make the payment after receiving the payment reminder, says Emmi Lehtonen, Team Manager for the Overpayment Recovery Team for Legal Services at Kela.

Around 4,500 students paid the fee after the due date. Kela has sent them, too, a late payment reminder, but only for the late fee.

Everyone who received a letter about the student healthcare fee can also read the letter in the OmaKela e-service. Students can choose to update their information in OmaKela to go paperless, which means all their letters will be available to read in OmaKela only. The students can then choose if they wish to be notified by text message or email when a new letter is available to read in OmaKela.

The healthcare fee that higher education students must pay to Kela covers all the services available from the Finnish Student Health Service. There are no other fees for service or per-visit charges. The 2023 rate of the student healthcare fee is EUR 36.80 per term.

HT

Source: Kela
The individuals who have fallen ill all consumed oysters, and environmental services have taken food samples from the restaurants as well as patient samples from the city's epidemiological action. Norovirus has been found in the samples.

The Environment Services of the City of Helsinki is investigating a number of suspected cases of food poisoning that are believed to be related to dining at several different restaurants and a pop-up event since the beginning of February. Currently, there are about 20 known cases of illness.

The Food Safety Unit is requesting that anyone who has eaten oysters at Fisken pa Disken, Ravintola Natura, Ravintola Gillet, The Cock, Ravintola Meripaviljonki, and the pop-up event at Ravintola Sake bar & Izakaya in February 2023 and has fallen ill after their meal, to contact the food safety unit. Illnesses may also be linked to other restaurants.

Those who have fallen ill are encouraged to contact the food safety unit primarily through an electronic food poisoning form at https://ilppa.fi. Contact can also be made by phone on weekdays from 8 am to 4 pm at +358 9 310 31527.

Norovirus is the most common cause of sudden intestinal infections in Finland.

Oysters have previously been found to transmit norovirus infections. Oysters that are consumed raw or undercooked are common sources of transmission for epidemics because they filter noroviruses while living in water contaminated with human feces. Norovirus is destroyed when food is heated to +90 degrees Celsius for two minutes.

Norovirus is easily transmitted from person to person either directly or indirectly, for example, through contaminated surfaces. Norovirus can also spread easily through contaminated food or water. A very small amount of the virus is enough to cause infection. The incubation period for norovirus is usually 12-48 hours. Typical symptoms include diarrhea, nausea or vomiting, and often fever, abdominal pain, and cramps. Symptoms often start very suddenly and usually last for about 12-72 hours.

Some restaurants have already been inspected following the outbreak of food poisoning, and oyster importers have taken steps to recall their products.

Environmental services are investigating the epidemic in collaboration with the City of Helsinki's epidemiological action.

HT
A third of Finnish high school students require additional support for their studies, according to the Lukiolaisbarometri report released last autumn. The need for support is more pronounced among students whose mother tongue is other than Finnish or Swedish, and those whose parents have lower levels of education. Nearly half of high school students with learning difficulties stated that they needed additional support.

In a recent official view of the Ministry of Education and Culture, a comprehensive overhaul of learning support was called for from early childhood education to higher education. The Union of Finnish Upper Secondary School Students supports the implementation of the reform in the next parliamentary term.

"When the goal is to increase the number of highly educated young people, it is essential to keep everyone on board. If the basic skills acquired in high school are inadequate, there will also be no readiness to succeed in higher education," says Ella Siltanen, President of the Union of Finnish Upper Secondary School Students.

The reform should pay particular attention to transitional stages, such as the transition from basic education to upper secondary education. Many young people report receiving adequate support in basic education, but when they move to upper secondary school, learning support is inadequate or completely interrupted.

A comprehensive support system does not emerge by itself; it requires sufficient competent staff. High school students were granted the right to special education in the autumn of 2021. In some high schools, it has been a challenge to find qualified professionals for the positions.

"It is important that special education teachers have time to support high school students in everyday life, but this is not currently being implemented. Therefore, we need more special education teachers in high schools and special education teacher ratios based on need. Subject teachers should also be instructed and trained on how to implement learning support," demands Siltanen.

The need for learning support is crucial to ensure that all students, regardless of their background, have equal opportunities to succeed in their studies. It is essential to invest in competent and sufficient staff, particularly at transitional stages, to provide necessary support to students. The implementation of a comprehensive learning support system is a step towards ensuring that all students have the opportunity to reach their full potential.

HT
THE founder of a Henley refugee charity says Ukrainians need help more than ever, exactly a year after the Russan invasion.

Gemma Birch, launched MotherSisterDaughter to help people fleeing the country after Russian troops invaded exactly a year ago today.

She set up a website designed to offer a local support network for hosts and their guests and has pooled resources to help refugees settle here.

Now the charity organises events such as coffee mornings at Trinity Hall in Harpsden Road.

Ms Birch, 45, says that while the influx of refugees has decreased recently, many of those here urgently need help to find accommodation, jobs and wellbeing support.

She said: The help has evolved because we had the initial influx of refugees last year and now we have a trickle of new people, not the volume we thought.

Initially, we got things we thought were needed such as toiletries and clothes and sorted out benefits and other systems.

Now most people have been here for a while and have moved on with their lives. They have jobs, their kids are in schools, they do English language courses  they are settled. It is not so much about stuff, it is about mental wellbeing, getting jobs and finding housing for when the hosting schemes come to an end.

Some hosts have been amazing. They have been hosting for about a year and will continue until suitable accommodation is found.

However, hosts arent coming forward like they were a year ago. Perhaps the anniversary will remind people or the summer will encourage people to become hosts as they spend more time outside than indoors. I just hope that more hosts come forward.

The economic crisis has meant the mortgage market and rental market have gone through the roof. Agencies are often not supportive in terms of Ukrainian refugees. Maybe they are not as preferred as local people with full-time employment. This is a sweeping statement but we see it time and time again.

Ms Birch said she often felt helpless when it came to finding suitable housing for refugees.

She said: It is really difficult. They are now asking for a years rent up-front with a UK-based guarantor, which is a big financial commitment. A lot of people cant even support themselves at the moment. In my opinion, its completely unnecessary but such is what some agencies do. I can do a personal reference on behalf of MotherSisterDaughter but I cant act as a guarantor for everyone.

Unfortunately, the refugees have relocated to a beautiful but expensive part of the world. We do all we can to keep people here because their children are at local schools, they have friends here and now know the community and area well but, like everyone, if they cant afford to live here, they will have to move further afield. The only difference is that for refugees, it means resettlement again.

That is really hard. Getting and fixing stuff was relatively easy by comparison. The houses and hosts just arent there, so it is quite challenging.

Quite a few private landlords around here have been very supportive and lots of lovely people do wonderful things  we always have a fabulously supportive community here. But we need more private landlords to come forward or we need the Government to organise something.

Ms Birch said she also needed more volunteers.

It has been quite slow since Christmas, perhaps because it has been so cold, she said.

At a recent coffee morning, three Ukrainian ladies came and all were in tears  they all needed support and someone to talk to. If we werent there, they would have gone another whole week without having had that.

Human contact and connection are so important. I maintain that it can carry someone from one week to the next. We need to remember that all these people have loved ones living and sometimes fighting in a war zone and they dont know what they are going to wake up to every day. It is great to volunteer, even if you just come to say hi.

Ms Birch also wants to reach out to more businesses to offer jobs to Ukrainian refugees.

She said: A lot of local businesses have supported people wonderfully and offered jobs, especially in retail and hospitality.

But still women are looking for jobs. If it looks like it will be a bit too much paperwork, dont be daunted, we can help and support businesses so they can understand the process, which is really no different to employing a local person. We want to make sure refugees can access employment.

Ms Birch juggles her charity work along with looking after her four-year-old son, Atticus, and managing her wedding styling and events decorating business, Atticus and Hope.

It is quite full-on, she said. Thats why I talk about volunteers  I may have set this up but it would not work without the wonderful mixture of people who volunteer. Its not just me.

The Government put the processes in place but it wouldnt have worked without the voluntary groups and communities that have been involved in the practicalities on a day-to-day level.

The groups have been helping on every level to enable people to build new lives, albeit sometimes temporary ones.

Most people want to go home to their lovely cities and families but it is not going to happen for a long time. Even if the war ends tomorrow, the regeneration and rebuilding that is needed is enormous. We need to evolve the help constantly and all the while they need us, we will try to help.
Nation backs Ukraine de-escalation

(China Daily) 08:41, February 24, 2023

Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee. [Photo/Xinhua]

Senior diplomat: Peaceful settlement of crisis mustn't be delayed indefinitely

Senior diplomat Wang Yi said on Thursday that China has encouraged and supported all efforts conducive to a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis and has actively promoted the de-escalation of the situation, as he wrapped up a weeklong Eurasian tour.

The trip, which took him to four European Union countries and Russia, came as the Ukraine crisis approached its first anniversary, which falls on Friday.

With the Ukraine crisis occurring in Europe and influencing the whole world, Wang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and also director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, said settlement of the crisis must not be delayed indefinitely.

He called on Europe to think carefully about "what conditions should be created for a cease-fire, what framework is required to bring lasting peace and stability in Europe, and what role Europe should play to truly reflect its strategic autonomy".

On the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany, Wang met with leaders and diplomats from more than 10 countries, including Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. While in Russia, he also exchanged views with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the Ukraine issue.

Wang said that all parties, though divided in their positions, appreciate China's objective stance and calm attitude, and they expect Beijing to play a more active role in the political settlement of the issue.

China will put forward a position paper on a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis soon, Wang said, adding that the paper will reiterate China's stance and incorporate all countries' legitimate concerns.

As it is a strong aspiration of peoples of all countries to make the world a safer place, Wang said no country has the privilege of having its own way in the world and engaging in double standards or exceptionalism. He also emphasized that any hegemonic, domineering or bullying practices should be rejected.

Having chosen Europe as his first overseas destination this year, Wang called for China and the EU to remove external disruptions, properly manage differences and step up exchanges and cooperation.

Doing so would inject valuable stability into the turbulent international situation and be of great significance in promoting a political solution of the Ukraine issue, he said.

Wang highlighted that China-EU relations are of "global and strategic" significance, saying that the two are partners, not rivals, and represent opportunities rather than threats to each other.

Wang also said that President Xi Jinping's in-depth exchanges with EU leaders through face-to-face talks, virtual meetings and phone calls more than 20 times over the past year played a leading strategic role in advancing China-EU ties.

Meanwhile, as the direction and impact of China-United States relations go far beyond the scope of bilateral ties and concern world peace and security, Wang urged Washington to show sincerity and face up to and redress the damage to Sino-US relations of the abuse of force against the Chinese unmanned airship that accidentally entered US airspace and was shot down by the US military on Feb 4.

During an unofficial meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Feb 18 on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Wang urged Washington to "stop doing such absurd things out of domestic political needs".

Wang said that "if the US continues to dramatize, hype up or escalate the situation, China will surely respond by doing what is necessary".

Though the US is unscrupulously trying to suppress and contain China, the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is unstoppable, as China's development has a strong, inherent driving force and inevitable historical logic.

He urged the US to abandon the obsolete Cold War mentality, adopt an objective and fair perception of China and return to a rational and pragmatic China policy.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
art'otel London Battersea Power Station, managed by Park Plaza Hotels, today officially opens its doors to the public, offering a one-of-a-kind hotel experience that fuses art, design and hospitality with never-before-seen views. Blurring the lines between art, product and design, every detail of the hotel has been masterminded and designed by lauded Spanish artist-designer Jaime Hayon, from the suites, spa and public Art Gallery right down to the light fittings.

Hayon has created a unique identity for the hotel that is set to inspire, intrigue and excite guests, blending unique interior design with an eclectic collection of paintings, prints, photography, sculptures and tapestry throughout. His vision for art'otel Battersea is inspired by the Power Station's history and heritage, as well as its future at the centre of a new cultural district and neighbourhood for London.

"I wanted to create a journey for guests and bring a completely new hotel experience to London, one that blends great comfort with a new vision of contemporary creativity," says Hayon. "Artistic expression is the soul behind the interior design of the hotel. London Battersea Power Station is set to become a new hub for art and creativity, bringing something truly special to this iconic location, and it's been a true honour to work on this project."

art'otel's playful design features, tailor made furniture and works of art designed by Hayon, create a completely unique immersive hotel experience. Guests will feel they've entered a living work of art as soon as they step foot through the door; entering into a dreamlike entrance hall that's inspired by hand drawings and features Hayon's unmistakable The Dreamer.

Continuing into the hotel, the main lobby is inspired by surreal cubism, featuring an enchanting, wall length cabinet of curiosities - filled with fascinating objects meticulously curated by Hayon from all over the world. From eclectic vases and ceramics to unique glass objects, the cabinet represents the cultural diversity of the capital city in which art'otel lives. The sensation evoked by the lobby area is tranquil and relaxed, a transition from the hurry of the city into a soothing haven.

Situated within TOZI Grand Cafe, the Art Gallery is a nod to the work of American sculptor Alexander Calder: sculptures hang high above alongside custom made tapestries, filling the drum-like space. A mobile-like chandelier gives the gallery an ethereal and surreal feel.

The exploration of artistic expression continues even in the public bathrooms, which are also dedicated to the theatre experience. Hayon wanted to create a behind the scenes atmosphere as if entering the reinterpretation of an exquisite dressing room - sleek, chic and iconic.

Timeless brass lifts lead to deep green corridors, guiding guests to bedrooms inspired by contemporary expressionism. The design concept for the rooms centres on combining great comfort with fun and boundary-pushing design, with a mix of bold pastels and deep tones that creates a lively yet restful environment. Playful luxury is the core sensation Hayon aims to evoke with the guestroom experience.

Jaime Hayon has won numerous awards, including multiple ELLE Decoration International Design Awards, included by Wallpaper* Magazine in its top 100 list and recognised by the magazine as one of the most influential creators of the last decade, lauded as a "visionary" and one of the most creative icons by Times magazine.

Not only home to Hayon's artwork, art'otel London Battersea Power Station plays host to an ever-changing calendar of exhibitions and experiences, encouraging guests to surround themselves with the creativity and inspiration of each artist. Covering all areas and genres, art'otel aims to be accessible to all, regularly featuring up and coming artists. To find out about the art and design within art'otel, guests can ask one of the art'otel team for a guided tour during their stay, or simply download the art'otel WONDERPASS to explore each piece of art.

art'otel London Battersea Power Station officially opens on 21st February, bringing a bold new energy to the groundbreaking Battersea Power Station neighbourhood. The hotel is managed by Park Plaza Hotels under its art'otel brand and, in addition to an immersive world of art, guests are invited to discover the hotel's instantly recognisable heated rooftop infinity pool and hot tub, offering jaw-dropping views of the Power Station and beyond. The ultimate spot to watch the sunrise over the city, guests can soak up the rays or sip on a cocktail from the rooftop bar as the sun goes down. Guests can also head down to art'otel's spa to enjoy indulgent treatments by Proverb plus a sauna, steam room and state of the art gym.

art'otel London Battersea Power Station is also home to JOIA, headed up by Michelin-starred Portuguese chef Henrique Sa Pessoa, with the restaurant showcasing Henrique's vibrant, unique, and fresh take on traditional plates using the best of British and Iberian produce. Designed by Russell Sage Studios, it will also offer an unforgettable cocktail menu for guests to enjoy whilst soaking up views of the Power Station and London's skyline from 14 floors up. Meanwhile, TOZI Grand Cafe will invite guests to discover menus of Venetian cicchetti, antipasti afternoon teas and delicious brunches.

Hotel website
The Kimpton Hotel Monaco Salt Lake City, located in the heart of downtown, announces a bold, top-to-bottom renovation today, bringing an enhanced level of modern sophistication to Salt Lake City. The transformation, set to be completed in late summer 2023, will include a full re-haul of its public spaces, on-site meeting and event spaces, its 225 guest rooms and suites, and its admired on-site restaurant, Bambara, and cocktail bar, The Vault. The Monaco will remain open throughout the process.

Led by Los Angeles-based design firm beleco, the overall aesthetic will evoke an elegant European-inspired estate with an approachable and relaxed feel. Design will highlight original and historical details, all while incorporating natural textures and art inspired by the surrounding mountains and scenery.

Upon arrival in the revamped entryway, guests will immediately be welcomed by a crackling fire where natural oak herringbone floors lead the way to a large stone front desk. Pops of rich cognac leather furniture, bold textiles and bold bronze light fixtures will provide a wonderful juxtaposition to the otherwise quiet elegance produced by a relaxing and neutral color palette of grey, blue, cream, and white.

G uest rooms, adorned with elegant drapery, comfortable lounge-like seating, and soothing colors will feature a bold cerulean blue velvet headboard centerpiece and Parisian-inspired side tables. Local artwork, inspired by the mountain landscape, will remind guests what lies just outside their window. Rounding out the space, the guestroom bathrooms will feature light blue shower tiles, textured wallpaper and bronze hardware, and will ooze serenity through its soft charm.

The beloved on-site restaurant Bambara will also undergo a full transformation. The design will make use of the original high ceilings and large windows to bring in a flood of natural light. The restaurant will feel welcoming and casual, with its centrally located exhibition kitchen at the heart of the space - all enhanced by metal finishes, crisp white walls, juxtaposed by dark wood tables and rich tufted cognac banquettes.

Located next to Bambara will be an entirely reimagined bar, The Vault, which will feature a separate entrance and an extensive cocktail and sharable bites menu. Inspired by the moody colors of dark liquors and serving as a hub for friends, colleagues and locals, the intimate lounge will incorporate tufted leather couches, low marble coffee tables, rich velvet textiles and high-backed regal lounge chairs to set the mood. A large dark leather-railed bar will sit against a bold dark blue wall, finished with metal details and bronze light fixtures.

Regularly recognized among the best hotels in the region, including earning coveted spots on Conde Nast Traveler's Readers' Choice Awards, the Kimpton Hotel Monaco Salt Lake City - housed in the historic Continental Bank Building - has been an integral part of Kimpton's portfolio since 1999. Kimpton's commitment to heartfelt care ensures that the Hotel Monaco will be a warm and welcoming place to visit during the renovation and after.

The Kimpton Hotel Monaco Salt Lake City is located at 15 W 200 S., Salt Lake City, UT 84101. For reservations please call 866-906-9090; for the hotel please call (801)-595-0000. For more information and updates, please visit www.monaco-saltlakecity.com and follow @monacoslc on Instagram.

Hotel website
As it starts preparing for its grand reopening in June 2023, Regent Hong Kong shares the first glimpse of its stunning transformation. Set on the edge of the majestic Victoria Harbour, the legendary hotel called on visionary Hong Kong-born, Milan-based designer Chi Wing Lo to create a design language integrating storied heritage, serene aesthetics, and the Regent signature Beauty of Contrasts.

Regent Hotels & Resorts joined IHG Hotels & Resorts' Luxury & Lifestyle Collection in 2018. For two years, work was undertaken to reimagine a new era for the brand as a storied and heritage luxury icon, building on its founding ambition to take modern luxury to new heights. Regent Hong Kong brings these new brand foundations to life through daring design, innovative restaurants and bars, and immersive experiences underpinned by service that works behind the scenes to create an endless sense of calm to enable uplifting experiences.

Revered for his considered, meticulous approach balancing tactile materials and the most skilled artisans, Chi Wing Lo and his team brought over 30 years of architecture, interior and furniture design to their very first hotel project. The design beautifully juxtaposes the most spectacular views of bustling Victoria Harbour, with serene interiors layered with textured materials and quietly decadent touches.

This opening of Regent Hong Kong marks an exciting addition to the over 450 hotels already within IHG's Luxury & Lifestyle Collection, one of the largest in the world. Centred around guests, IHG and its best-in-class loyalty programme, IHG One Rewards, offers richer benefits and more ways to earn than ever before, all powered by leading technology on the new IHG One Rewards mobile app.

Guests at Regent Hong Kong will discover a rare urban sanctuary on Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour. Founded in 1970 to become the epitome of modern luxury, the vision of Regent Hotels & Resorts culminated in 1980 with the landmark opening of Regent Hong Kong. True to its pioneering purpose and inspired by the beauty of contrasts, the hotel embraces the creative philosophy of Chi Wing Lo and draws inspiration from the creative tension between serenity and stimulation to heighten the senses, which comes to life with bold design, uplifting service and novel, tailored experiences.

Classic Harbourview Room - a Personal Haven of tranquillity worth waiting for

Amidst relaxing tones and meticulously chosen details, Regent Hong Kong is peppered with signature Personal Havens - nestled, personalised spaces designed to inspire indulgent moments and unique experiences. To celebrate the brand's approach to framed views, the splendour of the harbour is augmented with textured ceilings, custom-design furniture and careful compositions so as to invite guests' contemplations from Regent Hong Kong's unrivalled setting. One such example is the layered scene offered in guestrooms where purposefully positioned mirrored sliding doors reflect the vibrant waterfront, focusing the viewer's eye on the spectacular cityscape.

Chi Wing Lo's design contributes to the contemplative spaciousness of the guestrooms, with walls minimised to create an open plan layout. In select harbour-view rooms, a sliding door opens to reveal the spectacular view of the harbour from the curved, free-standing soaking tub. In others, a unique moongate design of Nero African granite leads to a one-of-a-kind bath and shower experience. The curtainless shower provides a sense of spaciousness and the AXOR overhead showerhead with rain flow, and mono modes to revitalize and invigorate. The use of flamed and brushed granite, natural oak, split cut "illusive" granite accents, honed Calcutta vanity counters, and furniture-style washbasins all come together to create an atmosphere of peace and tranquility to make every bathroom a true oasis and a personal haven within each guest room.

Regent Hong Kong's dining destinations soft-launched in December. Since then, guests have been able to rediscover the decadently indulgent restaurants that Regent was renowned for, with each restaurant bringing back not only all-time favourites and refreshed classics, but also new immersive culinary journeys that go beyond the excellence of the cuisine itself with sensory encounters inspired by Hong Kong's rich culture and art.

The iconic restaurants at Regent Hong Kong include:

The Steak House: The ultimate haven for meat and wine lovers featuring curated selections of the finest meat from around the world, perfectly seared on the original charcoal grill, with an elaborate salad bar and wine list featuring some of the world's best wines with big bottle vintages, from Magnum and Jeroboam to Balthazar and Nebuchadnezzar.

The ultimate haven for meat and wine lovers featuring curated selections of the finest meat from around the world, perfectly seared on the original charcoal grill, with an elaborate salad bar and wine list featuring some of the world's best wines with big bottle vintages, from Magnum and Jeroboam to Balthazar and Nebuchadnezzar. Harbourside: A vibrant immersive buffet experience, transporting guests to the world's local markets, with a focus on Asian and Western cuisine.

A vibrant immersive buffet experience, transporting guests to the world's local markets, with a focus on Asian and Western cuisine. Lobby Lounge: A captivating oasis with awe-inspiring views of Victoria Harbour, the quintessential meeting place for afternoon tea, with origin coffees and a selection of Chinese and Western teas and Regent's famous day to evening champagne ritual featuring selections from small Champagne Houses.

At the same time, two Michelin Star Yan Toh Heen, which remained open during the renovation period, has also made a return - back to its treasured original name, Lai Ching Heen, from when it first opened in 1984, meaning "Regent scenic pavilion" in Cantonese, while continuing to offer exquisite Cantonese dishes that blend tradition with modern flair.

Regent Hong Kong now joins Regent Chongqing, Regent Shanghai, Regent Phu Quoc and the soon-to-open Carlton Cannes - A Regent Hotel in crafting the most refined experiences for modern luxury trendsetters. Regent Phu Quoc in Vietnam opened in April 2022, becoming the first new-build Regent to open following the brand's new repositioning. Regent Hong Kong returns to Victoria Harbour after a full renovation and is set to be closely followed by the opening of Regent Bali Canggu in late 2023. Regent hotels are poised to open in Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Kyoto and Sanya within the next few years.

Hotel website
Led by Storey Hotel Management Group, the 'Belle of the Ball' reclaims her vibrant soul and will operate as an independent property.

Malliouhana Resort, the flagship of Anguilla's luxury tourism industry and the first five-star hotel in Anguilla, announces today that it will return to operating as independent property, led by Storey Hotel Management Group, an operator of independent luxury properties worldwide.

As the property approaches its 40th anniversary, Malliouhana is poised to not only embrace its storied history as one of the most exclusive destinations in the Caribbean, but to also celebrate its glamor as an iconic property with all its unique character and charm, striking stature, and most importantly, its vivacious sense of place.

The handover of Malliouhana on April 1 marks the second management transition from Auberge Resorts Collection to Storey Hotel Management Group. In February 2022, Storey added multi-award-winning Fijian property Nanuku Resort to its growing portfolio of luxury hotels, ushering in a new era of expertise and focused support. Under Storey Hotel Management Group, Nanuku Resort was awarded #2 best resort in the South Pacific and featured on the cover of the November 2022 "Reader's Choice Awards" issue of Conde Nast Traveler. Storey Hotel Management Group will bring the same level of attention and in-depth understanding of the guest experience to create truly modern and memorable moments at Malliouhana.

The Malliouhana family will continue to operate under the leadership of General Manager George Vlachopoulos and Director of Sales Miguel Carrillo, along with the dedication and care of its long-time employees.

About Malliouhana

Perched atop a panoramic bluff overlooking the azure waters of the Caribbean Sea and extending to the white sands of Meads Bay and Turtle Cove beaches on the west end of Anguilla, Malliouhana Resort offers guests 63 elegantly appointed rooms & suites that blend the warmth and gracious hospitality of the Caribbean with stylish spaces that create a sense of togetherness. A toes-in-the-sand restaurant, Leon's at Meads Bay, joins Celeste and Bar Soleil overlooking white-sand beaches, along with the iconic two- tiered infinity swimming pool and the Spa at Malliouhana.

Hotel website
Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley, a contemporary urban getaway in the Bay Area, announces the appointment of Daniel Garcia as Executive Chef. Daniel, a Barcelona, Spain native, brings a wealth of knowledge and experience as a leader of the culinary team.

Daniel earned his Culinary and Pastry Degree from the Escuela de Hosteleria Hofmann in Barcelona. He began his career in La Garriga, Spain as a line cook, and worked his way up to become the sous chef at Moments, the famous two Michelin star restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental in Barcelona. In 2014 Daniel moved to the Bay Area and worked for James Beard Award nominee Coqueta restaurant in San Francisco, Bottega and Ottimo in Yountville. From there, Daniel joined the Meritage Resort and Spa Hotel in Napa Valley to become their executive banquet chef. In his last hotel assignment, Daniel held the executive banquet chef position at the iconic Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego.

Coming from a family of travellers and hospitality professionals, travelling to different parts of the world and the hospitality world was natural to him. Although born in USA, he moved to Barcelona at a very young age where most of his summers were spent in the countryside, experiencing farm to table food, which later sparked his interest in the culinary world.

Aside of infusing renewed enthusiasm, the Executive Chef has plans to work with local producers with an added focus on seasonality. He also plans to offer an increased number of vegetarian options keeping in mind the prevailing trends. Personally, Daniel enjoys eating tapas, which include small portions of food that can be shared with the rest of the table.

In his spare time, Daniel loves to travel around the world to discover new flavours, restaurants, traditions, and stories. He is also an avid mountain biker and enjoys visiting farmers' markets and picking the freshest seasonal produce.
Cochran joins Le Meridien and Element Salt Lake City Downtownwith a strong background in luxury and lifestyle hotel operations, including with companies such as Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Destination Hotels, Two Roads Hospitality and W Hotels. Most recently, Cochran served as Director of Operations at W Aspen. He has also held the roles of Director of Operations as well as Director of Food & Beverage at Two Roads Hospitality's properties in Stowe, Vermont. Cochran began his hospitality career as Starwood Hotels & Resorts' Director of Food and Beverage in Aspen.

Originally from Manhattan, Cochran grew up around cooks and culinary enthusiasts, which guided him to graduate from the International Culinary Center. He then continued his education at Cornell University and Harvard University. Cochran now lives in Salt Lake City with his wife, three children and two dogs. When not overseeing hotel operations, Cochran enjoys snowboarding and watching sports, including his beloved Golden State Warriors and New York Yankees.
ATLANTA  IHG Hotels & Resorts and its partner Polaris, a leading organization in the fight against human trafficking, hosted a forum in Atlanta, Ga. on Wednesday, February 22 to unveil findings from Polaris National Survivor Study (NSS). Survivors of human trafficking shared insights on the conditions that make people vulnerable to trafficking and the barriers to rebuilding their lives. Elected officials and executives from Atlantas top companies also discussed what the State of Georgia and the business community are doing to help to support survivors and stop human trafficking.

The NSS is a scientifically rigorous and survivor-led research project designed to reveal the experiences and needs of human trafficking survivors in an effort to design more effective strategies to eradicate this crime.

Key study insights include:

Prior to their trafficking, survivors reported experiencing vulnerabilities at alarmingly high rates, including 83% having experienced poverty and 96% having suffered abuse (physical, sexual, emotional).

At time of exit, 75% of respondents reported support in accessing behavioral or mental health services as one of their top needs.

Roughly 40% of respondents reported some kind of criminal record as a result of their trafficking experience, hindering their chances for employment.

Survivors income lags the rest of the population, with 43% of respondents making under $25,000 per year after exiting trafficking, compared to 26% of the general U.S. population.

Traffickers often exploit victims through misuse of their identity for various financial schemes and over 60% of respondents reported experiencing financial abuse by their trafficker.

This event highlighted critical findings from the National Survivor Study that paint a detailed picture of the arc of trafficking  from the conditions that make people susceptible, to the many challenges survivors face after their exploitation. The NSS offers a virtual roadmap for policymakers and allies seeking to make change, and Im hopeful the dialogue will bring more awareness to the ways we can support survivors. Id like to thank IHG Hotels & Resorts who hosted the forum, and all the speakers for their allyship in ending human trafficking. Catherine Chen, CEO, Polaris

IHGs purpose in convening this conversation with our partner Polaris, trafficking survivors, elected officials and businesses is two-fold  to keep trafficking prevention in the spotlight, but also shine a new light on barriers that prevent survivors livelihoods. Putting a stop to trafficking requires deep collaboration and commitment, from the hotel training we require across more than 4,300 Americas IHG hotels to partnering with our industry, non-profits and government. I want to thank the survivor leaders who bravely spoke, First Lady of Georgia Marty Kemp, Attorney General of Georgia Chris Carr and President of Social Impact for The UPS Foundation Nikki Clifton for sharing their commitments and expertise. Elie Maalouf, CEO, Americas, IHG Hotels & Resorts

In Georgia, we have made great strides in the fight against human trafficking by empowering law enforcement to pursue offenders and creating new avenues of support for survivors. As we see in this report, there is still more work to be done. We are continuing to raise awareness of human trafficking and find ways to provide survivors the resources they need on their paths to recovery. First Lady of Georgia Marty Kemp

IHG has had a longstanding commitment to fight human trafficking and improve the lives of survivors through various partnerships with organizations including Polaris, ECPAT-USA, Its A Penalty and Wellspring Living. In January, IHG also donated $500,000 to support the AHLA Foundation No Room for Trafficking (NRFT) Survivor Fund as part of the hotel industrys united front to end trafficking. Additionally, IHG offers free anti-human trafficking training, which is a required brand standard for all colleagues to complete across more than 4,300 hotels in the Americas.

About Polaris

Named after the North Star, an historical symbol of freedom, Polaris is leading a social justice movement to fight sex and labor trafficking at the massive scale of the problem  nearly 28 million people worldwide robbed of the freedom to choose how they live and work. For more than a decade, Polaris has assisted thousands of victims and survivors through the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline, helped ensure countless traffickers were held accountable, and built the largest known U.S. data set on actual trafficking experiences. With the guidance of survivors, we use that data to improve the way trafficking is identified, how victims and survivors are assisted, and how communities, businesses and governments can prevent human trafficking by transforming the underlying inequities and oppressions that make it possible.

About IHG

IHG Hotels & Resorts [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global hospitality company, with a purpose to provide True Hospitality for Good.

With a family of 17 hotel brands and IHG Rewards, one of the world's largest hotel loyalty programmes, IHG has over 6,000 open hotels in more than 100 countries, and a further 1,800 in the development pipeline.

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group's holding company and is incorporated and registered in England and Wales. Approximately 350,000 people work across IHG's hotels and corporate offices globally.

Visit us online for more about our hotels and reservations and IHG Rewards. For our latest news, visit our Newsroom and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Katie Shuford

IHG
From the very start, UNWTO has led tourism's response to the crisis. Our Members moved swiftly to suspend Russia from our Organization. At the same time, stakeholders from across the sector rallied in support of the Ukrainian people. As many as 8 million of them have sought refuge across Europe and UNWTO commends tourism actors who provided them with means of transport, accommodation and other practical assistance. We also thank the countries hosting refugees until returning is safe.

With no end in sight for the war, our solidarity must hold firm. This unwanted anniversary offers a moment to take stock and reflect. The past year has shown us the remarkable strength of a people determined to hold onto their freedom and sovereignty. It has also shown us the importance of standing together, both as an international community and as a major economic sector, and staying true to our shared values whatever the cost.
A year ago, Airbnb.org committed to connecting up to 100,000 people fleeing the war in Ukraine to free, temporary housing. As the world marks one year since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, Airbnb.org has helped connect nearly 130,000 people to free stays. These stays were funded by Airbnb, Inc., other donors to Airbnb.org, and the generosity of Hosts who offered free and discounted stays through Airbnb.org.

This work was also made possible by Airbnb.orgs trusted humanitarian partners that helped book and coordinate stays for refugee guests. Airbnb.org has worked with more than 40 organizations around the world to provide temporary accommodation to people fleeing Ukraine.

Today, Airbnb.org continues to work with its global network of nonprofit organizations to assist refugees from Ukraine, where renewed violence and harsh winter conditions have intensified the need for housing.

In addition, Airbnb.org grew its network of organizations in 2022 to include Nova Ukraine, Global Empowerment Mission (GEM), EURORDIS and Phineo as well as hyperlocal community-based organizations such as Community Sponsorship Hub to better serve people in need. These partnerships are one way Airbnb.org expressed its ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.

Throughout the Ukraine crisis GEM has assisted thousands of individuals and families with their need to relocate globally. We are grateful for the collaboration and support of Airbnb.org, which has allowed us to offer displaced individuals a safe and healthy environment in an otherwise stressful and disheartening situation. Michael Capponi, Founder and President of Global Empowerment Mission Inc.

To support this response, more than 48,000 Hosts from 160 countries and regions around the world offered to open up their homes to refugees through Airbnb.org. To date, refugees fleeing Ukraine have found refuge with Hosts across more than 98 countries and regions, including Germany, Poland, Denmark, Romania, Hungary, the US and Canada.

Supporting refugees is core to Airbnb.orgs work, and it remains dedicated to working with partners to offer help to people fleeing Ukraine, as well as displaced people impacted by the earthquakes in Turkiye and Syria and other crises, in the months to come.

People interested in supporting this critical work can visit airbnb.org to donate. Currently, all donations will be matched up to a total of $5 million USD. That means every gift will have twice the impact, and will help fund the cost of housing for people in times of crisis.

About Airbnb

Airbnb was born in 2007 when two Hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 4 million Hosts who have welcomed more than 1 billion guest arrivals across over 220 countries and regions. Travel on Airbnb keeps more of the financial benefits of tourism with the people and places that make it happen. Airbnb has generated billions of dollars in earnings for Hosts, most of whom are individuals listing the homes in which they live. Among Hosts who report their gender, more than half are women, and one in five employed Hosts are either teachers or healthcare workers. Travel on Airbnb also has generated more than $4 billion in tax revenue around the world. Airbnb has helped advance more than 1,000 regulatory frameworks for short-term rentals, including in 80% of our top 200 geographies. In late 2020, to support our continued expansion and diversification, we launched the City Portal to provide governments with a one-stop shop that supports data sharing and compliance with local registration rules. We continue to invest in innovations and tools to support our ongoing work with governments around the world to advance travel that best serves communities.

About Airbnb.org

Airbnb.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to facilitating temporary stays for people in times of crisis around the world. Airbnb.org operates independently and leverages Airbnb, Inc."s technology, services, and other resources at no charge to carry out Airbnb.org"s charitable purpose. The inspiration for Airbnb.org began in 2012 with a single host named Shell who opened up her home to people impacted by Hurricane Sandy. This sparked a movement and marked the beginning of a program that allows Hosts on Airbnb to provide stays for people in times of need. Since then, the program has evolved to focus on emergency response and to help provide stays to evacuees, relief workers, refugees, asylum seekers, and frontline workers fighting the spread of COVID-19. Since then, Hosts have offered to open up their homes and helped provide accommodations to 100,000 people in times of need. Airbnb.org is a separate and independent entity from Airbnb, Inc. Airbnb, Inc. does not charge service fees for Airbnb.org supported stays on its platform.

Airbnb Press

Airbnb Press Office

Airbnb
On February 15, 2023, a federal appeals court blocked a California law that prohibited employers from requiring their workers to resolve legal disputes in private arbitration.

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco in a 2-1 decision held that the law cannot be enforced because it conflicts with federal arbitration law. This ruling hands an important victory to business groups and employers across the state.

The 9th Circuit panel in 2021 upheld the law 2-1, but later agreed to reconsider the decision. One of the three judges was persuaded to reverse his prior ruling in this revised order, which revived a ruling by a lower court against the law. The case is U.S. Chamber of Commerce v. Bonta, 9th Cir., No. 20-15291, 2/15/2023.

In light of this important and helpful Court of Appeals decision, employers across the state should consider revising their arbitration agreement to take out any language that permits the employee to decide whether or not they wish to enter into it.

JMBMs Labor and Employment attorney s counsel businesses and management on workplace issues, helping to establish policies that address problems and reduce job-related lawsuits. We act quickly to resolve claims and aggressively defend our clients in all federal and state courts, before the Department of Labor, the NLRB, and other federal, state and local agencies, as well as in private arbitration forums. We represent employers in collective bargaining negotiations and arbitration.

See how JMBMs Global Hospitality Group can help you. Click here for the latest on labor and employment guidance.

About the JMBM Global Hospitality Group

The hospitality attorneys in the Global Hospitality Group of Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP comprise the premier hospitality practice in a full-service law firm, and the most experienced legal and advisory team in the industry. Our team of seasoned hotel lawyers has helped clients with more than 4,600 hospitality properties located around the globe valued at more than $123 billion, and have worked on more than 2,700 management and franchise agreements. Our experience provides one of the most extensive virtual data bases of market terms for deals and financings. The hospitality lawyers of our team are not just great hotel lawyerswe are also hospitality consultants and business advisors, dealmakers and facilitators of the flow of capital. We help our clients find the right operator, joint venture partner or capital provider. We know who to call and how to reach them.

Jim Butler

+1 310 201 3526

JMBM

View source
Data recently released by the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) show that in January 2023:

U.S.-International air traffic passenger enplanements (APIS/I-92 arrivals + departures) totaled:

18.038 million, up 68% compared to January 2022, with enplanements reaching 91% of pre-pandemic January 2019 volume.

Originating Non-Stop Air Travel in January 2023

Non-U.S. Citizen Air Passenger Arrivals to the United States from foreign countries totaled: 4.034 million, up 76% compared to January 2022 and 76% compared to pre-pandemic January 2019 volume.



On a related note, overseas visitor arrivals (with stays of 1-night or more in the United States and visiting under certain visa types) (ADIS/ I-94) totaled 1.930 million in January 2023, the fifteenth consecutive month overseas visitor arrivals exceeded 1.0 million. January overseas visitor arrivals reached 67% of pre-pandemic January 2019 volume, down from 71% in December 2022. (See January I-94 Preliminary Advance Release https://www.trade.gov/i-94-arrivals-program)

U.S. Citizen Air Passenger Departures from the United States to foreign countries totaled: 4.283 million, up 75% compared to January 2022 and exceeding January 2019 volume by 7.0%.



World Region Highlights in January 2023 (APIS/I-92 arrivals + departures)

Total air passenger travel (arrivals and departures) between the United States and other countries were led iby: Mexico 3.438 million, Canada 2.172 million, the United Kingdom 1.164 million, the Dominican Republic 836,000 and Germany 644,000.

International regional air travel to/from the United States : Europe: 3.877 million passengers, up 87% over January 2022, and down only (-13%) compared to January 2019. South/Central America/Caribbean: 5.082 million, up 32% over January 2022, and down only (-3%) compared to January 2019.

Top U.S. Ports serving international locations were New York (JFK) 2.360 million, Miami (MIA) 2.045 million, Los Angeles (LAX) 1.601 million, Newark (EWR) 1.004 million and San Francisco (SFO) 963,000.

Top foreign ports serving U.S. locations were Cancun (CUN) 1.129 million, London Heathrow (LHR) 1.038 million, Toronto (YYZ) 894,000, Mexico City (MEX) 660,000 and Paris (CDG) 511,000.

Interested in an interactive data visualization of these statistics? Please visit our APIS/I-92 International Air Passenger Monitor for a more comprehensive and customizable experience.

Check out ITAs new Visual Data Center providing a one-stop-shop where you can find a variety of data analysis at your fingertips. Discover industry insights and trends in an easy-to-understand format that will help simplify complex robust data points to provide valuable insights that can impact your business. You can interact with the data to easily view different patterns and trends or download the data at no cost for further analysis or use.

About The International Trade Administration (ITA)

The International Trade Administration (ITA) at the U.S. Department of Commerce is the premier resource for American companies competing in the global marketplace. ITA has more than 2,200 employees assisting U.S. exporters in more than 100 U.S. cities and 80 markets worldwide. For more information on ITA visit www.trade.gov.

Keep up-to-date on the travel and tourism industry by visiting TI News.
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The administrative assistant's desk and file cabinets with town documents were moved into the Ketchum Meeting Room a couple of years ago. The Select Board is trying to find room for other governemental bodies to meet.

Clarksburg Officials Trying to Get Meetings Back in Town Hall

CLARKSBURG, Mass.  Officials are trying to figure out how to fit all its essential offices on the first level of Town Hall.

The last Select Board had shifted meetings to the handicapped-accessible Community Center , in part because of the pandemic, and the administrative assistant was moved into the Ketchum Meeting Room.

Select Board Chair Jeffrey Levanos said he would like to see all meetings returned to Town Hall noting that the Ketchum Meeting Room had been designated years ago for that purpose.

"We designated this as the meeting room, and to me, this is where all the meetings should be," he said at Wednesday's meeting.

Town Administrator Carl McKinney said moving the administrative assistant had worked out well but a lot of the town's data was now located in the room with her.

"I am concerned that we not be able to monitor other boards, committees and audiences in this room after hours," he said. "There is some rather sensitive data that is locked up a lot but there is some that is not ... we have a duty to protect that."

While the Select Board has moved back to Town Hall, the Planning Board and Conservation Commission are still at the Community Center  but material they may need is at Town Hall.

"I have had a pretty robust discussion with the Planning Board and they don't like meeting at the Community Center because their stuff isn't there," McKinney said, adding that if the board had to continue meeting there, it would want its records available. That, he said, would also put town documents at risk since they couldn't be secured.

Planning Board Chair Karin Robert had told him a portable table in the lobby would be agreeable, he said, but Select Board members weren't sure that was appropriate.

"It just doesn't hit me right, a table and folding chairs ... I don't want it to be the norm," said Levanos. Board member Dan Haskins didn't like that a board would be meeting in the lobby while citizens were coming in for other business.

He asked if the administrative assistant could be moved back to the lobby area, opening up the meeting room for all boards and commissions. McKinney didn't think there would be enough room because the town clerk is now in that location, which he said has been working out very well.

The town clerk had previously been upstairs, which had sometimes required her to come down to meet citizens who couldn't maneuver the stairs. Some boards had also met upstairs but that limited public access since there is no elevator.

The board also raised the idea of having other boards and commissions meet during the day when the administrative assistant was in the office but McKinney said that would disrupt her work. Plus, he didn't want those boards to begin to consider the assistant as working for them.

"All I'm looking for is a temporary solution," he said. If the other boards didn't mind setting up in the lobby after the town clerk left at noon, that could work for now.

A more definitive solution would have to come during budget talks since it would likely mean partitions and utility changes.

"We're going to have to put our heads together to figure out how to reconfigure the first floor," McKinney said. "We do have some space, whether it's appropriate or not ... ?"

The first level, which is fully accessible through the back of the former Briggsville School, was renovated more than a decade ago to house the police station. That section and the town clerk's office take up at least half the first level. In addition to the meeting room and lobby, there's also the town treasurer's office a storage area and the mailroom, which has had water issues.

The board agreed to do a walk-through of the first level to see where more space could be found and discuss it during budget talks. In the meantime, the other commissions could use the lobby.

McKinney said he would also bring up staffing as a budget matter. The town has been roiled by turnover over the last few years and he said having four full-time people run the town has been a "herculean task."

The pandemic really exposed the precariousness of the town's staffing, said McKinney, and losing one person shouldn't cripple the entire town.

"I think it's very important that we look for assistance to our major players," agreed Levanos.

In other business, McKinney reported that companies that expressed interest in bidding on a stair lift at the school were invited to look at the building on Thursday. School is out this week for winter break.

 An organizational committee is being formed to plan for the town's 225th founding, which coincides with the library's 125th and the fire company's 85th anniversaries. The town will be looking for some funding and volunteers.

 The treasurer's office will be closed next week for the new town treasurer/tax collector to be trained. Kelly Ryan of Clarksburg begins the job on Monday. Ryan has a background in banking and loan servicing and was most recently a commercial loan specialist at Inland Management.

She was the recommendation of an interview committee consisting of board members Levanos and Robert Norcross and Town Clerk Marilyn Gomeau. Levanos and Norcoss voted to offer her the post two weeks ago.
Congressman Olver, often the tallest in any group, at the ribbon cutting of the $15 million, copper-clad John W. Olver Transit Center in Greenfield in 2012. Olver urging people to ride the train in 2014. With then BCC President Paul Raverta and MCLA President Mary Grant in 2011. Olver with NAHA Director Jennifer Hohn, the late state Rep. Gailanne Cariddi, then North Adams Mayor Richard Alcombright and then City Councilor Marie Harpin at a groundbreaking in 2011. PreviousNext

John Olver, Champion for Rural Mass and Passenger Rail, Dies at 86



John Olver as grand marshal of the Fall Foliage Parade in 2011. He was a regular marcher in the annual event. AMHERST, Mass.  Former Congressman John Olver died Thursday at age 86 at his Amherst home.

Gov. Maura T. Healey has ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff at all state buildings.

Olver represented the 1st Massachusetts District for 22 years until his retirement in 2012. Prior to that, he spent 22 years in the Legislature.

His successor and one-time colleague U.S. Rep. Richard Neal said the Amherst Democrat had dedicated his life to public service.

"Over the course of his 22 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, John was an effective leader and steadfast advocate for the people of Western and central Massachusetts," he wrote in a statement. "His approach to policymaking was a good lesson for those in public life. He lacked any malice and had the purest of intentions, focusing solely on delivering for the people he felt privileged to represent."

The former University of Massachusetts chemistry professor was the ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and the only member of the delegation on the House Appropriations Committee at the time of his retirement.

He was first elected to the State House in 1969 from Hampshire County and four years later began an 18-year stint in the state Senate. He won a special election in June 1991 to fill the seat of longtime Congressman Silvio O. Conte, a Pittsfield Republican who died in office. It would make Olver the first Democrat to represent Western Massachusetts since the Spanish-American War.

The outspoken liberal had funneled federal money into his mostly rural district, and advocated for housing, community block grants, bike paths, technology, education and, especially, passenger rail.

He was thrilled to "have my hand on the throttle while it was sitting very still ... " he said after a ride on a Pan Am train engine through the Hoosac Tunnel in 2012.

Olver, instrumental in reviving passenger rail in the Pioneer Valley, boarded Amtrak's Vermonter in Holyoke during its inaugural run up the "Knowledge Corridor" in 2014.

"Use it. Use it," he urged the crowd waiting at the transit center in Greenfield named for him. "The possibility of really seeing the benefits and economic development come from the use of this facility."

In 2011, he was the grand marshal of the 56th Fall Foliage Parade, of which he has been a regular marcher, had celebrated a collaboration of local colleges in Pittsfield and was at the groundbreaking of an energy-efficiency project for the North Adams Housing Authority.

Olver had planned for a 12th run but said, at the time, that changing circumstances had lead to his decision to step down. Because of redistricting, he would have had to face off against Neal, then representing the 2nd Mass, in a newly configured 1st District and his wife, the former Rose Richardson, was ill.



Olver at his last Fall Foliage Parade appearance in 2012. In his goodbye letter to his constituents in 2012, he wrote: "When I arrived in Washington in 1991, I never expected to be in office for 21 years but there were many important issues to fight for and many things to change. The priorities that I fought for over the years were the ones that you brought to me in meetings in my offices, in letters that you sent and in phone calls that you made. Your thoughts and opinions guided my efforts in Washington.



"I am proud of my work to protect human rights, expand energy efficiency measures and advance renewable energy technology, conserve our natural resources, expand community health centers, defend and promote affordable housing, increase access to rail and advocate for the effective use of transportation dollars."

His obituary in the Hampshire Gazette , posted Friday, said he continued to work with local land trusts and advocated for UMass to building its high rise out of wood, making it "the largest academic contemporary wood structure in the country" that was named the John W. Olver Design Building in 2017. UMass at Amherst also presented him an honorary degree for public service in 2014.

Born in Beach Lake, Pa., on Sept. 3, 1936, he tended cows on his parents farm and graduated high school at 15 and from Rensselaer (N.Y.) Polytechnic Institute at 18. He would complete his master's degree in chemistry from Tufts and his doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology by the time he was 24.

His wife of 55 years predeceased him in 2014.

He leaves two daughters, Martha Jane Olver, of Amherst and Cary Plumer Frye of Virginia; a son, Douglas Plumer of New York City; a grandson, Marshall Plumer of New York City, and several nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at the John W. Olver Design Building at UMass on Sunday afternoon, April 16. See the obituary for more details

Congressman John Olver dedicated his life to serving the people of Western and Central Massachusetts and always stayed true to his values. He was a strong advocate for affordable health care, abortion access, public transportation and rural communities. I will always be grateful for his kindness and his friendship. He will be dearly missed, and my heart goes out to his loved ones.

 Gov. Maura Healey
Today, one year after the Russian Federation launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Partner Organisations to the Safety of Journalists Platform remember the colleagues who lost their lives while covering the war, those who have endured injury, abduction, torture and suffering and express full support for all journalists who report truthfully about the war. According to alerts published on the platform, to date, twelve journalists and media workers have been killed while covering the war, or in connection with their profession, and 23 others have been injured.

The Partner Organisations condemn the threats to the lives and safety of journalists and media workers resulting from Russias aggression against Ukraine and call for enhanced protection of all who cover the war. In situations of conflict, the free and unhindered exercise of journalism is especially important to safeguard the right of the public to be informed.

The Partner Organisations will continue documenting attacks on media workers and attempts to restrict coverage of the war, as well as exposing potential war crimes to facilitate accountability and bring those responsible to justice.

Even though the Russian Federation is no longer part of the Council of Europe, the Partner Organisations pledge to continue monitoring the state of press freedom and attacks against journalists in that country. The clampdown on journalists and media workers in Russia, including the passage of a number of new laws, which criminalised accurate reporting on the realities of the war, hamper documentation of war crimes and violations of international humanitarian law.

The Partner Organisations remind the authorities of the Russian Federation of their obligations and commitments regarding the protection of journalists in situations of conflict and tension, in accordance with international humanitarian and human rights law. These commitments are set out in the 1949 Geneva Convention on the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, and were cited in UN Security Council Resolution 2222, in particular:

Journalists and media workers operating in areas of armed conflict must be treated and protected as civilians and allowed to perform their work without undue interference. Attacks intentionally targeting journalists, as civilians, constitute war crimes. All states should do their utmost to end impunity for such criminal acts. States engaged in armed conflict should instruct their military and police forces to give necessary and reasonable assistance to journalists when they so request. They should disseminate the relevant instructions to their military and civilian authorities to make them aware of all these obligations.

States should facilitate the access of journalists and their equipment to the territory concerned by providing the necessary documentation and permissions. They should refrain from taking any restrictive measures against journalists, such as denial, withdrawal of accreditation or expulsion, on account of their exercise of their duties or the content of their reports. States should apply these provisions in a non-discriminatory and non-arbitrary manner in their dealings with journalists, whether foreign or local.

The Partner Organisations also urge media organisations to take all possible preventive and protection measures for the physical safety of journalists and media workers; and to provide them with adequate training and preparation before undertaking dangerous missions in situations of conflict and war.

Signed:

Justice for Journalists Foundation

Index on Censorship

International Press Institute (IPI)

European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)

Association of European Journalists (AEJ)

International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)

Free Press Unlimited (FPU)

PEN International

ARTICLE 19

European Broadcasting Union

Rory Peck Trust (RPT)

Reporters Without Borders (RSF)

European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)

Background

On 24 February 2022 the Russian Federation launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

According to alerts published on the platform , at least twelve journalists and media workers were killed while covering the war, and 23 others were injured.

On 26 February the Ukrainian photojournalist Ihor Hudenko died while filming in Kharkiv. On 1 March Russian missiles struck the radio and TV tower in Kyiv, killing the cameraman Yevheniy Sakun . On 13 March the United States reporter Brent Renaud was killed when his vehicle came under fire in Irpin. On 14 March the French Irish camera operator Pierre Zakrzewski and the Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra Kuvshynova were killed while reporting from Horenka. On 23 March the Russian journalist Oksana Baulina was killed by a missile while covering the shelling of residential areas in Kyiv. An investigation by Reporters without Borders (RSF) suggests that the Ukrainian photojournalist Maks Levin , whose body was found on 1 April, was likely executed by Russian soldiers near Kyiv on 13 March. On 30 March the Lithuanian documentarian Mantas Kvedaravicius was killed after being abducted by Russian soldiers in Mariupol. Yevgeny Bal , a writer and member of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, died on 2 April after being detained and tortured by the Russian military. On 13 April Roman Nezhyborets and Zoreslav Zamoysky were found killed in Yahidne and Bucha respectively under circumstances that remain to be determined. On 30 May the French reporter Frederic Leclerc-Imhoff was killed after an evacuation vehicle came under fire near Severodonetsk.

In the Russian Federation, the invasion went hand in hand with a crackdown of unprecedented severity on free press and independent journalism. On 4 March 2022, the authorities fast-tracked laws that criminalise the use of information sources other than the official propaganda outlets. New criminal offences ban public and willful dissemination of knowingly false information about the Russian army and the exercise of powers by the Russian public authorities abroad, discreditation of the Russian army or the exercise of powers by the Russian public authorities in defending the interests of Russia and its citizens and in maintaining international peace and security, calls for sanctions against Russia, its citizens or legal entities. All the above incur long prison sentences.

Dozens of media outlets were closed or suspended their operationsand many journalists who criticised or wrote factually about the war were harassed, detained and given harsh sentences. Many were added to the foreign agents register, which carries heavy administrative obligations, and foreign journalists were stripped of their accreditation. The state media regulator Roskomnadzor assumed unrestrained control of content on Internet platforms and search engines, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram were blocked, and Meta Platform Inc. was added to the list of terrorist and extremist organisations.

The Safety of Journalists Platform
Hanna Chernenko is a Kharkiv-based journalist and a member of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU). She comes from the Luhansk region in the Donbas, where the armed conflict against Russia began in 2014. For one year, she has been covering the war in her country for local media Visti Television News Service and Hromadske Radio and, from time to time, assists international media crews that report on the conflict. Hanna shares with the IFJ how her journalistic work has changed throughout the last year, and reflects on the role of journalists in conflict zones, the current needs of Ukrainian media workers, and how solidarity has crystallised amongst the Ukrainian journalistic community.

You are now covering the war with Russia from the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. Were you a war reporter before the Russian invasion one year ago?

Actually, I was not when I compare my work with the work of some other colleagues. Since the beginning of the war with Russia in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine in 2014, I have made two trips to the region. Everything started there. I made one of the trips to the Luhansk region, located in the Donbas with soldiers of the 92nd brigade. As I come from that region, it was such a strange feeling, that for the first time in many years I was so close to my hometown. The second time we travelled with volunteers to the frontline from the west of Ukraine. We did a story about the quality of body armour.

In Kharkiv, we reported on problems related to the war: displaced people from Donbas, soldiers who needed treatment, families of the perished, and achievements of servicemen. However, this is not comparable to what war journalists do, reporting under fire on the front lines.

What are the major challenges you are facing as a journalist reporting from the front line? Are there any particular challenges you are facing for being a woman journalist?

I filmed reports from the front line in the months when Kharkiv was a front line city. At that time, villages in the suburbs of Kharkiv were occupied, and the Russians were standing a few hundred metres away from the places where we were working. I also went to the city of Kupiyansk, within the Kharkiv region, when half of it had already been liberated in September 2022, and the rest was still under Russian occupation. In the trenches, however, we did only a few shots.

The problems that I faced were primarily related to personal fears and emotions. A city, a village that was safe just yesterday, that you used to consider a pleasant hinterland, where you dreamed of building a house by the lake, suddenly becomes a place of harsh battles. To be able to carry out your work in these conditions, you had to accept and overcome your fears and apprehension.

A difficult challenge that I am not sure I have yet overcome is the need to learn how to communicate with people who have experienced loss. Unfortunately, it happens that you arrive at a scene, and everything is chaotic, civilians are scared and in a state of shock... And I find it hard to go and interview people in these circumstances.

Once, on the outskirts of Kharkiv, a shell hit a private house. A crew of journalists were there to cover the attack and we approached the man who was sitting in the neighbouring yard. I was convinced that he was a neighbour, and I started a conversation with him. It turned out that he lived in that destroyed house. The shell exploded in the room next to him and killed his mother. I regretted starting this conversation, but he kept talking and talking. He needed to talk. It happened more than once that you no longer ask questions, you just listen.

Another time, I wrote an article about the city of Izium in the Kharkiv region. About fifty people had died in the shelter under a destroyed house, which was home to a very friendly family. They had invited their family members to hide in their shelter. And in the end, a family of seven was killed, and only one man, the oldest of them, survived. The man survived thanks to being thrown by the shock wave and did not fall under the rubble. And so, he told me about his perished relatives: three grandchildren, a daughter, his wife, his son-in-law, and his wife's aunt. I asked him some questions, but did I have the right to do so? Is it ethical? These were the questions I was asking myself during the conversation. However, the man did not stop speaking, he needed to talk. As a journalist, you definitely play a role in these situations. Therefore, I wonder what is the correct name for our role? Are we confessors? Psychologists? Or just a pair of ears that listen and a soul to provide support?

Ukrainian journalists also have technical problems. They need to learn a military dictionary in order to understand and correctly name a projectile, a weapon, or a soldier's position. It is necessary to learn how to ensure our safety (first aid, self-assistance classes) and to understand how and when you can cover the enemys attacks. For example, you do not have the right to report an ammunition strike right away, so that the enemy does not find out where he hit, and does not hit again the emergency services working at the site or at their own position. All of this had to be learned quickly in the first weeks of the war. It was important to understand that the information you provide must be safe for people.

Thinking about the difficulties that women journalists might face, fortunately, I did not encounter any. I have not experienced any discrimination or disrespect towards me as a woman journalist. My relationships with male colleagues and military men are always based on mutual respect and support. Some journalists say that the military is more concerned about us than about themselves. Maybe too excessively at times. But should this be considered a problem? In addition, I personally perceive it as an excessive concern not for being a woman but for being a civilian.

How has the war affected your work as a journalist? Could you tell us some examples of things related to your job that have changed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022?

In the first days, it became clear that to leave the house, I needed protective equipment: a bulletproof vest and a helmet. By then I did not have them, and such equipment was critical to go to the northern outskirts of Kharkiv, behind which the Russians were already standing, or later to go to the freed territories bordering the front. I am very grateful to the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) and Hromadske Radio, which provided me with everything I needed to feel safe.

However, now we never feel safe in the way we used to before the war .And this is also a change that affects our work.

The concept of teamwork has changed. Public transport did not work for a long time, and we had to wait for hours to take a taxi. The cameraman with whom I work, Volodymyr Pavlov, and I live in different parts of our big city. And it so happened that he worked in his corner of the city, and I did in mine, which could be reached by foot. Due to the circumstances, Volodymyr became a journalist, - he learned to process information and speak in front of the camera-, and I learned to film. I did it first on my mobile phone, and then I became a fully-fledged cameraperson and photographer.

In this regard, the journalistic community in Kharkiv was pleasantly surprised. It was quite friendly even before the war, but now all signs of competition have disappeared. It turned out that you can work with a cameraperson from any team.

In addition, the topics that we report on have changed too. Nowadays, almost everything you write about or film is related to the war. We have all learned to talk about death. Due to the conflict, the number of deaths grew significantly. I saw the first wounded person on February 24, 2022, and the first people killed, -there were many-, on March 1, when a building of the regional administration was destroyed. When Kharkiv was at risk of being occupied, my editors insisted that I worked anonymously. It was strange for me to be reporting on television as an anonymous person. The day they started calling me by my name again, it was very joyful. It was a feeling of victory. I remember telling myself: "There is no more danger, we are not occupied, and the occupied territory will be liberated!"

What are the most urgent needs of Ukrainian journalists a year after the Russian invasion of Ukraine?

Probably, for many, the most urgent need is to receive technical material to meet extreme conditions. When your hands are shaking, you can easily drop the camera. In addition, many have outdated equipment and it deteriorates faster working in such extreme conditions.

Also, many journalists need to be trained, and not only on safety and psychological effects of covering the war. Most of us have already been through such training sessions. Another important need is to learn English and other languages in order to cooperate with foreign media reporting on the ground.

Local media are really in need of help. Several television and radio stations have closed in Kharkiv. But the situation is extremely difficult for newspapers too. They, especially those who moved to territories that have today become front-line or freed ones, are the first to need assistance. Many local newspapers found themselves on the verge of survival, and many were shut down. Unfortunately, in the conditions of war, their readers often do not have a decent news source alternative.

How has the protective equipment provided by NUJU, with the support of the IFJ-EFJ Safety Fund and partners such as UNESCO, been useful to cover the war?

As I mentioned, for a certain time in Kharkiv, it was not possible to go outside without body armour and a helmet. It is easier now, but it is obvious that bulletproof vests are still needed today - for example, when you cover a story about the work of sappers [combat engineers] or the military in general.

When the large-scale Russian war against Ukraine began, journalists reported. as much as they could. Some took out their old bulletproof vests from the days of filming in the Donbas, but they were extremely heavy.

Then, with the assistance of the IFJ-EFJ, UNESCO, and the NUJU, modern protective equipment began to arrive. Today, I have two sets - one from NUJU and the other from Hromadske Radio. They are slightly different and I use them for different occasions.

You are currently coordinating a group of local reporters and fixers. Could you let us know more about the work you are doing, and why local reporters and fixers are especially important in war times?

Cameraman Volodymyr Pavlov is more involved as a fixer. I help him and cover him when needed. Fixing in Ukraine is an extremely necessary type of activity because foreign journalists who travel to the country often do not understand local realities. Some are even engaged in pro-Russian ideas, and what is really happening here becomes a real discovery for them. Of course, the local shades will be best explained to foreign journalists by a local fixer who works in Ukraine.

In recent months, according to my observation, trust in journalists, especially local ones, has increased significantly among Kharkiv residents. That is why they are open to talk with local journalists with pleasure. And when you introduce a colleague from a foreign publication, people treat him or her with more trust. In general, people are grateful to foreign journalists for being interested in our problems and covering them.

In addition, foreign journalists need to clarify security realities - what is safe and what is not. Employees of our emergency services do not always speak English well. Spanish, French, and Japanese are an even bigger problem. So, fixers help foreign journalists to avoid possible trouble.

Finally, local fixers help foreign journalists solve everyday issues. For example, at the beginning of the war, it was absolutely impossible to find a hotel opened without the help of a fixer, as well as identifying where the district of the city was and how to get there.

A media hub was created in Kharkiv, and it became a great support for foreign journalists in their coordination so that people understood who was responsible for what. In addition, there is a Reuters office which helps foreign journalists transfer information.

Disinformation as a weapon in conflicts has always existed. However, the social media landscape has increased its reach. How do journalists cope with Russian propaganda and disinformation in the context of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine?

Ukrainian and Kharkiv journalists stopped believing in information from pro-Russian publications and social networks a long time ago. We have learned to verify the information. For example, the Russians spread "news" about the capture of this or that settlement through their Telegram channels. But this information is often false. Therefore, we can trust only news coming from official sources. Communication with local residents is also an important source of reliable information - for this, of course, you need to be on the ground

Kharkiv journalists, including those who run local Telegram channels, have reached an agreement among themselves not to spread unverified information under any circumstances. In addition, we strictly adhere to the rule of not submitting photos of destruction immediately after the hit of an enemy missile. You need to wait a few hours, at least three so as not to endanger yourself, residents of the area, and emergency services specialists.

In the Kharkiv region, journalists have long lived under the Hippocratic principle of do no harm. For a journalist, the main thing is not to cause trouble, not to harm, and thus not to lose one's name.

Help us support Ukrainian journalists by donating to the IFJ/EFJ safety Fund .

*We thank the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) for translating the interview from Ukrainian to English.
This publication is designed to introduce the fundamentals of investing in the Indian market and includes a gu...
We are in 2023, and imagine still being mocked and trolled for choosing love. Since Actor Swara Bhasker announced her marriage to Fahad Ahmed, the internet has been flooded with opinions.

Sadly, many are distasteful and disparaging.

Swara has been the target of harsh criticism since she married politician Fahad Ahmad a week ago. Many people said mean things about the actress, like "suitcase," "fridge," "conversion," and "illegitimate."

People on social media said that the Bollywood actor would end up "in a suitcase or a fridge" like many Hindu women who marry Muslims, which started a heated debate on Twitter.

The references to a suitcase and a refrigerator are known as the "suitcase and fridge" references.

Twitter/Swara Bhasker

Sadhvi Prachi, the head of the VHP, even drew a parallel to the case of Shraddha Walker, who was found murdered after being strangled to death by her live-in partner Aaftab Poonawala.



Twitter

She 'warned' that Swara Bhasker could also end up in the same situation as Shraddha Walker. Sad.



The actress now has a classy response for all her haters. Swara posted a tweet while sharing a new photo album from her court wedding.

It is clear from the pictures that Swara and Fahad are embracing their new marital life together from the moment they got officially married.

The couple can be seen smiling and hugging one other as they embark on their new journey. In another picture, Ira Bhasker, Swara's mother, smiles as Fahad hugs her.

Swara/Twitter

"Haters: suitcase, fridge, illegitimate, conversion blah..blah.. blah. Us:  @FahadZirarAhmad @hargunspeaks @arishqamar @sinjini_m @AamirAzizJmi,"







On 16th Feb, two days after Valentine's day, Actor Swara Bhasker announced that she had tied the knot with politician Fahad Ahmad.



Swara Bhasker/Twitter

The Veere Di Wedding star shared the news on her social media accounts and tagged Ahmad, the state president of Samajwadi Partys youth wing  Samajwadi Yuvjan Sabha.



Swara Bhasker/Twitter

Swara posted a video of herself and her husband on February 16 with the news, stating,

"Sometimes you search far & wide for something that was right next to you all along. We were looking for love, but we found friendship first. And then we found each other! Welcome to my heart @FahadZirarAhmad It's chaotic, but it's yours!"

Fahad retweeted her post, saying, "I never knew chaos could be so beautiful. Thank you for holding my hand, love @ReallySwara."

(To get the latest updates from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment)


In a major crackdown against the rampant illegal wildlife trafficking, Police in Mumbai have seized nearly 30 kgs of pangolin skin valued at Rs 30 lakh.

One person, identified as Ram Waghmare, a resident of Kolal village in Raigad district, was arrested by the police on Thursday for illegally possessing the skin.

BCCL/FILE

According to the police, the 27-year-old was nabbed from suburban Andheri based on credible information that he was travelling with pangolin skin.

Hunting pangolins is illegal

In India, pangolins are protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 and their hunting, trade, or any other form of utilisation is illegal.

The Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata), also called thick-tailed Pangolin and scaly anteater is a solitary, shy, slow-moving, nocturnal mammal.

AFP

How Indian pangolins became endangered

Indian Pangolin has been listed in the Endangered category in the red list of animals published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).



Years of illegal hunting and trafficking for their meat and scales have driven pangolins to near extinction.

According to some estimates, an Indian pangolin can cost as much as Rs 10-12 lakhs in the international wildlife trade.

BCCL

The scales of the Indian Pangolin are estimated to cost over Rs 1 lakh per kg in the illicit international market.

Why pangolins are trafficked to China

Pangolin is said to be the most-trafficked animal and most of these end up in China and Vietnam.

While pangolin meat is a delicacy in China and Vietnam, its scales are used in some traditional Chinese medicines. It is typically dried and ground into powder, then turned into a pill form.

In Vietnam and some African countries, Pangolin scales are used in traditional rituals and are believed to bring good fortune.

Reuters

Pangolin trafficking in India

On February 18, celebrated as World Pangolin Day, World Wide Fund for Nature, India (WWF India) and TRAFFIC, an NGO monitoring illicit global wildlife trade, released a report on how rampant pangolin trafficking in India still is.

The report, titled Indias pangolin buried in illegal wildlife trade, said that 1,203 pangolins (both live and dead) were seized in 342 incidents in India between 2018 and 2022.

Over 880 kg of pangolin derivatives and 199 live pangolins were reported in the 342 seizure incidents.

BCCL

Twenty-four states and one Union Territory reported seizures of pangolins and their derivatives from 2018-2022 in India, according to the latest Factsheet.

Odisha reported the highest number of seizure incidences involving the largest number of pangolins in the illegal wildlife trade (154 pangolins in 74 seizures).

It was followed by Maharashtra (47 seizure incidents and 135 pangolins).

The report also stated that the figures are based on those seized by authorities; the actual number of pangolins trafficked from India is much higher.

For more on news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
Two government schools in Ludhiana's Ghungrana village were robbed of several items, including a refrigerator, LED screen and mid-day meal ration, by a gang thieves, who also set the furniture in one of the buildings on fire during the burglary.

Representational Image

The incident, where the Government High Schools in the village was targeted, occurred for the second time within five days.



Two schools in vicinity targetted by robbers

On Tuesday, the burglars ransacked the school again and did not stop there. A primary school in the village also came under the radar of bandits, who absconded with the mid-day meal ration stored on the premises.

As per a Hindustan Times report, an FIR has been filed by the Jodhan police against unidentified miscreants and a probe was initiated.

The complaint was based on the statement of Hema Sharma, in charge of Government High School, Ghungrana. In her complaint, Sharma revealed that upon reaching the school in the morning, the staff were aghast after discovering that the locks were broken.

Several items including mid-day meal ration stolen

They noticed that the burglars stole a refrigerator, an LED screen and utensils. The miscreants also looted some school records and damaged the rest before setting the furniture ablaze during their escape.

Representational Image

The burglars also targeted a Government Primary School close to the high school and stole 2 LPG gas cylinders, one cooker and the mid-day meal ration.



Second robbery at the high school

This is not the first time that the high school has become the target of the gang. Sharma stated that on February 17, they had picked up 10 batteries, a pressure cooker, 200 kg rice, and 200 kg wheat meant for mid-day meal from the premises.

Representational Image

Additionally, they had damaged CCTVs and pocketed a digital video recorder (DVR) during the escape.

ASI Sukhmandar Singh told HT that an FIR under sections 457 (lurking house-trespass or house-breaking by night in order to commit offence), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) and 380 (theft) of the IPC has been registered in both the thefts against unidentified accused. A search is on for the miscreants.

For more on news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.


On February 21, a mysterious metal sphere appeared on Enshuhama Beach in Hamamatsu City, Japan. Video of the unidentified sphere quickly reached the internet and sparked speculation about the object's origin.



Metal Sphere Washes Up On Japanese Beach



Twitter

It did not take much time for people online to bring up the possibility of a UFO (unidentified flying object) or a spy balloon from China or North Korea, given that recently a spy balloon was shot down in America.



The theories were on a roll, as some people even compared the sphere to the famous anime series Dragon Ball, in which the main alien character reached Earth in a sphere-shaped spaceship. While the government of Japan did not buy into the ridiculous ideas floating around on the internet, they also did not want to treat the object carelessly either.

Upon the discovery of the sphere, the police and the bomb squad were alerted and assigned to examine the metal sphere that had washed up on the shore.

Japanese outlet NHK released footage of the sphere and wrote on Twitter, "A mysterious metal ball spotted on a beach in Hamamatsu City this week prompted local police to scramble the bomb squad. A careful examination revealed it is not a threat -- but shed no light on what it actually is."

Check out the video below:



A mysterious metal ball spotted on a beach in Hamamatsu City this week prompted local police to scramble the bomb squad. A careful examination revealed it is not a threat -- but shed no light on what it actually is. pic.twitter.com/ytClWsP0bw  NHK WORLD News (@NHKWORLD_News) February 21, 2023

Authorities Reveal Truth Behind Enshuhama Beach Metal Sphere

Twitter

After the footage of the sphere was released online, it was estimated that the rust-covered metal ball was about 1.5 metres wide. The sphere was first found by a local, who contacted the police in the area. Later, with the X-rays carried out, a report by the BBC claimed that the sphere was safe.



While the world was busy speculating on the most bizarre of stories behind the metal sphere, Japanese authorities confirmed on February 23 that the mysterious sphere is nothing more than marine equipment that washed up on the shore. The radio test revealed to the police that the inside of the sphere was actually empty.



Besides being hollow, the ball also had two handles on its surface, making it plausible that it was used to be hung from or hooked onto ships. Some other reports suggest that the sphere had many similarities to the steel buoy made by the Chinese shipbuilding company Nantong Yangfan.



For more trending stories, follow us on Telegram
We allege that RACQ misled its customers about the discounts to which they were entitled, said ASIC deputy chair, Sarah Court (pictured above), in a media release this morning. The failure by insurers to deliver on pricing promises is a key priority for ASIC and we will continue to take enforcement action to hold insurers to account in this regard.
In this article, we will list the different events Insurance Business will be hosting this year, along with several specialist conferences in various parts of the globe. If youre an industry professional looking to deepen your understanding of the insurance sector, you can benefit from attending one of our events. Continue reading to see what you can discover at one of our insurance conferences, or one of the many others held across the globe!
Lindberg is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit crimes in connection with insurance business, wire fraud, and investment adviser fraud; one count of wire fraud; four counts of false insurance business statements presented to regulators; six counts of false entries about the financial condition or solvency of an insurance business; and one count of money laundering conspiracy.
The plus in Climate+ is about having a positive impact and adding value for our clients across all industries as they transition to a low-carbon future and take action to be resilient to the threat of a changing climate, said Matthew Hardy, leader of Chubb Climate+ for the companys general insurance operations in 51 countries outside the US, Canada and Bermuda. By offering a wide and extensive range of risk transfer and risk engineering solutions, we can scale to meet the growth and needs of clients, however complex.
Forecasting future energy prices remains a significant challenge, ESB deputy chief executive Marguerite Sayers has told a business audience in Cork.

While energy costs have begun to drop, particularly for larger companies, there is an expectation that volatility will remain in wholesale energy markets.

Speaking at the Cork Chamber business breakfast event this morning, Ms Sayers said the two decades of stable gas and energy prices had come to an end with the Russian invasion of Ukraine and energy traders continue to try and secure gas at prices that protect consumers.

She said that up until the summer of 2021 they were paying between 45 and 50 UK pence per therm (thermal units).

ESB deputy CEO Marguerite Sayers said Ireland needs a 'grown-up' debate on nuclear energy. Picture: Denis Minihane

"It didn't change for about two decades. If it went up by two pence that was a major news story," Ms Sayers said, adding that the prices began to increase before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"It seemed like the Russians were playing with the flows of gas through the pipeline to see the impact it would have on the market."

"Following the invasion, the prices start to go up and up and up. Last August it reached 827 pence per therm. So we were seeing increases of 1,400% to 1,500% it was mind-boggling."

Ms Sayers said a benefit of having a trading organisation within the ESB is that they could buy energy over a long period to avoid severe peaks.

David Ryan of Comyn Kelleher Tobin Solicitors at the Cork Chamber Business Breakfast. Today's front-page news, Russia's war on Ukraine, was central to guest speaker Marguerite Sayers' comments about the energy market. Picture: Denis Minihane

"But you cannot avoid all of it and we did have to buy a significant amount of gas at about 3.50 which is the level it stayed at for a long time.

She pointed out the challenge that trading organisations have in trying to predict the future market and what impact that can have on what consumers like households and businesses will face.

"You can buy energy for this quarter next year, at the moment for about 1.30. But the question is, would you? We have that decision to make. Do we buy and lock in that cost and possibly make ourselves uncompetitive because it actually might come back down to 40p or 50p if the war stops? So it is a really tough call."

Lisa Hurley and Ashley Amato of Cork Chamber at the business breakfast in association with RDJ and media partner the Irish Examiner. Picture: Denis Minihane

Ms Sayers spoke to the Chamber audience about the ESB's plan to decarbonise electricity generation in Ireland.

The ESB currently operates approximately 1GW of renewable energy which it plans to increase to 5GWs by 2030 through a range of measures including increasing onshore wind and developing offshore wind capacity.

Asked by Cork Chamber CEO Conor Healy about the possibility of nuclear power forming part of electricity generation in Ireland, Ms Sayers said she would not advocate for it but that the country needed to have a "grown-up" debate about the issues.

Jim Hernan and John Connolly of the ESB at the Cork Chamber Business Breakfast in association with RDJ and media partner the Irish Examiner in the Clayton Hotel Cork City. Picture: Denis Minihane

"There is a nuclear station in Wales so if you are sitting in Dublin that is 60 miles on one side of you and if you were to talk about putting a nuclear station in Athlone there would be uproar," she said.

"The bigger issues would be, even if we got past that psychological barrier, is that the Irish system is about 5,000 megawatts at peak and in the past the smallest entity of nuclear was about 1,500mw and it was too big a risk to the system if that was to come offline."

"So it will depend on the future of smaller, modular nuclear reactors and how they develop, It's not that mature a technology  there are a few embryonic tests  but it is certainly a sensible debate that needs to be had on an ongoing basis," she said.
Original Sex Pistols bassist and songwriter Glen Matlock cuts a down-to-earth and easy-going character. His exit from the band is now widely regarded as one significant reason the Pistols imploded shortly after the release of their debut album; Never Mind The Bollocks.

That record in 1977 helped thrust punk into the mainstream and is still heralded as a classic. Matlock, however, is on his way to Ireland to celebrate another seminal album from the same year, Iggy Pops Lust For Life.

The Dublin Bowie Festival is presenting a live performance of the album in full at Whelans next month, featuring musicians who have worked with both Iggy and Bowie. Lust for Lifes original bass player Tony Fox Sales had to drop out of the project, leaving Matlock to step into the breach.

Tony couldnt make it in the end, they asked me to bail them out, explains Matlock, who had a stint playing with Iggy Pop in 1980. The timing isnt great for the 66-year-old but hes enjoyed working with the distinguished roster of musicians assembled for the project.

I know Clem [Burke] from touring with Blondie, Katie [Puckrik] and Florence [Sabeva] from Heaven 17. Its a bit awkward as I have a new album coming out but itll be fine Im sure.

Lust for Life was recorded at Hansa Studio in West Berlin with David Bowie. Despite containing such classics as The Passenger and the title track, the album only had moderate chart success on release.

The record simmered away as a music fan favourite, and was given a shot in the arm nearly 20 years later when Lust For Life featured in Danny Boyles Trainspotting film, highlighting the albums kudos among Edinburghs young working class of the late 1970s and early 80s. The citys Hibernian FC still play the track before kick-off with an accompanying video on the big screen.

Theres a lot to be said for sticking to your guns, says Matlock in reflection of the albums sustained appeal.

Of course, Matlock would also cross paths with Boyle around the Disney+ drama series Pistol, which the director adapted from Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones memoir. Much has been made of John Rotten Lydons displeasure with the show, but Matlock was also unhappy with what he saw.

It portrayed me as being thrown out of the band when I was the one who left, says the irate 66-year-old. Its taken 45 years to tell my side of it and Boyle has set things right back to square one with a version of the story that just isnt true. I saw him on the red carpet in L.A, he came over all smiles and said: Hello Glen. I said: Danny; you're a c**t!

The Sex Pistols in 1976; Glen Matlock, Johnny Rotten, Steve Jones, Paul Cook. (Picture: Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Pistol leans towards Johnny Rottens unflattering opinion of Matlock, one which he refutes. Lydon is also estranged from the rest of the group, and a surely-lucrative Sex Pistols reunion seems unlikely.

I dont want to stand on stage with a Trump and Nigel Farage supporting nitwit, says Matlock. Can I make a prediction? I know that John did the Irish Eurovision and didnt get through. John was pro-Brexit and pro-Farage to pander to his, inverted commas, working-class roots. Hes no more working-class than me.

Matlock hasnt lost the ability to splice his own political convictions to a catchy tune. Down the line from his London home, he explains why his current single Head On A Stick and forthcoming album Consequences Coming were inspired by the UKs current political chaos and cost of living crisis. Why does a multi-millionaire like Sunak want to be prime minister? Im not Che Guevara or Tariq Ali but weve all been led into a cul-de-sac by politicians only interested in their own selfish, vested interests much to the detriment of the rest of the population. Theyve mugged-off the Alf Garnet types with Brexit and they should bear the consequences of it. Matlock is unhappy with the restrictions on international travel that Brexit has brought for British people.

If things werent going well, youd go somewhere else. Weve lost that now and it didnt have to be that way. People are railing against the government now and there will be consequences for that lot, they are becoming unstuck. Id like to see their heads on a stick, metaphorically. Boris Johnson is no longer flavour of the month and Im thankful for that, I can see a light about a mile down the road in a house at the end of the tunnel.

Matlock remains in contact with Sex Pistols guitarist and founder Steve Jones, as well as drummer Paul Cook. I caught up with Steve in LA and we were on the phone the other night both watching the Man City game on the telly and discussing meat pies. I played with Paul and Billy Duffy in The Professionals just before Christmas. When you play an instrument, you tend to flock together more.

Matlock also joined Cook at the recent memorial service for Vivienne Westwood, who died in December, aged 81. As the mother of the punk movement, Matlock suggests the generation who frequented or worked in her shop SEX with Malcolm McLaren went on to do something.

Matlock took a Saturday job there when the boutique was still known as Let It Rock. I remember when we were all living hand-to-mouth and she said: when you have chicken and chips, will you save the bones? She boiled them up and sewed them into the t-shirt (spelling out ROCK).

Its sad, because its not just the Pistols thing but the whole future of many people that came into the shop. Vivienne was a very clever, erudite and gifted woman. I hadnt fallen out with her but our paths hadnt crossed in a while. I was at Malcolms McLarens funeral [in 2010)] and was outside having a cigarette when the funeral car turned up and Vivienne was there, she said: Glens here; how nice.

I was in Shanghai a few years ago, I went for a coffee to get through the long distance when I found a Vivienne Westwood flagship store. I remembered those chicken bones thinking: She done well for herself.

Iggy Pop's Lust for Life.
Mike Cody used to receive 250 emails a day when he worked in corporate sales. Id spend the whole day battling my inbox and would get little else done, he says.

When he and his business partner Jim McCoy set up E-volv in January 2022, he vowed to do things differently. This Cork-based company offers independent advice and solutions to help home and business owners reduce energy consumption. It currently employs eight people and Cody wants to prevent them from succumbing to digital overload as he did.

I want them to be able to focus on their work and not get side-tracked by constant notifications, he says.

Employees globally are facing this constant barrage. From email and Zoom to Microsoft Teams and Slack, our working days are increasingly soundtracked by beeps and bleeps from colleagues and clients. Keeping up with these communications can become a full-time job, leaving us with less and less time to do the work we were hired to do.

In a survey by the information management platform Open Text [exa.mn/information-overload] in March 2022, 80% of the 27,000 people interviewed across 12 countries said they were suffering due to a never-ending bombardment of notifications. Some 27% had to keep on top of 11 or more accounts or apps to access the information they needed daily.

Mike Cody, Co-founder and Managing Director of e-volv pictured at the company's headquarters in Cork. The company, which helps consumers and businesses save money on their energy bills has just announced they will be creating 50 jobs over the next two years with a 500,000 investment.

According to Dr Janine Bosak, professor of organisational psychology at Dublin City University, this problem has been brewing for a while. The term technostress has been around since 1984 and refers to a form of occupational stress associated with information overload and continuous contact with digital devices, she says.

The move to hybrid and remote working caused this stress to escalate. When the pandemic hit and everyone was forced to work from home, the transition to working online escalated massively, says Dr Na Fu, an associate professor in human resource management at Trinity Business School. But it wasnt a smooth transition, and we are still grappling with its impact.

We also need to consider the obvious benefits of remote working. Surveys show that most employees prefer working from home for a few days a week and the reasons for this include saving time on commuting, the fact they can work from anywhere and at any time, and improvements in efficiency and productivity, says Fu.

However, there are negative effects too. Digital work and related technostress can contribute to health issues such as perceived stress, anxiety, fatigue, emotional exhaustion and even burnout, says Bosak.

The Open Text survey backs this up: 76% of its interviewees said information overload exacerbated their daily stress levels, 35% said it had a detrimental effect on their work performance and 30% claimed it reduced their overall job satisfaction.

Dr Na Fu, associate professor in human resource management at Trinity Business School

Work-life balance

A 2020 Robert Walters study [exa.mn/future-of-work] found that Irish workers were experiencing similar issues. Forty-two per cent of the 2,000 people interviewed said that technology had a negative impact on their work/life balance. The sense of urgency that came with constant notifications made it difficult for them to switch off from work.

These pings also affect our ability to focus. Its now estimated that on average, our phone or computer receives a new alert every three minutes. That can create the desire to respond immediately, distracting our attention from the task were focussing on in the moment, says Fu. When we shift our attention in this way, from one thing to another and back again, we lose our train of thought. We lose our flow. And when it happens over and over again, its exhausting.

This leads to a deterioration in performance. A 2015 study [exa.mn/focus] involved three groups of students completing a task which measured their ability to focus. They did it for ten minutes, took a break, and resumed the task. This time, one group received text messages, and another received phone calls. The third continued without interruption. The first group made 23% more errors than during the first ten minutes of the experiment, and the second group made 28% more. It didnt matter if they read the messages or answered the calls, being aware of them was enough to distract them from their task and affect their performance.

A meta-analysis of 49 studies carried out in 2015 [exa.mn/multitasking] found that the multi-tasking required of us when working online, when we shift from working on a document to reading and replying to an email and back again, takes a significant toll on our ability to recall what we are doing and to comprehend its content, affecting our performance overall.

This research shows that the digital overload we are exposed to makes it nearly impossible to focus even when we want to, says Bosak. We feel compelled to check our smartphones and emails constantly and were easily distracted by an incoming text message or alert.

Janine Bosak, DCU

Three circles

Its no wonder Cody wanted to help his employees avoid such a scenario. His first step was to introduce an email policy.

Everyone has their individual email account, which they use sparingly and there is also a shared email inbox, he says. That inbox is monitored by team leaders who forward questions and queries to the people best placed to deal with them. Its a way for us to keep an eye on the level of emails and manage how much work we are asking of everyone. If it gets too much for any one person, we can then reset and help them out.

Bosak and Fu have other suggestions. Try to limit your use of digital devices and use them in more strategic ways, says Bosak. This could mean filtering emails, blocking distractions like social media or disabling sites after an allotted amount of time. It might also mean putting your phone on silent, turning off notifications or setting the phone aside so that you cant hear, feel or see those attention-seeking alerts.

Fu has a strategy she recommends for dealing with any aspect of working life, including digital overload. Draw three circles, she says. In the first, place all the things you have full control over, she says. In the second, all the things you have some influence over and in the third, everything that is out of your control. Then focus on circle number one. What can you control about your email notifications? For example, you can check them at specified times only and make your colleagues and clients aware of this new policy so they do not expect immediate responses. Most of us can set boundaries in this way.

Organisations have a role to play in preventing digital overload too. They can introduce practices that not only allow employees to disconnect but actively encourage them so that they can recover from work and mentally switch off during non-work time, says Bosak.

This might mean adding a message to your email signature explaining your policy.

For a manager to only attend to emails within certain work hours sends a message to the entire team, says Fu. It shows they too have the right to resist digital overload.

However, Fu does not recommend waiting for management to introduce these policies. The digital workplace is here now and offers great opportunities, she says. The issue of digital overload could take organisations ages to overcome. In the meantime, individuals can adapt to find ways of dealing with it. If they do, they can take advantage of the opportunities offered by the digital workplace to achieve their full potential.
Resisting all puns and pushing on to the end, this island could be the start of your island-hopping adventure. A deserted island with a tangible feel of the past and with beaches to die for, there are few more attractive islands in the country. A bold statement, but there is something irresistible about Feenish that draws back people who have visited it again and again. It is possible to walk to the island at very low tide following in the sandprints of the islanders who made this journey for generations. The 154 acres of Finish (Feenish, or Oilean Finis) is connected by a tombolo  a low ridge of shingle and sand.

It is to be found in southern Connemara, not far from the village of Carna. An aerial view on Google Maps shows deserted houses lying all along the old boreen which runs the length of the island, north to south. There are now a couple of holiday houses and occasionally a currach can be seen gliding past the island but apart from that, this is an island marooned in its past.

Beach on Finish Island, Carna, County Galway. Picture: Dan MacCarthy

The islands chief geographic attractions are its glorious beaches that curve to the sea on its eastern side. With dazzling white sand, turquoise sea, and a mountainous backdrop straight from a Paul Henry painting, the beaches of Finish are peerless. Approaching these beaches by kayak from the island of Birmore that lies to the east, a thin white line gradually grows to produce an outstanding spectacle with teeming birdlife and a lovely breaking surf.

However, with the abundant sand and strong Atlantic gales comes the inevitable drifting of sand  and many of the old ruins, the roofs of which glow with patches of lichen, are being partially submerged. They will eventually sink beneath the sand and all traces of the old community that lived here will have vanished. An identical process is devouring former dwellings on Inishkea South, County Mayo.

Though it is very close to the mainland, Finishs neighbours are further out to sea. In addition to Birmore, are the orchid-packed Inishmuskerry, Duck Island (scene of a tragic boat sinking in 2005), and the former island of Mweenish which has been attached to the mainland by a chain of causeways. Just to the east is the mouth of Kilkieran Bay and a passage to many more islands, some of which were populated up to the 1970s. The east of the bay is known as Ceantar na nOilean (District of the islands), several of which are tethered to each other by causeway. All but a couple of Kilkieran Bays islands are now abandoned to the oystercatchers.

People inhabited Finish from at least 7,000 years ago in the Mesolithic period and many shell middens testify to this. They are generally comprised of limpet, periwinkle and oyster shells. Near the kitchen middens there is also a holy well known as Tobar Cholmcille. There are dozens of holy wells all along the south Galway coast. Finish also had a church and a national school to serve the religious and educational needs of the islanders.

Siuloid Oilean Fhinise , ceann do na siuloidi mar phairt do Fheile Siuloid Charna 9-11u Mean Fomhair. Feenish Island walk, one of the walks during Carna Walking Festival 9-11 th September pic.twitter.com/ooqK8l7hjr  Carna Walking Festival (@CarnaWalking) August 12, 2022

The houses were constructed of stone, brick or concrete walls .. [while some] had only thatch, wood or other perishable materials for roofing and the other houses all had slate, iron or tiled roofs. Names of the people included Conneely, Ridge, King, Mulkerrin, Nee, McDonagh, Mannion, and Madden. The population peaked at 66 people in 1841, and the last person left in 1987.

There is even a cilin, or childrens burial ground, lending a whole other dimension to the story of the island, in microcosm of the nation.

Historic names for the island included Fyenesh, Finshine, Island ffinish, and Fynish. There are several interpretations of the meaning including fidh inis  wood island; and finnish which means whitish rock. The latter is more plausible than the former as glistening sand trumps the lack of trees.

Finish is an achingly beautiful island all right. Aching, because it is bereft of people.

How to get there: Walk at low tide but consult the tide tables. Kayak from beach at southeastern tip of Mweenish Island. No ferry. Or walk with Carna Walking Clubs festival September 8 to10; galwaytourism.ie

Other: archaeology.ie

heritage.galwaycommunityheritage.org

logainm.ie
Oscar nominee Paul Mescal has spoken of his fury after a fan groped him outside the theatre where he was performing.

The 27-year-old actor, whose film Aftersun has won him a clutch of best actor nominations this awards season, was outside Almeida Theatre in north London, where he was starring in a production of A Streetcar Named Desire, when he was asked for a photo.

He told ES Magazine: As we posed for it, she put her hand on my ass. I thought it was an accident, so I like (moved away) but the hand followed.

Paul Mescal as Connell in Normal People (BBC/PA)

I remember tensing up and feeling just, like, fury. I turned to her and said, Whatre you doing? Take your hand off my ass.

He said the last thing he wanted to do was call somebody out in front of the theatre."

"Its uncomfortable for everyone involved  but it was really not okay. It was so gross, creepy.

Mescal described his experience of fame, saying: 97% of it is really nice  then 3% is somebody, like, grabbing your ass.

The Maynooth actor is this year nominated in the best actor category at the 95th Academy Awards for his role in indie coming-of-age film Aftersun.

His breakout role came when he played Connell in the BBCs adaption of Sally Rooneys novel, Normal People, starring opposite Daisy Edgar-Jones.

The part saw him described in the media as a sex symbol, with his characters neck chain in particular eliciting much attention.

The production of Tennessee Williams A Streetcar Named Desire, where he stars opposite Patsy Ferran, is transferring to the West End from March after a success run at the Almeida.
Oscar nominee Paul Mescal was all smiles on Thursday night as he touched down in the capital to open the Dublin International Film Festival.

The Maynooth man was happy to sign autographs and take selfies with fans who had shown up for the gala screening of his film Gods Creatures though he had few words for the journalists in attendance.

"Excited," he shouted over his shoulder, as agents shuffled him away from journalists who tried to ask him about his feelings ahead of the biggest night in film.

"Sorry," he mumbled, by way of apology, "we're tight on time."

His fellow castmate, acting royal Emily Watson, was happy to talk about his stellar rise to the top, however, saying of the young actor "to know him is to love him".

"He's an adorable young man. And so talented."

Emily Watson with Paul Mescal arriving for Gods Creatures at Dublin International Film Festival at Light House Cinema Smithfield Dublin this evening.

Asked whether she'd given Ireland's fastest-rising star any advice on how to handle his newfound celebrity she said: "He's doing pretty good. He's very grounded. He's got his family around him."

Indeed, his mother Dearbhla and father Paul Sr were by his side again tonight, after attending the Bafta's with him on Sunday last.

Both received a winning smile from their son and hugs when he spotted them  and word on the carpet was that he was particularly conscious of making his way into the theatre on time tonight because of their presence.

Paul Mescal wore Simone Rocha on the red carpet.

The young actor, who is credited with giving GAA shorts their moment in the fashion world, rocked a Simone Rocha leather duster outfit on the red carpet on the night, complete with a white shirt, black tie, black trousers, black leather boots and a gold earring.

'His team are proactive'

Paul Mescal at the opening of Dublin International Film Festival at Light House Cinema Smithfield Dublin this evening

The 27-year-old, who will appear on Friday's Late Late Show,is set to become an even bigger name in the coming months with a staggering number of film projects on the way including Carmen, a movie adaption of the classic opera due for release in April, Foe, a sci-fi thriller with Saoirse Ronan, and another theatre run as Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire, this time in London's West End, following its success at the Almeida.

He's a welcome catch for any director or producer these days  legendary director Ridley Scott has handpicked him for the leading role in his long-awaited Gladiator sequel  but God's Creatures producer Fodhla Cronin O'Reilly told the Irish Examiner it was actually Mescal that reached out to them after getting a hold of the film's script.

"It was a surprise," she said. "We hadn't sent it to him."

"His team are so proactive  they know what's going around."

But while Mescal's star might be on the ascent, it seems he isn't straying too far from his roots.

Prior to his red carpet appearance on Thursday, the rising star had paid a visit to his old alma matter, Maynooth Post Primary School, where he participated in a Q&A session with TYs working on a production of The Addams Family.

In a Facebook post, the school thanked him for "the advice" he provided students. No better man for the job.
Boris Johnson declined to say whether he would back any new deal negotiated by the British prime minister on the Northern Ireland Protocol, as talks continue between the UK and EU.

The former prime minister pitched the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, put forward by his administration and which effectively rips up parts of the agreement with Brussels, as the best solution as he declined to say whether a new deal would have his support.

Mr Johnson, who sits on the backbenches but who retains a loyal following within the Conservatives, appeared to warn against any settlement that would create other problems.

It comes as negotiations between London and Brussels continue, following talks between Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris and the EUs Maros Sefcovic in Belgium on Thursday.

Government sources have downplayed the chances of an agreement being struck this week, with no announcement expected to come on Friday as it marks a year since Russia began its all-out assault on Ukraine.

Mr Johnson, in an interview marking the anniversary of the invasion, was asked briefly about the post-Brexit arrangement he negotiated and which has been the source of bitter political clashes in Belfast and Westminster.

He said: I think that it is important to wait to see what there may be but I think the best way forward, as I said when I was running the government, is the Northern Ireland Bill, which cleared the Commons very comfortably, I think unamended, when I was in office and only a few months ago.

So, I think that is the best way forward.

The protocol, agreed as part of the UKs Brexit deal, effectively keeps Northern Ireland in the EUs single market for goods, meaning checks on products crossing from Great Britain.

The situation led to the collapse of powersharing in Northern Ireland, with the DUP protesting about the barrier to trade with the rest of the UK.

Downing Street has set no deadline for resolving the issue, but the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement in April adds to the imperative of getting a deal soon.

The former prime minister was asked about his backing for any deal, but refused to say whether Rishi Sunak could count on his support.

I think the best thing is to continue with the Northern Ireland Bill that we agreed, it is a very good Bill, it fixes all the problems, it solves the problems we have in the Irish Sea, it solves the problems of paperwork, VAT and so on, it is an excellent Bill and doesnt set up any other problems in the economy of the whole island of Ireland, he said.

So, Id go with that one.

The former prime minister had made his feelings on the Bill clear in recent days, with his intervention prompting other senior Tories to press Mr Sunak to push ahead with proposed legislation, currently in the House of Lords.

Any final settlement with the EU is seen as fraught with political risk for the prime minister, who faces potential pushback from Northern Irelands DUP and Brexit hardliners in the Tory party.

Neither the Northern Ireland Secretary nor Mr Sefcovic offered much indication of when the next set of talks would take place.

Mr Sefcovic, tweeting after the meeting, said that both sides continue to engage on the outstanding issues.

Mr Heaton-Harris called it a constructive meeting, adding that intensive work continues.
A three-month jail term was imposed on a 37-year-old man who admitted making a death threat against someone who told him he could not assist him with information on a job application.

Judge Olann Kelleher imposed the sentence on David Sheehan (also known as DJ Sheehan) of Station Road, Millstreet, Co Cork, at Cork District Court.

The accused spent the past week remanded in custody on the charge and now has pleaded guilty to making the death threat.

Defence solicitor Killian McCarthy said when the defendant was interviewed, he immediately admitted what he said and apologised for it. The solicitor said Detective Garda Mossie Leahy had expressed the view he did not believe the defendant would act on the threats.

Sergeant John Kelleher said the complainant received a call on March 8, 2022, on his work phone from DJ Sheehan.

He knew him as a man who had been employed previously as a sub-contractor on a site in Ringaskiddy. The defendant previously told the complainant he had applied for a job from the main contractor and wanted him (the complainant) to make enquiries on his behalf in relation to this application.

He told DJ Sheehan he could not help him with his enquiries as the interview process was being conducted by an external agency.

On the morning of March 8, 2022, he phoned him and said: Youd better find out whats going on.

Again he told him he could not help him and informed him who was carrying out the recruitment process and not to contact him again.

It is alleged that DJ Sheehan then said: Ill ring you back this evening and youd better have an answer for me, before hanging up.

He received three more calls between 5.30pm and 6 pm. The complainant did not answer the calls but three voicemails were left.

It was alleged by Sgt Kelleher that the voicemails said:

How did you put it again  the sh** is about to hit the fan. Ill see you in the morning, bud. Best of luck.

Hi, my name is David John Sheehan, Station Road, Millstreet, Co Cork, P51 9P4 or some sh** like that anyway. Im going to admit it. Im going to be parked outside f***ing [complainants] house tomorrow morning. If he leaves his house trying to go to work Im going to smash his f***ing head in. Ok, bye.

See you in the morning [name], be ready boy.

The complainant said the defendant was parked outside his house the following morning.

The accused was charged by Detective Garda Mossie Leahy on February 14 with making a threat to kill him or cause the complainant serious harm on March 8 2022.

Now he has pleaded guilty to the offence.

Previous charges of making menacing phone calls  in relation to the same alleged facts  were withdrawn by the State when the death threat charge was brought against him.
A police officer has been treated in hospital for injuries after being dragged along the ground by a car in north Belfast.

The incident happened as police investigated a report of a car stolen from Cullybackey, Co Antrim on Thursday.

It was spotted in the forecourt area of a petrol station on the Antrim Road at around 9.30pm.

This is a prime example of dangerous and reckless driving and it could have had the most serious of consequences for our officer and the public

As officers approached the vehicle and spoke with the driver, he reversed at speed and dragged an officer along the ground before making off and colliding with another car, police said.

The officer sustained injuries to both his knees and hands and required hospital treatment, a PSNI spokesperson said.

It is completely unacceptable what happened and he was injured just for doing his job.

This is a prime example of dangerous and reckless driving and it could have had the most serious of consequences for our officer and the public.

Police received a further report that the vehicle had collided with another car on the Antrim Road and had been seen driving erratically.

Two men have been arrested.

Police have made an appeal for anyone who was in the area at the time and witnessed what happened or has dash-cam footage that could help with enquiries, to call police on 101, quoting reference number 1764 of 23/02/23.

Meanwhile in Co Tyrone, a PSNI vehicle was damaged in the Lifford Road area of Strabane after it was struck by an articulated lorry on Thursday evening.

The driver of the lorry, which had been reported stolen from the Donegal area, failed to stop for gardai in the Lifford Bridge area and drove off towards Strabane.

It failed to stop for police in Strabane, driving on and colliding with the back of a parked police vehicle causing some damage.

No officers were in the vehicle at the time.

A 37-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and handling stolen goods.

Police are working with gardai and have appealed for anyone who captured dash cam footage to call 101 and quote 1894 23/02/23.
On 24 February last year, I woke up at 3am in my bed in a rented apartment in central Kyiv. I had been struggling with insomnia because of the mounting evidence that the Russian all-out invasion of Ukraine was imminent.

I lay in the dark imagining what it would be like when Russian missiles come crashing into my house. After two sleepless hours, I read Putins declaration of war on Ukraine, which he called a special operation. I immediately rang my parents to tell them that the all-out war had begun.

Nadia Dobrianska arrived in Cork in March 2022. Picture: Mostafa Darwish

I had to take a trip on the underground to bang on my brothers door to break the news, because he was still asleep. We fled Kyiv that morning. My brother went back to join the territorial defence forces.

My parents and I stayed in the countryside with my aunt for a week. In March, we came to Ireland together with a few members of our extended family.

Russias invasion of Ukraine did not start one year ago today. It started with the annexation of the Crimea and occupation of parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in 2014. What Russia planned for last February as a quick three-day cakewalk to dismantle Ukraine turned into a genocidal onslaught.

Ukraine survives, thanks to the strength and bravery of its Armed Forces and the arms and supplies of Ukraines allies. There is hope that the Ukrainian army can banish the Russians, should the much-needed heavy arms, long-range missiles and fighter jets arrive.

Nadia Dobrianska: "Russias invasion of Ukraine did not start one year ago today. It started with the annexation of the Crimea and occupation of parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in 2014." Picture: Mostafa Darwish

Looking back at what became the worst year of my life so far, I am grieving. And I am worried sick for my brother and pray every day that he stays safe.

Those of my family who came to Ireland were welcomed with the incredible support of the Irish public and the State. According to UNHCR, there are at least 75,000 Ukrainians in Ireland and overall 4.9 million in Europe under temporary protection.

(Left to right) The Ambassador to Ireland from Ukraine Gerasko Larysa and the Ambassador to Ireland from the Republic of Moldova Larisa Miculet at the opening of a Ukraine war photography exhibition to mark one year of the Russian invasion. Picture: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie

We are safe in Ireland, and we are supporting Ukraine by donating and volunteering. It is priceless to be safe when, according to the UN, at least 7,000 civilians have been killed, including 438 children.

We wont know how many were killed during the siege of Mariupol until the city is liberated, but we believe it was in the tens of thousands. Many towns in the east such as Volnovakha and Soledar have been literally razed to the ground by the Russian invaders.

Even though my parents were in Ireland, the long-term consequences of the war caught up with my mother and she died in Cork in July 2022. She is one of many who did not die of bombs or bullets, but if Russia had not invaded Ukraine, she would be alive today.

The Russian invasion of 2022 proved to be genocidal  that is, its intent is to destroy the Ukrainian people and nation. Russia has committed most of the crimes that form the definition of genocide in the UN Convention of 1948, starting with systematic violence against civilians in occupied zones.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits Bucha town. Picture: Dmytro Laryn

According to the UN, the Russians summarily executed hundreds of Ukrainian civilians in the North of Ukraine, including Bucha and Irpin. Russia has forcibly disappeared at least 500 civilian activists as reported by the ZMINA NGO.

Russia has been targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure to render the country uninhabitable. Russian soldiers have been burning Ukrainian books, looting historical archives and museums in an attempt to wipe out Ukraines culture and history.

A member of an extraction crew works during an exhumation at a mass grave near Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv in June 2022. Picture: AP/Natacha Pisarenko

There has also been mass deportation of Ukrainian civilians to Russia. The exact numbers of deportees are very difficult to estimate.

Ukrainian human rights workers report that the Russians first removed many Ukrainians in the occupied territories to filtration camps, where some were detained or executed, and others were further removed to Russia.

Nadiya Trubchaninova cries over the coffin of her son, Vadym, who was killed on March 30 by Russian soldiers in Bucha. Picture: AP/Rodrigo Abd

Similarly, the precise number of Ukrainian children who were forcibly deported to Russia is impossible to estimate. The Yale School of Public Health identified at least 6,000 deported children. Many have been adopted into Russian families, including a 15-year old boy from Mariupol who was forcibly adopted by Russias so-called Childrens Ombudswoman Lvova-Belova.

Today I am mourning all those who Russia killed, disappeared, deported and those who are still living under occupation with little to no access to essential services.

Nadia Dobrianska: "I am hoping that the protests in front of the centers accommodating refugees and asylum-seekers in Dublin, Fermoy and other places do not escalate into violence."

While we have been safe in Ireland, I am hoping that the protests in front of the centers accommodating refugees and asylum-seekers in Dublin, Fermoy and other places do not escalate into violence. A year on, Ukraine holds on and fights back, while the weapons from our allies for the counter-offensive are arriving.

I know that nobody can tell if Ukraine can be liberated from the Russian occupation this year, but I am living in hope. Ukraine is our home and Russia will never take it from us.
'All we are saying is give peace a chance.

This plaintive chant by John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1969 became the rallying cry for a generation protesting the horrors of the Vietnam War.

This same call is important in Ukraine today where continuing war threatens dangerous escalation and ever greater death and destruction.

China has now cried halt. The EU should follow suit and explore whether realistic opportunities exist for a peace initiative which would not involve surrender or betray Ukraines heroic resistance.

Vietnam was the first televised war and its fearful carnage became unavoidable nightly viewing. The result was outrage and revulsion at the excesses of a war which had lost all moral purpose.

Since then, governments have taken great care to counter this Vietnam syndrome and ensure that their decisions to go to war, however questionable, are seen as morally and politically unchallengeable.

George W Bushs shock and awe invasion of Iraq is a recent telling example. Truth is often the first casualty of war.

The war in Ukraine shares some of these same features of message and media manipulation. In Russia, the invasion is presented as an overdue pushback against hostile Nato encirclement and as a legitimate response to attacks against Ukraines Russian-speaking minorities.

On our side, the war is portrayed not alone as an unjustified invasion but as an intervention without explanation other than Russian president Vladimir Putins demonic determination to subdue Ukraine and other former Soviet republics.

Both narratives contain elements of truth but separately they are distortions of the whole truth and curtail meaningful debate.

The fundamental truth is that Ukraine has an absolute right to independence. No one can now dispute this. Not even in Russia, where there is confusion about a separate Ukrainian national identity because of the similar origins and close intertwining of the two peoples.

Paradoxically, Russian excesses have strengthened Ukrainian nation-building. However, Ukraine emerged from its long history of partition and subjection by different European neighbours with a range of sensitive fault lines  religious, linguistic, and ethnic. These are ignored only at great peril.

Ukraines inherited divisions were in plain sight during the heady days of the Maidan revolt in February 2014. Unrealistic expectations of Nato and EU membership were part and parcel of the fervour and western diplomats in Kyiv were unable or reluctant to dampen things down.

Ukrainian emergency workers clear the rubble on the roof of a residential building that was hit by a Russian rocket in Kharkiv.

Russian-leaning, democratically elected president Viktor Yanukovich was unceremoniously ousted and ultra-nationalist right-wing agitators set alight the flammable tinder of eastern Ukraine.

For Putin, this was deliberate provocation with a real danger of losing Sevastopol, Russias major Black Sea naval base.

The outcome was the unlawful annexation of Crimea, fragmentation, and contestation along Ukraines eastern borders, and eventual slippage to invasion and outright war. The war has persisted now for a year.

How much longer will it continue? Ukrainians are its primary victims, in lives lost, families sundered, and wholesale economic collapse.

Those in the West who call for peace have been branded as Putin apologists, in denial of Ukraines right to resist. But endless war serves little purpose other than the lucrative arms trade.

Above all, diplomacy must be given every chance when the balance of interest and advantage shifts against extended conflict. Arguably, this is now the case in Ukraine.

Moscow may have the wherewithal to win a protracted war but at what terrible cost?

#A move from the current targeted intervention to total war and shock and awe would involve the laying waste of a once-friendly state and the permanent alienation of a kindred Slavic population.

Mounting fatalities would face diminishing tolerance in Russia. Ever-widening offensives carry the unbearable risk of accidental entanglement by Nato and the danger of a Third World War.

For the US and Nato, their support for Ukrainian resistance has already served its purpose. Putin has been taught a hard lesson for his strategic miscalculation; Ukraine was no easy conquest and the Russians have not been welcomed as liberators.

James Sharkey is a former Irish ambassador to Russia.

The recent visit to Kyiv by president Biden with its promise of further assistance is a timely boost for Ukrainian morale and reminds Russia that any victory will be hard fought.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, for his part, has done everything humanly possible to assert Ukraines right to independence. Peace talks, carefully prepared, could give him the chance to have this reaffirmed internationally with guarantees by Russia, the US, Nato, and the EU.

Ukrainians could also benefit from massive internationally assisted reconstruction which would revitalise their broken economy and facilitate early refugee return. The EU could accelerate the implementation of the new association agreement.

Naturally compromise is required on all sides: Movement away from rhetorical posturing, impossible preconditions, and calls for regime change.

Talks could allow reprioritisation of the Minsk accords and the exploration of a new federal constitution to safeguard minorities and assist reincorporation of ruptured and contested borderlands.

An undoubted bitter pill would be acceptance of Russias illegal annexation of Crimea even if the peninsula has only in the recent past become a Ukrainian possession. The illegalities and anomalies arising could be regularised through an internationally supervised referendum. Controversial Nato membership would be put on hold.

The fact that China, a major power and close Russian sympathiser, has flagged the option of a peace initiative is significant. The task is to test Russias flexibility and readiness to cede territorial gains in the interests of peace.

The EU should now publically encourage and prioritise this search for peace and explore whether real openings exist. Together with China, France and Germany can play a balancing role in mediation, helpful in getting the two sides to the table.

The alternative to diplomacy  deepening war with ever more elaborate and destructive weapon system  is too frightful to contemplate.

Peace must now be given a chance.

Jim Sharkey is a former Irish ambassador to Russia
The anniversary of Russias invasion of Ukraine was a sombre day for many of the countrys 43 million people.

Ukrainians described the anniversary as both terrible and inspiring for them because Ukraine has defied expectations that it might quickly fall to Moscows invasion forces.

I can sum up the last year in three words: Fear, love, hope, said Oleksandr Hranyk, a school director in Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city.

A woman cries during a memorial service to mark the one-year anniversary of the start of the Russia Ukraine war, in a cemetery in Bucha (Emilio Morenatti/AP/PA)

Victory is ours, young people will live, said Nelia Zamostian, 62, who was attending a church memorial service in Bucha, the town outside Kyiv that became an early symbol of Russian atrocities.

And Daria Horda, 25, who has not seen her family in Russian-occupied Nova Kakhovka since Moscows troops rolled across Ukraines borders on February 24, 2022, said: For me, its a terrible pain and a day where I dont want to go back in my thoughts, rewatch photos or videos. A very tough day.

Maria Kurbet, 77, weeps at the grave of her son, a serviceman killed in Bakhmut, during a memorial service to mark the one-year anniversary of the start of the war, in a cemetery in Bucha (Emilio Morenatti/AP/PA)

Lining up in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, to buy anniversary commemorative postage stamps, Tetiana Klimkova said that a year into the invasion, shes been unable to shake the feeling that your heart is constantly falling, it is falling and hurting.

This day has become a symbol for me that we have survived for a whole year and will continue to live, she said. On this day, our children and grandchildren will remember how strong Ukrainians are mentally, physically, and spiritually.

In Berlin, a wrecked Russian tank brought from Ukraine has been put on display outside the Russian Embassy to mark the anniversary of Moscows invasion.

The T-72 tank was put on display in Berlins Unter den Linden boulevard, in front of the embassy.

The tank was brought to Berlin by a private group, which said that the Ukrainian defence ministrys military history museum loaned the vehicle and helped it with logistics.

It says the vehicle was hit in the Kyiv region in the early stages of the war.

One of the organisers, Wieland Giebel of the Berlin Story group, said that the whole world recognises that many Germans stand behind Ukraine.

A man dressed as a peace dove stands in front of a wreck of a Russian T-72 tank placed in front of the Russian Embassy to mark the anniversary in Berlin (Markus Schreiber/AP/PA)

In Serbia, police prevented a group of anti-war activists from reaching the Russian embassy to presenting a skull-adorned cake in commemoration of the wars anniversary.

Activists left the cake soaked in red dye on the pavement near the embassy in central Belgrade. Activists also wanted to hand embassy staff a demand for Russian President Vladimir Putin to stand trial for genocide.

A traditional Slavic ally, Serbia has maintained friendly relations with Russia despite the invasion. While formally seeking European Union entry, Belgrade has refused to join Western sanctions designed to punish Moscow for the aggression.

People around the world marked the anniversary with candlelit vigils and marches.

A Ukrainian national lights a candle to pay tribute to people killed in Russias war against Ukraine at the Ukrainian consulate in Bali, Indonesia (Firdia Lisnawati/AP/PA)

Members of Sydneys Ukraine community hold a candlelight vigil to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Russias invasion of Ukraine, in front of St. Marys Cathedral in Sydney (Dean Lewins/AAP Image via AP/PA)
Burma Myanmar Junta Airstrikes Displace Thousands in Sagaing

Smoke rising from villages in Ayadaw Township, Sagaing Region following junta airstrikes.

The Myanmar military conducted airstrikes this week during days of fierce fighting with resistance forces in Ayadaw Township, Sagaing Region, displacing thousands of civilians from ten villages.

The clashes follow the juntas imposition of martial law in Sagaings Ayadaw, Shwebo and Wetlet townships earlier this week.

Fighting broke out on Tuesday, when a column of around 100 military regime soldiers advanced to Nwarmatwin and Minywar villages in the south of Ayadaw Township and were ambushed by a combined force of Peoples Defense Forces (PDF). Both sides are thought to have suffered casualties, but none have been confirmed so far.

On Wednesday evening, a junta MI-35 helicopter launched airstrikes at Minywar Village, destroying around 50 houses.

The military helicopter opened fire continuously while we were preparing to attack the troops in Minywar Village. We were only able to shoot back at long-range, said Ko Tay Zar, a spokesperson for resistance group Moe Nyo Revolution Force.

More airstrikes were launched on Thursday, when a MI-35 helicopter opened fire while two MI-17 helicopters dropped regime soldiers in Malaethar Village, around three miles from Minywar Village, said local resistance group Danger Force.

The PDFs were able to rescue residents trapped in Malaethar Village on Thursday night.

The fighting continued this [Friday] morning. The military is using guerrilla tactics. The battle may become more intense, said Ko Man Hone, the spokesperson for Danger Force.

Malaethar Village was previously raided by junta forces last year. Around 150 of the villages more than 1000 homes have now been destroyed.

Ayadaw is one of the strongholds of the resistance in Sagaing Region, along with the neighboring townships of Budalin, Monywa and Myinmu. PDFs from those townships took part in the clashes in Ayadaw this week.
Burma Myanmar's Civilian Government Jails Resistance Fighters for Murders

Resistance fighters in Sagaing Region.

Myanmars civilian National Unity Government (NUG) has jailed 10 members of the Peoples Security and Defense Force (PSDF) in Muse Township, Shan State, for killing their comrades.

Under orders from their leader Shwe Li, PSDF members attempted to kill 14 former colleagues who left the group on November 23 last year. In response, the NUG with ethnic armed groups and community elders formed a tribunal into the case.

Six former members were killed immediately, four were detained and four escaped with injuries. The four detainees were later released.

Four PSDF members, including Shwe Li, were convicted of the killings and handed 20-year sentences with hard labor on February 6. Six other members who were involved in the killings were given five years in prison with hard labor. Fifteen other members were deported from Muse and the PSDA was officially disbanded on February 19, according to the NUGs Muse command.

In another case, two members of the GZ Special Task Force resistance group attempted to kill the head of a Peoples Defense Force (PDF) in Sartaunggyi village, Wetlet Township, Sagaing Region, last Friday. The two reportedly fired multiple shots at U Hsan with an automated rifle. But the 56-year-old survived and filed a complaint with the NUGs police in Wetlet.

The police reported that two GZ members attempted to kill him. Three PDFs provided security for the investigating police.

Officers also arrested two other suspects who had allegedly ordered the killing. According to resistance groups in Wetlet, the attempted assassination was driven by personal grudges. The four will be tried at an NUG court.
Burma US Condemns Myanmar Juntas Graft Case Against Kachin Christian Leader

Then US President Donald Trump listens to the Reverend Dr. Hkalam Samson speak about ethnic and religious issues in Myanmar at the White House on July 17, 2019. / White House video screenshot

The United States has condemned the Myanmar military regimes arrest and detention of prominent Kachin Christian leader Reverend Hkalam Samson on politically motivated charges under counterterrorism and other laws.

The Kachin State Baptist leader was arrested in December by the regime for defaming the military in his sermons, according to reports.

He was initially detained and charged with unlawful association in January, before being indicted for incitement. On February 14, the junta filed a further charge under the counterterrorism law, accusing Dr. Samson of meeting with a member of the opposition National Unity Government (NUG). On Tuesday, he was being tried by a court inside Myitkyina Prison in Kachin. The trials outcome is not yet known.

On Thursday, State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters that the US denounced Dr. Samsons arrest and detention and had asked its allies to push the regime to release the religious leader.

We are extremely concerned for his well-being and safety, and urge our partners and allies to join us in calling on the regime to drop all charges and immediately and unconditionally release Reverend Samson, he said.

He added that the Baptist leaders incredible work advocating for religious freedom, justice, peace, and accountability should be celebrated and replicated, not condemned.

Dr. Hkalam Samson is also president of the Kachin National Consultative Assembly, a group of Kachin State religious and political leaders who help foster communication between the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and the local community. The KIOs armed wing, the Kachin Independence Army, has been fighting the regime since the 2021 coup while also training and arming resistance Peoples Defense Forces.

If convicted, the reverend faces up to three years in prison under the Unlawful Association Act plus up to two years in prison under Section 505 (a) of the Penal Code on incitement. He also faces seven years in jail if convicted on the counterterrorism charge.

Family members said they havent been allowed to meet him and are concerned about his health as the Kachin faith leader is on medication for high blood pressure and bronchitis.

In 2019, the Myanmar militarys Northern Command attempted to take legal action against Dr. Samson for telling then United States president Donald Trump about the militarys oppression of ethnic minorities in Myanmar. The case was dropped on the orders of military chief and current junta boss Min Aung Hlaing.
Burma Yangon Family Killed by Unknown Gunmen

Hlegu Township. / Winnet Myanmar

Gunmen killed a family of five in Hlegu Township on the outskirts of Yangon, an area surrounded by junta bases, on Wednesday.

Gunmen came to the familys house on Mayga Waddy Street, killing two men, two women and a three-year-old, according to residents. The oldest victim was an 85-year-old man.

Yeikthar ward residents said they heard at least 12 gunshots and saw four gunmen from a notorious gang in Hlegu.

We know the gunmen very well. They are from a group of thugs who would do anything for money. They are professional killers, said a witness.

The adult victims were Daw San Nwe, U Maung Maung, Ma Win Nwe, and U Aung Maung, according to neighbors.

The residents said they were ordinary people who sold groceries in the market, selling dried fish and shrimp in a small, successful business.

They were living well. We did not hear if they had links to resistance groups or the military. No one knows what sort of problems they had, said a resident.

Junta media reported that they were killed by resistance groups.

Other reports suggested they were killed by the junta or Pyu Saw Htee militia members because a family member who was not at the scene is involving in a resistance group.

Hlegu Peoples Defense Force denounced the killings on Thursday and extended its condolences to the remaining family members.

The group stated the killings may have been intended to spread disunity between resistance forces and the public.

We will investigate to find the preparators of these inhumane and brutal killings and take serious action, the group said.
War Against the Junta Over 50 Myanmar Junta Forces Killed in Four Days of Resistance Attacks

Resistance fighters of Yesagyo-PDF / Yesagyo-PDF

At least 51 Myanmar junta forces including several pro-regime militia members were killed in the last four days as Peoples Defense Forces (PDFs) escalated their attacks on regime targets across the country.

In one case, over 30 PDF groups jointly attempted to occupy a military base in Magwe.

Incidents were reported in Sagaing, Mandalay, Magwe and Tanintharyi regions and northern Shan State.

The Irrawaddy has rounded up the following reports of significant attacks from PDFs.

Some military casualty figures could not be independently verified.

Regime forces ambushed while looting, torching houses in Sagaing

At least 25 regime forces were killed and 18 injured in Shwebo Township, Sagaing Region on Tuesday when over a dozen local resistance groups from several townships jointly attacked 74 regime forces looting and torching houses in Pauk Chaing Village, claimed Wild Tiger PDF-Shwebo, which took part in the raid.

PDF groups used several land mines, improvised mortar shells and drones to attack the regime forces.

After facing the intense PDF attacks, the regime forces burned the bodies of killed soldiers along with houses in the village. Only 49 junta forces survived the PDF attack. The rest of the regime troops fled to the nearby pro-regime village of Taltheetaw.

PDF photos show charred bodies of soldiers in the remains of the burnt houses.

Regime camps bombed in Sagaing



Resistance fighters launch grenades at regime targets in the town of Monywa on Wednesday. / GEF-Monywa

Local PDF group Golden Eagle Force-Monywa claimed it and four other PDF groups used 40-mm explosives to attack regime forces stationed at the offices of the junta-controlled Immigration Department and Road and Transport Administration in the town of Monywa, Sagaing Region on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Two regime forces were killed and some others injured during the PDF attack on regime forces at the Road and Transport Administration office, the PDF group said.

No PDF casualties were reported, though regime forces responded with 40-mm and 60-mm explosives as well as automatic firearms.

Six pro-regime militia members killed in PDF ambushes in Sagaing

At least six pro-regime Pyu Saw Htee militia members were killed in PDF ambushes in Taze Township, Sagaing Region in the last four days, said Taze-PDF.

On Wednesday, five pro-regime militia members were killed when two PDF groups used a cluster of eight land mines to ambush junta troops from the militarys Light Infantry Battalion 361 and Pyu Saw Htee militia members heading to Hman Yin Village in the township.

On Monday, Taze-PDF also used land mines to ambush militia forces patrolling on a road near Bay Yin Village, killing a militia member.

Six regime forces killed in PDF raid in Magwe

At least six regime forces were killed and many others injured in Pauk Township, Magwe Region on Wednesday when 34 PDF groups attempted to occupy a military camp at the pro-regime Pyu Saw Htee village of Kokko Su, said Myaing Underground Defense Force, which joined the raid.

The PDF groups abandoned their mission of occupying the base as junta aircraft arrived and attacked them.

Regime troops attacked in Magwe



PDF fighters launch improvised rocket-propelled grenades at regime targets in the town of Yesagyo on Wednesday. / Red Peacock Guerrilla Force

Three junta forces were injured in Yesagyo Township, Magwe Region on Tuesday when two PDF groups used rocket-propelled grenades to attack regime soldiers stationed at the junta-run General Administration Department office in the town of Yesagyo, said Myingyan Black Tiger PDF, which coordinated the attack.

Regime forces opened fire at random, but there were no PDF casualties. The PDF video shows resistance fighters launching improvised rocket-propelled grenades.

Regime vehicles ambushed in Magwe

Yesagyo-PDF said its used two clusters of six land mines to ambush regime forces traveling in three civilian vehicles in Yesagyo Township, Magwe Region on Thursday.

The junta troops used three civilian vehicles while traveling from the base of military Battalion 258 to the town of Yesagyo. In the attacks, two vehicles were stopped after being damaged by land mines. Military casualties were unknown.

Four regime forces killed in ruby town Mogok in Mandalay



PDF troops engage in a clash with regime forces in the town of Mogok on Tuesday. / Red Wolves of Mogok

At least four junta soldiers were killed and two others injured when two PDF groups used M79 grenade launchers to attack regime forces stationed at Kathe Ward Administration Office in the ruby town of Mogok in Mandalay Region early on Thursday.

After the grenade attack, a shootout continued in the area. All resistance forces managed to retreat from the area without casualties, the PDF groups said.

Police station bombed by PDF drones in Mandalay

Three junta policemen were killed and two others injured in Sintgu Township, Mandalay Region on Wednesday when six PDF groups used drones to drop six bombs on a police outpost in Nwe Yone Village, said Kaung Kin Revolution Alliance, which joined the PDF drone strikes.

Regime forces injured, administrator and wife killed in Tanintharyi

Two junta soldiers were injured in Kawthaung Township, Tanintharyi Region on Thursday when PDF-Kawthaung attacked three junta sentries on a road, the PDF group said.

The group also claimed to have assassinated U Lin Htun Aung, a member of junta-appointed village administration groups, along with his wife Daw Aye Sein in a village in Khamauk Gyi town on Wednesday.

The couple was notorious for oppressing residents and had guided junta forces to PDF camps in the area.

Military battalion attacked in northern Shan State

Two army captains were killed in Naungcho Township, northern Shan State on Tuesday when PDF-Pwin Oo Lwin and Northern Shan PDF Alliance used both heavy explosives and firearms to attack the militarys Battalion 114, said the PDF groups.
Search giant Google has been testing the blocking of news for some users in Canada ahead of the date for online news legislation to come into force.

The law, known as Bill C-18, makes it compulsory for companies like Google and Meta, the parent of Facebook, to work out deals with media companies for the re-use of their content.

The Canadian Press quoted Google spokesman Shay Purdy as saying on Wednesday: "We're briefly testing potential product responses to Bill C-18 that impact a very small percentage of Canadian users."

Last October, Meta threatened to block the sharing of news feeds in Canada  similar to what it did in Australia  if Canada went ahead with putting the law in place.

At the time, Meta Canada Media Partnerships chief Marc Dinsdalethe Online News Act did not properly represent the relationship between platforms and news publishers.

Google has objected to the proposed Canadian law during parliamentary hearings, saying it did not require publishers to stick to basic journalistic standards.

Additionally, the search company said the law would favour big publishers and could result in spreading "cheap, low quality, clickbait content" over public interest journalism.

The bill passed the House of Commons in December and is set to be examined by the Senate in the months ahead.

In 2021, when the Australian Government tried to push through a News Media Bargaining Code, digital platforms, chiefly Facebook and Google, lined up in opposition.

The code was derived from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's Digital Platforms Inquiry report which was handed to the government in June 2019.

Negotiations between digital platforms and news organisations went on for a while, with the provisions for the code being passed into law in February 2021.

But there was plenty of resistance from the digital platforms and though Google took a more low-key stance, Facebook upped the ante and blocked the ingress of news content into Australia.

The government hurried to placate Facebook and made numerous changes to the legislation after which the social media company reversed its block on content.
GUEST EVENT: Nvidia today announced that company founder and CEO Jensen Huang will deliver the opening keynote at GTC 2023, covering the latest advancements in generative AI, the metaverse, large language models, robotics, cloud computing and more.

More than 250,000 people are expected to register for the four-day event, which will include 650-plus sessions from researchers, developers and industry leaders in virtually every computing domain. GTC will also feature a fireside chat with Huang and OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever, plus talks by DeepMind's Demis Hassabis, Stability AI's Emad Mostaque and many others.

Registration is free and open now at https://nvda.ws/3GUdDeE.

"This is the most extraordinary moment we have witnessed in the history of AI," Huang said. "New AI technologies and rapidly spreading adoption are transforming science and industry, and opening new frontiers for thousands of new companies. This will be our most important GTC yet."

Huang's keynote will be livestreamed on Tuesday, 21 March, at 8am Pacific time and available on demand afterward. Registration is not required to view the keynote. Closed captioning in English will be available for the keynote and sessions.

Other notable speakers include:

 Chike Aguh, chief innovation officer, US Department of Labor

 Soumith Chintala, researcher, Meta and creator of PyTorch

 Paul Debevec, chief research officer, Netflix Eyeline Studios

 Kathryn Guarini, CIO, IBM

 Tony Hemmelgarn, CEO, Siemens Digital Industries Software

 Sergei Levine, associate professor, UC Berkeley

 Thomas Schulthess, director, Swiss National Supercomputing Centre, ETH Zurich

 Kathy Smith, artist and professor, USC

 Ashok Srivastava, chief data officer, Intuit

Among other organisations participating are: Amazon Robotics, AWS, ByteDance, Dell Technologies, Deloitte, Epic Games, Ford Motor Company, Fraunhofer, General Motors, Google, HPE, Jaguar Land Rover, Lenovo, Lockheed Martin, Mercedes Benz, Microsoft, MIT, Oracle Cloud, Pixar, Samsung, Shell, TSMC, United States Space Force and VMware.

GTC will also include panels from the industry's top researchers, a talk by Nvidia Chief Scientist Bill Dally, and 65+ sessions focused on generative AI. Huang's fireside chat with Sutskever, chief scientist and co-founder of OpenAI, will air on 22 March at 9am Pacific time, and on demand afterward.

Notable sessions include:

 A fireside chat with Scott Belsky, chief product officer at Adobe, and Bryan Catanzaro, vice president of applied research at Nvidia, on how generative AI is transforming the creative process.

 A conversation with Nvidia's automotive team on how generative AI is revolutionising AV development.

 Numerous talks on demystifying generative AI for a broad audience.

 A discussion on AI's influence on art with AI artist Refik Anadol, The Museum of Modern Art curators Paola Antonelli and Michelle Kuo, and Nvidia Vice President of Omniverse Richard Kerris.

 A panel from robotics experts on how AI can advance real-world deployments of robots using simulation.

 Multiple sessions on how generative AI can be used across industries from content creation to graphics to drug discovery by Amgen, Autodesk, AWS, Evozyne, General Motors, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, London College of Fashion, Microsoft Research and SK Telecom.

Learning and career development opportunities

GTC provides participants at all career stages with learning opportunities. Registrants can sign up for full-day, instructor-led, hands-on technical workshops offered by the Nvidia Deep Learning Institute (DLI) at discounted pricing. Twenty-eight workshops will be offered in multiple languages, including Korean, Japanese and traditional Chinese.

As part of Nvidia's efforts to increase AI workforce readiness and create a more inclusive AI ecosystem, GTC will offer training and sessions including Change the World With a Career in AI, Fundamentals of Deep Learning and Blueprint to Becoming an Effective Student Researcher for early career and student participants. Additionally, Nvidia is providing credits for DLI workshops at GTC to minority-serving institutions like HBCUs, HSIs and community colleges.

Sessions for startups

GTC offers startups the opportunity to learn directly from experts in AI, data science and machine learning. Nvidia Inception, a global program designed to nurture cutting-edge startups with 13,000+ members, will host tracks aimed at helping startups grow their businesses and gain industry knowledge. The Nvidia Venture Capital Alliance program, which has 400 VC firms as members, will host sessions designed for investors.

Sessions for startups include Essential Tech for GenAI Startups, Emerging Venture Themes for 2023  Generative AI and Riding the Wave  Generative AI for Startups.

Nvidia financial analyst Q&A

Nvidia will hold a Q&A session with financial analysts following the keynote at 10 a.m. Pacific time. The webcast will be available at investor.nvidia.com.

About Nvidia

Since its founding in 1993, Nvidia has been a pioneer in accelerated computing. The company's invention of the GPU in 1999 sparked the growth of the PC gaming market, redefined computer graphics, ignited the era of modern AI and is fuelling the creation of the metaverse. Nvidia is now a full-stack computing company with data-centre-scale offerings that are reshaping industry. More information at https://nvidianews.nvidia.com/.
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.
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Senior Chinese diplomat expounds on trip to Europe, Russia

Xinhua) 09:05, February 24, 2023

MOSCOW, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Wednesday briefed the media on his trip to Europe and Russia.

Wang has concluded his visit to France, Italy, Hungary and Russia as well as his attendance of the 59th Munich Security Conference.

During the trip, Wang said he mainly introduced China's major policies after the 20th CPC National Congress, and comprehensively expounded on the bright prospect and far-reaching impact of Chinese modernization.

On peace and security, China has proved with numerous facts that the path of peaceful development is not only feasible, but very successful, said Wang.

China stays committed to the path of peaceful development, and hopes that other countries will also join the cause, he added.

Wang said the so-called unmanned airship incident was an entirely isolated and unexpected event caused by force majeure. However, Wang added, the U.S. side ignored the basic facts, abused force, hyped the situation and smeared China.

The U.S. act did not show its power, but revealed its lack of rationality instead, Wang said.

China urges the United States to abandon its obsolete mindset of a zero-sum game, perceive China in an objective and impartial manner and return to a rational and pragmatic policy towards China, said the diplomat.

Friendship is the keynote of China's policy towards the EU with cooperation as the overall goal, Wang said.

If China and the EU choose dialogue and cooperation, bloc confrontation will be out of the question; if the two sides choose peace and stability, there will not be a new Cold War; if both sides choose opening up and win-win cooperation, global development and prosperity stand a chance, Wang said.

China and the EU should exclude external interference, properly manage differences, and enhance exchanges and cooperation to provide stability for the turbulent international situation, Wang said, adding that these efforts are also of great significance to the political settlement of the Ukraine issue.

As permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and Russia shoulder their due responsibility of promoting a multi-polar world and opposing unilateral and bullying actions, Wang said.

He said the results of his visit to Russia can be summarized as three points: both sides reaffirmed the goals of bilateral relations set by the two countries' heads of state, made new efforts to push ahead practical cooperation in various areas, and coordinated over regional and international issues of common concern.

On the Ukraine issue, China has, as always, firmly been standing on the side of peace and dialogue and on the right side of history, Wang said, adding that over the past year, China has actively contributed to promoting de-escalation and supporting all efforts conducive to a peaceful settlement of the crisis.

The crisis has occured in Europe but affected the whole world, and it should not drag on indefinitely, he said, adding that China supports Europe in playing a more active and constructive role in upholding peace and promoting talks.

He said that China is about to issue a position paper on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, which will reiterate Beijing's consistent positions and also take into account reasonable concerns of all parities, in hope of establishing the broadest common ground of the international community on the Ukraine issue.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
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Zoom in on the yellow and black pins to see all the trials located in these cities

Yellow pins: war crimes trials - Black pins: war crimes trials in absentia

Last update of the map made on 27/02/2023

Source: Ukrainian Court Registry

Ukraine swiftly opened war crimes trials - in wartime -, without waiting for the outcome of proceedings in international and regional courts. On this map, we list the war crimes trials completed to date in 13 cities against 75 military personnel. Most of them are being tried in absentia. So far, 10 Russian soldiers, present at their trial, have been tried and sentenced in Ukraine. This map does not include the numerous trials for crimes against national security.

This Justice Info map of domestic war crimes trials, produced from public data in court registers consulted by our correspondent Iryna Salii, shows the visible result so far of multiple investigations launched by Ukrainian prosecutors throughout the country: those cases that have already reach trial stage.

As of 24 February 2023, the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine had officially registered 71,321 war crimes and crimes of aggression involving 639 military or political representatives of the Russian Federation.
The Berlin District Court convicted Moafak D. aged 55 and stateless, of war crimes including a quadruple murder and a double attempted murder.

A member of a government militia, the defendant fired a grenade with an anti-tank weapon into a crowd waiting for food on March 23, 2014, according to the court.

His lawyers had pleaded for acquittal, claiming that the accused was not at the scene of the events that day.

According to the judgment, there is every reason to believe that there were "significantly more" deaths and injuries than the four deaths and two serious injuries finally retained by the court. The events took place in the refugee camp of Yarmouk, in the suburbs of the Syrian capital, originally hosting Palestinians.

Militias in the pay of Bashar al-Assad took over the camp between 2013 and 2015 and sealed off the area, depriving the inhabitants in part of food, water and medical care.

The accused was a member of one of these militias, the Free Palestine Movement (FPM), and on the day of the events was guarding a checkpoint to control the distribution of food by a humanitarian organization.

He allegedly shot into the crowd to "take revenge and punish the defenceless residents of the neighbourhood", according to Judge Delia Neumann, who presided over the hearing. He was "still angry" after the death two days earlier of his nephew, probably killed by the Free Syrian Army (FSA), according to the prosecution.

The accused arrived in 2018 as part of a family reunion in Germany, where he was later arrested.

He was tried in Germany for war crimes and crimes against humanity under the principle of universal jurisdiction.
NATO on Friday declared itself "resolute" in its support of Ukraine and said "Russia's efforts to break the resolve of the brave people of Ukraine are failing".

In a statement issued one year after Russia's invasion, NATO also said that Russia must "immediately" end its "illegal war" which was impacting global food and energy supplies, and demanded Moscow answer for its "war crimes".

The Western military alliance said: "We are further stepping up political and practical support to Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia's invasion, and will maintain our support for as long as necessary to help Ukraine prevail."

Russia, it said, "bears full responsibility for this war," which it said was in violation of the UN Charter and Moscow's international commitments.

"Russia has not shown any genuine openness to a just and lasting peace," the statement said.

"We remain determined to maintain coordinated international pressure on Russia. We also condemn all those, including Belarus, who are actively facilitating Russia's war."

That last point also pointed to Iran, which has supplied Russia with strike drones.

It could also encompass China, after US concerns were echoed by NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg this week that Beijing could be planning to provide weapons to Russia for its war.

The NATO statement warned that "there can be no impunity for Russian war crimes and other atrocities".

It also stressed that its commitment to NATO's founding treaty -- which includes an Article 5 mutual defence clause valid for all NATO member countries -- "is stronger and more united than ever".

"We remain ready to defend every inch of Allied territory... against all threats and challenges," it said.

While Article 5 does not extend to Ukraine, which is not part of NATO, it does cover neighbouring countries such as Poland, Romania and Lithuania.

The NATO statement also noted that Finland -- which borders Russia -- and Sweden were on a path to join the alliance in reaction to Mosow's invasion of Ukraine.

And it said "we will continue to strengthen our partnership with Ukraine as it advances its Euro-Atlantic aspirations," expressed principally through its candidate status to join the European Union.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed Friday to do everything to defeat Russia this year, with Kyiv announcing preparations for a counter-offensive on the first anniversary of Europe's largest conflict since World War II.

Western allies underlined their unwavering backing for Kyiv, and Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki turned up in person in the Ukrainian capital to send a "clear and measurable signal of further support".

The United States ramped up sanctions on Russia, this time targetting the country's banks, military industry and semiconductor access.

Russia remained defiant, with former president Dmitry Medvedev insisting that his country was ready to push its offensive "to the borders of Poland".

A year ago to the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin stunned the world by sending troops across the border, in a move seen as punishment for Kyiv's pivot to the West.

The year-long war has devastated swathes of Ukraine, displaced millions, turned Russia into a pariah in the West and, according to Western sources, has caused more than 150,000 casualties on each side.

The West has imposed increasingly stringent sanctions on Russia and boosted humanitarian aid and arms supplies for Ukraine, leading to warnings from Moscow of a dangerous escalation.

As the war enters its second year, Zelensky pledged to do everything to defeat the invaders in the next months.

"We endured. We were not defeated. And we will do everything to gain victory this year," Zelensky said in a statement released on social media.

Hailing cities that have become bywords for alleged Russian war crimes like Bucha, Irpin and Mariupol as "capitals of invincibility", he said "we will never rest until the Russian murderers face deserved punishment".

Separately, Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov announced that "there will be a counteroffensive".

"We are working hard to prepare and secure it," he said.

- 'Most difficult year' -

Anti-war protests are planned across European capitals to mark the invasion anniversary, while in central Berlin, activists have placed a bombed out Russian tank in front of the Russian embassy.

In Paris, the Eiffel Tower was illuminated in the yellow and blue colours of the Ukrainian flag, while in London, MPs and diplomats will pray at a Ukrainian cathedral.

Russian troops had marched into Ukraine with the goal of a rapid conquest leading to capitulation and the installation of a pro-Moscow regime.

But they failed to conquer Kyiv and have since suffered defeats in northeastern and southern Ukraine.

Since October, Russia has pummelled Ukraine's energy infrastructure, leading to power shortages that have left millions in the cold and dark.

Despite the daily trials, Ukrainians said they refused to be cowed.

"This has been the most difficult year of my life and that of all Ukrainians," Diana Shestakova, 23, said in Kyiv.

"I am sure that we will be victorious, but we don't know how long we will have to wait."

Bucha resident Galyna Gamulets, 64, who recalls coming under fire from Russian troops for "more than two weeks", voiced pride for her nation and said that "we will succeed" in repelling the invaders.

According to a recent Ukrainian poll, 17 percent of respondents said they had lost a loved one in the war.

Around 95 percent of Ukrainians say they are confident of Kyiv's victory.

- New sanctions -

The United States, which has been leading efforts to bolster Kyiv militarily, on Friday announced sweeping sanctions not only aimed at Russia but also hitting "over 200 individuals and entities" across Europe, Asia and the Middle East that are supporting Moscow's war.

G7 countries, which were holding a virtual summit later Friday, are also expected to launch a new agency aimed at blocking attempts at circumventing existing sanctions.

The new aid package from Washington came days after President Joe Biden himself travelled to Kyiv to pledge new arms deliveries.

On Thursday, the United Nations voted overwhelmingly to demand Russia "immediately" and "unconditionally" withdraw its troops from Ukraine.

But key players China and India abstained in the vote, as fears rose in the West that Beijing was considering arming Russia.

Beijing has furiously denied accusations and sought to position itself as a neutral party while maintaining close ties with Russia.

Releasing a 12-point position paper on Friday, Beijing urged Ukraine and Russia to hold peace talks as soon as possible.

"All parties should support Russia and Ukraine in working in the same direction and resuming direct dialogue as quickly as possible," said the paper.

Western allies were cautious in their reception of the call.

"Every constructive suggestion that brings us closer on the path to a just peace is highly welcome. Whether global power China wants to play such a constructive role is still doubtful," German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said.

-'Miracles happen'-

On the frontline in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv's troops pledged to drive out Moscow's forces.

"God is helping us. Nobody thought that Ukraine would hold," said a soldier who goes by the call sign "Cook".

"I know that miracles happen," said the soldier from the 95th Separate Air Assault Brigade in the eastern region of Donetsk.

Despite military setbacks and sanctions, Putin, 70, has refused to back down, accusing the West of supporting neo-Nazi forces and claiming Russia's survival was at stake.

"We are protecting people's lives, our native home," Putin said in his state of the nation address on Tuesday. "And the goal of the West is endless power."

Putin's assault on Ukraine and mobilisation of reservists have sparked what might be Russia's largest mass exodus since the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917.

But with television propaganda in overdrive and dissenting voices stifled, many Russians have rallied behind Putin despite economic trouble and multiplying casualties.

"The country is really changing for the better," said Lyubov Yudina, a 48-year-old security guard in Moscow.

But Ruslan Melnikov, a 28-year-old teacher said: "I don't see any future now."
One of the iconic K-dramas, "Princess Hours," is returning to the small screen with a remake! After 17 years, the classic rom-com series gets a green light and is set to make an official comeback soon.

'Princess Hours' Remake: From Setback to Green Light

To recall, it was planned in 2021 that "Princess Hours" will have a remake with the production company Group8, which was also responsible for the original series. Unfortunately, the production company put on hold the possibility of the series returning amid the height of the pandemic.

Thankfully, Group8 officially confirmed on February 14, 2023, through a TV report that the series will air through a remake however, "there will be a difference from the 'Princess Hours' from 2006."

Interestingly, they are gearing up to release "Princess Hours" starting with the cast lineup.

Kim Yoo Jung, Nam Ji Hyun, More Korean Celebrities Suggested to Star in 'Princess Hours' Remake

Now that officials are in the planning stages, rumor sparked that multiple stars are auditioning for a part. However, netizens voted for Kim Yoo Jung, Nam Ji Hyun, Lee Jae Wook, and Kim Young Dae to play the lead stars of the "Princess Hours" remake.

Unfortunately, the production company or drama officials are tight-lipped about the possible stars courted to appear in the upcoming series.

'Princess Hours' Cast Update: What's Next for Ju Ji Hoon, Yoon Eun Hye, More?

Manhwa "Goong," also known as "Princess Hours," became a huge hit not just in Korea but also in other countries. It even had a Thai adaptation, released in 2017.

"Princess Hours" depicts the story of an ordinary high school student named Shin Chae Kyung, played by Yoon Eun Hye. Amid her ordinary life, little did she know that her fate will change after the death of her grandfather.

In one of his wills, it states that she is set to marry the unendurable Crown Prince Lee Shin, played by Ju Ji Hoon, who also happens to attend her high school. She initially refused to marry the young royal but was persuaded because of her family's situation.

After 17 years, Yoon Eun Hye is still active in showbiz but often appears in talk shows and variety shows. Her last K-drama was the 2018 rom-com "Fluttering Warning" with Chun Jung Myung.

Meanwhile, Ju Ji Hoon maintains his status in showbiz and appears in back to back projects. After the 2021 thriller-mystery series "Jirisan," he will headline an interesting K-drama "Dominant Species" with Han Hyo Joo.

In addition, he will also star in the disaster-themed movie "Silence" with Lee Sun Kyun and Kim Hee Won.

Song Ji Hyo and Kim Jeong Hoon are among the lead stars of the first "Princess Hours."

Song Ji Hyo made a cameo in Lee Sung Kyung and Kim Young Dae's "Shooting Stars" while Kim Jeong Hoon is returning to the small screen after 7 years for the upcoming series "Unusual Men and Women."

KDramastars owns this article

Written by Geca Wills
Song Joong Ki finally speaks out on the rumors being thrown at his wife Katy Saunders. Keep reading the article to know what the actor said.

Song Joong Ki Shares Happy Marriage Life He Has With Wife Katy Saunders

In his new magazine interview with GQ Korea, Song Joong Ki bravely stands firm for his spouse Katy Saunders. The "Reborn Rich" actor explained about his marriage and rumors surrounding his wife.

To begin with, the Korean star is happy in his current life as having a family and having children were his biggest goals in life. Song Joong Ki said he is excited about the coming of their first baby.

To recall, Song Joong Ki announced his marriage through a fan cafe. In the interview, he thanked Katy for continuously guiding him to become a better person. The "Descendants of the Sun" star also described Katy as a good person and considered her his best friend.

Song Joong Ki Gets Honest on Rumors About Katy Saunders

The award-winning actor expressed his affection for Katy throughout the interview. As the conversation shifted, Song Joong Ki used it as an opportunity to directly address and explain past rumors about Katy Saunders, and one of those is her being a single mom.

Song Joong Ki said, "At first it was nothing. Gossip is a normal thing for us, and even if many people knew about it, our love for each other wouldn't change. Then, when the nonsensical stories began to spread, I honestly got angry."

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Song Joong Ki & Katy Saunders Make Public Appearance Following Marriage Announcement

He continued, "All rumors about Katy were not true except for the name of the university she used to attend. My anger grew, but my wife said that I don't have to be angry with those people. I can't say much here, but she's that kind of person."

Song Joong Ki Recalls How He Registered Their Marriage

Meanwhile, the veteran actor also recalled the memory of the day he registered his marriage with Katy. According to him, after he registered their marriage, they immediately went to "Ro Ki Wan" script reading.

Previously, Song Joong Ki flew to Hungary to start filming the new romance movie "Ro Ki Wan." He also drew attention by accompanying his wife to his filming abroad.

In addition, the male star also has an upcoming movie, "Bogota: City of the Lost," which is speculated to be released anytime soon this 2023.

What can you say about Song Joong Ki's statement regarding the issues surrounding his wife Katy? Share your thoughts/replies in the comments!

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news, keep your tabs open here at KDramastars.

KDramastars owns this article.

Shai Collins wrote this.
K-dramas "Crash Course in Romance" and "When the Camellia Blooms" both received enthusiastic responses from the viewers. Now, the two are being compared to each other. Here's why.

What Makes 'Crash Course in Romance' & 'When the Camellia Blooms' Similar?

According to Nate, the ongoing Netflix series "Crash Course in Romance" is being compared to KBS2's "When the Camellia Blooms" since premiere. It has been said that there are similarities between the two dramas.

In particular, they became similar to each other as it marked the comeback of two K-drama queens, Jeon Do Yeon and Gong Hyo Jin. Both actresses also play single mothers who remain optimistic in life and do not lose positive energy even in difficult times. Further, their characters provide healing and love for their family.

The significant similarity is that the added suspense to the romantic series.

To recall, in "When the Camellia Blooms," the serial killer harasses Dong Baek (Gong Hyo Jin), who is the only witness and survivor, and even kills her friend Hyang Mi.

As the story progressed, it was revealed that the culprit was Heung Sik, one of their neighbors. He made viewers sweat with his eerie behavior.

Contrast Between Jeon Do Yeon & Gong Hyo Jin's K-Dramas

On the other hand, the contrast between the two dramas also occurred. If in "When the Camellia Blooms," the culprit was a third figure who did not have a close relationship with the main character, in "Crash Course in Romance," the speculated mastermind behind the mysterious murders is Ji Dong Hui, who is the closest person to the main character Choi Chi Yeol.

Nevertheless, both Korean dramas are beautifully written, and their respective lineups of actors also brilliantly brought their characters to life.

What To Anticipate From 'Crash Course in Romance'

Since the drama is already coming to an end, the interest of the public is now focused on the relationship between Choi Chi Yeol and his assistant Ji Dong Hui. The audience also anticipates the romance between the characters of Nam Hae Yi, Lee Sun Jae (Lee Chae Min), and Seo Geon Hu (Lee Min Jae).

In the previous episode, Seo Geon Hu already expressed his feelings toward Nam Hae Yi (Roh Yoon Seo) in front of the class. Meanwhile, Sun Jae, who is having a family problem, is also being triggered to finally say his true intention towards Hae Yi.

Catch "Crash Course in Romance" every Saturday and Sunday at 9:10 P.M (KST) on tvN and Netflix.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 'Crash Course in Romance' Criticized for Kim Young Joo's Sudden Confession to Kim Jae Woo

What can you say about the comparison discussed between the two healing-romance dramas? Share your thoughts/replies in the comments!

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news, keep your tabs open here at KDramastars.

KDramastars owns this article.

Shai Collins wrote this.
"The Heavenly Idol" episode 4 takes viewers on a heart-fluttering trip as Kim Min Gyu and Go Bo Gyeol grow closer outside the nature of their relationship as idol and manager.

However, the pink-tinted episode gets crazy when a person sells his soul to the devil to take down Kim Min Gyu. Keep on reading to know more.

Woo Yeon Woo Comforts Kim Dal

In "The Heavenly Idol" episode 4, Kim Dal (Go Bo Gyeol) faces a new problem as Wild Animal's road manager.

To save Kasy (Choi Jae Hyun), the lead vocalist of Wild Animal, Kim Dal meets up with a reporter to solve the scandal involving the member.

Because Kim Dal promised to help him get through his new life as an idol, Woo Yeon Woo (Kim Min Gyu) decides to return the favor.

With his divine powers, he hides Kim Dal in his arms and blindfolds the reporter. The two then interrogate him about the informant who spread the rumors about Kasy.

Unfortunately, they couldn't make the reporter talk. Woo Yeon Woo suspects that he is one of Evil One's (Lee Jang Woo) men.

A sudden change in Kim Dal and Woo Yeon Woo's relationship doesn't go unnoticed when the latter comforts his road manager, calling her by her name while patting her head gently.

Woo Yeon Woo also promises Kim Dal that he will visit her one day when he finally regains his life as high priest Pontifex Lembrary.

Woo Yeon Woo's Life Is Put On Jeopardy

On the other hand, Oh Jung Shin (Oh Jin Seok), the maknae (youngest member) of the boy group AX, is summoned by the RU E&M vice president Shin Jo Woon, who's also the Evil One.

Woo Yeon Woo and Kim Dal's speculations were confirmed when it is revealed that Shin Jo Woon uses Oh Jung Shin as his puppet to spread Kasy's dating scandal.

Oh Jung Shin bargains with the Evil One in return, confessing that he wants to kill Woo Yeon Woo because of his immense hatred for the other.

During their trainee days, Woo Yeon Woo, whom they nicknamed "untalented star," gets to debut while Oh Jung Shin is back to square one. This stirred a different feeling inside his chest.

Shin Jo Woon asks Oh Jung Shin about his decision. The young idol then affirms his plans in killing Woo Yeon Woo.

At the end of the episode, Oh Jung Shin transforms into a red-eyed demon, a sign of his loyalty to the Evil One.

KDramastars owns this article.

Written by Elijah Mully.
Before the finale episode, "Crash Course in Romance" continues to trend on different social media platforms and online forums. In a recent post, some viewers speculate a shocking twist to happen in the drama's upcoming broadcast.

Is It True? Lee Mi Ok and Bang Dae Geun Are Having an Affair

"Crash Course in Romance" only has two weeks remaining before it bids farewell to primetime. But with that short period of time, stories from the characters are yet to unfold. Even the viewers who are hooked on the series are already making theories about the possible twist that might happen soon.

Recently, a post from one of the drama's viewers posted online immediately created a buzz. The viewer made a guess that Bang Su Ah's father Bang Dae Geun and Jang Dan Ji's mother might have a secret relationship.

The person who created the post claimed that Su Ah's father provides a lot of information to Dan Ji's mother. It is speculated that since they share everything with each other, these two characters are having an affair.

Viewers Drop Hints of Possible Secret Relationship of Lee Mi Ok and Bang Dae Geun

Interestingly, Su Ah's mother, Jo Su Hui (Kim Sun Young) is close to Lee Mi Ok (Hwang Bo Ra), who is Jang Dan Ji's mother. Though she is close to Mi Ok, she doesn't give any information related to private education to Lee Mi Ok because she's greedy.

Another clue that made viewers speculate was that Jo Su Hui didn't invite Lee Mi Ok to the meeting with other mothers of top students in class, but Mi Ok always got the information from somewhere and was able to be present at the meeting.

In addition to the increasing speculation, Dan Ji recently shared with Nam Hae Yi (Roh Yoon Seo) that she doesn't look like her mother, which may hint at the secret relationship between Su Ah's father and Dan Ji's mother.

Furthermore, in a YouTube video, the YouTuber claimed that Su Ah's mother and Dan Ji's mother recently starts to have a misunderstanding. It looks like the writer is trying to establish a relationship between the two characters.

The YouTuber also mentioned that if the relationship between Dan Ji's mom and father is often absent from home due to work excuses, Su Ah's dad may be attracted to Dan Ji's mother, who looks younger and pretty.

Since Dan Ji's father has never been shown in the drama, the YouTuber's speculation is receiving various reactions from viewers.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 'Crash Course in Romance' Criticized for Kim Young Joo's Sudden Confession to Kim Jae Woo

What can you say about this speculation? Share your thoughts/replies in the comments!

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news and updates, keep your tabs open here at Kdramastars.

Kdramastars owns this article.

Shai Collins wrote this.
From CV to career: How to enhance your medical portfolio [PODCAST]

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Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes!

In this episode, were talking about how to stand out from the crowd in a competitive job market for physicians. Our guests, Aaron Morgenstein, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, and Claire Unis, a pediatrician, will discuss how to enhance your portfolio with individual content to supplement your CV.

In a post-pandemic world, more and more physicians are looking to leave their current positions and explore new opportunities in telemedicine, utilization management, med-legal review, and industry consulting. But with a growing pool of applicants, its becoming increasingly challenging to stand out from the crowd with just a great CV and cover letter.

Thats why were proposing that you take your job search to the next level by building an impressive portfolio of your work. Whether its through creating online articles, designing a website, publishing in peer-reviewed journals, participating in a podcast, or going back to school, there are many ways to enhance your portfolio and set yourself apart from other applicants.

So tune in to hear insights and tips on how you can build a strong portfolio and become a sought-after physician in the job market.

Aaron Morgenstein is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and founder, FlexMedStaff.com, a fully transparent and free marketplace for physicians to find new clinical and non-clinical opportunities to improve work-life balance. He can be reached on Twitter @flexmedstaff.

Claire Unis is a pediatrician and author of Balance, Pedal, Breathe: A Journey Through Medical School.

They share their stories and discuss the KevinMD article, Having a great CV is not enough: Start building your portfolio.

The Podcast by KevinMD is brought to you by the Nuance Dragon Ambient eXperience.

With so many demands on their time, physicians today report record levels of burnout. Burnout is caused by many factors, one of which is clinical documentation. Studies indicate physicians spend two hours documenting care for every hour spent with patients.

At Nuance, we are committed to helping physicians do what you love  care for patients  and spend less time on clinical documentation. The Nuance Dragon Ambient eXperience, or DAX for short, is an AI-powered, ambient clinical intelligence solution that automatically captures patient encounters securely and accurately at the point of care. Physicians who use DAX have reported a 50 percent decrease in documentation time and a 70 percent reduction in feelings of burnout, and 83 percent of patients say their physician is more personable and conversational.

Rediscover the joy of medicine with clinical documentation that writes itself, all within the EHR.

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An excerpt from Fifty Years a Doctor: The Journey of Sickness and Health, Four Plagues and the Pandemic.

I went to medical school for four years.

I was a medical intern for one year and a surgical resident for one year. And finally, an otolaryngology resident for three years.

My medical license permits me to practice medicine and surgery as a general practitioner.

I never lost interest in general medicine or the history, biology, and science underpinning modern medicine.

I was originally attracted to OB/GYN as a specialty. But at that time, it was all-solo practice, being on call for deliveries day and night  that did not appeal to me.

My extensive medical school experience in OB/GYN, with sleepless nights, turned me from this field.

How was I to know that within a few years, a stressful OB/GYN routine would turn into a group practice with well-defined schedules for the doctors? But I never forgot my extensive obstetrical experiences in medical school with the 50 deliveries I performed.

Helping bring life into the world was different from treating sickness and dealing with death. But some things troubled me from those hospital deliveries that were still in my mind. I would find myself thinking about them at times, trying to figure them out.

For example, after the delivery of the newborn, there was a great rush to clamp and cut the umbilical cord. I was surprised at how difficult it was to clamp that turgid, pumping cord, and this is from a young man not far from the days when he weight-lifted loaded barbells and still had a very strong grip. After the cord was clamped, it was cut, and the baby was handed to a nurse who rushed the infant to a separate area to be analyzed for the Apgar score, which measured how strong and healthy the baby was immediately after delivery.

The Apgar score came from a pediatric anesthesiologist named Virginia Apgar and stands for appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, and respiration.

If a newborn did not get the normal score, the pediatrician would start various treatments to improve the newborns chance of healthy survival.

I wondered why so many newborns were in medical danger soon after birth. But when I was working in obstetrics, I didnt even have time to walk over to talk with the pediatrician assessing the newborns health because there was an immediate urgent need to deliver the placenta.

The placenta is commonly called afterbirth since it is delivered after the infants birth.

The crisis we had to deal with at this moment was to get the placenta delivered as quickly as possible. This involved putting large amounts of pressure on the mothers abdomen to push the placenta out of the uterus without leaving any fragments behind. This could cause serious bleeding or later infection that might necessitate a hysterectomy.

You can imagine how uncomfortable and painful the strong pressure applied to the mothers abdomen was right after the struggle of delivery.

Often, a slim nurse would climb onto the mothers abdomen to push even harder. And with all this pushing, the placenta was delivered with a large amount of bleeding since there was still lots of blood in the placenta backed up from the immediate clamping of the umbilical cord while it was still delivering blood to the baby, as well as bleeding from violent tearing of the placenta from its uterine attachments because of all the pressure applied to the abdomen.

If there was a chance that some parts of the placenta were not delivered, then the obstetrician would need to do a wiping of the uterus with a gauze pad at the end of a large forceps, which caused even more discomfort to the young mother, who had just gone through labor and delivery.

I knew from my biology studies that almost all mammals are placental. In humans, they support the developing animal with nutrients and oxygen through an umbilical cord. It is hard to imagine that any other mammal, for example, a horse, cow, dog, or cat, would turn around during birthing to bite and sever the umbilical cord while it was still delivering essential blood to its progeny.

Why were humans different? Was there some medical advantage to depriving the newborn of all the blood in the placenta? This was what I would ponder at various times.

And then there was when I had a delivery experience with a private obstetrician in Brooklyn.

The attending doctor wanted to further our education and let us, the medical students; deliver the babies of his private patients without the permission or knowledge of the patient, which sounds unbelievable in the present era but was considered normal teaching in that era.

The patient would have sedation and possibly spinal anesthesia. A blindfold was placed over the patients eyes as she was told that this might prevent a spinal headache. Then I switched places with the private attending doctor to sit in the doctors delivery chair opposite the patients vagina. In contrast, the private doctor kept talking to the patient. I smiled at the young attending obstetrician, and he smiled back at me.

The delivery was smooth without needing an episiotomy, a surgery to widen the vaginal space to avoid an irregular and uncontrolled tearing of the vagina as the babys head stretches the vagina.

The patient was relaxed in a twilight anesthesia state, with an anesthesiologist administering small doses of medication to reduce pain and create a mild amnesia of the birthing process and its pain.

Of course, now I realize that the potent sedatives and anesthetics given to the woman in labor, even in small doses, also seeped into the placenta and all other bodily tissues and thus into the infant, interfering with breathing and other essential activities. This was why we had to get the infant delivered quickly, immediately cut the cord, transfer the baby to the waiting pediatrician for evaluation, get an Apgar score, then get the infant to the nursery where a trained obstetrical staff of obstetrical nurses would oversee the newborns condition.

If the infant was drowsy but breathing well, this would affect its ability to nurse and be fed by the mother, another disruption of the natural course of childbirth and maternal bonding, in addition to missing the excellent nutrition and immune transfers from the first breast milk, called colostrum, loaded with important immune particles.

Now we also know that the last blood from the placenta has many important stem cells that can help support the babys health, possibly even into adulthood.

After World War II, there was a movement to use baby formula instead of breast milk, at least for those who could afford it. The sterile formula was considered more hygienic than having a baby put its mouth on the mothers skin, which was obviously not sterilized!

It seems that in medicine and most other fields as well, we humans tend to think we are smarter than nature.

But I had a chance to see how childbirth should be done when I did home deliveries just as a midwife would, without sedation and with a normal squatting birthing position.

I arrived at the home of one laboring woman and was greeted by her parents and taken into the living room, where she was reclining comfortably with lots of pillows and towels.

She smiled, and we greeted each other. I examined her several times as part of her prenatal evaluation. We had discussions about hospital delivery vs. home delivery and possible risks. She was totally dedicated to having her baby as naturally as possible.

Then I met her husband, who was completely nude, sitting on the floor directly in front of her. This being the 60s era, although the calendar said 70s, back to the earth, no shame, etc., I was not bothered by this.

I spoke to my patient, and she told me she was moving along nicely with regular contractions and that she had not yet broken her water, which to me was always an awkward way to say the amniotic sac had opened with the release of amniotic fluid which usually led to a quick delivery.

I continued to talk to the patient and family while the husband was rocking slowly in front of his wife. Suddenly, without warning, a veritable tsunami of greenish water splashed all over the husband, who gave a loud gasp. We all started laughing at what had just happened, including the husbands wife and then the husband as he was handed towels to wipe the greenish amniotic fluid from his body.

And sure enough, within ten minutes, the pregnant woman was squatting and pushing, and the babys head appeared at the vaginal opening. A few grunts later by the laboring woman had the infant crowning at the vagina. I supported the head and allowed a slow delivery of the head and then the rest of the body.

The newborn was immediately alert and breathing normally and moving. I helped the mom get her baby and bring him to her breast, where he quickly searched and found a nipple and started sucking, all while still attached to an actively pumping umbilical cord.

The cord didnt have to be stretched since it was long enough for the distance from the mothers lower abdomen to her breast.

Everyone was so happy. The question of who would cut the cord came up. I explained we would cut it when it was no longer pulsating and had shriveled, which took a few more minutes. I let the dried-off husband do that. There was no need to clamp the lifeless cord since it was like old cellophane, and the cutting was bloodless. There was no blood from the vagina either and in a few more minutes the new mother said she had a cramp and a small, bloodless placenta. The afterbirth was delivered effortlessly without a drop of blood from the vagina.

My work was done, and I told them to call me the next day. This happy, sucking newborn would get the highest Apgar score possible.

The next day, I heard from the new mom, who thanked me so much for helping her have a wonderful birth experience. She laughed and brought up the funny explosion of amniotic fluid all over her husband, and I laughed, too.

The next delivery I attended was a little more complicated.

I arrived at the apartment where the couple lived and was greeted by the husband, whom I had never met before, and he said he was glad that I had come because his wife was having some problems.

I went into the living room with him and saw her propped up on the floor over a few towels. She quickly told me that she had been pushing for an hour and had no progress.

I examined her, felt a normal pulse and heart and lungs, and then palpated her abdomen using the Leopold maneuvers to find out if the fetus was positioned properly with his head downward. I also felt the fetus moving.

I asked her how often her contractions were coming. She said she wasnt sure. She was pushing all the time. She hadnt felt any progress.

I thought that something was blocking her cervix from dilating. I told her I would do an internal exam. I put a sterile glove on, examined her, and noted that the cervix was very edematous and spongy, probably from all of her straining against an undilated cervix.

She told me that her water broke about an hour ago, and she had read that the baby should be coming out quickly after that happened.

I explained that wasnt always the case and that all of her straining had caused swelling around her cervix. I felt that if we waited, her normal labor would soon begin, and the cervix would dilate.

I got her and her husband to relax. I asked her to tell me when she got a contraction.

Within 15 minutes, she had a contraction. Others came in a regular pattern and then some very strong contractions. I told her to try pushing with the next one. She said she felt the baby moving. As the strong contractions continued, we started to see signs of her dilated vagina and the babys head.

Within 10 minutes, the head was crowned. I put gentle pressure on the head to prevent an uncontrolled popping of the head through the vagina and allowed for a gentle advancement of the baby until he was fully delivered.

I gave the baby to his mom and told her to put him on her chest. This newborn quickly shook his head in search of a nipple, got one, and started sucking greedily.

The parents were very happy now and relaxed. Then a smaller contraction occurred, and the small afterbirth (placenta) was delivered.

The question of cutting the umbilical cord came up. I said we would do this when all the blood was transferred from the cord. Within a few more minutes, we cut the shrunken cord with no need to clamp it first since its function was over  it was empty of blood and totally collapsed.

Seeing an unsedated young mom with her unsedated, active newborn was wonderful.

I told them to keep the baby warm and to call me in the morning or sooner if needed.

As I left, I noted that there was not one drop of blood on the white towels she had been lying on.

My younger sister was also my obstetrical patient more than 20 years later.

She and her husband were living in our house. She wanted a natural childbirth. She had one child several years earlier when she was living in a California commune, the Source Family. She did that with two other Source women who had experience with childbirth, so I knew she was capable of uncomplicated vaginal birth, and I agreed. Her pregnancy was well advanced when she arrived at my house. When she was near her due date, I examined her abdomen manually and felt the fetal head in the correct downward position.

A couple of weeks later, she told me that her water had broken, and she was starting to have contractions.

I said we should all go to bed and rest because she would probably have the baby at night or in the morning.

When I awoke early in the morning, I went to see her. She told me her contractions didnt seem right.

She removed her blanket. I immediately saw an abnormal abdominal shape. On palpation, the fetus was lying crosswise, a transverse presentation  there was no way that I would deliver her at home.

We went to the local general hospital, where I knew all the doctors and called the chief of obstetrics. He responded quickly and said the obvious.

Lets get her ready for a C-section. Later that morning, she had her newborn son at her breast.

My friend, the obstetrician, never charged her for the delivery, and neither did the hospital. That was how old-fashioned professional courtesy worked in that era.

Ronald Halweil is an otolaryngologist and author of Fifty Years a Doctor: The Journey of Sickness and Health, Four Plagues and the Pandemic.
Family research detective work has revealed emigration links between rural Kilkenny, Canada and the USA.



Members of the Doran family left Coolagh, near Callan, at the time of the Famine. Generations later the descendants of that family have found their way home from Bangor, Maine.



In some ways a familiar tale, for Mary Alice Wildasin it was a personal one, and a genealogy search she was introduced to as a little girl.

When I was nine years old I remember going to the Maine State Archives in Augusta (the state capital) with my grandparents. They were researching our family history and I remember pulling books off the shelves, I wasnt into genealogy then, Mary Alice recalls.



On a trip to Ireland in 1981, with her grandparents and her mother, Mary Alice remembers sitting in the reading room of the National Library looking for references to their ancestor Patrick Doran. At that stage they still had no idea even what county to search in.



Fast forward to 2023 and Mary Alice has tracked down her four times great grandfather to Summerslane in Coolagh, in the mid 1840s.

Its been a fascinating detective story and one that the locals in Coolagh, near Callan, were delighted to hear when Mary Alice, who now lives in Co Clare, visited recently.



She stressed to the Kilkenny People that although she has not yet found a DNA family match to the nowadays local Dorans (including Councillor Matt Doran who has taken a DNA test for Mary Alice to compare to her family) the community of Coolagh has welcomed her and her mother like family.



The pieces of the family history jigsaw came together for Mary Alice and her mother through a mix of commitment to the search and some good luck.



In 2008 Mary Alice was living in Florida. Her mother belonged to an Irish research group who had planned a research trip to Salt Lake City, Utah. Mary Alice joined her at the last minute, expecting to be bored by day two of the trip.

But the curiosity to know where the Dorans came from kicked in. She was still in the research library on the Saturday and with just five minutes to go to closing time her mother entered the names of Patrick Doran and his brother in a computer. But she couldnt press enter. She just had a funny feeling.

Mary Alice stepped in, hit enter and for the very first time the two ladies saw the location Callan appear on a record, on the screen in front of them.



A chance meeting between Mary Alice and an Irish genealogist in an Irish bar on a visit to Providence, Rhode Island, unlocked the next big revelation.

Having taken a note of Mary Alices story on a cocktail napkin, the genealogist was back to her in just three days - Ive found your family - in Quebec!



The other woman had been researching French immigrant families to Canada, and a search in French records found the Dorans from Summerslane. Not the english language records that Mary Alices family had been studying.

Six weeks later Mary Alice and her grandfather visited Summerslane for the first time.



What the genealogist had discovered was that the Dorans had travelled from Callan to Quebec in Canada. Mary Alices fourth great grandfather, Timothy Doran, was born in Coolagh circa 1800 and died in Quebec in 1850. He emigrated with his wife and six of their seven children. Records show their youngest child, Johanna, was born in Coolagh on May 17, 1849, and that she died in Quebec on July 17, 1850.



Patrick Doran, Timothys son and Mary Alices direct ancestor, worked in the lumber industry. Huge in the region at the time lumber was exported from Canada to Ireland and the UK.

Patrick and his brother would have taken the Old Canada Road from Quebec to Bangor following work in this industry.



The rest of the family stayed in Quebec. One sister married in Montreal, another two stayed in Quebec city and are buried there in St Patricks church - the first ethnic church in Canada, built by the Irish.



Birth dates and death certs for the family match up, so even though she has not been able to find emmigration records, Mary Alice is as sure as she can be that she has found her ancestors. A find she described as thrilling.



It also matches up with a family story passed down through the generations that the Dorans went to Canada from Callan, a father and two or three sons. Mary Alice, and her grandparents before her, didnt know where to look in Canada.



When Mary Alices grandfather passed away she used her small inheritance to study to become a geneaologist. Something he would have been proud of. Then in 2019 she was accepted to University of Limerick to do a Masters of Family History. Her dissertation was The Dorans from Summerslane, Kilkenny, to Bangor, Maine, 1820-1900. A case study in step migration.



Mary Alice now works as a genealogist and social historian, despite having fibromyalgia which can make sitting at a computer for long periods uncomfortable. Its wonderful to see records, she said, but you really need the story behind them, what was going on locally, in the county and country at that time.



For Mary Alice this search has only started. She still wants to find out what happened to one of the Doran children, Catherine, who she thinks emigrated to Australia when she was just five years old. Who she was with or how that came about is the next big family mystery, but there are clues she can work with in the baptismal records of the Summerslane family as well as Australian marriage and DNA records she has found.

The next chapter of the Doran family history is just waiting to be discovered by Mary Alice.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was "certain" his country will win the war against Russia as Ukraine marked the first anniversary of Russian invasion on Friday.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told CNN on Thursday that he and his Chinese counterpart have not spoken for a "couple of months."
COLUMBIA - More than a year ago, a mass shooting outside a Columbia bar left one dead and five others injured. Now, a displaced Columbia family is calling for systemic change after losing their loved one in the incident.

During the early morning hours of Nov. 14, 2021, officers with the Columbia Police Department were dispatched downtown to Vibez Lounge, a nightclub on North Fifth Street. Officers were notified that Quillan Jacobs and Todd Duron Nesbitt Jr., both Columbia men, were reportedly involved in a shooting at 3:20 a.m. that left five people injured, according to a report.

After a verbal argument broke out outside of Vibez Lounge, police fired multiple shots at Jacobs, killing the 30-year-old outside of the nightclub, according to police reports. Officers arrested Nesbitt, who was 28 years old at the time of the incident.

This incident was among a string of shootings in downtown Columbia in the fall of 2021. KOMU 8 News reported on five of the shootings from September through November 2021 and said they were under investigation by Columbia police.

This became one of the worst days of our lives, said Candice Gay, Jacobs sister. He was like the father to my kids. He was a great person."

Through an open records request, Target 8 obtained a report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol as the agency conducted a special investigation. The report included summaries of interviews with the two officers who shot Jacobs and their body-worn camera footage from the scene. Target 8 will refer to them as Officer A and Officer B.

Jacobs was shot 13 times, according to the Boone County Medical Examiners office, leading his family to push for more police transparency and accountability.

"You put 10 in him after he was on the ground?" said Gay, questioning CPD's use of deadly force. You have something going on with you.  You should not be safe enough to be on the streets.

He stopped moving and I stopped shooting: Officer A recounts shooting Jacobs

Target 8 reviewed the BWC footage. There was no audio on Officer As BWC when the officer shot and killed Jacobs. There was also no video or audio on Officer Bs BWC when they shot Jacobs.

In the first 30 seconds of Officer As footage, when a reported gun exchange occurred outside of Vibez Lounge between Jacobs and Nesbitt, there was no audio attached.

During the special investigation, Officer A, who was interviewed by MSHPs Division of Drug and Crime Control, said around 3:20 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021, they heard a volley of gunshots, approximating 10 to 15 shots. Moments later, Officer A told investigators they saw Jacobs fleeing from a large crowd outside of the nightclub.

Officer A said when they observed Jacobs running, it appeared as though he was not running right. They clarified by saying Jacobs hands resembled the two-hand grip on a handgun while he was running.

Officer A, who said Jacobs looked suspicious, recounted they said, Thats my guy. Thats a suspect, to themself at the scene after watching Jacobs run away from the crowd.

The video showed Officer A chasing Jacobs into an alley between Plaza Tire and Vibez Lounge on North Fifth Street, then firing their weapon at Jacobs. Officer A continued firing shots into Jacobs after he fell to the ground.

For some unknown reason, the suspect fell face first to the ground, Officer A said in the interview with MSHP.

Officer A said they saw the gun on the concrete after Jacobs fell to the ground. Then, Officer A said they shot Jacobs.

I don't remember a specific number. I think it was around eight. I wasn't counting rounds, Officer A said. He stopped moving and I stopped shooting.

The footage also showed Officer A turn on the BWC audio 30 seconds into the video clip, which was moments after the fatal shooting.

When Jacobs stopped moving, authorities handcuffed him before assessing his injuries or checking his pulse, according to the BWC footage. The video showed officers had a gun pointed at Jacobs head while they handcuffed his limp body. One officer attempted CPR.

Jacobs was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officer A admitted in their interview with MSHP they didnt have their body-worn camera fully activated when they fatally shot Jacobs. Officer A said they attempted to activate it after the shooting. They explained to MSHP investigators the video would record 30 seconds before the camera was activated, but there wouldnt be any audio.

I honestly cant say that: Officer B unsure about shooting Jacobs

Officer B said during their interview with MSHP they had finished a traffic stop on Seventh Street and Broadway when they heard eight to 15 gunshots near Vibez Lounge.

After parking their patrol car near Plaza Tire, Officer B said they saw Officer A chasing someone, who was later identified as Jacobs. Officer B said they ran after where Officer A chased Jacobs into the alley and opened fire.

Officer A fires, I fire, and the guy falls to the ground. I fired twice, Officer B said.

MSHP asked Officer B why they shot Jacobs, too. They came up short of an answer and responded by saying, I honestly cant say that.

When Target 8 reviewed Officer B's body camera footage, neither their video nor audio were attached when they shot Jacobs. Officer B said they attempted to activate their body camera when they left their patrol car, according to MSHP's special investigation report. Officer B actually didn't turn on their body camera until after Jacobs had already been shot and was lying on the ground, according to the BWC footage.

I looked down again and realized it wasn't on and at some point, it came on, Officer B said.

Officer B said they activated their BWC, but wasnt sure at which point in time it turned on.

Explainer: CPD's body camera policy

The officers failure to activate their BWCs in time to have their encounter with Jacobs fully documented violates Policy 447 in Chapter 4 of the CPD Policy and Procedure Manual.

Policy 447 states, Officers who are issued a BWC shall activate the BWC to record all contacts with citizens in the performance of official duties while working either regular-duty or extra-duty employment in CPD uniform.

Audio and video recordings also enhance CPD's ability to review probable cause for arrest, officer and suspect interaction, and evidence for investigative and prosecutorial purposes, and to provide additional information for officer evaluation and training, according to Policy 447.

Officer A said at the time of the shooting they were working their assigned shift area, which they described, in the interview with MSHP, as downtown Columbia.

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Officer A explained why they were already observing Vibez Lounge before the shooting.

That is where most of our problems kind of are, Officer A said.

CPD's response

Lt. Clinton Sinclair, a special investigations commander with CPD, spoke to Target 8 about the obstacles police officers face while responding to a scene where deadly force may be required.

Sometimes we make mistakes," Sinclair said.

Target 8 asked Columbia police if the department disciplined Officer A and Officer B specifically for using deadly force and not fully documenting it on their BWC, as they were reportedly on duty. CPD declined to comment on those matters, citing the department doesn't comment on internal investigations or disciplinary issues.

"Its just a situation where there are so many more important things that we need to address than turning on our body camera," the lieutenant said. You never know whats going to happen in a day.

Sinclair said hes had instances where a body camera has fallen off his protective vest during a fight. He also said during his experience, there are times, similar to Officer A and Officer Bs cases, when officers are responding to fast-developing scenes and they dont get their body cameras on in time.

Were human beings, Sinclair said. We forget to activate our body cameras.

Previous legislation about body-camera policies

Target 8 looked into solutions officials are considering to ensure police are following all of their body camera footage-related policies.

House Bill 2354 Section A Section 590.1025, introduced during the 2016 regular session, states that officer-worn recording equipment must record any interaction between a peace officer and a member of the public and must include both audio and video.

Senate Bill 628 would compel law enforcement agencies in cities with a population of more than 100,000 people to require their officers to wear a body-worn camera at all times while on duty and in uniform.

SB 628 also said if an officer fails to record a contact, they would be suspended without pay until the completion of an investigation into why the contact was not recorded.

Similar bills to HB 2354 and SB 628 haven't been filed during the current legislative session, according to online records.

'Hold yourself accountable': Jacobs' family vying for systemic change

A special prosecutor was brought into the case to decide whether Officer A and Officer B would face charges for their actions in the shooting. St. Charles County prosecutor Tim Lohmars office decided not to charge the officers.

CPD officers arrested Nesbitt at his apartment in Columbia around 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021, hours after the shooting, according to court documents. CPD arrived at Nesbitts apartment and attempted to get him out, but after three and a half minutes, Nesbitt jumped out of a window from his third-floor apartment to avoid arrest. CPD officers surrounded Nesbitt and arrested him.

Officers took Nesbitt to University Hospital to be treated for a leg injury he sustained after jumping out of the window. He was charged with armed criminal action and first-degree assault in November 2021.

Those charges were dropped on July 25, 2022, when Nesbitt pleaded guilty to resisting/interfering with arrest for a felony and was sentenced to four years in the Boone County Jail. He has over two years left in his sentence.

In Jacobs' case, an MSHP Forensic Lab Report would later reveal that there was no gunshot residue found on Jacobs hands. The lab report lists a few reasons why forensic investigators didnt find gunshot residue:

Jacobs didnt fire a weapon.

Jacobs did fire a weapon, but gunshot residue wasnt deposited in detectable amounts.

The residue couldve been wiped off from the time Jacobs allegedly fired his weapon outside of Vibez and when CPD shot and killed him.

Columbia Police Chief Geoff Jones told the community during a public briefing regarding the shooting that the incident impacts everyone. Jones also said this particular shooting wasnt just a police issue and that it was also a community issue.

Target 8 reached out to the owner of Vibez Lounge for comment about how theyre ensuring safety for their customers. The owner did not respond to the request for comment.

Target 8 also spoke with Jacobs family lawyer about his case. The lawyer declined to provide additional information about the case and said they are no longer practicing as a public defender for Jacobs family.

Gay, Jacobs sister, is not accepting the Columbia polices response, saying officers should be held to a higher standard due to their crucial role in the community.

If youre a police officer, you should help the community instead of trying to seek who you feel is the bad person in the community or someone that you just dont like, she said.

Jacobs friends and family remembered him through a balloon release on Nov. 14, 2022, to celebrate the first anniversary of his death.

Gay organized the event to get the family and those who loved Quillian most together.

Were trying to make the better out of it, Gay said.

Target 8 also spoke to Jacobs mother, Angela Gay, a Columbia resident of more than 30 years. Angela Gay said she moved out of Missouri in March 2022, after her son was killed.

Anybody you talk to theyll tell you hed always say he loved em, Angela Gay said. He would always be there to encourage someone and just make things better.

Candice Gay wants CPD to hold itself accountable.

"Hold yourself accountable, especially your police, she said. That's all I want you to do for the community, Candice Gay said while fighting back tears.
Chinese military participates in humanitarian assistance exercise in Thailand

Xinhua) 09:08, February 24, 2023

BEIJING, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese military has dispatched a contingent to participate in the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief exercise of the Cobra Gold 2023 multinational exercise in Thailand, said a Chinese defense spokesperson on Thursday.

The contingent, selected from the Southern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army, will participate in the exercise in Thailand from Feb. 9 to March 10, according to Tan Kefei, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense. He added that the Chinese army has been invited to participate in ten consecutive editions of the exercise since 2014.

The exercise this year includes engineering assistance, the tabletop exercise of humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and live drills under the scenarios of buildings collapsing, hazardous substances leakage, first aid, and fire rescue, among others, said Tan.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
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Red Velvet Joy arrives at Incheon International Airport to attend a fashion event on the 22nd, and greets reporters and fans before departing for Milan, Italy.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
Baloda Bazaar, February 24: At least eleven people were killed while several others were injured when a pickup vehicle they were travelling in collided with a truck in the Baloda Bazaar district of Chhattisgarh, police said on Friday.

"The pickup vehicle collided head-on with the truck. The incident took place at village Khamariya under Bhatapara (rural) police station limits," Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDOP) Bhatapara Siddhartha Baghel said. Mumbai Road Accident: Speeding SUV Rams Into Moving Trailer Truck on Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Five Killed.

According to the SDOP, the pickup vehicle was returning from a function when it was hit by a truck at Arjuni leaving 11 persons dead while around eight others were injured.

"With the help of locals, the injured were immediately taken to a nearby hospital while some of them were referred to Raipur for better medical assistance," said the officer. Police have registered an offence in connection with the accident and launched a probe, the SDOP further informed.

In a similar accident, as many as seven school children died while a child and an auto driver sustained injuries after an auto-rickshaw carrying school children collided with a truck in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district on February 9, an official said. Madhya Pradesh Road Accident: Speeding SUV Hits Two Motorbikes in Dhar District; Four Killed and Two Injured.

The accident occurred near Korar village which is nearly 20 kilometres away from the district headquarters on Thursday. The injured were admitted to the district hospital. As soon as the incident occurred, the nearby people informed the police about the incident. Acting on the information, the police rushed to the spot and immediately sent them to the hospital.

Kanker CMHO (Chief Medical and Health Officer) Avinash Khare said, "There were eight students travelling in the auto-rickshaw. The students were returning to their homes from school. During this, an accident occurred with a truck in which five children died on the spot and two more children died on the way to the district hospital."

"One child is in critical condition but we have made him stable and referred him to Raipur. The condition of the auto driver is stable," CMHO Khare added.

(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 24 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has filed a complaint against councillors of the Aam Admi Party alleging criminal assault against women councillors of the BJP during the MCD's standing committee election in the Civic Centre.

In the complaint addressed to the Station House Officer of Kamla Market Police Station, BJP leader Meenakshi Sharma alleged the Election Commission representatives duly compiled and declared the results and handed over the same to the Mayor Shelly Oberoi (also the Presiding Officer).

Also Read | Sidhi Road Accident: Six Dead, 10 Injured as Truck Hits Two Parked Buses On Rewa-Satna Border in Madhya Pradesh (Watch Video).

That as per the results, three candidates of BJP and three candidates of AAP won and got elected and one candidate of AAP lost the election, stated the complaint.

The Mayor after being handed over the results by the EC representatives got adamant about recounting and declaring one Valid vote as Invalid, further stated the complaint.

Also Read | Tamil Nadu: Gold Worth Over Rs 15 Lakh, Concealed in Underwear, Seized From Tiruchirapalli Airport.

The complaint further alleged that the officers conducting the election requested the Mayor but Mayor withheld the results and in a conspired manner decided to get the recounting done.

When the councillors of BIP objected to the unconstitutional decision of the Mayor then in conspiracy with the Mayor and senior leader of AAP the councillors of AAP present there started shouting and creating a ruckus in the House and suddenly they started beating the women Counsellors of BJP with fists and kicking them, it alleged.

The male counsellors of AAP also hurled abuses at female councillors as well as tried to force upon them creating chaos in the situation in the house.

The complaint further alleged that male counsellors of AAP tried to disrobe the clothes of female counsellors of BJP and my fellow counsellors Suman Kumari(Ward No 16), Alka Raghav (Ward No 203), Meenu Goyal, Ritu Goyal were assaulted by using criminal force to outrage their modesty and senior BIP counsellors were hit when they tried to protect us.

That this whole criminal assault was done with me and my fellow female as well as male counsellors in conspiracy with Mayor Shelly Oberoi to get the political advantage and demoralise the counsellors of BJP, the complaint stated.

Today, Sharma told ANI, "Someone from AAP hit me with a sharp object. They also touched my neck. A male Councillor did it. They haven't allowed a single House to be sustained. I don't know if she's Delhi's Mayor or AAP's. She acts on orders by Kejriwal & other masters."

Meanwhile, AAP leader Atishi told ANI that AAP will go to the Kamla Market police station and file an FIR against BJP for an attempt to murder AAP's women councillor.

On Friday, a ruckus broke out at Delhi Civic Centre once again as AAP and BJP Councillors jostled, manhandled and rained blows on each other.

This is the third day of commotion in the House.

Amid political slugfest, the voting process to elect six members of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) took place at the Civic Center in the national capital. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], February 24 (ANI): Alert citizens nabbed a mobile snatcher and handed him over to police after he tried to flee with the loot in Ashok Vihar area of Delhi, the police said on Friday.

According to police, the accused, identified as Shoaib (22), a resident of Wazirpur village, snatched a mobile phone from a resident of Ashok Vihar, when he was on his way home from office.

Also Read | Air India Express Saudi Arabia-Bound Flight Makes Emergency Landing at Thiruvananthapuram Due to Technical Snag.

The accused was caught red-handed by the public when he raised an alarm, officials said.

DCP North West Jitendra Meena said that Pawan Kumar Jha, a resident of Ashok Vihar, Delhi working in a private company registered a complaint of phone snatching on February 20.

Also Read | Rajasthan Recruitment Exam Paper Leak: Mastermind Senior Teacher Arrested From Bengaluru Airport for Conspiracy.

In his complaint, Pawan stated that on February 20 at about 4 PM on his way home from the office, two persons came on a motorcycle, snatched his phone, and tried to flee.

He started shouting and after a certain distance, their bike slipped and they started running away.

Meanwhile, some public persons caught one of them and overpowered him, however his associate managed to flee away. The accused was later handed over to the police.

The stolen mobile phone was recovered and the motorcycle the accused duo were on was also seized by the police.

"On investigation, it was found that Shoaib is a habitual criminal, and was previously involved in another snatching case as well. Further efforts are being made to arrest his associate also," the police said. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], February 24 (ANI): A 19-year-old woman was found hanging inside a hotel room at Delhi's Uttam Nagar on Wednesday evening, police said.

Further, police said the woman had been missing for the last couple of days, adding that her relatives filed a missing complaint at the Dabri police station in Dwarka district.

Also Read | Uttar Pradesh: Hookah Bars May Reopen in State After Allahabad High Court Intervention.

Her relatives in the complaint said they were unaware of her whereabouts as her phone wasn't reachable, police informed further.

Acting on the complaint, the police launched a search for the missing 19-year-old.

Also Read | Kanpur Dehat Deaths: Allahabad High Court Seeks Progress Report From Uttar Pradesh Government on Probe.

The sleuths said on Wednesday evening, they the learned that the missing woman had been found hanging inside a hotel in Uttam Nagar.

On receiving information, a police team rushed to the spot and took custody of the body.

"The missing woman had booked the room by herself as there was no one else with her. Our preliminary investigation suggests that she may died by suicide. However, we didn't find any suicide note from her hotel room," an officer said.

"Her phone records are being scrutinised as the victim booked a room at the hotel after leaving her house. We are also probing if she had a fight with anyone at home," the officer added.

Further investigation was underway, police said. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Tiruchirapalli, February 24: Gold weighing 281 grams was recovered by the officials of the Customs department from a passenger who arrived at the Tiruchirappalli airport from Singapore by an Air India flight, informed Trichy Customs on Friday. The 24-carat gold is valued at Rs 15,75,567. The male passenger from whom the gold was recovered had concealed it in his underwear. Delhi Airport Customs Seize Gold Bars Worth Over Rs 68 Lakh From Passenger Returning From Bahrain (See Pic).

Earlier this month, The customs department at Trichy airport in Tamil Nadu seized gold worth Rs 47,67,198 and electronic goods worth Rs 4,25,000 from a male passenger who arrived from Dubai on an Indigo Flight. Mumbai: 61 kg Gold Worth Rs 32 Crore Seized by Customs at CSMI Airport, 7 Arrested; Highest Seizure in Single Day.

Total items including gold and electronic goods were valued at about Rs 51,92,198On January 29, officials of the customs department at Trichy international airport seized foreign currency of USD 10,000 concealed in the undergarments of a male passenger.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Hamirpur, Feb 24 (PTI) House boats will soon become a tourist attraction in Himachal Pradesh with the state government deciding to introduce them in the dams and lakes, officials said.

A decision in this regard has been taken and Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has directed the tourism department to do the needful, a spokesperson of the state government said on Friday.

Also Read | Live-In Relationship Not Accepted and Recognised by Indian Society, Difficult for Woman To Live Alone After It Ends: Allahabad High Court.

Sukhu has asked the officers to prepare a new policy to promote Chamera, Pong, Bhakra and Koldam from a tourism point of view. The tourism department is working on a new scheme under which the department will soon run houseboats and high-end cruises in Chamera, Pong, Bhakra and Koldam.

Instructions have been issued to the officers to prepare the draft rule of the policy. Before preparing the draft, the officials have been asked to study it thoroughly.

Also Read | Stray Dog Menace in Vadodara: Canine Goes on Biting Spree, Injures 15 People in Waghodiya Village.

The government is making preparations to promote tourism along with power generation by these major dams of Himachal. This effort of the government and the tourism department will be full of thrill for the people of Himachal as well as for the tourists visiting here.

Principal Secretary Tourism Devesh Kumar said that following orders from the Chief Minister, preparations are being made to run houseboats and cruises in Chamera, Pong, Bhakra and Koldam.

The officers of the Tourism department have been instructed to prepare a draft policy, he said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Gandhinagar(Gujarat)[India], February 24(ANI): Gujarat Finance minister Kanu Desai on Friday presented the state Budget for financial year 2023-24, saying that a total budgetary outlay of Rs 301,021.61 crores has been proposed for the current discal.

The Budget this year sees a significant increase of Rs 57,056.89 crore in allocations, 23.38 per cent higher than the previous fiscal, for quality investments in ensuring a brighter future for the state's youth.

Also Read | @nsitharaman @g20org @FinMinIndia @RBI @nsitharamanoffc The First Session of #G20 FMCBG   Latest Tweet by Prasar Bharati News Services.

The plan for rapid development of Gujarat stands on 5 pillars -- basic amenities, and social security for the poor and needy, development of human resources, creation of world-class infrastructure, boosting economic activities in agriculture, industry and service sectors, and green growth.

The Budget also sees unprecedented rise of Rs 34,457 crore in capital expenditire, which is 91 per cent more than the previous year.

Also Read | Maharashtra: 12 Cows Die of Suspected Acidosis at Kaneri Math Shelter in Kolhapur.

In her Budget speech, Desai said, "In this Amrit Kaal, this Budget will certainly help determine the direction of the state's development over the next 25 years and will also contribute towards the making of a developed India."

Among key budgetary allocations, Rs 43651 crore has been provided for the Education department, Rs 15182 crore for the Health Family Welfare department, Rs 9685 crore for Urban Housing, Rs 20642 crore for Roads and Building department, Rs 3410 crore for Tribal Development, and Rs 21605 crore for Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Cooperation.

The Budget will also invest heavily in green growth, with the Climate Change department getting Rs 937 crores and an additional Rs 2063 crore being allotted for the Forest and Environment department. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Bengaluru, Feb 24 (PTI) Finance heads of the world's most powerful economies were split over language on Russia's war in Ukraine with some western powers hardening their position on isolating Moscow while host India looked for more neutral terms to describe the conflict.

The two-day meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors got underway here on Friday with an agenda including a wide range of issues - from debt relief to poorer countries, to digital currencies and payments, reforms of multilateral lending institutions like the World Bank, climate change and financial inclusion.

Also Read | PM Narendra Modi Hits Out at Kabar Khudegi Remark, Says People Chanting Modi Tera Kamal Khilega (Watch Video).

But what split the grouping was the language to be used in the end-of-the-meeting communique to describe the situation in Ukraine.

Coinciding with the one year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, officials of US and France blamed Moscow for the war.

Also Read | Common Man Bogged Down by Corruption in India, Need to Fix Accountability at All Levels: Supreme Court.

While US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Russia ending the war was "the most important thing" for the global economy, French finance minister Bruno Le Maire said there was no way G20 could step back from a joint statement agreed at a last summit in Bali, Indonesia in November 2022, which had stated that "most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine".

Yellen accused officials from Moscow attending the Group of 20 meeting of being complicit in atrocities taking place in Ukraine.

Host India wants the geopolitical tension to be referred to as a "crisis" or a "challenge" while US and other western nations want nothing short of "war" to go in the communique that is to be issued on Saturday evening.

Sources said India was attempting to build a consensus to include neutral words.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his inaugural remarks did not mention the Ukraine war, saying the global economy faced a range of other challenges.

"Financial viability of many countries is threatened by unsustainable debt levels," he said. "It is now up to you -- the custodians of the leading economies and monetary systems of the world -- to bring back stability, confidence and growth to the global economy."

The French minister said his country would oppose any 'step back' on condemnation of war in Ukraine as agreed in the Bali declaration.

"Either we have the same language or we do not sign on the final communique," Le Maire told reporters.

He however expressed hope that India would play an important role and "fully trust" New Delhi in this regard.

On February 24, 2022, Russia had invaded Ukraine, leaving thousands dead and millions homeless.

While the west has been critical of the war and has imposed economic sanctions on Russia, India has neither directly condemned nor sided with Moscow. Instead, New Delhi has doubled down on its trade with Russia, buying large volumes of oil available at deep discounts.

Yellen urged G20 economies to "redouble their efforts to support Ukraine and restrict Russia's capacity to wage war".

"I urge the Russian officials here at the G20 to understand that their continued work for the Kremlin makes them complicit in Putin's atrocities," she told reporters.

Russian finance minister Anton Siluanov and central bank governor Elvira Nabiullina did not attend the G20 meeting in India. Russia is being represented by deputies at the meeting here. China was virtually represented by its finance minister Liu Kun.

"That's the key point that remains open is to be very clear in the wording of the condemnation of the war in Ukraine. And once again, don't make any mistakes. We will oppose any step back from the declaration of the leaders in Bali. But once again, I fully trust India because India is in the driving seat," the French minister said.

At the last G20 Summit in Bali in November 2022, the declaration read: "Most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine". However, some member countries held "other views and different assessments of the situation and sanctions".

Russia, which is part of G20, calls its invasion of Ukraine as a "special military operation".

"India is playing a key role and I think that India is in the best position to have this strong communique that we are all waiting for. Either we stick to the Bali communique, or France will oppose any communique during these G20 of the finance ministers. I cannot be any clearer," the French minister said.

The communique of the first finance ministers and central bank governments (FMCBG) meeting under the India Presidency is expected on Saturday detailing the roadmap for the next round and agenda for the Leadership Summit later this year.

The French finance minister also said this G20 meeting was taking place one year after the declaration of the war in Ukraine and Paris used this G20 to reaffirm its strong condemnation of the illegal and brutal attack of Russia against Ukraine.

"We share the view of Prime Minister Modi that this is not and this must not be an era of war. Beyond human losses and destruction, what is at stake with this war in Ukraine are key principles of sovereignty and international order. What is at stake is the strength of growth and prosperity for the long term. One thing must be clear that there can't be sustainable and strong economic development in a time of war," he said.

The war in Ukraine is not a regional conflict but a global conflict and it was not only affecting Ukraine and European countries, but all countries around the world, he said, adding, European countries also reaffirmed their unity and their total determination to adopt new sanctions against Russia during the meeting.

"Our sanctions are strong. Our sanctions are efficient. They are hitting and reducing the oil revenues of Russia. They are freezing USD 58 billion of Russian assets. They are disorganizing the Russian industry and they are undermining its war efforts. Sanctions are effective and will be more and more effective in the long term," he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin did not attend the G20 summit of world leaders in Bali, Indonesia, in November. Russia was represented by its foreign minister Sergey.

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Dimapur (Nagaland) [India], February 24 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party's mantra of "peace, progress and prosperity" in the state is the reason behind people's 'rising' trust in the BJP, adding that the border disputes are being resolved at a rapid pace due to the NDA governments in the states.

"Our mantra for Nagaland has been - Peace, progress and prosperity, and this is the reason people's trust in BJP is rising," PM Modi said while addressing an election rally here.

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The Prime Minister lauded the peaceful polling in the recently held voting in Tripura Assembly elections on February 16 and said that there was no violence after decades because of the presence of the BJP government in the state.

"After many decades, there was no incident of violence during Assembly elections in Tripura as there is a BJP government in the state," he said.

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The Prime Minister said that the BJP-NDPP government in the state has converted the "politics of divide" in the northeast to a "divine governance model".

"Earlier, where there was a politics of divide in the northeast, we have converted it to a divine governance model. The people of Nagaland are trusting the BJP and NDA more and more. Numerous youths have left the path of violence in the past few years. There has been a fall of nearly 75 per cent in violent incidents in Nagaland in the last nine years. AFSPA has been revoked from various areas of the state. We are working honestly to make sure that there is no need for AFSPA in Nagaland in the future," the Prime Minister added.

Detailing the work done by BJP governments in the region, PM Modi said that the border disputes are being resolved at a rapid pace due to the NDA governments in the states.

"Permanent peace and progress in Nagaland is the basis of BJP's politics. The border disputes are also being rapidly resolved due to the BJP and NDA governments in the states. Stricter action would be taken against those doing extortion after the re-election on March 2," he said.

During the Prime Minister's address, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, Deputy Chief Minister Yanthungo Patton, Secretary General NDPP Abu Metha, BJP In-Charge Nagaland Nalin Kohli, BJP Candidates Tovihoto Ayemi, Jacob Zhimomi, NDPP candidates Zhaleo Rio, Hekani Jakhalu and Moatoshi Longkumer were present.

Nagaland will go to Assembly polls on February 27 and the votes will be counted on March 2 along with Tripura and Meghalaya. (ANI)

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Chandigarh [India], February 24 (ANI): Punjab State Education Board (PSEB) cancelled the Class 12 English Board Examination paper which was scheduled to be conducted today.

The action was taken by Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains after receiving a complaint about the paper leak.

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The minister ordered a high-level inquiry and immediate action in the matter.

"Action should be taken on no tolerance policy," Harjot Singh Bains said in the statement.

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Further details are awaited on the matter.

The examinations of Class 10 and Class 12 are being held from February 15 to April 5, according to an official release from CBSE. (ANI)

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Srinagar, Feb 24 (PTI) Two narcotic smugglers who had received consignments from across the Line of Control were arrested in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district and 4.5 kg heroin-like substance seized from them, police said on Friday.

The smugglers aimed to promote addiction and further the cause of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, they said.

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Based on specific input, five packets of heroin-like substance weighing about 4.588 kg were recovered from Kupwara's Karnah area in two separate incidents during the night, a police spokesperson said.

In the first case, based on input about narcotics smuggling in the Taad area, Panjitara Karnah resident Farooq Ahmad Shah was picked up for questioning.

Also Read | PSEB English Paper Leak: Punjab Board Class 12 Exam Cancelled Following Reports of Question Paper Leak.

On the basis of his confession, the police and the Army recovered three packets of heroin-like substance weighing 2.674 kg from a hiding place near his home, the spokesperson added.

Shah was arrested and further investigation is ongoing. More arrests are expected, he added.

In another case, Raja Aftab alias Babu of Teethwal was detained for questioning.

Two packets of heroin-like substance weighing about 1.914 kg were recovered near his house, the spokesperson said.

Aftab has also been arrested and further investigation is underway.

Preliminary investigations revealed that both the accused are notorious narcotic smugglers and had received the consignments from across the Line of Control to promote drug addiction and further the cause of terrorism in the Union Territory, the police spokesperson added.

(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 24 (ANI): The Central Government and Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) on Friday said in the Delhi High Court that UNHCR refugee status without valid travel documents is of no use in India. Any such foreign national is liable to be deported.

This fact was stated in a status report filed by the FRRO and the centre in a response to a plea moved by a Rohingya woman whose sister Shadiya Akhtar is detained at Rohingya detention centre "Seva Kendra".

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As a sovereign State, India will always honour such obligations which are enforceable and are in the nature of binding obligations. However, India is not a signatory to the United Nations Convention of 1951 thereof; it does notrecognise refugee status granted by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

In a status Report in the high court, it is stated that the conferment of "Refugee status" by UNHCR to a foreign national who is not having valid travel documents, is of no consequence in India meaning thereby the UNHCR refugee card does not become an alternative to Indian Visa and the foreign national would still be treated as an "illegal migrants".

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The said illegal migrants are liable to be deported to their native country, the report said.

Pursuant to the direction issued by justice Prathiba M Singh a joint inspection report has also been filed.

The said joint inspection report stated that total 19 Bangladesh nationals (17 males and 02 females) and 22 Myanmar (Rohingya) National (12 males and 10 females) were found restricted at the centre. Four children have been allowed to live with their parents.

The report also said that there are arrangements for mattresses, blankets, bedsheets and pillows for the inmates.

It has been observed that most of the mattresses are old and are required to be changed, the report said. It is also stated that there is no RO or Geyser for hot water.

During the hearing justice Sudhir Kumar Jain pulled up the agencies for the poor quality of facilities being provided at the centre.

The report has stated that the Medical Records of Sadia Akhtar show that she has visit thethan 15 times since she has been restricted at the centre.

The bench directed the authorities to provide the entire medical records of Shaidya to her sister.

It is also said in the report that a mobile van from MCD dispensary also visit to provide treatment to inmates. Whenever there is a medical emergency, the inmate is taken to government hospital in the vehicle provided by the FRRO.

The matter has been listed on March 14 for further hearing.

The Delhi High court on February 9, ordered a joint inspection of 'Seva Kendra' in Northwest Delhi over the alleged lack of basic amenities. The court has directed the officials of Foreign Regional Registration Office (FRRO), Central Government and Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) to conduct inspection.

The court had also asked to place the photographs of the centre on record. The photographs shall be produced in a sealed cover due to security reasons, the report said.

The court had directed to place on record the medical records of Shaidya Akhtar in view of the submissions of the petitioner's counsel.

The counsel had submitted that Shadiya Akhtar is not being provided proper medical care.

The petitioner's counsel Ujjaini Chatterjee had submitted before the court that Shadiya Khatoon, who is an UNHCR card holder, is not being provided basic amenities like access to warm water, bed, blanket, pillow, winter essentials and winter wear.

The Petitioner's sister has repeatedly complained to her about her deteriorating health, lack of hygienic and nutritional food, and inadequate access to sunlight in the detention centre. She has also informed the Petitioner that there is no warm water in the detention centre, the petition stated.

On the other hand it was submitted that apart from food the other facilities has to be provided by the DUSIB at the centre which is run by the MCD.

After considering the situation, the court directed the officials to conduct the joint inspection and file a report.

Additionally, the Petitioner's sister also complained to her about various other difficulties that she is facing in the detention centre. The Petitioner is very concerned about the well-being of her sister and such inhuman treatment of her sister which diminishes her basic human dignity and right to life in this indefinite detention, the petition stated.

The petition has stated the Shadiya Akhtar is Rohingya woman escaped the brutal genocide in Myanmar against the Rohingya community in 2016 and sought asylum to India.

After a rigorous process of "Refugee Status Determination", she was granted "Refugee Status" and was given a United Nations refugee identity card within 3 months, the petition stated.

It is also stated that Petitioner's sister lived in a refugee camp at Kanchan Kunj for one year and then in 2017, she moved to Shram Vihar, Madanpur Khadar, New Delhi, after her marriage.

She lived in the refugee camp at Shram Vihar with her infant son, who is now 3 years old, until 2020. She has no criminal antecedents or complaints against her, it added.

Since 2016, she has lived in India in accordance with the laws of the country and has complied with all requirements of the Respondents and the UNHCR, the plea said. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], February 24 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday extended greetings to his Estonian counterpart Urmas Reinsalu and the people of the country on their National Day.

Jaishankar tweeted, "Warm greetings to FM @UrmasReinsalu and the Government and people of Estonia on the occasion of their National Day. Our growing partnership with its focus on digital cooperation holds much promise."

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Earlier in September, S Jaishankar met Urmas Reinsalu on the third day of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Jaishankar and Reinsalu discussed the deepening of bilateral cooperation between the two nations after India opened its Embassy in Estonia.

"Good to meet FM of Estonia @UrmasReinsalu during #UNGA day 3. Discussed the deepening of bilateral cooperation following opening of our Embassy. Also exchanged views on developments pertaining to Ukraine," Jaishankar said in a tweet.

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The decision to open the Indian Mission in Estonia was taken by the Union Cabinet in 2021 to strengthen ties.

The decision had been awaited since 2013, when Estonia set up its embassy in Delhi, while India dealt with it through its embassy in neighbouring Finland.

From 1918 to 1920, Estonia was caught in the War of Independence against Soviet Russia and on 24th February 1918 it declared statehood, which is commemorated as its National Day. (ANI)

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The troops of Indian army & Japanese Ground Self Defence Forces shared their expertise in sub-conventional operations and unarmed combat techniques. (Photo/ANI)

Tokyo [Japan], February 24 (ANI): The troops of the Indian Army and Japanese Ground Self Defence Forces shared their experience and expertise in sub-conventional operations and unarmed combat techniques during the ongoing joint training in Japan.

India-Japan joint training exercise "Dharma Guardian" is being conducted at Camp Imazu in the Shiga province of Japan from February 17 to March 2.

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The Ministry of Defence in a press release said that Exercise "Dharma Guardian" would further enhance the level of defence cooperation between the Indian Army and Japanese Ground Self Defence Forces, furthering the bilateral ties between the two nations.

It is the fourth edition of the joint military Exercise "Dharma Guardian" between India and Japan. The scope of the India-Japan joint training exercise covers platoon-level joint training on operations in jungle and semi-urban/urban terrain.

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The troops of the Garhwal Rifles Regiment of the Indian Army and an Infantry Regiment from the Middle Army of the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force (JGSDF) participated in the joint training exercise.

During the joint exercise, the armies of the two nations are sharing experiences gained during operations to bolster interoperability in planning and execution.

"Notably, in the series of military training exercises undertaken by India with various countries, Exercise DHARMA GUARDIAN which is an annual training event with Japan, is crucial and significant in terms of security challenges faced by both nations in the backdrop of the current global situation," the Ministry of Defence said in the press release.

The Indian Army contingent arrived in Japan to participate in the exercise "Dharma Guardian" on February 12, where they received a warm reception. The Additional Directorate General of Public Information, IHQ of MoD (Army), in a tweet, stated, "The contingent of #IndianArmy arrived in #Japan to take part in Joint Military Exercise #DharmaGuardian with Japanese Ground Self Defence Forces #JGSDF commencing at Aibano Manoeuvre Area, #Japan #IndiaJapanFriendship

"The joint exercise will enable the two armies to share best practices in tactics, techniques and procedures of conducting tactical operations under a UN Mandate, in addition to developing inter-operability, bonhomie, camaraderie and friendship between the two armies," the Ministry of Defence in the press release said.

It further stated, "The training will focus primarily on a high degree of physical fitness and sharing of drills at the tactical level. During the exercise, participants engaged in a variety of missions ranging from joint planning, joint tactical drills, and basics of establishing integrated surveillance grids, including the employment of aerial assets. The joint exercise facilitated both armies to know each other better, share their wide experiences and enhance their situational awareness." (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], February 24 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday offered support to partner countries to help them establish and implement public-centric schemes akin to Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadi Pariyojana' (PMBJP) in their countries.

Speaking at a Conference on Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana in Delhi, he highlighted that PMBJP is a flagship public welfare programme championed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the last eight years.

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"This conference is a great initiative that brings all the stakeholders together to work towards the larger goal of an equitable, inclusive and healthy planet as envisioned by PM Modi," said Jaishankar.

"Explained the powerful impact of this scheme on the Affordability, Accessibility and Availability of medicines to the general public. Shared these experiences and discussed how this can be applied in other countries. MEA will make it a new element in its development partnership," he added.

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He offered all the necessary support to partner countries to help them establish and implement public-centric schemes akin to PMBJP in their countries.

"For every country health cost is very central to the quality of governance. Even for developing countries also it is central to their progress and their prosperity," added Jaishankar.

The Ministry of External Affairs and Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilisers jointly organised an interactive session for Heads of Missions from almost 100 partner countries in the Global South on the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadi Pariyojana' (PMBJP) programme.

The conference was graced by Jaishankar and Minister of Chemicals & Fertilisers and Health & Family Welfare Dr Mansukh Mandaviya.

Mandaviya stated that PM Modi had described India as the 'pharmacy of the world'.

Ministry of Chemical and Fertilizers with a vision to enable the Indian pharmaceuticals industry to play a leading role in the global market and to ensure abundant availability of good quality pharmaceuticals of mass consumption at reasonable prices, had been working tirelessly to contribute towards the greater good of mankind.

"Appealed to Heads of Missions to replicate the success of the Modi Govt's PM Bharatiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana initiative in their respective countries, while addressing a Conference on PMBJP, along with EAM @DrSJaishankar Ji," tweeted Mandaviya.

"In line with the mantra of "srve bhvntu sukhinH srve sntu niraamyaaH", PM @NarendraModi Ji's Govt is working relentlessly for the greater global good and improving access & affordability of medicines and medical devices for our citizens and to the World," he added.

'Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya JanaushadiPariyojana' (PMBJP) is a successful health & empowerment scheme of the Government of India (GoI) implemented by the Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI), a Society under the aegis of the Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers.

The scheme ensures access to quality medicines for all sections of the population, especially the vulnerable and the deprived, at an affordable price.

CEO of PMBI made a presentation on the elements of the PMBJP scheme and how India can support partner countries to emulate the programme in their respective countries thereby enabling the delivery of high-quality medicines to their citizens while saving a substantial amount to the public exchequer. An interactive Q&A session was also held.

Heads of Mission of India residents in the invitee countries also joined this conference virtually from their respective capitals. PMBI and Pharmexcil showcased their concept and products in their respective booths, which the participants visited.

Heads of Mission visited and observed Jan Aushadhi Outlet after the Conference on PMBJP in Sushma Swaraj Bhawan today.

"Congratulations India for this great initiative because India has been a great supplier of affordable pharmaceuticals and medications to many countries in the world. Among them of course my country would also be interested to promote joint collaborations on research and development in pharmaceutical companies, in Indian pharmaceuticals companies in abroad. So all in all a great event, a great initiative," said Ecuador's envoy to India, Francisco Teodoro Maldonado Guevara.

"I'm so appreciated that today we have learned the success and also the achievement of the government of India to introduce accessible, affordable qualities of the medicines through the people so we can share it with our government and perhaps it can lead to a definite cooperation between two countries," said Pattarat Hongtong, Thailand's Ambassador to India.

"I think the conference is a transforming experience. Especially in Gambia, I am sure you are all aware of the share of the cases, just because of lack of proper testing of quality medicines, this would often, especially in a country like the Gambia opportunity to kind of have access to these pharmaceuticals is important," said High Commissioner of Gambia to India.

Meanwhile, Mandaviya met with the Vice President of Guyana, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo and discussed various issues of bilateral importance in the Health sector including the creation of manufacturing hubs of vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics & handholding and training of the medical workforce.

"Also shared insights on the successful implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana. We discussed collaboration in ensuring affordable medicines through PMBJP," tweeted Mandaviya. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Johannesburg, Feb 24 (AP) South Africa's troubled state-owned power utility Eskom appointed an interim chief executive on Friday after a fallout with its outgoing head over a media interview he gave.

Andre de Ruyter alleged ongoing corruption at the company linked to the ruling party, and said there was a lack of will from government to stop the graft and solve the country's electricity crisis.

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Africa's most developed economy is experiencing its worst rolling power blackouts in 30 years due to frequent breakdowns at Eskom's aging coal-fired power stations.

Those problems are largely blamed on years of corruption and mismanagement at the utility under the ruling African National Congress party.

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De Ruyter resigned last year and was scheduled to leave at the end of March. But he was removed from his position immediately after the interview with a private TV station aired on Tuesday night in which he accused the ANC and unnamed government ministers of covering up corruption at Eskom and only being interested in their re-election hopes in 2024.

"They want what will win them the next election, not what will keep the country going for the next two decades," de Ruyter said of the ANC.

De Ruyter said Eskom, which is deep in debt, was losing USD 50 million a month to corruption. When asked by his interviewer if Eskom is a "feeding trough" for the ANC, de Ruyter replied: "I would say the evidence suggests that it is."

The interview led to him being asked to leave immediately and his notice period scrapped. The board appointed its current chief financial officer, Caleb Cassim, to act in the position until a permanent CEO is appointed.

Allegations of corruption and mismanagement have dogged Eskom for years and were recently laid bare during a judicial commission of inquiry, which implicated senior ANC ministers and former President Jacob Zuma.

De Ruyter's allegations come as South Africa's 60 million people have electricity switched off at their homes and businesses for up to eight hours a day in rolling blackouts.

There are warnings the power cuts could be increased to 12 hours a day. Eskom has historically supplied more than 80 per cent of the country's electricity.

Earlier this month, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a state of disaster to deal with the energy crisis, describing it as an existential threat to the country's slumping economy.

The measure allows the government to cut red tape in procuring additional electricity capacity on an emergency basis and exempt certain essential services like hospitals from power cuts.

Ramaphosa also announced that he would appoint a minister of electricity.

In his budget speech this week, the country's finance minister announced the government would guarantee about USD 13 billion of Eskom's total debt of USD 23 billion.

The Democratic Alliance, the largest opposition party, described de Ruyter as a national hero for speaking out about corruption at Eskom, which has lost billions to graft over the years.

ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula criticised de Ruyter and challenged him to produce proof of his corruption allegations against the party and report it to law enforcement authorities.

De Ruyter claimed last year that he had survived an attempt on his life when someone slipped cyanide into his coffee a day after he had submitted his resignation as Eskom CEO.

He has said that Eskom has become a target for organised crime syndicates as well as corrupt politicians because of the massive amounts of money it receives from government and other sources. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
London, February 24: United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the G7 meeting on Friday will call on international partners to help Ukraine degrade Russian forces beyond the frontlines of the conflict. He is expected to reiterate his offer of the UK's support to nations able to provide jets to Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict.

"He will tell world leaders that the sophisticated capability will help protect critical civilian infrastructure and preserve the front line defences. He is also expected to reiterate his offer of UK support to countries able to provide jets to Ukraine to help in the immediate conflict," the UK Prime Minister's Office said in a press release. Russia-Ukraine War: China Calls for Ceasefire, Opposes Use of Nuclear and Biological Weapons.

Sunak had raised the possible provision of the longer range weapons with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy during his visit to the UK earlier this month. During the G7 meeting, PM Sunak will laud the strength of international community in supporting Ukraine. He will call for providing longer range weapons to Ukraine.

According to the press release, Sunak will join military personnel at Downing Street at 11 am (local time) to pay tribute to the bravery and courage of all the Ukrainians in their fight against Russia. Sunak along with Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko will host members of the Ukrainian armed forces in Downing Street and representatives from the 10 nations supporting the government's Interflex training programme. Russia-Ukraine War: India, Ukraine Discuss Ten-Point Peace Formula.

In the press release, Rishi Sunak said, "As we mark one year since a full scale war broke out on our continent, I urge everyone to reflect on the courage and bravery of our Ukrainian friends who, every hour since, have fought heroically for their country."

He added, "I am proud that the UK has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine through this horrific conflict. As I stand with brave Ukrainian soldiers outside Downing Street today, my thoughts will be with all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to defend freedom and return peace to Europe." Notably, the UK has been providing economic and defence support to Ukraine ever since Moscow began its offensive in Kyiv.

According to the press release, Sunak is expected to say, "For Ukraine to win this war and to accelerate that day, they must gain a decisive advantage on the battlefield. That is what it will take to shift Putin's mindset. This must be our priority now. Instead of an incremental approach, we need to move faster on artillery, armour, and air defence."

In the voting on a resolution in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on the need to reach comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine, nations on Thursday condemned Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

The assembly demanded Moscow to withdraw from Kyiv "immediately," with an appeal for the need to reach comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine. In the UNGA, 141 members voted in favour of the resolution, 32 abstained, including India and China, while seven voted against it.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Guwahati, February 24: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday claimed that Congress leader Pawan Khera has "tendered an unequivocal apology" for his alleged objectionable remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Taking to Twitter, Sarma said: "The majesty of law shall always prevail. The accused has tendered an unconditional apology... We hope that keeping the sanctity of public spaces, no one will use uncivilized language in political discourse hereafter. Assam Police will follow the matter to its logical end." Pawan Khera Has Tendered Unconditional Apology, Hope No One Will Use Uncivilized Language in Political Discourse Hereafter: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma,

In his post, the Chief Minister also shared the writ petition Khera filed in the Supreme Court. Khera was arrested on Thursday from the IGI Airport by officials of the Assam Police, hours after he was stopped from boarding a flight to Raipur.

Later in the day, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate of the Dwarka court in Delhi granted him an interim bail till February 28 n a bail bond of Rs 30,000 and one surety of the same amount. Supreme Court Grants Interim Bail to Congress Leader Pawan Khera, To Hear Plea on FIRs on February 27.

The magistrate passed the order after receiving a copy of the Supreme Court's ruling that the Congress leader will be released on interim bail upon production before a magistrate in Delhi.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 24, 2023 03:42 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Washington, February 24 : Asteroid Ryugu has a rich complement of organic molecules, according to a NASA and international team's initial analysis of a sample from the asteroid's surface delivered to Earth by Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft. The discovery adds support to the idea that organic material from space contributed to the inventory of chemical components necessary for life. New Discovery Sheds Light on Very Early Supermassive Black Holes.

Organic molecules are the building blocks of all known forms of terrestrial life and consist of a wide variety of compounds made of carbon combined with hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur, and other elements. Google Feature Update: Tech Giant Launches AI-Powered Magic Eraser Tool for One Subscribers and All Pixel Users.

However, organic molecules can also be made by chemical reactions that don't involve life, supporting the hypothesis that chemical reactions in asteroids can make some of life's ingredients.

The science of prebiotic chemistry attempts to discover the compounds and reactions that could have given rise to life, and among the prebiotic organics found in the sample were several kinds of amino acids. Certain amino acids are widely used by terrestrial life as a component to build proteins.

Further, the sample from Ryugu also contained many types of organics that form in the presence of liquid water, including aliphatic amines, carboxylic acids, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds.

"The presence of prebiotic molecules on the asteroid surface despite its harsh environment caused by solar heating and ultraviolet irradiation, as well as cosmic-ray irradiation under high-vacuum conditions, suggests that the uppermost surface grains of Ryugu have the potential to protect organic molecules," said lead author Hiroshi Naraoka of Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan, in a statement.

The amino acid results from Ryugu are mostly consistent with what has been seen in certain types of carbon-rich (carbonaceous) meteorites exposed to the most water in space, but sugars and nucleobases (components of DNA and RNA) discovered in some carbon-rich meteorites, have not yet been identified in samples returned from Ryugu, added Daniel Glavin of NASA Goddard, in the paper published online in the journal Science.

The Hayabusa2 spacecraft collected the samples on February 22, 2019, and delivered them to Earth December 6, 2020. They were extracted in Japan in July 2021. The researchers aim to "do a direct comparison of the samples from Ryugu and the sample from asteroid Bennu when NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission returns it to Earth in 2023".

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 24, 2023 08:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Ackee and saltfish is a Jamaican national dish that is embedded in the nation's identity and self-image. The Jamaican national dish can be found in most homes and restaurants on the island, including in most major cities worldwide.

Being a national dish means that it has become a staple food in its country, accompanied by its rich history and origins, just like Mexico's national dish, mole poblano. Mole poblano in Mexico originated in the 17th century and is considered to be Mexico's pride.

CBS News reported that the Mexican national dish is usually good to consume on Cinco de Mayo when everyone makes it with a touch of their own version. Mole is considered to be Mexico's national dish as it acknowledges both European and indigenous ingredients used by the Mexican people.

In Peru, ceviche represents the Peruvian people in the culinary world. It started when the indigenous people of Peru consumed ceviche way before the arrival of the Spaniards.

Indigenous people marinate the fresh raw fish in tumbo, a type of passion fruit that was later traded in for the lemons the Spaniards brought.

READ NEXT: Top 3 Mexican Chocolate Drinks That You Must Try in Mexico

Ackee and Saltfish: The Jamaican National Dish

The Jamaican national dish can be an unlikely pair when viewed from the outside. The Ackee is a local fruit that is grown in Jamaica. It turns from green to red when ripened and splits open, showing the ripeness inside.

The Ackee has several name variations, such as Achee, Akee Apple, and Vegetable Brain, Achee. The fruit is also a member of the lychee family. Its interesting facade should not be taken lightly, as Ackee can be poisonous when not handled correctly.

The fruit was believed to be introduced by a Captain Bligh in Jamaica. It was then presented to plantation owners. It originally came from the African country of Ghana, according to Jamaican Experiences. On the other hand, salted fish or salted cod came from Europe and traveled across the sea quickly as it was preserved.

The meal is mostly consumed during breakfast, with the flavor of the Ackee countering the fish's saltiness. The Jamaican national dish became popular in the region as it was usually the meal served to the slaves at the time due to being nutritional and cheap.

Jamaican National Dish's Origins

An Al Jazeera feature on the national dish noted that none of the ingredients of Ackee and saltfish is indigenous to Jamaica, with the meal being described as "a product of colonialism," just as the case in the Caribbean region.

Codfish is imported from Canada as the fish could never stand the warm waters of the Caribbean. The Ackee and saltfish meal is sometimes served accompanied by breadfruit, which is green on the outside but has the texture and looks of a piece of bread when cut.

Breadfruit is a high-carb fruit that was brought over from New Guinea as a way to feed enslaved Africans.

READ MORE: Jamaica: Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth With These Jamaican Desserts

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Ackee And Saltfish Recipe #TastyTuesdays - From Caribbean Pot
U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has defended giving Fox News host Tucker Carlson hours of Jan. 6 footage after earning criticisms for his decision.

When asked about his decision to share the video with Carlson, and said in a newspaper interview, "I promised," as reported by BBC News.

The House Speaker went on to say that he planned to make the footage more widely available in the future, with democrats arguing that the Jan. 6 footage release could expose some security details and endanger Capitol Police officers.

Access to the video has been restricted ever since the Democrats led a probe into the insurrection.

McCarthy said that the Jan. 6 footage belong to the American public.

Meanwhile, Carlson suggested that he would be airing the footage on his Fox News program next week.

The Fox News host and his team had been reviewing the Jan. 6 footage for about a week.

READ NEXT: January 6 Panel Head Issues Warning After Kevin McCarthy Gives Tucker Carlson Access to Capitol Riot Tape

Kevin McCarthy on Carlson Tucker Jan. 6 Footage

A source close to the House Speaker told CNN that the House Speaker has been "wary of having the House GOP" looking like it is investigating or retaliating against Jan. 6 attack.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday blasted McCarthy in a letter to Senate, noting that the speaker "is needlessly exposing the Capitol complex."

Schumer added that the disclosure could have "grave security risks" imposed upon members of Congress and workers on Capitol Hill.

The Senate majority leader went on to say that McCarthy's move was it was simply "about pandering to MAGA election deniers."

Carlson has promoted Jan. 6 conspiracy theories, with most of his airtime dedicated to the false claim that "deep state" partisans were involved in the insurrection to "undermine" former U.S. President Donald Trump.

The Fox News host called for an investigation into the "real culprits" in his show last month, insisting that "they're not the January 6 protesters."

Carlson claimed that there was a notable "clandestine role of federal agencies" that urged for the invasion of the Capitol building.

Jan. 6 Footage Released

Democrat New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries noted in CBS News that the handing of footage to another entity shows "an egregious security breach" to Capitol Hill workers.

Meanwhile, California Rep. Pete Aguilar noted that it is not "at all surprising" for McCarthy to put the Capitol security and its people in danger to "further a political agenda."

Congressional Integrity Project spokesperson, Hannah Muldavin, said in a statement that handing Fox the footage shows that Republicans are "more interested in pulling partisan stunts" than in conducting legitimate investigations.

House Democrats planned an internal caucus meeting on Wednesday. Rep. Bennie Thompson will brief its members about the possible effects of the Jan. 6 footage release.

Thompson was a former chairman of the Jan. 6 committee, which was responsible for the investigations on the events that led to the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.

Capitol Police said in a statement that their force had no choice but to turn over the materials.

The statement noted that when Congress asks for things like that, they are required to provide the materials.

READ MORE: Donald Trump Admits He Didn't Win Presidential Election 2020 During Interview With Presidential Historians

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WATCH: Speaker McCarthy hands over Capitol riot footage to Fox News - from CBS News


The Mexico Senate has approved a reform of the electoral system, which the president says will save money and decrease political advantages, but opponents worry it will undermine democracy.

The controversial revamp of the organization handling the country's elections was approved by a vote of 72 to 50 on Wednesday by MPs.

As soon as the modifications were announced, critics pledged to challenge them in court. Protests are scheduled in several places on Sunday, Al Jazeera noted.

The National Electoral Institute (INE) would reduce its funding, lay off workers, and close offices because of the reforms.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador still needs to enact the move to decrease the institute's size and limit its monitoring and sanctioning powers. However, given his support for the measure, this is considered a mere formality.

READ NEXT: What Did Joe Biden, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, and Justin Trudeau Agree On?

New Mexico Elections Law Sparks Debate

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's decision to reduce election spending was criticized as an assault on democracy by Mexico's elections commissioner on Thursday; the leftist leader dismissed the criticism as elitist, AP reports.

Even though he anticipates legal challenges, Lopez Obrador indicated on Thursday that he would sign the reforms into law.

By reducing financing for the electoral body and weakening regulation of campaign spending, the new law passed late Wednesday will reduce voter turnout.

The organization is too expensive, and money would be better used to help the underprivileged, according to the president.

The revisions have sparked heated debate, with critics vowing legal action and organizing protests in other cities.

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has started calling them racist and classist people who defend corruption.

"The march is to defend their privileges, they are protesting because don't want to help the poor," Lopez Obrador said earlier this week.

The National Electoral Institute's director, Lorenzo Cordova, has expressed concern that the proposed changes could compromise the integrity of future elections because they want to cut thousands of individuals who work daily to ensure trustworthy elections.

If passed, the proposed law would reduce the pay of election workers, the resources available to local election offices, and the education of those responsible for running and supervising the polls.

In addition, penalties for candidates who fail to disclose campaign funds would be loosened.

The insults being thrown around the topic "aid and assist the authoritarian impulses floating around," Cordova warned in a newspaper piece published on Thursday.

"The virulent discourse being used by some could poison democracy itself," Cordova wrote.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador Has Been Pushing the New Mexico Elections Law Since 2018

After two unsuccessful efforts, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador was finally elected in July of 2018 and has been a vocal critic of the INE, the government agency responsible for overseeing elections.

He criticized the impartial organization last month, alleging that it cheated and that its personnel had covered up "the stuffing of ballot boxes, falsification of [election] records, and vote buying."

"Let them go cheat somewhere else, they just want to keep stealing [votes]," he said.

Lopez Obrador has advocated for INE reform since his election victory in 2018, per BBC.

He claims the reform will save taxpayers $150 million annually by significantly decreasing the agency's employees.

The reform he recommended that Congress ultimately rejected has been dwindled in the measure that passed on Wednesday.

The opposition legislators are up in arms because they believe the updated version, "Plan B," is a step backward for Mexico's democratic institutions while being less extreme than the initial proposal.

Legal challenges are also being filed against the policy, with the chairman of the INE stating his intention to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.

READ MORE: Body Cam Video Shows Arrest of Killer in Shooting Spree

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Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Mexico protests: Thousands oppose electoral reform plan - From Al Jazeera English
PM Modi urges developed nations to stabilise global economy IANS New Delhi More

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (File Photo) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday urged upon developed nations to bring back stability and confidence in global economy. Addressing the first meeting of the Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) under India's G20 presidency in Bengaluru virtually, Modi said: "It is up to the custodians of the leading economies and monetary systems of the world to bring back stability, confidence and growth to the global economy."



The Prime Minister urged the members to focus their discussions on the most vulnerable citizens of the world and stressed that global economic leadership can win back the confidence of the world only by creating an inclusive agenda.



"Global economic leadership can win back the confidence of the world only by creating an inclusive agenda," he exhorted.



He gave examples of Covid pandemic and its after-effects on the global economy, rising geo-political tensions, disruptions in global supply chains, rising prices, food and energy security, unsustainable debt levels affecting the viability of many countries, and the erosion of trust in international financial institutions due to their inability to reform quickly.



Meanwhile highlighting India's digital growth, he said that the country has created a highly secure, highly trusted, and highly efficient public digital infrastructure in its digital payments ecosystem.



"Our digital payments ecosystem has been developed as a free public good," the Prime Minister added.



"Examples like UPI can be templates for many other countries too."



Spotlighting the vibrancy of the Indian economy, Modi said it reflected the optimism of the Indian consumers and producers about the future of India's economy and hoped that the member participants would draw inspiration while transmitting the same positive spirit to the global level.



The two-day FMCBG meeting will see participation of Finance Ministers of G20 nations, who will deliberate upon G20 Finance Track priorities under G20 India's presidency in 2023, apart from issues like strengthening multilateral development banks, global debt vulnerabilities, crypto assets and health.





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Families who lost a relative in Peru's nationwide protests have demanded reparations, and the Peruvian government has now announced financial assistance for the deaths and injuries of protesters.

According to CNN, the Peruvian government offers families who lost a relative during protests between December 8 and February 10 around 50,000 nuevos soles (US$13,000) in financial support, while the injured would get about 25,000 nuevos soles (US$6,500).

The decree noted that the payments were categorized as financial help for civilians and police officers and were not considered reparations. The anti-government protests in Peru are among the most violent in recent Latin American history.

The impeachment and arrest of President Pedro Castillo on December 7 after his attempt to dissolve Congress sparked widespread protests. Protesters have blocked roads, set fire to police stations, and shut down airports over the past two months. Authorities then responded by firing live rounds into some demonstrators.

Deaths linked to the protests stood at around 60, mostly from clashes with police. Protesters demanded Dina Boluarte's resignation, the closure of Congress, and a new constitution. According to Al Jazeera, protesters are also clamoring for the release of Castillo.

READ NEXT: Peru Expels Mexican Ambassador

Rights Group Slams Peru Government for Not Taking Responsibility for Protesters' Deaths

Even though the Peruvian government is offering large sums of money to those whose relatives died in the protests, Amnesty International still criticized the government for not taking responsibility for the deaths.

"Economic assistance to the people killed and injured is a duty by the State due to the families' patrimonial affectation but does not exempt (the state) of the responsibility to look for truth, justice, and reparation for the victims for the abuse of their human rights," the rights organization said in a statement on Twitter.

Amnesty International had also accused the Peruvian government of racial bias against protesters, as many were from the indigenous regions of Peru.

The rights group also slammed Peruvian authorities for using firearms loaded with lethal ammunition to disperse the protesters when it was clear that there were no apparent risks to their lives. Amnesty International argued that this clearly violated international human rights standards.

Amnesty International Found Over 46 Possible Cases of Human Rights Violations in Peru

The rights group sent a fact-finding mission to Peru, not just in Lima, but also in the southern cities of Chincheros, Ayacucho, and Andahuaylas. Amnesty International Americas director Erika Guevara-Rosas noted that Peruvian authorities had permitted the "excessive and lethal use of force to be the government's only response."

According to The Guardian, the rights group's Peru mission investigated 46 possible cases of human rights violations and documented 12 deaths from the use of firearms, with all the victims appearing to have been shot in the chest, torso, or head.

The organization further noted that it found photographic and video material that proves that Peruvian authorities used "excessive and sometimes indiscriminate use of lethal and potentially lethal force" to disperse the protesters. The group also found that the judicial investigations into the deaths were slow and under-resourced.

READ MORE: Pedro Castillo Ousted as Peru President

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Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Who Are the Protesters in Peru and What Do They Want? - From DW News
Chile and Argentina are offering Nicaraguan exiles citizenship in their countries after Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega recently stripped his critics and opposition figures of their citizenship.

Spain has also made the same offer to Nicaraguan exiles as more than 300 critics from Nicaragua lost their citizenship in their home country, according to Axios.

On February 9, at least 222 former political prisoners in Nicaragua deported to the United States were declared statelessness. Some of them are included in the list of Nicaragua's leading opposition activists.

A week later, Ortega's authoritarian regime stripped the citizenship of 94 Nicaraguans, which included some of Nicaragua's celebrated writers and journalists.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson condemned the move made against opposition figures. Other organizations who also denounced Ortega's decision include Amnesty International and Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

The Nicaraguan exiles were charged with treason for supporting anti-government demonstrations, which started in 2018. Nicaragua's two most well-known living writers, Sergio Ramirez and Gioconda Belli, were included in the list of those exiled and charged with treason.

READ NEXT: Nicaragua: Daniel Ortega Launches New Attack Against Catholic Church

Daniel Ortega on Nicaraguan Exiles

Daniel Ortega's government called Nicaraguan exiles, who were stripped of their citizenship, "traitors to the motherland," according to The Guardian. The Nicaraguan president defended his decision to deport his imprisoned opponents, claiming they were behind the protests, which he alleged to be a foreign-funded plot to overthrow him.

Ivan Briscoe of the International Crisis Group said that the release of the prisoners was to decrease the "public costs of his repression," especially while the international community is watching.

Briscoe added that Ortega would prefer to impose a "low-level authoritarian" regime while hiding the more visible forms of abuses. Ortega's move to strip the opposition of their citizenship was not a new tactic. Chile faced the same incident in the 1970s with the Pinochet dictatorship stripping the citizenship of Orlando Letelier.

Peter J. Spiro, an international law professor at Temple University, said Ortega's move also has some resemblance to what was done before in Bahrain, where a court removed the citizenships of 115 people in one mass trial on charges of terrorism.

Nicaragua's Forced Exiles

In a statement, Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty International's director for the Americas, said Daniel Ortega is trying to replace the "unjust imprisonment" in the country with forced exile. The Amnesty statement added that Ortega's government is embedding its systematic policy of repression in the country.

The group also called on the international community to reassess its efforts in facing the new abuses conducted by the Nicaraguan government. Spain has offered citizenship to the 222 exiles, while the United States has granted Nicaraguans a two-year temporary protection.

However, Jennie Lincoln, an academic in contact with many of the exiles, said many of the former prisoners in the U.S. were left in "a state of legal and mental flux," and "psychologically they are stateless."

Meanwhile, Bishop Rolando Alvarez, head of the Matagalpa diocese, made a heroic stand to stay in Nicaragua. He refused the offer of exile and did not get on the plane to the U.S. with the deportees earlier this month.

The bishop, who was also stripped of his Nicaraguan citizenship, noted that doing so would be like admitting to the crime he was accused of. Alvarez was reportedly offered two options, exile or jail, to which the bishop chose the latter. He said he refused to "leave his homeland."

READ MORE: Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega's Critic Edgard Paralles Picked Up by Two People Not in Police Uniform and Was Detained

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Nicaragua Sends 222 Political Prisoners to the U.S. - From NBC News
Meghan Markle reportedly feels "excluded" from all the plans surrounding King Charles III's coronation, with one source claiming that it may result in the Sussexes being absent from the event.

According to the Daily Mail, the report came after friends of Markle and Prince Harry said the couple is currently "in limbo" and weighing the "million different variables" that would affect their decision.

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams noted that fears over security and a "seismic drop" in popularity after Harry released his memoir could mean the two would choose to stay home.

Aside from feeling excluded in King Charles' coronation plans, the Duchess of Sussex also reportedly feels that the palace is only fighting for Harry to attend, according to "To Di For Daily" podcast host Kinsey Schofield.

READ NEXT: Meghan Markle 'Upset,' 'Overwhelmed' About 'South Park' Portrayal of Her

Meghan Markle on King Charles III's Coronation

Kinsey Schofield told Fox News Digital that Meghan Markle feels like the palace does not" care whether she shows up or not," which does not "sit well with her." The podcast host went on to say that rejection is one of Markle's "greatest insecurities," adding that the duchess does not want to "be booed or humiliated on a global scale."

Christopher Andersen, author of "The King," told Fox News that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle seemed to look like they will choose to skip the coronation, as the two are still "licking their wounds over having been sidelined during" Queen Elizabeth II's funeral in September.

Andersen added that it is "highly doubtful" that they would be willing to undergo the same sort of "public humiliation," especially since it will be their son's birthday. In an interview with Tom Bradby, Harry said he could attend his father's coronation if his family pushes any efforts for reconciliation, Daily Express reported.

The interview was released days before his memoir, Spare, had hit the shelves. Harry noted that a lot can happen in between, adding that the "door is always open." The Duke of Sussex said there was a lot to be discussed, but the "ball is in their court."

King Charles III Coronation

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have yet to confirm whether they will attend King Charles III's coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, will be arriving at the location in procession from Buckingham Palace.

The procession is traditionally known as "The King's Procession." According to CountryLiving, the ceremony will then be followed by the king and queen returning to the palace for the ceremonial procession.

On May 7, there will be a special coronation concert that will be held at Windsor Castle. BBC will broadcast the concert, which will bring performances from known artists around the world. It was earlier reported that Adele and Ed Sheeran were invited to perform at King Charles' coronation.

However, both artists have declined the invitation. Sheeran said he will perform in Texas the day before the coronation concert, while Adele reportedly turned down the invitation "without explanation."

READ MORE: Prince Harry's Controversial Memoir 'Spare' Breaks Guinness World Record

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Meghan Markle Feeling Excluded From King Charles' Coronation as Palace Snub Duchess - From GBNews
Seven people were wounded in a Philadelphia shooting near a school on Thursday night, police said. According to Philadelphia police, shots were fired around 5:50 p.m. in the city's Strawberry Mansion neighborhood near the James G. Blaine School.

NBC Philadelphia reported that three gunmen shot a 2-year-old girl, the child's mom, and five teenagers. According to CBS News, all of them were taken to local hospitals for treatment.

The attack shocked the Philadelphia neighborhood as it was a relatively peaceful area, according to Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw.

READ NEXT: California Shooting: 6-Month-Old Baby Among 6 Killed in Tragedy

Victims of the Latest Philadelphia Shooting

Police said the 2-year-old girl was shot in the left thigh and taken to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, according to ABC 6. The child's 31-year-old mom was shot twice in the thigh and was rushed to Temple University Hospital.

A 13-year-old boy was shot in the hand, and like the toddler, he was also taken to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Two teen victims were taken to Temple University Hospital.

One of them was a 15-year-old boy who was shot twice in the chest. The other was a 16-year-old boy shot in the arm. The other two victims, a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old, were brought to Jefferson University Hospital.

The 16-year-old boy was shot in the right arm and right thigh, while the 17-year-old boy suffered a graze wound to the thigh. Police said all of them were already in stable condition as of Thursday evening. The teens shot were all students of the School District of Philadelphia.

Philadelphia Police Now Looking For 3 Suspects Involved in the Shooting

Police said the victims were at the intersection of 31st and Norris streets when a car pulled up near them, and then the three gunmen exited the vehicle and opened fire.

So far, no arrests have been made in connection with the shooting. Police said they are now looking for the three suspects. Investigators are also searching for a motive.

"There were some people inside of a vehicle, some people on the sidewalk, when the shooters approached... We don't believe that all of the victims at this point were intended targets," Danielle Outlaw noted.

The suspects were reportedly seen driving a 2011-2016 gray Hyundai Elantra with an unknown Pennsylvania tag. Police have already released surveillance photos and descriptions of the three suspects wanted in connection to the shooting.

Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney condemned the shooting and said it's "heartbreaking."

Schools and other public spaces must remain safe havens for youth and the community. Its heartbreaking and infuriating to learn of another shooting occurring on or near school grounds. Im praying for the victims involved. https://t.co/dr5LtUeXsP  Mayor Jim Kenney (@PhillyMayor) February 24, 2023

Kenney is offering a $10,000 reward for any information that leads to the suspects' capture.

Keeping young people safe is our top priority. @PhiladelphiaGov offers a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone who fires a gun causing injury to others within 500 feet of a school, library, or recreation center. https://t.co/qaGPMFpZfP  Mayor Jim Kenney (@PhillyMayor) February 24, 2023

The mayor is encouraging anyone with any information to come forward and report it to city police by calling 215-686-TIPS (8477) or texting PPD TIP (773847). These tips can be made anonymously.

READ MORE: Alex Jones Might Lose Millions in Sandy Hook School Shooting Conspiracy Theory

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Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Toddler, 5 Teens Among 7 Shot in Shooting Near Philadelphia School - From FOX 29 Philadelphia
Convicted cop killer Donald Dillbeck, who was executed in the Florida State Prison death chamber Thursday night, used his final words to criticize Governor Ron DeSantis.

Tallahassee Democrat reported that while strapped to a gurney, Dillbeck said minutes before he was executed, "I know I hurt people when I was young. I really messed up. But I know Ron DeSantis has done a lot worse. He's taken a lot from a lot of people. I speak for all men, women, and children. He's put his foot on our necks. Ron DeSantis and other people like him can suck our d***s."

After his comment, the Florida Department of Corrections personnel started administering the three drugs that sedated and paralyzed him and then stopped his heart. The 59-year-old convicted cop killer was pronounced dead after 11 minutes, or at 6:13 p.m.

Vans carrying visitors for Dillbeck's vigil were seen departing the prison around 6:20 p.m. Dillbeck was executed after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a last-minute petition by his lawyers on Wednesday.

He was sent to death row after he was convicted of the murder of Faye Lamb Vann in a Tallahassee mall parking lot in 1990. Court documents showed that Dillbeck had escaped from a work-release catering job in Gadsden County at the time of Vann's murder.

He was serving a life sentence in Gadsden County for killing 31-year-old Lee County Deputy Dwight Lynn Hall in 1979. Dillbeck was 15 at the time. After he escaped, Dillbeck went to Tallahassee and attempted to carjack a vehicle. Vann was sitting inside the car and he fatally stabbed her when she resisted.

Dillbeck was convicted in 1991 of first-degree murder, armed robbery, and armed burglary. His execution is the 100th since the Supreme Court reinstated the practice in 1975 and the first carried out in Florida in over three years.

Family members of Faye Lamb Vann looked on with stony expressions while sitting in the witness gallery. They did not speak to reporters after the convicted cop killer was put to death.

But in a written statement from two of Vann's children released by Department of Corrections spokeswoman Michelle Glady, Tony and Laura Vann said: "11,932 days ago Donald Dillbeck brutally killed our mother. We were robbed of years of memories with her, and it has been very painful ever since. However, the execution has given us some closure."

READ NEXT: Donald Trump Calls for Death Penalty To Solve Drug Issues

Florida Cop Killer Started His Last Day Early

On his last day, Tallahassee Democrat reported that Donald Dillbeck woke up early. Michelle Glady said Dillbeck went through his usual routine and visited with his spiritual adviser. Corrections officials said he was "calm."

According to Fox News, Dillbeck ate his last meal at 9:45 a.m., which included fried shrimp, onion rings, mushrooms, ice cream, pecan pie, and chocolate. The state Department of Corrections said the cost of food should not exceed $40 and must be purchased locally.

Donald Dillbeck Should Be Exempted From the Execution, His Lawyers Say

Donald Dillbeck asked the Supreme Court to delay his execution and review his case. Due to neurobehavioral disorder associated with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure, Dillbeck's lawyers argued that their client was entitled to be exempted from execution.

However, The Hill reported that the Supreme Court rejected both his request for a stay of the execution and to review his case on Wednrsday. Dillbeck's death sentence was finalized last month when Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who also rejected his request for a temporary stay at the state level, signed the death warrant.

READ MORE: Mexico Approves Controversial Electoral Reform

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Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: First Execution in Years Taking Place in Florida - From First Coast News
Cuban-Spanish actress Ana de Armas was born in Havana, Cuba, on April 30, 1988. She made her acting debut in the Spanish movie "Una rosa de Francia" in 2006, according to Creeto.

Her debut film in the United States was 2015's "Knock Knock," and then she starred in "Hands of Stone," "Exposed," "War Dogs," and "Blade Runner 2049." She also appeared in films, "The Informer" and "Knives Out."

READ NEXT: Bad Bunny Dating History Amid Kendall Jenner Rumors

Ana De Armas Dating History

Ana de Armas' personal life has consistently received more attention than her professional life. The Cuban-Spanish actress has always wanted to keep her private life out of the public eye. Despite this, stories about her love life persist. Here's a look at the actress' rumored and confirmed relationships.

Marc Clotet

Ana de Armas married Marc Clotet before she became a Hollywood star in 2015. The Spanish model and actor is best known for his roles in the soap opera "El Cor de la Ciutat." He also played a noteworthy part in the 2011 movie "The Sleeping Voice."

Ana and Marc tied the knot in July 2011 but split up after only two years of marriage. Their divorce was finalized in February 2013. Ana moved to Los Angeles the following year to work in Hollywood.

Edgar Ramirez

Ana de Armas and Edgar Ramirez appeared in the film, "Hands of Stone." They attended the Cannes Film Festival together in 2016. According to First Curiosity, they were photographed sharing a passionate kiss at the event.

However, few details were shared about their connection because they insisted they were just friends. The pair also stressed that despite the famous Cannes kissing photos, they never dated.

Franklin Latt

Ana de Armas and talent agent Franklin Latt were linked in 2016. She posted a picture of them on Instagram in August of that year with the caption "HAPPY BIRTHDAY mi Amour" to celebrate his birthday.

"I love you more than anything. You are the best friend, boyfriend, and human being in the world!" she concluded. However, she eventually deleted all pictures of them together from her Instagram.

Alejandro Pineiro Bello

Ana de Armas posted on her Instagram a photo of her and Alejandro Pineiro Bello kissing on November 2017, suggesting they began dating around that time. However, it is unknown how Ana met the Cuban artist because she hardly ever discusses their relationships with the media. Reports suggested that the couple parted ways in 2019.

Ben Affleck

According to Parade, Ben Affleck dated Ana de Armas for most of 2020. The two reportedly met on the set of their film "Deep Water" in 2019. They were serious enough that Ana moved in with Ben and even met his kids with his ex-wife Jennifer Garner. She also went on vacation with them and the actor's mother.

A source previously told PEOPLE: "Ana seems to love being around his kids. Everyone has been getting along great. Ana is making an effort to get to know his kids." However, after dating for about a year, the couple broke up.

An insider told the outlet that "she broke it off. Their relationship was complicated. Ana doesn't want to be Los Angeles based, and Ben obviously has to since his kids live in Los Angeles."

Paul Boukadakis

Ana de Armas and Paul Boukadakis, the vice president of Tinder, reportedly started dating in June 2021. They were introduced through friends. An insider previously told Page Six: "He is based in Austin but splits his time between Texas and Santa Monica. He has been spending a lot of time with Ana before she left the US to film her new movie."

The couple seemed to confirm their relationship status by sharing a kiss while having a casual stroll on the street in December 2021. Ana has reportedly still been dating Boukadakis. However, they continue to keep details about their relationship under wraps.

READ MORE: Anya Taylor-Joy Net Worth

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Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Boys Ana de Armas Has Dated - From Hollywood Inside
Nagaland's peace, progress & prosperity top priority of NDA govt: PM Modi IANS Dimapur (Nagaland) More

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the BJP-led NDA government's top priority is Nagaland's peace, progress and prosperity. Addressing his first election rally in Nagaland's Agri Expo Center Ground in Dimapur, the Prime Minister said that a large number of cadres of various militant outfits surrendered and joined the mainstream to ensure peace in Nagaland.



"The AFSPA (Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act) has already been withdrawn from many parts of Nagaland. The government has been taking steps so that AFSPA is not required in future in the state," Modi said.



He said that during the past nine years, the violent incidents have been reduced by 75 per cent facilitating the speedy development of the state. Saying that Nagaland's inter-state border problems with the neighbouring states are being resolved, the Prime Minister said that infrastructure development to welfare of all people are the priority of the BJP-led NDA government.



Coming down heavily against the Congress, Modi said that during the Congress regime their family welfare was first priority and that's why the people of the northeast punished them by not giving votes.



"When the Congress had tried to keep the northeastern region backward, the NDA government considering the region as 'Ashta Lakshmi' has been utilising its resources in a befitting manner. The Congress used the northeast as an ATM to misuse money."



Modi said, "The country can't be run by distrusting its own people but by respecting them and resolving their problems. Earlier, the politics was to divide northeast, we have now transformed it into divine governance. The BJP does not deprive people on the basis of religion or region."



During the Congress regime, there was political instability in Nagaland and the party remote-controlled northeast from Delhi, and siphoned off money meant for its development, the Prime Minister said.



Noting that Rs 400 crore directly transferred to the farmers of Nagaland in the last few years, the Prime Minister said that during the Congress regime Rs 2,000 crore was given to Nagaland by the Finance Commission and now it was doubled.



The National Highway network in Nagaland has been doubled now and the state is being linked with Myanmar, the Prime Minister said, adding that road, rail and air connectivity is being developed in Nagaland and the region as well. He said that the BJP has chosen Nagaland's first woman S. Phangnon Konyak as a member of the Rajya Sabha and she is now representing Naga culture, tradition in Parliament.



Modi said that the Central government has provided 55,000 housing units under the PM Awas Yojana and piped water supply has been provided to 3.50 lakh households.



Friday's election rally was the first and last public meeting of the Prime Minister ahead of the February 27 Assembly election in Nagaland. Modi from Dimapur went to poll-bound Meghalaya, where he would address two election rallies. Meghalaya Assembly polls would also be held on February 27





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Laois people are invited to show solidarity with Ukrainians taking shelter in the county as well as the victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

A balloon release will mark the culmination of the evening of healing and show of support for each other event which takes place on Fitzmaurice Place in Portlaoise on the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Organisers describe it as "a community coming together in unity to pray for peace and remember lives lost through war and disaster around the world, and lives lost within our own circle".

"It is an evening of healing and a show of support for each other".

It is one of many efforts in Laois to support Ukrainians and earthquake victims.

The hour long event takes place on Friday, February 24 from 7pm to 8pm.will begin at 7pm, with music, silent prayers, and the balloon release. Tea, coffee and biscuits will follow.

It is being organised by the Laois Africa Support Group (LSAG) and Laois Offaly Education and Training Board.
Russia's leadership must be tracked down, prosecuted and punished for the war crimes inflicted during its invasion of Ukraine according to Laois Offaly TD Charlie Flanagan.

Speaking as Chair of the all-party Oireachtas committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, the Fine Gael TD gave complete backing to Ukraine.

"I pledge unwavering support for the people of Ukraine and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and its internationally recognised borders," he said.

He said civilians, including humanitarian personnel, journalists, persons in vulnerable situations, women and children must be protected from the Russians who, the former Minister for Justice said must be held to account.

"There must be full accountability for continued and flagrant breaches of international law, war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and crimes of aggression. There can be no impunity for these horrendous acts by Russia. Every war criminal in the Russian hierarchy both military and political must be tracked down, prosecuted and punished. The international crime of aggression must be dealt with under a specially convened Tribunal, he said.

The former Minister for Foreign Affairs said Ireland must continue to take a stand against this State terror.

"We in Ireland are duty bound to speak out loudly against Russian aggression and use our voices not just on anniversaries, but every single day working with international bodies the EU and UN to hold Russia accountable and uphold the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"Russia under Vladimir Putin is nothing less than a terrorist state and Ireland must join international community in stating and repeating this daily and unequivocally," he said.

The TD also wants Russia banned from the Olympics

"I agree with President Zelensky when he says While Russia kills and terrorises, representatives of the terrorist state have no place at sporting or OIympic competitions The mere presence of Russians at the Paris Olympic games will be a manifestation of lawlessness and violence. A ban on all Russian athletes ahead of the Paris games is essential," he said.

He made the remarks at a Ukraine Anniversary event in Dublin where he met Larysa Gerasko, Ukraine's Ambassador to Ireland.

"Im honoured to stand in the presence of Ambassador Gerasko the official representative of the govt of Ukraine in Ireland and commit to our ongoing and continuing support and solidarity for you and the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes," he said.

The TD also wants Ukraine in the EU without delay.

"Ireland will accelerate the sharing of our experience and expertise in the European Union with Kyiv to assist Ukraine in its quest for EU membership with the aim of having EU membership granted asap," he said.
A civic reception in honour of Teddy Fennelly in recognition of being awarded Irelands National Heritage Hero 2022 was held in County Hall on Thursday night last.

The Cathaoirleach of Laois County Council, Thomasina Connell spoke of Teddys pioneering of heritage in Laois.

Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald noted his passion for Portlaoise and the county and his involvement with Portlaoise GAA as a player and administrator.

CEO John Mulholland spoke of his lifetime of work and said that Teddy Fennelly had turned the tide on the public apathy towards heritage." He noted projects such as the Portlaoise Plane.

Virginia Teehan, CEO of the Heritage Council, said that the Heritage Council values the work Teddy does and noted his extraordinary achievements.

Michael Parsons, Laois Heritage Chairman said that Teddy had spearheaded numerous projects including the Rock of Dunamaise, Heritage Trails and the Old Fort Conservation Plan. He was a man for all seasons, Mr Parsons said.

Former GAA President Liam ONeill traced Teddys history in GAA stating he was the first Laois PRO and, as such, he had set the standard.

Teddy Fennelly said that heritage was no longer a minority pursuit. He said that it made Ireland unique and was vital to the countrys future. He paid tribute to his own family and a wide range of people, including the Heritage Council and former Heritage Officers Catherine Casey and Amanda Pedlow.

He also used the occasion to advocate for a county museum and a permanent home for Laois Heritage Society.
Kildare Knit & Natter, Shines Advocacy programme and Whidden Workshops are among 26 adult learning initiatives nationwide that have been shortlisted for the annual STAR Awards, coordinated by AONTAS, the National Adult Learning Organisation.

Showcasing teamwork and awarding recognition across 10 categories, the STAR Awards will take place at Croke Park on Friday, March 10. The ceremony will mark the culmination of the week-long Adult Learning Festival, coordinated by AONTAS every March.

Knit & Natter, a community group that fundraises for underdeveloped countries, has been shortlisted in the Global Citizenship Education category which celebrates initiatives that empower learners to actively tackle global challenges.

Shines Advocacy programme, which gives a voice to lived experience of mental illness, has been shortlisted in the Learner Voice category which recognises initiatives that place the voice and experience of adult learners at the heart of their work.

Whidden Workshops, an initiative which spotlights Traveller and Roma students to teach others about pathways into Further Education, has been shortlisted in the Social Inclusion category which recognises engagement with local communities and contributions to social and cultural life.

The annual Adult Learners Festival, coordinated by AONTAS, celebrates adult learning across the island of Ireland. The theme of this years festival is Create Your World.

Speaking ahead of the festival launch, Dearbhail Lawless, Chief Executive of AONTAS, invited people from across Kildare to check out the programme of online and local events. She said, Adult and community educations is about more than gaining a qualification. For many, it is about meeting new people, learning something new or rediscovering an old passion. Thats what our theme Create Your World is all about  this is an opportunity for everyone to create something new in their life which brings joy.

Whether you want to take a class or a course, the Adult Learners Festival is a great opportunity to get a taste for something. There really is something for everyone at this years festival  from knitting and crochet taster sessions to paediatric first aid classes, as well as introductions to hot stone therapy, flower arranging and sustainable living! There are also a wide range of information sessions to learn about Further Education and Training courses and about learner supports and assistance for those hoping to undertake a course.

There is also still time to register your event with on www.adultlearnersfestival.ie, whether youre planning an information session, a workshop or taster class, or even an open day style activity such as a walk and talk or coffee morning.

To find out more about the Adult Learners Festival or to register for an event, visit www.aontas.com.
A number of men appeared in Naas District Court on Thursday morning in relation to an alleged incident which resulted in the death of a Co Limerick man in Monasterevin last year.

On Tuesday, February 21 last, Sean Kavanagh, 24, whose address was given as 17 St Mary's Lane, Monasterevin and Calvin Dunne, 22, whose address was given as 1 Abbey View, Monasterevin, were both charged with the murder of Dylan McCarthy, who died on August 22 last.

On Thursday morning, the two men, who appeared via video-link, were remanded in custody by Judge Desmond Zaidan to March 9, in order to allow time for the service of a Book of Evidence.

Also before the court were Darren Harrison, 30, and his brother Tadhg Harrison, 25, both of 1 Rosglas Avenue in Monasterevin, who were accused of violent disorder on August 22 last.

They had their cases adjourned to May 4 to allow time for directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

Both men were granted bail, on a number of conditions: they must sign on once a week at Kildare Garda Station every Wednesday between 9am and 9pm, they must provide a mobile phone number to gardai and be contactable at all times, they must provide an address to gardai and reside at that address (and must notify gardai of any change in address), and they must not interfere with State witnesses directly or indirectly.

Adam Ford, 25, with an address given as 26 Togher Avenue in Monasterevin, was accused of violent disorder and assault causing harm against the father of the late Mr McCarthy on the date of the incident.

He was granted the same bail conditions as Darren and Tadhg Harrison, with the exception of the mobile phone condition.

Mr Fords solicitor, David Gibbons, explained to Judge Zaidan that this was because his client is a member of the Defence Forces, and sometimes he would be required not to have his phone on him while he is working.

He had his case adjourned to May 4 to allow time for directions from the DPP.

Jordan Kevin, 30, and his brother Shane Kevin, 38, both of 1761 St Evins Park in Monasterevin, were also accused of taking part in violent disorder at the time of the incident.

They were both granted bail based on the same conditions as the two Harrison brothers, and both will appear on May 4, which is when DPP directions are due in their cases.

Lastly, Shane Foley, 29, with an address listed as 1021 Cowpasture in Monasterevin, was accused of violent disorder on the date of the incident.

He was granted bail under the same conditions as the previous defendants, although Mr Foley will have to sign on every Wednesday at Newbridge Garda Station until the case returns to the court on May 4 for DPP directions.

It was noted by Judge Zaidan that relatives of the late Mr McCarthy were present in the courtroom.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen is no longer expected to travel to the UK to meet Rishi Sunak on Saturday, Government sources have confirmed.

After having positive discussions with the Prime Minister on Friday, Ms von der Leyen was expected to arrive in Britain for further in-person talks about the Northern Ireland Protocol.

According to Sky News, the commission leader was also scheduled to meet the King at Windsor Castle while in the UK on Saturday.

The broadcasters report said the meeting could have been interpreted as Charles endorsing the deal that the Prime Minister is attempting to negotiate with the European Union in order to solve Brexit-related issues.

UK Government sources said Ms von der Leyen was no longer expected to travel to Britain.

But they stressed it would not have been improper for the King, as head of state, to have met a visiting European leader.

It would be wrong to suggest the King would be involved in anything remotely political, a Government source told the PA news agency.

Buckingham Palace said it would not be commenting.

No 10 said talks between Mr Sunak and Ms von der Leyen would occur within the coming days, without being more exact on timings.

White smoke appeared to be on the horizon over a protocol fix after a Downing Street source said a phone call between the Prime Minister and the President on Friday had been positive and there had been good progress made.

No 10 sources also confirmed that Mr Sunak on Friday had constructive engagement with supermarket bosses and parcel operators about the protocol and the reforms he is striving to make.

They were developments that were interpreted as another step towards announcing a deal which is designed to reduce the customs headaches being encountered by retailers trading between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

Speculation of an imminent deal increased further when it emerged Tory MPs were being ordered into Parliament on a three-line whip on Monday, while Cabinet ministers were reportedly on alert for a possible conference call over the weekend.

Unusually, Downing Street declined to set out Mr Sunaks plans for the weekend, only saying that he was working in No 10 on Friday.

The protocol, signed by former prime minister Boris Johnson in 2020, was designed to prevent a hard border with Ireland after Brexit by effectively keeping Northern Ireland in the European Unions single market.

But the treaty has incensed unionists due to the trade barriers it has created between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom.

Mr Sunak had reportedly been keen to announce a deal this week but No 10 said on Friday that intensive negotiations with Brussels were still under way.

Any announcement of a deal is expected to set up a possible clash with Conservative Brexit hardliners.

Mr Sunak has promised that the House of Commons will be able to express its view over any deal, which he hopes will get the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to restore powersharing in Northern Ireland.

But he would come under intense pressure if he does not give MPs an explicit vote, amid fears there could be a rebellion.

The Prime Minister, since entering No 10 in October, has backed away from reforms on contentious issues such as planning rules when confronted with a potential backbench revolt.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly indicated that ministers will not sign off a deal over the protocol until the DUPs concerns are addressed.

The DUP has issued seven tests to win its backing for any deal, including addressing what it calls the democratic deficit of Northern Ireland being subject to EU rules while not having a say on them.

Mr Cleverly said important principles, like Northern Irelands place as an integral part of the United Kingdom, were central to the cross-Channel negotiations.

He told Times Radio: When, hopefully, we get those issues resolved, then I would hope that the DUP would recognise that weve addressed their concerns and until we have addressed those concerns were not going to sign off on the deal.
Primary school pupils from Leitrim are to participate in ESB Science Blast next week. ESB Science Blast, delivered by the RDS, is a STEM-focused education programme involving whole classes investigating the science behind a simple question, such as "how will climate change affect baby sharks?".

ESB Science Blast will take place in Dublin in RDS Simmonscourt for four days next week, starting next Monday 27th February, with a la speisialta do Ghaelscoileanna agus do scoileanna Ghaeltachta taking place on 2u Marta, 2023.

Participating schools in Leitrim include Gaelscoil Chluainin in Manorhamilton and Gaelscoil Liatroma in Carrick-On-Shannon.

Pupils from each class participating will showcase their experiment and discuss their investigation with a STEM expert (Judge/Moltoir). The judging is non-competitive and aimed at growing pupils' interest and passion for STEM.

Now in its fifth year, over 35,000 children have participated in ESB Science Blast to date, making it the largest primary school programme on the island of Ireland.

The questions being investigated by Leitrim schools are as follows:

Gaelscoil Chluainin, Cluainin, Co. Liatroma - Ce mheid speiceas ein ata inar gceantar scoile?



Gaelscoil Liatroma, Cora Droma Ruisc, Co. Liatroma - An bhfuil tionchur ar an mbia a fhagann muid amach ar na hein a mhealltar chun na scoile?



Gaelscoil Liatroma, Castlecara Road, Co Liatroma - Cen saghas bia a thagann munlai ar is tapula
Ministers will not sign off on a deal over Northern Irelands post-Brexit trading arrangements without the backing of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), the Foreign Secretary has suggested.

James Cleverly indicated on Friday that Britain will not approve changes over the Northern Ireland Protocol with the European Union until the DUPs concerns are addressed.

Brussels and the UK are negotiating changes to the agreement to allay unionists concerns that it has created trade barriers with Britain.

The DUP has been boycotting powersharing in Northern Ireland in protest at the protocol, which was designed to prevent a hard border with Ireland after Brexit.

Mr Cleverly told Times Radio: The things theyre concerned about, the things were concerned about, are absolutely in alignment and we are focused on resolving all the issues that need resolving.

Some of them are technical trade issues and very complicated and some of them are really simple but important principles, like Northern Irelands place as an integral part of the United Kingdom. And that sense of sovereignty, the importance of a democratic voice.

So when, hopefully, we get those issues resolved then I would hope that the DUP would recognise that weve addressed their concerns and until we have addressed those concerns were not going to sign off on the deal.

The DUP has issued seven tests to win its backing for any deal, including addressing what it calls the democratic deficit meaning the nation is subject to EU rules.

A deal had been hoped for this week but Downing Street said on Friday that intensive discussions with the EU were ongoing.

Unusually, Downing Street declined to set out Mr Sunaks plans for the weekend, only saying that he was working in No 10 on Friday.

I havent seen the final details of his diary for the weekend, a No 10 spokesman said.

He added there may be further talks with Brussels on Friday.

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson declined to say whether he would back any new deal negotiated by his successor Mr Sunak in the latest sign he could face a rebellion on the Tory backbenches.

Instead, the former prime minister backed as the best solution his Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which could effectively rip up parts of the agreement he brokered.

Mr Johnson told Sky News: I think that it is important to wait to see what there may be but I think the best way forward, as I said when I was running the Government, is the Northern Ireland Bill, which cleared the Commons very comfortably, I think unamended, when I was in office and only a few months ago.

So, I think that is the best way forward.

The Downing Street spokesman responded: Negotiations are continuing so there isnt a finalised deal for people to take a judgment on.
India again abstains on UN resolution on Ukraine that passes with 141 votes IANS United Nations More

India has again abstained on a resolution calling for Russia to end the invasion of Ukraine that was adopted by more than two-thirds of the votes in the UN General Assembly in a snub to Moscow. The vote on the resolution sponsored by Ukraine and more than 65 co-sponsors took place on Thursday, the eve of the first anniversary of the invasion, while simultaneously a roundtable sponsored by India's mission to explore the concept of "Gandhian Trusteeship" for world peace was taking place next door.



Explaining India's abstention, the country's Permanent Representative to UN, Ruchira Kamboj, who rushed to the General Assembly chamber from that meeting, said that "we will always call for dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable way out".



The resolution did not mention negotiations to end the conflict, but called for "diplomatic efforts to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine, consistent with the Charter".



Kamboj asked, "Can any process that does not involve either of the two sides ever lead to a credible and meaningful solution"?



"While we take note of the stated objectives of today's resolution, given its inherent limitations in reaching our desired goal of securing lasting peace we are constrained to abstain," she said.



Kamboj invoked Prime Minister Narendra Modi's often-quoted statement that "this cannot be an era of war" and said, "Escalation of hostilities and violence is in no one's interest. Instead, an urgent return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy is the way forward."



The resolution was adopted by 141 votes, with seven against and 32 abstentions in the Assembly where 191 of its 193 members retain voting rights.



The resolution deplores Russia's invasion and demands its immediate withdrawal for a "comprehensive, just and lasting peace".



It also demands the prosecution of crimes and justice for victims.



Earlier, two amendments sponsored by Russia's close ally Belarus to gut the resolution were voted down, receiving only 11 votes for one and 15 for the other.



India abstained also on the amendments that sought to remove references to Moscow's aggression and invasion and the demand for it to withdraw from occupied territories, while calling instead for an end to arms supply to Ukraine.



In a sideshow, Pakistan's Permanent Representative Munir Akram brought up Kashmir claiming that it had parallels to Ukraine, which the sponsors of the resolution ignore.



Pratik Mathur, a counsellor at India's mission, said it was an "uncalled for provocation" that "is particularly regrettable and certainly misplaced at a time when after two days of intense discussions, we have all agreed that the path of peace can be the only path forward to resolve conflict".



Kamboj said that despite the support of member states for diplomatic efforts to end the conflict and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' attempts to promote a comprehensive peace, "reports from the ground portray a complex scenario with the conflict intensifying on several fronts."



The General Assembly took up the resolution in an emergency session because of the paralysis of the Security Council hobbled by Russia's vetoes and it has brought to the fore demands for reforms, which India has been lobbying for.



India's Permanent Representative to UN pointedly asked, "Has the UN system and particularly its principal organ, the UN Security Council based on a 1945 world construct not been rendered ineffective to address contemporary challenges to global peace and security"?



Only the five countries that were considered the winners of World War II were given veto rights in the Council.



Unlike Security Council resolutions, those of the General Assembly have no enforcement powers and only carry moral influence.



Thursday's was the sixth resolution on Ukraine since the invasion that began on February 24 a year ago and India has abstained on all of them.



Kamboj said that India was concerned that the "conflict has resulted in the loss of countless lives and misery, particularly for women, children and the elderly, with millions becoming homeless and forced to seek shelter in neighbouring countries... economic reports of attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are also deeply concerning".



India, for its part, was helping deal with its fallout in Ukraine and elsewhere, she added.



We are providing both humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and economic support to some of our neighbours in the Global South under economic distress even as they stare at the escalating costs of food, fuel and fertilisers, which has been a consequential fallout of the ongoing conflicta, she said.





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"Maa" (1981), by Sayed Haider Raza. ADAGP PARIS 2022/THE RAZA FOUNDATION

Continuing its practice of reviewing 20th-century art history, after the painter Alice Neel, the Centre Pompidou is devoting a retrospective to the Indian painter Sayed Haider Raza (1922-2016). The idea is good, the execution less so. It isn't that it's too abridged: A hundred works on paper and canvas  sometimes very poorly framed by their owners  follow one another in chronological order. But the imbalance between the first decades and the last two is glaring. There are far too many from the beginning and not enough after that. But it is the latter period that Raza increasingly contended with the geometric abstraction of Western avant-gardes and the symbolism of Hinduism and Buddhism coming together in Tantrism.

Raza was born in 1922 in what is now the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh but was then a province of the British colony of India. His Muslim family settled in Pakistan at the end of 1947, at the time of independence and partition, but he chose to stay in India before leaving for Europe. After artistic training in Bombay, he produced landscapes, watercolors and gouaches.

Through reproductions, he discovered French modern art, and in 1947, he founded the Progressive Artists' Group with friends including Francis Newton Souza (1924-2002) and Maqbool Fida Husain (1915-2011). They exhibited together until 1950, when Raza left for Paris. Briefly a student at the Beaux-Arts, he soon exhibited in galleries, including the Galerie Lara Vincy beginning in 1955, and became part of what is sometimes called l'Ecole de Paris. This stay in France, which was supposed to last only two years, spanned half a century, until his final return to India in 2011. Prior to that, he returned frequently for solo exhibitions, the New Delhi Triennial or to receive an award given that he had become one of the most famous artists in his native country.

The art of miniatures

The 1950s through the 1970s were marked by his relationship with contemporary French painting. With the exception of a few attempts at nudes, these works are landscapes: Paris, Brittany, Corsica, Provence and the French Riviera. He cultivated chromatic intensity, bright reds and yellow ochres contrasting with less vivid greens and blues. The references are initially eclectic: cubism, Raoul Dufy, Bernard Buffet. Gradually, the figurative elements crumble and disperse, and other connivances appear: Nicolas de Stael, Olivier Debre, Leon Zack. The colors, which most often lose none of their intensity, are applied in emphatic strokes. The composition, less and less subject to the landscape, is organized in clouds of spots. The formats become larger, without reaching the scale of Zao Wou-Ki's contemporary paintings, nor those of the Americans in whom he showed an interest  Hans Hofmann, Mark Rothko and Sam Francis. From today's perspective, these paintings are very strongly dated and lack singularity.

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Flowers brought by children and their parents in tribute to the teacher killed are placed at the entrance of Saint Thomas d'Aquin high school in Saint-Jean-de-Luz (Pyrenees-Atlantiques) on February 23, 2023. HERVE LEQUEUX / HANS LUCAS FOR "LE MONDE"

In the pouring rain, isolated groups of teenagers, faces hidden by hoods or umbrellas, converged on the entrance to Saint-Thomas-d'Aquin high school in Saint-Jean-de-Luz (Pyrenees-Atlantiques, southwest France). Some clutched bunches of bright flowers, others carried single white roses to add to the growing piles along the gates. Greeted by school staff, but also by the police and a swarm of journalists, they were back in their classrooms the day after a tragedy that has left the whole town in shock.

On the morning of Wednesday, February 22, a 16-year-old student from this private high school stood up in the middle of Spanish class, locked the classroom door and stabbed his teacher with a kitchen knife he had hidden in a roll of paper towels before moving onto an adjoining room where two teachers intervened, asked him to drop the weapon and managed to restrain him. The 52-year-old teacher, Agnes Lassalle, could not be revived and died soon after. She has since been in the thoughts of many and tributes have been pouring in.

The teenager is due to appear before an examining magistrate on Friday for indictment. The public prosecutor for Bayonne, Jerome Bourrier, announced that a judicial investigation would be launched on Friday to determine whether it was a premeditated murder, given that there was "obvious preparation."

The prosecutor gave this account of what happened at a press conference on Thursday afternoon and it was very much fresh in the minds of the hundreds of students gathering at the school's entrance on Thursday morning. Xan  none of the people quoted wished to give their name  is one of them. In the classroom when the attack took place, he spoke in a trembling voice about the "shock" and then the brief period of denial, believing it "impossible." This was followed by "panic," "the reflex to escape," the police and finally psychological support. Most of the others at the gates had not seen anything but were quick to find out what had happened through text messages from friends while they were in class, or on social media. They spoke about the two hours of "uncertainty and anxiety" they spent confined to their classroom before they were able to leave school and join their anxiously-awaiting parents.

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes Police investigate motives of student who killed his teacher

'Everyone is united behind the students'

Sixteen-year-old Victoire said that since the attack, "we're constantly on social media and watching TV. It's all everyone's talking about." Like her classmates, she has spent hours on TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram, which has seen hundreds of videos and comments posted. She came with her class with a flower in her hand to pay tribute to the teacher that was killed, but also to see her friends and talk to them "in real life."

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A woman holds a banner during a rally to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, February 24, 2023. DARKO VOJINOVIC / AP

The United States announced a new round of sanctions on Russian firms, banks, manufacturers and individuals on Friday, February 24, aiming them at entities that helped Russia evade sanctions earlier in the year-old war against Ukraine.

Russia's metals and mining sector is among those targeted in one of the US Treasury Department's "most significant sanctions actions to date," according to the agency.

The action, implemented in coordination with the G7, seeks to punish 250 individuals and firms, puts financial blocks on banks, arms dealers and technology companies tied to weapons production and goes after alleged sanctions evaders in countries from the United Arab Emirates to Switzerland.

"Our sanctions have had both short-term and long-term impact, seen acutely in Russia's struggle to replenish its weapons and in its isolated economy," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement. "Our actions today with our G7 partners show that we will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes."

Yellen is attending the G20 finance ministers' meetings in Bengaluru, India, this week. On Friday morning she told senior Russian officials attending meetings that "their continued work for the Kremlin makes them complicit in Putin's atrocities."

"They bear responsibility for the lives and livelihoods being taken in Ukraine and the harm caused globally," she said.

The Group of Seven industrialized nations threatened embargo busters with "severe costs."

The sanctions come after the White House announced earlier on Friday that the Pentagon would commit $2 billion for more rounds of ammunition and a variety of small, high-tech drones in the fight against Russia.

The State and Commerce departments and the Office of the US Trade Representative will also issue plans on Friday to increase pressure on Russia. These steps increase tariffs on Russian products and add nearly 90 Russian and third-country companies, including from China, to a list of identified sanctions evaders.

Most sanctioned nation in the world

Named in Friday's sanctions package are a dozen financial institutions, including Russia's largest non-state public bank, importers of microelectronics and producers of carbon fiber, a key material for defense systems.

The package names more than 30 people and firms allegedly connected to Russia's sanctions evasion efforts. Among them: Swiss-Italian businessman Walter Moretti and his businesses, Nurmurad Kurbanov, a Russian-Turkmen arms dealer who is alleged to have represented Russian and Belarusian defense firms abroad and Russian businessman Aleksandr Yevgenyevich Udodov, the former brother-in-law of Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

More than 30 countries representing more than half the world's economy have already imposed unprecedented sanctions on the Russian economy, making it the most sanctioned nation in the world.

They have imposed price caps on Russian oil and diesel, frozen Russian Central Bank funds and restricted access to SWIFT, the dominant system for global financial transactions.

The West has directly sanctioned roughly 2,500 Russian firms, government officials, oligarchs and their families. The sanctions are depriving them of access to their American bank accounts and financial markets, preventing them from doing business with Americans and traveling to the US and more.

After a year, the Wests export controls and financial sanctions appear to be gradually eroding Russias industrial capacity even as its oil and other energy exports last year enabled it to keep funding the war.

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes The war in Ukraine has highlighted the global food crisis

Le Monde with AP
A WOMAN who was due to stand trial for the attempted murder of a man she allegedly met on Tinder has admitted the lesser charge of intentionally trying to cause him serious harm.

Inita Romanovska, aged 36, who has an address at Cahercalla, Kilrush Road, Ennis, County Clare, was charged with attempting to murder Stephen O'Flaherty during an incident at an apartment complex at Henry Street, Limerick on March 11 2020.

In February 2021, Ms Romanovska was told she would not stand trial at the Central Criminal Court for over two years due to the backlog of court cases that had arisen during the pandemic.

When the case was listed for mention this Friday, her defence barrister Michael Bowman SC told Mr Justice Paul McDermott that his client could be arraigned on count two of the indictment.

When the charge was put to her, Ms Romanovska pleaded guilty to a charge of intentionally attempting to cause serious harm to the man at Newtown House, Henry Street, Limerick on March 11 2020.

The defendant, who is originally from Latvia and who remains on bail, was scheduled to stand trial at the Central Criminal Court on March 6. The trial had been listed to last up to two weeks.

A previous district court hearing heard that Romanovska met the injured party on Tinder and while they had been on a number of dates, they were not in a relationship.

Mr Bowman told the judge that his client is a 36-year-old single mother with no previous convictions and asked the court to order and consider a pre-sentence report, which was acceded to.

The trial date has now been vacated and Mr Justice McDermott directed that a victim impact report be prepared.

Ms Romanovska was remanded on continuing bail until May 23, when evidence will be heard and when she will be sentenced.
REGULAR Sunday Masses in a County Limerick church have been discontinued reflecting the changing times we are going through.

After 219 years, last Sunday marked the final weekly Mass at St Patricks Church, Anglesboro.

Around 40 parishioners attended the Mass which began at 9.30am.

As parish priest, Fr Dick Kelly, is currently unwell, Fr Tom Egan, a retired priest of the diocese, celebrated the final Sunday Mass in the church.

According to Leader notes correspondent Patrick English, Sunday morning Mass at Anglesboro has had a long legacy, dating back to 1804 when it was first held in a small rectangular church with a thatched roof.

At this time, the Penal Laws were in existence and worship of the Catholic faith was forbidden under British Rule.

In 1832, three years after Daniel OConnell had won Catholic Emancipation, two side aisles were added to the church.

The first burials did not take place until 1943, where before that people from the area were interred in the old graveyard in Kilbehenny or in Galbally, he stated.

Going forward, Mass will be celebrated in St Patricks Church, Anglesboro on Saturdays at 8pm.

Weekly Mass will be celebrated at St Josephs Church, Kilbehenny at 8pm on Saturdays and on Sundays at 11am.
CERVICAL cancer campaigner Vicky Phelan has had her memory honoured with the introduction of newly-passed legislation.

The Patient Safety Bill 2019 passed through the Dail this week, will now provide mandatory open disclosure to patients by health services providers.

Open disclosure will ensure affected patients are notified by healthcare providers on their diagnosis. It will also mean that following a diagnosis, patients will be offered a review of their screening so they can look back and see whether something had been missed in the past.

In an interview with Morning Ireland, Tipperary Labour TD Alan Kelly referred to this Bill as the most important legislation I have ever done in my life, while thanking Health Minister Stephen Donnelly for his help.

As a friend of the late advocate, Vicky Phelan, he said, I made a commitment to Vicky and am delighted at the progress the Bill has made since it was first discussed in the Dail, as it goes forward to the Seanad.

He added that the Bill will also require HIQA to audit private hospitals and nursing homes, which as he put it was before an anomaly and is now critically important.

Another issue the Labour TD highlighted was that there have been no audits of screenings since Vicky brought the issue to light, and there will not be any until this Bill is officially signed into law by the President, Michael D. Higgins. When that happens, he said that these women who have since had screenings will now be entitled to review their case completely. This is what Vicky wanted.

On the exceptional step forward, cervical cancer campaigner, Lorraine Walsh also spoke on the radio show saying, It's difficult that Vicky isn't with us.

She then spoke to the women of Ireland listening in and described the importance of getting a cervical cancer screening.

If you haven't had your smear, go get it. Pick up your phone and make an appointment.

In 2018, Vicky Phelan took on the state and won by blowing the whistle on the entire cervical cancer check scandal. After being told her smear showed no abnormalities, an audit on her screening lay unseen in her file which told a very different story. She wanted action, not accolades and lived to advocate for justice until her passing last November.
A PROMINENT Limerick vet is supporting the campaign to open a new school of veterinary medicine at the University of Limerick.

UL is being tipped to become the site of the new school to cater for demand from students. Currently, UCD is the only third-level institution to offer veterinary training, with demand far outstripping places every year.

The Government has confirmed it's seeking to expand the number of places available in Ireland and that a number of options are being considered.

It is hoped the new school of veterinary medicine, when approved, could be open in time for the 2024/2025 academic year.

Kathy Enright (pictured) of Rockhall Veterinary, Limerick & Clare is a member of a local Veterinary Working Group which is backing the UL bid.

She said it was favoured because of the location of its campus, its accessibility, the fact it is located in the Golden Vale, the reputation for its existing faculties and the co-location with a School of Medicine.

"Attracting competent teaching staff and to facilitate accreditation requirements from both the Veterinary Council of Ireland and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons makes it the obvious choice," she said.

"A chronic shortage of graduate places has left Ireland's strategic agri-food sector increasingly dependent on vets who are trained overseas. The low number of places available currently, at the highly-respected UCD Veterinary school means more than 100 of our graduates have to go abroad each year to gain training in Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the United Kingdom. We should be able to train our people at home and solve our own vet shortages," added Kathy Enright.

The UCD veterinary school was established in 1901 and can cater for a maximum of 82 undergraduate and 50 graduate-entry students each year.

Under the UL proposal, at least 80 students will be facilitated annually rising to 120 over time.

The Government has been urged to fast-track the creation of a second veterinary school amid warnings the country could face a future agri-welfare crisis with just one-in-four new vets registered being Irish educated.

It is also hoped that the new veterinary school will open up exciting new opportunities in research under the umbrella of the

World Health Organisation (WHO) initiative 'One Health, One Welfare' and according to Katy Enright UL is the only potential site which offers c-location with a Medical School.

Minister Simon Harris and the Higher Education Authority (HEA) recently appointed an expert advisory panel to review opportunities for new programmes in veterinary medicine.

A decision on the location of the new school is expected in the coming weeks.
AS A traditional pub is picking an oyster colour for its fresh coat of paint, one Limerick band is ready for the world to be their oyster. Around a cup of coffee, Raging Sons catch up with the Limerick Leader/Limerick Live ahead of the release of a new wave of creativity.

Made up of vocalist and guitarist Fint Tynan from St Patrick's Road, Caherdavin native and drummer Adam Reeves, and Galway native Colum Kelly, the trio has been playing together since 2018.

Influenced by the likes of Muse, The Killers, and Nothing But Thieves, the group blends mercurial and absorbing vocals, roaring guitars and powerful drums.

In 2021, the purveyors of alternative rock released their debut album, 20:20. In a few weeks, they will share their next single, ahead of a March 10 gig in Dolans.

In the midst of the pandemic, the release of their debut album got delayed. Looking back on the timing of it all, Fint comments: We released a few singles, which went pretty well. I think we did a couple of gigs. And then, I suppose with the uncertainty of Covid-19, the breaks were hit a little bit. So, we decided to get back into the studio and write some new stuff.

We managed to release the album, have an album launch, play a gig two weeks later, and a week after that country shut down again, adds Adam.

Showcasing their unique sound, 20:20 is a medley of dark and enigmatic synths, roaring guitars, driving bass and powerful drums; all forming a hurricane full of energy, angst, stoicism, heart - and most importantly, honesty.

On March 3, the band will release their new single, Talk, which represents the journey back to their origins, a shedding of inhibitions and an evolution of sound.

As part of a new wave of creativity, the trio will share the new standalone single. Described as a journey back to their origins and back to their youth, 'Talk' is a defiant call to their former selves.

If you could talk to your younger self, what would you tell them? It eludes a little bit to that. I find that lyrically, when writing a song, a verse could mean one thing, and a chorus another. Once people listen to it, they can kind of get what they want from it, explains Fint before taking a sip of his coffee.

According to Adam, the band is going back to fundamentals.

I think it's kind of an evolution, but were also going back to kind of some of the fundamentals that brought us together in the first place. Sonically, I think it brings in the best of everything we learned," he notes.

As they bounce off each others comments, there are times when the friends finish each others sentences.

Speaking of the songs theyre working on, Fint says: Its nostalgic, its kind of about what life was like growing up. The stuff were doing now, its all new. So, it seems a lot fresher and more mature as well. I think the album was such a learning curve, but its an experience.

I think the writing process has been different, we haven't been sitting on songs. I think we had a tendency of writing and playing a song and then overplaying it over, and changing things, Adam agrees.

If they had to describe their sound in three words, they would go with energetic, passionate, and emotional.

I think energetic is a good one, because you won't really get the whole picture until you see us live. I just think that live is where we want to be. When people listen to us, they might expect something else and then when they see us live, it's like a different kind of feel, points out the vocalist.

Over the years, Raging Songs faced member changes and disbandment. Speaking of past differences, Fint says: I think like with every band starting out, it's rare to see like the same members last all the way. With the members that left, I don't think there was ever really too much animosity or any l fighting or anything like that. Members that left over the years, moved away, had to go to college, or had got a job in Dublin.

And in 2018, Adam joined the band. We met Adam through another Limerick band, who he was playing with at the time as a young fellow. I remember myself and Colum kind of watching this guy play the drums and thinking, 'he's good.' We wanted him, so we actually stole him, Fint smiles.

Visibly amused by his friends unexpected sentimentality, Adam laughs: It's been the most invigorating morning of my life. f**king hell.

As their new release is about going back to their roots, this reporter cant help but wonder: What advice would they give to their younger self?

Id tell my younger self to just go out and do it. I think for any musician starting out, the biggest hurdle for them is to actually go out and play in front of people. Especially when you're doing original music, its like going out and kind of bearing your soul to people, Fint comments.

As his friend nods, he adds: The sooner you do it, the better it will be for you because you won't shy away any more. Any chance you have to play live, just do it.

One thing is certain, things are looking bright for Raging Sons. On March 10, theyll be performing in Dolans alongside special guests.

Tickets via dolans.ie
New Delhi: E-commerce giant Amazon announced Friday that it will join the Indian governments ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce) platform, and as part of its initial collaboration will integrate its Smart Commerce and logistics services with the ONDC network.

Amazon logistics services include pickup and delivery, while Smart Commerce is a suite of SaaS (software-as-a-service) products hosted on AWS that can assist MSMEs build and scale their business and integrate it with the ONDC network.

Amazon said it will continue to explore potential opportunities for a stronger integration with the ONDC network.

ONDC is a non-profit organization set up by the commerce ministrys Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) to democratise e-commerce services and provide small e-commerce stores and online sellers with a level playing field.

Amazons vision and commitment for India are closely aligned with ONDCs objectives of digitally enabling small businesses and providing convenience and choice to customers across the country," said Manish Tiwary, country manager, India Consumer Business, at Amazon India.

Tiwary added that Amazon was excited to provide its infrastructure and technology to help ONDC achieve its goals faster.

ONDC network is currently in beta phase and has conducted pilots in select cities.

We are happy that Amazon has a definite roadmap to being a part of the ONDC network and is taking its first step in coming in as the logistics partner in the ONDC network," said T Koshy, managing director and chief executive of ONDC.

The ONDC network protocol allows anyone to create an e-commerce marketplace and tap into the ONDC network to get products displayed and delivered without having to worry about logistics. It has also been equated with a unified payment interface (UPI), which has made online payments faster and easier for millions of Indians.

In August 2022, ONDC signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Small Industries and Development Bank of India (SIDBI) to onboard its huge ecosystem of MSMEs on the network. Several companies including Microsoft, Meesho, Paytm, and Dunzo have already joined the platform. Flipkart, PhonePe, and JioMart are also reportedly planning to join the network.

Last December, at the inauguration of ONDCs first office in New Delhi, Koshy had said that the network has 26 partners, which is expected to grow by another 125 by February. He added that 200 more platforms are working on technical integration with ONDC, while more than 400 buyers, sellers, and logistics partners are at the paperwork stage. ONDC will charge a small fees from platforms for maintenance and development of the network, Koshy had told Mint.
Leading broking-tech platform, FYERS becomes the first brokerage in India to launch a feature to verify trader or trade authenticity to tackle trading-related forgery on social media. The broker has launched the Verified Profit and Loss (P&L) statement, a first-of-its-kind feature that enables traders to share an accurate and verified representation of their performance in the market.

By using this feature, traders will be able to share their 100% accurate P&L on trades done through FYERS on social media via a URL, without being able to edit or manipulate it.

The feature is launched in the wake of growing instances on social media where dubious financial influencers have been found sharing fake P&Ls in a bid to boost their follower count or sell courses.

Tejas Khoday, Co-founder and CEO of FYERS said, Young traders are often influenced by manipulated profit figures published by a few deceitful influencers on social media platforms. This needs to be nipped in the bud as it can set unrealistic expectations and lead to a breakdown of trust in the ecosystem for many."

FYERS' verified P&L focuses on driving much-needed accountability in the space, reducing instances of financial fraud, and separating the wheat from the chaff.

Khoday added, "Through our new Verified P&L feature, we aim to enable the public to gauge a traders authenticity and make informed decisions based on the actual status of profits and losses, as shared through our platform."

For genuine traders and influencers, FYERS in a statement said, "sharing Verified P&L is akin to offering an independent third-party corroboration of their trades."

This will not only establish their credibility but also emerge as authentic voices in the space and attract a loyal follower base in the long run.

And for investors, a verified P&L from FYERS shared by a trader acts as proof of the authenticity of the trade made on the platform.

The brokerage will provide traders with a URL to share their Verified P&L on social media platforms, which can be accessed by anyone by clicking on the link. The URL will provide the profit and loss report for specific segments at the time of sharing.

To ensure confidentiality, the Verified P&L only shares a snapshot of the profits and losses made in a specified period. It means that a Verified P&L only shares a snapshot of the profits and losses made in a specified period.

Founded in 2015 by Tejas Khoday, Yashas Khoday, and Shreyas Khoday, FYERS has experienced rapid growth and has built a large user base of over 400,000 users with a daily turnover of over  15,000 crore.

FYERS offers unique features such as Trading View, drag-and-drop trading, and algo trading, among others.
New Delhi: Reliance Retail, which bagged the rights to sell American casual wear brand Gap in India last year, is set to roll out multiple stores of the brand in the next 12 months with an eye on the mid-premium apparel market in the country.

On Friday, Reliance Retail opened Gaps first store in the country in Mumbais Infiniti Mall, Malad, marking the latters re-entry into the Indian market after it severed ties with erstwhile partner Arvind Ltd in 2020.

In July last year, Reliance Retail Limited entered a long-term partnership with Gap Inc., to bring the American fashion brand to India. Since then Gap has been made available across 50 shop-in-shops apart from retailing on Reliance Retails fashion-focussed e-commerce platform Ajio.

Reliance Retail now initiates the second phase of the launch with the new Gap store in Infiniti Mall. The expansion of Gaps India presence will include a series of freestanding store openings across the country in the coming months." the two said in a statement.

A store is set to come up in Guwahati later this month followed by stores in Hyderabad, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata, said a top executive at Reliance Retail Limited.

In all, the retailer will open 50 stores in the next 12 months.

We believe that there is a huge nascent market for Gap in this country. Theyre launching today, I think we will spread it across India over the next one or two years," Akhilesh Prasad, President & CEO, Fashion and Lifestyle, Reliance Retail Limited.

Reliance will open stores in high double digits" over the next 12 months. Ultimately the store count will be in three figures over the next two-to-three years," Prasad added.

Through its partnership with Gap, Reliance Retail will bring Gaps shopping experience to customers across India through a mix of exclusive brand stores, multi-brand store expressions and digital commerce platforms.

Growing Gaps brick-and-mortar business through the launch of freestanding stores and multi-brand store expressions enables us to increase accessibility for Indian customers and meet them where they are shopping," said Adrienne Gernand, Managing Director of International, Global Licensing and Wholesale at Gap Inc.

Prasad said consumers in India are looking at adding more branded apparel to their wardrobes. Each section of our economy is growing. When we were a slightly lower income country the largest market segment, which is true even today, was in the middle-and-economy segment. Today as income levels are rising, theres a definite need in the mid-premium space where customers are looking for more fashionable clothing and brands. I think we will cater to that," he said.

The retailers local partner for the country will tap the top malls as well as high-streets to take Gaps range of mens, womens and childrens clothing pan-India. The brand will grow across cities, focusing more on the top 35 cities in the first few years of expansion.

The re-entry of Gap which first forayed into the Indian market in 2015 is set to raise stakes in Indias casual wear market especially as aspirational consumers switch to branded clothing.

Gap is a lifestyle brand that includes adult apparel and accessories, Gap Teen, Gap Kids, babyGap, Gap Maternity, Gap Body, GapFit, and Gap Home collections. Its parent Gap Inc also operates other brands such as Old Navy, Athleta and Banana Republic.
New Delhi: PepsiCos Mountain Dew on Friday released two new films with its brand ambassadors, Hrithik Roshan and Mahesh Babu as the onset of summer prompts beverage companies to amplify their marketing campaigns.

The new Mountain Dew commercials will be amplified across television, digital, outdoor, and social media with a 360-degree campaign.

Roll-out of the star-studded advertisements add to PepsiCos growing list of summer campaigns that it has launched lately. The company recently launched a campaign for its energy drink brand Sting featuring Akshay Kumar; it signed up Rashmika Mandanna as its new brand ambassador for 7UP. In January, it on-boarded Kannada superstar Yash as its brand ambassador for its flagship brand Pepsi.

Companies are betting on a severe and long summer to help drive demand for cold foods and beverages.

The newly released films showcase Hrithik Roshan and Mahesh Babu gearing up to perform a freefall stunt in a cargo plane. As their crew points at the risk quotient of the stunt, we see a seemingly worried Hrithik and Mahesh as they evaluate the choice in front of them. A resolute look crosses their face as they take a sip of Mountain Dew and takes the challenge head-on and emerges victorious," the company said.

With our Darr Ke Aage Jeet Hai philosophy, Mountain Dew has always celebrated the spirit of those who push themselves in the face of fear to achieve extraordinary results. In 2023, the brand acknowledges that every individual has moments of fear, but real heroes are those that face the challenge head-on and emerge as winners. We are confident that this new film will connect with our consumers across the country and relate with Hrithik Roshan and Mahesh Babu as they personify a true hero in this campaign," said Vineet Sharma, Category Director, Mountain Dew, PepsiCo India

The common goal was to create a campaign that is jaw-dropping without losing the essence of vulnerability that one experiences right before emerging victorious, said Sainath Saraban, Creative Head and Co-Founder, Studio Simple.
New Delhi: Flipkart-backed online fashion portal Myntra is set to expand offerings under its beauty portfolio, adding over 50 international brands this year as it capitalises on growing demand for such products.

New shoppers emerging from Indias smaller cities as well as those looking to widen their repertoire of beauty products are driving demand for the category, said a top executive at the company.

Myntra has been beefing up its beauty offerings over the last two years: the category is now the fastest growing within the online retailers portfolio. Beauty offerings have grown three-fold since 2020.

It now hopes that 75% of the women shoppers on its app will try out the beauty section or buy beauty products over the next 12 months, said Nandita Sinha, chief executive officer, Myntra.

We are very confident that by the end of this year, we will reach to 75% of women customers interacting or buying beauty from us on the platform and that has been a concerted two-year effort," Sinha told Mint in an interview on Friday.

Myntra Beauty houses over 1,400 beauty brands such as Etude House, LOreal Paris, Smashbox, MAC, Clinique, Estee Lauder, Bobbi Brown, Tony Moly, Anomaly and Max Factor, among others. The retailer sells categories such as coloured cosmetics, foundation, specialised hair oils, shampoo, face care etc.

We are at a place of critical mass where not just Indian brands but we are also catching the attention of international brands, they want to partner with us," she said.

It recently rolled out a campaign for its beauty category featuring actor Anushka Sharma underscoring its intent to scale up the category.

While Sinha declined to share the categorys contribution to the companys overall sales, she said that beauty is the fastest growing category for Myntra. So it will continue to increase its share overall," she added.

The move marks further competition in Indias beauty and personal care market, especially on the retail side where companies such as Nykaa, Reliance Retail and Tata Group are all participating in Indias organised beauty retail market. Indias beauty market is set to touch $26 billion by 2025, of this $6 to $7 billion will be captured online.

For Myntra, large metros and tier-1 cities account for 55% of overall beauty orders.

We are seeing consumers adopting make-up at an early age, late teens or early-job goers. We are also seeing demand for products which are very diverse and very new to the Indian market like eyebrow palettes, lip-plumpers or setting sprays. Even tier-2 customers are actually picking up products like foundation, face serums, body sprays, hair colours. The consumption is increasing because new need states are being adopted by more and more customers," Sinha said.
Through BLESED (Bharat's Largest Economic & Social Equality Drive) the company intends to perpetuate Financial Literacy and bridge the existing gap, connect with more than 1 lac people, and grow its partner community. It intends to cover more than 100 cities in this drive spread across 350 days.

Bengaluru-based Fintech Startup Ambrela.Money is all set to embark on a Roadshow. It's objective? To deepen financial penetration in Bharat and help more people participate in India's bulging financial ecosystem.

The company counts deepening financial penetration in Bharat as one of its core focus areas. It is creating a full-stack marketplace of financial products & services and intends to aid this with its own democratized distribution network consisting of 1 million plus individuals. The Marketplace app is scheduled for launch next month. The company would offer more than 200 types of products from categories like investments, credit & insurance.

"The problems of Bharat are unique. They require to be dealt with differently. Ambrela's tech & human capital approach is much more pragmatic. It also helps us address the problem of unit economics that plagues the fintech ecosystem today. Our democratised partner ecosystem would offer us an unparalleled scale and reach," said Arpit Nagda, Founder & CEO, Ambrela.Money.

Heavy investment in infrastructure in the recent past by Central & State governments alike has provided smaller cities an edge. This infrastructure would lead to massive wealth creation in smaller cities across the country in the coming decade. Ambrela.Money is confident of channelizing a good part of this new wealth into capital markets through its marketplace platform.

Over the next 10 years, the company would be working on its 50-50 mission. This is to have an investment assets under management of $50 billion and facilitate $50 billion in credit through its platform. It aspires to connect with more than 10 million Indian families using its vast last-mile distribution network.

The company was founded in the year 2022 by Arpit Nagda and Sreeraj Thamarappilly. Arpit worked as a wealth manager with IIFL Wealth (rebranded as 360.One) managing more than 200 crore in assets for HNI & UHNI families before starting Ambrela.Money. Sreeraj, the Co-Founder & CTO, is a hardcore techie who worked for Asteria Aerospace (acquired by Reliance Jio) on its cloud-based Drone as a Service (DaaS) platform SkyDeck.
US asset manager PineBridge Investments is using Indias recent market selloff to start buying stocks for its multi-asset portfolios, wagering that explosive corporate governance allegations against the Adani conglomerate wont derail a growth and manufacturing boom.

While short-seller Hindenburg Researchs Jan. 24 report about the business empire of tycoon Gautam Adani has been one reason why investors have pulled billions of dollars out of Indian markets, Michael Kelly, who oversees Pinebridges $17.8 billion global multi-asset portfolios, is among those going the other way.

The stock meltdown offered an entry point into whats historically an expensive market, according to Kelly, who also sits on PineBridges management committee. His funds were not in Indian stocks before the rout in Adani securities, but they have since bought, Kelly said, adding that we are not necessarily done."

Corporate governance risks such as those highlighted by Hindenburg exist not just in emerging markets, Kelly said, noting massive US corporate bankruptcies in 2001-2002 that were triggered by fraudulent accounting practices at Worldcom and Enron. He also does not discount the risk of more shocks to come in Indian markets as corporate governance scrutiny increases.

If you shine a spotlight, you will find things," Kelly said. You can never say there is only one cockroach. In the US there was Worldcom and then another cockroach called Enron," he added. Having said that, if you shine a light on India, you will also see a lot of good companies."

With MSCIs India index about 10% below the record high hit in December, some of these names have become more affordable, Kelly said, even though the gauge still trades around 20 times forward earnings  double the ratio of the main emerging-markets benchmark.

There are companies trading at 90 times earnings, with a large weight in global indexes, but you can also find things that are not expensive and are not significant in indexes," he said, declining to say which stocks he was buying.

Kellys bullishness is based on conviction that India, after several false starts, is finally set to benefit from global multinationals desire to diversify manufacturing away from China. Companies including Apple Inc. and Foxconn Technology Co.. are expanding Indian operations, reacting to Sino-US tensions, and draconian Covid policies that paralyzed swathes of industry last year.

While Indias labyrinthine bureaucracy and poor infrastructure have caused plenty of frustrated foreign companies to ditch their plans for India, Kelly said banking sector improvements and measures to streamline taxation are game-changers for foreign direct investments. With the China issues, we are again hearing people talking about giving India another try," he added.

Kelly also likes Chinese shares: India and China together account for a mid-teens" percentage share in his multi-asset portfolios, positions he funded by selling US and European equities. But he sees Indias outlook as clearer for now, with Chinese President Xi Jinpings future policy direction a particular concern, following crackdowns on several sectors including private tutoring and gaming.

In India, we think we can buy an accelerating three-four-year growth picture at a reasonable price," Kelly said. In China, you can buy an accelerating picture for the next year, after that we have to see whether Xi will go back to Maoism."

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.

Know your inner investor Do you have the nerves of steel or do you get insomniac over your investments? Lets define your investment approach. Take the test
As the ruckus inside the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) continued on Friday, an AAP councillor collapsed at Delhi Civic Centre. The councillors from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) clashed at Delhi Civic Centre once again and jostled, manhandled, and rained blows on each other.

The videos from the clashes are doing rounds on social media where the physical brawl is visible. AAP Councillor, Ashok Kumar Maanu who collapsed at Delhi Civic Centre, appeared before the media with other Councillors of his party.

"They are so shameless that they attacked even women and the Mayor. BJP goons did this," the councillors from AAP said.

#WATCH | Delhi: AAP Councillor, Ashok Kumar Maanu who collapsed at Delhi Civic Centre minutes back, appears before media with other Councillors of his party.



They say, "They are so shameless that they attacked even women and the Mayor. BJP goons did this." pic.twitter.com/dbz4xE8FW9  ANI (@ANI) February 24, 2023

AAP MLA Atishi condemned the violence and said that the country is watching. She added that those who attacked the Mayor of the MCD, Shelly Oberoi will be sent behind bars.

What behavior is this? This is shameful and condemnable. The country is seeing this. BJP should accept their defeat. I request BJP to stop their goondaism. Those who have attacked the Mayor will be sent behind bars," AAP leader Atishi said on ruckus in Civic Centre.

Today BJP showed goondaism in the Civic center. A standing committee election was going on. When counting started BJP realized they were losing & they created a ruckus. The mayor was attacked & physically assaulted by the BJP male member," Atishi added.

While alleging election tampering, BJP leader Vijender Gupta alleged that several of our councillors are injured in fist fights.

Election results are being tampered with, wrong announcements are being made & they're indulging in fist fights. Several of our Councillors were injured. FIR is being lodged. The manner in which they've been beaten up, AAP has shown that they are a party of goons," Vijender Gupta said.

The clashes erupted as counting for the six-member standing committee of the MCD was underway. The panel is the highest decision-making body of the house.

With inputs from ANI
Ukraine crisis brings EU's strategic autonomy back into spotlight

Xinhua) 09:10, February 24, 2023

ROME, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- The conflict in Ukraine has brought the decades-old issue of the European Union's (EU) strategic autonomy back into the spotlight, according to analysts.

In many ways, the United States has been a leader in setting policies that have backed the Ukrainian cause, with European countries largely following its steps.

Ukraine has benefited from strong support from the EU as well. But analysts say it is clear the U.S. has taken the leading role.

"The powers the EU has in regard to foreign policy and security policy are very limited compared to the powers it has in other policy areas," Mattia Guidi, a political scientist at Rome's LUISS University, told Xinhua.

He says there are multiple reasons for that, including the depth of the influence of the United States and the way geopolitical issues are decided in Europe.

"The EU makes decisions based on a unanimity rule, which means that it is necessary to put all 27 member states around a table and find a solution that fits everyone," Guidi said. "That is very difficult. What usually happens is that with foreign and security policy, the European Union can't decide anything substantial."

That was the case earlier this month, when Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky met with European leaders in Brussels for the European Council summit on Feb. 9.

There was consensus in terms of pledging continued support for Ukraine, but wide differences remained on what that meant: some countries wanted to support Ukraine in possible peace talks, some wanted to limit support to financial mechanisms, and others wanted to continue military support.

There was also criticism from Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni that the trilateral talks between Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Paris one day before the summit were "inappropriate" given the unanimity principle, Guidi said.

Analysts say those issues have increased the influence of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which is now the principal support framework for Ukraine, and one that had already started to support Kiev years before the conflict broke out.

Facing a large-scale conflict at its door, the EU's capacity was limited in how it could respond. At the same time, NATO has expanded military presence on its eastern flank. Its regular defense ministers' meeting and the larger Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at the U.S. airbase in Ramstein, rather than the EU Council of foreign and defense ministers, now make decisions concerning the conflict.

"NATO is already there. It is a more functional organization for managing these issues, and it is where, of course, the United States plays a central role," Guidi said. "It's also easy for this shift to take place because there is such a large overlap between NATO and the EU."

NATO has 30 member states, including 21 members of the EU. Two more EU member states, Sweden and Finland, are in the process of joining NATO, while multiple non-EU NATO member states are seeking EU membership.

According to Ingo Peters, a foreign policy expert at the Free University of Berlin, the issue of the strategic autonomy of the EU is one that has often come to the surface in the past, since the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s.

"The strategic autonomy of Europe has already been favored by some, but not by all," Peters, who is currently a visiting scholar at the Center for European Studies at the U.S. University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, told Xinhua.

"Germany, for example, has always said that the EU should not go forward without the United States, which it has said is something essential to strengthening the European Union," Peters said.

Germany reportedly agreed to send advanced Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine in late January only after the United States decided to send M1 Abrams tanks.

"There are historic reasons for this, since we Germans believe there is a need for United States influence in Europe as a kind of external balance in order to keep our friends and neighbors calm," Peters said.

Germany is EU's largest economy, but Peters noted it has not always been a major player in issues related to international relations and security in part due to its legacy from the two World Wars of the 20th century. But that has begun to evolve in the year since the Ukraine conflict began, Peters said.

"Over the last months, Europe's strategic autonomy has been given a reality check," said Ulrike Franke, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

"Europe needs to become stronger and more united, less immediately dependent on a United States that is less and less keen to focus its efforts, attention and money on Europe," Franke said.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
India wants to Sikkimise Nepal well within five year term of Nepals new President. So the search in earnest has been going since two months or so. The goal set is for 2030.

by N. P. Upadhyaya (Aryal)

Biratnagar: It has rightly been said by commentators that if India is your next door neighbor, then you dont need to invite enemy from abroad.

The words of wisdom has begun circulating in Kathmandus political circuit with the forceful arrival of the Indian Viceroy, Foreign Secretary Binaya Mohan Quatra to Kathmandu last week.

Hardly had he stayed two days in Nepal, however, he accomplished tasks that were of Indias prime interests.

The senior clerk from India met with all the key players in Nepal in his short stay.

He behaved as if he were the Nepal King sent from India.

He has direct access even at Nepals Presidents palace.

Even a tom-dick and harry from India is taken as Almighty in Nepal.





Conversely, Nepal Ambassador posted in Delhi even cant meet the foreign ministry peon. Ask Ambassador Nilambar Acharya as to how he was treated in India?





This explains the Nepali status in India and yet RAW agents in Nepal eulogize India?

Shame on Indias choukidars as reiterated by Indian nationals.

And the interest being this time around was to find one Nepali Lendup Dorje who could assist Indias bid for Sikkimisation of Nepal sooner than later. The search is in speed as the time left for the Presidential election is approaching fast.

Indian activities though seemingly began right with the special dictatorial meet of an India funded media Guru with the Kathmandu RAW Chief, Mr. Raghav Bhatnagar as reported and authenticated by a vernacular weekly (Wednesdayer), but our own source claims that in the recent days and weeks, several Indian leaders (of third grade as well) and high ranking RAW men from Delhi have sneaked in Kathmandu and met those who were the movers and shakers of Nepali politics.

Indian and Nepali national flags [ File Photo]

Some even claim that the RAW central Chief Mr. Samantha Kumar Goyal himself landed in Kathmandu some ten days ago and returned back to Delhi upon meeting and instructing the India nourished current Prime Minister P. K. Dahal.

For the RAW men, Nepal and its leaders were mere loyal servants.

Needless to say, PM Dahal is the same person who acted as Indian proxy during the India designed and funded Nepals Maoists War. He is yet Indias man, say high placed sources.

It was this senseless war waged by two Nepali nationals on their own motherland Nepal under the dictates of India which had long time back trained and indoctrinated these two Nepali nationals to work for India.

Back to the point:

Nepal is all set to have a new President for a five year term.

The competing powers in Kathmandu, for example, China, the US and India wish to install such a political man who could remain over sympathetic towards the country which has made strenuous efforts to install him or her.

However, chances remain fair that in the race in between the US, China and India, the Indian choice may finally emerge with flying colors.

India needs Nepali traitors who could act like Lendhup Dorje for obvious reasons.

India has to prevail in Nepal or else the RAW funding in billions will go in vain.

Every third man in Kathmandus political and media circuit works for India as he is on salary.

Or it could be that a name could be preferred both by India and the US who has strong commitment to the Indo-US lobby and its activities that are yet to be known to Nepali people.

Or it could be only a single name (in Indias dictated consensus) who could be declared as new Nepal President.

Why the US or for that matter China are in the race is not known, however, what is clear and well understood fact is that India wants a committed Lendhup Dorje who could excel even the Sikkkimi traitor Dorje who in effect assisted Madame Indira Gandhi in facilitating the Indian republic to annex the independent and sovereign Sikkim in the mid seventies.

Thanks God, Nepal has traitors galore.

The secret arrival of the RAW Chief Mr. S.K Goyal and the Indian foreign secretary B. M. Quatra was for dictating the name(s) of the new Nepal President of Indian choice and preferences.

Most of the current Nepali leaders worship RAW Chief as a deity.

The names RAW and Indian FS forwarded as per Nepals social media, are Devendra Raj Pandey, Anuradha Koirala, Daman Nath Dhungana, and Professor Lok Raj Baral.

Needless to say, all the four good names were tentatively Indias committed men.

Krishna Prasad Sitaula, Mahanta Thakur, however, could be the best choice for India for obvious reasons?

Sitaula is the one who assisted India in deposing King Gyanendra.

Some even opine that these four damaged diamonds as forwarded by RAW have never remained true to mother Nepal but instead supported India when the latter encroached upon Nepali landmass here and there.

For them, Mera Bharat Mahan is the best song.

This speaks of it all as to how the upcoming President will serve India during his or her tenure if it is of Indian preferences and imposition.

Frankly speaking, India needs an thoroughly India bend man (close to Mera Bharat Mahan) with Nepali citizenship certificate in order to get through the Citizenship Bill that shall in all likelihood be tabled in the impending session.

When the Kings of Nepal denied the Citizenship bills, the institution itself was dismantled.

The idea is to overwhelm Nepal with Indian immigrants and capture Nepal.

And with the new President in Nepal, if and when of Indian choice, Sikkimisation of Nepal is guaranteed.

The new Nepal President shall preside over Sikkimisation Nepal.

However, yet another name is floating in the Kathmandus political market and he is Madhav Kumar Nepal.

As the rumors go, Mr. Nepals daughter got a free MBBS scholarship from the Indian embassy. He was hand in glove with the Maoists insurgency and used to meet insurgents in Delhi under Delhis instructions.

KP Oli too has forwarded the name of his former UML colleague. This has meaning underneath.

Oli is talked to be excessively close to RAW boss, Mr. S. K. Goyal.

Mr. Nepal is also the one former UML leader who wished to invite Indian military men to tame King Birendra in the early 90s.

This event speaks of his love and honor for Nepal?

Fresh news says that Mr. Madhav Nepal could be a consensus candidate for Nepal President which means that RAW has already finalized Mr. Nepal as new Nepal President.









Critics of Mr. Nepal claim that Mr. Nepal was born in India and thinks of India only round the clock.

However, late Madan Bhandari objected to Mr. Nepals anti-national proposal but Mr. Nepal prefers yet to serve the country of his choice.

Likewise, senior Nepali Congress leader Ram Chandra Poudel, who is also in the Presidential race too enjoyed the free MBBS scholarship from the Indian embassy for his daughter.

This was in the rumor then some two decades ago.

If Nepali Congress picks Poudel, then it should mean that he is Indian choice.

Thus whosoever from among these face are elevated as new Nepal President will for sure make its a point to primarily serve the Indian interests well as much as the sitting Indian Prime Minister Modi has commitment to serve India.

The goal is to Sikkimise Nepal.

The US has also its favorite and thus, as rumors say, the flurry of US key officials to Kathmandu which, as talked, was to make sure a political personality in Nepal who has a clear and distinct US curvature and expectedly work to enhance the US designed mega Project-the MCC ( Millennium Corporation).

The US too has increased its diplomatic activities in Nepal of late which is being contested by some media men belonging to the Indian coterie.

Yet another Indian funded Daily also in the recent days questioned the very intent of the arrivals of the US officials in Kathmandu.

A high placed source says that the US has of late tried its best to influence Nepali politics with the purposeful visit first by Victoria Nuland, Samantha Power and in the recent days Afreen Akhtar.

All these three lady US personnel reportedly landed in Kathmandu to drum up support for the person of their liking for the Nepal President Post.

Jutta Urpilainnen-the European Union Commissioner for International Partnership, Andrew Morrison from the United Kingdom and the just arrived German Parliamentary delegation in Kathmandu, all presumably have come here to add to the strength of the US choice for Nepal President.

Most interestingly, South Korea too is talked to be adding weight to the choice of the Western countries.

China too is in the race with its defeated diplomacy and its Kathmandu based envoy Chen Song too could be seen meeting Nepali key leaders to impress upon them in order to guarantee a Nepal President with a communist-curve.

Chen met PM Dahal, KP Oli and Maadhav Nepal so that a communist man occupies the Presidential Chair.

Chinese envoy even invited PM Dahal to attend to the BOAO conference in China.





This does tell that the US and the Western countries would ensure that a non-communist and a visible China hater political man for Nepal President as against Chinas preference.





Thus the race is in between the US, EU and UK versus China.





Needless to say, of all in the race, the one who is to emerge with flying colors is India and its proxy as Nepal President for five years.





India needs an Indo-pendent Nepali national who ensures the Sikkimisation of Nepal.





The target set by India for the Sikkimisation of Nepal is by early 2030.





India wishes to catapult the Nepali demographic structure and ensure Sikkimisation of Nepal.





To recall, Indira Gandhi had calculated Nepals Sikkimisation to be completed by 2015. However, with her

coldhearted death in 1984 October, the RAW plans were presumably shifted.

What is more than stunning is that a bogus Indian Professor Sukha Deo Muni-a self proclaimed Nepal expert, too has floated four names presumably with the RAW instructions.

SD Munis choice equals to RAW choice.

The names are, as said earlier, Mr. Pandey, Dhungana, Mrs. Koirala and Professor L.R Baral.

Strong rumors say that Mrs. Koirala is an Indian national and she has acquired a fake Nepali citizenship certificate.

Their contributions to mother Nepal, if any in notice ever, is that they have never taken a firm stand as and when India pounces upon Nepal. It was perhaps this favor that elevated Professor Lok Raj Baral to get Ambassadorial post in Delhi long time back.

A Sri Lankan scholar talked about Ambassador Baral that Professor Baral is so sweet that he keeps on saying that India can do no wrong.

India needs a devoted and loyal from Nepal who could act like a horse for India.

Whosoever gets the plum post, is Indias trusted man and conversely for Nepal and its people he is a new Lendhup Dorje a la Sikkim.

The imposition of economic blockades by India on Nepal is a moment for celebration for these Indias beloved ones.

These political men dubbed as pro-India elements instead say that Nepal must not have teased India.

Some even say that Nepal should ask apology.

No wonder the names forward by the Indian Foreign Secretary Quatra during his fresh Nepal visit tallies verbatim with the names suggested by the father of Nepals Maoists insurgency-Professor SD Muni.

Professor Muni keeps on intervening Nepali politics at regular intervals.

People in Nepal love to hate Professor Muni.

To recall, Professor Muni was the one who took the initiative for a secret meet of the then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Bajpaye with the Delhi hiding Nepal Maoists leaders, Comrade Prachanda and Dr. B. R. Bhattarai.

PM Vajpayee was a declared Nepal hater.

Authentic reports have it that Nepal Maoists leaders while meeting the Indian Prime Minister Bajpaye gave word to the Indian PM that their insurgency will devastate Nepal and conversely pose no harm to the prime security interests of India.

Professor Muni arranged this exclusive meet with the Indian PM through Brajesh Mishra-the then National Security Advisor to Indian PM.

The security pact in between Nepals Maoists and the Indian government was reportedly signed on June 6, 2002.

The fresh visit of Indian Foreign Secretary Quatra was, as is being interpreted, to remind the Nepal Maoists leaders to act upon what they had assured and promised to the Indian government while being in India and under that too Indian governments protection.

What the Nepal Maoists leaders have had committed to the Indian government then is not known but could be anybodys guess.

Concluding remarks:

When the Nepali State is weak, India pounces upon Nepal from all possible quarters.

Needless to say, whosoever is new Nepals President, he will be an India recognized, trained and submissive man ready to work for the preservation of the Indian interests in Nepal round the clock.

China has now reasons to lament and repent for having assisted the Indian regime in dismantling the Nepali monarchy in the year 2006-8.

China is alone in Kathmandu. In fact China is not a reliable partner of Nepal. With the Nepali monarchy gone, China has lost its recognized and trusted friend in Nepal. China must feel the pain.

Nepal is at the moment so weak that even a redundant and repulsive Indian Professor floats and dictates some names to be appointed as new Nepal President.

And the tragedy is that the Face book nationalists of Nepal are deriding the Professor who just wanted to have an India friendly Nepal President. Frankly speaking Professor Muni is not at fault. He is serving his mother India. Indian nationals are nationalist.

Thats all.
Dhaka: Adani Power on Thursday promised to supply electricity to Bangladesh at a reduced price keeping consistent with the generation cost in the countrys existing coal-fired plants.

The Adani will import the coal for its plants at the same price the Bangladeshi coal-run plants do for themselves," the mass-circulation Prothom Alo newspaper reported quoting an Adani official.

It said the Indian company agreed to revise its procurement price for coal to keep the per unit power price almost equal to those of Bangladeshi coal-fired plants like the Rampal and Payra, the two joint-venture installations with India and China.

A responsible official of Adani group in Bangladesh has confirmed the development to Prothom Alo," the newspaper reported while Bangladesh officials declined to comment immediately.

Bangladeshs state-run Power Development Board (PDB) earlier this month sought to revise to a 2017 power purchase agreement with Adani Power Ltd as the price for the coal-generated electricity appeared too expensive.

A senior PDB official on Thursday, however, briefly said Adani Power sent a five-member delegation for negotiation with Bangladeshi officials as the high coal price" to be purchased for the Adani plant at Indias Jharkhand emerged as the key factor for the dispute.

Media reports earlier said Bangladesh sought the price revision after it received a request from Adani Power in relation to opening LCs in India to import the coal for the 1,600 MW plant in the Godda district of Jharkhand.

"In our view, the coal price they have quoted (USD 400/MT) is excessive - it should be less than USD 250/MT, which is what we are paying for the imported coal at our other thermal power plants," an official said earlier preferring anonymity.

Adani Power requires a demand note from Bangladesh that will be presented to Indian authorities before opening LCs against the coal import as their plant is meant for exporting power to the neighbouring country.

The US-based Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) earlier in a 2018 report called the Adani project to be too expensive and too risky for Bangladesh".

Bangladesh currently imports 1,160MW of electricity from India while the 2017 agreement it is supposed to buy electricity from Adani Power Ltd for 25 years and start getting electricity from March this year.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
Adani Total Private Ltd will receive its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo at the Dhamra terminal on India's east coast in April and expects to start commercial operations 30 to 45 days after receiving the shipment, the Adani Group told Reuters.

The start-up of the 5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) LNG import terminal, delayed from September 2021, is crucial to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's plan to boost natural gas use in the country's energy mix to 15% from about 6% currently.

The Adani Group's first LNG import terminal will boost gas use in India's east, where the Dhamra project is only the second import terminal. The country's five other import terminals are on its western coast.

Adani Total, in which French energy giant TotalEnergies SE has a 50% stake, said the Dhamra terminal expected safety checks and testing to be completed in February, adding that all key regulatory approvals have been achieved.

"The port infrastructure at Dhamra is ready to receive LNG cargoes at the Terminal per the contractual specifications," an Adani Group spokeswoman said in an emailed response to questions late on Thursday.

India's imports fell for a second consecutive year in 2022 after rising for seven years, data from analytics firm Kpler showed, with its appetite curbed by high prices due to Europe's scramble for gas to replace supply from Russia.

However in January, as Asian LNG prices cooled, imports rose for the first time in eight months, government data showed. Officials expect expanded local gas distribution to drive LNG demand in the coming years.

Adani Total expects to receive 2.2 million tonnes of LNG at Dhamra in the year to March 2024, the company's chief executive told Reuters this month.

It has a 20-year take-or-pay contract to provide regasification services to state-run Indian Oil Corp for 3 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of LNG and 1.5 mtpa for government-run gas distributor GAIL (India) Ltd.
Agricultural education should become the epicentre of research, innovation and entrepreneurship for the progress of the country, said Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday.

Addressing the 61st convocation ceremony of ICAR- Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-IARI) in New Delhi, the Vice President said that agriculture is the backbone of Indias economy. There is tremendous contribution of the Annadata towards the overall progress of the nation. It is the commitment of the countrys farm sector which made it possible to ensure food security for over 800 million people, even when the world was in the midst of a pandemic."

Dhankhar added that Indias efforts towards marking the year 2023 as the International Year of Millets has significance for the agriculture sector across the world. There is an increasing use of cutting-edge technology in agriculture, including drones, which is transforming this sector in tandem with changing times."

He said that the government took steps to uplift the farm sector. Rs. 2.2 lakh crore has been transferred to over 11.4 crore farmers under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi initiative."

The Vice President added that the immense talent pool of ICAR-IARI is drawn from all sections which truly represent India. It is drawn from the segment that has the most authentic enterprise, mission and passion to give everything for the country."

Dhankhar said that the young minds should take pride in Indias achievements and its credentials as the Mother of Democracy. The Parliament is meant for dialogue, debate, discussion and deliberation, and should not become a platform for disruption and disturbance. The privileges granted under Article 105 of the Constitution come with heavy responsibility, and are not unqualified."

Observing that no civil or criminal case can be filed against members for what they say inside the House, the Vice President stressed that every word spoken in Parliament should be after due thought and consideration. Parliament cannot be allowed to become a platform with free fall of information," he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi cautioned on Friday that unsustainable debt levels posed a threat to the financial stability of nations and called upon G20 finance ministers and central bank governors to work towards restoring stability, confidence, and growth to the global economy.

Addressing the inaugural session of the first finance ministers and central bank governors meeting of the G20 under Indias presidency, Modi also pressed for reforms at multilateral institutions, pointing out that the reluctance to make changes contributed to the erosion of trust in international financial institutions.

The statement comes a day after US treasury secretary Janet Yellen said that Chinas cooperation is needed to resolve debt in several distressed countries. She also highlighted the need to provide debt treatment to Zambia and to commit to specific and credible financing assurances for Sri Lanka".

The International Monetary Fund has estimated that about 60% of low-income countries are in, or at high risk of, debt distressdouble the 2015 level, and about 25% of emerging economies are at a high risk" and are facing default-like" borrowing spreads.

The covid pandemic has delivered a once-in-a-century blow to the global economy. Many countries, especially developing economies, are still coping with its after-effects. We are also witnessing rising geopolitical tensions in different parts of the world. There are disruptions in global supply chains. Many societies are suffering due to rising prices. And food and energy security have become major concerns across the world. Even the financial viability of many countries is threatened by unsustainable debt levels. It is now up to youthe custodians of the leading economies and monetary systems of the worldto bring back stability, confidence and growth to the global economy. It is not an easy task," said Modi during his video address at the meeting in Bengaluru.

Indias G20 sherpa Amitabh Kant also recently spoke about how China needs to play a role in settling debt with these economies by taking a haircut. China needs to come out openly and say what their debt is and how to settle it... It cant be that the IMF takes a haircut and it goes to settle Chinese debt. How is that possible? Everybody has to take a haircut," Kant told Bloomberg earlier this month.

International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Kristalina Georgieva said on Thursday that the IMF, World Bank and Indias G20 presidency would convene a new Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable to find lasting solutions to the stressed sovereign debt levels of low-income nations. According to the IMF, about 15% of low-income countries are in debt distress, and another 45% are at high risk of debt distress.

PM Modi and finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman have stated that India, as G20 president, will be the voice of low-income and developing economies and will push for reducing the sovereign debt of poorer nations.

I would urge that your discussions should focus on the most vulnerable citizens of the world. Only by creating an inclusive agenda will the global economic leadership win back the confidence of the world," said Modi in his address.

The meeting, spread over three sessions on Friday and Saturday, will cover issues like leveraging digital public infrastructure for advancing financial inclusion and productivity gains, financing resilient, inclusive, and sustainable cities for tomorrow, and strengthening multilateral development banks to address shared global challenges like sustainable development goals.

Modi also urged the G20 meeting delegates to experience Indias path-breaking" digital payments platform Unified Payments Interface (UPI), which could become a template for other countries. He added that India would be happy to share its experience with the world on digital payments.

During our G20 presidency, we have created a new system. This allows our G20 guests to use Indias path-breaking digital payments platform, UPI. As you make use of it and experience its ease of use, you will understand why Indian consumers have adopted it so willingly. Examples like UPI can be templates for many other countries, too. We would be happy to share our experience with the world. And, the G20 can be a vehicle for this," said Modi.

He said that Indias digital payments ecosystem, which is highly secure, highly trusted, and highly efficient", has been developed as a free public good and has radically transformed governance, financial inclusion, and ease of living in India.
New Delhi: Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Friday called upon the youth to innovate, develop latest technologies and set up new companies, research establishments and start-ups to provide a new acceleration to the governments efforts towards making India a more powerful and self-reliant nation.

Addressing the students of Visva Bharati University during the convocation ceremony at Birbhum, West Bengal, the minister said that they should take inspiration from Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore and move forward with vision, knowledge in one hand and centuries-old Indian traditions, values on the other, and strive to achieve the overall objective of taking the nation up the development ladder.

Singh added that the ability to move forward in a balanced way without getting distracted is the key to success. Character building, knowledge and wealth should be given equal weightage. The path of Indias progress goes through the youth. The stronger you are, the stronger our country will be."

He said that the Visva Bharati University is a physical manifestation of the philosophical legacy of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore and an embodiment of his knowledge and wisdom. The university is a unique blend of Indian and global knowledge. It assimilates the flow of knowledge from across the globe into Indian thought and enlightens the whole world."

The minister added that for centuries, Indian nationalism has been based on the feeling of cooperation and human welfare. It is cultural, not territorial. Consciousness comes before territory. Human welfare is the focus. Indian Nationalism is all-inclusive rather than exclusivist and is inspired by universal welfare. Visva-Bharati is an indicator of this sentiment."

Singh said that Rabindranath Tagore had a vision to promote industrial development and modern science and technology for the development of the nation. It is the result of his vision that today, India is moving forward on the path of development by setting new standards in the field of science and technology. We are Making in India, Making for the World."

He added that India is progressing continuously as the fifth largest economy in the world. According to a recent report of investment firm Morgan Stanley, India will become the third largest economy in the next 4-5 years. I am hopeful that we will become the worlds top economy by 2047."
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed on Friday that it attached assets worth more than 305 crore of Joy Alukkas Verghese, the owner of Joyalukkas, a prominent jewelry business group based in Kerala. The action was linked to Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) case which involves huge cash" transfers to Dubai by the company through hawala channels.

The seizure of assets comes after the central agency carried out searches at multiple locations of the Thrissur-headquartered group on 22 February.

"The attached assets include 33 immovable properties (valued at 81.54 crore) consisting of a land and residential building in Shobha City, Thrissur, three bank accounts (having deposits of 91.22 lakh), three fixed deposits worth 5.58 crore and shares of Joyalukkas India Pvt Ltd (valued at 217.81 crore)," the ED said in a statement.

The statement added that the amount of total assets attached under FEMA stands at 305.84 crore.

ED said that the case involves a "huge amount of cash transferred to Dubai from India through hawala (illegal money transfer) channels and subsequently invested in Joyalukkas Jewellery LLC, Dubai which is a 100 percent owned company of Joy Alukkas Verghese."

The agency has pointed out that the official documents and mail, they found as evidence in their searches "clearly proved" the link between Joy Alukkas and hawala transactions. ED alleged that Verghese is the "beneficial owner" of the funds invested in Joyalukkas Jewellery LLC, Dubai.

The development comes days after Joyalukkas withdrew its 23 billion rupees ($278 million) initial public offering (IPO). The company said that it needed more time to incorporate substantial changes to its financial results.

The Chief Executive of the company Baby George told news agency Reuters that it plans to refile its IPO documents "at the earliest, subject to market conditions."
New Delhi: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday held bilateral discussions with her counterparts ahead of the G20 finance and central bank governors meet in Bengaluru on key issues like a regulatory framework for crypto assets, preparedness for future pandemic-like shocks and strengthening multilateral development banks.

Sitharaman met Italian Minister of Economy and Finance Giancarlo Giorgetti, Japans Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Canadas Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland and Argentinian Minister of Economy Sergio Tomas Massa, the finance ministry said.

Sitharaman discussed the priorities under Indias G20 presidency with her counterparts.

The ministry said Italys Giorgetti extended his full support for Indias G20 presidency.

While New Delhi is keen to put forth perspectives of the Global South, Giorgetti indicated that Italy would continue to be a bridge between the Global North and the Global South.

Sitharaman exchanged views on G20 finance track priorities under Indias presidency with the US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. The two leaders discussed their perspectives on strengthening multilateral development banks, global debt vulnerabilities, crypto assets, and health, besides the Just Energy Transition Partnership and possible takeaways for the two sides. Both sides agreed that lessons learnt from the covid pandemic should not be lost sight of and there is a need for enhancing preparedness for future pandemic type shocks," the ministry said.

Agustin Carstens, General Manager, Bank for International Settlements, who met Sitharaman, informed her that BIS is looking forward to working closely with Indian G20 Presidency and provide support to priorities in the area of technological innovation and payments.

Sitharaman and Japans Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki exchanged their views on priorities under G20 finance track discussions. Both the ministers looked forward to close cooperation between Japan as G7 Presidency and India as G20 Presidency on strengthening of multilateral development banks, debt related issues, financing cities of tomorrow and coordinated policy for crypto assets, the ministry said in a social media post.

The Japanese Minister assured his whole-hearted support to India during its G20 Presidency, the ministry said.

Sitharaman acknowledged the support of Canadas Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland in the communique drafting, cooperation in multilateral development bank reform and climate finance. Freeland stated that the pension funds in Canada are aware of the safety and opportunity of investing in India with a large population, economy size and democratic structure, and will approach the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF). She assured the finance minister of extending support to India during the Presidency," the ministry said.

Finance ministers and central bank governors of G20 nations will hold the two-day meeting starting Friday. The meeting will discuss global economy, international taxation, digital public goods for financial inclusion and global health. The meeting will be co-chaired by Sitharaman and RBI governor Shaktikanta Das.

It will cover issues such as strengthening multilateral development banks to address global challenges of the 21st century, financing for resilient, inclusive and sustainable cities of tomorrow, leveraging digital public infrastructure for advancing financial inclusion and productivity gains.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Gireesh Chandra Prasad Gireesh has over 22 years of experience in business journalism covering diverse aspects of the economy, including finance, taxation, energy, aviation, corporate and bankruptcy laws, accounting and auditing. Read more from this author
The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Co. Ltds appeal against the Maharashtra governments acquisition of its Vikhroli land for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. The apex court observed that the project is of national importance and should not be delayed on account of a dispute concerning the compensation given to a party for the acquisition of their land.

We will give you the liberty to file a claim for additional compensation, and we will set a deadline to determine that application...this is all about money...But this is a national project we are talking about," a bench headed by Chief Justice Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud told senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi who appeared for the company.

Rohatgi, on his part, complained that the state government had initially offered 572 crore for the land acquisition, whereas what they finally paid up was only 264 crore.

However, the bench, which also comprised justices P.S. Narasimha and J.B. Pardiwala, said Godrej & Boyce should pursue its remedies under the law for the enhancement of compensation instead of fighting the acquisition.

Much water has flown; possession has already been taken over; the project is being constructed...you are also a responsible company. Giving [ 572 crore] at gunpoint by the Supreme Court will have adverse effects...we cannot do that now," added the bench.

Solicitor general Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Maharashtra government and National High Speed Rail Corp. Ltd, submitted that the delay has significantly raised the project cost, and a spat over compensation should not let a project of national importance get impacted. He added that the company was responsible for the projects delay, resulting in an additional cost of 1,000 crore.

The SC order said: We are not inclined to intervene. If any application for enhancement of compensation is submitted, then let it be decided within six weeks."

The state government and the company have been embroiled in a legal dispute since 2019 over acquiring the companys land in Vikhroli for the bullet train project. Of the total 508.17 km of rail track between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, about 21 km is to be underground. One of the entry points to the underground tunnel falls on the land at Vikhroli, owned by the company. In September, the state government went ahead with acquiring the land in question and awarded a compensation of 264 crore in lieu of it.

Godrej & Boyce challenged this award before the Bombay high court, which dismissed the plea, holding that national importance took precedence over private interests. The private interest claimed by the petitioner does not prevail over the public interest which would subserve infrastructural project of public importance which is a dream project of this country and first of its kind," said the high court, adding that the companys petition is devoid of merit. The high court held that there was no illegality in the award or the decision taken by the appropriate government under the pertinent provisions of the Fair Compensation Act.

The estimated cost for this project is around 1.08 trillion, and so far, an amount of more than 32,000 crore has been expended by the NHSRCL towards its implementation. Approximately 430 hectares are required for the project, out of which, as of November 2022, 97% is already acquired.

For the underground section between Bandra Kurla Complex and Thane, all the land parcels required are already in possession of the NHSRCL, except the petitioners (Godrej & Boyces) land, the court observed. From the ecological point of view, the government would undertake to plant over 110,000 mangrove saplings in between the piers to be installed in the mangrove area along with other safeguards as set out in the permissions/approvals", the high court further noted in its 9 February order.
Welcoming Vice President Jagdeo to Rashtrapati Bhavan, President Murmu said that trade between India and Guyana is on an upward trajectory. In 2021-22, despite the pandemic the bilateral trade witnessed a growth of over 300 percent. There is a need to further diversify the bilateral trade."

She added that Guyana has been a homeland to Indian brothers and sisters for the last 180 years. Even though India and Guyana are separated geographically by a large distance, both have many aspects in common, such as a colonial past, predominantly agricultural and rural based economies, and multicultural societies."

She said that the development partnership is a major pillar of India-Guyana relations. More than 640 Guyanese Government officials have been trained under our ITEC programme so far. This visit of Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo will further deepen historical bonds of friendship between the two countries."

Indias relations with Guyana are warm and cordial with a high degree of understanding. The interaction is structured through periodic Joint Commissions, Foreign Office Consultations, Cultural Exchange Programme and ITEC.

Of late, Indian companies have shown increased interest in mining and forestry. A number of Indian companies have acquired agricultural land for cultivation of maize, pulses, vegetables and fruits etc. Some have invested in the field of education and health services.
While addressing a rally in poll-bound Meghalaya, PM Modi on Friday came down heavily on the Congress party for raising slogans like 'Modi teri kabar khudegi' (Modi, your grave would be dug). He condemned the language and thinking of the Congress and said the country will give a "befitting reply" to such people. PM Modi added that the country and people are saying "Modi Tera Kamal Khilega" (Modi, your lotus will bloom).

Prime Minister's attack on the Congress came as some leaders of the party reportedly raised slogans of 'Modi teri kabar khudegi' while protesting against the deplaning and arrest of Congress leader Pawan Khera at Delhi airport on Thursday. The video of the incident was also shared widely on social media.

"I can see BJP all around in Meghalaya. Be it hills or plains, village or town, I can see the lotus bloom. Those who have been rejected by the country, who the country is no more ready to accept, are now chanting 'Modi teri kabar khudegi'. But the country is saying 'Modi tera kamal khilega'," PM Modi said while addressing an election rally here on Friday.

"The people of the country will give a befitting reply to the people having such offensive thinking and language. The people of Meghalaya and Nagaland will also give a reply," PM Modi added.

Meghalaya and Nagaland will go to polls on 27 February and the counting of the votes will be conducted on 2 March.

While targeting the dynasty politics, PM Modi said the people of Meghalaya needs a "People's first" government instead of a "family first" government.

"Today, Meghalaya wants a government with People First instead of Family First, so today 'lotus flower' has become synonymous with strength, peace, and stability of Meghalaya. When I think of Meghalaya, I think of talented people and vibrant traditions. I am here with a message of hope and development. India is scaling new heights of success and Meghalaya is making a strong contribution to it. We want to build it further and work for the state," PM Modi said.

The Prime Minister added that the interests of Meghalaya were never given priority and people were divided on small issues. He added that the support for the BJP is a result of a "selfish act" by a few families.

"Be it youth, women, traders, or government servants, everyone is asking for a BJP government. The sentiment in support of BJP in Meghalaya, as well as North East, is a result of the selfish act by a few families. Meghalaya's interests were never given priority... You were divided on small issues. This politics has done you a lot of harm... It has done a lot of harm to the youth here," he said.

(With inputs from ANI)
The decision was conveyed after Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda informally consulted some senior Cabinet colleagues including Deputy Prime Ministers and senior bureaucrats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In a rare move, the Nepal government last week withheld permission for a visit to the country by CIA Director William J Burns, ostensibly on the grounds that the timing of the trip was not so conducive.

It is learnt Burns returned home from Sri Lanka, the first leg of his South Asia trip, after the Nepal government conveyed to the US Embassy in Kathmandu that given the political developments, including the impending Presidential election, permission for the visit was being withheld.

The decision was conveyed after Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda informally consulted some senior Cabinet colleagues including Deputy Prime Ministers and senior bureaucrats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

William Burns a diplomat turned spy head is currently heading the Central Intelligence Agency. He was to fly from Sri Lanka on Feb 15 for an 18-hr stay in Kathmandu. [Photo Credit: David Paul Morris / Bloomberg via Getty Images file]

According to information provided to the Nepal government, Burns was to fly from Sri Lanka in a special C-17 Globemaster III along with several officials on February 15 for an 18-hour stay in Kathmandu.

Another two aircraft with some vehicles and unspecified equipment meant for the US Embassy were also being brought  this, it is learnt, was notified to the host government.

Visits by top officials of external intelligence agencies, mainly from neighbours India and China, formally or informally, are not very uncommon.

In October 2020, Samant Goel, chief of Indias R&AW, met K P Oli, the then Prime Minister. Details of the discussion were never made public. Olis opponents still use that meeting as a political stick to target him.

A senior minister, among those consulted by Prachanda on the proposed trip by the CIA chief, said a visit at such short notice would create a dangerous precedent, and the Prime Minister decided to go along with our view.

But some like Keshav Prasad Bhattarai, an expert on security matters and international affairs, think that blocking Burns may prove to be a blunder.

High-level visits from the US are now routine but have caused heartburns in China which fears that enhanced US activities in Nepal are part of a destabilisation strategy targeting Beijing.

China openly opposed Nepal Parliaments ratification of the Millenium Challenge Corporation Compact, a $500-million grant from the US, in February last year. The US also wants Nepal to play a larger role in Indo-Pacific strategy.

Last week, Prime Minister Prachanda said Nepal ratified the MCC since it was a developmental project, and we did not allow them to come with weapons.

 The Indian Express (P) Ltd
The time has come for a paradigm shift in the international climate regime which has to move from a country-centric approach to people-centric approach to climate actions" said Union Minister Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday.

He was speaking at the Valedictory Session- Mainstreaming Sustainable Development and Climate Resilience for Collective Action of World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) 2023.

Talking about his association with the Summit and its evolution to its present form, the minister said, My association with the Summit goes back to when it was known as the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit.

Over 22 years, the Summit has built a distinguished legacy of promoting global sustainable development, especially in its advocacy for the Global South to strengthen commitments at all levels of governance," he added.

The minister said that the world is recovering from a once-in-a-century pandemic; there are geopolitical conflicts in parts of the world; the three-F crisis (food, fuel, fertiliser) threatens energy security; and economic uncertainty will continue for the next couple of years.

These issues are closely linked to the discussions that we are having today on sustainable development, he added.

Puri also talked about Indias presidency of G20 and how it will play important role in shaping global response to the issues faced by world such as climate change.

He said that it is imperative that we coordinate and calibrate policy response from the lowest local level to the highest global gathering.

The minister expressed that a stronger commitment to the SDGs and the multilateral agenda are going to be fundamental to the global response. India will give resonance to the voice of the Global South and highlight the common concerns of energy security and climate justice, he said.

Puri said that the transformational progress in water and sanitation, housing, food, energy access, digital connectivity, and financial inclusion have led to an unprecedented saturation of service.

This approach to development resonates with the leave no one behind philosophy of the SDGs, he added.

Calling Indias progress on climate action an inspiration, Puri remarked that despite the pandemic, India has shown remarkable progress on numerous SDG targets without causing any negative spillovers while other countries have stagnated.

The SDG Report 2022 highlights Indias particularly rapid improvement on SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 13 (Climate Action).

The minister said that visionary proposals such as the Panchamrit Action Plan that Prime Minister Modi put forward at COP-26 provide the ambitious response needed to push the sustainable development agenda. India has pledged to become a net-zero country by 2070 and is on its way to cut down emissions by 1 billion tonne by 2030.

Puri also highlighted the LiFE Mission through which Prime Minister has emphasised that environment is not just a global cause, but the personal responsibility of every individual.

Speaking about Indias path towards Green transition, the minister said that the government is implementing many programmes for transition to a greener economy and efficient use of energy across various sectors.

We have increased ethanol blending in petrol from 1.53% in 2013-14 to 10.17% in July 2022, and have advanced our target to achieve 20% ethanol blending from 2030 to 2025-26. India is launching a Global Alliance on Biofuels, along with USA and Brazil, during Indias Presidency of G20, he mentioned.

The minister also talked about the Indias Green Hydrogen policy which is a revolutionary shift which is set to make India a global hub for green hydrogen and green ammonia production. India aims to produce 5 MT Green Hydrogen annually by 2030.

Highlighting importance of multilateralism in Sustainable Development, he remarked that India believes in the power of global cooperation. Multilateral processes can ensure equitable and just outcomes to all people and ecosystems.
New Delhi: Union minister for textiles, Piyush Goyal on Friday said that it was time for the Indian textile industry to focus on scale, quality, speed, and volumes. Addressing the keynote session of Technotex 2023: Envisioning Indian Technical Textiles @2047, the minister said that this was the right time to capture world markets.

It is time we started looking at scale and more composite plants, to use more modern technology, thereby also enabling us to meet the needs of large corporate buyers across the world. Many international companies tell me that they are not able to find high-quality high volume suppliers, even though many would prefer to have a relationship with India and work with a democracy with transparent rule-based systems. In this context, it is time we look at growth, scale and speed, he said.

Our Free Trade Agreements with UAE and Australia came into force last year. We are also working on agreements with other countries including those of the European Union. The direction is to become an international player; no country has become a developed nation without playing an integral role in the global supply chain. We have to integrate our economy with those of the developed countries to reach our potential and the desire of our young population," he stated.

The minister said that given the vast range of usage for technical textiles, this is the area of the future. I appeal to startups as well as large corporations to consider expanding rapidly in the technical textiles field. Our share of the global market is about 2.5%; I believe that the Indian market will grow faster than 12% if we are able to showcase its purposes."

The technical textile sector will enable us to find applications in modern technology areas. Technical textiles are going to be used increasingly in ocean ships and in the airline industry as well."

Goyal said that Technotex will help showcase the countrys abilities to Indian companies and the rest of the world. More webinars, seminars and conferences with technical people from different user sectors should be held, where the textiles industry can showcase the various applications of technical textiles."

He exhorted the domestic industry to earn the trust of the world as reliable suppliers of technical textiles, so that the market share of India can be significantly expanded.

Speaking of Indias G20 Presidency, the minister asked the textiles industry to capture opportunities afforded by G20 meetings to do business with friendly countries.

He recalled the 5-F principle of farm to fibre to factory to fashion to foreign espoused by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the way forward for the industry.

Speaking of the 1,480 crore National Technical Textile Mission, the minister urged the industry and stakeholders to examine what new research, compounds, fabrics, composites and final products can be leveraged in order to capture the global market.

We will be happy to offer all eight Textile Research Associations and other government institutes to support any private sector initiative, to get high quality scientific rigour into your innovations and fast-track your proposals, he added.
Uber Technologies Inc has expressed concern about Delhi government's plan to only allow electric vehicles to function as bike taxis. Uber has argued that the move could risk "finishing off the sector" and impact the livelihood of over 100,000 drivers in the city and mobility needs of millions.

Delhi's plans, part of a new policy to regulate vehicles used by ride-hailing companies like Uber and rival Ola, are being finalised and will be rolled out soon, the Economic Times reported earlier this week. The move is an aggressive step towards the country's ambitions to transition to clean energy vehicles to reduce oil imports and curb pollution.

In a blog post, the company stated that Steep and infeasible EV mandates risk finishing off the sector as we know it. The impact of such a decision on the livelihoods and mobility needs of millions of Delhiites is clear." The San Francisco-based company has urged the government to initiate industry dialogue to address their concerns.

The company has set a 2040 target for 100% of its rides to be in zero-emission vehicles, public transport, or with micro-mobility, including in India. Earlier this month, Uber announced plans to introduce 25,000 EVs over three years in India. Electric cars, however, will still be a fraction of Uber's current overall active fleet of 300,000 vehicles in India.

The Delhi government has already issued an advertisement in newspapers stating that digital platforms offering two-wheeler bike taxi rides should not do so as it violates certain existing transport rules.

(With inputs from Reuters)
Reaching out to tribals who constitute more than 21% of Madhya Pradesh population, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said the Narendra Modi government was committed to their welfare and pointed out it had allocated 89,000 crore for various schemes and programmes targeted at the community after assuming office in 2014.

He was addressing the Kol Mahakumbh on the occasion of Shabri Mata Jayanti in Satna in Madhya Pradesh, where Assembly polls are to be held at the end of the year and Scheduled Tribes make up a sizable part of the electorate.

In his address, Amit Shah said that the foundation stone of 70 development works worth 507 crore and many other works of 26 crore inaugurated today, under the leadership of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan has done many works for the welfare of Kol community and tribal brothers and sisters.

The Union Home Minister said that Antyodaya means to pave the way to live with dignity for the poor of the society. He said that after becoming Prime Minister in 2014, Narendra Modi said that his government is the government of Tribals, Dalits, backward and poor people. Fulfilling his each and every promise, Modi has worked to implement poor welfare schemes at the grassroot level.

During the previous government, there were no toilets in the houses, Modi built toilets in 10 crore houses, of which the maximum toilets were built in the homes of tribals.

The prime minister gave houses to 3 crore people, provided electricity, gas cylinders, took care of the entire health expenses of up to 5 lakhs and provided both doses of Corona vaccine free of cost. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi also decided to give 5 kg of grain per month to every poor household.

Amit Shah said that Kol community had very significant contribution in freedom movement. The government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is establishing tribal freedom fighters museum across the country at a cost of 200 crore, the bravery of 1831s Kol rebel is engraved in all the museums.

He said that be it the bravery of Gond Maharani Durgavati, sacrifice of Rani Kamalapati, be it freedom Fighter Buddha Bhagat and Jova Bhagat, all of them have been revered and commemorated by the government of Madhya Pradesh under the leadership of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan. He said that Shivraj Singh Chauhan has also built the memorial of Shri Raghunath Sah and Shri Shankar Sah at a cost of about 5 crores.

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that during the previous government, 24,000 crore were given for tribal community in the budget, which was increased to around Rs. 90,000 crore by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He said that earlier there were 167 Eklavya Model School for children of tribal community, their number has been increased to 690. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has increased the amount of scholarship from 978 crore to 2,533 crore.

He said that all the programmes launched by government of Madhya Pradesh under the leadership of Shri Shivraj Singh Chauhan for poor and tribal welfare were stopped by the previous government, but soon after the formation of Government under the leadership of Shivraj, the Madhya Pradesh government started them again.

He said that the double engine government under Narendra Modi at the Centre and Shivraj Singh Chauhan in Madhya Pradesh is determined to bring happiness to the lives of every poor of the state.
Indian billionaires have topped the list of losing the most wealth in 2023 so far as compared to the world's richest. Along with Gautam Adani, Mukesh Ambani, who have seen a sharp erosion in their respective wealth, another Indian billionaire Radhakishan Damani stands third in the list of top wealth losers year-to-date (YTD).

As per the index, Radhakishan Damani's net worth stands at $16.7 billion, down by $2.61 billion or over 13% this year so far - ranked at the 98th spot in the wealthiest list. The Bloomberg Billionaires Index is a daily ranking of the worlds richest people. The figures are updated at the close of every trading day in New York.

Damani controls Avenue Supermarts, Mumbai-based retailer specializing in low-priced consumer goods. The publicly traded business sells food, clothing and other consumer products in more than 200 D-Mart shops across India. Avenue Supermarts shares made its stock market debut on the Indian exchanges in 2017 and on listing.

Born in Mumbai, India, Damani earned hundreds of millions of dollars from stock market investments. Radhakishan Damani or RK Damani is one of the most successful investors in India. He is also known as the Mr. White and White among the top traders in India. Damani also manages his portfolio through his investment firm, Bright Star Investments. He exited the stock market in 2000 and began building a retail business by buying cheap land in Navi Mumbai. He opened the first D-Mart store in 2002.

DMart was started by Radhakishan Damani and his family. From the launch of its first store in Powai in 2002, DMart today has a well-established presence in 238 locations across Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, NCR, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Rajasthan. The supermarket chain of DMart stores is owned and operated by Avenue Supermarts Ltd. (ASL). The company has its headquarters in Mumbai. The brands D Mart, D Mart Minimax, D Mart Premia, D Homes, Dutch Harbour, etc are brands owned by ASL.
Archaeologists have made an exciting discovery; they have found the bottom half of a manual flush toilet that is 2,400 years old. It was found in the Yueyang archaeological site in Shaanxi province of China. This site was once the capital city under multiple ancient Chinese dynasties, and this find could reveal a lot about the eating habits of the people who lived there.

The archaeologists are now analysing soil samples collected from the toilet in the hopes of discovering what people ate during that time. They believe that the toilet was reserved for high-ranking officials during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC) and the later Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220). It is described as a luxury object that was located inside the palace, with a pipe leading to an outdoor pit.

The discovery of the ancient flush toilet is significant in modern-day China, where access to clean, flush toilets remains an issue in some areas. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has promised to revolutionise the country's restrooms as part of efforts to improve rural hygiene. In a 2018 article in the state-owned People's Daily, he emphasised the importance of this work in building civilised cities and countryside.

Also Read: Govt to hand over 1,000 monuments to private sector under Monument Mitra Scheme

The excavation crew included Liu Rui, a researcher at the Institute of Archeology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Liu Rui told state media that servants probably filled the toilet bowl with water each time it was used.

"The flush toilet is concrete proof of the importance the ancient Chinese attached to sanitation," Liu said while reminding of the lack of early records of indoor latrines.

This find has sparked widespread interest in China, as it offers a rare insight into the privileged and comparatively-advanced world of the country's ancient ruling elite. The ruins from Yueyang were discovered in the 1980s and are part of a broader effort to understand ancient Chinese dynasties, including how people lived and how their cities were constructed.

Also Read: Massive dinosaur footprint found in UK's Yorkshire

Prior to this discovery, the invention of the first flush toilet was widely credited to English courtier John Harington, who supposedly installed one for Queen Elizabeth in the 16th century. However, the 2,400-year-old toilet at the Yueyang archaeological site provides evidence of an ancient civilization that also recognized the importance of sanitation.

This discovery of the ancient flush toilet at the Yueyang archaeological site in China is a fascinating glimpse into ancient Chinese life and shows how important sanitation was even thousands of years ago.

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
The United States has restricted exports of critical semiconductor components and technology to China, Beijing's bid to topple Washington as the No 1 economy faces 'unprecedented' pressure, according to The Star reports.

Despite having the world's strongest industrial manufacturing capability, core technologies like China's Achilles' heel are easy prey for Washington in its strategy of tech containment.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's hopes of transforming China into the pre-eminent global digital power, while surpassing the US to become the number one economy in the world, could fall apart, The Star reported as quoted by ANI.

Jun Zhang, an associate professor of economic geography at the University of Toronto said, "Chips are the foundation of the modern economy. There's a rough estimate that a yuan worth of chips can support 10 yuan worth of electrical capacity and generate 100 yuan's economic output."

The professor also said that China faces unprecedented pressure from the US and its international competitiveness depends to some extent on how far American containment will go.

"These sanctions will hobble China's semiconductor advances," said Dan Wang, an analyst with Gavekal Dragonomics.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden signed into law the bipartisan Chips and Science Act of 2022 last August to bolster American semiconductor development through federal subsidies worth USD 52.7 billion.

His administration then significantly expanded its list of technological controls on China in October, with a focus on advanced semiconductor chips, chip-making software, and tech talent, reported The Star.

The containment efforts were accelerated last month when the US joined hands with the Netherlands and Japan to limit the supply of cutting-edge chipmaking equipment to China.

Further complicating the situation, the European Union (EU) is expected to pass the EU Chips Act later this year. The legislation hopes to double Europe's share of global chip manufacturing capacity to roughly 20 percent.

Beijing has made no official estimate for potential economic losses, but it has criticized Washington for misusing its market dominance.

(With ANI inputs)
Pakistan has been spiraling into a deep economic crisis as the country's rupee is falling down, fuel prices shooting up, and taxes on luxury goods rising. China has also come to its rescue by lending 700 billion USD this week. The country is making all efforts to unlock the next tranche of $6.5 billion loan facility from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The financial body has laid down various conditions for Pakistan to overcome the economic collapse. Pakistan has agreed to all such conditions and increased tax on luxury goods and services, raise petrol prices, etc.

In addition, the country has also adopted a cost-cutting formula to deal with the financial crisis. It has directed the ministers, and advisors to forgo their perks to save the government's money and get the IMF deal.

There are several ways which Pakistan has been trying to deal with the economic crisis in the country.

Pakistan's cost-cutting formula

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has asked his ministers and advisers to fly economy class, forgo luxury cars and their salaries as part of an austerity drive that will save the government 200 billion rupees a year.

Under these measures, all federal ministers and government offices in Pakistan have been directed to reduce expenditure by 15% and he had also asked his ministers along with advisers to forgo salaries, allowances, luxury cars, foreign trips, and business class travel.

The ministers agreed to the measures voluntarily, he said, adding all cabinet members will surrender their salaries and perks, and they will pay all of their utility bills from their pockets

Armed forces have also given a positive response to cut non-combat expenditures. Other steps include a complete ban on the purchase of luxury items or vehicles for all government-run entities and no administrative unit like a new district or town will be created for two years.

Pakistan taxing its citizens

The national assembly of Pakistan unanimously approved the governments Finance (Supplementary) Bill 2023 or mini-budget, a move for seeking a $6.5 billion tranche of the IMF loan. The Pakistani government has increased taxes on a raft of luxury imports and services.

According to the bill, sales tax has gone up from 17% to 25% on imports ranging from cars and household appliances to chocolates and cosmetics. People will also have to pay more for business-class air travel, wedding halls, mobile phones, and sunglasses. A general sales tax was raised from 17 to 18 percent.

While passing the bill with few amendments in the parliament, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar informed that excise duty on business class ticket fares for those flying to South America, Africa, and the Middle East. The excise duty on tickets to European countries, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries have also been increased.

Pakistan getting China's support

This week, Pakistan will receive a new $700 million loan from China to help shore up its foreign exchange reserves, the country's finance minister said on Wednesday.

The credit facility, made through the state-owned China Development Bank will boost Pakistan's forex reserves by about 20% and comes as the country is thrashing out a deal with the IMF to unlock funds from a $6.5 billion bailout.

China is already Pakistan's single largest creditor with its commercial banks holding about 30% of its external debt.

Iran promoting trade with Pakistan

Iran has established six border markets to promote trade with Pakistan, said Iranian Consul General Hasan Noorain, which may help the crisis-hit country. In the last 10 months, the volume of bilateral trade reached $2 billion dollars, he said, adding that the target has been set at $5 billion.

Noorain also said that trading is facing difficulty due to the absence of a banking channel. He added that the visa policy has also been relaxed, and progress is also being made in barter trade with Pakistan.

He said that Pakistan and Iran have friendly relations, however, the trade between the two sides has not developed as it should have so far.
Mulayam Singh Yadav and Iqra Jeewani have a tragic love story that spans the border between India and Pakistan. The young couple met online three years ago while playing a online Ludo. Despite the difficult process of obtaining visas to travel between the two countries, they fell in love and decided to get married.

Jeewani's family pressured her to marry, the two decided to get married. Following Yadav's advice, the young woman travelled to Nepal last September where her partner was already waiting. They got married in a Hindu ceremony and moved to Bangalore to live together. However, their happiness was short-lived as Jeewani was detained for entering the country illegally, and Yadav was jailed for fraud and forgery.

The unique but tragic love story began during the COVID-19 lockdown. At the time, Yadav was working as security guard while Jeewani was a student in Hyderabad, Pakistan.

The couple's story garnered media attention, and Yadav's family is advocating for their release and reunion.

"We want them home," said Yadav's brother Jeetlal. The man's family supports the couple and believes that the two lovers should not be punished for falling in love. "We understand the situation between India and Pakistan. But all they did was fall in love," BBC quoted Jeetlal as saying.

On the condition of anonymity, a police official told the outlet that he too believed that the story seemed to be simply of love.

Despite the obstacles, Yadav's family remains hopeful for the couple's reunion, with his mother expressing willingness to care for Jeewani as her own daughter-in-law.
India and Guyana are likely to sign a memorandum of understanding to boost cooperation in the oil and gas sector, Bharrat Jagdeo, vice president of Guyana said on Friday.

In an interview, Jagdeo said Guyana is ready to sign the MoU and is awaiting approval from Indias cabinet.

Jagdeo also laid out ambitious plans for the two nations to partner in energy. Guyana has become the worlds newest oil power after discoveries of crude oil reserves equivalent to more than 11 billion barrels since 2015. This has made the small Caribbean nation home to one of the worlds largest oil reserves. For its part, New Delhi has sought to diversify its sources of supply for oil and has struck supply deals with Brazil and Colombia, among others.

Jagdeo added that Guyana had held discussions with India on oil supplies. The topic figured prominently during its President Mohamed Irfaan Alis visit to New Delhi last month.

We also explored the possibility of India examining the abundant resources that weve had outside of those that are on auction now," said Jagdeo, who had also served two terms as the countrys President.

This year, Guyana will be putting 14 offshore oil blocks up for auction to boost oil and gas exploration.

Another opportunity for India lies in the Stabroeck offshore oil block, which is currently operated by US oil major ExxonMobil. Guyanas government has revealed plans to take back 20% of the oil block from ExxonMobil and explore bilateral partnerships to develop this part of the oil block.

Next year, ExxonMobil will have to give up 20% of their holdings. So, all of those will be available for some form of bilateral engagement, where we can actually see joint production or exploration related activities," Jagdeo said.

Guyana is also looking to recruit skilled workers from India to help develop the countrys fledgling gas sector.

We dont want Indias involvement only in defining our gas policy, but also from an investment perspective to develop those resources," he said.

Talks between New Delhi and Georgetown have also extended beyond energy. During Jagdeos visit, both sides affirmed their intent to sign an air services agreement (ASA).

Indians have a sizeable presence in Guyana and are the largest ethnic group comprising about 40% of the population as per 2012 census. The signing of ASA with Guyana will enable a framework for provision of air services between the two countries," a statement from Indias civil aviation ministry said. The new ASA will provide enabling environment for enhanced and seamless connectivity while providing commercial opportunities to the carriers of both the sides," the statement said.

Jagdeo said he expects the agreement to go into force imminently, after an exchange of diplomatic notes between the two countries.

A lot of Guyanese businesses are interested in sourcing goods and services from India. On this trip, many of them are with me. We also need a lot of skilled people to come to our part of the world. But what is crucial is the links between both countries like shipping and air transportation. Right now, people have a hard time flying to Guyana. They have to go through New York or the UK and many cant secure a visa. So we are hoping to strengthen air ties between the countries so that you can have a easier transit for people," Jagdeo added.

Agriculture and defence will also form a key focus area for cooperation between India and Guyana.

Weve identified a large number of areas of technical skills that are available in India that we plan to aggressively recruit into our agricultural efforts, Jagdeo said. In particular, Guyana would look for Indian support in developing its capabilities in sugar, rice, biofuels, livestock development and a range of cash crops. Guyana plans to develop its agribusiness sector and move away from small-scale farming.

During his ongoing visit to India, Jagdeo met with Minister for agriculture and farmers welfare Narendra Singh Tomar.

Guyana has also demonstrated a keen interest in Indian defence platforms. During his January visit, President Irfaan Ali stated that his country was looking to modernize its military and was eyeing Indian capabilities.

Jagdeo confirmed that Guyana was seriously considering moving forward with defence purchases from India. The countrys requirements are largely geared towards protecting its economic resources and for domestic duties rather than active warfare. Guyanas interest is in maritime assets like patrol vehicles and air transport aircraft to help improve domestic connectivity.

Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, K J Srinivasa, said the aim is to help Guyana defend its resources at sea. He confirmed that Indias focus would be on providing fast patrol boats to Guyanas coast guard and also alluded to ongoing discussions with Guyana on Indias Dornier aircraft.
In Ukraine, Russian and Ukrainian forces are using very different tactics. While Russia started the war by invading Ukraine, the Ukrainians have been winning by using different tactics and better leadership in general. These differences have led to Russia suffering more combat deaths in the last year than they suffered in all the wars and conflicts their troops were involved in since the end of World War II in 1945.

The original plan was to make a massive attack from many directions on an unprepared Ukraine. That failed in a spectacular fashion because the Ukrainians were prepared, more prepared than the invading Russians. It was more a case of the Russians being unprepared. Ukrainian war preparations were no secret and Russian intel (FSB and GRU) had lots of people inside Ukraine observing and reporting back to the Russian government. These reports were accurate but, by the time they reached senior leaders, especially Vladimir Putin, they had been modified to give Putin what he wanted to hear. Putin believed the Ukrainians were incapable of organizing an effective resistance, that his planned massive land and air attack would paralyze and demoralize them, and that his forces could then take control of the country in a matter of days. A year later Russian military operations are still crippled by similar delusions which probably only Putin believes, with any senior dissenters reported as suffering fatal falls from windows.

Russia had a hard time accepting the fact that the Ukrainians were better trained, armed and led. They have two primary problems with their military. The most obvious is continued use of Soviet-style planning and command. Plans are created to be followed precisely by subordinates who make no deviations without orders from above. This works if you use overwhelming force against a foe who does not react in an unanticipated fashion (which Hitler conveniently ordered many times and is one of the reasons for this Russian military style). It did not work against the more flexible Ukrainians, who were using planning methods and tactics developed in the West and proven effective many times during and after World War II.

The Russians recognized the different planning and leadership concepts used in the West but did not believe they were suitable for Russian troops. In part, this was a cultural thing. Russians believed that they performed best under the control of a powerful leader. Vladimir Putin presented himself as that kind of leader. Some Putin associates noted that this traditional approach was not working and that the Ukrainians and Russians and many shared cultural behaviors and that Russians ought to be able to do what the Ukrainians were doing. This sort of thinking was not acceptable to Putin so Russian failures in combat continue.

The other problem is corruption. The Ukrainian leader, Volodymir Zelensky got himself elected president in 2019 by promising to go after corruption. That he did, and still does, because there was a lot of it in Ukraine and even more in Russia where there is more tolerance for corruption. Zelenskys anti-corruption efforts accelerated after the Russians invaded a year ago because suddenly the country was receiving billions of dollars in military and economic aid a month and corruption, unlike in Russia, was publicized and foreign donors were discouraged from giving, or giving more, if they found that a lot of the aid was stolen. Initially most of the aid was weapons and those went straight to the troops. But any less specialized supplies could be diverted by corrupt officials for personal profit, and often was. Zelensky was most zealous with officials he worked closely with and it soon became known that if you wanted a senior job in the government, youd better be clean. Unlike Russia, Ukraine has free media, which was encouraged to go looking for corrupt practices and report on them. This turned thousands of Ukrainians into sources for stories the journalists were looking for. Zelensky responded to these news reports, even if the stories disrupted a larger anti-corruption investigation. The very wealthy (the oligarchs) who had backed Zelenskys first election campaign thought this gave them some immunity from the anti-corruption efforts. Early on Zelensky hesitated going after some major donors but that soon changed when it became clear that tolerating corruption by anyone close to him hurt all his anti-corruption efforts.

Improvements in Ukrainian anti-corruption efforts are measured by Transparency International, an organization that began compiling and publishing corruption scores for all the worlds nations in the 1990s and by 1999 was regularly monitoring most of the worlds nations. This was made possible by the end of the Cold War in 1991. With the collapse of most communist nations, it was possible to gather data on corruption from just about every country. For countries providing foreign aid or active in international trade and manufacturing, the Transparency International reports were extremely useful. It was the same for countries seeking to reduce corruption and attract for foreign business or foreign aid.

Its no coincidence that the least corrupt nations are the most successful. The most corrupt nations (currently Yemen, Venezuela, South Sudan, Syria and Somalia) are the poorest and often mired in civil war or chronic violence. The least corrupt nations (currently Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Norway and Singapore) are peaceful and prosperous. Zelensky and most Ukrainians recognize that and also realized that Ukrainian efforts to join the EU (European Union) and NATO depend on reducing corruption. So does the amount of foreign aid and investment Ukraine receives after the war to rebuild its economy. Zelensky offers all this as a worthy goal that will be made possible by reducing corruption in Ukraine.

In the 1990s Russia and Ukraine were both found to be quite corrupt. The 1999 Transparency International report had Ukraine at 75 out of 99 nations while Russia was worse at 82nd place. Corruption was a major factor in the collapse of the Soviet Union and most other communist states. Even after adopting democracy, it was difficult to reduce corruption. Democracy and free media did not survive in Russia and were gone by 2000 as Vladimir Putin sought to take Russia back to its Soviet ways. Ukraine had to struggle to hang onto its democracy and free press, which Putin and his neo-Soviets were out to sabotage as part of their plan to rebuild the Soviet Union. None of the regions of the Soviet Union that went independent in 1991 were receptive to Putins empire revival project. That became quite obvious when he invaded Ukraine.

The greater incidence of corruption in Russia made it difficult to recruit or even conscript more troops. In contrast Ukraine had about a million regular and reserve troops a year after the invasion began. In Russia, corruption in the recruitment and training process is common and discourages new soldiers from fighting. Desertion in the combat zone is also common. Those who dont desert face almost certain death or injury making advance or be shot right here unsupported frontal attacks on well prepared and determined Ukrainian defenders. The Russian plan is to keep the war going for as long as it takes and wear the Ukrainians and their NATO supporters d0wn. The Russian people are suffering most from all this and Putin believes the Russian people will put up with this because Russians are like this. This ignores the growing number of Russians trying to get out of Russia or staying and sabotaging the war effort.

The Ukraine War is between two very different views of how the world works. The strong man cult still has its supporters worldwide. Some have traveled to Russia and joined a combat unit of foreigners. This force, with several hundred men, is far smaller than the Ukrainian version, which has over 20,000 foreign volunteers.

What China learns from this is that the ancient military wisdom of Sun Tzu covered this possibility and advised concentrating on weakening your enemy by corrupting key enemy leaders with bribes, blackmail or whatever worked. This takes longer and even the Russians tried this against Ukraine for years, but ran out of patience and attacked. Thats always a bad idea when the victim is prepared and more determined to prevail.
While the process of moving away from alignment with Russia would not occur "in one fell swoop", US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on February 23 that nations like India and South Africa, yet to join the West in condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine, were likely on a trajectory in that direction.

The West has urged India to cut ties with Moscow in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Because of its historical ties to Moscow and its dependence on oil, India has so far withstood this pressure.

Since the Ukrainian conflict dominated this week's major international stage, India actively promoted the need for diplomacy to settle the conflict and made its opinion on the Kyiv-Moscow dispute known in public. India's position on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict was underlined by Minister of External Affairs (MEA) S Jaishankar, who has stated that India would support the UN Charter and its core principles.

Speaking at the 77th UN General Assembly (UNGA) on September 24, Jaishankar said, "We are often asked whose side we are on. And our answer, each time, is straight and honest. India is on the side of peace and will remain firmly there."

Meanwhile, Blinken has said that India moving away from Russia wont happen overnight.

"There are countries that have long-standing, decades-long relationships with Russia, with the Soviet Union before, that are challenging to break off in one fell swoop. It's not flipping a light switch, its moving an aircraft carrier," Blinken said in an interview with The Atlantic.

Also Read: Why Vladimir Putins New Year wishes to India is significant

Since the Soviet era, Russia has been India's main military supplier. The US has attempted to lure India away from its traditional military supplier in recent years, though. With worries about Russian supply disruptions brought on by the Ukrainian crisis, New Delhi is frantically trying to modernise its primarily Soviet-era fighter jet fleet to increase its air strength.

"India for decades had Russia at the core of providing military equipment to it and its defenses, but what weve seen over the last few years is a trajectory away from relying on Russia and moving into partnership with us and other countries," Blinken said on the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion.

(With Reuters inputs)
German chemicals maker BASF SE will sack 2,600 employees, around 2% of its global workforce to reap cost savings as the company adjusts to a future without cheap Russian gas. The chemical giant will also close a number of factories, including two ammonia plants and related fertilizer facilities, according to Bloomberg news.

The closing down of these factories will result in 700 job cuts at its main Ludwigshafen plant in Germany, the company said, adding that it is also terminating a share buyback program ahead of time due to the deterioration in the global economy.

In an official statement, BASF Chief Executive Officer Martin Brudermueller informed that Europe's competitiveness is increasingly suffering from overregulation, slow and bureaucratic permitting processes. High energy prices are now putting an additional burden on profitability and competitiveness in Europe."

Previously, the company said it is targeting annual cost cuts of 500 million as it doesnt expect gas prices to return to pre-war levels. BASFs gas bill surged by 2.2 billion ($2.3 billion) last year compared to 2021, even as consumption fell by 35%.

BASF also issued a forecast for 2023, expecting adjusted earnings before interest and taxes of as much as 5.4 billion, after earnings declined 12% in 2022 to 6.9 billion.

The company expects improving market conditions during the second half of the year following a weak first half due to recovery effects, especially in China.

BASF last month unveiled a 7.3 billion euro writedown for 2022 on the value of its Wintershall Dea energy business, which is pulling out of Russia, Reuters reported.

According to the unscheduled release at the time, that led to a 1.38 billion euro net loss for BASF during the year, citing preliminary figures, but the company on Friday reviewed the net loss downwards to 627 million euros because the impairment charge was less than initially feared.

(With inputs from agencies)
On both sides, there have been tens of thousands of civilian deaths and injuries, millions of internal or external displacements and devastations in cities and towns. As the Russia-Ukraine conflict marks its first anniversary on February 24, 2023, here is a timeline of what happened so far.

February 2022 - July 2022

On February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a "special military operation", ordering tens of thousands of Russian troops into neighbouring Ukraine from the north, east and south. The Russian forces hoped for a swift victory and moved towards Kyiv, but eventually, they were forced to retreat.

As a result of the conflict, neighbouring countries and the EU prepared to open their borders to hundreds of thousands of people fleeing the violence. Men of conscription age were prevented from leaving the country, but queues at border crossings stretched for several kilometres.

Western nations imposed widespread sanctions on Moscow, including stopping transactions with Russia's central bank, banning new investment, and freezing the assets of Russian political and business leaders. UN investigators subsequently reported that some of the killings, most notoriously in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, may amount to war crimes.

Russia was forced to scale back its war goals following stiff resistance from Ukrainian forces, and it switched focus to the Donbas region where Moscow-backed separatists launched a rebellion in 2014. The conflict escalated the global food crisis, and Ukraine's government announced a ban on a wide range of agricultural exports, causing world food prices to reach a record high in March.

The conflict caused many casualties, including dozens of people killed in a missile strike on a train station in Kramatorsk. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on countries to help set up a fund to rebuild his country.

Russia captured the strategic Black Sea port city of Mariupol, following a three-month siege, which the Red Cross described as "Hell". Finland and Sweden formally applied to join NATO in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Russian missiles struck a crowded shopping mall in the city of Kremenchuk, killing at least 16 people. The World Bank approved $1.49 billion in additional financing to help pay the wages of public sector workers, increasing the bank's total pledged support, aided by donor countries, to more than $4 billion.

Russian forces captured the city of Lysychansk, completing the conquest of Luhansk province in Eastern Ukraine. Russian energy giant Gazprom announced it would halve gas supplies to Europe through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. Prior to the war, Europe imported more than 40% of its gas from Russia.

Moscow and Kyiv agreed to a deal to re-open Ukraine's Black Sea ports, which had been blockaded by the Russian navy. There were hopes that the breakthrough would ease the global food crisis.

August 2022 - February 2023

In August 2022, Ukrainian forces launched a counter-offensive in Kherson, the only land gateway to Crimea, targeting Russian supply lines, ammunition dumps, and an air base in Crimea. European gas prices spiked by 30% after Russia announced that its main gas supply pipeline to Europe would remain closed indefinitely. Ukraine also launched a counter-offensive in the Kharkiv region, recapturing a key rail hub supplying the Russian frontline. In response, Vladimir Putin ordered the partial mobilisation of hundreds of thousands of reservists, sparking an exodus of military-age men trying to cross the border into neighbouring countries.

Putin announced that regions of eastern Ukraine would become part of Russia following local referendums". The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, condemned the decision and called the Russian shelling of the Zaporizhzhia facility in Ukraine suicidal." An explosion badly damaged the only bridge linking Russia to the Crimean peninsula, and Russia retaliated with missile strikes on Kyiv. Ukrainian energy infrastructure was targeted in more missile strikes, causing widespread power cuts and a UNICEF report indicating that an additional four million children had been plunged into poverty because of the war.

Russia eventually ordered its forces to abandon Kherson, the only regional capital it had captured so far, and the EU looked at ways to increase help for Ukraines energy sector following cruel and inhumane" attacks. External power was restored to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and President Zelenskyy addressed the US Congress, saying aid to Ukraine was an investment in democracy. On Christmas Day, Putin announced that Russia was ready to negotiate over Ukraine, but Kyiv said Moscow wasnt serious about talks and vowed to remove every Russian soldier from its territory.

Reinforced by recruits, Russian forces captured the salt-mining town of Soledar in eastern Donetsk province and focused on the strategic town of Bakhmut, key to the prized Donbas region. The Food and Agriculture Organization reported that its food price index reached a record high in 2022, up by 14.3% from 2021, and the World Bank warned that the global economy could slip into recession in 2023. Western countries considered imposing new sanctions against Russia, and experts estimated that lost European sales could halve the export revenues of Russian energy giant Gazprom in 2023.
Pakistan has received a deposit of $700 million from the China Development Bank, which will provide a much-needed boost to the country's foreign exchange reserves. The deposit comes as Pakistan has been struggling with its external debt and has barely enough dollars to cover less than three weeks' worth of imports. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar announced the news on Twitter and referred to the deposit as a "lifeline" for Pakistan.

"AlhamdoLilah! Funds $700 million [were] received today by [the] State Bank of Pakistan from [the] China Development Bank," Finance Minister Ishaq Dar announced on Twitter

Earlier this week, Dar announced that the board of the China Development Bank had approved a loan facility for Pakistan worth $700 million, and the formalities had been completed. The loan will bolster the country's diminishing foreign exchange reserves, and the money is expected to arrive at the State Bank of Pakistan this week.

AlhamdoLilah!



Funds $ 700 million received today by State Bank of Pakistan from China Development Bank. https://t.co/7eLwWkSFgO  Ishaq Dar (@MIshaqDar50) February 24, 2023

The coalition government has been trying to increase the country's foreign exchange reserves, which currently stand at $3.25 billion as of February 17. However, the delay in the revival of the $6.5 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme has made it difficult for the government to achieve this goal, a Geo News report cites.

As per The News, in addition to this loan, Pakistan is also looking to refinance two more commercial loans worth $500 million and $800 million. In total, Pakistan is aiming to refinance Chinese loans up to $2 billion by the end of February or the first week of March 2023.

This deposit from China is expected to ease some of the pressure on Pakistan's economy, which has been struggling due to the pandemic and external debt.

Pakistans external debt servicing obligation for the ongoing fiscal year 2022-23 is $23 billion, of which $6 billion has been repaid and $4 billion rolled over, leaving $13 billion yet to be funded.

The country also has further repayment obligations of $75 billion during FY24-26.
A French luxury design firm has announced that everyone on its team will receive a special bonus of 4,000 at the end of February ( 3.5 lakh). The Paris-based design company has adhered to its handcrafted style ever since 1837.

The freedom to create, the ongoing search for gorgeous materials, and the passing down of outstanding knowledge that enable the development of functional, attractive items that endure are what make Hermes distinctive, as per the company itself.

In the midst of the company's booming sales and earnings, Hermes will provide the one-time year-end incentive to each of its 19,700 employees.

Hermes reported on February 17 that fourth-quarter revenues increased 23% year on year, currency fluctuations excluded. After Louis Vuitton and Chanel, the premium leather goods manufacturer was able to restore its ranking as the third-largest brand in luxury fashion, thanks to a 29% increase in full-year revenues to 11.6 billion ( 1 lakh crore).

Also Read: No salary hike for 4,500 employees of THIS e-commerce major

Hermes, amid record profits, will distribute nearly 1.4 billion to investors via its dividend of 13 per share, up 63% from its 8 payout in 2022.

CEO Axel Dumas discussed the year-end bonuses and strategies for maintaining hiring at a meeting with analysts on February 17. He also announced the opening of two new production facilities in France. The company increased its global employment by 2,100 employees in 2022, while average pay increased by 6%.

Also Read: Job Cuts, no bonuses: Credit Suisse posts biggest loss since 2008 financial crisis

Asia, with the exception of Japan (+22%), continued to be quite a dynamic market for the company. Greater China saw a continuous increase in sales. In October, Hermes debuted a store in Pangyo, South Korea, and established a fourth location in Shanghai's Qiantan neighbourhood. Many stores, including the Hyundai Coex store in Seoul and the Hong Kong international airport store, reopened after renovation and expansion work. The Americas (+32%) was an exceptional year for Hermes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on the one-year mark of the Russian invasion that his country will secure victory if allies maintain their support, possibly this year.

I am sure that there will be victory," Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv. I would like it this year  we have everything for this."

"If partners respect all their promises and deadlines, victory will inevitably await us," Zelensky said during a press conference that started with a minute of silence.

The Ukrainian President spoke at the G7 meeting on Friday where he took the opportunity to thank all the partners for their help during the year. He also talked about the priorities at the moment.

Watch Video

I took part in the meeting of the G7 leaders.

In the first part I thanked the partners for their help during this year.

In the second, I presented our priorities to the partners in detail.

I am sure that we are able to make progress in the implementation of each of the priorities pic.twitter.com/dbcnb58393    (@ZelenskyyUa) February 24, 2023

At the meeting, hosted by current G7 chair Japan, member nations emphasized their commitment to halting Russia's invasion of Ukraine, launched exactly a year ago, and warned Moscow against any use of nuclear weapons.

A year ago today, Russian President Vladimir Putin stunned the world by sending troops across the border, a move seen as punishment for Kyiv's pivot to the West.

The war has devastated swathes of Ukraine, displaced millions, turned Russia into a pariah in the West and, according to Western sources, caused more than 150,000 casualties on each side.

Zelensky plans to meet China's Xi Jinping

China called for a cease-fire and peace talks between Ukraine and Russia on Friday, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cautiously welcomed Beijings involvement -- but said the plans success would depend on actions not words.

"I am planning to meet with Xi Jinping," he told reporters, without saying when or where. "This will be important for world security."

Meanwhile, Beijing claims to have a neutral stance in the war, but has also said it has a no limits friendship" with Russia and has refused to criticize Moscows invasion of Ukraine, or even refer to it as an invasion. It has accused the West of provoking the conflict and fanning the flames" by providing Ukraine with defensive arms.
Microsoft, the American technology company, is now set to bring the AI-based Bing chatbot to mobile and Skype two weeks after its original launch, as per a report.

According to GSM Arena, a tech news outlet, the company will first introduce the feature to the Bing iOS and Android app.

The Bing button in the app would allow users who have been invited to the preview to initiate a conversation with the chatbot. Users can either tap their query or now also just tap the microphone button to speak it out loud.

The homepage of the Microsoft Edge app, which is accessible on iOS and Android, also offers similar capabilities. Users of Skype on all platforms will also have access to Bing's newly discovered intelligence, reported GSM Arena.

Users have the option of having one-on-one conversations with Bing or adding it to group chats so that anyone may tag it and ask a question. They can choose to have the response be in the form of bullet points, text, or a simplified response in over 100 languages.

For those who are unaware, Bing with AI capabilities is Microsoft's response to popular ChatGPT-style intelligent AI chatbots.

It can respond to your inquiries verbosely and intelligently, whether they are straightforward like "how distant is the moon?" or more complex like "create an itinerary for a vacation to Japan."

As per GSM Arena, at the time, the feature is available through invites only and was previously only accessible through the Microsoft Edge desktop browser.

The company is also making its upgraded Bing search engine featuring the technology behind the viral chatbot ChatGPT available on Apple Inc. iPhones and Google Android mobile devices, pressing ahead with the deployment of the system despite early glitches.

In a blog post, Microsoft said it is releasing new versions of its Bing app and Edge browser app for smartphones and tablets Wednesday so users can access the upgraded search engine while on the go.

The company also said it is adding voice to Bing because the ability to speak commands or ask questions out loud rather than type them has been one of the most requested features among early testers of the system. Microsoft also said it plans to integrate the technology into its two-decade-old video-calling app Skype so users can request information and share it with others in group conversations.

(With inputs from agency)
A major Ukrainian advantage during the last year of fighting Russians has been logistics. Not just keeping Ukrainian troops supplied but making it difficult for the Russians to supply their own troops with munitions and much else. This became a critical problem for the Russians once the Ukrainians began receiving and using the HIMARS vehicle and the six GLMRS guided missiles each of these vehicles (a 6x6 truck with the six missiles stored in a single box-like launch container) carried and fired. The GMLRS missile used by HIMARS has a range of 85 kilometers and the Ukrainians always had good information on where Russian supplies of munitions, fuel, food and so on were. Ukraine had access to the Starlink satellite communications system as well as NATO satellite and aerial surveillance of Russian occupied Ukraine. Before HIMARS arrived the Russians could store supplies within 20 or 30 kilometers of the front like and be out of range of Ukrainian artillery. With HIMARS the Russians had to store supplies more than 80 kilometers from the fighting. GLMRS missiles are GPS guided while most Ukrainian artillery shells are not. Because of Starlink and locally produced UAVs Ukrainian forces could quickly spot Russian supply storage areas and order an artillery or GLMRS attack. This meant that the Russians were chronically short of supplies because so many of them were being destroyed with Ukrainian artillery or missiles. Russia was, and still is, less capable of attacking Ukrainian supplies for frontline troops.

A HIMARS vehicle with a full load of missiles weighs 16.2 tons. The vehicle carries the crew of three who operate and maintain the truck and the fire-control system fir the missiles. Only one crew member is needed to enter GPS target coordinates into each missile and launch it. Ukraine currently has 22 HIMARS vehicles and 16 more on the way. Neighboring Poland ordered 18 HIMARS vehicles in May 2022. Nearby NATO member Romania has 54 HIMARs vehicles on order and began receiving them in 2021. Each HIMARS vehicle has a built-in crane to enable the empty missile pod to be removed and replaced by a pod with missiles. The process takes five to ten minutes.

The latest (February 2023) American arms shipment to Ukraine includes recently developed longer-range GMLRS guided rockets. Ukraine has been asking for those since mid-2022. They were satisfied with the performance of ordinary GMLRS but found there were important targets beyond its 85-kilometer range. The U.S. has a stockpile of over 3,000 ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) with 300-kilometer range held in reserve for American use. The Americans were afraid that if given a longer-range missile like ATACMS the Ukrainians would attack targets inside Russia that would lead to a disastrous escalation. Ukraine demonstrated that it had other ways to strike deep inside Russia and that did not prompt another Russian escalation, even though the Russians blamed the Americans for providing the tech used in the Ukrainian improvised long-range systems. What really bothered the Russians was HIMARS. This truck mounted GLMRS system entered service in 2010 and was successfully used in Afghanistan and Iraq. Nearly 600 HIMARS vehicles have been built or are on order. The successful use of HIMARS in Ukraine has prompted more NATO nations to order it.

Ukraine was told that there would soon be a longer-range GMLRS called GLSDB (Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb) with a range of 150 kilometers. These will get their first combat use in Ukraine and that will take place sometime in early 2023. The Russians are already moving supplies and other key facilities farther away from the front lines.

Ukraine has been asking for the longer range (300 kilometers) version of ATACMS. It is, like GMLRS, carried and launched from the HIMARS truck but HIMARS can only carry and launch one ATACMS at a time. HIMARS can carry and use six GLSDB. Ukraine would still like the longer range ATACMS but the Americans say they need those for any military emergencies in the Pacific. There, the longer 300-kilometer range is crucial. Despite that Poland and Romania are receiving some ATACMS missiles with their HIMARS vehicles.

While Lockheed Martin developed ATACMS, Boeing developed and produced GMLRS. Boeing and Swedish firm Saab jointly developed an even longer range of GMLRS called GLSDB. The design concept is simple. Take the 227mm rocket motor that propels the GMLRS and use it to launch the latest version of the U.S. Air Force SDB (Small Diameter Bomb), the GBU-53 Stormbreaker.

Initially, the SDB was seen as the next generation of smart bombs and is a more compact design of the classic 227 kg (500-pound) unguided bomb. The streamlined shape of the SDB carried the GPS and other guidance system components internally. SDB has a hard front end that can punch through nearly three meters (eight feet) of rock or concrete and a warhead that does less damage than the usual dumb bomb (explosives in a metal casing). Thats because the SDB warhead carries only 17 kg (38 pounds) of explosives, compared to 127 kg (280 pounds) in the conventional 227 kg (500-pound) bomb. SDB can carry other types of warheads, like the high-explosive one currently found in GMLRS.

Ukraine liked GLSDB because it can be fired from HIMARS, or any other GMLRS launch vehicle, and has a range of 150 kilometers. Moreover, it is more precise than GMLRS because Stormbreaker has multiple guidance systems that enable it to hit moving targets, including ships at sea and do so at night and in any weather. This puts Russian warships in the Black Sea at risk as well as moving supply trains and vital bridges the railroads use. Because of GLSDB the Russian supply situation got much worse and normally safe rear-area bases are now subject to attack.

Stormbreaker entered service in 2018 as the latest version of the SDB II (Small Diameter Bomb also known as GBU-53) in service. This version can identify, track and hit a moving target on the ground in any weather and at night. The novel targeting system was so impressive that the GBU-53 was given an official nickname; Stormbreaker. SDB is basically an unpowered missile which can glide long distances. This makes the SDB even more compact, capable, and expensive. While the original SDB I cost about $70,000 each, that went up to $300,000 for Stormbreaker.

Small wings allow the SDB to glide up to a hundred kilometers (from high altitude). Launching Stormbreaker from the ground (or even a ship at sea) using any GMLRS launcher provides long range precision firepower at relatively low cost. In 2017 the American marines demonstrated that GMLRS rockets could be launched from the flight deck of amphibious assault ships against land targets. This concept can use GLSDB to do the same, but also against enemy ships as well as land targets. This feature enables Ukraine to keep Russian warships out of areas of the Black Sea used by Ukraine.

GLSDB has shortcomings. It achieves the longer range using Stormbreaker the second stage of the GLSDB by having the Stormbreaker glide bomb use the GLMRS rocket as a first stage to take it to a high altitude and then separate and allow Stormbreaker, as the second stage, to proceed on its own. This is done by deploying wings and control surfaces that enable the unpowered second stage to locate and hit its target. GMLRS was a single stage missile and made its final approach to the target at a higher speed than GLSDB. The HIMARS and larger tracked GMLRS carriers have to get new fire control software installed before they can use GLSDB. It is unclear how long this will take. It could be simultaneous with GLSDB delivery and will be obvious once GLSDB is first used in Ukraine. Ukrainians have long demonstrated the ability to quickly learn and use new tech.

The Ukrainians are the ones getting shot at and have a more can do wartime attitude that has time and again overcome issues like this that the Americans underestimated. NATO nations closer to Ukraine, like Poland, are more familiar with that attitude because they know that if Russia wins in Ukraine, Poland is next on the Russian conquest list. Poland and the larger NATO members like the United States, Britain and France often disagree because of the we are next attitude of Poland versus the more diplomatic attitude of the larger and farther away NATO nations. These differences in perspective and attitude makes sending Ukrainians what they feel they need a more complicated process than it should be. The Ukrainians point out that they are fighting for NATO to stop the Russians from advancing into NATO territory. The Ukrainians should receive all the weapons NATO forces would receive if the NATO mutual-defense system were activated by one NATO member being attacked. The Russians make all manner of outrageous threats against NATO to prevent Ukraine from receiving some weapons. Ukrainians point out that this is typical of the Russians and part of their standard response to problems they have created and cant handle. Hit the Russians hard enough and they will back off. GLSDB is an example of that and so would ATACMS be if Ukraine had it.

The Ukrainians only attack targets in Russia that are the source of attacks on Ukrainian cities. Ukraine has hit Russian air bases deep inside Russia where Russian long-range bombers and the missiles they carry and use against Ukrainian cities are based. Most NATO countries agree that these bases are a legitimate target and necessary to reduce the Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities, civilians and infrastructure.

The Russians still cant keep their troops supplied and the Ukrainian can, while also making it even more difficult for the Russians to supply their force in Ukraine.
The Dalton Police Department will request the GBI to assist with investigation of the incident.
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A man who is awaiting sentencing in connection to a violent street brawl in Longford town last year has been charged with a separate violent disorder incident just five days later.

Polish national Patryk Mikitow (36) 39 Alderfield, Farnagh, Longford was not present in court last week to hear how a book of evidence will be served on him in March for an alleged offence at Camlin Mews, Longford on May 6, 2022.

He was only before a sitting of Longford Circuit Court at the end of last month where details of what Judge Keenan Johnson described as as a very violent street fight involving three other co accused individuals were relayed before the court.

All four, including Mr Mikitow, were told they are likely to incur the maximum term of 240 hours of community service when the case is due to be finalised in May.

Mr Mikitow had been due to appear before last week's District Court sitting to face a number of separate charges.

They included a charge that on May 6, 2022 at Camlin Mews, Longford, Mr Mikitow with five other men, committed violent disorder.

On the same date and during the same incident, the factory worker stands accused of being armed with a black metal pole which was approximately 60cm in length.

In defence, solicitor Fiona Baxter said her client was not present in court owing to work commitments.

He has had to take a lot of days off work due to court and probation services (appointments), she said.

Ms Baxter also said a reasonably positive probation report was before the court for consideration.

The case was ultimately put back to a sitting of Longford District Court on March 14 when Mr Mikitow is due to be served with a book of evidence in connection to the alleged incident.

Mr Mikitow is also before the courts in relation to two alleged public order incidents at his home address on November 6 last year.

On that date, Mr Mikitow is alleged to have been found drunk in public and of engaging in threatening and abusive behaviour.

Like the alleged violent disorder incident, the matter was put back to a sitting of Longford District Court on March 14.
Local Enterprise Week takes place all over the country, including in County Longford, from March 6 - 10.

Many events are planned for local and small businesses and budding entrepreneurs looking to start or grow their business. A national initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices, it is supported by Enterprise Ireland and local authorities.

Throughout the week local events, as well as national, online spotlight events will take place. In Longford, an Employment Training and Information Fair takes place in the Longford Arms Hotel from 10am-4pm on Tuesday, March 7.

Business Advisory Clinics also take place in CO:WORX Edgeworthstown on Thursday, March 9, with the time of individual clinics allocated when booking.

Other local online events include Green for Micro Clinics, How to Make and Use Reels on Instagram and Facebook to Market your Business training, Start Your Own Business training, Digital Marketing Clinics, and How to Master Your VAT in One Day training. Further details, including times of training and how to book your place are available on LocalEnterprise.ie/Longford.

CAPTION: At the Women in Business Local Enterprise Week 2020 event were l to r; Stephanie Igoe, Alison Harney, Adeline Galligan, Maria McNeill, Margaret McEntee, Martina Glennon, Pat Murphy, Jenevieve Butler, Loretta Grogan and Anna Lane

The week culminates in the County Longford Enterprise Awards, celebrating the best of local business. International Womens Day is also marked with a Tri-County Women in Business Event taking place on Wednesday, March 8.

National online Spotlight events which are free to attend include:

First Steps to Export Success (9.30-11.30am on March 6) for those considering exporting to international markets

Youre the Business (9.30am-1pm on March 7) Google hosted training for businesses that are looking to Get Online, Grow Online, or Go Global.

Green, Sustainability and Competitiveness (11am-12.30pm on March 8) panel discussion on how to implement green technologies, processes and products to be more competitive.

Drive Cost Savings with Lean (2.30-3.30pm, March 9) panel discuss ways to improve competitiveness and productivity

Innovate for Business Success (10-11:30am, March 10) expert speakers highlight government and financial supports to drive innovation in your business.



Longford County Council Chief Executive Paddy Mahon said, Longford Local Enterprise Week, again this year, has many great events and training opportunities lined up for anyone thinking of starting out or growing their business. Longford County Council, through the work of LEO Longford, proudly supports this week and the help and guidance it offers to the local business community.

Local Enterprise Office, Longford Head of Enterprise Michael Nevin added, Local Enterprise Week offers many opportunities for anyone wanting to start or grow their business to get inspired and motivated. Events will give you insights and add to your knowledge on topics that can make a real difference to your business. The week also puts a spotlight on the supports, advice and information available through the Local Enterprise Office, Longford. I urge everyone to make the most of the week and to remember that LEO Longford is also here to help you grow your business.

Following on from Local Enterprise Week will be the Longford Student Enterprise Programme County Final taking place in the Longford Arms on Tuesday, March 21. Over 200 students from eight local secondary schools will present their mini businesses to a panel of judges. The winners from the Junior, Intermediate and Senior Categories will go forward to the National Final taking place in Croke Park on Friday, May 5, 2023.

For further information, check out LocalEnterprise.ie/Longford or follow Local Enterprise Office, Longford on social media.

MAIN PHOTO CAPTION: County Longford Enterprise Awards 2022 Overall Winner Cirtex Ltd (l-r): Local Enterprise Office, Longford Head of Enterprise Michael Nevin, Cllr Uruemu Adejinmi, David Garland, Cirtex; Cllr Paraic Brady; Guram Baisonashvili, Cirtex; Longford County Council Chief Executive Paddy Mahon. Cirtex Ltd went on to win at National level in the Green/Sustainability category
Stephen Silver, who is on trial accused of murdering a garda with his own gun, has denied inventing that he believed a woman he was with on the morning of the shooting was in MI6 in order to bolster his case.

Under cross examination from Michael Delaney SC, prosecuting, today (Friday, February 24), Mr Silver denied he had made up the beliefs that the woman was in MI6, insisting: No, I had these thoughts.

Mr Delaney said this was not mentioned in garda interviews and the accused had, in fact, spoken in glowing terms about the woman.

Counsel also put it to Mr Silver that in his interviews with gardai hed said dont rattle me and that if people keep poking then someday the person was liable to just go f**k it.

Are you not saying there that if you poke me enough Ill explode? asked Mr Delaney to which Mr Silver replied: "Yes".

The accused denied knowing that Garda Colm Horkan was a garda or that he was trying to arrest him and said he had been defending myself because the garda attacked me for no reason.

Mr Silver (46), a motorbike mechanic from Aughavard, Foxford, Co Mayo has pleaded not guilty to the capital murder of Garda Horkan (49) knowing or being reckless as to whether he was a member of An Garda Siochana acting in accordance with his duty at Castlerea, Co Roscommon on June 17, 2020.

He has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and the jury have been told the main issue in the trial is Mr Silver's state of mind at the time of the shooting.

In his direct evidence to the trial, Mr Silver has told the jury that he had his first mental health episode when he was 19, had been admitted to hospital 16 or 17 times and was told that he had schizoaffective disorder.

Giving evidence this morning, Mr Silver agreed with Mr Delaney that his hostility to gardai was getting worse as the interviews went on and that by the final interview he was extremely hostile to gardai.

However, when Mr Delaney put it to him that there was a particular reason for this, adding you expected that you would be released at that stage, Mr Silver denied this was the case and denied he was becoming frustrated and angry because the questioning was continuing.

Mr Delaney put it to the accused that he [Mr Silver] had told Dr Greg Kelly, a GP who had seen him on June 18, that he was going to get out later that day.

It was just that I assumed I would because I wasnt thinking straight, Mr Silver replied. You know after shooting a guard youre not going to get out.

He said he thought the cavalry would come, in the form of his father and his uncle and theyd take over from me and it would be alright.

Mr Delaney said Mr Silvers previous criminal behaviour had never resulted in a prosecution and instead would end with Mr Silver being admitted to hospital. He put it to the accused that he believed this was what would happen on this occasion also.

Mr Silver denied this was the case.

Mr Delaney asked the accused about an incident from 2006 which he had told forensic psychiatrist Dr Brenda Wright about in the Autumn of 2020.

He said on this occasion, Mr Silver had barricaded himself into his apartment in Castlerea and when the guards arrived to escort him to hospital, the accused emerged dressed in leathers, wearing a helmet and holding a long sword over his head.

Mr Silver denied this account and said the sword was an ornamental sword which was on the wall.

I suggest what happened was you came out holding up the sword and threatening the gardai, Mr Delaney said.

Not true, definitely not true, Mr Silver replied adding the sword was only an ornament.

Mr Delaney put it to him that in Dr Wrights report there were brackets around part of the account with the words not true written on it.

Did you write that Mr Silver?. The accused confirmed he had written the note.

"You told us yesterday you hadnt read the psychiatrists report, said Mr Delaney.

Mr Silver replied that he must have read it.

Mr Delaney also questioned the accused about an incident in February 2010 when he had behaved in a violent and aggressive manner including trying to pull a man out of a van and smashing windows. He also referred to an incident days later when he was brought into custody and became extremely violent.

Again, you were brought to hospital. You were treated in hospital, you were then discharged after a period of time and there was never a question of prosecuting you for what happened before you were brought to hospital, isnt that right? Mr Silver agreed this was true.

Did you expect to be treated in a similar manner on this occasion? counsel asked. Is that why you were getting frustrated on day two?

The accused denied this was the case. I was just in a heap really, he said.

Mr Silver agreed that all of his relapses had been associated with him not taking his medication.

The pattern appears to be you are taken to hospital, you improve fairly quickly and you are then discharged, Mr Delaney said. On your discharge you are advised you need to keep taking your medication as well as staying away from alcohol and drugs. You didnt take that advice ever really? Mr Silver confirmed he would stop taking his medication when discharged.

The jury heard that while there was a lengthy period without any incident, Mr Silver did suffer two relapses in February 2018 and September 2019.

Mr Silver accepted that PCP had been found in his system following his admittance to hospital in February 2018 but said he had not taken the drug and told Mr Delaney he didnt know how it came to be in his system. He said his drink may have been spiked on a bike trip to Germany prior to his hospital admission.

Mr Silver said he didnt know how it came to be in his system and suggested he may have been spiked. I categorically do not take drugs, he added.

He agreed that he had been very unwell when he came home that time but denied there was a possibility he was being selective in what he was prepared to tell the jury about his drug use.

Mr Silver also accepted that following his second relapse in September 2019 he was prescribed Olanzapine but stopped taking it after he was discharged.

Mr Delaney asked the accused about the days leading up to the shooting and his belief that the woman he was with in Dublin was in MI6.

He said Mr Silver had said he also thought she was going to push him out of it of an open window and thought builders across the hall were in the SAS.

Mr Delaney said none of this was mentioned in garda interviews and in fact Mr Silver had spoken in glowing terms about his female companion.

The lawyer said there was also very little mentioned about it to either of the forensic psychiatrists despite the fact he had been interviewed a number of times.

Mr Silver agreed he had mentioned fleeting thoughts about his female companion being in MI6 to doctors but that was as far as it went. However, he denied a suggestion by Mr Delaney that his assertions the woman was in MI6 had been invented to bolster his case.

No, I had these thoughts, Mr Silver said.

The trial continues on Monday before Ms Justice Tara Burns and the jury of seven men and five women.
Rishi Sunak is closing in on announcing a new post-Brexit deal for Northern Ireland after holding a positive call with the EUs Ursula von der Leyen ahead of an expected meeting.

The Prime Minister and the European Commission president are likely to hold in-person talks on the Northern Ireland Protocol this weekend, sources told the PA news agency.

Securing a deal would set up a possible clash with Conservative Brexit hardliners, with Tory MPs being ordered to be in Parliament on a three-line whip on Monday.

Mr Sunak has promised that Parliament will be able to express its view over any deal, which he hopes will get the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to restore powersharing in Northern Ireland.

But he would come under intense pressure if he does not give them an explicit vote, amid fears there could be a rebellion.

A deal had been hoped for this week but Downing Street said on Friday that intensive discussions with the EU were ongoing.

But the likelihood of an announcement was boosted after sources in London and Brussels described the call between the Prime Minister and Ms von der Leyen as positive.

A Downing Street source said there had been good progress.

No 10 sources confirmed that Mr Sunak on Friday also had constructive engagement with supermarket bosses and fast parcel operators, along with other businesses, about the protocol and the issues he is attempting to fix.

Cabinet ministers have been put on alert for a possible conference call over the weekend, according to The Times.

Unusually, Downing Street declined to set out Mr Sunaks plans for the weekend, only saying that he was working in No 10 on Friday.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly indicated that ministers will not sign off on a deal over the protocol with Brussels until the DUPs concerns are addressed.

The protocol  signed by Boris Johnson in 2020  was designed to prevent a hard border with Ireland after Brexit.

But unionists have been incensed by the trade barriers it has created between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom.

Mr Cleverly told Times Radio: The things theyre concerned about, the things were concerned about, are absolutely in alignment and we are focused on resolving all the issues that need resolving.

Some of them are technical trade issues and very complicated and some of them are really simple but important principles, like Northern Irelands place as an integral part of the United Kingdom. And that sense of sovereignty, the importance of a democratic voice.

So when, hopefully, we get those issues resolved, then I would hope that the DUP would recognise that weve addressed their concerns and until we have addressed those concerns were not going to sign off on the deal.

However, when asked again whether the Government would not press ahead with a deal not backed by the DUP, he said: No, what Ive said is weve got to make sure that the issues theyve highlighted are addressed.

The DUP has issued seven tests to win its backing for any deal, including addressing what it calls the democratic deficit meaning the nation is subject to EU rules.

Meanwhile, Mr Johnson declined to say whether he would back any new deal negotiated by his successor Mr Sunak in the latest sign he could face a rebellion on the Tory backbenches.

Instead, the former prime minister backed as the best solution his Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which could effectively rip up parts of the agreement he brokered.

Mr Johnson told Sky News: I think that it is important to wait to see what there may be but I think the best way forward, as I said when I was running the Government, is the Northern Ireland Bill, which cleared the Commons very comfortably, I think unamended, when I was in office and only a few months ago.

So, I think that is the best way forward.

The Downing Street spokesman responded: Negotiations are continuing so there isnt a finalised deal for people to take a judgment on.
Crime

By Chris Boyle Published: February 24 2023

Nicholas Cox, 32, was charged with Criminal Possession of a Weapon, Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance, and Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia.

Suffolk County Police have arrested a man during the execution of a search warrant at a residence in Port Jefferson Station.

Following an investigation by Suffolk County Police Narcotics and Criminal Intelligence detectives, Suffolk County District Attorney Office detectives, and assisted by Suffolk County Police Emergency Service Section and Sixth Precinct officers, a search warrant was executed at a residence at the Liberty Station Apartments at approximately 6:05 a.m.

Detectives found Nicholas Cox to be in possession of a loaded .25 caliber Lorcin semi-automatic handgun with an extra magazine along with approximately 50 grams of cocaine and fentanyl, along with drug packaging materials.

Cox, 32, of 1599 Route 112, Apartment #14, was charged with Criminal Possession of a Weapon 2nd Degree, three counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree, and two counts of Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia 2nd Degree.

He was overnight at the Sixth Precinct, and was arraigned at First District Court in
Local News

By Chris Boyle Published: February 24 2023

Terminal 6 to Offer World-Class Passenger Amenities, Expanded Taxiway and Gate Capacity, State-of-the-Art Security and Streamlined Roadway Access.

Governor Kathy Hochul and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey today celebrated a key milestone in the Port Authority's transformation of John F. Kennedy International Airport with the groundbreaking for the $4.2 billion project to develop a new Terminal 6. The 1.2 million square foot, state-of-the-art new terminal on the airport's north side will feature 10 new gates - including 9 wide-body gates - and will create 4,000 jobs, including 1,800 jobs in construction. This project is the final piece of the JFK Vision Plan to break ground, and it will complete the transformation of the airport into a 21st century global gateway.

"New York remains committed to providing travelers with a premier experience that includes world-class amenities, expanded and streamlined airport transportation, and state-of-the-art security," Governor Hochul said. "The groundbreaking of Terminal 6 offers a complete vision for the modernized global gateway while adding 4,000 jobs to New York's workforce. Congratulations to everyone who has dedicated years of hard work to making this historic milestone possible."

The new Terminal 6 is a public-private partnership between the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and JFK Millennium Partners -- a consortium that includes Vantage Airport Group, an industry leading investor, developer, and manager of award-winning global airport projects, including LaGuardia's Terminal B; American Triple I, a certified minority-owned investor, owner, developer, and manager of infrastructure assets, which has a 30-percent equity stake in the project; New York real estate operating company RXR; and JetBlue Airways, the project's airline sponsor.

JFK Millennium Partners is developing the new terminal in two phases, with the first new gates opening in 2026 and construction completion in 2028. The new terminal will create an anchor for passenger travel on JFK's north side, spanning the sites of the former Terminal 6 and the existing Terminal 7. JFK Millennium Partners is managing Terminal 7 until the 50-year-old facility is demolished to make way for the second phase of construction.

The new Terminal 6 arrivals and departures hall will feel spacious, bright, and airy thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows and high ceilings throughout the new terminal. Inspiring public art by New York-based artists and architectural elements depicting New York landmarks will create a unique sense of place. Passengers will enjoy more than 100,000 square feet of world-class shopping and dining featuring locally based restaurateurs, craft beverage options and Taste of NY stores.

State-of-the-art technology will improve the customer experience with touchless technology from check-in to gates and digital systems that will streamline the passenger journey throughout the terminal. Advanced security systems will include automated TSA security lanes, biometric-based access control systems and a flexible design to accommodate future technology or regulatory changes. A convenient taxi plaza as well as designated for-hire vehicle pick-up areas will be shared with Terminal 5, substantially reducing traffic congestion on the terminal road frontage and maximizing connectivity across the airport.

As part of the agreement with JFK Millennium Partners, the Port Authority will commit $130 million in capital funding to build enabling infrastructure for the new Terminal 6, including airside improvements and utility enhancements such as electrical support for the project. Enhanced airside aircraft circulation will reduce congestion and delays, while roadway improvements will optimize airport traffic flow.

The development of Terminal 6 is expected to create more than 4,000 jobs, including 1,800 union construction jobs, and direct wages of $1.9 billion. JMP is committed to meeting and exceeding the Port Authority's goal of 30 percent participation by Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises and creating opportunities to foster and grow local businesses through the development. The Terminal 6 project is part of the Port Authority's $18 billion transformation of JFK under the leadership of Governor Hochul, and it is just one component in the Port Authority's overall $30 billion commitment to creating world-class facilities at all of the region's airports. In addition to JetBlue, Lufthansa Group will also make its home in the new Terminal 6, operating international flights out of several gates and creating a world-class lounge experience for guests travelling on its airlines, which include Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, and Brussels Airlines.

Port Authority Chairman Kevin O'Toole said, "For generations, our region has been the nation's front door to the world. Finally, with the transformation of JFK International, it will become the airport that it was always destined to be - a state of the art global gateway that tells visitors they've arrived in the greatest region of the nation. At JFK, at LaGuardia Airport and at Newark-Liberty International, we are making unprecedented investments in the future of our region."

Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton said, "With today's groundbreaking for a new, state-of-the-art Terminal 6, every project included in the $18 billion transformation of JFK into a world-class, global gateway is either underway or complete. Part of the Port Authority's $30 billion commitment to transforming the region's airports, this historic investment at JFK is a vote of confidence in the future of our region that will ensure that the airport will not only remain the nation's busiest for international travelers, but that it will be among the world's finest airports."

JFK Millennium Partners Board Chair and Vantage Airport Group Chair & CEO George Casey said, "It's a tremendous honor to be playing a role in the delivery of Governor Hochul's vision to transform JFK International Airport into a world-class international gateway with a new Terminal 6. Today's ground-breaking celebrates the strong partnership between the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and JFK Millennium Partners, reflects the hard work and shared commitment of our Vantage-led team to advance this $4.2 billion terminal transformation, and accelerates our delivery of an extraordinary airport facility that will provide tremendous benefits to the local community, city, and state that Terminal 6 will proudly serve." JFK Millennium Partners CEO and Vantage Executive Helena Williams, said, "Great cities need great airports. Alongside our partners at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Vantage Airport Group, ATI, RXR, and JetBlue, we are ready to deliver a terminal that transforms the guest experience, drives significant economic activity, and creates extensive opportunities for local minority and women owned businesses to make their mark at JFK International Airport, starting now and for years to come." JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes said, "It was 23 years ago that JetBlue launched our first flights from our home at JFK, eventually taking over our modern Terminal 5, sending customers to more than 80 destinations. Now, at a time that JetBlue is set to grow significantly, we are excited to once again invest and further the governor's vision as we build the new Terminal 6. As we move JFK into the future with a new, state-of-the-art, customer-focused facility, we are so pleased to have an opportunity to expand our presence with new gates in a new terminal. The team putting this project together is setting out to develop a terminal that New Yorkers, including our JetBlue crewmembers, can be proud of."

ATI Chairman Secretary Henry Cisneros said, "ATI's involvement across all aspects of the project is a demonstration of how the principle of inclusion is valid; how it sets the stage for growth of new businesses, how it sets an example for representation of women, minorities, veterans, and local businesses in large scale projects, and how it demonstrates an effective means to create an American economy where every business sector can serve the cause of equity."

RXR Chairman Scott Rechler said, "As we navigated a global pandemic and a rapidly changing economic environment alongside our partners at the Port Authority, our determination to reach this critical milestone never wavered. The new terminal 6 at JFK International Airport is another example of how with private sector investment and ingenuity in collaboration with the public sector we can revitalize our aging infrastructure while powering economic vitality. Congratulations to Governor Hochul, the Port Authority, and our JMP partners for this historic day."

Representative Gregory Meeks said, "This is a wonderful time for JFK Airport. The groundbreaking of the new Terminal 6 is another step toward elevating the airport as a premier global gateway. The project allows for the creation of thousands of jobs which allows for additional employment opportunities for New Yorkers. We are investing in our state's growing economy and enhancing our infrastructure while offering state-of-the art technology for a seamless traveling experience for passengers."

Assemblymember Clyde Vanel said, "We are excited, in this airport community, that we have the opportunity to fully participate in this infrastructure project and airport ecosystem. Residents of Southeast Queens can fully participate in the airport economics; including ownership and investment, business opportunities, high-level jobs and training."

Assemblymember Alicia Hyndman said, "Today, Governor Hochul continues to lead the charge in making sure the redevelopment of JFK Airport is a priority. The groundbreaking of Terminal 6 is transformative for this state and the South East Queens community. World class includes us, includes Union jobs, and MWBE. We knew before the shovels were in the ground that our residents deserved career opportunities in this redevelopment for years to come. Thank you to Congressman Gregory Meeks & Queens Borough President Donovan Richards for their leadership, as well as the Port Authority."

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. said, "This is a historic day for The World's Borough and the millions of people from across the world who fly in and out of Kennedy Airport. The JFK Vision Plan, one of the largest economic development projects in Queens' history, is coming to fruition before our eyes. "From the creation of 4,000 jobs to new contracting opportunities for local small businesses and MWBEs, Terminal 6's redevelopment will reverberate throughout Queens' economy for years to come. Thank you to Governor Hochul, the Port Authority, the JFK Airport Redevelopment Council, the workers who will build this terminal and all who played a role in getting us to this monumental moment."

New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said, "John F. Kennedy International Airport is the gateway to New York City, and for many visitors, our entire country. The groundbreaking for the new Terminal 6 is a milestone achievement for the redevelopment of JFK Airport and will enhance the traveling experience for all passengers. It is critical that small businesses, MWBE firms, and local residents from Southeast Queens and the airport's surrounding neighborhoods benefit from the economic opportunities generated by this project. I look forward to celebrating the completion of Terminal 6 and all of the projects that are part of JFK Airport's complete transformation."

New York City Council Majority Whip and Chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Selvena N. Brooks-Powers said, "I applaud today's groundbreaking on JFK's new international Terminal 6. JFK is an economic engine for the city and for Council District 31, and its successful redevelopment will help to ensure its status as a global gateway extends far into the future. It is crucial that as this project proceeds, the program meets ambitious MWBE utilization goals, engages the surrounding community, and addresses the needs of impacted community members. I look forward to the completion of Terminal 6 by way of a process that benefits all New Yorkers."

Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York President Gary LaBarbera said, "Today's groundbreaking on a new Terminal 6 at JFK International Airport represents the beginning of another critical, large-scale infrastructure upgrade that will play a crucial role in revitalizing New York's economy and create thousands of good paying, middle class union careers with benefits. We must continue to invest in these projects that create sustainable career opportunities for our city's working people, and we thank Governor Hochul for her continued leadership and steadfast dedication to ensuring that these job-generating projects are the gateway to a new era in New York. Our members are at the ready and look forward to ramping up their work to complete this next step in fully modernizing JFK International Airport into the exemplary, world-class transportation hub that New Yorkers, and our visitors, truly deserve."

Greater Jamaica Development Corporation President & CEO Justin Rodgers said, "The massive redevelopment taking place across JFK Airport will re-establish it as one of the world's premiere international gateways. Governor Hochul's vision for JFK will have a long-term impact on the metropolitan region. We are proud to have assisted the Governor and her team and the JFK Redevelopment Co-Chairs with finding minority and women-owned businesses in Southeast Queens to join in the work."

President & CEO of the New York Building Congress Carlo A. Scissura, Esq. said, "We are thrilled to celebrate the groundbreaking of JFK Airport's fantastic new Terminal 6. Everywhere you look in New York, another transformative project is underway and Terminal 6 is a perfect example of that. Today's milestone means thousands of good-paying industry jobs and will result in an improved passenger experience at one of our region's most important travel hubs. We congratulate Gov. Hochul, the Building Congress members behind the project, and the countless partners who helped bring the Redevelopment Program to life."

Redeveloping JFK Airport in Lockstep with the Local Community

In 2018, the JFK Redevelopment Community Advisory Council was formed. It is co-chaired by U.S. Representative Gregory Meeks and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, and is composed of elected officials, community boards, business and nonprofit organizations, civic organizations, and clergy leaders from the targeted local communities of Southeast Queens, Southwest Queens, the Rockaways, and western portions of Nassau County.

Since its inception, the Council has been working with the Port Authority to expand community outreach efforts and develop community-focused programs, ensuring that this ambitious project solicits ongoing feedback from local stakeholders and provides meaningful opportunities for local businesses, MWBEs, students, and jobseekers.

This includes programming to advance the Port Authority's commitment to a 30 percent MWBE contracting goal in all categories of work, and a special focus on opportunities for local businesses across all aspects of the JFK Redevelopment program, including this terminal project, which will be built by union labor under a full project-labor agreement. Other community development initiatives prioritized by the Council focus on job opportunities and workforce development programs for local residents, small business outreach and development, and educational programming for local students.

Transforming JFK Into a World-Class Global Gateway

In January 2017, the JFK Vision Plan was announced to transform John F. Kennedy International Airport into the world-class airport that New Yorkers deserve. The Vision Plan provides a strategic framework for the Port Authority and its partners to completely redevelop, modify and expand existing facilities and infrastructure. The new Terminal 6 builds on the momentum of the other three major components of the airport's transformation already underway. The $9.5 billion development of a state-of-the-art New Terminal One that will anchor the airport's south side broke ground in September 2022. The $1.5 billion expansion of Terminal 4, led by Delta Air Lines and JFK International Air Terminal, is now under construction. Additionally, the $400 million modernization and expansion of Terminal 8, led by American Airlines, which operates the terminal, and British Airways, which relocated to Terminal 8 late last year, was substantially completed in November 2022.

All of the privately financed terminal projects combined with the Port Authority's roadway, parking and infrastructure projects represent an $18 billion transformation of JFK International and an extraordinary series of public-private partnerships. The Port Authority capital investment of $2.9 billion is leveraging private investment at a rate of more than five to one when taking into account the full private investment of more than $15 billion that has been committed to the four projects comprising the full JFK redevelopment program.
Local News

By Chris Boyle Published: February 24 2023

EMTs pronounced the 78-year-old businessman dead in his Manhattan office Thursday morning.

Businessman, financier, and investor Thomas H. Lee was found dead of a self-influcted gunshot wound in his Manhattan office early Thursday morning, police say.

Lee, 78, was credited with being one of the early pioneers in private equity and specifically leveraged buyouts.

Police were called to the headquarters of Thomas H. Lee Capital LLC on the sixth floor of 767 Fifth Avenue around 11:10 a.m. this morning after an "emergency" was reported. EMTs pronounced Lee dead at the scene.

Lee family friend and spokesperson Michael Sitrick issued a statement, confirming his death.

The family is extremely saddened by Toms death," he said. "While the world knew him as one of the pioneers in the private equity business and a successful businessman, we knew him as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, sibling, friend and philanthropist who always put others needs before his own. Our hearts are broken. We ask that our privacy be respected and that we be allowed to grieve.
(Alliance News) - Caledonian Trust PLC on Friday said it has set a closing date for proposals for the sale of its London property St Margaret's House, following "strong interest."

In December, the Edinburgh-based property investment and development company proposed the sale of its largest property St Margaret's House at 151 London Road. At the time, Caledonian said it will market the property in Spring 2023 and had already received unsolicited proposals for it.

On Friday, Caledonian said it continues to prepare to market St Margaret's House in Spring and has received further unsolicited approaches.

Based on "strong interest", the company set Thursday as closing date, by which time best and final proposals should have been submitted by potential purchasers.

Caledonian said it has received three non-binding proposals which are currently being reviewed. It noted that no proposal will be accepted that does not realise the full market value of the property.

"All three proposals are being considered in detail and if any proposal is deemed appropriate, Caledonian Trust intends to enter into an exclusivity agreement with the preferred purchaser for a period during which the preferred purchaser will complete their due diligence and negotiate the detailed terms of any formal sale agreement to be concluded within that period," the company added.

Shares in Caledonian Trust were flat at 146.90 pence each in London on Friday around midday.

By Sophie Rose, Alliance News reporter

Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - CleanTech Lithium PLC on Friday said it intends to pursue a listing on the Australian Securities Exchange, hoping to begin trading by the third quarter of 2023.

The Chile-focused lithium exploration and development company said it has examined the merits of an ASX listing in Sydney over the past few months.

It has held discussions with a number of major shareholders and other parties, including two visits to Australia by Chief Executive Officer Aldo Boitano.

CleanTech Lithium cited multiple benefits for the company to pursue an ASX listing.

These include around 31% of its current share register being either based in Australia or has some other link to the country, and strongly encouraging CleanTech to list on this exchange "as soon as possible" by those shareholders who were canvassed on this; and claiming that various funds and financial institutions indicated a wish to invest but were restricted from doing so as the company was not listed on ASX.

Other reasons include bringing its Chile projects "to the attention of a robust resources market where lithium exploration companies have attracted considerable investor interest"; expectations that admission will extend its shareholder base, enable wider trading and provide greater liquidity; allow existing Australian investors to reposition its UK-held securities to Australia, if they wished to do so; and to enable closer communication with Australian investors.

CleanTech Lithium hopes to complete its ASX listing by the third quarter of 2023, following a process including the publication of audited 20222 results and an updated competent person report.

Both of these documents will be included in its ASX prospectus, which it said will be prepared in the coming months.

It said an ASX listing would not affect CleanTech Lithium shares trading on AIM in London or on OTCQB in North America.

"We believe we have the potential to produce some of the cleanest lithium in the electric vehicle market and have demonstrated real growth and operational momentum since we listed on AIM in March 2022," said CEO Boitano.

"The ASX market has seen a growing interest in green commodities, in line with the global transition to a lower carbon future, and we have seen the valuations of many ASX listed companies involved in the lithium supply chain benefit as a result. We feel that listing on the ASX is timely and will enable a more favourable valuation of the company and its assets."

Shares in CleanTech Lithium were down 3.1% to 68.78 pence each in London on Friday afternoon.

By Greg Rosenvinge, Alliance News reporter

Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
On Tuesday, the Balearic parliament was presented with a Unidas Podemos motion for the prohibition of non-resident home-buying. This subject was therefore returning to the chamber where it first broke out in October last year. On that occasion, El Pi, a party of very different political complexion to Podemos, did the motion-presenting and gained the support of the house in urging the Balearic government to pursue restrictions, the reporting of which was somewhat misleading in that an impression was given that a law had been passed to this effect.

No law could have been passed last October and nor could it have been on Tuesday. Everyone knew in October, as they did on Tuesday, that the Balearic government has precisely zero powers to introduce some sort of ban. The urging has to pass up the legislative food chain to Brussels, where the chances of restrictions ever being adopted are frankly remote, regardless of what the Spanish government may or may not attempt during the period of Spains EU presidency over the second half of this year.

Prior to the debate, Podemos had critical words for the main coalition party, PSOE, suggesting that Francina Armengol and chums were rather too matey with estate agents. All is fair in love and pre-election, even for coalition partners and even when the matiness was in fact a PSOE belief that the Podemos motion would totally mislead the citizens into believing that the Balearic government has powers to legislate when it most definitely does not. In the end, PSOE agreed to back an amended motion. In essence, this was the same as El Pis in October. Urging of the government was thus proposed, this urging to be in collaboration with Madrid and Brussels.

Courtroom of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

When Europe has said no to property bans

If they had had time to digest it, parties in parliament might have taken note of a report that had been delivered to parliament by the Proinba property developers association. Written by a prestigious Madrid law firm, this highlighted the relevant legal issues and cases in Austria, Denmark and Hungary, where laws had applied restrictions that were subsequently rejected by the European Court.

Meanwhile, reporting surrounding parliaments debate noted that estate agents in the Balearics had said that the possibility of a ban had already damaged their industry, with some foreigners deciding not to purchase. Well, this clearly hadnt been the case; not according to the College of Registrars at any rate. Its latest figures indicated that there was a 4.7% increase in sales to foreign buyers in the final quarter of 2022, there having been a 3.2% decrease in the third quarter. Moreover, the total number of foreign purchases for 2022 as a whole - 6,133 - was the highest ever.

In the Balearics, 314 of these visas were granted in 2022.

The Golden Visa and the visa waiver

Still on all the foreign-buying debate, the Golden Visa and questions surrounding it have resurfaced. This visa was introduced in Spain in 2013. The thinking was that it would help to boost foreign investment, and so it came with an attractive means of getting Spanish residency and in record time. Spend half a million euros or more on a property, and the visa will be handed out.

The concerns have always existed. The European Commission has warned member states about the possibility of money laundering, while the visa is said to have contributed to property speculation. The subject is back in the spotlight as Portugal has announced that it will do away with the scheme. There have been calls for the Spanish government to do the same, with the Balearic government spokesperson, Iago Negueruela, among the latest to say that he would favour the scrapping of the visa.

In the Balearics, 314 of these visas were granted in 2022. Nationally, the total was 3,783, with Alicante and Malaga among other provinces where large numbers of visas are given. All attractive to British buyers, the UK heads the list of Golden Visa holders, a consequence of Brexit.

The British, meanwhile, face having to get a visa that isnt a visa. The ETIAS European Travel Information and Authorisation System is a visa waiver. However one wishes to define it, ETIAS comes into effect from November this year. Costing all of seven quid (free to under-18s and over-70s) and lasting three years, a load of nonsense is being said about its potential harmful effect. The latest contributors to this are the Mesa del Turismo, a body that regularly causes chaos when it comes to translation. It isnt the tourism board or anything of the sort. Rather, it is a group (or table, if you prefer) of leading businesspeople in the tourism and travel industry who are of the view that ETIAS poses a threat to Spains tourism competitiveness.

Will we see more tourists on Mallorca this summer?

A record summer for Mallorcas tourism?

One cant say too much about Spains competitiveness, but Mallorcas - in a post-Brexit, pre-ETIAS environment - appears to be just fine. Jet2, recently reported as having overtaken Tui as the UKs leading tour operator, has announced almost 50,000 additional seats for flights to Palma this summer - 650,000 in all. And it isnt only the UK which is increasing the number of seats. There is an average increase of ten per cent for the four main summer months of June to September, while the total programmed over the period of airlines summer schedules (late March to late October) is getting on for 31 million.

Arrivals and departures, if these seats were to all be occupied, this would mean that the 29.7 million passengers for the whole of 2019, a Palma record, would be exceeded. Will there be a record summer for tourism? Maybe there will be.

The prospect of a record summer is most certainly not what the Citizens Assembly for the Climate in Mallorca would have in mind. A Balearic government-backed initiative in association with the university, this assembly of sixty people has met on five occasions to discuss what Mallorca needs before 2030 in order to face up to the climate emergency. It has come up with 56 proposals that the university will publish in full next week. But it is known that limiting the number of tourists is one of the most highly rated proposals.

The problematic Gesa building to be devoted to culture.

The culture of the Gesa building and Rafa Nadal

Culture is another alternative tourism product and Palma could well benefit from cultural tourism were the problematic Gesa building to be devoted to culture. In electoral campaigning mode, the Partido Populars candidate for Palma mayor, one-time tourism minister Jaime Martinez, has been pitching the partys cultural aspirations, with the Gesa building a key element among those to turn Palma into the capital of culture and art in the Mediterranean.

Although there are other art museums in Palma, e.g. Es Baluard, Martinez finds it incomprehensible that Palma doesnt have a museum of modern and contemporary art at an international level. The Gesa building could be converted into such a museum. Maybe, or is this just another in the long list of ideas to decide what to do with the building?

Rafa Nadal to have his own statue in Manacor.

The centre of Manacor isnt necessarily a place that is high on a tourists itinerary. But this might be about to change, thanks to Manacors most famous son (and Mallorcas), Rafael Nadal. Following his 14th French Open win last year, a council meeting gave unanimous approval to there being a statue to Nadal. The town hall now has a sketch of the proposed statue, which will be sited opposite the family home in the square off which there is also has the parish church. The design has aroused some discussion. It shows Rafa sitting down next to a young boy version of himself. Should it not be more dynamic? A serving Rafa? A Rafa displaying his forehand or backhand? The player is to be consulted. He may have other ideas.

The search for Maddie.

Was Madeleine McCann seen in Cala d'Or?

By Jason Moore

British police, searching for the missing Madeleine McCann, contacted their Mallorcan counterparts after a British couple reported that they had seen her in Cala d'Or in the summer of 2008 a year after she was kidnapped.

The British couple, who were on holiday on the island, claimed that they had seen Madeleine with two women. The little girl was wearing sun-glasses but fitted Madeleine's description. The couple said that the two women had a dark complexion while Maddie was very fair. They spotted the three on two occasions and informed police who were unable to find them. However, searches were carried out in apartment complexes. The British police also contacted their Mallorca counterparts over the alleged sighting. A year later a BBC camera crew, who were making a documentary on the disappearance, went to Cala d'Or.

Cup of coffee in Soller between 1.80 to 2.50 euros.

Can't afford to holiday in Soller Valley anymore

By Shirley Roberts

I must admit I am perplexed and looking for logic. The chatter down our way these past weeks has been about price increases from airlines, hotels and restaurants. Many sad contributors to the debate saying they cant afford to holiday in the Soller Valley anymore as it has priced itself out of their reach. These were largely friends used to frequent travels and high spending. This year everything came under their scrutiny from self-catering apartments to luxury villas. The price rises were just too high.

Against that came example after example where this wasnt the case. One person following the thread sent me his receipts for his flight and car hire for March 2023, coming in at half the price of last year. Others told me of Villas and Hotels who have imposed an energy surcharge but left all basic prices the same. The Tour Operators will all tell you what they are doing to preserve family summer holidays. They make it easy to pay by instalments and initial large deposits seem to be a thing of the past. This is not a one size fits all problem. There are two sides to this story.

The coffee debate is a good yardstick measure every year. 1.80 to 2.50 seems to be the going rate this year in Soller and in Palma. Surprisingly these prices all seem cheap to those from the UK and most Scandinavian countries. They dont really understand our gripe when the price hits 2.50.

When tourism was young, travellers got used to their currency going a long way, because everything about Spain was deemed cheap. This included the labour costs and salaries which were sometimes even paid in black money. The tourist in those days enjoyed the price differentials and kept returning for more. They couldnt holiday in their own country for the little they were paying in Spain. Those days are thankfully gone, and minimum wages and legislation has helped the salaries in Spain to climb. It will take years for the older tourist to shake off the notion that Spain should be cheap. That just doesnt work anymore with rental and food costs in the Balearics on a par with London. How can Spain be cheap?

Businesses sit down with the spreadsheet and work out the costs of raw materials, rent of premises, energy costs and staff costs, then out of this comes the price necessary to charge the customer. When this exercise is done, they look at ways they can cut costs to make the end price, more acceptable. For some local friends they have decided to close their restaurants and open a Take Away instead. Getting rid of staff costs is the only way they see of balancing the books. Others choose to go so high end that it is only the super-rich who can afford to eat with them.

There are only a few more weeks left for the talking. The Soller Valley has a 10 month season and its just started. Half terms fill the second half of February and then the March walkers and cyclists will see us into Easter. All the calculations talked about are almost done now and the price lists sent to the printers.

I will be fascinated as people arrive and tell the stories of how much they have paid and what their experience has been. Restaurants and Hotels who struggled last year finding staff can no longer use that as an excuse for mediocre service this year. I know of many companies who are in staff training mode and looking to provide increased excellence for the increased prices they will charge in 2023.

We start the year with there being two sides to every story, and so it will be at the end. I really dont want to say goodbye to old friends and hope, by shopping around, they will still find prices in the Soller Valley which work for them. The chatter will be very interesting thats for sure.

So why does it take so long?

The waiting game at the chemist

By Peter Clover

The next time I visit a farmacia (chemist) to pick up a prescription or buy a packet of cotton buds, I think I will take a packed lunch and make a day of it. Unlike Boots back home in Old Blighty, where you can graze the aisles at your leisure, fill up a basket, then casually wander over to dispensing, drop off a prescription, pick up the medication almost immediately, then pay for the lot within minutes at a cash desk!

Here in Mallorca, you can almost guarantee that for every person inside the chemist you must calculate an average waiting time of around fifteen minutes. For example - in our small, local farmacia, with only one person serving behind the counter, 6 people ahead of you could easily represent a one and a half hour wait! And Im not kidding. So why does it take so long?

Well, once the weather has been discussed, along with the welfare of all the nietas and nietos (grandchildren), the sobrinos and sobrinas (nephews and nieces), the tias (aunties) and Tio Tom Cobbly and all, there is also the possibility that the pharmacy telephone might ring and cause even further delays. The culture here in Mallorca happily embraces lengthy telephone conversations which interrupt the serving process, whether personal or otherwise! And customers seem quite happy to just wait, and wait, and wait; for here in Mallorca they are blissfully graced with an amazing amount of patience, along with the ability to sit around, doing nothing, for ages!

The actual prescriptions themselves also seem to take forever to process and dispense, especially if there is an elderly person involved with a long list of medications on order. Some customers actually look as if they might possibly be starting up their own drugs dispensary, leaving the farmacia laden with carrier bags. Each prescription dispensed requires a bar code to be cut physically from the packaging with surgical precision, usually a Stanley knife, which is then sellotaped to a printed form and signed off. Considering 2023 embraces a digital world of advanced technology, one might assume a bar code could simply be scanned and recorded on a contemporary device. But then this is Mallorca and they like to do things their way!

But its not just the farmacias where you might expect to wait in line for hours. Both banks and post offices are also great places to camp out in for the day! Our local post office in Inca has a digital ticket system (like most), so you work out roughly how long it might be from the current number displayed above the counter, then go and do a bit of shopping, and come back in time to buy a stamp. However, if you are holding number 200 in your hand and they are only displaying numero 20, then you might as well go to the beach for the day, and still get back in time to post that annoying letter!

Banks of course have always been a little confusing, with different counters and desks for various transactions. And people dont seem to queue in banks, they just hover, looking suspiciously at the uninitiated foreigner, as if they might jump in front of you at the first opportunity and purloin your turn. So without an apparent queue, how does taking your fair turn in a bank, possibly work? Traditionally, when a new customer enters the bank, (this system also works in other establishments where a queue seems non-existent), they simply ask Quien es el ultimo? (in a nutshell  who is the last one?) That way each person knows exactly who they are going to follow in line for the cashier. Its a simple, yet brilliantly effective system, as you dont have to watch anyone else in the bank except the person whose turn is immediately before yours. No standing in a tired line! You can sit down and get on with Facebook, or flick through Instagram whilst keeping a beady, watchful eye on that person whose turn is directly before yours. As soon as they make their move, you can perk up knowing that youre next!

But beware! Even when you have taken your turn and are standing in front of the cashier, you might be accosted by a butter! and that has nothing to do with anything spread on toast. Its simply someone who rudely butts in to ask the cashier a quick question. Not even a polite excuse me, just a straight, uneducated butt into your private conversation. And the worse thing is they just get away with it. Whoever you are dealing with suddenly ignores you and starts dealing with the butter, and their ready excuse is that its only a tiny query and wont take long. Well, butt out, Im being served not you, so wait your turn!

The bakery is another great place to waste a morning. There is no urgency whatsoever to serve customers with their pan Mallorquin. Having a good chin-wag and sharing a bit of local gossip is a priority. And the majority are very happy to do so as they wait their turn, often chipping in with their own version of events. The Mallorcans specialise in turning simple, everyday events like banking, posting a letter, shopping etc into a social gathering. So, if you find yourself in a long queue, do what Im going to do in future. Take sandwiches and a flask. Happy waiting!
Leonard Eto, one of the most accomplished and innovative contemporary players of taiko or Japanese percussion instruments, is taking his Taiko Beat: Leonard Eto Philippine Tour 2023 to the Shangri-La Plaza at the Grand Atrium on February 25, 2023 at 4PM.

For his performance at Shang, Eto will be performing with special guest Tusa Montes, whos a percussionist, ethnomusicologist, and educator who specializes in the music of the Philippines, Asia, West Africa, and Latin America. Presented by Japan Foundation Manila and supported by Japan

Tobacco International and Japan Airlines, Taiko Beat: Leonard Eto Philippine Tour 2023 showcases the taiko legends distinct playing thats marked by his fluidity and luminous, dance-like quality, often described as both powerful and effortless.

Etos tour stop is part of Shangs Nihongo Fiesta that aims to celebrate the Japanese language and culture. Another activity lined up for the fest is the 50th Nihongo Speech Contest happening at the Red Carpet at the Shang on the same day at 1PM. Its where Filipino students and professionals demonstrate their Japanese linguistic skills by articulating their own original composition. It continues to attract high-caliber contestants from the countrys numerous language institutes, colleges and universities, and other organizations offering Japanese language courses.

Come and explore the beauty of the Japanese language and the powerful taiko beats of Leonard Eto #FortheLoveofArtAtTheShang.

For updates and inquiries, follow Shangri-La Plaza on Facebook at facebook.com/shangrilaplazaofficial and on Instagram @shangrilaplazaofficial.








Chinese speech contest in Iran highlights cultural similarities

09:18, February 24, 2023 By Gao Wencheng ( Xinhua

A contestant speaks at the first Chinese speech competition for Iranian college students in Tehran, Iran, Feb. 22, 2023.(Xinhua/Gao Wencheng)

TEHRAN, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- With Chinese New Year ornaments like red lanterns, and Haft-Sin table, a tradition of Iranian New Year Nowruz, mixed to decorate the same podium, Iranian youngsters on Wednesday shared their thoughts on the similarities between Nowruz and Spring Festival.

Twelve contestants from three prestigious Iranian universities -- University of Tehran (UT), Shahid Beheshti University (SBU), and Allameh Tabataba'i University (ATU) -- attended the first Chinese speech competition for Iranian college students.

The speakers found many in common in the New Year cultures of the two different countries from diverse perspectives. In both countries, people will clean their houses before festivals and greet relatives and friends on the first days of the New Year. Every New Year, the elders will give the younger generation lucky money. Also, there must be fish on the New Year's table of the two countries.

Similarly, Iranians jump over fires at the end of the old year and the beginning of the new year, and the Chinese set off firecrackers, showing their joint hope for good fortune in the new year through the fire, they added.

"Both nations value reunion and family," Faeze Mirzabe, a UT student, noted, referring to the two countries' similar spiritual pursuit when celebrating the New Year.

Li Mei, the Chinese director of the UT Confucius Institute, who served as one of the judges of the competition, said the contestants carefully prepared both speech skills and speech content.

"Their speeches not only cover the resemblance in festive customs, but also the resemblance in value orientation, showing their deep understanding of Chinese culture," Li added.

Fu Lihua, charge d 'Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Iran, said at the award ceremony that cooperation starts with mutual understanding, and language plays the role of the carrier of culture and the key to mutual understanding.

Fu said she looks forward to more Iranian young students learning Chinese, understanding the real China through their eyes and hearts, and contributing to friendly exchanges between the two sides and the development of bilateral ties.

Farhad Javanbakht Kheirabadi, a China scholar at SBU, which hosted the contest, said the competition focused on the cultural similarities between Iran and China and helped bolster public diplomacy.

The competition will not only motivate Chinese language majors in Iran, but also prepare for more such activities in the future and deepen cultural ties between the two countries, he said.

Arezoo Sheikhi, a player from ATU, won the first prize and hugged excitedly her family and friends after accepting her award.

"My major is the Chinese language because I want to work in the field of communication between these two countries in the future," Sheikhi said, adding that "I would like to go to China so that I can contribute to the long-standing relationship between these two countries."

Talking about the reason for Sheikhi's impressive performances, her teacher Sara Almasieh said the teachers usually introduce Chinese customs during important Chinese festivals and organize lectures on Chinese culture every year to guide students to think about the similarities between the two civilizations.

A contestant speaks at the first Chinese speech competition for Iranian college students in Tehran, Iran, Feb. 22, 2023. (Xinhua/Gao Wencheng)

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
Shahid Kapoor has been one of the most underrated actors in Bollywood and in my opinion, he is the best actor when it comes to playing conman or grey characters.

The choices of characters that he made as a mainstream Bollywood actor, especially in the second leg of his career are quite courageous and impressive.

Here is a list of some of the best characters played by him in Bollywood films.

1. Charlie/Guddu Sharma-Kaminey

##JUMPLINK##

Kaminey is one of my favourite films and boy oh boy, what a performance Shahid has given in this Vishal Bhardwaj directorial!

Kaminey follows the story of two twins, who part ways and get into a tussle with police and deadly gangsters.

2. Haider-Haider

Inspired by Shakespeares iconic play Hamlet, Haider tells the story of a young man who returns to Jammu and Kashmir when the state is bedevilled by a violent insurgency. He seeks closure regarding his father's disappearance, but the state's politics overpower him.

Shahid starred in this Vishal Bhardwaj directorial opposite Shraddha Kapoor and cinephiles just loved their onscreen chemistry.

 UTV Motion Pictures

Shahid just nailed the character of Haider and the film was also nominated at the 62nd National Film Awards under several categories.

3. Tommy Singh-Udta Punjab

One of the most controversial and iconic films of Bollywood, Udta Punjab still ranks as one of the best Bollywood movies.

I still remember the crazy response from the crowd when he appeared as Tommy Singh for the first time on screen as we had not seen a portrayal like him before Abhishek Chaubeys directorial Udta Punjab opposite Alia Bhatt.

4. Rawal Ratan Singh-Padmaavat

Many of us remember Padmaavat because of Ranveer Singhs terrifying performance as Khilji, but in my opinion, Shahid Kapoor just killed it in the role of a Rajput king, who will embrace his death rather than kneeling down in front of his enemy.

He was paired opposite Deepika Padukone in Padmaavat and looked on par with Ranveers Khilji

5. Kabir Singh-Kabir Singh

I still remember going for the late-night show of this Sandeep Reddy Vanga directorial and the crowd was going bonkers over Shahids portrayal of the alcoholic doctor Kabir Singh.

The film was accused of being a male chauvinist, but Shahid has cleared it several times that it was the character which demanded certain elements to be integrated into the story and Kabir Singh is the polar opposite of him.
GOOD SHEPHERD  Another day, another mob violence.

One person was flogged to death and four others heavily assaulted by a mob who accused them of being members of the notorious Number 28 gang which is allegedly responsible for a spate of crimes in Maphungwane. One had his private parts and hands burnt in the process of the punishment.

The injured were admitted to the Good Shepherd Catholic Hospital (GSCH) where they were said to be in critical condition yesterday. The suspects were accused of a string of robberies, housebreaking and rape in the community. It was at around 10am on Wednesday when the five were rounded up by residents of Maphungwane after they had been identified as the alleged perpetrators of serious crimes in the area.

An eyewitness said an incident of housebreaking and robbery that had occurred at Hhukwane was enough to trigger the violence.

It was established that three of the suspects were assaulted with bush knifes, logs and axes. The mob further lit a grass fire and burnt one of the mens private parts and hands. The others were assaulted heavily on their legs, feet and hands.

Rushed

According to the source, the angry mob started to assault the trio at around 10am. Police only arrived at the scene at around 7pm and rushed the men to the hospital. Mayibongwe Banda, who succumbed to the injuries, is said to have died at around 11pm, while receiving treatment at the hospital.

It was also established that Banda was originally from Mozambique, but his family had established a home and settled at Maphungwane. His aunt, Lilian Bartaria confirmed the demise and indicated that she was yet to get more details about the incident. She mentioned that Banda was rarely home as he spent time with his friends.

I got the news of the demise of Mayibongwe and I am yet to get more information on what transpired, leading to the incident, she said. The others were receiving medical attention yesterday. Their identities will not be revealed for ethical reasons. After first attacking the three, the mob is said to have further tracked down two other suspects, whom they tortured and left for dead.

Violence

They also had to be rushed to hospital by the police, bringing the number of the assaulted suspects to five.Their ages range between 25 and 30.

They accused the two of breaking into peoples homes and robbing families of money, food, clothes and even committed rapes. The source shared that the rising criminal incidents in the community had been reported to the Tikhuba Police Post and Siteki Police Station on several occasions. He alleged that the residents felt nothing was being done to investigate the incidents.

He narrated how one of the accused was fetched from his parental home while two of his accomplices were caught red-handed in one of the homes at Hhukwane. Crime has escalated to extreme proportions at Maphungwane. People are no longer moving at night due to fear of being attacked, raped or their belongings taken forcefully by the criminals, said the source. Adding, the source mentioned that the Maphungwane community had sectional gangs geographically located in zones of Tigodzi, Hhukwane and Ekucitsekeni.

Perpetrated

The community members are fed-up with the crimes that are perpetrated by people who are known in the community. There is no peace at Maphungwane, following the opening of drinking bars around the community. The police have done nothing to curb these criminal elements. Also, no arrests have been made, the source retorted. Interviewed in their hospital beds, the four suspects expressed ignorance on the crimes they were linked to. They all stated that they had enjoyed alcoholic beverages on Tuesday evening upon arrival at Maphungwane from Matsapha, before the mob attacked them at their different places of abode on Wednesday. One of the victims said he was enjoying alcoholic beverages when he was informed by other people that his friends went to rob an elderly woman of her E2 500.

He said he fell victim to the mob violence just because he was friends with those who committed the crime. He did not deny that he was a member of the 28 gang, together with his alleged accomplices. He said he was found at his girlfriends home when the mob dragged him away to interrogate him. They started to assault us at around 10am with every weapon at their disposal, like pangas, knobkerries, logs, axes and also burnt one of my friends. I was assaulted on the head and all over the body. I fractured both my legs, but the doctors indicated that I would be alright, the suspect said.

Committed

He said during the violent interrogation, they tried to explain their side of the story, that they had nothing to do with the committed crimes, but the mob would not listen. His accomplice said the mob found him enjoying marula brew when they took him away. He narrated that they told him to confess about his crimes in front of the members of the community and when he tried to reason with them, they assaulted him and further burnt his body using grass picked from the homesteads yard. I was burnt on my private parts, my arms and head. Though I screamed in pain, they continued to assault me, he said.

Meanwhile, another accomplice also denied having committed the crimes he was associated with. He said, in the past, he used to commit crimes, but he had since repented from his unbecoming behaviour. To his knowledge, the person who committed all the crimes was still at large. On the night of Tuesday, I heard that there was a break-in and alcohol at a bar and money were stolen. I pray that they catch the person behind the crimes. I am not a criminal anymore, he said. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati said a 23-year-old man succumbed to the injuries inflicted by the mob.

Attention

The one who died was among others who were admitted to the hospital. Two others were admitted later and all of them are still receiving medical attention at the hospital. Police are still investigating the circumstances leading to the mob justice. No arrests have been made yet, she said. Mozambican nationals representative in the country, Domingo Thomo, appealed for good behaviour among Mozambican nationals staying in the country. Thomo said it was unfortunate that Banda died in this manner and urged community police to work collectively with the police to combat criminal elements in communities.

We discourage such misbehavior among our nationals as emaSwati have been good to us and some of us have jobs and homes here. They must refrain from crime and work to earn a living. Residents and community police should work together to curb crime in communities, he said.

Meanwhile, in the past two months, nine people have died in mob attacks in different occasions across the country. Recently, a 55-year-old man of Mphaphati under Siphofaneni Inkhundla was attacked and killed by a group of 15 community members, who implicated him in stock theft.

Concealed

According to a community member, who asked that his identity be concealed for security reasons, the members of the 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. Worth mentioning, is that eight people have been arrested in connection with the mob justice that took place at Nkonka in Matsanjeni a week ago, where four men were killed. Another recent incident of a mob attack also saw a 25-year-old man of Sitsatsaweni area being heavily assaulted by a mob after being 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, one was killed by a mob in connection with stock theft. The source claimed that the deceased had, in the past, been linked to a number of stock theft incidents of goats and cattle in the community. In December last year, police officers from Lubulini Police station made a breakthrough after successfully arresting a man who was driving a Honda Fit sedan at Lubulini, loaded with 20 goats suspected to have been stolen around Siteki. Meanwhile, in November last year, Siteki Principal Magistrate Dumisani Magagula acquitted 19 of the 25 residents of two communities under the Siphofaneni Inkhundla, on the basis that they obeyed a restraining order that had been granted to the late Mabhensane Primary School Head teacher Sayinile Irene Sikhondze.

Gunned

The late head teacher was gunned down by an unknown person while at her home situated at Nceka area under Siphofaneni Inkhundla. Meanwhile, in December 2021, a Toyota van, valued at over E65 000, which was transporting 26 goats, was torched by a mob of 20 men from Kashoba area on suspicions that the goats were stolen.Worth mentioning, is that a 78-year-old man of Madulini area in the Shiselweni Region was also killed last week Friday by a mob, on suspicions that he was allegedly having sexual relationships with school-going children.

It is worth noting that a man who was assaulted by the suspects when they robbed him on Tuesday night was also admitted to the hospital on Wednesday night. According to a healthcare worker at the hospital, the man sustained a gaping wound on the head and was discharged yesterday morning. He came with the police and he had an open wound on the head. He was stitched and given medication and discharged this morning (yesterday), said the healthcare worker. * Not real names
A pair of Republican lawmakers is demanding the Army release, in full, survey findings on why young people don't want to enlist after service officials said the data showed safety concerns were the top issue -- not "wokeness," as conservatives have been insisting.

In a letter Thursday to Army Secretary Christine Wormuth, Reps. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., and Jim Banks, R-Ind., accused the service of "cherry-picking data to fit a narrative" and called on it to release its full findings "in the interest of transparency." The Army summarized the findings to The Associated Press, but has not released the full results.

"Wokeness at the DoD has harmed recruitment, retention and morale, wasted service members' time and taxpayer's dollars, and undermined the apolitical character of the military, which is a major threat to democracy and the American way of life," Banks said in a statement accompanying the release of the letter.

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Waltz, a retired Army Green Beret, leads the House Armed Services Committee's readiness subpanel. Banks leads the committee's personnel subpanel and is running for the Senate in 2024.

While every branch of the military struggled to meet its recruiting goals last year, the Army fared the worst, falling 15,000 recruits short of its 60,000 goal.

Despite missing its goal last year, the Army set an even more ambitious goal this year of bringing in 65,000 new soldiers. There have been positive signs at the start of the year the Army could hit the target.

In interviews with The Associated Press earlier this month, Army officials summarized the findings of surveys conducted over the spring and summer of 2,400 people aged 16 to 28 that were designed to help leaders understand why young adults don't want to enlist. But the service would not provide the full data set to the AP because of licensing agreements with contractors that prevented some details from being shared, according to the news outlet.

The Army's public affairs office did not immediately respond to Military.com's request for comment Thursday on Waltz and Banks' letter or on the survey results.

The top three reasons survey respondents cited for not wanting to join the military were fear of death, worries about post-traumatic stress disorder, and leaving friends and family, according to the AP.

Meanwhile, just 5% of respondents listed "wokeness" as an issue, according to the newswire. By contrast, 13% said they believe women and minorities will face discrimination and not get the same opportunities.

That runs counter to the narrative Republicans have built since the start of the Biden administration that wokeness is to blame for recruiting woes.

The letter marks the latest salvo in Republican plans to use their House majority to fight against what they've labeled as "wokeness" in the military. The term has become a catch-all for many Biden administration policies Republicans disagree with, but often refers to efforts to make the military more welcoming to racial minorities, women and other marginalized identities.

Banks, in particular, has vowed to use his perch on the personnel subcommittee to focus on "exposing and dismantling the Biden administration's woke agenda," and has already co-authored several letters beyond Thursday's that follow that theme. The subcommittee's first hearing under his leadership on Tuesday will be on the COVID-19 pandemic's effect on the military; the Pentagon's now-defunct COVID-19 vaccine mandate was also labeled "woke" by Republicans.

Republicans, including Waltz and Banks in their letter, have pointed to a pair of surveys commissioned by right-leaning organizations to bolster their argument. One survey, from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, found decreasing public confidence in the military was being driven by perceived politicization, though there was a partisan split with Republicans voicing concerns about wokeness and Democrats concerned about extremists. The other, from the Heritage Foundation, said 68% of active-duty military respondents reported witnessing "growing politicization" in the ranks.

"As the chairmen of the House Armed Services Committee's Readiness and Military Personnel Subcommittees, we share the goal of recruiting and retaining our nation's best and brightest for military service," Waltz and Banks wrote in their letter to Wormuth. "This issue is critical to our national security, and of great importance to the American people."

-- Rebecca Kheel can be reached at rebecca.kheel@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @reporterkheel.

Related: Army Sees Safety, Not 'Wokeness,' as Top Recruiting Obstacle
Staffing shortages at Veterans Affairs Police Services and security deficiencies at Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers put the facilities, their staffs and patients at risk for theft, assault or other serious crimes, the VA's Office of the Inspector General has found.

The VA's "open campus" concept for its facilities, which fosters an environment where veterans, visitors and the public are welcome and have easy access to care, increases security staffing requirements to reduce the risk of individuals entering a hospital or clinic with malicious intent.

But a review published Wednesday of 70 VA medical centers nationwide by the department's top watchdog found that police shortages often were the reason that facilities failed to meet security regulations.

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The VA OIG audit, which involved 150 inspectors conducting unannounced visits to 70 facilities over a three-day time frame, found that the average vacancy rate for police officer positions in those hospitals was 33%, and at some facilities, as high as 63%.

Across the entire Veterans Health Administration System, which encompasses 171 medical centers and 1,100 clinics, more than one-third of hospitals reported a severe shortage of police officers last year.

The understaffing contributes to situations where public entryways arent manned and security cameras arent monitored sufficiently, according to the report.

Roughly 388,000 employees of the Veterans Health Administration provide medical care and services to 7.3 million patients each year, according to the VA. In 2022, there were 36 "serious incidents" reported at 32 VA medical centers, defined as events that would draw attention or cause harm, such as major theft of VA property, injury to people or property, display of a firearm by someone on the property, or a shooting by a police officer.

The incidents included a bomb threat -- later determined to be a hoax -- at the Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center in Wichita, Kansas, in February that prompted the evacuation of building occupants and response by local emergency units.

In May, a man at the Ravenna VA Clinic in northeastern Ohio brought a shotgun to the facility and fired a round into the ground outside, leading to a lockdown of both the clinic and a nearby high school.

And in July, at the San Diego VA Medical Center, a patient grabbed an officer's gun and fired it, missing the officer but striking a wall next door, endangering the patient in that room.

The incidents, and ongoing concern from veterans and members of Congress about security at VA hospitals, prompted the OIG to conduct the audit, officials said.

"All 36 incidents presented significant concerns and highlight VA's need to protect its property and systems, as well as secure its facilities to help ensure the safety of staff, patients, and visitors," wrote Larry Reinkemeyer, VA's assistant inspector general for audits and evaluations, in the report.

Auditors found that police shortages weren't limited to a geographic area or size of facility. In one location in the South, 20 of 32 positions were vacant, or 63%; a hospital in a large northeastern city showed that 57 of its 90 positions were vacant, also 63%.

And although the VA now has a requirement that all emergency departments have a visible security presence by May 2023, the inspectors, who did their review in September 2022, found that 58% of facilities had not yet met the requirement.

Following release of the OIG report, VA officials sought to reassure veterans and visitors that they are safe on VA grounds. They noted that they have embarked on a modernization of the VA police force, including adding new positions.

We are always aggressively recruiting for high-quality VA police candidates. Law enforcement is currently a highly competitive market in the country, with more vacancies than applicants, a VA spokesman wrote in an email Thursday to Military.com

Previous to this report, VA took steps to attract more high-caliber and diverse applicants. This includes enhanced salaries, recruitment and retention incentives, and continuous job postings on USA Jobs. We have also partnered with DoD in [an initiative] that places qualified transitioning service members in VA Police positions, the spokesman wrote.

The inspections reported that not only were the police understaffed, they were overworked. In 2022, VA police officers worked 292,000 overtime hours in the 70 facilities reviewed, at a cost of $13.4 million. At more than half the sites, the VA police chiefs said overtime was mandatory at their facilities as a result of staffing issues.

Other issues that contributed to staffing troubles included low pay compared with other police departments and high turnover -- the result of new hires getting training and leaving for other jobs, the VA OIG said.

While the shortages meant that many public doors went unmanned by security personnel, the VA OIG also found opportunities for improving security at doors intended for use only by staff or approved visitors. The audit found that 17% of more than 2,500 nonpublic doors were unlocked and/or lacked security cameras.

In one case, a door to a surgical intensive care unit was not locked and, in others, VA inspectors were able to walk into a pharmacy where controlled substances were stored, a nuclear medicine clinic, a women's health clinic, and an emergency care clinic.

"VA medical facilities are meant to be welcoming. They're meant to be easy to access and, as a result, have many entrances. On top of that, there are 171 geographically diverse medical facilities in the VA network, and each of them come with their own unique challenges. It's important to understand that there is not one [security] template that can be applied. There are 171 templates that need to be applied," said Shawn Steele, director of the VA OIG's Office of Audits and Evaluations Healthcare Infrastructure Division in the VA's Veteran Oversight Now podcast, released Thursday.

Keeping security cameras working at VA facilities has been a long-standing problem, with lawmakers calling for change after several high-profile incidents, including the assault of a Navy veteran and congressional staffer at the VA Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and the murder of seven veterans at the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg, West Virginia, at the hands of a nurse.

The OIG teams found that 19% of all cameras were not working, and more than 20% of cameras at 24 facilities were inoperable. One facility in a large northeastern city said only 50% of its cameras were operational.

The OIG acknowledges that the presence of operational security cameras results in a large amount of footage to review, and many facilities may not have sufficient personnel to do so. However, having this footage available to review would help facilities and other authorities investigate any reported incidents, the report stated.

For the most part, the office found that VA Police Services were adequately trained and equipped and had policies and procedures in place to respond to an emergency.

VA OIG officials also said that at the facilities, where they were taking photographs, attempting to open locked doors and seeking out security cameras, they were approached and challenged by security at 38 of the 70 sites.

The OIG made several recommendations for the VA to improve the safety and security of all its medical facilities, to include assessing staffing needs and using hiring incentives to attract recruits; ensuring that VA facilities have budget to maintain security measures; directing all VA police chiefs to develop plans to identify and fix security weaknesses; and requiring policies that standardize security camera footage review and retention.

The VA concurred with the recommendations, estimating the fixes would be completed by June.

 Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Military.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime

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Military exchange stores should stop selling guns to troops under 25 years old and require across-the-board waiting periods on firearm and ammunition purchases to reduce high suicide rates, an independent advisory panel to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is suggesting.

The firearms restrictions, along with repealing a law passed by Congress in 2013 barring the military from tracking gun purchases, could help reduce the alarmingly high number of troops who continue to kill themselves, the Suicide Prevention and Response Independent Review Committee said in its report released Friday.

Austin created the advisory panel in March 2022, saying the rate of military suicides was too high. The deaths increased 44% between 2015 and 2020 despite a decade of new policies and spending on the problem, and the committee -- focusing on an issue that is a political lightning rod -- said it found guns and access to guns on base play a central role.

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"When we look at the science of suicide prevention, there's arguably only one thing that all researchers agree on," Dr. Craig Bryan, a lethal means safety expert at Ohio State University who sits on the panel, said during a media roundtable Friday. "And that one thing is that taking steps to slow down convenient access to highly lethal methods like firearms is the single most effective strategy for saving lives."

Restricting gun sales to service members 25 years old or older would filter out younger troops who are most at risk for suicide, and the waiting periods on purchases would slow down access to the means to attempt suicide, which is often an impulsive act, according to Bryan.

On-base stores in the U.S. sold 113,200 firearms in 2021, according to figures provided to Military.com by the exchange services published as part of an investigation into suicides on base. The Army and Air Force have 81 store counters that sell firearms, and the Marine Corps has 11 sites.

Troops, just like most Americans, have a constitutional right to own guns, and many could just go to off-base stores to purchase weapons. Any move to create new restrictions would likely meet fierce opposition from Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill, who are already attacking the Pentagon as pushing "woke" policies aimed at increased diversity.

With the panel report delivered to the Pentagon chief, any further action will depend on Austin and Congress.

"I would argue that what the recommendations contain are not strategies for gun control, but they are strategies focused on enhancing safety," said Bryan, who is a veteran and was one of the panel experts who worked most closely on firearm recommendations.

The role of firearms in military suicides has long been known as a central problem. Austin was specifically concerned about gun storage when he created the panel, his top spokesman said at the time.

The panel reported Friday that guns are involved in 66% of active-duty suicides, 78% of National Guard suicides and 72% of reserve suicides.

"One of the interesting things that I've run into over the past few years is, I have found military personnel are much more open to this than civilians," Bryan said. "And my sense -- I don't know for sure -- but my sense is that so many of us who have served have lost friends to suicide, and so many of those suicides involve firearms, that we recognize that there is a connection between the two."

Military.com's August investigation detailed deaths that involve troops who buy firearms at base exchanges, take them back to barracks, and then use the weapons in suicide attempts. Family members said commands are not being notified when troops at risk of suicide buy guns at their base stores.

The panel met with 2,776 troops during site visits to three bases in Alaska, where at least 11 service members took their own lives in 2021 and 2022, as well as bases in South Korea, Kentucky, North Carolina, Nevada and California over the past year.

"One of the messages that recurrently came up as we made site visits with military leaders, medical professionals, investigators, law enforcement personnel, was that oftentimes how someone found out that a service member had purchased or acquired a firearm -- often on base at a military exchange -- was only after they had used it to kill themselves," Bryan said.

Under federal law, the military is barred from keeping information on gun owners. Gun advocates in Congress wrote the restrictions into the National Defense Authorization Act a decade ago to protect the Second Amendment rights of troops to bear arms.

"What we found, however, was that unfortunately this provision had the unintended consequence that it actually really handcuffed many military leaders from being able to know who was at elevated risk and to properly assess the safety of their subordinates in personnel," Bryan said.

Military leaders and senior noncommissioned officers repeatedly told the panel that they could not keep track of the most vulnerable and most at-risk service members.

The panel has proposed repealing the law and replacing it with "procedural due process" on collecting and recording information on troops who lawfully purchase firearms.

The panel's report includes a raft of other recommendations to reduce suicides, such as creating a task force to overhaul the military promotion system to "better reward and select the right people for the right positions at the right time based on demonstrated leadership skills and abilities," according to a summary provided to reporters Friday.

-- Travis Tritten can be reached at travis.tritten@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @Travis_Tritten.

Related: These Troops Bought Guns on Base. Then They Used the Firearms to Take Their Own Lives.
The USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee, a guided-missile destroyer, was recently launched by the United States Navy. The ship, christened in 2021, is named after one of the U.S. Navys first ever nurses.

Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee entered service in 1908 as part of the Sacred Twenty, the U.S. Navys first nurses. Within three years, she had gained leadership of the corps as the forerunner of todays Director of Nurse Corps.

Rear Admiral Cynthia Kuehner served as the representative of the Chief of Naval Operations at the ships christening, where he spoke about what Higbee means to the Nurse Corps and Navy Medicine.

As the 26th Director of the Navy Nurse Corps I recognize that I am here in no small part because of the vision, initiative and conspicuous achievements of this great warships namesake, Kuehner said. As the second Superintendent she led the Navy Nurse Corps with awe inspiring distinction. In this evenings ceremony we celebrate her legacy. We honor her service. And we ensure that the permanence of her indomitable spirit is enshrined and revered by all who behold her.

Higbees care for thousands of casualties in World War I and during the so-called Spanish Flu epidemic that followed ultimately earned her a Navy Cross.

Lenah Higbee understood in the context of World War I and the influenza pandemic of 1918 that nursings presence on the front and in the fight is as essential to victory as any other element of modern warfare, Kuehner added. With uncommon vision and valor Superintendent Higbee pursued credible standing for the all-female Navy Nurse Corps, fighting within the institution against overt discrimination and for the common basic features of military service including pay, rank, uniforms and even housing.

2023 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Visit at ajc.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
MBABANE  The desire to make submissions in Parliament by Nkilongo MP Timothy Myeni, did not materialise as the debate was adjourned before he could utter a word.

Myeni joined over 15 Members of Parliament (MPs) who declared an interest in making submissions on a motion by the Prime Minister (PM) Cleopas Dlamini to move that a humble address be presented to His Majesty King Mswati III, thanking him for the speech he delivered on the occasion of the inauguration of the Fifth Session of the 11th Parliament on February 17. The motion was the only item on the order paper, making it the only business of the day as the legislators sat for the first time in the fifth session.

Colleagues

Prior to the sitting, the enthusiastic Myeni was heard telling his colleagues that he was ready to give reasons to the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Petros Mavimbela, on why he was absent during the opening of Parliament last Friday, something that he said would have formed part of his submissions had he got the chance to address the House, in an interview after the adjournment. Only a few seconds stood between Myeni and his keen interest to speak; and the adjournment of the debate, as the only thing he could do was adjust and position his microphone before the Speaker gave the floor to Motshane MP Robert Magongo, who stood on a point of order.

Motivated

Prior to that, the PM had already motivated his motion, followed by four other legislators in Shiselweni I MP Sipho Mndzebele, Deputy Speaker and Mhlangatane MP Madala Mhlanga, Minister of Public Service Mabulala Maseko and Manzini Region MP Busisiwe Mavimbela. Prior to motivating his motion of adjournment, Magongo tried to allow Myeni to continue with his debate, but the Speaker heard none of it and directed the former to continue with his point of order. Magongos point of order was a request to the Speaker to adjourn the debate and prioritise electing five members who would present the humble address to the head of State for his speech and he was seconded by Gege MP Musa Kunene.

Motivating his request, Magongo said the prior speakers were not submitting anything new but simply quoting the Kings speech. Mr Speaker, it seems we are making the same submissions and we will end up ruining it all, let us adjourn the debate and prioritise electing the five members who will present the humble address on our behalf to the King, he said. A disappointed Myeni rose and pleaded with the Speaker to allow him to speak, especially because he had already called his name for him to make his submissions.

My Honourable Speaker, Mhlambanyatsi Member of Parliament, can you kindly oppose the motion to adjourn the debate and allow me to speak, especially because you had already called me to make my submissions. I seriously need to say something, especially because the DPM is in the House, I have something to share with him through my submissions, he said much to the laughter of his colleagues. His request to oppose the motion by Magongo was seconded by Nhlambeni MP Manzi Zwane, who is one of the MPs who were not present during the opening of the Fifth Session of the 11th Parliament. However, the Speaker said now that a motion to adjourn the debate had been raised, the procedure of the House would be followed, which entailed putting it into vote. A great percentage of the MPs, through the vote, allowed for the debate to be adjourned while only Myeni and a few others opposed it.

Motion

The PM, when motivating his motion, stated that the King had called for the nation to be united in a nation building drive and work towards economic growth. He said the King called for patience with each other and not pointing of fingers and fighting. Shiselweni 1 MP Sipho Mndzebele also spoke about working towards a balanced and stable economy, not just numbers, which would bridge the gap between the rich and the poor. The subsequent speakers submissions boarded around striving for economic growth, particularly through the mining sector as revealed by the King, and also promoting co-existence, creating job opportunities and lessening the heavy reliance on South Africa for electricity.

When interviewed on what he wanted to submit prior to the adjournment, Myeni said it would not be proper for him to speak about that outside of the chambers, because it was something that formed part of the official business inside Parliament and he would wait for another opportunity to address it there. We have portfolio committee debates coming up and I will utilise that opportunity to make my submissions on official Parliament business. Otherwise, it would not be proper for me to detail my planned submissions to the media, he said.

However, Myeni did state that apart from the motion that was debated, he would have also used the same platform to explain his absence from the Parliament opening last week, as the Speaker had requested, through an article in the media. Worth mentioning is that the MPs who were not present during the opening of Parliament were present yesterday. They included Myeni, Siphofaneni MP Nomalungelo LaZwide Simelane, Nhlambeni MP Manzi Zwane and Nkhaba MP Zakhele Magongo. It could not be ascertained if all of them had reported their absence to the Speaker.
Last summer, Capt. Kimberly Jones quietly took on a new job aboard a new ship. Although both she and her commander knew the posting was historic, she said nobody felt the need to ratchet up the fanfare.

The job is the reactor officer aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. That position -- which is responsible for operating the ship's twin nuclear reactors and overseeing hundreds of sailors -- is one of the most important and influential aboard the ship since it provides propulsion, electricity, and the ability to launch planes for one of the Navy's biggest and most visible platforms. Plus, the risks of messing it up are enormous.

Jones is the first African American woman to be entrusted with the job. She's also only the sixth African American ever to hold the position.

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Jones, who spoke with Military.com over the phone Tuesday, said that while she was going to college for engineering at Tuskegee University in Alabama, she wasn't thinking about the Navy as an option.

"I received a flier in the mail for the Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate program," she recalled. "It just sounded different, [and] it came at a time where I was very open to options."

She was commissioned in 2001 and began her career in Japan aboard the amphibious transport ship USS Juneau. That experience was formative because she was one of only two women aboard. The other female officer was on her second shipboard tour, and so Jones said she "watched her like a hawk."

"I learned everything that I could learn, and it just really kind of walked in her footsteps," she recalled.

In a 2021 Navy video, Jones also noted that, at that time, "when it came to personal questions that one might have, it was hard to find those stories and find those folks that have walked in your shoes in a very similar fashion."

The experience also led her to grapple with whether "being more feminine wasn't as professional or ... in the intent of a true [surface warfare officer.]"

While women have made huge strides and accomplishments in the service over the last several decades, they currently make up only 23% of the surface Navy. Even simple things like uniform design have been focused on men, with the Navy taking until 2022 to make uniforms that would better fit women's bodies.

Jones, however, said that she didn't find her gender to be an impediment or something she had to downplay. "I just needed to be me, and I needed to be my best," she said.

Capts. Kimberly Jones and Ray Glenn pose for a wedding photo outside the Owen B. Pickett U.S. Custom House in Norfolk, Virginia. (Private photo courtesy of Capt. Ray Glenn)

Jones says many of the challenges she faced in her career -- getting qualified as "officer of the deck" and getting surface warfare-qualified -- are the same that any surface warfare officer has faced.

But quickly she took on responsibility.

"You are probably 23 years old and you're driving a ship at night, and the boss is asleep and trusts you  and, you know, that's wild."

Since those early days, Jones has had an impressive career as a surface warfare officer. She went on to command the dock landing ship USS Tortuga, becoming only the sixth African American woman to do so and, according to her Navy biography, she recently became only the fourth African American woman to be selected for a major ship command post.

Jones is hesitant to talk about those accomplishments. She attributes much of her success to "the great leaders and peers that I worked with" and readily points out that she's just the first to "run across that finish line" but that she's "worked alongside folks just like myself, over the years" who could have just as easily been in her place.

Jones' husband, Capt. Ray Glenn, himself a nuclear officer aboard the USS Nimitz, is quick to note that his wife is "pretty humble" but points out that "there have been setbacks in her life that some people wouldn't have gotten through."

Glenn, himself the fifth African American reactor officer in the Navy, attributes his wife's success and rise to the historic role she now holds to her commitment.

"As passionate as I am, I think she's got more passion because she's the one at the dinner table that's going to talk about work," he explained, before adding that "she's the one who talks about her sailors."

To Jones, who now oversees a team of around 400, "the ability to lead them is my most coveted charge."

"The majority of them left their homes after high school and they embark on a journey of unknowns, and I take that very seriously," she adds.

Jones' appointment came during a banner year for women breaking barriers in the Navy.

In July, Lt. Amanda Lee became the first female jet pilot to join the historic demonstration squadron "The Blue Angels."

Then, in August, the same month as Jones' appointment, Capt. Amy Bauernschmidt became the first female commanding officer to complete a deployment of a U.S. aircraft carrier when the USS Abraham Lincoln returned to Naval Air Station North Island after a seven-month deployment in the Pacific.

At the end of that month, the Navy announced that it had named the first woman to serve as a top enlisted sailor on a submarine.

In December 2022, the Marine Corps also promoted its first African American woman to the rank of major general.

"They're standing toe to toe with men, and each day they're standing toe to toe in places where, if you had to look 20 something years ago, you didn't think you'd see an African American woman," Glenn boasted of his wife and other groundbreaking sailors he's known and met.

For those looking to follow in Jones' footsteps, her advice is pretty straightforward: "Learn your job and keep learning" and "take every assignment as an opportunity for yourself and for those you serve."

"You don't have to change your core self," Jones said, before adding that, as long as you do your best, you can "start to move through any of the barriers, whether they are real, whether they are artificial or something that is put in your path."

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the ship on which Glenn serves.

-- Konstantin Toropin can be reached at konstantin.toropin@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @ktoropin.

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Service members who want to use administrative leave or receive a travel allowance to get an abortion or fertility treatment will not have to disclose the specific reason they're using the benefits, the Pentagon confirmed to Military.com on Friday.

Service members will have to write in documentation that their request is for a "non-covered reproductive health care need," Pentagon spokesperson Cmdr. Nicole Schwegman told Military.com. The leave, an administrative absence, does not count against regular leave allowances.

To have travel and transportation costs paid for, service members will have to submit a note from a Defense Department health care provider or a licensed non-Defense Department health care provider to the travel-approving official that says the travel is needed for non-covered reproductive health care, Schwegman added.

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Under policies announced last week, service members can get up to 21 days of administrative leave and transportation costs paid for in order to get an abortion that may only be available far from where they are stationed.

By law, the Pentagon can conduct or cover an abortion only if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest or the life of mother is at risk by carrying the pregnancy.

The leave and allowances are also available to service members who need fertility treatments that are not covered by military health care, such as in vitro fertilization.

The policies were a response to last year's Supreme Court ruling that allowed states to ban abortion. Since the ruling, more than a dozen states, many home to some of the biggest military bases in the country, have outlawed or severely restricted abortion. The bans raised concerns from abortion rights supporters that female troops, who do not get to choose where they are stationed, could lose access to reproductive health care.

But abortion rights advocates have also raised concerns that documentation or data indicating someone sought an abortion could be used by law enforcement or in prosecutions in states where the procedure is illegal. Oklahoma and Texas have enacted "bounty laws" that are designed to target those seeking abortions even potentially out of state, creating a situation where any paper trail could leave service members vulnerable.

Asked about those privacy concerns in October when the Pentagon first said it would provide administrative leave and travel stipends for abortions, defense officials suggested service members may be able to be vague about their circumstances but deferred a definitive answer until the policies were finalized.

If service members don't feel comfortable disclosing any information, they still have the option of taking personal leave and paying for expenses themselves, Schwegman said.

"The new reproductive health care policy balances the responsibility of commanders to meet operational requirements while also protecting the privacy, health and safety of those service members in their care," Schwegman said in an email.

In requiring troops to say they are getting non-covered reproductive health care without specifying abortion, the Pentagon is attempting to balance privacy considerations with the department's legal requirements and ensuring commanders grant the benefits, Schwegman said.

For example, with the travel allowance, officials need the doctor's note so there's documentation for how the funding was used in an audit, she said.

With the administrative absence, Schwegman argued documenting that the leave is for reproductive care could protect service members from commanders denying it because the commanders would in turn have to document why they are turning down the request. The policy stipulates the leave "should be granted to the greatest extent practicable, unless, in the commanding officer's judgment, the service member's absence would impair proper execution of the military mission," according to one of the memos released last week.

The military services are expected to implement the policies in March, according to those memos.

-- Rebecca Kheel can be reached at rebecca.kheel@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @reporterkheel.

Related: Military to Cover Travel Costs and Offer Leave for Troops Seeking Abortions, Fertility Treatment
WASHINGTON  The U.S. announced a new round of sanctions on Russian firms, banks, manufacturers and people Friday, aiming them at entities that helped Russia evade sanctions earlier in the year-old war against Ukraine.

Russias metals and mining sector is among those targeted in one of the U.S. Treasury Department's "most significant sanctions actions to date, according to the agency.

The action, taken in coordination with Group of Seven allies, seeks to punish 250 people and firms, puts financial blocks on banks, arms dealers and technology companies tied to weapons production, and goes after alleged sanctions evaders in countries from the United Arab Emirates to Switzerland.

Our sanctions have had both short-term and long-term impact, seen acutely in Russias struggle to replenish its weapons and in its isolated economy, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a written statement. "Our actions today with our G7 partners show that we will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.

Yellen is attending the G-20 finance ministers meetings in Bengaluru, India, this week. On Friday morning she told senior Russian officials attending meetings that their continued work for the Kremlin makes them complicit in Putins atrocities.

They bear responsibility for the lives and livelihoods being taken in Ukraine and the harm caused globally, she said.

The sanctions come after the White House announced early Friday morning that the Pentagon would commit $2 billion for more rounds of ammunition and a variety of small, high-tech drones into the fight against Russia.

The State and Commerce departments and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative also issued plans Friday to increase pressure on Russia. These steps impose visa restrictions on 1,219 members of the Russian military, increase tariffs on Russian products, such as metal, worth roughly $2.8 billion, and add nearly 90 Russian and third-country companies, including from China, to a list of identified sanctions evaders.

The Commerce Department also issued new export restriction rules on Russia, Belarus, and Iran, which has become a growing ally of Russia.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the coordinated actions across agencies and countries will continue degrading the Russian economys ability to fuel continued aggression towards Ukraine. U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said her department's moves are carefully calibrated to put economic pressure on Russia while minimizing costs to U.S. consumers.

Named in Friday's sanctions package are a dozen financial institutions, including Russia's largest non-state public bank, and Public Joint Stock Company MTS Bank, which had been granted a license to operate in the United Arab Emirates last year.

Additionally, importers of microelectronics and producers of carbon fiber, a key material for defense systems, were designated for sanctions.

The package names more than 30 people and firms allegedly connected to Russias sanctions evasion efforts. Among them: Swiss-Italian businessman Walter Moretti and his businesses; Nurmurad Kurbanov, a Russian-Turkmen arms dealer who is alleged to have represented Russian and Belarusian defense firms abroad; and Russian businessman Aleksandr Yevgenyevich Udodov, the former brother-in-law of Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

More than 30 countries representing more than half the worlds economy have already imposed unprecedented sanctions on the Russian economy, making it the most sanctioned nation in the world.

They have imposed price caps on Russian oil and diesel, frozen Russian Central Bank funds and restricted access to SWIFT, the dominant system for global financial transactions.

The West has directly sanctioned roughly 2,500 Russian firms, government officials, oligarchs and their families. The sanctions are depriving them of access to their American bank accounts and financial markets, preventing them from doing business with Americans and traveling to the U.S, and more.

After a year, the Wests export controls and financial sanctions appear to be gradually eroding Russias industrial capacity, even as its oil and other energy exports last year enabled it to keep funding a catastrophic war.

A Moody's Investors Service report issued Friday states that the Russian economy has weathered sanctions better than expected in 2022, in part due to the slow introduction of commodities sanctions." But the Russian economy is expected to weaken in 2023, it says.

At the G-20 meetings Friday, Britain's treasury chief, Jeremy Hunt said, We dont think the job is by any means done. Britain slapped more sanctions Friday on firms that supply Russias battlefield equipment and says it will bar export to Russia of all items it has used in the war, such as aircraft parts, radio equipment and electronic components of weapons.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Marie, at a G-20 press conference said, our sanctions are strong, they are efficient, they are hitting and reducing all revenues of Russia."

They are disorganizing Russian industry, undermining war efforts," he said. Sanctions are effective and will be more effective in the long term.

___

Associated Press reporter Sibi Arasu in Bengaluru and Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.
Your average master chief petty officer can probably hold a coffee mug on a rowboat in the middle of a hurricane without spilling a drop. Yet, apparently, some in the Pentagon questioned how others could spill coffee by simply walking. So they commissioned the best minds in the defense department to conduct a study and find out why.

At the low, low cost of only $170,000, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) studied the issue with researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) to find out why an uncovered cup of coffee will spill while someone is walking with it. They found that any low-viscosity liquid can spill when subjected to human biomechanics.

In 2012, two fluid physicists at UCSB, H.C. Mayer and Rouslan Krechetnikov, conducted tests to observe the conditions under which coffee spills, with variations in walking speeds, cup sizes and liquid levels in those cups. They also examined the physical properties of the coffee and cups themselves.

While coffee may just appear to be dirty water, it actually acts very differently from water while its in a mug. The researchers noted the natural frequency in which coffee sloshes back and forth in a cup, caused by its viscosity, or the friction caused by the thickness of the coffee on a given surface. The frequency of the sloshing in the mug actually matches the natural human gait.

Each step taken while holding a cup of coffee amplifies the coffees motion, so sudden stops or stumbles greatly increase the odds of the liquid splashing over the rim. Mystery solved.

The researchers not only uncovered the mystery of why there are brown discolorations on your uniform and how easily they got there, they also offered some science-based solutions to keep your uniform clean or your Navy whites white.

For the record, nothing hid coffee stains like the woodland BDU. (U.S. Air Force)

1. Dont walk fast.

This is a fools errand. One might think that moving faster than normal is going to help get them to where theyre going without spilling a drop, as if the coffee isnt going to realize its being moved if they take it by surprise. Except the faster you walk, the more likely it is to reach the oscillation level that will spill the coffee. Instead, walk slower.

2. Dont take your eye off the ball.

You came to the coffee mess for the coffee, so why would you be paying attention to anything else? Researchers counted the number of steps taken by subjects holding their coffee while having some watch their feet and others watch the cup. They say you have to watch that cup.

They found that watching the cup as they moved increased the average number of steps taken before a spill. One of the authors theorized that watching the cup allowed the holder to adjust their gait to slow the sloshing of the coffee.

3. If you have to move fast, start slow.

Chances are good no one is holding a coffee mug in the middle of a firefight, but there are a lot of reasons we might have to pick up our pace a little. Maybe the commander is walking toward your section. Finance personnel might suddenly remember they forgot to lose your travel voucher. Whatever the reason, if youre suddenly in a hurry, starting off fast will cause a tidal wave in your mug.

4. Get an unusual cup.

Only one of these fools is coming out unscathed. (U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Brigitte Johnston)

This is America. You dont have to conform to the standard coffee-mug design. Previous research done on liquid sloshing (for missiles) found that a different shape, a flexible container or a series of rings to act as baffles can suppress the natural coffee slosh and keep you from shelling out even more money at the base dry cleaner.

-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on LinkedIn.

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A PCS is one of military life's most stressful and arduous chores. For relocating service members who choose to handle their move themselves, the government will pay you a certain amount via the Personally Procured Move, or PPM, program.

Formerly known as a DITY, or do-it-yourself move, PPMs typically allow military members to be reimbursed for up to 100% (formerly 95%) of what your moving job would have cost the government.

That means you tackle the costs and the work of packing and moving your household belongings yourself -- or handle hiring a commercial moving company yourself -- and then you receive payment later to compensate you for the expenses.

Two Types of Personally Procured Moves (PPMs)

As of 2023, there are two types of PPMs authorized by the Defense Department: Member-Elected PPMs and Actual-Cost PPMs.

Member-Elected Personally Procured Move (PPM)

A Member-Elected PPM is chosen or "elected" by the service member as their preferred method of relocating their household goods. In this most common type of PPM, the service member is reimbursed at 100% of what a moving company would've been paid by the DoD. Any money spent over that amount is an out-of-pocket cost, while any amount spent under it is income. That amount is calculated based on the government's contracted rate with the moving industry and the service member's household goods weight allowance.

You will likely be eligible for an operating allowance to defray upfront costs, like renting a truck. However, you will not receive full payment until after your move. It's important to keep in mind that it's only after applying for and being authorized for a PPM move that you can proceed.

Actual-Cost Personally Procured Move (PPM)

Unlike Member-Elected PPMs, the Actual-Cost PPM is ordered by the transportation office when a government-sourced move is not available in the required timeframe. Preapproval of the move and its costs is likely mandatory, and military members should work with their service branch transportation offices to learn requirements for this type of move, since they can vary.

Actual-Cost PPMs are reimbursed at the actual cost paid by the military member, even if it exceeds what the DoD would've paid a contracted mover. Service members must still stay under their authorized household goods weight, which varies by rank and years in service.

Who's Eligible for a Personally Procured Move (PPM)?

You're eligible for the PPM moving reimbursement program if you make a permanent change of station (PCS), temporary duty (TDY) or temporary additional duty (TAD) move.

You're also eligible if you separate, retire or move to or from government quarters under orders.

What Options Do I Have for a Personally Procured Move (PPM)?

If you opt for PPM, you have several choices:

You may opt to use your own vehicle, or rent or borrow a vehicle.

You may use portable moving and storage containers.

You may ship belongings via services such as UPS and FedEx.

You may use part or all of the program. If you make a partial PPM move (i.e., only shipping a certain amount of household goods), make sure you work out the details with your Personal Property Office (PPO) representative.

You may space out your move over time if you wish. For example, you can rent a truck for a few days and move a few items at a time if that would work for your situation. If it's a long-distance move, you could rent two or more trucks and get help from friends and family.

Things You Should Know About a Personally Procured Move (PPM)

The physical work of moving is no joke, but it can be rewarding. Many military members see PPMs as a way to earn money -- in some cases, up to $10,000 or more -- for doing their own labor. However, you can also pay professionals to do some of the work, thereby earning you less profit, of course.

A do-it-yourself move also gives you greater control over your belongings, reducing the risk of items being lost or stolen. PPMs are a good option for any irreplaceable valuables you own, such as family heirlooms, photos and important documents.

You also have much more control over the timing of your move, and you are more able to spread out the process if desired.

Here are a few important things to keep in mind if you're considering a PPM:

If you believe you may be moving, it's smart to do advance planning and research. But do not make any permanent decisions -- such as selling or buying a home -- until you have your actual orders in hand.

For PPM reimbursement, the importance of certified empty and full-weight tickets cannot be overstated (details below). Without them, you could lose thousands of dollars.

Payments above your actual moving costs may be taxable. Read IRS Publication 521 for more information.

Temporary storage may be available. Check with your Personal Property Office (PPO).

In case of loss or damage, claims usually are not paid unless they were due to circumstances beyond your control, such as an accident.

Advanced operating allowances are authorized only to pay for rental trucks, packing materials and other miscellaneous expenses directly related to your move. An advance isn't given for an estimated weight of shipments.

Use the Defense Personal Property System, or DPS, online system to upload your orders and create shipments.

You can split up your total allowable weight into multiple shipments.

Related: 6 Military Move Discounts

Steps to Take for Your Personally Procured Move (PPM)

Are you ready to take the reins of your move? To take part in PPM, follow these steps:

Take an inventory of everything you'll need to move. Can you handle all or part of it yourself? Can friends and family help? Can you hire professionals for part of the job, like packing? Will you need to make arrangements for pets? Factor in more time and planning if you must move during the peak moving season of May through August. For example, you may need to reserve a rental truck earlier due to high demand. Schedule an appointment with your Personal Property Office (PPO) to get details on the benefits and to apply for the program. Learn what qualifies as an authorized shipment. Find out exactly what you are responsible for. Get specific details about what the government will pay for, and any extra benefits and travel allowances you can receive. You may find that you qualify for more than you expected. Get packing tips from this checklist. Confirm your insurance coverage. Make sure you are up to date on your car and accident insurance. If you use a trailer, check your auto insurance policy to make sure you're covered. State laws regarding liability for accidents during a PPM vary, so if you're involved in an accident while performing a PPM, you should contact the legal office at the military installation nearest the accident site as soon as possible. Pick up your operating allowance from your local dispersing office. Ask for a military discount from truck rental firms and any other companies you contact. Don't be afraid to place companies in "competition" with each other by comparing prices and bargaining. Get receipts for all moving expenses. (Details in section below, "Authorized Expenses for Your PPM") When your vehicle (whether you own it or are renting) is ready, calculate the total weight of what you are moving. You should weigh your vehicle both fully loaded and unloaded. This is extremely important, as your PPM payment will be based on this weight ticket. (See section below, "How to Calculate Your Shipment Weight for Your PPM.") Make your move and submit your settlement. (See section below, "Documents to Include on Your PPM Claim.") Once you complete your actual move, you have 45 days to submit a claim for full payment of your PPM allowance.

Forms You May Need for a Personally Procured Move (PPM)

As always, check with your service branch transportation offices for specific and up-to-date requirements. These are some forms you might need:

DD Form 2278: Application for Move and Counseling Checklist

Certified empty weight ticket for each shipment

Certified loaded weight ticket for each shipment

Original DD Form 1351-2: Travel voucher or sub-voucher

Copy of registration for your boat(s) and/or trailer(s), if applicable

How to Calculate Your Shipment Weight for Your PPM

Empty weight = your vehicle with a full tank of gas, but with no drivers or passengers inside

Loaded weight = your vehicle with a full tank of gas + all of your property loaded, but still with no drivers or passengers inside

Loaded weight - empty weight = net weight of property

What to Include on Each Weight Ticket for Your PPM

Exactly what must be included on your weight tickets and where you must get them depends on your military service. These are some of the factors that likely need to be included:

Your name and grade

Name/location of scale

Vehicle/trailer identification

Date of weighing

Weighmaster's signature

Legible imprint of weight

Authorized Expenses for Your PPM

All costs associated with your move are not taxable and will be deducted from the allowance you receive from the move to determine your potential profit.

Only your profit will be taxed, so be sure to keep track of everything to maximize your profit.

Authorized PPM expenses could include:

Rental truck/trailer

Rental (not purchase) of moving equipment such as hand trucks and dollies

Furniture pads and tie-downs

Boxes/tape and packing material

Hired labor

Travel allowances under certain circumstances

Gas and oil expense (but not an oil change)

Highway tolls, weight tickets and any other transportation expense directly related to the PPM

Documents to Include on Your PPM Claim

Like so many other parts of a military move, exactly what you need to include in your PPM likely varies by military service. Those likely include:

Empty and loaded weight tickets (two copies of each)

DD Form 2278

PPM certification (attach all receipts for moving expenses)

PPM expense sheet

Change-of-station order

Advance operating allowance paperwork (if you are renting a truck or trailer)

Vehicle/trailer rental contract (if you are renting a truck or trailer)

Any other paperwork as advised by your Personal Property Office (PPO)

Keep Up-to-Date for Your Next PCS

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24.02.2023 LISTEN

Legendary Ghanaian sound engineer, Zapp Mallet has jumped to the defence of actor, philanthropist, and comedian, Michael Blackson for stating that there are only four superstars in Ghana as compared to their counterparts in Nigeria.

The popular America-based comedian created a huge controversy in a recent interview on the popular American podcast Drink Champs after stating that Ghana could not boast of more than four music superstars as compared to Nigeria.

Michael Blackson mentioned Sarkodie, Stonebwoy, Black Sherif and Shatta Wale as the only superstars.

Speaking to Ghanaweekend.com, Zapp Mallet who was sharing his view on Michael Blacksons assertion, said that the America-based Comedian spoke the truth.

According to the legendary sound engineer, there are many artistes doing exceedingly well, but the media has only chosen to hype the four aforementioned artistes.

Lets blame the mediaThe media has made these artists look like theyre the only good artists we have in Ghanawhich is very bad.

Upon persuasion to mention names of the artistes he believes are being sidelined by the media, the veteran sound engineer said, I cant mention names, but there are a lot of musicians who also deserve the hype Shatta Wale, Stonebwoy, Sarkodie and Black Sherif are relishing.

By Reagan Mends
First Lady Jill Biden said the United States was committed to helping African nations get a louder voice at the UN and other international bodies, as she visited Namibia on Thursday.

Biden arrived in the southern African country on Wednesday in the first stop of a two-nation tour aimed at deepening ties with the continent.

"We're committed to making sure that African countries not only have a voice in organisations like the UN Security Council and G20, but that those voices are valued as equal partners," Biden said at a luncheon in Windhoek.

In the capital the 71-year-old community college professor met with President Hage Geingob and First Lady Monica Geingos.

Africa has become a renewed diplomatic battleground, with countries aggressively courted by Russia, China and the West.

Biden's trip is to focus on hunger in the Horn of Africa and the empowerment of women and youth.

On Friday, she will head to Kenya where she is to draw attention to the Horn of Africa's worst drought in decades, which has left more than 20 million people with acute food shortages.

The tour aims to build on the US-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington late last year where President Joe Biden said his country was "all in" on the hotly courted continent.

This is Biden's first trip to Africa as the first lady of the United States.
Dr. Titus Beyuo

23.02.2023 LISTEN

The resigned General Secretary of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Dr. Titus Beyuo has stressed that he believes the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is the best bet to save the Ghanaian economy.

Speaking to Joy News on Thursday, February 23, he accused the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) government of failing woefully to manage the economy.

In his argument, he accused government of sending the countrys economy into a coma and having no clue of how to revive the economy.

According to Dr. Titus Beyuo, if Ghanaians want the economy to come out of the coma, then voters must vote for the NDC in the 2024 general elections.

It will not be easy [to revive the economy] because the level of destruction done to the economy is bad. The economy is in ICU, in comatose. The people managing the economy cannot even diagnose the real problem. They are always saying Covid and Russia-Ukraine war. But is that really the case? Absolutely not.

The NDC government is better placed to make the proper diagnosis to come up with the best solution to save the Ghanaian economy, Dr. Titus Beyuo said.

The medical practitioners added, I want to urge Ghanaians to take the 2024 elections as a vote of destiny. Decide if you want to have a taste of the national cake or if you want to give it all to [the political few in the NPP].

Ghanaians must open their eyes, protect the ballot. Lets not make the mistake that the NPP and NDC are the same. We are never the same. I have chosen the NDC and I seek the well-being of every Ghanaian. I believe the NDC gives us the best option.

On Wednesday, February 22, Dr. Titus Beyuo announced that he has tendered his resignation to the Ghana Medical Association to contest in the parliamentary primaries of the NDC.

He has declared his intention to run for Member of Parliament to serve the people of Lambussie Constituency in the Upper West Region.
The Kusaug Traditional Council has condemned attempts to enskin a new chief to rival the gazetted Bawku Naba, Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II.

In a press release, the Council has given the assurance that it is committed to supporting all efforts geared towards restoring lasting peace to Bawku.

We remain peace-loving people and would continue to support ongoing efforts to restore lasting peace in our Municipality, a release from the Kusaug Traditional Council on Thursday, February 23, said.

The release has been issued after recent developments in Nalerigu, particularly the purported enskinment of a Bawku Chief and the implications of the same for ongoing peace-building efforts by the traditional council, government, and the international community in the area.

According to the Council, the needless loss of lives that has characterized the conflict and attempts by some persons to exploit the conflict for their vested interests is regrettable.

The Kusaug Traditional Council further stresses that Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II undoubtedly remains the only recognised and duly gazetted Chief of Bawku.

We, therefore, call on all residents of the Bawku Municipality to resist the urge to be drawn into confrontations likely to culminate in a degeneration of the security situation in the area, the release added.

The Kusaug Traditional Council further has commended personnel of the respective State security agencies for their support in pre-empting security breaches in the area.

The Council is also urging people, especially youth groups, to remain calm as the relevant authorities take steps to address the prevailing illegality.

Meanwhile, the Council has extended its appreciation to government for its intervention on the issue, and assurances given that any development likely to undermine the peace and security of the area would be dealt with in accordance with the laws of the State.
The family of the late former Minister of Health, Dr Samuel Nuamah Donkor in the erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC) regime has officially informed the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II about his final funeral rites.

Dr Samuel Nuamah Donkor sadly passed away at aged 64, on October 14, 2022 while receiving treatment at London.

The family's delegation led by the Chief of Ejura Traditional Area, Barima Osei Hwedie II and the Oyoko Abusuapanin of Asokore Koforidua, Mr Kofi Sarpong called on the Asantehene on Monday February 23, 2023.

Addressing the media after visit, the Oyoko Abusuapanin of Asokore Koforidua in the Eastern Region, Mr Kofi Sarpong said the family thought it appropriate and respectful to fulfil what tradition demands to officially inform the overlord of the Asante Kingdom about the funeral arrangements.

He disclosed that, the burial service for the former minister will be held on Friday, March 17, 2023 at the Forecourt of State House in Accra.

Mr Kofi Sarpong indicated that the funeral rites of the late minister will follow almost immediately after his internment on Friday.

He added that the family will hold a church service at the national headquarters of the Apostolic Church of Ghana at Accra to thank God for the life of their beloved son.

Mr Nuamah Donkor served as Minister of Health in the Rawlings administration and later as the Ashanti Regional Minister until the National Democratic Congress (NDC) lost the election in 2000.

He became Managing Director of STC and handed over to Nana Akomea in 2017.

As a politician and social worker, he was a Member of the first Parliament of the 4th Republic (Jan 7, 1993 to Jan 6, 1997), representing New Juaben North constituency under the membership of the National Convention Party (NCP).

Under the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) in 1982, the then chairman Jerry John Rawlings appointed him as the Deputy Regional Coordinator for Peoples Defence Committees and Workers Defence Committees (PDCs / WDCs) and additional position as coordinator for New Juaben 1982 to 1992.

Under Jerry John Rawlings' administration in 1996 he was appointed Deputy Minister of Health before becoming the substantive Minister of Health in 1998.

In 1999, he was appointed the Ashanti Regional Minister, a position he held until January 2001 when the National Democratic Congress handed over government to the New Patriotic Party.

In March 2014, he was appointed the Managing Director of the Intercity State Transport Company limited (STC) under the John Mahama administration from 2014 to 2017.
A Sierra Leone court on Thursday began a corruption trial against the main opposition party's candidate in this year's presidential election, opening the way for the possible invalidation of his bid.

The High Court had earlier on Thursday rejected an appeal to throw out the allegations against Samura Kamara, who this week was chosen as the All People's Congress (APC) candidate for the June presidential poll.

A conviction would prevent Kamara from running for president and holding public office.

A former foreign and finance minister under ex-president Ernest Bai Koroma, Kamara is viewed as the main rival to current leader Julius Maada Bio, who will stand for re-election.

In December 2021, he was charged with misappropriating more than $2.5 million in public funds in a case tied to planned refurbishments to a New York consulate while he was foreign minister.

The High Court on Thursday rejected a "no-case submission" presented by the APC's lawyers and asked Kamara to put up a defence case against the corruption allegations in a trial.

Kamara was in the court for the ruling in the capital Freetown, with the building heavily guarded by security personnel, and his trial was adjourned to March 17.

Bio defeated Kamara in the second round of the 2018 presidential election and launched an anti-corruption campaign in the small West African country, where graft is considered to be endemic.

Several senior officials from the Koroma administration have since been targeted, but the APC has denounced a "witch hunt".
The Government has announced the settlement and conclusion of its Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP) for Cedi-denominated notes and bonds. E.S.L.A. Plc or Daakye Trust Plc.

This successful result is a significant achievement for the Government in the implementation of the economic strategies of the post-COVID-19 Programme for Economic Growth (PC-PEG) during this current economic crisis, the government said in a statement on Thursday.

The statement said the settlement was made pursuant to the terms and conditions set forth in the second Amended and Restated Exchange Memorandum dated February 3, 2023.

On capitalised terms used but not defined in the Exchange Memorandum it was stated that, on the Settlement Date, 16 Series of new bonds were issued to eligible holders whose tenders were accepted by the Government.

The principal amount of the new bonds per holder is composed of the outstanding principal amount of eligible bonds tendered by such holder plus any amount of Accrued Interest Payable in respect thereof, and was allocated among holders based on each holder's category pursuant to the Exchange Memorandum, the statement noted.

It added that: On the Settlement Date, such principal amount was credited to their respective securities account at the Central Securities Depository (CSD) from which each holder's Eligible Bonds were tendered.

It was also stated that: Pursuant to the Exchange Memorandum, all tenders accepted by the Government resulted in the case of the Eligible Bonds issued by the Government, in electronic cancellation of such Eligible Bonds at the CSD on the Settlement Date, and in the case of Eligible Bonds issued by E.S.L.A. Plc and Daakye Trust Plc, in the transfer, on the Settlement Date, of such Eligible Bonds in favour of the Government who became the holder thereof.

On the Settlement Date, the Government signed the New Bond Documentation, consisting of the new Deed of Covenant under which the New Bonds were constituted and issued (including the Terms and Conditions governing the New Bonds attached thereto) Pricing Supplement specific to each Series of New Bonds, the statement added.

GNA
A former General Secretary of the main opposition party, the NDC, Samuel Koku Anyidoho has thrown his weight behind Dr. Kwabena Duffuor in the partys upcoming presidential primaries.

He noted that there is a need for the NDC to choose the former Finance Minister for the sake of democracy and fairness.

In his two different tweets sighted by Modernghana News in the late hours of Thursday, February 23, the Atta Mills Institutes CEO said the presidential race is for the sturdiest but not the swiftest.

He noted that the best person to lead the NDC is Dr Kwabena Duffuor who carries a solid message for the members of the party.

Very nice for the eyes. Picking up of forms for Dr. Dufuor. The race is not necessarily for the swiftest but for the sturdiest. Let others continue to insult; we shall carry a solid message to the people. NDC shall NOT be allowed to be hijacked & raped.

Democracy & fairness must be allowed to grow within the National Democratic Congress (NDC), he said in two different tweets.

Meanwhile, Dr. Kwame Duffuor on Thursday, February 23, picked his nominations forms to contest the flagbearership position.

Speaking after some Ashanti Regional Women Executives of the NDC picked and presented his nomination forms to him at his Ahotor Project Office in Accra, the aspiring flagbearer noted that he will restore Ghanas economy in two years when voted as president.

The first year will be the restoration; the second year will be complete recovery, he said.

He continued, When we are able to do this, Ghana will soar again. Ghana cannot afford to be in this positionGhana will soar again.

Dr. Duffour is set to battle with former President John Dramani Mahama, a former Kumasi Mayor Kojo Bonsu, and others in the partys upcoming primaries, slated for May 13, 2023.
The ochre, weather-worn walls and tree-lined canal give a sense of tranquillity to the University of Ouagadougou, the highest institute of learning in crisis-stricken Burkina Faso.

It was here, in the university's Khadafi lecture theatre, that in November 2017 French President Emmanuel Macron met hundreds of students, impressing many with his call for Burkina and its former coloniser to turn the page on their often-fractious past.

Today, Macron's ringing appeal seems to be a footnote of history -- and many Burkinabe are divided about where their future with France should lie.

Wracked by an Islamist insurgency that has sparked two military coups, Burkina Faso has bust up with France, forcing out its ambassador and prompting it to end its 15-year-long military support.

Time-honoured accusations of France's complicity with African dictators and its "post-colonialist" exploitation of the continent are flying again.

Last weekend, the tricolour was discreetly lowered at a base near the capital Ouagadougou where around 400 French special forces had been deployed to support Burkina's beleaguered army in its fight with the jihadists.

Burkina Faso. By (AFP)

Their departure follows France's exit from Mali, where it faced mounting hostility from the ruling junta after opposing its decision to bring in Russian paramilitaries.

"What was impossible became possible," is the triumphant verdict of Lassane Sawadogo, head of the Front for the Defence of the Fatherland (FDS) -- a pro-junta movement which regularly stages rallies where Russian flags are prominent.

"I urge French people to understand that we don't have problems with them, we don't even hate President Emmanuel Macron," he said.

"But we do hate this system which has been imposed on us from the past, and which he is perpetuating."

'Friends, brothers'

"French leaders are talking up anti-French feeling in Africa so that they can stir up public opinion at home," said Pema Neya, who as a student leader attended Macron's historic talk.

"That's unfair. The French people are friends, brothers, they are very welcome here," he said.

End of an era: Burkinabe and French officers at a flag-lowering ceremony in Ouagadougou on Saturday to mark the departure of French troops. By - (The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Burkina Faso/AFP)

"Many of them live here, they experience the same realities. But young people are fed up with condescending and paternalistic French policies," Neya added, saying this attitude was "nothing to do" with any support for Russia.

Burkinabe analyst Mahamoudou Sawadogo agreed, saying "It's French policies that are being attacked, but not French people. France's attitude of accepting this may help to calm things down."

Oumarou Paul Koalaga, a specialist in international relations, said there remained a groundswell of attachment to France -- a trade partner, provider of aid and source of cultural support.

"There's a silent majority who may not have the possibility to express themselves," he said.

"When you look at social networks, the media, there's a clash of ideas. Not everyone is part of this thinking of a complete and abrupt breakoff with France. Unfortunately, these aren't the people you hear."

'Ill at ease'

A leading figure among Burkina Faso's civil society movement also said he was worried about the pro-junta and pro-Russian clamour.

"These groups make us feel ill at ease -- they are supported by young people, most of whom are illiterate. If you start criticising them, they accuse you of being pro-French."

In the past week, scores of members of the security forces have been killed in the deeply troubled north.

The bloodbath has prompted pro-Russian accounts on social media to suggest that foreign powers are supporting the jihadists in order to punish the junta for France's military exit.

Despite the pressure, Koalaga said the junta's hostility towards France was likely to be limited.

"The regime needs to have the backing of a certain sector of opinion, but in reality it doesn't want to go further," he said. "Cooperation (with France) will continue."
Russia's invasion of Ukraine is part of Moscow's attempt to restore the empire that existed before the emergence of the Soviet Union. RFI's Jan van der Made talked to Professor Serhii Plokhy, director of the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University on how the West failed to read Russian President Putin's signals and what can be done to counter him.

Van der Made: To what extent does Putin's actions fit a pattern in which Russia tries to dominate its neighbors?

Serghii Plokhy: This is a continuation of a story not just about the disintegration of the Russian Empire, but also the story of the disintegration of the Soviet Union.

The Soviet Union fell apart in 1991 one week after Ukrainians overwhelmingly voted for the independence of their country. Without this partner, Russians were much less excited about the idea of the Soviet Union. Any attempts to recreate Russian control over the post-Soviet space and build a sphere of influence would not work without Ukraine. So the whole project of Russian domination of the post-Soviet space is doomed without Ukraine on board.

That is the reason why Russia attacked Ukraine. What is at stake is more than just Ukraine - it is about Russian control over the post-Soviet space.

Van der Made: Reading the speeches and articles by Vladimir Putin on Ukraine over the last decades, it is incomprensible that the West never saw this coming?

Serghii Plokhy: It is quite difficult to imagine in the modern world a leader who not not only rhetorically looks back to the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, but also tries to base his actual ideology, practice, even the war itself on outdated ideas.

Most people believed that it was just rhetoric and not a trigger for major geopolitical moves.

Even when people saw worrying signs, they refused to see them for what they were. With the Russian invasion of Georgia, the assumption was that it would be an exception.

Looking at the Russian annexation of Crimea, the reaction was comparable to Hitler's Anschluss [with Austria in 1939]. As the majority of [Crimea's] population are Russian, it was assumed that the annexation was probably the limit of Putin's aspirations.

But February 2022 really brought home like no other development in recent times that things have changed. This is not a one-off thing, or a one-off step, that we are dealing with, but a very dangerous phenomenon.

Van der Made: In July 2021, Putin published a lengthy article called "On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians." It was hardly noticed in the West. It outlined his reasoning behind the current invasion. What exactly did he say?

Serghii Plokhy: He said that Russians and Ukrainians were one and the same people. However, in that sense, Ukraine was an illegitimate brainchild of the Bolsheviks. By saying that, he really returned back to the [pre-Communist] Russian imperial ideology of the late 19th and early 20th century [thinking] that claimed that Ukrainians or "Little Russians" were part of a big Russian nation.

He wants turn the clock back to the times before1917, before World War I, with the idea not just of reinstating Russian control over the post-imperial or post-Soviet space, but also reimagining the Russian nation, and Ukrainian nation in imperialist terms, with Russians and Ukrainians part of the same nation.

And what he meant was that Ukrainians were Russians and had no right to exist.

Van der Made: In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea. Then the inhabitants of the Donbass region, as well as Luhansk and Donetsk, started to claim that their rights were being ignored and started to push for independence. To what extent were their complaints legitimate?

Serghii Plokhy: The war in Donbass started with units of mercenaries and Russian nationalists led by Igor Girkin, a former officer of FSB, the Russian successor of the KGB, taking over government buildings in the city of Slovyansk.

Those forces were able to find enough supporters or activists. They were never the majority, but they were mobilised and whatever issues existed in this society were brought to the fore to justify what was happening.

But none of that would have happened without military aggression by Russian Federation.

Van der Made: What is different from earlier centuries is that Ukraine has now powerful allies in the shape of EU and NATO. What difference does that make?

The alliance with EU and NATO, with Western and Central Europe, is essential for Ukrainian survival. There are two major components in this war: the resilience of Ukrainians and the assistance of the allies.

These two things should go together for bringing a lasting peace and a just peace.

Van der Made: There is concern in the West that if Western support increases, and fighter jets and long-range missiles are added to the equation, that Putin is going to use the nuclear option. How likely is that?

Serghii Plokhy: It's completely unrealistic. Western politicians were concerned about the HIMARS. They were concerned about Javelins before.There was concern about tanks. Now there is concern about jets. Before that, there was concern over the offensive versus defensive weapons. This has been going on for years. And the only conclusion that I draw from that is that these red lines exist only in the imagination of the West.

When it comes to the nuclear weapons, one thing that hasn't changed since the end of the Cold War is that Russia is not the only country that has nuclear weapons. Their use would come at enormous cost for Russia, including losing of its allies or semi-allies that it still has, such as China or India or others.

That is not in Russia's interest whatsoever. There will be real threats, but these won't work as Russia doesn't have the monopoly. I don't see Putin going on this suicidedission, either politically or literally.
A High-Level Consultative Dialogue on the influx of Burkinabe Refugees in Ghana has been held in Accra to frame a contingency plan to deal with the situation.

Over 4,000 Burkinabes have fled their country to seek asylum in Ghana due to Jihadist attacks. They entered the country through border towns in the Upper East and Upper West Regions of Ghana.

In a speech read on behalf of the Minister for the Interior, Mr. Ambrose Dery, the Chief Director of the Ministry, Mrs. Adelaide Anno-Kumi stated that the consultative dialogue is timely due to the increasing reports of attacks and other military actions in the southern part of Burkina Faso that had exacerbated the influx of Burkinabes into Ghana.

Mrs. Anno-Kumi noted that true to the proverbial Ghanaian hospitality some communities have given up part of their already scarce resources to ensure that the refugees are as comfortable as possible.

The Chief Director urged the Ghana Refugee Board (GRB) and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to ensure that appropriate interventions are made for the Burkinabes to improve the situation of their Ghanaian hosts and maintain harmony between the two groups of people.

She further urged stakeholders to ensure that extremists do not infiltrate the asylum system to threaten national security, stating that interventions should be well coordinated to avoid duplication of efforts.

The UNHCR Country Representative, Ms. Esther Kiragu, indicated that there were about 1.8 million internally displaced people in Burkina Faso which is worsening and there was the possibility that more people would seek asylum in Ghana.

She commended Ghana for having a long tradition of hosting refugees and being a shining light with a progressive asylum system that enables refugees in the country to contribute to the local economy.

The Executive Director of GRB, Mr. Tetteh Padi, said the Burkinabe asylum seekers are largely being housed by Ghanaians in the communities and are located in the Upper East and Upper West regions.

Participants at the meeting included Regional Ministers of the Upper East and Upper West Regions, representatives from the Ministry of the Interior, the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Immigration Service, the Ghana Refugee Board, National Disaster Management Organisation, Social Welfare, Security Agencies, UNHCR and the UN Refugee Agency.

Source: Classfmonline.com
Voters in the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti were choosing a new parliament on Friday in an election boycotted by the main opposition parties.

The election takes place amid speculation over who would succeed President Ismail Omar Guelleh, one of Africa's longest serving leaders, who has ruled with an iron fist since 1999.

Guelleh's ruling Union for Presidential Majority (UMP) is one of only two parties taking part and is certain of victory.

Some 230,000 eligible voters are choosing 65 MPs for a five-year term, with the law stipulating that 25 percent of the seats must go to women.

Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh was re-elected for a fifth term in 2021. By - (AFP)

Turnout appeared low, according to local media and witnesses.

"I never vote and I won't vote today too. I am not interested in this election, my whole family is not going to vote too," said 30-year-old engineer Moktar Abdi.

Retiree Souad Elmi Siyad, 64, added: "In each election I vote for the same government."

Despite its diminutive size, Djibouti enjoys a strategically crucial position at the mouth of the Red Sea, using it to woo trade investors and foreign military powers.

'A charade'

The poll follows a presidential ballot in April 2021 that saw Guelleh, commonly known as IOG, re-elected for a fifth term with 97 percent of the vote.

Djibouti enjoys a strategically crucial position at the entry to the Red Sea. By Valentin RAKOVSKY (AFP)

Under Guelleh, 75, Djibouti has seen a crackdown on press freedom and dissent.

The main opposition parties, including the Movement for Democratic Renewal and Development (MRD) and the Republican Alliance for Democracy (ARD), are boycotting Friday's vote.

"Elections in our country are still not free, not transparent and not democratic," the MRD said in a statement in January, branding the vote a "charade".

In the last legislative ballot in 2018, the UMP -- which emerged from a party that ruled Djibouti since independence from France in 1977 -- won 58 seats.

Results of the election are expected on Sunday. By - (AFP)

The Union for Democracy and Justice (UDJ), which won a handful of seats last time, is the only other party running.

After casting his vote, Guelleh hailed the "calm and tranquility" of the campaign, and voiced hope that Djibouti continue on the path of "unity, national cohesion, stability and development".

Results are due Sunday, according to a source close to the presidency.

'Limited interest'

The African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) regional bloc, among other international bodies, have sent observers.

Benedikt Kamski, Horn of Africa researcher for Germany's Arnold Bergstraesser Institute, told AFP public interest in the election was "very, very limited".

In the background is the highly sensitive topic of who will become the next president, in a society marked by clan dynamics and the balance between the two main communities, the Issa and the Afar.

"People are curious as to who is going to follow IOG as president," said Kamski, suggesting a successor could be chosen before the 2026 presidential election.

Some 230,000 voters are registered in Djibouti. By - (AFP)

Guelleh, only the second president since independence, cannot run again because of an age limit of 75 set in the 2010 constitution.

Under Guelleh, the country of one million people has exploited its prime geographical advantage, investing heavily in ports and logistics infrastructure with funding from abroad, particularly from China.

The desert nation has remained stable in a volatile neighbourhood and foreign military powers including France, the United States and China have established bases there.

Economic growth slowed in 2022 due to the war in Ukraine, a punishing regional drought and fallout from the two-year conflict in neighbouring Ethiopia, but is expected to expand by around five percent this year, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The main candidates in Nigeria's presidential race have signed a peace accord to ensure a free and peaceful election on Saturday, but as campaigning ended Thursday, fighting broke out in Kano state, and a Senate candidate was killed in Enugu State the day before.

The four main presidential candidates signed a peace accord on Wednesday at an event attended by President Muhammadu Buhari, who is stepping down after his two terms in power.

I implore the candidates contesting in these elections at all levels to respect the choice of voters and accept the results of the elections as announced by INEC [election commission], the agency empowered by law to do so," he said at the event in Abuja.

"Let me remind all Nigerians not for the first time that this is the only country we have, and we must do everything to keep it safe, united and peaceful," Buhari later tweeted.

More than 93 million Nigerians are registered to vote in a presidential race with 18 candidates, but only three are considered contenders: Bola Tinubu from Buhari's ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC); former vice president Atiku Abubakar from the main opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP); and for the first time, a candidate not from one of the two major parties, Peter Obi of the Labour Party.

Pre-election violence

As candidates wrapped up campaigning on Thursday, fighting broke out in the northwestern city of Kano, where mobs wielding machete and clubs attacked supporters of presidential candidate Rabiu Kwankwaso, a former governor running for the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), injuring several people and burning cars.

With the second-largest number of registered voters after Lagos, Kano State, is a highly contested region.

The day before, on Wednesday, gunmen targeted vehicles from the parties of the three frontrunners in simultaneous incidents at separate locations in southeastern Enugu State.

A Labour Party senatorial candidate, Oyibo Chukwu and his driver were burned to death when their vehicle was set on fire with petrol bombs. A driver of a PDP campaign minibus was killed in a separate attack, and an attempted attack on the APC party's gubernatorial candidate in Enugu was repelled.

Enugu State police said the attacks were carried out by suspected members of two Biafran separatist groups.

Calls for peaceful election

Nigeria's elections have been marked by violence, ethnic tensions, vote-buying and clashes between supporters of rival parties.

Six foreign governments on Thursday urged Nigeria to ensure a peaceful presidential election..

"It is vital for Nigeria's stability and democratic consolidation that the process is conducted and concluded safely, fairly and credibly," said a joint statement from the diplomatic missions of the US, Britain, Norway, Australia, Japan and Canada.

"We encourage all actors to intervene proactively to calm any tensions and avoid any violence."

(with newswires)
Traders at the Kejetia Market in the Kumasi Metropolis of the Ashanti Region are set to receive 2000 prepaid meters from the Electricity Company of Ghana, (ECG).

This comes after the traders requested individual meters at the market.

The traders have on several occasions clashed with the management of the Kejetia market over the decision to use one bulk meter for the over seven thousand (7000) shops in the market.

Traders over the years complained that they pay exorbitant electricity bills due to the failure on the part of the management of the facility to provide separate meters for shops within the market.

They have been resisting payment of utility bills causing problems in the market.

Following the resistance, the Minister of Local Government Decentralisation and Rural Development, Hon Dan Botwe met the traders in early January and pledged to solve the issue.

The General Secretary for the Combined Kejetia Traders Association, Reuben Ameh has confirmed the first batch of the meters has arrived.

Mr. Ameh said plans are far advanced to install separate meters for traders at the facility.

We requested about 8,000 meters for individual shops, and I can now confirm to you that the first batch of the meters which is 2000 is ready.

Traders will liaise with management of the facility and the Electricity Company of Ghana to ensure the swift installation of the meters, he stated.

Mr. Reuben Ameh says, there has been a shortage of water in the market for the past weeks.

We have asked the management of Ghana water to fasten the supply of water but they said there are no disconnections so we don't know what has prevented the water from flowing," he stressed.
Nairobi, February 23, 2023  Ethiopian authorities should unconditionally release two staffers from the internet broadcaster Ethio Selam and drop criminal proceedings into a third, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday.

Police and security agents in Ethiopias capital Addis Ababa arrested Ethio Selam founder Tewodros Asfaw from his home on February 14, his brother Biniam Asfaw told CPJ via phone. Amanuel Asfaw, a third brother and Ethio Selam camera operator, and Meseret Tamiru, an administrative employee, were detained at the broadcasters rented studio on February 18; computers and other equipment was also confiscated, Biniam said. Tewodros was released on bail on Wednesday, February 22, but Amanuel and Meseret remain in custody.

Police accused the three men of inciting violence and sowing distrust of the government during a dispute within the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, according to court documents reviewed by CPJ, but did not file formal charges. Tewodros had covered the controversy extensively on Ethio Selam, which broadcasts to over 34,000 subscribers on YouTube.

The detention of Ethio Selam staff without charge is unfortunately part of a pattern of Ethiopian police abusing the judicial system to retaliate against critical journalists, said CPJ Sub-Saharan Africa Representative Muthoki Mumo. The press should be able to cover religious affairs of critical public interest without fear of imprisonment. Authorities should unconditionally release Amanuel Asfaw and Meseret Tamiru without delay and drop pending criminal proceedings against Tewodros Asfaw.

The High Court in Addis Ababa granted Tewodros bail of 30,000 birr (US$557) on February 16, but he remained in detention while police appealed. On February 22, a higher court upheld the bail order and Tewodros was released that evening. Amanuel and Meseret will be held until February 28 pending investigation, Biniam said.

After clerics in the Oromia region briefly splintered from the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in January, church leaders accused Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of interference. Amid protests from church supporters, the government interrupted access to some social media services. Tewodros criticized the government and the prime minister in videos for Ethio Selam, and said the demonstrations would determine the future of the church.

CPJ emailed the federal ministry of justice requesting comment but did not receive a response. Via messaging application, federal police spokesperson Jeylan Abdi declined to respond to CPJs queries, saying he could not comment on matters in court.
Nairobi, February 23, 2023  In response to news reports that intelligence agents and police officers arrested freelance journalist and press freedom advocate Abdalle Ahmed Mumin on Thursday at a hotel in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement:

Somali officials are demonstrating a disgraceful willingness to abuse legal processes to silence an outspoken reporter and press freedom advocate, said Muthoki Mumo, CPJs sub-Saharan Africa representative. Abdalle Ahmed Mumin should be released without delay, those officials responsible for his ongoing persecution should be held individually accountable, and Somalias international partners should denounce this arrest as an act of aggression against press freedom.

Officers arrested Abdalle during a public meeting convened by a senatorial committee, during which Abdalle was invited to speak, and did not show a warrant or explain why they were arresting him, according to media reports and Mohamed Ibrahim, president of the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS), a local media rights group that Abdalle cofounded and works at as secretary general. Abdalle was transferred to the central prison in Mogadishu.

On February 13, Abdalle was sentenced to two months in prison following a conviction of disobeying government orders, but he has been living in a state of legal limbo after prison officials refused to take him into custody, citing an interpretation of the law that would mean he had already served the prison time, according to a copy of the judgment reviewed by CPJ, a report by the U.S. Congress-funded Voice of America, and an SJS statement.

This is the latest chapter in four months of judicial harassment experienced by Abdalle since October 2022, after he voiced concern over a government directive on coverage of extremism that has the potential to censor the work of journalists.
MOGADISHU, Somalia 23 February, 2023  The Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS), Somali Mechanism for Safety of Journalists, (SMSJ), the Somali Media Association (SOMA) and Somali Independent Media Houses Association (SIMHA) condemn in the strongest terms possible the arbitrary and the unlawful arrest against the Secretary General of the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) Abdalle Ahmed Mumin by members of the Somali Police and the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) at the Jazeera Hotel in Mogadishu.

One plain clothed intelligence officer and a uniformed police approached Abdalle Ahmed Mumin, Secretary General of the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) while at Jazeera Hotel in Mogadishu, where he was attending a public consultation event organized by the Senate finance committee. Abdalle was put on police vehicle and taken to Mogadishu central Prison, where he is currently held. His arrest was ordered by the regional police chief Mahdi Omar Mumin.

It's not yet clear reason behind his arrest and the police and NISA members who arrested him did not show an arrest warrant.

On 13 February 2023, Benadir regional court sentenced Abdalle Ahmed Mumin to 2 months in Prison, a verdict rejected by officials of the Mogadishu Central prison who dismissed his imprisonment saying that he already served the 2 months sentence, since he was arrested on October 11, 2022.

Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS), Somali Mechanism for Safety of Journalists (SMSJ), Somali Media Association (SOMA) and Somali Independent Media Houses Association (SIMHA) condemn the arbitrary and unlawful arrest against SJS Secretary General Abdalle Mumin and call for his immediate release.

Somali government officials and security forces must refrain from the media freedom advocate and union leader Abdalle Ahmed Mumin the group said We also call on Somalias international partners to publicly condemn this political witch-hunt against SJS Secretary General Abdalle Ahmed Mumin and ask Somalia government to respect the freedom of the press and the freedom of expression.

This deliberate targeting against Abdalle Ahmed Mumin shows loopholes in both Somali Security sector and the Justice system of the country and should be condemned publicly, while We call for the government to promptly investigate and those involved in this unlawful to justice, while we demand our colleague freedom The organizations added.
Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Jean Mensa has reportedly arrived in Ghana following anger from Members of Parliament.

The EC boss was expected to visit Parliament on Thursday, February 23, to provide information on the new CI.

However, due to the fact that she was in Nigeria for the countrys upcoming elections, Jean Mensa was represented in Parliament by officials of the EC instead.

Unhappy of her absence, the Minority in Parliament described Jean Mensa as disrespectful and refused to deal with the designated officials.

Today, Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Rockson Nelson Dafeamekpor has disclosed that in the midst of the heat, Jean Mensa has been flown from Nigeria to Ghana today to provide answers personally to Parliament on the new CI.

Yesterday, EC gave 1000 & 1 reasons why Jean Mensa couldn't be in Parliament to answer questions on her inordinate desire for a new CI. The Minority stood its grounds: No Jean Mensa, No meeting. Guess what? She's been flown in from Abuja, the South Dayi MP said in a post on Twitter.

According to Rockson Nelson Dafeamekpor, Parliament must continue to stand firm to end the disrespect from the EC chair.
At the heart of any Islamic community, a mosque can be found. Mosques are as old as Islam itself; they are the beating heart of the community and stand as a physical example of the faith of Muslims.

It is in this light that some Zongo youth groups have come together to refurbish an abandoned Mosque which is the first mosque to be built in the mining town of Obuasi.

The Mosque formerly known as the Railway Mosque built in the 1920s to serve the railway workers was left to rot after the collapse of the Railway transport system in Obuasi.

The group led by Yahuza Hussein believed that giving a facelift to the Mosque rekindles their faith in Islam and demonstrates their commitment to Islam.

He said they were disheartened by the state of the mosque hence mobilised resources to refurbish the mosque as a place of worship.

Yahuza Hussein called on all Muslims especially the youth to live peacefully with one another, stay out of trouble and live a life worthy of emulation.

Eric Addae Boateng who led the mobilisation of funds said the cost in refurbishing the facility was Gh10,000 mainly sourced from friends and well-wishers concerned with the promotion of Islam and building the house of God.

The Mosque will provide education for the youth

A Muslim youth leader who spoke with the media reiterated the importance of giving a facelift to the Mosque. He said as Muslims it was important to sanitize the place of worship befitting its status.

He averred that Mallams would be brought in purposely to educate the youth on the tenets of Islam and the need to live a peaceful life.

He said, " we want this mosque to serve as a place to educate our youth and inculcate unto them the need to live peacefully and stay out of trouble. This is what Isam is all about".

The youth in a communal spirit participated in building the Mosque themselves.
24.02.2023 LISTEN

In that light, it is vital that the West understands clearly that defeating Putin, and trying him before the International Criminal Court (ICC), for his unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine, where crimes against humanity have been committed by Russia's military, is vital for deterring other tyrants from invading other sovereign states, and for preserving the international order that has kept the peace in Europe for so long, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Hmmm, ey3bsem piiiii, ooooo.

Ukraine must be strengthened sufficiently enough to help it free the ordinary people of Russia from the grip of a ruthless and murdererous kleptocratic-tyranny, totally dominated by Putin.

Providing Ukraine with fighter jets is crucial towards that end.

Far from escalating the fighting in Ukraine, it will rather eventually lead to a revolt by Russia's military - as sure as day follows night. No question.

The Russian military, facing a Ukraine able to protect its airspace effectively, with advanced fighter jets, will move rapidly to remove Putin - to enable it bring an end to the humiliations it has suffered in Ukraine: where those who prostituted the honour of the Russian military, by ordering them to target civilians, and critical infrastructure, must be made to pay for taking decisions that have dented the image of Russian soldiers, globally, so needlessly.

Right, is right - but might isn't always right, and is doctrine that shouldn't be tolerated in Ukraine, in any case. Simple. Case closed. Cool
Germany says it is ready and willing to help achieve debt relief for Ghana but insists it will only do that if government of Ghana would put its house in order.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Friday, 3 February 2023, urged Germany to encourage China, an ad hoc member of the Paris Club, to support Ghanas debt restructuring efforts.

He said it was critical that the Paris Club swiftly establishes, with the participation of other official creditors, a creditors committee, to support the efforts that would enable Ghana to restore economic growth.

The Ghanaian leader made the call when the visiting German Finance Minister, Christian Lindner, called on him at the Jubilee House, Accra.

Linden, who led a delegation from his country, held bilateral talks with the President aimed at boosting relations and economic ties between the two nations.

President Akufo-Addo told the minister that the main concern for his government was to conclude negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), particularly at the Board Level and seal a deal with the Bretton Woods institution by mid-March this year.

Our main concern right now is the arrangements that we are in the process of concluding with the IMFand the specific assistance that will be useful to us and help us fast-track the process".

Our target is that by the middle of March, we should be before the Board for the full agreement. We have already taken one important step forward in concluding a staff-level agreement with the IMF and we are now looking to go the full haul in concluding the agreement. We are hoping that it will be done by the middle of March".

One of the steps towards that has been the domestic debt exchange programme that we are on, which fortunately, we have quite a lot of difficulties, has now been virtually concluded, he stated.

However, President Akufo-Addo stressed that there was a vital need for other creditors to support the efforts that his government was undertaking to restructure both the external and domestic debts of the country, to enable the IMF deal to fall through quickly.

We now have our relations with the Paris club and the common framework, and we are looking for as quickly as possible a creditor committee to be established, so we will have the body with whom we can engage to bring those discussions as quickly as possible".

We have good relations with China. We will like you to encourage China to participate in these programmes as quickly as possibleA very important consideration for us is the financial stability fund that has been promised us as one of the key outcomes of these negotiations and definitely once again, your voice in trying to bring that into being is something that we would appreciate very much, President Akufo-Addo told Finance Minister Lindner.

The President commended the German government for extending support to Ghana to enable her to overcome the current economic difficulties. He said the German government had proven to be a reliable ally and Ghana would continue to count on the European nation as a privileged partner as the country seeks a bailout from the IMF.

The IMF, last December reached a Staff-Level Agreement on a $3 billion, three years Extended Credit Facility with Ghana to relieve its debt.

Speaking with Accra-based Joy News on the president's appeal to the German Finance Minister for debt relief help, as far as China is concerned,

German Ambassador to Ghana, Daniel Krull, said laid out some conditions that he said Ghana must first meet before his country could offer the requested assistance of convincing China to restructure or forgive Ghana $1.7 billion of the West African country's total debt portfolio of $5.7 billion owed its bilateral partners.

Mr Krull said: "First of all, we insist that those measures that can be taken here in this country have to be taken".

"The second condition is that; yes, we are willing to take our share of responsibility as one of the major bilateral donors to Ghana but only if all the others also join in this effort", the ambassador pointed out, adsing: "And there is a multilateral framework that was set up exactly for these kinds of crises and we urge and try to convince all stakeholders in this process to stick to this agreed framework. Its the G20 framework".

Being more specific about the pre-conditions, Mr Krull outlined: "Let me point to three elements: the biggest loss maker in Ghana is the energy sector. In this sector alone, each year, GHS1.5 billion in new debt is piled up. So, if that is not solved and you can ask the IMF for $10 billion, you still will not solve the problem in the medium term".

"So, there has to be an answer in Ghana to the 50% technical and non-technical losses in the energy sector", Mr Krull notes, stressing: "If that is not resolved, I dont see how we can make finding a sustainable solution for the financial problems of the country".

"The second part", the ambassador said, "is on the other side of the budget and that is the revenues".

"Ghana has the lowest; one of the lowest tax-to-GDP ratios, not even 13%. So, we have been cooperating with the local authorities and setting up a very smart system of property tax collection".

"So, I think that is an important way forward and this has to be done and processes and decision-making have to be faster to meet the goals, to be able to meet the targets that have been agreed with the IMF".

The Ambassador also said he is still amazed on the procedures for how the budget is set up and how difficult it is to get an understanding of how this all works".

And, I think that is something that has to be [improved]. He is, however, confident that with the necessary political will, new opportunities will be created to enhance economic growth".

Source: Classfmonline.com
41 percent of Ghanaians have psychological distress, according to the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye.

Speaking at a two-day national conference on addressing health challenges in Ghana organised by Christian Service University College in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital, he said one in every 10 Ghanaians has a mental disorder.

While speaking on the theme: 'Addressing the increasing health challenges in Ghana: Exploring diverse perspectives', he said some 16,000 Ghanaians have a severe mental illness and are on the streets.

The country, he said, has only 10 and 19 percent of its staffing needs for psychiatrists and clinical psychologists respectively.

To increase access and mitigate its impact, he said the service with support from its development partners have embarked on capacity-building programmes to promote awareness on mental health issues.

Dr Kuma-Aboagye said the service will continue to build the capacity of private health providers to identify, manage and refer common mental health, neurological and substance-use disorders, using the life cause approach.

He also called for the need to incorporate mental health services into the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

For his part, the President of Christian Service University College, Prof Sam Afrane, also said the data on mental health is worrying hence the need for partnerships to help address the situation.

Source: Classfmonline.com
Tunisian security forces have arrested Jawhar Ben Mbarek, the most prominent opposition figure to be rounded up in an escalating campaign of detentions targeting rivals of President Kais Saied.

"Jawhar was arrested late last night and we haven't seen the charges against him," his sister Dalila Msaddek, a lawyer, told AFP on Friday.

Ben Mbarek was the latest of a dozen prominent public figures arrested this month, mostly rivals of Saied, who froze parliament and sacked the government in a dramatic July 2021 move against the sole democracy to emerge from the Arab Spring uprisings.

Saied later pushed through sweeping changes to the North African country's political system, concentrating near-total power in his office.

Left-leaning Ben Mbarek, once a government adviser, is a prominent member of opposition coalition the National Salvation Front (NSF) and leader of the "Citizens Against the Coup" movement, both formed in response to Saied's power grab.

NSF head Ahmed Nejib Chebbi told AFP that five detainees including Ben Mbarek, senior NSF member Chaima Issa and Chebbi's brother Issam, also a prominent politician, had appeared in handcuffs before prosecutors on Friday morning.

"This treatment and the arrests show that the authorities are flailing around and have failed to manage the political, economic and social situation as well as Tunisia's international relations," the NSF chief said.

The Front includes Ennahdha, the Islamist-leaning party that had dominated Tunisia's fractious politics from the revolution until Saied's power grab.

Ennahdha on Friday voiced its "solidarity" with Ben Mbarek and said it "strongly condemns the widening campaign of arbitrary arrests".

Ben Mbarek's father wrote on his Facebook account that he too was held by police and questioned for several hours on Thursday.

Those arrested this month also include Noureddine Boutar, the director of the country's most popular private radio station Mosaique FM, which has been critical of the president as well as successive governments since the revolution.

Judges threatened

Authorities questioned Boutar over the station's editorial line before charging him with "money laundering and illegal enrichment", according to his lawyers, who said the case was politically motivated.

Saied, who seized control of the judiciary early last year, said earlier this week that those arrested were "terrorists" who had "plotted against state security".

On Wednesday he threatened judges handling the cases, saying "anyone who dares to acquit (those arrested) is their accomplice".

In a televised speech, Saied added that corruption was "a cancer in the body of the state, which needs to be destroyed with radiotherapy or chemotherapy".

The president has also accused those arrested of being behind persistent shortages of basic goods from sugar to petrol.

Tunisia, which is heavily indebted and import-dependent, is grappling with an acute economic crisis that predates Saied's takeover but has worsened with the fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Ben Mbarek, a constitutional law expert like Saied, had supported the president in his successful 2019 election bid, but has since become one of his leading critics.

Since seizing total executive power, Saied has neutered parliament and pushed through a new constitution that gives him near-unlimited control and makes it almost impossible to impeach him.

Authorities have since placed several of his critics on trial in military courts, and rights groups say he is reinstalling an authoritarian system more than a decade after the toppling of dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

Human Rights Watch on Friday said Saied's public comments undermined the presumption of innocence and attacked the independence of prosecutors and judges.

"After putting himself in charge of prosecution and firing judges right and left, President Saied is now going after his critics with utter abandon," said Salsabil Chellali, HRW's Tunisia director.

"Saied is calling them terrorists and dispensing with the pretence of assembling credible evidence."
The Three Great Curses From The Watchful Spirit Of Deborah Samuel Yakubu, The Asaba Accord Betrayal By Okowa And The Apparently Lingering Anger Of Buhari

While I do not have any personal or official relationship with any running, Presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar of the PDP in the 2023 election is now in a unique electoral position needing psychosocial analysis. I submit Sir, that your conscience might occasionally remind you of the name Deborah!

Alhaji Atiku it is a known reality that rightful anger is hard to hide. And you are about to feel and experience it.

It is generally known that Nigerian Southern Christians that make up half the country struggles with unresolved anger and wrath over your response to Deborahs ordeal.

Deborah Samuel Yakubu, a second-year Christian higher education student, was killed by a mob of Muslim students in Sokoto, Nigeria on 12 May 2022.

Deborah in a social media video, as seen globally, was beaten, stoned and her body burned by Muslim students who accused her of making blasphemous comments against the Prophet Mohammed in an online classroom.

The vicious killing of Deborah raised a lot of uproar and condemnation, Atiku, who is of the same faith like the mob that killed Deborah, rightfully condemned the human rights cruelty. In a tweet posted on Atikus verified Twitter page after the murder of Deborah, reads: "There cannot be a justification for such gruesome murder. Deborah Yakubu was murdered and all those behind her death must be brought to justice. My condolences to her family and friends."

But to the shock of Nigerians and the world Atiku made a U-turn, after many Sokoto indigenes had threatened him that he will meet failure over his presidential ambition, saying he had lost millions of votes in the said state for condemning Deborahs killing.

Atiku in the most inhumane way a few hours after the post deleted the tweet and took to Facebook to justify his actions. Saying he quickly deleted the tweet because he did not approve. Really?

Lets assume that the post wasnt approved by his person, as claimed, did it call for deletion? It should have been Atikus interest before Nigerian voters to stand by the condemnation. For the fact that the murdering of Deborah by the Islamic mob of students was widely condemnable, it should have been enough reason to allow the post to stay as much as it could. Atiku do not need to be a soothsayer or a psychologist to know that the statement made in the post was justifiable so even if he is saying he did not personally make the post he should have kept the message of condemnation, as that is right, and his reactions would have been praiseworthy. Yes, you again have condemned it in recent times, as you campaign, but as you know first impression matters and you failed there.

Atiku to most Christians all over the world especially southern Christians, you displayed religious bigotry, religious rigidity and cowardness.

I repeat, so what if you did not approve the post as you claimed, did it call for deletion? No!

Alhaji Atiku, remember as an educationalist it would delight you to know that Deborah of the Department of Early Childhood Education was a 200-Level student of Home Economics at Shehu Shagari College of Education in sokoto. In a developing place like Nigeria, she was really needed for our children.

Deborah died gruesomely and for the way you danced around this tragedy many southern Christians especially are likely to express the spirit of anger and see it as an assignment to see you as a religious and political foe, so they are likely to throw you out in this election and rob you of a presidential win.

In August of 2022, even the United States Department of State has honoured the slain Sokoto student, Deborah.

Atiku in addition to being in the political crossroad of all Christians globally and in Nigeria. Here is another political headache.

As you go into this presidential election, Delta State Governor your Vice-presidential candidate Ifeanyi Okowa, is now seen as the great southern betrayal. Also now seen as the cool Middle Belt turncoat. As you are aware, there is what is called the Asaba Declaration or Asaba accord.

Okowa played a crucial role in assembling southern governors for a meeting that took place in Asaba, the capital of Delta, at the meeting, the governors agreed that the next president must be a southerner. The almost 17 southern governors at their meeting in Asaba in May 2021 agreed that the next president should come from the south.

Okowa, the man who housed the southern governors, went behind their back, broke the agreement and resolution, and today he is your running mate, for this regional sin the people of the south mostly are determined to punish you.

I still recall during the Special National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja, on Saturday, May 28, 2022, the fella manning the state where Deborah was murdered, Aminu Tambuwal, governor of Sokoto State, alarmed observers when he addressed delegates, had asked them to vote for him only to come back moments later to ask them to vote for Atiku. Tambuwals betrayal was felt all over the south, denying Southern Nigeria a unique opportunity to produce a viable candidate under a major political party. It is all about fairness and equity.

Atiku also faces a curse from president Muhammadu Buhari's apparent anger. Buhari who is reportedly known as an unforgiving man was declared under the All Progressive Congress (APC) as the winner of the February 23, 2019 Presidential Election. He was sued by Atiku, then presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate. Claiming that the Buhari winning was a sham and filled with irregularities, Buhari and the APC responded by saying Atiku who once served as a Vice President of Nigeria is a Cameroonian, not a Nigerian and should not have stood for the election.

No one knows if Atiku, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the presidential candidate for the All-Progressives Congress, or the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi will win this thing, as each of them hopes for a blessing, but the curses as enumerated here threaten Atiku more.
H.E. Louisa Atta Agyemang, DUA Chairperson

24.02.2023 LISTEN

The Democrat Union of Africa is set to join other international observers to monitor this years Nigerian general elections slated for 25th February 2023.

The Democrat Union of Africa which is a political alliance of all Center-Right political parties on the African continent has also expressed concerns over the need for the Independent National Electoral Commission to continue to create a leveled grounds for all stakeholders in the elections.

In a statement signed by the Unions Chairperson, H.E. Louisa Atta Agyemang, DUA sent it goodwill message to Nigeria stating, The Democrat Union of Africa on this Day Wednesday, 22nd February 2023 wishes to communicate its well-wishing message to the good people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the countrys upcoming general elections."

The statement called on the security operatives to be professional in the discharge of their duties to protect the peace of the country.

It further added, "The security operatives are expected to exhibit high level of professionalism in their efforts to provide security support to all and sundry and ensure that Nigeria enjoys peace before, during and after the elections."

The delegation from the Democrat Union of Africa is expected to be in Nigeria from 21st February to 28th February 2024, during which they are expected to tour some polling centers.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Akim Swedru in the Eastern Region, Hon Kennedy Osei Nyarko has said the genius of Vice-President Dr. Mahammudu Bawumia poses a significant threat to the main opposition National Democratic Party (NDC).

Dr. Bawumia, in his opinion, is a skilled communicator who can make economics simple enough for anyone to understand.

Hon Kennedy Osei Nyarko is convinced former President John Dramani Mahama is no competition for Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, when it comes to debate on national issues, noting that: Dr Bawumia continues to be a nightmare and albatross on the neck of the NDC.

Hon Kennedy Osei Nyarko wrote on his official Facebook wall, He has always taken the biggest opposition party on policies and on innovative ideas implementations. No wonder they will not stop at nothing to attack and denigrate him. He is the nightmare of the NDC. We want someone who will take the fight to the opponent and not the one who will rather fight the one fighting the opponent.

It seems that Dr. Bawumia is a problem for his political rivals. Ive been involved in Ghanaian politics for a very long time, and I can attest that Dr. Bawumia is one of our countrys top communicators. He is coherent, articulate, and laser-focused.

He added: He makes economics very simple. He is able to reduce very complicated issues, so, I see why he represents a problem and a challenge for some people. I think the town hall meeting was a useful exercise.
24.02.2023 LISTEN

Award-winning Ghanaian investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni has managed to test the curiosity of his followers on social media

The journalist seems to have played with the most common phrase in Ghanaian politics declaration of intention following NDCs recent opening of nomination forms for Parliamentary and presidential primaries.

The fourth Estates Editor in a six thread-tweet put his followers on social media on a wild goose chase when he used the phrase "declaration of intention."

He begun by noting how his people have been pressuring him to come out and serve them, indicating that he has accepted.

Those who read the first few lines were swerved in the preceding paragraphs when Manasseh Azure indicated that he wishes to continue to provide good journalistic and investigative reports through his service with the Fourth Estate and the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA).

He captioned the write-up DECLARATION OF INTENTION.

It reads in full, As you know, this is a time for the declaration of intentions, and I cannot pretend that I have no intentions.

Some of you may say this is not necessary, but I think one sometimes has to listen to the voice of people and act in their interest, for it is said that the voice of the people is the voice of God.

Over the years, I have noted with gratitude the massive support from my constituents and the call and encouragement to serve. I, therefore, wish to declare my intention to continue to serve you with my journalism, writing, and advocacy.

For those of you who still do not know, I now serve under the umbrella and elephant of The Fourth Estate, a non-profit public interest journalism project of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA).

Aware of how Ghanaians may take the post, he ended by telling them to direct your insults to him.
24.02.2023 LISTEN

Not all people are the same and in each society and family, there are big differences. To be married as a white man ("Mr. Heerde, you are truly a brave man", said our 88 years old neighbor this morning to me, an old widow) to a black African lady I can give testimony to the madness haunting Africans more than Cain and Abel.

Preparing everything for my father-in-law, 74 years of age from Kumasi, Ghana to join us in Hamburg, Germany for a few weeks of holidays this summer her brothers in Ghana refuse to print out the visa application form, invitation letter, paid healthcare travel certificate, Verplichtngserklaerung/Certificate of Obligation from the government and guide him for his scheduled appointment in Accra at the German Embassy.

The three brothers realize the great opportunity their father is getting. They ask themselves why not them the young ones that possibly could use this chance and run away to Germany behind the back of my wife with her to carry the burden of doing so? Jealousy is causing frustration and anger to the extent that the father now no longer wants to come.

Observing this and many other incidents in our lives and of other black Africans living abroad and comparing it with white family issues I subsequently come to the conclusion jealousy is prominent in African societies, especially in families more than in our white society.

Whether it has something to do with poverty or whether his spirit causes poverty (chicken or egg principle, what was first?) is open to debate.

African countries especially businessmen and common people do not trust other Africans be it among themselves or living in foreign lands. Africans in Hamburg, Germany by their confession rather prefer to mix with whites than one of their own. Even the three children born in Hamburg-Wandsbek of the possible next Asantehene, Thomas Akwasi Owusu-Afriye, refused to visit Ghana and mix with Blacks.

A continent, a nation so divided by jealousy in its blood will never see the glory of life (most whites will never understand this but always come up with wrong decisions and help.)
Ghanaian female broadcaster, Serwaa Amihere, has reechoed her calls for a safer and more friendly learning environment in the Ghanaian educational sector.

The Accra-based GHOne TVs broadcaster recently stated in a tweet against the attitude of many teachers who mock their students on social media with videos of them answering questions.

Among other things, Serwaa revealed that the attitude will kill the spirit of the students as well as leave digital footprints that will hurt them in the future.

As her advocacy garnered a lot of support, the vocal television personality thanked people for siding with her and asked for continuous support.

She then used the opportunity and further petitioned the Ghana Education Service to lay out positive measures that will not only protect the students, but the teachers welfare as well, to improve the quality of education in the country.

Dear friends, I have seen the interactions on my campaign to draw the attention of GES and Ministry of Education to protect our kids who are filmed by some teachers and put on social media for likes and engagements, her appreciated tweet began.

She continued, I respect the views of all and accept that we must also draw attention to the struggles teachers and pupils face in trying to access education. I am encouraged to do that when it comes to my attention and as a media personality, I will use any platform I have to address that.

Miss Amihere stressed, However, at this particular moment, I am of the view we must all come together to draw the attention of the GES and Ministry of Education to end this practice of some teachers recording their pupils in their "bad" moments to put on social media.

Her Friday, February 24 tweet ended: I am appealing to all of us to tell GES to protect the kids.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company, Frances Essiam has announced her resignation with immediate effect.

Speaking to Asaase Radio, she rubbished claims that she had been suspended, forcing her to resign.

According to her, she decided to resign on her own.

I, Frances Ewurabena Essiam, I have resigned honourably from the Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company as the chief executive officer, Frances Essiam told Asaase Raduo in an interview.

She further stressed, I resigned on my ownNobody can force me to resign...but coming events cast their shadow.

Asked why the decision to resign, she refused to give one, insisting that she has left the role for the Minister in charge of Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh.

When the president appointed me he didnt give a reason so I also will not like to come out with any reason for my resignation at this stage. All I can say is that Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the Minister for Energy, MP for Manhyia South, he is actually in charge of Ghana Cylinder as we talk. He is the Minister so I have resigned. Once I have resigned, he as the Minister takes over, Frances Essiem indicated.
A Gender-Based Court has acquitted and discharged Mr Kofi Owusu Hene aka Kofi Kapito, Chief Executive Officer of the Consumer Protection Agency (CPA).

This was after it upheld a submission of no case filed by Kapito's lawyers.

The court presided over by Mrs Christina Cann held that the prosecution was unable to establish a case in relation to the charges preferred against Kapito.

The court, however, asked the complainant (Kapito's brother's wife) to seek redress at the High Court if the powers of any of the administrators were superior to hers.

Kapito was being held on charges of deprivation of the use of the property of a deceased person, engaging in domestic violence to wit economic abuse and causing unlawful damage.

He was accused of having deprived his late brother's wife of a house the couple had jointly acquired at Ogbojo, near East Legon in Accra and he was said to have threatened to dispose of the property, which the deceased's wife had an interest in.

Kapito denied the charges and he was granted bail by the court.

After the prosecution had closed its case before the court, Kapito filed a submission of no case.

GNA
Madam Virginia Palmer, the UnitedaStates of America (USA) Ambassador to Ghana

24.02.2023 LISTEN

Madam Virginia Palmer, the United States of America (USA) Ambassador to Ghana, has urged the populace to make everyday a Black History day to help correct the ills of society.

She said the significance of the Black History Month was to remind humanity of the injustices perpetuated daily in all facets of society and the commitment needed to fight them and harness resources to create prosperity for all.

Madam Palmer said this at a wreath laying ceremony held in commemoration of the 155th Anniversary of the birth Dr W. E. B. Du Bois, a Sociologist and Pan-Africanists, who started the Africana Encyclopedia project to document the history of Africans.

The ceremony was part of activities to celebrate the Black History Month in February, dubbed: Black Resistance Month, which is to highlight black and African heritage as a commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

In her remarks, she noted that just after the slave trade and civil war in America, many African-Americans were pushed back into economic servitude, with many of those injustices persisting today across the globe.

We must constantly work against them and work for justice for all. Ghana and the US are democratic countries but they are not perfect, the Ambassador said.

She said Dr Du Bois was an inspiration and worked for the common good of the oppressed, adding that it was just to honour his memory.

Mr Japhet Aryiku, Executive Director, W. E. B. Du Bois Museum Foundation, said, everyday was an opportunity to learn from the ideals and legacy of the Pan-Africanist to help build a better society.

He said Ghana still experienced ethnocentric comments, tribal abuses, discrimination, exploitation of the poor and vulnerable in communities and various fields of endeavours.

We, at Dr Du Bois Museum Foundation, promote people living together, respecting each other and accepting each others difference as a plus, a principle Du Bois stood for, Mr Aryiku said.

He said the Foundation was in negotiation with Government to redevelop the Centre, adding that by the end of March, the approval hopefully would be given.

The Centre when redeveloped into a museum complex would have W. E. B. and Shirley Graham Du Bois Memorial Pavilion, which would hold the mortal remains of Dr Du Bois and ashes of Shirley Graham Du Bois.

It would serve as a destination for scholars, artists, heritage tourists, students and Pan-Africanists, among others.

GNA
The Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana has issued a press release to set the records straight on the payment of 2020 election field officers.

The Member of Parliament for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu on Thursday alleged that the EC had not paid the officers and admonished the commission to do the needful.

However, in its press release today, the Electoral Commission has said the allegation is false.

According to the EC, those who worked for the commission during the 2020 elections have been duly paid.

The attention of the Electoral Commission has been drawn to an article making the rounds in the media to the effect that the EC has not paid some 200, 000 field staff who worked on the 2020 Elections. This is false. The EC has to date paid all staff who worked during the 2020 elections, part of the release dated Friday, February 24, said.

The EC explains that for the 2020 elections, all payments to field staff were done through the bank accounts.

The commission notes that any person or groups of persons claiming nonpayment by the Commission for work done during the 2020 elections do not exist. They are ghosts, the EC added.

The EC is of the view that the allegation is an attempt to malign and impugn its integrity but it will not succeed.

Below is a copy of the release from the EC:
February 24, 2023

The Buildup To War In Ukraine - Closure

This is the concluding thread of the small Moon of Alabama series on the buildup to war in Ukraine.

Here is a list of the the posts belonging to it.

I decided to add a copy of the piece I wrote and posted for Moon of Alabama on Thursday February 24, 2022, a few hours after the war had begun. It looked at the likely outcome of the war. I am somewhat astonished and relieved that today, one year later, I see no reasons to correct my previous outlook.

Repost:

Disarming Ukraine - Thursday, February 24, 2022

The military of Russia has launched an operation to disarm, and possibly regime change, the Ukraine.

I do understand why Russia is doing this - it is either attack now or defend itself later with way more casualties and the danger of total defeat.

I had hoped though that it would find other methods to protect Russia from further NATO aggression.

In 2014 the U.S. instigated regime change in Kiev and has since controlled the Ukrainian government. It has build up the Ukraine as a base to strangle Russia economically and militarily.

During the last two centuries Russia had to defend itself, with horrific casualties, against two huge invasions from the west. It is understandable that it does not want to repeat that experience.

It is difficult to discern what the planed end state of this operation is. Where is this going to stop?

Looking at this map I believe that the most advantageous end state for Russia would be the creation of a new independent country, call it Novorussiya, on the land east of the Dnieper and south along the coast that holds a majority ethnic Russian population and that, in 1922, had been attached to the Ukraine by Lenin. That state would be politically, culturally and militarily aligned with Russia.

This would eliminate Ukrainian access to the Black Sea and create a land bridge towards the Moldavian breakaway Transnistria which is under Russian protection.

Excursion:

The yellow part of that map marked 'Ukraine in 1654' was actually the land of the Eastern Orthodox Zaporozhian Cossacks. Under threat from the Catholic Lithuanian-Polish Commonwealth, which at the time held the green parts under serfdom, the Cossacks negotiated the Pereiaslav Agreement (1654) with Russia and pledged allegiance to the Tsar. They area thus became an autonomous part of Russia.

End Excursion

The rest of the Ukraine would be a land confined, mostly agricultural state, disarmed and too poor to be build up to a new threat to Russia anytime soon. Politically it would be dominated by fascists from Galicia which would then become a major problem for the European Union.

Thanks to Stalin's additions to the Ukraine three countries, Poland, Hungary and Romania, have claims to certain areas in the Ukraine's western regions. If they want to snatch those up again it is now probably the best time to do so. Despite being part of NATO, which likely would not support such moves, those three will have domestic policy difficulties to withstand the urge.

I hope for a sharp but short fight which destroys the Ukraine's military capabilities but causes as little casualties and other damages as possible.

It is sad that NATO countries, including mine, did not have the courage to make the necessary concessions to prevent this from happening.

Update:

Putin's speech last night (English version) explains why this is happening.

End of the repost.

Posted by b on February 24, 2023 at 16:54 UTC | Permalink

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Swans forage in Hongcun Village, NE China

Xinhua) 09:23, February 24, 2023

Swans forage in Hongcun Village, Bajiazi Township, Beipiao of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Feb. 21, 2023.

Thanks to the improvement of water quality and people's awareness of animal protection, the number of swans overwintering here has increased from over 40 to more than 400 since 2011. And the swans also attract tourists to the river bank. (Xinhua/Yang Qing)

A swan forages in Hongcun Village, Bajiazi Township, Beipiao of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Feb. 21, 2023.

Thanks to the improvement of water quality and people's awareness of animal protection, the number of swans overwintering here has increased from over 40 to more than 400 since 2011. And the swans also attract tourists to the river bank. (Xinhua/Yang Qing)

Swans are seen in Hongcun Village, Bajiazi Township, Beipiao of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Feb. 21, 2023.

Thanks to the improvement of water quality and people's awareness of animal protection, the number of swans overwintering here has increased from over 40 to more than 400 since 2011. And the swans also attract tourists to the river bank. (Xinhua/Yang Qing)

A swan flies in Hongcun Village, Bajiazi Township, Beipiao of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Feb. 21, 2023.

Thanks to the improvement of water quality and people's awareness of animal protection, the number of swans overwintering here has increased from over 40 to more than 400 since 2011. And the swans also attract tourists to the river bank. (Xinhua/Yang Qing)

Visitors watch swans in Hongcun Village, Bajiazi Township, Beipiao of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Feb. 21, 2023.

Thanks to the improvement of water quality and people's awareness of animal protection, the number of swans overwintering here has increased from over 40 to more than 400 since 2011. And the swans also attract tourists to the river bank. (Xinhua/Yang Qing)

A swan flies in Hongcun Village, Bajiazi Township, Beipiao of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Feb. 21, 2023.

Thanks to the improvement of water quality and people's awareness of animal protection, the number of swans overwintering here has increased from over 40 to more than 400 since 2011. And the swans also attract tourists to the river bank. (Xinhua/Yang Qing)

Swans fly in Hongcun Village, Bajiazi Township, Beipiao of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Feb. 21, 2023.

Thanks to the improvement of water quality and people's awareness of animal protection, the number of swans overwintering here has increased from over 40 to more than 400 since 2011. And the swans also attract tourists to the river bank. (Xinhua/Yang Qing)

Swans are seen in Hongcun Village, Bajiazi Township, Beipiao of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Feb. 21, 2023.

Thanks to the improvement of water quality and people's awareness of animal protection, the number of swans overwintering here has increased from over 40 to more than 400 since 2011. And the swans also attract tourists to the river bank. (Xinhua/Yang Qing)

A photography enthusiast takes photos of swans in Hongcun Village, Bajiazi Township, Beipiao of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Feb. 21, 2023.

Thanks to the improvement of water quality and people's awareness of animal protection, the number of swans overwintering here has increased from over 40 to more than 400 since 2011. And the swans also attract tourists to the river bank. (Xinhua/Yang Qing)

Volunteer Li Haifeng feeds swans in Hongcun Village, Bajiazi Township, Beipiao of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Feb. 21, 2023.

Thanks to the improvement of water quality and people's awareness of animal protection, the number of swans overwintering here has increased from over 40 to more than 400 since 2011. And the swans also attract tourists to the river bank. (Xinhua/Yang Qing)

Swans forage in Hongcun Village, Bajiazi Township, Beipiao of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Feb. 21, 2023.

Thanks to the improvement of water quality and people's awareness of animal protection, the number of swans overwintering here has increased from over 40 to more than 400 since 2011. And the swans also attract tourists to the river bank. (Xinhua/Yang Qing)

Swans are seen in Hongcun Village, Bajiazi Township, Beipiao of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Feb. 21, 2023.

Thanks to the improvement of water quality and people's awareness of animal protection, the number of swans overwintering here has increased from over 40 to more than 400 since 2011. And the swans also attract tourists to the river bank. (Xinhua/Yang Qing)

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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP)  U.S. first lady Jill Biden said Friday that she feels a kinship with Africans during her sixth visit to the continent, telling The Associated Press in an exclusive interview that she wants to support nations fighting for democracy  just like I feel were doing in the United States.

We cannot take things for granted, because its such a precious system of government, she said. We cant be complacent. We have to keep fighting for it.

The first lady opened her trip earlier this week in Namibia, a young democracy, where on Friday she delivered a rousing speech to more than 1,000 students. She told them the democracy their parents and grandparents fought for is now theirs to defend and protect.

In the interview, Biden said that when first lady Monica Geingos invited her to visit, I thought theres no better place to go than to go to Namibia to encourage the youth to get involved, stay involved, fight for their democracy, just like I feel were doing in the United States.

Africas 54 countries are a mix of sometimes fragile democracies in places like Nigeria, which has an election this weekend; and more troubled nations like Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Chad and Sudan that have seen coups in recent years; or Uganda, Gabon, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon, where presidents have been clinging to power for decades. Namibia gained its independence from South Africa in 1990.

American democracy was severely tested after President Joe Bidens election in 2020 when the incumbent, Donald Trump, repeatedly told lies about the election being stolen from him. Hundreds of his supporters who believed his conspiracy theories rioted at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in a violent attempt to block Congress from certifying Biden as the new president in an unprecedented effort to thwart the customary peaceful transfer of power.

In her speech, Biden said womens and girls voices need to be more prominent in the debate about democracy.

As the first generation to be born into a free Namibia, the legacy that your parents and grandparents created is now yours  yours to defend and protect, Biden told a largely student audience at Namibia University of Science and Technology.

Yours to grow. And as we look forward, we must remember that the fight for democracy has no end.

Biden later Friday moved on to Kenya, the second and final stop on her trip.

She highlighted the plight of women and girls on her earlier stops in Namibia. In Kenya, she plans to use her stature to draw attention to a devastating drought across the Horn of Africa that is leaving people hungry and jeopardizing millions of lives. She had visited in 2011 during a severe famine.

Im hoping that, you know, that people do pay attention, Biden said in the AP interview. To see the drought and what I saw before with, just, children who have no food and they cant have livestock, they cant grow crops and to be starving, and so Im trying to really create awareness and, and just see how far things have come in the 10 years, really, that Ive been gone.

The first lady, who has spent time in more than a half dozen of Africas countries, said she feels really comfortable on the continent.

One thing Ive learned is that each country is so different  the people are different, the culture is different, the religion is different, the language, she said. But, you know, we all share so many of the same values.

And I think thats important, that were looking for stability, a stable government. Were looking for, you know, representation of the people. Were looking for leaders who have character and integrity, and thats what I think we want to foster. And they do, too.

She said the Biden administration is not isolationist like we were becoming in the last administration, a reference to Trump and his America-first posture.

We are reaching out and saying, Hey, were a global society. Take our hands. Lets do this together, she said of the current administration.

Biden has worked with young people throughout a 30-year-long teaching career and said in her address to the students that they must exercise their rights to disagree and to dissent, to speak up when they see injustice and support leaders who listen to their concerns.

She noted that, in the United States, we are still defending and strengthening our democracy, almost 250 years after our founding.

Its not easy. Democracy isnt easy. It takes work, she said during the rousing, rally-style speech. But its worth it, because democracy delivers.

Afterward, she worked her way around the courtyard in a way that she rarely do to shake hands and pose for selfies with scores of excited students. They cheered at one point when she danced briefly to a drum-heavy African beat.

__

Associated Press writer Evelyne Musambi in Nairobi contributed to this report.
Spains golden visa program has helped to attract thousands of affluent Latin American politicians and business owners to Madrid, but its days may be numbered, at least in its current form.

Former Mexican President Felipe Calderon Hinojosa has a major problem on his hands. On Tuesday (Feb 21), the man he handpicked to serve as public security minister for the entire duration of his presidency (2006-12), Genaro Garcia Luna, was found guilty by a New York court of taking millions of dollars from Mexicos biggest crime group, the Sinaloa drug cartel. Garcia Luna is one of the highest-ranking Mexican officials ever to be convicted of having ties to drug trafficking.

Other figures close to Calderon, including Facunda Rosas and Luis Cardenas Palomino, both senior civil servants during his presidency, have also been arrested in recent months.

Now, the spotlight is on Calderon himself, who insists he had no idea his super cop, as he was wont to call Garcia Luna, was involved with the same drug traffickers against whom Calderon declared war in 2007, with devastating consequences for the country. But in the trial against Garcia Luna, one of the key witnesses for the prosecution, Edgar Veytia, a former attorney general and now-convicted drug trafficker, accused both Garcia Luna and his boss, Calderon, of providing protection for Mexicos apex drug trafficker Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, then leader of the Sinaloa Cartel.

Since that revelation, more than 80% of Mexicans believe Calderon should also be investigated, according to a recent poll by Enkoll.

But Calderon is not in Mexico. Hes in Madrid, where, with a little help from his friend, former Spanish PM Jose Maria Aznar (the oft-forgotten third man of the Azores Summit), he qualified for a Premium Visa in October. To be eligible for the visa, Calderon was offered a job at Aznars think tank, the Atlantic Institute of Governance. He joined an academic board filled with CEOs of some of Spains biggest corporations (Repsol, Telefonica, Endesa, Iberdrola, Mapfre) and an assortment of like-minded neoliberal politicians, current and former, from both sides of the Atlantic, including Aznar himself, Ernesto Zedillo, Guillermo Lasso, and Bill Richardson. Oh, and Peruvian Nobel Laureate Mario Vargas Llosa.

Calderon is not the only former Mexican President to have sought, and been granted, Spanish residency in recent years. Enrique Pena Nieto (2012-2018), who is under investigation for money laundering and illicit enrichment and is embroiled in corruption scandals involving Spanish construction giant OHLA, is also in Madrid. So, too, is Carlos Salinas de Gortari (1988-94), who signed NAFTA and privatised and liberalized much of Mexicos economy.

The New Miami

Madrid is attracting affluent exiles from across Latin America more than ever before, many of them fleeing from left-leaning governments at home. This is one of the big curses of Latin America: wealthy families and businesses, who in most cases possess a huge chunk of their nations wealth, are always quick to move overseas, often taking their money with them, whenever a government of even mild left-wing persuasion comes into power.

For decades, Miami has provided an idyllic haven for Latin Americas rich and well-to-do, as well as a perfect bolthole for the regions plotters of failed coups. But as the New York Times reported last April, Madrid has begun to give the Magic City a run for its money:

[W]ealthy Latin Americans have begun shifting their money out of countries where voters have recently elected left-wing presidents, including Mexico in 2018, Peru last year and most recently Chile, where Gabriel Boric took office in March as the countrys youngest president. Mr. Boric has pledged to make Chilean society more egalitarian. The response in Spain seems to have been to roll out the red carpet. When [Antonio Ledezma, a former mayor of Caracas,] arrived in Madrid in November 2017, he was welcomed by the prime minister of Spain at the time, Mariano Rajoy, who immediately offered him Spanish citizenship. Mr. Ledezma turned down the offer, but many other Latin Americans, particularly the rich, are applying for or have received Spanish citizenship. Some received a so-called golden visa that Spain has been granting in return for spending at least 500,000 euros, or about $550,000, on a property.

Some wealthy Latinos are even selling their property in Miami in order to buy one in Madrid. As El Pais reported in November, recent years have seen wealthy Venezuelan, Mexican, Colombian and Peruvian businessmen converge on the Spanish capital, now the second largest destination for Latin American investment in the world, only behind the US. Within Spain itself, Madrid receives a whopping 70% of all Latin American investment.

There are a host of reasons why Madrid has become such a magnet for wealthy Latin Americans. It offers personal and legal security; attractive fiscal conditions (though those conditions changes notably in December); relative political and economic stability; a high quality of life; direct flights to and from most Latin American capitals, and a rich cultural offering. As one Argentine told the NYT: In Madrid, I live near eight theaters, so I can see a different performance every week without taking a single taxi  and this kind of opportunity just doesnt exist in Miami.

Rajoys government launched the golden visa project back in 2013. At that time, the economy was still on its knees following the sovereign debt crisis and bailout of the banking system. The initiative was ostensibly meant to lure entrepreneurs and international investors to the country, by offering residence to non-EU citizens who make a significant investment in Spain, by buying real estate worth at least 500,000, investing in a company or companies (1 million), or Spanish debt instruments (2 million).

Other European countries have offered similar arrangements, but none quite as vigorously as Spain. Between 2013 and 2018 alone, it granted more than 25,000 golden visas to investors and their families, according to a survey by Transparency International and Global Witness, bringing in almost 1 billion in investments per year. Spain accounted for roughly one in four of all golden visas dispensed by EU countries during that time. Since then, the number has continued to mushroom. In 2019 alone, Spain issued more than 8,000 of the documents.

In the early years, most applications for golden visas came from Russia and China. In recent times, however, many Latino millionaires  mainly Mexicans, Venezuelans and Peruvians have taken advantage of the program, with most choosing to live in Madrid. As the NYT piece notes, the number of arrivals from other Latin American countries is also rising, with many apparently worried about [the] leftist politics sweeping the region:

Colombia could become the latest to swing in that direction, with a presidential election in May in which the front-runner is Gustavo Petro, a leftist former mayor of the capital, Bogota. Mr. Petro has a clear message for the rich: Pay more tax.

As readers well know, Colombia did indeed swing in that direction. As I wrote in A Political Earthquake Just Took Place in Latin America, Petro made history by becoming the countrys first left-wing president since Colombia won independence in 1819.

Early Signs of Exodus

Petros government did honor its pledge to raise income taxes on the more affluent as well as levy a wealth tax on the wealthiest, though the reforms were watered down on their way through the opposition-controlled Congress. Taxes on inheritance and dividends were also raised. As even BBC World noted (in Spanish) in November, Colombia is one of the most unequal countries in the world and its economic elite have for decades paid less in tax than their counterparts in most other Latin American countries.

Nonetheless, an exodus has begun, and not just among the rich. According to a report by the Center for Resources for Conflict Analysis (Cerac), more than half a million Colombians emigrated last year  2.7 times more than the annual average since 2012. An article in La Republica mentions two possible reasons for the dramatic increase: the sharp davaluation of the Colombian peso last year, which has spurred many people, particularly at the lower end of the income scale, to look for work abroad in order to send remittances home; and the high levels of market risk, which have had a detrimental effect on economic confidence in the country.

How many of those Colombians ended up moving to Spain is unclear, since the data for the full year is yet to be released. But in the first half of last year alone, during most of which time Petros election victory was far from certain, 60,000 Colombians settled in the country.

Thousands of upper and middle-class Argentines have also moved to Madrid in recent years. As a recent report in the Art Newspaper notes, Most are met with open arms, both culturallyLatin Americans can naturalise easily into Spain due to a shared language and common ancestryand financially: Madrid levies the lowest taxes of Spains 17 regional governments.

In fact, until December last year, a common complaint in the Spanish provinces was that Madrids regional government  the Comunidad de Madrid  is functioning as a tax haven within Spain itself, sucking up wealth and business activity from other regions. In 2021, even the OECD accused the government of operating as an internal tax haven that attracts rich taxpayers from across Spain by applying a 0% inheritance tax.

To try to level the playing field somewhat, the national government in December passed a new wealth tax on fortunes over 3 million (h/t Rabid Gandhi). It also closed some important loop holes frequently exploited by foreign property investors. Madrids regional government has responded to the move by proposing a new tax initiative for foreign investment, which, if passed, will essentially involve subsidizing any investment made by a foreigner in Madrid with a 20% deduction in personal income tax at the regional level.

Side Effects

While the golden visa program may bring significant investment into Madrid, particularly its property sector, it also has serious side effects. For a start, it is driving up property prices in the capital. Many foreign investors are not just buying up one property; theyre buying up batches. The golden visas can also become a magnet for corrupt politicians and businessmen. A 2018 report by Transparency International and Global Witness warned that golden visa programs allow corrupt non-EU citizens to avoid suspicion from global banks  thanks to the added security offered by European passports  as well as escape from justice in their countries of origin more easily.

In 2020, the European Commission called on EU Member States to closely monitor these visas due to the risks that lack of control over the influx of capital could imply for the bloc. Those risks, it said, include security risks, money laundering, corruption, circumvention of EU rules and tax evasion.

After almost a decade in force, Spains Golden Visa may have its days numbered anyway, at least in its current form. Mas Pais, a left-leaning party led by former Podemos star, Inigo Errejon, has presented a bill in Congress to eliminate golden visas for non-EU citizens who buy a homes worth at least 500,000 euros, which is how 90% of golden visas are currently acquired in Spain. Last week, the government of neighboring Portugal unveiled plans to scrap its golden visa scheme as one of a raft of measures aimed at tackling soaring housing prices.
Fort Polk, LA (71446)

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Scattered thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 53F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 53F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
The evolution of my position with the Post dates to 2000, when I began work with The City Paper. In 2008, SouthComm Inc. bought the Post and TCP, with the latter ceasing operations in 2013. In 2018, FW Publishing acquired the Post, for which I have served as managing editor since 2011.

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(Natural News) Russia is attempting to open a United Nations (UN) investigation into last Septembers sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 natural gas pipelines from Russia to Western Europe  but Moscows attempts are being railroaded by the United States.

Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya told the UN Security Council that Moscow does not trust the separate investigations being conducted by Denmark, Sweden and Germany. He added that he would have more faith in an investigation if UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres established an independent one handled by the international community. (Related: Report: Hundreds of kilos worth of highly effective explosive devices responsible for Nord Stream pipeline sabotage.)

We are not here to set up a trial in the Security Council, said Nebenzya, noting that Guterres is someone that Moscow trusts to lead an investigation into the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines.

We have strong reasons to doubt the effectiveness, transparency and impartiality of investigations that are being carried out under some national jurisdictions, he added. We do not see our partners being eager to cooperate.

Nebenzya pointed out that neither he nor any other representative of the Russian government had been invited to participate in any kind of investigation into the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage.

[They] are not only not transparent, but it is quite clear that they seek to just cover the tracks and stick up for their  American brother, said Nebenzya. He is echoing similar allegations raised by the Russian government that the U.S. was behind the act of sabotage.

In its proposed resolution for an independent UN-led investigation, Russia noted that the Nord Stream attack occurred after repeated threats to the Nord Stream [pipelines] by the leadership of the United States.

US claims current probes into Nord Stream sabotage are sufficient

Representatives from multiple Western nations, including the U.S., the United Kingdom and France, noted that they are still investigating the attack on the Nord Stream pipelines. They further claim that the real reason why Russia is raising the issue with the Security Council now is to divert attention away from the first anniversary of the beginning of its special military operation in Ukraine.

They add that Russia also wants to divert attention from other high-level UN activities in the coming days, including the adoption of a UN General Assembly resolution condemning Russian actions in Ukraine.

Todays meeting is a blatant attempt to distract us from this, said American Minister-Counselor John Kelley to the Security Council. As the world unites this week to call for a just and secure peace in Ukraine consistent with the UN Charter, Russia desperately wants to change the subject.

Responding to Russian allegations of U.S. involvement in the Nord Stream sabotage, Kelley told the Security Council: Accusations that the United States was involved in this act of sabotage are completely false. The United States was not involved in any way.

Several Security Council members supported the creation of a UN-led inquiry, but others  led by the U.S. and its allies  claim that the ongoing probes are enough.

UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo noted that, barring the creation of an independent, UN-led investigating team, all the international body can do is await the findings of ongoing national investigations.

More related stories can be found at Pipelines.news.

Watch this episode of the Health Ranger Report as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, discusses how the U.S. military blew up the Nord Stream pipelines.

This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Russian government demands responsible parties in US to be held accountable for sabotaging Nord Stream pipeline after damning report.

American mainstream media is ignoring bombshell report from legendary journalist that reveals US blew up Nord Stream pipelines.

Why Hershs Nord Stream bombshell may become legal nightmare for team Biden and its Nordic allies.

Biden admin responsible for blowing up Russias Nord Stream pipeline, explosive new report reveals.

ACT OF WAR: The US military blew up Nord Stream pipelines, plunging western allies into energy collapse in effort to harm Russia.

Sources include:

TheGatewayPundit.com

APNews.com

News.UN.org

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) A global shift in alliances similar to what occurred before World War I and II is again occurring, which is likely to preface World War III if things do not change, and fast.

Despite repeated warnings from Washington against strategic or military cooperation between Beijing and Moscow, China has pledged to join forces with Russia, a like-minded partner, to defend national interests. The statement was made at the end of the first day of Wang Yis trip to Moscow. Wang is the director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of Chinas Central Committee.

The Peoples Republic of China is ready to join forces with Russia to decisively stand up for national interests and promote mutually beneficial cooperation in all areas, Wang said Tuesday during a meeting with Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev, according to Russian state media Tass. On Wednesday, Wang met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in what appeared to be a warm and cooperative visit.

During a virtual meeting at the end of last year our leaders [Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin] came up with a plan for further development of bilateral relations. We are ready to join forces with the Russian side, in accordance with the high-level agreements, to decisively stand up for national interests and virtues and promote mutually beneficial cooperation in all areas, the Chinese diplomats statement said.

The Chinese diplomat also said China will together with all like-minded partners further promote the development of the international order in the direction of equitable development.

Its necessary to unlock the potential of this mechanism, and its also necessary to develop new steps of strategic interaction in accordance with the changing situation in order to provide the necessary guarantees for national development, Wang added. I want to fully join your appreciation of the strategic cooperation between the two countries.

The warm statements made during Wangs visit to Moscow are significant given the timing of the visit, as Russia seeks support from a powerful ally with a seat on the national security council. With the war in Ukraine approaching its one-year anniversary since the start of the invasion, Russia is in need of political backing.

The Kremlin praised Chinas stance on Ukraine, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressing his appreciation for Chinas balanced position on the Ukraine issue and claiming that Russia and China share a vision regarding the crisis. However, it remains to be seen whether China will offer any specific support or take a more ambiguous stance, as Wang has stated that China will maintain an objective and impartial stance on the crisis and has expressed appreciation for Russias willingness to negotiate a resolution.

Recently, Beijing has shown its interest in a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine through negotiations, according to Zero Hedge. This will likely be the focus of Xis upcoming trip to Russia. While news of the future trip was reported on Tuesday, Putin confirmed on Wednesday that it will take place, marking a significant symbolic event since the start of the conflict in Ukraine.

We are expecting the president of the Peoples Republic of China to visit Russia. We agreed on this earlier, Putin said as he welcomed Wang to the Kremlin. The Russian leaders also offered praise for the new frontiers that both countries are reportedly forging in an alliance, according to US News.

We understand that [China] has a domestic political agenda, but we assume that as we tackle all the issues related to this agenda  with the National Peoples Congress, which is made up of Chinese deputies, who must also resolve serious personnel issues  we will implement our plans for personal meetings as well, which will give an additional impetus to our relations, the Russian president added.

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) San Diegos community college system has fired over two dozen Christian employees for refusing to take the experimental and dangerous Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines.

This decision to conduct a mass layoff of unvaccinated employees comes as the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) fired three employees from their positions on Jan. 19 after repeatedly refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The dismissed individuals all had accepted religious exemptions. Several weeks after, the SDCCD announced that it was firing three more unvaccinated staff members.

SDCCD remains the only college system in California to still have a policy in place to fire employees for refusing COVID-19 vaccines due to their religious convictions. (Related: OBEY: University of California announces flu vaccine mandate for all campuses.)

I am one of at least 30 Christian employees at SDCCD that have been purposely targeted for termination, even now, for not accepting to take a fetus cell-tainted injection, wrote mathematics professor Carlos De La Lama in an email to Life Site News.

The SDCCD initially had a fairly open policy regarding COVID-19 vaccinations. It had a mandate, but people with medical conditions and sincerely held religious beliefs would be granted exemptions.

But the situation changed following pressure from the local chapter of the American Federation of Teachers union, who claimed that the lack of a properly enforced COVID-19 vaccine mandate affected the health of their members.

De La Lama, who has worked for the SDCC for over three years, including 26 years as department chair, noted that all employees who had previously received exemptions had to reapply with a whole new level of scrutiny and criteria.

Joanna Aud, one of the first employees terminated on Jan. 19, said in an interview that her primary job was to prepare classes alone in a lab. Despite this, she was still denied a religious accommodation.

Students are not required to be vaccinated, said Aud. So, as a student, I could actually enroll in a class that typically I would prep. I could be in that class as a student [in] a full classroom [with] no problem. But I have been denied an accommodation to actually prep that class alone in an empty classroom. Somehow, thats an undue hardship [for the SDCCD].

Christians being targeted for refusal to get vaccinated

Amy Reichert, a member of anti-COVID-19 mandate lobbying group ReOpen San Diego, noted that the SDCCDs decision is immoral, anti-American and anti-science. In an interview, she noted that the colleges decision is an attack against Christians.

To be honest with you, [I think] its an attack on Christians, she added. I know that sounds like a lot, but the people that got fired  are people who are immigrants, people who are Latino and others who are Black. Because of the lack of a possible political or racialized pattern to the firings, the only remaining possibility suggests that this is an anti-Christian campaign.

Six more devoutly Christian employees who have refused COVID-19 vaccinations are slated to be terminated following the upcoming meeting of the SDCCD board of trustees on March 2. If the SDCCD proceeds with these targeted mass terminations, Reichert warned that ReOpen San Diego is going to take the college to court.

Stand down. Reverse course. Youre hurting and youre harming your own employees, she said. Youre violating their civil rights A legal freight train is coming your way. You will not do this to your employees.

Watch this episode of the Health Ranger Report as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, talks about how approximately 7,500 Americans are being killed or disabled every day after COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

House Republicans press DoD about its COVID vaccine mandate reversal: Stop discriminating against unvaccinated troops!

POLITICAL COURAGE: Ron DeSantis wants Florida Legislature to permanently ban COVID-19 mask and vaccine mandates.

California will now punish doctors for not agreeing with the official narrative of COVID.

Appeals court upholds decision to block Bidens COVID-19 vaccine mandate for government contractors.

National Education Association board member says unvaccinated with religious exemptions should die or be shot.

Sources include:

LifeSiteNews.com

KUSI.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) The city of Cincinnatis local water utility service closed water intake from the Ohio River out of an abundance of caution following the controversial East Palestine train derailment and chemical spill.

According to Greater Cincinnati Water Works (GCWW), it needed to shut down the drinking water intake in the river before contamination reaches the area. Water intakes are structures used for collecting water from surface waterways such as rivers, lakes and reservoirs, and directing it to a water treatment plant where it will be made drinkable.

After extensive sampling of river water Sunday through Monday morning, there have been no detections of the specific chemicals from the train derailment, the city government said in a press release.

Earlier, Northern Kentucky Water District (NKWD) said that low levels of butyl acrylate were detected in the river upstream of Cincinnati. Butyl acrylate is a chemical used in arts and crafts, adhesives, flooring, sinks and bathtubs. Meanwhile, a different chemical compound called 2-Ethyl-1-hexanol was found locally while water intake was closed. The compound is commonly used in industrial applications for flavoring and fragrances.

GCWW said it wasnt definitive if that compound came from the East Palestine train derailment.

Maintaining the safety of our communitys drinking water is our highest priority, NKWD President and CEO Lindsey Rechtin stated. The response to this Ohio River spill event has been extraordinary. I cannot express enough gratitude to all NKWD staff for their efforts to ensure that our communitys drinking water supply remains safe and reliable.

Both water infrastructure services said they added precautions such as removing particles and running the water through granular carbon to remove chemicals. The chemicals have been absorbed onto the activated carbon and then when the water passes out those chemicals are not present, said Jeff Swertfeger, GCWWs Water Quality Treatment superintendent.

According to reports, they made the water pass through powdered activated carbon, which absorbed the chemical contaminants when they re-opened the water intake. Another barrier was also added to make sure the carbon catches all of the chemicals.

Six toxic chemicals released in Ohio train derailment

The scare that areas surrounding East Palestine could have contaminated drinking water came after a total of six chemicals were found in the nearby water, air and ground after the Ohio train derailment. The toxic chemical cocktail includes two that are linked to cancer and other substances that can cause convulsions and vomiting.

The initial fact sheet released by the train company Norfolk Southern listed vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate and benzene residue as the chemicals on board. However, authorities later found three more equally dangerous chemicals: ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylhexyl acrylate and isobutylene. (Related: DEADLY COCKTAIL: 6 Toxic chemicals released in Ohio train derailment.)

Vinyl chloride, a colorless manmade gas that burns easily, is mainly used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which is associated with a higher risk of a rare form of liver cancer (hepatic angiosarcoma), as well as primary liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma), brain and lung cancers, lymphoma and leukemia; butyl acrylate is a colorless liquid used in paints, coatings, sealants and glues that can cause the skin to ooze; benzene residue is a colorless or pale yellow liquid with a sweet scent that burns and evaporates into the air rapidly and is used to make plastics, nylon and some types of lubricants, drugs and pesticides; ethylene glycol monobutyl ether is a liquid used in paint strippers that can cause the skin to dry and crack, irritation to the nose and eyes, headaches, a metallic taste and vomiting; ethylhexyl acrylate is a see-through liquid, used to make paint, glue, leather finishes and coatings for the paper that causes drowsiness; and isobutylene is a sweet-smelling gas that can kill at high concentrations.

Meanwhile, the train company skipped the open-house meeting that was meant to ease fears about the toxic chemical spill.

Follow Chemicals.news for more related news.

Watch the video below that talks about the Cincinnati water intake closure during the weekend.

This video is from Alex Hammers channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

DIOXINS released after Ohio train derailment PERSIST in the environment and collect in lipids, meaning they will contaminate milk, cheese, eggs and meat from farms and ranches.

East Palestine train wreck may have created largest dioxin plume in world history.

Truck driver killed, hazardous materials found as train and truck collide in Houston.

Sources include:

ThePostMillennial.com

Twitter.com

WCPO.com

DailyMail.co.uk

BBC.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) One of the most well-versed individuals on the subject joined Mike Adams this week on his Health Ranger Report program to discuss the invasion on America through the southern border.

War correspondent Michael Yon, who just came back from the Darien Gap between Columbia and Panama, a major migration route to the United States, revealed to Adams that the American people are undergoing an engineered replacement by the powers that be, who want the new America to be comprised of obedient, third-world slaves.

At the top of the food chain, Yon says, is the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the World Economic Forum (WEF), which he says are joined at the hip like Siamese twins  be sure to watch the full segment below.

Thanks to these globalist entities, military-age migrant invaders are flooding across the southern border to the tune of thousands a day  and there appears to be no end in sight, at least with the current regime in charge.

Migrants, or invaders depending on what sort they are, come from all over the world and they go through the hourglass funnel of South America, Yon explains to Adams about how the Darien Gap is being exploited to send untold thousands of illegals into the United States.

They will come from all over Africa, all over Asia  Im meeting people from 140 countries, and many people now from South America. And they feed through Columbia and then they come through the Darien Gap  and the United States is openly facilitating this.

(Related: Many Texas border towns have been urging Gov. Greg Abbott to take notice of the illegal invasion and do something about it.)

DHS Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas went to Darien Gap to increase flow of illegals into America

While he was still there at the Darien Gap, Yon says he witnessed a visit from Alejandro Mayorkas, the Biden regimes secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Mayorkas is an overseer of this illegal invasion whom Yon says went to the Darien Gap to not only help oversee the flow of illegals but also to expand that flow to include even more replacers.

Right now, its about 1,000 people per day, Yon says about the number of migrants flooding into America. They estimate about 60,000 children will come through the Darien Gap this year, which would seem like an underestimate.

According to Adams, citing data from ex-BlackRock executive and Wall Street guru Ed Dowd, upwards of 7,500 Americans per day are being disabled or otherwise taken out of the workforce due to Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccines. And these are being replaced by the thousands of illegal migrants per week who are flooding into the country.

Its a clear replacement strategy, Yon added. Theyre open about it, and theyre open about it in Europe as well.

While most Americans are used to illegal immigration from Hispanic countries like Mexico and others in Central and South America, Yon says one of the most shocking demographics now coming through the Darien Gap are native Chinese people.

We see huge amounts of mainland Chinese coming through the Darien Gap, he said. Fifty to 80 every day.

While it could be that some of these migrants have good intentions and simply want to meld into the great American melting pot, Yon is not entirely convinced. He revealed that many of the invaders coming through the Darien Gap, including from communist China, look like members of the military.

Be sure to watch the full interview above to learn more about the illegal invasion and great replacement of Americans.

The latest news about Americas illegal alien problem can be found at InvasionUSA.news.

Sources for this article include:

Brighteon.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) A metal factory near Cleveland has exploded, killing a maintenance worker and injuring more than a dozen people. At least two of the injured are in critical condition.

The incident took place at the I. Schumann & Co. copper alloy plant situated in the Oakwood Village suburb of Cleveland. 46-year-old Steven Mullins, who worked for the company for nearly three decades, was killed by the blast.

The cause of the explosion has yet to be determined, but officials say they believe it will be traced to the buildings foundry, where molten metals are held in kettles. Videos of the scene showed smoke billowing out of the fire that was visible for miles, as well as vehicles that were damaged from debris and fire. The state fire marshalls office has said that the blast does not seem to be related to a criminal act.

An individual who works across the street recounted what he saw: We were just loading up a truck, getting ready to leave, and it was the loudest noise we ever heard, said Jeff Huhn.

Everything was shaking, things were falling off the shelves here. We looked out and saw a huge plume of smoke. About 40 feet down from the entrance, it blew up half the building. It blew debris and shrapnel, there were cars on fire. We just saw pandemonium after the explosion.

There are growing concerns about the fact that the molten debris from the explosion is being carried by the wind across the same area that recently experienced a high-profile trail derailment that caused toxins to be released into the atmosphere.

In that incident, a Norfolk Southern freight train that was carrying cancer-causing chemicals derailed, sending toxic gas into the atmosphere and prompting authorities to burn the railcars chemicals in what they termed a controlled release burn that would mitigate a potential explosion.

The primary chemical being emitted by the burn is vinyl chloride, a known carcinogen that has been linked to rare types of lung, brain and liver cancer. Burning this chemical emits the bioactive byproduct dioxin, which is hormonally toxic and expected to contaminate the food supply.

Are these incidents connected to the recent distribution of biometric tracking devices to East Palestine residents?

The train incident took place just a week after the residents of the town of East Palestine, Ohio, where the derailment occurred, were instructed to sign up for a MyID biometric tracking device that provides medical information to first responders.

While it may be just a coincidence that the town was distributing biometric monitoring devices in preparation for a potential major disaster just a week before one actually took place, many people are concerned about the timing of all these incidents, particularly in light of the fact that first responders had to sign non-disclosure agreements that bar them from talking about the derailment.

East Palestine resident Bob Moore told the Gateway Pundit: The local major hospital institute has told all of their employees that they are forbidden to speak out about anything related to this toxic spill. They are not allowed to do interviews, they are not allowed to go on camera, write quotes or comment about anything going on.

Experts from the local community have been told, Do not speak, this is not your business. This is the business of the federal government, the state government, and the railroad company, he added.

The concerns of people like Moore are certainly valid. Residents of East Palestine have been subjected to a dangerous train derailment that released toxic chemicals into their environment, and then found themselves in a metal factory explosions path of smoke debris  and they just so happen to have biometric ID trackers so the government can keep an eye on them.

Sources for this article include:

SHTFPlan.com

FoxNews.com

TheGatewayPundit.com
(Natural News) Hideo Tanimoto, president of Japanese chip manufacturer Kyocera, believes the tandem of Chinese production and global exports is no longer viable.

Tanimoto made the remark during an interview with the Financial Times (FT). It works as long as [products are] made in China and sold in China. But the business model of producing in China and exporting abroad is no longer viable, he said.

The Kyocera executive cited two reasons to back up his remark. First, wages for employees have increased. Second, the recent tangles between the U.S. and China made it difficult to export to China to some regions.

He also cited the export restrictions on chip manufacturing components and advanced semiconductors announced on Oct. 7, 2022 by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The restrictions sought to prevent American technology from being used to advance the Chinese military. (Related: Taipei to comply with US chip export rules directed at Beijing.)

According to Tanimoto, export controls were a major reason why Kyocera slashed its operating profit projections for 2023 by 31 percent. The Kyoto, Japan-based Kyocera commands a 70 percent market share globally in ceramic components used in chip-manufacturing equipment.

If chip equipment makers stop shipments to China, our orders will be somewhat affected, said Tanimoto. They are now even [being] asked not to ship their non-cutting-edge tools.

Businesses departing China for friendlier shores

Back in 2019, Kyocera moved the manufacturing of U.S.-bound copiers from China to Vietnam. The move coincided with tariffs on China imposed by former President Donald Trump at that time.

The company is building its first factory in Japan in almost 20 years, joining the growing number of companies departing China for other countries.

Technology giant Apple commenced production of its iPhone 13 in India at a site owned by Foxconn, its Taiwanese contract manufacturer. Aside from this, the Cupertino, California-based company moved the manufacturing of iPads and AirPods to Vietnam.

Korean tech giant Samsung also followed suit, shifting production to Vietnam in 2019. It also decided to manufacture its flagship Galaxy S23 smartphones in India for local sale.

Not to be left behind, Jeff Bezos Amazon permanently closed its Kindle factory in China. Alongside this, it shifted production of FireTV devices to India.

The shift away from China is not only limited to technology companies. Footwear company Dr. Martens, known for its iconic leather boots, has also been reducing its manufacturing dependence on China. It has shifted 55 percent of its total production out of the communist country.

Dr. Martens CEO Kenny Wilson told FT back in November of last year: The big message is reducing reliance on China. You dont want all of your eggs in one basket.

A July 2022 post by investment company Morgan Stanley Research noted the predictions of experts about U.S. firms eventually moving production to friendlier countries. Michael Zezas, the companys head of U.S. public policy research and municipal strategy, remarked that moving raw materials and production closer to home is once again in vogue.

We expect these forces to drive governments and corporations to invest substantially in on-shoring, near-shoring and friend-shoring for value chains, he said. Zezas cited four countries  Mexico, India, Vietnam and Turkey  as those that could benefit from the U.S. and the European Union diversifying value chains away from China.

Watch this video about the permanent closure of more than 5,000 chip manufacturers in China.

This video is from the Pool Pharmacy channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Experts: Semiconductor ban accelerates severing of US-China ties.

Taiwan chip giant warns against global supply devastation if China attacks.

Coronavirus outbreak in Taiwan threatens to worsen global semiconductor shortage.

US, Japan to develop next-generation 2-nm microchips to create redundant global supply.

US officials to talk with Dutch counterparts about restricting exports of chip-making gear to China.

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

TheEpochTimes.com

MorganStanley.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) According to a recent survey, half of Americans feel that national news companies  the so-called mainstream media  deliberately mislead, misinform or try to persuade the public to embrace a certain viewpoint through their reporting.

Conducted by Gallup and the Knight Foundation, the survey found that many people have a low level of trust in the media and they think there is a deliberate attempt to mislead.

When asked if they agreed that national news media do not intend to deceive, 50 percent responded that they did not. Only 25 percent of the respondents agreed, as per CNBC.

Gaslighting by the mainstream media was prevalent during the term of former President Donald Trump, especially before the 2020 presidential elections.

Members of the media deliberately lied to America by falsely claiming that the violent riots across the country at the time were peaceful. But in reality, violent left-wing rioters set fires, attacked innocent people, destroyed property and even attempted to trap federal agents in buildings while burning them down. The crimes carried out by left-wing rioters included felony assault, arson, vandalism and homicide.

They created a narrative that federal agents or Trump supporters started shooting peaceful protesters. They tried to provoke a self-defense shooting response and then blamed Trump. (Related: Treasonous corporate media GASLIGHTING America with false claims that violent left-wing riots are peaceful.)

During the summer of left-wing violence in 2020, Antifa and Black Lives Matter (BLM) groups also attacked police using commercial grade fireworks, rocks and lasers. They also vandalized federal buildings and shot down those who get in their way, including a member of the group, Patriot Prayer. Former Democratic Governor Kate Brown of Oregon used the situation to gaslight the nation by blaming the murder on the victim.

And as expected, Brown used the media as a tool. In her press release she blamed members of Patriot Prayer for coming into downtown Portland armed and looking for a fight.

Gaslighting also making its mark on social media

Gaslighting has also become culturally pervasive through social media.

Fake news and trolls thrive in social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. The number of streaming services continues to grow, and many include gaslighting programs intended to influence social and political issues. The social media has become important to facilitate a wide public understanding of gaslighting.

Media manipulators influenced large numbers of viewers in social media. Interest in the term gaslighting went up by 1,740 percent last year compared to 2021, and Merriam-Webster Dictionary named it as its Most Used Word of the Year for 2022.

Gaslighting involves the psychological manipulation of a person or group over an extended period of time, causing victims to question the reliability of their own experience. Victims normally become confused and insecure, which make them more dependent on the perpetrator or perpetrators to validate the reality of their thoughts.

Media psychology helps explain gaslighting and assists peoples understanding of its nooks and crannies.

For example, the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic years have dramatically increased the number of streaming channels and companion technologies. Consequently, these have also increased the wide-scale use of gaslighting for influencing, persuading, group manipulating and opinion-laundering in personal, social and political contexts.

Visit Disinfo.news for more news related to gaslighting by the mainstream media.

Watch this video about gaslighting and its origins.

This video is from The Willow channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

The gaslighting of the American mind.

Government, MSM gaslighting Americans about food industry sabotage and mysterious fires.

You are being gaslighted.

The greatest gaslighting operation in U.S. political history begins.

Sources include:

HeadlineUSA.com

CNBC.com

PsychologyToday.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Panic and paranoia about the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) is apparently still a thing in the South American country of Brazil where politicians have proposed several new bills that aim to fine and imprison the unvaccinated.

Proposed law PL 5555 2020 would make it so that Brazilian citizens could be imprisoned for up to eight years for refusing to roll up their sleeve for an experimental gene therapy injection. The same penalty of between 2-8 years of prison time would also extend to those caught spreading fake news about the jabs.

This is completely insane. This is a nightmare, said journalist Karina Michelin at a recent Childrens Health Defense (CHD) roundtable event about the bills  watch the video below:

This is a nightmare. Under proposed law PL 5555 2020, Brazilian citizens could be imprisoned for 2-8 years for refusing mandatory vaccination. The same penalty is incurred by anyone who disseminates fake news regarding vaccines or their effectiveness. ??? pic.twitter.com/VvJuUnaM3E  Childrens Health Defense (@ChildrensHD) February 18, 2023

(Related: Last year, Brazilian politicians put their countrys food supply at risk by imposing sanctions against Russia, blocking much-needed fertilizer imports.)

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is Brazils version of Joe Biden  fake election and all

The bills come as socialist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, known more commonly as Lula, was recently installed as president of Brazil. In case you are unfamiliar with him, Lula is the Brazilian equivalent of fake president Joe Biden, having been installed in a similarly corrupt and fraudulent way.

Lula has made it his top priority to force Brazilians to take covid jabs. He recently revised the countrys welfare regulations to force parents to have their children injected in order to continue receiving government financial aid.

Brazils no jab, no freedom policies represent everything the conspiracy theorists warned us about concerning what would happen if the government was afforded the power to force medicines on people as a condition of working and living life.

It is just like the Jews stepping off the train in Treblinka or Auschwitz, one commenter wrote about the striking parallels between what the covid fascists are doing today and what the Nazis did during World War II.

And they were told: Do not worry, just take off your clothes, let us cut your hair, and then you can take a really nice and warm shower '

Another said much the same, likening Lulas words to a concentration camp prison guard or even Adolph Hitler himself:

If your people will not report to our disintegration chambers willingly 

Concerning the fertilizer fiasco from last year, another commenter suggested that Brazils decision to accept fertilizer shortages from Russia is a strategic move to suffocate corn production for cattle feed exports to the U.S.

The U.S. has always used Brazil as a stopgap trade partnership to plug holes in our grain reserves, this person explained. Brazil grows two winning crops of corn per year throughout their beautiful country and commodity traders can usually buy it cheaper when its needed during our planting season in the northern hemisphere.

With Brazil not growing corn the U.S. is put further in caloric jeopardy. Brazilians will simply reduce their beef intake, export excess beef to Russia and China, and graze their herds until the global conflict is sorted out. And Brazilian folks will eat just fine and still have good fresh coffee to boot.

Meanwhile here, we will continue to burn GMO corn for ethanol production, export our food to our enemies, not feed our herds, not finish our pipelines, not support our local small farmers and processors, and eat boxed garbage while watching sportsball and playing Candy Crush.

Covid fascism is still alive and well in some parts of the world. To keep up with the latest, visit Fascism.news.

Sources for this article include:

RAIRFoundation.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Florida is a toxic place to work, say employees speaking on the condition of anonymity.

In addition to having to constantly endure threatening and abusive behavior by senior physicians, staff members say they are overworked. Those who are unvaccinated for the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) also face relentless discrimination.

One complaint was filed specifically against Dr. Daniel B. Case, accusing him of harassing another staff member over that employees decision to not get vaccinated for the Chinese Virus.

A copy of the complaint obtained by the Florida Standard claims Case said that unvaccinated people are the reason why people are dying and why covid is spreading.

When you guys get fired, then well all have a party and Darwinism will do its work, Case allegedly told the staff member, which filed the complaint with hospital president Lorrie Liang.

They should take you guys to the firing line, Case allegedly added in his beratement of the employee.

(Related: Many American hospitals are discriminating against unvaccinated nurses and other hospital staff who already have natural immunity.)

Sarasota Memorial Hospital is an abusive organization that supports medical fascism

Sadly, discrimination against the unvaccinated has become commonplace in the covid era. Cases sentiments about wanting to fire his unvaccinated colleagues are shared by many others throughout the medical industry.

Cases alleged comments about the firing line, however, are a whole different animal. The anonymous employee who filed the complaint against him says he or she directly addressed Cases fascism, which is what prompted him to call for the unvaccinated to be executed.

I want to make it clear that we do not have that kind of relationship to even joke about that kind of thing, the anonymous colleague of Case clarified. That harassment made me feel uncomfortable and should not be tolerated in the workplace.

The employee called for a written apology from Case, but he reportedly refused. The employee was told by a superior that he or she should just let bygones be bygones and forget about the whole thing as if it never happened.

Instead, the employee took the news to the independent media, which is now shedding light on the kinds of abuses taking place at Sarasota Memorial Hospital under the guise of science-based medicine.

I wonder if I said those statements to Dr. Case, would he let bygones be bygones or would I get fired on the spot? this person asked in the complaint letter.

What actions are being taken to prevent this kind of harassment from happening again? Also, what is the HR policy that protects us employees from this kind of harassment?

Case is apparently not the only example of medical fascism taking place at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Under the leadership of chief of staff Dr. Jonathan Hoffberger, a hostile and abusive work climate thrives at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, according to workers.

One physician reported that Hoffberger, a cardiac surgeon, yells at unvaccinated patients and tells them that he refuses to perform open-heart surgery on them because they insist upon maintaining their own natural immunity as opposed to permanently modifying their genetics with mRNA injections.

A nurse who works at the facility says the situation there is extremely overwhelming for the nurses because they are still being forced to administer remdesivir to patients who test positive for the Wuhan Flu.

After three years, they are still using remdesivir, even though it does nothing to improve patients health, one nurse said.

After only one dose you can see how their kidney function drops. Its being used even on people who are at the hospital for completely unrelated health issues. If they test positive for COVID, they are put on remdesivir.

Medical fascism is out of control in the United States. To keep up with the latest, visit Fascism.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheFLStandard.com

USNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Following a disastrous incident like the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment, peoples biggest concerns about released toxins center around intake through the mouth (i.e., eating contaminated food and drinking contaminated water) and lungs (i.e., breathing contaminated air), but what about absorption through the skin?

A 1989 Rachels Hazardous Waste News #120 newsletter specifically discusses skin absorption of dioxins, which are receiving a lot of attention in the aftermath of the Norfolk Southern disaster in Ohio because they were released during the controlled explosion and burning of vinyl chloride.

Evidence that was new at the time suggested that skin absorption of dioxins is perhaps worse than eating or breathing the toxins. Babies are especially prone to skin uptake because their skin is softer and more porous than that of adults.

Researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences studied skin exposure to dioxins using test mice and rats. They found that some chemicals enter the body via the skin much easier than others. They also discovered that lower doses of dioxin can actually be more harmful, in some cases, than larger doses.

In the past, the theory has been that the skin (which has a total area of 1.8 square meters in the adult human) has served as a passive barrier to chemicals, the newsletter explained. Now it is apparent that the skin is very active in metabolizing (biologically altering) chemicals and that these metabolic processes affect the way the body absorbs (or does not absorb) a particular chemical.

Sweat glands, sebaceous glands (which produce oils), and hair follicles can all contribute to the way chemicals are absorbed through the skin.

(Related: The dioxins released following the train derailment in Ohio will likely plague the food chain for years to come.)

Lower doses of chemicals pass through the skin more easily than higher doses

Even if it is the case that the dioxin release in East Palestine was not as bad as many sources are now saying, the toxicity of what was released still poses a very serious threat to the people who live in and around the contaminated town.

In the mice experiment, rodents that received 0.3 micrograms (mcg) of dioxin per kilogram of body weight absorbed 40 percent of the dose. Those that received between 32 and 320 mcg of dioxin per kilogram of body weight absorbed much less, below 20 percent of the dose.

This may be important for human exposures, which usually occur at low doses over long periods rather than in high doses over short periods, the newsletter reads.

Younger rats also absorbed much more dioxin than older rats, the experiments revealed. Three-month-old, or young adult, rats absorbed 16 percent of the dioxin applied to their skin while nine-month-old, or middle-aged, rats absorbed less than five percent of a similar dose.

Acute toxicity from skin exposure to dioxin is unlikely, according to lead researcher Linda Birnbaum  but chronic, or long-term, exposure is a different story.

Youre going to have the potential to build up a body burden of the toxic chemicals, Birnbaum said at the time.

All of this is important because it adds to the understanding of what East Palestine residents and others who live nearby can expect in the coming months and years. Those who were exposed to dioxin early on but left the area are likely to be much better off than those who stick around and eventually discover that long-term, chronic exposure to even low levels of dioxin is the more serious issue  especially for young people and babies.

More news about the chemical dioxins released in East Palestine can be found at Disaster.news.

Sources for this article include:

Ejnet.org

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) A massive cover-up is taking place with regard to the dioxin chemical release caused by the controlled explosion of the derailed train car contents in East Palestine, Ohio.

Despite continued promises that everything is just fine, the fact of the matter is that everything is not just fine. Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, discusses this at length in the following episode of the Health Ranger Report  be sure to watch below.



The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, and the Biden regime at large all want Americans to believe that the chemical release in East Palestine is inconsequential. According to the Health Ranger and many others, this is actually the biggest and most consequential environmental disaster in American history.

This molecule is the most toxic molecule that has ever been created by humankind, Adams explains about 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzodioxin (TCDD), which was released in the massive chemical plume.

Its part of a class of molecules, chemicals, about 75, that are formed when you combust chlorinated compounds such as vinyl chloride, which is what the train was carrying that crashed in East Palestine, Ohio.

This molecule is, Im just guessing, but at least a billion times more toxic than glyphosate  maybe even more.

(Related: It appears to be the case that the East Palestine train wreck and explosion created the largest dioxin plume in world history.)

There is no chemical class more toxic than dioxins

Not only are the authorities downplaying the truth about the dioxin release, but they are also intentionally misleading people about the severity of dioxin exposure  even at very low levels.

This molecule, dioxin, or one molecule of a class of dioxins, is always created because of the laws of chemistry when you combust chlorinated compounds in the presence of oxygen, the Health Ranger says.

And since they poured the vinyl chloride in a ditch and set fire to it, they created a dioxin factory. They generated this, which did not exist on the train in any appreciable quantity, before they set fire to it.

So, what about all those experts who showed up in East Palestine to wade in a few rivers and streams and declare everything to be safe? They have yet to experience the long-term impacts of dioxin exposure which include cancer and early death.

Dioxins are slow-acting poisons, the Health Ranger warns. They are the most toxic substance that has ever been created. They are produced in industrial processes, in the formation of PVC pipes, for example.

The EPAs own documents warn about dioxins from backyard burning and household fires, which often include the burning of chlorinated chemicals in things like old clothing and plastics. These poisons are difficult to remove from the body once they get there, but the Health Ranger has natural solutions at his disposal to help.

They took a small disaster and made it the biggest act of ecological terrorism that has ever been committed in America, he says about the controlled explosion that released all these dioxins into the environment.

To anybody who says there are no dioxins in East Palestine or in any of the fallout zones: go conduct a dioxin test in the soils, send them off to a lab, and see what the results are.

Dont miss the Health Rangers powerful video on this important subject. He breaks down in much detail how dioxins affect the body, as well as how to expel them with green vegetables, chlorella, and other natural solutions.

More related news coverage about the corrupt EPA and its failure to accurately assess the East Palestine disaster can be found at EPA.news.

Sources for this article include:

Brighteon.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) One of the largest producers and distributors of fresh fruits and vegetables shut down its operations in the United States this week following an alleged cyberattack.

Dole Food Company fresh vegetables division senior vice president Emanuel Lazopoulos wrote in a February 10 memo that the company was in the midst of a Cyber Attack, prompting it to shut down our systems throughout North America.

Dole sent this memo to various supermarkets after customers complained about popular Dole food products like prepackaged salads, including salad blends, salad kits, and ready-to-eat salads, being out of stock.

Our plants are shut down for the day and all our shipments are on hold, the memo further read. Please bear with us as we navigate our way and hopefully we will minimize this event.

(Related: Last spring, the corrupt FBI warned that these types of cyberattacks would be ramping up, particularly against food companies.)

Is Americas food supply under attack by the government?

Dole spokesman William Goldfield confirmed the ransomware incident in his own statement, which was posted to the companys website. It explains that a cybersecurity incident was identified as ransomware, and that the company moved quickly to contain the threat.

According to Goldfield, Dole also engaged leading third-party cybersecurity experts, who have been working in partnership with Doles internal teams to remediate the issue and secure systems.

The company has notified law enforcement about the incident and are cooperating with their investigation, Goldfield added. While continuing to investigate the scope of the incident, the impact to Dole operations has been limited.

It remains unknown precisely how long Dole had to shut down its production lines in North America. It is also unclear if the company had to pay a ransom to the hackers to get everything back online.

We can now add Dole to the ever-growing list of American food companies that have been targeted by hackers, set on fire, or otherwise sabotaged. Is it all intentional  and worse yet, is the likes of the FBI responsible for this spate of apparent terrorism?

Anyone find it ironic that plant-based meat and insect food production facilities NEVER have fires, train derailment or cyberattacks? asked someone in the comment section, pointing out that only meat, eggs, dairy, fruit and vegetables  you know, things that are actually healthy for people to eat  are being targeted for destruction.

Another wrote that this is only the early stages of what the globalists have planned for the formerly free world, which is fast becoming a fascist nightmare pretty much everywhere.

Wait for the full-blown cyber conflict with China and Russia, this person added. The perfect ruse for deleting a failing fiat system.

That failing fiat system, also known as the United States dollar and the Federal Reserve central bank that prints it, is taking its last gasps as you read this. It is only a matter of time  and very soon  before the rug gets pulled and everyone is forced to adopt a central bank-controlled digital cryptocurrency (CBDC).

The attacks might even be perpetrated by our very own deep state and blamed on China / Russia, someone else suggested. They have motive, means, and opportunity and cannot be ruled out.

Another accurately observed that the planned destruction and genocide of humanity has been an operation in the works for many, many years now.

Its been incremental genocide for at least 30 years, this person explained.

Chemtrails, water fluoridation (leads to Alzheimers and ADD), Roundup (glyphosate), GMOs, plastic containers (BHP and BPA), vaccines and flu shots. East Palestine created dioxin (half-life of nine years) which means at least two decades of permanent contamination of soil and water in at least a 200 mile radius.

The powers that be are trying to cut Americans off from their own food supply. More of the latest news about it can be found at Terrorism.news.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Michael Regan, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), remarked that he would allow his own children to drink and bathe in the public water at East Palestine, Ohio  where a chemical-loaded train derailed and spilled its lethal cargo.

The EPA head made his remark with a caveat  he will only permit his children there as long as the water had been tested and deemed safe by officials.

As a father, I trust the science. I trust the methodology that this state is using and as a parent, I would, he said, seeking to reassure skeptical residents that the water is safe to drink and the air around the crash site is safe to breathe.

Regans remarks followed a challenge posted by Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) on Twitter. The Republican lawmaker visited a local creek in East Palestine on Feb. 16, and dragged a stick through a creek bed. Vance then stirred up an oily-looking rainbow sheen on the waters surface.

If the EPA administrator wants to stand here and tell people that the tap water is safe, [he] should be willing to drink it, Vance wrote. The senator firmly told residents not to drink from the water supply and to drink bottled water instead, which is being supplied by the government at no cost. (Related: Government, mainstream media trying to downplay Ohio derailment and chemical spill.)

A day before Vances visit, the local EPA office announced on Feb. 15 that tests on five wells that supply drinking water to East Palestine showed no detection of contaminants associated with the train derailment. However, the office also disclosed that the enforceable maximum contaminant level for vinyl chloride  the main hazardous chemical involved in the spill  in drinking water is two parts per billion.

Moreover, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources said dead fish had appeared along more than seven miles of streams. According to its estimates, at least 3,500 fish  mostly small ones such as minnows and darters  turned up dead following the disaster.

Biden admin turns down Gov. DeWines disaster relief request

To make matters worse for the Buckeye State, the Biden administration rejected Ohio Gov. Mike DeWines request for disaster relief following the train derailment and chemical spill.

DeWines office has been regularly contacting FEMA, but the agency continues to tell the governor that Ohio isnt eligible for disaster assistance.

According to a federal official, it has already provided extensive assistance to surrounding communities following the chemical release. But the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the agency that usually provides relief to communities hit by hurricanes and other natural disasters, isnt equipped to support the states current needs, the official added.

The Biden administration is mobilizing a robust, multi-agency effort to support the people of East Palestine, Ohio. Since Feb. 3, EPA has had personnel on the ground. FEMA is coordinating with the emergency operations center working closely with the Ohio Emergency Management Agency, the government representative said. They pointed out that East Palestine needs much more expansive help than what FEMA can provide because the situation is different.

The state needed help testing the water and air  EPA is providing it. They called for an investigation into the derailment  the Department of Transportation is on it. The governor today asked for help to conduct additional public health testing and assessments  were deploying teams from HHS and the CDC to get that done, the said administration official told Fox News Digital.

Chemicals.news has more about the Ohio train derailment and chemical spill.

Watch litigation expert Eric Coppolino explain below why the Ohio chemical spill could be deadlier than the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine.

This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Norfolk Southern trying to BUY OFF East Palestine residents for just $1,000 to silence them forever, and block all future cancer lawsuits resulting from vinyl chloride train catastrophe.

East Palestine residents report headaches, anger and burning skin following train incident.

EPA warns about DIOXINS released from chlorinated compounds such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or backyard burning of household trash.

Heres why dioxins are the most toxic chemical class known to man.

Sources include:

GlobalResearch.ca

DailyMail.co.uk

FoxNews.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Physician and author Dr. Stephen Soloway has warned that the federal government is covering up the toxic train disaster in East Palestine, Ohio.

Weve just witnessed Hiroshima here in the U.S. on a small scale, he told Dr. Sherri Tenpenny during the Feb. 20 episode of her Brighteon.TV program The Tenpenny Report TV.

You saw the plume of smoke which was to be covered up, and it was to be covered up because Norfolk Southern and other large companies have big lobbies in Washington. The government overreach which controls the media is keeping it off the news very well.

Soloway, who is board-certified in both internal medicine and rheumatology, added that these companies and the mainstream media are paid to listen to the government because everything is about listening to the government.

He told Tenpenny that the 1945 Hiroshima atomic bombing was the closest thing he could think about when a toxic explosion is mentioned. Just like the bombing of the Japanese city, the train derailment spewed poison gas, poisoned bodies of water and killed fish.

And we dont really know if this is going to have long-term depth over a thousand-mile radius over the next 10 or 15 years. And I think thats quite realistic. This is no different than Chernobyl or any other disaster site except the other sites, Chernobyl or Hiroshima, they were not kept secret.

Vinyl chloride spilled at East Palestine fatal to humans

Soloway went on to say that East Palestine is going to be one of the disaster sites where the soul is going to be contaminated with vinyl chloride, the chemical that the derailed trains had as cargo. He added that this toxic substance is fatal depending on whether a person breathes, eats, drinks or stands near it. (Related: Three more hazardous chemicals discovered at Norfolk Southern train derailment site in East Palestine.)

Tenpenny seconded her guests remarks, saying that burning vinyl chloride turns it into phosgene  a chemical used in World War I to kill people by choking. She added that vinyl chloride can also form into dioxin, a pollutant contaminating water and soil. Thus, she called for the evacuation of people living within a 100- to 200-mile radius around the disaster site.

Soloway added that people should be paid to leave because they should not be living in a toxic disaster area. The federal government must also provide housing, food and clean water.

Its a constitutional right to have liberty and the pursuit of happiness not to be poisoned by your government and have it covered up because you feel like it. The fact that the government is not evacuating that town and supplying these people food, money and fresh water is just an insult to being a taxpaying American citizen, he said.

Its very sad. People are going to die because of it. Thousands of people are going to die, and food sources are goring to be contaminated. Now whos going to answer for this in 20 years? Or they are just going to hope that all the people are dead 20 years from now and this topic goes away?

ChemicalViolence.com has more news about the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

Watch the Feb. 20 episode of The Tenpenny Report TV below. The Tenpenny Report TV airs every Monday at 7-8 p.m. on Brighteon.TV.

More related stories:

The vaccine agenda: Dr. Sherri Tenpenny exposes the lies spread by government about COVID and vaccines.

Train that derailed causing massive chemical spill in eastern Ohio broke down days earlier because of weight.

East Palestine train wreck may have created largest dioxin plume in world history

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

Amazon.com
(Natural News) There is a three-pronged war brewing that will soon escalate into a global world war of epic proportions. The West and Russia are now talking nukes; communist China continues to make threats on Taiwan; and the powers that be are waging a chemical and social war on the American people.

This genocidal war on Americans is the primary topic of discussion in the following episode of the Health Ranger Report. Steve Quayle sat down with Mike Adams to talk about how very real things are getting.

This is the most perilous time that I can remember happening in real time in over 35 years of broadcasting in real time, Quayle stated.

What I think is critical is that were now seeing statements coming out of the IMF that billions of people are going to die, that war is going to happen  this Friday we are seeing absolute movement of tanks and artillery, NATO movements into Romania, also into pre-staging to go into Ukraine.

Every red line that Russia has stated would be their end red line  people dont realize that we the West have declared war on Russia, theres no doubt, theres no getting away from it, we in the West destroyed the Nord Stream pipeline  and now were watching in real time massive readings, people that monitor radiation levels around the world  Ive never seen such high counts, of counts per minute.

(Related: Check out this earlier interview with Quayle from last year discussing the globalists plans for mass depopulation.)

China just broke all communications with the United States  something BIG is about to happen

The disaster in East Palestine, which released the largest chemical dioxin plume in history, is only the tip of the iceberg. It would appear as though the worlds global superpowers are now poised to strike all at once, unleashing hell on earth like never before.

China just broke all communications with the U.S., Quayle revealed to Adams, explaining the severity of such a move. The military hotlines work, but China will not respond in any way, shape, or form.

When goods dont cross borders, armies do. And when communications cease, unfortunately thats the worst sign in the world because something is getting ready to happen (i.e., an attack on Taiwan, and a nuclear first strike on America).

Meanwhile, the Biden regimes State Department is acting as though all is well, claiming that Russia does not really mean any of the things it is saying right now. Quayle says this is the greatest act of delusion promulgated by any defensive force.

The same people who are burning the food warehouses, destroying the farmland, theyre all being orchestrated out of Washington, D.C. People need to understand: war has been declared on you.

This is an interview you will not want to miss  the most important, perhaps, of all the interviews Adams has ever conducted. Be sure to take the time to watch it above.

The genocide of the majority of the human population by evil demonic-influenced people has been ongoing since The Fall but took on a new diabolical level during WWII when the invention of the nuclear bomb indicated that some men would not hesitate to annihilate all people as collateral damage in taking out their enemy, wrote someone in response to the video.

And as the decades have passed and each generation of demonic-influenced men figure out that through science and technology, they can exterminate people, they too have never hesitated to do so.

More related news coverage about escalating world war can be found at WWIII.news.

Sources for this article include:

Brighteon.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Post-infection immunity is superior to protection from COVID-19 vaccines, according to a new study from U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researchers.

(Article by Zachary Stieber republished from TheEpochTimes.com)

Natural immunity, or postinfection immunity, provided 76 percent protection against COVID-19-associated hospitalizations while Omicron was the dominant virus strain in the country, the researchers found. A primary series of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, in people without a prior infection, provided just 39 percent protection.

Natural immunity also lasted longer at higher levels than both primary series of vaccination and vaccination with a messenger RNA booster on top of a primary series, according to the study. During Omicron predominance, natural immunity against hospitalization was 74 percent 150 or more days after infection. A primary series without prior infection remained just 39 percent protective beyond 149 days, while three doses started at 81 percent protection but waned to just 31 percent after 150 or more days following the third dose.

The paper was published ahead of peer review by The Journal of Infectious Diseases. It was funded by the CDC.

Protection from COVID-19 mRNA vaccination and/or prior SARS-CoV-2 infection against COVID-19-associated hospitalizations  regardless of variant [was high], Catherine Bozio of the CDC and the other researchers said. SARS-CoV-2 causes COVID-19.

The agency, which recommends a primary series and a bivalent booster for virtually all Americans 6 months of age and older, regardless of prior infection, did not respond to an email asking if the studys findings would lead to a recommendation change.

Robert Moffit, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundations Center for Health and Welfare Policy, told The Epoch Times that the studys acknowledgment of natural immunity is a very significant development.

Natural immunity has very direct relevance for federal policy, and really, the vaccine policy, particularly the enforcement of mandates on individuals, not only in the government but also the private sector, he said.

Researchers examined data from the CDC-run VISION Vaccine Effectiveness Network to examine patients who went to emergency room departments, urgent care facilities, or hospitals. The study period started on August 26, 2021, while Delta was still dominant, and went through June 13, 2022.

People were counted as unvaccinated if they had no record of vaccination. People who received Johnson & Johnsons vaccine, people who only received one vaccine dose, and people who received two vaccine doses but 14 days had not elapsed before testing, were excluded. People were counted as having a prior infection if they tested positive 90 days or more before the index test date, defined as the date of specimen collection associated with the most recent positive SARS-CoV-2 test result within the 14 days prior to a COVID-19-associated health care visit, or the date of the visit itself if testing occurred later.

New Study Confirms Previous Research

The study comes about a year after a CDC study found natural immunity was superior to vaccination while Delta was the dominant strain.

Omicron displaced Delta in late 2021.

Other studies have also determined that vaccine-bestowed protection was not as good against Delta or Omicron as that found in people who recovered from COVID-19.

Researchers in Qatar, for instance, reported in late 2022 that natural immunity protected better against infection and severe or critical COVID-19 from Omicron than a Moderna or Pfizer primary series.

An Israeli study found as early as August 2021 that prior infection was superior to vaccination during the Delta era.

For the new paper, researchers looked at part of that time. And they found that during Delta, natural infection provided 91 percent protection against COVID-19-associated hospitalization, versus 73 percent from a primary series.

While natural immunity grew stronger over time, vaccination-bestowed immunity grew weaker, the researchers found. Against Delta, two doses dropped from 85 percent protection to 69 percent protection after 150 or more days, and three doses provided 66 percent protection beyond 149 days.

So-called hybrid immunity, or vaccination on top of natural immunity, was better than vaccination alone. Some experts support vaccinating people with infection-induced immunity but others have warned against it, noting some research has found the naturally immune are at higher risk of side effects.

Alignment With CDC Guidance

As is typical with the CDC and CDC-funded studies, the researchers included statements in support of vaccination.

Although infection-induced immunity provides protection, SARS-CoV-2 infection can cause severe disease, death, and long-term morbidity, they wrote.

COVID-19 vaccination is safe and effective at preventing severe COVID-19 disease, and staying up to date continues to provide protection, regardless of history of prior infection. COVID-19 vaccination also enhances protection in persons who have been previously infected, they added.

The researchers did not mention vaccine side effects or examine vaccine safety in their study.

One of the more remarkable features of this entire pandemic has been the tendency of the CDC and other federal officials to either ignore scientific evidence relating to natural immunity and COVID-19 or to downplay it. And I think that has been a very serious problem, Moffitt said.

In its investigation of COVID-19 and the vaccines, Congress should examine, Moffitt said, the pursuit of vaccine mandates and the consistent downplaying or ignorance of natural immunity.

Read more at: TheEpochTimes.com
(Natural News) Russias defeat in its war with Ukraine would trigger a collapse of the Russian empire, according to Hungarian globalist George Soros.

Soros made the remarks during the Feb. 16 Munich Security Conference held in Germany, adding that such a defeat would be accepted by countries formerly part of the Soviet Union. The Russia-Ukraine war that commenced in February of last year has brought about one of the bloodiest European conflicts since World War II, alongside the the greatest stand-off between Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

The countries of the former Soviet Union can hardly wait to see the Russians defeated in Ukraine because they want to assert their independence. This means that a Ukrainian victory would result in the dissolution of the Russian empire, Soros said. Russia would no longer pose a threat to Europe and the world. That would be a big change for the better.

Following the 1991 disintegration of the Soviet Union  formally the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics  it broke off into 15 independent countries. Russia is the biggest and most powerful of them.

He disclosed that even though the U.S. would back Ukraine, U.S. President Joe Biden had cautioned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that World War III had to be prevented. But as the past months have shown, Zelensky has been demanding more weapons from the West to arm troops in Ukraine to fight the Russians. (Related: George Soros helped Zelensky become president of Ukraine through massive propaganda campaign; now he backs puppet regime he installed.)

Despite the Russian army being poorly led, ill-equipped and demoralized  Soros commented that Russian President Vladimir Putin had depended on the Wagner mercenary group to battle Ukrainian forces in certain regions of the Donbas. Putins reliance on the mercenary group established by Yevgeny Prigozhin appeared to have been successful in the short term.

The gamble worked. Ukraine faced a strategic choice: either get bogged down in holding Wagner at bay or hand Russia a propaganda victory and preserve its limited resources for a counterattack, the globalist continued.

Soros brands Putin, Xi as dictators

The Hungarian-born Soros, who specializes in overthrowing elected leaders in so-called color revolutions, branded both Putin and Chinese paramount leader Xi Jinping as dictators in charge of nations that represent the biggest threat to open society.

They are tied together in an alliance that has no limits, said the globalist. They also have a lot in common. They rule by intimidation and, as a consequence, they make mind-boggling mistakes.

Moreover, Soros mentioned that Beijing has strengthened its relationship with Moscow even as almost all of the West has severed ties with Russia.

Soros blasted Xis zero-COVID strategy, saying it weakened trust in the Chinese Communist Party. The tyrannical policy to curb the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) ended after nationwide protests rocked the communist nation.

Xi is sticking to a zero-COVID policy that cant possibly be sustained, he commented.

In the short term, Xi is likely to remain in power because he is in firm control of all the instruments of repression. But I am convinced that Xi will not remain in office for life. While he is in office, China will not become the dominant military and political force that Xi is aiming for.

Soros.news has more news about George Soros.

Watch this video explaining why George Soros wants to see Russia destroyed.

This video is from the Marine1063 channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

RUSSIAN CLAIM: Democrats, Soros and Gates set up Ukraine biolabs to make money for elections.

No longer a secret: WEF founder Klaus Schwab, globalist billionaire George Soros declare West must govern like role model China.

George Soros bankrolling worldwide fact-checking network.

Sources include:

TheNewAmerican.com

Reuters.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) For daring to testify in support of ivermectin, an FDA-approved medication that is among the safest and most effective drugs in the world, Dr. John Littell was kicked out of a Sarasota Memorial Hospital board meeting this week.

The family practice physician and former United States Army soldier was in the middle of explaining how ivermectin has helped many of his patients overcome the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) when triggered board members freaked out and told him to leave the room immediately.

Everything was going fine and people in attendance, as well as the board, were listening with interest until the precise moment Littell brought up ivermectin in relation to his patient care routine. All hell broke loose as board members with Ivermectin Derangement Syndrome (IDS) suffered a meltdown and ordered him to flee their presence.

I have dozens of cases I can share with you, Littell tried to state as he was being interrupted by another irate board member  watch the video below.

But let me just tell you this. If youre going to be the best, be the first to admit wrongdoing. Just think about how many lives could have been spared. And I was disciplined for giving ivermectin.

(Related: Check out this study showing that ivermectin reduces the risk of covid death by 92 percent.)

Sarasota Memorial Hospital is a fascist organization that hates science

Littell was apparently expected to only speak about the so-called vaccine, which is the only remedy that Sarasota Memorial Hospital accepts as valid for treating the Fauci Flu.

Despite the fact that numerous other hospital workers agree with Littell, having themselves seen firsthand the powers of ivermectin, he was kicked out of the meeting and forcibly ejected by a police officer from the meeting.

Nobody who agrees with Littell is brave enough to say anything positive about ivermectin for fear of retribution, he says. Many of them, however, would routinely call Littell throughout the scamdemic to ask him for access to ivermectin.

All over the state I got calls from doctors and lawyers and mayors and teachers, and I just treated them with stuff that I knew worked and kept them out of the hospital, he said  watch the follow-up video below of Littell speaking his mind outside the board meeting:

WATCH! I interviewed Dr Littell after he was tossed out of the meeting at Sarasota Memorial Hospital where Covid Protocols were being reviewed Part 1 of 2 pic.twitter.com/nGsW0Q37I7  Chris Nelson ?? ? (@ReOpenChris) February 22, 2023

Littell is said to have violated some kind of protocol, which was the excuse given for his ejection.

I have to confess: Ive never been to a hospital board meeting ever, Littell explained later that day, adding that he is still in shock over the fact that he was escorted off the property by a police officer as though Im some kind of a criminal and all I did was speak my mind.

Also this week, a new meta-analysis of ivermectin found that the drug produces overwhelmingly positive results when administered as a treatment protocol for covid. This flies in the face of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warnings that ivermectin should be avoided.

Doctors know about ivermectin but they have expensive homes in nice neighborhoods and they need to make their payments so they remain silent, wrote someone on Twitter about why the American medical industry is inexplicably hostile towards ivermectin.

Doctors also took an oath to do no harm,' responded another. Remdesivir did a lot of harm! And they had to have known that.

I no longer trust any general doctors practice. And there is no such thing as a family doctor anymore. They couldnt care less about the health of your family.

The latest news coverage about fascism in the medical workplace can be found at Fascism.news.

Sources for this article include:

Infowars.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Attorney Tom Renz described the East Palestine train derailment and toxic vinyl chloride spill that happened in his home state of Ohio as an environmental catastrophe.

The whole Chernobyl event here [in Ohio]  and by Chernobyl, Im talking about the train derailment in East Palestine  is an environmental catastrophe, he said during the Feb. 21 episode of Lawfare with Tom Renz on Brighteon.TV.

It just doesnt get much worse than this; its a monumental thing. A million pounds of this vinyl chloride didnt even spill, they just burned it. What a disaster.

Renz mentioned that both Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are pointing fingers at each other, unwilling to take responsibility for the disaster. The Ohio Star reported that according to DeWines spokesman Dan Tierney, the governor agreed with the decision to execute a controlled burn of the vinyl chloride that spilled.

However, the governor was not the one who ordered the burning  citing that the EPA has the legal authority to do so. EPA Administrator Michael Regan, meanwhile, refused to answer if his agency did order the controlled burn of the spilled vinyl chloride.

Nevertheless, Renz mentioned that both DeWine and the EPA are equally involved and culpable.

You dont burn this stuff off without authority, and the governor certainly gave his blessing on this. In fact, he probably was behind it, he said, adding that Norfolk Southern Railway was a big supporter of DeWine.

Derailment may be intentional and authorities are covering it up

Renz challenged viewers to consider the possibility of the derailment being intentional, citing Norfolk Southern putting pressure to resolve the incident. He also noted that members of the media may be covering it up.

They just covered it up for days and days and days. And still today, its covered up as much as humanly possible.

Moreover, Renz mentioned that the safety threshold recommendation for vinyl chloride was recently changed from 100 parts per million (ppm) to 100,000 ppm  which, in his own words, was inexcusable. The change happened for no reason, which led the lawyer to believe it was almost like everything was planned.

According to him, America is at war and the American people are being attacked. There is a serious effort to destabilize the nation as shown by the attacks on chemical plants, the food supply and the economy. The train derailment in East Palestine was no ordinary accident, Renz said, and the people behind it are all lying about what really happened. (Related: Trains carrying hazardous materials continue to derail around the country  is the U.S. under attack?)

Ultimately, Renz remarked that there is no excuse for the environmental catastrophe that the incident has caused.

Watch the Feb. 21 episode of Lawfare with Tom Renz below. Catch Lawfare with Tom Renz every Tuesday at 11:30 a.m.-12 p.m. and every Saturday at 12:30-1 p.m. on Brighteon.TV.

More related stories:

Train that derailed causing massive chemical spill in eastern Ohio broke down days earlier because of weight.

A month before the Ohio vinyl chloride toxic gas bomb was ignited by government officials, a large chemical plant exploded in La Salle, Ill.  is this a pattern?

East Palestine residents are seething over authorities downplaying extent of train derailment chemical release; dont tell me its safe.

The war on Americas food supply moves into horrific new territory with thousands of farms downstream from Ohio Armageddon and countless amount of wildlife already dying.

DIOXINS released after Ohio train derailment PERSIST in the environment and collect in lipids, meaning they will contaminate milk, cheese, eggs and meat from farms and ranches.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

TheOhioStar.com
Imperial College London experts are urging more action to limit the potentially harmful impact of toxic tire particles on health and the environment.

The researchers from Imperial College London's Transition to Zero Pollution initiative warn that while electric vehicles eliminate the problem of fuel emissions, particulate matter will continue to be a problem due to tire wear.

Prioritize tackling toxic emissions from tires

Each year, six million tons of tire wear particles are released globally, and 2.6 million vehicles in London alone emit approximately 9,000 tons of tire wear particles, as per Phys.org.

Despite this, research into the environmental and health effects of tire wear has lagged behind research and innovations aimed at reducing fuel emissions.

According to Imperial researchers, the impact of new technologies on tire generation and impact should be prioritized.

A multidisciplinary group of Imperial experts, including engineers, ecologists, medics, and air quality analysts, have called for the same amount of investment in tire wear research as there is in reducing fuel emissions and understanding their interactions in a new briefing paper.

Tire wear particles pollute the environment, the air we breathe, and the water runoff from roads, and have compounding effects on waterways and agriculture, according to lead author Dr. Zhengchu Tan of Imperial's Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Even if all of vehicles eventually run on electricity rather than fossil fuels, we will still have harmful pollution from vehicle tire wear.

Tan urge policymakers and scientists to conduct ambitious research into tire wear pollution in order to fully understand and reduce its impacts on biodiversity and health, as well as research to reduce particle generation.

Transition to Zero Pollution is an Imperial College London initiative that aims to foster new collaborations between research, industry, and government in order to achieve a zero-pollution future.

Professor Mary Ryan, Vice Provost (Research and Enterprise) at Imperial College London, and a co-author on the briefing paper said, Safeguarding our planet and the health of future generations requires us to look not just at a problem from a single perspective but to take a systems level approach.

That is why we must consider human-made pollution in all of its forms, rather than just carbon.

Electric vehicles are a critical step toward decarbonizing transportation, but we must also consider the big picture.

Some people are concerned that the weight of electric vehicles will increase tire wear.

This is precisely why Imperial College London is promoting a holistic, integrated approach to sustainability challenges.

As tires degrade, they emit a variety of particles, ranging from visible pieces of tire rubber to nanoparticles.

Rain carries large particles from the road into rivers, where they may leach toxic chemicals into the environment, whereas smaller particles become airborne and are inhaled.

They are small enough to penetrate the lungs.

Polyaromatic hydrocarbons, benzothiazoles, isoprene, and heavy metals such as zinc and lead may be present in these particles.

Also Read: Tomato Plants: Nanoparticles Boost Growth and Antioxidant Levels, Researchers Say

Environmental effects

Rubber tires, as Salon pointed out, are necessary for modern transportation, but they shed.

The average tire will lose around 30% of its tread after a lifetime of rolling down the highway, running over gravel, and jarring against potholes, as per the World Economic Forum.

This means that tire materials, such as synthetic rubber, filling agents, oils, and other additives, will join the other synthetic particles already polluting the environment.

According to a 2017 study, 1.5 million metric tons of tire particles enter the US environment each year.

It also calculated that tire particles account for 5% to 10% of ocean plastic pollution.

Tire pollution exacerbates the issue of microplastic and nano plastic pollution.

Microplastics are less than 5 millimeters in size, while nano plastics are less than a micrometer in size.

To that end, the researchers exposed indicator species from estuarine and freshwater ecosystems to tire microparticles and nanoparticles, as well as their leachate, or the chemicals that leach from tires as they degrade.

They used Inland Silverside (Menidia beryllina) and mysid shrimp as estuary organisms (Americamysis bahia).

They discovered that the tire particles changed the swimming behavior of the animals and hampered their growth.

Leachates had an effect on their behavior as well, but not on their growth.

Researchers studied embryonic Zebrafish (Danio rerio) and the crustacean Daphnia magna for freshwater organisms.

They discovered that exposure to tire particles and leachate could be fatal and cause developmental issues.

The leachate was the most toxic to the organisms, but when the organisms were exposed to both the leachate and the nanoparticles at the same time, it became even more toxic.

Health Effects

The impact of tire wear particles on human health is becoming increasingly concerning, and more research into the long-term effects on our health is urgently needed.

There is emerging evidence that tire wear particles and other particulate matter can have a negative impact on a variety of health outcomes, including heart, lung, developmental, reproductive, and cancer outcomes.

We are growing increasingly concerned about the impact of tire wear on human health, according to co-author Professor Terry Tetley of Imperial's National Heart and Lung Institute.

Because some of these particles are so small that they can be carried in the air, simply walking on the pavement may expose us to this type of pollution.

It is critical that we gain a better understanding of the impact of these particles on our health.

Related article: Team With a Midas Touch: Silver Nanoparticles Turned to Gold and Vice Versa by IIT Team
Video footage of a giant rare Pacific octopus became viral on social media after it was found swimming in tidepools in Northwestern Oregon.

A Giant Pacific octopus is rarely seen as it can adapt to its environment and become elusive to the human eye.

Giant Pacific Octopus in Northwestern Oregon

However, a recent US Department of the Interior video showed the rare giant Pacific octopus roaming around a tidepool in Northwestern Oregon.

According to the Facebook post, Luke Smith from the Bureau of Land Management filmed and found the giant Pacific Octopus.

The video amazed many social media users because of its magnificent appearance and moving without effort in tidepools.

The video post had 84,000 interactions, 3,500 comments and 3.8 million views.

According to the US Department of the Interior, the giant Pacific Octopus was heading to Yaquina Head tidepools in Oregon.

The report said that the octopus could disguise itself based on their environment to evade predators and catch their preys.

Meanwhile, Fox13 Seattle reported that the red octopus crawled over the tiny spaces under rocks.

Fox13 Seattle added that the skin of the said octopus has essential cells that help them camouflage.

Also Read: Three Endangered African Penguins at Arizona Aquarium Give Hope for Conservation Efforts Against Species Population Decline

Furthermore, the video of the rare octopus is small. According to Newsweek, a fully-grown giant Pacific octopus could reach up to 50 pounds, living in parts of Asia, Mexico and the United States.

Last year, the Global News reported that a Canadian caught a rare Northern giant Pacific octopus wrapped around a trap.

The resident was surprised after discovering the giant Pacific octopus. Then, the octopus finally let go of the trap and returned to the ocean.

Did you know? More facts about giant Pacific Octopus

According to Oceana, the giant Pacific octopus has the scientific name Enterotopus dofleini which swims in the Northern Pacific, Japan, Alaska and California.

From the name itself, the Pacific octopus is a popular giant octopus in the world. They are considered highly intelligent in adapting to their environment.

Oceana added that the giant Pacific octopus could be recognized by their prominent reddish color. They can change colors using their chromatophores or pigment cells, allowing them to adjust to a given environment color.

Their species can be found under 100m underwater, enjoying their time to look for possible prey.

The giant octopus doesn't live with groups of the same species, but they like to hunt alone. They feed on fish, shrimp, lobsters and smaller aquatic animals.

Unlike other aquatic species, the giant Pacific octopus is amazing by having nine brains and three hearts.

The said octopus can live from two to three years.

Giant octopuses can repopulate more as female octopuses can lay eggs up to 70,000. Mother octopuses stay with their eggs for about seven months.

Oceana added that the population of giant Pacific Octopus is not threatened.

Related Article: Heavy Rain Could Contribute to Growing Concerns of Algae Blooms, Research Discovers

For more similar stories, don't forget to follow Nature News.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Showers and thunderstorms - possibly severe, especially this evening. Storms may produce large hail and strong winds. Low 46F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Showers and thunderstorms - possibly severe, especially this evening. Storms may produce large hail and strong winds. Low 46F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
Ingenza is excited to welcome Dr Mark Chadwick to the team as Strategic Business Advisor. Mark will bring extensive industry expertise to his new position at Ingenza, acquired over 30 years from a variety of roles within small growth companies, covering the areas of biotechnology, drug discovery and drug development.

Dr Mark Chadwick. Image Credit: Ingenza Ltd.

Mark holds a PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Newcastle, and an MBA from Imperial College London. Throughout his diverse professional career, he has gained valuable experience of building both discovery and development businesses, most notably at BioFocus  now part of Charles River Laboratories  and at pharmaceutical services company Excelsyn. Mark also led the commercial team at Arcinova for four years, achieving a four-fold growth in sales and customer base prior to the companys acquisition by Quotient Sciences.

Ingenza has an illustrious track record of engineering diverse biological systems that help companies of all sizes to address challenges in human health and environmental sustainability. It is also committed to developing green biomanufacturing processes and together, these factors attracted me to work with the team. Im very much looking forward to helping Ingenza to drive their growth strategy. Dr Mark Chadwick, Strategic Business Advisor
Teens and young adults who reduced their social media use by 50% for just a few weeks saw significant improvement in how they felt about both their weight and their overall appearance compared with peers who maintained consistent levels of social media use, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

Adolescence is a vulnerable period for the development of body image issues, eating disorders and mental illness. Youth are spending, on average, between six to eight hours per day on screens, much of it on social media. Social media can expose users to hundreds or even thousands of images and photos every day, including those of celebrities and fashion or fitness models, which we know leads to an internalization of beauty ideals that are unattainable for almost everyone, resulting in greater dissatisfaction with body weight and shape." Gary Goldfield, PhD, Lead Author, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute

However, much of the psychological research on social media, body image and mental health is correlational, according to Goldfield, so it is uncertain whether people with body image and mental health issues spend more time on social media or if social media use leads to greater body image and mental health issues.

To better understand the causal effects of reducing social media use on body image, Goldfield and his colleagues previously conducted a pilot study with 38 undergraduate students with elevated levels of anxiety and/or depression. Some of the participants were asked to limit their social media use to no more than 60 minutes per day, while others were allowed unrestricted access. Compared with participants who had unlimited access, participants who restricted their use showed improvements in how they regarded their overall appearance (but not their weight) after three weeks. Due to the small sample size, though, the researchers were unable to conduct a meaningful analysis of the effect of gender.

The current experiment, involving 220 undergraduate students aged 17-25 (76% female, 23% male, 1% other) and published in the journal Psychology of Popular Media, sought to expand the pilot study and address the gender limitation. In order to qualify, participants had to be regular social media users (at least two hours per day on their smartphones) and exhibit symptoms of depression or anxiety.

For the first week of the experiment, all participants were instructed to use their social media as they normally would. Social media use was measured using a screentime tracking program to which participants provided a daily screenshot. After the first week, half the participants were instructed to reduce their social media use to no more than 60 minutes per day. At the start of the experiment, participants also responded to a series of statements about their overall appearance (e.g., "I'm pretty happy about the way I look,") and weight (e.g., "I am satisfied with my weight,") on a 5-point scale, with 1 indicating "never" and 5 "always." Participants completed a similar questionnaire at the end of the experiment.

For the next three weeks, participants who were instructed to restrict their social media use reduced it by approximately 50% to an average of 78 minutes per day versus the control group, which averaged 188 minutes of social media use per day.

Participants who reduced their social media use had a significant improvement in how they regarded both their overall appearance and body weight after the three-week intervention, compared with the control group, who saw no significant change. Gender did not appear to make any difference in the effects.

"Our brief, four-week intervention using screentime trackers showed that reducing social media use yielded significant improvements in appearance and weight esteem in distressed youth with heavy social media use," said Goldfield. "Reducing social media use is a feasible method of producing a short-term positive effect on body image among a vulnerable population of users and should be evaluated as a potential component in the treatment of body-image-related disturbances."

While the current study was conducted as a proof of concept, Goldfield and his colleagues are in the process of conducting a larger study to see if reduction in social media use can be maintained for longer periods and whether that reduction can lead to even greater psychological benefits.
According to a new, nationwide study led by researchers at the American Cancer Society (ACS), millions of people in the United States continued to miss critical cancer screening tests during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of women who reported having cervical cancer screening dropped by 4.4 million in 2021 versus 2019 levels. The study also showed 1.1 million fewer women received breast cancer screening and close to 700,000 thousand fewer men reported having a prostate cancer screening test. The research was published today in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO).

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a detrimental effect on important cancer screenings in this country. It's critical to get people back into their doctor's offices to help prevent and catch cancer at its earliest stages when it might be easiest to treat." Jessica Star, associate scientist, cancer risk factors and screening surveillance research at the American Cancer Society and lead author of the study

For the study, researchers analyzed data from the 2019 and 2021 National Health Interview Survey. They examined information on receipt of screening for breast cancer (women 50-74 years old), cervical cancer (women without a hysterectomy, 21-65 years old), prostate cancer (men 55-69 years old), and colorectal cancer (men and women 50-75 years old).

The findings showed, between 2019 and 2021, past-year screening in the United States decreased from 59.9% to 57.1% for breast cancer, from 45.3% to 39.0% for cervical cancer, and from 39.5% to 36.3% for prostate cancer. Declines in breast, cervical, and prostate cancer screening were most notable for non-Hispanic Asian persons. Colorectal cancer screening rates remained unchanged because an increase in past-year stool testing (from 7.0% to 10.3%) offset a decline in colonoscopy (from 15.5% to 13.8%). The increase in stool testing was most pronounced in non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic populations and in persons with low socioeconomic status, potentially reducing racial and socioeconomic disparity in colorectal cancer screening. The authors, however, stated that the increase in stool testing requires increased colonoscopy follow-up of positive tests; and the importance of home-based testing to maintain screening levels during healthcare disruptions.

"We can't stress enough the importance of returning to screening," said Dr. Ahmedin Jemal, senior vice president, surveillance & health equity science at the American Cancer Society and senior author of the study. "We need to continue health system and national cancer screening campaigns and focus our efforts toward people of color and lower socioeconomic standing to improve access to life-saving screenings." The ACS continues to promote its Get Screened campaign to encourage people to schedule regular cancer screening tests. Other ACS study authors include: Dr. Priti Bandi, Rebecca L. Siegel, Dr. Xuesong Han, Adair Minihan, and Dr. Robert A. Smith.
California is revamping how it rewards nursing homes to get them to improve patient care.

Rather than limit bonuses to top-performing facilities, the state will hand out additional Medicaid payments next year to nursing homes  even low-rated ones  that hire additional workers, reduce staff turnover, or improve quality of care. Facilities will be scored on their performance so facilities that do more will earn larger bonuses. And to ensure an acceptable level of care, the state will sanction facilities that fail to meet clinical and quality standards for patients.

The switch is part of a multipronged effort by Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers to entice nursing homes to do better after the devastating toll of covid-19. Facilities that improve working conditions for their staff will also earn higher daily Medicaid payments.

"When youre investing in the workforce, then you have the appropriate levels of care to provide services," said Lindy Harrington, deputy director at the Department of Health Care Services, which administers Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid insurance program for people with low incomes and disabilities.

Patient advocates and industry officials described the changes as an improvement, but they expressed skepticism about whether they would work. They said the bonuses fall short of what's needed to address chronic understaffing and the closure of rural facilities.

Last year, lawmakers allocated $280 million for the bonus program  just a fraction of the more than $6 billion that nursing homes take in every year from Medi-Cal. The safety-net health program insures two-thirds of nursing home residents in the state. Meanwhile, the money nursing homes could get by improving working conditions for their employees is comparable to temporary funding that facilities received from the state during the pandemic  which means funding essentially remains flat overall.

"The overwhelming majority of the money goes to facilities regardless of what their quality looks like," said Tony Chicotel, an attorney with California Advocates for Nursing Reform, a nonprofit that represents long-term care residents. "The worst performers will still get paid about the same as the best performers."

Newsom and legislators adopted the new payment structures in a state budget bill last year, explicitly calling on regulators to leverage taxpayer funding in order to improve pay and working conditions for staffers who feed, bathe, dress, and ensure the well-being of elderly and frail patients at the state's 1,200 nursing homes.

But the pandemic had already exposed deep, systemic problems at nursing homes. While older adults have a heightened risk of dying of covid, the coronavirus spreads more easily in institutional settings  and some studies have found that nursing homes with fewer staff members had significantly higher covid infection and death rates.

According to an industry official, California's nursing homes care for 350,000 residents each year. More than 10,000 nursing home residents have died of covid since January 2020, about a tenth of Californians killed by the virus so far.

Nationwide, at least 163,538 had died of covid in U.S. nursing homes as of Jan. 22, according to the latest data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

In an August memo, CMS Deputy Administrator Daniel Tsai encouraged states to use Medicaid money to improve training and staffing at nursing homes. The federal agency is also reviewing mandatory staffing levels.

In California, regulators are acting on the belief that increased staffing and better working conditions will reduce patient injuries and emergency room visits. Hence, facilities that make improvements in those areas will qualify for boosted Medi-Cal payments. Guidelines are expected to be drafted this year.

Democratic lawmakers, many with ties to labor, suggested the administration consider rewarding facilities that unionize or pay a prevailing wage. The inclusion of those incentives in the bill was a win for labor, since only 20% of California nursing home workers belong to a union.

Industry officials have largely shrugged at the state's incentives. They said Medi-Cal payments are lower than what they receive from Medicare and private health plans.

This is not going to move the needle fundamentally as long as the state continues to disinvest so badly into nursing homes," said Craig Cornett, CEO of the California Association of Health Facilities. "Facilities desperately want more staff. They want to hire more staff, but they are paid so poorly through Medi-Cal that thats virtually impossible."

Harrington, who is implementing the nursing home rules, called the funding level "appropriate."

This isn't the only change the state has made to get nursing homes to hire more workers.

Lawmakers rewrote complicated Medi-Cal formulas last year so that nursing homes have an incentive to pay workers more. Under the change, facilities can collect up to 5% more in labor costs every year through 2026, compared with a 2% increase for administrative and other non-labor costs. That amounts to an estimated $473 million more for nursing homes in the next fiscal year, according to the Department of Health Care Services.

Labor is also pushing for a statewide $25 minimum wage for health support staffers, who include nursing home workers. In 2022, California nursing assistants earned an average $20.38 an hour across the health industry, according to the state Employment Development Department.

"Were really making sure the needs of a patient are met," said Arnulfo De La Cruz, president of Service Employees International Union Local 2015, which represents nursing home workers and in-home caregivers. "And a big part of that is addressing the needs of workers who deserve to work with dignity, to be well paid, to have benefits, and certainly not to be overly taxed and stressed out physically because theyre caring for too many patients."

This story was produced by KHN, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.
Rebecca Schneyer, MD, has received the Medstar National Center for Advanced Pelvic Surgery Diversity and Inclusion Award given by the Foundation of the AAGL.

Schneyer, a resident in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program at Cedars-Sinai, was honored in December at the annual scientific meeting of the AAGL, the American Association of Gynecological Laparoscopists. The award recognized the study by Schneyer, and her colleagues at Cedars-Sinai, that found Black and Hispanic women were significantly less likely than white patients to undergo minimally invasive surgery for uterine fibroids.

The findings are published in the Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology.

Despite the advances in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery, Dr. Schneyer's work identifies inequalities associated with race and nationality that persist. The findings of the study point to the need to effectively promote the value of minimally invasive gynecologic surgery through medical education, mentorship, patient advocacy and community outreach." Vadim V. Morozov, MD, Vice President, Foundation of AAGL Board of Directors

Fibroids, also called myomas, are noncancerous tumors that develop within the muscle tissue of the uterus. The growths can cause pain, excessive bleeding, and anemia. In some cases the growths can impact fertility and pregnancy.

Fibroids are two to three times more common in Black patients, who are likely to have more of them, to suffer more severe symptoms and to require surgery, according to the study authors.

"Uterine fibroids are a common health condition for women, and patients are often helped by a minimally invasive surgical approach to remove them. Compared to traditional open surgery, minimally invasive surgery reduces pain, the length of hospital stays and the risk for complications," said Schneyer, lead author of the study.

"But we found that Black and Hispanic women were not only less likely to have minimally invasive surgery, but they were also less likely to have their surgery performed by a gynecologic surgeon with subspecialty training in these techniques," said Schneyer.

Black women are significantly more likely than white women to undergo both hysterectomy and myomectomy, the surgical removal of just the fibroids, rather than minimally invasive surgery for the condition.

"Dr. Schneyer's excellent work honored by the AAGL identifies a critical need in gynecological healthcare. We should be open to examining the existence of implicit bias in referral patterns, improving the way gynecological surgeons counsel women about their treatment options and improving patient education. We want all patients to have equal access to high-quality, evidence-based care," said Matthew Siedhoff, MD, MSCR, vice chair of Gynecology at Cedars-Sinai.
seamlessCARE, a University College Dublin (UCD) digital health spin-out company, today announced the launch of Empathic. This new app uses artificial intelligence (AI) to interpret the emotions being expressed by non-verbal individuals.

In most families and care settings, there is one person who understands each non-verbal individual, but it can be difficult for everyone else to know how that person is feeling. Using the Empathic app, anyone can make a short recording to understand if the non-verbal person is expressing happiness, boredom, frustration or up to 10 emotions. This can help to improve quality of life for the non-verbal person and reduce the challenging behaviours that can result from frustration.

The Empathic app supports people who have fewer than 20 functional words, often described as 'non-verbal' or 'minimally verbal'. It is designed for individuals who do not have the intellectual or physical capacity to type or to use other forms of assisted communication technologies. This may be due to an acquired brain injury, learning disability, stroke, autism, dementia or a range of other conditions.

seamlessCARE, headquartered at NovaUCD, in Dublin, was co-founded in 2021 by Dr Aviva Cohen, Dr Cagri Cubukcu and Ian Kennedy as a spin-out from the UCD School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering. The company was established following the completion of Enterprise Ireland commercialisation funding.

We are delighted to launch our unique app called Empathic. Two years of development and testing have shown that Empathic could have a significant impact on the quality of life for non-verbal people as well as their families and others who provide support. The inspiration for Empathic came from 14 years of caring for my late husband, Steve. He became non-verbal as the result of a severe stroke. Over time, I learnt to understand him, but it was always difficult for carers, friends and family to know how he was feeling." Dr Aviva Cohen, CEO and Co-Founder, seamlessCARE

She added, "At seamlessCARE we are working to support non-verbal people with complex needs who cannot be easily understood. They are among the most technologically underserviced of all those with disabilities."

The seamlessCARE team has been collecting thousands of vocalisations from non-verbal people to train the artificial intelligence that powers Empathic app. The AI is built exclusively on recordings from people who cannot use fluent language; in this way it differs from software that detects emotion in general conversation.

Last year seamlessCARE secured 700,000 in seed funding from angel investor and former HSE chairman Dr Frank Dolphin and Enterprise Ireland. seamlessCARE's innovations build upon years of research by Dr Cohen who has a PhD from University of Essex in the areas of philosophy and psychoanalysis and she completed a Marie Curie/ASSISTID post-doctoral research Fellowship at UCD and Queen's University Belfast.

The Empathic app is available from Google Play and the Apple App Store for 9.99 per month, with a seven-day free trial period. Each Empathic account supports up to three non-verbal people and the account holder can invite 20 'Companion' users, without charge. These 'Companion' users might be teachers, carers, support workers, friends, family or anyone in a circle of support.

Empathic is also available for use in larger settings such as nursing homes, schools or respite centres as a mobile app or as an API (application programme interface).

Dr Cohen concluded, "At seamlessCARE we are committed to developing straightforward technologies that address real-world problems. Our second product, called Focus, is already in development. This is a video-based care planning API, accompanied by a user-friendly mobile app. Empathic and Focus are the first in a pipeline of technologies we are developing to promote respect, safety and efficiency when supporting people with complex needs."

Last year seamlessCARE won the Best Application of AI in a Startup Award at the AI Ireland Awards and was a finalist in the Altice International Innovation Awards in Portugal.

Empathic is available to download from the App Store and Google Play.
Countries around the world are preparing health system responses to address the challenge of population ageing in the 21st century; this novel, cost-effective, scalable model can be applied to resource-limited regions to help deal with this.

Image Credit: Juntendo University

In several poorer countries, ageing populations and a lack of universal access to long term care place the burden of care for older adults on their family. To mitigate this, researchers have successfully implemented a community-integrated intermediary care model in Thailand. This care service has proven effective in reducing caregiver burden and improving the functional ability and independence of seniors. The multi-pronged model includes care prevention activities, capacity building for family caregivers, and community respite services.

Rapidly ageing populations are a problem that many low- and middle-income countries are currently facing. However, for several of these countries, inclusive health and social care is still a pipeline dream. Since older adults require constant attention and monitoring due to age-related morbidities and disabilities, the onus of caring for them usually falls on their families. This often leads to caregiver stress, burnout, loss of working hours, or job loss. Given this increasing burden on family caregivers, it is essential to come up with new approaches to support and strengthen family-based care systems.

To this end, a multi-national group of researchers from Chiang Mai Rajabhat University, Thailand; Tokyo Ariake University of Medical and Health Sciences, Japan; Ministry of Public Health, Thailand; Chulalongkorn University, Thailand; and Juntendo University, Japan have collaboratively proposed a new prevention-based, community-integrated care model that is specially adapted for improving health and social care services in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. The community-integrated intermediary care (CIIC) model is a novel approach for improving access to long term care service for the aging population. It recruits community services to offer support to the older people, taking some load off of family caregivers. The model was implemented in Chiang Mai, Thailand and its effectiveness was tested through a cluster-randomized controlled trial funded by the World Health Organization Centre for Health Development (WHO Kobe Centre). The results of this trial are collated in a study which was published in Health Research Policy and Systems on 29 November 2022.

A total of 2,788 participants1,509 in CIIC intervention clusters and 1,279 in control clusters (that had traditional family-based care), were recruited for the trial. The study investigated the effectiveness of the CIIC model in reducing the burden on family caregivers and improving older peoples functional ability and quality of life. The CIIC model combines formal and informal care that can be implemented at a community, district, subdistrict, or city level. It is designed to improve the link between families and communities, and local formal health services and funding by using a multi-tiered collaborative approach.

The CIIC model includes older persons, their families, peer groups, volunteers, community stakeholders, local governments, primary healthcare centers, and public health departments and ministries in Thailand, for more streamlined resource mobilization and sustainable finance, Prof. Myo Nyein Aung, Lead Researcher of the Trial, Juntendo University, Japan.

The CIIC intervention included three components. The first was encouraging community group exercises and home exercises to preserve the functional ability of the older persons and reduce their care needs and frailty; the second was the delivery of technical training and assistance for family caregivers to improve their care capacity; and the third component was the provision of formal care through a community-level, short-term respite care service center for dependent elders when their family caregivers are temporarily unavailable.

At a 6-month follow-up, it was found that more families showed reduced caregiver burden in the intervention clusters (mean = 39.4%) than control clusters (mean = 28.62%). Similarly, there were more participants in the intervention clusters (mean = 83% and 87.14%) than the control clusters (mean = 78% and 85.89%) without functional decline and depression, respectively.

These results clearly indicate the effectiveness of the CIIC model in preventing an increase in long term care needs by improving the physical and mental capacities of elders and in reducing the burden of family caregivers through adequate support. Overall, the model enables healthy aging communities. CIIC is a cost-effective care model that can be scaled up to help actualize universal long-term care coverage, particularly for the aging populations across different countries in Asia, as well as globally. Furthermore, it could play a key role in bettering health and social welfare policies, envisions Prof. Aung.

The CIIC model offers a promising solution to an urgent problemsecuring access to health and social care for the older persons and providing the basic resources necessary for a life of meaning and dignity.
Abortion pills become latest battleground over reproductive rights Play

Federal judges in Texas have delivered time and again for abortion opponents.

They upheld a state law that allows for $10,000 bounties to be placed on anyone who helps a woman get an abortion; ruled that someone opposed to abortion based on religious beliefs can block a federal program from providing birth control to teens; and determined that emergency room doctors must equally weigh the life of a pregnant woman and her embryo or fetus.

Now abortion rights advocates  galvanized by the reversal of Roe v. Wade  are girding for another decision from a Texas courtroom that could force the FDA to remove a widely used abortion pill from pharmacies and physicians' offices nationwide.

The wide-ranging lawsuit, brought by a conservative Christian legal group, argues that the FDA's approval process more than two decades ago was flawed when it authorized the use of mifepristone, which stops the development of a pregnancy and is part of a two-drug regimen used in medication abortions.

"The FDA has one job, which is just to protect Americans from dangerous drugs," said Denise Harle, senior counsel with the Alliance Defending Freedom, part of a conservative coalition that brought the suit in federal district court in Amarillo, Texas. "And were asking the court to remove that chemical drug regimen until and unless the FDA actually goes through the proper testing that its required to do."

A decision in the case was expected as soon as Friday. If successful, the lawsuit would force federal officials to rescind mifepristone's approval, and manufacturers would be unable to ship the drug anywhere in the United States, including to states like California, Massachusetts, Illinois, and New York where abortion remains legal.

Abortion rights supporters and medical groups have pushed back on the lawsuit's claims. Twelve leading medical organizations, including the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, say medication abortion is effective and safe.

Indeed, decades of research show the risk of major complications from taking abortion pills is less than 0.4%  safer than such commonly used drugs as Tylenol or Viagra.

"We've got 23 years of data domestically that shows how safe medication abortion is, and it's been used internationally for decades," said Amy Hagstrom Miller, chief executive of Whole Woman's Health, a medical organization with clinics in several states. "It's much safer than somebody being forced to carry a pregnancy against their will."

About 5 million women in the United States, federal data shows  and millions more across the world  have safely used abortion pills. They can be taken up to 10 weeks into a pregnancy and are also used by OB-GYNs to manage early miscarriages. All told, more than half of all abortions in the U.S. are a result of medication rather than a medical procedure, according Guttmacher Institute research.

Medication abortion involves taking two pills: mifepristone, which blocks the pregnancy hormone, progesterone; and misoprostol, which induces a miscarriage. Both drugs have long and safe track records: Misoprostol was approved in 1988 to treat gastric ulcers, with mifepristone earning approval in 2000 to end early pregnancy.

By filing its lawsuit in Amarillo, the Alliance Defending Freedom was almost guaranteed to draw U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a President Donald Trump appointee who worked as deputy general counsel at First Liberty Institute, a conservative nonprofit advocating for religious liberty, before being confirmed to the federal judiciary in 2019.

Civil rights groups universally opposed Kacsmaryk's nomination to the Northern District of Texas. U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, said during the confirmation process that Kacsmaryk showed "alarming bias against LGBTQ Americans and disregard for Supreme Court precedents."

"Hes made statements in opposition to reproductive rights, linking up reproduction to the feminist movement and making anti-feminist statements," said Elizabeth Sepper, a law professor at the University of Texas-Austin, adding that the Supreme Court's decision last summer in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overturned Roe, allowed the suit against the FDA to proceed. "Prior to Dobbs, the right to abortion would have stood in the way of this lawsuit. But now the conservative legal movement feels empowered."

The lawsuit is the latest effort by opponents of abortion rights to stymie the use of abortion pills, which many people seeking abortion prefer because it allows them to control their own health care and affords privacy for a process that involves cramping and bleeding, similar to a miscarriage.

"When you have medication abortion, part of the process happens at home. And a lot of people like that," said Hagstrom Miller, of Whole Woman's Health. "People can be at home with their loved ones and can sort of schedule the passing of the pregnancy around their work schedule or their child care schedule."

Harle, however, said that the FDA used a provision to approve the drug that should be used only for medications that treat illness, and that pregnancy is not an illness, but a condition.

"They didnt meet the standards of federal law," she said.

Mifepristone's approval was investigated in 2008  during the Republican administration of George W. Bush  by the Government Accountability Office, a congressional watchdog, which found that the process was consistent with FDA regulations.

"Its hard to think of a drug thats been under more scrutiny than mifepristone," said I. Glenn Cohen, a Harvard Law School professor and one of 19 FDA scholars who filed an amicus brief opposing the lawsuit. "We dont think theres a problem here statutorily or medically. Itd be very dangerous to allow a single judge sitting in Amarillo to essentially order a drug thats used by many women in America off the market."

But Harle said that no amount of scientific data would be enough to convince her that mifepristone should be on the market.

"I think chemical abortion does great harms to women and their unborn children," she said. "And thats what this lawsuit is really about."

Abortion care providers like Hagstrom Miller are bracing for the ruling. "I think people know that what happens in Texas doesnt stay in Texas," she said. "Some of the most progressive states in the country will face restrictions if this lawsuit is successful."

If that's the case, her clinics and OB-GYNs across the country will be forced to use only misoprostol for miscarriage and early abortion care, something that will reduce the efficacy of the method: While taking the two pills together is 99.6% effective in terminating early pregnancy, misoprostol alone  although still extremely safe  is about 80% effective.

Hagstrom Miller also notes that side effects from misoprostol can be more intense, including nausea, diarrhea, and severe cramping and bleeding.

"And that matters, right?" she said. "People should have access to the highest level of medical care."
A decade-long international study into kidney cancer has shown that doctors can predict the likelihood of a patient's disease returning by looking at DNA mutations in their tumors.

The research, undertaken by a team of 44 researchers at 23 institutions across Europe and Canada, and published today, is the largest to link the genetic changes that occur in kidney cancer to patient outcomes.

More than 400,000 people are diagnosed with kidney cancer each year globally, including 13,000 people in the UK.

The findings may be used to develop more personalized treatment approaches for kidney cancer in the future.

Co-lead investigator Dr Naveen Vasudev, Associate Professor and Honorary Consultant in Medical Oncology in the Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's, said: "Development of new treatment for kidney cancer has lagged behind other cancers and we largely continue to adopt a 'one size fits all' approach.

"Accurately determining the risk of recurrence is very important. As well as helping us identify how often patients need to be seen by their doctors, it helps us to decide who to treat with immunotherapy. This treatment has recently been shown to reduce the chances of the cancer coming back but can cause side-effects. The danger currently is that some patients may be over-treated, so being able to better identify patients at low risk of recurrence is important since they could be spared more treatment."

Published today by the University of Leeds and McGill University in Montreal, the study looked at changes in the DNA of more than 900 kidney cancer samples and identified four groups of patients based on the mutations in 12 specific genes within the DNA. The team also looked at whether the cancer had recurred in each of these patients.

The researchers found some 91% of patients in one mutation group remained disease-free five years after surgery, meaning patients in this group may potentially avoid unnecessary treatment. Meanwhile, the percentage of patients in a different mutation group who remained disease-free at five years was much lower, at 51%. This identified them as requiring more aggressive treatment.

Preventing cancer recurrence

Currently, doctors assess the risk of kidney cancer returning by looking at features like the size of the tumour and how aggressive it appears under a microscope. With up to 30% of localized kidney cancers returning after surgery, more accurate methods of assessing this risk are needed, meaning patients who do not need further treatment can be spared it.

The new study shows that genes can be used to better predict the likelihood of recurrence. This method, called DNA sequencing, is already available through the NHS for other cancers. These results mean that tumour DNA sequencing may provide a more effective way to predict a patient's risk of kidney cancer recurrence.

Genomics - the study of genes and how they interact with each other  is a key area of development in patient care for the NHS. Here we show how genomics might be applied to patients with kidney cancer, potentially creating more personalized treatment options for thousands of patients each year." Dr Naveen Vasudev, Associate Professor and Honorary Consultant in Medical Oncology in the Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's

Co-lead investigator Dr Yasser Riazalhosseini, Assistant Professor of Human Genetics, and Head of Cancer Genomics at Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Institute of Genomic Medicine at McGill University, said: "Our research shows that it may be possible to improve the way we determine risk in each patient by looking at the genetic mutations present in their cancer. DNA sequencing is already being used to help patients with other types of cancer and so could be readily applied to patients with kidney cancer."
People and lives above all else in China's COVID response

Xinhua) 09:25, February 24, 2023

BEIJING, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- China has declared a major and decisive victory in its response to COVID-19 recently, as the country is steadily entering a new phase of COVID-19 prevention and control, which has been downgraded under the management of Class B infectious diseases.

Over the past three years, an unchanged philosophy guiding the decision-making in the country's response to COVID-19 is putting the people and their lives first.

SAVING LIVES AT ALL COSTS

In early 2020, the sudden onslaught of the previously unknown virus plunged the central hub city of Wuhan into chaos. More than 40,000 medical workers nationwide were mobilized to the rescue.

In a short period, 16 stadiums and conference and exhibition centers were revamped into makeshift hospitals. As a result, 94 percent of local COVID-19 patients recovered.

Since then, the COVID-related medical expenses incurred during concentrated hospitalization have been covered by the government. The research and development of vaccines, testing reagents, and medication gathered speed. All residents got the choice to get vaccinated for free.

As of January, more than 90 percent of the 1.4 billion population have been fully vaccinated.

China has also been improving its medical treatment capacity. By the end of 2022, the number of intensive care unit (ICU) beds in China had reached 216,000, and 135,000 hospital beds could be converted to intensive care.

Since November last year, China has been optimizing its response measures to focus on safeguarding people's health, preventing severe cases, and securing a smooth transition within a relatively short period. More than 200 million patients were treated, and nearly 800,000 patients in serious conditions received effective treatment in the transition phase.

The country's mortality rate for COVID-19 has been kept at the lowest level globally.

MINIMIZING IMPACT ON PEOPLE'S LIVELIHOOD

Living in central China's Changsha, a 77-year-old woman surnamed Li did not have to leave home amid the epidemic peak in December, as volunteers would deliver daily necessities such as eggs, meat, vegetable and medicine to her doorstep.

The country has endeavored to ensure people's livelihood in times of hardship.

China has pooled every possible effort to ensure sufficient medical supplies, especially in rural areas. For example, before the Spring Festival of 2023, authorities made sure the provision of two finger-clip oximeters for every village health clinic across the country free of charge.

During the regular epidemic prevention period, China poured resources into stabilizing employment and prices to minimize the epidemic's impact on people's lives. As a result, in 2022, China's consumer price index (CPI) rose by just 2 percent from the previous year, much lower than that of developed economies.

In the meantime, a total of 37.5 billion yuan (about 5.43 billion U.S. dollars) in price subsidies have been distributed to hundreds of millions of people in need during the pandemic.

ADJUSTING MEASURES IN TIME

The country has been monitoring the evolving situation concerning the epidemic and adjusted its COVID-19 response measures accordingly.

In recent months, China has made active adjustments in its COVID response, ranging from 20 measures in November and ten new ones in December. It also changed the Chinese term for COVID-19 from "novel coronavirus pneumonia" to "novel coronavirus infection." Since Jan. 8, China has been managing COVID-19 with measures designed to combat Class B infectious diseases instead of Class A ones.

In the meantime, the country has implemented policies to alleviate financial stress for COVID-19 patients and ensure their medical needs are addressed in time.

So far, there are more than 600 kinds of drugs for treating COVID-related symptoms in the catalog of medicines covered by the national medical insurance system.

A meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee held on Feb. 16 stressed the need to thoroughly review the experience and practices of the past three years, especially those implemented in the recent period. The meeting called for improving relevant mechanisms and measures, strengthening the COVID-19 prevention and control work in the new phase, building a stronger health service system, and firmly consolidating achievements.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
New research has identified hundreds of proteins that might contribute to the onset of common, chronic metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, and consequently pathways to potential treatments.

The study, published in Nature Metabolism, was led by an international research team from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, the Precision Healthcare University Research Institute (PHURI) at Queen Mary University of London, and the Berlin Institute of Health at Charite (BIH) at Universitatsmedizin Berlin in Germany.

The researchers successfully linked more than 900 regions in the human genome to almost 3000 proteins in our blood, with many of these not previously identified. The team then applied these findings to existing genetic studies for hundreds of diseases and found more than 500 gene-protein-disease links.

For example, the team showed for the first time that people with high levels of a hormone called GRP are less likely to develop type 2 diabetes, most likely because it decreases the chances of becoming overweight. This 'proteogenomic' evidence supports GRP as a potential target for the prevention and/or treatment of diabetes.

The study has led to a greater scientific understanding of hundreds of genome regions, which open the door to more targeted and ultimately successful treatment options in the future as proteins are essential functional units of the human body and the most common target of drugs that exist today.

Senior author Professor Claudia Langenberg, director of the Precision Healthcare University Research Institute (PHURI) at Queen Mary University of London and MRC Investigator and program lead at the MRC Epidemiology Unit at the time of the study, said: "Thousands of regions in our genome have been identified to increase our risk for developing different diseases, but for most of them we have a poor understanding of why this is.

"By measuring and integrating information on thousands of proteins in human plasma, we were able to create robust links between the genes that encode these proteins to many different diseases and demystify about 200 regions. This really narrows down the potential therapeutic targets at each genomic region, often a bottleneck for translation of genomic discoveries."

In an additional promising example, we identified a protein, called DKKL1, to be involved in multiple sclerosis that reinforces the depletion of certain immune cells - B-cells - as intervention. These early-stage results are exciting and show the potential of such technologies for drug discovery, not just for metabolic diseases." Professor Maik Pietzner, senior author, professor at the PHURI and group leader at the Berlin Institute of Health at Charite (BIH)

Mine Koprulu lead author of the study, Gates scholar and PhD student at the MRC Epidemiology Unit, said: "The biological mechanisms underlying diseases are not always very well understood. To address this issue, we systematically linked genetic variation, blood protein levels and disease risks in this study to be able to differentiate proteins which are likely to cause a disease, for example diabetes, from those which may only be a result of diseases. Identifying causal proteins is important because only interventions on causal proteins will lead to safe and effective treatments. We are hugely grateful to the EPIC Norfolk volunteers and team who made this research possible."
The University of Vermont Cancer Center will offer a novel, highly effective form of cancer treatment called CAR T-cell therapy beginning in February, when final accreditation and approval to begin treating patients is expected.

The Cancer Center will be the only healthcare institution in Vermont and northern New York to provide the treatment.

CAR T, as it is known, uses the bodys immune system to fight cancer. Unlike other immunotherapies, CAR T uses genetically modified T cells from the patient to attack cancer cells.

Approved by the FDA in 2017 for a variety of blood cancers, CAR T-cell therapy induces a complete response  where no remaining cancer is detectable  in 50 to 80 percent of patients treated with it, depending on the cancer type  including in 70 percent of patients with mantle cell lymphoma and 80 percent with follicular lymphoma. Up to 90 percent of patients with these two cancers see a partial response, where the cancer has been significantly diminished. The therapy is typically used after other forms of treatment have been unsuccessful.

Blood cancers account for 10 percent of all cancer diagnosed in the United States every year, according to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Though long-term data for CAR T-cell therapy is not yet available, the treatment has the potential to cure cancer. Of the first patients treated over 10 years ago with CAR T-cell therapy in clinical trials, few of those who achieved a complete response have seen their cancer return.

UVM Clinic led by one of first clinicians to administer CAR T

The Cancer Centers new CAR T program will be led by James Gerson, M.D., assistant professor in the Larner College of Medicines Department of Medicine, who came to UVM from the University of Pennsylvania, where CAR T-cell therapy was discovered and developed.

Gerson worked directly with the team of researchers who created the therapy, led by Carl H. June, M.D., and was among the first clinicians to use it in a commercial setting.

We are thrilled to have someone of Dr. Gersons caliber directing our CAR T clinic and offering this life-saving therapy to patients in our region, said Randall Holcombe, M.D., M.B.A., director of the UVM Cancer Center and Associate Dean for Cancer Programs at the Larner College of Medicine.

The new CAR T program highlights the benefits that an academic medical center like the UVM Medical Center  which combines cutting edge clinical care and innovative research  can bring to a community.

The Larner College of Medicine was honored to work with our partners at UVM Medical Center to recruit Dr. Gerson to our academic medical center. The CAR T program is yet another example of the profound value that the UVM Cancer Center brings to our region. Richard L. Page, M.D., Dean of the UVM Larner College of Medicine

Avoiding upheaval in patients lives

Currently, patients in the UVM Medical Centers catchment area who want CAR T therapy need to travel, usually to Boston, New York, Dartmouth or Rochester, to access it.

The remote treatment can cause significant upheaval in their lives, Gerson said, since it requires multiple episodes of care over the course of three to six months. Many patients live in the area where theyre being treated for four weeks.

Our goal is for you to be able to access this therapy without uprooting your life, he said.

CAR T works by training T cells  a type of white blood cell used by the immune system to kill viruses and other foreign bodies  to recognize and attack cancer cells.

The treatment has several steps. First, T cells are removed from the patients blood. Then, in the lab, theyre modified by adding a receptor gene  a chimeric antigen receptor or CAR  that can recognize a protein on the cancer cell, latch onto it and kill the cell. Finally, cells are multiplied and given back to the patient.

CAR T is currently approved only for blood cancers: lymphoma, some leukemias, and multiple myeloma. Research is ongoing to apply the method to other cancers.

We look forward to bringing this innovative new treatment to the patients who need it in our region. Ive seen first-hand its potential to save lives, Gerson said.

Patients interested in the therapy should contact their oncologist.
Cancer is characterized by the abnormal growth of cells that spread from their original location to other parts of the body. Despite extensive research efforts, a cure for the disease has yet to be found, largely due to its heterogeneous nature.

Cancer is a complex and diverse disease that can originate in various parts of the body and exhibit varying symptoms. It can be challenging to diagnose and treat due to its many forms. The National Cancer Institute recognizes over 100 distinct types of cancers, each requiring specific screening methods, diagnostic tests, and treatment approaches.3

What are the barriers to curing cancer?

The obstacles faced by cancer researchers and clinicians in delivering effective treatments and quality care to patients are abundant and complex. The complexities of diagnosis, treatment, and quality of life create countless variables in cancer care.

The heterogeneity of cancer presents the biggest challenge to finding a cure, making diagnosis complex, treatment choices complicated, and prognosis uncertain.4,5 This diversity also means that a single treatment cannot effectively target all cancers.

Early detection is the key. Early detection significantly improves the 5-year survival rate for most cancers in the United States, with rates exceeding 90%.6

Yet, current cancer detection strategies are only able to find approximately 29% of tumors, mainly relying on patient screening approaches like imaging and symptom reporting, which are frequently used after cancer has spread to other organs. These methods are pricey and unreliable.7

Genomic research is currently a major focus in the study of cancer. Although genomes research still holds out enormous potential and much has been learned about how different tumors originate and metastasize thanks to genomics, additional strategies are now becoming accessible that can make a big difference.

An early 20th-century discovery, the stimulation of autoantibody production by tumors, is seeing renewed attention.8 Although genetics may suggest potential, the presence of an autoantibody signature indicates the actual occurrence.

Perhaps most significantly, autoantibodies serve as an early indicator of cancer, long before it has spread, as a result of ongoing immune surveillance processes that track changes in the host proteome associated with the disease.

These immunoglobulins not only aid in early cancer detection but also provide opportunities for patient stratification and shed light on therapy resistance and potential therapeutic targets.9, 10

What is the relationship between cancer and autoantibodies?

In the early stages of tumor growth, cancer cells can trigger an immune response and start the production of autoantibodies (Figure 1).11-13 Like any other cell, cancer cells produce proteins and use energy to support their growth.

Some expressed proteins are novel and cancer-cell specific, known as tumor-specific antigens (TSA). Others are host proteins with altered expression, called tumor-associated antigens (TAA). TSA results from mutated or variant genes or other abnormal expressions or modifications in cancer cells.

Tumor-associated antigens are self-proteins with abnormal expression, either due to production in the wrong location or expression at an incorrect level. The immune system recognizes this novel and potentially harmful expression and generates antibodies, leading to the production of autoantibodies that signify the disease.11

Circulating autoantibodies identify these proteins before any existing screening method.7,10,11,13-15 They persist as long as the disease persists.

Figure 1. Tumor growth damages surrounding tissue, initiating an immune response. The antigenic proteins synthesized by cancer cells may be common to the host, tumor-associated antigens, or they may be unique, tumor-specific antigens. Autoantibodies are antibodies produced against tumor-associated and tumor-specific antigens. These are produced in detectable quantities, circulating in the blood via the Humoral Immune System. Figure created with Biorender.com

Autoantibodies, due to their early expression and persistence after the appearance of tumors, serve as ideal liquid biopsy biomarkers for cancer detection and monitoring.

What role do autoantibodies play?

Autoantibodies in cancer detection and prognosis

The diagnosis of cancer is usually made for individual patients. Only four population screening protocols are currently in use: for breast, colorectal, cervical, and lung cancers. These tests utilize imaging techniques, and the tumor must be large enough to be seen.

As there are no effective screening methods for other types of cancer, symptom reporting and biopsy are frequently used.7 Blood-based biomarkers have significant promise for early cancer diagnosis in general. Blood samples are simple to obtain and contain a wide range of quantifiable analytes.

Blood testing is a widely accepted method in the medical field, as it offers numerous benefits, including quicker results and minimal discomfort to patients, compared to tissue biopsies.16,17

While various blood-based markers for cancer already exist,18 blood testing is typically complementary to tissue biopsy, as it typically only screens for single markers, which are not often definitive on their own.

If a blood test yields a positive result, a tissue biopsy is usually the next step. The prospect of using autoantibody screening for early cancer detection is promising and has the potential to enhance the entire treatment process.

Autoantibody analysis from patient sera is a potent, less intrusive method that is ideal for early detection. A profile of autoantibodies found in a patient group can be utilized as a diagnostic tool, a prognosis indicator, and to pinpoint possible treatment targets because tumors cause several autoantibodies to be created rather than just one.9

The detection of autoantibodies to p53 in a lung cancer patient, for instance, gave medical practitioners the opportunity to take action before the emergence of the tumor.15,19

In a recent and extensive study by Patel et al. (2022), 60 promising autoantibodies were discovered from a screening of over 1600 antigens in a cohort of 157 patients diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Eighteen of the 60 autoantibodies were found to correlate with survival rates.

An analysis of various combinations of these 18 autoantibodies revealed that 13 had a strong correlation with 5-year patient survival, as shown in Table 1. This was further validated in a separate cohort, highlighting the reliability of this approach.

Interestingly, some of these autoantibodies were found to be cancer-testis antigens.20 These are fetal antigens that are inactive in all adult somatic tissues except the testes, suggesting that patients with a poor prognosis may have a different and more cancer stem cell-like subtype of NSCLC.

Table 1. Set of autoantibodies found to strongly correlate with poor survival. Source: Sengenics

Biomarker Name SPATA19* Spermatogenesis-associated protein 19 TSPY3* Cancer Testis Antigen 78/Testis Specific Protein Y-Linked 3 GLS2 Glutaminase 2 TCEA2* Transcription Elongation Factor A2/TFIIS/Testis-Specific SII gene TSGA10* Testis-specific gene protein 10/Cancer Testis Antigen 79 HMGN5 High Mobility Group Nucleosome Binding Domain 5/NSBP1 LUZP4* Leucine Zipper Protein 4/Cancer Testis Antigen 28 HDAC4 Histone Deacetylase 4 SPACA3* Sperm Acrosome membrane-associated protein 3/Cancer Testis Antigen 54 IMPDH1 Inosine Monophosphate Dehydrogenase 1/LCA11 TXN2 Thioredoxin 2/MT-TRX/COXPD29 TFG Trafficking from ER to Golgi Regulator/TRKT3 Oncogene/TRK-Fused Gene Protein PPP2R1A Protein Phosphatase 2 Scaffold Subunit alpha/Serine Threonine Protein Phosphatase 2A

*Cancer Testis Antigen.

Patel et al. discovered a unique profile of 13 autoantibodies with high prediction power of poor prognosis among post-operative non-small cell lung cancer patients by analyzing autoantibodies in patient samples.

None of the 13 proteins discovered by this autoantibody screen are currently included in the National Cancer Institutes list of Tumor Markers in Common Use.18 A massive autoantibody screen was used in this study to identify a collection of indicators strongly predictive of cancer prognosis, which shows its simplicity and effectiveness.

The use of autoantibodies as predictive markers may surpass that of genetic markers. 20,21 Cancer heterogeneity leads to the production of numerous tumor-specific and tumor-associated autoantigens across different cancers, patients, and stages, which could provide a more comprehensive picture.

The presence of early-stage cancer and the patients prognosis can be determined by evaluating numerous autoantibodies at once to take advantage of this heterogeneity. Individual genes are often the focus of current genetic tests.

A combination of several autoantibodies forming a signature will have a greater predictive value compared to a single marker. Moreover, autoantibody panels offer fresh perspectives and potential targets for treating NSCLC.

As an example, the cancer-testis antigens (CTAs), which were prominently featured in the signature identified by Patel et al., are typically expressed in male germ cells and during embryonic development.

Therefore, their ectopic expression in NSCLC patients (male and female) may offer a great, well-targeted therapeutic target; some CTAs, such as NY-ESO-1 and MAGEA3, have been suggested as vaccine targets in malignancies like melanoma. Other prognostic panels will certainly appear on future screens.20

Autoantibodies in personalized medicine

From the mid-1990s to around 2010, the pharmaceutical industry experienced a sharp rise in drug development costs, yet fewer drugs were approved for the market.

The causes were multifaceted and included, among other things, stricter standards for superior efficacy, subpar patient reactions, and inconsistent regulations for newly created medications, which frequently led to subpar safety profiles and unsuccessful treatments.22-24

Improved decision-making, including the implementation of biomarker-driven targeted medicine, seems to have a positive impact on reversing this trend.23 Identifying patients who are most likely to benefit from medication and experience fewer side effects can enhance both safety and efficacy profiles while satisfying regulatory requirements.23-24

The use of genetic markers has enhanced drug development decision-making and patient stratification.24 Autoantibodies are in a unique position to advance precision medicine and further our cause.

Autoantibody signatures are well-suited for early detection, prognosis, patient classification, and treatment response prediction.9,10 Recent studies have started to explore the predictive capability of autoantibodies, especially in the context of immunotherapy.

New immunotherapeutic therapies have improved cancer treatment over the last 15 years. Immune checkpoint blockade, CAR-T, and anti-CTLA4 immune modulation are just a few immunotherapy-based treatment approaches that have received FDA and EMA approval.25,26

The majority of these therapies focus on non-solid malignancies like leukemia. Despite blatant achievements, 40-80 % of patients either do not respond to the medication or eventually develop resistance.27

Additionally, almost all patients report side effects at some point while receiving medication, even years later.27-29 To determine which patients are most likely to respond to immunotherapy and to foretell unfavorable immune-related events, biomarkers are required.

This will make it easier for doctors to recommend the right therapies, co-therapies, and options for follow-up care. It is interesting to note that autoantibodies have been found in patient sera after immune checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapies.29,30

Immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) immunotherapy is a relatively new strategy, and studies regarding immune-related adverse events are ongoing.

In a Phase I dose-escalation study, Da Gamma Duarte et al.31 aimed to identify autoantibody signatures that were predictive of outcomes and adverse events in five patients with stage III/IV metastatic melanoma. The researchers quantified autoantibody titers against over 1,600 antigens.

This study had several distinctive features. First off, the study by Da Gamma Duarte looked at many more autoantibodies, although it is known that immune checkpoint inhibitors cause autoantibodies associated with classical autoimmune disease.32

The study also employed a protein microarray, which was composed of properly folded proteins. This was a crucial aspect, as most protein microarrays do not use folded proteins. Antibodies and autoantibodies require proper tertiary structure for effective binding, making this characteristic of the protein microarray particularly important.

Comparing well-folded proteins to fragmented, unfolded, or linear peptides increases specificity.1,2,3337 Thirdly, the trial employed a cutting-edge strategy for managing advanced-stage melanoma.

The study participants underwent initial treatment with Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), followed by treatment with the immune checkpoint inhibitor Ipilimumab 36 days later. They received maintenance dosing with Ipilimumab every 12 weeks thereafter. In addition, sera from healthy donors were also collected for comparison purposes.

The researchers were able to compare autoantibody signatures in patients with various therapy outcomes to autoantibody signatures in healthy controls because of this innovative design. Serious adverse events  the trials intended endpoint  led to an early termination.

Further investigation is necessary to fully understand the unique autoantibody signatures linked to adverse events, given the limited sample size and premature conclusion of previous studies.

Despite the aforementioned limitations, the extensive screening of over 1600 autoantibodies conducted by the researchers resulted in the unmistakable discovery of a correlation between adverse events and elevated levels of autoantibodies.

Still, some labs have not found a connection between autoantibodies and unfavorable outcomes or cancer progression,40 while other labs have produced comparable results.29,39

It is crucial to remember that these latter studies did not collect a wide variety of autoantibodies, and they also did not base their findings on appropriately folded proteins.

Although the promising early results need additional validation in bigger cohorts,30 autoantibody detection following immune-related adverse events has increased attention on the predictive and prognostic utility of autoantibodies in immunotherapeutic treatment planning.30

Additionally, this would be improved by using a thorough, very specific technique to assess the enormous number of autoantibodies that are altered by both the illness and the treatment.

The work by De Gamma Duarte offers a road map for a thorough future investigation into autoantibody relevance in this space.31

Autoantibodies in drug discovery

It takes a comprehensive procedure that includes pathway identification, drug modeling, safety assessment, and potential efficacy to identify therapeutically feasible targets to treat cancer.

By detecting abnormal proteins that might be implicated in tumor progression, patient autoantibody fingerprints provide insight into the biology of cancer. As genetics do not always reflect the metabolism of the tumor, genetic techniques have been able to find hundreds of genomes for dozens of cancers but very few therapeutic targets.

A functional relationship between tumor biology and abnormal protein expression, including autoantigens distinguished by the presence of homologous autoantibodies, may make it easier to identify novel potential treatment targets.41,42

For instance, the creation of Caplacizumab to treat acquired thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), a non-cancerous condition, was dependent, in part, on the discovery of autoantibodies to aid in the identification of prospective therapeutic targets, in this case, the enzyme ADAMTS13.43

Autoantibodies may also highlight pathways that can help in the battle against cancer. The advantages of comprehending autoantibody physiology are not yet fully appreciated. Autoantibodies in healthy persons have been seen in the past,44,45 and they are not only found in autoimmune disorders and cancer.

They have thus been taken into account for illness prevention. Autoantibodies may serve positive purposes such as antibacterial, hygienic, and immunoregulatory, according to studies conducted in the 1980s.44,46

In a study that looked at samples from the 14th century in Europe, Klunk et al. (2022) revealed a distinct level of genetic selection affecting autoantibodies.

Antigen-presenting aminopeptidase, ERAP2, in a mutant form, conferred some degree of immunity against bubonic plague. Interestingly, the ERAP2 variation has been linked to Crohns disease.47

The implications of this discovery for the study of cancer and other infectious diseases include the possibility that autoantibodies play a part in the evolutionarily generated defense against disease. They might also draw attention to exploitable cancer development routes.

For instance, Shah et al. (2019) discovered that scleroderma patients with sera that carried autoantibodies against RNA polymerase I (anti-RPA194)48 had a decreased incidence of malignancy, suggesting that this polymerase may be a good treatment target.

While immune-related side outcomes following cancer therapies often resemble traditional autoimmune diseases, some autoimmune diseases, such as SLE and multiple myeloma, Crohns disease, and colorectal cancer, are increasingly recognized as risk factors for particular cancers (e.g., autoimmune hepatitis; inflammatory arthritis; cutaneous disorders).

Thus, it is important to continue researching the causal relationships between autoimmune diseases, malignancies, and immune-related adverse outcomes.

Conclusions

Autoantibodies were first disregarded when they were first identified since they were thought to be signs of sickness or tissue damage and not the immune systems usual function.8 However, it was already clear in these early stages that autoantibodies had significant diagnostic potential.

The distinctive autoantibody production patterns reflect the highly diverse character of cancer. Cancer is heterogeneous, which implies that the same tumor in various patients may develop at various rates, metastasize in various ways, cause various symptoms, and so on.

Cancerous cells use a variety of metabolic pathways to carry out these functions, and as a result, they produce more ectopically produced and aberrant proteins than healthy tissue, giving them away to an immune system scanning the environment for anything unusual.

In the past, researchers and doctors have searched among these pathways for a single, potent target that can stop or eradicate cancer. For instance, targets that may control transcription or proliferation (such as paclitaxel and trabectedin) (doxorubicin). These medications are recommended just for particular cancer types and are used judiciously.

As a result, although cancer is varied, cancer treatment has not been. A collection of proteins specific to the cancer are represented by autoantibody signatures.

Using a high-fidelity expression system, high throughput processing, potent machine-learning-based bioinformatics algorithms, and appropriately folded proteins are essential for efficiently finding predictive autoantibodies.

Researchers can analyze hundreds or thousands of proteins using high-density microarrays. Machine learning streamlines the analysis of different autoantibody permutations while taking into account particular patient factors, which ultimately results in highly specific, predictive biomarkers.

SIDEBAR 1: How KREX protein folding technology works

The creation of properly folded proteins represents a significant advancement in autoantibody screening techniques.1,2 High specificity and proper antibody/antigen binding are supported by the use of full-length, well-folded proteins.

KREX technology is used in Sengenics microarrays to guarantee that the array proteins are functional, full-length, and correctly folded.

KREX, which stands for correctly folded recombinantly expressed protein, refers to a patented method by Sengenics for expressing and immobilizing correctly folded, fully functional proteins on a surface coated with streptavidin while using the protein biotin carboxyl carrier protein (BCCP) as a folding marker.

As a result of protein misfolding or fragmentation, BCCP is unable to attach to the streptavidin-coated surface because its biotinylation site is unavailable. Misfolded proteins are simply washed away.

This method was created to achieve exceptional signal-to-noise for fine detection of autoantibody signatures while maintaining conformational epitopes and ensuring excellent antibody-epitope interaction.

Image Credit: Sengenics

SIDEBAR 2: How are autoantibodies measured?

Autoantibodies were initially linked to disease and cancer over a century ago.8,49-52 The original method of detecting autoantibodies was through complement fixation, in which the presence of autoantibodies in patient sera led to erythrocyte cell lysis.

The origin of immunodiagnosis can be traced back to research efforts;14 however, the use of complement fixation was not a suitable approach for biomarker discovery. It was not until the mid-2000s that technology emerged that was capable of providing high-throughput and highly specific results for autoantibodies.1,2,36,37,53

In the late 1990s, gene microarrays were leading in understanding expressed genes, but applying this to proteins was a challenge. The human genome has around 20K genes, but the proteome is thought to have more than 1 million proteoforms, making the process difficult.33

Labeling, capturing, and analyzing this large library takes time, effort, and significant computing power.

Figure 2. A sample-labeled Sengenics i-Ome Microarray Chip. Image Credit: Sengenics

For detecting antibodies, proteins or peptides are usually attached to a stationary surface, such as a glass slide, in a fixed pattern.

A single slide can have thousands of proteins or peptides attached, allowing the detection of thousands of different antibodies from a limited sample of patient serum. Indirect immunofluorescence is commonly used for sample labeling and identification.33,36,54

For detecting autoantibodies, the microarray is incubated with patient sera that contain autoantibodies that bind to their corresponding epitopes. The labeling process is finished by adding a secondary antibody that is fluorescently labeled (Figure 2).

Accurate encoding of the autoantigen and preservation of its shape is crucial, as any deviation can result in loss of specific binding.33-35 Commercial protein microarrays typically produce proteins and peptides recombinantly through the use of expression vectors.

The design, expression system, vector, protein adhesion process, surface chemistry, and tertiary structure of the protein all impact the accuracy of antibody detection results.36 The KREX technology utilized with the i-Ome protein microarray effectively addresses these variables (see Sidebar 1).

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Da Gama Duarte, J., et al., Autoantibodies May Predict Immune-Related Toxicity: Results from a Phase I Study of Intralesional Bacillus Calmette-Guerin followed by Ipilimumab in Patients with Advanced Metastatic Melanoma. Front Immunol, 2018. 9: p. 411. Giannicola, R., et al., Early blood rise in auto-antibodies to nuclear and smooth muscle antigens is predictive of prolonged survival and autoimmunity in metastatic-non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with PD-1 immune-check point blockade by nivolumab. Mol Clin Oncol, 2019. 11(1): p. 81-90. Yu, X., B. Petritis, and J. LaBaer, Advancing translational research with next-generation protein microarrays. Proteomics, 2016. 16(8): p. 1238-50. Van Regenmortel, M.H., Immunoinformatics may lead to a reappraisal of the nature of B cell epitopes and of the feasibility of synthetic peptide vaccines. J Mol Recognit, 2006. 19(3): p. 183-7. Barlow, D.J., M.S. Edwards, and J.M. Thornton, Continuous and discontinuous protein antigenic determinants. Nature, 1986. 322(6081): p. 747-8. Duarte, J.G. and J.M. Blackburn, Advances in the development of human protein microarrays. Expert Rev Proteomics, 2017. 14(7): p. 627-641. Robinson, W.H., et al., Autoantigen microarrays for multiplex characterization of autoantibody responses. Nat Med, 2002. 8(3): p. 295-301. Morton, D.L., et al., BCG immunotherapy of malignant melanoma: summary of a seven-year experience. Ann Surg, 1974. 180(4): p. 635-43. Les, I., et al., Association of immune-related adverse events induced by nivolumab with a battery of autoantibodies. Ann Med, 2021. 53(1): p. 762-769. Barth, D.A., et al., Evaluation of autoantibodies as predictors of treatment response and immune-related adverse events during the treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors: A prospective longitudinal pan-cancer study. Cancer Med, 2022. 11(16): p. 3074-3083. Adhikari, S., et al., A high-stringency blueprint of the human proteome. Nat Commun, 2020. 11(1): p. 5301 Yang, J., et al., Early screening and diagnosis strategies of pancreatic cancer: a comprehensive review. Cancer Commun (Lond), 2021. 41(12): p. 1257-1274. Peyvandi, F., et al., Caplacizumab for Acquired Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura. N Engl J Med, 2016. 374(6): p. 511-22. Schattner, A., The origin of autoantibodies. Immunol Lett, 1987. 14(2): p. 143-53. Guilbert, B., G. Dighiero, and S. Avrameas, Naturally occurring antibodies against nine common antigens in human sera. I. Detection, isolation and characterization. J Immunol, 1982. 128(6): p. 2779-87. Schwartz, R.S. and B.D. Stollar, Origins of anti-DNA autoantibodies. J Clin Invest, 1985. 75(2): p. 321-7. Klunk, J., et al., Evolution of immune genes is associated with the Black Death. Nature, 2022. Shah, A.A., et al., Protective Effect Against Cancer of Antibodies to the Large Subunits of Both RNA Polymerases I and III in Scleroderma. Arthritis Rheumatol, 2019. 71(9): p. 1571-1579. Korngold, L. and D. Pressman, The localization of antilymphosarcoma antibodies in the Murphy lymphosarcoma of the rat. Cancer Res, 1954. 14(2): p. 96-9. Graham, J.B. and R.M. Graham, Antibodies elicited by cancer in patients. Cancer, 1955. 8(2): p. 409-16. Makari, J.G., Recent studies in the immunology of cancer. III. Detection of cancer antibodies and auto-antibodies by an intradermal reaction, with a review of the detection in human serum of cancer antigens by the Schulz-Dale method. J Am Geriatr Soc, 1960. 8: p. 16-29. Rose, N.R., S. Shulman, and E. Witebsky, Studies of normal and malignant tissue antigens. Cancer Res, 1956. 16(9): p. 831-41. Ganesan, V., D.P. Ascherman, and J.S. Minden, Immunoproteomics technologies in the discovery of autoantigens in autoimmune diseases. Biomol Concepts, 2016. 7(2): p. 133-43. Irure-Ventura, J. and M. Lopez-Hoyos, The Past, Present, and Future in Antinuclear Antibodies (ANA). Diagnostics (Basel), 2022. 12(3).

About Sengenics

Sengenics is an immunoproteomics company working to improve patient outcomes through physiologically relevant, data-guided decision making. Our solutions enable the discovery and validation of autoantibody biomarker signatures for patient stratification, therapeutic response prediction and elucidation of disease mechanisms.

The company has a global footprint with multiple corporate and research sites across the world with customers and collaborators that include top pharma, biotech and ivy league academic institutions in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Sponsored Content Policy: News-Medical.net publishes articles and related content that may be derived from sources where we have existing commercial relationships, provided such content adds value to the core editorial ethos of News-Medical.Net which is to educate and inform site visitors interested in medical research, science, medical devices and treatments.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The first batch of emergency humanitarian aid sent by Bahrain arrived at Damascus International Airport yesterday to assist those affected by the deadly quake in Syria as the combined death toll in Turkey and Syria leapt towards 50,000.

The shipment contains 40 tonnes of emergency medicines, equipment, and shelter supplies, which a team of specialists visiting the quake-affected areas will distribute after assessing needs. In addition to this, Bahrain is also sending a medical team to Syria to help the injured, said Dr Mustafa Al-Sayed, the Secretary General of the Royal Humanitarian Federation, who is also in Damascus with a delegation.

The Daily Tribune had reported that the Kingdom is set to open a hospital named Bahrain in Syria for relief and assistance work. Bahrains campaign to help quake victims follows the directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and HM the Kings Representative for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs, His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

Yesterdays move also follows the Day of Solidarity telethon that raised over $3.7 million to support quake victims last week and is continuing still.

The doors of the campaign are open for all to become a part of, said Dr Mustafa Al-Sayed, who is also the CEO of the National Committee for Supporting Earthquake Victims in Syria and Turkey.

According to reports, the number of people killed in Turkey has risen to 43,556, while in Syria the death toll was close to 6,000. Reports also say more than 600,000 apartments and 150,000 commercial premises had suffered at least moderate damage.

Besides, more than 865,000 people are living in tents and 23,500 in container homes, while 376,000 are in student dormitories and public guesthouses outside the earthquake zone. Khaled Haboubati, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent representative, thanked HM King Hamad and praised the support of Bahrains leadership, government, and people.

Bahraini Ambassador to Syria, Waheed Mubarak Sayyar, said the embassy had made all arrangements to deliver aid and is in touch with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and authorities, particularly the Health Ministry, to be informed about urgent medical needs.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain yesterday urged world powers, especially the UN Security Council permanent member states, to stop the escalation and hold an international meeting without pre-conditions to resolve conflicts.

Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani stressed the importance of reaching consensual, peaceful, balanced and sustainable solutions to halt the war between Russia and Ukraine.

The ministry said that the Kingdom, led by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, supports efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine through dialogue and diplomacy.

Dr Al Zayani also voiced Kingdoms deep concern over tensions, threats, political and military escalation and a polarized world as the war in Ukraine marks its first anniversary. He warned against mounting fears of the war spillover and potential massive loss of life and property, in addition to their threats to world peace and energy and food supplies.

The minister reiterated Bahrains support to international efforts in providing humanitarian relief assistance, backing the initiatives led by brotherly and friendly countries for prisoner exchange and facilitating food supplies.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Reported by Julia Cassano

Economic development, food and energy security enjoyed the focus of discussions at the I2U2 Group, which Jose Fernandez, representing the US, said gave a new regional platform to deepen economic integration, and an affirmative agenda within the Middle East, Asia, and beyond.

The United States, the Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment said, will continue to meet government officials, business leaders, and other stakeholders to collaborate on critical global economic issues that affect us all.

He also termed supply chain resilience, clean energy transition, and promotion of inclusive trade and investment opportunities as some of the key issues affecting the global economy. Fernandez was speaking on his participation at the I2U2 forum, a unique pairing of countries comprising India, Israel, UAE, and the United States, held in UAE.

The partnered countries discussed opportunities to increase regional cooperation in the Middle East, as well as advance investment opportunities that aim to address some of the partnered countries most pressing needs such as management of the energy crisis and dealing with food insecurity due to Russias invasion of Ukraine.

He also highlighted the importance of I2U2 in reinforcing the Abraham Accords to advance regional integration in the Middle East. Additionally, Fernandez highlighted the efforts posed by India, Israel, UAE, and the United States to find ways to mitigate the hunger crisis the world is facing.

We are committed to identifying new markets and building food systems, as we believe that is the only way to reduce the immense demand for humanitarian assistance and food security. Fernandez also discussed aims to mobilise the private sector, modernise infrastructure, and promote the development of emerging green technologies, whilst ensuring near and long-term food security.



The Group now has a pipeline of projects in solar, wind, and rail transport infrastructure. Fernandez also led the US delegation in Oman to the first US-Oman strategic dialogue.

This is a strategic dialogue long awaited by both sides, and we now have great hopes for it, he said. We have had a free trade agreement with Oman since 2009, and our trade with Oman has increased substantially in the last few years. In fact, since 2021, trade increased by 30%. Our bilateral trade and exports from Oman to the US in the last year, have grown by 47%.
AFP | Al Ula

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Andy Warhol's iconic portraits of stars such as Marlon Brando and Dolly Parton are on display in the Saudi desert, at a show intended to reframe the kingdom's forbidding reputation.

The first exhibition in Saudi Arabia for the Pop Art giant is a tribute to the late artist's obsession with celebrity, and his seeming ability to predict the rise of contemporary influencer culture.

At the same time, organisers have tried to draw a connection between the world Warhol embodied - New York City half a century ago - and Saudi Arabia today.

"Warhol grew up through a time of radical change in America in the 1950s and 1960s, a time of a completely new vibrant youth culture, and he recorded that and reflected that," said Sumantro Ghose, arts programming director in AlUla, the Saudi town hosting the exhibition.

"Right now in Saudi Arabia, we're in a time of great change, great transformation," he added.

It would be hard to imagine a more unlikely ambassador for the new Saudi Arabia, where a burgeoning arts and music scene exists alongside harsh repression of political speech and the criminalisation of homosexuality.

For one thing, the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, which collaborated on the exhibition, describes him as a "gay icon".

He also had little connection to the Middle East, save for quick trips in the 1970s to Iran and Kuwait, where he complained in his diary about the "strange coffee" and concluded that "there's no history to this place".

But Warhol, who died in 1987, would likely have relished the chance to show his work in Saudi Arabia and engage with its contradictions, said Warhol Museum director Patrick Moore.

"I think this country that is kind of evolving before our eyes would have been fascinating to him," Moore told AFP.

"He would have loved the fact that he was maybe a first in terms of a Western artist showing at this level in Saudi."
TORONTO, Feb. 24, 2023 /CNW/ - Patient Voice, an online platform that aims to educate Canadians through the power of storytelling, launched the 2023 edition of its annual Canada's Rare Voices campaign. The campaign shares the stories of Canadian patients, caregivers and clinicians in an effort to build a greater understanding of what it's like to live with, or care for a loved one living with, one of the more than 7,000 known rare diseases.1

Gaucher disease patient advocate and Patient Voice ambassador, Meghan White. (CNW Group/Patient Voice) Join patient advocate Meghan White and the rest of Canadas rare disease community as we raise our voices for Rare Disease Day 2023.

According to the Canadian Organization for Rare Disorders (CORD), approximately 1 in 12 Canadians live with a rare disorder. And while that means approximately 3 million Canadians are impacted by these potentially life-altering diseases, those making up this significant proportion of the Canadian population often feel alone in their healthcare journeys.

"It's this sense of isolation that we really want to change," explained Meghan White, a rare disease patient advocate and Patient Voice spokesperson. "By sharing personal stories with broader audiences, we can expand Canadians' understanding of what living with a rare disease is like and how we can all support our family, friends and neighbours who face these challenges every single day."

The Canada's Rare Voices campaign intends to focus Canadians' attention on the lived experience of those with a rare disease by harnessing the power of storytelling.

In the lead-up to Rare Disease Day on February 28, 2023 and continuing through the month of March, this campaign will spotlight the stories of 11 incredible rare disease patients and caregivers who, in their own words, will share their unique experiences, challenges, passions, and lessons-learned.

Alongside these stories, Canada's Rare Voices will also feature original interviews with 11 clinical experts who will address key topics such as diagnosis, disease management, and access to treatment.

To reach as many Canadians as possible, Canada's Rare Voices will amplify its poignant stories through a coordinated promotional campaign. This bilingual campaign will include stories shared by leading Canadian publishers, a content hub at patientvoice.io/rarevoices, and placements across social platform and programmatic channels.

"Canadians who would like to show their support for the rare disease community are encouraged to look for and follow the Canada's Rare Voices campaign, read our stories, learn from the clinicians' insights, and, most importantly, share with their peers," said White. "By reading and sharing these stories, you can help magnify our voices and effect meaningful change."

Canada's Rare Voices has engaged key patient support and advocacy organizations who play a crucial role in patient identification and will expand the overall reach of the campaign. These groups include: the Canadian Organization for Rare Disorders (CORD); Regroupement quebecois des maladies orphelines (RQMO); MitoCanada; the Canadian XLH Network; the Canadian FOP Network; ALS Action Canada; HAE Canada; Defeat Duchenne Canada; Muscular Dystrophy Canada; the Canadian Association of PNH Patients; the Canadian Fabry Association; and the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation.

Canada's Rare Voices has been supported by a number of rare disease innovators including Alexion AstraZeneca Rare Disease; Amylyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; BioCryst Canada; Chiesi Global Rare Disease; Incyte Biosciences Canada Corporation; Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals Canada Inc.; Pfizer Canada ULC; and Ultragenyx Canada Inc.

About Patient Voice

Patient Voice is a social storytelling platform that amplifies the voices of Canadian patients, caregivers, and clinicians. Our goals are simpleto be a catalyst in educating a more engaged, savvy, and empathetic general public, and to help Canadian patients be heard.

_________________________________ 1 Canadian Organization for Rare Disorders. Key Facts. https://www.raredisorders.ca/about-cord/

SOURCE Patient Voice

For further information: please contact Patient Voice at [email protected]
HALIFAX, NS, Feb. 22, 2023 /CNW/ - In Canada, we all deserve to live in a society that is diverse and inclusive. For Black Canadians, it is important to acknowledge that they have facedand continue to facediscrimination, inequalities and systemic barriers, which prevent them from fully participating in society. Through the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative, the Government of Canada is taking meaningful steps to address the significant and unique challenges Black communities face in Canada by investing in Black-led, Black-focused and Black-serving organizations, initiatives and community spaces.

Today, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, Darrell Samson, on behalf of Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Karina Gould, announced funding of approximately $2.2 million under the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative provided to refurbish the former Nova Scotia Home for Coloured Children (or the Old Home), which is owned by Akoma Holdings Inc.

On October 23, 2022, the Old Home celebrated 101 years since opening its doors in 1921 by renaming the centre to Kinney Place and announcing the completed renovation and refurbishment. The Old Home has now been transformed into a community centre that provides services to the African Nova Scotian communities and will serve as an incubator for Black businesses.

The completed transformation of the Old Home will also serve as a memorial to acknowledge the tragic history and systemic racism experienced by its former residents and to commemorate its complicated history. Investing in Black communities and tackling systemic anti-Black racism head on are important parts of building an inclusive and resilient country that leaves no one behind.

Quotes

"Under the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative, the federal government is proud to be supporting hundreds of Black-led, Black-focused and Black-serving organizations across Canada. Projects like Kinney Place show us the direct impact that capital funding has in building an organization's capacity and improving the long-term social and economic well-being of the Black communities they serve. The refurbishments completed on Kinney Place will not only preserve an important part of Nova Scotian historythey will also contribute to a better future by building a space for Black businesses and other Black-led initiatives to grow. By working together, we are able to foster healing and bring about necessary changes to address racism and discrimination so that future generations of African Nova Scotians are able to live in a community that is more inclusive and equitable."

 Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, Darrell Samson

"This is another great day for our community. The opening of Kinney Place recognizes the historical contribution this building has to this province and country. At Akoma, we are happy that Kinney Place will be an incubator for Black businesses and an intergenerational hub for the community. We value the part that we are able to play to enhance services to the African Nova Scotian community and general society. I want to thank the board and staff who have worked hard to make the refurbishment happen, and our funders, especially the Government of Canada, for believing in the vision."

 President of the Board of Directors, Akoma, Kathleen Mitchell

Quick Facts

In January 2018 , the Prime Minister announced that Canada officially recognized the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent. In recognition of the International Decade for People of African Descent, the Government of Canada created the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative. Projects funded by the Initiative are expected to enhance the capacity and effectiveness of Black-led, Black-focused, and Black-serving organizations.

, the Prime Minister announced that officially recognized the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent. In recognition of the International Decade for People of African Descent, the Government of created the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative. Projects funded by the Initiative are expected to enhance the capacity and effectiveness of Black-led, Black-focused, and Black-serving organizations. Since 2019, over $175 million has been dedicated to the Initiative to help organizations work better for Black Canadians. The Initiative's funding will support more than 1,300 projects to improve Black-led organizations' workplaces and community spaces. In addition, working in collaboration with four Black-led national funder organizationsGroupe 3737, Tropicana Community Services, Black Business Initiative and Africa Centremore than $50 million has been provided for 939 projects for Black-led community-based organizations serving Black communities in Canada .

has been dedicated to the Initiative to help organizations work better for Black Canadians. The Initiative's funding will support more than 1,300 projects to improve Black-led organizations' workplaces and community spaces. In addition, working in collaboration with four Black-led national funder organizationsGroupe 3737, Tropicana Community Services, Black Business Initiative and Africa Centremore than has been provided for 939 projects for Black-led community-based organizations serving Black communities in . As part of the Initiative, the Government is also supporting the establishment of a national institute to advance initiatives that address issues affecting Black Canadians from a Black-led perspective.

Through the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative, the Government of Canada provided $1.5 million in 202021 to refurbish the former Nova Scotia Home for Coloured Children, now renamed Kinney Place . Additional funding of $717,404 has been approved to complete the refurbishment of the centre, bringing the total funding contribution to over $2.2 million .

Associated Links

Supporting Diversity Across Canada (news release, August 27, 2019)

About the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative

Building a Foundation for Change: Canada's Anti-Racism Strategy

Follow us on Twitter

SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada

For further information: For media enquiries, please contact: James Cudmore, Office of the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Karina Gould, [email protected]; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social, Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]
The resistance to oppression and resiliency of the Jamaican Maroons are a continued source of pride

GATINEAU, QC, Feb. 22, 2023 /CNW/ - National historic designations encourage us to acknowledge both the triumphs and the struggles that have led us to the Canada of today, and help us reflect on how to build a more inclusive society for today and future generations.

Today, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, announced the designation of the Jamaican Maroons in Nova Scotia as an event of national historic significance under Parks Canada's National Program of Historical Commemoration.

The experiences of the more than 500 Jamaican Maroons forcibly transported to Nova Scotia in 1796 exemplified the insecure rights and freedoms of African-descended British subjects in the late 18th century. Formerly enslaved peoples of African ancestry and their descendants, the Maroons had lived in relative independence and isolation in Trelawny Town, Jamaica. In 1796, almost everyone from the town  approximately 150 families or more than 500 adults and children  were forcibly transported to the British colony of Nova Scotia.

In spite of an inhospitable reception in Nova Scotia, the Maroons maintained a strong sense of community through adaptation, accommodation, and resistance. They reaffirmed their allegiance to the British monarch and acceded in some cases to local demands for their labour and their attendance at Christian churches and schools, while strongly opposing pressures to abandon traditional Akan spiritual and cultural practices. For years, the Maroons tirelessly petitioned for the freedom to leave Nova Scotia. In the end, the British arranged for their migration to Sierra Leone in 1800.

While most of the Maroons left for Sierra Leone, some individuals are believed to have remained in Nova Scotia. Their strong sense of identity, resiliency, and resistance to oppression remain a source of pride for African Nova Scotians.

The Government of Canada, through the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, recognizes significant persons, places, and events that have shaped our country as one way of helping Canadians connect with their past. By sharing these stories with Canadians, we hope to foster understanding and reflection on the diverse histories, cultures, legacies, and realities of Canada's past and present.

The designation process under Parks Canada's National Program of Historical Commemoration is largely driven by public nominations. To date, more than 2,200 designations have been made nationwide. To nominate a person, place or historic event in your community, please visit the Parks Canada website for more information: https://parks.canada.ca/culture/designation/proposer-nominate.

Quotes

"The Jamaican Maroons left a lasting legacy with their dignity, strength, resiliency, and resistance to oppression and still hold a prominent place within the collective memory of African Nova Scotians. Recognizing the national historic significance of the Jamaican Maroons in Nova Scotia helps to memorialize their unique history and contributes to the greater story of Canada."

The Honourable Steven Guilbeault

Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada

"The Trelawny Maroons of Jamaica, demonstrated sheer will and determination through adversity to make significant contributions to Nova Scotia. Today, their resilient legacy lives on in the African Nova Scotian Community and through the remarkable stone work that is a part of the heritage of Citadel Hill and Government House in this province."

Russell Grosse

Executive Director, Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia

"The unique experience of this incredibly defiant community of African Jamaicans in being forcibly sent to Nova Scotia reflects another way that Black people in Canada are resistant, are communal (family oriented) and are diverse. The impact of the Maroons lies in their construction of The Citadel, the creation of communities and in the choice, by many, to leave for Sierra Leone after 4 years in Nova Scotia and speaks to the nature of an intangible freedom."

Rosemary Sadlier

Author, Speaker, Historian, Consultant, and Champion of February as Black History Month & August 1st as Emancipation Day

It is fitting that the Federal Government is commemorating the Trelawny Maroons in Nova Scotia as an event of National Historic Significance. The Maroon exemplifies Black resistance to slavery and colonialism, and a commitment to racial and social justice. As one with roots in the Trelawny Maroon community, I am thrilled at this designation.

Afua Cooper, Killam Research Chair, Dalhousie University.

"As we reflect on the designation of the Jamaican Maroons as an event of national historic significance, we can better appreciate the challenges faced by Black people, but also recognize their unwavering strength and endurance. All Canadians should take time to learn more about the designations that highlight the important contributions of Black Canadians to Canada's growth and heritage."

Arielle Kayabaga

Member of Parliament for London West and Chair of the Black Caucus

Quick Facts

Jamaican Maroons contributed to the building of roads, highways, canals, bridges, buildings, and fortifications in Nova Scotia , including Government House (a national historic site, designated in 1982) and the third fortification on Citadel Hill in Halifax , which was later replaced by the fourth and final Halifax Citadel (a national historic site, designated in 1935).





, including Government House (a national historic site, designated in 1982) and the third fortification on Citadel Hill in , which was later replaced by the fourth and final Halifax Citadel (a national historic site, designated in 1935). While most of the Jamaican Maroons left Nova Scotia for Sierra Leone in 1800, it is widely believed that some individuals stayed behind. Their continued presence is suggested by the surnames, accents, idioms, customs, oral histories, and traditions of African Nova Scotians.





for in 1800, it is widely believed that some individuals stayed behind. Their continued presence is suggested by the surnames, accents, idioms, customs, oral histories, and traditions of African Nova Scotians. Canada officially recognizes the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent, which began in 2015 and will be observed until 2024. The International Decade promotes greater global recognition of and respect for the cultures, history and heritage of people of African descent.





officially recognizes the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent, which began in 2015 and will be observed until 2024. The International Decade promotes greater global recognition of and respect for the cultures, history and heritage of people of African descent. Created in 1919, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada advises the Minister of Environment and Climate Change regarding the national significance of persons, places, and events that have marked Canada's history. Together with Parks Canada, the Board ensures that subjects of national historic significance are recognized under Parks Canada's National Program of Historical Commemoration and these important stories are shared with Canadians.





advises the Minister of Environment and Climate Change regarding the national significance of persons, places, and events that have marked history. Together with Parks Canada, the Board ensures that subjects of national historic significance are recognized under Parks Canada's National Program of Historical Commemoration and these important stories are shared with Canadians. Parks Canada is committed to working with Canadians in our efforts to tell broader, more inclusive stories in the places that it manages. In support of this goal, the Framework for History and Commemoration outlines a comprehensive, and engaging approach to sharing Canada's history through diverse perspectives, including shedding light on tragic and difficult periods of Canada's past.

Related Document

Related Links

SOURCE Parks Canada

For further information: Kaitlin Power, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, 819-230-1557, [email protected]; Media Relations, Parks Canada, 1-855-862-1812 [email protected]
TORONTO, Feb. 23, 2023 /CNW/ - The Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health accompanied by the Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, will announce support to mental health programs for Black communities.

There will be a media availability immediately following the announcement.

Media may attend the announcement either in person or via Zoom.

Date

February 24, 2023

Time

9:30 a.m (EST)

Location

The event will be held in-person at:

Wanasah: Mental Health Services for Black Youth

660 Dundas Street East

3rd Floor, Unit 4

Toronto, Ontario M5A 0R3

Masks are recommended.

Media may also join by Zoom:

https://hc-sc-gc-ca.zoom.us/j/67258181803

Passcode: 230224

Please indicate your name (first and last) and media outlet when joining the event.

Twitter: @GovCanHealth

Facebook: Healthy Canadians

SOURCE Health Canada

For further information: Media Inquiries: Maja Staka, Senior Communications Advisor and Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, [email protected], 343-552-5568; Media Relations: Health Canada, 613-957-2983, [email protected]
After several months of preparation, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has cleared 87,209,007 voters out of the 93.5 million it registered to vote in tomorrows Presidential and National Assembly election and the March 11 governorship and state Assembly polls.





The 87.2 million voters were the number of people who collected their Permanent Voters Cards, PVCs, as of February 5 when the deadline to collect the cards ended.





The electoral umpire insisted yesterday that no one would be allowed to vote without PVC.





Indeed, there were hope and anxiety among Nigerians as candidates and political parties rounded off campaigns across the country, yesterday.





While some votrers expressed hopes that the elections would offer the coutry an opportunity to launch on thr ight path of development, others feared that the process could turn violent, especially considering the violence and verbal exchanges among the presidential candidates and some key stakeholders that had trailed the campaigns which ended yesterday.





According to the data released, yesterday, the number of uncollected PVCs stood at 6,259,229. Nigeria has a registered voting population of 93,469,008.





The Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council PCC had on Wednesday demanded a breakdown of Nigerians who have collected their PVCs, saying the data was necessary for its election planning.





At a news conference Wednesday in Abuja, INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed that the commission would upload the PVC data collection disaggregation on polling unit basis to its website by Friday.





Aside journalists from domestic and foreign media, some of those present at the briefing were former President of Malawi, Joyce Banda; leaders of the International Republican Institute, IRI, and National Democratic Institute, NDI;





Chairmen of the electoral commissions of the Republic of Benin, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Namibia, Tanzania and Niger Republic as well as members of the Diplomatic Corps.





Figures per state.





A state by state breakdown of PVCs collected showed that Lagos has the highest figure of 6,214,970, followed by Kano with 5,594,193; Kaduna, 4,164,473; Katsina, 3,459,945; and, Rivers, 3,285,785.





Ekiti which has the lowest number of registered voters also has the lowest number of PVCs collected  958, 052.





A summation of PVCs collected on the basis of geopolitical zones showed that the North-West has 21,445,000; South-West, 15,536,213; North-Central, 14,603,621; South-South, 13,284,920; North-East, 11,937,769; and, South-East, 10,401,484.





In his address, Yakubu said the Commission has meticulously prepared and implemented its Election Project Plan, learning from recent elections.





This election is a huge logistical deployment. We have painstakingly procured, organized and delivered all the materials to the States for deployment. We commenced the delivery of non-sensitive materials over two months ago and they have been batched down to Registration Area/Ward and Pulling Unit levels.





Sensitive materials have been delivered to the States and are presently being delivered to our Local Government Area offices. As such, these materials are only between one and two levels away from the Polling Units. We have achieved this by learning from our recent difficult experience with logistics. We have completed arrangements with the transport unions for the final leg of the movement of personnel and materials to the Polling Units. They have assured us of their readiness to provide all the vehicular needs of the Commission for the election, he said.





Yakubu added that the commission had also completed all the testing of its technologies to be deployed for the election, particularly the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS and the INEC Results Viewing Portal IReV.





On 4th February 2023, we tested the BVAS in a mock accreditation exercise and uploaded the results to IReV. We are satisfied with the performance of the BVAS, which has been confirmed by several groups that observed the exercise. Lessons learnt from the exercise have helped us in the training of 10,600 Registration Area Technical Support Staff RATECHS. They will provide the necessary support to ensure that the deployment of the BVAS is without hitches.





No PVC, no voting





Let me reiterate that the procedure for voting as provided in the Electoral Act 2022 clearly makes the use of the BVAS mandatory. So, also, the use of the Permanent Voters Cards PVCs. The No PVC, No Voting rule subsists.





In the last few months, we made 13,676,907 PVCs available for collection for new voters and applicants for transfer and replacement of lost/damaged cards. While we are pleased that the rate of collection is higher than in previous years, there are still, unfortunately, many cards that were not collected.





Vote-buying, a major threat





Vote-buying remains a major threat to our democracy. We have worked closely with enforcement agencies to ensure that this is eliminated from our electoral process. We are convinced that our joint operations before and on Election Day will vastly reduce the prospect of voter inducement, which is not only illegal but immoral.





The ban on the use of mobile phones and photographic devices at the voting cubicles is still in place. Some voters have used these devices in previous elections to snap their marked ballot papers for vote transaction. However, citizens are permitted to come to the Polling Units with these devices, as long as they do not take them to the voting cubicles. Our arrangement of placing the ballot box near the voting cubicle and away from party agents remains.





Weve recovered from attacks on INEC facilities





In the build-up to the general election, several of our facilities were attacked by unknown assailants in various parts of the country. I am pleased that we have fully recovered from those attacks, and we have been further assured that our facilities, staff, voters, observers, and citizens will be safe during the election.





As a result of recent developments in the economy, we have also had to consult with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, on the fuel situation. As you all know, we require Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, and Automotive Gas Oil, AGO, to power vehicles and boast for land and marine transportation as well as our generators during the election.





We are pleased that the NNPC Limited assured us that it will ensure availability of the products for the polls. Likewise, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has assured us that it will provide us with the small amount of cash we require from our budget to cash payment to some critical service providers for the election. I must reiterate that the bulk of payment for works goods and services are still paid for by electronic transfer.





I want to assure Nigerians that we are adequately prepared for this election. We remain fully committed to a free, fair and credible process. I want to once again declare that our allegiance is only to Nigerians. Our commitment is to ensure that in this election we put everything in place for free choice, fair contest and credible outcome, he added.





Nigerian banks to close early





Meanwhile, banks have sent notice of early closure to their respective customers ahead of the polls.





Some banks, who sent messages to their customers, said: Kindly be informed that our branches nationwide will close to customers earlier than usual on Friday, February 24, 2023 by 1pm. Please be assured that you can still bank with us through our alternative channels.





Domestic airlines suspend outbound flight operations





Also, domestic airlines have suspended flights operation on Saturday, February 25, 2023.





This move according to them was in line with the Federal Governments no movement on Election Day directive.





It was gathered that the directive might not affect foreign airlines coming into the country as they may choose to operate their schedules and drop passengers.





Confirming the development, the management of Nigerias largest carrier, Air Peace in a statement to the public titled No scheduled flight operations on February 25, 2023 said: There will be no scheduled flights on February 25, 2023, due to the conduct of the Presidential and National Assembly Elections.





Our scheduled flight operations will resume on Sunday, February 26, 2023.





Also, Akwa Iboms government-owned airline, Ibom Air in a statement, stated that This is to inform you that Ibom Air will not be operating on Saturday, 25th February, 2023. This is due to the Presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for this day.





Normal operations will commence on 26th February, 2023.





Dana Air along with Arik Air, also confirmed that it will not have any flights on election day but would return after the elections.





Meanwhile, a source who preferred anonymity revealed that, passengers need to understand that the no movement does not give operators, pilots, cabin crew, flight dispatchers, ground handlers, caterers, oil marketers and all the components that make a successful flight avenue to meet their demands.





An election is a national event and since airlines are of this nation, it stands to reason that any law guiding the elections equally guides us. Our democracy is not as ripe as that of the United States where they do not halt everything to vote.

Also, it was gathered that Air Traffic Controllers, ATC, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, will be on essential duty to guide aircraft as over-flyers or into the countrys airspace.
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, declared yesterday that elections will hold in every part of Nigeria and that the Armed Forces, the Police and other security agencies were ready to defend democracy at all cost.

Acting Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, quoted the CDS as urging Nigerians to discountenance any threat that elections would not hold in certain parts of the country The Armed Forces of Nigeria is committed to strong and virile constitutional democracy. We are very loyal to the Nigerian state and are ready to defend democracy at all cost.

During the election periods, all our normal operations and duties will continue simultaneously across the country, General Irabor was quoted as saying.

The Acting DDI spoke at a joint media briefing with the spokespersons of the Nigerian Police Force, Department of State Service, DSS, as well as those of the Nigerian Air force and the Nigerian Navy

Disclosing that Operation Safe Conduct for the elections had been activated to provide guidance to Armed Forces of Nigeria during elections, Gusau said: DHQ has established a monitoring team, in conjunction with other security agencies, that will oversee the process in FCT and the six geo political zones in the country.

Similarly, operations centers have been established in FCT and 36 state capitals of the federation to serve as quick response centers for all distress calls in the event of any breach of peace during the election period.

He re-echoed the warning of the CDS to undesirable elements that the Armed Forces of Nigeria and other security agencies were ready to subvert any threats to peace and tranquility.

Strong force will be applied to those that want to cause a breach of public peace during the general elections. The Armed Forces of Nigeria, AFN, has adequately sensitized its personnel on their expected roles throughout the period.

On its part, the DSS said that between Saturday, February 18 and Wednesday , February 22, 2023, its operatives uncovered and arrested many gunrunners with several quantities of arms and cache of ammunition meant for bandits and criminally-minded persons, obviously targeted at carrying out sinister actions against the peaceful conduct of the general elections.

Spokesman of the DSS, Dr. Peter Afunnaya, who disclosed this at the briefing, said: To achieve the desired environment for the elections, the Service engaged in pro-active and intelligence-led operations across the states.

For instance, on February 22, 2023, the Service conducted a legally-backed search operation on a property along Airport Road, Nasarawa LGA, Kano State. During the operation, it recovered dangerous weapons, including a gun, daggers, swords, jack-knives from the said building.

Therefore, the accusation that the Service intimidated a particular political party in that state is untrue; otherwise, how come those weapons were found there? Are those objects of violence campaign materials?

Whether in Kano or elsewhere, the DSS has provided equal opportunities for all political parties to engage in their lawful activities. We can say this without any form of contradictions or equivocations.

On the same February 22, 2023, the Service arrested a gunrunner, Aliyu Yahaya, an associate of Kachalla Damina, a suspected bandit who operates around Dansadau, Zamfara State. Items recovered from Yahaya include: one GPMG Rifle; one chain of ammunition, 190 rounds of GMPG Ammunition, 28 rounds of AK47 Ammunition and One (1) grenade. The suspect was going to deliver the armaments to Damina.

In Kaduna State, two arms, couriers, namely Tukur Usman and Illiyasu Adamu, were arrested at Chikun LGA, on February 20, 2023. 372 rounds of 7.62 units of 39mm ammunition; 26 rounds of live ammunition for GPMG rifle were recovered from them. They are suspected arm suppliers to bandits in Zamfara State.

On his part, the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, reiterated the warning of the Inspector General of Police to escorts and aides of VIPs and governors not to perform escort duties, blow siren or move in vehicles without plate number and those that are tinted, noting that the Police would send out monitoring teams to apprehend any violator of these directives.

He said governors were only allowed to move with their ADCs, orderlies and a few escort personnel.

While urging active electorate, those from 18 years and above with their PVCs to come out and vote without fear, let or hindrance on Saturday, he advised inactive voters, those without PVC, who had nothing to do with the election, to remain at home to avoid causing trouble.

For those whose polling units are far off or distant to their abodes, Adejobi advised them to move to locations near their polling units or wake early and move to their polling units before voting starts.

To those who believe they have monopoly of violence, that man who thinks he can pull the trigger may not be alive to see the end. So they should steer clear of the polling centers, he said.




The spokesman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Presidential Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo, has disclosed why the partys presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu will win Saturdays election.





Keyamo said the Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate, Peter Obi and the G-5 governors will help Tinubu win the Saturdays presidential election.





In a tweet, Keyamo said Tinubu would be declared president-elect next week.





He wrote: The reasons Asiwaju will win are Peter Obi and the G5; after @officialABAT is declared winner, add the votes of Obi & the APC votes in Rivers & Oyo to that of PDP, then youll see how PDP lost its way.





See you all next week when @officialABAT is President-Elect.





Tinubu, Obi, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, are the frontline candidates for Saturdays election.




The Defence Headquarters said troops of Operation Whirl Punch have apprehended one of the masterminds of the March 28, 2022, terrorist attack on the Abuja-Kaduna train service.





The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj Gen Musa Danmadami, made the disclosure at the bi-weekly news briefing on the operations of the armed forces, on Thursday in Abuja.





Danmadami said the suspect was one of the three terrorists apprehended by troops at Damba community in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Feb. 14.





He said the operation led to the recovery of two motorcycles, mobile phones, the sum of 5,000 dollars, other currencies and some sundry items.





According to him, troops on fighting patrol also neutralised seven terrorists at Ungwan Birni in Kajuru Local Government Area of the state.





He said 83 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 50 rounds of 7.62mm special, and seven magazines, among other items, were recovered from the terrorists.





Danmadami also said troops of Operation Hadarin Daji, had within the period, neutralised 23 terrorists and arrested nine as well as rescued 23 abducted civilians.





According to him, the air component conducted a series of air interdiction operations to decimate and deny the terrorists the freedom of action within the period under review.





Specifically, on Feb. 13, an air interdiction operation was conducted based on intelligence report that terrorists had gathered for a wedding ceremony at a location within Safana Local Government Area of Katsina State.





Another air interdiction operation was conducted at identified terrorist locations within Kankara and Batsari Local Government Areas, all in Katsina State.





Feedback revealed that several terrorists were neutralised in both air strikes, the defence spokesman said.
Atiku Abubakar, Presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has urged Nigerians to ignore an audio clip circulating social media.

In the clip, Atiku purportedly revealed plans by himself, Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal; and Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State to rig the presidential election of Saturday.

But in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, by his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the PDP presidential candidate said the audio is fake.

He said the clip in circulation was a confirmation of his warning last week that the opposition would deepen its propaganda ahead of the election.

We warned last week that as the election approaches, there will be a spike in the rate of propaganda on social media. With barely 24 hours to the poll, we have witnessed propaganda from not just the All Progressives Congress but the Labour Party as well.

In this latest drivel, a montage of speeches delivered by Atiku, Tambuwal, and Okowa since last year were manipulated and pieced together to give an impression that they were discussing plans to rig Saturdays election. In this age of artificial intelligence technology, even dead people can be portrayed as delivering speeches. This is nothing new.

For the record, Atiku has run in two presidential elections and has never been indicted or prosecuted for election violence or vote buying.

But some people think they can sell a narrative of Atiku manipulating this election. This is indeed the height of desperation, the last kick of a dying horse. The APC and the Labour Party must note that elections are not won on social media but at the polling units, the statement said.

Atiku said the audio clip, which had been shared numerous times on WhatsApp, could be identified easily as fake even from the tone of the purported discussants.

It is unfortunate that those seeking power will engage in outdated defeatist tactics. How can Tambuwal be referring to Atiku by his full name in a one-on-one private conversation?

Atiku also advised his supporters not to engage in the propaganda war, which he claimed had become the style of both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Labour Party.

When they descend to the level of baseless propaganda, we will rise above it with dignity and respond with our PVCs. This election is a watershed in Nigerian history. Nigerians must not lose sight of what is most important, which is the need to rebuild this broken system, revitalize the economy, and improve security and the hope of the people in a united Nigeria, he said.

The presidential candidate called on the police and other security agencies as well as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remain fair and neutral in the polls.

He asked them to go after those behind the audio tape in line with Section 123(c) of the Electoral Act which provides that any person who before or during an election publishes any statement to the personal character or conduct of a candidate calculated to prejudice the chance of election of the candidate or to promote or procure the election of another candidate and such statement is false and was published without reasonable grounds for belief by the person publishing it that the statement is true, commits an offense and is liable on conviction to a maximum of N100,000 or imprisonment for a term of six months or both.
The Ondo State of the Labour Party has raised the alarm over the omission of its logo on the ballot papers sent to the state.

This is noticed barely 24 hours before the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled to hold Saturday.

The partys state secretary, Mr Agbaje Abiodun, at a press briefing in Akure, the state capital on Friday said, There is an omission of our party logo on the ballots brought by the Independent National Electoral Commission for the National Assembly (Senate and House of Representatives) elections.

Abiodun threatened to challenge the action of INEC in court if it went ahead to conduct the election as scheduled without amendments.

More to come
The Rivers police command has arrested Chinyere Igwe, a member of the house of representatives, with $498,100 cash.

Igwe is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmaker representing Port Harcourt II federal constituency.

He is a supporter of Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the PDP.

Grace Iringe-Koko, the Rivers police spokesperson, said the lawmaker was also apprehended with a list for the distribution of the money.

Police officers from Rivers state command deployed to INEC headquarters, Aba road today 24/2/2023 at about 0245hrs, while on stop and search, arrested one honourable Chinyere Igwe, member house of representatives representing Port Harcourt II federal constituency with a cash sum of $498,100 inside a bag in his car, the police spokesperson wrote in a statement.

Also recovered was a list for distribution of the money.

Iringe-Koko said Abutu Yaro, assistant inspector-general (elections) has ordered swift interrogation of the lawmaker and subsequent arraignment in court.

The police asked all candidates and political parties to comply strictly with provisions of the 2022 Electoral Act and other laws guiding elections.

The development comes less than 24 hours to the presidential and national assembly elections.

Igwe is a supporter of Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the PDP.

In August 2022, the Rivers state government said it would prosecute the lawmaker over alleged involvement in oil bunkering.

Weeks later, his filling station in the state was sealed off over allegations of involvement in criminal activities.




Amid his health challenge, a British Consul, Ms. Heather Wilkie met with Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, in the custody of the Department of State Services, DSS.

Kanus Special Counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, said the IPOB leader discussed issues bothering on his health and extrajudicial detention with the British Consul.

Ejimakor also said other issues discussed by Kanu and Wilkie cant be made public.

In a tweet, Ejimakor wrote: UPDATE: I visited #MNK today in the company of SAN Machukwu-Ume & Barr Maxwell Opara.

MNK confirmed to me a recent visit by the British Consul & that the matter of his extrajudicial detention & health were predominant.

Other messages are legion but not for public consumption.

Kanu has been locked up in a DSS facility in Abuja.




The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has postponed the Enugu East Senatorial election earlier scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday February 25, 2023.

The cancellation was sequel to the murder of the Labour Party candidate for the election, Barr. Oyibo Chukwu.

Recall that Chukwu was set ablaze alongside five others while he was returning to Enugu metropolis

Chairman of the Labour Party in the State, Hon Casmir Agbo described the death of the candidate as shocking.

Agbo, who spoke to journalists at the partys secretariat, said the LP wrote the INEC informing it of Chukwus demise.

INEC advised us and we met and wrote to INEC Abuja through the National Headquarters in line with Section 33 and 34. The party has 14 days to nominate another candidate for substitution.

In line with the Electoral Ect, we have done what we ought to do and yesterday INEC cancelled the election. We will hold our primary election in the next 14 days.

So the election has been cancelled and a new date will be fixed by INEC.

He insisted that contrary to claims in some quarters, the Senatorial candidate was assassinated.

Someone who was shot in his vehicle and set ablaze.

They planned it; the man was coming back from his village Amuri and they double crossed him at Amechi. They shot him in his car alongside other occupants and poured fuel in his vehicle and burnt it. So it wasnt an accident or armed robbery; nothing like that. It was well planned and executed.

He was murdered. Oyibo Chukwu was murdered by assailants. Investigations are still on but the party sees it as a political murder.

His death will not deter the party; it will rather act as a boost. We wont lose another person, but we shall win this election in a landslide victory.

Enugu East belongs to the Labour Party. Enugu State belongs to the Labour Party. Killing somebody will not deter us.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured that the results of Saturdays presidential and National Assembly elections will be declared as quickly as possible.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said this at his media briefing in Abuja on Friday.

NigerianEye recalls that the 2019 presidential elections result was formally declared after two days of the elections.

But Yakubu said the commission will speed up the process this year.

I just want to say that we will ensure that it (result declaration) will be done speedily. I cant put a finger on the number of days or number of hours it will take, but it will be done speedily. We are aware of the anxiety and the need for us to conclude the process quickly, it will be concluded quickly, he said.

Yakubu also assured that the process will not suffer any encumbrance due to the recent cash crunch triggered by the naira re-design policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

It is not all our operations that are paid for by cash. In fact, the bulk of our procurement for both goods and services is done electronically, but we need a small amount of money to pay for the unbanked who render critical services, particularly at the local level.

We anticipated this challenge and interacted with the Central Bank, they promised us that the little amount we need to pay for services in cash, they will make the funds available to us and they have done so.

And these funds have already been accessed by our state offices for elections which is why the movement of personnel and materials in the last couple of days has gone on unhindered. So, I must give credit for our relationship with the Central Bank in that regard. So, the process wont suffer any encumbrance as a result, Yakubu said.

The INEC boss expressed satisfaction on the progress being made with the movement of materials to the various locations around the country.

He said, Having deployed these materials to the Local Government Areas, we are today devolving the deployment to the Registration Area Centers (RACs) so that early morning tomorrow the polls will open as planned. These RACs have been activated and election duty staff have started arriving in them.




The Labour Party, LP, has slammed the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for omitting the partys logo on Lagos State ballot papers for the Saturday election.





Recall that INEC had on Wednesday taken delivery of sensitive materials for the Presidential and National Assembly Elections scheduled for Saturday, February 25.





LP Chairman in the State, Dayo Ekong, who decried the exclusion of the partys logo on Senatorial and House of Representatives ballot papers in a statement on Thursday, called on the INEC to either correct the mistakes or reschedule the National Assembly election.





While calling on INEC to either correct what she described as an anomaly, she said, As Nigerians prepare to go to the polls to vote a new president and members of the Senate and House of Representatives on Saturday, the LP is decrying the flagrant exclusion of its National Assembly candidates on the ballot papers.





This malicious error was found out in Lagos this morning during the routine inspection of election materials by my executive members. It was at inspection that it was discovered that the L P was not listed for the election for the Senate and House of Representatives. This is unacceptable and a wicked way of disenfranchising Lagos State electorates.





It is unimaginable that the Lagos electorate will only vote for the Labour Party Presidential Candidate for the elections slated for Saturday, Feb. 25, as INEC made no provision for the election of the Partys Senate and House of Representatives Candidates. We cannot accept this as we do not believe that INEC made a mistake but rather a deliberate, malicious and intentional act to disenfranchise our supporters from exercising their civic rights, which is unacceptable.





Further checks on the INEC website revealed that the names of Lagos LP candidates were not uploaded even as the list and court orders for the same were duly submitted to INEC and acknowledged. We have severally pointed out the bias displayed by the State INEC REC towards our Party and his increasing attacks on our leaders.





The party, however, called on all stakeholders, lovers of democracy, foreign observers and the international community to quickly wade in.




The Senator representing the Enugu East Senatorial District, Chimaroke Nnamani, who is also seeking re-election, has reacted to the killing of his counterpart of the Labour Party, Oyibo Chukwu.





In a seemingly taunting statement, the former Enugu State governor said the deceased was not favoured to win the election as speculated on social media.





He also said the late Oyibo Chukwu was largely unknown and that his party (LP) thrives on deception and social media stunts, claiming it was impossible defeating him as a sitting senator and past two-term governor of the state.





His reaction is contained in a statement via his verified Twitter handle on Thursday.





Recall that Oyibo Chukwu was murdered and set ablaze alongside other party members on Wednesday evening at Amaechi Awkunanaw, Enugu South Local Government Area of the State.





It was also gathered that the unidentified persons accosted them while riding in a Toyota Sienna vehicle.





Nnamani said he would welcome any opportunity for INEC to postpone the senatorial election in Enugu East Senatorial District.





He wrote, We welcome any opportunity for INEC to postpone the senatorial election in Enugu East Senatorial District. While we strongly condemn the senseless killing of the LP senatorial candidate for the election by yet-to-be-identified gunmen, deeply sympathize with all the bereaved, and urge the investigative agencies to fish out the perpetrators.





Any suggestion that the deceased was favoured to win the election is ridiculous to say the least. It is only a party that thrives on deception and social media stunts that would claim it was about defeating a sitting senator and past two-term governor of the state with a candidate that was largely unknown (may his soul rest in peace) Indeed the postponement will allow the world to see how it has been scammed by the Labour Party.




Worried by the hardship emanating from the naira redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has stated its position on the Saturday presidential election.





In a statement issued on Friday by the National President of the union, Emmanuel Osodeke, ASUU declared that it is time Nigerians reorganised the political and socio-economic equations of the country for the benefit of the generality of its people.





The union urged eligible voters to scrutinize the various candidates before casting their votes, stressing that a stop must be put to a situation where the resources belonging to citizens are concentrated in the hands of a few manipulative political elites.





On the naira policy by the apex bank, ASUU lamented that business has become nightmarish to a majority of hapless and helpless Nigerians, stating that the policy was ill-conceived





On a daily basis, ordinary citizens are confronted with a gruesome sense of abandonment by the federal, state and local authorities whose primary responsibilities are the security and welfare of the citizens.





Poverty, hunger, diseases and sundry existential challenges have become daily companions of the citizenry. Meanwhile, political elites carry on as if they have lost every idea about organising and running a decent society for the benefit of all.





The country, no doubt, is in dire need of focused leadership that will restore order and inject life into a nation desperately gasping for breath.





This is why ASUU calls on Nigerians to carefully weigh the profiles and antecedents of those that have been thrown up by various political parties before casting their votes, the statement added.
Femi Falana, human rights advocate, says soldiers are to be confined to the barracks and put on alert during elections.

On Saturday, Nigerians will head to the polls to elect a new president and members of the national assembly.

On February 16, Usman Baba, the inspector-general of police (IGP), said a total of 404,106 security operatives will be mobilised for the elections.

Baba said the security operatives include officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Federal Road Service Corps (FRSC), Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), armed forces, and Department of State Services (DSS).

Days ago, the Nigerian Army launched its operation Safe Conduct for the elections, and also released a list of hotlines that Nigerians can call to report suspicious activities during the polls.

Within the past 48 hours, videos showing armoured vehicles belonging to the military driving along streets have surfaced on social media.

Reacting to the development in a legal opinion published on Friday, Falana cited a previous court judgment on allowing the military to be deployed during elections, adding that there are enough agencies to handle security issues.

Following the investigation conducted by the army headquarters into the rigging of the 2014 Ekiti state governorship election, some military officers were indicted and retired, Falana said.

And in the appeal arising from the election petition filed by the APC, the Court of Appeal stated in All Progressives Congress v Peoples Democratic Party (2015) LPELR 24349 that the president lacked the power to call on the armed forces to restore law and order in any part of the federation without the approval of the national assembly as provided in sections 217(2) and 218(4) of the Constitution as amended.

On the basis of the aforementioned cases, the APC requested former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Attahiru Jega, not to allow the Jonathan administration to deploy the armed forces in conducting the 2015 General Election.

The request of the APC was contained in a letter dated February 16, 2015, and signed by the Director, Legal Services of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Mr. Chukwuma-Machukwu Ume (SAN).

In view of the foregoing, President Buhari should not allow the armed forces in the conduct of the election. Instead of terrorising voters, armed soldiers should be confined to their barracks and put on the alert.

Since the Federal Government has restricted the movement of people throughout the country, the police, anti-graft agencies and paramilitary forces should be deployed by the Inspector-General of Police to maintain law and order during the 2023 General Election.

President Buhari should be reminded of the cautionary words of the Court of Appeal in Yussuf v Obasanjo (supra) that it is up to the police to protect our nascent democracy and not the military, otherwise democracy might be wittingly or unwittingly militarised. This is not what the citizenry bargained for in wrestling power from the military in 1999.
Barely 24 hours to the presidential election, the North has been accused of systematically betraying the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu.

Deji Adeyanju, a social media influencer, said most Northern religious leaders have dumped Tinubu for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

The socio-political activist disclosed this in a series of tweets.

Adeyanju linked the current trend to the action of the Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

He accused Obi of playing the religious card by visiting churches to seek for votes.

According to Adeyanju: The North betraying Tinubu systematically. Almost all major religious leaders in the North have endorsed Atiku.

Someone says todays sermon in the mosques will be direct and unequivocal. That it is not only Christian leaders who know how to endorse their own. See what Obi caused.

Didnt we all condemn the Muslim-Muslim ticket here? Did you have to start moving from church to church as a presidential candidate because of that then get pastors in the country to openly preach with your logo and pictures in churches? Obi made this election about religion.

After listening to the message by Sheik Dahiru Bauchi endorsing Atiku on Freedom Radio, let me put it on record again that: I condemn, I condemn and I condemn the use of religion for politics. It does not matter whether it is done by Christian or Muslim leaders, it is not good.

Shame on Obi for making 2023 election about religion. He started going from church to church from the beginning of his campaign because he doesnt have structure and wanted the church to become his structure. Then forced pastors to endorse him. Now, imams doing same for others.
Oworu Olumide Abiodun, the actor, has announced his interest to contest for the Lagos state house of assembly membership under the Labour Party.

The movie star, who is popularly known for his role as Tari in the Africa Magic series The Johnsons, declared his interest via social media posts on Thursday.

The actor shared a flyer alongside a write-up stating the reason for his move.

Oworu said he would like to represent the Surulere constituency at the Lagos house of assembly  a position held by Desmond Elliot, another movie star.

He added that the youths are now aware more than ever and that has motivated his decision.

It is with a sense of honour and duty that I announce my candidacy for membership of The Lagos State House of Assembly  Surulere Constituency 1 on the platform of The Labour Party. The youth of this generation in Nigeria are more politically aware than ever and are now striving to have our voices heard and take part in the government process of this great country, he wrote.

As someone with a passion for youth development, it is on this note that I tender myself in service to play my part in the actualization of an all inclusive government, where the young Nigerian intellectuals have a chance to make a change by being a part of the move for the creation of a new Nigeria. Thank you for your support. A new Nigeria is Possible.





It remains to be seen when Tari picked the partys form and won the primaries.

The actors post also comes a few months after the deadline for the submission of nomination forms by politicians contesting for seats at the state houses of assembly  which was August 8, 2022.

Nigerians will go to the polls on February 25 to elect a new president, while the governorship and house of representatives elections will hold on March 11.
The National Youth Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Israel Dayo, has urged Nigerians to discountenance his principals weak point and focus more on the great things he has in stock for Nigerians.

Dayo spoke on Thursday while featuring on Arise Televisions Morning Show program.

He said disputing Bola Tinubus credentials is irrelevant, arguing that his track record speaks for his capacity.

He said: Tinubu was the governor of Lagos [responsible for] transforming the economy, rebuilding the city. [He] turned around Bar Beach and turned it to Eko Atlantic City.

He transformed the Ahmadu Bello Way axis. He built the Lekki-Epe axis all the way down. He rebuilt the road that leads to Lagos State University, LASU.

We should be focusing on substance and the impact this person wants to make. Whether primary school or no primary school, he has the capacity and mental element.




The Ohanaeze Ndigbo socio-political organization, has vowed to provide terrorism evidence to prosecute Biafra agitator Simon Ekpa.





Ohanaeze said providing evidence against Ekpa would serve as a deterrent to those planning violent agitation in the Southeast.





Speaking with newsmen, the Secretary-General of Ohanaeze, Okechukwu Isiguzoro said Ekpas arrest would not affect Nnamdi Kanus case.





Finish authority had arrested Ekpa from his apartment in Lahti.





He was later released after the police allegedly arrested him for a suspected crime.





The Finnish Central Criminal Police has now confirmed Ekpas release on Thursday.





The police claimed Ekpas arrest was in connection with the ongoing preliminary investigation.





However, Isiguzoro said: Ohanaeze Ndigbo will be happy to help the Federal Government to provide all necessary evidence of terrorism that will help prosecute Ekpa.





Nnamdi Kanu never openly admitted that he was responsible for the killings in the Southeast, but Ekpa has openly admitted that he is the one funding the killings in the Southeast.





Kanus case is different, Ekpas case is different. Ekpas case is different because he was arrested by the Finnish authorities, while Kanu was arrested in Kenya.





His arrest will not affect Nnamdi Kanu or complicate his matter because the IPOB leader was illegally kidnapped in Kenya but Ekpa is the founder of terrorism in the Southeast and there are a lot of evidence to this fact.





Ohanaeze will provide evidence in Ekpas prosecution that would serve as a deterrent to others who want to go into violent agitations.
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New Years resolutions have a way of getting kicked down the road in New Orleans. Carnival begins just a few days after the calendar flips and Carnival is an awful lot for resolutions to compete with if theyre the usual types about eating lighter, living healthier, perhaps getting more fit.

Now Mardi Gras has passed, Lent has begun for the Catholic community and regardless of religious devotion, many of us are probably feeling just a bit penance-worthy from recent behavior.

I was already thinking about this while still in the throes of Carnival and promising myself to try to get in a little bit better shape. Thats when I noticed what seems to be a problematic pattern. And I noticed it at the gym.

I go to the Anytime Fitness location on Canal Street because it is the closest gym to my house and also (perhaps subliminally) because it is flanked by cemeteries, a reminder of why exercise is important anyway.

And there, past the free weights, the medieval-looking cable-strung weight systems and the treadmills, I stare temptation right in the face. Thats because the wall of windows at this particular gym looks across the neutral ground to the Beachcorner Bar & Grill (4905 Canal St.) Its sign, helpfully lit by neon, is quite enough to trigger cravings for a Beachcorner burger, a classic with a loose grind, just a bit of char and a tumble of creamy, sour blue cheese, the way I like it.

Then I walk outside post-workout and of course, I can smell the burgers cooking. My defense against going in for a meal that will likely give back twice as many calories as I just burned (Im guessing) is to simply carry no cards or currency to the gym. I have to go home and regroup. I remember that there are other restaurants I need to hit on my beat (yes, this is my life) and that the burger will be there another day.

At first, I found this particular placement of resolution and temptation an amusing coincidence. But then I started looking a little closer.
The Krewe of Argus rolls to the theme 'Argus is Golden,' during its 50th anniversary Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023, in Metairie. Steven LaChute reigned as king and Allison Langhetee as queen over 500 members on 27 floats. Throws included a stuffed peacock, golden whistles from the co-captains, light-up balls, fedoras and doubloons. (Staff photo by Scott Threlkeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
A Lafayette man who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for his role in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot is set for sentencing Friday.

Vaughn Gordon, 56, pleaded guilty to a count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, a misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison, five years probation and a $5,000 fine.

In exchange for the plea deal, federal prosecutors dismissed additional charges of entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building and violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building.

Gordon will be sentenced by Judge Paul Friedman of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia via Zoom at 2 p.m. Friday.

As part of his plea, Gordon signed a statement confirming he traveled with a friend to Washington D.C. to join the Stop the Steal rally protesting Joe Bidens 2020 presidential election victory. He marched to the Capitol and entered the building, equipped with goggles to protect himself from tear gas deployed by law enforcement.

Court filings detail how he then posted photos on Facebook showing himself in the Capitols rotunda with the caption, Live inside the Congress building. It was worth the tear gas. Gordon told an Advocate reporter and prosecutors that he did not commit violence during the riot.

Federal prosecutors are seeking a sentence of 30 days of incarceration, 36 months of probation, 60 hours of community service and $500 in restitution. Gordon previously agreed to the restitution amount during his September plea deal.

The 56-year-old is the first Louisiana participant to plead guilty and be set for sentencing in the case. Two other Louisiana men were arrested in relation to the riot: Cody Connell of Vivian and Matthew LeBrun of New Orleans.

Federal prosecutors say LeBrun wore a body camera and a tactical vest adorned with a logo of the far-right Three Percenters militia and Connell allegedly pledged on social media to return to the Capitol in subsequent days.

In Gordons case, federal prosecutors argue that the 30-day incarceration request is appropriate because the 56-year-old readily bragged about his participation in the riot to the public in the following days in his postings on social media and has yet to express any remorse for his participation in the riot.

The Department of Justice also argues the sentence is important as a general deterrent to prevent a similar attack on the rule of law. Altogether the riot ...threatened the peaceful transfer of power after the 2020 Presidential election, injured more than one hundred police officers, and resulted in $2.8 million in losses, the prosecutions sentencing memo said.

Gordons attorney Michelle Peterson, the chief assistant federal public defender, filed a sentencing memorandum calling for Gordon to receive probation, which she says was the recommendation of the probation officer who conducted Gordons pre-sentence investigation.

Peterson noted Gordon does not have a criminal record, makes a living restoring classic cars and met the requirements of his pretrial release.

...Mr. Gordon has taken no actions to suggest he would ever engage in this type of conduct again. He has not participated in rallies, has not continued to post about or espouse theories about the election being stolen, and has not engaged in any criminal behavior, Petersons sentencing memorandum said.

The defense attorney also referenced over 100 cases tied to the Jan. 6 riot where defendants in similar positions to Gordon were sentenced to probation instead of incarceration.

...his culpability is minimal in contrast with those who vandalized or stole government property or assaulted or threatened law enforcement, she said.

US Vaughn Gordon sentencing memo.pdf

Gordon's federal sentencing memo.pdf

Advocate staff reporter James Finn contributed to this report.
Faimon Roberts III covers rural communities in Louisiana. His work is supported by a reporting grant from the Microsoft Journalism Initiative and is administered by the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

He can be reached at froberts@theadvocate.com.
The killing of the New Orleans police chief's cousin on Mardi Gras outside Kermit's Treme Mother-In-Law Lounge in the 7th Ward was called an accident Thursday by two of the victims children.

Gregory Williams said he was on the phone with his mother, Nicole Williams, 50, when he overheard women near her argue and a fight break out. Dynasty Williams said she was with her mother and her best friend, Raychell White, in the 1500 block of North Claiborne Avenue when the fight began.

As the altercation escalated, Dynasty Williams said, White moved to pull a gun in self-defense but it discharged, fatally wounding Williams. She and her brother both called the killing an accident.

White accompanied Williams to University Medical Center. Later, police booked her with second-degree murder.

'I lost three people'

Gregory Williams, who said his mother was 15 when she gave birth to him, cant wrap his head around what happened.

This has been real hard dealing with this because I lost three people at one time, because my momma was not only my first best friend, she was my big sister and she was my mom, he said.

Dynasty Williams said she was devastated not only over losing her mother but also over her friend's arrest. She said her mother loved White as much as a blood relative.

Chells supposed to be here with me, she said. Chell shouldnt have to go through none of this  by herself."

Gregory Williams was talking to his mother Tuesday night from a prison in Georgia where he is serving time for a 2007 murder. Relatives said they hope to get him home on furlough for his mother's funeral.

Family has set up a GoFundMe page to help raise funds for Nicole Williams' funeral.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards speaks during a press conference at the Andrew P. Sanchez and Copelin-Byrd Multi-Service Center in New Orleans on Thursday, February 16, 2023. Officials gathered to announce the end of the Road Home program and the end of the lawsuits the program filed against people accused of misspending their elevation grants. (Photo by Brett Duke, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
South Africa: EPWP training leads to permanent employment for Bloemfontein woman

A Bloemfontein woman has secured permanent employment in the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) after having participated in the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).

Annekie De Wee was appointed as a security admin officer at DPWI's Bloemfontein Regional Office after completing the EPWP General Security Practice Learnership.

"The training I received from the EPWP learnership included proper use of security equipment, conducting security patrols and handling complaints and problems. The training covered both theoretical and practical aspects of security work," De Wee said.

She pointed out that upon completing the training, she applied for a vacant security admin position in the department and was subsequently appointed to the position.

"I must state that before joining the EPWP, I had already completed Grade C security training. So during the interview, I displayed a wider understanding of security work," she said.

De Wee said she will never forget the day she received the good news that she had been placed.

The phone call came through while I was at the doctor's office...as I was waiting for the doctor to attend to my son the phone rang and the official on the line told me I had been hired. I was so elateds, I looked at my son and with a big smile I said: Mommy just got a job,''" De Wee said.

"I couldn't contain my excitement. I even shared the good news with the doctor," she beamed.

Explaining her first day at work, De Wee said she was made to feel at home as her supervisor introduced her to officials within the unit and was also taken through some of the activities that were expected to be performed in her duties.

As a security officer in the department, some of the tasks that she performs include security vetting of officials, taking fingerprints of officials who have just been hired, manning the security control area and providing general security services in the department.

De Wee encouraged community members who are currently participating in the EPWP to use the programme to create a better life for themselves.

"I appeal to participants to not underestimate the value of the EPWP. I urge them to look beyond the monthly stipend but rather to focus on the bigger picture...they must use the EPWP as a springboard to reach for their dreams," she added.

The manager responsible for EPWP Training at DPWI's Bloemfontein Regional Office, Rose Dichakane, explained that De Wee was one of the 22 participants who were part of the training.

She said the training was initiated by the regional office and was funded by the National Skills Fund (NSF).

"Although the learnership was initially for a duration of 12 months, it was extended for an additional six months because at that time there was a shortage of security officers in our regional office.

When a vacancy for one security officer was advertised, all the participants applied and after the interviews, De Wee was the one who was appointed," Dichakane said.

She elaborated that while De Wee was the only one appointed by DPWI, she had received reports that some learners had also obtained employment with various private companies in the Free State.

The manager responsible for the learnership in the department, Thapelo Sedupane, said De Wee's appointment to the department proved that EPWP does contribute to sustainable livelihoods.

The Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) is one of Governments medium to long-term strategies to reduce unemployment and alleviate poverty through the creation of work opportunities using labour-intensive methods.

The EPWP is implemented in four sectors namely: Infrastructure, Social, Environment & Culture and Non-State. All spheres of government and State-Owned Entities are expected to implement the Programme.

The EPWP Participants (beneficiaries) work in different projects like Community Work Programme (CWP), Early Childhood Development Programmes, Home Community Based Care Programmes, Extra School Support Programmes, Working on Fire, Working for Water, Roads Maintenance Projects, etc.

Through various skills and training that the participants receive from the EPWP, they (participants) stand a better chance to enter the formal job market and/or become entrepreneurs.

The EPWP has contributed in alleviating poverty through the creation of work and training opportunities for the poor and unemployed South Africans.

The programme has also contributed to the development and upliftment of communities through the delivery of community beneficial assets and services.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2023-02-24. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
HKEX chief executive says positive sentiment returns to IPO market in second half of 2022

Xinhua) 09:32, February 24, 2023

HONG KONG, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) remained one of the world's premier capital raising venues throughout 2022, with positive sentiment returning to the IPO market in the second half, according to the HKEX Chief Executive Officer Nicolas Aguzin.

Aguzin said in the HKEX's 2022 final results released Thursday that a total of 90 new companies from a range of sectors and geographies successfully joined the Hong Kong markets in 2022, raising 104.6 billion Hong Kong dollars (about 13.33 billion U.S. dollars), 65 percent of which was for the new economy sector, putting Hong Kong in the top four markets globally in 2022.

According to the HKEX, it recorded 18,456 million Hong Kong dollars in revenue and other income for 2022, 12 percent lower than the record in 2021.

Core business revenue was down 9 percent against 2021, reflecting reduced trading and clearing fees, lower depository fees and listing fees, which was partly offset by the increase in net investment income from margin funds and higher trading fees from the derivatives market, it showed.

Northbound Bond Connect average daily trading reached a record high of 32.2 billion RMB (about 4.67 billion U.S. dollars), up 21 percent compared with 2021.

Laura Cha Shih May-lung, chairperson of the HKEX, said that 2022 was a good year of strategic progress for the HKEX, and a significant number of important strategic initiatives were accomplished or announced during the year, which have positioned the HKEX well to continue to lead and shape the development of the region's global capital markets. (1 U.S. dollar equals 7.84 HK dollars)

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
Hammond Horseshoe Casino, Centier and CAPTRUST were named among the Best Places to Work in Indiana.

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce named 125 businesses as among the top workplaces in the Hoosier State, including 40 newcomers to the list.

The Best Places to Work in Indiana program is so popular because it not only showcases the states top workplaces, but also includes an employee survey that helps all applicants improve their culture and productivity, Indiana Chamber President and CEO Kevin Brinegar said. One exciting point is that more small companies made the list this year than ever before."

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce recognized the Hammond Horseshoe Casino and CAPTRUST in Chesterton in the major category with more than 1,000 employees and Centier Bank in the large categories with between 250 and 999 employees.

It's the 18th year the Indiana Chamber has run the program, which is open to companies based in Indiana and out-of-state companies with at least 15 full-time employees in Indiana.

The chamber will unveil the rankings on May 10 at an awards ceremony.

The rankings are based in part on employee surveys that result in in-depth evaluations that identify strengths and weaknesses they can use to recruit, retain and develop employees.

With small businesses being the backbone of our states economy, its encouraging to see so many putting an emphasis on culture," Brinegar said. "This has a profound impact on the communities they serve.

The public can attend the 2023 Best Places to Work in Indiana awards celebration, which will take place in Indianapolis.

For more information, visit www.indianachamber.com/conferences.
Indiana small business owners are being encouraged to consult their accountant or tax preparer to see if a new state law can immediately help reduce their federal tax obligations.

Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb signed into law Senate Enrolled Act 2 Wednesday after it won unanimous approval by the Indiana Senate and House earlier this month.

The statute creates a substitute for the state income tax by establishing a new, voluntary pass-through entity tax that's not subject to the $10,000 maximum federal income tax deduction for payment of state and local taxes (SALT).

The SALT deduction cap primarily impacts smaller businesses where the owners or shareholders pay their own individual income taxes, such as partnerships and S Corps. Businesses that pay federal income tax as a corporation typically are entitled to an unlimited SALT deduction.

Under the law, the opportunity for Indiana small business owners to pay the pass-through entity tax is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2022, potentially providing immediate tax benefits to eligible Indiana businesses.

State Sen. Scott Baldwin, R-Noblesville, the sponsor of the measure, estimated the federal tax savings for Hoosier business owners could amount to $50 million a year  without negatively impacting state tax receipts.

"This new law builds on our already strong business climate and continues to make Indiana a great place to live and work," Baldwin said.

"I am really appreciative of the effort that went into passing this piece of bipartisan legislation. Seeing the commitment to moving this forward in a timely manner reinforces the Legislature's and state's commitment to helping Hoosier small businesses," he added.

Natalie Robinson, state director for the National Federation of Independent Business, applauded Hoosier lawmakers for joining the 29 other states offering a workaround to the federal SALT deduction cap enacted in 2017.

"Small business owners are thankful today that the Legislature passed this important legislation which provides significant tax relief to Hoosier small businesses and levels the playing field by allowing small businesses to qualify for tax deductions that large corporations already receive," Robinson said.

The new law was cosponsored by state Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago, among others.

It's the first legislative proposal to be approved by the 2023 Indiana General Assembly and signed by the governor.

Gallery: Get to know the state symbols of Indiana State Aircraft: Republic Aviation P-47 Thunderbolt State Bird: Cardinal State Flag State Flower: Peony State Fossil: Mastodon State Gun: Grouseland Rifle State Insect: Say's Firefly State Language: English State Motto: "Crossroads of America" State Nickname: The Hoosier State State Pie: Sugar Cream Pie (unofficial) State Poem: "Indiana" State River: Wabash State Seal State Snack: Indiana-Grown Popcorn State Song: "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away" State Stone: Limestone State Tree: Tulip tree
It's been a rough winter for NIPSCO customers with natural gas bills often running hundreds of dollars after a natural gas rate hike.

But the higher rates are paying off for shareholders of NIPSCO's parent company, NiSource.

NiSource made a profit of $749 million last year, or $1.70 a share. That's up 41.3% over the $529.8 million, or $1.27 a share, it made in 2021.

The Merrillville-based electric and natural gas utility reported non-GAAP net operating earnings of $648.2 million or $1.47 diluted earnings per share last year. That's up from $571.2 million or $1.37 diluted earnings per share the previous year.

NiSource is increasing its guidance for next year to $1.54 to $1.60 per share this year. The company said it expects to grow earnings per share by 6% to 8%.

"Delivering earnings above our 2022 guidance and raising our 2023 guidance range are a testament to our team's sustained and consistent execution of our strategy," said NiSource President and CEO Lloyd Yates. "Our top tier and achievable growth plan unveiled at our 2022 Investor Day puts us on a path to drive compelling total shareholder returns of 9% to 11% annually. Already approved investments are the foundation of the plan that enhance the safety, reliability and sustainability of our systems to support new and existing customers."

NiSource is looking to invest $1 billion in new technologies that will change how it provides service, engages customers and does work in the field.

NIPSCO just got a 10% natural gas bill hike that  coupled with high natural gas prices  hit consumers with much higher bills than they were used to this winter.

The utility filed another rate hike request with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission in September that would increase revenue by $279.2 million. The higher bills will go toward grid modernization, renewable energy generation and transmission projects.

NIPSCO also is close to wrapping up its Indiana Crossroads Solar and Dunns Bridge Solar I projects, both of which are expected to come online in the first half of this year. It's building out the Indiana Crossroads II Wind project and just started work on the Dunns Bridge II and Cavalry Solar projects.

NWI Business Ins and Outs: Buona Beef, Great Harvest Bread Co., gluten-free bakery opening; bowling alley closed Coming soon Coming soon Coming soon Coming soon Coming soon Coming soon Coming soon Open Open Open Open Open Open Closed Closed
Northwest Regional SWAT team members stood outside the abandoned casino hotel, just a few feet away from an entranceway. They braced themselves as the countdown could be heard through police radios.

Five, four, three, two, one 

At that eerily quiet moment, the tactical teams explosive device detonated, blowing away the hotel door. It was loud. It was powerful. It echoed across the hotel parking lot.

Jesus! an observer exclaimed.

That was louder than I thought it would be, another person said.

SWAT team's explosive training tactics designed to serve, protect public Northwest Regional SWAT team members use explosives to blow out a door during training Wednesday at the Majestic Star Casino Hotel in Gary.

The SWAT team, dressed in full gear with weapons drawn, followed each other into the hotel.

Someday we may have to enter a building this way if its barricaded by a suspect, SWAT team commander Matt Djukic told me before the blast.

SWAT operators conducted their two-day training at the Majestic Star Casino hotel at Buffington Harbor in Gary. Its permanently closed, an ideal location for the unit to conduct simulated training for real-life situations. Regular trainings like these are crucial for public safety and for evolving skill sets of the teams handpicked officers.

SWAT team's explosive training tactics designed to serve, protect public Northwest Indiana Regional SWAT team members train at the Majestic Star Casino Hotel in Gary.

Each department is required to provide at least one officer and pay an annual fee of $4,000. Officers are selected for the team after a testing process including a fitness test, range qualification and oral interview. These officers then go through SWAT training from May through October of that year. Eligible officers serve a one-year probationary period before being assigned to a team.

Their training includes a lot of book work and studying. I watched a 121-slide PowerPoint presentation, Less Lethal Recert. The last page states: Failure to train and deliberate indifference can result in massive lawsuits.

Cops are always in the crosshairs of public scrutiny. And they know it. This is why I was interested to show what they do behind the scenes to protect and serve the public.

On Wednesday, this regions Special Weapons and Tactics team continued its training with live-round sniper shooting, hostage rescue, and drone escorts through multiple simulated scenarios. On Thursday, SWAT operators performed less lethal tactics including flash-bangs, pepper ball and bang pole.

SWAT team's explosive training tactics designed to serve, protect public A drone is used during SWAT training Wednesday at the Majestic Star Casino Hotel in Gary.

Inside the teams mobile command center in the casino parking lot, operators planned for their next training tactic at that deserted site near the lake.

Its ideal for us because its slated to be demolished, Djukic said.

The training demonstration, which was not open to the public, included a news conference hosted by the city of Gary and the office of U.S. Sen. Mike Braun. The media event took place on the second of six days of training exercises for law enforcement and military personnel from Indiana and Cook County in Illinois.

What youll see today is how collaboration works, Gary Mayor Jerome Prince told guests. This is another example of the many ways we continue to make public safety our citys top priority.

SWAT team's explosive training tactics designed to serve, protect public Gary Mayor Jerome Prince addresses a news conference during SWAT training Wednesday at the Majestic Star Casino Hotel in Gary.

Anthony Ferraro, regional director for Brauns office, told guests that this demonstration is a reminder of the importance of training opportunities for military and local law enforcement personnel to protect Hoosiers. He read a statement from Braun, who was in southeastern Indiana as part of a 92-county tour.

Our law enforcement and military put their lives on the line to defend us, and Im committed to making sure they have the resources and training they need to do their jobs and come home safe, Braun said in the statement.

SWAT team's explosive training tactics designed to serve, protect public Northwest Indiana Regional SWAT team members ascend a stairway during training Wednesday at the Majestic Star Casino Hotel in Gary.

The Northwest Regional SWAT team started in 1992 after a hostage situation at a Red Lobster in Merrillville.

My district partner and I were dispatched after a security guard at a local hotel saw the Red Lobster manager being accosted and forced back into the restaurant at gunpoint, former Merrillville police Lt. Robert Morgan told me.

When we arrived, the hostage-takers were seen wearing masks and holding guns to the head of the victim. We requested a local SWAT team for assistance, but before their arrival the victim had disarmed one of the suspects and ran out a side door. Our administration arrived and contacted the suspects by phone and talked both suspects into surrendering.

Morgan was fairly fresh out of the U.S. Army. He pitched the idea of a Merrillville SWAT team to his departments administration and received approval for a five-officer team.

We had minimal funding and got our initial training from the FBI, he said.

The SWAT team slowly grew to 12 Merrillville police officers, prompting then-Police Chief John Shelhart to suggest allowing Crown Point and Hobart to join the team in exchange for providing SWAT coverage.

SWAT team's explosive training tactics designed to serve, protect public A drone ascends a stairway ahead of SWAT team members during training Wednesday at the Majestic Star Casino Hotel in Gary.

We kind of grumbled and told Shelhart that we felt we would lose control of the team, Morgan recalled.

Shelhart told him: I appreciate your input, but were gonna do it anyway.

Thanks to his foresight, this was the birth of the Northwest Regional SWAT team, Morgan said.

He began arranging meetings with other local police chiefs to expand the team.

As we became more experienced, we began hosting a basic SWAT school for law enforcement officers. We charged a fee, which helped buy some small items of equipment, mostly tear gas and distraction devices, Morgan said.

He served as team commander until his retirement in 2022, although he serves as a volunteer while performing quartermaster duties, along with others.

In 2012, the team began hosting an annual fundraiser at the Halls of St. George in Schererville. Last year was their most successful, with more than 1,100 guests. The fundraiser, in addition to the annual department dues, allows the team to purchase vehicles, equipment and munitions and to send officers to costly specialized training.

Were very proud of our team and the road it took to get to where we are today, Morgan said.

As a team of SWAT operators trained inside the casino hotel, Djukic told me that not of it would have been possible without Morgans foresight nearly 30 years ago.

His fingerprints are everywhere, he said.
MICHIGAN CITY  A Michigan City police officer found himself face to face with a man repeatedly pulling the trigger of a handgun pointed at him.

This happened after the gunman had already fired shots at officers.

Those are among the details in criminal allegations leveled against Joshua Mohamed, 46, of Michigan City.

Mohamed is charged with Level 1 felony attempted murder, Level 5 felony criminal recklessness and Class A misdemeanor pointing a firearm stemming from the Feb. 17 incident at his home.

According to court documents, Mohamed called 911 asking for help.

After receiving no answer to knocks on the door, two officers forced their way inside the residence in the 1500 block of Barker Avenue. They heard Mohamed from a bedroom saying help me and claiming that someone was trying to shoot and kill him.

Police said it took longer than usual to reach Mohamed because of numerous items stacked and scattered everywhere in a hoarder-like manner.

Attempts were being made to talk Mohamed into coming out from underneath a bed when a gunshot was fired.

The round flew to the right of the officers, who left the bedroom but kept trying to speak with Mohamed from behind the corner of a wall, court documents revealed.

Police said three or four more gunshots were fired from underneath the bed.

Officers left the residence and evacuated nearby residences as a safety precaution.

According to court documents, members of the SWAT team were dispatched and, using a shield, went inside the residence. They moved items out of their way to clear a path to the bedroom.

One officer was looking underneath the bed when he spotted Mohamed pulling the trigger of a gun that was pointed at him. However, the semi-automatic weapon was no longer loaded.

The officer grabbed the gun and put Mohamed in handcuffs.

Mohamed was transported to Franciscan Health and booked Thursday into LaPorte County Jail, where he was being held on $100,000 bond.
David Velaquez David Velaquez, 26, was arrested this week on an outstanding warrant related to gun charges from Illinois, Hammond police Lt. Steven Kellogg said.

HAMMOND  Police arrested a man Wednesday in connection with recent thefts of numerous catalytic converters, Hammond police Lt. Steven Kellogg said Thursday.

Police observed a black Chevy Tahoe on 4700 block of Ash Avenue on Monday and deduced that the vehicle had been involved in the thefts. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle for displaying a false license plate, Kellogg said.

Instead of stopping, the driver fled toward Illinois. Police did not attempt to pursue, Kellogg said.

Soon after, officers discovered the vehicle in the 5000 block of Calumet Avenue. The driver again attempted to flee, and police followed the driver into Illinois. The vehicle became stuck in a field; the driver got out wearing a backpack and ran from the scene. Kellogg said the man attempted to reach into the backpack multiple times before he tossed it.

Police found the driver, David Velaquez, 26, hiding under the steps of a nearby residence and took him into custody, Kellogg said. His backpack was recovered; inside was a semi-automatic handgun. Velaquez is a felon with gun charges pending out of Illinois.
VALPARAISO  Gasps and sobs broke out in the courtroom Friday morning as photos were displayed on a large screen of 19-year-old Noah Beller lying on the driveway outside his Valparaiso home a short time after he was shot.

Valparaiso police patrolwoman Michelle Kodicek described the shooting scene for jurors as hysterical and said she and other officers arrived to find Beller without a pulse and not breathing.

Kodicek said she was asked to snap the photos, which depict another officer hovering over the young man's body attempting CPR and other assistance just moments before emergency medical officials arrived.

The graphic images and testimony came as prosecutors wrap up the first week of the murder case against Keith Blake, 34, of Michigan City.

As when Beller's mother testified earlier this week about holding her son as he died, Blake showed no obvious emotion Friday to the photos of the shooting scene in the 3700 block of Oak Grove Drive.

Blake is accused of shooting and killing Beller March 3, 2021, outside the young man's home on Valparaiso's north side during a dispute over a paternity test, according to court records. Blake is charged with murder and carrying a handgun without a license.

Beller's mother, Mikalene Stoker, told jurors Wednesday morning she had received test results the same day as the killing that cleared her son of the pregnancy.

Beller had reportedly demanded his money back for the test because it was determined he was not the father of the child in question, records show. However, a woman present at the residence continued to claim that he was the father, and the dispute became physical.

Kodicek testified Friday she had raced to the scene around 10:15 p.m. and then followed when Beller was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. She said she gathered the young man's clothing and put bags over his hands to preserve any evidence that may have been under his fingernails or on his hands.

While at the shooting scene, Kodicek said she stopped Beller's mother from collecting a black jacket and hat found on the ground. She said she also stopped a man from picking up an open knife that was found lying near Beller's body.

Stoker had testified the young woman claiming Beller was the father of her baby was carrying multiple knives.

The trial before Porter Superior Court Judge Mike Fish is expected to continue into next week.
PORTAGE  A 21-year-old Gary woman, who reportedly led police on a high-speed chase in a Porsche and then fled on foot, reportedly told officers she did so because she was "in a tough spot," the incident report says.

Yamarre McCollum "stated she did not want her sister's vehicle to be impounded," Porter County police said. "She further advised she would rather spend the night in jail than have nowhere to go."

The incident began at 2:53 a.m. Thursday, when an officer spotted a black Porsche stopped southbound on Porter-Lake County Line Road near U.S. 20. The driver was standing outside the vehicle until the light changed green, and then she got inside and drove off.

The vehicle was stopped and McCollum told police she was unaware that the vehicle registration was expired. She further said the car belonged to her sister, who was in Texas, and that she was staying at her sister's Gary home, police said.

As the officer was completing paperwork in this vehicle, the Porsche took off, reaching a speed of 90 mph westbound on U.S. 20 and recklessly passing another vehicle, police said. The vehicle left the road a couple times during the pursuit and eventually pulled over along westbound Interstate 94 because of two flat tires.

McCollum then took off on foot and hopped a guardrail before being taken into custody, police said.

Police determined that the vehicle had not been reported stolen. McCollum faces a felony count of resisting law enforcement and misdemeanor reckless driving, resisting law enforcement and never receiving a license.
WEST LAFAYETTE  Faculty from Purdue University's flagship campus in West Lafayette have joined in calling for Thomas Keon, chancellor of Purdue University Northwest, to resign.

During PNW's commencement Dec. 10 in Hammond, Keon did a cartoonish impression of a make-believe Asian language. Video of the incident went viral, leading to backlash and calls for Keon's resignation or dismissal, including from the PNW faculty, who held a vote of no confidence in late December. Eighty-seven percent of respondents in the poll organized by the PNW Faculty Senate said they have no confidence in Keon.

The week after the ceremony, Keon issued an apology and the Purdue University board of trustees later gave him "a formal reprimand," but said he wouldn't be fired unless he commits another similar offense.

The PNW Faculty Senate's counterpart in West Lafayette chimed in this week. The main campuss Faculty Senate released a statement Monday condemning the remarks, asking Keon to resign and requesting that, should he not resign, the university system's trustees remove him.

In the statement, the faculty said his remarks "humiliated and dehumanized Asian Americans and Asians, and tarnished Purdues global reputation."

"At Purdue West Lafayette, we are over 25% AAPI, and a mere reprimand of Chancellor Keons behavior suggests that demeaning humor, which has historically been used as a tool of oppression and subjugation, is tolerable," the statement reads. "We agree with the 87% of PNW faculty who voted no confidence and call on the trustees of Purdue University to act resolutely to restore confidence in leadership within the Purdue University System by removing Thomas Keon from leadership."

The senate's equity, diversity and inclusion committee voted 13-0 to issue the statement. Ten members of the committee were absent.

Purdue University officials have not commented on the matter since the board issued the reprimand. At the time, university officials said they do not intend to comment further on the matter. Additionally, officials with the Hammond campus did not respond to requests for comment for this story.

Keon has been chancellor of PNW since 2016, when the university was formed through the merger of Purdue University Calumet in Hammond and Purdue University North Central in Westville. From 2011 until the merger, he served as chancellor of Purdue Calumet. PNW, a branch of the Purdue system, serves nearly 9,000 students.

Gallery: The Times Photos of the Week Winfield maps plan for growth Winfield map plan for growth Winfield maps plan for growth 021823-spt-gbk-and_9 021823-spt-gbk-and_6 021823-spt-gbk-and_8 021823-spt-gbk-and_10 021823-spt-gbk-and_1 021823-spt-gbk-and_3 021823-spt-gbk-and_4 Special-education students at Wheeler Middle School participate in Colonel's Coffee Special-education students at Wheeler Middle School participate in Colonel's Coffee Travis Randolph, Lake Station 021823-spt-bbk-ls-ic_5 021823-spt-bbk-ls-ic_8 021823-spt-bbk-ls-ic_7 021823-spt-bbk-ls-ic_1 Michigan City at Merrillville boys basketball Michigan City at Merrillville boys basketball Michigan City at Merrillville boys basketball Michigan City at Merrillville boys basketball Lake County Board of Elections and Registration lottery Lake County Board of Elections and Registration lottery Portage better off now, mayor says Justice for Judah Gallery HTML code
House Republicans have endorsed a two-year, $43.3 billion state budget plan centered on their goals for Hoosier education and priorities for Indiana as a whole.

House Bill 1001 was approved, as usual, on a party-line vote Thursday, with every Republican in favor of it and every Democrat opposed.

It now goes to the Republican-controlled Senate for lawmakers there to reshape it by mid-April to better match their hopes for the Hoosier State during the biennial budget period that begins July 1.

Ultimately, House and Senate leaders will work with Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb to craft and adopt a compromise spending plan on or before April 29  the final day, by law, for the 2023 Indiana General Assembly to meet in regular session.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jeff Thompson, R-Lizton, said he would describe the House-approved spending plan with a single word: "Opportunity."

Thompson said the legislation gives Hoosier students more educational opportunities, Hoosier taxpayers the opportunity to keep more of their money, opportunities for all through strategic state investments, and the opportunity for Indiana to continue to thrive thanks to its continued financial prudence.

"I believe this is the right direction to go for our state," he said. "It sets Hoosiers on a great path going forward with a lot of great opportunities."

Under the plan, about half the state's general-fund spending during the 2024-25 budget years would go toward education at the elementary, middle and high school levels, including $1.6 billion in additional money for distribution through the student funding formula, an 11% increase compared to the current K-12 appropriation.

At the same time, the spending plan makes nearly all Indiana families eligible for a voucher to pay private school tuition and nearly doubles, to $600 million, potential state spending on vouchers.

Democratic lawmakers strongly objected to the voucher expansion. They said vouchers initially were intended to get low-income students out of low-performing schools, and Thompson's plan to remove almost all the guardrails transforms it into just another state entitlement program.

"While Republicans have celebrated the budget's education funding, it does a disservice to the nearly 90% of Hoosier students who attend our public institutions," said Rep. Greg Porter of Indianapolis, the Democrats' budget chief. "A lion's share of new education funding in this budget goes toward the voucher program, whose benefiting institutions do not have to accept all students who try to enter through their doors."

Other education-related components of the House GOP budget include the governor's plan to eliminate school textbook fees, more money each year for Indiana colleges and universities, and increased state funding for programs focused on special-needs and low-income students, career training, non-English speakers, adult learners and teacher training.

The spending plan also eliminates the various revenue triggers from the 2022 income-tax-cut law and simply reduces the 3.15% state income tax rate to 3% on Jan. 1, 2024. The rate would fall to 2.9% on Jan. 1, 2026, allowing Hoosiers to keep a total of $470 million during the two-year budget period.

Notwithstanding the revenue reduction, the budget still spends less money than the state is expected to take in, maintains about $2.7 billion in reserves, manages to fully fund Indiana's Medicaid program and pension obligations, allocates $225 million over two years to improve local public health agencies, expands eligibility for prekindergarten programs, boosts funding for family-assistance programs in connection with the state's near-total abortion ban, and doubles support for local food banks.

The plan also allocates $500 million for a second round of READI quality-of-place grants to local communities; authorizes $800 million in improvements to state prisons  primarily for the Westville Correctional Facility in LaPorte County; provides $650 million to incentivize business relocation through the Indiana Economic Development Corp.; deploys $300 million toward deferred maintenance at state facilities and properties; and spends $50 million on trails, $15 million on land conservation and $2 million on veteran suicide prevention.

House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers, said he's proud that Thompson crafted a budget plan that invests in needed things like education, public health and infrastructure while returning money to taxpayers.

"One of the things we don't want to do in this budget is grow unnecessary government. I think the chairman and the committee have done a really good job on that," he said.

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
LAPORTE  The city has created a new position aimed at more effectively addressing problems with mental health and substance abuse in the community.

The City Council on Tuesday created a mental health professional/social worker position at an annual salary of $59,000.

The process of finding someone for the job has just begun.

Mayor Tom Dermody said the new position is a first step toward better serving the public and cutting back on police involvement in matters best handled by a social worker.

Dermody said the time officers now spend in those situations can be better spent investigating crimes.

With as many mental health calls for service and as many overdoses as were getting, we need to do something different as we look to the future of policing, he said.

Police Chief Paul Brettin said the greatest benefit will be getting people the help needed to overcome their struggles.

This person will get them the resources they need, he said of the social worker.

Brettin said a mental health or substance abuse issue can emerge from a wide variety of calls, ranging from threats of suicide, overdoses, domestic violence and motor vehicle accidents.

He said the social worker will step in as soon as a situation is made safe, provide immediate counseling and make arrangements for any treatment.

Currently, Brettin said officers stay to assist as much as they can, but theyre not trained in handling depression and other mental health issues.

They must also respond to the next call.

Brettin also said officers dont have time later to do the work required to get people help for an extended period.

People fall through the cracks. This is to prevent them from falling through the cracks, he said.

Brettin said law enforcement agencies nationwide are beginning to include mental health and social work into their approach. He said the emerging program in LaPorte was modeled after ones in Valparaiso and Griffith.

Brettin said the new position will also be used to help police officers deal with their emotions after responding to a traumatic situation.

Its a win, win. Theres no downside to it, he said.

Human Resources Director Andrea Smith said the person filling the position she described as well needed will be required to be on call.

You never know when a mental health crisis can happen, she said.

Smith said the salary will be paid with a grant from HealthLinc, an organization providing free and reduced cost health care based on income at clinics throughout Northwest Indiana.

If the one-year grant is not renewed, she said, the city is dedicated to funding the salary and benefits package into the future.

She also revealed more social workers could be added at some point depending on how things under the initial effort work out.

Smith said the city is working with Purdue University Northwest, which has a social worker degree program, on crafting the job description and qualifications, and reviewing applicant resumes.
HOBART  Lake County Prosecutor Bernard A. Carter posed this question Thursday to Hobart Middle School students: What are you doing today to make tomorrow better, for yourself, for others?

Addressing sixth-graders, Carter encouraged them to help others, to make other people successful. Treat one another with love.

Carter is promoting self-awareness and responsible decision-making to middle school students across Lake County in hopes of building positive relationships. He and his staff are also explaining consequences for negative and/or criminal behavior.

Carter has visited schools since he was first elected prosecutor. Having been to elementary and high schools, he is now targeting middle schools. He likes reaching that age group for developing good habits and avoiding bad ones.

Now, more than ever, its important to speak to our youth at an early age, Carter said. It is important for students to begin to plan their futures with a positive sense of self, coupled with short- and long-term goal setting.

Carter and his staff addressed 300 students at HMS. Principal Nikki Neeley said she hopes students develop a strong work ethic, find solutions to solving problems, and work hard and set goals.

Carter talked about his job, his background, and his family. Most of his six children have college degrees, including one law degree. He will visit three more schools now through May and will have visited six Lake County schools.

Carter related how his steelworker father, who came from Alabama, reached third grade before leaving school. Carter attended Kentucky State University before earning a law degree from Valparaiso University.

Make sure youre a good person, the prosecutor said. You have to better yourself.

Carter contrasted a good person to 12- and 13-year-olds arrested for murder or the 14-year-old accused of rape.

Something is mixed up there. They might spend the rest of their lives in prison, where all their decisions will be made for them, Carter said, adding that incarceration costs taxpayers $38,000 per inmate annually.

When Carter asked his young audience why society has become so violent, students cited peer pressure, drugs, home life, cyber bullying, and depression or mental illness. Carter encouraged students to help their parents do a better job.

It is important for students to start to surround themselves with other students that have similar goals and that exhibit responsible decision making, he said. Take direction from someone giving you good advice, and it will help you down the road.

The county prosecutor said that in hiring staff, he likes candidates who have played sports. Sports develops leadership, teamwork, and the ability to accept criticism and challenge, Carter said.

Students came to Carter from their social studies classes. Stephen Markos, who teaches social studies, hopes students learn to be better citizens and make sure they make the right decisions in life.

Carter continued, If you can dream it, you can do it. Find something you have an interest in.

He encouraged students to start today to build a better future. People and you will have a better tomorrow, Carter said. My kids understand that if you get good grades, you go places.

Sixth-grader Jozlynn Harney, 12, thought Carters talk was cool. I really liked how demanding he was and ho excited he was to be here with us, she said.

Joining Carter at HMS was his office supervisor, Michelle Jatkiewicz, and deputy prosecutors Lindsey Lanham and Jacob Brandewie.

Success, Jatkiewicz noted, starts with education, with showing up, and every day putting in 100%. Never stop reading.
Adolph S. Ochs (1858-1935) was the publisher of The New York Times, a transformational figure in American journalism and the patriarch of a family whose influence is still widely felt.

But the Adolph S. Ochs (1943-1968) was a Liberty ship, a 418-foot-long merchant vessel with a cargo capacity of 9,000 to 10,000 tons and a speed around 10 knots. Built in only 24 days, the Ochs carried grain from Canada to Britain and iron ore from Cyprus to Germany. It also called on South American ports.

The U.S. Maritime Commission mass-produced 2,700 Liberty ships to transport cargo and troops during World War II. Many were named after prominent Americans such as Mr. Ochs, who was renowned for having elevated The Times into the first ranks of the nations newspapers. He was among a handful of Jews honored with namesake Liberty ships.

Nearly 200 of the ships, including the Ochs, were lent to Britain, Americas closest ally in the war. British authorities renamed their Liberty ships with the prefix Sam-. (Historians have debated whether that was a reference to Uncle Sam or an acronym for superstructure aft of midships.)
Linda King Newell, whose pioneering work on the history of women in the Mormon faith won her acclaim as the leading feminist scholar in her field, but also led leaders in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to blacklist her for undermining traditional views about the religions founding era, died on Feb. 12 at a hospice facility in Salt Lake City. She was 82.

Her husband, L. Jackson Newell, confirmed the death.

Mrs. Newell was one of several feminist Mormon scholars who, beginning in the 1970s, questioned the received history of their faith, asking how and why women came to be seen as second-class members of a patriarchal institution. Her writings frequently put her at odds with church leaders, but her mastery of the archives and persuasive writing style won her admirers among Mormons and non-Mormons alike.

She was the boldest Mormon feminist historian of the late 20th century, Joanna Brooks, a professor of American studies at San Diego State University, said in a phone interview.

Mrs. Newell was best known for her book Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith, Prophets Wife, Elect Lady, Polygamys Foe, published in 1984 and written with Valeen Tippetts Avery, a historian at Northern Arizona University.
Unions that represent workers at JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines are divided on the proposed merger of the two companies, with one union throwing its support behind the deal and another asking federal officials to block it.

In a letter on Thursday, the Transport Workers Union, which represents 6,800 JetBlue flight attendants, asked Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to prevent the merger. The union said it feared that JetBlue, which would acquire Spirit, had no intention of honoring worker contracts afterward, adding it was concerned that the deal would violate antitrust laws and undermine competition.

Two days earlier, the Association of Flight Attendants-C.W.A., which represents 5,600 flight attendants at Spirit, gave the deal its blessing. The unions leaders approved a tentative agreement with Spirit that includes higher wages and quality-of-life improvements, while also backing the merger. The unions rank-and-file members have yet to vote on that agreement.

The Justice Department is expected to decide soon whether to sue to prevent the merger. Spirit shareholders approved the deal in October, and the two airlines have complied with the departments requests for additional information, most recently in December. As a result, Spirits chief executive, Ted Christie, told investor analysts and reporters in early February that he expected a decision on the suit in the next 30 days or so.
The screenwriter and director Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day) will nevermore shudder at a bump in the night. Henceforth, it will just be specters thanking him for We Have a Ghost, a cheery kids comedy heavily syruped with pro-ghoul propaganda. Gauging from his appearance, Ernest (David Harbour)  a kindly, nonverbal ghost so named for the embroidery on his bowling shirt  died during the Nixon administration. Since then, Ernest has done spirit fingers in the attic of a cartoonishly spooky three-story Queen Anne, although the creepiest thing about him is his combover.

The gag is that Ernests scares are no match for the Presleys, a modern family of the internet age  the demographic of the films intended audience, although its ideal viewers will dial down their cynicism and play along. When a Realtor (Faith Ford) hoodwinks the Presley clan into buying the place  Nothing a little landscaping couldnt fix, she coos  the younger son, a shy teenager named Kevin (Jahi Winston), embraces Ernest like a rescue mutt. Kevins father, Frank (Anthony Mackie), and older brother, Fulton (Niles Fitch), however, want to use him to get rich and famous. Franks rap sheet of cash-grab gimmicks has already dissipated respect for him in the home; even so, he fares better than the kids mother, a character so underwritten shes practically vapor. (Worse, the lead part of Kevin is almost as lifeless.)
Thursdays appearance by Habibulloh Saipov was part of the defense lawyers case against death. They had told the jury during the trial that their client had been influenced by hours of Islamic State propaganda, and that he had spent long hours viewing martyrdom videos.

David Stern, one of Mr. Saipovs lawyers, told the jury last week that during the penalty phase, the defense would present testimony from an expert on propaganda and why ISIS targets Uzbeks, whose predominantly Muslim country is a former Soviet republic.

You will see that his past could not have predicted his present, Mr. Stern said. You will hear from the family and you, like them, will wonder how in the world did this happen?

The first Saipov relative to take the witness stand in the courtroom of Judge Vernon S. Broderick was Habibulloh Saipov. He testified that there was nothing in his Muslim faith that could justify his sons actions.

He said Mr. Saipov, who won the immigration lottery to come to the United States, was born when the Soviet Union still controlled Uzbekistan, and there was no freedom of religion. He said he was unable to teach his son about the Muslim faith in any comprehensive way.
Three men accused of being high-ranking leaders of the transnational criminal gang MS-13 were arrested in Mexico on Wednesday and will be sent to New York to face charges, the Justice Department announced on Thursday.

The three were among 13 people named as suspected gang leaders in an indictment, unsealed in federal court in Suffolk County on Thursday, that detailed MS-13s vast criminal enterprise in El Salvador, Mexico and the United States. The gang employs horrific violence to extort money and exert control, officials say, and has been linked to more than 65 murders in the New York area since 2009.

The charges in Thursdays indictment include racketeering, conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and narco-terrorism conspiracy. Four of the defendants are charged with human smuggling that resulted in deaths.

The three defendants deported from Mexico were taken into U.S. custody at the Houston airport, the authorities said. Vladimir Antonio Arevalo-Chavez, 47; Walter Yovani Hernandez-Rivera, 29; and Marlon Antonio Menjivar-Portillo, 47, were charged with overseeing the gangs expansion into Mexico, where it forged alliances with Mexican cartels and trafficked in drugs, people and weapons  and even killed migrants and gang members who tried to flee. The illicit proceeds funded the gangs attempts to control territory and influence the government in El Salvador.
The women did every step of the process except the soldering, which was done by a mens glass-cutting department. (Only the men were allowed to work with heating tools.) The entire assembled shade was then electroplated.

Besides lamps, both the mens and womens departments also designed and executed stained-glass windows  or at least until 1903. That year, the Tiffany company acceded to a demand by the Lead Glaziers and Glass Cutters Union, which did not admit women, that only union members  that is, men  be allowed to make the windows.

But the women did design and execute small objets dart, like candlesticks, picture frames and tea screens  three-sided leaded glass panels that stood about 7 inches high and that were placed around a teakettle being heated by burners to keep a breeze from blowing out the flames.

Driscoll was smart, pragmatic and intrepid, the curator Hofer said. In April 1899, Driscoll and another designer, Alice Gouvy, created the Dragonfly lamp to sell for $250 (about $9,000 in todays money). One customer, a woman, wanted to buy it on the spot, but Tiffany said she had to wait: The prototype was to go to London for an exhibit at the Grafton Galleries. Driscoll would go on to make three more Dragonflies, one for that customer, one for the 1900 Paris Worlds Fair and one for display at the Tiffany Studios showroom.

Driscoll lived a career-girl life frugally. (When her grandmother died, her mother sent her the grandmothers undergarments, and Driscoll wore them.) By 1902, she was making $35 a week, or $1,820 a year (about $63,000 today). She occasionally went to the theater, in one instance seeing Sarah Bernhardt in Alexandre Dumass Camille. She collaborated with the modern dancer Loie Fuller, making three colored-glass screens to throw light on Fuller as she danced.
I suppose all contemporary young politicians dream of meeting their moment. At the enthusiastic dawn of their politico careers, they entertain a fantasy that some day, as a great historical challenge looms into view, their future selves will rise to the occasion  and masterfully dodge it!

They envision themselves bobbing and weaving, triangulating and feinting  filling the air with meaningless cliches so that no one knows where they stand and no one can hold them accountable. Their political career sails on, soaring upward, their electoral viability unbruised and glorious!

Ron DeSantis is now trying to live out that dream.

There are two dominant views on Ukraine within the Republican Party. The first one, embraced by, say, Nikki Haley and Tim Scott, holds that Russias assault on Ukraine threatens the liberal world order. Helping the Ukrainians push back is in Americas vital national interest.

The second view, embraced by the populist wing, is that the United States has no vital national interests in Ukraine. Tucker Carlson has said he doesnt really care what Vladimir Putin does in Ukraine. Donald Trump has suggested that the war will last longer if the United States continues to send aid.
Other vaccine makers, too, acknowledged relying on those researchers work. By the end of 2021, seven pharmaceutical companies had agreed to pay the three institutions for the use of their technique. Among them was BioNTech, whose coronavirus vaccine made with Pfizer became the main competitor to Modernas.

But negotiations with Moderna were slower. The delay in licensing the spike technology became another sore point between the company and the government.

Moderna has benefited richly from government largess, and it does owe a public duty, but its been very begrudging and slow in acknowledging that public duty, said Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University.

Mr. Gostin said the agreement announced on Thursday, which was finalized in December, was a small token in the right direction.

Chris Ridley, a Moderna spokesman, said in a statement that the company and the government have been engaged in productive discussions since 2020 regarding the licensing of certain patents related to Covid-19 vaccines. He added, It was always our intention to reach an agreement, and we were pleased to have done so this past December.

The N.I.H. did not immediately answer questions about negotiations with Moderna or whether it was still awaiting licensing fees from any other vaccine makers.

Under the agreement with Moderna, the company made what it described as a $400 million catch-up payment to the N.I.H. The government will share that money with Dartmouth and Scripps. The individual scientists who helped invent the technique are also likely to receive a portion of the payment, experts said. Moderna said the agreement also required royalty payments representing low single-digit percentages of future Covid-19 vaccine sales.
That was a nod to a new collaboration with the condom makers Durex, a sly pairing and a nod to Diesels history as a rock n roll brand with a social justice agenda, as well as Mr. Martenss belief that sustainability comes in all forms: environmental and personal. That, as he said in a preview, you should have fun, enjoy your life. Live it to the fullest. But be respectful to each other. Take care of each other.

Fun enough. Sex and the thrill of the naked (or mostly naked) body has been something of a trend for the past year. And indeed, Mr. Martens brought back the bumster  successor to the viral pelmet belt/skirt of last season  as well as chopping off the waistband of another pair of jeans, leaving only two belt loops, so the pants were held up by a rhinestone chain around the belly. But what takes his work to a different level is that behind the schtick is all sorts of substance.

He can do things with denim, the life blood of Diesel and also most wardrobes, that are almost impossible to imagine. That, in fact, hadnt been imagined. If Renzo Rosso, Diesels founder and owner, invented distressed denim (as Mr. Martens says he claims to have done), Mr. Martens has altered the whole concept.

He introduced, for example, devore denim. What even is that?

Its denim given a treatment normally applied to velvet, so the fabric fades into polyester organza like it has been eaten away into memory, creating a sheer lacy effect that lay like a scrim over patches of the body in a long corseted dress, a skirt, a trouser. And it was just the beginning.
In a Milan showroom last week, Giorgia Caovilla, the chief executive, Mr. Caovillas daughter and the third generation of the family to head the company, contemplated its longevity. She suggested that only Chanel possessed such an evergreen shoe style. (The French fashion house introduced the classic two-tone pump emblematic of Parisian chic in 1957 and it has been a constant ever since.) The Cleo continues to be one of the brands best-selling models and Ms. Caovilla said she was thrilled that her 16-year-old daughter has taken to wearing it with jeans.

To celebrate the shoe, the house is mounting a retrospective of its archival designs on Friday, during Milan Fashion Week, and releasing a book titled The Art of Dreams: Cleo, a Style Icon for 50 Years. Unlike footwear labels that are compulsively driven to reinvent their designs each season, Cleo is a style stalwart, although each season brings variations, in a variety of heights, many of which are to be displayed.

To celebrate its half-century milestone, there will be a made-to-order Cleo with 700 diamonds in a mix of marquise cuts totaling 13.20 carats. Applied by hand to red satin, the two diamond pieces at the top and bottom of the strap resemble brooches that wouldnt look out of a place on a Venetian principessa. Ms. Caovilla said that the labels next step may be to recreate removable jewelry pieces for shoes.

There is nothing of the hidden luxe about the Cleo. Seemingly no variation is considered too flamboyant, frivolous or froufrou. Iterations have taken cues from all manner of Italian culture, from a Renaissance brocade woven in the time of Tintoretto to a 16th-century Domenico Beccafumi painting. A Murano chandelier in the Doges Palace in Venice was the starting point for a spiraling ankle strap of rhinestone droplets.

Image Rene Caovilla, who has led his familys company since the 1950s. Credit... Stefano Guindani

The company was founded in 1934 by Edoardo Caovilla, Renes father, who opened a workshop outside Venice to hand-craft luxury footwear. Ms. Caovilla said the footwear is still made in a Palladian villa close to the town of Fiesso dArtico, where wealthy Venetians once spent their summers and which has been a shoemaking heartland since the glory days of the Republic of Venice. In the 1950s, Edoardos son Rene took the helm after studying in Paris and London. On his return to Italy, he met Valentino Garavani and went on to produce shoes for the house for three decades.
Defense lawyers said their client was not motivated by hate. They added that their client took medications for schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder and anxiety. The lawyers also said that unlike mass shootings in Buffalo and El Paso, in which the gunmen had written lengthy screeds against specific minority groups, Mx. Aldrich had not written against the L.G.B.T.Q. community.

The Emotional Toll: We asked Times readers how the threat of gun violence has affected their mental state and the way they lead their lives. We asked Times readers how the threat of gun violence has affected their mental state and the way they lead their lives. Heres what they told us

A Growing Tally: Gun violence is a persistent American problem. A partial list of mass shootings this year offers Gun violence is a persistent American problem. A partial list of mass shootings this year offers a glimpse at the scope

Gun Control: U.S. gun laws are at the center of heated exchanges between those in favor and against tougher regulations. Here is U.S. gun laws are at the center of heated exchanges between those in favor and against tougher regulations. Here is what to know about that debate

The motivations in the case could be pivotal, since a conviction on hate crime charges could affect sentencing. Mx. Aldrich could face life in prison without parole if convicted on the first-degree murder charges alone.

Joseph Archambault, a defense lawyer, said that Mx. Aldrich had expressed remorse after the shooting.

It does not excuse it, but it is categorically different from people who target a group, Mr. Archambault said.

Defense lawyers asked Judge McHenry to give them four months before the arraignment to perform psychological evaluations on Mx. Aldrich. Prosecutors proposed two months. The judge decided on about three.
To Democrats, the train derailment and chemical leak in the hamlet of East Palestine, Ohio, is a story of logic, action and consequences: Rail safety regulations put in place by the Obama administration were intended to prevent just such accidents. The Trump administration gutted them.

To Republicans, East Palestine is a symbol of something far larger and more emotional: a forgotten town in a conservative state, like so many others in Middle America, struggling for survival against an uncaring mega-corporation and an unseeing government whose concerns have never included the likes of a town of 4,718 souls.

Carrying those irreconcilable narratives, politicians have begun parading through East Palestine with their own agendas to pursue. On Wednesday, it was the former president and current presidential candidate, Donald J. Trump, handing out branded water and campaign hats, while assuring the supportive crowd, You are not forgotten.

On Thursday, three weeks after 38 Norfolk Southern rail cars carrying toxic chemicals skipped the tracks in East Palestine and, days later, a plume of vinyl chloride was intentionally released over the town, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg arrived, having spent days jousting with Republicans over safety regulations.
WASHINGTON  A year ago, the United States did something extraordinary  it released previously classified intelligence that exposed Russias plans to invade Ukraine.

Last week, Antony J. Blinken, the secretary of state, made a similar move when he warned Chinas top foreign policy official, Wang Yi, against providing weapons to Russia.

In a previous era, the warning might have remained private, at least for some time. But a new intelligence playbook honed just before and during the war in Ukraine has redefined how the United States uses its classified knowledge to undercut Russia and its partners.

The playbook is not just about naming and shaming Russia and its allies; it has become a powerful tool in the United States arsenal to try to stymie the Kremlins offensive by exposing Russias military plans and in aligning support for Kyivs war effort in allied capitals.
GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba  The U.S. military released two brothers on Thursday who had been held as detainees in the war against terrorism for helping to operate safe houses where suspected operatives of Al Qaeda holed up after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

The Pentagon said that Mohammed Ahmed Ghulam Rabbani, 53, and Abdul Rahim Ghulam Rabbani, 55, who were never charged with any crimes during 20 years in U.S. custody, were flown to Pakistan in an arrangement with authorities there.

The brothers were captured by Pakistans security services in Karachi in September 2002. They arrived at Guantanamo Bay in 2004 after being kept at a C.I.A.-run detention site in Afghanistan for about 550 days.

They were approved for transfer in 2021. It is unclear why they had remained in prison. In the interim, the Pentagon released two other Pakistani prisoners. Saifullah Paracha, 75, was repatriated in October. Majid Khan, 42, was freed in Belize under a resettlement agreement this month.
KYIV, Ukraine  After a year of war, Ukrainians have learned all too well how to parse danger.

Even as President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia might be plotting a revenge attack timed to the anniversary on Friday of its invasion, Khrystyna Mironova, 30, sat on a trolley in Kyiv, the capital, listening to music on her way to visit a friend.

Alarms and warnings of imminent violence from Russia, she said, have become a part of everyday life  like brushing my teeth. And so when an air raid siren sounds, Ms. Mironova checks the news. If she sees it was triggered by, say, a Russian fighter jet taking off in Belarus, she goes about her business.

Ukrainians know that the risk is real. Near the front lines on Thursday, Russian forces pounded residential areas, killing at least three people and leaving two buried in the rubble of a building, Ukrainian officials said Thursday. In the Kherson region over the past 24 hours, Russian forces launched 71 shells, hitting residential buildings and killing two civilians, the regional military administration said.

In the Kharkiv region in the northeast, a surface-to-air missile hit a government building in Kupiansk and rescuers were digging through the wreckage in the hope of reaching two civilians who had been buried, the head of the regional military administration said. A civilian near the building was injured in that attack and two women were also wounded in a separate strike in Kupiansk, he said.
MacDowell, a prestigious artists residency program in New Hampshire, announced on Friday that Chiwoniso Kaitano would be its next executive director. The appointment of Kaitano, who was previously the executive director of Girl Be Heard and the Ifetayo Cultural Arts Academy, is part of the programs push toward greater diversity and equity.

Among her responsibilities, Kaitano will focus on identifying voices from traditionally underrepresented groups  including Indigenous, Black and Latino artists, as well as artists with disabilities  and intensifying outreach to those communities.

Kaitano, who starts on March 13, is taking over from Philip Himberg, who retired in December after three and a half years in the role. Kaitano is the 10th executive director at MacDowell and the first person of color to lead the organization.

The change in MacDowells leadership follows an intense period of inquiry and innovation throughout the pandemic and recent social justice movements, the program said in a statement.
The music is also an amalgam, taking in the influence of Jewish cantillation, traditional choral styles, gospel, mariachi, pop, blues and 12-tone music. (It shares its eclecticism with the 1971 Mass by Leonard Bernstein, who had collaborated with Brubeck on jazz-classical experiments.)

In 2001, the Milken Archive of Jewish Music, founded by the businessman Lowell Milken, recorded the work for Naxos. And the U.C.L.A. performances  on Sunday at Royce Hall on campus and on Tuesday at Holman United Methodist Church, a Black congregation in the city  will take place under the auspices of the schools recently opened Lowell Milken Center for Music of American Jewish Experience.

Neal Stulberg will conduct a chorus consisting of the ensemble Tonality and members of Los Angeles church and synagogue choirs; a brass and percussion orchestra; and two vocal soloists. The keening tenor part will be sung by Azi Schwartz, a cantor at the Park Avenue Synagogue in New York; and Phillip Bullock will take the baritone part, influenced by traditional Black styles.

As the core jazz trio, which has improvising interludes, Chris Brubeck, on bass and trombone, will be joined by his brothers Darius, on piano, and Dan, on drums. (Another of Brubecks sons, Matthew, is a cellist; they had a sister, Catherine, who died last year, and a brother, Michael, who died in 2009.) Chris, Darius and Dan have played together often, but this is the first time they will collaborate on The Gates of Justice  and the first time they have been united since before the pandemic lockdown.

Dave Brubecks roots were in swing, but he had classical chops. In an interview, Darius said that his father had a shelf full of music theory books, and kept the scores of Bach and Shostakovich preludes and fugues next to his piano for reference. After World War II, Dave studied at Mills College in California with the jazz-loving French composer Darius Milhaud, who had fled Europe during the war. Brubeck came to admire Milhaud so deeply that he named his first son after him.
Writers adore putting writers in their fiction, and romance is no exception. This months books feature modern fantasy novelists, fairy scholars, historical reading clubs and rakes turned art critics.

We begin with THE NEIGHBOR FAVOR (Berkley, 416 pp., paperback, $17), Kristina Forests warm and welcoming new contemporary. Nicks epic fantasy novel with Black elves could have been a hit, if his publisher hadnt shut its doors a month later. Now he has a huge new contract to finish the series  if only he werent so distracted by his gorgeous new neighbor Lily, a book editor. He doesnt dare explain that hes not only the guy she flirts with in the elevator: Hes N.R. Strickland, the author who ghosted her after an intense email romance earlier in the year.

Lilys still feeling bruised from the breakup, and frustrated to be stuck in nonfiction when shes dreamed of editing childrens books. But most of all, shes dreading her sisters upcoming nuptials, because her family will not stop setting her up with men who are entirely wrong for her. Her hot neighbor Nick would have been the perfect wedding date  if he hadnt turned her down with a bit more panic than seemed warranted.

This book gestures at several tropes  a dash of fake dating, a soupcon of epistolary  but primarily its one of my favorite romance plots: These enjoyable people deserve better, so lets watch as they discover it. Lilys battered optimism and Nicks guarded sadness both mesh and conflict at just the right times, and for all its coincidence-dependent premise, the book breathes easily and pulls you right into its world. Especially recommended for anyone who ships Janine and Gregory from Abbott Elementary.
Cosori is voluntarily recalling more than two million of its air fryers after a fault was discovered that created fire and burn hazards, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety and Commission announced on Thursday.

The commission said it had received 205 reports of the air fryers catching fire, burning, melting, overheating or smoking. Ten people reported minor burn injuries, and 23 people reported minor property damage.

The issue stems from a wire connection that can overheat, the commission said. About two million of the air fryers have been sold in the United States, in addition to about 250,000 in Canada and 21,000 in Mexico.

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled air fryers and contact Cosori to receive their choice of a free replacement air fryer or another Cosori product, the commission said in a statement.
Roger Lynch, the chief executive of Conde Nast, the publisher of Vogue, The New Yorker and Vanity Fair, said in an interview on Friday that the companys business grew last year, but narrowly missed its revenue target.

In an interview, Mr. Lynch said the company ended 2022 with positive earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization, or EBITDA, a widely used financial measure. We are not targeting to become hugely profitable right now, but we are targeting to have cash flow that enables us to reinvest in the growth areas, he said.

Mr. Lynch declined to give specific figures for overall revenue and profit in the interview. But his comments provided a glimpse of the health of the companys business. Conde Nast, which is a unit of the privately held Advance Publications, doesnt publicly disclose its financial results and only occasionally discusses them.

His comments echoed a note sent to Conde Nast staff members on Thursday, in which Mr. Lynch said advertising revenue had grown year over year, while video views increased by double digits.
Birds of prey have preoccupied me lately.

One is Flaco, the Eurasian eagle-owl who has chosen a life of freedom in New York Citys rodent-abundant Central Park over captivity in the zoo. The others are the imposing, trash-eating black kites of Delhi, chronicled in an Oscar-nominated documentary called All That Breathes.

Ive been following Flaco in real life and, I confess, somewhat obsessively online. Ive watched the documentary twice. Ive been in a bit of a birdy head space, thinking about how we live with each other in big, fast-moving cities like New York and Delhi  us creatures who cant fly and them that can.

So when I learned that Shaunak Sen, the director of All That Breathes," was visiting New York from Delhi, I asked if he would like to meet Flaco. It was his first time hearing of Flaco. He looked him up. He agreed.

Im very beguiled by the way New York is beguiled by him, he told me when we met at the park.

Flaco hooted. More on him later.
The attorneys general of a dozen Democratic-controlled states sued the Food and Drug Administration on Friday, asking a judge to remove special restrictions that the federal agency has long applied to the first of two drugs used in medication abortion.

The suit, filed in a Federal District Court in Washington State, comes at a tense moment in the battle over the legal status of abortion pills, which are used in more than half of abortions in the United States. A federal judge in Texas is expected to issue an order soon in a case filed by anti-abortion groups that seeks to overturn the F.D.A.s approval of the same abortion pill, mifepristone, and have it taken off the market.

The potential consequences of the Texas case have set the reproductive health community on edge out of concern that the judge, a Trump appointee who is politically conservative and wrote an article that was critical of Roe v. Wade, could issue an order effectively blocking access to mifepristone across the country. Such a ruling would immediately be appealed, but if it ultimately stands, it would have far-reaching implications, affecting states where abortion is legal, not just states where abortion is already restricted.

The new lawsuit filed by the 12 states does not address the possible outcomes of the Texas case, but it requests that the judges ruling in the Washington case include orders that would effectively contravene steps that might be imposed by the Texas judge. While the Washington case primarily asks the court to order the F.D.A. to eliminate a framework of extra restrictions applied to mifepristone, the suit also asks the judge to declare that the F.D.A.s approval of mifepristone is lawful and valid and to enjoin the F.D.A. from taking any action to remove mifepristone from the market or reduce its availability.
The Last Deal

Rent or buy on most major platforms.

Similar to Robert DeNiros sports-betting character in Casino, the protagonist of the The Last Deal, Vincent (Anthony Molinari), begins with a workmanlike voice-over in this crime thriller from the writer-director Jonathan Salemi, explaining how he rose from a weed grower to a top distributor only to fall on hard times. A dubious friend of Vincents, Bobby (Mister Fitzgerald), has a lifeline: Some Armenians want to sell cheap product to them that can be flipped for five times the price. It seems too good to be true.

Vincent reaches out to Bobbys dangerous loan shark, a gangster known as The Boss (Sala Baker), for cash to buy the weed. But when the Armenians double cross him, making it near impossible to pay back the loan shark, his pregnant girlfriend (Jeffri Lauren) and his business come under grave risk by the furious gangster.

In the starring role, Molinari, a former stuntman, delivers a surprisingly vulnerable yet determined performance as a man at the end of his rope, who must shoot, stab, punch and claw if he hopes to see tomorrow.
In Anatomy of a Scene, we ask directors to reveal the secrets that go into making key scenes in their movies. See new episodes in the series on Fridays. You can also watch our collection of more than 150 videos on YouTube and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

In this sequence from the World War I drama All Quiet on the Western Front (nominated for nine Oscars and winner of best film at the BAFTAs), young German soldiers who were expecting an exciting adventure get a cruel dose of reality.

Its the soldiers first night on the front and they are on night watch when they come under mortar attack. They retreat to a bunker, but things get worse from there.
If Past Lives doesnt grab the Golden Bear, the festivals highest honor for a feature film, my pick would be Totem, the second film from the Mexican director Lila Aviles (The Chambermaid), a vibrant childs-eye portrait of an extended family gathering to celebrate the birthday of a dying man. Blithely ignoring the W.C. Fields adage about never working with children or animals, Aviles manages to corral both, often in the very same shot, delivering deceptively naturalistic performances that plunge us into a young girls first experience of the terrible and beautiful coexistence of life and death.

The flagship German festival always debuts some outstanding homegrown work. Afire, from Christian Petzold, has many of the hallmarks of the celebrated directors recent work: a woozy edge of ever-so-slight surreality; the transformative deployment of a music track, here In My Mind by Wallners, an Austrian band; the actress Paula Beer. But its also subtly different from Petzolds recent titles Undine and Transit, unfolding largely in a chatty, Rohmerian register. Petzolds films are many things, but rarely are they as funny as this discursive tale of an insecure writer struggling to finish his book  the press corps laughter felt ruefully self-directed  during a beachside getaway with a friend, while forest fires threaten nearby.

At the opposite end of the accessibility spectrum, theres the severe German formalist Angela Schanelecs Music, a beautifully composed but extraordinarily opaque riff on Sophocles Oedipus Rex. Its the definition of not for everybody, but if youre the kind of masochist who enjoys the Sisyphean challenge of a movie that refuses to give up all its secrets, no matter how much you mentally wrestle with them, it might be for you.

The contrast between those two titles highlights the exciting diversity of this years thoughtful curation. One can only applaud a competition selection that includes a fun, true-story, rise-and-fall comedy from Canada (Matt Johnsons Blackberry); a stark, despairing Australian colonial-oppression allegory (Rolf de Heers inaptly titled The Survival of Kindness); and a Spanish trans-themed coming-of-ager (Estibaliz Urresola Solagurens 20,000 Species of Bees).

The competition also featured three pleasantly eccentric Asian titles: Zhang Lus The Shadowless Tower, a personal favorite; Makoto Shinkais wild-ride anime Suzume; and Liu Jians animated slacker memoir Art College 1994. Even the films that did not appeal to me  such as Philippe Garrels The Plough or Margarethe von Trottas Ingeborg Bachmann  Journey into the Desert  added something to the overall picture, both representing the old guard of European auteur cinema.

Toward the end of a festival I always get a little sentimental  chalk it up to lack of sleep or a surfeit of stories vying for space in my addled brain. But this robust, often sparkling edition of my beloved Berlinale has earned certain indulgences. When I sit in the Berlinale Palast for the last time this weekend, the lovely starburst trailer  my favorite festival ident, a glittering rain of gold briefly coalescing into the outline of a bear  will feel starrier still.
Jimmy Warden wanted his bear to have its full 15 minutes of fame  while it was still alive.

A few years back, Warden, a screenwriter, stumbled upon the tale of a 175-pound black bear that had dropped dead in a Georgia forest after ingesting cocaine that the drug smuggler Andrew Thornton had thrown from a plane. Thornton had parachuted out, weighed down with $14 million worth of the drug along with firearms and survivalist equipment. He was found dead on Sept. 11, 1985, wearing a bulletproof vest and Gucci loafers, on a driveway in Knoxville, Tenn.

The bears corpse, stuffed and christened Pablo Escobear, supposedly ended up at the Kentucky for Kentucky Fun Mall in Lexington, Ky.

Some believe thats how it happened; others think its an urban legend.

But Warden was more intrigued by the bear than the smuggling, and he let his imagination run wild. The result is the new comedy Cocaine Bear.

I took the story and was like, What if it didnt die? he said in a video call from his home in Los Angeles.
When you were in high school or college, did you know someone who would stay up late, get stoned and wonder what would happen if you got a pet high? That person went to Hollywood. How else to explain Cocaine Bear, a chaotic, blood-splattered major studio horror-comedy whose greatest joke is that it exists.

The title, which has drawn comparisons to the equally functional Snakes on a Plane, says it all. The year is 1985. After a pratfall in a plane leads a smuggler to drop a ton of drugs on the mountains of Georgia, a bear discovers it, snorts it up and turns into a mix of Tony Montana and Jason Voorhees.

Directed by Elizabeth Banks from a script by Jimmy Warden, this movie arrives in theaters with considerable anticipation, based on the title and its terrific trailer. For an audience desperately looking for a good time, theyll find it. More discerning fans of junk might see an opportunity missed.

At its best, Cocaine Bear has the feel of an inside joke. It consistently invites you to laugh at it. The producers are clearly aiming to capture the lightning in a bottle that M3gan pulled off earlier this year, another Universal horror-comedy whose slick special effects elevated its B-movie conceit. Whereas M3gan steered clear of too much onscreen violence, angling for a PG-13 rating, Cocaine Bear wallows in it. Viewers with a taste for tastefulness (those weirdos) will balk. But gorehounds, myself among them, appreciate a studio playing around in the muck. Inspired by the slasher films of the 1980s, not to mention great horror-comedies from that era like the Evil Dead films, Banks grasps the comic potential of the gross-out.
Mescals viral clip appeared against the backdrop of the so-called Green Wave  also affectionately referred to as Irelands going Oscar Wild. Twenty-five percent of this years acting Oscar nominees are Irish, according to The Los Angeles Times, and this is the first time an Irish-language film has been nominated for an Oscar, with The Quiet Girl up for best international feature film.

The language is almost like the central character of our film, you know, its been silenced over many years, Colm Bairead, the director of The Quiet Girl, said in an interview. Theres something quite appropriate about the fact that the year where we have the most nominations in our history, our language is also part of that.

Irish, a Celtic language closely related to Scottish Gaelic, is the oldest spoken language in Western Europe, according to Gearoid O hAllmhurain, a professor at Concordia Universitys School of Irish Studies in Montreal. While Ireland was occupied by Britain, speaking Irish was often punished; when Ireland signed its Constitution in 1937  after gaining independence in 1922  Irish was designated as the national language, with English considered a second official language. Factors such as mass migration stemming from the Great Famine and present-day emigration have contributed to the languages decline and led to the creation of Irish-language schools across the country, O hAllmhurain said.

Irish is currently considered definitely endangered by UNESCO. Shortall said part of the issue is the way the language is taught in schools, which is more academic than conversational. Bairead said that as a result, Irish had failed to feel like a living language to many people and that had contributed to the countrys complex relationship with its native tongue.
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif.  Fortune has long favored Ricardo Darin. More than the subjective concept of talent, it is providence, manifested as other peoples unwavering confidence in his abilities, that the actor credits for his storied career as Argentinas most celebrated film star internationally.

Ive had all the luck that my parents didnt have as actors, he said in Spanish during a recent interview at the Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood. Many times, people have valued me far more than I value myself, and I often think, Do I deserve all that?

The latest example of his relationship with Lady Luck is his turn as the real-life prosecutor Julio Strassera in Argentina, 1985, a historical courtroom drama about the Trial of the Juntas, when military leaders were tried for human rights violations during the former dictatorship. Directed by Santiago Mitre, it earned Argentina an Oscar nomination for best international feature film.

Darin seems to be his countrys lucky charm when it comes to the Academy Awards. He has starred in all four movies to earn Argentina a nod this century, including Son of the Bride, Wild Tales and The Secret in Their Eyes, which took home the statuette in 2010. And Argentina has also submitted several other Darin-led productions to the academy over the years  meaning that even though they didnt all make the cut, the films in which he appears are almost synonymous with the best of Argentine cinema.
This article contains spoilers for the film The Quiet Girl.

For the first 55 minutes of The Quiet Girl, the films audience does not know why the titular child has been sent to live with strangers in the Irish countryside. Cait (Catherine Clinch), 9, does not know either. Her parents do not talk to her, and they barely speak to each other.

Cait eventually learns the truth from a nosy neighbor: While her parents prepare for the birth of yet another baby, she has been shuttled from her chaotic family home to spend the summer with some middle-aged relatives, Eibhlin (Carrie Crowley) and Sean (Andrew Bennett), who have their own silent sorrow.

This uneasy, unanswered isolation is at the heart of The Quiet Girl, which arrives in U.S. theaters on Friday, and is the first Irish-language film to be nominated for an Oscar. A hushed work about kith and kindness, as Lisa Kennedy wrote in her review for The New York Times, the film tells a quintessentially Irish story, yet one that is rarely seen by international audiences on the big screen.

Irish cinema often features a cast of gregarious men and pious, conservative women, like in Ken Loachs The Wind That Shakes the Barley; Brooklyn, starring Saoirse Ronan; and Kenneth Branaghs Oscar-nominated Belfast.
But the city was once again captivated on Sunday, when a female alligator, later named Godzilla, was pulled from Prospect Park Lake, in Brooklyn, by a maintenance worker with the citys Department of Parks and Recreation.

Image An emaciated, lethargic female alligator was recently found in Prospect Park Lake in Brooklyn. Credit... New York City Department of Parks and Recreation

The American alligator, who was about five feet long and was taken to the Bronx Zoo for treatment, had ingested a four-inch wide bathtub stopper and was lethargic and suffering from exposure to cold temperatures, according to a zoo statement on Wednesday. An alligator of her size should weigh between 30 to 35 pounds; she weighed 15, the statement said.

She was the sixth alligator that Animal Care Centers, a group that finds homes for abandoned and homeless animals, has helped to rescue in the city since 2018, according to Ms. Hansen.

The Alligators of New York

The most recent cluster of alligator discoveries, according to Animal Care Centers, began in 2018 with Bobby, who was discovered in January on Staten Island by the police departments gang unit.

Toby was found abandoned in Brooklyn that April.

Then in 2019, three alligators were recovered: Poland, a 5-year-old American alligator, was brought to Animal Care Centers in July after being found abandoned in a Staten Island park. Tick Tock was recovered in Brooklyn in September by the Police Department after it executed a search warrant. Wally was discovered by a parks department worker on Staten Island in October.
Not long ago, a mother in Westchester learned from her teenage son that he and his friends had gone to a nearby bodega and bought weed. She understood  they were kids, stifled and robbed by the pandemic of so many opportunities for indulging the secretive rituals of adolescence. Their parents only got through it all on Barolo and The White Lotus.

But it was deeply troubling to her that a store was selling weed to kids  New York States decriminalization statute makes it illegal to sell to anyone under 21  so she embarked on an investigation. Predictably, when she confronted the bodega owners, they denied that they were distributing to anyone underage, so her next stop was a visit to the local police precinct, where she did not encounter the sense of urgency she had hoped for.

The cops greeted her with a kind of smug indifference, she said, an affect of I told you so, suggesting that liberals were now faced with the downstream impact of values that law enforcement had always disdained. Mothers in earthy, expensive footwear from the River Towns to Park Slope had supported the legalization of marijuana on the grounds that it needlessly funneled so many young Black and brown men into the criminal justice system. But now it was ubiquitous, and in the worst case scenarios possibly laced with fentanyl, and all too easy for their children to access. The bodega, in this instance, was a short distance from the local high school. Parental text chains, surely one of the best primary-source documents of 21st century anxiety, were operating at full intensity.

In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams has recently sharpened his focus on combating the proliferation of unlicensed cannabis vendors, which now number between 1,400 and 1,500, many of them targeting the young and impressionable. While marijuana is technically no longer against the law in New York, the slow pace of the state licensing process has brought just three legal recreational dispensaries to the city so far, leaving the sale of weed largely to an economy we might describe as underground were it not happening so explicitly at street level. As a city and a nation, the mayor said at a news conference this week, we were losing our grip; children were going to school high on gummies they bought at the corner store.
They say that print is dead and local news is dying. But in the small patch of Lower Manhattan that is Greenwich Village, there are four local newspapers vying for supremacy. Here, print is very much alive.

And local news is vicious.

This is the story of a crusty 95-year-old publisher, an ambitious caregiver, a breakaway staff, a Sept. 11 conspiracy theory, a liberal neighborhood and a group of committed writers who are willing to work for nothing.

Are you ready for this? asked George Capsis, who for the last 20 years has run the monthly WestView News out of his townhouse in the Village, which he now navigates using a walker. He leaned forward in his swivel chair, eyes flaring. Im going to tell you stories that you wont believe, he said. Reporting how a newspaper got stolen  not so simple.

Mr. Capsis, whom Sarah Jessica Parker once called the godfather of the West Village, is perhaps best known for slapping a police officer and then suing the police department for unnecessary use of force  or for slapping a state senator, Brad Hoylman-Sigal. Or for crusading at length but unsuccessfully to save a Village hospital.
Norman Seabrook, the former longtime leader of the New York City correction officers union who in 2019 was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for taking a bribe, was granted release on Friday by a Manhattan judge who noted an unjust disparity between his sentence and that of the businessman who had paid him off.

The judge, Alvin K. Hellerstein of Federal District Court, cited extraordinary and compelling circumstances in ordering Mr. Seabrook, 63, released from the West Virginia prison where he has served 21 months of his sentence. The judge said he would delay the decision for 10 days to allow prosecutors to decide whether they wanted to appeal.

A spokesman for the U.S. attorneys office for the Southern District of New York said Friday that the office had no comment on the ruling.

The government had opposed Mr. Seabrooks early release, arguing that his 58-month sentence reflected the gravity of his crime. Seabrook betrayed the rank-and-file workers he represented once he saw an opportunity to get paid, the U.S. attorneys office had argued in court papers.
A week after the Manhattan district attorneys office announced a new unit to prosecute wage theft, it is accusing a pair of twins of stealing construction workers money  and charging one with assaulting and threatening two day laborers.

Prosecutors on Friday charged Lulzim Luis Shabaj, 41, in New York State Supreme Court with scheme to defraud, saying that he and his twin brother Gzim Jimmy Shabaj had stolen thousands of dollars from the Spanish-speaking workers by declining to pay them for their work at a site in Harlem.

Prosecutors said that Gzim Shabaj, who was charged earlier this week, had responded to one workers early September request to be paid by pulling out a knife and, with his other hand, repeatedly punching the worker in the head until his ear bled.

About three weeks later, a second day laborer asked for his money. This time, prosecutors said, Gzim Shabaj ripped a side mirror off the workers van and repeatedly hit the vehicle with the detached mirror, denting a hubcap and cracking the windshield. He also hit the laborer in the shoulder, and threatened to call immigration enforcement on him, cursing at him and telling him: Hispanics, get out of the country.
The donors themselves did not own slaves. Slavery had been abolished in New York more than 50 years before the windows were installed in the sanctuary, which was dedicated in 1891. But recent research by a working group of church members found that earlier generations of the donors families had relied on enslaved Africans as farm laborers and household workers.

The settlers personal wealth grew and was passed on to their heirs, the working group wrote in a litany that has been read at Sunday services each week this month.

And it was the heirs who donated the stained-glass windows.

Our thinking is this is where a lot of the wealth of the church came from, said Margaret Kearney, a co-chairwoman of the churchs Reconciliation and Racial Justice working group. The windows were a very visible, tangible manifestation of it.

After reading wills and property records going back to the 17th century, the working group has recognized more than 430 enslaved people who had been held by ancestors of the donors.

As its name suggests, the church was one of the first in New York City, established in 1654 by Peter Stuyvesant, New Yorks Dutch governor at the time. When it moved to Park Slope, the windows came from Tiffany Studios and from the stained-glass artists William Willet and Otto Heinigke.
To the Editor:

Re Cheering News for Free Speech on Campus, by Pamela Paul (column, Feb. 4):

Ms. Paul lampoons the ludicrous Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative  an attempt to proscribe the use of common words and phrases at Stanford University because they might be hurtful to some people. But this sort of thinking is no joke to those of us who work in academia.

At the university where I work, all job ads must be reviewed and approved by the office of diversity, equity and inclusion. Several years ago, university administrators told me that I could not use the word competitive in a job ad seeking a new professor.

The word competitive coded masculine and would discourage women from applying for the job, I was told, and they referred me to a gender decoder tool for job ads. Other words that allegedly dissuade women from applying for jobs include autonomous, confident, determined and self-reliant.

What did I say specifically that raised the administrators linguistic hackles? Competitive candidates for appointment as professor should have a substantial publication record  a completely self-evident statement when hiring a professor.
Taken together, those ideas make a national divorce seem, if not likely, then at least plausible. But theres a problem. States are not actually singular political communities. There are partisan divides between states, even large ones, but they do not represent fundamental differences of culture and interest. And although states play an important role in the American political system, they are not the autonomous, nearly independent units of either Representative Greenes imagination or the folk civics that shapes political understanding for tens of millions of Americans.

It is true that in debates over representation during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 in Philadelphia, small-state delegates insisted on equal representation of states in at least one chamber of Congress, so that they might preserve their interests against those of the larger states. William Paterson of New Jersey worried that his state would be swallowed up by Virginia, Massachusetts and others if the Senate were apportioned by population, like the House. Likewise, Luther Martin of Maryland called apportion by population a system of slavery for ten states. For these delegates, the states were sovereign units with distinct interests that deserved representation in Congress.

For James Madison, a fierce proponent of proportional representation in the House and Senate, this was nonsense. Far from unitary, each state was, in his view, a collection of diverse and divergent factions  of a greater variety of interests, of pursuits, of passions  that could only speak with a single voice on issues of broad agreement and consensus.

On this question of representation and apportionment, the upshot of Madisons theory of faction was that states, as states, did not have interests to represent in Congress.

States possessed interests, the historian Jack Rakove explains in Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution, but these were rooted in the attributes of individuals: in property, occupation, religion, opinion, and the uneven distribution of human faculties. Moreover, since congeries of interests could be found within any state, however small  witness Rhode Island  the principle of unitary corporate representation was further undercut.
The Republican response to President Bidens suggestion that they want to cut Medicare and Social Security has been basically that of the Monty Python knights to the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog: Run away, run away! But many in the party still appear to hope that they can make big spending cuts without hurting anyone they care about.

Many House Republicans are reportedly listening to Russell Vought, Donald Trumps former budget director, who has a new think tank and has been circulating a budget proposal titled A Commitment to End Woke and Weaponized Government, which purports to show a way to balance the budget without touching Medicare and Social Security. The document uses the word woke 77 times, and  weirdly for a fiscal blueprint  also manages to mention critical race theory 16 times.

Anyway, the proposal relies in part on magical thinking  the assertion that conservative economic policies will cause a burst of economic growth that in turn increases tax receipts. Such claims have, of course, never  and I mean never  worked in practice. But its difficult to get politicians to understand something when their careers depend on their not understanding it.

More interesting, however, is the idea that we can achieve major spending cuts by taking on wokeness. What this means in practice is huge cuts to means-tested social insurance programs: Medicaid, Affordable Care Act subsidies and food stamps (or, to use the official term, SNAP, for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).
As to the merits of his claim, The New York Times and other news media have reported that Mr. Pence plans to argue that when he presided over the joint session of Congress on Jan. 6 as president of the Senate, he was effectively a legislator and therefore entitled to the privileges and protections of the Constitutions speech or debate clause. That clause is intended to protect members of Congress from questioning and testifying about official legislative acts. Should the courts support his claim, Mr. Pence would not be required to comply with Mr. Smiths subpoena. Mr. Pence may also be under the impression that the legal fight over his claim will confound the courts, consuming months, if not longer, before he receives the verdict  but its unclear what he hopes to gain from the delay. One would have thought Mr. Pence would have seized the propitious opportunity afforded him by Mr. Smith, most likely weeks or months before he even decides whether he will run for the presidency.

If Mr. Pences lawyers or advisers have told him that it will take the federal courts months and months or longer to decide his claim and that he will never have to testify before the grand jury, they are mistaken. We can expect the federal courts to make short shrift of this Hail Mary claim, and Mr. Pence doesnt have a chance in the world of winning his case in any federal court and avoiding testifying before the grand jury.

Inasmuch as Mr. Pences claim is novel and an unsettled question in constitutional law, it is only novel and unsettled because there has never been a time in our countrys history where it was thought imperative for someone in a vice presidents position, or his lawyer, to conjure the argument. In other words, Mr. Pences claim is the proverbial invention of the mother of necessity if ever there was one.

Any protections the former vice president is entitled to under the speech and debate clause will be few in number and limited in scope. There are relatively few circumstances in which a former vice president would be entitled to constitutional protection for his conversations related to his ceremonial and ministerial roles of presiding over the electoral vote count. What Mr. Smith wants to know about are Mr. Pences communications and interactions with Mr. Trump before, and perhaps during, the vote count, which are entirely fair game for a grand jury investigating possible crimes against the United States.

Whatever the courts may or may not find the scope of any protection to be, they will unquestionably hold that Mr. Pence is nonetheless required to testify in response to Mr. Smiths subpoena. Even if a vice president has speech or debate clause protections, they will yield to a federal subpoena to appear before the grand jury. This is especially true where, as here, a vice president seeks to protect his conversations with a president who himself is under federal criminal investigation for obstructing the very official proceedings in which the special counsel is interested.
Readers were intrigued by my newsletter last Friday, The Perfect Retirement Investment Nobody Wants. It was about a concept, never realized, for a hybrid product combining long-term care insurance with an immediate annuity  a stream of monthly payments that begins right away and lasts as long as you live.

Some readers said such policies already exist. Not exactly, as Ill explain. Others wanted to know when or where they could buy one. Nowhere right now. Many wrote about the challenges of trying to protect themselves and their families from the vicissitudes of either ill health or such good health that they outlive their savings.

The idea that appeared in a 2001 article by the economist Mark Warshawsky and two other scholars is that insurers could charge less for long-term care insurance and annuities by combining them, because the risks to the insurer would partly offset each other: If customers needed lots of long-term care early on in the policy, they probably wouldnt live long enough to get a lot of annuity payments. If they lived long enough to suck up lots of annuity payments, its probably because they hadnt needed much long-term care early in retirement. Insurers could offer the two protections together more cheaply than each one separately because of the offsetting risks  the hedge, in finance lingo.

In their vision, the premium for the hybrid coverage would be paid in full upfront and benefits could never be cut. People who were certified as needing long-term care would get a guaranteed bump-up in their monthly annuity rather than having to seek reimbursement for individual expenses such as nursing care.
Last year, a study came out showing that left-leaning adolescents were experiencing a greater increase in depression than their more conservative peers. Indeed, while girls are more likely to be depressed than boys, the study, by a group of epidemiologists at Columbia, showed that liberal boys had higher rates of depression than conservative girls.

Because I wrote quite a bit about the dire psychological fallout of Donald Trumps abusive presidency, I was immediately interested in the study, titled The Politics of Depression. Its long been known that liberals tend to be more depressed than conservatives, which you can interpret as either a cause or an effect of their unhappiness with the status quo. But innate factors couldnt explain why, among the 12th graders the study examined, the gap in depressive symptoms between liberals and conservatives appeared to be growing. Nor could those factors explain why, after several years in which liberal girls and liberal boys endured roughly equal rates of depression, girls who identified as liberal had started having a much harder time.

The study speculated that left-leaning girls might simply be reacting to the political environment. Broad-reaching phenomena, such as worsening climate change or school shootings, may impact mental health for all adolescents, while social injustices like sexism, which gained media attention through the #MeToo movement, may be felt most acutely by those personally affected, it said. The notion that Trumps America was a psychologically unhealthy place for young women resonated with me, and I considered writing about it.

But as I looked closer at the data, I saw that the inflection point for liberal adolescent depression wasnt 2016, but around 2012. That was the year of the devastating Sandy Hook mass shooting, but it was not otherwise a time of liberal political despair. Barack Obama was re-elected in 2012. In 2013, the Supreme Court extended gay marriage rights. It was hard to draw a direct link between that periods political events and teenage depression, which in 2012 started an increase that has continued, unabated, until today.
After a year of brutal fighting, in which thousands of lives have been lost, civilian infrastructure destroyed and untold damage caused, the war has reached a stalemate. Neither side will countenance a negotiated settlement. On the battlefield, battered armies contest small strips of territory, at a terrible cost. The threat of nuclear escalation hangs in the air.

This isnt Ukraine today; its the Korean Peninsula in 1951. No two wars are exactly alike, of course. But in the long history of carnage, one war stands out for its relevance to the current blood bath in Ukraine: the war in Korea from 1950-53, where the South Koreans and their allies, headed by the United States, battled it out against North Korean and Chinese troops, backed by the Soviet Union. There are all sorts of lessons to be gleaned from the conflict. But the most important might be how it ended.

In Ukraine, an end to the war seems a long way off. For Russia, victory would most likely entail securing the Ukrainian territory it claims as its own. For Ukraine, nothing less than driving Russian troops out of the country  including Crimea  will do. Neither side is interested in negotiations, and its hard to see how a peace settlement would come about.

In Korea, the situation was similar: Neither North nor South Koreans, nor their sponsors, were in a hurry to end the war. But the conflict  which claimed as many as three million lives and destroyed entire cities  gradually fizzled out, leading to a cease-fire and a temporary division of the Korean Peninsula that proved more lasting than anyone could have imagined at the time. In the end, a stalemated war proved preferable to the alternatives.
Maybe thats what he intended, but the show doesnt play that way: Sheridan just likes Dutton and his world and way of life too much. Yes, the rancher-patriarch has flaws and failings. (But who doesnt?) Yes, he commits the occasional murder to protect his family and his land. (But dont be naive, sometimes thats just what leaders do.) Yes, you could say hes done a less than perfect job raising his kids. (Let the dad without sin cast the first stone.) But the core of his world, the miniature political order of the Yellowstone Ranch, is a good place and a good system, a thing worth fighting for, the last island in a sea of condominiums and coffee shops where real manhood is still available and the relationship between humankind and nature is still pure.

I could continue with this analysis, but VanArendonks essay captures it well:

For a show about a massive piece of land  and Duttons is big enough that its essentially a nation-state  there are really only two buildings on it that matter. The biggest one, the most conspicuous and outwardly impressive, is the Dutton lodge, a looming wood and river-stone mansion. Its designed to intimidate inside and out, and its decor is a specific blend of wealth and American Westernness. Duttons enemies are often loathsome, soulless Silicon Valley investors, people who tend to prefer supertall ceilings, modern starkness, enormous sheets of glass and high-gloss finishes. In contrast, Duttons lodge is a dark wood and crackling fireplace kind of place. There are stag heads on the wall, brass-studded leather chairs and Pendleton patterns. The Duttons have a private chef, but they also all wear their cowboy boots inside the house. Plus, the chefs name is Gator. Its wealth, all right, but its filtered through a validating prism of style. Its wealth, but its OK because the Duttons get what Montana is supposed to be. The only other structure of any sustained importance on Yellowstone is on another part of Duttons ranch: the bunkhouse where all the ranch hands live. Its cramped and unfussy, two or three rooms of a living space with a kitchen, a bathroom and a room where half a dozen or more cowboys all sleep on twin-size bunks. The bunkhouse is full of plaid blankets and empty beer cans and hand-knotted rugs. Its where characters with names like Lloyd and Colby and Walker spit and play drinking games and pass out before staggering up at dawn the next morning to move the herd down to a new pasture. The walls of the bunkhouse are plastered with torn-out magazine pictures of pretty women  not nudes but chastely inviting, cheerfully smiling women. Theres smut and roughhousing in the bunkhouse, but its good, clean smut and good, manly roughhousing. The bunkhouse is a tough place, and its also what Yellowstone sees as the best, truest place on earth.

The essay goes on to describe the way this bunkhouse culture rescues and fixes a troubled young man, a criminal in the making saved by a relative who basically indentures him to Duttons world  one of the key narrative arcs on the show and one with no equivalent in the more traditional style of prestige drama. Theres no Mafia apprenticeship that ends well on The Sopranos. The Mormon fundamentalists on Big Love or the corrupt cops on The Shield arent really offering havens in a heartless world. And the less said about the apprenticeship on Breaking Bad, the better. The exception that proves the rule is Mad Men, in which Don Draper is (in his way) a good boss to Peggy Olson  but thats because she represents the protofeminist alternative to his old boys culture, the audience surrogate through whom we experience the glamour of the old world but also its overthrow.

On Yellowstone theres no such morally superior successor, only circling blue-state outsiders who are clearly all worse than Dutton, whatever his sins, whose corporate capitalism makes his familial capitalism look like the best a fallen world can offer. And neither is there a figure like Dr. Jennifer Melfi from The Sopranos or Skyler White from Breaking Bad, an enabler who might ultimately turn on the male antihero, recognize his evil and rebuke the part of the audience that thought it was just supposed to cheer him on. (Duttons adult children all have wounds and complicated relationships with their dad, but so far, the best of them, Kayce, clearly embodies the virtuous side of the ranch-and-bunkhouse culture; the one whos most estranged from the family, the adopted Jamie, seethes with uncowboylike resentments and ambitions.)

True, those older prestige shows were never fully successful in pulling their audiences back from the dangerous attraction their antiheroes generated: Instead they reliably produced what The New Yorkers Emily Nussbaum described as bad fans, viewers who seemed to believe they were just supposed to root for the patriarch in autumn and despise the shrews and law-abiding types nagging at him to reform. But those fans were actually misreading those shows, whereas a fan who prefers Dutton and his family to their would-be successors is just reading Yellowstone correctly.

Note that I said successors. There are non-Duttons who invite sympathy, but theyre the familys predecessors as stewards of Montana  Native Americans, with whom the show absolutely sympathizes and through whom the scenes and monologues that get called woke come in.
FRONT PAGE

A headline with an article on Wednesday about Saudi Arabian authorities meting out harsh punishments to citizens who criticize the government overstated the impact of posting a single tweet. A man was sent to prison for multiple social media posts and possessing what the government viewed as an insulting picture of Prince Mohammed bin Salman, not for a single tweet.

NATIONAL

An article on Thursday about a gunman in Florida who killed three people misidentified the location of Pine Hills, Fla. It is about five miles west of Orlando, not east.

BUSINESS

An article on Feb. 17 about private messages that revealed Fox News stars and executives privately expressing disbelief about President Donald Trumps claims about the 2020 election referred incompletely to an episode in which the Fox News correspondent Jacqui Heinrich deleted a fact-checking tweet about false claims made by Mr. Trump about Dominion Voting. While she removed a tweet in which Mr. Trump had tagged her colleagues Sean Hannity and Lou Dobbs, she posted the same fact check in response to a different tweet from Mr. Trump that made the same false claim but did not tag her colleagues.

OBITUARIES

Because of an editing error, an obituary on Oct. 31 about Roz Wyman, a leader of the campaign to bring the Brooklyn Dodgers to Los Angeles, misstated when the New York Giants announced that they would be moving to San Francisco. It was shortly before the Dodgers announced their move, not after. This correction was delayed because the error was only recently brought to the editors attention.
In the next generation of dinosaur-based blockbuster films, some of the star creatures could perhaps sound more like a bird and a little less like a roaring lion.

At least thats a possibility raised from new research published this month, although very little is really understood about dinosaur vocals.

But a research team has drawn clues about sounds the extinct creatures could have made from what might be the first known fossilized larynx of a dinosaur. It comes from an ankylosaur, a group of armored plant-eaters that were not close relatives of birds. This squat, spiky dinosaur (Pinacosaurus grangeri) was unearthed in 2005 in Mongolia.

Junki Yoshida, a paleontologist at the Fukushima Museum in Japan, said the find was surprising because the body parts involved in vocalization, including the larynx, which is often made of cartilage but can be bony in some animals, were not considered to be good candidates for preservation as fossils. (The larynx in some animals is located near the upper part of the windpipe and contains the vocal cords.)
As each day passed on the beaches of Sanibel Island, Fla., Beth Ann Rueter Sharer and Jay Goad fell more deeply in love.

The two had connected on New Years Eve 2021 through SilverSingles, a dating site for people over 50, and on Jan. 2, 2022, had an engaging lunch at a Ruby Tuesday restaurant in Edinburgh, Ind., selected because it was midway between their homes (hers in Seymour; his in Franklin). The meeting took place shortly before Ms. Sharer was to depart on a preplanned, monthlong stay at her condominium on Sanibel, an island off the coast of Fort Myers in southwest Florida.

Mr. Goad, 64, a retired chief financial officer of Cummins, an engine distributor, was disappointed by this news. Sensing that there could be potential for a relationship, he daringly asked if he could join her. I said, This might sound weird, but Im not doing anything and, you know, Sanibel sounds pretty nice!

Ms. Sharer, 66, a retired dean of the Indiana University School of Nursing, was surprised, but flattered. I knew I liked him, but I didnt really know him, she said. She told him yes on the condition that he find his own place to stay. I said, Dont think youre staying with me, she said.
Catherine Ann Lukaszewski was on a small side street in Los Angeles, looking for the Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral, when she met Steven James Whalen who was looking for the same.

It was November 2016, and they were participating in the Great Los Angeles Walk, a self-guided pedestrian tour of part of the city. When Mr. Whalen saw that Ms. Lukaszewski had a map, something that he lacked, he approached her for directions.

The pair got to talking and were so absorbed in their conversation about historical architecture that they missed the cathedral. They ended up walking together for about four hours, including a stop for lunch.

However, there wasnt much of an initial attraction between the two. Ms. Lukaszewski, who goes by Cat, attributes that to the practical hat Mr. Whalen was wearing. It was one of those sun hats that has the floppy ears, she said.
He was a dream person, said Ms. McBride, 80. He was a genius. He made us what we all became. We believed in him completely. If Mr. B. said, Jump off a bridge, we would have. But we were taking from him, too, because he was giving us something extraordinary, and we were hungry for it.

Asked for her opinion of a book that is critical of him, Ms. McBride said: He didnt expect his life to become a museum of ballet. Balanchine always knew that things were going to change.

The daughter of an economics professor and a former nurse, Ms. Robb attended S.A.B. from age 9 through 12, when she was a student at Dalton, a private school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. After she was dismissed from S.A.B. in 2004, she refused to accept the verdict and applied to other ballet academies.

I look at the girls in the class and I know I will never look like them and I wonder why I am wasting my time, she wrote in her diary after a disheartening audition. When I can fly and turn en pointe  thats when I love ballet and I remember why I dance. But these moments, they are more and more rare.

After Boston Ballet Schools summer program turned her away, Ms. Robb quit for good at 15. She graduated from Brearley, an all-girls private school in Manhattan, and went on to study archaeology at Oxford University. Then she took an internship at The New Republic, eventually joining the magazine as a staff writer. She left the publication to write Why We Dream, a nonfiction book published in 2018 about the science of dreaming.
He talked of teaching a child judo and chess. When I asked him to explain why he wanted a child  the way one might ask someone to explain the allure of bird-watching or free climbing or some other activity that inspires passion in some and bewilderment in others  he said he wanted to love and accept our children for who they were, something he felt he hadnt been given in his own childhood.

In Austin, our lives began to diverge. Before, writing had been my secret hobby, my husband my first reader, editor and cheerleader all in one. Now it was my course of study, social life and job. I hung out with other writers, having long conversations about poets my husband didnt know, books he hadnt read, people he hadnt met. In the summer, I would often attend workshops and residencies, leaving my husband alone in scorching Texas summers for months.

I just dont feel like were in it together anymore, he told me.

Of course we are, I said. Hadnt we just been approved for green cards, which would finally mean the stability we had been working toward for a decade?

As my program ended, I began applying for academic jobs, many in rural towns my husband wouldnt be able to move to. We would figure it out, I thought. We had done long distance before. He might even be able to work remotely.

When do we stop moving? he asked. Why do you keep trying to leave?

That stopped me. The unsaid question, about whether to have children, of course, was one we had avoided for years.

Then he said: If you go, I dont know that Ill follow.

For the first time, I faced the possibility of losing him. I couldnt ignore the glaring fact that all my husband had done for a decade was support my choices, giving up opportunities to be with me. Of course, reciprocation is no reason to have a child. But what do you do when the person you most love wants something you can give him?
CARMELLO Something tells me hes going to love it.

Hes a hip guy! He has such a TikTok presence.

CARMELLO I had no idea! When my son, whos 21, found out that I was going to be doing this show, he was like, Oh, man, hes the star of TikTok.

GENAO When I was in Brooklyn recording one of the songs, he was like, This would be a good picture right over here for social media. Umm, OK, this would also be great framed at my house!

What is it like to be part of this diverse, feminist retelling of a classic fairy tale?

GENAO Its inspiring to me that [Cinderella] has a voice, and she isnt afraid to use it. She stands up for herself  to her stepmother, to her sisters, to the town, to Prince Sebastian, to anyone  even though shes struggling with her own self because of the way society makes her feel like an outcast.

CARMELLO My daughter was about two and a half when the television version that starred Brandy came out, and she was mesmerized. At the time, that was sort of groundbreaking because it was very diverse casting. And thats what I love about our cast, too  its very diverse, and I think people will see themselves up there and feel represented.

What do you hope people take away from the musical?

CARMELLO That the Cinderella story is not just about waiting around for someone to rescue you. Its about being your own person and trusting your own instincts.

GENAO I hope audiences walk out knowing that they dont have to change who they are to conform to anybody else.
The Obie Awards, back on track after a lengthy pandemic hiatus, are naming English, an acclaimed comedic drama set in an Iranian test-prep classroom, the best new American play staged Off Broadway over a two-year period.

The play, written by the Iranian American playwright Sanaz Toossi, depicts four students, each at different stages of life and with different motivations, struggling to master English well enough to pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language. The play was staged in New York early last year as a coproduction of the Atlantic and Roundabout theater companies. In The New York Times, the critic Jesse Green wrote, Both contemplative and comic, it nails every opportunity for big laughs as its English-learning characters struggle with accents and idioms. But the laughter provides cover for the deeper idea that their struggle is not just linguistic.

Strong reviews have led to subsequent productions that are currently running in Washington and Toronto; another production is scheduled to begin performances next month in Berkeley, Calif.

The Obie Awards, founded by the Village Voice and now presented by the American Theater Wing, honor theater staged Off and Off Off Broadway. This years ceremony will be held Monday night at Terminal 5 and will recognize work presented in person or online between July 1, 2020, and Aug. 31, 2022. The Wing decided to announce the award recipients in advance to allow the evening to focus on a celebration of theaters resilience. Acceptance speeches are being posted on the Wings YouTube channel.
Several months into her U.S. Army service in Germany, Private Amanda Gonzales called her mother back home in Texas and told her that she was pregnant. She was only 19 and on her first assignment in the Army. She was excited and planned to name the child Alicia Marie, her mother, Gloria Bates, recalled.

Ms. Bates booked Private Gonzales a ticket home that Christmas. She never made it.

When she did not show up for work as a cook at Fliegerhorst Kaserne, then an Army base in Hanau, Germany, on Monday, Nov. 5, 2001, soldiers broke down the door to her third-floor barracks room, her mother said. Private Gonzales was found dead. Her death was ruled a homicide by asphyxiation.

For two decades, no one was charged. Frustrated, Ms. Bates said she fought to keep the investigation alive, writing letters to members of Congress and to television shows like Dr. Phil and Americas Most Wanted. On the 10th anniversary of Private Gonzaless death, Army investigators offered a $125,000 reward for information. But the case still went cold.

Then, on Thursday, 21 years after the killing, Ms. Bates said that the F.B.I. called her to say that the authorities had finally made an arrest. According to the Justice Department, Shannon L. Wilkerson, 42, was arrested in Florida and charged with one count of first-degree murder in the death of Private Gonzales, who was four months pregnant. Mr. Wilkerson faces up to life in prison, if convicted.
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio  In the three weeks since a freight train derailed in East Palestine and released more than 100,000 gallons of toxic chemicals, lawyers have poured into the little town, signing up clients, gathering evidence and already filing more than a dozen lawsuits in federal court on behalf of local residents.

They have held information sessions nearly everywhere a crowd can gather, including at a nearby Best Western, at the American Legion hall and in the packed cafeteria at East Palestine High School. Their message overall has been one of warning: It may be months, years or possibly even decades before the derailments ultimate effect on peoples health, property values or the soil and water becomes clear.

Further, the lawyers say, early moves by Norfolk Southern, the operator of the train, suggest that getting comprehensive answers from the company will not be easy.

Among a public that is deeply skeptical of official test results  Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, and other state and federal officials say they have not shown anything alarming so far  or camera-friendly efforts at reassurance, these warnings have resonated.
It has become a tragic routine: A mass shooting draws attention to an area, thrusting it into an unfortunate spotlight. Suddenly we want to learn the intricate details of a community that had always been in our midst.

And so it went last month when Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park became the destination of a lone gunman who fatally shot 11 people. He then appeared at a nearby studio known as Lai Lai but was fought off in the lobby by the grandson of its original owners.

In the days that followed, I spent time talking to patrons and instructors of the two studios and discovered a tight-knit world of passionate dance students. Many were first-generation Asian Americans, drawn to the artistry of the tango, fox trot and cha-cha after having spent most of their lives working and raising children.

They held a reverence for the craft and were dedicated to studying its technique. Some favored the social gatherings that featured an open floor, where they could buy a ticket to what is known as the afternoon tea dance or the night dance. And there were often parties and showcases, which would draw crowds of 200 or more.
WASHINGTON  After Russia invaded Ukraine last year, President Biden reflected privately on his long-distance conversations with President Volodymyr Zelensky. He did not know the man well  and might never get to. It was chilling, several people remember him observing grimly, to think that he might be talking with a dead man.

Mr. Biden was hardly the only one to assume that Mr. Zelensky might not survive the Russian onslaught, given the target the Kremlin had put on his back. But the American president was happy to be proved wrong  and surprised to discover, like the rest of the world, that Mr. Zelensky was more than a former comedian and tougher than anyone imagined.

By the time Mr. Biden made a dramatic unannounced visit to wartime Kyiv this week, the two had grown close enough to greet each other with the easy familiarity of old friends. How are the children? Mr. Biden asked. Its amazing to see you, he added, perhaps still shocked that the Ukrainian president has escaped Russian efforts to kill him. Mr. Zelensky inquired about Jill Biden. Shes doing well, the president replied. Shes still teaching.
Whiteouts in the Tehachapi Mountains. Flooding in and around Los Angeles and record rainfall across the Central Valley. Snow in places that had not seen it for decades.

The sheets of precipitation that lashed Central and Southern California on Friday presented a vivid contrast to the sun-drenched images associated with the state. And more bad weather was in store: The storm system was forecast to linger through Saturday morning before moving inland.

As dawn approached, a flash flood warning for the cities of Los Angeles, Glendale and Santa Clarita was in effect, along with a smattering of winter weather advisories further north along the coast. Hundreds of thousands of Californians were under a freeze warning.

This is definitely rare, Kristen Stewart, a meteorologist with the Weather Service in Los Angeles, said of the weather late Friday night.
Its certainly something Ive heard many of my patients say, usually in a positive way, said Dr. Robert Gabbay, the chief scientific and medical officer of the American Diabetes Association.

Tina Zarpour, 46, who works at a museum in San Diego, used to have a glass of wine a few times a week while she cooked dinner. But after she started taking Wegovy  a weight loss drug containing semaglutide, which is the active ingredient in Ozempic  in 2021, she found herself repelled by alcohol, she said. She would try to have a drink but struggled to finish. It was like, ugh, I dont want to, she said.

Even during a birthday lunch, the type of social event where she would typically enjoy a cocktail or two, she couldnt bring herself to drink. She ended up ordering tea. I just wasnt expecting it, she said of her new distaste for alcohol. But she said she was grateful for the push to cut back on drinking.

Scientists are working to understand why people like Ms. Zarpour experience this side effect. There are some clues: Semaglutide belongs to a class of drugs called glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists, which mimic a hormone in our bodies that makes us feel full. Semaglutide helps control insulin and blood sugar levels, and can also potentially affect the areas in the brain that regulate our desire for food, said Dr. Janice Jin Hwang, the division chief of endocrinology and metabolism at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. Some people taking Ozempic have reported feeling less excited or, in some cases, even disgusted by the foods they once enjoyed. Its unclear why that reaction may extend to alcohol.

Nearly all of the existing research on GLP-1 receptor agonists and alcohol over the last decade has been conducted on animals and with compounds similar, but not identical, to semaglutide. Rats, mice and monkeys receiving GLP-1 receptor agonists have been shown to consume less alcohol and exhibit less of a desire for it than those that are not given the medication. (Animal studies involving these chemicals and drugs like nicotine, opioids and cocaine have reported similar findings.)
Follow our live coverage of Nigerias presidential election.

A Nigerian politician was arrested on Friday with nearly $500,000 in U.S. bills in his car and a list of possible recipients for the money, the police said, announcing his detention on the eve of a closely watched presidential election in which vote buying has worried officials.

Vote buying, long a problem in Nigeria, is one of several potential threats to the election, which is set to take place on Saturday. For years, politicians in the country have been accused of handing out cash for votes, knowing that many Nigerians  more than 60 percent of people live in poverty  are in need.

The local police on Friday identified the arrested politician as Chinyere Igwe, a lawmaker in Nigerias lower parliamentary chamber and a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party. They said he was arrested on suspicion of money laundering but did not announce formal charges.

Mr. Igwe could not immediately be reached for comment, and it was not clear whether he had a lawyer.
After a drumroll of diplomatic activity suggesting that China was poised to play a more energetic role in seeking peace in Ukraine, Beijing issued a paper on Friday that reprised its established views on the war, calling for an end to fighting while avoiding demands  or words like invasion  that could hurt its ties with Russia.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs released the paper on the first anniversary of Russias invasion and after Chinas most senior diplomat, Wang Yi, visited Europe, telling a security forum in Munich that the document would lay out Chinas positions for a political settlement of the crisis. But the document was not the blueprint or bold initiative that some in European capitals appeared to expect, instead repeating Beijings standard talking points of the last year.

While China has sought to portray itself as a neutral broker over the last year, it has also in some important ways aligned itself with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. Though China has generally refrained from giving weapons and similar material aid to Russia, it has given Mr. Putin diplomatic support in international venues, defended its economic ties with Russia and officially promoted Kremlin disinformation on the war.

Beijings diplomatic paper, titled Chinas Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis, called for an end to the fighting and a start to peace negotiations, but only in broad terms.
The chemical giant BASF announced plans on Friday to cut 2,600 positions, mainly in Germany, as it reported a slide in earnings that it attributed to shifting global demand and a loss of the cheap Russian natural gas that has served as a backbone for the company for decades.

BASF also said it would abruptly cut short a 3 billion-euro, or $3.2 billion, stock buyback program begun in January 2022. It had been scheduled to run until the end of this year, but will end because of profound changes in the global economy.

The grim announcement from one of Germanys industrial leaders came one year to the day after Russias invasion of Ukraine, which set off an energy crisis in Europe as Moscow began dialing back its shipments of natural gas as punishment for the blocs support of sanctions. Gas prices reached record highs, forcing BASF and other companies reliant on energy to cut back production.

BASF needs natural gas to power its facilities and as a raw material to produce chemical products, including ammonia, which is used in making fertilizer.
China sells L-15 trainer aircraft to UAE military

(China Daily) 09:54, February 24, 2023

An L-15 trainer aircraft flies during the Zhuhai Airshow in Guangdong province in November. WANG ZHUANGFEI/CHINA DAILY

China has sold a number of its L-15 multirole military aircraft to the United Arab Emirates, according to Aviation Industry Corp of China, the country's main aircraft maker.

The State-owned defense contractor said in a news release on Tuesday that it has successfully inked a deal on the L-15 with the UAE.

It said the L-15 is a new-generation, light combat/training plane that can be used to carry out air combat, ground attacks and training for aviators to fly fourth- and fifth-generation fighter jets. The aircraft features high training efficiency, strong combat power and low operational and maintenance costs.

The version to be delivered to the UAE Air Force will have aerial refueling capability, according to the company.

It did not disclose how many L-15s were ordered, the value of the contract or the delivery plan.

The announcement from AVIC was the first official confirmation from China about the L-15 deal.

In February 2022, the UAE's official Emirates News Agency reported that the nation's Ministry of Defense was working to sign a contract with China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corp, AVIC's export wing, for the purchase of 12 L-15s, with the option for another 36 such aircraft in the future.

The report quoted a spokesman for the UAE military as saying that the Chinese plane is one of the top training/fighter jets in the world.

It also quoted Tareq Abdulraheem al Hosani, CEO of the Tawazun Economic Council, as saying that the prospective deal is part of ongoing efforts to diversify and modernize the Arab nation's military capabilities.

The Tawazun Economic Council is an official organization that manages the procurements and contracts of the UAE Armed Forces and the Abu Dhabi Police.

Developed by AVIC's Hongdu Aviation Industry Group in Nanchang, Jiangxi province, the L-15 has two engines, a streamlined aerodynamic design and integrated avionics. It can be equipped with an advanced fire-control radar and multiple types of munitions such as midrange air-to-air missiles, precision strike bombs and anti-ship cruise missiles.

The deal marks the first time for the UAE to introduce a Chinese manned aircraft  it has deployed several types of Chinese combat drones  and also for the L-15 to enter the Middle East market.

Currently, the L-15 has three end users, the People's Liberation Army Air Force, the PLA Navy and the Zambian Air Force.

Fu Qianshao, an aviation equipment expert who served in the PLA Air Force for decades, said on Wednesday that the L-15 is likely the best trainer aircraft in the world, which can explain why it is gaining popularity in the international market.

"The L-15 is one of the only two supersonic trainer planes in the market. The other is South Korea's T-50. The L-15 has world-class aerodynamic designs and fly-by-wire flight control systems. It is the only trainer jet in the world that is equipped with a passive phased array radar, which is better than any other radars used on trainer planes," he said.

The aircraft is good enough to engage advanced fighter jets such as the United States' F-16 or F/A-18 in low-altitude scenarios, according to Fu.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
Hi, Sabrina. Im well, and how are you?

Good, good. So Maxim, could you introduce yourself for me?

OK. My name is, as you know, Maxim. My nickname is Mouse. Im 44 years old. And before the war, I was a lawyer and have a own practice. And I live the same city where I am now. Its a Dnipro.

Wow. And what about your family? Do you have a wife, kids?

Yeah I have a wife. I have two kids. My daughter is 22 years old, and my junior son, he is 11 years old.

In the military service, I became in April of 2022. When I came to the Army, I have not had a lot of experience in this case. Thats why I must learn a lot of new things for me. But as I know right now, I have a good practice in this.

So you joined the military, and youve been fighting. Where has the battle been most intense?

15 of us was on duty. It was in the forest. It was a hole in the Earth.

It was the beginning of December. We spent a couple of days already in the forest, near Kreminna. Before that day, was a couple of days, maybe two or three days, when Russian forces were trying to capture us.

And all of this continues quite a long time, 2 and 1/2 hours.

After that, wave after wave, wave after wave, they continue to move, move, move, shoot and move, and didnt try to hide from the fire, our fire, like zombie. For me, it was Im an actor in a horror movie. I dont feel that its real.

They start to falling down. Some of them was killed. No screaming, just fallen down on the ground, thats all  a life is over. Another part of them continuing to shoot in on us.

And they start shooting on us. We start shooting on them. And that time, I just trying to make my job and trying to stay alive. I didnt think about nothing.

And theyre screaming, Russians, Russians! We didnt expect that they came to our position so close, 30 meters, unseen.

Yeah, yeah, correct. And when our soldier who was on duty saw a couple of Russian soldiers coming on our position.

If you ran out of ammunition and the Russians captured you, what would you do?

At that time, yes. And after that fight, we continued to look around us. We were awaiting another group of Russian soldiers.

After that, it was full silence, only wind in the forest, in the trees.

I just hear scream, help, help, a couple of minutes. A Russian soldier was dying, and thats all.

Its not a very usual thing for human beings to kill each other, for normal human beings.

It was a nightmare. I heard the sound, I heard his scream, and I wake up.

Do you think the war will be over soon?

Did you think the war would be over soon at the beginning of it, when it first started?

I will be a most, most happy man in the world if this war ended tomorrow, for example.

The war, how it look like, and what did I saw? Maybe I opened my eyes.

And even from the week or month, I dont know, but soon.

I do know about Bakhmut. Are you on the front lines in Bakhmut?

^IRA TSYBUKH^ I am Irina Tsybukh, I am from Kyiv, and I have 24 years old. Now, I am very not far from Bakhmut. You know about Bakhmut?

I can hear you. I can hear you. And Ira, can you introduce yourself?

Hi, Ira, how are you doing? ^IRA TSYBUKH^ Hi, can you hear me?

Yeah, but like not exactly in the Bakhmut, but very near.

On the front line near Bakhmut?

^IRA TSYBUKH^ Mm-hmm, and I am the paramedic on the case evac, evacuation. We are exactly the team that are going to the front line and taking the person who is injured from that place where it happened. And Im in my car right now, so now, Im just trying to be quiet, to listen what is going on outside. Ira, do you hear fighting? Is there fighting happening now?

^IRA TSYBUKH^ Yeah, for sure, yes. Im just waiting for the commander and for his tasks. If somebody will have injuries, we will have work.

Ira, remember back for me to a time when you saved someones life. Tell me that story.

^IRA TSYBUKH^ This is like many stories, and nothing special. But I guess there was this person who like injured on their right hand. It was from the, like, drone. Oh.

^IRA TSYBUKH^ Yeah, so he has really huge injuries with many, many, many some of that part of the bombs in his hands, and massive bleeding. And we just help him to the hospital. But after that, he write me, did you remember me. He located me. So how are you? I just want to have a video call with you.

And I said, man, no, not today. No video calls. I just evacuated you. I saw that maybe he wants to have communication with me, and I dont like such things. So thats why I told him, no, no worries, see you, take care, and blah, blah, blah.

So but he said, please, Im asking you, you need to have a video call with me. And I said, oh my god, OK, just for a minute. And he said, yes, just for a minute. And he called me, and he said, I need to show you somebody.

And he showed me his daughter, six years old daughter. Shes like a very tiny girl, and she was just smiling to me. And she just said, hi, Miss Ira. I just want to tell you, thank you for my  that you saved the life of my father. And that was  my god, its a very strong moment.

Sometimes here in the war its everything is very depressive. But at that moment, all my sadness, tiredness, has just gone, and Im just like staying there until that I can  I know why Im doing this, and I can do more and more and stay for how much that guys need me.

Yeah.

^IRA TSYBUKH^ When I remember the story, I just feel like I have a sunshine inside of me.

Yeah, wow.

^IRA TSYBUKH^ You know, after all these months of the war, I just really feel like I dont have emotions enough. So this is something that war did with me, and I really dont like it.

I just want to stay that person that I have been before the war 

very easygoing. I had every Friday night with my friends that where we drink the wine. And it was perfect life.

I loved myself, and I loved everything that going on with everything  with my boyfriends, with my life, with my job, with the Friday nights. And it was the person I loved. It was me.

And I dont know is it clear right now to understand. But Im telling you this, and Im smiling right now because that was crazy, perfect life.

Now, I just want to come back and to feel the same, to feel all this to perfect things from living life. This is  thats why I love this life.

And I just sometimes feel very lonely because of this, because I come back to my parents cities where I have had a lot of friends, and we had coffee together. And I said to my mom, I said, here, I just dont know how I can ask somebody to go with to have a coffee with me, because everybody has died.

You said to your mom, how can I ask somebody to have coffee with me? Everybodys died. You mean, because so many of your friends had died.

^IRA TSYBUKH^ Exactly, yes. And I just dont know whom I can ask for this.

About how many of your friends died in this war, Ira?

^IRA TSYBUKH^ If we can say from the 2014, I guess it can be a 16 persons.

16?

^IRA TSYBUKH^ Yes. Oh, Ira, thats a lot of people.

^IRA TSYBUKH^ Yes. Yes, thats something that hard me the most in this war. Yeah.

^IRA TSYBUKH^ This is the feeling, like people of my age, this very hard to explain the feeling, that Ill lose my youngness. Yes, I dont know how  I dont know the words.

Feeling that you lose your youth?

^IRA TSYBUKH^ Yes, my youngness, yes.

Just a moment. OK, just a moment. Just let me answer my commander. Yes.

^IRA TSYBUKH^ Uh 

It sounds like you need to go.

^IRA TSYBUKH^ Yeah, Im very sorry, but I need to say to my team that we will have a new task.

Got it, Ira, thank you so much for talking to me. ^IRA TSYBUKH^ Its nothing. Good luck. Bye.
After powerful earthquakes struck southern Turkey, Eylem Sahutoglu and her family endured two weeks of freezing nights under a blue tarpaulin. Then word came from government engineers who had inspected their building: They could return home.

But on Monday night, before they could move back into their house in Hatay Province, the earth began shaking again. Another powerful quake had hit the region.

My legs went numb, Ms. Sahutoglu said, recalling how she had fainted in her front yard as the house crumbled at her feet.

Ms. Sahutoglus ordeal is emblematic of the plight of thousands of Turks who were preparing to return home  only to be thrown deeper into uncertainty, lurching from one calamity to the next.
The public squares and landmarks of major cities around the world were covered in Ukraines national colors on Thursday, in a vibrant and international show of support for the country ahead of the anniversary of Russias invasion.

Londoners draped Trafalgar Square  and themselves, along with at least one pup  in the blue and yellow of Ukrainian flags during a vigil jointly organized by the Ukrainian and U.S. Embassies in the city, while the Eiffel Tower lit up the Paris skyline with Ukraines colors.

Demonstrations of solidarity with the Ukrainian people were also held in Brussels, where toys and teddy bears representing the thousands of Ukrainian children forcibly transferred to Russia were laid out across the Rond-Point Schuman near the citys European Quarter. The area is home to several European Union buildings, including the European Parliament, which was also lit up in yellow and blue on Thursday.

In Australia, Ukrainians and their supporters marched to St. Marys Cathedral Square in Sydney with a bullhorn as part of a rally honoring 365 days of Ukrainian resistance.
New York Times photographers were on the ground in Ukraine even before Russia invaded in February 2022. Over the course of the year, they have documented every aspect of the conflict that journalistic effort could reach: drone bases and sites of atrocity, packed subways and deserted villages, funerals and joyful crowds, missile paths and refugee routes, front lines and wrecked living rooms.

Some of those scenes are below. But this selection does not try to be comprehensive. The Times already has a rolling chronicle of photography of the war in Ukraine, updated regularly.

Here, instead, 14 photographers who have worked in Ukraine for The Times each answer the same two questions: What image has stayed with you from your coverage of the first year of the war, and why?

This gallery contains graphic images. The photographs are ordered for variety of style and subject. Some of those pictured asked to be identified only by their first name, out of concern for their safety.

Fastiv, February 2022

The volunteers
Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen directly confronted senior Russian officials during a meeting of finance ministers of the Group of 20 nations on Friday, calling it a moral imperative to end the war in Ukraine.

Her condemnation of the war was a rare direct interaction between American and Russian officials and occurred on the anniversary of a conflict that has divided the world and roiled the global economy. The United States has pledged to deliver more aid to Ukraine and to level more sanctions on Russia.

I urge the Russian officials here at the G20 to understand that their continued work for the Kremlin makes them complicit in Putins atrocities, Ms. Yellen said in a private session, according to remarks that were shared by a Treasury Department official. They bear responsibility for the lives and livelihoods being taken in Ukraine and the harm caused globally.

The comments were made during a session about international financial architecture that took place on the first day of a two-day gathering of top economic policymakers in Bengaluru. Senior Russian economic officials were in attendance, according to a Treasury official, who declined to characterize how they responded.
KYIV, Ukraine  In a wide-ranging, hourslong news conference in a basement in the heart of Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that he was confident his country could win the war this year, expressed hope that China would not provide lethal military aid to Russia and implored Israel to get off the fence and side with his nation.

On the anniversary of Russias full-scale invasion, Mr. Zelensky offered a broad overview of where the war stood, the challenges Ukraine faced and the opportunities in the months ahead.

Not one to shrink from questions or to shy away from calling out even allies if he feels they could be doing more to help Ukraine, he nevertheless tread carefully when talking about China.

Asked about reports that Beijing was considering providing Moscow with lethal weapons, Mr. Zelensky initially ignored the question. When it was raised a second time, he said that working to ensure China did not arm Russia was one of his top priorities.
Vladimir Putin said this week that he would suspend Russias participation in the New START treaty, which limits the U.S. and Russia to how many nuclear warheads each?
These are some of the millions of messages Ukrainians wrote to friends, family and loved ones as Russia invaded early in the morning of Feb. 24. The messages are a snapshot of a fateful day for Ukraine and Europe  capturing the fear, love and support shared in the first hours of war. I am inspired by the humor, honesty, bravery and messages of How are you and I love you that were sent on that day, said Ira Yeroshko, an author who collected the messages on this page and is writing a book using them. Text messages bound Ukraine together like threads, she said. Ms. Yeroshko, who was visiting her parents in Lutsk in northwestern Ukraine that morning, said that she had herself started texting as soon as she woke up and heard explosions. I immediately knew what it meant, she said. Most of the following messages have been translated, and some contain strong language.

Ira Yeroshko

Oh Girls:((( I cant believe it started friend one yeah. at 3am planes were flying Why do I hear the bombing sounds? friend two The airfield is on fire friend one Because they are bombing airports damn, its horrible friend two At Vyshkiv looks like nothing is happening Damn, what is waiting for us? friend one I think they bombed and next will be the offensive

Oleksandr Starun, 27, is a manager at a factory in the Czech Republic. Mr. Starun is from Belarus but his grandparents live in the Chernihiv region of northern Ukraine. He wrote to a friend, also in Europe, about their anxieties for relatives in Ukraine and about the televised address that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia delivered that day.

Oleksandr Starun

The war started. Damn. So I woke up. This is horrible. How are your grandma and grandpa? So there was a reason why I felt sick after this scums speech.

Vitalii Hordiyenko, 24, is a YouTube blogger. On Feb. 24, he was preparing to leave Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, and messaging with a friend who was on his way to a military commissariat to register with the army.

Vitalii Hordiyenko

Good Morning. Russia attacked Ukraine. Good Morning. Russia started the process of self-destruction. Sounds rational.

Lilia Turchyn, 33, is a judges assistant in the Lviv region, in western Ukraine. Her first messages were with her sister, who lived near a military base in Lviv. Later on the 24th, her sister moved with her husband out of Lviv to a nearby town that seemed safer.

Lilia Turchyn

Svitlanka, the war started Be careful, and tell our mom to be careful with Myroslav Where did you read that? Everywhere theyre writing UP I see Already, as just woke up What do you think? How will all this end? They say it will last 48 hours Do you believe in that?

Petro Krushelnytsky, 27, works in Poland. He was in Warsaw on Feb. 24 and wrote to his brother, who had been called back from a vacation in the weeks before the invasion and deployed from western Ukraine to the Dnipro region. I took out my phone and opened the news and it was a shock, he said. The first person I wrote to was my brother Mykola. On Oct. 16, 2022, the 128th Brigade, in which his brother served, led a counteroffensive from the Dnipro region towards Kherson and in a heavy battle, my brother died near the city of Zelenodolsk. A couple of minutes after I found out that he died, my mother called me and it was the scariest call in my life. My brother was a very kind person, he said. Unfortunately, it is true  the best die in war. Now I have to live for two and find a way to be happy, because otherwise all these devoted lives will be in vain.

Petro Krushelnytsky

where are you? I am in Dnipro region but do not tell anyone because I say our mom that I am still in Mukacheve okay Are you already at war or just on your way? Hold on. I am honored to have such brother as you We came in yesterday. We are 200 kilometers from them so dont know, will be maybe going to the frontline now. when will have a possibility, write me that all good with you ok Where are they taking you?

Inesa Matiushenko, 33, is the co-founder of a charity that supports cancer patients. Her first conversation was in English, with an acquaintance from the Netherlands  a man she had seen in person only once, with some others, a year earlier. I was very surprised when he wrote me, she said. He found out about the war and wrote all people whom he knew from Ukraine and that was me. Was very scary then but even that one message it was about support which we all badly needed. She added: It is important for me to remember those who wrote me with support on this day.

Inesa Matiushenko

We want to let you know that we think about you and your country and we really hope youre okay and that this will end now. Here the news and the people dont talk about anything else than the war, everyone is angry or horrified and everyone wants to support Ukraine where we can. If we can do anything however small please let us know. For now we wish you the best in this situation and hope for you and your family to be safe. Thank you We okay if something can be in this case Alive

Inna Zhurba, 45, is an administrator at Cherkasy State Technological University, in central Ukraine. On Feb. 24, she was awoken by her colleagues messages, opened Facebook and saw many friends writing that the war had started. She decided not to evacuate with her 14-year-old son. I found these messages now and started crying remembering that day, she said.

Inna Zhurba

Colleague One Guys, survive!!! with a prayer for each of you!!! Colleague Two Is it quiet where you are? Colleague One For now yes, thank God, how are you? For now quiet. Colleague Two Here is shooting Colleague Three And again just now The school is closed.

Pylyp Dotsenko, 31, is a photographer. He awoke to explosions in Kyiv, got up and went looking for a bomb shelter, photographing what he saw along the way. He called his mother begging her to stay home from work. He had phone calls with the family on the first day and exchanged his first messages with friends on Feb. 25.

Pylyp Dotsenko

Hi! Could you please advise the safest shelter for us? I saw you were posting pictures of it. school number 6 Thank you. How are you? How is family? Evacuating relatives now Take care of yourself! you too We are not in Ukraine but family is there. Begging my mom to take a shelter

Andriana Chunis, 32, is an illustrator. On Feb. 24, she was in Lviv with her husband and 4-year-old son, Ustym. They at once decided to evacuate to their parents house in the countryside, because they were very scared Russia might attack from Belarus. All day I spent on the phone with my friends evacuating from all over Ukraine, she said My friend from Kyiv couldnt leave, as there was no possibility, so she just put her child into one of the cars driving in our direction and I took her child to my parents house together with another 17 people. She managed to get to us only the next day. We all slept in the basement and corridors. There was no time to worry as I had to cook for 17 people. All the time someone was washing dishes.

Andriana Chunis

For me to go abroad is like to accept that they won or something We are asked to switch off the lights in our houses. How scary. I dont know on which side of the house to put the children to sleep Its the fucking end of total security Fucking hell. How fucked up these sonofabitch Russians. Fuck, this was such a hard day, how will we last a week, psychologically I doubt they will attack Polandbut they understood that there will be fucking nothing in response to their attack, as usual. How is your mom? Mom in law?

Kateryna Pesotska, 30, a lawyer, woke up in Kyiv hearing explosions and started thinking about evacuating with her brother, Sasha. By Feb. 26, they were already in Chernivtsi, in western Ukraine. Her father was in Mariupol, an industrial port in southeastern Ukraine that would soon endure a brutal siege. On Feb. 26, they argued about the war. He was telling me that Kyiv is not being bombed. This was our last talk because on March 5 he blew up on a mine at the beach on the left shore in Mariupol.

Kateryna Pesotska
Waterproof smartphones are becoming more common in Western markets, but they are hardly the norm. In Japan however, almost all phones are waterproof, and have been for nearly a decade now. According to statistics, 90% to 95% of phones in Japan are waterproof, because people need to be able to use them while they are showering.

Japanese users are apparently so attached to their phones that they even bring them into the shower. Manufacturers were aware of this unusual habit early on and realized that in order to succeed in japan, they had to make their devices water resistant. The worlds first waterproof mobile phone, the Casio Canu 502S, was release in 2005, and was soon followed by a series of Fujitsu waterproof handhelds. Before long, every company looking to enter Japanese market had to make their devices waterproof.

Photo: video screengrab

Even companies like LG or Samsung, which dont generally make waterproof phones for the global market, had to adapt in order to become competitive in Japan. In Japan, being waterproof is far more important than being able to remove your phones battery, said Ken Hong, LGs global communications director. For a smaller Korean brand like LG, we need to be able to check all the key boxes to be as attractive as possible to Japanese consumers. This is also why LG hasnt even bothered launching its newest flagship, the modular G5 phone in the Asian country  it couldnt make a waterproof phone with removable parts, so why bother.

In Japan, you cant sell a phone if its not waterproof. About 90 to 95 percent of all phones sold now are already waterproof, Panasonic executive Taro Itakura said in 2012. Why? This is very unique  young Japanese women prefer to use their cellphones even when taking their showers, cellphones have become must products.

Photo: video screengrab

The mobile phone is with us 24 hours a day. It accompanies us to the bathroom, to the shower, or under the rain. So it is a necessity for the phone to be robust, Nobuo Ohtani, Fujitsu corporate senior vice president, told AFP.

So rest easy, as long as you dont take your mobile phone in the shower with you, youre not as addicted to technology as you thought.

via Mashable


Pacific Surfliner Needs PR Engineer Mon., Apr. 10, 2023 The Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor Agency wants a digital marketing firm to promote visibility and recover ridership that the Pacific Surfliner brand lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. It has budgeted $200K for the one-year effort.
Penguin Random House fixes its PR blunder. The company announced on Feb. 24 that it will publish the original versions of Roald Dahls childrens books alongside the new woke editions.

The newer sanitized version will remove words currently deemed offensive to some and rewrite some of the language.

It drops the word fat, changes old hag to old crow and cuts references to gender and mental health.

Salman Rushdie, author of "The Satanic Verses, trashed the PRH's Puffin Books imprint for carrying out absurd censorship.

Francesca Dow, managing director of childrens books at PRH, told the Financial Times that her company listened to the debate over the past week that reaffirmed the extraordinary power of Roald Dahls books and the very real questions around how stories from another era can be kept relevant for each new generation.

Parents and readers are now free to choose the version of the Dahl stories they prefer.

PRH deserves credit for its quick action.

Watch out, Joe. Spiritual author Marianne Williamson on March 4 will officially launch her campaign for the Democratic nomination for president.

Unlike Nikki Haley, who made a lighter-than-air video to launch her run for the Republican nomination, Williamson came out swinging.

She told Medill News Service that she is running because the country is in the midst of a threat of authoritarianism, where corporate oligarchs, fossil fuel companies, gun manufacturers, and the military industrial complex 'suck the juice' out of democracy.

Run, Marianne, Run.

One out of every 12 Russians knows someone who was killed in Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine, Arkady Ostrovsky, Russia editor at The Economist, said Feb. 24 during a webinar to mark the one-year anniversary of the war.

There have been 175K to 200K Russian casualties, which includes 60K soldiers and Wagner mercenaries killed in action.

Ostrovsky said only 25 percent of Russians support Putins special military operation but 40 percent of the people dont believe his line about things are going according to plan.

Putin launched the war to combat the modernization and liberalization of Russia, especially among young people who are attracted to the values of the West.

He is determined to fight on as a matter of keeping his regime in power. It's all about Putin's survival.

Ostrovsky, who has interviewed Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky twice, said he is more confident and resolute today than ever before.

Zelensky believes there will be a political solution to end the conflict, according to Ostrovsky.

The Ukrainian leader also believes there will be a way to negotiate the return of Crimea, which was seized by Putin in 2014, once the Russian strongman is out of office.

Ostovsky said Putin is obsessed with Crimea. The Ukrainian military will march to the border of Crimea to cut off Russian supply lines and wait Putin out.
Women can face many different financial pressures throughout their lives.

Ahead of International Womens Day (March 8), Laura Newman, head of client advice and investment services at NatWest Premier (natwest.com) reflects on some of the obstacles women face as they go through different life stages, and what can be done to mitigate them.

Newman says: Women take off time to look after children, take career breaks, and theyre generally the main carer as well.

If elderly parents become ill, it is often women who will take time out of the workplace to care for them, she adds.

As this may involve reducing working hours, its important to consider the long-term impact this could have on pension savings  as well as the short-term impact on wages.

Recent research from Phoenix Insights and the Institute for Employment Studies (IES) indicate that just one-third (34%) of women who have reduced their weekly working hours have considered the impact on their monthly workplace pension contributions, and 36% considered the impact of reducing their hours on their overall pension pot.

If a woman is in a workplace pension scheme and their employer contributes to it, the firm must continue doing so while the employee is receiving statutory maternity pay.

More information can be found on the Government-backed MoneyHelper website at moneyhelper.org.uk.

If an employee reduces their hours when they return to the workplace, this could mean less money going into their pension.

Newman suggests they may want to consider paying in additional pension contributions beforehand, if they are in a position to do so.

She adds: If you decide not to return to work, dont lose sight of that pension. On average people have had 11 roles throughout their lifetime, and there are so many people were finding today where theyve forgotten about the small pension pots that have been built up in different areas from different companies theyve worked for.

The Pension Tracing Service can help track down lost pension pots.

Its also important to check any entitlement to credits that could help towards your state pension.

Child Benefit can enable parents to get National Insurance credits, which could boost their state pension entitlement.

Grandparents and other family members caring for a child may also be able to get National Insurance credits.

More information on who could receive National Insurance credits can be found at gov.uk/national-insurance-credits.

Childcare costs can sometimes make it difficult to make the return to work.

Parents can check what help they could get with childcare at childcarechoices.gov.uk.

Taking a career break? If your income (or the income of your husband, wife or civil partner) has dropped below 12,570 over the last year, you could be eligible for Marriage Allowance. Check your eligibility and submit a claim by visiting https://t.co/TDd6t94J4H pic.twitter.com/u0L3ZCaFlZ  HM Revenue & Customs (@HMRCgovuk) January 18, 2023

Depending on the job, it may also be possible to negotiate more flexibility around your hours or the ability to work from home with your employer, which could help ease some pressures around childcare costs.

Its also important to check whether you might be entitled to any tax breaks.

For example, the Marriage Allowance can help couples pay less tax overall. It allows one person in a couple to transfer a portion of their tax-free Personal Allowance to their spouse or civil partner, in certain circumstances.

More than 2.1 million couples currently benefit from the Marriage Allowance, but HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) estimates that thousands more are missing out, particularly if, for example, one partner has retired, has given up work to take on caring responsibilities, or is unable to work due to a long-term health condition.

A Marriage Allowance calculator is available on gov.uk to help couples check eligibility.

10. Invest 20%+ of Your Income Use the power of compound interest to build your wealth. How to invest:  Invest automatically Invest in index funds Avoid higher-risk investments Choose low-cost investment options The best time to invest is today.  Fiona | The Millennial Money Woman (@The_MMW) February 16, 2023

Some surveys suggest women in particular may face issues of confidence when it comes to finances.

NatWests internal staff research, carried out last year, found 55% of women said they invest compared with 80% of men.

However, nearly half (47%) of female non-investors in NatWests survey felt they could afford to invest, compared with around a third (34%) of men.

Newman says she is passionate about encouraging women to consider a career in financial planning.

The more that we can increase the level of women financial planners, I think that will give women more confidence to actually sit down and take that advice, she says.

She also says people should not be worried about asking questions about finances.

I always say no question is a silly question. If you have that question, thats because you need an answer to it, she says.

You don't have to be an expert in finance to be an expert in YOUR finance  Female Invest (@FemaleInvest) October 5, 2022

Newman adds: Sometimes its a situation like divorce, like death, unfortunately, that will force someone into actually trying to find out further information.

Its also important in the event of a divorce not to overlook pension pots when dividing assets.

Newman cautions: Pension wealth is very unequally distributed among married men and women, so a divorce where pensions arent split can leave women significantly worse off.

She also emphasises how financial advice can help, adding: We seek help from experts in many areas of our lives, and this should extend to personal finance too.

Its important to speak to a specialist it comes to financial, tax and legal matters, which can often be complex. This means you can get support to make sound decisions and build a plan to match your future goals.
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Photo: (Photo : Spencer Platt/ Getty Images)

A Bronx grandmother stabbed her 7-year-old granddaughter. Maritza Yauger, 65, has been accused of repeatedly stabbing her granddaughter, a heinous crime that shocked her community.

The grandmother had always been seen as a doting figure to her granddaughter, and it was hard for those who knew her to comprehend how she could commit such a brutal attack.

The attack occurred in a Clinton Avenue apartment in the Morrisania section of New York City on Tuesday morning.

According to ABC7, at the time of the stabbing, the young girl was in the company of her 4-year-old sister, paternal uncle, and paternal grandmother.

The 4-year-old girl was the only witness to the attack and was reported to have been traumatized by the incident.

Bronx grandmother stabs 7-Year-Old granddaughter

On a Tuesday morning, at approximately 8:14 A.M. in the Morrisania neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City, the girl's uncle had called 911 to report the stabbing, which he had just discovered after waking up.

The police responded within five minutes and found the girl lying lifeless on the bed, covered in blood.

The police officers immediately rushed the girl to their cruiser and drove her to Lincoln Hospital, with the uncle running behind to try and rescue her.

According to the New York Times, the victim was later joined at the hospital by her parents and 4-year-old sister, who live in New Jersey. The detectives stated no prior history with the family from the Administration for Children's Services (ACS).

The doctors at the hospital examined the girl and reported that she had been stabbed over a dozen times, resulting in a mid- to lower-neck tracheal laceration and a laceration to the left torso that perforated her lung.

An ultrasound also revealed internal bleeding near her heart, and she had lost approximately one-third of her total blood volume with a possible punctured kidney.

The girl was given a blood transfusion and immediately taken to surgery. As of the latest update, she is now stabilized.

Meanwhile, the grandmother of the victim, 65-year-old Mariza Yauger, was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital.

She was later arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child, criminal possession of a weapon, reckless endangerment, attempted manslaughter, assault, and attempted murder.

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The Bronx community is in shock

The community was shocked by the incident that had taken place. It was hard for most neighbors to believe that the grandmother had committed such a heinous act, especially since she had always shown love and affection towards her granddaughter.

According to the New York Post, Eva Devers, a close friend of Mariza Yauger, expressed her disbelief and stated that Yauger loved her 7-year-old granddaughter.

Maria Castillo, a local hairdresser, shared her experiences with Yauger, stating that she would periodically bring her granddaughter to the salon to get pampered, paying for her hair and nails to be done.

Castillo further added that Maritza Yauger adored her granddaughter, and she recalled Yauger once asking her why she gave her granddaughter everything.

Yauger revealed that she loved her granddaughter dearly, especially since she only had two sons and never a daughter. Castillo remembered Yauger saying that she would continue to give her granddaughter everything.

However, they also noticed a change in Yauger's behavior after her mother's death about a year ago, making her more withdrawn and introverted.

Detectives investigating the incident revealed that the grandmother had a history of mental health issues. It is unclear whether this had any role in the stabbing incident.

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Photo: (Photo : NATALIE BEHRING /Getty Images)

UNICEF's recent study reveals an alarming increase in women dying from pregnancy and childbirth.

Maternal mortality continues to pose a serious threat to women worldwide, with a tragic statistic emerging that a woman loses her life every two minutes due to pregnancy or childbirth.

Shocking new data has highlighted major setbacks for maternal health, exposing disparities in healthcare access in various parts of the world.

UNICEF's Trends in Maternal Mortality report has shed light on this concerning trend, showing that maternal deaths have either increased or remained stagnant in almost all regions globally in recent years.

The alarming increase in maternal mortality

The latest report released by United Nations agencies tracks maternal deaths at national, regional, and global levels from 2000 to 2020.

According to NBC, the report estimates there were approximately 287,000 maternal deaths worldwide in 2020, marking only a slight decrease from 309,000 in 2016 when the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were implemented.

While the report highlights significant progress in reducing maternal deaths between 2000 and 2015, the gains largely stalled or even reversed after this point.

The maternal mortality rate increased in two of the eight UN regions, Caribbean, Latin America, Northern America, and Europe-by 17 percent and 15 percent, respectively, from 2016 to 2020. The rate remained stagnant in other regions.

However, some countries were able to decrease their maternal mortality rates successfully.

Countries in Central and Southern Asia, New Zealand, and Australia experienced significant declines of 35 percent and 16 percent, respectively, during the same period, as did 31 countries worldwide.

Maternal deaths continue to be concentrated in the world's poorest parts and countries affected by conflict. In 2020, approximately 70 percent of all maternal deaths will occur in sub-Saharan Africa.

Nine countries facing severe humanitarian crises had maternal mortality rates more than double the world average of 551 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, compared to 223 globally.

The report highlights the urgent need to address the maternal mortality crisis and calls for increased investment in maternal health to prevent unnecessary deaths during pregnancy and childbirth.

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Why are women dying from pregnancy and childbirth?

As reported by Bloomberg, severe bleeding, pregnancy-related infections, high blood pressure, complications from unsafe abortion, and underlying conditions such as malaria and HIV/AIDS are the leading causes of maternal deaths.

These causes are mostly preventable and treatable with access to high-quality healthcare.

However, progress is being threatened due to the underfunding of primary healthcare systems, a lack of trained healthcare workers, and weak supply chains for medical products.

Approximately one-third of women do not receive the recommended eight antenatal checks or essential postnatal care, while 270 million lack access to modern family planning methods.

Women must have control over their reproductive health, including decisions about if and when to have children, to ensure they can plan and space childbearing and protect their health.

As The New York Times reported, inequities related to income, education, race, or ethnicity further increase the risks for marginalized pregnant women, who have the least access to essential maternity care but are most likely to experience underlying health problems in pregnancy.

The COVID-19 pandemic may have further hindered progress on maternal health, which is why the current data series ended in 2020.

Reducing maternal mortality remains one of the most pressing global health challenges. Ensuring that every mother worldwide survives childbirth is a collective responsibility so that she and her children can thrive.

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I recently examined the Asbury Revival: currently occurring on at at least four campuses: Protestant Christian colleges with predominantly Wesleyan-holiness roots. I knew that I had been writing about and predicting such a revival for many years (I have documented comments since the year 2000). So I was curious, and decided to do an advanced Google search of my blog. The following comments are what I discovered.

Not that I claim to be a prophet. I dont want to create any false impressions. I merely followed the lead of what I learned by reading G. K. Chesterton and having the honor and privilege of being personally taught and mentored by Servant of God Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J. If this is a true revival (and I highly suspect that it is, at least judging by the events so far), then they will be revealed as prescient prophets. By Gods grace, I have merely passed on their thoughts and added a few related ones of my own.

These comments amply demonstrate, I think, that revival and a desire and expectation for it to come is not (like the gospel and the Bible, etc.) exclusively a Protestant thing. In fact, probably the greatest and most rapid revival in history occurred in Mexico after 1531, when the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to St. Juan Diego. Over the following seven years, some 8-9 million Aztecs converted to the Catholic faith. By contrast, the great Wesleyan revivals in England took place from 1738 to 1791 and produced 1.25 million conversions.

*****

The beginning signs of coming revival are plain already, if one would simply maintain a little hope and optimistic faith that God is in control. I believe we shall see a huge revival (perhaps the largest ever) in the next century, which I will witness when I am an old man, some 30-40 years from now. History shows us that  generally  the century following one such as ours is a time of revival, reform, and rejuvenation in the Church. Revival is cyclical, and recurring. It has always been this way. The tide is turning. Signs are all around us. Times of great revival and reform can occur even while heterodox liberals and heretics remain a problem. They are merely pawns in Gods Grand Scheme, just as the Egyptians or Assyrians or Babylonians or Romans were. (2000)

Chesterton pointed out that the Church has gone to the dogs at least five times. In each case the dogs died. The 20th has been the worst in history, by far. So the 21st century (if history teaches us anything) will be a time of one of the greatest revivals in the history of the Church. If you want to sit around and moan and groan and cry in your beer and be a pessimist and a cynic and a doomsayer while revival breaks out all around you, go ahead. You wont take away my excitement when I start to see it. No way! In fact, I say that the seeds of the revival are all well-planted already. We will see the growth soon, no more than 20-40 years away at the latest, I would speculate. . . . The only thing that cheers me up in such a discussion is pondering the revival that will almost certainly occur in this century. (1-21-01)

I dont claim to understand why certain nations seemingly worthy of judgment have been spared (including my own). I can imagine, however, any number of reasons why they might be spared, in theory, in Gods mind. For example, they might be needed to judge other, more wicked nations, or someone might be born there who would cure cancer, or help cause a revival which would have far-reaching, positive consequences (a guy like John Wesley). Only God sees all things, and the whole of history, being out of time. (9-21-01)

One might also possibly argue (Im basically thinking out loud and exploring this notion) that since whole nations do not usually repent unless serious calamities occur (and/or revivals), that therefore, the presence of widespread repentance and self-examination might be taken as evidence (given what history teaches us) that indeed judgment or revival had occurred. The purpose of judgment (unless it is final) is to purify a nation, so increasing moral purity in turn might lead one to reasonably suspect that the judgment that usually produces it was present. (9-21-01)

I know one thing. Revival is not genuine unless it results in changed lives and changed cultures as a result of that. When it comes, there will be no doubt that it is here. (2-29-04)

Having believed for a long time (based on historical hindsight) that spiritual and ecclesiological revival is coming in the 21st century, I think this unutterably tragic [Catholic sexual] scandal can and will  by Gods grace and mass repentance  eventually be instrumental in leading to a great movement for reform, orthodoxy, and revival (Romans 8:28). The laity will likely play a large part in the coming revival, as they often have in the past. (2005)

Reflections on Why Legal Abortion Continues and How Only a Huge Spiritual Revival Will Stop It [article title] . . . Legal abortion will only be overcome by a massive revival. Itll take a miracle. We may change a few minds by various means, but I dont think itll be any major shift until actual revival hits. It may be another 20-30 years or more. I expect to be an old man by the time I see major cultural changes take place. Abortion is not simply an intellectual matter. Its a spiritual battle with the forces of evil. The battle will only be won, therefore, when there is a huge revival in the Church and Christians wake up. The abortion industry is here today because Christians fell asleep in the 60s and eventually caved in to many of the tenets of the sexual revolution.

The battle wont be won with intellectual arguments. For this diabolical evil of institutionalized abortion to end, the entire ethos of the country will have to change, and that requires supernatural revival. It takes spiritual and personal revival to remain in the faith, and to remain on-fire with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and progression in the spiritual life. It takes prayer, it takes penance, it takes the Mass, and the Eucharist, and confession, and constant seeking of advancing in the spiritual life; good works, charitable acts, etc. Its a spiritual battle.

Fr. Hardon was fond of stating: Unless we recover the zeal of the early Christians, the days of America are numbered. It will probably, sadly, take much blood and suffering. That has always brought about revival in the past and it will again. We can only pray at this point that it is not too late to require martyrdom for our unimaginably great sins of omission. Perhaps a revival alone without persecution can accomplish the paramount goal of a culture that again respects life. (1-23-07)

History shows that most revivals dont and wont begin (due to human rebelliousness) until things get very dark and bleak. That is probably (almost certainly) the case today. Revival itself is supernatural and spiritual in origin, not just a change of opinion and behavior. We will have to experience some profound suffering in this nation in order to wake up and enter into (by Gods grace) spiritual revival. (1-16-09)

Revival always starts slowly and picks up speed and grows, like a snowball rolling down a hill. (7-22-11)

My main point was to deny that the Church is merely a shell of its former glory. The Church is indefectible. It goes through cycles of corruption and decadence, followed by revival. Fr. Hardon always used to say that the worst centuries in the Church are followed by centuries of revival. Its coming. It may take a few more years. I expect to be an old man before it becomes truly manifest and undeniable. (7-22-11)

Church history moves at a geological pace. But it does assuredly move, and revival follows corruption and decadence and massive loss of faith and truth. (7-22-11)

All we need is a real Catholic revival to bring about some profound change: and the possibility of that happening and huge societal changes that would result is evident throughout history. If it doesnt come, I agree, things look very bleak, but whos to say it wont? Gods hands arent tied. Im not convinced we are beyond all hope. Ive said for years that I believe that revival will come, or start to, anyway, when I am an old man (which will be in about 20 years).

If you look at everything apart from Gods providence and His supernatural power, I agree, there would be little hope on a human level. But blessedly, we serve and worship a God Who brings about revival. He did it with the ancient Jews; He can even with us, too. It requires faith to believe and see this.

God ultimately grants whether revivals and societal transformation are to occur or not. We have a long, long way to go, but there is hope. There always is with God. I dont follow a gloom-and-doom pessimistic scenario because I believe in a God Who can do anything, and has done so in the past. Its not just a pipe-dream because we can point to past occurrences where there was extraordinary revival and change. It could be that some horror like a nuclear war or complete economic collapse unlike anything ever seen will bring about the revival. The fact that we have not yet been wiped off the face of the earth for our unspeakable sins is testament to the extraordinary mercy and lovingkindness of God. I think the fact of non-judgment is itself an indication that God has in store for us a huge supernatural revival. (3-24-12)

To defeat darkness, you turn on the light and pray against it; you dont just endlessly proclaim or warn or preach about it, as if that alone is sufficient. The long-term solution is prayer for revival. (9-12-13)

Every revival has to start with things still being pretty bad. But it doesnt follow that no good things are happening, just because lots of garbage remains to be cleaned out. If you dont exercise faith and take the long view all you will see are bad things. But if you look back at past revivals, you can see that another is coming in the future, just as it always has in Church history; so you exercise faith and get beyond the gloom-and-doom, oh woe is us mentality. (4-25-14)

Revival is coming, for those who have the eyes of faith to see it. (8-17-15)

I dont think legal abortion will ever end, anyway, without a huge societal religious revival. I expect to be an old man or dead when that arrives (Im 57). When it finally comes to an end and the holocaust stops, and we mop up all the blood that is up to the horses bridle by now, the society will have become pro-life due to the revival that took place and the dying of the generation that was so rabidly pro-abort. So it will proceed smoothly by the will of the people, with the remaining pro-abort stragglers protesting till their own lives (that their mothers all graciously granted to them) come to an end. Its like Moses in the wilderness: the entire generation had to die out before progress could be made, and they could enter the promised land. So the baby boomers will likely have to die out. (2-7-16)

The Church has been through many dire, decadent, disgraceful periods (read your Church history folks!), and a revival always improved them in the next century. Were only 16 years into this new century. Unless Jesus comes first, a profound revival is virtually certain in this century, given what we know about past Church history. (3-2-16)

Only a true, vast, deep spiritual revival of historic proportions will fundamentally change this trajectory, and were so far gone that this will only come as a result of a spectacular catastrophe. It may not be far away. God loves us too much to not allow a catastrophe to wake us up. So its coming. Theres no doubt whatsoever. Ever-encroaching secularism is doing incalculable damage to what little moral capital we have left. Thats not helping things, either. (9-4-17)

England in the 17th century is a very striking example. John Wesley brought about a revival that caused huge changes for the better to take place. And thats not even Catholic revival . But it was Christian and very real in substance and effect. Likewise, the First Great Awakening (1730s-1740s) and Second Great Awakening in America (roughly 1800-1840s) brought about tremendous changes for the better in American society. These things happened, and they can occur again. Thus, we pray for revival and pray that large numbers of people will start closely examining the deep-rooted and long-term causes for where we are today. ( Thus, we pray forand pray that large numbers of people will start closely examining the deep-rooted and long-term causes for where we are today. ( 10-5-17 * spiritual revival and reform . Bad centuries were inevitably followed by much better ones (which gives me much hope for this 21st century). ( The Church had gone through several recurring cycles of decadence and decline, followed by. Bad centuries were inevitably followed by much better ones (which gives me much hope for this 21st century). ( 10-31-17

I have contended that, ultimately, only a spiritual revival will end legal abortion. I think if we took a poll of old [i.e., mostly politically conservative] pro-lifers and asked them whether they thought a spiritual revival would be necessary to end abortion, probably at least 90% would agree. (4-19-18)

I think if we truly got rid of this scourge in the Church [sexual scandal] once and for all, God would honor that and bring us a profound revival, with society-changing results. (8-18-18)

History shows that terrible periods in the Church are followed by massive revival. That is how this mess will be overcome (as always before, in the past). (10-30-18)

I have said for many years that to totally eradicate abortion, a massive societal spiritual revival will have to occur. (5-15-19)

I have long since argued that the ultimate solution as to ending legal childkilling will be a huge society-wide spiritual revival. I dont expect that to happen till I am a very old man, or even after Ive departed this mortal coil (Im 58). But it will happen eventually, because history shows us that this is the case. America will either be destroyed as a civilization (as Rome was) or there will be a sea-change societal revival, as in, for example, the Wesley revivals in England in the 18th century. (5-19-19)

Only revival can turn the tide now. Lets all pray for persecution or for Gods judgment to begin, so that Christians can wake up and start doing their job right. (6-15-19)

Christianity asserts that evil begins in corrupt human hearts, and can only be vanquished by Gods grace and spiritual revival. . . . The human heart (of every single one of us) has to be transformed. . . . We can pass laws and do reform and weed out murderers and other corrupt people from our institutions (just like so many corrupt cop movies and shows get rid of them and all live happily ever after), but the only lasting change will come from spiritual revival. We desperately need it. (6-4-20)

Only Spiritual Revival Will Stop Abortion [article title] . . . I am contending here that it never will in fact be made illegal again unless and until we experience a huge spiritual revival in this nation. (1-25-21)

Things take time. The pessimist always concentrates on present miseries, while the optimist, idealist, or person exercising faith look at the good things that will come in the future, as the present decadent cycle comes to a close and the new revival starts to gradually pick up momentum. We need only look back at Church history to see what is coming next (excepting Christs return, of course). If the Second Coming isnt imminent, then it is almost certain that major revival will come in this century. (3-9-21)

The history of the human race is a record of continual flourishing, decay and corruption, and then revival. Christians do this just like everyone else does, because we are fallen sinners like everyone else. (5-12-22)

It will take a spiritual revival to complete the legal work of enshrining the value of all lives in the Constitution (Ive been saying this for probably over thirty years). We need the vast majority of people to be pro-life to accomplish that goal, . . . revival comes through prayer and profoundly Christian lives that bear witness to the surrounding dying and rapidly secularizing culture. Do you want to transform your culture and help bring about revival? Then live your life in total dedication to God. (6-24-22)

***

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: Servant of God Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J. (1914-2000) [Bellarmine Forum]

***

Summary: After pondering the Asbury Revival currently taking place, I searched for and collected my many writings (since 2000) concerning a predicted massive societal revival.
+ The Church Fathers on Auricular Confession to a Priest

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 27 self-published books, as well as blogmaster for six blogs. He has many videos on YouTube.

This is my 64th refutation of Banzolis writings. From 25 May until 12 November 2022 he wrote not one single word in reply, claiming that my articles were without exception poor, superficial and weak and that only a severely cognitively impaired person would take them seriously. Nevertheless, he found them so entertaining that after almost six months of inaction he resolved to make a point of rebutting them one by one; this effort being his new favorite sport.

He has now replied to me 16 times (the last one dated 2-20-23). I disposed of the main themes of his numberless slanders in several Facebook posts under his name on my Anti-Catholicism page (where all my replies to him are listed). I shall try, by Gods grace, to ignore his innumerable insults henceforth, and heartily thank him for all these 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. I use the RSV for both my Bible citations and Banzolis. His words will be in blue.

*****

This is a reply to Lucas Banzolis article, Os discipulos podiam perdoar pecados? [Could the disciples forgive sins?] (9-18-15)

The Roman Church bases its teaching on ear confession upon John 20:22-23, which says:

John 20:22-23 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit. [23] If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.

On this basis, it declares that the Roman priests have the authority to withhold or forgive sins effectively, being means through which we must pass to obtain the forgiveness of our sins. Evangelicals, however, understand that we can confess our sins directly to God.

Catholics are free to confess any sins which are not subjectively mortal, or grave, directly to God, and in fact, there is a general absolution that covers such sins at every Mass. Here is that portion (Latin / western rites); the way it is usually done:

PENITENTIAL ACT I confess to almighty God

and to you, my brothers and sisters,

that I have greatly sinned

in my thoughts and in my words,

in what I have done and in what I have

failed to do,

[And, striking their breast, they say]:

through my fault, through my fault,

through my most grievous fault;

therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,

all the Angels and Saints,

and you, my brothers and sisters,

to pray for me to the Lord our God. Absolution of the Priest: C: May almighty God have mercy on us

forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. P: Amen.

Thus, right in every Mass, Catholics are collectively asking God for forgiveness of sins. Thus its beyond silly and absurd to believe that Catholics dont have this as part of their constant practice. But if one commits a subjectively mortal sin, then its required in Catholicism that they are contrite, confess it to a priest, who then offers formal sacramental absolution. In cases of venial sin, the Catholic is free to take it straight to God or to utilize the sacrament of reconciliation.

David . . . said:

Psalm 32:5 I acknowledged my sin to thee, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, I will confess my transgressions to the LORD; then thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin.

Either David was lying, or sins can be confessed straight to God! Ezra, another great errant, likewise asserted:

Ezra 10:11 Now then make confession to the LORD the God of your fathers, and do his will; separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.

As usual, its not the stark either/or and false dichotomy scenario so sadly familiar in Protestant thought. David confessed in this instance directly to God, just as Catholics do at every Mass, and privately during prayer. But there was also formal forgiveness and atonement in ancient Israel and OT times, as I will soon prove, and which Banzoli should already be aware of, if he claims to know the Bible well.

Ezra was not a great errant. He was a priest (Ezra 7:11), and in this instance was praying to God as an intermediary for his people, not because of his own sin, but theirs (much like a Catholic priest offering absolution). Banzoli cant even get this basic fact right because he obviously didnt read the passage closely enough. The widespread sin was taking on wives of foreigners who served false gods (Ezra 9:1-2).

The rest of this chapter (9:3-17) and the beginning of the next (10: 1-6) shows Ezra in great distress, praying for his people, which is a constant motif in the Old Testament: the holy men praying that God would forgive sinners and great collective among the people (which I have documented; see also a Facebook addendum with further examples). Again, this is much like going to a Catholic priest in confession who then acts as an agent of dispensing Gods forgiveness through formal absolution.

Ezra had offered the evening sacrifice during this time (9:5), which was the formal way to receive forgiveness of sins in the Mosaic OT system of law. Ezra 10:1 reports that Ezra prayed and made confession: again, not for himself but for his people, functioning just like a Catholic priest in the confessional does. We see Moses doing the same thing (Ex 32:30-32). Ezra was a priest offering sacrifice in the temple. This was how God forgave Jews in OT times. See, for example:

Leviticus 5:5-6 When a man is guilty in any of these, he shall confess the sin he has committed, [6] and he shall bring his guilt offering to the LORD for the sin which he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin. Leviticus 19:21-22 but he shall bring a guilt offering for himself to the LORD, to the door of the tent of meeting, a ram for a guilt offering. [22] And the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering before the LORD for his sin which he has committed; and the sin which he has committed shall be forgiven him.

This is virtually Catholic absolution already: 3200 years ago. A search for priest and atonement appearing together in the OT yielded 28 matches in Leviticus and Numbers. King David, as a good Jew, took part in this. He was commanded to like everyone else was. So we see that he he sacrificed an ox and a fatling (2 Sam 6:13) and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD (2 Sam 6:17). Thus, his confession directly to God was not all that was involved. He also had to participate in the OT sacrificial system of atonement for sins, which bears an uncanny resemblance to Catholic confession and absolution (minus the animal sacrifice).

There is not a single line or prescription in the Bible commanding the faithful to confess their secret sins to priests, as an absolute prerequisite for finding divine forgiveness. This would be really absurd if the forgiveness of sins (something indispensable for salvation) depended on the approval of a priest.

Banzoli hangs himself again (!!!) with a dumb universal negative statement that is easily proven to be false. I go through this every time I refute his anti-Catholic nonsense. Leviticus 5:5-6 and 19:21-22 show a remarkably similar process to the Catholic sacrament of reconciliation (contrition, followed by confession and absolution and assigned penance). The New Testament develops and continues this thought. With John the Baptist, people came confessing their sins (Mt 3:6; Mk 1:5) and being baptized, which entailed a repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Mk 1:4). The water of baptism took their sins away just as the sacrament of absolution wipes away Catholic confessed sins.

Jesus specifically set up such a system with his disciples, who were the type and foreshadowing of priests:

Matthew 16:19 I will give you [Peter] the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Matthew 18:18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (cf. John 20:22-23 above)

Confession (possibly to men) is shown in the book of Acts:

Acts 19:18 Many also of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. (cf. 1 Jn 1:8-9)

The came in this passage suggests that they confessed to Paul or possibly to him and/or to the public assembly. Otherwise, it seems to me that the text would have simply stated that they confessed, not that they came to where Paul was to do so.

In James, we have a more direct suggestion that priests were offering absolution along with prayers:

James 5:14-16 Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; [15] and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. [16] Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects.

We know for sure that here we have sick people specifically going to the elders (priests), who pray and anoint them. This is our sacrament of anointing or extreme unction (aka last rites). 5:15 strongly suggests these same prayers and rituals of the elders allow sins to be forgiven. And then the next verse mentions confess your sins to one another. I dont see that this would exclude the elders. The whole passage presupposes that these elders are holy men, and that their prayers  which have great power  can heal and offer forgiveness. Doctrines develop, but just about everything we need to establish an explicitly biblical sanction of Catholic confession and absolution is already present in the above passages.

As is well known, auricular confession was absolutely unknown to the Fathers of the Church, and was only invented as a dogma at the Lateran Council, in 1215, during the pontificate of Pope Innocent III. The attempts by Catholic apologists to distort patristic statements in favor of auricular confession in the early centuries is . . . laughable . . .

Another universal negative! This guys pseudo-arguments are a running joke.

And there is still a seventh remission of sins through penance, although admittedly it is difficult and toilsome, when the sinner washes his couch in tears (Cf. Ps 6.7) and his tears become his bread day and night, (Cf. Ps 41.4) when he is not ashamed to make known his sin to the priest of the Lord and to seek a cure according to the one who says, I said, I will proclaim to the Lord my injustice against myself, and you forgave the impiety of my heart. What the Apostle James said is fulfilled in this: But if anyone is sick, let that person call the presbyters of the Church, and they will place their hands on him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and if he is in sins, they will be forgiven him. (Jas 5.14-15) (Origen, Homilies on Leviticus, 2:4 [A.D. 248]) I entreat you, beloved brethren, that each one should confess his own sin, while he who has sinned is still in this world, while his confession may be received, while the satisfaction and remission made by the priests are pleasing to the Lord? (Cyprian, Treatise 3: On the Lapsed, 29 [A.D. 251], in ANF, IV: 445) Just as a man is enlightened by the Holy Spirit when he is baptized by a priest, so he who confesses his sins with a repentant heart obtains their remission from the priest. (St. Athanasius, 295-373 AD, On the Gospel of Luke 19) It is necessary to confess our sins to those to whom the dispensation of Gods mysteries [i.e. the Sacraments] is entrusted [i.e. priests]. Those doing penance of old are found to have done it before the saints. It is written in the Gospel that they confessed their sins to John the Baptist [Matt 3:6]; but in Acts they confessed to the Apostles, by whom also all were baptized [Acts 19:18]. (Basil the Great, Rule Briefly Treated, 288 [A.D. 374] ) For if any one will consider how great a thing it is for one, being a man, and compassed with flesh and blood, to be enabled to draw nigh to that blessed and pure nature, he will then clearly see what great honor the grace of the Spirit has vouchsafed to priests; since by their agency these rites are celebrated, and others nowise inferior to these both in respect of our dignity and our salvation. For they who inhabit the earth and make their abode there are entrusted with the administration of things which are in Heaven, and have received an authority which God has not given to angels or archangels. For it has not been said to them, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven. They who rule on earth have indeed authority to bind, but only the body: whereas this binding lays hold of the soul and penetrates the heavens; and what priests do here below God ratifies above, and the Master confirms the sentence of his servants. For indeed what is it but all manner of heavenly authority which He has given them when He says, Whose sins ye remit they are remitted, and whose sins ye retain they are retained? What authority could be greater than this? The Father hath committed all judgment to the Son? But I see it all put into the hands of these men by the Son. (John Chrysostom, The Priesthood, 3:5 [A.D. 387], in NPNF1, IX: 47) The office of the priest is a gift of the Holy Spirit, and His right it is specially to forgive and to retain sins. (Ambrose, Concerning Repentance, I, ch, 2, sec. 8 [A.D. 388], in NPNF2, X: 330) Just as in the Old Testament the priest makes the leper clean or unclean, so in the New Testament the bishop and presbyter binds or looses not those who are innocent or guilty, but by reason of their office, when they have heard various kinds of sins, they know who is to be bound and who loosed. (Jerome, Commentary on Matthew, 3:16, 19 [A.D. 398], in JUR, II:202) All mortal sins are to be submitted to the keys of the Church and all can be forgiven; but recourse to these keys is the only, the necessary, and the certain way to forgiveness. Unless those who are guilty of grievous sin have recourse to the power of the keys, they cannot hope for eternal salvation. Open your lips, then, and confess your sins to the priest. Confession alone is the true gate to Heaven. (Augustine, Christian Combat [A.D. 397] ) This is the medicine for sins, established by God and delivered to the priests of the Church, who make diligent use of it in healing the afflictions of men. You are aware of these things, as also of the fact that God, because He greatly cares for us, gave us penitence and showed us the medicine of repentance; and He established some men, those who are priests, as physicians of sins. If in this world we receive through them healing and forgiveness of sins, we shall be delivered from the judgment that is to come. It behooves us, therefore, to draw near to the priests in great confidence and to reveal to them our sins; and those priests, with all diligence, solicitude, and love, and in accord with the regulations mentioned above, will grant healing to sinners. [The priests] will not disclose the things that ought not be disclosed; rather, they will be silent about the things that have happened, as befits true and loving fathers [cf. 1 Thess 2:11; 1 Cor 4:15] who are bound to guard the shame of their children while striving to heal their bodies. (Theodore of Mopsuestia, c. 428 AD, Catechetical Homilies 16)

***

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 Confession (1838), by Giuseppe Molteni (1800-1867) [Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license]

***

Summary: I go through the many biblical evidences in favor of confession & absolution, and reply to counter-arguments. I also provide significant patristic proofs for same.
Fresh from his starring role as Jesus in the massively popular streaming series The Chosen, Jonathan Roumie steps into the shoes of hippie evangelist Lonnie Frisbee in the new Kingdom Story Company film Jesus Revolution, releasing this week. The film, also starring Joel Courtney, Anna Grace Barlow and Kelsey Grammer, tells the true story of the evangelist who joins forces with Chuck Smith to spark a movement of young Christians.

At the red carpet premiere, Roumie traced the current interest in Jesus to the current spiritual hunger of the world.

I think people are starving for this kind of content, he said. Theyre starving in the culture for the presence of God once more, because hes been so inextricably removed over the last several decades. Gods like, No, thats not how the story goes. Im gonna fire some people up. You read whats going on in Kentucky, at the universities, and spreading and then this the timing of this film. Without a doubt, Gods doing something right now.

After filming season two of The Chosen, Roumie was sent the script to Jesus Revolution, which he said was phenomenal. He began immersing himself in footage and the history of the Jesus Movement to prepare for his role as the charismatic evangelist.

Its a magnetic moment in spiritual history, in American history, he said. I was like, How can I honor this the best I can?

In portraying Frisbee, Roumie knew he was tackling a very complex human being who was brilliant, gifted, spiritually-powerful. At the same time, His humanity leaked out of him every step of the way.

Jesus Revolution is about a movement of Gods love. Roumie says the films tagline, When you open your heart, theres room for everyone is vital to the core message of the film, is about that love that knows no boundaries.

It absolutely speaks to the infinite love mercy and compassion of God, he said. I think when people focus on God and not on the differences that they perceive between their version or their understanding of God, and another denominational or non-denominational or even faith understanding of God. When you when you get those out of the way, when you can just focus on God, you realize were all here trying to do the same thing.

Jesus Revolution, directed by Jon Erwin and Brent McCorkle, releases to theaters this week from Kingdom Story Studios and Lionsgate Studios. Watch an exclusive interview with Roumie, Courtney, and Barlow below.
Japan beefs up moves in seeking G7 support for wastewater dump

By Liu Xin (Global Times) 09:58, February 24, 2023

Amid backlash from domestic and the international community, the Japanese government reportedly is to seek the endorsement of the Group of Seven (G7) nations for its controversial plan to discharge radioactive contaminated wastewater from the crippled nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture into the Pacific Ocean. Analysts criticized countries that are giving a go-ahead signal to Japan's irresponsible dumping plan, noting they will share the shame of making irreversible damage to maritime environment and human health.

As this year's chair, Japan is seeking to include a phrase that says the G7 members "welcome" its "transparent" approach toward the disposal of the treated water in a document to be released after the April 15 to 16 gathering in Sapporo, Japanese media Kyodo News reported citing government sources.

In January, the Japanese government and the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, announced the plan to begin discharging the treated water around this spring or summer, with construction work underway to install an undersea tunnel and other necessary facilities.

Analysts said that Japan has beefed up efforts in soliciting support from the US and Western countries for its disposal of the Fukushima radioactive contaminated wastewater and in promoting its narrative of the "safety" of the wastewater amid growing oppositions from domestic public, neighboring countries and other stakeholders.

Against the backdrop of the Ukraine crisis and current tense Korean Peninsula situation, Japan is working to create the momentum for its dumping plan especially among Western countries as other G7 nations are also members of NATO and the military pact is seeking closer cooperation with Japan, Da Zhigang, director of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

This is not the first time for Japan to try to include the Fukushima nuclear wastewater issue into the G7 declaration. In May 2016, after the Ise-Shima Summit in Japan, the G7 Leaders' Declaration wrote about "steady progress on decommissioning and treatment of contaminated water" as well as "Japan's efforts to proceed in an open and transparent manner in close communication with the international community."

The US also expressed support for its close ally in Asia. In April 2021, after the Japanese government mentioned the plan to release more than 1 million metric tons of treated radioactive water, the US Department of State said in a statement that Japan "appears to have adopted an approach in accordance with globally accepted nuclear safety standards."

However, fancy words from the US and the G7 cannot gloss over the increasing questions over the safety of the "treated" wastewater, the transparency of Japan's processing of the contaminated water and its consultations on the disposal with related neighboring countries, analysts said.

Pacific island nations also urged Japan to delay the release of the contaminated water over fears fisheries will be contaminated and that the health of people will be affected. For example, during a livestreamed public meeting in Suva, Fiji on January 18, the Pacific Island Forum Secretary General Henry Puna said, "Our region is steadfast that there be no discharge until all parties verify it is safe."

At the Security Council session on February 14 over Japan's discharge of nuclear-contaminated water, both representatives from China and Russia expressed concerns over the issue. Ambassador Zhang Jun, Permanent Representative of China to the UN, made China's position clear, stressing that "Japan's discharge of nuclear contaminated water into the sea will severely endanger the global marine environment, ecosystems, and the lives and health of people of all countries."

"Japan has been bent on forcibly approving the discharge program of the nuclear contaminated water and has been accelerating the preparations for the discharge. Such behavior is extremely irresponsible," said Zhang.

Lingering threats

The Japanese government sees the plan of dumping the contaminated water into the ocean as the most "economic" way to get rid of the burden from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant. But people in Japan, neighboring countries and the world will pay the price given the irreversible damage to environment and human health, Zhou Yongsheng, deputy director of the Japanese Studies Center at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times.

The Japanese government will be condemned and held accountable if it irresponsibly discharges contaminated nuclear wastewater into the ocean and countries that give green light to Tokyo's moves will also share the shame, said Zhou.

Concerns expressed by UN human rights experts, global nongovernmental organizations and activists from all over the world and their own countries may make G7 countries to consider more than only political leverage, analysts said.

As far back as 2021, independent experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council have expressed deep regret on Japan's decision to release contaminated water into the ocean.

They noted that the water processing technology known as ALPS had failed to completely remove radioactive concentrations in most of the contaminated water stored in tanks at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. The radioactive hazards of tritium in the water, which cannot be removed, have been underestimated and can be detrimental to humans and pose threat to the environment for over 100 years.

Japanese fisheries and Japanese people will be the first to be affected and the whole world will also suffer as oceans are linked. If the US and other G7 nations are the real protectors of the environment and human rights as they like to trumpet, they should have opposed Japanese government's transboundary environmental harms, said Zhou.

As Japanese activists have staged protests against the government's discharge plan for years, analysts called on more countries to join them and the neighboring countries in urging the Japanese government to stop making irreparable damage to the world.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
The Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) has recorded an 87.4 percent growth in its assets under management (AUM) from GH1.7 billion to GH3.2 billion within the last 12 months, ending December 2022.



The fund recorded an annualized end-year return of 6.13 percent in 2022.



The return was also influenced by foreign exchange volatility and good treasury management of funds.



MIIF indicated that the growth was primarily anchored on innovative strategies which led to increase in royalties income, expansion of royalty sources and investment income.



The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the fund, Edward Nana Yaw Koranteng, told the Daily Graphic in an interview that MIIF mobilised GH1.3 billion in 2021 and GH1.8 billion in 2022, representing a 36 per cent growth over the previous year, a major factor in growing the AUM.



We have been able to do this because of an inter-agency framework we put in place last year which has seen us collaborating with more agencies, he said.



Mr Koranteng mentioned some of the agencies as the Ghana Standards Authority, the Economic and Organised Crime Office and the Minerals Commission, the regulator of the minerals sub-sector.



We have also adopted innovative technologies such as geo-mapping all mining sites in Ghana and also creating a real-time dashboard for all royalties contribution from every mine in the country, the MIIF CEO added.



Mr Koranteng further said the Fund put in measures to expand the royalties stream by adding sand winning and salt to the list of royalties-paying minerals which helped with diversifying the royalties base away from gold.



Investment activities of MIIF started in March 2022 with a $20 million acquisition stake in Ashanti Gold Corporation, a Canadian and German-listed company which has assets in Bibiani, Chirano, and Kubi.



MIIF subscribed to 14,514,286 ordinary shares in the company, representing 4.62 per cent of the entity at the time of purchase.



MIIF also closed a GH25 million deal in a Ghana/Africa small and medium enterprise (SME) focused fund.



More investments



The company, which invests the states share of mineral royalties in viable assets, is ready to invest in lithium and salt of up to $60 million and a small-scale mining incubation support programme of up to $60 million this year.



MIIF also plans to develop a gold-backed Exchange Traded Fund (ETF), with the support of the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) to be traded on the Ghanaian bourse and possibly the Johannesburg and Toronto stock exchanges.



Mr Koranteng expressed optimism that MIIF would, in a few years, become the lever that would help the country through volatile economic periods and offer the stability needed in the economy.



MIIF will seek to diversify its funding and investment portfolio sources, including capital market transactions, a gold trade desk which has already been set up which will definitely be a source of foreign exchange for the country, he said.



The MIIF CEO added that the fund would explore risk participation in high-yielding projects with top-grade financial institutions.



We are a young fund, however, we are focused on getting it right. We plan to hit the $500 million AUM by January 2024 and $1 billion by 2027, Mr Koranteng stated.



He said the fund had made investments in Ashanti Gold and was also targeting some gold exploratory companies, lithium and salt as well as lithium by-products such as feldspar and silica to start the ceramics and fibreglass industry.



About MIIF



The Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) is Ghanas minerals sovereign fund.



It was established pursuant to the Minerals Income Investment Fund Act, 2018 (Act 978) as amended to receive royalty payments from mineral production activities in Ghana and to manage governments equity interest in mining companies.

Source: graphic.com.gh









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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has hailed the Government of Ghana for the brilliant policies laid down for the betterment of its citizenry until two internal factors crushed the nation.



According to the Fund, the Ghanaian economy was thriving and making positive gains until COVID-19 struck, changing the economic outlook and was further exacerbated by the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine War.



The Fund said it is determined to help Ghana to recover from the exogenous shocks.



Ghana is currently seeking from the Fund a $3 billion loan facility to recover from its economic challenges which were caused by the two factors.



The IMF boss, Kristalina Georgieva pointed out that the Fund was under pressure to extend bailouts to struggling member countries due to the damage done by COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine War, adding however that the Fund was committed to reciprocating the over $650 billion support it gave out to struggling member countries sometime last year.



We recognize that we are in a world in which exogenous shocks more often than before, hit innocent bystanders. Ghana has been working toward good policies for quite some time and then COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war hit and that significantly undermined Ghana.



So how we can be faster on our feet to come to work with countries that are innocent bystanders. This is a big big challenge for us and I can tell you our members are really good in helping because we meant it,

Ms. Kristalina Georgieva, the IMF boss said this at a side event organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, in Munich, Germany.



For his part, President Nana Akufo-Addo expressed worried about the neglect of Africa in the global geopolitical and economic decision-making in times of such pandemics and appealed for special attention to cushion Africans.



He said We see that from the latest crisis that has overcome humanity, thus COVID-19 and also the war between Russia and Ukraine, we [Ghana] have been left to fend for ourselves. Even access to vaccines during the pandemic became a major problem for the African continent, and we have seen it again with the war in Eastern Europe.



He earlier, called for political will in strengthening North-South Cooperation.



He urged the international community to send a clear message to coup plotters that coups have never been, and will never be durable solutions to Africas political, economic and security challenges.



According to him, Statements condemning coups alone without corresponding action will, however, achieve little or nothing, as witnessed in recent times. This problem requires collective agreement, effective deterrence, bold action and, equally important, adequate preventive measures.



He pointed out that there are those who still hanker after authoritarian, personal rule, because they claim Africa is underdeveloped and democracy is cumbersome, and we need to get things done in a hurry.



Quoting from the 2019 Annual Risk of Coup Report, he indicated that Africa has experienced more coup detats than any other continent, which, he said, is an unsavoury statistic.



Citing the case of Ghana, President Akufo-Addo noted that political instability described much of the early decades of the nations life as an independent nation, and Ghana became notorious for sampling every and any type of political experiment.



The one-party-state of the First Republic was overthrown in our first military coup, and the Second and Third Republics, which were practicing democratic governance, were also overthrown by coup detats. My father, President of the 2nd Republic, was overthrown some fifty-one (51) years ago, on 13th January 1972. Kutu Acheampongs coup brought his stay in office to an end, he said.



The President continued, the instability instigated the collapse of the economy and led to the exodus from the country of many citizens and professionals. We have probably not still recovered from the tendency to want to leave the country as the answer to difficult situations.



He noted, however, that for the past thirty (30) years of our 4th Republic, Ghana has enjoyed political stability under a multi-party constitution, and the longest period of stable, constitutional governance in our hitherto tumultuous history.



The President told the gathering that the separation of powers is now a real phenomenon in Ghanaian life, promoting accountable governance. Efficient public services are now within reach.



We have, in this period, experienced, through the ballot box, the transfer of power from one ruling political party to another on three (3) occasions in conditions of peace and stability, without threatening the foundations of the state. The Ghanaian people have manifested in this era their deep attachment to the principles of democratic accountability, respect for individual liberties, human rights and the rule of law. It has also brought with it more or less systematic economic growth, and boosted immensely our self-confidence, he added.



The reappearance of coups in Africa, the President stated, in all its forms and manifestations must be condemned by all, since it seriously undermines our collective bid to rid the continent of the menace of instability and unconstitutional changes in government, as currently defined by the frameworks enshrined in the Lome Declaration, the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, and other important regional and continental instruments.



In as much as drivers of unconstitutional changes are largely domestic, President Akufo-Addo noted that the international dimension cannot be overlooked.



Foreign involvement in fomenting unconstitutional changes, often in favour of repressive governments, foreign economic interests and other would-be geo-political benefits, are contributory factors. Some foreign entities regard coups in African countries as a means of enhancing their regional ambitions, he said.



He continued, As such, they engage in all sorts of disinformation campaigns in a bid to disparage the authority of democratically elected governments and instigate opposition protests against incumbents.



In implementing existing continental and regional instruments and protocols, the President noted that defaulting Member States are condemned and suspended from the activities of continental and regional bodies, and individual coup-makers are sanctioned.



However, the reality is, these sanctions have not been applied uniformly. Whilst we are quick to sanction military coup leaders, civilians, who achieve similar ends via the manipulation of constitutions to remain in power, for example, go without sanctions, although their actions are clearly prohibited in our legal instruments. This means that the existing frameworks need to be strengthened to capture such infractions, he added.

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com









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The economy has yet to tap into the US$7.5billion global forex (FX) trading market  an electronic network for currency trading  experts have said, calling for a framework to position the country as a key participant in the burgeoning space.



Previously restricted to governments and financial institutions, market watchers say individuals can now directly buy and sell currencies on forex. With the market continuing to grow in leaps and bounds, they said the country cannot continue to ignore FX trading, especially as the economy faces real crises.



FX markets are made up of banks, forex dealers, commercial companies, central banks, investment management firms, hedge funds, retail forex dealers and investors, and a profit or loss results from the difference in price at which the trader bought and sold a currency pair.



Head of Electronic Banking, Universal Merchant Bank (UMB) and a forex expert, Dr. Myles Christian Hagan, stated that FX trading has the potential to cushion and absorb a significant amount of shock, making it suitable for the economy in dire moments.



Technology is making things easier and digitalisation is the new normal. Forex trading is one of the benefits that we can derive as a society from widespread digitalisation, he said.



To do this, however, he said: We must create the necessary infrastructure and provide a proper regulatory framework that will make sure we benefit and reduce the risk for the youth that we are encouraging to equip themselves with skills in the field.



Dr. Myles made these remarks in his address at the Love in the market charity ball organised by the Women in Forex initiative, under the theme The digital skills-gap and the future of jobs in Africa.



Corroborating Dr. Myles, the president of Women in Forex, Gifty Annor Sika, mentioned that with the FX market considered as the most liquid market in the world due to the large volume of trading activity that occurs around the clock on daily basis, the countrys youth stand to gain great benefits when empowered to carry out genuine trading.



If properly mastered, FX trading can deliver the youth from unemployment and boost the countrys gross domestic product (GDP). I know of people in this country that are analysing for foreign organisations outside the country and are paid; so if we have a lot of youth coming into that space, it will open it up better, she said.

Source: B&FT









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The Global Chamber of Business Leaders (GCBL) is proud to announce that Hazel Herrington has been awarded the prestigious Chairman's Award in recognition of her exceptional contributions to the world of business and leadership.



Hazel is a board advisor for the GCBL and the founder of Herrington Publications Worldwide, where she has worked tirelessly to help women build powerful personal and corporate brands.



In addition to her impressive accomplishments in the business world, Hazel is also the Australia Global Goodwill Ambassador with the Global Goodwill Ambassadors Foundation, a role that allows her to inspire and empower others to make a positive impact in their communities. Hazel has also received multiple awards for her outstanding contributions to the business community, and she was recently awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Humanities in recognition of her dedication to empowering women and youth around the world.



Hazel, a Zimbabwean, has interviewed celebrities such as Mel Gibson, Charlie Sheen, Jason Alexander, and musician Jewel Kilcher as a celebrity interviewer. She is also a global speaker who has shared the stage with some of the world's most renowned business leaders, including George Ross, the former advisor to Donald Trump, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Africa's first billionaire Patrice Motsepe, Hollywood actor Mark Wahlberg, Michael Douglas, Brooke Shields, and John Travolta.



Hazel's passion for making a difference in the community is evident in her work with prison ministries and feeding programs for the less fortunate. She finds great fulfilment in giving back to those in need and has been instrumental in making a positive impact on the lives of countless individuals.



In her spare time, Hazel enjoys the African wildlife, walking with lions, and embracing elephants in Zimbabwe. Her love for the natural world and dedication to empowering others is an inspiration to us all.



Commenting on the award, Hazel pointed out that she was "deeply committed to supporting and empowering all individuals, including women, youth and men leaders around the world."



She expressed the belief that "by working together, we can create a more inclusive and equitable business environment that recognizes and values the contributions of all individuals, regardless of their background or circumstance."



She wrote on her official LinkedIn handle: "As we look to the future, I am excited to continue working with the Global Chamber of Business Leaders to promote economic growth and development around the world. With a focus on innovation, collaboration and excellence, I am confident that we can create a brighter, more prosperous future for all."



The Chairman's Award is the highest honour that can be bestowed upon an individual by the GCBL, and Hazel's accomplishments and contributions to the world of business and leadership are truly exceptional.



The GCBL is proud to have Hazel as a board advisor and looks forward to her continued contributions to the organisation and the business community at large.



About the Global Chamber of Business Leaders:



The Global Chamber of Business Leaders is a leading international organisation that is dedicated to promoting business excellence and the advancement of its members. With a global network of business leaders, the GCBL offers a range of services and resources that are designed to help its members succeed in the world of business.









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Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
Nana Ansu Ababio, the Chief of Yawhima has ordered the closure of the Yawhima Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Primary and Junior High School in the Sunyani Municipality for fear of an outbreak of respiratory diseases among school children.



During a visit by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) around 0800 hours on Thursday, there was no child or a teacher in the school, along the Yawhima portion of the Sunyani-Techiman highway, and all the classrooms were locked up.



The GNA said the school was closed since Monday, February 20, 2023, and the children had since remained in the house.



Speaking in an interview with the GNA, Nana Ababio said the decision to close the school was taken because the school children and the teachers could not stand the dust from the untarred road.



He said if immediate measures were not taken to put the worsened condition of the road into good shape to save residents from the dust, there could be an outbreak of respiratory diseases.



Nana Ababio said the people had persistently appealed to the authorities at the Sunyani Municipal Assembly, but the situation remained the same, saying until something reasonable was done, the school would not be opened.



When contacted, Mr. John Ansu Kumi, the Sunyani Municipal Chief Executive explained the assembly had directed contractors to water the road and help reduce the dust.



He said the assembly had met and interacted with opinion leaders in the town, saying academic work would resume by Monday, February 27, 2023, and advised drivers to reduce speed as well.



Meanwhile, residents of Kuotokrom and Yawhima have expressed disgust about the delay of works on the construction of the road and appealed to the Government to intervene.



According to them, contractors had abandoned works on the project and had not been seen on site for some time now.





Source: GNA









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Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram and sponsor of the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021, popularly called Anti-LGBTQ+, Sam Nartey Geroge, has hinted that the bill will be presented before the house in March, 2023.



This comes after the committee on the bill met with the Attorney General Wednesday, February 22, 2023, after which he indicated that he was okay with the bill.



Speaking in an interview he said; I can see that we now have a light at the end of the tunnel. We have reached the end of the tunnel. And we'll be bringing that report hopefully before the end of March or before this house rises and laying it before the house for debates on the floor. And so watch this space."



"We are in a good place. And we'll be looking forward to you giving us all the support to pass this landmark bill, which will be the first of its kind. Yesterday the Attorney General made that point the first of its kind on African continent. Nigeria has a bill banning same-sex marriages. That's all. It doesn't have all the other things our bill has. And so we're excited about this," Sam George added.



He said that the concerns that were raised by the Attorney General had been dealt with.



The Attorney General raises some fundamental issues on cost and on some human rights issues. We drew his attention yesterday that most of the issues he was raising were issues that we had already dealt with. I believe that the bill when it comes for example, and I can give you one of the concessions that had been made earlier in the committee had to do with the issue of intersex. If you read the original bill, you will see that we criminalised a number of expressions of homosexuality, but stated in our bill that intersects was considered a biological anomaly.



The Attorney General agreed with the view of the committee, which we had met with earlier that if we were not criminalising intersex, and we're recognising it even original bill as a biological anomaly, then we should take it out of the bill completely. So that the bill focuses on the things that we are criminalising, he said in an interview.









Source: ghanaweb.com









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African Union observer and former Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta, has told the BBCs Focus on Africa programme that he has seen a commitment from the Nigerian government to oversee credible elections.



The authorities seem quite confident they can hold a free, fair and transparent election on Saturday, Mr Kenyatta said.



There have been widespread reports of vote buying and corruption at polling booths in previous ballots.



There are also rising tensions, with a senatorial candidate from the Labour Party being killed on Wednesday.



Oyibo Chukwu was shot dead and his body burned in the south-eastern Enugu state.



Mr Kenyatta warned there would be challenges, however he said the presidential candidates had told him they think they can surmount those problems, including security concerns and the cash shortage in the country which has sparked a crisis in the last few weeks.



Mr Kenyatta added that he hoped these problems would not result in low turnout.



He said the Nigerian elections were of the upmost importance because it is the largest democracy on the African continent and one of the largest in the world.

Source: BBC









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Deputy Attorney General, Alfred Tuah-Yeboah, has urged Justice Clemence Honyenuga (rtd) to refer the case of former Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Dr. Stephen Opuni and businessman, Seidu Agongo, to the Chief Justice for it to be assigned to another judge.



This, according to him, is as a result of the limited time the retired judge has to conclude the case which has been ongoing since 2018.



Justice Honyenuga has less than two weeks for his six-month extension to expire, following the attainment of age 70 and his subsequent retirement from the Supreme Court.



He officially retired from the Supreme Court on September 4, 2022, but the Chief Justice, in accordance with Article 139(1c) of the Constitution, gave the judge six months pursuant to Article 145 of the Constitution, to conclude the trial.



No progress has been made since the extension, as Dr. Opuni on numerous occasions filed applications challenging the propriety of Justice Honyenuga to continue to preside over the matter in which he and Seidu Agongo have been accused of causing over GH217 million financial loss to the state.



The latest of such applications was one filed at the Supreme Court seeking a review and restraining order against the judge after the trial courts dismissal of his earlier motion asking the judge to recuse himself.



That application was dismissed last Wednesday by a seven-member panel of the Supreme Court, but the court is yet to give its full reasons for the dismissal. The full reasons would be made available on February 28, 2023.



Seidu Agongo has also filed an application before the trial court urging Justice Honyenuga to recuse himself from the trial on ground that the judge had excluded crucial evidence which inure to his benefit when he delivered his ruling on the submissions of no case to answer.



His counsel was expected to move the motion yesterday, but Deputy Attorney General, Alfred Tuah-Yeboah, urged the court to refer the matter to the Chief Justice for it to be assigned to another judge due to the limited time he has to conclude the case.



My Lord was given a limited mandate to conclude the hearing of this matter. Today is February 23, 2023, and the time left for that mandate to expire is extremely limited. It is limited in the sense that the first accused person (Opuni) has not closed his case for the second and third accused (Agongo and Agricult Ghana Ltd.) to testify and call their witnesses, Mr. Tuah-Yeboah observed.



He added that, Considering the time left, it is practically impossible for this matter to be concluded within that time. In the circumstance, we respectfully pray that my Lord refers this matter to the Chief Justice for this court to be reconstituted. This submission is being made in the interest of justice and fairness.



Samuel Codjoe, counsel for Dr. Opuni, said he has nothing to add to what the Deputy Attorney General told the court, while Nutifafa Nutsukpui, counsel for Seidu Agongo and Agricult Ghana Limited, said we believe that this is a very commendable recommendation or suggestion from the prosecution. My Lord, we would also urge you respectfully to consider it favourably in the interest of justice.



Justice Honyenuga decided to adjourn the case to March 1, pending the Supreme Court releasing the full reason behind its dismissal of Dr. Opunis motion for certiorari and prohibition.

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com









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An Accra-based legal practitioner has joined the calls for the countrys constitution to be reviewed for people elected as presidents to pay taxes.



According to the legal luminary, he cannot understand why presidents are shielded by the constitution from paying taxes.



Why should the ordinary Ghanaian be saddled with the payment of tax and the president whose Executive Instrument is used to introduce the tax is barred from doing same? he argued.



This is just not fair hence the need for some aspects of the constitution to be amended to rope the president into the tax net, he said.



Mr Twum Barimah said this on Accra 100.5 FMs mid-day news, Thursday, February 23, 2023, while speaking about the 30th anniversary of the existence of the 1992 Constitution.



He also called for the aspects of the Constitution that make it mandatory for 60 per cent of Members of Parliament (MPs) to be appointed Ministers of State to be scrapped.



He explained this has made the Legislature somehow subservient to the Executive arm of government over the years.



He said the MPs have lost their oversight responsibility of holding the Executive in check.



He mentioned that many of the MPs instead of holding the executive accountable to the people spend their time trying to catch the eye of the president to be appointed ministers.



This, he notes, must change for MPs to do their work as MPs for others to be appointed ministers to ensure checks and balances in the government.





Source: class fm









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The US Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer has attributed rising prices of food, fuel and fertilizer to Russias invasion of Ukraine.



The invasion turns a year old on February 24, with some governments blaming the war on global supply chain disruptions and attendant economic squeeze causing unexpected downturns.



The ambassador made the assertion in a statement marking a one-year anniversary since the invasion started.



The statement reiterated the support of the American government for the government and people of Ukraine.



"February 24 marks one year since Russia launched its brutal, full-scale invasion of Ukraine.



"Russias horrifying violence has killed thousands and destroyed entire cities. Here in Ghana, Putins war has driven up prices for fertilizer, food, and fuel," her statement read in part.



It went further to state support measures the US government had put in place to support Africa, among others, the announcement of an additional $2.5 billion in food security assistance for Africa in December 2022, "which builds upon over $11 billion in U.S. humanitarian and food security assistance, Ambassador Palmer said.



The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) government has serially been accused of overborrowing and reckless spending leading Ghana into financial difficulties.



The government insists that the twin effects of the COVID-19 aftermath and the Russia-Ukraine war are to blame for the headwinds and that measures are being put in place to rectify the challenge.



Ghana is hoping for an International Monetary Fund, IMF, programme to help stabilize the economy amid fears that it could collapse sooner or later.



Below is the full statement



Ukraine: Statement from U.S. Ambassador to Ghana Virginia Palmer



February 24 marks one year since Russia launched its brutal, full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russias horrifying violence has killed thousands and destroyed entire cities. Here in Ghana, Putins war has driven up prices for fertilizer, food, and fuel.



Russia is losing on the battlefield and in desperation is attacking schools, hospitals, churches, apartment buildings, and critical infrastructure to exact the heaviest toll on civilians. Russias aggression against Ukraine did not start in 2022. This is a continuation of Russias illegal seizure of Crimea and parts of Luhansk and Donetsk in 2014.



With its leadership on the United Nations Security Council, Ghana condemned Russias illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.



Putin and his enablers believe that might makes right  but they are wrong. They are losing. Since last year, the U.S. has rallied allies and partners from around the world to stand strong with Ukraine. We cannot let a small country get stomped on by a larger neighbor.



We are working to mitigate the economic pain and uncertainty. In December, President Biden announced an additional $2.5 billion in food security assistance for Africa, which builds upon over $11 billion in U.S. humanitarian and food security assistance.



If Russia stops fighting and withdraws, the war ends. If Ukraine stops fighting, Ukraine ends.



The American people have stood proudly with Ukraine. We stand for freedom. We stand for democracy. We stand against bullies. We are United with Ukraine.





Source: ghanaweb.com









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The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) is adopting a Value-Based Care (VBC) system to help address challenges in healthcare delivery in the country.



According to the NHIA, when successfully implemented, the VBC will provide citizens with quality and equitable access to basic healthcare.



The VBC system will also make provision for investing in preventive interventions to improve the health of the population.



Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NHIA, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, disclosed this at the opening of a 5-day workshop organized by PharmAccess Foundation in partnership with Leapfrog to Value and the Christian Health Association of Ghana.



He said the VBC will tell you where to push your resources, so that you have the best outcome, and that is what we want to do .



Dr. Okoe Boye added that the VBC will be a component of the National Health Insurance Schemes (NHISs) quality strategy to reform how healthcare is delivered and paid for.



He added that the NHIA has in recent years deployed digital technologies including the mobile NHIS renewal system to enhance the provision of healthcare in Ghana.



The scheme has also introduced the digital claims submission dubbed CLAIM-IT application, which helps providers to submit their claims without hassle, he added.



Dr. Okoe Boye said the digitalization of the processes has enabled the NHIA to analyze and visualize its data to aid decision-making for improving the sustainability of the scheme.



The digitalized processes allow us to consolidate all the information we have about Ghanaians who attend hospitals, he said.



According to him, data analytics, and digitalization of the NHIA system will be key to the implementation of Value-Based Care.



Executive Director of the Christian Health Association of Ghana, (CHAG) Dr. Peter Yeboah said the current challenges in health insurance administration have magnified the need for VBC.



The Operations Manager at PharmAccess Foundation in Ghana, Dr. Gifty Sunkwa-Mills, said the Value-Based Care model, when implemented, will provide transparency for providers into outcomes and cost data.

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com









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An alleged National Security personnel, Kelvin Prince Boakye, cited in a gold scam and robbery case has been arrested for a galamsey-related offense, his lawyer has told the court.



Together with two others Kelvin Prince Boakye has been accused of robbing a gold trading firm, Waahid Gold Company Limited, of five kilogrammes of gold worth GH2.7 million in Accra.



When the case was called on Thursday, February 23, lawyer for Kelvin Prince Boakye told the court that his client, the first accused was absent because he was in lawful custody at Konongo in the Ashanti region for galamsey related offense.



Counsel for the second accused, Joy Kwame Genu told the court that he was unwell and had obtained an excuse duty from Ridge Hospital hence his absence.



Third accused, George Essandoh Akron was however present in court and pleaded not guilty to charges of robbery and abetment of crime.



The prosecuting officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Maxwell Oppong, noted that the charge sheet had been amended following the arrest of another accused person allegedly involved in the robbery, Felix Tei who lives at Oyarifa.



The presiding judge of the Accra Circuit court 10, Evelyn Asamoah adjourned the case to March 2 for the accused to reappear in court.



Per the facts of the case, the first accused person, Kelvin Prince Boakye was picked by the Police on November 18, 2022, following an investigation into a gold scam and robbery incident in Accra on November 8, 2022.



Further investigations led to the arrest of accused persons Joy Kwame Genu and George Essandoh Akron on November 29, 2022, and December 2, 2022, respectively.



Items retrieved from the suspects included an unlicensed Bruni pistol with three live 9mm ammunition, two bulletproof vests, one ballistic helmet, two stunt guns and one can of pepper spray.



Background



On Saturday, November 5, 2022, the complainant (name withheld) and others who are witnesses in the case went to buy 5kg of gold from the accomplices of the accused at the cost of GH2.7million.



According to the prosecution officer both parties took the gold to the SSL Refinery at the Kotoka International Airport Terminal 2 for testing, after which its authenticity was verified.



ASP Maxwell Oppong further noted that the accused persons allegedly lured the complainant to escort them to Accra Mall with the said amount of money for payment.



He added that while the complainant was still at the Accra Mall, she called the Managing Director of the company, Mohammed Ko Chan Tha, and Emmanuel Amuzu, one of the workers informing them about the payment.



While the payment was been made the alleged National Security personnel, Kelvin Boakye attacked the refinery with his accomplices.



Kelvin Prince Boakye, Felix Tei and another person currently on the run beat up the director of the company.



Boakye and his men allegedly robbed Mr. Amuzu and the Managing Director of the 5kg of gold. After the act, the accused person and his accomplices went into hiding. On November 18, 2022, the accused was arrested from his hideout at Awoshie, the prosecutor told the court.



The court was informed that a Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) installed in the refinery captured the accused and his other accomplices in the act.

Source: 3news.com









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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has explained why Ghana voted against Russia in a United Nations General Assembly resolution in October 2022.



The vote was to condemn Russia's annexation of three Ukrainian regions months after Moscow launched an onslaught on Kiev.



This is something I need to put on record, President Akufo-Addo stated whiles speaking with a German delegation led by Svenja Schulze, German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development.



Akufo-Addo added that Ghana, for good reason led the independence fight in Africa, because of a historic position of being against great power domination of the affairs of the world.



That was the basis on which Ghana joined over 140 other nations to vote against Russia, and it is a position we will continue to hold. Great powers trampling on small nations is not something that we welcome. Within our modest means we will register our disapproval of that.



The war on Ukraine clocks a year today (February 24) with allies of Ukraine especially the United States promising to stand by them in the fight to resist Russia.



Ghana votes against Russia



Ghana voted in favour of a United Nations General Assembly resolution condemning Russian aggression on Ukraine by way of the recent annexation of four regions after a controversial referendum.



Ghana was one of 143 nations that voted 'YES' with 35 'ABSTENTIONS' and five 'NO' votes.



A UN statement on the vote read: "The results were 143 Member States in favour, with five voting against, and 35 abstentions. The countries who voted against were Belarus, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Nicaragua, Russia and Syria.



"A majority of those countries abstaining were African nations, alongside China and India.



"The resolution defending the principles of the UN Charter, notes that the regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia are temporarily occupied by Russia as a result of aggression, violating Ukraines territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence," it added.



The YES vote is consistent with Ghana's position that Russia must end the war it started on February 24, 2022 and to respect all territorial arrangements that existed prior to the commencement of hostilities.



It was the second pro-Ukraine resolution Ghana has backed. The earlier one was in March, weeks after the war started, with Ghana voting to condemn Russian aggression on Ukraine.







Source: ghanaweb.com









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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says Africa must be willing and able to uphold the Maputo Protocol on the Rights of Women.



It is time for action, he echoed, saying the remaining member states yet to ratify the Maputo Protocol ought to do so, and submit their instruments of ratification to the AU Commission.



We should stand together to create a boldly visible force for gender equality, saying no to acts and threats of violence against women and girls, he stressed.



President Nana Akufo-Addo made the call at the recent Presidential High-Level Advocacy Breakfast Meeting on Gender, organised by the Women Gender Youth Directorate of the African Union (AU) Commission, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.



This was on the sideline of the 36th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the AU.



The AU states which have neither signed nor ratified the protocol are Botswana, Egypt, and Morocco.



Those which have signed but not yet ratified it include Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, Eritrea, Madagascar, Niger, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan.



The Maputo Protocol is one of the most progressive legal instruments providing a comprehensive set of human rights for African women.



It details wide-ranging and substantive human rights for women, covering the entire spectrum of civil and political, economic, social and cultural as well as environmental rights.



Since its adoption 13 years ago, the Maputo Protocol has contributed in shifting the trajectory on the promotion and protection of womens human rights on the continent.



It challenges the old stereotypes about the role of women in society, and places a moral obligation on AU Member States to promote equal opportunities for men and women to play meaningful roles in society.



Under it, women are full, effective and equal partners with men in the development of their communities.



Let us remind ourselves that discrimination and inequality have unbearable burdens and costs on our economies, societies, and the development of the African continent, President Nana Akufo-Addo said.



President Akufo-Addo asked his colleague Heads of State whose nations were yet to ratify the protocol, to do so this year, particularly as the protocol would turn 20 in July, 2023.



The Protocol, popularly referred to as the Maputo Protocol, turns 20 this year, and requires us to take stock of how well we have fared toward achieving the goals, the President noted.



Adopted by Heads of State and Government in Maputo, Mozambique, on 11 July 2003, the Protocol advances African womens rights and guarantees extensive rights to women and girls.



It provides progressive provisions on harmful traditional practices, such as child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM), reproductive health and rights, roles in political processes, economic empowerment, and ending violence against women.





Source: GNA









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Nana Adom Busia, a leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Wenchi constituency of the Bono Region, says endorsing Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen as a presidential candidate will enhance NPPs chances to break the eight in the Election 2024.



He, therefore, called on the delegates, preparing for the partys impending presidential primaries to remember and stick to the NPPs tradition and give Alan Kyeremanten the nod to lead the party to election victory.



In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Wenchi, Nana Busia said the NPP would be ungrateful to Alan Kyerematen, if the delegates failed to endorse him, saying that will also cause doom for our great party.



He said Alan Kyeremanten had remained loyal, and served the NPP wholeheartedly, after conceding defeat to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in the partys last presidential primaries, stressing we all know this is time for Alan Kyeremanten to lead us to retain political power in the next general election.



For us to break the eight, I think Vice President Dr Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia has contributed his quota, and its appropriate for him to retire with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.



His retirement with the president will build and strengthen the internal unity we need to go for the elections. Other than that, it will be politically suicidal for the NPP in the 2024 general election, he added.



Describing him as the choice for all, Nana Busia said as a great party we cant overlook our political history and pick any wrong choice to lead us because posterity would not spare us if we do so.













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Dr. Benjamin Otchere-Ankrah says former President John Dramani Mahama will tromp his competitors in the impending National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential primaries.



The party opened its presidential and parliamentary nomination on Wednesday, February 22, 2023 and former President John Mahama has picked his nomination forms to contest the NDC flagbearer race.



Professor Joshua Alabi, a former Rector of the University of Professional Studies picked the forms on behalf of Mr. Mahama at the partys headquarters.



Ghanaians are asking for a well-experienced leader, leadership counts. If leadership counts then experience is the key, one who has done it before and one who is very humble, one who loves the people and one who believes in people-centred policies. Fortunately for us in the NDC, as a country, we have somebody like that, Prof. Alabi said while declaring the former President's readiness to lead the NDC.



However, other candidates have popped up to contend for the Presidential candidate spot during the NDC primaries scheduled in May this year; names such as the former Finance Minister, Dr. Kwabena Duffour and a former Metropolitan Chief Executive of Kumasi, Kojo Bonsu have come up.



To Dr. Benjamin Otchere-Ankrah, there is no shred of doubt that Mr. Mahama is the favorite of the party delegates.



In his estimation, there is no hope for the other candidates so far as the NDC Presidential race is concerned.



"President Mahama will not get anything less than 80 percent . . . the one whose own pains me a lot is Dr. Duffour; a fine gentleman. He qualifies and all that but unfortunately he won't win. I believe Kojo Bonsu will also pick his forms but he won't get up to 3 percent . . . The majority of the party members have made up their minds to vote for President Mahama," he asserted while speaking to Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" morning show.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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US president, Joe Biden has released a statement concerning the 2023 Nigerian presidential elections which would take place on Saturday February 25.



Nigerians head to the polls this weekend to decide their leader for the next 4 years. The four major candidates for the presidential election include Rabiu Kwankwaso of the NNPP, Peter Obi of the Labour Party, Atiku Abubakar of the PDP and Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the APC.



In Biden's statement released today, February 23, he commended Buhari for his commitment to a free and fair election while praising the candidates for signing a peace accord ahead of the election.



Biden's statement reads;

I commend yesterdays peace accord in Nigeria, signed by the political parties and candidates running in Nigerias presidential election on February 25. By signing this pledge, the parties and candidates have committed to accept the results of the election, as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, and to support a peaceful transition of power.



Elections are a fundamental part of a functioning democracy, and all Nigerians deserve this chance to choose their future  freely and fairly. While the United States does not support any single candidate or party, we strongly support a peaceful and transparent process that reflects the will of the people of Nigeria. On election day, I encourage all Nigerians  no matter their religion, region, or ethnicity to exercise this fundamental freedom and make their voices heard  including young voters, many of whom may be heading to the ballot box for the first time.



The United States stands with the Nigerian people as they chart a path toward a more democratic, prosperous, and secure future. I appreciate President Buharis firm commitment that the will of the people will be respected. And in the coming days, I encourage voters to remain peaceful and patient as their ballots are tallied, and urge the political parties and candidates to live up to their pledge.









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Flagbearer aspirant of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, has urged the media not to fall for the propaganda that the presidential race for the party is between the current Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and a former Trade and Industry Minister, Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen.



He said anybody who thinks along the lines that Dr Bawumia and Alan Kyeremanteng are the lead candidates in the NPPs presidential race, is detached from reality.



Speaking on Accra-based Citi Fm on Thursday, February 23, 2023, Mr Agyapong said, his own tours and engagements with the party members indicate that the two candidates are not the preferred ones.



For him, Ghanaians are yearning for someone who could change the political heartbeat of the country and ensure development and that person is himself--Kwabena Agyei Agyapong.



The former Presidential Spokesperson and General Secretary of the ruling NPP, said he stands a better chance to win the election than the two candidates being projected by the media--Dr Bawumia and Alan Kyeremanteng.



Mr Agyapong also said the cost of running government in the country is too big and needed to be reviewed.



For him, his government will not have more than 19 Ministers, pointing out that there was no point having more than two deputy ministers in one Ministry.





The NPP presidential hopeful also said there was the need to consolidate some of the ministries to save the country from the huge cost of running the government.



Currently, more than five people in the party, including Dr Bawumia, Alan Kyeremanteng; former Agric Minister, Dr Afriyie Akoto; former Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko; and a former Member of Parliament for Asante Mampong, Francis Addai-Nimoh, have all declared their intentions to contest the flagbearer race.

Source: graphiconline.com









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The Leader and founder of the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP), Akua Donkor, has disclosed to the aspiring flagbearer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Alan Kyerematen, how precious the NPP is to her heart.



Akua Donkor, who is also running for the presidency, said she has always admired the ruling party and wishes Alan Kyerematen the best of luck in the upcoming election.



In a viral video sighted by GhanaWeb, the two politicians are seen hugging after the latter had visited the Oti region as part of his regional campaign as he seeks to become the NPP flagbearer for the 2024 polls.



Akua Donkor revealed that shes putting up an office space in the region and upon hearing of the presence of Alan, she realizes it was prudent to meet him and exchange pleasantries.



Im putting up a building in this region, and upon realizing your presence, I had to come and greet you For NPP youre dear to my heart. And youre also one of my own, so for this one, were on the same page, Akua Donkor said amid laughter.



Alan among other candidates in the NPP will be contesting in the upcoming NPP primaries in the race to elect who leads the party into the 2024 general elections.



Watch them in the video below:





Akua Donkor meets NPP Presidential hopeful Alan Kyerematen

#AkomaFM pic.twitter.com/T7i1AbcSHT  AKOMA 87.9 FM (@akoma879fm) February 23, 2023























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NDC Member of Parliament for Tamale North, Alhassan Suhuyini, has disclosed that the entire Minority Caucus in Parliament had endorsed the presidential candidature of John Dramani Mahama.



He told Oyerepa TV on February 22, that all 137 National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs were in attendance at a meeting held earlier this week to pledge their support for the former President.



Asked whether all NDC MPs were in support of Mahamas bid to lead the NDC into the 2024 elections, he responded: Absolutely, all Members of Parliament on the ticket of the NDC were all present . . .



 . . and on behalf of all of us, our new leader Hon. Ato Forson made a resounding declaration of total support for his candidature and it was followed by a resounding applause followed by a standing ovation.



According to him, the brother of a possible contender was introduced at the meeting because he is also a Member of Parliament and he declared his support, he added without naming the said MP.



Mahama declares bid, picks nomination forms



Mahama's formal intention to run for a third consecutive shot at the presidency was reported when a number of NDC MPs confirmed after a meeting that he was going to contest.



On February 22, forms were picked on his behalf by Prof. Alabi and regional chairmen amid fanfare. Mahama is expected to address the media in due course to formally announce his bid.



Mahamas political roots date as far back to the days of Ghanas independence when his father served in the Nkrumah government.



John Mahama, a political thoroughbred



He is reputed to be one of the most thoroughbred politicians of the Fourth Republic having served from the local level (Assembly) through to becoming a Member of Parliament for Bole Bamboi on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress.



Mahama held deputy minister and ministerial portfolios under the Rawlings government before rising to become vice president under John Mills and president when he took over from Mills then won his first full term in 2012.



He is widely expected to contest for the presidency come 2024 as he seeks a final term in office on the back of two straight defeats to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in 2016 and 2020.







Source: ghanaweb.com









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Audio Attachment: Listen to Frances Essiam in an interview on Peace FM Midday News

The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company, Frances Essiam has resigned.



Speaking in an interview on Peace FM's Midday news, she said "I am resigning on the point of principle".



"I have resigned as the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company. I thank President Akufo- Addo for appointing me. I believe in Ghana we should be bold to resign and move away, its our democratic right," she added.



She, however, accused Energy Minister, Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh of thwarting efforts being made to make Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company successful.



" . . with all our hard work and efforts at the company, there are some who dont want us to be successful . . . so Ive decided to resign. Im a woman of substance, a woman of peace and highly knowledgeable . . . I have resigned so Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh, Minister for Energy and Manhyia South MP can now have his way; he can do whatever he wants with Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company; he can grind and chew it . . . I have not heard from the President but I am resigning in principle . . . he (Mathew Opoku Prempeh) should bring it on, I am ready for him," she said.



Madam Essiam, who fell short of stating exactly what the Energy Minister had done to necessitate her unceremonious resignation, promised to address a press conference in the coming days to lay bare the juicy details.





Source: Peacefmonline.com









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A former Greater Accra Chairman for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Joseph Ade Coker, says the NDC should have gone for acclamation to maintain former President John Dramani Mahama as the flagbearer of the party.



That, he said, would have saved a lot of money for the partys national elections.



Mr. Ade Cokers remarks come after former President Mahama picked up nomination forms to run as flagbearer.



Former President John Dramani Mahama officially picked up nomination forms to run in his partys upcoming presidential primaries. This comes a day after he told some members of the Minority Caucus of his plans to run during a meeting.



Former presidential aspirant, Joshua Alabi picked presidential nomination forms on Wednesday on behalf of former President John Mahama at the NDC headquarters in Adabraka



Speaking on Atinka TVs morning show, Ghana Nie with Ama Gyenfa Ofosu Darkwa, Mr. Joseph Ade Coker, said currently, there is an overwhelming indication that everyone in the party wants John Mahama to contest because he is tried and tested.



According to him, the John Mahama administration has an unfinished mission, saying that during his tenure, Mahama made magnificent developments such as the Kotoka International Airport, the Circle Dubai, and others, but he could not complete them before he left office.



Meanwhile, he believes that if Ghanaians give him the go-ahead, the former president will complete most of the developmental projects he started and even start new ones.



For those who are contesting with him, he said they should exercise patience and allow John Mahama to go this time, adding that the 2024 election is not going to be a tea party.



Fine, there should be room for contests, but those who are coming should exercise restraint. With the 2024 elections that we are having, it is not a tea party, so we have to present someone who can point to the positives. Every human has his negatives, but the positives outweigh the negatives.



So, for me, from day one, I believe that we should have gone for acclamation rather than spending money on the entire country, and in the end, he will beat everyone even by one vote, and it will be that we have spent money and we would now go and look for money for national elections, he said.













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Okyeame Kwame has in an interview said he will never hurt an animal because he has come to the realization that the creatures also have feelings just like humans.



The Hiplife artiste intimated that, unlike others who would hurriedly kill a snake to prevent it from biting them, he would rather find out whether the snake in question is poisonous or not. Even so, his means of survival would not include taking the life of the snake.



In his submission, the rapper, who prides himself on being a vegan and a vegetarian, recalled how he respectfully turned down an offer from a Ghanaian ambassador in New York who wanted to help him establish a fish farm. According to Okyeame Kwame, he could not accept the offer because he cannot produce what would eventually be killed and eaten by others when he is against the practice.



Ive been vegetarian for six years; vegan for two years, he said on 3FM. I dont eat meat; I dont eat meat or anything from animals except honey. One day I just realized that the most important thing to me is my life and I saw the cow feels the same way



"So, youre one of those people that if a snake enters your house, youre looking at how to save it before surviving? asked Giovanni Caleb, the host of the show who appeared intrigued by Okyeame Kwames narrative.



Before he would give a direct response to the question, the 46-year-old rapper sought to educate the public on how to find out whether a snake poses a danger to you or not.



He said: You know what is interesting? There are 200 species of snakes; only 20 of them bite to kill. If you look at where the eyes are, you can tell whether it is poisonous or not.



At that moment of survival, youre thinking of species? Giovanni asked; a question that made everyone in the studio, including Okyeame Kwame, laugh uncontrollably.



If it confronts you, then you need to save yourself, obviously. But a snake has entered your house, its in the kitchen, then everyone is looking for something to come and hit it? Okyeame Kwame asked while stating emphatically that he would never do that.



According to the rapper, The opposite of love is not hate; the opposite of love is fear. And we fear what we dont know. So, if you take your time to know the things that are of importance to you, youll have no fear. And once you have no fear, you become complete love.



"And once you become love, you cant hurt people; you cant hurt animals. Even when youre coming to eat a plant, you know youre hurting it and youre sad for it.







Source: ghanaweb.com









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Police are shown outside the home of Pierre Ny St-Amand in Laval, Que., Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023. The man accused of killing two young children when the bus he was driving slammed into a suburban daycare will undergo a further evaluation to determine his criminal responsibility. Pierre Ny St-Amand made an appearance today in a courtroom in Laval, just north of Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
Ontario's Education Minister Stephen Lecce speaks to journalists at the Queen's Park Legislature in Toronto on Monday December 5, 2022. Ontario's public school boards are calling on the province to lift a moratorium on school closures and to finally complete a review  started six years ago  of how those decisions get made.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
Weekend Preview: Sunday Party, 888 Mystery Bounty, and WPT Global Passport

February 24, 2023 Matthew Pitt Editor

The weekend is upon us, and that means many of our readers are planning to hit the tables and get their grind on in some exciting poker tournaments. If that describes you, if you plan to play some online poker events over the weekend, you could do much worse than checking out the following trio of value-packed tournaments.

The $200,000 Guaranteed Boosted Sunday Party

PartyPoker revamped its tournament schedule this month, adding two new Sunday majors. The Sunday Party is one of those newcomers, and this weekend's edition is extra special.

The Sunday Party costs $109 to enter, and usually features a $150,000 guaranteed prize pool, which makes it the biggest event on PartyPoker's schedule. However, despite overlaying for the past two weekends, the Sunday Party on February 26 is having its guarantee boosted to $200,000. The Sunday Party is great value in its original form, but more so with an extra $50,000 added to the guarantee.

Satellites from only $0.01 run around the clock and continue to do so right up to the Sunday Party shuffling up and dealing at 7:05 p.m. GMT on February 26. It is the $16.50 buy-in satellites that award the $109 tickets needed to enter the mix and fight for a slice of a guaranteed $200,000.

What PKO Tournaments Can You Play at PartyPoker For Less Than $5?

Whether you buy in for $109 or play your way into the Sunday party via one of the many satellites at your disposal, you'll receive 100,000 chips, and play to an exception blind structure that starts at 500/1,000/100a. The blinds increase every 12 minutes for the first 18 levels before extending to 15 minutes thereafter. Day 1 concludes when only 16 players remain, with those 16 surviving players returning to the action from 8:05 p.m. GMT on February 27.

Last weekend, 1,358 players bought in, and "NLsoldier" shot them all down. The champion secured the $9,434 top prize plus $6,787 worth of bounties for a total haul worth $16,221. Expect a much larger payday if you triumph in the boosted edition this weekend.

Huge Mystery Bounty Action at 888poker

888poker is where you should head if you are a fan of mystery bounty tournaments because the Mystery Bounty Festival features some awesome events over the weekend. Each of the Mystery Bounty Festival tournaments are worth playing, but two stand out from the crowd this weekend.

MB Festival #14 is a $55 buy-in event features a $50,000 guaranteed prize pool, making it perfect for mid-stakes grinders or lower stakes players wanting to take a shot at the big time. The cards are in the air from 6:30 p.m. GMT on February 26 and continue being dealt across 12 minutes levels until only one player remains.

$25,000 of the guarantee is awarded as mystery bounties. Six of those bounties are worth $500, two weigh in at $1,500, with one lucky 888poker player walking away with $5,000!

888poker Ambassador Vivian Saliba Falls Short of Mystery Bounty Festival Title

The mystery bounties are even larger in the MB Festival #18 - $150,000 Mystery Bounty 8-Max at running across numerous Day 1s from 5:00 p.m. GMT on February 24 through 6:00 p.m. GMT on February 27. $109 buys you into the event, although satellites from only $0.10 are available if you fancy turning a tiny investment into a massive payday.

Nine of the mystery bounties in this tournament tip the scales at four figures or more, with six $1,500 prizes, two $4,500 prizes, and a jackpot mystery bounty worth a cool $15,000!

Earlier in the festival, the similarly-sized $120,000 Opening event saw Brazil's "Leofoliveira" come out on top of a 1,032-strong crowd and pad their bankroll with $10,811.

Win a WPT Prime Passport at WPT Global This Weekend

This is the weekend that you could get your hands on a $1,500 WPT Prime package to a WPT Prime stop of your choice, and do so from the comfort of your home thanks to WPT Global.

Over the next few months, the WPT Prime tour heads to Amsterdam, Netherlands (March 29-April 1), Bratislava, Slovakia (May 11-15), Hanoi, Vietnam (May 25-29), and San Remo, Italy (June 1-11), and you could be heading their flying the WPT Global flag.

Win a WPT Prime Passport on WPT Global Every Weekend

At 2:00 p.m. ET on February 25 (and on future Saturdays) there is a $110 WPT Prime Passport qualifier guaranteeing at least one $1,500 package to a WPT Prime stop of your choosing. On February 27 at 6:00 p.m. ET (and on future Sundays) there is another chance to win a WPT Prime Passport. The $1,500 package awards you a seat in an upcoming WPT Prime Main Event in addition to spending money for travel and expenses.

Satellites for these remarkable passport-awarding tournaments start at an affordable $5, opening the door for almost every WPT Global player.
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Rep. Jim Jordan ran a sham hearing full of conspiracy theories and zero government officials or experts in Yuma, Arizona.

Video of Jordan:

Anytime that a person has to start off a hearing by claiming, this is not a political stunt, its not a good sign.

Before the hearing, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler and Immigration Integrity Security and Enforcement Subcommittee Ranking Member Pramila Jayapal said in a joint statement provided to PoliticusUSA:

Judiciary Republicans will hold their second stunt hearing on border security. Despite the importance of this issue, there was no consultation with Judiciary Democrats, many of whom have already committed attending other bipartisan congressional delegation trips.

Instead of focusing on real solutions to a complicated problem, Judiciary Republicans will once again not hear from any federal government witnesses at their hearing, further cementing this hearing as a brazen act of political grandstanding. As a result, Democrats, who have been to the border regularly the last few years, will not attend next weeks performative hearing. Additionally, Judiciary Democrats will conduct their own trip to the border next month where we will hear from the community and government officials on the ground.

Jordan and other House Republicans tried to claim that Democrats boycotted the hearing, but the truth was Republicans scheduled the hearing for when Democrats could not attend.

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The point was never to have Democrats at the hearing, but to use the pretext of a hearing to host Republicans, conspiracy theorists, and anti-immigration zealots.

Brad Woodhouse of the Congressional Integrity Project described the hearing as, Nothing more than an unadulterated political stunt conducted by MAGA leader and Trump loyalist Jim Jordan  a person who months ago admitted that his investigations were being conducted solely for the purpose of re-electing Trump. It was so hyper-partisan that Judiciary Committee Democrats refused to lend it legitimacy by attending. Full of typical and untrue attacks and absent any comprehensive solutions to immigration or the border, this taxpayer-funded trip was clearly only about soundbites and attacks on President Biden and Democrats rather than actually fixing the border and our immigration system.

Under Republican control, the House is no longer conducting congressional oversight. It staging a MAGA community theater road show.

Jim Jordan is in way over his head as the chair of the Judiciary Committee, and it is stunning that the Never Kevin group of House Republicans wanted the Ohio congressman to be the Speaker of the House.
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Donald Trump seems to be up day and night ranting about his newest obsession. His possible indictment for violating Georgia election law.

Trumps page on Truth Social is filled with attacks on the Special Grand Jury foreperson and one middle-of-the-night rant, Just to make every one of those people suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome feel better, it doesnt really matter that the jury foreperson went on a Media rampage, thereby badly tainting the case and making it impossible to bring, because I did absolutely NOTHING WRONG! Two perfect phone calls on Election Integrity, thats it! The D.A. should go after the murderers and other violent criminals in Atlanta, one of the most dangerous cities in the World, and leave honest people alone!

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I am sure the DA will leave honest people alone, which is why Fani Willis is looking to indict Trump and his pals, but what they potentially did was the opposite of honest.

The judge presiding over the Special Grand Jury said that the foreperson broke no rules with her comments to the media, so nothing was tainted or harmed, but the failed former presidents comments suggest that he is going to try to get any potential indictment quashed based on her comments.

Trump is in full meltdown mode because he has finally realized that he might actually get indicted in Georgia.

A criminal indictment has always been Trumps biggest fear, and it looks closer than ever to finally becoming a reality.

Donald Trump understands this which is why he is up in the middle of the night both saying that he did nothing wrong and trying to discredit the case against him.
Aiken, SC (29801)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening followed by mostly cloudy skies and a few showers after midnight. Low near 60F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening followed by mostly cloudy skies and a few showers after midnight. Low near 60F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.
A local business partnered with Childrens Place to provide goods and services for a Guardian Angel program.

Intellisystems, a cybersecurity company that works in the CSRA and the Midlands, gave $2,500 to Childrens Place Executive Director Peggy Ford. Childrens Place services Aiken, Bamberg, Barnwell, Edgefield and McCormick counties in South Carolina.

The people at IntelliSystems have followed the ongoing work over the years that Peggy and staff at Children's Place do to enhance the lives of children in our area, said Kevin Wade, President/CEO of IntelliSystems. We are so thrilled to be able to contribute in a small way to further their mission, as they expand into their new headquarters facility in Aiken this year.

The Guardian Angel program annually provides kids with essentials and clothing basics during the winter months. In December, volunteers take children on a shopping spree.

To learn more about the Guardian Angel program, visit the Childrens Place website.
The red-and-white flags of opening weekend have come down but the pumps are still pristine and the pavement unstained. QuikTrip off Exit 5 in North Augusta opened Feb. 9.

We thought we werent going to be busy, the word wasnt out, yet, said Daniel Torres, assistant manager. Literally on the second day, [business] pretty much doubled. And then kept going and going and going. Its been non-stop.

In opening off Exit 5, the convenience store known for its in-house kitchens (fresh sandwiches, tacos and breakfast scrambles; "we make it to order, Torres said) is staking a claim in a high growth area.

Exit 5 is only the second QuikTrip in Aiken County, the other being in Graniteville. After that, the nearest location is in Lexington.

The new 5,000-square-foot QuikTrip is in a high traffic area that, as development continues  notably, Highland Springs  is expected to only get busier.

According to traffic counts compiled by SCDOT in 2021, some 14,300 individuals travel the section of US25/Edgefield Road from Ascauga Lake Road to the Aiken-Edgefield county line every day. Interstate-20 at Exit 5 sees about 19,450 individuals each day.

In coming years, the commercial portions of Highland Springs, clustered at the northern tip of this vast planned development, will go up just over a mile from the new store.

Directly east of the QuikTrip, just across the Edgefield Road, are a little over 118 acres of still vacant land held by a handful of developers, including 68 acres in the hands of Buddy Werts, the man responsible for a good chunk of Hammonds Ferry.

North Augusta real estate company Mathis Properties owns just under 34 acres in that same area, and Augustas Security Land Development Corporation has the rights to the 17.5-acre strip immediately alongside Edgefield Road.

Other than that roadside strip, which is zoned commercial, the other acreage is still designated agricultural. All of the parcels are outside the North Augusta city limits. But a project map from the city of North Augustas planning department has this area marked as Future Grocery/Commercial/Mixed Residential development.

This week, North Augusta planning commissioners approved the new street name Modern Market Drive for one of the access roads to QuikTrip. That request, from ATC Development in Aiken, prompted the question of whether a portion of that future development could be a Modern Market, a Texasbased eatery with 18 franchises in four states, none of these in South Carolina.

In a similar area of speculation is whether Popeyes will pop up next to QuikTrip. Theres a spot for it on the project map, but North Augusta planning director Tommy Paradise said this week its site plans havent reached his desk.

And that ghost of a gas station right next to QT? Southern Gas sold the property in 2010, and the property was again sold last fall, this time to a residential developer. But no zoning request has yet come to the city to allow residential development and the 1980s bones of the former station still stands.

As for QuikTrip, assistant manager Torres said the goal is simply to always have the cheapest gas.

Were going to hopefully beat the business  and with gas prices, were always going to try to beat everyone. We dont go crazy, a couple cents here and there, he said. Beating the competition, were constantly checking it. Every single day.
Retail follows rooftops, and competing supermarket chains are feeding into the business axiom with two new stores on the way in the Lowcountry. Read more2 new Charleston-area grocery stores to open in 2024
The Los Angeles developer getting Union Pier ready to sell has already telegraphed its plans to buy the property.

But despite criticism of a contract that gives development firm Lowe the decided upper hand when Union Pier goes to a public auction, the State Ports Authority says Lowe is far from a shoo-in and hardly the only developer interested in the waterfront site.

"Does this guarantee Lowe the project 100 percent? No, it does not," Bill Stern, the authority's board chairman, said of the maritime agency's contract with the developer. "I think there will be a robust bidding process. We're getting a lot of people interested and wanting to see what they can bid on and when they can bid on it."

Others say they're skeptical.

"It's pretty cooked in there that they're going to win the bid," Winslow Hastie, president and CEO of the Historic Charleston Foundation, said of Lowe. "So they are going to be the developer."

Regardless of how many people place a bid, Lowe will get the right of first refusal for any or all of Union Pier's parcels when the 64-acre site sandwiched between Laurens and Market streets along Charleston Harbor finally hits the auction block. If a competing developer wants to buy the property, Lowe can simply match the offer and knock the other bidder out of the running.

There's another, perhaps even bigger, advantage: Lowe gets to take a 9.5 percent discount from any other bidder's price.

If, for example, someone wants to buy a parcel for $100, Lowe could essentially match the offer by putting up just $90.50. That discount could add up to serious money if Union Pier fetches bids of up to $400 million, as some real estate analysts expect.

The authority is reluctant to put a price tag on the property.

"The market will speak for itself," Stern said.

Charleston-area developers have privately groused that the deal stifles competition, leaving little incentive for anyone but Lowe to place a bid on the property.

Stern  an Ameris Bank board member and successful developer in his own right, with hundreds of retail projects throughout the Southeast as part of his Columbia-based Stern Development company's portfolio  bristles at the criticism. Union Pier's distinction as the last large-scale developable waterfront site near Charleston's Historic District will draw deep-pocketed developers from across the world, he said.

A history with Lowe

The authority hired Lowe about three years ago to get the environmental permits and zoning in place to sell Union Pier and to get input from Charleston officials and residents about how they want to see redevelopment of the property take place. Currently, the site is used as a cruise ship terminal with a large parking lot and a few warehouses.

Stern said the agreement with Lowe isn't unusual for big-dollar real estate deals. Its incentive-rich terms for Lowe are possible because the authority is one of a few state agencies that aren't bound by South Carolina's procurement laws, which would have required competitive bidding for the contract.

Lowe has a history with the authority. In 2017, the developer paid $38 million to buy the authority's old headquarters building on Concord Street, with plans to build a luxury hotel adjacent to the city's Waterfront Park. That hotel, dubbed The Cooper, is under construction. Lowe also bought four parcels the authority owned on North Market Street in 2019.

While it might not be a household name, privately owned Lowe has developed or managed more than $32 billion worth of real estate projects in its 51-year history, specializing in residential, commercial and tourism-related development. It built and owns Wild Dunes Resort on Isle of Palms and counts similar upscale resort projects from California to Vermont.

"There are no ready-made design standards that typify our projects," Lowe states on its website.

The developer has combined diverse uses like apartments and an art museum at its Gallery 64 in Washington, D.C., and won awards for Ivy Station in Culver City, Calif., which links the area's arts district with a mix of restaurants, retailers and offices.

"We view each property with an appreciation of its surroundings and place in the community," according to Lowe's website.

Right of first refusal

Getting a developer of Lowe's caliber to tie up staff and time for several years to work on permits and zoning wasn't cheap.

The authority is paying roughly $50,000 a month for that work, but the maritime agency will recoup all of that money from the sale proceeds before Lowe's incentive kicks in. When that happens, Lowe can either get a 9.5 percent discount on its own purchase or a 9.5 percent cut of another developer's purchase price.

That and the right of first refusal were necessary to get someone like Lowe to do the entitlement work, Stern said, adding that any other developer would have wanted a similar deal.

"That would have been anybody we would have picked," he said. "I mean, we as an authority, we're not in the business of doing a project like this. And I certainly was not going to let board members get involved and do it themselves."

Lowe announced its intentions to buy Union Pier in a filing with state environmental regulators last year. In the document, Lowe stated it "plans to acquire the property for an urban core development with open space, streets, multiple buildings and uses, including office, commercial, hotel, public and residential uses."

Dan Battista, Lowe's executive vice president who heads the developer's Charleston office, thinks there will be plenty of competition for Union Pier. Lowe's contract with the authority calls for the developer to market the property to other development and real estate groups.

"Given the importance of the property and its location in downtown Charleston and along Charleston Harbor, we anticipate significant interest from potential buyers," Battista told The Post and Courier.

Nothing set in stone

Lowe's right of first refusal isn't the only criticism aimed at the authority's Union Pier sale.

Hastie said the process is being rushed. The authority submitted its zoning plan for Union Pier, called a planned unit development, at the end of January and the city's first official look at the proposal will come during a March 2 meeting of its Technical Review Committee. The authority hopes to shepherd the plan through a series of needed approvals, ultimately by the City Council, by the end of June.

"We believe the public engagement process was lacking in a major way," Hastie said.

He added that the plan submitted to the city a few weeks ago was never shown beforehand to the public.

"They didn't share a whole lot of information you could sink your teeth into, but reading between the lines we could see this is going to be a very developer-driven product that maximizes value for the port," he said.

Stern said that's a misrepresentation. Lowe has worked with city staff to get recommendations and feedback throughout the planning process, he said, and the developer has met numerous times with neighborhood groups prior to four public forums held last year to gather input. City staff also attended and contributed comments at all of the public forums, said Jacob Lindsey, vice president of development for Lowe.

"Don't fall into that trap when someone says this was a very fast process and the city only got involved in this a few months ago," Stern said. "They've been involved through the whole process. Nobody worked in the blind and then sprung it on them and said, 'This is all we're going to do.' That's not how it works. We all have to be partners in this."

Lindsey said interaction with the city's staff is about to go into overdrive as Charleston's Technical Review Committee takes up the plan on March 2.

"I think what you'll see in the course of this TRC process is that the staff will have copious comments about the things they may want to see change in this plan," he said. "I think it speaks to the fact that we're receiving a very rigorous review by city staff."

Stern also discounts the notion that the plan is set in stone.

"Everything is open right now and revisions are still being made," Stern said. "But everything has to be done within reason. It has to make sense."

Brian Turner, president and CEO of the Preservation Society of Charleston, said the waterfront will be obliterated by buildings up to seven-stories tall.

"We're going to get huge block-sized buildings  parking garages wrapped in buildings," Hastie added, saying the plan is too dense near the waterfront.

He said there will only be "a smattering of open space, like a couple dog parks and that silly park around the Bennett Rice Mill." That park, tentatively called Rice Mill Square, is a nod to the site's 19th-century history as a rice producer and will incorporate the mill's remaining facade that dates to the mid-1800s.

Lindsey countered that waterfront open space was the overwhelming request from residents, and the proposed plan provides that.

"We haven't buried the public space inside the neighborhood," he said. "We've given it to the public forever in the form of a waterfront promenade and a massive new public park out over the water. That's what we definitely heard from the community and what we've done  put the best space for the public on the water."

No room for mistakes

Stern has resigned himself to the understanding that the final Union Pier plan won't please everyone.

"There will be some people who don't want multifamily housing there or they won't want office or retail space," he said. "There will be some people who think the whole thing should be a park. But we can't do that. This has been an asset of the ports authority since 1942, and we have to derive income from it to do some of our other capital projects."

After all, he said, the authority didn't have to go through a lengthy and expensive process to get buy-in on redevelopment of its property. It could have just sold it off piecemeal, taken its money and let the city deal with the fallout of a hodgepodge development.

"This was not the easiest path, but we felt we owed it to the community," Stern said. "We could have just parceled it off and not had anything to do with it, but there would not have been any coordinated effort. This is so important for the people of Charleston. We want to see something developed that we can all be proud of."

Hastie said he's hopeful, but not confident, that city leaders will step up to protect more public space, call for less density and ensure easy access to the waterfront for everyone.

"There is no vision from the city," he said. "It's really being driven by Lowe and the port, and it's focused on maximum return." While the authority and its critics might disagree on how Lowe was picked, why the developer was given such a rich incentive deal and what the zoning plan should include, they all agree on this: Union Pier represents a transformative opportunity as the last available waterfront site in the Historic District with a redevelopment effort that will be unprecedented in Charleston's history.

If it isn't done right, they say, the implications could be enormous.
MOUNT PLEASANT  An Atlanta-based home decor and furniture design retailer is ready to welcome customers to its first South Carolina location in the Lowcountry.

Ballard Designs will open at 10 a.m. Feb. 24 in the 9,077-square-foot space formerly occupied by home furnishing store Pier 1 Imports at 1128 Market Centre Blvd. in Mount Pleasant Towne Centre. It features a uniquely curated selection of classic and contemporary pieces.

Our new location ... presents a great opportunity to offer new  and existing  customers a unique in-person experience in designer home decor, said Dominic Milanese, vice president of retail at Ballard Designs.

A shopping center representative called Ballard the perfect addition to the mix of retailers in the complex on U.S. Highway 17 near the Isle of Palms connector.

The store will be open 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-6 p.m. Sunday. Founded in 1982, Ballard Designs operates 19 retail stores across 13 states in the U.S.

The Belk-anchored shopping center is owned by Baltimore-based Continental Realty Corp.
The buzz is steady.

Actually, its not a buzz. Its more of a throaty roar created by the symphony of cars and trucks and other vehicles pacing along Savannah Highway on a February afternoon. At night, its usually replaced by the aggressive pitches of fewer vehicles traveling at a faster rate. Its still a steady sound, just different.

But the noise went muffled on the night of Feb. 19 and into the predawn hours the following morning.

Thats when the Charleston Police Departments Major Accident Investigation Team shut down a stretch of Savannah Highway between Magnolia Road and Radio Road for six hours. MAIT was completing its preliminary investigation into a fatal collision involving a pedestrian and a motor vehicle. It was the most recent and third such incident in Charleston this year. In 2022, only four people were killed by vehicles. This year, Charleston is on a path to top the high of seven pedestrian deaths in 2021.

Its not a trend exclusive to Charleston.

The Governors Highway Safety Association will release a report on Feb. 28 that safety officials expect to further drive home a troubling fact  more and more pedestrians are dying alongside American roadways. Communities across the country have already seen spikes in pedestrian deaths in recent years. The GHSA's most recent full-year report showed that drivers struck and killed 7,845 people in 2021  an average of 20 deaths per day. It was also an 11.5-percent increase from the year before, and the most recorded in a single year in four decades.

But the Palmetto State, at least until recently, has been an outlier from the pack. The S.C. Department of Transportation said 167 pedestrians were killed along Palmetto State roadways last year, down from 188 in 2021.

Still the numbers are glaring considering South Carolina reported only 100 pedestrian fatalities in 2013. Overall, pedestrian deaths are increasing faster nationally than all other traffic fatalities, surging 54 percent from 2010-20. GHSA officials anticipate the next batch of numbers will again move in a troubling direction.

Thats the case for Charleston already in 2023.

The calendar has yet to flip to March but community leaders, business owners and residents cant help but notice the rise in pedestrian deaths. The three fatalities this year are especially glaring considering there werent any at this time in 2022.

Whats the solution?, said Adam Goodwin, owner of Charles Towne Fermentory off Savannah Highway. His brewery sits only a few dozen paces from the Feb. 19 pedestrian-related fatality. Thats the million-dollar question, right?

It is indeed a tough code to crack. Its complexity is compounded because there is rarely a common element that binds one incident to another, other than someone died after being struck by a vehicle. Safety experts and government officials agree that trying to attribute one factor to each individual case is a fool's errand, as the conditions are as different as victims' names.

Consider the varying circumstances of the three Charleston fatalities in 2023:

 Karen Simmons, 58 of Charleston, was struck and killed at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 3 by a car traveling south on East Bay Street near South Street. Simmons, who was in a wheelchair, was attempting to cross a dark section of the road without a marked crosswalk. Charleston police said the driver  an unidentified Mount Pleasant woman  remained at the scene, cooperated with investigators and showed no signs of impairment. No charges were filed.

 Gregory Liles, 65, of Charleston died after being struck by a car at 6:15 a.m. on Feb. 3. Liles was attempting to cross the south side of Spring Street without using a crosswalk under conditions described by Charleston Police Department as wet and lighting was dark. The driver of the vehicle showed no signs of impairment and no charges were filed, though the investigation is ongoing.

 Todd Homicki, 45, of Charleston, died Feb. 19 while trying to cross Savannah Highway at an intersection near Magnolia Road around 9:45 p.m. Police said Homicki was hit by a car traveling south on Savannah Highway before the vehicle hit a tree and rolled over. The driver of the vehicle and two passengers were transported to an area hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. Homicki was declared dead at the scene. No charges have been filed and the investigation is underway.

Then there is the incident that claimed the life of 43-year-old Drew Holler of Summerville.

Holler was struck by a Jeep SUV shortly before 2 a.m. Feb. 12 when he stopped to assist a disabled motorist in the median of the road near 888 College Park Road in Berkeley County. Holler died at the scene, the fourth pedestrian killed in Berkeley County this year. His death is being investigated by the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

The incidents are different, each unique in its own way, but with the common factor being death. Still, all checked off one or more frequent causes.

Adam Snider, director of communications for the GHSA, says the reasons can range from dangerous driving (such as speeding), driving while impaired and distracted driving. But thats making the blame game one-sided when there are multiple parties involved  the pedestrian as well as the driver and the various levels of government.

Some places in the U.S. simply dont have the infrastructure to provide safer pathways in the form of crosswalks, wider sidewalks or sidewalks where there arent any. The same is true with proper lighting for motorists and pedestrians. And roadway builders are increasingly more focused on moving as many vehicles along as swiftly as possible than accommodating pedestrian traffic

Providing those assets can be tricky, both in funding and working within the confines of sometimes antiquated infrastructure. The U.S. Department of Transportation released $800 million in grants earlier this month with its Safe Streets for All program. Its an initiative to fund municipal-level projects to improve road safety and traffic infrastructure with the hope creating safer communities for pedestrians.

But, of course, all of that can still be ineffective if individuals dont take advantage and maybe go the extra distance to get to a crosswalk or, as simple as it sounds, look both ways before crossing.

Its (on) everyone; we all need to do everything, Snider said. Responsibility is shared and everyone needs to understand the role they play, whether its the driver behind the wheel or the pedestrian stepping into a crosswalk. We all have a role to play to make it safe for people to walk.

Still, accidents can and will happen. And Goodwin has been pondering that million-dollar question he posed earlier as to how to stop them since he set up shop in December 2016.

The windows at Charles Towne Fermentory  an 8-year-old brewery adjacent to Savannah Highway  were open, exposing the depths of the business and the patrons inside to that guttural noise and an unseasonably warm breeze. People come and go, some stay longer than others, but that background noise remains.

Its not so loud as to drown out Goodwins words or thoughts, however. Maybe its because hes grown used to it. Goodwin efficiently communicates over it all without having to raise his voice or use any wild hand gestures.

So did he have any reservations about setting up his brewery in the burgeoning Avondale district despite the inherent risks?

Yes and no, Goodwin said. Id heard stories even back then of pedestrians getting hit by vehicles. Thats unfortunately something that will happen when you have a highly trafficked area of walkers and very fast cars, maybe not very wide sidewalks and old infrastructure that needs updating to keep up with the evolution of the neighborhood.

But what about that million-dollar question? How do you stop the pedestrian deaths?

Youre asking a brewery owner, man, Goodwin said. ... I dont know.
COLUMBIA  A 16-year-old C.A. Johnson High School student was charged with second degree assault and battery after a "physical altercation" sent a teacher to the hospital.

During the morning on Feb. 23, the teacher and student "had a verbal altercation," which then turned physical, according to a statement from Richland County School District One spokeswoman Karen York. The school did not go into a lockdown.

The teacher was transported to a hospital by EMS, but was released and did not have any "serious injuries," according to the district.

No weapons were involved, according to the Columbia Police Department, whose school resource officer was already on campus when the altercation happened.

The student, whose identity will not be released because he's a juvenile, will appear in family court at a later date.

School and district administrators will continue to investigate the incident, Richland One said. York said she could not comment on any school-level disciplinary actions.
BEAUFORT  For nearly four centuries, the Cherry Hill Plantation live oak, which rivals Charleston's beloved Angel Oak in both size and age, stood while its contemporaries fell victim to storms or the ax.

Then, late last summer, the giant oak faced its own existential threat: a developer announced plans to build approximately 200 apartments and six townhomes on the 12-acre site surrounding the tree.

The zoning for the property, which is off Oak View Road sandwiched between Parris Island Gateway and the marshes on the west bank of Battery Creek, allows a maximum of 2 stories. Spartanburg-based Johnson Development Associates wanted to build three-story buildings.

The developer appeared before the Port Royal's design review board in September to request a building variance.

After enthusiastic public opposition, the board voted unanimously to deny the request, which the developer subsequently withdrew.

"It's definitely a near miss," master arborist Michael Murphy said.

Murphy contended that the developer's plan to save the tree by preserving a plot measuring one-tenth of an acre around its base was inadequate.

"When you have the oldest and largest live oak in the county, you don't want anything to compromise that root system," he said.

He added that had the developer not needed a variance, the outcome might have been very different.

With development plans shelved, the property owner, Merry Land Investments LLC, shifted gears and began to consider a conservation solution for the property. The corporation turned to Beaufort County's Rural and Critical Land Preservation Program.

Raising the oak's profile

The large live oak on the former Cherry Hill Plantation was never a secret, but it wasn't widely known either.

Then in 2009, as the city of Beaufort was preparing to celebrate its 300th anniversary, Murphy was asked to participate in a project to find the oldest tree in the county. The hope was to find a tree that might have existed at the city's 1711 founding.

The search was quickly expanded to find the largest tree in Beaufort County, and after a little bit of publicity, the calls came rolling in.

"Our phone was ringing off the hook," Murphy said. "Everybody thought they had the biggest tree in Beaufort County."

So many calls came in that the search team stopped looking at trees with less than a 60-inch diameter, which, Murphy said, "is a pretty big tree."

A number of callers referenced a live oak on land that was previously part of the Cherry Hill Plantation.

Murphy is careful not to say that he discovered the Cherry Hill Plantation live oak, noting that people were aware of its existence.

Beaufort Mayor Pro Tem Mike McFee is one of those people. His family owned land adjacent to the oak, and he spent a lot of time as a child climbing its branches.

"The oak tree was a always huge part of my childhood," McFee said. "It was always there. We thought it was always going to be there."

The team went to check the tree out and were surprised by what they found.

"Our goal was to find a tree that would be like the Angel Oak is to Charleston County for Beaufort County," Murphy said. "We found it."

Comparisons to Angel Oak

First encountering the tree, Murphy had no idea it was even close in size to Angel Oak.

"I got the tape around it, and then I measured it again," he explained. "I came back a couple of weeks later and measured it again because I needed to be sure. Nobody would believe that it was bigger than the tree we look up to."

When the final measurements were complete, the Cherry Hill Plantation live oak was determined to be about 5 feet shorter than the 65-foot-tall Angel Oak, but its 113-inch diameter is 5 inches larger than Angel Oak. Its 30-foot circumference bests Angel Oak by 2 feet.

Murphy estimated the age at 350 years, slightly younger than the 400-year-old Charleston icon.

The Angel Oak gets the edge when it comes to the measurement of its canopy. The tree in Port Royal has smaller canopy that could be due to the somewhat crowded conditions in which it grew.

"We don't know what was happening here," Murphy said. "There might have been a lot of pine trees. You can see a lot of pine trees around here now. There was definitely something that suppressed part of this tree."

Another factor is that roughly half of the Cherry Hill oak is missing. Hurricane Gracie claimed a sizable piece of the tree in 1959. It lay on the ground and hardened until 2009, when it was hauled away and used to make bowls and other decorative items.

Murphy admits that the tree lacks the stately appearance of Angel Oak. The smaller canopy, crowded conditions and thick undergrowth in need of trimming diminish some of the tree's the visual impact.

"This tree's been hidden and needs to be rediscovered," he said.

Despite these issues, the tree was designated the 2013 Heritage Tree by Trees SC, a fact commemorated by a plaque at the oak's base.

Mary Pope's grave

If there's one unique aspect of the Cherry Hill Plantation live oak, it's the presence of a grave at its base.

According to the gravestone, which is believed to have fallen from its original upright position and now rests face up in the grass, Mary Pope was born in 1796 and died in 1848 at the age of 52.

Lore has it that Pope was an enslaved person from the Cherry Hill Plantation, but why she was buried in this particular spot is something of a mystery.

It's known that Pope was a member of the Baptist Church of Beaufort, and volunteers from that church have maintained her grave for as long as anyone can remember. Currently, that responsibility rests with Chuck Yahres, a man with a close connection to the property.

Yahres is a direct descendent of the Ellis family. The Ellis family acquired the Cherry Hill Plantation at some point prior to 1860. By 1860, the plantation included 671 acres. It's sometimes referred to as the Ellis Cherry Hill Plantation to distinguish it from another plantation of the same name located on St. Helena Island.

According to research that Yahres has done, Pope was baptized at the Baptist Church of Beaufort the same day as his great-grandmother, great-grandfather and great-great grandmother in 1832. Yahres said it's unlikely that the timing of that baptism was just coincidence, but the nature of Pope's relationship to the family remains unclear.

The Ellis family did own slaves, he said. He added that it's also possible that Pope was a family friend, noting that there are other Popes in his family tree.

Adding to the mystery is the fact that the graves of the great-grandparents who were baptized along with Pope have never been located, leading him to speculate that they may also be buried under that tree.

"I just can't believe that's the only grave there," Yahres said. "I'm having a difficult time with that."

Preserving Cherry Hill

Today, the 12-acre site is still in a remarkably wild state. A sandy spit that extends into Battery Creek is crisscrossed with animal tracks, and the calls of any number of bird species can heard on the property. In addition to the centerpiece oak, 32 other landmark trees are scattered about the lot.

Kate Schaefer, director of land protection for the Open Land Trust, said there is a lot to like about the property, including the opportunity for passive recreation. Passive parks in that part of the county are in short supply, she noted.

"It's more than the oak tree," Schaefer said. "The whole property has some attractive features."

Since it was originally authorized in 1999, the Rural and Critical Lands program has protected nearly 24,000 acres at a cost to taxpayers of about $135 million.

In October, the site's landowner applied to the Rural and Critical Land Preservation Program for a fee simple purchase of the property, meaning the county program would purchase the land outright. The property owner did not respond to a request for comment for this story.

The program's board voted to recommend that the county authorize an appraisal of the property and conduct the standard due diligence before a purchase decision is made. The Beaufort County Community Services and Land Use Committee is expected to consider that recommendation on March 13.

If the recommendation is adopted, the board will determine if it will recommend the purchase of the parcel. Any such recommendation will go back to the Land Use Committee before County Council makes the final decision.

According to Schaefer, the board is looking for partners to share the cost of the acquisition.

"Every property has a potential for partnerships and it's going to be project specific what partners are going to be able to come to the table," she said.

Hope Cunningham, who spoke during September meeting in Port Royal and lives close to the Cherry Hill Plantation property, hopes to contribute to that partnership by raising funds to care for the oak.

"I'm going to have to figure out how to rally the neighbors to establish some sort of trust fund or a 501(c)(3) or something dedicated to care for this tree," she said. "If you look at this tree, it really needs some love. There's got to be some fund to clean it up, feed it and maintain it."

If the Rural and Critical board recommends the purchase of the Cherry Hill Plantation, and County Council approves it, the process could be completed before the end of the year.

Murphy, advocating for the purchase, called the Cherry Hill Plantation land the most important parcel in the county for the preservation of trees.
Bar Tab is a recurring column in The Post and Courier Food section that highlights a locally made or sold adult beverage.

When I heard The Cocktail Bandits were hosting a new bar crawl, I thought, sign me up. Taneka Reaves and Johnny Caldwell, the "curly haired ladies who talk cocktails daily," are a power pairing in uplifting a "feminine, urban perspective" in the beverage industry.

For the influencers' February bar crawl, they wanted to uplift other Black people in Charleston's beverage world, aligning with Black History Month. Thus, the Black Bartender Crawl was born, a journey that would highlight four Black bartenders across town.

I was preparing for the night out when February hit me in its unwavering icy blast with a fun little thing called the flu. Surrounded by tissues and soothed only by a constant flow of cough drops, I had to bow out of the experience I had so been looking forward to.

But that didn't mean I wasn't going to write about it. Though I didn't go on the crawl, I have experienced cocktails made by one of the bartenders on the crawl: Worship Chaleka at The Loutrel's Veranda Lounge.

I wrote about one of his seasonal drinks in a previous Bar Tab column, where I rounded up the 12 cocktails of Christmas. The "Wrapping Paper" was, in fact, one of my favorites from that holiday adventure.

I asked The Cocktail Bandits to send over a little more information about the participating bartenders and the experience in its aftermath, in the hopes of sharing some highlights.

Here's what I acquired:

Kendale Agec, Frannie & The Fox at Hotel Emeline

Kendale, who uses cocktails as a way to express himself, served up the "Thousand Sunny" to start off the crawl at Frannie & The Fox. The drink is made with brandy, simple syrup, lemon juice and blood orange Vermouth.

Brandon Sessions, The Iron Rose

Brandon concocted "The New Dawn" for crawlers at The Iron Rose, made with tequila, cointreau, lemon juice, lime juice and grenadine. The drink was inspired by the love he has for his two-year-old daughter.

Worship Chaleka, The Veranda Lounge at The Loutrel

This time, Worship traded in "The Wrapping Paper" for "The Dora Milaje" for guests at The Veranda Lounge, consisting of tequila, dry Vermouth, green chartreuse, lime juice, mint, pandan syrup, orange blossom water and black lemon bitters. It was inspired by his Zimbabwean heritage.

Vincent Bobo, The Whiskey Lounge at Henry's

The tour wrapped up with Vincent's "Distant Lover" at Henry's, featuring tequila, simple syrup, lemon juice, grapefruit juice and Velvet Falernum. The cocktail is inspired by Charleston's hot summer nights.

"The purpose of the event was to highlight Black bar talent here in Charleston," said Johnny. I'm hoping to catch the next iteration. But until then, the next of The Cocktail Bandits' events is a fragrance blending and cocktail crafting class called Aromatics & Essences. It will take place 6-9 p.m. on March 2 at Redux Art Center, 1056 King Street. You can get tickets for $80 each at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/530649225117.
Editors note: Now Open is an occasional series highlighting recently opened restaurants in the Greenville area and around the Upstate. Have a suggestion? Email Lillia Callum-Penso.

GREENVILLE  Maybe the first thing you notice about Condado Tacos is the artwork. Every wall of the newly opened restaurant at Magnolia Park on Woodruff Road is covered in colorful images.

Look closer and you will see a storyline that incorporates ghost peppers and famous Upstate landmarks.

The art is one of the defining characteristics of Condado. Even now with over 40 locations (Greenvilles is the 41st), every restaurant has its own artful story painted on its walls.

The colorful backdrop merely sets the scene for what can be described as a colorful dining experience.

Condado serves up tacos in all forms.

The restaurant, founded in 2014 by Joe Khan and in Columbus, Ohio, has found success with bold flavors, quirky combinations and fresh ingredients.

Khan fully admits he takes inspiration from a lot of places, including Taco Bell (thank you Dorito-inspired taco shells). But, the Condado approach is one that melds scratch-made sauces with an extremely efficient process.

Condado spent ample time developing that process for precision, speed and consistency.

Condado is a sit-down, full-service restaurant where the focus is service that matches the guests needs. Need a quick lunch? The average time from ordering to delivering food is 8 minutes, Khan said.

Wanna hang longer? Thats supported too. Itd be easy, given Condados sizeable list of margaritas. Try a prickly pear, or the Smoke Show, which combines reposado tequila, mezcal, ancho reyes, blood orange, lime and agave.

The focus is on layered flavor. So, instead of one flour tortilla, the Blue Dream comes with a kewl ranch hard shell, wrapped in a flour tortilla and stuffed with seasoned ground beef, tomatoes and lettuce and avocado ranch sauce.

Where Condado shines is in the build-your-own department. Choose from a variety of hard and soft taco shells, seasoned or not, double decker or not, or choose a bowl with rice and beans, or lettuce or kale, then a protein (there are 11 to choose from, five of which are meat-free).

Youve got a bevy of sauces, toppings and salsas to complete the dish.

All told, you could probably eat a different combination every day for a year without repeating (dont hold me to that, its a rough assessment).

In addition, youll find street corn, a variety of quesos (the current special is topped with balsamic tinged crispy brussels sprouts and bacon) and guacamole.

What you wont see, but will feel, Khan assure, dis Condados approach to staffing.

As with the menu process, Khan and his partners have worked hard to create a comprehensive plan for hiring and keeping employees. That plan has included paying wages well above industry standards since nearly the beginning.

A kitchen manager at Condado can make an average of $100,000 a year, Khan said. Thats well above the national average for the job, which is closer to $58,000 a year.

The company also offers health benefits, including mental health counseling and substance abuse counseling.

The approach to employee well-being comes from Khans experience trying to make it in the industry.

The restaurateur worked his way up from the age of 15 but could never achieve the level of success he wanted, he said. He never got paid or treated very well. So, in creating his own concept and brand from scratch, he started there.

There are no uniforms, and staff are encouraged to let their inner personalities shine, as are the diners.

Were not a taco place, were a culture, Condado said a day before the official opening. That really is what accentuates the tacos and the good time. 

The company shows no signs of slowing. They are looking for more locations nationwide, but more locally, they see three to four more locations in South Carolina, with sights set specifically on downtown Greenville.

The restaurant is open daily beginning at 11 a.m. More hour and menu details can be found at https://condadotacos.com/
After the May 2020 murder of George Floyd, the College of Charleston launched its Historic Review Task Force to scrutinize the schools role in systemic racism and discrimination. The task force recommended the formation of the Committee for Commemoration and Landscapes.

CCLs members reviewed how historical and academic figures have been memorialized and represented on campus, and how certain figures have been overlooked. It was time to make some adjustments.

They began by taking an inventory of statues, signage, plaques, monuments and more. Quickly, they took notice of a modest plaque from 1988 mounted outside of the auditorium in the Education Building. It declared that the space was dedicated to Septima Poinsette Clark. But few took notice of it, said Joanna Gilmore, an adjunct professor of museum studies and member of the committee. It included no information about who Clark was and what she did.

What she did during her long life was remarkable. And today, after many months of research, preparation and collaboration, a new mural and exhibit devoted to Clark are ready to be seen.

The effort to commemorate Clark is the first big project undertaken by CCL, and it goes a long way to flesh out her biography. The installation was unveiled to the public Feb. 23 at the Septima Clark Memorial Auditorium inside the Education Center.

The project

Gilmore, who was involved in planning the exhibit, said the project grew in scope because Clark had accomplished so much and overcome so much, in the course of a long career in education and activism. Her papers, archived at the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture, were easily accessible to project researchers.

The mural is mounted in the foyer, on the right side, and features a large portrait of Clark in profile along with what is perhaps her most famous quote, which comes from a speech she gave in 1970: I believe unconditionally in the ability of people to respond when they are told the truth. We need to be taught to study rather than to believe, to inquire rather than to affirm.

Inside the auditorium, which is often used as a large classroom, information panels are mounted along the right side, dividing her life into 10 periods and connecting her to specific places in Charleston, Gilmore said. Online content complements the panels, providing access to essays about Clark, oral history interviews and a variety of primary sources.

Phase Two of the project, yet to be executed, will fill the wall on the left side of the auditorium with information highlighting Clarks two years, 1952-54, as president of Gamma Xi Omega, the Charleston chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

In the second phase, we will particularly focus on how her legacy as an educator and social justice advocate has inspired current College of Charleston students, such as those in the College's Iota Omicron chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, the 1967 Legacy Scholars, and the Black Student Union, committee co-Chair Valerie Frazier said.

Some of those young people are part of CCL, and have been involved in the exhibition design process, Gilmore said.

"Septima" The College of Charleston isn't the only one celebrating the achievements and influence of Septima Clark. Pure Theatre and the League of Women Voters of the Charleston Area co-commissioned a play, "Septima," which premieres March 9 and runs through April 1. The play is by Patricia Williams Dockery, former director of the Avery Research Center. On her 125th birthday, as the City of Charleston prepares a celebration, Clark reflects on her public work as a civil rights leader and educator, and on her private experiences that helped shape and empower her. The play stars Kimberlee Monroe, Sonja Reed, Josh Wilhoit, Shivam Patel, Michelle Powe and Keith Alston. It's directed by Sharon Graci. "Septima" will be presented at the Cannon Street Arts Center, 134 Cannon St. For more information and tickets, go to puretheatre.org.

The mural, 7 feet high and 30 feet long, is titled Saint Septima with Carolina Jasmine, and the portrait of Clark is by artist Natalie Daise. She painted a version of it nearly a decade ago for the Highlander Research and Education Center in Tennessee, where Clark taught during the 1950s.

It was called the Highlander Folk School back then, and it was a hotbed of the civil rights movement, providing a space for education and strategy-making sessions. Rosa Parks attended one of Clarks workshops, Martin Luther King Jr. learned from Clark, later referring to her as the mother of the movement, and innumerable Black people were registered to vote and learned the skills required to pass cumbersome literacy tests at polling stations across the South.

Clark was director of Highlanders Citizenship School program until 1961, when the state of Tennessee forced the institution to close. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference immediately established its Citizen Education Program, modeled after Clarks work, and hired her so she could continue on. During her decadelong tenure with SCLC, she oversaw the formation of more than 800 Citizenship Schools.

Daises original portrait featured a gold-leaf background and Ghanaian symbolism. Sankofa, in the Twi language, means go back and get. It is often represented by an adinkra symbol, either a stylized heart or a bird with its head turned back.

Daise said she drew inspiration from Clarks autobiographical writings.

When I was doing the painting of Septima Clark, and the piece for the Highlander Center, I wanted to feel like I knew her, Daise said, adding that she was struck by Clarks toughness and unwavering determination.

In the piece for Highlander, she included another of Clarks quotes: They were afraid, I wasnt.

The mission

Clark was born on May 3, 1898, very near the College of Charleston. She attended the Avery Normal School, became a teacher as a young woman and remained involved in education her whole life. She also worked closely with the YWCA and the NAACP. Clark joined a class-action suit filed by the NAACP demanding pay equity for teachers.

When South Carolina in 1956 introduced a statute prohibiting civil servants in the state from belonging to civil rights groups, Clark refused to give up her membership in the NAACP and was consequently released from her public school job in Charleston. Many years later, in 1975, she joined the Charleston County School Board. In 1976, Gov. James B. Edwards reinstated Clarks pension, calling her termination from the school district unjust.

The College of Charleston, which avoided integration until 1967, granted Clark an honorary doctorate in 1978. She died in 1987.

Of course there is much more to Clark than that, which is why CCL decided to delve into this remarkable life with its first project, co-Chair Julia Eichelberger said. And more is in store.

This committee is working to interpret the colleges history, and the history of the neighborhood, as fully as we can, she said.

The college was established by and for White male elites, Eichelberger said. One of its trustees enslaved Clarks father. The school went private in the middle of the last century so it could shirk federal laws and continue to exclude Black people from its campus.

Now, its pushing hard in the opposite direction, striving to make the school a place where everyone can feel safe and seen, she said.

What we would like to see is for people to be able to find themselves in the landscape somewhere, in the historical landscape and in the present day, Eichelberger said.

Sharing Clarks story with students can help them appreciate the importance of her work and how such fearless commitment can lead to change, she said.

Next on the Committee for Commemoration and Landscapes' agenda? To determine an overall interpretive plan for the campus. Dozens on the committee are involved. Feedback is welcome, Eichelberger said. The committee will concentrate on historical interpretation, the commemoration of key figures (especially those lesser known), signage, murals and other forms of visual rhetoric.

Were trying to tell a fuller story of the College of Charlestons history, one that is multicultural, one that is definitely committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and belonging, Frazier said.

For only by confronting the past can the college prepare a better future, Frazier and Eichelberger said.
Nothing has been announced or finalized, but the early word is that one of Charleston's most high-profile projects might not get built because the bids are in and are (not shockingly) much higher than expected. Read moreBehre: We don't really need stand-alone West Ashley bike-ped bridge; this will do instead
A few months ago, it was largely a hypothetical that the next leader of South Carolina's third-largest city could be chosen by as few as a fifth of the people who vote in the mayor's race  and an even smaller percentage of all its voters. Read moreEditorial: North Charleston must fix its flawed city elections while it still can
COLUMBIA  Auditors repeatedly told the states top accountant he had weak internal controls in producing his offices yearly reports on the states financial health given to Wall Street.

But Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom did not heed the warnings, state Auditor George Kennedy testified Feb. 23 to a panel of S.C. Senate lawmakers investigating what happened.

It wasn't until late last year that Eckstroms staff discovered they'd overstated the states general fund balance by $3.5 billion in the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report used by credit ratings agencies to grade the states debt.

The error, which has since been corrected, was discovered and confirmed last fall, Eckstrom and his staff have testified. And though Eckstrom told the ratings agencies and some of the states leadership about the error in December, it only gained broader attention this month, causing alarm among legislators.

Essentially, for at least five years, the software that compiled the annual report was double-counting money transferred to colleges and universities. The error did not impact the state budget because agencies and lawmakers use a separate set of numbers, but it may have misled the ratings agencies.

The miscount has become a public relations nightmare for the states elected Republican comptroller, who has served in the post since 2003. Lawmakers from both parties have pointed to what they see as his incompetence in comments delivered on the Senate floor and in House budget meetings this week.

Testimony by three state officials and a private-sector auditor Feb. 23 lent credence to those attacks.

For a decade, the state auditor and auditors from CliftonLarsonAllen, a Minneapolis-based firm contracted by South Carolina, have flagged deficiencies in the comptrollers preparation of the annual report with seemingly little response from Eckstrom, both Kennedy and Remi Omisore, a principal at CliftonLarsonAllen, told the panel.

In a 2020 audit report, for example, auditors found several misstatements in the compilation of the annual report  though they did not find the $3.5 billion error. They wrote that Eckstroms internal controls over financial reporting were inadequate to prevent or detect misstatements.

Kennedy testified that his team told Eckstroms staff around 2017 when the state was completing a switch to a new accounting system, that a reconciliation  essentially checking all their data against outside sources like a bank statement  would help the auditors determine that everything was in order.

Eckstroms office did not do a reconciliation for another five years until a new employee undertook the task singlehandedly last spring, eventually finding the error.

Kennedy attributed Eckstroms failure to act on a lack of manpower.

Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Bonneau Beach, said Eckstrom has not asked the Legislature for additional staff or funding for internal control measures for years.

The comptroller was given warning after warning get your house in order, and it wasnt in order, Grooms told reporters after the hearing.

Senators questioned the auditors as to why they failed to catch the comptrollers mistake.

The error involved 30 accounts in a batch of 1,000 that were incorrectly classified in the system, Omisore testified. In 2017, the auditors double-checked a random sample from the batch of 1,000, but did not pick up any of the 30. Had they, it would have raised a red flag that something was awry, Omisore said.

Kennedy said they followed standard procedure and are limited by what Eckstrom provided to them. If Eckstrom had performed a reconciliation earlier, auditors would have been more likely to have found the error.

On Feb. 16, when Eckstrom gave two hours of muddled and meandering testimony to the Senate panel, he said the root cause of the problem was poor communication between his office and the state Treasurers Office.

Curtis Loftis, the elected Republican treasurer, pushed back on that.

Its his responsibility, Loftis said, pointing out that his offices are one story down from Eckstroms in the same building. If they need information from us, they ask.

The director of the states Department of Administration, Marcia Adams, seemed to confirm Loftis account, telling the panel that she went back through the accounting systems transactions and emails between the comptroller and treasurer and found only evidence of cooperation.

Instead, Loftis said the state needs more rigorous auditing protocols.

We may fail more stuff because of the higher standard, but I want a tougher audit, Loftis said. If theres some smell that somethings not right, theres no early warning system.

Grooms indicated that he wants an independent audit to be conducted of the comptrollers fix to the error before the panel writes its final report to be presented to the Legislature, which the auditors said may take about a month.

After that, its unclear what the political ramifications could be for Eckstrom as he was elected to another four-year term with no Democratic opponent last November, though Grooms gave a hint of what he wants during the hearing.

The Berkeley County Republican asked Loftis if the treasurers office could take over the comptrollers responsibilities, as is the case in many other states.

Yes, the treasurer responded.
SPARTANBURG  Country Club Road improvements have begun with the clearing of trees along a section of the road and construction of a stormwater retention pond.

The long anticipated project is among several road safety improvements planned in Spartanburg County for 2023.

South Carolina Department of Transportation held public meetings in 2018 and 2019 to help guide the design process to realign a 3.3-mile stretch of the road with improvements to correct narrow shoulders from Hilton Street toward Clifton Glendale Road. The $20 million project will take about two years to complete. The project includes utility relocation and construction.

"Trees are being removed as part of the clearing operation at the beginning of the project," Sherry Dull, Spartanburg Area Transportation Study senior transportation planner, told The Post and Courier. "They are currently building a retention pond for storm water. That has to be completed first and we are waiting on Duke Energy to relocate lines near Hilton Street."

Road improvements will include eliminating stormwater drainage issues that have caused flooding along some stretches. Dull said some areas of the road have been patched with new asphalt. Deep ditches will be removed and a trail extension connecting the Mary Black Foundation Rail Trail from Country Club Road toward the Glendale Shoals Bridge will be completed as part of the project. The trail will be on the northside of Country Club Road.

SCDOT has met with engineers from Norfolk Southern about configuring a new pedestrian safety arm that will be installed along the rail extension near the railroad at the intersection of Country Club Road and South Pine Street. Dull said the new safety arm feature is planned for installation in late 2023.

A bridge on Country Club Road over Fourmile Branch will be upgraded as part of the overall safety improvements.

Road and bridge closures are being planned for other projects in the county.

On Feb. 20, Old Petrie Road was closed for tree removal and will be closed through March 3. Old Petrie Road is scheduled for reclamation and repaving in late 2023, according to Spartanburg County Communications Manager Scottie Kay Blackwell.

Meadowbrook Road will be widened in partnership with Mark III Properties. This project will be completed in 2023 at a cost of $1.2 million. The bridge at Kist Road is being replaced with the new bridge realigned over Abner Creek. A detour on Kist Road went into effect Feb. 23 and will remain in place over the next 12 weeks.

In March, bridge replacement work will begin on Belcher Road with a detour implemented at the site once construction begins. Phillips Drive has been closed until April 21 from Highway 110 to Swofford Road in Cherokee County. The road is scheduled for resurfacing and widening.

In 2022, the county awarded $21.5 million in road resurfacing projects to include Clark and Kist roads. Projects that were not completed in 2022 are on schedule to be completed in 2023, Blackwell said. Intersection improvements are also planned at Berry Shoals and Apple Valley. The 2.1 million project is scheduled to begin construction in 2023.

The current list of multi-year road infrastructure projects with projected costs scheduled in Spartanburg County:

Clark Road reclamation/repaving, $2.7 million

Kist Road reclamation/repaving, $1.5 million

Bishop Road reclamation/repaving, $1.4 million

Dogwood Club reclamation/repaving, $550,000

Old Petrie Road reclamation/repaving, $400,000

Clark Road Bridge replacement, $1.5 million

Clark Road Culvert replacement, $250,000

Belcher Road Bridge replacement, $2.7 million

Kist Road Bridge replacement, $1.5 million

River Road widening, $1.5 million

4th Street realignment, $3 million

Berry Shoals at Highway 290 intersection improvement, $350,000

Victor Hill and Woods Chapel intersection improvement, $1.8 million
If elections are won and lost on the excitement and animated anticipations of supporters, no candidate would ose. But we do not get to know the outcome until the election has come and gone, a winner has emerged and the losers have melted into the air like the morning dew to count their losses.

To many supporters, it does not matter whether their candidates are running against the tide with insurmountable hurdles on their way, they always see victory before Election Day. Sometimes, their optimism is even higher than that of the contestants themselves  a case of those at the ringside being more confident and optimistic than the gladiators in the coliseum!

The foregoing describes the jubilant expectation and expansive anticipation of the supporters of the candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, in the 25 February presidential election.

The expectation is pervasive and boisterous, especially among the core of Mr Obis supporters in the self-styled Obidient Movement, an amorphous movement of mostly young, energetic, boisterous and upwardly mobile

Nigerians who believe it is time to do away with the ancient regime of the Nigerian political class. Strangely though, Mr Obi was until recently a senior member of the old order that the Obidient movement wants to sweep away in one fell swoop.

However, if not for the massive support of the Obidient movement that has made his candidature gain traction in the last few months, Mr Obis campaign would have lost energy and momentum and he would possibly have been written off in the race. But that is not the case. He is firmly in the race.

One principal campaign strategy of the movement is weaponising the anger of Nigerians over the comatose economy, unemployment, insecurity, corruption and divisiveness as tools of mass destruction against the APC and its federal government led by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The major opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which was Mr Obis immediate past abode, is also not spared of their ballistic missiles as the Obidient foot soldiers consider the party on whose ticket their hero ran for vice president in 2019 a Siamese twin of the APC.

The expectation of the Obidient Movement, however, is not unique. It is normal. The supporters of Bola Tinubu of the APC, Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, Rabiu Kwankwaso of the NNPP, and the other candidates are also nursing their own expectations of victory. Omoyele Sowore of the AAC, the only self-styled revolutionary in the election, has said he is not to be written off. He is in the race to take back the country.

*Expectation buoyed by opinion polls*

It has to be stated that the optimism of Mr Obis supporters is also buoyed by the prediction of some polls conducted on voters preferences in the election.

Some of the polls, such as those conducted by ANAP Foundation and Bloomberg, a subsidiary of the Bloomberg News, put the former Anambra helmsman in the lead.

Another poll conducted for ANAP Foundation in the last quarter of 2022 by NOI Polls had similarly predicted victory for the man with an effeminate voice. So also did the one by Nextier, though all the polls have a caveat: They projected that the election will most likely end in a run-off since they see no candidate winning on the first ballot.

To win on the first ballot, a candidate needs to poll the highest number of votes and 25 per cent of the votes in two-thirds of the countrys 36 states, including the FCT.

The polls have amplified the optimism of the Obi camp but critics have dismissed them as not credible and falling short of international standards in terms of the methodology and sample sizes of the data they relied upon to produce their results.

Obis presidency will be an unusual scenario

Should the projections come true at the election on Saturday, Mr Obis presidency will throw up another scenario not witnessed in this Fourth Republic, since 1999.

Nigeria will have a president whose party is not in control of the National Assembly. This is because the Labour Party has not got enough grassroots penetration to win the majority of seats in the next National Assembly come Saturday unlike the PDP and APC.

More importantly, the major promoters of the Obi presidency  the Obidient movement- hardly give a hoot about the National Assembly. One immediate interpretation of their indifference in this regard is that once they cast their ballot for Mr Obi, they will bother less with the rest candidates contesting in the National Assembly elections. Instead, the APC and PDP best stand to remain dominant, leaving the fringe parties to produce minimal representation.

According to INECs final list of candidates for the National Assembly elections, LP has 80 candidates for the 109 statutory seats in the Senate while it has 208 for the statutory 360 in the House of Representatives. Therefore, even if half of LPs candidates win their federal legislative elections, which is very unlikely, the party could still be a minority in parliament.

To have a simple majority in the Senate, a party must have at least 55 seats. And for the House of Representatives, the majority party will have at least 181 seats. Except a never- before-seen political miracle happens, there is no way the Labour Party will produce up to 50 senators or even 100 representatives in the Saturday polls.

The party of every elected Nigerian president, except Shehu Shagari in 1979, has had a majority in the National Assembly: from Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru YarAdua, Goodluck Jonathan to President Muhammadu Buhari.

When that privilege eluded President Shagari in 1979, his National Party of Nigeria entered into an accord to share power with the Nigerian Peoples Party.

Had the 12 June 1993 election not been annulled by Ibrahim Babangida, the late Moshood Abiolas Social Democratic Party (SDP) would also have enjoyed firm control of the National Assembly. Mr Obis Labour Party has no chance of enjoying that privilege.

While the Nigerian constitution does not say the presidents party must be the majority in the National Assembly, it is practically the convention here and abroad that it will control at least one of the chambers.

This is to facilitate a smooth, working relationship between the legislative and executive arms of the government. It is feared that a hostile parliament will pose a critical impediment to the presidents policies and programmes that need legislative approvals. They may be stalled in the chambers mostly for petty reasons as rival politicians and political parties are wont to do.

To avoid a potential landmine that hostile parliaments are wired to lay, political parties and their candidates often campaign vigorously to win control in the National Assembly.

In all his campaign stops so far, Mr Obi hardly canvasses for the candidates of the Labour Party for the National Assembly elections with the same energy he has been campaigning for himself. It is all about him being elected the president. Yet, he cannot fix the country, in a democratic environment, without the cooperation of the National Assembly.

The recent midterm congressional elections in the United States underscore the preceding point. President Joe Biden campaigned vigorously for the candidates of the Democratic Party as much as the Republicans did, including former President Donald Trump. In the end, the Republicans retook control of Congress while the Democrats retained the Senate. Whatever hostility Mr Biden may suffer from the Republicans takeover of Congress, he will get a buffer in the Senate.

Some commentators have suggested that Mr Obi may solve the problem by defecting to the party with the majority in the National Assembly if he wins the election. A clever move one may say but such a move will further accentuate the position of Seun Kuti, the Afrobeat musician, who described Mr Obi as a political opportunist.

In any case, Mr Obi has not maintained fidelity to one political party since he debuted his political career in 2003. He started with APGA, a party he vowed never to abandon, but left the party shortly after his tenure as governor in 2014 and moved into the PDP. He is now the new face of the Labour Party.

In fact, some critics have been pondering what will happen to the Labour Party and the Obidient movement if he does not win the election. Will he undertake to build it into a formidable national third force or pack his baggage and disappear into the shadows? Well, no one can foretell his next moves for now, if he does not win on Saturday.

The question then remains: Can Nigeria with its present myriad of woes that need urgent fixing survive a possible turbulent relationship occasioned by party differences between the president and the National Assembly? The

answer is in the air!

Possible implications of opposition-controlled NASS to President Obi

Interestingly, Mr Obi is not a stranger to that scenario. As governor of Anambra State on the platform of APGA, his state House of Assembly was dominated by the PDP. The relationship was a cat and rat one, with Mr Obi

being impeached controversially on 2 November 2006, seven months after he was sworn into office.

The Supreme Court later quashed the impeachment and restored him to office in February 2007. The hostility of his lawmakers also hampered his administration in many ways.

Although he was able to survive the landmines and missiles thrown his way by the truculent state lawmakers, essentially through judicial intervention, Anambra is a small canvas compared to Nigeria. The country, for all intents and purposes, may not so easily withstand such impediments to governance at the national level.

To get what they want, federal lawmakers too may dangle the sword of Damocles: threaten the impeachment of the president. And as it is, it does not look as if Mr Obi has the necessary political charisma and dexterity to disarm petulant lawmakers without firing his own bullets. The country may find itself in a cul-de-sac if that happens.

Even as politically foxy as former President Obasanjo was, and despite his PDP being in firm control of the National Assembly, the House of Representatives with Ghali Naaba as Speaker peppered him and even attempted to impeach him until behind-the-scene interventions removed the threat.

Presidents often have to lobby for legislative support for their policies and programmes even when they belong to the same parties with the majority in the National Assembly. But that requires special political skills and connections, more so when the parliament is in opposition control.

Nigerians did not see much of Mr Obis lobbying capacity when he was Anambra State governor. He only relied on the courts to serve his two terms. But no one can say for sure these days how a court judgement will go, no matter how clear-cut the issues appear. It remains to be seen, therefore, if a President Obi has the skill and temperament to have a working relationship with a parliament under opposition control. Some political observers and commentators believe he does not have such political know-how to manoeuvre opposition

lawmakers to do his bidding.

That the country is in dire straits and needs urgent redirecting to avoid a further slip into the abyss is not debatable. The country also needs some sort of political stability for the next administration to get things done.

The next president will need the buy-in of the relevant institutions to walk his talk.

As he has obviously not planned to get his party the majority in the National Assembly, an Obi presidency will have the tricky assignment of forging durable cooperation with the next assembly of federal lawmakers, even though he has said his agenda is to destroy the political structures that they and their parties represent.

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Nigerians will vote on Saturday to elect their fifth president of the Fourth Republic. A total of 18 candidates are officially running in the presidential election but only four of them are considered to be in contention. The four are Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).

This is the first election in the Fourth Republic in which more than three candidates are strong contenders in a presidential election. The four front runners are from different geo-political zones, two each from the northern and southern regions. Each of them also appears to have strong support in their home zones, although Mr Tinubu and Atiku have a significant added advantage. Their parties have run the federal government for eight and 16 years respectively and have established structures they can call on in every part of the country. Where they are not dominant, they are at least present.

In each of the previous six presidential election since 1999, the winning candidates took at least four of the six zones. This means that no candidate has been elected without winning at least one of the three zones in either the northern or southern half of the country. In 2015 and 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari won the three northern zones and one in the South  the South-west.

However, having more than two strong contenders this year means one can sneak into victory by securing the highest number of votes from less than four zones, as long as they also meet the requirement of at least a quarter of the votes in at least two-thirds of the states of the federation and the FCT.

Saturdays presidentialelection will be won and lost in the states. So, lets take a tour of the states through their zones, to see how the candidates stand with voters across the country. We will be looking at how the states voted in the most recent general election in 2019, and the performances of the top four candidates on the field since electioneering began at the end of

September.

North-west

This is Nigerias largest zone by virtue of it having the most states (seven) and some of the most populous states too, such as Kano, Katsina, Kaduna and Jigawa. The zone was the bedrock for Mr Buharis eventually successful relentless pursuit of the presidency, from his first failed attempt in 2003 to the farewell one in 2019 when he was elected to a second consecutive term.

Three of the states in this zone had given Olusegun Obasanjo the majority of their votes in the 1999 presidential election. The states  Kaduna, Katsina and Jigawa  also elected PDP candidates as their governors. The four other states  Kano, Sokoto, Zamfara and Kebbi  had gone to the then All Peoples Party, which had Olu Falae as its joint presidential candidate with the Alliance for Democracy party. However, Kano elected a PDP governor at the time.

In 2019, Mr Buhari of the APC took all seven states in his two-horse race against Atiku of the PDP, polling 5,995,751 votes to Atikus 2, 280,465 votes. President Buhari got his four highest numbers of votes per state in Kano (1,464,768), Katsina (1,232,133), Kaduna (993,445) and Jigawa (784,738). Six of the states also elected APC governors, five of whom like President Buhari are concluding their second terms this year.

However, in spite of Mr Buharis thumping victory here in 2019, the North-west is considered a battleground in this election. First, because Mr Kwankwaso of the NPPP (Kano) and the LP presidential running mate, Yusuf Datti-Ahmed (Kaduna) are from the zone. Mr Kwankwaso has a large following in Kano, Katsina and Jigawa. But the real battle here is between the candidates of the two big parties.

Atiku recorded his highest votes per zone in 2019 in the North-west (2,280,465). Kaduna also gave him the highest votes of any state (649,612 votes). And one of the points in his unsuccessful petition against his defeat by President Buhari was that he was cheated in the presidents home state of Katsina where Atiku recorded 308,051 votes. The PDP is investing time and resources in the state and Atikus aides believe he can flip it this year. The PDP is also hoping to prevail in Jigawa and Kebbi and to hang on to Sokoto, where it is under a heavy APC assault led by a former governor of the state, Aliyu Wamakko.

The PDP is divided in Kano and is not expected to do well there. In this state with the second highest number of voters after Lagos, the battle is between the APC and NNPP candidates.

In Kaduna, which it held until 2015, the PDP faces a different threat to its share of the votes. The partys stronghold is the southern part of the state which is home to mostly Christians and minority ethnic groups. But this is also where the LP is hoping to lay its hands on votes in the state.

The LP has picked its governorship candidate from the area and if it gets significant poll returns from the state, it will be at the expense of the PDP and may just widen the margin of APC victory in the state.

All said, we project Mr Tinubu of the APC to come to take more than half of the votes in this zone. The rest will be shared largely between Atiku and Kwankwaso.

North-central and presidential election history

There are six states and the FCT in this zone. In the 2019 poll, President Buhari got the plurality of its votes, polling 2,465,599 to Atikus 2,023,769. There was only a difference of 441,830 votes between them, but the president won in four of the states while the PDP won in the other two and the FCT. However, the APC has five of the six governors. The races were close in all but two of the states in 2019  Niger and Kwara, which were taken by President Buhari. In Benue and Nasarawa, there was only a few thousand votes difference between the two candidates.

We project the races in all six states to remain largely between the APC and PDP candidates Niger and Kwara states appear safe in the APC column, and the party looks capable of retaining control of Kogi and Nasarawa. In the 2019 presidential race, President Buhari (289,903) defeated Atiku (283,847) by just over 6,000 votes in Nasarawa. However, the APCs hold on Plateau is tenuous. It did not win the presidential election there in 2019, even though Governor Simeon Lalong was able to hold back the opposition to secure re-election two weeks later.

This election is set to be very interesting in Benue. The ruling PDP is divided with Governor Ortom forsworn not to support Atiku, while the PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, and other leaders of the party in the state, like former Governor Gabriel Suswan and former Senate President David Mark are all pushing for the presidential candidate. President Buhari lost the state by less than 9,000 votes in 2019. But the APC has been galvanised by the emergence of a clergyman, Father Alia, as its governorship candidate and it is a toss yet who between the APC and PDP will eventually prevail in all the elections.

Some polls have projected Mr Obi to do well in this zone. But that remains difficult to see from history and on the ground. That projection was obviously based on the large Christian population in the zone. With Christian leaders and sectional groups such as the Middle Belt Forum rooting for him, many expect the LP candidate to poll significant numbers here. But the battle here, accentuated since the 2015 poll, had always involved Christian communities pitching their tents with the PDP, against tendencies now represented by the APC.

Only Benue and Plateau have a Christian majority in the zone and they have always elected Christians as their governors. But Christians constitute only a large minority in Kogi and Nasarawa, which partly explains why the two states have also never elected Christian governors. However, there are more nuances to political competition in this zone. What is clear though is that, as we said about Kaduna, if Mr Obi does well in this zone, it will

be in states and areas where the PDP had been dominant. Our projection is for Mr Tinubu to take at least four of the six states in Saturdays presidential election.

North-east

This zone is home to Atiku and the presidential running mate of the APC, Kashim Shettima. In 2019, President Buhari handed Atiku his second-heaviest zonal defeat on the way to picking four of the six states. The president polled 3,288,785 votes overall to Atikus 1,255,357 votes. The PDP candidate won only in his home state of Adamawa (410,266 to 378,078) and Taraba (374,743 to 324,908). In Borno, Bauchi, Gombe and Yobe, his returns were very poor, compared with those of President Buhari, even though Bauchi elected a PDP governor in the same electoral cycle.

All eyes will be on Bauchi where Governor Bala Mohammed is seeking reelection. The governor appears to be popular and with Mr Buhari not the APC candidate this time, Mr Tinubu will be concerned whether the people will heed Mr Buharis plea when he accompanied Mr Tinubus there for his campaign rally that they should give their votes to the APC. Also, the governor appears to be lukewarm to Atikus bid, both men being opponents in the PDP primaries. Mr Mohammed had publicly asked the president for guidance on who the state should vote for president.

We project Atiku to win in Adamawa and Taraba, although Mr Obi will be looking for a bite of the cherry in the latter state, following his endorsement by former Nigerian Army chief, Theophilus Danjuma, and Christian leaders in the zone.

Borno and Yobe are the only two states in the zone that has never elected a PDP governor. The two states gave President Buhari over 1.5 million votes in 2019, compared to just over 120,000 votes for Atiku. With Mr Tinubus

running mate, Mr Shettima, being a former governor of Borno, we expect more of the same voting pattern here.

We project the APC to have the plurality of votes in this zone but with Atiku also improving on his tally from 2019.

*South-west*

The fact tends to be glossed over by observers that this zone has, since 2003, been a battleground between the APC and PDP tendencies. In the transition elections to this Republic in 1999, the Alliance for Democracys

flag bearer, Mr Falae, beat Mr Obasanjo of the PDP in the six states, all of which also elected their governors from the same party. But four years later, an electoral tsunami overtook the zone when President Obasanjo ran

for reelection and won in all the states. His main opponent in that poll was Mr Buhari. The PDP also took five of the six states in the state elections. Since then, the APC tendency has battled back to reclaim all the

states at different points. But it has rarely again held all six at the same time. Oyo and Osun now have PDP governors.

In the 2019 presidential election, President Buhari defeated Atiku in the zone by 259,780 votes, the lowest margin of victory by either of the candidates in a zone in the election. This was in spite of the fact that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is from this zone.

Atiku also won in Ondo (275,901 to 241,769) and Oyo (366,690 to 365,229), while losing narrowly in Osun (337,377 to 347,634), The PDP last year won the governorship poll in Osun. Although the result is still being contested in court, it underscores the main opposition partys strength in the zone.

All the foregoing shows that the APC and PDP have always run neck and neck in the only southern zone where the PDP is not the dominant party.

Mr Tinubu being from the zone brings the expectation that he will get better returns than Mr Buhari got here in 2015 and 2019. In 1979, 1983, 1993 and 2003 when a Yoruba was the candidate of a major ticket, the zone gave that candidate an overwhelming majority of its votes. However, the optics from the current campaigns and the pre-election political violence going on in Osun indicate that the contest in each of the states will again be stiff between the two old adversaries.

In Lagos, Mr Obi appears set to be the main opponent to Mr Tinubu, due largely to the large population of the Igbos in the former federal capital. The PDP had drawn its strength in the state from the overwhelming support of the same population. But with its attention firmly shifted to Mr Obi, Atiku may record a far smaller tally here than he did in the last election.

We project this zone to go to Mr Tinubu, with Atiku also getting at least 25 per cent of the votes across the zone, except in Lagos where Mr Obi may snatch that advantage from him.

*South-east*

This zone has gone with the PDP in every presidential election since 1999. President Buhari only got a total of 403,968 votes from the five states in 2019, compared to the 1,693,483 it gave Atiku. The picture had even been

much bleaker for the APC candidate in 2015.

But the picture is about to change for the PDP in this zone too. Mr Obi had helped Atiku to record his largest votes in the zone from Anambra where he polled 524,738 votes. Only in Kaduna, Delta and Plateau did he get more votes per state. But Mr Obi has divested from Atiku and the PDP and is being projected as the leading horse in the zone in Saturdays election.

The prominent politicians who rule the coast in the zone have remained on their old tracks. The PDP and APC have two governors each in the zone while APGA, on which platform Mr Obi was governor, still runs Anambra. APGA does not have much interest in the presidential race, so it is not likely to stand in the way of Mr Obi. But in the other four states, while Mr Obi enjoys grassroots support, the governments and politicians of the two big parties, especially the PDP, will give him a good fight.

The fear of violence remains a big issue here. Secessionist groups have been trying to disrupt the elections through violent attacks on the facilities of the electoral commission and the police. A faction of IPOB has also asked residents to sit at home on election days. But it is the violence that may be deployed by the politicians against themselves that offers the bigger fright. On Thursday, a senatorial candidate of the Labour Party in

Enugu State was assassinated. Imo too has recorded deadly attacks and killings since Hope Uzondima became the governor in controversial circumstances. Unless violence and the fear of it suppress voter turnout,

We project Mr Obi to record big numbers in his home zone. But Atiku and Mr Tinubu may also get at least a quarter of the votes in some of the states.

*South-south*

This zone has been a fortress of the PDP since 1999. The party has won every presidential election in the zone and has exclusively ruled five of the six states, the exception being Edo. But that state returned to the PDP

in 2019 after Governor Godwin Obaseki defected following a quarrel with his predecessor and godfather, Adams Oshiomhole. In 2019, only in the North-west did Atiku draw more votes than in this zone. He polled 2,233,232 votes to President Buharis 1,051396 votes. He also defeated the president in each of the six states. The South-south is the only zone aside from the North-west where one candidate won in all the states.

However, as in the neighbouring South-east, things may change dramatically here for Atiku in this presidential election. He rewarded the state that gave him the highest number of votes in the zone in 2019 by appointing its governor, Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta, as his running mate. But that choice brought him into an intractable conflict with Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike, his

closest opponent in the party primaries. The rebellion of the G5 or Integrity Group that Mr Wike has led against Atiku is one of the pivotal developments in this election cycle. Mr Wike is said to have directed his officials and supporters to vote instead for Mr Tinubu on Saturday.

The governor of Cross River, Ben Ayade, had long defected to the APC where he is running for the Senate in this election. In Bayelsa, the APC won the off-season governorship election but its candidate was not allowed by the

Supreme Court to take the seat over an infraction committed before the poll by his running mate.

All these, along with the expected intrusion of Mr Obi, mean that the PDP may emerge from the presidential election as a fallen colossus n this zone.

We project Atiku to still get the most votes from most of the states, but in significantly reduced numbers. Mr Obi will be a big beneficiary of the decline of the PDP in its stronghold. But given the current situation in Rivers, Bayelsa, Cross Rivers and Delta states, the atmosphere is bright for Mr Tinubu too and he cannot do worse in the zone than President Buhari did in 2019.

We do not expect a runoff in this presidential election. At least the candidates of two of the parties will have a majority of the votes and both seemed poised to get at least a a quarter of the votes cast in more than 24 states.

The main strength of the APC candidate is the weakness of the opposition, caused by its fragmentation and the schism in the PDP, the main opposition platform. In 2019, Messrs Obi and Kwankwaso were in the PDP. Both have now taken substantial support away from the party to run on different lanes. This makes Atiku considerably weaker than he was when he lost to President Buhari by about four million votes in 2019. He will do much better in the North-west and North-east due to the absence of Mr Buhari on the ballot, but the gains may not be enough to give him those zones or the election. And with the erosion of support he faces in the traditional PDP southern strongholds, he stands to be the main victim of the break of the APC and PDP duopoly in this electoral cycle.

In spite of the weakness of the disunited opposition, Mr Tinubu will be anxious about how much damage has been done to his bid and the general APC brand by the brutal implementation of the naira redesign policy that has brought misery upon everyday Nigerians in every part of the country.

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The rebellion of the faceless elements in government, to whom the policy has been attributed, will also be a cause for concern for the ruling party candidate. After their contrivances of the fuel and cash crises, what more do they have in their arsenal to throw at him during and after the election?

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In the early 1920s, a certain Felix Okonkwo from Nnewi, Anambra State, found himself in the colonial city of Kano in search of greener pastures. A few years later, he would become a successful spare parts dealer, and so to say a renowned one. His spare parts company, with branches in a particular Kano area, would be named Okonkwo and Sons.

Mr Okonkwo would soon become a rare millionaire and a wealthy personality to reckon with. His influence and affluence earned him respect so much that the area he had settled in, Kano, was named after his investments  Okonwkwo and Sons. But the native Hausa speakers in this area would mispronounce the name as days turned into years, calling it Kwankwaso instead of Okonkwo and Sons.

Whats more?

The millionaire businessman had a son named Reuben. But the native Hausa indigenes of Kano would also misspell his name, calling him Rabiu. Many years later, Reuben, erroneously called Rabiu, would become a two-term governor of Kano State through his fathers influence and is now a presidential candidate of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP).

Wait a bit: the above storyline might appear interesting, but it is nothing short of a conspiracy ideation concocted by some electioneering merchants to appeal to a section of people in the political space. It is a perfect example of what pundits call political conspiracy theory.

Many of these stories are told during elections about different political personalities, but they are usually backed with weak evidence for unsuspecting electorate to believe. But before we delve into some conspicuous stories cooked up to deceive, lets look at the term conspiracy theory.

Conspiracy Theory and the Danger of Misinformation

Have you read about the 5G phone network conspiracy theory that came with the COVID-19 pandemic? There is no evidence that this is true. A story such as this is a product of conspiracy theories drafted by some individuals setting agendas for reasons best known to them.

Conspiracy theory, says Britannica, is an attempt to explain harmful or tragic events as the result of the actions of a small, powerful group. Such explanations, however, reject the accepted narrative surrounding those events; indeed, the official version may be seen as further proof of the conspiracy.

In clearer terms, conspiracy theory is a form of information disorder, sometimes passed from generation to generation, to push for narratives different from what is popularly known or what, indeed, is the truth. These stories often overshadow true events because theyre mostly sensational and appealing to a larger part of society.

It is easy to dismiss conspiracy theories as unhinged beliefs held by a few paranoid people, but that seriously underestimates them, says Graham Lawton of the NewScientist, an international magazine covering all aspects of science and technology. He added that belief in conspiracy theories is very widespread, the product of normal human psychology, and extremely influential and dangerous.

Conspiracy thinking or ideation can result from the conspiratorial tendencies of humans, but psychologists say there are other factors attributed to it. These factors include but are not limited to: personality traits; variation in cognition; conservative political orientation, low trust in authorities; inequality and societal crises; polarisation and misinformation, according to the Royal Society Journal.

The conspiracy theories of Nigerias 2023 elections

No election season comes and goes without its conspiracy theory. Think of a major political event in Nigeria, and you will find at least one conspiracy theory or hypothesis attached.

The list is indeed long: the President Muhammadu Buhari Nigerians elected is dead, and Jubril of Sudan, his clone, has replaced him; Bola Tinubu is using a stolen identity. His real name is Amoda Yekini Ogunlere  from Iragbiji, Osun State; Atiku Abubakar is not a Nigerian. Hes rather from Cameroon; Peter Obi is a sympathiser of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a separatist group; Kashim Shettima is a Boko Haram Commander; the Aso Rock fifth columnists are plotting to stop 2023 elections from holding and so on.

The thing about conspiracies and their theorists is that they provide truth-sounding narratives for their claims. If you travel to some of the interior parts of southeastern Nigeria, for example, you will be shocked to see how much people believe the conspiracy ideation that the real Buhari had died and had been replaced by his look-alike from Sudan. It is easy for adherents of IPOB to believe this storyline because Nnamdi Kanu, jailed commander of the separatist group, had advanced the Jubril-of-Sudan conspiracy theory.

In many parts of Nigeria, it is hard to convince many people that there is no evidence Mr Tinubu stole another persons identity. The seemingly commonest conspiracy theory in Nigerias political space is the identity crisis hypothesis promulgated against political figures with little or no evidence. Mr Tinubu is one such victims.

In July 2022, Mr Tinubu became the subject of a stolen identity conspiracy theory after he failed to submit his primary school certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Social media influencers, obviously of an opposition party, then seized the opportunity to spread this narrative to demarket the candidacy of Mr Tinubu. Dozens of Twitter threads, Facebook posts and Youtube videos were made to make this story truth-sounding. But then, some Nigerian fact-checkers, including Daily Trust, insisted there was no evidence for the conspiracy hypothesis and adjudged the storyline as false and misleading.

When the Nigerian Civil Right Movement spread the Kwankwaso-is-an-Igbo-man conspiracy theory in June last year, many critics said the claim was laughable. But as days changed into weeks, the story appealed to some people, and they took it upon themselves to spread the storyline via social media pages. Mr Kwankwaso himself had to come out on national television to clear the air about his identity crisis and the conspiracy theory.

The truth is that the town of Kwankwaso has existed  and has been known by its current name  before Nigeria was formally constituted and so couldnt possibly have been founded by one Felix Okonkwo in 1927, said Farouq Kperogi, a Nigerian columnist and writer while commenting on the conspiracy theory that claims Kwankwaso is Igbo.

The towns first traditional ruler, according to historical records, was known as Mamman Danhawa, and he ruled from 1808 until 1842. The formal colonisation of northern Nigeria started on January 1, 1897, he added.

Lies dont have to spread far to cause problems

However, scholars and pundits of conspiracy theories have argued that false ideas dont have to go far to be really dangerous. The virality of a false story may not have gained public awareness, but its consequences might bite deadly within the locality in which it exists. Lies dont have to spread far to cause problems, they said.

Conspiracy theorists are mostly the enemies of democracy in the political space. Their mission is to play on the psychological consciousness of unsuspecting individuals on political events.

Conspiracy theories can be weaponized not only to torment victims of violence but to spur violence against individuals or entire populations; this is not new, said Sarah Kendzior, an American author and researcher in her book, They Knew: How a Culture of Conspiracy Keeps America Complacent.

Weaponized rumours have been used to stoke slaughter and genocides for thousands of years, made easier today by the global speed of technology, the breakdown of institutions, and the increasing pressure to see yourself not as a person but as a brand.

The researcher produced this fact-check per the Dubawa 2023 Kwame Karikari Fellowship partnership with Premium Times to facilitate the ethos of truth in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country.

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Former governor of Lagos State and presidential hopeful Bola Tinubu was recently a guest at the Summit House, the head office of Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG).

Mr Tinubu, who governed Lagos between 1999 and 2007, spoke at the NESG presidential dialogue, a platform for informed engagements with presidential candidates on the current state of the economy.

Mr Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, spoke on his economic agenda and plans for tackling core issues beleaguering the Nigerian economy if elected as Nigerias president.

Due to the wide circulation of Mr Tinubus claim by the mainstream media and its potential consequence on the electorates decision, it is pertinent that DUBAWA fact-checks his claims.

Claim 1

Claim: Lagos State is the fifth largest economy in Africa

Verification: In its 2021 report, the Lagos Bureau of Statistics revealed that Lagoss Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was N26.5 trillion, an equivalent of $59.7 billion, using the official exchange rate of N445.

Data released by the world bank shows that Nigeria is the biggest economy in Africa, with a $440 billion GDP. South Africas GDP stood at $419.9 billion; Egypts $404 billion; Algerias $167.9 billion; Moroccos $142.8 billion; Ethiopias $111.2 billion; Kenyas $110 billion; Ghanas $77.5 billion; Cote dIvoires $69.7 billion; Tanzania $67.8 billion; and Angola $67.4 billion. With a $59.7 million GDP, Lagos ranked 12th in Africa. Therefore, there are no facts to clearly state that Lagos State is the fifth largest economy in Africa, as Mr Tinubu claimed.

Verdict: False

Source: World Bank and Lagos State Bureau of Statistics

Claim 2

Claim: Lagos State generated N600 million in revenue in 1999.

Verification: Data from the Budgit shows that Lagos generated Internally generated Revenue (IGR) of N14.6 billion in 1999, representing a monthly average of N1.2 billion.

However, when Mr Tinubu left office in 2007, the figure had risen to N83.02 billion, a monthly average of N6.9 billion. Between 1999 and 2007, the IGR growth rate of Lagos stood at 468.63 per cent, showing a considerable increase.

No data supports the claim that Lagos generated N600 million in 1999.

Verdict: False

Source: Budgit

Claim 3

Claim: Lagos State is generating over 50 billion a month

Verification: Latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) stated that in 2021 Lagos State generated N753 billion in IGR, representing 40 per cent of the total IGR generated by 36 states of the federation that year.

The statistical office said this in its 2021 IGR report published in 2022.

Similarly, in 2020, Nigerias commercial hub generated N660 billion and N646 billion in 2019.

This means Lagos State generated an average of N56 billion every month between 2019 and 2021.

Verdict: True

Source: National Bureau of Statistics

CLAIM 4

Claim: The vast majority of Nigerians are young

Verification: With a population estimated at 206 million in 2020, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and seventh in the world.

The countrys population is growing at 2.6% annually, one of the fastest rates globally. At this rate, Nigerias population could double within the next 25 to 30 years.

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The country has the largest population of youth in the world, with a median age of 18.1 years. About 70% of the population is under 30, and 42% are under 15, according to Worldometers elaboration of the latest United Nations data.

Based on the aforementioned data, the majority of Nigerias population are young people.

Verdict: True

Source: Premium Times, United Nations, Worldometer

The researcher produced this fact-check per the Dubawa 2023 Kwame Karikari Fellowship partnership with Premium Times to facilitate the ethos of truth in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country.

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The Enugu East Senatorial District Election has been rescheduled to hold on 11 March alongside the Governorship and States Houses of Assembly elections, the electoral commission, INEC, has said.

The election, like other senatorial elections, was scheduled to hold tomorrow, 25 February.

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, announced the postponement at a briefing in Abuja on Friday.

The postponement is due to the killing of the senatorial candidate of the Labour Party, Oyibo Chukwu, on Wednesday, he said.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mr Chukwu was killed on Wednesday evening alongside five supporters who were inside his vehicle.

Mr Yakubu said the campaign in the senatorial district can continue until 24 hours before the elections which are now to hold on 11 March.

Therefore, there will be no senatorial election in Enugu East Senatorial District made up of six Local Government Areas, 77 Wards and 1,630 Polling Units, he said.

The election will now be combined with the Governorship and State Assembly elections holding in the next two weeks on 11th March 2023. Materials already delivered for the senatorial election will remain in the custody of the Central Bank in the State until the new date for election.

Mr Yakubu said the campaign for the senatorial district can continue until 24 hours before the new date for the elections.

He said the Labour Party has formally intimated the commission of the demise of its candidate as stipulated by law.

The party also conveyed its intention to participate in the election for that constituency by replacing its deceased candidate, he said.

I expect the party to conduct primaries as early as next week, he added.

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This request is in line with the provision of the law. For clarity, I wish to quote verbatim the provision of Section 34(1) of the Electoral Act 2022.

If, after the time for the delivery of nomination paper and before the commencement of the poll, a nominated candidate dies, the Chief National Electoral Commissioner shall being satisfied with the fact of the death, countermand the poll in which the deceased candidate was to participate and the Commission shall appoint some other convenient date for the election within 14 days.

Qosim Suleiman is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe

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It is hours before the 2023 presidential election which has 18 candidates jostling to take over from outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari in May.

As campaigns closed on Thursday, over 93 million registered voters are now waiting for Saturday to pick from among the candidates whose electoral promises they have found to be most persuasive in the last few months.

Predictably, insecurity and bad statr of the economy have dominated the campaigns in this election cycle. The two issues were part of Mr Buharis top three focus areas that he promised to tackle decisively while campaigning for office in 2015. Most of the presidential candidates in this election season have criticised the Buhari administrations approach to handling the issues, insisting that more Nigerians have become poorer and the country less secure on his watch.

Another of Nigerias ageless problems is corruption, the third prong of Mr Buharis three-point agenda with which he rode to power in 2015. Corruption will kill Nigeria if Nigeria does not kill corruption, he famously remarked during the 2015 campaigns in acknowledgement of the threat corruption poses to the country.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) has similarly said corruption affects all aspects of public life, continues to undermine the social, economic and political development of the country and is a major obstacle to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

But almost eight years in the saddle, Mr Buhari has brought little improvement in the level of corruption.

In its report released in April last year, the United States Department of States 2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices in Nigeria, said there was still massive, widespread and pervasive corruption at all levels of government. It attributed this to a lack of consistent implementation of the relevant laws against corrupt practices in public offices.

Nigeria, especially in the later years of Mr Buharis administration, has seen an unimpressive ranking on Transparency International (TI)s annual Corruption Perception Index (CPI), a tool for assessing the prevalence of corruption in countries.

Nigeria came 150th among 180 countries in the latest 2022 ranking released in January this year. It was an improvement in ranking, even though its score of 24 out of 100 points was the same as it was in the previous year when it was ranked 154th. Prior to the 2021 ranking released in 2022, Nigeria was better placed, occupying the 149th position in the 2020 ranking.

The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) attributed Nigerias poor ranking in 2021 partly to the failure of the government to act on the Pandora Papers revelations, one of the biggest-ever corruption leaks led by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and over 600 journalists from 117 countries, including PREMIUM TIMES in Nigeria.

Commenting on the stagnancy of the points Nigeria recorded this year, CISLAC, which is the Nigerian chapter of TI, said the pardon granted two former governors serving jail time for corruption  Joshua Dariye of Plateau State and Jolly Nyame of Taraba State  in 2022 is a major setback in the efforts to address corruption in Nigeria.

This singular act is damaging as it fails the test of equity and fairness as those pardoned were Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) and the poor citizens who have been jailed for similar crimes (or even lesser offences) were left out of the pardon.

But rejecting the TIs ranking, the Nigerian government said it was not fighting corruption to impress the assessing organisation.

We are not fighting corruption because we want to impress Transparency International or any organization whatsoever, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said in the wake of the release of TIs CPI.

The minister also highlighted the administrations proactive efforts to tackle corruption including allowing the National Sovereign Investment Fund to manage Abacha loot that was returned from the United States, the United Kingdom and other European countries. The initiative, according to the minister, largely prevented the returned loot from being stolen or re-looted.

The administration has also put the Open Government Partnership (OGP), the whistleblower policy, and the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) in place to bring more transparency and accountability into governance.

The lack of political will to push through the effective implementation of some laudable policies of the administration remains a problem. For instance, the latest report by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) states that 204 MDAs dont have Whistle-blowing policies.

This report reviews the manifestos of the four leading presidential candidates in the 2023 election on how to fight what is regarded as worsening corruption in the country.

The four front-runners whose manifestos this review focuses on are Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Peter Obi of the Labour Party.

Bola Tinubu: Wealth sharing and reducing the cost of governance

Mr Tinubu, a former two-term governor of Lagos State, has always insisted that he would ride on the achievements of President Buhari.

At one of his discussions with the Arewa Joint Committee in Kaduna last October, Mr Tinubu promised to fight corruption by focusing more on preventive measures if elected president.

Part of his strategy, he said, would be putting a system for effective wealth redistribution to reduce the temptation to commit corruption.

The presidential hopeful also vowed that his administration would support the existing anti-corruption institutions and also address the underlying issues of corruption in the oil industry.

In his manifesto, Mr Tinubu also said he would streamline the civil service to fight corruption, reduce bureaucracy in government agencies and decrease inefficiency and waste.

Such expenditures will have a low priority in our administration. Bona fide hard-working members of the civil service are to be commended for their public service and shall be protected. However, we will continue the process of weeding out ghost workers, as well as ghost projects and expenditures from the system, the campaign document read in part.

But his wealth distribution plan as a strategy to fight corruption has been criticised.

Wealth distribution is not a strategy, says Festus Ogun, a rights activist. Tinubu should explain his strategies to achieve that. Anything short of a well-thought-out strategy is a fluke, he added.

According to political analyst Jide Ojo, such a wealth distribution plan would likely be misunderstood as an attempt to mindlessly share the countrys resources.

The assumption by Mr Tinubu is that he would want to improve living standards in such a way that people would not need to be corrupt. But corruption is not about money and sharing of money. But corruption is an abuse of office for private gain. Mr Ojo said.

Supporting the plan towards reducing inefficiency and waste in the civil service, Mr Ojo said any government that would succeed would need to trim down the costs of governance and change the culture of wastage.

There is a lot of wastage in the system, until we do this, we will not go far, he said.

Mr Tinubus manifesto and campaign speeches lack specific details on how he aims to actualise his ideas on fighting corruption

Peter Obi on true federalism to fight corruption

The corner piece of Mr Obis anti-corruption plan in his manifesto tagged, Our Pact with Nigerians, is the implementation of a true federal system of government.

The former Anambra State governor also planned to review the 68 items on the exclusive list of the federal government.

This, according to him, would ensure the enthronement of the rule of law, and decisively tackle all forms of corruption.

Embark on comprehensive legal and institutional reforms and practicable restructuring measures, to fight corruption; to ensure the enthronement of the rule of law, and decisively tackle all forms of corruption, his document reads.

According to Cheta Nwanze, lead partner at SBM Intelligence, Mr Obis idea of restructuring would most certainly hit a brick wall because his party will not have a majority in the National Assembly.

Similar to Mr Tinubu, Mr Obi advocated lowering the high cost of governance as a means of combating corruption and cutting down waste. But unlike the former Lagos State governor, who did not specify the details of how he intended to implement the plan, Mr Obi said he would implement the Orasanye Reports recommendation to consolidate government agencies.

He said, This will be our top priority within the first year of our administration. We will review the recommendations of that report while engaging with industry players to design the implementation of the proposed reforms.

While we are focused on cost reduction and streamlining of government operations for efficiency and effectiveness, we will ensure that the implementation of the reforms is pursued in a way that protects the livelihood of our hardworking and efficient civil servants.

The Labour Party presidential candidate also proposed to establish several offices that would check irregularities in government spending and waste.

Mr Obi also aimed to establish the Office of Special Counsel to investigate and prosecute every executive abuse of power and corrupt public practices that do not fall under the prosecutorial power of existing agencies or are bureaucratically concealed.

He said he would seek a constitutional amendment to exempt prosecution by the Special Counsel from the exercise of the power of Nolle Prosequi of the Attorney General of the Federation.

Atiku and preventive measures to fight corruption

Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), emphasises preventative measures over detection and subsequent sanction.

In his manifesto titled, My covenant with Nigerians, the former vice president proposes building strong institutions that will be resistant to manipulation.

He said he would also build a culture of accountability, effectiveness, efficiency and transparency, adding, that he would rigorously enforce judicious use of public resources, with zero tolerance for nepotism, corruption and poor management.

He also proposed to champion institutional reforms of anti-corruption agencies and strengthen them for more effectiveness.

He added that he would ensure that judgments on corruption cases are fully followed through and enforced by the appropriate law enforcement agencies and as well review the reward system for public and civil services.

Prior to the 2019 general elections, Atiku during a live town hall programme hosted by ace journalist Kadaria Ahmed said he would consider granting amnesty to corrupt persons willing to surrender their loot.

Kwankwaso also propose preventative measures

The anti-corruption strategy of the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, is also pivoted on prevention.

His strategy is mapped out in his manifesto titled, My Pledge.

Mr Kwankwaso, a former two-term governor of Kano State, proposes to expose corrupt activities. He said he would enforce adherence to the seven principles of public life  selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty, and leadership by example.

He also promised to strengthen anti-corruption institutions.

He said his government would publish on weekly basis, the proceedings and decisions of the Federal Executive Council, similar to what he did as governor of Kano State. This, according to him, would help citizens to track his administrations activities, and ensure open government and transparency.

(The production of this report was supported by the Centre for Democracy and Development, CDD).

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Two more ex-soldiers of the Liberian government have told a Finnish appeals court in Monrovia that Gibril Massaquoi, a former commander of Sierra Leones Revolutionary United Front (RUF), was in Liberia during the countrys second civil war in 2003, a major point of focus for these appeal hearings.

The witnesses, codenamed X2 and X6 by the Turka Court of Appeals (to protect them from reprisal), claimed Mr Massaquoi and other RUF soldiers came to Liberia to provide a backup for forces of then-President Charles Taylor in their battles against rebels from the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Reconstruction, who had laid siege on Liberias capital, Monrovia.

They were not station(ed) in one area, said X2. General Yanai of the Igba group (another name for the RUF soldiers), and one angel Gabriel are the people, I am familiar with. I saw them in waterside, but we never use to go closer to them because they were too fearful (fearsome).

Inside the store, there I saw the bodies, they open suppressive fire, said X6.

In April 2022, the Pirkanmaa District Court acquitted Mr Massaquoi, now 53, of charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including aggravated murder and aggravated rape on grounds that prosecutors did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he did commit the crimes.

But during these appeal hearings, prosecutors are trying to prove that the lower court got it wrong and that Mr Massaquoi, who served as an informant for the Special Court for Sierra Leone, broke safe house rules by coming to Liberia to fight for Mr Taylors forces during the war. Mr Massaquois testimony was vital for the convictions of Mr Taylor and other former RUF soldiers.

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Prosecutors are also challenging that Mr Massaquoi was not called Angel Gabriel, the other name their witnesses have called him by. And Thursdays witnesses looked to have solidified their argument by accusing Mr Massaquoi of ordering killings and rapes, days after another prosecution witness also accused the ex-RUF commander of ordering a Waterside massacre. The witnesses called Mr Massaquoi by the controversial nickname.

They often moved with Benjamin Yeaten (commander of the elite presidential guard, Special Security Service, now Executive protection service), said X2. And every time they come and see people looting, they open fire. Angel Gibril was a senior officer of the Igba group but not the commander; soldiers always take order(s) from him.

Salome and Gibril were standing. The next thing he told Glassco (my boss) it was Angel Gabril who told him to shoot in the store, said X6. I overheard angel Gibril saying, it was not me, it was the President (Taylor) that gave the order.

X2 accused Massaquoi of approving rapes

Massaquoi order the raping of people, women and killing. Innocent women who were going to look for food for their children; they were sometimes forced by the soldiers who raped them against their will.

The killings, X2 claimed, were due to several factors, including looting by civilians and their violations of rules laid down rules by soldiers of the warring factions.

But he also accused soldiers of looting.

Soldiers carried out looting. They took food from civilians sometimes, as well as their fellow soldiers. After the execution, soldiers destroy the store and they said no one should loot. If you violate, it was against the rule of the military and so execution was order(ed).

As with the trial, inconsistent witness testimonies are also dogging the appeal hearings. And they seemed to have come up in X6s testimony.

On cross-examination, defence lawyers referred to his May 2021 statement to Finnish police investigators about the alleged killings to which he linked Mr Massaquoi. He then blamed it on a memory failure.

My man, this incident take (took) place a long time ago. Sometimes you forget, sometimes you sit, it comes back to your memory.

The hearings continue on Friday.

This story was a collaboration with New Narratives as part of the West Africa Justice Reporting Project.

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Peoples Daily Online UK launches "Our China Stories" Series

People's Daily Online) 09:58, February 24, 2023

2022 marked the 50th anniversary of the establishment of ambassador-level diplomatic relations between China and the UK. On this occasion, People's Daily Online UK Ltd. launched the 2022 large-scale media integration and cultural communication event, "Our China Stories ".

"Our China Stories" highlights 21 well-known British personalities who have made constructive and historic contributions to cultural exchanges between China and the UK.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Wu Chengliang)
As Nigeria heads to the polls on Saturday, the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has said a total of 60 attacks were recorded at political rallies leaving nine people dead and others injured since campaigns started in September last year.

CDD, in an Election Analysis Centre (EAC) brief, which was released ahead of the polls, said insecurity, fuel scarcity, naira policy of the apex bank and other issues may pose challenges to the conduct of elections.

While EAC is expected to keep a close watch on the key processes in the build-up to, during and after the elections, the elite democracy and development think tank said it had deployed over 4,993 trained and accredited observers, 42 data clerks and 15 fact-checkers and social media experts to monitor the elections.

In the last quarter of 2022, violence targeting political parties reached its highest point since the previous general election in early 2019. In total there have been 60 attacks recorded on political rallies, resulting in nine fatalities since the start of campaigning on 28 September, CDD said in the report made available to journalists.

The centre expressed fear over the mobilisation of non-state actors by political figures for activities, which undermine the credibility of the polls, stressing that such realities could further worsen the state of insecurity.

CDD added that the groups could utilise the financial and military resources acquired to further perpetuate criminality of all forms including kidnapping, banditry, armed robbery and militant insurgency.

According to the CDD, while the insecurity they create portends dangers for the ability to conduct credible elections, politically sponsored violence could also be a determining factor in the outcome and acceptance of the polls.

The think tank stressed that INEC may face serious security challenges to hold elections across several polling units in areas where insecurity has been prevalent, adding that the challenges have the potential to impact the quality of the elections.

It could even determine whether elections will be held all across the country given the threat they pose to the security of voters, electoral materials, and poll officials.

The Nigerian Election Violence Tracker recorded at least 134 incidents involving INEC offices and staff between 2019 and 2022. Among these events are lootings, arson attacks, shootings, as well as abductions and assassinations of electoral officers, CDD said.

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To ensure seamless elections, CDD urged the government to ensure that key election stakeholders  in particular INEC and the security agencies  have the necessary resources at their disposal to roll out their comprehensive plans for election day operations that ensure polls take place in a safe, free and fair environment.

It also asked political parties to ensure that their members and supporters adhere to the conditions laid out in the National Peace Accord through the voting process and after the announcement of results.

INEC must continue to communicate regularly with Nigerians about the ongoing election process and is as transparent as possible during the collation and announcement of results, CDD said.

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The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has highlighted five factors that could determine the success of Nigerias 2023 general elections. The civil society organisation also listed the key players and their stakes of winning or losing in the polls, using facts and figures from Nigerias electoral law and other sources.

It listed the five factors, which it described as the five Is as Identity, Insecurity, Institutions, Information Disorder, and Inter and intra-party contestation.

These factors, as analysed by the CDD, would ensure the peaceful conduct of the elections if well addressed. But our democracy might come under threat if these factors are ignored by the authorities, it stated.

Read the full report below:

CDD ELECTION ANALYSIS CENTRE  POLITICS BRIEF

To win the presidential election, a candidate must secure 25 per cent of the votes in two-thirds of Nigerias 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, as well as a simple majority. Failure to do both leads to a run-off between the candidate with the highest number of votes and the candidate with the highest number of votes in most states. The initial rules still apply for the first run-off and only if no candidate wins then, will a second and final run-off take place where getting the most votes will be enough.

Key factors in the coming elections surround the question of how the Buhari coalition of roughly 12 million, predominantly northern, votes that he has been able to command since 2003 will realign given that he will not be on the ballot in 2023 and if the PDP can maintain its grip on 14 southern states that historically have voted for its presidential nominee.

Together, home to 43% of all Nigerian voters, the electorate in the southwest and northwest geopolitical zones will again be crucial in determining the national outcome.

Already faced with a gargantuan logistical operation, those charged with managing the elections across the country are further challenged by prevailing insecurity and the Central Bank of Nigerias efforts to push a cashless policy.

By the time Nigeria marks 63 years as an independent country on 1 October, the country will have seen three prior attempts at democracy truncated by coups (1966, 1983 and 1993). Since the Fourth Republic (1999 to date), the country has seen two presidents serve the maximum two terms in office (2007 and 2023), succession to the presidency after a death in office (2010) and one lose a re-election bid (2015).

In that time, despite coalitions and party mergers, all six previous elections have ended during the first-round ballots. Most predictions for the 2023 elections expect that no candidate will achieve the necessary 25 per cent in two-thirds of the states to be declared the winner, leading to a potential run-off, a first in Nigerias history.

The candidates

The 2023 presidential election will feature 18 candidates, with four established frontrunners: Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peter Obi of Labour Party (LP) and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP). All have, in the not-too-distant past, worked together and against each other in a bid to get elected president. In 2015, Atiku, Tinubu and Kwankwaso were all part of the then newly created APC which backed the now outgoing president to defeat the then ruling PDP. In 2019, Kwankwaso, and Atiku decamped to PDP, joining Obi, who was Atikus running mate.

Former two-term Lagos state Governor Tinubu was instrumental in not just the formation of the party in 2013, but also Buharis successful election in 2015. However, his relationship with the president has become frayed since and especially during the current election campaign. A major point of disagreement is Buharis support of the Central Bank of Nigerias (CBN) decision to redesign high denomination Naira notes to address vote buying, which will likely affect the candidate with the most resources at his disposal. Tinubu has also faced scrutiny during the campaign regarding accusations of identity fraud, allegations of corruption and speculations about his health. The latter is especially important to Nigerians given the recent ailments that have afflicted those holding the highest office. Finally, his selection of Kashim Shettima, a fellow Muslim and former senator and governor from Borno, as his running mate has been controversial: a Muslim-Muslim ticket would provide an imbalanced ticket atop government for the first time.

Atiku Abubakar, the vice president between 1999-2007, has been described as a serial contender, having taken part in every presidential election since 2007. Atiku, who like Tinubu is in his 70s, is banking on his experience in government and in business. Opponents point to his alleged involvement in an international bribery scandal as one of the main reasons why he is not fit for the top job. Atiku chose Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state as his running mate, but the decision further splintered the opposition PDP as it excluded the runner-up in the party primaries  powerful Rivers state Governor Nyesom Wike, who subsequently established a breakaway G5 faction of the party. This faction has alleged a campaign for northern dominance, given that both the party chairman and presidential flagbearer are northerners.

Peter Obi, a former banker and two-term governor of Anambra state has generated significant support from young and middle-class Nigerians for his third force movement that will likely benefit from higher turnout than in 2019. However his party controls no states and has no governors, and without these structures, it may be difficult to deliver votes. Obis running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, a businessman and owner of Baze University is from Kaduna state but this has not substantively addressed concerns about the tickets ability to penetrate effectively in northern states. A candidate who has no problem winning votes in northern states  specifically those in Nigerias northwest  is Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of the NNPP. Kwankwaso, a two-term former governor of Kano state, one of Nigerias largest vote banks, and the leader of the Kwakwasiyya political movement, is unlikely to challenge effectively on a national level but he will perform well in the northwest, taking away votes from other leading contenders in the process.

Women in politics

Female participation in politics continues to be inhibited by issues of political violence and godfatherism, as well as by the prevailing patriarchal attitudes of prospective voters, particularly in northern Nigeria. A review of the geographic distribution of female candidates for all election contests in 2023 shows that northern regions have lower levels of female candidature than those in the south. In fact, Bayelsa state is the only state in the three southern political zones that has fewer female aspirants (26) than the best-performing state in the northwest, Kaduna, which has 29 female aspirants. At the presidential level, just one female candidate will be on the ballot, Princess Chichi Ojei of the Allied Peoples Movement. No party is fielding a woman vice-presidential nominee. Of 416 gubernatorial candidates, just 6% are women, with similar figures for female House of Representative (9.2%) and Senate aspirants (8.4%). One of the reasons so few women win seats is because the majority contest on the tickets of smaller parties that rarely win seats in the first place.

Determining factors: the five Is

Identity

Nigerias political system, both at the federal and state levels, is characterised by prebendal patronage where political actors capture state power and use the same to advance the well-being of their ethnic or religious groups. A consequence of this is that state resources are unevenly distributed to the advantage of majority groups, thereby making political representation and access to power highly competitive in the country. In addressing these concerns, the political elite, across party lines, have adopted approaches such as power rotation and zoning to improve the inclusivity of minority groups. However, these zoning and power rotation rules were jettisoned by the PDPs decision to throw open its ticket which was eventually clinched by a northern Muslim, following eight years of the presidency being held by another northern Muslim. The issue of representation and access to power could be a determining factor in the outcome of the 2023 elections, especially with regard to the presidential poll.

The three leading presidential candidates Ahmed Bola Tinubu of the APC, Atiku Abubakar of the PDP and Peter Obi of the LP are from the Yoruba, Fulani and Igbo ethnic groups respectively. Candidates are expected to perform better than their opponents in their home geo-political zones, while opposition party members may face repression from state and non-state actors in these areas. Religion may also be a prominent determinant of the outcome of the 2023 elections. The APCs decision to run a Muslim-Muslim ticket has heightened religious tensions in the country. Conventionally leading parties have sought to balance their presidential tickets to ensure that both major faiths are represented and there are concerns about what a single-ticket victory would have for faith relations in the country. The lack of a coherent national identity in Nigeria and the overarching reliance on ethnicity, religion and regionalism for political identity has historically accounted for electoral violence and attendant insecurity.

Insecurity

The 2023 elections are to be held within the context of high state fragility with parts of the countrys ungovernable spaces due to pre-existing localised and regionalised conflicts which could undermine security and impede the free and fair voting process. All six geopolitical zones of the country are confronted with rampant insecurity. Northern states are engulfed in long-standing violence with extremist jihadist groups, criminal bandit gangs, and other non-stated armed groups. In the south, civil unrest continues against the backdrop of ongoing violence between farmers and herders and secessionist agitators. The situation is worsening amidst fuel and currency scarcity which is increasing economic hardships on the more than 130 million Nigerians classified as multidimensionally poor. Insecurity could even determine whether elections will hold on time all across the country given the threat it poses to the security of voters, electoral materials, and poll officials across the more than 176,000 polling units.

Institutions

The success of any electoral process is dependent on the credibility, transparency and efficiency of stakeholders that manage, regulate, and secure the process. Saddled with the responsibility of establishing the rules of play and conducting the 2023 elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is a central election stakeholder. The introduction of the 2022 Electoral Act supports the use of technology such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), a facial recognition system aiding voter accreditation, and the INEC result viewing portal have boosted confidence in the system. However, the decision of an election petition tribunal quashing the 2022 win of the PDP governor in Osun on grounds including overvoting and non-synchronisation of the BVAS has dampened citizens confidence in the ability of technology to solve Nigerias election challenges. The management of the permanent voters card collection exercise also created citizen discontent, with many alleging INEC staff in key strongholds of either ruling or opposition parties denied citizens the opportunity to collect them.

Already faced with a gargantuan logistical operation, those charged with managing the elections across the country are further challenged by the prevailing insecurity and the CBNs efforts to push a cashless policy. INEC and its supporting agencies rely heavily on cash to deploy more than a million field staff and to ensure the safe delivery of election day materials. The all-important role of securing the electoral process necessitates an efficient, neutral, and apolitical security infrastructure. However, in previous elections cycles, security agencies have been implicated in partisan enforcement. The polices reputation for brutality and citizen intimidation has led to increasing distrust and suspicion from citizens with the 2020 #ENDSARS protests the most visible manifestation of this. The judiciary is another integral institution in the electoral framework given that it will handle significant amounts of pre and post electoral litigation. It too can be politically compromised.

Information disorder

More than in previous polls digital misinformation and disinformation on social media is shaping the coverage of the campaigns of mainstream media, with online influencers having an outsized role in setting the agenda. Whilst social media has opened avenues for citizens to engage more robustly with their prospective representatives the volume of false information circulating online can also lead to citizen actions based on incorrect information. Trust is a scarce commodity in Nigeria and this fact is only being exacerbated by the volume of misleading content online that promotes candidates, attacks political opponents and undermines key electoral institutions. Some attacks on opponents and the promotion of candidates have been instrumentalised to entrench pre-existing social cleavages around ethnicity and religion. This type of disinformation has the potential to foster insecurity, dampen citizens trust in the electoral process and incite violence post-election.

Inter and intra-party contestation

The APC initially experienced some internal division with Christians in the party, unhappy at the unwillingness of Tinubu to balance the presidential ticket. But more substantive divisions have emerged, and spilled into the public sphere, following the CBNs demonetisation policy. Prominent APC governors have openly accused senior officials in the presidency, and tacitly the president himself, of working against the interest of the party and in favour of Atiku, a fellow Fulani and northerner. Atiku himself has endured a divided party throughout the campaigns, with the G5, refusing to support his candidacy in frustration at the PDPs failure to adhere to zoning principles in the selection of its flagbearer. This could result in the PDP losing the south-south, historically a stronghold of party.

Projecting voting patterns

Nigerian presidential elections are a numbers game with the successful candidate looking for a majority of the total vote, plus at least 25% of the vote in two-thirds of the states and FCT. Presidential tickets are developed with these national and regional calculations in mind. Over 9 million newly registered voters will be eligible to cast their ballots in 2023. The highest number of newly registered voters as a percentage increase on 2019 is in the north-central zone which has increased its voter population by 15% since 2019 and which may lead to it playing a more influential role in the outcome. Historically voters in the southwest and northwest have held the potential to be key determinants of the election outcome, given that they are home to the largest number of voters and in the case of the northwest higher than average turnout  it was 43% in the zone compared to 35% nationally in 2019. This is again in the case in 2023, with the two zones combined accounting for 40.2 million voters  22.3 million in the northwest and 17.9 million in the southwest.

A key factor is the question of where the Buhari coalition of around 12 million predominantly northern votes he, more than his party, has been able to command since 2011 will realign given that he will not be on the ballot in 2023. During the 2003 polls Buhari was able to flip several states that Obasanjo carried in 1999 into states that reliably voted for him such as Jigawa, Kano, Katsina and Sokoto. But these could be up for grabs in 2023 as Buharis personal appeal has not always translated down the ballot. Having Kwankwaso on the ballot will also impact on the APCs performance given the level of support he enjoys in Jigawa and Kano states. Turnout too may be affected by prevailing insecurity.

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The northeast includes the home states of PDP aspirant Atiku (Adamawa) and APC vice-presidential candidate Shettima (Borno), while the governorships in the other four states are split evenly between APC (Gombe, Yobe) and PDP (Bauchi, Taraba). In north-central, APC currently controls five of the six states, but most have sizable Christian populations which may pose a problem for the party given its all-Muslim ticket, a potential advantage for the Obi-Datti ticket will seek to make inroads into, particular given the increased numbers of new voters in the zone and the fact that over 70% of those newly registered across the country are youth  a key demographic supporting his campaign. High turnout is key for the LP candidate but without significant grassroots party structures its ability to ensure this is the case and to protect votes cast for its candidate remains in question.

In the southwest, home to almost 18 million registered voters, Tinubu commands significant support among governors and will be looking to improve on the 53% share of the vote the APC secured in 2019. But Lagos, the state with the most voters in 2023, is cosmopolitan in nature and has sizable Igbo and youth populations, offers an opportunity for Obi to make inroads. The southeast, from where Peter Obi hails, has the smallest share of the voting population at just under 11 million and traditionally has seen particularly low turnout, a reality that could be repeated in 2023 given prevailing secessionist activities in the region. Both are hindrances to the LP candidates overall chance of victory even though he will likely take a significant share of votes that historically have been won by the PDP. The PDP is also under pressure in the south-south following factional disputes. Even though Atikus running mate is from the zone, he will struggle to secure a repeat of the 68% he won in 2019, with Obi likely to be the main beneficiary of lost votes.

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The Coalition for Whistleblowers Protection and Press Freedom (CWPPF) has condemned the shutting down of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) website through the backdoor by Wale Ayilaras Landwey on the 23rd February 2023.

According to a press statement released by the Foundation, the suspension of their website was done by the cloud service provider, DigitalOcean. It was later observed that it was due to an allegation of copyright infringement lodged by the people acting on behalf of Landwey.

This alleged copyright infringement is based on a story by the FIJ on the failure of Wale Ayilaras Landwey, a real estate investment company, to hand over the property to a UAE- based Nigerian despite receiving payment of N42 million from him.

It is shameful that a private individual through the corridors of power (who are supposed to protect the cause for press freedom) can easily manipulate their way into gagging the press.

The Coalition condemns this action by Mr Wale Ayilaras Landwey and most especially Digital Ocean for suspending the FIJs domain without due process. This is a gross violation of press freedom and the citizens right to know.

The group, therefore, calls on the Federal Government to investigate this issue, especially the activities and actions of DigitalOcean and bring the FIJs domain back to light.

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At a crucial period like this (election) when citizens rely on these platforms for information, shutting down a news website domain should be the last resort for any perpetrator at this time.

Signed:

CWPPF Secretariat

The CWPPF is a group of media and civil society organizations committed to upholding democracy and good governance by protecting the ethos of whistleblowing, freedom of expression and press freedom.

CWPPF members

Premium Times

OrderPaper Advocacy Initiative

The Cable

Daily Trust Newspaper

International Centre for Investigative Reporting

Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism

Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ)

African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL)

Civic Media Lab

Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC)

International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR)

International Press Centre (IPC)

International Press Institute (IPI)

Media Rights Agenda (MRA)

Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ)

Paradigm Initiative

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP)

HEDA Resources Centre.

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The National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) has deployed 369 observers to monitor compliance with the inclusion of Persons Living with Disabilities and other vulnerable groups in the electoral process.

The observers are to look at the involvement of women, youth and People with Disability (PWD) in the election process.

The institute announced this on Friday during a media briefing in Abuja.

NILDS also announced its Political Party Watch Project, a nonpartisan research work into electoral processes in Nigeria and inclusivity.

Speaking on behalf of NILDS, the Director of Democracy and Governance, Adewale Aderemi, said that NILDS has established a command centre to coordinate the activities of the coordinators.

With regards to the 2023 general election, NILDS will be deploying 369 observers nationwide approximately nine in each state and three in each senatorial district in all the 36 states and then we have about 50 in the FCT.

We will also be hosting a command centre (situation room) in conjunction with the WFD and other stakeholders where we will be taking real-time field reports from these 369 observers in the field.

We will analyse them through the lenses of inclusivity; we are going to be looking at the involvement of women, youths and People with Disability (PWD) in the process.

We will also analyse the general conduct of the elections and we will be live on all the social handles of NILDS and WFD, he said.

Speaking on the project, Mr Aderemi said the Political Party Watch Project is a collaboration between the institution and Westminster Foundation for Democracy.

He lamented the exclusion of persons with disabilities, youths and women from the electoral process. He stated that the institute will produce a report after the elections.

Mr Aderemi noted that political parties must improve issues of marginalisation of those groups, adding that donor groups are already battling with fatigue.

He stated that poor leadership recruitment and godfatherism are some of the factors affecting inclusion.

There has been a lot of intervention in building the capacity of our political parties since 1999, donors are not just willing to put their money in political parties anymore but we are not giving up.

What we want to do with the Political Party Watch Project of which the monitoring of inclusive practice of the political parties is a part, is to address the challenges we have identified in the political party system in Nigeria, he said.

In his presentation, the Country Representative of WFD, Adebowale Olorunmola, said inclusion is critical in assessing political development in any democracy.

The health of a democracy is not determined by the successful conduct of elections alone but by the inclusive participation of citizens in the democratic process.

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This is regardless of gender, age, religion, ethnic origin, location or state of ability or disability. This is a key determinant of the health of a democracy and therefore when we have a good percentage of the population participating in the process, we can confidently say our democracy is healthy.

As we have it, our democracy is a work in progress because, over the years, Nigeria has continued to be on the wrong side of data on inclusive participation and inclusion, he said.

The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled to hold on Saturday across the country.

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Phrank Shiabu, an aide to the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has described as utter rubbish, a viral audio clip on social media that purportedly revealed plans by Atiku, his running mate, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State and the Director General of his campaign, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, to rig the presidential election.

In a statement on Friday, Mr Shaibu who is the special assistant on public communications to Atiku said the latest audio clip in circulation was a confirmation of his warning last week that the opposition would deepen its propaganda ahead of the election.

In a widely circulated audio clip, Atiku, Messrs Okowa and Tambuwal were heard discussing a plan to rig the 2023 general election.

PREMIUM TIMES is yet to conduct its own independent investigation to confirm the veracity of the audio clip.

Mr Shaibu said the audio of his principal and other party members was doctored by an artificial intelligence technology tool and could be identified easily as a fake even from the tone of the purported discussants.

In this latest drivel, a montage of speeches delivered by Atiku, Tambuwal, and Okowa since last year were manipulated and pieced together to give an impression that they were discussing plans to rig Saturdays election. In this age of artificial intelligence technology, even dead people can be portrayed as delivering speeches. This is nothing new.

For the record, Atiku has run in two presidential elections and has never been indicted or prosecuted for election violence or vote buying.

But some people think they can sell a narrative of Atiku manipulating this election. This is indeed the height of desperation, the last kick of a dying horse. The APC and the Labour Party must note that elections are not won on social media but at the polling units.

It is unfortunate that those seeking power will engage in outdated defeatist tactics. How can Tambuwal be referring to Atiku by his full name in a one-on-one private conversation? This is nonsensical, similar to the type of meaningless chatter about President Muhammadu Buhari being dead and replaced by one Jubril from Sudan.

When they descend to the level of baseless propaganda, we will rise above it with dignity and respond with our PVCs. This election is a watershed in Nigerian history. Nigerians must not lose sight of what is most important, which is the need to rebuild this broken system, revitalise the economy, and improve security and the hope of the people in a united Nigeria.

Mr Shaibu called on the police and other security agencies as well as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remain fair and neutral in the polls.

He also asked the authorities to go after those behind the audio tape citing Section 123(c) of the Electoral Act which provides that any person who before or during an election publishes any statement to the personal character or conduct of a candidate calculated to prejudice the chance of election of the candidate or to promote or procure the election of another candidate and such statement is false and was published without reasonable grounds for belief by the person publishing it that the statement is true, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a maximum of N100,000 or imprisonment for a term of six months or both.

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The West Africa Democracy Solidarity (WADEMOS) Network wishes all Nigerians a trouble-free and peaceful elections as the country goes to the polls on 25 February, 2023, to elect a new president and members of the Federal House of Assembly (the National Assembly), and on 11 March, 2023, to elect governors and representatives of the State House of Assembly.

The WADEMOS Network also extends its best wishes to all contestants involved in the national and sub-national elections, which will be the seventh consecutive elections since the countrys return to multi-party democracy in 1999.

As a Network, we acknowledge the assurances from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security agencies on their preparedness to supervise peaceful, fair and credible general elections. WADEMOS urges Nigerians to turn out in their numbers on election days to exercise their franchise and civic responsibility. We also call on the INEC, political parties, and all stakeholders to respect the framework, rules, and regulations governing the elections and resort to appropriate legal processes and institutional mechanisms for addressing their grievances.

We encourage citizens and political parties to avoid inflammatory language and hate speech, which could trigger violence during the elections. The INEC and civil society organisations (CSOs) must also enhance their communication protocols and structures to provide timely information to counter fake news and misinformation during and after the elections, Kojo Pumpuni Asante, head of the WADEMOS election observation mission, remarked.

The WADEMOS Network commends the efforts of civil society, particularly our Nigerian member-organizations  CDD-West Africa, YIAGA Africa, Women in Politics Forum and the Transitional Monitoring Group  who have deployed a number of innovative observation platforms to monitor the credibility and conduct of the elections.

The Network deeply regrets and condemns unreservedly the death of senatorial candidate Oyibo Chukwu and the five other supporters of the Labour Party in Enugu State. We urge the security agencies to demonstrate their responsiveness to such attacks and arrest the perpetrators to serve as a deterrent to all unscrupulous elements seeking to perpetrate violence during this election.

Being integral to sustaining the political and economic stability in West Africa, WADEMOS recognizes the importance of this election as a pacesetter for the upcoming presidential elections in the sub-region this year. Considering the unfavorable political environment confronting the region, the Nigerian election should reignite hope in democracy in the sub-region.

About WADEMOS

The West Africa Democracy Solidarity (WADEMOS) Network is a non-partisan, independent civil society-led transnational democracy solidarity network consisting of over thirty-five (35) civil society organizations located in 15 countries in West Africa. The purpose of the WADEMOS Network is to mobilize, coordinate, and leverage the collective power of civil society and other pro-democracy actors, resources, and opportunities within the West African Region to advance, defend, and reinvigorate democracy and promote democratic norms and reforms in the sub-region.

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At least four people were feared killed on Thursday after a clash between supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) in Kano metropolis.

Witnesses said the clash reportedly occurred along the Zaria Expressway when supporters of the NNPP presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, gathered to welcome him on his way to a rally in the metropolis.

Witnesses told PREMIUM TIMES many others were injured in the fracas.

The police spokesperson in Mano, Abdullahi Kiyawa, in a statement said the police arrested 85 suspects after the clash.

The statement, however, did not say if anyone was killed or injured during the clash.

Recalled that on 22/02/2023 reports were received that, three Political Parties namely; the All Progressive Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) planned to hold political rallies/processions on Thursday, 23/02/2023 within Kano metropolis.

On receipt of the reports, and the likelihood of clashes and attacks on innocent citizens, the Commissioner of Police for the 2023 General Election, Kano State Command, Muhammad Yakubu immediately summoned the representatives of the three political parties to an emergency meeting to find a solution to the impasse.

Unfortunately, there was no headway with their planned rallies/processions. The Commissioner of Police passionately appealed to the consciousness of the representatives that this is not in the best interest of the fragile security of the state. Given this, the three political parties were advised to postpone the planned rallies/procession.

Today, 23/02/2023, clearance operations conducted by Joint Teams of security agencies after reported clashes led to the arrest of Eighty-Five (85) suspects that claimed to be of different Political Parties and the recovery of dangerous weapons. An investigation is in progress.

The Commissioner of Police appreciates the good people of the State for their understanding, encouragement and support. We seek your continuous cooperation to ensure a peaceful 2023 General Election, the police statement said.

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Presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has raised the alarm over plans by some elements in the All Progressives Congress (APC) to foment violence in a few states in order to force the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to postpone Saturdays election.

He said that the alternative plan was to hold a staggered election whereby elections would not be held simultaneously across the country.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday by Atikus Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the PDP presidential candidate, warned that failure to hold elections on the same day across the country would be an invitation to rigging.

He added that the violence in Kano was a prelude to this plan.

Mr Shaibu added, Today, there was serious violence at the Kwanar Dangora on the outskirts of Kano City. This is a state where the APC holds sway. They have already started with the violence as they did in 2019, where they forced a rerun and then used violence to win.

We also have it on good authority that this will happen in Borno, Yobe, Kaduna. Kaduna, in particular, must be singled out because the Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has been prodding his people to disobey President Muhammadu Buhari. He has also been running from pillar to post since his plan to unleash the old naira notes on voters was scuttled by the Federal Government.

Atikus aide commended the Nigeria Police Force for arresting and arraigning APC federal lawmaker in Rivers State, Ephraim Nwuzi, who was caught on video discussing plans to attack electoral officials in the state.

The PDP candidate asked the police not to leave any stone unturned ahead of the election, especially in Rivers State, which is one of the most volatile during elections.

He added, We commend the police for arresting and arraigning the lawmaker representing Etche/Omuma Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon Ephraim Nwuzi. His utterance is evidence that the APC has a grand plan to foment violence on election day. This is their only strategy to hold on to power after failing Nigerians.

He also asked the police to pay close attention to states like Ebonyi, Cross River, and Imo states where the governors are bent on doing anything possible to ensure that Mr Tinubu gets the 25 per cent requirement.

Ebonyi, Cross River, and Imo are all traditional PDP strongholds. However, their governors are members of the APC. They know that they cannot deliver their states for Bola Tinubu, who stands no chance of winning. With vote buying now very difficult, the only option will be to suppress votes through violence.

The police, the military, and other security agencies must therefore keep an eye on these states in order to prevent violence, he says.

The PDP candidate, who commended deployment of sizeable number of security agents in Lagos, said local government areas such as Oshodi/Isolo, Amuwo Odofin, Eti Osa, Ikorodu, Ojo, Ajeromi/Ifelodun and Surulere must be put on high alert to forestall intimidation and rigging.

There have been complaints about voter suppression in Lagos in the past. In the 2019 presidential election, Oshodi/Isolo witnessed violence, which forced elections to be cancelled in some polling units. Even in Eti Osa today, a council secretary and traditional leader vowed to evict traders if they dont vote for the APC.

They are doing this to impress their master and godfather, Bola Tinubu, and we hope the international observers are seeing this. We commend the police for summoning those behind the threats against non-indigenes. But more efforts must be channelled towards arresting more of such bigots, he stated.

Phrank Shaibu

Special Assistant, Public Communication to Atiku Abubakar,

Former Vice President (1999-2007) and Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Abuja

23rd February, 2023.

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The Finnish police have explained the conditions surrounding the arrest of Simon Ekpa, the controversial Nigerian who has advocated the use of violence to scuttle elections in Nigerias south-east.

According to an official statement shared with PREMIUM TIMES by the Finnish embassy in Nigeria, Mr Ekpa was arrested as part of an investigation by Finlands National Bureau of Investigation into a suspected money collection offence.

The National Bureau of Investigation has started a criminal investigation into a suspected money collection offence committed by a man living in Lahti. The suspect was apprehended in Lahti yesterday on 23 February, the statement said.

PREMIUM TIMES reported Mr Ekpas arrest on Thursday by Finnish police. He was later released Thursday night. Although the statement did not explicitly state the name of the arrested person, the description matched details from news reports of Thursday.

According to the Head of Investigation of the National Bureau of Investigation, Tommi Reen, the police have investigated the case since 2022, but the actual criminal investigation was opened at the beginning of February.

It is suspected that the man living in Lahti has collected money in violation of the Money Collection Act. We have interviewed the suspect, but the criminal investigation is still at an early stage, he said.

Mr Reen confirmed that Mr Ekpa (the suspect) was released Thursday night, perhaps because the investigation was still ongoing.

He added that the police have also received many reports of Mr Ekpas actions on social media and are investigating whether there are reasons to suspect him of other offences.

The police said they will release more information about the case as investigations go on.

The Nigerian government had requested the arrest of Mr Ekpa, who resides in Finland and also has citizenship in the European country.

The Nigerian government accuses Mr Ekpa of using social media to instigate violence in the South-east that has caused the killing of many people and the destruction of properties.

Mr Ekpa, as part of his online campaign, had declared a sit-at-home in the South-east for the period of the presidential elections, ostensibly to bar people from participating in the voting process.

The previous sit-at-home declared by the factional leader of the separatist group IPOB had been enforced by the armed wing of the group leading to the loss of lives and properties.

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IPOB, an outlawed separatist group, wants a separate nation of Biafra for the Igbos of Southern Nigeria and is prepared to use violence to achieve its aims.

The group is, however, believed to be a fringe group that does not enjoy the support of a majority of the Igbos. Its overall leader, who Mr Ekpa worked with, Nnamdi Kanu, is currently in detention in Nigeria where he is facing trial on charges of treason.

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A supervising councillor representing Fagge D2 ward in Fagge Local Government Area, Kano State, was among those killed during a clash between the supporters of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Kano.

The deceased, Garba Isah, was a member of the APC.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how at least four people were feared killed on Thursday after a clash between supporters of APC and NNPP in the Kano metropolis.

Witnesses said the clash reportedly occurred along the Zaria Expressway when supporters of the NNPP presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, gathered to welcome him on his way to a rally in the metropolis.

Witnesses told PREMIUM TIMES many others were injured in the fracas.

The police spokesperson in Kano, Abdullahi Kiyawa, in a statement said the police arrested 85 suspects after the clash. The police, however, did not say if anyone was killed or injured during the clash.

But PREMIUM TIMES can confirm that Mr Isahs funeral was held on Friday at Yan kabalu, a street in Fagge Local Government.

The younger brother of the deceased, Yusuf Gali, narrated how he was killed.

He was killed at the Zaria road beside Saadatu Rimi College of Education by some group of unidentified armed thugs along the highway.

We dont know what took him there but his wife deliver a baby that day at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, she still recuperating from childbirth.

He left behind five children including the day-old baby. His wife who is still at the hospital is yet to be brief about the death, his brother said.

Police earlier warning

The police have earlier warmed all three major political parties from the state  APC, NNPP and PDP  not to hold their rallies on the same day.

Recall that on 22/02/2023 reports were received that, three Political Parties namely; the All Progressive Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) planned to hold political rallies/processions on Thursday, 23/02/2023 within Kano metropolis.

On receipt of the reports, and the likelihood of clashes and attacks on innocent citizens, the Commissioner of Police for the 2023 General Election, Kano State Command, Muhammad Yakubu immediately summoned the representatives of the three political parties to an emergency meeting to find a solution to the impasse.

Unfortunately, there was no headway with their planned rallies/processions. The Commissioner of Police passionately appealed to the consciousness of the representatives that this is not in the best interest of the fragile security of the state. Given this, the three political parties were advised to postpone the planned rallies/procession.

Today, 23/02/2023, clearance operations conducted by Joint Teams of security agencies after reported clashes led to the arrest of Eighty-Five (85) suspects that claimed to be of different Political Parties and the recovery of dangerous weapons. An investigation is in progress.

The Commissioner of Police appreciates the good people of the State for their understanding, encouragement and support. We seek your continuous cooperation to ensure a peaceful 2023 General Election, the police statement said.

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As the presidential and National Assembly elections hold on Saturday, thousands of Nigerians living in communities where non-state actors such as armed separatists and terrorists are active may face automatic disenfranchisement. In many such areas, thousands of residents have fled, many have lost properties including voters cards and electoral officials, for safety reasons, may be reluctant to conduct elections in some.

Security has been one of the most important talking points in this election circle. According to the Global Terrorism Index, Nigeria is the sixth most terrorised country in the world.

Since 2009, Boko Haram, an Islamic State affiliate group, has waged a brutal insurgency in the countrys northeast region. An estimated 350,000 people have been killed as a result of the insurgency and according to the United Nations Humanitarian Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 3 million people have been displaced.

In the countrys North-west region, a gang of terrorists locally referred to as bandits have sacked rural communities, targeting travellers and educational institutions. They have carried out perhaps the largest kidnap-for-ransom franchise in the history of the country. Their activities have left millions displaced in the region.

In the South-east of the country, the separatist group, the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB), and its affiliate criminal gangs have continued to wreak havoc, carry out killings and abductions, as well as attacks on government institutions and police stations.

As expected, all the 18 candidates contesting to take over from President Muhammadu Buhari have promised to tackle insecurity. However, in many communities across the country where, despite assurances from the government and security agencies, there are fears that the election may not for reasons such as the safety of voters and electoral officials.

Also, the electoral commission could not carry out the registration of new voters nor distribute Permanent Voters Cards (PVC) to registered voters in some of these areas.

PREMIUM TIMES spoke to residents in some communities with a high prevalence of attacks by non-state actors in states such as Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara, Borno, Niger, Kaduna, Imo, Enugu and Anambra states.

This newspaper also spoke to officials to gauge the plans, if any, being made to provide protection to electoral officials and materials.

The biggest challenge to electoral success

Security experts say insecurity remains the main challenge to the success of the polls.

The integrity of the election may be questionable for people who are wilfully disenfranchised on the basis of the governments failure in its duty to protect them. Everyone has the right and civic responsibility to participate in the process of choosing those who will govern them, and if they are unable to do this because of insecurity, it is a violation of this right, said Malik Samuel, a researcher at the West Africa Office of the Institute for Security Studies.

Mr Samuel, who has been to dozens of communities affected by terrorism in the North-west, believes the situation is worse than what is being reported.

A lot of people in the North-west communities do not have voter cards because they were unable to register, as INEC officials could not deploy to insecure communities and the next registration centres were too far from them. Others who registered lost their voter cards in the fires that destroyed their homes and properties while others lost theirs on the way as they fled attacks, he said.

Living with bandits

Haruna Abdullahi, a 42-year-old IDP in Talata Mafara area of Zamfara State, told PREMIUM TIMES over the phone that he felt bad he would not be participating in the voting process after he lost his PVC while fleeing his community of Gandi in Raba Local Government area after terrorists invaded the village.

Umar Audu is a resident of Nahuta in Jibia area of Katsina. He has been seeking refuge in the main town for over two years and has already made up his mind never to go back home to vote.

Well, I have it (PVC) but I would not go back to Nahuta to vote because it is very risky. Look at it here with my National ID card but who will guarantee my safety when half of the people in our community have fled, he said, displaying his PVC.

Umma Asmau, a resident of Tulluwa, a community that shares boundaries with Jibia but in Batsari Local Government Area, echoed Mr Audus position. She said Tulluwa has become a no-go area for her.

Aminu Aliyu from Nahuta community is also seeking refuge in Batsari town.

My brother, there is no hope for the common man. As you see me here (Batsari) Ive promised that Ill never go back to that area. From Tulluwa, Kasai, Dodo, up to the Jibia area, most of the villages are empty due to bandits attacks. How could anybody risk his life to go there in the name of elections?

Wasa Manta from Manta and his family have been displaced from their home town for two years. He regrets that he has been disenfranchised by insecurity.

We have settled in communities like Maikunkele,Tudun Fulani, Bosso and Fadikpe. We can not even vote because we have no voter cards except when we return to our homes and we can not return because of these bandits.

In Sokoto State, Basharu Guyawa, who researches conflict in the North-west, said several communities in the eastern part of the state are under terrorists control.

So, it is not even about having the PVC, are the areas safe? You go to villages in Niger like Tudun Sunna, Yar Basira and Dankano; all the IDPs you will see are from Eastern Sokoto. We are about 10,000 people from this part of Sokoto seeking refuge in those Niger Republic communities, he said.

Of course, there are people in these areas, but most of them may not be participating in the election. First, the election officials may not be able to go to those areas and second, the remaining residents may be afraid to come out to vote. Gatherings in those areas attract bandits and the residents may not like such unwanted gatherings, Yusuf Muhammad, a local journalist in Sokoto told PREMIUM TIMES.

Southeast Quagmire

In the South-east where IPOB militias have declared a mandatory seat-at-home on election day, many are scared for their safety. In parts of the region, several people who were displaced by communal clashes and conflict between farmers and pastoralists may not also vote.

Eric Ibe, a community leader in Eha-Amufu, Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of Enugu State, told this newspaper that many of the residents who fled to neighbouring communities had returned and were ready to cast their votes. But he said there are still issues to contend with.

The only problem is that some of the farm settlements where they (suspected herders) burnt houses, some people had their PVCs burnt, he said.

He said, unfortunately, the razing of houses by the attackers happened after INEC had ended the Continuous Voters Registration exercise.

To ensure the safety of the voters, the Nigerian government must increase the number of security agencies deployed to flash points, Nnamdi Anekwe, a security expert, told PREMIUM TIMES.

Mr Anekwe said the government, including state governments, had not been able to articulate a proper strategy for security ahead of the polls.

The security expert said a comprehensive security strategy can guarantee the safety of voters, especially in volatile areas, during the polls.

The strategy can be created in such a way that (Nigerian) troops can be deployed in flash points to raise an alert. So, every formation across the country, not just South-east, has to be on high alert, he said.

Despite the threats by IPOB, Victor Okafor, the spokesperson of INEC in Enugu State, told this newspaper that the commission has been collaborating with heads of security agencies in the state to ensure the safety of voters in volatile communities in the state such as Eha-Amufu.

Asked if INEC would consider those whose PVCs were recently burnt during attacks in the communities, Mr Okafor said the commission would only allow those with their PVCs to vote.

There is no way one can vote without PVC, he said.

No election in seven local government areas in Borno

In Borno State, the epicentre of the Boko Haram insurgency, there will be no elections in seven out of the 27 local government areas.

The spokesperson of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Borno State, who is also the Head of Voters and Publicity, Shuaibu Ibrahim, said the election cannot hold completely in Guzamala area and environs due to security advice.

The spokesperson also told PREMIUM TIMES that in seven out of the 27 local government areas in the state, the elections will take place at the IDPs camps in the local government headquarters

He said the local government areas are Abadan, Dambuwa, Dekwa, Gamzei, Marte, Manguno and Kalabalge.

The areas that are well fortified with security measures elections can hold at the polling units and there are others that can hold their elections at their ward levels.

Election is going to take place in all the polling units within the three areas in Maiduguri city. They are Maiduguri Municipal Council (MMC), Jere and Konduga, Mr Ibrahim said.

He said there are about 15 military divisions established in different areas in the state to protect the election officials and the voters.

Vulnerable areas

In these states, PREMIUM TIMES gathered that it will be hard for voting to take place in some areas going by the vulnerability of the areas and or the presence of terrorists in the area.

A top security source in Zamfara State who asked not to be named told PREMIUM TIMES over the phone that some areas under Shinkafi, Zurmi and Maru local government areas would be difficult to access.

There is no plan not to hold the elections in these places, but we fear that we dont have the number to man the places. INEC officials may not want to go to those areas just as the residents may be afraid to come out to vote, the intelligence officer said.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Zamfara State, Saidu Babura  Ahmed, agreed there are areas battling the security situation but insisted it may not affect the elections.

According to the data by the police there are areas that still has up to 50 per cent or some 60 per cent of the security incidents and we will continue to monitor the development and act accordingly, but we are optimistic that the development may not have any implication for the scheduled election, he said.

In Sokoto State, areas like Suruddubu, Modaci, Dan Zankai, Lumu, Tozai, Gazau, Tafkin Filin Danfako, Tarah, Gatawa, Kurawa, Gangara are some of the areas that have been largely deserted by residents due to incessant terrorist activities, according to Mr Guyawa.

In Wurno, Goronyo and Rabah areas of Sokoto State, areas like Masama, Jodo, Doliyal, Digim, Gundumi, Kamitau, Tursa, Rakaka, Kuryar Gandi and Sabarru are considered to be volatile.

The police spokesperson in Sokoto State, Sanusi Abubakar, said as far as the police command is concerned, elections would hold in every part of the state.

All the local government areas in the state, therell be elections. As far as were concerned, the elections will hold as planned. Well provide enough security as usual and weve not been informed of places where there is a polling unit but therell be no election because of insecurity, he said in a phone conversation.

In Katsina State, residents said they doubt if the election will hold in the following local government areas: Dutsin Ma, Jibia, Kurfi, Safana, Danmusa, Dandume, Faskari, Bakori, and Batsari.

However, the Director of INEC Voter Education in the state, Shehu Saidu, said the election will hold in all polling units.

I want to confirm and to reassure the public that elections will be held in all local government areas in all polling units in the state regardless of the security issues were having in some places, the public should have confidence in the commission and come out and vote, he said.

But a resident said the official was not being truthful.

The INEC official that told you there would be elections, did he tell you the situation of areas like Yelwa, Faru, Shimfida, Tamawa, Gwanzo and Tsaskiya? These areas are in Danmusa, Jibia, Kurfi and Safana and I can swear to God that even if the officials go, the people will not even come out to vote because of fear, Shamsu Samaila, a native of Tamawa village living in Katsina metropolis said.

In Niger State, areas like Shiroro, Paikoro, Mashegu, Rafi and Kagara are the most volatile areas and some villages under these areas have come under terrorist attacks with many of them now deserted.

The police spokesperson in Niger, Wasiu Abiodun, told PREMIUM TIMES said the command and other security agencies in the state have mobilized manpower, logistics and other equipment as election security committee for adequate deployment of security personnel before, during and after the general elections.

Personnel will be deployed to escort sensitive and non-sensitive materials to their various LGAs and Wards.

Security personnel will equally be deployed to cover polling units and other layers of deployment for visibility policing and confidence-building patrols of every nook and cranny of the state, he said.

In Kaduna state, Birnin Gwari is the hotbed of terrorist attacks but areas in Kachia, Kafanchan and Kauru have been witnessing both terrorist attacks and ethnoreligious crises.

Calm in Imo, Anambra

In Oguta, a local government in Imo State which has recorded heavy attacks in recent times, residents said the recurring attacks in the area had waned and that the elections will most likely be held in the council area.

READ ALSO:

Like other parts of the South-east, armed separatists are carrying out deadly attacks mainly on government facilities and security agencies in the council area.

As previously reported by PREMIUM TIMES, several police officers have been killed and police facilities destroyed in recent attacks by the gunmen in the council area.

Like in Oguta, communities along Ihiala-Orlu Road, in the Ihiala Council Area of Anambra State, have also witnessed a string of attacks by the pro-Biafra gunmen.

But unlike the Eha-Amufu Communities in Enugu State, the residents of communities in Ihiala did not flee the area, sources told this newspaper.

There is no peculiar fear here. Elections will hold and we will vote, said Chukwuma Okoye, a resident of Azia, one of the communities in the Ihiala Council Area.

(The production of this report was supported by the Centre for Democracy and Development, CDD).

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At the palace of the Shehu of Borno on Saturday, the Borno State governor, Professor Babagana Zulum said something brief but profound. He was introducing the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to the revered monarch. Tinubu, Zulum said, had been there for Borno and its people at the most difficult times of its 1,200-year history. When many people gave up the city of Maiduguri as a forsaken theatre of Boko Haram insurgents, Asiwaju Tinubu was there. Not once.

In the words of Governor Zulum: During our trying times he has always been with us. He has visited us between seven and eight times in the last eleven years. There is nobody else that has done anything like that for us.

That testimonial by Governor Zulum gives only a glimpse of the enduring relationship that Asiwaju Tinubu has built with the northern Nigeria and its people over the years. E no be today, to use Nigerian street lingo. The relationship had been an organic one built on the pillars of friendship, empathy and togetherness devoid of the political quid pro quo of you-rub-my-back-I-rub-yours. It is therefore a little wonder that the man is so widely accepted by the people on the other side of the Niger. This is visible from the wild reception his campaign train received in key northern states; from Kaduna, the regions defunct headquarters, to Kano, its commercial nerve centre and up to the capitals of the Norths traditional systems of the Fulani (Sokoto) and Kanuri (Borno).

Reacting to photos of the mammoth crowd from one of those outings, a twitterati exclaimed: Northerners don put this Tinubu matter for head. Yes, in a country where our politcs often exposes our schisms that could be surprising. But it is the Norths way of first acknowledging merit and, second, appreciating years of genuine friendship and camaraderie.

It is for this reason that despite the weightlifting effort of the PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and his strategists to whip up ethnic and regional sentiments majority of the people have refused to buy into their selfish gimmick. The question on many lips is: What has that candidate done for the people of the North to warrant a harvest at the polls? The people are evidently wiser as to identify with the person who has always been there for them over one who nominally claims to be their own.

The story of Asiwaju Tinubus association with the North is a long one. I will attempt a quick recast. Tinubus consequential political journey began with the North. At the beginning of the windy Third Republic botched transition, Tinubu pitched his tent with the late Shehu Musa YarAdua. He chose to work with YarAdua even when his own kinsman, Lateef Jakande was on the ballot. When the Late Chief MKO Abiola emerged the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Tinubu played a prominent role in tipping up Ambassador Babagana Kingibe as Abiolas running mate.

In more recent times Tinubu had burnt the candle at both ends in his support for the ambition of Northerners in four consecutive presidential elections: Atiku in 2007, Nuhu Ribadu in 2011 and President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 and 2019. This is in addition to dozens of others he supported for various positions unconditionally out of true altruism. It is a twist of fate and funny that both Atiku and his campaign chief, Governor Aminu Tambuwal, were beneficiaries of Tinubus political magnanimity, the latter for his emergence as the House of Representatives speaker in 2011.

Beyond the shores of politics, Tinubu has always identified with predicaments faced by the North. He also paid more than just a lip service. In fact he acted much more than he spoke or showed up. As a permanent resident of Nigeria, he associate more closely with the happenings around the country and has always extended hands of fellowship or offered his metaphorically large shoulders for to shoulder parts of the burden. He had been to places from Zamfara to Birnin Gwari to console victims of banditry and offer hope and aid. No one else, not the person shouting Im your own had been to any of these places for purposes other than rallies.

In the weeks leading to the election day, and in the oppositions desperation to paint Tinubu with tar brush, they manufactured many lies. For a man who turned the tide of the OPC violence and integrated the Hausa community in Lagos, the charged him of direct opposite. For someone who went to the Arewa House in Kaduna in mid-October and spoke to the admiration and commendation of northern elders some of them Atikus own foot soldiersa hireling came late in the race to say he had no plans for the North. Their lies had been debunked again and again. Northerners living in Lagos had came out to speak of how Tinubu and his policies gave them a place and opportunities to excel. A Katsina man is today a commissioner in Lagos state a tradition started by Tinubumany others are elected into different positions of leadership. Millions of children of northern extraction have benefitted from Tinubus non-discriminatory policy of free education. A lot of them have gone to excel in different fields.

At the beginning they went about with the insinuation that Tinubu is a sick man. He shamed the naysayers through his effortless but very gruelling campaign. All the lies have crumbled like a pack of cards and it is now time for Nigerians to vote for the candidates they can trust and one with original ideas and the track records of drawing water from a dry well.

The vibe out there is positive. Asiwajus sippoand teeming voters are upbeat to deliver him comes Saturday. They have trashed the tales of ethnic mongers and have choosen th le path of honour and fairness which demands that good is return with goodness.

As the colonial officer, Sir Brian Sharwood Smith wrote about the relationship between the Britain and its then northern Nigerian colony, Tinubu may have come from Lagos and speak no Hausa or Fulfulde but he has proven to be always a friend of the North. The trustworthy people that they are the northerners are ready to reciprocate his friendship and love.

Abdulaziz Abdulaziz is Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to Asiwaju Tinubu.

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I am observing the elections from the privileged standpoint of an analyst working with colleagues at the Centre for Democracy and Development  Election Analysis Centre (EAC). We have identified five key issues that are likely to shape the 2023 elections. These are the five Is of: identity, insecurity, institutions, information disorder and inter- and intra-party squabbles.

Tomorrow is the big day when for the seventh election since the return to democracy, more than 93 million Nigerians are registered to vote. It is likely to be a closely contested race with four candidates  Ahmed Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP)  being the front runners.

I am observing the elections from the privileged standpoint of an analyst working with colleagues at the Centre for Democracy and Development  Election Analysis Centre (EAC). We have identified five key issues that are likely to shape the 2023 elections. These are the five Is of: identity, insecurity, institutions, information disorder and inter- and intra-party squabbles.

Nigerias political system, both at the federal and state levels, is characterised by prebendal patronage where political actors capture state power and use this to advance the well-being of their ethnic or religious groups. A consequence of this is that state resources are unevenly distributed to the advantage of majority groups, thereby making political representation and access to power highly competitive in the country. In addressing these concerns, the political elite, across party lines, have adopted approaches such as power rotation and zoning to improve the inclusivity of minority groups.

The three leading presidential candidates, Ahmed Bola Tinubu of the APC, Atiku Abubakar of the PDP and Peter Obi of the Labour Party are from the Yoruba, Fulani and Igbo ethnic groups respectively. Candidates are expected to perform better than their opponents in their home geo-political zones, while opposition party members may face repression from state and non-state actors in these areas. Religion may also be a prominent determinant of the outcome of the 2023 presidential election. The APCs decision to run a Muslim-Muslim ticket has heightened religious tensions in the country. Conventionally, leading parties seek to balance their presidential tickets to ensure that both major faiths are represented and there are concerns about what impact a single faith victory would have for faith relations in the country.

Nigerians will go to the polls in 2023 amidst a host of security challenges. All six geopolitical zones of the country are confronted by insecurity, which has led to the deployment of the Nigerian military across the federation. Northern states are engulfed in long-standing violence with extremist jihadist groups, criminal bandit gangs, and other non-state armed groups which are engaged in deadly attacks of local communities. In the South, civil unrest continues against the backdrop of ongoing violence between farmers and herders and secessionist agitators. Over half of the 36 states experienced an increase in the number of conflict events in 2022, in comparison to 2021, according to data from the Nigeria Election Violence Tracker, a partnership between the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) and Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD). The situation is further complicated by fuel and currency scarcity, which is increasing the economic hardship of the more than 130 million Nigerians classified as multidimensionally poor.

Already faced with a gargantuan logistical operation, those charged with managing the elections across the country are further challenged by the prevailing insecurity and the Central Bank of Nigerias (CBN) efforts to push a cashless policy. INEC and its supporting agencies rely heavily on cash to deploy more than a million-field staff and to ensure the safe delivery of election day materials. Local printing of materials and other sub-contracted services have already been affected by the cash shortages.

The insecurity challenges have the potential to impact on the quality of the forthcoming elections. They could even determine whether elections will hold all across the country, given the threat they pose to the security of voters, electoral materials, and poll officials across the more than 176,000 polling units. Targeted attacks on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) offices and staff have been on the rise in the last year.

The success of any electoral process is dependent on the credibility, transparency and efficiency of stakeholders that manage, regulate, and secure the process. Saddled with the responsibility of establishing the rules of play and conducting the 2023 elections, INEC is a central election stakeholder and has demonstrated a strong commitment to ensuring the holding of safe, credible and on-time elections. The introduction of the 2022 Electoral Act supports the use of technology, such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), a facial recognition system aiding voter accreditation, and the INEC result viewing portal, which have boosted confidence in the system.

Already faced with a gargantuan logistical operation, those charged with managing the elections across the country are further challenged by the prevailing insecurity and the Central Bank of Nigerias (CBN) efforts to push a cashless policy. INEC and its supporting agencies rely heavily on cash to deploy more than a million-field staff and to ensure the safe delivery of election day materials. Local printing of materials and other sub-contracted services have already been affected by the cash shortages. INEC will also find it extremely difficult to effectively deploy logistics and staff to remote locations. It normally pays transporters and provides resources for more than a million ad-hoc staff in the 8,809 political wards in cash.

Whilst social media has opened avenues for citizens to engage more robustly with their prospective representatives, the volume of misinformation  the sharing of falsehoods without knowing they are false  and disinformation  which implies a deliberate intent to mislead  circulating online can also lead to citizen actions based on incorrect information. Tactics used by social media influencers, who are often paid to promote a particular political agenda, include hashtag manipulation, the use of automated or controlled networks, deliberate mistranslation, false impersonation, and manipulated audio and video material. More than in previous polls, digital misinformation and disinformation on social media has shaped the coverage of the campaigns of mainstream media, with online influencers having an outsized role in setting the agenda. Information that begins as a rumour on WhatsApp or through Twitter can be picked up by media houses or shared by influential community figures, creating a litany of indirect users alongside those with direct access. Pre-existing cleavages, identity politics and the insecure political and ethnoreligious landscape of the Nigerian democratic system further engenders the spread of disinformation, with the risk that it can even impact on national cohesion.

To enhance Nigerias elections, the government should ensure that key election stakeholders  in particular INEC and the security agencies  have the necessary resources at their disposal to roll out their comprehensive plans for election day operations, while ensuring that polls take place in a safe, free and fair environment. Political parties must ensure that their members and supporters adhere to the conditions laid out in the National Peace Accord

Trust is a scarce commodity in Nigeria today and this fact is being exacerbated by the volume of misleading content online. Ahead of the forthcoming polls, renewed sophistication and organisation in the push of disinformation has been observed, with efforts generally focused on glorifying or delegitimising political aspirants and undermining the credibility of INEC.

Ahead of these February elections, violence targeting political party supporters had trended upwards. In the last quarter of 2022, violence directed at political parties reached its highest point since the previous general election in early 2019. In total, there have been 60 attacks recorded on political rallies, resulting in nine fatalities since the start of campaigns on 28 September.

Intra-party contestations have also been a feature of the 2023 campaign. The APC initially experienced some internal division from Christians in the party, unhappy at the unwillingness of Tinubu to balance the presidential ticket. But more substantive divisions have emerged and spilled into the public sphere, following the CBNs demonetisation policy. Prominent APC governors have openly accused senior officials in the Presidency, and tacitly the president himself, of working against the interest of the party and in favour of Atiku, a fellow Fulani and Northerner. Atiku himself has endured a divided party throughout his campaign, with the group fo five PDP governors (G5), refusing to support his candidacy in frustration at the PDPs failure to adhere to zoning principles in the selection of its flagbearer and party chairman. This could result in the PDP losing votes in the South-South geopolitical zone, historically a stronghold of party.

To enhance Nigerias elections, the government should ensure that key election stakeholders  in particular INEC and the security agencies  have the necessary resources at their disposal to roll out their comprehensive plans for election day operations, while ensuring that polls take place in a safe, free and fair environment. Political parties must ensure that their members and supporters adhere to the conditions laid out in the National Peace Accord through the voting process and after the announcement of results. INEC must continue to communicate regularly with Nigerians about the ongoing elections process and make sure that this is as transparent as possible during the collation and announcement of results stages. The Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security must ensure that all security personnel on electoral duty adhere to the agreed code of conduct and rules of engagement. Social media companies need to support the work of factchecking organisations by promptly taking down digital content that promotes political disinformation or hate speech that relates to the elections.

A professor of Political Science and development consultant/expert, Jibrin Ibrahim is a Senior Fellow of the Centre for Democracy and Development, and Chair of the Editorial Board of PREMIUM TIMES.

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Nigerians, as the day of reckoning beckons on you, the day you would make a choice of your next leader, I write to speak to your conscience with a deep sense of utmost concern and passionate appeal. I write to speak to your consciencethat you should not blow this last chance. Yes, it is your last chance at rescuing this sinking ship, at least for the sake of your children, many of whom have never witnessed the pleasantness of the past, but are now faced with the arduous tasks of carrying needless burdens of hopelessness, poverty and penury into the future.

It was Aristotle who said Tolerance is the last virtue of a dying society. But, have Nigerians truly reached their limits? Someone has said, Nigerians are too tolerant. If you push them to the wall, rather than fighting back, they would go through the walls.

In July 2020, I woke up from a frightening night vision about Nigeria. I saw a stretch of neighbourhood in Nigeria looking desolate. It was a scene reminiscent of the war-ravaged city of Mogadishu. Shops and businesses were emptied; roads were waterlogged, refuse-littered, dirty, smelly, stinking and messy. Some roads leading to major streets were flooded with human blood. Buildings were rickety and ram-shackled; and the surviving people standing aloof on streets stood in a panic mood. There was no food to eat or water to drink, as I combed that neighbourhood from building to building, and from shop to shop. It was a terrible sight. I woke up with a very heavy burden in my heart. Looking at the past, I began to fear for the future of Nigeria.

William Federer accurately captures it that, the story of the future is written in the past. Extending this further was the poet, Carl Sandburg, who also said, when a nation goes down or a society perishes, one condition may always be found; they forgot where they came from. They lost sight of what had brought them along.

Truly, Nigerians have lost focus of their history.

Nigerians, as the day of reckoning beckons on you, the day you would make a choice of your next leader, I write to speak to your conscience with a deep sense of utmost concern and passionate appeal. I write to speak to your conscience, the internal dashboard given to every man by God to guide and shape decisions and choices, that you should not blow this last chance. Yes, it is your last chance at rescuing this sinking ship, at least for the sake of your children, many of whom have never witnessed the pleasantness of the past, but are now faced with the arduous tasks of carrying needless burdens of hopelessness, poverty and penury into the future. Truly, Nigeria is one of the greatest countries on earth, as far as potentials are concerned. Sadly, it is one of the worst countries on earth to achieve dreams and fulfil destinies. In virtually all known global measures of societal success, Nigeria pales in ranking.

Historically, the Nigerian population has been a victim of many weapons, chief of which are poverty and ignorance To make matters worse for Nigerians, the corrupt political elites, together with their evil collaborators in the private sector, have decided to punish Nigerians with the poor and shabby implementation of the currency swap policy, thoroughly weakening the people and preparing them ahead for easy financial inducement at the polls.

Nigeria is at this crossroad of darkness because at all levels, in the church and outside of the church; righteousness has taken flight out of the nation. The politicians, for the most part, are agents of darkness. Similarly, the church that should be the light of the world, has been gravely compromised. The world is now the light of the church. It is so bad now that many among the church leaders in Nigeria have forsaken their first love totally, and are now wining and dining with mammon, with a lot of them actually involved with unbelievable dimensions of occultic practices and affiliations that millions of Nigerian Christians have remained oblivious about. Thus, Nigeria is indeed at a terrible cross-road of darkness.

I can recall very vividly that, former US president, Ronald Reagan expressed a very striking sentiment to the American people in his quest to equip them with the traction they clearly lacked at a most critical time of their history. He said, and I quote, Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didnt pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our childrens children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.

That is the spirit, the decision to fight for the future of your children by electing the right leader to lead us through the next four years. It is the decision to fight against ethnocentric sentiments, religious bigotry and premordial sentiments, in selecting the man with values that you would wish your children emulate in their future. Historically, the Nigerian population has been a victim of many weapons, chief of which are poverty and ignorance. One of the most powerful tool in the hands of evil leaders is poverty. It is a tool used all over the world to weaken the people and force them to trade their conscience for temporary financial gratification. It was used by Adolf Hitler to tame the church in Germany. It was used by Joseph Stalin in Russia. In more recent times, it has been used by several other despots and narcissistic leaders, particularly those in Africa. To make matters worse for Nigerians, the corrupt political elites, together with their evil collaborators in the private sector, have decided to punish Nigerians with the poor and shabby implementation of the currency swap policy, thoroughly weakening the people and preparing them ahead for easy financial inducement at the polls.

 you, the people, hold the ace. It is your last chance to decimate darkness. It is your last chance to unite with one voice and change the trajectory of this sinking ship. The power is in your hands, Nigerians. The force of change is triggered by the force of unity, unity of purpose and unity of direction. If you can hold up your heads, tighten your fists against inducements, despite your current pains, and put your feet to the ground in choosing a good leader, your sun will soon shine again.

But you, the people, hold the ace. It is your last chance to decimate darkness. It is your last chance to unite with one voice and change the trajectory of this sinking ship. The power is in your hands, Nigerians. The force of change is triggered by the force of unity, unity of purpose and unity of direction. If you can hold up your heads, tighten your fists against inducements, despite your current pains, and put your feet to the ground in choosing a good leader, your sun will soon shine again. I do not wish to belabour you with what you already know. My assignment is very simple, to help you appreciate the sensitivity and the strategic nature of the decision you would be making on the 25th of February. Remember, no one will bear the consequences of that decision, but you and your children.

Do not believe their truth. Lord Acton said, Official Truth is not Actual Truth. Their truth is fraught with lies. The actual truth is that your current leaders dont love you. You are simply a tool in their hands to help them achieve their goals. This truth should actually guide you into choosing a leader whose manifesto, personal integrity, past results, and current mental and intellectual capacity thats devoid of ethno-religious sentiments stand ahead of the pack, a leader whose past and present destiny you crave for your children.

25th of February is the date with destiny, Nigerians. You must not blow it. It is your last chance.

Ayo Akerele, a leadership and system development strategist, and minister of the word, writes from Canada and can be reached through ayoakerele2012@gmail.com.

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There will be massive vote buying in the forthcoming elections. The scale may differ, and the required amount of money may increase. The well-intended efforts to re-design the currency may reduce it but will not eliminate it. Instead, it could become counterproductive in some instances. With the intensifying fuel shortages and limited availability of new notes, citizens are becoming hungry and angry. Some may end up selling their votes as a result of desperation.

There are indications that the forthcoming elections will be different, and the people are capable of being that difference, despite the signs of tension and apprehension that continue to spread across the landscape. The tectonic shifts in the interests of voters in the country and the issues stimulating those interests could be that difference. Political actors are anxious but appear determined to do everything within their powers to disrupt the imminent change, so that things go their way. For the first time in the history of elections in Nigeria, the political elite seem to be in disarray, as they do not appear to have coalesced sufficiently around a collective interest. The rising temperature of identity politics, the visible entry of new actors, and the resolve of the young people to ensure that their votes count do not seem to be going down well with the traditional actors. In a cacophony of voices, they have continued to disagree among themselves, throwing verbal missiles at one another and hatching multiple conspiracy theories. From alleged sabotage from within their ranks to rumours of coups, concerns about the postponement of the general elections and the unlikely detour to an interim government. The polity appears heated up almost to a boiling point. Amidst the emerging issues, three of them stand out.

Incidences of Violence May Be Used To Suppress Voter Turnout

Spreading insecurity has been a constant feature of the current administration in Nigeria and this could derail the polls. In all parts of Nigeria, security challenges continue to spread widely. It is, therefore, easy to predict that politicians will like to suppress voter turnout through sponsored violence. In some cities like Lagos, known thugs and gang leaders openly identify with specific political groups. In some cases, traditional rulers who ought to be non-partisan have openly expressed support for particular political parties. Others have subtly threatened attacks on residents who do not vote in certain directions. For instance, sporadic violence has already started happening in some parts of the South-East where unknown gunmen are rampaging to stop people from participating in the elections but rather to heed the calls for secession. Nigerian politicians are good at stoking tribal and religious fires to fuel their political ends. But this one has reached an entirely different level to become an open political strategy. Some states like Anambra, Imo, Rivers and Bornu are already flashpoints of electoral violence, and these may impact the likely turnout. Many local governments in the Northern part of the country are currently under the reign of terrorists and bandits. It is unclear if the electoral umpire will risk personnel and materials in these disputed areas and whether the votes will be valid in these places.

Although the BVAS has been experimented with in elections in Osun and Anambra States, many voters, especially in local communities, need to familiarise themselves with it and may have challenges about what constitutes the correct use of BVAS. Furthermore, there are indications that poor Internet connection could affect its functionality in rural areas

Technological Glitches May Produce Unintended Consequences

The electronic transmission of votes through the Bimodal Voter Accreditation Scheme (BVAS) has been widely acknowledged as one of the efforts to reduce manipulation between the polling units and the collation centres. However, the technology is novel and not yet fully understood by the electorate. Although the BVAS has been experimented with in elections in Osun and Anambra States, many voters, especially in local communities, need to familiarise themselves with it and may have challenges about what constitutes the correct use of BVAS. Furthermore, there are indications that poor Internet connection could affect its functionality in rural areas, and no one is sure if any feasible alternative has been envisaged. Mercantile agents could be used to disrupt the results in order to falsify them.

The Double-edged Sword of Unavailability of Cash and Fuel Scarcity

There will be massive vote buying in the forthcoming elections. The scale may differ, and the required amount of money may increase. The well-intended efforts to re-design the currency may reduce it but will not eliminate it. Instead, it could become counterproductive in some instances. With the intensifying fuel shortages and limited availability of new notes, citizens are becoming hungry and angry. Some may end up selling their votes as a result of desperation. Riots have already erupted in Rivers, Ogun, Lagos and Oyo States, leading to the destruction of banking facilities. Furthermore, the negative responses and finger-pointing from many highly placed politicians, especially within the ruling party, indicate that they would likely adopt more innovative strategies to induce voters.

Recent pronouncements, especially from the Supreme Court, do not indicate a sector that can be expected to be neutral or fair in adjudicating on election matters. Rather it appears to point towards controversial and often partisan interests. Making judgment available to the highest bidder, often beyond the reach of ordinary people, remains one of the biggest threats to Nigerias democracy.

Hands of Judicial Capture Now Visible

The existence of an independent judiciary is an essential factor in the health of a democracy that many analysts tend to omit. Justice remains the casualty and technicality has become the convenient jargon. Recent pronouncements, especially from the Supreme Court, do not indicate a sector that can be expected to be neutral or fair in adjudicating on election matters. Rather it appears to point towards controversial and often partisan interests. Making judgment available to the highest bidder, often beyond the reach of ordinary people, remains one of the biggest threats to Nigerias democracy. Punitive measures have become necessary but insufficient to whip erring members of the judiciary to order.

Could Free and Fair Elections Compensate for Buharis Numerous Failures?

Amidst multidirectional pressure, President Buhari appears adamant in facilitating the conduct of free and fair elections. Despite the low popularity of his partys presidential candidate, he does not appear willing to grant him use of the incumbency factor in leveraging on the states architecture towards easier electoral victory. Many influential persons within the presidents party are very angry, and some have openly criticised him as a saboteur. The outgoing Nigeria president may be bent on ensuring that he delivers a clean election. It is likely that citizens who are pained by the consequences of his poor performance in the office are disposed to forgiving him if he allows the peoples voice to prevail in free and fair elections in the next few days and weeks.

Uche Igwe is a Senior Political Economy Analyst and Visiting Fellow at Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). He can be reached through ucheigwe@gmail.com

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The clergy should be messengers of electoral peace. They should not become unwittingly the inciters and inviters of electoral violence They should be the encouraging and assuring voice mobilising the people to exercise their franchise and moderating their expectations, ahead of any possible electoral disappointment.

Forty years ago, in the run-up to the 1983 presidential election, a Professor Godspower Oyewole, then a renowned psychic, predicted that the name of the destined winner of the election was in the Bible. Many supporters of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) and of the Nigerian Peoples Party (NPP) were happy and expectant. Awo was Jeremiah. Zik, Benjamin. Both of them Christians. One, from Western Nigeria; the other from Eastern Nigeria. They, separately, were contesting against the incumbent, Alhaji Usman Aliyu Shehu Shagari, a Muslim, from Northern Nigeria, whose name, many concluded, was not in the Bible, and who, therefore, was not destined to win the election.

In the end, Shagari won. Rigging was alleged. Fela Anikulapo Kuti denounced the election and as demonstration of craze and crazy demonstration in his Teacher Dont Teach me Nonsense classic. Shrugging off allegations of political hackery, Professor Oyewole didnt back down. He doubled down. He declared he was vindicated. Shamgar, he told all, was a name in the Bible, and that the name was the biblical equivalent of Shagari.

In the nighties and after the dawn of the millennium, Prophet T. O Olabayo arrived the national scene to regale Nigerians with his Mount Taborah new year prophesies.

Before him, there was Dr Gabriel Okunzua, a seer and parapsychologist.

However, nothing the magicians, psychics or prophets of the old time did prepared or could have prepared any one of us for the soothsaying idiocies of the current era. Especially the electoral prophesies (or more appropriately, heresies) tumbling down from men of God. Sadly, preponderantly, pastors.

Aided by the Information Age and, in particular, the social media, people who claim they are Gods confidants have, in this election cycle, inundated Nigerians with all sorts of loud predictions of what the outcomes of the general elections would be. Ballot prophets and elections outcomes spiritualists are confidently but foolishly declaring to Nigerians how the heavenly theocracy is using the chariot of mercy and favour to divinely ordain, anoint and catapult the elects and the selected to the pinnacle of predestined political powers, in a temporal democracy!

these prophesies have the potential of predisposing large segments of the electorate to rejecting election results that do not tally with their predictions. They are not only conducts likely to cause a breach of the peace, if predictions failed to match election outcomes, but also actions that mobilise the masses towards outbreaks of post-election violence.

Stop it! Prophesies hurt no one. There is a fundamental right to freedom of expression and the press. And everyone is entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. Gods communication with man is not recordable. But God speaks to His anointed, the called and His prophets. Certainly, these admonitions will come.

But are these election outcome prophesies not harmful to the people? They are. And here is why.

Critically examined, situated within the context of the ramifying pontifications with which they are given, and the fora where they are delivered, glaringly, the provisions of Section 97 of the Electoral Act, 2022, are implicated.

More importantly, these prophesies have the potential of predisposing large segments of the electorate to rejecting election results that do not tally with their predictions. They are not only conducts likely to cause a breach of the peace, if predictions failed to match election outcomes, but also actions that mobilise the masses towards outbreaks of post-election violence.

While it is conceded that evangelicals and religious organisations generally can endorse candidates in an election, they ought to refrain from working up their congregants or followers to expect and accept nothing but the inevitability of the Lords chosen. That is a recipe for post-election violence.

In the future, if not now, law enforcement agencies, working in synergy with the offices of the AGF and AG, States (if occupied by not overtly partisan persons) could curb this growing menace, cause investigation to be conducted, and file criminal charges against alleged offenders, as may be appropriate.

what happened in 2011? A national tragedy in which many lives were lost, including youth corps members participating in the election as ad-hoc election officers, occurred. Who were the perpetrators? Largely, those who believed that their darling presidential candidate was being robbed in that election.

Our outgoing president contested for the office of the president three times (2003, 2007, and 2011) before he clinched the seat in 2015. According to his own narrative, he won the presidential election those three times but for the electoral robbery at the polls. The probability, if not the truth, however, was that he never won those elections, for, although he was garnering huge electoral numbers in the North, he was doing poorly in the South. He lacked the national spread of acceptance. In spite of that more than likely reality, he believed, and led many of his supporters to believe, that he was being serially robbed at the polls.

And so, what happened in 2011? A national tragedy in which many lives were lost, including youth corps members participating in the election as ad-hoc election officers, occurred. Who were the perpetrators? Largely, those who believed that their darling presidential candidate was being robbed in that election.

The clergy should be messengers of electoral peace. They should not become unwittingly the inciters and inviters of electoral violence.

They should be the encouraging and assuring voice mobilising the people to exercise their franchise and moderating their expectations, ahead of any possible electoral disappointment.

Do have a violence-free election.

Jiti Ogunye, lawyer, and Principal Counsel, Jiti Ogunye Chambers, is the Legal Adviser to Premium Times.

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A number of European leaders harbour the quixotic thought that as the first year of the War in Ukraine rolls by today, February 24, 2023, the Ukrainians will militarily defeat Russia. They prefer a continuation of the war, and, their writing the epitaph of Russian and Ukrainian youths who will be killed, rather than allow a peaceful resolution. However, as they are fixated on a military conquest, related events suggest that the European and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, NATO, alliance may crack partly due to the terrorist attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines linking Russia with Germany.

The United States, US, has been pointedly accused by one of the most famous journalists in the world, 85-year-old Seymour Hersh, of carrying out these terrorist attacks in the Baltic Sea. The US has, curiously, been virtually silent while the United Nations, UN, says it will not lead any investigation to unravel the culprits.

French President Emmanuel Macron on February 18 made an ambiguous statement that he wants Russia defeated but not crushed. According to him: I want Russia to be defeated in Ukraine, and I want Ukraine to be able to defend its positionI am convinced that, in the end, this will not conclude militarily. He added that neither side could fully prevail and does not want the war to spread to Russian territory. Macron does not come out clear on who he wants to defeat Russia: NATO or Ukraine?

I am sure he knows that it would be militarily impossible for Ukraine to overrun Russia, so he might simply be priming that country for more unnecessary deaths rather than engage in negotiations to end the war. Perhaps Macron and his fellow European leaders simply want to wear out Russia and make it vulnerable. Also, they may hope that elongating the war can lead to a coup in Russia. But they should realise that this can also happen in Ukraine.

Three days later, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, while not ruling out peace talks, declared that any peace that entails the surrender of Ukraine cannot be real. Italy, she said, is considering sending more air-defence systems to Ukraine, but ruled out the supply of military planes. In other words, Italy wants conditional discussions. The Foreign Ministers of seven countries: Germany, Canada, France, Japan, US, United Kingdom and Italy in a joint statement offered Ukraine more support and additional sanctions against Russia.

President Joe Biden, who visited Ukraine, announced a new military aid package worth $500 million for Ukraine to continue the war. He vowed: Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia. Buoyed by such support, myopic Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ruled out peace talks, declaring: Dialogue is useless. Rather, he told Biden: Together, we are going to a common victory and we must ensure it this year.

In reaction, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that his country is pulling out of nuclear talks with the US. However, while the focus is on military victory or defeat, the terrorist attacks on the Nord Stream pipeline that can transport 55 billion cubic meters of gas from Russia to Europe, may begin to redefine the NATO alliance as Germany, Sweden and Denmark who are investigating the incident are livid. They have established that the damage to the pipelines was caused by powerful explosions due to sabotage, and have taken their case to the UN.

They complain that the attacks caused substantial and worrisome effects in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. Russia, backed by China, has also demanded a UN probe and has approached the UN Security Council for an independent inquiry.

However, a 15 February investigative report by Hersh concluded that the terrorist attacks were carried out by the US Navy, the American Central Intelligence Agency, CIA, and the Norwegian Navy. He reported that in June 2022, US Navy divers under the cover of a multi-nation war-games simulation known as BALTOPS 22, placed explosive C4 charges on the pipelines. The explosives he claims, were detonated remotely three months later by a signal from a sonar buoy.

Hersh said the attacks were desperate American moves, adding: The fear of losing European support in the Ukraine conflict made the US to take out the only option Europe had should it want to restart buying fuel from Russia. The US, he said, is afraid that Europe could have a rethink on the Ukrainian conflict, decide to make peace and resume its oil and gas trade with Russia. He said the attacks were to cut into the notion that they (Europeans) can depend totally on America, even in a crisis. The US, he wrote, has always wanted to stop Russia selling oil and gas to the rest of Europe.

The White Houses reaction was to describe Hershs report as complete nonsense. However, it has made no public efforts to debunk the facts contained in the report, including the military exercise or the claimed agencies and means used. A major headache for the US is that Hersh is one of the most famous journalists in the world and one of the most decorated in American history. He is a four-time winner: 1969, 1973, 1974, and 1981, of the George Polk Award. This prestigious award goes to the intrepid, bold, and influential work of the reporters themselves, placing a premium on investigative work that is original, resourceful, and thought-provoking.

In 1970, he won the Pulitzer Prize, a prize established in 1917 for Americas best in print journalism, literary achievement, and musical composition. He is also a two-time winner of the National Magazine Award, and the 2004 George Orwell Award. Undoubtedly, one of the outcomes of the Ukrainian War is that it has made Europe far less reliant on Russian oil and gas. Ironically, Russia has ready markets for these commodities, especially in China and India. Another is the enormous sanctions the EU is capable of imposing on a country. The reverse side is that Russia has demonstrated that sanctions can also strengthen an economy. For instance, the Ruble in 2022 rather than become weak under the weight of sanctions, actually gained strengthen, and became the most improved currency in the world in terms of value.

Also, while the West thought it was tightening the noose around Russia by using international finance systems, alternative systems were being promoted by the BRICS nations comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Interestingly, in the past year of sanctions against Russia, at least a dozen countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Bahrain, Algeria, Argentina, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, have expressed interest in joining BRICS. It is in the collective interests of humanity to end the war in Ukraine by peaceful means because a military solution will be too costly, harmful and unpredictable.

Owei Lakemfa, a former secretary general of African workers, is a human rights activist, journalist and author.

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DUBLIN, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "AI in Energy Management Market Size, Market Share, Application Analysis, Regional Outlook, Growth Trends, Key Players, Competitive Strategies and Forecasts, 2022 to 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Key Market Insights

Rising energy production and consumption worldwide will boost market growth;



The global AI in energy management market is growing tremendously, projected to expand at a CAGR of 21.2% throughout the projected period from 2022 to 2030, starting from US$ 24.4 Bn in 2021.



The global AI in energy management market is majorly driven by the growing energy production & consumption worldwide along with leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to improve grid stability and the growing need for smart energy management solutions. In 2018, the global primary energy consumption was 1, 57,063.77 TWh raised 2.4% from 1, 53,347.15 TWh in 2017.

Moreover, India, China, and the U.S. together accounted for over 2/3rd of the worldwide increase in energy demand. The surge in the use of renewable energy sources is another factor driving the growth of the market. The introduction of cloud-based software to improve service operations, to deliver real-time insights and easy product development are some other major factors expected to enhance the market demand over the forecast period.



The integration of IoT (internet of things) to monitor utility & energy data in the energy management systems is another major factor expected to drive the market growth over the forecast period. The global energy management systems market was valued at around US$ 39.0 Bn in 2018 and anticipated to expand with a CAGR of nearly 19% over the forecast period. Market players are focusing on strategic collaborations for launching advanced AI-based energy management systems.

For instance, in November 2019, ABB Ltd. partners with Verdigris Technologies for revolutionizing energy management through artificial intelligence (AI) solutions. They launched two AI-powered applications in the ABB Ability EDCS (Electrical Distribution Control System), Energy Forecasting, and Intelligent Alerts. Intelligent Alerts app will help consumers to identify underlying issues, better manage their assets and Energy Forecasting app will help in reducing electricity bills through tumbling peak demand charges.



Application Analysis

Growing need for effective energy management services to spur the segment growth;



The energy output forecasting segment dominated the global market in 2021. The segment had the highest share due to a surge in the need for effective energy management services coupled with growing energy consumption worldwide. Artificial intelligence (AI) solutions help in utilizing data through machine learning techniques and statistical algorithms which help in providing better services to consumers.



Surge in demand to manage energy output globally to spur the segment growth;



The energy generation segment is anticipated to expand with the highest CAGR over the forecast period owing to the growing demand to manage the total energy output from different sources such as wind power stations, solar power plants, thermal plants, and others. The need to match temporal and spatial variations in real-time is another factor for segment growth.



Regional Analysis

The rise in the integration of AI in the energy industry to enhance North America growth;



In 2021, North America was dominant in the global AI in the energy management market. The region accounted for around 33% of the world market share in the same year. North America was dominant in 2018 due to the rise in the integration of artificial intelligence in the energy industry along with early technological adoption and presence of major market players in the region such as IBM Corporation, Honeywell International, Inc., General Electric Company, and others. The U.S. had the highest share in the North America AI in energy management market in 2018, contributed to more than 82% market share in the same year. The U.S. had a major share due to a surge in government investment coupled with the growing demand for energy. According to a report, the U.S. consumption is expanding at its fastest rate for the last 30 years.



Key Industry Developments:

In July 2019 , Microsoft Corporation and Schneider Electric SE collaborated to launch an accelerator program, artificial intelligence (AI) for green energy in the Microsoft Corporation AI factory in Europe . The program will help start-ups to transform the energy sector in the region by increasing energy efficiency and decreasing consumption.

, Microsoft Corporation and Schneider Electric SE collaborated to launch an accelerator program, artificial intelligence (AI) for green energy in the Microsoft Corporation AI factory in . The program will help start-ups to transform the energy sector in the region by increasing energy efficiency and decreasing consumption. In May 2019 , Schneider Electric SE acquired a stake in AutoGrid. With the stake acquisition in AutoGrid, Schneider Electric SE establishes a co-innovation partnership. The co-innovation partnership will focus on driving machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for the energy industry.

, Schneider Electric SE acquired a stake in AutoGrid. With the stake acquisition in AutoGrid, Schneider Electric SE establishes a co-innovation partnership. The co-innovation partnership will focus on driving machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for the energy industry. In February 2020 , Eaton Corporation PLC acquired Power Distribution, Inc. With the acquisition of Power Distribution, Inc., Eaton Corporation PLC is anticipated to expand its data center power monitoring and distribution solutions.

, Eaton Corporation PLC acquired Power Distribution, Inc. With the acquisition of Power Distribution, Inc., Eaton Corporation PLC is anticipated to expand its data center power monitoring and distribution solutions. In October 2019 , Siemens AG announced the separation of its energy business in a new company called Siemens Energy. Siemens Energy is expected to become a separate entity from April 2020 . The new company will work on the reduction of CO2 emissions and will introduce new trends in the energy industry with the help of artificial intelligence (AI).

List of Companies Covered:

IBM Corporation

Eaton Corporation PLC

General Electric Company

ABB Ltd.

Siemens AG

Honeywell International Inc.

Schneider Electric SE

Xcel Energy Inc.

Rockwell Automation

Wipro Limited

Microsoft Corporation

Market Segmentation

Deployment Type

Cloud

On-premise

Solution

Renewable Management

Demand Management

Infrastructure Management

Technology

Machine Learning

Natural Language Processing

Computer Vision

Application

Energy Generation

Energy Transmission

Energy Distribution

Energy Output Forecasting

End-user

Manufacturing

Utility

Residential

Government

Retail

Healthcare

Education

Key questions answered in this report

What are the key micro and macro environmental factors that are impacting the growth of AI in Energy Management 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 AI in Energy Management market?

Which is the largest regional market for AI in Energy Management 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 AI in Energy Management market growth?

Who are the key competitors and what are their key strategies to enhance their market presence in the AI in Energy Management market worldwide?

Companies Mentioned





IBM Corporation

Eaton Corporation PLC

General Electric Company

ABB Ltd.

Siemens AG

Honeywell International Inc.

Schneider Electric SE

Xcel Energy Inc.

Rockwell Automation

Wipro Limited

Microsoft Corporation

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/8zq0nn-in-energy?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.

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SOURCE Research and Markets
The Weather Channel TV Streaming App and Local Now

Improve Addressability and Measurement with Privacy-Safe Solution

ATLANTA and LOS ANGELES, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Allen Media Group (AMG) today announced it has adopted LiveRamp's (NYSE: RAMP) Authenticated Traffic Solution (ATS) across its streaming brands The Weather Channel TV Streaming App and Local Now. As a result of this integration, the world's top marketers will be able to find and buy their audiences across The Weather Channel TV Streaming App and Local Now authenticated inventory, enabling every impression to be addressable and measurable, building stronger relationships with consumers while also providing a privacy-first solution.

Allen Media Group - LiveRamp

"The industry is at a crossroads when it comes to privacy, and we're looking ahead so we can meet today's demands for privacy, but also anticipate where the market is going moving forward," said Byron Allen, Founder/Chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group. "Amidst industry and macroeconomic pressures, Allen Media Group's deployment of ATS provides a critical solution to make every impression addressable and measurable for marketers, while also maintaining industry-best standards for consumer privacy."

The Weather Channel Streaming TV App and Local Now will now offer authenticated inventory without relying on third-party identifiers such as mobile device IDs or IP addresses. LiveRamp's ATS enables this by providing authenticated first-party connectivity to enable data-driven, programmatic targeting on people-based inventory. By integrating ATS, marketers can now reach addressable audiences in a way that is privacy-safe and helps put individuals in control of their data with transparency and trusted value exchanges.

The Weather Channel TV Streaming App (www.streamtwc.com) is available for authenticated cable customers or via Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) subscription packages which include a 7-day free trial. Local Now is free and available on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Xfinity, Vizio, Samsung, Android and IOS devices. (www.LocalNow.com)

"Allen Media Group is ahead of the curve in understanding the importance consumers are placing on their privacy, and the shifting landscape of regulations and market trends that require our ecosystem to build stronger, more trustworthy relationships with consumers," said Scott Howe, CEO, LiveRamp. "Allen Media Group's implementation of ATS is a sustainable solution for all aspects of privacy, while creating value for marketers looking to reach these addressable audiences."

ABOUT ALLEN MEDIA GROUP

Chairman and CEO Byron Allen founded Allen Media Group in 1993. Headquartered in Los Angeles, it has offices in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and Charleston, SC. Allen Media Group owns 27 ABC-NBC-CBS-FOX network affiliate broadcast television stations in 21 U.S. markets and twelve 24-hour HD television networks serving nearly 220 million subscribers: THE WEATHER CHANNEL, THE WEATHER CHANNEL EN ESPANOL, PETS.TV, COMEDY.TV, RECIPE.TV, CARS.TV, ES.TV, MYDESTINATION.TV, JUSTICE CENTRAL.TV, THEGRIO, THIS TV, and PATTRN. Allen Media Group also owns the streaming platforms HBCU GO, THE GRIO STREAMING APP, SPORTS.TV, THE WEATHER CHANNEL STREAMING APP, and LOCAL NOW--the free-streaming AVOD service powered by THE WEATHER CHANNEL and content partners, which delivers real-time, hyper-local news, weather, traffic, sports, and lifestyle information. Allen Media Group also produces, distributes, and sells advertising for 72 television programs, making it one of the largest independent producers/distributors of first-run syndicated television programming for broadcast television stations. With a library of over 5,000 hours of owned content across multiple genres, Allen Media Group provides video content to broadcast television stations, cable television networks, mobile devices, and multimedia digital. Our mission is to provide excellent programming to our viewers, online users, and Fortune 500 advertising partners.

ABOUT LIVERAMP

LiveRamp is the data collaboration platform of choice for the world's most innovative companies. A groundbreaking leader in consumer privacy, data ethics, and foundational identity, LiveRamp is setting the new standard for building a connected customer view with unmatched clarity and context while protecting precious brand and consumer trust. LiveRamp offers complete flexibility to collaborate wherever data lives to support the widest range of data collaboration use caseswithin organizations, between brands, and across its premier global network of top-quality partners.

Hundreds of global innovators, from iconic consumer brands and tech giants to banks, retailers, and healthcare leaders turn to LiveRamp to build enduring brand and business value by deepening customer engagement and loyalty, activating new partnerships, and maximizing the value of their first-party data while staying on the forefront of rapidly evolving compliance and privacy requirements. LiveRamp is based in San Francisco, California with offices worldwide. Learn more at LiveRamp.com.

SOURCE Allen Media Group
DALLAS, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- AllerVie Health, a leading provider of allergy and immunology services in the United States, announces the departure of Dr. Jack Eades from Savannah, Georgia-based Southern Allergy & Asthma PC and welcomes new board-certified allergist, Dr. Abner Bagenstose.

After many dedicated years of providing allergy and asthma care in the Savannah community, Eades will step away from practicing medicine with Southern Allergy & Asthma PC and the AllerVie Health network, effective March 24, 2023.

The addition of Bagenstose solidifies AllerVie's commitment to providing high-quality allergy and asthma care to the Savannah, Pooler, and Rincon communities, ensuring patients have a smooth transition of care.

Bagenstose joins the care team at Southern Allergy & Asthma PC in March 2023 and has over 40 years of clinical experience treating patients with severe asthma, allergic rhinitis, food allergies, drug allergies, chronic sinusitis, chronic urticaria, and more. Bagenstose is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, as well as by the American Board of Allergy and Immunology, a Conjoint Board of the American Board of Internal Medicine, and the American Board of Pediatrics.

Patients have the right to see any provider of their choice. As such, AllerVie Health and Southern Allergy & Asthma PC will work with patients who would like to transfer their medical records to another practice, to the physician of their choice, to them personally or to their legally authorized representative. Patients may contact Southern Allergy & Asthma PC directly to file a medical records release request. If patients do not seek to have their records returned to them or transferred to another provider of their choice, records will be maintained at the current clinic location and retained in accordance with all requirements under state law.

AllerVie Health previously acquired Eades' practice, Southern Allergy & Asthma PC, in December 2021 and has been privileged to serve patients across the greater Savannah region.

Headquartered in Dallas, AllerVie Health served over 100,000 patients in 2022 with world-class allergy and immunology services.

About AllerVie Health

AllerVie Health is a national network of board-certified allergists and immunologists partnering together for the advancement of patient care, serving patients across 12 states in 79 clinic locations. Our providers are committed to establishing the allergy and immunology gold standard, expanding access to best-in-class care, and bringing relief and renewed vitality to the millions of Americans affected annually, many of whom live in underserved communities today. AllerVie is relentlessly dedicated to clinical excellence, creating an improved patient experience, and supporting the development of advanced allergy and immunology-focused therapeutics and treatment options. With AllerVie Health, our patients can feel their best, reclaim their lives, and live in freedom! To learn more, visit www.allervie.com .

Media Contact:

Rachel Russell

[email protected]

817-253-2940

SOURCE AllerVie Health
WASHINGTON, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Primary Aluminum Association (APAA), the leading voice for America's primary aluminum industry and its workers, today released the following statement applauding the Biden administration's implementation of a 200% tariff on U.S. imports of Russian aluminum and on Russian aluminum embedded in third-country manufacturing:

"The APAA, its members, and its workers stand with the Biden administration in support of its decision to robustly defend the U.S. aluminum industry in the face of continued Russian aggression and blatant disregard for international economic and security norms.

"Together with the continued implementation of Section 232, these new economic measures will help to address the growing unfair trade advantage the Russian aluminum industry  including proxy companies set up in the U.S. as independent American agents  has enjoyed since the invasion of Ukraine and resulting energy crisis. The application of these tariffs on downstream manufacturers is also a key factor in ensuring the tariffs have the desired effect: expulsion of Russian aluminum from the U.S. economic system in favor of American-made metal.

"The Russian aluminum industry has benefited from the very energy crisis Russia created when it invaded Ukraine, and has taken advantage of this crisis by dumping excess aluminum supply on the global market at artificially low prices. These Biden tariffs will protect American jobs, punish unfair competitive practices, and frustrate Putin's war effort, for which Russian aluminum is a key input.

"We are pleased to see that the Biden administration is handling the threat of an unrestrained Russian aluminum with the seriousness that it deserves. Russian producers of aluminum hurt American producers, and in so doing, threaten our country's critical national, economic, and climate security interests. These tariffs help to mitigate that threat and position the U.S. to better control its own destiny and achieve critical security, economic, and climate goals.

"The APAA, its members, and workers applaud the Biden administration on the implementation of these tariffs and demand continued vigilance in response to any further economic aggression from countries across the globe who seek to do America harm. We support the enforcement of these tariffs in combination with continued application of the Section 232 program, which has been supported by both Republican and Democratic administrations. And we believe in the continued focus and advancement of America's national security, economic independence, and green initiatives well into the future."

Media Contact

Nicholas Fitzgerald

[email protected]

SOURCE American Primary Aluminum Association (APAA)
Latest solutions leverage key technologies such as mmWave, phased array, and beamforming to push 'Velocity' of connectivity higher

TAIPEI, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Auden Group , a leading provider of connectivity solutions based in Taiwan, is attending MWC Barcelona 2023 (Hall 5, Booth 5J64) to showcase its technological breakthroughs that are accelerating high-frequency 5G and wireless communications worldwide. Always pushing the cutting edge of antenna design, the brand is holding live demos of the solutions that achieved these milestones  including the 28GHz mmWave RF front-end antenna module that delivers high-frequency mmWave antenna technology at scale and the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) User Terminals that advance satellite broadband services.

Elevating 5G Frequency Capabilities: 28GHz mmWave

Unlocking higher frequencies of 5G means higher speeds, and Auden's 28GHz mmWave RF front-end antenna module demoed at MWC is a breakthrough therein. This solution uses 256QAM signal over-the-air transmission to allow its phased array antenna to deliver beamforming with excellent performance from rapid beam steering. Antenna designs, particularly phased arrays, use beamforming to solve path loss issues common at the higher frequencies of 5G mmWave, while enabling the creation of high-frequency 5G mmWave networks and Radio Frequency Identification.

Advancing LEO User Terminal Design for Enterprise and Marine Applications

For satellite broadband service via LEO networks, Auden is also spotlighting the LEO User Terminal, a 32 x 32 antenna array module with 2D beam scan capabilities, which the brand has successfully moved from the proof of concept stage to being ready for mass production in record time. In addition, a Marine LEO User Terminal project is in the pipeline, designed for marine applications in the future, together with Electronically Steered Array (ESA) for maintaining stability of marine solutions in rough seas.

5G MIMO Combo Antenna for Rugged Devices and V2X

Auden adds immense value to its Sub6 & 5G MIMO antenna designs through customizing them for particular applications. To highlight this, the brand is exhibiting its phased array antenna with integrated movement tracking, which was built to enhance high-mobility applications like vehicle-to-everything (V2X). For rugged devices, its bespoke slot antenna design is ideal for metal-encased devices, and a rotating antenna design offers a low profile for compact spaces. The company will also be discussing more on both embedded and external antenna designs tailored to verticals like V2X and global navigation satellite systems (GNSS).

Lastly, Auden is showcasing advanced testing products such as Dielectric Assessment KitSystems and health wearables testing solutions at the show.

A Key Player Empowering Telecoms and Beyond

As a pioneer in the wireless communications industry, Auden partners with top global telecoms companies and plays a key role in their communications infrastructure. For example, the brand collaborates with a major satellite broadband service provider that counts on Auden's LEO User Terminals for enterprise users. Through providing customers cost-effective antenna designs tailored to a specific vertical, Auden has been particularly successful in the market for rugged device antennas, in which it has the top market share. The company's impact on the Open RAN ecosystem is also outstanding, as its subsidiary Auray recently became the world's first Open Testing and Integration Centre (OTIC) to issue the 5G OPEN RAN radio unit certification .

For more information, please contact [email protected] or

visit https://www.auden.com.tw/en/home-en/.

About Auden Group

Established in 1981, Auden Group is a leading provider of connectivity solutions based in Taiwan. Continuously striving to advance the connectivity industry worldwide, the company provides comprehensive technical and service support in the wireless communication market, spanning antenna design & manufacturing, system-level integration, wireless product testing, laboratory & security, and green energy.

CONTACT: Jessie Liu, Tel : (+886)928-279-002

SOURCE Auden Techno. Corp
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Yvette Keller is a lifelong fan of the British writer, Douglas Adams, best known for the 5-book, science fiction humor "trilogy," The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. The Santa Barbara, California-based writer now invites Adams fans and London tourists to experience all things Adams through a new literary guide, "Douglas Adams' London," published by Herb Lester Associates. Pre-orders are now available at www.herblester.com with a ship date of March 11, chosen because it is Adams' birthday.

Douglas Adams' London Author, Yvette Keller Douglas Adams' London Literary Guide

Adams lived and worked in London for decades. " Douglas Adams' London ," is a hitchhiker's guide to 42 places (chosen honor of Hitchhiker's reference to the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything) drawn from the reality and fiction of Adams' life. On one side, a stylized map pinpoints relevant sites across London. On the reverse, detailed information about each site spotlights its significance to the author.

From Shepherds Bush to Highgate, the map leads tourists along the streets that Adams knew and cared about, noting the rampant development of his beloved Islington, "Grim concrete monoliths, eyeing the new spaces in Upper Street where they hoped to spawn their horrid progeny." Expressing the timeless joy Adams referred to Hyde Park as, "stunning except for the rubbish on Monday mornings."

Keller's pilgrimage to walk in Adams' footsteps began very simply. It began with her 42nd birthday and a book, one she is writing to share her experiences with other fans. "By exploring the meaningful places in Adams' life, you start to see how reality and fiction came together for him," Keller explained. "Character, setting, and author, intersect with reality, and, as Douglas said, 'If you're going to set it in London, you may as well set it where you live because you know it. There's no point in setting it in Putney if I've then got to get a bus down to Putney to see what the layout is.'"

Ben Olins is the director at Herb Lester Associates. He was intrigued by how real and imagined worlds overlap. So, to explore real places from the work of an author best known for Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was, in his words, "irresistible." The publisher is no stranger to literary maps. The company's "guides to the unexpected," include Agatha Christie's England, Occult Paris, and New Orleans Good Times.

"One's first thoughts of places included in a galactic travel guide don't include the north London estate agents and residential streets. But places he (Adams) knew are used throughout his books," Olins said. "In charting all of that, I hope we bring to life the world Adams inhabited, and in doing so perhaps bring readers closer to a writer they admire."

Those who pre-order the Douglas Adams' London guide directly from Herb Lester Associates have an opportunity to order a set of six coasters gathered from fictional pubs and clubs across the Hitchhikers universe. (Check out the author's unboxing video here.)

While supplies last, they will also receive a seventh, exclusive beer mat from Milliways - The Restaurant at the End of the Universe. The guide will be available to fans in the United States beginning April 15. For more information, or to order, visit www.herblester.com .

Media Contact:

Yvette Keller

650-248-3103

[email protected]

SOURCE Yvette Keller
University of Maryland School of Medicine Center is One of 28 Recognized Nationally

BALTIMORE, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The PKD Foundation recently recognized the University of Maryland School of Medicine's (UMSOM) clinical center that treats polycystic kidney disease (PKD) with a highly prestigious "Center of Excellence" designation. The designation recognizes the center as a leader in providing multidisciplinary, comprehensive clinical services for families affected by autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), a hereditary condition. It is one of just 28 clinical centers in the U.S. to receive this recognition.

The Center of Excellence designation means UMSOM's PKD clinical center meets certain patient-centered, specialized criteria for the care of ADPKD; this is a common, life-threatening genetic disease that leads to cysts developing on a patient's kidneys, causing them to enlarge, malfunction and eventually fail. About 600,000 people in the U.S. have ADPKD, the fourth most common cause of kidney failure in the U.S., affecting all races and ethnicities. Many of these patients eventually require dialysis and kidney transplants.

"This designation shows that we are providing gold-standard care to our patients, including access to an integrated healthcare team, to ongoing research and clinical studies, and to the latest therapeutic advances," said Terry Watnick, MD, the Joan B. and John H. Sadler Professor in Nephrology, Professor of Medicine at UMSOM, and Director of the newly renamed center - newly renamed the Maryland Polycystic Kidney Disease Clinical Center of Excellence. "We also are able to offer our patients - who live locally and those who travel from other states - a network of nephrologists, specialists, and other providers to meet their comprehensive care needs."

In order to achieve this designation, the Maryland Polycystic Kidney Disease Clinical Center of Excellence had to demonstrate a wide-ranging expertise of its staff, including practitioners in the areas of nephrology, radiology, nutrition, hepatology, genetics, and pain management. A "Patient Advisory Panel" also was established to ensure the clinic receives feedback from patients and collaborates with them to provide education and advocacy in the surrounding community. These elements have enabled a center to provide coordination of care for people with ADPKD and to eliminate barriers to timely care.

The PKD Foundation's selection of the UMSOM clinic demonstrates for the importance for giving patients access to high-quality care in a patient-centered environment. It also underscores the emphasis placed on medical research to address this condition, which could ultimately provide better treatments, and even a potential cure, for ADPKD.

"We need to address a multitude of factors, including access to an experienced multi-disciplinary team of physicians and the opportunity to participate in clinical trials, to ensure that patients with this hereditary disease get access to state-of-the-art care," said UMSOM Dean Mark T. Gladwin, MD, Vice President for Medical Affairs, University of Maryland, Baltimore, and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor. "Currently there is only one FDA-approved treatment for ADPKD, so pre-clinical studies focused on dissecting the pathophysiology of cyst formation and testing of new compounds targeting metabolic pathways will hopefully accelerate the development of new treatments and better diagnostic tools."

For Patients:

To learn more about multidisciplinary care for patients with PKD at the University of Maryland Medical Center, visit umm.edu/pkd, or contact Karleen Schuhart at (410) 706-3455.

About the University of Maryland School of Medicine

Now in its third century, the University of Maryland School of Medicine was chartered in 1807 as the first public medical school in the United States. It continues today as one of the fastest growing, top-tier biomedical research enterprises in the world -- with 46 academic departments, centers, institutes, and programs, and a faculty of more than 3,000 physicians, scientists, and allied health professionals, including members of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and a distinguished two-time winner of the Albert E. Lasker Award in Medical Research. With an operating budget of more than $1.3 billion, the School of Medicine works closely in partnership with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Medical System to provide research-intensive, academic, and clinically based care for nearly 2 million patients each year. The School of Medicine has nearly $600 million in extramural funding, with most of its academic departments highly ranked among all medical schools in the nation in research funding. As one of the seven professional schools that make up the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine has a total population of nearly 9,000 faculty and staff, including 2,500 students, trainees, residents, and fellows. The combined School of Medicine and Medical System ("University of Maryland Medicine") has an annual budget of over $6 billion and an economic impact of nearly $20 billion on the state and local community. The School of Medicine, which ranks as the 8th highest among public medical schools in research productivity (according to the Association of American Medical Colleges profile) is an innovator in translational medicine, with 606 active patents and 52 start-up companies. In the latest U.S. News & World Report ranking of the Best Medical Schools, published in 2021, the UM School of Medicine is ranked #9 among the 92 public medical schools in the U.S., and in the top 15 percent (#27) of all 192 public and private U.S. medical schools. The School of Medicine works locally, nationally, and globally, with research and treatment facilities in 36 countries around the world. Visit medschool.umaryland.edu

Issued on behalf of Newswise, online resource for knowledge-based news at www.newswise.com

SOURCE University of Maryland School of Medicine
NEW YORK, Feb. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The body armor market is estimated to increase by USD 7.99 billion between 2022 and 2027. The market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 5.29%. 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. For more insights on the historic (2017 to 2021) and forecast market size (2022 to 2027) - Request a sample report.

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Body Armor Market 2023-2027

Body Armor Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 159 Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 5.29% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 7.99 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 5.04 Regional analysis APAC, Europe, North America, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution APAC at 54% Key countries US, Turkey, India, China, and Russia Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled 3M Co., Ace Link Industrial Inc., Armored Republic Holdings LLC, BAE Systems Plc, Canadian Armour Ltd., Craig International Ballistics Pty. Ltd., DFNDR Armor, DuPont de Nemours Inc., Hellweg International Pty Ltd., Hoplite Armor LLC, Indian Armour Systems Pvt. Ltd., MARS Armor, Med Eng Holdings ULC, Point Blank Enterprises Inc., PT Armor Inc., Spartan Armor Systems, Survival Armor Inc., Tote Systems Australia Pty. Ltd., U.S. ARMOR Corp., ULBRICHTS GmbH, and United Shield International LLC Market dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, and Market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Smart machines market Vendor Analysis

Vendor Landscape -

The global body armor market is fragmented, with the presence of several global as well as regional vendors. A few prominent vendors that offer residential real estate in the market are 3M Co., Ace Link Industrial Inc., Armored Republic Holdings LLC, BAE Systems Plc, Canadian Armour Ltd., Craig International Ballistics Pty. Ltd., DFNDR Armor, DuPont de Nemours Inc., Hellweg International Pty Ltd., Hoplite Armor LLC, Indian Armour Systems Pvt. Ltd., MARS Armor, Med Eng Holdings ULC, Point Blank Enterprises Inc., PT Armor Inc., Spartan Armor Systems, Survival Armor Inc., Tote Systems Australia Pty. Ltd., U.S. ARMOR Corp., ULBRICHTS GmbH, and United Shield International LLC, and others.

Vendors compete based on several factors, such as quality, price, service, brand image, distribution, and marketing. Increasing vendor competition may lead to vendors reducing their product prices, which could negatively affect their profit margins and market growth during the forecast period.

Vendor Offerings -

3M Co.: The company offers body armor products such as 3M lightweight.

The company offers body armor products such as lightweight. Ace Link Industrial Inc.: The company offers body armor products such as Patrol, Livewire and Apex.

The company offers body armor products such as Patrol, Livewire and Apex. BAE Systems Plc.: The company offers body armor products such as lightweight X small arms protective inserts and lightweight X side ballistic inserts.

The company offers body armor products such as lightweight X small arms protective inserts and lightweight X side ballistic inserts. Canadian Armour Ltd.: The company offers body armor products such as coverts, and cut and stab-resistant armor.

For Details on the vendor and its offerings  Buy the report!

Smart machines market- Segmentation Assessment

Segment Overview

Technavio has segmented the market based on the type (BPJ and BPH), and product (overt and covert).

The BPJ segment will account for a significant share of the market's growth during the forecast period. A BPJ, also known as a ballistic jacket, is a body armor that absorbs impacts and helps reduce or prevent fragmentation due to projectile intrusion from firearms and explosions. BPJ meets the requirements of the defense forces, paramilitary forces, and dignitaries. Defense, paramilitary forces involved in counterterrorism and insurgent activities, and law enforcement organizations are the main consumers of bulletproof clothing (police). The trend of crime, violence, and terrorism is on the rise and so is the demand for bulletproof clothing. The growing use of bulletproof jackets is expected to drive the growth of the segment in the market during the forecast period.

Geography Overview

By geography, the global body armor market is segmented into APAC, Europe, North America, 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 residential real estate market.

APAC is estimated to contribute 54% to the growth of the global market during the forecast period. India is a major exporter of sophisticated bulletproof jackets and helmets to about 250 troops in more than 100 countries, especially to the British, German, Spanish, and French troops and to the US and Japanese police forces. The bulletproof jackets manufactured in India under the Make in India initiative comply with the IS17051:2018 standards formulated by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). Apart from the US, the UK, and Germany , India is the only country with its national standard on bulletproof jackets. The BIS-certified jackets are available in different sizes and ensure 360-degree protection against bullets fired from assault rifles such as AK-47s, which have a traversing speed of 700 meters per second. Moreover, the rampant threat of terror attacks has encouraged the Indian government to procure critical protective equipment for the defense forces. Therefore, owing to such factors the regional market is expected to grow during the forecast period.

For insights on global, regional, and country-level parameters with growth opportunities from 2017 to 2027 Download a Sample Report

Smart machines market Market Dynamics

Leading Drivers - The emergence of lightweight raw materials is notably driving the market growth. Vendors are focusing on using lightweight materials in the manufacturing process. For instance, Fibrotex, in collaboration with Israel Defense Forces, developed FIGHTEX, next-generation two-sided combat uniforms made of lightweight smart fabric. These uniforms use advanced materials that enhance soldiers' survivability during critical missions. These lightweight uniforms are fire-resistant and can be integrated with a range of other items, including Jackets, load carriers, and winter uniforms. With the increasing adoption of lightweight materials, the demand for lighter armor increases due to their advantages. This is expected to foster the growth of the market during the forecast period..

Key Trends - Innovations in materials used for bulletproof jackets are the primary trend in the market. There have been significant advancements in body armor, such as bulletproof jackets in recent years. The traditional forms of bulletproof jackets are made of a protective material known as Kevlar. Kevlar is the most commonly used material as armor for protection against bullets. However, in some cases, the material bends inwards up to 3.5 centimeters on impact. Thus, the safety of the material is questionable. A new fluid, considered a non-Newtonian fluid, has been developed to enhance the drawbacks of traditional vests. Similarly, a new material called graphene is also being used to manufacture defense equipment. Thus, the introduction of these raw materials will enhance the quality and safety of bulletproof jackets. This is expected to drive the growth of the market during the forecast period.

Major challenges - Difficulty in optimizing the weight of body armor is the major challenge impeding the market growth. High-performance body armor is integrated with specialized equipment such as communication systems, face protection, video cameras, oxygen systems, and other advanced technologies, allowing the person to engage in combat without any hindrances. The heavy weight of body armor is forcing vendors to fund R&D to optimize the manufacturing process and reduce its weight. They also need to develop armor with health monitors and communication equipment, increasing the cost of operation and leading to challenges in optimizing the price and weight of the product. This could become a major challenge for the growth of the market during the forecast period.

Find more insights on market dynamics - Request a sample report!

What are the key data covered in this body armor market report?

CAGR of the market during the forecast period

Detailed information on factors that will drive the growth of the body armor market between 2023 and 2027

Precise estimation of the body armor 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 body armor market across APAC, Europe , North America , South America , and Middle East and Africa

, , , and and A thorough analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information about vendors

Comprehensive analysis of factors that will challenge the growth of body armor market vendors

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Table of Contents

1 Executive Summary

1.1 Market overview

Exhibit 01: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Overview



Exhibit 02: Executive Summary  Data Table on Market Overview



Exhibit 03: Executive Summary  Chart on Global Market Characteristics



Exhibit 04: Executive Summary  Chart on Market by Geography



Exhibit 05: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Type



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 body armor market 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 18: Historic Market Size  Data Table on Global body armor market 2017 - 2021 ($ billion)

4.2 Type Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 19: Historic Market Size  Type 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 Type

6.1 Market segments

Exhibit 30: Chart on Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 31: Data Table on Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

6.2 Comparison by Type

Exhibit 32: Chart on Comparison by Type



Exhibit 33: Data Table on Comparison by Type

6.3 BPJ - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 34: Chart on BPJ - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 35: Data Table on BPJ - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 36: Chart on BPJ - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 37: Data Table on BPJ - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.4 BPH - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 38: Chart on BPH - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 39: Data Table on BPH - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 40: Chart on BPH - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 41: Data Table on BPH - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.5 Market opportunity by Type

Exhibit 42: Market opportunity by Type ($ billion)

7 Market Segmentation by Product

7.1 Market segments

Exhibit 43: Chart on Product - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 44: Data Table on Product - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

7.2 Comparison by Product

Exhibit 45: Chart on Comparison by Product



Exhibit 46: Data Table on Comparison by Product

7.3 Overt - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 47: Chart on Overt - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 48: Data Table on Overt - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 49: Chart on Overt - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 50: Data Table on Overt - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.4 Covert - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 51: Chart on Covert - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 52: Data Table on Covert - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 53: Chart on Covert - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 54: Data Table on Covert - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.5 Market opportunity by Product

Exhibit 55: Market opportunity by Product ($ billion)

8 Customer Landscape

8.1 Customer landscape overview

Exhibit 56: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

9 Geographic Landscape

9.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 57: Chart on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 58: Data Table on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)

9.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 59: Chart on Geographic comparison



Exhibit 60: Data Table on Geographic comparison

9.3 APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 61: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 62: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 63: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 64: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 65: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 66: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 67: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 68: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.5 North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 69: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 70: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 71: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 72: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 73: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 74: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 75: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 76: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.7 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 77: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 78: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 79: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

and - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 80: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.8 India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 81: Chart on India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 82: Data Table on India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 83: Chart on India - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 84: Data Table on India - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.9 China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 85: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 86: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 87: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 88: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.10 Russia - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 89: Chart on Russia - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 90: Data Table on Russia - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 91: Chart on Russia - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 92: Data Table on Russia - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.11 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 (%)

9.12 Turkey - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 97: Chart on Turkey - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 98: Data Table on Turkey - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 99: Chart on Turkey - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 100: Data Table on Turkey - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.13 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 101: 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 102: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2022 and 2027

10.4 Market trends

11 Vendor Landscape

11.1 Overview

11.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 103: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation

11.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 104: Overview on factors of disruption

11.4 Industry risks

Exhibit 105: Impact of key risks on business

12 Vendor Analysis

12.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 106: Vendors covered

12.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 107: Matrix on vendor position and classification

12.3 3M Co.

Co. Exhibit 108: 3M Co. - Overview

Co. - Overview

Exhibit 109: 3M Co. - Business segments

Co. - Business segments

Exhibit 110: 3M Co. - Key news

Co. - Key news

Exhibit 111: 3M Co. - Key offerings

Co. - Key offerings

Exhibit 112: 3M Co. - Segment focus

12.4 Ace Link Industrial Inc.

Exhibit 113: Ace Link Industrial Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 114: Ace Link Industrial Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 115: Ace Link Industrial Inc. - Key offerings

12.5 Armored Republic Holdings LLC

Exhibit 116: Armored Republic Holdings LLC - Overview



Exhibit 117: Armored Republic Holdings LLC - Product / Service



Exhibit 118: Armored Republic Holdings LLC - Key offerings

12.6 BAE Systems Plc

Exhibit 119: BAE Systems Plc - Overview



Exhibit 120: BAE Systems Plc - Business segments



Exhibit 121: BAE Systems Plc - Key offerings



Exhibit 122: BAE Systems Plc - Segment focus

12.7 Canadian Armour Ltd.

Exhibit 123: Canadian Armour Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 124: Canadian Armour Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 125: Canadian Armour Ltd. - Key offerings

12.8 Craig International Ballistics Pty. Ltd.

Exhibit 126: Craig International Ballistics Pty. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 127: Craig International Ballistics Pty. Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 128: Craig International Ballistics Pty. Ltd. - Key offerings

12.9 DFNDR Armor

Exhibit 129: DFNDR Armor - Overview



Exhibit 130: DFNDR Armor - Product / Service



Exhibit 131: DFNDR Armor - Key offerings

12.10 DuPont de Nemours Inc.

Exhibit 132: DuPont de Nemours Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 133: DuPont de Nemours Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 134: DuPont de Nemours Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 135: DuPont de Nemours Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 136: DuPont de Nemours Inc. - Segment focus

12.11 Hellweg International Pty Ltd.

Exhibit 137: Hellweg International Pty Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 138: Hellweg International Pty Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 139: Hellweg International Pty Ltd. - Key offerings

12.12 Hoplite Armor LLC

Exhibit 140: Hoplite Armor LLC - Overview



Exhibit 141: Hoplite Armor LLC - Product / Service



Exhibit 142: Hoplite Armor LLC - Key offerings

12.13 Med Eng Holdings ULC

Exhibit 143: Med Eng Holdings ULC - Overview



Exhibit 144: Med Eng Holdings ULC - Product / Service



Exhibit 145: Med Eng Holdings ULC - Key offerings

12.14 Point Blank Enterprises Inc.

Exhibit 146: Point Blank Enterprises Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 147: Point Blank Enterprises Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 148: Point Blank Enterprises Inc. - Key offerings

12.15 Spartan Armor Systems

Exhibit 149: Spartan Armor Systems - Overview



Exhibit 150: Spartan Armor Systems - Product / Service



Exhibit 151: Spartan Armor Systems - Key offerings

12.16 U.S. ARMOR Corp.

Exhibit 152: U.S. ARMOR Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 153: U.S. ARMOR Corp. - Product / Service



Exhibit 154: U.S. ARMOR Corp. - Key offerings

12.17 United Shield International LLC

Exhibit 155: United Shield International LLC - Overview



Exhibit 156: United Shield International LLC - Product / Service



Exhibit 157: United Shield International LLC - Key offerings

13 Appendix

13.1 Scope of the report

13.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 158: Inclusions checklist



Exhibit 159: Exclusions checklist

13.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 160: Currency conversion rates for US$

13.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 161: Research methodology



Exhibit 162: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 163: Information sources

13.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 164: List of abbreviations

About Us

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SOURCE Technavio
Bright Pattern partners with German-based SOGEDES to deliver intelligent and creative customer experience solutions to clients in the DACH market to improve the way they deliver customer service.



SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Bright Pattern, a leading provider of cloud-based omnichannel contact center software for innovative companies, today announces its partnership with SOGEDES, a leading provider of CX solutions in the German-speaking market, to provide innovative, creative, and cutting-edge omnichannel solutions to midsize and enterprise companies.

Bright Pattern partners with SOGEDES to deliver omnichannel CX solutions to the DACH region. Tweet this Bright Pattern partners with SOGEDES

SOGEDES is a technology provider based in Germany providing contact center solutions to the DACH market, which includes Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. SOGEDES, for the last 20 years, focuses on maximizing efficiency in customer interactions, implementing best practices for customers in the way they communicate, and adding value to the way businesses interact with their customers. They are driven by using technology creatively in ways that add meaning and efficiency to every interaction. SOGEDES focuses on cloud-based omnichannel customer interactions, workforce management, and AI such as bot integrations and speech analytics.

Bright Pattern's platform is fully omnichannel, and built to be omnichannel from day one. Bright Pattern can also easily integrate AI from the major AI providers, including Google, Microsoft, and IBM Watson. For this reason, Bright Pattern's platform is perfect for delivering AI-powered omnichannel communications that maximize efficiency while personalizing the customer experience. By partnering with SOGEDES, Bright Pattern will help deliver on SOGEDES's vision and deliver personalized, AI-driven omnichannel communications to the DACH market by providing a powerful cloud-based platform that can be customized to match any use case.

"SOGEDES's vision of delivering creative, yet advanced contact center solutions to customers with omnichannel conversations, omnichannel quality management, and AI, perfectly matches Bright Pattern's capabilities. Bright Pattern's platform is enterprise-grade, flexible and robust, and will allow SOGEDES to fulfill their vision for delivering innovative CX in the DACH market ," noted Michael McCloskey, CEO of Bright Pattern.

"Bright Pattern's innovative solution will absolutely enrich our offering for the contact center market in the DACH region. In addition to best-of-class omnichannel management, innovative features such as the Bright Pattern Mobile App make the solution exceptional. With this app, we can bring the agent desktop to smartphones of on-field agents and mobile sales reps - people anywhere in the company, even outside the contact centre. A revolutionary extension of Omni-Enterprise CX," said Berndt Walz, Managing Director of SOGEDES.

About Bright Pattern

Bright Pattern provides the simplest yet most powerful all-in-one omnichannel contact center solution with over 500 customers in 26 countries, including Bank of America, Bell24, Cable and Wireless, City of Brampton, Community Medical, Detroit Water, Enercare, EY, First Bank, Hairclub, Hurtigruten, Mediterranean Shipping Company, Naver, Officeworks, Pepsi, Randstad, SEIU, Southern Cross Health Insurance, Sun Country Airlines, Sylvan Learning, United Power, VW Bentley, YMCA, and Zillow. Bright Pattern is the highest rated omnichannel platform by customers and analysts , with the fastest ROI and time to deploy in the industry

About SOGEDES

SOGEDES is an IT service and solution provider specialized in the areas of Experience Management, Customer Service, and Intelligent Process Automation. In addition to a best-in-class technology portfolio, the offering includes a combination of cloud and managed services, integrations, and consulting services. What is special about SOGEDES is the combination of specific domain know-how and a strong understanding of technology, coupled with creativity in finding solutions. The focus is also on the topics of digitalization, automation, and artificial intelligence in order to create added value for customers, employees, and companies alike.

SOURCE Bright Pattern
Bright Pattern partners with innovative omnichannel contact center consulting specialist to improve the customer experience for companies in Europe.



SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Bright Pattern, a leading provider of cloud-based omnichannel contact center software for innovative companies, today announces its partnership with Teleconnect & Service GmbH, a leading provider of CX solutions in the DACH market, to provide innovative and advanced omnichannel communication solutions to businesses of all sizes.

Bright Pattern partners with Teleconnect & Service GmbH to deliver omnichannel solutions to the DACH region. Tweet this Bright Pattern partners with Teleconnect & Service GmbH

Teleconnect & Service GmbH is a technology provider based in Germany that provides contact center solutions to the DACH market, which includes Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Teleconnect & Service GmbH has been providing consulting for information and communication technologies to clients since 1998, and has worked to provide customized, yet powerful solutions that deliver on their client's specific needs when interacting with customers. This includes customizing the contact center platform to meet the specific needs of their clients and tailoring it to fit their needs when it comes to getting the most value out of their customer interactions. Teleconnect & Service GmbH's solutions and products are geared towards saving their customers time, money, and resources, all while helping customers deliver on their CX goals.

Bright Pattern's all-in-one omnichannel cloud contact center platform allows companies to easily communicate with customers on voice and digital channels. Bright Pattern also provides omnichannel quality management, allowing 100% of interactions on every channel to be monitored to improve the quality of every interaction. Bright Pattern also offers the industry's first and only mobile app that allows any employee in the company to connect with customers via voice, chat, messengers and SMS from their mobile phone  even employees outside the contact center. By partnering with Teleconnect, Bright Pattern can help deliver on Teleconnect's vision of providing tailored contact center solutions that can help drive innovative customer experience solutions in the DACH market.

Christian Sturz, CEO at Teleconnect & Service GmbH, described why they chose to partner with Bright Pattern. "The following criteria was decisive for the Teleconnect GmbH decision for a new contact center project partner. Bright Pattern has a configurable technical, functional, and state-of-the-art contact center platform with functionalities including true channel, bot and AI functionality with integrated quality management and WFM modules, out-of-the-box integrations with MS Teams, various CRM systems, and messenger/social media services, as well as an open and customizable interface." said Christian Sturz. "Bright Pattern is a provider that meets the European, specifically German, market requirements and is by far number 1 in terms of these requirements!"

"Teleconnect's focus on delivering smarter, innovative omnichannel contact center solutions for the DACH region perfectly aligns with Bright Patterns cloud contact center capabilities" noted Michael McCloskey, CEO of Bright Pattern. "Our simple yet powerful platform will allow Teleconnect to provide leading-edge CX capabilities to customers as we continue our expansion in Europe".

About Bright Pattern

Bright Pattern provides the simplest yet most powerful all-in-one omnichannel contact center solution with over 500 customers in 26 countries, including Bank of America, Bell24, Cable and Wireless, City of Brampton, Community Medical, Detroit Water, Enercare, EY, First Bank, Hairclub, Hurtigruten, Mediterranean Shipping Company, Naver, Officeworks, Pepsi, Randstad, SEIU, Southern Cross Health Insurance, Sun Country Airlines, Sylvan Learning, United Power, VW Bentley, YMCA, and Zillow. Bright Pattern is the highest rated omnichannel platform by customers and analysts , with the fastest ROI and time to deploy in the industry

SOURCE Bright Pattern
NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR) announced that it will be participating at four upcoming investor events. Three of these events will include fireside chats with management, which will be available on Broadridge's Investor Relations page at www.broadridge-ir.com.

Evercore ISI Payments & Fintech Innovators Forum - Virtual

Time and Date: March 2, 2023, at 1:15 PM ET

Company Speaker: Tim Gokey, Chief Executive Officer



Raymond James Institutional Investors Conference  Orlando, Florida

Time and Date: March 6, 2023, at 3:25 PM ET

Company Speaker: Tim Gokey, Chief Executive Officer

Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference  San Francisco, California

Time and Date: March 7, 2023, at 9:10 AM PT / 12:10 PM ET

Company Speaker: Edmund Reese, Chief Financial Officer

Wolfe Research FinTech Forum  New York City

Date: March 14, 2023

Company Host: Edmund Reese, Chief Financial Officer, will host individual investor meetings

About Broadridge

Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE: BR), a global Fintech leader with over $5 billion in revenues, provides the critical infrastructure that powers investing, corporate governance and communications to enable better financial lives. We deliver technology-driven solutions to banks, broker-dealers, asset and wealth managers and public companies. Broadridge's infrastructure serves as a global communications hub enabling corporate governance by linking thousands of public companies and mutual funds to tens of millions of individual and institutional investors around the world. In addition, Broadridge's technology and operations platforms underpin the daily trading of on average more than U.S. $9 trillion of equities, fixed income and other securities globally. A certified Great Place to Work, Broadridge is a part of the S&P 500 Index, employing over 14,000 associates in 21 countries.

For more information about us and what we can do for you, please visit www.broadridge.com.

Investors

[email protected]

Media

[email protected]

SOURCE Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.
CALM offers customers a groundbreaking free way to connect with some of the top-rated accident injury law firms in America.

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Car Accident Lawyer Match ("CALM") is a powerful and easy to use web platform that helps people find the best personal injury attorney for their case. Now, after disrupting California markets like Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Sacramento and Long Beach, the service is available nationwide.

WHY WE EXIST

Car Accident Lawyer Match offers a groundbreaking free way to connect with some of the top-rated injury firms in America Tweet this

Having the right lawyer can make all the difference when it comes to the amount of compensation an injured person receives, or whether they receive anything at all.

Getting a high-level attorney to take an injury case is absolutely critical, but there aren't enough to go around. Most get stuck with an average attorney. This may lead to the loss of thousands or even millions of dollars in well-deserved compensation for an injured person.

CALM is here to cut through all the ads, hype, and questionable reviews to connect the injured with truly excellent attorneys who can help them get all they deserve.

HOW WE ARE DIFFERENT

Highest-Level Law Firms in America

Car Accident Lawyer Match outshines competing services with a powerhouse network of some of the most accomplished injury attorneys in the country. While other services match the injured with lawyers, many don't provide any information about past results or what caliber of law firm site users can expect.

CALM shows the incredible results of injury attorneys within its network right on its website.

Some of CALM's injury attorneys have achieved record-breaking wins, including a historic global settlement approaching $900 million for a case that was national headline news and the subject of books and documentaries. It was the largest settlement of its kind in history.

Others have taken insurance company offers of $0 and turned them into $2 million.

Most firms currently in the CALM network have won the highest awards in the legal field, such as US News Top Law Firms, Super Lawyer, AV-rated, Avvo 10.0 Superb Rating, Top 100 Trial Lawyers, Top 100 High Stakes Litigators, Top 100 Personal Injury Settlements, 10 Best Law Firms for Client Satisfaction, Multi-Million Dollar Advocates, Los Angeles Magazine Top Young Lawyer, Best Lawyers, Top 25 Motor Vehicle Trial Lawyers, and more.

Huge corporate injury "Factory Firms" like the ones seen on billboards and in living rooms across the country may have hundreds or even thousands of clients at a time. CALM specializes in matching the injured with firms who are committed to making time for each client, with proven histories of amazing outcomes.

Free Consultations that are Real Strategy Sessions

Many injury attorneys offer free consultations, but what does that mean? In some cases, these lawyers simply listen to see how much the case may be worth. If it's not worth enough, some may end the call immediately without providing any helpful insight.

When there's a potentially lucrative case, some immediately shift into "sales mode" and only want to talk about why they're the best attorney to hire.

All too often, the free consultations are ended abruptly or turn into nothing more than a sales pitch.

CALM's goal is to work exclusively with law firms who provide extremely valuable advice and insight to the injured, whether their case is big or small.

Targeted Matching with One Firm

CALM matches the injured with just one firm, based upon specific case details. This may include injury type, vehicle type, location, and other factors such as missed work, medical bills, and whether ongoing care is required.

This is highly targeted custom matching designed to connect the injured with the right attorney for their case.

In a "throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks" approach, other matching services connect people with up to five attorneys, which may use aggressive marketing tactics, adding stress to an injured person's life by having five firms calling day and night repeatedly, for weeks or months.

CALM helps the injured avoid stress and save time by custom matching them with just one top injury firm.

Protected Privacy

CALM uses state-of-the-art encryption for email communications, protecting personal data. CALM could not find other attorney matching service claiming to provide privacy protection measures to protect customer data.

About: Car Accident Lawyer Match is part of Development Technologies Group's network of web platforms which help users connect with top service providers.

Questions? Contact us at [email protected] or visit www.caraccidentlawyermatch.com

Disclaimer: Attorney Advertising. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Do your own research. Do not rely on advertisements when choosing an attorney. Information about attorneys in the CALM network is based on active attorneys at time of publication and is subject to change without notice at any time. See terms and privacy policy.

SOURCE Car Accident Lawyer Match
- European Commission decision anticipated in beginning of May 2023 -

PARMA, Italy and BOSTON and CARMIEL, Israel, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Chiesi Global Rare Diseases, a business unit of the Chiesi Group established to deliver innovative therapies and solutions for people affected by rare diseases, and Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE American:PLX) (TASE:PLX), a biopharmaceutical company, announced today that the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) adopted a positive opinion, recommending marketing authorization for PRX102 (pegunigalsidase alfa), the first and only pegylated enzyme for the treatment of adult patients with Fabry disease.

"Chiesi and our partners at Protalix are deeply committed to people living with Fabry disease and their families, many of whom experience unmet medical needs," said Giacomo Chiesi, Head of Chiesi Global Rare Diseases. "Our deepest gratitude to all the individuals with Fabry disease who have participated in clinical trials. Thanks to them, PRX102 has been extensively studied during the clinical development program, providing the data for the CHMP's evaluation and positive opinion regarding a positive benefit-risk profile for PRX102. We look forward to advancing towards approval and launch in Europe and will continue our mission to deliver this potential new treatment option to people living with Fabry disease around the world."

PRX102 is a novel recombinant human GalactosidaseA (GalA) enzyme being investigated as an enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) for the treatment of Fabry disease. The positive CHMP opinion was based on a marketing authorization application (MAA) that includes positive data from a comprehensive set of preclinical, clinical and manufacturing studies evaluating PRX102. The clinical development program includes the completed Phase 3 BALANCE, BRIDGE, and BRIGHT clinical trials, the Phase 1/2 clinical trial, and ongoing related extension studies that combined represent more than 400 years of exposure to PRX102. PRX102 has been studied in more than 140 patients, consisting of both ERTnaive and ERTexperienced patients, and includes a headtohead trial versus agalsidase beta.

"We are pleased to be another step closer to approval in Europe with the CHMP's positive opinion recommending marketing authorization for PRX102 for adult patients with Fabry Disease," said Dror Bashan, Protalix's President and Chief Executive Officer. "We believe that this recommendation further recognizes the strength of the positive dataset from our robust clinical trial program and underscores the potential for PRX102 to provide a new treatment option for patients with Fabry disease. Data from our clinical program indicates that PRX102 has the potential to be a long lasting therapy with a favorable tolerability and immunogenicity profile. Together with Chiesi, we remain committed to bringing PRX102 to market and working to potentially improve the quality of life of patients with Fabry disease. We thank the study personnel for their dedication and look forward to the final European Commission decision on the MAA."

The CHMP opinion is now referred for final action to the European Commission (EC). A final EC decision on the MAA is expected in the beginning of May 2023.

About Fabry Disease

Fabry disease is an Xlinked inherited disease that results from deficient activity of the lysosomal GalactosidaseA enzyme resulting in progressive accumulation of abnormal deposits of a fatty substance called globotriaosylceramide (Gb 3 ) in the lysosomes throughout a person's body. Fabry disease occurs in one person per 40,000 to 60,000. Fabry patients inherit a deficiency of the GalactosidaseA enzyme, which is normally responsible for the breakdown of Gb 3 . The abnormal storage of Gb 3 increases with time and, accordingly, Gb 3 accumulates, primarily in the blood vessel and tissues. The ultimate consequences of Gb 3 deposition range from episodes of pain and impaired peripheral sensation to end-organ failure  particularly of the kidneys, but also of the heart and the cerebrovascular system.

About PRX102

PRX102 (pegunigalsidase alfa) is an investigational, novel, PEGylated enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) under development to treat unmet medical needs for Fabry patients, such as progressive kidney decline. PRX-102 is a plant cell culture-expressed, and chemically modified stabilized version of the recombinant GalactosidaseA enzyme. Protein sub-units are covalently bound via chemical cross-linking using short PEG moieties, resulting in a molecule with unique pharmacokinetic parameters. In clinical studies, PRX102 has been observed to have a circulatory half-life of approximately 80 hours.

About Chiesi Global Rare Diseases

Chiesi Global Rare Diseases is a business unit of the Chiesi Group established to deliver innovative therapies and solutions for people affected by rare diseases. As a family business, Chiesi Group strives to create a world where it is common to have a therapy for all diseases and acts as a force for good, for society and the planet. The goal of the Global Rare Diseases unit is to ensure equal access so as many people as possible can experience their most fulfilling life. The unit collaborates with the rare disease community around the globe to bring voice to underserved people in the health care system. For more information visit www.chiesirarediseases.com.

About Chiesi Group

Chiesi is an international, research-focused biopharmaceuticals group that develops and markets innovative therapeutic solutions in respiratory health, rare diseases, and specialty care. The company's mission is to improve people's quality of life and act responsibly towards both the community and the environment.

By changing its legal status to a Benefit Corporation in Italy, the US, and France, Chiesi's commitment to create shared value for society as a whole is legally binding and central to company-wide decision-making. As a certified B Corp since 2019, we're part of a global community of businesses that meet high standards of social and environmental impact. The company aims at becoming net-zero by 2035.

With over 85 years of experience, Chiesi is headquartered in Parma (Italy), operates in 30 countries, and counts more than 6,000 employees. The Group's research and development centre in Parma works alongside 6 other important R&D hubs in France, the US, Canada, China, the UK, and Sweden.

For further information please visit www.chiesi.com.

About Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc.

Protalix is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of recombinant therapeutic proteins expressed through its proprietary plant cell-based expression system, ProCellEx. Protalix was the first company to gain U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of a protein produced through plant cell-based in suspension expression system. Protalix's unique expression system represents a new method for developing recombinant proteins in an industrial-scale manner.

Protalix's first product manufactured by ProCellEx, taliglucerase alfa, was approved by the FDA in May 2012 and, subsequently, by the regulatory authorities of other countries. Protalix has licensed to Pfizer Inc. the worldwide development and commercialization rights for taliglucerase alfa, excluding Brazil, where Protalix retains full rights.

Protalix's development pipeline consists of proprietary versions of recombinant therapeutic proteins that target established pharmaceutical markets, including the following product candidates: pegunigalsidase alfa, a modified stabilized version of the recombinant human GalactosidaseA protein for the treatment of Fabry disease; PRX115, a plant cell-expressed recombinant PEGylated uricase for the treatment of severe gout; PRX119, a plant cell-expressed long action DNase I for the treatment of NETs-related diseases; and others. Protalix has partnered with Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A., both in the United States and outside the United States, for the development and commercialization of pegunigalsidase alfa.

Forward Looking Statements

To the extent that statements in this press release are not strictly historical, all such statements are forward-looking, and are made pursuant to the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The terms "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "project," "may," "plan," "will," "would," "should" and "intend," and other words or phrases of similar import are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual future experience and results to differ materially from the statements made. These statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations as to such future outcomes. Drug discovery and development involve a high degree of risk and the final results of a clinical trial may be different than the preliminary findings for the clinical trial. Factors that might cause material differences include, among others: risks related to the timing, progress and likelihood of final approval by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) of the Marketing Authorization Application; the risk that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) might not grant marketing approval for PRX102 by the PDUFA date or at all, and other risks related to the timing, progress and likelihood of final approval by the FDA of the PRX102 Biologics License Application (BLA); the risk that a marketing approval of PRX102 by either the FDA or the EMA will be conditioned on significant limitations on its use; risks related to the commercial success of PRX-102, and of our other product and product candidates, if approved; the likelihood that the FDA, EMA or other applicable health regulatory authorities will approve an alternative dosing regimen; failure or delay in the commencement or completion of our preclinical studies and clinical trials, which may be caused by several factors, including: slower than expected rates of patient recruitment; unforeseen safety issues; determination of dosing issues; lack of effectiveness during clinical trials; inability to satisfactorily demonstrate non-inferiority to approved therapies; inability or unwillingness of medical investigators and institutional review boards to follow our clinical protocols; and inability to monitor patients adequately during or after treatment; delays in the approval or potential rejection of any applications we file with the FDA, EMA or other health regulatory authorities for our other product candidates, and other risks relating to the review process; risks associated with the novel coronavirus disease, or COVID19, outbreak, which may adversely impact our business, preclinical studies and clinical trials; risks related to any transactions we may effect in the public or private equity markets to raise capital to finance future research and development activities, general and administrative expenses and working capital; the risk that the results of the clinical trials of our product candidates will not support the applicable claims of safety or efficacy, or that our product candidates will not have the desired effects or will be associated with undesirable side effects or other unexpected characteristics; risks related to our ability to maintain and manage our relationship with our collaborators, distributors or partners; risks related to the amount and sufficiency of our cash, cash equivalents and short-term deposits; risks relating to our ability to make scheduled payments of the principal of, to pay interest on or to refinance our outstanding notes or any other indebtedness; our dependence on performance by third party providers of services and supplies, including without limitation, clinical trial services; delays in our preparation and filing of applications for regulatory approval; the inherent risks and uncertainties in developing drug platforms and products of the type we are developing; the impact of development of competing therapies and/or technologies by other companies and institutions; potential product liability risks, and risks of securing adequate levels of product liability and other necessary insurance coverage; and other factors described in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The statements in this press release are valid only as of the date hereof and we disclaim any obligation to update this information, except as may be required by law.

Chiesi Global Rare Diseases Media Contact

Adam Daley

Berry & Company Public Relations

1-212-253-8881

[email protected]

Protalix Investor Contact

Chuck Padala, Managing Director

LifeSci Advisors

646-627-8390

[email protected]

PP-EF-0234 V1.0

SOURCE Chiesi Global Rare Diseases; Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc.
Company also presents insights from the SPARKLE registry in alpha-mannosidosis that highlight a delay in diagnosis, identify the most frequent genetic MAN2B1 variant in enrolled participants, and report on real-world clinical profiles.

BOSTON, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Chiesi Global Rare Diseases, a business unit of the Chiesi Group established to deliver innovative therapies and solutions for people living with rare diseases, today announced the oral presentation of long-term results from the Phase 3 BALANCE and BRIGHT studies that evaluated PRX-102 (pegunigalsidase alfa), an investigational, plant cell culture-expressed, and chemically-modified, stabilized version of the recombinant  Galactosidase A enzyme for the proposed treatment of Fabry disease, at the 19th Annual WORLDSymposium Research Meeting that is being held February 2226, 2023 in Orlando.

The company is also announcing the presentation at WORLDSymposium of insights on the baseline characteristics, genetics, and enzymatic activity of patients with alpha-mannosidosis who are enrolled in the SPARKLE registry, an ongoing post-authorization study in Europe designed as a non-interventional observational study following participants for up to 15 years.

"As a family business, and as a certified benefit corporation, Chiesi Global Rare Diseases is invested in and focused on the long-term support of rare disease patients and their communities," said Giacomo Chiesi, head of Chiesi Global Rare Diseases. "We are pleased to participate in the annual WORLDSymposium and are especially proud that our long-term clinical research in Fabry disease is being recognized in multiple oral presentations. PRX-102 has been extensively studied for Fabry disease in a clinical trial setting, as more than 140 patients have participated in a comprehensive clinical trial program with more than seven years of follow up. In addition, we now have an opportunity to share insights from the SPARKLE registry, a program that is positioned to significantly advance our knowledge of the ultra-rare disorder alpha-mannosidosis."

Two oral presentations are reviewing the long-term results from the Phase 3 BALANCE and BRIGHT studies in Fabry disease. One of the oral presentations is featuring two-year results from the randomized, double-blind, BALANCE study designed to assess noninferiority of PRX-102 versus agalsidase beta in adult Fabry disease patients. In total, 77 patients received PRX-102 (n=52) or agalsidase beta (n=25). PRX-102 showed noninferiority to agalsidase beta based on the median estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) annualized slope, a key measure of Fabry disease progression. The difference in median eGFR slope between PRX-102 vs. agalsidase beta was -0.36 mL/min/1.73m2/year, with the lower bound of the CI (95% CI: -2.44, 1.73) meeting the prespecified noninferiority margin.

The second oral presentation is featuring two-year interim results from the ongoing open-label BRIGHT51 extension study that is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of 2.0 mg/kg of PRX-102 administered every four weeks in adults with Fabry disease for up to four years. In total, 29 adults (23 male, 6 female; mean age 40.9 years) were enrolled in BRIGHT51 at the time of the analysis.

Following the recent U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Lamzede (velmanase alfa-tycv), developed by Chiesi Global Rare Diseases for the treatment of non-central nervous system manifestations of alpha-mannosidosis in adult and pediatric patients (see Full Prescribing Information and Boxed Warning), the company is also presenting insights from the SPARKLE registry that was launched in 2019 and is designed to follow up to 100 patients with the ultra-rare disorder for up to 15 years.

In a poster presentation, Nathalie Guffon, M.D., Departmental Head at the Reference Centre of inherited metabolic disease in Femme Mere Enfant Hospital, Hospices Civils of Lyon, France, is reporting a descriptive analysis of baseline characteristics of all currently enrolled patients in the SPARKLE registry. In total, 59 patients were enrolled at 23 European sites at the time of the analysis.

Mean ages of first alpha-mannosidosis manifestation and diagnosis were 1.93.3 (median 1.0 [015]) and 8.410.5 (median 4.0 [050]) years, respectively, representing a 6.5-year delay in diagnosis.

A relatively even distribution of participants had compound heterozygous (44%) and homozygous (47%) MAN2B1 pathogenic variants.

pathogenic variants. The pathogenic variant c.2248C>T was the most common in both compound heterozygous and homozygous participants.

All participants with available alpha-mannosidase activity data had low enzymatic activity, with a mean residual activity of 2.5%.

Future analyses may provide further insights on the safety and efficacy of enzyme replacement therapy, and may also better inform disease knowledge, potentially enabling more accurate and timely diagnoses.

In a separate poster, Nicole Muschol, M.D., Senior Physician at the International Center for Lysosomal Disorders (ICLD) at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany reports on real-world clinical profiles of patients with alpha-mannosidosis in the SPARKLE registry. In this analysis, patients with alpha-mannosidosis had numerous signs and symptoms impacting multiple body systems, which further confirms the high burden of disease they experience. While cognitive disability, hearing impairment or loss, and dysmorphic facial features are frequently reported in alpha-mannosidosis, heart and lung abnormalities are not as commonly associated with the disease but may raise suspicion of alpha-mannosidosis and can indicate a need for additional evaluations.

In addition to data from the SPARKLE registry, Dr. Guffon is also presenting an analysis that compared compliance and infusion-related reactions (IRRs) between home and hospital settings in a clinical trial. In the clinical trial, 13 patients received a total of 2,782 hospital infusions. After receiving 1,243 hospital infusions, eight patients elected to receive home infusions and completed an additional 262 infusions at home. In SPARKLE, 764 hospital infusions and 107 home infusions were received by 17 and four patients, respectively.

Important Safety Information

Indication

Lamzede (velmanase alfa-tycv) is indicated for the treatment of non-central nervous system manifestations of alpha-mannosidosis in adult and pediatric patients.

Important Safety Information

WARNING: SEVERE HYPERSENSITIVITY REACTIONS



Hypersensitivity Reactions Including Anaphylaxis



Patients treated with Lamzede have experienced hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis. Appropriate medical support measures, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation equipment, should be readily available during Lamzede administration. If a severe hypersensitivity reaction (e.g., anaphylaxis) occurs, discontinue Lamzede immediately and initiate appropriate medical treatment. In patients with severe hypersensitivity reaction, a desensitization procedure to Lamzede may be considered.

Considerations Due to Hypersensitivity Reactions and/or Infusion-Associated Reactions (IARs)

Prior to Lamzede administration, consider pretreating with antihistamines, antipyretics, and/or corticosteroids. Inform patients and caregivers of the signs and symptoms of hypersensitivity reactions and IARs and instruct them to seek medical care immediately if such symptoms occur.

If a severe hypersensitivity reaction (including anaphylaxis) or severe IAR occurs, immediately discontinue Lamzede administration and initiate appropriate medical treatment.

In the event of a mild to moderate hypersensitivity reaction or a mild to moderate IAR, consider temporarily holding the infusion for 15 to 30 minutes, slowing the infusion rate to 25% to 50% of the recommended rate, and initiating appropriate medical treatment.

Hypersensitivity Reactions Including Anaphylaxis

Anaphylaxis and severe hypersensitivity signs and symptoms included cyanosis, hypotension, emesis, urticaria, erythema, facial swelling, pyrexia, and tremor.

Infusion-Associated Reactions (IARs)

The most frequent symptoms of IARs that occurred in >10% of the population were pyrexia, chills, erythema, vomiting, cough, urticaria, rash, and conjunctivitis.

Females of Reproductive Potential

Advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment and for 14 days after the last dose if Lamzede is discontinued. For females of reproductive potential, verify that the patient is not pregnant prior to initiating treatment with Lamzede.

Embryo-Fetal Toxicity

Based on findings from animal reproduction studies, Lamzede may cause embryo-fetal harm when administered to a pregnant female.

Common Adverse Reactions

The most common adverse reactions (incidence >20%) are hypersensitivity reactions including anaphylaxis, nasopharyngitis, pyrexia, headache, and arthralgia.

Please see Full Prescribing Information.

About Fabry Disease

Fabry disease is a rare, progressive, potentially life-threatening lysosomal storage disorder that leads to the progressive accumulation of abnormal deposits of a fatty substance in the lysosomes throughout a person's body. It is a multisystemic organ disease and patients experience a wide range of signs and symptoms including episodes of pain, impaired peripheral sensation, and eventually end-organ failure of the kidneys, heart, and the cerebrovascular system. Fabry disease occurs in one in 40,000 to 60,000 people.

About Alpha-mannosidosis

Alpha-mannosidosis is an ultra-rare genetic disorder that begins in childhood and progresses through adulthood. It is characterized by a deficiency of the enzyme alpha-mannosidase that results in the body's cells being unable to properly break down certain groups of complex sugars. The buildup of sugars can affect many parts of the body's organs and systems. Effects of the disease vary significantly from person to person and progress over time. Symptoms may change as a patient gets older and can include recurrent chest and ear infections, hearing loss, distinctive facial features, muscle weakness, skeletal and joint abnormalities, visual abnormalities, or cognitive abnormalities. The prevalence of alpha-mannosidosis is approximately 1/500,00 to 1/1,000,000.

About Chiesi Global Rare Diseases

Chiesi Global Rare Diseases is a business unit of the Chiesi Group established to deliver innovative therapies and solutions for people affected by rare diseases. As a family business, Chiesi Group strives to create a world where it is common to have a therapy for all diseases and acts as a force for good, for society and the planet. The goal of the Global Rare Diseases unit is to ensure equal access so as many people as possible can experience their most fulfilling life. The unit collaborates with the rare disease community around the globe to bring voice to underserved people in the health care system. For more information visit www.chiesirarediseases.com.

About Chiesi Group

Chiesi is an international, research-focused biopharmaceuticals group that develops and markets innovative therapeutic solutions in respiratory health, rare diseases, and specialty care. The company's mission is to improve people's quality of life and act responsibly towards both the community and the environment.

By changing its legal status to a Benefit Corporation in Italy, the US, and France, Chiesi's commitment to create shared value for society as a whole is legally binding and central to company-wide decision-making. As a certified B Corp since 2019, we're part of a global community of businesses that meet high standards of social and environmental impact. The company aims at becoming net-zero by 2035.

With over 85 years of experience, Chiesi is headquartered in Parma (Italy), operates in 30 countries, and counts more than 6,000 employees. The Group's research and development centre in Parma works alongside 6 other important R&D hubs in France, the US, Canada, China, the UK, and Sweden.

For further information please visit www.chiesi.com

Chiesi Global Rare Diseases Media Contact

Adam Daley

Berry & Company Public Relations

1-212-253-8881

[email protected]

PP-EF-0232 V3.0

SOURCE Chiesi Global Rare Diseases
BOSTON and ATLANTA, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Circle Internet Financial , a global digital financial technology firm and the issuer of USD Coin (USDC), has announced that Citizens Trust Bank will hold $65 million in USDC cash reserves. The move is part of Circle's commitment to allocate a share of USDC dollar-denominated reserves to Minority-owned Depository Institutions (MDIs) and Community Banks across the country.

"For the future of finance and banking to be more inclusive than the past, historically marginalized communities cannot merely be beneficiaries of financial services, they must also be protagonists," said Dante Disparte, Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Global Policy for Circle. "Citizens Trust Bank is a phenomenal leader in this space. We are anxious to support their strategic drive to $1B deposits and help drive financial inclusion and digital financial literacy in Atlanta."

Together, Circle and Citizens Trust Bank plan to extend their collaboration to the greater Atlanta community, working on financial inclusion and digital financial literacy initiatives for their customers. Plans to extend programming into the community via Atlanta's historic HBCUs and local schools are in development with a launch event this summer and a $100,000 seed grant from Circle.

"Citizens Trust Bank is extremely proud to partner with Circle, and we applaud their commitment to financial inclusion and digital financial literacy. Their commitment closely aligns with ours and is a representation of how strong partnerships can build stronger communities," said Cynthia N. Day, President and Chief Executive Officer of Citizens Trust Bank. "The opportunity to maintain a portion of Circle's growing USDC reserves means we are strengthening our balance sheet and becoming a key part of fast-growing new markets. This will support our commitment to providing access to capital for small businesses, improve the financial ecosystem through financial inclusion, build wealth and pave the way for stronger communities."

About Circle

Circle is a global financial technology firm that enables businesses of all sizes to harness the power of digital currencies and public blockchains for payments, commerce and financial applications worldwide. Circle is powering always-on internet-native commerce, payments, and custody and is the issuer of USD Coin (USDC) and Euro Coin (EUROC). Circle's open and programmable platform and APIs make it easy for organizations both large and small to run their internet-scale business, whether it is managing their internal treasury, making international payments, or automating supply chains. Learn more at https://circle.com .

About Citizens Trust Bank

Celebrating over 100 years in the community, Citizens Trust Bank remains committed to providing personalized service and financial solutions to meet the community's growing needs. Through a legacy built on economic equality and well-being, we go beyond meeting the needs of offering banking solutions; our mission is to empower our customers and future generations for financial success. Through its parent company, Citizens Bancshares Corporation, the Bank offers its common stock over-the-counter to the public under the trading symbol CZBS and can be found at www.ctbconnect.com .

SOURCE Circle Internet Financial, LLC
SAN ANTONIO, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc., (NYSE:CCO) announced today that Scott Wells, Chief Executive Officer, and Brian Coleman, Chief Financial Officer, are scheduled to present at J.P. Morgan's Global High Yield & Leveraged Finance Conference on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, at 2:00 p.m., Eastern Time. The live audio webcast, as well as the replay, will be available on Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings' investor website at www.investor.clearchannel.com.

About Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc.

Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CCO) is at the forefront of driving innovation in the out-of-home advertising industry. Our dynamic advertising platform is broadening the pool of advertisers using our medium through the expansion of digital billboards and displays and the integration of data analytics and programmatic capabilities that deliver measurable campaigns that are simpler to buy. By leveraging the scale, reach and flexibility of our diverse portfolio of assets, we connect advertisers with millions of consumers every month across more than 500,000 print and digital displays in 24 countries.

SOURCE Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc.
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Coast Energy, an independent power producer that develops, owns and operates renewable distributed generation and storage projects for commercial and industrial (C&I) real estate, today announced that it has acquired an 8.6 megawatt project in the Town of Brookhaven on Long Island, New York.

The project site spans almost 35 acres of limited use, capped landfill where over 16,000 solar panels will be constructed using a fixed-tilt, ballasted installation. This clean, renewable solar power plant will feed into the Public Service Enterprise Group  Long Island (PSEG-LI) utility grid. The project will convert an otherwise dormant tract of land into a value-add site for the community that delivers affordable electricity to Long Island residents and creates local job opportunities.

Coast Energy acquired the project from i.on Renewables (www.ionrenewables.com/), a boutique solar developer based in White Plains, New York.

"This project is a perfect illustration of how we work with our development partners to make distributed solar power generation a reality," says Kip Perry, Chief Development Officer at Coast Energy. "We've had great collaboration with ion renewables and highly value their local development expertise. Co-development opportunities play a big role in our continued expansion throughout the United States, and we're looking forward to completing the late-stage development and breaking ground in Brookhaven."

Coast Energy will own, operate and perform ongoing maintenance on the system.

Daniel Prokopy, CEO & Founder of i.on renewables, worked closely with the Town of Brookhaven to develop the project, and led negotiations and agreements with Coast Energy.

"This project has been coming for a long time and I'm grateful for the support from the Town of Brookhaven as Supervisor Romaine and his major staff has helped us at every step along the way. The solar array on the Brookhaven Landfill will help bring jobs and affordable clean energy to Long Island, helping both the economy, climate and local air quality. I'm very excited to have found Coast Energy as a fantastic partner on this project. Coast brings significant expertise from an engineering, construction, and operations perspective that has helped to expedite the project's development and construction timeline. We are now excited to see it come to fruition."

Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine said,

"The collaboration between the Town of Brookhaven and Coast Energy is another big step toward creating the energy park at our Yaphank waste management facility that has been our goal for many years. We have been at the forefront of alternate sources of green energy that are more efficient, cost effective and better for the environment than fossil fuels. Now, with Coast Energy on board, we can expect to maintain and strengthen our position as a leader in green energy."

About Coast Energy

Coast Energy is a private equity backed solar solutions company providing commercial real estate owners and communities with clean solar energy. We operate with integrity and innovation, helping commercial real estate leaders access the sustainable solutions they need to maximize property value and to protect the planet for future generations.

About i.on renewables

Founded in 2017, i.on renewables is a quick-moving and fast-growing company with experience in the development, installation, and operation of solar facilities worldwide. The firm's goal is to supply sustainable energy solutions today in order to fight global climate change for both today and tomorrow.

About the Town of Brookhaven

The Town of Brookhaven is the largest town by area in the state of New York, and second largest by population.

SOURCE Coast Energy
The Graeme Clark, Anders Tjellstrom and new Vocational Scholarships recognize exemplary leaders throughout the hearing loss community

LONE TREE, Colo., Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH), the global leader in implantable hearing solutions, announced today the winners of the 21st annual Graeme Clark, the 12th annual Anders Tjellstrom, and 1st annual Vocational Scholarships. The Academic Scholarships are named after two pioneers of the hearing implant industry and recognize Cochlear Nucleus Implant, Cochlear Baha System and Cochlear Osia System recipients in the United States and Canada who uphold the Cochlear ideals of leadership, humanity, and demonstrate high academic achievement. New in 2023, Cochlear has introduced the Cochlear Americas Vocational Scholarship. Recognizing that recipients have many different paths to successful careers, this scholarship is for students attending technical, vocational or trade schools.

"Without Cochlear technology, I would not be so empowered" says Selena Zou, Cochlear Nucleus Implant Recipient Tweet this The Graeme Clark, Anders Tjellstrom and new Vocational Scholarships recognize exemplary leaders throughout the hearing loss community.

"All of the applicants are exceptional in many ways," said Rene Courtney, Vice President & General Manager, Recipient Services, Cochlear Americas. "This year's selection process was challenging, and we are in awe of the achievements and aspirations of our applicants. We recognize that many of our recipients choose different paths forward and as a result we are excited to launch a new Vocational Scholarship this year to support even more recipients as they reach for their dreams."

The four 2023 Graeme Clark Scholarship winners are:

Emily DeMieri , ( Baylor University ) from Pensacola, FL

, ( ) from Blessed Mbogo, ( Gallaudet University ) from Silver Spring, MD

) from Silver Spring, MD Gavin Morrobel , ( Rochester Institute of Technology ), from Scotch Plains, NJ

, ( ), from Selena Zou , (Queen's University), from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

"The mental awakening that followed my acquisition of Cochlear technology played a role in my developing of a simple philosophy that anything can be earned if my actions express my desire and reflect the passion I speak of," says Blessed Mbogo, Cochlear Nucleus Implant Recipient.

"Without technology, I would not be able to hear. Without technology, I would not be able to participate in so many aspects of my life  music, sport, education, and more  that are essential for me to connect with and give back to my community. Without Cochlear technology, I would not have come so far, nor experienced so much," says Selena Zou, Cochlear Nucleus Implant Recipient, "without Cochlear technology, I would not be so empowered."

The three 2023 Anders Tjellstrom Scholarship winners are:

Peri Finkelstein, Osia recipient, ( Adelphi University ) from West Hempstead, NY

) from West Hempstead, NY Mia Freeman , Osia recipient, ( Indiana University ), from Indianapolis, IN

, Osia recipient, ( ), from Anna Nack , Baha recipient ( Rochester Institute of Technology ), from Sterling, VA

Anna Nack, Cochlear Baha System Recipient says her Baha Sound Processors are her superpower. "With the confidence empowered by [Baha Sound Processors], I am still overwhelmed by my accomplishments, like how being a lone female in my high school's engineering club was daunting," Anna explains. "I told myself  'I've made it so far! I refuse to quit. I'm a deaf orphan who will be a biomedical engineer. I have a voice. I will succeed!"

The 2023 Cochlear Americas Vocational Scholarship winner is:

Franco Di Paolo , ( Lynn University ), from Miami, FL

Franco Di Paolo, Cochlear Nucleus Implant Recipient, shares "growing up with a cochlear implant has been a unique experience and has helped me learn self-advocacy skills that will help me to overcome challenges in the years to come."

About the Scholarships

The Graeme Clark Scholarship is named after Professor Graeme Clark, the inventor and pioneer of the multi-channel cochlear implant. The Anders Tjellstrom Scholarship is named after Dr. Anders Tjellstrom, the research physician in the department of otolaryngology at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Sweden who collaborated with Per-Ingvar Branemark, a pioneer of osseointegration, and Bo Hakansson, to treat the first patient with a Baha device. The Cochlear Americas Vocational Scholarship is new this year. Recognizing that Cochlear recipients have many different paths to successful careers this scholarship was created for students attending technical, vocational, or trade schools.

Academic scholarship winners will receive $2,000 per year for up to four years at an accredited college or university, providing $8,000 to each student. Vocational scholarship winners receive $2,000 per year for up to two years. This adds up to $60,000 in total scholarship funds given by Cochlear Americas for this year's winners. Since 2002, Cochlear Americas has awarded $1,024,000 to 128 college students.

A total of 167 applications were received this year. An esteemed panel of judges helped review and select the scholarship winners:

Christine Epstein, Au.D., CCC-A

Presbyterian Ear Institute, Albuquerque, NM

Ariana Farhad, MS, CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT

MA Program Director, Professor of Practice, Michigan State University, Communicative Sciences & Disorders

Erika McCarty Walsh, MD

Assistant Professor, Director, Division of Otology and Neurotology, University of Alabama, Birmingham

Jane Osher, Au.D.

Pediatric Audiologist II, Pediatric Rehabilitation & Development, Advocate Children's Hospital

Sarah Spencer, MS, CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT

The Auditory-Verbal Center, Inc., Macon, GA

For more information about the scholarships, visit Cochlear.com/us/Scholarship.

About Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH)

People have always been Cochlear's inspiration, ever since Professor Graeme Clark set out to create the first multi-channel cochlear implant after seeing his father struggle with hearing loss. Since 1981, Cochlear has provided more than 700,000 devices in more than 180 countries, helping people of all ages around the world to hear. As the global leader in implantable hearing solutions, Cochlear connects people with life's opportunities, and welcomes them to the world's largest hearing implant community.

Cochlear has a global workforce of more than 4,500 people, with a passion for progress, who strive to meet the needs of people living with hearing loss. The company continually innovates to anticipate future needs, investing more than AUD$2 billion to date in research and development to push the boundaries of technology and help more people hear.

www.cochlear.com/us

Please seek advice from your health professional about treatments for hearing loss. Outcomes may vary, and your health professional will advise you about the factors which could affect your outcome. Always read the instructions for use. Not all products are available in all countries. Please contact your local Cochlear representative for product information. Views expressed are those of the individual. Consult your health professional to determine if you are a candidate for Cochlear technology.

 Cochlear Limited 2023. All rights reserved.

SOURCE Cochlear Limited
NEW YORK, Feb. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Technavio, the global computing mouse market size is estimated to grow by USD 1,654.94 million from 2022 to 2027. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 9.03% during the forecast period. APAC will account for 51% of the growth of the global market during the forecast period.

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Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Computing Mouse Market 2023-2027

Computing Mouse Market Scope Report Coverage Details Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 9.03% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 1,654.94 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 8.89 Regional analysis APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution APAC at 51% Key countries US, China, India, Germany, and UK Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled A4Tech Co. Ltd., Apple Inc., ASUSTeK Computer Inc., AZIO Corp., Bloody, Cherry AG, Cooler Master Technology Inc., Corsair Gaming Inc., COUGAR, Dell Technologies Inc., Fnatic Ltd., Gigabyte Technology Co. Ltd., Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co., Jelly Comb, Lenovo Group Ltd., Logitech International SA, Mad Catz Global Ltd., Microsoft Corp., Razer Inc., Rx Infotech P Ltd., SteelSeries ApS, and TURTLE BEACH CORP. Market dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, Market condition analysis for 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.

Leading trends influencing the market

There is an increase in demand for ergonomic mouses in the global market during the forecast period. An ergonomic mouse is designed to reduce the discomfort and muscle strain that users may experience when using the mouse. It is designed to fit a more natural hand position to use, allowing users to work comfortably throughout the day.

in the global market during the forecast period. An ergonomic mouse is designed to reduce the discomfort and muscle strain that users may experience when using the mouse. It is designed to fit a more natural hand position to use, allowing users to work comfortably throughout the day. The market witnessed an increase in the penetration of biometrics in computing mouses. This is a result of the increasing number of information security issues proving that the password-based approach is not safe.

Vendors in the global market are increasing investments in R&D for their offerings significantly. For instance, Apple Inc. (Apple) offers Magic Mouse 2 second generation, which adds gestures and swipes to usual clicks to bring more functionality and help users get more work done with less effort.

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Computing Mouse Market - Segmentation Assessment

Segment Overview

Technavio has segmented the market based on type, Product (Wired and Wireless), Distribution Channel (Offline and Online), and Geography (APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa).

The wired segment will account for a significant share of the market's growth during the forecast period. The growth of this segment is attributed to factors like faster response time and lesser input lag compared to wireless mouses. Moreover, in industries where micrometers and milliseconds can make a difference to the output, wired mouses are preferred over wireless mouses.

Geography Overview

By geography, the global computing mouse market is segmented into APAC, North America, 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 computing mouse market.

APAC is estimated to account for 51% of the growth of the global computing mouse market during the forecast period. APAC is the largest producer of computing mouses. The regional computing mouse market in North America will witness high growth during the forecast period. The adoption of the computing mouse is rising in South America during the forecast period. The increasing popularity of e-learning in Africa contributes to the growth of the computing mouse market in the region. The surge in demand for e-learning during the forecast period will register further growth of the computing mouse market in the MEA region.

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Computing Mouse Market  Market Dynamics

Key factor driving market growth

Wireless mouses have become one of the most popular computer accessories as they enable flexible and hassle-free functionality.

For instance, vendors like Logitech International S.A (Logitech) are incorporating innovative technologies such as RF technologies and adaptive frequency in a wireless mouse, which helps consumers, especially gamers, use the mouse without interruption.

PC gaming being adopted as a profession is directly impacting the growth of the global computing mouse market. This is because gamers replace their existing computing mouses with gaming-specific computing mouses to improve their gaming experience.

The growth of the corporate sector and the rise in the number of offices have also acted as major drivers for the demand for computing mouses.

Major challenges hindering market growth

The existence of grey-market products sold by unauthorized vendors is a major challenge to vendors in the global market. Counterfeit computing mouses, which are re-engineered copies of genuine products and refurbished computing mouses repaired by equipment manufacturers are sold by illegal sellers.

sold by unauthorized vendors is a major challenge to vendors in the global market. Counterfeit computing mouses, which are re-engineered copies of genuine products and refurbished computing mouses repaired by equipment manufacturers are sold by illegal sellers. The demand for smart devices like smartphones is increasing in urban and semi-urban areas across the world. The rising sales of these products will reduce the demand for computing mouses during the forecast period.

The highly cyclic nature of the electronics industry fluctuates the demand for computing mouses. Factors like the presence of alternatives and technological advances are also likely to cause supply-demand disparities, which will harm the growth of the global computing mouse market during the forecast period.

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What are the key data covered in this Computing Mouse Market report?

CAGR of the market during the forecast period

Detailed information on factors that will drive the growth of the Computing Mouse Market between 2023 and 2027

Precise estimation of the size of the Computing Mouse 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 Computing Mouse Market industry across APAC, North America , Europe , South America , and Middle East and Africa

, , , and and A thorough analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information about vendors

Comprehensive analysis of factors that will challenge the growth of Computing Mouse Market vendors

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The mobile edge computing market size is expected to rise to USD 1.60 billion from 2021 to 2026, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 30.21%. One of the key factors driving the global mobile edge computing market growth is the increase in data traffic.

1 Executive Summary

1.1 Market overview

Exhibit 01: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Overview



Exhibit 02: Executive Summary  Data Table on Market Overview



Exhibit 03: Executive Summary  Chart on Global Market Characteristics



Exhibit 04: Executive Summary  Chart on Market by Geography



Exhibit 05: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Product



Exhibit 06: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Distribution Channel



Exhibit 07: Executive Summary  Chart on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 08: Executive Summary  Data Table on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 09: Executive Summary  Chart on Vendor Market Positioning

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

Exhibit 10: Parent market



Exhibit 11: Market Characteristics

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

Exhibit 12: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

Exhibit 13: Market segments

3.3 Market size 2022

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2022-2027

Exhibit 14: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 15: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 16: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 17: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

4 Historic Market Size

4.1 Global computing mouse market 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 18: Historic Market Size  Data Table on Global computing mouse market 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.2 Product Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 19: Historic Market Size  Product Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.3 Distribution channel Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 20: Historic Market Size  Distribution channel Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.4 Geography Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 21: Historic Market Size  Geography Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.5 Country Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 22: Historic Market Size  Country Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

5 Five Forces Analysis

5.1 Five forces summary

Exhibit 23: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2022 and 2027

5.2 Bargaining power of buyers

Exhibit 24: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers  Impact of key factors 2022 and 2027

5.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

Exhibit 25: Bargaining power of suppliers  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.4 Threat of new entrants

Exhibit 26: Threat of new entrants  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.5 Threat of substitutes

Exhibit 27: Threat of substitutes  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.6 Threat of rivalry

Exhibit 28: Threat of rivalry  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.7 Market condition

Exhibit 29: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2022 and 2027

6 Market Segmentation by Product

6.1 Market segments

Exhibit 30: Chart on Product - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 31: Data Table on Product - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

6.2 Comparison by Product

Exhibit 32: Chart on Comparison by Product



Exhibit 33: Data Table on Comparison by Product

6.3 Wired - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 34: Chart on Wired - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 35: Data Table on Wired - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 36: Chart on Wired - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 37: Data Table on Wired - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.4 Wireless - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 38: Chart on Wireless - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 39: Data Table on Wireless - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 40: Chart on Wireless - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 41: Data Table on Wireless - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.5 Market opportunity by Product

Exhibit 42: Market opportunity by Product ($ million)

7 Market Segmentation by Distribution Channel

7.1 Market segments

Exhibit 43: Chart on Distribution Channel - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 44: Data Table on Distribution Channel - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

7.2 Comparison by Distribution Channel

Exhibit 45: Chart on Comparison by Distribution Channel



Exhibit 46: Data Table on Comparison by Distribution Channel

7.3 Offline - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 47: Chart on Offline - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 48: Data Table on Offline - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 49: Chart on Offline - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 50: Data Table on Offline - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.4 Online - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 51: Chart on Online - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 52: Data Table on Online - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 53: Chart on Online - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 54: Data Table on Online - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.5 Market opportunity by Distribution Channel

Exhibit 55: Market opportunity by Distribution Channel ($ million)

8 Customer Landscape

8.1 Customer landscape overview

Exhibit 56: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

9 Geographic Landscape

9.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 57: Chart on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 58: Data Table on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)

9.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 59: Chart on Geographic comparison



Exhibit 60: Data Table on Geographic comparison

9.3 APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 61: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 62: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 63: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 64: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.4 North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 65: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 66: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 67: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 68: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.5 Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 69: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 70: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 71: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 72: 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 73: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 74: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 75: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 76: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.7 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 77: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 78: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 79: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

and - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 80: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.8 US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 81: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 82: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 83: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 84: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.9 China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 85: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 86: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 87: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 88: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.10 India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 89: Chart on India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 90: Data Table on India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 91: Chart on India - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 92: Data Table on India - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.11 Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 93: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 94: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 95: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 96: Data Table on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.12 UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 97: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 98: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 99: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 100: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.13 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 101: Market opportunity by geography ($ million)

10 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

10.1 Market drivers

10.2 Market challenges

10.3 Impact of drivers and challenges

Exhibit 102: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2022 and 2027

10.4 Market trends

11 Vendor Landscape

11.1 Overview

11.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 103: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation

11.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 104: Overview on factors of disruption

11.4 Industry risks

Exhibit 105: Impact of key risks on business

12 Vendor Analysis

12.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 106: Vendors covered

12.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 107: Matrix on vendor position and classification

12.3 A4Tech Co. Ltd.

Exhibit 108: A4Tech Co. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 109: A4Tech Co. Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 110: A4Tech Co. Ltd. - Key offerings

12.4 Apple Inc.

Exhibit 111: Apple Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 112: Apple Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 113: Apple Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 114: Apple Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 115: Apple Inc. - Segment focus

12.5 ASUSTeK Computer Inc.

Exhibit 116: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 117: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 118: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 119: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. - Key offerings

12.6 AZIO Corp.

Exhibit 120: AZIO Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 121: AZIO Corp. - Product / Service



Exhibit 122: AZIO Corp. - Key offerings

12.7 Bloody

Exhibit 123: Bloody - Overview



Exhibit 124: Bloody - Product / Service



Exhibit 125: Bloody - Key offerings

12.8 Cherry AG

Exhibit 126: Cherry AG - Overview



Exhibit 127: Cherry AG - Product / Service



Exhibit 128: Cherry AG - Key offerings

12.9 Cooler Master Technology Inc.

Exhibit 129: Cooler Master Technology Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 130: Cooler Master Technology Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 131: Cooler Master Technology Inc. - Key offerings

12.10 Corsair Gaming Inc.

Exhibit 132: Corsair Gaming Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 133: Corsair Gaming Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 134: Corsair Gaming Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 135: Corsair Gaming Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 136: Corsair Gaming Inc. - Segment focus

12.11 Gigabyte Technology Co. Ltd.

Exhibit 137: Gigabyte Technology Co. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 138: Gigabyte Technology Co. Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 139: Gigabyte Technology Co. Ltd. - Key offerings

12.12 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co.

Exhibit 140: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. - Overview



Exhibit 141: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. - Business segments



Exhibit 142: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. - Key news



Exhibit 143: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. - Key offerings



Exhibit 144: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. - Segment focus

12.13 Lenovo Group Ltd.

Exhibit 145: Lenovo Group Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 146: Lenovo Group Ltd. - Business segments



Exhibit 147: Lenovo Group Ltd. - Key offerings



Exhibit 148: Lenovo Group Ltd. - Segment focus

12.14 Logitech International SA

Exhibit 149: Logitech International SA - Overview



Exhibit 150: Logitech International SA - Business segments



Exhibit 151: Logitech International SA - Key news



Exhibit 152: Logitech International SA - Key offerings



Exhibit 153: Logitech International SA - Segment focus

12.15 Microsoft Corp.

Exhibit 154: Microsoft Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 155: Microsoft Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 156: Microsoft Corp. - Key news



Exhibit 157: Microsoft Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 158: Microsoft Corp. - Segment focus

12.16 Razer Inc.

Exhibit 159: Razer Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 160: Razer Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 161: Razer Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 162: Razer Inc. - Segment focus

12.17 SteelSeries ApS

Exhibit 163: SteelSeries ApS - Overview



Exhibit 164: SteelSeries ApS - Product / Service



Exhibit 165: SteelSeries ApS - Key offerings

13 Appendix

13.1 Scope of the report

13.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 166: Inclusions checklist



Exhibit 167: Exclusions checklist

13.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 168: Currency conversion rates for US$

13.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 169: Research methodology



Exhibit 170: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 171: Information sources

13.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 172: List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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SOURCE Technavio
COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Concordium, the layer-1 blockchain company, has announced that Lone Fnss Schrder will step down from the CEO position and instead join the Board of the Concordium Foundation.

Meanwhile, Concordium founder and chairman Lars Seier Christensen will play a more active role in Concordium as it gears up for further expansion and user adoption.

Lars Seier Christensen will work closely with Concordium's team to raise further awareness of its permissionless layer 1, science-backed blockchain platform while expanding the active Web3 and Crypto community.

As a key project in the industry, Concordium has delivered an innovative and useful blockchain. Concordium is working with a range of private and public organisations that are building on the Concordium blockchain to improve existing processes, supporting entirely new and exciting business verticals. The platform enables security and transparency in a world that truly needs it.

Concordium provides a fast, secure, and highly scalable blockchain platform, which differs from other blockchains by having mandatory ID verification of users, instant finality of blocks, and low stable transaction fees pegged to the Euro.

Lars Seier Christensen, Chairman and Founder of Concordium, said: "I am very grateful to Lone for her huge contribution to Concordium; we would not have come this far without her tireless efforts. I look forward to working with Lone on the Board."

"On a daily basis, I will continue as chairman in an expanded role, driving the Concordium project forward, supported by the operational management of Kare Kjelstrm, CTO, Torben Kaaber, Head of Commercial, and Jrgen Hauglund, CFO."

CONTACT:

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Marketing team

[email protected]

SOURCE Concordium
LAS VEGAS, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Condor launched a new tradition, The Hell and Back Care Package, at this year's SHOT Show, the world's premier event for the firearms industry. The Hell and Back Care Package is an "Oscars-style" swag bag gifted by Condor Outdoor to industry celebrities and media.

Condor launched a new tradition, The Hell and Back Care Package, at this year's SHOT Show an "Oscars-style" swag bag. Tweet this Taran Tactical, John Lovell of Warrior Poet Society, Twista, and WWE's Natalie Eva Marie receiving the Hell and Back Care Package The Hell and Back Care Package is valued at over $700 featuring products from over 20 participating brands.

Over 20 leading companies in the outdoor and tactical industry, such as Rite in the Rain and Kershaw Knives, donated products to this year's bag. The swag bag, valued at over $700, included a variety of essential items for the shooter, outdoorsman, and tactically-minded individual. The tradition was created to show appreciation to industry influencers and Condor expects the value of the bag to grow each year.

The recipients of the new tradition included a variety of celebrities, influencers, and media outlets. From Terminal List author Jack Carr to gun instructor of the stars Taryn Tactical, the list of recipients covered a range of industry VIPs. Other notable recipients included TV stars Doug Marcaida and editors of Recoil Magazine.

Condor believes the videos influencers share, the articles they write, and the classes they teach, are the driving force behind the transformation of the gun industry from just a market segment into a true community. By bringing together individuals from different parts of the world, they have turned the industry into a vibrant community.

Through the Hell and Back Care Package, Condor expresses gratitude to these celebrities and influencers for their invaluable contribution to the community. The package serves as a tangible symbol of appreciation for the dedication of these influencers to the industry. It recognizes the significant role they play in shaping its future, highlighting the power and responsibility they hold in fostering the growth and development of the gun community. Condor is proud to support the influencers who have helped turn the gun industry into a true community and looks forward to continuing to work with them in the future.

For more information on Condor Outdoors and The Hell and Back Care Package, please visit the Condor Outdoors website at www.condoroutdoor.com or contact [email protected].

About Condor Outdoor: Condor Outdoor is a leading manufacturer of outdoor and tactical gear, known for its high-quality products and innovative designs. The company is committed to providing the best equipment and apparel to the military, law enforcement, tactical, and outdoor community.

SOURCE Condor Outdoor
NEW YORK, Feb. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Technavio, the global data center server market size is estimated to grow by USD 115 billion from 2022 to 2027. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 15.27% during the forecast period. Moreover, the growth momentum will accelerate. North America will account for 35% of the market's growth. 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. For more insights on the historic (2017 to 2021) and forecast market size (2022 to 2027) - Request a sample report

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Data Center Server Market 2023-2027

Data Center Server Market Scope Report Coverage Details Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 15.27% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 115 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 13.82 Regional analysis North America, APAC, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution North America at 35% Key countries US, China, Australia, Japan, and UK Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled Atos SE, Cisco Systems Inc., Dell Technologies Inc., Digital Realty Trust Inc., Egenera Inc., Fujitsu Ltd., Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co., Hitachi Ltd., Huawei Investment and Holding Co. Ltd., Inspur Systems Inc., International Business Machines Corp., Iron Systems Inc., Lenovo Group Ltd., NEC Corp., Oracle Corp., Quanta Computer Inc., Schneider Electric SE, Super Micro Computer Inc., Trend Micro Inc., and Unisys Corp. 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.

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Data center server market - Segmentation Assessment

Segment Overview

Technavio has segmented the market based on application (Commercial server and Industrial server), and type (Rack server, Blade server, Tower server, Microserver, and Open compute project (OCP) server).

The commercial server segment will grow at a significant rate during the forecast period. Digital transformation initiatives such as digital transactions, cybersecurity, and accounting require flexible and agile data centers to support the changing needs of your business. Organizations may need to scale resources such as computing and storage to support changing business needs. Commercial servers can provision resources as needed and their flexible pricing model makes them an ideal choice for businesses. Hence, the ongoing digital transformation will increase the demand for data centers and make use of commercial servers. These will drive the growth of the focused market during the forecast period.

Geography Overview

By geography, the global data center server 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 data center server market.

North America is estimated to account for 35% of the growth of the global market during the forecast period. Factors such as the higher investments by hyper-scale cloud providers, colocation service providers, and enterprises that are upgrading their IT infrastructure to support edge computing, 5G, multi-cloud services, big data analytics, and IoT. The US is the data center hub in North America , with Atlanta , Northern Virginia , Chicago , Dallas/Ft. Worth and Silicon Valley dominate the data center market in the region. Several data center service providers and enterprises have announced their expansion plans, which would drive the server market in the region.

For insights on global, regional, and country level parameters with growth opportunities from 2017 to 2027 - Download a Sample Report

Data center server market  Market Dynamics

Key factor driving market growth

The investments in scaling up in-house data centers are notably driving the market growth .

are notably driving the market growth Despite the rapid adoption of cloud services, enterprises are investing more and more in expanding their internal data centers.

This is due to the growing preference of enterprises to adopt a hybrid cloud approach rather than offloading their entire computing needs to the public cloud.

Nowdays enterprises are choosing a more viable hybrid cloud alternative because the public cloud offers several advantages.

In a hybrid cloud model, business-critical applications are hosted in a private cloud environment (either in your own data center or an off-premises private cloud) and other applications are moved to the public cloud.

As such, the market is seeing a surge in demand from companies that are increasing the number of servers in their in-house data centers.

Leading trends influencing the market

The use of server disaggregation to improve utilization rates is the key trend in the market.

is the key trend in the market. Server disaggregation refers to logically breaking up the server's components into subsystems - memory and compute. Data centers are looking at alternatives that can enhance their server utilization rates and subsequently reduce their power consumption.

Server disaggregation helps prevent the replacement of the entire server to substitute just one part or component. Depending on the requirements, resources can be procured to add to the respective system independently.

Disaggregated servers can be reused for different applications with different resource requirements. These benefits will help the market in focus grow during the forecast period.

Major challenges hindering market growth

Server workload optimization is the major challenge the market growth.

is the major challenge the market growth. Advanced technologies such as big data analytics and artificial intelligence enable companies to analyze vast and detailed data sets to provide relevant and timely insights on various aspects of their business can be obtained.

Enterprises and data center service providers, therefore, require sophisticated and powerful servers to handle these workloads.

As these workloads impact server computing power, enterprises, and data center service providers face the challenge of optimally utilizing server computing power when upgrading existing infrastructure.

Other concerns include power and physical space limitations in data centers, and an unexpected surge in enterprise server capacity requirements, further complicating matters.

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What are the key data covered in this data center server market report?

CAGR of the market during the forecast period

Detailed information on factors that will drive the growth of the data center server market between 2023 and 2027

Precise estimation of the size of the data center server 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 data center server 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 data center server market vendors

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The data center IT infrastructure market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 6.56% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecasted to increase by USD 84.17 billion. This report extensively covers market segmentation by component (server infrastructure, storage infrastructure, software-defined data center, network infrastructure, and others), end-user (BFSI, energy, information system, and others), and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa).

The data center maintenance and support services market is expected to increase by USD 17.69 billion from 2021 to 2026, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 12.04%. This report extensively covers market segmentation by end-user (IT and telecom, BFSI, government and defense, healthcare, and others) and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa).

Table of contents

1 Executive Summary

1.1 Market overview

Exhibit 01: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Overview



Exhibit 02: Executive Summary  Data Table on Market Overview



Exhibit 03: Executive Summary  Chart on Global Market Characteristics



Exhibit 04: Executive Summary  Chart on Market by Geography



Exhibit 05: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Application



Exhibit 06: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Type



Exhibit 07: Executive Summary  Chart on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 08: Executive Summary  Data Table on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 09: Executive Summary  Chart on Vendor Market Positioning

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

Exhibit 10: Parent market



Exhibit 11: Market Characteristics

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

Exhibit 12: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

Exhibit 13: Market segments

3.3 Market size 2022

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2022-2027

Exhibit 14: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ 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 data center server market 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 18: Historic Market Size  Data Table on Global data center server market 2017 - 2021 ($ billion)

4.2 Application Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 19: Historic Market Size  Application Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ billion)

4.3 Type Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 20: Historic Market Size  Type 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 Commercial server - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 34: Chart on Commercial server - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 35: Data Table on Commercial server - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 36: Chart on Commercial server - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 37: Data Table on Commercial server - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.4 Industrial server - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 38: Chart on Industrial server - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 39: Data Table on Industrial server - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 40: Chart on Industrial server - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 41: Data Table on Industrial server - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.5 Market opportunity by Application

Exhibit 42: Market opportunity by Application ($ billion)

7 Market Segmentation by Type

7.1 Market segments

Exhibit 43: Chart on Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 44: Data Table on Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

7.2 Comparison by Type

Exhibit 45: Chart on Comparison by Type



Exhibit 46: Data Table on Comparison by Type

7.3 Rack server - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 47: Chart on Rack server - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 48: Data Table on Rack server - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 49: Chart on Rack server - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 50: Data Table on Rack server - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.4 Blade server - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 51: Chart on Blade server - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 52: Data Table on Blade server - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 53: Chart on Blade server - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 54: Data Table on Blade server - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.5 Tower server - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 55: Chart on Tower server - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 56: Data Table on Tower server - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 57: Chart on Tower server - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 58: Data Table on Tower server - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.6 Microserver - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 59: Chart on Microserver - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 60: Data Table on Microserver - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 61: Chart on Microserver - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 62: Data Table on Microserver - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.7 Open compute project (OCP) server - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 63: Chart on Open compute project (OCP) server - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 64: Data Table on Open compute project (OCP) server - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 65: Chart on Open compute project (OCP) server - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 66: Data Table on Open compute project (OCP) server - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.8 Market opportunity by Type

Exhibit 67: Market opportunity by Type ($ 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 UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 101: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 102: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 103: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 104: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.11 Australia - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 105: Chart on Australia - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 106: Data Table on Australia - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 107: Chart on Australia - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 108: Data Table on Australia - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.12 Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 109: Chart on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 110: Data Table on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 111: Chart on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 112: Data Table on Japan - 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 Atos SE

Exhibit 120: Atos SE - Overview



Exhibit 121: Atos SE - Business segments



Exhibit 122: Atos SE - Key news



Exhibit 123: Atos SE - Key offerings



Exhibit 124: Atos SE - Segment focus

12.4 Cisco Systems Inc.

Exhibit 125: Cisco Systems Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 126: Cisco Systems Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 127: Cisco Systems Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 128: Cisco Systems Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 129: Cisco Systems Inc. - Segment focus

12.5 Dell Technologies Inc.

Exhibit 130: Dell Technologies Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 131: Dell Technologies Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 132: Dell Technologies Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 133: Dell Technologies Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 134: Dell Technologies Inc. - Segment focus

12.6 Egenera Inc.

Exhibit 135: Egenera Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 136: Egenera Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 137: Egenera Inc. - Key offerings

12.7 Fujitsu Ltd.

Exhibit 138: Fujitsu Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 139: Fujitsu Ltd. - Business segments



Exhibit 140: Fujitsu Ltd. - Key news



Exhibit 141: Fujitsu Ltd. - Key offerings



Exhibit 142: Fujitsu Ltd. - Segment focus

12.8 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co.

Exhibit 143: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. - Overview



Exhibit 144: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. - Business segments



Exhibit 145: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. - Key news



Exhibit 146: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. - Key offerings



Exhibit 147: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. - Segment focus

12.9 Hitachi Ltd.

Exhibit 148: Hitachi Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 149: Hitachi Ltd. - Business segments



Exhibit 150: Hitachi Ltd. - Key news



Exhibit 151: Hitachi Ltd. - Key offerings



Exhibit 152: Hitachi Ltd. - Segment focus

12.10 Huawei Investment and Holding Co. Ltd.

Exhibit 153: Huawei Investment and Holding Co. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 154: Huawei Investment and Holding Co. Ltd. - Business segments



Exhibit 155: Huawei Investment and Holding Co. Ltd. - Key news



Exhibit 156: Huawei Investment and Holding Co. Ltd. - Key offerings



Exhibit 157: Huawei Investment and Holding Co. Ltd. - Segment focus

12.11 Inspur Systems Inc.

Exhibit 158: Inspur Systems Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 159: Inspur Systems Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 160: Inspur Systems Inc. - Key offerings

12.12 International Business Machines Corp.

Exhibit 161: International Business Machines Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 162: International Business Machines Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 163: International Business Machines Corp. - Key news



Exhibit 164: International Business Machines Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 165: International Business Machines Corp. - Segment focus

12.13 Iron Systems Inc.

Exhibit 166: Iron Systems Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 167: Iron Systems Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 168: Iron Systems Inc. - Key offerings

12.14 Lenovo Group Ltd.

Exhibit 169: Lenovo Group Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 170: Lenovo Group Ltd. - Business segments



Exhibit 171: Lenovo Group Ltd. - Key offerings



Exhibit 172: Lenovo Group Ltd. - Segment focus

12.15 NEC Corp.

Exhibit 173: NEC Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 174: NEC Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 175: NEC Corp. - Key news



Exhibit 176: NEC Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 177: NEC Corp. - Segment focus

12.16 Oracle Corp.

Exhibit 178: Oracle Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 179: Oracle Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 180: Oracle Corp. - Key news



Exhibit 181: Oracle Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 182: Oracle Corp. - Segment focus

12.17 Quanta Computer Inc.

Exhibit 183: Quanta Computer Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 184: Quanta Computer Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 185: Quanta Computer Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 186: Quanta Computer Inc. - Segment focus

13 Appendix

13.1 Scope of the report

13.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 187: Inclusions checklist



Exhibit 188: Exclusions checklist

13.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 189: Currency conversion rates for US$

13.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 190: Research methodology



Exhibit 191: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 192: Information sources

13.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 193: List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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SOURCE Technavio
NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO, OR TO ANY PERSON RESIDENT AND/OR LOCATED IN, ANY JURISDICTION WHERE SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IS UNLAWFUL (SEE "OFFER AND DISTRIBUTION RESTRICTIONS" BELOW)

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY AND IS NOT AN OFFER TO PURCHASE OR A SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO SELL ANY SECURITIES.

NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Deutsche Telekom International Finance B.V. (the "Company") has today invited holders of its outstanding: (i) US$1,250,000,000 3.600% Notes due January 2027 (ISIN: US25156PBA03 (Rule 144A) / USN27915AS11 (Reg S)) (the "2027 Notes") and (ii) US$1,200,000,000 4.375% Notes due June 2028 (ISIN: US25156PBB85 (Rule 144A) / USN2557FFL33 (Reg S)) (the "2028 Notes"), each guaranteed by Deutsche Telekom AG (the "Parent Company") (the 2027 Notes and the 2028 Notes each being a "Series", and any notes within any such Series being the "Notes", and the eligible holders of any Notes, the "Holders") to tender their Notes for purchase by the Company for cash (each such invitation an "Offer" and together, the "Offers"), on the terms of, and subject to the Offer Cap and the Acceptance Priority Levels (each as defined below) and the other conditions contained in, an offer to purchase dated February 24, 2023 (the "Offer to Purchase"). Capitalized terms not otherwise defined in this announcement have the same meaning as assigned to them in the Offer to Purchase.

Holders are advised to read carefully the Offer to Purchase for full details of, and information on the procedures for participating in, the Offers.

Notes ISIN/ CUSIP Principal

amount outstanding Acceptance

Priority Level Early Tender

Payment

(1)(2) Fixed Spread (1) Reference Security Bloomberg

Reference Page Offer Cap 3.600% Notes

due January 2027 Rule 144A: US25156PBA03/ 25156P BA0 Reg S: USN27915AS11 / N27915 AS1 US$1,250,000,000 1 US$30 per

US$1,000 50 bps 4.000% US Treasury due February 15, 2026 (US91282CGL90) FIT1 US$500,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of Notes, subject to increase or decrease, as further described in the Offer to Purchase 4.375% Notes

due June 2028 Rule 144A: US25156PBB85/ 25156P BB8 Reg S: USN2557FFL33/ N2557F FL3 US$1,200,000,000 2 US$30 per

US$1,000 85 bps 4.000% US Treasury due February 29, 2028 (US91282CGP05) FIT1

(1) The Early Consideration (defined below) shall be calculated from the applicable Fixed Spread and includes the Early Tender Payment. The Late Consideration (defined below) in respect of Notes of each relevant Series will be calculated by deducting the Early Tender Payment from the Early Consideration. (2) Subject to the Minimum Denomination of the relevant Series.

Rationale for the Offers

The purpose of the Offers is, amongst other things, to proactively manage the Company's cost of carry. The Company believes that the Offers also provide Holders with the opportunity to sell their current holdings in the Notes ahead of their respective maturity dates.

Notes purchased by the Company pursuant to the Offers will be cancelled.

Offer Cap

If the Company decides to accept any Notes for purchase pursuant to the relevant Offer(s), it proposes to accept for purchase pursuant to the relevant Offer(s) such that the aggregate principal amount of all Notes accepted for purchase pursuant to the relevant Offer(s) is no greater than US$500,000,000 (such amount, which may be increased or decreased, subject to applicable law, the "Offer Cap"). The Company will determine whether the Offer Cap has been reached as of the Early Tender Deadline or the Expiration Deadline, as applicable.

Early Consideration and Late Consideration

In accordance with standard market practice, the amount in cash to be paid by the Company for each US$1,000 in principal amount of each Series (subject in each case to the Minimum Denomination of the relevant Series) validly tendered pursuant to the relevant Offer prior to or at the Early Tender Deadline and accepted for purchase by the Company shall be an amount (rounded to the nearest cent, with US$0.005 being rounded upwards) that would reflect, as of the Early Settlement Date, a yield to the Maturity Date, equal to the sum of: (i) the Reference Yield for such Series, plus (ii) the Fixed Spread for such Series set out in the table above (in respect of each Series, the "Early Consideration"). The Reference Yield will be determined at the Pricing Time on the Pricing Date with reference to the applicable Reference Security as shown in the table above.

Specifically, the Early Consideration for each Series calculated in accordance with standard market practice will equal (i) the value of all remaining payments of principal and interest on the relevant Series up to and including the Maturity Date, discounted to the Early Settlement Date at a discount rate equal to the sum of (x) the applicable Reference Yield plus (y) the applicable Fixed Spread, minus (ii) Accrued Interest. The Early Consideration for each Series, when calculated in the manner set out above, includes the applicable Early Tender Payment listed in the table above under the heading "Early Tender Payment".

The amount in cash to be paid by the Company for each US$1,000 in principal amount of each Series (subject in each case to the Minimum Denomination of the relevant Series) validly tendered pursuant to the relevant Offer after the Early Tender Deadline but prior to or at the Expiration Deadline and accepted for purchase by the Company shall be an amount (rounded to the nearest cent, with US$0.005 being rounded upwards) equal to the Early Consideration for the relevant Series minus an amount equal to the applicable Early Tender Payment listed in the table above under the heading "Early Tender Payment" (in respect of each Series, the "Late Consideration").

Notes must be tendered pursuant to the Offers prior to or at the Early Tender Deadline in order to be eligible to receive the applicable Early Consideration or, in the case of Notes tendered after the Early Tender Deadline, prior to or at the Expiration Deadline, in order to receive the Late Consideration.

Accrued Interest

The Company shall also pay Accrued Interest on all Notes validly tendered and accepted for purchase pursuant to the relevant Offer(s) from (and including) the immediately preceding interest payment date for the relevant Series, to (but excluding) the relevant Settlement Date for each such Note.

Acceptance Priority Level and Pro-Ration

Subject to the Offer Cap and the pro-ration arrangements described below and in the Offer to Purchase, the aggregate principal amount of each Series that is purchased pursuant to the Offers will be determined in accordance with the Acceptance Priority Levels, with Acceptance Priority Level 1 being the highest and Acceptance Priority Level 2 being the lowest. The 2027 Notes validly tendered pursuant to the relevant Offer, having Acceptance Priority Level 1, will be accepted before any validly tendered 2028 Notes, having Acceptance Priority Level 2; however, if the Company purchases Notes on the Early Settlement Date, all Notes validly tendered prior to or at the Early Tender Deadline will have priority over Notes tendered after the Early Tender Deadline, regardless of the Acceptance Priority Levels of such later tendered Notes. Notes validly tendered and purchased on the same Settlement Date shall be purchased in accordance with the Acceptance Priority Levels.

If the aggregate principal amount of validly tendered Notes with the same Acceptance Priority Level would (together with the aggregate principal amount of validly tendered Notes with a higher Acceptance Priority Level, where applicable), if purchased, exceed the Offer Cap, such Notes will be purchased on a pro-rata basis such that the aggregate principal amount of all Notes validly tendered in the Offers and accepted for purchase does not exceed the Offer Cap, as detailed in the Offer to Purchase. If the aggregate principal amount of all Notes validly tendered prior to or at the Early Tender Deadline would equal or exceed the Offer Cap, then no Notes tendered after the Early Tender Deadline will be purchased pursuant to the Offers regardless of the Acceptance Priority Level of such Notes, unless the Company increases the Offer Cap (in its sole discretion)

A separate tender instruction must be submitted on behalf of each beneficial owner of the Notes, given the possible proration.

Offers Period and Results

The Offers commenced today, February 24, 2023 and will end at the Expiration Deadline, unless extended, re-opened, and/or terminated as provided in the Offer to Purchase.

In the Early Participation Results Announcement, the Company will announce: (i) the principal amount of Notes of each Series that were validly tendered and not withdrawn prior to the Early Tender Deadline; and (ii) a non-binding indication of the aggregate principal amount of Notes in each Series that the Company intends to accept pursuant to the relevant Offer(s), and indicative details of any Pro-Rating Factor that will apply as a consequence.

The Company will announce in the Pricing and Early Acceptance Announcement its decision to accept valid Tenders for purchase on the Early Settlement Date and, if so accepted: (i) the Reference Yield, the Early Consideration and the Late Consideration for each Series; (ii) the Final Acceptance Amount in respect of the Early Settlement Date; (iii) the allocation of the Final Acceptance Amount in respect of the Early Settlement Date between each Series (which will be determined using the Acceptance Priority Levels); (iv) any Pro-Rating Factor in respect of the Notes settled on the Early Settlement Date (if applicable); (v) the aggregate principal amount of Notes in each Series that will remain outstanding after the Early Settlement Date; and (vi) the aggregate amount of capacity (if any) pursuant to the Offer Cap remaining for any Tenders submitted after the Early Tender Deadline and at or prior to the Expiration Deadline.

Provided that the aggregate principal amount of all Notes validly tendered prior to or at the Early Tender Deadline would not equal or exceed the Offer Cap, the Company will announce in the Final Results Announcement its decision to accept valid Tenders or further valid Tenders for purchase on the Final Settlement Date and, if so accepted, will announce: (i) the Final Acceptance Amount in respect of the Final Settlement Date; (ii) the allocation of the Final Acceptance Amount in respect of the Final Settlement Date between each Series (which will be determined using the Acceptance Priority Levels); (iii) any Pro-Rating Factor in respect of the Notes settled on the Final Settlement Date (if applicable); and (iv) the aggregate principal amount of Notes in each Series that will remain outstanding after the Final Settlement Date.

Tender Instructions must be submitted in respect of a minimum principal amount of Notes of the relevant Series of no less than the Minimum Denomination for such Series, and may be submitted in integral multiples of US$1,000.

See the Offer to Purchase for further details on submitting a Tender Instruction.

Unless stated otherwise, all announcements in connection with the Offers will be made in accordance with applicable law by the delivery of notices to DTC for communication to Direct Participants. Such announcements may also be made: (i) on the relevant Insider Screen, (ii) by the issue of a press release to a Notifying News Service (e.g., PR Newswire); and/or (iii) on the Offer Website. Copies of all such announcements, press releases and notices are also obtainable from the Tender and Information Agent, the contact details for which are below.

INDICATIVE TIMETABLE

The following table sets out the expected dates and times of the key events relating to the Tender Offer. This is an indicative timetable and is subject to change.

Date Calendar Date and Time Event Launch Date February 24, 2023 Commencement of the Offers and availability of this Offer to Purchase on the Offer Website and from the Tender and Information Agent. Early Tender Deadline 5:00 p.m., New York time, on March 9, 2023 Deadline for receipt of valid Tender Instructions by the Tender and Information Agent in order for Holders to be eligible to receive the relevant Early Consideration. Withdrawal Deadline 5:00 p.m., New York time, on March 9, 2023 Except in certain limited circumstances where the Company determines that additional withdrawal rights are required by law or otherwise in accordance with this Offer to Purchase, the deadline for Holders to validly withdraw Tenders. Early Participation

Results Announcement Prior to the Pricing Time on the Pricing Date The time at which the Company will announce: (i) the amount of Notes of each Series validly tendered and not withdrawn prior to or at the Early Tender Deadline; and (ii) a non-binding indication of the aggregate principal amount of Notes in each Series that the Company intends to accept pursuant to the relevant Offer(s), and indicative details of any Pro-Rating Factor that will apply as a consequence. Pricing Date and Time At or around 10.00 a.m., New York time on March 10, 2023, the first New York Business Day after the Early Tender Deadline The time at which the Reference Yield, Early Consideration and Late Consideration for each Series will be determined. Pricing and Early

Acceptance

Announcement As soon as practicable after the Pricing Time The time at which the Company will announce its decision to accept valid Tenders for purchase on the Early Settlement Date and, if so accepted: (i) the Reference Yield, the Early Consideration and the Late Consideration for each Series; (ii) the Final Acceptance Amount in respect of the Early Settlement Date, (iii) the allocation of the Final Acceptance Amount in respect of the Early Settlement Date between each Series (which will be determined using the Acceptance Priority Levels), (iv) any Pro-Rating Factor in respect of the Notes settled on the Early Settlement Date (if applicable), (v) the aggregate principal amount of Notes in each Series that will remain outstanding after the Early Settlement Date, and (vi) the aggregate amount of capacity (if any) pursuant to the Offer Cap remaining for any Tenders submitted after the Early Tender Deadline and at or prior to the Expiration Deadline. Early Settlement Date Expected to be March 13, 2023, the second New York Business Day after the Early Tender Deadline Date for payment of the relevant Early Consideration plus Accrued Interest with respect to any Notes that were validly tendered prior to or at the Early Tender Deadline and were announced in the Pricing and Early Acceptance Announcement as being accepted for purchase. Expiration Deadline 5:00 p.m., New York time, on March 24, 2023 Deadline for receipt of valid Tender Instructions by the Tender and Information Agent in order for Holders to be able to participate in the Offers and receive the Late Consideration. Final Results

Announcement Expected to be March 27, 2023, the first New York Business Day after the Expiration Deadline, or as soon as reasonably practicable thereafter, provided that the aggregate principal amount of Notes validly tendered prior to or at the Early Tender Deadline and accepted for purchase would not equal or exceed the Offer Cap The time at which the Company will announce its decision as to whether it accepts valid Tenders or further valid Tenders for purchase on the Final Settlement Date and, if so accepted, will announce: (i) the Final Acceptance Amount in respect of the Final Settlement Date, (ii) the allocation of the Final Acceptance Amount in respect of the Final Settlement Date between each Series (which will be determined using the Acceptance Priority Levels), (iii) any Pro-Rating Factor in respect of the Notes settled on the Final Settlement Date (if applicable), and (iv) the aggregate principal amount of Notes in each Series that will remain outstanding after the Final Settlement Date. Final Settlement Date Expected to be March 28, 2023, the second New York Business Day after the Expiration Deadline, or as soon as reasonably practicable thereafter The date for payment of the Late Consideration plus Accrued Interest with respect to any Notes that were validly tendered after the Early Tender Deadline but prior to or at the Expiration Deadline and accepted for purchase, if applicable.

Subject to applicable securities laws and the terms set within the Offer to Purchase, the Company reserves the right, with respect to any or all of the Notes, (i) to waive or modify in whole or in part any and all conditions to the Offers, (ii) to extend the Early Tender Deadline, the Expiration Deadline, Pricing Time, the Early Participation Results Announcement, the Pricing and Early Acceptance Announcement, the Final Results Announcement and/or any Settlement Date, (iii) to modify or terminate the Offers or (iv) to otherwise amend the Offers in any respect, including the Offer Cap, the Acceptance Priority, any Early Consideration and/or any Late Consideration.

FURTHER INFORMATION

D.F. King has been appointed by the Company as Tender and Information Agent for the purposes of the Offers.

Citigroup Global Markets Limited and RBC Capital Markets, LLC have been appointed as Dealer Managers for the purposes of the Offers.

Holders of Notes may access the Offer to Purchase at https://sites.dfkingltd.com/DeutscheTelekom.

Requests for information in relation to the Offers should be directed to:

DEALER MANAGERS

Citigroup Global Markets Limited Citigroup Centre Canada Square Canary Wharf London E14 5LB United Kingdom Attention: Liability Management Group E-mail: [email protected] In Europe: Telephone: +44 20 7986 8969 In the United States: Toll Free: +1 (800) 558 3745 Collect: +1 (212) 723 6106 RBC Capital Markets, LLC Brookfield Place 200 Vesey Street, 8th Floor New York, NY 10281 United States of America Attention: Liability Management Group Email: [email protected] In Europe: Telephone: ++44 20 7029 0107 In the United States Toll Free: +1 (877) 381-2099 Collect: +1 (212) 618-7843

Requests for information in relation to the procedures for tendering Notes in the Offers and the submission of Tender Instructions or for copies of the Offer to Purchase, or related documents should be directed to:

THE TENDER AND INFORMATION AGENT

D.F. King

Offer Website: https://sites.dfkingltd.com/DeutscheTelekom Email: [email protected]

In the United States 48 Wall Street New York, NY 10005 Toll Free: +1 (866) 828 6934 Toll: +1 (212) 269 5550 In Europe 65 Gresham Street London, EC2V 7NQ Telephone: +44 20 7920 9700

NOTICE AND DISCLAIMER

Nothing in this announcement or the Offer to Purchase constitutes an offer of securities in the United States of America. The securities referred to above have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act") or with any securities regulatory authority of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States and may not be offered or sold within the United States except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act.

Subject to applicable law, the Company or any of its affiliates may at any time and from time to time following completion or cancellation of the Offers purchase or exchange or offer to purchase or exchange remaining outstanding Notes or issue an invitation to submit offers to sell Notes (including, without limitation, those tendered pursuant to the Offers but not accepted for purchase) through open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions, tender offers, exchange offers or otherwise, in each case on terms that may be more or less favorable than those contemplated by the Offers.

This announcement must be read in conjunction with the Offer to Purchase. This announcement and the Offer to Purchase contain important information which must be read carefully before any decision is made with respect to the Offers. If any holder of Notes is in any doubt as to the action it should take, it is recommended to seek its own legal, accounting and financial advice, including as to any tax consequences, immediately from its stockbroker, bank manager, attorney, accountant or other independent financial adviser. Any individual or company whose Notes are held on its behalf by a broker, dealer, bank, custodian, trust company or other nominee or intermediary must contact such entity if it wishes to participate in the Offers. None of the Company, the Parent Company the Dealer Managers, the Tender and Information Agent and any person who controls, or is a director, officer, employee or agent of such persons, or any affiliate of such persons, makes any recommendation as to whether holders of Notes should participate in the Offers.

OFFER AND DISTRIBUTION RESTRICTIONS

This announcement and the Offer to Purchase do not constitute an invitation to participate in the Offers in any jurisdiction in which, or to or from any person to or from whom, it is unlawful to make such offer or invitation or for there to be such participation under applicable securities laws. The distribution of this announcement and the Offer to Purchase in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. Persons into whose possession this announcement or the Offer to Purchase comes are required by each of the Company, the Parent Company, the Dealer Managers and the Tender and Information Agent to inform themselves about and to observe any such restrictions.

United Kingdom

The communication of this announcement, the Offer to Purchase and any other documents or materials relating to the Offers is not being made by, and such documents and/or materials have not been approved by, an authorised person for the purposes of section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended). Accordingly, such documents and/or materials are not being distributed to, and must not be passed on to, the general public in the United Kingdom, and are only for circulation to persons to whom they can lawfully be circulated outside the United Kingdom or to persons within the United Kingdom falling within the definition of investment professionals (as defined in Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the "Order")), or within Article 43(2) of the Order, or within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order, or to other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated in accordance with the Order (such persons together being the " Relevant Persons "). This announcement and the Offer to Purchase are only available to Relevant Persons and the transaction contemplated therein will be available only to, or engaged in only with, Relevant Persons, and this financial promotion must not be relied or acted upon by persons other than Relevant Persons.

Italy

None of the Offers, this announcement, the Offer to Purchase or any other documents or materials relating to the Offers have been or will be submitted to the clearance procedures of the Commissione Nazionale per le Societa e la Borsa ("CONSOB") pursuant to Italian laws and regulations. The Offers are being carried out in the Republic of Italy ("Italy") as an exempted offer pursuant to article 101-bis, paragraph 3-bis of the Legislative Decree No. 58 of February 24, 1998, as amended (the "Financial Services Act") and article 35-bis, paragraph 4 of CONSOB Regulation No. 11971 of May 14, 1999, as amended.

Holders of each Series of Notes that are resident and/or located in Italy may tender their Notes through authorised persons (such as investment firms, banks or financial intermediaries permitted to conduct such activities in the Republic of Italy in accordance with the Financial Services Act, CONSOB Regulation No. 20307 of February 15, 2018, as amended from time to time, and Legislative Decree No. 385 of September 1, 1993, as amended) and in compliance with applicable laws and regulations or with requirements imposed by CONSOB or any other Italian authority. Each intermediary must comply with the applicable laws and regulations concerning information duties vis-a-vis its clients in connection with the Notes or the Offers.

France

The Offers are not being made, directly or indirectly, to the public in the Republic of France. Neither this announcement, the Offer to Purchase nor any other document or material relating to the Offers have only been and shall only be distributed in France to qualified investors as defined in Article 2(e) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129. Neither this announcement nor the Offer to Purchase has been or will be submitted for clearance to nor approved by the Autorite des Marches Financiers.

Belgium

None of the Offers, this announcement, the Offer to Purchase or any other documents or materials relating to the Offers have been submitted to or will be submitted for approval or recognition to the Belgian Financial Services and Markets Authority (Autoriteit voor financiele diensten en markten / Autorite des services et marches financiers) and, accordingly, the Offers may not be made in Belgium by way of a public offering, as defined in Articles 3 and 6 of the Belgian Law of April 1, 2007 on public takeover bids as amended or replaced from time to time. Accordingly, the Offers may not be advertised and the Offers will not be extended, and neither this Offer to Purchase nor any other documents or materials relating to the Offers (including any memorandum, information circular, brochure or any similar documents) has been or shall be distributed or made available, directly or indirectly, to any person in Belgium other than "qualified investors" in the sense of Article 10 of the Belgian Law of June 16, 2006 on the public offer of placement instruments and the admission to trading of placement instruments on regulated markets, acting on their own account. Insofar as Belgium is concerned, this Offer to Purchase has been issued only for the personal use of the above qualified investors and exclusively for the purpose of the Offers. Accordingly, the information contained in this Offer to Purchase may not be used for any other purpose or disclosed to any other person in Belgium.

General

Neither this announcement, the Offer to Purchase nor any other materials relating to the Offers constitutes an offer to buy or the solicitation of an offer to sell Notes (and Tenders will not be accepted from Holders) in any circumstances in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful. In those jurisdictions where the securities or other laws require the Offers to be made by a licensed broker or dealer or similar and any of the Dealer Managers or any of the Dealer Managers' respective affiliates is such a licensed broker or dealer in any such jurisdiction, the Offers shall be deemed to be made by such Dealer Manager or such affiliate, as the case may be, on behalf of the Company in such jurisdiction.

Each Holder wishing to submit a Tender will be deemed to give certain agreements, acknowledgments, representations, warranties and undertakings in respect of the jurisdictions referred to above and generally as set out in the Offer to Purchase. Any Tenders from a Holder that is unable to make these agreements, acknowledgements, representations, warranties and undertakings may be rejected. Each of the Company, the Parent Company, the Dealer Managers and the Tender and Information Agent reserves the right, in its absolute discretion (and without prejudice to the relevant Holder's responsibility for the representations made by it), to investigate, in relation to any Tender, whether any such agreement, acknowledgement, representation, warranty or undertaking given by a Holder is correct and, if such investigation is undertaken and as a result the Company determines (for any reason) that such representation is not correct, such Tender shall not be accepted. None of the Company, the Parent Company, the Dealer Managers and the Tender and Information Agent is under any obligation to make such an investigation.

SOURCE DEUTSCHE TELEKOM INTERNATIONAL FINANCE B.V.
NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Technavio, the global drone market size is estimated to grow by USD 27.78 billion from 2022 to 2027. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 13.58% during the forecast period. Moreover, the growth momentum will accelerate. APAC will account for 38% of the market's growth. 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.

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Drone Market 2023-2027

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E-scooter market- Segmentation Assessment

Segment Overview

Technavio has segmented the market based on application (industrial, terrestrial imagery and mapping, precision agriculture, inspection and monitoring, and others), and type (rotary blade, fixed wing, and hybrid).

The industrial segment will grow at the highest rate during the forecast period. The real-time airborne inspection makes it possible to quickly assess construction sites or find errors. Drone-monitored construction sites saw a 91% reduction in potentially dangerous mishaps. Since 2016, the drone manufacturer 3D Robotics has received repeated investments from Autodesk, a market leader in software for architecture and construction, through its Forge Funds. Forge Platform from Autodesk is being used by 3D Robotics to offer a UAV-to-cloud solution. Their drones may gather site information that is then analyzed using the Autodesk software. The drone serves as a little replacement cell tower that can be used to distribute the load on static towers at catastrophe scenes or during major events. Therefore, such factors are expected to drive demand for drones in industrial applications during the forecast period.

Geography Overview

By geography, the global drone 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 e-scooter market.

APAC is estimated to account for 38% of the growth of the global market during the forecast period. APAC accounted for the dominant share of the global market in 2022. China is the main revenue contributor to the market in the region. The country is witnessing the swiftly growing adoption of drones in the agriculture, construction, defense, and mining industries. Additionally, Japan , India , and South Korea are witnessing the rapid adoption of drones. In June 2019 , the Government of Japan adopted a draft bill to create advanced cities called Supercity. The government is aiming at deploying product deliveries by drones, autonomous driving, novel services, and cashless payment services in these cities using sophisticated technologies, such as AI and big data. Furthermore, India has a large consumer base with high technology adoption potential. Therefore, several technology companies and service providers are focusing on deploying drone-based services across the country, which is likely to generate attractive growth opportunities for manufacturers and, subsequently, for drone flight management system suppliers. Hence, such factors are likely to propel the regional market during the forecast period.

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E-scooter market Market Dynamics

Key factor driving market growth

The advancements in sensors and the emergence of low-cost drones are notably driving the market growth.

Drones are majorly equipped with GPS, inertial, image, and ultrasound-based range sensors.

With improvements in functionalities and features, drones are increasingly equipped with thermal, hyperspectral, and multispectral sensors.

As the price of sensors continues to fall, more drones will emerge during the forecast period.

Furthermore, drones will increasingly witness demand from beginners, who are yet to get acquainted with the technology and features of drones.

Advantages such as no need for registration (as per the US FAA), 720p HD cameras with satisfactory stability, and compatibility with virtual reality (VR) headsets are major factors that will increase their adoption rate among consumers around the globe during the forecast period.

Leading trends influencing the market

New developments and launches of commercial drones are major trends in the market.

Drones have revolutionized the commercial domain, given their easy deployment, low associated maintenance costs, relatively high mobility, and hovering ability.

Commercial drone manufacturers have launched several product lines to attract buyers from different segments. For instance, Chinese commercial drone manufacturer DJI has introduced several models of drone platforms and solutions to its product portfolio to cater to the needs of hobbyists, professional filmmakers, and industry enterprise users.

Therefore, it is estimated that the growing use of drones drives developments in the commercial sector of the global market. Hence, such factors will boost the global market growth during the forecast period.

Major challenges hindering the market growth

The restrictive laws and regulations governing UAV use are major challenges impeding the market growth.

Criminals and terrorists can hack drones and use them for criminal activities.

The ease of regulations on drone applications is likely to provide an advantage for criminals and terrorists to use drones for carrying out terrorism and criminal activities.

Therefore, to avoid such serious situations, governments in various countries have banned the use of UAVs around highly sensitive areas.

Additionally, a flight management system is responsible for drone operations, and the flight management system of commercial drones can be hacked easily.

Therefore, such factors can deter the wide adoption of commercial drones, which may hinder the growth of the global market during the forecast period.

For more details on drivers, trends, and challenges - Find some insights from a sample

report!

What are the key data covered in this drone market report?

CAGR of the market during the forecast period

Detailed information on factors that will drive the growth of the drone market between 2023 and 2027

Precise estimation of the size of the drone 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 e-scooter 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 drone market vendors

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Related Reports:

The drone payload market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 13.82% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecasted to increase by USD 8,795.43 million . This report extensively covers market segmentation by type (sensors, weaponry, radar, and others), end-user (defense and commercial), and geography ( North America , Europe , APAC, Middle East and Africa , and South America ).

is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 13.82% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecasted to increase by . This report extensively covers market segmentation by type (sensors, weaponry, radar, and others), end-user (defense and commercial), and geography ( , , APAC, and , and ). The drone package delivery market is expected to increase by USD 13.54 billion from 2021 to 2026, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 42.75%. This report extensively covers market segmentation by type (hybrid wing, fixed-wing, and rotary wing), and geography ( North America , Europe , APAC, South America , and Middle East and Africa )

Drone Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 172 Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 13.58% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 27.78 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 12.05 Regional analysis APAC, North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and South America Performing market contribution APAC at 38% Key countries US, China, Japan, Germany, and UK Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled AeroVironment Inc., Autel Robotics Co. Ltd., DELAIR SAS, Drone Delivery Canada Corp., DroneDeploy Inc., EHang Holdings Ltd., Intel Corp., Kespry Inc., Kitty Hawk Corp., Leptron Unmanned Aircraft Systems Inc., Parrot Drones SAS, Pix4D SA, PrecisionHawk Inc., Skydio Inc., SZ DJI Technology Co. Ltd., Teledyne Technologies Inc., Terra Motors Corp., The Boeing Co., Trimble Inc., and Yuneec International Co. Ltd. Market dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, 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 Industrials 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 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 ($ 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 drone market 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 18: Historic Market Size  Data Table on Global drone market 2017 - 2021 ($ billion)

4.2 Application Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 19: Historic Market Size  Application Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ billion)

4.3 Type Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 20: Historic Market Size  Type 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 Industrial - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 34: Chart on Industrial - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 35: Data Table on Industrial - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 36: Chart on Industrial - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 37: Data Table on Industrial - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.4 Terrestrial imagery and mapping - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 38: Chart on Terrestrial imagery and mapping - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 39: Data Table on Terrestrial imagery and mapping - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 40: Chart on Terrestrial imagery and mapping - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 41: Data Table on Terrestrial imagery and mapping - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.5 Precision agriculture - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 42: Chart on Precision agriculture - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 43: Data Table on Precision agriculture - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 44: Chart on Precision agriculture - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 45: Data Table on Precision agriculture - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.6 Inspection and monitoring - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 46: Chart on Inspection and monitoring - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 47: Data Table on Inspection and monitoring - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 48: Chart on Inspection and monitoring - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 49: Data Table on Inspection and monitoring - 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 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 Rotary blade - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 59: Chart on Rotary blade - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 60: Data Table on Rotary blade - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 61: Chart on Rotary blade - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 62: Data Table on Rotary blade - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.4 Fixed wing - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 63: Chart on Fixed wing - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 64: Data Table on Fixed wing - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 65: Chart on Fixed wing - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 66: Data Table on Fixed wing - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.5 Hybrid - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 67: Chart on Hybrid - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 68: Data Table on Hybrid - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 69: Chart on Hybrid - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 70: Data Table on Hybrid - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.6 Market opportunity by Type

Exhibit 71: Market opportunity by Type ($ billion)

8 Customer Landscape

8.1 Customer landscape overview

Exhibit 72: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

9 Geographic Landscape

9.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 73: Chart on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 74: Data Table on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)

9.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 75: Chart on Geographic comparison



Exhibit 76: Data Table on Geographic comparison

9.3 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 (%)

9.4 North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 81: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 82: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 83: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 84: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.5 Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 85: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 86: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 87: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 88: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.6 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 (%)

9.7 South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 93: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 94: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 95: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 96: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.8 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 (%)

9.9 US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 101: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 102: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 103: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 104: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.10 Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 105: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 106: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 107: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 108: 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 109: Chart on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 110: Data Table on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 111: Chart on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 112: Data Table on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.12 UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 113: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 114: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 115: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 116: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.13 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 117: 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 118: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2022 and 2027

10.4 Market trends

11 Vendor Landscape

11.1 Overview

11.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 119: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation

11.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 120: Overview on factors of disruption

11.4 Industry risks

Exhibit 121: Impact of key risks on business

12 Vendor Analysis

12.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 122: Vendors covered

12.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 123: Matrix on vendor position and classification

12.3 AeroVironment Inc.

Exhibit 124: AeroVironment Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 125: AeroVironment Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 126: AeroVironment Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 127: AeroVironment Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 128: AeroVironment Inc. - Segment focus

12.4 Autel Robotics Co. Ltd.

Exhibit 129: Autel Robotics Co. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 130: Autel Robotics Co. Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 131: Autel Robotics Co. Ltd. - Key offerings

12.5 DELAIR SAS

Exhibit 132: DELAIR SAS - Overview

- Overview

Exhibit 133: DELAIR SAS - Product / Service

- Product / Service

Exhibit 134: DELAIR SAS - Key offerings

12.6 Drone Delivery Canada Corp.

Exhibit 135: Drone Delivery Canada Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 136: Drone Delivery Canada Corp. - Product / Service



Exhibit 137: Drone Delivery Canada Corp. - Key offerings

12.7 DroneDeploy Inc.

Exhibit 138: DroneDeploy Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 139: DroneDeploy Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 140: DroneDeploy Inc. - Key offerings

12.8 Intel Corp.

Exhibit 141: Intel Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 142: Intel Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 143: Intel Corp. - Key news



Exhibit 144: Intel Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 145: Intel Corp. - Segment focus

12.9 Kespry Inc.

Exhibit 146: Kespry Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 147: Kespry Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 148: Kespry Inc. - Key offerings

12.10 Kitty Hawk Corp.

Exhibit 149: Kitty Hawk Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 150: Kitty Hawk Corp. - Product / Service



Exhibit 151: Kitty Hawk Corp. - Key offerings

12.11 Leptron Unmanned Aircraft Systems Inc.

Exhibit 152: Leptron Unmanned Aircraft Systems Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 153: Leptron Unmanned Aircraft Systems Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 154: Leptron Unmanned Aircraft Systems Inc. - Key offerings

12.12 Parrot Drones SAS

Exhibit 155: Parrot Drones SAS - Overview



Exhibit 156: Parrot Drones SAS - Product / Service



Exhibit 157: Parrot Drones SAS - Key offerings

12.13 Pix4D SA

Exhibit 158: Pix4D SA - Overview



Exhibit 159: Pix4D SA - Product / Service



Exhibit 160: Pix4D SA - Key offerings

12.14 PrecisionHawk Inc.

Exhibit 161: PrecisionHawk Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 162: PrecisionHawk Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 163: PrecisionHawk Inc. - Key offerings

12.15 SZ DJI Technology Co. Ltd.

Exhibit 164: SZ DJI Technology Co. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 165: SZ DJI Technology Co. Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 166: SZ DJI Technology Co. Ltd. - Key offerings

12.16 The Boeing Co.

Exhibit 167: The Boeing Co. - Overview



Exhibit 168: The Boeing Co. - Business segments



Exhibit 169: The Boeing Co. - Key news



Exhibit 170: The Boeing Co. - Key offerings



Exhibit 171: The Boeing Co. - Segment focus

12.17 Yuneec International Co. Ltd.

Exhibit 172: Yuneec International Co. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 173: Yuneec International Co. Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 174: Yuneec International Co. Ltd. - Key offerings

13 Appendix

13.1 Scope of the report

13.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 175: Inclusions checklist



Exhibit 176: Exclusions checklist

13.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 177: Currency conversion rates for US$

13.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 178: Research methodology



Exhibit 179: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 180: Information sources

13.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 181: List of abbreviations

About Us

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SOURCE Technavio
A contract signed with 'M8 Pharmaceuticals', a partner in Brazil and Mexico planning to begin sales by 2024

Entry into the 1.54 billion USD diabetes market in Brazil and Mexico , the largest markets in Latin America

SEOUL, South Korea, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Daewoong Pharmaceutical announced that the launching of their national new drug #36, 'Envlo(ingredient: Enavogliflozin)' in the global market.

Envlo of Daewoong Pharmaceutical, to be launched in the global markets entering the 1.54 billion USD Market in Brazil and Mexico.

On the 24th February, Daewoong Pharmaceutical (CEO Seng-ho Jeon and Lee Chang-jae) has announced the conclusion of the export contract in Brazil and Mexico of 'Envlo', the SGLT2 enzyme inhibitor type new drug for diabetes on the 24th. With this export contract with Brazil and Mexico as their stepping-stone, Daewoong Pharmaceutical will actively target the global market in the future. The local partner is 'M8 Pharmaceuticals' (CEO Joel Barlan).

Brazil is a country with the second largest number of diabetic patients after China, India, and the United States, and according to data from global market research firm IQVIA, the diabetes market in both countries is about 1.54 billion USD, accounting for 70% of the entire diabetes market in Central and South America.

The size of the contract will be approx. 84.36 million dollars (approx. KRW 108.2 billion) including royalties and they are aiming to start sales by the late 2024 followed by swift local approval in this year. With this contract, Daewoong Pharmaceutical will provide Envlo to M8 Pharmaceuticals, their local partner, and M8 Pharmaceuticals will be in charge of sales within Brazil and Mexico. Also, both parties will continue to cooperate in an evidence-based market strategy.

M8 Pharmaceuticals is a specialized pharmaceutical company experienced in successful sales of various global pharmaceutical products for digestive systems, cardiovascular systems and central nervous systems, covering all of Brazil and Mexico with not only its hospital and clinic network but also rapid growth as 48% for average in five years. Their past partnership with Daewoong Pharmaceutical consists of local sales of Botulinum toxin 'Nabota' in Brazil which leads 3rd rank in market share for Brazil within only two years after release and sales of gastro-oesophageal reflux medicine 'Fexuclue Tablet' and hypertension and dyslipidemia medicine 'Olostar' in Mexico and Brazil. The main office of M8 Pharmaceuticals is located in Philadelphia, US, with branches in Brazil and Mexico.

Envlo is a SGLT2(sodium glucose cotransporter 2) inhibitor type diabetes treatment and last November, Daewoong Pharmaceutical has become the first Korean company to achieve its successful development. Phase 3 clinical trials have been performed on type 2 diabetes patients with excellent blood sugar level drop effects. The safety of Envlo has been confirmed and moreover, it has been proven to show equal medicinal effect with only 0.3mg which is 1/30 of the amount of existing SGLT2 inhibitor and is showing promise as a new option of treatment for patients who were unsatisfied with the blood sugar controls. In addition, the proportion of patients with a glycated hemoglobin reduction of more than 0.5% compared to before treatment also recorded up to 82.9%, compared to the 40-60% level of drugs in the same class.

Envlo, which showed effects on weight loss, blood pressure reduction, lipid profile improvement, and insulin resistance improvement, as well as excellent blood sugar lowering and proteinuria improvement effects compared to the same class of drugs in type 2 diabetic patients with reduced renal function, was found in patients with insufficient blood sugar control. It is expected to be a new treatment option for patients. Currently, there are three indications secured: monotherapy, metformin combination therapy, metformin and gemigliptin combination therapy.

In development, Envlo has been dedicated as the first rapid test item by the Ministry of Food and Drug safety in 2020, thus various core items of system such as GIFT (Global Innovative products on Fast Track) could be applied after approval request, enabling swift review and the success of development. With this export contract with Brazil and Mexico as their stepping-stone, Daewoong Pharmaceutical is planning to pick up their advancement to other overseas markets such as Saudi Arabia, Russia and China with Envlo.

CEO Seng-ho Jeon from Daewoong Pharmaceutical stated "This contract with M8 is an example proving that Daewoong Pharmaceutical's synthetic new drugs such as Fexuclue and Envlo, are recognized as global blockbusters" and "With this contract in Central and South America as the starting point, we expect that the 36th domestically produced new drug Envlo will expand its entry into the global market in the future."

Joel Barlan, the CEO of M8, stated that "We are delighted to continue to strengthen our strategic partnership with Daewoong and see a large opportunity to address the unmet needs of millions of Latin Americans suffering from diabetes, by bringing a product like Envlo to the SGLT2 market with the potential to be best-in-class".

About M8 PHARMACEUTICALS

M8 is a specialty biopharmaceutical company focused on licensing, marketing and distributing innovative and established therapeutics in Latin America: Brazil and Mexico. We aim to become the preferred pharmaceutical partner for the licensing of high-value innovative and proven therapies across our main therapeutic areas CNS, Respiratory, Cardiometabolic, Immunology, Gastroenterology, Onco-hematology and Rare Diseases. Our mission is to provide the people of Latin America with access to the proven and innovative medicines they need to transform their lives.

SOURCE Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
DUBLIN, Feb. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "ESG Trends in the Food & Beverage Industry" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The report will provide an outline, as well as an ESG overview, of the global food and beverage industry. Qualitative insights on ESG trends and their impact on food and beverage manufacturers are provided. Analysis of the food and beverage industry and recent ESG-related developments are provided in the report. It explains the primary drivers, challenges and trends influencing ESG implementation in the food and beverage business.

Report Includes

An overview of the recent trends and advancements with respect to ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) factors in the food and beverage industry

Discussion of ESG-related developments in food and beverage market and analyses of factors affecting ESG applications in food sector

Emphasis on the changing trends, market restraints, drivers and opportunities likely to drive ESG investment in the F&B industry

A look at the steps taken towards the ESG sustainability of food sector and ESG recommendations for reshaping industry operations and influencing regulations

Data corresponding to the ESG adoption level across all the industries in 2021 and 2022

Up-to-date information on the leading ESG compliant food and beverage industry players

Review of one ESG-related case study on the Coca-Cola Co., the largest global beverage corporation, to help understand ESG objectives, policies and projects

The publisher's goal for this study was to analyze environmental, social and governance (ESG) trends in the food and beverage industry, and to assess the ESG implementation, including current and future potential.

The study's objectives include:

To focus on ESG-associated developments in the food and beverage industry.

To analyze ESG-related drivers and opportunities in the food and beverage industry.

To determine and analyze factors affecting ESG implementation in the food and beverage industry.

The report employs various databases, including sustainability reports, annual reports and other indicators used to develop the existing market. The study provides comprehensive information on the main factors influencing ESG growth in the food and beverage business. It enables the reader to recognize the industry in general while also providing insight into the inter-relationship between ESG and the sustainable food and beverage industry. The report explains market growth, developing trends, industry leaders and applications of ESG implementation in the food and beverage market.

Reasons for Doing This Study:

This report is intended to assist decision makers in the food and beverage industry by providing related information to be considered during ESG implementation. In view of the changing aspects of the global food and beverage markets, along with the constantly changing regulatory framework conditions for food and beverage products, the determination of the most suitable ESG analysis and investment becomes increasingly important.



This report examines the ESG framework for food and beverage companies to help them and their investors focus on strategic movements. The presence of favorable government regulations in different regions and growing environmental awareness are all factors that create unique market prospects. This report analyzes these developments and their impact on the future of the food and beverage industry. The report concentrates on the changing trends, market restraints, drivers and opportunities likely to drive ESG investment in the food and beverage industry.

Key Topics Covered:





Chapter 1 Introduction

1.1 Study Goals and Objectives

1.2 Reasons for Doing this Study

1.3 Scope of Report

1.4 Intended Audience

1.5 Information Sources

1.6 Analyst's Credentials

1.7 Related Research Reports

Chapter 2 Market Outlook

2.1 Introduction

2.2 Major Food and Beverage Industry Trends

2.2.1 Global Food and Beverage Industry Challenges

2.2.2 Global Food and Beverage Industry Opportunities

Chapter 3 Food and Beverage Industry Environmental Impact

3.1 Esg for Reshaping Industry Operations and Influencing Regulations

3.2 Regulation and Compliance Challenges for the Food and Beverage Industry

Chapter 4 Esg for the Food and Beverage Industry

4.1 Increasing Adoption of ESG Across Various Industries

4.2 Esg for the Food and Beverage Industry

4.2.1 Esg Pillars for Food and Beverage Industry

4.2.2 Esg Standards Implemented by Key Food Industry Players

4.2.3 Esg Supply Chain Framework

Chapter 5 Market Dynamics of Esg

5.1 Esg-Related Drivers of the Food and Beverage Industry

5.2 Esg-Related Challenges for Food and Beverage Industry

5.2.1 Carbon Emission

5.2.2 Supply Chain

5.2.3 Food Waste

5.2.4 Packaging

5.2.5 Traceability

5.2.6 Child and Forced Labor

5.3 Case Study

Chapter 6 Appendix: Acronyms

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Promotion for Alaska Cruisetours includes $150 combined credit per person for onboard spending, Denali Dollars and Dawson Dollars

SEATTLE, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- It's Yukon Heritage Day, and Holland America Line is celebrating the Canadian region with a special offer just for Florida residents. The exclusive promotion provides $150 per person bonus spending money when booking select 2023 Denali and Yukon Cruisetours. The $150 credit can be combined with Holland America Line's current "Time of Your Life" wave offer that includes free stateroom upgrade, fare discounts, free fares for kids and reduced deposits -- plus tours, beverages, specialty dining and Wi-Fi with the "Have It All" premium package.

Guests on a Holland America Line cruisetour enjoy the scenic landscape of interior Alaska while riding the McKinley Explorer to Denali. Holland America Lines Cruisetours combine an Alaska cruise with an inland journey to Denali and the Yukon. To make an Alaska adventure even more enticing, Holland America Line is including Cruisetours in its current Time of Your Life wave offer. Nieuw Amsterdam celebrated one year of cruising since returning to service after a pause due to pandemic on July 24, 2022, while sailing in Alaska. (PRNewsfoto/Holland America Line) Westerdam in Glacier Bay, Alaska. (PRNewsfoto/Holland America Line)

Holland America Line is the only cruise line that extends the Alaska Cruisetours up to the unspoiled reaches of Canada's Yukon Territory. In 2023, a total of 16 Cruisetours are available, all featuring Denali National Park, and six different Cruisetour options include the Yukon extension. The bonus spending money promotion for guests who live in Florida runs through March 31, 2023.

"Summer is the perfect time for Floridians to escape heat and head to Alaska on a Cruisetour, and we're excited to showcase the Holland America Line experience in the Yukon to more guests from Florida," said Beth Bodensteiner, chief commercial officer for Holland America Line. "Holland America Line is the only way to see Alaska and the Yukon with a combined cruise and overland vacation. Now is the time to book and take advantage of the bonus spending money and 'Time of Your Life' promotions."

With this offer, the first and second guests in a stateroom will each receive:

$50 onboard spending money that can be used for shore excursions, specialty dining, beverages, spa, gift shop purchase and more.

onboard spending money that can be used for shore excursions, specialty dining, beverages, spa, gift shop purchase and more. $50 Denali Dollars for dining, tours and shopping on the overland portion of the Cruisetour at Denali National Park .

Denali Dollars for dining, tours and shopping on the overland portion of the Cruisetour at . $50 Dawson Dollars for dining and tours at Dawson City in the Yukon .

When combining the $150 credit with "Time of Your Life," guests also receive free stateroom upgrades, free fares for kids, reduced deposits, fare discounts and all of the popular perks that come with booking the "Have It All" premium fare: shore excursions, a Signature Beverage Package, shipboard specialty dining and a Surf Wi-Fi package.

Explore Land and Sea with an Alaska Cruisetour

Holland America Line's Cruisetours combine an Alaska cruise with an inland journey to Denali and the Yukon. "Yukon & Denali Cruisetours" range from 10 to 18 days and include either a three- or four-day Inside Passage cruise on Koningsdam or Volendam, or a seven-day Glacier Discovery cruise on Nieuw Amsterdam or Noordam; a two- or three-night stay at Denali National Park; and a journey into the Yukon.

For more than 75 years, Holland America Line has been exploring Alaska, making it the pioneer cruise line in the region. In addition to incredible scenery and an abundance of wildlife, extending into the Yukon allows guests to learn about the area's rich Klondike Gold Rush history, which comes to life as only Holland America Line can showcase.

Alaska Up Close Immerses Guests in the Local Culture

With Holland America Line's "Alaska Up Close" program, guests on Alaska cruises are deeply immersed in the local culture with authentic onboard programming, cruise activities and award-winning shore excursions. The exclusive experiences are delivered through experts leading workshops and lectures, EXC Talks exploring the stories of real Alaskans, tours highlighting the best of each destination, and fine dining events showcasing the culinary traditions of the region.

For more information about Holland America Line, consult a travel advisor, call 1-877-SAIL HAL (877-724-5425) or visit hollandamerica.com.

Editor's Note: Photos are available at: https://www.cruiseimagelibrary.com/c/mcssyl5i

Find Holland America Line on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and the Holland America Blog. You can also access all social media outlets via the home page at hollandamerica.com.

About Holland America Line

Holland America Line, part of Carnival Corporation and plc (NYSE/LSE:CCL andNYSE:CUK), has been exploring the world for 150 years with expertly crafted itineraries, extraordinary service and genuine connections to each destination. Offering an ideal mid-sized ship experience, its fleet visits nearly 400 ports in 114 countries around the world and has shared the thrill of Alaska for 75 years  longer than any other cruise line. Holland America Line's 11 vessels feature a diverse range of enriching activities and amenities focused on destination immersion and personalized travel. The best live music at sea fills each evening at Music Walk, and dining venues feature exclusive selections from a Culinary Council of world-famous chefs.

CONTACT: Bill Zucker, Erik Elvejord PHONE: 800-637-5029, 206-626-9890 EMAIL: [email protected]

SOURCE Holland America Line
Promotion for Alaska Cruisetours includes $150 combined credit per person for onboard spending, Denali Dollars and Dawson Dollars

SEATTLE, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- It's Yukon Heritage Day, and Holland America Line is celebrating the Canadian region with a special offer just for Texas residents. The exclusive promotion provides $150 per person bonus spending money when booking select 2023 Denali and Yukon Cruisetours. The $150 credit can be combined with Holland America Line's current "Time of Your Life" wave offer that includes free stateroom upgrade, fare discounts, free fares for kids and reduced deposits -- plus tours, beverages, specialty dining and Wi-Fi with the "Have It All" premium package.

Guests on a Holland America Line cruisetour enjoy the scenic landscape of interior Alaska while riding the McKinley Explorer to Denali. Holland America Lines Cruisetours combine an Alaska cruise with an inland journey to Denali and the Yukon. To make an Alaska adventure even more enticing, Holland America Line is including Cruisetours in its current Time of Your Life wave offer. Nieuw Amsterdam celebrated one year of cruising since returning to service after a pause due to pandemic on July 24, 2022, while sailing in Alaska. (PRNewsfoto/Holland America Line) Westerdam in Glacier Bay, Alaska. (PRNewsfoto/Holland America Line)

Holland America Line is the only cruise line that extends the Alaska Cruisetours up to the unspoiled reaches of Canada's Yukon Territory. In 2023, a total of 16 Cruisetours are available, all featuring Denali National Park, and six different Cruisetour options include the Yukon extension. The bonus spending money promotion for guests who live in Texas runs through March 31, 2023.

"Summer is the perfect time for Texans to escape heat and head to Alaska on a Cruisetour, and we're excited to showcase the Holland America Line experience in the Yukon to more guests from Texas," said Beth Bodensteiner, chief commercial officer for Holland America Line. "Holland America Line is the only way to see Alaska and the Yukon with a combined cruise and overland vacation. Now is the time to book and take advantage of the bonus spending money and 'Time of Your Life' promotions."

With this offer, the first and second guests in a stateroom will each receive:

$50 onboard spending money that can be used for shore excursions, specialty dining, beverages, spa, gift shop purchase and more.

onboard spending money that can be used for shore excursions, specialty dining, beverages, spa, gift shop purchase and more. $50 Denali Dollars for dining, tours and shopping on the overland portion of the Cruisetour at Denali National Park .

Denali Dollars for dining, tours and shopping on the overland portion of the Cruisetour at . $50 Dawson Dollars for dining and tours at Dawson City in the Yukon .

When combining the $150 credit with "Time of Your Life," guests also receive free stateroom upgrades, free fares for kids, reduced deposits, fare discounts and all of the popular perks that come with booking the "Have It All" premium fare: shore excursions, a Signature Beverage Package, shipboard specialty dining and a Surf Wi-Fi package.

Explore Land and Sea with an Alaska Cruisetour

Holland America Line's Cruisetours combine an Alaska cruise with an inland journey to Denali and the Yukon. "Yukon & Denali Cruisetours" range from 10 to 18 days and include either a three- or four-day Inside Passage cruise on Koningsdam or Volendam, or a seven-day Glacier Discovery cruise on Nieuw Amsterdam or Noordam; a two- or three-night stay at Denali National Park; and a journey into the Yukon.

For more than 75 years, Holland America Line has been exploring Alaska, making it the pioneer cruise line in the region. In addition to incredible scenery and an abundance of wildlife, extending into the Yukon allows guests to learn about the area's rich Klondike Gold Rush history, which comes to life as only Holland America Line can showcase.

Alaska Up Close Immerses Guests in the Local Culture

With Holland America Line's "Alaska Up Close" program, guests on Alaska cruises are deeply immersed in the local culture with authentic onboard programming, cruise activities and award-winning shore excursions. The exclusive experiences are delivered through experts leading workshops and lectures, EXC Talks exploring the stories of real Alaskans, tours highlighting the best of each destination, and fine dining events showcasing the culinary traditions of the region.

For more information about Holland America Line, consult a travel advisor, call 1-877-SAIL HAL (877-724-5425) or visit hollandamerica.com.

Editor's Note: Photos are available at: https://www.cruiseimagelibrary.com/c/mcssyl5i

Find Holland America Line on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and the Holland America Blog. You can also access all social media outlets via the home page at hollandamerica.com.

About Holland America Line

Holland America Line, part of Carnival Corporation and plc (NYSE/LSE:CCL andNYSE:CUK), has been exploring the world for 150 years with expertly crafted itineraries, extraordinary service and genuine connections to each destination. Offering an ideal mid-sized ship experience, its fleet visits nearly 400 ports in 114 countries around the world and has shared the thrill of Alaska for 75 years  longer than any other cruise line. Holland America Line's 11 vessels feature a diverse range of enriching activities and amenities focused on destination immersion and personalized travel. The best live music at sea fills each evening at Music Walk, and dining venues feature exclusive selections from a Culinary Council of world-famous chefs.

CONTACT: Bill Zucker, Erik Elvejord PHONE: 800-637-5029, 206-626-9890 EMAIL: [email protected]

SOURCE Holland America Line
CHICAGO, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The global farm management software market is estimated to grow from USD 3.0 billion in 2023 to USD 5.1 billion by 2028 at a CAGR of 11.1% during 20232028 according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. The market growth for farm management software is driven with rising usage of on-cloud systems for farm management, increased usage of sky drones and remote sensing for real-time farm data management, increased food demand with continuously increasing population across the globe. Another key driving factors are the rising implementation of AI and IoT in agriculture. The increased use of skydrones, remote sensing, and big data analytics in digital agriculture has boosted the demand and growth of this market. Initiatives taken up by government support in order to encourage agricultural techniques, livestock monitoring, to boost up the farm efficiency is further propelling the growth of this market.

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=217016636

Browse in-depth TOC on "Farm Management Software Market"

189  Tables

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The production planning segment to hold the largest market share by 2028

The production planning of the farm management software market is estimated to register largest market share in 2028. Farmers are extensively using farm management software for monitoring and data analytics applications to formulate data-driven strategies to maximize profits. Data pertaining to production processes, crops, and equipment is collected with the help of sensors. This data is stored in the cloud, and data analytics solutions generate insights with that data. Farm owners can leverage these insights and make important decisions about their farms.

The data analytics services segment to register higher CAGR during the forecast period

Based on offering, farm management software market for data analytics services is projected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The farm management software market for the on-cloud delivery model is expected to show attractive growth during the forecast period. The increasing adoption of cloud-based software, owing to its optimized performance, effective energy utilization, and ease of access, is a major factor driving the growth of the market. The cloud-based delivery model is gaining traction since several start-up companies use cloud computing to provide their services. The increased demand for data management in agricultural farms with the help of cloud computing in order to maintain farm efficiencies prove to be a driving factor that fosters the growth of this market.

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Americas held largest share of the farm management software market in 2022

Americas has an established market for farm management software due to awareness among farmers about IoT, AI, big data analytics, high usage and acceptance of monitoring device operations through heavy internet usage in US and Canada. Another driving factor is the higher technological advancement and high adoption of agriculture technology by farm operators. Farmers in the US are highly aware and have been adopting modern agricultural practices since the early 1990s. The penetration of technologies such as IoT, GPS devices, smart camera systems, and precision irrigation systems for monitoring farms in the US is relatively high. Most of the large players in the farm management software market are based in the US, and the average farm size in the country is also large.

Key players in the farm management software market include Trimble Inc. (US), Raven Industries (US), Topcon (US), Granular Inc. (US), AGRIVI (UK), AgJunction Inc. (US), Farmers Edge Inc. (Canada), Agworld (US), Deere & Company (US), IBM Corporation (US), SST Software (US), Climate LLC (US), Microsoft Corporation (US), Afimilk Ltd. (Israel), Iteris (US), GEA Farm Technologies (Ukraine), CropX Inc.(Israel), Conservis (US), Cropio (Ukraine), CropIn (India), ec2ce (Spain), Gamaya (Switzerland), Connecterra B.V. (Netherlands), Aquabyte (US), and Eruvaka Technologies (India). These players are increasingly undertaking strategies such as product launches and development, expansions, partnerships, contracts, and acquisitions to increase their market share.

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Browse Adjacent Market: Semiconductor and Electronics Market Research Reports &Consulting

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SILVER SPRING, Md., Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is providing an at-a-glance summary of news from around the agency:

Today, the FDA published the FDA Voices: "The Work of FDA Continues in Thousands of Workstreams that Americans and the World Count on Every Day," by Robert M. Califf , M.D., Commissioner of Food and Drugs. In the second of a two-part series, Dr. Califf reflects on his one-year anniversary back at the agency and shares his vision for the future of the agency. Dr. Califf expresses his appreciation to agency staff for their hard work in such an extraordinary time and looks forward to a productive and engaging year in which the agency thrives.





, M.D., Commissioner of Food and Drugs. In the second of a two-part series, Dr. Califf reflects on his one-year anniversary back at the agency and shares his vision for the future of the agency. Dr. Califf expresses his appreciation to agency staff for their hard work in such an extraordinary time and looks forward to a productive and engaging year in which the agency thrives. On Thursday, the FDA published the FDA Voices: "What FDA's Foods Program Achieved in 2022 to Protect Consumers and the Food Supply," by Frank Yiannas, Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response, Susan T. Mayne , Ph.D., Director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition and Judy McMeekin , Pharm.D., Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs. Despite being a challenging year, the FDA's Foods Program took important strides in 2022 to protect the safety of human foods and expand access to safe and nutritious foods for all consumers.





, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition and , Pharm.D., Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs. Despite being a challenging year, the FDA's Foods Program took important strides in 2022 to protect the safety of human foods and expand access to safe and nutritious foods for all consumers. On Thursday, the FDA published the FDA Voices: "FDA Continues Important Work to Advance Medical Products for Patients with Rare Diseases," by Robert M. Califf , M.D., Commissioner of Food and Drugs and Sandy Retzky , D.O., J.D., M.P.H., Director, Office of Orphan Products Development. Rare Disease Week is observed during the last week of February. The agency will host its virtual Rare Disease Day on Monday, Feb. 27, 2023 . The goal of this year's Rare Disease Day is to explore ways to engage and collaborate with patients and patient advocates to support the development of medical products for rare diseases.





, M.D., Commissioner of Food and Drugs and , D.O., J.D., M.P.H., Director, Office of Orphan Products Development. Rare Disease Week is observed during the last week of February. The agency will host its virtual Rare Disease Day on . The goal of this year's Rare Disease Day is to explore ways to engage and collaborate with patients and patient advocates to support the development of medical products for rare diseases. On Thursday, the FDA issued a letter to health care providers informing health care providers and facilities about the potential for exposure to airborne chemicals that may be released from neonatal incubators. The FDA is evaluating published literature that reports elevated levels of formaldehyde, cyclohexanone and other volatile chemicals (such as human-made chemicals used and produced in manufacturing) from neonatal incubators. Potential sources of these airborne chemicals include materials used to make neonatal incubators as well as natural and human-made sources external to the incubator. The FDA is working with manufacturers of neonatal incubators to collect and evaluate data from their products to determine whether these airborne chemicals are released, and if so, the amount of exposure and the potential risks to health from such exposure, if any, for newborns and others (such as health care providers). Currently, the FDA is not aware of any reported adverse events related to the use of neonatal incubators and exposure to these airborne chemicals.





On Wednesday, the FDA announced that it will co-host a virtual public meeting with the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) on March 22, 2023 . Additionally, EPA opened a docket for the agencies to receive public comment on their current approach to the oversight of various products regulated as either pesticides by EPA or new animal drugs by FDA, with a focus on parasite treatment products applied topically to animals and in genetically engineered pest animals for use as pest control tools. The agencies also released a document entitled, "WHITEPAPER: A Modern Approach to EPA and FDA Product Oversight," for public comment, which describes the current challenges and highlights the potential benefits of a modernized approach to oversight of these products.





. Additionally, EPA opened a docket for the agencies to receive public comment on their current approach to the oversight of various products regulated as either pesticides by EPA or new animal drugs by FDA, with a focus on parasite treatment products applied topically to animals and in genetically engineered pest animals for use as pest control tools. The agencies also released a document entitled, "WHITEPAPER: A Modern Approach to EPA and FDA Product Oversight," for public comment, which describes the current challenges and highlights the potential benefits of a modernized approach to oversight of these products. On Friday, the FDA issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the GenBody COVID-19 Ag Home Test (manufactured by GenBody, Inc.) and on Wednesday, February 22 , the FDA issued an EUA for COVI-Go-SARS-CoV-2 Ag Self Test (manufactured by Mologic, Inc.). Validation data to support the EUAs of these tests were gathered through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Independent Test Assessment Program (ITAP), established as a collaboration between the FDA and the NIH. Both tests can be used for serial testing for symptomatic people within the first 5 days of symptom onset or for people who do not have symptoms. The GenBOdy COVID-19 Ag Home Test shows results in 15 minutes, and the COVI-Go-SARS-CoV-2 Ag Self Test shows results in 20 minutes. These tests should always be repeated if a negative result is found - at least 2 times over 3 days with at least 48 hours between tests if the person has symptoms, or at least 3 times over 5 days with at least 48 hours between tests if the person does not have symptoms. The tests can be used for people age 14 years or older with a self-collected nasal swab sample and age 2 years or older when an adult collects the nasal swab sample.





(manufactured by GenBody, Inc.) and on , the FDA issued an EUA for COVI-Go-SARS-CoV-2 (manufactured by Mologic, Inc.). Validation data to support the EUAs of these tests were gathered through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Independent Test Assessment Program (ITAP), established as a collaboration between the FDA and the NIH. Both tests can be used for serial testing for symptomatic people within the first 5 days of symptom onset or for people who do not have symptoms. The GenBOdy COVID-19 shows results in 15 minutes, and the COVI-Go-SARS-CoV-2 shows results in 20 minutes. These tests should always be repeated if a negative result is found - at least 2 times over 3 days with at least 48 hours between tests if the person has symptoms, or at least 3 times over 5 days with at least 48 hours between tests if the person does not have symptoms. The tests can be used for people age 14 years or older with a self-collected nasal swab sample and age 2 years or older when an adult collects the nasal swab sample. COVID-19 testing updates:





As of today, 443 tests and sample collection devices are authorized by the FDA under emergency use authorizations (EUAs). These include 298 molecular tests and sample collection devices, 84 antibody and other immune response tests, 60 antigen tests, and one diagnostic breath test. There are 78 molecular authorizations and one antibody authorization that can be used with home-collected samples. There is one EUA for a molecular prescription at-home test, two EUAs for antigen prescription at-home tests, 28 EUAs for antigen over-the-counter (OTC) at-home tests, and four for molecular OTC at-home tests.



The FDA has authorized 45 antigen tests and eight molecular tests for serial screening programs. The FDA has also authorized 1254 revisions to EUA authorizations.

Additional Resources:

# # #

Media Contact: FDA Office of Media Affairs, 301-796-4540

Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA

The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation's food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products.

SOURCE U.S. Food and Drug Administration
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. higher education sector is rapidly evolving in response to changing societal needs and conditions, most notably rising costs and decreasing public support. With these changes come opportunities for innovative partnerships that provide effective solutions.

Founded in 1974, Fielding Graduate University is a private, nonprofit graduate institution founded on the social sciences that provides exemplary interdisciplinary programs for a community of scholar-practitioners. It uses a distributed learning model grounded in student-driven inquiry and leading to enhanced knowledge.

In 2023, Fielding became an official affiliate of Rowan Global, Inc. By joining Rowan Global Inc.'s affiliate network, Fielding increases its opportunities to take advantage of a greater array of resources to support graduate student learning and their learning environment.

Created by Rowan University, Rowan Global is a nonprofit affiliate network of higher educational institutions that serve diverse populations and audiences. The network is intended to benefit affiliates by providing a set of coordinated services to support the delivery of their respective academic programs. Fielding is the first institution to join the network and remains an independent university, as will all members of the affiliation.

"The partnership between Rowan and Fielding is an exceptional opportunity for our entire community," said Karen S. Bogart, Ph.D., Chair, Board of Trustees. "An affiliation with Rowan Global empowers Fielding to do what it has done since its founding in 1974  offering educational opportunities to adult learners as they pursue graduate degrees in the social sciences. Benefits include increasing technology and academic supports for our students in all programs by securing more resources through collaborative planning. In addition, there are many exciting opportunities to explore, including scholarly collaboration amongst members of the affiliate network and global programming for adult learners."

Under such a network, member institutions will be able to expand, diversify, and collaborate with each other, while preserving their individual historic core.

"Above all, Fielding is an institution that can continue to contribute to the ecosystem of higher education through our distinctive approach to adult learning graduate environments in the social sciences," said President Katrina S. Rogers, Ph.D. "The Board's decision enables us to improve our capacities to provide a robust learning environment for all our students. This work will enable us to live into our vision and mission in new ways as we envision a future as part of a broader network with many institutional partners. The opportunities for our students and faculty are limited only by our imagination."

Rowan University is a comprehensive R-2 university with approximately 20,000 students offering more than 74 bachelor's degrees and 51 master's degree programs, four doctoral programs, and two professional programs. The university is one of just 56 institutions in the country with accredited programs in business, education, engineering and medicine. The main campus is located in Glassboro, New Jersey.

"The two plus years timeframe to realize this affiliation is a reflection of the thoroughness and transparency that permeated the negotiations at all levels and it is also a testament of the good will and collegiality demonstrated by the leadership of the involved parties," said Horacio Sosa, Ph.D., President and CEO of Rowan Global, Inc. "In this respect, it has been a real pleasure working with President Rogers and her board in designing the roadmap for a successful partnership. We are, therefore, excited to have Fielding as our inaugural affiliate and partner. Together, we are going to show that we have created a model of doing business in higher education that focuses on student satisfaction, while at the same time allows institutions like Fielding to expand their brand recognition, academic programming, and student enrollments."

To learn more about the partnership, visit www.fielding.edu/partnership. Learn more about Fielding Graduate University at www.fielding.edu . Learn more about Rowan Global, Inc., at www.global.rowan.edu. Learn more about Rowan University at www.rowan.edu.

For 48 years, Fielding Graduate University has been educating leaders, scholars, and practitioners for a more just and sustainable world. An accredited nonprofit leader, we combine facetoface and online learning, delivering graduate education that fosters individual development, community collaboration and societal engagement. Taught by faculty representing a breadth of scholarship and practice, our rigorous curriculum offers courses and degrees in psychology, leadership, and education for professionals living and working anywhere in the world. Learn more at fielding.edu.

SOURCE Fielding Graduate University
Young Sohn joins the compliance firm's expert Advisory Board in the company of former acting White House Chief of Staff, Mick Mulvaney; former Secretary for Homeland Security, Kirstjen Nielsen; and former European Commissioner for Trade, Phil Hogan

ZURICH, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Astra Protocol, a decentralized KYC platform for Web3, has appointed former Samsung Electronics President and Chief Strategy Officer Young Sohn to its Advisory Board. Equipped with significant expertise in capital investment and business strategy, Young Sohn will guide Astra Protocol's focus on real-world applications as the firm streamlines decentralized compliance within the digital assets industry.

The appointment of Young Sohn as Advisor to Astra Protocol's prestigious Advisory Board comes following partnerships with a number of world-class legal and auditing firms including global auditing giant, KPMG. This alliance forms part of Astra Protocol's decentralized legal network (DLN) of legal and compliance experts helping to eliminate risk for crypto applications.

Young Sohn, Founding Managing Partner at Walden Catalyst Ventures, and former President and Chief Strategy Officer at Samsung Electronics, commented: "What we are currently witnessing is a paradigm shift, where emerging technologies have the impact to transform our everyday lives. However, market headwinds and rapidly evolving business landscapes are stifling adoption. The need for tangible compliance frameworks has never been clearer, particularly as the wider technology industry incorporates features of Web3. Astra Protocol is trailblazing in achieving this for decentralized ecosystems with the opportunity to effect real change."

During his tenure at Samsung, Young Sohn spearheaded the $8 billion acquisition of HARMAN International Industries, a global name in IoT and Cloud solutions, of which Young Sohn is Chairman of the Board. Now, Founding Managing Partner at Walden Catalyst Ventures, a venture capital (VC) firm helping early-stage companies in deep tech, Young Sohn brings with him an esteemed skillset in emerging technology investments, business consultation and strategy, and mergers and acquisitions (M&A).

Astra Protocol provides a geospatial compliance layer to DeFi applications and smart contracts by harnessing the regulatory frameworks of 155 countries. It enables KYC compliance in Web3 without sacrificing any individual user's anonymity or privacy. Astra Protocol leverages the expertise of several global legal and auditing firms to provide Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Know Your Customer (KYC), and Know Your Business (KYB) services to Web3 companies, using advanced biometric technology and liveness checks to provide real-world validation.

Jez Noah Ali, Co-Founder and Director of Astra Protocol, concluded: "Having a geographically diverse and experienced Advisory Board is paramount to the efficacy of our product. With extensive experience in capital investment, emerging technologies, and business strategy, Young Sohn will be instrumental as we traverse the rapidly evolving standards of regulatory compliance globally. These developments with our Advisory Board, adoption partners, and investment partners are laying a robust foundation as we prepare to go to market with our compliance toolkit this quarter. With Young's guidance, Astra stands to open the doors to institutional participation in Web3 and the decentralized world."

For more information on Astra Protocol, visit the official website astraprotocol.com.

About Astra Protocol

Astra Protocol is a decentralized KYC platform for Web3. By employing the financial regulatory standards from over 150 countries, and bringing 300 sanctions and watchlists to the crypto industry, Astra Protocol is seamlessly delivering next-generation geospatial compliance. The protocol harnesses the expertise of global auditing firms and patented technology to deliver best-in-class KYC, KYB and AML services, and operates as a versatile on-chain dispute resolution and data verification platform for blockchain and smart contracts.

Built by a team of visionaries, with a globally renowned Advisory Board that includes White House Chief of Staff, Mick Mulvaney; former Secretary for Homeland Security, Kirstjen Nielsen; and former European Commissioner for Trade, Phil Hogan, Astra Protocol is working towards a secure, frictionless financial system that supports the ethos of decentralization and the burgeoning digital economy.

SOURCE Astra Protocol
Scientists propose a deep neural network-based platform for identifying candidate antimicrobial peptides

GWANGJU, South Korea, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Over the last few decades, antimicrobial resistance has become a major public health concern globally. This has led to a search for alternative methods of treating microbial infections. One such innovation is the discovery of antimicrobial properties of certain peptides. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are short peptides found in most animals, plants, and microorganisms as a natural defense against infections. AMPs combat harmful bacteria via a nonspecific mechanism that prevents them from developing antimicrobial resistance. Despite these exceptional abilities, research on AMPs is being hindered because the existing systems for identifying candidate AMPs are like a black box, where the outputs are not easily interpretable for further analysis.

Researchers from GIST developed natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML)-based antimicrobial peptide (AMP) prediction model that can identify functional/structural properties of peptides and classify them as AMPs and non-AMPs.

Now, in a recent breakthrough published in Protein Science, a team of researchers from Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, including Prof. Hojung Nam and Mr. Hansol Lee, proposed an AMP-BERT classification system that uses AI-based bidirectional encoder representation from transformers (BERT) architecture to improve upon the existing AMP classification models. Their findings were published online on 3 December 2022 and in print in Volume 32, Issue 1 of the journal in January 2023.

When asked about the motivation behind developing the classification system, Prof. Nam explains: "The misuse and overuse of antibiotics have resulted in the development of bacteria that cannot be effectively treated with these antibiotics. This has resulted in an increased health risk not only in humans but also agriculture. So, we wanted to develop an AMP pre-screening platform that isn't a black box of algorithms but can be easily interpreted for further research."

The team incorporated a natural language processing (NLP)-based deep neural network that was pre-trained with billions of protein sequences then fine-tuned with thousands of peptide sequences from a benchmark AMP database. This enabled the AMP-BERT model to not only extract the structural and functional information from the input peptide sequences but also differentiate AMPs from non-AMPs. This enhanced the prediction power allowed the model to make better classifications even with external data.

The team also designed the model to assign individual attention scores to each amino acid from the input peptide sequence. The attention feature then revealed the important subregions of AMPs that play a major role in deciding whether a peptide has antimicrobial properties or not. Furthermore, the prediction results indicated the AMP-BERT model's applicability extends even to unseen peptide data and that it can learn meaningful functional and structural information from those peptides.

The novel AMP-BERT peptide pre-screening model can open new doors for the discovery and development of AMP-based drug candidates for treating antimicrobial-resistant illnesses. The important peptide subregion information provided by this prediction platform can also be used to optimize the antibiotic efficiency of peptides. "As more AMPs are experimentally validated and new structural information is uncovered using computational methods, we will be able to make more effective antibiotic drugs and potentially stop a new pandemic from spreading across the world in near future" concludes Prof Nam.

Reference

Title of original paper: AMP-BERT: Prediction of antimicrobial peptide function

based on a BERT model

Journal: Protein Science

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/pro.4529

*Corresponding author's email: [email protected]

About the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST)

Website: http://www.gist.ac.kr/

Contact:

Seulhye Kim

82 62 715 6253

[email protected]

SOURCE Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology
DUBLIN, Feb. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Calcium Carbonate Market - Forecasts from 2022 to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global calcium carbonate market size is projected to surge at a notable CAGR over the forecast period, with an estimated value of US$3.382 billion in 2020.



Calcium carbonate is a versatile chemical found in the earth's crust. The most common forms of calcium carbonate include limestone, chalk, dolomite, and marble. The market is projected to grow at a significant pace during the forecast period owing to its numerous industrial applications. The chemical material is extracted through mining or quarrying activities around the globe. Potential industrial applications include construction materials, food additives, pharmaceuticals, and other applications. The growing pharmaceutical industry is contributing to the surging market demand during the forecast period.

The growing food industry is propelling market growth in the forecast period. The spreading construction activities worldwide due to the growing urbanization and industrialization, particularly in the developing economies of the world, are propagating market growth during the forecast period. On the basis of geography, the Asia Pacific region is predicted to hold a substantial market share. The study provides an in-depth analysis of other regions as well. These include North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa region. The downfall of the paper industry due to growing digitization is predicted to hamper the market growth during the forecast period.



The surging digitization worldwide has led to a decrease in the growth of the paper industry; this factor is predicted to have an impact on impeding the global calcium carbonate market growth in the forecast period.



The market is predicted to decline owing to the immense growth and advancement in the adoption of businesses that utilize the internet. The growth of e-retailing or e-commerce has further surged with the growing internet penetration worldwide, along with the adoption of electronic mobile devices. This has impacted the decline in paper usage, further restricting the market growth during the forecast period.



As per the International Telecommunication Union estimates, in 2019, the percentage of individuals utilizing the internet in Europe accounted for 82.5%, the Americas region accounted for 77.2%, and the Asia & Pacific region accounted for internet usage with 48.4%. On the other hand, the percentage of people utilizing the internet in the other regions of the world includes the Arab states with 51.6%, and Africa accounted for 28.2%. On average, the percentage of individuals that are online in the world accounted for 53.6% in 2019.



The rising labor costs in the paper industry that add to the cost of production have also had an impact on hampering the market growth during the forecast period. Thus, encouraging businesses to adopt the online mode. There are concerns related to deforestation for the production of pulp and paper; hence, individuals are moving on to adopt e-platform for communication to save trees, further impacting the market growth in the forecast period. For example, shifting focus on the utilization of digital media for the promotion of their products and gaining traction is growing popularity. The growing use of digital signage for political campaigns is also contributing to the adoption of paperless communication, further impacting the market growth during the forecast period.



The penetration of paperless operations in almost all government departments and financial sectors that include bank transactions is gaining ground. These departments have switched to electronic data owing to the increased convenience in data accessibility, retrievability, speed, and security. Hence, such factors are causing the paper industry to decline significantly in the forecast period. Additionally, it has been observed that paper prices are declining, and there is a transformation of graphic mills that print newspapers, magazines, or books into packaging paper mills.



The presence of companies worldwide is contributing to surging market growth in order to fulfill the end-use industrial sector demands.



Solvay deals in the production of high-purity calcium carbonate. The product has a meager percentage of iron and alkaline elements for electrical and optical manufacturing organizations. The other product, calcium carbonate high purity, is a precipitated calcium carbonate having controlled particle size and shape. The product has a low level of impurities of the alkaline and alkaline earth metals.



The material is extensively utilized by the electronic industry in the form of a dopant to produce barium titanates for MLCCs (multilayer ceramic capacitors) and PTC (positive temperature coefficient) devices. Also, it is utilized in the production of calcium zirconate in addition to the optical industry for the production of special glass.



A Japan-based manufacturer, Maruo Calcium, manufactures varied types of calcium carbonate, among other industrial raw materials. The product portfolio includes light calcium carbonates, various types of ground calcium carbonates, and different types of colloidal calcium carbonates. Other products include food additives, animal feeds, hydrated lime, quicklime, wet silica, and varied kinds of minerals that include talc, clay, and silica powder.



Minerals Technologies Inc., a public company based in New York, is a resource and technology-based company. It is a global pioneer in the manufacturing, production, and marketing of a diverse range of specialty mineral, mineral-based, and synthetic mineral products, in addition to other associated systems and services, among the four notable segments, namely, performance minerals, specialty minerals, refractories, and energy services, the specialty minerals category deals in the production and sales of the synthetic mineral product, PCC. Also, the company deals in the mining of ores and processes and sells natural mineral commodities. The primary ones include limestone and talc. This product category is further utilized in paper production, building materials, paints and coatings, glass, ceramic, polymer, food, automotive, and pharmaceuticals.



Huber Engineered Materials is a global pioneer in industrial chemical manufacturing. The company is aimed at the creation, development, and manufacturing of superior engineered specialty ingredients. These ingredients are utilized in industrial, agriculture, and consumer-based end-use industries. The inorganic chemical expertise has further led to the production of industrial, food-grade, and USP calcium carbonate, among others.



Significant developments in the global calcium carbonate market will further propagate the market growth during the forecast period.



The Sherwin-Williams Company signed a deal with the government of Statesville, the state of North Carolina, and Iredell County in February 2022 to significantly increase its architecture and design coatings and paint manufacturing capacity, as well as open a larger distribution facility in Statesville, North Carolina.



Huber Engineered Materials agreed to sell its Nutri Granulations business and manufacturing assets to IMCD NV, a Netherlands-based supplier of specialty chemicals & ingredients, in March 2021. Nutri Granulations produces food-grade & USP-grade calcium carbonate granulations for the nutritional supplements, food, OTC, and pharmaceutical industries.



Omya announced, in 2020, the rebuilding and expansion of its calcium carbonate production plant in France. This has further led to the creation of a substantially higher capacity for the company's calcium carbonate product platform. Additionally, this involves a novel packaging line and an on-site warehouse. The production unit deals in the production of mineral grades for food, cosmetic, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical applications. The company further manufactures commodities from natural limestone acquired from Orgon, having a low environmental impact.



Segmentation:

By Commercial Grade

Precipitated Calcium Carbonate (PCC)

Ground Calcium Carbonate (GCC)

By Application

Construction

Agriculture

Paper

Plastic

Adhesive and Sealants

Paints & Coatings

Chemical

By Geography

North America

USA

Canada

Mexico

South America

Brazil

Argentina

Europe

UK

Germany

France

Spain

Italy

Middle East and Africa

and UAE

Egypt

Saudi Arabia

Asia Pacific

Japan

China

India

South Korea

Indonesia

Thailand

Australia

Companies Mentioned

Imerys

Omya AG

Minerals Technologies Inc.

Huber Engineered Materials (part of J.M. Huber Corporation)

Shriraishi Calcium Kaisha

Carmeuse Foundation

Sibelco

Excalibar Minerals (Newpark Resources Inc.)

Calcinor

Solvay

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/oy6z0q-calcium?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

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SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Cell & Gene Therapy Business and Investment Opportunities - Analysis & Market Size by Technology, Clinical Trials, Patents, Financial Deals, Competitive Landscape - Q1 2023 Update" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The lives of people all over the world have been improved by traditional methods of patient treatment that use drugs and surgery, yet there are many diseases - possibly even most of them - for which these conventional methods only slow the progression of the illness without curing it. This flaw is especially evident when treating monogenic diseases, which are congenital illnesses brought on by single-gene abnormalities.



More than 30 million people in the United States are thought to be affected by one of the more than 7,000 rare diseases that exist. Cells and genetically modified cells are "living drugs" that may repair and replace damaged tissues or ill organs, which makes them fundamentally different from medications and surgery. Due to these characteristics, they may be used to treat a variety of conditions.



There are presently six FDA-approved CAR-T cell therapies available to patients in the United States and Europe to treat different types of blood cancers. They are one of many promising cell and gene therapies that are being developed for both rare and common disorders.



A glimmer of hope for patients waiting for long-term, potentially curative treatments is the fact that more than 1,000 clinical trials, including 200 in Phase III, are now under progress. Phase I/II combo studies are frequently used. Because it enables sponsors to improve and accelerate their clinical development programmes, this design approach is still being used more and more in the industry. The industry must overcome funding, regulatory, and legislative barriers, and many patients won't benefit unless we transform the way we provide healthcare.



An expansion of the CGT pipeline



The year 2022 marked a turning point for the licencing of never-before-approved gene treatments, with three new medications licenced to treat uncommon illnesses and another authorised to treat bladder cancer. This is just the first wave of transforming ripple. By the end of 2023, innovative cell or gene therapies may have received approval for use in Europe, the United States, or both. The industry is on the verge of achieving the FDA's widely reported 2019 forecast that 10-20 innovative cell and gene therapies will be approved annually by 2025.

In December 2022 a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy called Yescarta (axicabtagene ciloleucel) has been approved by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) for the initial treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma (R/R LBCL), including those with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma, transformed follicular lymphoma, and high-grade B-cell lymphoma.

a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy called Yescarta (axicabtagene ciloleucel) has been approved by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) for the initial treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma (R/R LBCL), including those with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma, transformed follicular lymphoma, and high-grade B-cell lymphoma. Yescarta (axicabtagene ciloleucel), a CAR T-cell treatment, was given FDA approval in April 2022 for treating adult patients with large B-cell lymphoma.

for treating adult patients with large B-cell lymphoma. The European Commission (EC) approved Kymriah (tisagenlecleucel), a CAR-T cell therapy, for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory (r/r) follicular lymphoma (FL) after two or more lines of systemic therapy, according to Novartis.

Commercial demand for Abecma (idecabtagene vicleucel) remained strong into 2022. In addition to increasing manufacturing capacity, 2seventy bio and BMS made major advancements in key supply chain indicators.

In 2023, the company projects topline U.S. sales of $470 - $570M thanks to further expansions in the manufacturing capacity of vector and pharmacological products, including an extra adherent vector manufacturing suite. 2seventy Bio anticipates additional commercial growth with an anticipated label expansion in 2024-2025. With this expansion, 2seventybio anticipates that Abecma will produce $200 - 300M in operational income for 2seventybio between 2024 and 2025.

- thanks to further expansions in the manufacturing capacity of vector and pharmacological products, including an extra adherent vector manufacturing suite. 2seventy Bio anticipates additional commercial growth with an anticipated label expansion in 2024-2025. With this expansion, 2seventybio anticipates that Abecma will produce - in operational income for 2seventybio between 2024 and 2025. The first cell-based gene therapy, Zynteglo (betibeglogene autotemcel), has been given the green light by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat adult and paediatric beta-thalassemia patients who need regular red blood cell transfusions

In the future, it's anticipated that M&A activity will increase

In the field of CGT, where licencing and cooperative arrangements continue to dominate. This is hardly surprising given the relative youth of CGT technology, as there are still questions about values and technical obstacles. Partnerships give the licensor or investor a reduced risk way to increase CGT offerings without taking on full financial responsibility or experiencing the productivity disruption frequently associated with M&A.

Investments are going into firms of all stages of development, from start-ups to significant acquisitions by big pharmaceutical firms. In 2019, to purchase Celgene, Bristol Myers Squibb paid $74 billion . The largest of them are involved in oncology treatments.

. The largest of them are involved in oncology treatments. Cell and gene therapy market draws an increased amount and share of public and private investment despite the limited number of licenced products. Despite the fact that during the past ten years, all private sector investment in the life sciences has increased significantly, the exponential growth of overall investments in cell and gene therapy firms is extraordinary.

Neogene Therapeutics, a global clinical-stage biotechnology firm that is leading the discovery, development, and production of next-generation T-cell receptor treatments (TCR-Ts), which provide a unique cell therapy strategy for treating cancer, has announced that AstraZeneca is acquiring it.

Growing cell and gene therapy enterprises have received support from this surge in private money as they reach the stock market. Initially, it showed early growth but later it went through a period of severe distortions during the pandemic. It is expected that cell and gene firms return to a more measured growth trajectory, underpinned by a growing number of clinical milestones and perhaps more regulatory approvals, as stock markets adapt and the economy picks up through the projected period.



European region may regain its feet in the field of cell and gene therapy with regulatory checks

Although authorities in the US and Europe are moving forward with reforming their regulatory frameworks in response to scientific advancements, barriers to patient access remain a major issue in both places.

are moving forward with reforming their regulatory frameworks in response to scientific advancements, barriers to patient access remain a major issue in both places. The European Union will update its pharmaceuticals legislation; the proposal is anticipated in the first quarter of 2023. The project will have a significant impact on whether European patients have access to advanced therapy medicinal products for years to come by balancing affordability and access, among other issues.

Europe faces tremendous challenges, particularly when it comes to access. Having the European Medicines Agency, a top-notch regulatory organisation, and having approved the first gene therapy, Europe has been a tremendous pioneer in the sector in many ways. However, due to a combination of complex factors, Europe is already lagging on certain crucial fronts.

Regulatory trends that will shape the future of cell and gene therapy

In the upcoming years, it is anticipated that filing application numbers would rise. The amount of requests for Breakthrough (BT) and Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designations, which are submitted concurrently with or during an ongoing IND file, has recently increased. While the benefits of BT and RMAT designations are comparable to those of fast-track designation, these designations also call for more robust supporting documentation.

Within the framework of the NIH Accelerating Medicines Partnership Program, the FDA recently launched a new effort. The Bespoke Gene Therapy Consortium (BGTC) was established to remove significant barriers and streamline the small-batch gene therapy research process. By giving details on basic and clinical research, manufacturing, production, and regulatory needs, the BGTC will serve as a traffic light for these therapies.

The FDA's "INTERACT" casual meeting programme is a relatively new project. This initiative involves informal talks between the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) employees and researchers/sponsors who are in the pre-IND stage of development to address the concerns and demands faced by the CGT industry within current clinical guidelines. The INTERACT meetings do not charge anything under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA). They are given based on CBER's resources and availability, and they do not take the place of other official meetings. Therefore, it is advised to ask for a pre-IND meeting before submitting an IND to start the Phase I first-in-human investigation. This is crucial when looking for advice on the designs of toxicity study plans.

The FDA has just launched the Gene Therapy Pilot Program, which entails giving sponsors input in real-time throughout the clinical development process. The development cycle and submission review time should be sped up by the combination of new meeting formats. Together, these programmes provide opportunities for sponsors and regulators to speak and debate technical advancements more frequently.

To ensure that patients benefit from this technology, however, there are crucial challenges that must be resolved. Industry and the healthcare sector are prepared to invest in the CGT ecosystem and have faith that long-term problems (such as costs, safety, and reimbursement) will be resolved.



Cell and gene therapy firms and their investors should understand and distinguish marketing hype from legitimate science. This is a new market with enormous potential opportunities, but it still carries many risks until it is economically established. The potential of CGT to usher in a new era of medicine has undoubtedly inspired a lot of optimism.



This report presents an in-depth analysis of the current market scenario, with an emphasis on the future trajectory of potential opportunities in the cell and gene therapy industry. In addition to a combination of exhaustive secondary research along with primary research, the research methodology leverages a proprietary predictive analytics platform to provide unbiased business intelligence and answer key questions related to the cell and gene therapy market.



It provides a detailed analysis of cell and gene therapy market dynamics, covering clinical trials, patent data, financial deals, and company profiling details. It details market opportunities and risks across key segments - by type of therapy segment, by the purpose of manufacturing, by type of cell, by product, by route of administration, delivery mode, source of cell, source of manufacturing, therapeutic class, technology, and by type of therapy. It also details market dynamics across various end-use sectors to assess emerging opportunities.



In addition, this report provides analyst commentary on key trends, drivers, strategies, innovations, and regulations in cell and gene therapy sector.



This title provides global and regional insights along with data-centric analysis for the following 6 regions and 20 countries.

Scope



Insights and data in the report have been segmented under the following six modules:



Module 1: Global Cell and Gene Therapy Funding and Investments Outlook



This module provides insights and data related to cell and gene therapy partnerships and investment (research and development, mergers and acquisitions, product development, commercialization, licensing, and manufacturing) and allows a peek into the futuristic trends of cell and gene therapy technology investment area.



Module 2: Global Cell and Gene Therapy Clinical Trial Data Assessment



This module evaluates the data available from clinical trials conducted utilising cell and gene technology, representing a bird's eye view of emerging market dynamics and risks in the cell and gene therapy sector.



Module 3: Global Cell and Gene Therapy Patent Data Analysis



This module presents an exhaustive study of cell and gene therapy patent analytics at various levels, including strategic research planning as well as analyzing their potential applications.



Module 4: Competitive Landscape



This module provides detailed information along with a scoring matrix of key companies related to the cell and gene therapy industry, including their historical performance and the latest developments.



Module 5: Global Cell and Gene Therapy Market Size and Forecast



This module provides projections on the market's development during the years 2018-2027 after the profound evaluation of market dynamics at the deeper segmentation level. This report also provides an in-depth, data-centric analysis of the global cell and gene therapy market at regional and country levels:



Cell & Gene Therapy Market Size by Different Therapy Segment, 2018-2027

Cell and Gene Modified Cell Therapies

Gene Therapy and Genome Therapy

DNA & RNA Therapeutics

Cell & Gene Therapy Market Size by Purpose of Manufacturing

Commercial

Clinical

Cell & Gene Therapy Market Size by Product

Abecma

Amondys

Breyanzi

Carvykti

Givlaari

Kimmtrak

Kymriah

Leqvio

Luxturna

Onpattro

Oxlumo

Rethymic

Skysona

Stratagraft

Tecartus

Tegsedi

Viltepso

Vyondys

Yescarta

Zolgensma

Zynteglo

Cell & Gene Therapy Market Size by Route of Administration

Injectables

Infusions

Bioscaffolds

Topicals

Cell & Gene Therapy Market Size by Type of Cell

CAR-T Cell

TCR Cell

Cell & Gene Therapy Market Size by Type of Therapy

T-Cell Therapies

NK Cell

Dendritic Cell Therapies

Stem Cell Therapies

Cell & Gene Therapy Market Size by Source of Cell

Autologous

Allogenic

Cell & Gene Therapy Market Size by Delivery Mode

In vivo

ex-vivo

Cell & Gene Therapy Market Size by Source of Manufacturing

In-House

Contract Manufacturing

Cell & Gene Therapy Market Size by Therapeutic Class

Oncology

Neurology

Ophthalmology

Gastro-Intestinal

Musculoskeletal

Others

Cell & Gene Therapy Market Size by Technology

Viral Vector Technology

Cell Immortalization Technology

Genome Editing Technology

Others

Cell & Gene Therapy Market Size by End User

Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Companies

Academic & Research Institutes

Hospital & Clinics

Cell & Gene Therapy Market Size by Regions

North America

U. S.

Canada

Mexico

Europe

France

United Kingdom

Germany

Italy

Netherlands

Asia-Pacific

China

Japan

Australia

India

South Korea

MEA region

Israel

South Africa

Turkey

U.A. E

Saudi Arabia

Latin America

Brazil

Argentina

Colombia

Key Companies Covered

Gilead Company

Dendreon Corporation

Novartis

Organogenesis Incorporated

Vericel Corp.

Kolon Life Science

Bristol Myers Squibb

bluebird bio

Johnson & Johnson

Juno Therapeutics

Module 6 Regulatory Outlook



This module contains a detailed understanding of the ethical, legal, and social implications of cell and gene therapy technology.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/l33sji-cell-and?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

SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, Feb. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Feed Anticoccidials Market (2022-2027) by Type, Route of Administration, and Geography, Competitive Analysis and the Impact of Covid-19 with Ansoff Analysis" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The Global Feed Anticoccidials Market is estimated to be USD 430.16 Mn in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 538.63 Mn by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 4.60%.



Market dynamics are forces that impact the prices and behaviors of the Global Feed Anticoccidials Market stakeholders. These forces create pricing signals which result from the changes in the supply and demand curves for a given product or service.

Forces of Market Dynamics may be related to macro-economic and micro-economic factors. There are dynamic market forces other than price, demand, and supply. Human emotions can also drive decisions, influence the market, and create price signals.



As the market dynamics impact the supply and demand curves, decision-makers aim to determine the best way to use various financial tools to stem various strategies for speeding growth and reducing risks.

Competitive Quadrant



The report includes Competitive Quadrant, a proprietary tool to analyze and evaluate the position of companies based on their Industry Position score and Market Performance score. The tool uses various factors for categorizing the players into four categories. Some of these factors considered for analysis are financial performance over the last 3 years, growth strategies, innovation score, new product launches, investments, growth in market share, etc.



Ansoff Analysis



The report presents a detailed Ansoff matrix analysis for the Global Feed Anticoccidials Market. Ansoff Matrix, also known as the Product/Market Expansion Grid, is a strategic tool used to design strategies for the growth of the company. The matrix can be used to evaluate approaches in four strategies viz. Market Development, Market Penetration, Product Development and Diversification. The matrix is also used for risk analysis to understand the risk involved with each approach.



The analyst analyses the Global Feed Anticoccidials Market using the Ansoff Matrix to provide the best approaches a company can take to improve its market position.



Based on the SWOT analysis conducted on the industry and industry players, the analyst has devised suitable strategies for market growth.



Why buy this report?

The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the Global Feed Anticoccidials Market. The report includes in-depth qualitative analysis, verifiable data from authentic sources, and projections about market size. The projections are calculated using proven research methodologies.

The report has been compiled through extensive primary and secondary research. The primary research is done through interviews, surveys, and observation of renowned personnel in the industry.

The report includes an in-depth market analysis using Porter's 5 forces model and the Ansoff Matrix. In addition, the impact of Covid-19 on the market is also featured in the report.

The report also includes the regulatory scenario in the industry, which will help you make a well-informed decision. The report discusses major regulatory bodies and major rules and regulations imposed on this sector across various geographies.

The report also contains a competitive analysis using Positioning Quadrants, the analyst's competitive positioning tool.

Market Dynamics

Drivers

High Threat of Coccidiosis in Livestock

Restraints

Stringent Regulations and Ban on Anticoccidials in Different Countries

Potent Residue Levels of Medicated Feed Ingredients Posing a Health Risk to Consumers

Opportunities

Increasing Demand for Natural Feed Anticoccidials, Due to Rising Consumer Awareness

Challenges

Increasing Focus on Prevention Strategies

Sustainability of Feed and Livestock Chain

Market Segmentation



The Global Feed Anticoccidials Market is segmented based on Type, Route of Administration, and Geography.

By Type, the market is classified into Monensin, Lasalocid, Salinomycin, Nicarbazin, Diclazuril, Narasin, DOT (Dinitro-O-Toluamide), and Others.

By Route of Administration, the market is classified into Injection and Oral.

By Geography, the market is classified into Americas, Europe , Middle-East & Africa and Asia-Pacific

Companies Mentioned

Bayer AG

Bioproperties Pty. Ltd

Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH.

Ceva Animal Health, LLC

Elanco Animal Health Inc.

Huvepharma Inc.

Impextraco NV

Kemin Industries Inc.

Merck Animal Health

Phibro Animal Health Corp.

Qilu Animal Health Products Co. Ltd..

Vetoquinol SA

Virbac S.A

Zoetis Inc

Zydus Animal Health Ltd

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/k2yxcx-feed?w=5

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SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, Feb. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Liver Health Supplements Market (2022-2027) by Products, Dosage Form, and Geography, Competitive Analysis and the Impact of Covid-19 with Ansoff Analysis" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The Global Liver Health Supplements Market is estimated to be USD 1.05 Bn in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 1.69 Bn by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 10.02%



Market dynamics are forces that impact the prices and behaviors of the stakeholders. These forces create pricing signals which result from the changes in the supply and demand curves for a given product or service. Forces of Market Dynamics may be related to macro-economic and micro-economic factors. There are dynamic market forces other than price, demand, and supply. Human emotions can also drive decisions, influence the market, and create price signals.



As the market dynamics impact the supply and demand curves, decision-makers aim to determine the best way to use various financial tools to stem various strategies for speeding growth and reducing risks.

Company Profiles



The report provides a detailed analysis of the competitors in the market. It covers the financial performance analysis for publicly listed companies in the market. The report also offers detailed information on the companies' recent development and competitive scenario. Some of the companies covered in this report are AIE Pharmaceuticals, Inc, Amway India Enterprises Pvt. Ltd., BASF SE, Bio Botanica, Inc., DSM Nutritional Products Ag, Enzymedica, Inc., Gaia Herbs Farm, etc.



Ansoff Analysis



The report presents a detailed Ansoff matrix analysis for the Global Liver Health Supplements Market. Ansoff Matrix, also known as the Product/Market Expansion Grid, is a strategic tool used to design strategies for the growth of the company. The matrix can be used to evaluate approaches in four strategies viz. Market Development, Market Penetration, Product Development and Diversification. The matrix is also used for risk analysis to understand the risk involved with each approach.



The analyst analyses the Global Liver Health Supplements Market using the Ansoff Matrix to provide the best approaches a company can take to improve its market position.



Based on the SWOT analysis conducted on the industry and industry players, the analyst has devised suitable strategies for market growth.



Why buy this report?

The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the Global Liver Health Supplements Market. The report includes in-depth qualitative analysis, verifiable data from authentic sources, and projections about market size. The projections are calculated using proven research methodologies.

The report has been compiled through extensive primary and secondary research. The primary research is done through interviews, surveys, and observation of renowned personnel in the industry.

The report includes an in-depth market analysis using Porter's 5 forces model and the Ansoff Matrix. In addition, the impact of Covid-19 on the market is also featured in the report.

The report also includes the regulatory scenario in the industry, which will help you make a well-informed decision. The report discusses major regulatory bodies and major rules and regulations imposed on this sector across various geographies.

The report also contains a competitive analysis using Positioning Quadrants, the analyst's competitive positioning tool.

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Growing Incidence of Liver Diseases Such as Liver Cancer and Fatty Liver Disease

Rising Demand Pertinent to Increasing Consumption of Alcohol

Surge in Obesity among Young and Adult Population

Restraints

High Cost of Liver Health Supplements

Opportunities

Increasing Awareness of Changing Buying Patterns of Consumers, Such as E-commerce

Emerging Developments with the Introduction of New Supplements

Challenges

Health-Associated Risks Such as Reduced Blood Clotting, Jaundice, and Abdominal Swelling

Market Segmentation



The Global Liver Health Supplements Market is segmented based on Products, Dosage Form, and Geography.

By Products, the market is classified into Herbal Supplements, and Vitamins & Minerals.

By Dosage Form, the market is classified into Capsules, Liquids, Powders, and Tablets.

By Geography, the market is classified into Americas, Europe , Middle-East & Africa , and Asia-Pacific .

Companies Mentioned

AIE Pharmaceuticals, Inc

Amway India Enterprises, Pvt. Ltd.

BASF SE

Bio Botanica , Inc.

, Inc. DSM Nutritional Products Ag

Enzymedica, Inc.

Gaia Herbs Farm

Hetero Healthcare, Ltd.

Himalaya Wellness Company

Irwin Naturals

Jarrow Formulas, Inc.

NOW Health Group, Inc

Nutralife Health Products, Inc.

Sunfood Nutraceuticals, Inc

Swisse Wellness Pty Ltd.

Thompson Health

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/23757j-liver?w=5

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ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

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SOURCE Research and Markets
The rising initiatives for indigenous aerospace platforms and increased adaption rate among countries are propelling production and reducing the price of military robotic and autonomous systems.

FREMONT, Calif., Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BIS Research, the global leader in providing market intelligence on deep technologies, has released its latest study titled Military Robotics and Autonomous System (RAS) Market  A Global and Regional Analysis.



According to this study, the global military RAS market was valued at $17.57 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach $19.79 billion by 2033.

The following factors are responsible for the increase in demand for military RAS:

Growing need for enhancing battlefield situational awareness

Growing defense budget

Rising demand for reducing human involvement in battlefield activities

Generating mass and scalable effects through human-machine teaming

Growing demand to increase warfighter lethality

The detailed study is a compilation of 94 market data tables and 28 figures spread through 200 pages.

Check out the detailed table of content here a

https://bisresearch.com/requestsample?id=1442&type=toc

Analyst's Take on the Market Projection

According to Arunkumar Sampathkumar, Principal Analyst, BIS Research, "Evolving human safety requirements in the military domain is driving the uptake of robotics. Remotely piloted aircraft systems will continue to dominate this segment, while the firefighting and explosive handling use cases will continue to observe a rise in the deployment of robotic systems. While the current trend of robotics deployment as a means of enhanced safety and convenience for military users will continue, the overall uptake is expected to grow across the services. Naval modernization will drive the uptake of unmanned surface and sub-surface vessels across multiple applications collaborating with manned platforms. The evolution of AI capabilities will further drive the uptake of robotics in the military domain as their effectiveness is expected to improve as a consequence."

Request a FREE sample of this report here a

https://bisresearch.com/requestsample?id=1442&type=download

Target Acquisition to be the Leading Application for the Global Military RAS Market

According to BIS Research's study, the target acquisition application had the highest market penetration in 2022, followed by intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). The target acquisition application was valued at $1.67 billion in 2022 and is expected to register a CAGR of 1.10% during the forecast period 2023-2033. In 2022, a total of 161 military robotic and autonomous systems were manufactured for target acquisition application, and the number is anticipated to reach 181 by the end of 2033, registering a CAGR of 1.05% during the forecast period 2023-2033.

Major Existing Industry Leaders in the Military RAS Market

The companies that are profiled have been selected based on input gathered from primary experts and analyzing company coverage, product portfolio, and market penetration. Some of the established names in the market are AeroVironment, Inc., BAE Systems plc, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), General Dynamics Corporation, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Saab AB, The Boeing Company, and more.

Recent Developments in the Global Military RAS Market

In December 2022 , the U.K. Ministry of Defense awarded the company an initial $158 million (129 million) contract for the purchase of two types of drones for the troops. The drones that will be bought are 99 Stalker UAVs and 15 Indago UAVs.

, the U.K. Ministry of Defense awarded the company an initial (129 million) contract for the purchase of two types of drones for the troops. The drones that will be bought are 99 Stalker UAVs and 15 Indago UAVs. In August 2022 , Kratos Defense & Security Solutions secured a contract worth $14 million to provide its tactical jet drone system, which includes the XQ-58A Valkyrie, UTAP-22 Mako, and X-61A Gremlin, to the U.S. Air Force.

, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions secured a contract worth to provide its tactical jet drone system, which includes the XQ-58A Valkyrie, UTAP-22 Mako, and X-61A Gremlin, to the U.S. Air Force. In October 2022 , Garuda Aerospace signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Lockheed Martin Canada CDL Systems to integrate its Made-in- India drones with the Lockheed Martin Canada CDL System's advanced unmanned aircraft systems software solutions for defense and commercial applications.

, Garuda Aerospace signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Lockheed Martin Canada CDL Systems to integrate its Made-in- drones with the Lockheed Martin Canada CDL System's advanced unmanned aircraft systems software solutions for defense and commercial applications. In July 2021 , Shield AI acquired Martin UAV to integrate Hivemind, the combat-proven autonomy software, which is integrated with V-BAT, reinforcing Shield AI's prominent position in military-focused edge autonomy. Shield AI's Hivemind is the key artificial intelligence and autonomy stack for several applications across the military landscape.

Want to learn more about the latest trends in military robotics? Speak to our analysts

Exclusive DeepTech MAP Analysis for Robotics & Automation by BIS Research:

Automated Guided Vehicle Market

Global Military Ground Vehicle Propulsion System Market

Global Unmanned Ground Vehicle

About BIS Research:

BIS Research is a global B2B market intelligence and advisory firm focusing on deep technology and related emerging trends which can disrupt the market dynamics in the near future. We publish more than 200 market intelligence studies annually that focus on several deep technology verticals.

Our strategic market analysis emphasizes on market estimations, technology analysis, emerging high-growth applications, deeply segmented granular country-level market data, and other important market parameters useful in the strategic decision-making for senior management.

BIS Research offers syndicate as well as custom studies and expert consultations to firms, providing them with specific and actionable insights on novel technology markets, business models, and competitive landscapes.

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SOURCE BIS Research
Hackensack Meridian Health and its Bear's Den program team up with company developing Artificial Intelligence technology for neuro-oncology

EDISON, N.J., Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hackensack Meridian Health and Neosoma, Inc., an innovative medical technology company focused on helping clinicians advance the treatment of brain cancers through the use of artificial intelligence (AI), announce a new strategic partnership to tackle some of the most difficult-to-treat tumors.

The collaboration will include clinical data sharing, clinical research, and strategic investment from the health network to support the Massachusetts-based company's innovative method of imaging, tracking and collecting data on numerous types of brain tumors including glioblastomas.

"We are committed to investing in research and innovative therapies to live our mission to transform healthcare and give our patients the best possible outcomes,'' said Robert C. Garrett, FACHE, chief executive officer of Hackensack Meridian Health. "Partnering with Neosoma Inc. is a great way to continue to develop potential game changing therapies to treat these challenging cancers."

"We have a terrific partnership with Hackensack Meridian Health already," said Ken Kolodziej, the CEO and co-founder of Neosoma. "We're very excited to expand the scope of our collaboration with the shared goal of improving treatment and outcomes for patients with brain cancer."

The partnership will include HMH physicians using Neosoma's software in clinical practice, starting with Hackensack Meridian JFK University Medical Center; physician input and feedback for development of future software including neurosurgeons, neuro-oncologists, neuroradiologists, radiation oncologists, and other clinicians; and data sharing for product R&D efforts including collaboration with Anthology Diagnostics for genomics data and capabilities, among other benefits.

Neosoma recently received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance for its first AI-based neuro-oncology software device, Neosoma HGG (High-Grade Glioma). The technology produces precise and accurate brain tumor analysis on MRIs, providing physicians with critical insights to guide treatment decisions.

In clinical practice, the brain MRI is the physician's best tool to evaluate the details and changes in a brain tumor. But even the most experienced physicians encounter considerable challenges in determining the extent and characteristics of the cancer, which can have a direct impact on clinical care.

The Neosoma technology will help physicians to better plan procedures, assess post-procedural results, guide chemo and immunotherapy treatments, track patients longitudinally, support an improved patient experience, and help lead to improved treatment, according to the company.

"Neosoma helps to avoid interruptions in care, unnecessary surgeries, and unnecessary changes in therapy," said Joseph Landolfi, D.O., a neuro-oncologist and also the chief medical officer at JFK University Medical Center. "The entire team benefits from centralized information, more efficient communication, and treatment protocols tailored to each specific patient."

"We are proud to support promising companies through the Bear's Den, which accelerates innovation at key points in the pipeline," said Ihor Sawczuk, M.D., FACS, Hackensack Meridian Health's president of Academics, Research and Innovation, founding chair of the Hackensack Meridian Health Research Institute, and also associate dean of Clinical Integration and professor and chair emeritus of Urology at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. "This company's expertise will also assist our physicians in some of the most difficult medical diagnoses. It's a win-win."

Launched in 2017, the Bear's Den features a panel of experts, including Hackensack Meridian Health CEO Garrett, leading physicians, key network executives, venture capitalists, patent attorneys, who gather regularly to vet proposals from entrepreneurs. The health network's novel incubator has vetted many products and strategies to streamline care delivery, reduce infections, lower hospital readmissions and help patients partner in their care with physicians. The program has also invested in promising innovative companies.

ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH

Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the largest, most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care. The network has 18 hospitals and more than 500 patient care locations, which include ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, rehabilitation centers, urgent care centers, physician practice locations, and a fitness and wellness center. With more than 35,000 team members and 7,000 physicians, Hackensack Meridian Health is a distinguished leader in health care philanthropy and committed to the health and well-being of communities throughout New Jersey.

The network's notable distinctions include having more U.S. News-ranked hospitals than any other health system in New Jersey, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report, 2022-23. Hackensack University Medical Center is nationally-ranked by U.S. News & World Report in four specialties, more than any other hospital in New Jersey. Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center, and K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, are ranked #1 in the state and top 20 in the Mid-Atlantic Region by U.S. News & World Report's 2022-23 Best Children's Hospital Report. Additionally, their combined nephrology program ranks in the top 50 in the United States. To learn more, visit www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org .

About Neosoma, Inc.

Neosoma is focused on advancing the treatment of brain cancers through an integrated portfolio of innovative, artificial intelligence-based software products combined with a Clinical Management Software Platform. Neosoma's comprehensive SaaS solution is first-of-its-kind technology in the neuro-oncology space, helping physicians to make better treatment decisions with the goal of improving clinical outcomes.

Starting with its initial software based medical device, Neosoma HGG, the company is developing a full suite of software technologies to become the global leader in the neuro-oncology software field.

For more information visit: www.neosomainc.com

ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH RESEARCH INSTITUTE (HMHRI):

HMHRI leads and organizes a connected ecosystem bringing together clinicians, scientists, and educators to respond to the health problems of our time, in real-time. HMHRI is dedicated to accelerating discovery, innovation, and translation of scientific breakthroughs that address unmet clinical needs.

SOURCE Hackensack Meridian Health
LONDON, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- IFS, the global cloud enterprise software company, announced today that it is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the inception of its Sri Lankan operations. Since 1997, IFS has made major investments into the workforce and community, becoming the second largest technology employer in the country.

At a time when Sri Lanka's ICT industry was developing, IFS saw an opportunity to set up its innovation hub in the Asian region due to the country's excellent technology talent.

Today, IFS Sri Lanka is a powerhouse in the local ICT industry, with more than 2,200 employees, accounting for approximately 40% of IFS's global staff.

IFS Chief Executive Officer Darren Roos commented: "It goes without saying that our Sri Lankan team has played a critical role in providing us with the organizational support and agility we needed to achieve the growth that we have."

Roos continued: "The team's contribution to our success and company culture is felt throughout the organization because it supports so many of IFS's working processes from R&D to HR, Marketing, Support and more. I am very proud of what we have achieved together and of the contribution that we are making as the second largest employer and with the IFS Foundation," Roos added: "25 years is a very significant journey that we look forward to progressing as we also continue to invest in our business here.

"Over the past five years, our employee base in Sri Lanka has almost tripled since 2017 to over 2,200." Concluded Roos

IFS Sri Lanka has strong business units overseeing the most extensive R&D center outside of Sweden in addition to Finance, Procurement, Marketing, Global Customer Support, Cloud Operations, Consulting, IFS Labs, and South Asia Customer Organization.

IFS Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer Ranil Rajapakse, who is also one of the original IFS Sri Lanka employees, commented: "It is a surreal moment to reflect upon our humble start with 26 people in our Colombo office and compare it to where we are now. 25 years ago, IFS was virtually unknown in Sri Lanka, but today people recognize it as a well-respected technology big-hitter and a force to be reckoned with in the industry."

"It has been a rich and rewarding experience to witness the company's ascent and transformation over the last 25 years. Especially seeing the extensive growth of our employee network entering IFS as graduates, I am honored to work alongside such an intelligent, hardworking, and driven team of professionals. I cannot wait to see what the next 25 years bring for IFS Sri Lanka," concluded Rajapakse.

Additional Highlights of 25 Years in Sri Lanka:

Over the last 25 years, the company has generated more than 5,000 employment opportunities for Sri Lankans.

Close to 80% of global product support services and 60% of the global product development of IFS is facilitated out of Colombo .

. In 2022, IFS partnered with Hatch to launch Challenger X, a tech incubation program in Sri Lanka , to foster innovation in the country's growing tech sector.

, to foster innovation in the country's growing tech sector. IFS Sri Lanka was ranked amongst the top 100 Sri Lankan in the `Most Respected Entities in Sri Lanka ' corporates by LMD Magazine.

' corporates by LMD Magazine. IFS Sri Lanka ranked as a top Sri Lankan business entity in Dynamism, Corporate Culture, Innovation, Management Profile, and HR/People Management lists.

The IFS Foundation continues to invest in a series of projects in partnership with local Sri Lankan communities to alleviate poverty.

About IFS

IFS develops and delivers cloud enterprise software for companies around the world who manufacture and distribute goods, build and maintain assets, and manage service-focused operations. Within our single platform, our industry specific products are innately connected to a single data model and use embedded digital innovation so that our customers can be their best when it really matters to their customers-at the Moment of Service. The industry expertise of our people and of our growing ecosystem, together with a commitment to deliver value at every single step, has made IFS a recognized leader and the most recommended supplier in our sector. Our team of over 5,500 employees every day live our values of agility, trustworthiness, and collaboration in how we support our 10,000+ customers. Learn more about how our enterprise software solutions can help your business today at ifs.com.

IFS Press Contacts:

EUROPE / MEA / APJ: Adam Gillbe

IFS, Director of Corporate & Executive Communications

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +44 7775 114 856

NORTH AMERICA / LATAM: Mairi Morgan

IFS, Director of Corporate & Executive Communications

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +1 520 396 2155

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Public/855/3722779/97b334ad90659ec5.pdf IFS 25th Anniversay Sri Lanka https://news.cision.com/ifs/i/ifs-annivesary-logo-2022-,c3148624 IFS Annivesary Logo 2022-

SOURCE IFS
DUBLIN, Feb. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Medical Devices Market in India 2023" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The medical devices market in India is expected to reach INR 4,358.64 Bn by FY 2027, expanding at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of ~41.93% during the FY 2023 - FY 2027 period.



In India, the medical devices industry is small, with a disproportionate reliance on imports and a complex regulatory environment. Imports constitute around 75% of the medical devices industry sales in India.

A range of factors contributes to this high percentage share of imports. To bridge the gap existing in medium - high-end technology products, an increasing number of multinational companies are establishing their presence in India.

Almost all the top 40 global medical device companies today have a presence in the country. The share of multinational firms is around 40% - 50% in consumables and instruments and appliances and 80% - 90% in all other sub-segments. Most multinational companies have their production base outside India and import their products to the Indian market.

Impact of COVID-19:

By the end of 2021, nearly all medical device markets had fully recovered from the initial, significant dip in device sales caused by the pandemic. However, with the increasing number of cases of the Omicron variant, in January 2022, many elective procedures were once again postponed.

But the associated device sales in 2022 were impacted far less than expected compared to the previous year. Financial statements throughout 2022 by some of the largest medical device companies also indicated a strong recovery for most of their business units, although the duration and sustainability of their recent growth remain volatile, as the current rate of global vaccinations and administration of booster shots may struggle to keep off emerging, potentially even more fatal variants of concern, such as the B.1.617.1 variant in India.

Market drivers:

There is a growing prevalence of chronic disorders, including diabetes, cancer, and other infectious diseases, owing to the adoption of sedentary lifestyles and other factors.

Also, healthcare agencies in India are focusing on increasing the diagnosis and treatment rates through growing number of awareness programs. With the rising prevalence and awareness of such conditions among the population in India, the patient population requiring diagnostic procedures and tests is also increasing.



Also, rapid rise in the geriatric population is increasing the demand for ophthalmic and orthopedic procedures due to increasing incidence of impaired vision and joint fractures in the elderly population.

Key challenges of the market:

The medical devices market has witnessed notable growth in the past decade due to new technological implementations and design modifications. However, the devices are expensive, which includes a comparatively higher acquisition cost and maintenance, thereby leading to an overall increased device cost and ownership.

Key Topics Covered:

Chapter 1: Executive summary



Chapter 2: Socio-economic indicators



Chapter 3: Introduction

3.1. Market definition and structure



Chapter 4: Global medical devices market - An overview

4.1. Global medical devices market - An overview

4.1.1. Market size and growth forecast (2021 - 2027e)



Chapter 5: Medical devices market in India - An overview

5.1. Medical devices market in India - An overview

5.1.1. Market size and growth forecast (FY 2021 - FY 2027e)



Chapter 6: Impact of COVID-19

6.1. Impact of COVID-19



Chapter 7: Trade analysis

7.1. Trade analysis

7.1.1. Export

Value-wise

Country-wise

7.1.2. Import

Value-wise

Country-wise

7.2. Other exports - Based on value



Chapter 8: Government initiatives

8.1. Government initiatives



Chapter 9: Market influencers

9.1. Market drivers

9.2. Market challenges



Chapter 10: Market trends

10.1. Market trends



Chapter 11: Competitive landscape

11.1. Centenial Surgical Suture Ltd.

11.2. Johari Digital Healthcare Ltd.

11.3. Opto Circuits (India) Ltd.

11.4. Philips India Ltd.

11.5. Poly Medicure Ltd.

11.6. B. Braun Medical (India) Pvt. Ltd.

11.7. Becton Dickinson Private Ltd.

11.8. Medtronic, Inc.

11.9. Siemens Healthineers, Inc.

11.10. Wipro GE Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.



Chapter 12: Recent developments

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/l7brxv-devices?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

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SOURCE Research and Markets
NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The global industrial food blender and mixer market are estimated to increase by USD 6,065.09 million between 2022 and 2027. The market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 6.81%. 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. For more insights on the historic (2017 to 2021) and forecast market size (2022 to 2027) - Request a sample report

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Industrial Food Blender and Mixer Market 2023-2027

Industrial food blender and mixer market  Vendor Analysis

Vendor Landscape - The global industrial food blender and mixer market is fragmented, with the presence of several global as well as regional vendors. A few prominent vendors that offer industrial food blender and mixer in the market are A.S.P. Chem Equipments Pvt. Ltd., Admix Inc., Alfa Laval Corporate AB, amixon GmbH, Charles Ross and Son Co., EKATO HOLDING GmbH, Frain Industries, GEA Group AG, JWB Systems Inc., Kady International, Lee Industries, Lindor Products BV, Om Engineering, Paul O. Abbe, Satake MultiMix Corp., Silverson Machines Inc., SPX FLOW Inc., Statiflo Group, Sulzer Management Ltd., and Xylem Inc. and others.

Vendor Offerings -

Admix Inc.: The company offers industrial food blender and mixer such as Dynashear inline mixer.

The company offers industrial food blender and mixer such as Dynashear inline mixer. Alfa Laval Corporate AB: The company offers industrial food blender and mixer such as Powder mixers.

The company offers industrial food blender and mixer such as Powder mixers. Amixon GmbH: The company offers industrial food blender and mixer such as Food grade mixers.

The company offers industrial food blender and mixer such as Food grade mixers. Charles Ross and Son Co.: The company offers industrial food blender and mixer such as High Shear Mixers.

The company offers industrial food blender and mixer such as High Shear Mixers. For Details on vendor and its offerings  Buy the report!

Industrial food blender and mixer market - Segmentation Assessment

Segment Overview

Technavio has segmented the market based on the product (High shear mixer, Ribbon blender, Shaft mixer, Planetary mixer, and Others), and type (Automatic and Semi-automatic).

The high shear mixer segment will grow at a significant rate during the forecast period. The High shear mixers are used for mixing liquid and liquid or liquid and powder ingredients. In GEA Group high shear mixers, for liquid/powder ingredients, powder ingredients are added directly into liquid ingredients in the mixing vessel, which wets the powdered ingredients quickly. High-shear mixers provide swift mix time without any lumps in the mixture. Thus, the market is expected to grow during the forecast period.

Geography Overview

By geography, the global industrial food blender and mixer market is segmented into Europe, North America, APAC, 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 industrial food blender and mixer market.

Europe is estimated to account for 34% of the growth of the global market during the forecast period. Factor such as, the high consumption of confectionary products, especially chocolates, in Germany and the UK has encouraged food blender-mixer suppliers to provide high-quality food mixers to food processing companies. Most food processing companies in the region use ribbon mixers to mix powdered chocolate and cocoa with other ingredients such as sugar, vitamins, and minerals. The growth of the confectionery segment will increase the scope of this mixer equipment in the region during the forecast period.

Get a glance of the market contribution of various segments including country and

region wise - Download a Sample Report

Industrial food blender and mixer market  Market Dynamics

Leading Drivers - The steady growth of the food processing industry is notably driving the market growth. The rising support for the food processing industry through various government initiatives in emerging economies, such as India, is expected to further boost the adoption of industrial food blenders and mixers for food processing applications during the forecast period. Moreover, the government had announced the relaxation of FDI norms for the food processing sector, allowing up to 100% FDI in food product e-commerce. Such reforms are expected to aid the growth of the market during the forecast period.

Key Trends - The inclination toward industrial food blenders with improved control features is the primary trend in the market. Key leading vendors that offer industrial food blenders and mixers are focusing on developing equipment with innovative features to enhance the quality of blending and mixing operations. Some of the improved features offered by various manufacturers of industrial food blenders and mixers include customized profiles, sensors, and safety features. An industrial food blender and mixer with sensor support will turn off the motor when the jar is not in place. It also helps to improve the life of clutches in the equipment. Thus, owing to such factors, the global industrial food blender, and mixer market is expected to grow during the forecast period.

Major challenges - High energy consumption is the major challenge impeding market growth. One of the key problems of the engineers of the mixers is that the manufacturers often get confused because the functions which are essential for one aspect of mixing fine ingredients often end up being detrimental to other aspects of F&B production. The challenges faced by the industry are expected to get resolved within some years, with innovations taking place in the R&D sector. Thus, owing to such factors, the market is expected to face hindrances during the forecast period

Drivers, trends, and challenges have an impact on market dynamics, which can impact

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What are the key data covered in this industrial food blender and mixer market report?

CAGR of the market during the forecast period

Detailed information on factors that will drive the growth of the industrial food blender and mixer market between 2023 and 2027

Precise estimation of the size of the industrial food blender and mixer 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 industrial food blender and mixer market industry across Europe , North America , APAC, Middle East and Africa , and South America

, , APAC, and , and A thorough analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information about vendors

Comprehensive analysis of factors that will challenge the growth of industrial food blender and mixer market vendors

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Industrial Food Blender And Mixer Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 167 Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 6.81% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 6,065.09 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 6.47 Regional analysis Europe, North America, APAC, Middle East and Africa, and South America Performing market contribution Europe at 34% Key countries US, China, Japan, Germany, and UK Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled A.S.P. Chem Equipments Pvt. Ltd., Admix Inc., Alfa Laval Corporate AB, amixon GmbH, Charles Ross and Son Co., EKATO HOLDING GmbH, Frain Industries, GEA Group AG, JWB Systems Inc., Kady International, Lee Industries, Lindor Products BV, Om Engineering, Paul O. Abbe, Satake MultiMix Corp., Silverson Machines Inc., SPX FLOW Inc., Statiflo Group, Sulzer Management Ltd., and Xylem Inc. 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 industrial 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 Product



Exhibit 06: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Type



Exhibit 07: Executive Summary  Chart on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 08: Executive Summary  Data Table on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 09: Executive Summary  Chart on Vendor Market Positioning

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

Exhibit 10: Parent market



Exhibit 11: Market Characteristics

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

Exhibit 12: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

Exhibit 13: Market segments

3.3 Market size 2022

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2022-2027

Exhibit 14: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 15: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 16: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 17: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

4 Historic Market Size

4.1 Global industrial food blender and mixer market 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 18: Historic Market Size  Data Table on Global industrial food blender and mixer market 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.2 Product Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 19: Historic Market Size  Product Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.3 Type Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 20: Historic Market Size  Type Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.4 Geography Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 21: Historic Market Size  Geography Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.5 Country Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 22: Historic Market Size  Country Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

5 Five Forces Analysis

5.1 Five forces summary

Exhibit 23: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2022 and 2027

5.2 Bargaining power of buyers

Exhibit 24: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers  Impact of key factors 2022 and 2027

5.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

Exhibit 25: Bargaining power of suppliers  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.4 Threat of new entrants

Exhibit 26: Threat of new entrants  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.5 Threat of substitutes

Exhibit 27: Threat of substitutes  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.6 Threat of rivalry

Exhibit 28: Threat of rivalry  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.7 Market condition

Exhibit 29: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2022 and 2027

6 Market Segmentation by Product

6.1 Market segments

Exhibit 30: Chart on Product - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 31: Data Table on Product - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

6.2 Comparison by Product

Exhibit 32: Chart on Comparison by Product



Exhibit 33: Data Table on Comparison by Product

6.3 High shear mixer - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 34: Chart on High shear mixer - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 35: Data Table on High shear mixer - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 36: Chart on High shear mixer - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 37: Data Table on High shear mixer - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.4 Ribbon blender - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 38: Chart on Ribbon blender - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 39: Data Table on Ribbon blender - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 40: Chart on Ribbon blender - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 41: Data Table on Ribbon blender - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.5 Shaft mixer - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 42: Chart on Shaft mixer - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 43: Data Table on Shaft mixer - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 44: Chart on Shaft mixer - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 45: Data Table on Shaft mixer - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.6 Planetary mixer - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 46: Chart on Planetary mixer - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 47: Data Table on Planetary mixer - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 48: Chart on Planetary mixer - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 49: Data Table on Planetary mixer - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.7 Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 50: Chart on Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 51: Data Table on Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 52: Chart on Others - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 53: Data Table on Others - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.8 Market opportunity by Product

Exhibit 54: Market opportunity by Product ($ million)

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 Automatic - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 59: Chart on Automatic - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 60: Data Table on Automatic - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 61: Chart on Automatic - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 62: Data Table on Automatic - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.4 Semi-automatic - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 63: Chart on Semi-automatic - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 64: Data Table on Semi-automatic - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 65: Chart on Semi-automatic - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 66: Data Table on Semi-automatic - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.5 Market opportunity by Type

Exhibit 67: Market opportunity by Type ($ million)

8 Customer Landscape

8.1 Customer landscape overview

Exhibit 68: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

9 Geographic Landscape

9.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 69: Chart on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 70: Data Table on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)

9.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 71: Chart on Geographic comparison



Exhibit 72: Data Table on Geographic comparison

9.3 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 (%)

9.4 North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 77: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 78: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 79: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 80: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.5 APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 81: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 82: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 83: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 84: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.6 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 85: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 86: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 87: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

and - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 88: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.7 South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 89: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 90: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 91: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 92: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.8 US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 93: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 94: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 95: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 96: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.9 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 (%)

9.10 China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 101: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 102: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 103: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 104: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.11 UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 105: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 106: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 107: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 108: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.12 Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 109: Chart on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 110: Data Table on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 111: Chart on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 112: Data Table on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.13 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 113: Market opportunity by geography ($ million)

10 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

10.1 Market drivers

10.2 Market challenges

10.3 Impact of drivers and challenges

Exhibit 114: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2022 and 2027

10.4 Market trends

11 Vendor Landscape

11.1 Overview

11.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 115: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation

11.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 116: Overview on factors of disruption

11.4 Industry risks

Exhibit 117: Impact of key risks on business

12 Vendor Analysis

12.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 118: Vendors covered

12.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 119: Matrix on vendor position and classification

12.3 Admix Inc.

Exhibit 120: Admix Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 121: Admix Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 122: Admix Inc. - Key offerings

12.4 Alfa Laval Corporate AB

Exhibit 123: Alfa Laval Corporate AB - Overview



Exhibit 124: Alfa Laval Corporate AB - Business segments



Exhibit 125: Alfa Laval Corporate AB - Key news



Exhibit 126: Alfa Laval Corporate AB - Key offerings



Exhibit 127: Alfa Laval Corporate AB - Segment focus

12.5 amixon GmbH

Exhibit 128: amixon GmbH - Overview



Exhibit 129: amixon GmbH - Product / Service



Exhibit 130: amixon GmbH - Key offerings

12.6 Charles Ross and Son Co.

and Son Co. Exhibit 131: Charles Ross and Son Co. - Overview

and Son Co. - Overview

Exhibit 132: Charles Ross and Son Co. - Product / Service

and Son Co. - Product / Service

Exhibit 133: Charles Ross and Son Co. - Key offerings

12.7 EKATO HOLDING GmbH

Exhibit 134: EKATO HOLDING GmbH - Overview



Exhibit 135: EKATO HOLDING GmbH - Product / Service



Exhibit 136: EKATO HOLDING GmbH - Key offerings

12.8 GEA Group AG

Exhibit 137: GEA Group AG - Overview



Exhibit 138: GEA Group AG - Business segments



Exhibit 139: GEA Group AG - Key offerings



Exhibit 140: GEA Group AG - Segment focus

12.9 JWB Systems Inc.

Exhibit 141: JWB Systems Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 142: JWB Systems Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 143: JWB Systems Inc. - Key offerings

12.10 Kady International

Exhibit 144: Kady International - Overview



Exhibit 145: Kady International - Product / Service



Exhibit 146: Kady International - Key offerings

12.11 Lindor Products BV

Exhibit 147: Lindor Products BV - Overview



Exhibit 148: Lindor Products BV - Product / Service



Exhibit 149: Lindor Products BV - Key offerings

12.12 Paul O. Abbe

Exhibit 150: Paul O. Abbe - Overview

- Overview

Exhibit 151: Paul O. Abbe - Product / Service

- Product / Service

Exhibit 152: Paul O. Abbe - Key offerings

12.13 Satake MultiMix Corp.

Exhibit 153: Satake MultiMix Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 154: Satake MultiMix Corp. - Product / Service



Exhibit 155: Satake MultiMix Corp. - Key offerings

12.14 Silverson Machines Inc.

Exhibit 156: Silverson Machines Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 157: Silverson Machines Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 158: Silverson Machines Inc. - Key offerings

12.15 SPX FLOW Inc.

Exhibit 159: SPX FLOW Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 160: SPX FLOW Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 161: SPX FLOW Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 162: SPX FLOW Inc. - Segment focus

12.16 Sulzer Management Ltd.

Exhibit 163: Sulzer Management Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 164: Sulzer Management Ltd. - Business segments



Exhibit 165: Sulzer Management Ltd. - Key news



Exhibit 166: Sulzer Management Ltd. - Key offerings



Exhibit 167: Sulzer Management Ltd. - Segment focus

12.17 Xylem Inc.

Exhibit 168: Xylem Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 169: Xylem Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 170: Xylem Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 171: Xylem Inc. - Segment focus

13 Appendix

13.1 Scope of the report

13.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 172: Inclusions checklist



Exhibit 173: Exclusions checklist

13.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 174: Currency conversion rates for US$

13.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 175: Research methodology



Exhibit 176: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 177: Information sources

13.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 178: List of abbreviations

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SAN DIEGO , Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Following its eleventh anniversary, national marketing agency, InnoVision Marketing Group has signed extended contracts with two of its large clients, and San Diego's larger brands, Valley View Casino & Hotel and Palomar Health. The extended three-year contract solidifies InnoVision's partnership with Valley View Casino & Hotel, the agency's flagship client since day one when it began in 2012. This will take the relationship through to 14 years as agency of record for Valley View Casino & Hotel.

"The fact that these two powerhouses trust us to the degree they do speaks to the results we deliver." Tweet this InnoVision Marketing Group, headquartered in San Diego.

Additionally, Palomar Health, California's largest healthcare district, has also signed on for another five years after bringing InnoVision Marketing Group in last year as their agency of record. The Palomar Health brand has grown dramatically, and the results have been so phenomenal that the healthcare district engaged in a five-year contract extension after being a client for one year.

InnoVision Marketing Group, which has trademarked the term, the Anti-Agency, differentiates itself by continuing to deliver sticky and strategic innovative marketing, impressive turnaround times without sacrificing quality, 24/7 client availability and a service philosophy modeled after the Ritz-Carlton, all under one roof headquartered in San Diego. Working with Valley View Casino & Hotel since its inception as agency of record, InnoVision has been responsible for all external marketing of the casino property for several years.

"We are thrilled to be extending our agreement together for many years to come," says Bruce Howard, General Manager of Valley View Casino & Hotel. "InnoVision has continued to do an outstanding job as our exclusive partner for all of our marketing, advertising, media placement and communication. In addition, Ric and his team also do all of our creative and design work, website design and press releases. I and everyone on our team could not be more proud to be aligned with such a first-class company with such a diverse, sophisticated list of clients."

This extended partnership with Palomar Health follows the incredibly successful year InnoVision Marketing Group has had disrupting the same old healthcare marketing strategies, taking an innovative approach to marketing for healthcare. The national agency has worked with Palomar Health over the last year as their internal and external marketing agency, immersing themselves in all areas of healthcare and technology, from inside the hospital walls to marketing in people's homes and beyond. Both clients are exclusive in their respective categories, healthcare in San Diego County and casinos within a 250-mile radius. Between the two organizations, they employ thousands of people in San Diego. The results have been incredible, with Palomar Health gaining more attention in the community with several offers for partnerships, more new patients, and cutting-edge campaigns that have been seen and recognized by thousands.

"One of the best decisions I have ever made was to hire InnoVision Marketing Group as my complete marketing and public relations team. So, extending our contract was a no brainer for me," says Diane Hansen, President and CEO of Palomar Health. "They are an amazing team with unparalleled talent. I am so thrilled and looking forward to working with them for many years to come."

InnoVision Marketing Group has structured its agency to work as an internal marketing department, acting as part of each company and brand they work with. They create lasting relationships with each and every client they choose to work with, which results in loyalty, trust and long-lasting partnerships for many years.

"The fact that these two powerhouses trust us to the degree they do speaks to the results we deliver and the Anti-Agency approach we take when we deliver them," says Ric Militi, CEO/ Executive Creative Director of InnoVision Marketing Group. "Being able to extend our Agency of Record agreements with Valley View Casino & Hotel and Palomar Health for three and five years, respectively, is something that we will never take for granted. In fact, it motivates us to elevate the degree of performance on our part. It's truly an honor to partner with each of them."

InnoVision offers everything under the marketing umbrella in-house and tailors the pricing and scope of each client partnership based on what stage of growth the company is in. This includes brand strategy development, creative design, media buying, video production, website development, social media management, digital marketing, through its five divisions: film production, digital media, traditional media, public relations and Espanol.

Defined by its unique culture of free-flowing ideas, transparency, diversity and positivity, vision and innovation, the company culture is truly unparalleled. Representing brands in multiple categories, including airports, automotive, fast-casual dining, food & beverage, healthcare, soft drinks, casinos, retail, tribal government, economic development and nonprofit, the agency serves clients across the US.

To learn more about InnoVision Marketing Group, please contact Bianca Kasawdish at [email protected] or click here.

About InnoVision Marketing Group

What began as an idea of a way to better service clients has turned into a brand that stands out among the rest. InnoVision Marketing Group is a full-service, nationally recognized agency, with clients across the country, including Seattle, Los Angeles, Texas, New York, New Jersey, Phoenix, Tampa and Orlando. From branding to creative design, media buying, digital advertising, web development and SEO, video production, social advertising and management, PR and digital content, entirely everything is done in-house. Our client portfolio spans across several different industries, including casino, dining, jewelry, healthcare, lifestyle, nonprofit and more.

Since its first opening in 2012, InnoVision has branched out from its humble beginnings, adding world-class clients to a growing roster that includes Valley View Casino & Hotel, Palomar Health, Huey Magoo's Chicken Tenders, and more. InnoVision also offers commercial film production through Pretzel Logic Productions, a wholly owned subsidiary, creating cutting-edge commercial and internet films while embracing storytelling and the brand vision.

At the heart of everything we do, InnoVision is committed to maintaining our unique culture. Team members at InnoVision are continually empowered, inspired and supported daily, no matter their position. We work hard to ensure an environment that team members thrive and grow in. The happier our team is, the better the work we produce  something we remember every day. To learn more about InnoVision, please visit TeamInnoVision.com.

Contact:

Bianca Kasawdish

Vice President of Public Relations

InnoVision Marketing Group

(619) 516-9337

[email protected]

SOURCE InnoVision Marketing Group
PITTSBURGH, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- "I thought there could be a better way to decorate various items like poles, trees, columns and mailbox posts with lights," said an inventor, from Cinnaminson, N.J., "so I invented the LIGHT IT UP. My design enables you to have an attractive lighted decoration without the tedious and time-consuming chore of continually circling and securing strands of lights."

The invention provides a more convenient means to decorate a multitude of areas with lights. In doing so, it eliminates the need to wrap various objects such as poles or trees with lights. It also eliminates the need to secure lights with staples, tape, nails, etc. As a result, it saves time and effort. The invention features an attractive design that is easy to use so it is ideal for households and businesses. Additionally, it is producible in design variations.

The original design was submitted to the Philadelphia sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 21-PND-4427, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com.

SOURCE InventHelp
HAMEENLINNA, Finland, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Kamux Corporation will publish its Financial Statements Bulletin for 2022 on Friday, March 3, 2023, at approximately 9:00 EET. The report will be available at www.kamux.com after publishing.

News conference for investors, analysts and media will be held on Friday, March 3, 2023, at Sanomatalo, Flik Studio Eliel, 1st floor, Toolonlahdenkatu 2, Helsinki at 11:00 EET in English, and at 12:00 noon EET in Finnish. CEO Juha Kalliokoski and CFO Marko Lehtonen will present the Financial Statements.

The conference can be followed as a live webcast at https://kamux.videosync.fi/2022-q4-results (in English at 11.00 EET) and https://kamux.videosync.fi/2022-q4-tulos (in Finnish at 12.00 EET).

Pre-registration for the on-site news conference is requested. Registrations by March 1, 2023, by email to [email protected].

Participation by conference call:

You can access the teleconference by registering on the link below. After the registration you will be provided phone numbers and a conference ID to access the conference. https://palvelu.flik.fi/teleconference/?id=10010320

The conference in English will start at 11.00 EET and in Finnish at 12.00 noon EET. If you wish to ask a question, please dial *5 on your telephone keypad to enter the queue.

For further information, please contact:

Katariina Hietaranta, Head of Communications & IR, tel. +358 50 5576765

Kamux Corporation

Communications

Kamux is a retail chain specializing in the sale of used cars and related integrated services that has grown rapidly. Kamux combines online shopping with an extensive showroom network to provide its customers with a great service experience anytime, anywhere. In addition to digital channels, the company has a total of 77 car showrooms in Finland, Sweden and Germany. Since its founding, the company has sold over 400,000 used cars, 68,429 of which were sold in 2021. Kamux's revenue reached EUR 937.4 million in 2021. In 2021, Kamux's average number of employees was 848 in terms of full-time equivalent employees. Kamux Corporation is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. For more information, please visit www.kamux.com

SOURCE Kamux
NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Technavio, the global juicer market size is estimated to decline by USD 2346.13 million from 2022 to 2027. The market is estimated to decline at a CAGR of 18.41% during the forecast period. APAC will account for 41% of the market's growth during the forecast period.

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Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Juicer Market 2023-2027

Leading trends influencing the market

The rising focus on manufacturing energy-efficient and lightweight juicers is a key trend in the global juicer market. This is due to the increasing demand for products that are energy-efficient and involve fewer emissions of harmful substances and less noise pollution.

is a key trend in the global juicer market. This is due to the increasing demand for products that are energy-efficient and involve fewer emissions of harmful substances and less noise pollution. The growing adoption of smart juicers, which are user-friendly, aesthetically appealing, and available with various features, is also a trend influencing the demand for the market.

The increasing online retail sales, which increased product visibility, coupled with the availability of a wide product portfolio, has contributed to the growth of online retail channels.

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Juicer Market - Segmentation Assessment

Segment Overview

Technavio has segmented the market based on type, Product (Centrifugal juicer, Masticating juicer, and Triturating juicer), End-user (Residential and Commercial), and Geography (APAC, Europe, North America, Middle East and Africa, and South America).

The centrifugal juicer segment will be significant for the market's growth during the forecast period. Centrifugal juicers are preferred in small-scale juice making as they are easy to manage and clean. Masticating juicers, also known as cold-press juicers, are widely adopted in commercial applications because of their ability to retain the nutrients in the juice.

Geography Overview

By geography, the global juicer market is segmented into APAC, Europe, North America, Middle East and Africa, and South America. The report provides actionable insights and estimates the contribution of all regions to the growth of the global juicer market.

APAC is estimated to contribute 41% to the growth of the global market during the forecast period. Western Europe is a major market in focus for vendors because of the increasing demand for nutrient-dense fresh juices, especially organic juices, in the region during the forecast period. The juicer market in North America is dominated by the US owing to the rising demand for healthy beverages such as fruit and vegetable juices. The awareness among consumers about the health benefits of consuming fruit and vegetable juices containing functional ingredients is driving the juicer market in the Middle East . The juicer market in Africa is expected to grow moderately due to the low spending capacity of people in the region. The market in South America is expected to register a significant increase in growth rate during the forecast period.

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Juicer Market  Market Dynamics

Key factor driving market growth

The rising urbanization and changing consumer lifestyles in developing countries in APAC have resulted in a significant increase in the growth of the market.

in developing countries in APAC have resulted in a significant increase in the growth of the market. The rise in the number of juice bars due to the increase in health consciousness among the younger generation worldwide is a major driver of the market.

The rise in discretionary income of consumers is leading to an increase in the annual household expenses in several regions of the world which consequently drives value sales in the global juicer market during the forecast period.

Major challenges hindering market growth

The fluctuations in raw material prices and operational costs directly impact the price of the juicer and the profit margins of manufacturers.

directly impact the price of the juicer and the profit margins of manufacturers. For instance, fuel prices in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) countries are fluctuating. An increase in crude oil prices will also lead to a rise in the cost of fuel for transportation.

The global juicer market also witnesses several counterfeit products.

The Stringent regulations and standards related to energy use, product description, packaging or labeling, hazards or safety issues for users, and the product lifecycle is also one of the major challenges to the market.

Consumers are increasingly preferring premium ready-to-drink juice products and are displaying a tendency to switch to convenient and time-saving methods to attain good health. This is leading to the international providers of packaged juices like Del Monte Food Inc. ( Del Monte ), and Tropicana Products Inc. (Tropicana) launching new products because of increasing growth opportunities in this segment.

), and Tropicana Products Inc. (Tropicana) launching new products because of increasing growth opportunities in this segment. For instance, Anand Milk Union Ltd. (Amul), an Indian dairy company, entered the packaged juice market, in March 2019 , by launching Tru. Such products are easy to make and cost-effective, which reduces the popularity of juicers among consumers.

Driver, Trend & Challenges are the factor of market dynamics that states about consequences & sustainability of the businesses, find some insights from a sample report!

What are the key data covered in this Juicer Market report?

CAGR of the market during the forecast period

Detailed information on factors that will drive the growth of the Juicer Market between 2023 and 2027

Precise estimation of the size of the Juicer 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 Juicer Market industry across APAC, Europe , North America , Middle East and Africa , and South America

, , and , and A thorough analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information about vendors

Comprehensive analysis of factors that will challenge the growth of Juicer Market vendors

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The juices market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 8.55% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecast to increase by USD 104.21 billion. The advantages of cold-pressed juice over traditional juice are making these products more popular among users.

The cold-pressed juices market in the US size is expected to increase by USD 11.67 billion from 2020 to 2025, and the market's growth momentum will decelerate at a CAGR of 7.22%. The growth of organized retailing in the US is one of the key factors driving the growth of the cold-pressed juices market in the US.

Juicer Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 168 Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Decelerate at a CAGR of 18.41% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 2346.13 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 26.56 Regional analysis APAC, Europe, North America, Middle East and Africa, and South America Performing market contribution APAC at 41% Key countries US, China, India, UK, and Germany Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled AB Electrolux, Bajaj Electricals Ltd., Borosil Ltd., Breville USA Inc., Cuisinart, DeLonghi Spa, Donlim, Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Co., Havells India Ltd., Hurom America Inc., Joyoung Co. Ltd., Koninklijke Philips NV, Kuvings, Midea India Pvt. Ltd., Newell Brands Inc., Omega Juicers, Panasonic Holdings Corp., SEB SA Co., Treasure Retail Pvt. Ltd., and TTK Prestige Ltd. Market dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, Market condition analysis for the forecast period Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

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Table of Contents

1 Executive Summary

1.1 Market overview

Exhibit 01: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Overview



Exhibit 02: Executive Summary  Data Table on Market Overview



Exhibit 03: Executive Summary  Chart on Global Market Characteristics



Exhibit 04: Executive Summary  Chart on Market by Geography



Exhibit 05: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Product



Exhibit 06: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by End-user



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 juicer market 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 18: Historic Market Size  Data Table on Global juicer market 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.2 Product Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 19: Historic Market Size  Product Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.3 End-user Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 20: Historic Market Size  End-user 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 Product

6.1 Market segments

Exhibit 30: Chart on Product - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 31: Data Table on Product - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

6.2 Comparison by Product

Exhibit 32: Chart on Comparison by Product



Exhibit 33: Data Table on Comparison by Product

6.3 Centrifugal juicer - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 34: Chart on Centrifugal juicer - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 35: Data Table on Centrifugal juicer - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 36: Chart on Centrifugal juicer - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 37: Data Table on Centrifugal juicer - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.4 Masticating juicer - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 38: Chart on Masticating juicer - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 39: Data Table on Masticating juicer - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 40: Chart on Masticating juicer - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 41: Data Table on Masticating juicer - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.5 Triturating juicer - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 42: Chart on Triturating juicer - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 43: Data Table on Triturating juicer - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 44: Chart on Triturating juicer - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 45: Data Table on Triturating juicer - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.6 Market opportunity by Product

Exhibit 46: Market opportunity by Product ($ million)

7 Market Segmentation by End-user

7.1 Market segments

Exhibit 47: Chart on End-user - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 48: Data Table on End-user - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

7.2 Comparison by End-user

Exhibit 49: Chart on Comparison by End-user



Exhibit 50: Data Table on Comparison by End-user

7.3 Residential - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 51: Chart on Residential - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 52: Data Table on Residential - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 53: Chart on Residential - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 54: Data Table on Residential - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.4 Commercial - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 55: Chart on Commercial - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 56: Data Table on Commercial - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 57: Chart on Commercial - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 58: Data Table on Commercial - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.5 Market opportunity by End-user

Exhibit 59: Market opportunity by End-user ($ million)

8 Customer Landscape

8.1 Customer landscape overview

Exhibit 60: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

9 Geographic Landscape

9.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 61: Chart on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 62: Data Table on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)

9.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 63: Chart on Geographic comparison



Exhibit 64: Data Table on Geographic comparison

9.3 APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 65: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 66: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 67: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 68: 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 69: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 70: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 71: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 72: 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 73: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 74: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 75: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 76: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.6 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 77: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 78: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 79: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

and - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 80: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.7 South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 81: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 82: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 83: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 84: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.8 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 (%)

9.9 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 (%)

9.10 India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 93: Chart on India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 94: Data Table on India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 95: Chart on India - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 96: Data Table on India - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.11 UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 97: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 98: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 99: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 100: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.12 Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 101: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 102: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 103: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 104: Data Table on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.13 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 Electrolux

Exhibit 112: AB Electrolux - Overview



Exhibit 113: AB Electrolux - Business segments



Exhibit 114: AB Electrolux - Key offerings



Exhibit 115: AB Electrolux - Segment focus

12.4 Bajaj Electricals Ltd.

Exhibit 116: Bajaj Electricals Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 117: Bajaj Electricals Ltd. - Business segments



Exhibit 118: Bajaj Electricals Ltd. - Key news



Exhibit 119: Bajaj Electricals Ltd. - Key offerings



Exhibit 120: Bajaj Electricals Ltd. - Segment focus

12.5 Breville USA Inc.

Inc. Exhibit 121: Breville USA Inc. - Overview

Inc. - Overview

Exhibit 122: Breville USA Inc. - Product / Service

Inc. - Product / Service

Exhibit 123: Breville USA Inc. - Key offerings

12.6 Cuisinart

Exhibit 124: Cuisinart - Overview



Exhibit 125: Cuisinart - Product / Service



Exhibit 126: Cuisinart - Key offerings

12.7 DeLonghi Spa

Exhibit 127: DeLonghi Spa - Overview



Exhibit 128: DeLonghi Spa - Business segments



Exhibit 129: DeLonghi Spa - Key news



Exhibit 130: DeLonghi Spa - Key offerings



Exhibit 131: DeLonghi Spa - Segment focus

12.8 Donlim

Exhibit 132: Donlim - Overview



Exhibit 133: Donlim - Product / Service



Exhibit 134: Donlim - Key offerings

12.9 Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Co.

Exhibit 135: Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Co. - Overview



Exhibit 136: Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Co. - Product / Service



Exhibit 137: Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Co. - Key news



Exhibit 138: Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Co. - Key offerings

12.10 Hurom America Inc.

Exhibit 139: Hurom America Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 140: Hurom America Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 141: Hurom America Inc. - Key offerings

12.11 Joyoung Co. Ltd.

Exhibit 142: Joyoung Co. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 143: Joyoung Co. Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 144: Joyoung Co. Ltd. - Key offerings

12.12 Koninklijke Philips NV

Exhibit 145: Koninklijke Philips NV - Overview



Exhibit 146: Koninklijke Philips NV - Business segments



Exhibit 147: Koninklijke Philips NV - Key news



Exhibit 148: Koninklijke Philips NV - Key offerings



Exhibit 149: Koninklijke Philips NV - Segment focus

12.13 Kuvings

Exhibit 150: Kuvings - Overview



Exhibit 151: Kuvings - Product / Service



Exhibit 152: Kuvings - Key offerings

12.14 Midea India Pvt. Ltd.

Exhibit 153: Midea India Pvt. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 154: Midea India Pvt. Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 155: Midea India Pvt. Ltd. - Key offerings

12.15 Newell Brands Inc.

Exhibit 156: Newell Brands Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 157: Newell Brands Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 158: Newell Brands Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 159: Newell Brands Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 160: Newell Brands Inc. - Segment focus

12.16 Omega Juicers

Exhibit 161: Omega Juicers - Overview



Exhibit 162: Omega Juicers - Product / Service



Exhibit 163: Omega Juicers - Key offerings

12.17 SEB SA Co.

Exhibit 164: SEB SA Co. - Overview



Exhibit 165: SEB SA Co. - Business segments



Exhibit 166: SEB SA Co. - Key news



Exhibit 167: SEB SA Co. - Key offerings



Exhibit 168: SEB SA Co. - Segment focus

13 Appendix

13.1 Scope of the report

13.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 169: Inclusions checklist



Exhibit 170: Exclusions checklist

13.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 171: Currency conversion rates for US$

13.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 172: Research methodology



Exhibit 173: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 174: Information sources

13.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 175: List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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Website: www.technavio.com/

SOURCE Technavio
Kemiex has secured equity investments from the strategic investment arm of CME Group, CME Ventures, the global data and analytics company DTN, as well as the family office Wille Finance. Investors add extensive capabilities and network in commodity trade, risk management and data.

Investors are global leaders in trade and data, facilitating the profitable growth of Kemiex

Capital deployed to enhance technology, expand product scope beyond nutrition and health

Investors will together help Kemiex accelerate its go to market via their extensive network in Agriculture, Chemicals and other physically traded raw materials.

ZURICH, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Kemiex AG, a specialised and fast-growing provider of procurement, sales and intelligence platforms for physical raw materials, has secured investment funding from CME Ventures, DTN and Wille Finance. The details of the authorised capital increase were not disclosed.

Co-founders of Kemiex, Pau Franquet and Oriol Saludes

The combined capital and capabilities will help Kemiex rapidly elevate its global trade hub to an institutional, enterprise level solution. Kemiex plans to enhance its apps and white-label platforms for raw material procurement, sales and analytics to facilitate trade and risk management for customers, helping them solving complex challenges such as Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) and GHG reporting.

The investment funding will allow Kemiex to tap into new resources as well as other financial, distribution, data engineering and analytic expertise to further accelerate growth. Kemiex will also expand product coverage beyond human and animal nutrition and health ingredients to agrochemicals, and other chemicals and raw materials.

Pau Franquet, CEO and Co-founder of Kemiex: "We're pleased to welcome our new strategic shareholders to further institutionalise and step-up our game in providing meaningful, independent trade and intelligence solutions to nutrition, chemicals and other raw material markets globally. Our customers will benefit from better technology. data and business opportunities."

Owain Johnson, Managing Director, Global Head of Research and Product Development, CME Group: "Kemiex's vertically focused B2B marketplace and digital spot trading technology for physical raw materials offers exciting opportunities in workflow-embedded creation of indices, analytics, data distribution and risk management."

Marc Chesover, President, and CEO of DTN: "The Kemiex team has shown admirable focus in executing their vision of building a disruptive trade and information platform for animal nutrition, health, and related sectors. We are delighted to support them through the synergies we share in the agriculture sector as well as the DTN expertise in developing sophisticated commodity and supply chain intelligence platforms from both the data and transactional perspective."

Reto Hertler, Head Private Equity & Venture Capital at Wille Finance: "Kemiex has shown the capability to disrupt an inefficient industry value chain with technology. We are very happy to team up with Kemiex in order to accelerate the growth and bring in our experience in scaling companies."

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2008530/Kemiex_AG__Logo.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2008531/Kemiex_Co_Founders.jpg

SOURCE Kemiex AG
Electrical Giant Expands Footprint In Centrally Located Western Ohio. The Resulting New Distribution Network Will Allow For The Majority Of Customer Base To Be Within A 2-Day Transit Time.

DAYTON, Ohio, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Legrand , a world leader in electrical, digital infrastructure, and connected solutions, has officially opened a larger operations facility in the Dayton area. This latest opening will provide over 200 new jobs to the Dayton area and enhance the company's ability to serve its customers quicker in shipment times across all of America.

LEGRAND NORTH AMERICA ANNOUNCES OPENING OF NEWEST DISTRIBUTION CENTER IN DAYTON

The 625,000 square-feet operations facility, located at 2200 Douglas Way, Union OH, is a state-of-the-art distribution center that will enhance the company's ability to meet the growing demand for electrical and digital building infrastructures as well as connected solutions across America. The facility features technology and equipment that will increase production and maintain quality control, ensuring that customers receive the best products available.

Legrand is committed to sustainability, and the opening of the Dayton facility supports that commitment through various approaches. Notably, the building is on track to receive Green Globes Level One Certification. In addition, the new centrally located facility, coupled with existing West Coast and Southern Distribution centers will service customers more efficiently reducing freight and carbon emissions.

This latest expansion will bring new jobs to Dayton, with Legrand hiring for positions ranging from production and warehouse to office and management. This growth is a testament to Legrand's commitment to providing exceptional customer service and delivering high-quality solutions to customers.

Each aspect of the facility features and highlights Legrand's notable brands including:

Architectural and industrial lighting from Kenall, Finelite, OCL, and Pinnacle.

Automated window shades from Legrand Commercial Shading.

Electrical wiring devices from Legrand's radiant Collection and Cablofil wire management.

Data room outfitted with Legrand Minkels technology.

Productivity enabling technologies from Legrand's AV division, such as Middle Atlantic, Chief, Vaddio, Da-Lite, C2G.

As a result, this facility truly showcases Legrand's deep expertise in the space and creates a highly functional environment for its employees.

"We are thrilled to expand our footprint in Dayton and continue to support the thriving community," said Dan Carsten, Vice President of Operational Excellence and Logistics of Legrand North America. "Our goal is to provide our customers with the highest quality products and exceptional customer service, and this our newest facility will allow us to do this."

"Our investment into Montgomery County worked to develop the site for long-term sustainability by putting the site into production, generating taxes into the community, and further strengthening the economy through job creation," said Matt Gaston, Vice President of Development at NorthPoint Development. "The expansion of Legrand's operations into Montgomery County further supports the thriving community here in Dayton, as well as the region as a whole."

About Legrand and Legrand, North and Central America

Legrand is the global specialist in electrical and digital building infrastructures. Its comprehensive offering of solutions for commercial, industrial, and residential markets makes it a benchmark for customers worldwide. The Group harnesses technological and societal trends with lasting impacts on buildings with the purpose of improving life by transforming the spaces where people live, work and meet with electrical, digital infrastructures and connected solutions that are simple, innovative and sustainable. Drawing on an approach that involves all teams and stakeholders, Legrand is pursuing its strategy of profitable and responsible growth driven by acquisitions and innovation, with a steady flow of new offeringsincluding products with enhanced value in use (faster expanding segments: data centers, connected offerings and energy efficiency programs). Legrand reported sales of 7.0 billion in 2021. The company is listed on Euronext Paris and is notably a component stock of the CAC 40 and CAC 40 ESG indexes. (code ISIN FR0010307819). https://www.legrand.us/

SOURCE Legrand
DUBLIN, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Mass Flow Controller Market by Material Type (Stainless Steel, Exotic Alloys, Bronze, Brass), Flow Rate (Low, Medium, High), Media Type (Gas, Liquid, Vapor), End User Industry (Semiconductor, Chemical, Pharmaceutical), Region - Global Forecast to 2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.





The market for mass flow controllers is expected to be worth USD 3.3 billion in 2028 and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 14.0% from 2023 to 2028. Mass flow controllers are increasingly adopted in various end-user industries, such as pharmaceutical, semiconductor, and chemical due to their high capacity to deal with corrosion and superior oxidation resistance, enabling them to withstand extreme pressure and temperature.

Gas mass flow controller to hold the largest market share in the year 2022.

By Media Type, gas mass flow controller holds the largest market share in the year 2022. Catalyst research is the key application of gas mass flow controllers in chemical and petrochemical industries. Catalyst is an important substance that stimulates the reaction rate in various chemical processes, such as hydrogenation, polymerization, gas-to-liquid conversion, and chemical synthesis. Chemical decomposition is another application where gas mass flow controllers are widely used. The chemical decomposition process or reaction uses differential pressure-based gas mass flow controllers owing to the advantages of fast response time and their ability to measure and control gas flow in low-line pressure applications.

Pharmaceutical industry is likely to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

The pharmaceutical industry is likely to grow at the highest CAGR in the forecast period 2023-2028. Mass flow controllers with low flow rates play a vital role in measuring and controlling different media (gas and liquid) in the pharmaceutical industry. In medical applications, mass flow controllers are used in ventilation devices. The ultra-low flow rate and control capability of the controllers improve the accuracy of ventilation devices and offer efficient control and safety for the patient. The use of mass flow controllers in pharmaceutical, medical, and healthcare devices for enhancing safety and accuracy would drive the growth of the mass flow controller market.

The Asia Pacific is likely to grow at the highest CAGR in the forecast period 2023-2028.

The mass flow controller market in the Asia Pacific is expected to grow at the highest CAGR of 14.6% from 2023 to 2028. Countries covered under the mass flow controller market in the Asia Pacific are China, Japan, India, Taiwan, South Korea, and the Rest of Asia Pacific. Increasing investments in the semiconductor industry, rising demand for efficient devices for measurement and control, and industrial automation are among the major factors driving the market growth in this region. Most key players operating in the mass flow controller market have their production capacity in Asia Pacific, as the production cost in this region is lower than that of other regions. Asia Pacific is expected to acquire the majority share of the mass flow controller market during the forecasted period. Due to surging technological advancements in medical and healthcare devices, the market of mass flow controllers is expected to grow in the emerging countries of India, China, and Japan.

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Increasing Use of Mass Flow Controllers by Semiconductor Manufacturers

Rising Demand for Mass Flow Controllers in Chemical and Water & Wastewater Industries

Growing Need for Mass Flow Controllers in Fuel Cells for Renewable Energy Applications

Restraints

Tuning and Flow-Related Issues in Control Valves Caused by Variations in Differential Pressure

High Initial Cost and Physical Restraints of Mass Flow Controllers

Opportunities

Emerging Applications of Mass Flow Controllers in Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Industries

Increasing Use of Mass Flow Controllers in Space Applications

Challenges

Media Dependency in Calibration of Mass Flow Controllers

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 193 Forecast Period 2022 - 2027 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2022 $1.7 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2027 $3.3 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 14.0 % Regions Covered Global



Key Topics Covered:





1 Introduction

2 Research Methodology

3 Executive Summary

4 Premium Insights

5 Market Overview

6 Connectivity Technologies Used in Mass Flow Controllers

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Analog

6.3 Profibus

6.4 Rs-485

6.5 Profinet

6.6 Ethercat

6.7 Ethernet/Ip

6.8 Modbus Rtu

6.9 Modbus Tcp/Ip

6.10 Devicenet

6.11 Foundation Fieldbus

7 Applications of Mass Flow Controllers

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Catalyst Research

7.3 Gas Chromatography

7.4 Spray and Coating Processes

7.5 Fluid & Gas Processing and Control

7.6 Fuel Cell

7.7 Solar Cell

7.8 Heat Treating

8 Types of Mass Flow Controllers

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Direct

8.3 Indirect

9 Mass Flow Controller Market, by Material Type

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Stainless Steel

9.3 Exotic Alloys

9.4 Others

10 Mass Flow Controller Market, by Flow Rate

10.1 Introduction

10.2 Low

10.3 Medium

10.4 High

11 Mass Flow Controller Market, by Media Type

11.1 Introduction

11.2 Gas Mass Flow Controllers

11.3 Liquid Mass Flow Controllers

11.4 Others

12 Mass Flow Controller Market, by End-User Industry

12.1 Introduction

12.2 Semiconductor

12.3 Oil & Gas

12.4 Chemical

12.5 Pharmaceutical

12.6 Metal & Mining

12.7 Water & Wastewater

12.8 Food & Beverage

13 Mass Flow Controller Market, by Region

14 Competitive Landscape

15 Company Profiles

16 Appendix

Companies Mentioned

Aalborg Instruments & Controls, Inc.

Alicat Scientific

Axetris Ag

Azbil Corporation

Bronkhorst

Brooks Instrument

Christian Burkert GmbH & Co. Kg

Dwyer Instruments

Fcon Co., Ltd.

Fctechnik Ag

Golden Mountain Enterprise Co., Ltd. (New-Flow)

Hitachi Metals, Ltd.

Horiba, Ltd.

IMI plc

Kelly Pneumatics, Inc.

Kofloc

MKS Instruments

Ohkura Electric Co., Ltd.

Omega Engineering Inc.

Parker Hannifin Corp

Sensirion Ag

Sierra Instruments

Teledyne Hastings Instruments

Tokyo Keiso Co., Ltd.

Vogtlin Instruments GmbH

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/symu19-flow?w=5

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SOURCE Research and Markets
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Feb. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --

Dodge Last Call Powered by Roadkill Nights Vegas event will host worldwide debut of the final 2023 Dodge "Last Call" special-edition model

Event marks the end of one era  the last of the Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger in their current HEMI-engine-powered forms  and the birth of a new era of Dodge electrified performance

Dodge Last Call Powered by Roadkill Nights Vegas event includes a full day of drag racing, Dodge thrill rides, Challenger SRT Demon simulators, a cruise-in car show, sponsor/vendor midway areas, a post-reveal concert and more

Dodge to introduce final "Last Call" special-edition model as part of a high-adrenaline performance festival.

WHERE:

The Strip at The Las Vegas Motor Speedway

7000 Las Vegas Boulevard, N.

Las Vegas, Nevada 89115

WHO:

Tim Kuniskis, Dodge brand chief executive officer  Stellantis

For interview requests, please contact Dave Elshoff, [email protected]

SCHEDULE: Monday, March 20, 2023

Noon PT Drag racing begins

Thrill rides and simulators

Display of cruise-in vehicles

Exhibition runs

Concessions



5 p.m. Drag racing concludes

Award ceremony begins



6 p.m. Dodge Last Call event begins

All other activities close



7:30 p.m. Special post-reveal performance by Grammy-winning superstar Diplo



9 p.m. Event concludes

MEDIA RSVP:

Please RSVP to Darren Jacobs at [email protected] or Dave Elshoff at [email protected].

DETAILS:

Additional event parking, check-in and credentialing instructions will be emailed to RSVP'd media guests prior to the March 20, Dodge Last Call Powered by Roadkill Nights Vegas event

2023 Dodge Charger/Challenger "Last Call" Highlights

Dodge Last Call Powered by Roadkill Nights Vegas event unleashes the seventh and final 2023 "Last Call" special-edition model, commemorating the Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger, which are coming to an end in their current HEMI-engine-powered forms at the end of 2023. Six Dodge "Last Call" models have already been introduced: the Dodge Challenger Shakedown, Dodge Charger Super Bee, Dodge Challenger and Charger Scat Pack Swinger, Dodge Charger King Daytona and Dodge Challenger Black Ghost.

In addition to the seven "Last Call" special-edition models, Dodge is also celebrating its 2023 model lineup by bringing back three beloved heritage exterior colors, B5 Blue, Plum Crazy purple and Sublime green, and one popular modern color, Destroyer Grey. 2023 Charger and Challenger R/T models will also feature new "345" fender badging, a callout to the 345-cubic-inch HEMI engine under the hood, and all 2023 Dodge Charger and Challenger models will carry a special commemorative "Last Call" underhood plaque.

Dodge also launched a new Horsepower Locator online tool to help Brotherhood of Muscle members make the "Last Call" for the model of their choice. The Dodge Horsepower Locator tool, as well as information on the brand's 24-month Never Lift plan, is available at DodgeGarage.com.

Dodge//SRT

For more than 100 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and Horace Dodge. Their influence continues today as Dodge shifts into high gear with a lineup that delivers unrivaled performance in each of the segments where they compete.

Dodge drives forward as a pure performance brand, offering SRT Hellcat versions of the Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger and Dodge Durango, as well as an R/T plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) version of the all-new 2023 Dodge Hornet, representing the brand's first-ever electrified performance vehicle. Dodge delivers the drag-strip dominating 807-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock; the 797-horsepower Dodge Charger SRT Redeye, the most powerful and fastest mass-produced sedan in the world; and the 710-horsepower Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, the most powerful SUV ever; and best-in-class standard performance in the compact utility vehicle segment with the Dodge Hornet. Combined, these four muscle vehicles make Dodge the industry's most powerful brand, offering more horsepower than any other American brand across its entire lineup.

In 2022, the Dodge brand ranked No. 1 in the J.D. Power APEAL Study (mass market), making it the only domestic brand ever to do so three years in a row. In 2020, Dodge was named the "#1 Brand in Initial Quality," making it the first domestic brand ever to rank No. 1 in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS).

Dodge is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com.

Follow Dodge and company news and video on:

Company blog: http://blog.stellantisnorthamerica.com

Media website: http://media.stellantisnorthamerica.com

Dodge brand: www.dodge.com

Direct Connection: www.DCPerformance.com

DodgeGarage: www.dodgegarage.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/dodge

Instagram: www.instagram.com/dodgeofficial

Twitter: www.twitter.com/dodge and @StellantisNA

YouTube: www.youtube.com/dodge, https://www.youtube.com/StellantisNA

SOURCE Stellantis
OMAHA, Neb., Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Medical Solutions, one of the largest healthcare talent ecosystems, is honored to have been named among America's Greatest Workplaces for Women 2023 by Newsweek and Plant-A Insights Group.

The rich culture of Medical Solutions has long been one of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Consistent focus on equal representation throughout the company has led to rising numbers of women in leadership roles in management, senior management, and executive levels. The company also provides holistic benefits to support employees personally and professionally, including healthcare benefits on day one, generous paid time off, career advancement opportunities, and more.

"Medical Solutions is focused on creating a diverse workforce and a culture where everyone is seen and heard. We support the career growth of women and will continue to do so through our career development programming and talent acquisition practices," said Dana Coonce, Chief Human Resources Officer, Medical Solutions. "Being named one of America's Greatest Workplaces for Women in 2023 is a testament to the culture that has been created and sustained at Medical Solutions. I'm proud that we are being recognized for providing benefits that are important to women, flexibility for work-life balance, career advancement paths, and creating a supportive environment where everyone feels valued."

Newsweek partnered with Plant-A Insights, a provider of market research, to collect over 37,000 survey responses from women working at companies with a minimum of 1,000 employees. In combination with these survey results, a large employer survey, research to validate facts about employers, a review of legal disputes, and media monitoring, 600 companies were named to America's Greatest Workplaces for Women 2023.

"As Medical Solutions has grown, our culture is central to who we are  a company that values and supports all employees through providing holistic benefits and equal advancement opportunities," said Craig Meier, Chief Executive Officer, Medical Solutions. "A diverse workforce brings unique experiences and perspectives to the table, which benefits our entire organization, makes us stronger, and enables us to more effectively achieve our vision of creating a talent ecosystem that delivers great patient outcomes while enriching the lives of people who provide care."

Medical Solutions was also recently named as one of America's Greatest Workplaces for Diversity 2023 developed by Newsweek and Plant-A Insights.

To learn more about Medical Solutions, visit medicalsolutions.com.

ABOUT MEDICAL SOLUTIONS

Medical Solutions specializes in placing quality nurses, allied healthcare professionals, and interim clinical leaders in contingent as well as permanent, local, and per diem positions for hospitals, clinics, and long-term care facilities throughout the U.S. The company's workforce solutions include a managed services program, which offers hospitals and healthcare systems a streamlined approach to contingent workforce processes, helping facilities gain efficiencies, control labor costs, and enhance patient care standards. Medical Solutions is headquartered in Omaha, Neb., with company locations in San Diego, Cincinnati, Denver, Tampa, Jacksonville Beach, Tupelo, and Durham. In 2018, the company acquired PPR Talent Management Group in Jacksonville, Fla., and in 2019, acquired Omaha-based C&A Industries, parent company to workforce solution firms Aureus Medical Group and FocusOne Solutions. In 2022, Medical Solutions acquired Matchwell; its business model of subscription-based, per diem, and local services expanded Medical Solutions' portfolio of service offerings into the per diem and local markets to further bolster the company's total workforce solutions ecosystem model. In 2023, Medical Solutions acquired HOST Healthcare; the award-winning healthcare staffing company adds to Medical Solutions' clinical staffing offerings. Medical Solutions was one of the first travel nursing and allied healthcare staffing companies to be certified by the Joint Commission and has been continuously certified since January 2005. For more information, visit medicalsolutions.com.

SOURCE Medical Solutions LLC
NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Technavio, the global modular construction market size is estimated to grow by USD 33 billion from 2022 to 2027. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 6.77% during the forecast period. Moreover, the growth momentum will accelerate. North America will account for 33% of the market's growth. The report also includes historic market data from 2017 to 2021. In 2017, the market was valued at USD 63.88 billion. The report provides a comprehensive analysis of growth opportunities at regional levels, new product launches, the latest trends, and the post-pandemic recovery of the global market. For more insights on the historic (2017 to 2021) and forecast market size (2022 to 2027) - Request a sample report

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Modular construction market - Segmentation Assessment

Segment Overview

Technavio has segmented the market based on application (Residential and Commercial), and type (Permanent and Relocatable).

The residential segment will grow at a significant rate during the forecast period. Factors such as the increasing adoption of modular building technology in housing construction in APAC. Rising middle-class disposable income and growing urban populations in developing countries such as India and China are boosting the drywall industry. In these countries, more and more people choose modular construction because it is simple and economical. Therefore, all the factors mentioned above will boost the growth of the residential segment in the global modular construction market during the forecast period.

Geography Overview

By geography, the global modular construction market is segmented into North America, Europe, APAC, 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 modular construction market.

North America is estimated to contribute 33% to the growth of the global market during the forecast period. Growth in the U.S. construction industry is driven by infrastructure and transportation infrastructure such as single-family home construction, subway stations, bus stops, parking lots, schools, and water systems. Demand for single-family homes is increasing as mortgages become readily available, fueled by continued job growth in the country. Excessive demand for retail construction is also boosting the growth of domestic warehouse construction. The increasing use of online shopping has created a demand for local warehouses that can supply customers with goods purchased online, increasing the demand for modular warehouse construction across the region.

For insights on global, regional, and country-level parameters with growth opportunities

from 2017 to 2027  Download a Sample Report

Modular construction market  Market Dynamics

Key factor driving market growth

Increasing demand to remove site constraints is a key factor driving the growth of the market.

On-site construction can be hampered by various restrictions, such as unpredictable weather conditions and the need to stage multiple processes.

Not only does this lead to higher construction costs on site, but more time is spent managing day-to-day construction activities. Also, on-site construction is risky, and various safety measures must be followed to prevent accidents.

Such difficulties lower the demand for on-site construction and drive the demand for modular construction, which will fuel the growth of the global modular construction market during the forecast period.

Leading trends influencing the market

Increasing awareness of custom-built facilities with minimum budgets is the primary trend in the market growth.

is the primary trend in the market growth. The modular design takes into account the growing demand for condominiums. Large construction projects use modular construction methods to reduce costs and create affordable housing.

Modularity provides flexibility to contractors and is inherently eco-friendly as key structural components can be reused and rearranged without wasting resources to build a new home.

Growing awareness of the benefits of modular buildings for the construction of custom facilities is expected to drive the growth of the global modular building market over the forecast period.

Major challenges hindering market growth

Lack of awareness and volatility of transportation costs are major challenges for the growth of the global modular construction market.

are major challenges for the growth of the global modular construction market. Modular parts have to be transported to construction sites and this requires special vehicles. Also, shipping costs change from time to time, which can increase the cost of modular construction.

Transportation costs may vary depending on fuel price, mode of transportation, and required distance. Delays in transporting modular parts delay construction projects.

Moreover, people are unaware of modular construction methods as they are accustomed to traditional construction methods and the contractors also are unaware of the new construction methods, which could lead to their lower adoption. Such factors will impede the growth of the market during the forecast period

For information on other drivers, trends, and challenges Find some insights from a

sample report!

What are the key data covered in this modular construction market report?

CAGR of the market during the forecast period

Detailed information on factors that will drive the growth of the modular construction market between 2023 and 2027

Precise estimation of the size of the modular construction 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 modular construction market across North America , Europe , APAC, Middle East and Africa , and South America

, , APAC, and , and A thorough analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information about vendors

Comprehensive analysis of factors that will challenge the growth of modular construction market vendors

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The self-propelled modular transporter (SPMT) market in North America is estimated to decline at a CAGR of 4.43% between 2021 and 2026. The size of the market is forecasted to increase by USD 50.25 million. This report extensively covers market segmentation by end-user (construction, oil industries, shipyard, offshore industry, and other industries) and geography (US, Canada, and Mexico).

The modular instruments market is expected to increase by USD 874.32 million from 2021 to 2026, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 9.6%. This report extensively covers market segmentation by end-user (semiconductor and electronics, telecommunication, aerospace and defense, and others), product (PXI platform, VXI platform, and AXIe platform), and geography (APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa).

Modular Construction Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 161 Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 6.77% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 33 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 6.69 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, Middle East and Africa, and South America Performing market contribution North America at 33% Key countries US, China, Japan, Germany, and France Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled ATCO Ltd., Bechtel Corp., McGRATH RENTCORP, Fluor Corp., KLEUSBERG GmbH and Co KG, Laing O Rourke, Lendlease Corp. Ltd., Modulaire Group, Red Sea International Co., Skanska AB, THE BOUYGUES GROUP, Amana Contracting and Steel Buildings LLC, ELEMENTS EUROPE, GUERDON LLC, KOMA MODULAR S.r.o, Kwikspace Pty Ltd., PREMIER MODULAR, STARRCO, Wernick Group Holdings Ltd., and WESTCHESTER MODULAR HOMES 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.

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Table of contents

1 Executive Summary

1.1 Market overview

Exhibit 01: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Overview



Exhibit 02: Executive Summary  Data Table on Market Overview



Exhibit 03: Executive Summary  Chart on Global Market Characteristics



Exhibit 04: Executive Summary  Chart on Market by Geography



Exhibit 05: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Application



Exhibit 06: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Type



Exhibit 07: Executive Summary  Chart on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 08: Executive Summary  Data Table on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 09: Executive Summary  Chart on Vendor Market Positioning

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

Exhibit 10: Parent market



Exhibit 11: Market Characteristics

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

Exhibit 12: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

Exhibit 13: Market segments

3.3 Market size 2022

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2022-2027

Exhibit 14: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ 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 modular construction market 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 18: Historic Market Size  Data Table on Global modular construction market 2017 - 2021 ($ billion)

4.2 Application Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 19: Historic Market Size  Application Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ billion)

4.3 Type Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 20: Historic Market Size  Type 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 Residential - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 34: Chart on Residential - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 35: Data Table on Residential - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 36: Chart on Residential - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 37: Data Table on Residential - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.4 Commercial - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 38: Chart on Commercial - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 39: Data Table on Commercial - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 40: Chart on Commercial - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 41: Data Table on Commercial - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.5 Market opportunity by Application

Exhibit 42: Market opportunity by Application ($ billion)

7 Market Segmentation by Type

7.1 Market segments

Exhibit 43: Chart on Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 44: Data Table on Type - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

7.2 Comparison by Type

Exhibit 45: Chart on Comparison by Type



Exhibit 46: Data Table on Comparison by Type

7.3 Permanent - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 47: Chart on Permanent - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 48: Data Table on Permanent - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 49: Chart on Permanent - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 50: Data Table on Permanent - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.4 Relocatable - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 51: Chart on Relocatable - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 52: Data Table on Relocatable - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 53: Chart on Relocatable - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 54: Data Table on Relocatable - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.5 Market opportunity by Type

Exhibit 55: Market opportunity by Type ($ billion)

8 Customer Landscape

8.1 Customer landscape overview

Exhibit 56: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

9 Geographic Landscape

9.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 57: Chart on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 58: Data Table on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)

9.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 59: Chart on Geographic comparison



Exhibit 60: Data Table on Geographic comparison

9.3 North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 61: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 62: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 63: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 64: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 65: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 66: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 67: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 68: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.5 APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 69: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 70: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 71: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 72: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.6 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 73: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 74: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 75: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

and - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 76: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.7 South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 77: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 78: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 79: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 80: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.8 US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 81: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 82: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 83: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 84: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.9 China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 85: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 86: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 87: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 88: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.10 Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 89: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 90: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 91: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 92: Data Table on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.11 France - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 93: Chart on France - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 94: Data Table on France - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 95: Chart on France - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 96: Data Table on France - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.12 Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 97: Chart on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 98: Data Table on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 99: Chart on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 100: Data Table on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.13 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 101: Market opportunity by geography ($ billion)

10 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

10.1 Market drivers

10.2 Market challenges

10.3 Impact of drivers and challenges

Exhibit 102: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2022 and 2027

10.4 Market trends

11 Vendor Landscape

11.1 Overview

11.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 103: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation

11.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 104: Overview on factors of disruption

11.4 Industry risks

Exhibit 105: Impact of key risks on business

12 Vendor Analysis

12.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 106: Vendors covered

12.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 107: Matrix on vendor position and classification

12.3 ATCO Ltd.

Exhibit 108: ATCO Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 109: ATCO Ltd. - Business segments



Exhibit 110: ATCO Ltd. - Key offerings



Exhibit 111: ATCO Ltd. - Segment focus

12.4 Amana Contracting and Steel Buildings LLC

Exhibit 112: Amana Contracting and Steel Buildings LLC - Overview



Exhibit 113: Amana Contracting and Steel Buildings LLC - Product / Service



Exhibit 114: Amana Contracting and Steel Buildings LLC - Key offerings

12.5 Bechtel Corp.

Exhibit 115: Bechtel Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 116: Bechtel Corp. - Product / Service



Exhibit 117: Bechtel Corp. - Key news



Exhibit 118: Bechtel Corp. - Key offerings

12.6 ELEMENTS EUROPE

Exhibit 119: ELEMENTS EUROPE - Overview

- Overview

Exhibit 120: ELEMENTS EUROPE - Product / Service

- Product / Service

Exhibit 121: ELEMENTS EUROPE - Key offerings

12.7 Fluor Corp.

Exhibit 122: Fluor Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 123: Fluor Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 124: Fluor Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 125: Fluor Corp. - Segment focus

12.8 GUERDON LLC

Exhibit 126: GUERDON LLC - Overview



Exhibit 127: GUERDON LLC - Product / Service



Exhibit 128: GUERDON LLC - Key offerings

12.9 KLEUSBERG GmbH and Co KG

Exhibit 129: KLEUSBERG GmbH and Co KG - Overview



Exhibit 130: KLEUSBERG GmbH and Co KG - Product / Service



Exhibit 131: KLEUSBERG GmbH and Co KG - Key offerings

12.10 KOMA MODULAR S.r.o

Exhibit 132: KOMA MODULAR S.r.o - Overview



Exhibit 133: KOMA MODULAR S.r.o - Product / Service



Exhibit 134: KOMA MODULAR S.r.o - Key offerings

12.11 Laing O Rourke

Exhibit 135: Laing O Rourke - Overview



Exhibit 136: Laing O Rourke - Product / Service



Exhibit 137: Laing O Rourke - Key offerings

12.12 Lendlease Corp. Ltd.

Exhibit 138: Lendlease Corp. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 139: Lendlease Corp. Ltd. - Business segments



Exhibit 140: Lendlease Corp. Ltd. - Key offerings



Exhibit 141: Lendlease Corp. Ltd. - Segment focus

12.13 McGRATH RENTCORP

Exhibit 142: McGRATH RENTCORP - Overview



Exhibit 143: McGRATH RENTCORP - Business segments



Exhibit 144: McGRATH RENTCORP - Key offerings



Exhibit 145: McGRATH RENTCORP - Segment focus

12.14 Modulaire Group

Exhibit 146: Modulaire Group - Overview



Exhibit 147: Modulaire Group - Product / Service



Exhibit 148: Modulaire Group - Key offerings

12.15 Red Sea International Co.

Exhibit 149: Red Sea International Co. - Overview



Exhibit 150: Red Sea International Co. - Product / Service



Exhibit 151: Red Sea International Co. - Key offerings

12.16 Skanska AB

Exhibit 152: Skanska AB - Overview



Exhibit 153: Skanska AB - Business segments



Exhibit 154: Skanska AB - Key offerings



Exhibit 155: Skanska AB - Segment focus

12.17 THE BOUYGUES GROUP

Exhibit 156: THE BOUYGUES GROUP - Overview



Exhibit 157: THE BOUYGUES GROUP - Product / Service



Exhibit 158: THE BOUYGUES GROUP - Key offerings

13 Appendix

13.1 Scope of the report

13.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 159: Inclusions checklist



Exhibit 160: Exclusions checklist

13.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 161: Currency conversion rates for US$

13.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 162: Research methodology



Exhibit 163: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 164: Information sources

13.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 165: 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

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UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

SOURCE Technavio
CHICAGO, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Museum of Mexican Art announced the schedule for its Sor Juana Festival 2023, a performing arts festival that celebrates the accomplishments of Mexican women, showcasing diverse artists and social impact leaders from the U.S. and Mexico. Events will run from Saturday, March 4, through Saturday, May 13.

The Sor Juana Festival honors one of Mexico's greatest writers, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, a 17th-century nun who fought for a woman's right to education and is considered the first feminist of the Americas.

Sor Juana Festival - National Museum of Mexican Art

The festival commences with an essential conversation with transgender rights advocate Sylvia Guerrero about the life and legacy of her daughter Gwen Araujo. Other March events include cocktails and conversation with #1 New York Times bestselling author Erika L. Sanchez and an intimate acoustic concert by Latin Grammy-winning artist Ely Guerra with a special meet-and-greet opportunity for fans.

The schedule includes a film screening, theater, music and dance performances, art experiences, children's book readings, and an interview with Latino USA host Maria Hinojosa. All events will take place at the museum.

"We're thrilled to host these brilliant creative people sharing knowledge, culture and experiences of music, media, art and community," said Carlos Tortolero, Founder and President of the National Museum of Mexican Art. "In its nearly 30 years of existence, the Sor Juana Festival has become an iconic event not just in the Midwest but nationwide."

Find the complete schedule for Sor Juana Festival 2023 here.

About the National Museum of Mexican Art

Located in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, the National Museum of Mexican Art is one of the country's most prominent Latino cultural organizations and the only nationally accredited museum dedicated to Mexican art and culture. Its Permanent Collection consists of more than 20,000 artworks. The museum has presented over 150 exhibitions, provides arts education to 52,000 students each year, and serves over 150,000 annual visitors from 60 countries. Admission is always free.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Diane Laux

630-921-2150

[email protected]

SOURCE National Museum of Mexican Art
Event:

The National Press Club will host a moment of silence for all those who wish to gather in a show of support for Spectrum News 13 journalist Dylan Lyons who was a victim of gun violence while out covering a story. Dylan was just 24 years old. The Club will also wish a complete recovery for photojournalist Jesse Walden, also injured in the shooting and now in hospital in Orlando.
GUANGZHOU, China, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On February 24th, 2023, global lifestyle retailer MINISO held a conference titled "MINISO  Bringing Joy to the World," to announce its global brand strategy in Guangzhou, China. The company took the opportunity to announce its new brand positioning and brand symbol, global development strategy, product strategy, etc. More than 1,000 guests from the media, licensing partners, and corporate partners were present to support the event.

MINISO Bringing Joy to the World Global Brand Strategy Announced in Guangzhou, China Mr. Ye delivered "Creating a Great Enterprise" keynote CMO Robin Liu explained the Wink icon MINISO flagship store in Chengdu, China

The year 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the founding of MINISO, as well as the opening year of its updated global brand strategy. The company officially announced that it will transform into a lifestyle super brand that brings joy to consumers through collaborations and original designs.

Speaking of the reason for the new strategy, CEO Jack Ye exclaimed, "The new global strategy marks the future of the company's deep participation in the global retail market and its progress towards a brand-new world-class technology-based consumer enterprise."

Moving into a new decade, creating a great brand for consumers

At the conference, Mr. Ye delivered a keynote speech, titled "Creating a Great Enterprise", in which he said, "To gain high-quality development on the global stage, MINISO has to evolve into a super brand stage by achieving three transformations: transforming from a retail channel to a lifestyle brand, from a retail company to a content creator, and transforming our customers to our users."

Ten years after its founding, MINISO has broken out from the competition with century-old retailers and developed into a retail brand with strong global influence. As of December 31st, 2022, MINISO has entered 105 countries and regions across five continents, with over 5,400 stores globally.

Jack Ye pointed out that the "Joy Philosophy" has been crucial to MINISO's ongoing success, and that a brand that can make consumers happy will eventually become a super brand adored by consumers. MINISO will firmly promote its global development, brighten people's lives through constant product innovation, and become "the world's number one provider of joyful and fun lifestyle and household products." He stressed, "In the next ten years, MINISO will move towards becoming a world-class technology-based consumer enterprise."

Licensed collaborations and original designs to brighten consumers' days

MINISO is very well-known for its collaborations with global intellectual property (IP) owners. IP collaboration is a powerful tool adopted by MINISO to engage young people directly. Through partnerships, MINISO could quickly and efficiently establish a deeper emotional connection with consumers and further strengthen the brand's identity.

Taking inspiration from the company's logo, MINISO decided to use the "Wink" icon as its new brand symbol, which represents the "Joy Philosophy". CMO Robin Liu explained that the "Wink" has always been a part of the brand's logo, representing beauty, warmth, and happiness. The main purpose of extracting this simple symbol is to deepen the interaction with the consumers and convey the concept of a "joyful and fun life."

Innovation as the unrelenting drive for the future global development

At the event, MINISO announced the establishment of "Global Product Innovation Center," which would serve as the company's innovation engine to lead its global development. MINISO will invest in the construction of four design centers in China, the United States, Japan, and South Korea, to provide more professional designs to different markets.

In terms of supply chain, in addition to integrating more than 1,100 high-quality supply chain partners in China, MINISO will partner with top analytical organizations for global trend and consumer trends such as WGSN and Pantone, so as to make the product development more informed and create popular lifestyle products featuring designs that are appreciated by consumers worldwide.

According to Robin Liu, MINISO has upgraded its storefronts, platform and services, as well as launched a premium flagship store running on a brand-new model. On February 5th, the first flagship store of MINISO was unveiled in Chengdu, signifying the start of the company's move to make its name urban shopping districts and premium shopping centers.

The new brand positioning, brand symbol, and upgraded consumer experience mark the start of MINISO's global development mission as it strives to become a brand that brings joy to consumers. Jack Ye said that product innovation has enabled Chinese brands to start taking off, and that MINISO will work toward the goal of becoming a world-class technology-based consumer enterprise. By sticking to its global development strategy, relying on its ability to efficiently integrate the supply chain and its insights on the consumers' needs, and continuously focusing on product innovation, MINISO is confident to transform into a consumer super brand.

About MINISO

MINISO Group is a global lifestyle retailer offering a variety of design-led lifestyle products. The Company serves consumers primarily through its large network of MINISO stores, and promotes a relaxing, treasure-hunting and engaging shopping experience full of delightful surprises that appeals to all demographics. Aesthetically pleasing design, quality and affordability are at the core of every product in MINISO's wide product portfolio, and the Company continually and frequently rolls out products with these qualities. Since the opening of its first store in China in 2013, the Company has built its flagship brand "MINISO" as a globally recognized retail brand and established a massive store network worldwide.

SOURCE MINISO
Pei Wei Asian Kitchen to open new locations throughout the US in 2023

DALLAS, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- After an exciting 2022 that added both traditional and non-traditional locations, Pei Wei Asian Kitchen has plans to open more new locations in 2023!

Pei Wei Asian Kitchen to open new locations throughout the US in 2023 Tweet this Pei Wei Mansfield dining room. Pei Wei Asian Kitchen recently introduced this clean, bright look utilizing light wood and granite finishes throughout the dining room, which contrasts beautifully with their bold, signature red colors and craveable food photography.

Pei Wei saw growth in a variety of areas in 2022. Much attention was spent in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area where Pei Wei introduced a beautiful light and bright design in several new traditional locations, including their very first digital location in Dallas, TX on Greenville Ave, "We wanted a business that focused heavily on takeout and delivery and spoke to our delivery service providers to better understand where demand was coming from in the area." said Director of Real Estate, Adam Griffiths.

On the non-traditional front, Pei Wei expanded their footprint by partnering with groups to put the Pei Wei brand in food trucks, airports and even inside Kroger Grocery locations.

Heading into 2023, Pei Wei has already opened multiple locations, and according to Director of Business Development, William Rodriguez "We plan to open 10-15 more locations this year throughout our Texas, Arizona and Florida markets". Included in these new stores will be more takeout and delivery locations similar to their site on Greenville Ave, where Pei Wei has found early success.

Adding to the growth, Pei Wei has agreed to partner with a leading college campus operator to open in 9 university locations across the US over the next year.

With exciting grand opening events hosted by Pei Wei Celebrity Chef Jet Tila, it's a great time to check out what's wok'n at Pei Wei Asian Kitchen!

Bio:

Pei Wei Asian Kitchen is the second largest Chinese fast-casual restaurant chain in the US. Their delicious and innovative wok'd to order recipes are prepared with fresh ingredients and bold sauces. Pei Wei currently operates nearly 200 units throughout the US.

SOURCE Pei Wei
DALLAS, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NexPoint Capital, Inc. (the "Company"), a non-traded publicly registered business development company sponsored and managed by NexPoint Advisors, L.P., today announced that it will commence a voluntary tender offer on or about February 24, 2023 (the "Tender Offer") for up to 2.5% of its outstanding common stock ("Shares").

The purchase price of each Share will be (i) not less than the net asset value ("NAV") per Share of the Company's common stock ("NAV Per Share") (as determined in good faith by the board of directors of the Company or a committee thereof, in its sole discretion) next calculated following the Expiration Date (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) (the date of repurchase) and (ii) not more than 2.5% greater than the NAV Per Share as of such date, plus any unpaid dividends accrued through the expiration date of the Tender Offer.

This announcement is not a recommendation, an offer to purchase or a solicitation of an offer to sell Shares of the Company. The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") a tender offer statement on Schedule TO and related exhibits, including an offer to purchase, a related letter of transmittal, and other related documents (the "Tender Offer Documents"). The Tender Offer Documents will be sent by mail to holders of the Shares. Shareholders of the Company may obtain additional copies of the Tender Offer Documents for the Company, without charge, by contacting the Tender Agent for the Tender Offer, DST Systems, Inc., at 1-844-485-9167. Shareholders can also obtain the Tender Offer Documents free of charge on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Shareholders should read these documents and related exhibits, as the documents contain important information about the Company's Tender Offer.

Tender Offer Questions and Additional Information

Any questions regarding the Tender Offer can be directed to the Company's Tender Agent, DST Systems, Inc., at 1-844-485-9167. The Company's NAV Per Share, $5.72 as of February 23, 2023 (the last Board-approved NAV), as well as other information, including information about management and the healthcare-focused investment strategy, are available at www.nexpoint.com. The information on or accessible through www.nexpoint.com is not incorporated by reference herein.

About NexPoint Capital, Inc.

NexPoint Capital, Inc. is a non-traded, publicly registered business development company sponsored and managed by NexPoint Advisors, L.P.

About NexPoint Advisors, L.P.

NexPoint Advisors, L.P. ("NexPoint Advisors") is an SEC-registered adviser on the NexPoint alternative investment platform ("NexPoint"). NexPoint Advisors serves as the adviser to a suite of funds and investment vehicles, including a closed-end fund, interval fund, business development company ("BDC"), and various real estate vehicles. For more information visit www.nexpoint.com.

Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking statements. These statements may involve a number of risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, including the performance of financial markets, the investment performance of NexPoint Advisors' sponsored investment products, general economic conditions, future acquisitions, competitive conditions, and government regulations, including changes in tax laws. Readers should carefully consider such factors. Further, such forward-looking statements speak only on the date at which such statements are made. NexPoint Advisors undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statement.

This material has been distributed for informational purposes only and should not be considered as investment advice or a recommendation of any particular security, strategy, or investment product. Neither the Company, nor the Company's Board of Directors, nor NexPoint Advisors makes any recommendation as to whether to tender or not to tender any Shares in the Tender Offer. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission.

Contact Information for Tender Offer:

Financial Advisors: (855) 498-1580

Shareholders: (844) 485-9167

Media Relations: [email protected]

SOURCE NexPoint Capital, Inc.
VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Numinus Wellness Inc. ("Numinus" or the "Company") (TSX: NUMI) (OTCQX: NUMIF), a mental health care company advancing innovative treatments and safe, evidence-based psychedelic-assisted therapies, today announced that Dr. Paul Thielking, Chief Science Officer of Numinus, will participate in a Water Tower Research Fireside Chat on Tuesday, February 28, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. ET / 12:00 p.m. PT.

The discussion will focus on Numinus' CRO activities conducted by Cedar Clinical Research (CCR); CCR growth and initiatives; and the new Phoenix, Arizona clinical research site.

For all investors and other persons interested in participating, please register here.

For more information about the event, or to schedule a one-on-one meeting with Numinus' management, please send an email to [email protected].

About Numinus

Numinus Wellness (TSX: NUMI; OTCQX: NUMIF) helps people to heal and be well through the development and delivery of innovative mental healthcare and access to safe, evidence-based psychedelic-assisted therapies. The Numinus model - including psychedelic production, research and clinic care - is at the forefront of a transformation aimed at healing rather than managing symptoms for depression, anxiety, trauma, pain and substance use. At Numinus, we are leading the integration of psychedelic-assisted therapies into mainstream clinical practice and building the foundation for a healthier society.

Learn more at www.numinus.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Forward-looking statements

Statements and other information contained in this press release about anticipated future events constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect" and "intend" and statements that an event "may", "will", "should", "could" or "might" occur or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and opinions of management at the date the statements are made. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements even if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable laws. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Numinus Wellness Inc.
With the efficacy comparable to rival drugs, Oscotec plans to advance to the next step, leaving the door open for partnership

PANGYO, South Korea, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Oscotec Inc. announced topline results for Phase 2 trial evaluating the efficacy, safety and tolerability of cevidoplenib (SYK inhibitor) in immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) patients who have failed to respond or relapsed after prior therapy.

Cevidoplenib was evaluated in a 61-participant randomized, placebo-controlled trial to access its efficacy, safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK), and pharmacodynamics (PD) of select (200 mg BID and 400 mg BID) doses in ITP patients with a platelet count <30,000/L. The study duration was 20 weeks per subject, which consists of up to 4 weeks of screening period, 12 weeks of treatment period, and 4 weeks of follow-up period.

Primary endpoint of this study is the platelet response rate defined as platelet counts (PLTs) 30,000/L and doubling the baseline. The response rate for the participants who were treated with cevidoplenib at the higher dose (400 mg) was 63.6% compared to 33.3% on placebo with p-value of 0.151. In the secondary endpoints, 50.0% of the participants on the higher dose (400 mg) achieved 2 or more consecutive PLTs of 30,000/L compared to 8.3% on placebo (p = 0.015) and 40.9% achieved PLT 50,000/L vs. 8.3% on placebo (p = 0.055). It should be noted that these secondary endpoints were more comparable to the ones used as the primary endpoints in the clinical trials of the competitors.

Oscotec is planning to present detailed results at European Hematology Association in June.

"We are elated to see the data that confirms the potential of cevidoplenib becoming a safe and effective medicine for ITP patients who are not responding to the current standard therapies." said Dr. Taeyoung Yoon, CEO/CSO of Oscotec. "Not only that, the data indicate that our SYK inhibitor will be at least as efficacious as the competitors in late stage development. With the proven, exceptional safety profile and the convenience of oral dosing, we believe that cevidoplenib could one day become a genuinely competitive drug of choice for patients with ITP. We will explore every available option including partnership to deliver our drug as quickly as we can to those who suffers from the potentially crippling disease."

About Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP)

Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a disorder that can lead to easy or excessive bruising and bleeding. The bleeding results from unusually low levels of platelets. Formerly known as idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, ITP can cause purple bruises, as well as tiny reddish-purple dots that look like a rash. The prevalence (how many have ITP at any time) is 9.5 per 100,000. ITP patients experience chronic fatigue. The most concerning, but rare, form of bleeding due to ITP is an intracranial hemorrhage (bleeding in the brain). ITP treatment consists of the administration of corticosteroids, immunoglobulins, thrombopoietin receptor agonists, etc. However, sustained remission in the absence of treatment suggests the optimization of ITP management is necessary.

About Oscotec Inc.

Oscotec is a clinical stage drug discovery and development company and focus on discovering small molecules with a novel mechanism of action and validating the drug-target-disease hypothesis through rigorous science into clinical proof-of-concept. The Company's clinical pipeline consists of targeted therapeutics in immunology and oncology. Oscotec is developing cevidoplenib (SYK inhibitor) for ITP (Phase 2) and FLT3/AXL inhibitor for AML (Phase 1) as well as solid tumors (Phase 1). The company is also a originator of lazertinib, a 3rd generation EGFR inhibitor being developed by Janssen Pharma and Yuhan Corp. for lung cancers.

Contacts

Jihyun Park, IR/PR

[email protected]

June Hahn, BD

[email protected]

SOURCE Oscotec Inc.
DUBLIN, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Airport Information System 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 airport information system market is growing competently, expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.1% and is projected to reach 6.62 Bn by 2030.



The need for technological developments, an increase in the upgrading of existing systems, and efficient air passenger traffic are factors expected to drive the market.

In addition, upgrading and modernization activities of the existing airports, the massive increase in constructions of new airports, inclination towards business intelligence solutions and other major programs for staff and passengers is projected to boost the market growth globally.



Airport Size Analysis

Growing passenger traffic coupled with increasing need for real-time data sharing among the consumers will spur revenue growth during the forecast period



Airport business and operation models support explosive growth for the global airline industry. In addition, regulatory reform in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and few emerging countries are projected to shape a vivid traffic growth for airline passengers. For instance, according to the International Airport Review, the global passenger traffic was around 8.8 billion in 2020 and is expected to double its capacity by 2030.



Decreasing cost in air travel, growing economies, and an incipient level of the middle class in emerging countries with large populations will create a wave of new potential air travelers, thereby increasing the demand for class B airports. The aforementioned factor is expected to drive the demand for airport identification system market.



Function Analysis

Increasing number of frequent flyers and growing demand towards real time data tracking system to drive the market growth



The departure control systems (DCS) have reached substantial popularity due to the provision for e-ticket management using interfaces from various devices like online check-in, check-in kiosks, and mobile boarding cards. SITA, Amadeus, and Damarel are few leading developers of departure control systems (DCS) offering innovative solutions for airline passengers globally.

For instance, in June 2020, Amadeus IT Group SA announced a global partnership with Adobe Experience Cloud to bring improved capabilities to airlines, thereby delivering complete digital experiences to air travellers.



Regional Analysis

Increasing per capita income, demand for advanced kiosks and enhanced research and development in the field of the aviation sector to drive the market growth



North America expected to dominate the market during the forecast period assisted by the U.S. and Canada. In addition, increasing research and development and rising technological advancement in the airport information systems to expand the market for the airport information system market in this region.

For instance, favourable passenger services like web check-in and home printing of boarding passes save valuable time and evade long queues at airports. Moreover, increasing use of smartphones in between the passengers and airlines, thereby fueling the market growth for airport information system across the region.



List of Companies Covered:

Northrop Grumman Corporation

IBM

Advantech

Airport Information Systems

TAV Information Technologies

RESA

Lufthansa Systems GmbH & Co. KG.

Velatia, S.L.

Lockheed Martin Corporation

INFORM GmbH

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.

Market Segmentation

Airport Size

Class A

Class B

Class C

Class D

Function

Departure Control System (DCS)

Airport Operation Control Center (AOCC)

Application

Terminal Side

Air Side

Key questions answered in this report

What are the key micro and macro environmental factors that are impacting the growth of Airport Information System 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 Airport Information System market?

Which is the largest regional market for Airport Information System 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 Airport Information System market growth?

Who are the key competitors and what are their key strategies to enhance their market presence in the Airport Information System market worldwide?

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/voc2ie

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Findings Reveal a Majority of Sales Leaders Plan to Increase Headcount, and Are Actively Using Generative AI in the Workplace

SEATTLE, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Outreach , the leading sales execution platform helping revenue organizations create and close more pipeline, today announced the Outreach Winter '23 Sales Confidence Index . The survey of 507 B2B sales leaders in the U.S. and U.K. at the end of January 2023 revealed that respondents continue to have a positive outlook when it comes to their ability to grow their revenue in the short and long term, despite a turbulent economy.

"When you read today's headlines, there's a general consensus of a softening across all markets. However, the data from our survey shows that, across industries, B2B sales leaders remain bullish in their ability to drive growth," said Manny Medina, CEO and cofounder of Outreach. "What I'm seeing is that fear and uncertainty are causing longer deal cycles, and more approvals -- all the way up to the CFO -- are needed to get a deal done. This environment makes it very difficult for sales leaders to accurately forecast their pipeline, but deals happen when sellers focus on solving a distinct business problem for their customers."

62% of sales leaders surveyed are actively using generative AI in the workplace Tweet this

Eighty two percent of sales leaders in January expect to increase revenue in the current quarter, down slightly from the 85% of respondents in October. Respondents cited the following top five reasons for their positive outlook: overall sector performance, customer buying intentions, customer budgets, introduction of new sales technologies, and a change in sales processes.

Only 3% of the January respondents expect a slight decrease in revenue in the current quarter, up slightly from 1% in October. The respondents expecting a decrease represent a variety of industries, including Business and professional services, Financial services, Technology and/or technology services, and Agriculture and food and/or beverage.

In addition, 74% of those surveyed in January are planning to increase headcount in the next six months, which is down only slightly from 77% in October. And, out of those who plan to increase, 67% are looking to increase headcount by up to 15%. Only 5% of January respondents said they plan to decrease headcount, which is down from 9% of respondents in October.

Sales Leaders Are Early Adopters of Generative AI

Outreach's Winter '23 Sales Confidence Index also revealed 93% of respondents are continuing to prioritize their investments in sales technology, which is consistent with October's findings. Sales leaders from companies of all sizes continue to trust Outreach's Sales Execution Platform to increase their rep productivity to create more pipeline and close more deals.

For the first time, Outreach asked respondents about generative AI technologies, and found a surprising 62% are actively using generative AI in the workplace. An additional 17% shared they are not actively using it, but their workplace is interested in implementing the technology. According to a Gartner report, "By 2025, 75% of B2B sales organizations will augment traditional sales playbooks with AI-guided selling solutions."

Last month, Outreach announced Outreach Smart Email Assist , a new offering that leverages generative AI to automatically draft email content based on previous conversations  to dramatically improve rep productivity. The company will showcase Smart Email Assist and other new product innovations at Outreach Explore+ virtual event on March 15, 2023.

The Return of Face-to-Face Meetings

The survey found a shift in how sales people are conducting meetings with customers. A majority of respondents (53%) in October and in January claim they're "mostly meeting with customers through a video meeting platform with some in-person meetings, with business travel." However, 32% percent of respondents in January are holding mostly in-person meetings, which is an increase from the October results, where only 24% said they meet mostly in-person. Additionally, the number of respondents holding "only virtual meetings" last fall decreased from 21% to 13% this winter.

The next Outreach Quarterly Sales Confidence Index findings will be revealed in Spring 2023. Review the findings from the Fall '22 Sales Confidence Index here.

Outreach partnered with Dynata to survey 507 B2B sales leaders in the United States and United Kingdom across industries. Out of those surveyed, 64% identified as male and 36% as female. 30% respondents identified as VP of Sales, 29% as director of sales, 27% as sales team leader or manager, 7% as sales administrators, and 6% as individual contributors. Survey respondents represented a wide variety of industries. A full breakdown is included in the report.

About Outreach

Outreach is the leading sales execution platform that helps market-facing teams efficiently create and predictably close more pipeline. From prospecting to deal management to forecasting, our platform leverages automation and artificial intelligence to help revenue leaders increase efficiency and effectiveness of all go-to-market activities and personnel across the revenue cycle. Outreach is the only company to offer sales engagement, revenue intelligence, and revenue operations functionalities in a unified platform. More than 5,500 companies, including Zoom, Siemens, Okta, DocuSign, and McKesson depend on Outreach to power their revenue organizations. Outreach is a privately held company based in Seattle, Washington, with offices worldwide. To learn more, please visit www.outreach.io .

Media contact:

Haley Flanagan, [email protected]

SOURCE Outreach
VAUGHAN, ON, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Phoena Inc. (the "Company" or "Phoena") (unlisted) today announces the resignation of Greg Guyatt as CEO, effective February 24, 2023. Mr. Guyatt has been CEO of Phoena since February 2020.

"After careful consideration, I have decided that it is time for me to pursue new challenges and opportunities. Today, I am handing the reins over to Corne Melissen, who will take on the role of Interim CEO," said Greg Guyatt, former Chief Executive Officer. "I accepted the CEO role three years ago because I saw the potential in our business and our people, and that continues to be true today. We re-launched the business, brought the Company out of CCAA, brought in new business partners, and have set up Phoena for the next phase of its evolution."

"We wish Greg well with his future endeavours, and I am looking forward to working with the Phoena team to continue our journey to becoming a formidable player in the cannabis industry," said Corne Melissen, Interim CEO.

Corne Melissen, owner of majority shareholder of Phoena has been appointed Interim Chief Executive Officer and has resumed responsibilities effective February 24, 2023.

About Phoena

Phoena is an award-winning, federally regulated licensed cannabis producer, with locations in Vaughan and Fenwick, Ontario. We operate a portfolio of well-known brands, including estora, Liiv, SYNR.G and Xscape.

We are committed to providing exceptional consumer experience, quality products and consistency. Our greenhouse produces Grade A cannabis flower, which is sold in a variety of dried flower and extract formats.

Phoena creates cannabis products that meet the diverse needs of patients and consumers, promoting positivity, supporting creativity, and inspiring confidence.

Phoena, empowering you every day.

Learn more at Phoena.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities laws and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other applicable United States safe harbor laws, and such statements are based upon Phoena's current internal expectations, estimates, projections, assumptions and beliefs and views of future events.

Forward-looking information and forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believes", "expect", "likely", "may", "will", "should", "intend", "anticipate", "potential", "proposed", "estimate" and other similar words, including negative and grammatical variations thereof, or statements that certain events or conditions "may", "would" or "will" happen, or by discussions of strategy.

Forward-looking information and statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks, including, without limitation: the risk that, if the Company requires additional capital, such capital might be unavailable; the risk that the Company or its affiliates could default under its credit facilities which are secured against substantially all of the Company's assets; the risks associated with general economic conditions and/or adverse industry events; the risk of loss of markets; the risk of future legislative and regulatory developments in Canada, the United States and elsewhere; the state of the cannabis industry in Canada generally; the ability of the Company to attract and retain suitable directors, officers and employees; the risks that, even if the CTO can be revoked, the Company will be unable to obtain a stock exchange listing for the its common shares; the risk that the Company will be able to satisfy the requirements of such exchange; and the ability of the Company to successfully implement its business strategies.

Any forward-looking information and statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and, except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information or statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company to predict all such factors. When considering these forward-looking information and statements, readers should keep in mind the risk factors and other cautionary statements in the Company's Annual Information Form dated March 28, 2019 (the "AIF") and filed with the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and filed as an exhibit to the Company's Form 40-F annual report under the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on EDGAR at www.sec.gov (the "March 2019 Form 40-F"). The risk factors and other factors noted in the AIF could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those described in any forward-looking information or statements. Readers are also reminded that the Company remains in default of its periodic disclosure requirements under applicable securities laws and stock exchange requirements, that its most recent AIF, Form 40-F and other disclosures do not reflect all risk factors that currently facing it, and that it has not completed or filed the restatements of the financial statements included in the AIF or the March 2019 Form 40-F or otherwise filed an amendment to such Form 40-F, and that it was permitted by the Initial Order of the Superior Court of Justice to not correct its prior filings or make any further filings in respect of periodic disclosure requirements under applicable securities laws and stock exchange requirements and, by a subsequent order, to extend the time for the Company to call an annual general meeting of shareholders to a date no later than 120 days after the expiry or termination of the CCAA stay period. None of Phoena's securities is listed for trading on any stock exchange in any jurisdiction and, in Canada, trading in its securities is subject to a cease-trade order issued on April 13, 2020 by the Ontario Securities Commission for the Company's failure to comply with its disclosure obligations under applicable securities laws.

SOURCE Phoena Holdings Inc.
Sinoveda's Proprietary Pharmaceutical Platform Technology is Tapping into the Strengths of Both Eastern and Western Medicine

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The world of healthcare is vast, intricate, and often divided. Each culture and geographic area tends to focus on viable yet different approaches to health. Along with most others in the health field, Canadian health brand Sinoveda tends to see this dissonance represented in two primary categories: Eastern and Western medicine.

"Eastern and Western medicine each have their strengths and their weaknesses," explains Sinoveda co-founder Dr. Nuzhat Tam-Zaman. "For instance, scientific precision is the great specialty of western medicine. And yet, often, this precision is applied to isolated ingredients and synthetic solutions. Eastern medicine taps into Nature's organic healing power by focusing on natural, botanically-based solutions. This is good, but it's often offset by a lack of quality that comes from using inaccurate and inconsistent ingredients. Sinoveda is filling the quality gap of Eastern medicine with Western precision."

Dr. Nuzhat, her co-founder and husband Dr. Yun K. Tam, and the rest of their team have fused these Eastern and Western strengths into a singular new approach to health: Sinoveda's innovative PPT (Pharmaceutical Platform Technology) platform. "The PPT platform isolates, quantifies, and standardizes the bioactive elements in botanicals," Dr. Nuzhat explains, adding that, unlike conventional Western approaches, the PPT platform enables her company to develop products using combinations of natural compounds in uniquely standardized quantities. This allows for maximum therapeutic efficacy that consumers can count on with each and every batch, bottle, and dose of Sinoveda products that they use.

Sinoveda's proprietary technology is effectively bringing Eastern and Western medicine together into a synergistic and novel range of health solutions that are rapidly gaining global notoriety. The brand's topical pain reliever, Proflexa , has received resoundingly positive acclaim for its ability to quickly and naturally address pain. Its Effecti-Cal provides bone support through highly absorbable calcium, magnesium, and zinc salts (which uniquely don't cause constipation). The company has many other products in development, and now that it has officially entered the U.S. health and wellness marketplace, its ground-breaking health solutions are available to American consumers, as well.

About Sinoveda

The name "Sinoveda" is derived from Chinese and Bangladeshi, the two cultures of the company's founders, renowned pharmaceutical scientists and spouses Dr. Yun K. Tam and Dr. Nuzhat Tam-Zaman. Sinoveda was founded in 2006 and is based in Edmonton, Alberta. The health-science company utilizes its founders' 50-plus years of combined experience in drug development to focus on R&D and further pharmaceutical progress, primarily through its proprietary vanguard PPT (Pharmaceutical Platform Technology). Learn more at sinoveda.com .

KENDAL SCOTT

Marketing & Administrative Assistant

O (780) 466-0086 | C (780) 394-3538

[email protected]

SOURCE Sinoveda
Notable quick-service restaurant publication features soul food restaurant in this year's list

IRVINGTON, N.J., Feb. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Cornbread Farm to Soul  is a fast-casual restaurant focusing on savory soul food and family-friendly experiences. The restaurant is thrilled to be featured in QSR's 2023 edition of "The 40/40 List," which highlights America's Hottest Startup Fast Casuals  recognizing 40 fast casuals with fewer than 40 locations that QSR believes are on the verge of something big.

This year's QSR 40/40 List underlines Cornbread as a beloved restaurant quickly rising to the top as an innovative soul food restaurant far and few between. Not only has the brand gone above and beyond by creating a unique variety of menu items, but they also give back to their communities. Cornbread currently has three stores open and expects to open a fourth store in Montclair, New Jersey this summer. Cornbread also has plans to continue expansion as they are set to launch their franchise opportunity.

"We are proud to be receiving this recognition from QSR," said Cornbread Co-Founder and CEO Adenah Bayoh. "Cornbread has had the opportunity to uplift and serve communities in New Jersey and New York, which is a big part of Cornbread's mission as we want to provide food and comfort to new communities. We look forward to expanding further across the East Coast."

Cornbread was created by co-founders Adenah Bayoh and Elzadie Smith. Smith, a native of Tifton, GA, has a background in culinary arts as well as a family history of being in the kitchen. Her grandfather was a farmer and restaurant owner in the South, where she would learn some of her skills. Her entrepreneurial spirit and passion for cooking connected her with Bayoh to create the Cornbread chain. Smith's recipes are healthy, savory and responsibly sourced. The two set out to become pioneers as the first successful soul food chain. Bayoh, a first-generation immigrant, managed to escape the civil war in her native country of Liberia at age 13. When she first arrived in the U.S., she dreamt of becoming one of the most successful entrepreneurs in her new home. Bayoh worked hard to become the owner of eight restaurants, which include four IHOP franchises in northern New Jersey. She opened her first IHOP at the age of 27, making her one of the youngest franchisees in the country at that time.

"This year's 40/40 List is one our most entrepreneurial driven yet. It showcases the recovery, relevance, and potential of the fast-casual category's top brands," says Danny Klein, editorial director at QSR. "All of these concepts have a chance to hit it big in the coming years, and we're ready to watch them do just that."

For more information on Cornbread, or its franchising opportunities, please visit https://cornbreadsoul.com/franchise-opportunity/ .

About Cornbread

Founded in 2017 by Co-Founders, Adenah Bayoh and Elzadie "Zadie" Smith, Cornbread specializes in mouthwatering, soul food creations such as baked mac & cheese, collard greens, yams, chicken, signature cornbread and other specialty menu items. Cornbread is based in New Jersey and currently has three locations open and operating in the NYC/NJ area. For more information, or if interested in Cornbread franchising opportunities, please visit https://cornbreadsoul.com/franchise-opportunity/ .

Contact: Raylin Taylor, Franchise Elevator PR, (815) 945-1300 ext. 251, [email protected]

SOURCE Cornbread
The robotic mower manufacturer's state-of-the-art factory triples its office and production space

GREEN BAY, Wis., Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- RC Mowers, a leading manufacturer of autonomous and remote-operated robotic mowers, has opened its new $4.8 million Green Bay office and production facility designed to help the company continue to meet industry demand.

"This new facility is a result of the unprecedented success RC Mowers has experienced since our inception," said RC Mowers CEO Michael Brandt. "We have doubled our revenue every year since we opened in 2018, and with the rollout of our new Autonomous Mowing Robot (AMR), we expect to continue this exceptional growth."

RC Mowers' new state-of-the-art factory triples its office and production space and gives the robotic mower company room to grow.

Brandt said that along with the need for more factory space, the company has been expanding its workforce to meet production demands. The additional workspace will also allow the company to hire more office employees and engineers.

RC Mowers manufactures remote-operated and autonomous robotic mowers for commercial use. The robotic mowers are built to safely mow steep slopes and difficult terrain while the company's autonomous mowers allow landscaping contractors to reduce their mowing labor by up to two-thirds and generate profit from what are traditionally loss-leader services.

The 36,300-square-foot building is located on a 7-acre site adjacent to the current RC Mowers' location. It features 9,300 square feet for office operations and another 27,000 square feet of production space. The facility provides the growing robotic mower manufacturer with three times the space it had at its old location.

"This new facility will enable us to meet our growth objectives and the demands of the commercial mowing industry," Brandt said. "We're excited to continue providing the quality, American-made robotic mowers our customers have come to rely on and look forward to expanding our operations."

About RC Mowers

Founded in 2018 and based near Green Bay, Wisconsin, closely held RC Mowers manufactures autonomous and remote-operated robotic mowers that solve the biggest challenges and improve opportunities for profitability and growth for landscaping contractors, public works departments, city, county, state and federal parks systems and roads departments, and more. All of our robotic mowers are designed and manufactured in the United States, have a 30-day buy-back guarantee and come with a 72-hour parts shipping guarantee. We are redefining the business of mowing. For more information, visit https://www.rcmowersusa.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Heather Ripley

Ripley PR

865-977-1973

[email protected]

SOURCE RC Mowers
PROVIDENCE, R.I., Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Rhode Island Commerce Corporation  the official full-service, economic development organization for the state of Rhode Island  was honored by the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) at the annual Adrian Awards Celebration yesterday, February 23, 2023. Rhode Island Commerce Corporation was recognized with a Bronze Adrian Award for its winning entry in the Advertising - Consumer/Group Sales/Travel Trade category. The Adrian Awards, now in their 66th year, are the largest and most prestigious competition in global travel marketing.

At the midpoint of 2022, after a nearly two-year hiatus promoting air travel to Rhode Island in key origin markets, Rhode Island Commerce Corporation launched a creative, digital-focused airport campaign, from digital display ads and paid social to streaming audio, in promotion of returning flights and new airlines offering service to the state. The campaign goals included:

Drive awareness for and interest in direct flights to Rhode Island .

. Capture leisure and business travelers from 14 target fly markets.

Promote travel to Rhode Island via a fun and unique digital advertising campaign.

The airport campaign launched in June 2022 on Sojern, Spotify, Google Ads, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok through gifs, digital display banners, streaming audio and coordinated landing pages. In three months, the Facebook and Instagram awareness campaigns outperformed the travel/leisure industry standards for ad recall lift, at 15.76% and 6.53% respectively. Overall, the airport campaign, across all platforms, drove a reach of 120,909,943 impressions and 217,578 clicks.

"Rhode Island Commerce Corporation is excited to have received our third Adrian Award in five years, and our first acclaim in the Advertising - Consumer/Group Sales/Travel Trade category," said Anika Kimble-Huntley, Chief Marketing Officer, Rhode Island Commerce Corporation. "We look forward to continuing to promote Rhode Island through distinctive and innovative campaigns showcasing sought after experiences only available in the Ocean State."

The 2022 Adrian Awards Competition adopted "The Next Great Chapter" as its theme to highlight the travel industry's emergence from the COVID pandemic and encourage contestants to consider the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

"The travel industry is thriving once more and poised for new growth," said Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHBA, president and CEO of HSMAI. "The Adrian Awards celebrate the innovation and ingenuity that fuel our success and recognize the hospitality sales, marketing, and revenue optimization leaders whose extraordinary efforts literally 'open the doors' to exploration and excitement. They are writing the next great chapter of travel, and HSMAI is proud to honor them."

The Adrian Awards Celebration is a must-attend industry event that annually attracts leading hospitality, travel, and tourism marketing executives and their agencies. Winning entries will be viewable in the winners' gallery on the Adrian Awards website following the February 23 Celebration. Visit https://adrianawards.hsmai.org/ for more information on the event and competition.

About HSMAI

The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) is committed to growing business for hotels and their partners and is the industry's leading advocate for intelligent, sustainable hotel revenue growth. The association provides hotel professionals and their partners with tools, insights, and expertise to fuel sales, inspire marketing, and optimize revenue through programs such as the Marketing Strategy Conference, Adrian Awards, and HSMAI ROC. Founded in 1927, HSMAI is a membership organization comprising more than 5,000 members worldwide, with 40 chapters in the Americas Region. Connect with HSMAI at hsmai.org, HSMAI Facebook, HSMAI Instagram, HSMAI Twitter, and HSMAI YouTube.

About Rhode Island Commerce Corporation

Rhode Island Commerce Corporation is the official full-service, economic development organization for the state of Rhode Island. The Corporation works with public, private, and nonprofit partners to create the conditions for businesses in all sectors to thrive as well as improve the quality of life for Rhode Island citizens by promoting the state's long-term economic health and prosperity. Rhode Island Commerce Corporation's tourism division works in partnership with local convention and visitors' bureaus, chambers of commerce, and private travel-related organizations to promote economic opportunity and prosperity for Rhode Island through both domestic and international tourism. For more information on visiting Rhode Island including travel guides, events, images and more, go to www.visitrhodeisland.com.

CONTACT: Casey Fox, [email protected]

SOURCE Rhode Island Commerce Corporation
CHICAGO, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ryerson Holding Corporation (NYSE: RYI) (the "Company" or "Ryerson") announced today that its principal shareholder, an affiliate of Platinum Equity LLC (the "Selling Stockholder"), has commenced a secondary offering of 2,486,580 shares of its common stock (the "Offering") pursuant to a shelf registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). The Selling Stockholder will receive all of the net proceeds from the Offering. The Company is not offering any shares of its common stock in the Offering and will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of the shares offered by the Selling Stockholder.

In addition, the Company announced that it has entered into a share repurchase agreement with the Selling Stockholder pursuant to which the Company intends to separately repurchase 1,513,420 shares of the Company's common stock directly from the Selling Stockholder (the "Share Repurchase"). The Company expects to fund the Share Repurchase with cash on hand. The Share Repurchase is expected to be consummated concurrently with the closing of the Offering. Although the Share Repurchase will be conditioned upon, among other things, the closing of the Offering, the closing of the Offering will not be conditioned upon the closing of the Share Repurchase.

J.P. Morgan is acting as the sole underwriter for the Offering.

A shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (including a prospectus) relating to these securities has been filed with and declared effective by the SEC. The Offering is being made solely by means of a prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. You may obtain these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov . When available, copies of the prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to the Offering may also be obtained by contacting: J.P. Morgan, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, New York 11717, by telephone: 1-866-803-9204, or by emailing: [email protected]

This press release is for informational purposes only and shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of any securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

About Ryerson

Ryerson is a leading value-added processor and distributor of industrial metals, with operations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and China. Founded in 1842, Ryerson has around 4,200 employees in approximately 100 locations.

Safe Harbor Provision

Certain statements made in this presentation and other written or oral statements made by or on behalf of the Company constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements regarding our future performance, as well as management's expectations, beliefs, intentions, plans, estimates, objectives, or projections relating to the future. Such statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "objectives," "goals," "preliminary," "range," "believes," "expects," "may," "estimates," "will," "should," "plans," or "anticipates" or the negative thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy. The Company cautions that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and may involve significant risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may vary materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. Among the factors that significantly impact our business are: the cyclicality of our business; the highly competitive, volatile, and fragmented metals industry in which we operate; the impact of geopolitical events, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine and global trade sanctions; fluctuating metal prices; our indebtedness and the covenants in instruments governing such indebtedness; the integration of acquired operations; regulatory and other operational risks associated with our operations located inside and outside of the United States; the ownership of a significant portion of our equity securities by a single investor group; work stoppages; obligations under certain employee retirement benefit plans; currency fluctuations; and consolidation in the metals industry. Forward-looking statements should, therefore, be considered in light of various factors, including those set forth above and those set forth under "Risk Factors" in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Moreover, we caution against placing undue reliance on these statements, which speak only as of the date they were made. The Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances, new information or otherwise.

SOURCE Ryerson Holding Corporation
MIAMI, Feb. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Jorie Healthcare Partners, a leading End-to-End AI technology company, is proud to announce the 12th Annual Business of Healthcare Conference, hosted by Founder and CEO, Sal Lo. He was handed picked due to his revolutionary end-to-end AI revenue cycle technology.

As an innovator in healthcare technology, Jorie Healthcare Partners is at the forefront of developing AI-powered solutions that are transforming the industry. Jorie Healthcare Partners' AI technology significantly reduces the operational costs associated with administrative tasks. This allows healthcare providers to save both time and resources, which in turn leads to more money in their pockets.

"Jorie Healthcare Partners is committed to delivering the best-in-class healthcare solutions to the market, and our AI-powered revenue cycle automation solution is a prime example of our dedication to excellence," said Jorie's Founder & CEO, Sal Lo. "We are confident that our unique technology will enable healthcare officials to optimize their revenue cycle management and achieve improved financial outcomes, while freeing up valuable time to focus on providing top-quality patient care."

By utilizing Jorie's innovative AI technology, providers can streamline their operations, freeing up resources that can be better allocated towards patient care, resulting in improved patient outcomes. Sal Lo, Jorie's Founder and CEO, is a respected figure in the healthcare industry, known for his passion for innovation and dedication to saving healthcare providers money.

"We're excited to host this year's Business of Healthcare Conference and showcase the latest advancements in healthcare technology," said Sal Lo.

This year's conference features an incredible panel of speakers, including industry leaders and experts Conor P. Delaney, MD, MCh, PhD, FRCSI, FACS, FASCRS, Patrick Hale, Norma Kenyon, Judson Ivy, Juan Felipe Ramirez MD, and Jay Wohlgemuth MD. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about Jorie Healthcare Partners' innovative solutions, network with other industry experts, and gain new insights on cost, staffing, and technology.

"As an innovator in healthcare end-to-end revenue cycle AI technology, Jorie Healthcare Partners is uniquely positioned to lead the way in transforming the industry," said Sal Lo. "We believe that this year's conference will be an incredible opportunity for healthcare professionals and enthusiasts to learn about the latest advancements in healthcare technology and exchange ideas with other industry leaders."

February 24, 2023, at the Donna E. Shalala Student Center, University of Miami Herbert Business School.

CONTACT:

Austin Nasworthy

[email protected]

3312821281

SOURCE Jorie Healthcare Partners
400 attendees celebrate 10 winners at gala with mayor, hotel & business leaders

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ten hospitality professionals, who exemplify the very best of San Diego County's hotel community, won Gold Key Awards Thursday night during San Diego County Lodging Association's 43rd annual ceremony before a gala audience of hotel, political and business leaders.

"The stories of these dedicated individuals are heart-warming as they exemplify the 'hospitality DNA' so many in our San Diego hotel community bring to their careers every day," said Fred Tayco, SDCLA's Executive Director. "As San Diego's hotels continue to recover from the global pandemic, it's important to honor those who lead by example, doing what is good for guests, colleagues, and the community.

About 400 of San Diego hospitality, political and business leaders, including Mayor Todd Gloria, joined families of Gold Key nominees for the celebration, filling the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina's ballroom. Evan Noorani of CBS News 8 emceed the evening, which included presentations by Mayor Gloria, SDCLA Chair Robert Gleason, Heather Boye, President, San Diego Chapter of Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association, and Tayco.

The 2023 Gold Key Award Winners are:

Pattie Roscoe Allied Person of the Year Award : This award honors someone who isn't directly employed by a lodging establishment but who makes a big difference in the industry and the lives of those around them. Winner: Christina Jeffries , San Diego State University .

: This award honors someone who isn't directly employed by a lodging establishment but who makes a big difference in the industry and the lives of those around them. Winner: Food and Beverage Associate of the Year : This category honors someone who consistently goes above and beyond their day-to-day tasks and improves the lives of guests and all those around them. Winner: Francisco "Chico" Montanez, Bahia Resort Hotel.

: This category honors someone who consistently goes above and beyond their day-to-day tasks and improves the lives of guests and all those around them. Winner: Guest Service Associate of the Year: This award honors a superstar in the industry who always goes above and beyond when it comes to making guests feel special, welcomed and aids fellow employees. Winner: Kimberly Hawes of Loews Coronado Bay Resort.

This award honors a superstar in the industry who always goes above and beyond when it comes to making guests feel special, welcomed and aids fellow employees. Winner: Heart of the House Associate of the Year: The Heart of the House award honors a non-management associate who has little or no guest contact. Winner: Raquel Reyes of the Lodge at Torrey Pines .

The Heart of the House award honors a non-management associate who has little or no guest contact. Winner: Hotel Manager of the Year: This award honors a manager in a supervising position in a lodging establishment. Winner: Charles McCay of the Omni San Diego Hotel.

This award honors a manager in a supervising position in a lodging establishment. Winner: Sales Associate of the Year: This award honors the very best of the unsung heroes who go above and beyond to build relationships and drive revenue for our industry every single day. Winner: Logan Webster of the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego.

This award honors the very best of the unsung heroes who go above and beyond to build relationships and drive revenue for our industry every single day. Winner: Hotel Executive of the Year: This category honors an executive who has shown excellence in leadership, service, and community affairs. The nominees were judged on outstanding performance, including providing excellent service to the property, guests, and community, as well as building strong teams. and encouraging excellence at their property. Winner: Diane Koczur , Evans Hotels.

This category honors an executive who has shown excellence in leadership, service, and community affairs. The nominees were judged on outstanding performance, including providing excellent service to the property, guests, and community, as well as building strong teams. and encouraging excellence at their property. Winner: James V. Cunningham Personalized Service Award: This award honors an individual who, regardless of palpable pressures and demands, consistently displays a willingness to serve the hospitality industry. Winner: Giselle Guzman , Flagship Cruises & Events

This award honors an individual who, regardless of palpable pressures and demands, consistently displays a willingness to serve the hospitality industry. Winner: Revenue Management Professional of the Year Award: This award recognizes and promotes excellence in the field of revenue management in the hospitality industry. Winner: Charles Rullan , Hotel del Coronado

This award recognizes and promotes excellence in the field of revenue management in the hospitality industry. Winner: Gold Key: This award honors an organization that does not work directly in hospitality or tourism, but embodies the spirit of the industry to find innovative ways to contribute to the betterment of the industry. Winner: Holiday Bowl-Sports San Diego

About the San Diego County Lodging Association

The San Diego County Lodging Association is the leading resource and advocate for San Diego's more than 560 hotels, motels and boutique inns that employ more than 26,900 colleagues. SDCLA, established in 1980, works tireless to serve the needs of our members and represent them at all levels of government. For more information, go to www.lodgingsd.com

Pete Hillan

831-227-5984

[email protected]

SOURCE San Diego County Lodging Association
Sanctuary's largest producing wirehouse breakaway team to date hails from Merrill Lynch and encompasses seven professionals with close to $1.5 billion in AUM

INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sanctuary Wealth, home to the next generation of elite advisors, welcomed Chappell Wealth Management as its latest partner firm. The seven-person team based in The Woodlands, Texas, is led by Brent Chappell, CFP, CIMA, Brad Chappell, CIMA, Michael Mills, CFP, and Spencer Carlson, CFA. With close to $1.5 billion in assets under management (AUM), the team is the 17th in Texas to choose Sanctuary's model of partnered independence. To date, Chappell Wealth Management is the largest producing wirehouse breakaway team to join forces with Sanctuary since the firm's launch in 2018.

Vince Fertitta, President, Wealth Management, Sanctuary Wealth, said, "I've known Brent and Brad Chappell for many years from our days together at Merrill in Texas and hold them in the highest regard. They have an outstanding business, reflecting their well-earned reputation for integrity, work ethic, and devotion to clients. We look forward to supporting Chappell Wealth Management's continued growth and success."

"When we saw that by partnering with Sanctuary, we would have a choice of custodians with all the freedom and flexibility of best-in-class resources, wrapped up in a structure that largely eliminates conflicts of interest, we just knew this was the right place for us," explained Brent Chappell, CFP, CIMA, Managing Partner & Founder, Chappell Wealth Management. "Now, we can wake up every day and search for the best solutions for all of our clients' needs, regardless of who the provider is. It's exciting and energizing to be part of that."

"By partnering with Sanctuary, we see real opportunities to grow our business that weren't available to us previously and wouldn't exist in a lateral move to another wirehouse," added Brad Chappell, CIMA, Managing Partner & Founder, Chappell Wealth Management. "As we did our due diligence, it became obvious that Sanctuary was the perfect fit. On top of that, they are willing to build the custom resources we need for our business. It's a partnership we're really excited about for the future."

Brent Chappell CFP, CIMA, began his financial services career in 2002 after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with dual degrees in Finance and Spanish. His professional credentials include earning the Certified Financial Planner (CFP), and Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA) designations. He was named to the Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors list from 2018-2022 and the Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams list in 2023 as well as the Barron's Top 1,200 Financial Advisors: State-by-State in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Brad Chappell, CIMA, graduated with honors from The University of Texas with a BBA in Finance and began working in financial services industry in 2004. He was with Merrill Lynch from 2006 until the launch of Chappell Wealth Management and holds the CIMA designation. He was named to the Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams list in 2023. Other honors include Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors list in 2021, and the Forbes America's Top Next-Generation Wealth Advisors, Barron's Top 1,200 Financial Advisors, and On Wall Street's Top 40 Under 40 lists in 2020.

Currently in his fifteenth year in financial services, Managing Partner Michael Mills is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and a graduate of Texas Christian University. Prior to joining The Chappell Group with Merrill Lynch, he worked for a real estate private equity company in Dallas, where he served as Vice President of Capital Markets.

With more than 10 years in financial services, Spencer Carlson was a pension actuary before joining The Chappell Group as a financial advisor in 2014. He graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in Actuarial Science and Financial Mathematics and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Support for the team comes from Chel Larkin, Jaymie Wendt, and Brianna Warren. With 22 years of experience before joining The Chappell Group at Merrill Lynch, Chel Larkin was a Financial Center Manager with Bank of America. She earned a BS in International Business from Arizona State University and an MBA with a concentration in Finance, from Sam Houston State University. Jaymie Wendt is a graduate of Texas A&M University and assists with client services and account administration. Brianna Warren is a graduate of Sam Houston State University and was an elementary school teacher before joining The Chappell Group in 2015.

"The deep and extensive roots that our leadership team has across the wirehouse segment continue to position our firm as the destination of choice for wirehouse breakaway advisors," said Adam Malamed, CEO of Sanctuary Wealth. "With access to Sanctuary's open architecture platform, cutting-edge technology, and comprehensive support, Chappell Wealth Management is poised for significant future success. Equally important, Chappell Wealth Management's decision to align with Sanctuary reflects the broader strength of our pipeline and robust growth prospects throughout this year and beyond."

To learn more about Chappell Wealth Management, please visit www.chappellwealth.com.

About Sanctuary Wealth

Sanctuary Wealth (sanctuarywealth.com/) is the advanced platform for the next generation of elite advisors, who have the entrepreneurial spirit to build and own their own practices and desire the freedom to deliver the tailored service their clients deserve. Sanctuary Wealth's ecosystem of partnered independence provides a complete technology and operations platform, as well as support from a community of like-minded advisors and the resources of invaluable affiliated businesses. Currently, the Sanctuary Wealth network includes partner firms in 28 states across the country with approximately $25 billion in assets under advisement. Sanctuary Wealth includes the fully owned subsidiaries; Sanctuary Advisors LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser, Sanctuary Securities, Inc. a FINRA member broker-dealer as well as Sanctuary Alternative Holdings, Sanctuary Asset Management, Sanctuary Insurance Solutions, Sanctuary Global, and Sanctuary Global Family Office.

CONTACT: Michaela Morales

JConnelly

973 224 7152

[email protected]

SOURCE Sanctuary Wealth
CHICAGO, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Satellite IoT Market is expected to grow from USD 1.1 billion in 2022 to USD 2.9 billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 21.9% during the forecast period, according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. Direct-to-satellite is a reliable solution in times of disasters or natural calamities in areas where fast deployments are required, and not much hardware is available or possible to arrange, driving the growth of satellite IoT market.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Satellite IoT Market"



170 - Tables

43 - Figures

195 - Pages

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=203680911

By frequency band, L-Band frequency is estimated to account for the largest market share in 2022

The L-band frequency operates within a range of 12 GHz. All GPS signals are in the L-band of the frequency spectrum (12 GHz). GPS units can receive accurate data in all weather conditions during the day or night, as L-band waves penetrate clouds, fog, rain, and storms. L-band is widely used in space-based platforms due to its capability for long-range applications. L-band is used extensively for fleet management and asset tracking. Israel Aerospace Industries offers ELM-2112FP Persistent Foliage Penetration satellite antenna, which uses the L-band in dense forest areas for surveillance.

L-band is viewed traditionally as the preferred option for applications involving small amounts of data transfer. Inmarsat uses an L-band satellite network as it offers the lowest latency and provides a resilient and flexible solution for IoT applications.

By organization size, SMEs are expected to register the fastest growth rate during the forecast period.

The adoption of satellite IoT services among small and medium-sized enterprises is expected to gain traction as it provides flexibility, scalability, and reduced operational costs. Satellite IoT services are used by various organizations, such as space agencies, private companies, individuals, institutes, the military, non-profit organizations, schools, and universities, for various applications. The major usage of satellite IoT is for research purposes in applications from earth observation to reconnaissance missions.

The satellite IoT industry offers SMEs a very lucrative opportunity because they don't have to shoulder nearly as much capital expenditure as the established satellite network operators have.

Europe is likely to emerge as the fastest-growing market during the forecast period

Europe is anticipated to have highest CAGR for the forecasted period. The European region has a significant market share of the satellite IoT market due to the increased demand for remote sensing, Earth observation, and scientific exploration activities. The UK, Russia, Germany, Italy, Finland, and the Rest of Europe have been covered under this region. The ability of satellite IoT satellites to provide enhanced geospatial imagery has further boosted their demand in the region, as companies expect geospatial data to provide crucial information for supply chain management and business development. In 2021, the European Commission awarded a contract worth USD 1.7 billion to Thales Alenia Space and Airbus Defense and Space to develop an initial set of next-generation Galileo navigation satellites.

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Market Players

The major vendors covered in the satellite IoT market include Orbcomm (US), Iridium Communication (US), Globalstar (US), Astrocast (Switzerland), Inmarsat Global (UK), Airbus (Netherlands), Intelsat (US), Thales (France), Eutelsat (France), Northrop Grumman (US), Thuraya (Singapore), Vodafone (UK), Surrey Satellite Technology (UK), Head Aerospace (China), I.M.T. SRL (Italy), Fleetspace Technologies (Australia), Swarm Technologies (US), Alenspace (Spain), OQ Technology (Luxembourg), Fossa Systems (Spain), Kepler Communications (Canada), Sateliot (Spain), Myriota (Australia), Kineis (France), and Nanoavionics (Lithuania).

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About MarketsandMarkets

MarketsandMarkets is a blue ocean alternative in growth consulting and program management, leveraging a man-machine offering to drive supernormal growth for progressive organizations in the B2B space. We have the widest lens on emerging technologies, making us proficient in co-creating supernormal growth for clients.

The B2B economy is witnessing the emergence of $25 trillion of new revenue streams that are substituting existing revenue streams in this decade alone. We work with clients on growth programs, helping them monetize this $25 trillion opportunity through our service lines - TAM Expansion, Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy to Execution, Market Share Gain, Account Enablement, and Thought Leadership Marketing.

Built on the 'GIVE Growth' principle, we work with several Forbes Global 2000 B2B companies - helping them stay relevant in a disruptive ecosystem. Our insights and strategies are molded by our industry experts, cutting-edge AI-powered Market Intelligence Cloud, and years of research. The KnowledgeStore (our Market Intelligence Cloud) integrates our research, facilitates an analysis of interconnections through a set of applications, helping clients look at the entire ecosystem and understand the revenue shifts happening in their industry.

To find out more, visit www.MarketsandMarkets.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Contact:

Mr. Aashish Mehra

MarketsandMarkets INC.

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USA: +1-888-600-6441

Email: [email protected]

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SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
NEW YORK, Feb. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Dutch Bros Inc. ("Dutch" or the "Company") (NYSE: BROS). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.

The investigation concerns whether Dutch Bros and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

On February 23, 2023, Hedgeye published a note adding Dutch Bros as a "new short idea," stating that "[t]he relentless focus on excessive unity growth and not balancing that with profitability can create long-term issues for the company" and that "[w]e don't see the company generating enough [operating cash flow] to cover capital spending until FY2026 (and that might be a generous assumption)."

On this news, Dutch Bros' stock price fell $3.97 per share, or 10.45%, to close at $34.02 per share on February 23, 2023.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com.

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

[email protected]

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
NEW YORK, Feb. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The smart machines market is estimated to increase by USD 25.41 billion between 2022 and 2027. The market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 18.7%. 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. For more insights on the historic (2017 to 2021) and forecast market size (2022 to 2027) - Request a sample report.

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Smart Machines Market 2023-2027

Smart Machines Market Scope Report Coverage Details Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 18.7% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 25.41 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 18.63 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution North America at 39% Key countries US, China, Japan, Germany, and UK Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled Apple Inc., BAE Systems Plc, Cerner Corp., Clearpath Robotics Inc., CoreTigo Ltd., Creative Virtual Ltd., HAHN Group GmbH, International Business Machines Corp., KUKA AG, Mobile Industrial Robots AS, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Smarsh Inc., ST Engineering Aethon Inc., ALLSCRIPTS HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS INC., Amazon.com Inc., Koninklijke Philips NV, Microsoft Corp., RELX Plc, Salesforce.com Inc., and Alphabet Inc. 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.

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Smart machines market Vendor Analysis

Vendor Landscape -

The global smart machines market is fragmented, with the presence of several global as well as regional vendors. A few prominent vendors that offer residential real estate in the market are Apple Inc., BAE Systems Plc, Cerner Corp., Clearpath Robotics Inc., CoreTigo Ltd., Creative Virtual Ltd., HAHN Group GmbH, International Business Machines Corp., KUKA AG, Mobile Industrial Robots AS, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Smarsh Inc., ST Engineering Aethon Inc., ALLSCRIPTS HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS INC., Amazon.com Inc., Koninklijke Philips NV, Microsoft Corp., RELX Plc, Salesforce.com Inc., and Alphabet Inc. and others.

Vendor Offerings -

Apple Inc.: The company offers smart machines with mobile-first and cloud-first electronic health records under the brand Avenel.

The company offers smart machines with mobile-first and cloud-first electronic health records under the brand Avenel. BAE Systems Plc: The company offers smart machines named Google AI which provides various services such as AI lenses and AI research.

The company offers smart machines named Google AI which provides various services such as AI lenses and AI research. Cerner Corp.: The company offers smart machines called Amazon Web Services which provides IoT, machine learning, and AI technology.

The company offers smart machines called Amazon Web Services which provides IoT, machine learning, and AI technology. Creative Virtual Ltd.: The company offers smart machines with touch solutions, AI, and Machine learning technology.

For Details on the vendor and its offerings  Buy the report!

Smart machines market- Segmentation Assessment

Segment Overview

Technavio has segmented the market based on the component (software and hardware), and product (expert systems, autonomous robots, digital assistants, and others), and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa).

The software segment will account for a significant share of the market's growth during the forecast period. The smart machines software segment has the largest market share in the market due to its capacity to give organizations better efficient, accurate, and cost-effective solutions. They can streamline operations and boost the company's overall productivity, cutting costs and boosting revenues. Software designed for smart machines can also assist companies in promptly identifying and addressing any issues, lowering the possibility of errors and raising customer satisfaction. Additionally, they can help firms make better decisions and perform overall by empowering them to do so. Thus, owing to such factors the segment is expected to grow during the forecast period.

Geography Overview

By geography, the global smart machines market is segmented into North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa. The report provides actionable insights and estimates the contribution of all regions to the growth of the global residential real estate market.

North America is estimated to contribute 39% to the growth of the global market during the forecast period. The emergence of the concept of Industry 4.0, which involves the use of IoT, cloud computing, and automation in the industrial sector, is the major driver of the market in North America . A major propellant of the expert systems market in North America is the increase in government initiatives to invest in improving healthcare. Other expert systems, such as smart grids, are also gaining traction in the Americas, as there is an increase in the installation of smart meters, along with an improvement in substations in the region. The forecast period will see an increase in the adoption of smart meters and communication protocols to enhance the monitoring and control of distribution lines in the region. Therefore, owing to such factors the regional market is expected to grow during the forecast period.

Get a glance of the market contribution of various segments including country and region wise - Download a Sample Report

Smart machines market Market Dynamics

Leading Drivers - The miniaturization of sensors is notably driving the market growth. A major factor that has had an impact on the growth of the market is the miniaturization of sensors, which has led to a reduction in the cost of sensors and, in turn, of smart machines. As the price of sensors continues to depreciate, there will be an emergence of more machines that can assist in improving logistics, delivery, surveillance applications, and other applications for the end-users. Over the years, there has been an improvement in sensor detection, with the use of components such as fiber optic gyroscopes and ring laser gyroscopes. There have also been developments in inertial devices, such as Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), which have improved the capability of smart machines over the years. Thus, the miniaturization of sensors is expected to drive the growth of the market during the forecast period.

Key Trends - An increase in the adoption of data analytics is the primary trend in the market. Vendors in the market are devising strategies to improve the customer experience of end-users adopting smart machines by capitalizing on data analytics as the market is gaining traction. They are increasingly incorporating smartphone apps in their service offerings to provide end-users with a platform for attaining critical information about product and service updates. They present data in the form of personalized dashboards and provide self-service options, such as periodic condition reports and scheduling of back-ups. Vendors are also equipping their mobile robot platforms with sensors that can help in detecting wear and tear of parts. Such factors are likely to drive the growth of the market during the forecast period.

Major challenges - The high cost of deployment is the major challenge impeding the market growth. Smart machines such as autonomous robots involve the use of sensors, software, and advanced technologies, which incur significant one-time costs for deployment. The high costs involved are a major impediment for potential end-users, especially in developing countries that have price-sensitive customers. Also, additional costs are involved in the modification of infrastructure and facilities required for the seamless integration of smart machines in existing markets. The forecast period will also see vendors offering certain accessories, add-ons, and maintenance services, which will increase the costs in terms of servicing, electricity, and upgrades. Such factors are likely to hinder the growth of the market during the forecast period.

For more information on drivers, trends, and challenges, Find insights in a sample report!

What are the key data covered in this Smart machines market report?

CAGR of the market during the forecast period

Detailed information on factors that will drive the growth of the smart machines market between 2023 and 2027

Precise estimation of the smart machines 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 Smart machines market across North America , Europe , APAC, South America , and Middle East and Africa

, , APAC, , and and A thorough analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information about vendors

Comprehensive analysis of factors that will challenge the growth of smart machines market vendors

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Table of Contents

1 Executive Summary

1.1 Market overview

Exhibit 01: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Overview



Exhibit 02: Executive Summary  Data Table on Market Overview



Exhibit 03: Executive Summary  Chart on Global Market Characteristics



Exhibit 04: Executive Summary  Chart on Market by Geography



Exhibit 05: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Component



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 smart machines market 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 18: Historic Market Size  Data Table on Global smart machines market 2017 - 2021 ($ billion)

4.2 Component Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 19: Historic Market Size  Component 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 Component

6.1 Market segments

Exhibit 30: Chart on Component - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 31: Data Table on Component - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

6.2 Comparison by Component

Exhibit 32: Chart on Comparison by Component



Exhibit 33: Data Table on Comparison by Component

6.3 Software - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 34: Chart on Software - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 35: Data Table on Software - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 36: Chart on Software - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 37: Data Table on Software - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.4 Hardware - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 38: Chart on Hardware - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 39: Data Table on Hardware - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 40: Chart on Hardware - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 41: Data Table on Hardware - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.5 Market opportunity by Component

Exhibit 42: Market opportunity by Component ($ billion)

7 Market Segmentation by Product

7.1 Market segments

Exhibit 43: Chart on Product - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 44: Data Table on Product - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

7.2 Comparison by Product

Exhibit 45: Chart on Comparison by Product



Exhibit 46: Data Table on Comparison by Product

7.3 Expert systems - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 47: Chart on Expert systems - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 48: Data Table on Expert systems - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 49: Chart on Expert systems - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 50: Data Table on Expert systems - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.4 Autonomous robots - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 51: Chart on Autonomous robots - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 52: Data Table on Autonomous robots - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 53: Chart on Autonomous robots - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 54: Data Table on Autonomous robots - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.5 Digital assistants - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 55: Chart on Digital assistants - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 56: Data Table on Digital assistants - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 57: Chart on Digital assistants - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 58: Data Table on Digital assistants - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.6 Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 59: Chart on Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 60: Data Table on Others - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 61: Chart on Others - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 62: Data Table on Others - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.7 Market opportunity by Product

Exhibit 63: Market opportunity by Product ($ billion)

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 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 70: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

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 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 74: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

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 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 (%)

9.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 81: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 82: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 83: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 84: 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 85: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 86: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

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 (%)

9.8 US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 89: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 90: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 91: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 92: 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 93: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 94: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

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 (%)

9.10 Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 97: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 98: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

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 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 102: Data Table on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

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 UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 105: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 106: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 107: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 108: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.13 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 109: 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 110: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2022 and 2027

10.4 Market trends

11 Vendor Landscape

11.1 Overview

11.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 111: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation

11.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 112: Overview on factors of disruption

11.4 Industry risks

Exhibit 113: Impact of key risks on business

12 Vendor Analysis

12.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 114: Vendors covered

12.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 115: Matrix on vendor position and classification

12.3 ALLSCRIPTS HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS INC.

Exhibit 116: ALLSCRIPTS HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS INC. - Overview



Exhibit 117: ALLSCRIPTS HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS INC. - Business segments



Exhibit 118: ALLSCRIPTS HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS INC. - Key news



Exhibit 119: ALLSCRIPTS HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS INC. - Key offerings



Exhibit 120: ALLSCRIPTS HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS INC. - Segment focus

12.4 Alphabet Inc.

Exhibit 121: Alphabet Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 122: Alphabet Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 123: Alphabet Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 124: Alphabet Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 125: Alphabet Inc. - Segment focus

12.5 Amazon.com Inc.

Exhibit 126: Amazon.com Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 127: Amazon.com Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 128: Amazon.com Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 129: Amazon.com Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 130: Amazon.com Inc. - Segment focus

12.6 Apple Inc.

Exhibit 131: Apple Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 132: Apple Inc. - Business segments



Exhibit 133: Apple Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 134: Apple Inc. - Key offerings



Exhibit 135: Apple Inc. - Segment focus

12.7 Cerner Corp.

Exhibit 136: Cerner Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 137: Cerner Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 138: Cerner Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 139: Cerner Corp. - Segment focus

12.8 Clearpath Robotics Inc.

Exhibit 140: Clearpath Robotics Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 141: Clearpath Robotics Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 142: Clearpath Robotics Inc. - Key offerings

12.9 International Business Machines Corp.

Exhibit 143: International Business Machines Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 144: International Business Machines Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 145: International Business Machines Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 146: International Business Machines Corp. - Segment focus

12.10 Koninklijke Philips NV

Exhibit 147: Koninklijke Philips NV - Overview



Exhibit 148: Koninklijke Philips NV - Business segments



Exhibit 149: Koninklijke Philips NV - Key news



Exhibit 150: Koninklijke Philips NV - Key offerings



Exhibit 151: Koninklijke Philips NV - Segment focus

12.11 KUKA AG

Exhibit 152: KUKA AG - Overview

- Overview

Exhibit 153: KUKA AG - Business segments

- Business segments

Exhibit 154: KUKA AG - Key offerings

- Key offerings

Exhibit 155: KUKA AG - Segment focus

12.12 Microsoft Corp.

Exhibit 156: Microsoft Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 157: Microsoft Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 158: Microsoft Corp. - Key news



Exhibit 159: Microsoft Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 160: Microsoft Corp. - Segment focus

12.13 Mobile Industrial Robots AS

Exhibit 161: Mobile Industrial Robots AS - Overview



Exhibit 162: Mobile Industrial Robots AS - Product / Service



Exhibit 163: Mobile Industrial Robots AS - Key offerings

12.14 Salesforce.com Inc.

Exhibit 164: Salesforce.com Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 165: Salesforce.com Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 166: Salesforce.com Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 167: Salesforce.com Inc. - Key offerings

12.15 Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

Exhibit 168: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 169: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. - Business segments



Exhibit 170: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. - Key news



Exhibit 171: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. - Key offerings



Exhibit 172: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. - Segment focus

12.16 Smarsh Inc.

Exhibit 173: Smarsh Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 174: Smarsh Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 175: Smarsh Inc. - Key offerings

12.17 ST Engineering Aethon Inc.

Exhibit 176: ST Engineering Aethon Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 177: ST Engineering Aethon Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 178: ST Engineering Aethon Inc. - Key offerings

13 Appendix

13.1 Scope of the report

13.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 179: Inclusions checklist



Exhibit 180: Exclusions checklist

13.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 181: Currency conversion rates for US$

13.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 182: Research methodology



Exhibit 183: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 184: Information sources

13.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 185: 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.

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SOURCE Technavio
CHICAGO, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Smart Meter Market is projected to reach USD 36.3 billion in 2028 from USD 23.1 billion in 2023 at a CAGR of 9.4% according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. The emergence of electric, gas, and water smart meters has revolutionized utility operations. With advancements in smart meters, sensors, control systems, and communication components, utility systems can be monitored in real-time. These dynamic tariffs promote efficient use of electricity, gas, and water by reflecting variations in demand, availability, and delivery costs over time. For instance, smart electric meters help provide a reliable reading of power consumption at specific time intervals that match electricity market intervals. This enables energy companies to create tariffs adjusted to off-peak periods with lower prices and encourages customers to adjust their consumption so that they use energy when it is cheaper.

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Browse in-depth TOC on "Smart Meter Market"

310 - Tables

56 - Figures

318 - Pages

Smart Meter Market Scope:

Report Coverage Details Market Size USD 36.3 billion in 2028 Growth Rate 9.4% of CAGR Largest Market Asia Pacific Market Dynamics Drivers, Restraints, Opportunities & Challenges Forecast Period 2023-2028 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered by Type, Technology, Component, Communication, End user, and Region Geographies Covered Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Middle East & Africa, and South America Report Highlights Updated financial information / product portfolio of players Key Market Opportunities Integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies into smart meters Key Market Drivers Rising adoption of smart meters to monitor utility systems in real time

The Smart electric market, by type, is expected to be the most significant application market during the forecast period.

Smart electric meters use a web-based monitoring system to create two-way communication between the customer's meter and the utility. A smart electric meter takes automatic readings of residential, commercial, or industrial electricity usage and relays the information wirelessly to the energy supplier. Moreover, some meters also help analyze the energy usage trends during peak and off-peak hours, which can help predict future usage, thereby reducing electricity bills.

RF, by communication, is expected to grow at the second-highest CAGR during the forecast period

Smart meters based on RF-based communication technology use two types of modules: mesh technology and point-to-point technology. In mesh-based technology, the meters connect from LAN to a cloud collector, which transmits the data using WAN methods to the central location of the utility. The advantages of this technology include large bandwidth and acceptable latency, whereas disadvantages include challenges relating to terrain and distance in rural areas. In point-to-point technology, smart meters communicate directly with the collector, which is mostly a tower

The commercial segment is expected to be the second fastest-growing region in the Smart Meter Market

The expansion and development of commercial facilities are mainly driving the growth of the Smart Meter Market for the commercial sector. Smart meters provide detailed, real-time data on energy usage, allowing businesses to track consumption and identify patterns and areas for improvement. By tracking and managing energy usage more effectively, businesses can reduce energy costs and improve their bottom line. These Smart meters also give businesses the information they need to optimize their energy consumption and reduce waste.

Asia Pacific segment is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the Smart Meter Market

Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing region in the Smart Meter Market. The Asia Pacific has a strong demand for smart meters, which is further growing due to government mandates and higher investment toward digitizing grids to manage huge electricity demand. China, Japan, and India are investing in grid expansion projects to increase distribution grid reliability.

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Smart Meter Market Dynamics:

Drivers:

Supportive government regulations pertaining to digitalization of grids Rising adoption of smart meters to monitor utility systems in real time Dynamic pricing of utilities Reduced blackouts and failures of utility systems Increased need to monitor energy consumption to achieve carbon neutrality

Restraints:

High setup and operational costs and limited availability of low-cost digital upgrades Decline in infrastructure development investments and low return on investment

Opportunities:

Focus of governments worldwide on reducing aggregate technical and commercial losses Integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies into smart meters Rising adoption of electric and hybrid vehicles Increasing focus of developing countries on improving water distribution networks

Challenges:

Maintenance, security, and integrity of smart meters and associated data and requirement for skilled professionals Dependency on reliable connections between smart meters and smart grid devices to collect highly accurate data

Key Market Players:

Some of the major players in the Smart Meter Market are Schneider Electric (France), Landis+Gyr (Switzerland), Itron (US), Siemens (Germany), Wasion Group (China), Badger Meter (US), and Sensus (Xylem) (US). The major strategies adopted by these players include acquisitions, sales contracts, product launches, agreements, alliances, partnerships, and expansions.

Recent Developments

In November 2022 , Landis+Gyr has expanded its portfolio in Smart Metering, Grid Edge Intelligence and Smart Infrastructure fields and will be exhibiting the latest hardware and software solutions for electricity, heat, gas, and water metering.

, Landis+Gyr has expanded its portfolio in Smart Metering, Grid Edge Intelligence and Smart Infrastructure fields and will be exhibiting the latest hardware and software solutions for electricity, heat, gas, and water metering. In September 2022 , EDMI has launched its brand MIRA which are communications agnostic, enabling end-to-end visibility and control based on industry standard protocols such as DLMS, IDIS, and LWM2M over a wide range of bearer services including 4G, NB-IoT, RF Mesh.

, EDMI has launched its brand MIRA which are communications agnostic, enabling end-to-end visibility and control based on industry standard protocols such as DLMS, IDIS, and LWM2M over a wide range of bearer services including 4G, NB-IoT, RF Mesh. In November 2022 , Itron, Inc. has partnered with various technology innovators, consultants, service providers, and channel partners to deliver outcomes for utilities and cities in their mission to connect to customers to accelerate the modernization of energy, water, and smart solutions offered in global markets

, Itron, Inc. has partnered with various technology innovators, consultants, service providers, and channel partners to deliver outcomes for utilities and cities in their mission to connect to customers to accelerate the modernization of energy, water, and smart solutions offered in global markets In October 2021 , Siemens Smart Infrastructure and its partners, Sagemcom and Bite Lietuva, participated in the rollout of 1.2 million smart meters across Lithuania .

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Browse Adjacent Markets: Energy and Power Market Research Reports & Consulting

Related Reports:

Smart Water Metering Market - Global Forecast to 2027

Smart Gas Meter Market - Global Forecast to 2026

Smart Electric Meter Market - Global Forecast to 2026

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Equity investment continues PNC's support for innovative approaches to developing cost-effective, scalable solutions to California's affordable housing shortage and homelessness crisis

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SoLa Impact announced a $7.5 million investment by PNC Bank's Community Development Banking group in SoLa Impact's Black Impact Fund, also known as SoLa Fund IV. PNC's equity investment in Los Angeles' leading, Black-led housing developer will fund the development of new affordable housing units for residents earning well below the Area Median Income (AMI). SoLa's Black Impact Fund, its fourth fund, expects to add more than 3,000 workforce and affordable housing units in Black and brown communities in Southern California.

We are excited to partner with PNC Bank to address the crisis of housing affordability in California, said Martin Muoto. Tweet this PNC Bank logo

"We are excited to partner with PNC Bank to address the crisis of housing affordability in California," said Martin Muoto, founder and CEO of SoLa Impact. "Investments like these enable us to build more units to serve more residents of communities that are burdened by high costs of living. PNC's commitment to the intended outcomes of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) goes beyond investing in minority communities and is further demonstrated by doing so with Black-led operators such as SoLa Impact. This investment allows the Black Impact Fund to continue to scale its production of affordable and workforce multifamily assets, which in turn allows us to reduce the cost of delivering these units. Ultimately, the goal is to deliver superior returns not only to our investors, but also to our community."

"As a national main street bank, PNC Bank is focused on making a real impact in communities throughout the Greater Los Angeles area," said Todd Wilson, PNC regional president for Greater Los Angeles. "This investment in the Black Impact Fund enables us to provide solutions to Southern California's affordable housing shortage and reinforces our commitment to work with leading organizations like SoLa to address the housing affordability gap in the communities we serve."

PNC's investment stems from its $88 billion Community Benefits Plan, which will provide loans, investments and other financial support to bolster economic opportunity for low- and moderate-income (LMI) individuals and communities, people and communities of color, and other underserved individuals and communities over a four-year period that began Jan. 1, 2022. As part of the allotted $88 billion, PNC has committed to provide at least $14.5 billion in community development loans and investments across all markets, including at least $400 million for Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) that help meet the banking and financial service needs of traditionally underserved communities.

The Community Benefits Plan builds on PNC's commitment to providing economic opportunity for all individuals and communities, including LMI and minority individuals and communities, as well as women, veterans and LGBTQ+ individuals and businesses. In addition, the Plan reflects PNC's commitment to addressing systemic racism, promoting social justice and advancing diversity and inclusion, not just within PNC, but within the broader financial system and its communities.

PNC's investment into SoLa's Black Impact Fund demonstrates to Los Angeles that PNC is committed to development and reinvestment in its underserved communities. PNC is among several large banks that understand SoLa's data-driven approach to affordable housing and community engagement, especially in low- and moderate-income areas that have historically been undervalued and overlooked.

In the Black Impact Fund, SoLa Impact has raised $300 million from leading institutional investors and community-focused banks, high net-worth individuals, and family offices. Its unique combination of cost-disciplined, for-profit development, standardization of building processes and community engagement, has made SoLa one of the largest developers of affordable and workforce housing in Southern California with over 1,500 units under management and another 3,000 in the pipeline. More information on SoLa Impact can be found at www.solaimpact.com .

About PNC Bank

PNC Bank, National Association, is a member of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC). PNC is one of the largest diversified financial services institutions in the United States, organized around its customers and communities for strong relationships and local delivery of retail and business banking including a full range of lending products; specialized services for corporations and government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management and asset management. For information about PNC, visit www.pnc.com .

About SoLa Impact

SoLa Impact is a family of real estate funds with a double bottom line strategy focused on preserving, rehabbing, and building high-quality affordable housing in Black and brown communities. SoLa's proven track record leverages data-driven social impact strategies to deliver strong financial returns. SoLa Impact's fourth fund, the Black Impact Fund , is part of an initiative to invest over $1 billion in affordable and workforce housing and related social impact strategies across urban cities in California.

CONTACTS

SoLa Impact Media Contact:

Karen Lewis

(323) 424-9400

[email protected]

Black Impact Fund:

Felicia Allen

[email protected]

PNC Media Contact:

Patrice Smith

(202) 718-5069

[email protected]

SOURCE SoLa Impact
Full text: China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis

Xinhua) 10:06, February 24, 2023

BEIJING, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- China released a paper stating its position on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis on Friday. The following is the full text.

China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis

1. Respecting the sovereignty of all countries. Universally recognized international law, including the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, must be strictly observed. The sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries must be effectively upheld. All countries, big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, are equal members of the international community. All parties should jointly uphold the basic norms governing international relations and defend international fairness and justice. Equal and uniform application of international law should be promoted, while double standards must be rejected.

2. Abandoning the Cold War mentality. The security of a country should not be pursued at the expense of others. The security of a region should not be achieved by strengthening or expanding military blocs. The legitimate security interests and concerns of all countries must be taken seriously and addressed properly. There is no simple solution to a complex issue. All parties should, following the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and bearing in mind the long-term peace and stability of the world, help forge a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture. All parties should oppose the pursuit of one's own security at the cost of others' security, prevent bloc confrontation, and work together for peace and stability on the Eurasian Continent.

3. Ceasing hostilities. Conflict and war benefit no one. All parties must stay rational and exercise restraint, avoid fanning the flames and aggravating tensions, and prevent the crisis from deteriorating further or even spiraling out of control. All parties should support Russia and Ukraine in working in the same direction and resuming direct dialogue as quickly as possible, so as to gradually deescalate the situation and ultimately reach a comprehensive ceasefire.

4. Resuming peace talks. Dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis. All efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis must be encouraged and supported. The international community should stay committed to the right approach of promoting talks for peace, help parties to the conflict open the door to a political settlement as soon as possible, and create conditions and platforms for the resumption of negotiation. China will continue to play a constructive role in this regard.

5. Resolving the humanitarian crisis. All measures conducive to easing the humanitarian crisis must be encouraged and supported. Humanitarian operations should follow the principles of neutrality and impartiality, and humanitarian issues should not be politicized. The safety of civilians must be effectively protected, and humanitarian corridors should be set up for the evacuation of civilians from conflict zones. Efforts are needed to increase humanitarian assistance to relevant areas, improve humanitarian conditions, and provide rapid, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, with a view to preventing a humanitarian crisis on a larger scale. The UN should be supported in playing a coordinating role in channeling humanitarian aid to conflict zones.

6. Protecting civilians and prisoners of war (POWs). Parties to the conflict should strictly abide by international humanitarian law, avoid attacking civilians or civilian facilities, protect women, children and other victims of the conflict, and respect the basic rights of POWs. China supports the exchange of POWs between Russia and Ukraine, and calls on all parties to create more favorable conditions for this purpose.

7. Keeping nuclear power plants safe. China opposes armed attacks against nuclear power plants or other peaceful nuclear facilities, and calls on all parties to comply with international law including the Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS) and resolutely avoid man-made nuclear accidents. China supports the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in playing a constructive role in promoting the safety and security of peaceful nuclear facilities.

8. Reducing strategic risks. Nuclear weapons must not be used and nuclear wars must not be fought. The threat or use of nuclear weapons should be opposed. Nuclear proliferation must be prevented and nuclear crisis avoided. China opposes the research, development and use of chemical and biological weapons by any country under any circumstances.

9. Facilitating grain exports. All parties need to implement the Black Sea Grain Initiative signed by Russia, Turkiye, Ukraine and the UN fully and effectively in a balanced manner, and support the UN in playing an important role in this regard. The cooperation initiative on global food security proposed by China provides a feasible solution to the global food crisis.

10. Stopping unilateral sanctions. Unilateral sanctions and maximum pressure cannot solve the issue; they only create new problems. China opposes unilateral sanctions unauthorized by the UN Security Council. Relevant countries should stop abusing unilateral sanctions and "long-arm jurisdiction" against other countries, so as to do their share in deescalating the Ukraine crisis and create conditions for developing countries to grow their economies and better the lives of their people.

11. Keeping industrial and supply chains stable. All parties should earnestly maintain the existing world economic system and oppose using the world economy as a tool or weapon for political purposes. Joint efforts are needed to mitigate the spillovers of the crisis and prevent it from disrupting international cooperation in energy, finance, food trade and transportation and undermining the global economic recovery.

12. Promoting post-conflict reconstruction. The international community needs to take measures to support post-conflict reconstruction in conflict zones. China stands ready to provide assistance and play a constructive role in this endeavor.

(Web editor: Liang Jun, Wu Chaolan)
New Additions to the 17-Time Grammy Award-Winning Artist's Critically Acclaimed 1993 Album Include 15 Bonus Tracks, 11 of Them Previously Unavailable Digitally

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A&M/UMe celebrates the 30th-anniversary of Sting's fourth solo album, Ten Summoner's Tales, with a digital-only Expanded Edition released today. Originally released on March 1, 1993, the album title is a somewhat tongue-in-cheek mashup of the artist's given surname, Sumner, and a character in Geoffrey Chaucer's 15th-century literary classic The Canterbury Tales, the summoner.

A&M/UMe celebrates the 30th-anniversary of Stings fourth solo album, Ten Summoners Tales, with a digital-only Expanded Edition released today. Originally released on March 1, 1993, the 27-track Expanded Edition features the original 12-song Ten Summoners Tales album plus 15 bonus tracks consisting of B-sides, remixes, alternate versions, and live performances (complete track listing included below). Eleven of these 15 bonus tracks were previously unavailable for digital download or streaming.

The 27-track Expanded Edition features the original 12-song Ten Summoner's Tales album plus 15 bonus tracks consisting of B-sides, remixes, alternate versions, and live performances (complete track listing included below). Eleven of these 15 bonus tracks were previously unavailable for digital download or streaming. Mixed by 4-time Grammy Award winning Robert "Hitmixer" Orton, the album is also available in Dolby Atmos. Listen to or purchase Sting's Ten Summoner's Tales  Expanded Edition HERE.

Pivoting from the deeply personal sense of loss that permeated Sting's platinum solo album The Soul Cages, Ten Summoner's Tales changed course to offer an uplifting and emotional treatise on testing the boundaries of love and making critical choices, both virtuous and suspect. The infectious lead single, the ballad "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You," became an immediate chart hit and cleverly walked the lyrical tightrope between recounting specific subjects the vocalist had stopped believing in and then countering them with a more encouraging optimistic worldview about whatever the future may hold. Meanwhile, the country-tinged "Love Is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seven)" could serve as the long-lost theme to an obscure Spaghetti Western that pays equal homage to the singular visions of noted directors Akira Kurosawa and John Sturges. The truly melancholic "Fields Of Gold" remains an ethereal ballad for the ages, featuring haunting Northumbrian small pipes played by Kathryn Tickell and a tasteful harmonica solo by Brendan Power. The deceptively jaunty "Saint Augustine In Hell" boasts a bait-and-switch narrative break courtesy of David Foxxe, while the acoustic-oriented "Shape Of My Heart" beats strong and true with the mystical, logic-seeking ruminations of the inquisitive card player at the center of its storyline.

Produced by Sting and Hugh Padgham, Ten Summoner's Tales was recorded at Lake House in Wiltshire, England, an Elizabethan country house that added to the recording's overall atmosphere. It is also the second time the artist's longtime stage and studio collaborator, the acclaimed guitarist Dominic Miller, appeared on one of Sting's albums. Other notable topline creative contributors to Ten Summoner's Tales include returning keyboardist David Sancious, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, and pedal-steel guitarist Paul Franklin. For his part, Sting played bass, double bass, harmonica, and saxophone on Ten Summoner's Tales, creating the arrangements and singing all of the album's lead vocals.

Ten Summoner's Tales has been certified 3x platinum by the RIAA, topped the album charts in Australia, and peaked at No. 21 on the U.S. Billboard 200. The album's aforementioned lead single, "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You," had a clear chart impact upon its release, ultimately reaching No. 17 on the U.S. Hot 100 and hitting No. 1 in Canada. It also garnered a trio of Grammy nominations in 1994, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year, and earned Sting a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male. The album's next single, "Fields Of Gold," climbed to No. 2 on Adult Contemporary, No. 23 on the Hot 100, No. 24 on Mainstream Rock, and No. 24 on Mainstream Top 40. It was also bestowed with a BMI Pop Song Award in 1994. The album's other four singles were "Seven Days," "Shape Of My Heart," "Love Is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seven)," and "Nothing 'Bout Me."

In the U.S., Ten Summoner's Tales garnered six Grammy nominations in 1994, including Album of the Year. Ten Summoner's Tales won three Grammys: one for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical; one for Best Music Video, Long Form; and one for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male (for "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You"). In the UK, Ten Summoner's Tales was nominated for three BPI Brit Awards, including Best British Album and Best British Video. Sting won the Brit Award for Best British Male Artist as a performer. Ten Summoner's Tales was also nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 1993.

Listen to or purchase Sting's Ten Summoner's Tales  Expanded Edition HERE.

Sting is managed by Martin Kierszenbaum/Cherrytree Music Company.

sting.com

facebook.com/sting

twitter.com/OfficialSting

instagram.com/theofficialsting

YouTube.com/StingVEVO



STING: TEN SUMMONER'S TALES  EXPANDED EDITION [digital only]

Prologue (If I Ever Lose My Faith In You) Love Is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seven) Fields Of Gold Heavy Cloud No Rain She's Too Good For Me Seven Days Saint Augustine In Hell It's Probably Me Everybody Laughed But You Shape Of My Heart Something The Boy Said Epilogue (Nothing 'Bout Me) We Work The Black Seam / 1993 Version [Bonus Track] January Stars [Bonus Track] If I Ever Lose My Faith In You / Miracle Of Science Mix [Bonus Track] If I Ever Lose My Faith In You / Hoax Mix [Bonus Track] It's Probably Me (Feat. Eric Clapton ) / Alternate Version [Bonus Track] Nothing 'Bout Me / Remix [Bonus Track] Nothing 'Bout Me / Remix With Horn Intro [Bonus Track] Love Is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seven) / Edit [Bonus Track] Seven Days / Radio Edit [Bonus Track] Nothing 'Bout Me / Edit With Fade [Bonus Track] Shape Of My Heart / Live At Villa Manin, Codroipo, Italy , 1993 [Bonus Track] Love Is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seven) / Live At Villa Manin, Codroipo,Italy, 1993 [Bonus Track] It's Probably Me / Live At Villa Manin, Codroipo, Italy , 1993 [Bonus Track] Purple Haze / Live At The Hague, Netherlands , 1991 [Bonus Track] Ain't No Sunshine / Live At Buddle Arts Center, Newcastle, England , 1991 [Bonus Track]

SOURCE UMe
Mississippi-Ohio River Valley Has Higher Rates of Disease

MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Living in areas of the United States with higher levels of air pollution is associated with an increased risk of Parkinson's disease, according to a preliminary study released February 23, 2023, that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 75th Annual Meeting being held in person in Boston and live online from April 22-27, 2023.

The study looked at fine particulate matter, PM2.5, which is less than 2.5 microns in diameter. Fine particles come from motor vehicle exhaust, the burning of fuels by power plants and other industries and forest and grass fires.

"We used geographic methods to examine the rates of Parkinson's disease across the United States and compared those rates to regional levels of air pollution," said study author Brittany Krzyzanowski, PhD, of the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona. "We found a nationwide association between Parkinson's disease and air pollution exposure, with people exposed to the highest levels of fine particulate matter having an increased risk of Parkinson's disease compared to people exposed to the lowest levels. We also identified a Parkinson's disease hot spot in the Mississippi-Ohio River Valley, which is a region that has some of the highest levels of fine particulate matter pollution in the nation."

The study involved more than 22.5 million people enrolled in Medicare in 2009. Of this group, researchers identified 83,674 people with Parkinson's disease. Researchers mapped where study participants lived across the U.S. and calculated the rates of Parkinson's disease for various regions.

Researchers also calculated average air pollution exposure levels for study participants by using the ZIP codes and counties where they lived as well as an air pollution data source on average annual concentrations of fine particulate matter.

Researchers then divided participants into four groups based on average exposure to air pollution. People in the highest exposure group had an average annual exposure of 19 micrograms per cubic meter (g/m3) of fine particulate matter. People in the lowest exposure group had an average annual exposure of five g/m3.

In the highest exposure group, 434 new Parkinson's disease cases developed per every 100,000 people compared to 359 cases in the lowest exposure group.

After adjusting for other factors that could affect the risk of Parkinson's, such as age, smoking, and use of medical care, researchers found an association between Parkinson's disease and average annual exposure to fine particulate matter, with people in the highest exposure group having a 25% increased risk of Parkinson's disease compared to people in the lowest exposure group.

For geographic analysis, researchers divided fine particulate matter exposure into 10 levels.

Researchers found the strongest association between air pollution and Parkinson's disease in the Rocky Mountain region, which includes Lake County, Colorado, which is southwest of Denver, and its surrounding counties. The risk for Parkinson's disease in those counties increased by 16% when moving up from one level of fine particulate matter exposure to the next level.

Air pollution was also associated with higher rates of Parkinson's disease in the Mississippi-Ohio River Valley hot spot, which includes Tennessee and Kentucky, but the association was weaker in these areas, with a 4% increase in risk when moving up one level of fine particulate matter exposure to the next.

"Finding a relatively weaker association where we have some of the highest Parkinson's disease risks and fine particulate matter levels in the nation is consistent with the threshold effect we observed in our data," said Krzyzanowski. "In the Mississippi-Ohio River Valley, for example, Parkinson's disease risk increases with increasing air pollution exposure until about 15 g/m3 of fine particulate matter, where Parkinson's disease risk seems to plateau."

Krzyzanowski said, "By mapping nationwide levels of Parkinson's disease and linking them to air pollution, we hope to create a greater understanding of the regional risks and inspire leaders to take steps to lower risk of disease by reducing levels of air pollution."

A limitation of the study was that it focuses on fine particulate matter, which contains a variety of airborne pollutants, some of which may be more toxic than others. Krzyzanowski noted that air pollution is also associated with a variety of other health risks, including dementia, that might diminish the likelihood of a Parkinson's diagnosis, and this may explain the relatively weaker association between Parkinson's disease and particulate matter in the Mississippi-Ohio River Valley.

The study was supported by the U.S. Department of Defense, the National Institutes of Health including the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.

Learn more about Parkinson's disease at BrainandLife.org, home of the American Academy of Neurology's free patient and caregiver magazine focused on the intersection of neurologic disease and brain health. Follow Brain & Life on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

When posting to social media channels about this research, we encourage you to use the American Academy of Neurology's Annual Meeting hashtag #AANAM.

The American Academy of Neurology is the world's largest association of neurologists and neuroscience professionals, with over 38,000 members. The AAN is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer's disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, concussion, Parkinson's disease and epilepsy.

For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit AAN.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

SOURCE American Academy of Neurology
Jurors Expand Awards Program to Recognize Affordable Community for District Staff

OAKLAND, Calif., Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, SVA Architects and the Jefferson Union High School District were honored by the Coalition for Adequate School Housing (CASH) and the American Institute of Architects California (AIA California) at the 2023 Leroy F. Greene Design & Planning Awards. The Serramonte Del Rey Faculty & Staff Housing, also known as 705 Serramonte, received a Jury Citation Award. Helping to bring housing equity to the region, 705 Serramonte is an affordable housing community specifically for district faculty & staff. The award-winning project serves as a national model for regions where high costs have placed an extreme burden on the public school workforce.

Leroy F. Greene Design & Planning Awards

The CASH and the AIA California have held the annual Leroy F. Greene Design & Planning Awards to recognize excellence in school facilities design since 1991. This year's awards ceremony was held on the final day of the CASH 44th Annual Conference at the Safe Credit Union Convention Center in Sacramento. Entries were judged based on the project's planning process, learning environment, design, community environment, physical environment, and high performance (or sustainability strategies). While not one of the traditional awards, the jury added a Jury Citation Award to recognize 705 Serramonte's attributes and highlight its importance.

Robert Simons, AIA, President of SVA Architects, states, "This project tackles the goal of providing affordable housing for faculty and staff in an area with a housing crisis and a high cost of living. Affordable housing allows staff to be full-time members of the community where they teach, and provides more stability and cohesion for the students' learning experience. We thank the jury for recognizing this project."

About 705 Serramonte

The 705 Serramonte community consists of 122 apartment homes, with 59 one-bedroom, 56 two-bedroom, and 7 three-bedroom units. Homes range from 640  1,270 sq. ft., with rental rates set significantly below market rate at the time of occupancy. Homes feature vinyl plank flooring, stainless steel appliances, and generous windows with abundant light. Community features include a community room, coworking spaces, laundry facilities, a fitness center, and a landscaped courtyard with children's play structures, BBQ area, and ample seating. This 3.3-acre community is the first phase of the walkable and bikeable Serramonte Del Rey neighborhood, which will cover a total of 22 acres and include retail stores, open park space, and recreation trails.

Jefferson Union High School District was the first K-12 school district to pass a bond exclusively to build an affordable housing community for teachers and staff. The $64 million project received $33 million in bond funds provided by the passage of Measure J in June 2018. The project was completed in May 2022, with the first residents moving in throughout the summer in time for the 2022-2023 school year.

Nathan Herrero, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Principal at SVA Architects, states, "SVA's vision was to design homes and community spaces that feel like a market-rate development. Along with the District, we wanted to honor the critical work of educators by offering comfortable spaces that feel like a haven at the end of the day."

About SVA Architects, Inc.

Founded in 2003, SVA Architects has become one of the Country's most innovative and respected design and planning organizations. The award-winning firm specializes in urban planning, architecture, and interior design of public, private, and mixed-use projects. Among the firm's portfolio are civic, educational, residential, commercial and mixed-use developments. SVA Architects values institutional and public environments as the foundation of a community and the backdrop against which we live, learn, work, worship, and play. The company is headquartered in Santa Ana with offices in Oakland, San Diego, Davis, and Honolulu. For more information, visit www.sva-architects.com.

Media Contact: Beth Binger

BCI

Mobile: (619) 987-6658

[email protected]

SOURCE SVA Architects, Inc.
Teamsters Support Restoring Fairness, Independence to State's Highest Court

MILWAUKEE, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Teamsters Joint Council 39 has unanimously endorsed Judge Janet Protasiewicz in the non-partisan election for Wisconsin Supreme Court.

"The Wisconsin Supreme Court is out of balance," said Bill Carroll, Joint Council 39 President. "The current four-three majority of justices is biased toward wealthy and corporate interests. The citizens of our state need a Supreme Court that is fair, independent, and impartial when it comes to interpreting our laws. Electing Judge Protasiewicz to the court helps do just that."

Judge Protasiewicz currently serves as a Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge, a role she has served in since 2014. She is running against Daniel Kelly, a former Scott Walker appointee and political operative hired by the Wisconsin Republican Party.

"Since the election has gained national attention, the expected higher turnout will create a great opportunity for us. Turnout equals success for candidates that appeal to a broad base of voters," Carroll said. "We are working hard to educate and motivate our members. Teamsters have a voice and influence in the political process, if we participate in each and every election."

Following their success in Wisconsin's 2022 statewide races, Joint Council 39 Teamsters are ramping up efforts to get the vote out for the Supreme Court election, which is set for Tuesday, April 4. Go to janetforjustice.com for more information.

Teamsters Joint Council 39 represents more than 18,000 workers at four local unions across Wisconsin.

Contact:

Bill Carroll, (414) 258-4545

[email protected]

SOURCE Teamsters Joint Council 39
ST. PAUL, Minn., Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson // Becker, PLLC is a nationwide products liability law firm with extensive experience representing victims of product liability cases.

Three more plaintiffs have filed lawsuits against the manufacturer of Tepezza, a drug prescribed for the treatment of thyroid eye disease, alleging that taking the medication caused long-term hearing issues.

John Ingram and Cynthia Williams, both residents of Virginia, and Andrea Leeds of New York allege in their Complaints that they and doctors had "no warning and had no knowledge of the serious risk of permanent hearing loss and/or tinnitus posed by Tepezza." The Tepezza lawsuits are filed in Illinois, where Tepezza manufacturer Horizon Therapeutics USA, Inc. is headquartered.

Williams was given Tepezza infusions from November 2020 through June 2021, beginning her course of treatment about 10 months after the drug was first approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Ingram received Tepezza infusions from December 2020 through August 2021; Leeds was on Tepezza from July 2021 through October 2021.

According to the Complaints, Tepezza claims that any adverse effects to patients' hearing after taking the drug have been "have been mild to moderate and reversible."

However, a documenting usage after Tepezza had hit the market and capturing the experience of thousands of patients, found 10 percent of recipients reported either hearing loss, tinnitus, or both. Meanwhile, numerous studies conducted by doctors, most recently in August 2022, have discussed the association of those side effects with the use of Tepezzaa.

According to the Complaints, "[Horizon's] fraudulent and illegal conduct with respect to Tepezza caused thousands of individuals to develop severe and permanent hearing loss."

The suits are filed by Timothy Becker and Stacy Hauer. Timothy Becker is a founding partner of Johnson // Becker, PLLC.

Questions about a Tepezza lawsuit? Contact a Johnson//Becker lawyer today for a free case review.

If you or a loved one has suffered hearing loss or tinnitus after being prescribed Tepezza, you may be entitled to financial compensation.

We offer a free case evaluation. To learn more about Johnson // Becker's Tepezza cases, or to arrange a free, no-obligation case review, please visit Johnson // Becker at https://www.johnsonbecker.com/drug-injuries/tepezza-lawsuit/ or contact their lawyers directly at (800) 279-6386.

SOURCE Johnson // Becker, PLLC
A roundup of the week's most newsworthy financial industry press releases from PR Newswire, including a new 401k company and the financial struggles veterans are facing.

NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help journalists covering the finance industry stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a roundup of stories from the week that shouldn't be missed.

The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download.

PR Newswire Weekly Finance Press Release Roundup, Feb. 20-24, 2023. Photo provided by Wounded Warrior Project. https://prn.to/3INNmks

Read more of the latest finance-related releases from PR Newswire and stay caught up on the top press releases by following @PRNfinance on Twitter.

Can't-Miss Earnings

In addition to these popular releases, several must-read earnings reports crossed the wire this week, including the quarterly results for Realty Income and Liberty Mutual.

Catch up on all the latest earnings reports here.

Helping Journalists Stay Up to Date on Industry News

These are just a few of the recent press releases that consumers and the media should know about. To be notified of releases relevant to their coverage area, journalists can set up a custom newsfeed with PR Newswire for Journalists.

Once they're signed up, reporters, bloggers and freelancers have access to the following free features:

Customization: Create a customized newsfeed that will deliver relevant news right to your inbox. Customize the newsfeed by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more.

Create a customized newsfeed that will deliver relevant news right to your inbox. Customize the newsfeed by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more. Photos and Videos: Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include with your next story.

Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include with your next story. Subject Matter Experts: Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles.

Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles. Related Resources: Read and subscribe to our journalist- and blogger-focused blog, Beyond Bylines, for media news roundups, writing tips, upcoming events, and more.

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PR Newswire for Journalists (PRNJ) is an exclusive community that includes over 20,000 journalists, bloggers and influencers who are logging into their PRNJ accounts specifically looking for story ideas. PR Newswire thoroughly researches and vets this community to verify their identity as a member of the press, blogger or influencer. PRNJ users cover more than 200 beats and verticals.

For questions, contact the team at [email protected].

SOURCE PR Newswire
LONDON, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ukrainians are increasingly confident of defeating the Russian invasion and expect a military victory rather than a diplomatic solution, according to new polling from Lord Ashcroft. Meanwhile Russian support for the "special military operation" remains high at 76%, and 85% of Russians say they have a favourable view of President Putin. While 41% of British people say the UK has a direct interest in defeating the invasion of Ukraine, only 33% of Americans say the same for the US.

Surveys of more than 2,000 people were conducted in each in Ukraine, Russia, Britain and the US. Findings include:

Nearly 7 in 10 Ukrainians (69%) said they were more confident of defeating the Russian invasion than they were when the conflict started. Only 39% of Russians said they were more confident of victory than they were when the "special military operation" (SMO) began.

57% of Russians said they thought the "special military operation" was progressing successfully. 85% of Ukrainians said they thought the defence of Ukraine was progressing successfully. Six in 10 Russians said Ukraine seems to be resisting Russian forces more strongly than they would have expected.

was progressing successfully. Six in 10 Russians said seems to be resisting Russian forces more strongly than they would have expected. Asked whether they thought various countries and organisations were doing enough to help Ukraine , Ukrainians were most likely to say Yes for the UK (74%), ahead of the US (71%) and the EU (61%). Fewer than half said Germany , France and NATO were doing enough, though their numbers were up significantly since our last survey in June 2022 .

, Ukrainians were most likely to say Yes for the UK (74%), ahead of the US (71%) and the EU (61%). Fewer than half said , and NATO were doing enough, though their numbers were up significantly since our last survey in . Asked what they most wanted from their allies, Ukrainians' top answers were more weapons and military equipment (87%), admission to NATO (50%) and a no-fly zone enforced by allied air forces (42%). Fewer than 3 in 10 said stricter economic sanctions, humanitarian aid or diplomatic efforts were the main priorities. However, people in Britain and the US were most ready to give humanitarian aid and diplomatic support.

and the US were most ready to give humanitarian aid and diplomatic support. Support was higher in Britain than the US for supplying Ukraine with tanks and armoured vehicles (65% v. 55%), weapons and ammunition (68% v. 58%), humanitarian aid (84% v. 77%), financial support (64% v. 51%) and introducing stricter economic sanctions (67% v. 57%). There was similar support in both countries for supplying fighter jets to the Ukraine military (49% and 48%).

than the US for supplying with tanks and armoured vehicles (65% v. 55%), weapons and ammunition (68% v. 58%), humanitarian aid (84% v. 77%), financial support (64% v. 51%) and introducing stricter economic sanctions (67% v. 57%). There was similar support in both countries for supplying fighter jets to the military (49% and 48%). 86% of Ukrainians want their country to join NATO. Majorities in Britain and the US (60% and 55%) agreed that Ukraine should be allowed to join. Two thirds of Ukrainians (66%) say they would feel safer if they had nuclear weapons.

and the US (60% and 55%) agreed that should be allowed to join. Two thirds of Ukrainians (66%) say they would feel safer if they had nuclear weapons. Russians (64%) are more likely than Ukrainians (56%) to think the war will last at least another 6 months. 42% of Russians think it will continue for more than a year from how, compared to 1 in 3 Ukrainians. Ukrainians (66%) are considerably more likely than Russians (45%) to think the war would end with by a military victory for one side, rather than a diplomatic solution.

Three quarters (76%) of Russians said they supported the "SMO" in Ukraine  the same as in June 2022 . Support ranged from 60% among 18-24-year-olds to 86% among those aged 65+. Only a minority of Russians (39%) said they thought the "SMO" had significantly damaged Russia's reputation.

 the same as in . Support ranged from 60% among 18-24-year-olds to 86% among those aged 65+. Only a minority of Russians (39%) said they thought the "SMO" had significantly damaged reputation. Nearly two thirds (65%) of Russians said they expected a new round of conscription to support the "SMO". However, only 56% of Russians as a whole say they would support a new round of conscription  and a majority of younger Russians (62% of 18-24s and 51% of 25-34s) were opposed.

People in Britain were more likely than Americans to say they had a direct interest in defeating the Russian invasion of Ukraine (41% v. 33%) or that supporting Ukraine was the right thing to do even if there was no direct interest at stake (27% v. 23%). Americans were twice as likely to say they should not intervene because the conflict had nothing to do with them (5% GB, 10% US), or that supporting Ukraine was damaging their economy and making their country a target (7% GB, 14% US).

2,019 adults in Ukraine were interviewed by telephone between 7 and 13 February 2023. 2,012 adults in Russia were interviewed by telephone between 3 and 13 February 2023. 2,082 adults in Great Britain were interviewed online between 13 and 14 February 2023. 2,204 adults in the US were interviewed online between 10 and 14 February 2023. Full findings from the research are available at LordAshcroftPolls.com

LORD ASHCROFT KCMG PC is an international businessman, philanthropist, pollster and author. He is a former Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party and honorary Chairman of the International Democrat Union. His recent political books include Going For Broke: The Rise of Rishi Sunak, First Lady: Intrigue at the Court of Carrie and Boris Johnson, and Red Knight: The Unauthorised Biography of Sir Keir Starmer.

LordAshcroftPolls.com // LordAshcroft.com // Twitter/Facebook: @LordAshcroft

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2000968/Lord_Ashcroft_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Lord Ashcroft Polls
WASHINGTON, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Department of State, The Rockefeller Foundation, and the Bezos Earth Fund today held the first meeting of the High-Level Consultative Group (HLCG) providing input on the design of the Energy Transition Accelerator (ETA), a joint initiative to catalyze private capital to accelerate the transition from fossil fuel to clean power in developing countries.

The three partners introduced the broad outlines of the ETA in November during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 27) in Sharm el-Sheikh. Together, they are undertaking an inclusive process to design this innovative initiative in the lead up to COP 28 this December in Dubai.

U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, The Rockefeller Foundation President Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, and Bezos Earth Fund Chief Executive Officer Dr. Andrew Steer hosted a virtual meeting of the HLCG, a panel of intergovernmental, private sector, and civil society leaders, as well as other experts and stakeholders, from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States.

The ETA partners announced the formation of the high-level group and a preliminary set of participants in January, along with a set of principles to guide the ETA's design. Today, the partners announced the full set of HLCG participants (below).

The aim of the ETA is to help keep a 1.5C limit on warming within reach by driving private investment in the implementation of energy transition strategies that deliver deeper, earlier greenhouse gas reductions in developing countries. Annual clean energy investment must triple to $4.2 trillion by 2030 to keep 1.5C within reach, according to the International Energy Agency, with more than half of that investment in emerging and developing economies.

The ETA will seek to leverage the growing demand for high-quality carbon credits to scale up finance to accelerate the deployment of clean power and the retirement of fossil fuel assets in developing countries. In addition to reducing emissions, finance generated by the ETA will support developing countries in expanding clean energy access and creating jobs and economic growth. The ETA also will generate new finance for adaptation efforts in vulnerable countries.

HLCG participants were invited to provide input on a preliminary ETA framework, which would include a jurisdictional-scale carbon crediting standard, a coalition of private sector and sovereign government buyers, a set of developing country host jurisdictions, criteria to ensure environmental integrity in the generation and use of credits, and just transition provisions addressing needs such as job creation, worker training, revenue sharing, and energy access.

In addition to ongoing input from the High-Level Consultative Group, the partners will consult with a wider array of government, business, and civil society stakeholders and will provide opportunities for broader input, including briefings and listening sessions.

The Department of State, The Rockefeller Foundation, and the Bezos Earth Fund are collaborating for the purpose of developing the Energy Transition Accelerator as an independent initiative. In designing the ETA, the partners will seek broad alignment with evolving best-practice standards, including those of the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), the Voluntary Carbon Markets Initiative (VCMI), and the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (IC-VCM).

ENERGY TRANSITION ACCELERATOR HIGH-LEVEL CONSULTATIVE GROUP

Luiz Amaral ; CEO, Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi)

; CEO, Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) Inger Andersen ; Executive Director, U.N. Environment Programme

; Executive Director, U.N. Environment Programme Peter Bakker ; President and CEO, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)

; President and CEO, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Manish Bapna ; President and CEO, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)

; President and CEO, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Fatih Birol ; Executive Director, International Energy Agency (IEA)

; Executive Director, International Energy Agency (IEA) Harry Boyd-Carpenter ; Chair, Joint MDB Climate Group; Managing Director, Climate Strategy and Delivery at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

; Chair, Joint MDB Climate Group; Managing Director, Climate Strategy and Delivery at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Barbara Buchner ; Global Managing Director, Climate Policy Initiative (CPI)

; Global Managing Director, Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) Ramon Cruz; President, Sierra Club

Ani Dasgupta ; President and CEO, World Resources Institute (WRI) for the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHGP)

; President and CEO, World Resources Institute (WRI) for the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHGP) Suzanne DiBianca ; On behalf of the Business Alliance to Scale Climate Solutions; Chief Impact Officer & EVP, Salesforce

; On behalf of the Business Alliance to Scale Climate Solutions; Chief Impact Officer & EVP, Salesforce Saliem Fakir; Executive Director, Africa Climate Foundation

Anne Finucane , On behalf of Sustainable Markets Initiative; Chair of the Board, Rubicon Carbon; Senior Advisor, Rise Climate (on behalf of Sustainable Markets Initiative)

, On behalf of Sustainable Markets Initiative; Chair of the Board, Rubicon Carbon; Senior Advisor, Rise Climate (on behalf of Sustainable Markets Initiative) Dirk Forrister ; President and CEO, International Emissions Trading Association (IETA)

; President and CEO, International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) Arunabha Ghosh ; CEO, Council on Energy, Environment and Water

; CEO, Council on Energy, Environment and Water Marina Grossi ; President, Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS)

; President, Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS) Andrea Guerrero ; Program Director, Growald Climate Fund; Board Member, Transforma

; Program Director, Growald Climate Fund; Board Member, Transforma Saleemul Huq; Director, International Centre for Climate Change and Development

Mark Kenber ; Executive Director, Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI)

; Executive Director, Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI) Francesco La Camera ; Director-General, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)

; Director-General, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Catherine McKenna ; Chair, U.N. High-Level Expert Group on the Net-Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities

; Chair, U.N. High-Level Expert Group on the Net-Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities Rebecca Mikula-Wright ; CEO, Asia Investor Group on Climate Change; Executive Committee Member, Paris Aligned Investment Initiative

; CEO, Asia Investor Group on Climate Change; Executive Committee Member, Paris Aligned Investment Initiative Marcene Mitchell ; Senior Vice President of Climate Change, World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

; Senior Vice President of Climate Change, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Helen Mountford ; CEO, ClimateWorks Foundation

; CEO, ClimateWorks Foundation Brian Moynihan ; Co-Chair, Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI); Chair of the Board and CEO, Bank of America

; Co-Chair, Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI); Chair of the Board and CEO, Bank of America Annette Nazareth; Chair, Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (IC-VCM)

Damilola Ogunbiyi ; CEO and Special Representative, U.N. Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL); Co-Chair, U.N. Energy

; CEO and Special Representative, U.N. Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL); Co-Chair, U.N. Energy Michele Roberts ; National Co-Coordinator, Environmental Justice Health Alliance

; National Co-Coordinator, Environmental Justice Health Alliance Achim Steiner ; Administrator, U.N. Development Programme

; Administrator, U.N. Development Programme Lord Nicholas Stern ; Chair, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London School of Economics and Political Science

; Chair, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, Vera Songwe ; Co-Chair, U.N. High Level Expert Group on Climate Finance

; Co-Chair, U.N. High Level Expert Group on Climate Finance Laurence Tubiana ; CEO, European Climate Foundation

; CEO, European Climate Foundation Fabby Tumiwa ; Executive Director, Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR)

; Executive Director, Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) Joanne Yawitch; CEO, National Business Initiative (NBI)

To express interest in the ETA, please contact: [email protected].

About the Bezos Earth Fund

The Bezos Earth Fund is Jeff Bezos' $10 billion personal commitment to fund scientists, activists, NGOs and others to help drive climate and nature solutions. By allocating funds creatively, wisely, and boldly, the Bezos Earth Fund has the potential for transformative influence in this decisive decade. Funds will be fully allocated by 2030  the date by which the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals must be achieved. More information about the Bezos Earth Fund is available here: https://www.bezosearthfund.org/who-we-are.

About The Rockefeller Foundation

The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on collaborative partnerships at the frontiers of science, technology, and innovation that enable individuals, families, and communities to flourish. We work to promote the well-being of humanity and make opportunity universal and sustainable. Our focus is on scaling renewable energy for all, stimulating economic mobility, and ensuring equitable access to health care and nutritious food. For more information, sign up for our newsletter at rockefellerfoundation.org and follow us on Twitter @RockefellerFdn.

SOURCE The Rockefeller Foundation
Floral Geometry Stamp Issued in $10 Denomination

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Postal Service has issued a high-denomination stamp celebrating the mathematical symmetry of flowers. A dedication for the stamp was held today at the San Diego Stamp Show.

The new $10 Floral Geometry stamp complements similar $2 and $5 stamps issued in 2022. These stamps lend a contemporary appearance to packages, large envelopes and other mailings.

USPS Celebrates the Symmetrical Beauty of Flowers

The Floral Geometry stamps began as an exploration of the patterns found in nature, specifically the symmetry of flowers.

The designs feature a series of overlapping geometric shapes  circles, ovals and triangles  that reflect the symmetry of floral patterns. As the stamp denominations rise from $2 to $5 to $10, the designs become more complex.

The watercolor backgrounds were painted by hand and scanned. The background for the $10 stamp is red; white geometric lines and typography were added digitally. A foil treatment adds a stylish glimmer.

The stamps were designed and created by the firm Spaeth Hill. Antonio Alcala was the art director.

The $10 Floral Geometry stamp will be issued in panes of four.

Postal Products

Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through the Postal Store at usps.com/shopstamps , by calling 844-737-7826, by mail through USA Philatelic or at Post Office locations nationwide.

Please Note: The United States Postal Service is an independent federal establishment, mandated to be self-financing and to serve every American community through the affordable, reliable and secure delivery of mail and packages to nearly 165 million addresses six and often seven days a week. Overseen by a bipartisan Board of Governors, the Postal Service is implementing a 10-year transformation plan, Delivering for America, to modernize the postal network, restore long-term financial sustainability, dramatically improve service across all mail and shipping categories, and maintain the organization as one of America's most valued and trusted brands.

The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

For USPS media resources, including broadcast quality video and audio and photo stills, visit the USPS Newsroom. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the USPS YouTube Channel and like us on Facebook. For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and facts.usps.com.

Contact: Leisha Palmore-Drummond

(C) 202-258-1788

[email protected]

usps.com/news

SOURCE U.S. Postal Service
Versity Invest has become an institutional quality real estate investment and management firm through its recent changes, with a renewed focus on offering investor-centric real estate investment opportunities

ALISO VIEJO, Calif., Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Versity Invest, LLC, (Versity) owners (Blake Wettengel as CEO and Tanya Muro as COO) are adapting to the current capital market's climate with investor-focused institutional changes to their offerings.

Versity Invest Owners Renewed Focus on Investor-Centric Real Estate Investments Tweet this Blake Wettengel, CEO & Founder

Versity is a privately held California based real estate company, with a portfolio north of $1.65BN comprised of both student housing and conventional multi-family properties. Blake and Tanya have been with the firm, and its predecessors since 2015 and 2009 respectively. Prior to assuming the role of CEO in 2018, Blake was the COO and General Counsel for the firm's predecessor. Mrs. Muro assumed the role of COO in 2018 and has worked in the industry for over 20 years with numerous dealer managers and sponsors.

"As a leading sponsor and manager of DST 1031 programs, Versity Invest is committed to providing investor-centric real estate investment opportunities. We have recently made several modifications to our deal structures, including reduced expenses, fair master leases, and waived asset management fees, demonstrating our dedication to delivering exceptional value to our investors." ~ Tanya Muro, Versity Invest COO

Under Blake and Tanya's leadership the firm has taken many steps to grow Versity Invest into an institutional quality real estate investment and management firm. This includes the pending launch of the firm's broker dealer and RIA private perpetual life student housing real estate investment trusts ("REITs") and a forthcoming SEC registered bond product. Further, the firm recently took the next step in its evolution as a leading sponsor and manager Delaware Statutory Trust ("DST") 1031 programs by making several investor centric modifications to its deal structures including; launching 506c offerings, reducing deal related expenses to an institutional level, waiving asset management fees in early years of syndications, structuring master leases that are clear and fair to trust beneficiaries, and providing cost segregation studies for investors should they wish to use them.

Versity Invest employs 65 professionals in its Aliso Viejo, CA corporate offices and has established several verticals including Book & Ladder Property Management Company. Book & Ladder manages most of the firm's portfolio properties and employees over 210 people nationwide.

"At Versity Invest, effective property management is critical to maximizing the performance of our real estate investments. That's why we have an in-house team of 200+ experts dedicated to delivering exceptional value and maintaining high standards of service across the portfolio." ~ Blake Wettengel, Versity Invest CEO

Finally, Tanya and Blake have committed to the level of transparency their investors and partners are looking for with audited financials on the firm and its products, which are available for review upon request.

Blake Wettengel, CEO

Mr. Wettengel is our Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, President, and the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Versity Invest and its affiliated entities. Under Mr. Wettengel's leadership, Versity has grown into a nationally recognized real estate company that has acquired and operated real estate investments valued in excess of $2 billion across the country. During Mr. Wettengel's tenure, he has overseen the acquisition and management of over 30,000 beds of multifamily properties, securing nearly $1.5 billion in debt and equity investments. The firms founded by Mr. Wettengel have received multiple awards including a ranking in the Inc. 500, which recognizes the fastest growing companies in the country. Prior to founding Versity Invest Mr. Wettengel served as the CEO of the Company's predecessor Versity Investments, LLC beginning March of 2018. Between 2015 and 2018, Mr. Wettengel served as COO and General Counsel for the predecessor of Versity Investments. Mr. Wettengel practiced law from 2005 to 2015, specializing in real estate and corporate transactions and related tax and securities matters. Mr. Wettengel received a B.A. with honors from Brigham Young University and a J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Tanya Muro, COO

Mrs. Muro is Member of the Board of Directors, Chief Operating Officer, and Co-Founder of Versity Invest and its affiliated entities. As Chief Operating Officer of Versity, Mrs. Muro is responsible for the global operations of the company. With 24 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry, Mrs. Muro has closed nearly $3 billion in real estate investments across the country while receiving multiple awards throughout her tenure. Her leadership focuses on high performance areas while providing outstanding client service and driving profitable revenue growth. Prior to Versity Invest Mrs. Muro served as the COO of the Company's predecessor Versity Investments, LLC beginning March of 2018. Between 2009 and 2018, Mrs. Muro served as Chief Administrative Officer and Vice President for the predecessor of Versity Investments. Mrs. Muro has broad knowledge of regulatory bodies, including FINRA and the SEC, while heading Business Development at multiple firms. Mrs. Muro received a B.A. from Loyola Marymount University.

For more information about Versity Invest, LLC, please contact Tanya Muro at 949-540-9164 or by email at [email protected].

ABOUT VERSITY INVEST

Versity Invest, LLC ("Versity") is a real estate investment company located in Orange County, California. Versity specializes in student housing, multi-family, and opportunistic investments across the US. The company's predecessor was originally founded in 2007 and has matured into an institutional quality investment manager with 39 properties in 19 states with a combined syndicated value of $1.65BN. The firm's product lineup includes Delaware Statutory Trusts ("DSTs"), REITs, and LLCs. The firm employs nearly 300 professionals, including approximately 65 home office professionals in Southern California.

Securities offered through WealthForge Securities, LLC, the managing broker-dealer for the Fund and member FINRA/SIPC. Versity Invest (the "Sponsor") and WealthForge are not affiliated. All investments have inherent risks including those risks common in real estate investments. Potential risks relating to the Fund are disclosed in our PPM that must be read by the investor prior to making an investment decision, including the following:

Past performance may not be indicative of future performance, and does not guarantee future performance. The economic success of the Fund will depend upon the results of operations of its properties. Fluctuations in vacancy rates, rent schedules, and operating expenses can adversely affect operating results, financing terms or sale opportunities. No assurance can be given that future cash flow will be sufficient to make the debt service payments on any borrowed funds and also cover capital expenditures or operating expenses. There are risks related to competition from competing properties. The Sponsor is not under any obligation to contribute capital to the Fund. The shares do not represent a diversified investment. There are various conflicts of interest among the Fund, the Sponsor and its affiliates. Shares are illiquid. There are tax risks associated with an investment in the shares. There may be environmental risks related to the properties. Private Placements are speculative. No assurance can be given that shareholders will realize a substantial return (if any) on their investment or that they will not lose their entire investment in the Fund.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Tanya Muro, COO

949-540-9164

[email protected]

versityinvest.com

SOURCE Versity Invest, LLC
HAMILTON, Bermuda, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- At its regular meeting held on February 23, 2023, the Board of Directors of White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd. declared a $1.00 per share annual dividend, payable in cash on March 22, 2023, to holders of record of Common Shares as of the close of business on March 13, 2023.

About White Mountains

White Mountains is a Bermuda-domiciled financial services holding company traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the Bermuda Stock Exchange under the symbol WTM. Additional financial information and other items of interest are available at the Company's web site located at www.whitemountains.com .

CONTACT: Rob Seelig

(603) 640-2202

SOURCE White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd.
The intuitive research solution will provide users with access to even more up-to-date content on constantly developing ESG regulations, legislation, and more across key practice areas

NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S. today announced it has expanded its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) content on VitalLaw with a new column, ESG Ready Lawyer.

Wolters Kluwer's VitalLaw Expands Environmental, Social, and Governance Content with New ESG Ready Lawyer Column for Legal Professionals.

A cutting-edge, digital research solution for legal professionals, VitalLaw provides comprehensive support and world-class content in several key practice areas that touch on ESG matters, including antitrust, cybersecurity, healthcare, labor & employment, and more. With more than 25,000 pieces of applicable content, VitalLaw offers customers access to solutions that enrich the legal process, enabling faster answers and deeper insights to drive greater efficiency and better outcomes for their clients  overall, increasing productivity.

Developed by Senior Legal Analyst Brad Rosen, the ESG Ready Lawyer column will profile top legal practitioners in the ESG area and provide deeper insights on ESG overall. The column will also explore the rapid emergence of the anti-ESG movement, the increasing demand for ESG expertise, and more.

"Legal professionals are increasingly challenged by the unprecedented growth in ESG legal issues and concerns," said Rosen. "Law firms are positioning themselves to respond to increasing demand for ESG expertise by establishing and growing ESG practice groups and teams."

The column's first installment features Perkins Coie partners Allison Handy and Gwen Williamson, who join Rosen to discuss their firm's views on ESG, as well as their own unique journeys in today's ESG climate. To read the ESG Ready Lawyer piece on VitalLaw, visit: Perkins Coie's Allison Handy and Gwen Williamson discuss their approach to ESG legal practice in today's challenging environment

To learn more about VitalLaw and its extensive ESG content, visit: www.wolterskluwer.com/en/solutions/vitallaw-law-firms

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 2022 annual revenues of 5.5 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 .

MEDIA CONTACT:

Linda Gharib

Director, Brand & Communications

Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S.

Tel: +1 (646) 887-7962

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory U.S.
DUBLIN, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global SYK Inhibitors Market & Clinical Trials Outlook 2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report contains a thorough analysis of the recent trend and shifts towards SYK inhibitors and provides detailed information about the possible opportunities that have opened up since the introduction of SYK inhibitors in the market.



Report Highlights:

Global SYK Inhibitors Market Current & Forecast Sales

Global SYK Inhibitors Market Opportunity: > USD 300 Million

SYK Inhibitors Clinical Trials By Company, Country, Indication & Phase

Approved SYK Inhibitor Drug In the market: 1 Drug (Fostamatinib)

Dosage, Patent, Price & Sales Insight On Fostamatinib

Competitive Landscape

With recent significant advances in the field of immunotherapy, the determination of several novel therapeutic approaches for multiple different forms of disorders often remains a challenge. One such novel target that is emerging to have some possible promising potential for drug development in several disorders including cancers is SYK. Spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) is a cytoplasmic non-receptor kinase that is known to have oncogenic properties and has been extensively investigated. Its therapeutic potential has been noticed by pharmaceutical companies and drugs against SYK have started their initial clinical trial phases.

Spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) plays an essential role in regulating immune inflammatory responses by activating a variety of downstream signaling pathways involved in the pathogenesis of several diseases. Several pharmaceutical companies have started to explore the therapeutic possibility of SYK inhibitors and government officials have been encouraging these research and development activities so as to develop more domestically produced drug candidates and attract foreign multinationals in their respective countries by offering clinical benefits. Grifols which is a leading global healthcare company has announced that its SYK inhibitor, Tavlesse is now available across the United Kingdom for adult patients with chronic ITP.

Tavlesse (Fostamatinib) is the first and only SYK inhibitor that is indicated for adult patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) who have not responded to previous treatments. The drug has now been recommended by UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). It is the only targeting agent that works by protecting platelets from destruction. Grifols has exclusive rights for Fostamatinib in Europe, Turkey, Middle East, North Africa, and CIS countries thanks to the licensing agreement collaboration reached with US-based Rigel Pharmaceuticals.

The spleen tyrosine kinase is involved in a variety of biological activities which has led to robust research and development being done on making a robust clinical pipeline for future drug candidates. Factors like rising investments and increasing funds for research and development activities, increasing prevalence of disorders, surging partnerships among pharmaceutical companies, and the advancement in medical technology are fueling the market opportunity for spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) inhibitors resulting in flouring market growth.

This emerging target has resulted in several pharmaceutical industries trying to develop novel therapies and testing them under clinical trials. Recently, Hutchmed Limited announced that it has completed patient enrollment for a pivotal phase II clinical trial for its drug candidate Sovleplenib for the treatment of adult patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) in China. The topline results from the study, ESLIM-01 are expected to be reported during the second half of 2023. If the trial shows the expected success, the company would progress for marketing authorization by the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). Sovleplenib is a novel investigational selective molecule inhibitor for oral administration that targets SYK inhibition.

The market reach of spleen tyrosine kinase inhibitors is very diverse and broad due to every country wanting to develop novel therapeutics for the target. The high demand for the therapy with developed healthcare infrastructure and benefiting government policies will be determining which region moves the farthest in the spleen tyrosine kinase inhibitor market. The increased adoption of new approaches, large population, and innovative product launches are additional factors that determine the window of opportunity for key market players.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Introduction To Spleen Tyrosine Kinase (Syk)

1.1 Overview of Syk Protein

1.2 Structure of Syk Protein

1.3 Potential Of Syk As Drug Target

2. Syk Inhibitors - Mechanism Of Action

3. Role Of Syk Inhibitors By Indication

3.1 Cancer

3.2 Autoimmune diseases

3.3 Viral Infections

3.4 Cardiovascular Diseases

4. Fostamatinib (Tavalisse) - 1st Approved Syk Inhibitor

4.1 Overview & Patent Analysis

4.2 Pricing & Dosage Analysis

4.3 Sales Analysis (2018 - 2022)

5. Global Syk Inhibitors Market Analysis

5.1 Current Market Scenario

5.2 Syk Inhibitors Market Future Outlook (2023 -2028)

6. Global Syk Inhibitors Clinical Pipeline Overview

6.1 By Country

6.2 By Indication

6.3 By Organization

6.4 By Phase

7. Global Syk Inhibitors Clinical Pipeline By Company, Indication & Phase

7.1 Research

7.2 Preclinical

7.3 Phase-I

7.4 Phase-I/II

7.5 Phase-II

7.6 Phase-III

8. Marketed Syk Inhibitors Clinical & Patent Insight

9. Global Syk Inhibitors Market Dynamics

9.1 Market Drivers

9.2 Market Restraints

10. Competitive Landscape

10.1 Calithera Biosciences

10.2 CrystalGenomics

10.3 CSPC Ouyi Pharmaceutical

10.4 Genosco

10.5 Hanmi Pharmaceutical

10.6 HUTCHMED

10.7 IACTA Pharmaceuticals

10.8 Kronos Bio

10.9 Libertas Bio

10.10 Oscotec

10.11 Rigel Pharmaceuticals

10.12 Takeda Oncology

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/1blujh-syk?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

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SOURCE Research and Markets
Xiaoguo Comedy Brings Chinese Culture and Laughter to North America

VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- China's Xiaoguo Comedy recently completed its first-ever six-show tour of North America, running from January 27 to February 14. The troupe's 12 standup comedians, led by Li Dan, performed shows in the United States in Seattle, San Jose, Los Angeles, and New York before heading to Canada's Toronto and Vancouver.

Xiaoguo Comedy Completes Successful North American Tour with Stop in Vancouver, Attracting Thousands of Standup Fans.

The group delivered their unique flavor of standup comedy, making sharp observations on youthful elements of life, social pressure, and other societal issues for North American comedy fans. The comedians gave their own takes and insights gleaned from their time in North America, helping them to strike up a rapport with the local audiences and triggering a hugely positive response.

"Comedy is a common language connecting all those who love comedy through laughter," said He Xiaoxi, co-founder and CEO of Xiaoguo Comedy. "When the audience is connected through humor, everyone comes together to enjoy the power of comedy at Xiaoguo's shows. This is our deeper goal when we first set out on this tour, to connect with larger groups of people and let audiences in America experience the charm of Chinese culture through laughter."

"As dedicated organizers, the very fact that this North American tour was completed so successfully is also a testament to the broad connectivity of what we do. I think it's meaningful and valuable for Chinese people to get together, feel the charm of their own language, and make comedy that belongs to their own national culture. It's also a way to see the world through a more optimistic prism," he added.

The rise of standup comedy in China has been fueled by a new generation of young people more eager to discuss social topics. Xiaoguo's comedians typically discuss themes that resonate with them, such as He Guangzhi discussing life as a "Shanghai drifter" and NiaoNiao telling the story of her times as a single woman. These anecdotes make up material that anyone may be able to react to, naturally striking a chord with a wide audience. For China's younger generations, standup comedy has become a "mouthpiece" for everyone who loves life.

With China and Shanghai's recent rapid development and continuous improvements in society, the country's population is becoming increasingly adept at showing their youthfulness, humor, and self-confidence, telling their own stories more easily and coming together with laughter, a fundamental reason why standup comedy has thrived there, especially in Shanghai where the troupe first started.

"Standup comedy is ultimately a cultural industry," commented Huang Ping, a professor of Chinese at East China Normal University. "Culture needs a free, open and tolerant atmosphere, and the industry requires a developed and deep market environment. Both of these aspects are present in Shanghai."

Members of Xiaoguo Comedy have been able to encapsulate their generation's lifestyle through their stories, effectively expressing their takes on life from the perspectives of younger Chinese members of society. They have successfully used standup comedy as a new form of language to express themselves and gain the audience's adoration while also telling the story of China to more and more people in more places, including overseas.

Taking to the North American stage, these Chinese performers have become representatives of the country's culture. They tell audiences about their own lives as a basis for discussing the attitudes and ideas of young people today, forming a new platform for giving people a voice in the modern world.

Xiaoguo Comedy's success with its North American tour is only the first step in the company's global market expansion. After the North American tour, the troupe will continue to bring belly laughs to audiences in other cities around the world.

For more information, please visit Xiaoguo Comedy's pages on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

SOURCE Xiaoguo Comedy
Jerusalem, Feb 24 : Israel has approved plans to build 7,157 new housing units in the settlements in the occupied West Bank, an Israeli settlement watchdog group said.

The Higher Planning Council of the Civil Administration, an Israeli body responsible for approving construction in the West Bank, approved the building plans after two days of discussions that began on Wednesday, according to a statement released by Peace Now on Thursday.

Out of the planned new housing units, 5,257 units are being advanced with preliminary approval, while 1,900 are waiting for the final approval required for the construction to begin, it said.

This represents one of the largest settlement expansion projects approved in recent years, compared to 4,427 housing units approved in 2022 and 3,645 units in 2021, it added.

The move came fewer than two months after the swearing-in of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition, which is dominated by ultra-nationalist and pro-settler parties, Xinhua news agency reported.

On Wednesday, an Israeli military raid in the West Bank city of Nablus killed 11 Palestinians and injured 102 others, aggravating the already tense ties between Israelis and Palestinians.
Baghdad, Feb 24 : Iraq has arrested five "terrorists," who were charged with crimes, including killing, imprisoning and torturing citizens, in the country's northern province of Salahudin, an official source said.

During several pre-emptive operations, the Interior Ministry's intelligence agency "was able to arrest five wanted terrorists for their affiliation with the Islamic State (IS) gangs," said a statement issued by the Security Media Cell (SMC), a media outlet affiliated with Iraq's armed forces.

The SMC didn't reveal details about the time of the arrests, Xinhua news agency reported.

Over the past months, Iraqi security forces have conducted operations against extremist militants to crack down on their intensified activities.

The security situation in Iraq has been improving since the defeat of the IS in 2017. However, its remnants have since sneaked into urban centres, deserts and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians.
United Nations, Feb 24 : India has again abstained on a resolution calling for Russia to end the invasion of Ukraine that was adopted by more than two-thirds of the votes in the UN General Assembly in a snub to Moscow.

The vote on the resolution sponsored by Ukraine and more than 65 co-sponsors took place on Thursday, the eve of the first anniversary of the invasion, while simultaneously a roundtable sponsored by India's mission to explore the concept of "Gandhian Trusteeship" for world peace was taking place next door.

Explaining India's abstention, the country's Permanent Representative to UN, Ruchira Kamboj, who rushed to the General Assembly chamber from that meeting, said that "we will always call for dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable way out".

The resolution did not mention negotiations to end the conflict, but called for "diplomatic efforts to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine, consistent with the Charter".

Kamboj asked, "Can any process that does not involve either of the two sides ever lead to a credible and meaningful solution"? "While we take note of the stated objectives of today's resolution, given its inherent limitations in reaching our desired goal of securing lasting peace we are constrained to abstain," she said.

Kamboj invoked Prime Minister Narendra Modi's often-quoted statement that "this cannot be an era of war" and said, "Escalation of hostilities and violence is in no one's interest. Instead, an urgent return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy is the way forward." The resolution was adopted by 141 votes, with seven against and 32 abstentions in the Assembly where 191 of its 193 members retain voting rights.

The resolution deplores Russia's invasion and demands its immediate withdrawal for a "comprehensive, just and lasting peace".

It also demands the prosecution of crimes and justice for victims.

Earlier, two amendments sponsored by Russia's close ally Belarus to gut the resolution were voted down, receiving only 11 votes for one and 15 for the other.

India abstained also on the amendments that sought to remove references to Moscow's aggression and invasion and the demand for it to withdraw from occupied territories, while calling instead for an end to arms supply to Ukraine.

In a sideshow, Pakistan's Permanent Representative Munir Akram brought up Kashmir claiming that it had parallels to Ukraine, which the sponsors of the resolution ignore.

Pratik Mathur, a counsellor at India's mission, said it was an "uncalled for provocation" that "is particularly regrettable and certainly misplaced at a time when after two days of intense discussions, we have all agreed that the path of peace can be the only path forward to resolve conflict".

Kamboj said that despite the support of member states for diplomatic efforts to end the conflict and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' attempts to promote a comprehensive peace, "reports from the ground portray a complex scenario with the conflict intensifying on several fronts." The General Assembly took up the resolution in an emergency session because of the paralysis of the Security Council hobbled by Russia's vetoes and it has brought to the fore demands for reforms, which India has been lobbying for.

India's Permanent Representative to UN pointedly asked, "Has the UN system and particularly its principal organ, the UN Security Council based on a 1945 world construct not been rendered ineffective to address contemporary challenges to global peace and security"? Only the five countries that were considered the winners of World War II were given veto rights in the Council.

Unlike Security Council resolutions, those of the General Assembly have no enforcement powers and only carry moral influence.

Thursday's was the sixth resolution on Ukraine since the invasion that began on February 24 a year ago and India has abstained on all of them.

Kamboj said that India was concerned that the "conflict has resulted in the loss of countless lives and misery, particularly for women, children and the elderly, with millions becoming homeless and forced to seek shelter in neighbouring countries... economic reports of attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are also deeply concerning".

India, for its part, was helping deal with its fallout in Ukraine and elsewhere, she added.

We are providing both humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and economic support to some of our neighbours in the Global South under economic distress even as they stare at the escalating costs of food, fuel and fertilisers, which has been a consequential fallout of the ongoing conflicta, she said.

(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis)
Lucknow, Feb 24 : Several vehicles were charred after a massive fire broke out in the dumping yard of the Lucknow Municipal Corporation, late on Thursday night, officials said.

Fire tenders rushed to the site to bring the blaze under control.

The Municipal Corporation's JCB machines were engaged in removing junk vehicles from the site so that the fire could be extinguished. Explosions took place on the site due to junk vehicles catching fire.

All the officers of the Municipal Corporation, including the Municipal Commissioner, also reached the spot.

It took several hours to douse the flames at the site.

The extent of the loss in the fire is yet to be assessed, said officials.
Prayagraj, Feb 24 : The Allahabad High Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh government to file a progress report on the inquiry into the death of a mother-daughter duo during an anti-encroachment drive in Kanpur Dehat district on February 13.

The high court has also sought the personal affidavit of the state's Home Secretary on the issue.

A division bench comprising Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta and Justice Syed Qamar Hasan Rizvi fixed March 16 as the next date of hearing.

The high court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by one Avanish Kumar Pandey, who sought the court's intervention in the matter.

A woman and her daughter were allegedly burnt alive after a house caught fire when the police and administration teams were clearing encroachments in a Kanpur Dehat village on February 13.

During the course of arguments, it was informed on behalf of the state government that immediate action had been taken and an order of suspension issued as well as an FIR under sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and other sections of the Indian Penal Code had been lodged against officials.

The family of the two women, aged 44 and 21 years respectively, had lodged the FIR against 42 people, including Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Maitha, Gyaneshwar Prasad Singh on February 14.

The Uttar Pradesh government further submitted that a magisterial inquiry apart from a probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been ordered and both are in progress.

The government also told the court that Rs five lakh each has been paid to the family of the deceased.
Addia Ababa, Feb 24 : Ethiopia earned $413.82 million from horticulture exports in the first seven months of the current Ethiopian fiscal year 2022/2023 which started on July 8, an Ethiopian official said.

The revenue amount was collected from the export of flowers, fruits and vegetables, Mekonen Solomon, horticulture export account coordinator at the Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture, was quoted by the state media outlet Ethiopian Press Agency, as saying on Thursday.

Ethiopia obtained $348.12 million from flower exports and $65.7 million from fruit and vegetable exports in the reported period, Xinhua news agency reported.

The flower export revenue, in particular, grew by nearly 20 per cent compared to the same period of the previous year.

Ethiopia's flower exports are the second-highest foreign currency grossing export items for the East African country, next to coffee exports.
Nicosia, Feb 24 : Cyprus' President-elect Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar met for the first time, but failed to move any closer to restarting the long-stalled peace negotiations for the reunification of the eastern Mediterranean island.

"They had an informal discussion, which was open and constructive," the UN Peace Keeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) said in a statement on Thursday.

The two met on neutral ground at the home of Canadian diplomat Colin Stewart, who also performs the role of deputy special adviser of the UN Secretary General on Cyprus, in the UN-controlled buffer zone dividing the capital Nicosia.

The statement added they addressed several issues, including the recent devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. In the latter context, they expressed their condolences to the families of the victims, Xinhua news agency reported.

Several Turkish Cypriots who stayed in Turkey were killed in the quakes.

However, the statement did not provide details on the issue of restarting the negotiations for a Cyprus solution, which came to an impasse at a UN-led international conference in Switzerland in July 2017.
Raipur, Feb 24 : The Congress plenary session will begin at Raipur, Chhattisgarh, on Friday with meeting of Steering Committee, which will decide on the agenda of the meeting.

Sources indicate that plenary may decide for the Congress Working Committee (CWC) polls but it may be deferred for a few months and the polls may take place at a later stage.

On Friday, the Steering Committee will meet in the morning and Subject Committee in the evening.

The Congress on Thursday said that it is ready to hold elections to the CWC -- the party's top decision-making authority -- where 12 members are elected.

Congress General Secretary Communications In-charge, Jairam Ramesh said: "We can clearly say about it after the Steering Committee has met and decided on the issue... the party is fully prepared for the CWC election." He added that Congress is the only party which is holding elections and recently, the President of the party has been elected.

The party has 1,338 elected and 487 co-opted All India Congress Committee members, who will attending the plenary but only elected members can vote in the elections to the CWC, as per the party Constitution.
Seoul, Feb 24 : North Korea has conducted "strategic cruise missile" launching drills, with the "war posture" of the country's nuclear combat forces clearly demonstrated, as South Korea and the US held joint military exercises this week, Pyongayng's state media said on Friday.

A sub-unit of the North's strategic cruise missile unit fired four "Hwasal-2 strategic cruise missiles" from an area of the northeastern city of Kim Chaek in North Hamgyong province toward the East Sea at dawn on Thursday, according to the Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

"The four strategic cruise missiles precisely hit the preset target on the East Sea of Korea after travelling the 2,000 km-long elliptical and eight-shaped flight orbits for 10,208 seconds to 10,224 seconds," Yonhap News Agency quoted the KCNA report as saying.

"The drill reconfirmed the reliability of the weapon system and examined the rapid response posture of strategic cruise missile units that constitute one of major forces of the DPRK nuclear deterrent.

"The drill clearly demonstrated once again the war posture of the DPRK nuclear combat force bolstering up in every way its deadly nuclear counterattack capability against the hostile forces," it added.

DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

South Korea's military said it was analysing various possibilities related to the North's claim of the launches.

"South Korean and US reconnaissance and surveillance assets were closely monitoring the relevant area at the time (of the drills) the North claims," the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

"An analysis is underway on various possibilities, including whether the North's claim is true or not." Meanwhile, the allies held tabletop drills against North Korea's nuclear threats at the Pentagon on Wednesday.

They also held trilateral missile defence exercise, joined by Japan, in the international waters of the East Sea earlier this week in response to the North's recent firing of ballistic missiles, including a long-range one.
Prayagraj : , Feb 24 (IANS) There is finally some good news for those in the business of hookah bars.

The Allahabad High Court has asked authorities in Uttar Pradesh to deal with applications, seeking grant or renewal of licence to run hookah bars, preferably within a period of one month from the date of filing.

All hookah bars run in different districts of the state were discontinued in 2020 during the spread of Covid-19.

A bench comprising acting Chief Justice Pritinker Diwaker and Justice Saumitra Dayal observed, "Covid-19 pandemic restrictions have been largely relaxed and therefore the interveners may be allowed to recommence their business. They have relied on the facts and circumstances of similar businesses being allowed to run in different states of the country." Additional advocate general, Manish Goyal, representing the state government, submitted that hookah bar owners have yet not applied to the statutory authority under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, for fresh licence. In case they apply, their request will be considered strictly in accordance with law, as expeditiously as possible.

"In view of the fact that undisputedly the business of running of hookah bars is regulated under the aforesaid Act, it is left open to the individual interveners to apply to the statutory authority for grant/renewal of licence to run their respective hookah bars," the court said.

The counsel appearing for the hookah bar owners urged that restrictions imposed during Covid-19 pandemic have largely been relaxed and therefore, they may be allowed to recommence their business.

Hari Govind Dubey, an LL.B student at University of Lucknow, had filed a letter petition with the high court in 2020, over the issue of spread of coronavirus through hookah bars in the state.

The court took cognizance of the same and treated the letter as a PIL.
Raipur, Feb 24 : In a clear message to the party that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is firmly placed in the driving seat, the Gandhis are skipping the party's steering committee meeting at the 85th Plenary in Raipur scheduled for 10 a.m. on Friday.

Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are expected to land in the state capital in the afternoon.

Sources said that this is to give a clear signal that Kharge is in full command and they do not want to give the message that decisions in the party are not done under the influence of the Gandhis.

Sources indicate that the meeting may decide on whether elections will be held for the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party's top decision making body or may be deferred for a few months.

The Steering Committee will meet in the morning and the Subject Committee in the evening.

The Congress on Thursday said that it is ready to hold elections to the CWC -- where 12 members are elected.

Congress General Secretary Communications in-charge, Jairam Ramesh said: "We can clearly say about it after the Steering Committee has met and decided on the issue... the party is fully prepared for the CWC election."
Shillong, Feb 24 : Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma asserted that supporting the Trinamool Congress in the upcoming election equals to wasting the vote as the party will never come to power in the state. He also termed party leader Mukul Sangma a "dictatorial person" and accused him of being involved in "killing" innocent citizens.

Addressing an election rally at Dadenggre in the Garo Hills on Thursday, the Chief Minister said: "There is no point in supporting TMC or any other party. The NPP is set to form the government. Do not waste your vote supporting other parties.

"Mukul Sangma may have joined TMC, but he is the same person, who has killed innocent civilians while in power. Garo Hills will never forget the incident, where nine lives were lost." Conrad Sangma also tried to label Trinamool Congress as an "outsider" party and said" "Mukul Sangma left Congress, as he thought there was no future in the Congress party, but he failed to calculate that the people of Garo Hills will never accept a party that is from outside when they have the option to choose a party from its own state." Further accusing Mukul Sangma of using force and not initiating dialogue to resolve issues and conflict, Conrad Sangma asserted that his party believes in carrying forward the views of the people.

"We will never do anything that is against the aspiration of the people. Our party always stands to protect and safeguard the interests of our people," he claimed.

He added that in the last five years there were many challenges before the state government, there were situations when civil bodies had to protest, but it never used force but always initiated dialogue with the agitating groups.
Kolkata, Feb 24 : Two top officials, one each from CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED), have arrived in Kolkata to review the progress of the probe in the multi-crore cattle smuggling scam in West Bengal.

While, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)'s additional director Ajay Bhatanagar arrived late Thursday evening, ED's director Sanjay Mishra reached the state capital on Friday morning.

Both Bhatnagar and Mishra are expected to hold meetings with the officials of their respective central agencies with regards to the progress of the probe.

According to sources, Bhatanagar is expected to review the statements and confessions made by the recently-arrested middlemen regarding involvement of influential persons in the scam.

Similarly, Mishra is likely to assess the progress of ED sleuths in tracking the money trail. There is a possibility of a joint review meeting to ensure better coordination between the two agencies, the sources said.

The arrival of the two top officials of the two prime central investigative agencies comes at a time when different courts have made adverse comments about the slow pace of the investigation.

Judges of different courts, including Calcutta High Court, have observed that it was high time that the central agencies, especially the CBI, moved ahead of arresting and questioning the middlemen and sub-agents and approached the master brain behind the crime.

The latest observation came from the judge of the special court of CBI in Kolkata, Arpan Chattopadhyay, who drew the reference of the great Indian pathfinder Ramakrishna Paramhansa while hearing the bail pleas of the three such middlemen in the scam.

"Do you know what Ramakrishna Paramhansa said regarding the definition of a Guru. He said that Guru is the God for his followers. Who is the Guru of the three accused? Find that out and complete the chain," the judge said.

Opposition parties like Congress and CPI(M) too have ridiculed the slow progress of the investigation calling it a result of a clandestine understanding between BJP and ruling All India Trinamool Congress.
Mumbai, Feb 24 : Music composer Tanishk Bagchi has released a brand new single 'Taare' in the Indie pop music space.

Presented by T-Series, and produced by Bhushan Kumar, the song is composed as well as sung by Tanishk himself, while the lyrics are penned by Rashmi Virag.

'Taare' is a beautiful melody of love that is sure to melt your heart with its soothing tunes. The music video is a lyrical animation by digital creator Pixoury.

Talking about the song, Tanishk said: "This song is very close my heart as I've been working on it since quite a while. Taare will bring a smile to your face when you play it, as it's a very soothing and calming song." "It's not very usual that I sing, but for this song I have and I'm super happy about it. This is an Indie pop song and it appeals more to the young listeners and I'm sure they'll love it." The digital artist Pixoury said: "I was very thrilled to work on a song by Tanishk. The song Taare is really beautiful both musically and lyrically, and hence I've given my best to make it visually pleasing as well." Lyricist Rashmi Virag said, "Tanishk has flawlessly justified the lyrics through his music and his melodious voice. The outcome of this song is truly mesmerising and it is sure to go on the listeners' playlists." T-Series' 'Taare' is sung and composed by Tanishk, and lyrics penned by Rashmi Virag. Animated video by Pixoury, 'Taare' is now out on T-Series' Youtube Channel.
Washington, Feb 24 : Thousands of high school students in two US states returned to classes after 48 hours of uncertainty from baseless claims of potential violence on their campuses.

Several threats to schools in California's heavily populated San Gabriel Valley, east of Los Angeles, were received on Tuesday, while schools in at least a dozen Colorado districts went on temporary lockdown or secure mode early Wednesday after receiving a spate of phone threats from unidentified sources, Xinhua news agency reported.

In both states, the threats resulted in administrators locking doors to protect students, the mobilisation and employment of police SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) teams, and desperate parents scrambling to determine the safety and well-being of their children.

In Colorado, school officials said the list of impacted districts on Wednesday covered hundreds of kilometres, from Boulder and Englewood on the Front Range to Aspen in the heart of the Rocky Mountains.

No injuries were reported, and some lockdowns were lifted in a matter of minutes, local media reported.

As was also the case in California, "none of the threats have been deemed credible", according to Colorado's Office of Emergency Management.

"Our State Watch Center staff continue to monitor and communicate with local law enforcement to coordinate information related to today's school incidents," the office said in a statement on Thursday.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, its Denver office and local law enforcement agencies were continuing to investigate the source of the calls, and law enforcement and school districts "believe the threats across the state were coordinated." "It is important to note that law enforcement will use all available resources to investigate a threat until we determine whether it is real or not," the FBI told local media. "We urge the public to remain vigilant, and report any and all suspicious activity or individuals to law enforcement immediately." In the Golden State, Alhambra High School was briefly placed on lockdown Tuesday afternoon as authorities investigated an anonymous threat.

The lockdown was lifted an hour later after police swept the school and quickly debunked "concerns regarding a photo that was airdropped to some students," Fox11 News reported.

"No signs of any threat were discovered during a campus sweep by the police," the school's social media account posted. "The release of students was then coordinated by officers and school administrators." Fourteen kilometers away at Arcadia High School, another threat resulted in a police inquiry, but that the availability of any additional information was delayed.

Earlier Tuesday, El Camino Real High School in nearby Woodland Hills was placed on lockdown after a report of "a gunman on campus".

The threat was deemed not credible by the Los Angeles Police Department and the lockdown was soon lifted.

HISTORIC UPSURGE "The pattern of this kind of prank-like behavior has increased causing issues of safety in the school," the Gossips World news site said Thursday.

Many parents are thinking of getting their kids homeschooled for their safety issues, but what they learn in school with peers is completely different from what they learn being homeschooled, the news site added.

According to Colorado Public Radio, the activity is called "swatting," with the goal of drawing an armed police response "which may include a special weapons and tactics (SWAT) team." Swatting is a "hoax call placed to 911 that falsely reports an emergency such as an armed intruder, active shooting or bomb threat", Wednesday's Denver Post said.

There has been a surge in swatting calls targeting schools across the country over the past couple of years, NPR reported.

So far in 2023, there have been 317 false reports of violence in schools around the country, and there has been a "600 per cent increase in the last four years", according to the Educator's School Safety Network that tracks such incidents.

An NPR analysis last year found schools in 28 states were targeted by the same individual.

Most of the attacks, especially those that occur in clusters, "appear to be perpetrated by someone overseas," and the "perpetrator often attacks groups of schools in the same state on the same day", the analysis said.

"They appear to be intended to cause mass panic," according to the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO). The motive for these continued attacks, however, is uncertain.
United Nations, Feb 24 : India is practicing Mahatma Gandhi's doctrine of trusteeship in the contemporary world by following "a human-centric global development approach, not a self-centered model", according to India's Permanent Representative Ruchira Kamboj.

Speaking on Thursday at a roundtable here on Gandhian Trusteeship, she said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would carry this through during India's Presidency of the G20, the group of the major industrialised and emerging economies.

She said that according to him India will be the voice of the developing South "whose voices are frequently ignored" and share "India's experiences, lessons learned and growth models during our G20 Presidency".

India is guided by the concept of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam", the "world being one large interconnected family", and has emerged as the "first responder" to the crises around the world showing "altruism of the highest kind" as during the Covid-19 pandemic.

She listed India's most recent responses to the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, and to the crises in Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Mozambique, among other countries.

She said that India's slogan for G20, "One earth, one family, one future", simply means, "ee may be different nations, but humanity is one".

The roundtable on Gandhian principles took place as the General Assembly was voting next door on a resolution on the Ukraine-Russia war.

"What I find very, very powerful is that we are talking about peace about non-violence" while the Assembly was seized with the Ukraine crisis.

Norway's Deputy Permanent Representative Trine Heimerback said that in today's world Gandhi's doctrine of trusteeship means "multilateral cooperation and global solutions for global challenges".

This approach operationalises the trusteeship doctrine through efforts to realise UN's sustainable development goals, she said.

The goals are "all about responsibility, equitable trusteeship for a planet and for the common good of humanity, and when countries use their comparative advantages to advance SDG agenda, so much can still be achieved", she said.

Dean of the University of Peace Jaun Carlos Sainz-Borgo said that as a Latino from the Caribbean, the idea of using the tools of peace to fight against a colonial power made an impression on him.

Recalling his introduction to Gandhi from the 1982 movie starring Ben Kingsley, which he followed up by reading books, he said that popular media can be an important way to communicate ideas to a broader section of people.

The movie "really opened my eyes to the complexities of the role (of Gandhi), even though (there was) the oversimplification of a movie, especially a Hollywood movie", he said.

"But as an educator and as a representative of a university, it is very important to really take into consideration that we cannot neglect any platform for education. You know, sometimes the type of tools they can make, really open up the interest of many people that you wouldn't address otherwise." Joel Rosenthal, the president of Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, recalled Gandhi's terse letter to the drafters of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, "all rights to be deserved and preserved come from duties well done".

"That's basically all Gandhi had to say, in terms of his advice to the drafters," he said.

"Today, empathy and mutuality are losing out due to identity politics, blood and soil nationalism in winner-take-all economics", but "a return to the idea of human flourishing, echoing Gandhi might help turn the tide", he added.

(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis)
Islamabad, Feb 24 : Pakistan has presented "irrefutable evidence" to the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan about the presence of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terror outfit's hideouts and precise location of its leadership in the war-torn nation.

The evidence was shared during the visit of a high-powered delegation led by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif to Kabul, The Express Tribune reported.

Contrary to the statement issued by the Afghan government, the visit had only one point agenda focusing on counter terrorism and presence of the TTP sanctuaries on Afghan soil.

It was the first high-level visit from Pakistan since the change of government and particularly after the surge in TTP sponsored terrorist attacks.

There was a shift in Pakistan's stance on the TTP after the recent spike in terrorist attacks with the country's civil and military leadership no longer seeking talks with the terror outfit.

Against this backdrop, the Pakistani delegation not only shared what sources said "irrefutable evidence" about the presence of TTP leadership but sought decisive action with "no ifs and buts", The Express Tribune reported.

What was significant during the visit was that the Pakistani side for the first time confronted the Afghan Taliban leadership with evidence that TTP leadership was freely moving in Afghanistan and importantly with the facilitation of the interim government.

The Afghan side gave a detailed briefing to the Pakistani side and conceded that terrorism was originating from the Afghan soil. The Pakistani delegation was presented with different options and solutions to deal with the problem.

However, the Pakistani side was not satisfied with the presentation and proposals to resolve the TTP issue.

Pakistan then shared evidence and "precise location" of TTP leadership in Afghanistan.

The Afghan Taliban government could not deny the hard facts but failed to mention the same in its official handout, The Express Tribune reported.
New Delhi, Feb 24 : After India being Country of Honour at the Festival du Livre de Paris in France in April 2022, it is now France's turn to be Guest of Honour at the New Delhi World Book Fair, which is opening its doors at Pragati Maidan on 25th February 2023.

The reciprocal invitation was decided between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Emmanuel Macron. India's participation in the Festival du Livre Paris came alive in April 2022 with a line-up comprising many Indian publishers and some of the most innovative Indian authors available in French translation. French audiences got the chance to meet star authors like Vikas Swarup, Perumal Murugan, Ajay Chowdhury, and Anuradha Roy. Classical Indian texts were also given prominence through a special series brought out by French Publisher Les Belles Lettres with the release of a special series of 10 Indian classical texts illustrated by contemporary Indian artists.

This year, France will be present as Guest of Honour at the New Delhi World Book Fair from 25th February to 5th March at Pragati Maidan.

Visitors to the book fair will have a chance to meet a delegation of sixteen authors from France, including 2022 Nobel Laureate for Literature Annie Ernaux. At 82 years of age, this will be her first visit to India. She will give a special lecture at Pragati Maidan on 25th February following the opening, and a conference at the Shri Ram Centre on 26th February. All translated into English, her books are widely available at their Indian pricing in all major bookshops in Delhi.

The delegation of authors coming from France comprises some of the most popular contemporary writers across literary genres, including adult fiction, non-fiction, young adult fiction, children's books and graphic novels. There is a special focus on these two latter genres, which are increasingly popular among Indian readers, as evidenced by the success of French graphic novel Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi in India.

In addition, a dozen French publishers will meet their Indian counterparts to learn about the Indian publishing markets, and exchange rights between the two countries. Representatives from the French publishing industry bureau (Bureau international de l'Adition franAaise and Syndicat national de l'edition), the Institut franAais en Inde, and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs will also be present.

Speaking ahead of the event, the Ambassador of France to India, H.E. Mr Emmanuel Lenain, said: "France and India are two great nations of literature, and we believe in forging closer links between our authors, publishers and readers. France's participation as the Guest of Honour of the New Delhi World Book Fair will be an opportunity to provide direct access to some of the best and most diverse French literary works. We also want it to be an enjoyable French experience for all participants! That's why the French Pavilion has been designed by French graphic novelist Simon Lamouret to resemble a French bookstore with a cafe inside. France has one of the densest networks of independent bookstores, and a long tradition of cafes being a meeting point for writers and intellectuals. This is the ambience we wanted to recreate." Besides their participation in round-tables and special events at the book fair, the French authors will give lectures and workshops in major universities, bookstores, and other cultural institutions such as the Alliance franAaise de Delhi.

After their visit to Delhi, each one of them will visit other Indian cities, with the support of the Alliance franAaise network present in 15 cities across the country. A way to discover the rich and diverse literary traditions of India! (IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)
New Delhi, Feb 24 : Alia Bhatt's brand Ed-a-Mamma brings it one step closer to creating an 'Ed-a-Mamma' world by introducing its latest infant clothing. Encouraging children and their mothers to prioritise the environment, Bhatt who is the investor and founder, feels the environment has always been a top priority for her and that one owes a healthy planet to our children.

The actress speaks to IANSlife about how the brand is getting closer to its objective of changing the world one garment at a time.

What motivated you to launch an infants' wear collection? Why wasn't it launched earlier, when the brand was first established? Alia: The brand was launched with a vision to create an all-encompassing Ed-a-Mamma universe with earth-friendly products for all age groups. Our first offering is Ed-a-Mamma clothing, which we launched in the middle of the pandemic. Our strategy was to launch in April 2020, but then the lockdown was announced and the earliest we could launch was in October. Despite having the wrong merchandise launch in the wrong season, the product was really appreciated by parents. And it was this encouraging response - towards our product and its positioning - that helped us know we were on the right track.

Maternity was born out of a personal need - I struggled to find good maternity wear in India and realised a gap in my wardrobe reflected a gap in the market. After the immense love garnered by Ed-a-Mamma for its first-ever maternity and nursing collection, infant wear felt like the natural next step. Again, the decision to launch this collection was a deeply personal one.

As young mothers, we want to give our children the best of everything. And so, on my quest to find the best possible clothes for my baby, we embarked on the journey to create this infant wear line, which I am so happy to share with you. The idea is to build and reinforce the same narrative across the child's journey - and there's no better time to start than when they're young and plant the seeds for a better planet.

What distinguishes the company's newborn line from other brands? Alia: Our brand is inclusive in every sense of the word. We walk the talk by using fabrics that are natural and fully biodegradable. All garments are pre-washed and tested to ensure they are pH safe for babies. Ed-a-Mamma prioritizes state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques that ensure comfort and care. The brand only uses AZO-free dyes that are safe for kids in addition to buttons and trims that are plastic and nickel free.

What about the fabrics used to make the outfit? What were the difficulties you encountered? Alia: The Girls and Boys infant-wear ranges are 100 per cent cotton and the Unisex range is a premium line where 100 per cent GOTS-certified organic cotton is used and the graphic treatment & garment details are minimal. Sourcing the right fabrics has never been a challenge but maintaining premium quality at these affordable price points is tough.

Tell us a little more about the three themes: Jungle Joy, Cute-a-saunas, and Woodland Wonders.

Alia: Our first infant wear collection is inspired by nature. Jungle joy is an outdoor adventure, exploring all things nature. Cute-a-Sauras is all about dinosaurs, with playful, happy prints. Woodland Wonders is a personal favourite and features adorable animal graphics.

What are your thoughts on the offline space? Do you want to expand across India? Alia: While the brand is currently available across 22 Lifestyle outlets, pan India and we've launched at Azorte as well. But, hopefully, we'll be able to launch our exclusive stores later this year - a place where the kids and their parents can truly experience the world of Ed-a-Mamma. Yes, and after doing well in India, the brand is set to expand the business beyond India starting from the Middle East, where we will be available in the next 6 months.

Anything that you've learned or been inspired by while creating the line? Alia: I get involved in design and communication - to ensure we're truly maintaining the brand narrative across categories. Both maternity wear and baby wear are deeply personal for me.

The former was born out of a gap in my personal wardrobe. We then realised there was a need for comfortable yet functional nursing wear - this was something that our consumers highlighted. This is why a couple of months later, we launched a line of nursing wear.

As a young mother, I always want what's best and safe for my baby, which is how our infant wear line came about. And just like our other products, this line is good for your baby and our planet. The environment has always been a big area of concern for me and as a mum, I am even more mindful that we owe our children a healthy planet.

(N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe can be contacted at lothungbeni.h@ians.in)
New York, Feb 24 : The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) has welcomed the nomination of Indian-American Ajay Banga as the World Bank president, calling it a proud chapter in the success stories of the Indian-American diaspora.

If confirmed by the World Bank Board, Banga will be the first person of Indian descent and first Sikh-American to head the multilateral institution.

"It's another proud chapter in the success stories of the Indian-American diaspora, and I wish Ajay all the best for this new inning" said USISPF President and CEO, Mukesh Aghi.

The USISPF, an independent not-for-profit institution dedicated to strengthening the US-India partnership, said Banga's deep expertise and several years of experience in the fields of financial inclusion, public-private partnerships, and climate finance make him a phenomenal leader to head the Bank.

"Ajay's background in his early years in India, gives him a deep understanding of the emerging market world and bridging the gaps in gender parity and working towards poverty alleviation, issues at the core ethos of the Bank's mission," Aghi said in a statement.

A tireless believer in both the strength of US-India ties and strengthening the relationship even further, Banga is also a founding trustee of USISPF.

The former Mastercard CEO has been instrumental in setting up USISPF as a founding board member and a vital pillar in USISPF's success over the last five years.

Banga's work with Citigroup, Mastercard, General Atlantic, and USISPF will allow for a seamless transition to mobilising resources in public-private partnerships to tackle issues on climate, water resources, food security, and healthcare, the USISPF said in a statement.

Banga, who was born in India and studied at Delhi's St Stephen's College, currently serves as vice chairman at General Atlantic.

While announcing his nomination on Thursday, the White House said that over the course of his career, Banga has become a global leader in technology, data, financial services and innovating for inclusion.

Banga was awarded the Foreign Policy Association Medal in 2012, the Padma Shri Award by India in 2016, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and the Business Council for International Understanding's Global Leadership Award in 2019, and the Distinguished Friends of Singapore Public Service Star in 2021.
New Delhi, Feb 24 : Prompted by feedback from the independent Oversight Board, Meta has said it is updating its "Facebook jail" penalty system to make it fairer and more effective.

The company said they will still be able to keep the platform safe while also allowing people to express themselves with new penalty updates.

"Under the new system, we will focus on helping people understand why we have removed their content, which is shown to be more effective at preventing re-offending, rather than so quickly restricting their ability to post," said Monika Bickert, Vice President of Content Policy at Meta.

Meta will still apply account restrictions to persistent violators, typically beginning at the seventh violation, after it has given sufficient warnings and explanations to help the person understand why it removed their content.

The company will also restrict people from posting in groups at lower thresholds where warranted.

"For more serious violations: posting content that includes terrorism, child exploitation, human trafficking, suicide promotion, sexual exploitation, the sale of non-medical drugs or the promotion of dangerous individuals and organizations, we will continue to apply immediate consequences, including account removal in severe cases," said Bickert.

Historically, some of those people have ended up in "Facebook jail" without understanding what they did wrong or whether they were impacted by a content enforcement mistake.

"We're making this change in part because we know we don't always get it right," said Meta.

Rather than potentially over-penalising people with a lower number of strikes from low-severity violations and limiting their ability to express themselves, "this new approach will lead to faster and more impactful actions for those that continuously violate our policies".

"Our analysis has found that nearly 80 per cent of users with a low number of strikes do not go on to violate our policies again in the next 60 days," informed Bickert.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Amman, Feb 24 : Jordan's Foreign Ministry said that the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation (JHCO) has dispatched a 14-truck convoy loaded with medicines, food, blankets and drinking water to quake-hit Syria.

The Ministry said in a statement that the aid would be delivered to the devastated regions in Syria through the cross-border transport system, reports Xinhua news agency.

The Higher Relief Committee in Syria received seven trucks of aid from the JHCO, while the UN agencies operating in Syria received another seven trucks to be distributed to the affected people, the statement added.

Sinan Al-Majali, the Ministry's spokesperson, stressed that the kingdom continues to provide assistance and support for Syria to deal with the consequences of the recent earthquakes.

Northern Syria was hit hard by the 7.7- and 7.6-magnitude earthquakes centred in southeastern TArkiye on February 6, in which about 7,000 people in Syria's government- and rebel-held areas were killed.
Hyderabad, Feb 24 : Police in Telangana's Warangal district on Friday arrested a postgraduate student of Kakatiya Medical College for allegedly harassing a junior, who attempted suicide by administering herself lethal injection two days ago.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Bonala Kishan said that they are probing the incident from all angles.

Details of the case are likely to be announced by the police later in the day.

Mohammed Saif was booked by the police after a first year student of the Postgraduate (MD) in the department of Anaesthesia of the Kakatiya Medical College (KMC) in Warangal attempted suicide on Wednesday allegedly due to harassment by him.

The female student is battling for life at Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in Hyderabad. She remained on ventilator.

The woman's father alleged that she took the extreme step due to harassment by her senior. He also claimed that the KMC authorities did not take action despite their complaint which resulted in the incident.

Meanwhile, police have beefed up security at KMC and MGM Hospital in view of the protest by students' bodies and political parties demanding action against the guilty.

KMC has formed a four-member committee to conduct an inquiry.

MGM Hospital superintendent Dr V. Chandrasekhar has constituted a committee comprising four professors to conduct the inquiry. It will submit a report to the director of medical education.

Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Thursday night visited NIMS to enquire about the condition of the student.

Tamilisai also met her family members. She later told the media that it is unfortunate that this has happened to a medical student.

The governor later tweeted that it was painful to see a PG medico in critical care unit.

"Work place stress in higher medical studies needs remedies.

A thorough probe should be conducted. NIMS will ensure best medical care to save her life," she wrote.
San Francisco, Feb 24 : Tech giant Google has announced that it is rolling out its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered "Magic Eraser" tool in Google Photos for Google One subscribers - both Android and iOS - and all Pixel users.

Introduced in October 2021, this tool was earlier limited to only Pixel 6 smartphones.

However, now, Google One members and all Pixel users "will be able to enjoy Magic Eraser, a new HDR video effect and exclusive collage styles," the company said in a blogpost on Thursday.

"It's frustrating when you think you have the perfect shot, only to discover distractions in the background." The Magic Eraser tool detects distractions in the pictures, such as photo-bombers or power lines, so that users can easily remove them.

Users can also circle or brush other things they want to erase and the tool will make them disappear.

"Plus, Camouflage in Magic Eraser can change the colour of objects in your photo to help them blend in naturally with the rest of the photo-- putting the focus on what matters," it added.

Moreover, with the new HDR video effect, users can now enhance the brightness and contrast across their videos.

Earlier, users were only able to balance dark foregrounds and bright backgrounds (or vice versa).

The tech giant is also adding new "Styles" to the collage editor of Google Photos for Google One members and Pixel users.

Also, Google One members will now get free shipping on orders from the print store in the US, Canada, the European Union and the UK, the company said.
Seoul, Feb 24 : A North Korean Foreign Ministry official on Friday warned that Pyongyang will regard what it claims to be "hostile practices" from the US as a "declaration of war" against the country.

In a statement carried by Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kwon Jong-gun, Director-General for US affairs at the Ministry, called on Washington to halt its deployment of strategic assets to Korea and combined drills with Seoul to prevent the "vicious cycle" of escalating military tension on the peninsula, reports Yonhap News Agency.

"The US should bear in mind that if it persists in its hostile and provocative practices against the DPRK despite the latter's repeated protest and warning, it can be regarded as a declaration of war against the DPRK," the KCNA said in the report.

DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

He condemned South Korea and the US for staging a tabletop exercise (TTX) at the Pentagon on Wednesday, labelling it as a "nuclear war demonstration against the DPRK".

In a joint press release issued after the practice, the allies said it focused on potential options for responding to the North's nuclear weapons use and allied deterrence, given Pyongyang's "recent aggressive nuclear policy and advancements in nuclear capabilities".

It added the US will "continue to field flexible nuclear forces suited to deterring regional nuclear conflict, including the capability to forward deploy strategic bombers, dual-capable fighter aircraft, and nuclear weapons to the region".

Kwon also denounced the visit of US officials and the South Korean delegation to Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia, a southeastern coastal base home to key nuclear submarines.
Jaipur, Feb 24 : Rajasthan police have arrested the mastermind of senior teacher exam paper leak conspiracy Bhupendra Saran from Bengaluru airport, sources said on Friday.

Last year, the exam which was to be conducted on December 24 was cancelled after the paper got leaked.

DGP Umesh Mshra said that with the joint efforts of Jodhpur rural police, SOG and Udaipur police, the accused was arrested as soon as he came to the airport from Ahmedabad.

ATS SOG Ashok Rathore said that Saran was the main accused in General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) exam 2011 and in constable entrance exam in 2022.

The team which helped him arrest will be awarded.

Surprisingly, the accused was to perform havan in Bengaluru and hence had ordered ghee which was being transported by a train. On getting a tip-off that the ghee was being transported to the airport, the police chased it and arrested the accused.
Mumbai, Feb 24 : 'Happu Ki Ultan Paltan' actress Kamna Pathak recently visited her hometown Indore and enjoyed gorging on local delicacies in the city. The actress visited her favourite food joint, tryed 56 different items, and clicked pictures with her fans.

The actress talked about her love for food and said: "I am from Indore, which is also called the food city. Recently, I travelled to Ujjain to seek blessings from the Mahakal Jyotirling Temple during Maha Shivratri. The moment I reached Indore, I could not resist visiting my favourite eatery, Chappan Dukan to satiate my taste buds. I received a warm welcome from my fans and clicked a lot of photos with them." Kamna started her career as a theatre artist and did numerous plays like 'Chanakya', 'Aakhiri Shama', 'Moteram ka Satyagrah', 'Kabuliwala','The Beast in Beauty', among others. Later, she worked in the movie 'Mango Dreams' and is now seen playing the role of Rajesh in the sitcom 'Happu Ki Ultan Paltan'.

She goes on to say how she was offered to try 56 food items and added: "I was offered the chance to taste fifty-six food items by the shopkeeper. Initially, I was sceptical about eating so much but then I could not resist. I feel it was the right decision as I got to gorge on some delectable cuisines. I started with a chilled coconut crush." "This was followed by sabudana khichdi, poha, jalebi, hot dog, kulhad pizza, berry ice cream, Indori khopra patties, aloo tikki, pani puri with eight flavours, rasgulla, to name a few. However, Tandoori Chai and Turkish Ice cream were something I enjoyed the most." The actress also went down memory lane and revisited her childhood days: "My good old days flashed before me as I walked the streets and felt nostalgic. We used to chip in and eat together. However, a lot has changed here; previously, there were only fifty-six stalls, which have now increased to a hundred with some new food joints." "Even though my stomach was full, I didn't want to leave without trying more dishes. Visiting Indore and my home makes me happy every time," she concluded.
Kathmandu, Feb 24: Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Chen Song, has stepped up his high-level political engagements in Kathmandu as political parties in parliament stepped up their dialogues on who should be elected the next president of the country.

Nepal is electing its new president on March 9 and political parties in parliament will have to file their nominations by February 25. Ahead of nominations for the crucial presidential elections, parties have started their internal debates to see potential nominees.

Ambassador Chen held separate meetings with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda and Madhav Kumar Nepal, chairman of the Nepal Communist Party (Unified Socialist) who is also the former prime minister, on Wednesday.

Chen had met with KP Sharma Oli, chairman of the Nepal Communist Party (Unified Marxist Leninist), a key partner in the current government led by Prachanda last week, amid growing tensions between the Maoist party and the CPN (UML).

Prachanda is insisting on a consensual candidate acceptable to the country's major political forces including the Nepali Congress while Oli is saying he will not accept a consensus president.

In their meeting on Wednesday, PM Prachanda and UML's Oli discussed potential nominees for the post of the president, according to sources. It is learnt that Oli referred two names-Madhav Kumar Nepal, the chairman of the Unified Socialist and Subhash Nembang, vice chairman of the UML-as the potential candidates for the post of the president.

"Since Prachanda is in mood to accommodate the Congress candidate for the post of the president, he did not give consent on the names proposed by Oli for the same," a source close to Prachanda told India Narrative on Wednesday evening.

With Prachanda and Oli failing to narrow down their differences, the fragile seven-party ruling alliance has further weakened, and it will collapse sooner or later, said sources.

Amid souring tensions between Prachanda and Oli, the Nepali Congress has stepped up its in-door dialogues with Prachanda with the hope that it could secure the post of the country's president with the Maoist support.

Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, also the former prime minister, met with Prachanda at least twice in the past two weeks to rebuild trust with the Maoist.

The Congress, which is also the largest party in parliament, appears to be confident that Prachanda will ultimately break the current alliance with the UML and side with the Congress, reviving the old Congress-Maoist alliance.

Amid such political flux ahead of the presidential elections, Chinese Ambassador Chen is running the doorsteps of Nepal's top leaders.

The ambassador's recent meeting with Prachanda, Oli and Nepal, who are seen as pro-China, is meaningful especially as Beijing has long been encouraging the unification among the leftist forces in Nepal. Beijing believes that the communist forces in Nepal best serve its geo-strategic interests given their ideological proximity with the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP), according to observers.

With the new China-friendly government came to power under the leadership of Maoist Chairman Prachanda in December last year, Beijing is willing to push forward rail-road connectivity projects under its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The Deuba government, which was well-disposed especially towards the United States, had denied executing projects under the BRI owing to geopolitical and financial stress associated with the mega infrastructure initiative launched by China's President Xi Jinping.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
Kiev, Feb 24 : As the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine marked a year on Friday, President of the war-torn nation Volodymyr Zelensky in a defiant statement said that "this is a year of our invincibility... this will be the year of our victory".

In a social media post along with a short video showing the devastation caused by the year-long war, the President said: "On February 24, millions of us made a choice. Not a white flag, but a blue and yellow flag. Not fleeing, but facing. Facing the enemy. Resistance and struggle.

"It was a year of pain, sorrow, faith and unity. And this is a year of our invincibility. We know that this will be the year of our victory!" Zelensky's rallying call comes amid warnings that Russia could be planning an attack to coincide with the anniversary.

On Thursday night, there were strikes reported in the regions of Kramatorsk and Kherson, where the city's main pipeline was damaged, reports the BBC.

On this day last year at 2.30 a.m., Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the launch of a "special military operation" in Ukraine during a televised speech.

At 3.27 a.m., the first explosions are heard in the capital Kiev, and more blasts are reported across the country as Ukrainians wake up to war About an hour later, Zelensky confirmed reports of nationwide missile strikes following which the NATO activated its defence plans, that included more than 100 jets on standby and 120 allied ships at sea, from the Arctic to the Mediterranean

At noon that day, the then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, addresses the nation, saying: "Our worst fears have come true and all our warnings have proved tragically accurate. President Putin of Russia has unleashed war... without any provocation and any credible excuse." Later that night, Zelensky called for general mobilisation and imposed martial law. He had also announced that 137 Ukrainians had died on the first day of the assault.

Since then, tens of thousands of people have died, entire cities have been destroyed and millions have fled Ukraine.

The UNHCR estimates more than 6.5 million Ukrainians are internally displaced and over 7.8 million refugees have left the country.

For 12 months, Ukraine's armed forces have mounted a resilient defence, defying expectations in Moscow that the invasion would be completed in days, CNN reported.

Russian tanks never reached Kiev's city centre; instead, they were pushed out of northern Ukraine, and stifled in grinding battles in the east and south.
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 24 : A Saudi Arabia-bound Air India Express flight, that took off from Kozhikode international airport on Friday morning, made an emergency landing here after it developed a technical snag.

After it developed a snag in its hydraulic systems, the flight en route to Dammam, was given permission to land at the international airport here around 12.15 pm.

All the 182 passengers and crew are safe.

The Thiruvananthapuram international airport had called in all the emergency services and after the captain of the aircraft was asked to dump the fuel, it was done and then landed safely.

Airport Authority of India officials termed it an "emergency landing" and not a crash landing.

Initially, the authorities had decided that the aircraft would land at the Cochin international airport, but later changed it to Thiruvananthapuram.

The airline authorities will now make arrangements for the onward travel of the passengers.
Udupi : , Feb 24 (IANS) The probe into the drugs case involving medical, other students and professors in coastal Karnataka has revealed shocking details. Sources said that the substances made their way into the students' rooms through online food deliveries, and LSD was procured in the form of watch description tags.

The Karnataka Police department, which has been cracking down on the drug menace in the coastal region, found a racket involving medical students and professors in Mangaluru in January. A total of 24 people were arrested in the case among which 22 were from the medical fraternity.

Doctors from Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana and New Delhi, including women, all in their 20's and 30's were arrested. Kasturba Medical College in Mangaluru terminated the services of two medical doctors on charges of drug peddling and consumption.

Likewise, the police cracked the whip in neighbouring Udupi district, known as an education hub, on the roots of the drug mafia. Superintendent of Police (SP) Hakay Akshay Machhindra had prevailed upon the education institutions to initiate action against the students who were into drugs and drug peddling.

The Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) in Udupi district had suspended 42 students for a period of a month following the direction by the police department.

Police sources explained that many students were turned into drug peddlers and many have been arrested. The students consumed MDMA, LSD and ganja. The drugs were supplied to the rooms of medical, management, hotel management and engineering students.

The students used to order food from online food aggregators and drug substances came in the food parcels late in the night. The fact came to light after the arrest of a delivery boy, police said.

The LSD was sent in the form of watch description tags. The students used to get these on the pretext of ordering watches, sources explained.

The police teams, which conducted raids on student hostels in Udupi, were shocked to find piles of condoms in the rooms and hostel premises. The police sources said that boys and girls consumed drugs together. It had become common to give drugs to their girlfriends.

The investigation has revealed that the drug was supplied to Udupi and Manipal from Mangaluru, Kerala and Goa. The drug mafia had established a network of drug peddlers among the student community. Many went to Goa on the pretext of weekend trips and brought drugs to their hostels.

The police department has appreciated the cooperation of the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) by taking firm action on students to end the menace.
Lucknow, Feb 24 : Medical students from Uttar Pradesh who had returned from Ukraine after war broke out in that country last year, have gone back to complete their studies.

Some have shifted to other countries.

Initially, students were not allowed to return but in December, flights to Ukraine for civilians were restored.

The Centre had carried out 'Operation Ganga' and safely brought back around 18,000 Indian students from Ukraine.

Nearly 1,400 from Uttar Pradesh pursuing medical and other courses also came back to the state. Fifty of these medical aspirants were residents of Lucknow. Some of the students had to wait for days to cross the border to reach Poland as flights were stopped due to the war.

"My daughter is back to Ukraine and pursuing MBBS fourth year course. She mostly attends online classes but visits the National Pirogov Memorial Medical University there when called, keeping safety in view," said the mother of one of the students.

She admitted that she was wary of sending her daughter back.

"But I realised that there were many problems here in completing her studies, so we agreed. I talk to her every day which is very reassuring," she said.

Another student Raghav (name changed) who is now in Russia along with 10 other students of Uttar Pradesh, shifted there from Ukraine.

"We have put the past behind us and our priority is to complete our education. We have to travel from our hostel to the college which is quite a distance but that is fine," he said.
Guwahati, Feb 24 : Assam has received a letter of intent from the National Medical Commission (NMC) for an intake of 100 MBBS students for the newly-built Nagaon Medical College, officials said on Friday.

This is the 11th medical college in the state to receive the letter of intent.

The Kokrajhar Medical College also received the Commission's nod last month for the intake of students.

Expressing pleasure on this decision, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted: "A shot in the arm! The Letter of Intent issued by National Medical Commission to Nagaon Medical College for 100 MBBS seats will boost to our efforts to improve healthcare.

"It has become the State's 11th medical college to receive Letter of Intent and 2nd this year after Kokrajhar Medical College."
New Delhi, Feb 24 : The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea by Godrej and Boyce Manufacturing Co Ltd for higher compensation for its 9.69 acres of land for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet train project. The apex court said the project is of national importance.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud and comprising Justices P.S. Narasimha and J.B. Pardiwala told senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Godrej and Boyce Manufacturing Co Ltd, that the court is not willing to entertain the petition.

The bench said, "Much water has flown, possession has been taken over of the land...and the construction has already commenced." Rohatgi repeatedly questioned the validity of the order. The bench replied that it will not entertain the company's petition.

The Chief Justice told Rohatgi, "Your compensation should not be Rs 264 crore, it should be Rs 572 crore...you have all the remedies now", and it would be like putting a gun to pay the compensation.

The bench further told Rohatgi, "it is only a question of money. It is a national project..." After hearing arguments, the top court said if any application for enhancement of compensation is filed, it should be decided within six weeks.

The top court also granted liberty to the company to seek legal recourse for enhancement of the compensation.

The company's plea challenged validity of the Bombay High Court judgment passed earlier this month, dismissing a petition filed by the Godrej and Boyce Manufacturing Co Ltd challenging the Maharashtra government's grant of Rs 264 crore in compensation for the land.

The Godrej Group had challenged the award and compensation of Rs 264 crore by the Deputy Collector on September 15, 2022, for acquiring 39,252 sq m (9.69 acres). The company said initially Rs 572 crore was offered and filed the writ petition, also challenging the provisions of the law.

However, the high court, in decision on February 9, described the bullet train project as "of national importance and public interest" and dismissed the petition. The high court said it did not find any illegality in the award or in the "decision taken by the appropriate government in granting extension to make an award by exercising powers under first proviso to Section 25 of the Fair Compensation Act." The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) is the pet project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the project, which passes through Gujarat, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, and Maharashtra, is being executed by the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL).
Rome, Feb 24 : Large swathes of Europe are currently in the midst of an unprecedented winter drought, which could impact agriculture and human consumption, and lead to problems in the warmer months.

According to the European Union's (EU) Drought Observatory, northern Italy, south-central France, eastern Spain, and parts of Greece, Germany, Austria, and Croatia all have a rainfall deficit this winter, reports Xinhua news agency.

This comes after a record-setting hot and dry summer last year, which left water stores low heading into the colder months.

The back-to-back droughts have impacted fishing and irrigation and limited winter sports.

As of Thursday, most of France has gone more than a month without significant rainfall, according to Meteo France. This breaks the record set in the spring of 2020.

Moreover, with one week to go before the official end of winter, the total number of winter days without rain is the highest since record-keeping began in 1959.

Italy has seen some snow and rainfall this year, but the accumulated rainfall -- especially in the northern parts of the country -- has been so low that the ANBI Water Resource Consortium said Thursday that as many as 3.5 million Italians could be at risk of having to ration drinking water.

The organisation said that as much as 15 percent of Italy's population lives in areas which are impacted by extreme drought conditions.

Meanwhile, in an attempt to curb water use, Spanish officials have established rules limiting car-washing and filling of swimming pools.

The low rainfall has resulted in a weak crop of acorns, making it more difficult for pig farmers to feed their animals.

Across central Europe, the low levels of precipitation have also resulted in lower snowfall, which has damaged tourism. It will also result in lower levels for glacier-fed rivers and lakes in the spring.

The low rainfall in Europe has exacerbated the problems caused by the droughts and heatwaves that lashed the continent in 2022.

In addition, the year-old war between Russia and Ukraine has further complicated the situation, leading to skyrocketing energy costs combined with increased demand due to the cold and dry conditions.

Coldiretti, the main Italian agricultural sector union, said that as much as a quarter of agricultural production in areas impacted by the dry weather could be lost this winter.

The weather could change in the coming days, according to media reports.

Starting early next week, a weather formation originating in Russia is expected to cause a drop in temperatures in central and northern Italy, and into the Alps and southern France.

However, despite the lower temperatures, the change in weather is not expected to bring a significant increase in rainfall.
Gandhinagar, Feb 24 : Gujarat Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai on Friday presented a Rs 916.87 crore surplus budget for 2023-24.

Revenue receipts are expected to be Rs 2,07,709.88 crore, while revenue expenditures are likely to be Rs 1,98,671.58 crore, according to the state estimate.

Against the capital income of Rs 85,630.89 crore, expenditure is estimated at Rs 97,902.61 crore, resulting in a capital deficit of Rs 12,271.72 crore. Total plan layout is Rs 3.01 lakh crore.

To meet the aspirations and basic necessities of the state's urbanites, the state government has set aside Rs 19,685 crore for the urban development department, which will carry out developmental projects.

The state government has allocated Rs 14 crore for the construction of 15 cybercrime police stations in order to address the significant challenges posed by cyber criminals.

The state government has decided to provide funding for private hospitals to purchase the newest technology, allocating Rs 115 crore for this purpose. The government is going to invest in new medical colleges that are coming up in a public-private partnership pattern.

The overall budget allotted for health and family welfare is Rs 15,182 crore.

Through the road and buildings department, the state intends to build mass transit systems, flyovers over railroad tracks, and provide affordable housing for 15 lakh families.

There are 71 lakh ration card holders under the NFSA scheme, and to provide them with food free of cost or at a subsidized rate, the state government has allocated Rs 671 crore. The total budget allocation for foods, civil supplies, and consumer affairs will be Rs 2,165 crore.

For the coming fiscal year, the state government has allocated Rs 5,580 crore for social welfare and the justice department; Rs 43,615 crore for education; Rs 3,410 crore for tribal development, and Rs 2,538 crore for employment and skill development.

The allocation for the power and petrochemical sectors is Rs 8,738 crore, while the allocation for roads and buildings is Rs 20,642 crore, of which Rs 2,808 crore are allotted to the Chief Minister for Rural Roads.

For industry and mining, the budget allocation is Rs 8,589 crore.
Bengaluru, Feb 24 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday hailed the spirit and farewell speech of former chief minister and BJP Central Parliamentary Committee Member B.S Yediyurappa in the Karnataka Assembly.

"Being a karyakarta (active member) of BJP, I felt that this speech (by Yediyurappa) is inspirational. The speech imbibes the ethics of the party. This will definitely give inspiration to other party workers," Narendra Modi stated in his social media handle.

He also shared the post by BJP Karnataka social media handle containing Yediyurappa's speech.

On February 22, the former CM declared on the floor of the House that he will never contest elections in future and that this would be his last session. "This is my last speech. You can also consider this as my farewell speech. I have already declared that I won't contest elections. I will not come back to this session," an emotional Yediyurappa reiterated.

He was participating in the discussion on the budget and stated that in political circles, opposition parties are claiming that Yediyurappa is sidelined and neglected. "I have not been neglected either by the BJP or by the Prime Minister," he maintained.

The party has given him good opportunities, he asserted, adding that he will work for the party until his last breath. "BJP has also given me an opportunity to become Chief Minister four times. It is not possible to silence Yediyurappa. We will come back to power," he stated.

BJP is coming to power in the state for sure, he said. "I will take up a state-wide tour. After this session, I will go across Karnataka. I will have to convey to the people the schemes of the BJP. The ruling BJP government has given more programmes than any other government," Yediyurappa stated.
Lucknow, Feb 24 : The UP government spent over Rs 19. 5 crore in sending delegations of ministers and bureaucrats to different countries for inviting investments in the run-up to the recently concluded Global Investor Summit (GIS).

The delegation brought in 149 proposals worth Rs 7.12 lakh crore.

This was stated by the state government in response to a question raised by SP legislator Mehboob Ali.

Replying to a query, state minister for industrial development Jaswant Saini said that as many as eight delegations led by deputy chief ministers - Keshav Maurya and Brijesh Pathak, industry minister Nand Gopal Nandi, MSME minister Rakesh Sachan, Jal Shakti Minister Swatantra Dev Singh, parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Khanna, tourism minister Jaiveer Singh and assembly speaker Satish Mahana visited various countries including United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, UAE, Germany, France, Belgium, Sweden Mexico, Brazil and Argentina to seek investment.

Saini said that the delegations managed to receive 149 proposals worth Rs 7. 12 lakh crore.

The state government also held roadshows in eight cities, including Mumbai, Chennai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Chandigarh.

After the GIS, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had announced that the state government received investment proposals worth nearly Rs 33. 5 lakh crore.

Yogi Adityanath has also said that the state government would be organising yet another ground-breaking ceremony in the next six months.

To another question, Saini said that the actual investments which the state has received between 2017 and 2022 is worth Rs 65,261 crore. He said that investment proposals worth Rs 1. 43 lakh crore are in different stages of approvals.
New Delhi, Feb 24 : The Supreme Court on Friday declined to entertain a PIL seeking direction to all state governments to frame rules for menstrual pain leaves for female students and working women.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud and comprising Justices P.S. Narasimha and J.B. Pardiwala observed that if the employers are compelled to grant menstrual leave, it may become an impediment in the hiring of women employees.

The bench asked advocate Shailendra Mani Tripathi, petitioner, to approach the Ministry of Women and Child Development with his plea. "This is a policy matter, so we are not dealing with it," said the bench.

The plea, filed by advocate Shailendra Mani Tripathi, said: "Few states provided menstrual pain leaves and ancillary benefits, women in their counterpart states are still bereft of any such benefits. It is accordingly a violation of Article 14 of the Constitution inasmuch as the Maternity Benefit Act differentiates women in the name of federalism and state policies." The plea contended that Bihar introduced menstrual Leave for women employees in 1992, however menstrual periods have been largely disregarded by society, government, and other stakeholders, but some organisations and states have taken notice of it. The plea pointed out there are several companies, especially startups, in India which are offering period leave, even without any legal obligation.

It further added that despite the fact that women suffer from similar physiological and health issues during their menstrual cycles, they are being treated differently in different states of India.

The plea cited that the UK, Wales, China, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, South Korea, Spain, and Zambia, are already providing menstrual pain leave in one form or another.

It further added that the Clinical Evidence Handbook pointed out 20 per cent of women suffered from symptoms like cramps, nausea, etc., that are debilitating enough to hamper daily activities.

The plea said according to research by the University College London, the pain a female experiences while menstruating is equivalent to the pain a person experiences during a heart attack.
Bhopal, Feb 24 : Staying awake the whole night to water his agricultural land is a thing of the past for Gangaram Vishvkarma of Aamkheda in Raisen district. Thanks to the installation of a 2 HP solar pump under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM), he no longer has to rely on the erratic power supply to irrigate his three-acre field.

The ease of work was particularly evident in recent days when the mercury dipped to below 10 degree Celsius in Madhya Pradesh. While Gangaram could curl up with a warm quilt, the less fortunate like Ramesh Singh of Pachair in Rajgarh district stayed out in the cold.

"Whether it is summer or winter, day or night, we have to irrigate our crops and look after them like our children. If the crop is good, the yield will also be good, and the family will be happy. If you fall ill, you can take medicines. But if the crop fails, nothing will be left of us," says Ramesh, who grows wheat on his 20 bighas where second irrigation is presently on.

Electricity is provided in shifts during the day and night, but Ramesh is constantly worried about disruptions in service. "Earlier, fertiliser shortage was keeping us on our toes. Now, irregular power supply gives us sleepless nights," he says.

Farmer Pratap Singh adds that the power supply in rural areas is quite nominal during the day. "As a result, when electricity is available at night, water is drawn incessantly from all the tubewells. The government makes many promises, but does not implement even one properly." Madhya Pradesh government has promised 10 hours of electricity for irrigation, but farmers say they get supply only for three hours as per the schedule issued by the electricity department. In November, a group of farmers held protests against power disruptions, and had sought a change in the supply schedule.

Jawahar Singh of Khajuri Kala village in Bhopal district says erratic power supply and non-availability of manure/fertilisers are common problems they face every year. "We have held sit-in protests at the Collectorate and blocked roads, but our problems remain the same. This is in our destiny," he laments.

Districts in the Bhopal division - Bhopal, Raisen, Sehore, Vidisha and Rajgarh - get electricity from the Madhya Pradesh Madhya Kshetra Vidyut Vitaran Company Limited.

Its Public Relations Officer Manoj Dwivedi tells 101Reporters that the government's intention is to provide 10-hour powersupply for irrigation, but the demand has increased from 444 MW to a maximum of 3,551 MW during the rabi season in 16 districts of the company's Bhopal, Gwalior, Narmadapuram and Chambal divisions. He adds that 8,642 temporary irrigation pump connections have been issued in view of the cropping cycle.

On the measures taken to ensure uninterrupted and quality power supply, he says a timetable has been issued, whereby electricity is provided in two batches. For example, in Bhopal division, the first group gets power from 11.30 pm to 3.30 am and from 3.30 pm to 9.30 pm, while the second group has a 3.30-7.30 am and 5.30-11.30 pm schedule.

Kuber Singh Rajput, who has wheat and gram on his 10 bighas of land, questions the rationale behind the supply schedule. "In this cold weather, the government should take steps to provide electricity the whole day. If cities can have 24-hour uninterrupted power supply, why not villages? Why is the government adopting a step-motherly attitude?" A ray of hope

Vinod Vishvkarma from Aamkheda is all praise for the solar pump installed under the PM-KUSUM. "Water is drawn from my tubewell the whole day. By going solar, I also got rid of the electricity bill (approx. Rs 2,600/month for a 5 HP pump). After deducting the central and state subsidies that come to 30 per cent each, we got the 2 HP pump costing Rs 1.44 lakh for around Rs 57,000," says Vinod, who has three acres of land under cultivation.

Vidisha farmers Umesh Rajput and Dinesh Rajput are very happy about the solar pump installed for their 10 bighas of land. Similarly, Gopal Singh Yadav of Pachair says he never faced a problem in irrigating his fields for the last one-and-a-half years, after the installation of a 5 HP solar pump. Unlike in the past, the fear of crop loss does not worry him either.

Pointing to his solar pump, Suresh Yadav of Kolukhedi in Bhopal district says it has helped him save money and get sleep at night though it is time for critical watering of rabi wheat. "For wheat crop to yield 18 to 20 quintals per acre, watering in six stages is a must. The first one (20-25 days after sowing) is done at the time of taproot formation. If irrigation is improper at this stage, chances of crop damage are high," he says.

The second watering stage is during bud formation (40-45 days), third at 65-70 days, fourth at the time of flowering (90-95 days), fifth at the time of milking (105-110 days) and the last when the grain gets hard (120-125 days). During every stage, water and electricity worth a total of Rs 1,000 needs to be spent for a week's time.

Sitting at home, one can operate the irrigation pump installed in the field using a mobile app. However, the system is not foolproof. "GPS is needed for its operation. The solar pump company's remote app is installed on my phone. In the pump, there is an option to install a mobile SIM, which should be recharged monthly. Though it is a good facility, I have noticed some glitches in its functioning. Many times, the pump starts almost 10 minutes after it is switched on using the mobile. Other times, it does not function as the server goes down," informs Vinod.

Late delivery of pumps In some places, farmers are vexed by the late arrival of solar pumps even after getting the necessary approval. For instance, Khajuri Kala resident Bhagwan Singh had applied online for 5 HP-DC submersible solar pump online in 2019 by paying a fee of Rs 5,000 through the CM Solar Pump Scheme website.

"After a while, I also received communication from Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam Limited regarding my pump's approval. But till date, I have not received it. However, every 15 to 20 days, I get a message on my mobile phone informing about the approval, and directing me to deposit the post-subsidy 40 per cent of the total cost. This has been happening for the last six months, but the option/link to make payment is not available," he complains.

Farmers Jitendra Singh, Samat Singh, Bhujwal Singh, Laxman Singh and Jawahar Singh of Khajuri Kala face the same problem.

Shivkumar Sharma, a resident of Machhera Khurd village near Bankhedi in Hoshangabad district and president of Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Mahasangh, says the demand for solar pumps is quite high due to the subsidy component.

"As farmers are applying in large numbers, MPUVNL is unable to process things faster, which leads to years of wait. Also, there is no system in place to prioritise applications based on the date they were received. As a result, an applicant from the year 2019 still waits for the pump, while another who did so in 2020 has already received it," he says.

(Sanavver Shafi is a Madhya Pradesh based journalist and a member of 101Reporters, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters)
Vh1 Supersonic is not just another music festival, it's an experience! Image Source: IANS News

Vh1 Supersonic is not just another music festival, it's an experience! Image Source: IANS News

Vh1 Supersonic is not just another music festival, it's an experience! Image Source: IANS News

Vh1 Supersonic is not just another music festival, it's an experience! Image Source: IANS News

Vh1 Supersonic is not just another music festival, it's an experience! Image Source: IANS News

Pune, Feb 24 : Move over bars and the main stage, Vh1 Supersonic has more to offer to their guests: a wide variety of food, clothing, sneakers, spa, Instagrammable spaces and much more than one can expect.

Held at Pune's popular Mahalakshmi Lawns, which was established in 2010 and stretches over 80,000 square feet, the festival commences on February 24 and will bring the curtains down with a band on February 26 with the ultimate performance by Anne Marie.

This year, Vh1 Supersonic comes after three years, and is different from its previous editions because it has more to offer to its patrons popularly called "superfam" - Beginning with zones curated for gastronomic discovery and superflea.

From juicy burgers, to chinese boxes and sizzling tikkas and much more, the food area will leave everyone with a smile.

That's not it! There are food trucks all around offering all cuisines, in short there's everything for everyone in just one venue.

It also is not just limited to beer to quench the thirst of the festival-goers, Vh1 Supersonic offers a wide variety of cocktails, gins and sodas. They also have a "Pre-gaming" offer during the day where a person can get two drinks at the price of one.

What catches the eye is a bright neon-pink kiosk for sneakerheads! Called the "Sneaker hood", it exhibits all funky and popular sneakers and fanatics can buy them too at a decent cost.

What happens at a music festival - Dancing; and what happens after that - sore feet! Well, according to the curator of the festival Nikhil Chinapa, they have kept that in mind as well.

With many firsts, this one is a first too - a foot and back massage kiosk.

In Nikhil's words: "Once the festival goers are done with all the dancing to the techno beats, they can head to the spa kiosk and get themselves all charged up after a relaxing massage." Keeping the protocol in mind, the gig would get over by 10.00 p.m., but Nikhil shared that he has more in his bag to keep his "superfam" "super happy".

Post the allowed timings of the gigs, the food arena will be open with acoustic performances at counters to keep the mood going. Nikhil stated that this would also help in handling traffic situations outside the venue.

Vh1 Supersonic has a lot for the 'Gram' ! A whole lane, actually the entire venue is Instagrammable with colourful backgrounds, graffiti walls, stunning colour combinations and life size artwork.

It's a win-win situation for all!
Beijing, Feb 24 : As Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine marked a year since it was launched, China on Friday called for a resumption of peace talks between the two warring sides, an end to unilateral sanctions, and stressed its opposition to the use of nuclear weapons.

A 12-point paper released by the Foreign Ministry on Friday said: "Conflict and war benefit no one. All parties must stay rational and exercise restraint, avoid fanning the flames and aggravating tensions, and prevent the crisis from deteriorating further or even spiraling out of control.

"All parties should support Russia and Ukraine in working in the same direction and resuming direct dialogue as quickly as possible, so as to gradually de-escalate the situation and ultimately reach a comprehensive ceasefire." The paper also observed that the UN Charter "must be strictly observed" and said the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries must be effectively upheld.

Calling to abandon the "Cold War mentality", it said that the security of a country should not be pursued at the expense of others.

"The security of a region should not be achieved by strengthening or expanding military blocs. The legitimate security interests and concerns of all countries must be taken seriously and addressed properly. There is no simple solution to a complex issue." Dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis, the paper said, adding that "China will continue to play a constructive role in this regard".

"All efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis must be encouraged and supported. The international community should stay committed to the right approach of promoting talks for peace, help parties to the conflict open the door to a political settlement as soon as possible, and create conditions and platforms for the resumption of negotiation," it added.

The paper however, appeared to criticise the wide-ranging economic sanctions imposed by the US and other Western countries on Russia.

"Unilateral sanctions and maximum pressure cannot solve the issue; they only create new problems," it said. "Relevant countries should stop abusing unilateral sanctions and 'long-arm jurisdiction' against other countries, so as to do their share in deescalating the Ukraine crisis." The paper also stressed China's opposition to the use of nuclear weapons.

"Nuclear weapons must not be used and nuclear wars must not be fought. The threat or use of nuclear weapons should be opposed. Nuclear proliferation must be prevented and nuclear crisis avoided," it said and also warned against armed attacks against nuclear power plants or other peaceful nuclear facilities.

The paper comes amid accusations made by the US that China is considering arming Russia, which Beijing said were false, reports the BBC.

China has also been criticised by the US and its allies for refusing to condemn Russia's invasion.

On Wednesday, Russian President Vladmir Putin met China's top foreign policy official, Wang Yi, in Moscow and said co-operation with Beijing was "important to stabilise the international situation".
Bellary, : Feb 24 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah has directed the partymen in Hyderabad-Karnataka region to reach out to voters without bothering about mining baron Janardhana Reddy, who has launched a new party, sources stated on Friday.

Amit Shah had given this assurance in the core committee meeting of BJP leaders from four districts of Hyderabad-Karnataka region also known as Kalyan Karnataka on Thursday.

Janardhan Reddy, a former BJP leader, has now launched his own party Kalyan Karnataka Pragathi Paksha (KKJP). Actively campaigning in Bellary, Vijayanagara, Koppal and Raichur districts, he had announced that no one could stop him by raiding his firms. His statements followed ED and IT raids on his firms.

The BJP leaders and legislators from the region informed Amit Shah that Janardhana Reddy announced his candidature from Gangavathi constituency. Somashekara Reddy, present BJP MLA from Bellary city, brother of Janardhana Reddy has informed that Reddy is pitching his wife Aruna Lakshmi from Bellary city constituency.

The leaders told Amit Shah that Janardhana Reddy's factor might give a challenging situation for BJP and benefit Congress party.

Sources explained that Amit Shah has directed the party leaders not to bother about Janardhana Reddy factor in the region. He told them that he is very much there and he will deal appropriately with the situation.

He also asked the party leaders to focus on building the party in their respective regions from the grassroots level.
San Francisco, Feb 24 : Streaming platform Twitch has introduced its new "Experiments" page which will show everyone which experiments the company is working on.

"Experiments are valuable because they help us evaluate the potential impact of a product change before we release it broadly to the community," the company said on the page.

An experiment is when the company releases a product or feature to a "subset" of the community to see how it affects their experience.

The platform also mentioned that it will update the list of experiments monthly.

Currently, Twitch's article lists some ongoing experiments, including the ability to identify which tags increase streamers' chances for discovery, a feature that highlights viewer milestones to streamers and a new mobile chat mode.

To eliminate bias, experiment participants are chosen at random. Users cannot opt out of trials or be excluded from experiments by the company or by other users after they have been selected.

"To ensure we gather unbiased data and insights that reflect how members of the community use a tool or feature we're testing, there may be scenarios where active experiments will not be listed on this page and users will not see the experiment icon," the company said.
Jammu, Feb 24 : According to the transformational changes in the recruitment procedure of Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs)/Other Ranks (OR) all candidates will have to undergo a common entrance exam, the Army has said.

Director Army Recruiting Office, Jammu addressed a press conference here on Friday to explain all aspects of the new recruitment procedure.

"In stage I, all candidates who have registered and applied online on joinindianarmy.nic.in (JIA website) will undergo a common entrance exam.

"In stage II, the shortlisted candidates will be called for recruitment rally at locations decided by respective AROs where they will undergo Physical Fitness Tests and physical Measurement Tests.

"Finally in stage III, the selected candidates will undergo Medical Test at rally location online registration.

"The online registration on JIA website is open from 16 Feb 2023 to 15 Mar 2023. The process of registration remains the same as earlier. Candidates can either register using their Aadhaar Card or their Class 10th certificate.

"As part of continued automation, the Join Indian Army website has now been linked with Digilocker for greater transparency.

"The Online CEE is being conducted at 176 locations across India. The candidates have the choices to select five Exam locations and they shall be allotted exam locations from within those choices.

"For online CEE fee is Rs 500/- per candidate. 50 per cent of the cost is being borne by the Army. At the end of the registration process the candidates would be directed to a payment portal.

"Candidates are required to pay Rs 250/- along with associated bank charges if any, by using Internet Banking, UPI/BHIM or credit or debit cards of all major banks to including Maestro, Master Card, VISA or RuPay cards. Candidates are advised to activate their debit cards for online transactions.

"A candidate will be considered registered only once his payment is successful & a Roll No. generated at this stage, which shall be used at all stages of recruitment. Complete procedure on 'How to Apply' has been given in a video which is available on Join Indian Army website and on YouTube.

"To appear in the Online Common Entrance Exam (CEE) admit cards would be available on the Join Indian Army website 10-14 days prior to commencement of the examination.

"Intimation of the same shall be sent to candidates' mobiles through SMS and also on their regd. email IDs. Admit card will have the exact address for Exam Centre. The Online CEE is a computer based exam. The process to appear in the exam is very simple. To guide the candidates, a video on 'How to Appear in Online Common Entrance Exam' is available at Join Indian Army website and also on YouTube. It is clarified that there is no change in the syllabus & pattern of the exam.

"To assist the candidates to prepare for the online CEE, practice tests for all categories have been developed & a link has been hosted on the Join Indian Army website. Candidates can thus practice appearing in the said exam from their homes. On accessing the same, candidates will be able to see the same screen on the computer as they will see during the actual Exam. These tests can be accessed on a mobile also.

"Based on their performance in the Online CEE, shortlisted candidates will be called to nominated venues for Recruitment Rallies. The procedure of Recruitment Rallies remains unchanged. Final merit will be based on Online CEE result and physical test marks as hither-to-fore.

"The changed procedure will focus on enhanced cognitive aspects during recruitment and will result in wider and better outreach across the country. It will also reduce large crowds assembling at Recruiting Rallies and reduce the administrative arrangements therein. The process will become more streamlined, simpler for candidates to appear and is in synchronised with current technological advancement of the country.

"As the candidates will realize, the process has become completely automated with minimal human intervention. Candidates are advised not to fall prey to touts as they can not help them in any way. The recruitment into the IA remains completely unbiased, impartial and merit based,", director Army recruitment office told the media.
Kolkata, Feb 24 : India will become the third largest economy in the world in the next few years, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh claimed on Friday.

"The day is not far when our country will emerge as the third largest economy in the world. At least international reports suggest that India will attain that position in the next four to five years," the defence minister said while addressing the convocation ceremony of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore- founded Visva Bharati University at Bolpur-Santiniketan in Birbhum district of West Bengal.

The Union Minister said being a former teacher of physics with a college in Uttar Pradesh, whenever he attends any function of any educational institution, he prefers speaking in the tone of a teacher rather than a minister or a politician.

"When I was on my way to this great university on Thursday evening, I was constantly thinking of what I can offer to the meritorious students of this university that will ultimately benefit them," he said.

The Gurudev-founded university, which has been a pathfinder in the education sector of the country, will continue to do so in the coming days as well, he said.

"Just as the streams of River Ganges and its branches are scattered over vast areas, similarly Visva Bharati University will spread the streams of knowledge throughout the world. This is such an institution which has both the Indian and global spirit at the same time, This great institution founded by Gurudev has shown the way of exchange of global knowledge," Singh said.

However, there were moments of chaos before the beginning of the convocation ceremony on Friday. Several posters slamming university vice-chancellor Bidyut Chakraborty, were found from areas around the convocation ceremony venue. There was another round of commission when the security persons refused to allow a section of the alumni of the university to enter the venue.

On Thursday evening, there was tension within the campus after the university security persons and the district police foiled an attempt by Democratic Students' Association to screen the controversial BBC documentary 'India-The Modi question'.
New Delhi, Feb 24 : Former Brexit leader and GB News host Nigel Farage has been slammed for 'insulting' coverage of a TikTok video showing Sikh people in a small boat crossing what the broadcaster claimed was the English Channel.

The Indian Council of Scotland and the UK has sought a public apology from GB News for running the story with the headline "WTF...Sikh-ing Asylum" on the screen.

"We have written to GB News and look forward to a public apology. If no public apology is given then we shall go to the regulator," the Council said.

Sharing a clip of the news coverage, the Indian diaspora organisation also took a strong offence to Farage making fun of the people in the video.

"You've been used in the past to the Albanians, this is a boat full of Sikhs. Yes, they're all coming from India. What a good day out they're having," Farage was heard saying on GB News.

The former UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader further said: "Basically, it doesn't matter where you come from in the world, it doesn't matter whether you've got a legitimate claim to be a genuine refugee or not, it's come on down, cross the English Channel, pay a trafficker and you will be allowed to stay." The Council said in a statement that 'racial slur' against any community is unacceptable.

"We stand in solidarity with the Sikh community with regards to the wrong done by GB News/Nigel Farage. No community/faith or culture should be insulted in this way." "We at the Indian Council of Scotland and the UK are against Illegal immigration, however it is not acceptable for racial slur against the Sikh community or any community," it added.

In 2013, Farage's then PR Manager Gawain Towler, had referred to British-born Sikh journalist Kiran Randhawa as "some form of ethnic extraction".

Nimco Ali, who stepped down as government's adviser on tackling violence against women last year, accused Home Secretary Suella Braverman of "feeding into Nigel Farage stuff", after she sparked off an outrage by comparing the migrant crisis in the country to "invasion".

Farage had heaped praises on the Sikh community for helping during the 2013-14 Somerset floods.

"I remember the Sikhs helping during the Somerset floods, what a great community," Farage had tweeted in 2020.

He concluded his report on the GB News by attacking the ruling Conservatives saying that even if they were to get the economy right, the issue of illegal immigration alone could cost them the next general election.

More than 45,000 people crossed the Channel to the UK in small boats over the past year, according to government figures, with 90 crossing on Christmas Day alone.

(Meenakshi Iyer can be reached at meenakshi.i@ians.in)
K'taka Congress comes up with 10 kg free rice assurance for every individual ahead of polls. Image Source: IANS News

Bengaluru, Feb 24 : Karnataka Congress unit on Friday promised to provide 10 kilograms of free rice to every family member of a BPL card holder if voted to power.

State President D.K. Shivakumar and Opposition leader Siddaramaiah and other senior leaders made this announcement in a joint press conference at the party headquarters here and also released the posters.

The Congress has already announced 200 units of free electricity supply through the 'Gruha Jyothi' project. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had announced on her visit to Bengaluru that the party would provide Rs 2,000 for every woman head of the family in Karnataka if voted to power. The party has named the scheme as 'Gruha Lakshmi'.

When the debates are on the feasibility of these assurances, the party has come up with new one.

"Our party has already announced two guarantee programmes if voted to power to help people. It has been decided to provide every member of the BPL card holder family with 10 kilograms of free rice," Shivakumar stated.

With this, the Congress will help every household to save Rs 1,500. The free rice distribution scheme has helped people in Covid times. People are angry about BJP reducing the quantity of rice from seven kilograms to five kilograms, he maintained.
New Delhi, Feb 24 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the airport in Shivamogga, Karnataka will boost commerce, connectivity and enhance tourism.

Modi was responding to the tweet threads by Member of Parliament from Shivamogga constituency, B. Y. Raghavendra wherein he has informed that the dream of an airport at Shivamogga is coming true. The Shivamogga Airport will establish itself as not merely an airport, but as the gateway of Malnad region's journey to transformation.

The Prime Minister tweeted about the upcoming Shivamogga airport in Karnataka saying: "The airport in Shivamogga will boost commerce, connectivity and enhance tourism." The Prime Minister will inaugurate Shivamogga airport on February 27.

The domestic airport has been constructed on 662.38 acre of land. The airport has a runway, terminal building, Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower, fire station building, taxiway and other facilities.

"This Airport will cater to the demand of not just the people of Shivamogga but also the entire Central Karnataka. It will give wings of aspirations to the youth and will create lakhs of employment opportunities for them," B. Y. Raghavendra had tweeted.
New Delhi, Feb 24 : BJP national president J.P. Nadda will chair a meeting of party General Secretaries on February 26 here to discuss the upcoming Assembly elections and 2024 Lok Sabha polls besides the G20 preparations.

According to party sources, during the meeting, there will also be a presentation on the position of BJP in Tripura where elections have been held. Apart from this, the scope of BJP will also be discussed in Nagaland and Meghalaya, where voting is scheduled for February 27.

India is presiding over the G20 this year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had instructed the party to ensure maximum participation of common people in it, so the BJP is trying to increase the participation of more and more people in this event and to promote the display of India's art and culture, they said.

Besides, the BJP will review the preparations of the party for the Lok Sabha elections across the country. In view of the elections to be held in the states in 2023, he is visiting many states.

Measures taken by the party to strengthen 160 weak seats will also deliberated in the meeting.
Mumbai, Feb 24 : The ruling Shiv Sena condemned and demanded the sacking of a Bihar Minister for his objectionable comments on the Centre's Agnipath scheme for the youth, here on Friday.

Shiv Sena Chief Spokesperson Krishna Hegde said that the Bihar Cooperative Minister Surendra Prasad Yadav had criticised the Agnipath scheme using a derogatory term while referring to the armed forces.

"We strongly condemn his remarks. Yadav must apologise for his utterances. We demand that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar should sack him from the cabinet and take appropriate action against him," said Hegde.

Targetting the Agnipath scheme on Thursday, Yadav had said that in eight-and-half years from now, "the country will have an army of eunuchs after all the old people who are currently serving in the Indian Army will retire".

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), to which Yadav belongs, has washed its hands off his remarks, while the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party slammed the Minister saying it shows his 'mental imbalance'.

Yadav also slammed the short-term recruitment policy for Indian youth to join the armed forces saying that after their stint is over, nobody would marry their daughters to such unemployed persons, sparking a major political row.
Hyderabad, Feb 24 : YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) MP from Kadapa, Y.S. Avinash Reddy on Friday appeared before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for questioning in former Andhra Pradesh minister, Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy's murder case.

Avinash Reddy, a cousin of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, appeared before the CBI officials in Hyderabad. He was reportedly being questioned in the presence of his lawyer.

This is the second time that the Lok Sabha member from Kadapa is being questioned by the central agency in the case.

Vivekananda Reddy, who was found murdered at his house in Kadapa district in 2019, was paternal uncle of Jaganmohan Reddy and Avinash Reddy.

The CBI officials questioned Avinash Reddy for more than four-and-a-half hours on January 28.

Avinash Reddy's father Y.S. Bhaskar Reddy was also summoned by the CBI on Thursday, but he has sought more time from the agency.

The questioning of the MP assumed significance in the wake of an affidavit filed by the CBI in Telangana High Court two days ago while opposing the bail petition of Sunil Yadav, one of the accused.

The investigating agency stated that Avinash Reddy, his father Y.S. Bhaskar Reddy and their follower D. Siva Sankar Reddy had hatched a criminal conspiracy to kill Vivekananda Reddy over conflicting political ambitions.

The CBI submitted to the court that the trio used other accused Yerra Gangi Reddy, Sunil Yadav, Dastagiri and others who worked for Vivekananda Reddy to execute the murder plot.

Avinash Reddy and Bhaskar Reddy had a grouse against Vivekananda Reddy as the latter was opposed to YSRCP fielding Avinash as the party candidate from Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency. The former minister wanted Jagan Mohan Reddy to field his sister Y.S. Sharmila or mother Y.S. Vijayamma.

The CBI claimed that Rs 40 crore was offered to the other accused to carry out the murder.

The investigating agency also stated in its counter that Vivekananda Reddy was not happy with his brother Bhaskar Reddy and nephew Avinash Reddy as they had sabotaged his chances in the MLC election in 2017 in Kadapa. Avinash and his father wanted Siva Sankar as MLC candidate, but when Jagan Mohan Reddy fielded Vivekananda, the trio ensured he was defeated.

Vivekananda Reddy was the younger brother of former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, father of Jagan Mohan Reddy.

He was found murdered mysteriously at his residence at Pulivendula in Kadapa district on March 15, 2019, a month ahead of the 2019 general elections.

The 68-year-old former state minister and former MP was alone at his house when unidentified persons barged in and killed him. He was killed hours before he was to launch the YSR Congress Party's election campaign in Kadapa.

Though three Special Investigation Teams (SITs) conducted the probe they failed to solve the mystery.

The CBI took over the investigation into the case in 2020 on the direction of Andhra Pradesh High Court while hearing a petition of Vivekananda Reddy's daughter Sunitha Reddy, who raised suspicion about some relatives.

The CBI filed a charge sheet in the murder case on October 26, 2021 and followed it up with a supplementary charge sheet on January 31, 2022 In November last year, the Supreme Court transferred to a CBI court in Hyderabad the trial and probe into the larger conspiracy behind the murder. The apex court observed that doubts raised by Sunitha Reddy about getting a fair trial and investigation in Andhra Pradesh were reasonable.
Wellington, Feb 24 : New Zealand has created a new Recovery Visa category to help bring in the additional specialist workers needed to support rebuild efforts in the wake of cyclone Gabrielle and Auckland flooding, the country's worst natural disasters in decades.

"The Recovery Visa means overseas specialists needed to support the recovery efforts can come here immediately," Immigration Minister Michael Wood said on Friday.

In the short term, experts such as insurance assessors, infrastructure and utilities engineers and technicians, heavy machinery operators and debris removal workers are needed, Xinhua news agency quoted the Minister as saying.

"The visa covers the mix of workers needed for clean-up and recovery, including construction workers," he said, adding applications opened on Friday and the visa will last for up to six months.

The fee will be refunded for successful applicants, making it free for those who come here.

Recovery Visa applications will be prioritized by Immigration New Zealand, with the aim of processing an application within a week of receiving it, he said.

Similar visa pathways were used for the responses to the Christchurch and Kaikoura earthquakes, the Minister said, adding global workforce shortages mean the visa may not see as many applicants as in the past.

New Zealand declared state of national emergency on February 14, the third time in the country's history, due to the devastating weather event which caused widespread power outages, flight cancellations and school closures in the North Island.
San Francisco, Feb 24 : Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, has announced that it is rolling out new "Sounds creative" tools -- Sounds Recommendations for Lenses and Sounds Sync for Camera Roll -- on Snapchat, globally.

More than 250 million Snapchatters engage with augmented reality (AR) on the platform everyday,Athe company said in a blogpost on Thursday.

"Since launching Sounds, videos created with music from Sounds on Snapchat have collectively resulted in over 2.7 billion videos created and over 183 billion views." The company defines the "Sounds Recommendations for Lenses" tool as a new way for Snapchatters to find relevant Sounds to complement a Lens.

When applying a Lens to a photo or video, users can tap the Sounds icon to access a list of relevant Sounds to add to a Snap.

This feature is available in the US and is rolling out globally on both iOS and Android devices.

Moreover, with the "Sounds Sync for Camera Roll" tool, Snapchat users can make montage videos that automatically synchronise to the beat of music tracks from the Sounds library.

Users have the option of choosing four to 20 images or videos from their camera roll. This feature is available in the US and is rolling out globally on iOS, and will arrive on Android next month, the company mentioned.

"By expanding the Sounds experience, Snapchat is making it easier and faster for Snapchatters to discover and share the music they love with friends," said Manny Adler, Head of Music Strategy, Snap.

"Snapchat has also created a unique opportunity for artists to reach a valuable and engaged audience, while then also leading fans to listen to the full song on streaming services," Adler added.
Melbourne, Feb 24 : Following vandalisation of Hindu temples, Khalistani flags were found attached to the Indian consulate in Brisbane, just days after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar's visit to Australia.

According to The Australia Today, Honorary Consul of India in Brisbane Archana Singh found the Khalistan flag attached to the office on February 22.

"Police are surveilling the area to keep us safe. We have strong faith in police authority," Singh, who had informed the Queensland police immediately about the incident, said.

The incident, which took place on February 21, comes just days after two Hindu temples received threatening calls from Khalistani supporters.

In one of the calls, the President and the Vice President of Gayatri Mandir in Brisbane were asked to raise 'Khalistan Zindabad' slogans and support the referendum.

Before this, the Kali Mata temple in Melbourne received a threat call this week, asking it to cancel a religious event or face consequences.

Beginning 2023, Hindu temples in Australia and Canada have seen a spurt in vandal attacks by Khalistani elements defacing the walls with anti-India slogans and graffiti.

Between January 12 to 23, three prominent Hindu temples in Melbourne were targetted.

"The frequency and impunity with which the vandals appear to be operating are alarming, as are the graffiti which include glorification of anti-Indian terrorists," the Indian High Commission in Australia said in a strongly-worded statement.

Indians in Australia said they are "angry, scared and dismayed by the blatant display of religious hatred towards the peaceful Hindu community by Khalistan supporters".

According to census data, Hinduism is the fastest-growing religion in Australia.

In the 2021 Australian census, Hinduism grew by 55.3 per cent to 684,002 people.
New Delhi, Feb 24 : Food Corporation of India (FCI) has sold 18.05 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of wheat in the open market through three e-auctions till date, after government decided to augment supplies last month in order to rein in rising prices of the essential commodity.

Government plans to sell a total of 30 LMT wheat in the open market.

About 11 LMT wheat has already been lifted by successful bidders which is available in the market.

Open sale of wheat through e-auction shall take place every Wednesday till March 15, 2023 in an effort to augment wheat availability and safeguard the interests of consumers.

Roller flour millers and traders during an interaction with the government have assured that the benefit of highly subsidised sale of wheat under Open Market Sales Scheme, shall be adequately passed on to consumers.
Bengaluru, Feb 24 : Former Chief Minister, BJP Central Parliamentary Committee Member B.S. Yediyurappa on Friday said the training imparted by RSS and Sangh Parivar is responsible for his rise in politics.

In his farewell speech on the last day of the 15th Assembly session, the veteran leader gave all credit to RSS for his growth and stated that he can never forget its contribution.

"I am speechless, unable to figure out what to say," he said. "I thank the people of Shikaripura constituency for having elected me continuously. I will be 80 years old on February 27. On the occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is arriving to inaugurate the Shivamogga airport. This is a matter of joy and complacency for me," he said.

Yediyurappa stated he got many good opportunities in life. "When roads were not proper, I had the opportunity to travel along with late PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the state. Atalji and Adavani Ji used to come and join me when I delivered speeches. The situation was such.

"In the beginning only two of us represented the BJP in the state. Though leader Vasanth Bangera left, I did not," he maintained.

Yediyurappa stated that former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda is a model for all politicians. "At this age he advises and thinks about state and country's affairs. We need to learn a lot from him," he said. Yediyurappa also thanked Opposition leader Siddaramaiah and former CM S.M. Krishna.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has contributed to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe community. He will benefit from it in the coming days. "I have stated this is my last Assembly session two days ago. I will strive towards building and developing the party till my last breath. I will not use one moment, one day for personal life," he reiterated.

"I will tour across the state and ensure the victory of BJP in Karnataka," he said. Yediyurappa along with MLAs paid flower tribute to the statue of Dr B.R. Ambedkar after attending the last session.

Hailing his spirit and speech of Yediyurappa, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "Being a karyakarta (active member) of BJP, I felt that this speech (by Yediyurappa) is inspirational. The speech imbibes the ethics of the party. This will definitely give inspiration to other party workers," Narendra Modi stated on his social media handle.
Mumbai, Feb 24 : TV actress Neeharika Roy shared how challenging it was for her to learn the divine dance form, Tandava along with her co-actor Sambhabana Mohanty in a span of 4 hours.

She said: "Although I love dancing, I got nervous after getting to know that I have to perform the divine art form 'Tandav'. I am a classical dancer, but this is the first time I have performed Tandav, and the most difficult part is that I performed with my co-star Sambhabana." Neeharika is currently seen playing Radha in the show, who is an optimistic girl and is shown in love with Mohan, played by Shabir Ahluwalia, added that although on-screen she doesn't have good terms with Sambhabana's character, Damini. But off screen, they share a very friendly bond.

"On screen, we are always fighting but off screen we are really good friends and coordinating with her wasn't difficult at all. We both practiced for almost 4 hours before going for the final take. Everyone on set really appreciated our performance and I just hope viewers love it too," added Neeharika.

Sambhabana also mentioned that Tandav is an intense dance form and needs lots of energy and strength to perform.

"For a non-dancer like me, it was very difficult to dance with those very heavy ghungroo (anklets), but Neeharika really motivated me. In fact, during the shoot, I happened to injure myself because I stepped on a piece of ghungroo, but that didn't stop me from dancing. And now, I can't wait to hear the feedback from our viewers on this sequence, I hope they will like it," she wrapped up.

'Pyaar Ka Pehla Naam Radha Mohan' airs on Zee TV.
Chandigarh, Feb 24 : Leaders expelled from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) have raised a tirade against party chief Sukhbir Badal and his close aides by saying they should be removed from the party to 'save' it from extinction.

Leading the rebels, former SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur said the SAD under the Badals' rule had propagated mafia culture and corruption in the state.

Besides Bibi Jagir Kaur, the prominent rebel leaders comprise former minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur who held a meeting in Kapurthala's Begowal on Thursday.

Bibi Jagir Kaur announced they are going to travel state-wide to mobilise workers to save the Akali Dal.

"The Akali Dal can be saved only if Badals and their associates are shunted out of the party. From 2007 to 2017, the SAD under the Badals' rule had propagated mafia culture and corruption in the state," she said.

After parting ways from SAD, Kaur lost the SGPC elections to SAD candidate and incumbent president Harjinder Singh Dhami.

SAD in November last year expelled Bibi Jagir Kaur from the party for indulging in anti-party activities, including becoming party to a conspiracy to break the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).
Hyderabad, Feb 24 : There was apparently targeted harassment of post-graduate medico Dharavathi Preethi by her senior S. A. Saif which could have driven her to attempt suicide, police in Telangana's Warangal said on Friday.

Preethi, a first year post graduate (MD) student in the department of Anaesthesia of the Kakatiya Medical College (KMC) in Warangal is suspected to have attempted suicide by taking an injection.

She is battling for life at Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in Hyderabad.

Hours after arresting Saif, Warangal Police Commissioner A.V. Ranganath told reporters that he has been booked for the girl's attempted suicide. Police also invoked provisions of Scheduled Castes Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Anti-Ragging Act against Saif.

The Police Commissioner defended the police action saying insulting behavior also comes under ragging.

"It is clear that there was targeted harassment of this girl by Saif. He was making remarks to insult her in a WhatsApp group," he said.

The police have also retrieved the data from WhatsApp group of first and second year MD students of Anaesthesia. After Saif made a remark in the group about a case sheet on February 18, Preethi had sent him a personal message raising an objection for making remarks about her.

The girl had told other students that Saif had made the remark "you don't have brains". Stating that the medical college has bossism culture where junior students have to address their seniors as sir, the police official said Saif probably did not like the girl questioning him.

On February 20, Preethi complained to her father Narendra about the harassment. He took up the issue with the police and subsequently the head of the department spoke to Saif and Preethi separately on February 21. Saif denied harassing the girl but Preethi had a feeling that she was being harassed.

The girl was on duty at MGM Hospital on the night of February 21. The next morning, she was found unconscious by the hospital staff. She was admitted in the same hospital and after her condition deteriorated, she was shifted to the NIMS in Hyderabad.

Doctors and HODs told police that this could be due to cardiac arrest. They also informed the police that she had some health issues like thyroid.

However, police suspect that the girl took some injection. "We have not reached to any conclusion but going by the chats and what had happened, we are of the opinion that it could have been a probable attempt to suicide." Ranganath said in the anesthesia emergency kit given to Preethi, the seal of succinylcholine injection was found intact.

The injection is used for nervous and muscular relaxation. "Preethi had searched on Google what happens when a healthy person takes succinylcholine," the Commissioner said.

Two injections in the kit were found open. Police suspect that she took Fentanyl. This injection is used to relieve severe pain during and after surgery. "We are waiting for a toxicology report," the Police Commissioner said.
Chandigarh, Feb 24 : Radical preacher Amritpal Singh's aide Lovepreet Singh, who was accused of kidnapping among other charges, walked out of a jail on Friday, hours after a court ordered his release based on the application of police.

His release comes hours after self-styled gun-trotting Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh, who just came to the limelight after returning from Dubai for criminal and social connect, and his sea of supporters on Thursday, carrying swords and arms, clashed with the police and forcefully laid a siege on a police station in Ajnala, which led to a scuffle and injuries to several police personnel in Amritsar district.

They were staging a demonstration against the arrest of Lovepreet Toofan.

To diffuse the tension, Police Commissioner Jaskaran Singh had told the media they have given enough proof that Lovepreet Toofan is innocent.

"The SIT (Special Investigation Team) has taken note of it. These people will peacefully disperse now, and the law will take its course," he said.
New Delhi, Feb 24 : In recent days, China has launched an assertive charm offensive, kicking off with top diplomat Wang Yi's tour of Europe which culminated in a warm welcome by Vladimir Putin in Moscow, according to a media report.

Beijing has released not one but two position papers - the first offering the Chinese solution to the war and the other outlining a plan for world peace, BBC reported.

These largely retread the talking points China has reiterated in the past year, calling for respect for sovereignty (for Ukraine) and the protection of national security interests (for Russia), while opposing the use of unilateral sanctions (by the US).

The West may come away unimpressed - but convincing them was never likely the main goal for Beijing, BBC reported.

Firstly, it clearly seeks to position itself as a global peacemaker. An obvious clue about who it's really trying to charm lies in one of its papers where it mentions engaging South East Asia, Africa and South America - the so-called Global South.

In preaching an alternative vision to a US-led world order, it is wooing the rest of the globe which is watching to see how the West handles the Ukraine crisis, BBC reported.

But another goal is to send a clear message to the US.

"There is an element of defiance," said Alexander Korolev, an expert in Sino-Russian ties with the University of New South Wales.

"It is signalling: 'If things get ugly between us, I have someone to go to. Russia is not alone, which means that I will not be alone when there is a confrontation... don't get comfortable in bullying me'." The timing, say observers, is a giveaway. Relations between the US and China have hit a new low, exacerbated by the spy balloon. Some have also questioned why China has made its big diplomatic push for Ukraine peace only now, BBC reported.

"China had ample opportunities to display leadership, it was invited early on to contribute to ending the war... If the goal was to truly display the image of a global leader, you don't have to sit on the fence for one year and try to perform a diplomatic dance," said Korolev.
Vadodara : , Feb 24 (IANS) Five members of a family were killed after a car rammed into an auto-rickshaw, in which the deceased were travelling, in Gujarat's Vadodara on Thursday.

Police have arrested the car driver for rash and negligent driving.

Vadodara's Assistant Commissioner of Police Pranav Kataria told the media on Friday "On Thursday night, an Ertiga car rammed into an auto-rickshaw in which six passengers were travelling; three were killed on the spot, two passengers died in the hospital, and the sixth passenger, 8-year-old Aryan, is being treated in the hospital." The officer said, car driver Jayhind Yadav is detained and will officially be arrested once his Covid-19 report comes as negative.

The family members were natives of Lola village in Padra taluka and were returning home after attending a wedding when the incident took place.

The deceased have been identified as Arvind Nayak, his wife Kajal, son Ganesh, daughter Drushti, and niece Shivani.
New Delhi, Feb 24 : Acting upon representations made by National Democratic Teachers Front (NDTF) and Delhi University Principals' Association (DUPA) in connection with fund cuts by the Delhi government to 12 Delhi University colleges, the L-G Secretariat has written to the Chief Minister's Office to address these concerns.

Highlighting that non-disbursal of funds to these 12 colleges has led to their physical infrastructure becoming unsafe owing to disrepair, the L-G Secretariat has also written to the Chief Secretary to get the premises of these colleges inspected in terms of safety and report to the Lt. Governor.

"The NDTF had submitted representation to the Lt. Governor on February 7 regarding the non-payment of salaries and curtailing the funds of 12 Delhi University colleges. The NDTF said that the funds of these 12 colleges were unduly cut and delayed by the Delhi government which has resulted in an inordinate delay in the disbursal of salaries to the staff for the last five years," the LG Secretariat said in a statement.

It said that on many occasions, salaries were not paid to the teachers and staff for two to four consecutive months.

"The NDTF informed the LG that, non-disbursal of funds due to them, has also resulted in hampering of repair and maintenance works, pending since long, which had led to the physical infrastructure in these colleges becoming unsafe," statement reads.

The NDTF in its representation has underlined that even in the revised estimates (RE) passed recently by Delhi govt, there was a fund cut to the tune of nearly Rs 113 crore and requested the L-G Saxena to issue directions to the Delhi government to release the full funds to these colleges that have been pending for the last 5 years.

Another representation was made by the Delhi University Principals' Association (DUPA) regarding the same financial crisis on February 15.

The DUPA said that these colleges were not even in a position to pay the salary for the 3rd and 4th Quarter of the FY 2022-23, and the funds released by the Delhi government were inadequate to meet the expenditure already due in respect of retirement benefits, medical reimbursements, 7th CPC arrears, promotion arrears, etc.

Taking note of the issues flagged by these colleges, the Lt. Governor Secretariat has written to the Chief Minister's Office requesting the issue to be brought to the notice of the Chief Minister and consider releasing the due funds to the concerned colleges and address the issues raised by the associations.

Further, the L-G Secretariat has also asked the Chief Secretary to conduct an inspection of these colleges on priority and sought a status report within 15 days.
Washington, Feb 24 : With US President Joe Biden nominating Ajay Banga, the former Indian American head of Mastercard, to head the World Bank, the top posts in the global financial institution will be held by Sikhs.

Before Banga, who is slated to take up job - which, by convention, been reserved for a US citizen - this May, the World Bank already as a Sikh in a top post, with Indermit Singh Gill its Chief Economist.

He is primarily known for pioneering the concept of the "middle-income trap" to describe how countries stagnate after reaching a certain level of income.

Gill, an Indian citizen, studied at St Paul's School, Darjeeling and St. Stephen's College, Delhi - where he was probably just a year (or perhaps two) junior to Banga.

Like Banga, Gill is also the son of a senior Indian Army officer.

Before taking over Chief Economist on September 1, 2022, Gill served as the World Bank's Vice President for Equitable Growth, Finance, and Institutions, where he played a key role in shaping its response to the extraordinary series of shocks that have hit developing economies since 2020. Between 2016 and 2021, he was a professor of public policy at Duke University and non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution's Global Economy and Development program.

Widely regarded for his contributions to development economics, Gill spearheaded the influential 2009 World Development Report on economic geography, as per his World Bank profile. He has published extensively on key policy issues facing developing countries - among other things, sovereign debt vulnerabilities, green growth and natural-resource wealth, labour markets, and poverty and inequality.

Gill has also taught at Georgetown University and the University of Chicago. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago Biden's nomination of Banga follows his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama nominating Korean-American 'Jim' Yong Kim for World Bank chief to ensure that the World Bank is headed by someone with a developing-country background

Biden was then Vice President.

If confirmed by the World Bank Board, Bang will be the first person of Indian descent to head the World Bank. He will succeed David Malpass, who was appointed to head the bank by then President Donald Trump.
New Delhi, Feb 24 : Tibetans in Tibet have told their relatives in exile to refrain from contacting them this week during the Tibetan New Year called Losar, citing fears of being persecuted by Chinese authorities amid increase in surveillance activities and surprise security searches during the politically sensitive time, sources in the region said.

Chinese authorities have clamped down on Tibetans during Losar, celebrated on February 20-26 this year, with cellphone checks and raids in Lhasa, Xigatse and Chamdo, the sources said, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported. Before the holiday, authorities warned against holding events that could endanger national security and said they would take immediate action against them.

A Tibetan living in Dharamsala, India, called his relatives in China's western Tibet Autonomous Region to wish them well for the Tibetan New Year, but they asked that he not contact them, RFA reported.

China rules Tibet with a tight grip, restricting Tibetans' political activities and expression of cultural and religious identity, especially during festivals like Losar. Tibetans say that Chinese authorities trample on their human rights and are trying to stamp out their religious, linguistic and cultural identity.

Chinese security forces are usually deployed in large numbers in Tibetan-populated areas to monitor crowds gathered for religious festivals and to prevent possible protests during Losar, RFA reported.

The holiday comes just before a politically sensitive anniversary on March 10, commemorating the Tibetan uprising of 1959 during which tens of thousands of Tibetans took to the streets of the regional capital Lhasa in protest against China's invasion and occupation of their homeland a decade earlier.

The failure of the armed rebellion resulted in a violent crackdown on Tibetan independence movements, and the flight of the Dalai Lama and many Tibetans into exile in Dharamsala.

Another Tibetan who now lives in exile but has family members in Lhasa, said even written communication was risky in the current environment, RFA reported.

"Without permission from the government, one cannot print out anything at the moment," he told RFA.

A Tibetan living outside the region who has relatives in Shigatse, about 275 kilometres west of Lhasa, said that his parents sounded very tense when he called and told him to refrain from contacting or sharing messages with them.
Kochi, Feb 24 : Former IAS officer M. Sivasankar, who was a top aide to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan during 2016-21, was on Friday sent back to jail after the Enforcement Directorate, who had his custody for the past nine days, did not seek any extension.

Sivasankar was produced before a court here and since the ED did not seek further custody, the court sent him back to the jail.

He superannuated from service on January 31 and few days later he appeared before the ED probing into the bribery case in the Vijayan government's pet "Life Mission" project - intended to provide homes to the poor who lost their houses in the devastating floods of 2018.

And after three days of questioning, Sivasankar was arrested by the ED and the court first gave sent him into its custody for five days. On Monday, the agency requested the court for another four more days and it ended on Friday.

With the ED on Friday not seeking further custodial interrogation, counsel for Sivasankar moved his bail petition.

On Tursday, the ED served a notice to C.M. Ravindran, the assistant private secretary to Vijayan and considered the Chief Minister's closest aide, to appear before them at their office here on Monday.
Mumbai, Feb 24 : Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui's estranged wife, Aaliya Siddiqui, has accused him of trying to use his power to take custody of her children. She also accused him of raping her and filed a police complaint against him at Versova police station in Mumbai.

She has shared a video and a post in which she talked about him and blamed him for not having any attachment with the kids. But, now he is interested in them and wants their custody. Nawazuddin and Aaliya got married in 2009 and the couple have two kids: daughter Shora, and son Yaani.

Sharing details about their relationship and pointing towards the Bollywood actor, she wrote: "A great actor who tried to be a great human being. His heartless mother who calls my innocent child illegitimate and this bad man remains silent. A rape complaint (with proof) has been filed against him at Versova police station yesterday itself. Whatever happens, I will not let my innocent children go in these heartless hands." She also shared her pain saying: "He has claimed that he wants the custody of the kids. He has not experienced the joy of kids, he doesn't even know how to use a diaper or what is the cost of diaper and even has no idea about the size of their clothes; didn't realise when our kids grew up and today he wants to steal the kids from me and show that he is a good father. He is a coward father. He is stealing the kids from a mother by abusing his power. But he doesn't know that the Almighty has the biggest power." "I have considered you as my husband and lived in the deception that you considered me your wife. I have given the most important years of my life to you. I am already facing financial loss and he has made me weak from all sides. The fame has gone to his head. My son doesn't even know the love of a father because he has always seen only one kid. But I have complete faith in the law and courts that the result will be in my favour," she added.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui and his wife Aaliya Siddiqui are engaged in a legal battle over their marriage.
Mumbai, Feb. Feb 24 : In another twist to their ongoing saga, Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui's estranged wife Aaliya Siddiqui has charged him with alleged rape and lodged a complaint with Versova Police Station here on Friday.

Aaliya, who had slapped a divorce notice to Nawazuddin in 2021, herself made the announcement on her Instagram account, though police officials declined to comment.

"A rape complaint (with proof) has been filed against him at Versova Police Station yesterday (Thursday)," she said in the video post. "Whatever may happen, I will not allow my innocent kids go in their heartless hands," Aaliya declared, becoming emotional while recounting her purported ordeal.

Married in 2009, the couple has been in the limelight for the past few weeks hurling allegations at each other on various domestic and personal issues and their children, daughter Shora and son Yaani.

In January 2022, Nawazuddin's mother had filed a police complaint against Aaliya for allegedly trespassing into the actor's home and she lodged a counter-complaint against her mother-in-law alleging domestic violence.

This time, Aaliya has labelled her mother-in-law as "heartless" who allegedly called her "my innocent child illegitimate" even as Nawazuddin remained silent.

Slamming Nawazuddin for seeking custody of their kids, Aaliya countered how he has never experienced the joy of the children, didn't know how to use a diaper, didn't realise when the kids grew up, and now he is trying to "steal" them from her to prove he is a good father.

"He is a coward dada he is stealing the kids (who are admitted to a Dubai school) from a mother by abusing his power and fame, but forgets that the Almighty is the most powerful," she said.

Aaliya contended that she had always considered Nawazuddin as her husband, but he never accepted her as his wife though she had given the most important years of her life to him.

She alleged how she was grappling with financial losses and now Nawazuddin has weakened her more from all sides, but she had full faith in the courts and law and expressed confidence that the verdict would be in her favour.

In earlier posts, she had alleged that her husband and mother-in-law did not give food and other basic necessities, put restrictions on her access to the bathroom, how she and her kids were reportedly kept in a room in Nawazuddin's home, etc.
New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla during the ongoing budget session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Tuesday, Feb. 07, 2023. (Photo: Lok Sabha/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla addresses the media at the Parliament in New Delhi, Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. (Photo: Qamar Sibtain/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

Gangtok, Feb 24 : Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday urged the elected representatives and legislatives to undertake a 'Jan Andolan' in their respective states to collectively eradicate drugs abuse in India.

"Drug abuse is a matter of national concern and this was discussed in detail at this conference. We must save our youth from drugs abuse," said Birla. He was addressing the concluding session of the two-day 19th annual conference of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) India zone-III at Sikkim Legislative Assembly, Gangtok.

In his concluding remarks, the Lok Sabha Speaker appealed to the governments to prepare action plans to curb drugs abuse and peddling in their respective states. If needed, we will make stronger laws, he said.

Birla called upon the legislators and Parliamentarians to initiate a 'Jan Andolan' against drugs abuse with active participation of the public and stakeholders.

He observed that all democratic institutions including the urban local bodies and rural local bodies should initiate result-oriented steps to generate mass awareness on ill-effects of substance abuse.

Birla added that concerned national and international agencies are working to stop cross-border drug trafficking.

The conference saw discussions on three topics - making Parliament and Assembly more accessible to the public/citizen; drug abuse and way forward; and cyber bullying. Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh, Speakers and legislators from various states under CPA India zone-III attended the event along with the host state Sikkim.

In his remarks and later speaking to media, the Lok Sabha Speaker noted with appreciation that the proceedings and discussions in Northeast States' Assemblies are conducted without disruptions.

He stressed that disruptions in the Parliament and Assemblies do no good to the nation in this 21st Century. Agreements and disagreements among ruling and opposition take place but time has come for engaging and constructive discussions without disruptions in all democratic institutions, he mentioned.

"Our proceedings should be debate-oriented instead of disruptions through allegations and counter allegations...citizens of our nation do not want to see disruptions, they want constructive engagements and that their aspirations are expressed in the House," said the Lok Sabha Speaker.

Adding to this, Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh shared in his concluding remarks that during the conference, the participants also stressed that disruptions and ruckus in the House should be curtailed as it is not appropriate in this 21st Century.

He pointed out that presiding officers have the immense responsibility on their shoulders for upholding the democratic ideals of legislative institutions.

Sikkim Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya, Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang and Arunachal Pradesh Speaker (also the CPA India zone-III chairman) Pasang D. Sona addressed the concluding session.
Mumbai, Feb 24 : Hitting the consumers hard, the Mumbai Milk Producers Association (MMPA) has announced a steep price hike of Rs 5/litre of buffalo milk in the city from March 1, an official said on Friday.

MMPA President C.K. Singh said that the price of buffalo milk - which is sold by over 3,000 retailers in the city - will be increased from Rs 80 per litre to Rs 85 per litre, and will remain in force till August 31.

This is the second steep hike coming after September 2022, when buffalo milk price was hiked from Rs 75 a litre to Rs 80 per litre, making the domestic budget of the poor and middle-class families go haywire.

Singh said that the unanimous decision was taken at the MMPA general body meeting late on Thursday.

All the members felt that since the price of milch animals as well their food items like dana, tuvar, chuni, chana-chuni etc. have gone up by 15-25 per cent, besides steep hike in the rates of grass, hay, pinda etc., the rate of milk should also be increased.

Mumbai consumes over 50 lakh litres of buffalo milk daily, of which more than seven lakh is supplied by the MMPA through its chain of dairies and neighbourhood retailers, through their farms spread in and around the country's commercial capital.

Incidentally, in February this year, all the major cow milk producers' associations in Maharashtra, along with other major branded producers, have hiked the prices of cow milk by at least Rs 2 per litre.
New Delhi, Feb 24 : Ride-hailing major Uber on Friday asked the Delhi government to create a level-playing field for two-wheeler mobility rides for commuters.

The company said that different electrification mandates for ridesharing and delivery sectors, not only leads to inequitable sharing of responsibility but "seriously disadvantages the entire industry".

"Two-wheeler ridesharing apps should be seen at parity with others like delivery and services. The number of delivery rides far surpasses the two-wheeler mobility rides for commuters but they are being given a more practical timeframe for electrification of their fleet," said Shiva Shailendran, Director Operations, Uber India & South Asia.

Carrying passengers on bike taxis bearing private registration numbers has been made a punishable offence and may attract fines up to Rs 10,000, according to a circular issued by the Transport Department of Delhi government.

Delhi uses two-wheelers across ridesharing platforms, accounting for estimated 20 lakh trips every month. In 2022, over 19 lakh trips took place to and from metro stations in NCR on Uber Moto, underscoring the need-gap bike taxis fill in solving the last-mile commute.

"Besides being affordable, quick and time-saving for riders, two-wheeler mobility products support the livelihood of over 1 lakh drivers in Delhi who use their bikes to provide mobility and make an earning," said Shailendran.

As the Delhi government contemplates a regulatory framework that will likely allow only EVs to function as bike taxis, the time is right for a deeper industry dialogue, said Uber.

"Sustainability is a shared goal and no one can get there on their own. While we look for bold, ambitious ways to reach the zero emissions target, we need to find every way possible to help shared mobility drivers make a fair and equitable transition," said the company.

A circular issued by the Transport Department of Delhi government read: "It has been brought to the notice that two-wheelers having non-transport (private) registration mark/number are being used to carry passengers on hire or reward which is purely commercial operation and in violation of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and rules made thereunder.

"The above said violation is a contravention of the registration condition of the vehicle which is punishable under Section 192 of Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 having punishment for the first offense up to Rs 5,000, and for a second or subsequent offense with imprisonment which may extend to one year with fine up to Rs 10,000, besides impounding of the vehicle."
Nation takes good care of age-old problem

(China Daily) 11:06, February 24, 2023

Students learn to play traditional Chinese musical instruments at a school for the elderly on Nantangbang Road in Shanghai. PHOTO BY GAO ERQIANG / CHINA DAILY

Increased attention paid to healthcare for the elderly

Beijing native Jia Jun, 61, grew up in a house in a hutong, or alleyway, near Hufang Bridge in Xicheng district, where her mother has lived for more than 80 years.

In 1997, her mother, who was then 68, suddenly started vomiting and then fainted. A neighbor drove her to a hospital emergency center. After an examination, she was diagnosed with cerebral hemorrhage, which left her in a coma for four days.

Several years later, Jia's mother had a stroke at home. Jia, who was there at the time, pushed her to the hospital in a wheelchair.

"My mother is now 93. In the past 20 years, she has been hospitalized four times because of different medical problems," Jia said.

"I had been taking her to see a doctor regularly, but when she was in her 80s, she was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Since then, I have been afraid to take her to the hospital when it's extremely hot or cold in Beijing in case her condition worsens."

Jia, who retired as a factory worker when she was 41 to take care of her mother, found a job in a restaurant five minutes from home. "Now, if my mom phones me, I can pop home quickly to see her," she said.

Four years ago, after being diagnosed with diabetes, her mother was prescribed drugs to treat hypoglycemia. She now has at least five chronic diseases and takes a dozen pills after each meal.

Meanwhile, in early March, Jia's father-in-law, who is 90 and has dementia, had a fall during the night. Since then, Jia and her husband have been afraid to let him live on his own, and she now regularly attends to him.

Jia said, "If I want to take good care of my mother and my father-in-law, I need to do more than just earn money, but if I can't make money, what will happen to them?"

Figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Jan 17 show there were more than 280 million people age 60 or older in China by the end of last year, accounting for 19.8 percent of the population. According to the UN, a country is defined as "aging" when more than 10 percent of its population is age 60 or older, and "aged" when the proportion is 20 percent or higher.

Liu Xiaohong, chief physician in the geriatrics department at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, said 50 percent of people who are 65 or older in China have at least three chronic conditions. Liu has been engaged in geriatrics studies for more than 20 years.

Figures from the National Health Commission, or NHC, show that more than 78 percent of seniors who are 60 or older have at least one chronic disease.

Although the illnesses Jia's mother and father-in-law have contracted are chronic, they are not immediately life-threatening. However, the psychological impact of long-term care for the older generation, and the changes Jia has faced in her life and work, highlight the need to rethink care for the elderly.

Aging and death are both inevitable, but improvements can be made to seniors' self-sufficiency to a certain degree.

In China, medical insurance for acute care used to be specialized, categorized by organs, and was not specifically for the elderly.

As a result, hospitals needed to develop a seniors-friendly environment to conduct a comprehensive geriatric assessment of such patients, manage them through an interdisciplinary team, and solve reversible problems in aging to allow seniors to take care of themselves and return home.

According to the NHC, by the end of 2021, China had set up six national clinical research centers for diseases among geriatrics, and medicine departments for geriatrics had been established in more than 4,600 public hospitals at secondary level or higher.

Dignified life

Peking Union Medical College Hospital's department of geriatrics, established in 2006 by Liu, the chief physician, is one of the first of its kind in China.

"As chronic diseases have become the main cause of death and disability among the elderly, and about 80 percent of seniors die from such diseases, the focus of elderly care is on preventing disease, organ failure, function decline and other adverse events," Liu said.

"If seniors are partially disabled, we help them function as much as possible, but if they are completely disabled, we need to help them live a dignified life in their last days."

The approach adopted by doctors seeing geriatric patients is different from that of specialized diagnosis and treatment departments in hospitals, which center on seniors' daily living activities.

"We need to accurately care for the elderly who have several chronic conditions to check whether they have taken inappropriate medication, or if they have any illnesses occurring at the same time," Liu said.

"In geriatrics, we do this through medication. If the person is sick and his or her diseases are co-occurring, their treatment will be aimed at reducing lipids (organic compounds that are insoluble in water), hypertension and platelets (tiny blood cells). It's the same for every patient," she said.

In cases where multiple chronic conditions coexist, it may not be good for elderly patients to take medication prescribed by doctors in various fields.

Liu said: "We first ask patients about all the medication they are taking. We then spend a lot of time trying to see which drugs are not working, whether there are overlapping medication errors, and if any of the drugs are putting the patient at risk.

"For example, our department has stopped prescribing enteric aspirin for primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases, which is used in specialist clinics, because of the risk it poses to older adults."

Such medication is designed to withstand stomach acid and pass through the stomach before fully dissolving in the small intestine.

Teamwork is particularly important, with pharmacists, psychologists, rehabilitation therapists, nurses and doctors playing key roles in geriatrics departments' daily work.

Comprehensive geriatric assessment  a multidisciplinary diagnostic and treatment process that involves all staff members in the department  identifies seniors' medical, psychosocial and functional capabilities, enabling a coordinated plan to be drawn up for each patient's needs.

Liu said, "These procedures are aimed at treating a particular disease, but as chronic illnesses are incurable, we shift our focus to maintaining functions among the elderly."

An elderly woman plays badminton at Jingshan Park in Beijing on July 20, 2020. [Photo by Jiang Dong/chinadaily.com.cn]

Life expectancy rises

Liu believes it is necessary to give the healthy "young old" (those in the 65 to 74 age group) more work opportunities and social support to cultivate a positive mindset and embrace the arrival of an aging society.

"In view of China's huge population, the official retirement age was set at 60. But average life expectancy in the nation has reached 78.2 years, and in many developed countries a retirement age of 65 is preferred," Liu said.

"In active aging, those in the 'young old' age group receive pensions and see themselves as contributing to society. As a result, their social psychology is healthy and they have a sense of happiness, which is the modern health concept of contributing both to society and their neighbors."

In March, a research report by the McKinsey Health Institute showed that average global life expectancy rose from 30 to 73 years from 1800 to 2017. But the proportion of those in poor health has not diminished over time. On average, 50 percent of people are in less-than-good health, including 12 percent in poor health.

The report said that if people improve their environment, change their lifestyle and take good care of their health, they can achieve about six years of healthy aging.

Liu agrees with the notion, and said nursing, medical treatment, and social and environmental support are areas in which healthy aging can be attained.

Improving the health of its aging population is part of China's long-term plan to promote care for seniors.

"It doesn't make much sense to the elderly if we only focus on the diseases they've got.

"The goal is to maintain and perform the function of the elderly, improve their quality of life, and make their families happy. We're improving seniors' healthy life expectancy, which means giving them more time to live on their own," she said.

A woman takes a ride on a stairlift chair at the Binhe elderly care center in the city of Taiyuan. Thanks to this device, residents are free to come and go as they please. [Photo by MI GUOWEI/FOR CHINA DAILY]

Maintaining function

The progression of some seniors' medical conditions, such as incapacity or dementia, can be delayed if scientific ideas and methods are adopted and they are also shown sufficient patience and perseverance.

Bao Changxiao, 50, a caregiver at a nursing home in Beijing, has looked after the elderly who are incapacitated, including those with senile dementia, for 24 years.

"The rate at which a chronic illness progresses in a senior patient can be slowed if the right approach is taken to their care, unlike a patient of about the same age and with the same symptoms who has not received any care," she said.

Bao added that an elderly man she helped after he had a stroke had been barely able to get out of bed, but after rehabilitation training, he can now walk with the aid of a stick.

"It is quite a tough task for him. Because of the stroke, he is reluctant to move, but he needs exercise, so we caregivers speak gently to encourage him to walk every day," Bao said.

Long-term care for the elderly requires experience, which is a combination of care, patience and love.

In addition to physical aging and pain, the elderly may experience psychological problems, which can be stressful for long-term caregivers.

"About 40 percent of the elderly I work with have problems such as apathy, a lack of communication, depression, anxiety and irritability. Their families may initially be devoted to their care, but over time people become tired of this work, and they also have their own pressures from work and life," Bao said.

She has also arranged for social workers to visit the elderly to listen to their concerns.

"Resistance training can only work on the elderly if they cooperate and make efforts to receive it," she said. Such training is a form of exercise essential for health and fitness.

Bao, who mainly serves the elderly in Beijing's Fengtai district, said residents in the area are increasingly beginning to think about how they and their loved ones deal with death.

"They put forward ideas concerning their relatives' deaths. Instead of being sent to the emergency room at a hospital, the elderly prefer to make their own decisions so that their families suffer less," she said.

Liu, from Peking Union Medical College Hospital, said, "Medicine for geriatrics is inseparable from palliative care.

"We propose integrated care to help the elderly take care of themselves as much as possible so that they can enjoy life.

"In addition, every person has the right to know about his or her illness and make decisions individually. We hope the older adults can live well and die well."

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
New Delhi, Feb 24 : Petroleum and Urban Development Minister Hardeep Puri on Friday called upon a calibrated policy response to climate change, which he termed as an equally big opportunity before the world as the financial crisis of 2008.

"I believe that a stronger commitment to the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the multilateral agenda are going to be fundamental to the global response," Puri said while delivering the keynote address at the valedictory session of the World Sustainable Development Summit 2023, organised by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).

"India as the fastest-growing major economy with the youngest demography in the world, is aptly positioned to lead this charge. India's progress on climate action is an inspiration. Despite the pandemic, India has shown remarkable progress on numerous SDG targets without causing any negative spillovers while other countries have stagnated," he added.

The minister said that visionary proposals, such as the Panchamrit Action Plan that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has put forward at COP-26, provide the ambitious response needed to push the sustainable development agenda. India has pledged to become a net-zero country by 2070 and is on its way to cut down emissions by 1 billion tonnes by 2030.

"Environment conservation is a commitment, and not a compulsion, for India," he added.

Puri highlighted the various green initiatives of the government, namely ethanol blending and its focus on green hydrogen production.

"India's Green Hydrogen policy is a revolutionary shift which is set to make India a global hub for green hydrogen and green ammonia production. India aims to produce 5 MT Green Hydrogen annually by 2030," the minister told the gathering.

"The G20 summit presents us with a unique opportunity to conceptualise pathways that can inform global governance. In particular, India will give resonance to the voice of the Global South and highlight the common concerns of energy security and climate justice. The time has come for a paradigm shift in the international climate regime which has to move from a 'country-centric' approach to 'people-centric' approach to climate actions," Puri added.

The world, he said, is at a pivotal moment of climate action. "The globe is already 1.1 degrees warmer. To meet the Paris Agreement's targets, IPCC estimates that global GHG emissions must decrease by 43 per cent between 2025-30 and reach net-zero by 2050. There is a huge opportunity in this target. With over half of the infrastructure required by 2050 yet to be built, coordinated global efforts can ensure mass levels of low-carbon development," he said.
New Delhi, Feb 24 : The Covid-19 vaccine strategy adopted by India during the deadly pandemic saved more than 3.4 million lives as well as had a positive impact on the country's economy, said Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday.

In a virtual address of the 'The India Dialog' session on the Economic Impact of Vaccination & Related Matters, he said that for the effective management of Covid-19, the country "adopted a 'whole of government' and 'whole of society' approach in a proactive, preemptive and graded manner thus adopting a holistic response strategy".

He also released a working paper by Stanford University and Institute for Competitiveness titled "Healing the Economy: Estimating the Economic Impact on India's vaccination and related issues".

The paper highlighted that India was able to save more than 3.4 million lives by undertaking the nationwide Covid vaccination campaign at an unprecedented scale. The campaign also yielded a positive economic impact by preventing loss of $18.3 billion to India's economy. A net benefit of $15.42 billion occurred for the nation after taking into consideration the cost of the vaccination campaign.

The paper discussed the role of containment as a measure to prevent the spread of the virus. A strict lockdown in the initial period was announced, after which three more lockdown phases followed in succession. A containment strategy followed this in the unlock phases which was decentralised gradually, with specific regions gaining more control over its implementation.

The Stanford report noted that robust measures at the ground level, like contact tracing, mass testing, home quarantine, distribution of essential medical equipment, revamping healthcare infrastructure, and constant coordination among stakeholders at the centre, state, and district levels, not only helped contain the spread of the virus but also in augmenting the health infrastructure.

It elaborates that three measures -- containment, relief package, and vaccine administration -- were critical in saving lives and ensuring economic activity by containing the spread of the Covid, sustaining livelihoods, and developing immunity against the virus.

Mandaviya also credited a large part of the success to the citizens who cooperated with the government and other stakeholders in the fight against Covid.

Healing the relief packages for citizens, Mandaviya said it "not only helped mitigate the adverse effects of Covid-19 but also provided an impetus to the economic activities." The relief package by the government catered to the welfare needs of the vulnerable groups, old age population, farmers, Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), women entrepreneurs amongst others and also ensuring support for their livelihoods.

The paper also highlighted the food security programmes during pandemic like the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY). The programmes ensured free food grains were distributed to 800 million people which resulted in an economic impact of approximately $26.24 billion.

In addition, the PM Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyan helped in providing immediate employment and livelihood opportunities to migrant workers. Through the scheme 4 million beneficiaries were provided employment which resulted in an overall economic impact of $4.81 billion.

--IANS rvt/vd

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Bhubaneswar, Feb 24 : Odisha Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari on Friday presented the annual budget of Rs 2.30 lakh crore for the year 2023-24 in the state Assembly. The outlay is 15 per cent more than the full-fledged budget of 2022-23.

Pujari said the programme budget has been increased by 35 times from Rs 3,538 crore in 2000-01 to Rs.1,25,000 crore in 2023-24 budget estimates. The allocation for the programme expenditure is about 54 per cent of the total budgetary outlay.

Similarly, capital outlay has gone up by more than 60 times from Rs 834 crore to Rs 51,683 crore during the same period. The proposed capital outlay is about 6 per cent of GSDP, he said.

The administrative expenditure is proposed at Rs 94,000 crore in 2023-24, which includes Rs 32,449 crore for salaries, Rs 19,967 crore for pension, Rs 7,241 crore for interest payment and Rs 13,464 crore for maintenance of capital assets.

The outlay for disaster response funds will be Rs 3,700 crore, while transfers from the state will have an outlay of Rs 7,300 crore.

Additionally, loans and advances, grants for creation of capital assets and other expenditure for capital formation together account for Rs 12,421 crore, which is 1.4 per cent of the GSDP, he stated.

The total budget outlay is proposed to be financed through revenue receipts of Rs 1,84,500 crore and borrowing and other receipts of Rs 45,500 crore.

Total revenue receipts for the year 2023-24 include the state's share in the Central taxes of Rs 46,251 crore, state's own tax of Rs 53,000 crore, own non-tax revenue of Rs 52,500 crore and grants from the Centre for Rs 32,749 crore.

Presenting the agriculture budget with an outlay of Rs 24,829 crore, Pujari said Odisha is predominantly an agrarian economy with agriculture and allied activities constituting 22.5 per cent in Gross State Value Added (GSVA).

The agriculture budget outlay of Rs 24,829 crore for 2023-24 is 20 percent more than last year and three times the budget estimate during 2016-17, he said.

Similarly, a total sum of Rs 16,048 crore has been proposed for public health care, which is an increase of about 27 per cent over the previous year and about three times the allocation in 2017-18.

For the development of health care infrastructure, an amount of Rs 3,003 crore has been proposed in the budget under the State Scheme Mukhyamantri Swasthya Seva Mission, which includes Rs 1,400 crore for redevelopment of SCB Medical College and Hospitals.

Similarly, the total budget allocation of Rs 22,528 crore has been made for the school and mass education department, while Rs 986 crore for Skill Development & Technical Education, which is 22 per cent higher than the previous year's provision, and Rs 2,554 crore for the Department of Mission Shakti which is 27 per cent more over the estimation for 2022-23.

Pujari announced a new scheme, Mission Shakti Scooter Yojana, with a budgetary allotment of Rs 50 crore for the Financial Year, 2023-24.

Under the Mukhyamantri Medhabi Chatra Protsahan Yojana, an outlay of Rs 811 crore is proposed for disbursement of scholarships to more than 23 lakh students of which 60 per cent are girls.

The state government has also proposed to invest more than Rs 13,215 crore during the year 2023-24 for piped drinking water from budget and off- budget sources, he said.

In 2023-24, the Works department will take up double-laning of about 3,000 km of roads with improved riding quality at a cost of Rs 4,600 crore.

Further, the state has provided Rs 2,071 crore for construction of 6,000 km of roads under Mukhyamantri Sadak Yojana and Rs 1,450 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).

"When the Chief Minister took over the reins of the state in 2000, Odisha was in such a severe financial crisis that it was unable to even pay salaries and pensions regularly. Today, two decades later, we are among the very few states that are revenue surplus and capable of large-scale investments in people-centric and growth- oriented programmes," Pujari said in his budget speech.

This transformation has been possible due to a futuristic and people-oriented model of governance combined with the vision of our Chief Minister towards making Odisha a developed state, he added.
New Delhi, Feb 24 : India has slipped to the 43rd spot in the US Chamber of Commerce's latest International Intellectual Property Rights index.

India is ranked 43rd out of 55 countries for 2022. It was ranked 40th in the index in 2021.

The index was launched by the US Chamber of Commerce's Global Innovation Policy Centre and is closely monitored by the Indian government.

The index has said in its finding that a torrent of proposals - both domestic and international - are threatening to erode intellectual property (IP) rights.

The annual international IP index evaluates the protection of IP rights in 55 of the world's leading economies, together representing approximately 90 per cent of global GDP.

The report covers everything from patent and copyright laws to the ability to monetise IP assets and the ratification of international agreements.

By analysing the IP landscape in global markets, the index aims to help nations navigate toward a brighter economic future marked by greater innovation, creativity, and competitiveness.

"As India's size and economic influence grows on the world stage, India is ripe to become a leader for emerging markets seeking to transform their economy through IP-driven innovation," said Patrick Kilbride, senior vice president of the US Chamber of Commerce's Global Innovation Policy Center, which publishes the annual report.

"India has taken steps to improve enforcement against copyright-infringing content and provides a best-in-class framework to promote better understanding and utilization of IP assets. However, address long-standing gaps in its IP framework will be critical to India's ability to creating a new model for the region and India's continued economic growth," Kilbride said.
New Delhi, Feb 24 : Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday met her French counterpart Bruno Le Maire on the sidelines of the ongoing G20 finance ministers and central bank governors (FMCBG) meeting in Bengaluru.

Both the leaders agreed to extend the growing economic cooperation between the two countries to new areas like renewable energy, infrastructure and green cities.

The ongoing problems due to debt vulnerabilities of several nations also featured during the discussion between the two leaders.

Le Maire thanked Sitharaman for the recently concluded Tata-Airbus landmark deal.

Earlier in the day, Sitharaman and RBI governor Shaktikanta Das helmed the proceedings on the first day of the FMCBG meeting.

The meeting will conclude on Saturday.
Bengaluru: A view of 'Pragathi Ratha' advertisement vehicles flagged off by Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai ahead for the Karnataka Assembly elections, in Bengaluru on Friday, Feb. 24, 2023. (Photo: Dhananjay Yadav/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

Bengaluru, Feb 24 : Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Friday that the people have faith and belief in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as it has a strong leadership.

Speaking after flagging off the BJP Pragati Rath Yatra here on Friday, he said 130 raths (chariots) will tour all over the state to highlight the achievements of both the state and the Central governments.

This information will be disseminated to the women, poor, and the school-children. The BJP can alone build Nava Bharath through Nava Karnataka, he said, adding "once the vehicles of hope complete one round, there will be a BJP tsunami in Karnataka".

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi said determination is the key to success and the work done by the government would be taken to the doorsteps of people. The raths will visit every village in the state to take the achievements of the governments," the Karnataka Chief Minister said.

He said after the BJP came to power, it ended the travails faced by the people caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

"The government renovated 75 schools in Bengaluru, developed tanks, started Namma Clinics in all wards, granted Rs 6,000 crore for the development of Bengaluru, got grants from the Union government for the sub-urban rail, got released money for the Smart City project. The Lok Sabha members from Karnataka have played an important role in bringing the funds from the Centre," he said.

The Chief Minister said schemes such as Vidya Nidhi for the children of farmers, agriculture labourers, fishermen and weavers, Swanidhi, Swami Vivekananda Self-Employment, free buses for students and unorganised working men, and monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,000 per agricultural labourer have been implemented by the incumbent government.
Hyderabad, Feb 24 : A traffic police constable in Hyderabad has won many hearts by saving the life of a young man by administering CPR after he had suffered a cardiac arrest.

D. Rajashekhar, attached to Rajendranagar police station of Cyberabad Police Commissionerate, performed CPR on a man whi collapsed at a bus stand at Aramghar crossroads.

As the man was lying on the ground, the constable showed presence of mind and did CPR to revive him. The man, identified as Balarju, was later shifted to a hospital, where he is recovering.

The constable's gesture has come for praise from Telangana Health Minister T. Harish Rao. The minister took to Twitter to appreciate the cop for doing a commendable job in saving precious life by immediately doing CPR.

Harish Rao said the government will conduct CPR training to all frontline employees and workers next week in view of increasing reports of such incidents.

Tollywood megastar Chiranjeevi also appreciated the constable. "Salute to Cyberabad Traffic Police Constable Rajashekhar for his alertness & timely CPR that saved a life today. Sri Rajashekhar, In going beyond your duty & showing compassion to a fellow human you have set an example of humanity & for a caring & friendly police!!" he tweeted.

Director General of Police Anjani Kumar appreciated Rajasekhar's bravery. He called it the unwavering commitment towards the public. The exceptional action of Rajashekhar, his swift and effective administration of CPR saved the life in a critical situation, he said.

Cyberabad Police Commissioner Stephen Raveendra commended Rajashekhar's timely act. He said the constable's effective administration of CPR saved the life of a young man.

He appreciated Rajashekhar's spontaneity and dutifulness and presented him a reward.
New Delhi, Feb 24 : The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Maharashtra Police to carry out further investigation against NCP leader and then Cabinet Minister, Jitendra Awhad, on the complaint of civil engineer who was allegedly "ruthlessly and mercilessly" beaten at his residence in April 2020, for criticising him in a Facebook post for ridiculing the Prime Minister.

A bench of Justices M.R. Shah and C.T. Ravikumar observed that there has to be a fair investigation and a fair trial and the fair trial may be quite difficult unless there is a fair investigation.

It added that the power to order fresh, de novo or reinvestigation being vested with the constitutional courts, the commencement of a trial and examination of some witnesses cannot be an absolute impediment for exercising the said constitutional power which is meant to ensure a fair and just investigation.

The top court allowed in part an appeal filed by the victim, Anant Thanur Karmuse challenging the order passed by Bombay High Court in April 26 last year.

The bench pointed at the absence of proper investigation into the matter and the state agency, which opposed the petition before the high court, admitted after government change in Maharashtra that further investigation is still required on certain aspects.

The bench said: "The High Court has committed a very serious error in not ordering and/or permitting the state police agency to further investigate into the FIR... The High Court has not considered the relevant aspects narrated hereinabove and therefore interference of this Court is warranted." However, the apex court declined to entertain a plea by appellant for transferring the case to the CBI.

The bench said: "The judgment and order passed by the High Court refusing to order further investigation/re-investigation is hereby quashed and set aside and we direct/ permit the State investigating agency to further investigate into the FIR... and on what aspects the further investigation shall be carried out is left to the wisdom of the State investigating agency." The top court said the investigation should be completed as early as possible, preferably within three months.

The bench observed that in the second supplementary charge sheet in the month of March, 2022, the former minister was named as accused, and not prior to that when the first charge sheet, the supplementary charge sheet were filed and even when the charges against the other accused were framed.

"Mere filing of the charge sheet and framing of the charges cannot be an impediment in ordering further investigation/re-investigation/de novo investigation, if the facts so warrant." The appellant claimed that at around 11.50 p.m. on April 5, 2020, four policemen, two dressed in civilian dress and other two in uniform, forcibly took him to the bungalow of the minister at Thane. The then Minister allegedly instructed his men to beat him and threatened him to delete the post immediately.
Patna, Feb 24 : The Bihar government on Friday sacked tainted Block Development Officer Jaywardhan Gupta, who was also involved in question paper leak of 67th BPSC preliminary examination, on the charge of taking bribes.

The decision was taken during the cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Gupta, who was posted in Ghoswari block of Bhojpur district as BDO, was nabbed by a team of Economic Offences Unit (EOU) for taking a bribe of Rs 1 lakh from Dinesh Gop in 2017. Following his arrest, the Home Department removed him from the post of the BDO. However, he managed to regain his post after a few months and was posted in the Barhara block.

His name again came up in the preliminary examination of 67th BPSC held on May 9, 2022, when he was deployed as a static officer at Veer Kunwar Singh College in Arrah. The question paper was leaked at that time and EOU arrested four persons including Gupta. The other accused are identified as Dr Yogendra Prasad Singh, Principal-cum- Centre Superintendent, Sushil Kumar Singh, Professor-cum-Examination Cxontroller, and Agam Kumar Sahay, Professor-cum-Assistant Centre Superintendent of the college.

The cabinet has decided to sack him from his service on the basis of an investigation report filed by EOU, finding him guilty of taking a bribe of Rs 1 lakh from Dinesh Gop in 2017.
London, Feb 24 : Swedish telecom gear-maker Ericsson is laying off about 8 per cent of its workforce, around 8,500 employees, to cut costs in the ongoing global macroeconomic conditions, the media reported on Friday.

According to an internal memo sent to employees, the company said the headcount reduction has been conveyed to employees in several countries.

"We see a potential to simplify and become more efficient throughout the company, especially when it comes to structural costs," a company spokesperson told Bloomberg.

The telecom networking company earlier laid off at least 1,400 employees or 10 per cent of its workforce in Sweden after negotiating with unions.

The company said in a statement earlier this week that the company intended to conduct the job cut process through a voluntary programme after closing negotiations with employee unions, Barron's had reported.

"Reducing headcount is never easy, and we will manage this with the utmost respect and professionalism. Further details are always communicated to the relevant staff first," Ericsson said.

"The cost savings cover various areas such as reduction of consultants, streamlining of processes, reduced facilities, etc. As previously announced, it will also include head-count reduction," Ericsson had added.

The Stockholm-headquartered company in December last year said it was aiming to slash costs by $880 million by the end of 2023.

Last month, Ericsson missed expectations for its fourth-quarter earnings.

The company joins a growing list of tech firms which have laid off thousands of employees in the recent months.

It had warned of reduced spending from customers in the US and other developed markets.
Dharwad : , Feb 24 (IANS) Union Minister for Mine, Coal and Parliamentary Affairs, Pralhad Joshi, said on Friday that Karnataka will get water from the Mahadayi River, also known as Mhadei River, in a few days.

Talking to reporters at Dharwad, Joshi said, "The government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given another gift to the people of the state regarding utilisation of water from Mahadayi River. The Congress had stated that it won't give a drop of water to Karnataka from the river.

"But the Central government is forming a managing authority so that any of the three states concerned won't get additional water allocation. The Mahadayi River water would be allocated appropriately very soon. This is a good development and I thank the Prime Minister for this." Joshi also said that though the Congress was in power for a long time, it did not do any work.

"The Congress misled the people by telling lies. It is now enacting dramas after seeing the popularity of BJP in the country," he said.

Goa and Karnataka have been at loggerheads over the Mahadayi River water.

On Thursday, the 'Save Mhadei Save Goa Front' (SMSGF) had warned the Goa state government that it will bring the state to a standstill if the approval given to the detailed project report (DPR) of Karnataka for the disputed Kalsa-Bhanduri dam project on Mahadayi River is not revoked within the next 10 days.

The reaction from the front came after the Union Cabinet decided to approve the creation of the Mhadei Prawah (Mhadei Water Authority) on Wednesday.

Goa and Karnataka are currently battling out a dispute over the Kalasa-Banduri dam project across the Mahadayi river at a central tribunal.

The river originates in Karnataka and meets the Arabian Sea in Panaji. While the river traverses 28.8 km in Karnataka, it is 81.2 km in length in Goa.

Karnataka plans to construct dams on the river, aimed at diverting the water into its water-starved Malaprabha basin in North Karnataka.
Raipur, Feb 24 : Amid talks for alliance in the run-up to next year's general elections, the Congress said on Friday that there will be a concrete proposal on this issue during the 85th plenary session of the party, which began here on Friday under the leadership of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge.

Addressing a press conference here, Congress' Media and Publicity Chairman Pawan Khera said, "The issue will be discussed in the plenary session and we will come up with a concrete proposal on alliance." The grand old party is trying to strike a balance between the political parties which are opposed to the idea of Congress leading the alliance.

Predicting that BJP will not achieve majority in the next Lok Sabha polls, Kharge said: "The Congress will get the majority... We will follow the Constitution and we will follow democracy." The Congress is likely to set up an alliance committee to reach out to the other opposition parties, and this could be discussed during the party's plenary session.

Sources said that Congress wants to build a national alliance, but with the precondition of leading it.

There are many like-minded parties which have no problems with Congress leading the alliance, but the top leaders of parties like Bharat Rashtra Samithi, Trinamool Congress and Aam Aadmi Party are taking a different line.
New Delhi, Feb 24 : A consensus has emerged among the G20 member countries, guest countries and international organisations for the four main themes of the Culture Working Group of G20.

The third and fourth working group session of the first Cultural Working Group meeting was organised on Friday at the Maharaja Chhatrasal Convention Centre in Madhya Pradesh's Khajuraho.

Presentations were made on the working process along with the presentations by knowledge partner Unesco.

Govind Mohan, Secretary, Ministry of Culture, in his remarks said the first meeting of the Culture Working Group under India's G20 chairmanship ended on Friday. In the meeting, there was a discussion on the priorities set by India in four important sessions.

The official said that India had put forward four main themes for this meeting. These include Protection and Restitution of Cultural Property; Harnessing Living Heritage of Sustainable Future; Promotion of Cultural and Creative Industries and Creative Economy, and Leveraging of Digital Technology for Protection and Promotion of Culture.

In the two-day brainstorming, a consensus has emerged among the G-20 member countries, guest countries and international organisations that took part in the meeting that these topics should be taken forward strongly. All countries supported our proposal, he added.

Govind Mohan said that it was agreed in the meeting that experts should now work on micro-level detailing through webinars so that by August, "we can announce a new initiative and, based on that, a new path can be carved out".

He said that bilateral talks have also taken place in the meeting between many countries, including the UK, Mauritius, Japan, Singapore, and the US.

Later on Friday evening, the G20 delegates also visited the Adivart Tribal and Folk Art Museum in Khajuraho.
Phnom Penh, Feb 24 : The Paris-headquartered Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on Friday removed Cambodia from its grey list of high-risk countries for money laundering after the Southeast Asian nation had been listed since 2019.

According to the outcomes of its plenary meeting posted on its website, the global money-laundering watchdog said Cambodia had made progress in improving anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) regimes, Xinhua news agency reported.

The country "has addressed its technical deficiencies to meet the commitments of its action plan on strategic deficiencies that the FATF identified in February 2019", the FATF said.

It added that Cambodia is "no longer subject to the FATF's increased monitoring process".
New Delhi, Feb 24 : A special CBI court dealing with the Vyapam cases has awarded four years' rigorous imprisonment (RI) to two persons including a candidate and an impersonator in connection with irregularities in the police constable recruitment exam in Madhya Pradesh, an official said on Friday.

Special Judge, CBI (Vyapam cases) handed RI to Ajay Pratap Singh (impersonator) and Narottam Singh Dhakar (candidate) while also imposing a fine of Rs 8,100 on both.

The CBI had registered the case on December 15, 2015 in compliance with the orders of the Supreme Court and had taken over the investigation of a case earlier registered at a police station in Gwalior's Purani Chawani.

The FIR was lodged against Ajay Pratap Singh and Narottam Dhakar on allegations of impersonation in connection with the Police Constable Recruitment Test 2012.

"On questioning, Singh accepted that instead of Dhakar, he had appeared in the examination. During the investigation, it was revealed that the impersonator was arranged by two middlemen to appear in the exam in place of Dhakar. Expert opinion on handwriting and thumb impression also established that Singh had appeared in place of the actual Dhakar," the CBI said.

Later, a court convicted the two accused but acquitted the two middlemen.
Bhopal, Feb 25 : At least half-a-dozen people were killed and around 50 were reportedly injured after a heavily loaded truck collided with three buses in Madhya Pradesh's Rewa district late on Friday, officials said.

As per the information, these people had come to attend 'Kol Mahakumbh', an event organised on the occasion of the birth anniversary of 'Mata Sabari' in Satna district of the state.

The accident occurred at Mohania Ghati, a mountain area between Rewa and Sidhi, when they were returning to their home districts - primarily Sidhi, Singrauli and other districts of Madhya Pradesh's Vindhya region - after attending the programme.

The buses were heading towards Sidhi via Rewa.

Sources told IANS that Rewa collector Manoj Pushp and SP Naveen Bhaseen along with other administrative officials have reached the spot.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan took stock of the situation and directed officials to provide all possible help to safe people. He also expressed his condolences for this unfortunate accident.

Member of Parliament (MP) from Sidhi, Riti Pathak, and many other local BJP and Congress leaders have reached the spot. Madhya Pradesh Congress president and former Chief Minister Kamal Nath also expressed his grief over the incident.

Veteran Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh tweeted, "These people had come to attend Kol Mshakumbh, which was organised by MP government, and therefore, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan should take responsibility and a compensation of Rs 50 lakh should be given to the families of each deceased." The event was organised by the state government and was attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah as Chief Guest.
Istanbul, Feb 25 : Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held phone talks respectively with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts on the first anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Erdogan on Friday reiterated to both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky that Turkey was ready to offer any assistance toward a ceasefire and peace talks between the two countries, Xinhua news agency reported, citing separate statements issued by the Turkey's presidential office.

In his phone conversation with Putin, Erodgan expressed Turkey's wish for an extension of the grain deal reached in Istanbul, adding that Ankara is ready to facilitate this in every possible way, according to the Turkish presidency.

The Turkish President also discussed with them the latest developments in the Ukraine crisis, and thanked the two leaders for their solidarity over the devastating earthquakes that hit southern Turkey in early February.

On July 22, 2022, Russia and Ukraine separately signed a deal in Istanbul with Turkey and the United Nations on grain and fertiliser exports from Ukraine and Russia to ensure supplies to global markets amid the Russia-Ukraine war.

The deal, due to expire on November 19, 2022, was extended for another 120 days.
Before we had K1x, we relied on huge spreadsheets to prepare our tax-exempt returns. We needed to find a way to make tax prep more efficient on our exempt side. Now its easy to set up new entities, gather and store information, prepare returns, and manage the entire tax-exempt return process.

K1x, the leading data distribution platform for alternative investments, today announced new executive staff, record-breaking customer growth, and strengthened market leadership with new product innovation.

New employees and key hires:

In addition to hiring more than 20 new employees in Q4 of 2022 in product, engineering, customer success and other areas, the company brought on Ken Powell as Chief Revenue Officer and Scott Turner as SVP Marketing to round out their management team. As they struggle to meet the needs of investors and the IRS, todays tax and compliance professionals face a perfect storm of changing regulatory demands, historic staffing constraints, skyrocketing volumes of tax forms, and ineffective spreadsheets. Only K1x can help them streamline and automate away the pain of producing, receiving, and filing 990s, K-1s, and related forms, said Ken Powell.

Scott Turner, SVP Marketing added, K1x accelerates the last mile of the alternative investment data exchange. Our industry-leading platform frees advisors from tedious, manual data entry, unleashing their talent towards high-value strategy work that benefits investors with timely and transparent information. This remarkable technology not only gives nights and weekends back to advisors, it also gives investors in alternative assets more timely and accurate estimates of tax liability and a view of their after-tax ROI.

New Product Innovation:

In Q4 of 2022, K1x released K-1 Navigator. Perfect for private equity, venture capital, hedge funds, REITs, professional services firms, and other K-1 producers, K-1 Navigator streamlines the IRS Schedule K-1 production process by automating preparation, streamlining analysis, and delivering the only truly digital PDF K-1 experience. K-1 Navigator provides user-friendly workflows for seamless investor demographic collection and K-1 production and distribution. It also provides tax logic and automated investor data collection and a time-saving footnote library with integrations to popular e-filing software.

Scott Schitter, VP of Tax at Bon Secours Mercy Health said, Before we had K1x, we relied on huge spreadsheets to prepare our tax-exempt returns. We needed to find a way to make tax prep more efficient on our exempt side. Now its easy to set up new entities, gather and store information, prepare returns, and manage the entire tax-exempt return preparation process. Everybody on our team enjoys the K1x solution. I dont know how people track all their investments without K1x. Its made our whole process so much more efficient and its great that K1x has exempt experts on staff.

New customers and revenue growth:

Leaning on product innovation and a commitment to client success, K1x achieved record growth in Q4 of 2022 and is now trusted by more than 6000 companies including



20 of top 100 the largest institutional investors in the US

25 of the top 100 accounting firms

19 of the top 25 university endowments

7 of the top 40 health systems

10 of the top 50 private foundations and family offices

About Edison Partners Edison Partners is a leading growth equity firm providing the financial and intellectual capital that CEOs and their executive teams need to grow and scale their companies. The firms team brings more than 275 years of combined investing, operating and sector experience to each investment, accessible via the Edison Edge value creation platform, which is tailored to each business strategy, stage and operating needs. Edison targets high-growth financial technology, healthcare IT and vertical SaaS and marketplace companies located outside Silicon Valley with $10 million to $30 million in revenue. Investments also include buyouts, recapitalizations, spinouts, and secondary stock purchases. Edisons active portfolio has created aggregated market value exceeding $10 billion. Edison Partners manages $1.6 billion in assets. For more information on Edison Partners, please visit edisonpartners.com and follow on LinkedIn.

About K1x, Inc.

K1x is the leading data distribution platform for alternative investments. The fintech company's AI-powered SaaS solution digitizes and distributes data seamlesslyconnecting investors, advisors, tax software, portals, accounting firms, IRS and state taxing authoritiessimplifying complex processes, accelerating filings, reducing costs, and delivering greater control, transparency, and accessibility. Backed by Edison Partners, K1x is trusted by more than 6000 organizations including 20 of the top 100 the largest institutional investors in the US, 39 of the top 400 accounting firms, 10 of the top 50 private foundations and family offices, 19 of the top 25 university endowments, 7 of the top 40 health systems, and 10 of the top 50 private foundations. Visit us at K1x.io and follow us on LinkedIn.
For the third straight year, InspiriTec Inc. has been honored with a place on the New Jersey Top Workplaces list compiled by NJ.com. The list rewards excellent work environments and applauds companies that demonstrate uncommon commitment to their workers, customers, and mission.

With headquarters in Philadelphia, InspiriTec has had a strong and steady presence in New Jersey since 2009. That year, InspiriTec began providing inbound professional licensee support for the state Department of Consumer Affairs. That work continues today. From our Newark office at 153 Halsey Street, InspiriTec agents field questions from professional licensees such as nurses, medical examiners, home improvement contractors, and social workers.

Central to the InspiriTec story are the people fielding the calls. At the heart of the InspiriTec mission is the affirmative employment of professionals with disabilities, veterans, and disadvantaged individuals.

Were thrilled to sustain the momentum of maintaining a top workplace in New Jersey, said John F. Connolly, Jr., President and CEO of InspiriTec. I send appreciation and kudos to all our colleagues who have worked so professionally and charitably to earn this noteworthy recognition.

The Top Workplaces list is the result of a survey by Energage, an employee engagement platform. Staff members of New Jersey companies with 50 or more employees were invited to submit nominations. InspiriTec was among companies on the list with 50-149 employees.

Ryan Schepise, Project Manager at the Newark office, said he can see why InspiriTec keeps making the list. Our mission is to hire people with disabilities, and that is deeply embedded in company culture, he said. We look at our employees as partners. The employee is also a customer. If we serve the employee well, he or she in turn will serve the callers well.

Shift Supervisor Alpha Yekee said, I got lucky when I came here from Liberia. InspiriTec was the first company I worked for. I felt at home immediately and I havent left since. The goal at the company, he says, is to see the employee as an individual rather than as a number. To be sure, numbers and business are important, but our primary focus is on our coworkers as people. Its on personal development. I suffered from polio as a child, so I can relate to people with challenges. I can put myself in the shoes of somebody trying to have a job, trying to be independent, be proud of themselves, and contribute to society.

Susan Bertoldo is a Case Manager at the Newark office. The InspiriTec model is unique in having a team of case managers who act not only as liaisons between employees and management, but also as caretakers of those employees. Case management, she said, is responsible for the entire culture of the company. We help the person with every aspect, from work issues to life issues such as home and financial issues. Its a culture of family-oriented servant leadership.

What does a case manager do? It could be anything, Bertoldo said, including accompanying employees to doctors appointments, helping them find accommodation if theyre facing eviction, helping them apply for subsidized transport to get to work, issues with Social Security, electric bills, child care. We look for whats hindering them from being successful. I enjoy it because theres always something different going on. And its often quite rewarding when you see a person overcome the obstacles and thrive.

For more information about the work and mission of InspiriTec, visit them at InspiriTec.org.

About InspiriTec

InspiriTec provides award-winning Contact Center and IT Help Desk solutions, delivering superior customer service by combining customized technology with affirmative employment of professionals with disabilities, veterans, and disadvantaged individuals. InspiriTec was founded in 2000 by a core management team under the Computer Science program at the University of Pennsylvania. Today, employees perform under an innovative model that integrates intelligent technology with inspiring compassion to raise the standards of contact center and IT support for businesses, nonprofits, and government organizations.
Glorious Logo To be able to touch and feel the quality of our keyboards or the shape & texture of our mice makes all the difference. We're excited to bring this experience nationwide and make some new Glorious fans! said Pat Wachendorf, CEO of Glorious.

Glorious, a global leader in PC-gaming peripheral hardware, announces its expansion into the US market through a new retail partnership with Best Buy. Through this national partnership, Glorious products will be available to purchase both online and at select Best Buy store locations across the country.

Glorious will bring its range of high-performance PC Gaming peripherals to Best Buy shelves, including its lineup of ultralight gaming mice and its GMMK keyboards - the first fully custom mechanical keyboards in the store. Glorious has rapidly gained popularity among the global gaming enthusiasts community, standing out in an increasingly crowded market by making top-end, high-quality peripherals more accessible to a broader group of consumers at reasonable prices.

Were proud to have our products available in Best Buy brick-and-mortar stores throughout the US, said Pat Wachendorf, CEO of Glorious. To be able to touch and feel the quality of our keyboards or the shape & texture of our mice makes all the difference. Were excited to bring this experience nationwide and make some new Glorious fans!

Glorious approach to gaming hardware is maintaining a simplified product offering by combining enthusiast-requested features into perfect gaming products.

Best Buy now offers several categories of Glorious products, including gaming mice, mechanical keyboards, mouse pads, keycap sets, switches, and other accessories. Whether a casual hobbyist or e-sports pro, Glorious invites you to visit select in-store Best Buy locations throughout the USA or http://www.bestbuy.com to upgrade your battle station.

About Glorious

Glorious is a lifestyle PC gaming hardware company dedicated to changing the status quo of an industry in dire need of a shakeup. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Glorious produces PC Gaming hardware & accessories engineered for elite-level performance, premium quality, and high-end aesthetics while staying affordable for everyday gamers.
Wake Forest University and Dalton Education (a CeriFi company), a leading provider of education solutions in financial planning, are launching a renewed collaboration to offer financial planning professionals a career-enhancing CFP certification education program, which prepares them to pass the CFP exam in a year or less.

Its a pleasure to be working again with Wake Forest University, which is recognized year after year for providing a top-tier education, said Joseph M. Gillice, President of Dalton Education & COO of CeriFi. We look forward to continuing our shared dedication to helping professionals in North Carolina and beyond advance in their careers with CFP certification.

The CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER credential is one of the most respected financial professional designations, and those who obtain it tend to see increases in earnings and career satisfaction. The process to earn CFP certification can be difficult and time-consuming, however, involving an education component and standardized exams. Therefore, choosing an effective education program is crucial for professionals seeking to earn this certification.

As Wake Forest University continues to expand offerings for working professionals, we are pleased to be partnering with Dalton, said Kerry Shronts, Executive Director for Executive Education, Wake Forest University. They are committed to supporting financial planning professionals in achieving the CFP designation by providing the highest quality learning experience and the needed resources to achieve success. The Dalton CFP certification education program provides comprehensive educational resources, plus access to Dalton's CFP exam review and Guarantee to Pass review  the industry's only CFP exam education and review program to offer a full money-back guarantee that students will pass the exam on their first try.

The program is available through two flexible delivery options, Virtual Classroom or Self-Paced, both designed for the convenience of busy professionals:-

The Virtual Classroom delivery is a comprehensive live-online, an instructor-led program that satisfies the education requirement for a professional to sit for the CFP exam. The virtual course enables students to attend sessions from a device and location of their choosing. Additionally, students can access recordings of the sessions if they miss a class.



The Self-Paced delivery also satisfies the CFP certification education requirement and is ideal for students who prefer self-paced learning or who cannot commit to scheduled class meetings. Self-paced learning allows students to successfully complete the program on their own timeline, while still gaining a thorough understanding of the material.

Students who complete the program receive a certificate of completion from Wake Forest University, which has been ranked as one of the top 30 National Universities by U.S. News & World Report for 26 years in a row.

ABOUT DALTON EDUCATION

Dalton Education, a Leeds Equity Partners and CeriFi portfolio company, is a leading provider of education solutions for financial services professionals. Dalton has the highest CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER exam pass rates and has trained over half of all CFP professionals in the country. Through partnerships with elite universities, Dalton delivers customizable programs for individual learning styles, with options including the industrys only 100% money-back Guarantee to Pass and course completion in as little as 9 months. Dalton also provides courses for CFP exam review, Capstone requirements, and continuing education. For additional information on Dalton Education, see http://www.dalton-education.com.

ABOUT WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY

Founded in 1834, Wake Forest is a private university located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with more than 8,000 students. The undergraduate population of more than 5,400 hails from 47 states and more than 45 foreign countries. Students pursue learning in one or more of the 45 majors, 60 minors, and additional programs offered within six colleges and schools. Wake Forest Universitys Executive Education is part of the universitys School of Professional Studies (SPS). SPS is innovative, cutting-edge, and market-relevant programming built upon Wake Forests legacy of quality and excellence. With a graduate degree and non-degree programs, including certificates and other credentials, SPS is an accessible, educational experience designed to teach and support todays working professionals with the skills and knowledge to take their careers to the next level. For more information on SPS, see sps.wfu.edu. Contact: Lauren Burns, Assistant Dean of Marketing and Enrollment Management, Wake Forest University at burnsl@wfu.edu.
Were so excited to partner with these amazing organizations that are serving their communities in such diverse and meaningful ways. We cant wait to see what they do with their SPARKed Grants, said Brian Rahill, CEO of CourseStorm.

This February, education technology company CourseStorm announced the recipients of its inaugural SPARKed Grant Program, awarding $10,000 in micro-grants to eight informal education programs. The application was open to any educational organization or business providing learning opportunities to the public, including for-profit programs.

Winners range from an aviation training provider to youth arts organizations, and include Miami Theater Center, Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, Kirkland Performance Center in Washington, and several other informal education programs across the United States.

Were so excited to partner with these amazing organizations that are serving their communities in such diverse and meaningful ways. We cant wait to see what they do with their SPARKed Grants, said Brian Rahill, CEO of CourseStorm.

For more than 75 years, Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras (CYSO) has served young musicians ages 6-18 with high quality music education and 12 ensembles. Nearly 10,000 students participate in CYSO, 49% of whom receive financial assistance or attend a free program. The SPARKed Grant will help CYSO provide assistance to more students and increase community engagement efforts.

Miami Theater Center offers live arts experiences for young audiences, providing free field trips to school groups, arts-based classroom workshops, and after-school programs and camps. The SPARKed Grant will help them reduce fees for registrants, particularly for those in need.

Popular music venue Kirkland Performance Center (KPC) near Seattle is launching a new education program dedicated to lifelong learning. With the help of the SPARKed Grant, KPC will offer youth and adult courses such as beginning songwriting and recording music for video games, as well as a community choir for all abilities and backgrounds.

Other SPARKed Grant winners include Oregons Cottage Theatre, Mixxer Community Makerspace in North Carolina, Stitch Masters Sewing School in Minnesota, Asbury Woods nature center and preserve in Pennsylvania, and Arizona-based aviation security training provider SSi, Inc.

If you are interested in learning more about the SPARKed Grant Program and how you can apply next year, sign up for our email newsletter and be the first to hear when 2023 applications open!

About CourseStorm: CourseStorm is on a mission to streamline access to education. Our impossibly simple class registration software is a powerful cloud-based solution, perfect for programs offering informal education to youth and adults. CourseStorm is proud to be recognized as one of the 2022 Best Places to Work in Maine.
Education is an important ingredient to a successful career and life. The Steinberg Law Firm is pleased to support students who are reaching higher, and who have goals and aspirations. Together, we make our community a better place.

The Steinberg Law Firm is pleased to announce that their 2023 Scholarship Program is now open. This years program offers a total of five, $1,000 scholarships to high school seniors, and current college students who are residents of South Carolina.

The firm values higher education for students in South Carolina and wants to help students by providing financial assistance. For the past six years, Steinberg Law Firm has awarded five scholarships each year including to recipients attending Clemson University, University of South Carolina, College of Charleston, Charleston Southern, and Winthrop University.

Education is an important ingredient to a successful career and life. The Steinberg Law Firm is pleased to support students who are reaching higher, and who have goals and aspirations. Together, we make our community a better place, remarked Managing Partner and Attorney David Pearlman.

The Steinberg Law Firm Scholarship Committee will select five students to receive a $1,000 scholarship. The winners will be selected based on their answers to an essay question, GPA, extracurricular activities, special honors and awards, and community involvement. The application deadline for the scholarship is April 10, 2023. To apply, check out the Scholarship Program page on the firm's website.

Founder, Irving Steinberg, valued giving back to the community when he started the firm back in 1927. The firm upholds this value today and continues to give back to the community through the scholarship program and community involvement events. This years essay topic asks applicants to reflect on distracted driving, including texting, and motor vehicle accidents and make recommendations on how to reduce the number of crashes in South Carolina.

The firm is best known for helping injury victims who have been injured either on the job or due to the negligence of others. If you or someone you know has been injured, contact the Steinberg Law Firm personal injury or workers compensation attorneys today at (843) 720-2800. The firm has three offices located in Charleston, Goose Creek, and Summerville, and offers free consultations. The firm does not collect a fee unless they win your case.
SIP Global Partners, a US-Japan VC firm investing in early-stage decarbonization technology, announced today its investment in XL Batteries, Inc. (XL), a developer of low-cost, long-duration, grid-scale flow batteries for the alternative energy grid. SIP participated in the $10M Seed funding round which included investment from Xerox Ventures and Catalus Capital.

There is a large-scale supply and demand imbalance in todays grid scale energy storage landscape. Lithium-ion batteries prioritize size and weight over scale and duration, making them unsuitable for applications lasting greater than 8 hours. While flow batteries are optimized for scale, duration and cost, existing chemistries are highly volatile and unstable.

XL has designed safe, proprietary non-corrosive organic chemistry specifically for large-scale flow battery architecture. The highly stable, non-flammable system is capable of long duration discharge (8 - 24 hours) and cycle life (20+ years). Over months-long tests and 1000s of cycles, XL has recorded 0% degradation.

"Were exceptionally excited to be working with the XL Battery team as they bring their revolutionary battery chemistry to market. The industrial and utility markets for cost effective grid scale flow batteries is enormous. Were especially enthusiastic to support market entry efforts in Japan and the Middle East, stated Jeffrey Smith, General Partner of SIP GP.

The company has secured two key strategic partnerships. Xerox Ventures expressed strategic support for XL Batteries through participation in the round. Stolthaven Terminals signed a memorandum of understanding to develop an industrial-scale flow battery for ports and heavy industry. This will support a transition to green energy usage in industrial and residential areas.

SIP is a perfect partner for XL Batteries. As a deep tech investor, they invest in technology that can disrupt the largest industries in the world to decarbonize our society. This perfectly aligns with XLs mission to enable the energy transition through long duration energy storage, said Tom Sisto, CEO and Co-Founder of XL Batteries.

Long duration batteries will reduce waste within the existing energy infrastructure and allow widespread electrochemical storage. SIP believes these systems will unlock the full potential of renewable energy and enable the energy transition.

About SIP Global Partners

SIP Global Partners invests in early-stage companies driving the decarbonization of the worlds largest emitting industries at GNP level scale. SIP leverages its dual-headquarters in the US and Japan, its principals 40-year history of building global companies and unique market access to accelerate growth for portfolio companies in Asia, including Japan, ASEAN and MENA. For more information, visit sipgp.com.
Mike Mirabella as chief operating officer at Level Legal Mike started his career in hospitality, and he understands Level Legals commitment to delighting our law firm and corporate customers, said Level Legal CEO Joey Seeber. He is uniquely wired to succeed and will bring our customers and team members along with him on the journey.

Level Legal, the Dallas-based eDiscovery, managed review, and consulting company  recently brought on eDiscovery industry veteran Mike Mirabella as chief operating officer. Mirabella brings more than 25 years of senior-level experience in legal services to the organization and joins the executive team. His hiring follows significant revenue and employee growth in 2022 and sets up the company for continued success.

Mike started his career in hospitality, and he understands Level Legals commitment to delighting our law firm and corporate customers, said Level Legal CEO Joey Seeber. He is uniquely wired to succeed and will bring our customers and team members along with him on the journey.

"For Mirabella, the attraction to Level Legal was the culture of excellence in customer service. We do the work differently than anyone in the legal space, he said. Were even better than most hospitality companies and restaurants, as shown by the sky-high Net Promoter Score our customers recently gave us.

About Level Legal

Level Legal makes legal human. The Dallas-based eDiscovery, managed review, and consulting company delights law firms and corporations through industry-best customer service that excels in dependability. This concierge approach to outsourced legal services delivers peace of mind. For more information, visit http://www.levellegal.com.
The John Natsoulas Gallery is pleased to announce that, coinciding with Womens History Month, we will be hosting an exhibition entitled Women of Northern California: Making Meaning for Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. This exceptional exhibit will showcase how women have and continue to develop unique artistic visions that derive from the varied social, political, and cultural experiences that are endemic to this particular region. Northern California is a unique nexus of influences, and the women who are a product of this environment have drawn from diverse sources of inspiration to shape the direction of art in this region.

This exhibition and the accompanying publication will contribute to the overdue recognition of many of these outstanding artists. While women have played a crucial role in building the artistic community and have pushed art making in new directions, their persisting exclusion from the artistic canon is an issue that needs correcting. This exhibit is a celebration of the strong, influential women who have led the way in establishing and developing artistic movements and media. It will also offer the opportunity to explore the many ways in which these artists have contextualized and represent their experiences living as women in Northern California. Every medium will be on display, from photography, painting, ceramics, sculpture, textiles, video, to installation art, these women have worked with them all. Through this examination of both historic and contemporary art, the collection of art will highlight the tenacity of the artistic legacies that women establish, often for other women. By looking at the past and present, we aim to reveal the vision of the future.

The opening reception exhibition will be on Saturday March 4 from 7:00 - 9:00pm. There will be refreshments and a performance by one of the featured artists - Allison Fall. Come enjoy a night to celebrate seven decades of art by Northern Californias most notable women artists.

Join us for additional programming at 7pm on March 10. Julia Couzens, one of the excellent featured artists, will sign books and discuss her powerful, feminist series entitled Textile Tags.

Featured Artists: Salma Arastu, Ruth Asawa, Joan Brown, Squeak Carnwath, Julia Couzens, Jay DeFeo, Allison Fall, Viola Frey, Kim Frohsin, Franceska Gamez, Michelle Gregor, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Laura Hohlwein, Mildred Howard, Margaret Keelan, Sahar Khoury, Marilyn Levine, Hung Liu, Pat Mahony, Kara Maria, Klea McKenna, Jenna Meacham, Michelle Murillo, Deborah Oropallo, Emmy Lou Packard, Maija Peeples-Bright, Lucy Puls, Rachelle Reichert, Lisa Reinertson, M. Louise Stanley, and Seongmin Yoo

Curated by Sarah Poisner
Our team is pleased to have the opportunity to manage the Auction of this rare chance to own a piece of Paradise, said Lamar P. Fisher, CEO of Fisher Auction Company.

Fisher Auction Company is pleased to present via an Online Auction Event, a Magnificent Oceanfront Estate on the Exclusive Island of Cayman Brac in the Cayman Islands. The Online Auction will begin Thursday, March 23, 2023, at 11:00am ET and end Thursday, March 23, 2023, at 1:00pm ET on Fisher Auction Companys Exclusive Bidding Platform.

The Oceanfront Estate sits on a large 2.3 Acre Site with a 4,292 SF 4 bedroom / 4 bathroom Main Residence featuring: floating staircase, floor to ceiling impact windows, custom gourmet kitchen with high-end stainless appliances, ultra high-end granite, tile and engineered wood throughout and so much more. The Property also boasts a 2,000 SF Garage / Boathouse with 20 Ft. Ceilings and 13 Ft. Overhead Doors allowing for Boat Storage or a Two Car Garage and includes an 840 SF 1 bedroom / 1 bathroom Guest and/or Caretakers Quarters.

This 2.3 Acre Estate sits on the serene West End of Cayman Brac just minutes from the Captain Charles Kirconnel International Airport with direct flights from Miami. Enjoy the private oceanfront views in this secluded paradise, snorkel with tropical fish at the more than 50 unique dive sites or take in the dramatic meeting of seawater and coastal caverns. Exceptional privacy, luxurious island design and alluring indoor-outdoor flow describes this custom masterpiece, which was designed by the renowned Francois Frossard of Francois Frossard Design in Miami.

"Our team is pleased to have the opportunity to manage the Auction of this rare chance to own a piece of Paradise, said Lamar P. Fisher, CEO of Fisher Auction Company. "Given its superb location, we are confident this Property will draw significant interest from prospective buyers around the world."

The Sellers Charitable Contributions: With the rich Diving and Fishing History of the Cayman Islands and the Sellers passion for the Guy Harvey Foundation, he has agreed to donate the net proceeds over the minimum bid to the Foundation. The Guy Harvey Foundation is grateful to legacy donors who choose to contribute to our mission. Contributions help support our research and educational initiatives that support conservation actions needed to save our oceans and support the next generation of ocean ambassadors, said Jessica Harvey, Co-Chairperson & Chief Brand Officer of The Guy Harvey Foundation.

About Fisher Auction Company

Fisher Auction Company has previously handled numerous high-profile auctions including the former Versace Mansion, breathtaking private islands and multi-million dollar properties of business executives, celebrities and professional athletes. Fisher most recently handled the sale of the Crowne Plaza Universal Hotel in Orlando, Florida for $36.77 Million.

A family-owned business founded in 1967 and based in Pompano Beach, FL, Fisher Auction Company is comprised of highly trained and skilled individuals with backgrounds in auctioneering, real estate, development, finance, accounting, law, appraising, banking, sales and marketing. The Firm is dedicated to a superior code of ethics with the highest degree of professionalism.

About The Guy Harvey Foundation

The Guy Harvey Foundation collaborates with local and international organizations to conduct scientific research and host educational programs aimed at better understanding and conserving the ocean environment.

Education outreach and community engagement is a very important component of the Guy Harvey Foundation. Guy Harvey and team created an innovative, blended-learning model, which includes online and in-person, hands-on content for use worldwide. They offer opportunities for professional development through teacher training workshops. Teachers and science supervisors can become Guy Harvey Education Ambassadors and continue to offer professional development in their schools and districts.
Blackbird.AI Blackbird.AI is pleased to welcome industry-leading public sector partners to drive adoption of our technology in addressing critical security issues.

Today, Blackbird.AI, the leader in AI-driven narrative analytics and risk intelligence, is pleased to announce the expansion of its Global Alliance Program with a focus on the government and public sector with key alliances with leading partners in IT distribution, open source data, and intelligence services.

We are excited to continue growing our public sector roots with these alliance partners. There has been a long-time need for public sector/private sector partnerships, and the goal when creating this ecosystem is to make it even easier for the US Government and other public sector customers to get access to solutions for the intelligence community at a speed that they never have had before, says Matt Alario, Head of Partnerships at Blackbird.

Blackbird and these new alliances will continue to expand the use of its Constellation Platform, Constellation API, and containerized models which are already being leveraged by departments and organizations to help analyze risk within use cases such as foreign malign influence, force protection, election security, cybersecurity, supply chain, and critical infrastructure.

"The public sector has a pressing need to rapidly detect, analyze and visualize harmful information driven threats that can have significant impact for safety and national security, said Wasim Khaled, CEO, Blackbird.AI. We're thrilled to partner with an incredible array of industry-leading organizations that will help bring our technology to the forefront of solving pressing security issues for government organizations."

Carahsoft Technology Corp. is The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider, supporting Public Sector organizations across Federal, State, and Local Government agencies and Education and Healthcare markets. As the Master Government Aggregator, Carahsoft is looking forward to supporting Blackbird.AIs growth within the US Government as well as at the State and Local levels.

Through our partnership with Blackbird.AI and our reseller partners, we will work together to bring cutting-edge narrative intelligence technology to the public sector, said Craig P. Abod, President. This collaboration further strengthens our commitment to delivering innovative solutions to enhance the capabilities of our Government customers and secure our nations future.

Two Six Technologies is a high-growth technology company dedicated to providing products and expertise to national security customers, solving complex technical challenges in five areas that are key to national security missions: cyber, information operations, electronic systems, analytics, and secure solutions.

Working with Blackbird.AI in our ongoing mission to solve complex challenges for our national security customers increases their ability to sense, make sense, and act in the information environment, said Becky Fair, VP of Information Advantage, Two Six Technologies. Our goal is to increase government insight and speed to action through decision advantage across the operational and intelligence spaces. Blackbird.AIs unique narrative intelligence and AI engine adds additional capability to our offering, further enriching our data and insight.

Orbis Operations delivers forward-leaning solutions to the complex security challenges that face our customers, our nation, and the world. We understand the gravity of today's threats, the magnitude of the challenges we face, and, most importantly, how to achieve mission success. Orbis imparts best-in-class strategies for identifying and mitigating disinformation campaigns, and delivers the analytic capacity, technical training, and intelligence mindset necessary to stay ahead of malign actors who seek to undermine vital institutions and national aspirations.

Our partnership with Blackbird.AI provides us a clear understanding of constantly changing threat landscapes, as well as a solid foundation for advising clients on achieving their mission objectives, said Matthew Brock, Orbis Director of Global Data Solutions. Blackbird.AI helps Orbis maintain cutting-edge proficiency in information operations and counter-messaging strategies using Blackbird Constellations suite of analytic tools and techniques.

Nisos is The Managed Intelligence Company. Our expert analysts monitor, assess, analyze, and investigate a wide range of threats to provide expertly tailored finished intelligence.

Our national security customers require a level of speed and agility that only the best-in-class solutions can deliver. Partnering with Blackbird.AI offers a unique opportunity to pair two world class intelligence solutions together to become an instant force multiplier in the government space.

For more information on joining Blackbird.AIs Partner Global Alliance Program, please visit https://www.blackbird.ai/alliances

About Blackbird.AI

Blackbird.AI, a global leader in Narrative & Risk intelligence, delivers advanced AI-powered solutions in its mission to empower trust, safety, and integrity across the information ecosystem.

The Blackbird Constellation Platform powers the detection and analysis of information-driven attacks, narrative manipulation, and threat evolution across a dynamic adversarial environment. Its purpose-built and patent-pending technology offers high-fidelity detection and automated decision-making, leading to reduced complexity and faster resolution times.

Blackbird was recognized by Forrester as a "Top Threat Intelligence Company" and provides mission-critical solutions for public and private customers globally.

For additional information, please visit: http://www.blackbird.ai
"I am excited to move into this imperative leadership role with C. Mondavi & Family and to continue to help the company achieve its financial objectives," comments Mike Spiegel.

C. Mondavi & Family, one of the country's most iconic wine names, is pleased to announce that Mike Spiegel has been appointed as the company's new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Spiegel brings a wealth of financial expertise and experience to his role at C. Mondavi & Family.

"We are thrilled to promote Mike within the C. Mondavi & Family team after almost two years" said co-proprietors Marc Mondavi and Peter Mondavi Jr. "His financial expertise and leadership will continue to be invaluable as we grow and innovate. We are confident that Mike's strategic vision and operational experience will help us achieve our long-term goals of remaining a multi-generational family-owned company."

As CFO, Spiegel will be responsible for overseeing the company's financial strategy, including financial reporting, budgeting, and forecasting. He will work closely with the family and executive leadership team to support the winery's growth and expansion plans. Previously, he served as controller, where he was instrumental during the implementation of the company's portfolio diversification strategy. C. Mondavi & Family's entire portfolio will fall under Spiegels financial control, including Charles Krug, Napa Valley's culture hub and California's first tasting room, CK Mondavi and Family, Flat Top Hills, French Blue, West + Wilder, and Valdo Prosecco,

"Mike has been an integral part of our team for almost two years, and his extensive experience in finance and accounting, coupled with his strategic thinking, has been instrumental in driving our growth and profitability" states CEO David S. Brown. "We are confident that he will continue to be an indispensable asset to our company as we navigate the ever-changing landscape of the wine industry."

"I am excited to move into this imperative leadership role with C. Mondavi & Family and to continue to help the company achieve its financial objectives," comments Spiegel. "I look forward to working with the talented team at C. Mondavi & Family and contributing to the company's continued success."

Spiegel has over 30 years of experience in finance and accounting, with a focus on the wine industry, real estate, investments, and public accounting. Prior to joining C. Mondavi & Family, Spiegel worked with Moss Adams CPA, Fremont Group and DuMOL Winery.

###

About C. Mondavi & Family: C. Mondavi & Family is a St. Helena-based wine company founded in 1943 by Cesare and Rosa Mondavi. Owned and operated by co-proprietors, Marc Mondavi and Peter Mondavi Jr., along with their children, the C. Mondavi & Family portfolio includes Charles Krug Winery, CK Mondavi and Family, Flat Top Hills, French Blue, Valdo, and West + Wilder. With the third, fourth, and fifth generations at the helm, the family holds 857 acres of Napa Valley land and additional vineyards in Yolo County. For more information, visit http://www.cmondavifamily.com


Cost Saving and Productive Boosting Software For Start-up Companies Newest ezCheckprinting check writer boosts productivity in 2023 when processing business checks in-house

EzCheckPrinting check writer from Halfpricesoft.com assists start-up companies in printing professional business checks, in-house and also boost productivity in 2023. Printing checks in-house can provide businesses with greater control, convenience, and cost savings, as well as increased security and improved record-keeping.

"Newest ezCheckprinting check writer boosts productivity in 2023 when processing business checks in-house. said Halfpricesoft.com Founder, Dr. Ge.

Starting at 49.00 for unlimited check printing and unlimited accounts in one installation. Potential customers are welcome to try the software at no cost or obligation by visiting https://www.halfpricesoft.com/product_ezCheck.asp

Many consumers utilize and recommend ezCheckPrinting MICR & laser check printing software because the software is easy to use, flexible, secure and inexpensive. No hidden or recurring fees.

Printing checks in-house can benefit your business in several ways, including:



Cost savings: By printing checks in-house, start-up companies can save money on the cost of ordering pre-printed checks from a third-party supplier. Also, businesses save on the cost of shipping, handling, and storage of these checks.

Convenience: Printing checks in-house allows complete control over the check printing process. Easily print checks whenever needed, rather than having to wait for them to arrive from a third-party supplier.

Increased security: When printing checks in-house, clients get greater control over the security of the check printing process. Furthermore, using secure check printing software and high-quality check stock can prevent fraudulent activity.

Improved record-keeping: When printing checks in-house, consumers can easily keep track of check printing activity. This can help to reconcile bank statements and maintain accurate financial records.

Customization: When printing checks in-house, customers can customize the checks to include business logos and other branding elements. This can help to create a more professional and cohesive image for your business.

To learn more about ezCheckPrinting business check writing software and the many easy to use features, please visit https://www.halfpricesoft.com/product_ezCheck.asp

About halfpricesoft.com

Halfpricesoft.com is a leading provider of small business software, including online and desktop payroll software, online employee attendance tracking software, accounting software, in-house business and personal check printing software, W2, software, 1099 software, Accounting software, 1095 form software and ezACH direct deposit software. Software from halfpricesoft.com is trusted by thousands of customers and will help small Business owners simplify payroll processing and streamline business management.
Robert A. Sherman, senior counsel at global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP and former U.S. ambassador to Portugal, spoke at the University of Massachusetts Lowell Feb. 23 as part of the Deans Speaker Series.

Shermans lecture, Americas Security Challenges in 2023: The War in Ukraine, China and Beyond, provided insight to students on the current security climate in the United States and what changes can be expected in the future. The lecture was sponsored by the Brad Morse Speaker Series, the Department of Political Science, the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and the Global Studies Ph.D. program.

Sherman has wide-ranging experience in government, law, and the private sector. With 30 years of legal, international, and public service experience, he brings a unique perspective and understanding of the global landscape in providing strategic counsel to clients on international issues, particularly involving EU countries. Sherman is a founding member and former co-managing shareholder of the firm's Boston office. He has wide-ranging trial and regulatory experience in the areas of government investigations and litigation, internal corporate investigations - with an emphasis on Foreign Corrupt Practices Act compliance - as well as consumer protection matters.

Sherman served as the U.S. ambassador to Portugal from 20142017, having been nominated by President Barack Obama and unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate. As ambassador, he focused heavily on bilateral economic development and international security issues, such as cybersecurity, refugees, narcoterrorism, and NATO. In recognition of Shermans work in the country, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa decorated him with the countrys highest civilian award, the Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator.

About Greenberg Traurigs Boston Office: Established in 1999, Greenberg Traurigs Boston office is home to more than 80 attorneys practicing in the areas of bankruptcy and restructuring, corporate, emerging technology, energy, environmental, financial services, gaming, governmental affairs, intellectual property, labor and employment, life sciences and medical technology, litigation, public finance, real estate, and tax. An important contributor to the firm's international platform, the Boston office includes a team of nationally recognized attorneys with both public and private sector experience. The team offers clients the value of decades of helping clients in complex legal matters and hands-on knowledge of the local business community, supported by the firm's vast network of global resources.

About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP has more than 2650 attorneys in 44 locations in the United States, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East. The firm is a 2022 BTI Highly Recommended Law Firm for superior client service and is consistently among the top firms on the Am Law Global 100 and NLJ 250. Greenberg Traurig is Mansfield Rule 5.0 Certified Plus by The Diversity Lab. The firm is recognized for powering its U.S. offices with 100% renewable energy as certified by the Center for Resource Solutions Green-e Energy program and is a member of the U.S. EPAs Green Power Partnership Program. The firm is known for its philanthropic giving, innovation, diversity, and pro bono. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com.
Clients trust us to be an extension of their team and to show up like owners," said Shannon Murphy, CEO of Bluedog Design. "The ESOP just makes it official.

To reward its employees and preserve its award-winning culture, marketing and growth firm Bluedog Design formed an employee stock ownership plan that its trustee will hold as company stock. Bluedog Design, which ranked first on Crains Chicago Business Best Places to Work in 2021 and 2022, now joins nearly 6,500 other companies that are ESOPs according to the National Center for Employee Ownership.

Weve always had a great culture and worked intentionally to build it, says Jeremy Anderson, a partner at Bluedog. The ESOP program takes what were doing on the cultural front to the next level and rewards employees by making them owners.

A 2000 study by Rutgers University found ESOPs increased sales, employment, and sales per employee by approximately 2.4 percent annually versus companies without such a plan.

Bluedogs Founder Michelle Hayward feels the ESOP, more than any other financial structure, protects the employees opportunity to grow their stake in the future of the business. The freedom to do this is what Bluedog dubs its growth universe. In fact, Bluedog CEO Shannon Murphy is a beneficiary of the companys enduring culture. She began her career with the firm 13 years ago and in January 2023 earned the role of chief executive. Shell join Mark Koenig, Bluedogs chief financial officer, in leading day-to-day operations at the company.

Adds Murphy, Clients trust us to be an extension of their team and to show up like owners. The ESOP just makes it official.

To punctuate her point, Murphy notes that in the last year Bluedog Designs employees helped create and successfully launch 20 new products, many of them for the worlds best-known brands like Tik-Tok, M&Ms, Tropicana and Gillette.

With the ESOP, were creating an intentional growth strategy to safeguard Bluedog Designs culture, says Hayward. We have employees--a new generation--ready to take the firm to new levels as they grow the business.

According to Hayward, other financial options the team considered couldnt guarantee the culture would flourish in the Bluedog way that energizes clients and creates new leaders.

Creating growth strategies for our clients requires having an agile culture, remarks Anderson. The ESOP gives our next generation of leaders the opportunity to keep reinventing our culture to deliver the work our clients demand.

About Bluedog Design

Bluedog Design is a marketing and growth consultancy focused on shaping better decisions with its clients, while committing itself to sustainable growth through in-market value creation. As a certified B Corp, women-owned business, Bluedog creates strategies for its clients growth that enhance the future for every stakeholder. In 2021 and 2022, Bluedog Design ranked first on Crains Chicago Business Best Places to Work." Visit https://bluedogdesign.com for more information.

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Looking ahead, we are preparing to innovate again. We see a future in which data-driven video technology is a game-changer that will help to make society safer and a better place for us all to work and live, said Thomas Jensen, Chief Executive Officer of Milestone Systems

The Danish-based company was founded in 1998 by engineers John Blem and Henrik Friborg Jacobsen. The pair started the business from a basement and had approximately USD $11,500 in seed funding. Today, Milestone has annual revenues over USD $140 Million and employs more than 1,200 people globally.

The first version of XProtect  Milestones open-platform video management software and core product  was sold in 2002 in Canada. Since then, Milestones video technology products have been deployed in more than 500,000 security installations through a network of distributors and resellers. Milestones products are used by a variety of end users, from airports to cities to hospitals to many othersvirtually all industries use video technology software to protect people and assets and optimize workflows. Milestones XProtect can be integrated with the vast majority of cameras, sensors, and other security devices.

Open Platform IP-Based Video Technology Software

Beginning in 2003, Milestone expanded its footprint beyond its Brndby headquarters on the outskirts of Copenhagen. The company now has a presence in 26 locations around the globe, including offices in the United States, Singapore, Bulgaria, Mexico, Australia, India and the United Arab Emirates.

Over the years, Milestone has played an important role in creating software that is truly based on an Open Platform, free from propriety hurdles. Its products are robust and scalable and integrated with most cameras, sensors and other security devices available on the market. The company emerged during the transition from analog to IP cameras. IP cameras enabled Milestone to build a reliable, open platform upon which third-party technology partners can create add-on applications.

Looking ahead

For Thomas Jensen, Chief Executive Officer of Milestone Systems, celebrating the companys 25th anniversary provides an opportunity to consider how far the company has come  and what the coming decades will bring.

During the early 2000s, together with three or four other companies, we revolutionized the security industry by leading the transformation from analog to IP (digital) technology, said Thomas Jensen. Looking ahead, we are preparing to innovate again. We see a future in which data-driven video technology is a game-changer that will help to make society safer and a better place for us all to work and live.

As the company continues to grow, Milestone aims to further its work in creating responsible technology. Since 2006, the company adopted a set of core values in which it puts people before technology. In 2009, Milestone incorporated a human rights clause into its end user license agreements. In 2017, it co-authored the Copenhagen Letter, a declaration calling on innovative companies to prioritize people when designing and using technology.

Facts about Milestone Systems



Milestone originated from an idea for seamlessly transferring financial data from the stock exchange. Founders John Blem and Henrik Friborg Jacobsen discovered the same technology could be used to transfer video data.

During its start-up phase, the company spent some time in the Symbion incubator in Copenhagen.

In addition to selling software, Milestone also provides a hardware product called Husky. The first version was launched in 2013.

In 2014, Milestone Systems was acquired by the Canon Group, under which it operates as a standalone company.

About Milestone Systems

Milestone Systems is a leading provider of open platform video management software; technology that helps the world see how to ensure safety, protect assets and increase business efficiency. Milestone enables an open platform community that drives collaboration and in-novation in the development and use of network video technology, with reliable and scalable solutions that are proven in more than 500,000 installations worldwide. Founded in 1998, Milestone is a stand-alone company in the Canon Group. For more information visit: http://www.milestonesys.com. For news and other press releases, visit our Newsroom.

Click here for information on Trademarks.

Company Contacts:

Lisbeth Nedergaard

Head of External Communications

GLOBAL

lin@milestone.dk

Tel: +45 31 39 49 37

Kristian Hedegaard Jensen

Communications Manager

EMEA

khe@milestone.dk

Tel: +45 31 38 59 57

Barbara Rizzatti

Communications Manager

AMERICAS

bari@milestone.us

Tel: +1 503 601 9749
With a growing population, and increasing demands on the healthcare systems, optimizing patient scheduling can be a key element in improving efficiency as well as the patient experience." Colin Taylor, Taylor Reach Group

The Taylor Reach Group has been contracted to aid in establishing an appointment-scheduling contact center for a large regional health network in Canada.

Taylor Reach; an award-winning industry leader in Call and Contact Center operations; has been called upon to help design and support the establishment of the health networks patient scheduling call center operation.

With a growing population, and increasing demands on the healthcare systems, optimizing patient scheduling can be a key element in improving efficiency as well as the patient experience," says Taylor Reach CEO Colin Taylor. With a regional network like this, patients can be expected to attend clinics in several sites for various appointments and procedures. Having that system integrated into a central operation just makes sense.

Taylor Reach will be working with the key stakeholders in the group, which includes several hospitals and specialized clinics across the urban region. Once factors like appointment volume, scheduling, cancelations and rescheduling are taken into account, a detailed plan can be developed regarding the size of center needed, the number of staff required to support the center and the technology requirements that will underpin the operation.

Taylor Reach has experience working with government, NGO, public services, and health services, within North America and internationally. Our consulting operations have also helped retailers, Fortune 500 companies, and a number of important social services to improve their Contact Center operations. Through a comprehensive examination of the people, processes, technologies, and methodologies employed in any center, were able to focus on specific trouble spots and recommend exactly the improvements needed to optimize the support experience.

An independent global Contact Center, Call Center, and Customer Experience consulting and advisory firm established in 2003, Taylor Reach is dedicated to assisting clients to solve customer experience, contact center, and customer service challenges. Services include Strategic Assessments, Training Development, technology acquisition, AI, Revenue Generation, and anything related to optimizing the Contact Center. Taylor Reach serves client organizations across all verticals with anywhere from 5 to 24,000+ agents: SMBs, Fortune 500, and Global 1000 firms.

Media Contact: For more information on The Taylor Reach Group, Inc. visit https://thetaylorreachgroup.com or phone Steve Baric at 1-866-334-3730 ext. 112
The Italian Wine Podcast is a hub for exploring all angles of the Italian wine industry. Food, travel, inclusivity, and diversity, and - of course - the U.S. Wine Market. The series Get US Market Ready with Steve Raye has been a long-followed favorite, highlighting perspectives from an array of wine industry professionals with quick insights from Rayes book How to get US Market Ready.

The closing of Rayes show is an emotional time for the Italian Wine Podcast team. Steve Raye was one of the first Italian Wine podcasters. With his incredible career and over 100 episodes, Steve has been a forerunner, bridging the gap between Italian wine producers and the US market from the get-go, says Stevie Kim, Founder of the Italian Wine Podcast. His commitment to the podcast came with no strings attached - it was all about his genuine love of Italian wine. We are forever grateful for his contribution. I know we will never get rid of him! Steve will be part of our pod family forever.

Rayes last episode will air on Monday, Feb 27th at 8 AM CET. In its place will be a new series - Masterclass US Wine Market, hosted by Juliana Colangelo. This brand-new podcast will feature dialogues with industry leaders to strengthen our skills in navigating the American Italian wine business.

Juliana Colangelo is the Vice President of the California and New Business division of Colangelo & Partners - a leading US-based public relations firm. Their long-standing and robust portfolio of Italian clients ranges from large-scale producers like Disaronno to wine consortiums like Sicilia DOC.

Recognized as a Rising Star in PR News Top Women in the PR category, Juliana Colangelo brings a fresh perspective to the US-Italian wine market discussion. Her thorough background in media relations, marketing, and wine business is a true asset to the Italian Wine Podcast series, not to mention her love of wine. She holds her WSET 3 certificate and is a VIA Italian Wine Ambassador.

"With Masterclass: U.S. Wine Market I hope to give Italian wineries and listeners insights and tangible takeaways that will help them succeed in Italy's largest export market," comments host Juliana Colangelo. "We will end each episode with a mini 'quiz' for our guests to focus on our key takeaways."

The US export market is a big one. The unique topics and diverse range of interviews will be pivotal for those looking to gain a grasp on the industry. With Colangelos lineup of exciting guests - from Peter Yeung to Jermaine Stone - talking wine business will never get boring, even for the most novice listeners.

Masterclass US Wine Market will kick off March 6th and air every Monday onward. You can tune in wherever you stream your podcasts.

About: The Italian Wine Podcast: Cin Cin with Italian Wine People! launched in 2017 as a project dedicated exclusively to the Italian wine world. The program uncovers the unique world of Italian wine in conversation with some of its key protagonists. Under the umbrella brand of Mamma Jumbo Shrimp (encompassing books, maps, and videos, bringing together a global community of wine, food, and travel), Italian Wine Podcast aims to inform, educate, and entertain listeners with content for wine professionals and casual listeners alike. The only daily wine podcast in the world, content includes wine business, food & travel, diversity and inclusion, wine producers, science, and marketing and communication. Italian Wine Podcast is available on SoundCloud, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, XimalayaFM (for China), and on the official website. It now boasts almost 1300 recorded episodes with a growing online following of over 5 million listens. Donations to the show are welcomed and help fund a portion of the shows equipment, production, and publication costs. To advertise on the show, please request a prospectus and/or customized advertising plan from info@italianwinepodcast.com. Cin Cin!
The American Booksellers Association's Winter Institute in Seattle attracted a total of 1,600 people, of whom 900 were booksellers. The event drew a wide variety of new bookstores, many from the surge of booksellers who became ABA members in the past few years. "Our membership has grown by 20% in the past three years," ABA CEO Allison Hill said during a packed meet-and-greet with booksellers on Wednesday. "And we have 380 prospective new booksellers in the pipeline."

ABA's membership has been fueled, in part, by a jump in new BIPOC bookstores, and the robust DEI programming included keynotes and lots of authors to meet. This focus appealed to attendees including Aaron Akbar from Dudley's BookShop Cafe in Bend, Ore., who was heartened by the attention to DEI, mental health, and healing from the pandemic. "It feels like a broadening of the mission of bookselling," he said. "It is a kind of embodied activism." Several BIPOC store owners attended their first Winter Institute, including DJ Johnson, owner of Baldwin & Co., in New Orleans, and Terri Hamm, owner of Kindred Stories in Houston, Tex. More than 30 BIPOC booksellers gathered for a group photo at the end of the ABA's Community Forumthe rebranded ABA Town Hall gatheringon Thursday.

The Community Forum gave booksellers an opportunity to ask questions directly of Hill and the ABA board, outside of the organization's regularly scheduled virtual open houses and board office hours. Audience members wanted to rethink preorders and build community. Hill quoted Lee Francis--formerly of Red Planet Books and Comics and now founder of A Tribe Called Geek, near Chapel Hill, N.C.--as saying that booksellers sometimes fight over scarce resources "like crabs in a bucket. Why aren't we talking about the bucket?" After hearing from antitrust crusaders Stacy Mitchell and Cory Doctorow in a Tuesday keynote, this metaphor hit particularly close to home.

Christina Vega, founder of Blue Cactus Press in Tacoma, Wash., acknowledged the difficulties small presses face around discoverability and distribution. Brad Johnson, owner of East Bay Booksellers in Oakland, Calif., challenged the ABA to question Ingram's power in the industry and seek out and develop relationships with alternative wholesalers, if only to give booksellers options.

Hill had earlier acknowledged Ingram's dominant position in the marketIngram is also the primary sponsor of Winter Instituteand said that she meets with Ingram every two weeks. The board met with them recently as well. "My greatest concern when I took this job was whether or not Ingram would continue to support this channel. Fortunately, they have," Hill said. She then encouraged booksellers to also communicate concerns or other questions directly to Ingram. "They want to hear from you," she said.

Another question concerned publishers selling direct to consumers. "One of the reasons publishers sell direct to consumer is data," Hill said. She lamented that fewer than 600 stores are reporting their sales to the ABA. "Data is what we use when we meet with Ingram and publishers," she said, emphasizing how important it is for booksellers to respond to the ABA with information, data, pictures and testimonial. "This is how you help us help you," Hill said.

Hill acknowledged that some booksellers have raised questions about the environmental impact of the conference, while pointing out the need for some booksellers--who may lack a reading device or access to digital ARCs--to acquire print galleys of books. Hill reminded listeners that QR codes for books in the galley room offer booksellers access to ARCs for those who favor digital galleys over print.

Bookseller, publisher, and vendor reactions

Ben Rybeck, manager of House of Books in Kent, Conn., remarked that while "the event always feels big, it is also somehow feels intimate as well." Old friends greeted one another and new cohorts met in the galley room or in discussion groups. Individuals checked out the quiet spaces as well as designated Affinity Group Rooms welcoming neurodiverse, BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S, and disability-affiliated ABA members.

Doug Robinson, owner of Eagle Eye Books in Decatur, Ga., spoke for many when he said that he was "happy to be together" with his fellow booksellers. He said his business was better than in 2019 and, for his store, the past few years have had a silver lining. "I think a lot of people discovered us during the pandemic," Robinson said. "They started working at home and started walking more, which meant they were looking for somewhere to go and walked into our store." Not all was good, though. "We lost our big book festival [the Decatur Book Festival] due to the pandemic and, of course, publishers cut back on book tours." Likewise, other stores reported benefiting from an increase in foot traffic, or--if they were in downtown urban areas--noticing a reduction in sales and fewer events.

Even so, all the new faces at WI2023 indicate that entrepreneurs see potential in bookstores and hybrid spaces. Donna Paz, who runs an education program for prospective booksellers, said 28 booksellers participated in her program this year, "but we could have filled up the room many times over--we just ran out of capacity." Paz noted that many new booksellers are driven by passion and personal vision, but struggled with "capitalization, getting loans, and finding investors." As a consequence, many are "experimenting with non-traditional business models, like pop-ups and mobile bookstores."

For publishers exhibiting and attending the conference the number of new booksellers was welcome. David Goldberg, sales and marketing director for Steerforth, said he was delighted "with so many new booksellers having the opportunity to discover our books." Erika Goldman, publisher and editorial director of Bellevue Literary Press in New York City, said, "It's a great opportunity to come together with colleagues and recognize the importance of and depth of our camaraderie and community."

Julie Belgrado, head of the European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF), was among a more than two dozen overseas booksellers who attended; others included Phillip Hunzinger, owner of Sophos Bookstore in Guatemala City, Guatemala and Kyle Buckley of Type Books in Toronto. Belgrado, who came to Winter Institute 2020 in Baltimore, remarked on the nuanced conversations around DEI issues. She felt that European booksellers are still asking some questions for which U.S. booksellers already have firm answers, like where to shelve LGBTQIA+ titles (in their own sections or mixed throughout the store). "We're about two years behind the U.S. when it comes to trends," she estimated, citing the focus on mental health as a stronger trend in the U.S. than Europe, but also one likely to catch on.

Belgrado runs a program called RISE Bookselling, a collaborative project focusing on international collaboration and on bringing American booksellers to European bookselling conferences. BrocheAroe Fabian, owner of River Dog Book Company in Sullivan, Wisc., will be attending the Irish Book Trade Conference in Cork on February 27-28, while Danny Caine, owner of The Raven Bookstore in Lawrence, Kan., will be attending the RISE Bookselling Conference in Prague, March 19 and 20.

In other news, the Book Industry Charitable Foundation continues to raise money to support booksellers, and its contributions now can be requested to support small publishers and others across the book industry. Binc's programs include access to free mental health care for two months, and this opportunity has been extended to book industry professionals in Canada and Mexico as well.

WI2023 attendees need only wait until summer for another meetup. According to a panel on youth programming, Gen Z is the generation with the greatest buying power and the generation booksellers need to bring on board to sustain the industry. "These are the young people who are going to ensure the sustainability and success of the stores," said board member Diane Capriola, owner of Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, Ga. Registration for Children's Institute in Milwaukee opens on March 1 and the institute runs June 5-7. And next year's Winter Institute is set for Cincinnati.
Seattles vaunted morning coffee wasnt the only thing awakening the audience at Winter Institute 2023. At a breakfast keynote on Feb. 22, Loyalty Bookstores founder Hannah Oliver Depp engaged in a riveting conversation with Michelle MiJung Kim, author of The Wake Up: Closing the Gap Between Good Intentions and Real Change. Depp encouraged ABA members to glance at those sitting next to and around them: This room looks different than when I started bookselling, she said, but its not that different in its implicit structures and reward systems.

The book industry and corporate culture in general take pride in constructing excellent policies with lackluster follow-through, Kim agreed. Kims subtitle references the genuine good intentionsoptimistic mission statements and idealistic sets of best practicesthat fail to guarantee DEI reform. If we could dismantle centuries of systemic oppression with a 1-2-3 checklist, we would have done it by now, Kim said. She recognizes that binary thinking is part of the problem: a person is racist or not, sexist or not, and terrified of being banished from society for making a mistake. Yet she nudged the audience into the messy middle, reassuring the audience that we need to take the process of transforming ourselves seriously. All of us are stumbling, and embarrassing mistakes are inevitable.

Kim, a Korean American immigrant, came out as queer in high school and did grassroots youth activism before turning her organizing abilities into a management consulting career. I had so much cognitive dissonance from the way corporate America was talking about diversity, she said, because despite aspirational rhetoric, a white status quo prevailed. She also noticed how drained she feltI was doing the work for the movement but making myself expendableand she realized that people from marginalized communities can feel compelled to bring up things that are not working, and it takes a toll. Its not a light emotional burden to continuously be the squeaky wheel. Burnout affects those who speak out and receive little empathy in return.

Depp, who identifies as a Black and queer person, knows firsthand the risk of being a spokesperson and role model. On February 18, a Loyalty Bookstores branch in Silver Spring, Md., was targeted by a hate group during a Drag Queen Story Hour, putting the staff, presenters, attendees, and counterprotestors in danger. (Depp did not mention this frightening event during the keynote.)

She shared Kims perspective that folks from historically underrepresented groups get exhausted by performative DEI gestures that do not manifest change. Thats actually not pushing beyond the surface, Depp said, and unenforceable policies come off as broken promises. How do we get beyond the knowing that things have to change [and begin solving problems]? For example, Depp thought about the virtuous goal of hiring for diversity. But what happens after that person clocks in for their first shift?

Bookstores have a reputation as havens for free expression and creative thinking. Were smart people who read a lot, Kim said, yet we exist in a fundamentally inequitable system. How do we create the conditions so we are not traumatizing the same people over and over? Kim concluded with a reading from The Wake Up, saying, We will not always be on the same page, yet we need to have the courage to attempt the ongoing work of transformation.

All Hands on Deck

After Depp and Kim shared their DEI approaches, booksellers adjourned to education sessions. A few dozen participants chose the DEI Idea Exchange, attended by Kim and Depp and moderated by KJ Williams and AJ Williams of the King County, Wash. organization RISEWITHUS, LLC (Radical, Insightful Solutions to Create Equity). The moderators encouraged audience questions and anecdotes, and the result was an emotionally charged and openhearted exchange.

Participants talked about subjects as varied as their assimilation into cisgender appearance for the safety of that, while otherstransracial adoptees and first- or second-generation immigrantsdescribed a sense of loss that influences the bookselling and representation work they do: How do I get my culture back? asked one person. Ive whitewashed that away from me.

Several attendees described themselves as high-functioning, disabled individuals and talked about tamping down their anger in order to seem pleasant, when confronted with inaccessible spaces in bookstores and other professional spaces. It was impossible not to notice that the Washington Convention Center and conference hotel, although equipped with elevators and escalators, presented vast spaces to navigate.

A bookstore manager asked how to encourage staffers to be themselves without overstepping as a manager into territory that is too personal. Another asked for tips on creating a true sense of belonging among staffers. A neurodivergent bookseller admitted that bringing your whole self to work can get messy and reminded the audience that they frequently wonder how comfortable and safe they can feel in a workplace setting, anxious about doing a task or communicating in an unexpected way. KJ Williams urged them to make sure to establish trust and to think about an employees questions: why would I want to work at your store? What are the unspoken norms? And whats going to keep me there?

The discussion took another turn when Errol Anderson of Charis Books & More in Decatur, Ga., raised the concern that mission-driven stores like the indie feminist, radically inclusive Charisestablished in 1974are the locus of the culture wars right now. Were fighting in a war against education, language, and diverse storytelling, Anderson said, emphasizing the word war. Its all hands on deck for me, and Im freaked out and mad. His comments echoed a February 21 session at which Caprice Hollins, co-founder of the Seattle group Cultures Connecting and author of Inside Out: The Equity Leaders Guide to Undoing Institutional Racism, led ABA members in conflict resolution and de-escalation techniques related to anger and aggression.

Michelle MiJung Kim, in the audience, responded to the sense of threat Anderson identified. It really is an all hands on deck time, she said, taking a moment to remind the audience to imagine diverse perspectives on social justice and our political climate. So many marginalized people have been living in a state of urgency for a long time.
TLC / Reality TV World

By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 02/23/2023



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

: Before the 90 Days star Memphis Smith filed for bankruptcy in the aftermath of her divorce from ex-husband Hamza Moknii.Memphis, 35, filed for bankruptcy just a month after her divorce from Hamza was finalized, In Touch Weekly reported.According to the voluntary bankruptcy petition obtained by the magazine, Memphis claimed she doesn't own property for use as an asset.And in her Chapter 7 bankruptcy statements -- which were filed in November 2022 -- Memphis listed that she did not have a monthly income.But in an amended statement, Memphis reportedly adjusted her income to $4,282.85 per month.Memphis, however, wrote in the documents that she has a lot of debt. She said she owes a total of $225,430.57 and that her monthly expenses equate to -$4,640.Prior to the filing, Memphis and Hamza's marriage was dissolved in court after less than two years of marriage. Their divorce officially became final in October 2022.Breakup rumors began to swirl in March 2022 when Memphis, a nurse practitioner from Muskegon, MI, and Hamza from Kairouan, Tunisia, stopped following each other on Instagram and Memphis also deleted all of the photos she was in with her husband."Never love a man so much that you ignore the truth about him," Memphis posted on social media at the time, adding in the caption, "Love is not only a word...but an action. Love shouldn't cause pain, hurt, stress, insecurities, anguish, trauma, or self-doubt. Real Authentic Love doesn't hurt...instead it is supposed to HEAL."And then Memphis seemed to confirm her relationship with Hamza was over in April 2022 when she called herself a "single mom" on social media and began publicly feuding with Hamza's sister Rawia Moknii.Rawia claimed Memphis had been treating her brother poorly, was "a cheat," and seemed too close to her ex-husband Justin Sandoval.At the time, Hamza appeared to be spending a lot of time in Chicago, IL.But Hamza took to his Instagram Stories in September 2022 to with an update on the couple's split In addition to saying he was moving back to Michigan, he wrote, "I get many people with the wrong idea that I left my daughter to have fun in Chicago. Even if you see me smiling on here, behind that smile in a lot of pain.""I am really broken inside," he added. "I won't be okay until I see my daughter again. I am trying to get through each day. Some of you don't really know my pain."Hamza also added two broken-heart emojis to his post.Rawia seemingly confirmed in August 2022 that Memphis and Hamza were disagreeing over visitation rights amid a custody battle over their daughter."I want to know something, is it normal in America when someone ignored a judge's ruling because in Tunisia this exposes us to [penalties]," Rawia wrote August 15 on Instagram Stories, according to In Touch."My brother suffers a lot and did not give up on seeing his daughter. Although the judge allowed him to visit, she prevent him and does not send us a picture or video of her," she continued."We have suffered a lot in our childhood and my brother cannot bear the separation of her daughter anymore."After being single for four years and dating around quite a bit, Memphis met Hamza, whom she thought was very "special," eight months prior to filming : Before the 90 Days' fifth season.When Memphis met Hamza, she was a single mom to a 13-year-old daughter named Kennedi, whom she welcomed from a relationship that took place 14 years prior, as well as her son with her ex-husband Justin.On Memphis' : Before the 90 Days season, Memphis' trip to Tunisia was documented, and she and Hamza were shown meeting in-person and overcoming a language barrier as well as some adversity.It took some time for Memphis -- who grew up in the foster care system -- to win over Hamza's mother and sister on the series, and Hamza was angry to learn Memphis had spent four nights at her ex-husband's house towards the beginning of Memphis and Hamza's romance.Hamza also reluctantly agreed to sign a postnuptial agreement to make his new wife happy.Despite the odds against them, the couple got married and relied on love to get them through challenges. Memphis also finally felt like she had become a part of Hamza's family, who welcomed her with open arms once she and Hamza tied the knot."In my heart, I do feel like I'm making the right decision. Hamza gives me a sense of family that I don't think I've ever really felt, and I deserve it," Memphis said on the series. "But ultimately, I don't know what to expect in the future. I just hope and pray I'm not making the wrong decision."During Memphis and Hamza's honeymoon, Memphis revealed she was pregnant.And on the Tell-All special that aired in January 2022, Memphis said she had completed the CR-1 visa process and so Hamza was able to move to the United States. He and Memphis were still together, and Hamza was thrilled to be in his baby's life, even though he had missed her birth.Memphis and Hamza were spotted filming in Michigan with their new baby in March 2022, but that's also when the split speculation sparked.Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our homepage!
Kinetic Content / Reality TV World

By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 02/24/2023



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

star Domynique Kloss has revealed what exactly made her decide not to move in with Mackinley Gilbert just over a week into their marriage.Domynique, 25, and Mackinley, 34, were matched to wed as strangers by experts Pastor Calvin Roberson and Dr. Pepper Schwartz on the Lifetime reality series' sixteenth season.While Domynique and Mackinley hit it off on their wedding day, their marriage started going downhill during their honeymoon in Jamaica. Domynique didn't appreciate Mackinley's sense of humor, and she got annoyed that she had to push him to do and enjoy new activities with her.During the February 22 episode of : Afterparty, Domynique watched back a Season 16 clip of an argument she and Mackinley had while moving their belongings into their new Nashville apartment."I just feel like complete sh-t, since the honeymoon -- that I ruined your time, that I'm some super negative assh-le who cracks bad jokes," Mackinley tells Dominique in the footage."And you don't think that I feel bad?" Domynique asks in reply, before venting to the cameras how she couldn't take Mackinley's "negative attitude" and "pettiness."Domynique ultimately determined she wasn't going to move in to the neutral apartment the show had provided for the new spouses.Afterparty host Keshia Knight Pulliam asked Domynique what exactly made her decide against moving in with Mackinley."Mack goes on a five, seven, 10-minute rant about how he's kind of teetering that line, of like, 'Why did they put us together?' I'm just kind of like, 'If this is how you're going to talk to me, then I'm just going to go home,'" Domynique explained.When asked what happened that made her marriage so bad, Domynique explained, "I would say on-camera, Mack is very sweet and he's very respectful. And he is all of those things! He is. At the end of the day, he is all those things."She continued, "But there is another side of him -- the complaining you don't really see. And in the clip of him being at my apartment, I feel like you kind of get a glimpse of the negativity and the complaining and the attitude, if you will.""And that's really what it's like off-camera," she added.Domynique revealed there was a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde type of situation going on with her husband.Domynique, for example, claimed Mackinley "talked a big game" when Pastor Cal wasn't around."He said, 'Pastor Cal thinks he's going to walk in here and say what he's going to say and we're going to change our minds about how we feel,'" Domynique alleged.Instead, Domynique claimed Mackinley "tucked his tail" and didn't speak his mind when they actually sat down with the show expert.But Keshia asked if Domynique had given Mackinley a real opportunity to show her who he is."I mean honestly, probably not to the full extent," Domynique confessed. "But from what I have seen, it's not going very good."Domynique was just hoping she and Mackinley could "get on the same page," although she didn't even know what that page needed to be.Keshia joked the couple needed to "get in the same book," and Domynique agreed she and Mackinley needed to have "some fun" and let loose."We need to create memories where we're both just excited and happy and enjoying each other's company," Domynique concluded.On 's latest episode, Mackinley seemed disinterested in exploring Domynique's former apartment, and when Domynique asked her husband -- who was living in his friend's basement -- if he could see himself moving in there one day, he replied, "We'll see."The couple then argued about how much freedom Mackinley's dogs could have in their place, and Domynique appeared to suggest Mackinley didn't care that much about his dogs if they hadn't even moved to Nashville with him yet."Yeah, you're right. I guess I don't like my dogs and I don't care if they're here," Mackinley snapped at his wife, adding how he wanted to get settled with an apartment or house before involving his "kids."While moving into their new apartment, Mackinley complained about how he had made compromises for Domynique, with her allegedly doing nothing in return.And when the pair had a counseling session with Pastor Cal, they both complained about how they didn't get what they had asked for in a partner. Domynique even told the expert he had "some explaining to do."Domynique -- who confessed during a previous Afterparty episode that Mackinley wasn't her "type" -- told Pastor Cal that Mackinley wasn't outgoing, adventurous or optimistic, and Mackinley vented about how Domynique was too adventurous for him and didn't treat dogs the same way."I wanted marriage, but I didn't think I was going to get someone that's the polar opposite of me," Domynique griped. "I expected more."Mackinley said he felt "judged" by Domynique's reaction to his basement living, and she confirmed it was "a turnoff" to her When Pastor Cal asked Domynique what she wanted to do, Domynique replied, "I don't know. Honestly, I'm just kind of over it.""What does that mean? 'I'm over this conversation or I'm over the marriage?'" Pastor Cal asked.The episode then ended in a cliffhanger, but previews suggest there is a lot more drama to come for this couple.Interested in more news? Join our Married at First Sight Facebook Group or click here to view our newspage!And click here for more updates on former cast members and info on where they are now!
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to cloudy skies after midnight. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%..

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Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to cloudy skies after midnight. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
Baidu announces plans to begin rolling out its homegrown Ernie Bot chatbot services from March.

Robin Li, CEO of search giant Baidu, talks about AI during the Baidu Create 2018 in Beijing, China. Baidu, one of Chinas biggest search and artificial intelligence firms, said this week that it plans to incorporate its artificial intelligence chatbot Ernie into its search services from March.

Chinese search engine giant Baidu is moving to set up its own artificial intelligence chatbot amid reports that regulators have warned major tech companies not to offer the Microsoft-backed artificial intelligence bot ChatGPT to the public.

Baidu announced on Feb. 22 it will begin incorporating its artificial intelligence chatbot Ernie into its search services from March, as part of an apparent bid to put a stop to the use of ChatGPT-backed services in China.

Baidu CEO Robin Li said in an internal memo that Ernie Bot will be integrated across all of Baidus operations, including its search and cloud services, the Associated Press reported, adding that Baidu also plans to integrate Ernie into its smart car operating system and smart speaker.

AI technology has reached a tipping point and all industries will inevitably go through transformation, Li's memo said.

Baidu stands as the best example of the long-term growth of Chinas AI market and is advancing at the forefront of this new wave, he said.

Fellow tech giant Alibaba confirmed on Feb. 8 that it is also developing a ChatGPT style AI tool, which is currently under internal testing, the state-backed English-language China Daily reported on Feb. 17, without giving a timeframe for its launch.

Lack of control

There have been signs that the ruling Chinese Communist Party is anxious to stop the widespread adoption of an AI bot  which generates text and computer code based on huge "corpuses" of existing text  that operates outside of the governments strict censorship and "public opinion management" regime.

The government apparently fears that text generated from corpuses it doesnt control could start appearing on Chinese social media.

The China Daily warned on its Weibo account on Monday that ChatGPT "could provide a helping hand to the U.S. government in its spread of disinformation and its manipulation of global narratives for its own geopolitical interests."

A response in Chinese by ChatGPT, an AI chatbot developed by OpenAI, is seen on its website, Feb. 9, 2023. Credit: Reuters illustration





Last week, Japan's Nikkei news service reported that tech giants Tencent and Ant Group have been told not to use ChatGPT services on their platforms, either directly or indirectly.

Tech companies will also need to report to regulators before they launch their own ChatGPT-like services, the agency quoted people familiar with the matter as saying.

ChatGPT isn't officially available in China, although some users were able to access it using tools to circumvent the Great Firewall of internet censorship, and some companies have claimed to offer it as a third-party application on Tencent's WeChat platform.

Those services have now been suspended, both the third-party ChatGPT services and the Chinese-made copycats, Nikkei reported.

Deeply deformed products

Beijing-based current affairs commentator Si Ling said China's artificial intelligence developers don't currently work in a free environment, so the products they create will inevitably be subject to government censorship.

"China wants to compete with the United States in the field of AI, but its lack of talent, mechanisms to promote innovation and freedom of expression will ensure that it can only develop deformed products bearing the hallmarks of the party-state," Si said.

"[Either that] or steal advanced technologies from abroad."

According to Si, China wants to develop its own AI to step up monitoring of its citizens' daily activities, both on- and offline.

China wants to develop its own AI to step up monitoring of its citizens' daily activities, both on- and offline, says Beijing-based current affairs commentator Si Ling. Here, police officers display their AI-powered smart glasses in Luoyang, Henan province, China, in 2018. Credit: Reuters





The State of AI Report 2022 agreed, saying that Chinese AI-related research papers "focus more on surveillance-related tasks."

"These include autonomy, object detection, tracking, scene understanding, action and speaker recognition," the report found.

China has been putting out AI-related research papers at a furious pace in recent years, it said, with Chinese institutions authoring 4.5 times the number of papers that U.S. institutions did between 2010 and 2022.

AI capital

Beijing's municipal government announced on Feb. 13 that it will support leading AI companies to build their own versions of ChatGPT, as well as boosting the supply of AI data.

The government said in a white paper on the industry that the Chinese capital is currently home to more than 1,000 top AI companies, accounting for nearly 30% of the nationwide total.

"One of the driving forces behind Beijing's continued AI lead is the steady influx of technical talents, with over 40,000 individuals accounting for 60% of the country's total," the English-language Global Times reported.

"Beijing plans to further increase the introduction and training of technical talents, encourage them to start their own businesses in the city, and support existing leading enterprises to further develop innovative applications in autonomous driving, intelligent manufacturing and smart cities," the paper said.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.
Denis Wong gets 5 years for 'inciting hatred' of the authorities and recruiting 20 trainee 'Ghost Assassins'

This handout photograph taken and released by the Hong Kong Police Force on March 22, 2022 shows crossbows, currency and other items seized during a police raid on a martial arts studio run by Hong Kong martial arts coach Denis Wong Tak-keung and his assistant.

A Hong Kong court has jailed martial arts instructor Denis Wong Tak-keung for five years after finding him guilty of "subversion" in connection with social media posts that the authorities said "incited hatred" of the government.

Wong, 60, had earlier pleaded guilty to one count of "incitement to subvert state power" under Hong Kong's national security law, while he and his assistant Cheung Man-ji, 62, both pleaded guilty to one count each of "illegal possession of a firearm."

Wong's five-year jail term came after he was accused of trying to form an armed separatist movement, by recruiting people to his "Ghost Assassins training class" via Facebook.

But the initial charge of "sedition" and four other weapons charges didn't eventually appear on his charge sheet.

Instead, prosecutors applied to upgrade the charge to one under the security law at the District Court, ensuring he would face a heavier sentence of up to seven years in jail.

Police photos handed out to journalists at the time of Wong's arrest in March 2022 showed crossbows seized during a raid on his martial arts studio.

Police claimed the pair were training a clandestine force to overthrow the government and set up an independent state  armed with crossbows, airguns and their bare hands.

Combat tai chi

The center had allegedly trained students in "combat tai chi," and police said they had seized an airgun, eight crossbows, 30 steel-tipped arrows and a collection of blades from the premises.

While the defense called for leniency due to a lack of prior convictions or previous psychological issues, District Court Judge Ernest Lin ruled out a customary one-third sentence reduction for defendants who plead guilty, saying Wong's actions represented a "serious" violation of the national security law.

Cheung was handed a 16-month jail term for the weapons charge.

Lin found that Wong's social media posts were "designed to rekindle dissatisfaction and disgust with the Hong Kong police, the Hong Kong government and the Chinese government, and to achieve the overthrow of the Hong Kong government by advocating martial arts skills and weapons training."

He said the fact that Wong had nearly 6,000 followers at the time of his Facebook posts meant that his posts would likely have gone viral.

Lin said Wong had made 39 "subversive" posts across a 21-month period, and had rented out a venue to hold his training class, as well as "hoarding weapons" to implement his plan.

The martial arts training center also housed a "shrine" to "martyrs and acts of insurrection," deliberately inciting hatred against the government among anyone who went there, Lin said, adding that around 20 people had signed up for Lin's martial arts classes.

He said there was no evidence that Wong's plan had affected society, but said that Hong Kong was in the aftermath of the 2019 protest movement -- during which police were widely criticized for their violence towards mostly unarmed protesters -- and that some people were still "irrational and gullible."

Wong's posts had "fueled long standing grievances" and tarnished the reputations of both Hong Kong and China, Lin found.

The national security law -- imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong from July 1, 2020 -- ushered in a citywide crackdown on public dissent and criticism of the authorities that has seen several senior journalists, pro-democracy media magnate Jimmy Lai and 47 former lawmakers and democracy activists charged with offenses from "collusion with a foreign power" to "subversion."

Martial arts societies in southeastern China once acted as the seedbed of an attempt to overthrow the Qing Dynasty during the Boxer Rebellion of 1899-1901, which aimed to purge China of foreign colonial incursion and influence.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.
Taiwan also plans to send hundreds to soldiers to the United States for military exchange.

The Pentagon plans to quadruple the number of American troops in Taiwan and Taipei is to send a combined arms battalion to the United States, both for training purposes in the face of a growing threat from China, according to media reports.

The United States will deploy between 100 and 200 troops to Taiwan to bolster a training program for the local military, a report published by the Wall Street Journal on Thursday quoted unnamed U.S. officials as saying.

As of September 2022, the Pentagon had 39 personnel stationed in Taiwan, including 23 on active duty from all four military branches, according to the U.S. Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC).

The unnamed officials who were quoted said this deployment was planned for months to help strengthen the islands self-defense against potential attacks from China, and was not connected with the latest dip in Sino-U.S. relations after the Pentagon shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon.

This is a good development, said Grant Newsham, a former U.S. Marine colonel and diplomat. Even 100 or 200 troops can have a positive effect on Taiwans military if they are properly deployed.

Taiwans military needs as much direct exposure to other militaries as possible as it has been isolated for over 40 years and its capability development has languished as a result, said Newsham, who spent a whole year studying Taiwans defense in 2019.

In his opinion, both militaries should work on a joint operation planning for future contingencies.

Several prominent figures in the U.S. military have predicted different timelines for a possible Chinese invasion and urged the islands leadership to build up defense capabilities.

Handcuffed by fear of CCP

Newsham told Radio Free Asia (RFA) that theres also a psychological aspect as the U.S. new deployment would bolster confidence with the military, the government, and the public at large.

This matters as much as new tactics, techniques, and procedures the military might learn, he said, adding, Never overlook the mental aspects of a national defense.

By law, Washington is obligated to help Taiwan to strengthen its defenses but every movement is being closely watched by Beijing, which considers Taiwan a Chinese province and threatens to take it back by force if needed.

Caption: Chinese navy vessels take part in a drill in Zhoushan in east Chinas Zhejiang province, Oct. 19, 2012. Credit: AP Photo/File





According to the Wall Street Journal, U.S. officials were apparently mindful of possible reactions from Beijing when they said that its a question that is constantly being evaluated and looked at specifically with every decision involving support to Taiwan.

This is worrisome. It suggests that American support for Taiwan is still handcuffed by fear of the Chinese Communist Party, Newsham said.

If America indicates it will back down if seriously pressured by Beijing, China will have the advantage, and is far more likely to use force against Taiwan, he added.

Taiwanese Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng, when asked about the U.S. deployment plan, only said that more information needs to be gathered to provide a thorough explanation.

Radical change

Meanwhile the official Central News Agency (CNA) quoted Taiwanese military experts who said that Taipei is to send a combined arms battalion to the United States for training in the second half of this year at.

The CNA said in a report that the joint battalion will be composed mainly of soldiers from the Armys 333rd Mechanized Infantry Brigade and 542nd Armor Brigade. A battalion has around 500 troops.

Up to now, Taiwan has only sent platoon-level (25-60 troops) and company-level (80-150 troops) teams to the U.S. as part of military exchanges.

Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng again didnt confirm the report but neither did he deny it.

This new development would be a radical change in U.S. foreign policy, if true, said Wendell Minnick, a Taiwan-based U.S. defense analyst.

The U.S. has allowed Taiwanese military personnel to attend schools, such as SEAL, or special ops, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; and the U.S. Army Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia, according to Minnick.

Caption: Aircraft of the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) conduct a joint combat training exercise around the Taiwan Island, Aug. 7, 2022. Credit: Xinhua





Taiwan also has a training squadron of F-16 fighters at Luke Air Base in Arizona but to send a battalion of men would be hard to believe, the expert said.

One problem is these men are needed here. A battalion would be a lot of manpower needed for a war, Minnick told RFA.

Newsham meanwhile argued that an increase in troop numbers would be a good thing as its important to operate with a fairly large unit, also to expose larger numbers of troops to a different environment and a new training setting.

This is how a military improves.

A report released last month by the influential Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington said that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would not succeed should the U.S. and Japan back Taipei but it would come at a high cost for all involved.

The report predicted that a Taiwan-U.S.-Japan alliance could defeat a conventional amphibious invasion by China and maintain an autonomous Taiwan. However, they would lose dozens of ships, hundreds of aircraft, and tens of thousands of service members.

Chinas leaders have become increasingly strident about unifying the island with the mainland, therefore a military invasion is not out of the question, the report said.

BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated service.
They have been complaining for months, but their children remain trapped.

A Lao youth who was forced to work at the Kosai Casino Myanmar is tased while being handcuffed to a column. Credit: Screenshot from video provided to RFA.

By RFA Lao

A group of about 30 parents of Lao citizens trafficked to work in casinos in Myanmar are fed up with their governments lack of progress in rescuing their children, so they are planning to travel to Vientiane to meet with high-ranking officials face to face, they told Radio Free Asia.

The victims, some of whom are minors, were trafficked to the Kosai casino, part of the Kokko Special Economic Zone in southeastern Myanmars Kayin state. Reports have surfaced that employers at the Kosai and other casinos in the zone beat and tase their victims as punishment for poor work performance.

The parents are tired of waiting for their government to rescue their children and even though the roughly 600-kilometer (373-mile) trip to the capital from their home in the northern Lao province of Luang Namtha will be relatively expensive and difficult to coordinate, they are determined to do whatever they can to rescue their sons and daughters, they told RFAs Lao Service on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

Some of the parents have even made the trip already, but to no avail. They hope that reappearing in greater numbers will help their cause.

Weve done everything and nothing has worked. So, all of us, the mothers and fathers, are going to the capital, a mother among the group said.

Another mother explained that after several hurdles the government is still dragging its feet on the issue.

We have submitted all documents to the Lao Embassy in Myanmar requesting help. Weve done everything. The authorities told us to wait. Weve waited for months. Now, were desperate, hopeless and helpless, she said. The only way to help my son is to meet with the authorities in person. I cry every day; Im worried about my only son.

A third mother expressed her frustration, saying, I dont know what to do anymore. We have been waiting for answers from the authorities for months now. We cant wait any longer. Were poor. Please, help us.

A father told RFA that the trip costs about 1.6 million kip (U.S.$95) for airfare and even more for accommodations and food.

Preparations ongoing

An official of the Lao Ministry of Public Securitys Anti-Trafficking Department told RFA that officials are preparing to set up a meeting with their Myanmar counterparts.

The two sides will be discussing and looking for a way to help those Lao nationals still stuck in Myanmar, he said. One of the obstacles is that the area of Myawaddy, where the Lao workers are, is occupied by a non-governmental group.

The area around the Yatai Shwe Kokko Special Economic Zone was funded by Hong Kong-registered developer Yatai International Holding Group in partnership with the Chit Lin Myaing Company, owned by the Kayin State Border Guard Force, an ethnic Karen force aligned with the Myanmar military.

The anti-trafficking official said the Anti-Trafficking Department contacted the Myanmar Embassy in Vientiane, which had no record of the children of the Luang Namtha parents, likely because they entered Myanmar illegally.

To the plan of the parents coming to the capital, in the past, some parents have come here and informed us of the plight of their children and weve forwarded their concerns to the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Lao Embassy in Myanmar, the official said.

He advised the parents who had already visited the capital that returning at such great expense would not be necessary.

If the parents want to come down again, I cant prevent them. If they want to discuss further and if theyre financially able to come, go ahead, come, but if their financial resources are limited, they dont need to come again.

The official said he would like to warn Lao citizens not to work in neighboring countries on their own, but instead to go legally with the help of job placement centers.

Lawlessness

Scammers and human traffickers operate with near-total immunity from the law in the zone, where they treat their victims like chattel, beating them when they dont comply and demanding payment in exchange for setting them free.

People trafficked to the zone are promised high salaries but in reality they are held against their will and forced to work as scammers, luring unwitting foreigners into giving them access to their bank accounts, and regularly subjected to harsh punishments if they fail to bring in money.

Last week RFA reported that four Lao trafficking victims were freed from the zone, released into Thailand, deported back to Laos and returned to Luang Namtha.

The report included video evidence of a young trafficking victim being punished with tasers.

Translated by Max Avary. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
Those sent back will be persecuted because Burmese military ostracizes Muslims, says lawyer Lim Wei Jet.

A bus carrying people believed to be Myanmar migrants in Malaysia is seen heading toward the naval base in Lumut, outside Kuala Lumpur, Feb. 23, 2021.

Malaysia has deported 114 Muslim Myanmar nationals who will be persecuted by the ruling military when they return, although they are not Rohingya, their lawyer said Thursday.

Amnesty International Malaysia said Kuala Lumpur returned the Myanmar nationals to their strife-torn country, despite condemning the Burmese juntas violence against its own people.

Lim Wei Jet, a lawyer appointed for the Myanmar nationals by Amnesty, said the Burmese military, which ousted an elected government in February 2021, ostracizes Muslims.

Its against the non-refoulement principle and the right to live, whereby you shouldnt deport someone back to a country where they will be imminently persecuted because of their race and religion, he told BenarNews.

In this case, it is because they are Muslim, and Muslims are discriminated against by the junta in Myanmar. And we are also saying that children were deported. The rights of children are also being breached, so we are saying its still unlawful.

Malaysia is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention. But according to the principle of non-refoulement, people cannot be sent back to a country where they are likely to be persecuted, tortured, mistreated or have their human rights violated in other ways.

An Amnesty statement said the deportation took place despite information from court proceedings that the group included children and other people in vulnerable situations.

In February 2021, the Malaysian government sent back 1,086 Myanmar nationals despite a High Courts interim stay on the deportation of a group of 1,200. The 114 Myanmar nationals remained in Malaysia because they had tested positive for COVID-19 only to be sent back last month.

The director-general of immigration and then-Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin previously applied to lift the stay, saying the 114 Myanmar nationals had agreed to be deported. Rights groups disputed the alleged consent, claiming that it was not received voluntarily.

Katrina Jorene Maliamauv, executive director of Amnesty International Malaysia, said in the statement Thursday that her organization was deeply dismayed that the Malaysian government not only proactively sought to get a stay on their deportation lifted, it also then sent back the individuals.

The Malaysian government has criticized the Myanmar military and won international praise for its leadership, but by detaining and deporting at-risk individuals, it contradicts this position and exposes its hypocrisy in policy and practice, Maliamauv said.

Earlier this month, Malaysias new Prime Minister Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim called on Southeast Asian nations to take urgent steps to resolve the crisis in post-coup Myanmar.

[N]o country in these times should ever continue with discriminatory policies, marginalization of their people or intimidating, or worse, perpetrating violence against your own people, he said while on a visit to Thailand.

BenarNews contacted the Malaysian Home Ministers office and the Immigration Department for comment but did not immediately hear back.

In October 2022, Myanmars shadow government voiced alarm over reports that military defectors were among 150 Myanmar nationals deported that month from Malaysia. They were among more than 2,000 Myanmar nationals deported since April, Human Rights Watch said in a statement at the time.

Syed Hamid Albar, a former diplomat and chairman of the Malaysian Advisory Group on Myanmar, said the Malaysian government was wrong to continue deporting refugees who could face persecution and even death when they return.

We should abide by international law and international standards. Strictly, you cannot deport refugees to a country where their life is in danger, and because their status is that of refugees, they should be given protection, he told BenarNews on Thursday.

They cannot be sent back to the country where they ran away from because of persecution or violence. For sure, when they go back, they will be harmed. In some cases, they will be killed. No country should send refugees back to the country they escape from.

BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated service.
They cite fears of being persecuted by Chinese authorities during Losar.

A Tibetan pilgrim prays near a police officer outside the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, western China's Tibet Autonomous Region, in a file photo.

Tibetans in Tibet have told their relatives in exile to refrain from contacting them this week during the Tibetan New Year, called Losar, citing fears of being persecuted by Chinese authorities amid an increase in surveillance activities and surprise security searches during the politically sensitive time, sources in the region said.

Chinese authorities have clamped down on Tibetans during Losar, celebrated Feb. 20-26 this year, with cellphone checks and raids in Lhasa, Shigatse and Chamdo, the sources said. Before the holiday, authorities warned against holding events that could endanger national security and said they would take immediate action against them.

A Tibetan living in Dharamsala, India, called his relatives in Chinas western Tibet Autonomous Region to wish them well for the Tibetan New Year, but they asked that he not contact them.

After a long time, I called my family members in Lhasa to give them Losar greetings, but then they anxiously told me not to contact them on special occasions such as the Tibetan New Year and other sensitive days, said the Tibetan who like other sources in the story declined to be named so as to speak freely and without retribution by authorities.

China rules Tibet with a tight grip, restricting Tibetans political activities and expressions of cultural and religious identity, especially during festivals like Losar. Tibetans say Chinese authorities trample on their human rights and are trying to stamp out their religious, linguistic and cultural identity.

Chinese security forces are usually deployed in large numbers in Tibetan-populated areas to monitor crowds gathered for religious festivals and to prevent possible protests during Losar.

Key date approaching

The holiday comes just before a politically sensitive anniversary on March 10, commemorating the Tibetan uprising of 1959 during which tens of thousands of Tibetans took to the streets of the regional capital Lhasa in protest against Chinas invasion and occupation of their homeland a decade earlier.

The failure of the armed rebellion resulted in a violent crackdown on Tibetan independence movements, and the flight of the Dalai Lama and many Tibetans into exile in Dharamsala.

Another Tibetan who now lives in exile but has family members in Lhasa, said even written communication was risky in the current environment.

Without permission from the government, one cannot print out anything at the moment, he told Radio free Asia.

A Tibetan living outside the region who has relatives in Shigatse, about 275 kilometers (170 miles) west of Lhasa by car, said his parents sounded very tense when he called and told him to refrain from contacting or sharing messages with them.

They told me that police in Shigatse have been conducting unexpected probes, and Tibetans remain under scrutiny all the time, he said.

A Tibetan living in Dharamsala who has relatives in Chamdo in the eastern part of Tibet, said his relatives, too, were fearful when he contacted them directly from India.

So, I asked my relatives in the West to greet them for Losar on my behalf, he told RFA.

Translated by Tenzin Dickyi for RFA Tibetan. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.
Niyaz Ghopur, a Uyghur refugee in Pakistan, got a scare when police and intelligence officers showed up at his home about two weeks ago to tell him that he and his family would be repatriated to China if they didnt renew their U.N.-issued refugee cards.

The Pakistani officers threatened to detain all eight members of his family, saying they didnt have legal documents allowing them to remain in the country.

This was alarming for Ghopur, 67, whose family had fled China in 2016, fearing for their lives.

Soon after landing in Pakistan, they had received cards from the U.N. refugee agency, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, declaring that the family should not be sent back to China, where authorities had been cracking down on the mostly Muslim Uyghur population in the far-western Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

Ghopur told the Pakistani officers that UNHCR had inexplicably refused to renew their refugee cards after they expired in October. He assured them he would get them renewed as quickly as possible, and the officers left, Ghopur said in recounting the incident to Radio Free Asia.

We had gone there [to the UNHCR office] three or four times lately, and the staff said that they stopped issuing cards and would call us when they began to reissue them, he said. But they have not called us. They treated us well two years ago. They used to inquire about our situation, but no one cares about us anymore.

RFA learned that five or six other Uyghur refugee families in Pakistan had the same experience, where visiting police and intelligence officers told them they would be repatriated to China unless UNHCR renewed their cards.

Chinas sway

It isnt clear why Pakistani police threatened these Uyghur families  or why local UNHCR offices stopped renewing their refugee cards.

Pakistan is a predominantly Muslim country, so presumably it would be sympathetic to fellow Muslim Uyghurs. But the government is an ally of China and has voiced support for Beijings policies in Xinjiang, Tibet, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the South China Sea, as well as at the UN Human Rights Council.

Pakistani officials have come under pressure from Beijing because of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a massive project under the so-called Belt and Road Initiative to improve Pakistans infrastructure for better trade with China and to further integrate the countries of the region.

When RFA contacted UNHCRs head office in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday to inquire about the incidents, Joung-ah Ghedini-Williams, head of the agencys global communications, said she was unaware of the issue but would respond after contacting the Pakistan office.

The call apparently had an effect.

Within a couple days, the UN agencys offices in Pakistan renewed the refugee cards for the Uyghur families in question, and Pakistans judiciary said they would not be deported.

I want to reassure you that our team is reaching out to the concerned people to follow up on the renewal of their documents, an exercise which is currently underway for registered refugees, Aoife McDonnell, senior external relations officer at the UNHCR in Pakistan, wrote Wednesday in an email to RFA.

According to Uyghur human rights activists in Pakistan, the U.N.refugee agency office there contacted eligible Uyghur refugees and informed them that they could renew their refugee cards on Thursday.

It is good news, said Omar Uyghur, founder of the Omar Uyghur Trust in Pakistan, which has provided assistance to Uyghur refugees. There will be no danger to Uyghurs here now because they can stay here legally.

UN aware of Chinas actions

Memet Tohti, executive director of the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project in Canada, said there was no legitimate reason for UNHCR to refuse to renew the Uyghur refugees documents.

He pointed out that the United Nations was well aware of Chinas repression of the Uyghurs. An August 2022 report by the U.N. human rights office found Chinas actions against Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity.

Pakistan today is home to about 3,000 Uyghurs, who first began seeking asylum in the country when Chinese troops occupied Xinjiang in 1949. The Chinese government allowed some Uyghurs with relatives in Pakistan to immigrate to the country in 1963 and 1974.

In the 1980s, under Chinas opening-up policy, Pakistan became a hub for Uyghur Muslims making a pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Some Uyghurs settled there and set up businesses, others got an education, and some Uyghur women married Pakistani men.

But after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States in 2001, China and Pakistan strengthened their cooperation, and Pakistan repatriated numerous Uyghurs to China.

RFA could not reach Meliha Shahid, the press attache at the Pakistani Embassy in Washington for comment.

Translated by RFA Uyghur. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.
Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here.

I'm Abubakar Siddique, a senior correspondent at RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead.

The Key Issue

Pakistans defense minister and spy chief visited Kabul on February 22 for talks with senior Taliban officials.

The high-profile visit appeared aimed at easing tensions over recent border clashes and closures, as well as militant attacks in Pakistan.

The Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has staged a string of deadly attacks in Pakistan in recent months. Islamabad has accused the Afghan Taliban of sheltering the Pakistani militant group.

In response, the Taliban has accused Islamabad of allowing U.S. drones to fly over its territory and into Afghanistan. The Afghan militants have also accused Islamabad of turning a blind eye to Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), a foe of the Taliban that is present along the Afghan-Pakistan border.

In a February 22 statement, Pakistans Foreign Ministry said that "the two sides agreed to collaborate to effectively address the threat of terrorism."

The Taliban said it expressed its "clear and thorough" views on "drone flights over our territory and the activities of the armed opposition," in an apparent reference to IS-K.

Why It's Important: Attempts by the Afghan Taliban and Pakistan to smooth over their differences appear to have failed.

The Taliban on February 22 agreed to reopen the key Torkham border crossing, days after closing it and accusing Pakistan of unilaterally changing entry rules for Afghans. But on February 23, Islamabad closed its side of the border.

The Afghan Taliban and Pakistan have been close allies for decades. But their relations have plummeted since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021.

Instead of providing the security bulwark Islamabad expected from the Taliban in return for allegedly sheltering its leaders and helping its insurgency for over two decades, Taliban-ruled Afghanistan has become a security concern for Pakistan.

The Taliban's ideological and organizational ally, the TTP, has recuperated under its rule. Its attacks inside Pakistan have soared since Afghan Taliban-brokered peace talks between the TTP and Islamabad last year failed.

What's Next: It is unclear if the sides are willing or able to smooth over their differences.

The Afghan Taliban is unlikely to crack down or expel the TTP, although it could convince the militants to decrease their attacks inside Pakistan.

If the TTP continues to wreak havoc in Pakistan, Islamabad could resort to military action inside Afghanistan, a move that would likely escalate tensions even further.

The Week's Best Story

The Taliban has banned begging and rounded up thousands of impoverished Afghans seeking alms on the streets of Kabul in recent months. But many of Kabuls poorest are now going door-to-door around the city in search of food or cash in order to survive. Among them is Shakiba, who told Radio Azadi that she has no choice but to send my children to people's houses to beg."

What To Keep An Eye On

The Taliban announced on February 22 that it has established a consortium with companies from Russia, Iran, and Pakistan in a bid to attract investment.

Taliban Commerce Minister Nooruddin Azizi said his ministry and 14 Afghan businessmen had signed a memorandum of understanding with foreign firms to assess up to $1 billion in various projects, including in the fields of mining, power, and infrastructure.

The Taliban also announced this week that it would turn former foreign military bases in Afghanistan into special economic zones.

Why It's Important: The cash-strapped Taliban government, which remains unrecognized by any country, has tried to attract foreign investment, but international sanctions and isolation have hampered those efforts.

The Taliban has turned to neighbors like Pakistan, China, and Iran, as well as Russia. But the Pakistani, Iranian, and Russian governments and firms are unlikely to be able to invest heavily in Afghanistan. Islamabad is struggling with a sharp economic downturn. Meanwhile, Tehran and Moscow are reeling from crippling Western sanctions.

The Taliban, however, appears to be successfully generating much needed revenue, mainly through tax collection and exports. A recent World Bank report said Afghan exports, including coal, rose to $1.7 billion last year, surpassing the figures for the past two years.

That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have.

Until next time,

Abubakar Siddique

If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Friday.
Dramatizing Chinese balloon saga proves blatant U.S. double standards

Xinhua) 13:17, February 24, 2023

BEIJING, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Washington's recent melodramatic reaction to a stray Chinese civilian unmanned airship has made a big splash inside the United States and startled many around the world.

Despite that Beijing has repeatedly clarified the incident and expressed its regret, the U.S. government and some American media outlets still went on hyping up a "spy balloon" narrative, and the Pentagon shot down the balloon.

Those actions have apparently stirred up new tensions between China and the United States, particularly at a time when the two sides are trying to improve their ties after Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden, met in Bali, Indonesia, late last year.

For the record, the use of civilian airships or other aircraft for scientific research is a common practice globally.

Washington's drastic reaction to the weather-monitoring balloon not only goes against scientific common sense, but also violates customary international practice and relevant international conventions.

In fact, the United States has been one of the leading countries that fly high-altitude airships for surveillance and other purposes. What should be noted is that its own balloons frequently enter other countries' airspace.

Groups and individuals like the U.S. SPCG radio club have flown many high-altitude balloons from the United States in the name of local community service and hobbies for amateurs.

And those balloons, which carried APRS radio terminals and various data sensors, have flown over the airspace of Britain, Russia, Norway, Ukraine, China, Japan, France, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Myanmar, Afghanistan and other countries multiple times. Obviously, such global flights do not tally with the alleged intentions.

According to Politico, the Pentagon has spent billions of dollars developing high-altitude reconnaissance balloons since 1997 and quietly transitioned the balloon projects to military services in 2022. The balloons may be used to track hypersonic strategic cruise missiles being developed by China and Russia.

Since last year, U.S. balloons have illegally flown over China's airspace more than 10 times without the approval of relevant Chinese authorities. But China handled those illegal flights of U.S. airships in a calm and professional manner. That has demonstrated Beijing's respect for international law and sincerity in properly managing China-U.S. relations.

So the question is: If the United States claimed the Chinese airship incident as a violation of its sovereignty, then what is the explanation for its own balloons' illegal overflight over China?

Clearly, Washington has resorted again to double standards. It has also betrayed the stated pledge that it "does not seek conflict with China."

For some China-hardliners in the United States, the balloon saga has indeed offered another chance to inflate the "China threat." For a period of time, the U.S. side has blacklisted more Chinese technology companies on ill-founded grounds, and been pushing forward chip embargoes against China. According to their Cold-War mentality, a growing China, particularly in the high-tech sector, poses a dire threat to America's pursuit of global dominance.

As former U.S. trade official William Reinsch was quoted as saying by The Economist in an opinion published last month, Washington has moved from a "run faster" to a "run faster and trip the other guy" policy.

China-U.S. relations are widely believed as the world's most consequential bilateral relationship. Their ties matter to the vital and long-term interests of the two nations as well as to the world's peace and development. But what Washington has done in the balloon incident has prompted the world to wonder whether it is sincere or at least interested in setting up "guardrails" in the relationship.

In this highly interconnected world, Beijing and Washington stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation. Thus it is time for the United States to walk its talk, properly handle its differences with China, and work with the Chinese side to bring their much troubled relations back on course with concrete actions.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
The high-ranking official said the public budget was worth around S/50 billion (about US$13.09 billion) in the year 2000.





It has increased more than five times during the last two decades, Contreras noted.





"Now we have more than S/270 billion (over US$70.66 billion) for the national, regional, and local governments," he stressed.





The Cabinet member indicated that, although Peru relies on economic resources, no progress has been made on closing infrastructure gaps with schools, water, sanitation, roads, and electricity (public works), because regional governments do not manage to execute the entire allocated budget.





"I have always been mentioning that; decentralization in Peru has been a failed and imperfect process; it is not a matter of fiscal space, there is fiscal space; as proof of this, more than S/18 billion (over US$3.82 billion) is not executed per year," he said.





The Ministry of Economy and Finance's (MEF) head said that on average regions execute 70% (of their budget). However, Huanuco executed less than 40% of it last year.





"There is discontent among the people; indeed, but part of this discontent is not so much because the resources do not arrive, they do reach regions, but they are not executed. So, gaps are not closed," he emphasized in remarks to Radio Exitosa on Thursday.





Similarly, the government official indicated that there are regions which have many resources for (public) works due to mining activity that is carried out in their territories. There is a lot of heterogeneity in terms of resources by region as well.





"There are districts in Peru where the budget for investment per capita can reach S/250,000 (about US$65,428), but there are also other districts in Peru where it cannot even reach S/10 (about US$2.62) or S/5 (about US$1.31); We can't close gaps with that (amount)," he explained.
YEREVAN -- Officials in Baku say Azerbaijani athletes will boycott the European Weightlifting Championships in the Armenian capital of Yerevan and return home after an Azerbaijani flag was set afire by an apparent intruder at an opening ceremony late on April 14.

Armenian police briefly detained a person who ran onto the stage during the event and snatched the Azerbaijani flag from a lady performing in the opening ceremony before setting it ablaze.

No Azerbaijani athletes or delegation members were reportedly present in the hall at the time of the incident.

Over 300 athletes from 40 countries are competing in the European Weightlifting Championships in Yerevan.

No charges were brought immediately against the intruder, whom the Armenian police identified as Aram Nikolian, a professional designer. He was set free by police several hours after his detention, officials said.

Azerbaijans Ministry of Youth and Sports and National Olympic Committee described the incident as a "barbaric act," saying it was a manifestation of :ethnic hatred, racism, xenophobia, and animosity toward Azerbaijanis" in Armenia and was "contrary to the noble principles and goals of sports."

Declaring that under such conditions the safety of Azerbaijani athletes was not ensured and their normal participation in the championships was impossible, the Azerbaijani authorities announced their decision that their athletes will return home.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry also condemned the incident, demanding those responsible be punished.

"It is worrying that no security measures were taken by organizers against such hate action. Perpetrators should be accordingly punished, Aykhan Hajizade, a spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, wrote on Twitter.

Armenias Sports Ministry countered by saying that all security measures had been put in place by the Armenian side as required and there were no security risks for the Azerbaijani athletes.

It stressed that the flag burning incident at the opening ceremony was settled quickly and had nothing to do with the general security of Azerbaijani athletes and ensuring of their normal participation in the competitions.

"The Republic of Armenia remains committed to fulfilling its obligations to the International Weightlifting Federation and reaffirms its readiness to hold the 2023 European Championships at a high level," Armenia's Sports Ministry said in a statement.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh for years. Some 30,000 people were killed in a war in the early 1990s that left ethnic Armenians in control of the breakaway region and seven adjacent districts of Azerbaijan proper. Another 7,000 died 7,000 when the simmering conflict reignited in 2020.

Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned the UN Security Council not to be fooled by calls for a temporary or unconditional cease-fire in Ukraine as the council met to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion.

Blinken's warning came just hours after China called for a comprehensive cease-fire as part of a 12-point plan that largely reiterated its approach since Russia launched the invasion on February 24, 2022.

"Any peace that legitimizes Russia's seizure of land by force will weaken the [UN] Charter and send a message to would-be aggressors everywhere that they can invade countries and get away with it," Blinken said.

Blinken addressed the 15-member body over Western concerns that Moscow would use a potential cease-fire to rest and rearm.

The 193-member UN General Assembly on February 23 overwhelmingly passed a nonbinding resolution calling for a "comprehensive, just, and lasting peace" in line with the founding UN Charter and again demanded Moscow withdraw its troops and stop fighting.

China, which claims to have a neutral stance in the war, abstained, and its representative told the General Assembly that "sending weapons will not bring peace."

Beijing has said it has a no-limits friendship with Russia and has refused to criticize Moscows invasion.

In Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed some elements of the Chinese cease-fire proposal but said it was not a concrete plan.

China has shown its thoughts. I believe that the fact that China started talking about Ukraine is not bad. But the question is what follows the words. The question is in the steps and where they will lead to, Zelenskiy said at a news conference.

The proposal corresponds in some ways with international law and territorial integrity, he said, adding, "Let's work with China on this point."

Zelenskiy also said there were parts he disagreed with and urged Beijing not to provide Moscow with arms. The United States has accused China of considering the idea of supplying arms to Russia and has warned Beijing against such a move.

With reporting by Reuters and AP
A position paper unveiled by Beijing pushing for a cease-fire in Ukraine has been met skeptically by many experts and Western officials who question Chinas ability to broker a truce given its growing ties with Russia.

Released by China on February 24 to coincide with the one-year anniversary of Russias invasion, the 12-point proposal calls for an end to Western sanctions against Moscow, setting up humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians, ensuring the regular export of Ukrainian grain, security guarantees for Russia, and calls against the use of nuclear weapons.



The paper pitches a gradual de-escalation of hostilities that would pave the way for peace talks, but Chinas call for a truce between Russia and Ukraine quickly faced scrutiny as it appeared to reaffirm Beijings position that the West is fueling the conflict while seemingly offering Moscow a reprieve.

Beijing is speaking to a global audience with this paper, Raffaello Pantucci, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, told RFE/RL. But for China to seriously push for peace, they would have to tell Moscow things they dont want to hear, and there is no evidence that [Beijing] has ever told Russia to step back -- either behind the scenes or in front of the cameras.

Peace-Broker Status

Those stepped-up ties were most recently on display during a February 23 visit to Moscow by Wang Yi, Chinas top diplomat, and saw Russian President Vladimir Putin hail new frontiers in the relationship as he signaled that Chinese leader Xi Jinping would visit Russia in the spring.

This is a very vague text that doesnt really bring anything new. Its hard to imagine how this could affect the future of the war in Ukraine.

The paper itself mainly revisits long-held Chinese foreign policy positions and views on the war, such as asking for all countries to ensure that sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity be effectively guaranteed.

But it also included language that appeared to be directed at the West, including calls to end the Cold War mentality toward the conflict and warning against expanding military blocs, which are terms the Chinese Foreign Ministry has used in the past to refer to what it views as Washingtons interference in other countries affairs and the growth of the NATO military alliance.

[Its] interesting in any case, since China has so far not done many things in terms of mediation, a senior European Union official who requested anonymity because they were not cleared to speak to the media, told RFE/RL. I think the main goal is to improve their own reputation.

A separate senior EU official told RFE/RL that the proposal should be seen in the context of China looking to appear as a leader of the Global South and as a peace promoter, adding that Europe is not wooed by the Chinese initiative.

The Chinese call for a truce comes after a year of Beijing looking to present itself as a neutral party to the war -- rejecting Western attempts to get China to condemn Russias war in Ukraine.

A few weeks before the Russian invasion, Xi and Putin heralded a new era of relations by announcing a no-limits partnership between their two countries that many analysts say is driven by a shared desire to push back against the United States.

Throughout the war, Beijing has carefully avoided any bold moves to help Russia that would lead to Western backlash while simultaneously deepening cooperation with Moscow. This has included providing crucial economic and diplomatic support for Russia, such as buying up Russian energy and parroting Moscows narrative of the war in its media and at international forums like the United Nations.

On February 23, Beijing also abstained -- for the fourth time -- from a UN vote demanding that Russian forces withdraw from Ukraine.

Some Western officials had hoped Xi could use Chinas growing economic support for Russia as leverage to nudge Putin toward the negotiating table, but Temur Umarov, a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, says Beijings position paper and its new, more visible role is about cementing its status as a global superpower that seeks to counterbalance the West on the world stage.

This is a very vague text that doesnt really bring anything new, Umarov told RFE/RL. Its hard to imagine how this could affect the future of the war in Ukraine.

Eyeing Beijing And Moscow

Public reactions to the proposal have ranged from critical to muted.

Speaking to CNN shortly after the paper was released, U.S. national-security adviser Jake Sullivan dismissed much of the proposals contents, saying it could have stopped at point one, which is to respect the sovereignty of all nations.

Ukraine wasnt attacking Russia. NATO wasnt attacking Russia. The United States wasnt attacking Russia, he added. Russias aims in the war were to wipe Ukraine off the map, to absorb it into Russia.

In Beijing, Jorge Toledo, the EUs ambassador to China, told reporters at a February 24 briefing that what China released was a position paper not a peace plan, and that the bloc would study it.

Ukrainian officials were not consulted on the paper, but Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that Wang had shared key elements of the Chinese peace plan with him during a meeting at the Munich Security Conference.

Speaking at the same press briefing as Toledo in Beijing, Zhanna Leshchynska, Ukraines charge daffaires at its embassy in China, said that the Chinese paper was a good sign.

We hope they also urge Russia to stop the war and withdraw its troops, Leshchynska added.

During a February 23 press conference in Kyiv with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez prior to the papers release, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called the Chinese move an important first step.

I think that, in general, the fact that China started talking about peace in Ukraine, I think that it is not bad, he said.

The Chinese paper also comes amid rising tensions between Beijing and Washington and accusations that China is considering supplying military equipment to Russia.

That claim has been raised by U.S. officials multiple times recently, and The Wall Street Journal reported that Washington is considering releasing intelligence on the alleged arms transfer.

The German magazine Der Spiegel also claimed in a report published on February 23, citing unnamed sources, that Moscow was in negotiations with a Chinese company about supplying large quantities of strike drones.

Chinese officials havent commented on the Der Spiegel report but have strongly rejected the U.S. claims, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin saying, The U.S. side isnt qualified to point fingers at China or order China around, and we never accept the [United States] criticizing Sino-Russian relations.

Those accusations, coupled with the fact that Xi has yet to speak with Zelenskiy since Russias invasion one year ago, hurt Chinas credibility as a mediator and only add to the skepticism over the new position paper, Umarov says.

Kyiv knows that China is on Moscow's side, he says. China's proposals might not be pro-Russian per se, but they are certainly anti-West, and that makes it difficult for Ukraine to meaningfully engage with any of this.
KYIV -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia "must lose in Ukraine" as Moscow's full-scale invasion entered its second year on February 24 amid heavy fighting in the east and south, while Ukraine's Western allies marked the anniversary by announcing more military aid for Kyiv.

"On February 24, millions of us made a choice: not a white flag, but a blue-and-yellow flag," Zelenskiy told Ukrainians in a message on social media at the start of a busy day of speeches, commemorations, and a more than two-hour briefing with reporters.

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.

"Not escape, but resistance. Resistance against the enemy. Resistance and struggle. It was a year of pain, regret, faith and unity. And this is the year of our indomitability," Zelenskiy said in his message on February 24, adding, "We know that this will be the year of our victory."

Russia had hoped that its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine that President Vladimir Putin called "a special military operation" would end in a matter of days as Moscow's forces attempted to occupy Kyiv and overthrow Zelenskiy's pro-Western government.

But the invading army met with obdurate Ukrainian resistance and was forced to withdraw from the capital amid heavy human and equipment losses.

Zelenskiy separately told a conference in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius that only defeat in Ukraine would stave off Russian President Vladimir Putin's expansionist policies toward Moscow's former sphere of influence.

"Russia must lose in Ukraine," Zelenskiy told a conference in Vilnius via video link later on February 24. "Russian revanchism must forever forget about Kyiv and Vilnius, about Chisinau and Warsaw, about our brothers in Latvia and Estonia, in Georgia, and every other country that is now threatened."

Zelenskiy participated later on February 24 in a ceremony in Kyiv's St. Sophia Square, awarding medals to soldiers and the mother of one killed.

"We have become one family.... Ukrainians have sheltered Ukrainians, opened their homes and hearts to those who were forced to flee the war," he said in a televised address.

He took part later in a news conference in which he vowed to do everything to defeat Russia this year.

"If partners respect all their promises and deadlines, victory will inevitably await us," Zelensky said, referring to military aid that Ukraine's Western partners have said they will deliver.

U.S. President Joe Biden said on Twitter that, a year after the start of the invasion, Ukraine stands and the global coalition in support of Ukraine is stronger than ever with the G7 as its anchor.

"A dictator bent on rebuilding an empire will never erase the peoples love of liberty," Biden said. "Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia. Never."

Even as Zelenskiy spoke to the Vilnius conference, the specter of Russian expansionism was floated in Moscow by former President Dmitry Medvedev, who used the occasion to threaten with "pushing back" NATO member Poland's border.

"It is so important to achieve all the goals of the special military operation. To push back the borders that threaten our country as far as possible, even if they are the borders of Poland," said Medvedev, who now is deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council.

On the streets of Kyiv, people's feelings after one year of war were fluctuating between weariness and hope, despair and determination.

"I thought things would get better faster," Lesya Derska, a 24-year-old copywriter told RFE/RL. "There is no stability.... We should start rebuilding the country and the economy quicker. But after a year, I feel stronger because I understand one can endure a lot."

For 30-year-old Maksym Fadeyev, the war meant he lost his food delivery job. But he enrolled as a voluntary cook to feed the needy.

"I remember people coming to Kyiv from the gray (conflict) zone who did not eat for three days," he told RFE/RL. The world's support, he said, "did not prevent thousands of us from dying every month."

"I cannot do anything to end the war," Fadayev said. "The war will last for much longer."



But 49-year-old Serhiy Slobodyan radiated more optimism. He enrolled as a soldier on the second day of the invasion and has fought ever since.

"I believe the war will end in the summer," Serhiy told RFE/RL during a two-day home leave in Kyiv. "We will kick Russians out if we have more ammunition and more weapons."

WATCH: Ceremonies were held on February 24 in different cities in Ukraine and across the world on the first anniversary of Russia's full-scale aggression against its neighbor, Ukraine.

The United States marked the anniversary by announcing an additional $2 billion in "security assistance" for Ukraine.

Poland, meanwhile, announced that it had delivered its first Leopard tanks to Ukraine as Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki traveled to Kyiv on February 24.

Canada on February 24 announced more than $32 million in aid for Ukraine that will include $7.5 million for demining efforts and more than $12 million to counter chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats.

In Photos: When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, it triggered the biggest military conflict in Europe since World War II, upending the lives of millions and bringing widespread devastation that continues today.

In Berlin, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Germany will support Ukraine "as strongly and as long as necessary."

President Emmanuel Macron also reaffirmed France's support for Ukraine.

"People of Ukraine, France stands by your side. To solidarity. To victory. To peace," Macron tweeted.

In a statement, NATO reaffirmed the 30-member alliance's "unwavering support for Ukraines independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity" in the face of Russia's aggression.

Meanwhile, activists parked a bombed-out Russian tank in front of the Russian Embassy in Berlin as protests were held across Europe to mark the anniversary. The Eiffel Tower, the National Theatre in Warsaw, and the Colosseum in Rome were among the buildings lit up in the blue-yellow colors of Ukraine's flag.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg observed a moment of silence to honor the fallen in Tallinn. A similar observance took place in front of Downing Street in London, and several European leaders published messages condemning the war.

The anniversary came as full-scale war raged in the east, where Moscow's forces have been throwing immense military and human resources against the Ukrainian forces' fierce resistance.

Russian forces pressed on with fresh offensive actions in and around Bakhmut, the focal point of the battle for the eastern Donetsk region, as well as Kupyansk, Lyman, Avdiyivka, and Shakhtarsk.

"Over the past day, our defenders repelled about 100 enemy attacks in the indicated directions," the General Staff said.

The military command in the southern region said late on February 24 that Russia had doubled the number of ships on active duty in the Black Sea, bringing the number to eight.



The command said in a Facebook update that this could indicate preparation for a missile or drone strikes.



Russia's navy has regularly launched missiles from its Black Sea Fleet as part of an effort by Moscow to target critical Ukrainian infrastructure and power-generating facilities.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and AP
The deputy secretary-general of NATO, Mircea Geoana, says Russia has suffered a string of defeats on and off the battlefield in the year since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but a "long war" is likely still ahead for Kyiv, making support from Western allies critical.

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.

Geoana, speaking to RFE/RL's Romanian Service in an interview to mark the first anniversary of the invasion, said Moscow has challenged the international rule-based order with its actions, making it not only significant for Ukraine but also for democratic nations around the world that the aggression is defeated.

"This probably will be remembered in the history books as one of the turning points in European and possibly world history," he said in a video interview from Brussels to commemorate the anniversary.

"By helping Ukraine, we help the very idea that any country, any place around this world, has the sovereign right to choose its destiny," he added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has justified his decision to attack Ukraine -- what he calls a "special military operation" -- by using false narratives such as Kyiv was led by a "neo-Nazi regime" and that Russia's future was threatened by aggression from the West.

Putins camp expected the conflict to last weeks, at most, but a year later it is showing no signs of concluding.

Geoana said Putin's move has had the opposite effect that he intended, with NATO and the West more united than ever while "marking a succession of strategic defeats for Russia."

"You can see already that Russia has lost its reputation, the reputation of its armed forces. They were bragging that they are a superpower militarily. Now they cannot even prevail in Ukraine," he said.

"And probably the most important count where Putin has lost and Russia has lost is they've lost Ukraine emotionally. If 10 years, 15 years back Ukraine and Ukrainians were looking at Russia as a natural -- you know, relatively friendly -- nation, now they see Russia as the No. 1 existential threat to their very survival.

"So I think Mr. Putin has made a very wrong calculation, both in terms of war, both in terms of national identity for Ukraine, and also in terms of unity of the West."

Many countries have used the first anniversary of the invasion to increase military aid to Ukraine, which has said it needs to gain the upper hand as fierce close-quarter fighting rages in the eastern part of the country.

Geoana said the allies have been keen to listen to Kyiv's needs and are trying to move as quickly as possible to give Ukraine's military what it wants.

However, he cautioned, issues such as providing fighter jets aren't a quick option given the amount of time needed to train personnel, set up logistics, and ensure proper usage of weaponry.

"We have to focus on how to make sure that the capabilities we deliver today to Ukraine are fully functional," Geoana said, saying fighter jets are "an ongoing conversation."

"I know one thing: that we have to do more for Ukraine and also have to do more with the existing material that we have on the ground.... There's always need for more. But the process is working. The process has produced results, and the fact that today, after one year, Ukraine is standing and Russia has so many difficulties is because of the bravery of the Ukrainians, but also the support that they've been receiving from allied nations and partner nations."
Welcome back to The Farda Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that tracks the key issues in Iran and explains why they matter. To subscribe, click here. www.rferl.org/a/31793259.html



I'm RFE/RL correspondent Golnaz Esfandiari. Here's what I've been following during the past week and what I'm watching for in the days ahead.

The Big Issue

Iran appears to be making headway toward renewing official ties with Saudi Arabia and Persian Gulf states that in some cases have been publicly avoiding Tehran for decades.

The foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia held talks in Beijing on April 6 in a significant step toward restoring diplomatic relations, which were cut in 2016 after protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran following Riyadhs execution of prominent Saudi Shi'ite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.

Iran also accepted an invitation from Saudi King Salman for President Ebrahim Raisi to visit Riyadh, while Tehran said it will send a similar invitation to the Saudi king. Meanwhile, a Saudi delegation traveled to Iran on April 9 to discuss the reopening of the embassy in Tehran and a consulate in Mashhad. The trip came as Iranian media reported on April 8 that a street sign near the Saudi consulate in Mashhad provocatively named after Sheikh al-Nimr had been quietly removed. An Iranian delegation also arrived in Saudi Arabia on April 12 to pave the way for the reopening of Iranian diplomatic missions there.

Iran is meanwhile taking steps to improve ties with other countries in the region, naming an ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) and working to decrease tensions with Egypt and Bahrain.

Why It Matters: Iran and Saudi Arabia appear to be pursuing implementation of last months Chinese-brokered agreement, possibly clearing the way for Tehran to de-escalate tensions with other countries that followed Riyadhs lead on a rupture seven years ago.



What's Next: Tehran and Riyadh could move surprisingly swiftly toward normalization, but its no sure thing. Abdolrasool Divsallar, a visiting professor at the Catholic University of Milan (UCSC), told me that the political environment between the two regional rivals could encourage the start of military and security talks within months.

But Divsallar also warned that opponents at home and abroad could still undermine the agreement. Hard-liners in Iran may act as a spoiler rather than as a supporter of the deal, he said, adding that Israel could do the same.

The regional tensions between Israel and Iran, on one side, andbetween Iran, Saudi [Arabia] and the United States, on the other side, are two dynamics that make this process very fragile, he said.

Divsallar also suggested that any normalization between Iran and countries with less appetite for a quick restoration of ties, for instance Bahrain, could take longer.

They feel more secure under the current status quo rather than immediately normalizing their ties with the Islamic republic and losing their leverage, he said, adding, They may wait to see a major change of policies.

Stories You Might Have Missed

Irans civil aviation sector has for years been under Western sanctions that prevent it from purchasing new aircraft or spare parts for repairs. Now, Russia's oldest airline, Aeroflot, has sent one of its passenger planes to Iran for repairs for the first time ever. Aeroflot reportedly ran into obstacles at home stemming from Western sanctions over Russias ongoing, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The RBK media group cited an Aeroflot representative and sources close to the company on April 11 as saying that an Airbus A330-300 had been sent to Tehran on April 5 to be repaired by specialists from Iran's Mahan Air.

Iranian pensioners staged protests in more than a dozen cities across Iran, demanding higher pensions amid soaring prices. Protests were reported on April 9 in Tehran, Ahvaz, Mashhad, Isfahan, Arak, Qom, Shush, Tabriz, and several other cities where retirees complained of poor living conditions and chanted anti-government slogans. Labor protests in Iran have swelled as the economy deteriorates following years of mismanagement compounded by crippling U.S. sanctions.

What We're Watching

Prominent Iranian female religious scholar Sedigheh Vasmaghi has challenged Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over the Islamic republics mandatory hijab law.

In a letter published online, Vasmaghi asked about the reasoning behind Irans strict model for womens dress and said the Koran does not specify the need for women to cover their hair in public.

There is no evidence to show that during the time of the Prophet Muhammad women were harassed and punished for not covering their hair or even their bodies, Vasmaghi, who has published several books on Islamic jurisprudence, wrote.

Why It Matters: Vasmaghis letter is significant for its timing -- just days after Khamenei asserted that the removal of the hijab in public was religiously banned. But it is also important because it comes from a religious woman who wears the veil while opposing the mandatory hijab, which is seemingly being defied by a growing number of women.

That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have.

Until next time,

Golnaz Esfandiari

If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Wednesday.
Hundreds of schoolgirls have fallen sick and scores have been hospitalized in Irans holy city of Qom in recent months, with some parents and officials suspecting they were poisoned.

But the authorities, which have launched an investigation into the mysterious wave of illnesses, have not found any evidence of poison. No deaths have been reported.

The incidents have prompted public anger, with some Iranians accusing the government of negligence. Some parents have refused to let their children attend school.

In the latest incident, 15 schoolgirls were transferred to a hospital in Qom on February 22, the Qom News outlet reported, saying the students were in stable condition and under observation.

The first incident is believed to have occurred in November, when 18 schoolgirls in Qom were taken to a hospital after complaining of symptoms that included nausea, headaches, coughing, breathing difficulties, heart palpitations, and numbness and pain in their hands or legs.

Since then, hundreds of students in Qom, mostly girls, have fallen ill with similar symptoms in a number of public schools, which are segregated by gender. Dozens have received treatment, while others have been hospitalized.

Authorities said they have not yet been able to determine the cause of the mysterious wave of sickness, despite conducting toxicology tests.

Medical experts have not found any bacterial or viral infections in blood samples taken from sick students. The authorities have not yet dismissed the possibility that poisonous gas could have caused the illnesses, with some students reporting a strange smell in their classrooms.

Iran's chief prosecutor, Mohammad Javad Montazeri, suggested on February 21 that the incidents could be deliberate. In a letter to the state prosecutor in Qom, Montazeri said the worrying wave of some kind of poisoning in schools in the city indicate the possibility of intentional criminal actions.

Earlier, Mojtaba Zolnour, a lawmaker from Qom, said the illnesses were abnormal and security officials were investigating. Another parliamentarian from Qom, Ahmad Amirabadi Farahani, suggested that fear and hysteria could have played a role.

Some have speculated that religious extremists, in a bid to create fear and prevent girls from attending school, could be behind the incidents.

Last week, Nafiseh Moradi, a researcher of Islamic studies at Al Zahra University, an all-female public university in Tehran, said in a commentary that it was suspicious that girls, not boys, were mainly affected by the illnesses. The article on Qom News was later removed.

Many Iranians have accused the authorities of not doing enough to find the cause of the illnesses and prevent new cases. Some angry parents have refused to send their children to school.

Of the 250 students in our school, only 50 attended classes, a teacher in Qom, who did not want to be named for fear of retribution, told RFE/RLs Radio Farda last week.

A correspondent at the reformist Shargh daily who traveled to Qom reported this week that some schools in the city were unofficially closed.

Last week, angry parents protested outside the governors office and called for a transparent investigation. They also demanded that classes be held online, amid reports that the authorities were pressuring students to attend school.

An unnamed teacher at a girls school in Qom told Shargh that they have been ordered to teach even if only one student was present in class. She also said students have been told not to share notes with classmates in an apparent bid to push more pupils to attend school in person.

Some students who have fallen ill have complained of an unknown or unpleasant smell.

My son recalled that for a moment there was the smell of rotten fish in the classroom, an unnamed woman whose son became sick was quoted as saying by the Tejarat News outlet. Then the school gave students face masks and told them to leave the classroom.

Some of the children felt more ill than the others. Several of them were transferred to medical centers. My son was among them, the woman said, adding that her son had suffered from stomach pain.

A student who fell ill in early February told Shargh that she spent three days in a hospital.

I still feel some weakness in my legs after 20 days, and I have problems while moving my legs, the unnamed student said, adding that two of her friends were still in the hospital.

Similar waves of mysterious illnesses affecting schoolgirls have been reported in recent years in neighboring Afghanistan and in Central Asia. In many cases, the authorities were unable to find evidence of poison. Most of the incidents were blamed on mass panic and hysteria.
How one woman is racing to restart her uncle's spectacular scientific legacy: a radio-optical telescope left in limbo on the slopes of Armenia's highest mountain.

The lonely control room in the photo above is an aesthetic holy grail for urban explorers. Unlike most empty, Instagram-famous Soviet-era buildings, however, this site has a chance of being restored once more into the hub of activity and scientific research that it once was as part of the Orgov Radio-Optical Telescope.

The 54-meter-wide Orgov telescope dish is one of the most sensitive of its kind in the world. Radio telescopes are used to study deep space by picking up faint radio waves given off by distant stars and galaxies that can be visualized into an image. Views of deep space are usually limited by the space dust that obscures some objects from view, but radio telescopes can "see through" the dust, enabling them to record objects invisible to optical telescopes. Radio telescopes have also impacted everyday life. An Australian radio telescope engineer used his expertise to fine-tune WiFi signals into the lightning-fast wireless Internet connections most of us enjoy today.

The Orgov telescope, named after the mountainside village that it was built next to in the 1980s, first began operations in 1986 as the brainchild of Paris Herouni, a famed Soviet-Armenian physicist and engineer whose late career interests expanded into widely disputed research on the origins of modern human society, which he claimed first emerged in Armenia.

After battling with the "scientific mafia" of Moscow to successfully establish his radio-optical telescope, Herouni's mountainside project, like most other large Soviet-funded operations, was thrown into uncertainty amid the breakup of the U.S.S.R. and the wars that broke out in the Caucasus throughout the 1990s. But Herouni was able to keep the telescope running up until his death in 2008. By 2012, the telescope ceased operation, and today, Herouni's niece, Arevik Sargsyan, is leading the drive to restart the device. The ambitious battle has attracted international support, as well as surprisingly harsh criticism inside Armenia.

"I'm proud that Paris Herouni was not only my uncle, but also my teacher," Sargsyan told RFE/RL as she made tea inside her office overlooking central Yerevan where she works as a professor at the National Polytechnic University. "He was unique, a kind of two-in-one operator," Sargsyan recalls. "He was a very skillful scientist, but also a great manager of people." She says she learned from her uncle to "expect everyone standing in front of you has the same or greater intelligence than you."

After several back-and-forth discussions, Sargsyan came close to reaching an agreement to restart the telescope with Armenia's previous government. Then the 2018 revolution swept a new administration to power, and Sargsyan says that despite detailed plans for how to get the telescope operating once more -- and a lineup of foreign experts backing her claims -- "this government is not able to make an appropriate decision," she says. "We have no 'yes' or 'no' from them."

In her fight to gain control of the telescope, Sargsyan says she has become "enemy No. 1" of the government agency in charge of her uncle's telescope and claims, "They hate me." Armen Voskanian is the deputy director of Armenia's National Body For Standards And Metrology and the man tasked with deciding the future of the Orgov telescope. He told RFE/RL by phone that the issue of restarting the device is more than a simple issue of budgeting. "It's not just money, it's lots of things. It's a long, complicated topic," he said. Over the past decade of disuse, the telescope has developed several faults that would need to be repaired before scientific work can begin in earnest.

In November 2019, Sargsyan attended a government hearing on the fate of the telescope that descended into a bitter shouting match. One academic during the 2019 hearing insisted the telescope should be turned into "scrap metal" and called Sargsyan "a liar on every level." The scientist says she does not understand the apparent anger toward the telescope but says "one of mankind's common characteristics -- everywhere, not just Armenia -- is jealousy. People are jealous of great scientists like Herouni, and they don't want to help."
A Soyuz spacecraft is safely in orbit en route to the International Space Station (ISS) on a mission to retrieve three crew members whose return to Earth has been delayed by several months because of a leak in the original vessel due to bring them home.

The capsule safely reached orbit nine minutes after liftoff in what NASA described as a perfect ride to orbit.

The Soyuz spacecraft, which is flying without a crew, launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan late on February 23 local time. Its mission is to retrieve two cosmonauts and an astronaut who were scheduled to return to Earth in March until a leak was found in the cooling system of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft that was designated to bring them back.

The Soyuz MS-22 transported NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Roskosmos cosmonauts Sergei Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin to the space station last September. The three crew members are now scheduled to return to Earth in the replacement capsule, Soyuz MS-23, in September.

The Soyuz MS-23, which is carrying hundreds of kilograms of supplies, is scheduled to dock at the ISS on February 25, NASA said. The damaged MS-22 spacecraft is now scheduled to land without a crew in March.

Two top NASA officials were on hand to observe the launch, which took place after Roskosmos delayed it to allow time for inspections to find any manufacturing defects. No issues were found.

Both NASA and Roskosmos believe the leak on the MS-22 spacecraft was caused by a micrometeoroid -- a particle of space rock -- hitting the capsule at high velocity.

A similar impact is believed to have caused a separate leak this month on the cooling system of the Progress MS-21 cargo ship, which was taken out of orbit last week. Camera views showed a small hole in each spacecraft.

Despite tensions over Russias invasion of Ukraine, Moscow and Washington have continued to partner on space exploration and maintenance of the aging ISS.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, and TASS
"(That means) having a sincere dialogue, putting the interests of the homeland first, so that a girl can reach her school in peace, so that a housewife can go to the market with peace of mind, and so that a worker can arrive at his workplace without facing blocked roads," she added.

"For next week, we have already (scheduled) a meeting with the National Citizen Security Council . Although it is true that when I assumed the Presidency (in December 2022) , we had to solve the political issue, we are now starting to solve the citizen insecurity issue, which is the other scourge that lacerates the country day by day," she affirmed.

?? Actividad Oficial | Presidenta Dina Boluarte participa en el evento Planeamiento del Desarrollo Productivo Sostenible en las Regiones del Peru.https://t.co/y4Zq7zVCmr
ZAPORIZHZHYA, Ukraine -- Svitlana Kim, an 18-year-old who left her hometown of Berdyansk soon after Russian troops occupied it, was refurbishing a big white room at the Zaporizhzhya Youth Center one recent morning. The bright space will be turned into a hub for the integration of people who -- like her -- have been driven from their homes by the Russian invasion. The days before she came to Zaporizhzhya, the Ukrainian-held capital of a region that Russia groundlessly claimed to have annexed in September, were frightening, hard, and incomprehensible, Kim said. She escaped in late March along with her brother and sister, and their mother joined them in May. But her father decided to stay in Berdyansk, an Azov Sea port city that is also in the Zaporizhzhya region, southeast of the capital. "Hes had enough of moving around," Kim said of her father, who is 69 and relocated to Ukraine from Tajikistan after civil war broke out there in the 1990s.

The family hopes to reunite, but it will be only possible if a much-hoped-for Ukrainian counteroffensive aimed at severing the "land bridge" that gives Russian forces access to the occupied Crimean Peninsula materializes -- and if Berdyansk, which was occupied three days after the invasion began a year ago, is liberated in the process. If that happens, it could change the course of the war. Kim is among thousands of displaced people in Zaporizhzhya -- and millions across Ukraine and abroad -- who are hoping to return to their cities and towns in the countrys east and south someday. By pushing millions of people from their homes, Russia has created a force determined to help Ukraine achieve a decisive battlefield success and drive its forces out. The ordeals of the past year have been a huge challenge, Kim said. But after all this, I feel I am a part of a bigger force," she said. 'Moses of Melitopol' Oleksandr Lyubyshko believes that the liberation of his native Melitopol, a city due south of Zaporizhzhya and west of Berdyansk, is a matter of time. Lyubyshko, a 37-year-old businessman, has been dubbed the Moses of Melitopol for his role in evacuating thousands of people from Russian-occupied territory. He left the city after Russian tanks rolled in in early March and decided to help as many people as possible to escape the increasingly dire conditions of the Russian occupation.

Thanks to his knowledge of the area, contacts, and organizational skills, he said, he and his associates were able to provide information about dangers and detours that helped about 50 drivers get people out safely over a period of several months. A year later -- with all the possibilities of travel between Ukrainian-held and Russian-controlled parts of the Zaporizhzhya region gone -- he has pivoted to helping the military forces operating here. He says he helped more than 50,000 people evacuate, and some of them now help him raise funds to supply equipment to soldiers. He maintains the evacuation chat group he set up, he said, so that he can someday send a final message announcing that Melitopol is once again in Ukrainian hands. "No one has done as much to make the whole of southeastern Ukraine decisively pro-Ukrainian as Putin himself," Lyubyshko told RFE/RL in Zaporizhzhya, where he lives alone for now. With his wife and four children in Hamburg, Germany, his family is stuck between the old life and the new, he said. Longing For Home A year into the invasion, many people forced to flee the occupation of the region are the limbo -- unable to go back home but not ready to settle in a new place. Natalya Alekiseyeva, 51, and Natalya Koval, 42, are among the 135,000 people registered as Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in the city of Zaporizhzhya. Both women, who talked to RFE/RL while weaving camouflage nets for the army at the Youth Center, have loved ones in the military. Alekiseyeva's son has been a soldier since he joined the army almost 10 years ago. But over the past year, she has asked him to send her messages confirming that he is alive almost every day. Koval's husband is a military doctor currently serving near Vuhledar, where some of the heaviest recent fighting has taken place.

Alekiseyeva said she would like to return with her husband and daughter to Burchak, her native village, some 60 kilometers south of Zaporizhzhya. As long as there is anything to go back to, she said, she does not lose hope of returning to her past life. Koval's family house in Mykhaylivka, a village near Burchak, was robbed and turned into quarters for Russian soldiers. She left out of fear for her teenage daughters safety, she said, and she also had conflicts with her colleagues from the national dance ensemble who collaborated with the Russians. There are 5.3 million displaced persons in Ukraine, according to the International Organization for Migration. As of January 23, 74 percent had declared that they want to return home, while 11 percent planned to integrate in their current locations. Others had no specific plans or intended to resettle elsewhere. 'Freedom-Loving Spirit' Many of the displaced are doing their best to help Ukraine win the war. Before Russia's invasion in February, the Zaporizhzhya Regional Youth Center, one of the biggest institutions of this kind in Ukraine, hosted educational events, concerts, and competitions. Now its vast premises are used to integrate IDPs, distribute humanitarian aid, and provide support to the army, Kostyantyn Chernyshov, 24, the project manager who leads the institution, told RFE/RL.

After the invasion, hundreds of people came to the center to make Molotov cocktails, he recalled, leaving him wondering where that will of resistance came from. Zaporizhzhya is often associated with Zaporizhzhian Cossacks, who created a semiautonomous borderland polity in the 16th century that fought against Crimean Tatars, Ottoman Turks, Poles, and the Russian Empire, which ultimately annexed the area in 1775. But the modern, predominantly Russian-speaking, city with a population of more than 700,000 developed as an industrial center over the 20th century, attracting laborers and qualified professionals from different nations. Chernyshov, who has Jewish and Greek roots -- two of the earliest ethnic groups in Ukraine -- believes that the freedom-loving spirit of the region comes from the diversity brought by the immigrants in the past. "When the full-scale war started a year ago, the sentiment in Zaporizhzhya was that it is we -- and not Putin -- who will determine our future," he said. Offensives And Counteroffensives Just 35 kilometers from the front line, Zaporizhzhya has been pounded with cruise missiles, S-300 air-defense missiles repurposed for ground attacks, and kamikaze drones since the first day of the invasion. Dozens of people have been killed in the attacks, and numerous buildings damaged or destroyed. Without stopping the bombardments, Russia carried out a referendum in late September in the part of the region that it controls -- a vote dismissed by Kyiv and the West and much of the international community as a sham. Putin then announced that Ukraines Zaporizhzhya, Kherson, Luhansk, and Donetsk regions -- none of which Russian forces fully control -- had become part of Russia. He has repeatedly reasserted this false claim, which is now enshrined in Russian law, and said in a February 21 address that the war is being fought on Russia's "historical lands."
Raman Pratasevich, a Belarusian journalist who was detained in Belarus in 2021 after the commercial flight he was on was forced to land in Minsk, has been handed a new felony charge and now faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.

Prosecutors at the Minsk regional court on April 14 added a charge against Pratasevich and one of his co-defendants, Yan Rudzik, who is being tried in absentia.

They have now also been charged with "repetitively forming and leading an extremist group" over their running of the Lithuania-based Telegram channel called Belarus Golovnogo Mozga (Belarus of the Brain), which was also critical of the authoritarian ruler of Belarus, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, and his regime.

The high-profile case against the Poland-based Nexta Live Telegram channel, which extensively covered unprecedented protests against the official results of an August 2020 presidential election that the opposition and many Western countries say was rigged, started in mid-February.

Pratasevich, Rudzik, and a third co-defendant, Stsyapan Putsila, who like Rudzik is being tried in absentia, were previously charged with forming and leading an extremist group, insulting Lukashenka, plotting to seize power through unconstitutional means, discrediting Belarus, financing extremist activities, inciting social hatred, organizing mass disorder, conducting acts of terrorism, and other actions aimed at undermining national security.

Those charges carried a potential maximum sentence of 15 years.

Putsila was additionally charged with orchestrating the activities of a terrorist organization.

The court on April 14 adjourned the trial until April 19.

State-run media had reported that Pratasevich pleaded guilty to all previous charges. It is not known how he pleaded to the new charge.

Pratasevich, who used to work as an editor and a key administrator of the Nexta Live channel on Telegram, fled Belarus in 2019.

In May 2021, he and his then-girlfriend, Russian citizen Sofia Sapega, were arrested after their commercial flight from Greece to Lithuania was forced to land in Minsk.

Belarus said it had ordered the plane to land after an anonymous bomb threat. Evidence later revealed that Belarusian officials conspired to fake the bomb threat as a pretense for diverting the plane so they could detain the pair.

Sapega was accused of administering a channel on Telegram that published the personal data of Belarusian security forces and sentenced to six years in prison in May last year. Earlier this week, officials at the Russian Embassy in Minsk said Sapega will be extradited to Russia soon.

Pratasevich made several appearances on Belarusian state television in 2021 that prompted the opposition and Western officials to accuse Lukashenka and his regime of extracting video confessions through torture. The officials also called for Pratasevich and Sapega's immediate release.

In 2017-2018, Pratasevich was a Vaclav Havel Journalism fellow in the Czech capital, Prague. The Vaclav Havel Journalism Fellowship -- a joint initiative of RFE/RL and the Czech Foreign Ministry -- is awarded to aspiring independent journalists in the European Union's Eastern Partnership countries and Russia. Pratasevich did not work for RFE/RL either before or after obtaining the fellowship.

Lukashenka has denied stealing the election and has since cracked down hard on the opposition, whose leading members have been jailed or forced to flee the country in fear for their safety.
The United States has imposed new sweeping sanctions on dozens of Russian banks, companies, and individuals, saying they were being targeted to further restrict the flow of materials to manufacturers that supply the Russian military and to punish companies and individuals that have helped Moscow evade sanctions.

The sanctions, announced on February 24, the one-year anniversary of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine, seek to punish 250 people and firms and put financial blocks on banks, arms dealers, and technology companies tied to weapons production, the U.S. Treasury Department said in a news release.

The sanctions are a significant action to diminish Russias ability to continue its brutal war and to procure the resources used to support it, the department said.

The department said the sanctions, taken in coordination with the Group of Seven (G7), take aim at sanctions evaders, including companies and banks in countries such as Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates.

The action, together with additional measures taken by the State and Commerce departments and the U.S. trade representative, further isolates Russia from the international economy and hinders Russias ability to obtain the capital, materials, technology, and support that sustain its war against Ukraine, which has killed thousands and displaced millions of people," the Treasury Department said.

The sanctions will have both short-term and long-term impact and will be seen acutely in Russias struggle to replenish its weapons and in its isolated economy," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement.

Measures announced by the State and Commerce departments and the trade representative increase tariffs on Russian products, including Russias metals and mining sector.

The White House said the actions include a 200 percent tariff on aluminum and aluminum derivatives produced in Russia.

The White House also said the sanction are aimed at targets in Russia and others across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East supporting Russia's war effort.

Also designated for sanctions are a dozen financial institutions, including Credit Bank of Moscow, one of Russia's largest nonstate banks; importers of microelectronics; and producers of materials for defense systems.

The package names more than 30 people and firms allegedly connected to Russias sanctions evasion efforts. Among them are Nurmurad Kurbanov, a Russian-Turkmen arms dealer who the Treasury Department said represented Russian and Belarusian defense firms abroad, and Russian businessman Aleksandr Yevgenyevich Udodov, the former brother-in-law of Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

In addition, the announcement adds nearly 90 Russian and third-country companies to a list of identified sanctions evaders.

The United States and other Western governments have directly sanctioned roughly 2,500 Russian firms, government officials, oligarchs, and their families since Russia launched the full-scale invasion. The sanctions deprive those designated access to any assets they may hold in U.S. banks and access to U.S. financial markets. They also prevent them from doing business with Americans and traveling to the United States.

Sanctions already imposed by Western countries place price caps on Russian oil and diesel, freeze Russian Central Bank funds, and restrict access to SWIFT, the dominant system for global financial transactions.

At a G20 meeting in India on February 24, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Marie told a press conference that the sanctions are strong, efficient, and are hitting and reducing all revenues of Russia."

Also speaking at the G-0 meeting, Britain's treasury chief, Jeremy Hunt, said, We dont think the job is by any means done.

With reporting by AP and Reuters
I'm Steve Gutterman, the editor of RFE/RL's Russia/Ukraine/Belarus Desk.

Welcome to The Week In Russia, in which I dissect the key developments in Russian politics and society over the previous week and look at what's ahead. To receive The Week In Russia newsletter in your inbox, click here.

As Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine enters its second year, U.S. President Joe Biden visited Kyiv and promised that Western backing will not flag. Russian President Vladmir Putin turned to his go-to topic -- his country's nuclear arsenal -- in a bid undermine that support.

Here are some of the key developments in Russia over the past week and some of the takeaways going forward.

'As Long As It Takes'

If the invasion he launched a year ago today had gone the way he apparently expected, Russian President Vladimir Putin could probably have walked the streets of Kyiv this week with the leader of Ukraine -- one installed by the Kremlin.

Instead, it was U.S. President Joe Biden who traveled to Kyiv, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on February 20 and promised that Washington and the West will support Ukraine for "as long as it takes."

Putin, in a long-delayed state-of-the-nation speech the day after Biden's surprise visit to Ukraine, indicated that Russia has no intention of easing up on the invasion in which Kyiv, rights groups, and Western governments say its forces have committed atrocities on a horrific scale.

Full of false narratives, outlandish claims, and vitriol directed at the West -- same old, same old -- the address contained only a few remarks that might be described as newsworthy, or at least as potentially significant signals.

One of the latter was a statement that Russia would conduct what the Kremlin calls the "special military operation" in Ukraine "step by step, carefully, and consistently."

Translation: We're not close to winning.

In fact, for the domestic audience, one of the chief aims of the speech seemed to be the normalization of war , an effort to get Russians who have not fled the country used to what could be years of conflict and isolation.

Putin promised soldiers two-week leave twice a year, for example, and support for the families of soldiers killed, and spoke at length about how businesses and industries should adjust and assist.

Despite all that, Putin did not actually tell Russians that Russia will win the war in Ukraine; he did not even say what would constitute a win. He used the word "victory" four times, all in one paragraph that was about putative future businesses, schools, and scientific discoveries -- not the invasion.

Killed In Action

A result that Putin could claim as a victory, even grudgingly, is not at hand. After several major battlefield setbacks last year, a new Russian offensive in the Donbas, in eastern Ukraine, is going slowly as the casualty toll -- not disclosed by the Russian state but estimated at 200,000 Russian combatants killed or wounded since the invasion on February 24, 2022 -- rises fast.

The high casualties are exacerbating tension between factions and individual figures in Russia's government and the elite. The head of the mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, posted a gruesome photo this week of what he said were the corpses of Russian fighters killed in the Donbas because of a lack of ammunition, deepening a dispute with the Defense Ministry.

Without a big battlefield success story to tell and without any of the escalatory steps that some had speculated he might announce a year after the invasion such as a new mobilization drive to bring Belarus and the breakaway regions of Georgia closer to Russia or some grim new ultimatum leveled at Ukraine and the United States, Putin tried a go-to tactic: nuclear saber-rattling.

Putin "could have clarified his war aims, but he didn't. He could have made explicit escalatory threats, but he didn't," Sam Greene, a professor at Kings College London's Russia Institute, wrote on Twitter after the address. "He could have made explicit escalatory threats, but he didn't."

In a speech devoid of any bombshell, the closest thing was his announcement that Russia would suspend its participation in New START, the only remaining nuclear arms reduction treaty between the United States and Russia.

He also said he had ordered new nuclear missiles to be put on combat duty. And he followed up the next day with more words about Russia's nuclear weapons, using a holiday honoring the military to hark back to World War II and promise to modernize the armed forces. "As before, we will pay increased attention to strengthening the nuclear triad," he said, referring to nuclear missiles based on land, at sea, and on long-range bombers.

"Putin, empty-handed after a bloody winter offensive, talked up Russia's nuclear arsenal," was how the Reuters news agency put it in a daily briefing.

'He Seeks To Stoke Fear'

One aim of all the nuclear talk, presumably, was to reassure Russians that their country is strong and expand on the false narrative that Russia is fighting a defensive war against NATO and the West, not a war of aggression and choice -- Putin's choice -- against Ukraine.

Another was to make the West more worried and undermine its unity in support of Ukraine, which many analysts say is one of Moscow's chief goals, given the obstacles to winning the war, or even achieving some of Putin's more modest intentions for the invasion, on the battlefield.

In the eyes of the Kremlin, Putin's speech "justifies continuing the war without specifying strategic aims, it stokes an amorphous fear of the U.S./NATO among Russians, and it tries -- vaguely -- to make Washington worry about nuclear arms control," Greene wrote.

"Putin's move is political, not military," Jon Wolfsthal, senior adviser at Global Zero, an NGO that advocates eliminating nuclear weapons, wrote on Twitter. "He seeks to unsettle NATO allies and stoke fears of broader war because he is losing in Ukraine."

The United States "has extensive ability to monitor Russian nuclear forces even without a treaty in place" and "still has many more nuclear weapons than it needs to deter Russian nuclear use," Wolfsthal wrote.

While Putin's move caused concern, there was no immediate evidence it would weaken Western resolve to support Ukraine.

"We're not going to change our policy on Ukraine because he's in a hissy fit over the New START treaty," Air And Space Forces magazine quoted Rose Gottemoeller, who was the top U.S. negotiator of the pact and served as NATO deputy secretary general from 2016 to 2019, as saying on February 22. "That's just not going to happen."

"Putin's ongoing attempts to hold New START hostage to his demands for the end of U.S. support to Ukraine will fail," Gottemoeller tweeted.

New START entered into force in 2011 and was extended for five years at the start of Biden's term, early in 2021, but that was over a year before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and Moscow and Washington have been at odds over New START for several months. In late January, the United States accused Russia of violating the treaty by refusing to facilitate inspections.

Signed in 2010 by U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, New START was the showcase of a short-lived "reset" in ties. Relations became increasingly sour again starting in 2011, and Medvedev's over-the-top public hawkishness is a particularly grotesque attribute of Russia today.

The nuclear weapons pact is due to expire in February 2026, and the chances of a replacement seem slim unless tensions somehow ease considerably by then -- a development that is difficult to imagine while Russia's war on Ukraine rages with no end in sight.

For now, Russian officials have signaled that Moscow intends to remain within the limits on deployments and abide by other aspects of the treaty. Bien called the suspension a "big mistake" but said he did not interpret it as an indication that Putin is "thinking of using nuclear weapons or anything like that."

The "New Start suspension is an illusion, since no suspension clause is contained in the treaty and Putin is in no position to start a nuclear arms race with the United States," wrote Patrick Wintour, diplomatic editor of The Guardian. "But it is the last piece of nuclear security architecture, and so provides some leverage over Washington and will keep the nuclear threat bubbling."

In any case, Wintour concluded, Putin's address was a "speech full of lies, darkness, [and] self-pitying isolation."

That's it from me this week.

If you want to know more, catch up on my podcast The Week Ahead In Russia, out every Monday, here on our site or wherever you get your podcasts (Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts).



Yours,



Steve Gutterman

RFE/RL intern Ella Jaffe contributed to this report.
El premier Otarola y la canciller Gervasi participaron hoy en la recepcion ofrecida por el embajador de Japon, Kazuyuki Katayama, por el aniversario del natalicio de su Majestad, el emperador Naruhito, y conmemorando el 150 aniversario de nuestras relaciones diplomaticas. pic.twitter.com/LXHxk1wiLf
12:35 | Lima, Feb. 24.

In an interview with the Official Gazette El Peruano, the Cabinet member stated that private investment growth was nil in 2022.





"It even decreased. This year, the goal is for private investment to grow at least 3% in real terms," Minister Contreras expressed.





"That is the goal we have set for ourselves and that is why we are requesting the delegation of powers which, in a simple manner, will generate a much more efficient path for projects to advance faster," he said.





According to the Cabinet member, "we are incorporating improvements in (terms of) deadlines, obtaining licenses, and we are going to allow some procedures to run in parallel to reduce time."





"We are enhancing the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) scheme, promoting a new land and interference law, among other issues. To sum up, thanks to the legislative powers, we will generate a fast track for public and private investment," he noted.





Key to growth





The minister affirmed the key to growth will be mining investment recovery and greater acceleration in infrastructure investment growth.





"In this sense, we are going to go out, once again, to summon investors to come (to Peru) and thus boost new growth engines," he pointed out.





Facts





- The Economy and Finance minister affirmed that micro- and small-sized enterprises are the heart of the economic reactivation undertaken by the Government. This is reflected in the support that goes from financing up to State procurement.





- Minister Contreras said the measures to be approved by the Executive Branch, after the delegation of legislative powers, will contribute one percentage point to GDP growth this year.









- To date, there are 1,879 stalled public works. From that total, local governments are in charge of 1,335, followed by the national government (351) and regional governments (193). These commit an investment of S/5 billion (about US$1.31 billion).
15:07 | Lima, Feb. 24.





"The (legal) defense (of Alejandro Toledo) is free to argue whatever it deems (necessary). However, there is already a decision that we understand will have to be executed. We think those arguments do not have the strength to reverse such a solid decision, after an assessment by the respective instances in accordance with the U.S. extradition process," he said in remarks to Canal N.





Similarly, the prosecutor specified that, following the decision by U.S. justice, there were three options for former President Toledo.





Within this framework, the first option was to turn himself in to authorities, the second not to do so, and the third to dispute the decision of granting his extradition to Peru.





"Alejandro Toledo opted for the third option. Thus, his defense (team) filed an appeal yesterday. It was evaluated by U.S. justice. In this sense, the case must be presented on February 27 and then enter a debate stage, which would take place between February 8 and March 15, although these dates may vary depending on the judge," he indicated.





In this sense, Rebaza specified that the extradition was suspended so that the request from the legal defense team is supported and decided in a higher-ranking court.





"We would have to wait for what happens after March 15 once the debate concludes and wait for the judge's decision on this opposition from Alejandro Toledo's legal defense," he explained.





Rebaza said that, after deciding on the request from the ex-president's legal defense, U.S. authorities will notify Peru, which must indicate who is in charge of executing the handing over and subsequent arrival of Toledo in the South American country.
La presidenta Dina Boluarte junto a ministros de Estado, lidero la mesa de dialogo por la paz y la gobernabilidad #ConPuncheRegional en #Lambayequehttps://t.co/ayb5D1Z2yy
The first description and illustration of this mystifying mammal was conceived by the 19th-century American naturalist Richard Harlan (who worked in the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia) in the first book about North American mammals, "Fauna Americana" in 1825.

Harlan gave the Argentinian pink fairy armadillo its generic name and its specific name, truncatus, meaning "sawed-off"  the perfect descriptor for our wee beastie, whose truncated tail and butt plate help with balance and keep its subterranean tunnels from collapsing around it.

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The animal's armored shell, called the carapace, and its paws and tail are a bright pinkish hue that contrasts with its silky white fur and tiny black eyes. It's found only in central Argentina in a large area of sun-scorched scrubland that extends from the foothills of the Andes to coastal Buenos Aires.

This burrowing armadillo prefers scattered habitats within this specific area of South America including dunes, sandy plains and grasslands  and outside of these environments it does not fare well. It is likely a generalist insectivore that eats mainly invertebrates like beetles, ants, insect eggs and larvae, worms, snails and plant material such as leaves.

" " The pink fairy armadillo is the only armadillo with a flexible dorsal shell that is almost separate from the body. Ryan Somma/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

This tiny species shows no noticeable sign of sexual dimorphism, so both the males and females present the same physical appearance. And we don't know much about its reproductive habits. It may give birth to one or two offspring in spring or early summer.

The pink fairy emerges from its underground lair only occasionally, usually after a rare desert rain that drives it above ground. So little is known about it that there is no information available about its home range or population size (some estimate perhaps only up to 100 still in existence) and density. It is thought to be exceedingly rare.

And that is pretty much all that's known about these amazing creatures. They are so evasive that scientists don't even know if they are common or as rare as we think they are.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. A legal international recognition of Artsakh has always been and remains relevant among the priorities of Artsakhs foreign policy, the Foreign Minister of Artsakh Sergey Ghazaryan said at a seminar.

He said the legal, political and historical grounds for an international recognition are more than sufficient. Artsakhs path of self-determination and independence is fully in line with international law and the legal norms of the USSR. 32 years ago, declaring independence was the only way to ensure the existence of the people of Artsakh. And on December 10, in 1991, the people of Artsakh exercised their right to self-determination. Afterwards, Azerbaijan resorted to attempting to solve the conflict by force for three times, trying to forcefully suppress the right to self-determination of the people of Artsakh, in violation of requirements of international law and the UN charter, Ghazaryan said.

Even in times of relative peace Azerbaijan consistently engaged in a policy of aggravating ethnic hatred and discrimination.

At the same time, for 30 years Baku continuously sabotaged all attempts by international mediators aimed at settling the Azerbaijani-Karabakhi conflict based on international norms, namely of the OSCE Minks Group Co-chairing countries, every time abandoning in the last moment the agreements on compromise solution which were achieved earlier, Ghazaryan said.

The current blockade of the Lachin corridor, which began over 70 days ago, is another example of Azerbaijans policy of ethnic cleansing, he added.

FM Ghazaryan also commented on the recent International Court of Justice ruling ordering Azerbaijan to take all steps at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. He said the ruling also confirms that Azerbaijan is engaged in discriminatory policy and recorded that it is inciting racial hate against Armenians.

The courts conclusions allow to describe Azerbaijans policy, including the blockade of Artsakh, as a manifestation of deliberate discriminatory actions by the Azerbaijani authorities. The recognition of the independence of Artsakh by the international community is a means to stop the mass and regular violations of the rights of the people of Artsakh, the foreign minister said.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. Artsakh is facing very serious changes as it did in 1988, when the movement began, ex-State Minister Ruben Vardanyan said at the Imperative of International Recognition of Artsakh seminar in Yerevan through video call from Stepanakert.

Vardanyan said that independence first of all comes from the desire of the people and not from international organizations.

Ive been in Artsakh for the past six months and I can say for sure that this is how the majority of Artsakhians think, they cant picture themselves in any option other than being independent. At the same time, we have a problem, people lost their faith in themselves, faith for justice, leadership and the future. It is very difficult to struggle if you dont have faith, Vardanyan said.

Today, Artsakh is facing very serious changes as it did in 1988, when the movement began, Vardanyan said.

We werent only discussing the issue of the independence of Artsakh, we were discussing our values, our principles, what we were ready for and what not. It so happened that we have an independent Armenia, a Diaspora, we have 120,000 Armenians living in Artsakh, who want to join Armenia, but at the same time we have an objective that in this situation the first step we must do is to bring the path of Artsakhs independence and self-determination to its rightful completion, Vardanyan said.

He said they will overcome the hardships only when this will be the priority for everyone, every day. And having gone through these six months, having gained this experience, on one hand I am sure that we have substantial grounds that Artsakh will remain Armenian, Artsakh will remain independent and Artsakh will not be surrendered, he said.
New research led by University of Leicester and University of Manchester scientists shows that a molecule present in all living cells called flavin adenine dinucleotide can, at high enough amounts, impart magnetic sensitivity on a biological system.

The ability of species to navigate considerable distances has long intrigued the biological community.

One of several environmental cues to support these migrations is the geomagnetic field.

Moreover, several other behaviors respond reliably to magnetic fields, at least under laboratory conditions, showing that the ability to sense and react to magnetic fields is not limited to migrating animals.

However, the identity of the primary magnetoreceptors, the mechanisms that underlies their reported light dependence and how the magnetic signal is transduced remain unclear.

How we sense the external world, from vision, hearing through to touch taste and smell, are well understood, said Professor Richard Baines, a neuroscientist at the University of Manchester.

But by contrast, which animals can sense and how they respond to a magnetic field remains unknown.

This study has made significant advances in understanding how animals sense and respond to external magnetic fields  a very active and disputed field.

To do so, Professor Baines and colleagues exploited the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) to manipulate gene expression to test out their ideas.

The fruit fly, although very different on the outside, contains a nervous system that works exactly the same way as ours and has been used in countless studies as a model to understand human biology.

And that is because a magnetic field carries very little energy, unlike photons of light or sound waves used by the other senses which, by comparison, pack a big punch, said Dr. Adam Bradlaugh, also from the University of Manchester.

To get around this, nature has exploited quantum physics and cryptochrome, a light-sensitive protein found in animals and plants.

The absorption of light by cryptochrome results in movement of an electron within the protein which, due to quantum physics, can generate an active form of cryptochrome that occupies one of two states, said Dr. Alex Jones, a quantum chemist at UKs National Physical Laboratory.

The presence of a magnetic field impacts the relative populations of the two states, which in turn influences the active-lifetime of this protein.

One of our most striking findings, and one that is at odds with current understanding, is that cells continue to sense magnetic fields when only a very small fragment of cryptochrome is present, Dr. Bradlaugh said.

That shows cells can, at least in a laboratory, sense magnetic fields through other ways.

We identify a possible other way by showing that a basic molecule, present in all cells can, at high enough amounts, impart magnetic sensitivity without any part of cryptochromes being present.

This molecule, flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) is the light sensor that normally binds to cryptochromes to support magnetosensitivity.

The findings are important because understanding the molecular machinery that allows a cell to sense a magnetic field provides us with better ability to appreciate how environmental factors may impact on animals that rely on a magnetic sense to survive.

The magnetic field effects on FAD in the absence of cryptochrome also provide a clue as to the evolutionary origins of magnetoreception, in that it seems likely that cryptochrome has evolved to utilize magnetic field effects on this ubiquitous and biologically ancient metabolite.

This study may ultimately allow us to better appreciate the effects that magnetic field exposure might potentially have on humans, said University of Leicesters Professor Ezio Rosato.

Moreover, because FAD and other components of these molecular machines are found in many cells, this new understanding may open new avenues of research into using magnetic fields to manipulate the activation of target genes.

That is considered a holy-grail as an experimental tool and possibly eventually for clinical use.

The study was published in the journal Nature.

_____

A.A. Bradlaugh et al. Essential elements of radical pair magnetosensitivity in Drosophila. Nature, published online February 22, 2023; doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-05735-z
Niger: deux a vingt ans de prison pour des militaires accuses de tentative de putsch

Plusieurs militaires ont ete condamnes vendredi a Niamey par un tribunal special nigerien a des peines de deux a vingt ans de prison pour avoir tente de renverser le regime en 2021, a-t-on appris de source judiciaire.





Une soixantaine de prevenus, majoritairement des militaires et aussi quelques civils, ont ete juges notamment pour "atteinte a l'autorite ou a la surete de l'Etat" lors du proces qui avait debute en decembre 2022 dans un camp de la gendarmerie de la capitale Niamey.





Cinq des militaires reconnus comme etant les principaux meneurs de cette tentative de coup d'Etat, ont ete condamnes a 20 ans de prison.





Il s'agit du colonel-major Hamadou Djibo, ex-patron du Bureau des operations a l'etat-major des Armees, du capitaine Sani Gourouza - presente comme le "cerveau" du putsch - du lieutenant Abdrahamane Morou, et des adjudants Adamou Seyni et Mahamadou Halidou.





Le capitaine Gourouza, avait ete arrete en avril 2021 au Benin voisin et remis aux autorites nigeriennes.





Le general Seydou Bague, un ancien chef d'etat-major de l'armee de terre, ecope de quatre ans d'emprisonnement.





Le tribunal a prononce la relaxe pour "insuffisance de preuves" pour une trentaine de detenus, dont Ousmane Cisse, un officier de police et ancien ministre de l'Interieur de 2010 a 2011. Des soldats et des civils ont egalement ete relaxes.





Le ministere public avait requis des peine de deux a trente ans a l'encontre des condamnes.





Le 31 mars 2021, le gouvernement nigerien avait annonce l'arrestation de plusieurs personnes apres ce qu'il avait presente comme une tentative de coup d'Etat, deux jours avant la prestation de serment de l'actuel president Mohamed Bazoum.





En janvier 2018, un tribunal militaire avait condamne huit militaires et un civil de cinq a quinze ans de prison pour avoir tente en 2015 de renverser le regime du president d'alors, Mahamadou Issoufou.





L'opposition s'etait montree sceptique quant a la realite de cette tentative de coup d'Etat.




YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) Secretary General Louise Mushikiwabo held a meeting with Armenian Prime Ministers Personal Representative at the OIF, Ambassador Christian Ter-Stepanyan.

Ambassador Ter-Stepanyan presented the concerning situation in the region. Ter-Stepanyan told the OIF Secretary General that Azerbaijan, after its aggression against Armenia in September 2022 and subsequent occupation of sovereign territories of Armenia, is now keeping the Lachin Corridor blocked for more than two months, causing a grave humanitarian crisis and severe consequences for the 120,000 Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh.

The Ambassador noted that this step by Azerbaijan, which constitutes a violation of the 9 November 2020 trilateral statement, has received international condemnation and many international actors demanded Azerbaijan to stop the blockade.

In turn, the OIF tweeted that Secretary General Mushikiwabo welcomed the February 22 judgment by the International Court of Justice which ordered Azerbaijan to take all steps at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.

During the meeting the OIF Secretary General and the Armenian envoy at the OIF also discussed issues pertaining to strengthening cooperation between Armenia and the OIF.
U.S. using "spy balloons" for decades: Fox News

Xinhua) 13:20, February 24, 2023

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- The United States has been using what can accurately be called "spy balloons" for decades, Fox News has said.

During World War I, the Goodyear Aerospace Corporation used its Akron air dock to build dirigibles to carry military payloads. More recently, the same air dock was used by Lockheed Martin to develop smaller balloons called aerostats, which can carry radar, infrared cameras, and more as their payload, said the report on Tuesday.

Many of these lighter-than-air "spy" craft were used along the U.S. borders to detect drug smugglers flying into clandestine airstrips in the country, the report quoted Joseph Huber, who worked as a part of the team, as saying.

The report also mentioned that in 2015, Lockheed Martin tested a smaller "spy balloon" in Akron, Ohio, the payload of which was kept a secret.

Huber said the smaller versions of the Aerostat were used by the military in the Middle East to watch enemy combatants, a surveillance program called the Persistent Threat Detection System.

"They would stay up for several days at a time, bring them down quickly and refurbish and send them back up again, watching people coming in and putting explosives in the road and people trying to come in and make an attack on the base," Huber added.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a telephone conversation with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, informed the Office of the Prime Minister.

February 24, 2023, 09:11 Pashinyan, Guterres discuss the issue of sending UN fact-finding mission to Nagorno Karabakh and Lachin Corridor

STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 24, ARTSAKHPRESS: They touched upon the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh resulted by Azerbaijan's illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor and issues of how to overcome it.

In particular, issues related to sending a UN fact-finding mission to Nagorno Karabakh and Lachin Corridor were discussed.

The parties emphasized the need to unblock the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan and the importance of its uninterrupted operation.

An agreement was reached to continue discussions on the issue of sending a UN mission. Antonio Guterres noted that he will keep the issue in the center of attention.

The Prime Minister also highlighted the ruling of the UN International Court of Justice to meet Armenia's request on indication of provisional measures regarding the unblocking of the Lachin Corridor.

The sides exchanged ideas on issues related to the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, protection of the rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Amazon on Friday announced that it will integrate its logistics network (from pickup to delivery) and SmartCommerce services with the government's Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) platform.

This will be Amazon's initial collaboration with ONDC as the company continue to explore other potential opportunities for stronger integration between the two in future.

"We are excited about the opportunities to mobilise Amazon's industry-leading infrastructure and technology, including logistics, and small business digitisation tools, to help the ONDC accelerate its objectives. We remain committed to being a catalyst for India's digitisation efforts throughout the economy," Manish Tiwary, Country Manager, India Consumer Business, Amazon India, said in a statement.

Moreover, the company said that the integration will provide greater technology support to the seller community and further empower small businesses, also it will benefit crores of consumers with wider choices.

The integration would be a significant step towards the ONDC's goal of democratising e-commerce nationwide.

"We are happy that Amazon has a definite roadmap to being a part of the ONDC network and is taking its first step in coming in as the logistics partner in the ONDC network which is a globally pioneering idea established with a view to democratise digital commerce in India, and we also hope that the buyer and seller platforms are onboarded as early as possible," T Koshy, MD & CEO of ONDC, said in a statement.

Amazon has consistently leveraged technology and innovation on behalf of Indian customers and sellers, and has digitised over 4 million small businesses and kirana stores in India, giving them access to cutting-edge technology for online selling, the company mentioned.

The e-commerce giant has over 11 lakh sellers with more than 50 per cent coming from tier 2 cities and below in the country.

The company also plans to digitise 1 crore small businesses by 2025.

ONDC, a Ministry of Commerce initiative, will enable sellers to tap this massive market by offering an equitable and secure platform that integrates multiple sellers, buyers and logistics players.
India's budget airline IndiGo is negotiating the buying of "several hundred aircrafts" from European manufacturer Airbus, French publication Les Echos quoted Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire as saying.

The contract could be signed at the French airshow in Le Bourget in June, the report said, adding that Le Maire made the comments during his trip to India for a G20 Summit.

An Airbus spokesperson told Reuters that the company was constantly in discussions with airlines but said he could not comment on any talks that may, or may not, be going on.

Last week Indigo's domestic rival Air India unveiled deals in a record order for 470 aircraft from Airbus and Boeing .

Tata Sons signed a letter of intent to acquire 250 aircraft from Airbus- 40 wide-body A350 planes and 210 narrow-body aircraft.

Later on the same day it was announced that Air India would buy 220 Boeing planes for $34 billion.

This makes for a total of a 470-plane order for the airline. It is being touted as the largest purchase in commercial aviation history.
Some Schuylkill County School Districts dismissed early on Friday.

Several school districts in Schuylkill County received "unsubstantiated" threats towards their districts on Friday morning via text.

Two of those districts were Shenandoah Valley in Shenandoah and Mahanoy Area in Mahanoy City.

Both districts acknowledged to parents that the threats were received and out of an abundance of caution, they dismissed students home early.

North Schuylkill said they were notifying parents and would not be dismissing early.

Sources tell us all of the threats received were from the same phone number and traced back to a number from Canada. The Pennsylvania State Police are involved in the investigation.

School districts were reportedly not the only organizations that received the same threat and the same was happening across Schuylkill, Berks, and Chester Counties.

We will continue to update you as information becomes available.
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The United States will announce a new package of military aid to Ukraine worth $2 billion on Friday, CNN reported.

February 24, 2023, 10:46 US to announce new $2 bln package of military aid to Ukraine on Friday  CNN

STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 24, ARTSAKHPRESS: A vast portion of funds will be used to finance production of munitions in the United States, the report says.

The list of military equipment to be delivered to Ukraine, published by the broadcaster, does not include fighter jets which Kiev has been requesting.
Adler says Australian media outlets have pre-emptively buckled to a relentless Zionist lobby and argues that the re-election of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to lead a hardline, right-wing coalition makes it incumbent on any major literary festival to explore the Palestinian perspective. Its a terrible, tragic impasse, she says. How is this going to change? How are Israelis going to live in a peaceful society? And how are the Palestinians going to be freed from occupation and allowed self-determination? I thought to spotlight the writing, the flourishing literary community of poets, essayists and novelists coming out of Palestine was an important focus. And if I was making a writers festival in Melbourne, I would be doing the same thing. To the surprise of no one who has worked for or with Adler over her 40-year career as a publisher and editor, she is staunchly backing the authors she invited to Adelaide. Her loyalty to writers and their ideas has cost her friendships and contributed to her departure from Melbourne University Press, when her decision to publish ABC journalist Louise Milligans book detailing unproven child sex allegations against George Pell put her at odds with the then chancellor of the university, Allan Myers, a friend and supporter of the late cardinal. Adlers resignation from MUP after 17 years is a complex and contested story which, as we wait for our butter chicken to arrive, she shows little appetite to revisit. I do think the caravan has moved on, she says. Yet clearly the episode still rankles. Adler has read the publishing houses newly released MUP: A Centenary History, and is both annoyed and disappointed that neither she nor Glyn Davis, the former vice chancellor who supported her for many years in the role, was contacted by the author for comment. It is incumbent on the author to give the subject the right of reply, she says. Not to do that feels like a real authorial judgment and publishing misjudgment.

Loading The author of the centenary history, Stuart Kells, says he did not approach Adler or anyone else involved in the dispute for comment so that he could maintain neutrality in how he recorded the episode. As an author, I found plenty of material in the archives and on the public record, he says. There is, of course, a personal side to it as well  a lived experience that Louise and others had  but much of that is for a different book. My focus was on the factual events, put in the context of a century of similar episodes and disputes. Adlers decision to quit MUP, along with five other company directors including former foreign minister Bob Carr and former human rights commissioner Gillian Triggs, coincided with the universitys decision, led by Myers and Duncan Maskell, the vice chancellor Myers poached from Cambridge, to shift the priorities of the publishing house away from commercial titles and towards more scholarly works. The changes at MUP are summed up by the strap line which appears on the publishers website. Instead of the Adler-era Books with spine, MUP now promises Books from Australias oldest university press. Pani puri filled with spiced potato, chickpeas, tamarind chutney and aromatic water. Credit: Eddie Jim After leaving MUP at the start of 2019, Adler continued to commission books for the next three years as publisher-at-large with Hachette Australia and as professorial fellow at Monash University Publishing. She suspects she has now published her last book, but says her job with Adelaide Writers Week continues the thing she liked most about publishing: matching authors and ideas. It is so nice. I dont have to worry about the advance, I dont have to watch the sales skyrocket or not skyrocket, I dont have to worry about the returns or, as we call it in the trade, distressed stock. It is very freeing. It is invite the world and hope they say yes.

Her involvement with Adelaide Writers Week closes a circle. When Adler was in her final year of high school at Mount Scopus Memorial College, her mother, Ruth, pulled her out of class for two weeks to go to Adelaide for the festival. It was a radical thing for her mum to do, Adler reflects, given the priority the former English teacher placed on education, and it had a radical impact. She still remembers the thrill of listening to poet Allen Ginsberg recite Howl, his ode to the Beat movement, at the Adelaide Town Hall, and bumping into one of her heroes, Mikis Theodorakis, a Greek resistance fighter, composer, lyricist and future government minister then living in exile from a right-wing junta that had banned his music. It was dazzling, she says. Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis (centre) at Sydney Airport in 1972, the year he appeared at the Adelaide Festival. Credit: Golding It was also an early lesson about the brickbats that greet subversive views. Ginsbergs publisher was prosecuted for obscenity, albeit unsuccessfully, at the height of McCarthyism and Theodorakis was jailed and beaten by Italian and German fascists before being forced into exile. A teenage Adler, during a regular Saturday night performance of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, was whacked on the head with a handbag by a woman sitting behind her when she refused to stand for the then national anthem, God Save the Queen. Adler is hardly a rabble-rouser these days, having published the memoirs of former prime minister Tony Abbott and a generation of prominent Labor and Liberal figures. She is effusive in her support for the Albanese governments freshly announced national cultural policy, which includes nearly $20 million for Writers Australia, a proposed new body to support Australian authors.

Over the summer, she called on a favour from Glyn Davis, on a break from his day job as Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, to fly to London to interview playwright Tom Stoppard and his biographer, Dame Hermione Lee. The results will be shown in Adelaide, along with a live conversation between Davis and Stoppard, to open the writers week. Mangalorean-style pipis with white dhokla, a savoury sponge. Credit: Eddie Jim In a rare concession, Adler withdraws from whats left of the shared plates to give me a free run at the last of the paneer tikka. After two hours of spice-filled dishes and spicier conversation, neither of us are in a rush to leave. I ask her, having paired so many ideas with so many authors over the years, for the best idea that remained an orphan. She replies that it is study of reputation: how quickly it can be stripped from someone and peoples capacity to regain it. She says she has been mesmerised by the subject ever since she saw a shirtless Ben Cousins, with Such is Life tattooed across his chest, being arrested by West Australian police on the streets of Northbridge in 2007. In Australia, you can be destroyed but you can be rehabilitated, she muses. How does that happen?
One inspiration for the plot was when the conservatives in government in New Zealand floated the idea of mining in national parks. The idea was howled down  especially by overseas people who wanted to imagine New Zealand as a clean green country, which Catton says wryly has become more and more of a lie over her lifetime. I wanted to take the idea that was floated and imagine that somebody had seen it as an opportunity. Lemoine has made his fortune marketing hi-tech drones, and everybody in the story is constantly spying on everybody else. I wanted to comment on how we utterly depend on our devices and the screens that mete out this surveillance, Catton says. Eleanor Catton on Booker Prize night 10 years ago, when she won for The Luminaries. Credit: Athony Devlin However, Catton is not interested in delivering preachy messages to her readers. Oddly enough she was inspired by Jane Austen, whom she sees as adept at satire, narrative and drama. I wanted to position characters so they would draw out the maximum drama from each other. They would live and die by their own actions, so a reader would see things would be different if theyd made different choices. So her Birnam Wood characters are flawed, petty, competitive, stirred by all too human emotions or led astray by their own righteousness. The nearest thing to a real villain is Lemoine: I was interested in the cultural worship of psychopaths, how fascinating we find them, how we reward them. He can rationalise the cost of what hes doing  hes very funny, seductive, he has charisma. He was a lot of fun to write.

Catton was born in Canada and grew up in Christchurch with an academic father, a childrens librarian mother and no television in the house. It sounds like the ideal childhood for a writer. Loading It was a very book-friendly household, she says. I was left to my own devices as a girl, I played imaginary games with my cat, Im sure I was very dictatorial. Her mother used to tell her she had a writers name; whatever the reason, shes never known a time when she didnt want to be a writer. That ambition led to a masters degree in creative writing and her debut novel, the prizewinning The Rehearsal, published when she was 22. She was awarded a fellowship to the Iowa Writers Workshop, where she began to write The Luminaries. The Booker win changed everything, for better and for worse. For better, the 50,000 ($87,000) prize money gave her time to wait for an idea for a new book and the opportunity to travel, pre-pandemic, meeting writers and readers in different cultures. For worse: I found the idea of representing my country to be very fraught. I felt a lot of pressure to say certain things about the country, and no more.

That feeling came to a head in 2015 after the prime minister and others bagged her for criticising New Zealands neoliberal, profit-obsessed, very shallow, very money-hungry politicians at the Jaipur Literature Festival. One right-wing broadcaster called her a traitor and an ungrateful hua, a Maori word that sounded like something else. Catton says she became depressed and experienced a strange delusion when she felt buildings were going to fall on her. It lasted for months, she says. If I walked outside any door, I would brace myself for the facade to come down and kill me. It wasnt until I could give it a name that I realised it was something that was happening in my head. Loading Perhaps its partly a legacy of that bruising time that Catton now lives in Cambridge in England, where her husband is studying for a PhD, and has no plans to return to live in New Zealand. She doesnt believe Jacinda Arderns government changed anything significantly. Certainly she responded to some of darkest times New Zealand has known with incredible elegance and grace and ways that were iconic and inspiring. But in terms of political change, Im not sure what I can point to. Inequity is rising in New Zealand at a terrific rate.
Bluesfest has been a staple of the Australian festival calendar for over three decades, but its currently being rocked by its biggest controversy yet, all thanks to the addition of one band: Sticky Fingers.

The group, who hail from Sydneys inner west, have drawn controversy throughout their career for a string of incidents involving allegations of verbal abuse and physical intimidation aimed at other artists, as well a history of putting venues and promoters offside.

A Sticky Situation. Anthony Albanese poses with Sticky Fingers at the Enmore Theatre in 2016. Credit: Facebook

But despite the bands chequered past they have previously counted one of the most powerful people in Australia as a supporter: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Albanese is the member for Grayndler, which covers Sydneys inner west, including Newtown, the suburb where Sticky Fingers formed in 2008.
When I became a mother 14 months ago, I felt as though the world shifted from under me.

Theoretically, I knew what to expect: the bodily changes, the lack of sleep, the hormonal shifts. My boyfriend and I dedicated months to figuring out coping mechanisms, interviewing our friends with kids and cobbling together our own version of the newborn survival guide.

Becoming a mother means a series of physical changes as well as the mental ones. Credit: iStock

Yet nothing  nothing  prepared me for what actually happened when this tiny human arrived. I loved her, but I wanted her to go back inside (but not really). I was not prepared for the level of dependency she demanded and my response to it.

Most of all, it was the shift of becoming someones mother that upended my very sense of self. In fact, I still dont feel like a mother.
LGBTQI+ museum Qtopia will be given a permanent home at the former Darlinghurst police station, the NSW Perrottet government announced at WorldPrides opening concert on Friday night.

Fewer than 12 hours later on Saturday morning, NSW Labor matched the announcement but went further, promising that if it won the March election it would not only give the queer museum a permanent home at the former police station, but it would invest $3.85 million to make it a reality.

Museum proponents City of Sydney councillor Lyndon Gannon, former footballer Ian Roberts, ABC chair Ita Buttrose, Qtopia chair David Polson and chief executive Greg Fisher, and trans and gender diversity educator Katherine Wolfgramme outside the historic Darlinghurst police station in May last year. Credit: Edwina Pickles

The commitment from both major political parties follows Sydney luminaries Ita Buttrose and Michael Kirby last year lobbying for Qtopia to be established at the historic police station, once used as a lockup for gay men in the 1970s and 80s.
President of the European Council Charles Michel has extended an invitation to Armenia and Azerbaijan to hold talks in Brussels, the United States Department of State spokesperson Ned Price said at a press briefing.

February 24, 2023, 12:18 United States encourages Armenia and Azerbaijan to hold EU-mediated summit to continue progress

STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 24, ARTSAKHPRESS-ARMENPRESS: Were very supportive of the EU process, and I should note that there is an offer from President Michel of the EU to host the parties in Brussels. Its an opportunity, should they accept it, to sit down to continue the progress that weve seen in recent weeks, Price said.

Asked when the Brussels meeting is expected to take place, Price said: My understanding is that the invitation and the opportunity has been extended to the parties. Ultimately, its going to have to be up to the parties themselves  our Armenian partners, our Azerbaijani partners  to speak to their potential participation in any such meeting.
A sitting Australian prime minister will march at Sydneys Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras for the first time on Saturday night, as the city marks the 45th anniversary of the protest that began it all and welcomes tens of thousands of visitors for WorldPride.

Anthony Albanese will be joined by NSW Opposition Leader Chris Minns and a chorus of senior Labor figures for the march up Oxford Street, which begins at 7.30pm and will be televised on the ABC.

Tetei Bakic-Tapim, Jinny Jane Smith, Shannan Marino, Robert Adamson and Kimbaley Kershaw will be marching in the First Nations Float and the Haka for Life Float at Mardi Gras. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet will not attend the event, citing a pre-existing commitment, nor will federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton. Liberal senators Simon Birmingham and Andrew Bragg will march in the partys float, as will state MPs.
Up to 530 hours of recordings from a listening device in Kathleen Folbiggs marital home have been produced at the eleventh hour to an inquiry into her convictions over the deaths of her four children, leaving lawyers scrambling to listen to the tapes.

The inquiry into Folbiggs convictions concluded hearing evidence in Sydney on Friday ahead of closing submissions on April 26.

Kathleen Folbigg (inset) during her 2003 trial. Main image shows a photograph tendered during her trial, of the Folbiggs Singleton home; along with a generic image of a cassette tape. Credit: Nine

But the inquiry heard on Friday that NSW Police had this week produced a box of cassette tapes from listening devices in Folbiggs marital home in Singleton in 1999. The material had only recently been found after extensive searches starting last year, counsel for the police said.

It is a matter of real concern that they were only produced so late, said the head of the inquiry, former NSW chief justice Tom Bathurst, KC. I dont want Ms Folbigg waiting a considerable amount of time for my report.
Kylie Minogue headlined WorldPrides opening concert at The Domain on Friday night, kicking off 17 days of LGBTQ fun and festivities.

Surprising the audience was special guest Dannii Minogue, who strutted the stage with her big sister to mark WorldPrides launch.

Kylie Minogue helps to launch Sydney WorldPride at The Domain on Friday night. Credit: Jessica Hromas

Also performing were British singer Charli XCX and Australian artist Jessica Mauboy. Casey Donovan and Courtney Act were hosting the event.
A consultant working in the Australian space industry who boasted of close ties to the Russian government and who spent months cultivating Australian government and business contacts has been declared a potential national security threat by the nations spy chief.

Sources have confirmed ASIO recently advised the federal government to expel Kazakhstan-born Marina Sologub more than two years after she travelled from her home in Ireland to Adelaide on a distinguished talent visa.

Marina Sologub has been assessed as having the potential to pose a direct or indirect threat to national security.

The sources, speaking anonymously to discuss confidential material, said ASIO director-general Mike Burgess assessed that the 38-year-old Sologub could pose a direct or indirect threat to national security.

Her latest employer, the City of Marion in South Australia, confirmed in a statement that Sologub had advised them that her visa had been cancelled.
Im a big lover of cold noodle salads, which are just heaven on a hot day. The quick pickles, coupled with the burst of freshness from the leaves and lime, make this particular one a summer staple in our household.

February 24, 2023

by Karen Martini
Pratt says: The King and Queen Mother would leave the palace to see the damage from the bombings. He wanted to recognise the bravery of the civilians. A total of 23 Australians have received the award. Pratt was the last, and is the only surviving recipient. In 1976 as a young, off-duty and unarmed cop, he took on three bank bandits (all notorious career gunmen) and was shot in the process, receiving the last rites in hospital before pulling through. More of that later. He received his award from Victorian governor Sir Henry Winneke, and every two years since 1981, he has flown to London with his wife, Dianne, to attend the VC-GC reunion. At the first, there were 311 medal winners. At the latest, there were 36.

The man who fought armed men without flinching found his first meeting with the Queen daunting. I was petrified, he says. It was overwhelming, adds Dianne. He would meet the Queen 17 times. She was wonderful and very thoughtful, he says. Michael Pratt with his medals. Credit: Jason South And well-briefed. The Pratts had four children, and with the birth of each, she would ask: How is the new baby? Pratt says: She definitely had a soft spot for George Cross winners because of her father.

Prince Philip was a practical joker, he loved a laugh, says Pratt. At the reunions, the Queen and Philip would head to opposite sides of the room to talk to medal winners. When the Pratts brought their daughter Danielle, the Duke of Edinburgh seemed hypnotised by her long, blonde hair. The Queen and Prince Philip in the royal barge during the Diamond Jubilee Pageant on the Thames, June 2012. Michael Pratt wasnt far behind. Credit: AP The prince was a favourite of police assigned as his protection staff, often sitting with them over a long lunch that had more to do with stiff drinks than stiff upper lips. Chief Superintendent Graham Slippery Davidson was known to enjoy a cool drink on a warm day and usually was the last man standing, until he over-enjoyed the princes hospitality. Someone who worked with Slip tells the story: He was a flamboyant character who was renowned for being able to drink anyone under the table. The story goes he met his match when on personal guard duty for the Duke of Edinburgh. Apparently, the duke was the better man in the contest.

So, how did Pratt, a boy from Macleod who would have been flat-out tying a Windsor knot let alone going to Windsor Castle, end up rubbing elbows with queens and princes? Good with numbers, he was heading towards an accountancy course when he decided he wanted something different and applied to join the fire brigade and the police force. In 1973, he joined the police and went through the usual induction before everything changed on June 4, 1976. He was off-duty, driving his small, two-door Mazda along Queens Parade (who could imagine he would end up in the Queens parade?), heading to his uncles barber shop for a haircut. He was 21 years old. Per the rules, as he approached an intersection, he glanced to his right for traffic. What he saw were three men in balaclavas, taking guns from their belts and walking into the ANZ banks Clifton Hill branch. The discreet thing to do would have been to pull up, find a phone and call for back-up. Instead, he put his hand on the horn, switched on his hazard lights and swung hard right.

Between him and the bank was a service road and bluestone bollards, but Pratt saw a gap and smashed his car into the front of the bank to announce the cavalry (in the form of one unarmed man) had arrived. He didnt know it then, but he was taking on three of the most dangerous crooks in Australia. (All were arrested and convicted.) One bandit was on the counter, another was cleaning out the cash drawers, customers were on the ground, one shot had already been fired and the third gunman was gesturing to Pratt to move his car or get shot. Michael Pratt slammed his car into the bank. The crooks grabbed just under five grand. Pratt was lucky to survive. Credit: Geoff Ampt Pratt jumped out and opened the boot, hoping he had left his shovel there. All he could grab was a small jack handle.

The experienced armed robbery gang were momentarily confused. If Pratt could hold them there for just a couple of minutes, it would be enough. An onlooker had already rung the police. Instead, the bandits kicked out the glass to open the door frame. One was screaming to Pratt to move or get shot. Pratt went hands on, punching one of the crooks to the ground. As the masked man staggered to his feet, Pratt tried to grab him as a human shield but when he slipped by, the cop turned, only to be shot in the back from less than two metres. It would be logical to think a bullet travels in a straight line, entering one side and exiting the other, but bullets arent logical. They are more like pinballs bouncing around until they run out of energy. Often it comes down to fate. A bullet can enter and exit a body causing red-hot pain but no permanent damage. Or if it nicks something important, it can be curtains.

Pratts bullet bounced around him. It entered his left shoulder, went through his spine and left lung, hit the sternum, bounced back, grazed his heart, entered the right lung and was heading for the liver when it ran out of steam. It was later found at the bottom of the right lung. Pratt in hospital. The last rites proved premature. Credit: Ken Rainsbury He was saved because the bullet fired was a practice round that didnt fragment on impact. When a gun spits out a bullet, the friction leaves the projectile red-hot  so much so that this one left Pratt with a burn scar on his aorta. Every now again, he suffers heartburn (literally) as an after-effect from the shooting. He was taken about two kilometres to St Vincents Hospital, where top surgeon Tony Wilson was waiting. Before Pratt drifted into unconsciousness, he looked up to see a priest delivering the last rites. I thought, This is pretty serious.

First, they drained his lungs (he was drowning in his own blood), took out half of the left, then patched him as well as they could. They left a hole in his spine because to try to patch it could have resulted in him becoming a quadriplegic. It is still there now: There are tiny splinters of the bullet there but if they went in to clean it up, I might not be walking around. He returned to work at the Heidelberg station, but the pain in his wounded back became unbearable. He took two years sick leave, returning to non-operational roles before having to retire in 1979 due to ill health. But policing was in his blood and he returned to the force in 1996 as a civilian staff member. For some years, Pratt says, he suffered from depression, second-guessing his actions and dwelling on his lost career. Eventually, he turned it into a positive, putting all the usual daily annoyances into perspective. He stopped sweating the small stuff.
The plans were spectacular: a glittering, waterfront tech-city complete with 50-storey skyscrapers, a network of underground tunnels and parking, homes for nearly 100,000 people and accommodation for 50,000 students rising out of the flat volcanic plains of Werribee.

Today, the 775 hectares of undeveloped state-owned land straddling the Princes Freeway and Hacketts Road is, for the most part, overgrown paddocks, still empty except for a handful of grazing sheep.

The now-shelved $31 billion Australian Education City vision. Credit: Australian Education City

Satellite images show the size of the blank canvas site. Its the biggest patch of undeveloped state land left in all of Melbourne, an island in an ocean of housing developments in Werribee and Point Cook, 30 kilometres west of Melbournes CBD.

The fate of the proposed Australian Education City in East Werribee returned to the headlines this week after a report released by the states corruption watchdog lambasted former Labor minister Theo Theophanous for misusing his position on the states planning board to secretly lobby for the $31 billion project in Melbournes west, dubbed a super-city.
Three-and-a-half hours after she arrived at the hospital she was pronounced dead. Missed opportunities The nine-day inquest held in August and September investigated whether Aishwaryas condition was beyond help or if earlier medical intervention could have saved her life. The time it took for her treatment to begin was the impetus for Aishwaryas parents to share their pain with the media just days after her death and the resulting backlash continues to be felt in the health system and at the highest levels politically. It shouldnt take the death of a beloved little girl for the Department of Health and the government to stop and consider what more it can do ... to keep children safe. WA Deputy Coroner Sarah Linton

The coroner pinpointed three moments where medical staff missed signs that would have identified the sepsis earlier. The first of those was when the PCH triage nurse at the time assessed Aishwarya as having a viral gastrointestinal illness, which was common for children presenting at the ED. Aishwarya was triaged as a non-urgent category 4 patient despite her parents complaining of cool hands and gastro symptoms, which together Linton said could have led to a diagnosis of sepsis. Linton said the design of the triage area, which had the nurse sat behind a perspex screen and two locked doors meant Aishwarya was not physically assessed, which may have prompted more concern from the hospital. The triage process was the first missed opportunity for anyone at PCH to realise that Aishwarya was seriously unwell and required urgent treatment, she said.

The second missed opportunity was when a junior doctor working his first rotation as a pediatric trainee, assessed her in the waiting room. Linton said that doctor was told to look at Aishwaryas eyes, which were developing white patches, which he did but he did not perform any other assessment and did not touch her. [The doctor] could have taken steps to have Aishwaryas treatment prioritised if he had realised that it was necessary, she said. Unfortunately, he did not as he did not have a full picture of her presentation or the time to assess her fully, so he did not appreciate that she was critically unwell. Finally, the third missed opportunity was during another assessment by a junior nurse in the waiting room area when Aishwaryas temperature was recorded at 38.8 degrees, but that was written on her arm and not registered in the correct system, known as PARROT, which would have alerted the hospital that she may be suffering from sepsis.

The assessment by [the nurse] was the third, and arguably the most significant, missed opportunity for a PCH staff member to recognise that Aishwarya was seriously unwell and potentially septic. Linton found the type of sepsis that killed Aishwarya could be difficult to diagnose, particularly in children, and without early antibiotic treatment, it was often fatal. Staffing was the biggest issue The state government has maintained that the hospital was staffed correctly but medical staff working the night she died told the inquiry a different story. Linton delivered a stinging rebuke to the governments claims, placing much of the blame for the hospitals woes on the government rather than individuals working on the night.

Loading She said the evidence was that health bureaucrats were aware of significant staffing issues as well as the former Health Minister Roger Cook thanks to staff and Australian Nursing Federation raising the issue as soon as five days before Aishwaryas death. Nurses and doctors are left with little choice but to work within the constraints of the working environment as it presents itself to them, while raising their concerns ... the background points to systemic issues surrounding the resourcing of the ED, rather than the behaviour of individuals in this case, she said. Linton noted the states efforts to pump more staffing into the hospital and its commitment to legislate staffing ratios of four patients to one nurse but said it should not have taken the death of a child to make these things happen. It shouldnt take the death of a beloved little girl for the Department of Health, and the government, to stop and consider what more it can do, and how much more money it should spend, to keep children safe when they visit our specialist childrens hospital, she said.

We are fortunate as a state to have come out of the pandemic in a relatively healthy financial position, and while I acknowledge there are many competing demands on the public purse, the health of our community, and particularly our children, must be a priority. That means spending money on providing a positive practice environment for the nurses, doctors and support staff who run these hospitals and in particular PCH. There is no point in having a state-of-the-art facility, if the staff working within it are stretched beyond capacity and parents lose their trust and faith in them. Child and Adolescent Health Service chairwoman Debbie Karasinski stood down from her role in the aftermath of the incident and just weeks before the coronial inquest began in August 2022 CAHS boss Aresh Anwar also tendered his resignation.
The parents of seven-year-old Morley girl Aishwarya Aswath say they do not want the death of their beloved daughter to be in vain, urging the state government to adopt coronial recommendations to improve the health system as soon as possible.

WA deputy coroner Sarah Lintons report into Aishwaryas death in April 2021 is scathing about the understaffing of Perth Childrens Hospital and poor record-keeping that may have contributed to a delay in the escalation of her care the night she died.

Aishwaryas parents Aswath Chavittupara and Prasitha Sasidharan. Credit: Marta Pascual Juanola.

Linton concluded had Aishwarya received correct care earlier on in the day she may still be alive but did not make any adverse findings against individual hospital staff despite hospital management referring up to five staff members to the medical regulator in the month after her death.

Instead, she placed much of the blame at the feet of the health agencies and the state government for not acting on warnings about staffing levels made in the weeks and months before the childs death.
China published on Friday its position on the political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis. The text of the document is posted on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry and includes 12 points, Tass informs.

February 24, 2023, 16:06 China publishes its proposals on Ukrainian crisis settlement

STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 24, ARTSAKHPRESS: Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on February 18, Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), member of the CCP Politburo Wang Yi said that Chinese authorities would prepare a document on China's position on resolving the Ukrainian crisis by the anniversary of the start of Russias special military operation in Ukraine. He noted that the abovementioned document would be based on the proposals of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The main provisions of the document are presented below:

Peace talks and ceasefire

In the document published on Friday, China stressed that dialogue and negotiations were "the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis" and called on all sides to support Moscow and Kiev in "working in the same direction" and in resuming direct dialogue as soon as possible. The diplomats pointed out that the international community should create conditions and provide a platform for the resumption of negotiations.

In addition, China urged not to add fuel to the fire, not to allow further escalation and the crisis in Ukraine to spiral out of control, and to help create conditions for a complete cease-fire and cessation of hostilities.

The document pointed out that the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries must be "effectively upheld". China also called for abandoning the Cold War mentality, opposing bloc confrontation, and taking into account the reasonable security interests and concerns of all countries. It is also stressed that the security of one country cannot be ensured at the expense of the security of other countries.

Preventing nuclear war

In its plan, China once again called for avoiding a nuclear crisis. Beijing noted that nuclear war must not be fought, and called for opposing the use or threatened use of nuclear weapons, as well as preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

China called for ensuring the safety of nuclear power plants and other civilian nuclear facilities and preventing nuclear accidents due to human error.

In addition, China stated that it strongly opposed the development and use of biological and chemical weapons by any country under any circumstances.

Humanitarian crisis and prisoner of war exchange

Regarding the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, China has called for support for all measures to help ease the crisis in this area. The need for increased humanitarian aid to "relevant areas" was noted, as well as the creation of humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians from the conflict zone. In addition, the importance of preventing the humanitarian crisis from escalating was emphasized, as well as the need to support the UN's coordinating role in sending humanitarian aid to the conflict zone.

The document stressed that the parties to the conflict must protect women, children and "other victims of the conflict". It also pointed out that China supported the exchange of prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine and called on all parties to create more favorable conditions for this.

Global economy and post-conflict reconstruction

In its document, China once again called for the stability of production and supply chains amid the Ukrainian crisis, as well as the use of "the world economy as a tool or weapon for political purposes". Beijing noted the importance of preventing the crisis from affecting international cooperation in energy, finance, food trade and transport.

In addition, China called to ensure the export of grain and implement the Black Sea Grain Initiative signed by Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the UN on the transportation of grain across the Black Sea.

The document emphasized that China was against unilateral sanctions. According to the Chinese side, they are "cannot solve the issue", "they only create new problems".

The document also included a point on post-war reconstruction in the conflict zone. China called on the international community to take appropriate measures and expressed its readiness to provide assistance as well and play a constructive role in this regard.
By 2012, the resorts target market had pivoted from tourists to visiting public servants and contractors, securing lucrative government contracts worth $8.8 million for 12 months. Attempts to contact Kwon this week were unsuccessful, but a spokesperson for the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts said the resort ceased operations in 2015, and the government had considered renewing a casino licence for Christmas Island in 2021, but elected not to do so. The resort may have languished, but the value of Kwons northern beaches home has soared. The local median house price has increased more than 1000 per cent in the 33 years he has owned the property, and has a suburb record in the double-digit millions thanks to a $12.15 million sale by former Home and Away actor Holly Brisley in 2021. Mosmans silver lining

The lack of properties for sale in Mosman is still doing well by local high-end homeowners, and liquidators of collapsed artificial intelligence start-up Metigy. Metigys CEO and sole director, David Fairfull. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer Ray White Mosmans Geoff Smith had a $9.75 million guide to reflect the market downturn, but sold it less than two weeks later for $12.21 million - a jump in value of 16.2 per cent - to Longueville local Dong Chunrui. The news wasnt so good for Metigy liquidators selling Fairfulls Kangaroo Valley weekender, Heggys. Purchased during the same spree in 2021 for $7.7 million, it has sold for $6.25 million to executive pay expert Michael Robinson. Still in Mosman, seafood king George Manettas and his wife Maria have downsized to Mosmans Beauty Point, paying $7.85 million for the home of vintner Tony Royle.

The purchase follows Manettass sale of his long-held Federation home Merilbah late last year for $15.5 million to Deloittes chief transformation officer Dennis Krallis and his wife, AstraZeneca senior executive Jenny Krallis. Corporate heavyweight Eric the Rhino Dodd and his wife Vanessa have also made quick work of their Mosman house sale with a sold sticker ahead of next weeks scheduled auction. Ray Whites Smith wont disclose the result, but it carried a $10 million guide and locals have suggested a $10.6 million result. Dodd, the chairman of debt collector Credit Corp Group, and insurers First American Title and Integrity Insurance, had listed just three years after he purchased it for $7.8 million given downsizing plans locally. Prime digs on offer Investecs former chief executive Milton Samios and his wife, interior designer Jacci Samios have listed their Georgian-style home on Rose Bays Kent Road amid plans to undertake another major home project.

Investecs former CEO Milton Samios purchased in Rose Bay in 2015 for $6.5 million. Credit: Anthony Johnson The couple have completely reworked the Michael Suttor-designed house since they purchased it from the Cadwallader family in 2015 for $6.5 million, with a recently completed redesign by Molnar Architects in collaboration with Jaccis Jacket Curated interiors firm. Ray White Double Bays Ashley Bierman and Thomas Popple have a $20 million to $22 million guide. Buyers will need to dig a little deeper to buy this weeks other prime eastern suburbs listing, Carrabah, in Bellevue Hill.

The three-level residence is owned by plastic and reconstructive surgeon Robert Drielsma and his anaesthetist wife Debbie Hong, who have undertaken a major redesign since they purchased it in 2011 for $9.85 million when they were up-scaling from their designer Tamarama home. The 1930s P&O-style residence Carrabah has been remodelled since it last traded for $9.85 million in 2011. Credit: Domain There is no guide on offer by agents Alison Coopes and Bradfield BadgerFoxs Katrina Wilson, but buyers should expect to pay north of $25 million. Bankers in-betweener Goldman Sachs Australias co-head of investment banking Zac Fletcher has bought what looks to be an in-betweener in Point Pipers historic Ardenbraught, given settlement records for the $9.41 million sale of a three-bedroom apartment in the converted Federation mansion.

Ardenbraught was built in 1903 for barrister Cecil Stephen KC and converted into apartments in 2002. Credit: Domain Fletcher is in between homes thanks to the sale of his Rose Bay house last year after it was listed with $25 million hopes and the off-market purchase of a home renovation project on Point Pipers Wolseley Road for more than $25 million. Reporter turned house flipper Sevens Sunrise presenter Edwina Bartholomew and her writer husband Neil Varcoe look to be making a tree-change, listing their inner west-home as they make plans to turn their Blue Mountains guest house into a boutique hotel.

The couples Dulwich Hill home hit the market this week with a $2 million guide ahead of a March 18 auction through BresicWhitneys Frederico Fraga-Matos and Nick Playfair. Edwina Bartholemew is selling her Inner West home. Credit: Dylan Coker Billed as one of the suburbs oldest houses, it is one of a small group of homes built in the 1870s by a descendent of convict-turn-master builder James Bloodsworth, and was purchased by Bartholomew and Varcoe in 2017 for $1.59 million. The couple kicked off a major renovation of the three-bedroom house in 2020 in collaboration with Studio Esteta, the same design studio that undertook the renovation of their sandstone cottage in the Blue Mountains Capertee Valley. Survivors ready
From Uber to Netflix and Airbnb, getting users hooked on cut-price services before slowly ratcheting up prices is a tried and tested strategy in the technology industry. But applying that same approach to security was all but untested until Twitter, under its new owner Elon Musk, declared mid-February that users would pay to have login verification codes sent via text message.

The new policy, in place from March 20, means users will have to switch to another method of getting the codes, or cough up at least $13 a month, or do without the security feature. Almost every other technology company offers it for free.

Twitter owner Elon Musk has been unrepentant about his plans to charge for text-based login authentication. Credit: Bloomberg

The SMS codes are an example of what is known as two-factor authentication (2FA), or if there are more than two pieces of verification required to log in  multifactor authentication. In short, that means the user needs more than their username and password to access a service.

They must also have a unique piece of data that only they know or can access to log in. Most often, that is a code contained in a text message sent to a users mobile phone. The Australian government calls it one of the most effective ways to protect your valuable information and accounts against unauthorised access. That is because it works and is simple to set up.
Singapore: China has called for a ceasefire in Ukraine at the same time as NATO warns it has seen signs that Beijing is considering sending arms to Russia.

In its first formal policy foray into the war, Chinas Foreign Ministry on Friday released a position paper endorsed by Xi Jinping that outlined Beijings 12-point plan for resolving the conflict.

Conflict and war benefit no one, the position paper said. All parties should support Russia and Ukraine in working in the same direction and resuming direct dialogue as quickly as possible, so as to gradually deescalate the situation and ultimately reach a comprehensive ceasefire.

Xi Jinping wants a ceasefire in the Ukraine war. Credit: Bloomberg

But Western leaders have accused China of playing a double game as the US considers sharing intelligence showing Beijing was weighing up sending arms to Russia and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg confirms the military alliance has seen evidence that they are considering and may be planning for that.
Phnom Penh: Cambodia has tested at least 12 people for the H5N1 strain of avian influenza, the Health Ministry said, after an 11-year-old girl died this week from the virus in the first known transmission to humans in the country in nearly a decade.

The victims father, who was part of a group the girl had been in contact with in a province east of the capital Phnom Penh, tested positive for the virus but did not exhibit any symptoms, Health Minister Mam Bunheng said in a statement on Friday.

Ducks eat along the shore of Snoa village farm outside Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Thursday. Credit: AP

The statement did not disclose the test results of others in the group and did not specify how the victims father had contracted the virus, commonly known as bird flu.

The girls case was the first known human infection with the H5N1 strain in the South-east Asian country since 2014, Bunheng had said on Thursday.
After a period of relative peace, war returned to Europe when the Russian blitzkrieg rolled into Ukraine a year ago yesterday, the lessons of 1939-1945 tossed onto a bonfire of nationalism, hubris and madness by those whose earlier generations perhaps experienced the most horrors of World War II.

In a rambling speech announcing what he called the special military operation against the old ally, Russian President Vladimir Putin evoked the Stalingrad spirit, saying his goal was to deNazify Ukraine, which he claimed posed a mortal threat to Russia. The next day, the Herald editorial noted even George Orwell could not have made it up: In reality, Putin wants to depose Ukraines democratically elected Jewish president Volodymyr Zelensky. The editorial predicted the invasion was not only a global event but that it would take years to play out.

Eight-year-old Timosha stands with his bicycle in front of the burning Palace of Culture in Lysychansk. The city is now occupied by Russia. Credit: Kate Geraghty

The day after Putin sent Russian troops in, our editorial said a full-blown invasion offers Putin the opportunity to expand Russias territory in the region, rewrite the security map of Europe, increase its influence globally and to prove that, in a battle of wills with the West, Russian aggression will win out. Having stewed for more than three decades over the humiliating collapse of the Soviet Union, this is the Russian leaders most audacious and bloody effort to reassert the nations authority as a global power to be reckoned with.

Putins brutal assault on a sovereign nation has produced no victory yet, but it has raised the spectre of global war as the world struggles under the combined effects of climate change, COVID-19 and economic uncertainty.
Consolidated Uranium Announces Encouraging Uranium and Vanadium Assay Results from Laguna Salada in Argentina

Consolidated Uranium Inc. (aCURa, the aCompanya, aConsolidated Uraniuma  https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/consolidated-uranium-inc/ ) (TSXV: CUR) (OTCQB: CURUF) is pleased to report encouraging Uranium and Vanadium assay results from its 2022 regional field program at its 100% owned Laguna Salada Uranium-Vanadium Project (aLaguna Saladaa or the aPropertya) located in Chubut Province, Argentina (Figure 1).

Highlights

2022 Exploration Program Successfully Completed a The focus of the program was an area in the northwestern sector of the Property known as the La Rosada Target (aLa Rosadaa), located approximately 40 kilometers from the Laguna Salada historic mineral resource. The area was evaluated as a proof of concept, with 548 shallow (average 0.8 meters depth) pits excavated on lines 200 meters apart, and an average of 100 meters between samples. Scintillometer readings were taken in each pit and a total of 428 geochemical samples were taken from those pits registering significant anomalism, and these were geochemically assayed.

Confirmation of a New Target Outside of the Historic Mineral Resource a The results of the 2022 program confirm that La Rosada has the potential to host widespread, near surface Uranium-Vanadium mineralization of a similar style and tenor to the area with the historic mineral resource at Laguna Salada.

High Uranium and Vanadium Grades Confirmed a Uranium assays up to 2,727 ppm U3O8 and 1,489 ppm V2O5 are reported from the shallow pits.

Multiple Prospective Target Sequences Identified a The work shows that prospective host sequences hosting Uranium-Vanadium mineralization at La Rosada have now been extended to include multiple stratigraphic levels.

Control on Mineralization Identified a Scintillometer readings identified multiple paleochannels that controlled the accumulation of clastic sediments and subsequent Uranium and Vanadium precipitation from groundwaters. These paleochannels exhibit an east-west to southeast-northwest trend and extend over a strike length of over 4.5 kilometers, open to the east and west. This control will be a useful guide in any further systematic exploration of the mineralization in the La Rosada area, as well as on the rest of the property.

Philip Williams, Chairman and CEO of Consolidated Uranium commented, \We are pleased to report the results of the 2022 field program at La Rosada, situated approximately 40 kilometers northeast of the Laguna Salada Uranium-Vanadium historic mineral resource area. Excellent community relations work with the landholders in the area by our team has permitted the execution of a systematic scintillometry and soil geochemistry program, the results of which have confirmed the presence of Uranium and Vanadium mineralization at shallow depths and over wide areas, ranking the area as a highly prospective target. The work program also furthered our understanding of the nature of and controls on mineralization, which will be useful in guiding future exploration programs on the broader Property area. We acquired the Laguna Salada project based on its attractive development characteristics, near surface mineralization in unconsolidated gravels, as well as its location in a jurisdiction with existing nuclear reactors and historic uranium mining. The program confirmed our belief that the potential for scale at the Property exists elevating it within our portfolio, further work programs for 2023 are now being planned.a

La Rosada Uranium-Vanadium Target

La Rosada was the subject of limited historic pit and trench geochemical sampling, which defined a tens of kilometers -scale Uranium and Vanadium anomalous area that are located on the western trace of Jurassic-Quaternary unconformity (Figure 2). This pattern mirrors the occurrence of Uranium and Vanadium enriched zones to the Southwest at Lago Seco and Guanaco; however, at La Rosada the prospective Tertiary sedimentary deposits lap onto older basement rocks, consisting of strongly radiogenic, Jurassic rhyolite volcanic rocks. These rocks are considered to be important local sources for Uranium and Vanadium metal in the broader mineral system. Historic sampling at La Rosada highlighted Uranium values exceeding 0.05% U3O8 (up to 1.18%) and 0.01% V2O5 (up to 0.29%) over average thicknesses of about 0.50 metres in caliche horizons developed over the shallow soil profile.

Further information ias attached.

Cautionary Statement Regarding aForward-Lookinga Information

This news release contains \forward-looking information\ within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. aForward-looking informationa includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to activities, events or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future including, but not limited to, the Companya?s ongoing business plan, sampling, exploration and work programs. Generally, but not always, forward-looking information and statements can be identified by the use of words such as aplansa, aexpectsa, ais expecteda, abudgeta, ascheduleda, aestimatesa, aforecastsa, aintendsa, aanticipatesa, or abelievesa or the negative connotation thereof or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results amaya, acoulda, awoulda, amighta or awill be takena, aoccura or abe achieveda or the negative connotation thereof. Such forward-looking information and statements are based on numerous assumptions, including that general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner, that financing will be available if and when needed and on reasonable terms, and that third party contractors, equipment and supplies and governmental and other approvals required to conduct the Companya?s planned exploration activities will be available on reasonable terms and in a timely manner. Although the assumptions made by the Company in providing forward-looking information or making forward-looking statements are considered reasonable by management at the time, there can be no assurance that such assumptions will prove to be accurate.

Forward-looking information and statements also involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual events or results in future periods to differ materially from any projections of future events or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking information or statements, including, among others: negative operating cash flow and dependence on third party financing, uncertainty of additional financing, no known mineral reserves or resources, reliance on key management and other personnel, potential downturns in economic conditions, actual results of exploration activities being different than anticipated, changes in exploration programs based upon results, and risks generally associated with the mineral exploration industry, environmental risks, changes in laws and regulations, community relations and delays in obtaining governmental or other approvals and the risk factors with respect to Consolidated Uranium set out in CURa?s annual information form in respect of the year ended December 31, 2021 filed with the Canadian securities regulators and available under CURa?s profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information or implied by 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 forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or reissue forward-looking information as a result of new information or events except as required by applicable securities laws.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) welcomed the order by the International Court of Justice on the indication of a provisional measure to Azerbaijan.

February 24, 2023, 13:13 Intl community should acknowledge legitimacy of Artsakh people's choice for independence  Artsakh foreign ministry

STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 24, ARTSAKHPRESS: We welcome the Order by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) dated 22 February on the indication of a provisional measure to Azerbaijan, obliging the latter to take all measures at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. This court order is a logical continuation of previous provisional measures indicated by the ICJ on 7 December 2021, and obliging Azerbaijan to prevent the incitement and promotion of racial hatred and discrimination, including by its officials and public institutions, targeted at persons of Armenian national or ethnic origin.

We deem it important that when considering the case, the ICJ noted that the blockade may constitute a violation by Azerbaijan of the rights of the people of Artsakh protected under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The ICJ order allows to define the ongoing blockade of Artsakh as a manifestation of discriminatory actions deliberately carried out by the Azerbaijani authorities. Of particular importance is also the Court's conclusion that the ongoing blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan entails a real and imminent risk that irreparable harm will be caused to the rights of the people of Artsakh. Thus, while indicating a provisional measure to Azerbaijan, the International Court of Justice used the tools available within their competence to protect the people of Artsakh from racial discrimination by Azerbaijan.

The Court's decision is an objective confirmation of the repeatedly voiced position of Artsakh that the blockade is just another episode of Azerbaijan's decades-long discriminatory policies aimed at expelling the people of Artsakh from their historical homeland. The criminal policy of Azerbaijan, carried out against the people of Artsakh and bearing a large-scale and systematic character, is defined by international law as a crime against humanity. The international community in general and the UN member states in particular have legal and political obligations to take effective steps to prevent such massive human rights violations, as well as restore the violated rights.

In this context, we call on the international community to take effective measures to ensure the immediate and unconditional implementation by Azerbaijan of the order of the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. At the same time, we deem it necessary to systematically and thoroughly consider at the international level the issue of the legal protection of the people of Artsakh from the Azerbaijani policy of massive violations of their rights. We are convinced that in their approaches to resolving the conflict between Artsakh and Azerbaijan, the international community, as an effective remedy, should acknowledge the legitimacy of the Artsakh people's choice for independence. Any discussion of the possibility of recognizing Azerbaijani jurisdiction and control over Artsakh and its people is tantamount to encouraging Azerbaijan's policy of ethnic cleansing, the Artsakh foreign ministry said in a statement.
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Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) Secretary General Louise Mushikiwabo held a meeting with Armenian Prime Ministers Personal Representative at the OIF, Ambassador Christian Ter-Stepanyan.

February 24, 2023, 18:10 OIF Secretary General welcomes International Court of Justice ruling on unblocking of Lachin corridor

STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 24, ARTSAKHPRESS: Ambassador Ter-Stepanyan presented the concerning situation in the region. Ter-Stepanyan told the OIF Secretary General that Azerbaijan, after its aggression against Armenia in September 2022 and subsequent occupation of sovereign territories of Armenia, is now keeping the Lachin Corridor blocked for more than two months, causing a grave humanitarian crisis and severe consequences for the 120,000 Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh.

The Ambassador noted that this step by Azerbaijan, which constitutes a violation of the 9 November 2020 trilateral statement, has received international condemnation and many international actors demanded Azerbaijan to stop the blockade.

In turn, the OIF tweeted that Secretary General Mushikiwabo welcomed the February 22 judgment by the International Court of Justice which ordered Azerbaijan to take all steps at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.

During the meeting the OIF Secretary General and the Armenian envoy at the OIF also discussed issues pertaining to strengthening cooperation between Armenia and the OIF.
Romania is concerned about Russia's plan to destabilize the Republic of Moldova, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, said on Friday in his speech at the United Nations.

He participated in the Ministerial Debate of the UN Security Council on "Maintaining peace and security in Ukraine", in the context of marking one year since the Russian Federation launched the war of aggression against Ukraine, told Agerpres.

The head of Romanian diplomacy called the Republic of Moldova "the country most affected by the war, with the exception of Ukraine".

We are concerned about Russia's recent plan to destabilize the country, which we have condemned. In this sense, threatening rhetoric, such as the one in the statement of the Russian Foreign Ministry today, who announced that the Russian army, I quote 'will respond appropriately to so-called provocations or attacks against Russian compatriots or military personnel (...) from the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova'. Such provocative behavior, which has no basis, which is based on statements without evidence is simply unacceptable. And we fully support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova within its internationally recognized borders, said Aurescu.

In the context of the war in Ukraine, the Romanian minister spoke about "the intensification of Russian propaganda, which spreads false reports, in an attempt to undermine the unity of our societies and efforts to support Ukraine".

"We must fight these malignant influences, as much as we must be united in the effort to defend our own values," he pointed out.

Thus, said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Romanians must be aware of the Russian influence from the information they read or hear, but they must not question our support for Ukraine.

Supporting Ukraine means supporting Romania, said Bogdan Aurescu.
The President of the Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu, said on Friday at the 57th "Mihail Kogalniceanu" Air Base, which he visited, that Romanians, Americans, Italians and French 'train together, carry out missions together', they eat together and share from their culture, everything like a big family', told Agerpres.

"Romanians, Americans, Italians and French. They train together, carry out missions together, eat together and share their culture, everything like a big family! This is what I saw today at the 57th 'Mihail Kogalniceanu' Air Base. It is the common response of the free and democratic world to the aggression of a mad tyrant. An unshakable wall that protects Romania and the entire Eastern Flank of NATO. That is why, one year after the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, I thanked the Romanian military and our NATO partners for what they do every day. We will never accept the invasion of a sovereign state," Ciolacu wrote on Facebook.

He added that "we will all remain with Ukraine in this fight", because Russia's tough opposition can at any time endanger the freedom of another state "that does not support its illegitimate actions".

"We are together in this fight. And together we will rebuild Ukraine, because only solidarity will help us consolidate our democratic way of life," he said.
MEP Dacian Cilos, the founder of the REPER party told a new conference on Friday in Iasi that he doesn't rule out the possibility to run in the presidential elections in 2024, told Agerpres.

According to the MEP, the REPER party members will be those deciding who shall be the candidate of the new political party running for president in 2024.

"I don't rule it out [running for president]. But this is a decision I shall make together with the colleagues and, depending on what the mood will be, let's see what will be the profile of the president that people expect in 2024. We know very well that I don't need a candidacy from this to increase my notoriety, to be visible. If I were to run for office, I would take this candidacy seriously and I would also take people's expectations seriously. A candidacy for the Presidency cannot be just a personal ambition of a politician, but it must respond to a need, an expectation," Ciolos responded when asked by journalists if he is considering to run for the presidential office.

Furthermore, he mentioned that he doesn't intend to candidate for "the chairmanship" of the newly established party.

He added that REPER party shall decide regarding each of next year's electoral voting whether it will go separately or make political alliances. According to him, the possibility of concluding an alliance even with former party colleagues from the Save Romania Party (USR) is not excluded.

Dacian Ciolos was in Iasi on Friday, following a series of visits to projects in the counties of Iasi, Botosani, Suceava and Neamt, as part of the European Romania Caravan.
Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca stated on Friday that at the moment we cannot discuss about a potential world conflict and emphasized that Romania is part of the strongest military alliance, told Agerpres.

"We have never been so well insured from the point of view of belonging to such a military alliance", said the prime minister in an interview with CNN's Antena3.

Ciuca also stated that there are people who ask him if there will be a third world war.

"I tell them to trust that the measures we are taking and the fact that there are analyses, modeling, scenarios, until now have not taken us to the point where we have the power to anticipate", added Ciuca.

He also said that there are exercises to anticipate a possible conflict.

"We do all these scenarios and modeling at the national level, we do them together with the allies and for each of them there are response plans, because beyond the analyzes it is necessary that, when a certain hypothesis is reached, it can be embodied in an answer. I don't think we need to speculate and let citizens, however concerned about the situation in Ukraine, add to these concerns the direct fear that there will be a third world war. None of us can foresees what will happen, when it will happen and how it will happen, but at the moment we cannot discuss a potential world conflict", Ciuca also declared.

Asked what would happen if Russia won the war, the prime minister stated that it would be "a loss not only for Ukraine, but for the entire international community, for the free world".
Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca expressed his appreciation for the excellent cooperation between Romania and the European Commission within the European Civil Protection Mechanism, during a meeting he had on Friday with Janez Lenarcic, the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, on a working visit to Bucharest, a press release of the Government reads.

Almost a year after the last meeting, in the context of the outbreak of the Russian war in Ukraine, excellent cooperation in the management of Ukrainian refugees and humanitarian aid to the neighbouring country was appreciated during the discussions, and the need to develop resilience to disasters was confirmed and civil protection capacities both at the EU level and in the neighboring states."Prime minister Ciuca welcomed the good and quick coordination of the response regarding the provision of emergency assistance for Turkey and Syria, after the earthquake of February 6, 2023," the press release adds.The head of the Executive said that the consistent experience in the field of civil protection, also confirmed by the hosting of the European reserve of medical stocks and the operationalization of the Humanitarian Logistics Center in northeastern Suceava, ensures Romania a prominent and solid profile in this area at the level of the European Union."The prime minister emphasized that Romania will continue to support the European Commission's efforts to adjust the established instruments and improve the European Civil Protection Mechanism", the press release states.Moreover, Nicolae Ciuca thanked Commissioner Lenarcic for the European Commission's constant support for Romania's goal of joining the Schengen area.Lenarcic handed the prime minister the final report prepared by the European Commission regarding the peer review of the civil protection and disaster risk management system in Romania."The document presents comprehensive evaluations of the national level of preparedness for natural and man-made disasters and seeks to identify the most effective ways to improve prevention and preparation actions in this area," the release states.European Commissioner Janez Lenarcic participates in Bucharest in the ministerial round table with the theme "Understanding and communicating existing and future risks: Ensuring evidence-based communication and preventing misinformation", organized by the Department for Emergency Situations.
Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca on Friday said Romania, together with Western strategic partners, is determined to support Ukraine as long as necessary, told Agerpres.

The Romanian Prime Minister attended the event "Romania - 1 year of solidarity with Ukraine," organised by the Romanian Government together with UNHCR and UN agencies in Romania.

At the beginning of his speech, the Prime Minister proposed to the participants to keep a moment of silence for 'the victims of the odious conflict in Ukraine'.

"Today unfortunately marks one year since Russia invaded Ukraine, unleashing a terrible war on the territory of this country. A sovereign and independent state is being attacked in the most direct and horrible way, namely by war and armed attack. In a single day, international order and laws have been trampled by a state that does not respect democracy or the values of the free world. A state that builds its relations with neighbouring countries on an imperial attitude, an attitude that has no place in the 21st century. Russia has reserved the right to invade a country, to kill its civilian population and to destroy its infrastructure, schools, kindergartens, hospitals, roads, energy system. Entire cities have been wiped off the face of the earth on the basis of an illusory and abusive argument, namely the historical right to control territory. This criminal and arbitrary behaviour has shown that the power in Moscow not only despises the choice of states to elect their own future, but that it is a direct threat to the entire free world," Nicolae Ciuca said.

He added that, by its "criminal and arbitrary" behaviour, Moscow's power has shown "not only that it despises the choice of states to elect their own future, but also that it is a direct threat to the entire free world".

"And the free world has taken a stand. The free world refused to remove Ukraine from the world map and today we are talking about the huge strategic failure of the power in Moscow. (...) Russia's political and military leadership misjudged the ability of Western states to unite and Ukraine's will to defend its desire of being part of the free world. Russia has misjudged the strength of democratic values and, more importantly, the humanity and strength of the people who believe in these values," said Ciuca.

The Prime Minister stressed that Romania's position has been very clear since the beginning of the Russian invasion and remains firm, that of full solidarity with NATO and EU partners, plus strong support for Ukraine in countering aggression.

"Our society, institutions and non-governmental organisations have simply responded quickly and effectively. Just as Romanians have always been empathetic and responsive throughout our history, we have reacted in the same way and will continue to help the Ukrainian people and state with the same energy," said Ciuca.

The Prime Minister pointed out that Romania has succeeded, both at the governmental level and at the level of society as a whole, to provide important humanitarian assistance to the more than 3.6 million Ukrainian refugees who have crossed the country's borders in the last 12 months, of whom 2.5 million have benefited from direct support from the Government or international partners.

At the same time, he underlined the support for the integration of more than 111,000 Ukrainian citizens who have settled in Romania during this period and who benefit from free accommodation, meals, transport, education, medical and social services in Romania.

He also mentioned that 74 international humanitarian support missions to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova have been carried out through the Suceava hub, while similar humanitarian support actions have been carried out by the Government and local authorities.

The Prime Minister also mentioned that Romania is the reliable European and international partner that offers the most important international support corridors for Ukraine, providing its national infrastructure: road, rail, river and sea, to facilitate the transport and transit of Ukrainian grain and other goods to international markets.

He also mentioned another dimension of support for Ukraine, namely in the energy sector - at the initiative of Romania, the Romania-Ukraine-Republic of Moldova Trilateral was created, with the aim of cooperation in this area among the three countries.

He also referred to the support for the European course of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, as well as to the support for the sanctions applied to Russia at the international level, including through the creation of a mechanism to hold accountable those responsible for the atrocities committed in Russia's illegal war against Ukraine.

"Our engagement and solidarity with Western states will continue. It is the responsibility of Western states to stop the actions of the Kremlin, which threaten not only Ukraine, but the entire free world," said Ciuca.

In this context, the Prime Minister also drew attention to the danger posed by the Russian-backed information war.

"Through this hybrid war, Russia hopes to divide Western societies and make them weaker. So let us beware of political extremism and the undermining of democratic values. This could unfortunately be the gateway for Russian interests in Europe, and Romania is no exception, being a target of Kremlin's hybrid war. This is why solidarity and unity of Romanian society are crucial in these times. At the same time, the stability of the government is an essential factor for the strengthened response of our country to the threats in the region and for supporting Ukraine's choice to be part of the free world," he added.

At the end of his speech, the Prime Minister conveyed Romania's support to the Ukrainian people and leaders in Kyiv.

"My message to the families that we are hosting today in Romania is: here, today, you are welcome, you are protected as long as you need it! Also, my message to the leadership in Kyiv, to the civilian population and to the brave fighters who are defending the whole free world today is: we are by your side as long as it takes!," said Ciuca.
Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca declares that Romania's accession to the Schengen area is on the work agenda of the Swedish presidency of the European Union, told Agerpres.

"We discussed. Yesterday I went to the Embassy of Sweden, which ensures the EU presidency. We have definite confirmation that the accession to Schengen is on the work agenda of the Swedish presidency", Ciuca said on Antena 3 CNN.

He also showed that "it is being discussed at the level of technical experts with the Austrian side, with all those who can contribute and support us" in this endeavor.

Nicolae Ciuca had a meeting on Thursday with the ambassadors of the EU states accredited to Romania, at the Swedish Embassy in Bucharest, in the context of this country's holding the rotating Presidency of the EU Council.
The minister of Defence, Angel Tilvar, on Friday said that Romania will continue to support Ukraine as long as it is needed.

"We will continue to support Ukraine as long as needed, because the Romanian people believe in an international system based on rules, not aggression. Since the beginning of the Russian Federation's war of aggression against Ukraine, Romania has provided humanitarian assistance to the neighbouring country, and also political, diplomatic and economic support. The Romanian state has provided shelter and aid for more than 3.5 million Ukrainian refugees and has been involved in facilitating the transit from Ukraine to global markets of over 11.8 million tonnes of grain," says the minister of National Defence, in a message posted on Facebook, one year after the beginning of the war in Ukraine.According to the post, the war initiated by Russia against Ukraine proved Euro-Atlantic solidarity and cohesion.With more than 5,000 allied soldiers stationed on our national territory, who train together with the Romanian soldiers, our country is better protected and defended than ever. Currently, there are operating in Romania the Battle Group for Collective Defence, led by France, as a framework nation, and including forces belonging to the Netherlands and Belgium, units of the US Army - the elements of the 101st Airborne Division Screaming Eagles and the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, as of October of last year, as well as units from Poland, Portugal and North Macedonia, subordinated to the Craiova-based Southeast Multinational Brigade.
Madalina Turza, senior adviser and strategic coordinator of humanitarian assistance within the Department for Community Social Responsibility and Vulnerable Groups, on Friday gave a presentation of the support provided by Romania to Ukrainian refugees one year after the start of the war, saying that over 2.5 million Ukrainian citizens received some form of support or direct support, being allocated over 600 million euros both from the national budget and from international partners, told Agerpres.

"I want to emphasise two dimensions of Romania's involvement in this assistance and humanitarian support effort and I would try to summarise the first dimension in three words: coordination, leadership and teamwork. Under the umbrella of these three concepts, each of which you know - because I look at you and I can tell in what way you have been involved - I will give you some figures from behind this joint effort, and here we are talking about the establishment, existence, operation and involvement of six working groups with the national government of Romania in the areas of education, housing, healthcare, labour, children and vulnerable people, all of which practically drew the public policies in the field of the protection of refugees from Ukraine," Turza told the event "Romania - One year of solidarity with Ukraine," organised by the Romanian government jointly with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the UN Agencies in Romania.

Turza said that the Romanian government developed, amended and supplemented more than 25 pieces of legislation to ensure the accommodation in Romania of all the incoming citizens of Ukraine.

"Also, it is important to know that for the refugees from Ukraine, both the Romanian government and our international partners and civil society carried out more than 150 types of activities in their support, including counselling, guidance, healthcare assistance, and education. It is very important that more than 300 non-governmental organisations so far from the first day of the war came to support the refugees from Ukraine and help with the efforts of local and central public administrations. As many as 1,500 local administrations - mayor's offices, county councils - have been involved in various forms of assistance to the refugees from Ukraine from the beginning of the conflict," added Turza.

She also said that over 2.5 million Ukrainian citizens received some form of support or direct support either from the Romanian Government or from partners.

"In all, more than 600 million euros were allocated for these forces to produce some results both from the national budget and from international partners," Turza said.

She added that all activities were carried out "under the umbrella of the notion of care" for vulnerable people from Ukraine and recalled that more than 4,000 border police officers manage to bring the refugees into Romania.

"We wanted to make sure that they are safe, and when I say safe I mean actually their safety against various types of crime that has manifested itself in a type of work that is less visible but that is carried out by our law enforcement officers. We need to know that over 4,000 border police officers manage to introduce the refugees into Romania. There are over 7,000 vehicles checked to make sure that they are in no danger. Also, over 1,200 of the homes rented by refugees from Ukraine are checked by the police each day," said Turza.

She also mentioned a 50/20 programme under which Ukrainian refugees were provided with a roof over their heads, including during the winter.

"There are tens of thousands of Ukrainian citizens having got well in Romanian hospitals, there are over 20,000 children enrolled with the Primero system and we know what their needs are and how we can help them or with support from our partners. There are over 1,000 elderly Ukrainian people in the public social work networks of Romania and certainly also in private networks. All this is the picture of a national response conducted not only with professionalism by our colleagues and friends and partners and mine, but also with a soul," said Turza.
The United for Ukraine Group has exceeded 284,000 members and continues to grow, and Romanian volunteers opened their homes, transported Ukrainians from the borders by their cars, bought them train and plane tickets, took their animals to the vet, gave them clothes, food and money, MEP Vlad Gheorghe said on Friday, told Agerpres.

"The Romanians stayed days and nights to welcome mothers and children who fled from the bombs. (...) They sent donations across the borders, from tonnes of flour for the bread of those left under the bombs to food for the animals in the shelters. The local authorities, telephone companies, banks, NGOs communicated their messages on our group. Romanians baptized babies born on Romanian soil and 'adopted' Ukrainian families at holiday meals. Ukrainians organized garbage collection campaigns, they wrote wishes for Romania's Day, they thanked us with traditional products, drawings and handicrafts," Vlad Gheorghe wrote on Facebook on Friday.

He mentioned that this is the second aid group for Ukrainians in Europe, after a similar one in Poland, a country with twice the population of Romania.

Vlad Gheorghe said that, in twelve months, the group had 165,272 posts, 782,511 comments, 4,696,539 reactions and 31,035,560 users saw what was discussed.

"We were the first: in the group, in the customs, in the stations. There were 1,756 posts, 7,768 comments and 45,587 reactions per group on the first day of the war. On February 26, the number of posts had increased almost 10 times, to 16,254, and the cases were solved instantly by group. We organized ourselves exemplary before the Romanian Government moved anything. In the first days there were already thousands of people registered on our forms - translators and volunteers who offered accommodation, transport, donations in products and money from the country and from the diaspora," pointed out Vlad Gheorghe.

He informed that the group united Romanians from all corners of the world. Volunteer moderators managed the group from all time zones, from New Zealand to Canada.
TROY, Ill.  The state has cited the assisted living facility Aspen Creek of Troy and fined it $4,000 after a resident with dementia wandered outside into below-freezing temperatures and died last month.

Kathleen "Kitty" Kinkel, 77, was found dead in a field near the back of the facility six hours after she left the building on Jan. 31.

Aspen Creek specializes in caring for people who have dementia.

Following an investigation, the Illinois Department of Public Health accused Aspen Creek employees of failing to supervise Kinkel and follow facility policy when she triggered the door alarm.

The case remains under investigation by the Troy Police Department and the Madison County Coroner's Office. Troy Police Chief Brent Shownes said Tuesday they are still waiting on a final cause of death report, pending the results of toxicological and microscopic tests.

Aspen Creek officials could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.

Illinois Department of Public Health inspectors reviewed video and documents at Aspen Creek and interviewed staff members during its investigation of Kinkel's death. The Belleville News-Democrat obtained their investigative report and notice of fines through a public records request this week.

State investigation finds violations

Video showed that Kinkel put on her coat and went outside at 2:14 a.m., according to state inspectors. They estimated she walked 54 steps from the back door of the facility.

Aspen Creek's exits are designed to remain locked unless someone applies continued pressure to the door for 15 seconds, known as delayed egress, after which an alarm will sound. Staff members use keypads to enter and exit.

Two resident assistants on duty responded to the door Kinkel exited within minutes of the sounding alarm but reported they did not see any person or footprints in the snow, according to the state's review of video and employee statements. One of the resident assistants looked in Kinkel's room twice without going inside and reported it looked like she was lying in bed.

The resident assistants first noticed Kinkel was missing from her room around 5:30 a.m. They thought she might have been in a friend's room but did not check because they got busy, according to the state investigation.

An employee who worked the morning shift at 6 a.m. that day told a state inspector that the resident assistants said all residents were accounted for.

The morning shift staff realized Kinkel was missing around 8 a.m. and saw her purple jacket in the field from a window, employees told the state. They ran to the field, found Kinkel without a pulse and not breathing and called 911.

Kinkel was admitted to the facility about a month before her death. She had worked as a real estate sales associate for 26 years and was a member of the St. Jerome Catholic Church in Troy, according to her obituary. Kinkel is survived by her husband, three children and two grandchildren.

Policy review, training follow resident death

Aspen Creek has since reviewed its wandering and missing resident policy and procedures with all staff members and retrained them on how to respond to door alarms, according to a statement to the state about how it planned to address the issues identified by the investigation. Facilities are required to submit these plans under federal and state law.

The facility also wrote in the statement that it plans to install floodlights with a motion sensor outside each fire exit.

The state cited Aspen Creek for "Type 1" violations, which are the most severe because they are related to severe harm or the death of a resident, and levied the highest fine allowed by state law.

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BERKELEY  Boeings decision to phase out production of the F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet, a trademark of its St. Louis defense business, marks the start of a two-year recalibration for the companys regional operations, and its suppliers.

The Thursday announcement that Boeing will stop new-build production after finishing delivery to the U.S. Navy in late 2025 was not altogether unexpected. The Pentagon has been phasing out purchases of Boeings legacy fighters as it focuses on a next-generation fighter jet.

This is the first time weve gotten a definitive timeline, said Loren Thompson, a defense analyst at the Lexington Institute.

The plane has supported decades of jobs at Boeing, and at McDonnell Douglas before that, and at the companies network of suppliers. The plane graced the silver screen last year in the action movie sequel Top Gun: Maverick.

Boeing said the decision will allow it to devote more resources to next-generation military aircraft, and to ramping up production on other lines like the T-7A Red Hawk, a training craft, and the MQ-25 Stingray, a refueling drone. The company makes a small number of MQ-25 drones in St. Louis County, and plans to produce more at a new assembly line that is under construction in Mascoutah.

Boeing said it still plans to hire in St. Louis over the next five years. The company added 900 jobs in the region in 2022, many of them engineers, another signal of a shift toward future products.

Jeff Windau, an industrials analyst with Edward Jones, said the eventual end to F/A-18 production was a key reason Boeing needed to win other programs and expand. Around five years ago, the company went pretty aggressively after contracts for the T-7A trainer craft and MQ-25 refueling drone programs.

Around 1,500 employees work in Boeings F/A-18 program, the majority of them based in St. Louis. These are highly skilled workers, said Boeing spokesperson Deborah VanNierop. Their skills are easily transferred to our other programs.

The company announced the plans years in advance to allow time to wind down supplies that have long lead times. Boeing will continue to do maintenance and upgrades on the F/A-18s and production could be extended into 2027 if Boeing receives more orders from the Indian Navy.

This is going to have a significant impact on hundreds of companies that provide parts and components for the Super Hornet, Thompson said.

Chuck Gerding, CEO of Dittmer-based Gerding Enterprises, said theres been talk of the end of the F/A-18 program for years.

If production stops in 2025, it will be a challenge for his company, which employs 25 people and has been making parts for the F/A-18 since its inception more than 40 years ago. Though his company also makes parts for other aircraft, Boeing is its largest client and the F/A-18 has been a huge part of its livelihood.

Hes still holding out hope that something will change, to extend the programs lifetime.

Theyre the best fighters in the world. I dont know why the government keeps looking at this to downsize, Gerding said. We put out a good product.

Its one heck of a program, and Id hate to see it go, he said.

Aerospace suppliers will have to adapt, but most are not reliant on any single aircraft program, said Richard Aboulafia, managing director of AeroDynamic Advisory.

Thankfully, the T-7 still has a long ramp ahead of it, Aboulafia said. Thats going to take up a lot of the employment base.

Boeing has about 15,800 employees in the St. Louis area in total, its second-largest workforce after Washington state. The St. Louis operations are mostly focused on defense products like the F-15, the T-7A and the MQ-25.

We are planning for our future, and building fighter aircraft is in our DNA, Steve Nordlund, senior site executive for Boeing St. Louis, said in a statement. As we invest in and develop the next era of capability, we are applying the same innovation and expertise that made the F/A-18 a workhorse for the U.S. Navy and air forces around the world for nearly 40 years.

Photos: A rare look inside the Boeing F/A-18 fighter jet St. Louis assembly line
Authorities in Nepal have denied reports that the famed "Hillary Step" on Mount Everest has collapsed, despite a veteran climber saying he saw it first hand during an ascent last week.

Mountaineer Tim Mosedale, from Everest Expedition, said he passed the sheer rock face near the summit on May 16 and all that remains of it are some blocks, "probably a few tonnes each," that pose a potential danger to climbers.

Named after Edmund Hillary, the first climber to conquer the mountain with Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, the "Hillary Step" is considered the final test of endurance for Everest climbers.

The large rocks were "on quite an incline," Mosedale said. "My suspicion is that if anyone was to try and clamber over that remaining rubble and debris that it would cause it to move."

"It would probably be quite unstable, and would cause significant hazard to anyone who was below the climber. So really I think it's an area to be avoided now," he said.

However, Gyanendra Shrestha from the Nepal Tourism Board and Ang Tshering Sherpa, the President of Nepal Mountaineering Association, disputed Mosedale's suggestion that the "Hillary Step" has disappeared.

"This is a false rumor," Ang Tshering Sherpa said. "After this news surfaced ... I checked with Sherpas, climbers, and officials at the Base Camp. Hillary Step is intact."

He said the rock face had been covered by "excessive snowfall ... so some people assumed it had collapsed."

Shrestha said the step had been completely covered by snow so it "made it easier for climbers."

This season, 375 climbers received permission to attempt an ascent of Everest, the largest number since the summit was first reached in 1953.

It has already claimed a number of lives this year, including three in the past weekend.

Since Friday, more than 200 people have successfully scaled Everest, taking the total number this season to around 250, Shrestha said.

Recent deaths on the mountain

The three climbers who died over the weekend have been named as American Roland Yearwood, Slovakian Vladamir Strba and an Australian named in local media as Francesco Enrico Marchetti.

Yearwood, the 50-year-old American climber, died near the mountain's summit Sunday morning.

"Sherpas associated with the American climber are expected to reach the Base Camp this afternoon," Murari Sharma, managing director of Everest Parivar Treks told CNN. "Only then we'll get more details of his death."

Slovakian climber Vladamir Strb died near the "Balcony," a small platform near the summit in the so-called "death zone," also on Sunday, according to the Nepal Tourism Department.

Officials at the Tibet Mountaineering Association told local media the Australian climber passed away "at an altitude of 7,500 m (24,600 ft) on (the) Tibetan side when he was descending to lower camps after suffering from altitude sicknesses at around 8,000 m (26,247 ft)," officials said.

In addition, an Indian climber, Ravi Kumar, has been missing since Saturday. Kumar was on his way down the mountain after reaching the summit when he became separated from his Sherpa guides near the Balcony, Thupden Sherpa, general manager of Arun Treks and Expedition said.

Sherpas accompanying the 27-year old have reached Camp 4 and three other Sherpas have been sent from Camp 2 to look for the missing climber, he said.

"Helicopters cannot fly at that altitude. So, only on-foot search is possible."

As many as 90% of deaths on the mountain occur while descending, Shrestha from the Nepal Tourism Board told CNN.

"They need to manage their energy, (their) oxygen accordingly. It's not only about making it to the top.

"Equally important is how you save energy to make it back to the lower bases. Most people force themselves to the top, leaving them with no energy to come back. You can't force yourself on Everest."
FRIDAY

Con Spirito Concert Series

When Noon Feb. 24  Where First Presbyterian Church of Kirkwood, 100 East Adams Avenue, Kirkwood  How much Free  More info 314-401-0450; chamberprojectstl.org

Chamber Project St. Louis joins the First Presbyterian Church of Kirkwood for its Con Spirito concert series, presenting a half-hour of contemplative music in the Churchs Tree of Life Chapel. By Daniel Durchholz

Lift Every Voice: A Black History Month Celebration

When 7:30 p.m. Feb. 24  Where Powell Hall, 718 North Grand Boulevard  How much $28  More info 314-534-1700; slso.org

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and In Unison Chorus present their annual concert celebrating Black History Month. St. Louis own Kennedy Holmes is the featured vocalist; In Unison Chorus Director Kevin McBeth conducts. By Daniel Durchholz

Niko Moon, Dylan Schneider

When 8:30 p.m. Feb. 24  Where Ballpark Village, 601 Clark Avenue  How much $20  More info axs.com

The WIL Hot Country Nights series continues with a show by Niko Moon as part of his Aint No Better Place Tour. Moon and his wife, Anna, recently welcomed their first child. The couple wrote and recorded I Cant Wait to Love You in anticipation of their daughters arrival. Moon is working on the follow-up to his 2021 debut album, Good Time. By Kevin C. Johnson

Christine Brewer

When Feb. 24-26  Where Hettenhausen Center for the Arts, 400 North Alton Street, Lebanon  How much Prices vary  More info 618-537-6863; singmasterworks.org

Opera great Christine Brewer is the Masterworks Chorale and Childrens Chorus artist-in-residence for the weekend, participating in events that include coffee at 10 a.m. Feb. 24, a free master class at 2 p.m. Feb. 25, and a concert at 3 p.m. Feb. 26 featuring music from the age of swing with the Chorale, Jazz Ensemble and emcee Steve Jankowski. By Daniel Durchholz

SATURDAY

Spring Family & Friends Concert

When 2 and 7 p.m. Feb. 25  Where 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Avenue, University City  How much $5-$15  More info 314-993-9626; slccsing.org

St. Louis Childrens Choirs Spring Family & Friends Concert is presented in two performances. The afternoon session features the groups Music Makers, Childrens Choir 1A and Choristers 3A/3B, while the evening performance spotlights Childrens Choir 1B, Chorale 2A/2B, Concert Choir and Young Mens Chorus. By Daniel Durchholz

Music of the Rolling Stones

When 7:30 p.m. Feb. 25  Where Powell Hall, 718 North Grand Boulevard  How much $40-$70  More info 314-534-1700; slso.org

Its our considered opinion that week in and week out, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra rocks all by itself. But for this performance, the SLSO makes that notion explicit by adding a full rock band and vocalist Mick Adams to perform the music of the Rolling Stones  specifically, the albums Beggars Banquet and Let It Bleed, which include the songs Sympathy for the Devil, Street Fighting Man, Gimme Shelter, Midnight Rambler and You Cant Always Get What You Want. Other hits from the Stones catalog are featured as well. By Daniel Durchholz

Giordano Dance Chicago

When 7:30 p.m. Feb. 25  Where Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center, University of Missouri-St. Louis, 8001 Natural Bridge Road  How much $45-$69  More info metrotix.com

Dance St. Louis presents one of the Windy Citys most celebrated dance ensembles. Dance Magazine has praised Giordano Dance Chicago for its innovation, vision and risk-taking and high-octane performances. The company was founded six decades ago by Gus Giordano, a St. Louis native. By Calvin Wilson

Jackie Joyner-Kersee

When 11 a.m. Feb. 25  Where Jackie Joyner-Kersee Community Center, 101 Jackie Joyner-Kersee Circle, East St. Louis  How much Free  More info 618-274-5437

Former Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee will give away copies of her new picture book, Running for the Gold: Connecting Kids to Dreams. The publisher says the inspirational title encourages children to dream big and offers the same tools she used to win six Olympic medals. Joyner-Kersee will also make two other appearances: 10 a.m. Feb. 24 at Wilkinson Early Childhood Center (1921 Prather Avenue) and 10 a.m. Feb. 27 at Urban League MLK Head Start/Early Head Start Center (437 Laurel Street). By Jane Henderson

SUNDAY

American Authors, Billy Raffoul

When 8 p.m. Feb. 26  Where Old Rock House, 1200 South Seventh Street  How much $25-$30  More info etix.com

Alt-rock band American Authors will release Best Night of My Life on Feb. 10. The title is reminiscent of its smash 2013 single Best Day of My Life. The new album follows a period of growth and maturation and features the single Blind for Love, which the band made available in six versions. With The Best Night of My Life, we really wanted to do something thats never been done before, the bands Zac Barnett said in a statement. This is the most original idea weve ever had. By Kevin C. Johnson

Bush

When 8 p.m. Feb. 26  Where The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Boulevard  How much $45-$75  More info ticketmaster.com

Bush  known for songs such as Glycerine, Little Things, The Chemicals Between Us, Comedown and Everything Zen  released its ninth album, The Art of Survival, in 2022. The rock band is on tour with Jerry Cantrell, Candlebox and Silversun Pickups, though theyre not listed for this 105.7 the Point Birthmonth Show at the Pageant. Bush supported Alice in Chains last summer on tour. Well always love playing those big summer shows and the big stages, but we wanted to do some shows where we could get close to the diehard Bush fans again, the bands Gavin Rossdale said in a statement. Were excited for this run coming up. By Kevin C. Johnson

Music Without Boundaries

When 3 p.m. Feb. 26  Where Powell Hall, 718 North Grand Boulevard  How much $9.50-$19  More info 314-534-1700; slso.org

A concert designed specifically for children ages 5-10, the 45-minute performance features music from West Africa, China, the Balkans, Latin America and the U.S. Musicians include Matthew Henry and the UMSL Percussion Ensemble, Erhu player Rulin Olivia Zhang and accordionist Amir Salesevic. SLSO Youth Orchestra music director Stephanie Childress conducts. Preconcert activities beginning at 2 p.m. include a scavenger hunt. By Daniel Durchholz

MONDAY

Bobby Bostic

When 7 p.m. Feb. 27  Where Florissant Valley library branch, 195 New Florissant Road South  How much Free  More info slcl.org

Bobby Bostic, author of Time: Endless Moments in Prison, discusses his memoir with Post-Dispatch columnist Tony Messenger. Bostic was sentenced as a teen to 241 years for armed robbery. The sentence was without possibility of parole, but in 2010 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled such a sentence was unconstitutional for a juvenile who did not commit a homicide. While in prison, the St. Louisan earned his GED, started a book club and wrote several books. He was paroled last year. By Jane Henderson

TUESDAY

Ciera Horton McElroy

When 7 p.m. Feb. 28  Where Left Bank Books, 399 North Euclid Avenue  How much Free  More info left-bank.com

Debut novel Atomic Family features Cold War fears in South Carolina, focusing on one family. St. Louis author Ciera Horton McElroy writes with veracity about the effects of nuclear waste on the land and water, and brings to life the strange mix of terror and naivete of the era, Publishers Weekly said in a starred review. McElroy will talk about her novel with writer Margaret Hermes. By Jane Henderson

WEDNESDAY

Erin Schreiber

When 8 p.m. March 1  Where Sheldon Concert Hall & Art Galleries, 3648 Washington Boulevard  How much $10-$30  More info 314-534-1111; metrotix.com

Violinist Erin Schreiber has been the St. Louis Symphony Orchestras assistant concertmaster since she joined in 2008. Last week, she was named associate concertmaster. Schreiber also curates the Sheldon Classics program and for this performance has planned an evening of classical and world music, including works by Chick Corea, Edgar Meyer, Bach, Gershwin, Lennon and McCartney, and the world premiere of a piece commissioned by the Sheldon by Mahbod Shrivani, a student from the Mizzou New Music Initiative. Musicians performing the concert are pianist Chase Morrin, percussionist Gabriel Globus-Hoenich, bassist Nathan Farrington and a special guest appearance by Schreiber herself. By Daniel Durchholz

Just One Look

When 7:30 p.m. March 1, March 8, March 15  Where Blue Strawberry, 364 North Boyle Avenue  How much $20-$25  More info bluestrawberrystl.com

Kelly Howe stars as rock legend Linda Ronstadt in Just One Look, a theater piece presented by the Midnight Company and written and directed by artistic director Joe Hanrahan. The show features songs from Ronstadts hugely successful career. By Calvin Wilson
A great work of cinema has more to offer than its surface narrative; look deeper into it, and the viewer will find metaphors and themes meriting thought and discussion.

Dont look too deeply into Cocaine Bear.

Billed as a film by Elizabeth Banks, this flick is exactly what the title suggests: a romp about a large animal with a whole lotta coke pumping through its system.

At its heart, this is a comedy-monster movie, serving up about 90 minutes of cheap laughs and over-the-top manglings.

And theres nothing wrong with that.

Penned by Jimmy Warden, Cocaine Bear is inspired by a 1985 incident involving a wild law-enforcement officer-turned-drug smuggler, a plane crash and a 175-pound black bear roaming the wilderness around Georgias Blood Mountain while taking in a bunch of the powdery narcotic before dying not all that long afterward. From that inciting incident, Warden (The Babysitter: Killer Queen) has spun a wild story centered on a significantly larger bear with a beastly metabolism and a quickly developed drug habit.

The writing leaves a lot to be desired, but the bigger problem is that Banks  a prolific and engaging actor with a gift for comedy  still is finding her way in the directors chair with this, her third effort at the helm. She previously directed 2015s so-so Pitch Perfect 2 and 2019s highly disappointing Charlies Angels.

Sure, she finds a few laughs with Cocaine Bear, but not nearly as many as the situation should have produced. And she struggles to juggle the movies needlessly bloated cast of characters.

Among those encountering the bear at different points are local nurse Sari (Keri Russell), her spirited 12-year-old daughter, Dee Dee (Brooklynn Prince), and the girls friend Henry (Christian Convery); drug dealer Daveed (OShea Jackson Jr.), his heartbroken pal Eddie (Alden Ehrenreich) and Eddies father, Syd (Ray Liotta), the boss of the drug operation who fears Colombians enraged by several pounds of missing cocaine; a trio of young troublemakers, the Duchamps (Aaron Holliday, J.B. Moore and Leo Hanna); Liz (Margo Martindale), a park ranger who has a crush on Peter (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), an animal-rights activist; and Bob (Isiah Whitlock Jr.), a police detective on the drug case.

As the flimsy story unfolds, its at times more interesting to think about the connective tissue with a couple of the cast members and cast members with Banks.

Its great to get a reunion between Russell and Martindale, who shared some memorable moments on the fantastic FX series The Americans. (Russells Americans co-star and real-life husband, Matthew Rhys, portrays the aforementioned smuggler, Andrew Thornton II, but does not share the screen with her or Martindale.)

Modern Family star Ferguson often acted with recurring guest star Banks on that wonderful comedy series.

And Hannah Hoekstra, who portrays a hiker who runs afoul of the bear early in the movie, co-starred in Charlies Angels.

Its also a treat to get one last performance from the late Liotta, even if this wont be remembered among the most memorable from the Goodfellas star.

Jackson (Straight Outta Compton"), Ehrenreich (Solo: A Star Wars Story), Whitlock (BlacKkKlansman), acclaimed character actress Martindale and Convery (Sweet Tooth) add a little bit to the silly proceedings, but only a little.

The stakes never feel that high in Cocaine Bear  you get the feeling that if you care at all about a character, he or she likely will be OK  so youre mostly left to enjoy the maulings, which are reasonably fun  at least as maulings go.

By the way, no actual bears were used in the filming, the production team instead turning to Weta, the New Zealand-based special effects company founded by Peter Jackson, to bring the big gal to menacing life. She looks pretty good.

Given the mediocrity of the material, there probably wasnt a top-level movie about a rampaging, cocaine-fueled bear to be made here. Nevertheless, in the hands of Banks  who gets too little help from editor Joel Negron (Thor: Ragnarok)  Cocaine Bear isnt what it could have been.

Youd expect neither theme nor metaphor, but something beyond the occasional comedic buzz would have been nice.

What "Cocaine Bear"  Two stars out of four  Run time 1:35  Rating R for bloody violence and gore, drug content and language throughout  Where In theaters
ST. LOUIS  Expect to be asked more about cannabis use  what type, how much and how often  when preparing for an upcoming surgery as researchers learn more about complications associated with marijuana and anesthesia.

New U.S. guidelines released in January say all patients undergoing procedures that require going under should be asked details about their marijuana consumption.

Thats because regular users may require more anesthesia and experience worse pain and nausea after surgery, according to research gathered as part of developing the first-ever guidelines for anesthesiologists when it comes to patients cannabis use.

Not only are those who come to a surgery appointment high unable to properly consent to the procedure, the risk of having a heart attack increases within one to two hours of smoking weed, the guidelines warn.

Dr. Samer Narouze, president of the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, the group that developed the guidelines, urged patients to be honest with their surgeons and anesthesiologists. Doctors may have to change the anesthesia plan or delay the procedure.

We need to know if you are using and when and what you are using to plan for a safer and smoother anesthetic for patients  otherwise you will suffer, Narouze said. I mean who wants to suffer from pain after surgery, or who wants to have a heart attack?

Two leading anesthesiologists with SSM Health said the guidelines are much-needed as they care for more patients experiencing the effects of using marijuana and expect to see more.

Missouri is among 21 states that have legalized recreational marijuana, with stores getting the green light to begin sales earlier this month.

Dr. Mick Kilkelly, chief of the adult anesthesiology division at SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital, said since he started practicing in the mid 90s, the focus has gone from crack cocaine to opioids.

Weve been focused on these quote harder drugs and not havent given really a lot of thought to what the implications of cannabis might be, Kilkelly said.

They dont know

The guidelines were developed because along with the increasing use of cannabis, doctors are experiencing issues in the operating room, Narouze said. About 10% of Americans use cannabis monthly, and it is the most commonly used psychotropic drug after alcohol, according to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Dentists also report seeing more patients who have been affected. A recent survey conducted by the American Dental Association found that 56% of dentists reported having to limit treatment to patients who were high from cannabis or another drug, and 46% reported needing to increase anesthesia to treat patients because of their drug use.

Physicians lack formal education about cannabis in medical schools, Narouze said, so the guidelines include information about how cannabis compounds work with receptors in the body, and how the compounds can react with other drugs.

Only recently, few medical schools are starting to add cannabinoid pharmacology into their medical school curriculum, Narouze said. So, they dont know.

Dr. Scott Harshman, director of outpatient anesthesiology procedures at St. Louis University Hospital, said he welcomed the guidelines, especially after moving to St. Louis from Nashville, Tenn., over a year ago.

Having Illinois here just right across river, where recreational marijuana was legalized three years ago, Harshman said, that was one of first things I saw, that there was quite a bit more cannabis use than I was used to.

Harshman said prior to recreational marijuana becoming available in Missouri, he had two patients in one day come to their surgery appointments high. They each had smoked a joint in their cars in the parking lot.

Both were sent home, he said, because they could not properly consent to the risks of surgery, and because the cannabis may have been laced with other unknown narcotics.

He has since learned from the new guidelines that patients also have a nearly a fivefold increased risk of heart attack within one to two hours of smoking marijuana, he said. (Smoking the plant causes THC levels in the blood to quickly peak, while ingesting it does not.)

What this article highlighted was the cardiopulmonary concerns with acute intoxication, Harshman said, which were eye-opening.

The paradoxical effect

Kilkelly said he thinks one of the guidelines most important lessons is how heavy cannabis use (at least 20 days a month) or high-potency variations of the drug with high levels of THC  the chemical that causes the high  does not mean one will experience more of its positive medicinal effects.

Theres reasonable evidence now that is presented in this paper to suggest that people who are regular users of THC actually have more trouble with pain, and more trouble with nausea after anesthesia, which is a little counterintuitive based on what most of us think of medical marijuana is being used for, Kilkelly said.

Narouze called this the paradoxical effect.

A small concentration of THC, like what we see in the medicinal cannabis, it controls pain. But a high potency of THC, it causes the opposite. It makes the patient more sensitive to pain, Narouze said.

Doctors also experience heavy cannabis users needing more anesthesia.

In a nutshell, if they are tolerant to cannabis, they might be tolerant to other anesthetic medications, Nazoue said. We see this frequently. They require higher doses of propofol to fall asleep.

After surgery in the recovery room, he said, heavy or high-potency cannabis users tend to have more pain, nausea and vomiting, low body temperature and shivering, and hypertension.

Harshman said anesthesiologists already take extra precautions to keep patients warm who are elderly and have heart conditions because shivering significantly increases the work of the heart, but now cannabis use will be on his radar as well.

We are going to have to be even more vigilant because of the potential post-op complications that we could have from that, especially in the heavy user of marijuana, he said.

Questions remain

Researchers are still trying to determine why the risk for complications, Narouze said. It may be because patients are experiencing withdrawal symptoms after abstaining from use prior to surgery.

Treatment of the post-operative pain can also be difficult, he said, because heavy users are not only more tolerant to cannabis, they are also likely to have cross-tolerance  they are also tolerant to opioid pain medications.

The guidelines recommends doctors try other pain medications and even nerve blocks or other numbing techniques to block the pain. In limited situations where pain cant be controlled, patients can receive a form of THC called Dronabinol approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for cancer patients to treat nausea and vomiting.

Its not FDA-approved for pain, he said, however, this is the only THC pharmaceutical, and we recommend to use it to treat withdrawal symptoms.

Harshman said the opioid epidemic has already steered doctors towards finding other ways besides opioids to control pain, because uncontrolled pain can lead to chronic pain.

This going to add to that thought process, because to be honest, I hadnt previously considered marijuana as something that would greatly impact our post-operative course, Harshman said. Now that has certainly been brought to light that it does.

Kilkelly said patients in trauma and emergency situations dont always have the luxury of delaying surgery. That is where good communication with surgeons is key, where together they weigh a patients risk factors.

The surgeon may say, Oh, a fivefold increase in heart risk? Yeah, we can wait, its not that urgent, Kilkelly said. Or sometimes the answer is, Hey if we wait an hour, that might be the difference between this fellow losing his leg or not. So, thinking we need to do some extra monitoring, be hypervigilant and go.

A lot of questions remain, such as: If patients stop using cannabis before surgery to improve outcomes, will they get into that withdrawal window? Will that end up making outcomes worse? Which cannabis users require more anesthetic and how much? More rigorous research is needed, Narouze said.

In meantime, one thing is for sure, Kilkelly said. Soliciting information is very reasonable and appropriate and we will dig down a little deeper than before  when someone says, Yeah, I smoke pot.
Joe Holleman Joe Holleman is a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Joe Holleman Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

ST. LOUIS  After several days of silence, a key ally of Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner has spoken on the accident that critically injured a visiting teenager in downtown St. Louis and the controversy swirling around the St. Louis prosecutor.

U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, D-St. Louis, released a statement Friday afternoon that said she was heartbroken about the accident, adding that the victim and her family deserve full accountability.

But, the situation, Bush said, isnt about any one prosecutor or judge.

The harm that Janae Edmondson has endured is emblematic of a system-wide failure.

Janae, a 17-year-old athlete from Tennessee who was visiting St. Louis with her parents, had both legs amputated after she was struck by a car driven by a man who had violated his bond more than 50 times.

Bush has been a visible and vocal supporter of Gardner in the past and has appeared on several occasions with the circuit attorney.

In August 2020, Bush, Gardner and St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones appeared together to celebrate their elections.

Then in 2021, after Jones had been elected mayor, the three joined local activists and met at both St. Louis jails to witness conditions and highlight efforts at corrections reform.

But on Wednesday, in their first public split, Jones criticized Gardner for the handling of the case.

Stopping just short of calling for her resignation, Jones said Gardner really needs to do some soul-searching of whether or not she wants to continue as Circuit Attorney  because shes lost the trust of the people.

In her statement, Bush, however, declined to direct any remarks toward Gardners action, instead saying: Accountability is layered, and in order to obtain the full accountability this situation rightfully demands, each layer must be addressed.

Further on the layer theme, Bush said, There were decisions all across our criminal legal system that contributed to this tragedy  and our community deserves answers.

It is clear that our citys institutions must work more closely together to advance community safety policies that would have prevented the horrific violence that Janae Edmondson has faced.

While avoiding the placement of any specific blame on Gardner or her office, Bush did direct some of the statement toward Gardners critics:

We cannot allow this tragedy to be weaponized by reactionary forces whose sole mission is to expand brutal and arbitrary (prison) strategies that make us less safe, Bush said.

And we must reject disingenuous, misogynistic, and racist calls by state officials to circumvent the will of St. Louisans, she said.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey already has begun a civil lawsuit to oust Gardner, accusing her of failing to perform her duties.

Updated at 4:51 p.m.
ST. LOUIS  Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner spurned calls to resign on Thursday and fired back at critics for waging what she described as a political stunt intended to remove her from office.

Her future now appears to hinge on a legal case that will try to portray her as a failure at her job and could take months to decide.

Gardner has faced criticism for years over dysfunction and understaffing in her office, but it reached a new peak this week over the handling of a robbery case and a downtown St. Louis crash that critically injured a teen.

Thursday brought the biggest threat to Gardners tenure as circuit attorney: Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed a lawsuit that seeks to remove her from office, citing negligence and mishandling of multiple cases.

Bailey, a Republican, had issued an ultimatum for the Democrat prosecutor in St. Louis: resign by noon Thursday or face removal from office.

Noon came and went, and Gardner remained as the citys top prosecutor. Bailey filed his suit at 12:01 p.m.

This is about the rule of law and about justice, Bailey said at a press conference in Jefferson City. Instead of protecting victims, which is her obligation, shes creating more victims by neglect in office.

About two hours later, Gardner held her own press conference to defend her employees and push back against her detractors. The press conference was held in a packed mezzanine outside Gardners office, with a crowd often applauding and shouting its support.

The buck stops with my office and we did our job, Gardner said. Could we do more? We could. But did we do nothing? That is not true.

When a reporter asked Gardner about Mayor Tishaura O. Jones comments that Gardner had lost the trust of the people, the supporters jumped to her defense.

She never lost it! one woman shouted from the crowd.

Well answer the question for her: Were here to support her, and we stand behind her 100%, another man said to applause.

Gardner said she intends to push forward.

Were going to fight very hard for justice in spite of the vitriol, the hate, the racist attacks, the known manipulation of the court procedures to make sure our office fails, she said.

Meanwhile, a spat continued between Gardners office and the city court system over how the robbery suspects case was handled.

Gardner blames judges

The suspect, Daniel Riley, 21, was out of jail despite at least 51 bond violations for a pending 2020 robbery charge that was initially dismissed.

Gardners office has said Rileys robbery case was initially dropped because prosecutors thought the victim died before trial, throwing a wrench into prosecution. But they were wrong about the victim. A judges order from the day the case was dropped shows the victim was alive and present for the hearing, and that prosecutors werent ready to proceed. The case was refiled in July 2022 and is pending.

Riley is now accused of speeding through downtown St. Louis this past weekend and causing a crash that injured a pedestrian from Tennessee, Janae Edmondson, 17. She was in town for a volleyball tournament. Her legs were amputated after the crash.

On the issue of Rileys bond, Gardner blames St. Louis judges, saying they did not accept oral requests from prosecutors to revoke the bond. But a spokesman for St. Louis courts has said prosecutors failed to inform judges of the bond violations.

Court records show no record of prosecutors filing in writing to revoke Rileys bond. But Gardner says that fails to capture the full picture of the case, claiming prosecutors made verbal requests in recent months to judges to keep Riley in jail or strengthen the terms of his bond.

My office cannot make a judge revoke bond for a defendant, Gardner said during her press conference. It is particularly frustrating that the willful ignorance has empowered the ongoing harassment of the hardworking men and women in my office.

Joel Currier, spokesperson for St. Louis courts, said Thursday he could not discuss the 2020 robbery case by law because it was a closed case.

Terry Niehoff, who defended Riley in the robbery case, confirmed in a blog post Thursday that Gardners office did in fact bring to the Courts attention Rileys numerous bond violations and that a judge denied Gardners request to postpone the trial last year.

Niehoff added in an interview later that the judge was right to deny Gardners bond revocation request. Riley was living at home and going to school and his violations were minor, Niehoff said.

In this particular case, when people are saying her office should have filed motions to have the bond revoked  her office did bring that up to the judge, Niehoff said. I know because I was the lawyer on the case.

Still, Niehoff called Gardner incompetent and said she should not have been reelected in 2020.

Attorney generals lawsuit

Broader questions about Gardners tenure will be at the heart of the attorney generals lawsuit, which accuses her of neglect in office and launches an effort to remove her.

The lawsuit focuses on claims that Gardners office failed to keep victims updated on their cases, bungled existing prosecutions and accrued a backlog of more than 3,000 cases by St. Louis police that have yet to be reviewed. It also places blame on Gardner for Rileys case.

Daniel Riley never should have been driving that car, the suit says, calling the teens injuries the direct result of years of willful neglect from Gardner.

The suit also highlights other cases, including Brandon Campbell, a murder suspect who was released after his case was dismissed in July 2021. Gardners office had assigned the case to a prosecutor on maternity leave who failed to attend multiple court hearings. The family of the victim, Randy Moore, told the Post-Dispatch that no one from Gardners office notified them of the dismissal or Campbells release.

Campbell was eventually arrested again and pleaded guilty to manslaughter. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison this month.

Bailey said he would seek an expedited hearing process for his lawsuit, but the case will be heard in St. Louis courts, which will control the timeline. Similar cases in Missouri have taken months.

Baileys lawsuit features a quo warranto maneuver, which has rarely been used to challenge elected officials in Missouri. The legal action centers around whether a person has forfeited the legal right to hold public office.

In 1989, a quo warranto case led to removal of St. Louis License Collector Billie Boykins for failing to collect $3.7 million in business taxes. In 2009, the attorney generals office filed a similar action to remove Dent County prosecutor Jessica Sparks for failing to file cases during a political dispute. Sparks resigned before the case concluded.

Peter Joy, the head of Washington Universitys Criminal Justice Clinic, said the case against Gardner could be difficult because the attorney general alleges neglect  something harder to prove than a crime.

Even if you demonstrate that, in fact, the person has been doing a bad job, the question is, does it rise to the level of an extraordinary intervention to remove an elected official? he said.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said Thursday that if Gardner is eventually removed, he would work with St. Louis officials to find the most qualified candidate and try to put him in that position.

I will tell you its not a St. Louis issue, he said. Thousands upon thousands of Missourians go to that city every day. It affects all of us.

Nassim Benchaabane and Kurt Erickson of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this story.
EAST ALTON  The fire that killed a homeless man in an East Alton storage locker this week appears accidental, police said.

Authorities identified the dead man as James M. Huch, 55, who frequented the Alton and East Alton areas.

Huch's body was discovered by firefighters about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday as they tried to put out a fire at the Stor-All Self Storage facility, at 642 West St. Louis Avenue. Huch was dead inside storage unit J13.

The body was so badly burned that authorities initially couldn't tell if the victim was a man or woman, East Alton police said.

East Alton police asked the Major Case Squad to handle the investigation. They found out that Huch had been dropped off at the storage facility after midnight, shortly before his death.

In a news release Thursday, police said investigators concluded that Huch died in an accidental fire. "There is currently no credible evidence to suggest or support that (Huch's) death is criminal in nature," police said.

Authorities haven't said how the fire started.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, charged a 68-year-old woman from Carrollton, Illinois, with obstructing justice. Police said Paula M. Vinyard gave false and conflicting information to Major Case Squad investigators. Police didn't elaborate.
JEFFERSON CITY  A Webster Groves-based nonprofit that provides mental health treatment for youths is paying a $1.8 million fine to the federal government after officials admitted they overbilled for services.

Great Circle, which has state contracts to provide an array of services for troubled youths across Missouri, admitted making criminal false statements in its claims, but will be able to continue providing assistance to its clients, many of whom have autism or are in foster care.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith Reiter said Friday that Great Circle signed a non-prosecution agreement acknowledging it falsely said it had provided enhanced supervision to youths at its residential treatment facility, which resulted in higher reimbursement rates.

These agreements hold Great Circle accountable by requiring it to admit false billing and pay a civil false claims settlement, without jeopardizing continued access to residential treatment services for children in Missouris foster care program, Reiter said.

The feds and state officials agreed to not prosecute Great Circle because of the nonprofits cooperation and the civil settlement agreement.

Plus, state and federal officials say a criminal conviction could jeopardize services provided to youths.

Our goal is to ensure every child across the state lives in a safe, nurturing environment that will ultimately help them thrive, said Robert Knodell, acting director for the Missouri Department of Social Services. We are sending a strong message regarding the care we expect our children to receive, and we will continue to do whatever it takes to help ensure the safety and well-being of Missouris children.

Great Circle, one of the largest behavioral health organizations for troubled youths in the state, started in 1832 as a home for orphans from the cholera epidemic.

Earlier this month, a spokeswoman for KVC Health Systems told the Post-Dispatch that Great Circle and KVC Missouri finalized an agreement that will guide their integration starting April 1.

The announcement of the legal agreement is the result of a multi-year investigation that included a raid of its Webster Groves headquarters by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2021.

That raid followed the arrest of three employees on suspicion of child abuse or failing to report it. In response to those arrests, state health officials halted admissions to Great Circles youth residential treatment campus.

In a statement issued Friday, Special Agent in Charge Jay Greenberg of the FBI St. Louis Division said, Prioritizing profit over safety can put already vulnerable children in peril.

Im committed to enforcing the law as written, and that involves ensuring that anyone who defrauds the state is held accountable, added Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey.

As part of the agreement, Great Circle admitted falsely claiming to have provided enhanced services for six residents between 2019 and 2020.

Along with agreeing to cooperate in future health care fraud probes, Great Circle under KVC Missouri also will bolster its in-house ethics program.

KVC is based in Kansas City. Great Circle, formerly one of the fastest growing nonprofits in the state serving foster children and children with special needs, has about 800 employees and facilities statewide.

The expanded KVC Missouri team will serve thousands of families each year, offering preventative family strengthening services, foster care, childrens mental health treatment, educational academies, and other services from 20 locations including Kansas City, St. Louis, and Springfield, Jenny Kutz said by email.

Asked what will become of the Great Circle headquarters campus in Webster Groves, formerly Edgewood Childrens Center, and the 442-acre residential treatment property near St. James, formerly Boys and Girls Town of Missouri, Kutz wrote that they are still in the early planning stages about all locations.

What we know for sure is that childrens mental health needs are increasing across Missouri, Kutz wrote. Depression and anxiety are on the rise, and suicide is the third leading cause of death for 10- to 34-year-olds. This affects children in foster care as well as other youth in the community. So were exploring opportunities to meet the increasing acuity and demand for mental health services.

Jesse Bogan of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
MADISON COUNTY  A Metro East man has been charged with murder after authorities say he intentionally hit a woman with his pickup truck.

Richard D. Mayor, 60, of Washington Park, was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Lisa M. Dunnavant-Polach. Mayor remains in jail in lieu of $3 million bail.

Dunnavant-Polach was 46 and from East St. Louis, police said. She died after being struck Tuesday afternoon by a truck on Highway 111 near Bel Air Drive in Pontoon Beach.

She was hit by the pickup as she tried to get into the cab of a semi. The semi's driver had stopped along the road to see if the woman needed assistance.

Police said she and Mayor had dated on and off.

"This was not a random act of violence," Pontoon Beach police Chief Chris Modrusic said in a statement Friday.

One of Dunnavant-Polach's legs was nearly amputated by the crash. She was taken to a hospital in St. Louis, where she died.

"Despite heroic efforts by emergency personnel and Good Samaritans, the victim succumbed to her injuries," Madison County States Attorney Tom Haine said in a release.

Pontoon Beach Police arrived shortly after she was hit. Police soon found Mayor's disabled pickup on Highway 203 in Granite City and arrested him nearby.

Mayor lives in the 2100 block of North 56th Street in Washington Park.
ST. LOUIS  City judges asked the Missouri Supreme Court on Thursday to be excluded from deciding whether St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner should be removed from office, arguing they had a conflict of interest.

Presiding Judge Elizabeth Hogan filed the request hours after Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed suit in St. Louis accusing Gardner of negligence in office and asking her to be removed from her post.

Hogan said all judges on the court's advisory committee could be called to testify during the proceedings and therefore couldn't preside over the case, according to the filing.

The Supreme Court will ultimately decide whether to approve the request and appoint a judge from another jurisdiction.
UPDATED at 9 a.m. Friday with victim's name

ST. LOUIS  A teenage boy was found dead early Thursday in an alley in the Ville neighborhood of St. Louis.

Dontaevion Little, 17, was discovered in the rear alley of the 4200 block of St. Ferdinand Avenue about 2:30 a.m. Thursday.

Officers found him after a report of gunfire on the block. Police said it's possible he had been shot but haven't yet confirmed that's how he died.

On Friday, police spokeswoman Evita Caldwell said the only information she had is that the teen had "puncture wounds."

Homicide detectives are in charge of the investigation. Police said they have no suspects.

Dontaevion lived in the 4000 block of Kennerly Avenue, a half-dozen blocks away from where he died.
The rent paid by the New York State Maple Producers Association to operate a concession stand at the New York State Fair received attention during a recent joint legislative budget hearing.

Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, who had met with the group a day earlier, asked state Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Richard Ball about the rent hikes at an environmental conservation budget hearing on Feb. 14. Woerner, D-Round Lake, told Ball that the rent increased from $10,000 to $25,000.

With Gov. Kathy Hochul proposing an additional $14 million for infrastructure projects at the fairgrounds, Woerner asked Ball if the state is "pricing our (agriculture) groups out of participating" in the fair.

The steep increase highlighted by Woerner surprised Ball, whose department oversees the state fair. In his response, he showed his appreciation for the maple producers' concession stand.

"News to me," he said. "They should've seen like a 1.5% increase... I go there every day (during the fair) and have maple ice cream, so I'm going to chase that one down."

The rent increases have occurred over the last several years, according to Helen Thomas, executive director of the New York State Maple Producers Association. She told The Citizen that the group paid $7,000 in 2014 to occupy space in a corner of the Horticulture Building. Within five years, she said rent jumped to $22,000.

Last year, Thomas said the maple producers paid $24,000 to rent the same space. This year, rent will be closer to $25,000.

Thomas expressed gratitude for Woerner raising the issue at a budget hearing.

"That wasn't anything we asked her to do," she said.

But it struck a nerve. Two days after the hearing, Thomas said she received an email from the state Department of Agriculture and Markets notifying her that the association would receive what she described as a $13,000 "rebate." Alice Maggiore, a fair spokesperson, told The Citizen that it is actually a one-time credit totaling $13,012.50.

That may help, temporarily, to soften the blow of the rent increases. While the increases in the last two years have been minimal, Thomas said the bigger issue is the rent spike that occurred before the pandemic.

When rent jumped to $22,000 in 2019, the association voiced its displeasure. The fair's response, according to Thomas, was that if they didn't want to rent the space, "we'll tear the booth out and put something else there."

"They didn't care whether we came or not," she said.

The fair's finances help explain the rent increases. The fair should be self-sustaining, meaning its operational costs are covered by revenues. But with declining revenues over the last few years, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the state has provided more than $17 million to prop up the fair.

Hochul is hoping to change the fair's financial situation by increasing ticket prices from $3 to $6  children ages 12 and under, along with individuals ages 65 and older, will continue to receive free admission  and doubling the parking fee from $5 to $10.

The 1.5% rent increase for this year is also part of the fair's plan to boost revenues.

"(Agriculture and Markets) and the State Fair has and will continue to price space for vendors and concessions as reasonably as possible as we maintain the goal that our financial plan accounts for expenses and income needed to operate the fair and the fairgrounds for year-round events," said Maggiore, adding that the "modest" rent hike recognizes that fair vendors are recovering from the pandemic.

But as the rent continues its upward climb, Thomas says it's a "big lift" for the association. Other costs are rising, she continued, but the maple producers do not want to give up. They want to keep coming back to the fair for one reason: It's a tradition.

Maple producers have operated a booth at the fair since the 1950s, according to Thomas. One of the group's members noted that they may be the longest-serving concession stand at the fair. Maggiore told The Citizen that the fair does not know which vendor holds that title.

Rent isn't the only challenge for the maple stand. Thomas explained that it took a hit after the Grandstand was demolished before the 2016 fair. When concerts were held at the Grandstand, the association could rely on foot traffic flowing past the Horticulture Building.

Thomas acknowledged it is difficult to know how much the Grandstand's elimination has affected the stand, especially after the fair was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and smaller crowds attended the fair in 2021 and 2022.

Despite the dissatisfaction with past rent hikes and other issues, Thomas said she has a good relationship with Sean Hennessey, who was named interim fair director in 2022. With a new gubernatorial administration and the leadership change at the fairgrounds, she is willing to give all parties a fair shot.

"Everything that has happened with them so far has been cordial and they've expressed interest in helping us," Thomas said. "Let's start from now and go forward and see if it works out well."
CLAYTON  A St. Louis County councilman wants St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner to resign following her offices handling of a robbery case and a crash that critically injured a teen.

Republican Councilman Dennis Hancocks resolution adds to the public calls for Gardners resignation, though its one of the first from St. Louis County elected officials. Gardner has been blamed for failing to arrest a man who violated his bond at least 51 times.

When the person in charge just doesnt take charge and blames everybody else for all of the ills and bad things that are going on, its just time for her to go, said Hancock, a businessman from Fenton.

Daniel Riley, 21, was accused this week of speeding through downtown St. Louis and causing a crash on Saturday, Feb. 18, that injured a pedestrian from Tennessee, Janae Edmondson. Edmondson, 17, was visiting for a volleyball tournament and had to have her legs amputated after the crash.

Hancocks resolution would be symbolic.

The climate in the city impacts everybody in the region. Speeding vehicles dont stop at the county line, Hancock said.

Earlier this week, County Executive Sam Page said he didnt have any recommendations for the city prosecutor.

Hancock joins St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey and Gov. Mike Parson, among other elected officials, in criticizing Gardners handling of Rileys case.

Meanwhile, Gardner defended her office and dismissed demands for her resignation, which she called a political stunt.
JEFFERSON CITY  Top leaders in the Missouri Senate say a plan to expand Medicaid coverage for low-income mothers and their babies may be doomed because of abortion-related language attached to the measure.

Days after the Senate gave broad, bipartisan approval to a plan to offer health insurance coverage to mothers and babies for 12 months after a pregnancy, Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo, D-Independence, said provisions added by a pair of conservative Republican senators puts the extension in jeopardy of receiving federal approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The language attempts to prohibit women who have abortions from receiving the extended benefits.

I dont know why youd throw a monkey wrench into something that expands medical coverage for new mothers for a year, Rizzo said. I dont know many people who could find things wrong with that.

Senate President Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, agreed that the measure, which was given preliminary approval Tuesday, needs to be fixed.

The House has the ability to make changes they think are necessary, Rowden told reporters Thursday. Well see what it looks like when it comes back.

The measure, sponsored by Sen. Elaine Gannon, R-De Soto, and Sen. Tracy McCreery, D-Olivette, is part of a renewed, bipartisan effort to extend Medicaid coverage following the birth of a child as a way to help bolster positive health outcomes in both the infant and the new mom.

The state currently offers the government-funded insurance coverage for two months after a baby is born, but most acknowledge a longer coverage period could help address Missouris high maternal mortality rate.

An average of 61 women died each year between 2017 and 2019 while they were pregnant or within a year of their pregnancies, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said in a recent report.

The report added that three out of every four pregnancy-related deaths were preventable.

The extended coverage period has received heightened attention in the Republican-controlled General Assembly now that nearly all abortions are outlawed in Missouri after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June. The original plan has the backing of anti-abortion lobbying groups.

But, during debate on the floor, Sen. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, and Sen. Bill Eigel, a Weldon Spring Republican who is exploring a run for governor in 2024, successfully added language to prohibit postpartum benefits if a women has an abortion.

Sen. Jill Carter, R-Granby, was among those saying the abortion prohibition would help the measure garner enough votes for passage.

But Rizzo and Rowden said the amended version of the bill is unlikely to pass federal muster in order to go into effect.

I dont believe CMS will take it that way, Rizzo said. What we do know for sure is what they will take. Thats what we should do.

He added that the situation is reminiscent of prior years when members of the conservative caucus held up budget-related legislation over the issues of Medicaid expansion and abortion.

Youre in a situation now where the super, super minority of the majority are again imposing their will on the rest of the body, Rizzo said. Unfortunately for us, it appears theyve won for now.

Along with the Senate bill, at least five similar initiatives have been introduced in the Missouri House, including one backed by House Majority Leader Jon Patterson, R-Lees Summit.

House Speaker Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres, also supports the plan, giving Rowden hope that a clean version of the legislation will return to the Senate later this spring.

Rep. LaKeySha Bosley, D-St. Louis, who is sponsoring a version of the extension in the House, said she hopes the wrinkles can be ironed out in the House.

We all have a consensus that we want this to come out clean because, at the end of the day, were trying to lower our maternal mortality rate, Bosley said. I see this as an opportunity to negotiate.

On top of being backed by leaders in both chambers, Gov. Mike Parson also has made the issue a priority this year, putting $4.4 million into his budget proposal to implement a new maternal mortality prevention plan to provide support and address preventable deaths of expecting and postpartum mothers.

An estimated 4,565 women would have coverage extended if the bill passed. The proposal could cost $10.7 million by 2025, a legislative analysis of the measure noted.

I think were all worried about a program that I would argue 90% of both chambers really, really want, Rizzo said.

The legislation is Senate Bill 45.
On Saturday, a St. Louis man sped down a downtown street, causing a crash that critically injured out-of-town teen Janae Edmondson.

That man, Daniel Riley, 21, was on bond facing robbery charges. His case had been dismissed once by the office of St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner. And court records show he had violated terms of his bond 51 times since.

In the aftermath, state and local officials called for Gardners resignation. In response, Gardner released a list of claims defending her office and blaming the courts, instead.

The Post-Dispatch asked both parties for documents to prove or refute their claims. The court responded by releasing the transcripts of two hearings. Gardners office provided no documentation.

Here, the Post-Dispatch fact-checks the statements, point-by-point:

Gardners statement: On Nov. 6, 2020, when the robbery case was filed against Riley, Judge Bryan Hettenbach released Riley on a personal recognizance bond with GPS monitoring.

APPEARS TRUE. The court released a transcript of an earlier hearing, on Sept. 8, 2020, in which Gardners office did not oppose Hettenbach putting Riley on house arrest with a GPS tracker and curfew.

It doesnt look like this defendant has any kind of criminal history ... Assistant Circuit Attorney Ross Gipson said. If the Court is inclined to grant house arrest on this case, we would ask that its standard GPS conditions, stay away and a curfew be imposed along with that.

Gardner: On Dec. 12, 2021, prosecutors asked for a bond revocation. Hettenbach denied the request.

APPEARS TRUE. Neither party released records on the matter. But Rileys defense attorney at the time, Terry Niehoff, said Gardners office indeed asked Hettenbach to put Riley back in jail and the judge indeed denied the request.

But Andrew Bailey, the state attorney general who filed Thursday to remove Gardner from office, said the court docket did not show any sign that Gardner filed a motion to revoke Rileys bond. And, Bailey noted, Dec. 12, 2021 was a Sunday.

Gardner: On April 29, 2022, the court set a trial date for July 18, without allowing the state to ensure witnesses were available.

UNCLEAR. No records were available. But Niehoff said the judge did set the date without checking with prosecutors first, which he said is common  the court expects the parties to request a new date if theyre not available or ready.

Gardner: Prosecutors asked Hettenbach for a short continuance due to witness unavailability as well as their own inability to make the trial date. The defense also did not believe the trial would proceed on that date. Hettenbach refused the request. Gardners office then dismissed the case and immediately refiled it.

APPEARS TRUE. Court records show Hettenbach dismissed the case and noted that prosecutors werent ready to proceed. Niehoff said he didnt expect to go to trial because he believed the parties had reached a plea deal. That fell apart the morning of the trial, he said, when the family of the victim pushed for a trial.

Gardner: The robbery case was dropped and refiled because the victim died before trial. Gardner made the claim Tuesday.

FALSE. A judges order from the day the case was dropped shows the victim was alive and present for the hearing, and prosecutors werent ready to proceed.

Gardners office said Thursday that its confusion was the result of a computer system error that electronically labeled the victim as deceased because a victim with a similar name in another case was dead.

Gardner: On Aug. 10, 2022, Hettenbach released Riley on personal recognizance with a GPS tracker against prosecutors wishes.

AT LEAST PARTLY FALSE. A transcript of the Aug. 10 hearing shows Gardners office agreed with defense attorney Daniel Diemer to release Riley on house arrest with a GPS tracker. ... We actually reached a consent with defense to have the defendant released on his own recognizance, with the added conditions of GPS and house arrest, said Assistant Circuit Attorney Jonathan Phipps.

Allison Hawk, Gardners spokesperson, said the offices files show prosecutors wanted him kept in jail but reluctantly agreed to move forward. Hawk did not provide proof.

Gardner: In November, the court modified Rileys bond to allow him to leave home for work, although the court already knew that Riley had been leaving the residence.

AT LEAST PARTLY TRUE. Court records show Riley repeatedly violated the terms of his bond, often by leaving his house. Its unclear if the court was informed. Court records do not say if his bond was altered.

Gardner: In January, at an unspecified date, Gardners office asked the court for a hearing to address Rileys bond. The court did not respond.

UNCLEAR. Court records do not show any formal request from Gardners office to Judge Lynne Perkins, who was on the case then, for a hearing related to Rileys bond, though it would not be uncommon for prosecutors and defense attorneys to discuss bond terms at any case hearing. A spokesperson for the court said Friday Perkins did not receive a request for such a hearing. It is unclear if another judge, who later took over the case, received such a request.
JEFFERSON CITY  One St. Charles County state senator has decided to jump into the scrum of people criticizing St. Louis officials over crime by filing a bill Thursday to recall them in a special election this November.

The measure by state Sen. Bill Eigel, a Weldon Spring Republican who is seeking attention as he explores a bid for governor in 2024, filed the Fire Them All Act, which would place Mayor Tishaura O. Jones, Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner, and members of the Board of Aldermen who have served at least six months in office on the ballot for a recall election on Nov. 7.

Criticism of St. Louis officials  with most of the heat being directed at Gardner  reached new levels this week amid controversy over a man who had violated his bond more than 50 times accused of causing an accident that severely injured a visiting teenage volleyball player. Janae Edmondson, 17, lost both legs.

Eigel said the incident should not overshadow every other horrific event, or shooting or murder or violent crime thats been happening down in the city as its descended into chaos.

Theres all this attention focused on Kim Gardner, but for a mess thats as big as what were seeing in St. Louis, it cant be just one person, Eigel said. It doesnt escape my notice or a lot of folks notice that ... Tishaura Jones, the mayor, immediately turns around and begins to try to distance herself from anybody she thinks is going to get blamed.

St. Louis Board of Aldermen President Megan Green fired back on Friday: It is going to be hard for a Republican candidate for governor to have the worst idea, but Senator Eigels proposal is definitely a frontrunner.

A spokesman for the mayor declined to comment on Eigels legislation.

Following municipal elections April 4, and with new members of the board expected to take office by mid-April, all members of the board would face recall elections if the legislation is quickly signed into law with a clause allowing it to immediately take effect.

The officials wouldnt face opponents; voters would be asked whether they support or oppose the removal of an official.

If a majority of voters decide to oust an official from office, the post would sit vacant, prompting a special election. The measure says officials who lose their recall vote wouldnt be able to run in a special election to fill the seat.

The effort appeared to be more of a statement-maker than a viable piece of legislation.

Thats one idea, said Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, on Thursday. Probably not the best one.

Eigel said lawmakers would need to pass, and Gov. Mike Parson would need to sign, the law expeditiously, and with an emergency clause, for it to be in effect for November  a tall task for such a controversial proposal in the middle of the legislative session.

I think the primary goal is a statement-maker, Eigel said. We know at this point the state is going to have to get involved in the city of St. Louis to fix the path that theyre on.

The message that were communicating just in the title of that bill (is) ... all of them are responsible for it and all of them need change, he said.

The legislation adds to current efforts directed at the city, including a move to allow Parson to appoint a special prosecutor who would have exclusive jurisdiction over violent crime cases in the city, rather than the circuit attorney.

A Senate hearing on the special prosecutor legislation, which has already cleared the House, is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Monday in the Senate Lounge of the Capitol.

A separate effort for a state takeover of the St. Louis Police Department cleared the House Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee on Thursday and awaits a vote in a House rules committee before likely floor debate.

Members of the committee approved the measure on a 20-4 vote, with all Republicans voting in favor.

The committees three St. Louis Democrats  Reps. Marlon Anderson, LaKeySha Bosley and Kimberly-Ann Collins  along with Rep. Jo Doll, D-Webster Groves, voted against the state takeover.

But, Democratic Reps. Ian Mackey, who represents a St. Louis County district, and Robert Sauls of Independence, voted for the takeover.

Also Thursday, Sen. Nick Schroer, R-Defiance, filed a resolution condemning Gardner. The resolution hasnt received a vote.

The legislation is Senate Bill 658.
WASHINGTON  Vice President Kamala Harris pushed back against Sen. Josh Hawleys criticism over the United States military support for Ukraine, as support for helping Ukrainians fight back against Russia has begun to wane among Republicans.

In a speech to the Heritage Foundation last week, Hawley, a Missouri Republican, argued that funding Ukraine took resources away from what he sees as the militarys more serious threat  China.

Harris, who served in the Senate with Hawley, was dismissive of his argument.

You should never underestimate the capacity of the United States of America to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time, Harris said.

Her comments come the same week that President Joe Biden made an unannounced visit to Kyiv, where he doubled down on his support for the country as it continues to fend off a Russian army that invaded a year ago.

What literally is at stake is not just Ukraine, its freedom, Biden said before meeting with leaders of countries on the eastern flank of the NATO alliance. The idea that over 100,000 forces would invade another country  since World War Two, nothing like that has happened. Things have changed radically. And we have to make sure we change them back.

Hawley, who has long been opposed to U.S. efforts to support Ukraine, dismisses the argument that supporting Ukraine is important for deterring other countries from launching invasions of their own.

Its rooted in the fanciful idea that if we want to stop tyrants, all we need to do is show them were not afraid, Hawley said in his speech last week. That if we stand up to one bully, all the others will just slink away. Thats Hollywood. Thats not reality. In the real world, we have limited military resources, and our adversaries know it.

Now, after Congress appropriated more than $112 billion in funding for Ukraine in 2022, Hawleys opposition has begun to pick up support  a recent AP poll found that just 48% of Americans said they supported sending weapons to Ukraine, down from 60% three months ago.

In his speech at the Heritage Foundation, Hawley leaned into the nationalist rhetoric hes used to build his base  making an economic argument that the political establishment had sold out everyday Americans by opening up trade with China. He called those who supported helping the Ukrainians the uniparty, using a term that is popular on the far right.

But some of the most establishment Republican figures, like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, have agreed with Hawley that China is still a serious threat and that European countries need to increase their support for Ukraine.

If you want sustained political support in America for our staying engaged and invested in maintaining a Europe that is whole, free, and at peace, McConnell said at the Munich Security Conference Friday, Then Americas friends on this continent must mirror the resolve and reciprocate the commitment that you hope to see from us.
Many if not most citizens appreciate the immense value that high-quality public schools bring to our community. Missouris constitution provides for free public education because a general diffusion of knowledge and intelligence is essential to the rights and liberties of the people. Simply put, public education is the bedrock of democracy.

It would be dangerous to allow the current attacks on our schools to go unanswered. There is a concerted effort to take over local school boards by those who would divert public money to myriad, unaccountable private schools, including religious institutions. This would severely undermine our public schools.

Public schools unite us. At a time when we often see growing division, our schools bring our communities together. We are experiencing growing inequities across society, particularly with the deepening divide in wealth. This is no time to use our education system to further segregate ourselves. Our schools are the only institution in which citizens of all races, creeds, religions, social standing, and economic condition come together to form a united community.

We believe that public money should be used for public schools. Parental choice sounds appealing. But it really means that our local public schools would be drained of the vital resources they need to fulfill their mission. The direct and indirect diversion of money from public schools through voucher and tax credit schemes fuels inequity and division. It would be catastrophic for our local public schools. We dont need five or 20 or 50 publicly funded school systems in each area. We need one, and it needs to be really good. In particular, government funding of religious institutions is a bad idea on many levels and inevitably results in the violation of the religious freedom guaranteed in the First Amendment.

There is so much to celebrate in our local schools. Every day, teachers, staff and administrators go to work to unselfishly give of themselves, often under very trying circumstances, to change the world for the better, one child at a time. They deserve our support and gratitude. They deserve our respect. They labor in a world in which those with less learn alongside those with more. Teachers foster an environment in which the opportunity to succeed in America is placed before every child. Their success and that of their students often goes unheralded.

They bring hope to the hopeless, inspiration to the indifferent, justice and equity to those who have been left behind. They challenge the gifted and motivate all students in every part of our state to be the best they can be. They create critical thinkers and place within their students a lifelong thirst for knowledge and wisdom and motivation. They celebrate diversity and say no to bigotry, hatred, and violence fueled by ignorance. Public schools enrich our lives.

Those who would tear our schools down often cite instances where schools have fallen short. They use manufactured culture war issues and slogans that fuel division and fear. Everyone wants accountability to taxpayers, transparency and efficiency in our schools. The difference is we believe that we improve our schools and hold them accountable not by robbing them of resources but by ensuring they have the resources needed to meet the demands placed upon them. We understand that great public schools mean strong and prosperous neighborhoods and communities. Freedom itself depends on good public schools. We recognize that not all of societys ills can be solved in the classroom. But we know that without high quality public schools, those problems get worse.

We strongly believe that the effort to make school board elections partisan is seriously misguided. We reject the endorsement of slates of school board candidates by county political parties. We seek to build a nonpartisan movement and welcome independents, Republicans, Democrats, conservatives, liberals and moderates who support public education. We understand that governance is always political to some extent, but we believe that our families and our communities are best served by a school system that avoids the excesses of partisan politics.

It is exciting to see the many organic movements that have recently arisen to support our schools. These groups want the governance of our local school districts to be in the hands of those who value public education and who want to continue the work of building institutions that serve all citizens. We have formed St. Charles County Families for Public Schools to provide an avenue for those who love our schools to get involved and to make a positive difference.

Ted House is a former state senator and circuit judge in St. Charles County. Pamela Sloan is a retired teacher and former school district superintendent in St. Charles County. Mary Hendricks-Harris, a retired teacher and former school district superintendent in St. Charles County, also contributed.
After a visiting Tennessee teen lost her legs Saturday night in a downtown crash caused by a speeding traffic violator, local officials were quick to assert that this kind of lawlessness doesnt reflect what St. Louis stands for. No, its exactly what St. Louis is: A place where criminals go unprosecuted, where speeders and red-light runners go unchallenged by police, and where law-abiders fear for their lives at just about every street corner. And because top St. Louis officials respond with incompetence amid rampant lawlessness, while voters dont hold them accountable, this is exactly what St. Louis stands for.

First, though, lets not lose sight of the primary tragedy at hand. Janae Edmonson, a high schooler from Tennessee, was with her parents for a Dome at Americas Center volleyball tournament. In an instant, her life went from promising athlete bound for college to one of cruel uncertainty. She will never walk again on her own legs. A young life full of promise will, for the foreseeable future, be filled with crushing challenges and constant struggle. She and her family deserve every ounce of support and every dollar of donations that St. Louisans can send their way.

The Edmondson familys lives have been turned upside down because, police say, 21-year-old Daniel Riley was left free despite 50-plus bond violations related to his arrest for a 2020 robbery. Riley somehow got the idea that he could drive around town at ridiculous speeds, ignoring traffic signs and plowing through intersections. Riley somehow got the idea that the bond restrictions limiting his movements and requiring him to be monitored at all times didnt really apply to him.

That person should not have been in that car, said Jeff Wismer, the assistant director of Janae Edmonsons volleyball club. That person should not have been behind the wheel Saturday night.

Riley had Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner to thank for his freedom because, once again, she couldnt be bothered to do her job. Riley had Mayor Tishaura Jones to thank for having so defanged St. Louis police that they no longer appear to be enforcing the most basic of traffic laws. Riley had St. Louis voters to thank for putting an incompetent like Gardner into office  and then reelecting her to the job despite her record of gross mismanagement.

Now Gardners incompetence is the talk of the town in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, as local television stations recount Rileys multiple bond violations, the fact that he was supposed to be under home arrest, and that Gardners office failed to notify the judge in his case that he was in violation so his bond could be revoked.

Its also the talk of the town in St. Louis and Jefferson City. Jones now demands accountability and says Gardner has lost the trust of the people. The state Senate president called on Gardner to resign. Greater St. Louis Inc. Chief Executive Jason Hall stated Wednesday: The ongoing failures of the Circuit Attorneys office  with regard to the individual involved in this case as well as a litany of other cases that have not been brought to justice  are unforgivable.

Gardners office appears to have lied about circumstances that originally led to the postponement of Rileys trial. A prosecutor dropped the case and refiled it, claiming at a hearing that the robbery victim had died. But the victim was alive and present for the hearing. Its exactly this kind of nonsense that bolsters the Missouri Legislatures case for appointing a special prosecutor to relieve Gardner of major duties. Despite recent assertions by Black leaders, the bill before the Legislature has nothing to do with Gardners skin color and everything to do with her inability to keep dangerous people off the streets.

News wire stories will spread across the country recounting how a young womans life has been ruined because of it. With each newspaper story and news broadcast in cities like Murfreesboro, Americans will begin to get the message that St. Louis is a city to be avoided at all costs. And since Edmonsons trip here was associated with the dome and convention center, the reputation of that complex, now undergoing an expensive expansion, will be attached to the fact that wanton criminality has destroyed a young womans life.

Kitty Ratcliffe, president of Explore St. Louis, said in a written statement that the incident was reckless and not reflective of St. Louis.

Shes wrong. This entire nightmare is absolutely reflective of the dangers faced by residents and visitors alike: pedestrians mowed down while crossing the street in Tower Grove South, robbed at gunpoint or carjacked, or having to run for their lives amid a spray of bullets downtown.

Ask Jones and Aldermanic President Megan Green what their solutions are. The answer will be something as mind-numbing as what Jones issued on Tuesday: Our city can and must do a better job of working together to hold those who endanger our communities accountable. Traffic violence is an issue that impacts our entire city.  I remain committed to major investments in street and pedestrian infrastructure to keep our city safe no matter how they choose to get around  walking, biking, driving, or using public transit  as we also explore enforcement solutions.

Note those final words: explore enforcement solutions. Explore means she and other officials still are in the thinking, analyzing, hoping and wishing phase of some vague action to happen sometime down the road. Enforcement solutions is Jones way of not saying the word policing. Because shes made clear she does not want more and better policing to be a part of the solution. She has embraced the defund-the-police movement, axed the police recruitment budget and done the minimum possible to help law enforcers confront the criminals menacing St. Louisans and visitors.

A teenager has lost her legs. And her tragedy absolutely is reflective of St. Louis and its leadership.
Gardner long deserved removal for incompetence in office

Contrary to St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardners statements earlier this week, this is exactly the time to point fingers, name names, and hold incompetents such as her to account (Man charged with hitting teen in downtown St. Louis violated bond more than 50 times, Feb. 21). The tragedy of a high school girl being maimed by serial bond-violator Daniel Riley is the latest in a long list of egregious examples of Gardners inability to prosecute criminals. She has been an embarrassment to St. Louis and to the legal profession.

Its been long past time that someone should have removed Gardner from office. She made clear that she has no shame and resisted calls to resign. The Missouri Bar should have stepped in and disbarred her or at least suspended her from practicing law. There has been plenty of evidence to support such a move.

Gardners office lied in statements about the Riley case. Her office said it was dropped and refiled because the witness had died, which was directly refuted by the trial judge who said the witness was alive, in court and prepared to testify  but Gardners office was unprepared to proceed.

She then had the audacity to throw the court under the bus by stating it is ultimately the courts decision whether Rileys bond should be revoked. The court cannot rule on a matter that has never been put before it in writing by the prosecutor.

Riley violated bond more than 50 times, with essentially no consequences. This incompetent non-prosecution of criminals must stop, now.

Mike Smith  Union

With St. Louis leaders failing on crime, state must step in

How terrible that a young volleyball player from Tennessee comes to St. Louis to participate in a tournament and will go home without her legs after being hit by a lawless driver. Its time for this city to get a grip on crime. People are fed up.

But its not going to happen with Mayor Tishaura Jones, Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner, Aldermanic President Megan Green and U.S. Rep. Cori Bush in power. They favor coddling the criminals as opposed to hiring more police officers. Local control of the police is not working and the Circuit Attorneys Office has been a disaster since Gardner took over.

A definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result. I think its time to end the insanity and hire more officers, have the state take over the police department and oversee prosecution of major crimes the local prosecutor cant possibly handle.

Steve King  Compton Heights

Missouri disability aid providers deserve a pay hike

Gov. Mike Parson failed to include any funding increase for community-based disability providers like Easterseals Midwest, of which I am the chief executive, in the recommended 2024 Missouri budget. The disability community and those of us who provide services to them are, to put it simply, being left behind.

Over the past two years, Missouri has made huge strides to fund disability service providers and the essential workforce behind them. For that, we are extremely grateful. The increased funding has allowed us to raise the wages of our essential direct-support professionals.

But this is still not enough and our legislators know it. In fact, a supplemental budget has moved through the approval process to appropriate an 8.7% cost-of-living adjustment and a $2-per-hour shift differential for state front-line workers. The funding we are fighting for is the same funding being approved for state services.

Direct-support professionals remain underpaid for their essential contributions to our community. Sadly, due to low wages that stem from underfunded federal and state disability services, more than half of them access publicly funded services, work multiple jobs or leave the industry altogether, costing providers dearly.

The nearly 6,000 Missourians with disabilities that we serve annually and the tireless workforce that they rely on deserve better. Parson and our legislators should prioritize the disability community by supporting a rate increase for community-based providers in the 2024 budget.

Wendy Sullivan  St. Louis

Post-Dispatch is being priced out of loyal readers reach

I received my notice of the Post-Dispatchs most recent price increase. My new cost is more than $100 per month. The Post-Dispatch is slowly forcing loyal readers to cancel, and what a shame that would be.

The newspaper is a source of enjoyment and bonding between me and my grandson. I started reading the comic section to him when he was 3. Hes now 13 and doesnt miss a morning. He would save and share the comic section with his friends. They enjoy them as they, like many families, hadnt experienced the joy of a hardcopy paper. Call me old-school when it comes to wanting to hold the news.

Im afraid that with the papers ongoing price increases and the reduction in comics and news coverage in the hardcopy paper, we will see more subscribers leave. In turn, the paper will lose future generations of readers and the invaluable bonding experience of reading and sharing the news together as a family.

We are going to hold on to this for as long as we can, the Post-Dispatch is quickly pricing this out of our reach and that of others. Please think twice about any future increases and reductions in service.

Bill Behr  Lake Saint Louis

Read letters online at STLToday.com
Robller Vineyard was honored by Karen MacNeil in her book The Wine Bible 3rd Edition (Workman Publishing 2022.) Robller's winemaker, Jerry Mueller, surprised the fine-wine world with the results of his meticulous approach to crafting fine wine in Missouri, which many thought not possible.

Robller Vineyard in New Haven, Missouri was recognized in the newest release of Karen MacNeil's book, The Wine Bible 3rd Edition (Workman Publishing 2022. Karen and her books are trusted resources and top references for sommeliers. Winemaker Jerry Mueller accepted this honor as validation for his efforts to raise the profile of Missouri wine .

Karen MacNeil's wine knowledge and experience is beyond incredible. You can rely on her insight," said Jerry. "She and her staff evaluate thousands of fine wines from all over the globe, so it's rewarding to know our wines and message are cutting through."

Jerry was reached through email as they were considering the winery for the latest edition. Intrigued by his many positive reviews, staff members found his website communicated a degree of professionalism not found in the region. At first, he could not quite believe it, but was humbled by the honor.

Being included in Karen's latest update is serious recognition for a region known more for its historic contribution to the US wine industry than for current winemaking. Jerry has raised the stakes, and his work challenges an industry convinced that producing fine wines isn't possible.

Karen's staff found Robller Vineyard wines European in style , different and compelling. They insisted Robller wines should be recognized and promoted because they are "doing things we just don't see."

Jerry takes a dynamic approach to the science of producing wine, combining modern techniques and innovation with European tradition to create world-class wine. The family business includes vineyards which have been producing for over 30 years. Robller Vineyard invites both wine lovers and wine neophytes to experience Robller wine, born of a love for great wine and crafted with precision.

The winery is located in New Haven on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River near Hermann. It is part of the Hermann Wine Trail, which is geared more toward history and tourism than wine. Most other wine regions focus on wine quality to draw visitors. Robller Vineyard is leading Missouri in fine wine quality and the local industry should take notice.

At Robller Vineyard, winegrowing and great winemaking are its passions. The complex, premium wines reflect its dedication to the land and its culture. As one of the Midwest's top estate-style wineries, Robller Vineyard is its pride and legacy.

From modest beginnings, Robller founder Robert Mueller and his wife Lois relocated from their home in St. Louis to New Haven, returning to their German heritage and their love of winemaking. Winemaking at home was always part of the Mueller family culture.

Robller Vineyard carries a rich character and history. For over 200 years, the land offered row crops, orchard fruit, and livestock, all self-sustaining. Today, Robller maintains this ideal through their estate-grown wines.

Contact Info:

Name: Jerry Mueller

Robller Vineyard

275 Robller Vineyard Road, New Haven, Missouri 63068, United States
Disagreements between the Pakistani and IEA (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) governments over how to deal with the TTP (Pakistani Taliban) have resulted in the TTP remaining safe in their Afghan camps while launching attacks across the border in Pakistan. This is mainly because of political surprises in Afghanistan. Pro-Pakistan officials in the IEA government complain about how they have lost control of government policy. Pakistan believed that once the IEA took over the pro-Pakistan members of the IEA government would give Pakistan their long-desired control over the Afghan government.

That might have happened except for the fact the official leader of the Afghan Taliban, Mullah Hebatullah Akhundzada, is unpopular with many Taliban faction leaders, in part because Akhundzada was seen as a figurehead and his chief deputy, the head of the Haqqani Network, is actually in charge. That was true but the secret was that Akhundzada only acted as a figurehead because he had to operate from the Pakistan sanctuary in Quetta, a city just across the border from the Afghan province of Kandahar, where many of the original Taliban came from. Kandahar was where Akhundzada went after the IEA replaced the IRA (American backed-Islamic Republic of Afghanistan) in mid-2021. Once in Afghanistan Akhundzada could exercise his power as the official head of the Taliban and do so without potentially lethal pressure from Pakistan.

The Pakistanis underestimated how widespread the hatred of Pakistan was in Afghanistan, even among the many Afghan Taliban who seemed to maintain a pro-Pakistan attitude. Pakistan believed this would neutralize the many Afghan Taliban factions who had openly expressed their opposition to Pakistan interference in Afghanistan. Mullah Akhundzada was a highly respected Islamic scholar who rarely commented on his political beliefs. The Pakistani ISI (military intelligence service) that created the Taliban in the mid-1990s and managed them ever since misjudged Akhundzadas silence on his attitude towards Pakistan. This was seen as agreement with or neutrality towards the ISI and Pakistan in general. Akhundzada had widespread support in Afghanistan while the pro-Pakistan IEA officials who were appointed while the Taliban were still in Quetta had little such support.

When Akhundzada overruled the Pakistan backed IEA officials it was clear he was no longer a figurehead. Akhundzada was not a rigid religious fanatic either. When he imposed a ban on womens higher education in December 2022, he paid attention to the reaction of most Afghans and agreed to lift most of the restrictions. Akhundzada understands he is responsible to what Afghans, not the ISI, want.

This revelation means a lot of problems for the ISI and the Pakistan military, who are in trouble with Pakistan voters and elected officials who are closing in on curbing the independence of the Pakistan military. The militarys policy towards Afghanistan played a minor role in this but the revelation that the Afghans hate the Pakistani military as much as most Pakistanis do will have implications for the future of the Pakistan military. Inside Afghanistan, the pro-Pakistan Haqqani government officials are being told to not criticize IEA leader Akhundzada openly because that might lead to more anti-Pakistan violence inside Afghanistan.

Another Afghan problem with Pakistan is that Pakistanis tend to take their Islam very seriously. This is part of a larger problem because since the founding of Pakistan in 1947 there has been frequent and continuing sectarian, religious and ethnic violence. Religion continues to be a major cause of violence. Attacks are carried out between different sects of Islam, primarily Shia and Sunni but there are other sects that attract violent attention. There is even violence between identical religious/ethnic groups because those who lived in Pakistan before 1947 dont get along with those who fled Indian anti-Moslem violence in 1947 and settled in Pakistan. Most Moslem Indians stayed in India in 1947 and India currently has more Moslems than Pakistan. There is religious violence on both sides of the border but it is worst in Pakistan, whose name translates to Land of the Pure.

Afghans, in contrast, tend to be more tolerant. The exception is radical Afghan Moslems like the original Taliban. Their radical attitudes were the result of the Taliban being created by the Pakistani military in the mid-1990s. This left a lethal legacy as clashes in northwest Pakistan between Pakistani troops and Islamic terrorists continues. To a lesser degree, violence occurs in the southeast (Baluchistan) with Baluchi separatists. Afghans and Pakistani elected officials blame the Pakistani military for causing the separatist and religious violence and the resulting economic problems. While Pakistanis complain of their Afghan problem the Afghans are more justified complaining about a much more active and damaging Pakistani problem.

February 22, 2023: Iran has agreed to recognize the IEA government in Afghanistan. There are still disagreements between the two countries and the resumption of diplomatic relations makes it easier to discuss possible solutions to disputes. Currently the only countries willing to trade with Afghanistan are China, Russia, Pakistan and Iran. Since IEA took over in 2021, Afghanistan has been a much more difficult country to do business in.

February 21, 2023: In Kabul a bomb attached to a car detonated. There were no injuries and no group took responsibility.

February 20, 2023: China is increasing its trade with Afghanistan. In December 2022 China imported $9.1 million worth of Afghan goods while selling Afghanistan $59 million worth goods. At this rate China will become Afghanistans second largest trading partner, after Pakistan.

February 19, 2023: In the east (Nangarhar province) at the Torkham border crossing near the Khyber Pass, there was gunfire nearby that caused the busy border crossing to be closed for at least five days, and maybe more because of the inability of IEA and Pakistan agreeing on who is allowed to travel from Afghanistan to Pakistan.

February 16, 2023: The IEA released a photo of the first three pilots trained for the IEA Air Force. The three men were trained to operate the MD-530 helicopters that were captured intact after the Americans suddenly withdrew their forces. In late 2019 the IRA air force received the last five MD-530F armed scout helicopters. The IRA received 40 MD-530s between 2010 and 2019. By 2017 the U.S. had already supplied twenty MD-530F helicopters armed with machine-guns, missiles and rockets and the U.S. agreed that year to supply 30 more. These are easier to operate and maintain than the Russian Mi-35s and cheaper as well. The IRA Air Force planned to more than double its helicopter force to 214 by 2024 and replace all the Russian helicopters with American ones in the process. The plan was incomplete when the IEA took over in 2021.

February 13, 2023: In central Afghanistan (Ghor province) foreign aid NGOs report that the provincial Taliban officials are trying to impose a heavy tax on the NGOs. The Taliban are demanding that 30 percent of the air be given to the government. This includes salaries paid to those working for the NGOs. The NGOs call it extortion and threaten to pull out of the province rather than pay. The IEA government assured NGOs that these practices were no longer allowed and the NGOs want the IEA to act or lose foreign aid in Ghor Province.

February 10, 2023: Uzbek warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum has declared war on the IEA. Dostum is 68-years-old and has become a senior politician and military commander. Since the IEA takeover Dostum has been somewhere in the north, probably Uzbekistan, where he has a lot of admirers, and some detractors. The Taliban tried to monopolize information about what was going on throughout the country but cell phones, Internet and commercial satellite photos make that impossible. Anti-Taliban resistance is going on throughout the north and west along the Iranian border. This is often with the aid of Iran, which supports the armed resistance to the IEA government. As a powerful northern warlord, Abdul Dostum was able to develop nationwide interests after the IRA government took control in late 2001. By 2018 he had become First Vice President in the national government and in 2020, after his term was over, was promoted from general to marshal. This was part of the political compromise that ended the dispute between the two leading candidates in the last presidential elections. Since the 1980s and the Russian invasion Dostum has been one of the main warlords in the north. He is still a major political factor with the non-Pushtun majority in Afghanistan. Since the Taliban are largely a Pushtun group they have long sought to kill Dostum. In 2019 he survived several Taliban assassination attempts. In mid-2018 ISIL took credit for a suicide bombing at the Kabul airport in an effort to kill Dostum, who was returning from 14 months outside the country to deal with personal and family matters. The ISIL attack was apparently meant for Dostum but the timing was off and the Dostum convoy had just left when the suicide bomber struck. The explosion killed 14 people and wounded more than fifty. Dostum had left the country just for medical treatment, but he also wanted to avoid prosecutors who sought him for questioning about the kidnapping and torture of a political rival in Jawzjan province. This was not the first time Dostum has been accused of that sort of thing. In the past he eventually escaped prosecution, sometimes by leaving the country for months. In the last year he has spent a lot of time in Turkey, where he has a lot of support because Uzbeks are Turks and Turkey has been cultivating Central Asian Turkic leaders heavily since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 and five new Central Asian states were created, all of them with Turkic majorities or minorities. It is unclear just how debilitating Dostums illness is but he is still working the phones and issuing press releases. In response to the recent Taliban victories in the north Dostum will only say that his forces are mobilizing in the north.

Dostum is a classic Afghan warlord and supreme in the north. There is no official leader of the non-Pushtuns but the most powerful of these leaders is outspoken about the continued disruptive Pushtun dominance of the government. The best example of this is Dostum, who has been a foe of the Taliban since Pakistan created the Taliban In the mid-1990s. That animosity continues because some of the Taliban leaders he defeated in 2001 are still with the Taliban. One of them, Mullah Fazil, was Taliban deputy defense minister in late 2001 when Dostum forces captured him and, at the request of the Americans, turned him over and he spent years in Guantanamo, threatened with prosecution for the mass murders he was responsible for while a Taliban leader. By 2014 Fazil was back with the Taliban, after being exchanged for an American soldier the Taliban had held for five years. Dostum encountered Fazil in early 2021 when both were in Russia (Moscow) for the Taliban-American peace negotiations. They got into a shouting match at one point.

Dostum is basically a powerful Uzbek politician, and achieved that status by performing as a long-time warlord. He was also a general in the communist army that was dissolved in 1992. The Uzbeks are Turks, and comprise nine percent of the population. The Uzbeks have always been hostile to the Taliban, drugs and Pushtun efforts to dominate all of Afghanistan. Dostum became the leader of Afghans who opposed the Taliban and was also popular with Afghans who openly opposed Islamic terrorism. Dostum makes the most of this by regularly giving speeches condemning Islamic terrorism. This involves constantly traveling and exposing himself to terrorist attacks. He has survived dozens of attacks and this increases his popularity while enraging the Islamic terrorists he publicly berates and condemns. Dostum has long been a major critic of Pakistan and how Pakistan continues to support Islamic terrorists operating in Afghanistan. If the Taliban do regain control of the national government, they will find that, as in the 1990s, they cannot control the north. In part that is because of leaders like Dostum and many other prominent northerners like him. The Taliban was always considered a threat and Dostums declaration of war on the IEA was expected, as was Dostum becoming part of the successor to the 1990s Northern Alliance. This anti-Taliban group reassembled in 2022 as the NRF (National Resistance Front) and became a major problem for the IEA. That is more than the IEA can handle. Some of the NRF leaders are sons of successful Northern Alliance commanders. Iran threatens to provide more support to the NRF than they gave the Northern Alliance. Since 2022 NRF-dominated Panjshir province (northeast of Kabul) has come under attack by IEA forces which are not making a lot of progress in eliminating armed NRF members and their unarmed local supporters. NRF forces have put IEA forces in the Panjshir Valley on the defensive. The 1990s Northern Alliance dominated the Panjshir Valley (a 90-minute drive from Kabul) right up to the defeat of the Taliban government after September 2001. Northern Front leaders became members of the IRA government and now their sons reassembled as the NRF, quickly took control over most of the Panjshir Valley and successfully resisted IEA forces sent to gain any control there. The NRF uses mines, roadside bombs and ambushes to attack IEA forces as well as their supply convoys. The NRF men (and women) know the valley but few IEA troops do. IEA soldiers and police who have spent some time in the valley learn to be wary just to survive. That means exercising caution when attempting to arrest locals suspected of supporting the NRF.

The NRF faces the same problem the Northern Alliance did in 2001; they were seen by Pushtuns as representing the ethnic minorities of Afghanistan, which make up over half the population and vilely deny the expected respect to Pushtuns. For centuries the Pushtuns dominated Afghan politics and the minorities tolerated that until the Islamic radicals came along with Pakistans creation of the Taliban. One thing nearly all Afghans agree on is the damage Pakistan has done to Afghanistan and unwillingness to give up that interference. Afghans see themselves as the victim of neighbors seeking to control the country. Afghans would prefer to restore the modern state of Afghanistan, which was peacefully created over a century ago. That quasi-monarchical/quasi-tribal form of government was doing fine because until the 1970s there was an agreement that largely kept the peace. This arrangement meant Afghanistan was a constitutional monarchy presided over by a Pushtun king who largely dealt with foreigners and left the tribes (60 percent of them non-Pushtun) to negotiate their differences. At that point Afghanistan was still largely medieval as far as cultural norms and economic activity was concerned. But the 20th century was making an impression and the educated urban minority was calling for radical change. This was tempting to many leading Afghans but the vast majority of Afghans were still in the countryside ruled by tribal leaders. Most of these rural Afghans opposed any radical change. The reform factions, mainly the pro-communist ones, tried violence to overthrow the monarchy, failed and in 1979 Russia intervened to rescue their fellow communists. That led to a civil war that is still going on.

February 9, 2023: UN security experts warn that the local ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) affiliate, ISK (Islamic State Khorasan) is planning attacks on the embassies of India, China and Iran in the Kabul Green Zone. This is part of the ISK effort to prevent the IEA from establishing diplomatic and economic relations with foreign nations. Most nations are still reluctant to establish an embassy in the IEA controlled Kabul.

January 30, 2023: In northwest Pakistan (city of Peshawar) the TTP was accused of carrying out a bombing inside a police compound that killed over a hundred people and wounded many more. The bomb went off in a mosque and was carried and detonated by a suicide bomber. TTP leadership insisted they had nothing to do with it

Afghanistan backed the TTP denial of responsibility and pointed out that there are other terror groups carrying out attacks inside Pakistan. Since the ISI-backed IEA (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) government took power in late-2021, Afghanistan has become a safer place for Islamic terror groups. The most active include the TTP (Pakistani Taliban) and ISK, which is also the local ISIL affiliate. The more immediate problem is the TTP. Many TTP factions operate independently, often contrary to orders from TTP leadership. In contrast the Afghan Taliban was always more disciplined because they were dependent on the Pakistani military for a sanctuary in Baluchistan province and other essential aid. This included cash payments from the Afghan heroin cartels that also depend on the Pakistani military for essential supplies and services. The Afghan Taliban have long helped protect cartel operations inside Afghanistan. Now that the Afghan Taliban is back in power, after 20 years in exile, they find they have a lot in common with the TTP. Both Talibans see the Pakistani military as the enemy and that is causing major problems for the Pakistani military and Pakistan as a whole. So far TTP still has sanctuary in Afghanistan and is regularly sought out and attacked by Pakistani UAVs rather than IEA security forces. TTP tends to be blamed for all terror attacks but subsequent events often show another group was responsible.

January 28, 2023: The IEA banned women from attending colleges or universities. Currently women can only be educated up to the sixth grade. The IRA has also banned women from working outside the home. This included a ban on Afghan women working for foreign aid organizations. About 30 percent of the locals working for these NGOs (Non-Government Organizations) are Afghan women. Without the female employees the NGOs are unable to provide many essential services to Afghan women. One side-effect of this is an increase of maternal mortality in childbirth. The IEA policies towards women caused many NGOs to leave Afghanistan. Nearly half the population is hungry because the economy has been crippled by IEA policies and agriculture has been hurt by two years of drought.
B&B hotels become new driver of rural tourism

People's Daily Online) 13:27, February 24, 2023

The B&B hotel business is gaining steam in rural China. On Tujia.com, an online platform for booking B&B hotels, there are more than 500,000 hotels, and bookings at rural hotels account for more than 40 percent of total hotel reservations compared with 30 percent before the COVID-19 pandemic.

A tourist takes photos of hotels at Huangling scenic spot in Wuyuan county, east China's Jiangxi Province, June 29, 2019. (Xinhua/Zhang Ruiqi)

Chinas "No. 1 central document" for 2023 states that the country will implement high-quality leisure tourism products in rural areas and promote the upgrading of rural B&B hotels.

B&B hotels can drive the development of rural areas. For example, the Shuiyong Jinjiang B&B hotel in Zhangjiajie city, central China's Hunan Province, can provide jobs for 12 local villagers, generating total revenue of 500,000 yuan ($72,650) in a year.

As the tourism market heats up, it offers more options to tourists. Against this backdrop, rural B&B hotels must improve their quality and roll out better products to satisfy demand for high-quality travel experiences.

To improve quality, B&B hotels should make use of local tourism and cultural resources.

For instance, apart from wellness tourism, a resort town in Xinmi city, central China's Henan Province is also a destination for mountain yoga, mountain biking, experiencing traditional culture and camping, and features accommodation choices such as tents and recreational vehicles.

Tujia.com has taken measures to support the construction and development of rural B&B hotels. It has held trainings for business owners on running rural B&B hotels in Rizhao, east China's Shandong Province, Chengde in north China's Hebei Province and Chengdu in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
AUBURN  The city has unveiled a list of streets that may receive repairs later this year under the municipality's state-funded 2023 road program.

Scott McIntyre, assistant civil engineer with the Auburn Department of Engineering Services, gave a presentation on the upcoming program during an Auburn City Council meeting Thursday. The annual endeavor includes paving different roads.

The list of roads proposed to be resurfaced, shown as a part of McIntrye's presentation, includes Case Avenue from North Division to Bradley streets; North Division Street from Perrine Street to Seymour streets; Perrine Street from State to Washington streets; VanAnden Street from Cross to State streets and South Fulton Street from East Genesee to Walnut streets. Different parts of State Street are also currently slated to see a lot of resurfacing efforts, from Arterial West to Arterial East, Munro Avenue to Union Street and Munro Avenue to Olympia Avenue.

Dunning Avenue from the South City line to Clymer Street and Standart Avenue from North to Vista streets are listed as alternate streets. All of the roads on the list haven't been resurfaced in at least a decade, with many of them last worked on from over 20 years to over 30 years ago.

McIntyre said the list includes some streets "people probably can't wait to get paved," specifically South Fulton Street and State Street between Munro and Union, saying of the latter, "everybody knows how bad that section of street is." He told the council he also has lists for streets that will potentially have microsealing and crack sealing work done.

Earlier, McIntyre said Auburn's road program has been going well, noting many streets have stayed in good condition over the last few years. His slides included a 2023 street condition map for Auburn, with a high number of streets determined to be in good or fair conditions and less streets considered to be in poor or failed condition.

"We're doing a very good job, I think, in that. If you look back at 2015 and prior, you're going to be going in the opposite direction with this ... we started doing microsurfacing, we started diversifying how well we do maintenance and work on streets that are in disrepair."

The program is slated to be state funded. McIntyre said Auburn has received additional state funding reimbursements for the program in the past. The funding for the project will be determined in the finalized New York state budget, due in April, but McIntyre said total state funding for the 2023 program is currently projected to stay at about the same level as 2022, which was $2,787,088.68.

McIntyre said the proposed total 2023 funding for Auburn's road program is $2,550,000, including $2 million for the resurfacing program, $250,000 for microsurfacing and $130,000 going to the sidewalk program. He said after the meeting the sidewalk program would involve granite curbing around corners of city-owned sidewalk and making sure these spots stay in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

When talking about remaining work from the 2022 road program being done this year, McIntyre said during the presentation the contractor for last year's work finished the streets for the 2022 contract.

"We always leave a bit of extra money (for contractors) to come back in the spring to finish restoration, and what we do is set up an alternate list of streets, if we have time to do that, or if we have money to do alternate streets, we will," he said. Rochester Street and Mann Street, alternate streets from the 2022 program, are planned to be paved this year.

Saying the State Arterial System is in poor condition, McIntyre said the state Department of Transportation is working on a project to repave Arterial East and Arterial West, or Routes 5 and 20, from the West City Line to Standart Avenue, with construction currently set for 2025. He added that the city will be scheduling an annual inspection with the state for maintenance to be done on the Arterial

"There are some things that I really want to concentrate on, temporarily repairing the section of Arterial East that is between (Route) 326 and Columbus Street, that section's in really bad shape, so we want to fix that before 2025, or just do a temporary repair, because that's going to be in bad shape," McIntyre said. Traffic lines will also be repainted as part of that Arterial work. He also said the city is applying for a permit "to remove and/or replace old fence along the Arterial."

After the meeting, McIntyre said that in instead of one contractor taking care of street paving and sidewalks and curbs, a contractor will be doing the resurfacing work while another will take on the sidewalk and curb efforts.

"So we get multiple crews going and hopefully complete projects much more quickly," Director of Capital Projects Christina Selvek said.

McIntyre said construction for the road program is currently targeted to begin by late spring. People who live in areas affected by construction will be informed of the work ahead of time.
RALEIGH, NC / ACCESSWIRE / February 24, 2023 / MacConnell & Associates, P.C., a Cary, North Carolina-based consulting engineering firm, founded by Gary S. MacConnell, P.E., will celebrate 30 years of business in December 2023.

Celebrate's 30 years of business in December 2023

MacConnell & Associates, P.C., client base includes municipalities, governmental agencies, developers, industries, architects, universities, and other businesses. They specialize in site development with an emphasis in water and wastewater projects providing expertise in the areas of environmental, civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation engineering. Engineering related services include permitting, construction administration, and grant writing.

President Gary MacConnell, P.E. is proud that the majority of the firm's work comes from repeat business and referrals and credits his firm's team of talented professionals that always puts the needs of the client first, including developing quality designs and documents. It is an approach that has resulted in an average growth of over 40 percent for the past three years. Projected growth is expected to be even greater next year.

While some parts of the country are struggling with economic growth, MacConnell believes that North Carolina is a great place right now for his business to continue to thrive and provide great service to his clients. Although their corporate office is located in Cary, MacConnell & Associates, P.C., is licensed in 18 states and works internationally through Green Global Technologies, a sister company.

MacConnell is pleased that his team of professionals is environmentally conscious in their work resulting in creative approaches to projects. For example, some of their recent projects included reclaimed water with treated wastewater generated onsite to a high quality so that the treated water can be beneficially used onsite.

ABOUT

MacConnell & Associates, P.C. is a civil and environmental engineering firm which provides services within the United States and throughout the world.

Contact Information

Gary MacConnell P.E.

President

[email protected]

(919) 467-1239

SOURCE: MacConnell & Associates

View source version on accesswire.com:
Annual in-person luncheon returns to support North Shore Crisis Services Society

VANCOUVER, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- BlueShore Financial is pleased to be the presenting sponsor of the sixth annual Gala of Grace, benefiting the North Shore Crisis Services Society (NSCSS). The event takes place on April 28, 2023 and raises funds and awareness to help women and children fleeing domestic abuse.

As a local financial institution, serving the North Shore community for over 85 years, BlueShore Financial is a long-term supporter of NSCSS and their mission to create safe environments for women and children. As a partner, BlueShore is committed to helping raise awareness of the services of the NSCSS.

The Gala of Grace fundraising event is a unique womens luncheon hosted in North Vancouver and attended by over 300 guests from across the Lower Mainland. The vibrant celebration features dynamic keynote speakers, a live auction, and elegant lunch, all with the goal of supporting NSCSS and women in need.

All proceeds from the event will go towards the NSCSS, which operates SAGE House, a transition house, and offers support services for abused women and children on the North Shore. NSCSS provides women and their children with safe shelter, support, referrals for medical professionals, and a 24-hour Womens Support Line.

At BlueShore we strive to make an impact on the empowerment of women, this includes the financial and overall well-being of women in our communities, said Armita Alikhani, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer, BlueShore Financial. The Gala of Graces commitment to championing the NSCSS is exemplary and our partnership is built on a foundation of shared values.

BlueShore Financial has been one of our biggest supporters since day one. Without their partnership, we would not have been able to achieve what we have over the past seven years, said Pat Kelly, Gala of Grace Founder and Director. Women gathering together to support each other can be extremely powerful. With the support of our sponsors, we have changed the lives of many women and children in our community."

About BlueShore Financial

BlueShore Financial is a boutique financial institution providing a full range of personal and business banking, wealth management, insurance and commercial lending solutions. With a branch network located across the Lower Mainland and Sea-to-Sky Corridor, BlueShore Financial helps clients achieve financial wellness through personalized solutions and expert advice, delivered in a unique Financial Spa branch environment. BlueShore Financial manages $6.9 billion in Assets Under Administration and is consistently ranked among the top 20 financial planning firms in Metro Vancouver.

BlueShore Financial is an Imagine Canada Caring Company, contributing at least 1% of pre-tax profits annually to charities and not-for-profit organizations within the communities it serves. BlueShore Financial is the operating name of BlueShore Financial Credit Union.

Follow and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230224005063/en/

Brett Boag

Director, Employee & Corporate Communications

BlueShore Financial

[email protected]

604.983.4506

Source: BlueShore Financial
HONOLULU--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Covenant Physician Partners announces three of their Hawaii locations will offer patients receiving a colonoscopy an enhanced screening with the aid of GI GeniusTM intelligent endoscopy module. The GI GeniusTM module employs artificial intelligence (AI) to help physicians detect polypsa powerful new ally in the fight against colorectal cancer.

The AI revolution is already upon us, and poised to dramatically change the face of medicine, said Yousif A-Rahim, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer for Covenant Physician Partners, and author of the book SMARTER MEDICINE. I am looking forward to GI Genius assisting my colleagues and me increase our already excellent detection rate.

Covenant Physician Partners mission is to promote early detection and treatment of diseases of the colon, stomach, and esophagus. We rolled out GI Genius first at our Pacific Endoscopy Center in Pearl City and Endoscopy Institute of Hawaii in Honolulu and have plans to introduce GI Genius at The Endoscopy Center in Hilo, next month, said AnnaLyn Ogata, Covenants Regional Vice President for Hawaii.

Were thrilled with the timing because March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and hopefully this will encourage more people over the age of 45 to get a colonoscopy, added Dr. A-Rahim. Beyond his role as CMO, Dr. A-Rahim performs procedures at Covenants Pacific Endoscopy Center when hes not lecturing on Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

The GI GeniusTM module uses advanced AI software to highlight suspicious polyps with a visual marker in real timeserving as the gastroenterologists ever-vigilant second observer with a sensitivity rate per lesion of 99.7%.1 Studies have shown that AI-assisted colonoscopy can increase polyp detection rates, and every 1% increase in adenoma detection rate reduces the risk of colorectal cancer by 3%.2,3 Colorectal cancer is the third most common form of cancer diagnosed in the U.S., with almost 150,000 new cases every year.4

Covenant Physician Partners in Hawaii is focused on meeting the medical needs of the community by providing its expert staff with the latest technologies and procedures. The GI GeniusTM module is the first and only AI system for detection of colonic polyps in the United States and we are proud to offer it to our patients, said Ms. Ogata.

Covenant Physician Partners is a physician services company that partners with leading providers across the country to grow thriving practices and surgery centers.

Visit csphawaii.com/ or CovenantPhysicianPartners.com

1. Hassan C, et al. New artificial intelligence system: first validation study versus experienced endoscopists for colorectal polyp detection. Gut. 2020;69(5):799-800

2. Corley DA, et al. Adenoma detection rate and risk of colorectal cancer and death. N Eng J Med. 2014;370:1298-306.

3. Repici A, Badalamenti M, Maselli R, et al. Efficacy of real-time computer-aided detection of colorectal neoplasia in a randomized trial. Gastroenterology. 2020; 159:512520.e7.

4. Cancer.Net. Colorectal Cancer: Statistics. January 2020. Available at: https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/colorectal-cancer/statistics. Accessed January 22, 2021.

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AnnaLyn Ogata

808-777-3250

[email protected]

Source: Covenant Physician Partners
Noon-hour rally in Abbotsford to highlight First Transits failure to bargain fair wages

ABBOTSFORD, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- A strike by Fraser Valley transit operators that began on February 2 with bus drivers refusing to collect fares will ramp up on Monday and Tuesday with the full withdrawal of services except for HandyDART, says CUPE 561, the union representing First Transit workers in Chilliwack, Abbotsford, and the surrounding region.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230224005362/en/

On Monday, the union will also hold a noon-hour rally at Abbotsford City Hall to raise public awareness about the issues of low wages, the lack of a pension, and poor working conditions that led to the job action.

We had hoped to reach a fair collective agreement without any disruption in service, but First Transit had other ideas. The company cannot be surprised that we have arrived at this point, said CUPE 561 President Jane Gibbons.

We were clear when this job action began that we wanted to cause as little inconvenience as possible to the riding public. We wanted to give residents ample notice of what might lie ahead if First Transit did not come to the table with a different approach. But the company did not hear that message and simply refuses to recognize its responsibility to bring compensation for these workers in line with that of other transit workers in the region.

Gibbons added that fair compensation, including a pension plan, will help create a more sustainable transit system throughout the region. CUPE 561 is encouraging members of the public to visit www.weneedalift.ca and call on their local representatives to urge First Transit to return to the table with a fair offer.

COPE491

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230224005362/en/

Jane Gibbons, CUPE 561 President: 604.936.4545

Liam ONeill, CUPE National Representative: 672.514.5426

Dan Gawthrop, CUPE Communications Representative: 604.999.6132

Source: Canadian Union of Public Employees
TAIPEI, Taiwan--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Ranked as one of the top 5 POS brands worldwide, Posiflex Technology Inc. has a unique position with its strong design expertise, manufacturing capabilities and delivery of POS Terminal and peripherals, offering one-stop-shop service to best fit customers requirements. Moving toward a further leap in its global-leading position, Posiflex will take the stage at EuroShop Dusseldorf 2023 to showcase the latest innovations in upcoming POS Terminal technology and Kiosk solutions, along with a live demo experience with retail and hospitality applications.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230223005501/en/

Posiflex Technology, Inc. will attend EuroShop 2023 at Hall 6 / C42, in Dusseldorf, Germany. (Photo: Business Wire)

Innovations Exploring Retail POSsibilities

As the industrys first POS Terminal with a clamshell design, the Haydn ZT Series has a display housing that can be easily opened and closed with a one-touch button. The hood-like design offers an unprecedentedly convenient and efficient maintenance experience. With the Haydn ZT Series, speed of maintenance can be four times faster when compared to maintenance with the conventional terminal design.

The clamshell design has also inspired and enabled the screw-less and modular component design under the hood the motherboard, display and RAM module are all removable without removing any screws. The screw-less maintenance greatly reduces downtime and minimizes customer frustration. Haydn ZT Series stands out also with innovative features focusing on applications, including hidden I/O ports, a hidden power adapter, three-way cable management, together with a new all-in-one design of a Gen 9 POS base which creatively integrates a receipt printer inside the POS base to maintain ultra-clean and space-economic aesthetics and to complement the terminal that maximizes speed, efficiency and productivity.

Application-specific Kiosks Redefining Business Operations

Posiflex will also unveil an array of new kiosk products, which will fully demonstrate self-service technologies with flexible deployment options including stand-alone, wall-mounted or countertop configurations to realize how kiosks benefit omnichannel retail for various applications such as online orders with physical deliverables.

The live demos at Posiflexs booth will illustrate user scenarios including a dual-sided kiosk, which allows two users at once, a perfect solution for space-limited environments. Moreover, as international tourism is on the rise, a hotel check-in kiosk to demonstrate a fast, safe and effective self-check-in and check-out process that can increase efficiency.

Our booth at EuroShop 2023 showcases how the innovations we have put into our products are tailored for users convenience and elevates merchants overall success in business, said Owen Chen, CEO of Posiflex Technology Inc.

Visit our booth at Hall 6/C42 from Feb. 26th to Mar. 2nd, 2023 to see how Posiflex can benefit your business with innovative technologies and products.

About POSIFLEX Group

Posiflex Group is a global leading Commercial Internet of Things (CIoT) enabler dedicated to providing O2O and embedded solutions. The group now is pillared by three business entitiesPosiflex Technology, Portwell Inc. and US-based KIOSK Information Systems (KIS), specialized in the manufacturing of POS, embedded IPC and self-service kiosk respectively, with a common goal in pursuing a brave new world of smart commerce, where transactions become faster and more convenient physically or digitally.

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Posiflex Marekting Division: [email protected]

Source: Posiflex Technology Inc.
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Riskified Ltd. (NYSE: RSKD), a leader in eCommerce fraud and risk intelligence, today announced that it filed its annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The annual report on Form 20-F can be accessed on the Companys investor relations website at https://ir.riskified.com or on the SECs website at www.sec.gov.

Riskified will provide a hard copy of the annual report containing its audited consolidated financial statements, free of charge, to its shareholders upon request. Requests should be directed in writing by email to [email protected], or by post to Riskified Ltd., Sderot Shaul HaMelech 37, Tel Aviv Yafo, Israel.

About Riskified

Riskified (NYSE: RSKD) empowers businesses to grow eCommerce revenues and profits by mitigating risk. The worlds largest merchants and prestige brands partner with Riskified for guaranteed protection against chargebacks, to fight fraud and policy abuse at scale and to improve customer retention. Supported by the largest team of eCommerce risk analysts, data scientists and researchers, Riskifieds machine learning platform analyzed the individual behind each interaction to provide real-time decisions and robust identity-based insights. Learn more at riskified.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230224005322/en/

Investor Relations:

Chett Mandel

Head of Investor Relations

[email protected]

Corporate Communications:

Cristina Dinozo

Senior Director of Communications

[email protected]

Source: Riskified Ltd.
Fujitec shareholders support the appointment of four Outside Directors nominated by Oasis

Fujitec shareholders remove three incumbent Fujitec Directors, including the Chairman, and excluding Mami Indo, who had resigned as a Director just before the EGM

Fujitec shareholders reject Fujitecs two nominee director candidates

Oasis is committed to engaging constructively with the newly constructed Board on meaningful change, including further relieving Fujitec stakeholders from Uchiyama Family control

HONG KONG & TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Oasis Management Company Ltd. (Oasis) is the manager to funds that beneficially own over 16.5% of elevator manufacturer and servicing company Fujitec Co., Ltd. (6406 JT) (Fujitec or the Company). In December 2022, Oasis requisitioned the Fujitec Board of Directors (Board) to call an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to allow shareholders to vote on Oasiss proposals to remove six incumbent directors and to appoint highly qualified independent and experienced Outside Directors in their place.

At todays EGM, shareholders supported the appointment of four of Oasis independent Outside Director candidates to Fujitecs Board, sending a strong message in favor of change and enhanced governance. Oasis is aware of the significant message sent to Fujitecs incumbent Board and management by having four new directors appointed, which will represent 67% of the Companys Outside Directors, and would like to thank its fellow shareholders for supporting these important changes at Fujitec.

Today marks a critical first step in strengthening Fujitecs oversight body to protect the interests of all stakeholders. As Fujitecs largest shareholder, Oasis is committed to engaging constructively with the newly constructed Board to demand meaningful change, including better accountability, transparency, ethics, and performance. Most importantly, we will be expecting the newly constructed Board to relieve Fujitec from Uchiyama Family control and work together to act in the interests of all shareholders.

As a responsible steward of our assets, we will actively monitor the Boards behavior in the lead-up to the Companys upcoming 2023 Annual General Meeting (AGM), and beyond. It is our firm belief that strong governance is essential to create long-term shareholder value, and we will continue to actively engage with Fujitec to ensure that this goal is achieved.

We are optimistic that, with the contribution of the newly-elected independent Outside Directors nominated by Oasis, free from Uchiyama Family influence, the Board can drive positive change and unlock the full potential of Fujitec.

About Oasis

Oasis Management Company Ltd. manages private investment funds focused on opportunities in a wide array of asset classes across countries and sectors. Oasis was founded in 2002 by Seth H. Fischer, who leads the firm as its Chief Investment Officer. More information about Oasis is available at https://oasiscm.com. Oasis has adopted the Japan FSAs Principles for Responsible Institutional Investors (a/k/a Japan Stewardship Code) and in line with those principles, Oasis monitors and engages with our investee companies.

Important Disclaimer

The information contained in this press release (referred to as the "Document") is an information resource for shareholders in Fujitec offered by Oasis, the investment manager to private funds that are shareholders of Fujitec (the "Oasis Funds").

This material is not intended to solicit voting in favor of Oasis proposals, to which rules concerning solicitation of proxies applies.

Oasis is not in any way soliciting or requesting shareholders to jointly exercise their voting rights together with Oasis. Shareholders that have an agreement to jointly exercise their voting rights are regarded as Joint Holders under the Japanese large shareholding disclosure rules, and they must file notification of their aggregate share ownership with the relevant Japanese authority for public disclosure.

Oasis disclaims its intention to be treated as a Joint Holder with other shareholders under the Japanese Financial Instruments and Exchange Act (FIEA) by virtue of its act to express its view or opinion or other activities to engage in dialogue with other shareholders in or through this Document or any website.

This statement and related materials exclusively represents the opinions, interpretations, and estimates of Oasis in relation to the upcoming EGM. Oasis is expressing those opinions solely in its capacity as an investment advisor to the Oasis Funds.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230223006062/en/

Taylor Hall

[email protected]

Ashton Consulting Limited

Tadashi Shiokai and Yuzo Iwaya

Phone: +81 03-5425-7220

Email: [email protected]

Source: Oasis Management Company Ltd.
A first-of-its-kind collaboration, allowing consumers in Australia to boost their international money transfers (remittances).

Consumers can borrow up to AUD$ 2000 to supplement transfers, with the flexibility to repay in multiple installments.

Collaboration demonstrates Western Unions and Beforepays commitment to ensuring accessible financial services for all.

SYDNEY--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Western Union and Beforepay today announced a first-of-its-kind collaboration, allowing consumers to boost their cross-border money transfers by accessing reliable, ethical and affordable short-term lending. Consumers can Send Now, Pay Later by borrowing up to AUD 2000 through Beforepays wage-advance product on Western Unions digital channels.

Meeting consumer expectations

Exclusive insights from Western Union research show that as many as 44% of Australias consumers would like to have the choice to Send Now, Pay Later when transferring money around the world. Todays announcement means that consumers will be able to do just that. By accessing Beforepays wage-advance product through Western Unions mobile app and website, customers will be able to increase how much they transfer. Registration to access the additional funds can be completed within minutes and once issued, can be repaid in multiple installments. International money transfers through Western Union can be sent to over 200 countries and territories.

We are committed to supporting our customers and their communities by offering financial services that are accessible, ethical, and reliable, said Gregory Laurent, Regional Vice President of Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands at Western Union. Western Unions mission is to make financial services accessible to people everywhere. Our collaboration with Beforepay is another step towards achieving this mission - giving customers the opportunity to access additional funds as they send money to families and communities. We are excited about the positive impact it can have for consumers, as they proactively look for convenient options to meet their financial needs.

Accessible financial services for all

Todays announcement reinforces Western Unions Evolve 2025 strategy to combine high-value, accessible retail and digital financial services. Beforepays wage-advance product is designed to give customers the opportunity to meet temporary cash-flow challenges. The average advance Beforepay offers to customers is approximately AUD$400. The full amount is repaid within an average of three to four weeks.

Were excited to collaborate with Western Union to support their customers with access to safe, affordable short-term lending, said Beforepay CEO Jamie Twiss. Beforepay and Western Union share a vision of providing inclusive financial services to aspiring consumers around the world.

About Western Union

The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is committed to helping people around the world who aspire to build financial futures for themselves, their loved ones and their communities. Our leading cross-border, cross-currency money movement, payments and digital financial services empower consumers, businesses, financial institutions and governmentsacross more than 200 countries and territories and approximately 130 currenciesto connect with billions of bank accounts, millions of digital wallets and cards, and a global footprint of hundreds of thousands of retail locations. Our goal is to offer accessible financial services that help people and communities prosper. For more information, visit www.westernunion.com.

About Beforepay

Beforepay (ASX: B4P) is an Australian fintech providing ethical-lending products to consumers. Beforepays wage-advance product enables its more than 750,000 registered users to borrow small amounts of money for short periods of time in a safe, affordable manner. The companys flagship product charges a fixed fee of 5%, with no interest, late fees, penalty fees, or other costs of any kind. For more information, visit www.beforepay.com.

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Western Union

Karen Santos; [email protected]

Saadia McGlinchey; [email protected]

Beforepay

Kasey Kaplan; [email protected]

Source: The Western Union Company
By Abhijith Ganapavaram and Valerie Insinna

(Reuters) -Shares of Boeing Co fell nearly 5% on Friday after the U.S. planemaker temporarily halted deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner jets over a documentation issue related to a fuselage component.

Boeing, after reviewing certification records, on Thursday said it "discovered an analysis error by our supplier related to the 787 forward pressure bulkhead," leading to a pause in deliveries months after they were allowed to resume in August.

Boeing shares closed down 4.79% to $198.15.

The latest hiccup in 787 deliveries should not result in any design changes and jets in service would be expected to continue to fly, analysts said.

Boeing had expected to deliver 787s this month prior to the issue being found, a person familiar with the matter said. Those deliveries will now be delayed until Boeing obtains approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.

"An unwelcome blast from the past, but hopefully a brief one," J.P. Morgan analyst Seth Seifman said in a note, adding that deliveries of 787 jets are the main drivers of $1.7 billion of year-on-year cash flow growth that Boeing projects.

The planemaker said the error was found while working through the process to extend the operating timeline for a key part.

The current issue is unrelated to a previous quality problem involving gaps around the forward pressure bulkhead that was discovered by the FAA in 2021 and contributed to a delivery stoppage that lasted until August 2022.

When Boeing obtained approval from the FAA to restart Dreamliner deliveries, the company said it was required to outfit those 787s with a modified version of the forward pressure bulkhead that would resolve previous quality problems.

That version of the component was given a temporary operational limit of four years, providing Boeing time to update its documentation.

The component acts as a barrier between the pressurized interior cabin and the radome (or nose cone). It was supplied by Spirit AeroSystems, which said it was too early to assert it made the "analysis error."

Shares of Spirit were down 3.7%.

The erroneous data analysis was submitted several years ago and was discovered by Boeing this past week, according to the person familiar with the issue.

"We are pausing deliveries while we update our analysis and submit any required certification deliverables to address the noncompliance," Boeing said.

Separately, Boeing said it is replacing a noncompliant component on some undelivered 787s. The trim air muffler, part of the Collins Aerospace-made cabin air distribution system that regulates air temperature, muffles the sound of hot air before it enters the cabin.

Boeing said it is coordinating closely with the FAA and customers to determine which 787s will need the muffler replaced. The issue said is not connected to the delivery stoppage and does not pose a safety problem, the company said.

Collins declined to comment.

(Reporting by Abhijith Ganapavaram and Valerie Insinna in Washington; Additional reporting by Pratyush Thakur in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty, Sherry Jacob-Phillips, Mark Porter and Deepa Babington)
FILE PHOTO: People queue during Black Friday sales in front of a Foot Locker shoe store, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in Zurich, Switzerland November 27, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann

BENGALURU (Reuters) - U.S. footwear and sportswear retailer Foot Locker Inc is in talks with Metro Brands Ltd to enter the Indian market, ET Now reported on Friday.

Foot Locker, which retails popular footwear brands including Adidas and Nike Inc, is in discussions with four Indian players to appoint a franchise, ET Now tweeted. The details of the companies were not disclosed.

Foot Locker and Metro Brands did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

The rising affluence in the country and a shift in consumer spending from mom-and-pop stores to bigger chains have set Metro up for sales gains, Metro Brands Chief Executive Nissan Joseph told Reuters on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Hritam Mukherjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Shweta Agarwal)
Syracuse Hancock International Airport is one of four New York airports awarded funding through a program created under the bipartisan infrastructure law that was signed in 2021.

The four airports in Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo and Syracuse will receive nearly $25 million, with $8.6 million for the Syracuse airport to replace its terminal's heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, siding and windows. The project is part of the airport's sustainability initiative to boost energy efficiency and reduce emissions.

The airports in Binghamton and Buffalo will each get $7 million. Buffalo's project is similar Syracuse's, while will use the funds to renovate its terminal, replace HVAC equipment and expand the exterior canopy.

Albany airport has been awarded $2 million to rehabilitate its traffic control tower.

The grants were available through the Airport Terminal Program that is part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who played a pivotal role in crafting the legislation, supported the funding for New York's airports.

"From Buffalo to Albany to Binghamton to Syracuse, the (bipartisan infrastructure law) is giving our upstate airports the lift they need to fly higher than ever before," Schumer, D-N.Y., said. "This major nearly $25 million federal investment will help these much-needed renovations for modern airport terminals take off."

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who also pushed for passage of the infrastructure law, said she advocated for the legislation "to provide funding like this to airports from Albany to Buffalo." She added, "I'll keep working to make sure that every airport has the resources it needs to modernize its facilities and enhance safety."

The infrastructure law included $5 billion for the competitive grant program to support airport terminal projects. In the first year of the program, the Frederick Douglass-Greater Rochester International Airport was awarded more than $5 million.
Sales for the quarter increased 2.6 percent. Organic sales increased 6.3 percent while foreign currency reduced sales by 3.7 percent.

Diluted EPS increased 16.9 percent to $0.76 in the second quarter of fiscal 2023 compared to $0.65 in the same quarter of the prior year. Diluted EPS Excluding Certain Items* increased 15.7 percent to $0.81 in the second quarter of fiscal 2023 compared to $0.70 in the same quarter of the prior year.

Net cash provided by operating activities increased to $29.4 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2023 compared to $(3.2 million) in the second quarter of last year.

The low end of the Earnings per diluted Class A Common Share guidance was raised for the full year ending July 31, 2023 from the previous range of $3.13 to $3.43 to the new range of $3.23 to $3.43 on a GAAP basis and was raised from the previous range of $3.30 to $3.60 to the new range of $3.40 to $3.60, excluding after-tax amortization expense.

MILWAUKEE, Feb. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brady Corporation (NYSE: BRC) (Brady or Company), a world leader in identification solutions, today reported its financial results for its fiscal 2023 second quarter ended January 31, 2023.

Quarter Ended January 31, 2023 Financial Results:Sales for the quarter ended January 31, 2023 increased 2.6 percent, which consisted of an organic sales increase of 6.3 percent and a decrease of 3.7 percent from foreign currency translation. Sales for the quarter ended January 31, 2023 were $326.2 million compared to $318.1 million in the same quarter last year. By segment, sales increased 4.4 percent in Identification Solutions and decreased 3.4 percent in Workplace Safety, which consisted of an organic sales increase of 7.4 percent in Identification Solutions and an organic sales increase of 2.8 percent in Workplace Safety.

Income before income taxes increased 15.4 percent to $48.5 million for the quarter ended January 31, 2023, compared to $42.0 million in the same quarter last year. Income Before Income Taxes Excluding Certain Items* for the quarter ended January 31, 2023, which was adjusted for amortization expense of $3.3 million, was $51.8 million, an increase of 13.1 percent compared to the second quarter of last year.

Net income for the quarter ended January 31, 2023 was $38.0 million compared to $33.8 million in the same quarter last year. Earnings per diluted Class A Nonvoting Common Share were $0.76 in the second quarter of fiscal 2023, compared to $0.65 in the same quarter last year. Net Income Excluding Certain Items* for the quarter ended January 31, 2023 was $40.5 million and Diluted EPS Excluding Certain Items* for the quarter ended January 31, 2023 was $0.81. Net Income Excluding Certain Items* for the quarter ended January 31, 2022 was $36.7 million, and Diluted EPS Excluding Certain Items* for the quarter ended January 31, 2022 was $0.70.

Six-Month Period Ended January 31, 2023 Financial Results:Sales for the six-month period ended January 31, 2023 increased 1.5 percent, which consisted of an organic sales increase of 6.6 percent and a decrease of 5.1 percent from foreign currency translation. Sales for the six months ended January 31, 2023 were $648.8 million compared to $639.5 million in the same period last year. By segment, sales increased 3.7 percent in Identification Solutions and decreased 6.3 percent in Workplace Safety, which consisted of an organic sales increase of 8.0 percent in Identification Solutions and an organic sales increase of 2.0 percent in Workplace Safety.

Income before income taxes increased 14.0 percent to $98.8 million for the six-month period ended January 31, 2023, compared to $86.7 million in the same period last year. Income Before Income Taxes Excluding Certain Items* for the six months ended January 31, 2023, which was adjusted for amortization expense of $6.9 million, was $105.7 million, an increase of 12.1 percent compared to the same period of the prior year.

Net income for the six-month period ended January 31, 2023 was $77.4 million compared to $68.9 million in the same period last year. Earnings per diluted Class A Nonvoting Common Share were $1.55 for the six months ended January 31, 2023, compared to $1.32 in the same period last year. Net Income Excluding Certain Items* for the six months ended January 31, 2023 was $82.7 million and Diluted EPS Excluding Certain Items* for the six months ended January 31, 2023 was $1.65. Net Income Excluding Certain Items* for the six months ended January 31, 2022 was $74.6 million, and Diluted EPS Excluding Certain Items* for the six months ended January 31, 2022 was $1.43.

Commentary: This quarters results once again demonstrate our commitment to serving our customers extremely well while making their jobs easier and safer. Our investments in sales, marketing, and research and development are paying off as weve now generated organic sales growth of at least six percent in each of the last eight quarters and our reinvigorated innovative spirit has set the stage for continued future growth, said Bradys President and Chief Executive Officer, Russell R. Shaller. Our Identification Solutions segment is performing well, with a robust pipeline of innovative new products set to launch in the second half of this fiscal year. In our Workplace Safety segment, we are seeing the benefits from the actions we took to simplify our product offering, to streamline our cost structure, and to improve our price competitiveness, resulting in another quarter of organic sales growth and increased segment profit. This quarter, we announced the reorganization of Brady around two new operating segments which will be effective next quarter: Americas & Asia and Europe & Australia. This reorganization allows us to further integrate our businesses, support continued growth through the application of our best go-to-market strategies in key geographies, facilitate new product development in our recent acquisitions, and further simplify our global businesses. While we recognize that the macro-economy is uncertain and that foreign currency translation is creating challenges, we continue to experience robust demand and we will continue to invest in our critical organic growth initiatives throughout the economic cycle, which we believe positions us for future success.

Brady is in an enviable financial position. This quarter, we grew organic sales by 6.3 percent, we grew GAAP diluted earnings per share by 16.9 percent, and cash flow from operating activities was a robust $29.4 million. For the first half of this fiscal year, our cash flow from operating activities was more than double what it was in the first half of last year, said Bradys Chief Financial Officer, Aaron Pearce. We also returned $22.8 million to our shareholders in the form of dividends and repurchased another $17.9 million worth of shares in the first half of this fiscal year. We are in a net cash position of $30.9 million at January 31, 2023. We will remain disciplined with capital allocation by fully funding our organic investments, returning funds to our shareholders in the form of dividends, being opportunistic with share buybacks and executing acquisitions that increase our growth trajectory in a highly disciplined manner. We are confident that this disciplined approach to capital allocation will serve our shareholders well over the long term.

Fiscal 2023 Guidance:The Company raised the low end of its GAAP earnings per diluted Class A Nonvoting Common Share guidance for the year ending July 31, 2023 from the previous guidance range of $3.13 to $3.43 per share to the new full year guidance range of $3.23 to $3.43 per share. The Company also raised the low end of its Diluted EPS Excluding Certain Items* guidance for the year ending July 31, 2023 from the previous range of $3.30 to $3.60 per share to the new full year guidance range of $3.40 to $3.60 per share.

The other assumptions included in our fiscal 2023 guidance include a full-year income tax rate of approximately 21 percent, depreciation and amortization expense ranging from $32 million to $34 million, and capital expenditures of approximately $22 million. Our fiscal 2023 guidance is based on foreign currency exchange rates as of January 31, 2023 and assumes continued economic growth.

A webcast regarding Bradys fiscal 2023 second quarter financial results will be available at www.bradycorp.com/investors beginning at 9:30 a.m. central time today.

Brady Corporation is an international manufacturer and marketer of complete solutions that identify and protect people, products and places. Bradys products help customers increase safety, security, productivity and performance and include high-performance labels, signs, safety devices, printing systems and software. Founded in 1914, the Company has a diverse customer base in electronics, telecommunications, manufacturing, electrical, construction, medical, aerospace and a variety of other industries. Brady is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and as of July 31, 2022, employed approximately 5,700 people in its worldwide businesses. Bradys fiscal 2022 sales were approximately $1.30 billion. Brady stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol BRC. More information is available on the Internet at www.bradyid.com.

* Income Before Income Taxes Excluding Certain Items, Net Income Excluding Certain Items, and Diluted EPS Excluding Certain Items are non-GAAP measures. See appendix for more information on these measures, including reconciliations to the most directly comparable GAAP measures.

In this news release, statements that are not reported financial results or other historic information are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, the Company's future financial position, business strategy, targets, projected sales, costs, income, capital expenditures, debt levels and cash flows, and plans and objectives of management for future operations.

The use of words such as may, will, expect, intend, estimate, anticipate, believe, should, project, plan or similar terminology are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain and are subject to risks, assumptions, and other factors, some of which are beyond Bradys control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. For Brady, uncertainties arise from: increased cost of raw materials, labor and freight as well as raw material shortages and supply chain disruptions; decreased demand for our products; our ability to compete effectively or to successfully execute our strategy; our ability to develop technologically advanced products that meet customer demands; Bradys ability to identify, integrate, and grow acquired companies, and to manage contingent liabilities from divested businesses; adverse impacts of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic or other pandemics; difficulties in protecting our websites, networks, and systems against security breaches; risks associated with the loss of key employees; extensive regulations by U.S. and non-U.S. governmental and self-regulatory entities; litigation, including product liability claims; foreign currency fluctuations; potential write-offs of goodwill and other intangible assets; changes in tax legislation and tax rates; differing interests of voting and non-voting shareholders; numerous other matters of national, regional and global scale, including major public health crises and government responses thereto and those of a political, economic, business, competitive, and regulatory nature contained from time to time in Bradys U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including, but not limited to, those factors listed in the Risk Factors section within Item 1A of Part I of Bradys Form 10-K for the year ended July 31, 2022.

These uncertainties may cause Brady's actual future results to be materially different than those expressed in its forward-looking statements. Brady does not undertake to update its forward-looking statements except as required by law.

BRADY CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (Unaudited; Dollars in thousands, except per share data) Three months ended January 31, Six months ended January 31, 2023 2022 2023 2022 Net sales $ 326,249 $ 318,055 $ 648,818 $ 639,530 Cost of goods sold 169,809 168,693 337,114 335,180 Gross margin 156,440 149,362 311,704 304,350 Operating expenses: Research and development 15,377 13,965 29,310 27,872 Selling, general and administrative 92,282 92,525 182,227 189,271 Total operating expenses 107,659 106,490 211,537 217,143 Operating income 48,781 42,872 100,167 87,207 Other income (expense): Investment and other income (expense) 968 (578 ) 811 (35 ) Interest expense (1,239 ) (252 ) (2,133 ) (434 ) Income before income taxes 48,510 42,042 98,845 86,738 Income tax expense 10,524 8,227 21,418 17,877 Net income $ 37,986 $ 33,815 $ 77,427 $ 68,861 Net income per Class A Nonvoting Common Share: Basic $ 0.76 $ 0.65 $ 1.55 $ 1.33 Diluted $ 0.76 $ 0.65 $ 1.55 $ 1.32 Net income per Class B Voting Common Share: Basic $ 0.76 $ 0.65 $ 1.54 $ 1.31 Diluted $ 0.76 $ 0.65 $ 1.53 $ 1.30 Weighted average common shares outstanding: Basic 49,745 51,800 49,806 51,887 Diluted 50,009 52,162 50,049 52,299

BRADY CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Dollars in thousands) January 31, 2023 July 31, 2022 (Unaudited) ASSETS Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 108,210 $ 114,069 Accounts receivable, net of allowance for credit losses of $8,097 and $7,355, respectively 186,852 183,233 Inventories 195,167 190,023 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 13,986 10,743 Total current assets 504,215 498,068 Property, plant and equipmentnet 140,784 139,511 Goodwill 590,776 586,832 Other intangible assets 67,513 74,028 Deferred income taxes 15,826 15,881 Operating lease assets 31,411 31,293 Other assets 21,748 21,719 Total $ 1,372,273 $ 1,367,332 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 75,876 $ 81,116 Accrued compensation and benefits 53,213 76,764 Taxes, other than income taxes 12,799 12,539 Accrued income taxes 6,794 8,294 Current operating lease liabilities 15,402 15,003 Other current liabilities 65,765 61,458 Total current liabilities 229,849 255,174 Long-term debt 77,281 95,000 Long-term operating lease liabilities 17,822 19,143 Other liabilities 79,917 86,717 Total liabilities 404,869 456,034 Stockholders equity: Common stock: Class A nonvoting common stockIssued 51,261,487 shares, and outstanding 46,115,760 and 46,370,708 shares, respectively 513 513 Class B voting common stockIssued and outstanding, 3,538,628 shares 35 35 Additional paid-in capital 348,513 345,266 Retained earnings 947,051 892,417 Treasury stock5,145,727 and 4,890,779 shares, respectively, of Class A nonvoting common stock, at cost (233,338 ) (217,856 ) Accumulated other comprehensive loss (95,370 ) (109,077 ) Total stockholders equity 967,404 911,298 Total $ 1,372,273 $ 1,367,332

BRADY CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Unaudited; Dollars in thousands) Six months ended January 31, 2023 2022 Operating activities: Net income $ 77,427 $ 68,861 Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: Depreciation and amortization 17,117 16,996 Stock-based compensation expense 4,381 7,170 Deferred income taxes (5,234 ) (788 ) Other (908 ) (812 ) Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Accounts receivable 280 (7,216 ) Inventories (1,287 ) (34,360 ) Prepaid expenses and other assets (3,502 ) (1,148 ) Accounts payable and accrued liabilities (29,156 ) (25,357 ) Income taxes (1,734 ) 982 Net cash provided by operating activities 57,384 24,328 Investing activities: Purchases of property, plant and equipment (8,167 ) (16,440 ) Other 11 59 Net cash used in investing activities (8,156 ) (16,381 ) Financing activities: Payment of dividends (22,793 ) (23,249 ) Proceeds from exercise of stock options 2,688 374 Payments for employee taxes withheld from stock-based awards (1,509 ) (5,025 ) Purchase of treasury stock (17,861 ) (21,720 ) Proceeds from borrowing on credit agreement 71,036 131,216 Repayment of borrowing on credit agreement (88,755 ) (86,216 ) Other 66 115 Net cash used in financing activities (57,128 ) (4,505 ) Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents 2,041 (3,370 ) Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents (5,859 ) 72 Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 114,069 147,335 Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $ 108,210 $ 147,407

BRADY CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES SEGMENT INFORMATION (Unaudited; Dollars in thousands) Three months ended January 31, Six months ended January 31, 2023 2022 2023 2022 NET SALES IDS $ 255,683 $ 244,986 $ 512,039 $ 493,603 WPS 70,566 73,069 136,779 145,927 Total $ 326,249 $ 318,055 $ 648,818 $ 639,530 SALES INFORMATION IDS Organic 7.4% 16.0% 8.0% 14.6% Currency (3.0)% (1.7)% (4.3)% (0.5)% Acquisition % 11.8% % 11.7% Total 4.4% 26.1% 3.7% 25.8% WPS Organic 2.8% 5.2% 2.0% (2.0)% Currency (6.2)% (3.2)% (8.3)% (1.1)% Total (3.4)% 2.0% (6.3)% (3.1)% Total Company Organic 6.3% 13.1% 6.6% 10.0% Currency (3.7)% (2.1)% (5.1)% (0.7)% Acquisition % 8.6% % 8.5% Total 2.6% 19.6% 1.5% 17.8% SEGMENT PROFIT IDS $ 47,384 $ 44,129 $ 98,909 $ 92,945 WPS 6,249 4,515 12,627 6,808 Total $ 53,633 $ 48,644 $ 111,536 $ 99,753 SEGMENT PROFIT AS A PERCENT OF NET SALES IDS 18.5% 18.0% 19.3% 18.8% WPS 8.9% 6.2% 9.2% 4.7% Total 16.4% 15.3% 17.2% 15.6% Three months ended January 31, Six months ended January 31, 2023 2022 2023 2022 Total segment profit $ 53,633 $ 48,644 $ 111,536 $ 99,753 Unallocated amounts: Administrative costs (4,852 ) (5,772 ) (11,369 ) (12,546 ) Investment and other income (expense) 968 (578 ) 811 (35 ) Interest expense (1,239 ) (252 ) (2,133 ) (434 ) Income before income taxes $ 48,510 $ 42,042 $ 98,845 $ 86,738

GAAP to NON-GAAP MEASURES (Unaudited; Dollars in Thousands, Except Per Share Amounts) In accordance with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commissions Regulation G, the following provides definitions of the non-GAAP measures used in the earnings release and the reconciliation to the most closely related GAAP measure. Income Before Income Taxes Excluding Certain Items: Brady is presenting the non-GAAP measure, "Income Before Income Taxes Excluding Certain Items." This is not a calculation based upon GAAP. The amounts included in this non-GAAP measure are derived from amounts included in the Consolidated Financial Statements and supporting footnote disclosures. We do not view these items to be part of our ongoing results. We believe this profit measure provides an important perspective of underlying business trends and results and provides a more comparable measure from year to year. The table below provides a reconciliation of the GAAP measure of Income before income taxes to the non-GAAP measure of Income Before Income Taxes Excluding Certain Items: Three months ended January 31, Six months ended January 31, 2023 2022 2023 2022 Income before income taxes $ 48,510 $ 42,042 $ 98,845 $ 86,738 Amortization expense 3,258 3,749 6,889 7,556 Income Before Income Taxes Excluding Certain Items (non-GAAP measure) $ 51,768 $ 45,791 $ 105,734 $ 94,294 Income Tax Expense Excluding Certain Items: Brady is presenting the non-GAAP measure, "Income Tax Expense Excluding Certain Items." This is not a calculation based upon GAAP. The amounts included in this non-GAAP measure are derived from amounts included in the Consolidated Financial Statements and supporting footnote disclosures. We do not view these items to be part of our ongoing results. We believe this measure provides an important perspective of underlying business trends and results and provides a more comparable measure from year to year. The table below provides a reconciliation of the GAAP measure of Income tax expense to the non-GAAP measure of Income Tax Expense Excluding Certain Items: Three months ended January 31, Six months ended January 31, 2023 2022 2023 2022 Income tax expense (GAAP measure) $ 10,524 $ 8,227 $ 21,418 $ 17,877 Amortization expense 769 887 1,634 1,787 Income Tax Expense Excluding Certain Items (non-GAAP measure) $ 11,293 $ 9,114 $ 23,052 $ 19,664 Net Income Excluding Certain Items: Brady is presenting the non-GAAP measure, "Net Income Excluding Certain Items." This is not a calculation based upon GAAP. The amounts included in this non-GAAP measure are derived from amounts included in the Consolidated Financial Statements and supporting footnote disclosures. We do not view these items to be part of our ongoing results. We believe this measure provides an important perspective of underlying business trends and results and provides a more comparable measure from year to year. The table below provides a reconciliation of the GAAP measure of Net income to the non-GAAP measure of Net Income Excluding Certain Items: Three months ended January 31, Six months ended January 31, 2023 2022 2023 2022 Net income (GAAP measure) $ 37,986 $ 33,815 $ 77,427 $ 68,861 Amortization expense 2,489 2,862 5,255 5,769 Net Income Excluding Certain Items (non-GAAP measure) $ 40,475 $ 36,677 $ 82,682 $ 74,630 Diluted EPS Excluding Certain Items: Brady is presenting the non-GAAP measure, "Diluted EPS Excluding Certain Items." This is not a calculation based upon GAAP. The amounts included in this non-GAAP measure are derived from amounts included in the Consolidated Financial Statements. We do not view these items to be part of our ongoing results. We believe this measure provides an important perspective of underlying business trends and results and provides a more comparable measure from year to year. The table below provides a reconciliation of the GAAP measure of Net income per Class A Nonvoting Common Share to the non-GAAP measure of Diluted EPS Excluding Certain Items: Three months ended January 31, Six months ended January 31, 2023 2022 2023 2022 Net income per Class A Nonvoting Common Share (GAAP measure) $ 0.76 $ 0.65 $ 1.55 $ 1.32 Amortization expense 0.05 0.05 0.10 0.11 Diluted EPS Excluding Certain Items (non-GAAP measure) $ 0.81 $ 0.70 $ 1.65 $ 1.43 Diluted EPS Excluding Certain Items Guidance: Fiscal 2023 Expectations Low High Earnings per diluted Class A Common Share (GAAP measure) $ 3.23 $ 3.43 Amortization expense 0.17 0.17 Diluted EPS Excluding Certain Items (non-GAAP measure) $ 3.40 $ 3.60

For More Information:Investor contact: Ann Thornton 414-438-6887Media contact: Kate Venne 414-358-5176

Source: Brady Corporation
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Amuse, a cannabis e-commerce and delivery company serving customers throughout California, became the first cannabis delivery company to launch advertising campaigns on Twitter.

Twitter recently announced they would begin to allow cannabis advertisements on the platform, the first social media company to do so.

"The ability to add such a mainstream advertising platform to the marketing-mix is a victory for cannabis marketers and the legal industry as a whole," said Daniel Schwartz, Head of Marketing at Amuse. "Amuse couldn't be more excited for the opportunity to reach our own customers and prospective customers within Twitter's highly engaged community of cannabis consumers. Thank you to @elonmusk for driving the change. We created a code for you: ELON30. We are hopeful Google, Meta and others follow suit."

Amuse joins multi-state-operator Trulieve as two of the first cannabis businesses to launch advertising in their respective categories, with many others soon to follow.

For more information, please visit amuse.com and follow Amuse on Instagram and Facebook. From your fingertips to your doorsteps, high expectations, delivered.

About Amuse

Founded in summer 2020 in Los Angeles, Amuse is a cannabis delivery company providing premium service and high-quality products safely and conveniently. Amuse offers over 500 products, including flower, pre-rolls, vaporizers, gummies, chocolates, joints, pens, and topicals from the most coveted brands in California. The company's objective is to make purchasing and delivering cannabis feel as good as consuming it. The company currently services Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, San Jose, Orange County, Oakland and beyond with additional expansion plans slated for 2023. For more information, please visit amuse.com and follow Amuse on Instagram and Facebook.

Contact Information: Rachel Dubin PR [email protected] 310-892-0519

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MELBOURNE, Australia, Feb. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The world of social media is constantly evolving and as 2023 progresses, it's important for businesses and marketers to stay up-to-date on the latest trends. With new possibilities, movements and shifts driving social media, here are some top trends to expect in the coming year, according to Zib Digital, the leading digital marketing agency Melbourne wide.

One of the most significant shifts in social media is the increasing use of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). With the rise of affordable VR headsets and the increasing availability of AR technology on smartphones, more businesses are looking to incorporate these technologies into their social media marketing strategies. As Zib Digital explains, this trend allows companies to create immersive experiences for their audience, blurring the lines between the digital and physical worlds.

In 2022, TikTok was the most downloaded mobile app worldwide and Zib Digital says it's clear that consumers prefer engaging with short, snackable video content. In 2023, businesses should focus on creating high-quality, visually appealing video content that resonates with their audience.

With the rise of social media shopping, businesses can now sell their products directly to their audience without the need for a website or e-commerce platform. As more consumers turn to social media for product recommendations and inspiration, Zib Digital says businesses that invest in social commerce are likely to see significant growth.

With the abundance of data available, businesses can now use this information to create highly personalised experiences for their audience. Zib Digital recommends tailoring content, ads and messaging to individual consumers to build stronger relationships with audiences and drive engagement.

In 2023, Zib Digital expects to see more efforts to promote equity and representation across social media platforms. Businesses that align themselves with these efforts are likely to build more loyal and engaged audiences.

According to the leaders in digital marketing and SEO Melbourne wide, businesses and marketers need to stay ahead of the curve to succeed in the ever-changing landscape of social media. By embracing these trends and incorporating them into their strategies, businesses can better connect with their audience and drive growth in the years to come.

To learn more, get in touch with the premier SEO agency Melbourne wide today.

Contact Information: Zib Digital Manager (03) 8685 9290

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MONTREAL, Feb. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Falco Resources Ltd. (TSX.V: FPC) (Falco or the Corporation) is pleased to announce that the Corporation and Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd (Osisko) have entered into an amendment to the silver stream agreement dated February 27, 2019 relating to Falcos Horne 5 Project. The amendment postpones to January 31, 2025 the deadlines granted to Falco to achieve milestones set as conditions precedent to Osisko funding the second and third instalments of the stream deposit, which instalments would be funded concurrently if such conditions are satisfied.

The independent directors of the Corporation have approved such amendments under the silver stream agreement.

About Falco

Falco Resources Ltd. is one of the largest mineral claim holders in the Province of Quebec, with extensive land holdings in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt. Falco owns approximately 70,000 hectares of land in the Noranda Mining Camp, which represents 70% of the entire camp and includes 13 former gold and base metal mine sites. Falcos principal asset is the Horne 5 Project located under the former Horne mine that was operated by Noranda from 1927 to 1976 and produced 11.6 million ounces of gold and 2.5 billion pounds of copper. Osisko Development Corp. is Falcos largest shareholder owning a 17.3% interest in the Corporation.

For further information, please contact: Luc LessardPresident, Chief Executive Officer and Director514-261-3336[email protected]

Jeffrey White, LL.B, MBADirector, Investor Relations 416-274-7762[email protected]

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (together, forward looking statements) within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Statements, other than statements of historical facts, and including statements relating to the funding of the second and third instalments of the stream deposit, may be forward-looking statements. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as plans, expects, estimates, intends, anticipates, believes or variations of such words, or statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might, will be taken, occur or be achieved, the negative of these terms and similar terminology although not all forward-looking statements contain these terms and phrases. 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. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risk factors set out in Falcos annual and/or quarterly management discussion and analysis and in other of its public disclosure documents filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, as well as all assumptions regarding the foregoing. 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 frame or at all. Except where required by applicable law, Falco disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Source: Falco Resources Ltd.
BEVERLY, Mass., Feb. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LexaGene Holdings, Inc., (OTCQB: LXXGF; TSX-V: LXG) (LexaGene or the Company), announces that it has ceased operations, laid off its staff, and, together with its direct subsidiary LexaGene, Inc., and its indirect subsidiary Bionomics Diagnostics, Inc., filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 7 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The filing, which took place earlier today at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts, located in Boston, Massachusetts, will result in federal appointment of a bankruptcy trustee to liquidate the Companys assets and distribute any proceeds.

Dr. Jack Regan, LexaGenes CEO and founder, stated, Despite our best efforts, we were unable to secure the necessary funding to continue our operations. Accordingly, the board of directors has exercised its business judgment to commence liquidation proceedings for the Company. My staff and I have truly given our best effort to make this company a success. Unfortunately, market conditions, lack of technology adoption, and the lengthy sales cycle in the biopharma industry have been too much to overcome. We regret the impact this will have on our investors, customers, and employees.

The financial results of the liquidation, which is now in the hands of the Bankruptcy Court, are beyond the Companys control and inherently uncertain. At this time the Company does not expect that any liquidation proceeds realized by the bankruptcy trustee will be sufficient to satisfy the claims of all creditors, and it is unlikely that the Companys shareholders will receive any distribution of any liquidation proceeds.

The Company does not intend to undertake any proceedings under the Companies Creditors Arrangement Act (Canada) or other similar proceedings in Canada.

At this time, the Board of Directors of the Company remains intact, and the Company does not intend to seek a voluntary delisting from the TSX Venture Exchange.

About LexaGene Holdings Inc. LexaGene is a molecular diagnostics company that has commercialized the MiQLab System for fast and easy detection of biological contaminants, pathogens and other molecular markers. The System is designed for on-site usage and uses real-time PCR chemistry. Our customers include biopharmaceutical companies and veterinary hospitals. The MiQLab System delivers excellent sensitivity, specificity, and breadth of detection.

Reader AdvisoryThe TSX Venture Exchange Inc. has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. 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.

Except for statements of historical fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur and include statements relating to the continued listing of the Companys common shares on the TSX Venture Exchange, the outcome of the Chapter 7 bankruptcy case referred to above, any event occurring in the Chapter 7 case (including any disposition of assets, allowance or disallowance of claims, sale or other disposition of assets, granting or denial of a request by any secured creditor for permission to conduct a foreclosure sale of assets subject to a lien, or any distributions to creditors or shareholders), or any other matter within the control of the bankruptcy court, the bankruptcy trustee or any other person. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. We cannot guarantee future results, performance or achievements. Consequently, there is no representation that the actual results achieved will be the same, in whole or in part, as those set out in the forward-looking information.

Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, including assumptions with respect to the outcome of the Chapter 7 case, any event occurring in the Chapter 7 case (including any disposition of assets, allowance or disallowance of claims, sale or other disposition of assets, granting or denial of a request by any secured creditor for permission to conduct a foreclosure sale of assets subject to a lien, or any distributions to creditors or shareholders), or any other matter within the control of the bankruptcy court, the bankruptcy trustee or any other person.

Our forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking information. Some of the risks and other factors that could cause the results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information include, but are not limited to: the outcome of the Chapter 7 case, any event occurring in the Chapter 7 case (including any disposition of assets, allowance or disallowance of claims, sale or other disposition of assets, granting or denial of a request by any secured creditor for permission to conduct a foreclosure sale of assets subject to a lien, or any distributions to creditors or shareholders), or any other matter within the control of the bankruptcy court, the bankruptcy trustee or any other person, the potential for a listing review by the TSX Venture Exchange and the other risk factors disclosed in our filings with the SEC and under our profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned that this list of risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive.

The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. We undertake no duty to update any of the forward-looking information to conform such information to actual results or to changes in our expectations except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

Source: LexaGene Holdings Inc
Helena, MT, Feb. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- When it comes to fire fatalities in the U.S, 2023 is off to a solemn start. The number of fires in our country, the severity of fires, and the rate of fire deaths and injuries are all on the rise. Since January 1st, 439 people have died. According to media reports, 40 of those are children. If not for the heroic efforts of first responders, the additional tragedies that could have ensued from these fires would be incalculable. Fire does not discriminate, it is happening to the rich, happening to the poor, and it could happen to you.

The National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA) applauds two advocate organizations that have rallied to support the Montana Fire Service. Several proposed pieces of legislation in Montana attempt to override the valuable work of the Montana Building Codes Program within the Montana Department of Labor and Industry, as well as further remove local authority. One of these pieces of legislation attempts to remove the authority of the local fire chief and his/her ability to enforce the fire code.

As new buildings are built, they are built to the current editions of the codes and standards that go through a very well vetted process at the national level, and then at the state level. When existing buildings in our communities are purchased and the original intent of those buildings is changed, they are brought up to the current codes and standards. It is the one time you have in the buildings life to update features to keep the occupants and first responders safe when a fire occurs.

Our national codes process is one that has reduced fire deaths and injuries significantly over the past half century. However, legislation such as what is occurring in Montana has subverted the professional process and after over a decade of poor public policy decisions by state legislatures, the number of fires and fire deaths are on the rise.

New buildings are required to be built to code because of what weve learned from past tragedies. We know the solution. There is a reason all buildings must be brought up to code when renovating, it is to protect the future and everyone who will be part of that building. Montana has already adopted a state law that prohibits the state from requiring fire sprinklers in homes, but it does leave localities the option to do so. While we are not advocates for limiting any states ability to keep people safe, we are grateful that local governments can do what is best for their communities.

When property in the community is improved, it is a long-term investment in that community. The process in Montana currently works to make sure the building official, fire official, and the building owner can work through the process to make sure the building is properly protected for the occupancy the building is being changed to accommodate. Tragedies occur every year across this country that prove the need for the Montana Building Codes Program to work, and that it has worked.

We just observed the 20-year anniversary of The Station Nightclub Fire in Rhode Island. We represent the people that are still living with this tragedy. Already this year, four major high-rise fires in this country have cost the lives of civilians and injured dozens of firefighters in buildings that people refused to bring up to current codes and standards. We know that a properly maintained and operating fire alarm and fire sprinkler system could have changed these outcomes. Fire sprinkler systems reduce the risk of a person dying in a fire by over 90% according to the latest studies by the National Fire Protection Association.

We were saddened to learn of the recent tragic fires where firefighters have died protecting those they serve. These incidents highlight the courageous work firefighters do every day to protect the citizens they are sworn to serve, said Chief Ron Siarnicki, Executive Director of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) It also emphasizes the importance of automatic fire alarms and automatic fire sprinklers to reduce the impact of fire in our communities, especially the lives of our most vulnerable populations. The NFFF will always stand with our nations firefighters and champion these life safety efforts to keep our firefighters and those they serve safe.

The NFFF Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives include one that focuses on the importance of code enforcement and the installation of fire sprinklers, and it is time for us to include them.

On behalf of firefighter families across the nation, we stand with those who battled these fires bravely and saved lives, stated Common Voices Advocate Liaison Jenna Pritchett. As we monitor legislation filed across the country, we are appalled at what has been filed in Montana regarding fire & life safety. Senator Trebas has filed legislation that not only jeopardizes firefighters, but the people, pets and visitors of the buildings that will be affected by his bill.

For more details about the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation's Life Safety Initiatives, please visit www.firehero.org . NFFF was created by Congress to lead a nationwide effort to remember America's fallen firefighters. Since 1992, the tax-exempt, non-profit Foundation has developed and expanded programs to honor our fallen fire heroes and assist their families and coworkers.

About Common Voices: Common Voices (www.fireadvocates.org) is an advocates' coalition of members who all have been directly affected by fire. By bringing their voices together, they hope to educate others regarding fire and its devastating impact. Their mission is to create a fire-safe America by sharing their stories, creating resources that educate and sharing fire statistics.
OTTAWA, Feb. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As we mark one year of conflict, the Red Cross remains focussed on providing humanitarian assistance to people in Ukraine and to those displaced in nearby countries. The situation remains dire with the number of people impacted in the millions. Red Cross teams remain committed to providing immediate support including shelter, food, hygiene items, and cash assistance. As the conflict persists, the need for health and psychological supports are increasing significantly.

Over the past year, the Canadian Red Cross has been working closely with its Red Cross Red Crescent movement partners to provide neutral and impartial humanitarian assistance and has provided:

More than 14 million people with emergency relief items including food, water, and blankets.

including food, water, and blankets. More than 1 million people with health services .

. More than 328,000 people in Ukraine with mental health and psychological support .

. Improved access to water for 10.5 million people .

. Adequate heating to 1.4 million people.

As the conflict persists, the Red Cross is providing improved access to healthcare and psychological supports for people dealing with trauma caused by the armed conflict. The Canadian Red Cross has been working closely with the Ukrainian Red Cross to address emerging needs and is funding four Mobile Health Units, to provide medical services to people requiring care. Staffed by local doctors and nurses, and personnel from Ukrainian Red Cross, Mobile Health Teams provide health assessments, medication, treatment for minor injuries, and referrals for additional care.

Beginning in August 2022, teams with the Mobile Health Units have provided:

More than 436 visits in urban or rural locations.

in urban or rural locations. More than 8,000 primary healthcare consultations.

In addition, the Canadian Red Cross is funding the salaries of 10 psychotherapists at Lviv hospital, due to the increased need for mental health supports across the country. The program has:

Provided 1,282 therapy sessions to 220 individuals which has contributed to improving their wellbeing.

The situation in Ukraine and surrounding countries is evolving daily. The Canadian Red Cross continues to work closely with the Ukrainian Red Cross and other national Red Cross societies to help support immediate and long-term needs in the region.

Quote:

The strength and resilience of the Ukrainian people is remarkable as each and every day, they are faced with the long-term impacts of armed conflict. I am always grateful for the dedication of the Red Cross personnel who continue to respond and provide assistance, all the while experiencing the same impacts of the people they are helping. The Red Cross Movement will continue to provide lifesaving assistance to those in need. We will be there to support the people in Ukraine for as long as were needed.

- Conrad Sauve, President and CEO, Canadian Red Cross

The Canadian Red Cross wishes to thank Canadians and the Government of Canada for their generosity in support of the Red Cross response in Ukraine and surrounding countries where people are displaced. People living in Canada wishing to donate to the Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal can do so: Online at redcross.ca or by calling 1-800-418-1111

To date, the Canadian Red Cross Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal has raised $201 million which includes the matching contribution from the Government of Canada.

Additional ResourcesVideo | @RedCrossCanada | facebook.com/CanadianRedCross | redcross.ca/blog Red Cross donor inquiries: [email protected] or 1-800-418-1111

About the Canadian Red Cross

Here in Canada and overseas, the Red Cross stands ready to help people before, during and after a disaster. As a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement  which is made up of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Committee of the Red Cross and 192 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies  the Canadian Red Cross is dedicated to helping people and communities in Canada and around the world in times of need and supporting them in strengthening their resilience.

MEDIA CONTACTSEnglish Media: 1-877-599-9602French Media: 1-888-418-9111

Source: Canadian Red Cross / Croix-Rouge canadienne
MONTREAL, Feb. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Osisko Development Corp. (NYSE: ODV, TSXV: ODV) ("Osisko Development" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company has agreed to issue 10,000 common shares of the Company (the "Common Shares") in accordance with the terms of a participation agreement dated June 10, 2022 (the "Participation Agreement") with the Williams Lake First Nation (see news release dated July 5, 2022), relating to the Company's 100%-owned Cariboo Gold Project located in central British Columbia.

Pursuant to the Participation Agreement, the Company has also agreed to make certain cash payments and issue up to 50,000 additional Common Shares, subject to the achievement of certain future milestones. All Common Shares issuable under the Participation Agreement will be subject to a statutory hold period expiring four months and one day from the date of issuance in accordance with applicable securities legislation.

About Osisko Development Corp.

Osisko Development Corp. is a premier North American gold development company focused on high-quality past-producing properties located in mining friendly jurisdictions with district scale potential. The Company's objective is to become an intermediate gold producer by advancing its 100%-owned Cariboo Gold Project, located in central B.C., Canada, the recently acquired Tintic Project in the historic East Tintic mining district in Utah, U.S.A., and the San Antonio Gold Project in Sonora, Mexico. In addition to considerable brownfield exploration potential of these properties, that benefit from significant historical mining data, existing infrastructure and access to skilled labour, the Company's project pipeline is complemented by other prospective exploration properties. The Company's strategy is to develop attractive, long-life, socially and environmentally sustainable mining assets, while minimizing exposure to development risk and growing mineral resources.

For further information, please contact Osisko Development Corp.:

Sean Roosen Philip Rabenok Chairman and CEO Director, Investor Relations Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Tel: +1 (514) 940-0685 Tel: +1 (437) 423-3644

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements contained in this news release may be deemed "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 securities legislation. These forwardlooking statements, by their nature, require Osisko Development to make certain assumptions and necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these forwardlooking statements. Forwardlooking statements are not guarantees of performance. Words such as "may", "will", "would", "could", "expect", "believe", "plan", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "continue", or the negative or comparable terminology, as well as terms usually used in the future and the conditional, are intended to identify forwardlooking statements. Information contained in forwardlooking statements is based upon certain material assumptions that were applied in drawing a conclusion or making a forecast or projection, including management's perceptions of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, results of further exploration work to define and expand mineral resources, the ability of exploration work (including drilling) to accurately predict mineralization, and any other information herein that is not a historical fact may be "forward looking information". Material assumptions also include, management's perceptions of historical trends, the ability of exploration (including drilling) to accurately predict mineralization, budget constraints and access to capital on terms acceptable to the Company, current conditions and expected future developments, the ability to satisfy all conditions precedent to the issuance of additional Common Shares, the Company's ability to achieve the milestones outlined in the Participation Agreement, the Company's ability to bring the Cariboo Project to commercial production, results of further exploration work to define or expand any mineral resources, as well as other considerations that are believed to be appropriate in the circumstances. Osisko Development considers its assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available, but cautions the reader that their assumptions regarding future events, many of which are beyond the control of Osisko Development, may ultimately prove to be incorrect since they are subject to risks and uncertainties that affect Osisko Development and its business. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, risks relating to capital market conditions and the Company's ability to access capital on terms acceptable to the Company; regulatory framework; the ability of exploration activities (including drill results) to accurately predict mineralization; errors in management's geological modelling; the ability of to complete further exploration activities, including drilling; the ability of the Company to obtain required approvals; the results of exploration activities; risks relating to exploration, development and mining activities; the global economic climate; metal prices; dilution; environmental risks; and community and non-governmental actions and the responses of relevant governments to the COVID-19 outbreak and the effectiveness of such responses. Readers are urged to consult the disclosure provided under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2021, as amended, which has been filed on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) under Osisko Development's issuer profile and on the SEC's EDGAR website (www.sec.gov), for further information regarding the risks and other factors applicable to the exploration results. Although the Company's believes the expectations conveyed by the forward-looking statements are reasonable based on information available at the date of preparation, no assurances can be given as to future results, levels of activity and achievements. The Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by law. There can be no assurance that these forward-looking 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.

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. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.

Source: Osisko Development Corp.
LONGUEUIL, Quebec, Feb. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reunion Gold Corporation (TSXV: RGD; OTCQB: RGDFF) (the Company) is pleased to announce that it has exercised the two options to acquire all of the rights to its Oko West Project that were originally held by two local miners, for no additional consideration. Reunion Gold is now the 100% registered and beneficial owner of the Oko West Project and Prospecting Licence.

As stated in the Companys February 13, 2023 news release, the Oko West Project was excluded from the Alliance by Barrick Gold Corporation (Barrick) in January 2020. Barrick transferred back to the Company all of its rights in Oko West under a transfer agreement and has no back-in rights on Oko West.

The Company, having met all the conditions under the two agreements with the local miners, including satisfying all annual option payments, has now exercised the two options. In accordance with one of the option agreements, the optionor will be entitled to receive a contingent consideration of US$5.00 per ounce of gold to be produced from his former permits area (representing approximately 86.5% of the Oko West Project licence area).

The Oko West Project comprises one Prospecting License issued to Reunion Gold Inc., the Companys 100%-owned Guyanese subsidiary, on September 23, 2022. The licence is valid for an initial period of three years and has a surface area of approximately 10,890 acres.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

About Reunion Gold Corporation

Reunion Gold Corporation is a leading gold explorer in the Guiana Shield, South America. In 2021 the Company made an exciting new gold discovery at its Oko West project in Guyana, where to date, it has outlined continuous gold mineralization at the Kairuni zone over 2,000 meters of strike and to a depth of 575 meters. In addition to Kairuni, there are several additional priority exploration targets in the Oko West project area. The Companys common shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol RGD and trade on the OTCQB under the symbol RGDFF.

Additional information about the Company is available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) and the Companys website (www.reuniongold.com).

For further information, please contact: REUNION GOLD CORPORATION Rick Howes, President, CEO and DirectorDoug Flegg, Business Development AdvisorEmail: [email protected]or: [email protected]Telephone: +1 450.677.2585

Source: Reunion Gold Corporation
San Francisco, CA, Feb. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bay Area-based veteran services organization Swords to Plowshares recently received a $50,000 grant from Safeway Foundation which will directly support veteran-specific employment and job assistance and wraparound services for veterans facing housing instability. Safeways unwavering support for military veterans has had a powerful impact on Swords to Plowshares. This years award makes the lifetime giving from Safeway Foundation to Swords to Plowshares over $500,000.

Since 2006, the Safeway Foundation has been a strong supporter of Swords to Plowshares. A philanthropic leader both within the Bay Area and nationally, the Foundation aims to support organizations that work toward bettering the lives of its neighbors. Beyond financial support, Safeway stores support military veterans in their neighborhoods by offering employment opportunities.

As part of our ongoing commitment to the community, the Safeway Foundation is proud to be a longtime supporter of Swords to Plowshares," said Wendy Gutshall, Public Affairs Director of Safeway. "This organization has helped countless veterans get back on their feet by providing vital resources and support services. We are honored to have contributed more than $500,000 to this worthy cause over the course of our longtime partnership."

Grant funds have primarily supported veterans transitioning out of service and back to work. Swords to Plowshares services are designed to help veterans with an integrated system of support to overcome interrelated barriers to stability. The organization offers housing programs and services, access to free legal services, guidance for obtaining healthcare, free employment and job training, and mental health services. Translating military skills to the civilian workforce is a common obstacle that veterans may face after transitioning from military service to the civilian community.

Longstanding partners like Safeway answered the call early on to respond to the needs of post-9/11 veterans transitioning home, says Michael Blecker, Swords to Plowshares Executive Director. With their reliable and committed support, we are able to sustain our programming and ensure no veteran in need of services is left behind.

For almost 50 years, Swords to Plowshares has been at the forefront of veteran services and advocacy. As the organization continues to work in the San Francisco Bay Area to end veteran homelessness and support veterans in crisis, funding from Safeway Foundation will guarantee more veterans with the care they need to live better lives.

About Swords to Plowshares

Founded in 1974, Swords to Plowshares is a community-based not-for-profit organization that provides counseling and case management, rapid re-housing and eviction prevention services, employment and training, supportive housing, and legal benefits assistance for low-income, homeless and at-risk veterans in the San Francisco Bay Area. Swords to Plowshares promotes and protects the rights of veterans through advocacy, public education, and partnerships with local, state and national entities. Learn more about the work of Swords to Plowshares, and ways in which you can help, by visiting our website at Swords to Plowshares (swords-to-plowshares.org)

About Safeway Foundation

Founded in 2001, the Safeway Foundation supports causes that impact our customers' lives. Safeway stores provide the opportunity to mobilize funding and create awareness in our neighborhoods through the generous contributions by our customers, our associates' passion, and partnerships with our vendors. We focus on giving locally in the areas of Hunger Relief, Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, Veterans and Supporting Diversity and Inclusion of All Abilities. In 2022, Safeway along with the Safeway Foundation donated over $27 million in food and financial support to charitable organizations in the communities it serves in the Northern California Division.

Attachment

Colleen Corliss Swords to Plowshares 202-415-6101 [email protected]

Source: Swords to Plowshares
U.S. Rep. Brandon Williams has proposed legislation that would require the federal government to conduct a "long-range strategic review" of Northeast oil and gas reserves.

Williams, R-Sennett, is partnering with a fellow New York Republican, U.S. Rep. Michael Lawler, and U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, a New Hampshire Democrat, to introduce the bill.

If Congress passes the legislation, the Energy Department would examine the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve and the Northeast Gasoline Supply Reserve.

The Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve holds 1 million barrels of diesel, with 400,000 barrels in the Boston area, 300,000 barrels in the New York Harbor area and 300,000 barrels in Groton, Connecticut, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

The purpose of the reserve is to protect Northeast businesses and homes from supply disruptions.

The Northeast Gasoline Supply Reserve was created after Superstorm Sandy and serves a similar purpose  to ensure access to gas if there are disruptions. Gas availability was a problem in the aftermath of Sandy, so the federal government established the reserve with 1 million barrels of gasoline, including 700,000 in the New York Harbor.

However, the proponents of the legislation believe that the reserves aren't enough to respond to supply disruptions.

"It is imperative that our energy needs are being met and will be dependable in the event of an emergency," Williams said. "This bipartisan legislation will provide a better understanding of the Northeast petroleum product reserves' capabilities in order to strengthen them."

Energy issues are among Williams' top priorities. He serves on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee and was appointed chair of the panel's energy subcommittee.
Washington, DC, Feb. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The United States Mint (Mint) will accept orders for the 2023 American Eagle Silver Proof Coin (W) beginning on March 2 at noon EST. This one ounce proof coin is minted to demand, with orders limited to 25 coins per household for the first 24 hours of sale.

Produced at the United States Mint at West Point since 1986, American Eagle Silver Proof Coins are collector versions of the official United States Mint American Eagle Silver Bullion Coins. These popular silver collectibles were updated in 2021 with a refreshed obverse (heads) and a completely redesigned reverse (tails) to mark the 35th anniversary of the American Eagle Coin Program.

Like its bullion counterpart, the obverse of the American Eagle Silver Proof Coin features sculptor Adolph A. Weinmans full-length figure of Liberty in full stride, enveloped in folds of the flag, with her right hand extended and branches of laurel and oak in her left. Using technological advancements in the design and minting process, the coin encompasses some of Weinmans original details, which renders a closer reflection of his original vision, including the addition of his traditional artist mark. Inscriptions are LIBERTY, 2023, and IN GOD WE TRUST.

The reverse features an eagle as it approaches a landing, carrying an oak branch, as if to add it to a nest. Inscriptions are UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, E PLURIBUS UNUM, 1 OZ. FINE SILVER, and ONE DOLLAR. United States Mint Artistic Infusion Program Designer Emily Damstra created the design that retired United States Mint Medallic Artist Michael Gaudioso sculpted.

In addition to the redesigned reverse and enhanced design details on the obverse, the American Eagle Silver Proof Coins are minted in high detail using new technology and include a reed pattern variation. The Mint benchmarked its efforts against anti-counterfeiting programs implemented by major mints around the world. These features will make the coins more difficult to counterfeit.

The 2023 American Eagle One Ounce Silver Proof (W) is priced at $80.00. To set up a REMIND ME alert, visit https://catalog.usmint.gov/american-eagle-2023-one-ounce-silver-proof-coin-23EA.html (product code 23EA).

Additional coins in the American Eagle Coin Program are available at: https://catalog.usmint.gov/coins/coin-programs/american-eagle-coins/.

About the United States MintCongress created the United States Mint in 1792, and the Mint became part of the Department of the Treasury in 1873. As the Nations sole manufacturer of legal tender coinage, the Mint is responsible for producing circulating coinage for the Nation to conduct its trade and commerce. The Mint also produces numismatic products, including proof, uncirculated, and commemorative coins; Congressional Gold Medals; silver and bronze medals; and silver and gold bullion coins. Its numismatic programs are self-sustaining and operate at no cost to taxpayers.

Note: To ensure that all members of the public have fair and equal access to United States Mint products, the United States Mint will not accept and will not honor orders placed prior to the official on-sale date and time of March 2, 2023, at noon EST.

Please visit the United States Mint catalog site https://catalog.usmint.gov/ for the most current information on product and service status.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

Visit https://catalog.usmint.gov/coins/coin-programs/american-eagle-coins/ for more information about the American Eagle Coin Program.

Watch our flagship video honoring the American Eagle Coin Program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs6_FTgIX8Y.

Visit usmint.gov/about for information about the United States Mint.

Visit https://catalog.usmint.gov/email-signup to subscribe to United States Mint electronic product notifications, news releases, public statements, and our monthly educational newsletter, Lessons That Make Cents.

Visit and subscribe to the United States Mints YouTube channel to view videos about the United States Mint.

Sign up for RSS Feeds from the United States Mint and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

###

United States Mint  Connecting America through Coins

Attachment

Office of Corporate Communications United States Mint (202) 354-7222 [email protected]

Source: United States Mint
Shoreditch, London--(Newsfile Corp. - February 24, 2023) - CrossConnect Forum, a new business conference being held March 8thin Shoreditch, London will focus on UK businesses and the blossoming of the tech landscape in Latin America and the Caribbean. CrossConnect Forum is designed to give European and United Kingdom enterprise leaders fresh new strategies to engage partners in the Americas to overcome increasingly intense operational pressures and sustain market leadership. The speed of global commerce rewards business leaders who can capitalize on newly emerging digital talent hubs. In recent years, the Caribbean and Latin America have emerged to become considered 'world class' in terms of readiness to build and export software, manage call center and customer experience (CX) services, and generate highly qualified professionals able to work in a wide variety of technology fields, such as digital banking, e-commerce, data analytics, artificial intelligence and blockchain.





New Shore, New Thinking, No Limitations

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CrossConnect will explore this exciting new avenue of 'transatlantic innovation' by delivering a 'boutique-like' forum, built to forge high-value relationships and examine new ways to re-think and re-design the core operating systems of global organizations. According to Deloitte's Global Outsourcing Report, published in 2022, Latin America offers a powerful combination of technology talent and well-developed ICT infrastructure.

The COVID epidemic made digital transformation a necessity for many industries, dramatically increasing the demand for technology services, digitization consultancy and competent tech talent. High demand also tightened the already expensive tech job market, putting pressure on businesses hit hard by increasing capital expenditures.

The forum is also being held at a crucially important moment for the UK economy. A post-Brexit existence requires that UK business and policy leaders reconsider markets and geographies that previously were not high on the radar. The need for the UK to establish a new identity is one of the cornerstones of the conference.

"We believe this moment is really important in terms of UK business leaders, perhaps for the first time, recognizing the significant tech investment and outsourcing opportunities in the Caribbean-Latin America region," says Kirk Laughlin, Founder and Chief Analyst, of Nearshore Americas, a leading tech business publisher and consultancy, based in the United States.

Among the key topics that will be explored at CrossConnect on March 8th:

The Great Debate: Benefits and Liabilities of the Four Core Shores

London Time: Embracing Global Markets in a Phase of Identity Re-creation

Diversity and Inclusion as Drivers of Digital Innovation

Smart Contracts in Global Tech: Enhancing Trust and Data Integrity

Prime Caribbean: A Roadmap to Rising Opportunity

The Intersection of Digital Nomadism, Remote Work and Rising Talent Hub

CrossConnect will kickoff at 10am on March 8th, at the Loading Bay in Shoreditch. For more information and to register for the conference visit: www.crossconnectforum.com

Notable sponsors of the conference include:

Itel (Jamaica), GBH (Dominican Republic), Qintess (Brazil), Jampro (Jamaica), InvesTT (Trinidad), Sibu Digital (Costa Rica) and Invest Barbados (Barbados)

Contact:

Kirk Laughlin, Chief Analyst, Nearshore Americas

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.crossconnectforum.com

LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nearshore-americas/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/nsamericas/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/NSAmericas

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156065
Futurism and tradition, functionality and elegance, OPPO Find N2 Flip catwalk at Milan Fashion Week wearing the creativity and mastery of ACT N 1

Milan, Italy--(Newsfile Corp. - February 24, 2023) - Media OutReach OPPO, one of the world's leading companies in the field of smart devices, is once again at the center of Milan Fashion Week 2023, one of the most awaited international events in the fashion scene, thanks to the new collaboration with ACT N1, amongst the most reputable brands supported by the Maison Valentino. Under spotlight, the new OPPO Find N2 Flip symbolizes OPPO's dedication to support young talents in the fashion industry, enhancing its flagship features, embellished by the exclusive ruffle bag created from the designer Luca Lin's iconic tulle.





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The collaboration was created with the aim of celebrating the perfect union between fashion and technology, attention to detail and product exclusivity. A value that unites the two protagonists of the fashion show and that can be enclosed in OPPO's brand mission, "Inspiration Ahead", the continuous effort to improve today's reality that OPPO translates into innovation and beauty of its products, and ACT N1 through the creation of inclusive models that are always inspired by art.





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In this way, Milan Fashion Week becomes the perfect setting to demonstrate how technology is not only creativity, but also an increasingly fundamental part of the creative process. The essence of OPPO and ACT N1 is tangible in each of their creations as they concretely translate their values and leave an indelible imprint linked to a strong connection with their own history and at the same time with an eye to the present but especially to the future.





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"Fashion is about expressing a style. In our time, fashion needs to open up to different collaborations to create synergies and a storytelling. This collaboration is about the balance between innovation and elegance, free creativity and functionality, interiority and aesthetics, power and lightness.", said Luca Lin, Cofounder of ACT N1.

The combination of materials, colors, and design give shape to a unique and functional union: the smartphone's lightweight but premium materials are intertwined with the transparency of handmade tulle, which, in addition of being the iconic and recurring material of the fashion brand, allows you to see the smartphone cover and its innovative vertical screen further embellishing the design. The OPPO Find N2 Flip's sleek and elegant style, delicate camera design, and device body are just some of the features that are highlighted by ACT N1's craftsmanship. Just like the new OPPO Find N2 Flip, the ruffle bag aims to be practical and functional, without forgetting style and originality.

Technology and fashion evolve in step with the needs of consumers, changing shape and characteristics, researching, and developing a product that meets the real needs of the moment. Therefore, the perfect balance becomes a key element to achieve the best results in terms of quality and satisfaction. OPPO, by creating the Find N2 Flip, has developed the best technologies, creating a premium and high-performance foldable device, without sacrificing aesthetics, a common element with ACT N1.

"The technological excellence achieved with the new Find N2 Flip consolidates an important growth path in the flagship category, allowing us to enter the flip market. As a result of our consolidation in co-branding partnerships, the collaboration with ACT N1 is intended to be the first act of a show that allows us to continue to oversee and strengthen our positioning in the fashion world. Having the opportunity to support new generations of young talents enriches our history and broadens the search for new areas of expansion" said Billy Zhang, President of Overseas Sales and Services, OPPO.

About OPPO

OPPO is a leading global smart device brand. Since the launch of its first mobile phone - "Smiley Face" - in 2008, OPPO has been in relentless pursuit of the perfect synergy of aesthetic satisfaction and innovative technology. Today, OPPO provides a wide range of smart devices spearheaded by the Find and Reno series. Beyond devices, OPPO also provides its users with ColorOS operating system and internet services such as OPPO Cloud and OPPO+. OPPO has footprints in more than 60 countries and regions, with more than 40,000 employees dedicated to creating a better life for customers around the world.

Media Contact

[email protected]

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156078
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 23, 2023) - Q2 Metals Corp. (TSXV: QTWO) (OTCQB: QUEXF) (FSE: 458) ("Q2" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has completed its previously announced private placement financing for aggregate proceeds to the Company of $10,250,000 CDN, consisting of 12,908,333 units (the "Offering") as follows:

6,250,000 units of the Company at a price of $1.04 per unit (the "Series C Units"). Each Series C Unit consisted of one flow-through common share of the Company (a "FT Share"), and one common share purchase warrant, entitling the holder to acquire one additional non-flow-through common share (a "Share") at a price of $1.25 per Share for a period of two years (a "Warrant");

1,350,000 units of the Company at a price of $0.75 per unit (the "Series R Units"). Each Series R Unit consisted of one FT Share and one Warrant;

4,975,000 units of the Company at a price of $0.50 per unit (the "NFT Units"). Each NFT Unit consisted of one non-flow-through Share and one Warrant; and

333,333 units of the Company at a price of $0.75 per unit (the "Additional Units"). Each Additional Unit consisted of one non-flow-through Share and one Warrant.

"The closing of this private placement is a major milestone for the Company that will enable us to complete a robust 2023 field exploration program that is expected to commence this spring with our inaugural drilling campaign planned for launch this summer," said Q2 President and CEO, Alicia Milne. "Our balance sheet stands at well over $11 million and with significant in-the-money warrants and options, we are well-capitalized for the foreseeable future. Members of the team will be attending PDAC in Toronto and look forward to meeting existing and prospective shareholders in person."

Gross proceeds from the sale of the FT Shares will be used in 2023 to incur "Canadian exploration expenses" that qualify as "flow-through critical mineral mining expenditures" as defined in the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Tax Act"), on the Company's Mia Lithium Property in Qubec. Where applicable, gross proceeds from the sale of the FT Shares from purchasers in Quebec will also qualify as "Canadian exploration expense" and qualify for inclusion in the "exploration base relating to certain Quebec exploration expenses" and the "exploration base relating to certain Quebec surface mining or oil and gas exploration expenses", under the Taxation Act (Quebec). Proceeds from the sale of the NFT Units and Additional Units will be used for general working capital.

A total of 312,500 Shares and 937,000 finder's warrants ("Finder's Warrants") were issued in connection with the Offering to Churchill SIG Pty Ltd. of Subiaco, Western Australia. 312,500 of the Finder's Warrants are each exercisable into one Share at a price of $0.50 per Share for a period of two years, and 625,000 of the Finder's Warrant are each exercisable into one Share at a price of $1.25 per Share for a period of two years.

All securities issued with respect to the Offering will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day in accordance with applicable securities laws or the Exchange Hold Period under the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The securities issued and issuable pursuant to the Offering have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons, absent registration or any applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of any of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful in the United States of America.

Certain directors and officers of the Company participated in the Offering and purchased 33,336 Series R Units and 200,000 NFT Units. As such directors and officers are "related parties" within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions of the Canadian Securities Administrators ("MI 61-101"), the Offering constituted a "related party transaction" under MI 61-101. Q2 is relying on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, as neither the fair market value of the securities to be issued, nor the fair market value of the consideration for the securities to be issued, insofar as it involves interested parties, will exceed 25% of the Issuer's market capitalization as calculated in accordance with MI 61-101. A material change report will be filed less than 21 days prior to the closing of the Offering. The shorter period was necessary in order to permit the Company to close the Offering in a timeframe consistent with usual market practice for transactions of this nature.

About Q2 Metals Corp

Q2 Metals Corp is a Canadian mineral exploration company currently advancing exploration of the 86km2 Mia Lithium project in the James Bay area of Quebec , Canada, which is host to the Mia Li-1 and Mia Li-2 occurrences which grade 0.47% Li 2 O and 2.27% Li 2 O respectively. Q2 is also exploring the highly prospective Big Hill and Titan gold projects covering approximately 110 square kilometers in the Talgai Goldfields of the broader Warwick-Texas District, in Queensland, Australia, which hosts 54 high-grade historical gold mines.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Alicia Milne

President & CEO

[email protected]

Kevin Bottomley

Director

[email protected]

Jason McBride

Corporate Communications

[email protected]



Telephone: 1 (800) 482-7560

E-mail: [email protected]

Follow the Company: Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook, and Instagram

Qualified Person

Neil McCallum, B.Sc., P.Geol., is a registered permit holder with the Ordre des Geologues du Quebec and Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, and has reviewed the technical information in this news release. Mr. McCallum is a director of Q2.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian legislation. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "estimates", "plans", "may", "should", "would", "will", "potential", "scheduled" or variations of such words and phrases and similar expressions, which, by their nature, refer to future events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. Accordingly, all statements in this news release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations and orientations regarding the future including, without limitation, any statements or plans regard the geological prospects of the Company's properties and the future exploration endeavors of the Company. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of material factors and assumptions. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include failure to obtain necessary approvals, unsuccessful exploration results, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, results of future resource estimates, future metal prices, availability of capital and financing on acceptable terms, general economic, market or business conditions, risks associated with regulatory changes, defects in title, availability of personnel, materials and equipment on a timely basis, accidents or equipment breakdowns, uninsured risks, delays in receiving government approvals, unanticipated environmental impacts on operations and costs to remedy same. Readers are cautioned that mineral exploration and development of mines is an inherently risky business and accordingly, the actual events may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Additional risk factors are discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis for its recently completed fiscal period, which is available under Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156010
Washington, D.C.--(Newsfile Corp. - February 24, 2023) - The Securities and Exchange CommissionsInvestor Advisory Committee will hold a virtual public meeting on March 2at 10:00 a.m. ET. The meeting will be webcast on the SEC website.

The committee will host three panels to discuss:

Growth of Private Markets relative to the Public Markets: Drivers and Implications;

Oversight of Investment Advisers: Can Regulators Keep Up with Growth in the Industry; and

Open-End Fund Liquidity Risk Management and Swing Pricing.

The full agenda is availablehere.

This will also be the first meeting that includes the Commissions newly-appointed Investor Advocate, Cristina Martin Firvida, a statutory member of the Committee.

The Investor Advisory Committee, which focuses on investor-related interests, advises the Commission on regulatory priorities and various initiatives to help protect investors and promote the integrity of the U.S. securities markets.Established by the Dodd-Frank Act, the Committee is authorized by Congress to submit findings and recommendations to the Commission.

Learn more about the Investor Advisory Committee here.
Victoria, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 23, 2023) - WeCommerce Holdings Ltd. (TSXV: WE) ("WeCommerce" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has scheduled a special meeting of its shareholders (the "Meeting") to be held on April 11, 2023 to approve its previously announced transaction (the "Transaction") with Tiny Capital Ltd. ("Tiny").

Shareholder Meeting and Approvals

The Meeting is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. (Vancouver time) on April 11, 2023. The meeting will be held virtually via live audio webcast online.

The Transaction is considered a "related party transaction" for the purposes of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). As a result, the Transaction will be subject to minority shareholder approval requirements under MI 61-101 and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange, excluding the votes required to be excluded under MI 61-101 which includes votes of shares of WeCommerce ("WeCommerce Shares") owned by, or over which control or direction is exercised, directly or indirectly, by Andrew Wilkinson.

Disinterested directors and certain executive officers of WeCommerce, along with key shareholders Table Holdings and Freemark Partners, have entered into voting support agreements with Tiny pursuant to which each has committed to vote all of its WeCommerce Shares, representing an aggregate of 39.9% of the WeCommerce Shares eligible to be voted in the required minority shareholder approval, in favour of the Transaction.

Board Recommendation

As previously announced, in connection with the evaluation of the Transaction, the board of directors of the Company (the "WeCommerce Board") formed an independent special committee comprised of Tim McElvaine, Carla Matheson and Shane Parrish (the "Special Committee"), each of whom is an independent director as determined in accordance with MI 61-101. Upon the unanimous recommendation of the Special Committee, the WeCommerce Board approved the Transaction and the Amalgamation Agreement (as defined below) and resolved to recommend that holders of WeCommerce Shares vote in favour of the Transaction (with each of Messrs. Wilkinson and Sparling, the founders and principal shareholders of Tiny, declaring their interest in the Transaction and abstaining from the vote of the WeCommerce Board).

In reaching its recommendation to the WeCommerce Board, the Special Committee relied, in part, upon an oral opinion of Perella Weinberg Partners that, as of January 22, 2023, and based upon and subject to certain assumptions, procedures, factors, limitations and qualifications disclosed to the Special Committee and to be set forth in their written opinion, the approximately 146.4 million WeCommerce Shares to be issued in exchange for 100% of Tiny equity is fair, from a financial point of view, to WeCommerce.

Transaction Overview

The Transaction is structured as a three-cornered amalgamation under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) whereby Tiny will amalgamate with 1396773 B.C. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of WeCommerce to form a new company ("Amalco") pursuant to the terms of the amalgamation agreement dated January 22, 2023 among WeCommerce, Tiny and 1396773 B.C. Ltd. (the "Amalgamation Agreement"). WeCommerce will acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Tiny through Amalco and will issue approximately 146.4 million WeCommerce Shares to Tiny shareholders as consideration therefor. Concurrently with the closing of the Transaction, approximately 11.4 million existing WeCommerce Shares held by Tiny and Tiny Holdings Ltd. will be cancelled, resulting in approximately 177.9 million fully diluted WeCommerce Shares being outstanding on a pro-forma, post-cancellation basis at closing.

It is anticipated that, following completion of the Transaction WeCommerce and Amalco will proceed with a vertical short form amalgamation and, subject to necessary approvals, the combined company will continue into the federal jurisdiction of Canada under the Canada Business Corporations Act under the name "Tiny Ltd." (collectively, the "Post-Closing Reorganization"). The Board of the combined company is expected to be unchanged.

The Transaction is subject to final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV"), WeCommerce shareholder approval at the Meeting and lender approvals under the applicable credit facilities of WeCommerce and Tiny as well as the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions set out in the Amalgamation Agreement. Subject to the satisfaction of such conditions, the Transaction is expected to close in April 2023.

About WeCommerce Holdings Ltd.

WeCommerce provides merchants with a suite of ecommerce software tools to start and grow their online stores. Our family of companies and brands includes Pixel Union, Out of the Sandbox, KnoCommerce, Archetype, Yopify, SuppleApps, Rehash, Foursixty and Stamped. As one of Shopify's first partners since 2010, WeCommerce is focused on building, acquiring, and investing in leading technology businesses operating in the Shopify partner ecosystem.

For more about WeCommerce, please visit https://www.wecommerce.co/ or refer to the public disclosure documents available under WeCommerce's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

For more information, please contact:

David Charron

Chief Financial Officer

Phone: 416-418-3881

Email: [email protected]

About Tiny Capital Ltd.

Tiny is a privately-held leading technology holding company with a strategy of acquiring majority stakes in wonderful businesses. Tiny has two core business segments, Beam and Dribbble, with other standalone businesses including a private equity investment fund.

Beam, and its subsidiary companies including MetaLab, helps start-ups to Fortune 500 companies to design, build and ship premium digital products for both mobile and web. Tiny's capabilities as an end-to-end product partner provide clients with intimate insight into end-user behavior, allowing for a thorough, strategy-led approach to product design, engineering, brand positioning and marketing.

Dribbble is a creative network and community that design professionals use to meet, collaborate, and showcase their work. Dribbble also hosts an online marketplace for graphics, fonts, templates, and other digital assets.

Other standalone businesses include several software and internet companies and the operation of a private equity fund where Tiny serves as the general partner (the "Tiny Fund"). The Tiny Fund commenced operations in August 2020 and has total committed capital of US$150 million.

For more about Tiny, please visit www.tiny.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains statements which constitute "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking statements"), including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company and Tiny with respect to future business activities and operating performance. Forward-looking statements are often identified by the words "may", "would", "could", "should", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" or similar expressions and forward-looking statements in this press release includes, but is not limited to, information and statements regarding: whether and when the Transaction and Post-Closing Reorganization will be consummated; business objectives and plans of the combined entity; the anticipated timing for closing of the Transaction and the Post-Closing Reorganization; the terms and parties of the voting support agreements; the mailing and contents of the management information circular in respect of the special meeting of shareholders of WeCommerce and the timing thereof; the anticipated timing for the special meeting of shareholders of WeCommerce; the Company and Tiny obtaining and/or satisfying customary approvals and conditions, including final TSXV approval, and requisite shareholder, regulatory and third party approvals; and expectations for other economic, business, and/or competitive factors.

Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not based on historical facts, but instead reflect the Company's and Tiny's expectations, estimates or projections concerning future results or events based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made. Although the Company and Tiny believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed thereon, as unknown or unpredictable factors could have material adverse effects on future results, performance or achievements of the Company and Tiny. Financial outlooks, as with forward-looking information generally, are, without limitation, based on the assumptions and subject to various risks as set out herein.

Among the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements are the following: the parties' ability to consummate the Transaction; the ability to receive, in a timely manner and on satisfactory terms, all necessary approvals, including TSXV final approval, and requisite shareholder, regulatory and third party approvals; the ability of the parties to satisfy, in a timely manner, all other conditions to the closing of the Transaction; the potential impact of the announcement or consummation of the Transaction on relationships, including with regulatory bodies, stock exchanges, lenders, service providers, employees and competitors; the diversion of management time on the Transaction; assumptions concerning the Transaction and the operations and capital expenditure plans of the combined entity following completion of the Transaction; credit, liquidity and additional financing risks for the Company and its investees; stock market volatility; changes in e-commerce industry growth and trends; changes in the business activities, focus and plans of the Company and its investees and the timing associated therewith; the Company's actual financial results and ability to manage its cash resources; changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including challenging global financial conditions, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic or otherwise; competition risks; potential conflicts of interest; changes in applicable laws and regulations both locally and in foreign jurisdictions; compliance with extensive government regulation; the risks and uncertainties associated with foreign markets; and the other risk factors more fully described under the heading "Risk Factors" in the each of Company's most recent annual information form and management's discussion and analysis, each of which is available on WeCommerce's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties 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. Although the Company and Tiny have attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended and such changes could be material. The Company and Tiny do not intend, and do not assume any obligation, to update the forward-looking statements except as otherwise required by applicable law.

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Source: WeCommerce Holdings Ltd.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/156035
FILE PHOTO: Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador speaks during a news conference at the Old City Hall (Antiguo Palacio del Ayuntamiento), in Mexico City, Mexico January 20, 2023. REUTERS/Henry Romero/File Photo

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Tesla Inc. would be denied permits to build a plant in the northern Mexican state of Nuevo Leon, where it has eyed investing, if water is scarce, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Friday.

His comments mark the strongest sign yet that his concerns over water supply could become a deal-breaker for Tesla's plans near the U.S.-Mexico border, underscoring critiques from analysts and investors that interference from Lopez Obrador's government is undercutting Mexico's potential as a nearshoring destination serving the U.S. market.

"If there's no water, no," Lopez Obrador told reporters, when asked if he would allow the electric vehicle maker led by billionaire Elon Musk to open a plant in Nuevo Leon, a major industrial hub considered a top contender to land the investment.

"Simply put, we don't give out permits for that. It's not feasible."

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Lopez Obrador called out arid Nuevo Leon for its water scarcity earlier this week, instead touting the benefits of Mexico's poorer southern region where he has sought to increase development.

In 2020, he said he would withhold permits for a Constellation Brands brewery in the northern state of Baja California after criticizing the project for consuming too much water in a dry zone. On Friday, the leftist leader praised Constellation for choosing to relocate to a state in southeastern Mexico.

"They understood very well," Lopez Obrador said. "They are now building their plant in Veracruz."

(Reporting by Daina Beth Solomon and Raul Cortes; Editing by Alistair Bell)
By Jonathan Landay

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. State Department on Friday marked the first anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine by sanctioning more than 60 top Russian officials, including cabinent ministers and regional leaders, and three nuclear weapons institutes.

Also targeted, a department statement said, were scores of other Russian officials and entities, a Russian involved in the theft of grain from Ukraine and the official who oversees its main nuclear power plant, seized by Russian troops early in the invasion.

In other actions, the department slapped U.S. visa restrictions on more than 1,200 members of the Russian military and banned entry into the United States of three military officials it accused of "gross human rights violations" and their families.

The sweeping measures were part of a wave of new sanctions that President Joe Biden's administration announced on the anniversay of the invasion, in coordination with U.S. partners and allies.

"We remain committed to supporting the people of Ukraine and are redoubling our efforts to promote accountability for the Kremlin's war," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

Tens of thousands of Ukranians have died in the war ignited by Russia's onslaught, millions have been driven from homes and villages while towns and cities have been destroyed.

The State Department said it took its latest actions under an executive order authorizing "sanctions with respect to specified harmful foreign activities" by Moscow.

Under the measures, any U.S. property owned by those designated or controlled on their behalves by a U.S. citizen are blocked.

Among those hit by the latest sanctions were nearly 50 governors and other regional leaders and nine members of President Vladimir Putin's cabinet, including Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov.

Others targeted included senior Putin aides, Anna Surovikina, wife of General Sergei Surovikin, who was removed in January from command of Russian forces in Ukraine, and Olga Skabeyeva, a leading propagandist on state television.

They also included Oleg Romanenko, appointed to oversee the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest in Europe, which frequently has been threatened by shellfire that has stoked fears of a major disaster.

Russian attacks on the Ukrainian plant and its seizure "underscored the global concerns related to nuclear energy security and undermine the Kremlin's efforts to portray itself as a responsible supplier of nuclear energy products," Blinken said.

The department's latest sanctions hit three institutes involved in designing and supporting Russia's nuclear weapons stockpile, the world's largest nuclear arsenal, and other defense-related entities.

Putin has raised concerns with what were seen as threats to use nuclear weapons. But the Russian leader denied harboring such intentions.

On Tuesday, he announced that Moscow was suspending its participation in the New START treaty, the last nuclear arms control pact with the United States. On Thursday, he said he planned to strengthen Russia's nuclear forces.

The sanctions also hit Leonid Pasechnik, who Putin appointed interim leader of one of two self-declared republics seized by Russia-backed separatists in a partial invasion of Ukraine in 2014.

(Reporting by Jonathan Landay; Editing by Doina Chiacu and David Gregorio)
Bright Pattern partners with German-based SOGEDES to deliver intelligent and creative customer experience solutions to clients in the DACH market to improve the way they deliver customer service.

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Bright Pattern, a leading provider of cloud-based omnichannel contact center software for innovative companies, today announces its partnership with SOGEDES, a leading provider of CX solutions in the German-speaking market, to provide innovative, creative, and cutting-edge omnichannel solutions to midsize and enterprise companies.

Bright Pattern partners with SOGEDES to deliver omnichannel CX solutions to the DACH region.

SOGEDES is a technology provider based in Germany providing contact center solutions to the DACH market, which includes Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. SOGEDES, for the last 20 years, focuses on maximizing efficiency in customer interactions, implementing best practices for customers in the way they communicate, and adding value to the way businesses interact with their customers. They are driven by using technology creatively in ways that add meaning and efficiency to every interaction. SOGEDES focuses on cloud-based omnichannel customer interactions, workforce management, and AI such as bot integrations and speech analytics.

Bright Pattern's platform is fully omnichannel, and built to be omnichannel from day one. Bright Pattern can also easily integrate AI from the major AI providers, including Google, Microsoft, and IBM Watson. For this reason, Bright Pattern's platform is perfect for delivering AI-powered omnichannel communications that maximize efficiency while personalizing the customer experience. By partnering with SOGEDES, Bright Pattern will help deliver on SOGEDES's vision and deliver personalized, AI-driven omnichannel communications to the DACH market by providing a powerful cloud-based platform that can be customized to match any use case.

"SOGEDES's vision of delivering creative, yet advanced contact center solutions to customers with omnichannel conversations, omnichannel quality management, and AI, perfectly matches Bright Pattern's capabilities. Bright Pattern's platform is enterprise-grade, flexible and robust, and will allow SOGEDES to fulfill their vision for delivering innovative CX in the DACH market ," noted Michael McCloskey, CEO of Bright Pattern.

"Bright Pattern's innovative solution will absolutely enrich our offering for the contact center market in the DACH region. In addition to best-of-class omnichannel management, innovative features such as the Bright Pattern Mobile App make the solution exceptional. With this app, we can bring the agent desktop to smartphones of on-field agents and mobile sales reps - people anywhere in the company, even outside the contact centre. A revolutionary extension of Omni-Enterprise CX," said Berndt Walz, Managing Director of SOGEDES.

About Bright Pattern Bright Pattern provides the simplest yet most powerful all-in-one omnichannel contact center solution with over 500 customers in 26 countries, including Bank of America, Bell24, Cable and Wireless, City of Brampton, Community Medical, Detroit Water, Enercare, EY, First Bank, Hairclub, Hurtigruten, Mediterranean Shipping Company, Naver, Officeworks, Pepsi, Randstad, SEIU, Southern Cross Health Insurance, Sun Country Airlines, Sylvan Learning, United Power, VW Bentley, YMCA, and Zillow. Bright Pattern is the highest rated omnichannel platform by customers and analysts , with the fastest ROI and time to deploy in the industry

About SOGEDES SOGEDES is an IT service and solution provider specialized in the areas of Experience Management, Customer Service, and Intelligent Process Automation. In addition to a best-in-class technology portfolio, the offering includes a combination of cloud and managed services, integrations, and consulting services. What is special about SOGEDES is the combination of specific domain know-how and a strong understanding of technology, coupled with creativity in finding solutions. The focus is also on the topics of digitalization, automation, and artificial intelligence in order to create added value for customers, employees, and companies alike.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bright-pattern-partners-with-german-based-sogedes-to-deliver-true-omnichannel-cx-solutions-to-european-customers-301755349.html

SOURCE Bright Pattern
NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: BR) announced that it will be participating at four upcoming investor events. Three of these events will include fireside chats with management, which will be available on Broadridge's Investor Relations page at www.broadridge-ir.com.

Evercore ISI Payments & Fintech Innovators Forum - Virtual Time and Date: March 2, 2023, at 1:15 PM ETCompany Speaker: Tim Gokey, Chief Executive OfficerRaymond James Institutional Investors Conference  Orlando, FloridaTime and Date: March 6, 2023, at 3:25 PM ETCompany Speaker: Tim Gokey, Chief Executive Officer

Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference  San Francisco, CaliforniaTime and Date: March 7, 2023, at 9:10 AM PT / 12:10 PM ETCompany Speaker: Edmund Reese, Chief Financial Officer

Wolfe Research FinTech Forum  New York CityDate: March 14, 2023 Company Host: Edmund Reese, Chief Financial Officer, will host individual investor meetings

About BroadridgeBroadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE: BR), a global Fintech leader with over $5 billion in revenues, provides the critical infrastructure that powers investing, corporate governance and communications to enable better financial lives. We deliver technology-driven solutions to banks, broker-dealers, asset and wealth managers and public companies. Broadridge's infrastructure serves as a global communications hub enabling corporate governance by linking thousands of public companies and mutual funds to tens of millions of individual and institutional investors around the world. In addition, Broadridge's technology and operations platforms underpin the daily trading of on average more than U.S. $9 trillion of equities, fixed income and other securities globally. A certified Great Place to Work, Broadridge is a part of the S&P 500 Index, employing over 14,000 associates in 21 countries.

For more information about us and what we can do for you, please visit www.broadridge.com.

Investors[email protected]

Media[email protected]

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/broadridge-to-participate-in-upcoming-investor-events-301755891.html

SOURCE Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.
SENNETT  The former Munchies in Grant Avenue Plaza will become a Mexican restaurant by this spring.

Partners Pedro Alonso and Roberto Lazaro hope to open Costa Grande in the Sennett plaza by the middle of March, they told The Citizen in its dining room on Tuesday.

Alonso is also a partner at Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant in Syracuse. He will run the front of the new restaurant's house, while Lazaro will be the chef. Costa Granda will feature enchiladas, burritos and more traditional Mexican cuisine with some modern twists, Alonso said. But it will stand apart from similar restaurants in the area by focusing on seafood dishes, among other differences.

The partners decided to open a restaurant in Cayuga County due to its rising Hispanic population, which is up 30% since 2013, according to U.S. Census data.

Also, there are currently no Mexican restaurants in the Auburn area, Alonso said, though there are Tex-Mex ones like Mesa Grande Taqueria and Moe's Southwest Grill in Auburn, a location of Chipotle opening nearby on Grant Avenue in Sennett, and another Mexican restaurant, Casa Azteca, opening this year in Aurelius.

"It's a big town. To not have a Mexican restaurant here is a shame," Alonso said. "Why should people have to drive all the way to Syracuse if we can have a place for them over here?"

Alonso himself is from Guatemala, and came to New York state about 12 years ago. He opened his Syracuse restaurant, his first, two years ago. Lazaro, who is Mexican, has worked in kitchens for 12 years, and in New York state for five. Like Alonso, he saw an opportunity in the local restaurant landscape. Most of the Mexican restaurants in Syracuse have basically "the same menu," he said.

"We're doing something very different here," he said. "Authentic Mexican food."

After installing booths and lighting, Alonso and Lazaro will be ready to open Costa Grande as soon as they receive their certificate of occupancy. The spacious restaurant will seat about 45 at first, but the partners already plan to expand. Those plans include larger bathrooms and a bar serving margaritas and more near the entrance. Alcohol will not be available when the restaurant opens.

Likewise, Costa Grande will begin with about 15 staff, Alonso said, and will probably grow from there. He and Lazaro have received a lot of interest in the restaurant since posting a "coming soon" sign in its window two months ago, from Auburn Movieplex 10 filmgoers scoping out a future place to eat to people looking for a new place to work.

"We're just hoping we do well over here," Alonso said. "Hopefully people like us, and we can create a good opportunity for them as well."
NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Con Edison (NYSE: ED) executives will meet with investors at three conferences next week and the company is making the presentation material available for viewing on its website.

Investors and other interested parties can see the material at Presentations & Webcasts | Consolidated Edison, Inc. (conedison.com).

Company executives will meet with investors at these conferences:

Matthew Ketschke, the president of Consolidated Edison Co. of New York, and Steven Parisi, senior vice president, Central Operations, will attend the Morgan Stanley Energy and Power Conference on Feb. 27 in New York City.

Joseph Miller, vice president and controller of Consolidated Edison Co. of New York, and Yukari Saegusa, vice president and treasurer, will attend the Barclays Power & Utility Credit Corporate Day 2023 on Feb. 28, also in New York City.

Timothy P. Cawley, the chairman and CEO of Consolidated Edison Inc., and Robert Hoglund, senior vice president and chief financial officer, will attend the BofA Power, Utilities and Clean Energy Conference in Boston on March 1.

Consolidated Edison, Inc. is one of the nation's largest investor-owned energy-delivery companies, with approximately $16 billion in annual revenues and $69 billion in assets. The company provides a wide range of energy-related products and services to its customers through the following subsidiaries: Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. (CECONY), a regulated utility providing electric service in New York City and New York's Westchester County, gas service in Manhattan, the Bronx, parts of Queens and parts of Westchester, and steam service in Manhattan; Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc. (O&R), a regulated utility serving customers in a 1,300-square-mile area in southeastern New York State and northern New Jersey; Con Edison Clean Energy Businesses, Inc., which was classified as held for sale as of year-end 2022; and Con Edison Transmission, Inc., which falls primarily under the oversight of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and through its subsidiaries invests in electric transmission projects supporting its parent company's effort to transition to clean, renewable energy. Con Edison Transmission manages, through joint ventures, both electric and gas assets while seeking to develop electric transmission projects that will bring clean, renewable electricity to customers, focusing on New York, New England, the Mid-Atlantic states and the Midwest.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/con-edison-investor-material-for-conferences-is-available-for-online-viewing-301755817.html

SOURCE Consolidated Edison, Inc.
Hackensack Meridian Health and its Bear's Den program team up with company developing Artificial Intelligence technology for neuro-oncology

EDISON, N.J., Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hackensack Meridian Health and Neosoma, Inc., an innovative medical technology company focused on helping clinicians advance the treatment of brain cancers through the use of artificial intelligence (AI), announce a new strategic partnership to tackle some of the most difficult-to-treat tumors.

The collaboration will include clinical data sharing, clinical research, and strategic investment from the health network to support the Massachusetts-based company's innovative method of imaging, tracking and collecting data on numerous types of brain tumors including glioblastomas.

"We are committed to investing in research and innovative therapies to live our mission to transform healthcare and give our patients the best possible outcomes,'' said Robert C. Garrett, FACHE, chief executive officer of Hackensack Meridian Health. "Partnering with Neosoma Inc. is a great way to continue to develop potential game changing therapies to treat these challenging cancers."

"We have a terrific partnership with Hackensack Meridian Health already," said Ken Kolodziej, the CEO and co-founder of Neosoma. "We're very excited to expand the scope of our collaboration with the shared goal of improving treatment and outcomes for patients with brain cancer."

The partnership will include HMH physicians using Neosoma's software in clinical practice, starting with Hackensack Meridian JFK University Medical Center; physician input and feedback for development of future software including neurosurgeons, neuro-oncologists, neuroradiologists, radiation oncologists, and other clinicians; and data sharing for product R&D efforts including collaboration with Anthology Diagnostics for genomics data and capabilities, among other benefits.

Neosoma recently received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance for its first AI-based neuro-oncology software device, Neosoma HGG (High-Grade Glioma). The technology produces precise and accurate brain tumor analysis on MRIs, providing physicians with critical insights to guide treatment decisions.

In clinical practice, the brain MRI is the physician's best tool to evaluate the details and changes in a brain tumor. But even the most experienced physicians encounter considerable challenges in determining the extent and characteristics of the cancer, which can have a direct impact on clinical care.

The Neosoma technology will help physicians to better plan procedures, assess post-procedural results, guide chemo and immunotherapy treatments, track patients longitudinally, support an improved patient experience, and help lead to improved treatment, according to the company.

"Neosoma helps to avoid interruptions in care, unnecessary surgeries, and unnecessary changes in therapy," said Joseph Landolfi, D.O., a neuro-oncologist and also the chief medical officer at JFK University Medical Center. "The entire team benefits from centralized information, more efficient communication, and treatment protocols tailored to each specific patient."

"We are proud to support promising companies through the Bear's Den, which accelerates innovation at key points in the pipeline," said Ihor Sawczuk, M.D., FACS, Hackensack Meridian Health's president of Academics, Research and Innovation, founding chair of the Hackensack Meridian Health Research Institute, and also associate dean of Clinical Integration and professor and chair emeritus of Urology at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. "This company's expertise will also assist our physicians in some of the most difficult medical diagnoses. It's a win-win."

Launched in 2017, the Bear's Den features a panel of experts, including Hackensack Meridian Health CEO Garrett, leading physicians, key network executives, venture capitalists, patent attorneys, who gather regularly to vet proposals from entrepreneurs. The health network's novel incubator has vetted many products and strategies to streamline care delivery, reduce infections, lower hospital readmissions and help patients partner in their care with physicians. The program has also invested in promising innovative companies.

ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTHHackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the largest, most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care. The network has 18 hospitals and more than 500 patient care locations, which include ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, rehabilitation centers, urgent care centers, physician practice locations, and a fitness and wellness center. With more than 35,000 team members and 7,000 physicians, Hackensack Meridian Health is a distinguished leader in health care philanthropy and committed to the health and well-being of communities throughout New Jersey.

The network's notable distinctions include having more U.S. News-ranked hospitals than any other health system in New Jersey, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report, 2022-23. Hackensack University Medical Center is nationally-ranked by U.S. News & World Report in four specialties, more than any other hospital in New Jersey. Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center, and K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, are ranked #1 in the state and top 20 in the Mid-Atlantic Region by U.S. News & World Report's 2022-23 Best Children's Hospital Report. Additionally, their combined nephrology program ranks in the top 50 in the United States. To learn more, visit www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org.

About Neosoma, Inc.Neosoma is focused on advancing the treatment of brain cancers through an integrated portfolio of innovative, artificial intelligence-based software products combined with a Clinical Management Software Platform. Neosoma's comprehensive SaaS solution is first-of-its-kind technology in the neuro-oncology space, helping physicians to make better treatment decisions with the goal of improving clinical outcomes.

Starting with its initial software based medical device, Neosoma HGG, the company is developing a full suite of software technologies to become the global leader in the neuro-oncology software field.

For more information visit: www.neosomainc.com

ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH RESEARCH INSTITUTE (HMHRI): HMHRI leads and organizes a connected ecosystem bringing together clinicians, scientists, and educators to respond to the health problems of our time, in real-time. HMHRI is dedicated to accelerating discovery, innovation, and translation of scientific breakthroughs that address unmet clinical needs.

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SOURCE Hackensack Meridian Health
MASSILLON, Ohio, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Massillon U-Haul store at 2914 Lincoln Way E. will cease operations on Feb. 28 after 46 years of serving the do-it-yourself moving public.

U-Haul acquired the 1,305-square-foot store on 0.84 acres in 1977. It was originally built as a gas station before being repurposed for U-Haul services.

Four Team Members will be let go due to the closing of this location.

Company plans are to lease the property, preferably to an independent small business serving as a U-Haul neighborhood dealer so that truck and trailer sharing can remain available at this site.

Customers of the closing store can also find a full line of DIY moving and self-storage products and services just seven miles away at the North Canton store, which opened in 2014. The store, at 5655 Whipple Ave. NW, offers truck and trailer sharing, boxes and moving supplies, U-Box portable storage containers, towing equipment and much more.

Local U-Haul Companies are always exploring opportunities for growth as they pursue means to better serve the needs of customers, but sometimes find it necessary to close or relocate stores, shops and offices. Reasons for closures can include: long-term strategic plans; safety and security concerns; physical site conditions and limitations; shifts in demographics; availability of local Team Members; trends in migration; expansion of the U-Haul neighborhood dealer network; proximity to other new or existing Company locations; and external factors.

U-Haul neighborhood dealers in and around Massillon continue to be available to serve DIY movers. U-Haul has partnered with independent dealers to provide communities with accessible mobility since 1945. During these challenging times, more than 21,000 small businesses across the U.S. and Canada are generating supplemental income by partnering with U-Haul. When customers rent from their local U-Haul dealers, they are directly supporting small businesses in their community. Because there is no financial investment from dealers, they are not U-Haul franchises. They are simply small businesses with enough lot space to park U-Haul equipment and enough time to welcome more customers while meeting the mobility needs of their neighbors. Learn how to partner with U-Haul at uhaul.com/dealer.

About U-HAUL

Founded in 1945, U-Haul is the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of more than 23,000 locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 offers secure access to U-Haul trucks every hour of every day through the customer dispatch option on their smartphones and our proprietary Live Verify technology. Our customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to approximately 186,000 trucks, 128,000 trailers and 46,000 towing devices. U-Haul is the third largest self-storage operator in North America and offers 913,000 rentable storage units and 78.1 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities. U-Haul is the largest retailer of propane in the U.S., and continues to be the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry. U-Haul has been recognized repeatedly as a leading "Best for Vets" employer and was recently named one of the 15 Healthiest Workplaces in America.

Contact:Andrea BatchelorJeff LockridgeE-mail: [email protected]Phone: 602-263-6194Website: uhaul.com

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SOURCE U-Haul
OMAHA, Neb., Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Medical Solutions, one of the largest healthcare talent ecosystems, is honored to have been named among America's Greatest Workplaces for Women 2023 by Newsweek and Plant-A Insights Group.

The rich culture of Medical Solutions has long been one of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Consistent focus on equal representation throughout the company has led to rising numbers of women in leadership roles in management, senior management, and executive levels. The company also provides holistic benefits to support employees personally and professionally, including healthcare benefits on day one, generous paid time off, career advancement opportunities, and more.

"Medical Solutions is focused on creating a diverse workforce and a culture where everyone is seen and heard. We support the career growth of women and will continue to do so through our career development programming and talent acquisition practices," said Dana Coonce, Chief Human Resources Officer, Medical Solutions. "Being named one of America's Greatest Workplaces for Women in 2023 is a testament to the culture that has been created and sustained at Medical Solutions. I'm proud that we are being recognized for providing benefits that are important to women, flexibility for work-life balance, career advancement paths, and creating a supportive environment where everyone feels valued."

Newsweek partnered with Plant-A Insights, a provider of market research, to collect over 37,000 survey responses from women working at companies with a minimum of 1,000 employees. In combination with these survey results, a large employer survey, research to validate facts about employers, a review of legal disputes, and media monitoring, 600 companies were named to America's Greatest Workplaces for Women 2023.

"As Medical Solutions has grown, our culture is central to who we are  a company that values and supports all employees through providing holistic benefits and equal advancement opportunities," said Craig Meier, Chief Executive Officer, Medical Solutions. "A diverse workforce brings unique experiences and perspectives to the table, which benefits our entire organization, makes us stronger, and enables us to more effectively achieve our vision of creating a talent ecosystem that delivers great patient outcomes while enriching the lives of people who provide care."

Medical Solutions was also recently named as one of America's Greatest Workplaces for Diversity 2023 developed by Newsweek and Plant-A Insights.

To learn more about Medical Solutions, visit medicalsolutions.com.

ABOUT MEDICAL SOLUTIONS

Medical Solutions specializes in placing quality nurses, allied healthcare professionals, and interim clinical leaders in contingent as well as permanent, local, and per diem positions for hospitals, clinics, and long-term care facilities throughout the U.S. The company's workforce solutions include a managed services program, which offers hospitals and healthcare systems a streamlined approach to contingent workforce processes, helping facilities gain efficiencies, control labor costs, and enhance patient care standards. Medical Solutions is headquartered in Omaha, Neb., with company locations in San Diego, Cincinnati, Denver, Tampa, Jacksonville Beach, Tupelo, and Durham. In 2018, the company acquired PPR Talent Management Group in Jacksonville, Fla., and in 2019, acquired Omaha-based C&A Industries, parent company to workforce solution firms Aureus Medical Group and FocusOne Solutions. In 2022, Medical Solutions acquired Matchwell; its business model of subscription-based, per diem, and local services expanded Medical Solutions' portfolio of service offerings into the per diem and local markets to further bolster the company's total workforce solutions ecosystem model. In 2023, Medical Solutions acquired HOST Healthcare; the award-winning healthcare staffing company adds to Medical Solutions' clinical staffing offerings. Medical Solutions was one of the first travel nursing and allied healthcare staffing companies to be certified by the Joint Commission and has been continuously certified since January 2005. For more information, visit medicalsolutions.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/medical-solutions-named-one-of-americas-greatest-workplaces-for-women-2023-by-newsweek-301755611.html

SOURCE Medical Solutions LLC
GUANGZHOU, China, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On February 24th, 2023, global lifestyle retailer MINISO held a conference titled "MINISO  Bringing Joy to the World," to announce its global brand strategy in Guangzhou, China. The company took the opportunity to announce its new brand positioning and brand symbol, global development strategy, product strategy, etc. More than 1,000 guests from the media, licensing partners, and corporate partners were present to support the event.

The year 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the founding of MINISO, as well as the opening year of its updated global brand strategy. The company officially announced that it will transform into a lifestyle super brand that brings joy to consumers through collaborations and original designs.

Speaking of the reason for the new strategy, CEO Jack Ye exclaimed, "The new global strategy marks the future of the company's deep participation in the global retail market and its progress towards a brand-new world-class technology-based consumer enterprise."

Moving into a new decade, creating a great brand for consumers

At the conference, Mr. Ye delivered a keynote speech, titled "Creating a Great Enterprise", in which he said, "To gain high-quality development on the global stage, MINISO has to evolve into a super brand stage by achieving three transformations: transforming from a retail channel to a lifestyle brand, from a retail company to a content creator, and transforming our customers to our users."

Ten years after its founding, MINISO has broken out from the competition with century-old retailers and developed into a retail brand with strong global influence. As of December 31st, 2022, MINISO has entered 105 countries and regions across five continents, with over 5,400 stores globally.

Jack Ye pointed out that the "Joy Philosophy" has been crucial to MINISO's ongoing success, and that a brand that can make consumers happy will eventually become a super brand adored by consumers. MINISO will firmly promote its global development, brighten people's lives through constant product innovation, and become "the world's number one provider of joyful and fun lifestyle and household products." He stressed, "In the next ten years, MINISO will move towards becoming a world-class technology-based consumer enterprise."

Licensed collaborations and original designs to brighten consumers' days

MINISO is very well-known for its collaborations with global intellectual property (IP) owners. IP collaboration is a powerful tool adopted by MINISO to engage young people directly. Through partnerships, MINISO could quickly and efficiently establish a deeper emotional connection with consumers and further strengthen the brand's identity.

Taking inspiration from the company's logo, MINISO decided to use the "Wink" icon as its new brand symbol, which represents the "Joy Philosophy". CMO Robin Liu explained that the "Wink" has always been a part of the brand's logo, representing beauty, warmth, and happiness. The main purpose of extracting this simple symbol is to deepen the interaction with the consumers and convey the concept of a "joyful and fun life."

Innovation as the unrelenting drive for the future global development

At the event, MINISO announced the establishment of "Global Product Innovation Center," which would serve as the company's innovation engine to lead its global development. MINISO will invest in the construction of four design centers in China, the United States, Japan, and South Korea, to provide more professional designs to different markets.

In terms of supply chain, in addition to integrating more than 1,100 high-quality supply chain partners in China, MINISO will partner with top analytical organizations for global trend and consumer trends such as WGSN and Pantone, so as to make the product development more informed and create popular lifestyle products featuring designs that are appreciated by consumers worldwide.

According to Robin Liu, MINISO has upgraded its storefronts, platform and services, as well as launched a premium flagship store running on a brand-new model. On February 5th, the first flagship store of MINISO was unveiled in Chengdu, signifying the start of the company's move to make its name urban shopping districts and premium shopping centers.

The new brand positioning, brand symbol, and upgraded consumer experience mark the start of MINISO's global development mission as it strives to become a brand that brings joy to consumers. Jack Ye said that product innovation has enabled Chinese brands to start taking off, and that MINISO will work toward the goal of becoming a world-class technology-based consumer enterprise. By sticking to its global development strategy, relying on its ability to efficiently integrate the supply chain and its insights on the consumers' needs, and continuously focusing on product innovation, MINISO is confident to transform into a consumer super brand.

About MINISO

MINISO Group is a global lifestyle retailer offering a variety of design-led lifestyle products. The Company serves consumers primarily through its large network of MINISO stores, and promotes a relaxing, treasure-hunting and engaging shopping experience full of delightful surprises that appeals to all demographics. Aesthetically pleasing design, quality and affordability are at the core of every product in MINISO's wide product portfolio, and the Company continually and frequently rolls out products with these qualities. Since the opening of its first store in China in 2013, the Company has built its flagship brand "MINISO" as a globally recognized retail brand and established a massive store network worldwide.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-brand-strategy-released-miniso-accelerates-its-global-development-301755511.html

SOURCE MINISO
TULSA, Okla., Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ONE Gas, Inc. (NYSE: OGS) will hold its 2023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders as a virtual meeting only on Thursday, May 25, 2023, at 9 a.m. Central Daylight Time. The meeting will also be audio webcast on the ONE Gas website, www.onegas.com.

The record date for determining shareholders entitled to receive notice of the meeting and to vote is March 27, 2023.

Date: Thursday, May 25, 2023, at 9 a.m. CDT Virtual: Register to virtually attend the live online Annual Meeting at http://www.proxydocs.com/ogs Webcast: Log on to the webcast at http://www.onegas.com/investors/events-and-presentations

ONE Gas, Inc. (NYSE: OGS) is a 100-percent regulated natural gas utility, and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "OGS." ONE Gas is included in the S&P MidCap 400 Index and is one of the largest natural gas utilities in the United States.

Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, ONE Gas provides a reliable and affordable energy choice to more than 2.3 million customers in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Its divisions include Kansas Gas Service, the largest natural gas distributor in Kansas; Oklahoma Natural Gas, the largest in Oklahoma; and Texas Gas Service, the third largest in Texas, in terms of customers.

For more information and the latest news about ONE Gas, visit onegas.com and follow its social channels: @ONEGas, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Analyst Contact: Paige Gero 918-947-7787 Media Contact: Leah Harper 918-947-7123

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SOURCE ONE Gas, Inc.
Elevation and Topography to be held June 16 and 17

PENINSULA, Ohio, Feb. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP) will welcome guests to an unparalleled evening in the park when it hosts Elevation on June 16 and Topography on June 17. This year, both events will be held at a new location within CVNP: iconic Indigo Lake, located off Riverview Road in the heart of the park. Proceeds from both events will support the Trails Now Fund, which provides immediate assistance for trail maintenance and priority trail projects in CVNP. Since the events began more than 11 years ago, Topography and Elevation have raised nearly $1.3 million for the park's more than 125 miles of trails.

"Elevation and Topography bring people together for a one-of-a-kind evening in our national park," said Laura Pulliam, event chair for Topography. "What could be better than taking in the scenic view of Indigo Lake while listening to amazing live music and indulging in gourmet food prepared by one of the region's leading chefs? This is an opportunity to show support for the Conservancy and its work to provide immediate assistance for trail projects within CVNP while enjoying a unique evening under the stars."

Elevation Topography Join us for a one-of-a-kind summer celebration with hiking, trail mix bar, casual dinner buffet, live music, dancing, and s'mores around the campfire! The evening begins with a gentle hike up a wooded trail while enjoying music and cocktails. The trail leads to Indigo Lake where you will experience an amazing selection of hors d'oeuvres and extraordinary dining event. Finish the evening with good friends and a cocktail relaxing around the campfire. Evening catered by Spice Catering Co. Date: Friday, June 16, 2023 Date: Saturday, June 17, 2023 Time: 6:30pm  11:00pm Time: 6:30pm  11:00pm Cost: $95 per member ticket or $125 per non-member ($45 and $75, respectively, tax deductible) Cost: $300 per person ($200 tax deductible) For Tickets: www.forcvnp.org/elevation For Tickets: www.forcvnp.org/topography

For sponsorship opportunities for Elevation and Topography, please contact Dan Blakemore, director of philanthropy, at [email protected]. For questions about the events or to register to attend, contact [email protected] or call Jess Livers, philanthropy operations & membership manager, at 330-657-2909 ext. 166.

Sponsors To Date for ElevationPeak: Cascade Subaru; The Davey Tree Expert Company; E&H Ace Hardware; The Sherwin-Williams Company; The J.M. Smucker Co.; and Western Reserve Racing; Summit: ForTec Medical and Lisa Foster.

Sponsors To Date for TopographyFor All Times: ForTec Medical; HZW Environmental Consultants; and The J.M. Smucker Co.; For All Seasons: Cascade Subaru; Chilcote Dohnal & Tizzano LLP; Connor Foundation; The Davey Tree Expert Company; Heidelberg Distributing Company; and Tom and Diane Tyrrell.

About Conservancy for CVNPThe Conservancy for CVNP is the official friends group and philanthropic partner for Cuyahoga Valley National Park. With a mission to enrich people's lives and enhance our region by inspiring use, preservation and support of Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the Conservancy offers cultural and educational programming, co-manages the park's volunteer program, provides venues for weddings, meetings and special events, and operates park retail spaces. Learn more at www.forcvnp.org.

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SOURCE Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park
A roundup of the week's most newsworthy financial industry press releases from PR Newswire, including a new 401k company and the financial struggles veterans are facing.

NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help journalists covering the finance industry stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a roundup of stories from the week that shouldn't be missed.

The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download.

Read more of the latest finance-related releases from PR Newswire and stay caught up on the top press releases by following @PRNfinance on Twitter.

Can't-Miss Earnings

In addition to these popular releases, several must-read earnings reports crossed the wire this week, including the quarterly results for Realty Income and Liberty Mutual.

Catch up on all the latest earnings reports here.

Helping Journalists Stay Up to Date on Industry News

These are just a few of the recent press releases that consumers and the media should know about. To be notified of releases relevant to their coverage area, journalists can set up a custom newsfeed with PR Newswire for Journalists.

Once they're signed up, reporters, bloggers and freelancers have access to the following free features:

Customization: Create a customized newsfeed that will deliver relevant news right to your inbox. Customize the newsfeed by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more.

Create a customized newsfeed that will deliver relevant news right to your inbox. Customize the newsfeed by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more. Photos and Videos: Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include with your next story.

Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include with your next story. Subject Matter Experts: Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles.

Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles. Related Resources: Read and subscribe to our journalist- and blogger-focused blog, Beyond Bylines, for media news roundups, writing tips, upcoming events, and more.

About PR Newswire and PR Newswire for Journalists

For more than 65 years, PR Newswire has been the industry leader with the largest, most comprehensive distribution network of print, radio, magazine, television stations, financial portals and trade publications. PR Newswire has an unparalleled global reach of more than 200,000 publications and 10,000 websites and is available in more than 170 countries and 40 languages.

PR Newswire for Journalists (PRNJ) is an exclusive community that includes over 20,000 journalists, bloggers and influencers who are logging into their PRNJ accounts specifically looking for story ideas. PR Newswire thoroughly researches and vets this community to verify their identity as a member of the press, blogger or influencer. PRNJ users cover more than 200 beats and verticals.

For questions, contact the team at [email protected].

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SOURCE PR Newswire
FILE PHOTO: Nio's ES7 electric vehicle is displayed at the Chinese EV maker's showroom in Shanghai, China, February 3, 2023. REUTERS/Aly Song

SHANGHAI (Reuters) -Nio plans to build its first battery plant to produce big cylindrical cells similar to those used by Tesla, two people familiar with the matter said, as the Chinese EV maker seeks to cut its reliance on CATL for supplies.

The plant underscores Nio's ambition to ramp up its presence in the electric vehicle (EV) market at home and abroad. The Chinese company is also planning a factory in the neighbouring city of Chuzhou to make budget EVs to sell to Europe.

The new battery plant will have an annual capacity to produce 40 gigawatt hours (GWh) of batteries, which can power about 400,000 units of long-range electric vehicles (EVs), the people said on condition of anonymity as the matter is private.

It will be located next to its main manufacturing hub in Hefei city, in eastern China's Anhui province, they said.

Reuters is reporting the details of Nio's plan for the first time. The automaker did not respond to a request for comment.

Nio's founder and chairman, William Li, had in June said that Nio would start making 800-volt lithium-ion battery packs, which recharge faster, in the second half of 2024, as part of a plan similar to Tesla's to use a combination of self-produced and externally sourced batteries in the long run.

He did not elaborate on the details at the time.

Like other loss-making Chinese EV makers, Nio has been seeking to gain more control over batteries, the most expensive single-piece component, to improve its profitability.

CATL, short for Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd, is currently Nio's sole supplier of batteries for cars and battery swapping stations. Nio has a smaller battery-focused plant in Shanghai where it tests batteries.

CATL did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

BETTING ON CYLINDRCAL BATTERIES

Prismatic batteries, which are rectangular in shape, have become the most common form of auto battery in the past two years as they can be more densely packed, saving on costs.

But proponents of cylindrical batteries, led by U.S. EV maker Tesla, argue the newer larger format cylindrical cells are more cost-effective due to improvements in energy density.

Tesla has said it plans to expand its $6.2-billion battery plant in Nevada to be able to make 100 GWh 4680 cylindrical battery cells - denoting 46 millimetres in diameter and 80 millimetres in length.

The plant is now able to annually produce more than 37 GWh of battery cells including current-generation 2170 cylindrical battery cells and the smaller 18650 batteries.

Tesla has said it expects the 4680 cylindrical battery cells to lower production costs and improve range versus the 2170.

BMW has also said it would shift to large cylindrical batteries supplied by CATL and EVE Energy to power its new class of EVs from 2025.

(Reporting by Zhang Yan, Zhuzhu Cui and Brenda Goh; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 OR 15(d) of The Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): February 24, 2023 ( )

1847 Holdings LLC (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware 001-41368 38-3922937 (State or other jurisdiction

of incorporation) (Commission File Number) (IRS Employer

Identification No.)

590 Madison Avenue , 21st Floor , New York , NY 10022 (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

(212) 417-9800 (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

 Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered Common Shares EFSH NYSE American LLC

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Emerging Growth Company 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. 

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

On February 17, 2023, Eric VanDam resigned from his position as Chief Operating Officer of 1847 Holdings LLC (the Company). Mr. VanDams resignation was not due to any disagreement with the Company on any matter relating to the Companys operations, policies or practices.

On February 23, 2023, the board of directors of the Company appointed Glyn C. Milburn as Vice President of Operations. Mr. Milburn currently serves on the board of directors of the Company. In connection with his appointment as Vice President of Operations, Mr. Milburn was removed from the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board and was replaced by Clark R. Crosnoe. In addition, Lawrence X. Taylor was appointed as the Chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

Mr. Milburn has served on the board of directors of the Company since August 2022. Since February 2016, Mr. Milburn has served as a Partner at Jimmy Blackman & Associates, a full-service Government and Public Affairs firm, where he is responsible for business strategy, client management, communications and campaign management for a client portfolio comprised of large public safety labor unions, banking/finance companies, and hotel operators across the State of California. From April 2013 to January 2016, Mr. Milburn served as a Special Assistant in the City of Los Angeles where he held two positions in the City of Los Angeles, one in the Office of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcettis Office of Economic Development and another in the Office of Los Angeles Councilman Dennis Zine. From August 2012 to March 2013, Mr. Milburn co-Founded Provident Investment Advisors LLC, a special investment vehicle for energy, technology and healthcare ventures, where he served as Managing Member. Mr. Milburn also serves on the board of directors of Polished.com Inc. Mr. Milburn holds a B.A. degree in Public Policy from Stanford University.

Mr. Milburn was elected until his successor is duly elected and qualified. There are no arrangements or understandings between Mr. Milburn and any other persons pursuant to which he as selected as Vice President of Operations. There are no family relationships that exist between Mr. Milburn and any directors or executive officers of the Company. In addition, there has been no transaction, nor is there any currently proposed transaction, between Mr. Milburn and the Company that would require disclosure under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

Date: February 24, 2023 1847 HOLDINGS LLC /s/ Ellery W. Roberts Name: Ellery W. Roberts Title: Chief Executive Officer

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Item 1(a). NAME OF ISSUER

Albireo Pharma, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the  Issuer ).

Item 1(b). ADDRESS OF ISSUERS PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES

53 State Street, 19th Floor

Boston, MA 02109

Item 2(a). NAME OF PERSON FILING

This statement is filed by:

(i) Double Black Diamond Offshore Ltd., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the  Double Offshore ), with respect to Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Issuer (the  Common Stock ) held or beneficially owned directly by it;

(ii) Black Diamond Arbitrage Offshore Ltd., a Cayman Islands exempted company ( Arbitrage Offshore ), with respect to the Common Stock held or beneficially owned directly by it;

(iii) EDCA 2019 Fund, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership ( EDCA ), with respect to the Common Stock held or beneficially owned directly by it;

(iv) Corbin Hedged Equity Fund, L.P., a Delaware Limited Partnership ( Corbin , and together with Double Offshore, Arbitrage Offshore and EDCA, the  Funds ), with respect to the Common Stock directly held by it;

(v) Carlson Capital, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership ( Carlson Capital ), which serves as the investment manager to the Funds with respect to any shares of Common Stock held by the Funds;

(vi) Asgard Investment Corp. II, a Delaware corporation ( Asgard II ), which serves as the general partner of Carlson Capital, with respect to the Common Stock directly held by the Funds; and

(vii) Mr. Clint D. Carlson, a United States citizen ( Mr. Carlson ), who is the sole stockholder of Asgard II and serves as president of Asgard II and Carlson Capital, with respect to the Common Stock directly held by the Funds.

The foregoing persons are hereinafter sometimes collectively referred to as the Reporting Persons.

The filing of this statement should not be construed as an admission that any of the Reporting Persons is, for the purposes of Section 13 of the Act, the beneficial owner of the Common Stock reported herein.

Item 2(b). ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL BUSINESS OFFICE OR, IF NONE, RESIDENCE

The address of the principal business office of each of the Reporting Persons is 2100 McKinney Avenue, Suite 1900, Dallas, Texas 75201.

9
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan  A mother and sons surreptitious practice of hanging homemade posters with uplifting messages around this airlift hub in western Tokyo finally attracted official notice.

Handwritten messages on large posters tied on trees around Yokota carried inspirational reminders: You matter, Be silly, be honest, be kind, and, in Spanish, La Vida, Es Bella, Y Vale La, Pena Vivirla, which translates to life is beautiful and worth living.

Alma Stover, the wife of Air Force Master Sgt. Jeremy Stover of the 353rd Special Operations Wing, and their son, Jett, 12, put up the first posters early this month. They hung one sign in Spanish because Alma Stover is Mexican and wanted to include the large Hispanic community on base in their messaging.

Were all the way in Japan and there's, like lots of people that are here that don't have kids or don't have family, Alma Stover, 40, of Hatch, N.M, told Stars and Stripes on Feb. 16. And we just wanted to add a little smile to someone's face who might be feeling lonely or might be feeling down.

Within weeks, a representative of the Yokota Integrated Prevention and Resilience Office contacted the Stovers, not to chide them but to offer support to keep their project going.

It was a great initiative from this lady's part to do this, Gloria Bryant, 374th Airlift Wing community support coordinator, told Stars and Stripes by phone Feb. 17. She started doing it on her own. And that is the type of community connections that we need. The ones that work, and they originate organically without us having to ask anyone to do it.

The posters elicited curiosity but hit their mark, too, according to comments on the Yokota Community Facebook page.

Sometimes thats all we need is a reminder that were loved and were here for a purpose, Amy Behringer, a kindergarten teacher at Yokota West Elementary School, said through Facebook Messenger on Feb. 17. It has 100% helped me on my hard days. On dark dreary mornings when I drive by and see a fluorescent bright sign that greets me first thing in the morning sets my day up with a smile!

So far, the mother and son duo have hung seven signs around Yokota. Alma Stover calls them Jetty signs because thats her sons nickname.

It makes me happy, said Jett Stover, a seventh-grader at Yokota Middle School. A kid from my school was talking about them and was like, Have you all read those signs? I think they are really cool.

The Stovers bought the blank posters from the Yokota exchange right before closing and posted the messages late at night to not get caught, Alma Stover said.

But someone recognized Alma purchasing blank posters at the exchange and tagged her on Facebook, she said. Next, the Integrated Prevention and Resilience Office contacted her and offered to supply the Stovers with material to make more signs.

They plan to leave the signs up for two weeks and then replace them with new quotes.

A program within the office focuses on violence prevention, suicide prevention and educating service members on resources that available to them, she said.

The Stovers sign project advances the resiliency part of the program agenda, according to Bryant, a native of Guatemala.

She started doing this because she wanted her community to feel better, Bryant said. It takes each of us to make a community feel like a community, where you can thrive, and you can be happy and healthy. And where you feel heard, seen and cared for.
NAPLES, Italy  U.S. service members are setting up a 100-bed field hospital in one of the areas hit hardest by this months devastating earthquakes in Turkey, which have killed more than 48,000 people.

The Defense Department hospital, delivered Wednesday to Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, includes two operating rooms, an intensive care unit and medical supplies, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet said in a statement Friday.

Incirlik has become a global hub for earthquake aid in the aftermath of the disaster.

Personnel from Task Force 61/2, under the command of 6th Fleet, are establishing the hospital in the province of Hatay, which is in southern Turkey along the Mediterranean coast and bordered by Syria, according to the statement.

The hospital will be set up by Marines from the task force and airmen from the 39th Air Base Wing. It is expected be completed in about a week and then turned over to the Turkish health ministry, the Navy said.

More than 43,000 people in Turkey and an additional 5,500 more in Syria were killed as a result of a 7.8-magnitude earthquake on Feb. 6 and the subsequent aftershocks, The New York Times reported Friday.

Nearly 1.7 million quake victims have been displaced. On Monday, 6.3-magnitude quake struck the beleaguered area.

Also this week, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 11 Seabees sent winterized shelters from Naval Station Rota in Spain to Incirlik, according to a Wednesday post on the bases Facebook page.
A former soldier who was arrested Thursday in Florida is charged with the murder of a 19-year-old private on an Army base in Germany more than 20 years ago, law enforcement officials said.

Shannon Wilkerson, 42, faces one count of first-degree murder in the strangulation of Pfc. Amanda Gonzales, the Justice Department said in a statement Thursday.

Wilkerson pleaded not guilty at a hearing Thursday, according to a court filing.

Gonzales was four months pregnant at the time of her death on Nov. 3, 2001. She was a cook at Fliegerhorst Kaserne, a since-shuttered base in Hanau.

Wilkerson was a soldier at the time of the offense but was discharged from active duty in 2004 and from the Army Reserve in 2007, according to a grand jury indictment.

Gonzales body was found on the floor of her barracks room. She had been strangled, investigators said at the time.

In 2008, Gonzales family members told Stars and Stripes that Army criminal investigators had not given up on the case but that one lead after another had failed to pan out.

Its frustrating as hell. That was my first daughter, my only daughter, Santos Gonzales, Amandas father, said at the time.

Gonzales mother, Gloria Bates, said years after the killing that she was confident justice would come one day.

They took away my daughter and first grandchild, Bates said in 2008.

In 2021, when asked by Stars and Stripes about the status of the case, Army CID spokesman Jeffrey Castro said that investigative work was ongoing.

I can tell you that our agents will never give up on this case, and they are determined to bring the person or persons responsible to justice, Castro said.

Wilkerson was charged under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, which gives federal courts jurisdiction over crimes committed outside the United States by people who are no longer subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

If convicted, Wilkerson faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A trial date was set for March 27 in Pensacola, Fla.
ST. GOAR, Germany  More than a dozen soldiers from the 21st Theater Sustainment Command spent a work day alongside troops from Germany, shoring up a centuries-old wall that once surrounded an ancient castle overlooking the Rhine River.

The small town of St. Goar lost significant tourist revenue when most American forces left the nearby Hahn Air Base in the 1990s, and the stone remnants had therefore been neglected for decades.

As a result, the wall was overrun with thick vegetation, which threatened to bring it down, according to local officials.

The handful of workers employed by the town said clearing the small trees and undergrowth was too big a task for them on their own. On Thursday, U.S. and German troops stepped in to help.

A lot of American service members come to Germany to see heritage like what we are restoring today, said the units chief of staff, Col. Matthew Alexander, one of the participants. To help restore this means a lot to us.

They started the day by carrying buckets of cement down roughly 250 uneven steps in an area of wooded land near the wall, going back up again and repeating the process several times. This was for a separate project to help repair the concrete steps damaged by a recent storm.

From there, they moved to the wall, where they began cutting down vegetation and burning it.

Its been pretty intense today, Sgt. Lamar Richardson said. I wasnt expecting all those stairs, but we have to get the work done. Thats what we volunteered for, and Im happy either way.

The section of wall the troops were working near is located on a bluff overlooking the German railway. Leaving the wall to deteriorate risked having stones plummet to the tracks, said Karl Dautermann, a general engineer for the 21 TSC.

The Army has a long history in St. Goar. The 89th Division was based here in 1945 and attacked well-fortified positions across the Rhine in St. Goarhausen.

In the decades after the war, U.S. and German troops worked together in the area. But in more recent years, that collaboration had faded.

In a bid to rekindle the relationship, Mark Cox, a retired Air Force major who works in plans and operations for the 21st TSC and lives in St. Goar, co-organized a joint creek cleanup last summer. Thursdays project continued those efforts.

Organizers hope the teamwork will resurrect the tradition of both armies coming together to help the community, while getting to know each other better.

We all like doing it to meet other people and see how the other army works, said Staff Sgt. Lisa Klein, a paramedic from the German armys medical regiment stationed in Koblenz, who participated Thursday.
BATH, Maine  The U.S. Navy appears to have learned from its costly lessons after cramming too much new technology onto warships and speeding them into production as it embarks on building new destroyers that are the backbone of the fleet.

Military officials say they're slowing down the design and purchase of its next-generation destroyers to ensure new technology like powerful lasers and hypersonic missiles are mature before pressing ahead on construction.

The Navy has learned "sometimes the hard way, when we move too fast we make big mistakes," said Adm. Michael Gilday, chief of naval operations.

"Let's be deliberate. Let's not have our eyes become bigger than our stomach and get too far ahead of ourselves," Gilday said last week at an event for defense industry officials in San Diego.

The Navy wants to turn the page on recent shipbuilding blunders.

Several newer combat ships designed for speed are being retired early after being beset by problems. A $13.3 billion aircraft carrier experienced added costs from new catapults that launch airplanes. Workers completed construction of a stealth destroyer before its advanced gun system, already installed, was scrapped.

For the new ship, the Navy is reducing risk by conducting more land tests and borrowing the radar and targeting system from the latest destroyers that'll soon join the fleet, said Lt. Cmdr. Javan Rasnake, spokesman for the assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition.

It's also working with shipbuilders and designers to refine the ship's blueprint, cost estimates, and workforce and supply forecasts, Rasnake said.

The Navy still plans to field some new technologies on the destroyer.

Last week, it awarded Lockheed Martin a $1.2 billion contract for hypersonic missiles that travel at five times the speed of sound, and can be fired from destroyers. Last summer, it awarded the first design contract for the new ship outfitted with those missiles and lasers powerful enough to shoot down aircraft.

Matt Caris, a defense analyst with Avascent, said it's important that the Navy gets it right by balancing the best technology that's reliable, affordable and attainable.

"The Navy is trying to thread the needle with some potentially revolutionary capabilities in as low risk and evolutionary process as possible. This was a lesson learned by the Navy's laundry list of shameful acquisition programs," he said.

Some worry about history repeating itself.

There are new Navy leaders overseeing many programs and "it's easy to imagine them making similar mistakes again with a new cast of characters," said Loren Thompson from the Lexington Institute, a security think tank.

The Navy is in the midst of juggling its priorities as it seeks not just a new destroyer but also a new attack submarine and a replacement for the F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet.

The Navy is in a difficult spot because the Biden administration is not interested in dramatically increasing the military budget, said Bryan Clark, a defense analyst at the Hudson Institute. Research and development alone would cost an extra $10 billion to $20 billion for the destroyer, submarine and jet, he said, representing a big chunk of the $220 billion Navy budget.

A series of speedy, coast-hugging warships embodied shipbuilding mistakes that the Navy is trying to avoid. Critics said early versions were too lightly armored to survive combat. One version of the craft, known as a littoral combat ship, had propulsion problems. Some of the ships broke down and had to be towed. Plans for a submarine detection system were scrapped.

Combined, the costs of the first ships in that program, the stealthy Zumwalt destroyer and Ford-class aircraft carrier grew by $6.8 billion in today's dollars, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

"They've digested that lesson," Clark said. "Part of what you're seeing is a recognition that the underlying technologies are not ready yet. They don't want to drive the program where the ship starts production before the technology is ready."

Gilday, who is the Navy's top officer, said the transition to the new destroyers will likely start in the "2032 time frame." For now, top Navy leadership want to keep current production lines of destroyers humming until designs are ready.

That means shipyards in Maine and Mississippi will continue making existing Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. They hold the Navy's record for longest production run for large surface warships.

At Maine's Bath Iron Works, where the first Arleigh Burke was built in 1998, shipbuilders are happy to continue building the existing ships while new designs are tested out.

Charles Krugh, shipyard president, said shipbuilders prefer the approach of taking extra time to make sure the technology and design are right.

"If we get a fully designed ship, it's obviously going to make us a whole lot more productive and efficient," Krugh said.
NAPLES, Italy  Russian navy ships are transiting the Mediterranean Sea in numbers not seen even in the Cold War, increasing the risk of an incident with NATO forces in the normally stable region, Italys top naval officer said this week.

That increase coincides with an aggressive attitude shown by Russian naval forces similar to their posture in the Baltic Sea, Adm. Enrico Credendino said Thursday, according to a report by the Italian news agency Ansa.

And the impending arrival of the Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov, armed with hypersonic missiles, into the Mediterranean after completion of exercises in Africa could further aggravate an already complex and turbulent situation, Credendino said in the Ansa report.

The active part of those exercises, which include China and South Africa, is scheduled to end Monday, the Russian state news agency RIA reported Wednesday.

"The risk of an incident is possible, and when there is an incident of this nature, you never know where you might end up, Credendino said, according to the Ansa report.

However, Credendino also said Russian naval activity in the region, an effect of the war in Ukraine, was not a direct threat to national territory, Ansa reported.

And allies have repeatedly upheld the right of all nations to transit peacefully through international waters.

U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet did not answer Stars and Stripes questions Friday about Russian naval presence in the Mediterranean.

U.S. officials previously have said that interactions with the Russian navy occur with some frequency and are typically safe. But in November 2022, a Russian ships encounter in the Mediterranean with the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group was deemed unprofessional by a U.S. admiral, who didnt go into details.

The same month, two Russian fighter jets approached NATO ships in the Baltic Sea at an altitude of about 300 feet and a distance of 80 yards, ignoring query communications, according to a NATO statement.

Open source intelligence analysts recently posted on Twitter and other social media sites that Russias naval fleet in the Mediterranean appears to be increasingly active. Previous reports indicated that much of the fleet appeared to regularly be in port in Tartus, Syria, over the past year.

The mass deployment was most likely done in response to the presence of the U.S. Navy carrier action group centered on the aircraft carrier USS George H.(W.) Bush, former Belgian navy officer Frederik Van Lokeren posted Feb. 18 to his blog.

Those Russian forces include at least one Kilo-class submarine and eight other warships, such as frigates, corvettes and tankers, according to Van Lokeren.

Credendino also noted increased Russian naval activity in the Black Sea, an observation supported by open source analysts in recent weeks.

He described the Mediterranean as crowded, with four allied groups  Italian, American, French and Spanish  operating in the area.

USNI reported Tuesday that the George H.W. Bush strike group remained in the eastern Mediterranean after being ordered there in response to the Feb. 6 earthquake in Turkey.

The group includes destroyers USS Nitze, USS Delbert D. Black, USS Farragut and USS Truxtun in addition to the cruiser USS Leyte Gulf and Carrier Air Wing 7.

Analysts also have likened the NATO naval presence in the Mediterranean, which includes the Ionian and Aegean seas, to that of the Cold War era.

That presence was made more notable in December 2021, when Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the USS Harry S. Truman to remain in the Mediterranean amid Russias military buildup and subsequent invasion of Ukraine.

The Truman Carrier Strike Group stayed there until August 2022, when the Bush came on patrol.
KADENA AIR BASE, Okinawa  Four airmen with Kadenas 18th Wing received awards for valor earlier this month for their actions three years ago during an Iranian rocket attack on al Asad Air Base in Iraq.

Maj. Grace Gibbens, of Nashville, and Capt. Anthony Delgado, of Austin, Texas, received the Distinguished Flying Cross with a "V" device for valor on Feb. 8 during a ceremony inside the 33rd Rescue Squadron hangar. Maj. Andrew Travis, of Escondido, Calif., and Tech Sgt. Shelby Duncan, of Scottsbluff, Neb., received the Air Medal with a "V" device for valor at the same ceremony.

Delgado, Travis and Duncan now serve with the 33rd Rescue Squadron, 18th Wing spokesman Tech Sgt. Kyle Johnson told Stars and Stripes by phone Thursday. Gibbens is on the staff of wing commander Brig. Gen. David Eaglin, who presided over the ceremony.

These young airmen did a fabulous job that was extremely heroic, Eaglin said at the ceremonys conclusion. Im proud of you, and Im super glad I got the opportunity to hand these medals out to you.

All four airmen were assigned to the 46th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron in Iraq as pilots or crew aboard HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters that responded to Al Asad during a series of Iranian ballistic missile salvos on Jan. 8, 2020. The attack was retaliation for a U.S. drone strike five days earlier at Baghdad International Airport that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, head of that nations elite Quds Force.

No one was killed in the Iranian strike, but 110 service members suffered traumatic brain injuries. More than two dozen were later awarded the Purple Heart.

The Flying Cross is the fourth highest award for heroism and the highest for extraordinary aerial achievement that any member of the U.S. armed forces can receive, according to The Distinguished Flying Cross Society website.

The Air Medal is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievements while participating in aerial flight, according to the Air Force website.

Risky operation

On Jan. 7, 2020, Gibbens, a pilot, and her Pave Hawk, call sign Jolly 47, were on alert in the vicinity of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad for the possible evacuation of embassy personnel, she said after the ceremony. She was joined by another Pave Hawk, Jolly 46.

According to her citation, Gibbens was low on fuel as she headed back to Al Asad under threat of an attack. She landed on a closed airfield, with base personnel sheltered in bunkers, performed a risky self-refueling and loaded her aircraft with medical equipment.

Delgado volunteered to fly the last Pave Hawk on base, Jolly 48, which had known navigation and flight control problems, his citation reads. With Travis as a co-pilot and Duncan as crew, he too refueled without base support and loaded his helicopter with medical supplies and equipment.

The three Pave Hawks evacuated to a remote desert landing zone to survive a potential barrage and then fly back to base and treat any wounded, Travis said. Jolly 48 left the base only minutes before the attack, Delgados citation reads.

Starting in the early morning of Jan. 8, the first wave of three to six missiles struck the base, Travis said.

The sheer magnitude of what we saw, we were like, Theres no way people dont need immediate medical help, Gibbens recalled.

No hesitation

The three Pave Hawks rushed back to the base, Travis said. Within a mile of the base they were instructed to immediately turn away because a second wave of missiles was incoming. They were in that turn when the second barrage struck.

The missiles continued to fall for the next 2  hours.

The Pave Hawks flew back to Al Asad to assess the damage, Travis said. They landed so their pararescue crews could coordinate with forces on the ground and render aid. They worked into the evening.

Seeing the base struck by missiles had a profound impact on the aircrews, Duncan said after the ceremony.

I dont think anybody hesitated at all; everybody just kind of jumped in the aircraft and did what they had to do, she said. We immediately wanted to take off and go back and start to help people.
The United States plans to send between 100 and 200 troops to Taiwan, up from about 30 there a year ago, amid rising tensions with China, according to unnamed U.S. officials quoted in the Wall Street Journal.

The deployment of additional troops was planned months before a U.S. fighter shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon on Feb. 4 after it flew over North America, the officials said in a Thursday report by the newspaper.

We don't have a comment on specific operations, engagements, or training, Army Lt. Col. Marty Meiners, a Department of Defense spokesman, said of the report in an email Friday to Stars and Stripes.

I would highlight that our support for, and defense relationship with, Taiwan remains aligned against the current threat posed by the Peoples Republic of China, he said. Our commitment to Taiwan is rock-solid and contributes to the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and within the region.

The extra personnel will train Taiwan forces on U.S. weapons systems and military maneuvers to counter a potential Chinese attack, according to the U.S. officials quoted by the Journal.

One of the difficult things to determine is what really is objectionable to China, one of the officials said of the training, according to the newspaper. We dont think at the levels that were engaged in and are likely to remain engaged in the near future that we are anywhere close to a tipping point for China, but thats a question that is constantly being evaluated and looked at specifically with every decision involving support to Taiwan.

The Michigan National Guard is also training Taiwanese troops, including during multinational exercises at Camp Grayling in northern Michigan, the newspaper reported, citing other unnamed sources.

Taiwans President Tsai Ing-wen confirmed the presence of U.S. troops on the island in an interview with CNN in October 2021.

Earlier that month, the Journal reported that about two dozen U.S. special operations and support troops and a contingent of Marines were on Taiwan to train local forces.

The boosted U.S. military presence comes amid a Chinese military build-up and regular incursions by Chinese military aircraft into Taiwans airspace.

A Chinese effort to reunify Taiwan by force is a possibility that many U.S. defense leaders take seriously, based on regular threats by Chinese President Xi Jinping and stepped-up Chinese military activity around the island in response to an August visit by former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

President Joe Biden in September said U.S. troops would defend Taiwan if China invaded and made a similar statement while visiting Japan in May. Walk-backs by his staff, however, suggest a deliberate policy of strategic ambiguity meant to deter conflict by leaving the possibility of U.S. intervention uncertain.

Taiwans Ministry of National Defense did not immediately respond to questions sent by text message Friday.

Retired Marine Col. Grant Newsham, a senior researcher with the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies in Tokyo, said more U.S. troops on Taiwan can have a positive impact.

It allows the Americans to train more of Taiwan's military - or better said, to train Taiwan's 'trainers' who will in turn share new operating concepts more broadly within the Taiwan armed forces, he said in an email Friday.

Its a concern that U.S. officials are still careful not to do things China will find too objectionable, he said.

It suggests that American support for Taiwan is still handcuffed by fear of the Chinese Communists, he said.

More U.S. troops on Taiwan enhance the islands defense and are welcome but the reported increase doesnt go far enough, Ming-Shih Shen, of Taipeis Institute for National Defense and Security Research said in an email Friday.

I think it is not enough, we should increase joint training or allow Taiwan to participate in more multinational joint training, he said.
RIGA, Latvia - As politicians and people worldwide marked the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of its neighbor on Friday, small sporadic protests broke out across Russia, where it is illegal to criticize the military or the conflict.

Antiwar memorials sprung up in support of Ukraine in Moscow and elsewhere, as police mounted a large presence in major cities to preempt unrest.

In Moscow, people brought flowers to the statue of a famed Ukrainian writer, Lesya Ukrainka, which became a makeshift memorial to Ukrainian victims of Russia's invasion following a missile strike on a residential building in Dnipro in January that killed at least 46 people.

In St. Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city, police detained several people as they tried to lay flowers near the statue of a 19th century Ukrainian poet, Taras Shevchenko, local media reported.

In Kazan, a regional capital on the Volga River, people brought flowers, toys and pictures of Ukrainian cities destroyed by the Russian army, to a monument commemorating victims of political repression.

Elsewhere, posters with the inscription "What's it all for?" or bearing expletive-ridden denunciations of the war were placed on top of rows of red carnations near a memorial in Khanty-Mansiysk, in western Siberia.

In Ivanovo, about 200 miles northeast of Moscow, activists put up a banner on the side of a highway overpass, which read "Enough of this bloody 'battle for peace.'"

In a more visual approach, in the city of Kaluga, southwest of Moscow, unknown protesters painted a large "Z" sign, a symbol of Russia's military, in yellow and blue - the colors of the Ukrainian flag.

Protests are virtually outlawed in Russia, and public opposition to the war poses great personal risks, including prosecution and long prison sentences, though pro-war hawks are generally permitted to complain that Russia is not winning fast enough, or to demand more brutal tactics. At least 19 people were detained across Russia on Friday, according to authorities.

When demonstrations broke out last year at the beginning of the invasion, Russian law enforcement cracked down, making nearly 20,000 arrests to show that public outcry would not be tolerated.

Russia on Friday had a national day off, an extension of Thursday's "Defender of the Fatherland Day" holiday to create a four-day weekend. Major cities were largely quiet, and there was scant official mention of the invasion anniversary - which Russia continues to call a "special military operation."

Overall, the Kremlin appears to prefer that Russians not dwell too much on the anniversary, Russia's military failures or the heavy human cost of the war in lost lives and destruction. State media focused mainly on international news.

Despite the pockets of protest, the Kremlin's effort to treat Russia's war on Ukraine as mere background noise in Moscow appeared mostly successful - at least on the surface. Billboards of Russian military figures are peppered along highways, and many citizens view the war as a distant conflict unfolding on television, with no major impact on their daily lives.

Moscuvites skate joyfully on the Red Square ice rink, as usual. Supermarkets and malls frequented by wealthy Muscovites are crammed with luxury goods, from Italian designer handbags to fresh sea bass flown in from Turkey. On Saturday nights, restaurants in the swanky Patriarch Ponds neighborhood are packed with staff turning hopeful patrons away.

Hundreds of Western companies left Russia in the aftermath of the invasion, but no one with money struggles too hard to get their hands on the Western brands they still crave.

So, the small pockets of antiwar protests in Russia stood out on Friday

Outside Russia, there were marches, demonstrations, vigils and other actions to condemn the war, some organized or attended by activist Russians abroad. Many of the protests were held outside Russian embassies.

"On this terrifying anniversary, Russians take to the streets and public squares of European, Asian, American . . . cities to demonstrate their solidarity with the Ukrainian people and to express their active rejection of the criminal war in Ukraine and the terrorist actions of the Kremlin regime," said a statement issued by one of the movement's disparate organizing groups.

Organizers of the global action said they were calling for the immediate cessation of hostilities and full withdrawal of troops from occupied regions of Ukraine, as well as a criminal tribunal for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In London, Britain's King Charles III issued a statement lauding the "remarkable courage and resilience" of Ukrainians, who have "suffered unimaginably." Prime Minister Rishi Sunak led a minute of silence outside his Downing Street residence, while protesters painted a giant Ukrainian flag on the street outside the Russian Embassy, and authorities renamed a street in the capital as "Kyiv Road."

In Germany, activist groups rolled a wrecked Russian T-72 tank outside the Russian Embassy in Berlin, after it was destroyed during fighting in Kyiv last year, close to Bucha, organizers said in a statement. Germans lined up to take selfies and hold up Ukrainian flags near the Brandenburg Gate during an event to mark the anniversary of Russia's invasion.

In the Netherlands, the national anthem of Ukraine was playing on loop in front of the Russian Embassy in The Hague. In Belgrade, Serbia, a cake was left outside the Russian Embassy featuring a deathly skull.

Paris's Eiffel Tower lit up blue and yellow in solidarity, as did Sydney's iconic Opera House, while candlelight vigils took place in Japan and people in New Zealand threw sunflowers into water to show their support for Ukraine.

World leaders also issued a flurry of statements Friday condemning the Kremlin's war, among them French President Emmanuel Macron and Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The NATO military alliance condemned Russia's invasion as the "gravest threat to Euro-Atlantic security in decades" and called on Moscow to "engage constructively in credible negotiations with Ukraine."

The global solidarity comes a day after 141 countries voted to support a nonbinding resolution at the U.N. General Assembly on the eve of the anniversary Thursday, calling for an end to the war and demanding that Russia withdraw from Ukrainian territory. Some 32 countries, including Asian heavyweights China and India, abstained from voting. Seven countries, including Russia, voted against the resolution.

The Washington Post's Niha Masih contributed to this report. Ilyushina and Dixon reported from Riga; Suliman and Ebel reported from London.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  How do people raised with a sense of right and wrong end up involved in terrible acts of violence against others?

That's the human mystery at the heart of 2,000 intercepted phone calls from Russian soldiers in Ukraine. These calls obtained by The Associated Press offer an intimate new perspective on Russian President Vladimir Putin's year-old war, seen through the eyes of Russian soldiers themselves.

The AP identified calls made in March 2022 by soldiers in a military division that Ukrainian prosecutors say committed war crimes in Bucha, a town outside Kyiv that became an early symbol of Russian atrocities.

They show how deeply unprepared young soldiers  and their country  were for the war to come. Many joined the military because they needed money and were informed of their deployment at the last minute. They were told they'd be welcomed as heroes for liberating Ukraine from its Nazi oppressors and their Western backers, and that Kyiv would fall without bloodshed within a week.

The intercepts show that as soldiers realized how much they'd been misled, they grew more and more afraid. Violence that once would have been unthinkable became normal. Looting and drinking offered moments of rare reprieve. Some said they were following orders to kill civilians or prisoners of war.

They tell their mothers what this war actually looks like: About the teenage Ukrainian boy who got his ears cut off. How the scariest sound is not the whistle of a rocket flying past, but the silence that means it's coming directly for you. How modern weapons can obliterate the human body so there's nothing left to bring home.

We listen as their mothers struggle to reconcile their pride and their horror, and as their wives and fathers beg them not to drink too much and to please, please call home.

These are the stories of three of those men  Ivan, Leonid and Maxim. The AP isn't using their full names to protect their families in Russia. The AP established that they were in areas when atrocities were committed, but has no evidence of their individual actions beyond what they confess.

The AP spoke with the mothers of Ivan and Leonid, but couldn't reach Maxim or his family. The AP verified these calls with the help of the Dossier Center, an investigative group in London funded by Russian dissident Mikhail Khodorkovsky. The conversations have been edited for length and clarity.

Warning: The conversations contain vulgar language and graphic details.

In a joint production on Saturday, Feb. 25, The Associated Press and Reveal at the Center for Investigative Reporting will broadcast never-before-heard audio of Russian soldiers as they confront  and perpetrate  the brutality of Russia's war in Ukraine.

***

LEONID

Leonid became a soldier because he needed money. He was in debt and didn't want to depend on his parents.

"I just wasn't prepared emotionally for my child to go to war at the age of 19," his mother told the AP in January. "None of us had experienced anything like this, that your child would live in a time when he has to go and fight."

Leonid's mother said Russia needs to protect itself from its enemies. But, like many others, she expected Russia to take parts of eastern Ukraine quickly. Instead, Leonid's unit got stuck around Bucha.

"No one thought it would be so terrible," his mother said. "My son just said one thing: 'My conscience is clear. They opened fire first.' That's all."

In the calls, there is an obvious moral dissonance between the way Leonid's mother raised him and what he is seeing and doing in Ukraine. Still, she defended her son, insisting he never even came into contact with civilians in Ukraine.

She said everything was calm, civil. There was no trouble at the checkpoints. Nothing bad happened. The war didn't change her son.

She declined to listen to any of the intercepts: "This is absurd," she said. "Just don't try to make it look like my child killed innocent people."

***

ONE: Kill if you don't want to be killed.

Leonid's introduction to war came on Feb. 24, as his unit crossed into Ukraine from Belarus and decimated a detachment of Ukrainians at the border. After his first fight, Leonid seems to have compassion for the young Ukrainian soldiers they'd just killed.

Mother: "When did you get scared?"

Leonid: "When our commander warned us we would be shot, 100%. He warned us that although we'd be bombed and shot at, our aim was to get through."

Mother: "Did they shoot you?"

Leonid: "Of course. We defeated them."

Mother: "Mhm. Did you shoot from your tanks?"

Leonid: "Yeah, we did. We shot from the tanks, machine guns and rifles. We had no losses. We destroyed their four tanks. There were dead bodies lying around and burning. So, we won."

Mother: "Oh what a nightmare! Lyonka, you wanted to live at that moment, right honey?"

Leonid: "More than ever!"

Mother: "More than ever, right honey?"

Leonid: "Of course."

Mother: "It's totally horrible."

Leonid: "They were lying there, just 18 or 19 years old. Am I different from them? No, I'm not."

***

TWO: The rules of normal life no longer apply.

Leonid tells his mother their plan was to seize Kyiv within a week, without firing a single bullet. Instead, his unit started taking fire near Chernobyl. They had no maps and the Ukrainians had taken down all the road signs.

"It was so confusing," he says. "They were well prepared."

Not expecting a prolonged attack, Russian soldiers ran short on basic supplies. One way for them to get what they needed  or wanted  was to steal.

Many soldiers, including Leonid, talk about money with the wary precision that comes from not having enough. Some take orders from friends and family for certain-sized shoes and parts for specific cars, proud to go home with something to give.

When Leonid tells his mother casually about looting, at first she can't believe he's stealing. But it's become normal for him.

As he speaks, he watches a town burn on the horizon.

"Such a beauty," he says.

Leonid: "Look, mom, I'm looking at tons of houses  I don't know, dozens, hundreds  and they're all empty. Everyone ran away."

Mother: "So all the people left, right? You guys aren't looting them, are you? You're not going into other people's houses?"

Leonid: "Of course we are, mom. Are you crazy?"

Mother: "Oh, you are. What do you take from there?"

Leonid: "We take food, bed linen, pillows. Blankets, forks, spoons, pans."

Mother: (laughing) "You gotta be kidding me."

Leonid: "Whoever doesn't have any  socks, clean underwear, T-shirts, sweaters."

***

THREE: The enemy is everybody.

Leonid tells his mother about the terror of going on patrol and not knowing what or who they will encounter. He describes using lethal force at the slightest provocation against just about anyone.

At first, she seems not to believe that Russian soldiers could be killing civilians.

Leonid tells her that civilians were told to flee or shelter in basements, so anyone who was outside must not be a real civilian. Russian soldiers had been told, by Putin and others, that they'd be greeted as liberators and anyone who resisted was a fascist, an insurgent  not a real civilian.

This was a whole-of-society war. Mercy was for suckers.

Mother: "Oh Lyonka, you've seen so much stuff there!"

Leonid: "Well ... civilians are lying around right on the street with their brains coming out."

Mother: "Oh God, you mean the locals?"

Leonid: "Yep. Well, like, yeah."

Mother: "Are they the ones you guys shot or the ones ... "

Leonid: "The ones killed by our army."

Mother: "Lyonya, they might just be peaceful people."

Leonid: "Mom, there was a battle. And a guy would just pop up, you know? Maybe he would pull out a grenade launcher ... Or we had a case, a young guy was stopped, they took his cellphone. He had all this information about us in his Telegram messages  where to bomb, how many we were, how many tanks we have. And that's it."

Mother: "So they knew everything?"

Leonid: "He was shot right there on the spot."

Mother: "Mhm."

Leonid: "He was 17 years old. And that's it, right there."

Mother: "Mhm."

Leonid: "There was a prisoner. It was an 18-year-old guy. First, he was shot in his leg. Then his ears were cut off. After that, he admitted everything, and they killed him."

Mother: "Did he admit it?"

Leonid: "We don't imprison them. I mean, we kill them all."

Mother: "Mhm."

***

FOUR: What it takes to get home alive.

Leonid tells his mother he was nearly killed five times. Things are so disorganized, he says, that it's not uncommon for Russians to fire on their own troops  it even happened to him. Some soldiers shoot themselves just to get medical leave, he says.

In another call, he tells his girlfriend he's envious of his buddies who got shot in the feet and could go home. "A bullet in your foot is like four months at home with crutches," he says. "It would be awesome."

Then he hangs up because of incoming fire.

Mother: "Hello, Lyonechka."

Leonid: "I just wanted to call you again. I am able to speak."

Mother: "Oh, that's good."

Leonid: "There are people out here who shoot themselves."

Mother: "Mhm."

Leonid: "They do it for the insurance money. You know where they shoot themselves?"

Mother: "That's silly, Lyonya."

Leonid: "The bottom part of the left thigh."

Mother: "It's bull, Lyonya. They're crazy, you know that, right?"

Leonid: "Some people are so scared that they are ready to harm themselves just to leave."

Mother: "Yeah, it is fear, what can you say here, it's human fear. Everybody wants to live. I don't argue with that, but please don't do that. We all pray for you. You should cross yourself any chance you get, just turn away from everyone and do it. We all pray for you. We're all worried."

Leonid: "I'm standing here, and you know what the situation is? I am now 30 meters (100 feet) away from a huge cemetery." (giggling)

Mother: "Oh, that's horrible ... may it be over soon."

Leonid says he had to learn to empty his mind.

"Imagine, it's nighttime. You're sitting in the dark and it's quiet out there. Alone with your thoughts. And day after day, you sit there alone with those thoughts," he tells his girlfriend. "I already learned to think of nothing while sitting outside."

He promises to bring home a collection of bullets for the kids. "Trophies from Ukraine," he calls them.

His mother says she's waiting for him.

"Of course I'll come, why wouldn't I?" Leonid says.

"Of course, you'll come," his mother says. "No doubts. You're my beloved. Of course, you'll come. You are my happiness."

Leonid returned to Russia in May, badly wounded, but alive. He told his mother Russia would win this war.

***

IVAN

Ivan dreamed of being a paratrooper from the time he was a boy, growing up in a village at the edge of Siberia. He used to dress up in fatigues and play paintball with friends in the woods. A photo shows him at 12 years old, smiling with a big Airsoft rifle and a slimy splotch of green near his heart  a sign of certain death in paintball.

Ivan's dream came true. He entered an elite unit of Russian paratroopers, which crossed into Ukraine the very first day of Putin's Feb. 24 invasion, one year ago.

***

ONE: Ivan's road to war.

Ivan was in Belarus on training when they got a Telegram message: "Tomorrow you are leaving for Ukraine. There is a genocide of the Russian population. And we have to stop it."

When his mother found out he was in Ukraine, she said she stopped speaking for days and took sedatives. Her hair went gray. Still, she was proud of him.

Ivan ended up in Bucha.

Ivan: "Mom, hi."

Mother: "Hi, son! How "

Ivan: "How are you?"

Mother: "Vanya, I understand they might be listening so I'm afraid "

Ivan: "Doesn't matter."

Mother: " to ask where you are, what's happening. Where are you?"

Ivan: "In Bucha."

Mother: "In Bucha?"

Ivan: "In Bucha."

Mother: "Son, be as careful as you can, OK? Don't go charging around! Always keep a cool head."

Ivan: "Oh, come on, I'm not charging around."

Mother: "Yeah, right! And yesterday you told me how you're gonna f kill everyone out there." (laughs)

Ivan: "We will kill if we have to."

Mother: "Huh?"

Ivan: "If we have to  we have to."

Mother: "I understand you. I'm so proud of you, my son! I don't even know how to put it. I love you so much. And I bless you for everything, everything! I wish you success in everything. And I'll wait for you no matter what."

***

TWO: Love and fear.

Russian soldiers had been told by Putin and others that they'd be welcomed by their brothers and sisters in Ukraine as liberators. Instead, Ivan finds that most Ukrainians want him dead or gone. His mood darkens.

He calls his girlfriend, Olya, and tells her he had a dream about her.

Ivan: "F-, you know, it's driving me crazy here. It's just that ... You were just  I felt you, touched you with my hand. I don't understand how it's possible, why, where  But I really felt you. I don't know, I felt something warm, something dear. It's like something was on fire in my hands, so warm  And that's it. I don't know. I was sleeping and then I woke up with all these thoughts. War  You know, when you're sleeping  and then you're like  War  Where, where is it? It was just dark in the house, so dark. And I went outside, walked around the streets, and thought: damn, f- it. And that's it. I really want to come see you."

Olya: "I am waiting for you."

Ivan: "Waiting? OK. I'm waiting, too. Waiting for the time I can come see you ... Let's make a deal. When we see each other, let's spend the entire day together. Laying around, sitting together, eating, looking at each other  just us, together."

Olya: (Laughs) "Agreed."

Ivan: "Together all the time. Hugging, cuddling, kissing  Together all the time, not letting each other go."

Olya: "Well, yeah!"

Ivan: "You can go f crazy here. It's so f- up, the s- that's happening. I really thought it would be easy here, to tell you the truth. That it's just gonna be easy to talk, think about it. But it turned out to be hard, you need to think with your head all the time. So that's that."

Ivan: "We are really at the front line. As far out as you could be. Kyiv is 15 kilometers (about 10 miles) from us. It is scary, Olya. It really is scary."

Olya: "Hello?"

Ivan: "Do you hear me?"

The line drops.

***

THREE: The end.

As things get worse for Ivan in Ukraine, his mother's patriotism deepens and her rage grows. The family has relatives in Kyiv, but seems to believe this is a righteous war against Nazi oppression in Ukraine  and the dark hand of the United States they see behind Kyiv's tough resistance. She says she'll go to Ukraine herself to fight.

Mother: "Do you have any predictions about the end ...?"

Ivan: "We are here for the time being. We'll probably stay until they clean up the whole of Ukraine. Maybe they'll pull us out. Maybe not. We're going for Kyiv."

Mother: "What are they going to do?"

Ivan: "We're not going anywhere until they clean up all of these pests."

Mother: "Are those bastards getting cleaned up?"

Ivan: "Yes, they are. But they've been waiting for us and preparing, you understand? Preparing properly. American motherf have been helping them out."

Mother: "F f. F kill them all. You have my blessing."

Death came for Ivan a decade after that boyhood paintball game.

In July, a local paper published a notice of his funeral with a photo of him, again in fatigues holding a large rifle. Ivan died heroically in Russia's "special military operation," the announcement said. We will never forget you. All of Russia shares this grief.

Reached by the AP in January, Ivan's mother at first denied she'd ever talked with her son from the front. But she agreed to listen to some of the intercepted audio and confirmed it was her speaking with Ivan.

"He wasn't involved in murders, let alone in looting," she told the AP before hanging up the phone.

Ivan was her only son.

***

MAXIM

Maxim is drunk in some of the calls, slurring his words, because life at the front line is more than he can take sober.

It's not clear what military unit Maxim is in, but he makes calls from the same phone as Ivan, on the same days.

He says they're alone out there and exposed. Communications are so bad they're taking more fire from their own troops than from the Ukrainians.

He has a bad toothache and his feet are freezing. The hunt for locals  men, women and children who might be informing on them to the Ukrainian military is constant.

Maxim's mood flips between boredom and horror  not just at what he has seen, but also what he has done.

***

ONE: Gold!

The only reason Maxim is able to speak with his family back in Russia is because they've been stealing phones from locals. He says they're even shaking down kids.

"We take everything from them," he explains to his wife. "Because they can also be f spotters."

Stuck just outside Kyiv, bored and unsure why they're in Ukraine in the first place, Maxim and a half-dozen other guys shot up a shopping mall and made off with all the gold they could carry.

Back home Maxim has money troubles, but here his hands are heavy with treasure. He gleefully calculates and recalculates what his pile of gold might be worth.He says he offered a wad of money the size of his fist to Ukrainian women and children.

"I wanted to give it to normal families with kids, but the people out there were drunks," he tells his wife.

In the end, he handed the cash off to a random, cleanshaven man he thought looked decent. "I told him: 'Look here, take it, give it to families with kids and take something for yourself. You'll figure it out, make it fair.'"

On calls home, the high sweet voice of Maxim's own young child bubbles in the background as he talks with his wife.

Maxim: "Do you know how much a gram of gold costs here?"

Wife: "No."

Maxim: "Roughly? About two or three thousand rubles, right?"

Wife: "Well, yeah "

Maxim: "Well, I have 1 kilograms (more than three pounds). With labels even."

Wife: "Holy f-, are we looters?!"

Maxim: "With labels, yeah. It's just that we f- up this  We were shooting at this shopping mall from a tank. Then we go in, and there's a f jewelry store. Everything was taken. But there was a safe there. We cracked it open, and inside  f- me! So the seven of us loaded up."

Wife: "I see."

Maxim: "They had these f necklaces, you know. In our money, they're like 30-40,000 a piece, 60,000 a piece."

Wife: "Holy crap."

Maxim: "I scored about a kilo and a half of necklaces, charms, bracelets ... these  earrings ... earrings with rings "

Wife: "That's enough, don't tell me."

Maxim: "Anyway, I counted and if it's 3,000 rubles a gram, then I have about 3.5 million. If you offload it."

Wife: "Got it. How's the situation there?"

Maxim: "It's f OK."

Wife: "OK? Got it."

Maxim: "We don't have a f thing to do, so we go around and loot the f shopping mall."

Wife: "Just be careful, in the name of Christ."

***

TWO: Propaganda.

Maxim and his mother discuss the opposing stories about the war being told on Ukrainian and Russian television. They blame the United States and recite conspiracy theories pushed by Russian state media.

But Maxim and his mother believe it's the Ukrainians who are deluded by fake news and propaganda, not them. The best way to end the war, his mother says, is to kill the presidents of Ukraine and the United States.

Later, Maxim tells his mother that thousands of Russian troops died in the first weeks of war  so many that there's no time to do anything except haul away the bodies. That's not what they're saying on Russian TV, his mother says.

Maxim: "Here, it's all American. All the weapons."

Mother: "It's the Americans driving this, of course! Look at their laboratories. They are developing biological weapons. Coronavirus literally started there."

Maxim: "Yeah, I also saw somewhere that they used bats."

Mother: "All of it. Bats, migrating birds, and even coronavirus might be their biological weapon."

Mother: "They even found all these papers with signatures from the U.S. all over Ukraine. Biden's son is the mastermind behind all of this."

Mother: "When will it end? When they stop supplying weapons."

Maxim: "Mhm."

Mother: "Until they catch (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskyy and execute him, nothing will end. He's a fool, a fool! He's a puppet for the U.S. and they really don't need him, the fool. You watch TV and you feel bad for the people, the civilians, some travelling with young kids."

Mother: "If I was given a gun, I'd go and shoot Biden." (Laughs)

Maxim: (Laughs)

***

THREE: War and peace.

The Ukrainian government has been intercepting Russian calls when their phones ping Ukrainian cell towers, providing important real-time intelligence for the military. Now, the calls are also potential evidence for war crimes.

But phones have been dangerous for the soldiers in another, more personal sense. The phone acts as a real-time bridge between two incompatible realities  the war in Ukraine and home.

In Maxim's calls with his wife, war and peace collide. Even as she teaches their daughter the rules of society  scolding the child for throwing things, for example  Maxim talks about what he's been stealing. His wife's world is filled with school crafts and the sounds of children playing outside. In his, volleys of gunfire crack the air.

One night last March, Maxim was having trouble keeping it together on a call with his wife. He'd been drinking, as he did every night.

He told her he'd killed civilians  so many he thinks he's going crazy. He said he might not make it home alive. He was just sitting there, drunk in the dark, waiting for the Ukrainian artillery strikes to start.

Wife: "Why? Why are you drinking?"

Maxim: "Everyone is like that here. It's impossible without it here."

Wife: "How the f- will you protect yourself if you are tipsy?"

Maxim: "Totally normal. On the contrary, it's easier to shoot ... civilians. Let's not talk about this. I'll come back and tell you how it is here and why we drink!"

Wife: "Please, just be careful!"

Maxim: "Everything will be fine. Honestly, I'm scared s-less myself. I never saw such hell as here. I am f shocked."

Wife: "Why the f- did you go there?"

Minutes later, he's on the phone with his child.

"You're coming back?" the child asks.

"Of course," Maxim says.

***

FOUR: The end?

In their last intercepted call, Maxim's wife seems to have a premonition.

Wife: "Is everything all right?"

Maxim: "Yeah. Why?"

Wife: "Be honest with me, is everything all right?"

Maxim: "Huh? Why do you ask?"

Wife: "It's nothing, I just can't sleep at night."

Maxim is a little breathless. He and his unit are getting ready to go. His wife asks him where they're going.

"Forward," he tells her. "I won't be able to call for a while."

***

Photos: In Ukraine, searing images capture a year of war
Russia has called for a special United Nations commission to investigate the explosions that blew up the Nord Stream undersea natural gas pipelines in September, based largely on an American journalist's controversial allegation that a U.S. covert operation was responsible for the attack.

The United States said the accusation was "completely false," and it accused Russia of trying to distract attention from criticism around the first anniversary of its unprovoked Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine and ongoing attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.

The exchanges took place at the U.N. Security Council, which has become the world's only public forum for direct, and often antagonistic, contacts between Washington and Moscow. On the 15-member council, only China offered full support for Russia's call for a special U.N. inquiry.

"A simple statement of utterly false and complete fiction is obviously not enough to answer the many questions and concerns raised around the world," said China's U.N. ambassador, Zhang Jun, referring to the U.S. dismissal of the Nord Stream sabotage charge. The request for an independent investigation "is entirely legitimate and reasonable," he said.

The two Baltic Sea pipelines, designed to carry natural gas from Russia to Europe, were rendered inoperable by explosions that also caused environmentally damaging gas releases. World leaders quickly suggested Russia was responsible, a view still not entirely dismissed but that some Western intelligence assessments and officials have come to doubt.

Investigations by Sweden, Denmark and Germany are underway five months later. In a letter to the Security Council on Tuesday, those governments said they have established "that there has been extensive damage" to the pipelines "and that the damage was caused by powerful explosions due to sabotage."

"These investigations have not yet been concluded," the letter said, and "at this point, it is not possible to say when they will be concluded." Russian authorities "have been informed regarding the ongoing investigations," the letter said.

But Russia's U.N. ambassador, Vasily Nebenzya, who called the emergency meeting, said the perpetrator was now known, "thanks to an investigating journalist" who had determined "not only that the United States did it, but how they did it, with the involvement of their NATO ally Norway."

Two weeks ago, journalist Seymour Hersh published a lengthy article on Substack - an online subscription platform for independent journalists and bloggers - alleging that U.S. Navy divers, operating under cover of a NATO exercise with Norway in the Baltic Sea early last summer, placed explosives on the two pipelines. Three months later, Hersh wrote, President Biden gave the order to blow them up, in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Hersh won a Pulitzer Prize in 1970 for uncovering the My Lai Massacre by U.S. forces during the Vietnam War, and he is credited with other explosive investigative work over the years, although much of his more recent output has been widely criticized. His Nord Stream allegation was based on a single anonymous source he described as someone "with direct knowledge of operational planning." No other media outlet has corroborated his account.

The story, categorically denied by the Biden administration, was quickly picked up and spread by Russian media.

"The depth of information he has is astounding," Nebenzya said of Hersh.

Presentations in support of Russia's calls for a U.N. investigation were offered during the meeting by economist and Columbia University professor Jeffrey Sachs and retired CIA officer and political activist Raymond McGovern.

Sachs, who has faulted NATO enlargement as a cause of the war and called for it to be resolved by U.S.-Russia negotiations, said that the White House had labeled Hersh's allegations "completely and utterly false, but did not offer any information contradicting it" or an "alternative explanation." Senior U.S. officials, he said, "made statements before and after" the explosions "that showed U.S. animus toward the pipelines."

McGovern, a former senior CIA analyst who worked on arms control during the Cold War, said, "I associate myself completely with Sachs' comments." He also noted that NATO had expanded its membership in Eastern Europe "despite the promise not to."

Nebenzya said that the countries investigating the Nord Stream sabotage have not kept Russia informed of their inquiries and that they had rebuffed Moscow's offers to participate. He derided the investigative efforts as "not only not transparent ... but seek to simply cover tracks and stand behind their American brothers."

No vote was taken at Tuesday's meeting, although Russia circulated a draft resolution calling on the United Nations to establish a commission "composed of impartial and internationally respected, experienced jurists" to conduct "comprehensive, transparent and impartial international investigation of all aspects of the act of sabotage ... including identification of its perpetrators, sponsors, organizers and accomplices."

Most of the nonpermanent council members from Africa, Latin America and the Middle East called for the existing investigations - rather than a new U.N. inquiry - to continue.

But as has frequently happened during Ukraine-related council meetings over the past year, lines were drawn by the five permanent members, with Russia and China on one side and the United States, Britain and France on the other.

John Kelley, political counselor to the American U.N. mission, told the council that rather than entertain "completely false" allegations, "we wish [Russia] would apply urgency ... to myriad reports of violations of international human rights law caused by its invading forces."
(Tribune News Service)  Alec Baldwin on Thursday pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter charges for the accidental fatal shooting of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and agreed to release conditions that would allow him to complete the film.

The actor, in a court filing, waived his right to make his first court appearance, which was expected to take place Friday in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Baldwin agreed to conditions, including not consuming alcohol, not possessing weapons and only talking to witnesses for the purpose of completing the Rust movie. The witness lists filed with the court include figures such as director Joel Souza, who is set to resume his duties on the film when production gets back up in Montana.

New Mexico 1st Judicial District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer approved the conditions.

Defendant is permitted to have contact with potential witnesses only in the capacity laid out herein: In connection with completing the Rust movie (...) provided, however, that defendant is not permitted to discuss the accident at issue, the document said.

Neither Baldwin nor his attorneys had any immediate comment.

Baldwin and the films armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, face involuntary manslaughter charges carrying a possible 18-month sentence. Fridays scheduled appearances were among the first steps in the prosecutions road to trial.

They were charged last month with two counts of involuntary manslaughter for the Oct. 21, 2021, death of Hutchins on the movies set south of Santa Fe.

A jury will decide between two involuntary manslaughter charges that the New Mexico prosecutors have brought against the pair.

The most serious charge initially would have included a firearm enhancement penalty that the state at first said carried a five-year mandatory prison term. However Baldwin won one battle in his favor, getting prosecutors to downgrade the penalties, dropping the firearm enhancement. Now the maximum Baldwin could now face is 18 months.

The actors attorneys argued that at the time of the shooting such an enhancement could only add three years if a gun was brandished with intent to injure. Moreover, the prosecutors had acknowledged the shooting was an accident, the attorneys said. The statute was later updated to increase the term to five years and removed the qualifier that there had to be an intent to injure.

Baldwins camp is also challenging the appointment of special prosecutor Andrea Reeb, alleging her role as a state legislator conflicts with her role in the case.

Earlier this month, the Rust production revealed plans to complete filming the movie at the Yellowstone Film Ranch in Montana this spring. Previously, it revealed it added crew including a replacement cinematographer to its lineup. Baldwin and other lead actors are expected to resume production.

The production said no ammunition or weapons would be used in the shoot, and it added two safety officers to the crew.

The court has yet to set a preliminary hearing date where 1st Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies and special prosecutor Reeb will present their case to the judge to decide if there is probable cause to move forward with a trial. Preliminary hearings are typically scheduled within 60 days of charges being filed.

Gutierrez Reed is scheduled to make her first appearance Friday.

David Halls, the assistant director of the low-budget Western, waived his right to a first appearance, having accepted a plea deal last month. Halls agreeing to plead no contest to a misdemeanor count of negligent use of a deadly weapon and received a suspended six-month sentence of unsupervised probation, according to documents viewed by the Los Angeles Times. Should he be called, Halls is required to testify in preliminary court hearings this spring or at trial.

2023 Los Angeles Times.

Visit at latimes.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio  Before this town found itself at the center of a massive environmental cleanup, before it became a pawn in political posturing, and before its residents worried whether it's a safe place for their children, it had a reputation that the community is desperate to reclaim: "Where You Want to Be," the welcome signs at its borders proclaim.

The Feb. 3 derailment of an eastbound Norfolk Southern train on its way through town has thrown that into question.

Among the 50 cars that derailed were 11 that contained chemicals used to make plastic, including vinyl chloride; that cancer-causing substance was burned in a controlled release two days later, out of fear it was on the verge of catastrophic explosion.

Nearly three weeks later, weary residents are still racked with questions about what happened and what it will mean for their families, homes and future. It's an inevitable and futile struggle that will take months, if not years, to resolve, said Ben Terwilliger, who lives less than a quarter of a mile north of the derailment.

"They're asking questions that simply can't be answered," he said. "The pieces of the puzzle aren't even out of the box yet and they're trying to put it together."

That frustration and confusion were evident at a heated town hall gathering Feb. 15. Questions about contamination and safety continue to echo around East Palestine.

Environmental and public health officials have said the air is safe to breathe and the public water supply is safe to drink, according to tests. But so far, there is little authorities can say to assuage residents' anxieties.

"Why are people getting sick if there's nothing in the air or the water?" one woman shouted at those officials at the town hall.

The Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday it would take over a cleanup process that so far Norfolk Southern has been carrying out voluntarily, with oversight from Ohio and federal officials. It was a logical step given the persistent fears about contamination, said Eric Schaeffer, executive director of the Environmental Integrity Project and a former senior EPA official.

"This is not something where people could go in with a few shovels and mops and clean it up," Schaeffer said. "The circumstances are making people really anxious."

Jenna Catone is among those questioning her safety - and that of her 9-year-old son. She worries she will never be able to rid her home, which faces the derailment site, of contamination that blew into its open windows. She plans to move out of town this spring, if she can afford it.

Residents are left to wonder about what contamination may persist around them, despite official assurances of safety. Aaron Bragg, who owns a rental property near the train tracks, is telling neighbors and anyone else who will listen that he fears there's long-term contamination with pollutants known as dioxins, which are released when plastics are burned.

Many residents are left to fend for themselves. Norfolk Southern set up an assistance center at a church in a neighboring town where residents can seek reimbursement from the railroad, which it offered for hotel stays and other expenses after the derailment forced evacuations.

Catone visited the center one recent afternoon but said she couldn't afford to wait in a line she expected would take hours to get through.

"It just feels like there's nobody in our corner," she said.

The community now faces a major test, Mayor Trent Conaway said. While he plans to stay and push for accountability as the mess is cleaned up, he said many families don't have that luxury. He said a small number of residents have already left, and more could follow.

"They're scared. Everybody's scared," Conaway said. "We have a long fight ahead of us."
WASHINGTON  The military needs to restrict firearm access in barracks and dorms and institute an age limit and waiting period for gun purchases on bases to combat suicide among service members, according to a Pentagon report released Friday.

The outsized role of firearms in the militarys suicide crisis led to the gun safety recommendations issued by the Suicide Prevention and Response Independent Review Committee, a group convened by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last year to find ways to reverse a 15-year upward trend in military suicides.

What we learned over the past year was that a significant percentage of on-base suicides involve firearms purchased on base at military exchanges, said committee member Craig Bryan, an Air Force veteran and a clinical psychologist at Ohio State University. When we look at the science of suicide prevention, there's arguably only one thing that all researchers agree on, and that one thing is that taking steps to slow down convenient access to highly lethal methods like firearms is the single most effective strategy for saving lives.

Guns are involved in 66% of active-duty suicides, 72% of suicides among Reserve members and 78% of suicides involving members of the National Guard, according to the report. Among the general public, only about half of suicides involve a firearm, Bryan said.

Visits by the committee to nine military installations, including three in Alaska and one in South Korea, showed service members could purchase firearms with an ease that could prove deadly for troops in acute mental distress, according to the committee.

There's a very strong scientific basis showing that waiting periods even as short as seven days significantly reduce suicide rates, Bryan said. We were hearing of many instances of people walking into a base exchange and not only purchasing the firearm but also purchasing the ammunition at the same time and then walking out.

The committee is recommending the Defense Department implement a 7-day waiting period for purchases of firearms on military property and an additional 4-day waiting period for buying ammunition. It is also calling for raising the minimum age for purchasing both to 25.

Pentagon statistics from the past decade show an inflection point at the age of 21 when service members begin heavily using guns to die by suicide, Bryan said. That age corresponds to the minimum age for handgun purchases in many jurisdictions, he said. By age 25, firearms are involved in 60% to 70% of all service member suicides. About half of all military suicides are among 17- to 25-year-olds, he said.

If we want to have a meaningful impact on suicide prevention, we would probably want to target that youngest age group, Bryan said.

The report also recommends the repeal of a law that prohibited the defense secretary and other military leaders from maintaining records of which service members lawfully acquired and possessed firearms.

Congress included the provision in its annual defense policy bill about a decade ago to protect the Second Amendment rights of service members, Bryan said. But the law unintentionally handcuffed military leaders from assessing the safety of their subordinates and knowing who was at elevated risk of suicide, he said.

I was really struck by how often we heard stories from military leaders and senior NCOs saying, in essence, Im not allowed to ask and sort of keep track of who are my most vulnerable and highest risk service members, Bryan said. As a result, when we lose service members in our units to firearm suicide, there's often this sense of, 'We could have done more, we could have gotten involved, we could have helped them to secure and lock up their firearms more safely.

Military leaders interviewed for the report said they wanted to encourage a culture of secure firearm storage, which varied widely across installations. Some prohibit the possession and storage of firearms in barracks and dorms but there is no uniform policy for all military property, according to Bryan.

The committee is recommending the Defense Department require everyone living in military housing to store all privately owned firearms in a locked safe or another locking device. U.S. households that own firearms and store them safely reduce the risk of someone in the home dying by suicide by 50%, Bryan said.

We would want to set up rules that say, You cannot keep your personally owned firearms here but you can safely and securely store them in other places, he said. The Department of Defense needs to provide options.

Bryan stressed the recommendations are not strategies for gun control, a politically charged issue that Republicans have traditionally opposed. He instead likened the proposals to the comprehensive safety requirements that the Pentagon already has for service members operating motorcycles, for example.

What we were hoping to do is capture this sort of spirit, this commitment to a culture of safety and leverage that as a platform for thinking in a very similar way about firearms safety, while being able to balance the absolute need to protect and respect the civil liberties that are enshrined in our Constitution, he said.

Bryan said his experiences in the Air Force have shown that the military community is more open to firearm safeguards than civilians, largely because members are tired of their friends and loved ones dying from self-inflicted gunshot wounds.

So many of us who have served have lost friends to suicide and so many of those suicides involved firearms that we recognize that there is a connection between the two, he said. Over and over, we heard over this past year, You know, I didn't see it coming. My friend seemed OK. But they had a gun and they died.

shkolnikova.svetlana@stripes.com

Twitter: @svetashko
WASHINGTON  The United States will send another $2 billion in military aid to Ukraine that includes weapons, drones and other equipment, the Pentagon announced Friday, marking the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion.

President Joe Bidens administration has committed more than $32 billion in military weapons and equipment to help the Ukrainians defend their land against a Russian attack that began Feb. 24, 2022.

One year ago today, Russia launched an unprovoked and indefensible invasion of its peaceful and democratic neighbor Ukraine -- a cruel war of choice that has killed thousands of innocent Ukrainians, forced millions more from their homes, left countless Ukrainians wounded or traumatized, and inflicted tragedy and terror on a sovereign U.N. member state, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said. Todays solemn anniversary is an opportunity for all who believe in freedom, rules, and sovereignty to recommit ourselves to supporting Ukraines brave defenders for the long haul -- and to recall that the stakes of Russias war stretch far beyond Ukraine.

The military aid announced Friday includes more ammunition and artillery rounds, rockets for laser-guided systems, communications and mine-clearing equipment and money for training and maintenance, the Defense Department said.

The new U.S. assistance also includes several drone systems  such as the CyberLux K8, Altius-600 and Jump-20 systems  and counter-drone detection equipment. Friday was the first time the CyberLux, Altius and Jump systems have been listed in any U.S. security package for Ukraine.

The CyberLux K8 is mainly a surveillance drone while the Altius-600 is an intelligence-gathering system. The Jump 20 is a vertical take-off and landing fixed-wing drone that has multiple applications, including search and rescue operations.

The Pentagon said the new aid will bolster Ukraines air defenses and is being provided through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, a program that procures the equipment from the defense industry rather than pulling it from Defense Department stocks. Because the weapons and systems are not coming from existing stocks, items committed through the initiative take longer to reach battlefields in Ukraine.

For example, it will take several months for the Ukrainians to receive 31 advanced M1 Abrams battle tanks that the U.S. has committed to them because those weapons are also being procured through the initiative.

After a year of fighting in Ukraine, various military setbacks and almost 200,000 Russian casualties, according to U.S. and allied estimates, Russia President Vladimir Putin has given no indication that hes willing to end the conflict. Ukrainian and Western experts and officials have said they expect Russia to mount yet more offensives in Ukraine in the coming weeks when the weather warms.

Putin thought that Ukraines defenses would collapse, that Americas resolve would falter, and that the world would look the other way, Austin said. He was wrong. One year later, Ukraines brave defenders have not wavered, and neither has our commitment to support them for as long as it takes.

Though the United States has provided Ukraine many weapons and equipment in the past year, there are some items that the Biden administration has not committed to sending  including advanced American fighter jets, such as the Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon.

Earlier this week, the U.N.s High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said the U.N. estimates more than 8,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed in the war in the past year and 13,000 more have been injured. Some experts and officials on the ground in Ukraine, however, have said the true casualty numbers are almost certainly much higher.

And our data are only the tip of the iceberg, Turk said. The toll on civilians is unbearable.  Nearly 18 million people are in dire need of humanitarian assistance. Some 14 million people have been displaced from their homes.  This senseless war has reverberated across the world.

Austin said difficult times might still lie ahead.

Let us remain clear-eyed about what is at stake in Ukraine, he said. And let us remain united in purpose and in action  and steadfast in our commitment to ensure that a world of rules and rights is not replaced by one of tyranny and turmoil.
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.

BMW recalls some electric vehicles in China due to charging risks

On February 24, BMW filed for a recall plan in China involving 37,197 iX3s, 18,500 i3s, 1,985 i4s, and 2,929 iXs. According to the automaker, the said vehicles are being recalled due to the unreasonable setting of the voltage monitoring threshold for the high-voltage battery control unit (SME) microcontroller. The software may misjudge, leading to unexpected interruption of the vehicles charging session or closure of the high-voltage system. In extreme cases, this could cause a power failure, posing a potential safety hazard.

Photo credit: BMW

Chinese phone maker OPPOs digital car keys compatible with multiple NIO models

On February 24, Chinas smartphone maker OPPO announced that its digital car keys are adapted to the NIO ET5, ET7, ES7, EC7, and updated models. Smartphones compatible with NIOs vehicle models include the Find N2 series, Find X5 series, Reno9 series, One Plus Ace series, etc.

Chery Auto releases interior design images of Tiggo 9 SUV

Chery Auto today releases several interior images of its upcoming Tiggo 9 SUV model. Judging from the photos, the Tiggo 9 is installed with an upscale cockpit with dual display screens acting as dashboard and center control screen. The Tiggo 9 will make its debut on February 27 and go on sale in May.

Photo credit: Chery Auto

JIDU teams up with Aptiv in E/EA R&D

On February 23, JIDU, the automaker backed by Geely and Baidu, inked a a strategic cooperation agreement with Aptiv to deepen collaboration in the R&D of electronic and electrical architecture (E/EA).

Ford China CEO Chen Anning announces retirement, successor named

On February 24, Ford China announced that their CEO and president, Chen Anning, will officially retire on October 1, 2023. After stepping down from his role at Ford China, Chen will participate in projects focused on enhancing the company's global strategic competitiveness and business growth, while continuing to report to Jim Farley, president and CEO of Ford Motor.

Chinas ArcherMind becomes adopter of Baidus ERNIE Bot

Chinas automotive intelligence solution developer ArcherMind Technology (ArcherMind) announced on February 23 its decision to become one of the early users of Baidus ChatGPT-like AI technology, ERNIE Bot.

IM Motors nabs 5 billion yuan worth of loan

IM Motors, the premium electric vehicle makers jointly backed by SAIC Motor, Alibaba Group, and Zhangjiang High-Tech, recently obtained a loan worth 5 billion yuan ($723.066 million) by signing an agreement with a group of financial institutions, the automaker said on Feb. 24 via its WeChat account.

GAC Group, GAC AION to lift capital contributions to NEV startup HYCAN

GAC Group and its subsidiary GAC AION will increase their capital contributions to HYCAN by 107 million yuan ($15.474 million) and 493 million yuan ($71.294 million), in proportion to their respective shareholdings of 4.46% and 20.54%, according to a proposal approved by GAC Groups board of directors and issued on Feb. 23.

Shell China, Alibaba Cloud team up on energy & digital transition, low-carbon business

Shell (China) Limited ("Shell China"), the China branch of the world's leading lubricant supplier Shell, on Feb. 23 signed a letter of intent with Alibaba Cloud, a cloud computing and AI company backed by Alibaba Group, to forge a long-term strategic partnership, according to a post on Shell Chinas WeChat account.
Voice of America placed two journalists in its Russian-language service on leave Friday after colleagues accused them of producing "propaganda" benefiting Russian president Vladimir Putin before they joined the U.S. government-funded broadcaster.

The journalists, Garri "Harry" Knyagnitskiy and Daria Davydova, were hired by VOA in November after working for several years at media outlets controlled by the Russian government or closely allied with it.

The decision, which came coincidentally on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion, follows the disclosure of an unusual letter signed by 15 VOA staff members and addressed to managers of the organization's Russian service. The journalists sought the dismissal of Knyagnitskiy and Davydova, writing that their previous work "contributed to the spread of Russian propaganda narratives and disinformation," vilified the United States and "laid the groundwork for the Kremlin to justify their full-scale invasion" of Ukraine last year.

The allegation is a particularly explosive one at Voice of America, which was founded in 1942 by the U.S. government to produce news and information to counter propaganda from Nazi Germany. The organization has evolved into a source of broadcast and digital news and cultural programming aimed at people living in countries whose authoritarian governments censor and control the news media.

The organization has periodically defended itself against suggestions of infiltration and corruption of its reporting, including in 2020 when its former government overseer, Michael Pack, said VOA was "a great place to put a foreign spy."

VOA has in the past hired reporters who've worked for state-controlled media organizations, valuing them for their language skills, cultural and historical knowledge and journalistic experience despite the censorship often imposed on them in their former countries. The organization says it subjects new employees to background investigations to vet any ties to foreign governments and supervises their work to ensure it meets American standards of neutrality and objectivity.

While VOA is funded by the U.S. government, its journalists are independent of direct government control. A statutory "firewall" shields it from outside political influence.

Among the four dozen languages in which VOA reports, the Russian service is one of its oldest, dating back to the earliest days of the Cold War. The division has 22 full-time employees and approximately 60 contract workers and stringers.

The employee letter was written in November, but wasn't publicly disclosed until this week when it was leaked to a Ukrainian publication, the Kyiv Post.

VOA officials have not explained why they took action now, several months after employees raised concerns.

The main body of the letter doesn't identify the two journalists, but an attachment cites Knyagnitskiy and Davydova by name.

According to the letter, Knyagnitskiy, a TV host, previously worked for NTV and RTVI, two Russian-language news organizations. NTV is owned by the Russian state-owned gas corporation, Gazprom, which has been sanctioned by the U.S. government. RTVI, which has operations in New York and Moscow, is privately owned, but reportedly has been funded by Sergey Chemezov, a wealthy Russian industrialist who has been associated with Putin since the 1980s.

"NTV is well known as a part of the Kremlin propaganda machine, spreading anti-American disinformation and hatred toward Ukrainians and anti-Putin Russians," the letter says. Knyagnitskiy "repeatedly presented a one-sided, pro-Russian narrative and, most importantly, promoted the Kremlin's disinformation."

The letter states that Davydova worked for Public Television of Russia, owned by the Russian government, and a media company controlled by Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch who was indicted in absentia in the U.S. last year for allegedly evading sanctions.

"I'm not a [propagandist]. And my heart belongs to Ukraine," Knyagnitskiy wrote to The Washington Post on Friday. "That's why I left RTVI channel a year ago. Its management banned me from going live with Ukrainian people who talked about Russian shellings and killings in my news show."

At one point last March, he said, his broadcast on RTVI was cut short after he began reporting on Russian military atrocities in Ukraine. "I considered that management decision as a war censorship. I left the channel next day," he said. "VOA gave me a possibility to tell the truth about war."

Davydova didn't return emails seeking comment.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity Thursday so they could discuss internal matters, managers at VOA stood by their decision to hire the two journalists. They said they found no disqualifying reporting in their earlier work, or issues since they began working for VOA. "The question is, are these individuals capable of doing the job we hired them for and living up to our standards for fairness and objectivity in their coverage? We believe they are," said one manager.

But a VOA journalist who signed the letter to management called the hirings "a time bomb for our reputation." This employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid repercussions, said the two journalists were a source of internal friction, given that Knyagnitskiy and Davydova are working with Ukrainian employees whose families continue to suffer during a war the pair allegedly "helped promote."

In a statement, VOA spokesman Nigel Gibbs wrote that "management is undertaking a thorough review of this issue. . . . VOA leadership has hosted several discussions on the matter to answer [employees'] questions and concerns directly. Meanwhile, VOA Russian will continue to ensure that the highest journalistic standards remain in place."
Cpl. Larry Hughes lost his military dog tag while serving with the U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam nearly 60 years ago.

He never mentioned his missing tag, said his son, Carl Hughes.

"He was a man of few words - he never talked about his service," said Hughes, 44. "When he came home, he just put it all behind him and moved forward with his life."

Which is why Hughes was completely floored when he got word that his dad's tag had recently been found on a farmer's keychain in a small Vietnamese village.

"We were amazed at how everything fell into place to get the tag back to us," said Hughes, explaining that his father died in 2019.

The story of how Larry Hughes's family received his dog tag on Feb. 17 was four months in the making and involves former U.S. senator from Virginia Jim Webb, 30 college students and a Vietnamese rice paddy farmer.

Webb, former secretary of the Navy, took the Notre Dame students late last year on an 11-day tour of Vietnam based on his own war experiences. Webb was a platoon commander and first lieutenant in the war, and now is a distinguished fellow at the Notre Dame International Security Center.

One of the group's stops was at the abandoned An Hoa airstrip. The area around the airstrip was known during the Vietnam War as the "Arizona Territory" - a region of intense and bloody combat.

Webb, 77, said he'd fought there with the Marines in 1969 and 1970 and wanted to show students some old battlefield sites.

"I wanted them to understand what it was like to fight on the ground during the Vietnam War," Webb said. "The Marines lost 14,490 men during the war and more than 7,000 of them died in the An Hoa Basin."

While the group was exploring the area around the airstrip, a villager approached them on a bicycle, he said.

"He told us he had a dog tag that he kept on his keychain," said Webb, who speaks Vietnamese.

Webb took a close look at the tag and saw the name "L.A. Hughes." The tag also included Hughes's blood type and service number and listed his religion as Baptist.

Michael Desch, international relations professor at the University of Notre Dame, was also with Webb leading the tour.

Desch, 62, said he offered to pay the man $20 for the dog tag, and the man agreed.

"He said he'd picked up a lot of dog tags working in rice paddies over the years, and that he'd found this one in the mud," Desch said. "Twenty bucks seemed like a good deal to get it back. It would have been worth it, no matter what."

Webb said he would look into tracking down Hughes or his family members as soon as the group returned to the United States.

"Here we were standing on this airstrip where Marines had fought and died, and along comes this dog tag after all these years," Webb said. "To me, it was symbolic. He represented every Marine. I wanted to find his family for every Marine who fought in Vietnam."

With help from the Marines' U.S. Senate Liaison office, Webb learned that Larry Hughes was buried in a veterans cemetery in Inglis, Fla., about 90 miles north of Tampa, where he grew up.

In late December, a Marine caseworker called the mayor of Inglis, Michael Andrew White, and that led to finding people in the community who remembered the Hughes family, including Hughes's two sons, Webb said.

Carl Hughes confirmed that his dad was a rifleman at An Hoa Combat Base in the Quang Nam province near Danang - the same area where Webb had fought.

Although White never knew Larry Hughes, he was all in to help.

"It was a great feeling for us all to know that he was going to be recognized," White said, noting that Ingles is a town of about 1,500 residents.

Hughes, who worked as a boilermaker for most of his life, died at age 72 after suffering a heart attack, said Carl Hughes.

"He never mentioned his service when I was growing up, but a few years ago, I took my dad to a traveling exhibit of the Vietnam Wall," Hughes said. "My dad was looking at the names when he spotted the name of somebody he knew. He sat there in silence for five minutes, just staring at the wall."

"I could tell it meant something to him, but I let him be because those were his private thoughts," said Hughes, also a former Marine. "My father was an extremely humble and quiet man."

Last week, the Hughes family, including Larry Hughes's sister, Patricia Hughes Prickett, gathered at the Inglis Town Hall to collect his dog tag that had been lost for almost six decades.

"My brother was treated terribly and called a baby killer when he came home from the war," said Prickett, 70. "This ceremony to honor him so many years later brought tears to my eyes."

"It was like Larry had come home for a visit," she said. "To have his dog tag come to us from miles away, around the world? I could barely believe it."

In the weeks before the ceremony, Webb took the tag to a frame shop near his home in Falls Church, Va. and had it framed with a photo of the Notre Dame students and Hughes's combat ribbons.

"I'm so glad we found this family - they know how important this moment is for all Marines," he said. "It's the ethos of all Marines that we do not forget our own."

Carl Hughes said the framed dog tag is now hanging on a wall at his home, where he can look at it every day.

"At some point, I'm going to get a duplicate made of the dog tag and hang it from the rearview mirror in my truck," he said. "I'm really grateful that the man who found it was willing to give it up."

"It's back where it belongs now," Hughes said.
A pair of brothers are alleged to have broken a wheel clamp off their vehicle at an underground car park near Blanchardstown courthouse, a court has heard.

Jason Hennessy Jr (26) and his brother Devon Hennessy (27) are then alleged to have stolen the wheel clamp.

Judge Ciaran Liddy ordered the disclosure of any statements and adjourned the matter to a date in March to allow the brothers to consult with their lawyers.

The accused, both of Sheephill Avenue in Corduff, are charged with damaging a wheel clamp at the underground car park, Grove Road, Dublin 15, on January 12, 2023.

They are also accused of stealing the wheel clamp in the same incident.

Blanchardstown District Court heard that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had directed summary trial on the charges in the district court, which has lesser sentencing powers than the circuit court.

Outlining the allegation for jurisdiction purposes, Sergeant Maria Callaghan alleged that the clamp was taken off a wheel of a vehicle and was damaged and then taken.

Sgt Callaghan also alleged that the incident was caught on CCTV cameras.

Judge Liddy said he would accept jurisdiction to deal with the case in the district court.

The judge made a disclosure order for statements and CCTV footage.

Defence solicitor Simon Fleming has not yet made an application for free legal aid.

The accused men have not yet indicated how they intend pleading to the charges.
A drunken father of four who punched a McDonalds security guard in the cheek has been ordered to pay compensation to avoid a criminal record.

Gardai found Patrick Lawrence (34) wrestling on the ground with the victim after hitting him in the incident in Dublin city centre.

He was granted bail and the case was adjourned when he appeared at Dublin District Court.

Lawrence, with an address at Union Street, Dunstable, England, admitted charges of assault, public intoxication, and threatening and abusive behaviour.

A garda told Judge Bryan Smyth he arrested the accused at McDonalds, OConnell Street Upper on February 18 and brought him to Store Street garda station, where he was charged.

He made no reply to any of the counts after caution and was handed copies of the charge sheets.

Mr Lawrence, who was in custody when he appeared in court, would plead guilty to all charges, his solicitor Tracy Horan said.

The garda said he was on patrol when he came across Lawrence wrestling with a security man on the ground outside the restaurant.

He intervened and arrested the accused for causing a breach of the peace. Lawrence was highly intoxicated, his eyes were bloodshot and he was unsteady on his feet, the garda said.

Gardai viewed CCTV and observed the accused punching the doorman on the right cheek. 

The garda had asked the victim about making an impact statement for court but he did not wish to do so.

(Lawrence) hasnt any recollection of what happened on the night, Ms Horan said.

Her client was apologetic for his actions and was very co-operative with gardai throughout the investigation, she said.

The accused had consumed far too much alcohol at the time and it was an isolated incident, the court heard.

The offences were out of character for Lawrence. Ms Horan said he would not come before the court again.

The judge told Lawrence to pay 500 compensation to the victim. It was a matter for the injured party whether he wanted to receive that, or donate it to charity, he said.

The judge granted the accused bail and adjourned the case to a date in April.
Kieran was visiting a friends home in the Larchfield Court area of the city on Valentines night when he was fatally stabbed.

The family of Kieran Monahan want the Justice Minister to conduct a full review of his case after his killing was downgraded from homicide to misadventure.

The 21-year-old was fatally stabbed at a house in Kilkenny 11 years ago this week, on February 15, 2012.

Kieran was visiting a friends home in the Larchfield Court area of the city on Valentines night when he was fatally stabbed.

When gardai arrived on the scene, the suspect in the case was found inside the property clutching a knife and Kieran was outside the apartment.

A third man who was present at the time, Dale Fogarty, died in November 2022 after crashing a car he stole from outside a post office in Kilkenny.

Fogarty, who also suffered injuries during the incident which saw the young man killed, never told gardai or Kierans family what he saw that fateful night, taking it to his grave.

Kieran Monahan

The Director of Public Prosecutions refused to direct charges in the case, meaning that the family have not had the option to face their sons alleged attacker in court.

We cant believe the nonsense and the disrespect, Kierans sister Susan Cullinane told Sunday World.

We just want them to have the courtesy to tell my parents what happened to their son, and to tell me and Ryan what happened to our brother.

It is believed that the introduction of the Criminal Law (Defence of the Dwelling) Act 2011, just a month prior to Kierans death may have been a factor in the case not going to trial.

The law means that the occupant of a household can use reasonable force against another person to protect themselves or others, or prevent the commission of a crime.

It was signed into law in December 2011 and commenced in January 2012, just weeks prior to Kierans tragic death.

It doesnt make sense. That law, its a good law, but why did two other cases in this country go to court and have a trial [but we didnt]? Thats all weve ever wanted, said Susan.

The killing of Jack Power in 2018 after he broke into a home in Waterford saw 21-year-old Dean Kerrie, who reasoned he was protecting his home from the intruder, found guilty of manslaughter.

In another case, Martin Keenan went to trial charged with the murder of Wesley Mooney after he died in 2016. Keenan successfully used the law in his defence and was acquitted of the killing.

Susan Cullinane and her family went to identify Kierans body after he died and to them, it appeared that he had suffered injuries prior to his death.

Thats an image that will never leave us  what we saw when we went into that room. Kierans nose was on the other side of his face. His eyes were turned up and he had bruises on his face as well, she said.

Susan said in 2021 the family were notified that Kierans cause of death was changed by gardai to a non-crime incident category of Person Misadventure, type Sudden Death.

He didnt pick up a knife and stab himself. He didnt kill himself. Sudden death is when you suddenly drop off, not when you have a knife in your chest.

The DPP need to be upfront, and give families the meetings that they promised, she said.

At the beginning, when Kieran died, we were told that the DPP would sit down with us and tell us the why or what [of the decision].

In a statement to the Sunday World, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice said: Victims of crime, a family member of a victim in a fatal case, or a solicitor acting on behalf of either a victim of fatal victims family, can ask the DPP for reasons for a decision not to prosecute.

They can also ask for a review of that decision if theyre not satisfied with the reasons provided.

Despite this promise and the family begging for answers about why the DPP decided not to prosecute anyone for Kierans death, Susan says the DPP has not been forthcoming.

In a statement to the Sunday World, a garda spokesman said the into the death of Kieran Monahan remains open.

Following the death of Kieran Monahan, a thorough Garda Investigation was carried out and a file was submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions who directed that there be no prosecution.
SEATTLEPassionate Playground is dedicating and renaming its Joyboxx + Playtray color combination, Purple and Black, in honor of adult retail and pleasure product pioneer Phyllis Heppenstall. The purple sex toy cleaning and storage system will now be called "The Phyllis."

In 2006, Seattle P.I. reporter D. Parvaz wrote a glowing profile of Heppenstall, "'Country girl' succeeds in the business of pleasure," which posited, "In a Life-vs.-Phyllis Heppenstall title match, you almost have to feel sorry for Life and all it has to toss at someone because it's no match for Heppenstall.

Passionate Playgrounds founder and Joyboxx inventor Deborah Semer recently discovered that Heppenstall passed away in mid-2021 after a battle with cancer.

Heppenstall was one of Passionate Playgrounds angel investors who helped bring the worlds first patented, recyclable, non-toxic storage system to life. She was an enthusiastic promoter of sexual health and wellness, and in 2014 for the Joyboxx industry launch, she stated, We must address the cleanliness of our adult toys with the same passion that we use them. Finally heres the product that all consumers need to address this void!

Purple was Phylliss favorite color and her Lovers store logo color. I was thrilled when she held the first Joyboxx in her hands in 2014 at Starbucks in Auburn, Washington, Semer said.

She continued, Phyllis was my business mentor and fairy Godmother. Im so grateful I got to honor her directly in her 80th birthday video message. That was April 2021, then we spoke in May, and thats when she said she was fighting a battle with cancer, but felt positive about treatment. Im gutted by this news and finding out a year and a half later, and really sad the industry she founded doesnt know.

In 1981, Heppenstall, along with Kris Butt, founded the first relationship-based retail boutiques to make sex toy shopping a pleasurable experience for couples. Peekay Boutiques Inc. grew to 45 retail stores in six states under the Lovers Package, Condom Revolution, A Touch of Romance, and Christals brands. They sold the empire in 2012.

Ironically, Joyboxx has never been available for sale at her retail stores. After Heppenstalls departure, the veteran buying staff followed, then bankruptcy, IPO, and acquisitions and now the Auburn, Washington Lover's chain has begun a new chapter as part of PLBY Group, which owns other brands such as Playboy, Yandy and Honey Birdette.

Joyboxx + Playtray is made in Washington State and celebrates its 10th year on Aug. 8, 2023.

Im happy that Phylliss legacy is still alive and hope that Joyboxx + Lovers stores will finally come together, Semer stated.

"The Phyllis" and other limited edition Joyboxx + Playtray color combinations are available for sale at select adult retail stores globally and directly at joyboxx.com. Wholesale inquiries can be sent to [email protected] or wholesalers can apply directly at joyboxx.com/holesale.
Man arrested following an investigation under Operation Tara by gardai attached to the DMR North Central divisional drug unit.

Patryk Czajczynski (27), of Steeplechase in Ratoath, Co Meath

A Polish cleaner has been charged with having nearly half a million worth of drugs following garda searches across two counties.

Patryk Czajczynski (27), of Steeplechase in Ratoath, Co Meath, appeared before an evening sitting of Dublin district court on Thursday.

He was arrested following an investigation under Operation Tara by gardai attached to the DMR North Central divisional drug unit.

Gda Micheal Mac Suibhne, of Store Street garda station, gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution.

Read more Ross Browning mingled with Comorra clan and super-cartel bosses at Kinahan weddings

He said the accused made no reply when the charges were put to him this afternoon.

The garda told Judge Maire Conneely that the estimated street value of drugs seized was in excess of 480,000.

Mr Czajczynski faces a number of charges including having cannabis and cocaine in his possession for the purpose of sale and supply.

The alleged offences occurred at Mayor Street in Dublin 1, a storage facility in Dublin 11, and at the accused's home in Ratoath.

Gda Mac Suibhne said there was no objection to bail but added that he would be seeking certain conditions including a significant independent surety.

Defence counsel for the accused said that her client, who was listening to proceedings with the aid of an interpreter, has been living in Ireland for around seven years.

Mr Czajczynski, the court heard, was on disability but has been working part time as a cleaner in an apartment complex.

Judge Conneely remanded the accused in custody with consent to bail subject to a number of conditions.

These include a 5,000 independent surety, that he signs on daily at Ashbourne garda station, and that he surrenders any travel documents to gardai.

Gda Mac Suibhne also asked that a legal aid application is deferred until the next court sitting.

The court heard that when the accused was arrested, he was allegedly in possession of 6,500 in cash.

Counsel said that this money was made up of savings the accused had planned to use to visit his mother.

Mr Czajczynski was remanded in custody with consent to bail and will appear before the court again at a later date.

In a statement gardai said that they searched a vehicle on Mayor Street Lower, Dublin 1 on the afternoon of Tuesday 21st February, 2023.

"During the course of this search cannabis with an estimated street value of 20,000 along with 6,500 cash was also seized.

"A number of follow up searches took place in Co. Meath and also North Dublin since 21st February, 2023 and during the course of these searches Cannabis, Cocaine, Ketamine with an estimated street value of 460,000 and drug paraphernalia were also seized.

"The drugs are now subject to analysis by Forensic Science Ireland (FSI)," a garda spokesman said.
Anthony Glynn (51) also plead guilty to drugs charges yesterday in the Special Criminal Court

A Dublin man has pleaded guilty at the Special Criminal Court to having hundreds of rounds of ammunition and dealing drugs for an organised crime gang.

Anthony Glynn (51) of Fitzgibbon Court, Dublin 1, pleaded guilty to two charges when he was arraigned at a brief hearing of the three-judge, non-jury court yesterday.

Glynn had been charged that he, on dates between the January 25, 2017, and April 12, 2017, both dates inclusive, within the State, "did commit a serious offence for the benefit of a criminal organisation, namely the possession of one or more controlled drugs, to wit cocaine and cannabis, for the purpose of selling or otherwise supplying the said controlled drugs".

He spoke only to identify himself to the registrar who read out the charge and to plead guilty on both charges.

He also pleaded guilty to committing a serious offence for the benefit of a criminal organisation by possessing ammunition, to wit 199 rounds of .44 Remington Magnum calibre, 76 rounds of .357 Magnum calibre, 38 rounds of .45 ACP calibre and 22 rounds of .22 LR calibre ammunition, - 335 rounds in total - in circumstances as to give rise to a reasonable inference that the said ammunition was not required for a lawful purpose on the same dates.

Both offences are contrary to Section 73 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006 as amended by Section 10 of the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009.

Anthony Glynn. Photo: Paddy Cummins   Paddy Cummins - PCPhoto.ie

Glynn had originally been charged with similar offences under Section 71 of the Criminal Justice Act relating to conspiring with others to possess the ammunition and drugs but was re-charged today after an application by State solicitor Ciara Vibien.

Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding, said the court would adjourn the matter to May 8, for sentencing, when the two original charges for Glynn are expected to be withdrawn.

The Director of Public Prosecutions can apply for a certificate from the court to transfer certain cases to the non-jury Special Criminal Court if it is believed the ordinary courts are inadequate to secure the effective administration of justice.
A previous district court hearing heard that Romanovska met the injured party on Tinder and while they had been on a number of dates, they were not in a relationship

A 36-year-old woman who was due to stand trial for the attempted murder of a man she allegedly met on Tinder has admitted the lesser charge of intentionally trying to cause him serious harm.

Inita Romanovska with an address at Cahercalla, Kilrush Road, Ennis, Co Clare, was charged with attempting to murder Stephen O'Flaherty during an incident at an apartment complex at Henry Street, Limerick on March 11 2020.

In February 2021, Romanovska was told she would not stand trial at the Central Criminal Court for over two years due to the backlog of court cases that had arisen during the pandemic.

Inita Romanovska   Paddy Cummins - PCPhoto.ie

When the case was listed for mention today, her defence barrister Mr Michael Bowman SC told Mr Justice Paul McDermott that his client could be arraigned on count two of the indictment.

Romanovska then pleaded guilty to a charge of intentionally attempting to cause serious harm to Mr O'Flaherty at Newtown House, Henry Street, Limerick on March 11 2020.

The defendant, who is originally from Latvia and remains on bail, was scheduled to stand trial at the Central Criminal Court on March 6 next for a two-week trial.

A previous district court hearing heard that Romanovska met the injured party on Tinder and while they had been on a number of dates, they were not in a relationship.

Mr Bowman told the judge today that his client is a 36-year-old single mother with no previous convictions and asked the court to order and consider a pre-sentence report, which was acceded to.

Romanovska's trial date has now been vacated. Mr Justice McDermott directed a victim impact report and remanded Romanovska on continuing bail until May 23, when she will be sentenced.
The facts are that over a longer period of time, the accused abused and caused the injured parties considerable stress

Arjita Chawla (54), formerly Merton Crescent, Mount Saint Annes, Milltown, Dublin 6 pictured at the Criminal Courts of Justice (CCJ) on Parkgate Street in Dublin before she was jailed. Pic: Paddy Cummins   Paddy Cummins - PCPhoto.ie

A woman who subjected her next-door neighbours to 10 years of threatening and abusive behaviour has been sentenced to one month in prison.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Arjita Chawla (54), formerly from Merton Crescent, Mount Saint Annes, Milltown, Dublin 6, pleaded guilty to two counts of engaging in threatening or abusive words or behaviour against her two next-door neighbours, Coleman Byrne and Anna Byrne, on dates between February 28, 2011, and July 26, 2021.

Passing sentence today, Judge Martin Nolan said Chawla became obsessed with her neighbours. He said it was quite an unusual case which started out as harassment, but the State accepted a lesser plea.

The facts are that over a longer period of time, the accused abused and caused the injured parties considerable stress, the judge said. This went way beyond a neighbourly dispute, he added.

The judge said he had read the reports handed into court on behalf of Chawla. He said there was mitigation in the case in the form of her guilty plea and remorse.

He said he felt Chawla should undergo a custodial sentence and he sentenced her to one month in prison on each of the two counts, which he ordered to run concurrently.

Judge Nolan also ordered Chawla to have no contact with the Byrne family and not come within 100 metres of their address for the next 15 years.

Garda Inspector Damien Kelly told Shaun Smith, BL, prosecuting, that Chawla lived in a townhouse-style property next door to Mr and Mrs Byrne. There were shared external stairs that led up to both front doors.

The Byrnes owned their home and have lived there for over twenty years. The accused also owned her property, and both neighbours were civil to each other in the beginning. Each house had two parking spaces located outside the houses.

Gda Insp Kelly said Mr Byrne started to notice concerning behaviour from Chawla. She would park her car parallel in both of her parking spaces and drive the bonnet of her car up to the driver or passenger door of her neighbour's car, blocking them from entering the car. Mr Byrne said in his statement that she could spend anything up to 20 minutes manoeuvring her car into this position.

The court heard that Chawla called Mrs Byrne a c**t and a whore and referred to Mr Byrne as a paedo.

Mr Byrne said in his victim impact statement that she brought him to the district court many times, all of which were dismissed. Reps from the local estate company were dispatched to investigate claims made by the accused against her neighbours but found no evidence to support her claims was found.

The court heard that gardai arrived at the Byrnes' home over 100 times on foot of complaints made by Chawla, including on Christmas Eve and while they were having a fourth birthday party. She set up CCTV on a tripod in her front window and also had a second, more discreet camera on her window.

On May 22, 2019, Chawlas home was searched, and she handed over a notebook which gave a detailed account of her neighbour's activity. A garda also found a digital recorder and a USB key.

Gda Insp Kelly said Chawla had 445 video clips of her neighbours, sent 345 emails of complaint about the Byrnes family to the management company, and she sent over 300 emails to the Donnybrook district office.

Ms Anna Byrne read a victim impact statement to the court and said Chawla subjected us to years of abuse on my family.

She said Chawla once said she was not surprised that I killed my own mother, who died when I was four years old.

Faeces were collected by the accused and placed at the door of the Byrne home and in Mrs Byrne's bicycle basket. These were believed to be dog faeces.

Gda Insp Kelly agreed with Barry Ward BL, defending, the spat was only between his client and the Byrnes and that no other neighbours were involved.

Mr Ward said it was an isolated incident involving one neighbour.

He said a custodial sentence would be a retrograde step, and his client would suffer disproportionately and it would do much more harm than good.

Mr Ward asked the court to take into account his client's guilty plea, and her mental health issues. He handed medical reports from her doctor and neurologist into court.
Keith Branigan was shot dead at Ashling Holiday Park in Clogherhead on 27 August 2019.

The late Keith Branigan (29), who died of multiple gunshot wounds in Clogherhead in August 2019.

A man in his 30s has been released without charge in the ongoing probe into a fatal shooting at a Louth caravan park in 2019.

Keith Branigan (29) was shot dead at Ashling Holiday Park in Clogherhead on 27 August 2019, becoming the first fatality in the bitter Drogheda feud.

There has since been three more murders linked to the deadly feud.

The man in his 30s, who was arrested on Wednesday morning and detained at Drogheda Garda Station under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007, has now been released without charge.

A garda spokesperson said: A file will now be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

"Investigations ongoing.

Gardai arrested a man, also in his 30s, on Monday afternoon who has since been released without charge.

A file will be prepared for the DPP.
Earl McKevitt is known to gardai for involvement in serious crime

Conor O'Brien was found with a single gunshot wound to his chest

A Meath teenager ordered a pizza to his home only for the delivery driver to shoot him dead in a fit of paranoia.

Conor OBrien was just 19 years of age when he was gunned down by criminal Earl McKevitt outside his home in rural Co Meath in August 2021.

Yesterday, Dubliner McKevitt pleaded guilty to murdering Mr OBrien on a date between August 26 and August 27 2021.

The 19-year-old was discovered with a gunshot wound to his chest outside the property where he was living on the Trim Road, Enfield.

The horrific events unfolded 18 months ago when Mr McKevitt armed himself with a gun whilst doing his delivery rounds after gardai warned him about a threat to his life.

Its reported McKevitts life was at risk from a crime gang when he carried out the killing.

He is known to gardai for involvement in serious crime and has previously served prison terms both here and in the UK.

This includes a lengthy prison sentence over an attack on a State-linked body.

It is believed the completely innocent teen was shot after ordering food on the Thursday evening.

A shelter covering the spot where Conor OBriens body was discovered.

Neighbours reported hearing a loud bang around 8.30pm.

Conor's body was discovered lying in the driveway of the house around 7am the next morning.

He had been staying in the property for only a matter of months.

Originally from Gorey Co. Wexford, he was due to start an apprenticeship course in Limerick the following week and family members were due to help him move his belongings that weekend.

McKevitt, arraigned before the Central Criminal Court on Thursday morning, McKevitt pleaded guilty to the single charge of murdering Mr O'Brien.

The judge remanded McKevitt, of Avondale Park in Blanchardstown in Dublin 15, in custody until March 3, when he will be sentenced.

He was also charged with five firearms offences relating to an incident at a Carlow hotel in the days after the murder.

Conor O'Brien was found with a single gunshot wound to his chest

This week before he pleaded guilty to murder, the court heard that McKevitt could be arraigned on count one on the indictment. It also heard that further counts may be required in due course.

The Sunday World previously that Conor's mother and father were alerted to the tragedy by a relative living in the main house attached to Conor's apartment.

That neighbour told the Sunday World they heard the bang from the gunshot but simply hadn't attached any importance to it.

"We did hear a bang, it was like a shot, at about 8.30pm, he said.

"It was before it was dark because when we looked out, we saw all the birds flying from the trees.

"I said: 'What the hell was that?'

"It was just like a loud bang. We didn't think any more of it and we just sat back down and started watching the telly again."

Another neighbour at the time said the thoughts of everyone in the area were with Conor's family.

"God help the poor people. It's just unbelievable  why would anyone do that to a 19-year-old. He's just a child, she said at the time.
Show gives a fascinating insight into the mind of a con artist who became known in Ireland as GPO girl

An actor plays Samantha Azzopardi who became known as 'the GPO girl'. Photo: Paramount+

Hope was one of the victims of Azzopardi's scams. Photo: Paramount+

An actor as Samantha Azzopardi in one of her false identities as Annika Dekker. Photo: Paramount+

Were all familiar with the names infamous con artists over the decades.

There was Charles Ponzi, who defrauded people with his illegitimate investment schemes. There was also fraudster and imposter-turned-FBI informant Frank Abagnale Jr., whose outrageous life story was portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in the film Catch Me If You Can.

In recent times, the Netflix documentary like Fyreoutlined the deception of Fyre Festival organiser Billy McFarland.

Inventing Anna told the story of Anna Sorokin, who hoodwinked New Yorks arts scene for years in the 2010s.

Most of those con artists have a common objective: to acquire as much money as they can, by whatever means necessary.

But not Samantha Azzopardi.

An actor as Samantha Azzopardi in one of her false identities as Annika Dekker. Photo: Paramount+

If that name doesnt ring a bell, perhaps GPO Girl will.

In 2013, a young woman in a state of distress was found by two gardai at the GPO on Dublins OConnell Street.

She couldnt  or wouldnt  speak English, but managed to communicate that she was 14. Her disturbing doodles of an airplane, a bed and a gun led gardai to believe that she was possibly a victim of sex trafficking.

Interpol and the Missing Persons Bureau turned up no leads  and understandably, the puzzle became a big media story that made headlines in Ireland and internationally: Who is GPO Girl?

Having made the decision to go public and hold a press conference to identify the girl, her picture  covertly taken by gardai  went public. Within a day, the story had gone international  and when the southern hemisphere began to wake up, gardai received an interesting call.

After a month spent in Temple Street Childrens Hospital refusing to communicate with staff, it was revealed that GPO Girl was not a 14-year-old victim of sex trafficking, but a 25-year-old Australian con woman called Samantha Azzopardi. Her Irish chicanery was just the tip of the iceberg.

An actor plays Samantha Azzopardi who became known as 'the GPO girl'. Photo: Paramount+

I think it was the fact that she managed to fool gardai that was almost the biggest thing, says Sunday Independent journalist Ali Bracken, who features in Con Girl, the new four-part documentary that outlines the trail of lies and deception that Azzopardi left in her wake across the world  as well as the impact it had on her victims.

Gardai, by the nature of their job, have to be sceptical of everybody because they see so many things, I suppose. But its almost a testament to Samantha that she managed to convince everybody.

That shows how good she is at manipulating people, and at creating these false personas.

Con Girl threads together stories of some of Azzopardis victims across the world, each one more unbelievable than the last

Con Girl threads together stories of some of Azzopardis victims across the world, each one more unbelievable than the last.

We hear from Hope, who first met her at school in Perth, where the con woman was posing as 16-year-old Russian gymnast Emily Sciberras.

Concocting an elaborate story about her family being murdered, she assimilated into both Hopes life and her family  to the point where her parents agreed to adopt Emily.

It was only when her forged birth cert began to raise eyebrows that she was ultimately found out.

Her other personas include Annika Dekker, a Swedish teenager who befriended Californian backpacker Emmy, before leading her into an increasingly dark and tangled falsehood that led to them both going on the run with false identities.

She also went by the name of Layla Evans, who enlisted unsuspecting Frenchwoman Lucie in a nefarious plot involving what amounted to kidnapping.

Azzopardi is also known to have claimed she was a 13-year-old girl called Harper Hart. Harper was fostered by a trusting couple who thought she might have been the victim of paedophile ring or a victim of kidnap.

When her elaborate lies began to deceive families and children  as seen in the case of Jazze Jervis, a mother of two who hired Harper Hernandez as an au pair for their family  Azzopardis scheming took on a more sinister tone.

After a year, Jervis and her husband began to spot some clues that Harper wasnt who she said she was. When confronted, she fled  but not before taking the familys iPad and Jerviss ID card with her; a detail that would ultimately prove her unravelling.

Perhaps buoyed by her success working with children, she went on to adopt a new persona in a bid to ensnare young teenager Georgia and her family.

Now posing as Coco Palmer, a talent scout from New Yorks Elite Model Management, things began to take a particularly dark turn as she spun a web of lies and false promises. She apparently showed no remorse for deceiving a young girl into thinking all of her dreams were coming true.

The Coco Palmer persona is arguably the most disturbing one of all Azzopardis alter-egos. This is because she seemed to project her own trauma  and the possibility that she was herself abused as a teen  on to young Georgia.

She encouraged Georgia to role play and approach Child Services claiming that she was a victim of abuse. She used her, as her mother Mel put it, as a puppet for her own twisted pleasure.

It also raises questions about safeguarding young people.

Mel, to her admitted regret, had no qualms about travelling across Australia and allowing her daughter to spend time with this complete (and ultimately, dangerous) stranger. Why? Because she told them what they wanted to hear.

Perhaps the most perplexing thing about Con Girl is that throughout it all, Azzopardi does not seem to be particularly motivated by financial gain, but by simply taking a perverse joy in hoodwinking and deceiving.

Why did she do it? The series sees psychiatry professor Richard Frierson muse on several possibilities and diagnoses, but ultimately that question remains unanswered.

A social media expert is flabbergasted by both Azzopardis intelligence and her "incredibly gifted ability to run complex scams concurrently.

Con Girl is undoubtedly a fascinating exploration of a troubled mind.

Hope was one of the victims of Azzopardi's scams. Photo: Paramount+

Shes so deeply disturbed, agrees journalist Ali Bracken. Its weird, because she seems to crave attention, so she makes up these outlandish stories about her life  but then, when it all begins to unravel, she seems to shun the attention.

"A lot of infamous con men and women, they want to be famous, or infamous. They want to be on the front of newspapers  they crave that. But she never wanted her picture to be taken.

"Shes very, very unwell, and in a way I feel really sorry for her. But at the same time, some of her crimes arent victimless.

In many ways, Azzopardi sees people as players, rather than human beings, as the mother of another of her victims aptly puts it.

Vera Tobin, Professor of Cognitive Science at Case Western University, shares her own interesting theory.

She believes Azzopardis ability to weave stories, build worlds and gain peoples trust makes her a human page-turner; theres just enough to keep you hooked.

All of us let our guard down when a story is compelling, she adds at one point. So dont feel bad.

Astonishing and unbelievable at times, Con Girlis one hell of a story.

Con Girl is available on Paramount+
The post also showed that Charlie is organising something special for the anniversary of Climb With Charlie

Former RTE broadcaster Charlie Bird has said that his own health has got much worse.

The broadcaster said on social media today that while I can, I want to extend the hand of friendship.

The post also showed that Charlie is organising something special for the anniversary of Climb With Charlie.

In early April of 2022, Charlie Bird took on the ultimate challenge of climbing Croagh Patrick, with events all over Ireland raising more than 3m for charity.

On the first weekend of April 2023, Charlie is asking people to light a candle for all those who are ill, for the people in Ukraine, for front line workers and for his dear friend, the late Vicky Phelan.

In the video Charlie said: Everyday people across the country are medically challenged and we need to give these people our support along with out thoughts and prayers, he said.

To be very honest in the past week my own health has taken a turn for the worse.

While I can, I want to extend the hand of friendship, so on the first anniversary of Climb With Charlie, the first weekend of April, I would love if everyone would light a candle.

Charlie wants people to light this candle for a number of reasons close to his heart, saying: firstly in memory of Vicky Phelan, also for everyone with a terminal illness and for everyone in a dark place.

Also for all our front line workers, who are so dedicated to helping everyone and finally, for the people of Ukraine.

Charlie is now asking for more charities and organisations to join in on this act of solidarity and to promote it across the country.

Pieta, the Irish Motorneurone Disease Assocation and Samaritans are all going to help me to promote it. I would love if other organisations also came on board to extend the hand of friendship and lets all light a candle on the first weekend of April.

I just want us all to show solidarity, and for as long as I can I want to keep fighting to help people, doing this is helping me to stay alive.

In 2021, Charlie Bird was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) after noticing issues with his voice. He has since lost the use of his voice and uses a voice box to communicate.

In a health update in January, the former RTE News Correspondent tweeted: This time last year we started the planning for climbwithcharlie on April 2nd, it turned out to be an amazing day.

But today my health is unfortunately in a much worse sutiuation, my motor neurone disease is moving to my limbs. But I am not giving up the fight. Thanks for your kindness.
The building, in the Liberties, has laid derelict for more than 20 years and fears have been expressed for the structural integrity of the roof

Dublins Iveagh Markets must be saved as a matter of urgency, according to Senators in the Seanad, where a debate took place over a forthcoming Heritage Bill.

The building, in the Liberties, has laid derelict for more than 20 years and fears have been expressed for the structural integrity of the roof.

The site is currently the subject of an ongoing legal dispute between the developer and hotelier Martin Keane, Lord Iveagh and Dublin City Council, which recently re-secured the building with 24-hour security.

But plans to restore the markets must be progressed without hesitancy, Senator Mary Seery Kearney said.

Iveagh Markets

The Iveagh Markets has been left derelict for nearly thirty years now, the Senator said.

"Plans to redevelop it with a hotel, restaurant and market have lain gathering dust while the beautiful building fell into even deeper disrepair.

The Iveagh Markets is on the way to the Storehouse and would be the perfect location for the restoration of an artisan food market that tourists and locals can shop and enjoy street food under the cover of the shelter of the market, similar to markets in cities like Barcelona, or the English Market in Cork.

I would love to see it follow that model following a sensitive restoration, done in consultation with local residents and the community who are anxious to see it restored to its former glory, Senator Seery-Kearney said.

A group of residents, activists and former Iveagh Markets traders and their families were invited into Government buildings to have their say.

A particular thanks to Senator Mary Seery Kearney for her passionate speech and searing condemnation of what has happened to the markets, said Friends of the Iveagh Market campaigner, Noel Fleming.

Thank you to all the Senators who welcomed us to the chamber and expressed their support for remedial works to begin on the Iveagh Market.

Senator Mary Seery Kearney spoke the absolute truth which was refreshing to hear.

With a bit of luck the court cases will be resolved in the near future. Dublin City Council have the power to start the remedial works to secure the building.

There is a groundswell of interest from all political parties at the moment and for the first time in a long time there is hope of the markets being saved .

Thanks also to David Kearney, Marys husband, for his courtesy in looking after us and sharing some of the history of the building. After the debate we had a drink in the Dail bar to finish a memorable afternoon, Mr Fleming added.
Los Angeles police now believe Carlos Medina (61), a home repair contractor charged with the murder of Auxiliary Bishop David O'Connell (69) last Saturday, may have been under the influence of drugs at the time

An Irish bishop shot dead as he slept in his US home had been planning to visit Ireland later this year.

The revelation came as Los Angeles police now believe Carlos Medina (61), a home repair contractor charged with the murder of Auxiliary Bishop David O'Connell (69) last Saturday, may have been under the influence of drugs at the time.

Mr Medina is the husband of Bishop O'Connell's housekeeper and had undertaken work at the cleric's Hacienda Heights home in east Los Angeles.

Bishop O'Connell, who was originally from Glanmire in Cork, was a regular visitor to Ireland.

He would often lead groups from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to Ireland - and loved celebrating Mass in Cork.

Parishioners in Los Angeles revealed the bishop had been planning a trip back to Ireland later this year to reunite with family, friends and Church colleagues.

The cleric had been hoping to make the trip home over the summer.

He was also intricately involved in the upcoming St Patrick's Day celebrations in California.

Archbishop of Los Angeles Jose Gomez confirmed that 'Bishop Dave, as the Irish cleric was fondly known, had learned to speak fluent Spanish so he could help vulnerable migrants from Central and South America.

However, Bishop O'Connell spoke Spanish with a distinct Irish brogue and was renowned for his pride in his Irish roots.

The cleric was nicknamed 'The Peacemaker' in Los Angeles after his work in 1992 to help end the race riots that tore apart parts of the California city.

Multiple special ceremonies are now planned in California and Ireland to honour the legacy of the priest who worked over his entire ministry to help the poor and disadvantaged.

He was hailed by a former Los Angeles mayor as "one of the most beautiful angels" in the City of Angels.

Los Angeles police are still struggling to confirm a motive for the fatal shooting at the bishop's property last Saturday.

Bishop O'Connell died from a gunshot wound to his upper chest.

He was found lying on his bed at his residence in east Los Angeles off Janlu Avenue in the Hacienda Heights area shortly before lunchtime.

Police believe he was asleep in bed when attacked with no sign of forced entry.

Multiple shots were fired from a medium calibre handgun, possibly a .38.

Los Angeles prosecutors have confirmed that Mr Medina admitted the killing but had offered varying accounts for his actions.

His wife was not at the Hacienda Heights property.

He was arrested on Monday by armed police after a stand-off at his Torrance home, a short distance from the bishop's property.

Two firearms - including a .38 revolver - were recovered by police and ballistic tests are underway to determine if they are linked to the fatal shooting.

Homicide detectives do not believe the attack was motivated, as initially claimed, by Mr Medina's demand for money that he believed the cleric owed him.

They are now focused on Mr Medina's previous history of drug problems.

He has a conviction for methamphetamine possession and drug driving but had apparently not been using drugs until recent times.

Detectives are working to determine if Mr Medina had taken drugs in the hours before the fatal attack or whether he had visited the bishop's home to seek money for drugs.

The home repair contractor and landscaper was semi-retired but neighbours said he had been acting very erratically over recent times.

Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon said the defendant faces one count of murder and a further count of using a firearm to commit a criminal act.

If convicted, the contractor could face a sentence of between 35 years to life imprisonment.

Details of Bishop O'Connell's funeral are expected to be confirmed by the weekend.

Bishop O'Connell was ordained in 1979 and spent his entire ministry in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

While a native of Cork, he had studied at All Hallows in Dublin.
SAN FERNANDO, Calif.Pleasure products distributor Honeys Place is now distributing Kixies, an all-inclusive hosiery brand for women of all sizes. Available in a wide range of colors and styles, they are designed for all-day wear with a non-slip grip at the top.

Honeys Place director of purchasing Kyle Tutino said, "We are thrilled to partner up with another woman-owned business, especially one held in such high regard as Kixies. Kixies will make a wonderful addition to our ever-expanding lingerie selection. Honeys Place has one of the largest assortment of lingerie brands in the US."

The owner of Kixies, Samantha DeMartini, said, "We are so excited to be partnering with Honey's Place as our newest distributor in the US. Kix'ies only aligns itself with quality distribution and Honey's Place is a perfect fit."

Honeys Place is a female-founded and operated distributor with over 29 years of experience helping customers succeed and grow with confidence. Offering more than 18,000 SKUs from more than 170 manufacturers around the world, orders ship directly from its Southern California warehouse with a 98 percent fill rate. Visit HoneysPlace.com for more information or contact a Honeys Place representative to place an order for Kixies.
There's a lot of stuff laying around the place from minefields, grenades, RPGs.

A YEAR since Russia ramped up its invasion of Ukraine into a full-scale war, vast swathes of the country have been left strewn with deadly weapons. It is where the Russians have booby-trapped bodies and used terrifying seismic mines designed to detect human footsteps and then launch a decapitating explosive charge. This is where Irish volunteer Jonathan Baynard has chosen to step into, helping to bring bodies back from the battlefield or Cargo 200 as it is called there.

A YEAR since Russia ramped up its invasion of Ukraine into a full-scale war, vast swathes of the country have been left strewn with deadly weapons. It is where the Russians have booby-trapped bodies and used terrifying seismic mines designed to detect human footsteps and then launch a decapitating explosive charge. This is where Irish volunteer Jonathan Baynard has chosen to step into, helping to bring bodies back from the battlefield or Cargo 200 as it is called there.

A YEAR since Russia ramped up its invasion of Ukraine into a full-scale war, vast swathes of the country have been left strewn with deadly weapons. It is where the Russians have booby-trapped bodies and used terrifying seismic mines designed to detect human footsteps and then launch a decapitating explosive charge. This is where Irish volunteer Jonathan Baynard has chosen to step into, helping to bring bodies back from the battlefield or Cargo 200 as it is called there.

A YEAR since Russia ramped up its invasion of Ukraine into a full-scale war, vast swathes of the country have been left strewn with deadly weapons. It is where the Russians have booby-trapped bodies and used terrifying seismic mines designed to detect human footsteps and then launch a decapitating explosive charge. This is where Irish volunteer Jonathan Baynard has chosen to step into, helping to bring bodies back from the battlefield or Cargo 200 as it is called there.

A YEAR since Russia ramped up its invasion of Ukraine into a full-scale war, vast swathes of the country have been left strewn with deadly weapons. It is where the Russians have booby-trapped bodies and used terrifying seismic mines designed to detect human footsteps and then launch a decapitating explosive charge. This is where Irish volunteer Jonathan Baynard has chosen to step into, helping to bring bodies back from the battlefield or Cargo 200 as it is called there.

A YEAR since Russia ramped up its invasion of Ukraine into a full-scale war, vast swathes of the country have been left strewn with deadly weapons. It is where the Russians have booby-trapped bodies and used terrifying seismic mines designed to detect human footsteps and then launch a decapitating explosive charge. This is where Irish volunteer Jonathan Baynard has chosen to step into, helping to bring bodies back from the battlefield or Cargo 200 as it is called there.

February 24, 2023, Russias invasion of Ukraine has become a grinding war of attrition that has killed thousands of people and displaced millions, ravaged cities and destroyed vital infrastructure across the country. Graphic shows timeline of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and key numbers.   The credit GRAPHIC NEWS mu

Ukrainian servicemen fire by MSLR towards Russian positions during fighting at the frontline in Donetsk region, Ukraine, Monday, Feb. 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)   AP

A YEAR since Russia ramped up its invasion of Ukraine into a full-scale war, vast swathes of the country have been left strewn with deadly weapons.

It is where the Russians have booby-trapped bodies and used terrifying seismic mines designed to detect human footsteps and then launch a decapitating explosive charge.

This is where Irish volunteer Jonathan Baynard has chosen to step into, helping to bring bodies back from the battlefield or Cargo 200 as it is called there.

The Omagh man is a bomb disposal expert, who worked with Legenda an NGO based in Latvia that specialised in finding missing soldiers from World One and Two battlefield sites

Last May Baynard went to Ukraine where he helped in the clean-up in areas such as Bucha and Hostomel which saw intense fighting in the early days of the war.

Now hes training police and Cargo 200 teams on how deal with mines, bombs and unexploded shells when they go in after battles to recover the dead.

Wide areas of Ukraine are now no-go zones for civilians even for those who know where loved ones lay dead, they have to rely on the Cargo 200 volunteers.

There's a lot of stuff laying around the place from minefields, grenades, RPGs. Of course, loaded weapons are a big danger too because the Cargo 200 teams are not military.

TheCargo 200 team on the ground in Ukraine

They need to be briefed on what is dangerous.

The risk to every one of these Cargo 200 guys is the fact that the Russians are prolific booby trappers - they'll booby trap stuff including bodies so it's about really techniques in order how to deal with that.

What lot of people don't really understand is there's Ukrainian families here right now and they know where their loved ones are but those areas are off limits because they're just too dangerous.

So you know it's about completing that circle really giving them closure.

He admits one of the things that has shocked him is the use of the Medallion mines which explode if someone approaches it.

It can distinguish between animals and humans and when it's detected humans getting close within its perimeter, it jumps up out of a canister and explodes.

They're sending 360 degrees shrapnel around everywhere - of course, your chances of surviving something like that are pretty slim.

So far theyve trained 650 people to take on the dangerous task of de-mining.

According to the UN, one year of war leads to 10 years of demining and reports say that 30 per cent of Ukraine is now contaminated with mines.

Baynard makes the point that excavation of military sites from World Wars One and Two littered with munitions is still going on today.

The weapons still cause death and injuries

I can imagine that right now Ukraine is not only one of the most mined areas, it's also the most highly contaminated areas and we need all the specialists we can find right now.

The UN Monitoring Mission in Ukraine reported that in the first 12 days of February this year five civilians have been killed and 17 wounded by mines and unexploded munitions.

The use of mines has added to the problem of people been forced to leave their homes or not being able to return to them.

Having arrived in May, giving up his job and using his own savings so far Baynard plans to see it through to the end of the way, even though a Russian shell came close to killing him last August.

That day a shell landed close to his jeep as his team evacuated civilians from close to the frontline

I want to stay here right until the end until the victory, because I do believe good will overcome evil and that's the way I see it right now.

TheCargo 200 team on the ground in Ukraine

Part of his motivation had been the way the Russian authorities used the work of Legenda in recovering bodies of Red Army soldiers for propaganda purposes.

To have that history weaponized in order to motivate soldiers to fight here against the Ukrainians in the logic that the denazification of Ukraine is needed, that is for me a hijacking of history.

We spent close to 50,000 out here and just to keep operations going forward and training, but it's all on a shoestring.

I quit a comfortable job. I came out here in May and I've been living off my savings and that doesn't last forever.

Even away from the frontlines in Kyiv there are daily reminders that Ukraine is country at war.

You still have times where there's no electric, although back in November and December it was much more grim here.

"Luckily I was able to dive out to Europe towards the end of the year in order to get supplies including generators and stuff like.

I guess for the majority of us here there's periods of darkness inside and outside and of course then you hear the air defense.

Just last week he remembers waking up as the apartment shook from a detonation not far away as air defence missiles were sent into the air - there's an air war going on and it's right above us.

To support Legendas work go to: www.legenda-archaeology.com
Around 75,000 people from Ukraine have arrived in Ireland since the war began last February, with many taken in by households across the country.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said Ukraine would prevail in its war against Russia, as he promised enduring Irish support for the country after a year of war.

As Ukrainians and the countrys allies mark the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion, Mr Varadkar also praised the response of the Irish people to the conflict.

Around 75,000 people from Ukraine have arrived in Ireland since the war began last February, with many taken in by households across the country.

In marking this awful anniversary, we think of the scale of suffering by the people of Ukraine, of lives lost, opportunities stolen and whole towns destroyed, Mr Varadkar said.

We are humbled by their brave and spirited defence of their country, and we commend their immense courage and resolve. They have been an inspiration to those of us who value freedom and democracy.

We think also of the response of the Irish people, who in communities across the country have warmly welcomed people fleeing from war and persecution with an enormously generous spirit.

Irish people have shown empathy and compassion in standing up for what is right.

We are demonstrating through our actions that the experiences of the Irish and our diaspora down the years have shaped us as a nation and moulded our values, finding a resonance today in the suffering of others.

I pay tribute to all who have opened their hearts, their homes and their communities to a people in need. It has been a great and unprecedented national effort that reflects well on who we are.

Last July, then-taoiseach Micheal Martin visited Kyiv to show Irish support for the Ukraine.

In his statement, Mr Varadkar warned that it remained unclear when the war would end. He predicted difficult days and months ahead for the country.

But he said: I know that Ukraine will continue be strong and that Ireland will continue to stand with it for as long as it takes.

In defending their country, Ukrainians are defending the fundamental values of the UN Charter.

They are standing up for the right of countries throughout the world to live peacefully, within their own borders, and according to their own values and choices.

Right is on their side. They will prevail. Slava Ukraini.
Bring Them Down is a forthcoming revenge flick set in the west of Ireland

BAFTA winning actor and Summerhill native, Barry Keoghan, has taken over from Oscar nominated Paul Mescal in upcoming drama, Bring Them Down.

Alongside Keoghan replacing Mescal, English actor Tom Burke has also been replaced by the American actor, Christopher Abbott.

It is believed the pair ended up dropping out after the project got stuck in development.

The story, set in Western Irish farmland, follows a shepherd's investigation upon discovering several of his sheep massacred.

The crime leads to a violent conflict between the shepherd and the inhabitants of a neighbouring farm.

When a conflict with rival farmer Gary and his son Jack (Keoghan) escalates, Michael is drawn into a devastating chain of events, forcing him to confront the horrors of his past and leaving both families permanently altered, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The film, which has no release date yet, also stars Com Meaney, Susan Lynch, Paul Ready, Nora-Jane Noone.

Co-produced by the Irish company, Tailored Films, and made in conjunction with Screen Ireland and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, the film is the debut feature of writer-director Chris Andrews.

It was recently announced that Keoghanwill also play the role of Billy the Kid in a new biopic.

Henry McCarty (Billy the Kid's real name) was a gun slinger of the American Old West who is believed to have killed 21 men before his 21st birthday, in a series of robberies.

I felt related to Billy in the sense of him being a mummys boy, but obviously, I took a different path, turning my circumstances into something positive rather than rebelling against them, Keoghan told Hollywood news site, Deadline.

Nevertheless, theres a soul and a vulnerability to Billy that I think its important to bring, to understand him as a real person rather than the myth that he has become, Barry said.

In relation to Bring Them Down, there are many reasons why films can end up in stuck in development.

Often there is trouble with funding, scheduling conflicts for the cast, creative differences between producers and directors, amongst other things.

Famously, Martin Scorsese oversaw The Irishman and The Last Temptation of Christ through years of development hell.

However, its his 2002 crime epic Gangs of New York which takes the accolade for possibly the longest film in production ever.

Scorsese first came across Herbert Asburys non-fiction book in 1970 and acquired screen rights to it in 1979.

The project underwent several periods of change before being conceived as the film we know today.

In 2002  32 years after Scorsese first read the book  Gangs of New York was finally released and earned 10 Oscar nominations.
Patrick, whose grandfather emigrated from Ireland to America in the 1920s, most recently visited Ireland in the summer of 2022, with his partner Linda Purl, to trace his own Irish roots in Kilmovee, Co Mayo.

American actors Patrick Duffy (aka Bobby Ewing of Dallas fame) and Linda Purl are visiting Ireland to film a new programme all about Patrick tracing his Irish ancestry. Their itinerary will take them to Dublin, Cork and Mayo. Pictured at O'Donoghues on Merrion Row, Dublin:

Patrick Duffy, Irish-American star who played Bobby Ewing in the hit show Dallas, has said nothing gives him more pride than being asked to be guest of honour at this years St Patricks Day Parade in Dublin.

Patrick, whose grandfather emigrated from Ireland to America in the 1920s, most recently visited Ireland in the summer of 2022, with his partner Linda Purl, to trace his own Irish roots in Kilmovee, Co Mayo.

Fittingly, Patrick was born on the global day of Irish celebration on March 17, and throughout his life he has always maintained a deep pride and interest in his Irish heritage.

Born in Townsend, Montana, in 1949, the son of tavern owners Marie and Terence Duffy, Patrick got his big break in Man From Atlantis before achieving global success playing Bobby Ewing in the much-loved CBS prime time American soap opera Dallas.

Patrick Duffy said: Nothing gives me more pride than being asked to be guest of honour at this years St Patricks Day Parade in Dublin.

I can feel my grandfathers joy in my returning to his homeland to represent the Duffys and express our gratitude for all this great country has given us. I feel like I am returning home and want to meet my extended family.

Patrick was raised in a small town of 600 people in Montana. He moved to Seattle to study in the Professional Actors Training Program at the University of Washington, before going on to work on stage and screen in New York and then Los Angeles.

Since beginning his TV career, Patrick has starred in well over a dozen movies for television and countless specials.

While on Dallas he began his directing career, directing 30 episodes of Dallas and 49 episodes of Step By Step.

Richard Tierney, CEO at St Patricks Festival said: We are so delighted to welcome Patrick Duffy to Ireland and to our national St Patricks Day Parade.

"Patrick is a bona fide legend of the screen and holds a special place in the hearts of so many Irish households, so its a real pleasure to be able to bring him centre stage for the festival and the parade.

"He is one of the many sons and daughters of Irish descent who will be making the pilgrimage home to Ireland this coming March, and we cant wait to give him the welcome that he so richly deserves.

Niall Gibbons, chief executive of Tourism Ireland added: Tourism Ireland is delighted to welcome Patrick Duffy to Dublin and Ireland, as International Guest of Honour for this years St Patricks Day Parade.

"As we continue our journey to rebuild overseas tourism to Ireland this year, our aim on St Patricks Day is to capitalise on the heightened exposure for Ireland.

"The parade and the festival will be seen by millions of people around the world, helping to inspire them to put Ireland on their holiday wish-list for 2023.

Orla Carroll, director of product development at Failte Ireland said: St Patricks Festival returns to Dublin this year, with an amazing line-up of celebrations planned across four days in the city centre.

"The world-renowned St Patricks Day Parade will be bigger and better than ever this year, encouraging hundreds of thousands of people to come to the city and enjoy the festivities.

The National St Patricks Festival, Dublin runs from March 16 to 19, 2023.
Influencer has landed top gig thanks to her personality and chemistry

Roz Purcell is part of a major shake-up for new weekend schedule. Photo: Tony Gavin

Influencer Roz Purcell and radio presenter Emma Power will replace Dave Fanning on RTE 2FMs weekend show.

The station announced a major shake-up for its new weekend schedule, which will come into operation over the coming days.

Purcell, the model and founder of The Hike Life community, and long-term 2FM presenter Power will co-present the 12pm to 3pm weekend slot.

Head of RTE 2FM Dan Healy said the station was hiring Purcell for her personality and work ethic.

On Wednesday, Fanning announced he was stepping away from 2FMs weekend show, ending a 44-year spell with the station to concentrate on the digital empire.

The broadcaster will still appear on 2FM on bank holidays, including St Patricks Day.

He has presented the Dave Fanning Showon the station since May 1979.

Healy said the station was thrilled Purcell was joining the weekend team, and she was not being hired simply because she had a large social media following.

Roz is very funny, very bright and authentic, and from our point of view the person you meet on air is actually the person you meet in person, he said.

Work ethic is vital for us, and Roz has that in spades.

"If the chemistry between herself and Emma wasnt there, it wouldnt work.

You cannot and should not put someone on air because they have a big social media footprint.

"Its a benefit, but youve got to have someone that can actually communicate with their voice.

Instagram followers are nice, but were hiring Roz for her personality and the chemistry she has with Emma.

Purcell and Power previously took over from The 2 Johnnies on 2FMs Drive Itfor three weeks last June while the usual presenters, known as Johnny B and Johnny Smacks, travelled to the US to film a new RTE TV series.

Healy said the station would now focus on the weekend schedule to ensure the audience grew.

The weekend schedule is a blend of emerging and new voices to Irish radio, he said.

The exciting thing about our emerging voices is that they are home-grown.

Laura Fox, Emma Power and Aifric OConnell have been on 2FM for the last number of years and also broadcast for RTE Pulse and RTE 2XM.

TV and radio presenter Blathnaid Treacy will take over the weekend breakfast slot, where she will serve up a bowl full of energy, superb prizes and great tunes from 7am to 9am.

Treacy also presents The National Chart Showon Fridays from 7pm to 10pm.

Listeners will then have Fox on their side on Saturdays from 9am to midday with three hours of great music, fun chat and celebrity interviews.

OConnell will take the helm from 3pm to 6pm on Saturdays and Sundays with three hours of throwbacks.

DJ Jenny Greene will take to the decks on The Electric Discoat the earlier time of 6pm, and there will be a brand-new dance music show with Dave Treacy.

On Sundays at 6pm, The Request Showwith Conor Behan promises to let listeners take charge, handing the playlist over to those tuning in.

Beta Da Silva takes over from 8pm to 10pm, Sunday through to Thursday, with The New Music Show, inviting listeners to lock in, chill and discover the latest sounds.

Da Silva will be followed by chilled sessions with The Greene Roomfrom 10pm to midnight with Greene.

Following that, Cormac Battle will round the weekend off with a blistering shot of rock, indie and dance music.
The Late Late Show rolls out the red carpet as Paul Mescal, Emily Watson, Richie Baneham, Jamie Oliver, Gemma-Leah Devereaux, Fionnula Flanagan, and Dean Fagan lead star-studded line up

Paul will discuss his latest film Gods Creatures starring Emily Watson, who will also join Ryan

Normal Peoples Paul Mescal will hit The Late Late Show couch tonight to talk to Ryan Tubridy about gaining overnight fame, becoming a poster boy for the Irish language on the BAFTA red carpet and competing with Colin Farrell for an Oscar.

Paul will discuss his latest film Gods Creatures starring Emily Watson, who will also join Ryan.

Read more Paul Mescal and Emily Watson on red carpet in Dublin as actress reveals passion for sea swimming in Ireland

Two-time Oscar nominee Emma is no stranger to these shores having played Angela in Angelas Ashes and starred alongside Daniel Day Lewis in The Boxer.

The pair will talk awards season, the wildness of Donegal and the challenge of taking on thought-provoking roles.

Also joining Ryan is world renown chef, Jamie Oliver who will talk all things culinary, from learning to cook from aged eight in his parents pub to becoming a global phenomenon in food.

He will also discuss his desire to drive positive change in food education and public health as well as his latest restaurant venture in Dublin Chequer Lane.

Joining the star studded line-up, Oscar-winning animator Richie Baneham will chat about coming home to Tallaght, working with James Cameron and looking ahead to his second Oscar nomination for Avatar: The Way of Water.

As the intrigue in the hit drama Smother ramps up, the actors behind three of the show's lead characters will be on the show.

The latest addition to the cast, Irish acting royalty Fionnula Flanagan, will share why she is still in the prime of her career despite first appearing on screens in 1965; Gemma-Leah Devereaux will chat about why Smother fans cheered when her character Anna got her comeuppance and Dean Fagan, who plays Finn, will tell viewers why spending so much time in Lahinch has changed his life.

Meanwhile, those who were affected by the Thalidomide Survivors who were affected by the scandal more than 60 years ago will be on the show seeking an apology from the State, sharing their stories.

In 1959 the drug Thalidomide was hailed as a miracle cure for pregnant women who suffered from morning sickness.

It proved immensely popular both in Ireland and abroad until 1961, when it was discovered that the drug was causing catastrophic injuries to babies in the womb.

The drug was pulled from shelves across the world, except in Ireland where it was widely available for a further nine months.

Westmeath band, The Academic will sing Pushing Up Daisies from their newly released album Sitting Pretty with The Mary Wallopers singing Eileen OG from their self-titled debut album.
For those keen to find out the latest on what Tauranga Moanas medical ship M/V YWAM KOHA has been up to, there are opportunities coming up to go on board and explore from bow to stern.

We are excited to announce public tours are back, says YWAM Ships Aotearoa managing director Marty Emmett.

Please come and join us on March 18-19 and March 25-26 to see the M/V YWAM KOHA and hear all about YSA, our mission, incredible stories from our maiden voyage in 2022 to Fiji, and different ways you too can be a part of this mission.

Throughout last year, the ships mobile Trinity Koha Dental Clinic  TKDC - and volunteer team have been deployed out into the Bay of Plenty community helping people who are often unable to get dental care due to cost.

During our clinic in Rotorua, an older lady came in needing assistance. What senior dentist Adam found was one of the worst cases he'd seen in his profession, says Marty.

It was a tartar build-up left untreated for several decades resulting in heavily decayed teeth, with an associated infection.

Marty says the woman was in a great deal of pain.

The dentist decided the only option was to remove the seven affected teeth and treat the infection, says Marty.

The relief was provided, the infection treated, the teeth removed, and now this woman is able to look at dentures and live free of this pain and pursue a healthier lifestyle.

Ian and Susan Carpenter providing tooth restoration at TKDC in Rotorua. Photo: YWAM Ships Aotearoa.

Ian and Susan Carpenter, some of key volunteer NZ-based dentists, and have been helping countless individuals, says Marty.

Relieving people of pain and restoring smiles. One patient remarked that she was used to covering her mouth when she speaks because of how she felt about her teeth. Then the intervention by this incredible duo and our TKDC team was able to bring restoration to her smile!

Hes appalled at the attitude towards oral health in New Zealand.

We were told last year when we were serving in Te Kaha that its been at least seven years since the last dental team visited there, and five years for Ruatoria, says Marty.

Were doing another 12 clinics in 2023. Last year we saw just over 1000 patients.

He wants to see a dental pilot programme developed in the Bay of Plenty that forces a national conversation.

Whats next?

We plan to leave Tauranga in early May and spend four months in Fiji, says Marty.

The big thing we need now is finances for fuel.

Its estimated that 50,000 litres of fuel will be required for the ship to complete its next medical and dental deployment to remote Fijian island villages.

We would love electricians, plumbers, tradespeople to come volunteer and help us prepare the ship. Also mechanics who want to come and service the ship. Volunteers.

The M/V YWAM KOHA sailing in Fijian waters in 2022. Photo: YWAM Ships Aotearoa.

Hes looking forward to telling the stories of last years voyage to Fiji and the impact of the service that the ship and team was able to provide while there.

On the open tour days in March we will have the dental caravan in the carpark to tell that story too, says Marty.

We would love people to come back with us to the Pacific.

Letter of endorsement

The Northern Health Services in Fiji sent Marty a letter of endorsement signed by Divisional Medical Officer Dr Saumalua Tiko. The letter thanks the management, members and crew of YWAM ships for the fantastic healthcare services provided to targeted communities in the Northern Division from August until October 2022.

We were privileged to have them work alongside the MOHMS to meet national goals to reach the unreachable in provision of healthcare on our journey towards Universal Health Coverage.

The letter also says that the YWAM teams services helped them during a challenging time to reach out to the vulnerable communities in assessing their current health status during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Not only had the YWAM team provided excellent quality health services but they also were acknowledged for helping build the capacity of the local Fijian health workers  nurses and community health workers  by treatment through training and focussed education sessions, providing them with a glucometer and blood pressure machine.

Two of the YWAM KOHA team demonstrating oral care to Fijian school children. Photo: YWAM Ships Aotearoa.

While deployed to Fiji, the team clocked up 579 primary health appointments, 635 dental treatments, 315 teeth restored, 998 teeth extracted, 1164 individuals served with oral health education, 10 village health workers trained and resourced, and 29 villages where services were provided. Its estimated that the cost per unit of service is $238.

Over 3000 toothbrushes and toothpaste were distributed, with more than 70 international volunteers serving on the ship, along with 10 Fijian dentists. While in Fiji, 52,000 litres of fuel was consumed by the ship.

The work of the YWAM team enabled the Northern Health Services to exceed their annual health targets for 2022.

I have seen many voluntary organisations come and go but YWAMSHIPS in one organisation I have worked with who uniquely stands out, says Fiji Northern Health Services Divisional Dental Officer Dr Nadeem Sattar.

Its not just their level of experience and expertise skills that impressed me, however. YWAMSHIPS team was a joy to work with because of their amazingly positive attitudes and eagerness to stick tightly to what they meant to deliver.

Dr Saumalua Tiko has recommended to the MHMS Fiji that the ministry sign a long term agreement with YWAM Ships Aoteoroa and is hopeful the ship will visit Fiji for a few months every year for the next 10 years.

I am confident that YWAMSHIPS would be a great fit for MHMS Fiji, says Dr Tiko.

Not only will it bring the international skills and experiences to our nation but with outstanding health services we all are looking forward for our people in terms of their health needs.
Northern Arizona University (NAU) announced Thursday afternoon that its Flagstaff campus would be on a delayed start Friday, Feb. 24.

The college had canceled classes completely on both Wednesday and Thursday this week, due to the winter storm thats been affecting northern Arizona since Tuesday evening.

All classes beginning before 10 a.m. on Friday were canceled, and university offices were closed. Classes that start at 10 a.m. or later continued as scheduled, with offices opening at 10 a.m.

Changes to campus dining hours are available on the NAUgo app, according to the announcement.

As with the earlier closures, this delay will only be in place for the Flagstaff campus, with students and employees that are remote or work at other places needing to plan for their typical schedules. University employees that have been designated as essential should also plan to start work at the regular time.

Faculty members will determine how class work will be made up and communicate with students directly, according to the announcement.

More information is available at in.nau.edu/emergency-management/alert.

Coconino Community College will be closed Friday due to the weather. Unlike previous closures this week, Friday's cancellation affects all CCC campuses.

"Students should consult their instructors on class requirements," according to its website.

FUSD

Flagstaff Unified School District also sent out an announcement Thursday evening saying that its schools would be closed Friday due to the weather.

This is the third day FUSD has canceled school this week for the weather, and the 10th since the start of this school year.

Other K-12 schools in Flagstaff will also be closed Friday, including Flagstaff Junior Academy, Northland Preparatory Academy, Star School and San Francisco de Asis Catholic School. Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy will be using remote learning rather than a full snow day for the second day in a row. More about its schedule can be found here.

Friday's closure included before- and after- school activities and food service at district locations.

"Decisions to delay school or cancel school are based on a number of factors that include weather forecasts, road conditions and closures, access to FUSD parking areas and sites, transportation, impact on instruction and scheduled activities, and timelines for mobilizing communication," according to the announcement.
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Young woman from Chinas Zhejiang turns bamboo into prosperous industry

People's Daily Online) 13:46, February 24, 2023

A young woman in Ningbo city, east Chinas Zhejiang Province has made the bamboo product brand of her familys company famous around the world, helping an increasing number of bamboo farmers pad their income.

Photo shows Wang Xiaoqing at the Boao International Plastic Ban Industry Forum in south Chinas Hainan Province in December 2020. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

Wang Xiaoqing, born in the 1990s, found that Chinese bamboo products were popular among customers in the US and Europe when she studied in the US, but many of them carried foreign brands, despite China being dubbed the kingdom of bamboos. She decided to return to China and help her father build a bamboo product brand after finishing her education abroad in 2013.

In 2018, a bamboo table produced by Ningbo Shilin Arts & Crafts Co., Ltd., the company of Wangs family, shined at the first Global Bamboo and Rattan Congress. Wang attended the congress, showcasing Chinas profound bamboo culture to the world.

Chinese bamboo culture has a long history, which provides a sound foundation for the global expansion of Chinas bamboo industry, Wang said.

However, overseas orders for bamboo products received by Wangs company slumped in early 2020 due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic. Back then, her business partner suggested cutting down on staff, but Wang refused to and prepared for the future delivery of bamboo products.

Her company is currently engaged in the design, development, manufacturing, and sales of bamboo products. It produces over 10 million bamboo products each year, 85 percent of which are sold to global markets, including Europe and the US, accounting for over 50 percent of the exports of bamboo products in Ningbo city. The company has also made efforts to promote the deep processing of bamboo.

Wang invested over 18 million yuan ($2.6 million) to upgrade production equipment and improve the automation level into a low-carbon and green development model.

In recent years, Wang and her team have boosted farmers incomes by purchasing their bamboo and offering them jobs. Her company has also supported the coordination of more than 10 bamboo processing companies in and out of Zhejiang Province.

Serving as vice president of the entrepreneurship promotion association for returned overseas students in Fenghua district of Ningbo city, Wang plans to contribute more to rural vitalization together with more returned overseas students.

Its the mission of Chinas youth in the new era to help vitalize rural areas. I hope that we can turn villages into more beautiful places and make villagers get richer, Wang said.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Healthcare providers in northern Arizona have been impacted by the recent winter storm, with Flagstaff locations announcing operational changes.

Northern Arizona Healthcare (NAH) announced Wednesday that visits to NAH Medical Group clinics and offices in Flagstaff would be moved to telemedicine or rescheduled for the safety of both patients and staff. It also closed NAHOSC, Childrens Health Center and EntireCare Flagstaff Wednesday.

NAHs website on Thursday included a banner that said NAH offices would be contacting patients with appointments that day to change to telemedicine or reschedule.

It added that any new updates would be posted on nahealth.com.

North Country Healthcare (NCHC) has also been changing its operations in response to the weather. It closed the Williams Urgent Care Wednesday, and announced additional closures and delays at other locations across northern Arizona.

Locations closed Thursday included the Fourth Street and University Avenue locations, pharmacy, dental services, pediatric care and mobile medical unit in Flagstaff, as well as the primary care, physical therapy and dental offices in Williams.

These locations will also be on a delayed start Friday, with the announcement noting that they will open at 9 a.m. at a minimum.

NCHCs Show Low primary care and dental offices were on a delayed schedule Thursday, opening at 10 a.m. The Williams Urgent Care, NCHCs Grand Canyon services and all lower elevation locations were operating on regular hours Thursday.

More information, including additional updates, can be found at northcountryhealthcare.org.

After being closed Wednesday, Flagstaff Urgent Care reopened with limited hours on Thursday. Due to icy roads and bad visibility, the urgent care center delayed its opening by two hours Thursday and closed two hours earlier than usual.

Clinic manager Gabriela Gilmore said Flagstaff Urgent Care sees fewer patients than usual in bad weather, though it also tends to receive more phone calls requesting telehealth appointments.

Gilmore recommended that most Flagstaff residents considering a visit to urgent care stay home until the road conditions are better.

Give us a call before heading to the urgent care; we can answer most questions over the phone, she said. Most urgent care visits can wait. If someone feels like their symptoms cannot wait, then they should consider going to the emergency department.

Provider impacts

Matt Kraemer, PT, DPT, FACHE, LSSBB, an administrator with NAHs Orthopedic and Spine Institute, said this weeks weather has offered all kinds of challenges to delivering care.

Reduced visibility and icy road conditions [have] made it difficult for our patients and staff alike to reach our ambulatory care centers, he said.

On both Wednesday and Thursday, NAHMG clinics had been contacting patients to either switch appointments to a virtual format or reschedule, depending on urgency, need for in-person appointments and preference.

Patients with truly urgent and emergent needs have been directed to FMCs Emergency Department for care -- which is still open and operating mostly as usual.

Dr. Rachel Levitan, chair for FMCs department of emergency medicine and an emergency medicine physician, said the travel conditions have been making census counts lower for now.

With the highways closed and snow, fewer people coming into town and out and about, it typically makes census lower in Flagstaff until one to two days after storms, then we usually get quite busy, she said. I cant speak to exact numbers, but know that weather can make it more difficult to get out.

The switch to telehealth for prescheduled appointments is not new, Kraemer said.

This winter, more than others, we have been forced to transition in-person visits to virtual care delivery given road closures and inclement weather, he said, adding that contingencies providers have made in response to COVID have helped develop this option.

While he said many patients were willing to switch to virtual appointments in the past few days, providers have also opened additional appointments in the coming weeks to help make up for the cancellations. Some are even offering options on Saturdays, he said.

He said the power outages have not impacted most of NAHMGs sites and employees, though those who have have been looking for other options -- even using cellphones at times.

While this wasnt always possible and NAHMG closed some sites, he noted that the hospitals, emergency and surgery centers all have generators in case of an outage.

NAH has been following the National Weather Services guidelines for travel with this storm, Kraemer said, recommending staff and patients stay home as much as possible for their safety.

Patients that are comfortable, and a virtual visit is appropriate for their condition, we recommend transitioning those to virtual medicine appointments, he said. If a patient is having a medical emergency, NAH recommends seeking care at the FMC Emergency Department, or calling 911 for emergency medical care and transport.
Some Michigan residents faced a fourth straight day in the dark on Sunday as crews continued working to restore power to more than 170,000 homes and businesses in the Detroit metropolitan area following last week's ice storm.

Leah Thomas, whose home north of Detroit in the suburb of Beverly Hills lost power Wednesday night, was still waiting Sunday afternoon for the power to come back on.

Thomas said she feels lucky, because while her husband is away traveling, she and their 17-year-old son have been able to stay at her parents nearby home, which still has power but was unoccupied because her parents are in Florida.

With her husband out of town, Thomas said it was up to her to recharge the battery to their homes backup sump pump Sunday with her car after she went to multiple stores to find a 30-foot cable.

Im a strong woman. I figured it out," she said. Our basement is OK, so were the lucky ones."

But with the local school district on mid-winter break, Thomas said some of their neighbors have been out of town and will be returning to find a mess from burst water pipes and flooded basements.

They dont know what theyre coming home to. Im concerned for them," she said.

In hard-hit southeastern Michigan, still reeling from last week's ice storm and high winds, the state's two main utilities  DTE Energy and Consumers Energy  reported about 171,000 homes and businesses were without power as of about 6 p.m. Sunday. Most of those, about 136,000, were DTE customers.

Both utilities said they still hope to have the lights back on by Sunday night for a majority of their affected customers.

DTE Energy spokeswoman Cindy Hecht said some of the utilities' customers have been without power since late Wednesday, but she did not know how many homes and businesses were in that predicament.

She said the power restoration efforts have proved time-consuming because of the large number of power lines that were damaged, including individual lines that link single homes to the grid.

Wednesday's ice storm coated lines and trees with half an inch of ice or more, and it was followed Thursday by high winds that put about 600,000 DTE customers in the dark at the storm's peak. Hecht said that was the second-largest number of outages DTE has ever experienced, topped only by a March 2017 wind storm that cut power to about 800,000 of its customers.

The icing event we had this week is equivalent to a hurricane for coastal utilities. It was the amount of ice and high winds  the winds and the amount of ice accumulation on lines and branches, she said.

Hecht said the utility's meteorologists have been tracking another storm system that will move into Michigan on Monday, and the utility is prepared to respond."

At this point, we are expecting the system to bring the potential for wintry mix and freezing rain tomorrow and wind gusts up to 45 mph on Tuesday," she said in a statement.

The ongoing outages prompted some Democratic state lawmakers to call Sunday for legislative hearings in Lansing to question utilities about repeated reliability issues with the electrical grid and long restoration times from last weeks storm.

State Sen. Darrin Camilleri, D-Trenton, said Sunday hes spoken with the chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Environment, Sen. Sean McCann, D-Kalamazoo, about such hearings.

There will be hearings. We will be taking over, Camilleri told WDIV-TV.

State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak, said Sunday she's angry about the ongoing outages, and took aim at DTE Energy, saying it needs to upgrade its electricity grid.

The length of this outage, in freezing temperatures, is completely unacceptable. The frequency of outages and lack of reliability is completely unacceptable, McMorrow said in a tweet. ... But please know I will do the work to hold DTE accountable and demand improvements. They must upgrade the grid to withstand the new normal."

California, meanwhile, got a brief break from severe weather after a powerful storm a day earlier swelled Los Angeles-area rivers to dangerous levels, flooded roads and dumped snow at elevations as low as 1,000 feet. The sun came out briefly Sunday in greater LA, where residents emerged to marvel at mountains to the north and east that were blanketed in white.

Suburban Santa Clarita, in hills north of Los Angeles, received its first significant snowfall since 1989.

We went outside and we let our sons play in the snow, resident Cesar Torres told the Santa Clarita Signal. We figured, while the snows there, might as well make a snowman out of it.

The weather service said Mountain High, one of the closest ski resorts to Los Angeles, received an eye-popping 7.75 feet of snow during the last storm, with more possible this week.

Rain and snow were falling again Sunday in Northern California as the first of two new storms started to move in. Blizzard warnings go into effect at 4 a.m. Monday and will last until Wednesday for much of the Sierra Nevada, where crews were still clearing roads after last weeks icy storm.

Extremely dangerous and near to impossible mountain travel is expected due to heavy snow and strong wind, the weather service's Sacramento office warned on Twitter.

After fierce winds toppled trees and downed wires, more than 73,000 utility customers remained without electricity statewide as of Sunday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us. The majority of the outages were in Los Angeles.

Days of downpours dumped almost 11 inches of rain in the Woodland Hills area of LAs San Fernando Valley, while nearly 7 inches was reported in Beverly Hills.

In Valencia, north of LA, county officials said the heavy rains eroded an embankment at an RV park and swept multiple motorhomes into the Santa Clara River, with emergency video showing one of the vehicles toppled on its side. A representative from the RV park said no one was injured.

Rare blizzard warnings for Southern California mountains and widespread flood watches ended late Saturday. But Interstate 5, the West Coasts major north-south highway, was closed off and on due to heavy snow and ice in the Tejon Pass through the mountains north of Los Angeles. Emergency crews were also working to clear mountain roads east of LA that were inundated with snow and ice.
TechSpot is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust

Why it matters: Over the last few years, Apple and Google have made app developers on their platforms include nutrition label-style privacy sheets on store pages. They're supposed to give users a good idea of what information apps collect and share, but Mozilla claims to have poked some holes in Google's Android app store policy.

This week, Mozilla released a study chiding Google for flaws in its Android Play Store app privacy label system. The Firefox developer found many discrepancies between what app developers say on the Play Store and what's in each app or service's privacy policy.

The biggest offenders were games like Minecraft, Hitman Sniper, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Need For Speed: Most Wanted, Monument Valley, and more.

Big social media apps also fared poorly in Mozilla's analysis. Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter had the least accurate Play Store labels, while YouTube, Google Chrome, Gmail, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and Spotify did slightly better.

Click to enlarge

For example, TikTok's Play Store page says it doesn't share any data with third parties, but the company's privacy policy says it shares technical and usage information with third parties. Comparing Twitter's Play Store page with its privacy policy shows a similar inconsistency.

The Data Safety information on Google Play Store pages and the App Privacy details on Apple App Store pages are supposed to inform users about what information an app collects or shares. They say whether an app collects and shares contact information, location, email address, browsing history, search history, financial information, etc. Apple started its program in 2020, while Google followed suit in 2022.

The Washington Post checked Apple's labels in 2021 against what anti-surveillance software said the apps were sharing. The results showed that many iOS apps shared more than what their App Privacy details disclosed. Mozilla compares its study to the Post's report.

Click to enlarge

One of the biggest problems is that both tech giants trust developers to accurately report what their apps share. Apple's App Store pages admit this in fine print, but Mozilla found that Android's Play Store doesn't. Mozilla recommends that both should disclose their honor systems in plain language.

Furthermore, the Firefox developer finds Google's definitions of "collection" and "sharing" too narrow, possibly letting developers deceive users. Mozilla also doesn't like Google's exemption of anonymized data from label requirements due to doubts about whether data can truly be anonymized.

Mozilla checked 40 of the most popular Android apps and found discrepancies on 80 percent of their Play Store pages compared to their privacy policies. The apps had different levels of incongruity, but 40 percent (16 apps) had severe inconsistencies. Another 37.5 percent (15 apps) had moderate discrepancies, and only 15 percent (6 apps) had little to no difference.
TechSpot is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust

What just happened? It's not just the US where organizations and the government have banned staff from using TikTok; workers at the European Commission are now prohibited from interacting with the popular short-form video app and have been ordered to remove it from their devices. The move was prompted by fears of data harvesting and potential cyberattacks stemming from Chinese owner ByteDance, which has faced repeated claims of collusion with the Chinese government.

The European Commission, the EU's politically independent executive arm responsible for drawing up proposals for new European legislation, has implemented the TikTok ban on work-issued devices and employees' personal devices if they have work-related apps installed.

"The measure aims to protect the commission against cybersecurity threats and actions, which may be exploited for cyberattacks against the corporate environment of the commission," said Sonya Gospodinova, a commission spokeswoman.

Employees have up until March 15 to remove TikTok from their devices. The Commission did add, however, that the ban is temporary and could be reassessed in the future, according to The New York Times. The organization refused to say if a specific incident led to the new rule being introduced.

Reuters reports that that staff at the EU Council, which brings together representatives of the member states to set policy priorities, must also uninstall TikTok from their phones.

We are continuing to enhance our approach to data security - establishing three data centres in Europe to store user data locally; further reducing employee access to data; and minimising data flows outside of Europe. --- Caroline Greer (@CarolineGreer) February 23, 2023

TikTok has for years come under scrutiny for its data-collection practices and ByteDance's alleged ties with the Chinese government. Reddit CEO Steve Huffman called it "spyware" and "fundamentally parasitic" in 2020. Trump tried to ban the app completely when he was in office, and more recently, the FCC commissioner called on Google and Apple to remove TikTok from their stores. Senators have called for a total ban, and the FBI director said the app is China's best espionage tool. Not surprisingly, TikTok was banned from US federal government devices last year.

TikTok has long denied sharing user data with Chinese officials. Regarding the Commission's ban, a company spokesperson said, "We believe this suspension is misguided and based on fundamental misconceptions. We have contacted the Commission to set the record straight and explain how we protect the data of the 125 million people across the EU who come to TikTok every month."

Like all social media companies, TikTok is also dealing with the EU's new digital regulations relating to illegal and harmful content as well as tightened data privacy rules.

Masthead: Solen Feyissa
TechSpot is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust

Facepalm: The US Department of Justice has asked the DC District Court for an injunction and "appropriate relief" over Goggle's use of self-deleting chat software. The DoJ claims that Google has effectively been destroying evidence over the last several years using the "history off" feature of Google Chat.

The so-called "history off" feature is available in Google's teleconferencing software --- Google Chat, formerly known as Hangouts. It is more accurately just a history setting that automatically deletes conversations after 24 hours if it is disabled (set to "off"). While it is not illegal for companies to use the feature or even manually delete conversations, it is unlawful to do so during ongoing litigation, which is the DoJ's primary complaint.

In a motion filed Thursday, Justice officials say that Google should have turned its internal chat and Hangouts history on in 2019 when it became evident that antitrust lawsuits related to the company's advertising business were forthcoming. At the very least, Google should have enabled history in 2020 when the Justice Department filed the lawsuits. However, the sanctions request states that Google continued to "systematically" destroy evidence until just earlier this week.

"For nearly four years, Google systematically destroyed an entire category of written communications every 24 hours," the filing states.

Instead of internally setting chat histories to "on," Google left it up to employees to decide if their conversations needed to be preserved for future legal proceedings. The DoJ claims that most of them left the setting disabled.

Google denies any wrongdoing and says it has complied with the DoJ's every request.

"[We] strongly refute the DOJ's claims," a Google spokesperson told CNBC. "Our teams have conscientiously worked for years to respond to inquiries and litigation. In fact, we have produced over 4 million documents in this case alone, and millions more to regulators around the world."

The Justice Department's complaint points to evidence from Epic's antitrust suit against Google that seems to confirm that Google employees knowingly and routinely conducted "sensitive" discussions in a manner that did not leave a record.

"Since it's a sensitive topic, I prefer to discuss offline or over hangout," read a quote from one of Epic's discovery documents.

The DoJ stated it is not interested in delaying the litigation or reopening the discovery process. It just wants "appropriate sanctions" for Google's destruction of potential evidence.

"The United States is not seeking to reopen fact discovery, and this motion does not affect the trial date nor the outstanding summary judgment," the filing reads. "This motion only seeks to determine the appropriate sanctions to redress Google's destruction of written communications."

The DoJ asks the court to compel Google to turn over any and all communications regarding what it told employees regarding off-the-record conversations and how specific it was in its instructions involving the preservation of written communication. It also asks that the company produce any witnesses with knowledge of Google's preservation policies so that DoJ officials can depose testimony before evidentiary hearings proceed.
The U.S. Air Force announced that it will integrate face recognition technology into its drones.

(Photo : Photo by C.E. Lewis/U.S. Air Force via Getty Images)

In this handout photo provided by the U.S. Air Force, a Predator drone prepares for a nighttime surveillance mission over the skies of Iraq February 11, 2004 at Balad Air Base in Iraq.

This means that these UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) will be able to identify their targets easily by just looking at their faces.

For some individuals, this is a great innovation since it will make defense drones more accurate. However, this technology raises fears among other people because they can easily kill specified individuals.

US Air Force's Drones To Have Face Recognition!

According to New Scientist's latest report, the U.S. Department of Defense's contract with Seattle-based firm RealNetworks will allow the U.S. Air Force to use its face recognition tech.

(Photo : Photo by Isaac Brekken/Getty Images)

Image has been reviewed by the U.S. Military prior to transmission.) An MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) flies by during a training mission at Creech Air Force Base on November 17, 2015 in Indian Springs, Nevada.

Also Read: US Navy Awards Lockheed Martin with $2 Billion Contract for First Sea-based Hypersonic Tech

On their contract, it was confirmed that RealNetworks' SAFR facial recognition platform can now be deployed on autonomous drones.

"Through this effort, we will adapt the SAFR facial recognition platform for deployment on an autonomous sUAS for special ops, ISR, and other expeditionary use-cases," explained DoD in the contract.

The latest collaboration is expected to cost almost $800,000. As of writing, DoD and the U.S. Air Force haven't confirmed when will the SAFR-powered drones be used or deployed in actual defense activities.

What is SAFR?

SAFR SCAN is considered to be the first software-hardware solution.

"SAFR is the world's premier facial recognition platform for touchless access control, authentication, and live video applications," said RealNetworks.

RealNetworks designed this platform to deliver the best combination of computer vision, facial recognition, and image capture technologies.

Now, here are some of the major benefits offered by RealNetworks' SAFR SCAN:

Two-way audio for intercom and voice reminders

Authenticates up to 30 individuals per minute

20,000 user capacity

Authenticates users in seconds

Works indoors and outdoors in extreme lighting and environmental conditions

Works with masks

If you want to learn more about this advanced facial recognition platform, you can visit SAFR's official website.

In other news, Chinese scientists created the new war games AI AlphaWar, a new artificial intelligence model that can act as humans during military simulations.

Meanwhile, the new USAF-Reliable Robotics collaboration is expected to work on autonomous flights for military needs.

For more news updates about defense, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: US Navy Receives Largest Surface Ship Yet With Autonomous Capability

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
OpenAI's ChatGPT is already making waves with millions of active users but this time, it will also venture into another field to further expand its capabilities. Microsoft recently announced that it extended the capabilities of ChatGPT to robotics and controlled platforms such as drones, robot arms, and home assistant robots.



Most robots today are heavily dependent on hand-written codes to be controlled and Microsoft has been looking for ways to make natural human-robot interactions with language. Hence, it will be using OpenAI's wildly popular AI language model ChatGPT.

(Photo : KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty Images)

After a machine (C) made a bowl of noodles, a serving robot (R) prepares to deliver it to a customer at a demonstration by Japan's SoftBank Robotics aimed to help restaurants provide completely unmanned services, in Tokyo on October 18, 2022.

ChatGPT's Venture into Robotics

The AI tool was only introduced on November 2022. It can produce coherent and grammatically correct answers to a variety of prompts and inquiries because it was trained on a large corpus of text and human interactions.



Microsoft's goal with the new research is to test if ChatGPT can do so much more beyond text and reason about the physical world to advance the field of robotics.



"We want to help people interact with robots more easily, without needing to learn complex programming languages or details about robotic systems, " Microsoft wrote in a blog post.



"The key challenge here is teaching ChatGPT how to solve problems considering the laws of physics, the context of the operating environment, and how the robot's physical actions can change the state of the world."



Microsoft created a series of design principles that can guide language models in conducting robotics tasks, such as human feedback through text, high-level APIs, special prompting structures, and many more.

The tech giant also introduced PromptCraft, an open-source platform where anyone is allowed to share examples of prompting strategies for various robotics categories.

Read Also: ChatGPT: Hackers Bypass OpenAI Restrictions to Create Malware, Improve Codes via Telegram Bot

Drone Control

Researchers could hone and apply ChatGPT's knowledge to control various robot form factors by using these design principles. The Microsoft team could then use ChatGPT to resolve complicated robot deployments in the manipulation, aerial, and navigation domains as well as robotics puzzles.



The team demonstrated that they were able to use the tool in controlling a drone. Microsoft claims that ChatGPT generated complicated code structures for the drone, such as a zig-zag pattern to visually scan shelves, and asked follow-up questions when the directions were unclear.



With the aid of the Microsoft AirSim simulator, the model also completed a simulated industrial inspection exercise. The model was able to precisely operate the drone by understanding the user's high-level intent and geometrical signals.



The model demonstrated its capacity for bridging the textual and physical domains as well when asked to construct the Microsoft logo out of wooden blocks.



ChatGPT also wrote an algorithm for a drone to complete its mission while avoiding collisions with objects.



However, Microsoft has issued a warning to customers, urging them to conduct careful research before using such practices in their daily lives.

They advised users to always take the required safety precautions and to make use of simulations in testing these algorithms before deploying them in the real world.

Related Article: New Study Claims that ChatGPT Will Serve as Research Aide for Academics, Not a Threat

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Researchers from Linkoping, Lund, and Gothenburg universities in Sweden have grown electrodes in living tissue by employing the body's molecules as triggers. This could pave the path for the creation of therapies for neurological disorders as it blurs the boundaries between biology and technology.

(Photo : ColiN00b/ Pixabay)

Linking Electronics to Biological Tissues

According to the research team, linking electronics to biological tissue is crucial in treating brain diseases, understanding intricate biological processes, and creating future machine-human interactions.



But conventional bioelectronics created in parallel with the semiconductor industry is challenging to link to living biological signal systems because of its fixed and static design.



Hence, the team created a technique for producing soft, substrate-free, electronically conductive materials in living tissue to get the best of both worlds of biology and technology.



The scientists were successful in growing electrodes in the tissue of zebrafish and medicinal leeches by infusing a gel containing enzymes as the "assembly molecules."



"Contact with the body's substances changes the structure of the gel and makes it electrically conductive, which it isn't before injection. Depending on the tissue, we can also adjust the composition of the gel to get the electrical process going," Xenofon Strakosas, a researcher at LOE and Lund University, said in a press release statement.

Endogenous molecules produced by the body are sufficient to cause electrode development. In contrast to other experiments, there is no requirement for genetic change or external signals like light or electrical energy. The Swedish scientists claim that they are the first in the world to accomplish this.

Read Also: Scientists Create A 'Mini 3D Brain' Derived from Human Cells With Electrodes Caps

Viscous Gel Injection

The work opens the door for a brand-new approach to bioelectronics. In the future, a viscous gel injection may replace implanted physical devices, which were previously required to initiate electronic operations in the body.



The researchers also claim that the technique may direct the electronically conducting material to particular biological substructures, resulting in the creation of functional interfaces for nerve stimulation.



It might also be possible to create fully integrated electronic circuits inside living organisms in the long term.



The researchers successfully formed electrodes in zebrafish brains, hearts, and tail fins as well as around the nerve tissue of medicinal leeches during trials at Lund University.

The gel injection had no negative effects on the animals, and the electrode generation had no adverse effects either, according to the team.



They created electrodes that were acceptable to the immune system and brain tissue by making smart changes in their chemistry. According to Professor Roger Olsson of the Medical Faculty at Lund University, the zebrafish is a great model for research on organic electrodes in the brain.

The results may pave the path for more development in bioelectronics. Hanne Biesmans, one of the study's main authors, acknowledge that they still have many problems to resolve, but this new work may serve as a good starting point for future research.



The research team's findings were detailed in the journal Science.

Related Article: 3D Brain Chip Detects Mental Illness, to Study Complex Structures As Well

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Lordstown Motors announced on Thursday that it will be suspending its production and deliveries for its electric Endurance pickup truck as they address performance and quality issues with its certain components.

(Photo : MEGAN JELINGER/AFP via Getty Images)

The Lordstown Motors factory is where GM once operated, in Lordstown, Ohio, on October 16, 2020. The old GM factory has been acquired by Lordstown Motors, an electric truck startup that wants to build a full-size pickup called Endurance. - Workers at the General Motors factory in Lordstown, Ohio, listened when US President Donald Trump said companies would soon be booming.

Halting Production & Deliveries

Since its last production update in January, Lordstown Motors has been experiencing performance and quality issues with certain components of its Endurance pickup electric trucks. Due to this, the company will temporarily halt production and deliveries to assess these issues.

As per their released statement, the company will be working with suppliers to know the root cause of each issue and come up with potential solutions, which may include design modifications, retrofits, and software updates.

The company also filed paperwork with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as they work together to address a specific electrical connection issue for Endurance, as it could result in a loss of propulsion while driving.

This recall will affect 19 vehicles that are either in the customers' hands already or being used by Lordstown for its operations. Deliveries and processes at the manufacturing will temporarily be retrofitted at the Ohio plant, which the company purchased from General Motors last 2019.

Engadget reported that the company did not release nor confirmed an estimated date as to when the production and deliveries will resume. But the company claims that there is a significant progress on component and subsystem issues that has been halting the production process.

CEO's Statement

President and Chief Executive Officer Edward Hightower stated, "We remain committed to doing the right thing by our customers and to resolve potential issues before resuming production and customer shipments."

He added that Lordstown Motors aims to provide a more detailed update on the status of these issues for its upcoming earnings call on the morning of March 6th.

CNBC reported that shares of Lordstown Motors fell 11% to $1.09 following the announcement of halting its production and shipments. Compared to its peak last September 2020, this is far from the all-time high of $31.80 a share.

Lordstown spokeswoman Colleen Robar confirmed these problems but clarified that it did not result in any fires like battery issues just this month with an electric Ford F-150 Lightning pickup. She did not confirm how many vehicles in total the company has produced and deliveries since production began in September.

Also Read: GM Sold its Stocks on Lordstown Motors worth $75 Million, But Why?

Compared to other automakers, Lordstown's halted operations can be considered a small problem. Tesla just announced safety issues that may cause a crash to its electric vehicle owners. The company is now recalling a total of 362,768 vehicles regarding this issue.

Among the affected models are the 2016-2023 Tesla Model S, the 2020-2023 Model Y, and the 2017-2023 Model 3. All of these models are with Full Self-Driving Beta.

Related Article: Foxconn EV Production Begins But Lordstown CEO Says Manufacturing Will Be Slow

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A team led by an archaeologist from the University of Illinois Chicago has uncovered a temple constructed by the Wari Empire 1,200 years ago at the Pakaytambo site in southern Peru (A.D. 600-1000).



The D-shaped temple was constructed atop a sizable platform with neighboring buildings that would have served as residences for Wari religious leaders and other individuals connected to the Wari Empire.

(Photo : CAROLINA PAUCAR/AFP via Getty Images)

General view of the ancient Inca ruins of Machu Picchu in the Urubamba valley, seventy-two kilometres from the Andes city of Cusco, on February 15, 2023, open for the first time after they were closed to the public for security reasons on January 21, after protesters blocked the railways during protests against the government of President Dina Boluarte.

The Wari Empire

David Reid, a UIC postdoctoral research associate in anthropology and the study's author, claims that the Wari, who dominated a large portion of modern-day Peru, exercised authority over the region through a variety of strategies, from the use of force to the development of trade routes.



"One of the most effective ways of bringing people into the empire was through shared beliefs and religious practices," Reid said in a press release statement.



"Open plaza spaces associated with the temple complex at Pakaytambo would have allowed local communities to participate in ritual gatherings organized by the Wari."

He also points out how important such ceremonial occasions would have been in preserving political authority throughout the vast Wari Empire.



Pakaytambo was strategically founded during the Middle Horizon period, more than 1,000 years ago, on a prehistoric transit route at a crucial ecological and political site between the foothills of the Andean highlands and nearby coastal valleys of Arequipa.

From 450 and 1000 CE, the Wari civilization thrived in the coastal and highland regions of ancient Peru.



The Wari, who had Huari as their capital, used their possession of a variety of landscapes to their advantage to build an empire with provincial capitals linked by an extensive road system.



Their strategies for preserving an empire and sense of artistic style would have a big impact on the subsequent Inca civilization, according to World History Encyclopedia.

Read Also: Archaeologists May Have Discovered the Earliest Known Narrative Scene Carved in an 11,000-year-old Neolithic Bench

D-shaped Temples

This newly-discovered temple is one of the many Wari D-shaped temples that have been found in Peru, where the Wari state's expansion and influence were previously unknown.

Pakaytambo was detailed in the new study in terms of its architectural canons, site chronology, and material changes in light of larger developments occurring in the late Middle Horizon. It also offers valuable insights into how public ritual and performance in areas outside of a state's heartland established governmental authority.



The National Science Foundation and the Wenner-Gren Foundation also provided funding for the study. The finding of the ancient temple was reported in the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology.

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.
Motorola Razr 2023's release date this year might be a little earlier than the debut of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, a new leak suggests.

Motorola is set to introduce its all-new clamshell foldable device sometime this year, which should rival the next-generation Galaxy Z Flip.

(Photo : Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for Verizon)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 05: Media attending Verizon's More Holiday Magic Event at Manhatta get a sneak peek of the Motorola Razr at Manhatta on December 05, 2019 in New York City.

Although Moto has yet to confirm the release date of its new Razr phone, an early leak hints that it would be before the Galaxy Z Flip 5 gets the shimmer of the spotlight.

Motorola Razr 2023 Release Date

As per a recent report by GizmoChina, the Motorola Razr (2022), which debuted last year, is getting a newer sibling this year.

The successor of 2022 foldable reportedly brings a few upgrades, as it attempts to compete with the upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 5, which Samsung plans to release this year.

A new leak points out that the Motorola Razr 2023 debuts in the middle of the year even before Samsung introduces its latest foldable devices, which may include the Galaxy Z Fold 5.

GizmoChina notes in its story that the leak suggests that the all-new Motorola Razr releases sometime in July 2023.

When is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 Debuting?

On the other hand, early leaks of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 hint at a much later release date compared to the Razr 2023.

The South Korean phone maker is expected to introduce its all-new clamshell foldable in August this year. It is worth noting that the current-generation Z Flip also debuted in late August 2022. It looks like the tech juggernaut is maintaining this schedule.

With that, Motorola is likely planning to release its new foldable phone ahead of Samsung's debut. Potentially a month earlier before the all-new Z Flip 5 shows up.

Last year, Motorola also launched the Motorola Razr 2022 slightly earlier than the Galaxy foldable. However, it was in the same month as the Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4.

If the new leak holds up, it might be a month earlier before Samsung steals the spotlight this year.

Read Also: Leaker Says Motorola Could Launch Two Razr Units in 2023: Available Internationally?

Expected Specs of Motorola Razr 2023

As of writing, little is known about the specifications of the Motorola Razr 2023.

(Photo : Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Vogue)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 29: A view of the Motorola razr as Vogue and Motorola razr Celebrate The Last Friday In April at Katz's Delicatessen on April 29, 2022 in New York City.

It is likely to rock a buttery smooth display that supports up to a whopping 144Hz refresh rate. It will be best for gamers and even casual doom scrollers.

On top of its 6.7-inch foldable display, it is likely getting a massive 3.5-inch outer screen or external display, which covers the entire cover, according to GSM Arena. It is potentially the biggest we have seen in a clamshell foldable phone.

Related Article: Motorola Razr 3 Leaks: Next Smartphone Coming This 2022, Says Lenovo GM-Why are They Trying Again?

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ClearSpace, a Swiss company, and its commercial partners have passed their first significant program assessment with the European Space Agency (ESA) for their innovative mission to remove space junk from Earth orbit, as per a press release.



The project is a massive, robotic spacecraft with four arms that can gather space debris. The debris will be sent down toward Earth after being retrieved by the spacecraft, where it will likely burn up in the atmosphere.

Active Debris Removal

By fully supporting the upcoming ClearSpace-1 phase, ESA and the participating States have reaffirmed their commitment to active debris removal during the ESA Ministerial Council in November 2022.



ESA commissioned ClearSpace in 2020 to design, develop, launch, and operate a new deorbit mission that will safely guide a big piece of debris into Earth's atmosphere after re-engaging with it and capturing it in orbit.



ClearSpace has created a four-armed capture device for its robotic satellite as an important first step in the construction of this novel debris-removal mission.



In October 2022, this technology successfully completed proof-of-concept testing at ESA's ESTEC technology center in the Netherlands. This significant accomplishment helped the program review for ClearSpace to be approved.



With a launch date of as soon as 2026, ClearSpace is now qualified to go on to the next stage of ClearSpace-1, working with its industrial partners to complete the satellite's full design, purchase spacecraft equipment, and manufacture the engineering model servicer satellite.



"This is a major milestone for ClearSpace, setting us on course to become one of the world leading In-Orbit Servicing companies and is also a major step toward the resolution of the space debris issue," Luc Piguet, ClearSpace CEO and co-founder, said in a statement.



"Debris represents a growing threat to the satellite services we all depend on, including research on climate change, weather prediction, communication, and a host of other applications. The cost of inaction is only increasing."

Read Also: FCC New Rules Require Satellites To Be Deorbited Within 5 Years of Completion to Avoid Space Junk Risks

Cleaning the Space Environment

ESA emphasizes in its Space Debris Environment Report the need to start actively cleaning up the space environment, including removing larger debris objects from congested areas, to limit the massive increase of space debris.

According to NASA, there are now roughly 25,000 objects larger than 10 cm and over 500,000 objects in orbit that range in size from 1 cm to 10 cm. These fragments can travel faster than a bullet, crossing orbit at high to 33,000 mph.



At the same time, 30,000 objects larger than 4 inches (10 cm) in size are being monitored by the US Global Surveillance Network in Earth orbit.



ESA also reported that there are one million particles currently circling the Earth at a speed of 0.4 inches (1 cm).

Related Article: [Do You Know?] There's A 10% Chance Of Space Junk Killing Someone, Especially in the Global South

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Bullitt's satellite internet efforts are continuously coming.

(Photo : Photo by PAU BARRENA/AFP via Getty Images)

A man uses a smartphone on the first day of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) on February 26, 2018 in Barcelona. - The Mobile World Congress, the world's biggest mobile fair, is held in Barcelona from February 26 to March 1.

This British smartphone maker is just among the tech companies that are trying to bring satellite connectivity to consumers.

Recently, Bullitt announced its new Motorola Defy Satellite Link, which is powered by an advanced MediaTek chipset.

Now, Bullitt announced its new rugged smartphone that supports satellite connectivity. Here's what you need to know about this new handset.

Bullitt's New Rugged Smartphone Support Satellite Internet!

According to CNBC's latest report, the new rugged smartphone comes in two versions.

(Photo : Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images)

Visitors walk at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona on February 25, 2019. - Phone makers will focus on foldable screens and the introduction of blazing fast 5G wireless networks at the world's biggest mobile fair starting February 25 in Spain as they try to reverse a decline in sales of smartphones.

Also Read: Motorola Razr 2023 Release Date Likely Earlier Than Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5's Launch

The first one is the Caterpillar-branded Cat S75, which costs $634.49. The other one is the Motorola Defy 2, which costs $599.

Both of these new rugged Bullitt smartphones have 6.6-inch screens, as well as a 5,000 milliampere-hour battery.

Bullitt said that its new smartphone can last for up to two days. Of course, the new Bullitt smartphone models will also support 5G connectivity.

When it comes to receiving messages, users will rely on Bullitt Messenger, a satellite messaging app, to send and accept standard SMS.

Thanks to this, Bullitt users can send and receive SMS in just around 10 seconds. This is quicker compared to handset models using near-instant speed internet.

Bullitt's Other Satellite Internet Efforts

Aside from the new rugged device, Bullitt also announced that its Motorola Defy Satellite Link ($150) allows any smartphone to connect to satellite internet, as reported by CNET.

This Bluetooth puck can achieve this since it is integrated with the MediaTek 6825.

Another thing that makes the new Motorola Defy Satellite Link intriguing is that it works even with smartphones that don't have MediaTek chipsets.

"Our solution can basically be added to any form of 5G or 4G phone, from entry-level all the way to flagship," said MediaTek Corporate Marketing VP Finbarr Moynihan.

You can click this link to learn more about Bullitt's new Motorola Defy Satellite Link.

In other news, the new OnePlus Ace Series is expected to have an Ace 2 variant.

We also reported rumors claiming that the Xiaomi Civi 3 specifications could underperform.

For more news updates about smartphones and satellite connectivity, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: New Bullitt's Motorola Defy Satellite Link Connects Any Phone to Satellites With MediaTek Chip

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AI image generators are currently on the rise as they can easily produce any kind of image based on prompts. This has excited many users since the only limit to producing such images is their imagination.



However, these tools have also raised concerns about their ability to generate explicit content, including sexual and gory images.



According to a report by MIT Technology Review, several words about the human reproductive system have been banned in the popular AI image generator Midjourney to prevent pornographic and inappropriate content.

Prohibited Terms

Terms such as "hymen", "cervix", "fallopian tubes", "mammary glands", "sperm", "uterine", and many more are examples of the banned prompts from the AI tool.



Users who attempted one of these prompts occasionally have their accounts temporarily disabled for attempting to generate prohibited content.



However, the terms "liver" and "kidney," as well as others connected to human biology, are acceptable.



David Holz, the founder of Midjourney, states that the company is prohibiting these phrases to dissuade users from creating disturbing or graphic content.



Holz claims that moderators often change the bans based on their observations of the language being used and the kind of photos being created.



The company outlines the kind of content it restricts on its community guidelines page, including sexual imagery, gore, and even the peach emoji, which is frequently used as a sign for the buttocks.

Although several terminologies associated with the male reproductive system, such as "sperm" and "testicles," are also forbidden, the list of words appears to include more body parts of women.

Read Also: Midjourney AI-generated Comic Book Copyright Application Withdrawn by US Copyright Office, Why?

Discovering the Prompt Prohibition

Julia Rockwell, a clinical data analyst at Datafy Clinical, and Madeline Keenen, a cell biologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, were the first to notice the prompt prohibition, according to MIT Technology Review.

Rockwell utilized Midjourney to create a fun depiction of the organ but was shocked to learn that using "placenta" as a prompt was prohibited.

The duo also demonstrated how it is easy to circumvent these restrictions by utilizing alternative word spellings or other euphemisms for explicit or graphic material to produce sexualized visuals.



According to research they shared with MIT Technology Review, the prompt "gynaecological exam," spelled with the British spelling, produced some extremely unsettling images, including one showing two naked women in a doctor's office.

Generative AI has been dominating the tech scene so far and Midjourney's recent move is aimed at making sure that it will not enable its tool for creating inappropriate and potentially harmful content that may be shared online.

Related Article: [VIRAL] Midjourney AI: Fallon Fox Created These Vintage Polaroid Images, But These People Are NOT Real

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Tesla EV referrals now come with perks! This means that it is time for you to start persuading your friends, relatives, and other people to also get the automaker's electric cars.

(Photo : Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

A Model S sits on the showroom floor at a Tesla dealership on March 30, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. Tesla has announced it is recalling 123,000 of its Model S sedans due to a problem with power steering bolts.

In 2015, the giant EV developer also provided perks for those who can help them sell Tesla models.

These include winning a brand-new Model X SUV. Although the benefits this time don't include a new EV, the Loyalty Credits that can you acquire will still be helpful in the future.

Tesla EV Referrals Now Come With Perks!

According to 7News AU's latest report, Tesla announced via its official website that the referral perks are back.

(Photo : Photo by Christian Marquardt - Pool/Getty Images)

Tesla CEO Elon Musk attends the official opening of the new Tesla electric car manufacturing plant on March 22, 2022 near Gruenheide, Germany. The new plant, officially called the Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg, is producing the Model Y as well as electric car batteries.

Also Read: Tesla Engineering HQ Remains in California-Elon Musk Reveals Cybertruck in Palo Alto Site

"As an owner, every time you bring a new friend or family member into the Tesla community, you and your friend both earn credits," said the EV maker.

The car manufacturer stated that referrals will lead to Referral Credits. Meanwhile, new buyers will receive Buyer Credits.

"You also earn Loyalty Credits when you purchase additional qualifying Tesla products, as a thank you for being a loyal Tesla owner," added Tesla.

Persuading people (who have the budget) is actually easier than you think. This is because Tesla's brand recognition and perceived elite status are already increasing the demand for its EVs.

All you need to do is have some one-on-one talks with other possible buyers in order to bring out their desire of buying an EV.

How to Refer Tesla Buyers?

The official Tesla Support page provided the steps you can follow once you persuade an individual to purchase one of its in-demand EVs:

Go to your Loot Box located in the Tesla app. View the amount of Referral Credits you will earn and the Buyer Credits your friend will receive for each qualifying Tesla product. After that, click the Refer button. From your list of contacts, select the friend you'd like to refer and send the referral message. You can also tap the share icon in the upper-right corner to send your referral link. After your friend places an order, credits will appear as pending in your Loot Box until the Grant Date.

In other news, another Tesla price hike in Australia happened; focusing on EV models with dual motors.

We also reported about the appearance of the Tesla Project Highland, which is expected to have a refreshed design and new wheels.

For more news updates about Tesla and other EV makers, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Tesla Magic Dock Supercharger Begins Testing in the US, Allowing Other EVs to Charge

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AI-generated sci-fi stories are being submitted to Clarkesworld.

(Photo : Photo by BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)

An AI robot with a humanistic face, entitled Alter 3: Offloaded Agency, is pictured during a photocall to promote the forthcoming exhibition entitled "AI: More than Human", at the Barbican Centre in London on May 15, 2019.

For other people, this is not really a big deal. But, for Clarkesworld, the rising AI-written pitches are concerning.

Clarkesworld Magazine is a prestigious American online fantasy and science fiction magazine. For the past years, the publishing company ensured that all the stories it received are authentic.

However, Clarkesworld decided to close its submissions after it received hundreds of sci-fi stories written by artificial intelligence.

AI-Generated Sci-Fi Stories Concern Clarkesworld

According to NPR's latest report, Neil Clarke, Clarkesworld's editor-in-chief, shared his disappointment after they received AI-generated sci-fi stories from fans.

(Photo : Photo by CLEMENT MAHOUDEAU/AFP via Getty Images)

The shadow of Uruguyan developer Tammara Leites poses in front of a text generated by (digital Simon) thanks to artificial intelligence ahead of the (dSimon) performance at the Avignon fringe festival, in Avignon on July 14, 2022.

Also Read: Experts Believe AI Robots Will Do 39% of All Domestic Chores Within Next Decade

Clarke said that although the pitches they received are genuine, many of them are not authentic. He added that this just shows that people are just looking for an easy paycheck.

"We had been tracking the problem on a daily basis and were well aware of how quickly the situation was escalating," explained the editor-in-chief via Time Magazine.

Neil explained that this February, they received 700 authentic sci-fi stories. However, people also submitted 500 AI-written pitches.

Ever since ChatGPT and other conversational AI models arrived, pitches that Clarkesworld rejects also increase in number.

Clarke said that these AI-generated stories come from opportunists who just want to profit using the ChatGPT chatbot.

What Will Clarkesworld Do?

OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, is also making efforts so that companies will know if people are using their chatbot to write stories and other content.

These include watermarking its generated content so that AI-generated signs can easily be identified. Although this is the case, Neil said that their staff will still need to review submissions thoroughly.

He added that AI-generated stories will not be accepted at Clarkesworld until ethical and legal concerns are solved.

If you want to learn more details about Clarkesworld's issue with AI-generated stories, just visit this link.

While Clarkesworld rejects the use of AIs, other companies are starting to accept the arrival of these technologies.

Previously, Beijing authorities said that they will support tech firms that will create ChatGPT clones.

We also reported about the new Amazon-Hugging Face partnership, which is expected to make AI more accessible.

For more news updates about AIs, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: AI Generator Bans Words About Human Reproductive System To Prevent Pornographic Content

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If the planned online safety bill compromises end-to-end encryption, the head of the messaging service Signal has threatened to leave the UK.

Signal's president has said that the company would definitely walk away if new laws jeopardize its encryption service.

When asked by the BBC whether the law may compromise Signal's ability to operate in the UK, Meredith Whittaker responded, "It could, and we would absolutely 100% walk rather than ever undermine the trust that people place in us to provide a truly private means of communication. We have never weakened our privacy promises, and we never would."

Signal, which is run by a non-profit in the US and has over 40 million monthly users, is popular among activists and journalists. It is reportedly utilized by certain spy agencies.

With end-to-end encryption, a conversation may be protected from prying eyes until it reaches its intended receiver.

'Protecting Everyone or Broken for Everyone'

The communications watchdog, Ofcom, has been criticized by privacy advocates over a clause in the bill that would enable platforms to be ordered to utilize certain technology that can detect and remove content promoting child sexual exploitation and abuse. Moreover, it mandates that tech companies use their best efforts to roll out cutting-edge tools for detecting and eradicating illegal material.

Advocacy groups who value their privacy have voiced concerns that the measure might compel encrypted messaging services like Signal, WhatsApp, and Apple's iMessage to snoop on their customers' chats and open their platforms to attack from malicious actors or oppressive regimes.

In an interview with the BBC, Whittaker called it "magical thinking" to assume that people can have privacy but only for the good guys. Based on her statement, "Encryption is either protecting everyone or it is broken for everyone."

Read Also: UK to Ban Videos that Show Migrants Crossing the English Channel Illegally

More Privacy and Safety Concerns

Whittaker also expressed her disapproval of a process called client-side scanning, which involves inspecting photos before they are encrypted. Apple had planned to scan user photographs before they were posted to its image-sharing service but had to shelve the initiative in 2021 due to legal challenges.

According to Whittaker, everyone's phone would become a mass surveillance instrument that phones home to tech firms, governments, and private organizations under such a setup. She also said that criminals might use technology back doors into encrypted services if they were to be hacked by malicious state actors.

Addressing the Issue

As a response, a representative from the Home Office said that encryption is not prohibited under the online safety bill.

They said that the online safety law does not prohibit end-to-end encryption per se. Nevertheless, it does state that no new technologies should be introduced to compromise public safety, particularly the security of youngsters using the internet.

They assured that the privacy and safety of the children are both significant.

Read Also: Researchers Can Access TikTok User Data: US Gov and Regulators can Take a Look

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Community Players officials announced on Thursday that Tyler Rinne will be the next managing artistic director.

The vacancy was a result of Jamie Ulmer resigning for a similar position in Lawrence, Kan.

Rinne said he has always been interested in the theatre.

I did a lot of theatre in high school and was involved in speech, he said. I loved to tell stories even when I was a kid.

After graduating from Johnson-Brock High School, Rinne was attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln hoping to be a film director and writer.

I was really missing being on stage and was looking for semi-local auditions," he said. "I was cast in a summer show at Community Players in 2007 and felt like this theatre has been home since.

Rinne graduated from UNL with a degree in Film and New Media. The Associate Artistic Director position was being created and he was hired.

Hes currently in rehearsals for the latest of over 40 shows hes directed for Community Players. He will be opening the mainstage production of PUFFS in late March and then his final Acting Up production of The Neverending Story.

Acting Up is the youth program Rinne has been directing in his position as the Associate Artistic Director. He said its bittersweet to know this will be his final show with the students.

Its been one of the joys of my life to work with so many great kids as we brought classic book adaptations, plenty of fairy tale spoofs, and our fair share of world premieres to the stage.

One of his first orders of business as the Managing Artistic Director will be to fill the Associate Artistic Director.

I want to keep the Stage Door programming alive and make sure the kids are taken care of, he said.

Rinne said there was a lot to be excited about in his new role.

Honestly, it would be easy to just put my nose down and keep doing the work, he said. But Im excited to keep Community Players as a place of artistic expression and connection for the community.

Im excited to work on more mainstage shows and keep doing some of the things that Im doing.

New risers will be delivered at Community Players during the next week. Rinne said that during the next production the theatre will be arranged differently.

It will be fun cosmetic and artistic change, he said.

The Community Players Cabaret will be held Saturday evening at 7:30. It is a fundraiser for the theatre and will only be offered for one showing. More information can be found on the Community Players Facebook page or by calling 402-228-1801.
On the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a newly-formed hacker group, calling themselves CH01, defaced a number of Russian websites, TechCrunch reports.

The group has overtaken the sites' content with a video of a burning Kremlin and a song by the 1980s Russian rock band Kino.

Additionally, the video contains a QR code that leads to a Telegram channel where the hackers declared responsibility for the attacks. The group also started a Twitter account and recently posted a video on the social media app.

The oracle says that all evil will loose and all good will live forever. we are CH01 hacker group, on behalf of all free world, will fight against putintrrorist and all dictators.

Let the prophecy come true#CH01 #putinterorist #oracle #prophecy #cyberwar #freedom pic.twitter.com/1sKfkMqmXB  CH01 (@_CH_01_) February 24, 2023

Hackers Were Politically Motivated

The message from CH01 stated that the defacements were politically motivated and that they declared cyber war on dictatorship, totalitarianism, and Putin's criminal regime.

They claimed acting "in solidarity with the entire civilized world to restore justice" and ensure the "triumph of the forces of light and goodness."

Read Also: Chinese Scientists Develop War Games AI AlphaWar; Passes Turing Test with Experts!

TechCrunch says that a source gave them a list of 32 hacked websites, including a bakery, a farm product distribution company, a restaurant, a recording studio, a delivery services company, a mechanical engineering and agriculture components company, and even a brickmaker.

How many sites were impacted or how the hackers gained access to them remains unclear.

Hacktivists Engage in Cyber War

Time and time again, websites have been hacked to display propaganda or make political statements, and this practice has increased in frequency since the conflict in Ukraine started.

Anonymous, an international hacktivist organization, claimed in March 2022 that it had remotely activated a number of printers in Russia that were relaying anti-war messages. Throughout the year, Anonymous launched cyberattacks against various Russian TV stations, media organizations, and government agencies.

In the meantime, approximately 310,000 volunteers have signed up to join the "IT Army of Ukraine," which operates through a Telegram account. Using DDOS attacks or denial of service, it and Anonymous have effortlessly disabled several Russian websites.

Even the Russian government has been found to be involved in breaches of online sites. Also, in May 2022, Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticized the Russian government for "malicious cyber activity against Ukraine," including "website defacements."

Recent defacements of Russian websites by the CH01 hacking group reflect the ongoing tensions and conflicts between Russia and Ukraine.

Defacement of websites as a means of making a political statement is not a novel tactic, but it remains an effective method for those desperate to convey their message.

The War in Ukraine

A year after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine started, civilians continued to be affected by the conflict as Moscow's forces struck targets across the country.

According to CNN, President Volodymyr Zelensky has declared 2023 the year of Ukraine's victory and called on the military to determine the country's fate.

The ongoing conflict has resulted in the deaths and displacement of thousands of people, and the international community continues to call for a peaceful resolution.

Stay posted here in Tech Times.

Related Article: Hacker Says 400 Million Twitter User Data Are for Sale | Cybersecurity Groups Are Probing

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Pointing a laser at a plane is still treated by some people as a type of prank.

(Photo : Photo credit should read JEFF PACHOUD/AFP via Getty Images)

A green laser ray is emitted above Lyon to calculate the variations of light speed in the atmosphere on September 24, 2015. AFP PHOTO / JEFF PACHOUD

There's no denying that many individuals are curious about how far their lasers can reach up in the sky.

However, if your laser's light beam hits an airplane, there's a chance that the pilots will be disoriented. This is why Colorado decided to pass a new bill that will make pointing lasers at airplanes a kind of crime.

Pointing Laser at Plane to Be Felony in Colorado

According to CBS News' latest report, over 400 aviation businesses, including the Colorado Pilots Association, urged the Senate to make pointing lasers at passenger planes a felony.

(Photo : Photo by Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)

An aircraft flies through London skies leaving a vapour trail on February 2, 2007 in London, England. When burning its fuel, planes release exhaust fumes which contain, among others, water vapour and impurities.

Also Read: Scotland's Underground Passages Now Mapped by Laser Scanners-More Efficient Than Theodolite

Kelly Sloan, a public affairs and political communications consultant, explained that once lasers hit the plexiglass of airplanes, the light beams can explode in the cockpit. This can drastically affect the vision of the pilots who are flying passenger airplanes.

"You have a serious chance of incapacitating the pilot with temporary or permanent eye damage," he added.

Sloan said that in 2022, incidents of lasers being pointed at airplanes reached over 300. This is higher compared to the record in 2021, which is only around 260.

New Colorado Bill to Become Law

Because lasers can put pilots and passengers at great risk, Sen. Joann Ginal decided to introduce a new bill that will make this dangerous act a felony.

She explained that pointing lasers at airplanes is already an illegal act in Colorado. However, when there's this kind of incident, only local police authorities will respond.

Once the new bill becomes a law, higher-ranking authorities can now respond if there's an incident of laser-pointing, such as the FBI.

As of writing, the bill has passed the Senate and is now on its way to the House. Laser-pointing will be considered a Class 6 felony once it becomes a law.

CLDG explained that people who conduct Class 6 felonies can face the following charges:

18 months in prison.

Can be fined $1,000 to $100,000.

Extraordinary Class 6 felonies can put people up to two years in jail.

If you want to learn more details about the Class 6 felony in Colorado, you can click this link.

Other stories we recently wrote about lasers:

A tiny laser that can help find other signs of life in space was recently developed by a group of researchers.

In China, powerful lasers were previously used to recreated magnetic explosions of the sun's surface.

For more news updates about lasers and other similar technologies, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: China's Navy Vessel Points Laser at Australia's Military Jets! Here's Why This Can Endanger Aircraft

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Apparently, China has reconsidered its stance on artificial intelligence (AI).

As accusations surfaced that it had barred its residents' access to the popular AI chatbot ChatGPT, the Chinese government has decided to incorporate the technology into everyday life.

China's Stance on AI

On Friday, Feb. 24, officials from China's Ministry of Science and Technology announced that the country places great significance on AI research and development. According to Business Insider's report, it now plans to push for its widespread use in all facets of the economy and social fabric.

The head of the high-tech department of China's Science and Technology Ministry, Chen Jiachang, spoke about AI at a news conference on Friday. He stated that such innovation has enormous application potential in various sectors, as the National Business Daily reported.

During a press event, the minister admitted that ChatGPT is a current trend but cautioned that all technological advances have both benefits and drawbacks. He said Beijing would endeavor to take some matching measures in terms of ethics.

Blocked ChatGPT-based Services

Speculation that Chinese authorities are clamping down on the AI chatbot was stoked by a Wednesday story, Feb. 22, which came on the heels of allegations that it had barred access to ChatGPT.

China-based users are unable to use services with ChatGPT features due to regional restrictions. Although ChatGPT is blocked in the nation, the bot has generated a great deal of interest among its citizens, who are resorting to creative measures to utilize it, such as the usage of virtual private networks (VPN).

The Great Firewall, the world's largest and most sophisticated censorship system, has long blocked mainland access to Google, Facebook, and other popular sites. So, it is not impossible if China is doing this again with the viral ChatGPT AI tool.

Notably, these restrictions have shielded Chinese tech businesses from outside competition, helping them prosper.

Chinese AI Chatbots

Meanwhile, the biggest names in Chinese tech want to introduce their own AI chatbots.

The statement by the official comes after Alibaba and Baidu, two of China's largest technology companies, declared their intentions to create their own AI chatbots.

A representative for the online retailer Alibaba revealed earlier this month that similar technology to ChatGPT is in development. It is now undergoing company-wide testing.

Baidu, China's version of Google, said on Wednesday that it would debut its own AI chatbot, named Ernie Bot, in March. Business Insider obtained a document from Baidu CEO Robin Li, in which he announced plans to include Ernie Bot into the company's search and cloud services, as well as its smart vehicle operating system.

According to the document, Li believes that "AI technology has reached a tipping point, and all industries will inevitably go through [the] transformation."

Related Story: Alibaba Confirms Development of ChatGPT Rival, Joins AI Chatbot Craze

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Mark Zuckerberg announced on Friday, Feb. 24, that Meta, formerly known as Facebook, will release a new large language model based on artificial intelligence (AI), CNA reports.

Reuters notes that this move is part of the company's efforts to enter the AI race, where tech leaders such as Alphabet Inc and China's Baidu have already made their presence known.

New AI Model LLaMA Is a Tool for Researchers

The new model, called LLaMA, is intended to assist AI researchers in advancing their work. The Facebook boss noted that large language models had demonstrated promise in generating text, carrying on conversations, summing up written material, and performing complex tasks such as solving mathematical theorems and even predicting protein structures.

Zuckerberg stated in a Facebook post that Meta is committed to the open research model and will make LLaMA available to the AI research community. In order to maintain a competitive advantage, some businesses have been known to keep their AI models proprietary.

Read Also: New Bullitt's Motorola Defy Satellite Link Connects Any Phone to Satellites With MediaTek Chip

More Players are Joining the AI Race

More and more players are competing for dominance in the AI technology sector, which has become increasingly competitive. OpenAI, a company backed by Microsoft, released ChatGPT in 2022, kicking off the race to develop better large language models. Now, Meta is joining the race, betting on LLaMA.

Chinese companies, including the popular search engine Baidu and the e-commerce juggernaut Alibaba, are rapidly adopting chatbot solutions powered by artificial intelligence. Baidu Ernie Bot, an AI tool slated for March release, was announced in early February.

Moreover, Google centered its efforts on Bard AI, which integrates itself into the company's lucrative search engine development, whereas Microsoft has already made its way to Bing.

Meta Dives Into AI

LLaMA is Meta's most recent AI product, but not it is first. The company has already invested significantly in AI, including using natural language processing (NLP) to enhance its content moderation efforts. Additionally, the company has utilized AI to create virtual assistants such as M, released in 2015.

It is an interesting choice for Meta to make LLaMA accessible to the research community. It shows the company's willingness to collaborate with researchers in artificial intelligence instead of keeping its technology proprietary. This action could contribute to advancing research and innovation in the field.

Recently With Meta

Meta Tests New Verified Feature

Last weekend, Meta launched a new paid membership tier called Meta Verified, now available to users in Australia and New Zealand.

The new paid membership has several perks. These perks include a trusted seal, a broader audience, increased security against impersonation, direct contact with helpful staff, and special stickers for use on social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram.

Meta to Launch BeReal-like Feature

Meta is reportedly trialing a "Roll Call" feature similar to BeReal in Messenger. The feature, which social media consultant Matt Navarra discovered, allows users to share whatever they are doing at the moment by attaching a photo or video to a prompt. Only those who contribute to the "roll call" can view the responses of others.

Stay posted here at Tech Times.

Related Article: Meta Verified Launches in Australia, New Zealand

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According to a recent study published in the Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal, combining psychedelics and talk therapy is an effective method for helping long-term smokers quit.

The study was performed by researchers from the University of Cincinnati, who examined post-treatment journals from participants in a 2014 smoking cessation study, MedicalXpress reports.

Psychedelics Made Long-time Smokers Quit

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University found in a 2014 study that participants who used psilocybin, the active hallucinogenic ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms, in pairing with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) were significantly more likely to be successful at quitting smoking than those who tried conventional methods.

According to NHS UK, the goal of CBT is to help patients explore and change how they think about their lives, as well as to free themselves from unhelpful patterns of behavior. A course may consist of 5 to 20 sessions, each lasting 30 to 60 minutes.

In the recent study, analysis of the participants' words revealed that psychedelics and talk therapy helped long-term smokers recognize themselves as non-smokers.

This new core identity may help explain why eighty percent of participants were able to quit smoking for six months, and sixty percent remained smoke-free after five years.

Nese Devenot, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Cincinnati and the study's lead author, stated that the findings demonstrate the potential for psychedelics to reshape self-perceptions to help people overcome old habits or addictions in the face of daily triggers and temptations.

Only 15 participants comprised the experiment's sample size, but the researchers consider the results are encouraging. Participants reported feeling fundamentally different and described the experience as a metamorphosis.

Read Also: Researchers Grow Electrodes in Brain, Achieving Breakthrough for Future Neurological Disorders Therapies

Devenot also points out that individuals frequently respond to stressors and other triggers similarly, becoming mired in repetitive behavior patterns. She compares it to a skier using the same grooved path down the mountain they have used a thousand times before.

A Study Overview

This study examines the use of the drug psilocybin to help smokers in quitting. According to the Alcohol Drug and Foundation, psilocybin or magic mushrooms occur naturally and are consumed for their hallucinogenic properties. They are psychedelic drugs, which can alter a person's cognition, perception of time, and emotions.

The researchers wanted to determine the efficacy of psilocybin-assisted therapy sessions for smoking cessation. They examined the instructions given to the therapists and the participants' reported experiences.

They discovered that therapy sessions combined with the effects of psilocybin helped individuals alter their self-perception and sense of self. This change in identity assisted them in quitting smoking.

As more and more people use psychedelics for therapy, the researchers say it is crucial to ensure that the therapy is conducted safely and ethically. They want to ensure patients feel empowered to make positive changes in their lives and control their experiences.

Australia Approves Use of Psychedelics

Australia has recently acknowledged two potent psychoactive substances as medicines. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) will allow MDMA and psilocybin to be used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, respectively, beginning on July 1.

The Australian Health Department has clarified that only psychiatrists will be authorized to issue drug prescriptions because they have the knowledge and expertise to diagnose and treat individuals with severe mental health issues.

Stay posted here at Tech Times.

Related Article: Australia Now Recognizes Psychedelics MDMA and Psilocybin as Medicines for PTSD and Depression Treatment

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A big part of daily operations at Main Street Beatrice is promoting economic development in the downtown Beatrice.

Executive Director Michael Sothan said there are several ongoing projects including working on an individual basis with potential business owners.

We work really hard to help ensure that new business owners are going to be successful, he said. People come to us with an idea and we help them with cash flow and other analysis. About 50% of the people that we meet with will never open the business and thats okay.

Sothan said that average business doesnt make a profit for the first three years. Once people realize some of the inputs they start to rethink.

I can consider that a success too.

Another project Main Street Beatrice has been working on has been the creation of the Creative Arts District.

There are several touch points that will promote economic development, he said. Some of the softer points will be marketing or developing niches. Some of it may be a little more direct and targeted. We are exploring the options.

Sothan continued that usually an awesome place to live is also an awesome place to visit.

Its really more about building community, he said. Its multi-faceted.

The strategic plan, which is currently in process, is the final stage to receiving the Creative Arts District designation.

Some of the other highlights include ten business openings during the previous year, however, ten business closed for a zero net gain.

Thirty jobs were gained, but with the closing of The Kensington there were 54 jobs lost. Since 2016 approximately 200 jobs were added.

From 2016 to current we have reversed a trend that Beatrice has moved in a positive direction, he said. Approximately 180 businesses call downtown Beatrice their home.

Three downtown housing units were added in the previous year with one new construction project valued at $25,000.

Main Street Beatrice has also participated in a University of Nebraska Lincoln Downtown Revitalization Plan and with K-State in a similar process.

We have begun work with our marketing campaign and are working on advocacy efforts at the state and federal levels to strengthen or get reinstated the programs that we need to be successful with our community goals.
"A deliberate and premeditated act": in Angers, an investigation opened after the ransacking of a church

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The Yuxi mountain fire in Yunnan was all extinguished, and the fire site was successfully encircled

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Chinese Football Re-startThe rejuvenation of the Chinese Super League is booming, looking forward to the bright future of Chinese football

The signs of the punch were visible on him. The first appearance of the Bayern Munich player after the clash with Sadio Mane

Asensio's 88 minutes in a Madrid that already looks to London: "Other teams only play from Saturday to Saturday ..."

Shahid  10 years old and his name is Khalil. Chelsea junior skill catches the eye

National Bureau of Statistics: The sales prices of commercial residential buildings in various tier cities increased month-on-month in March

Hokkaido: Moves toward the abolition of coal-fired power generation and the introduction of offshore wind power generation

Faster than expected: the head of the Ministry of Economic Development Reshetnikov predicted Russia's GDP growth of 1.2% in 2023

New home prices in 3 cities in China in March: more than ninety percent of cities rose month-on-month, hitting a new high in nearly four years

The latest house price data of 70 cities is here, and the overall is now showing obvious signs of stabilization and recovery

(Focus on the Consumer Expo) The "spillover effect" of the Consumer Expo is released The "circle of friends" of the Hainan Free Trade Port has expanded

There are changes in the method of collecting the proceeds from the transfer of mining rights, and the pressure on enterprises is expected to be reduced

Experts at home and abroad gathered in Quancheng to explore a new path of deep "marriage" of science and technology finance

Data trading has ushered in a new wave of development, and the market size is expected to exceed 2025 billion yuan in 2200

Jerusalem: the ceremony of the "Holy Fire" of the Holy Sepulchre under heavy police presence

There were further positive changes in the property market

Nine Arab countries want to weigh in for a resolution of the Syrian crisis

It witnessed clashes between the army forces and the rapid support. The most prominent sites of military operations in Sudan

The first observation is the temperature, height and depth of the meeting between the Chinese and Pakistani heads of state

Madrid, the city of half a million influencers who have won the game of social networks to Barcelona: "Everyone wants to be here"

The PP prepares to dispute the PSOE several autonomous communities "until the last day"

They connect a decade later the system that would have avoided the Alvia accident

The Generalitat forces teachers to declare in writing that they will give their classes in Catalan

Lula will visit Spain to meet with the King and Pedro Sanchez and talk about Ukraine and the agreement between the EU and Mercosur

Podemos entrenches itself for its pulse with Yolanda Diaz and warns her: "Nothing is achieved alone"

Alessandro Lequio breaks his silence: "It makes me sad that my son is once again the protagonist of today"

Mass poisoning on MasterChef 11: "We're sorry. It is an absolutely exceptional case in these 11 years"

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Former Pentagon adviser McGregor: Ukraine may disappear as a state by the end of the year

The sexist murder of an influencer shakes the Dominican Republic: her ex shoots her in the head three days after trying

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Akharin khabar: the leak from the Pentagon was a secret message to Zelensky on Russia

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 Communities 2019 - Privacy

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They say you can't judge a book by it's cover, but nobody says anything about record covers.

Regardless, both 36? and Laura Hickli should be fine. The pair  Hickli performs as a solo artist, 36? is a band fronted by Taylor Cochrane, and Hickli is also a member  recently released a split record. The 36? side is called "Naturally," and the Hickli side is "Both Feet In The World, At Least I Can Stand."

36? is pronounced exactly as it looks, the number 36 with a questioning affectation. Although Cochrane does admit that it's "open to interpretation."

If you want to judge them on the music, go ahead, because it's excellent. Cochrane's work with 36? is effervescent, a mix of folky chords, guitar arpeggios and electronic smudges, peppered with lyrical confessions. On "Natural," he sounds like an Elvis impersonator singing over a Sufjan Stevens track.

Hickli's brand of baroque pop is ornate and shining. On "Unholy Power," she plays a chamber music piano riff that would sound right at home in a cathedral, and layers her ethereal voice on top of it as the song rises for it's entire 2:46 run-time.

But if you want to judge "Naturally / Both Feet In The World, At Least I Can Stand," by its cover, go right ahead. Because both sides are similarly excellent, and really stand out when flipping through records.

Hicki's side shows her in a simple prairie dress, arms outstretched, seeming floating several inches off the ground in front of a grassy hill.

The 36? side is a series of stitched together photos, all vintage shots of three young boys, with the phrase "I wish that we could take things natural ... just let things evolve" stitched across the photos in a blue cursive script. The line is from one of their songs, but the art style is familiar to anyone up on the Montana arts scene.

The cover is a piece by Billings based artist Jane Waggoner Deschner, reminiscent of the work she had at the Yellowstone Art Museum in "Remember Me," and some of the newer pieces she has on display at the Electric Storm Gallery.

Cochrane and Hickli live in Calgary, Alberta, but their list of Montana connections run deep.

"The last time we were in Billings before the pandemic at Kirks' Grocery, they had a gallery of Jane's work, and it really resonated with me," Cochrane said.

They first met Deschner, and her husband Jon Lodge, when they hosted some concerts at Julia Louis-Dreyfest in 2019, including a 36? show.

"They're both such lovely people that love talking about art and sharing art and their ideas and their story," Hickli said.

But their biggest Billings connection is that "Naturally / Both Feet In The World, At Least I Can Stand" was released on North Pole Records, which is Kirks' proprietor Shane de Leon's independent record label. The vinyl record is available for purchase and streaming at North Pole Record's Bandcamp.

"He's kinda like our tour daddy," Cochrane said of de Leon.

"You can tell he actually understands and cares about artists," Hickli added. "It seems like you're not working for a corporation so much as you're just working with friends."

They first met de Leon playing a show at Kirks', which is a venue they return to often. They'll be there on Friday night, along with Brandon Garay, another Canadian musician who makes music under the name "Quiet Winter."

"We have a really fond love of Billings," Hickli said. "Love the community, love all of the people."
St. Augustine Catholic Church in the Treme neighborhood of New Orleans, Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022. (Staff Photo by David Grunfeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
The Melbourne CBD workplace is evolving, with work-from-home COVID-19 mandates forever changing employees desire to commute to skyscrapers filled with high-density, open-plan offices.

Despite some employers offering incentives for workers to return to the office, pre-pandemic life of working five days a week in the city has not returned.

A flight to quality has seen increasing demand for rejuvenated B Grade CBD office buildings. Credit: JESSICA SHAPIRO

The trend is inspiring a new wave of commercial property developments across the city, as employers look for other ways to persuade staff to return to the office. Upgrading tired office digs is often high on the agenda.

Demand from investors, developers and owner-occupiers seeking to purchase secondary, B grade CBD office assets with a view to renovating them is intensifying, with employers displaying a flight to quality as they move to better facilities in an attempt to win over staff.
Paul Harding has published three short books in 15 years. He chooses his words with exquisite care. He richly rewards anyone who allows him to set the pace, focusing our attention on nooks and crannies of experience that are luminous because they simply exist. Even more than Marilynne Robinson, his one-time teacher, he casts a spell that brings the reader to stillness.

Hardings first book, Tinkers (2009), won the Pulitzer Prize. There is a scene in it that has never left my imagination. The novel captures the last eight days in the life of George Washington Crosby as he lies in bed and meditates upon the world he is leaving and his ephemeral part in it. Crosby has been a watchmaker. The wheels and cogs in his world are small.

Paul Harding explores the subtle lives of those who are scarcely visible. Credit: NYT

He thinks of his father, Howard, who was a tinker and suffered epilepsy; he was part of a scarcely visible community, the rural poor of Maine, scraping a living from the austere countryside. One day, on his travels, Howard had a seizure and was late home. His wife, Kathleen, sat immobile at the family table with their children for four hours, the food turning cold and gelatinous.

When Howard returns, covered in mud because he has fallen into the river and had a fit, he stands in the door, then takes his place at the table. They give thanks and the family eats. Not a word of explanation is offered. Young George observes with intensity the abyss created by that silence.
Australian man found dead in Bali

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Two House bills introduced Monday to the education committee in the Montana Legislature agree that charter schools would be a benefit to the state, but differed on how they should be established and operate.

House Bill 549 sponsored by committee chair Fred Anderson, R-Great Falls, would authorize the establishment of a public charter school system in the state while House Bill 562, sponsored by House Majority Leader Sue Vinton, R-Billings, would authorize the establishment of similarly defined community choice schools.

Charter schools are funded by taxpayers but operate independently from the public school system to offer alternative types of instruction and curriculum to students who choose to attend them.

Both bills would allow new school districts to form and operate independently from current local districts and give parents the option to enroll their children through an application process or lottery system if it were to exceed a threshold of availability.

Where they differ is how exactly the new districts would be formed. Both would have new district proposals submitted to the board of public education while HB 549 would have them go through an approval process with existing local school boards and HB 562 through a committee comprised of appointees by the governor, superintendent of public instruction and state legislative leaders.

Despite mostly identical language and intention between the two otherwise, both bills drew considerable responses by proponents and opponents.

Representatives from the Montana School Boards Association, School Administrators of Montana and the Coalition of Advocates for Montana Public Education expressed support for HB 549, saying it would allow families the freedom and opportunity to select the school of their choice that would still abide by state law.

School Administrators of Montana Executive Director Rob Watson added that Bozeman Public Schools was able to successfully implement the Bridger Charter Academy eight years ago under current administrative rules while he was its superintendent. He said the bill is similar to what was done for that process and would expand options for other districts.

We would support House Bill 549 because, as I experienced as a superintendent, it allowed for local control over a board that was established by our locally elected trustees and approved by the board of public ed, he said.

Opponents included a number of state residents who primarily expressed concern over the involvement of current school boards in the process and the public school system in general, saying they would prevent any new schools from providing children with a true alternative to public education.

I must say, after going to many school board meetings in Bozeman over the past few years, that the idea of them being the ones to decide whether a public charter school should exist in their district is like having the fox guard the hen house, resident Cheryl Tusken said.

Conversely, those opposed to HB 549 were largely in favor of HB 562 with the distinction being the absence of existing boards from the approval process and local elections to form new boards.

Vinton said this approach would provide additional opportunities to students and educators while also encouraging educational entrepreneurship.

Across the nation, operating as charters, independent boards have offered diverse, sustainable schools that the communities have asked for and that communities in Montana, I believe, are asking for as well, she said.

Also among those in support for HB 562 included local parents and educators along with representatives from out-of-state organizations including the National Organization of Charter Schools, Americans for Prosperity and the Idaho Charter School Network who agreed that the bill both supports parental rights and follows similar successful legislation across the country.

One opponent for both bills as they are currently written was Board of Public Education Executive Director McCall Flynn. For HB 549, she expressed concerns over its proposed approach to collecting analyzing program data being independent from the board and felt that HB 562 superseded the constitutional authority provided to the board for the states public school system.

She said that she would be willing to amend the language of HB 549, but referred to a legal note where the Supreme Court ruled that the legislature didnt have the authority to remove duties from the board that she believes HB 562 would do.

We understand that the intent is to have autonomous authority over the public charter system, but I would argue that the board must play a larger role in that process to ensure we maintain our constitutional authority over the public system, as required in the constitution.

Similarly, Montana School Boards Association Executive Director Lance Melton argued that the bill was unconstitutional as its currently written on the grounds of overstepping Title 20. He said that, by removing the board of public education and locally elected school board trustees from the process, it would divest state voters  among others  of their constitutional rights.

This is a group that gets together and says I want several thousands of dollars for a relatively small school and I want to pick and choosethe people who are going to serve on the board that Im going to elect along with the rest of the parents and the staff, but not the taxpayers,' he said. Thats a major problem.

Despite Meltons testimony that the bill wouldnt survive litigation, proponents insisted that it abides by the constitution.

The bills come following others with a focus on parental choice in public education. Last month, House Bill 203 was introduced and transmitted to the Senate which would give parents more leeway in selecting a public school outside the district they reside in. During the 2021 session, a similar bill for establishing charter schools was introduced by Republican Representative Ed Hill of Havre that failed to pass the House.

Expanding school choice in Montana has been discussed for years and recently ramped up through public demonstrations, forums and endorsements from officials including Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen and Gov. Greg Gianforte.

During his state of the state last month, Gianforte highlighted Vinton's bill and called on lawmakers to pass it during the session.

Lets ensure each childs education best meets his or her individual needs, he said. Lets support individualized learning.

No action was taken by the committee for either bill before the meeting was adjourned.
Queensland mayors calling for NT alcohol ban to be extended

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South Australia set on fire by extreme heat

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Convicted killer and crime family boss George Marrogi will remain in jail until hes aged in his 60s after a judge sentenced him for orchestrating a $55 million drug importation from behind bars.

Marrogi, 34, who was assisted in his sophisticated criminal operation by lovesick girlfriend Antonietta Mannella, helped co-ordinate a huge shipment of heroin and methamphetamine, and attempted to traffic 1,4-Butanediol while on remand in a high-security prison for murder, in 2021 and 2022.

George Marrogi.

Marrogi later learnt his importation had been intercepted by police in a message from fellow inmate and drug baron Tony Mokbel, before Marrogi and Mannella were charged over their involvement in the sophisticated drug syndicate.

On Friday, County Court Judge Peter Rozen described Marrogi as the author of his own misfortune who had and would continue to spend most of his life behind bars.
When Michael Suckling was jailed for driving a car that killed his friend he weighed 82 kilograms.

Three years later, after suffering poor mental health and being medicated for severe pain due to injuries suffered in the crash, the 41-year-old Aboriginal man died in his cell weighing 199 kilograms.

Michael Suckling gained 117 kilograms between 2018 and his death in custody in 2021, the Coroners Court heard.

A coroner is investigating the circumstances leading up to the March 2021 death and the quality of healthcare given to Suckling, in an inquest in Melbourne that began on Friday.

Suckling grew up in Gippsland and worked as a plasterer. He was in a relationship with his childhood sweetheart and had two children. However, drugs later wreaked havoc on his life, counsel assisting, Sharon Lacy, told the Coroners Court.
When Melbourne Water announced the terms of reference for its inquiry into last years flooding of the Maribyrnong River, I was not the only one who was underwhelmed. Many residents went to bed on the night of October 13 uneasy about the rising waters, but content in the knowledge that there were sophisticated flood alert systems in place. On October 14, however, the water peaked 1.8 metres higher than predicted, inundating 525 homes and businesses in Maribyrnong, and another 81 properties in neighbouring suburbs.

Melbournes west was inundated as the banks of the Maribyrnong River burst, flooding nearby streets. Credit: Chris Hopkins

Most fair-minded people would think it uncontroversial to say that those residents deserve to know why the early warning system did not live up to its eponymous function. To examine and consider planning and policy responses to the event is also logical, most would probably agree.

Melbourne Water did not seem to think so. The terms of reference for its review into the flood specifically excluded five items: policy responses, building future flood walls or dams to help protect against future disasters, emergency responses including warnings and evacuation procedures, flood recovery, and planning matters.

Confused? So were we at The Age. Opposition frontbencher David Davis in parliament later described the review by Melbourne Water, which has responsibility for the early warning system, as akin to allowing a school student to mark their own homework. A good line, and not inaccurate.
Montana State University Billings' remote-learning program is helping students unable to attend class finish their coursework and graduate college.

Lackner is originally from Valier and was attending MSUB when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020.

After classes moved online, she expected to return to a more traditional, in-person learning experience in the future. However, after giving birth in July 2021 and moving an hour away from Billings, HyFlex courses made it possible for Lackner to continue her education.

If I didnt have the option to take flexible courses, I probably wouldnt be completing my education right now, she said.

HyFlex courses allow students at MSUB to complete courses asynchronously, which means students can choose to come to class in person, complete their work on their own time and watch prerecorded lectures, attend a scheduled class virtually, or do a mix of all options. The flexibility of this option appeals to many students who work, raise families, or live outside of Billings.

Currently a resident of Hysham, Lackner partnered with the school in her community to complete her degrees practicum hours without traveling to Billings and was able to attend many of her classes remotely or via HyFlex.

Everyone at MSUB has been so understanding and willing to help me find a way to make things possible, Lackner said.

Lackner is currently completing her student teaching experience and expects to graduate from MSUB this May with a degree in elementary education.
It began as a dispute over the sale of his Mount Claremont home, but Sandi Matics year-long stoush with western suburbs real estate high-flyer Vivien Yap has ended with a jail sentence.

Wearing a blue jumpsuit, Matic was led into court by four security guards on Thursday, where he was sentenced to 21 days behind bars after being found guilty of contempt of court for failing to attend.

Sandi Matic, left, had been locked in a protracted legal battle with western suburbs real estate agent Vivien Yap. Credit: Matthew Tompsett

The former builder had already spent two nights in Hakea Prison over another contempt conviction, with his failure to pay a $20,000 cost bill, triggering a three-month jail term.

The row stemmed from the sale of Matics $1.7 million Mount Claremont home, which he initially signed off on but later decided he was dissatisfied with.
Extra cash to bail out struggling public hospitals could be released to states and territories to tackle swamped emergency departments and a surgery backlog after a review of the governments contentious hospital funding deal is finalised at the end of the year.

Health Minister Mark Butler and his state and territory counterparts agreed to an independent review of the five-year hospital funding arrangement at a meeting on Friday, following months of lobbying from state premiers for the Commonwealth to pay a greater share in supporting public hospitals.

Federal Health Minister Mark Butler acknowledges that public hospitals are under pressure. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

The report  which could recommend the federal government contributes more to the health system, already one of its top five areas of expenditure growth  will be handed down in December with an interim report presented to health ministers in August.

The doctors union has joined the states in campaigning for more Commonwealth money and said the system could not afford to wait for a new agreement to come into force in 2025.
After a period of relative peace, war returned to Europe when the Russian army rolled into Ukraine a year ago yesterday, the lessons of 1939-1945 tossed onto a bonfire of nationalism, hubris and madness by a country whose earlier generations perhaps experienced the worst horrors of that conflict.

In a rambling speech announcing what he called the special military operation, Russian President Vladimir Putin evoked the Stalingrad spirit of World War II, saying his goal was to denazify Ukraine, which he claimed posed a mortal threat to Russia.

The day after Putin sent Russian troops in, our editorial said full-blown invasion offers Putin the opportunity to expand Russias territory in the region, rewrite the security map of Europe, increase its influence globally and prove that, in a battle of wills with the West, Russian aggression will win out.

Having stewed for more than three decades over the humiliating collapse of the Soviet Union, this is the Russian leaders most audacious bloody effort to reassert the nations authority as a global power to be reckoned with.
The North Dakota House of Representatives on Monday passed a bill to ensure physical polling places, similar to legislation that failed in 2021, brought in the wake of North Dakota's all-mail June 2020 election.

House Bill 1167, by Rep. Steve Vetter, R-Grand Forks, passed unanimously and now goes to the Senate.

The bill states: "The governor may not issue an executive order that suspends or amends a provision in a statute, order, or rule relating to a state or local requirement regarding minimum number of physical polling places."

Rep. Claire Cory, R-Grand Forks, said the bill guarantees a physical polling place in every county and would ban an all-mail election.

"This is an important election integrity bill for those constituents who like to vote in person," Cory told the House.

Gov. Doug Burgum in 2020 signed an executive order waiving the requirement that counties provide at least one physical polling site for the June 2020 election, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The House and Senate in 2021 had passed the previous bill, but the Senate reconsidered it and it failed by a single vote.

House Bill 1167 is among a flurry of election-related bills filed by supermajority North Dakota Republican lawmakers, continuing a trend from 2021. The Legislature that year handled more than 40 election-related bills in the wake of the 2020 presidential election and former President Donald Trump's baseless claims of election fraud.
Hong Kong: Digital economy key to growth: FS

Financial Secretary Paul Chan said the digital economy would be a key driver of growth and development for Hong Kong in the coming years.

Speaking on a public radio broadcast this morning, Mr Chan reiterated that digitalisation is one of the key elements to the citys future development.

I think the digital economy is evolving very quickly. The way I see it is that digitalisation is a very important tool, not just in itself as an industry, but it can also cut across different sectors to enhance their competitiveness and even transform their business model.

The finance chief added that digitalisation would help the city diversify its economy and provide more jobs.

He also stressed the importance of promoting and developing the green economy, adding Hong Kong is in a good position as many startups and companies are investing in this area.

On property taxes, Mr Chan said the Government is not considering a tax on vacant properties at the moment but it is reviewing its rating system for domestic properties.

This story has been published on: 2023-02-24. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
China invests nearly 28.3 bln USD in basic research in 2022

Xinhua) 13:55, February 24, 2023

BEIJING, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- China invested about 195.1 billion yuan (about 28.3 billion U.S. dollars) in basic research in 2022, accounting for 6.3 percent of the total R&D spending, the Minister of Science and Technology said on Friday.

China's total expenditure on R&D amounted to 3.09 trillion yuan (about 448.2 billion U.S. dollars) in 2022, accounting for 2.55 percent of the country's GDP that year, minister Wang Zhigang told a press conference.

China's hot papers accounted for 41.7 percent of the global total in 2022, while its highly cited papers accounted for 27.3 percent. Hot papers are papers published within the previous two years and which were cited enough times in the most recent two months to be placed in the top 0.1 percent when compared to peer papers.

China is not only an important participant in international frontier innovation but also an important contributor to solving global problems, Wang said.

In 2022, there were 400,000 high-tech enterprises in China, contributing 68 percent of the total R&D input of enterprises nationwide, and 762 of them were among the world's top 2,500 enterprises in terms of R&D input, according to the minister.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
Dane Bollingberg knows how difficult child care availability can be.

The Courtenay-area farmer and his wife, Alicia, have driven their 3-year-old daughter, Molly, to day care in Jamestown since shortly after she was born -- 70-75 miles every day, five days a week.

The situation is easier now that Alicia has a job in Jamestown, but the long drives back and forth came about after a Wimbledon child care center, where their sons Jared and Preston had attended, closed after about two years.

"It's not as big of a deal anymore, but that sure was nice to have that day care in Wimbledon," Dane Bollingberg said. He suspects staffing led it to close.

Child care and workforce issues loom large for North Dakota and thus for its lawmakers gathered in Bismarck, with a flurry of bills seeking solutions for helping fill the state's 30,000 open jobs.

Legislative leaders have rallied behind the issue, which one of them says is a bipartisan priority.

Bills include ones to boost child care assistance, to create a state immigration office, and to update requirements and procedures of occupational boards, among others.

The session's first bill signed by Gov. Doug Burgum was for a $68 million line of credit from the state-owned-Bank of North Dakota for helping finance the construction of 13 planned Career and Technical Education academies -- a move to boost fields with workforce needs.

Burgum said his administration is optimistic about the workforce and child care bills in the Legislature, that "People understand the fundamental economics -- which is the thing that is holding back the economy in North Dakota is lack of workforce."

Jobs in health care, teaching, law enforcement and truck driving, "Wherever you go, we've got a shortage, so one of the things that we've got to do is drive forward on the workforce bills and also (child care) ... because you can't separate the need for increased child care," the governor said.

Burgum also is touting a proposed income tax cut as a way to attract workers to North Dakota, that "Being able to move to a state where you've got a great job, great place to live, great communities and zero income tax is pretty appealing."

The Legislature's budget writers are handling a number of the governor's proposed initiatives. The session's buzzword is "workforce," according to Rep. Mike Nathe, R-Bismarck.

"And for good reason," he said. "We're having a hard time filling positions across the state, which is having a negative effect on our businesses and industries, and we need to attack this workforce problem head on."

Bollingberg, who owns a heating and air conditioning business in Jamestown, knows the workforce struggles, too.

"I consider us lucky. I've got really good employees, and they're awesome, but boy, we could use 10 more, and you just can't find them anywhere," he said.

Workforce panel

The Senate Workforce Development Committee is a new panel created to specifically address North Dakota's workforce needs. Chair Mike Wobbema, R-Valley City, said he's taken an educational approach to the panel, with presentations from state agencies and industry associations.

"The goal, then, was to create a foundational understanding of what's been going on in the state, because we're like the last player on the field here with this committee from that perspective," Wobbema said. "Having that foundation, my goal has been and is still is that all of that will give us context and help to develop a left and right lane with any of the legislation that we see."

His panel will handle about 24 bills, he said, including legislation to update some licensing boards' certification requirements, and create alternatives to discipline for nurses with substance use disorders or behavioral or mental health conditions.

"Previously, I suspect what their problem was if somebody had a substance use issue, it went on their record, it stayed on their record, and so basically they're done being a nurse because who's going to hire them? So now we've lost someone who could be in the workforce who just needed a second chance to get themselves straightened out," Wobbema said.

Other bills before the panel would lower the age of minors able to work in construction and assist in professional sporting events. Wobbema said the bills would enable youth to enter the workforce and experience the responsibilities of a job.

One bill would create a state office to help coordinate immigrants into the state and connect them with employers, similar to agencies that existed long ago in the state and its territorial government.

A bill by Senate Majority Leader David Hogue, R-Minot, seeks proposals in 2025 for streamlining occupational licensure and revising continuing education of out-of-state professionals.

"Under current law if I've been a lawyer in Minnesota for three years -- licensed, took the bar, graduated from an accredited school -- why do I have to retake the bar exam to come here?" said Hogue, an attorney. "It's an unnecessary impediment to moving here."

Wobbema noted that not every bill before the panel makes "it through the wickets" or is "ready for prime time." He added, "I'm willing to listen to any and all ideas that get thrown out there and weigh them upon their own merits."

The panel also has given lawmakers a good start on workforce issues for the Legislature's 2023-24 interim, he said.

Child care

The state Department of Health and Human Services budget has about $73 million of child care proposals, a package largely aligned with one Burgum and lawmakers unveiled last fall to boost child care availability, affordability and quality.

The HHS proposal, in front of Senate budget writers, includes $22 million for the Child Care Assistance Program to expand to help families cover child care for 3,000 children ages 0 to 3, and $13 million to increase the rate the state pays for child care assistance for children under 3.

Senate Minority Leader Kathy Hogan, D-Fargo, said those allocations are essentially replacing federal coronavirus aid.

"I kind of don't count replacing COVID money as new money because the providers have already been getting that," she said.

HHS Director for Human Services Jessica Thomasson said, "The child care proposal is a more targeted investment than the wide range of child care initiatives piloted during the pandemic and funded with COVID dollars. We are building on some initiatives and scaling back others."

Sen. Kyle Davison, R-Fargo, said Senate budget writers are eyeing about $100 million for child care.

That figure would include proposals in the HHS budget and other bills. Some of that money would replace federal coronavirus aid with state general fund dollars for "enhanced and more targeted" programs, Davison said. The Senate likely will approve $60-65 million, less than what the governor proposed, he said.

Other bills propose a tax credit for middle-income families' child care costs, a $36 million child care stabilization program for monthly grants to child care providers, and a streamlined criminal background check process for child care workers.

The backgrounding process is "too complicated," thus impeding the hiring of staff, according to Hogan, who has proposed several bills on child care, including the tax credit and background checks.

Child care came up as the top issue when she went door to door campaigning last year, she said.

"Without that core infrastructure, people who want to work can't afford to work and so it's, I think, the biggest solution to our workforce crisis," Hogan said.

The top Senate Democrat said the $73 million HHS proposal should essentially be doubled to $150 million "to really stabilize and build a long-term, viable infrastructure."

Hogan, who leads a tiny minority of four Democrats in a Republican-supermajority statehouse, said she thinks "finding solutions is bipartisan."

"It's urban and rural. It's east and west. This is something that everybody cares about," Hogan said. Budget writers may struggle with "how do all the various pieces of the puzzle fit together," she said, but she hopes for "some good outcomes as a whole."

"I don't see this as a party-line issue at all," Hogan said.

Her Republican counterpart, Hogue, said he "previously has always thought that state government really doesn't have a role to play subsidizing child care. It's a personal responsibility.

"But when you see the impacts and the number of people who are staying out of the workforce, and it's a prudent, economic decision for them to stay out of the workforce, that's where you want to try to address that," he said.

'In the pipeline'

The state Commerce Department made about $60 million in requests for workforce initiatives, including nearly $25 million in requests to expand the department's "Find the Good Life" campaign to market the state and its communities and recruit workers.

Since the campaign launched last year, about a dozen people have moved to North Dakota because of it, not including family members, according to Commerce Commissioner Josh Teigen.

He said more than 1,000 people "are actually in the pipeline," folks who have "reached out, given us their contact info, maybe even sent a resume and are actively trying to relocate here."

"I think it's really too early to make widespread criticisms of the program because I think if we let it run its course, plus if we add some additional dollars to it, we could see some pretty impressive results," Teigen said.

Commerce also is working on a model of "the economic impact of what one person moving to the state means," he said.

The department also is watching the bill for a state immigration office, which would be housed within the agency, and for what results for child care assistance. Teigen called child care "our lowest-hanging fruit to solving a big chunk of our workforce challenge and opportunity."

Other Burgum initiatives include proposals to expand the state's automation tax credit, for purchasing or leasing machinery to automate manufacturing, and for automation training for workers using the equipment.

Budget writers are funding Burgum workforce initiatives, though "not quite to the tune of what the governor wanted," and all are one-time fundings, according to Nathe.
The Wyoming Business Council (WBC) Board of Directors held their quarterly meeting via Zoom due to weather on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023. During the meeting, they recommended two Business Ready Community (BRC) grant and loan projects for funding.

The board also selected board positions for the upcoming year and recognized outgoing co-chair Erin Moore for her service. Mandy Fabel, executive director of Leadership Wyoming, presented about The Wyoming Academy , and the board heard updates from each of the WBC teams, including an economic outlook for Wyoming and a Pathways to Prosperity update from the Strategy Team.

The previous day, the board and WBC team held a virtual public work session with the Wyoming Workforce Development Council and InSite Consulting. Recordings of both meetings are available on the Business Council's YouTube channel

BRC projects considered at the Feb. 22 meeting:

Community Readiness - Campbell County Pronghorn Industrial Complex

Campbell County requests a $2,669,450 Community Readiness grant to construct the sewer system build-out of 160 acres in the Pronghorn Industrial Complex.

The board unanimously recommended this project for funding.

Community Readiness - Town of Sundance Old Stoney Project Phase II

The Town of Sundance requests a $2,837,763 Community Readiness grant for the final phase of the full restoration of the historic Old Stoney building.

The board did not recommend this project for funding.

Business Committed - Casper/Natrona County Economic Development Joint Powers Board Phoslock Environmental Technologies

The Casper/Natrona County Economic Development Joint Powers Board (EDJPB) requests a $600,000 Business Committed grant for the acquisition of a manufacturing plant to allow for Phoslock Environmental Technologies (PET) to relocate out of China with intentions of exporting Wyoming-made products within the United States and across the globe.
LOS ANGELES  If Ke Huy Quan wins an Oscar for his work in Everything Everywhere All At Once, he knows whos on the thank you list  co-star Michelle Yeoh.

She inspired me to get back into acting, the Best Supporting Actor nominee says. She gave me the courage to dream again, to give voice to this dream that I had for a long, long time.

After making his debut at age 12 in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Quan got work in The Goonies and other kid-friendly films. As he got older, roles disappeared. He figured his acting career was over. Enrolling at the University of Southern California, he got a degree in film and transitioned to work behind the camera.

But acting? It took the success of Yeohs Crazy Rich Asians to get him to even think about it. When Director Daniel Kwan was searching for someone to play Yeohs husband in Everything Everywhere, he found Quans Twitter page and asked if hed like to audition.

I was content (working behind the camera) until I noticed that the landscape had changed drastically, Quan says. When I started out as a kid, it was very difficult to be an Asian actor. There were not a lot of opportunities. The last five years, theres a lot more progress.

When Everything Everywhere was released, Quan got great reviews and a shot at a second career. When awards season began, his name was bandied about. At the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards (which he won), Quan was one of the most grateful recipients, delighting in the attention Hollywood had offered. At last weeks Academy Awards luncheon, he was quick to meet as many fellow nominees as possible, reuniting with his old boss Stephen Spielberg and taking photos with others who could consider him competition.

To prove Everything Everywhere is not a fluke, the 51-year-old has been cast in American Born Chinese, a new Disney+ series in which he plays Freddy Wong, a fictional character from a mid-1990s sitcom.

Its practically putting a mirror up to yourself and showing the audience what that was like, Quan says. When the show comes out, the audience is going to have a range of emotions. Some are going to be very angry with it. Some are going to think its funny. And thats OK because that is something for us to talk about, to make progress, to be better.

American Born Chinese follows a teenager who moves from San Franciscos Chinatown to a suburb where theres only one other Asian student. He struggles with his identity and draws on the journeys of others to find his own path.

When Quan spoke with the series producers, he wanted to be assured they would continue to employ him if people hate my character and nobody wants to hire me again.

Executive Producer Kelvin Yu was convinced Quan was right for the role: We needed an actor who (could play) a character that surprises you. Ke Quan is nothing if not an actor who surprises you.

If he wins the Oscar, hell also be a drawing card for the series.

For the longest time, we havent seen a show like this, Quan says. It features an entire Asian cast. And thats why Im so grateful.

Even better? Michelle Yeoh co-stars in American Born Chinese, too. She plays the Goddess of Mercy.

Shes the goddess of compassion, Yeoh says. She didnt go back to the heavens because she stayed to look after the people of the world. So all of us have a Goddess of Mercy in our house.

Just like Quan.
The risk to public safety from a carbon dioxide pipeline is no greater than that associated with other types of hazardous gases and pipelines, Burleigh Countys top health official has concluded amid debate over a planned CO2 project that would bisect the county.

Bismarck-Burleigh Health Officer Dr. David Pengilly told county commissioners on Thursday that his opinion is based on only a few weeks study and that it is not an endorsement of Summit Carbon Solutions planned Midwest Carbon Express pipeline.

We dont like any toxic materials going through our county ... were not endorsing it, he said. Were just saying it doesnt appear to represent an unacceptable risk.

Commissioner Wayne Munson said Pengillys opinion contradicts everything else weve been told up to now and just throws a wrench in everything that weve been working for, and Im just more confused.

Commissioners are considering two ordinances linked to concerns expressed by some northern county residents about the Midwest Carbon Express pipeline, including worries about their safety. The pipeline is to transport climate-warming CO2 emissions from Midwestern ethanol plants to North Dakotas Oliver County for permanent storage underground.

The commission, convening as the County Board of Health on Feb. 6, considered a public health statement that expresses concern for the risk of hazardous liquid gas exposure to humans, the environment and livestock. It set the stage for a proposed ordinance that would require companies building hazardous liquid pipelines to submit emergency plans to local officials, to ensure publish health and safety.

County Planning Director Mitch Flanagan acknowledged during the early February meeting that no health officials had provided input on the statement, and commissioners voted to seek an opinion from Pengilly.

Pengilly in the written opinion provided to commissioners on Thursday said he consulted with the state Department of Environmental Quality. That agency provided him with information including:

The permitting process for a CO2 pipeline includes government oversight and requires safety precautions including an emergency response plan.

Transportation of carbon dioxide is similar to the transport of fuels such as natural gas and oil, which requires monitoring and safeguards.

There is no greater risk in transporting CO2 than there is with other hazardous gases such as natural gas and anhydrous ammonia, which are present in the county.

Several other types of pipelines are established in North Dakota with proper standards in place.

Pengilly concluded in his written opinion that There is no unacceptable risk to health, welfare and life safety for a CO2 pipeline. He recommended reviewing Summit Carbon Solutions submitted emergency response plan upon completion.

Commissioner Brian Bitner during Thursdays meeting asked Pengilly to elaborate on What is an acceptable risk? Pengilly responded that I cant quantitate acceptable risk as far as injuries and deaths.

Bitner also pressed Pengilly on whether he disagreed with anything in the public health statement. Pengilly said he did not.

A hearing was held earlier this month on the proposed health and safety ordinance, and a commission vote could come next month. The commission later will also consider a separate proposed zoning ordinance pertaining to special use permits required for hazardous liquid pipelines. That ordinance is still being developed, according to Flanagan.

Neither ordinance would apply to existing pipelines.

Both Munson and Commissioner Jerry Woodcox pressed for getting a safety ordinance in place as soon as possible. Chair Becky Matthews said its important for the county to consider Where do we fit in the oversight, and where do we overstep and find ourselves in a legal battle?

The North Dakota Public Service Commission will permit the route of the pipeline, and the state Industrial Commission will permit the CO2 disposal site. Summit must also comply with federal regulations. No Summit official spoke at Thursdays meeting.
10 Killed in Riots in Indonesias Restive Papua Province

Indonesian riot police take positions as fresh unrest broke out in Indonesia's restive Papua region in provincial capital Jayapura on Sept. 23, 2019. (Faisal Narwawan/AFP via Getty Images)

JAYAPURA, IndonesiaTen people were killed and more than 20 others wounded in a riot in Indonesias Papua Province, police said on Friday.

The riots began Thursday afternoon in Wamena town in the Jayawijaya district of Papua, the countrys easternmost Province, amid reports of a child kidnapping.

Local police who had responded to a report about the kidnappingwhich police later said was a hoaxwere attacked with rocks and arrows. Officers fired warning shots, hoping the people would disperse, Papua police spokesperson Ignatius Benny Ady Prabowo said in a written statement Friday.

The masses, who were increasingly anarchic, did not want to listen to the appeals from the officers. They did not want to disperse when they were given warning shots and even attacked the officers with arrows, Prabowo said.

Two civilians died after allegedly being hit by arrows and sharp weapons. At least 20 people were wounded in the riots, including 18 police and military officers.

Rioters also burned shophouses and other buildings, set up roadblocks, and attacked vehicles.

Prabowo said the situation was now recovering and under control.

Security officers were in the area and leaders pledged to investigate the incident.

Tensions in the restive region have spiked in the past year, with dozens of rebels, security forces, and civilians killed in clashes.

A pilot from New Zealand was taken hostage by separatist rebels in Papua in early February. The Indonesian military said in a statement that community leaders and religious leaders, along with the regional government, were working to secure the pilots release.

Last July, gunmen believed to be separatist rebels killed 10 traders who came from other Indonesian islands and an indigenous Papuan. Rebel spokesperson Sebby Sambom accused the victims of being spies for the government.

By Alfian Kartono and Edna Tarigan
6 Countries Vote Against UN Resolution Calling for Russia to Withdraw From Ukraine

A general view shows voting results during a U.N. General Assembly meeting at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on Oct. 12, 2022. (Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images)

Six nations joined Russia in voting against a resolution calling on Russian troops to immediately withdraw from Ukraine during a United Nations General Assembly on Feb. 23.

Belarus, a close ally of Russia, along with North Korea, Syria, Eritrea, Mali, and Nicaragua, all joined Russia in opposing the declaration on the eve of the first anniversary of Russias invasion of Ukraine.

The resolution called for Russia to immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine and called for a cessation of hostilities.

Belarus had proposed amendments to the resolution that would have altered several of its provisions, including calling on U.N. member states to refrain from sending weapons to the zone of conflict.

Those amendments were resoundingly rejected.

The number of nations voting against Thursdays resolution marks a slight increase from the last time the U.N. voted on a similar measure in March 2022. During that vote, five nationsBelarus, North Korea, Eritrea, Russia, and Syriavoted against the resolution.

China, India Abstain From Voting

Algeria, Armenia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, South Africa, Sudan, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe were among the 32 nations that abstained from voting on Thursday, according to the U.N., as were China, India, and Pakistan, which all have close relations with the Kremlin.

Chinese communist leader Xi Jinping is set to visit Moscow in the coming months, Russian President Vladimir Putin has confirmed.

Earlier this week, Chinas top diplomat, Wang Yi, visited the Kremlin and pledged a deeper comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia.

Elsewhere, a total of 141 countries out of the 193-member body voted in support of the resolution, including the United States, which helped draft the resolution, as well as the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, and Poland.

Those nations have granted some of the highest amounts of aid and military support to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

Specifically, Thursdays resolution (pdf) reaffirms its commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters.

It also calls for an immediate cessation of the attacks on the critical infrastructure of Ukraine and any deliberate attacks on civilian objects, including those that are residences, schools, and hospitals and emphasizes the need to ensure accountability for the most serious crimes under international law committed on the territory of Ukraine through appropriate, fair, and independent investigations and prosecutions at the national or international level, and ensure justice for all victims and the prevention of future crimes, among other key points.

Ukraines president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, wrote on Twitter shortly after the vote that he was grateful to all the countries that opted to endorse the resolution, calling it a powerful signal of unflagging global support for Ukraine.

Russia Calls Vote Useless

A powerful testament to the solidarity of [the global] community with [Ukranian] people in the context of the anniversary of RFs full-scale aggression, Zelenskyy wrote in the Twitter post. A powerful manifestation of global support for [Ukraine] Peace Formula!

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter that by voting in favor of todays UNGA resolution, 141 U.N. member states made it clear that Russia must end its illegal aggression.

Ukraines territorial integrity must be restored. One year after Russia launched its full-scale invasion, global support for Ukraine remains strong, Kuleba said.

Elsewhere, President Joe Bidens national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, called the vote a powerful call for a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in Ukraine in line with the principles of the U.N. Charter.

However, Russias Deputy U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy dismissed the action at the United Nations as useless, adding, Will it bring peace? No! Will it embolden warmongers? Yes! Thus prolonging Ukrainian tragedy.

Thursdays resolution is largely symbolic and not legally binding.

It comes as Ukraine braces for more intensified fighting as Russia attempts to capture all of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
A Horrible Idea: Critics on Both Left and Right Slam Special Grand Jury Forepersons Media Tour

A general view shows the stage during a walk-through before a Democratic presidential debate sponsored by CNN and Facebook at Wynn Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nev., on Oct. 13, 2015. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Critics on both the left and the right are slamming a special grand jury forepersons media tour in which she discussed an investigation into former-President Donald Trumps alleged criminal interference in the 2020 election in Fulton County, Georgia.

This was a horrible idea and I guarantee you prosecutors are wincing, Elie Honig, CNNs senior legal analyst and former New York assistant United States Attorney, told Anderson Cooper.

Mark my words, he said, Donald Trumps legal team is going to make a motion if theres an indictment to dismiss that indictment based on grand jury impropriety.

Emily Kohrs, the 30-year-old who has served for eight months as a foreperson of the special grand jury, appeared on CNN and MSNBC on Feb. 22 giving interviews that Honig called a prosecutors nightmare.

Kohrs told CNN amid an array of varied amused facial expressions and laughter that there are no major plot twists regarding the list of indictments against Trump and his allies.

On MSNBC, she said, I wanted to subpoena the former president because I got to swear everybody in, and so I thought it would be really cool to get 60 seconds with President Trump of me looking at him and being like, Do you solemnly swear, and me getting to swear him in. I kind of just thought that would be an awesome moment.

Trumps attorneys in Georgia, Drew Findling and Jennifer Little, told The Associated Press that even before Kohrs media interviews, they had concerns about the grand jurys proceedings but remained silent, deciding to speak out after the foreperson stepped into the limelight.

The end product is the reliability of anything that has taken place in there is completely tainted and called into question, Findling said, adding that he wasnt attacking Kohrs.

Shes a product of a circus that cloaked itself as a special purpose grand jury, he said.

The Special Grand Jury

Fulton County Deputy District Attorney Fani Willis makes closing arguments during a trial in Atlanta, Ga., on Aug. 24, 2016. (John Bazemore/AP Photo)

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, a Democrat, began her investigation in 2021 after taking office in 2020.

Willis requested a special grand jury to expedite the process, which involved looking into the legality of Trumps call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, among other alleged violations.

A special grand jury, unlike a regular grand jury, has no term limit and focuses on a single issue, such as a case that involves corruption in government.

Last week, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ordered the release of a part of the grand jurys report (pdf), revealing that a majority of the 23 on the jury believed that no widespread fraud took place in the Georgia 2020 presidential election and that perjury may have been committed by one or more witnesses testifying before it.

Rudy Giuliani, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn were among those who testified before the grand jury.

Kohrs, who said she doesnt align with either party and didnt vote in the 2020 election, told The Associated Press that she was only vaguely aware of the election controversy during that time.

The Epoch Times contacted Judge Robert McBurneys office for comment on whether it was appropriate for Kohrs to be speaking publicly about the proceedings.

According to the state grand jury oath, as reported by Breitbart, jurors are to keep the deliberations of the Grand Jury secret unless called upon to give evidence thereof in some court of law of this state.

Witch Hunt

Trump himself called the case ridiculous on Truth Social, and a continuation of the greatest Witch Hunt of all time.

Now you have an extremely energetic young woman, the (get this!) foreperson of the Racist D.A.s Special Grand Jury, going around and doing a Media Tour revealing, incredibly, the Grand Jurys inner workings & thoughts, Trump wrote.

The Daily Mail reported on the content from Kohrs now-deleted social media profiles, which seem to have included a Pinterest page indicating an interest in witchcraft.

Theories circulated on Twitter speculating if there were another agenda behind her appearances.

Some Democrats suggested Kohrs was a pro-Trump plant set up to throw the case.

Conservative Drew Allen of The Drew Allen Show postulated that because the Democrats involved allegedly know the case is another anti-Trump propaganda spectacle, they needed an exit before it came time to make indictments.

Is this an out for them? Is this a way to them to say, Hey, we want to build this up and make it look like Trump and his people did some really bad things, but because this girl was on TVwell, its gonna fall apart, Allen said.

Allen called Kohrs the Democrats sacrificial lamb whom he feels sorry for.

This is why I despise the Democratic party, Allen said. She just got played. She was just a pawn. People are making fun of her all across the country, including the very Democrats who asked her to come on TV.

In addition to McBurneys office, The Epoch Times contacted Trumps attorneys in Georgia and District Attorney Willis office for comment.

Katabella Roberts and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A Look at Chinas Bicameral Annual Legislative Sessions

Delegates take part in the closing session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 10, 2022. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

News Analysis

In the eyes of foreigners, it appears that China has a bicameral political system similar to the West. Beijings authorities always claim that China has its own form of democracy. Unless deeply looking into how politics work in China, its hard for Westerners to understand how Chinas legislature works.

Usually in March each year, the Chinese regime holds national assemblies for both the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the National Peoples Congress (NPC) in Beijing. According to official announcements from Beijing, March 5 will be the day when this years CPPCC and NPC assemblies begin.

However, both the CPPCC and the NPC work quite differently than the Western bicameral system.

The Function of the CPPCC

The CPPCC isnt a legislative body, and it isnt even considered a part of the Chinese government. Its an advisory group that only provides consultation to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Its the main part of the CCPs United Front program.

The United Front program, directed by the CCPs United Front Work Department (UFWD), is primarily for building alliances domestically and internationally with all pro-CCP individuals and groups to spread pro-CCP propaganda.

The UFWD is one of the CCPs three main departments. The other two are the CCPs Organization Department and Propaganda Department. According to a Jamestown Foundation report, the annual expense of the UFWD is larger than the budget of Chinas Foreign Ministry.

Roughly 40 percent of the members of the CPPCC are CCP members, about 30 percent are from Chinas eight democratic parties, and the rest is composed of celebrities or wealthy groups in the country.

There have only ever been eight democratic parties in China since 1949, when the CCP took control of the country. These eight parties arent opposition parties competing with the CCP but minority ruling parties that help the CCP govern China.

The Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang (RCCKMT) is a typical example of how the CCP relies on these eight parties to reach its political goals.

The RCCKMT is currently the largest democratic party in China. It was originally founded by the politicians who left the Chinese Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang (KMT).

Established in 1894 under the leadership of Sun Yat-sen, the KMT was once the ruling party of China. After losing China to the CCP, the KMT left China in 1949 and later became one of the two major political parties in Taiwan.

The Chinese regime has claimed that Taiwan is a part of China and has made constant efforts to infiltrate different aspects of Taiwans society for the purpose of reunification with the mainland. The RCCKMT has been used by the CCP as a major device for making connections to Taiwans KMT party.

The Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League (TDSGL) is another democratic party in China.

The TDSGL was founded in 1947 in China and originally consisted of Taiwanese Communist Party members who left Taiwan for China. The TDSGL is another channel for the CCP to influence Taiwans society for the purpose of reunification.

Members of all eight democratic parties are elites in todays China. The charter statements of all these minority parties include language that reinforces the totalitarian rule of the CCP in China. Historically, many heads of these parties were also CCP members who held dual party membership.

Members of the CPPCC arent elected; theyre selected through consultations and recommendations.

The Function of the NPC

The NPC is the CCPs rubber-stamp legislature. Historically, the NPC has never rejected any legislation proposed by the CCP. Under the NPC, there are different local levels of the Peoples Congress (PC) in provinces, cities, counties, and towns. Higher-level representatives are elected by the lower-level PC assemblies. No representatives are elected through public elections.

Besides serving as the heads of different level PC assemblies, the majority of PC representatives are part-time positions without pay and without office budgets. However, when taking time off from their regular work to participate in PC activities, these representatives have the privilege of getting paid by their regular full-time employers.

Each PC or NPC term is five years, the same length as the CCP committee. The NPC is responsible for electing the national chairman of China.

The heads of different level governmental bodies are recommended by the same level local or national CCP committees. For example, the current chairman, Xi Jinping, began his third five-year term as CCP secretary-general in November 2022. Then, the CCP National Central Committee recommended him as the sole candidate for the next national chairman position, and the NPC then elected him as Chinas national chairman in March 2022.

In the current system, its always one person who occupies all three top positions in China: the CCP secretary-general, Chinas national chairman, and chairman of the Chinese Central Military Commission.

Historically, 50 to 70 percent of the NPC assembly consists of CCP members.

Chairman and president are two different words in the Chinese language. Chairman is the title that Xi calls himself in Chinese and also how Chinese people refer to him. Western media and politicians have called him President Xi for many years. However, the word president in the English language connotes an elected leader of a nation, not one designated by a politburo.

The candidates for the representatives of the lowest level PC assembly are decided through a recommendation process. The local CCP committees assign quotas to different organizations to make recommendations every five years.

Chinese law on the surface allows Chinese citizens to easily become candidates for the lowest level PC. Anyone who can get 10 private citizens endorsements will become a legitimate candidate. However, those candidates not recommended by the CCP usually wont get very far.

In November 2021, 14 candidates for Beijings PC assembly dropped their candidacies after they were threatened by their own districts police authorities, according to a report from Voice of America. Some of these candidates lost their apartment leasing contracts because their landlords received warnings from the local police after the candidates officially obtained their candidacy status. All of these candidates had attained their candidacies via the outlined legal requirements but werent recommended by the CCP.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A notary public caught up in petition fraud allegations surrounding a North Dakota term limits ballot measure last year has had his notary commission revoked, the apparent first penalty for anyone involved in the case.

Former Secretary of State Al Jaeger in December revoked Zeph Toes notary commission. Toe had 30 days to request a hearing after accepting service of the revocation, or until Feb. 6. The Attorney Generals Office last week closed its file on Toe after not receiving a request for a hearing from him, making the revocation final, according to an AG memo.

The Tribune requested and received the documents revoking Toes notary commission from new Secretary of State Michael Howe. Jaeger retired at the end of last year.

Toe had notarized 751 petition packets containing 21,684 signatures, which Jaeger rejected, citing notary errors.

Attorneys in court last summer focused heavily on alleged irregularities in the petition circulator affidavits Toe notarized, particularly inconsistent handwriting. Toe in an affidavit reaffirmed the validity of the affidavits he notarized.

It appears to us that he didnt actually witness the circulator affixing their signature. That is in violation of the oath and everything thats all about a notary, Jaeger said in an evidentiary hearing in court last summer. Its a reflection of the entire petition process of all the petitions that he notarized.

Breaking the law, doing unlawful acts on these puts doubt on everything else that he did regarding these petitions, Jaeger said at the time. What he did tainted everything else.

Jaegers revocation order cited state law in that a finding of fraud, dishonesty, or deceit was made against Toe in a legal proceeding, being a district court judges order in the lawsuit that ultimately compelled the public vote on Measure 1 last fall.

The Court finds that the numerous errors contained within Toes notarized petitions show likely fraud, South Central District Judge James Hill wrote.

Toe did not immediately respond to two social media messages from the Tribune seeking comment. Revocation documents listed an Iowa address for him.

North Dakota voters ultimately approved the measure for term limits on the governor and state lawmakers, after the state Supreme Court ordered a public vote sought by measure backers in a lawsuit.

The court found that Jaeger misapplied the law by excluding signatures on the basis of a determination that a pattern of likely notary violations on some petitions permitted his invalidation of all signatures on all petitions that were sworn before the same notary, Justice Jerod Tufte wrote in the unanimous opinion.

Measure Chairman Jared Hendrix did not immediately return a text message for comment on Toes notary commission revocation.

Attorney General Drew Wrigley last summer referred an investigation into the petition fraud allegations to Ward County. The status of the probe is unclear.

The state House of Representatives this month advanced bills to crack down on validity of signatures on measure petitions.
AAA Issues Alert to Drivers After Do Not Drive Notice Issued

The AAA issued a notice to drivers Friday to check their vehicles for recalls after Honda recently issued a do not drive warning for vehicles that havent received repairs for Takata Alpha air bag inflators.

Ignoring Takata air bag recall notices can have fatal consequences, the Northeast AAA said in a news release to multiple news outlets Friday. Last June, a 2006 Ford Ranger owner in Florida was killed in a minor crash when an unrepaired Takata air bag inflator exploded. That vehicle was subject to a Do Not Drive warning at the time of the crash and Ford Motor Company said that more than 100 recall notices were mailed to the owner and a representative visited the owner in person.

Earlier this month, Honda Motor Co. issued the do not drive warning for Acura and Honda vehicles with unrepaired Takata air bag inflators in the United States. The urgent warning covers various 200103 models of the Honda Accord, Civic CR-V, Odyssey, and Pilot as well as the Acura 3.2CL and 3.2 TL vehicles with so-called Alpha inflators.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) previously stated that owners of those vehicles should not drive them until they get repairs, warning the risk to vehicle occupants is dire.

The NHTSA also issued an alert last month that a recent death of the driver of a 2002 Accord in Bowling Green, Kentucky, was due to a faulty air bag inflator. Honda has reported 17 U.S. deaths and more than 200 injuries in the United States related to Takata inflator ruptures over the years.

These vehicles are 20 to 22 years old now, and the risk to vehicle occupants is dire. Alpha air bags are some of the oldest under recall, and they have a 50 percent failure rate. If the inflators rupture, the metal fragments ejected toward the drivers face could kill or leave them with devastating, life-altering injuries, the NHTSA wrote in a release this month, elaborating on the possible danger drivers face.

More than 30 deaths worldwideincluding at least 23 U.S. fatalitiesand hundreds of injuries in various automakers vehicles since 2009 are linked to Takata air bag inflators that can explode, unleashing potentially deadly metal shrapnel inside vehicles. Over the last decade, more than 67 million Takata air bag inflators have been recalled in the United States by more than 20 automakers and more than 100 million inflators worldwide, in the biggest auto safety callback in history.

If you have a vehicle with a recalled Takata Alpha air bag, you must get it repaired nowfor free. These inflators are two decades old now, and they pose a 50% chance of rupturing in even a minor crash. Dont gamble with your life or the life of someone you loveschedule your free repair today before its too late, NHTSA Acting Administrator Ann Carlson said in the release.

Drivers can check to see if their vehicle is under recall by going to the NHSTA recall website.

Other Recalls

Fridays AAA release also noted that several other vehicles are being recalled, including the Tesla Model S, Model X, Model 3, and Model Y that are equipped with full self driving beta software. The recall was initiated due to safety concerns about that software, which officials say can allow vehicles to act in an unsafe manner near certain intersections, turn-only lanes, and that vehicles may not respond to changes in the speed limit signs.

It also noted that 271,694 Subaru Ascent vehicles from dated 2019 to 2022 are being recalled due to an increase in risk of fire due to the wiring of a heating system part.

Drivers of Dodge Ram 1500, 2500, and 3500 pickup trucks from model years 2019 to 2022 should also be advised their vehicles are under recall, according to AAA, because of tailgates that may not latch correctly. The issue can cause the tailgates to open while the vehicle is moving.

Reuters contributed to this report.
AG Garland Set to Testify to 118th Congress for First Time

Attorney General Merrick Garland, head of the Department of Justice (DOJ), is scheduled to testify before lawmakers of the 118th Congress for the first time on March 1.

Judiciary Committee Chairman and Majority Whip Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) announced that Garland will testify at 10 a.m. ET at a Senate hearing titled Oversight of the Department of Justice. Durbin will preside over the hearing. The hearings live stream will be available for the public to view here.

Republicans sitting on the Judiciary Committee will likely rain down scrutiny on Garland.

Potential questions include Garlands oversight of investigations of parents who attend school board meetings, the FBIs handling of the Hunter Biden laptop scandal, the FBIs prosecution of pro-life activists under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, and the FBIs raids on the Mar-a-Lago property of former President Donald Trump, home of former VP Mike Pence, and President Joe Bidens Delaware beach house. Republicans allege that some of the DOJs actions are acts of government weaponization.

Garland most recently testified before the committee in October 2021, when lawmakers questioned the FBI and DOJs handling of the Nassar investigation, the Durham probe, and concerns regarding Chinese espionage investigations, among others.

Since then, lawmakers such as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) have demanded that Garland testify before the upper chambers Judiciary Committee on a variety of issues.

In July 2022, Cruz asked Garland to testify before the Judiciary Committee and explain why the DOJ did not prosecute pro-abortion protesters who Cruz said sought to harass conservative-leaning Supreme Court justices, after the highest court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion.

Unfortunately, despite clear evidence that federal law was violated by mobs of protesters at the Justices homes, the head of the Department of Justice, and chief law enforcement officer of the United States, flatly refused to enforce federal law, Cruz wrote in the July 11 letter.

I want to know from Merrick Garland directly why Bidens DOJ is arresting Catholic protestors like terroristscomplete with SWAT-style tacticswhile letting actual terrorist acts like firebombings go unpunished, Hawley said in a statement in September 2022, referring to the FBIs arrest of Mark Houck, a pro-life person who protested in front of an abortion clinic and whose home was raided by reportedly 20 to 25 FBI agents.

Houck pushed a Planned Parenthood escort in what he contends was an act to defend his 12-year-old son from harassment. Houck was acquitted in January 2023.

As recent as Wednesday, the DOJ has indicted eight people under the FACE Act.
Beijing Implements New Policies to Prepare for War, Secure Power

Police officers and security block the way as they perform crowd control after an official flag raising ceremony to mark National Day next to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, in Beijing, on Oct. 1, 2021. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

News Analysis

Chinas communist regime is implementing new policies to prepare for war and secure its power in the mainland amid tensions with the United States. It seeks to increase loyalty among its military members and state-owned firms, and hire more civil servants.

Revised Military Law

On Dec. 30, 2022, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping signed the No. 127 Order of the CCP Chairman, announcing that the regimes revised Reservists Law will go into effect on March 1.

This law states that military reserve officers and soldiers must be loyal to the CCP and uphold the socialist system. The service age limit has been expandedall citizens between 18 and 60 are eligible for enlistment, with a minimum service period of four years.

On Jan. 9, when answering a question from a reporter, the head of the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission said that the purpose of the Reservists Law revision is to prepare for war and to provide institutional support so that citizens are ready to be enlisted and fight in the military at any time.

On Jan. 13, Wu Qian, a spokesperson of the Ministry of Defense, stated at a press conference that the law is guided by military needs and directed toward readiness for war.

Expanding Civil Service Recruitment

Local governments face financial difficulties, and some regions civil servants must take salary cuts. However, at the same time, local governments are expanding their recruitment of civil servants.

On Feb. 14, the headline More than 50 percent expansion of civil service recruitment in 2023 became the most searched topic on Chinese social media Weibo. According to official data, Gansu, the province with the largest expansion scale, is expanding its civil servant team by nearly 80 percent.

Gansu is a relatively backward and impoverished province in northwestern China.

In a Feb. 16 video program, Voice of America (VOA) noted that the CCPs state finances supported more than 80 million people in 2021, which means that with the 747 million working population, less than 10 people need to support one public servant.

Why do many places across the country continue to expand their recruitment of civil servants while lowering their salaries? Why does the CCP need such a huge state machine? the VOA host asked.

A Shanghai resident surnamed Wang shared his views with NTD, a sister media outlet of The Epoch Times, on Feb. 15.

It is to maintain stability, he said. So many people are unemployed. If local governments do not expand recruitment, they will revolt. The regime keeps printing money to feed these people. Its a vicious cycle. The regime is just trying to get by each day.

In 2023, the number of college graduates in mainland China will reach about 11.74 million, compared to 10.67 million in 2022.

Students walk outside a school after finishing the National College Entrance Examination, known as gaokao, outside a school in Wuhan, in central Chinas Hubei Province, on July 8, 2020. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

According to data from the Ministry of Education, about 70 percent of college graduates in 2022 have not yet found a job.

Cai Chunlin, a resident from Jiangxi Province, told NTD that the expansion of civil servant recruitment is taking place all over the country.

The recruitment of civil servants has increased the burden on top of the existing financial difficulties. In our area, the government recruited many urban management officers and many police officers, he said.

On Feb. 16, Hu Xijin, the former editor-in-chief of Beijings mouthpiece Global Times, revealed in a Twitter post that about one-third of the countrys civil servants are police officers.

Renowned Chinese netizen Cai Shenkun responded to Hus post: If Hu Xijin hadnt told us this figure, most Chinese wouldnt have known or believed it. A country with such a large police force is a police state, right?

Political Indoctrination in State-Owned Firms

The CCP is tightening its grip over state-owned enterprises by increasing Party building work, a form of political indoctrination.

In October 2016, Xi Jinping gave a speech at the National State-owned Enterprise Party Building Work Conference, saying that adhering to the leadership of the Party and strengthening Party building are the glorious tradition of our countrys state-owned enterprises, the root and soul of state-owned enterprises, and the unique advantages of Chinas state-owned enterprises.

The agency that oversees state-owned firms, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, issued a notice on Feb. 22 about Party building training, saying that the training aims to implement Xis orders to further strengthen the CCPs leadership over state-owned enterprises, which would enhance their performance.

Chen Kelong, the CCPs chief expert on Party building in state-owned firms, said in an interview with Chinese media Enterprise Observer on Jan. 31 that Party building itself is the core competitiveness of state-owned enterprises, and called on firms to integrate the Partys leadership into all aspects of corporate governance, production, and operation.

China-US Tensions

Recently, Beijing refuted Washingtons claims that a Chinese spy balloon entered U.S. airspace and flew over sensitive military sites, such as nuclear silos in Montana.

For example, the Chinese foreign ministry claimed the United States had flown various unidentified objects into Chinese airspace more than a dozen times. However, the CCP provided no details to support these claims.

The CCPs attempts to demonize the United States and the West may be backfiring, particularly after the international community witnessed the large-scale protests, or the white paper movement, against the draconian zero-COVID policy in December last year.

Billionaire investor George Soros delivered a speech ahead of the 2023 Munich Security Conference on Feb. 16, saying, The chaotic way Xi Jinping exited zero COVID shook the Chinese peoples trust in the Communist Party under Xis leadership. The current situation fulfills all the preconditions for regime change or revolution.

Shi Shan, a media professional, believes that Chinas current situation resembles the Soviet Union before it collapsed: tension with the United States, engagement in technology and arms races, and a grim economic outlook.

The people are in dire straits, and there are rebellious activities everywhere, Shi told The Epoch Times.

The CCP has totally lost its mind. Heaven will not allow it if such a stupid and evil regime does not collapse.
Biden Gives $2 Billion More in Military Aid to Ukraine on War Anniversary

President Joe Biden, left, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Mariinsky Palace during an unannounced visit in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 20, 2023. (Evan Vucci, Pool/AP Photo)

On the one-year mark of Russias invasion of Ukraine, the Biden administration has announced an additional $2 billion in new military aid, bringing the total to $32 billion in taxpayer funds provided to Kyiv in the past 12 months, or roughly five times Ukraines annual military budget.

The $2 billion package, which is being provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), includes more rounds of ammunition, various small, high-tech drones, and equipment to counter Russias electronic warfare capability.

The Pentagon made the announcement on Feb. 24, the same day a year ago that Russian forces crossed the border into Ukraine to launch what the Kremlin calls a special military operation to demilitarize and denazify its Western-allied neighbor.

A man rides his bike past a destroyed Russian tank in Trostyanets, Ukraine, on March 30, 2022. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Urgent Danger

Western powers, led by the United States, see Moscows actions as an unprovoked act of aggression seeking to prevent Ukraine from becoming a thriving democracy on Russias doorstep and a beacon of liberty and democracy in the region.

In a statement issued on the anniversary of the invasion, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin called Russias actions in Ukraine a cruel war of choice that has killed thousands of innocent Ukrainians, forced millions more from their homes, left countless Ukrainians wounded or traumatized, and inflicted tragedy and terror on a sovereign U.N. member state.

The Pentagon chief said that the conflict in Ukraine is the most urgent danger to the security of Europe since the Second World War.

He called it a direct attack on the system of rules, institutions, and laws that the world built at such great cost after World War II and reiterated the Pentagons commitment to support Ukraine for as long as it takes.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (L) and the Ukrainian participant Oleksii Reznikov (R) attend the meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base in Ramstein, Germany, on Jan. 20, 2023. (Michael Probst/AP Photo)

War With the West

Russia views its military operation as a preemptive strike against a neighboring country that has become increasingly hostile to Moscow and more beefed up militarily in close alignment with the Kremlins chief rival NATO.

Russias Permanent Representative to the U.N. Vasily Nebenzya said Wednesday that Moscow views the situation around the conflict as a war with the West for survival, for the future of our country, for our children, for our identity.

Nebenzya alleged in remarks during a special session on Ukraine at the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday that Western powers have been implementing their plan for around a decade and that, for them, Ukraine is nothing but a bargaining chip in this plot.

The Russian diplomats remarks came as the vast majority of members of the U.N. General Assembly voted in favor of a resolution demanding Russias immediate and unconditional withdrawal from all of Ukraines territory.

Vasily Nebenzya, Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations, addresses the United Nations General Assembly during a special session at the United Nations headquarters on March 23, 2022. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Details of New Military Aid

The newly-announced aid includes weapons to counter Russias unmanned systems and detect its electronic warfare capacity, as well as several types of drones, including the upgraded Switchblade 600 Kamikaze drone.

Theres also additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), more 155mm artillery rounds, and munitions for laser-guided rocket systems.

Mine clearing equipment, gear for secure communications, as well as funding for training and maintenance, are also part of the new package.

The Pentagon said the new security assistance seeks to reaffirm the steadfast support of the United States for Ukraines brave defenders and strengthen Ukraines air defenses.

One year on, the commitment of the United States, together with some 50 countries who have rallied to rush urgently needed assistance to Ukraine, has only strengthened, the Pentagon added.

Airmen with the 436th Aerial Port Squadron use a forklift to move 155 mm shells ultimately bound for Ukraine, at Dover Air Force Base, Del., on April 29, 2022. (Alex Brandon/AP Photo)

As Long as It Takes

The announcement of $2 billion in new aid comes just days after President Joe Biden made a secret visit to Kyiv, where he pledged $500 million in additional support and vowed that Americas commitment to Ukraine would remain ironclad for the long haul.

Planning for Bidens visit to Kyiv was tightly heldwith a relatively small group of aides briefed on the planson account of security concerns.

While in Kyiv, Biden told Zelenskyy the United States will stand with him for as long as it takes.

Zelenskyy responded in English: Well do it.

The Ukrainian leader said through an interpreter that Bidens visit brings us closer to victory and expressed gratitude to Americans and all those who cherish freedom.

President Joe Biden (L) shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Mariinsky Palace during a visit in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 20, 2023. (Evan Vucci, Pool/AP Photo)

More Aid

In a statement issued on the one-year mark of the invasion, the White House touted the Pentagons additional military support to Ukraine in light of what it called Russias brutal and unprovoked invasion.

The White House also noted that the Biden administration has begun disbursing $9.9 billion in grant financing to help Ukraine meet critical needs like healthcare, education, and emergency services.

The United States is also preparing to deliver another shipment of critical electrical transmission grid equipment to Ukraine, which will include mobile generators for backup power.

The White House also said Biden is working with Congress to provide another $250 million in additional emergency energy assistance to Kyiv and up to $300 million to neighboring Moldova.

Meanwhile, about a dozen House Republicans have signed onto a resolution put forward by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) calling for an end to all military and financial aid to Ukraine.

Called the Ukraine Fatigue bill, the measure seeks to discontinue U.S. aid to Kyiv while pushing for Russia and Ukraine to reach a peace deal.

The United States is by far the biggest contributor of military and financial aid to Ukraine.

Earlier this week, the Biden administration announced the 32nd security assistance package using Presidential Drawdown Authorities (PDA) for Ukraine from U.S. military stocks.

This included capabilities like air surveillance radars and Javelin anti-tank weapons.
Biden Nominates Wall Street Veteran Ajay Banga as World Bank President

Ajay Banga, former president and CEO of MasterCard, speaks during a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, on Dec. 17, 2018. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

President Joe Biden announced on Thursday that the United States has nominated Ajay Banga, the former CEO of Mastercard, to serve as president of the World Bank. The nomination came just a week after current president David Malpass, a Trump nominee, announced his intention to resign early.

Banga is a Wall Street veteran who was born and raised in India as a Sikh. He is currently the vice chairman of the private equity firm General Atlantic. From 2010 to 2020, he was the president and CEO of Mastercard.

Ajay is uniquely equipped to lead the World Bank at this critical moment in history, Biden said in a statement. He has spent more than three decades building and managing successful, global companies that create jobs and bring investment to developing economies, and guiding organizations through periods of fundamental change.

Malpass, who was nominated by former President Donald Trump, is set to leave the organization at the end of June. On Feb. 15, he unexpectedly announced his departure from the bank. His five-year tenure was due to end in April 2024.

The last four years have been some of the most meaningful of my career. Having made much progress, and after a good deal of thought, Ive decided to pursue new challenges, Malpass said in a statement on Feb. 15.

In recent months, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has exerted pressure on Malpass to expedite reforms intended at transforming the World Banks operations to address climate change.

Last fall, I issued an urgent call ahead of the World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings, Yellen said on Feb. 9 in a speech in Washington. My reasoning was simple: the world has changed, and we need these vital institutions to change along with it.

Yellen emphasized the importance of multilateral financial organizations taking decisive action on global issues such as climate change, pandemics, conflict, and fragility.

Malpass came under fire last September after declining to answer questions about his belief in human-caused climate change at a conference. He later explained that he had been misunderstood.

Vice President Kamala Harris delivers opening remarks during a meeting with top business leaders, including former executive of Mastercard Ajay Banga (R) at Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington on May 27, 2021. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The World Bank president is traditionally chosen by the United States, the banks largest shareholder; however, support from other member countries such as China, Japan, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom is required.

Ajay Banga will be a transformative World Bank President as the institution works to deliver on its core development goals and address pressing global challenges, including climate change, Vice President Kamala Harris said in a statement, noting that Banga has great insight, energy, and persistence in promoting economic growth and addressing the root causes of migration.
Blinken Calls on UN to Unite Behind Ukraine, Appears to Downplay Chinas Peace Plan

Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at the State Department in Washington on Jan. 4, 2023. (Sarah Silbiger/Reuters)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged the international community to resist normalizing Russian President Vladimir Putins crimes in the ongoing war against Ukraine while also tacitly downplaying the Beijing regimes proposal to end the conflict.

Speaking at the U.N. Security Council on Feb. 24the anniversary of Russias invasion of UkraineBlinken stressed the need for member nations to uphold the basic principles of international order, including respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries and not targeting civilians in war.

Many countries will call for peace today, he said, appearing to allude to Chinas peace proposal released on Feb. 24. History teaches us that its the nature of peace that matters.

The proposal, originating from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, lists 12 steps aimed at pulling the warring Eastern European nations back to the negotiating table and steering the globe away from nuclear brinkmanship. While vague, the suggested plan appears to back Ukraines claim to its occupied eastern regions.

The sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of all countries must be effectively upheld, point No. 1 of the proposal reads. All countries, big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, are equal members of the international community.

In a possible message to the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance, the proposal advised countries to abandon the Cold War mentality and to not pursue ones own security at the cost of others security.

The Chinese Communist Party has long criticized NATO expansion, having issued a joint statement with Russia weeks before the war that opposed the further enlargement of NATO and likened it to an outdated Cold War ideology.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization leaders summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Sept. 15, 2022. (Alexandr Demyanchuk/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)

Beijings proposal lists several other suggestions, including the facilitation of grain exports to and from conflict zones, protecting nuclear power plants, and ending unilateral sanctions by foreign powers.

Blinken appeared critical of the plan, saying that countries should not fall into the false equivalency of calling on both sides to stop fighting.

A point of ChinaU.S. alignment emerged when he said that the United States is prepared to engage in any meaningful diplomatic effort to stop Russias aggression against Ukraine. However, the Biden administration has erected barriers and conditions to diplomacy.

When asked whether Biden would be willing to negotiate one-on-one with Putin, Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told The Epoch Times during a Department of Defense briefing on Feb. 22 that singular conversations with Russia were off the table.

It is Ukraine who is the most impacted. It is Ukraines civilians who are being killed on the battlefield, she said. Ukraine has every right to be part of every conversation.

Blinken concluded his speech by telling the story of a 10-year-old Ukrainian girl whose family had been killed during a Russian shelling. The girl, Veronika, was rescued from a pile of rubble with shrapnel lodged in her skull.

To prevent more horrific instances such as that from occurring, he called on the U.N. member countries to live up to the international organizations founding creed.

We the peoples of the United Nations, determined to save succeeding generations from the scores of war, thats how the U.N. charter begins, Blinken said. Now is the time to meet that promise.

Critics argue that continued Western military support for Ukraine lengthens the bloody conflict and reduces Kyivs incentive to negotiate.
Blinken Says Beijing Almost Certainly Provided Russia With Dual-Use Aid

The Chinese regime likely gave the green light to allow Chinese firms to provide dual-use support to Russia for its military aggression in Ukraine, according to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

There has been some non-lethal dual-use type support coming from quote/unquote Chinese companies that almost certainly was approved by the state, because theres really no difference, said Blinken on Feb. 23, during an interview with The Atlantic magazine. Dual-used goods have both military and civilian applications.

In China, the Chinese Communist Party has a tight leash over both Chinese private companies and state enterprises, requiring companies to establish Party units or Party branches at their workplaces. In other words, any support or goods that Chinese companies might send to Russia is unlikely to have evaded CCP scrutiny.

So far, China has not sent lethal military support to Russia, Blinken added, but the communist regime might change its stance, in violation of western sanctions.

We havent seen to date systematic sanctions evasion, Blinken added. But we also have picked up information over the last couple of months that strongly indicates that China is now considering doing that.

Blinkens comments highlight growing U.S. concerns that China is going help arm Russian forces in Ukraine. On Feb. 18, Blinken warned his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi about the implications and consequences if China provides material support to Russia or assistance with systemic sanctions evasion.

In January, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Chinese satellite manufacturer Spacety, also known as Tianyi Space Science and Technology Research Institute Co. Ltd., for allegedly providing satellite imagery of Ukraine in order to enable Wagner combat operations in Ukraine.

Wagner Group, a Kremlin-directed paramilitary organization, has been designated by the Treasury Department as a transnational criminal organization.

Also on Thursday, Victoria Nuland, undersecretary of state for political affairs, revealed that Chinese-based or Chinese subs of entities in Europe will be part of an upcoming sanctions package targeting Russia for its war in Ukraine.

Blinken expressed hope that China would get the message that supporting Russia militarily would hurt its international reputation.

Im hopeful, but in a very clear-eyed way, that China will get that message, because its not only coming from us, its coming from many other countries who do not want to see China aiding and abetting in a material way Russias war effort in Ukraine, Blinken said.

And so to the extent China is trying to engage in a charm offensive these days, to re-engage with other countries as it comes out of COVID, I dont think it wants to be in the business of further alienating them by providing lethal support to Russia, Blinken added. The jurys out. Were watching it very, very carefully. Well see how they react.

On Feb. 22, Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed that Chinese leader Xi Jinping will visit Moscow in the coming months, without specifying an exact timetable for the visit. The two leaders agreed to a no limits partnership in February 2022, just weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine.

Taiwan

Blinken said the way many countries have come together and the sanctions they have imposed on Russia over the Ukraine war, should give China something to think about if it decides to attack Taiwan.

So I think that thats something that China has to factor into its thinking about the future. I think it has to factor into its thinking the huge reputational costs that Russia has incurred, Blinken said.

Taiwan is a de-facto country with its own democratically-elected government, military, and currency. However, the Chinese regime views the island as part of its territory that must be united with the mainland, by force if necessary.

During a Party meeting in October last year, Xi reiterated that China will never give up the use of force to take over Taiwan.

Blinken said what happens across the Taiwan Strait, a narrow body of water separating China from Taiwan, is a matter of concern to quite literally the entire world.

Fifty percent of the commercial container traffic goes through that strait every day. A big majority of the semiconductors that the world needs for everything from our smartphones, our dishwashers, to our automobiles are produced on Taiwan, Blinken explained.

He added, If there were a crisis in Taiwan as a result of Chinas aggression in some fashion, that would have I think disastrous consequences for the world economy and for countries around the world.

Taiwans President Tsai Ing-wen, during a meeting with a U.S. congressional delegation on Feb. 21, sought to bolster military exchanges with the United States. However, Tsai did not provide details about what these exchanges would entail.

In January, Reps. French Hill (R-Ark.) and Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) introduced the Taiwan Conflict Deterrence Act (H.R.554) that would require the Secretary of Treasury to disclose financial institutions and accounts connected to senior Chinese officials if the president informs Congress of a threat from China.

Chinas vision for a world order is fundamentally different from ours. Ours is based on the ideal of having a liberal world order; Chinas is an illiberal one, Blinken said. They need an order, they want an order, but its profoundly illiberal, not liberal.
Brittany Higgins Case Shouldnt Have Gone to Trial to Begin With, so Why Did It?

Commentary

The Brittany Higgins celebrity saga continues with the white dress she wore to a feminist rally being considered an addition to the collection in the Museum of Australian Democracy.

But another key player in this circus isnt doing so well. Only a few months ago, the Australian Capital Territorys (ACT) Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shane Drumgold SC, was walking around with the press hanging off his every word.

Suddenly, hes on shaky ground, with his role in the conduct of the trial now to be examined by a board of inquiry chaired by the eminent retired judge, Walter Sofronoff KC.

It looks like this inquiry will be no whitewash.

Sofronoff is a legal heavyweight, a former Queensland Solicitor-General and his inquiry will have similar powers to a Royal Commission.

Have the powers that be decided that Drumgold is to be the scapegoat? A distraction from all the murky skulduggery that has taken place behind the scenes throughout the whole affair.

Bruce Lehrmanns lawyers have given numerous examples of what their client alleges is professional misconduct by Drumgold in a complaint made to the ACT Bar Council, sent after the trial was aborted.

Lehrmann alleges Drumgolds failure: to stop Higgins from giving an inflammatory speech after the trial was aborted, to take steps to remove Higgins National Press Club statements from circulation or seek removal of similar material from other media sources, and to provide sufficient warning to prospective witnesses that public comment could undermine the integrity of the trial.

Brittany Higgins, a former Liberal Party staff member, addresses the media at the National Press Club in Canberra, Australia, on Feb. 9, 2022. (Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

The inquiry is required to determine whether the DPP failed to act in accordance with his duties in making his decisions to commence, to continue and to discontinue criminal proceedings against Lehrmann.

Starting with the decision to commence proceedings, theres material yet to emerge in relation to Drumgolds decision to go to trial, despite being advised against this by the Australian Federal Police (AFP).

Central to this issue is the Moller reportDetective Superintendent Scott Moller was in charge of the AFP investigation.

After a four-month investigation of Higgins evidence, Moller concluded that throughout the investigation, Higgins has been evasive, uncooperative and manipulative.

The report cites:

Her repeated refusal to hand over her phone. When she finally did, she had deleted key evidence: Im clearing out my phone ahead of police, she acknowledged.

Her claim to have sought medical attention after the incident. The police travelled to Perth and Brisbane and found shed misled them. She later admitted shed lied about this.

Her earlier text about wanting an impressive political sex scandal: Exactly! A sex scandal the party can be proud of. Another Barnaby but without the baby, haha.

Her history of anxiety and depression: AFP officers wrote that they believed Higgins is at risk of self-harm should this matter progress to prosecution.

The AFP concluded that there were serious concerns in relation to the strength and reliability of her evidence but also, more importantly, her mental health and how any future prosecution may affect her wellbeing.

Given the immense pressure police are under in the current #Metoo climate to push rape cases to trial, it is very telling that the AFP would have made it so clear that it didnt think that the case would stand up.

Political Interference From Who?

Relevant to the issue of why the case went to trial, Mollers boss, The ACT Deputy Chief Police Officer Michael Chew, reported in his diary notes that if it was my choice, I wouldnt proceed. But its not my choice. There is too much political interference.

Lehrmans lawyers played to the court an excerpt of a six-hour recording made in 2021 involving staff at Channel 10s The Project that involved Higginss partner, David Sharaz. Higgins was allegedly present during the recording.

In the audio, Sharaz is heard saying they wanted the story to break at the start of a sitting week of parliament and that he had a friend on the Labor sideSenator Katy Gallagherwho would probe and continue it going.

Finance Minister Katy Gallagher and Treasurer Jim Chalmers during a doorstop at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on May 11, 2021. (Sam Mooy/Getty Images)

The Weekend Australian reported that Senator Reynolds was allegedly warned by the late Labor Senator Kimberley Kitching that Labor was planning to weaponise Higgins allegations against the government.

Consistent with this claim, Labor Senators Penny Wong and Gallagher tormented Reynolds with questions in the Senate about the incident, a total of 23 questions over three days, and Gallagher followed up with numerous questions in Senate Estimates.

Now, Gallaher is the newly appointed finance minister and responsible for endorsing the mind-blowing decision to award Higgins up to $3 million (US$2 million) compensation after a hasty mediation process where the Albanese government stopped two key government ministers from attending and threatened not to pay Liberal minister Linda Reynolds legal fees unless she agreed not to participate.

According to The Weekend Australian, a key email from the Finance Department, which allegedly confirmed that all appropriate steps had been taken to protect Higgins, was not included in evidence contesting Higgins compensation claim.

Lets hope Sofronoff sees this compensation as one of the incidental issues he is permitted to investigate and perhaps even refer to the new Anti-Corruption Commission.

Dropped Into Thin Air

There are also questions about Drumgolds decision to abandon the trial, citing Higgins mental health.

Most of the media simply accepted this claim and then went on to report Higgins happily attending her degree ceremony within weeks of the trial and her boyfriend boasting that she had written four academic papers during court proceedings. She was photographed holidaying in the Maldives and offered to appear as a witness in the defamation cases launched by Lehrmann.

Social media was full of speculation about this miraculous recovery, but few journalists asked why the DPP didnt simply postpone the case until Higgins recovered.

It is also remarkable how little public attention has been paid to the legal basis for the DPPs decision to drop the case.

Normally the major reason to discontinue criminal proceedings is that there is no reasonable prospect of conviction.

Yet in the press conference announcing his decision, Drumgold expressly stated that he had a clear view there was a reasonable prospect of conviction before the start of the trial, and this is a view he still holds today.

With such questionable decisions central to Sofronoffs investigations, perhaps the limelight-loving DPP will find his moment in the sun coming to an abrupt close.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Canada Sending Another $30M in Aid to Turkey, Syria, as Rebuild Begins

Excavators work at the site of buildings that collapsed during the earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, Feb. 17, 2023. (The Canadian Press/AP-Bernat Armangue)

The federal government is sending another $20 million in aid for people affected by the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria, and matching millions more in private donations.

International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan says Canada will match $10 million in donations to members of the Humanitarian Coalition, on top of the $10 million in matching donations to the Canadian Red Cross.

The announcement comes after the United Nations asked for more help and a group of Canadian MPs urged the government to expand the donation-matching to more organizations.

The Humanitarian Coalition, which includes Oxfam, Plan International and World Vision as members, is providing emergency food, water, sanitation and health services.

Two major earthquakes and hundreds of aftershocks shook the region on Feb. 6, damaging tens of thousands of buildings and leaving more than 47,000 people dead.

The UN Childrens Fund, UNICEF, says more than a million people are staying in temporary accommodations, including gyms, stadiums, hotels and dormitories, with limited access to essential services.

The children and families who survived the earthquake now face homelessness, lack of food and water, and temperatures that regularly drop below freezing at night, said Afshan Khan, UNICEFs regional director for Europe and Central Asia.

Turkish authorities on Friday said preliminary work has started to build housing for people left homeless by the massive earthquake.

Murat Kurum, the minister for the environment, urbanization and climate change, said on Twitter that excavations were taking place in the towns of Nurdagi and Islahiye in Gaziantep province, where the government plans to build an initial 855 homes.

The work comes less than three weeks after the magnitude 7.8 quake struck. Turkish authorities say some 173,000 buildings, containing around 534,000 apartments or other units, either collapsed or were severely damaged in the quake.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who faces tough elections in either May or June, has promised to reconstruct homes within the year, although critics have warned that moving too fast could just lead to the erection of more substandard homes.

Opposition parties have also held Erdogans governmentin power for the past two decadesresponsible for the extent of the disaster, accusing it of failing to enforce building regulations.

Experts say many of the toppled structures were built with inferior materials and methods, and often did not comply with government standards.

Earlier Friday, Erdogan issued a decree which among other things enables individuals, companies or organizations to build homes or offices and donate them to Kurums ministry, which would then give them to people who lost homes or businesses.

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said late Thursday that 583 contractors or other people suspected of responsibility over buildings that have collapsed were being investigated and 171 have been arrested.
Congressional lawmakers, led by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), were in Yuma, Arizona, Thursday. What did lawmakers discover about the local community? And why did Democrats decide not to go?

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Thursday visited East Palestine, Ohio, for the first time since the train derailment. What does he say about his absence and the plan going forward?

The United States may publish evidence of China planning to send weapons to Russia. And NATO is also sounding the alarm that Beijing could be planning to violate international law.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy defends his decision to hand over tens of thousands of hours of Jan. 6 footage to Foxs Tucker Carlson. Find out how lawmakers on both sides are reacting.

Rollan Roberts, a Republican candidate for president, joins us to discuss his campaign. Hes calling his platform America 2.0America needs God.

Varying weather patterns are sweeping the nation. Unexpectedly high winter temperatures sweep across parts of the country while snow and freezing storms hit others.
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Car Carrying 2 North Carolina Lawmakers Rammed Several Times on Interstate

Republican speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, Tim Moore, speaks to the press in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, on Dec. 7, 2022. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

A vehicle transporting North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) and state Rep. David Willis (R-Union) was repeatedly hit from behind Thursday evening, according to Moores office.

Security was driving the Speaker and Rep. Willis back to Raleigh after a visit for a series of events today, Demi Dowdy, a spokeswoman for the Speakers office, said in a statement. On the drive back, the vehicle was rammed from behind several times.

Dowdy noted that nobody was injured in the vehicle carrying the two Republican lawmakers and the incident is under investigation by both the General Assembly Police and North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

In a separate statement, Dowdy said the motive is still under investigation, but investigators currently do not believe Moore and Willis were personally targeted by the driver who struck the vehicle.

James Matthew Brogden has been identified as the suspect, Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman told Axios, which first reported the news.

Brogden is facing a number of charges that include driving while intoxicated or impaired (DWI), resisting a public officer, and injury to personal property, Freeman said.

During an interview with WRAL on Friday, Moore provided more details on the hits, saying Brogden struck the vehicle carrying the two lawmakers and two other individuals at least three times at highway speed.

When asked by a reporter if he believes he was the intended target, the Speaker responded that he was initially worried that the driver intentionally crashed into them, but he downplayed this idea further into the investigation.

I dont believe that was the case. I think this person, from what Ive seen, was just so impaired to such a stand that he was just out there and it could have been anybody, but it just happened to be us, Moore said.

Moore also said that the accident could have been much worse, explaining that it was good he hit us instead of someone in a little car, or a young or elderly driver because a trained law enforcement officer was driving the vehicle at the time of the crash.

Ive talked to a couple of police officers since then, [and] that hit, at that speed of a car, Ive seen this, it could make a car spin out, flip over, all kind[s] of bad stuff. Thank God were all just alright, he said.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper also addressed the incident in a statement on Friday, saying he was glad after learning that everyone was okay.

I told [Moore] I am glad that no one was hurt in this alarming incident and that law enforcement caught the suspect. He said he looked forward to a less eventful ride home today, the governor said on Twitter.

From NTD News
China Empowers Russia in Ukraine, Risks Nuclear War With US, Former General Says

The growing alliance between Russia and communist China carries significant implications for the war in Ukraine and the future of U.S. nuclear deterrence more broadly, according to one former general.

Retired U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Robert Spalding says its likely that the intensity of Russian military actions in Ukraine and potentially elsewhere will increase as Beijing and Moscow grow closer and that theres a real risk that nuclear war could erupt.

Without economic, diplomatic, and, potentially military aid from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Russian leader Vladimir Putin wouldnt have been able to sustain the significant losses incurred by the Russian military, Spalding told The Epoch Times.

I think its going to embolden Putin the more support he gets from China, clearly, Spalding said. Hes been emboldened this entire time by Chinas support.

Without Chinas backing, Russia would be nowhere close to able to mount an offensive this spring.

Russia Dependent on CCP Support for War in Ukraine

The CCP has consistently blamed the United States and its NATO allies for Russias invasion of Ukraine and has parroted the Kremlins propaganda by describing the war as a special military operation and censoring condemnations of the conflict on Chinese social media.

Now, U.S. leaders fear that the CCP may be preparing to provide lethal aid to Russias military, although the regimes support for Russia has been consistent throughout the war in Ukraine.

However, Spalding believes that the CCP started delivering such aid long ago.

Im of the opinion that theyre helping them with lethal aid, but its likely either American or other Western equipment that Chinese companies help them procure by bypassing sanctions, he said.

Its not likely that the Chinese right now would be having their own equipment sent, so that if it was captured on the battlefield, you could see that it had come from China. But, if its coming from some Western country, then youre not going to know how, necessarily, the Russians procured it.

Interestingly enough, the White House has acknowledged that Chinese companies have directly supported Russias war in Ukraine but have stopped short of saying that such support amounts to lethal aid.

When the White House issued sanctions on numerous international bodies related to Russias war on Feb. 24, for example, it also targeted Chinese entities accused of backfilling Russias defense industry, effectively helping the regime skirt sanctions.

Likewise, China previously falsified shipping documents in order to disguise military aviation equipment bound for Russia as civil in nature and used intermediaries in the UAE to deliver dual-use drones to Russia, according to a report by Der Spiegel.

That same report alleges that the CCP is currently preparing a shipment of suicide drones to Russia for use in Ukraine.

There is plenty of justification for leveling sanctions on China right now for the support theyve given to Russia, Spalding said.

US Nuclear Deterrence Unprepared for Multipolar World

With the warming of the relationship between the CCP and the Kremlin and tensions with the United States at historic highs, Spalding warned that the United States was entering unknown territory in terms of nuclear strategy.

The United States has never before had to simultaneously deter two major nuclear powers, he noted, and its ability to prevent the war in Ukraine from spiraling into a nuclear holocaust is waning by the day.

We have to be very careful that this doesnt turn into World War III, Spalding said.

You cant say that the United States is not constrained in terms of how it looks at the conflict and the potential that it could escalate beyond its current bounds. Thats something that could be very dangerous for the United States and for NATO.

Spalding warned that a widening of the war in Ukraine could threaten the world with a situation similar to that of the Korean War in the 1950s, when combat between the democratic West and Communist Eurasian powers nearly erupted into nuclear war.

A key part of the problem is that the United States lacks the type of nuclear capabilities required to deter both China and Russia from initiating a nuclear war, he said.

Essentially, Spalding said, Chinese and Russian forces are investing heavily in expanding their nuclear arsenals, including so-called first-use weapons. Such weapons are designed to eliminate an adversarys nuclear arsenal up front, thereby eliminating the ability of that adversary to strike back against a nuclear aggressor.

Unless the United States enhances its own arsenal, it risks becoming the victim in a nuclear war, he said.

Its all part of the calculation of how much do we need to ensure that its not a good idea for Russia and China to combine on a preemptive strike of U.S. nuclear forces, Spalding said.

If China and Russia have sufficient forces that they can basically destroy the American capacity to have a credible second-strike capability that would deter the Russian and Chinese from launching a preemptive attack, then we risk them launching a preemptive attack.
Chinas Contradictory COVID Data Conceals an Astronomical Death Toll: Analysis

A call for accountability as China's numbers continue to contradict

Patients on stretchers are seen at Tongren hospital in Shanghai on Jan. 3, 2023. - A senior doctor at Shanghai's Ruijin Hospital has said 70 percent of the megacity's population may have been infected with Covid-19 during China's huge surge in cases, state media reported on Jan. 3. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

News Analysis

Massive COVID-19 outbreaks have swept China since last December, following Beijings move to abruptly end the pandemic measures it strictly enforced for three years. In late January, amid Lunar New Year celebrations, a top Chinese health official revealed that over 80 percent of Chinas population had been infected with the virus.

Despite widespread reports of leaked internal documents that suggest high death tolls in the country, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has continued to release official data that appears illogical and unconvincing to the public and experts worldwide.

Given the Chinese regimes long history of falsifying data on almost all major disaster events, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Jan. 4 once again publicly asked Beijing to share specific and real-time data on the new outbreaks sweeping the country, reiterating the importance of transparency.

In a subsequent briefing, the WHO emphasized that current data released by the CCP does not reflect the true impact that COVID-19 has had on the countrys hospital admissions, acute care admissions, and especially its death toll.

This article analyzes the drastic discrepancy between data released domestically by the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) and the data that China provided to the WHO, particularly during the one-month period from Dec. 8, 2022, to Jan. 8, 2023.

Relevant reference links and screenshots of data used are included in the report.

Data Discrepancy: Dec. 8, 2022

On Dec. 8, the China CDCs website reported no new deaths from COVID-19 and reported a cumulative death toll from the virus of 5,235.

The same day, the WHO released the numbers provided to it by China. Those numbers showed 48 new deaths and a cumulative death toll of 30,653.

Data comparison of Chinas cumulative COVID-19 death toll as of Dec. 8, 2022. (The Epoch Times)

COVID-19 data released by the China CDC claimed a cumulative death toll of 5,235 as of Dec. 8, 2022, and no new deaths on that day. (Captured from China CDC Official Site)

Chinas cumulative COVID-19 death toll of Dec. 8, 2022, reported to the WHO. (Screen Capture from WHOs official site)

Data Discrepancy: Jan. 8, 2023

On Jan. 8, the China CDC reported three new deaths and a cumulative death toll of 5,272.

Meanwhile, data given to the WHO by China showed 3,229 new deaths as of Jan. 8, and a cumulative death toll of 76,674.

Data comparison of Chinas cumulative COVID-19 death toll as of Jan. 8, 2023. (The Epoch Times)

COVID-19 data released by China CDC claimed a cumulative death toll of 5,272 as of Jan. 8, 2023, and 3 new deaths that day. (Captured from China CDC Official Site)

Chinas cumulative COVID-19 death toll of Jan. 8, 2023, reported to the WHO. (Screen Capture from WHOs official site)

Data Discrepancy Over One Month

Data released by the China CDC for the whole time period from Dec. 8, 2022, to Jan. 8, 2023, recorded 37 new deaths from the virus.

However, data reported to the WHO by China for that time period indicated 3,229 new deaths.

Data from the China CDC showed the cumulative death toll rose slowly: from 5,235 on Dec. 8 to 5,272 on Jan. 8, with only 37 new deaths over the one-month period.

However, the data reported to the WHO showed the cumulative death toll rose sharply: from 30,653 to 76,674, with 46,021 new deaths in one month.

This means the one-month cumulative death toll reported to the WHO46,021 deathswas about 1,243 times the number released by China CDCa mere 37 deaths.

A comparison of Chinas COVID data shows a 1,243-time discrepancy in death toll numbers in a one-month period ending Jan. 8. (The Epoch Times)

A comparison of Chinas COVID-19 data shows a discrepancy of 46,000 in daily death toll numbers on Jan. 8. (The Epoch Times)

Data Discrepancy in Confirmed Cases: Jan. 5, 2023

On Jan. 5, the China CDC released data showing 9,548 new confirmed COVID-19 cases.

The same day, data reported to the WHO by China showed an astronomical discrepancy: 1,250,579 new confirmed cases.

A comparison of the two numbers shows a massive 1.24 million discrepancy in daily COVID-19 infections.

Data released by China CDC claims that there were only 9,548 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Jan. 5, 2023. (Captured from China CDC Official Site)

Chinas COVID-19 data on Jan. 5, 2023, reported to the WHO, show an over 1.2 million increase in new confirmed cases. (Screen Capture from WHOs official site)

Massive Contradiction in Domestic Reports of Confirmed Cases

The China CDC reported on Jan. 25 that the number of people infected with COVID-19 in hospitals nationwide reached a peak of 1.625 million on January 5, 2023.

However, the China CDC reported elsewhere that there were only about 92,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases on Jan. 5.

China CDCs data stated that the number of people infected with COVID-19 in hospitals nationwide reached a peak of 1.625 million on Jan. 5, 2023, while claiming that there were only about 92,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of that day. (Captured from China CDC Official Site)

Since not all COVID-positive patients are hospitalized, the number of confirmed cases should be far greater than that of hospitalized patients, not less.

The massive discrepancy between the two figures was so puzzling and contradictory as to be utterly nonsensical.

Discrepancy: Data on Hospitalized Patients

There was a further discrepancy in numbers late in January. The China CDC number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 on Jan. 30 was 144,000.

Meanwhile, the number provided to the WHO for that date was 28,000 people hospitalized with COVID-19: a discrepancy of about 116,000.

A comparison of Chinas data on hospitalized COVID-19 patients as of Jan. 30, 2023, showed a 116,000 difference in numbers. (The Epoch Times)

Accountability for Fraudulent CCP Data

The official CCP pandemic data has been under increased scrutiny both domestically and internationally, and it is clear that there are significant loopholes and contradictions in the data released by different departments. The huge discrepancies between the internal China CDC data and that released to the WHO further support the thesis that Chinas official numbers were largely falsifiedmost likely to cover up the scale of the pandemic.

In addition, the China CDC has reduced the frequency of reporting from daily to weekly, and even floated the idea of monthly reporting. This has left the Chinese public confused about the current state of the pandemic in the country. It appears that the Chinese regime has no intention of sharing the actual data with the Chinese people and the world.

The New York Times published an article on Dec. 30, saying that China has turned its COVID-19 numbers into a scientific guessing game for Western epidemiologists. Chinas official COVID-19 numbers were simply improbable, the article said, as all models by Western scientists predicted a much more severe pandemic outbreak.

Forbes suggested on Jan. 25 that Chinas incomplete COVID-19 data is causing confusion worldwide about the scale of the pandemic. The Forbes article also raised questions about the effectiveness of Chinas previous zero-COVID policy as the country hits its pandemic peak. The gaps and discrepancies in Beijings data suggest that the regime is significantly under-reporting its numbers and misleading the public.

WHOs health emergencies chief Dr. Michael Ryan suggested on Jan. 4 that the Chinese regime has underrepresented its COVID-19 numbers amid a massive surge of the pandemic in the country. The United States and the European Union have repeatedly called on the CCP to be transparent about their COVID-19 pandemic data.

Beijings unusual U-turn in pandemic policy may indicate that the CCP knew the death toll from the pandemic overall was far beyond its previous estimation. Last December, due to a multitude of factors, China realized that many people were dying despite its zero-COVID policy. On the surface, the regime claimed to be relaxing its pandemic management, but in reality, it was simply giving up on its failed zero-COVID policy altogether.

From the initial cover-up of COVID-19 origins to its extreme zero-COVID policy, to its current do nothing approach, the CCP should be held accountable for its disregard for life and for falsified data aimed at misleading the world.

Funeral Home Data: Deaths Could Have Topped 6 Million in December

According to a recent Epoch Times investigation, many funeral parlors in China have large numbers of bodies waiting for cremation. The largest funeral parlor in Shanghai, which formerly handled only about 90 cremations per day, now cremates 400 to 500 bodies daily.

Since early January, according to an NTD report, at least 37 crematoriums have put forward bidding documents for furnace construction on government websites. And some funeral parlors are building large open-air cremators to cope with skyrocketing demand.

On Dec. 14, early in the current outbreak, a funeral home employee told The Epoch Times that there was a weeks backlog in cremations.

We are very busy every day, and we have never been so busy, the employee said.

There are more people being cremated every day than before, and the appointment calls are too many for us to handle. Many people are queuing up [for our service]. We dont have any rest time here at all.

Beijings Babaoshan Funeral Home operates 19 cremation furnaces and is Beijings only facility for specialty cremation, with wider, longer, and taller furnaces for tall or obese corpses.

From Dec. 8 to Jan. 12, Babaoshans business volume was almost seven times the volume of cremations in 2019.

Sean Lin is a virologist and former lab director at the viral disease branch of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. Looking at the many reports of crematoriums operating around the clock, he estimates that if all of Chinas reported cremation furnaces were running 24/7, they would have incinerated about 6 million bodies in the month-long period.

However, that figure is likely only about half of all deaths, as cremations made up less than 60 percent of Chinese funeral procedures in 2021. Taking that into account, the death toll could have reached 10 million by now, Lin said.

Sean Tseng contributed to this report.
Chinas Lethal Aid to Russia Would Help Extinguish Ukraine as a Nation: Pentagon

Emergency workers clear the 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)

The Pentagon is watching closely for any signal that Chinas communist regime has decided to provide Russia with lethal aid for its attempted conquest of Ukraine.

Department of Defense Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said the Pentagon had not yet witnessed the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) follow through on provision of lethal aid to Russia, but that CCP leadership was still considering it.

There [are] indications that China is considering the possibility of sending lethal aid, Ryder said during a Feb. 24 press briefing.

We havent seen them provide lethal aid to Russia yet but we also have noticed that they havent taken it off the table.

Such a decision, he said, would indicate that Chinese communist authorities seek to destroy Ukraine outright, and would needlessly extend the continued suffering and death of innocent Ukrainians.

Broadly speaking, what you would be seeing is a country like China, which clearly has advanced capabilities and munitions, [and] which has publicly declared its neutrality, to now take a side and say we want to be in the camp thats looking to extinguish Ukraine as a nation, Ryder said.

It would prolong this conflict. It would cause needless suffering among innocent Ukrainians.

The Biden administration has long feared that the CCP could choose to provide lethal aid to Russia, in addition to the economic and diplomatic support it already gives the Kremlin.

Thus far the administration has maintained that the CCP has not followed through on such a contribution.

That is not to say, however, that entities within China have not contributed to the war effort.

Going back to March 2022, Ukrainian authorities claimed that Chinese drone manufacturer DJI was continuing to provide services to Russias military while degrading Ukraines drone capabilities.

The United States went on to blacklist DJI as a Chinese Military Company, saying that the company had a long history of security complaints and close ties with the regimes military-civil fusion strategy.

On Feb. 24, when the Biden administration issued sweeping new sanctions and export controls targeting those contributing to Russias war of conquest, a White House fact sheet stated that it had blacklisted China-based entities that had helped to backfill Russias defense industry, effectively helping Moscow dodge international sanctions.

To that end, Ryder said that any lethal aid delivered to Russia would demonstrate a desire among the CCP to join a war against Ukraine which was intended to erase their country.

Asked whether the United States would pressure Ukraine to sue for peace in a manner similar to China, Ryder said that the nation would leave any decision to pursue a ceasefire up to Ukraine.

[Russia] tried to eliminate Ukraine as a country, Ryder said.

Were not going to tell Ukraine when to stop fighting.
Struggle For Chinese Democracy Erupts at University of Sydney

University says it respects students' right to express views by ripping up democracy posters

Pro-Beijing Chinese students have launched a targeted campaign against anti-Communist demonstrators on another Australian universitys campus.

I got kicked a lot. [They] kicked my Poohs head off, said Aaron Chang, a Chinese student who has been trying to raise peoples awareness of the true situation in communist China by attending protests dressed as Winnie the Pooh.

Chang, who is using an alias due to security concerns, talked to The Epoch Times about his experience after he donned his iconic Winnie the Pooh costume again and staged protests to recruit rebel Chinese youth.

Other than hanging banners denouncing Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping as a dictatorial traitor, Chang also hung up huge customised QR codes so students could join his anti-CCP group, Youth of the Chinese Revolution100 people joined the organization in the three days prior to the removal of the posters.

However, not all Chinese students in the university welcomed his presence.

Verbal Abuse and Physical Attacks

Chang alleges that a total of six batches of people came to Chang over a four-day period, tearing down his signs and QR codes, trying to take his phone, hurling verbal abuse at him, pushing him over, and even kicking him.

He recorded the events and posted videos of the alleged attackers to his Twitter page.

On Wednesday (Feb.15) I set up the booth that day, dressed as Winnie and went into the university with the poster of free A4 [white paper] protester, and stood in front of the booth of the Chinese Students Association to protest, Chang explained.

Ten minutes later, I was asked to leave by the school staff. If I wanted to stay, I could not have anything in my hands. After that, I went to the activity venue of the Chinese Students Association in Victoria park outside the school and stood for another hour to protest.

A peaceful protest by Aaron Chang at the University of Sydney was smashed by pro-Beijing youths for several days (Supplied).

There were three vandals on Wednesday. The second one happened while I was chasing the first person The third one happened when we went to report the crime.

However, what shocked the student activist the most was that the school security guard, who witnessed the whole incident, did nothing and wanted him to let the people who had destroyed his property go.

The school security wouldnt let me chase him, saying I had no right, Chang said. They were very partial to that student. I repeated multiple times that [what Im doing was] anti-CCP, yet he still wrote in the management reports to the school that I was against China, and then the school told me not to chase him and let him go.

On Thursday (Feb. 16), [my posters] were ripped off by this group of people The group tore it off first, and I stopped them with a citizen arrest. They shoved me a couple of times.

On Friday (Feb. 17) morning, I found out that I had been exposed by an online celebrity in China who has 4 million followers. He said those thugs could find protection from the embassy. I was shocked and worried [me being] exposed.

And then I found out on Friday that guy was trolling me. He publicized my photos and mocked me on Twitter, threatening to find me again on [next] Monday. I was also threatened by others on Twitter.

I seriously doubt this was an organized attack. [They] repeatedly attempted to provoke me, Chang ended the conversation with a concerning speculation.

They kicked me a few times and even tried to kick me off the bus as they ran away.

Chang has garnered support from Chinese Australian internet celebrities like Sydney Daddy, who has called on the Minister for Home Affairs and Cyber Security, Clare ONeil, and the Shadow Minister for Cyber Security and Countering Foreign Influence to demonstrate leadership on the situation.

 A Chinese student in @Sydney_Uni Australia made a blatant threat against a peaceful anti-Chinese government protester before sabotaging his property, Sydney Daddy said.

An example is being set here. Whom will it be set with? The perpetrator or the victim? @ClareONeilMP @JasonClareMP @SenPaterson.

Aaron Changs stall at the University of Sydney during the Orientation week (Supplied).

University of Sydneys Response

The University of Sydney said that the safety of all students is always their first priority, and they dont tolerate any type of bullying behaviour or harassment on campus.

Our protective services team has been supporting the organiser of this protest, including during the incident itself. Additional well-being support has also been offered and is available for any of our students who may need it, a spokesperson of the university told The Epoch Times in an email.

Were continuing to monitor the situation to ensure the safety of our whole community and are undertaking a preliminary assessment in line with our codes of conduct to determine if further follow-up action is required. Were also communicating with our student body on the need for protest to remain peaceful.

The spokesperson said that the university is deeply committed to academic freedom and free speech.

Our students come from a range of diverse backgrounds, and we strongly support the right of all our students to express opinions and political views in a safe and legal way. Theres also a long history of using the campus for political debate and protestincluding putting up and removing posters on political issues.

We dont condone the removal of posters from these areas, but do also respect the right of students to express their views in this manner.

Chang found the statements part about posters confusing.

How can they not condone the removal of posters while respecting the right of students to express their views at the same time? he asked in a Twitter post.

Universitys Position on Freedom of Speech Unclear

Zhou Fengsuo, a human rights activist and the founder of Humanitarian China who currently lives in the United States, criticized the University of Sydney for its neutral statement.

You cannot exercise your freedom on the basis of infringing upon others. They are undermining other peoples freedom of speech, which of course, is a no-no, he told Voice of America in an interview in mandarin.

We asked the university to clarify its position.

However, Zhou said that the universitys reply is not a big surprise for him.

Western universities now treat Chinese students as cash cows, who are customers paying [them], he said.

The University of Sydney boasts the highest number of Chinese students in Australia. In 2021, 87 percent of the universitys international student income come from Chinese students.

Drew Pavlou, a Brisbane-based human rights activist who himself experienced pro-CCP Chinese students attack at the University of Queensland over pro-democracy Hong Kong protests in 2019, voiced his support for Chang in a post on Twitter that he said showed the faces of the alleged attackers.

Drew Pavlou, a human rights activist and student at the University of Queensland. (Courtesy of Drew Pavlou)

We cant claim to be an open and free democracy in Australia if we are not doing everything in our power to protect Chinese Australian dissidents like Aaron Chang, he said.

If the University of Sydney, if the Australian police fail to protect this dissident from Chinese Communist Party-supported thugs, who want to use violence to terrorize and repress free speech in Australia, then we cant say that we are a formal and open democracy.

Police Investigating, Suspects at Large

The police confirmed that they are investigating the incidents.

Officers from Inner West Police Area Command are investigating two reported assaults of a man outside a University on Eastern Avenue, Camperdown, NSW Police told The Epoch Times.

Police were told about 2 pm on Thursday, 16 February & Monday, 20 February 2023; a 22-year-old man was approached and assaulted by a group of men unknown to him.

The man did not sustain any injuries.

Inquiries into both incidents are continuing.

The Epoch Times reached out to the Chinese consulate in Sydney to inquire if the Chinese people who attacked Aaron are related to the consulate but did not receive a reply by publication time.
Climate Advocate Al Gore and CEO Tim Cook Must Be Ousted From Apple Board: NLPC

Former US vice president and climate campaigner Al Gore speaks at an event in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on Nov. 9, 2022. (Joseph Eid/AFP via Getty Images)

The National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC), a nonprofit that reports on the ethics of public officials, has made two filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) opposing the position of Apple CEO Tim Cook and climate advocate Al Gore on Apples board of directors.

The SEC filing that called for voting against Al Gores twenty-first term on the board of directors pointed out that he has built a personal brand for himself on climate change after losing a presidential bid against George W. Bush in 2000. Mr. Gore has little technology, financial, or leadership success. His board membership relies heavily on his climate change expertise. However, Mr. Gores climate predictions have been mostly false; he lives a hypocritical carbon-intensive lifestyle; and his climate activism has been a tool for his personal enrichment, much of which depends on industries whose existence relies on government tax credits and subsidies, the filing stated.

In addition, he remains vocal and active on progressive political issues, putting Apples apolitical reputation at risk. For those reasons, shareholders should vote against his continuation as a director on Apples board.

According to Apples 2023 proxy statement, corporate governance is stated as one of Gores director skills. The filing points out that prior to joining the Apple team, Gore has never served on a corporate board.

In contrast, every other board member either serves on the board of another Fortune 500 public company or has experience in executive leadership at a major corporation.

Innovation and technology is another skill listed under Gore in the proxy statement. However, Gore has no prior business or technology experience.

The filing cited a survey conducted by the Harvard Business Review which asked more than 5,000 board members regarding the top three forms of expertise a new member must have. Climate change, Gores primary area of expertise, was not included in the surveys list.

Apples shareholders should consider the opportunity cost of allocating a crucial board seat solely based on climate expertise, considering climate change mitigation is wholly unrelated to Apples core business, the filing stated.

The SEC filing also blamed Gore for using his public perception as a climate expert as a tool for personal enrichment. Generation IM, an investment management firm co-founded by Al Gore, manages around $36 billion. Its top three positions are in Microsoft, Charles Schwab, and Amazon, with none of them related to renewable energy.

Citing a Bloomberg analysis, the filing stated that companies in Generation IMs largest fund, with $26.4 billion in assets, have seen their greenhouse gas emissions increase in recent years.

Proposal Against Tim Cook

In the SEC filing calling for voting against Tim Cooks twelfth term on the board of directors, NLPC pointed out that Cook has failed numerous times to live up to what he says are Apples ethical standards ever since he took over as CEO in 2011. In addition, he has also made multiple strategic mistakes that ended up costing Apple billions of dollars.

These include labor rights failures, privacy violations, and overreliance on China. But he is shielded from accountability, in part because of his position on Apples board. He should be removed as a director so the proper chain of command can be restored.

Apples 2023 proxy statement lists global operations and risk management as two of Cooks director skills.

Yet Mr. Cook has overseen poor risk management in Apples supply-chain policies, particularly regarding its over-reliance on Chinese suppliers, and the companys close relations with Chinas authoritarian regimedecisions that cost Apple between $4 billion and $8 billion under the communist nations zero-COVID lockdowns, the filing states.

Seven of Apples suppliers have been linked to forced labor in Chinas Xinjiang region where Beijing is said to have pressured hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs and other minorities into such conditions, according to the filing. Apple lobbied against the U.S. Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act which took a strong position against forced labor in Xinjiang.

Apple restricted the use of its AirDrop feature in regions that saw protests against the Chinese regimes COVID-19 policies in November 2022 to prevent protestors from communicating, the filing noted.

The Epoch Times has reached out to Apple for comment.

In an April 2022 testimony before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Commission, Clyde Prestowitz, president of the Washington-based Economic Strategy Institute, had called for Cook to register as a foreign agent due to his ties with the Chinese Communist Party.

What we have to understand is that our corporations, our major business leaders, the Ray Dalios of the world, and the Tim Cooks of the world, they are powerful here in Washington. You know the money they spend, the entreat they have here in Washington, Prestowitz said. In Beijing, theyre on their knees. They kowtow.

The filing also highlighted that although Cook publicly advocates for consumer protection, he privately enables Google to collect data from more than two billion active Apple devices globally.

The company receives roughly one-fifth of its services revenue from the Google partnership alone. And Googles antitrust scrutiny has brought Apple into the U.S. Justice Departments crosshairs, posing a risk to Apples services revenue and reputation. Regardless, Mr. Cook has publicly defended this partnership, it said.
Comer Launches Probe into State Departments Alleged Funding of Group Blacklisting Conservative Media Under the Guise of Combatting Disinformation

Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, delivers remarks during a hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, on Feb. 01, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) sent a letter on Thursday to the U.S. State Department demanding records and a briefing by the agency regarding its alleged funding of a disinformation tracking group that is blacklisting conservative-leaning news outlets.

The letter (pdf) cites as evidence the Washington Examiners series of investigative reports uncovering the State Departments alleged partnership with activist organizations, specifically one foreign organization, to suppress lawful speech and defund disfavored news outlets under the guise of combatting disinformation.

The Committee is disturbed by recent reporting that taxpayer money ended up in the hands of a foreign organization running an advertising blacklist of organizations accused of hosting disinformation on their websites, including several conservative-leaning news organizations, Comer wrote.

The letter goes on to detail the Washington Examiners findings.

According to the outlet, major ad companies look to nonpartisan groups that claim to detect and fight disinformation online to help determine which news outlets and websites they should avoid.

Some of these disinformation monitors, the Washington Examiner went on to explain, are compiling secret blacklists and feeding them to ad companies, with the aim of defunding and shutting down disfavored speech.

One such group is British Global Disinformation Institute (GDI), which has compiled a dynamic exclusion list of 2,000 websites and rates those outlets based on their alleged disinformation risk factor, according to the Washington Examiner.

GDIs website further explains its purpose. Calling itself an independent, non-profit, open source, intelligence hub, GDI tracks disinformation and extremism across platforms online to serve a broad array of governments, NGOs [non-governmental organizations], online platforms, and media.

In his letter, Comer cites a $330,000 figure that, according to the Washington Examiner, GDI received from State Department funds.

The federal government should not be censoring free speech nor policing what news outlets Americans choose to consume, Comer wrote in the letter.

And taxpayer funds should never be given to third parties with the intent that they be used to censor lawful speech or abridge the freedom of the press, he continued.

While calling for the State Department to schedule a staff-level briefing no later than March 2, Comer went on to list the types of documents and communications that he demands the Department deliver to the committee by March 9 to enable oversight of the Departments administration of funds flowing to organizations working to censor lawful speech and suppress press freedoms.

GDIs Naughty and Nice Lists of US News Media Organizations

In Dec. 2022, GDI published a study, called Disinformation Risk Assessment: The Online News Market in the United States, of 69 U.S. news websites that the organization analyzed between June and October 2022, placing each of them into one of five categories of disinformation riskminimum, low, medium, high, or maximum.

GDI defines disinformation as adversarial narratives, which are intentionally misleading; financially or ideologically motivated; and/or aimed at fostering long-term social, political, or economic conflict; and which create a risk of harm by undermining trust in science or targeting at-risk individuals or institutions.

According to its criteria, GDI found that the ten most disinformation risky websites were all conservative-leaning, including Newsmax (maximum), The Federalist (maximum), The American Spectator (maximum), the New York Post (high), Reason Magazine (high), RealClearPolitics (high), The Daily Wire (high), The Blaze (high), One America News Network (high), and The American Conservative (high).

In contrast, the ten least risky sites earning the minimum-risk or low-risk designation were NPR (minimum), AP News (minimum), The New York Times (minimum), ProPublica (minimum), Insider (low), USA Today (low), The Washington Post (low), BuzzFeedNews.com (low), The Wall Street Journal (low), and The Huffington Post (low).

From NTD News
Confucius Institutes Are Propaganda Centres, Says Former PM, Foreign Minister Urged to Shut Centres Down

Then-Chinese vice chair Xi Jinping unveils a plaque at the opening of Australia's first Chinese Medicine Confucius Institute at the RMIT University in Melbourne on June 20, 2010. (William West/AFP via Getty Images)

Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has described the controversial CCP-run Confucius Institutes as propaganda centres while calling on Australia to exercise more caution when engaging with Beijing.

This follows Victorian Senator Sarah Hendersons comments at the Universities Australia conference on Feb. 23 where she called on Foreign Minister Penny Wong to use legislative powers under the Foreign Relations Act to close down Confucius Institutes in Australian Universities.

Confucius Institutes have been touted as a Chinese cultural and language program, however, the centres have been under increasing scrutiny for their potential as a trojan horse for the CCPs soft power propaganda push in the west.

There are currently 12 Confucius Institutes across Australia.

Everything the Chinese government does is done with strategic intent, and these Confucius centres are essentially propaganda centres, former prime minister Tony Abbott told Sky News host Peta Credlin on Feb. 23.

These [Confucius] institutes were set up back in the day when we were all reasonably optimistic about China and the West being on a converging path.

I think that all of us have had a huge wake-up call on the Beijing government over the last five or six years.

The Confucius Institutes have reportedly interfered with free speech on Australian university campuses, with teachers being required to avoid topics like the Tiananmen Square massacre, Tibet, and Falun Gong in the classroom, as per CIs policy. If pressed by a student for an answer, teachers were required to state the party line. Discriminatory hiring practices and espionage have also been reported.

Meanwhile, the newly appointed shadow minister for education, Sarah Henderson, spoke of her concerns over Senator Wongs inaction in cancelling current Confucius Institute arrangements at Australian universities.

While the government has said it will not approve new agreements for a Confucius Institute at an Australian university, I am concerned that the Foreign Minister has not used her powers under the Foreign Relations Act, introduced by the Coalition government, to cancel any of the existing agreements. This conflicting position is difficult to reconcile, Henderson said in her address to the 2023 Universities Australia Conference on Feb. 23.

I note the alarm bells rung by the Director General of ASIO, Mike Burgess, in his fourth annual threat assessmentwho has called out public servants, academics and business identities who have asked for an easing up on ASIOs foreign interference and espionage operations at a time of unprecedented espionage and foreign interference activity in Australia.

Clearly, there is still more work to be done.

Henderson also acknowledged the education sectors role in combating foreign interference and influence while safeguarding our values in the face of increasing threats from others who want to do us harm.

Foreign Ministers Response to Report on Foreign Interference Risks

On Feb. 14, Senator Wong, along with Home Affairs Minister Clare ONeil and Education Minister Jason Clare, issued a joint statement that addressed a report on foreign interference risks to Australias higher education and research sector.

The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) report (pdf) made 27 recommendations, which considered the broad national security risks present in the higher education sector, with a particular focus on the prevalence, characteristics and significance of foreign interference, undisclosed foreign interference, data theft and espionage and associated risks to Australias national security.

The Government welcomes and broadly supports the majority of the recommendations, the report states.

Senator Wong said the federal government remained concerned about potential risks to academic freedom through some foreign arrangements at universities and will keep these arrangements under review.

The Government is working closely with universities to strengthen resilience to foreign interference and ensure consistency in international engagement, Wong said.

Universities play an important role in Australias international engagement, and I welcome the sectors close cooperation with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade under the Foreign Arrangements Scheme.

Foreign Arrangement Scheme

The Foreign Arrangement Scheme, which commenced on December 2020, requires states and territories and their entities to seek approval from the Foreign Affairs Minister if they seek to negotiate or enter into an arrangement with foreign national governments and/or their proxies.

The scheme requires those lobbying on behalf of foreign governments or actors to be put on a register.

However, security expert Katherine Mansted told AAP that the scheme is seen as a name-and-shame list, with there being no distinction between authoritarian states like China and Australias democratic allies.

The enforcement regime  doesnt capture the right information, she told a parliamentary inquiry on Feb. 21.

Mansted added some organisations were changing how they operate in order to use grey zones and loopholes to hide relationships.

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull said the scheme needed to focus more on Chinese-associated entities.

There is apparently no organisation in Australia that has any association with the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China, he told an inquiry on Feb. 21.

I would love to think that was true, but regrettably, I can say absolutely that it is not true.

The United Front Work Department oversees Confucius Institutes, according to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI).

The united front systems reach beyond the borders of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC)such as into foreign political parties, diaspora communities and multinational corporationsis an exportation of the CCPs political system. This undermines social cohesion, exacerbates racial tension, influences politics, harms media integrity, facilitates espionage, and increases unsupervised technology transfer, ASPI states.

In September 2018, Victoria University cancelled a screening of a film called In the Name of Confucius, which is critical of the Confucius Institutes, was cancelled after concerns were raised by the Chinese consulate to the international director of the universitys Confucius Institute.

Group of Eightwhich comprises Australias top 8 universitieschief executive Vicki Thomson said there needed to be a clear distinction between foreign influence and foreign interference to improve the schemes effectiveness.

Influence is by its nature open, transparent and part of normal diplomatic relations, she said.

Interference, in contrast, is clandestine, coercive, deceptive or corrupting.

The attorney generals department, which oversees the register, says the scheme has been effective in building greater awareness about foreign influence targeting the federal government but could be improved.
Convicted Gene-Editing Scientist Has Hong Kong Visa Revoked After Public Outrage

He Jiankui speaking at the second international summit on human genome editing in Hong Kong in November 2018. (Sung Pi-Lung/The Epoch Times)

A Chinese scientist convicted of illegal medical practice over gene-edited babies has gotten his Hong Kong visa revoked after widespread criticism from the public.

He Jiankui was initially granted a visa to enter through the Hong Kong governments new Top Talent Pass Scheme.

The Hong Kong government (HKgov) confirmed that applicants were not required to declare criminal record history when applying for the Scheme.

Late at night on Feb. 21, the HKgov issued a statement declaring that Hes visa would be revoked.

Hong Kong academia suspected that He received a lot of resources in China to test gene editing and the involvement was at a national-level. They believe Beijing might have taken action and that the regime wants to prevent He from exposing details after leaving mainland China.

Scholars also criticized the roughly and poorly executed Top Talent Pass Scheme, which would easily make Hong Kong vulnerable to reckless criminals or individuals with ulterior motives.

HKGov Changed Its Tune 3 Times in 24 Hours

He held a press conference in Beijing on Feb. 21, announcing his visa was approved seven days after applying for the Top Talent Pass Scheme in Hong Kong in early February.

He contacted the scientific research institutions and companies of universities in Hong Kong. Once a suitable opportunity arises, I will consider going to Hong Kong for work; I plan to carry out genetic treatment for rare genetic diseases. He said.

He also told the press that he had always thought Hong Kong was free, prosperous, inclusive, and open. I am optimistic about the future of Hong Kong.

When asked whether the authorities approved Hes application to the Top Talent Scheme on Feb. 21, Chris Sun Yuk-han, the Labor and Welfare Bureau director, stated it was not an appropriate time to discuss individual cases. The director of labor also indicated that applicants were not required to divulge their criminal history.

However, Sun emphasized the Director of Immigration would be the person for Top Talent Schemes final approvals.

If any application contains false statements or has provided untruthful information, the application will be deemed invalid. Visas can be revoked by the director of Immigration even if it has been approved initially. Sun added.

Top Talent

When asked if a person with a criminal record was considered highly talented, Sun reiterated the Top Talent Pass Scheme definition, which include high-paid people and graduates of the top 100 universities worldwide.

Sun said he understood that the publics primary concern might not be the definition of Top Talent but about personal information declared in an application. The government will review the application process occasionally if additional personal data is needed.

However, Sun changed his tone in the evening and wrote on the Labor and Welfare Bureaus social media that the government is highly concerned about the publics interest in the declaration requirement for the Top Talent Pass Schemes application process.

The Immigration Department also quickly adjusted the Top Talent Scheme application process in response to the publics reaction.

Effective Feb. 22, all applicants must declare criminal history and conviction records in their online applications. For applications whose approvals are pending, the Immigration Department will require applicants to resubmit relevant information.

However, the public suspected Hes visa approval did not fall into the scope of the governments new declaration measure.

The Hong Kong government, which has refused to comment on individual cases, suddenly released a statement before midnight, responding to the medias inquiries.

The government said some media questioned why a Top Talent Pass Scheme applicant was approved for visa entry even though the person was convicted and jailed for illegal medical practice.

Upon an application review by the Immigration Department, the department said it believed someone had obtained a visa using false information. They added that the Director of Immigration had declared the individuals visa permit invalid per the law, and the authorities would conduct a criminal investigation.

Once convicted, the person concerned can be fined up to HK$150,000 ($19,000) and sentenced to prison for up to 14 years.

Lulu and Nuna Controversy

He was an associate professor at Shenzhen Southern University of Science and Technology. In November 2018, He announced that two genetically edited twin girls, Lulu and Nana, were born in China and claimed that the baby girls were immune to HIV.

The initial response from the Chinese regime was very positive. State run media published reports celebrating the twins and The Peoples Daily, the CCPs official publication even headlined an article The Worlds First Gene-Edited Babies Immune to HIV Created in China. But the regime soon changed its tune after the public raised questions and international scientists condemned Hes experiment.

In addition, the Preparatory Committee of the Second International Summit on Human Genome Editors severely criticized Hes human gene editing experiment. The Committee stated the lab project was defective due to the lack of moral ethics, research planning, medical reasons, and failure to protect its research objects intereststhe experiment also contravened international ethical norms, which they said was disturbing behavior.

Soon, foreign media reported that He had been placed under house arrest in an apartment at the university.

The Epoch Times spoke to Chung Kim-wah, a social policy and public administration scholar, he said If the Beijing government is not involved, there has to be senior officials. The Chinese Communist Party wanted to cut He off from the world. So no one noticed when he was released from prison. Chung said, this was until He made the public announcement that he had gotten a visa from Hong Kong.

Beijings Involvement in Gene-editing Babies

Chung said Beijing may have intervened with the Hong Kong government, causing it to change direction within 24 hours.

Chung points out that many scientists have mastered the gene choreography technology used in Hes genetic editing of babies. However, He crossed the line of ethics and boundaries when experimenting on humans.

The current affairs scholar believes that He could conduct such experiments because of the regimes involvement. Chung thinks He has received plenty of resources in China.

Chung questioned if the medically malpracticed scientist went to Hong Kong, someone would ask how he got the project funding and support. Chung also doubted whether HIV-immunized babies born from genetic modification existed and whether they were still alive.

Top Talent Attracts Criminal Minds

Chung pointed out that there is no advanced technology lab in Hong Kong for testing gene editing on babies, let alone funding. In addition, Hong Kong has lost many talented people due to migration in recent years, further weakening Hong Kongs development foundation in this area.

Chung thinks that the Top Talent Pass is a sloppy scheme.

Unless He moves his entire laboratory to Hong Kong, the government will have to invest a lot financially and make long-term investments. But I think the opportunity is very small. The private sector will not be better, and multinational enterprises with conditions to engage in such laboratories will not choose Hong Kong.

Besides, if the application did not require criminal record history, Chung said it would be a thoughtless, grave mistake.

Chung also criticized the Labor and Welfare Bureau director for his earlier statement about possibly canceling an approved visa and whether the government would reexamine 10,000 cases.

The entire scheme is pointless. The government only wants to find whoever is available regardless of how it might look. Regardless of their real talent, the government wants to find random people to fill the void.

Chung said the Top Talent Scheme would only attract unethical and reckless people to Hong Kong and do evil.

Protecting civil society, morals, and professionalism is a thing of the past. The once-robust system has been destroyed. The current system can no longer judge and block out nonsense and reckless people like He Jiankui from showing up in Hong Kong. Jiankui is the perfect example, and the result is clear.
Dances With Wolves Actor Indicted in Nevada Sex Abuse Case

LAS VEGASCharges are mounting against a Dances With Wolves actor who is accused of sexually abusing and trafficking indigenous women and girls in the United States and Canada for decades.

A grand jury in Nevada indicted Nathan Chasing Horse on Wednesday on 19 counts, expanding on previous charges of sexual assault, trafficking and child abuse to include kidnapping, lewdness, and drug trafficking. Chasing Horse, 46, now faces charges in four jurisdictions, with the newest case brought by prosecutors on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana.

Police in Las Vegas have described Chasing Horse as a cult leader who used his position as a self-proclaimed medicine man to gain access to indigenous girls and women, who he physically and sexually assaulted and took as underage wives. Prosecutors also accused him of grooming young girls to replace his older wives.

Chasing Horses public defender, Kristy Holston, told The Associated Press that she was looking forward to revealing holes in the states case during a preliminary hearing that was canceled Wednesday morning ahead of the indictment. She declined to elaborate.

Since the public is so interested in this case and because only select details of the accusations have been released, we think it would be most appropriate for the State to present their evidence in a public hearing where the defense can reveal the weaknesses of the States case on the record in court, she said in an email.

Holston didnt immediately respond Wednesday afternoon for comment on the additional charges filed against her client. An arraignment is scheduled March 1 in Clark County District Court.

Chasing Horse has declined multiple requests from the AP for an interview from the Las Vegas jail where hes being held on a $300,000 bond.

Nathan Chasing Horse listens to Chief Deputy Clark County District Attorney William Rowles speaking in court in North Las Vegas on Feb. 8, 2023. (Ty ONeil/AP Photo)

Born on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota, Chasing Horse is widely known for his role as Smiles a Lot in Kevin Costners 1990 Oscar-winning film, Dances With Wolves. He was arrested Jan. 31 near the North Las Vegas home he shared with his five wives.

Authorities searched the home and found firearms, psilocybin mushrooms, 41 pounds of marijuana, and two cellphones containing videos and photos of underage girls being sexually assaulted, according to an arrest report.

The footage of the assaults led to federal child pornography charges in U.S. District Court in Nevada.

Chasing Horses arrest in Nevada was the culmination of a monthslong investigation by Las Vegas police. According to court documents, police uncovered a pattern of sexual abuse and alleged crimes dating back to the 2000s across multiple states, including Montana and South Dakota, as well as Canada, where hes been charged with a 2018 rape in British Columbia.

Earlier this month, prosecutors with the Fort Peck Tribes in Montana charged Chasing Horse with one count of aggravated sexual assault in connection with a 2005 rape, according to a warrant obtained by the AP.

Ken Trottier, a tribal court criminal investigator, said Wednesday that two teenage girls at the time had accused Chasing Horse of rape. The investigation was closed, Trottier said, because the girls statements couldnt be corroborated.

That changed after Chasing Horse was arrested in Nevada, Trottier said, with more evidence that allowed Fort Peck to pursue a criminal case.

Its unlikely, though, that Chasing Horse will ever appear in tribal court, Trottier said. Tribal leaders banished him from the reservation nearly a decade ago amid allegations of human trafficking.

We dont ever expect him to return here, Trottier told the AP. If he ever steps foot on our reservation, he will be hunted.

Trottier said Wednesday that he hopes federal prosecutors in Montana will step in, allowing for stiffer penalties if Chasing Horse is charged and convicted of any crime on the reservationwhere federal authorities have concurrent jurisdiction when the victim and suspect are both Native American.

I will probably never have the satisfaction of being able to put handcuffs on him, Trottier said, but at least were able to help the Las Vegas case and other investigations.
 Friday 2023/02/24 01:34 AM

foxbusiness223 HThomas H. Lee

1110767767 Fifth AvenueThomas H. Lee Capital678

Michael Sitrick

a leveraged buyout1974Thomas H. Lee Partners



1992Snapple173220



the Lincoln Center for the Performing Artsthe Museum of Modern Artthe Whitney Museum of American Art



19962,2002014UJA



Ann Tennenbaum275

Statement from Family of Thomas H. Lee

NEWS PROVIDED BY

family friend and spokesperson, Michael Sitrick

Feb 23, 2023, 18:30 ET

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --

"The family is extremely saddened by Tom's death. While the world knew him as one of the pioneers in the private equity business and a successful businessman, we knew him as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, sibling, friend and philanthropist who always put others' needs before his own. Our hearts are broken. We ask that our privacy be respected and that we be allowed to grieve."

From family friend and spokesperson, Michael Sitrick

SOURCE family friend and spokesperson, Michael Sitrick

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/statement-from-family-of-thomas-h-lee-301755027.html

Billionaire financier Thomas H. Lee found dead of self-inflicted gunshot wound in NYC office: sources

Billionaire financier and investor Thomas H. Lee was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his Manhattan office on Thursday morning, police sources said.

Cops responded to a 911 call at 767 Fifth Avenue  where Thomas H. Lee Capital, LLC is located on the sixth floor  at around 11:10 a.m., the sources said.

EMTs pronounced the 78-year-old businessman dead at the scene.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the official cause of death.

The family is extremely saddened by Toms death. While the world knew him as one of the pioneers in the private equity business and a successful businessman, we knew him as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, sibling, friend and philanthropist who always put others needs before his own, Lee family friend and spokesperson Michael Sitrick said in a statement.

Thomas H. Lee, 78, was found dead at his Manhattan office from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Lee is credited with developing the leveraged buyout.

Our hearts are broken. We ask that our privacy be respected and that we be allowed to grieve.

A front desk worker at Lees office building was told there was an emergency, on the sixth floor, but was unaware of Lees death.

They dont want anyone going to that space right now, not even the building staff, the man said.

Lee is credited with being one of the first financiers to purchase companies with money borrowed against the business being bought  what is now called a leveraged buyout.

The Harvard graduate founded Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. in 1974, serving as the chairman and CEO of the company and its predecessors.

In 1992, the private equity pioneer bought Snapple and sold it two years later for $1.7 billion, making 32 times his money.

But not everything always went according to plan.

Michael Milken, Thomas Lee, Peter Thoren and Cliff Robbins attend Dinner At Daniel Benefitting The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) at Daniel in Nov. 2022.

In 1999, Lee led a deal for what was renamed Vertis Communications, the fifth-largest North American printer. By 2006, when many peers had expanded to offer other services, such as marketing, it dropped to ninth since it did not have the money to do the same. Vertis filed for bankruptcy in 2008.



Lee and his longtime partners split in 2005 with Thomas H. Lee Partners being run by Scott Sperling, and Lee left to form Lee Equity Partners in 2006, where he served as chairman until his death Thursday.

At the time of his death, Lees net worth was estimated to be $2 billion, according to Forbes.

Lee was a known philanthropist, particularly for the arts and education. He sat as a trustee for several Big Apple art organizations, including the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Lee with his his wife of 27 years, Ann Tennenbaum.

An oceanfront mansion in the Hamptons owned by Lee in 2008.

Ive been lucky to make some money. Im more than happy to give some of it back, Lee said in 1996 after donating $22 million to his alma mater Harvard University, one of the schools largest gifts ever from a living alumnus.

For his lifetime of philanthropy, he received the UJA-Federations award  named after Jack Nash, a financier who helped create the modern hedge fund business  in 2014.

Lee leaves behind his wife of 27 years, Ann Tennenbaum. He is survived by his children Jesse, Zach, Nathan, Robbie, and Rosalie, as well as two grandchildren.

A woman who answered the phone at Lee Equity Partners declined to comment Thursday afternoon.

What do you think? Post a comment.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.

Additional reporting by Josh Kosman
Decision to Kick Pro-Life Students out of Air and Space Museum an Aberration, Smithsonian Director Says

Pro-life and pro-abortion activists protest during the 50th annual March for Life rally in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, on Jan. 20, 2023. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The Smithsonian Institution has apologized for the conduct of its National Air and Space Museum employees who drove pro-life activists out of the museum during the March For Life Rally in Washington last month.

Tens of thousands of pro-life activists were in Washington on Jan. 20 to attend the annual rally in opposition to abortion. During the weekend event, some rallygoers chose to visit the Air and Space Museum but were kicked out over hats emblazoned with pro-life messages.

The incident during the pro-life rally prompted 40 Republican lawmakers to send a letter to Smithsonian Institution Director Lonnie G. Bunch III, demanding answers.

In their letter, the lawmakers raised allegations that museum employees repeatedly accosted pro-life students from a Catholic school in Greenville, South Carolina. The students had been wearing blue beanie hats embroidered with the words Rosary PRO-LIFE.

The museum employees allegedly mocked the students, called them expletives, and made comments that the museum was a neutral zone where they could not express such statements.

As a taxpayer-funded entity, the Smithsonian Institution and its various museums and buildings are generally prohibited from interfering in the free speech activities of its visitors. The Smithsonian Institution does not allow people to hold demonstrations or display placards, signs, and banners in its buildings, but political messages on articles of clothing are not prohibited.

On Tuesday, Bunch responded to the lawmakers, giving his assurances that the incident was a mistake and the Smithsonian Institution is taking corrective actions.

This was an aberration and not reflective of Smithsonian values and practice of welcoming all visitors regardless of viewpoint, Bunch wrote. Visitors are not to be denied access based on messages on their clothing, and an error was made in this regard on January 20, 2023.

Smithsonian Retraining Employees

Bunch told the Republican lawmakers he had directed the Smithsonian museum to provide employees with refresher training regarding its policies for visitors arriving after demonstrations in the nations capital.

Additionally, I have directed that security personnel be provided with refresher training before any scheduled demonstration to prevent this from happening again, Bunch wrote.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), one of the lawmakers who joined the letter to Bunch, told Fox News, The Smithsonian has publicly acknowledged its employees wrongdoing, instituted refresher training, and taken immediate corrective action to remedy the situation and claims it will not happen again, but said, Congress will need to continue proper oversight of the Smithsonian and ensure that all Americans are welcome at the Air and Space Museum.

Facing Lawsuit

While Bunch said the Smithsonian Institution has taken actions to avoid making the same mistakes in the future, the institution is facing a lawsuit for the Jan. 20 incident at the Air and Space Museum.

The American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ) filed a lawsuit against the museum earlier this month on behalf of parents and children impacted by the incident. The lawsuit names the museum, its leaders, and five unnamed John and Jane Doe police or security guards who took part in the Jan. 20 incident.

The ACLJ has also filed a lawsuit against the National Archives and four John and Jane Doe police or security guards who allegedly kicked another group of pro-life visitors out of the museum on the same day.

What is so egregious about this particular targeting is that it was done by the very federal institution that is home to our Declaration of Independence, our Constitution, and the Bill of Rightsthe exact documents that call on our government to protect the freedoms of speech and religion, not trample on them, ACLJ said of its lawsuit against the National Archives.

From NTD News
DeSantis Calls For Tougher Florida Laws Against Illegal Immigration

Illegal immigrants gather to enter a shelter at the Sacred Heart Church in El Paso, Texas, on Dec. 17, 2022. (John Moore/Getty Images)

Underscoring his intention to combat what he said he saw as the Biden administrations failed border policies, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced new initiatives to crack down on illegal immigration.

Speaking in Jacksonville, DeSantis proposed attacking the problem from numerous directions.

The new measures would toughen penalties for human smuggling, require all employers in the state to use the national E-Verify system to confirm employees are legal residents and remove various incentives for illegal immigration.

The new laws, if passed, would require hospitals to collect data on patients immigration status and annually report the cost of caring for illegal aliens.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis waves as he speaks to police officers about protecting law and order at Prive catering hall on Feb. 20, 2023, in the Staten Island borough of New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

They would require confirmation of U.S. citizenship and Florida residency for voter registration and would prohibit local governments from issuing identification cards to unauthorized aliens and invalidate out-of-state licenses issued to them.

Laws would ban out-of-state tuition waivers at colleges and universities for unauthorized aliens, prevent them from practicing law, and close loopholes allowing illegal immigrants to avoid detention by authorities.

The measures are contained in a bill sponsored by State Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, a Republican representing an area north of Tampa on the states Gulf Coast. The bill, DeSantis said, will force the federal government to get with the program, and to finally secure and defend the borders of the United States.

Florida is a law and order state, DeSantis said, and we wont turn a blind eye to the dangers of Bidens border crisis. We will continue to take steps to protect Floridians from reckless federal open border policies.

The federal government is  an abomination, especially whats happening with the southern border, said Ingoglia, applauding DeSantiss leadership on the issue.

In fact, the southern border is so bad that I personally think the federal government should classify itself as its own disaster area.

Kiyan and Bobby Michael, whose son Brandon was killed by an illegal alien, stand near the United States-Mexico border in Rio Grande City, Texas, on April 26, 2019. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

DeSantiss policy in Florida, Ingoglia said, should be the blueprint for the other 50 states because the only way the federal government is going to react is when the states finally push back.

Mark Glass, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement commissioner, said his agencys joint interdiction operations with the Florida Highway Patrol had nabbed dozens of criminals now facing hundreds of charges of human trafficking, drug smuggling, and other felonies.

State Rep. Kiyan Michael, a Republican elected in November to a Jacksonville-area district, described herself as an angel mom.

She told of the tragedy that motivated her activism on the issue.

Her 21-year-old son, driving to the bank to cash his paycheck while on his lunch break, died after a collision with a vehicle driven by an illegal immigrant. The man had been deported twice.

E-Verify is needed because the person that killed our son was going to buy paint. So he was working somewhere under the table, Michael said.

Sexually Assaulted by Illegal Alien

I have been to the border. Ive been to McAllen, Texas. Ive been to El Paso, Texas. Ive been to Laredo, Texas. Ive seen firsthand what is happening at the border. It is horrible. So I can tell you right now that this legislation  will definitely keep us safe, and I thank you governor for bringing it forward.

A Sarasota woman described her terrifying ordeal at the hands of an illegal immigrant who, unknown to her, had been living nearby and watching her for a year. She woke one night to find him in her room where he stabbed, sexually assaulted her, and severed her fingers.

She researched to find out how this had taken place and how she might have prevented it.

I found out that even though I never met my attacker, he watched me for a year, he and up to seven other men who lived illegally in a home behind my own, the woman said.

He was housed by a company that employed him and is known for hiring illegal immigrants, brokered by the listing agent to this company, an owner who had no idea who lived in the home. He was paid under the table.

She said the man is now serving 25 years in prison and will be deported to Mexico upon his release.

Verifying Legality to Work

Until now, the state has only required public agencies and public contractors to use E-Verify to confirm an employees legality to work and allowed an alternative paper verification system, DeSantis said.

The latter was hard to verify. Under the proposed law, the state would require the use of E-Verify by all employers, DeSantis said.

Illegal immigration imposes enormous costs on society, even when those coming arent criminals or importing drugs, DeSantis said. It imposes stresses on education, public safety, and health care. He said that health care costs alone are estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars but are probably more.

We want those costs identified, he said. And it is almost all uncompensated care, paid for by taxpayers.

He said he was stunned to learn that illegal immigrants were licensed as lawyers in Florida.

How can you be violating the law and then practice law? Were going to end that practice.
DeSantis Calls Out Media Lies Over Banning AP Course on African American Studies

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Feb. 23 called out what he called media lies over the Sunshine State banning the Advanced Placement (AP) course for African American Studies.

DeSantis said that the media tried to create in Florida a narrative.

Read More College Board Says It Made Mistakes in AP African American Course Rollout

Its basically a book ban hoax. Its a hoax what theyre doing. And theyre trying to say that, because we have parental rights and because we have curriculum transparency, if you have a book thats hardcore pornography in a library [that] 10-year-olds can access, a parent objects to that. That does not satisfy Florida [curriculum] standards. It should not be in the library with those young kids. And I think 99 percent of parents agree with that.

DeSantis noted that Florida law requires the factual, unpoliticized teaching of African American history.

The governor accused critics of taking books off bookshelves to create a narrative to muddy the waters over the AP course ban, like one school taking a book about MLB Hall-of-Famer Hank Aaron because it talks about he faced racial discrimination.

Theyre doing that to try to create a narrative. Theyre not doing that because Florida has a law like that or anything like that, DeSantis said. They know thats not in the law, but theyre doing it because theres enough people in corporate media who will just take that and will run with that.

DeSantis last month blocked the teaching of the AP course that he said was politically biased and pushing an agenda on students. The course includes far-left content including Black liberation theology, the movement to abolish prisons, Black Lives Matter, a push for reparations, and queer studies. The College Board has since revised the curriculum.

Left-wing media has blasted the DeSantis administration for banning the AP course.

MSNBCs Andrea Mitchell inaccurately claimed that DeSantis says that slavery and the aftermath of slavery should not be taught to Florida schoolchildren. She has since walked back her insinuation, though she took a shot at DeSantis and appeared to justify her premise.

Governor DeSantis is not opposed to teaching the fact of slavery in schools, but he has opposed the teaching of an African American studies curriculum as well as the use of some authors and source materials that historians and teachers say makes it all but impossible for students to understand the broader historic and political context behind slavery and its aftermath in the years since, she said on Feb. 22.

MSNBC contributor Jason Johnson also joined in the inaccurate media narrative, decrying that DeSantis is happy with Black people being murdered on a regular basis.

NAACP Legal Defense Fund President and Director Janai Nelson wrote in The New York Times that what DeSantis has done was an unrelenting assault on truth and freedom of expression in the form of laws that censor and suppress the viewpoints, histories and experiences of historically marginalized groups, especially Black and L.G.B.T.Q. communities.

Last year, DeSantis signed two education-related bills into law that attracted controversy mainly from the left.

The Florida Parental Rights in Education Act prohibits teaching sexual orientation and gender ideology to students K-3 and below.

The Stop W.O.K.E. Act codified Floridas prohibition on teaching critical race theory for students K-12 and belowin addition to not allowing the teaching of only left-wing narratives, including the notion that, as a pamphlet from DeSantis office put it, a persons moral character or status as either privileged or oppressed is necessarily determined by his or her race, color, national origin, or sex.
Despite the CCPs Efforts, Protests in China Continue

Protesters brave police brutality to stand up for freedom

Retirees hold a large-scale protest against the reduction of retirees medical insurance payments, in Wuhan, on Feb. 15, 2023. (Video screenshot)

Since last Novembers white paper revolution in China last year, large-scale protests have rippled across the country. The regime has attempted to suppress the ongoing nationwide demonstrations, engaging in a campaign to harasss potential protesters. However, the effort has failed, as evidenced by the massive protest by Wuhan elderly on Feb. 15. The Chinese people are awakening.

Retirees in Wuhan told The Epoch Times that even though police conducted a large-scale effort of warning and coercion to local retirees in the week leading up to it, the Feb. 15 demonstrationorganized to protest the regimes cuts to health benefits for the elderlystill took place.

The Epoch Times spoke with some who were involved in the protests in recent months.

Two Wuhan retirees spoke of their involvement in protests against the communist regimes unpopular health insurance reforms.

Lin, a Shanghai resident in his 20s, found himself caught up in the white paper movement in November of 2022. His experience with police brutality still keeps him awake at night.

The White Terror

Mr. Liu is a Wuhan retiree who joined the protest against health insurance reforms on Feb. 8.

Just days before the protest on Feb. 15, he said, police began visiting those who were considered to be targets of stability maintenance.

Liu said the white terrora term for actions that create a climate of fearhas made it very difficult to resist tyranny.

Mr. Li, also a retiree from Wuhan, said that authorities installed additional surveillance cameras within a 2-kilometer (approximately 1.2 miles) radius between Zhongshan Park and Shouyi Square, the location of the protests.

He said Wuhan mobilized nearly all police forces on Feb. 15. Since the day of the protest, facial recognition technology has allowed police to harass those who were at the scene.

China is a global leader in surveillance technology. Still from The Final War: The 100-Year Plot to Defeat America. (An Epoch Original Production)

According to Li, the police pulled a friend of his from his apartment and took him to the police station.

He said, On the 18th, they dragged him to the van and pressed his head down on the floor of the van. They interrogated him for several hours. The police did not release his friend until, through the efforts of family members in Wuhan and Beijing, a foreign diplomat intervened on his behalf.

Li said that Wuhan authorities are now engaging in an all-out effort to retaliate and punish the participants.

Although some elderly were arrested, Liu said that the Wuhan authorities have focused on arresting young onlookers at the scene. I dont know how many people were arrested, but what is certain is that none of the young people who were arrested have been released so far.

How to deal with it is now up to the authorities to decide, he said. There [are no] legal formalities for the family members of the arrested young people.

The Epoch Times tried to contact the Wuhan Public Security Bureau to inquire about the arrest of protesters, but the calls never went through. An effort was also made to call the Command Center of the Wuhan Public Security Bureau. Calls were answered but hung up on.

Recurring Nightmares

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) retaliated against the white paper movement by arresting many protesters, according to a report by Human Rights Watch.

Lin told The Epoch Times on Feb. 14 that he was inspired to get involved in the white paper movement after seeing online videos and photos of protests in Shanghai last year.

Early on Nov. 27, he witnessed the protests at Shanghais Wulumuqi Roada spot where people paid tribute to the victims of the Urumqi fire.

At the scene, he saw how the police dealt with protesters.

I rode my bike towards the cross section of the Wulumuqi Road; there I saw a man being forced into a police car by four men, he said. He took out his cell phone to film the scene, but immediately was approached by two men who pointed at him, saying No filming. he stopped recording right away and put the phone back into his pocket, he said.

However, after he took a few pictures, six police officers violently attacked him. He said, I saw others were filming me. I struggled with the police  I tried to buy them time as much as I could, hoping they [would] record the moment and circulate it on the internet.

The police threw him inside the police car and pummeled him on his head, he said.

At the police station, he saw four other young protesters around his own age. He also overheard a conversation between the police and the security guard, saying that so many were arrested between the evening of Feb. 26 and the early morning of Feb. 27 that they were transferred to other police stations.

Lin said that the police took his mugshots, his fingerprints, and palm prints. The iris scan failed because the machine malfunctioned. Police tried to collect his blood samples, his signature, and record his voice, but he refused to cooperate.

In the torture called tiger bench depicted in this drawing, the elevation of the legs over time causes excruciating pain. (Minghui.org)

He said that police hit his head against the concrete wall, and a police officer kicked him so hard that the officer lost his shoe. He experienced the tiger bench torture, he said: Its very painful, I did not dare to move a bit.

Tiger bench is one of the tortures often employed by communist police. The victim sits on a bench with his or her legs stretched straight out and tied tightly to the bench with straps. Bricks or some other hard objects are put under the victims heels, with more layers added until the straps are taut, causing unbearable pain.

I protest against the restriction on my free expression, Lin told the police.I asked a police officer why he beat me, and he said, Whos going to prove that I have beaten you?

Lin was not released until the morning of Nov. 28.

The police told him the reason for his arrest was that he was picking quarrels and provoking trouble, and he was summoned verbally.

Lin said that he argued with the police. He said when a country shows such fear toward its people that an ordinary person can be arrested for passing by on a bicycle, taking a few photos, and filming nearby buildings and street views, it is already hopeless.

He demanded that the police record the physical injury caused to him in the supplementary paperwork. However, the police refused to issue paperwork for his arrest. Only a written summons results in paperwork, Lin was told.

Lin said after he returned home, he found that his family had been told that he was arrested for disturbing the peace. He said, It is completely different from what they told me in the police station. Its extremely absurd.

The Uncompromising Young

Lin admitted that he is traumatized by the incident. A few more seconds in the police station, and I could have totally collapsed. Its hard to imagine how I have managed to make it through, he said.

Nightmares have followed him since the incident; they awaken him often.

He is deeply worried that the regime may retaliate against him, and that police may come and take him away again.

I am deeply disappointed with the political, judicial system and level of freedom in China today, he said.

However, he said, nothing will stop his determination to pursue democracy and freedom. He said, I think everyone should stand up bravely and create a good atmosphere together to accelerate the collapse of the CCP.

He emphasized that the Urumqi fire ignited anger that has been pent up for a long time.

When the opportunity arises, Lin said, he hopes to escape China ASAP.

Zhao Fenghua and Hong Ning contributed to this report.
East Palestine Residents Could See Long-Term Health Concerns From Toxic Chemicals: Researchers

EPA responds, says its data shows levels of '79 monitored chemicals are below levels of concern'

ONG 52nd Civil Support Team members prepare to enter an incident area to assess remaining hazards with a lightweight inflatable decontamination system (LIDS) in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 7, 2023. (Ohio National Guard via AP)

Weeks after the train derailment carrying hazardous chemicals in Ohio, an analysis shows that residents could be subject to a range of long-term health complications after finding nine air pollutants at higher-than-normal levels.

Researchers at Texas A&M and Carnegie Mellon wrote on Friday that nine out of about 50 chemicals that the Environmental Protection Agency said were present on the train that derailed in East Palestine on Feb. 3 are higher concentrations than normal. Texas A&Ms account wrote that if these levels continue, they may be of health concern and then flagged acroleinused as a chemical warfare weapon during World War Ias one of particular concern.

Other chemicals that were seen at higher-than-normal levels include vinyl chloride, benzene, and naphthalene, according to their analysis. Air samples were most recently taken in East Palestine on Feb. 23.

The two universities then asked two questions: Are there other chemicals in the air that EPA isnt monitoring? and what about locations [where] EPA doesnt have a monitor? Researchers said they used a mobile air quality laboratory to evaluate concentrations of about 80 chemicals in East Palestines air and will produce the results at a later date.

Both federal EPA and state officials previously said that testing of East Palestines municipal wells showed no water quality issues, while some have said that the villages water is fine to drink. In an update on the EPA website on Feb. 20, the environmental agency wrote that it is still operating real-time community air monitoring network 24 hours a day and that the air quality in the community remains normal.

A fish lays dead following a train derailment prompting health concerns in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 20, 2023. (Michael Swensen/Getty Images)

EPA Response

A spokesperson for the EPA told The Epoch Times on Friday that its 24/7 air monitoring data continues to show that exposure levels of the 79 monitored chemicals are below levels of concern, referring to chemicals that would present short-term adverse health impacts.

The analyses Friday assume a lifetime of exposure, which is constant exposure over approximately 70 years, said the agency spokesperson, adding that the EPA doesnt anticipate such chemicals to remain elevated for anywhere that long.

We are committed to staying in East Palestine and will continue to monitor the air inside and outside of homes to ensure that these levels remain safe over time, it said.

Meanwhile, Weihsueh Chiu, one of the Texas A&M researchers, told The Washington Post Friday that it would take months or years for the air pollutants to cause health effects. He said that those chemicals, however, can trigger eye and lung irritation as well as other health issues.

Some locals in East Palestine have complained of various adverse health symptoms, including rashes, nausea, vomiting, and headaches. Animals have been impacted, too, as the Ohio Department of Natural Resources said Thursday that thousands of small fish were found dead in East Palestine after the derailment and release of the chemicals on board.

We cant say whether these levels are causing the current symptoms, Chiu said. The EPA would want to definitely make sure that these higher levels that are detected would be reduced before they left and declared everything cleaned up, he told the paper.

Following the Feb. 3 derailment, officials intentionally released and burned toxic vinyl chloride from the rail cars, sending a massive cloud of black smoke into the sky that could be seen for miles around and was likened to a mushroom cloud caused by a nuclear weapon. The burn triggered questions about the health effects that could potentially befall the residents of East Palestine.

At the time, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said the release and burning of chemicals was needed to avoid a potentially catastrophic explosion that may have sent shrapnel in every direction. Days after an evacuation was ordered, officials allowed residents to return to the village.

On Thursday, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its preliminary report after an investigation into the cause of the derailment, saying an overheated wheel bearing may have been the culprit. The NTSB report stopped short, however, of identifying a conclusive cause for the crash.

We have no evidence that the crew did anything wrong, said NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy after the report was issued.

The EPA has ordered Norfolk Southern, the operator of the train, to conduct a cleanup of the chemicals from the water and soil around the derailment site.

The Epoch Times has contacted the EPA for comment on the analysis.
Energy Infrastructure Payments a Slap in the Face

Premier Daniel Andrews of Victoria speaks to media during an announcement at PowerPlus Energy, in Melbourne, Australia on Oct. 21, 2022. (AAP Image/Diego Fedele)

A move to pay landowners $200,000 per square kilometre for energy infrastructure imposed on their properties has been labelled a slap in the face.

Residents living in the path of several projects in regional Victoria have previously protested against high-voltage power lines and towers more than 80 metres high and are calling for infrastructure to be placed underground instead.

The projects are part of a wider move to shift the state to renewable energy as remaining coal-fired power stations are set to close over the next 12 years.

The first residents to receive payments will be those impacted by VNI West, likely connecting Ballarat in central Victoria with Kerang in the north and across to NSW, and the Western Renewables Link corridor from the Melbourne suburb of Sydenham to near Stawell in the states west.

The standard payments will be $8000 a year for 25 years for those with transmission easements on their land.

Moorabool Central Highlands Power Alliance chair Emily Muir called the payments a sweetener and claimed they didnt go far enough to compensate farmers.

It feels like the governments just slapped us in the face, Muir told AAP.

About one square kilometre of the farm she lives on with her husband is likely to be impacted by the Western Renewables Link.

Muir said she wasnt against renewable energy projects but believed power lines and towers on her property would impact farming by restricting weed spraying from a helicopter, stopping the movement of certain machinery or stock and interrupting views.

I feel like its the government trying to get us over the line to agree to a project that weve been protesting against for two-and-a-half years, she said.

People living in Gippsland affected by the Victoria-Tasmania Marinus Link project and those near future offshore wind projects can also receive payments, which are now equivalent to those on offer in NSW.

In 2022, protests against VNI West stepped up, with hundreds of farmers driving tractors through Ballarat and a rally held outside Parliament House in Melbourne.

The projects are part of a move to guarantee energy stability across the east coast, with power generated in Victoria and NSW able to be transferred between states.

These new payments acknowledge the hugely important role landholders play in hosting critical energy infrastructure  a key part of Victorias renewables revolution, Victorias Energy and Resources Minister Lily DAmbrosio said.

Creative Industries Minister Steve Dimopoulos echoed those comments at a press conference on Friday, telling reporters the infrastructure was vital for future energy transmission and the national market.

The Victorian opposition backs compensation for landholders but said more attention needed to be paid to any faults and blockages affecting the transmission network.

The real issue is getting on with delivering an energy network that can support our transitioning system, opposition energy and resources spokesman David Hodgett said.

The Australian Energy Market Operator earlier this week warned the reliability of the grid would be in doubt during the next decade without urgent investments to replace coal plants.
This week, we feature an ancient guide for the bereft and a riveting history of a crime fighter who battled organized crime and organized racism.

Education

Inspiring Our Youth to Learn

A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-First Century

By Oliver DeMille

This first volume of the Leadership Education Library explores the basis of the Founding Fathers education: the classics and mentoring. For those eyeing homeschooling and for teachers seeking inspiration, this book provides a method for challenging our youth.

TJEdOnline, 2009, 198 pages

History

Weaponry of the Dark Ages

Post-Roman Kingdoms: Dark Ages Gaul & Britain, AD 450800

By Raffaele DAmato and Andrea Salimbeti

When the Goths sacked Rome in A.D. 410, it marked the end of the Western Roman Empire and the beginning of what became known as the Dark Ages. There are countless books on the subject, but Raffaele DAmato and Andrea Salimbeti write less about the kingdoms and leaders that arose during the late Roman world and more about the armies that fought for those kingdoms and what they fought with, such as wardrobe and weaponry. For such a short work, it isnt short on sources from the ancient to the modern world.

Osprey Publishing, 2023, 64 pages

A Real Crime-Fighting Hero

Gangbuster: One Mans Battle Against Crime, Corruption, and the Klan

By Alan Prendergast

If anyone is looking for a new American hero, Alan Prendergasts March release Gangbuster has identified one: Philip S. Van Cise. With a gift for true crime narratives, Prendergast tells the story of the fearless and methodical Denver district attorney, who, in the post-World War I era, eventually rounded up Big Con artists and brought them to justice. Then, the hero fought another onslaught of injustice: the rise of the Ku Klux Klana topic well explored in a fascinating history.

Citadel, 2023, 320 pages

Biography

The Visionary Buckminster Fuller

Inventor of the Future: The Visionary Life of Buckminster Fuller

By Alec Nevala-Lee

Without a doubt, Buckminster Fuller was a brilliant man. In a new biography of the relentless inventor-architect-designer, he is presented as one of the 20th centurys most brilliant people. But the book calls into question how much of his brilliance was real and how much of it was showmanship. Part inspiration, part disenchantment, this biography examines the clash between the promise of the future and the reality of the present.

Dey Street Books, 2022, 672 pages

Wellness

Spotlight on Relationships

The Good Life: Lessons From the Worlds Longest Scientific Study of Happiness

By Robert Waldinger, M.D. and Marc Schulz, Ph.D.

This ongoing study, based on research by the Harvard Study of Adult Development, began in 1938. It now includes three generations and 1,300 descendants of the original 724 participants. The main takeaway: Those who are connected to family, friends, and community are happier and healthier. Sound advice for our era of loneliness.

Simon & Schuster, 2023, 352 pages

Classics

A Guide to Solace

How to Grieve: An Ancient Guide to the Lost Art of Consolation

Written by Marcus Tullius Cicero; translated by Michael Fontaine

Capturing the spirit of Roman statesman Ciceros Consolation, Michael Fontaines translation provides wisdom on how to grieve and how to think about death, tragedy, and other misfortunes. One of the recent editions from Princeton University Presss ongoing series Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers, this excellently researched work is based on a recreation of the lost original, which was likely written in response to the death of Ciceros daughter. It presents solace in a philosophy that balances grieving and stoicism.

Princeton University Press, 2022, 264 pages

For Kids

From Rags to Respectability

Ragged Dick

By Horatio Alger Jr.

Resourceful Ragged Dick is a 14-year-old living on the streets of New York in the 1860s, but his honesty leads him to a better life. Algers once-popular books show that a virtuous character and a willingness to learn and work hard can lead to success.

ReadaClassic, 2011, 130 pages

Waiting Without Boredom

Patrick Picklebottom and the Longest Wait

By Mr. Jay

In this second book about Patrick Picklebottom, the protagonist arrives early for the librarys storybook hour. Time goes by really s-l-o-w-l-y until he learns that he can entertain himself, in this story that shows children they need never be bored.

Lyric and Stone, 2022, 32 pages
When in Rome, look up to the heavens in the nave of the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola and youll be in for a sweet surprise, as the lofty heights of heaven appear as real as you and I.

Yet builders didnt construct the naves dome and vaulted ceiling; lay Jesuit brother Andrea Pozzo (16421709) created it entirely with paint and mathematical perspective. Pozzos painted ceiling is the best example of quadratura, an illusionistic and realistic rendering of architecture and sculpture on walls or ceilings.

On the ceiling, Pozzo depicted Christ and the Virgin Mary welcoming St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus (known as the Jesuits), to paradise. God sends light to Christ, who emanates rays of light throughout the painting. One ray shines straight to St. Ignatiuss heart. Christ radiates more rays of light to allegories of four continentsEurope, Asia, Africa, and the Americascelebrating the Jesuit missionaries work there.

Italian painter and lay Jesuit brother Andrea Pozzo created the spectacular illusionistic painted ceiling in the nave of Romes Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Pozzos composition shows Christ and the Virgin Mary welcoming the founder of the Jesuit order, St. Ignatius, into paradise. ( Diego Delso /CC-BY-SA 4.0)

Several scenes show Ignatiuss life leading up to his apotheosis, a theme that the artist extended throughout the church. Pozzo depicted Old Testament figures such as Judith and Holofernes, David and Goliath, Jael and Sisera, and Samson and the Philistines to further reinforce the Roman Catholic faith in the Counter-Reformation period.

Illusionistic Architecture for the Vault of St. Ignatius, 1685 or 1690, by Andrea Pozzo. Pen and gray and brown ink with gray wash on two joined sheets of heavy laid paper; 19 3/4 inches by 35 7/8 inches. Gift of Robert M. and Anne T. Bass, National Gallery of Art, Washington. (Public Domain)

Pozzos illusionistic Baroque masterpiece, along with his authoritative two-volume book on perspective, Perspectives of Painters and Architects, influenced ceiling painting for years to come.

A Tradition Aiming for Righteousness

Pozzos painting is part of a centuries-old tradition whereby patrons across Europe commissioned artists to decorate prominent buildings with a series of decorative themes that might encourage faith, patriotism, and morality, and also glorify a countrys rulers, royalty, and great historical figures. Artists saw every building surface, including the ceiling, as a canvas to convey these commissions.

The Apotheosis of Saint Euphemia, circa 1759, by Carlo Innocenzo Carlone. Pen and light brown ink with gray wash over graphite, strengthened with tip of the brush and dark gray wash, squared in red chalk on cream laid paper; 31 7/8 inches by 22 inches. Wolfgang Ratjen Collection, Patrons Permanent Fund, National Gallery of Art, Washington. (Public Domain)

A new exhibition, Looking Up: Studies for Ceilings, 15501800, at the National Gallery of Art in Washington explores the decorative tradition of ceiling painting. Around 30 of the gallerys drawings are on display, including Andrea Pozzos illusionistic architecture for the vault of the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola in Rome. Together, the drawings show the development of the decorative tradition of ceiling painting: from architectural frames to illusionistic and dramatic scenes of the Baroque, to the geometric and idealized scenes in the neoclassical style.

Illusionistic Architecture for the Vault of St. Ignatius, 1685 or 1690, by Andrea Pozzo. Pen and gray and brown ink with gray wash on two joined sheets of heavy laid paper; 19 3/4 inches by 35 7/8 inches. Gift of Robert M. and Anne T. Bass, National Gallery of Art, Washington. (Public Domain)

The drawings on display also show how the artists prepared these monumental ceiling compositions much like they would any painting on canvas. First they made preliminary sketches, and then developed architectural schemes and sometimes detailed figure studies. For instance, Italian painter Livio Rettis delicate composition study for his fresco The Triumph of Virtue and Divine Wisdom shows the personification of Wisdom at the peak, presiding between the Virtues. Directly below Wisdom, Virtue fights and tramples the Vices. Rettis finished ceiling painting is in the city hall in a city named Schwabisch Hall, which is northeast of Stuttgart, in southern Germany. The painting reminds those in the council chamber of their civic duty.

The Triumph of Virtue and Divine Wisdom, 1736, by Livio Retti. Pen and brown ink with brown wash over graphite on laid paper; 17 1/2 inches by 21 1/4 inches. Wolfgang Ratjen Collection, Patrons Permanent Fund, National Gallery of Art, Washington. (Public Domain)

Italian painter Luigi Garzis black chalk study of St. Catherine of Siena on a Cloud shows her rapt in a vision of St. Catherine of Alexandria, where she sees the saint with the Christ child. In Garzis finished work, which is in the Church of St. Catherine in Formiello in Naples, Italy, St. Catherine of Siena looks adoringly up to the heavens as her vision unfolds above her, all to remind church visitors of their faith.

Saint Catherine of Siena on a Cloud, circa 1696, by Luigi Garzi. Black chalk heightened with white chalk on blue laid paper; 15 1/4 inches by 10 5/8 inches. Purchased as the Gift of Robert B. Loper and Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, National Gallery of Art, Washington. (Public Domain)

Exhibition visitors can also look up to the heavens of the gallery space to see a photograph of Pozzos heavenly nave of the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola, giving them a glimpse of the stupendous ceiling and this centuries-old tradition.

The exhibition Looking Up: Studies for Ceilings, 15501800 runs through July 9, at the National Gallery of Art, in Washington. To find out more visit, NGA.gov
Federal Agents to Shoot Feral Cattle From Helicopter After Judge Dismisses Ranchers Complaint

Federal forest rangers are expected to start gunning down feral cattle from helicopters after a judge approved their operation to lethally remove a 150-member herd from a national park in southwestern New Mexico.

The four-day aerial hunt is scheduled to begin on Feb. 23 and conclude on Feb. 26, according to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), which described the cows and bulls who are freely roaming and grazing in the Gila National Forest as a significant threat to both public safety and natural resources.

The USFS didnt respond to a request to confirm whether the operation is underway, although a section of the Gila National Forest designated as the kill zone remains closed to the public after the federal agency shut it down on Feb. 20. The legal challenge against the plan has also been tossed by a judge.

In their petition filed at a U.S. district court in Albuquerque, cattle ranchers and local business owners claimed that the planned massacre is not only cruel and inhumane, but would also violate a previous settlement agreement.

According to New Mexico Cattle Growers Association (NMGCA), the USFS in February 2022 carried out a killing that resulted in the death of 65 stray cattle, many of which were not killed instantly but wandered off and bled to death.

Photographs showed carcasses in or on the banks of the Gila River. Calves were orphaned, starved, and left for predators, the NMGCA said in a statement. To settle a lawsuit, the federal agency signed an agreement with the association, promising to provide a written notice 75 days prior of any future aerial slaughter operations.

Unfortunately, after a year of abiding by our settlement agreement, we are now back to square one, said NMCGA president Loren Patterson. The association further argued that the USFS has no authority to shoot cattle in the first place.

U.S. District Judge James Browning, however, found those arguments unconvincing. No one disputes that the Gila cattle need to be removed and are doing significant damage to the Gila Wilderness, he wrote. The court does not see a legal prohibition on the operation. It would be contrary to the public interest to stop the operation from proceeding.

The cattle in question are descendants of livestock abandoned by a farmer who went out of business in the 1970s. In a statement explaining why they should cease to exist, the USFS said their extermination is necessary to protect public safety, threatened and endangered species habitats, water quality, and the natural character of the Gila Wilderness.

The feral cattle in the Gila Wilderness have been aggressive towards wilderness visitors, graze year-round, and trample stream banks and springs, causing erosion and sedimentation, said Camille Howes, Gila National Forest Supervisor. This action will help restore the wilderness character of the Gila Wilderness enjoyed by visitors from across the country.

All dispatched cattle will be left onsite to naturally decompose, the USFS said, noting that rangers will make sure no carcasses are adjacent to or in any waterbody or spring, designated hiking trail, or known culturally sensitive area.

In response to concerns that branded cattle could have strayed into the kill zone, the federal agency also promised to locate, gather, and remove all branded cattle from areas where they shouldnt be.
Fentanyl Seizures Have Skyrocketed in Montana Since 2019: State Attorney General

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen in an interview on the "Newsmakers" program on Nov. 3, 2022. (NTD)

There has been an almost 11,000 percent increase in fentanyl seizures in Montana since 2019, according to the states attorney general.

In 2022, the Rocky Mountain High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (RMHIDTA)a federal program that consists of 30 counties altogether in Colorado, Montana, Utah, and Wyomingconfiscated 206,955 dosage units of fentanyl in The Treasure State, a 10,800 percent increase since 2019, when 1,900 dosage units of the drug were seized.

Last years figure is also 146,378 more dosage units than in 2021, or three times more said Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen in a Feb. 24 press release.

Just over 66 percent of the drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2021the last time drug overdose deaths were reported by the CDCwere due to fentanyl.

The amount of illicit fentanyl coming across the southern border has skyrocketed. This poison is killing Montanans, said Knudsen.

Our narcotics agents and troopers are getting more fentanyl off the roads than ever before, but we need additional tools and resources to keep it out of our communities.

Fentanyl has been pouring into the United States through the southern border.

At least 14,700 lbs. of the drug was seized there in 2022, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. So far in 2023, at least 12,500 lbs. of the drug were seized at the southern border.

Fentanyl-linked overdose deaths were also up from 2021. According to preliminary data from the State Crime Lab, there were 74 overdose deaths involving fentanyl in 2022 compared to 49 in 2021an increase of 51 percent, according to Knudsen.

The statewide total is higher, as the crime lab only verifies deaths that involve an autopsy. Fentanyl-linked deaths confirmed by the crime lab increased 1,750 percent from 2017 when there were just four.

In January, over a 10-day period, at least 28 Montanans overdosed on drugs, suspected to be fentanyl, killing eight, Knudsen said.

In the United States, there were 71,238 deaths due to fentanyl, an increase of about 20.8 percent from 2020, when there were 57,834 deaths, according to the CDC.

In addition to fentanyl, the Rocky Mountain area seized 207.37 lbs. of methamphetamine, 7.29 lbs. of heroin, and 22.25 lbs. of cocaine in Montana in 2022.

Additionally, according to Knudsen, there were 474 firearms seized in Montana in 2022, a 25 percent increase from the previous year, when there were 375.

Knudsen, who has been Big Sky Countrys top law enforcement officer since Jan. 4, 2021, has asked the Montana state legislature for increased investment in public safety in order to fund additional narcotics and human trafficking agents, highway patrol troopers, major crimes investigators, and criminal prosecutors, according to the press release.
Sadly, the party's overMardi Gras, that is. Folks of the Catholic persuasion donned their ashes yesterday and are settling into 40 days of Lent (February 22 to April 6), where the faithful may or may not give up some kind of vice and/or incorporate a new spiritual, mindful, or healthy practice into their lives. For many Catholics Lent also includes abstaining from meat on Fridays, and for most, that means eschewing meat for fish. But what, exactly, counts as "fish" or "non-meat" is an ongoing discussion.

One curious resident of Louisiana wondered if alligatorswhich are plentiful in the Bayou Statewould be considered "fish" for Lenten purposes. Turns out, the answer is yes. The Facebook page "NOLA A. F." recently posted a photo of a now-famous letter from 2010, from Reverend Gregory M. Aymond, Archbishop of New Orleans, to Mr. Jim Piculas of the Insta-Gator Ranch and Hatchery in Covington, Louisiana. In the letter Archbishop Aymond answers a question Mr. Piculas had asked in a previous letter: Are alligators acceptable to eat during the Lenten Season? Archbishop Aymond responds: "Yes, the alligator is considered in the fish family and I agree with you, God has created a magnificent creature that is important to the state of Louisiana and it is considered seafood."

In 2013, Catholic News Agency reiterated the Church's official position:

Alligator is permissible to eat on Fridays of Lent, the archbishop of New Orleans assured a conscientious parishioner, and his approval has been backed by the national bishops' conference. The Code of Canon Law says, "Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday." "The law of abstinence binds those who have completed their fourteenth year," canon law continues. This rule of abstinence from meat raises questions of what precisely constitutes meat, which explains Archbishop Aymond's answer about alligators. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website on "Lent and Lenten Practices" shows the rationale behind Archbishop Aymond's declaration. "Abstinence laws consider that meat comes only from animals such as chickens, cows, sheep or pigs  all of which live on land. Birds are also considered meatFish are a different category of animal. Salt and freshwater species of fish, amphibians, reptiles, (cold-blooded animals) and shellfish are permitted." Since alligators are reptiles and therefore cold-blooded, their flesh does not count as "meat" from which U.S. Catholics must abstain on Fridays in Lent. Other reptiles that could presumably be consumed on Lenten Fridays include turtles, snakes, and tortoises. The bishops indicate that foods such as chicken broth, meat gravies or sauces, "as well as seasonings or condiments made from animal fat are technically not forbidden."

If you're wondering what other animals "count" as "not meat" and thus are acceptable to eat on Fridays during Lent, here's another list, compiled by BR Proud. In addition to alligator, it includes turtle, snake, capybara, beaver, muskrat, and puffin. All I have to say is: keep your grubby paws off of my beloved capybara! And, of course, you could just go vegetarian on Fridays just sayin'.
First Lady Gives Hint on President Bidens 2024 Plans

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden with grandson Beau Biden Jr., make their way to board Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House on Dec. 16, 2022. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

First Lady Jill Biden gave one of the clearest signals yet that President Joe Biden will run for another term amid speculation that he might be bowing out of a second presidential bid, saying Friday that his team is trying to figure out the time and place to announce it.

How many times does he have to say it for you to believe it? the first lady told The Associated Press in Nairobi, Kenya, on Friday during a five-day trip to Africa.

He says hes not done. Hes not finished what hes started, she added. And thats whats important.

Since taking office, President Biden has been dogged by questions and speculation about a second presidential bid, with critics citing his relatively advanced age. Biden, if hes reelected in 2024, would be 86 years old upon leaving office in early 2029.

In her AP interview, the first lady said that she will have a say in whether he runs again because Im his wife. She added that Biden will have to listen to me because were a married couple but stipulated that Biden makes up his own mind.

Biden has often said that he plans on running for another term, telling reporters during his first news conference in March 2021 that he would run. And in a news conference after the Nov. 8 midterms, he told reporters that his intention is to run but wouldnt make a decision until early 2023.

In previous appearances, Biden said he wont declare his candidacy because it could run afoul of federal election laws and campaign financing rules. A similar comment was issued by former President Donald Trump in 2021, although Trump became the first major Republican to announce a presidential bid a week after the Nov. 8 midterms last year.

Despite his public statements, there continues to be intense speculation about Bidens future. A Politico article, published this week and citing four people familiar with the presidents thinking, said that there is no hard deadline for when Biden will announce his bid, which has allegedly caused some Democrat donors and strategists to come up with a contingency plan.

An inertia has set in, one alleged confidant to Biden told the outlet. Its not that he wont run, and the assumption is that he will. But nothing is decided. And it wont be decided until it is.

Biden has said that his health would factor into whether he makes a second bid for the White House and said last year he would speak to his family about such a decision over the past Christmas holiday weekend. However, no announcement has been made yet.

The development comes as polling has often shown Democratic voters having a less-than-favorable opinion of Biden seeking office again. An AP-NORC poll, released earlier this month, found that only about 37 percent of Democrats support a second Biden term. According to the same poll, thats down from the 52 percent in the weeks ahead of the Nov. 8 midterms.

When asked about the survey, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters this month that polling numbers arent as important as getting the desired results for Democratic voters.

The way that we should look at this is what we saw from the midterms, she said, adding that there were more victories than anticipated because the president went out there and spoke directly to the American people.

Other Candidates?

Earlier this week, progressive self-help author Marianne Williamson, who ran for president in 2020, confirmed Thursday that she will run for the Democratic nomination for president in 2024. No other prominent Democrats have officially made announcements yet.

Marianne Williamson, who was then a Democratic presidential candidate, speaks during the 2020 Public Service Forum in Las Vegas on Aug. 3, 2019. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

I wouldnt be running for president if I didnt believe I could contribute to harnessing the collective sensibility that I feel is our greatest hope at this time, Williamson told the Medill News Service in an interview.

Meanwhile, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in November that he will not try to run for president in 2024 if Biden decides to. The Democrat governor said that it would trigger Democrat infighting that would harm his partys chances.

Ive told everyone in the White House, from the chief of staff to the first lady, Newsom told Politico.

As for prominent Republicans other than Trump, so far former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy have entered the race. Both Ramaswamy and Haley made their respective announcements this month.
Hundreds of Florida College Students Walk Out to Protest Against DeSantiss Move Against Leftist Ideology

An attendee at a planned "walkout" at the University of Florida holds a sign that says "Trans Healthcare is a Human Right, Not a Political Pawn!" on the Gainesville, Fla. campus on Feb. 23, 2023. (Nanette Holt/The Epoch Times)

GAINESVILLE, Fla. Students on a handful of university campuses across Florida walked out of their classes in a coordinated effort on Feb. 23 to show their disapproval for Gov. Ron DeSantiss policies to fight wokeness in the state university system.

Organizers of the protest said about 1,000 students joined in at a handful of the 12 public universities in the state. The system has more than 341,000 students enrolled.

DeSantis, a Republican, has promised to remove all funding from school programs that teach Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). The two schools of thought are quasi-Marxist and foment division by treating people differently based on their race, gender, and sexual preferences.

The governor added he wanted to remove ideological loyalty oaths as hiring qualifications and shift hiring authorities to university presidents.

Our institutions will be graduating students with degrees that will actually be useful, DeSantis said. We will be eliminating all DEI and CRT bureaucracies in Florida. It will wither on the vine.

About 100 students at the University of Florida gather at the Marston Science Library on the campus in Gainesville, Fla., on Feb. 23, 2023, as part of a planned walkout to protest against Republican Gov. Ron DeSantiss efforts to curb Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs in public universities and colleges around the state. (Nanette Holt/The Epoch Times)

At the University of Florida, the protest was small but passionate. Florida College Democrats and Dream Defenders led the walkouts.

Roughly 100 students walked out of the Gainesville campus to protest DeSantiss actions against left-wing ideological education. The Gainesville campus enrolled more than 60,000 this academic year.

We demand the DeSantis administration restore DEI initiatives, stop its attack on LGBT students, and end his abuse of power, a Google page for the walkouts read.

Dream Defenders is a socialist group in favor of abolishing prisons, policing, surveillance, and punishment, decriminalizing marijuana, and black feminism, their website states.

Skipping Class for DEI

By 10 minutes after the planned start time at noon, organizers at the University of Florida event decided the crowd had grown as much as it would.

About 100 students stood in clusters in the breezeway outside the Marston Science Library and a campus Starbucks coffee shop.

A few held signs: Trans Healthcare is a Right, Not a Political Pawn, and Dont Sleuth on Trans Youth.

Nearby, pairs of university police officers leaned against squad cars and chatted, or strolled together around the building. And workers from the institutions Student Life office were posted along the groups outer edges just to be sure everyone stays safe, one told an Epoch Times reporter.

Sabrina Briceno told The Epoch Times, So were here, really walking out and demonstrating real anger towards the DeSantis administration here in Florida trying to control and put a heavy hand on our higher education, threatening to ban DEI, threatening to ban LGBT studies or anything like that.

Any sort of freedom of thought, he is trying to stomp on, and thats really why were all here.

When asked about students who say conservative viewpoints arent tolerated on campus and that they, too, seek the freedom to share their ideas without retribution, Briceno spun on her heels and addressed the crowd.

Students holding signs in support of transgenderism pose for a news photographer as part of a protest against Republican Gov. Ron DeSantiss efforts to curb Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs in public universities and colleges around the state. (Nanette Holt/The Epoch Times)

Were organizing statewide to let Ron DeSantis know that we will not tolerate his attack on our education, she shouted over cheers.

The Future of Florida

In 2022, Florida had 97 public colleges and 331 private schools, according to the university statistics website UnivStats.

Together, these schools serve more than 1 million students, making Florida the state with the fourth-largest number of college students, according to college ranking site Best Colleges.

In a time when free speech on campus has become a pressing issue, Florida schools do reasonably well at encouraging viewpoint variety, a 2022 Florida government survey suggested.

Students at the University of Florida gather at the Marston Science Library on the campus in Gainesville, Fla., on Feb. 23, 2023, as part of a planned walkout to protest against Republican Gov. Ron DeSantiss efforts to curb Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs in public universities and colleges around the state. (Nanette Holt/The Epoch Times)

About 82 percent of Florida students agreed they can express their political viewpoints without fear of negative consequences. A 2020 Gallup and Knight Foundation report found that only 59 percent of college students believe free speech rights are secure.

The Epoch Times reached out to DeSantiss office, but a spokesman provided no new comment. Instead, he pointed to the governors legislative priorities.

A current bill in the Florida legislature, Senate Bill 958, requires Florida College System schools to perform annual viewpoint diversity assessments, host debates on current topics, ban political loyalty tests and ban ideologies that support biased treatment based on race.

Henry Mack, Chancellor of the Florida Department of Education overseeing the Division of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, had no comment about the walkout when asked about it by The Epoch Times.

The Epoch Times reached out to Florida College Democrats and Dream Defenders, but neither group responded by press time.

The Epoch Times also reached out to the Florida Department of Education and the Florida State University System, but neither replied.

Nanette Holt contributed to this report.
Floridas Attorney General Asks Court to Stop Funding to Planned Parenthood

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis listens as Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody speaks during a press conference at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Aug. 18, 2022. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Floridas Attorney General seeks to stop state money from going to Planned Parenthood.

Attorney General Ashley Moody is asking the U.S. District Court in Tallahassee to vacate an injunction it issued in 2016 that stopped the enforcement of a Florida law defunding abortion clinics.

The courts rationale, Moody said, was based on the Supreme Courts 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade, which established a womans constitutional right to an abortion.

Now, Moody argues in the states filing, the legal basis for the injunction no longer exists.

The Supreme Courts ruling in June 2022 in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization overturned Roe v. Wade.

So Moody wants Floridas House Bill 1411, the 2016 law, put back into force.

As a matter of course, the state already did not fund abortions, Moodys office said in a statement, but the bill had sought to cut other money going to abortion providers.

The federal court had enjoined enforcement of the 2016 law in the case of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida v. Dr. Joseph Ladapo, the states surgeon general.

The Office of Governor Ron DeSantis is fully behind this action from the attorney general and supports this move to fully defund Planned Parenthood from any taxpayer support, his office said in a statement.

To provide an orderly transition Planned Parenthood is not opposing the move provided the effective date is June 1, 2023, to which the state agrees, Moody said in the filing.

Then-Gov. Rick Scott signed HB 1411 in 2016. It prohibited state and local money from going to any organization also providing abortions.

The state already prohibited the money from paying for abortions, but the bill extended the prohibition to non-abortion services, such as sexually transmitted disease screenings and family planning, done by abortion-providing clinics.

Floridas Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo speaks during a press conference at the University of Miami Health System Don Soffer Clinical Research Center, in Miami, Fla., on May 17, 2022. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

In the fiscal year 20142015, the state spent about $139,000 on non-abortion services with Planned Parenthood and projected $163,000 for 20152016.

In its 2016 challenge, Planned Parenthood said the law would cost it $500,000, including Medicaid funding for services like HIV and cancer screenings.

In a Feb. 22 statement to a Tampa television station, the clinic chain decried the move.

Thousands of Floridians with low incomes turn to Planned Parenthood health centers for essential preventive care like STI testing and treatment, cancer screening, and birth control, Planned Parenthood said to 10 Tampa Bay.

Now, the state is jeopardizing Floridians health by blocking Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida from receiving funding for these services.

This is just the latest attack on the health of the communities that rely on our providers, especially black and Latino people, young people, and people who are LGBT.

It is unconscionable that those in power are further restricting Floridians ability to lead healthy and fulfilled lives, Planned Parenthood stated.

Despite this setback, Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida will do everything in our power to provide high-quality, affordable care to all who seek itno matter what.

Planned Parenthood nationally performed 383,460 abortion procedures in 2020, according to its annual report, an increase of almost 30,000 over the previous year.

It performed more abortions than breast care and pap smear exams combined, 371,755.

In Florida, state health statistics show 74,868 abortions were reported in 2020, 79,817 in 2021, and 82,192 in 2022. Each year, more than 90 percent of abortions were done in the first trimester.
Former Chief Electoral Officer Calls for Independent Inquiry Into Chinese Interference in 2019 and 2021 Elections

Jean-Pierre Kingsley, former chief electoral officer, appears at the Commons House Affairs Committee on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Nov. 29, 2012. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

A former chief electoral officer is calling for an independent inquiry into Chinas interference in Canadas 2019 and 2021 federal elections.

Jean-Pierre Kingsley, who served the role from 1990 to 2017, said the recently leaked Canadian Security Intelligence Services (CSIS) documents that detail Beijings interference objectives in the 2021 federal election, and how the regime helped its favoured candidates in the two most recent campaigns, is disturbing.

We must do everything we can to protect the integrity of our electoral system, Kingsley told The Globe and Mail on Feb. 23. We need to find out what has transpired. I favour an independent inquiry because this is what will satisfy Canadians. It is not a minor issue.

According to the Globe, the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) has declined to comment on whether Justin Trudeau would support the launching of an independent inquiry into election interference.

The Epoch Times reached out to the PMO but didnt hear back by publication time.

The Globes Feb. 17 report on the leaked documents said Beijing had mobilized its consulates to leverage politically active Chinese community members and organizations to execute an elaborate strategy that had two goals: the re-election of a minority Liberal government and the defeat of Conservative candidates who have been vocal against the Chinese communist regime.

The documents said people sympathetic to Beijings cause were encouraged to give campaign donations to candidates favoured by China. Political campaigns would then quietly return a portion of the contributionthe difference between the original donation and the governments refundto the donors, which is illegal, the media outlet said.

Tactics such as hiring Chinese students studying in Canada and assign[ing] them to volunteer in electoral campaigns on a full-time basis were also deployed as part of Beijings foreign interference operations on Canadian soil.

Issue of Independence

In addition, the CSIS documents detail how the Chinese consulate in Toronto had helped the campaign of 11 candidates in the 2019 federal electionsnine Liberals and two Conservatives favoured by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), reported the Globe.

The documents further detail that former Chinese Consul-General in Vancouver Tong Xiaoling had bragged in 2021 about how she helped defeat two Conservative MPsone of whom was Kenny Chiu, an outspoken critic of the CCP.

Trudeau was asked about Kingsleys comment at a press conference on Feb. 24 and if he would establish a public inquiry into Chinese interference in the past two elections.

The prime minister didnt comment directly, but said that the issue of influence operations by China and other countries is serious.

I think it is a very good thing that Canadians are understanding how serious it is that China and other countries are continuing to try to destabilize and influence our democracies and our institutions, he said.

At a press conference in Halifax on Feb. 23, Trudeau said his government is very concerned with the leaks, particularly about the inaccuracies, though he did not elaborate on what was inaccurately reported in the CSIS documents.

The prime minister defended the integrity of the 2019 and 2021 elections, stressing that his government had set up a Critical Election Incident Public Protocol (CEIPP), a non-partisan panel created to monitor and report potential threats of interference in the 2019 election. The panel was also given the mandate to continue its work during future elections.

In November 2020, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc announced that the CEIPP found no threats that met the high threshold for public announcement during the 2019 federal election.

The Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) Task Force, also set up by the Liberal government, never raised the issue of foreign interference during the 2019 or 2021 campaigns either, according to the Globes Feb. 17 report.

Kingsley argued that the CEIPP is not independent because it is made up of senior civil servants who report to Trudeau.

Things would have been different if there had been an independent person sitting there, he said, adding that SITE should have alerted Canadians and political parties about what Beijing was up to in both elections.

Andrew Chen and Peter Wilson contributed to this report.
Giant Eagle Pulls Some Water Bottled Near East Palestine After Train Derailment

The Company Says Move Being Done 'out of an Abundance of Caution'

Plastic bottles of mineral water are seen on an assembly line in Al-Junaidi mineral water factory in the West Bank city of Hebron, on Feb. 5, 2020. (Hazem Bader/AFP via Getty Images)

Grocery chain Giant Eagle has removed some store-branded spring water off the shelves in repose to the train derailment earlier this month out of an abundance of caution.

The Pittsburgh-based company said it stopped selling Giant Eagle-branded water sourced from a facility in Salineville, situated about 25 miles southwest of the derailment site, according to a Tuesday statement to media outlets. The plant only supplied spring water in gallon-size or larger containers to its Giant Eagle, Market District, and GetGo stores, the company said.

The regional grocers announcement came more than two weeks after a freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, after which local authorities conducted a controlled burn to avoid a potential explosion.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said several chemicals compounds were detected at the siteincluding vinyl chloride, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylhexyl acrylate, isobutylene, and butyl acrylatespurring concerns about potential environmental and human health risks.

Giant Eagle noted the water in these products was sourced from a protected spring located at a higher elevation than East Palestine and is not near groundwater sources directly impacted by the incident.

Testings of raw materials and end products conducted by a third-party lab have not found any evidence that the water has been negatively impacted by the Feb. 3 incident, Giant Eagle said.

But the company decided not to take chances.

Out of an abundance of caution, Giant Eagle has made the decision to remove all gallon-or-greater-sized Giant Eagle-brand spring water product sourced from the Salineville facility from our store shelves until further notice while we continue to evaluate ongoing testing and potential impacts to the spring source.

An environmental company is removing dead fish downstream from the site of the train derailment that forced people to be evacuated from their homes in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 6, 2023. (Alan Freed/Reuters)

Concerns About Drinking Water

The grocerys move came a week after the City of Cincinnati utility announced it would close down the Ohio river intake and switch to water reserves out of an abundance of caution. The Greater Cincinnati Water Works said in a separate statement that water sample testing showed no detectable levels of the chemicals connected to the derailment and the controlled burn.

Following Cincinnatis move, the Northern Kentucky Water District said it closed off that source as a precautionary measure.

Ohio officials said they hadnt found any indications that public water in East Palestine is unsafe, though they still urged residents using private wells near the derailment site to drink only bottled water.

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) walks to a closed-door, classified briefing for Senators at U.S. Capitol Building in Washington on Feb. 14, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

However, some residents and senators representing the state remain skeptical.

Ohio state Sen. Michael Rulli, a Republican, warned residents within 10 miles of the derailment not to drink the local water or bathe in it, telling Breitbart that it isnt safe to do so. Rulli, whose district covers East Palestine, said that there are concerns about cancer in the next five, 10, 15, 20 years, among residents in close proximity to the derailment site.

So what Im suggesting is that everyone goes as far away as you can and get a hotel room, Rulli said. The senator added that he experienced a sore throat for the rest of the day every time he visited East Palestine since the derailment.

Residents of East Palestine also reported they experienced health issues such as headaches and sore throats.

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) challenged the states officials to drink the water if they believe its safe. I think that if the EPA administrator wants to stand here and tell people that the tap water is safe, by all means, they should be willing to drink it, Vance said.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan (left) walks with his staff through East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 16, 2023. (Lucy Schaly/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)

On Tuesday, EPA administrator Michael Regan, Gov. Mike DeWine, and Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) made a show of drinking tap water as they visited villagers homes in East Palestine in an attempt to assure skeptical residents that drinking water is safe for consumption.

Its pretty good water, said Regan.

Katabella Roberts contributed to this report.
Some scientists and published studies have suggested a link between COVID-19 vaccines and tinnitus, commonly known as ringing in the ears.

Some 25 million Americans suffer from tinnitus, according to the American Tinnitus Association (ATA).

The ATA explains that while tinnitus is commonly referred to as ringing in the ears, it can involve many different perceptions of sound, including buzzing, hissing, whistling, swooshing, and clicking. In some rare cases, tinnitus patients report hearing music.

The problem began for Gregory Poland, an MD at the Mayo Clinic who directs its Vaccine Research Group, within an hour of his second dose of the COVID vaccine in 2021.

Returning home from the shot, he developed a sudden ringing in his ears that was so pronounced he nearly drove into traffic.

It startled me, the 67-year-old told NBC News. I thought it was a parade whistle going off right next to me.

Poland, one of the foremost vaccine researchers in the country and editor-in-chief of the medical journal Vaccine, is one of the thousands of individuals who think the tinnitus they developed in the immediate wake of a COVID shot may be linked to the vaccine.

There is already a well-established connection between COVID-19 infection and the condition as well as other neurological conditions associated with long-term COVID.

The difficulties Poland raises are problematic, Stanford otolaryngologist Konstantina M. Stankovic told National Geographic (NatGeo).

Tinnitus is a phantom sound that is generated by the brain, and the brain typically makes it when there is an injury to the inner ear, she explained, adding that the lack of objective markers is a huge impediment in the field. We have to rely on patient reports and subjective questionnaires.

As of Feb. 3, the VAERS system, the CDCs passive monitoring system for self-reporting of adverse vaccine reactions, had reports of over 16,000 cases of tinnitus post-vaccination, and a study last March that referenced the VAERS database in September of 2021 cited the number of reports at that time as 12,247.

Johnson and Johnson lists tinnitus as a potential side effect of their adenovirus-based vaccine and the European Medical Agency added the condition to its list of possible side effects for the Astra-Zeneca vaccine last July.

Moderna and Pfizer mRNA vaccines do not currently acknowledge tinnitus as a potential side effect of their shots, but a study by the WHO linked the condition to the Pfizer vaccine.

Another pre-print study, authored by Loren J. Bartels, a clinical professor of Otolaryngology at University of South Florida College of Medicine, found that the COVID-19 vaccines were associated with statistically significant increases in certain side effects. The study found that per 100,000 people, 1,877 experienced vertigo, 50 experienced tinnitus, 12 experienced hearing loss, and 14 experienced Bells palsy.

In relation to the mRNA vaccines, the adenovirus vaccine was associated with a statistically significant excess incidence of vertigo, tinnitus, and hearing loss of at least 723, 57, and 55 cases per 100,000, respectively.

The study found a connection between the COVID-19 vaccines and these conditions. The results, the study said, also suggest that, with respect to vertigo, tinnitus, and hearing loss, the association is relatively strong for the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.

CDC Response

On Feb. 8, Martha Sharan, a spokesperson for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told NatGeo that the agency has determined it does not have sufficient evidence from our surveillance to justify launching an epidemiologic study.

According to NatGeo, the CDC says it looked for tinnitus diagnoses that occurred up to 70 days after COVID vaccination in 6.6 million peoples medical records in the Vaccine Safety Datalink, a collaboration between CDC and 13 health care organizations that conduct active vaccine safety monitoring and research.

The agency said in September that it found no evidence that tinnitus diagnoses were clustered together following vaccination but hasnt published that analysis and declined to share the preliminary report with the press.

Paul Offit, MD, of the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, was dismissive of the connection, telling NatGeo that [a]s a general rule, side effects associated with vaccines are associated with the immune response to the vaccine.

But this statement is not borne out by several of the studies cited above, including the WHOs, which cited inflammation of the vestibulocochlear nerve as a plausible mechanism of action and suggested awareness of this possible link may help healthcare professionals and those vaccinated to monitor symptoms and seek care, as appropriate. As there is still only limited data in the literature providing evidence for this link, further monitoring is required.

As for Dr. Poland, who is also an advisor on vaccines for Johnson and Johnson, he told NBC News, I sat one night looking at the stars and tears came to my eyes when the thought occurred to me out of the blue: I may never hear silence again. He said that he wakes up in the middle of the night, unable to ignore the blaring whistle in his ears.

Still, he remains committed to the vaccines.

Having taken his booster shot, he said, A wise person looks at the balance of risks and benefits and says, well, there are some known risks to the vaccine, but they are far lower than the risks of getting the disease.

Treatment of Tinnitus

There is no cure per se for tinnitus, but, according to the Mayo Clinic, treatment options vary depending on the underlying cause, and range from ear wax removal to treating an underlying blood vessel condition to the prescription of a hearing aid. Some individuals, including the actor William Shatner, have found relief with tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT).

Shatner told Weekend Edition host Scott Simon in 2012 that he was diagnosed with tinnitus about 15 years earlier and described his particular tinnitus tone as sounding like an empty television channel that broadcasts a constant hiss-static.

Shatner then describes an audiometer test that identified the sound of his tinnitus. He said, And when [the audiometer] reached the same timber and tone of my sound, I broke into tears. Somebody had hacked their way through this jungle of sound where I was totally alone in my agony, and somebody had reached me and it just moved me to tears.

The treatment combines sound masking and counseling. Typically, the patient wears a device in the ear that helps mask tinnitus symptoms while also receiving directive counseling. Over time, TRT may help patients notice tinnitus less and feel less distressed by symptoms.

While natural treatments have uncertain efficacy, research has found that certain practices can reduce the distress caused by tinnitus, even if they dont resolve the condition. A study published in Frontiers in Neurology in 2019 found a statistically significant decrease in tinnitus distress scores directly after mindfulness therapy. A research review in the same journal also in 2019 noted that cognitive behavior therapy could have a similar effect.
Right on the heels of the disastrous train derailment and subsequent chemical exposure in East Palestine, Ohio, was a semi-truck accident on Interstate 10 near Kolb Road in Tucson, Arizona, that also released a very dangerous chemical. Both incidents resulted in the hurried evacuation of citizens in concerned areas.

While the extent of the danger is still being studied in Ohio, among the symptoms reported by residents are skin irritations, difficulty breathing, gastric pain and diarrhea, and headaches. Wildlife in the area is under immediate threat, with dead fish and frogs floating in the rivers and other wildlife and pets in distress. The ongoing threat of cancer from many of these chemicals is frightening, to say the least.

Chemicals involved in the Ohio incident include:

Vinyl chloride: a highly volatile colorless gas known to cause angiosarcoma of the liver and cancers of other sites in both laboratory animals and humans.

Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether (pdf): can irritate the eyes, skin, nose, and throat, as well as nervous system depression, headache, vomiting, and blood in the urine. Case studies listed in this CDC report are alarming, with reports of suicide attempts following exposure (page 25 of report).

Ethylhexyl acrylate (pdf): listed by NIOSH as a potential carcinogen, can cause burning and irritation of the eyes and skin, and irritate the nose and throat, resulting in shortness of breath and coughing. Toxicity studies showed that the substance is absorbed through the skin and can cause systemic toxicity including body weight depression (page 5, summary of report).

Isobutylene or isobutene: highly flammable, this chemical targets the bodys central nervous and can cause dizziness, drowsiness, and narcosis. High levels can cause coma or death.

Phosgene and hydrogen chloride: emitted in the large plumes of smoke during the controlled release and burn that were conducted by authorities in East Palestine. According to the CDC, phosgene is a colorless gas with a suffocating odor like musty hay. Exposure to phosgene may irritate the eyes, dry burning throat, vomiting, cough, foamy sputum, breathing difficulty, and chest pain. Hydrogen chloride can irritate the skin, nose, eyes, throat, and larynx.

Youll find the complete list of chemicals involved in the Ohio incident here (pdf).

In the Tucson, Arizona, accident on Valentines Day 2023, the Arizona Department of Public Safety reported chemical involved in the semi-truck spill was nitric acid. According to the CDC, exposure to nitric acid can irritate the eyes, skin, and mucous membranes and can also cause delayed pulmonary edema, pneumonitis, bronchitis, and even dental erosion.

Immediate Steps You Can Take for Chemical Exposures

While the full effects of the chemicals ingested by humans, fish, and animals as a result of these accidents may not be known for some time, it is imperant that you take immediate steps to protect yourself and your family from further exposure and to mitigate the effects of these toxins as much as possible.

This list is not intended as a total remedy for chemical exposure, but is suggestive of remedies that may be helpful.

Bentonite Clay

This extraordinary substance has been used for centuries as a potent detoxifier and is a virtual magnet for pulling contaminants from the body. It has the power to attract positively charged particles or toxins, including uranium, and to suck them out of the body. After the Chernobyl disaster, farmers used bentonite clay to decontaminate their animals. U.S. Army studies indicate that bentonite is a successful treatment for chemical warfare exposure. There are many forms of bentonite clay, and youll want to choose one that does NOT contain chemical emulsifiers or aluminum

Activated Charcoal

Used by hospitals for years, activated charcoal draws many noxious substancesmedical drugs, phytotoxins, and poisonous chemicalsonto its surface, preventing the gastrointestinal tracts absorption of these chemicals. As a secondary decontamination mechanism, it interrupts a potential enterohepatic and/or enteroenteric circulation.

Far-Infrared Saunas

Far-infrared saunas are effective in ridding the body of excess toxins, including chemicals, heavy metals, and even radioactive particles. In my book, I Used to Have Cancer, I wrote about the benefits of far-infrared saunas and mentioned an article in the Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, in which Dr. Lawrence Wilson writes, If I were to single out one method to combat cancer, it is the sauna. It assists removal of chemical toxins and heavy metals, increases oxygenation, enhances the immune system, and reduces the radiation burden in the body.

Detoxifying Baths

Detox baths were first introduced by Dr. Hazel Parcells, and these legendary baths are now included in the Smithsonian Institute. There are four particularly notable detox bath recipes that include ingredients you may already have at home.

Clean, Filtered Water

Purified drinking water is vital at all times, but never as important as when youre dealing with contamination of any kind. Now is the time you need a filter not only for your drinking water, but also for your whole house. After all, who wants to cook with questionable water straight from the tap, or use it to bathe their children or themselves? I recommend you give Dr. Roy Speiser at Clean Water Revival (CWR) a call. For over 35 years, he has championed the cause to mitigate air and waterborne toxins through consumer education, and the use of reliable filtration technologies. CWR Environmental Products has become a go-to source for trending environmental news, filtration expertise, and innovative products. In addition, CWR provides top-of-the-line, trustworthy air filtering systems for your home or business.

Helpful Links

Deep Heating Your Way Out of Cancer: The Promise of Far Infrared Saunas

Bathe Away Toxins

Republished from TempletonWellness.com.

 References

Julia Jacobo, There were more toxic chemicals on train that derailed in Ohio than originally reported, data shows, ABC News (Feb 13, 2023). https://abcnews.go.com/US/toxic-chemicals-train-derailed-ohio-originally-reported-data/story?id=97080179

Kerr, G. Morse, D. Graves, et al., A Detoxification Intervention for Gulf War Illness: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial, Int J Environ Res Public Health. (Nov 2019); 16(21): 4143.

Raymond Zhong and Catrin Einhorn, Health and Environmental Fears Remain After Ohio Derailment and Inferno, The New York Times (Feb 14, 2023). https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/14/climate/ohio-train-derailment-chemical-spill-health.html

Zellner, D. Prasa, E. Farber, et al., The Use of Activated Charcoal to Treat Intoxications, Deutsches Arzteblatt International (May 2019); 116(18): 311-317. doi: 10.3238/arztebl.2019.0311
High Court in London Says UK Company is Liable for Beirut Explosion That Killed Over 200

Mystery surrounds Savaro Ltd., which chartered ship that transported fertiliser to Lebanon

This still image from a video shows smoke and dust rising from collapsing silos damaged during the massive explosion in the port of Beirut, on Aug. 23, 2022. (Lujain Jo/AP Photo)

The High Court in London has ruled a British company that delivered ammonium nitrate to the Lebanese port of Beirut is liable towards the victims of the huge explosion that occurred there in August 2020.

The London-registered chemicals trading firm, Savaro Limited, is believed to have chartered a shipment of ammonium nitrate in 2013 that ended up in Beirut.

On Aug. 4, 2020after years of being stored in giant silos on the docks in the Lebanese capitalthe chemicals caught fire, triggering a massive explosion that killed over 200 people and injured more than 6,000.

The disaster led to a political blame game in Lebanon, with investigating magistrate Tarek Bitar accusing the former public works minister, Youssef Fenianos, and several other former government officials of intentional killing and negligence.

But the families of the victims sought recompense from those who had originally exported the chemicals, even though Beirut was not their intended destination and the decision to store it in a heavily populated area was taken by Lebanese officials.

The Beirut Bar Association, along with the families of three victims, filed a lawsuit against Savaro Ltd. more than 12 months ago.

On Feb. 1, the High Court in London ruled that Savaro was liable, and Camille Abousleiman, one of the lawyers involved in the case, told AP the proceedings will now move to the damages phasewhere the court determines the level of compensation for the families.

Abousleiman, a former labour minister, said: Its the first time there is an actual judgment on this matter in reputable courts.

Open the Door for Potential Justice

He said this decision certainly will open the door for potential justice in courts overseas.

Mariana Foudoulian, whose sister Gaia died in the explosion, told AP: This is a very important step. Through this judgment, we can try to access more important details. This does give us some hope.

Ammonium nitrate is a chemical frequently used as a commercial fertiliser, but it can become unstable if stored incorrectly or if it receives a detonation charge.

The material has been used for bomb-making in a number of terrorist attacks. One of the most infamous was the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, when Timothy McVeigh parked a rented truck packed with ammonium nitrate and fuel oil outside a federal building. When it ignited, it destroyed the building and claimed the lives of 168 people, including 19 children.

In February 2022, a fire broke out at an ammonium nitrate plant in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, resulting in wide-scale evacuations.

If stored properly, ammonium nitrate remains safe and inert, but the enormous quantity stored in Beirut somehow caught firepossibly as a result of a spark from a welders torchand caused an enormous daytime explosion, which was caught on camera and aroused speculation globally.

The 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate in the Beirut case started out its journey in the Black Sea port of Batumi in Georgia.

It was loaded onto a Russian-owned merchant ship, the Rhosus, which was chartered by Savaro Ltd. to deliver the cargo to a company in Mozambique in southern Africa that made industrial explosives.

The Rhosus stopped in Turkey and Greece, and was then due to pass through the Suez Canal before moving down the Red Sea and the east coast of Africa to its destination.

However, the Moldovan-flagged ship called into Beirutpossibly due to engine troublein October 2013 and, at that point, the crew went on strike over unpaid wages.

The Lebanese authorities then refused to let the ship leavepossibly due to unpaid port fees. In 2014, its cargo was unloaded.

The ammonium nitrate was then kept in the dockside silos for six years, and appears to have been largely forgotten about by the Lebanese authorities.

After the explosion, Lebanons public works minister, Michel Najjar, told al-Jazeera that he had only learned of the presence of the ammonium nitrate at the port 11 days before it blew up.

Who Owns Savaro?

The civil suit against Savaro Limitedwhich was incorporated in London in 2006was filed in August 2021.

That same month Marina Psyllou, from Cyprus, resigned as a director of Savaro. The company appointed a new director, Ukrainian lawyer Volodymyr Hliadchenko, who told the Financial Times he had acquired the companys corporate ownership.

According to Companies House, an attempt was made to strike off the company, effectively dissolving it. That move was blocked, however. It remains unclear if Hliadchenkowho has an address in Kyivis still the owner.

In June 2022, the High Court ordered the company to reveal its real owners.

Savaro Limited did not reply to The Epoch Times request for comment.

AP contributed to this report.
Hit Man in Political Murder-for-Hire Sentenced to 20 Years

NEWARK, N.J.The man who admitted to helping carry out a murder-for-hire plot engineered by a former New Jersey political consultant was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison.

Bomani Africa appeared in federal district court for sentencing in the 2014 death of Michael Galdieri, the son of a former state senator, after pleading guilty just over a year ago.

According to prosecutors, Africa and George Bratsenis stabbed Galdieri and then set his Jersey City apartment on fire in exchange for cash at the request of political consultant Sean Caddle. Bratsenis and Caddle both pleaded guilty in the case that stunned New Jersey politics but have yet to be sentenced.

A number of questions about the case remain unanswered: Why did Caddle want Galdieri, his one-time friend, dead? Why was he given house arrest after pleading guilty last year? And were the guilty pleas connected to other investigations?

The revelations about Galdieris killing jolted political circles in New Jerseya state infamous for dozens of political corruption convictions over the past three decades, as well as skullduggery like the 2013 Bridgegate scandal involving traffic jams purposely created near the busy George Washington Bridge for political retribution.

Caddle was well-known in northern New Jersey politics, with past clients including current Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez and former Democratic state Sen. Raymond Lesniak.

Africa, already imprisoned in Rhode Island, was sentenced last week to a decade in prison over a pair of Connecticut robberies.

Bratsenis was sentenced last year to eight years for his role in one of those robberies.

Bratsenis and Caddle are scheduled to be sentenced in the killing plot next month.
Hundreds Lose Jobs as Troubled Pharma Company Abruptly Shutters All Sites

Illinois-based Akorn Pharmaceuticals closed all its locations in the United States this week, abruptly laying off hundreds of employees, according to a letter sent to employees by the companys president and CEO, Douglas Boothe

The employees will receive no severance pay or extended health insurance.

The letter was obtained by the Herald & Review newspaper in Decatur, Illinois, the site of one of Akorns manufacturing facilities.

Akorn, which makes generic drugs for humans and animals, is filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The company attempted a sale but did not receive a bid that would cover its outstanding liabilities, the letter said.

In light of the company running at a loss for some time, the companys lenders will not provide the additional financing required to continue to run the business, Boothe wrote. Effective immediately, we are closing all U.S. sites and laying off all employees as of Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023. These layoffs will be permanent.

The company has seven U.S. locations and one in Hettlingen, Switzerland.

Akorns corporate offices and distribution center are in Gurnee, Illinois. Research and development are in Vernon Hills, Illinois, and Cranbury, New Jersey. Manufacturing facilities are in Amityville, New York; Somerset, New Jersey; and Decatur, Illinois.

I truly regret that these actions have become necessary. This is a shock, Booth said. It will take some time to absorb the news and what it means to you and your colleagues.

The company has more than 2,000 employees but it is unclear how many are in Switzerland. Akorn did not respond to calls or emails requesting comment.

Troubled History

The German pharmaceutical company Fresenius agreed in 2017 to buy Akorn for $4.3 billion, but the deal fell through in 2018 after Fresenius said Akorn had not followed the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) data integrity requirements, the

In 2019 the FDA issued letters listing significant violations in its manufacturing process for contamination of drugs it produced. An eye solution had leaking bottles. Metal shavings were found on aseptic filling equipment during filling of lidocaine hydrochloride 2 percent jelly. And the company failed to follow appropriate written procedures that are designed to prevent microbiological contamination of drug products purporting to be sterile, the FDA said.

In 2020, Akorn filed for bankruptcy but emerged from it after it was sold to its lenders.

Akorns former majority shareholder John Kapoor is serving five years in federal prison for orchestrating a scheme to bribe practitioners to prescribe Subsys, a fentanyl-based pain medication, often when medically unnecessary, according to a 2020 statement from the Department of Justice. Kapoor was convicted of racketeering conspiracy.

In September, Akorn agreed to pay $7.9 million to resolve claims that it caused Medicare to be billed for over-the-counter drugs that were not eligible for coverage, Reuters reported.
Already jailed 23 years on state charges in New York, disgraced movie producer Harvey Weistein received a 16 year sentence on federal charges in Los Angeles today. Weinstein was found guilty in 3 of the 7 rape and sexual assault charges laid against him.

The sentencing was the second for Weinstein on sexual assault charges since reporting by The New York Times and The New Yorker in 2017 revealed his alleged history of sexual abuse, harassment and secret settlements as he used his influence as a Hollywood power broker to take advantage of young women. 

Jane Doe 1, whose testimony was tied to the [federal] convictions, said that Weinstein came to her hotel room and tried to rape her.

"I wanted to die. It was disgusting. It was humiliating, miserable. I didn't fight," she testified in court. "I remember how he was looking in the mirror and he was telling me to look at him. I wish this never happened to me."
Hunter Biden Business Partner Cooperating With House GOP Investigators, Comer Says

President Joe Biden with son Hunter Biden arrives at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, N.Y., on Feb. 4, 2023. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

One of Hunter Bidens business partners is cooperating with congressional investigators, according to House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.)

In an interview with Just The News, Comer said attorneys for Eric Schwerina business associate of President Joe Bidens sonhave been in communication with the congressional committee about turning over information about his business dealings. This comes as Comer and the Republican-led committee have sought records pertaining to the Biden familys foreign business dealings and tax affairs.

He is cooperating with us. His attorneys and my counsel are communicating on a regular basis, Comer said. Now, I feel confident that hes going to work with us, and provide us with the information that we have requested.

Comer predicted Schwerin is going to be a very valuable witness for us in this investigation.

On Feb. 8, Comer asked Schwerin in a letter (pdf) to provide records of any communications he had with members of the Biden family or other known Biden family business partners. Comer sent similar letters (pdf) to Hunter Biden and James Biden, one of Joe Bidens brothers. Comer asked all three of the recipients to respond by Wednesday, Feb. 22.

Schwerins Connection to the Biden Family

In November, Comer and other House Oversight Committee Republicans published a report (pdf) laying out allegations of foreign influence peddling involving members of the Biden family. According to the report, Schwerin and Hunter Biden made increasing references to Joe Biden in the course of their business communications and Schwerin had frequent access to the White House when Joe Biden was the vice president during Barack Obamas administration.

Schwerin allegedly visited the White House at least 27 times between 2009 and 2016. In 2015, Obama named Schwerin to serve on the Commission for the Preservation of Americas Heritage Abroad.

Hunter Bidens ex-wife said Schwerin managed almost every aspect of our financial lives.

The GOP investigative report raised allegations Schwerin also had access to then-Vice President Joe Bidens bank accounts while Schwerin also served as president of Rosemont Seneca Partners, LLC, a company founded by Hunter Biden. Communications on a laptop Hunter Biden allegedly abandoned at a Delaware computer repair shop in 2019 included an email in which Schwerin alluded to Joe Biden owing his son money and Schwerin transferring funds from Joe Bidens bank account to Hunter Biden.

Republicans have repeatedly questioned the level of involvement Joe Biden had in his familys business dealings. Joe Biden had claimed throughout the 2020 campaign cycle that Ive never spoken to my son about his overseas business dealings.

Comer and other Republican lawmakers have sought a range of business records from the Biden family for months, including so-called suspicious activity reports (SARs) which are generated by banking institutions to flag potentially criminal financial activity. According to the November Republican report, there are at least 150 SARs associated with Biden family members financial transactions. Comer has requested the U.S. Treasury Department to hand over those SARs on multiple occasions, including most recently in January.

Biden Claims GOP Conspiracy Theories

Hunter Biden has been under investigation for at least two years. In December 2020, the presidents son revealed the FBI and U.S. Attorneys office in Delaware were investigating his taxes but said he is confident that the review will show he handled his affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisors.

To date, no charges have been filed against the presidents son.

Following the release of the November Republican investigative report, the Biden White House claimed Republicans were investigating debunked claims.

Instead of working with President Biden to address issues important to the American people, like lower costs, congressional Republicans top priority is to go after President Biden with politically-motivated attacks chock full of long-debunked conspiracy theories, said White House spokesman Ian Sams.

NTD Television reached out to an attorney for Hunter Biden but did not receive a response before this article was published.

From NTD
Illegal Immigrants Are Now Using the Northern Border, Too

U.S. Border Patrol Agent Andrew Mayer rides a ATV as he looks for signs of illegal entry along the boundary marker cut into the forest marking the line between Canadian territory on the right and the United States near Beecher Falls, Vermont, in a file photo. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Americas southern border is not the only one experiencing a dramatic increase in the number of illegal migrants attempting to cross into the country.

Customs and Border Protection reports record numbers of encounters with illegal migrants at Americas northern border with Canada.

While the southern border garners most of the attention, both of Americas borders are wide open because of the failed policies of the Biden administration, Robert Law, director of the Center for Homeland Security and Immigration with the America First Policy Institute, told The Daily Signal.

So far in fiscal year 2023, which began Oct. 1, some 55,736 illegal migrants have been encountered at the northern border, nearly as many as were encountered in 2020 and 2021 combined. If the trend continues, the northern border will experience a record number of encounters this year. In fiscal 2022, CBP reported 109,535 encounters at the northern border.

This administration is setting all the wrong records and exposing American communities to potential national security threats because of its refusal to defend the homeland, Law said.

Due to the surge of illegal migrants at the southern border, some Border Patrol agents have been moved from the northern border to help in sectors along Americas border with Mexico.

Currently, U.S. Border Patrol has approximately 29 agentsall volunteerssupporting southwest border operations from northern border sectors, a CBP spokesperson told The Daily Signal. In 2022, at the peak of deployments, 464 agents were deployed from northern border sectors.

Americas northern border is composed of eight sectors. The Swanton Sector encompasses about 24,000 square miles in Vermont, New York, and New Hampshire. On Feb. 13, the Swanton Sector announced it experienced a record 367 apprehensions and encounters in January, more than the combined total of every January of the previous 12 years, which total 344.

The record number of crossings took place in January, despite temperatures reaching -4 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Customs and Border Protection.

As we progress deeper into winter and continue to address the ongoing pace of illicit cross-border traffic, the level of concern for the lives and welfare of our Border Patrol agents and those we are encountering  particularly vulnerable populations  continues to climb, Swanton Sector Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia said in a statement.

The influx of illegal migrants attempting to cross the northern border has led the Department of Homeland Security to ask Border Patrol agents to volunteer for a temporary deployment to the Swanton Sector, according to Ali Bradley, NewsNation border correspondent.

NEW: @DHSgov is asking for Border Patrol Agents to volunteer to deploy to the northern borderSpecifically the Swanton Sector (SWB) March 1st. SWB has had an 846% increase in encounters this FY over last.@CBP has declined to comment at this time. More: https://t.co/B5sp3xkUhp pic.twitter.com/xcWqt9NvFY  Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) February 17, 2023

Everyone focuses on the southern border, but the northern border should never be ignored, because it is bigger and has less infrastructure and personnel than the southern border  and the smugglers have noticed, said Hannah Davis, a research assistant with The Heritage Foundations Border Security and Immigration Center.

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) told The Daily Signal that the presidents failure to secure the southern border has increased encounters of illegals along the northern border, adding that the crisis is directly affecting the state of New York:

This is a direct result of him incentivizing illegal immigrants to pour into New York state. His historic southern border crisis forced our northern border patrol agents into no-notice deployments and left our northern border vulnerable.

Instead of securing the border to end the influx, the Biden administration shipped his problem to New York state by flying illegals in the dead of night to our communities. Now, taxpayer-funded bus rides of illegals from New York City to Canada are going right through my district.

Our upstate communities cannot bear this burden, and our taxpayers should not have to pay the price.

House Republicans are committed to a nation that is safe, and we will secure our border to end this crisis that has made every state a border state.

A Canadian Customs and Fisheries officer stands at the U.S.-Canada border between Blaine, Washington, and White Rock, British Columbia, on Nov. 8, 2001, back when illegal immigration was not nearly the problem it is today. (Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)

New York City Mayor Eric Adams declared a state of emergency in October after more than 17,000 illegal aliens were bused to the city.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu told The Daily Signal his state is working to respond to the increase of encounters at the norther border as the Biden administration has pulled back on northern border personnel and resources.

We are requesting a formal ICE delegation agreement with the federal government that would empower and allow our state and local law enforcement the ability to enforce immigration laws and apprehend illegal border crossings at our northern border in the absence of federal support, he said.

Sununu has proposed establishing the Northern Border Alliance Fund to make grants available to state, county, and local law enforcement agencies to reduce instances of crimes and illicit activity in close proximity to the Canadian border. The proposal would cost roughly [$1.5 million], according to Sununu.

The spike in encounters at Americas southern border, a record 2.3 million in fiscal 2022 and already more than 870,000 so far this fiscal year, has garnered a great deal of attention from lawmakers and the press alike, but Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) agreed the crisis is not limited to the southern border.

We are seeing this crisis unfold not only at our southern border, but at our northern border, highlighting the impact the Biden administrations open-border policies and rhetoric are having in every community, Newhouse told The Daily Signal.

It has been made abundantly clear this administration has no clear solutions for our border crisis, so it is up to my colleagues and I to hold them accountable, provide sufficient resources and funding to our Border Patrol agents, stop the flow of illicit fentanyl pouring into our communities, and ensure our federal government will keep our citizens safe, the congressman said.

The Center for Immigration Studies reported last April that under Bidens presidency, more than 756,000 illegal migrants had been released into Americas interior, not including more than 146,000 children and an estimated 620,000 got-aways.

Whether its the southern border, northern border, or our airspace, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) said, the latter referring to the unidentifed objects the military has recently shot down over U.S. airspace, governments top priority must be to protect our homeland.

Bidens open-border policy makes it clear, Malliotakis, a member of the Northern Border Caucus, added, his administration has abdicated its responsibility to keep the American people safe.

Reprinted by permission from The Daily Signal, a publication of The Heritage Foundation.
In a Rare Move That Split Conservatives, Supreme Court Gives Death Row Inmate a Win

Justices of the US Supreme Court pose for their official photo at the Supreme Court in Washington, DC on Oct. 7, 2022. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 54 decision that divided the courts conservatives that a death row inmate in Arizona is entitled to contest his sentence in federal court after a state courts procedural rule prevented him from doing so.

Appeals from prisoners under a death sentence rarely succeed at the high court but in this case, the conservatives Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh sided with the courts three liberals in Cruz v. Arizona, court file 21-846, which was handed down on Feb. 22.

The ruling does not set aside the murder conviction of cop killer John Montenegro Cruz, 53. Instead, it means Cruz and about 30 other persons in similar situations will now be entitled to new sentencing proceedings.

In Simmons v. South Carolina (1994), the U.S. Supreme Court found that in cases where a capital defendant is thought to present a future danger to society, the defendant has a due-process-based right to let the jury know that he could never be paroled, even if spared the death penalty, according to court papers.

Years after the decision, the Supreme Court of the State of Arizona reportedly refused on several occasions to apply the ruling, but in 2016 in Lynch v. Arizona, the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed the ruling applies to the Grand Canyon State.

Cruzs case goes back to 2003. In May of that year, Tucson police officer Patrick Hardesty and another officer were investigating a hit-and-run accident. They found their way to the apartment of Cruz, who matched a description of the driver. After Cruz provided a false name, the officers accompanied Cruz to his car so he could retrieve his identification. Cruz ran away and was pursued by the police. A physical confrontation followed and Cruz shot Hardesty, 40, to death.

In 2005, a jury convicted Cruz of first-degree murder but the trial judge repeatedly ignored the Simmons precedent, denying him the right to inform the jury that under state law he was not eligible for parole. Cruzs thinking was that providing the jury with that information may have allowed him to rebut the inference that he posed a danger to the public if not given the death penalty. Cruz was sentenced to death.

After the Lynch ruling, Cruz applied in state court arguing he was entitled to post-conviction relief because of the Simmons decision. Cruz brought an action under Arizona Rule of Criminal Procedure 32.1(g), which allows a defendant to bring a petition if there has been a significant change in the law that, if applicable to the defendants case, would probably overturn the defendants judgment or sentence.

Despite having repeatedly found that an overruling of precedent is a significant change in the law, Arizonas supreme court refused relief to Cruz, holding that the Lynch ruling was not a significant change in the law.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote the high courts majority opinion (pdf), which was joined by Roberts, along with Justices Kavanaugh, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson.

The Arizona courts adopted a novel interpretation that disregards the effect of Lynch on the law in Arizona, Sotomayor wrote.

While Lynch did not change this Courts interpretation of Simmons, it did change the operative (and mistaken) interpretation of Simmons by Arizona courts. Lynch thus changed the law in Arizona in the way that matters for purposes of Rule 32.1(g): It overruled previously binding Arizona Supreme Court precedent preventing capital defendants from informing the jury of their parole ineligibility.

The majority opinion remanded the case to the Arizona high court for reconsideration.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett filed a dissenting opinion which Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch joined.

The majoritys assertion that the Arizona Supreme Court erred is jarring because the bar for such a finding is extraordinarily high, Barrett wrote.

When, as here, the argument is based on the state courts inconsistent or novel application of its law, the bar is met only by a decision so blatantly disingenuous that it reveals hostility to federal rights or those asserting them.

Given the respect we owe state courts, that is not a conclusion we should be quick to drawand ordinarily, we are not quick to draw it, she wrote.

In this case, the Arizona Supreme Court did not contradict its own settled law. Instead, it confronted a new question and gave an answer reasonably consistent with its precedent, Barrett wrote.

The Epoch Times reached out to Cruzs attorney, Neal Kumar Katyal of Hogan Lovells, but he had not replied as of press time.

Katyal told The Associated Press that he was pleased with the ruling.

I am so gratified by the Courts decision today. What Arizona has been doing in implementing the death penalty is patently unconstitutional and wrong, and Im glad to see the Court call them out, the lawyer reportedly said.

The Epoch Times also reached out to the Arizona attorney generals office for comment but had not received a reply at press time.
Intellectual Property Theft Enables China to Dominate EV Industry: Former US Intelligence Official

An electric concept car from Chinese vehicle manufacturer BYD displayed at an auto show in Beijing on April 26, 2018. (Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images)

Intellectual property theft allows China to dominate the world of electric vehicles (EVs), according to former senior intelligence official and author Nicholas Eftimiades.

From 2021 to 2022, the number of EVs sold annually in China grew to 6.8 million from 1.3 million, making 2022 the eighth consecutive year in which China was the worlds largest EV market. The United States sold about 800,000 EVs in 2022, according to a report by MIT Technology Review.

As a result of generous government subsidies, tax breaks, procurement contracts, and other policy incentives, a slew of homegrown EV brands have emerged and continued to optimize new technologies so they can meet the real-life needs of Chinese consumers, the report reads.

Theyve [China] given a lot of incentives for not only companies but universities to invest in this area, battery technology, etc. And theyve done a lot of intellectual property theft, Eftimiades told China in Focus on NTD, a sister media outlet of The Epoch Times.

As the author of the book Chinese Intelligence Operations, he pointed to the database he maintains on Chinese espionage cases reported worldwide.

Out of 724 cases of Chinese espionage, we find about 500 are directed toward main technologies, [including] aerospace technologies, IT technologies, clean energy technologies, and automotive, electric vehicle technology, Eftimiades said.

To accommodate Chinas mass market of 1.4 billion people, he said that they understand that stealing technologies and doing it themselves allows their domestic economy to thrive and allows them to build a very, very strong domestic economy.

So theyre keenly aggressively stealing select technologies, Eftimiades said.

Unlike traditional espionage, the Chinese regime has adopted a whole-of-society approach to acquiring foreign intellectual property, and theyre turning their collection capabilities against industry.

Meanwhile, the United States faces difficulties in defending itself against these challenges as our security apparatus is all geared to protecting the government, according to Eftimiades.

So were really not geared towards protecting private industry, which is where these old technologies, advanced technologies lie, he said.

So most often, theyre [private sector] pretty well left to fend for themselves. Its created an entirely new industry in the United States of insider threat and security. But still, many of them are no match for the Chinese government.

Millions of jobs have been lost just in the United States as a result of their espionage efforts, Eftimiades said, as it translates to manufacturing capabilities.

Influence Operations

The Chinese regimes espionage campaign allowed it to conduct influence operations through coercion and corruption, according to Eftimiades.

China does it through holding or releasing funding under the table for academics so that theyre quiet on certain issues relative to China, the expert said.

He described the approach as frightening to any nation-state because it means youre losing control of your country, your vote is meaningless or will be meaningless because China is actually controlling a lot of the policy issues that your country is compelled to deal with.

To counter intellectual property theft from China, Eftimiades said the United States should empower the private sector by putting more resources into helping them to secure themselves.

Washington has to warn Beijing of the consequences if its caught violating the law, he said.

We might take economic action against China, maybe take some of their state-owned enterprises off the stock exchange or something like that, Eftimiades said.

China has to understand that theres a cost for their illegal behavior.
Is climate change or climate policy the real issue? Experts, advocates, and common sense politicians give their thoughts and ideas at the 15th International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC) held by the Heartland Institute in Orlando, Florida.

Geologist Dr. Ian Plimer will give a science presentation, and the treasurer of the state of Utah, Marlo Oaks, will speak at 1:00 p.m. ET on Feb. 24 about his efforts in his state to fight ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) efforts in their keynote speeches of the second day.

The Epoch Times will livestream the speech.
Is climate change or climate policy the real issue? Many experts, advocates, and common sense politicians would give their thoughts and ideas at the 15th International Conference on Climate Change held by the Heartland Institute in Orlando, Florida.

In the first days breakfast keynote speech, Dr. Patrick Moore, co-founder of the Greenpeace organization, will present his perspective on climate change at 8:00 a.m. ET on Feb. 24.

The Epoch Times will livestream the speech.
Judge Orders Depositions of FBI Director, Trump in Federal Case

FBI Director Christopher Wray prepares to testify before the House Homeland Security Committee in the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on Nov. 15, 2022. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

A U.S. judge on Feb. 23 sided with former FBI officials who have been seeking to depose the FBIs director and former President Donald Trump.

U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson said that former FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page were authorized to depose FBI Director Christopher Wray and Trump separately for up to two hours.

The FBI declined to comment. Trump did not respond to a request for comment.

Strzok was a top FBI official who led the investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clintons use of a private email server. He also helped lead the probe into alleged links between Trumps campaign and Russia.

Strzok was fired in 2018 after the revelation that he exchanged dozens of anti-Trump text messages with Lisa Page, an FBI lawyer with whom he was having an affair. David Bowdich, the FBIs deputy director, said in the termination letter that Strzok made repeated, sustained errors of judgement.

Strzok claimed in a lawsuit that the firing was the result of unrelenting pressure from President Trump and his political allies in Congress and the media.

In court filings, Strzoks lawyers said that deposing Wray and Trump could shed light on the particulars of what transpired.

Department of Justice lawyers had argued that Strzok failed to establish the relevance of the testimony at this stage because the plaintiff has been unable to establish that Director Wray participated in any way in the decision to remove Mr. Strzok, or that any conversations Director Wray may have had with the former President about removing Mr. Strzok were conveyed to those who did make the decision.

Page has also sued the government over her termination and her efforts to obtain depositions have been merged with those of Strzok.

Jacksons reasons for siding with the plaintiffs werent clear.

Jackson, an Obama appointee, handed down the order after a closed-door hearing held on arguments from the parties.

The new order came for the reasons stated on the record at the hearing, Jackson wrote in a brief explanation.

The depositions will be limited to the narrow set of topics specified on the record at the hearing, she added.

The ruling did not resolve questions regarding executive privilege, or privilege that can be asserted by presidents.

The U.S. government was told to inform Jackson by March 24 whether President Joe Biden will invoke the privilege for certain topics.

The White House and the Department of Justice did not respond to requests for comment.

FBI Deputy Assistant Director Peter Strzok testifies at the Committee on the Judiciary and Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Joint Hearing on Oversight of FBI and DOJ Actions Surrounding the 2016 Election in Washington on July 12, 2018. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Former President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., on Jan. 31, 2022. (The Epoch Times)

Topics

The parties had agreed beforehand that if a deposition of Wray was approved, several topics could be covered, including any investigation he conducted or considered into the disclosure of information related to Strzok or Page, and whether Wray empowered Bowdich to make the final decision on Strzoks firing. Plaintiffs want to ask Wray about meetings or discussions he had with Bowdich on Strzok and/or Page, but defendants said they were still evaluating what, if anything, Wray could disclose on that aspect.

Plaintiffs want to ask Trump about topics including a Jan. 22, 2018, meeting between him, Wray, and then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and a June 15, 2018, meeting whose participants were redacted.

They also want to question the former president about statements hes made calling for the firings of Strzok and Page before they were terminated, and statements hes made after indicating he was involved.

Trump said in one recent interview that, if I didnt fire Comey, and if I didnt fire McCabe and Strzok and I got rid of them all.

Former White House chief of staff John Kelly has also said that Trump discussed using the Department of Justice and the IRS to probe Strzok and Page.

The government has said the actions committed by Strzok and Page, not the presidents statements, led to the terminations.

Five people, including Rod Rosenstein, the acting attorney general at one point during the Trump administration, have already been deposed in the case. The government has also produced more than 85,500 pages of documents, according to one filing.

Witnesses have supported the governments position regarding the firings, the Department of Justice has said.

Candice Will, an FBI Office of Professional Responsibility official, testified that she didnt recall ever speaking with Wray about Strzok, according to sealed transcripts described in filings by the government. Bowdich said in a deposition that he did not discuss Strzok in interactions he had with Trump and never saw the President get involved in the termination of anyone beyond the politically-appointed Director, referring to former Director James Comey.

Bowdich also said under oath that he did not recall Wray ever telling him about any meeting with Trump in which the president pressured Wray to fire Strzok and Page.
Judiciary Republicans Gavel in Second Hearing on Biden Border Crisis From Yuma, Arizona

The Douglas, Ariz., border crossing on the U.S./Mexico border seen from Agua Prieta, Sonora, in northwestern Mexico on Feb. 18, 2017. (GUILLERMO ARIAS/AFP via Getty Images)

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) on Feb. 23 gaveled in the panels second hearing on what lawmakers have dubbed the Biden border crisis from Yuma, Arizona.

Republicans have long rallied against President Joe Bidens policy in regards to the U.S.Mexico border, where the rate of illegal immigration has hit unprecedented levels.

The border is a key region for Mexican drug cartels and their partners, who stand to gain huge profits by moving drugs and sex slaves into U.S. markets.

Americans living along the border have recounted in numerous interviews that the threat is one that they deal with daily: residents say they dont let their children go outside alone, and never leave the houses themselves without a firearm. Citizen encounters with drug runners and cartel affiliates are commonplace along the border.

Instead of holding the hearing on Capitol Hill, Republican lawmakers gathered in Yuma, Arizonaa town just east of the state border with California and a few miles north of the international border with Mexico. Notably, half of the Judiciary panel was missingDemocrats on the committee announced in advance that they would not attend the Yuma hearing.

During the hearing, several Republicans explained they were holding the hearing in the border city in order to hear from those living at ground zero of the immigration crisis.

In his opening remarks, Jordan blasted the Democrats non-attendance as a political stunt.

Democrats open border policies caused this crisis, and instead of choosing to fix it, they want to cause a stunt and play political games, Jordan said.

Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) was also critical of the absence.

During the last session of Congress, Democrats couldnt be bothered to hold a single hearing on this issue, McClintock said. Republicans have held two. Democrats couldnt be bothered to show up.

A Civilizational Threat

During the hearing, critics of Bidens border policies painted the chaos at the border as an existential one to American civilization.

McClintock, Republicans first witness, said that unprecedented illegal mass migration [is] on a scale no civilization in history has ever experienced and survived.

McClintock placed the blame for this threat squarely on Bidens policies.

Under President Donald Trump, the United States practiced a Remain in Mexico policy, under which illegal immigrants apprehended at the border were held in custody within Mexico until their asylum claims could be assessed. Biden reversed that policy on day one.

The de facto policy of the administration, though not legislatively codified, has been catch and release, whereby illegal immigrants apprehended by Border Patrol agents are released into the United States to await their day in court.

McClintock cited figures showing that at least 3.1 million peopleroughly a tenth of a percent of the entire U.S. populationhave illegally entered the country under Biden.

3.1 million is a figure larger than [the population of] the entire state of Arkansas, McClintock emphasized. Thats just in the last 25 months.

McClintock said that the massive influx of illegal immigrants was the result of deliberate and calculated policies from Washington.

Diminished Healthcare Quality for Americans

During the hearing, Dr. Robert Trenschel, president and CEO of the Yuma Regional Medical Center (YRMC), testified to the committee about the impact mass illegal immigration has had on the quality of medical care that Americans in Yuma are receiving.

Our hospital saw an increase in the number of migrants seeking care beginning late fall [and] early winter 2021, Trenschel reported.

He noted that Yuma Regional Medical Center is the main hospital of only two in the area of the relatively remote border town.

Diversion to another healthcare facility is impossible, Trenschel explained.

Moreover, Trenschel said that for Americans living in the area, the burden of seeking care at another facility is insurmountable.

According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Yuma has a poverty rate of 17.6 percentseveral points higher than the national poverty rate of 11.6 percent.

For many who live here, traveling out of town for care is simply an unbearable challenge, Trenschel said. They depend on us to be here.

Thus, whether coming in for minor ailments or more serious concerns, Trenschel said the increase in illegal immigration strains the resources of the hospital and leads to fewer resources for legal citizens.

Hospitals Foot the Bill

Sometimes, Trenschel said, these illegal immigrants come in need of expensive and manpower-consumptive medical procedures, meaning fewer doctors and less equipment is available for American residents in the area. The hospital is required to foot the bill for many of these expenses.

Weve had immigrants on dialysis, cardiac catheterization, and in need of heart surgery, he said.

The babies of illegal immigrants sometimes need a long stay in the neonatal intensive care unit, a costly level of care that is largely shifted onto taxpayers, health insurers, and the already-strained Medicare system.

In addition, Trenschel pointed to cultural and language concerns with migrant patients.

While he said the hospital can work through those on an individual basis, the cumulative effect of these linguistic and cultural barriers adds to the strain on hospital manpower.

Trenschel pointed to a concrete example of this strain on resources, saying that illegal immigrants often require three times the human resources personnel to discharge.

In cases where the situation is dire enough to warrant it, the YRMC even pays the expenses to transport illegal immigrants to other hospitals.

The cumulative effect of these expenses: between December 2021 and December 2022, the YRMC footed a bill of $26 million in expenses for illegal immigrants care.

Let me assure you, that number is not an approximation, Trenschel said.

He added, $26 million in uncompensated care is simply not a sustainable business model.

During later questioning, Trenschel confirmed Rep. Andy Biggss (R-Ariz.) question that Bidens immigration policies require the hospital to foot the bill for transporting illegal immigrants to other facilities.

Effort to Impeach Mayorkas

While Republicans place the ultimate blame for the influx in illegal immigration on Bidens policies, they also place a great deal of blame on Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

On Feb. 1, Biggs submitted revised articles of impeachment against Mayorkas, calling for Mayorkas removal from office for high crimes and misdemeanors. Unlike in the last Congress, Biggs said he expects this Congress to take up the articles.

Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas, in his conduct while Secretary of Homeland Security, engaged in a pattern of conduct that is incompatible with his duties as an Officer of the United States, Biggs said in the resolution.

Specifically, Biggs cited Mayorkas track record in overseeing the security of the border.

Mayorkas has failed to faithfully uphold his oath and has instead presided over a reckless abandonment of border security and immigration enforcement, at the expense of the Constitution and the security of the United States, Biggs wrote.

Specifically, Biggs said, Secretary Mayorkas has willfully refused to maintain operational control of the border as required by the Secure Fence Act of 2006. His actions have directly led to an increase in illegal aliens and illegal narcotics, including deadly fentanyl, entering the United States.

Because of the loss of operational control of the border, Biggs noted, in 2022 alone, enough fentanyl made its way into the United States to kill every American 10 times over. This year, criminals appear to be on track to import even more fentanyl across the border.

In addition to increasing the number of illegal aliens, Secretary Mayorkass policies have led to a significant increase in illegal drug smuggling across the southern border, he wrote. In just 2 months of fiscal year 2023, more deadly fentanyl has been seized at the border than the entire amount in any year on record before. The 14,700 pounds seized at the border in fiscal year 2022 is enough to kill every American 10 times over.

As a result of this, fentanyl is now the leading cause of death among people 1845, and opioid deaths are at an all-time high across our Nation.

On Feb. 8, Biggs held an event calling for Mayorkas impeachment.

Mayorkas further faces allegations of lying to or misleading members of Congressa criminal offense.

Secretary Mayorkas definitely needs to be impeached, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said during the event.

The Heritage Foundations Mark Morgan, one of the panelists, agreed, calling Mayorkas the key architect of the administrations border policies.

However, it remains unclear how Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) will proceed with any articles of impeachment against Mayorkas.

In the past, McCarthy has been ambiguous in his replies about impeaching Biden or any of his appointed officials.

We wont play politics with it, McCarthy said in October 2022 ahead of the expected GOP takeover of the lower chamber in the midterms.
Farmers Say Labor Fails Communities as Deadline for Murray Darling Basin Plan Looms

Australian Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek speaks during House of Representatives Question Time at Parliament House in Canberra on Feb. 15, 2023. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch)

Australias water minister has announced another round of water buybacks from farmers as the 2024 deadline looms for federal Labor to meet targets under the Murray Darling Basin Plan.

The announcement, which was made on Feb. 22, ends weeks of speculation about the return of water buybacks. Buybacks were limited by the former Coalition government back in 2015 when farmers argued their case against the move for causing a range of problems in farming communities.

The announcement of a strategic water purchasing program and framework to bridge the gap is an important step forward in continuing to return water to the environment and delivering upon the Australian Governments commitment to complete the Basin Plan in full, according to Feb. 22 media release from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW).

To bridge the gap, a total of 49.2 gigalitres will be purchased from seven catchments across the basin. Six of these catchments will come from Queensland and New South Wales, according to the Department.

Of the 49.2 gigalitres required, 46 gigalitres will be comprised of surface water and 3.2 gigalitres that of groundwater.

While federal Labor said it remains interested in receiving water through feasible, non-purchase-based projects, it said that the absence of other feasible projects has made water buybacks the most effective and efficient method to achieve the target.

The Basin Plan is considered vitally important for the economic and environmental sustainability of the whole MurrayDarling Basin (Basin) and to assist communities, industries and the environment to survive through a changing climate, including droughts, which are predicted to occur more often and with greater severity.

However, Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) said federal Labors plan to buy back water under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan ignores the evidence of how the scheme will impact farming communities.

The Commonwealths plan to buy back water will not only price farmers out of the water market, but it will also result in less jobs in regional communities and will increase the price of food for all Australians, VFF Water Council Chair Andrew Leahy said in a Feb. 23 media statement.

Leahy said that while buybacks had only been announced for Queensland, NSW, and the ACT, Victorian and South Australian farmers would still be impacted.

We operate in a connected market, and the 10GL earmarked to be bought out of the NSW Murray will result in less water being available to irrigators across the Southern Basin. We know it wont stop there with the government saying it will look to buyback water to recover the 450GL.

History and Controversy of Water Buybacks

Water buybacks have been a controversial issue since the Murray Darling Basin Plan was legislated in 2012, with Victoria, New South Wales (NSW), the federal opposition, National Farmers Federation and the National Irrigators Council staunchly against the move.

In 2008, then-water minister Penny Wong announced the federal governments $50 million allocation to purchase water from irrigators and farmers, which was a downpayment on the future of the Murray River and a first in the nations history, reported the ABC.

However, there were community concerns over job losses due to the departments choice to purchase water of the best value. Then from 2015, direct negotiation between the department and entitlement holders was utilised.

Federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek has previously said that voluntary buybacks are on the table in relation to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, which Plibersek has also hinted at extending. She said the 2024 deadline in delivering the 450 gigalitres, through efficiency measures, in full by June 2024 was next to impossible.

Then in October 2022, Federal Labors Federal Budget allocated an undisclosed amount to water-saving targets for the Murray-Darling Basin. It was reported back then that funding could be used by the Commonwealth to purchase water from farmers.

Under the plan, the basin states agreed to remove 2,750 gigalitres of water from irrigated agriculture and relocate that back into the basin by 2024.

Over the past decade, more than 2,100 gigalitres have been relocated back into the environment.

Additionally, under the plan, an additional 450 gigalitres of water is to be recovered through efficiency measures, which is also expected to be completed by 2024. However, only five gigalitres of water have been recovered under this measure.

Not Discretionary, Not a Choice: South Australian Water Minister

Meanwhile, South Australias Water Minister Susan Close has admitted that the slim chances of meeting the 450 gigalitre target are both devastating and unsurprising.

Its not discretionary. Its not a choice, Close told the 7.30 report.

South Australia only signed up to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, when the 450 gigalitres was added to it.

Additionally, the Murray Darling Basin Authoritys Chief Executive, Andrew McConville, said in November 2022 that the vital projects required to meet the Basin plans proposed targets will not be completed by the 2024 deadline.

Plibersek told 7.30 that farmers had been approached by the government with the prospect of selling water entitlements.

Having environmental water to release when the environments under pressure makes all the difference. Its whats protecting our native fish and our native birds, she said.

Without it, you would see extinctions on a mass scale.

If I have to achieve the objectives of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan with the largest share of buybacks, then so be it.

The Murray Darling Basin Authority previously told The Epoch Times that achieving the 450 gigalitres needs to be done.

[O]nly then will we see a step change in the environmental health of the Basin.

However, both the NSW and Victorian governments have not agreed to the water buyback scheme.

On Feb. 21, NSWs Water Minister Kevin Anderson said basin State and Territory Ministers must determine a new pathway for delivering water recovery targets.

There is no escaping the fact that buying this amount of water would devastate our agricultural sector and our regional communities at a time when food prices are skyrocketing. We have seen first-hand the impact that Commonwealth buyback programs have had before and will not stand by and watch this happen again.

Jan Beer, a representative from the Upper Murray River Catchment Association in Victoria, previously told The Epoch Times that the economic impacts of the water buybacks would be enormous and has urged both Victoria and NSW to withdraw from the Basin Plan.

Basin, State and Territory ministers will meet in Sydney on Feb. 24.
Mike Lindell Says He Will Sue Speaker McCarthy for Sharing Jan. 6 Footage With Tucker Carlson

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell said he plans on suing House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) after providing Fox News Tucker Carlson with tens of thousands of hours of footage of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach.

During a Thursday interview with Steve Bannon on his War Room podcast, Lindell said he is planning to file a lawsuit against the House speaker because he violated the First Amendments freedom of the press provision.

Yeah its as everybody knows Kevin McCarthy and the gang released [41,000] hours from January 6th to exclusively Fox News. Well, were not going to sit back and let that happen. This is our First Amendment provision, he said.

Bannon interjected, asking Lindell why hes planning to file a suit against McCarthy when he has other legal challenges piling up.

Were injured by not having access and then the other thing is the Equal Protection clause, Lindell added in his interview with Bannon, a former White House chief strategist. He added, Why does just Fox get this? So they can cover it up even more? Its disgusting  We were going to go after Fox to get it; and they lawyers  said, No, were gonna ago right after the speaker, right after Congress.

Lindell added that he is planning on taking his suit all the way up to the Supreme Court on behalf of his Lindell-TV, which streams on Lindells Frank Speech website. He added that the media entity and other news outlets should have access to 41,000 hours of video footage because were injured by not having access and is discrimination by the speaker.

Im tired of the violation of our constitutional rights, Steven, Lindell said.

A McCarthy spokesperson hadnt returned an Epoch Times request for comment at publication.

What Was Said

Fox News confirmed to The Epoch Times this week McCarthy had given Carlson exclusive access to the surveillance footage from Jan. 6, 2021. We believe we have secured the right to see whatever we want to see, Carlson also said during a broadcast of his show, adding that producers are now reviewing the footage and trying to figure out what it means and how it contradicts, or not, the story that weve been told for more than two years.

U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) gives remarks at a news conference in Statuary Hall of the U.S. Capitol on February 02, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

We think already that in some ways it does contradict that story, Carlson said, adding that Fox News producers would be assessing it as honestly as we can before bringing the findings to the public at some point next week.

Earlier this week, McCarthy confirmed that he sent the thousands of footage to Carlson, who is generally the highest-rated television host on Fox News. The speaker said that he promised to release the footage if he became speaker.

I promised, McCarthy told the New York Times. I was asked in the press about these tapes, and I said they do belong to the American public. I think sunshine lets everybody make their own judgment.

McCarthy added that he plans on making the footage more widely available at a later date. Its not clear when that may happen.

Democrats Unhappy

After McCarthys confirmation that he handed over the tapes, top Democrats said it was tantamount to a national security risk. On Twitter, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) wrote it is a grave mistake that would embolden individuals who have doubts about the 2020 election outcome.

Separately, in a letter to other members of Congress, Schumer claimed McCarthy does not have the right to jeopardize the safety of the senators nor Senate and Capitol staff for their own political purposes by releasing the tapes. He did not elaborate.

The apparent transfer of video footage represents an egregious security breach that endangers the hardworking women and men of the United States Capitol Police, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday in a letter to fellow House Democrats.

But McCarthy said that the public has the right to see what happened that day. The House select committee that was tasked with investigating the breach, McCarthy has said, was fraught with bias and released a report that only serves to bolster Democrats.

We watched the politicization of this, he told reporters in January. I think the American public should actually see all what happened instead of a report thats written for a political basis.
A same-sex Oklahoma couple, Kris Williams and Rebekah Wilson, decided to have a kid. They found a sperm donor, everything worked out, and then the couple officially married while Rebekah was pregnant with the baby. When their son was born, he was given Kris's surname, with both Rebekah and Kris were listed as parents on the birth certificate.

By the time the child was two years old, however, the couple broke up, with Rebekah alleging during the divorce proceedings that Kris had been abusive towards her and their son. Rebekah then took the son and moved in with the sperm donor / bio-dad, Harlan Vaughn, and successfully argued in court that Kris was not in fact, the child's parent.

An Oklahoma judge agreed, at least initially. Kris's name was retroactively removed from the birth certificate  though the judge agreed to later reinstate her name, without a guarantee of any accompanying parental rights. In the meantime, Rebekah had another child with Harlan.

According to a court filing, the initial sperm donation agreement was only made between Rebekah and Harlan, who signed a document acknowledging that Rebekah would "conceive and raise" the child alone, and that Harlan would agree to "facilitate the adoption of the minor child if asked to do so." The sperm donation paperwork makes no mention of Kris, or her potential parental status. Following the birth of the child, Kris did not take any formal or official steps to legally adopt her son, other than putting her name on the birth certificate. Therefore, the judge argued, in accordance with the sperm donation agreement, the child's parental rights reverted back to Rebekah and Harlan.

(Curiously, that same document also specifically states that Kris and Rebekah had stopped having sex while Rebekah was pregnant, and that they had not sex since getting legally married, and therefore they could "pursue an annulment based upon the failure to consummate their marriage"  which is both a minor detail, but also one that speaks to the antiquated nature of this particular legal clusterfuck.)

I'll quote 19th News directly here:

"I don't feel like we should have to adopt our own children," [Kris] Williams told the 19th. "If I was a man, then nobody could come back and you know, question whether that child was mine or not, after they're the age of two." McGuire reinstated Williams on the birth certificate in June, and Williams' name remains. But the issue of Williams' parental rights was still undecided until February 13, when McGuire ruled that Oklahoma's parentage act predated marriage equality and therefore didn't apply to Williams and Wilson. [] Legal experts warn that the case could have substantial implications for marriage equality nationwide. Advocates battled a number of cases to enshrine same-sex marriage protections after the Supreme Court granted those rights nationwide in 2015. Among those fights was the right of parentage. The 2015 Supreme Court case Pavan v. Smith found that it was unconstitutional to treat queer couples differently than heterosexual couples when it came to presuming parentage. If married heterosexual couples were presumed to be parents of children born during their marriage, the same must be true for LGBTQ+ couples.

My sister-in-law gave birth to my nephew last June; I'll admit to ignorance that I was shocked when my sister said that she still had to legally adopt him. Granted, that was New York state, not Oklahoma, so I wrongly assumed things would be easier. But apparently not! And this kind of ugly bureaucratic situation has made me want to call her and make sure all the t's are crossed. Oof.

An Oklahoma judge just transferred a lesbian mom's parental rights to her son's sperm donor [Kate Sosin and Sara Luterman / 19th News]
Minnesota Senate Passes Bills Granting Felons Voting Rights, Drivers Licenses for Illegal Immigrants

Two bills that would grant felons voting rights and illegal immigrants the ability to obtain drivers licenses were passed by the Minnesota Senate on Feb. 22.

Passed in a 35-30 vote, the Restore the Vote bill (pdf) would restore the voting rights of convicted felons immediately after they are released from jail.

The bills passage comes less than a week after the Minnesota Supreme Court upheld a current law that prohibits felons from voting while on parole, but noted that the legislature retained the power to decide the issue.

In promoting the bill, Senate President Bobby Joe Champion, a Democrat, said: We know that in the state of Minnesota right now we have more than 55,000 of our friends, our neighbors, and family members who are not allowed to vote. They should have the right to vote.

Currently, 21 other states restore the voting rights of felons once they leave prison, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, including Republican-led North Dakota, Indiana, and Utah. In Maine, Vermont, and Washington, D.C., convicted felons are allowed to vote while they are still incarcerated, irrespective of their crimesa situation some California lawmakers are currently looking to legalize in their own state.

According to KWLM, in debating the legislation, Republicans had wanted the added stipulation that those convicted of serious crimes first complete their probation before regaining the right to vote. But Democrats insisted that individuals have their voting rights restored immediately following their release.

Drivers License for All

Meanwhile, the Drivers License for All bill (pdf), which was approved in a 34-31 vote, specifies that an applicant for a noncompliant license or identification card is not required to demonstrate United States citizenship or lawful presence in the United States.

While Democrats had argued that the measure would make roads safer, Republicans raised the concern that illegal immigrants and potential terrorists could exploit the law to vote and fly illegally, and sought to amend the text to prevent that.

What in your bill prevents that terrorist from coming to Minnesota, getting a drivers license, and getting on an airline and committing a terrorist act? Republican Minnesota state Sen. Glenn Gruenhagen asked his Democrat colleagues, per KWLM.

Democrats countered that applicants would be required to provide documentation, including proof of identity, to obtain an identification card but Gruenhagen dismissed that argument, noting that such documents could be forged.

The Restore the Vote bill was sent to Democrat Gov. Tim Walz for signing, but the Drivers Licenses for All bill will need to be reapproved by the House first due to changes made in the Senate.

The governor has indicated that he will sign both bills into law.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Monopoly Case Gives Australian Port Operator Win

Containers are loaded onto cargo ships at Port Botany in Sydney, Australia, on June 4, 2021. (Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images)

Private-owned port operator NSW Ports has won an appeal case in which it was accused of monopolising container port services in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW).

The case was first brought by the Australian Competition Consumer Commission (ACCC) in 2018 when the competition authority alleged the firm violated competition laws when it entered into three 50-year agreements with the NSW government a few years earlier.

Two of the agreements were related to the privatisation of the firms subsidiaries in Port Botany and Port Kembla in May 2013, while the third was linked to the privatisation of the Port of Newcastle in May 2014.

ACCC Alleged Agreements Lessened Competition

Under the agreements, the NSW government would compensate Port Botany and Port Kembla operators if container traffic at the Port of Newcastle exceeded a minimal specified cap.

The Port of Newcastle then had to reimburse the government for those fees.

The ACCC alleged that the reimbursement would significantly raise the cost of moving a container at the Port of Newcastle and make the development of a new container terminal at Newcastle uneconomic, effectively lessening competition and causing harm to businesses and consumers.

A container ship gets loaded at the main Botany port in Sydney, Australia, on Aug. 4, 2020. (Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images)

In June 2021, the Federal Court dismissed the lawsuit as it found NSW Ports had derivative crown immunity and that the terms of the three agreements did not reduce competition in the states port sector.

Derivative crown immunity is the immunity an entity enjoys when dealing which the Crown (or an agent of the Crownwhich is the NSW government in this case) under limited circumstances.

In addition, the court found that the ACCC based its case on mere speculations that a new container terminal might be developed at Newcastle somehow in the future while there was likely no chance for the NSW government to permit the development of another container terminal at the Port of Newcastle before Port Botany reached its capacity.

In July 2021, the ACCC lodged an appeal against the Federal Courts decision. However, it was struck down by the court on Feb. 23, 2023.

Response from the Parties

Following the courts decision, ACCC commissioner Liza Carver said the competitive authority took legal action due to concerns about a 50-year monopoly imposed by NSW Ports on the states container port services.

We appealed this case because we considered that the compensation provisions created a significant barrier to entry, she said in a statement.

The threat of new entry is an important part of the competitive process and imposes a competitive discipline on existing businesses, including monopolies.

The court has not publicly announced the judgement as it gave each party one week to examine the decision and redact any confidential information.

Meanwhile, NSW Ports CEO Marika Calfas said the courts ruling was a win for economic certainty and prosperity that would benefit local businesses and consumers.

Maintaining the right ports and freight strategy to cater for NSWs growing trade needs is crucial to the states economic future, she said in a statement.

Port Botany and Port Kembla are key economic drivers for NSW and the nation, contributing more than $13 billion a year to the states economy and supporting 65,000 jobs.

The CEO said the judgment was in line with the NSW governments long-term strategy for the port sector, in which Port Botany will be prioritised for shipments first, followed by the development of a new container terminal at Port Kembla.

It is worth noting that after the ACCC launched the appeal, the NSW parliament passed new laws establishing a process to remove the requirement for the Port of Newcastle to reimburse any compensation paid by the NSW under the agreements.

The new legislation took effect on Nov. 25, 202.

The passage of the legislation should facilitate competition between ports in NSW for the provision of container port services, the ACCC said.
New Incentives Look to Attract Cops to Regional Australia

NSW police stop vehicles at the Hume Highway checkpoint at the Victorian border in Albury, Australia on November 22, 2020. (Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

Incentives for police officers to go bush will jump as high as $36,000 (US$24,563) to address recruitment and retention issues in New South Wales (NSW).

While police can already receive a one-off payment of $5000 for heading to a remote community, a new model from July will be similar to annual payment allowances for teachers.

Police in Broken Hill and other remote locations will receive $8000 in their first year and a total of $36,000 over five years.

Additional incentives will also apply for special remote locations and remote off-shore locations, such as Lord Howe Island and stations with only one or two officers.

Police will be offered incentives to move to remote locations in NSW like Lord Howe Island. Aerial view of Lord Howe Islands coral reef. (Zorro/Adobe Stock)

The payments would be beneficial in addressing ongoing issues around recruitment and retention in these important communities, Police Association of NSW president Kevin Morton said.

This is about getting police in the right place at the right time, he said.

Our members operate at the heart of these remote communities and go above and beyond to protect and serve.

For too long, police stations in remote areas have struggled to attract police officers. These improved incentives will go a long way to attract officers to serve these rural communities.

Deputy Premier and Police Minister Paul Toole and Police Commissioner Karen Webb travelled to Broken Hill to announce the package on Friday.

The rural NSW landscape is shown on the Sturt Highway near Wentworth, 1,043 kilometers (648 miles) from Sydney, Australia, May 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith)

It also includes rental housing at some locations, tied to three-per-cent of an officers annual salary, and reduced mandatory tenure periods at identified locations to allow greater mobility opportunities for officers.

We acknowledge that it is currently a very competitive labour market and the NSW Police Force will continue to strive towards providing the best benefits and working conditions possible to nurture and develop our officers, Webb said.

Toole said the scheme rewarded relocation and retention and gave officers the flexibility to invest these incentive payments in what matters to them and their families.
New Political Science Summit Launches After Conservatives Sidelined by Left

Chapman University law professor John Eastman (L) watches as Rudy Giuliani speaks to supporters from The Ellipse near the White House in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

After a prestigious academic political science conference sidelined Stop-the-Steal attorney John Eastman and the conservative Claremont Institute in 2021, conservatives decided to organize their own summit.

That idea became a reality in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with the first American Politics and Government Summit held by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) on Feb. 23 and Feb. 24with contributions from think tanks such as Claremont, the Acton Institute, and the Heritage Foundation.

Organizers billed the conference as a place for scholars to freely debate and discuss emerging research in politics, philosophy, and economics.

The plan is to make this an annual conference, said Claire Aguda, ISI director of alumni, faculty, and graduate students.

Claire Aguda (L) and Tom Sarrouf (R), who work for the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, attended the organizations first American Politics and Government Summit in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Feb.2324. (Darlene Sanchez/The Epoch Times)

The summit fills the vacuum left by the American Political Science Association conference, which used to host liberals and conservatives to debate scholarly ideas on political science, said ISI president John Burtka.

Aguda told The Epoch Times that when the institute heard what happened with APSAone of the last instances where conservatives were included in an academic settingthe organization wanted to help.

Inside Higher Education reported in an article on Sept. 30, 2021, that an APSA spokesperson said the organization, did not cancel the Claremont panels.

APSA told the publication it moved all of Claremonts panels to a virtual format due to safety concerns with the meeting, adding Claremont then canceled the panels instead of meeting virtually.

ISI, which has been involved in academic pursuits since its founding in 1953, has a network of some 4,000 faculty who are independent or conservative, so it was a natural fit, Aguda said.

The academic conference offers a place for professors to present scholarly papers and research, panel discussions, and key-note conservative speakers.

Burtka said the organization has been working to support causes at the collegiate level. ISI has helped establish 81 conservative student newspapers at universities across the United States and has 175 ISI societies.

Little Pockets of Sanity

The institute helps independent or conservative students and professors network and it allows them to feel they arent alone in what has become an increasingly progressive landscape, Burtka said.

There are little pockets of sanity, he said.

Aguda said the conference had an overwhelming response from professors submitting papers for critique. For many, it is their only opportunity to get scholarly feedback.

Eastman, who attended the ISI summit, told The Epoch Times that silencing free speech by shouting people down or trying to cancel them is part of an authoritarian movement in the United States.

He added that mainstream media accounts of President Donald Trump staging a coup by appointing his acting attorney general exposed the media working in concert with unelected bureaucrats.

Excuse me. Hes the boss; he gets to decide, Eastman said.

He said that administrative agencies have been building on the idea that they are the experts with all the answers and know better than the public they are supposed to serve.

They think they are the best and brightest, he said, adding that citizens who question the government are considered anti-science and even anti-democratic.

Parents rights first: Fairfax County resident Lin-Dai Kendall protests at a rally outside Luther Jackson Middle School before a Fairfax County Public Schools board meeting, in Falls Church, Va., on Sept. 15, 2022. (Terri Wu/The Epoch Times)

This is authoritarianism, he said. And thats what were seeing. We saw it in the notion that parents cant criticize their school boards if theyre putting men in the girls showers.

Eastman, who spoke at the Jan. 6 Capitol rally, said the APSA sidelined him during the 2021 conference because he advised Trump after the election leading up to Jan. 6.

He said the idea that no one can question the legality of the 2020 election is another example of authoritarianism.

A letter signed by 279 political science academics pressed APSA to sever ties with Eastman.

During the organizations conference two years ago, he was slated to speak on two APSA panels organized by Claremont, a think tank.

Families protest any potential mask mandates before the Hillsborough County Schools Board meeting held at the district office on July 27, 2021, in Tampa, Florida. (Octavio Jones/Getty Images)

The 2021 letter, spearheaded by David Karp associate professor at George Washington University, quoted APSA as condemning Trump, Republican legislators, and all those who endorsed and disseminated falsehoods to overturn a free and fair 2020 presidential election.

Karp wrote that APSAs condemnation should extend to Eastman, who gave the Trump campaign legal advice, and the Claremont Institute for questioning the 2020 election results.

The following week at its 2021 conference in Seattle, APSA suddenly changed all of Claremonts in-person panel presentations, including Eastmans, to virtual only, citing safety concerns that went unexplained.

The result was Claremont pulled out of the APSA after 35 years of presenting panel discussions, as did Eastman, who is a senior fellow at Claremont.

Protesters demonstrate at the University of Utah against an event featuring a conservative speaker in Salt Lake City on Sept. 27, 2017. (George Frey/Getty Images)

Eastman said they were trying to tie him to the insurrection, a term he calls laughable.

He said it was clear before Claremont left that APSA had been making it difficult for their conservative speakers, which more liberal speakers didnt like.

In past conferences, Claremont speakers were scheduled to present in small cramped rooms with no air conditioning, although they drew the largest audiences, he explained.

So that was the excuse for doing what theyve been wanting to do for a long time, Eastman said.
No Amb. Khalilzad, the Enemy of My Enemy Is Not My Friend

A Taliban terrorist checks an ISIS group house that was destroyed in the ongoing conflict between the two in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Jan. 5, 2023. (Ebrahim Noroozi/AP Photo)

Commentary

Former U.S. Envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzads suggestion that America and its allies should side with the Taliban against ISIS-K, which has waged an increasingly bloody insurgency against Taliban hegemony in Afghanistan, embodies the naive belief that there are good jihadists and bad jihadists.

ISIS is the common enemy of the Taliban and the international community. Cooperation against ISIS can be a key part of future relations. Among the options available, the completed implementation of the Doha agreement is the best way forward. It deals with all issues of concern to Afghans and the international community, Khalilzad wrote in a tweet last week following the Talibans raid of an ISIS-K hideout in Kabul.

Khalilzads mentality reflects the same ideology that resulted in the Obama administration thinking it could fight against al-Qaida and later ISIS by supporting the Muslim Brotherhood a decade ago. State Department officials knew at the highest levels that the Muslim Brotherhood and al-Qaida had a clandestine relationship and that the public display of mutual animosity sometimes was just for show.

Its just an example of the ideologically motivated blinders that are all too common in the State Department when it comes to Islamism.

Taliban opposition to ISIS-K doesnt make it a friend of the United States or of the West. The Talibans raid of an ISIS-K safehouse in Kabul boils down to one jihadist gang exacting retribution on another.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban will not allow any of its members, other individuals or groups, including al-Qaida, to use the soil of Afghanistan to threaten the security of the United States and its allies, The Doha Agreement states (pdf).

Thus far all indications are that the Taliban has failed to uphold its end of the Doha Agreement. Al-Qaida remains active in Afghanistan and is reported by Afghan sources to be training Taliban fighters.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted in August that the Taliban violated the Doha Agreement after al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in Kabul last August.

The idea of siding with one terrorist faction against another spectacularly backfired in Libya and Syria where the CIA and U.S. military-backed jihadist groups turned against each other. Both countries also became breeding grounds for terrorist activities in the West. Thats not to suggest that the Biden administration has similar plans in Afghanistan. Currently, theres no clear indication that ISIS-K has plans to launch attacks in the West.

While the Taliban might currently be in a state of truce with the United States and the West due to the Doha Agreement, theres no guarantee it always will be. Mullah Baradar signed the Doha Agreement in 2020; however, its unclear what authority he had because the Talibans executive power lay in the hands of the Quetta Shura and not in his hands.

The Taliban may abide by the Doha Agreement for a set period of time, but some analysts worry that the Islamist movement is abiding by what Islamic jurisprudence calls a hudna. A hudna is rooted in the Muslim Prophet Muhammads Treaty of Hudaybiyyah in which he agreed to a decade-long truce with the Quraish tribe in Mecca. The Afghan Taliban consulted with al-Qaida leadership after signing the agreement to limit its application within the borders of Afghanistan. The continued collaboration between al-Qaida and the Taliban clearly violates the Doha Agreement.

Al-Qaida is considered a significant threat to international security over the long term, especially relative to ISIL-K, which poses the greater threat in the short and medium term, the UN Security Council terrorism report (pdf) from last June stated.

ISIS-K appears to believe this is exactly what the Taliban did when it agreed to the Doha Agreement.

The Messenger of Allah made treaty with the idolaters of Quraysh, but he did not prevent the Muslims outside that treaty to fight against Quraysh. The door of jihad was opened for them, when the Muslims fought day and night against the polytheists all over the Arabian Peninsula, ISIS-Ks propaganda magazine The Voice of Khurasan said in September.

ISIS-K accuses the Taliban of invoking the Treaty of Hudabiyyah as an unIslamic submission to the infidel. It accuses the Taliban of being apostates from Islam.

ISIS-K is not the same as the mother group in Iraq and Syria that swept across the country. Its far smaller and is well-checked by the Talibans superior firepower. ISIS-K holds no territory, is comparatively small, and, as long as its locked in a battle with the Taliban, offers few immediate threats to the United States or its allies.

The Taliban has taken to fighting among itself and has split into different warring factions, and ISIS-K could benefit from these divisions as Taliban fighters defect into its ranks. The same sort of trend happened in both Libya and Syria.

But so far there hasnt been any indication that a Libyan or a Syrian ISIS situation could be on the table.

Siding with the Taliban against ISIS-K is like siding with a rival gang to combat another. The Taliban is no friend of the West and pretending that it is, is just dangerous. The Talibans link to al-Qaida and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) offers the possibility that Iran can use Afghanistan for its own terrorist purposes.

There are only bad jihadis.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
North Korea Tests 4 Cruise Missiles as US, South Korea Hold Tabletop Drill

People watch a television news broadcast showing file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a railway station in Seoul on April 14, 2020. (Jung Yeon-je/AFP via Getty Images)

North Korea test-fired four strategic cruise missiles on Thursday in a show of its nuclear combat force, its state media said on Friday, as South Korea and the United States began tabletop exercises this week.

The launching drill, which involved four Hwasal-2 strategic cruise missiles, was held in the vicinity of Kim Chaek City, North Hamgyong province, state media Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

KCNA said the drill was aimed at verifying the weapon systems reliability and the rapid-response capabilities of the strategic cruise missile units, which are one of North Koreas nuclear deterrents.

According to the report, the missiles precisely hit a preset target on the East Sea of Korea after traveling the 2,000 kilometers-long elliptical and eight-shaped flight orbits for 10,208 seconds to 10,224 seconds.

The drill demonstrated the war posture of the DPRK nuclear combat force bolstering up in every way its deadly nuclear counterattack capability against the hostile forces, KCNA said, using the acronym of North Koreas official name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

USSouth Korea Tabletop Drill

The missile launches occurred while the United States and South Korea staged a simulated tabletop exercise at the Pentagon on Wednesday to hone their joint response capabilities against North Korean nuclear threats.

Given the DPRKs recent aggressive nuclear policy and advancements in nuclear capabilities, the [tabletop exercise] scenario focused on the possibility of the DPRKs use of nuclear weapons, the Pentagon said in a statement.

Delegates from both nations discussed alliance deterrence to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and potential options for dealing with North Koreas nuclear weapon use, it stated.

The delegations discussed how best to leverage ROKs non-nuclear capabilities to support nuclear deterrence against DPRK nuclear threats, it said, referring to South Koreas official name, the Republic of Korea.

The U.S. and South Korean delegations also visited the naval submarine facility Kings Bay in Georgia on Thursday.

The United States reaffirmed its commitment to working with South Korea using an effective mix of capabilities, concepts, deployments, exercises, and tailored options to deter North Koreas aggression.

The United States will continue to field flexible nuclear forces suited to deterring regional nuclear conflict, including the capability to forward deploy strategic bombers, dual-capable fighter aircraft, and nuclear weapons to the region, the Pentagon added.

North Koreas Actions Not Beneficial to China

State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters on Thursday that North Koreas nuclear development program will not benefit China, a major ally of North Korea, because it poses a threat to regional security.

The DPRKs ballistic missile program, its nuclear program, it is not only a threat to the United States and our people; its not only a threat to our treaty alliesJapan and the ROK in this casebut it is a threat to peace and security across the region, and that is not something that the PRC likes to see, he said, referring to Chinas official name, the Peoples Republic of China.

It is not something that the PRC should seek to encourage, and we would like to see all countries, including the permanent fiveRussia and China in this caseagain, not ignore but uphold the resolutions that they themselves have passed, Price added.

The United States earlier called on the U.N. Security Council to condemn and hold North Korea to account for the missile provocations but was met with a veto by China and Russiawho are also members of the council.

North Koreas official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows the launching of the Hwasong-15 missile on Nov. 29, 2017. (KCNA VIA KNS/AFP/Getty Images)

U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the Security Councils failures to respond enabled North Korea to conduct its destabilizing missile launches without fear of consequences.

The reality is that those who shield the DPRK from the consequences of its escalatory missile tests put the Asian region, and entire world, at risk of conflict, Thomas-Greenfield said at a council briefing in New York.

If two member states continue to prevent this council from carrying out its mandate, we should expect the DPRK to continue to defiantly develop and test these weapons. The councils lack of action is worse than shameful. It is dangerous, she added.

On Feb. 18, North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that landed outside Japans exclusive economic zone. Japans defense minister said the ICBM had the capacity to strike the United States.

North Korea launched more than 70 missiles last year, including potentially nuclear-capable weapons of various ranges targeting South Korea and the continental United States.

The United States has been urging for a return to the diplomatic approach to resolve the tensions, a call North Korea has ignored due to what it says are the United States and its allies hostile policies toward North Koreas totalitarian regime.
Feb. 24 marks one year since Russias invasion of Ukraine. The White House announced sweeping new sanctions against Russia as world leaders renew their vow to support Ukraine. Meanwhile, China issues a proposal for a ceasefire, but Western officials remain skeptical of Beijings intentions.

First Lady Jill Biden told The Associated Press that President Joe Biden plans to run for a second term in 2024.

A school district was forced to pay over $100,000 in legal fees after banning mothers from exposing pornographic material at school board meetings. Forsyth County School District agreed to pay attorneys fees in a federal lawsuit brought by a group of parents who were censored at school board meetings.
Officials Release Update on Wildlife Killed by Ohio Train Derailment

Ron Fodo, Ohio EPA Emergency Response, looks for signs of fish and also agitates the water in Leslie Run creek to check for chemicals that have settled at the bottom following a train derailment that is causing environmental concerns in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 20, 2023. (Michael Swensen/Getty Images)

The number of wildlife estimated to have been killed in the wake of the Ohio train derailment is nearly 44,000, less than officials first thought, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).

Although dead animals remain in the affected waterways, ODNR Director Mary Mertz noted in an update Thursday that live fish have returned to some parts of the area.

The updated figure includes around 38,222 minnows and approximately 5,500 other water creatures, such as fish, crayfish, and amphibians, within a five-mile radius of the crash site in the town of East Palestine.

The impact on other non-aquatic wildlife, including three birds and an opossum, are still being investigated.

The survey was conducted over two days on Feb. 6 and 7 by EnviroScience, an environmental consulting firm, under the direction of the Division of Wildlife, using standard scientific methods, according to ODNR.

A fish lays dead following a train derailment prompting health concerns in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 20, 2023. (Michael Swensen/Getty Images)

Mertz said the agency sought the help of EnviroScience, which was already on-site to contain the spill, after ODNR personnel arrived directly after the incident and were told by the Ohio EPA that it was too dangerous to enter the water without specialized gear and equipment.

The Norfolk Southern train was transporting dangerous chemicals such as vinyl chloride, hydrogen chloride, and other hazardous materials when it derailed on Feb. 3 en route to Pennsylvania.

Officials said crews burned off the hazardous chemicals in a controlled release to avoid a potential explosion. This resulted in a plume of black smoke, leading to concerns about the effect on the environment, including the air, land, and water quality in the immediate vicinity.

Locals were urged to evacuate their homes during the burn off, but some people reported health reactions like rashes, nausea, and headaches upon return. Some also reported that the areas animals, including livestock, were getting sick or dying.

Officials from the Environmental Protection Agency have said the agency has been monitoring air quality in the area and hasnt detected any hazardous risks. However, some residents remain skeptical.

The impacted environment spans 5 miles of waterway from the derailment site to the point where Bull Creek flows into the north fork of Little Beaver Creek, according to ODNR.

Survey Method

Mertz explained that the scientific approach to investigating fish kill in a watershed involves collecting data and specimens promptly, which is what happened.

The survey was conducted over two days from Feb. 6 to 7. The controlled release of chemicals occurred on Feb. 6.

Four collection stations were established to gather necessary data, in this case dead aquatic species, Mertz said. We had 23 officers monitoring that collection since it began. Dead fish were collected in the four designated survey spots by entering the water and using a net.

Following collection, EnviroScience counted, identified, measured, and arranged disposal of the aquatic species to limit impact to other wildlife that might feed on affected aquatic species, she continued.

Their final sample count found 2,938 aquatic species killed in waterways, mostly small minnows (2,200) that ranged in size from 1 to 3 inches. This figure is lower than the 3,500 original investigators estimated based on visual observations immediately after the crash.

Map of aquatic species collection stations in East Palestine, Ohio. (Courtesy of Ohio Department of Natural Resources)

Map of aquatic species collection stations in East Palestine, Ohio. (Courtesy of Ohio Department of Natural Resources)

Based on this count, ODNR wildlife investigators used a calculation endorsed by the American Fisheries Society to estimate the total number of minnows killed.

The investigation has thus far concluded that of the 7-and-a-half-mile impacted area, the species were killed over a 5-mile span, Mertz said.

According to Mertz, the impact to aquatic life is believed to have occurred in the first 24 hours after the derailment. She noted that ODNR officers checked the Ohio River through Jefferson County and at the Cumberland lock and dam and had not observed any dead aquatic life.

And, its important to stress that these small fish are all believed to have been killed immediately after the derailment, Mertz said. Because the chemicals were contained, ODNR has not seen any additional signs of aquatic life suffering in the streams. In fact, we have seen live fish return to Leslie Run.

She noted that none of the species killed are believed to be endangered or threatened.
On Anniversary of Russian Invasion, Trudeau Says 4 More Tanks Will Be Sent to Ukraine

A Polish soldier walks next to Leopard 2 tanks during a training at a military base and test range in Swietoszow, Poland, on Feb. 13, 2023. (Michal Dyjuk/AP Photo)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Feb. 24, exactly a year after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, that Canada will be sending an additional four tanks and one armored recovery vehicle to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The four Leopard 2 main battle tanks that will be sent are in addition to another four that were already given to Ukraine earlier this year, which Defence Minister Anita Anand announced in late January.

Trudeau told reporters in Toronto on Feb. 24 that members of the Canadian Armed Forces are currently training Ukrainian soldiers how to use the tanks and also said Canada will be sending an additional 5,000 rounds of 155 millimetre ammunition.

Trudeau further announced that Canada is imposing new sanctions on 122 individuals and 13 entities complicit in Russias ongoing war against Ukraine, which he said includes including Russian ministers, Russian military members, and those involved in the production of artillery and weapons used in Ukraine.

Were also banning certain chemicals used in the manufacture of electronics from being exported to Russia, he said.

Anand defended the low number of tanks Canada was sending to Ukraine when she announced its first donation of four Leopard 2s on Jan. 26.

Its not just symbolism, she said. Canadas contribution is continually being assessed in terms of the ability to get the spare parts necessary to make sure that these tanks can be maintained.

At the time, Canada had 82 Leopard 2 tanks in its inventory.

Earlier in January, Anand also announced Canada would be sending 200 armoured vehicles to Ukraine worth $90 million and also an American-made surface-to-air missile system worth around $406 million.

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly marked the one-year anniversary of Russias invasion of Ukraine by announcing on Feb. 24 that Canada will be pledging another $32 million to Ukraine for security and stabilization efforts.

The funding includes $7.5 million for demining equipment, $12 million for countering chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats, and $13 million for accountability efforts.

Andrew Chen and Noe Chartier contributed to this report.
TV-MA | 6 episodes | Drama, Thriller | Feb. 24, 2023

It turns out even the French think the French are villainous. There are certainly plenty of secret enemies and hidden turncoats in this French-and-British co-produced series, but the bad guys viewers meet right from the start are all Frenchand highly placed in the French government and military industrial complex.

It is unclear whether French mercenary Gabriel Delage (Vincent Cassel) is with them or against them. That is one of the many questions his former lover, British Home Office official Allison Rowdy (Eva Green) must answer in creator Virginie Bracs six-episode Liaison.

A series of cyber-attacks have the United Kingdom on edge, which annoys Rowdys crusty boss, Richard Banks (Peter Mullin), beyond his usual surliness. They could have been a whole lot worse, but they were all embarrassingly visible and the hack of the rail lines tragically led to the deaths of several school friends of Rowdys potential step-daughter, Kim Onwori (Bukky Bakray), which makes it personal for her.

French mercenary Gabriel Delage (Vincent Cassell) and British Home Office official Allison Rowdy (Eva Green) confront secret enemies and hidden turncoats, in Liaison. (Ringside Studios)

Mysterious Conspirators

Reportedly, two Syrian hackers, Walid (Marco Horanieh) and Samir (Aziz Dyab), uncovered detailed information on the cyber campaign launched against the British government when they cracked the Assad regimes security servers. They were already dissidents, but now they are also fugitives from the mysterious transnational (but mostly French) conspirators.

Unfortunately, they have sought asylum in France, where ambitious Didier Taraud (Stanislas Merhar) is making a dangerous play to destabilize the UK, in a way that will benefit French industry. He also intends to solidify his position as the puppet-master of the clueless French presidents government, at the expense of Sophie Saint-Roch (Irene Jacob), the director of the DGSE (Frances equivalent of the CIA).

Taraud hires Delages firm to bring in Walid and Samir, but when all three barely survive an ambush, Delage follows the fleeing Walid to London, while Samir goes underground in Turkey, with his wife.

Unfortunately, the British police and government initially suspect the Syrian hackers are Daesh/ISIS terrorists, unaware of their Druze faith. It is a real mess that Delage hopes to exploit, but he cannot help paying a visit to Rowdy, his old flame from their radical days. Their breakup was extremely messy.

In fact, it involved a mysterious scandal that still hangs over both their heads. However, Rowdy cannot believe Delage is a terrorist, so she continues abetting his escapes, even though he repeatedly jeopardizes British national security and her own standing (both legally and professionally).

Couple Not Credible

The illogic of their working relationship is what really holds Liaison back from being a top-tier thriller. There is a lot of smartly executed French political in-fighting, which spills over to the European Union, where Tarauds mistress, Sabine Lousseu, works as a high-ranking cyber-security bureaucrat.

High-ranking cyber-security bureaucrat (Sabine Lousseau) gets the EU involved, in Liaison. (Ringside Studios)

Cranky Richard Banks is also highly entertaining, in a cynical Yes, Minister kind of way. However, it is hard to believe Rowdy would keep compromising herself and her country by entrusting the Syrian hackers and their intelligence to Delage.

In fact, Eva Greens portrayal of Rowdy is weirdly passive and sentimental. She plays the tough national security expert like a character in a Harlequin novel. However, Vincent Cassel is believably hardnosed and flinty as Delage. Frankly, they just dont look like a credible couple.

Fortunately, the supporting players help elevate Liaison, starting with the great Peter Mullan, who is as quotable as Banks as Dame Maggie Smith was in Downton Abbey. It probably would not be particularly pleasant to work with Banks, but Mullan makes him great fun to watch.

Likewise, Irene Jacob and Stanislas Merhar are terrific scheming against each other as the French rivals, Saint-Roch and the crooked Taraud. Gerard Lanvin also adds some grizzled tough guy charm as Delages boss, Dumas. Laetitia Eidos deepens and humanizes Lousseau nicely, while Patrick Malahide adds some further curmudgeonly attitude as Rowdys father, Maj. Gen. Jack Rowdy, but nobody out-grouches Mullan.

Sophie Saint-Roch (Irene Jacob) and Didier Taraud (Stanislas Merhar) are French rivals, in Liaison. (Ringside Studios)

All six episodes barrel along at warp speed, thanks to director Stephen Hopkins, who also helmed half the episodes of the first season of 24. His tense pacing helps viewers ignore their reservations regarding the dubious Rowdy-Delage relationship. As a result, the show somehow works, even when we are not fully buying it.

The high stakes and the consistently over-achieving supporting cast contribute a lot to compensate. Just watching Mullans Banks gruffly chew the scenery is probably worth the time commitment. It is flawed, but Liaison still pulls in fans of beat-the-clock thrillers on a gut-level when it starts streaming Feb. 24 on Apple TV+.

Fast-paced thriller Liaison stars Vincent Cassel and Eva Green. (Ringside Studios)

Liaison

Director: Stephen Hopkins

Starring: Vincent Cassel, Eva Green, Peter Mullin, Gerard Lanvin

MPAA Rating: TV-MA

Running Time: 6 episodes

Release Date: Feb. 24, 2023

Rated: 3.5 stars out of 5
The quoll is a cat-sized marsupial found in Australia and New Guinea. But don't let its adorable size deceive you: this critter loves to fuck. Or at least, the males do. In fact, male quolls are so fucking horny that it's literally killing them, according to one recent study published in the scientific journal Royal Society Open Science. From the abstract:

Male northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus) are the largest known mammal to experience a post-breeding die-off; however, the cause of their death is unknown, dissimilar from causes in other semelparous dasyurids. [] Northern quolls were captured on Groote Eylandt off the coast of the Northern Territory, Australia, and were fitted with accelerometers. A machine learning algorithm (Self-organizing Map) was trained on more than 76 h of recorded footage of quoll behaviours and used to predict behaviours in 42 days of data from wild roaming quolls (7M : 6F). Male northern quolls were more active (male 1.27 g, s.d. = 0.41; female 1.18 g, s.d. = 0.36), spent more time walking (13.09% male: 8.93% female) and engaged in less lying/resting behaviour than female northern quolls (7.67% male: 23.65% female). Reduced resting behaviour among males could explain the post-breeding death as the deterioration in appearance reflects that reported for sleep-deprived rodents.

In other words: male northern quolls are traveling so far for sex that they're barely even sleeping, turning these somnambulant sex beasts into necrophilic nesters. Which is also why they look kinda sleazy. They are literally so hyperfocused on fucking that they aren't taking care of themselves  which in turn makes it even harder for them to get laid. Apparently the ladies don't like them showing up sleep-deprived at 3am, banging down the door for a quickie.

NBC News broke this down pretty well:

One male quoll, which researchers named Moimoi, walked 6.5 miles in one night in search of a mate  a distance equivalent to an average-size human walking up to 24 miles [on two hours of sleep], researchers said. Joshua Gaschk, who led the study, said in a statement: "Sleep deprivation, and associated symptoms for a prolonged duration would make recuperation impossible and could explain the causes of death recorded in the males after breeding season. "They become easy prey, are unable to avoid vehicle collisions, or simply die from exhaustion." [] The health risks of sleep deprivation in rodents is well documented, and the quolls the researchers studied were found to lose weight, become aggressive and display reckless behavior. To make finding a partner even more troublesome, male quolls' appearance suffers and they attract an increased number of parasites due to a lack of grooming, the study found.

I don't know who needs to hear this but if you're literally killing yourself to get laid  it's not worth it, dude.

Resting disparity in quoll semelparity: examining the sex-linked behaviours of wild roaming northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus) during breeding season [Joshua L. Gaschk , Kaylah Del Simone , Robbie S. Wilson and Christofer J. Clemente / Royal Society Open Science]

Furious marsupial so thirsty for sex that it's dying, scientists warn [Maggie Harrison / Futurism]

'Live fast, die young': An endangered marsupial may be mating itself to death [Patrick Smith / NBC News]
Orange County Man Faces 140 Years in Prison for 1990s Rapes

SANTA ANA, Calif.A 57-year-old man was convicted Feb. 23 of raping a 9-year-old girl and a woman who was jogging in south Orange County in the 1990s, and sexually assaulting the 12-year-old daughter of his live-in girlfriend.

Kevin Michael Konther, who is scheduled to be sentenced March 21, faces 140 years to life in prison. Jurors deliberated for about four hours before reaching verdicts.

Konther was convicted of two counts each of rape and forcible oral copulation of a victim and single counts each of forcible lewd act on a child and lewd or lascivious acts on a minor, all felonies. Jurors also found true sentencing enhancements for multiple victims and for kidnapping.

First Attack

It was dark. She was alone and she was almost home, Deputy District Attorney Juliet Oliver said of the 9-year-old girl as she returned from a walk to Sav-On, where she bought a notepad and mechanical pencils, on Oct. 21, 1995.

The girl was grabbed at about 6:40 p.m. after she had convinced her mother to let her go to the drug store to buy a magazine, Oliver said. She was dragged into a wooded area in Serrano Creek Park in Lake Forest.

Dont say anything or Ill stab you, the attacker told the girl, according to Oliver in her opening statement of the trial.

Her attacker put his hand on her mouth and forced her into an embankment, Oliver said. Even though she said she was 9 years old, he continued attacking her, the prosecutor said.

He forced the girl to take off her clothes and raped her, Oliver said. He demanded she tell him her address and warned her if she told anyone he would hurt her, Oliver continued.

After she was raped the girl ran home nude, covering herself with the notepad and pencils, Oliver said. She told her mother what happened and authorities were called but sheriffs deputies could not find a suspect, the attorney said.

Investigators collected evidence from a forensic medical exam and created a composite sketch of the suspect from the girls description.

Second Attack

On June 2, 1998, a 31-year-old woman was jogging in Mission Viejo on a trail near El Toro Road and Marguerite Parkway when she saw a man running parallel to her, Oliver said.

She saw the male come down and almost cut her off, Oliver said. The man sprinted ahead of her and she didnt see him again until about a mile later, when he emerged from some bushes, jogging behind her.

He came out of the bushes and started yelling at her, Oliver said, adding that the attacker dragged the victim down into an embankment and raped her.

The victim thought that was going to be the end of her life, so even as he pressed his hands around her neck, she attempted to talk to him to calm him, Oliver said.

When the man finished attacking her, he ran off, leaving her clothes in a pile, Oliver said.

The woman could not find one of her shoes and decided to leave it so that it would provide investigators a precise location of the crime scene when they found it, Oliver said. The victim ran to a road and flagged down help.

The Orange County Crime Lab had worked up a DNA profile of the 9-year-old victims attacker and when investigators compared evidence in that case they found a match in the womans suspect, Oliver said. But they still had no name of a suspect.

Cold Case Reopened

In 2018, the cold case was reopened, and Sgt. Jason Perez of the Orange County Sheriffs Department took the DNA evidence and uploaded it to a genealogical website, where he found some cousins related to the suspect, according to court records. From there, Perez and FBI investigators narrowed down suspects to Konther and his identical twin, Stephen, according to court records.

Perez collected trash from the twins that were also tested for DNA matches.

Perez also investigated a dispute between Konther and the daughter of his live-in girlfriend in 2003. The daughter, who was 18 or 19 at the time, said she was accosted in 1999, Oliver said, adding that Konther, his girlfriend, and the girl lived together in Huntington Beach and Highland.

The defendant would walk into her room naked and stand uncomfortably close to her, Oliver said. She would pretend to be asleep.  On many of these occasions, he would pull down her clothes and stare at her.

As investigators were trying to determine which brother had assaulted the victims they arrested both and put them together in the same vehicles where their conversations were recorded, Oliver said. There is also audio of the two talking while awaiting to be jailed in Huntington Beach, she added.

There is no shock, there is no sorrow from Kevin Konther, Oliver said, but his brother was outraged and very upset about police arresting him and kicking in his door.

Kevin Konther knew exactly why he was arrested, Oliver said. You will hear him describe how he knows because it was DNA  he just hopes its not related to the 9-year-old girl.

Defense attorney Jessica Ann Sweeny of the Orange County Public Defenders Office said, Kevin didnt do it. Hes not guilty.

She added, Im confident what you will not hear from in this case is from Stephen.

When investigators questioned Kevin Konther about the DNA match, He was actually cooperative and gave a DNA sample, Sweeny said.

He did so in the belief it would exonerate him, Sweeny said.

The defense attorney said a disgruntled ex-girlfriend was the source of allegations about the third victim.

When the twins were growing up, Stephen was treated better and Kevin was the black sheep, Sweeny said.

Stephen Konther went on to a career in a hospital and Kevin was a garage door repairman, she said.

Kevin was not the one who committed these crimesStephen did, she said.
Ottawa Increases Funding to Ukraine With $32 Million Pledge

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly speaks to the media at the Hamilton Convention Centre in Hamilton, Ont., on Jan. 23, 2023. (The Canadian Press/Nick Iwanyshyn)

Exactly one year after Russias invasion of Ukraine began, the federal government is increasing its funding to the war-torn country with a pledge of $32 million for demining and accountability efforts, and also for countering nuclear threats.

The new funding brings the amount of Canadas total contributions to Ukraine since February 2022 up to $5 billion, which Ottawa says includes financial loans, military aid, humanitarian aid, development assistance, and security and stabilization efforts.

Global Affairs Canada (GAC) says the $32 million is meant to strengthen Ukraines security and stabilization efforts in the face of Russias ongoing aggressions.

Of the total amount, $7.5 million will go toward supplying Ukraine with technology to clear landmines from agricultural lands and other large open areas, which includes through use of remote-controlled demining vehicles.

Up to $1.8 million will go toward a project aimed at investigating disappearances of large numbers of people, and up to $3.4 million will be for a project meant to strengthen accountability for violations of womens rights and address conflict-related sexual violence.

Both these amounts are part of a total of $13 million that will be put toward accountability efforts.

GAC adds that a total of $12 million will go toward countering chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.

Canadas support for Ukraines sovereignty is unwavering. We will not stand down until Russia is held accountable for its crimes, said Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly in a Feb. 24 news release.

Close to $10 million of the new $32 million is part of a larger announcement that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made in June 2022 for supporting additional demining and accountability projects in Ukraine.

As Long as it Takes

At press conference in Halifax on Feb. 23, Trudeau was asked by a reporter if the government is willing to sustain its high-level of funding support for Ukraine over another several years if the war continues for that long.

Canada will continue to do whatever is necessary to ensure that Russia does not benefit from having illegally invaded Ukraine, Trudeau responded. We will stand with the people of Ukraine as long as it takes.

He went on to say the consequences that could ensue if Canada and other nations did not support Ukraine could be devastating and long-reaching for the entire planet.

Thats why Canada and our allies will continue to stand with the people of Ukraine as long as it takes, Trudeau said.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland previously said a Ukraine victory would result in a huge boost to the global economy, and Defence Minister Anita Anand said on Jan. 18 that Canadas military aid for Ukraine will continue.

There is a price to helping Ukraine which includes the weapons and the vehicles, Anand said. The cost of doing nothing is far greater. What happens here in Ukraine will determine the kind of world in which our children grow up.

Noe Chartier and Andrew Chen contributed to this report.
Police Search for Gunmen Who Shot 6 Children, 1 Woman at Philadelphia Schoolyard

Surveillance photos released by Philadelphia police of a shooting outside an elementary school on the evening of Feb. 23, 2023. (Courtesy of Philadelphia Police Department)

Police in Philadelphia are searching for three gunmen who opened fire on seven people, including six children, in a schoolyard on Thursday.

The Philadelphia Police Department said in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times that the shooting happened just before 6 p.m. near the intersection of 31st and Norris streets, in close proximity to the James G. Blaine School.

Three gunmen pulled up at the intersection in a gray, four-door Hyundai Elantraestimated to be a model year 2011 to 2016with a Pennsylvania license plate, and opened fire on a 2-year-old girl, her 31-year-old mother, two 16-year-old boys, a 15-year-old boy, a 13-year-old boy, and a 17-year-old boy, police said.

According to police, the 2-year-old girl was shot once in the left thigh and her mother was shot twice in the left thigh. One of the 16-year-old boys was shot once in the left arm and the other was shot in the right arm and left thigh. The 15-year-old boy sustained two gunshot wounds to his chest and right thigh body while the 13-year-old boy was shot in the left hand, and the 17-year-old boy was grazed in the left thigh.

All seven victims were taken to the hospital and are in stable condition, according to police.

No one has been arrested as of yet and police are still investigating the shooting. It is not immediately clear what led to the shooting or if the gunmen knew the victims.

They are searching for three black men in connection with the incident.

All three of the shooters were captured on security cameras wearing black clothing, police said. One suspect was wearing a black New Balance brand sweater and black face mask at the time of the shooting. Another was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with dark pants, and black Under Armour brand sneakers while the third was also dressed in a black hooded sweatshirt

Unrelenting Scourge of Gun Violence

This has been a fairly quiet portion of the 22nd District for quite some time now, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said at a press conference after the shooting on Thursday. At this point, were piecing everything together to figure out if this is retaliatory, if some of those victims were intended or not, but its still really early to tell or figure out why this happened when it did today.

In a separate statement, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Jerry Jordan said he was enraged that the unrelenting scourge of gun violence is our ever-persistent reality.

Our schools must be safe. Our schoolyards must be safe. Our childrens walks to and from school must be safe. Our communities must be safe. While we must do everything in our collective power to ensure that our schools and communities at large are safe, we cannot do this without real, systemic change to our commonwealths gun laws, Jordan said.

To date, there have been 64 homicides in Philadelphia this year according to the Office of the City Controller, marking a 16 percent decrease from 2022.

Mayor Jim Kenney called the shooting heartbreaking.

Schools and other public spaces must remain safe havens for youth and the community. Its heartbreaking and infuriating to learn of another shooting occurring on or near school grounds. Im praying for the victims involved, Kenney wrote on Twitter.

Thursdays shooting occurred just two blocks away from where Temple University Police Officer Christopher Fitzgerald was fatally shot on Feb. 18.
Previously Undisclosed COVID Vaccine Agreements Between Pfizer and Israel Released

Previously undisclosed agreements regarding the sale of COVID-19 vaccines between Pfizer and the Israeli Ministry of Health were revealed to the public for the first time on Feb. 20.

The documents include the Confidential Disclosure Agreement that was signed on July 12, 2020; the Binding Term Sheet signed on Nov. 13, 2020; the Manufacturing and Supply (M&S) agreement signed on Dec. 1, 2020; three amendments to the M&S agreement dated February and April 2021, and a Supplementary agreement signed on March 11, 2021.

The documents were obtained and released by Gal Gur, an Israeli lawyer, on Twitter.

Significant parts of the documents are redacted and some sections are completely redacted such as Indemnification and Insurance and Liability, Quality and Checks, and Attachments C, D, and E that have to do with Delivery Documentation, Specifications and Labelling, and Packaging Specifications in the M&S agreement.

Until the publication of these documents, the only document the Israeli Ministry of Health (MOH) had released to the public from its agreement with Pfizer to purchase COVID-19 vaccines was The Real-World Epidemiological Evidence Collaboration Agreement that was dated Jan. 6, 2021.

An unsigned copy of the Evidence Collaboration Agreement was initially published after a nonprofit expressed concerns to Israeli officials over privacy protection, since the agreement gave Pfizer the ability to access personal information on Israeli citizens.

Significant parts of this agreement were redacted as well, including dates and page numbers.

A Freedom of Information application filed in April 2022 sought to clarify the degree of authenticity and validity of the PfizerMOH Evidence Collaboration Agreement. That request was filed by Joseph Zernik, CEO of Human Rights Alert, a nongovernment organization that works to increase transparency in government authorities.

Zernik took the MOH to court in September 2022 after it didnt provide the requested information.

In a later court hearing on Feb. 16, Zernik learned that another lawyer, David Pikz, had already obtained the other agreements but they had not been made public. Pikz obtained the documents in January 2022 after taking the MOH to court. The documents Pikz obtained were also heavily redacted.

Legitimacy of Redactions

The MOH argued to the court in Zerniks case that the decisions around the legitimacy of the redactions had already been decided by the court in Pikzs case.

According to the MOHs response to Zerniks appeal dated October 2022, the MOH argued that they had presented the court with explanations for the redactions in the Evidence Collaboration Agreement during Pikzs appeal. They argued that the court had been of the opinion that the redactions in this agreement are justified.

Pikz explained in court in February 2022 that he asked for the unredacted agreements both as a personal matter and as a public matter, according to the summary document reviewed by The Epoch Times. Pikz said it was important information for the public because COVID-19 policies had pushed widespread vaccination in the public.

I want to make sure that the policy that the Ministry of Health adopts, is not based on personal considerations but on public considerations, Pikz said in court. I want to know who signed it so that there is not a conflict of interest.

Pikz had also obtained the Evidence Collaboration Agreement in a slightly less redacted form and the additional agreements signed by the MOH representatives with significant parts redacted. After receiving the documents he agreed for the appeal to be dismissed.

During the February hearing in Zerniks case, the MOH tried to claim in court that there is no need to further discuss the redactions since it was examined during Pikzs appeal. The MOHs lawyer Achva Berman argued that even though there was no ruling made in Pikzs appeal, the same balance of interests versus public interest had already been examined.

Yet the judge, Yoram Noam, said that no judgment had been made on the matter of the redactions, according to the summary of the hearing.

Its not the case that the court discussed this issue and decided that it was convinced that a proper balance was achieved, said Gur to The Epoch Times about Pikzs case.

Meaning, one private person appealed in court for the documents and the removal of the redactions, she said. The MOH argued that this one appealwhich no one had heard abouthad basically exhausted the public interest for anyone to reexamine the redactions.

Gur reached out to Pikz for the documents he had obtained. She said that Pikz told her that after he reached a dead end with the MOH during his appeal that he had agreed to its dismissal in case a ruling against him would limit future appeals.

So the MOHs claim in court that there was no need to examine the redactions again was not true, said Gur.

Pikz confirmed to the Epoch Times that he provided the documents to Gur but declined further comment.

Gur wondered why the MOH didnt provide the same documents to Zernik in 2022 when he took them to court, given the agency had already provided them to Pikz earlier that year.

Gur also said that if one would search the MOH website for Pfizer agreements with the MOH, one would only find the redacted Evidence Collaboration Agreement the MOH published in January 2021. The less redacted copy provided to Pikz and later Zernik is not available. Neither are the additional agreements that had been released to Pikz.

So, it was provided to the public, and the MOH argued in court that the public interest was examined in court, and yet the public does not know about the documents, said Gur.

The MOH did not respond to a request for comment.

Serious Failure

Gur also said that during Pikzs appeal, Judge Dana Cohen-Lekach had asked Pfizers stance on removing the redactions.

Pfizers lawyer in Israel, Ron Peleg, wrote to the court that the MOH was familiar with Pfizers considerations objecting to providing the requested information. The MOH had reflected Pfizers objections during Pikzs appeal and the MOH had the means to do so in the future as well, said Peleg in the letter to the court dated Dec. 20, 2021. The letter was reviewed by The Epoch Times.

Peleg also said in section 10.1 of the M&S agreement between Pfizer and the MOH, the MOH had committed to make reasonable efforts to protect the confidential information in the agreements that were signed. He said Pfizer does not expect the MOH to represent it in every legal procedure related to the agreement, but in this case, the companys expectation is much more modest.

The letter said that the MOH is required to maintain the confidentiality of the information included in the agreements between the partieswhether the confidentiality of the information stems from the interests of the Ministry of Health or from the interests of Pfizer.

This is something that stunned me, said Gur, adding that this regulator is supposed to supervise Pfizer and represent the publics interest. However, they are fighting against the publics interest in court in order to protect Pfizers interest.

This is a serious failure, she said.

Gur has been following the ongoing cases about the Pfizer agreements for more than a year. After she obtained the documents from Pikz, she released them on Twitter before even reviewing them.

This information was hidden from the public yet belongs to the public, she said. So, first of all, I needed to put it in the public domain.

Gur was also concerned something might happen to the documents. And the wisdom of the masses can contribute a lot here, she said.
Questions for the Washington Uniparty on Ukraine, One Year Later

Commentary

President Joe Bidens surprise visit to Ukrainian premier Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv earlier this week was an unmistakable sign of solidarity with Ukraine on the one-year anniversary of Russian kingpin Vladimir Putins reckless, unjust invasion. To the extent Bidens aim was to send such a symbolic message to Moscow and its allies, he succeeded.

Unfortunately, Bidens trip, especially seen in concert with recent similar actions such as Zelenskys December speech before a joint session of Congress and even Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnells (R-Ky.) sartorial choice to wear a Ukrainian flag-colored necktie to Bidens State of the Union address earlier this month, raises a number of discomfiting questions about the Washington, D.C. unipartys seemingly interminable commitment to prolonging this Eastern European quagmire. On the one-year anniversary of the culmination of Europes first extended land war since World War II, here are some pressing questions for establishment politicians from both major political parties.

No. 1: What is the meaning of as long as it takes? In Kyiv, Biden reiterated that the United States will remain with Ukraine as long as it takes. This presumably entails both a moral and, more relevant, fiscal commitmentindeed, Biden promised a new tranche of military aid to Ukraine, on top of the $113 billion in aid U.S. taxpayers dispensed with in 2022, and on top of recently announced top-tier materiel such as Patriot missile defense systems. But items such as Patriot missile defense systems and M142 HIMARS rocket launchers dont grow on trees; resources are necessarily scarce, and each additional item we ship off into a proxy war against a nuclear-armed hegemon necessarily depletes our own military arsenal. Furthermore, America is massively indebted with soaring annual budget deficits. And Chinese leader Xi Jinping surely grins as America strips bare our military and ships off the parts to Europe, not Asia. So how long is as long as it takesand, related, do we simply not care at all about the costs?

No. 2: Is the U.S. national interest in the conflict synonymous with Ukraines national interest? The bipartisan foreign policy establishments absolutist stand with Ukraineat seemingly all costs, as long as it takes, and so forthimplicitly conflates the national interests of the United States and Ukraine. After all, if the United States is that existentially committed to Ukrainian victorywhatever precisely that entails, and however Zelensky defines itthen it follows that our national interest in the conflict is precisely coterminous with Ukraines own national interest. But although there is strong overlap, this is simply not the case; the national interests are not coterminous. Ukraines national interest is indeed the maximalist stance Zelensky espousesnamely, refusal to countenance yielding even a square foot of territory in the Donbas (or Crimea). The U.S. national interest, by contrast, is definitely served by Zelenskys remaining in power in Kyiv and not being toppled for an Alexander Lukashenko-style Moscow puppet; crucially, however, there is exceedingly little (if any) U.S. interest in where the exact national boundary lines are drawn in eastern Ukraine, where the population is often closely divided between ethnic Ukrainians and ethnic Russians. The crude post-Soviet dissolution boundaries in this part of the world are not akin to Moses descending Mount Sinai with the Word of God.

No. 3: Is the United States fearful of all-out war with Russia? Russia is the country with the single most confirmed nuclear weapons in the entire world: 6,255, as of 2021. (The United States was second, with 5,550 at that time.) As Zelensky sometimes flirts with openly calling for World War III, and continually endeavors to drag NATOand thus, the United Statesfurther into the conflict, does the prospect of cataclysmic nuclear war with Russia not cross the minds of the Washington uniparty and bipartisan foreign policy blob? That fear, if anything, should be exacerbated by Putins de facto withdrawal of Russia, over the past week, from the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START). Putin (loathsomely) speculates fairly openly about deploying nuclear weaponsall while the United States, as well as European nations such as Germany and Poland, ship off increasingly sophisticated materiel. Is no one here interested in de-escalation and avoiding what Biden not-so-reassuringly referred to last October as nuclear Armageddon?

No. 4: Has the United States learned anything about endless wars? The American public is naturally war-weary after decades of failed regime change wars and moralistic nation-building crusade boondoggles. There is simply no political appetite right now for a dramatically prolonged military engagementespecially one in Europe, while our actual top geopolitical threat, China, flies spy balloons over our continent unimpeded and tests nuclear-capable hypersonic missiles around the world. The Washington unipartys desire for escalation in Eastern Europe may aid rapacious Beltway defense contractors, but it is manifestly contrary to the expressed interests of the American people, who would rather our elected officials focus instead on our own porous southern border with Mexico. In every way, the Biden administrations current approach is America Last, not America First.

No. 5: What is the United States long-term plan to deal with Russia? It is unclear at best whether anyone in a foreign policy decision-making capacity has given a second of thought to what U.S.-Russian relations might possibly look like when this war is finally over. At this rate, and absent a course correction toward de-escalation and direct mediated negotiation between the warring parties, Moscow will loathe America and Europe after the conflict even more than they did prior to the conflicts onset. But given that China, and not Russia, is this centurys dominant threat to America, a shrewder and more forward-looking approach to the conflict would at least lay the groundwork for possibly peeling Russia away from China and slightly closer to the Western sphere of influence after the war is over. Unfortunately, there is thus far no reason to believe this has a chance.

Political leaders of both parties should be asked these important questions. The stakes, as Bidens Armageddon slip of the tongue inadvertently revealed, could not possibly be higher.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Rancher Accused of Shooting Mexican National at His Border Property Released From Jail

Released on surety bond, next hearing date set for Friday

George Alan Kelly enters court for his preliminary hearing in Nogales Justice Court in Nogales, Ariz., on Feb. 22, 2023. (Mark Henle/The Arizona Republic via AP, Pool)

An elderly Arizona rancher who is accused of killing a Mexican national at his border property has been released from Santa Cruz County Jail on a $1 million bond, which has been converted from a cash bond to a surety bond.

Santa Cruz County Sheriffs Office Chief Deputy Gerardo Castillo confirmed to Fox News that George Alan Kelly, 73, posted bond on Wednesday. Justice of the Peace Emilio Velasquez upheld the bond and agreed to convert it from a cash bond to a surety bond, allowing Kelly to use his ranch property as collateral.

Velasquez set the next hearing date for Friday. Kellys defense had wanted 30 to 60 days of delay in the proceedings to allow them time to talk to experts and gather forensic and ballistic evidence they allege the authorities neglected, according to Fox News.

Kelly, in the court documents he signed on Wednesday, must meet a number of conditions to remain out of custody, including not possessing firearms, drink alcohol, change his address without providing notice, or leave the state without written permission, reported Nogales International.

Rancher George Alan Kelly in an undated photo provided by the Santa Cruz County Sheriffs Office in Nogales, Ariz. (Santa Cruz County Sheriffs Office via AP)

Kelly was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in January, in relation to the death of a Mexican national identified as Gabriel Cuen-Butimea, 48, whose body was found on Kellys cattle ranch near the U.S.-Mexico border, outside of Nogales, a city in Santa Cruz County, Arizona. The fatal shooting is alleged to have occurred on Jan. 30.

The Santa Cruz County Sheriffs Office on Tuesday filed an amended complaint against Kelly, listing two counts of aggravated assault against a pair of other people. The updated complaint used only initials for the two other people suspected of having been assaulted and did not list their nationalities.

Cuen-Butimea, who lived just south of the border in a city in Mexico similarly named Nogales, had prior to his death entered the United States multiple times illegally and was deported repeatedly, according to reports.

Brenna Larkin, Kellys attorney, has said Kelly did not aim to shoot at and kill Cuen-Butimea, but that Kelly acknowledged that he had fired warning shots at smugglers who were carrying AK-47 rifles and backpacks that he had encountered on his property.

He does not believe that any of his warning shots could have possibly hit the person or caused the death, Larkin said in a court filing earlier this month. All the shooting that Mr. Kelly did on the date of the incident was in self-defense and justified.

Kelly a Target of Politicized Prosecution: Defense

In the states motion opposing Kellys modified terms of release, prosecutors contend that Kelly shot at least eight rounds with an AK-47 at a group of men on his property.

His action came without warning and unprovoked, while they fled for their lives, unarmed and unable to defend themselves.

He just started shooting at them, according to the motion.

Larkin said prosecutors filed charges without the bullet that allegedly killed Cuen-Butimea. There was also no forensic or DNA evidence, autopsy results, or any other elements that factor into a routine police investigation before finding charges of premeditated first-degree murder.

Those are all facts that an investigation should determine. Those facts should be determined prior to charges being filed, Larkin argued.

Larkin said the prosecution did not appear to have vetted witnesses or analyzed their statements.

There is a large incentive structure, for witnesses to come forward in hopes of receiving immigration benefits, she said. Or, they succumb to pressure from traffickers in blaming this event on Mr. Kelly.

GiveSendGo, a Christian crowdfunding platform, is raising funds for Kellys bond and defense.

George and Wanda Kelly are so grateful for all your support and donations, reads a statement on the fundraising page, referring to Kelly and his wife.

When we come together and stand up for what is right we MAKE a difference! They still have a long road ahead of them. Please continue to support George. God Bless.

Earlier in February, GoFundMe removed all campaigns in support of Kellys case. A spokesperson for the platform told NTD in an emailed statement that the companys terms of service explicitly prohibit campaigns that raise money to cover the legal defense of anyone formally charged with an alleged violent crime.

Testimony is bought and sold by drug traffickers, and people are bought and sold, Larkin said.

It is sending a message to anybody else who may be defending their property that if you defend your property against that, you will be arrested, and there will be witnesses to stand against you.

Allan Stein and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Religious Freedom Group Responds to Cruzs Comments on Jesus Painting

A religious freedom group issued a response to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) over his criticism of the United States Merchant Marine Academys choice to cover a painting of Jesus at its New York location.

The academy placed a curtain of the 10-by-19-foot Christ on the Water painting in response to a complaint it received in January from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. The foundations complaint represented 17 Merchant Marine Academy midshipmen, faculty, and graduates.

Cruz opposed the move and dispatched a letter dated Feb. 22 to Merchant Marine Academy Superintendent Joanna Nunen.

The email alleged the Academys display of Christ on the Water violates the salient time, place, and manner requirements of American Constitutional law and demanded that you remove it, wrote Cruz.

This allegations ignorance of U.S. Constitutional law is surpassed only by the swiftness with which you capitulated to Mr. Weinsteins demand, apparently within three hours of receiving the complaint, Cruz added, referring to the author of the foundations letter.

Foundations complaint focused on the paintings location, which it said violated the establishment of religion clause of the First Amendment.

Later in the month, the academy said it would remove the curtain but cease conducting official business in the room. The academy also stated that its long-range plan is to engage a vendor to clean and restore the painting and eventually display it at the Academys Chapel.

The author of the foundations complaint letter, Mikey Weinstein, told The Epoch Times that the organizations focus is solelt on the time and place and manner in which members of the military believe they have the right to deploy religious or non-religious faith.

Weinstein, an honors graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and former legal counsel in the Reagan administration, also addressed criticism that his organization holds a particular animus toward Christianity.

Of those active duty, veteran, and civilian military personnel the MRFF has represented, about 95 percent are practicing Christians, said Weinstein. And one of our biggest supporters is California Church IMPACT, which includes more than 5,500 Protestant congregations in California.

Weinstein added, As for Ted Cruz, I suggest he book another ticket to Mexico and take a copy of the Constitution and read it dispassionately and with rationality and reason.

Painted by U.S. Marine Lt. Hunter Wood, the 10-foot by 19-foot Christ on the Water shows Jesus with his hands extended toward a boat of merchant marines in a lifeboat foundering among the waves.

Since 1947, the painting has hung on the same wall in what is now called the Astronaut Elliot M. See Room, a space on the USMMA campus where, until the recent debate, the Academy held events, including disciplinary hearings.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Introduces Resolution to Audit US Aid to Ukraine

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) participates in a meeting of the House Oversight and Reform Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington on Jan. 31, 2023. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) introduced a resolution to audit all U.S. aid to Ukraine on Friday, the one-year anniversary of Russias invasion of the smaller country.

This is something I introduced in the previous Congress, Greene told Tucker Carlson on Fox News on Thursday, speaking about the resolution. Every single Republican, including Mike McCaul, voted in favor for it.

McCaul, the representative from Texas 10th Congressional District, is the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Greene explained that the resolution would force Congress to give the American people an audit. And that is exactly what the American people need, an audit of Ukraine. Because we have no idea where all this moneys going.

Greene accused the Biden administration of putting Ukraines needs ahead of the people of East Palestine, Ohio, who are still dealing with the aftermath of the toxic train derailment on Feb. 3.

We know its paying for pensions for Ukrainian leaders and people in their government while people in East Palestine are suffering from basically a nuclear bomb that exploded in their city, she said. We know that our American dollars are paying for aid  in Ukraine, but we dont know where thats going.

Billions in Aid

In April, just over two months after Russias invasion of Ukraine, Biden said that U.S. assistance to Ukraine would help fund the pensions of Ukrainians in addition to funding other needs, such as food, water, medicines, and shelter.

The United States has given $32 billion in military aid to Ukraine since the beginning of the war, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, including an additional $2 billion announced on Friday the Pentagon.

Greene, along with 10 other Republicans, has signed onto a Ukraine Fatigue Resolution, introduced this month, that would end all U.S. assistance to Ukraine.

During a CNN town hall event on Thursday, Samantha Power, administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development, said that U.S. assistance to Ukraine has not been abused.

We dont provide resources unless we see the receipt for the expenditure. And up to this point, we dont have any evidence that U.S. assistance is being misused or misspent, she said.

But again, the key is not resting on anybodys goodwill or virtue, continued Power. Its checks and balances, the rule of law, the integrity of officials, and when something is spotted, because therere going to be issues, that that gets smothered, that the people get fired, that they get prosecuted.
Rep. Mike Gallagher Calls on Treasury Department to Crack Down on Firms Linked to CCP Espionage

Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), chairman of the House Select China Committee, has called on the U.S. Treasury Department to take a much more active role in the thwarting of Chinese firms involved with the espionage sector responsible for the deployment of the spy balloon shot down off the coast of South Carolina in early February. Gallagher also demanded tough and resolute action against American firms complicit in the financing and supplying of Chinese espionage.

In a highly detailed, four-page Feb. 20 letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, a copy of which has been obtained by The Epoch Times, Gallagher urged Yellens department to take decisive action against PRC [Peoples Republic of China] companies involved in the PRC spy balloon program and to ensure U.S. entities are not aiding and abetting this program.

Gallagher went on to note that earlier in February, the U.S. Commerce Department added the names of six Chinese Communist Party (CCP) companies to its Entities List, thereby barring unlicensed exports from the United States to those companies, because the latter had lent support to the program to develop and deploy the spy balloon. The lawmaker cited news reports in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal establishing links between Chinese firms and the balloon program, and noted that the manufacturer of the balloon even enjoys the status of a Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) approved vendor.

But the addition of six names to the Entities List is insufficient to cut off the flow of support for Chinese espionage, Gallagher contended, because it does not specifically proscribe financial support for the CCP firms linked to espionage.

An effective strategy for ending complicity in CCP spying demands a more holistic approach, Gallagher believes.

With the American homeland under the threat of surveillance from the PRC balloon program, it is vital to cut off U.S. technological and financial support to PRC companies that aid and abet its balloon surveillance program, especially given the history of U.S. technology aiding advanced PLA weapons systems, the letter continued.

As an example of the failure of current policy, Gallagher noted that within the last few years, the Commerce Department has doled out export licenses worth more than $100 billion to two firms, Huawei and SMIC, that Gallagher called PRC national champion tech companies.

Expanding Blockage

To block support for Beijings military and spy initiatives, Gallagher urged the Treasury Department to add CCP firms involved with the balloon program to the Non-SDN Chinese Military Industrial Complex (NS-CMIC) List. He described the purpose of this list as penalizing U.S.-based individuals who aid companies that operate in the defense sector, defense materials, or the surveillance sector of the CCPs economy, or are under the control or ownership of companies that do so. Gallagher said the evidence is strong that the names recently added to the Entities List also belong on the NS-CMIC List.

Gallagher went on to fault the Treasury Department for the narrowness of its NS-CMIC List, which he views as omitting firms that the Defense Department (DoD) considers to be bad actors. As an example, Gallagher noted that China National Chemical Corporation (ChemChina) is on the DoDs NS-CMIC List but not the Treasury Departments. A ChemChina subsidiary, Gallagher pointed out, holds a dominant position in the market for Chinese high-altitude balloons, producing no fewer than 75 percent of those of which the China Meteorological Association makes use.

We have not yet discovered whether ChemChina has contributed to the PRCs surveillance balloon program. However, ChemChina is precisely the sort of company that the U.S. government should have sanctioned long ago and should do so now, Gallagher wrote.

Besides those firms that appear on the DoDs 1260H list, Gallagher continued, there exist likely hundreds or thousands of other CCP companies that qualify for addition to the NS-CMIC List but are not currently on it.

Treasury should diligently adhere to and implement Executive Order 13959, which established the NS-CMIC List, and add all companies that meet the definitions therein, Gallagher added.

Closing the Gap

Gallagher made a further request in his letter to Yellen, calling on the Biden administration to order that all entities on the NS-CMIC List also go onto the Specially Designated Entity (SDN) List and be subject to full sanctions, to deny them access to U.S. technology and financial markets. Prohibiting U.S. citizens from buying or trading publicly held securities in such entities under Executive Order 13959 does not go far enough, Gallagher argued, because many of the companies in question are privately held and do not issue securities for trading in the first place.

SDN-Listed companies assets are blocked, and U.S. persons are prohibited from transacting with them, effectively cutting them off from the U.S.-led global financial system. Only by placing the PRC companies involved in the balloon program on the SDN list can the Biden administration send a strong message to those entities and ensure U.S. persons and technology do not aid the surveillance program, Gallagher wrote.

If an entity is too dangerous to U.S. national security for U.S. persons to trade those entities public securities, U.S. persons should not be engaging in commercial transactions with them at all, Gallagher added.

The Epoch Times has reached out to the Treasury Department for comment.
RNC Votes to Hold First 2024 Presidential Debate in Milwaukee

Ronna McDaniel secures a fourth two-year term as Republican National Committee (RNC) chairwoman after a three-day meeting at a luxury resort in Dana Point, Calif., on Jan. 27, 2023. (Mei Li/The Epoch Times)

The Republican National Committees (RNC) Standing Committee on Presidential Debates voted Thursday to hold the first GOP presidential debate for 2024 in Milwaukee in August.

RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel sent a letter, obtained by The Epoch Times, to committee members on Thursday stating that the first debates specific conditions hadnt yet been defined and other debates hadnt yet been authorized.

At this time, no other debates have been sanctioned, nor has the final criteria for the first debate been decided, McDaniel wrote. The committee will continue its work and will release updates as they become available.

The debates will coincide with the RNC Summer Meeting.

The RNC committee in charge of presidential debates was also expected to discuss other rules, including requiring all candidates to sign a loyalty pledge promising to support the eventual GOP nominee.

The pledge would be identical to one the RNC requested presidential candidates to sign during the 2016 GOP primary battle.

Unity Imperative to GOP

In recent comments about the pledge to The Associated Press, McDaniel spoke of the need for unity to win the White House in 2024.

After the primary, it is imperative to the health and growth of our Republican Party, as well as the country, that we all come together and unite behind our nominee to defeat Joe Biden and the Democrats, McDaniel said.

However, the proposal could conflict with former President Donald Trump, one of two GOP candidates officially in the race for the 2024 presidential election, who has expressed reluctance to sign a loyalty pledge.

During an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt on Feb. 2, Trump was asked if he would support the Republican candidate in 2024, even if it wasnt him. Trump responded by saying that it would depend, and referenced his response during the debates in 2016.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gestures during the first Republican presidential debate at the Quicken Loans Arena Thursday, Aug. 6, 2015, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

In the first Republican primary debate in August 2015, Trump raised his hand when asked if anyone would not swear to support the eventual GOP candidate.

In the 2016 presidential elections, Trump had considered running as a third-party candidate if he could not win the Republican nomination.

This development comes roughly a week after former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-S.C.), who also served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration, declared her 2024 presidential bid.

Trump remarked on Haleys bid on Feb. 1, sharing a video clip on Truth Social of Haley saying she would back the former president if he ran in 2024.

Nikki has to follow her heart, not her honor. She should definitely run! Trump wrote.

Several Republican presidential hopefuls are speculated to run, including former Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.).

Democratic Candidates

Marianne Williamson, an author of several self-help books and a progressive activist, became the first Democrat to declare their candidacy for the 2024 presidential election on Thursday.

In an interview with the Medill News Service, Williamson said she believes she can help harness the collective consciousness to create positive change.

I wouldnt be running for president if I didnt believe I could contribute to harnessing the collective sensibility that I feel is our greatest hope at this time, Williamson said.

Democratic presidential candidate author Marianne Williamson speaks during the 2020 Public Service Forum hosted by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) at UNLV in Las Vegas, Nev., on Aug. 3, 2019. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

President Joe Biden has not yet announced his reelection bid, but is expected to do so in the coming weeks during the primaries. Williamson, an outsider, is expected to face an uphill battle against Biden in the primaries.

Williamson also launched a presidential campaign in January 2020 with a message of turning love into a political force. Despite her efforts, she withdrew from the race after realizing that she would not receive enough support.

She ended her campaign with the message, love will prevail. At a rally in February 2020, she endorsed Bernie Sanders for president.

Before her recent announcement, Williamson said in a statement on Feb. 19 that three things motivate her re-run for president.

I am motivated by: a commitment to the tenets of liberty espoused in the Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address; a realization of the Democratic Partys shift away from the party of President Franklin Roosevelt; and the economic injustices endured by millions of Americans due to the influence of corporate money on our political system, she said.

No other Democratic candidate has officially announced a presidential bid.

Gary Bai contributed to this report.
World's first onshore membrane full containment LNG storage tank begins service in China

People's Daily Online) 14:58, February 24, 2023

Photo shows a liquefied natural gas (LNG) peak regulation storage facility in Hejian city, north China's Hebei Province. (Photo/Zhang Liang)

A liquefied natural gas (LNG) peak regulation storage facility in Hejian city, north China's Hebei Province, which represents the world's first onshore membrane full containment LNG storage tank, was officially put into service on Feb. 23, marking the beginning of China's journey into onshore LNG storage facilities.

The project has been running smoothly for more than 100 days since it began trial operations on Oct. 15, 2022. During the trial period, the facility gasified over 1 million standard cubic feet of LNG per day, effectively guaranteeing gas supply for 800,000 urban households in Hejian city.

The LNG storage tank of this project, which adopted the membrane full containment GST technology, is an environmentally friendly cryogenic storage facility. The tank requires 90 percent less steel and produces 27 percent less carbon emissions compared to LNG storage tank using traditional technologies.

The GST membrane full containment system of the project includes a nitrogen system, an online gas detection system, and thermal corner protection system, which help significantly reduce the evaporation of the LNG stored in the tank, thus ensuring the safe operation and integrity management of the facility.

The project is funded by Huagang Gas Group Co., Ltd., a natural gas supplier in Hebei Province, and the core membrane full containment tank was built by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation Ltd.

On the day the onshore membrane full containment LNG storage tank was officially put into use, China released its first technical specification for the design, construction, and acceptance inspection of membrane LNG storage tanks. The document has filled a gap in the country.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Scott "Dilbert" Adams, author of insights such as "If Biden is elected, there's a good chance you will be dead within the year", "Beliefs are our software," and "My lawyers will be contacting you," has stopped beating around the bush when it comes to how he feels about black people.

"I would say, based on the current way things are going, the best advice I would give to white people is to get the hell away from black people. Just get the fuck away. Wherever you have to go, just get away. Because there's no fixing this. This can't be fixed. So I don't think it makes any sense as a white citizen of America to try to help black citizens anymore. It doesn't make sense. There's no longer a rational impulse. So I'm going to back off on being helpful to Black America because it doesn't seem like it pays off."

His "can't even call other races inferior being called a racist these days" tone really makes it.
Russia Working with Iran, North Korea on New Arms Deals: White House

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L), who arrived to attend the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), meets with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, Nov. 23, 2015. (REUTERS/Alexei Druzhinin/Sputnik/Kremlin/File Photo}

Russia is working with Iran and North Korea to increase its military capabilities and improve performance in its attempted conquest of Ukraine.

Irans theocratic regime has been supplying Russia with suicide drones and munitions for tanks and artillery since last year, according to White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby.

In part because of all these sweeping sanctions and export controls that weve imposed Russia has had to rely on pariah states like North Korea and Iran to be able to continue prosecuting this war, Kirby said during a Feb. 24 call with reporters.

Irans support for Russias war is expanding.

Kirby said that, in addition to the drones and munitions previously sent to Russia, the two authoritarian powers were now seeking to exchange more high-tech capabilities.

Iran is seeking to provide Russia with more drones, artillery, and new missiles in exchange for advanced electronics, air defense systems, and possibly attack helicopters and fighter jets, Kirby said.

Iran is seeking billions of dollars in military equipment from Russia, Kirby added.

The revelation of Russias increasing ties with authoritarian powers throughout the world comes just hours after the White House announced sanctions and export controls valued at $2.8 billion.

The move, according to a White House fact sheet, is intended to cripple Russias ability to conduct its attempted conquest of Ukraine, and targets entities in Russia, Iran, and China.

Relatedly, the United States warned earlier in the week that Chinas communist regime was considering providing lethal aid to Russias military, though Kirby said that U.S. intelligence had not discovered evidence that such aid was yet rendered.

While we have indications that China may be considering the provision of lethal capabilities to Russia, we havent seen them move in that direction, Kirby said.

Weve been clear both privately and publicly with respect to that potential outcome China should not want to become tangibly involved in that manner.

Despite the Biden administrations claim that China has not provided such aid, however, a recent report suggests that the regime has concealed military shipments to Russia, disguising them as civilian components.

The report, published Feb. 23 by Der Spiegel, claims that China disguised military aviation equipment sent to Russia as civil in nature, and also used intermediaries in the UAE to illicitly ship dual-use drones to Russia for use in Ukraine.

When asked whether the White House believed that Putin must be removed from power to end the war in Ukraine, Kirby underscored that the United States only sought to help Ukraine maintain its self-defense.

This is not about regime change, Kirby said. Were doing this to support Ukraine so they can preserve their independence and sovereignty and try to claw back their territory.

Victory is going to be decided by President Zelenskyy. Quite frankly, we believe that Putin has already lost.
School Districts Cant Require COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates: California Supreme Court

A file photo of San Diego Unified School District in San Diego on Dec. 30, 2021. (Tina Deng/The Epoch Times)

The California Supreme Court rejected an appeal Feb. 21 to a prior ruling that said school districts cannot require students to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

In October 2021, Let Them Choosean initiative of education advocacy group Let Them Breathesued the San Diego Unified School District over its proposed COVID-19 vaccine mandate for students over 16.

In November, the states Fourth District Court of Appeals ruled in November that school districts had no authority to mandate vaccines.

However, that ruling was appealed shortly after by two charter schools and state Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento).

The state Supreme Court affirmed the Fourth District Court of Appeals ruling in a 30 opinion saying that only the state had the authority to mandate vaccines in schools.

The legislature has mandated that public health officialsnot school authoritiesdetermine the disease[s] for which vaccinations are required, Justice Richard Dato wrote in the opinion.

The decision means that the precedent is binding for trial courts across the state.

Sharon McKeeman, founder of Let Them Breathe, said she was proud their lawsuit protected both the students of San Diego Unified and potentially other California students against what she called an unlawful COVID-19 mandate directed by a school district.

This proves that grassroots parent movements are crucial to student well-being, McKeeman told The Epoch Times, adding that parents focuses are now shifting to safeguarding their children from harmful laws being proposed during the legislative season.

San Diego Unifieds argument for its COVID-19 vaccine mandate centered around a state law that allows schools to administer an immunizing agent to a pupil.

Judge Dato, however, wrote that law only applies to vaccines already approved by the state.

In a nutshell, Dato wrote, local variations must give way to a uniform state standard.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced plans in 2021 for California to become the first state in the nation to have COVID-19 vaccine requirements for schools, which was to have started in July of 2022, but was postponed a year.

But earlier this month, the California state health department said it will end plans to add the vaccine to the list of approved vaccinations for K12 students when the state ends its COVID-19 state of emergency on Feb. 28, EdSource reported.

A spokesperson for the state health department was not immediately available for comment.

Currently, California requires schoolchildren to receive 10 vaccinationsincluding immunizations against measles, mumps, chicken pox, polio, and rubella.

Let Them Breathe also unsuccessfully challenged a June 2020 order by Newsom requiring masks in California schoolsthough the mask mandate was lifted by the state last month.
Senate Bill Condemns Chinese Aggression Toward Indian Border State

Bill reaffirms that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India

An Indian Buddhist monk approaches the Thupten Gatsal Ling Gunpa, a branch of Tawang Monastery, in Itanagar, capital of Arunachal Pradesh, on October 11, 2009. (Diptendu Dutta/AFP via Getty Images)

A bipartisan bill was introduced in the U.S. Congress earlier this month reaffirming Arunachal Pradesh as an integral part of India. The Indian state is claimed by China as part of Tibet.

The bill was introduced on Feb. 16 by U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), co-chair of the Congressional Executive Commission on China, and Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.). It was co-sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). It comes in the wake of recent confrontations along the disputed border between the two giant Asian neighbors.

This resolution makes clear that the United States views the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh as part of the Republic of Indianot the Peoples Republic of Chinaand commits the U.S. to deepening support and assistance to the region, alongside like-minded international partners and donors, Merkley said in a press release.

Merkley said that the U.S. position on Arunachal Pradesh is based on its support for freedom and rule-based order, while China is antagonistic to those concepts. The bill is a pushback against Chinese provocations in the area.

Part of Sinicization Campaign

Arunachal Pradesh is a Himalayan Indian territory, adjacent to Bhutan and on the border with Burma. It is an important seat of Tibetan Buddhism, home to many important monasteriesincluding some that were established hundreds of years ago. It shares over 700 miles of disputed border with Tibet, which is ruled by China as the Tibet Autonomous Region.

In 2006, a Chinese envoy stated that the whole of Arunachal Pradesh was a part of China. China shows the northeastern Indian state as Chinese territory on its maps. In 2017 and 2021 it even renamed places in the region, claiming that it has been a part of China since ancient times. The renaming drew a strong rejection from the Indian government.

The resolution introduced by Merkley and Hagerty condemned Chinas construction of villages in contested areas between the two countries, and the publication of maps of Arunachal Pradesh with Mandarin-language names for cities. It also denounced the expansion of Chinas territorial claims in Bhutan.

At a time when China continues to pose grave and gathering threats to the free and open Indo-Pacific, its critical for the United States to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our strategic partners in the regionespecially India, said Hagerty.

The resolution commended the Indian government for defending itself against the aggression and security threats posed by the Chinese communist regime.

This bipartisan resolution expresses the Senates support for unequivocally recognizing the state of Arunachal Pradesh as an integral part of India, condemning Chinas military aggression to change the status quo along the Line of Actual Control, and further enhancing the U.S.India strategic partnership and the Quad in support of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific, said Hagerty.

In an earlier story, The Epoch Times reported that Chinese interest in Arunachal Pradesh is linked to a wider sinicization campaign targeting Tibetan Buddhism. It is specifically linked to Chinas reincarnation politics, aimed at controlling the institutions of Tibetan Buddhism on the border, in locations that could be the birthplace of the next Dalai Lama.

Indian Army soldiers demonstrate positioning of a Bofors gun in Tawang, near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that separates Indian and Chinese territory, in Indias Arunachal Pradesh state, on Oct. 20, 2021. (Money Sharma/AFP via Getty Images)

Clear US Support for India

Dr. Satoru Nagao, a fellow at the Washington-based Hudson Institute, told The Epoch Times that for a long time the United States did not show a clear stance on the territorial issues of other countries, but that its policy has changed slightly in recent years.

For example, the U.S. expressed that the JapanU.S. Security Treaty applies to the Senkaku islands of Japan. This means that the U.S. supports Japans stance, said Nagao, who is based in Tokyo.

Viewed from such a trend, the bill also tried to support Indias territorial claim against China. Despite it being a bill, the move [actually] represents the current U.S. mood toward China.

India and the United States also conducted joint military training in northern Indias state of Uttarakhand, near the Himalayan border with China, two months ago.

The 18th Yudh Abhyas ExercisesYudh Abhyas translates roughly as war trainingpromoted the exchange of best practices, tactics, techniques and procedures between the armies of the two nations, according to an Indian government statement. The annual, bilateral joint military exercises have been conducted since 2004.

Claude Arpi, author, historian, and expert on Tibet, told The Epoch Times that in todays context of increased Chinese aggression on the border, the bill is of great significance.

Though I feel that the joint exercises in Uttarakhand are far more important, said Arpi.

The red pointer shows Tawang, on the border between India (Arunachal Pradesh), Bhutan, and China; where Indian and Chinese troops clashed in December 2022. (Google maps)

Indian Concerns About Senate Bill

Despite the good intentions behind the bill, certain Indian experts are concerned that it could end up hurting India. They say Arunachal Pradesh was always a part of India, and the bill could validate a dispute over a territory that was actually never contentious.

Congresss bill can give a false projection of a dispute which never existed in the first place and would give [the] CCP a pretense to raise an invalid claim again, Col. (Ret.) Vinayak Bhat, a veteran Indian military intelligence officer, told The Epoch Times.

During the 1962 war between India and China, China captured almost half of Arunachal Pradesh, but then withdrew from the region. Opinions vary on why the Chinese withdrew: perhaps due to international pressure, perhaps because it would have been difficult to defend at the time.

The Tibetan government in exile, which is headquartered in Indias Dharamshala, has provided multiple statements asserting that Arunachal Pradesh was never a part of Tibet.

China cant even claim it, Bhat said. Indian people are thankful for the said bill. However, in trying to assist India with political support the U.S. Congress might be unwittingly helping the CCP to raise the issue of Arunachal Pradesh.

Ninong Ering, a member of the Arunachal Pradesh legislative assembly and a former minister in the Indian federal government, told The Epoch Times that since Indias independence from British colonial rule, the territory has been an integral part of India.

Arunachal has always been a part of India, Ering said. Theres nothing to prove about that.
(L-R): Philip Kesmarki, Carina Hammerschmidt, Christine and Zoltan Kesmarki attended Shen Yuns evening show at the Forum Am Schlosspark, on Feb. 23, 2023. (Hai Ying/The Epoch Times)

LUDWIGSBURG, GermanyChristine Kesmarki, the owner of a ballroom dance school, comes from a family full of artistsher husband Zoltan is a professional dancer, and her son Philip is a violinist.

Mrs. Kesmarki happily brought them along with her to attend Shen Yuns evening performance at the Forum Am Schlosspark on Feb. 23. The family thought it was an absolute dream.

Its beautiful! We learned a lot tonight. This is the origin of ballet, of dancing. Its graceful and just perfect, Mrs. Kesmarki said.

I have the highest respect for these artists on stage who had trained their bodies for thousands of hours and still stand there with a smile. Its a feast for the eyes and goes straight to the heart. Divine, divine!

Philip Kesmarki, at Shen Yuns evening show at the Forum Am Schlosspark, on Feb. 23, 2023. (NTD)

Philip, who is seeing Shen Yun for the second time, couldnt agree more with his mother.

I would like to come much more often. Im always enchanted by the culture, the costumes, and the [different] types of dancing, he said.

The traditional instruments mixed with our European orchestrait enchants me again and again. I could watch it for hours!

The New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts is the worlds leading classical Chinese dance and music company.

According to its website, Shen Yuns orchestra seamlessly combines the best of the East and the West by using a classic Western ensemble as the foundation to highlight traditional Chinese instruments such as the two-stringed erhu and the pipa, an ancient Chinese lute.

Together with the dancers on stage, its powerful melodies tell enthralling tales and legends drawn from Chinas 5,000 years of civilization.

Zoltan Kesmarki at Shen Yuns evening show at the Forum Am Schlosspark, on Feb. 23, 2023. (NTD)

As a fellow dancer, Mr. Kesmarki felt very inspired. Chinas 5,000 years is like a fairytale. Its just beautiful. I cant describe it any other way. I would love to get on the stage and dance along, he expressed. That would be the most beautiful thing.

The spiritual aspect of Shen Yun also brought him a deeper connection with Chinese people. There are certainly stories in every culture about how life starts and how it continues after death, and about the gods. Its very nice to see and experience that, he said.

Mr. Kesmarki also loved that Shen Yun is reviving traditional culture.

Back to the old traditionseverybody should write that on their foreheads to remind them every day thats how life should be. Life is moving fast, and everything is crazy, we should return to the old values. That was the most beautiful message for me.

Philip chimed in that the loyalty displayed in Shen Yuns story-based dances, which he felt was very touching, cant be found in modern society anymore.

He said people need to bring such values back because it will one day be important again when [we discover that] nothing in the world holds together anymore. We need to first have loyalty to have unity.

Mrs. Kesmarki was most impressed by Shen Yuns courage in speaking up against the Chinese communist regimes persecution. In fact, the whole family had tears in their eyes.

It was very interesting, very exciting, and very daring too. I find it quite great to take a behind-the-scenes look at [modern-day] Chinathe violence, the restriction of freedom, and the oppression of the people, she said. [Shen Yuns portrayal] touched you very much and makes you think a lot.

Shen Yun opened our hearts. It went right to our hearts like an express train. It is just inspiring. We can only be glad and happy that we live in this free world. It makes us appreciate and respect it even more. Shen Yun showed us that.

Reporting by NTD and Jennifer Tseng.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006.
Southern California Mountains Hit With First Blizzard Warning in 33 Years

Much of Californias southern mountain region is under an unprecedented blizzard warningthe first in over three decadesuntil Friday afternoon, the National Weather Service announced Feb. 23.

Mountains in several countiesLos Angeles, Ventura, San Bernardino, and Santa Barbarafell within the weather services blizzard advisory, with heavy snow, winds gusting up to 80 mph, and near zero visibility expected in Los Angeles and Ventura County Mountains on Thursday.

In addition to a blizzard warning, the weather service also issued a winter storm warning in the days earlier that is forecasted to last until 4 a.m. on Fridaywhile the blizzard warning will still be in place until 4 p.m for those areaswith anticipation of strong winds and very cold wind chills.

Other areas under a blizzard warning include some central California regions, such as Tehachapi, Grapevine, and Frazier Mountain.

Harsh weather conditions are expected to worsen into the weekend.

An impactful winter storm will affect California through early Saturday, the National Weather Service Prediction Center said on Twitter Thursday. Heavy rain is possible in and around Los Angeles on Friday. Heavy mountain snow with blizzard conditions may make for nearly impossible travel including some passes.

Snow is expected to fall particularly low between 1,500 and 2,000 feet in the Los Angeles County Mountains, reaching up to 4,000 feet.

The Los Angeles downtown skyline seen from the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area in Los Angeles, Calif. on Dec. 15, 2021 (Patrick T. Fallon/Getty Images)

University of CaliforniaLos Angeles climate scientist Daniel Swain said in a video Thursday that projections of the storm have intensified, which could lead to flooding and other issues across Southern California.

This is going to be a notable intense storm in Southern California, highly dynamic and bring heavy rain at low elevations and strong winds along with some thunderstorms, he said.

Heavy rain could cause flooding in some rivers and streams, the weather service said, and surfers and beachgoers should avoid swimming as dangerous rip currents and high tides are likely.

In preparation, the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power said Thursday crews are ready to respond to potential power outages.

Conditions that usually cause power outages, the water and power department said, are strong winds that pick up flying debris like tree branches, heavy rain, and uprooted trees that may fall on power lines.

Friday is expected to bring more rain and snow, with heavy snow forecasted in the afternoonup to 11 inchesthe weather service said. However, Swain predicts that it will be more like 3 to 7 feet of snow in the mountains.

This well may be the largest single-event snowfall in some parts of Southern California since the 1980s, Swain said, adding that there will be a high risk of avalanches in the mountains.

Swain said non-mountain communities across California will likely see small hail mixed with rainfall accumulating over the next few days.

If you were standing at the Hollywood sign, you probably would experience flakes falling from the sky at the very least, Swain said.

Residents in Los Angeles began posting videos to social media Thursday afternoon of the rare sight of light snowfall in their neighborhoods.

The current weather at my house in LA County is a mix of ice, hail, snow, and terrified birds, one user wrote.

Another user wrote, What is going on? Hail, Snow, Winter storm, Blizzard Warning in Sunny Los Angeles, CA!

The advisory for Southern California mountain communities said due to the weather, travel would be very difficult to impossible, with some drivers getting a taste of that earlier in the week when the I-15 Freeway between Mountain Pass and the Nevada state border was temporarily shut down Tuesday night due to rain and snow, creating icy road conditions. The freeway was closed in both directions.

Drivers were encouraged not to drive on canyon roads along the famed Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu as well, as dangerous mud and rocks will likely cause extended closures, the weather service said Wednesday.

By Thursday, the weather service warned travel should be limited to emergencies only in those areas.

If you must travel, have a winter survival kit with you. If you get stranded, stay with your vehicle, the weather service said.

The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department also issued a warning Thursday afternoon, pleading with residents not to be tempted to go to the mountains as road conditionsboth wet and icywill be treacherous.

While this rare storm will bring beauty, it will also bring chaos, the department said in a statement. It may be tempting but please avoid the mountains.

The last time the Golden States southern mountain region experienced a blizzard warning was Feb. 4, 1989. According to the Los Angeles Times archives, snow fell upon coastal Malibu and the Palm Springs desert canyon, causing widespread traffic jams as drivers skidded through snowy road conditions.
Stockholm Police Head Found Dead After Report Criticized Him

STOCKHOLMA senior Swedish police officer has been found dead in his home, hours after the release of an internal report that found a conflict of interest regarding decisions he had made about a former employee with whom he had a relationship, police said.

Mats Lofving, the chief of police in the Stockholm region, was found dead in his home in the city of Norrkoping, police said. He was 61.

The cause of death was not immediately clear and police opened an investigation as a matter of standard procedure.

Lofvings conduct was under review both by an internal audit and a criminal investigation, in a case that shook Swedens police leadership and made headlines across the Scandinavian nation.

Stockholm regional police chief Mats Lofving on Sept. 30, 2022. (Henrik Montgomery/TT News Agency via AP)

The probes focused on his relationship with a female employee while he was the head of the police National Operations Department.

The internal investigation on Wednesday found there was a conflict of interest when Lofving made decisions regarding the employees salary and position. The investigator said those decisions raised questions about Lofvings judgement as a manager and suggested that the police leadership consider terminating his employment.

Later Wednesday, police responding to a report of an injured person at Lofvings home found him dead inside.

It is incredibly tragic, Swedens chief of police Anders Thornberg said late Wednesday. My thoughts go to Mats Lofving, his next of kin and work colleagues.

Prosecutors later said they would drop the investigation into gross misconduct.
Stripes Is the Most Accurate Movie Regarding Military Life: Heres Why

Commentary

We quite often see blogs and articles discussing the best and most accurate movies regarding war or military life. Im sure our readers have their favorites, many of which are dependent on the era during which they served. I will leave it to you to peruse for a moment which movie most accurately portrays military life for you.

(Imagine Final Jeopardy music playing while you make your decision and the smell of burning rubber emanates from your ears.)

Got it? So, heres mine. Are you ready?

Stripes with Bill Murray.

And BTWPrivate Benjamin, with Goldie Hawn, gets an honorable mention.

Now please let me make my case before you go off the deep end and call me your favorite epithet. Lets just analyze a few things about the movie that it got right about military life. You might consider watching the movie before continuing, and please keep in mind that Im working from memory so some details might be off a bit. Look at the spirit and not the letter.

Firstly, lets look at the popularity of the movie amongst vets. Good comedy is always founded on truth and tons of vets love the movie because so much of it really rings true. Lets just look at a few elements of the movie and see if you agree and can relate to the underlying truths.

The movie opens with John Winger, played by Bill Murray, who is a bad cab driver with no real direction in his life. Hes the quintessential loser who is still behaving like a high school boy by losing his temper and quitting his job in a brash fit of anger. Subsequently, he loses his hot girlfriend who is tired of raising a man-child and she just walks out of his life.

His best friend Russell, played by Harold Ramis, shows up at his apartment shortly after the breakup. Russell is more grounded than John and is that one friend who is always there as a support but is also always bemused by the antics of his friend. He helps him to see that his life is a mess and needs to be turned around. While they are chatting, an Army recruiting commercial comes on TV and John mentions that military life might be a good change. Russell mentions what bad shape John is in and a pushup challenge is issued. Murray barely does five followed by the statement, I gotta get in shape! I gotta dry out or Ill be dead before Im  the Army is my only chance.

The next scene finds the boys in the local Army recruiting office sitting in front of a sergeant who is obviously just interested in numbers and really has no sense of humor. Russell is just there for support but peer pressure from John finds him signing away his life along with Winger.

Now before I proceed, lets just look at these two scenes. How much of it rings true from your experience? Maybe you werent the man-child loser like John Winger was, but Im guessing you signed up with people who were. And that recruiting office? That had to be a real one they used. SeriouslyI can smell the place when I see that scene. And the recruiter? We all met people in Personnel who hated their jobs and were just marking time. There were a few assignments in my career where I looked and felt just like he did.

So, as I progress, just look for the instances where military life is accurately portrayed in the scenes. Im also sure that you will have many of your own.

Next, we move along to the first day of basic training and we meet Sergeant Hulka, portrayed by Warren Oates. Most of us met Sgt. Hulka, or CPO Hulka, depending on your branch of service. He was that crusty old NCO who was jaded, had seen too much, been there and done that way too many times, had an inherent disdain for officers, yet cared about his people and doing a good job. However, he was well aware of the insanity and stupidity of the machine in which he was merely a cog in a gear. Sgt Hulka also made the mistake, common to senior leaders, of thinking that new troops are incompetent and not capable of doing anything smart or good.

The whole segment, from getting off the bus to the I aint your momma speech, the haircuts, and the pushups in the rain are all loaded with reality. The pinnacle, of course, is the pre-lights-out chat with Hulka in the barracks on the first night with the platoon. Here we see the true melting pot that makes up the military with most ethnicities and backgrounds being represented:

Dewey Oxberger (John Candy), the overweight, clueless, and naive guy who joined to avoid the draft, even though the draft ended years before in 1973.

The slightly off-kilter, homophobic, paranoid, and emotionally explosive Frances, who preferred to be called Psycho, threatens to kill anyone who puts their meathooks on him or any of his stuff. He inspires Sgt. Hulka to say something thats a perennial favorite with vets: Lighten up Frances! Later in the film, he gets a little more unhinged with a rifle with a mounted bayonet.

And we meet others. The slightly slow farm boy who apparently did something shocking with the livestock. And another, Cruiser, who loved fast cars and fast women but had probably never experienced either.

The scene the next day closes with the platoon finishing a forced march and wearily singing the lines from a DoD recruiting commercial of the time.

Somewhere in all of this, Murray decides he hates Army life and decides to desert, greatly to the annoyance of Ramis, who Murray pushed into signing up with him. It leads to an altercation in a tank parking lot with Ramis in his long johns, on top of Murray and choking him. They get caught by two beautiful female MPs. Lets face it. Even an MP taking a boyfriend/girlfriend into a generals house and making out while hes TDY is not that far-fetched, is it? If you dont believe me, look up the account of what happened at Eglin AFB back in 2000 when two Air Force cops ran (crashed) their patrol car up underneath a parked F-15, at speed. Most accounts dont tell the whole story, but lets just say that carnal events were taking place while the vehicle was in motion 

Lets see. Who should we discuss next? Oh! How about the officers? John Larroquette plays the role of Captain Stillman, the stereotypical, brown-nosing, incompetent junior leader. Some may say that his voyeur issues with the telescope looking into the female showers were pure comedy. But lets be honest. There are cases of sexual assault/harassment in the military today. So, there is even truth in that.

Captain Stillmans incompetence is seen early on when he pulls the pin on a live grenade in his office. Another key event is when he directs a live fire mortar team to fire a round, even though the mortar is not yet correctly sighted in. The trainees try to explain why they shouldnt fire the mortar yet, but the pompous Stillman gives them a direct order to fire it anyway. The troops comply, resulting in the destruction of the climbing tower that our brave Sgt Hulka just happens to be standing on.

Sgt Hulkas subsequent incapacitation means that our boysincidentally, seen as the most incompetent basic training platoon in the whole history of the U.S. Armymust put themselves through the rest of basic. The final exam is the graduation parade where our misfits decide to perform Razzle Dazzle since they are incompetent at marching in a parade. Their performance impresses the commanding general when its discovered that the platoon put themselves through basic because their drill sergeant was Blown up, sir! General Barnicke decides that these hard-chargers are just perfect for his new, top secret EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle project.

Of course, this scene strikes a chord as well. First, because the misfits were put in charge of a very important project. And secondly, it shows the characteristic of adapting and overcoming by the enlisted force, even in the face of incompetent leadership.

Just in case you havent seen the movie but want to, Im stopping here. But those of you who have seen it have probably now remembered many other truths and accuracies regarding military life from the movie.

Honestly, is the EM-50 concept that far-fetched? Tell me, you wizened old warhorses; would it surprise you to see the Pentagon unveiling one?

Thats my point!!! Now consider this quote from John Winger:

Were all very different people. Were not Watusi. Were not Spartans. Were Americans. With a capital A, huh? And you know what that means? Do you? That means that our forefathers were kicked out of every decent country in the world. We are the wretched refuse. Were the underdog. Were mutts. Theres something wrong with us, something very, very wrong with us. Something seriously wrong with uswere soldiers. But were American soldiers!

Now tell me thats not true 

The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

This article first appeared in The Havok Journal.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Tanks, Not Fighter Jets, Will Help Ukraine in Counteroffensive: Jake Sullivan

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington on Dec. 12, 2022. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in a CNN Town Hall on Thursday that F-16 fighter jets are not the primary tool needed for the current fight in Ukraine against Russia.

Sullivan said Ukraine is preparing a major counteroffensive.

From our perspective, F-16s are not the key capability for that offensive, he said. It is the stuff that we are moving rapidly to the front lines now.

Sullivan went on to say that F-16s are not a question for the short-term fight. F-16s are a question for the long-term defense of Ukraine, and thats a conversation that President Biden and President Zelenskyy had.

Sullivan did not elaborate on that conversation.

Since the start of the war, the United States has given $32 billion in military assistance to Ukraine, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Friday.

The assistance has consisted of a Patriot air-defense battery; 90 Stryker Armored Personnel Carriers; over 8,500 Javelin anti-armor systems; 38 HIMARS; 31 Abrams tanks; eight National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) and other key air-defense capabilities; 1,600 Stinger anti-aircraft systems; 109 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles; 232 howitzers; and more than 2 million rounds of artillery ammunition.

Nonetheless, both Democrat and Republican lawmakers have called on the United States to send Ukraine fighter jets, something Biden has refused to do.

Bipartisan Push

Last week, Reps. Jared Golden (D-Maine), Jason Crow (D-Colo.), Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) signed a letter to Biden, asking him to send fighter jets to Ukraine.

The provision of such aircraft is necessary to help Ukraine protect its airspace, particularly in light of renewed Russian offensives and considering the expected increase in large-scale combat operations, they wrote, according to Politico.

The lawmakers insisted that F-16s or similar fourth generation fighter aircraft would provide Ukraine with a highly mobile platform from which to target Russian air-to-air missiles and drones, to protect Ukrainian ground forces as they engage Russian troops, as well as to engage Russian fighters for contested air superiority.

However, given that the Biden administration has previously objected to sending certain military equipment, such as Abrams tanks, only to eventually reverse course, it is possible the United States could eventually give Ukraine F-16s.

The president was advised by his military, Sullivan said. Abrams tanks, the American tank, doesnt make sense for this fight. What they really needed were Leopard tanks, German tanks that a bunch of countries in Europe own. But the Germans said, We wont provide our tanks unless you, the United States, provide your tanks.'

And President Biden said, if me providing Abrams tanks, even if its not the most sensible military move, will help unlock German tanks to get to the front lines and also will sustain alliance unity, I will do it,' Sullivan continued. I tell that particular story as it relates to F-16s because these decisions are not just people sitting around and say thumbs up, thumbs down. A wide variety of factors go into the decision to provide a particular system, to train up the Ukrainians on it and then to get it into the fight.
Texas Governor Calls for 10-Year Minimum Sentence for Aiding Human Smugglers

A Texas state trooper arrests a U.S. citizen who was transporting three illegal aliens to San Antonio, in Kinney County, Texas, on Oct. 20, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he will seek a mandatory sentence of at least ten years in prison for those who help cartels smuggling illegal immigrants into his state.

Im calling for 10 year mandatory minimum prison sentences for Texans who aid the cartels by transporting illegal immigrants. It is a growing crime where Texans are lured in by cartel cash, Abbott wrote on Twitter Wednesday night. We must end it this legislative session.

Currently, under the states penal code, human smuggling is a third-degree felony that, if convicted, carries a sentence of at least two years and as many as ten years in prison. In addition, the offender could be fined up to $10,000, according to the penal code.

This is not the first time Abbott calls to toughen punishment for assisting human smuggling. In December 2022, he said offenders should spend at least five years in prison.

Im getting damn tired of Texas residents smuggling people into our country illegally, Abbott wrote on Twitter at that time. I will be seeking a mandatory minimum of at least five years in prison for anyone caught committing this crime.

Human smuggling and trafficking at the Texas-Mexico border caught nationwide attention in late June 2022, when 53 illegal immigrants died after they were left trapped in a sweltering tractor trailer on the outskirts of San Antonio. Investigators have since been identified 48 people who died at the scene as citizens of Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.

According to the investigators, the truck had encountered mechanical issues, prompting the smugglers to pull over and abandon the vehicle with the passengers still locked inside.

Federal prosecutors have charged four individuals involved in the deadly smuggling operation. Two of them are Texans and the other two are Mexicans.

The alleged truck driver, 45-year-old Texas native Homero Zamorano, was charged with one count of alien smuggling resulting in death. If convicted, Zamorano faces up to life in prison or possibly the death penalty, according to the Justice Department.

Also charged was Christian Martinez, a 28-year-old Texas man who allegedly discussed the smuggling operation with Zamorano.

In September 2022, Abbott signed an executive order designating drug cartels as terrorist organizations, saying that they contributed to the surge of illegal border crossings.

The cartels are not only responsible for smuggling hundreds of millions of lethal doses of fentanyl into Texas, but also smuggle humans across the Texas-Mexico border and subject them to sexual assault, human trafficking, assault, extortion, and other dehumanizing, violent, and heinous acts, the order stated.

Along with his executive order, Abbott sent a letter to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris requesting they classify Mexican drug cartels operating in Texas as terrorist organizations.

The cartels destruction reaches far beyond our state line, Abbott wrote. Cartel assets could then be frozen, weakening the financial support of trafficking activities. In addition, federal investigators and prosecutors could aggressively pursue the enhanced criminal sentences that apply to drug traffickers who fund foreign terrorist organizations.
The EU Files: What Elon Musk Is Not Telling You About Twitter Censorship

Commentary

The Twitter Files have exposed numerous contacts between U.S. government officials and Twitter and requests for suppression of accounts or content: notably, in the context of alleged COVID-19 disinformation. But what they have not revealed is that there was in fact a formal government program explicitly dedicated to Fighting COVID-19 Disinformation in which Twitter, as well as all other major social media platforms, were enrolled.

As part of this program, the platforms were submitting monthly (later bi-monthly) reports to the government on their censorship efforts. Below is a picture of an archive of the Fighting COVID-19 Disinformation reports.

I did not have to hack into the intranet of the U.S. government to find them. All I had to do was look on the public website of the European Commission. For the government in question is not, after all, the U.S. government, but the European Commission.

The reports are available here. Lest there be any doubt that what is at issue in Fighting COVID-19 Disinformation is censorshipbut how could there be any doubt?the Commission website specifies that the reports include information on demoted and removed content containing false and/or misleading information likely to cause physical harm or impair public health policies (authors emphasis).

Indeed, the Twitter reports, in particular, include data not only on removed content, but also on outright account suspensions. It is thanks precisely to the data that Twitter was gathering to satisfy the EUs expectations that we know that 11,230 accounts were suspended under Twitters recently discontinued COVID-19 Misleading Information Policy. The below chart, for instance, is taken from Twitters last (March-April 2022) report to the EU. Note that the data is global, i.e., Twitter was reporting back to the European Commission on its censorship of content and accounts all over the world, not just in the EU.

To be clear then: It is strictly impossible that Twitter has not had contact with EU officials about censoring COVID-19 dissent, because the EU had a program specifically dedicated to the latter and Twitter was part of it. Furthermore, it is strictly impossible that Twitter is not continuing to have contact with EU officials about censoring online content and speech more generally.

This is because the EUs Fighting COVID-19 Disinformation program was launched within the framework of its more general so-called Code of Practice on Disinformation. Under the Code, Twitter and other online platforms and search engines have assumed commitments to combati.e., suppresswhat the European Commission deems to be misinformation or disinformation.

In June of last year, a strengthened Code of Practice on Disinformation was adopted, which created formalized reporting requirements for Code signatories like Twitter. Other major signatories of the Code include Google/YouTube, Meta/Facebook, Microsoftwhich is notably the owner of LinkedInand TikTok.

Furthermore, the strengthened Code also created a permanent task force on disinformation, in which all code signatories are required to participate and which is chaired by none other than the European Commission itself. The task force also includes representatives of the EUs foreign service. (For more details, see Section IX of the Code, titled Permanent Task-Force.)

And if this were not enough, in September of last year, the EU opened a digital embassy in San Francisco, in order precisely to be close to Twitter and other leading American tech companies. For the moment, the embassy reportedly shares office space with the Irish consulate: meaning, per Google maps, that it is around a 10-minute drive from Twitter headquarters.

So, it is strictly impossible that Twitter has not had and is not continuing to have contactindeed extensive and regular contactwith EU officials about censoring content and accounts that the European Commission deems mis- or disinformation. But we have heard absolutely nothing about this in the Twitter Files.

Why? The answer is: because EU censorship really is government censorship, i.e., censorship that Twitter is required to carry out on pain of sanction. This is the difference between the EU censorship and what Elon Musk himself has denounced as US government censorship. The latter has amounted to nudges and requests, but was never obligatory and could never be obligatory, thanks to the First Amendment and the fact that there has never been any enforcement mechanism. Any law creating such an enforcement mechanism would be obviously unconstitutional. Hence, Twitter could always simply say no.

But so long as it wants to remain on the EU market, Twitter cannot say no to the demands of the European Commission. As discussed in my previous article here, the enforcement mechanism that renders the Code of Practice obligatory is the EUs Digital Services Act (DSA). The DSA gives the European Commission power to impose fines of up to 6 percent of global turnover on platforms that it finds to be in violation of the Code: n.b. global turnover, not just turnover on the EU market!

The Commission has not been shy about reminding Twitter and the other tech companies of this threat, thus posting the below tweet last June on the very day that the strengthened Code of Practice was announced.

This was before the DSA had even been adopted by the European Parliament! But the DSA has been the sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of Twitter and the other online platforms for the last two years, and it is now law. Once designated a very large online platform by the Commissionwhich is inevitable in its caseTwitter will have 4 months to demonstrate compliance, as the below DSA Timeline makes clear.

Moreover, the power to apply financial sanction is not the only extraordinary enforcement power that the DSA gives the Commission. The Commission is also given the power to conduct warrantless inspections of company premises, sealing the premises for the duration of the inspection, and gaining access to whatever books or records it pleases. (See Article 69 of the DSA here.) Such inspections, which have been previously used in the context of EU competition law, are quaintly known in the literature as dawn raids. (See here, for example.)

This is why Elon Musk and the Twitter Files are so verbose about alleged US government censorship and so willing to out the private communications of U.S. government officials, but have remained suitably mum about EU censorship demands and have not outed the private communications of any EU officials or representatives. Elon Musk is being held hostage by the European Union, and no hostage in his or her right mind is going to do anything to irritate the hostage-takers.

Far from any sign of defiance of the Code and the DSA, what we get from Elon Musk is repeated pledges of fealty: like the below tweet that he posted after meeting with EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton in January. (For an earlier such pledge in the form of a joint video message with Breton, see here.)

And if Musk should ever have any doubts about what he needs to do to satisfy the EUs requirements, help is always close at handindeed a mere 10 minutes away. For the EUs digital ambassador to Silicon Valley, Gerard de Graaf, is one of the authors of the DSA.

But if Elon Musk is so fearful about crossing the EU, then why has he restored so many COVID-19 dissident accounts? Wasnt that an act of defiance of the EU and notably of its Fighting COVID-19 Disinformation program?

Well, no, it was not.

Firstly, it should be recalled that Musk had originally promised a general amnesty of all suspended accounts. As discussed in my earlier article here, this quickly drew a stern and public rebuke from none other than Thierry Breton, and Musk failed to follow through. Instead, in accordance with Bretons demands, there has been a case-by-case restoration of selected accounts, which has recently slowed down to a trickle.

@OpenVaet, whose own Twitter account remains suspended, has been maintaining a partial inventory of suspended Twitter accounts. As of this writing, only 99 of the 215 accounts in the sample, or roughly 46 percent, have been restored. (See @OpenVaets spreadsheet of still banned and restored accounts here.) Assuming the sample is representative, this would mean that over 6,000 accounts in all are still suspended.

And this is to say nothing of the more insidious form of censorship that is visibility filtering or shadow-banning. Per the motto Freedom of speech is not freedom of reach, Elon Musk has never denied that Twitter would continue to engage in the latter. Many of the returning COVID-19 dissidents have noticed a curious lack of engagement, leading them to wonder if their accounts are not in fact still subjected to unannounced special measures.

But, secondly, and more to the point, have another look at the archive of the Fighting COVID-19 Disinformation reports shown above. That is the complete archive. The March-April 2022 reports are the final set of reports. Last June, as noted here, the European Commission discontinued the program, folding the reporting on COVID-19 disinformation into the more general reporting requirements established under the strengthened Code of Practice on Disinformation.

By this time, most of the most onerous COVID-19 measures in the EU, including vaccine passports, had already been ended, and most of the remainder have been gradually rolled back since. Elon Musk thus allowed (some) COVID-19 dissent back onto Twitter when, at least in the EU, there was hardly any public policy to dissent from anymore.

But the EUs censorship regime as such is still very much in place, and censorship has by no means come to an end on Twitter. Thus, on the very night of the Brazilian elections on Oct. 30, Twitter was already censoring local reports of electoral fraud. The famous misleading warning labels that had once been used to quarantine reports of COVID-19 vaccine harm now made a reappearance, insisting that according to unnamed experts, Brazils elections were safe and secure. (For examples, see my thread here.)

Whether electoral integrity/fraud in countries of interest, the war in Ukraine or the next pandemic for which the EU is already reserving mRNA vaccine capacity, you may rest assured that the EU will not lack new subjects of disinformation requiring censorship and that Elon Musk and Twitter will oblige.

Whether this censorship takes the form of outright suspensions and content removals or content demotion and account visibility filtering is a secondary matter. The European Commission will be able to work out such details with Twitter and the other platforms.

Indeed, the DSA further requires the platforms to grant the Commission access to their back offices, including, as Thierry Breton triumphantly notes in a blog post here, the black box of algorithms that are at the heart of platforms systems. As noted on the Commission website, the Commission is even setting up a European Centre for Algorithmic Transparency, in order to be able to better fulfill its supervisory role in this regard.

Needless to say, such transparency does not extend to mere users such as you or me. For us, the algorithmic functioning of the platforms will remain a black box. But the Commission will be able to know everything about it and to demand modifications to ensure compliance with the EUs requirements.

From the Brownstone Institute

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
After a 2021 temper tantrum by CEO Elon Musk, Tesla dramatically moved its headquarters to Texas. There were also ongoing battles with the state of California over pandemic protections for Tesla's workers. Oh, and California also has taxes that Tesla's CEO famously does not want to pay, and California is more employee-friendly than Texas. So Tesla moved.

Fast forward to 2023 and it seems it was too hard to hire EV engineers in Texas, or perhaps Musk overextended himself and needs to be closer to Twitter. The company gave no solid reason as Musk and California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the carmaker's triumphant, and probably expensive, return to the Golden State.

Gov. Newsom was gracious in welcoming Tesla back.

The Hill:
TikTok Under Joint Investigation by Canadian Privacy Protection Authorities

A visitor passes the TikTok exhibition stands at the Gamescom computer gaming fair in Cologne, Germany, on Aug. 25, 2022. (Martin Meissner/AP Photo)

The popular but controversial short-form video streaming application TikTok is under investigation by Canadas federal privacy watchdog and three of the countrys provincial privacy commissioners over concerns about the apps disclosure of users personal information.

The investigation will be undertaken by the office of federal Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne, along with respective provincial privacy authorities for British Columbia, Alberta, and Quebec.

The launch of the investigation comes shortly after now-settled class-action lawsuits were launched in both the U.S. and Canada related to TikToks handling of personal information, says a Feb. 23 news release from Dufresnes office.

The four privacy regulators will examine whether the organizations practices are in compliance with Canadian privacy legislation and in particular, whether valid and meaningful consent is being obtained for the collection, use and disclosure of personal information, the release says.

The investigation will also determine if the company is meeting its transparency obligations, particularly when collecting personal information from its users.

Dufresnes office also points out that a large proportion of TikToks users are children and says the investigation will have a particular focus on the apps privacy practices as they relate to legal minors.

Specifically, the joint investigation will examine whether the company obtained valid and meaningful consent from these users for the collection, use and disclosure of their personal information.

TikTok says the privacy and safety of its users, particularly younger users, is always a top priority.

We are committed to operating with transparency to earn and maintain the trust of the many Canadians who create and find joy on our platform, a TikTok spokesperson told The Epoch Times.

We welcome the opportunity to work with the federal and provincial privacy protection authorities to set the record straight on how we protect the privacy of Canadians.

Privacy Concerns

TikTok is owned by Beijing-based tech company ByteDance and has previously drawn criticism and concern over the app being used to give user-data access to the Chinese government.

Over 28 American states and the U.S. federal government have banned TikTok from being downloaded on state-owned devices, and the U.S. armed forces have also prohibited the app on military devices.

Both Democrat and Republican representatives in the U.S. Congress have also recently reintroduced bipartisan legislation that would ban TikTok from operating within the United States.

The legislation, which was introduced on Feb. 17 by Reps. Mike Gallagher and Raja Krishnamoorthi, would aim to block and prohibit all transactions from TikTok and other social media companies in or under the control of China, Russia, and several other foreign countries.

In Europe, the European Commission and European Union Council have ordered staff to remove TikTok from their corporate devices and phones for cybersecurity reasons.

Members of the council, which gathers together representatives of member states to set policy priorities, will also have to uninstall TikTok from any of their personal devices that have access to council services.

Andrew Thornebrooke, Mimi Nguyen Ly, and Reuters contributed to this report.
Trudeau Addresses Inaccuracies Comment Regarding CSIS Leaks on Beijing Interference

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau listens to a question during a news conference in Ottawa on Feb. 17, 2023. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld)

When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked on Feb. 24 to clarify his previous comment that recent CSIS leaks on Beijing foreign interference contain inaccuracies, he used information from months ago to do so.

First of all, I think Canadians understand how important it is that we continue to do all the necessary work with our national security institutions to keep Canadians safe to keep our institutions safe, Trudeau said during a press conference in Toronto dedicated to the one-year anniversary of Russias invasion of Ukraine.

He added that his government has been very clear that countries like China and Russia attempt to destabilize democracies and electoral processes.

I will highlight, for example, around inaccuracies, that when the National Security and Intelligence Advisor appeared at committee a number of weeks or months ago, she highlighted the inaccuracies that were contained in some of these media leaks, Trudeau said.

The prime minister had said on Feb. 23 the federal government is concerned about the leaks and particularly about unspecified inaccuracies in those leaks.

When National Security and Intelligence Advisor Jody Thomas testified before the House of Commons defence committee on Dec. 8, it was in relation to a November report from Global News. The report alleged that the prime minister had been briefed that at least 11 federal candidates had received funding from Beijing during the 2019 federal election.

The news stories that you have read about interference are just that: news stories, Thomas told the committee. Weve not seen money going to 11 candidates, period.

But when asked if she was suggesting that the allegations were false, she said no.

Im saying I do not know, she said. There is a blurring of whats been reported to the prime minister and whats been reported in the press, and so Im trying to differentiate them.

I have not been briefed and have no awareness, and Ive asked the question of 11 candidates and the connection to the money that was in that report. I know nothing of that. I have seen no evidence of it.

The information from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service recently reported on by the Globe & Mail went beyond what was covered by Global.

It explains the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) preference for a Liberal minority government and captures a Chinese official boasting of helping defeat two Conservative candidates in the 2021 federal election.

Trudeau was also asked during the press conference whether he would launch a public inquiry into CCP interference in past elections.

Jean-Pierre Kingsley, the former chief electoral officer from 1990 to 2017, told the Globe on Feb. 23 that he believes there should be an inquiry.

The reason why this is important is that the legitimacy of government is what is at stake, he said.

The prime minister didnt say whether he would launch an inquiry and instead said his government has put in place measures to help ensure the integrity of elections.

We have continually given new resources and new tools, including a panel and a task force that we set up way back in 2019, to ensure that our election integrity held that our national security experts are able to do the work that Canadians expect them to do, he said.

Trudeau was referring to the Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections Task Force, which according to the Globe never issued any public warning on foreign interference for the 2019 and 2021 elections.

There were also no confidential warnings issued in 2021 according to Walied Soliman, the Conservative Partys representative to SITE.

I can confirm that after extensive security clearances and multiple meetings with our security establishment in Ottawa, these specific threats to our democracy were *never* raised, despite what is now clear evidence of tampering by China in the 2019 election, he wrote on Twitter on Feb. 17.

Peter Wilson and Andrew Chen contributed to this report.
Trudeau Promises Federal Money to Provinces That Host Roxham Asylum Seekers

An RCMP officer informs a migrant couple of the location of an official border station, shortly before they illegally crossed from New York to Quebec via Roxham Road, on Aug. 7, 2017. (Charles Krupa, File/AP Photo)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged on Thursday to give money to provinces that host asylum seekers coming from the United States into Canada illegally.

He said the federal government would absolutely provide support.

Over the past years, weve seen an increase in the number of irregular asylum seekers that cross into Canada at Roxham Road in Quebec, and the Quebec government and Quebecers themselves have been extraordinarily generous in welcoming and supporting the vast, vast majority of irregular asylum seekers in this country, said Trudeau.

It is great news that Atlantic provinces are looking into bringing in asylum seekers while their claims are reviewed, said the prime minister at a Feb. 23 news conference. Quebec is seeing its capacity stretched to the limits, he added.

Just as the federal government has been there to support Quebec through the extra burden that its put on their health care systems, on their housing, we will also be there to work and support the Atlantic provinces who want to help out with this challenge, said Trudeau.

Thousands of refugees have entered the country illegally outside official ports. The majority have ended up in Quebec.

According to Quebec Premier Francois Legault, last year more than 39,000 illegal arrivals entered mainly via Roxham Road, and that does not include the roughly 20,000 other immigration arrivals to the province. Only about 369 people claimed asylum in other provinces.

The RCMP stopped 39,540 illegal immigrants who entered Quebec through unofficial ports of entry last yearten times as many who tried to enter the province in 2021, according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Across the rest of the country, the RCMP intercepted 369 individuals who tried to cross the border illegally.

Legault wrote directly to Trudeau on Feb. 19, calling on the prime minister to close the illegal border crossing at Roxham Road. This is just the latest effort by Quebec to have the federal government enforce Canadas borders, with the province complaining that the influx of refugees is straining the provinces housing, education, health, and social services systems.

In an opinion column published on Feb. 21 in the Globe and Mail, Legault said Trudeaus good intentions in posting his famous 2017 tweet inviting refugees to the country have turned into a real problem for Quebec and for Canada.

Legault requested that Trudeau rewrite the Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States, which the premier said was allowing the breach in the Canada-U.S. border. The agreement requires border officials in both countries to stop asylum seekers at the border at official crossings. Legault said he hopes this policy would be put in place at unofficial crossings as well.

Trudeau said the federal government is continuing negotiations on the agreement with the United States, and said the topic is on the agenda for discussion next month, when U.S. President Joe Biden is in Canada for meetings.

The Maritime premiers have indicated they would host asylum seekers if they get funding from Ottawa. New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs said his province could accept 150 to 200 individuals.

Its a national obligation, Higgs said on Feb. 22, at the Atlantic premiers meeting in Charlottetown.

Tim Houston, premier of Nova Scotia, also indicated his province had been asked to accept some refugees. Well do what we can, for sure, said Houston.

Trudeau did not indicate how much money the federal government would provide.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
Trump Special Counsel Seeking Phone Records Surrounding Jan. 6 From GOP Lawmaker

Special Counsel Jack Smith, the special appointee investigating former President Donald Trump, has been seeking the communications records of Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) in a broader investigation into the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Smith was appointed as special counsel in November of last year. He was primarily tasked with investigating Trumps handling of classified documents after some were found at his Florida home last summer. Smith also took over an ongoing investigation looking into whether any person or entity interfered with the transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election or the certification of the electoral votes on or around Jan. 6, 2021.

On Thursday, attorneys from Smiths team appeared before a three-judge panel on D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to argue their case for why they should be given access to Perrys communications records as they relate to his actions surrounding Jan. 6, 2021. Investigators have reportedly sought Perrys communications records following allegations he attended meetings and consulted with the Trump team about ways to challenge the 2020 election results, which Congress certified on Jan. 6, 2021.

The FBI seized Perrys phone in August and created a digital copy of the records it contained. The actual reason Perrys records were seized remains unclear. The now-defunct House Jan. 6 investigative committee claimed in a December 2021 letter (pdf) that they had evidence Perry sought to help install Jeffrey Clark, an official who supported Trumps challenges to the 2020 election, to serve as the acting U.S. attorney general.

Last year, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) also claimed Perry sought a pardon from Trump in the days following the Jan. 6, 2021 breach of the U.S. Capitol. Perry said the claim he sought a presidential pardon is an absolute, shameless, and soulless lie.

Perry Asserts Constitutional Privilege

Perrys attorneys have challenged the Justice Departments authority to use the data they collected from Perrys phone. Perrys legal team has argued that his communications are generally protected by the Speech or Debate clause of the U.S. Constitution.

The constitutional clause states, For any Speech or Debate in either House, [members of Congress] shall not be questioned in any other Place.

A lower court had previously ruled that the Speech or Debate clause does not apply to informal legislative factfinding efforts that are not specifically authorized by the house and Perrys communications fall outside the protections of the constitutional clause. Perrys legal team appealed the lower courts decision.

Special Counsel Says Communications Not Protected

Lawyers for the Special Counsel have argued that the protections of the Speech and Debate no longer applied once Perry communicated with members outside of Congress, such as the Trump team.

Judge Gregory Katsas, a Trump appointee, quizzed the Special Counsels legal team extensively about their stance during the hearing. Katsas offered the example of a member of Congress reaching out to legal experts or stakeholders regarding a particular piece of legislation, and asked if those communications would be outside the protections of the Speech and Debate clause.

It is not a legislative act unless its it is connected to the investigative factfinding functions of Congress as a whole, replied John Pelletieri, an attorney for the Department of Justice.

The bill is on the floor, but the members trying to figure out how to vote, you dont think its integral that member, its not integral to that members vote? Katsas asked.

Not everything in a congressmans life that you can connect in a logical inferential chain of inferences to a vote is protected by the Speech or Debate Clause, Pelletieri argued.

Judge Neomi Rao, another Trump appointee on the appeals court, noted that a congressional committees fact-finding efforts, even with communicating with individuals outside of Congress, does have non-disclosure protections.

We have to have some account of why a committees investigation and fact-finding is a legislative act, but a members similar activity is not, Rao said.

As the hearing proceeded, Rao remarked that the limits of the Speech or Debate Clauses protections are a tricky line.

Judges Question Perrys Team

During the hearing, the judges questioned Perrys legal team about the extent that the Speech or Debate Clause could reasonably shield Perrys communications with Trumps team from investigators.

In the context of executive privilege, that privilege can be waived if material is shared with third parties, noted Judge Rao. So what about for members of Congress? If a communication is made with somebody outside of Congress, why should that be covered by the nondisclosure privilege?

Perrys attorney, John Rawley, argued that the Speech or Debate clause is different from the executive privilege of the president and applies to communications that are outgoing or ingoing by a congressman. Rawley said the real linchpin of the congressional privilege is whether or not that discussion, that communication, is is being undertaken for legislative purpose.

The court has yet to make a decision whether to grant the special counsel access to Perrys phone records.

NTD News reached out to Perrys office for comment but did not receive a response before this article was published.

From NTD News
Turkey Begins to Rebuild for 1.5 Million Left Homeless by Earthquakes

People affected by the deadly earthquake queue for aid in Hatay, Turkey, on Feb. 24, 2023. (Eloisa Lopez/Reuters)

ANTAKYA/ANKARA, TurkeyTurkey has begun work to rebuild homes following this months devastating earthquakes, a government official said on Friday, as the combined death toll in Turkey and Syria surpassed 50,000.

More than 160,000 buildings containing 520,000 apartments collapsed or were severely damaged in the Feb. 6 earthquakes that killed tens of thousands in Turkey and neighboring Syria.

The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) announced the death toll in Turkey due to earthquakes rose to 44,218 on Friday night.

With Syrias latest announced death toll of 5,914, the combined death toll in the two countries rose to above 50,000.

Facing an election within months, President Tayyip Erdogan has pledged to rebuild homes within a year, although experts have said the authorities should put safety before speed. Some buildings that were meant to withstand tremors crumbled in the latest earthquakes.

For several projects, tenders and contracts have been done. The process is moving very fast, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity, adding there would be no compromise on safety.

Authorities say tents have been dispatched for the many who are homeless, but people have reported trouble accessing them.

I have eight children. We are living in a tent. There is water on top [of the tent] and the ground is damp. We are asking for more tents and they dont give them to us, Melek, 67, who was waiting in a line to collect aid outside a high school in the town of Hassa.

The school was being used as an aid distribution center by a group of volunteers called Interrail Turkey. One volunteer, Sumeyye Karabocek, said the shortage of tents remained the biggest problem.

A man carries a sofa out of a destroyed apartment building in the aftermath of the deadly earthquake in Antakya, Hatay province, Turkey, on Feb. 20, 2023. (Eloisa Lopez/Reuters)

Half a Million New Homes Needed

Erdogans government has endured a wave of criticism over both its response to the devastation and what many Turks say were years of non-enforcement of construction quality control.

The Turkish governments initial plan now is to build 200,000 apartments and 70,000 village houses at a cost of at least $15 billion, he said. U.S. bank JPMorgan had estimated rebuilding houses and infrastructure will cost $25 billion.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said it estimated that the destruction has left 1.5 million people homeless, with 500,000 new homes needed.

It said it had requested $113.5 million from the $1 billion in funds appealed for by the United Nations last week, adding that it would focus this money on clearing away mountains of rubble.

The UNDP estimates that the disaster had produced between 116 million and 210 million tons of rubble, compared with 13 million tons of rubble after the earthquake in northwest Turkey in 1999.

Turkey also issued new regulations under which companies and charities can build homes and workplaces to donate to the urbanization ministry for people in need.

Many survivors have left the region of southern Turkey that was hit by the quake or have been settled in tents, container homes and other government-sponsored accommodation.
Two More White House Press Office Staffers Are Departing: Karine Jean-Pierre

President Joe Biden (R) walks next to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (L) as he arrives for a visit in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 20, 2023. (Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images)

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced that two more White House staffers will leave their positions. Press assistant Megha Bhattacharya and her assistant and Chief of Staff Robbie Dornbush both have made their resignations official.

The press secretary made the announcement during a Feb. 23 press briefing, calling both departing staffers valued members of their communications team:

We have another bittersweet day for us, for the White House press team, as this is the last press briefing for Megha and Robbie  who are valued members of our team, Jean-Pierre said.

Megha has yelled Thank you, press in every room of the White House and on three different continents. Jean-Pierre went on. Shes done it all with grace, a great sense of humor, and grade-A outfits.

Bhattacharya joined the White House staff in February 2022, giving her a little over a years worth of experience on the press team, compared with Dornbushs nine-month stint.

As Chief of Staff for the press office, Robbie quite literally keeps the trains running. Hes the bridge between myself and many of you in the room, Jean-Pierre said. She praised his work ethic and said he would be missed.

Bhattacharya is taking a job at the State Department, the press secretary said. She did not reveal Dornbushs future plans.

The White House did not immediately respond to The Epoch Timess request for comment.

This announcement comes less than a month after President Joe Bidens chief of staff, Ron Klain, announced on Jan. 27 that he would step down.

Klain was replaced just after the State of the Union address on Feb. 7 by Jeff Zients, as The Epoch Times previously reported.

Biden praised Klain, saying that he knows how government works, how politics works, how Congress and the White House work. He assembled the most diverse and the most talented White House team in history and leaned on them to solve impossible challenges.

Last summer, the Great Resignation was said to have hit the White House around the time Jean-Pierre had to deliver three on-camera goodbyes to departing staffers in less than 24 hours.

During that period, two-thirds of the White House press staff, a considerable portion of the COVID-19 response team, two deputy counsels to the president, and the staffer who manages the White House Twitter account left within a few weeks of each other.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
UK Prison Service In Meltdown, Says Union Chief

Prison Officers Association (POA) chair Mark Fairhurst urges government action over increasingly violent working conditions for prison staff

A view through the bars of Birmingham Prison in Winson Green in Birmingham, England, on Aug. 20, 2018. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Pressures from rocketing levels of self-harm, suicide, and violence within British jails are pushing prison officers to walk away from their jobs, a national union representative has said.

Mark Fairhurst, chair of the Prison Officers Association (POA), said the service is no longer in crisis but in meltdownand government action is needed urgently.

Inadequate wages, an unachievable retirement age, and a lack of protective equipment has also led to thousands of experienced staff ditching prison careers and moving into safer jobs, he said.

According to figures released by the Ministry of Justice last week, one in seven prison officers quit their job last year, and one-third of those now in the job are new recruits.

The HM Prison and Probation Service Workforce Quarterly Report also revealed the number of uniformed officers in bands three to fivewhich includes prison officers, supervising officers, and custodial managersworking in public-sector prisons in England and Wales fell by 523 over the course of 2022.

During that same period, the number of prisoners grew by 3,000.

The leaving rate for uniformed officers was 15.2 percent, while the proportion of those who had been in the job for less than three years rose from 30 percent to 33 percent within just one year.

Fairhurst gave evidence to the Justice Select Committee earlier this month, as an inquiry looks into why high volumes of prison officers are leaving the prison serviceas well as the implications.

Constant Threat of Violence

Speaking to The Epoch Times on Friday, the POA chair described some of the hostile and violent working environments faced by British prison officers.

For the likes of me, Ive got 31 years in the job. If I could go to a similar job with similar money or slightly less, then Id leave tomorrow, Fairhurst said.

And the reason for that is when I joined the job, I had a retirement age of 60, he said. So I could retire at age 60 on a full pension with a gratuity. In 2015, the Tory government ripped that away from us, and said you will retire at your state pension age. Now my retirement age is the state pension age, which for me is 67.

But for the new kids joining now, its 68, he said. So now Ive got to work an extra seven years before I can draw my full pension.

From his years of experience in his role at HM Prison Liverpool, the prison officer said prisoner violence has soared within the youth, male and, now, female estates.

We are dealing with an  increasingly violent prison population whove got no respect for authority, he said. Its a reflection on society, which has become more disrespectful toward authority figures, and more violent.

But in prisons, when prisoners notice that theres a severe lack of staff, theyve got the upper hand, said Fairhurst. And you are getting more and more inexperienced staff who may be joining the services as their first job, with no life skills, who just cant cope with whats in front of them, and dont know how to deal with experienced prisoners.

Experienced prisoners with inexperienced staff is a recipe for disaster.

You need that voice of experience on your shoulder to learn off people and show people how to confront a violent situation and calm the situation down, he said.

UK Justice Secretary Dominic Raab with a prison officer at the opening of category C mens prison HMP Five Wells in Wellingborough, UK, on Mar. 4, 2022. (Joe Giddens/PA)

Call for Pepper Spray

During his evidence to the Justice Select Committee on Feb. 7, the prison officer representative described a serious attack carried out on one guard by an under-18 offender.

The staff member was left with a broken jaw, and lost six teeth as a result of the attack.

Fairhurst said prison officers were facing similar life-threatening attacks on a weekly basis.

He has called for the roll-out of pepper spray to staff in all jails, including youth and womens prisons, where staff currently do not carry batons or other safety equipment.

Pelargonic Acid Vanillylamide (PAVA)a synthetic version of pepper sprayis currently only used by prison officers in Britains male prison estate.

In the youth custody estate, were dealing with the most violent cohort, that is the most violent estate, Fairhurst told The Epoch Times.

Staff dont carry batons like they do in the adult state. They dont carry rigid bar cuffs, and they dont carry PAVAall theyve got is a body-worn video camera and a polo shirt.

Weve been asking for PAVA in that estate for years now, because its such a political decision, he said. And because youre dealing with under-18s who are officially classed as children, theyre reluctant to give it to us  but they are going to have to do something because in that estate, more and more of my members are receiving life-threatening injuries, or life-changing injuries, so somethings got to change.

In terms of violence in womens prisons, the POA chair said: Were dealing with more and more complex women in the female estate, who are prolific self-harmers.

Self harm has rocketed in that estate, [and] they are increasingly more violent, he said.

Horror injuries and psychological trauma from prisoner attacks are also leading to officers being medically retired from their jobs, according to Fairhurst.

We get more and more people retired from the service with PTSD because there isnt sufficient care in place for them when theyre on duty dealing with traumatic incidents.

Weve had people who have to retire from the job because of the horrific injuries theyve received from attacks from prisoners. Thats become more and more common. So yeah, theres loads of examples out there. Its just absolutely horrific at the moment, and its getting worse, he said.

Demoralised and Demotivated

The prison union chief says that only direct and urgent government action can change the future of the service.

Its a crisis, we are in meltdown. And only the government can change it, he said. They need a massive investment in staff. They need to increase the salary of prison officers to make it attractive to those who will probably consider it in a second career, and have gone through life or, maybe, [are] in their mid-40s and thinking: I quite fancy that.

Or ex-armed forces who are leaving the jobtheyre not going to join our job with the current salary with the risks that we face. They want more in a salary and more on offer.

He added: We need to give more of a career structure for people so they progress through the ranks, and we need to embrace those with experience and respect those people with experience instead of demonising them all the time.

That coupled with a low retirement age and the proper protections in place to staffby issuing PAVA to everyonewill make the job safer for us and will keep us in the job, he said.

But at the moment we feel so demoralised, demotivated, unappreciated. Weve got no option, we just want to leave.

When asked in the Commons last week by Labour MP Mary Kelly Foy whether the government would reduce the retirement age for prison officers, Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said he would not revisit the issue.

My door is always open to discuss matters with prison officers, in particular the POA, Raab said on Tuesday.

Fairhurst said the current retirement age for prison guards was unrealistic.

He needs to revisit it whether he likes it or not, Fairhurst said, referring to the Justice Secretary. More and more staff will leave because they dont want to work in their 60s in a hostile environment.
While Ohio reels from a train derailment carrying hazardous chemicals, what do Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and President Joe Biden do? Buttigieg stayed silent for far too long. Eventually, he blamed a Trump-era policy, which turned out to be a fabrication to cover up the real problem. Biden, on the other hand, took this time to schedule a visitnot to Ohio, but to Poland, to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Ukraine war. In addition, while the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) denied the Ohio governors request for aid, Biden pledged $500 million more in aid to Ukraine. Shortly after former President Donald Trump announced his plan to visit Ohio, however, FEMA reversed its decision to send aid. The difference between an America First versus an America Last agenda couldnt be more conspicuous.
Ukraine War Could Last Another 12 Months, Says UK Defence Chief Ahead of Anniversary

Britain's Secretary of State for Defence, Ben Wallace, poses for a group picture on the second day of a NATO Defence Ministers meeting at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on Oct. 13, 2022. (Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images)

The war in Ukraine could last another year, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said.

This Friday will mark the first anniversary of the war, which began when Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.

Asked whether the public will still see Ukraine and Russia at war in another 12 months, Wallace told LBC radio: I think we will. I think Russia has shown a complete disregard, not only for the lives of the people of Ukraine, but for its own soldiers.

Ukrainian soldiers patrol in Bakhmut, eastern Ukraine, on Feb. 14, 2023. (John Moore/Getty Images)

During the past 12 months, more than 188,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in the conflict, Wallace said.

The defence chief said he doesnt think Putin will voluntarily put an end to the war.

When someone has crossed the line and thinks it is OK to do that to your own people, running effectively a meat grinder for an army, I think he is not going to stop.

Military Aid

Britain has been one of the staunchest supporters of Ukraines resistance.

Last year the UK provided 2.3 billion ($2.8 billion) in military aid to Ukrainethe largest package of support of any European nation and second only to the United States. The government has also pledged 1.5 billion in economic and humanitarian support.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace meets Ukrainian soldiers during a visit to Bovington Camp in Dorset, England, on Feb. 22, 2023. (Ben Birchall  Pool/Getty Images)

In January, the UK became the first country to pledge advanced Western main battle tanks to Ukraine when Prime Minister Rishi Sunak authorised the delivery of 12 Challenger 2 tanks.

On Wednesday, Wallace met with Ukrainian troops being trained on the Challengers at the Bovington Camp in Dorset.

He told LBC that he is open to more British tanks being senton top of those already pledged.

Fighter Jets

The defence secretary also suggested that Ukraine is likely to receive fighter jets from NATO member countries. However, he suggested that NATOs eastern European member states such as Polandwhich have Soviet-era planes that the Ukrainian air force is used toare more likely to supply the jets than Britain.

Sunaks government has so far not committed to providing Ukraine with British jets, arguing that it takes too long for pilots to train on the Royal Air Forces F-35 and Typhoon jets.

A Royal Air Force Typhoon jet flies over the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base near Constanta, Romania, on April 8, 2022. (Daniel Mihailescu /AFP via Getty Images)

But the prime minister is under increasing pressure from members of Parliament, including his immediate predecessors Liz Truss and Boris Johnson, to send fighter jets to Ukraine.

During Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyys visit to London earlier this month, Sunak announced plans to train Ukrainian pilots to fly NATO-standard advanced fighter jets, and Downing Street said Defence Secretary Ben Wallace is actively looking at whether we send jets.

Last week, however, Wallace claimed it could be years before the UK gives any planes to Ukraine, suggesting Zelenskyy may even have to wait until the war with Russia is over.

During a debate on Ukraine in the House of Commons earlier this week, both Truss and Johnson piled pressure on Sunak, urging the UK government to further step up its already substantial support for the war-torn country.

Johnson said: The Ukrainians are fighting not just for their freedom, but for the cause of freedom around the world. We should give them what they need, not next month, not next year, but now.

Echoing Johnsons sentiment, Truss said she cant wait to see fighter jets being delivered to Ukraine.

Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak meet outside Number 10 Downing Street in London on Feb. 8, 2023. (Henry Nicholls/Reuters)

Record Arms Orders

Amid the elevated threat environment caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, British defence giant BAE Systems has received record orders in the past year.

BAE, the UKs biggest defence firm, reported its highest ever order intake of 37.1 billion ($44.5 billion) for 2022, which saw its order backlog jump to 58.9 billion.

The company said in a statement: While it is tragic that it took a war in Europe to raise the awareness of the importance of defence around the globe, BAE Systems is well positioned to help national governments keep their citizens safe and secure in an elevated threat environment.

The groupwhich builds ships, submarines, and fighter jetssaid it expects sales to increase by a further 35 percent in 2023, while underlying earnings are forecast to increase by 46 percent.

Charles Woodburn, chief executive of BAE, said: Weve delivered another year of strong results across the group.

Our record orders and financial performance give us confidence in delivering long-term growth and to continue investing in new technologies, facilities, and thousands of highly skilled jobs, whilst increasing shareholder returns.

PA Media contributed to this report.
UKs Sunak Calls for Long-Term Security Assurance for Ukraine on War Anniversary

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty with members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as they observe a minute's silence to mark the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, outside 10 Downing Street, London, on Feb. 24, 2023. (Jordan Pettitt/PA Media)

The international community should support Ukraine with long-term military and security assurances, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion.

The conflict began exactly one year ago, when Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

At a virtual meeting with G-7 leaders on Friday, Sunak said the security assurance is necessary to send a strong message to Russian President Vladimir Putin that the global support for Ukraine is enduring, according to a Downing Street spokesman.

Discussing the global impact of Russias war, the prime minister said the Russian assault on Ukraine wasnt just a Euro-Atlantic problem, but an attack on universal principles, the spokesman added.

Ukraines resilience and courage since the start of the full-scale invasion had been extraordinarily inspiring, Sunak was quoted as saying.

Downing Street said G-7 leaders reiterated their unfaltering support for Ukraine and agreed on the need to continue to intensify military aid.

Earlier, Sunak led a minutes silence from Downing Street to mark the anniversary. He was joined outside No. 10 by his wife Akshata Murthy, Kyivs ambassador to Britain Vadym Prystaiko, and dozens of Ukrainian troops being trained by the UK.

Britain has been one of the staunchest supporters of Ukraines resistance.

Last year the UK provided 2.3 billion ($2.8 billion) in military aid to Ukrainethe largest package of support of any European nation and second only to the United States. The government has also pledged 1.5 billion in economic and humanitarian support.

In January, the UK became the first country to pledge advanced Western main battle tanks to Ukraine when the prime minister authorised the delivery of 12 Challenger 2 tanks.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace meets Ukrainian soldiers during a visit to Bovington Camp in Dorset, England, on Feb. 22, 2023. (Ben Birchall  Pool/Getty Images)

Fighter Jets

Sunaks government has so far not committed to providing Ukraine with fighter jets, arguing that it takes too long for pilots to train on the Royal Air Forces F-35 and Typhoon jets.

But the prime minister is under increasing pressure from members of Parliament, including his immediate predecessors Liz Truss and Boris Johnson, to send fighter jets to Ukraine.

During Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyys visit to London earlier this month, Sunak announced plans to train Ukrainian pilots to fly NATO-standard advanced fighter jets, and Downing Street said Defence Secretary Ben Wallace is actively looking at whether we send jets.

Last week, however, Wallace claimed it could be years before the UK gives any planes to Ukraine, suggesting Zelenskyy may even have to wait until the war with Russia is over.

A Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jet in an undated file photo. (SAC Charlotte Hopkins/MoD/PA)

Talking to Times Radio on Friday, Wallace said that Britain is prepared to supply jets to eastern European NATO allies to enable them to release their Soviet-era planes to Ukraine.

He said that backfilling allies with the UKs jets to free up their own MiG-29s or Su-24s would be a quicker way to bolster Kyivs defences than providing them with British Typhoons.

They are already configured to fight in a NATO way, where of course Ukraine isnt, he said.

Wallace said the UK is taking steps to rebuild its munitions stockpiles that have been depleted by the war and have borne the brunt of defence cuts in recent decades.

We have now started to place orders to replenish them and where we havent placed orders we have started the work to make sure we have the supply chain or find alternative sources, he told Sky News.

Support Not Time-Limited

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced a new package of sanctions on Russia.

Export bans have been extended to include hundreds of goods, including aircraft parts, radio equipment, and electronic components that can be used by the Russian military-industrial complex.

The UK also sanctioned senior executives at the Russian state-owned nuclear power company Rosatom, as well as bosses at Russias two largest defence companies and four banks.

Cleverly said: Ukrainians are turning the tide on Russia but they cannot do it alone. That is why we must do more to help Ukraine win.

Today we are sanctioning the elites who run Putins key industries and committing to prohibit the export to Russia of every item Russia has been found using on the battlefield.

The foreign secretary also urged other countries to send a clear message that they will continue to support Ukraine until its sovereignty and territorial integrity are restored.

Speaking at the United Nations Security Council on Friday, Cleverly said: One year on, one year into this terrible, terrible war, let us in this chamber send a clear message. Our support for Ukraine is not and will never be time-limited. Our defence of the U.N. Charter is not and will never be time-limited.

Cross-Party Support

It is a cross-party consensus in the UK Parliament that Britain needs to provide continued support to Ukraines war effort.

The main opposition Labour Party has vowed to stand in lockstep with the Conservative government on assisting Ukraine with its defence.

Speaking in Cardiff on Friday, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: I had the privilege last week of being in Ukraine and to see first-hand the courage and resilience of the Ukrainian people was really humbling, and I think today is a day for repeating what I said to them, which is whatever other political divides there are in the UK, we stand united in our support of Ukraine. Putin must be defeated in Ukraine.

PA Media contributed to this report.
Students across Florida walked out of universities and some high schools yesterday in protest of authoritarian Gov. Ron DeSantis and his racist, anti-LGBTQ+, anti-American policies.

At University of South Florida, University of Florida, Florida State University, International University in Miami, and many other campuses, teens and young adults  with the support of teachers  rallied against the state's far-right policies that ban diversity programs and limit what educators can teach about history, race, gender, equity and inclusion. Students also protested DeSantis' creepy prying into past health records of students who attend state universities.

From ABC News:

"Ron DeSantis has been on a rampage. He's banning books and flags in classrooms everywhere. He's making sure our history isn't getting taught. He's getting rid of teachers, professors and faculty that look like us and support us," said Nailah Summers, the co-executive director of the Dream Defenders, who publicly called for a statewide day of action, along with the newly formed Stand for Freedom, a coalition of student organizations spanning Florida's college campuses. "He's made it harder to protest, harder to vote, and harder to live in Florida."

Florida college students took part in a walkout Thursday to protest Gov. Ron DeSantis' (R-FL) plan to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.



This comes in the wake of Florida's rollout of a new education bill, HB 999. pic.twitter.com/uRQmMcoJDi  The Recount (@therecount) February 24, 2023
ULEZ Advert Probed After Hundreds Complained Over Misleading Claims

A sign at the expanded boundary of Londons ULEZ pollution charge zone for older vehicles on Oct. 25, 2021. (Yui Mok/PA)

A TV advert about the upcoming expansion of Londons Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is under investigation following hundreds of complaints that the ad was misleading, the advertisement watchdog has confirmed.

A spokesman for the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said the regulator had received 370 complaints about the ad.

Complainants argue that the ad is misleading, the spokesman confirmed in a statement emailed to The Epoch Times on Friday.

Were currently investigating to determine whether there are grounds for further action, he said, adding that no further details can be provided to avoid impacting the investigation.

The regulator didnt specify when the Transport for London (TfL) ad was broadcast or what claims were alleged to be misleading. According to local media reports, the ad claimed that London has an urgent air quality problem and its impacting the health of Londoners.

In an statement emailed to The Epoch Times, a TfL spokesperson said: Each year, around 4,000 people die prematurely because of air pollution and the ULEZ will help tackle this health crisis.

We know that tackling air quality is an emotive issue and that the ASA has been contacted by some members of the public. As is standard practice for the ASA, they have asked for additional information and we are now providing them with evidence that clearly demonstrates how the ULEZ expansion will help clean up poor quality air across the capital.

Air Quality

The ULEZ is an area in which vehicles that do not meet certain emissions standards must pay a daily charge of 12.50 to drive or face fines.

The scheme currently covers the areas within Londons North and South Circular roads. It is set to expand to the whole of Greater London from Aug. 29, 2023, under plans from Mayor Sadiq Khan.

The Ultra Low Emission Zone is to expand to the North and South circulars from 2021. (Transport for London)

Promoting the expansion last month, Khan also said he was making the move because toxic air was causing the premature death of more than 4,000 Londoners.

The figure came from a TfL-commissioned study (pdf) published in January 2021 by Imperial College London (ICL)s Environmental Research Group.

The Study said the equivalent of between 3,600 to 4,100 deaths in Greater London in 2019 were estimated to be attributable to human-made PM2.5 and NO2, counting all causes including respiratory, lung cancer, and cardiovascular deaths.

It also calculated that a child born in London in 2013 would on average live 5 to 6 months longer with Khans air quality policies.

A separated observational study (pdf) by ICLs Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Centre for Transport Studies, that was published in November 2021, said the ULEZ caused only small improvements in air quality and is not on its own an effective strategy in the sense that the marginal causal effects were small.

Oppositions

The planned ULEZ expansion was announced after the TfL ran a ten-week consultation last year despite the fact that the published consultation report said 59 percent of the respondents opposed the expansion. The plan was since met with resistance from campaigners, local councils, and Westminster.

Greater London Authority (GLA) Conservatives in January published around 200 pages of emails and documents obtained through freedom of information requests, which they said prove that interventions by the mayors office and the TfL have skewed the result of the consultation, likely reducing opposition percentage by between 3 to 6 percent.

THE GLA Conservatives also accused the Labour mayor of lying to the London Assembly about the consultation.

Howard Cox, founder of FairfuelUK, a pro-drivers campaign group whose supporters responses to the consultation were allegedly excluded from a key question, labelled the ULEZ expansion as being purely a cash grab hidden behind a virtual signalling emotive approach to allegedly improving air quality.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan at City Hall as Transport for London (TfL) launch their consultation on expanding the ULEZ London-wide on May 20, 2022. (Karis Pearson/PA Media)

Khans spokesman denied the allegations, saying, The real scandal is that toxic air leads to the deaths of thousands of Londoners every year.

The spokesman also said Khan had considered TfLs report on the TfLs consultation responses, adding that the consultation was not a referendum.

But Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urged Khan to properly reconsider the plans to expand ULEZ and respond to these serious concerns.

The expansion was also opposed by Conservative-led councils.

In a joint statement released on Feb. 16, the outer London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Harrow, Hillingdon, and Surrey County Council said they have launched a judicial review to challenge the decision.

The councils said they will challenge the ULEZ expansion in the High Court on the grounds that relevant statutory requirements were not complied with, expected compliance rates in outer London were not considered, and the proposed scrappage scheme was not consulted on.

They will also argue that the overall consultation process was not properly conducted and there was a failure to carry out a cost-benefit analysis of the plan.

Alexander Zhang contributed to this report.
Unrecoverable Federal Student Loans Up 34% This Fiscal Year: PBO

The amount of Canada Student Loans deemed by the federal government to be uncollectible this year is up by over $57 million more than last fiscal year, says a report from the Parliamentary Budget Office.

The increase represents a 34 percent increase from last year and is over $50 million more than what was originally projected in the Chief Actuarys report, writes the Budget Office, as first reported by Blacklocks Reporter.

The government seeks approval from Parliament each year to write off student loans it believes are uncollectible.

This year the government is requesting approval for $227 million in write-offs over 23,000 debts it deems unrecoverable, says the report Supplementary Estimates, published on Feb. 23.

It adds that some volatility is to be expected in the actual amounts that get written off each year because decisions around which loans to write off is a multi-step process.

The Canada Student Loans Program provides federal loans and grants to post-secondary students who request assistance in financing their education beyond high school.

The increase in expected unrecoverable loans from the program comes several months after the Liberal government announced in its Fall Economic Statement 2022 that it would be cutting interest on the federal portion of all Canada Student Loans and Canada Apprentice Loans beginning in April 2023.

The policy had previously been put in place by the Liberal government as a temporary pandemic-response measure in April 2020.

Although the policy is set to become permanent this April, the PBO writes that its impact on write-offs will not be felt until the fiscal year 2026-2027, because most loans are not written off until the borrowers have been in default for seven years or longer.

Waiving Interest

The governments measure to waive interest on all federal student loans is estimated to cost Ottawa upwards of $556 million every year ongoing, according to Erin Hetherington, policy director for the Canada Student Financial Assistance Program.

Hetherington told the Senate National Finance Committee in November 2022 that the governments first investment into repealing the student loan interest will be about $2.7 billion over the next five years.

Were estimating that it will positively impact 1.2 million borrowers each year, she told the committee.

The purpose behind this measure is to provide relief to borrowers who are experiencing long-term affordability pressures and to help recent post-secondary education graduates better manage their student and apprentice loan repayments.

Also in November, Conservative MP Adam Chambers asked witnesses appearing before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance about how many new students the federal government estimates will be able to pursue post-secondary education because of the new policy.

It is difficult to say, said Atiq Rahman, assistant deputy minister of the Employment and Social Development Departments learning branch, while testifying before the committee on Nov. 21.

I do not have the number of how many students might go to post-secondary because of this measure.
US Deems Australia the Frontline of Beijing Military Tensions: Former Ambassador

A U.S military HH-60 Pave Hawk Helicopter is seen flying over a simulated crash site during Exercise Angel Reign on July 1, 2016 in Townsville, Australia. (Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)

The current threat of attack against Australia has reached a point where U.S. authorities are treating it as the frontline of competition with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), says former Australian Ambassador to the U.S. Kim Beazley.

The former Labor Party and opposition leader said that the previous timeframe for a potential attack on Australia had narrowedfrom 15 years to zeroand this left the country in its worst position strategically since the two World Wars.

We are now frontline. The Americans are starting to treat us as a frontline state. Theyve looked at the capabilities here, the air bases, naval bases, the army bases, Beazley told Sky News Australia on Feb. 23.

We need to not only look east-west, which is how they normally look, but we also need to look north-south. So now theyre interested in all the Australian facilities.

Former US Secretary of State John Kerry (L) greeted by then-Australian Ambassador to the US Kim Beazley on his arrival in Sydney, Australia, on Aug. 11, 2014. (Peter Parks  Pool/Getty Images)

Because we are frontline because we are capable, because we are doing things like joint research with the Americans and the British, we are massively an intelligence target, he added, saying Australia was subject to cyber and human espionage, something the domestic spy chief Mike Burgess has alluded to.

Read More Spies Posing As Diplomats to Win Over Journalists: Intelligence Agency

Nuclear Submarine Announcement Due in March

The three leaders of the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom are set to meet in March to announce how Australia will be armed with nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS agreement.

AUKUS was announced in September 2021 by the then-leaders of the three countries to effectively create a bulwark against CCP military aggression in the Indo-Pacific (although the nations leaders did not explicitly name China).

AUKUS formalised existing partnerships between the nations and pledged to streamline collaboration in fields like quantum computing, undersea capabilities, hypersonic weapons, and cyber technology.

However, the centrepiece of AUKUS is the sharing of U.S. nuclear propulsion technology with Australia, something that had happened only once before, in 1958, when the United States shared the tech with the UK.

The successful arming of Australia will effectively tip the power balance of the Indo-Pacific.

Yet there are concerns around the timeframe of when the first submarine will actually be delivered and whether the industry can keep up with such demand. Another concern has been whether Australia is tied into military engagements with the U.S. and UK.

We make our own decisions on whether we go to war and when we dont, Beazley said. But you also need to comprehend that when you choose to have allies when you choose to benefit from the intelligence they provide, and deliver it yourself as well, your best defence is to be in harmony with them.

He added that rather than look at the inwardness and outwardness of the sovereignty issue, he personally looked at what AUKUS did for all of us.

No Concerns for Former PM Rudd in US Ambassador Role

Meanwhile, Beazley conceded that the appointment of former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to the post of the Australian ambassadorship to the United States would be a challenge for the former leader.

The thing about the job in the U.S. is its very much a nuts-and-bolts job. Its very much about making sure things work. Its not about the big stance, its not about the great projection of the objectives of the nation, he said.

President of the Asia Society and former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd speaks as he introduces U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken during an event at Jack Morton Auditorium of George Washington University in Washington, D.C., on May 26, 2022. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

That is a matter for [Foreign Minister] Penny Wong, [Defence Minister Richard] Marles, and the prime minister. They do that; you dont. What you do is make sure everything works.

Beazley said Rudd would be up for the challenge and would be tasked with negotiations around how to get U.S. personnel into Australian facilities, the terms and conditions, and pouring over the details of the nuclear submarines.

Its a nuts-and-bolts job. I found it humbling. Ive been a minister and deputy prime minister, and ambassadors are way below, he said. Youre just a cog in a massive policy development wheelan important cogbut no more than that.
US to Target Chinese Companies in Upcoming Sanctions on Russia

Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland testifies before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Ukraine in Washington, D.C., on March 8, 2022. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

U.S. Sanctions targeting Russia on the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine will also hit China-linked entities that are violating export bans against Moscow, according to the State Department.

The Biden administration has identified that China-linked firmssome Europe-basedare evading existing sanctions against Russia intended to weaken Moscows ability to finance and supply its military offensive in Ukraine.

There will be in the sanctions packages that we will be announcing tomorrow on the one-year anniversary of the war, U.S. Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said during a live Washington Post event on Feb. 23. We will also be putting other constraints on entities, Chinese-based or Chinese subs of entities in Europe.

In January, the U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctioned the Chinese technology company Spacety for providing geolocating data to a private Russian mercenary group that has fought alongside Moscow forces in the war.

Some of the items being accessed by Russia include laptops, smartphones, dishwashers, washing machines, and cars. Nuland alleged that developing countries are acting as intermediaries to supply the goods to Moscow.

U.S. officials are concerned that advanced semiconductor chips in these products could be used for military purposes.

They can cannibalize this machinery to get the advanced chips that we have denied them so that they can make more rockets, Nuland said. We will clamp down on that evasion starting tomorrow.

The State Department has taken a firmer stance against countries that would send lethal aid to Russia, which Nuland and other U.S. officials suspect Chinas ruling communist party is considering. On Thursday, when asked by NBC whether the Biden administration would share the intelligence behind these suspicions, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that they have no plans to do so but it is not off the table.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during the daily briefing on Jan. 17, 2023. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

Biden administration officials continued to issue warnings to Beijing this week, hoping to deter any potential arms trafficking to Russia that might occur.

[Lethal aid] would be a complete step change, Nuland said. Not only in how they are viewed globally and their claims of neutrality but also in our relationship with China.

This is not something that can be done under the carpet while China professes to be neutral.

At a Department of Defense press briefing on Wednesday, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh warned of consequences for China if they were to provide lethal support. When asked by The Epoch Times what those consequences might look like, she would not specify.

I dont want to get ahead and forecast any of those consequences, Singh said.

Fridays sanctions will also target Russian companies in financial, technology, and military-affiliated industries.

President Joe Biden will meet virtually with other G7 leaders and Ukrainian President Zelensky on Friday to announce the new sanctions. Friday marks the one-year anniversary of Russias invasion of Ukraine.
US Unveils New Sanctions, Tariffs on Russia on Ukraine War Anniversary

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers a speech at the Royal Castle Arcades in Warsaw, Poland, on Feb. 21, 2023. (Omar Marques/Getty Images)

The United States has announced sweeping new sanctions on Russia and its partners on the first anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine.

The Biden administration said on Feb. 24 that it would implement increased tariffs and export controls against critical Russian sectors in order to break the regimes ability to continue its war of conquest against Ukraine. Notably, the measures include export controls against Chinese-based entities known to have assisted the Russian war machine.

President Joe Biden is signing proclamations today to raise tariffs on Russian products imported to the United States, including on more than 100 Russian metals, minerals, and chemical products worth approximately $2.8 billion to Russia.

The move will also significantly increase the costs of importing aluminum that was smelted or cast in Russia in order to counter harm to the United States domestic aluminum industry.

The White House, State Department, Treasury Department, Commerce Department, and Office of the U.S. Trade Representative are all involved in the effort, targeting Russias ability to conduct war from different angles. The actions were also taken in coordination with the Group of Seven (G7) nations, the U.S. administration said.

The Treasurys sanction will target Russian financial institutions and wealth management entities, as well as international businessmen accused of helping Russia to backfill losses from previous sanctions. The Treasury measures target a total of 22 individuals and 83 entities.

Todays action  further isolates Russia from the international economy and hinders Russias ability to obtain the capital, materials, technology, and support that sustain its war against Ukraine, which has killed thousands and displaced millions of people, the Treasury said in a statement.

Likewise, the Department of State is blacklisting more than 60 individuals and entities, including those from Russias advanced technology sector in an effort to degrade the regimes ability to produce hardware and software required for intelligence operations.

The State Department also moved to blacklist three entities associated with Russias military and civilian nuclear programs.

The Department of Commerce, meanwhile, is set to restrict exports to Russia, Belarus, and Iran.

These sanctions, export controls, and tariffs are part of our ongoing efforts to impose strong additional economic costs on Russia, a White House fact sheet on the issue said.

We will continue to work with our allies and partners to use all economic tools available to us to disrupt Russias ability to wage its war and degrade its economy over time.

The United States push against Russia comes exactly one year after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and just as Biden meets with G7 leaders today to discuss mutual economic commitments and how best to counter Russias attempts to circumvent international sanctions.

To that end, the leaders are working to create an Enforcement Coordination Mechanism which will be chaired by the United States in the first year, and are anticipated to announce sanctions against 200 entities known to support Russias war.

This will result in sanctions being imposed on over 200 individuals and entities, including both Russian and third-country actors across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East that are supporting Russias war effort, the fact sheet said.

We will sanction additional actors tied to Russias defense and technology industry, including those responsible for backfilling Russian stocks of sanctioned items or enabling Russian sanctions evasion.

Likewise, the United States will move later in the day to restrict exports to 90 companies believed to be supporting the Russian war effort, including some in China.

In all cases, the White House said, the economic measures against Russia were being tailored to minimize any potential impact on U.S. consumers.

Today, the Department of Commerce will take several export control actions, listing nearly 90 Russian and third country companies, including in China among other countries, on the Entity List for engaging in sanction evasion and backfill activities in support of Russias defense sector, the fact sheet said.

These listings will prohibit the targeted companies from purchasing items, such as semiconductors, whether made in the U.S. or with certain U.S. technology or software abroad.
US Urges All Governments to Respect Religious Freedom After European Court Rules in Favor of Falun Gong in Russia

The State Department is urging all governments to respect religious freedom after Europes international human rights court ruled Russias ban on Falun Gong materials is illegal.

More broadly, we strongly oppose laws that impede freedom of expression and freedom of religionrights protected in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, a State Department spokesperson told The Epoch Times. We are concerned by any attempt to prevent individuals [from] practicing their fundamental rights and encourage all governments to respect religious freedoms or belief.

The Jan. 31 ruling from the European Court of Human Rights concerns a Russian ban dating back to 2008 targeting four materials related to the spiritual practice Falun Gong, a meditative practice originating in China that features the values of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.

Among the publications targeted were the practices principal teaching Zhuan Falun, two brochures serving to introduce the practice and promote a global Olympic torch protest highlighting the human rights abuses in communist Chinathen the host of its first Olympic Games in Beijingand an investigative report shedding light on the Chinese regimes systematic forced organ harvesting.

Ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Falun Gong adherents and human rights activists around China were harassed or jailed. Yu Zhou, a popular folk musician, was caught in the sweep and died days after his arrest. His wife, Xu Na, a painter, is now serving an eight-year sentence for both adhering to her belief and sharing COVID-related photos with The Epoch Times amid Beijings heavy suppression of pandemic information in 2020.

Falun Gong practitioner Xu Na in an undated photo. (The Epoch Times)

The European human rights body found the Russian ban to have violated the freedom of expression protection in the European Convention on Human Rights, when read in the light of the right to religious freedom in the charter.

The Russian courts failed to assess the necessity of banning the publications with regard to the context in which they were published, their nature and wording, and their possible harmful effect, the Jan. 31 judgment stated.

Levi Browde, executive director of the Falun Dafa Information Center, said he hopes the European court ruling could be a reminder for Russian authorities that it never works out to collaborate with the CCP [Chinese Communist Party].

However, we recognize Moscow is not the CCP and still think Russian authorities can right their course and not do the CCPs bidding in suppressing religious freedom, he told The Epoch Times.
Vaccine Harms Are Biodefense Plans Collateral Damage

Commentary

Recently, revelations by outstanding artist and writer/researcher/investigator Sasha Latypova about COVID genetic vaccines have shed light on the shady, and as she calls it criminal, process by which the vaccine products were manufactured and authorized.

Medical Countermeasures With No Regulatory Oversight

Latypova combed through FOIA-extracted and leaked documents to find convincing evidence that COVID vaccine manufacture and distribution were conducted by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) under laws covering medical countermeasures, rather than regulations intended to ensure the safety of pharmaceutical products. Consequently, the COVID vaccines could bypass regulatory scrutiny and were not required to comply with good manufacturing practices.

It is highly worth watching Latypovas 30-minute presentation at a conference in Stockholm in January 2023.

I find Latypovas analysis convincing, and I am grateful for her work in exposing the charade of nonexistent quality and safety controls for COVID vaccine products. However, I disagree with her conclusion that the injuries and deaths resulting from the lack of regulatory oversight are intentional murder by a cabal of omnipotent globalist central bankers whose aim is to depopulate the planet.

Vaccines Success Was Crucial for the Pharma-Government-NGO Biodefense Network

Latypova tries to bolster the murderous banker scenario by positing that the same enormous COVID vaccine profits could have been achieved even without killing anyone:

I keep pointing out that if the motive were JUST PROFIT, then the most profitable strategy would have been to ship placebo.  Yet, the governments (plural)-pharma cartel insists on killing and injuring millions of people, obviously limiting the profit potential by doing so.

This, I believe, is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the role that medical countermeasures, including vaccines, play in the overall biodefense scheme.

Rather than bioweapons intended to kill millions of people, COVID vaccines were rushed through the development process as the culmination of a Sisyphean decades-long biodefense attempt to develop countermeasures against pathogens with bioweapon potential.

In view of the enormous time, expense and effort devoted to medical countermeasure development (details below), it becomes clear that COVID was, in fact, the perfect opportunity to finally demonstrate that all that effort had been worthwhile. How? By bringing a successful vaccine product (one that could be shown to have any benefit at all, even just a transient, short-term protection from severe infection) to market at record speedin time to save millions of lives.

And not just any product, but an entire platform that can be used against every emerged, emerging, and yet-to-emerge pathogen. That is what the success of the Moderna and BioNTech/Pfizer mRNA vaccines represents.

If the COVID vaccine development using these platforms entailed rushing through the design and manufacturing process, bypassing regulations, and causing some serious adverse events and deaths, so be it. The goal of developing a real-life biodefense countermeasure that could be injected into billions of arms, in a process that could theoretically be replicated for any pathogen, was worth it.

Understanding Vaccines in the Context of Biodefense Planning

Ever since 9/11 and the anthrax attacks of 2001, the development of medical countermeasures against potential biological weapons has been a major part of the U.S. governments overall counterterrorism efforts.

As explained in a 2021 Lancet paper, Biodefense Research Two Decades Later: Worth the Investment?:

Factors such as sustained government and private funding resources driven by the looming threat of bioterrorism and the recent occurrence of natural outbreaks of bioterror-related pathogens including Coxiella burnetii, Ebola virus (EBOV), SARS-CoV-1, SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and Lassa virus are likely major contributors to the ever-expanding global biodefense market.

When we understand the COVID response in this biodefense framework, SARS-CoV-2 is a bioterror-related pathogen and the antiviral medicines and vaccines developed to control it are medical countermeasures. These definitions are important, because they unlock Warp Speed development tracks that are not available when you try to develop a vaccine or medicine against just any old pathogen.

Medical countermeasures are worth billions (and many more billions!)

Starting in 2001, the budget for researching and developing medical countermeasures ballooned exponentially, as described in the Lancet:

Total US biodefense funding dramatically increased from ~$700,000,000 in 2001 to ~$4,000,000,000 spent in 2002; the peak of funding in 2005 was worth nearly $8,000,000,000 and continued with steady average spending around $5,000,000,000 [16, 24].

Thats over $100 billion devoted to biodefense over the last two decades.

And what were those billions devoted to? In a 2003 abstract entitled Expanded Biodefense Role for the National Institutes of Health Dr. Anthony Fauci articulates his biodefense vision:

 the goal within the next 20 years is to have bug to drug within 24 hours. This would meet the challenge of genetically engineered bioagents.

In other words, Fauci envisions the enormous increase in biodefense spending going toward the research and development of platforms thatby 2023will be able to magically generate medical countermeasures for any bioweapon in a single day.

Fifteen years later, with no such fantastical platform in sight, DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) published an updated medical countermeasure plan in 2017 entitled Removing the Viral Threat: Two Months to Stop Pandemic X from Taking Hold. Instead of Faucis 24 hours from bug to drug, this plan tells us DARPA aims to develop an integrated end-to-end platform that uses nucleic acid sequences to halt the spread of viral infections in sixty days or less.

Before COVID, this 60-day plan in no way encompassed a global vaccine rollout involving billions of doses. It was limited to developing countermeasures that could protect U.S. troops in cases of bioweapons attackseven if just temporarily. As reported in March 2020 by the IEEE, a nonprofit professional organization for engineering and technology:

When DARPA launched its Pandemic Preparedness Platform (P3) program two years ago, the pandemic was theoretical. It seemed like a prudent idea to develop a quick response to emerging infectious diseases. Researchers working under the program sought ways to confer instant (but short-term) protection from a dangerous virus or bacteria.

On March 11, 2020, when COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic, the DARPA program had yet to produce any safe or effective countermeasures against anythingnot even short-term. As a July 2020 Washington Post article noted:

Established years before the current pandemic, the program was halfway done when the first case of the novel coronavirus arrived in the United States early this year. But everyone involved in the effort by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) knew their time had come ahead of schedule.

Thus, when COVID came along, the platforms that use nucleic acid sequences (DNA and mRNA), having never produced a single usable product, were thrust into Warp Speed to produce, among others, Moderna and BioNTech/Pfizers COVID vaccines.

Medical Countermeasures Bypass Regulatory Barriers

The problem with developing vaccines, if you expect them to be truly safe and effective, is that it takes a long, long time. The research process, including three phases that evaluate multiple parameters of safety and efficacy, requires years of careful experimentation and analysis.

Then, by the time you have a safe and effective vaccine, the threat of the virus is probably over. Which means no pharmaceutical company wants to invest in such a risky proposition. For anyone who believes they have a promising vaccine candidate or platform, these hurdles can seem unnecessarily cumbersome and counterproductive.

One solution, ingeniously utilized by the COVID vaccine developers, is to define the vaccine as a medical countermeasure in a war against a bioterror-related pathogen after declaring a Public Health Emergency that opens the way for Emergency Use Authorization.

In that very specific scenario, as Latypova has shown, the countermeasures are classified as prototypes and their manufacturing process becomes merely a demonstration, requiring basically no regulatory oversight.

The Medical Countermeasure Pot of Gold at the End of the Pandemic Rainbow

All the time, money, and research sunk into attempts to develop bioweapon countermeasures caused everyone involved to view COVID as a golden opportunity. In fact, governments, pharmaceutical companies, and NGOs invested in biodefense research were determined that the COVID genetic vaccines would succeed no matter what. They were not trying to murder anyone, but they also did not plan to stop or slow down, regardless of incidental injuries or death.

By defining the virus as a potential bioweapon and the vaccine products as countermeasures they were able to:

Avoid long years of experimentation to prove safety and efficacy

Give drug companies ample incentives to pivot to mass vaccine manufacturing: billions in guaranteed sales and indemnity from any liability for potential harms caused by their products

Build a foundation for untold future riches, based on the genetic platforms whose success meant they could be used to create vaccine products against pretty much anything.

The dozens of new genetic vaccine products for everything from the flu to various cancers to AIDS currently under development by Moderna and BioNTech attest to the importance of the foundational COVID vaccine success.

From the Brownstone Institute

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Watchdog Says Youth Laws Will Erode Basic Rights in Australian State

Australias human rights watchdog has fired a scathing broadside at Queenslands proposed youth justice laws, saying they will put more children behind bars and erode basic human rights without improving community safety.

The proposed laws will make bail breaches a crime for children, increase the maximum prison term for car thefts, allow police to arrest kids on suspicion they may breach bail and make courts take into account  during sentencing  crimes that serious repeat offenders could hypothetically commit in the future.

The government has also promised to build two new youth detention centres to hold the predicted surge of new child prisoners after the laws pass.

National Childrens Commissioner Anne Hollonds says the plans are troubling on a number of fronts and will impinge on human rights, despite what appears to be little consultation about it.

Not only will this bill increase the number of children in detention in Queensland and erode their basic rights, it will do nothing to address the root causes and wont keep the community safer, Hollonds told AAP on Feb. 24.

The commissioner said international evidence showed reducing youth crime required the reform of education, health and social services systems and coordinated community-based programs to meet the needs of children and families in poverty and disadvantage, not tougher bail laws and more childrens prisons.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk refuses to reveal who proposed the harsh child bail laws, saying the community had been talking about it for a long time.

Now weve been listening to the community, thats exactly what weve done, Palaszczuk told reporters.

The premier said she was comfortable with overriding her own governments human rights laws, despite widespread criticism.

Yeah, the legislation says that we can provide that statement to the parliament, and thats exactly what we did, Palaszczuk added.

After closing public submissions on the bill, a committee will probe it for two weeks before the Labor-controlled parliament takes a vote.

The submission period for most other legislation usually runs for weeks, with parliamentary committee probes running for months.

Queensland Human Rights Commissioner Scott McDougall said he has been stonewalled by the premier about the proposed laws.

It was unfortunate: we did write to the premier and have not yet had a response, McDougall told ABC Radio National on Feb. 24.

Queensland has more children in detention than any other state or territory and with its youth prisons at capacity, many kids being held in police watchhouses.

Were talking about 10 or 11 children in one cell, sharing one toilet, having to go to the toilet in front of their peers, sleeping on plastic mats, having no access to fresh air, daylight, exercise, family limited, very limited access to education and health, McDougall said.

These are appalling conditions that we are tolerating in Australia today, and we cannot allow that inhumane treatment to be normalised.

McDougall said about 70 percent of the children behind bars are Indigenous, and the proposed laws will impact them disproportionately.

Its absolutely heartbreaking to visit these places and see the large numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in there, McDougall added.
Wisconsin Mall Parking Garage Partially Collapses, Crushing Multiple Vehicles

A parking garage at a busy mall that sits on the border between Glendale and Milwaukee in Wisconsin partially collapsed on Thursday, causing damage to multiple vehicles.

The collapse happened at about 12:15 p.m. local time at Bayshore Mall but no injuries were reported, local authorities said. Fire and law enforcement units were dispatched to the area immediately.

Photos and video footage shared on social media appear to show a large concrete slab section of the top two floors of the three-story garage lying on the first floor.

Thick snow can be seen covering the collapsed floor and rubble of the suburban Milwaukee shopping mall parking garage.

According to North Shore Fire Chief Robert Whitaker, a portion of the garages rooftop level collapsed onto the ramp between floors, which in turn sent piles of concrete down to ground level.

Literally from the third floor down, it is a wide open hole, Whitaker told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The third floor is in the first floor right now.

He added that a large pile of snow that had been plowed on the top floor of the parking structure likely played a part in the partial collapse, noting that it was heavy. It would be fair to say that the weight of the snow concentrated in one spot played a role, according to Whitaker.

Heavy Snow Hindering Clean-Up Efforts

Two cars were significantly crushed in the partial collapse, but officials were able to quickly confirm that no one was inside the damaged vehicles, authorities said.

Rescue teams that arrived on the site dug by hand and established that there were no victims.

The collapse area is comprised of not only structural components of the garage but also a significant amount of heavy and wet snow from last nights snowfall, North Shore Fire and Rescue said in a news release.

This has made removal of the collapsed concrete and snow a challenge. To aid in access and to better assess exactly what is under the snow, large commercial heating units were bought in to melt the snow overnight with the goal of exposing both affected vehicles and the structural components from the collapse tomorrow.

Glendale Mayor Bryan Kennedy told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that local authorities had viewed mall surveillance video and established that no one was in the area for 15 to 20 minutes before the collapse.

However, roughly two dozen empty vehicles remain stuck on the portion of the second and third floors, and getting them out will not be easy due to a giant hole that was left after the collapse.

He added that the parking structure of the mall had been constructed in 2005 or 2006 and that the city building inspector had recently been on site.

Shook the Whole Building

An employee at Rocky Rococo pizza who was working in a nearby building told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the collapse sounded like a bomb.

It shook the whole building, Darius Fox said. Its just a shock because nothing usually happens out here like that.

The collapse comes as the Milwaukee area has received about 23.7 inches of snow since December, including 1.5 inches of wet sleet on Wednesday amid a strong winter storm, according to the National Weather Service.

National Weather Service meteorologist Denny VanCleve told the local newspaper that the snow and sleet on the ground on Thursday may have been deceiving and looked lightweight, but it was not.

He said the county saw a total liquid equivalent of between 0.9 and 1.2 inches from the winter storm, noting that one liquid equivalent is usually the same as ten inches of snow or between two and three inches of sleet.

It can be deceiving, he said. It doesnt seem like much but the piles are going to weigh much more than two inches of snow would.
Woman Allegedly Armed With Pellet Gun Fatally Shot by Police in Silver Lake

SILVER LAKE, Calif.A woman allegedly armed with a pellet gun was shot and killed by Los Angeles Police Department officers at a homeless encampment in the Silver Lake area, authorities said Feb. 23.

The shooting occurred at around 8 p.m. Wednesday near Silver Lake Boulevard and the Temple Street overcrossing, the police department reported.

The woman, in her 40s, died at a hospital, police said. Information on her identity was not immediately available.

According to police, officers went to the location, on a report that a woman was armed with a revolver and pointed it at a passerby.

When officers arrived on scene, they encountered the suspect  who produced a handgun and pointed it in the officers direction, at which point an officer-involved shooting occurred, police said. A CO2-powered revolver BB/Pellet Gun was recovered at [the] scene.

No officers were injured. The area where the shooting occurred is the site of a large homeless encampment.
A few months back, I received two separate PR pitch emails at nearly the exact same time. One was an invitation to a speaking event in Texas hosted by a "free speech" conservative publishing company, featuring Kyle Rittenhouse as a keynote speaker. The other was also from a publishing company, but it was for a new coffee table book about synthesizers.

You can probably guess which gig I attended.

Fortunately, Synth Gems 1 is more than just a fortuitous email. Written by Mike Metlay, it's one of those thoughtful coffee table books with just enough information in it, presented clearly and simply enough, that you can actually learn a few things while you flip through all the pretty pictures at your friend's house. And it is certainly chock full of stunning pictures. Who knew that even keytars could lend themselves to glamor shots?!

Synth Gems 1 is a surprisingly comprehensive tome, with over 300 pages and more than 300 pictures of some 60+ analog synthesizers. It covers the earliest days of synthesis and audio emulation, from the first Moog and Korg units, up to the first Alessis models in the early 2000s, when things started getting digital. Along the way, Metlay does a fantastic job of providing just enough context that even a non-musician can track the progress of audio development over those three decades. Hell, even the way he explains "attack" "sustain" "release" and "decay" provided more clarity for me than my 20+ years of playing guitar in bands.

I'm a guitar player primarily, but there's something about synthesizers I've always loved. I think it's that they're simultaneously simple, and unlimited. Acoustic engineering is interesting on its own, but synthesizers twist that around in a different way. All you need is one simple audio input, and you can manipulate the tone, pitch, and experience with nearly endless variation. I think, for me, this is where I've always struggled  there's almost too much to do! I sometimes regret selling my MicroKorg all those years ago, but I needed the money at the time, and I felt like I never did anything practical with it, at least not songwriting-wise. Instead, I'd lose hours just making ambients noises and beats. But that's why it was so cool! And the accessible way that Metlay explains the evolution of this technology throughout the pages of Synth Gems 1 makes me want to start exploring the technology all over again. More remarkably, it makes me feel like I could  like this foundational understanding could give me some more deliberate direction to work on, and hone my synth skills in more intentional ways. (I do have some digital synth modellers on my computer, and also got a new Stylophone for Christmas, so maybe)

If you, like me, are a nerd for this kind of retrofuturistic audio-gasm, your coffee table could do worse than Synth Gems 1.

Synth Gems 1 [Mike Metlay / Bjooks]
Worlds Speedboat Record Holder Mourned

Water speed record holder Ken Warby displays his new boat 'Aussie Spirit' in which he hopes to break his own record on Lake Blowering in NSW. Ken set the record in 1978 on Lake Blowering with a speed of 317.60 mph / 511.11km/h. Mar. 9, 2004. (AAP Image/Alan Porritt)

Australian Ken Warby, the world water speed record holder, recently died at his home in the United States.

Few people can say theyve held a world record for 45 years. Far fewer still can say theyve managed to do it in a vessel they built by hand.

But that was Ken Warby, who passed away peacefully on Feb. 20 from Alzheimers disease.

Warby held the world record for the fastest speed achieved on water, a result he first achieved in 1977 when he raced across Blowering Dam in southern New South Wales (NSW) in a hand-built boat.

On Nov. 20 1977, he clocked a speed of 464 km/h. A year later, he beat his own record when he registered a speed of 511 km/h.

Since then, two people have tried to beat his record but both died in their attempts.

Sporting organisations, local businesses and friends and family in both Australia and the United States have spent the week paying tribute.

The Australian National Maritime Museum, where Warbys record-breaking boat is displayed, praised his extraordinary achievement powered by ambition, common sense and a tiny budget.

Fans hung an Australian flag by Blowering Dam in his memory.

He was a one-off type of guy and very brave, and in the end very proud of what hed done, said Sue Ransom, his former jet car racing partner.

Ransom said Warby once offered to help her achieve the womens water speed record.

I answered, Id be after the world record, Ransom said, although in the end she declined as she was wary of the pursuits high fatality rate.

Warby was born in Newcastle, NSW in 1939 and grew up racing speed boats on Lake Macquarie.

His childhood hero was Donald Campbell, who held the world water speed record from 1955 to 1967.

A mechanical engineer by trade, Warby built his record-breaking wooden speed boat in a shed by himself.

Warby raised the money by selling intricate landscapes he painted onto planks of wood, carved into the shape of the Australian continent.

Warby also crafted small toy boats and saved the profits to build his vessel, The Spirit of Australia.

Ransom said she believed it was Warbys long-term experience racing boats that allowed him to sharpen his intuition for water racing and the conditions required.

While other racers would wait for glassy water, Warby raced with a swell, which he felt would release some of the air pressure from the high speed and keep him safe.

In the end, this intuition, combined with his engineering, determination and ability to stay affable even under pressure, allowed him to go faster than any other human being has ever gone on water.

Later, Warby moved to the U.S. in the 1980s, where he enjoyed racing speed boats for fun with his wife Barbara, who survives him.

Warby often returned to Australia, where he was building another boat to break the world record.

In recent years, his Alzheimers slowed down his travel, but J MacCracken, his former crew chief and close friend, said Warby never let go of his sense of humour.

On a recent cruise, it took a while for Warby to realise he was on a boat.

When Warby did, he turned to his friend and quipped: Its not going too fast. Im going to speak to the captain to see if we can speed this one up.
Anxious Saudi tourist steals jet-ski, rescued from Patong Bay

PHUKET: A Saudi tourist was rescued from the water about one kilometre from Patong Beach this afternoon (Feb 24) after he stole a jet-ski from an operator on the beach.

patongtourismSafetypolice

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Friday 24 February 2023, 06:08PM

Patong Police were called to the beach at about 1pm. Arriving in force soon after were Patong Police officers led by Capt Sarawut Phuttaphonphiban along with Phuket Tourist Police officers, tourism officials from the Phuket Tourist Assistance Center and even a rescue team from the Kusoldharm Foundation.

A Patong lifeguard informed the officers that a tourist had taken off on the jet-ski after he had an argument with a jet-ski rental operator on the beach.

The man, later identified as Mr Abdullah, had jumped off the jet-ski he had taken and was treading water about a kilometre from the beach.

Jet-ski operators went out in force on three jet-skis to recover Mr Abdullah and the borrowed jet-ski, but they returned saying that he had refused help and chose to keep treading water.

Mr Abdullah continued treading water for about half an hour before rescuers returned to bring him back to shore on a jet-ski. Apparently Mr Abdullahs hands were tied during the journey back to the beach to prevent him from further endangering himself or others.

Once ashore, Mr Abdullah was rushed to Patong Hospital as he was apparently in a state of exhaustion, though he remained conscious for the journey to the hospital.

Local officers at the scene said Mr Abdullah was speaking incomprehensibly and appeared to be in a state of anxiety.

At last report Mr Abdullah remained under care at Patong Hospital while officers continued their investigation into the incident.
Minus is a new company producing bean-less coffee  that is to say, a caffeinated beverage that tastes like coffee, while sidestepping all of the agricultural and roasting processes, and the waste that results from them. As the company explains on its website:

Coffee production is double trouble. It contributes to AND suffers from the effects of climate change. So we got to work to protect our favorite ritual and our home planet. Minus produces coffee with less water, less environmental damage, and shorter supply chains. It's coffee minus the beans. Minus Coffee gives you that legendary coffee taste and all the morning pick-me-up you crave, while also leaving you proud that you're doing your part to help unf**k the planet.

This made me intrigued, but still skeptical. Then I read this review from Neo.life, with a little more detail:

It's made by fermenting roots, pits, and seeds, about half of which are upcycled, or waste products. "We use grape seeds, date seeds, chicory, carob, lentils, and millet malt," Saenz says. "Each one of these ingredients has a specific role, whether it's to help with the mouth feel, the acidity, or the sweetness. We then grab some of those ingredients and put them through our proprietary fermentation process that allows us to develop some of the complexity around flavor and get some of the brightness and acidity notes that we're looking for. And then we brew it with a process as close as possible to traditional coffee." [] Minus is meant to taste like a mocha java blend, with a medium roast, some chocolate and almond notes, and no acidity, according to Saenz. NEO.LIFE was sent a single 8.4 oz bottle of mocha java-flavored Minus Cold Brew to sample, which we split between four tasters. "It's great," said one. "Pretty good," said another. In terms of flavor, the taste was strong but pleasantneither lacking in flavor nor off-putting in any way. The most apparent taste was a slight hint of chocolate. It was hard to detect any discernible coffee flavor, but most commercial mochas don't have an overpowering coffee flavor anyway. In any case, it wasn't really missed. All four tasters liked the beanless coffee.

While they're out of stock right now, I'm certainly interested to try it. At $5 a can, I'm not making any plans to fully replace my French Press. But if I'm getting my buzz from a shop, then that's about the same cost as a normal cold brew anyway.

How to make coffee without beans [Jacopo Prisco / Neo.life]
BOI seeks private businesses to promote LTR Visa program

BANGKOK: The Board of Investment (BoI) is looking to enlist private firms to promote the Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa program aimed at wealthy pensioners and skilled foreign workers.

immigrationtourismeconomics

By National News Bureau of Thailand

Friday 24 February 2023, 02:33PM

Photo: NNT

According to BoI Secretary-General Narit Therdsteerasukdi, these companies will work with government authorities to promote the initiative locally and internationally to attract more prospective participants, reports state news agency NNT.

The move is in a bid to draw more applications for the 10-year visas introduced in 2022, he said.

The LTR visa program, which provides tax breaks and other financial incentives, is part of Thailands efforts to strengthen its economy. The government aims to attract 1 million applicants over the next five years.

As of September 2022, about 2,800 foreigners had applied for the visas. Pensioners accounted for 35% of applicants, followed by experienced professionals wishing to work remotely from Thailand and wealthy global individuals.

Collaborating with private firms to promote the program locally and globally is an excellent opportunity for Thailand to increase its foreign investment and attract skilled professionals and high-net-worth individuals, claimed the report.

The effectiveness of this campaign could be a promising step towards strengthening Thailands economy and portraying the country as an appealing destination for foreign investment, the report said.
Budget for police bodycams approved

BANGKOK: The cabinet has approved a budget of about B445 million to purchase bodycams for Royal Thai Police officers. According to new regulations, officers are now required to record their actions while on duty, including interrogation process, traffic control, negotiations.



By The Phuket News

Friday 24 February 2023, 03:27PM

A police officer with a helmet-mounted camera at a checkpoint in Phuket. Photo: The Phuket News (file photo)

Government Spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri explained that the Royal Thai Police will be responsible for the procurement of 48,500 cameras, which will be used in crime suppression, road traffic and investigatory works, state news agency NNT reported today (Feb 24).

The budget will also cover cameras used in interrogation rooms as well as police stations, Immigration police offices and police vehicles.

According to the 2022 Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Forced Disappearance Act, which came into force on Wednesday (Feb 22), officers must record images and sounds of the accused at all times. It is therefore necessary to provide cameras for this purpose.

The spokesperson reiterated that the budget will allow police officers to quickly perform their duties to their fullest capacity. He also quoted Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha as stating that the procurement must be conducted in a transparent manner, using traceable procedures.

Anucha said relevant officials  including those from the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Defense  must strictly follow the act and related protocols in order to ensure maximum benefits for members of the public.

New checkpoint rules

On Feb 4, national police chief Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas issued new guidelines on conduct at police security checkpoints including a requirement that officers store footage from their body cameras for at least 20 days after recording.

In reporting the new regulations, the Public Relations Department (PRD) posted a notice saying plainly, Without Bodycam, do not set a checkpoint.

The move followed two accusations of extortion involving police and a Taiwanese actress and her companions in Bangkok, and a Chinese tourist in Pattaya.

As reported by Bangkok Post, the guidelines also require that the nearest police crime report centre be informed of all police security checkpoints set up, such as those in cases of a criminal suspect chase.

In case any such police checkpoint faces an allegation of money extortion or demanding a bribe, not only the police at the checkpoint will be investigated and punished but also their superiors who are responsible for approving the checkpoint, the guideline says.

This appears to match the description of what allegedly happened in Phuket earlier this week, when a German tourist went public about him paying to a police officer on the side of the road without any formal procedures. The officer allegedly took the touristss cash.

The unnamed tourist went said that the officer asked him to pay a fine of B5,000 for illegally riding a motorbike through the Chalong Underpass. The sum was then bargained down to B2,000 which the foreigner paid at the scene without any receipt being given to him.
More illegal houses found encroaching on protected mangrove area

PHUKET: A team of officers from the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) have found six more houses encroaching on protected mangrove areas in Phuket.

natural-resourcesenvironmentcrimeconstructionlandproperty

By The Phuket News

Friday 24 February 2023, 11:54AM

The team, working with personnel form the Royal Thai Navy, are from the Mangrove Resource Conservation Division of the DMCR Region 10 office and operate as a Special Operations Team that has been nicknamed the Great White Sharks.

The officers, joined by staff from Phuket Mangrove Forest Resources Management Center, inspected a site in Soi Sorngkun, in Moo 1, Chalong, on Wednesday (Feb 22) and found earthworks had been conducted to level the land.

Crops had also been planted nearby, but not in the mangrove forest area. The team will coordinate with the Royal Forest Department to investigate further, the DMCR reported.

The Soi Sorngkun area in Chalong, just south of Phuket Villa 3, has been a hotbed of encroachment in recent years, with illegal development encroaching on the protected mangroves in the area.

Action by officials in protecting the mangroves in the area over the years has seen the entire Makham Khu (Twin Tamarind) community displaced from a protected mangrove forest area in the neighbouring Klong Mudong area in Wichit. The displaced residents are still seeking a place to call home.

The DMCR team on Wednesday also inspected a site further north in Soi Rong Foam {Foam Factory Street}, in Moo 1, Ratsada, where they found six houses had been built on an area that has already seen eviction notices and criminal charges served.

The area was seized under criminal case No. 70/2565 filed with the Phuket Provincial Court on Jan 13.

The team is now investigating the construction of the six houses with the intent of presenting evidence to Phuket City Police in order to have charges brought against the offenders, the DMCR noted in its report.
Terrible toll of Russias year-long invasion of Ukraine

UKRAINE: When Russias President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine on Feb 24, 2022, he started a war that has killed tens of thousands of people, ravaged cities and pummelled the countrys economy.

RussianUkraineviolencepoliticsdeath

By AFP

Friday 24 February 2023, 09:00AM

A Russian soldier stands amid the rubble of the bombed Mariupol drama theatre on March 16, 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Photo: AFP

A year on, here is the cost of the conflict:

Military losses

According to the latest estimates from Norway, 180,000 Russian soldiers and 100,000 Ukrainian troops have been wounded or killed in the conflict. Other Western sources estimate the war has caused 150,000 casualties on each side. In comparison, some 15,000 Soviet soldiers were killed in a whole decade of fighting in Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989.

Ukrainian soldiers often use the term cannon fodder to describe the Russians sent to their death along the front line. They are often poorly trained conscripts who stand little chance against Ukrainian forces determined to defend their country. Others are convicts recruited in Russian jails to swell the ranks of Russian paramilitary group Wagner, who Kyiv and its allies say are deployed on near-impossible missions with the equivalent of a gun pointed to their head.

The onslaught has also taken its toll on the Ukrainian side, as shown by the endless blue and yellow national flags fluttering above cemeteries across the embattled country.

Civilian losses

By the time Moscows forces seized control of Mariupol in late May after three months of heavy bombardment, the southern port city had been reduced to a sea of rubble strewn with dead bodies. Kyiv said at least 20,000 Ukrainian civilians had been killed.

In total, some 30,000 to 40,000 civilians have lost their lives nationwide in the conflict, Western sources say. The United Nations estimates that 21,000 civilians have been killed or wounded in the fighting, but said the real figure was likely much higher. Ukrainian authorities say at least 400 children have been killed.

The UN said most of the civilians killed lost their lives during Russian bombardment. Long term, landmines will also be a huge threat to civilians. Kyiv says 30% of Ukrainian territory has been contaminated, while Human Rights Watch accuses Ukrainian troops of having planted banned anti-personnel landmines in the eastern region of Izyum. Experts warn demining could take decades.

War crimes

Several images have come to symbolise the wars devastating impact on ordinary Ukrainians. When AFP journalists entered the Kyiv suburb of Bucha on April 2, 2022, they found one street littered with the bodies of civilians. One man had fallen onto his bike, another still had a shopping bag in his hand. Yet another had his hands tied behind his back. Days later, a childs toy lay bloodied at a train station in the eastern city of Kramatorsk, after a Russian missile hit as thousands of civilians waited for a train to flee the violence. At least 57 civilians were killed.

The previous month, people around the world saw the photograph of a heavily pregnant woman on a stretcher being evacuated from a Mariupol hospital after it was bombed. Neither she nor her baby survived. Around 65,000 suspected war crimes have been reported throughout the war, the European Unions justice commissioner Didier Reynders said.

UN investigators have accused Russia of committing war crimes on a massive scale in Ukraine - bombings, executions, torture and horrific sexual violence. Kyiv alleges Moscow has forcibly deported more than 16,000 children to Russia or areas controlled by Moscow-backed separatists. Several NGOs have condemned Ukraine, meanwhile, for violating the rights of Russian prisoners of war, but on a much smaller scale.

The International Criminal Court launched an investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity last year. But it cannot prosecute either country for any possible war crimes since neither Russia nor Ukraine is a member of the Hague-based court. Kyiv is instead pressing for a special tribunal to be set up to prosecute Moscow for the crime of aggression because it sees this as a way to achieve faster justice and more easily target the Kremlins top officials.

1,500 km front line

On the eastern battlefront, entire villages and towns lie in ruins, and the earth is dotted with huge craters. Exhausted soldiers lie in wait at the bottom of muddy trenches, while the dull thud of artillery fire booms overhead. The active front line runs north to south along 1,500 kilometres of territory, according to Valery Zaluzhny, the commander in chief of Ukraines armed forces.

Among the hotspots is the town of Bakhmut, dubbed hell on earth by many Ukrainian soldiers, where Russian soldiers and Wagner mercenaries have been steadily inching forward in recent weeks. A few thousand civilians still live in the town, hunkering in cellars without running water or electricity, taking great risks when they venture out for fresh air, food, water and fuel.

Moscows troops occupy almost a fifth of Ukraine, according to figures from the US-based Institute for the Study of War. But Zaluzhny said Ukrainian forces had managed to wrest back some 40% of territory occupied after the invasion last year.

Battered economy

Fighting has been concentrated in the east of Ukraine since Russian forces withdrew from the north of the country a month into the war, following their failure to capture Kyiv. In these areas, homes, businesses and factories have been ravaged. Nationwide, Russia has repeatedly targeted key energy infrastructure in recent months, causing blackouts and leaving millions without heating this winter.

The World Bank in October said it expected the countrys economy to contract by 35% in 2022. The Kyiv School of Economics in January estimated it would cost US$138 billion to replace all the infrastructure ravaged by war. In a country famed for its cereal and sunflower oil exports, the war has caused more than $34bn in economic losses in the agricultural sector, it said in November.

Some 3,000 schools have been affected by the fighting, the Ukrainian government said, as well as 239 cultural sites, according to the UN cultural fund. Rebuilding Ukraine following the invasion would cost an estimated $349bn, a joint assessment by the Ukrainian government, the European Commission and the World Bank found in September. The Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to exact a terrible toll, the World Banks Anna Bjerde said at the time.

Millions of refugees

More than eight million Ukrainians have been forced to flee Ukraine since the war broke out, the UN refugee agency said, the largest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. Neighbouring Poland hosts the largest share of these refugees, with more than 1.5 million of them. More than five million people have been displaced inside the country. Moscow said another five million people had sought refuge in Russia, though Kyiv has accused the Russians of conducting forced evacuations.

Western military aid

When Russia invaded, the Ukrainian armed forces mostly had outdated, Soviet-era military equipment to defend themselves. Kyiv has repeatedly urged its Western allies to send it modern weaponry, from air defence systems to heavy tanks.

The West was initially reluctant to become too involved, in order to avoid any more direct confrontation between it and nuclear-armed Russia, but little by little it has acceded to most demands. But President Volodymyr Zelenskys request for F-16 fighter jets has so far gone unmet.

Among the aid, the United States sent Himars precision rocket launchers with a range of 80 km, far superior to that of Russian equipment, that analysts say helped turn the tide this autumn in the battle against the Russians in the Kharkiv region in the northeast and Kherson region in the south.

By November, Kyivs allies had pledged more than 37 billion (US$40 billion) in military aid, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. That figure does not include the latest announcements in January that the US, Canada and several European countries will send Ukraine modern battle tanks.
Jieun Kim from Los Angeles and Jieun Kim from Evanston, Illinois have more in common than just their name and birthdate  they have the same Social Security number, thanks to the conscientious public servants of the Social Security Administration (SSA). This error has caused the 31-year-old Kims years of frustration and identity theft accusations, with their bank accounts shut down and credit cards canceled. Despite the Kims pleas for help, the SSA, famous for its empathy and fast response times, has yet to reply to NBC News' request for an explanation.

LA Kim left South Korea in 2012 to attend an English language school. She got a work permit and was employed as a graphic designer. But with her personal information and income history merged with Evanston Kim's, she's been unable to get a letter confirming the mistake from the SSA to move her green card application forward.

Evanston Kim arrived in Evanston in 2017 to study at Northwestern University. She's a doctoral student and had a full scholarship for her first year of studies. But after being issued a the same Social Security number as LA Kim, her Robin Hood account was shut down without explanation and her credit cards were canceled, leaving her baffled.

"So I called my credit card companies and demanded to know why," Evanston Kim told NBC News. "The only answer I got from them was that they cannot tell me because it's a security issue and identity protection issue."

From NBC News:
Have an interesting bit of news youd like to see mentioned in the Along the Way column? Email it to Natasha Connolly at news@thesunchronicle.com.
The general contractor for the Buffalo Bills stadium project has started the process to hire subcontractors for its concrete foundation and steel structure.

But a final deal for the $1.4 billion project remains unsigned  with no word on when documents outlining details of the agreement will be available to the public.

A second group of bids to construct the stadium in Orchard Park have been released by general contractors Gilbane Building Co. and Turner Construction, and they include the first building portions of the work to be done.

But looming over the project, which has not received all its final approvals yet, is recent concern expressed by local union leadership over the potential use of out-of-town contractors and material distributors on some of the stadium work.

The Erie County Stadium Corp. has not yet rescheduled a meeting, originally to take place Tuesday, that it postponed after Paul Brown, president of the Buffalo Building Trades Council, sent a message to fellow Stadium Corp. board members saying he would no longer support the project unless changes are made.

Local unions worried about Bills stadium work going to out-of-town contractors, workers The initial design of the $1.4 billion stadium, scheduled for three years of construction starting this spring, calls for the use of large concrete panels with pre-laid brick, which can be cheaper and easier to install.

Gilbane/Turner is the general contractor for the stadium construction and in charge of managing project bids. In a statement to The Buffalo News, Gilbane/Turner said it is committed to providing opportunities on this project that create a positive economic impact for the region and the companies and their employees who reside in the area.

We have held outreach and information sessions in the community and have shared early opportunities for work on the project for vendors, suppliers, and contractors, Christopher McFadden, a spokesperson for Gilbane/Turner, said in the statement. We are committed to making this an open and inclusive process and encourage New York State-certified minority-, women- and service-disabled veteran-owned and local businesses to participate.

Among the newest bidding opportunities for contractors is placing the concrete foundation and installing structural steel for the stadium and adjacent auxiliary building.

In addition, bids are being accepted for starting the build out of the canopy roof, foundation walls and seating bowl scope for the stadium, as well as furnishing all structural precast foundation for stadium walls, seating bowl walls, stairs, and seating bleachers and tubes.

The project, which is set to get underway this spring pending final approvals, will encompass more than 100 bid packages, or individual scopes of work, that will be part of the construction of the $1.4 billion stadium.

The prior bids focused on much of the preliminary work that must be done to prepare a site for construction. The project is scheduled for 36 months and should be substantially completed by April 2026.

Its our job to make sure we create opportunities and open the door, and its your job to walk through the door, Deborah Pereira, vice president and program CEO at Gilbane, said at a December meeting for potential contractors for the new stadium.

Explainer: What is the Erie County Stadium Corp. and what's its role in the new Bills stadium? The Erie County Stadium Corp. plays a vital role in implementing the deal, as it has with other stadium-related projects since it was first established in 1998.

But Brown is worried about the use of materials and services from outside the state and even country. In an email obtained by The Buffalo News, he pointed specifically to plans for laying precast brick assembled in Canada for the stadium exterior. He's also heard out-of-town contractors will be handling the plumbing and electrical work.

Brown, who serves on the Erie County Stadium Corp. board of directors, recommended that fellow members vote against the project unless "things get turned around."

A day after his email, the Stadium Corp., which has approved the foundation of the plan for the stadium project but still must meet to iron out final details, postponed its Tuesday meeting. The Erie County Legislature also must give a final OK for the project.

While broad terms of the deal have been outlined in a memorandum of understanding signed last year, no detailed lease documents have been released to the public yet.

This is a great opportunity for us to showcase the work that we do," said Rick Williamson, president of Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers Local 3 NY in Buffalo, who is hoping the Bills will instead decide to use hand-placed brick masonry done by local workers.

"We all know that this is a once-in-a-lifetime project for our community, and we want this project to benefit the community and workforce as much as possible, he added.

Williamson said he has not heard from the Bills or project planners since Brown went public with his concerns, backing local bricklayers.

Due to the amount and size of the work and its cost, this will be one of the largest construction projects ever to come to Western New York. There has been talk of concern from project planners over how a national labor shortage could impact a project such as this one.

If we had our way, it would be 100% (local), but we have to have qualified bidders as well, Joe Byrne, program director with Turner, said at the December meeting. Were not building a hot dog stand. This is all very sophisticated  (and) high end.

A spokesperson for ABC Empire State Chapter, representing non-union contractors and tradespeople, said he is not surprised this is happening. ABC has been critical of the project labor agreement for the new stadium build, saying prioritizing the use of union labor on the project limits those who will bid.

"By excluding such a large part of the workforce, what did people expect would happen?," the statement from spokesperson Tanner Schmidt of ABC notes.

The first group of bids released by Gilbane/Turner, which came out in January, included preliminary construction work, such as site fencing and lighting, utility and power relocation, site demolition and mass excavation. The Bills hope to break ground in June.
Bob Foley is a Sun Chronicle columnist. His essays are published here each Friday.
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Jon Harris Reporter I'm a Genesee County native and Syracuse University grad who covered business at the (Binghamton) Press & Sun-Bulletin and at The Morning Call in Allentown, Pennsylvania. I joined The Buffalo News in September 2021, covering the business of health care. Follow Jon Harris 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

If not for a longtime program at the University at Buffalo's medical school, the late Dr. Jonathan Daniels  a beloved Buffalo pediatrician who died in a tragic fire in July  may have never become a doctor.

When his application to UB's medical school three decades ago was waitlisted, he found opportunity through a relatively new program at the time: a post-baccalaureate program, offered at UB in partnership with Associated Medical Schools of New York, that offered an intensive, individualized curriculum.

That program gave him a second chance at attending medical school.

He graduated in 1998 from the UB medical school, now called the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and went on to become a respected pediatrician and a tireless advocate for diversifying the physician workforce.

"New York State needs to invest more in programs like the AMSNY post-bac program and other programs that create a pipeline to medical school for more young African Americans, Latino and Latina students and others underrepresented in medicine," Daniels wrote in a 2019 op-ed in The Buffalo News.

That request, in a way, has been granted: The state in the fall announced that it was doubling its investment, via a commitment of more than $2.4 million, in diversity programs managed by the AMSNY to help traditionally underrepresented students become physicians.

While more than 30% of the state's population is Black or Hispanic, only 12% of its physicians represent those demographics, the state said.

In Buffalo, where Black people make up one-third of the population, Daniels was one of only two practicing Black pediatricians in the city.

Research has repeatedly shown that patients who see doctors from similar backgrounds have better health outcomes.

Dr. David A. Milling, who runs the post-baccalaureate program at the Jacobs School and serves as the school's executive director of the Office of Medical Education, said UB hopes to be able to use the additional state funding to expand the program and bring in more students. Right now, the program at UB enrolls between 20 and 28 students annually.

"I think this is a hugely important program for New York State," Milling said. "It's a hugely important program for Buffalo, because it's relatively clear that we do not have the numbers of physicians who are Black and brown in Buffalo to help to care for all Black and brown patients."

How the program works

Like Daniels three decades before them, the post-baccalaureate program at the Jacobs School gave Sydney Pigott, Sabrina Dunn and Kwaku Bonsu a second shot at medical school.

Pigott, a 26-year-old from Baldwin, in Long Island, got interested in medicine after a series of sports-related injuries in high school, finding that his familiarity and knowledge of the body and nutrition could chart a path toward medicine.

Dunn, a 25-year-old from Hillcrest, Rockland County, always vaguely knew she wanted to be a doctor. That desire intensified during her undergraduate years when she majored in nutritional sciences and minored in sociology, two fields that created a passion to learn more about health disparities.

And Bonsu, a 27-year-old who grew up in Ghana and moved to the Bronx at 12 years old, at a young age saw how doctors would take care of his grandmother when she fell ill. He could envision himself doing something similar one day to help others. A surgical procedure he underwent as a college freshman solidified that interest in medicine.

But all three struggled at times with grades early on in the undergraduate years  Pigott and Bonsu at UB, and Dunn at Cornell University. That made it difficult to get accepted into medical school, but they all were referred to the post-baccalaureate program at UB, which is geared toward students who possess the intellectual ability to succeed in medical school despite not meeting certain academic criteria.

For Dunn, in particular, her sister also went through the program and is now a practicing pediatrician in the Bronx.

"I knew the program would be fantastic because my sister told me how helpful it was for her medical education," she said.

Dunn, Pigott and Bonsu all successfully completed the program and are now second-year medical students at the Jacobs School.

In the post-baccalaureate program, Milling and his team are able to curate rigorous curriculums that help each individual student. The students attend the program tuition-free and receive a living stipend from AMSNY, so they can focus solely on their studies to increase their readiness for medical school.

The future

As they progress through medical school, Dunn, Pigott and Bonsu all said they hope to one day bring their skills to underserved communities.

"I feel that I can make an impact in those communities because growing up, you rarely see a doctor that looks like us," Pigott said. "It's kind of discouraging. It's like, 'Where are the doctors that look like me?' So I feel that I can make an impact in those communities and serve as a mentor or a figure that people can look up to and aspire to be a doctor, and show them that anybody can be a doctor."

Bonsu, too, is interested in helping underserved communities, but he also has an interest in global health.

"Coming from a country like Ghana, I know some of the health care needs they lack over there as well as neighboring countries in the area and in Africa as a whole," he said.

Another Voice: New York medical schools benefit from diversity By Dr. Jonathan Daniels Twenty-five years ago I got the opportunity of a lifetime: a chance to go to medical school and become a doctor. I have been fortunate enough to serve the Buffalo community I grew up in ever since. Like many young African-American men back then, I lacked the resources, the guidance and the preparation it took

And Dunn, who hopes to stay on the East Coast and also give back to a community, aptly points out that the post-baccalaureate program at UB gave each of them the opportunity to chase their dreams.

It's programs like this that ensure talent doesn't slip through the cracks, she said.

"A program like this, when it comes to health and medicine, focuses on finding those students and giving them whatever resources that they lacked in undergrad or whatever other education that they have," Dunn said, "so that they can go on and become the provider that will reduce the health disparities that we see currently in New York and the whole country."




FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried faced new fraud charges Thursday, as prosecutors accused him of cheating thousands of investors out of billions of dollars while casting himself as a trustworthy savior of the cryptocurrency industry  an image boosted by celebrity-studded Super Bowl advertising and big donations to political figures.

Four new charges, including securities fraud and conspiracy fraud counts, were unveiled with the unsealing of the refreshed indictment in Manhattan federal court that was returned a day earlier.

In a statement, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams hinted, as he has several times previously, that prosecutors were not finished building their case.

We are hard at work and will remain so until justice is done, he said.

A spokesperson for Bankman-Fried declined to comment.

The new charges raised the prison sentence Bankman-Fried could face if convicted from 115 years to 155 years, authorities said.

The new charges raised the number of counts in the indictment to 12, as prosecutors more thoroughly and eloquently told their story of what happened to FTX, Bankman-Frieds global cryptocurrency exchange, and its affiliated cryptocurrency trading hedge fund, Alameda Research.

The description cast FTX customers, investors, financial institutions, lenders and the Federal Election Commission as victims of fraudulent schemes Bankman-Fried allegedly carried out from 2019 until last November.

Prosecutors said Bankman-Fried stole billions of dollars in FTX customer deposits to support the operations and investments of FTX and Alameda and to fund speculative venture investments, make charitable donations and spend tens of millions of dollars on illegal campaign donations to Democrats and Republicans in an attempt to buy influence over cryptocurrency regulation in Washington.

They said Bankman-Fried cast himself as a figurehead of a trustworthy and law-abiding segment of the cryptocurrency industry that sought to protect investors and clients.

As recently as late 2022, Bankman-Fried boasted about FTXs profits and portrayed himself as a savior of the cryptocurrency industry, making venture investments and acquisitions purportedly to assist struggling industry participants, the new indictment says.

Meanwhile, he spent millions of dollars on celebrity advertisements during the 2022 Super Bowl that promoted FTX as the safest and easiest way to buy and sell crypto and the most trusted way to buy and sell digital assets, it states.

In reality, prosecutors wrote, Bankman-Fried routinely tapped FTX customer assets to provide interest-free capital for his and Alamedas private expenditures and in the process exposed FTX customers to massive, undisclosed risk. They said Bankman-Fried controlled both companies and used them to prop each other up, notwithstanding conflicts of interest and outright lies to the contrary.

It was not known when Bankman-Fried would return to Manhattan for an arraignment. Twice in the last two weeks, he has appeared in court after prosecutors expressed concern that he might be communicating online in ways they cannot trace. They have also said his communications indicate that he might be trying to influence a witness with incriminating evidence against him.

A judge is deciding how to toughen Bankman-Frieds bail requirements to prevent any improper communications. Last week, he even suggested that Bankman-Fried might have to be incarcerated prior to trial if his communications cannot be monitored to ensure he is not tampering with witnesses.

Bankman-Fried has already pleaded not guilty to charges that he cheated investors and looted customer deposits at FTX, his cryptocurrency platform. The charges accuse him of diverting money from his investors in part to finance political donations and make risky trades through his cryptocurrency trading hedge fund, Alameda Research.

Bankman-Fried was arrested in the Bahamas in December and was brought to the United States soon afterward. FTX filed for bankruptcy on Nov. 11, when it ran out of money after the cryptocurrency equivalent of a bank run.

He is free on a $250 million personal recognizance bond. The bail arrangement allows him to live with electronic monitoring at his parents home in Palo Alto, California.

(AP)




South African university student Klaas Mokgomole had just landed at Ben-Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv after a nine-hour flight from Johannesburg and desperately needed a bathroom.

Approaching an airline official  hoping he understood English  Mokgomole asked him: Can you please show me to the blacks-only restroom?

Shocked by his question, the official responded that there was certainly no such bathroom in the airport but pointed the way to the nearest mens bathroom.

.

Now it was Mokgomoles turn to be shocked. He proceeded to enter the bathroom and saw the evidence with his own eyes. Contrary to what he had been told in South Africa, Jews and Arabs were using the same bathroom and no one objected when he  with his black skin  walked in.

Mokgomole spoke about that moment in 2015 to Tazpit Press Service (TPS) in a recent trip to Jerusalem: I was taught very emphatically, racism in Israel runs so deep, that the Jews do not even share their bathrooms with blacks or Arabs. To see within the first few moments after landing in Israel that this clearly is not the case marked a turning point for me.

That moment marked the beginning of Mokgomoles journey from an anti-Israel BDS activist to what he is today  the head coordinator of Africans for Peace, an organization that fights against the anti-Israel and BDS rhetoric fed to university students in South Africa, the US and the UK.

While Mokgomole was a student at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, he became active in the black liberation movement, the African National Congress (ANC). As part of his work as an activist for those he viewed as oppressed, he was exposed to the anti-Israel BDS movement which has a strong presence at South African universities.

The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction organization came to us and made a presentation complete with PowerPoint and videos showing babies dying to explain why Israel was an apartheid state. And as a South African, being black, it sort of touched me, Mokgomole told TPS.

We really believed these guys pushing BDS to us, said Mokgomole. We sort of felt like these are our friends and we can trust them. They told us Arabs are not allowed into Israeli universities, not allowed to share buses, beaches, or hospitals with Jews, essentially that the Jews set up a replica to the apartheid system that caused so much suffering here in South Africa. We didnt authenticate the information, we just felt like it must be true and we have to fight it.

They werent just preaching anti-Zionism, they were preaching antisemitism and we didnt really know the difference.

Mokgomole was so influenced by the lies he heard that he began attacking anything connected to Israel and Judaism, including placing a severed pigs head in the kosher section of a supermarket and storming the stage of an Israeli pianists recital at the university, which almost got him expelled.

As his future at the university hung in the balance, Mokgomole began questioning the information he had been fed about Israel, later deciding to visit the Jewish state in a quest to justify his anti-Israel activism.

Following his eye-opening trip, Mokgomole returned to South Africa eager to share his experiences and explain to friends that theyd been lied to.

The conversations did not go well, to put it mildly.

It was so unusual that anyone would want to go to Israel because it is such a taboo, he told TPS. I committed a sin in their eyes and they didnt want to associate with me any longer.

This was before we had the term cancel-culture but that is exactly what they tried to do to me. Friends abandoned me and some of those who I was closest with warned me to look out for a necklace, Mokgomole said. Necklacing is the term used for the execution method used on blacks suspected of collaborating with the apartheid regime  a tire drenched in gasoline is placed around the victim and set on fire.

However, Mokgomole is a determined person and even death threats failed to intimidate him and his quest to spread the truth. He succeeded in convincing some of his friends to explore the facts about Israel, even encouraging them to visit and discover the truth themselves.

They started giving me their ear. Many of my friends started taking trips to Israel to see what I was talking about. One guy who used to publicly profess his love of Hitler made the trip and when he returned, he walked over to the campus Jewish committee and apologized to them.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)




Even as Democrats celebrated the 100th judicial confirmation of Joe Bidens presidency, they are clamoring for more  and some are flirting with ending a century-long Senate practice to help make it happen.

The rising friction over what in Washington parlance is known as the blue slip is creating tensions on the Senate panel that handles judicial nominations and prompting stern warnings from Republicans about a dangerous escalation in the partisanship that already dominates the judicial confirmation process.

The clash over Senate procedure could have major ramifications for Biden as he seeks to fill as many court vacancies as possible during the final two years of his term. Aghast at the speed with which Republicans approved judges during the Trump era, Democrats have made the confirmation to the courts a top priority, vowing to fill every seat possible. Their focus on the nominations is even greater now that Republicans control the House and can stall much of Bidens broader legislative agenda.

Since at least 1917, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee has sent a blue-colored form, or blue slip, to the senators representing the home state of a judicial nominee. A blue slip returned with a positive response signals the senators approval of moving forward with a nomination hearing. But if the blue slip is not returned or comes back with a negative response, that means the home state senator objects, which can doom the nomination.

Republicans during Donald Trumps presidency determined the lack of a positive blue slip would not stop them from moving forward with considering appellate court nominees  and they did so 17 times. Democrats were livid, pointing out that Republicans blocked several of President Barack Obamas appellate nominees by declining to return a positive blue slip.

Now, Democrats are being encouraged to follow suit and do away with the blue slip when it comes to the district judges whose courts serve as the starting point for federal civil and criminal cases.

In many respects, it is an archaic holdover from a different era, said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. I think were maybe reaching the point of deciding whether it will be continued.

Advocates for doing away with the blue slip say fast action is critical if Democrats want to have the kind of success Trump had in year three of his presidency, when he secured more than 100 judicial confirmations out of 231. They believe Democrats cant afford to wait months on Republican senators to give their go-ahead for a nominee.

Besides, they argue, if Democrats dont do away with the blue slip now, Republicans will abolish it when they return to the majority.

Democrats would be chumps to say, Oh well, were not going to do this because its a tradition, said Russ Feingold, the former three-term Democratic senator from Wisconsin who now serves as president of the American Constitution Society. The group is a liberal counter to the conservative Federalist Society.

The New York Times editorial board also weighed in recently, saying it was far past time for the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee to end the blue slip practice.

The chairman, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., has clearly heard some of the concerns voiced by progressives. He has made it a point recently to emphasize how Democrats submitted 130 positive blue slips for district court nominees during the Trump presidency, but so far, Republicans have only done so about a dozen times.

Thats essentially because Biden has been filling judicial vacancies of predominately Democratic-appointed judges in blue states. Soon, it will get harder. There are about 40 district court vacancies that will require a blue slip from at least one Republican senator. Many of those vacancies dont have a nominee yet, and Durbin is clearly sending a signal to GOP senators to work expeditiously with the White House on submitting prospective nominees.

Durbin said he wants to continue with the blue slip tradition, but hes adding a caveat: that they arent used for discriminatory purposes to block consideration of nominees based on race, gender or sexual orientation.

His comments have alarmed Republican senators. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said the blue slip courtesy is very much at stake and at risk here. He also questioned how Durbin is going to discern the motivations of Republicans senators if they object to a nominee.

The last thing left in this body that makes the Senate the Senate, in my view, and gives a senator a say about a consequential decision in their state that will last a lifetime is the blue slip process, Graham said. So I would just hope we could agree, if possible, that no matter how frustrated we get, were going to honor this system.

So far, only one Biden nominee for a district court has had their nomination derailed because a senator withheld a blue slip, William Pocan, nominated to the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Republican Sen. Ron Johnson withheld his blue slip, saying he had heard concerns from the Green Bay legal community that they needed a judge locally based and active in their community.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said complaints about the blue slip are orchestrated and contrived. He said that he and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, were asked by the White House to submit names for an appellate court vacancy within three weeks, which they did.

And eight months later, the administration finally gets around to nominating somebody, Cornyn said. Weve got two district court vacancies where we have not been contacted at all by the White House counsel. So, most of the delay is because the administration has been slow in filling these nominees, these vacancies.

Cornyn likened the efforts to ending the blue slip to Democratic calls for ending the filibuster so that legislation would only need a simple majority to advance rather than 60 votes.

They want to fully dismantle the Senate as an institution, he said.

Proponents of the blue slip say its most important feature is to encourage collaboration and compromise. Durbin said he provided eight positive blue slips after negotiating on nominees with the Trump White House. I had to give a little. They did, too, he said.

But Feingold, who served 16 years on the Judiciary panel and 18 years in the Senate, said he believes presidents will continue to consult with senators on judicial openings even without the blue slip, because they need a lawmakers votes on other priorities.

You need to consult them anyway because if you try to jam somebody really bad down their throat, they are going to remember it, Feingold said.

Blumenthal said he will bring lessons learned from the Obama years to the debate, and hes determined not to let Republicans block district judges through the blue slip process the way they did appellate court judges.

The history is undeniable that Republicans succeeded in blocking many of the Obama nominees, and therefore held open judgeships, which they then filled with alacrity, Blumenthal said. Were not going to let that happen again.

(AP)




Modernas fourth-quarter profit tumbled 70% as COVID-19 vaccine sales fell and the drugmaker caught up on a royalty payment.

Moderna said Thursday that its cost of sales jumped nearly a billion dollars to $1.9 billion in the final quarter of 2022. That included a $400 million payment to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases tied to a new license agreement started in December.

The drugmakers profit fell to $1.46 billion, or $3.61 per share.

Total revenue dropped 29%to $5.08 billion.

Analysts expected earnings of $4.60 per share on $5.02 billion in revenue, according to FactSet.

Modernas Spikevax is the companys main source of revenue, outside of grants and money from collaborations.

The company had said last month that it recorded $18.4 billion in sales from its COVID-19 vaccine last year, and it expects about $5 billion in 2023.

Shares of Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Moderna Inc. slipped 1% to $156 in premarket trading.

(AP)




Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawieck has delivered the first Leopard tanks to Ukraine during his visit to Kyiv Friday, the anniversary of the Russian invasion, the president said.

Andrzej Duda told a meeting of the National Security Council he was happy that Poland was the first nation to offer the advanced tanks to Ukraine.

Poland has pledged 14 German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and called on other European nations to follow suit. It was unclear how many tanks arrived on Friday.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. APs earlier story follows below.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Ukraines president pledged to push for victory in 2023 as he and other Ukrainians on Friday marked the somber anniversary of the Russian invasion that he called the longest day of our lives.

As morning broke on a day of commemorations and reflection, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy struck a tone of grim defiance and used the Feb. 24 anniversary to congratulate Ukrainians on their resilience in the face of Europes biggest and deadliest war since World War II. He said they had proven themselves to be invincible in what he called a year of pain, sorrow, faith and unity.

We survived the first day of the full-scale war. We didnt know what tomorrow would bring, but we clearly understood that for each tomorrow, you need to fight. And we fought, he said in an early morning video address.

It was the longest day of our lives. The hardest day of our modern history. We woke up early and havent fallen asleep since, he said.

Ukrainians attended memorials, held vigils and other remembrances for their tens of thousands of dead  a toll growing all the time as fighting rages in eastern Ukraine in particular. Although Friday marked the anniversary of the full-scale invasion, combat between Russian-backed forces and Ukrainian troops has raged in the countrys east since 2014. New video from there shot with a drone for The Associated Press showed how the town of Marinka has been razed, along with others.

Lining up in the capital, Kyiv, to buy anniversary commemorative postage stamps, Tetiana Klimkova said that a year into the invasion, shes been unable to shake the feeling that your heart is constantly falling, it is falling and hurting.

Still, this day has become a symbol for me that we have survived for a whole year and will continue to live, she said. On this day, our children and grandchildren will remember how strong Ukrainians are mentally, physically, and spiritually.

But peace is nowhere in sight. China called for a cease-fire  an idea previously rejected by Ukraine for fear it would allow Russia to regroup militarily after bruising battlefield setbacks.

A 12-point paper issued Friday by Chinas Foreign Ministry also urged the end of Western sanctions that are squeezing Russias economy.

That suggestion also looks like a non-starter, given that Western nations are working to further tighten the sanctions noose, not loosen it. The U.K. government imposed more sanctions Friday on firms supplying military equipment to Moscow and said it would bar exports to Russia of aircraft parts and other components.

Ukraine also is readying another military push to roll back Russian forces  with weaponry that has been pouring in from the West.

Ukraine is entering a new period, with a new task  to win, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said on Facebook.

It will not be easy. But we will manage, he said. There is rage and a desire to avenge the fallen.

Mercifully, air raid alarms didnt sound overnight in Kyiv and the morning started quietly, allaying concerns that Russia might unleash another barrage of missiles to pile yet more sadness on Ukraine on the date of the anniversary.

Still, the government recommended that schools move classes online, and office employees were asked to work from home. And even as they rode Kyivs subway to work, bought coffee and got busy, Ukrainians were unavoidably haunted by thoughts of loss and memories of a year ago when missiles struck, Russian invaded Ukraines borders and a refugee exodus began. Back then, there were fears the country might fall within days or weeks.

Mykhailo Horbunov, a 68-year-old man trying to rebuild in Kyiv after having been forced to flee his Russian-occupied village in the south, said the invasion had been a watershed in his life. He lost his agricultural business, and Russian troops have been living in his house for six months. He described the wars impact on him as a collapse.

The day was also particularly poignant for the parents of children born exactly a year ago as bombs began killing and maiming.

Its a tragedy for the whole country, for every Ukrainian, said Alina Mustafaieva, who gave birth to daughter Yeva as the first explosions echoed across Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city.

My family was lucky. We didnt lose anyone or anything. But many did, and we have to share this loss together, she said.

Tributes to Ukraines resilience flowed from overseas. The Eiffel Tower in Paris was among monuments illuminated in Ukraines colors  yellow and blue.

Zelenskyy got an early start to the day, firing off a tweet that promised: We know that 2023 will be the year of our victory!

He followed that up with his video address in which he pledged not to abandon Ukrainians living under Russian occupation.

Ukraine has not forgotten about you, has not given up on you. One way or another, we will liberate all our lands, he said.

A year on, casualty figures are horrific on both sides, although Moscow and Kyiv are keeping precise numbers under wraps. Western estimates suggest hundreds of thousands of killed and wounded. The failure of the Russian military to fill its initial objective of capturing Kyiv severely dented its reputation as a fighting force. Still, it has unleashed an unrelenting barrage of firepower on Ukraine over the past year. Ukrainian armed forces put the tally at roughly 5,000 missile strikes, 3,500 airstrikes and 1,000 drone strikes.

Economic repercussions have rippled across the globe. Diplomatic repercussions, too. Western nations are supporting Ukraine militarily, financially and politically. But China, India and countries in the global south have proven ambivalent about Western arguments that Ukraine is the front line of a fight for freedom and democracy.

(AP)




China called for a cease-fire and peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, in a vaguely worded proposal released Friday that analysts said was unlikely to deliver results.

Beijing claims to have a neutral stance in the war that began one year ago, but has also said it has a no limits friendship with Russia and has refused to criticize its invasion of Ukraine, or even refer to it as an invasion. It has accused the West of provoking the conflict and fanning the flames by providing Ukraine with defensive arms.

The plan released by Chinas Foreign Ministry mainly reiterated long-held positions and neither Ukraine nor Russia is likely to agree to have Beijing play a mediating role.

It calls for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries to be respected, but does not say what will happen to the territory Russia has occupied since invading Ukraine. It also calls for an end to unilateral sanctions on Russia, indirectly criticizes NATO expansion, and condemns threats of nuclear force.

The proposal is an attempt for public relations on the part of China, said Li Mingjiang, a professor and international security expert at Singapores Nanyang Technological University.

Im not convinced that this policy is going to improve their credibility in being an honest broker, Li said.

Speaking after China issued the paper, but without referring to it, Zhanna Leshchynska, charge daffaires at the Ukrainian embassy in Beijing, said her country does not want peace at any price.

We will not agree to anything that keeps Ukrainian territories occupied and puts our people at the aggressors mercy, Leshchynska said in an address at the EU mission to China.

In addition to calling for sovereignty to be respected and sanctions against Russia to end, the 12-point paper urges measures to prevent attacks on civilians and civilian facilities, keep nuclear facilities safe, establish humanitarian corridors for civilians and ensure the export of grain after disruptions inflated global food prices. It also called for an end to Cold War mentality  Chinas standard term for what it regards as U.S. hegemony, and maintenance of alliances such as NATO.

Dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis. the proposal said. It offered no details on what form talks should take but said China will continue to play a constructive role in this regard.

China abstained Thursday when the U.N. General Assembly approved a nonbinding resolution that calls for Russia to end hostilities in Ukraine and withdraw its forces.

Responding Friday to questions about the proposal, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Chinas actions show it is committed to peace talks, and faulted Beijings critics for doing too little encourage negotiations.

State Department spokesman Ned Price had said earlier Thursday that the U.S. would reserve judgment on the proposal but that Chinas allegiance with Russia meant it was not a neutral mediator. We would like to see nothing more than a just and durable peace  but we are skeptical that reports of a proposal like this will be a constructive path forward, he said.

Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Beijings Renmin University, said that while neither side is likely to pay much heed to the Chinese proposal, Beijing needed to clarify its stance, he said.

China feels it necessary to repeat its self-perceived neutrality at this juncture, to save some international inference by not only criticizing NATO but also distinguishing itself from Russias behavior, Shi said.

The U.S. recently said that China may be preparing to provide Russia with military aid, an allegation that Beijing says lacks evidence.

Wang has called the allegation nothing more than slander and smears, and on Friday he referred to a massive disinformation in this respect against China.

The spokesperson was responding to a report in German magazine Der Spiegel that Russias military was negotiating with a small Chinese drone manufacturer for the components and know-how to allow the country to manufacture about 100 suicide drones a month.

The proposal comes as U.S.-China relations have hit a historic low over Taiwan, disputes over trade and technology, human rights and Chinas aggressive actions in the South China Sea.

U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on CNN Thursday that his first reaction to the proposal was that it could stop at point one, which is: Respect the sovereignty of all nations.

Sullivan also noted Chinas abstaining in the U.N. vote and that Wang Yi visited other European nations during his recent visit to the continent, trying to sell the idea that Chinas not all-in with Russia.

I cannot predict the future, he told CNN. What I can tell you is that the United States is not going to dictate to Ukraine how this war ends.

(AP)




U.S. officials returned two Pakistani brothers to their home country Thursday after holding them two decades without charges at the Guantanamo Bay military prison.

Abdul and Mohammed Rabbani were the latest detainees to be released from U.S. custody as the U.S. moves toward emptying and shutting down the prison. The George W. Bush administration set it up at a naval base in Cuba for extremist suspects rounded up after the Sept. 11, 2001 al-Qaida attacks on the United States.

The two brothers were originally transferred to U.S. custody after Pakistani officials arrested them in their home city of Karachi in 2002. U.S. officials accused the two of helping al-Qaida members with housing and other lower-level logistical support.

The brothers alleged torture while in CIA custody before being transferred to Guantanamo. U.S. military records describe the two as providing little intelligence of value or recanting statements made during interrogations on the grounds they were obtained by physical abuse.

The U.S. military announced their repatriation in a statement. It gave no immediate information on any conditions set by Pakistan regarding their return there. The United States appreciates the willingness of the Government of Pakistan and other partners to support ongoing U.S. efforts focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population and ultimately closing the Guantanamo Bay facility, the Defense Department said.

Guantanamo at its peak in 2003 held about 600 people whom the U.S. considered terrorists. Supporters of using the detention facility for such figures contend it prevented attacks. Critics say the military detention and courts subverted human rights and constitutional rights and undermined the United States standing abroad.

Thirty-two detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay, including 18 eligible for transfer if stable third-party countries can be found to take them, the Pentagon said. Many are from Yemen, a country considered too plagued with war and extremist groups and too devoid of services for freed Yemeni detainees to be sent there.

Nine of the detainees are defendants in slow-moving military-run tribunals. Two others have been convicted.

(AP)




A peoples court without legal powers has confirmed an indictment against Russian President Vladimir Putin for the crime of aggression in Ukraine and called for his arrest.

The symbolic decision Friday came on the anniversary of Russias illegal invasion of its neighbor that triggered Europes biggest and deadliest conflict since World War II.

After a week of hearings in The Hague, a panel of three international legal experts issued the order and called on the international community to take every step necessary to ensure that a court with legal powers issues an indictment against President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and takes appropriate measures to arrest the perpetrator and put him on trial in an official Ukraine tribunal as soon as possible.

The judges, including Stephen Rapp, a U.S. prosecutor who once headed the successful effort to bring former Liberian President Charles Taylor to justice for crimes in Sierra Leone, heard testimony from survivors of Russian attacks in Ukraine and from military experts before issuing their order.

The ruling comes amid international efforts to establish a tribunal that could prosecute Putin and other Russian leaders for the crime of aggression. The International Criminal Court has opened an investigation in Ukraine, but doesnt have jurisdiction to prosecute the crime of aggression.

The presiding judge at the court, South African Zak Jacoob, said that he hoped the hearings would add to the pressure for a special court.

Hopefully this is a step to prosecution. As I said, we have no legal authority or force, but hopefully we have the authority of moral force and moral persuasion, which would take us somewhere, he told reporters.

The peoples court found that evidence presented was strong enough to indict Putin, saying that as head of state he planned, prepared, initiated and executed  and continues to plan and execute  the Russian Federations acts of aggression in Ukraine.

Jacoob, called Putins justifications for the war pathetic. An invitation for Putin or his legal representatives to take part in the hearings went unanswered, prosecutors said.

It is an insult to the international community and to the integrity of the world to make the sort of claims that he has made. And I reject them in no uncertain terms, Jacoob said.

(AP)




Fresh from a meeting with Chinas top diplomat and a U.N. Security Council session on Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Central and South Asia next week for international talks that will put him in the same room as his Chinese and Russian counterparts.

The State Department announced late Thursday that Blinken would travel to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan before going to India for a meeting of the Group of 20 foreign ministers from the worlds largest industrialized and developing countries, including China and Russia.

The trip comes as tensions have soared between the U.S. and Russia and between the U.S. and China over Russias war in Ukraine and Chinese assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific. All three countries are competing fiercely to outdo each other in global influence.

U.S. officials have been tight-lipped about the prospects for Blinken having sit-down talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang or Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in New Delhi. But all three will be present in the Indian capital for the G-20 meeting. The State Department has said only that no meetings are scheduled.

The last time the group met  in Bali, Indonesia, in 2022  Blinken held extensive talks with Chinas then-foreign minister, Wang Yi, that led to a summit between President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Xinping in November.

And Wang, who has since been promoted, met with Blinken last weekend on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany, the first high-level talks since the U.S. shot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon and Blinken postponed a much-anticipated trip to Beijing.

A meeting between Blinken and Qin, who was formerly Chinas ambassador to the U.S., would be their first in Qins current capacity.

The broader G-20 meeting is expected to focus on food and energy security, especially for developing countries, which have been hit by fallout from the Ukraine conflict. In Bali, a number of nations that have not outright condemned Russia for the war expressed deep concern about its impact on the prices and supply of food and fuel.

Before traveling to Delhi, Blinken will visit the Kazakh capital of Astana for talks with leaders there as well as a meeting of the so-called C5+1 group, made up of the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan and the United States.

At that meeting, he will stress the U.S. commitment to the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Central Asian countries, the State Department said in a statement that mirrors the wording it has been using to support Ukraine against Russia.

Blinken will then go to Tashkent for talks with Uzbek officials.

(AP)
Q: If I pay off my home mortgage what happens to the equity that Ive built up in the home?

A: Home equity is the difference between what you owe a lender and what the home is worth.

Lets say you have a home thats worth $300,000 and you have a mortgage on the home for $200,000. The mortgage is your debt. Subtract the mortgage loan balance ($200,000) from the current value of the home ($300,000) to come up with the amount of equity you currently have in the property ($100,000).

When you pay off the mortgage, and any home equity loan youve taken against the home, the property is said to be free and clear of the lender. Now, the entire value of the home, which is the equity, would be yours if you sell the property, minus any sales commission or fees you pay. If your home is worth $300,000 and there are no loans, you would have equity of $300,000 in the property.

If you were to sell the home when you had $200,000 in debt, your proceeds from the sale would be your equity of $100,000 less costs of the sale. Now that youve paid off the home, youd get $300,000 less the costs of the sale.

Q: In Illinois do changes to a condominiums rules and regulations require approval from the association residents?

A: Sam often tells his clients that they have to think of the governing documents in a homeowners association like the laws and rules that govern the U.S. The condominium declaration or homeowners association declaration is like the constitution of the United States, and the rules and regulations are like laws passed by the Congress.

If your associations main document says that rentals are not allowed and you want to change that, youre going to have to get a majority (or, in some cases, a super-majority) of homeowners to vote for that change. Now, if the governing document says that rentals are allowed, subject to rules enacted by the board of the association, the board will have discretion to make those rules without the unit owners approval.

Basically, and there are exceptions to this, a homeowners association or condo board association votes for the members of the board of directors. The board governs the association and has great leeway in making decisions on behalf of the unit owners. In general, the board does not need unit owners approval to enact rules and regulations for the association.

One additional comment: Only owners have the right to vote for the members of the board of directors of associations, and only owners get the right to vote for matters that come up in these meetings. If you are a renter in a unit in the building, you dont have the right to make decisions or tell the owners or the board of directors on how they should run the building. You can make suggestions, but thats as far as it generally goes.




The U.S. announced a new round of sanctions on Russian firms, banks, manufacturers and people Friday, aiming them at entities that helped Russia evade sanctions earlier in the year-old war against Ukraine.

Russias metals and mining sector is among those targeted in one of the U.S. Treasury Departments most significant sanctions actions to date, according to the agency.

The action, taken in coordination with Group of Seven allies, seeks to punish 250 people and firms, puts financial blocks on banks, arms dealers and technology companies tied to weapons production, and goes after alleged sanctions evaders in countries from the United Arab Emirates to Switzerland.

Our sanctions have had both short-term and long-term impact, seen acutely in Russias struggle to replenish its weapons and in its isolated economy, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a written statement. Our actions today with our G7 partners show that we will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.

Yellen is attending the G-20 finance ministers meetings in Bengaluru, India, this week. On Friday morning she told senior Russian officials attending meetings that their continued work for the Kremlin makes them complicit in Putins atrocities.

They bear responsibility for the lives and livelihoods being taken in Ukraine and the harm caused globally, she said.

The sanctions come after the White House announced early Friday morning that the Pentagon would commit $2 billion for more rounds of ammunition and a variety of small, high-tech drones into the fight against Russia.

The State and Commerce departments and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative also issued plans Friday to increase pressure on Russia. These steps impose visa restrictions on 1,219 members of the Russian military, increase tariffs on Russian products, such as metal, worth roughly $2.8 billion, and add nearly 90 Russian and third-country companies, including from China, to a list of identified sanctions evaders.

The Commerce Department also issued new export restriction rules on Russia, Belarus, and Iran, which has become a growing ally of Russia.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the coordinated actions across agencies and countries will continue degrading the Russian economys ability to fuel continued aggression towards Ukraine. U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said her departments moves are carefully calibrated to put economic pressure on Russia while minimizing costs to U.S. consumers.

Named in Fridays sanctions package are a dozen financial institutions, including Russias largest non-state public bank, and Public Joint Stock Company MTS Bank, which had been granted a license to operate in the United Arab Emirates last year.

Additionally, importers of microelectronics and producers of carbon fiber, a key material for defense systems, were designated for sanctions.

The package names more than 30 people and firms allegedly connected to Russias sanctions evasion efforts. Among them: Swiss-Italian businessman Walter Moretti and his businesses; Nurmurad Kurbanov, a Russian-Turkmen arms dealer who is alleged to have represented Russian and Belarusian defense firms abroad; and Russian businessman Aleksandr Yevgenyevich Udodov, the former brother-in-law of Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

More than 30 countries representing more than half the worlds economy have already imposed unprecedented sanctions on the Russian economy, making it the most sanctioned nation in the world.

They have imposed price caps on Russian oil and diesel, frozen Russian Central Bank funds and restricted access to SWIFT, the dominant system for global financial transactions.

The West has directly sanctioned roughly 2,500 Russian firms, government officials, oligarchs and their families. The sanctions are depriving them of access to their American bank accounts and financial markets, preventing them from doing business with Americans and traveling to the U.S, and more.

After a year, the Wests export controls and financial sanctions appear to be gradually eroding Russias industrial capacity, even as its oil and other energy exports last year enabled it to keep funding a catastrophic war.

A Moodys Investors Service report issued Friday states that the Russian economy has weathered sanctions better than expected in 2022, in part due to the slow introduction of commodities sanctions. But the Russian economy is expected to weaken in 2023, it says.

At the G-20 meetings Friday, Britains treasury chief, Jeremy Hunt said, We dont think the job is by any means done. Britain slapped more sanctions Friday on firms that supply Russias battlefield equipment and says it will bar export to Russia of all items it has used in the war, such as aircraft parts, radio equipment and electronic components of weapons.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Marie, at a G-20 press conference said, our sanctions are strong, they are efficient, they are hitting and reducing all revenues of Russia.

They are disorganizing Russian industry, undermining war efforts, he said. Sanctions are effective and will be more effective in the long term.

(AP)
Drivers are being charged up to 36 per cent extra if they pay for car insurance monthly - yet others are paying just 6 per cent more.

The huge range of possible price hikes shows how differently insurers treat customers who want to pay their premiums in installments, something many motorists are completely unaware of.

CompareTheMarket this week said insurers charge drivers an extra 10 per cent for buying cover monthly, on average, compared to those paying one big premium upfront. This is because paying for insurance monthly involves taking out a form of loan, which includes repaying interest.

But that interest varies. Research into hundreds of insurance quotes by This is Money has discovered just how much extra different insurance firms can charge you for paying for cover monthly.

About time: Just choosing to pay for car insurance in installments means paying higher premiums than those that fund their cover upfront

But how much extra insurers charge you to pay premiums monthly does depend on the person and what sort of car they drive.

To give a sense of this, we have compared all the yearly and monthly premiums available for three example drivers - a 50-year-old man driving a 2022 Skoda Octavia, a 45-year-old woman with a Honda Jazz and a 35-year-old man driving an old Peugeot 207.

The insurance firm that charged the biggest 'installment tax' in our tests was broker Boom Plus, which asked for an extra 36.2 per cent in order for a driver to pay monthly.

In our Peugeot 207 example, this meant the driver would have to pay 445 more per year or a total of 1,676. While this was by far the most expensive policy, several others would see the driver paying at least 200 per year more if they paid monthly.

Our tests found that Admiral - and its sister brands Elephant, Bell, Diamond and Ford Insure - as well as More Than, frequently charged our example drivers more for paying in installments.

Top ten expensive insurance quotes for monthly Peugeot 207 premiums Insurer Yearly premium paid upfront Yearly premium paid monthly Difference in % Boom Plus 1,230.41 1,676.39 36.2 Bell 777.34 994.38 27.92 Admiral Littlebox 772.3 987.85 27.9 Admiral Essential 634.82 808.48 27.35 Admiral 690.03 878.78 27.35 Elephant 696.94 887.58 27.35 Diamond 703.83 896.36 27.35 Ford Insure 717.63 913.94 27.35 Admiral Gold 714.54 906.71 26.89 Admiral Platinum 750.62 947.83 26.27 Most expensive of 68 different quotes obtained from GoCompare and directly from Aviva, Churchill and Direct Line

Insurance pricing mysteries

While it is clear that the extra amounts insurers charge for monthly premium payments vary hugely, they are not set in stone. The exact amount insurers might charge for this varies from driver to driver.

There is also little clarity available on this, as how insurers set their premiums is a closely-guarded secret. That means we can observe interesting insurance pricing quirks, but cannot always explain them.

For example, some More Than policies charge drivers 20 to 25 per cent extra for paying monthly, much more than average. But this can drop to 7.19 per cent for other drivers in one of the tests run by This is Money - slightly below average.

Top ten expensive insurance quotes for monthly Honda Jazz premiums Insurer Yearly premium paid upfront Yearly premium paid monthly Difference in % More Than 1,255.64 1,542.82 22.87 More Than Essentials 1,209.29 1,485.58 22.84 More Than Extra 1,293.33 1,585.29 22.38 Marshmallow Essential 648.95 780.82 20.3 Marshmallow 780.15 931.77 19.43 Hastings Direct YouDrive 815.25 969.1 18.87 RAC 3,054.3 2,624.55 16.37 Doddle Cover 1,256.71 1,449.74 15.35 InsureTheBox 847.74 977.95 15.3 Love Your Miles 1,432.7 1,644.55 14.78 Most expensive of 65 different quotes obtained from GoCompare and directly from Aviva, Churchill and Direct Line

Insurers can also show great consistency with how they price premiums for some drivers, then abandon that for others.

For example, a 35-year-old man driving a 2022 Skoda Octavia will be charged exactly 13.97 per cent extra for monthly premiums by each of the nine different insurance policies from Admiral's brands.

Top ten expensive insurance quotes for monthly Skoda Octavia premiums Insurer Yearly premium paid upfront Yearly premium paid monthly Difference in % Be Wiser 3,417.83 3,904.48 14.2 Admiral 765.15 872.08 13.97 Admiral Essential 703.93 802.31 13.97 Admiral Gold 789.66 900.01 13.97 Admiral Littlebox 860.62 980.9 13.97 Admiral Platinum 825.74 941.13 13.97 Bell 866.48 987.57 13.97 Diamond 780.46 889.53 13.97 Elephant 772.81 880.82 13.97 Ford Insure 795.75 906.96 13.97 Most expensive of 80 different quotes obtained from GoCompare and directly from Aviva, Churchill and Direct Line

That suggests there is a set consistency with Admiral's pricing, but this vanishes when the same driver tries to insure a Peugeot 207 instead, and still pay monthly.

This Peugeot driver faces five different levels of price increase from the Admiral insurance brands, albeit all between 26.27 per cent and 27.92 per cent.

But some insurers do seem to show great consistency with how they set their premium increases for monthly payments.

For example, both the AA and its secondary insurance brand, Beam, charged our three example drivers exactly 11.11 per cent extra to pay monthly rather than yearly.

The cheapest car insurer for monthly premiums

One insurer, Aviva, is not on price comparison websites, so consumers have to approach the firm directly to get a quote.

But in our tests it charged just 6.45 per cent extra for drivers wishing to pay monthly, the lowest out of all of the quotes.

Our Skoda Octavia driver was quoted 419 to pay yearly and 446.06 for monthly, and the Peugeot 207 driver was asked for 525 if paying in one chunk and 558.91 for installment payments.

Why pay for car insurance monthly? Although it costs more overall, paying for car cover in monthly chunks can be a help for people without enough cash to pay for a whole year of premiums upfront. It can also help households budget to pay their insurance bills monthly.

You can pay LESS for monthly premiums - but only with one firm

One broker even bucked the trend and charged less for a driver paying monthly, compared to yearly.

The broker, Wise Driving, quoted 673.40 for our Honda Jazz driver to pay for insurance monthly, 3.5 per cent less than the yearly quote.

Wise Driving has not responded to requests for an explanation.

But the reason could be that the company only does telematics insurance, where premiums vary naturally depending on how you drive, which might mean the initial quotes are fairly loose.

Look out when converting quotes

One thing to watch out for is converting the cheapest yearly insurance premium to monthly chunks and assuming it will be the cheapest option.

The cheapest insurer for you on an annual policy may not be the same as on an monthly one.

For example, the cheapest yearly premium for our Honda Jazz driver was 648.95 a year, from Marshmallow Essential - excluding telematics policies, which can appear cheaper but also vary in price depending on how you drive.

But if the Honda driver would rather pay monthly, going with Marshmallow means paying 780.82 a month - 20.3 per cent extra.

The cost of car insurance is going up - and those paying monthly face even higher bills

That is no longer the cheapest quote - in fact it is only the third cheapest. If the driver still wants to pay monthly they would be better off going with a quote from Wise Driving and saving more than 100 a month by paying 673.40.

All drivers face rising car insurance costs, with premiums reaching a three-year high. But these bills are going up fastest for those paying monthly.

CompareTheMarket said the average cost of paying annually for car insurance has increased by 71 year-on-year, while the cost of paying monthly has risen by 83 on average.

What the insurance firms say

An Admiral Group spokesperson said: 'Without being able to investigate the sample quotes This is Money has run, its not possible to comment on the difference in price between the single payment quote and if payments were made monthly.

'Its important to remember that offering payment by monthly instalment is a form of credit and our charge for this can vary. The majority of customers pay 10.9 per cent of their motor premium spread across the policy term which translates to an APR of approximately 20 per cent.

'For each individual policy, the full breakdown and exact figures for the charge for credit and APR are given so that the customer can make an informed decision with regards to their options.'

A More Than spokesperson said: 'We offer customers the choice to pay their premium on a monthly or annual basis, in a way that best suits their individual circumstances. Generally, paying your premium on an annual basis will be cheaper, because it isnt subject to interest.

'Pricing can vary from customer to customer depending on a range of factors, such as their level of risk and the type of vehicle they drive. We regularly review our pricing to ensure it is fair and competitive in the market.'
The shift to electric car production has continued and helped to keep UK vehicle production stable in January, official figures show..

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reported that combined battery electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid electric vehicle production increased by almost 50 per cent last month compared with a year ago.

A total of 28,329 'electrified' models were built by the UK's automotive workforce in January, which represented more than two in every five (41 per cent) cars made in the month - a near-record high share.

UK car production in January remained flat, though it was a rise in electric and hybrid outputs that helped the sector tread water in the first month of the year

'Electrified' vehicles represented two in five of all cars built last month. Pictured: A plug-in hybrid battery being loaded onto the assembly line at Jaguar Land Rover's Halewood factory, Merseyside

The trade body said total car UK production remained 'stable' last month, with output down by a marginal 0.3 per cent to 68,575, equivalent to 215 fewer cars.

Sector bosses said that while supply chain shortages had shown signs of easing, they continue to impact some manufacturers.

While production of vehicles for the home market increased by 5.6 per cent, exports - which represent around four in five of all vehicle's manufactured in the UK - fell by 1.5 per cent.

The SMMT said this was largely due to the suspension of shipments to Russia since its invasion of Ukraine one year ago to the date.

While electrified cars are helping the automotive sector tread water, the recent demise of the Britishvolt battery-making gigafactory and recent decisions by makers to move production out of the UK has industry bosses concerned.

Britishvolt's Northumberland battery plant project went into administration in January, taking with it a direct supply line of parts to feed the manufacturing of EVs in this country.

A Mini Electric coming off the production line at the brand's Plant Oxford site. Parent group BMW has already confirmed that the next-generation electric Mini will be built in China

BMW bosses also confirmed last year that production of the next-generation Mini Electric - which will be unveiled later in 2023 - will be moved from Oxford to China.

Nissan, which is producing hybrid versions of the Qashqai and the electric Leaf at its Sunderland factory, has yet to outline plans for future EVs to be made in the UK, while Vauxhall's parent group, Stellantis, is currently in the process of converting its Ellesmere Port site - formerly the home of the Astra - into an exclusive electric van-making facility.

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: 'Automotive manufacturing can drive long-term growth for the low carbon economy but the sector needs competitive conditions to attract investment.

'Recent global developments, however, suggest increasing protectionism which, if not challenged or mitigated, could put the UK at a disadvantage.

'To deliver a wholesale industrial transformation we need a competitive framework and a pitch that promotes advanced vehicle manufacturing internationally.

'We now look to the forthcoming Budget for the necessary measures that will enable the automotive sector to deliver its undoubted potential.'

Experts say the UK is becoming a 'less attractive proposition' for new vehicle manufacturing facilities due to relatively high labour and energy costs, and access to raw materials

The latest independent outlook anticipates production increasing by 9 per cent to 842,200 cars this year, driven by growth in electrified vehicles, said the SMMT.

By 2025 car and light van production is predicted to be more than one million, it added.

Commenting on the January figures, Richard Peberdy from KPMG, said: 'An easing of supply shortages and continued demand for new cars, despite the cost-of-living squeeze, is keeping the market moving, but medium to longer-term questions remain unanswered for the industry, despite investing over 10billion in electric vehicle capability since 2011.

'At present the UK is proving a less attractive proposition for new vehicle manufacturing facilities due to relatively high labour and energy costs, and access to raw materials and chemicals.

'Whilst the UK is a global leader in high value skills and research, in a globally competitive environment the Government and the local industry need to do more to show that it can be a viable manufacturing base for battery and electric vehicle manufacturing at scale.'

A Government spokesperson said: 'This is great news for our auto industry, and shows how increasing EV and hybrid production will keep supporting jobs and growth across the country.

'More and more drivers, at home and abroad, are switching to affordable and clean vehicles and we are backing UK manufacturers to lead the way on technologies of the future.'
British Airways owner IAG has returned to profit after two years of pandemic-induced losses and forecast a further improvement in 2023 as travel continues to rebound.

The FTSE 100 company reported an operating profit of 1.26billion (1.1billion) in 2022, compared to a loss of 2.97billion (2.62billion) in 2021 and a record 7.45billion loss in 2020 (6.6billion).

The airline group said it expects operating profit for the current year to come in between 1.8billion and 2.3billion (1.59billion to 2.03billion) - which would mark an increase of up to 82 per cent.

Back in black: IAG said forward-bookings were 'robust' and expects profit to rise further

Alongside the full-year results the group also announced it had agreed to buy the remaining 80 per cent stake it does not already own in Air Europa for 400million (353million).

IAG, which also owns Iberia, Aer Lingus and Vuelling, said the acquisition would allow it to expand into the Latin American and Caribbean market, launch new flights to Asia and turn Madrid into another European hub.

Chief executive Luis Gallego said 2022 was 'a year of strong recovery, driven by sustained leisure demand and markets reopening'.

He added: 'At this point of the year we continue to see robust forward-bookings, while also remaining conscious of global macro-economic uncertainties.

'We are transforming our businesses, with the intention of returning IAG to pre-Covid levels of profit within the next few years, through major initiatives to improve customer experience and operational performance.'

Revenues surged from 8.5billion (7.5billion) in 2021 to 23.1billion (20.3billion) last year thanks to a resurgence in demand from holidaymakers as well as business travellers.

Capacity reached 78 per cent of pre-pandemic levels in 2022, hitting 87 per cent for the final quarter, suggesting ongoing momentum.

British Airways was at 70 per cent capacity and Vueling at 98 per cent as the level of pent-up demand continued despite ongoing consumer pressures.

The group is forecasting a return to 98 per cent of pre-pandemic levels as the current year unfolds.

However, the airline group has a major task in repairing its balance sheet after two years of pandemic grounding its planes for months, drying up revenues and forcing it to borrow heavily.

Over the last year, net debt reduced by 1.3billion thanks to a rebound in travel. But debt still remains high at 10.4billion, with the company expecting it to remain at this level in 2023.

IAG, like other airline groups, has also faced higher fuel costs - they were 30 per cent higher than in 2019 last year, while non-fuel costs were 24 per cent ahead of pre-pandemic levels, it said.

Total costs for the group almost doubled from 11.2billion to 21.8billion between 2021 and 2022.

'While access to liquidity remains high, as the balance sheet repair continues the return to a dividend payment simply cannot be countenanced, and this is likely to remain the case for some considerable time to come,' said Richard Hunter, head of markets at interactive investor.

IAG said its full acquistion of Air Europa will allow it to expand into the Latin American and Caribbean market, launch new flights to Asia and turn Madrid into another European hub

IAG shares fell 2 per cent to 162p in morning trading on Friday.

Despite a jump of around 55 per cent over the last six months, the shares have risen by just 5 per cent over the last year, as compared to a hike of 9.7 per cent for the wider FTSE 100.

Over both a three and five year period, the shares remain down by 60 per cent.

Hunter said the share price performance puts the scale of the recovery into context.

'However, and regardless of the headwinds which are currently in plain sight, for the moment the direction of travel is positive,' he added.

Sophie Lund-Yates, lead equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: 'As a long-haul specialist, IAG has been one of the last names in the sector to gain momentum following the pandemic. Of course, aviation has flown straight into another hurdle in the form of a cost-of-living crisis.

'So far it seems pent up demand for travel is keeping things propped up, but there is a limit to how long this can continue.'
The war in Ukraine entered its second year on Friday with no end in sight, a defiant President Volodymyr Zelenskiy vowing we will defeat everyone and global leaders set to impose new sanctions on Russia and countries supporting its war effort.

In a video message, Zelenskiy said: we are strong. We are ready for anything. We will defeat everyone.

This is how it began on February 24, 2022, he said, sitting behind a desk and recalling how he addressed Ukrainians a year ago as the world reeled from Russias act of war.

The longest day of our lives. The most difficult day in our recent history. We woke up early and havent slept since.

Zelenskiy described 2022 as a year of resilience, courage, pain, and unity.

Its main conclusion is that we have survived. We had not been defeated. And we will do everything to win this year!

As fighting raged on in Ukraines east and south, its allies around the world showed their support on the first anniversary of Russias invasion.

Paris lit up the Eiffel Tower in the Ukrainian flag colours of blue and yellow and people draped in Ukrainian flags, with hands on their hearts, gathered at a vigil in London holding a banner: If you stand for freedom, stand for Ukraine.

There will be a life after this war, because Ukraine will win, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said in a speech.

The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a resolution on Thursday demanding that Russia pull out and stop fighting.

There were 141 votes in favour and 32 abstentions. Six countries joined Russia to vote no  Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua and Syria.

Russias ally China abstained on the U.N. vote.

Russias Deputy U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy dismissed the action at the United Nations as useless.

The Ukraine military reported increased Russian activity in the east and south as the anniversary approached, with at least 25 towns and villages in three northern regions along the Russian border under fire.

Reuters was not able to verify battlefield reports.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 last year to seize Kyiv and topple the pro-European government, but those hopes were dashed by a fierce defence and Russian military blunders.

Ukraine counter-offensives in late 2022 grabbed back much of the territory it had lost. Russia now controls around a fifth of Ukraine.

TRENCH WARFARE

The war, which Russia calls a special military operation to protect its sovereignty, has settled into attritional trench warfare, with rising losses on both sides, particularly this year in fighting in and around the eastern town of Bakhmut.

Some U.S. and Western officials estimate Russias casualties at nearly 200,000 dead and wounded, while in November the top U.S. general said more than 100,000 troops on each side had been killed or wounded.

It is impossible to independently verify casualties in what has become the worst conflict in Europe since World War Two.

Millions of Ukrainians have fled their country and tens of thousands of civilians have been killed.

Ukraine and the West have accused Russia of war crimes, but it denies targeting civilians.

The war has damaged the world economy and a Cold War chill has set into international relations, with Putin raising the spectre of nuclear weapons and signalling a desire to double down on the conflict, despite major battlefield defeats.

With Zelenskiy insisting on Moscows withdrawal, the prospects of peace appear bleak.

We dont know when the war will end. But what we do know is that when the war ends, we need to ensure that history doesnt repeat itself, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told Reuters on Thursday.

We need to prevent Russia from chipping away at European security, he said.

SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE

U.S. President Joe Biden will meet virtually on Friday with G7 leaders and Zelenskiy to mark the anniversary and announce new sanctions against those aiding Russias war effort.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the United States would provide an additional $2 billion in assistance and new G7 sanctions will target countries that are seeking to backfill products that are denied to Russia because of sanctions.

G20 financial leaders meeting near Bengaluru, in India, must condemn Russias aggression against Ukraine, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told Reuters on Friday, adding that Europe was working on new sanctions against Moscow.

Sanctions will be more and more efficient, more and more effective, said Le Maire, speaking on the first day of the G20 meeting.

India, which holds the current G20 presidency, does not want the bloc to discuss additional sanctions and is pressing to avoid using the word war in the communique to describe the year-old conflict, G20 officials told Reuters.

The United States has said China is considering providing weapons to Russia, which could intensify the conflict into a confrontation between Russia and China on one side and Ukraine and the U.S.-led NATO on the other.

Putin on Thursday hailed new frontiers in ties between Moscow and Beijing and said Chinas leader Xi Jinping would visit. Xi is expected to deliver a peace speech on Friday, though some analysts have cast doubt on whether Chinas efforts to act as peacemaker will go beyond rhetoric.

The Chinese foreign ministry said in a position paper on Friday that dialogue and negotiation were the only viable ways to resolve the conflict.

Ukraine and its allies say the invasion is an unjustified land grab aimed at subjugating a sovereign state.

Further ratcheting up tension, Putin announced plans on Thursday to deploy new Sarmat multi-warhead intercontinental ballistic missiles this year. This week, he suspended Russias participation with the United States in the New START, or Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, on nuclear arms control.

SOURCE: REUTERS
Populist tantrum over a balloon

(China Daily) 15:01, February 24, 2023

JIN DING/CHINA DAILY

Between Jan 28 and Feb 4, a high-altitude balloon of Chinese origin  dubbed "the Chinese spy balloon" by the United States  drifted into US airspace. As a consequence, the world media has been full of blustering narratives over the past couple of weeks, saying the US has shot down a Chinese "spy balloon", which allegedly flew from China to Alaska and British Columbia. In the same sequence of events, the US has shot down three more "unmanned flying craft".

In a recent statement, US President Joe Biden said: "The intelligence community's current assessment is that these three objects were most likely balloons tied to private companies, recreation or research institutions studying weather or conducting other scientific research."

The official position of China on the unmanned flying craft was released on Feb 3. It clearly said: "The airship is from China. It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes. Affected by the Westerlies and with limited self-steering capability, the airship deviated far from its planned course. The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into US airspace due to force majeure. The Chinese side will continue communicating with the US side and properly handle this unexpected situation caused by force majeure."

In summary, China has acknowledged the airship's proprietorship, made clear its civilian nature, explained that the drifting of the aircraft was accidental and unintentional, while regretting the inadvertent entry of the balloon into US airspace due to force majeure.

Given these facts, four points stand out:

First, despite international regulations defining the legal nature and altitude of airspace under state sovereignty, and the lower limit of outer space (often designated by the Karman line), as a global common, aircraft and balloons flying over foreign states is not a new phenomenon. For years, Washington has been flying balloons and other aircraft beyond the US' sovereign airspace, especially during and after the end of the Cold War.

As for the Chinese weather balloon, it was seen flying across the US at an altitude of 60,000 feet (18 kilometers), which is a gray area where it cannot be determined whether US law and civil aviation international convention are superseded by outer space law.

Second, the International Civil Aviation Organization, as a United Nations agency, is entrusted with the responsibility of regulating global civil aviation. Balloons and airships both are considered aircraft under international law. The ICAO describes a balloon as a "non-power-driven, unmanned, lighter-than-air aircraft in free flight", and says that an airship must give way to balloons because an airship is more maneuverable (Rules of the Air, Annex 2 to Chicago Convention). Thus, in its official statement, China acknowledged that the aircraft was indeed an airship with a limited self-steering capability-technically, an unmanned, non-military stray airship.

Third, therefore, the legal nature and operation of high-altitude or "weather balloons" are legislated for sovereign states and under international law. Since non-military high-altitude balloons are categorized as aircraft by the ICAO, they have to follow international aviation law, although the ICAO does not regulate military activities. Also, the US and China are both members of the 1944 Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation, a treaty that upholds the jurisdiction of the ICAO and its framework on international aviation regulations and laws.

And fourth, the Chicago Convention recognizes the principle of exclusive sovereignty over the airspace above a state's territory (Article 1) and this international instrument is very clear in relation to over-flights: no state aircraft of a contracting State shall fly over the territory of another State or land thereon without authorization by special agreement ()(Article 3c).

The spirit of the Chicago Convention can be summarized by the combination of its preamble and the Article 37. In a nutshell, international collaboration.

As the preamble to the Chicago Convention says: "Whereas it is desirable to avoid friction and to promote that cooperation between nations and peoples upon which the peace of the world depends." The practice of inter-state diligent technical collaboration is the foundation stone of this instrument of international law.

China and the US are not small states. Both are global leaders, and their actions are regarded by the community of sovereign states as quasi-normative. So it is in their best national interest and in the interest of the international community, that both engage in responsible competition without escalation.

In addition, it is a matter of global sovereign responsibility to defuse any escalation perception through regular diplomatic means, making public only what should be on the public domain and avoiding confrontational narratives.

Indeed, when China acknowledged the balloon's proprietorship, and the balloon's civilian nature, said the flight's pathway drift was accidental and unintentional, and diplomatically regretted the inadvertent entry of the airship into US airspace due to force majeure, it created, as a responsible state, the necessary conditions for diplomatic and technical collaboration, promoting restraint on state-level public criticism.

But the US, by transforming the regrettable incident into an appalling populist tantrum, lost another good opportunity to lead by example.

The author is an associate professor at the City University of Macau (China).

The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of China Daily and China Daily website.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
The call to the Ferry-Fillmore District of the Buffalo Police Department on Friday morning sounded real  and terrifying.

The caller said that he was going to shoot up the Nichols School in Buffalo and that he had bombs. The sound of gunfire could be heard in the background.

A lieutenant at the district immediately got on the radio, alerting patrol officers closer to the Amherst Street school, as well as school resource officers, who all rushed to the campus.

But when they arrived, Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said, "they quickly assessed there was no commotion and no other 911 calls were coming in."

It would turn out to be a hoax, but it would take police two hours to make sure that was the case as students and faculty hid in classrooms, wondering if they were going to be the victims of the nation's latest mass shooting.

The call could be connected to a string of "swatting" incidents at schools across New York State on Friday and schools across the country over the past few weeks. "Swatting" is when a prank call is made with the goal of drawing a large police presence.

Schools in Babylon, Batavia, Beacon and Binghamton were targeted with similar calls Friday, police said. In Binghamton, McArthur Elementary School was on lockdown for 90 minutes, according to WBNG News 12. A school district spokesman there told the TV station that an investigation "concluded that the source of the threat came from an internet-transmitted call originating from an out-of-state IP address."

More than two dozen schools in Massachusetts received similar phony threats by phone last week. Schools in Oregon received similar calls Tuesday, and on Wednesday, more than a dozen schools in Colorado were targeted. Schools across that state received the phone calls in alphabetical order by the name of the city, KDVR Fox 31 reported.

While all of the calls have turned out to be hoaxes, schools and law enforcement have treated them as real.

And that was the case at Nichols on Friday morning.

At about 8 a.m., dozens of police swarmed the school and the school went into lockdown. Terrified students texted their parents and friends saying that an announcement was made on the PA system saying that they were on lockdown, and it wasn't a drill.

"She didn't know what was going on," the parent of a junior at Nichols told The Buffalo News. He asked that his and his daughter's name not be used, to protect his daughter.

The parent said he was frantic.

"The only thing you need to hear is: 'We're on lockdown,' " he said.

The daughter texted to say that police officers armed with long guns entered her classroom and asked if they were OK and then yelled: "Lockdown. Lockdown. Lockdown. This is not a drill."

In addition to Buffalo police, K-9 units from the NFTA police and the Department of Homeland Security scoured the campus.

After it was determined that there was no threat, the lockdown was lifted. Some students opted to go home, while others stayed. Buffalo police assigned an officer to remain at the campus for the rest of the day.

Gramaglia said that before the caller contacted the Ferry-Fillmore District, a staticky call was received at the police department's Seneca Street garage that may be connected. However, that call was unintelligible.

The incident is being investigated by the Buffalo Police Department's Threat Management Unit that was formed following the mass shooting on May 14 at the Tops Markets on Jefferson Avenue that left 10 people dead and three people wounded  a horrifying massacre still fresh in many minds in Western New York.

Buffalo police are working with the FBI and State Police, as well, Gramaglia said.

"We will conduct a full and exhaustive investigation, and anyone found to have made these fake calls will be prosecuted to the fullest extent," he said at a late morning news conference. " ... We will certainly charge any and all appropriate charges, and we will push for the maximum penalty. Examples have to be set."

The FBI in Buffalo said in a statement Friday that its agents are working with local law enforcement "to identify the source of the hoax threats."

In continued: "Investigating hoax threats drains law enforcement resources and diverts us from responding to an actual crisis. Hoax threats can shut down schools, cause undue stress and fear to the public, and cost taxpayers a lot of money; not to mention ruin the future of those making the hoax threats as theyll likely have a criminal record."

The parent of the junior at Nichols said he is horrified that his child has to live with the worry about her safety while in school.

During the ordeal, he said his other daughter was texting her sister advice: "Make sure your ringers are off. Make sure your phone is on dark mode. Make sure your doors are locked."

"I am so angry that my kids have to be knowledgeable about this in any way, shape or form," he said. "It's so infuriating."
Children in primary schools are using drugs, Cllr Fiona Bonfield told the February meeting of Nenagh Municipal District Council.

She made her remarks following a call by Cllr Seamus Morris for the council to take the lead on drug education for students heading off to Third Level colleges.

There is a lack of preparation for children going to college, a lack of education, he said. It is shocking to see young people taking crack cocaine.

Cllr Morris suggested that the district council through Tipperary ETB could be to the forefront in leading the issue.

He claimed there had been open drug dealing on the streets of Galway during college rag week, and that one student had collapsed in Limerick after taking drugs.

However, he said it was not just a question of warning about the dangers of drug taking, it was also about letting students know what to do if someone collapses from drugs.

Theres everything available from horse tranquilisers to crack cocaine, said Cllr Morris.

Cllr Bonfield said it was all down to having gardai on the beat and enforcement and that drug taking was now happening in primary schools.

She said the issue was due to be discussed by the Citizens Assembly in April.

Drugs are an absolute nightmare, declared Cllr John Rocky McGrath. They are the curse of all time.

He said that drugs were a plague in every village and every school.

Cllr Ger Darcy said that if anyone had any doubt about the drugs issue, he pointed out that the gardai had seized an estimated 100kgs of cocaine in recent weeks.

Cllr Joe Hannigan supported a role for the council and the ETB, saying education is the key.

Following the meeting, Cllr Bonfield said: There are some who think we can solve the issue of drugs through criminal sanction. It cant work and it hasnt worked anywhere.

She said that drug addiction needed to be treated as a health issue, not a legal matter.

Despite the ample evidence suggesting that giving someone a criminal record for possession of drugs for personal use is an ineffective way to get them to stop using, in Ireland, you can be jailed for up to seven years for possession of an illicit drug for personal use.

The criminal record itself, which can result in barriers to employment, travel, and relationships, can end up doing more harm to the individual than their drug use, said Cllr Bonfield.

She said that drugs and harmful drug use was an unfortunate feature of every community nationwide, and Tipperary was no different.

The Labour Party was advocating for a community-based health-led alternative response to be adopted to target the adverse health, social and economic consequences of drug use, said Cllr Bonfield.

Now is also the time to put more resources into addressing the root causes of drug addiction, so that we can help individuals and communities whose daily lives are blighted by drugs.

We need to protect vulnerable users in Tipperary and help them move away from harmful drug use, she said.
Over 2 million in funding has been announced to develop 70 new walking trails across Ireland.

The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, announced news of the plan - part of a major expansion of the department's Walks Scheme - today (Friday February 24).

The scheme will see the number of outdoor trails increase from 80 to 150 over the next two years.

The initiative is designed to boost outdoor recreation and rural tourism and will see the scheme work with over 2,500 farmers to open up the countryside to walkers, hikers cyclists and tourists.

Under the Walks Scheme, funding is provided to farmers and other landowners to maintain the trails that travel through their holdings.

At present, 2,200 farmers or landowners are participating, with a new call for expressions of interest opening today.

The major expansion of the Scheme is a key commitment of the new National Outdoor Recreation Strategy, Embracing Irelands Outdoors.

Making the announcement on the Lung Lough Gara Way in Castlerea, Co. Roscommon, Minister Humphreys stated, "Our walkways and outdoor trails showcase the unique beauty of our rural towns and villages. They attract millions of visitors every single year and provide people of all ages with the opportunity to get out for some exercise and fresh air.

"So today, Im delighted to announce a major expansion of my departments Walks Scheme  which we expect will see an additional 70 trails brought on board. This is all about partnering with farmers and landowners to open up the countrywide  benefitting our walkers, hikers, cyclists and tourists alike.

"There are already 2,200 farmers and landowners involved in the scheme and I want to thank them for facilitating access to these fantastic trails. The schemes expansion, underpinned by an investment of 2.4 million, will see the number of trails increase to 150 over the next two years."

The Minister concluded: "Today, I am formally launching a call for expressions of interest as part of this initiative. I want this expansion to focus on counties which have few or no trails approved under the Walks Scheme. We need to balance development and ensure that all counties have high quality trails for tourists and local communities alike.

"I am also committed to reviewing the number of Rural Recreation Officers currently funded by my department to deliver the Walks Scheme, particularly where a county is approved a trail under the Scheme and where there is currently no Rural Recreation Officer in place.

"I would therefore encourage potential applicants such as trail management committees, community groups or other similar entities to contact their nearest Local Development Company to make an expression of interest for inclusion in the scheme."
February 24, 2023





Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are integral to the business world. It's an effective way for companies to expand, diversify, and restructure their businesses. In the past few years, M&A activity has been on a steady rise, with more and more companies engaging in the practice. But experts like David Rennie in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, want to know what we can expect from mergers and acquisitions in 2023. Let's take a look at some of the key trends that are likely to shape this field over the next few years.







Regulation Changes

David Rennie says that regulatory changes are the main drivers of merger activity. This is because regulations often incentivize companies to merge or acquire other firms. As governments worldwide continue to change their rules, it will likely lead to increased merger activity in 2023. For example, recent changes in tax laws in many countries have created incentives for companies to merge or acquire other firms with similar operations or assets.

Similarly, new regulations on data privacy could create opportunities for larger companies to acquire smaller ones specializing in this area. Therefore, businesses need to keep track of any regulation updates that could affect their industry.

Increased Focus On Digital Transformation

The pandemic has accelerated digital transformation initiatives worldwide as businesses focus on finding ways to stay competitive online. This increased focus on digital transformation could also lead to more merger and acquisition activities as companies seek out partners with expertise in this area or the specialized technology they need for their initiatives.

David Rennie says that as more industries become digitized, there will be more opportunities for established players to acquire startups specializing in a particular area or technology they want to leverage to remain competitive.

Growth Of Private Equity Firms

Private equity firms have become increasingly active participants in mergers and acquisitions transactions over the past few years due to their access to capital resources and ability to provide strategic guidance during transactions. This trend will likely continue into 2023 as these firms pursue attractive investment opportunities, such as small-to-mid-size companies with strong potential for growth or innovative technologies that can give them an edge over competitors within their industry.

Therefore, private equity firms should be kept on your radar if you are looking for potential M&A targets or interested parties for your transaction needs going forward into 2023.

How To Take Advantage Of These Trends

The key for companies looking to take advantage of these trends is to be proactive. Keeping up with regulatory changes and looking for attractive investments or potential partners can help businesses capitalize on merger opportunities.

Remaining well-informed and equipped with a complete understanding of your goals and those of your future partners is the key to making the most out of all opportunities in 2023. If you do this correctly, there's no doubt you'll be able to capitalize on any merger or acquisition activity this year.

When To Seek Professional Advice

David Rennie says its important to remember that M&A transactions can be complex and require significant due diligence. Therefore, companies should seek professional advice from experienced advisors when considering a merger or acquisition to ensure the best possible outcome for their business.

These advisors can give you an objective perspective on potential opportunities and insight into any possible transaction's various legal, financial, and regulatory implications.

How Will These Trends Impact Your Business?

The above trends will likely lead to increased merger and acquisition activity in 2023. Therefore, businesses of all sizes need to stay informed on any industry changes and be prepared to capitalize on potential opportunities. Companies should consider seeking professional advice from experienced advisors before embarking on any M&A transaction and ensure they have a comprehensive understanding of both their goals and potential partners' goals.

In addition to staying informed on potential opportunities and seeking professional advice when necessary, businesses should also take the time to evaluate how these trends may impact their business strategy. By taking a proactive approach to M&A activity in 2023, companies can ensure that they can capitalize on any opportunities that come their way and remain competitive in an ever-changing market.

Overall, the outlook for M&A activity in 2023 is positive, and companies that can take advantage of these trends will be well-positioned to stay ahead of their competition.

Final Thoughts

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) have become increasingly commonplace over the past few years as more companies turn towards M&A activities as a means of expanding, diversifying, and restructuring their businesses. In 2023 we can expect further developments within this field driven by regulatory changes, increased focus on digital transformation initiatives, and growth of private equity firms looking for attractive investment opportunities across different sectors throughout the year ahead. Businesses should pay close attention to these critical trends when considering potential M&A strategies going forward into 2023.
February 24, 2023





Cybercrime and fraud have become significant problems for businesses of all sizes. In the past few years, experts like Michael Cherry in Grosse Point, MI, say weve seen an increase in malicious activities targeted at companies, ranging from phishing scams to ransomware attacks. Its estimated that cybercrime costs businesses over $2 trillion every year, so business owners must take steps to protect their companies. This blog post will discuss protecting your business from cybercrime and fraud.







Create a Security Plan

The first step in protecting your business from cybercrime is to create a security plan. This plan should include policies and procedures for handling potential security threats, such as network intrusion attempts or suspicious emails. It should also have programs for responding if an attack occurs, such as contacting law enforcement and restoring compromised data. Additionally, ensure your employees know these policies and procedures so they know what to do when faced with a security threat.

Train Your Employees

Michael Cherry says another way to protect your business from cybercrime is by training your employees on cybersecurity best practices. Ensure they understand the risks associated with clicking on suspicious links or opening attachments in emails from unknown senders. Additionally, remind them not to share sensitive information over email or other insecure networks and always use strong passwords for their accounts. Finally, remind them that they should never access company accounts while connected to public Wi-Fi networks without using a secure VPN connection first.

Implement Strong Network Security Measures

You must also implement strong network security measures to protect your business from cybercrime and fraud. Start by making sure you have a firewall installed on your network that will block any potential intrusions or malicious traffic coming into the network. Additionally, ensure you have antivirus software installed on all your devices so any malicious files can be detected before they can cause damage. Finally, ensure you have regular backups of all critical data in case something happens so you can quickly restore it without too much downtime or disruption of services.

Implementing Multi-factor Authentication

Multi-factor authentication (MFA (News - Alert)) is an additional layer of security that requires multiple pieces of evidence before granting access to a system or website. This could include a password and a different code sent via SMS or email. MFA adds an extra layer of protection by ensuring that only authorized users can access sensitive data or systems.

Using Encryption Technology

Grosse Pointes Michael Cherry says encryption technology can also help protect against cyber attacks by scrambling data so that only authorized individuals can view the information in its original form. By using encryption technology, businesses can ensure that confidential data remains secure even if it falls into the wrong hands. Additionally, companies should ensure they encrypt all communications between computers and servers so that hackers cannot intercept sensitive data during transit.

Utilizing Firewalls

Firewalls are another tool used by businesses to protect against malicious actors online. Firewalls act as a barrier between private networks and the outside world, preventing unauthorized access while allowing legitimate traffic through securely. Firewalls should be regularly updated with the latest security patches to ensure they can detect and block new threats as they emerge online.

The Importance Of Security Audits

Finally, its essential to regularly conduct security audits to ensure that all of your security measures are effective and up-to-date. Security audits can help identify any weak points in your network or systems that cybercriminals could exploit.

Additionally, they provide an opportunity to review the effectiveness of your current security protocols and make any necessary changes or improvements. Regularly conducting security audits can help ensure your business is better prepared to handle any cyber threats it may face.

Michael Cherry says if you want to protect your business from cybercrime, its essential that you follow these best practices. By training your employees on cybersecurity best practices, implementing strong network security measures, using encryption technology and firewalls, and regularly conducting security audits, you can help protect your business from malicious actors online.

Final Thoughts

Cybercrime is a real threat to businesses of all sizes, but there are steps you can take to protect yourself from it. Start by creating a security plan with policies and procedures for dealing with potential threats and strategies for responding if an attack occurs. Additionally, train your employees on cybersecurity best practices and ensure they understand the risks associated with sharing sensitive information over insecure networks or clicking on suspicious links in emails from unknown senders. Lastly, implement strong network security measures such as firewalls and antivirus software to prevent intrusions or malicious files from entering the system and potentially causing harm or stealing data stored on the network. By following these steps, you can help ensure your business remains safe from cybercrime and fraudsters looking to take advantage of unsuspecting companies online!
[February 23, 2023] Sungrow Chairman Cao Renxian Meets with ACWA Power Chairman Mohammad Abunayyan

SHANGHAI, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Cao Renxian, Chairman of Sungrow, met with Mr. Mohammad Abunayyan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ACWA Power on February 18th. The two parties held an in-depth discussion on cutting-edge technologies such as water desalination using renewable energy, green hydrogen production, and clean energy cooperation. James Wu, Sungrow's Senior Vice President, and Peng Chaocai, Sungrow's Vice President, also attended the meeting. Mr. Mohammad Abunayyan said that ACWA Power and Sungrow maintain a long-term and robust strategic partnership and have common goals in contributing to the energy transition and carbon neutrality. Te two parties will give full play to their respective leading advantages in the renewable energy industry, and strengthen cooperation in fields including PV, energy storage, and green hydrogen, contributing to a more sustainable and cleaner future.



Cao Renxian expressed his gratitude to ACWA Power for its continued trust and support, and shared Sungrow's innovation and global experience in the fields of PV, wind power, energy storage, electric vehicle chargers, and hydrogen during the meeting. Cao Renxian said that the convergence of the "Belt and Road" initiative and Saudi Arabia's "Vision 2030" provides diversified opportunities for industry players. Sungrow will continue providing industry-leading innovations to meet the demand for ACWA Power. The Company will continue to embed sustainability at the heart of its business and contribute its wisdom and strength to promote benefits for both parties. About Sungrow

Sungrow Power Supply Co., Ltd. ("Sungrow") is the world's most bankable inverter brand with over 269 GW installed worldwide as of June 2022. Founded in 1997 by Professor Cao Renxian, Sungrow is a leader in the research and development of solar inverters with the largest dedicated R&D team in the industry and a broad product portfolio offering PV inverter solutions and energy storage systems for utility-scale, commercial & industrial, and residential applications, as well as internationally recognized floating PV plant solutions, NEV driving solutions, EV charging solutions and renewable hydrogen production systems. With a strong 25-year track record in the PV space, Sungrow products power over 150 countries worldwide. Learn more about Sungrow by visiting www.sungrowpower.com. SOURCE Sungrow Power Supply Co., Ltd.

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[February 23, 2023] Sftimo Obtains MSB License Again, Building another Security Barrier to Protect Users' Assets

SINGAPORE, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- After two years of hard work, they finally paid off. Since obtaining the Canadian Fintrac MSB license, Sftimo obtained the US MSB license, which means it can legally carry out cryptocurrency business in the US and even the world under the supervision of the local government. The enhanced guarantee of asset and information security compels global investors' attention and brings Sftimo more possibilities. The MSB license represents the recognition of platform compliance and enables the digital asset management platform to conduct currency transfer services. With this license, Sftimo can conduct digital currency transactions in a secure and compliant manner, and expand its service scope in the US to meet customer needs better and offer a wide range of services. As a country of immigrants, the US is second to none in the world today. The immigrants contribute a lot to the flourishing multi-culture and thriving economy. The US has developed amature financial system in which hundreds of investors and businessmen in all industries have a huge demand and interest in investment and financial services. Their needs can be met by building a digital currency platform.



Sftimo is capable of conducting business under the regulatory framework of the US market. Besides, Sftimo can meet the remittance, trade and cross-border payment needs of global investors and enterprises, and build a security barrier for global users' blockchain assets. Therefore, digital assets are easier for users to grasp, and their safe circulation and exchange, value preservation and appreciation can be guaranteed. Due to MSB's responsibility to supervise registered companies and members, Sftimo is also required to comply with anti-money laundering regulations, reduce possible deceptive practices on the platform, ensure the authenticity of transactions, protect users' assets, and fulfill social responsibilities, such as upholding socio-economic stability and safeguarding public interests.

As a government-licensed platform, Sftimo is superior to other non-compliant platforms in the market in terms of credibility, security, compliance, etc. Sftimo conforms to the Hyperledger Standard that provides various frameworks, tools, standards and guidelines for blockchain application development. The Hyperledger Standard consists of frameworks such as Indy, Burrow, Fabric, and Sawtooth, as well as tools such as Cello, Quilt and Caliper. These tools and frameworks enable blockchain developers to create blockchain applications that optimize and enhance processes across various industries. Thanks to the Hyperledger framework, Sftimo is also credited as the "most trusted partner" by the market for streamlining processes, increasing productivity and ensuring the security of capital and custom data across various businesses in different industries. Moreover, Sftimo has long been committed to developing exchange compliance and active participation in the global compliance process. In the future, Sftimo will provide more compliant digital asset financial services globally. Company: Sftimo Blockchain Markets Limited

Contact Person: jeremy lau

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.sftimoinv.com

City: Singapore SOURCE Sftimo Blockchain Markets Limited

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A Buffalo Diocese priest has been put on leave over an allegation that he sexually abused a child, the diocese announced Thursday.

The Rev. Joseph E. Vatter, 71, who retired in 2022 as pastor of St. Paul Parish in Kenmore but continued to occasionally celebrate Mass at various churches, will be on leave while the diocese investigates the allegation.

Diocese officials declined Thursday to disclose when the alleged incident occurred, but said they had notified the Erie County District Attorney's Office about the allegation.

In September, a Rochester area man, Robert Kapal, told The Buffalo News that Vatter had abused him when he was a 9-year-old altar boy at St. Christopher Church in the Town of Tonawanda in 1980.

Diocesan records obtained by The News show the church in 2004 received an abuse complaint about Vatter, but the diocese determined in 2005 that there was "no basis" to the accusation. Another internal diocese document says that Vatter had been accused in 2004 of molesting Kapal in 1980.

Vatter did not respond last year to messages from The Buffalo News seeking comment on Kapal's accusation. He could not be reached Thursday.

Diocese spokesman Joseph Martone said Thursday he could not disclose if Vatter was put on leave because of Kapal's complaint or whether the diocese had received a complaint from another person.

"The diocese is precluded from commenting on the nature of the complaint because of continuing court proceedings," Martone said, declining to identify the court or the proceeding.

The Independent Review Board created by the diocese to investigate clergy abuse allegations can revisit complaints that had been decided by the diocese in the past, Martone said.

Vatter has not been accused of sexual abuse in any Child Victims Act lawsuits.
[February 23, 2023] Vermont Slauson Economic Development Corporation CEO, Joe Rouzan, Honored at Los Angeles Area Chamber 2023 Inaugural, "The Future is Here"

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Joe Rouzan, CEO of Vermont Slauson Economic Development Corporation (VSEDC) was selected to receive the Community Impact Award at the LA Chamber 2023 Inaugural "The Future is Here." This event highlighted business and community leaders throughout the Los Angeles region. This event, themed The Future is Here, highlights how our region must prepare for the next 100 years starting today. 2023 Inaugural will also celebrate the ceremonial passing of the gavel to the Chamber's 2023 Board Chair, A.G. Spanos, President of Business Operations for the Los Angeles Chargers. The Community Impact Award is presented to regional partners for their tireless efforts to reach underserved communities with resources and support to thrive. Joe Rouzan, along with two other honorees, were selected to be the first recipient of this esteemed award. 2023 Inaugural "The Future is Here" took place Thursday, February 16, 2023 at SoFi Stadium, home to the LosAngeles Chargers.



"I'm truly humbled and honored to receive this award. After an amazing and fulfilling career in public and private service, most recently with the Vermont Slauson EDC, I can't think of a better way to begin what will be my next chapter." About the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce

The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce represents the interests of a broad spectrum of organizations across the private, non-profit, academic, and public sectors, including the business community, job creators, and innovators in the Los Angeles region. Our mission is to design and advance opportunities and solutions for a thriving regional economy that is inclusive and globally competitive. As the oldest and largest business association in the region, the Chamber has a long-standing history of convening business leaders, communities, and policy makers to promote a vibrant economy. The Chamber's vision is A Thriving Region for All. For more information, visit www.lachamber.com. About Vermont Slauson Economic Development Corporation (VSEDC) Vermont Slauson Economic Development Corporation (VSEDC) is a community-based nonprofit and Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) recognized for decades of technical and entrepreneurial assistance to South LA small businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs. The services VSEDC provides services to drive community self-sufficiency, facilitate business growth, access to affordable housing, goods and services, and job creation. VSEDC achieves this through youth education, a core curriculum of business education, one-on-one business assistance, and small business loans. Find out more about VSEDC at www.vsedc.org, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vermont-slauson-economic-development-corporation-ceo-joe-rouzan-honored-at-los-angeles-area-chamber-2023-inaugural-the-future-is-here-301755152.html SOURCE Vermont Slauson Economic Development Corporation

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[February 23, 2023] Skyports Drone Services strengthens presence in Korea through Joint Venture with Korean drone company, Marine Drone Tech Inc.

BUSAN, South Korea, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Skyports, the leading Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) infrastructure developer and drone services provider today announced the formation of a joint venture (JV) entity between its drone services business and Korean drone technology company, Marine Drone Tech (MDT). Named Skyports Drone Services Korea, the JV Co will be dedicated to delivering tailored drone solutions that address connectivity, productivity, and safety. With a growing demand for innovative technologies in the country, Skyports Drone Services Korea is poised to meet the needs of the market and bring its expertise to the forefront of the drone industry. In line with Skyports' calibrated expansion plans, local branch offices have also been set up in Busan and Yeosu t better serve its on-ground partners and customers in both AAM infrastructure and drone services segments.



Director for Skyports Drone Services, Mr Alex Brown said, "Korea is a market that is well-known for its forward-thinking and innovative technology ecosystem. Our partnership with MDT brings together two market leaders and will see us rapidly scale up drone operations across Korea. Expanding on our work in Singapore, our focus will be ship-to-shore operations in the maritime sector. We will be bringing the best of our global offering across delivery and monitoring drone services to Korea, improving transport service levels, reducing costs and ultimately improving lives for communities all around Korea." Mr Hwang Eui-Cheol, Chief Executive Officer of Marine Drone Tech, said, "MDT is proud to join forces with Skyports and bring our expertise in drone technology to the table. Together, we will be able to offer customers a complete solution that will address a broad range of challenges in multiple industries. Our complementary expertise makes Skyports Drone Services Korea a formidable force, and we are excited to work together to bring cutting-edge drone solutions to our home market."

On the JV Co's immediate agenda is the setup of operations in Yeosu and Busan, with a primary focus on maritime ship-to-shore deliveries. In 2022, Skyports Drone Services made its first foray into the market, having executed a successful Proof of Concept (PoC) for cross-island drone deliveries conducted Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS). The opening of Skyports' Korea office follows the establishment of its Japan office in October 2022, as the company expands its presence across the Asia-Pacific region. The move comes after the steady progress of the past year in extending the company's AAM infrastructure projects and drone delivery operations with local partners, businesses, and regulators. About Skyports Drone Services Skyports Drone Services is a provider and operator of eVTOL drones for cargo drone deliveries, survey and surveillance. Skyports Drone Services is expert in the operation of long-range and Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) autonomous flight for a multitude of use cases, including ship-to-shore and maritime applications, medical and dangerous goods deliveries, and AI-driven surveys for the agriculture and infrastructure sectors. Skyports Drone Services is committed to elevating business potential, connectivity and access to critical supplies through the application of drone services. Headquartered in London, United?Kingdom, Skyports Drone Services has projects operating across four continents including Asia, North America, South America, and Europe. Skyports' investors include Deutsche Bahn Digital Ventures, Groupe ADP, Irelandia Aviation, Levitate Capital, Solar Ventus, The Goodman Group, Kanematsu Corporation, Ardian, F2i, GreenPoint, and ST Engineering Ventures. Find out more at: www.skyportsdroneservices.net SOURCE Skyports

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[February 24, 2023] XAG Drones in Vineyards Make Wine Growing Safer and Easier

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As wine grapes hit a critical stage in the Southern hemisphere, drones are changing vineyard management to make it safer, easier, and more efficient. XAG P100 Agricultural Drone, with a large payload for spraying, flew over the steep hills and into the vineyards of Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. In the face of climate change, it has helped wine growers control fungal diseases with less water and reduce manual labor. Oceania is an important grape-growing region for producing quality wines, where New Zealand is known for its outstanding wine grape varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. In 2022, New Zealand exported $1.9 billion of wine, representing 3.6% of its annual export revenue. The wine industry has become one of the country's top export earners. Powdery mildew, a typical type of fungal disease spread by spores, is the key challenge of grape cultivation. It can attck both vines and grapes, decreasing yields and affecting the aroma of wines. Due to the changing weather, the fungal spores are running more rampant under excessive rainfalls, which has put more disease pressure on farmers.



Fungicides should be sprayed regularly to prevent and control powdery mildew. Warren Gibson, the manager of Bilancia Vineyard in Hawke's Bay, had trouble with how to spray safely and efficiently, and now drones from XAG become his new solution. Dating back to the 1850s, Hawke's Bay is the oldest and second-largest wine-producing region in New Zealand. It is home to over 200 vineyards covering 4,600 hectares. As one of its boutique vineyards, Bilancia was located in the steep hillside block, where Gibson and his colleagues used to spray with a 4-wheel motorbike.

"On such sloped terrain, the previous way the job was done was getting too dangerous for us. And we would easily get covered in chemicals, risking our health," Gibson said. Efficiency is another problem that the 2-hectares vineyard took about 3 hours to cover with motorbike spray. To find a safe, sustainable approach, Gibson turned to Airborne Solutions, XAG's local partner in New Zealand, to try spraying with drones. The solution for the hilly terrain is to first create a 3D topographic map with XAG M500 Remote Sensing Drone, then use XAG P100 Agricultural Drone to spray precisely according to the terrain. With a flight speed of 2.3m/s, XAG P100 can spray the 2-hectare vineyard within an hour. This drone with an upgraded capacity can bring better coverage on crops. Scott Horgan is the drone pilot on mission, who is impressed by the rotary nozzles and adjustable droplet size of the XAG P100. He was able to select 70 microns to achieve the best coverage possible and to stop powdery mildew. "The P100 has a 40kg payload, so it is heavy enough to generate a strong downdraft when flown slowly and penetrate the vines. With grape spraying, you need to cover every single piece of the plants, or else the vine will get diseases," Horgan explained. Also, drone operation only consumed 1/5 the amount of water used in the past. What attracted Gibson most is that the introduction of drones can save vineyard workers from any danger. After the pilot set parameters on the smartphone, the XAG P100 can operate fully autonomously, while the wine growers watch it spray from safety of the flat ground. Gibson and his colleagues no longer have to wear full personal protective equipment (PPE) or drive the motorbikes up steep hillsides to spray. The application of autonomous drones has huge potential to scale up in viticulture. In most places, vineyards still rely on tractor sprayers and overseas workers to manage the grapes, but changes must be made as labor shortages can stress out farmers. SOURCE XAG

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[February 24, 2023] Wochit Launches a Free, Prompt-to-Video, AI-Powered Video Generator, Enabling the Instant Creation of Professional Looking, Editable Videos

NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Wochit, a leader in the SaaS video creation space, today announced the launch of its new video creation tool, the Wochit Wizard (available at www.wochit.ai ). The solution leverages AI capabilities made available by ChatGPT and allows users to generate professional-looking videos from a simple text description. The Wizard takes in the prompt and puts together a script, scenes, footage, graphics, music, and effects, outputting a video that can either be downloaded as is or further edited and tweaked using Wochit's Frame online video editor. "The generative AI revolution and the potential it brings to video creation has been at the core of our recent R&D efforts. We see the great opportunity and have been hard at work experimenting with ways in which we can incorporate and leverage this technology to make our products even better for our customers," said Dror Ginzberg, Wochit's Founder and CEO. "While we are still developing and evaluating the best ways in which to fit this technology into our core products, we wanted to share some of our developments with the world. This is our way of not only leading the way for generative AI video creation but also contributing to the efforts of xamining and testing the capabilities and limitations these innovative technologies create."



Creators are constantly on the lookout for new ways to get their ideas and visions out there quickly yet professionally. The Wochit Wizard taps into this need, providing any creator the ability to make compelling, creative content without compromising speed. A pioneer in the video creation space for over 10 years, Wochit takes its knowledge and expertise and applies it to all its products. The Wizard utilizes Frame, Wochit's scene-based online editor. Once the video is generated, users get access to a full-featured version, where they can expand, modify and enhance their creations.

Prior to launching publicly, Wochit made the Wizard available company-wide to a select group of customers in order to collect feedback. Among these companies were Burda, LOCALiQ, Grupo Milenio, Business Insider Germany, and Groupe Cerise, all of which recognize the importance of AI and are also actively researching and examining the implications and possibilities of the field. The observations made by these partners have already begun fueling the implementation design of this technology into Wochit's core product offerings. About Wochit



Wochit has been bringing the power of video creation to global businesses for over a decade. It is a trusted partner of some of the largest media companies in the world, and powers video creation for leading tech companies, brands, and marketplaces. Wochit's portfolio includes a variety of cloud-based editing tools, built for several use cases, workflows, and volumes. Wochit's products make creating, versioning, automating, and publishing, simple and smart. Media Contact:



Liel Bari, VP Marketing, Wochit

[email protected]

+972-52-3395595 View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/wochit-launches-a-free-prompt-to-video-ai-powered-video-generator-enabling-the-instant-creation-of-professional-looking-editable-videos-301754684.html

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[February 24, 2023] FreshToHome closes $104MM in Series D funding with Amazon Smbhav Venture Fund as the lead investor

NEW DELHI, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- FreshToHome , the world's largest fully integrated online consumer brand for preservative and antibiotic-residue free fresh fish and meat, has closed $104 million in Series D funding with Amazon Smbhav Venture Fund leading the round. Existing investors in FreshToHome including Iron Pillar, Investcorp, Investment Corporation of Dubai (the principal investment arm of the Government of Dubai), Ascent Capital and others have also participated in this round. New investors joining this round include E20 Investment Ltd, Mount Judi Ventures and Dallah Albaraka. JP Morgan was the placement agent to FreshToHome for the fundraise. The current funding will strengthen FreshToHome's mission to make 100% preservative and antibiotic-residue free fish, seafood, and meat accessible and affordable to millions of meat lovers. Launched in 2015, FreshToHome operates in 160+ cities in India and the UAE and offers more than 2,000 certified fresh and chemical-free products. Shan Kadavil, CEO & Co-founder, FreshToHome said, "We are excited to have Amazon Smbhav Venture Fund lead our Series D funding round. FreshToHome has pioneered the revolution of making 100% preservative and antibiotic-residue free fresh fish, seafood, meat and meat products accessible and affordable to all and that is our biggest USP. We are now a 'Proficorn' with operational profitability across the company. As we strive to offer more value to our farmers and fishers, customers, employees and investors, our focus is on profitability and sustainable value creation."



Amazon Smbhav Venture Fund, through its official spokesperson stated "Our vision with the $250MM Amazon Smbhav Venture Fund is to empower the next generation of innovative, technology enabled companies led by visionary founders. We are impressed with the FreshToHome management team led by Shan Kadavil and they have done some quality work in creating a robust technology enabled supply chain and scalable backward integrated capabilities to serve both customers as well as farmers and fishers. We are excited to partner with FreshToHome for the next phase of its growth." FreshToHome's core strengths lie in its brand promise for its quality and consumer trust and in its technology-enabled offering - Commodities Exchange, empowering over 4,000+ fishers and farmers to electronically auction their produce for sale on www.FreshToHome.com .

Two years ago, FreshToHome raised $121MM in its Series C round, led by Dubai's Investment Corporation of Dubai, Investcorp, IronPillar, Ascent Capital and U.S. Government's development finance institution  DFC. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2008893/FreshToHome_CEO.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/freshtohome-closes-104mm-in-series-d-funding-with-amazon-smbhav-venture-fund-as-the-lead-investor-301754777.html

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[February 24, 2023] XJTLU welcomes largest in-person gathering of international students since pandemic began

SUZHOU, China, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- After three years of online teaching, virtual interactions and negotiating time zones, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University's international students gathered on campus for the first time since China's borders reopened. On 22 February, XJTLU welcomed over 260 international students from around the world at an onsite induction. Students were able to meet in person, explore the campus and begin enjoying the benefits of being international students in China. For many, this is their first time on campus. Fenela Ariya Claresta is in her second year of BEng Computer Science and Technology but copleted her first year of studies online.



She says: "I arrived about a week ago and have been exploring Suzhou since then. I'm excited to get started with onsite lectures as there are too many distractions at home, and it's difficult to focus during online classes. "It's also so much easier and less awkward to interact with the other students now that we're all here. It's great to be on campus and finally meet everyone. I can't wait to get to know everyone properly and adapt to life in China."

Onsite lectures start this week. For many, this will be a welcome return to face-to-face teaching. Michelle Lionard, a Year Four BSc Financial Mathematics student, also from Indonesia, says: "After nearly three years away, it feels strange being back and adjusting to life here again. Most of my friends who started at the same time as me have gone on to get jobs, and I was beginning to think that I would never be able to come back. I'm so pleased to have finally made it." Kanghyun Kim and Seungje Lee, both from South Korea and Year Two BA TV production students, have also been away from the campus since the first semester of their programme. During the pandemic, they both returned to South Korea to complete their military service and arrived back in Suzhou this month. Kim says: "I'm excited to be back in this environment, to live in Suzhou again and to meet new and old friends. It's great to have our lectures in English and be able to practice our Chinese at the same time." Lee adds: "I'm really happy to be back on campus again and for classes to no longer be online. It feels like returning to my second hometown." Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2009241/Global_student_induction1.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/xjtlu-welcomes-largest-in-person-gathering-of-international-students-since-pandemic-began-301755306.html

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[February 24, 2023]

IDT Corporation to Report Second Quarter FY2023 Results

NEWARK, NJ, Feb. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IDT Corporation (NYSE: IDT), a global provider of fintech, cloud communications, and traditional communications services, has scheduled its report of financial and operational results for the second quarter of its fiscal year 2023 (the three months ended January 31, 2023) on Wednesday, March 8, 2023.

IDTs earnings release will be issued and posted on the IDT investor relations website ( https://www.idt.net/investo r s -and - media ) at approximately 4:30 PM Eastern.

IDT will host an earnings conference call beginning at 5:30 PM Eastern with managements discussion of results, outlook, and strategy followed by Q&A with investors. To listen to the call and participate in the Q&A, dial 1-888-506-0062 (toll-free from the US) or 1-973-528-0011 (international) and request the IDT Corporation call (participant access code: 151514).

A replay of the conference call will be available approximately three hours after the call concludes through March 22, 2023. To access the call replay, dial 1-877-481-4010 (toll-free from the US) or 1-919-882-2331 (international) and provide this replay number: 47574. The replay will also be accessible via streaming audio at the IDT investor relations website . /p>







About IDT Corporation:

IDT Corporation (NYSE: IDT) is a global provider of fintech, cloud communications, and traditional communications services. We make it easy for families to contact and support each other across international borders. We also enable businesses to transact and communicate with their customers with enhanced intelligence and insight.

Our BOSS Money international remittance, IDT Digital Pay m ents and BOSS Revolution international calling services make sending money, paying for products and services, and speaking with friends and family around the world convenient and reliable. National Retail Solutions  (NRS) point-of-sale retail network enables independent retailers to operate and process transactions more effectively while providing advertisers and consumer marketers with unprecedented reach into underserved consumer markets. net2phone s communications-as-a-service solutions provide businesses with intelligently integrated cloud communications and collaboration tools across channels and devices. Our IDT Global and IDT Express wholesale offerings enable communications service enterprises to provision and manage international voice and SMS services.

Contact:

Bill Ulrey

IDT Investor Relations

Phone: (973) 438-3838

E-mail: [email protected]



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[February 24, 2023] Hainan FTP promoted in Vietnam with 19 joint projects signed

HAIKOU, China, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A report from Hainan International Media Center (HIMC): From February 20 to 23, a delegation from south China's Hainan Province conducted economic and cultural exchanges in Vietnam primarily aimed at promoting the policies of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) and boosting multilateral cooperation in transportation, tourism, education, tropical agriculture, and other key industries. At the Hainan FTP promotion conference held in Ho Chi Minh City on February 21, 35 Chinese and Vietnamese enterprises signed off on 19 cooperation projects. The projects covered the purchase of goods, including coffee beans, coconut milk, dried fruits and vegetables, metals, automobiles, rubber, and steel, as well as bilateral tourism and factory investments. The total value of import and export and foreign investment projects reached RMB 3.4 billion (USD 493 million).



"The Hainan FTP currently has the highest level of openness in the world, and it is a new highland for China's opening up to the outside world. This conference will promote the Sino-Vietnamese economic and trade cooperation and drive stronger and more stable development to benefit our nations' peoples," said Wei Huaxiang, Consul General of China in Ho Chi Minh City.

Hainan Rubber signed a RMB 1 billion (USD 145 million) rubber purchasing deal with a Vietnamese firm. "The signing of this agreement represents a significant boost to Hainan and Vietnam's cooperation in the rubber industry and is mutually beneficial to both parties," said a representative of Hainan Rubber, who explained that in recent years, Vietnam's natural rubber industry has seen rapid development, with a variety of product categories. Vietnam is the world's second-largest coffee exporter. Hainan State Farms Tropical Products Industry Group Co., Ltd. signed an agreement with coffee tech firm ProfilePrint to jointly build a standardized international coffee supply chain system covering coffee bean import, sorting, testing, grading, warehousing, and logistics. Haima, a Hainan-based automotive manufacturing company, signed a memorandum of strategic cooperation with the Vietnamese car trading platform CarVivu. The memorandum includes a sales order for 10,000 units valued at approximately RMB 1 billion (USD 145 million) over the next three years, and an expression of intention to carry out joint knocked-down assembly of Haima-produced new energy vehicles in Vietnam. Hainan United Airlines signed an agreement with Vietnam Bamboo Airways to jointly promote the opening of direct flights between Hainan and Vietnam, adding transportation to the list of cooperation areas between the two places. "In the future, Hainan United Airlines will open more direct flights between Hainan and ASEAN countries to boost cooperation," said Ding Jiabin, chairman of Hainan United Airlines. Hainan and Vietnam, which face each other across the Beibu Gulf, are closely-linked neighbors and have a long history of cooperation. In 2022, the import and export volume of goods trade between Hainan and Vietnam increased by 60% compared with 2021. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/hainan-ftp-promoted-in-vietnam-with-19-joint-projects-signed-301755411.html

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[February 24, 2023] Ohio Digital Learning School Now Accepting Enrollments for the 2023-2024 School Year

Ohio Digital Learning School (ODLS), a full-time online public high school authorized by the Ohio Council of Community Schools, is now accepting students for the 2023-24 school year. ODLS offers a personalized approach to learning, delivering a rich, engaging curriculum designed to assist students seeking alternative pathways to education, career and college. ODLS offers tuition-free learning to students in grades 9-12, ages 16-21, who reside in Ohio. In addition, the school offers a 22+ Program to assist adults with earning their diplomas. "At ODLS we understand that every student has unique needs, and we work to help them on their journey to achieve their diploma," said Kate Harkless, head of school at ODLS. "Whether it's for our credit recovery program or your entire high school career, we can ensure each student receives a personalized, quality education." The school is an ideal option, in particular, for students who may have dropped out in the past or are at risk of not graduating. Many students and families choose ODLS ecause it provides a safe, quality alternative to a traditional brick-and-mortar education. In addition, students who may be behind on credits or need the opportunity to revisit a difficult class can benefit from the credit recovery program.



ODLS offers flexible class schedules as well as live classes online five days a week. ODLS's mentor teachers provide one-on-one support for each student throughout the entire high school careers. More information on enrollment and a schedule of upcoming events can be found at odls.k12.com.

About Ohio Digital Learning School Ohio Digital Learning School, authorized by the Ohio Council of Community Schools, is a tuition-free online public charter school serving student in grades 9 through 12, ages 16-21. As part of the Ohio public school system, ODLS provides families the choice to access the curriculum and tools provided by K12, a Stride Company (NYSE: LRN). Stride offers learners of all ages a more effective way to learn and build skills for their future. For more information about ODLS, visit odls.k12.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230224005038/en/

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[February 24, 2023] Masdar Makes Strategic Investment in One of the World's Largest Geothermal Players, Growing Clean Energy Portfolio

Investment in Indonesian-based Pertamina Geothermal Energy marks Masdar's entry into geothermal energy

Increases Masdar's footprint in the Asia-Pacific region and gives company access to second-largest geothermal market in the world

Geothermal is a stable, dispatchable, clean renewable resource, which helps to balance intermittency of wind and solar ABU DHABI, UAE, Feb. 24, 2023 /CNW/ -- Masdar, a global clean energy powerhouse, is entering the geothermal energy sector, through a strategic investment in Pertamina Geothermal Energy (PGE), one of the world's largest geothermal players. The investment marks Masdar's entry into geothermal energy, in the second-largest geothermal market in the world. HE Dr Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and Chairman, Masdar, said, "Achieving the 1.5C target set out in the Paris Accords will require humanity to leverage all sources of low-carbon energy, including sources that are currently under-utilized, like geothermal. Through its investment in PGE, Masdar is demonstrating its continuing commitment to Indonesia's energy transition and its support of one of the major focus areas of the upcoming COP28, which is to provide practical energy security solutions while reducing emissions." Ahmad Yuniarto, Chief Executive Officer, PGE, said, "We look forward to working with Masdar in the areas which complement and grow further our capabilities to be a world class green energy company, with the largest geothermal capacity globally. We endeavor to develop 600 megawatts (MW) in additional installed capacity over the next five years to support Indonesia's renewable energy mix." Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer, Masdar, said, "Masdar's strategic investment in PGE will complement our already strong footprint in Indonesia, the world's secon largest geothermal market. We are especially excited to add geothermal energy to our clean energy portfolio, a clean energy source that can deliver dispatchable power 24 hours a day, which further underscores our position as a global leader in delivering clean energy solutions that help drive the global energy transition."



Indonesia has a goal of increasing its installed geothermal capacity from 2.8 gigawatts (GW) in 2022 to 6.2 GW by 2030. The Government is targeting net-zero emissions by 2060 and having renewables provide 23 percent of the energy mix by 2023. PGE has been operating geothermal facilities in Indonesia for the last 40 years, with a portfolio capacity exceeding 1.87 GW.

Geothermal energy harnesses the heat generated within the Earth's core to provide a constant energy source, unlike solar or wind, which are intermittent in nature. Geothermal energy plants also have high-capacity factors, meaning they can run at maximum power for longer periods. These attributes mean geothermal energy could potentially play a significant role in the clean energy transition, helping nations with a high concentration of geothermal activity to reduce carbon emissions. The PGE investment is the latest in Masdar's ongoing effort to expand and increase its strategic partnerships in the Asia-Pacific region. Masdar is already developing the region's largest floating solar facility  the 145-MW Cirata Floating Solar PV Plant in Indonesia  and last year signed an agreement with Tuas Power, EDF Renewables, and PT Indonesia Power to explore development of up to 1.2 GW solar capacity in Indonesia for export to Singapore. Masdar recently announced a new shareholding structure and additional focus on green hydrogen, making it one of the largest clean energy companies of its kind. With a goal of achieving 100 GW renewable energy capacity and green hydrogen production of 1 million tonnes per annum annually by 2030, the new Masdar is a clean energy powerhouse that will spearhead the UAE's Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative and drive the global energy transition. For more information please visit: http://www.masdar.ae and connect: facebook.com/masdar.ae and twitter.com/masdar About Masdar Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) is the UAE's clean energy champion and one of the largest companies of its kind in the world, advancing the development and deployment of renewable energy and green hydrogen technologies to address global sustainability challenges. Established in 2006, Masdar is today active in over 40 countries, helping them to achieve their clean energy objectives and advance sustainable development. Masdar is jointly owned by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), Mubadala Investment Company (Mubadala), and Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA), and under this ownership the company is targeting a renewable energy portfolio capacity of at least 100 gigawatts (GW) by 2030 and an annual green hydrogen production capacity of up to 1 million tonnes by the same year. This material is distributed by Daniel J. Edelman, Inc. on behalf of Masdar. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2009443/Masdar_Indonesia_Geothermal.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1973446/Masdar_Logo.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/masdar-makes-strategic-investment-in-one-of-the-worlds-largest-geothermal-players-growing-clean-energy-portfolio-301755441.html SOURCE Masdar

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Western New Yorkers spent much of Thursday recovering from a storm of freezing rain and sleet that left a half-inch of ice in Cheektowaga, Blasdell and Elma, and more than a quarter of an inch across much of northern and eastern Erie County.

For many in the Buffalo metro area, that meant aggressively scraping sheets of ice off of cars; taking short, choppy steps down driveways and sidewalks; and waiting patiently for power outages to be resolved.

Then Mother Nature piled on.

The wintry mix of freezing rain and sleet returned to northern Erie County and the Northtowns mid-afternoon Thursday, leaving around another tenth of an inch of ice for the evening commute, with wind gusts approaching 40 mph. The winter weather advisory, expected to expire at 2:45 p.m. Thursday, was bumped to 10 p.m., with the mixed precipitation expected to turn to snow overnight. And while the wind is expected to relent during the day Friday, temperatures into the weekend are unlikely to rise to provide relief.

"There's no warmup to melt all the ice away," said Heather Kenyon, a National Weather Service Buffalo meteorologist, on Thursday morning. Niagara and Orleans counties saw most of their precipitation as snow, with Sanborn receiving 4.2 inches and Newfane and Lockport receiving around 3 inches. The Buffalo Niagara International Airport in Cheektowaga received 2 inches, as did Williamsville and Snyder; the Southern Tier and most Southtowns received less than an inch of snow.

The scene was much different in the Southern Tier and parts of southern Erie County, in which temperatures reached the mid-50s on Thursday afternoon, a heat wave compared to the temperatures that hovered around freezing just 30 or so miles north and west. For instance, temperatures were 49 degrees in Jamestown at 3:30 p.m. Thursday and 27 at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport in Cheektowaga  a difference of 22 degrees over a span of about 70 miles.

Since it has been a few years since we had this much ice on campus, we figured it's a good time for a reminder! pic.twitter.com/zSDU8j7i5l  Buffalo State UPD (@BuffaloStateUPD) February 23, 2023

About 25,000 NYSEG customers were without power early Thursday morning  centered in Cheektowaga, West Seneca and Orchard Park  but crews restored electricity to more than 10,000 of those by noon. Almost the entire Village of Sloan did not have power for much of the day Thursday. Households using National Grid were more fortunate, as only around 500 were without power as of 3 p.m. Thursday.

An update shared on Twitter Thursday night by Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz said he was advised by NYSEG that heart of the remaining outages came as a result of a National Grid line falling onto both NYSEG and National Grid lines.

We've been advised by @NYSEandG that the major power outage affecting 6,000 customers in Cheektowaga, Sloan, Depew & parts of West Seneca are related to a @nationalgridus transmission line that came down on both National Grid and NYSEG lines. Restoration is expected by 7:00 PM. pic.twitter.com/MLujAdaHAG  Mark Poloncarz (@markpoloncarz) February 23, 2023

As expected, the ice storm affected travel in the area. Traffic signals were out, while lanes on major routes were closed at various points Thursday due to disabled vehicles. In Buffalo, the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority suspended metro rail service temporarily Thursday morning, but buses were unaffected.

Public works officials around Western New York reported downed power lines and telephone poles which blocked roads like Jewett Holmwood in the Town of Aurora and Center Road in West Seneca. The biggest trouble spots were Galleria Drive near the Walden Galleria entrance Thursday morning, and during evening rush hour the closure for power line repairs of Walden Avenue between Galleria Drive and Duke Road, a busy stretch just west of the mall.

The City of Buffalo's Department of Public Works said Thursday afternoon that no major damage occurred as the result of the storm, but the city's 311 line received more than 60 calls for tree-related issues, according to spokesperson Michael J. DeGeorge. The city's forestry crews and contractors responded to the calls, according to the report.

Among the delays and closures were SUNY Buffalo State University, which canceled all classes before 10 a.m. Thursday, while SUNY Erie's South Campus canceled all of its classes. The Buffalo & Erie County Public Library's downtown location and other city branches did not open until noon, and the Town of Cheektowaga's Twitter account reported Cheektowaga Town Hall closed for the day due to a power outage.

The outlook for the first part of the weekend is frigid. Temperatures Friday will be stuck in 20s, according to the NWS Buffalo forecast, with wind chills likely in the single digits. Saturday promises to be cloudy and a bit more pleasant, but still with potential snow showers.
[February 24, 2023] New Brand Strategy Released, MINISO Accelerates Its Global Development

GUANGZHOU, China, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On February 24th, 2023, global lifestyle retailer MINISO held a conference titled "MINISO  Bringing Joy to the World," to announce its global brand strategy in Guangzhou, China. The company took the opportunity to announce its new brand positioning and brand symbol, global development strategy, product strategy, etc. More than 1,000 guests from the media, licensing partners, and corporate partners were present to support the event. The year 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the founding of MINISO, as well as the opening year of its updated global brand strategy. The company officially announced that it will transform into a lifestyle super brand that brings joy to consumers through collaborations and original designs. Speaking of the reason for the new strategy, CEO Jack Ye exclaimed, "The new global strategy marks the future of the company's deep participation in the global retail market and its progress towards a brand-new world-class technology-based consumer enterprise." Moving into a new decade, creating a great brand for consumers At the conference, Mr. Ye delivered a keynote speech, titled "Creating a Great Enterprise", in which he said, "To gain high-quality development on the global stage, MINISO has to evolve into a super brand stage by achieving three transformations: transforming from a retail channel to a lifestyle brand, from a retail company to a content creator, and transforming our customers to our users." Ten years after its founding, MINISO has broken out from the competition with century-old retailers and developed into a retail brand with strong global influence. As of December 31st, 2022, MINISO has entered 105 countries and regions across five continents, with over 5,400 stores globally.



Jack Ye pointed out that the "Joy Philosophy" has been crucial to MINISO's ongoing success, and that a brand that can make consumers happy will eventually become a super brand adored by consumers. MINISO will firmly promote its global development, brighten people's lives through constant product innovation, and become "the world's number one provider of joyful and fun lifestyle and household products." He stressed, "In the next ten years, MINISO will move towards becoming a world-class technology-based consumer enterprise." Licensed collaborations and original designs to brighten consumers' days

MINISO is very well-known for its collaborations with global intellectual property (IP) owners. IP collaboration is a powerful tool adopted by MINISO to engage young people directly. Through partnerships, MINISO could quickly and efficiently establish a deeper emotional connection with consumers and further strengthen the brand's identity. Taking inspiration from the company's logo, MINISO decided to use the "Wink" icon as its new brand symbol, which represents the "Joy Philosophy". CMO Robin Liu explained that the "Wink" has always been a part of the brand's logo, representing beauty, warmth, and happiness. The main purpose of extracting this simple symbol is to deepen the interaction with the consumers and convey the concept of a "joyful and fun life." Innovation as the unrelenting drive for the future global development At the event, MINISO announced the establishment of "Global Product Innovation Center," which would serve as the company's innovation engine to lead its global development. MINISO will invest in the construction of four design centers in China, the United States, Japan, and South Korea, to provide more professional designs to different markets. In terms of supply chain, in addition to integrating more than 1,100 high-quality supply chain partners in China, MINISO will partner with top analytical organizations for global trend and consumer trends such as WGSN and Pantone, so as to make the product development more informed and create popular lifestyle products featuring designs that are appreciated by consumers worldwide. According to Robin Liu, MINISO has upgraded its storefronts, platform and services, as well as launched a premium flagship store running on a brand-new model. On February 5th, the first flagship store of MINISO was unveiled in Chengdu, signifying the start of the company's move to make its name urban shopping districts and premium shopping centers. The new brand positioning, brand symbol, and upgraded consumer experience mark the start of MINISO's global development mission as it strives to become a brand that brings joy to consumers. Jack Ye said that product innovation has enabled Chinese brands to start taking off, and that MINISO will work toward the goal of becoming a world-class technology-based consumer enterprise. By sticking to its global development strategy, relying on its ability to efficiently integrate the supply chain and its insights on the consumers' needs, and continuously focusing on product innovation, MINISO is confident to transform into a consumer super brand. About MINISO MINISO Group is a global lifestyle retailer offering a variety of design-led lifestyle products. The Company serves consumers primarily through its large network of MINISO stores, and promotes a relaxing, treasure-hunting and engaging shopping experience full of delightful surprises that appeals to all demographics. Aesthetically pleasing design, quality and affordability are at the core of every product in MINISO's wide product portfolio, and the Company continually and frequently rolls out products with these qualities. Since the opening of its first store in China in 2013, the Company has built its flagship brand "MINISO" as a globally recognized retail brand and established a massive store network worldwide. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-brand-strategy-released-miniso-accelerates-its-global-development-301755511.html SOURCE MINISO

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[February 24, 2023] East Palestine, Ohio Residents Sue Norfolk Southern Corp. for Train Derailment and Pollution, Hagens Berman Attorneys Allege Negligence and Reckless Indifference, Seek Injunctive Relief and Oversight of Safety and Compliance Programs

Attorneys at Youngstown, Ohio area law firm Johnson and Johnson and co-counsel firm, Hagens Berman, yesterday filed a class-action lawsuit seeking restitution from Norfolk Southern Corp., the freight railroad company behind the disastrous Feb. 3, 2023, train derailment and subsequent fire in East Palestine, Ohio. The lawsuit, which was filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division in Youngstown, Ohio, seeks to hold Norfolk Southern accountable to residents through monetary damages, the establishment of testing and cleaning protocols and the creation of a medical monitoring fund. It seeks to recover damages on behalf of all injured businesses and residents/individuals located within 30 miles of the derailment. The lawsuit also requests injunctive relief in the form of oversight to Norfolk Southern's safety and compliance programs. The case brings claims of public nuisance, which is the same legal strategy Hagens Berman used to secure a settlement from tobacco companies on behalf of the state of Ohio in 1998. That settlement in its entirety is the largest in history. If you live in or near East Palestine and have been affected by the Feb. 3, 2023, Norfolk Southern train derailment and subsequent chemical pollution, find out your rights. According to reports, at least eleven of the derailed train cars contained highly toxic raw chemicals, and in the days following the crash, residents reported dizziness, coughing, chest pain, shortness of breath and eye irritation, all of which are symptoms of exposure to the chemicals which the derailment unleashed on the area. Residents of the area were forced to evacuate their homes and businesses. Residents of East Palestine, upon returning to their homes, reported a strange odor hanging over the town. Many have also reported eye irritation and other symptoms associated with vinyl chloride and other toxic chemical exposure. One of the proposed class representatives in the case was struck with a sudden and unprecedented bout of dizziness while walking through his living room the day after the derailment. Since then, this father of two and grandfather has experienced intense coughing fits, sharp head pain and shortness of breath. "This happened in our backyard, to our friends, neighbors and clients. We are committed to helping our community recover," said Nils Johnson, Jr. of Johnson and Johnson law firm, the attorney serving as co-counsel representing residents. "The sheer scale of the destruction is staggering. The true extent of the damage may not reveal itself for years to come. Norfolk Southern needs to take responsibility now and provide the people of East Palestine and Columbiana County with the resources they need for a healthy future."



The legal team joins Johnson and Johnson's local presence and know-how with litigation powerhouse Hagens Berman, which successfully represented the state of Ohio in public nuisance litigation against Big Tobacco, which resulted in a total $260 billion settlement among multiple states represented. Hagens Berman has also represented the state of Ohio in lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies for their role in the opioid epidemic. How the Catastrophe Unfolded

Attorneys say that following the crash, Norfolk Southern violated federal law when it failed to immediately report the derailment, despite the urgent threat posed by the highly toxic chemicals spewing from the wreckage and a fire that was large enough to be detected by weather radar approximately 50 miles away in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company did not make a report until two hours after the crash. "Those first two hours following the crash were critical," said Johnson. "Norfolk Southern wasted the chance it had to make a timely report, only intensifying the damage." At least five of the derailed cars transported more than a million pounds of vinyl chloride, a potent carcinogen linked to numerous deadly cancers, and as the fire continued, pressure mounted within the cars containing the toxin. The cars were equipped with emergency release valves to prevent explosions, but these malfunctioned due to poor maintenance, the lawsuit alleges. Norfolk Southern cleanup crews performed a "controlled release" on Feb. 6, 2023, which, according to attorneys, consisted of blowing holes in the train cars and dumping their carcinogenic contents into a nearby ditch, where they were subsequently ignited. Burning vinyl chloride releases a host of toxic chemicals, including phosgene gas, which was deployed as a chemical warfare agent during World War I and is banned by the Geneva Convention. "Norfolk Southern's misguided cleanup effort unleashed a chemical warfare agent on the residents of East Palestine," said Johnson. "The company's negligence didn't just lead to this tragic disaster, it amplified the fallout considerably, and Norfolk Southern's delayed response and eventual actions only added fuel to this fire." In the days following the derailment, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources reported over 3,500 fish dead in the waterways surrounding the crash site. Reports of local livestock and pets sickening and dying proliferated. The lawsuit seeks monetary compensation for area residents for decreased property values, property damage, lost wages and medical monitoring expenses they have suffered or will suffer in future due to the crash. The complaint alleges that Norfolk Southern's negligence in transporting these toxic chemicals led to environmental, property and personal damage, and also brings claims of nuisance, trespass and strict liability. Find out more about the case against Norfolk Southern for the Feb. 3, 2023, train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. About Johnson and Johnson Johnson and Johnson is a multigenerational family law firm founded in Youngstown, OH in 1921. The firm serves clients in Mahoning County, Columbiana County, and across the state. Ohio residents and businesses have trusted Johnson and Johnson's legal advice for over a century. The firm provides a broad range of legal services, including oil and gas law, environmental law, family law, and business and civil litigation. About Hagens Berman Hagens Berman is a global plaintiffs' rights complex litigation law firm with a tenacious drive for achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and fraud. Since its founding in 1993, the firm's determination has earned it numerous national accolades, awards and titles of "Most Feared Plaintiff's Firm," MVPs and Trailblazers of class-action law. More about the law firm and its successes can be found at www.hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230224005297/en/

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[February 24, 2023] Lighthouse Labs launches ICT Boost initiative, funded by the Government of Canada's Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program

Today, tech education leader Lighthouse Labs announced a new initiative named ICT Boost; this project is funded in part by the Government of Canada's Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program (SWSP). Lighthouse Labs will receive just over $21.2 million to lead a consortium of partner post-secondary institutions, as well as industry and community organizations, to bring the ICT Boost program to life. ICT Boost is part of the Government of Canada's investment to support demand-driven solutions for sectors hardest hit by the pandemic and those key to economic recovery. The SWSP funding will support equity-deserving communities that have faced significant systemic inequality or other barriers to full and equal participation in the labour market. "Lighthouse Labs is providing much needed, targeted support to Canadians across the country who have faced barriers to entering the workforce. The training, mentorships and career services offered through ICT Boost will help Canadians secure good jobs in the growing technology sector. Through our Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program, we are supporting organizations like Lighthouse Labs in their efforts to help people get the skills they need to find work and succeed in key sectors such as the information and technology field," says Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough. Participants will be able to access several Lighthouse Labs programs through ICT Boost, including web development, data science, and cyber security. ICT Boost will also provide post-program support through Lighthouse Labs' mentor support system, essential skills and non-technical training, tech stipends and career services. ICT Boost will build an ecosystem of opportunities in the ICT sector. To achieve this, Lighthouse Labs will collaborate with 36+ organiztions and select higher education partners across Canada, including McMaster University, Alberta University of Arts, Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Mohawk College, University of Guelph, NorQuest College, Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology and the University of Victoria. These organizations have built trusted and direct relationships with people from minority groups to provide skills training and wraparound support for participants to enter the ICT sector confidently.



"The tech sector fuels the Canadian economy, and it's critical that we match the rapid growth in the market with future-thinking training opportunities. It should take no one by surprise that there are barriers to entry into tech, which has created an ecosystem that is not reflective of the population of Canada," says Jeremy Shaki, CEO of Lighthouse Labs. "At Lighthouse Labs, we want to ensure that everyone is well represented in designing and strengthening solutions for our increasingly changing future. With the support of the Government of Canada, ICT Boost will work alongside our partners to provide skills training to enter the workforce and empower students to take advantage of this booming industry." Lighthouse Labs will work with industry and community partners to promote ICT Boost to its combined extensive network of employers further providing them with diversity and inclusion training. Lighthouse Labs will also involve partners throughout numerous touchpoints in order to foster the employment of ICT Boost graduates and successfully onboard graduates into their new roles.

ICT Boost has already begun partnering with a minimum of eight post-secondary institutions and 18 non-profit organizations. The program will run until March 2024. For more information on ICT Boost, please visit: lighthouselabs.ca/ict-boost About ICT Boost

Across Canada, there is a demand for skilled workers in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector. With tech-enabled change comes opportunities for all. ICT Boost empowers and provides skills training to equity-deserving backgrounds in Canada who face higher barriers to entering the ICT workforce. Tech education leader Lighthouse Labs through ICT Boost will lead a consortium of partner post-secondary institutions, as well as industry and community organizations, to bring the programming to life. The program will equip over 1,700 individuals with the skills needed to thrive in the ICT sector. ICT Boost Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada's Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program (SWSP) About Lighthouse Labs

Lighthouse Labs was launched in 2013 with the goal of finding innovative ways to train the next generation of tech talent. In an age of technological disruption across every industry, our mission is to give our students the skills they need to find long-lasting careers in a digital workforce. Eight years later, we've delivered hands-on tech education to over 40,000 students, equipping them with the relevant tools to thrive in the future of work. Through a unique approach to education and with the support of a brilliant team of instructors and mentors, we continue to empower students and launch careers. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230224005302/en/

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[February 24, 2023] Grocerist and Field & Fork Network Make NY's The Hub on the Hill First Grocer in the Nation to Roll Out an Automated "Double Up Food Bucks" Program Online

Program doubles impact of SNAP benefits for fruit and vegetables TORONTO and BUFFALO, N. Y. , Feb. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Grocerist , which makes e-commerce profitable for grocers with the first and only grocery-specific e-commerce solution built on Shopify, and Field & Fork Network , a New York State nonprofit that connects communities to innovative solutions that foster a sustainable food system, announced today that they have partnered to make New York non-profit The Hub on the Hill the first grocer in the nation to roll out an automated online solution for Double Up Food Bucks. Double Up Food Bucks helps SNAP recipients stretch their benefits by matching SNAP dollars spent on fresh fruits and vegetables, doubling their impact. The program is available in 25 states, and this is the first automated, scalable solution that other grocers can leverage. Food prices are escalating rapidly, and the Double Up Food Bucks program is a fantastic resource for increasing SNAP recipients access to fresh, healthy foods, said Jeff Anders, Co-founder and CEO of Grocerist. Were proud to be working with Field & Fork Network on this important project, which provides a national model for how to implement nutrition incentives and SNAP together online. The Hub on the Hill is known for applying innovative technology to benefit its customers. In January, the Hub worked with Grocerist and partner Forage to become the first food hub in the nation to accept SNAP EBT payments online . Now, SNAP recipients shopping online at the Hub will see Double Up Food Bucks automatically applied to their online account for their produce purchases - immediately redeemable for discounts on any future produce purchases. Healthy food incentive programs like Double Up Food Bucks NY are reat for families, grocers and our local communities, said Lisa French, Co-founder and Executive Director of the Field & Fork Network. When families save money on food, they can use it for other needs. Those reinvestments in communities will help our local economies recover. Were excited to roll this out with The Hub on the Hill and Grocerist, because e-commerce is becoming an important avenue for increasing access to food in our communities.



Grocerist and Field & Fork Network are already actively working to identify other New York grocers for similar projects, helping them implement both SNAP and Double Up Food Bucks programs online. The National Grocers Association Foundation Technical Assistance Center (NGAF TA Center), a partner of the Nutrition Incentive Hub, provided technical assistance services for this project. While nutrition incentive programs are beneficial to customers and local communities, they are advantageous to the stores operating them as well, but independent grocers dont always have the resources required to extend these programs online, said Josh Anderegg, project director for the NGAF TA Center. The food distribution system is incredibly complex, however, working together, such as in the case with Grocerist, Field & Fork Network, and Hub on the Hill, to provide an automated model can help to make important incentive programs easy and scalable for customers and retailers to participate in across the nation.

All SNAP recipients are eligible for the Double Up Food Bucks NY program - to learn more, visit https://doubleupnys.com . About Double Up Food Bucks NY

Double Up Food Bucks is a nationwide nutrition incentive model, administered by Field & Fork Network, servicing millions of low-income SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) users with a dollar-for-dollar match to increase affordability and access to fresh healthy foods at farmers markets, CSAs, farm stands, mobile markets, and grocery stores. In New York State, Double Up has contributed to 5.2 million pounds of healthy food sales to over 100,000 customers, at more than 220 sites spanning 29 counties. To learn more about Double Up Food Bucks and a complete list of participating sites, please visit the program website and social media sites, or call 1-800-682- 5016. www.doubleupnys.com About National Grocers Association Foundation Technical Assistance Center

The NGA Foundation is the 501(c)3 nonprofit arm of the National Grocers Association. The Foundation provides independent retailers with tools to develop more effective recruiting programs, enhance retention efforts and bolster professional leadership development opportunities for employers. One program of NGAF is the grant funded Technical Assistance Center which provides education and resources on nutrition incentive projects, particularly those funded through the USDA Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP). For more information, visit www.ngafoundation.org. About Field & Fork Network

Field & Fork Network is a NYS nonprofit that connects communities to innovative solutions that foster a sustainable food system. To learn more about our work please visit our website and social media sites at: www.fieldandforknetwork.com About Grocerist

Grocerist makes e-commerce profitable for grocers, with the first and only grocery-specific e-commerce solution built on Shopify, the worlds largest e-commerce platform. Grocerist gives merchants an e-commerce store at their own URL with all the functionality offered by their largest competitors, pick/pack technology that reduces store operating costs, a national delivery partner, control over pickup/delivery fees, low credit-card processing fees, white-glove guidance through the online SNAP application, and ongoing email, search and social media marketing support. Grocerists mission is to help the independent grocer use online to drive profit - both online and in-store. Learn more at grocerist.com . Media contact:

Michelle Faulkner

Big Swing

[email protected]

617-510-6998



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[February 24, 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. 24, 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 24 February 2023, delivered 18,050 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 51.94). On the date hereof, the total number of issued and outstanding DSM ordinary shares is 173,144,715. As a consequence of the delivery included herein, the number of outstanding DSM ordinary shares increased by 0.0104%. 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-301755713.html

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No one wants to come home after a long day of work to hear the landline phone ring nonstop with unwanted callers on the other line. Even traditional call blockers that are used to block unwanted calls from telemarketers, robocallers and other unwanted callers are ineffective.

In fact, traditional call blockers are at best a 5% solution, according to imp's Landline Landscape Report. Out of the calls imp handled in Q4 2022, only 5% qualified as blockable, or a call that came from a known bad guy using the same phone number.

To put that percentage into perspective, around 95 million people in the U.S. use a landline, with 7.2 billion calls reaching those landlines in December alone, according to the report. Of those calls, 85% are tagged as unwanted.

That raises the question as to why such a low number is only tagged blockable when a high percentage of landline calls are deemed unwanted.

Well, the problem is that these unwanted callers each have access to hundreds of possible numbers to call from. So, if a landline owner blocks one number, the unwanted caller will just call from another number. From there, it becomes a never-ending cycle.

Ninety-five million Americans rely on their landline phone. But these unwanted callers are jamming up the lines, said imp President George Lightbody. This means that not only are phones being used as an attack vector for scammers, but people are missing important calls from doctors' offices and pharmacies."

That is why imp's Greenlist Technology focuses on callers that landline users want to hear from. With the Greenlist Technology, spam, scam, political, fundraising, debt collection and survey calls are stopped before a single ring.

Imp, with its five-minute plug-and-play setup, works with all major phone brands and providers. It does not matter if the home phone comes in through a traditional hard-wired landline or is provided by a VoIP system.

Stop those annoying unwanted calls and only receive calls from numbers that matter.

Edited by Greg Tavarez
Right now we share follow-up to a show-down we talked about to start the day . . .

Here's how the episode went down according to the longtime local transit activist . . .

Chastain arrested at City Hall for trespassing when he was only there to protest the fact Lucas would not debate

"Security arrested me for trespassing, on orders from legal dept., and refusing to leave the building . . . They said I was campaigning. It was a council day, people always come in with placards or signs campaigning for their cause.



Selective enforcement.



The police were nice to me and let me out on a signature bond. I told them I would be fully supporting them, if elected. No kneeling with BLM. No painting BLM slogans on public streets. And no chanting with protesters...."no justice...no peace". No suing the voter-approved initiative for increased funding, etc.



BTW, I had an open prayer with two black men outside the police station on Prospect. They called what they did to me...fing bull s...! I told them I was going to help the Eastside residents and the disadvantaged, if elected. I told them No more glitz and streetcars for white tourists, hipsters and developers. I told them I would establish a major job training program (Trades) on the Eastside. And, an improved transit system on the Eastside. Then we had our sincere group prayer holding hands. A highlight of my life.



Sincerely,



Clay

############

Update . . . No word if this is life size . . . But, here's the signboard that security claimed Mr. Chastain could not bring into City Hall to confront the Mayor about his refusal to debate:



Developing . . .


This stretch of road has been a South side "hotspot" for nearly a generation.

Sadly, the deadly violence persists.

Here's the latest report . . .



Homicide - Late Death - 71 Hwy and Red Bridge Road

On Monday night (02-20-2023) just after 10:45pm, officers were called to N US 71 Highway and Red Bridge Road on a report of a shooting. While officers were on their way to the area, dispatch received calls about a car crash in the area. Officers arrived and observed two vehicles involved in a crash off the roadway. Officers located a victim, an adult male, suffering from apparent gunshot wounds in one of the vehicles. EMS responded and transported the victim to the hospital in critical condition.



Detectives and Crime Scene Personnel responded to the scene. They processed the scene, canvassed for witnesses and any surveillance video in the area.



Yesterday, the victim, who has been identified as Marcus Bewley-Perez h/m 11-27-1998, succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased.



Homicide detectives have taken over the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 816-234-5043. Or if you would like to remain anonymous you can do so by calling the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS. There is a reward of up to $25,000 cash for information provided to TIPS which leads to an arrest in the case.



We are working with Partners for Peace in all our homicide investigations to monitor risks for retaliation and provide social services to affected residents.

#############

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

Man dies days after shooting on 71 Highway in Kansas City KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas City police say a 24-year-old man has died days after he was shot on U.S. 71 Highway this week. Police were called to the area of 71 Highway and Red Bridge Road on a reported shooting just after 10:45 p.m. Monday.

Police: Shooting victim found Monday on US 71 dies from injuries KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A man found suffering from gunshot injuries along U.S. 71 on Monday night has died from his injuries. Kansas City, Missouri, police said Marcus Bewley-Perez, 24, died Thursday after being found inside a car that had crashed around 10:45 p.m. on Feb. 20 near U.S.

Man who was found shot on Kansas City highway dies in hospital days later A man has died days he was shot in a vehicle on a highway in Kansas City. Marcus Bewley-Perez, 24, was found suffering from a gunshot wound in a vehicle on the evening of Feb. 20. Police found him in a car on northbound U.S. Highway 71 and Red Bridge Road.

Developing . . .
Tonight we share a peek at a tragic case that finally earned justice along with more crime reporting, police action and ongoing cases . . .



Check TKC news gathering . . .

Kansas City woman sentenced to federal prison after filing 71 fraudulent food stamp applications A Kansas City woman has been sentenced after she pleaded guilty in 2022 to using six stolen identities to file 71 SNAP applications in four different states. Bridgette Ford, 62, will spend the next four years and six months in federal prison without parole.

Suspect in custody after bank robbery at Chase Bank in Leawood KANSAS CITY, Mo. - FBI agents and the Leawood Police Department are investigating a bank robbery reported Thursday afternoon. An FBI spokesperson said law enforcement was called around 4:25 p.m. to respond to the Chase Bank located at 4700 W. 119th Street. The bank is located near the Town Center Mall at W.

'I shot him, I shot him!' Woman receives 15 years in prison for shooting, killing man in Jackson County A 29-year-old woman has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for the fatal shooting of a Blue Summit, Mo., man. Zachary Jewell was shot and killed in February 2021. On Thursday, Sarah Devera pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. Court documents state that Devera showed up to a fire station in Jackson County with the victim.

Missouri AG files motion to remove Gardner from office, Gardner defends her office's actions ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV) - Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has filed a motion to remove Kim Gardner from office. The filing was made at just 12 p.m. Thursday. Bailey gave Gardner a deadline of noon Thursday to resign or he would begin removal proceedings.

2 suspects steal ATM, flee deputies in Cass County KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Cass County Sheriff's Office deputies arrested two suspects who ran from a vehicle stop after stealing an ATM from a BP gas station around 4 a.m. Thursday in Archie, Missouri. When the suspect vehicle was located, Cass County deputies initiated a chase heading northbound on Interstate 49.

Man convicted of first-degree murder in 2019 shooting death of a 17-year-old in an Overland Park, Kansas apartment A Johnson County, Kansas, jury says one of three people charged in connection with the murder of a teen in Overland Park in 2019.

KCK man charged for tying up Lenexa GameStop employees in robbery LENEXA, Kan. - Law enforcement have made an arrest in a violent GameStop robbery in Lenexa. While the Johnson County district attorney has charged one man in the crime, police are still searching for a second suspect. Investigators said on Feb.

Developing . . .


Finding common ground can be tough for politicos on the campaign trail.



And so tonight we post a tidbit regarding a recent council forum faux pas not to express criticism or self-righteous indignation but merely to provide an interesting case study.

Here's the sitch . . .



The council forum at Guadalupe Center this week earned a collective sigh from patrons when two candidates attempted to connect with the audience by way of foodie and cultural references.

First up . . .

John David DiCapo talked about his work with Jim's Tamales and guessed that there were likely a few tamale connoisseurs in the crowd.

The reaction was reportedly muted and Westsiders did their best to muffle their groans.

Quick foodie fact check . . . Local chef extraordinaire Jasper Mirable reminds us that the legendary Jim's Hot Tamales "are not Mexican style tamales, but rather New Orleans style tamales. They are still made with corn masa, but rather than stuffed with meat and wrapped in corn husks they are flavoured with broth and cylindrical in shape."



And then . . .

LGBT leader Justin Short shared his recent adventures at a local lowrider show and asked the crowd if they had ever tried horchata . . .

Again, no harm and no foul here . . . The denizens of the crowd are expected to fully recover from their eye-roll strain.

An objective perspective . . .

"The comments were tone deaf . . . And basically represent two candidates trying very hard to connect with a community that they obviously don't understand."



And here is where we can actually serve to help political hopefuls venturing out into the growing number of local Latino enclaves . . .

These neighborhoods have EXACTLY THE SAME CONCERNS as most Kansas City residents; they're frustrated by high crime, worsening infrastructure and unreliable city services.



Don't worry . . . This isn't a rant or even a horrible cultural teaching moment . . . Just another reminder that our council campaigners DON'T HAVE TO TRY SO HARD and should let their community connections come naturally . . . If they have them at all.

Every American loves tamales, kick-ass cars and drinks with too much sugar . . . Meanwhile, council candidates can stand out by patiently explaining to voters how they can help to navigate city hall policy that is nearly indecipherable to most residents.

Developing . . .
ATLANTA  Almost as soon as the foreperson of the special grand jury in the Georgia election meddling investigation went public this week, speculation began about whether her unusually candid revelations could jeopardize possible prosecution of former President Donald Trump or others.

Emily Kohrs first spoke out in an interview published Tuesday by The Associated Press, a story that was followed by interviews in other print and television news outlets.

In detailed commentary, she described some of what happened behind the closed doors of the jury room  how witnesses behaved, how prosecutors interacted with them, how some invoked their constitutional right not to answer certain questions.

Lawyers for Trump say the revelations offered by Kohrs shattered the credibility of the entire special grand jury investigation. People hoping to see the former president indicted worried on social media that Kohrs may have tanked a case against the former president.

But experts said that while Kohrs' chattiness in news interviews probably aggravated Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who's leading the investigation, they were not legally damaging.

Willis likely "wishes that this woman hadn't gone on the worldwide tour that she did," said Amy Lee Copeland, a former federal prosecutor and criminal defense attorney in Georgia who's not involved in the case. "But is this a headache that is grinding the machine to a halt? It's not. It's just one of the many frustrations that attends the practice of law."

Trump's attorneys in Georgia, however, are jumping on the interviews.

Drew Findling and Jennifer Little, who represent Trump in the Fulton County case, said they had concerns about the panel's proceedings from the start but have kept quiet out of respect for the grand jury process. After Kohrs' interviews, they felt compelled to speak out.

"The end product is, the reliability of anything that has taken place in there is completely tainted and called into question," Findling said. But he also said he wasn't attacking "a 30-year-old foreperson."

"She's a product of a circus that cloaked itself as a special purpose grand jury," he said.

Findling and Little hadn't filed any challenges in the case by Thursday but said they're "resolute" as to Trump's innocence and keeping their options open.

The special grand jury was impaneled at the request of Willis, who is investigating whether Trump and his Republican allies committed crimes as they tried to overturn his narrow 2020 election loss in the state to Democrat Joe Biden.

The panel didn't have the power to indict but instead offered recommendations for Willis, a Democrat, who will decide whether to seek charges from a regular grand jury.

The former president's lawyers expressed concern that the special grand jury was allowed to watch and read news coverage of the case and was aware of some witnesses' efforts not to testify. Kohrs said prosecutors told the jurors they could read and watch the news but urged them to keep open minds.

Kohrs also shared anecdotes from the proceedings that she found amusing and was very expressive in television interviews, sometimes laughing or making faces.

"It's not a joking matter," Findling said. "It's not a matter for giggles. It's not a matter for smiles."

In the federal system, grand jurors are prohibited from talking about what witnesses say or anything that happens in the room. But the Georgia special grand jury oath says only that they cannot talk about their deliberations.

Copeland, the former federal prosecutor and criminal defense attorney, noted that Kohrs was cautious  consulting a notebook where she'd written the judge's instructions before answering some questions  and didn't describe the discussion and debate that led to the special grand jury's outcomes.

"I wish she really hadn't talked about anything," Copeland added. "But she doesn't talk about the deliberations. She doesn't talk about the votes. She simply talks about other things that were happening in the grand jury session."

University of Georgia law professor emeritus Ron Carlson said that if Kohrs had revealed the names of anyone for whom the special grand jury recommended charges, it's possible those people could try to use that as grounds to dismiss an indictment. But he wasn't optimistic about the chances for success.

"I think that any kind of motion to dismiss an indictment based on her comments would have an uphill battle," Carlson said.
Amid a week of statewide and memorial tribute for a fallen officer and his dog . . . Credit to Kansas City news outlets that also highlighted the story of this local man and his worthwhile story . . .



"Jesse Eckes was killed following a chain-reaction crash through the intersection of Benton and Truman Road last Wednesday night."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Pedestrian who died in last week's crash a client of Hope Faith A pedestrian, a Kansas City, Mo., police officer, and his canine partner are dead following a crash near Truman Road and Benton Boulevard on February 15. Just after 10:15 p.m. a police canine officer and his canine partner were on duty and on patrol in the area of Truman Road and Benton Boulevard when their patrol car was struck by another vehicle.

'He was my second dad': Niece of pedestrian killed in Kansas City crash shares pain of loss Family and friends of a pedestrian killed while walking down a busy street say he was a gentle giant and "loving and caring" man. Jesse Eckes was killed following a chain-reaction crash through the intersection of Benton and Truman Road last Wednesday night. A vehicle driven struck a Kansas City police car.

Homelessness advocates remember man killed in crash involving KCPD officers KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Doug Langner, the executive director of Hope Faith, serves the Kansas City homeless population. Langner says Hope Faith is currently mourning the loss of one its community members - Jesse Eckes . Eckes died in a crash that also took the life of KCPD Officer James Muhlbauer and K-9 partner, Champ.

Developing . . .
There are so many ways to meet with tragic car fate in Kansas City.



Here's a risk we often ignore . . .



"Crews responded to 92nd Street and Oak yesterday and worked to save a woman trapped at the scene."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Car swallowed by sinkhole in South Kansas City, no word on injuries Hide Transcript Show Transcript FINAL CAUSE FOR THAT DERAILMENT. AND A SINKHOLE IN SOUTH KANSAS CITY SWALLOWED A VEHICLE TODAY. CREWS RESPONDED TO 92ND AND OAK JUST AFTER 2:00 THIS AFTERNOON. NEWS CHOPPER NINE WAS OVER THE SCENE. YOU CAN SEE THAT VEHICLE UPSIDE DOWN IN TH A sinkhole in South Kansas City swallowed a vehicle on Thursday afternoon.

Sinkhole swallows car in South Kansas City KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Emergency crews are working to determine the cause of a sinkhole that opened in South Kansas City. They were called to the area near E. 92nd Street and Oak Street around 12 p.m. Thursday. When officers arrived they found a vehicle inside the sinkhole.

Developing . . .
This week a legal battle moves forward amid longtime frustration amongst conservatives and the red state super majority flexing on some of their more controversial political opponents.



Here's a roundup of what we know so far . . .



Earlier Thursday, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed a writ of quo warranto to remove Gardner from office, accusing her of neglecting her duties as circuit attorney. Bailey had given Gardner a noon ultimatum to resign, but she refused.



At a news conference outside her office in the St. Louis Circuit Court Building, Gardner defended her actions in prosecuting Daniel Riley, a robbery suspect who got into a crash last weekend that grievously injured a teenager. Riley, 21, was awaiting trial for a 2020 armed robbery case at the time of the crash.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .
Here's what we know . . .

New KCI pretty much paid off every mainstream news outlet in this cowtown.

In return for the desperately needed cash . . . There hasn't been much if any critical coverage or reporting.

Here at TKC we've noted union smackdowns and power plays involved in building this mostly glass house.

Examined the sketchy premise that foodie offerings make traveling more enjoyable.



Talked about the trans bathrooms.

Explained that it's really just a big, ugly parking lot.



And most importantly . . . Joked about the silly art inside the place.



Nevertheless . . .

The plebs will be satisfied with something new and shiny for a few moments next week. And the lead up will be nothing but promotional content disguised as news.

Take a peek via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .



New airport terminal brings opportunities for new flights KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas City International Airport's new terminal is not just bringing a whole new look and experience to air travel but also the possibility of new flights. It's been a topic of discussion since the idea of a new terminal was introduced in 2014.

Shaquille O'Neal's Big Chicken restaurant coming to new KCI terminal NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal is bringing his fried chicken restaurant to Kansas City. Big Chicken is opening a spot inside Terminal B at the Kansas City International Airport's new single terminal and is hiring for hourly and management positions. The new location marks Big Chicken's first in Missouri and the Kansas City metro.

Passengers arriving to new KCI terminal ready to adjust KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Anyone flying out of Kansas City within the next few days is likely to be leaving out of an old terminal and returning to the new one. How do passengers expect to adjust to the move? The Dicus family plan to tour the new terminal by themselves after their Washington, D.C., flight lands next week.

Developer reflects on 6 year journey to new KCI terminal opening on Tuesday KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Things seem to be running smoothly as Kansas City International prepares to open the new $1.5 billion single terminal Tuesday. But getting this far was a bit of a bumpy ride. Edgemoor first had to convince the Kansas City public of a new single terminal.

What to know about parking at new KCI terminal KANSAS CITY, Mo. - When passengers use the new terminal at Kansas City International Airport beginning Tuesday, Feb. 28, they'll notice a brand new parking garage and surface parking lot. Here's what drivers need to know about parking at the new terminal.

BBQ. Brazilian Cheese Bread. Pizza. Here's What's on the Menu at the New KCI Terminal Kansas City International Airport's new terminal will have nearly 50 eateries, bars and stores, many of them local. Vantage Airport Group of Vancouver was the winning bidder for the lucrative deal to run concessions at the city's new $1.5 billion terminal. It agreed to invest $65 million to develop the new concessions.

Diversity is helping shape how new KCI terminal looks KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Minority-owned and women-owned business are playing a major role in construction and operation of KCI's new single terminal. "It's exhilarating, exciting all at the same time," said Thalia Cherry, the founder and owner of CHERRY.

Developing . . .
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.
For Russia, it's been a year of bold charges and bombardments, humiliating retreats and grinding sieges. Ukraine countered with fierce resistance, surprising counteroffensives and unexpected hit-and-run strikes.

Now, on the anniversary of Russia's Feb. 24, 2022, invasion that has killed tens of thousands and reduced cities to ruins, both sides are preparing for a potentially more disastrous phase.

Russia on Thursday intensified its push to capture all of Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland of the Donbas. Kyiv and its Western allies also say Moscow could try to launch a wider, more ambitious attack elsewhere along the more than 600-mile front line.

Ukraine is waiting for battle tanks and other new weapons pledged by the West for it to reclaim occupied areas.

What's nowhere in sight is a settlement. The Kremlin insists it must include the recognition of the Crimean Peninsula, which it annexed illegally in 2014, along with the acceptance of its other territorial gains. Ukraine categorically rejects those demands and rules out talks until Russia withdraws all forces.

The U.N. General Assembly approved a resolution Thursday that calls for Russia to end hostilities and withdraw its forces, sending a strong message on the eve of the first anniversary of the invasion that Moscow's aggression must end. The 141-7 vote with 32 abstentions was slightly below the highest vote for the five previous resolutions approved by the 193-member world body regarding the war.

The resolutions are not legally binding but serve as a barometer of world opinion. The Security Council, charged with maintaining international peace and security, is paralyzed by Russias veto power.

Foreign ministers and diplomats from more than 75 countries addressed the assembly during two days of debate, many urging support for the resolution that upholds Ukraines territorial integrity, a basic principle of the U.N. Charter that all countries must subscribe to when they join.

Meanwhile, China called for a cease-fire early Friday between Ukraine and Russia and the opening of peace talks as part of a 12-point proposal to end the conflict.

The plan by the Foreign Ministry also urges the end of Western sanctions imposed on Russia, the establishment of humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians and steps to ensure the export of grain after disruptions caused global food prices to spike.

The U.S. wants to see tougher and more effectively enforced sanctions against Russia and additional support for Ukraine, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Thursday during meetings of the Group of 20 leading economies in the Indian technology hub of Bengaluru. She said sanctions are working but more needs to be done to hobble the Russian war effort.

Yellen said the U.S. expects to provide another $10 billion in assistance to Ukraine on top of more than $46 billion already given. She commended allies for their direct aid and said the role of the International Monetary Fund in those efforts is critical."

Experts warn that Europe's largest conflict since World War II could drag on for years, and some fear it could lead to a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO. Putin repeatedly said Russia could use "all available means" to protect its territory, a clear reference to its nuclear arsenal.

In recent months, Russian forces have tried to encircle the Ukrainian stronghold of Bakhmut and push deeper into the Donetsk region. Moscow also aims to wear down Ukrainian forces and prevent them from starting offensives elsewhere.

"Russia currently has the initiative and the advantage on the battlefield," Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said, noting Kyiv's acute shortage of ammunition.

Russia has relied on its massive arsenal, and boosted production of weapons and munitions, giving it a significant edge. While Ukrainian and Western intelligence agencies observed that Moscow is running out of precision missiles, it has plenty of old-style weapons.

Still, a wider Russian offensive beyond the Donbas could be a gamble for Moscow, which mobilized 300,000 reservists last fall to bolster its forces.

Igor Strelkov, a former Russian security officer who led separatist forces in the Donbas when fighting erupted there in 2014, warned that a big offensive could be disastrous for Russia because its preparation would be impossible to conceal and attackers would face a devastating response. He said an offensive would also raise logistical challenges like those that thwarted Russia's attempt to capture Kyiv at the war's start.

"Any large-scale offensive will quickly and inevitably entail very big losses, exhausting the resources accumulated during mobilization," Strelkov warned.

Justin Bronk, a senior research fellow at RUSI in London, predicted a Russian offensive would fail but said it could drain Ukraine's resources and keep it from preparing a large-scale counteroffensive.

Major Ukrainian battlefield successes this summer could fuel "significant political turmoil in Russia, because at that point, Putin's own position within the leadership becomes very, very difficult to see as tenable," he said.

At the same time, if Ukraine fails to reclaim more territory before Russia builds up its troops, it could lead to a "long-term stalemate and sort of a grinding attritional war that just kind of goes on and on," Bronk added.

Fiona Hill, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who served in the past three U.S. administrations, said Putin is hoping for Western support for Kyiv to dissolve  "that it goes away and that Ukraine is left exposed, and then that Russia can force Ukraine to capitulate and give up on its territory."
For many of his loved ones, the death of Chaguanas Businessman Rishard Ali came as a shock. 
Ministers from the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain are set to meet on Sunday in Jordan's capital Amman to oversee the signing of agreements between industrial companies for projects worth millions of dollars.

Yousef Al Shamali, Jordan's Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply and Minister of Labour, will chair the meeting with the participation of Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology; Ahmed Samir Saleh, Egypt's Minister of Industry and Trade; and Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Bahrain's Minister of Industry and Commerce.

Read More: UAE Leaders Congratulate Bahrain on it Golden Jubilee

Read More: 10 things you should know about the nation of Bahrain

Read More: Top celebrities from the world who lived in Bahrain

The countries will also work together to reduce costs, enhance supply chains, create job opportunities, contribute to economic development, promote self-sufficiency, and boost industrial competitiveness.

Various agreements will be signed between industrial companies from the UAE, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain. New projects will follow with investments worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
NEW YORK  Steve Bannon's latest legal trouble: a lawsuit alleging he stiffed his former lawyers out of more than $480,000.

Bannon, a conservative strategist and longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, was sued for breach of contract last week by a Manhattan law firm that defended him in several recent high-profile legal battles.

The firm, Davidoff Hutcher & Citron LLP, represented Bannon from 2020 to 2022 in matters including criminal cases after his refusal to comply with a congressional subpoena and from allegations that he duped donors who gave money to build a wall on the southern U.S. border.

The firm said it also aided Bannon in obtaining a presidential pardon just before Trump left office in 2021.

Davidoff Hutcher & Citron said in its lawsuit that Bannon racked up a bill totaling more than $855,000 but that he has only paid $375,000, in violation of his retainer agreement.

The firm is seeking payment of $480,487, plus interest and legal costs for its lawsuit against Bannon.

Trump's pardon in January 2021 forced federal prosecutors to drop Bannon from a criminal case involving the "We Build the Wall" fundraising campaign. Manhattan prosecutors revived the matter in September with state-level charges, which aren't covered by presidential pardons.

Bannon, 69, pleaded not guilty to money laundering, conspiracy, fraud and other charges.

The New York case is pending with yet more legal drama: Bannon has until next week to find new lawyers after his current attorneys, who are not affiliated with Davidoff Hutcher & Citron, said they have "irreconcilable" differences about how to proceed.

Bannon is accused of falsely promising donors that all money given to "We Build the Wall" would go to building a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, instead using the funds to enrich people involved in the project.

Prosecutors say Bannon was involved in transferring hundreds of thousands of dollars to third-party entities and using them to funnel payments to two other people involved in the scheme.

The Manhattan indictment didn't identify those people by name, but the details match those of Brian Kolfage and Andrew Badolato, who pleaded guilty to federal charges in April. A third defendant, Timothy Shea, was convicted in October.

Bannon was convicted last July of contempt for defying a subpoena from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. He was sentenced in October to four months in jail. He remains free while he appeals.

Bannon, a Harvard MBA, worked as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs and as a Hollywood producer before turning to politics. One of his most notable deals left him with a share of "Seinfeld" royalties.

He took over the conservative news site Breitbart News in 2012, had a leading role in the late stages of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and worked in the White House for about seven months as Trump's chief strategist.

Photos: Steve Bannon
By Janice Phelan, February 23, 2023



Students pictured (from left) are Alex Tripp, Tyson Whelan, Malachi Diehl and Blake Morris, all in the MIC programs Software Development 2022 cohort.



The nationally recognized Missouri Innovation Campus program recently concluded recruitment for its 2023-27 MIC cohort, a group of talented sophomores from qualifying metro-area high schools. Students selected will attend the Lees Summit R-7 School Districts Summit Technology Academy for a half day during their junior year, returning to their home schools for the remainder of the day.



Students in the 2023-27 cohort also will be taking two college courses in both the fall and spring semesters and will begin preparation for their internship interviews with the MIC business partners in February 2024. Pending selection by the business partners, MIC program students start their three-year, paid, year-round internship in June 2024.



The MIC program began in 2012 and is a collaboration of the University of Central Missouri, Lees Summit R-7 School District, Metropolitan Community College and more than 70 business and civic partners. Through the groundbreaking initiative, students enter the program just before their junior year in high school. Successful students graduate from college with a bachelors degree just two years after high-school graduation. A total of 33 sending high schools are eligible to send students to Summit Technology Academy and the Missouri Innovation Campus program.



The six MIC programs available to these students are Software Development, Software Engineering, Cybersecurity, Design and Drafting, Big Data/Business Analytics and Computer Information Systems.



A critical component is the internship programs with 91 percent of graduates going on to work for the MIC business partner where they completed their internship. This allows the students to gain on-the-job experience with industry-leading businesses while keeping IT and engineering talent in the metropolitan area. Also, since the students receive their first two years of tuition free, most MIC program students graduate with little to no debt.



The recruitment process for the MIC programs 2023-27 cohort recently concluded with the last of three open house events held in early February. A program enrollment night for the new cohort will be held March 9 at the Missouri Innovation Campus.



To be eligible to apply for the MIC program, high-school sophomores must first apply and be accepted to Summit Technology Academy, have a minimum 3.0 GPA, 95 percent attendance and test into College Algebra and College English either on the ACT or Accuplacer exam.



For more information, visit the MIC program webpage.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has held a meeting of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief in an extended format. The participants considered the situation on the battlefield, intelligence data, as well as the production and supply of ammunition and weapons.

The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his video address, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The full text of the speech is provided below:

Good health to you, fellow Ukrainians!

Today was a very eventful day.

First - the Staff. Extended format, detailed reports. Zaluzhny, Syrskyi, Tarnavskyi, Moskalyov, Nayev. The situation in the key directions.

The east - very difficult. Hurtful. But we are doing everything to endure.

The south - in some areas the situation is quite dangerous, but our warriors have means of response to the occupier.

Odesa and the Black Sea area - the situation is under control.

North - all our warriors in this area can see every intention of the enemy. We are reinforcing where necessary.

There was a report by Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate Budanov on the current intentions of the occupier. There are decisions on our counteraction.

Separately and in great detail, we addressed the issue of production and supply of ammunition and weapons. Of course, I cannot publicly disclose the details of this. But this is meaningful work. And I am glad to hear at the meeting of the Staff that even in such conditions we have the appropriate potential.

During the evening Ive been receiving detailed reports on the situation in Kherson. Another Russian strike damaged the main pipeline that provided heating to about six hundred houses - more than forty thousand people! Repair work will continue without pause until the heating supply is restored.

And we will restore it! No matter what these Russian terrorists and bastards do, we will restore everything.

Today I held talks with the Prime Minister of Spain, who arrived in Kyiv. I thanked him for the very important Spanish defense and political support. For the fact that during a year of full-scale war, Spain has stood with us in defense against Russian terror.

This is a very valuable and value-based cooperation. It is here, on our land, that we are protecting the very values that underpin the life of not only our people, but also the vast majority of European nations.

Of course, the life of Spain is based on these values too. That is why we understand each other very well. Spain has become part of our tank coalition. Spain helped us to protect our skies. There are many other parameters of support, both already provided and planned by us.

Today I also met with a delegation of the global parliamentary network "United for Ukraine". These are representatives of 13 parliaments of European countries and the European Parliament. The topic of the meeting is quite clear: weapons for our warriors, sanctions against the terrorist state, and the implementation of our peace initiatives, including the Peace Formula.

I spoke with the President of Egypt, including about the defense of international law, our work to restore food security, and some aspects of bilateral relations. It was a good conversation.

I devoted a significant part of this day to preparing for tomorrow's diplomatic events. We must do everything to make them fruitful for Ukraine. Really significant not only in terms of symbolism, because it will be February 24. But also in terms of real benefits for our defense.

Glory to our warriors!

Glory to each and everyone who is now in combat!

Thank you to everyone who helps us!

Glory to Ukraine!

Video: Office of the President of Ukraine
After the full-scale Russian invasion, despite the danger, world leaders continue to come to Ukraine to show their support and willingness to help.

Mr Wopke Hoekstra, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, has already visited Ukraine three times -- one time before the beginning of the Russian invasion and two times after. During one of those visits, he was forced to take cover in a bomb shelter during a missile strike. He will never forget this experience: a sense of danger, the awareness of fragility of human life and of this world. His admiration for the Ukrainian people, who have been living under these circumstances for a year, has grown even more.

On Tuesday, February 21, 2023, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba paid a visit to The Hague. He participated in a Dutch parliamentary debate regarding support for Ukraine and met Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Wopke Hoekstra.

The two ministers then headed to New York to participate in a series of events that the UN headquarters is hosting this week to mark one year of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.

Ukraine called for faster weapons supplies, the protection of human rights in Ukraine and punishment for those responsible for Russian aggression.

So, what are the chances of Ukraine receiving fighter jets that it officially requested from the Netherlands in February? Was this topic discussed in New York? How does the Netherlands support the investigation into war crimes in Ukraine and the search for mechanisms to punish Putin for invading Ukraine and downing flight MH17?

All these issues were discussed in an interview with Wopke Hoekstra, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.

SENDING FIGHTER JETS TO UKRAINE  THERE IS NO TABOO, ONLY DISCUSSIONS BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

- First of all, thank you very much for finding time for our interview. I know that you have a very busy schedule. Let's start our conversation with your visit to the United States. What was your main message and what topics were discussed during this visit?

- Of course, in the run-up to the bitter anniversary of one year of war, my meetings in New York were completely marked by what has happened in Ukraine. Putin has no right at all to invade Ukraine. We will continue to stand with you for as long as it takes to help your country defend what is rightfully yours: your territory, your sovereignty and your freedom. And we will do all that we can to make sure that those responsible will be put on trial for their crimes. I addressed the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council to underline this point, and I also spoke about the importance of avoiding impunity at an event on international law and accountability that Ukraine organized in New York.

- In January this year, you paid an official visit to the United States together with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte. A meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden took place in Washington, where you specifically discussed Russias war in Ukraine. Can you share some details of that meeting? Which results were accomplished upon your return to the Netherlands? And after that meeting what important messages did you have for Ukraine?

- We have excellent and long-standing relations with the United States, and they are our most important NATO ally. So naturally, weve been in close contact with the U.S. when it comes to supporting Ukraine, and continuously assessing what we can do together as partners and allies to help the Ukrainian Armed Forces hold their ground on the battlefield. When Prime Minister Rutte and I were visiting the White House, the U.S. and the Netherlands had already been discussing Ukraines appeal to provide air defence systems. As we knew that Ukraine was in dire need of equipment to protect the country from constant shelling, we announced that the Netherlands would join the U.S. and Germany in providing Patriot missile defence systems.

- In February, Ukraine submitted a request to the Netherlands for F-16 fighter jets. The Dutch Minister of Defense said that the F-16 should be discussed with partners, in particular with the United States. Will you raise the issue of F-16s during your visit to the United States in February? In your opinion, what are the chances that Ukraine will still get the "wings to defend freedom" as has been asked for by Zelensky?

- In general, there are no taboos as far as were concerned. But this is a discussion more suitable to be held behind closed doors, and always in close cooperation with our allies.

THE NETHERLANDS WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT UKRAINE, NO MATTER WHAT IT COSTS, NO MATTER HOW LONG IT TAKES

- The Netherlands has already given Ukraine over 1 billion in military aid. It was reported that the Netherlands plans to earmark 2.5 billion in support for Ukraine in 2023. Can you please tell us whether this amount is allocated for military aid alone or does the 2.5 billion package also include some humanitarian aid?

- A substantial amount will be dedicated to military support. As I said, it is crucial that Ukraine holds its ground on the battlefield and that it, in the end, shows Russia that this type of unprovoked, illegal, and brutal aggression will not be tolerated. This allocation also includes humanitarian aid and early recovery to help the Ukrainian people who are now suffering the consequences, for examples because theyve lost their homes, or because Russia purposefully destroys civilian infrastructure. So this money will also be used to help restore critical electricity and water infrastructure.

- The Dutch government has announced that it no longer depends on Russian coal and oil. What is the situation with Russian gas?

- The Netherlands no longer depends on Russian pipeline gas imports. Unfortunately, it took this war to really make us realize the undesirability of being dependent on Russia for gas, and the urgency of breaking this dependence. So we took various actions aimed at diversifying our import sources. I am glad I can say that we have succeeded at that.

- Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has motivated to seek quick solutions and to act, since the war led to an energy crisis in the EU, and in particular due to the ban on Russian energy. In your opinion, for how long are the Netherlands and the EU ready to support Ukraine taking into account the energy crisis and large numbers of refugees?

- The support for Ukraine in the Netherlands remains high. And our government remains very explicit about this. There is no alternative for Ukrainian victory on the battlefield, for Ukraine winning this war. Thats why were so resolute in our support for Ukraine. We will continue standing with you, supporting you for as long as it takes with whatever it takes.

RUSSIAN WAR CRIMES WILL NOT GO UNPUNISHED

- What kind of assistance does the Netherlands provide to Ukraine regarding the investigation into Russian war crimes on Ukrainian territory?

- Ukraine has asked us to take the lead on point 7 of President Zelenskys 10-point peace plan --restoring of justice. And we have accepted this request. Impunity is not an option. That is why we support the ICC research into war crimes, coordinate accountability initiatives and send forensic investigation missions to gather evidence. We will host the international research eenter for the prosecution of the crime of aggression in The Hague, and we are ready to host a register of damage as well.

- Russias Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Dutch ambassador over the results of the JIT investigation into the MH17 tragedy, which implied the involvement of Putin. What was your reaction to it?

- We will never give up on our pursuit of truth, justice and accountability for the families and loved ones of the victims of flight MH17. The thorough investigation that the Joint Investigation Team has conducted plays a crucial role part in this pursuit. I have the deepest respect for the work that they have done. According to JIT, there are strong indications that President Putin decided on supplying the Buk-TELAR missile to the DPR separatists. A very disturbing finding. When our Dutch ambassador to Moscow was summoned, he once again urged Russia to acknowledge its role in the downing of flight MH17 and fully cooperate in establishing the full truth.

- At a press conference in The Hague, JIT acknowledged that Putin has immunity for as long as he remains head of state, and therefore he cannot be held liable. It was also mentioned that currently there is insufficient evidence to prosecute other high-ranking officials, such as Putin's adviser, Vladislav Surkov, and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. However, the findings about Russia's involvement in the downing of MH17 may play an important role in proceedings where the liability of this state is at issue. In your opinion, how is it possible to bring Putin and his inner circle to justice over MH17 and the war crimes in Ukraine? What do you think about a special tribunal in The Hague? Does the Netherlands support the establishment of the special tribunal in The Hague?

- In the end, the leaders who are responsible for this Russian aggression will have to answer for their crimes in court. I know that this is difficult to achieve and will take a lot of time, but we must pursue this nonetheless. We owe that to all the innocent victims of this horrible war. A special tribunal for prosecuting the crime of aggression would fill the current legal gap. The Netherlands supports this idea, and is open to hosting it in The Hague. Together with Ukraine and a close group of countries, we are discussing the options and looking for ways ahead. A historical task that needs time and thorough preparations.

WE LIVE IN A DIFFERENT WORLD AFTER FEBRUARY 24, 2022

- How many times have you been to Ukraine? What impressed and shocked you the most?

- Ive visited Ukraine once before the war started, and two more times after. Every time, I was impressed by the resilience, bravery and belligerence of the Ukrainian people. Their strength and determination is beyond admirable. Seeing with my own eyes in Irpin the effect this war has on people and on the cities and homes that they live in, had a great impact on me. Same is true for the horrific stories our forensic experts shared with me about what theyve seen and experienced while collecting evidence. There are no words to describe the atrocities theyve encountered.

- During your visit to Ukraine in November last year, you and your colleagues were forced to take cover in a bomb shelter due to a Russian attack on Kyiv. What were you feeling at that moment?

- It was a sobering experience for me. This is the daily reality that the people in Ukraine now have to live with. In the Netherlands, most people have never lived through a war and cant imagine what its like to have everyday activities such as going to work, school, or the supermarket, or sleeping at night, interrupted by sirens and the possibility of being struck by a missile. I was able to go home that same evening and continue my life in safety, leaving behind a country in which that is no longer guaranteed. That really makes you realize once again that peace is something we should never take for granted.

- The 24th of February 2022, what did that day feel like for you personally, what were you doing? How did you learn about the war?

- I received a phone call early in the morning, and knew right away that we would be living in a different world from there on. Sometimes, things happen that you know will rupture the world as it is and change the course of history. This was one of those moments for sure. From then on, much of my work has been dominated by what happened in Ukraine. Today, that still is the case.

- What would you wish Ukraine and ordinary Ukrainians who have been living in the circumstances of a full-scale war for a year now?

- Of course, I wish and I believe most people with me that this war ends immediately and Russian soldiers return home. Every day Russias brutal war of aggression continues is one too many. And every innocent citizen that dies as a result is one too many. I cannot predict the future, but I can say that the Netherlands will support Ukraine. For as long as it takes in whichever way we can contribute.

Iryna Drabok, The Hague

Photos by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Head of the Presidents Office Andriy Yermak has announced a sanctions forum in Kyiv.

"Within the framework of this event, we will continue to work on improving restrictive mechanisms against the terrorist state that has challenged the entire international community. I invite you to join its work," Yermak said, addressing the meeting of the Sanctions Coordinators Forum in Brussels via video link, the Presidents Office informs.

Yermak pointed out the need to continue to deprive Russia of the opportunity to continue its war of aggression against Ukraine. He expressed the belief that the joint policy of economic pressure on Russia is working.

"Sanctions are an effective tool in confronting the aggressor country. They deprive Russia of money to continue the war and weaken its military power," said the Head of the Presidents Office.

He thanked all partners for their work on the sanctions track over the past year, adding that joint efforts made it possible to reduce Russia's oil and gas revenues and significantly weaken its military and industrial potential.

Yermak also praised the initiatives related to sanctions against Russian propagandists. He noted that the effectiveness of sanctions depends on synchronization, systematic nature, determination, and creativity in their imposition and implementation.

According to the Head of the Presidents Office, the potential of certain sanctions mechanisms is not exhausted, and these mechanisms require additional implementation efforts.

Further sanctions should affect Rosatom as this company is directly involved in acts of aggression and blackmail. It is also necessary to deprive the Russian Federation of revenues from the diamond trade.

"Russia is actively working to avoid isolation. The terrorist state is reorienting its producers to new markets. It changes logistics routes. It engages third countries as intermediaries to ensure trade operations," Yermak said.

He added that the Yermak-McFaul International Expert Group is working on new formats for monitoring compliance with sanctions and a new plan to strengthen sanctions restrictions on Russia.
The European Union is set to investigate growing exports to countries that are Russia's neighbors, believing that this way, suppliers may be circumventing Western sanctions.

This is according to RFE/RL, referring to the Financial Times, Ukrinform reports.

A significant increase in the export of goods from the EU to countries neighboring Russia raises the question of whether goods under Russia sanctions are delivered through these countries, the EU's special representative for sanctions, David O'Sullivan, told the newspaper.

At the same time, O'Sullivan did not name the countries that re-export European goods to the Russian Federation, referring to the presumption of innocence.

The FT notes that, according to an analysis run by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkiye have significantly increased imports from Western countries and their exports to Russia. This growth, as journalists emphasize, coincides with a more than 50% drop in EU, US, and UK exports to Russia compared to the average figures recorded in 2017-2019.

One possible factor behind the change in trade patterns, according to the FT, is that Western companies are voluntarily giving up direct sales to Russia, even when their products are not subject to sanctions. In a comment to the publication, EBRD Chief Economist Beata Javorcik noted that there has recently been an increase in the export of goods from the EU that could potentially fall under sanctions.

One of the measures to combat the circumvention of EU sanctions, as the FT notes, was the launch by the European Commission of an online platform, with the help of which anonymous reports could be filed of violations by Russia and Belarus of the economic restrictions imposed against them.

Earlier, the experts with the Euromonitor International research group announced a significant increase in the export of goods from the EU to the countries of the former USSR that are neighboring Russia.

According to Eurostat data cited by Euromonitor International, exports from Europe to Russia after the sanctions were introduced in the period from March to November 2022 fell by 47% against the same period in 2021, amounting to EUR 36.3 billion. But at the same time, the export of European goods to countries neighboring Russia (Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan) increased by the same 48% in the same period of 2022, standing at EUR 20.3 billion.
One year since Russia launched its illegal war against Ukraine, New Zealand announced a new batch of sanctions targeting the aggressor power.

Thats according to Ukrinform referring to the NZ government website.

Today we have announced one of the largest rounds of sanctions against Russia to date, a further demonstration of Aotearoa New Zealands strong condemnation of Russias illegal action, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said.

These new sanctions against 87 Russian individuals is the countrys second largest round of sanctions yet. The group includes political actors who have strategic relevance to Russia, and proximity to Putin.

Read also: Yermak announces sanctions forum in Kyiv

It also includes Members of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, who sought to legitimize the attack on Ukraines sovereignty through sham referenda in the illegally annexed regions of Ukraine.

The designated military personnel have had active roles in the conflict, the statement adds, noting that the restrictions automatically extend to relatives and associates of listed persons.

This complements New Zealands broader response providing military, humanitarian, legal, and financial support to Ukraine.

Aotearoa New Zealand will continue to stand in steadfast support of Ukraine, and its people, said Nanaia Mahuta.
In the context of Euro-Atlantic integration, Ukraine is discussing security guarantees with the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this at a press conference in Kyiv on Friday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"As for challenges on the path to the Alliance, we would like to have security guarantees. With which countries are we talking about this? We are talking about this with the EU, with the United Kingdom, and with the United States. So far, this is a circle [of countries] with which we discussed this question," Zelensky said.

He also emphasized that today the issue of NATO membership does not depend on Ukraine.

Zelensky said that Ukraine had demonstrated its strength both on the battlefield and in society, which supports this geopolitical course.

Earlier reports said that Ukraine wants to receive security guarantees from NATO countries at the NATO summit that will be held in Vilnius on July 11-12.

On September 30, 2022, President Volodymyr Zelensky, Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal signed Ukraine's application for an accelerated accession to NATO.
Turkey will continue to make every effort to end Russia's war in Ukraine as soon as possible.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said this in a statement on Friday, February 24, Ukrinform reports.

"Despite all our efforts, the war that started in Ukraine a year ago is still going on. Unfortunately, the heavy cost of this war is felt not only in the two countries, but also throughout the world. On all international platforms, we emphasize the need for a just and lasting end to this war as soon as possible, through negotiations," the statement said.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said Turkey supports efforts to find a solution through initiatives such as the Istanbul Grain Deal.

"We will continue to provide all kinds of support and make every effort to end this war, which we have condemned from the very beginning, so as to restore Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty," the ministry said.

Photo: AA
At the Seneca Anticafe, a bookshop and shared workspace in the Romanian capital Bucharest, there are more Ukrainian books on the shelves these days. There are also Romanian language courses on offer and, among the staff greeting visitors, there is Ekaterina, a Ukrainian refugee.

Working at the cafe helps Ekaterina, 30, rebuild her life in a new country, creating some of the normality and independence she had lost to the ongoing war in her country, but it is also an opportunity to help others who, like her, have been forced to flee their homes.

It is important to help ignite a spark of hope and to let people know there is always an opportunity to get their livesand the lives of their childrenback on the right track, Ekaterina says.

Her colleague and friend Stefania, says, Ekaterina knows how to talk to people, she's good at it. But the benefits are not just for customers, because Ekaterina has given the war in nearby Ukraine a human face. I think she has made us better at being more empathetic, says Stefania.

Ekaterina and Stefania stack books at the Seneca Anticafe bookshop and shared workspace where they both work.  UK for UNHCR/Iona Epure

Ekaterina fled her home near Kherson with her young son in March 2022 to find safety in Romania.  UK for UNHCR/Iona Epure

Ekaterina is popular with both the Romanian and Ukrainian customers at Seneca Anticafe, according to her colleagues.  UK for UNHCR/Iona Epure

While she dreams of returning home, for now Ekaterina feels safe and settled in Romania.  UK for UNHCR/Iona Epure

Ekaterina is one of 8 million refugees who have found safety across Europe since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, while a further 5 million people are displaced within the country.

The day the war started, my husband and I couldn't believe it, says Ekaterina. It seemed to us like some kind of nightmare.

As nearby towns came under attack the family knew it was only a matter of time before the violence spread to their own city. After the family endured two weeks sheltering from terrifying air raids, Ekaterina realised she needed to flee.

I had to leave my home and my career behind, let go of it all, leave the country and save my child. That was the most important thing for me at that moment.

Saying goodbye to her husband and pet dog, and stuffing a few possessions in a suitcase, Ekaterina and her son boarded a train crammed with other fleeing families, all equally bewildered, frightened and uncertain of the future.

Together, they travelled first to Moldova and then on to Romania, which today hosts 109,000 Ukrainian refugees, most of them mothers with children, like Ekaterina.

"For the first few months, I was lost."

Initially, Ekaterina had planned to travel onwards, but the warm welcome she and her son received in Romania contributed to her decision to stay in the countryeven as they crossed the border for the first time they were met with kindness in the form of a hot meal and a gift of toysbut her life had been turned upside down.

At first, I was very broken, I was depressed. For the first few months, I was lost, says Ekaterina. I didn't know what would happen next, or what my new life would be like.

But [then] I heard about refugee assistance programmes, she says. It has really helped us a lot. One of the main hubs in the capital Bucharest is RomExpo, a former warehouse that UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has repurposed as a welcoming community support centre. Here, refugees such as Ekaterina can receive help such as information on protection, counselling, healthcare, cash assistance, and support finding employment.

Ekaterina was a wedding photographer before the war but has taken to her new job in the cafe, which came with free accommodation nearby. UNHCR cash assistance helped with basics for their new life, such as bedding and clothes for her son, who only had the winter clothes he fled with.

While they dream of returning home, for now Ekaterina and her son feel safe and more settled.

Having found her feet in Romania, Ekaterina is focused on helping others to do the same. It is very important to help people who are fleeing the war, because you cant start your life in a new country without knowing the language, without money, without a home, without clothes, she says.

At the cafe she is making friends with customers and colleagues alike. She's helping us all round, it's not only about the language, says Stefania, describing Ekaterinas interactions with Senecas Ukrainian customers. And, she adds laughing, We discovered she's an amazing photographer, so we are prettier thanks to her!

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WASHINGTON  Russia's president and the deposed leader of Afghanistan were among the top gift givers to President Joe Biden and his family in 2021, according to federal documents published on Thursday.

In happier times between all three countries, Vladimir Putin gave Biden a $12,000 lacquer writing box and pen when they met at a highly anticipated summit in Geneva, Switzerland in June 2021.

Later that month, then-Afghan President Mohammed Ashraf Ghani and his wife gave the U.S. president and first lady Jill Biden silk rugs worth an estimated $28,800.

Relations between the U.S. and Russia turned sour shortly after the Geneva meeting and plummeted since Russia's invasion of Ukraine last February. Ghani, meanwhile, fled Afghanistan shortly after the U.S. withdrew from the country on Biden's orders in August of 2021.

In June Biden also received a brass and lapis lazuli jewelry box worth an estimated $1,150 from Abdullah Abdullah, who was then considered to be the number 2 in the Afghan government. Ghani gave Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin a carpet valued at $2,650 in March.

The details were contained in the State Department's annual accounting of gifts to U.S. officials from world leaders posted on the website of the Federal Register on Thursday. The formal publication of the list, covering 2021, will come on Friday.

All of the Putin and Ghani gifts were transferred to the National Archives, a requirement for any gift to a U.S. official valued at more than $415. The recipient has the option of paying the estimated value and keeping the gift.

However, Biden decided to retain, at least for official display, a photograph of the late British monarch Queen Elizabeth II. The photo in a silver frame was presented to the president on the occasion of a Group of Seven summit in southeast England and is estimated to be worth $2,200.

According to the records, Putin gave Biden a "Kholuy Lacquer Miniature Workshop Desk Writing Set and Pen" on the occasion of their meeting in Geneva on June 16, 2021.

There are no other gifts from Putin or other Russian officials to Biden or U.S. officials documented in the filing.

In another relationship turned sour, Secretary of State Antony Blinken reported receiving a porcelain vase worth $2,000 from the former foreign policy chief of the Chinese Communist Party, Yang Jiechi. The exchange took place in March of 2021, just two months after the Biden administration took office and the vase is now with the General Services Administration.

Two years later, the U.S. and China are now at odds on numerous issues ranging from Russia's war in Ukraine to Chinese policies regarding Taiwan, Tibet, the South China Sea, Hong Hong and human rights.
The derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, provides more than enough inducement for governments to better monitor freight traffic, both for safety of the rail cars and the toxicity of their contents. Credible reports of a burning train passing through Buffalo last week only made the urgency of it more obvious to residents here.

Its neither surprising nor avoidable that hazardous chemicals are transported in large quantities. It may even be understandable that accidents will happen. What is intolerable is when accidents occur because rail cars are in unsafe conditions or when toxic contents are misidentified to the leaders of the states through which they pass. Together, those deficiencies fomented a crisis that could have been a catastrophe for the small Ohio village on the Pennsylvania state line.

The eastbound Norfolk Southern train derailed there on Feb. 3, reportedly after a mechanical defect caused an axle to fail. About 50 of the trains 141 cars were damaged, five of which contained vinyl chloride, a known carcinogen. Six other cars contained other hazardous materials.

To prevent an explosion, safety crews vented and burned the vinyl chloride, releasing toxic gas. Residents were evacuated and thousands of fish died when chemicals made their way into nearby creeks and the Ohio River. The concentrations in the water are not believed to pose a health risk to humans.

Fears in the community were real, though, even if they turned out to be exaggerated. Anger was justified. Among the questions needing answers is whether better inspections would have identified the risk to the axle that failed.

More important, as Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine observed, is why the train wasnt designated as carrying high hazardous material.

We should know when we have trains carrying hazardous material that are going to the state of Ohio, the governor told reporters, urging Congress to tighten regulations.

Well  yes. Congress should also do more to ensure that trains carrying such material across state lines are in condition to do it safely. Its one thing if a trail derails for reasons beyond the companys control but another, altogether, if critical components are in unsafe condition, especially when the train is carrying toxic substances.

We dont know at this point what the train that passed through Buffalo last week was carrying. Its not even been officially confirmed that it was on fire, though two people say thats what they saw and its what doorbell video seems to show.

That was another Norfolk Southern train, traveling east through Buffalo to Cheektowaga on Feb. 13. Jean Dickson, a retired librarian from the University at Buffalo, and her friend Phil Banaszak say they saw flames coming from the train at 10:18 that night as it passed near Dicksons home on Crescent Avenue.

Dickson called 911 and notified the Buffalo Fire Department. She also tried to reach CSX and Norfolk Southern, the primary freight companies that travel through Buffalo, in an attempt to find out what occurred. She said she received no answers.

One of my concerns is that a flame could ignite a tank car like the ones in Ohio, Dickson said.

Susan Peterson shared those worries. Her home camera recorded the train  it appears to show a fire  and said she is concerned about what happened that night and what could occur down the road.

I dont know what caused the fire on the train car that passed my house, nor do I know what stopped it  the railroad industry is not sufficiently transparent for me or my neighbors to find those answers, she said.

In a recording made available by Fire Commissioner William Renaldo, a Norfolk Southern employee who identified himself as a manager of the railroad speculated that witnesses might have seen sparks.

No, said Banaszak. It wasnt sparks going on, he said. This was more like a concentrated ball of fire.

After repeated attempts by The News to reach Norfolk Southern, the company issued a brief response: We have no reports of a car on fire. But that doesnt mean it didnt happen and the video suggests that it did. Norfolk Southern owes the community a more convincing explanation.

At this point, residents of Buffalo and other communities along those tracks need an independent review of this incident; a report on what danger, if any, it posed to them;. and an assessment of what risks, if any, are ongoing.

  

Whats your opinion? Send it to us at lettertoeditor@buffnews.com. Letters should be a maximum of 300 words and must convey an opinion. The column does not print poetry, announcements of community events or thank you letters. A writer or household may appear only once every 30 days. All letters are subject to fact-checking and editing.
It hasnt been easy. And it has taken decades.

Those committed to historic preservation in Williamsville have fought an extended, laborious campaign to protect a built environment thats largely responsible for the villages charm.

Despite vocal  and misguided  opposition by some in the community, these advocates should be congratulated and supported as they celebrate the founding of the villages first historic preservation district.

Williamsvilles Village Board has recently approved the inclusion of 13 commercial properties in a preservation district known as the water mill district, with Mayor Deb Rogers the only no vote of the five trustees. This district has been an ongoing project by the villages volunteer-run Historic Preservation Commission for at least two decades.

The 13 structures in the district include the water mill, itself, which was constructed by the villages founder, Jonas Williams, in 1811 and is located off Main Street along East Spring Street and Ellicott Creek. The district runs along Main Street, from Rock Street east to the pedestrian entrance to Glen Park, with the properties dating from 1811 to 1949.

Individual structures include the Eagle House restaurant, Moor Pat tavern, and Share Kitchen & Bar Room, which are among the villages oldest commercial structures; there are also non-contributing buildings in the district that dont share the designation. Preservation designation in Williamsville can include buildings that are 50 years old or older; their interest to preservationists depends on architectural style as well as historic factors.

Its perplexing that the creation of the district met with as much opposition as it did. Clearly, there needs to be more education about preservations surprising benefits. Skeptics could start by reading a recent report commissioned by Preservation Buffalo Niagara, Everyones Heritage: The Impacts of Historic Preservation in Buffalo, which presents clear data supporting its conclusions that the economic benefits of maintaining a historic built environment include job creation and population growth as well as higher property values. The report is easily accessible at preservationbuffaloniagara.org.

Historic preservation is not a startlingly new concept in Williamsville. The village adopted its first historic preservation code and instituted its Historic Preservation Commission in 1983. The code has been updated since, with the most recent revision adopted in 2020. There have also been extensive professional historic property surveys; so far, at least 40 properties have been designated historic sites.

The commission meets regularly, with all of its proceedings published on the villages website, walkablewilliamsville.com. The property survey and a set of a design standards can also be found there. Indeed, the entire process of researching and designating sites, along with their accompanying public hearings, is extensively documented, as are the discussions with owners about changes theyd like to make to their properties.

So far, all change requests have been approved, though often with tweaks, even in the most well-known example, Share Kitchen and Bar Room. After several months of back-and-forth, accompanied by a fair amount of needless drama, the restaurant got the expansion it wanted.

Typically, the commission has designated structures one by one, which is painstaking and time-consuming. Historic district designations, which can exclude non-contributing properties, make much more sense, but, as this most recent example shows, it will be an uphill battle, especially if local attorney Ray Hermans statement at one of the water mill district hearings is any example.

As Herman put it, I am all for historic districts but, really, this is not Colonial Williamsburg. Its not Charleston, South Carolina. Or Savannah, Georgia.

Exactly. Williamsville is not like any of those places, nor should it try to be. Historic interest is predicated on what sets a place apart from other locations, not its similarity.

Demolitions, cookie-cutter developments and massive block-long commercial structures of mediocre design have done their best to create a host of no-place-special communities throughout the country.

As one of the only ways to stop that from happening, there are now more than 175 municipalities in New York state that use local level landmarking to save historic structures, neighborhoods and villages from inappropriate alterations and demolition.

Williamsville should be proud to be one of those municipalities.

  

Whats your opinion? Send it to us at lettertoeditor@buffnews.com. Letters should be a maximum of 300 words and must convey an opinion. The column does not print poetry, announcements of community events or thank you letters. A writer or household may appear only once every 30 days. All letters are subject to fact-checking and editing.
Parents of Goodnight Middle School students wait in line to pick up their students, Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, at the San Marcos High School Student Athletic Center.
The United States imposed sanctions on 11 Russian banks and three financial institutions as part of a new package of measures on the first anniversary of the beginning of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, the US Department of the Treasury said in a press release on Friday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th February, 2023) The United States imposed sanctions on 11 Russian banks and three financial institutions as part of a new package of measures on the first anniversary of the beginning of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, the US Department of the Treasury said in a press release on Friday.

"OFAC (The Office of Foreign Assets Control) today is designating over a dozen financial institutions in Russia, including one of the top-ten largest banks by asset value," the press release said.

The list of sanctioned Russian banks includes Credit Bank of Moscow, Lanta Bank, Metallurgical Investment Bank, MTS Bank, Novosibirsk Social Commercial Bank, Bank Saint-Petersburg, Bank Primorye, SDM-Bank, Ural Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Bank Uralsib, Bank Zenit, according to the release.

The United States also designated OOO Zenit Finance, OOO Zenit Leasing, and OOO Zenit Factoring MSP for being owned or controlled by, or for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Bank Zenit, the release added.
ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 24th Feb, 2023) H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in Al Dhafra Region, met with a delegation from the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) and its subsidiaries at the Palm Palace to discuss the commercial operations of Unit 3 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in the Al Dhafra region in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the UAE and the latest updates of the UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Programme.

His Highness highlighted the UAEs fast-paced action against climate change and the positive impact of clean nuclear energy to the leaderships vision for the clean energy transition, as Unit 3 of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant begins commercial operations.

During the meeting, Sheikh Hamdan highlighted the vital role of nuclear energy in ensuring energy security and enhancing sustainable development in the UAE to achieve the UAE Net Zero 2050 strategic initiative.

H.H. congratulated the teams at the Barakah Plant on the continuous and exceptional achievements of the UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Programme, which have enhanced the global reputation of the nation in the clean energy sector, thanks to the directives of the countrys wise leadership and their continuous support for the UAE Programme and the Barakah Plant.

Today we are seeing the rapid decarbonisation of the UAEs power sector as a direct result of wise leadership vision and decisive action taken over the past 14 years. The Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant is now providing even more carbon emissions-free electricity to support the economic growth of the country, whilst contributing to our Net Zero by 2050 strategy. This is a proud moment for the UAE as we continue to achieve major milestones during the Year of Sustainability, an initiative launched by President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. As the third of four units begins commercial operations, the Barakah Plant takes a significant leap towards fulfilling its goal of producing 25 percent of the UAEs electricity needs, while preventing millions of tons of carbon emissions every year, H.H. Sheikh Hamdan said.

This is a testament to the world that with our nations strength, capability and ambitions, we are successfully progressing our plans to play a leading role in efforts to tackle climate change and drive innovation. The Barakah Plant has inspired youth across the UAE in leading the clean energy transition, created thousands of jobs for talented Emiratis and contributed to the prosperity of Al Dhafra region. The UAE looks forward to hosting COP28 later this year as we collectively collaborate to protect our planet and improve global energy security in a sustainable manner, H.H. Sheikh Hamdan added.

H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan stressed on developing Emirati talents in the nuclear energy sector as being of the upmost importance, along with continuing to build on the Nations R&D capabilities in order to keep pace with the latest developments in the nuclear energy sector.

The delegation comprising officials from ENEC, and its subsidiaries presented the latest updates on the Barakah Plant, with three Units of the Barakah Plant are reliably generating up to 4,200 MW of carbon-free electricity from the three operational reactors. Unit 4 is undergoing final tests before construction completion is declared, and the unit is handed over for operational readiness preparations.

His Highness was also briefed by the delegation on ENECs future strategy, as it is currently focusing on research and development, with opportunities for clean molecule production, such as clean hydrogen, and investment in nuclear energy projects both locally and abroad. ENEC is also exploring opportunities in advanced technologies in nuclear energy, including Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and the next generation of nuclear reactors. The Barakah Plant is a catalyst for innovation in other civil applications of nuclear energy, such as those in medicine, agriculture and aerospace.

Mohamed Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Managing Director, and Chief Executive Officer of ENEC, said: Thanks to the support of our wise Leadership, we continue to work to enhance the UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Programmes broad range of contributions to UAE society and the economy, including the development of skilled professionals, innovation and research and development. Our aspirations now set on delivering the full scope of the UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Program to further expedite the clean energy transition through clean molecule production and advanced technologies, as well as expanding the UAEs nuclear energy capacity and across the globe. The international challenges related to the energy crisis further emphasise the pivotal role of nuclear energy in accelerating the decarbonisation and achieving Net Zero by 2050, Al Hammadi added.

The Barakah Plant provides thousands of high value jobs, developing a local nuclear supply chain and supporting local companies with contracts worth more than AED 24 billion to date. Once fully operational, the four Units of the Barakah Plant will save billions of Dollars of natural gas annually, diverting these important resources for other uses in the UAE or for export. The Barakah Plant, the largest source of clean electricity to the UAEs grid will account for 25 percent of the UAEs National Determined Contribution for emissions reductions towards achieving the targets of the Paris Agreement.
Attention downtown employees. In order for downtown to be an exciting place to work and live we must do our part and return to our offices. Lets celebrate our renaissance together by supporting the restaurants and shops that need our business in order to stay open. No one wants a ghost town and we must show off downtown as a thriving and exciting community and together we can make this happen. Onward and upward!
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

The Supreme Court on Friday decided to consider the formation of a full court bench to hear the suo motu notice case regarding the purported delay in provincial assemblies elections

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Feb, 2023 ) :The Supreme Court on Friday decided to consider the formation of a full court bench to hear the suo motu notice case regarding the purported delay in provincial assemblies elections.

A nine-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial and also comprising Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Athar Minallah, heard the case.

During the course of proceedings, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) lawyer Mansoor Awan maintained that the copy of the order had not been made available yet. To which the Chief Justice said that he was happy to see the lawyers of different parties in the court.

Advocate Farooq H Naek counsel for the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) prayed that a full court bench should be constituted on the matter. The chief justice observed that the apex court would determine who had the constitutional responsibility and authority to announce the date of elections after the dissolution of a provincial assembly under various circumstances under the Constitution.

Farooq H. Naek said that his client had not received any notice as he requested that notices be issued to all.

He said that his client had 'objections' on two honourable judges of the bench, requesting that both judges should recuse themselves from the bench.

JUI (F), Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), Pakistan Bar Council 'objected' on two judges as Farooq H. Naek read the joint statement of PML(N), Pakistan Peoples Party and JUI (F) in the court and prayed that the two judges 'should not hear any case of PML(N) and JUI (F).

Farooq H. Naek said that after Justice Jamal Mandokhail's note, those honourable two judges should recuse themselves from the bench.

On this occasion, Justice Athar Minallah remarked that he thought this matter was related to 184/3 of the Constitution, and asked why should this matter not be heard in the full court.

Meanwhile, Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rasheed's lawyer Azhar Siddique appeared on the video link and said that notice should be taken of the language being used against the judiciary.

Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail said that the question on which suo motu notice was taken was a political matter and political matters should be resolved in Parliament.

The court stated that the question of forming a full court bench or not would be heard on Monday and the court would also hear 'objections' raised on the two judges in the next hearing.
(@FahadShabbir)

A militants attack on a village in central Mali has killed 13 civilians, local officials told AFP on Friday

Bamako, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Feb, 2023 ) :A militants attack on a village in central Mali has killed 13 civilians, local officials told AFP on Friday.

A local politician said "terrorists" killed 13 civilians and burned homes in the village of Kani-Bonzon on Thursday, adding that the death toll could be as high as 20 and residents were afraid of returning home.

The terrorists killed more than 13 civilians", torched buildings and took away three people, according to another local politician speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

"We ask the government and MINUSMA to come and help us," he said, referring to a UN peacekeeping mission that has supported the West African nation in the long-running fight against the rebels.

Mali has been battling a severe security and political crisis since separatist insurgencies broke out in the north of the country in 2012.
Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan signed a pact on Friday that will see them set up a joint investment fund with an initial capital of $500 million, in a bid to bolster trade and create jobs

TASHKENT (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th February, 2023) Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan signed a pact on Friday that will see them set up a joint investment fund with an initial capital of $500 million, in a bid to bolster trade and create jobs.

The deal was signed in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent by Uzbekistan's Trade and Investment Minister, Laziz Kudratov, and visiting Azerbaijani Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov.

"Paragraphs contained in the document serve to increase investment and trade turnover between our countries and to strengthen economic cooperation," Jabbarov said on social media.

The Azerbaijani minister said the fund's capital would be increased gradually to accommodate the growing number of joint projects. The Central Asian neighbors agreed in summer to cooperate closely in such areas as oil and gas, textile and chemical manufacturing, and agriculture.
WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th February, 2023) Canada announced on Friday over $32 million in additional support to strengthen Ukraine's security and stabilization on the first anniversary of Russia's special military operation.

"As Ukraine and the international community mark this sombre day, the Honourable Melanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced Canada's contribution of more than $32 million in support to further strengthen Ukraine's security and stabilization," Global Affairs Canada said in a statement.

The assistance includes $7.

5 million for demining efforts, over $13 million for accountability measures, including to address conflict-related sexual violence, and more than $12 million to counter chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats, the statement added.

Canada also joined the US, the UK and the EU in the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group for Ukraine (ACA), which will directly support the efforts of the War Crimes Units of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine to document, preserve, and analyze evidence of alleged war crimes and other atrocities committed in Ukraine.
Prosecutors have charged a 16-year-old boy with murder over the fatal stabbing of his Spanish teacher during class earlier this week in southwest France, his lawyer said on Friday

Bayonne, France, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Feb, 2023 ) :Prosecutors have charged a 16-year-old boy with murder over the fatal stabbing of his Spanish teacher during class earlier this week in southwest France, his lawyer said on Friday.

The teenager would be held in custody at an unnamed "facility that will take into account his youth and the care he needs", lawyer Thierry Sagardoytho said.

The boy reported a "little voice" suggested he kill Agnes Lassalle, 52, at the school in the southwestern seaside town of Saint-Jean-de-Luz on Wednesday, a prosecutor said on Thursday.

In "somewhat inconsistent" conversations with a psychiatrist, the boy said he had had a fight with a classmate the day before and wanted to "punish him in some way" by committing the killing in front of him, prosecutor Jerome Bourrier said.

"He also admitted a kind of animosity towards his Spanish teacher, in a subject where he wasn't getting good grades, unlike his other classes," he added.

He had tried to commit suicide in October and had since been prescribed anti-depressants, the prosecutor said.
(@FahadShabbir)

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th February, 2023) Moscow warns the United States, NATO and Ukraine against any bold steps against the background of the accumulation of troops and equipment of Ukrainian units near the Ukrainian-accumulation border, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday that Ukraine had intensified preparations for the invasion of the breakaway region of Transnistria, which poses a threat to Russian peacekeepers, adding that the Russian military will respond to this in an adequate manner.

"In connection with the significant accumulation of personnel and military equipment of Ukrainian units near the Ukrainian-Transnistrian border, the deployment of artillery at firing positions, as well as the unprecedented increase in flights of unmanned aircraft of the Ukrainian armed forces over the territory of Transnistria, we warn the United States, NATO member countries and their Ukrainian wards from the next bold steps," the ministry said in a statement.

The Russian armed forces will respond in an adequate manner to Kiev's provocation, if there is any, and will ensure the protection of compatriots and peacekeepers in the region, the ministry added.

"Any action that poses a threat to their security will be considered, in accordance with international law, as an attack on Russia," the statement read.
(@FahadShabbir)

ATHENS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th February, 2023) The Greek police blocked a street outside the Russian Consulate General in the port city of Thessaloniki on Friday after an unknown man threw a suspicious package near the representative office, Juliana Gaifutdinova, acting Russian consul general in Thessaloniki, told Sputnik.

"An unidentified middle-aged man, wearing a cap and headphones, walked past the Consulate General and threw a black package with the inscription 'Russian World.' The police did not say what was inside the bag. They are now checking it. Just in case, the street has been blocked," the diplomat said.

Gaifutdinova added there were no employees inside the building, since it was a non-reception day and the consulate was not working.
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th February, 2023) Ukraine has intensified preparations for the invasion of Transnistria, which poses a threat to Russian peacekeepers, the Russian military will respond to this in an adequate manner, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

"The Kiev regime has intensified preparations for the invasion of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. As previously reported, this provocation of the Ukrainian armed forces will be carried out in response to the alleged offensive of Russian troops from the territory of Transnistria," the statement said.

Russia currently sees a significant buildup of Ukrainian troops at the border with Transnistria, according to the ministry.

"Russia currently sees a significant accumulation of personnel and military equipment of Ukrainian units near the Ukrainian-Pridnestrovian border, the deployment of artillery in firing positions, as well as an unprecedented increase in flights of unmanned aircraft of the Ukraine's armed forces of Ukraine over the territory of Transnistria," the ministry said.

Ukraine's actions pose a direct threat to Russia's peacekeeping contingent in the republic, so the Russian military will provide an adequate reaction to this provocation.

"The implementation of the planned provocation by the Ukrainian authorities poses a direct threat to the Russian peacekeeping contingent legally deployed in Transnistria. The Russian armed forces will adequately respond to the upcoming provocation by the Ukrainian side," the ministry stressed.
(@FahadShabbir)

UN rights chief Volker Turk on Friday condemned the human cost of Russia's "senseless" year-old war in Ukraine and urged greater efforts to ensure justice for victims

Geneva, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Feb, 2023 ) :UN rights chief Volker Turk on Friday condemned the human cost of Russia's "senseless" year-old war in Ukraine and urged greater efforts to ensure justice for victims.

Turk said the civilian toll was "unbearable", with at least 8,006 civilians killed and 13,287 wounded up to February 15, according to confirmed figures from his office. The true casualty figures are much higher, he said.

Attempts to get justice for international law violations have to intensify, said the United Nations' High Commissioner for Human Rights.

"As we mark one year since Russia's war against Ukraine began, I deplore the terrible human cost of this senseless conflict," Turk said in a video statement.

"The toll on civilians is unbearable. Nearly 18 million people are in dire need of humanitarian assistance.

"Efforts to establish accountability and justice for violations of international law must intensify and deepen," he added.

"It is equally vital that victims can access reparations and the practical assistance they desperately need, without first having to wait for the outcomes of formal legal proceedings." Ukraine's ambassador in Geneva welcomed efforts towards setting up a special tribunal to try those responsible for the invasion.

Accountability means justice, the prevention of further human rights violations, and peace, Yevheniia Filipenko told reporters.

"It has been a year of sheer terror, pain and suffering for millions of Ukrainians," she said.

"We are fighting for our lives; our homes; our children. We don't know what the Russians are fighting for." - Eight million refugees - The Hague-based International Criminal Court launched an investigation in February into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine.

But it cannot prosecute aggression concerning non-member states, and neither Russia nor Ukraine are members.

The subject will be discussed in March in Geneva on the sidelines of the Human Rights Council, Filipenko said.

Turk said the higher food and fuel costs the war had generated had "deepened misery on a global scale", which "must end now".

According to the UN Human Rights Office's monitoring mission in Ukraine, 61.1 percent of adult civilian casualties were men, where the sex of the victims were known.

At least 487 children have been killed and 954 injured.

Of the civilian casualties, 90.3 percent were caused by explosive weapons, most of them in populated areas.

The office has also recorded 219 civilians killed and 413 injured by mines and explosive remnants of war.

UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, said more than 13 million people were still unable to return to their homes.

Of that number, nearly eight million refugees were spread across Europe and more than five million internally displaced people within Ukraine.

"Their prospects for return in the near future, however, are clouded by continued hostilities, insecurity and destruction in their home regions," the agency said.
SEOUL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th February, 2023) South Korea and the United States are discussing the possible deployment of a US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier during a joint military exercise in March, the Yonhap news agency reported on Friday, citing sources.

The joint US-South Korean Freedom Shield military drills are scheduled to take place in March for the first time since 2018 as the countries are going to conduct field maneuvers, simulate fighting and participate in military games.

If agreed, the US could send the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier to take part in the exercise, the news agency reported, adding that the South Korean Defense Ministry was yet to confirm the information.

Last year, the US sent the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier to a trilateral naval exercise with Japan and South Korea that took place in the Sea of Japan.

In November, the defense officials from the two countries agreed to increase the intensity of the deployment of US major defense forces to the peninsula as part of their bilateral military cooperation.

On Friday, Pyongyang warned that it may consider Washington's further hostile actions a "declaration of war."
US society wrong to unleash anti-Asia hate

(China Daily) 15:04, February 24, 2023

This photo shows the White House and a stop sign in Washington DC, the United States. [Photo/Xinhua]

Just in the recent past, two new anti-Chinese hate incidents have been identified with the left in the United States. The cases are different, but the bias is not. One stems from liberal educators who kept secret the notifications of students who had attained National Merit Scholar status in order to advance equity (dictated by the deep state and opposed to the equality of opportunity that is an American tradition).

The second is the case of Asians killed during the Chinese New Year celebrations in Los Angeles.

The first involved mostly Asian students  75 percent of the victims are of Asian origin with the majority of them being Chinese  who excelled in their high school in Virginia. Left-leaning schoolteachers and principals withheld news of the merit scholar list ostensibly to not offend students who were not high achievers and to advance equity.

Many of the students who were kept in the dark about their merit status were cheated out of money in the form of a scholarship and/or an accolade that would have helped them get admission to a good university and likely a scholarship. The students were not informed on time to meet university application deadlines as the official merit lists were kept at the school or were with teachers or school officials for a week or more.

The students were "robbed" and their academic career scarred. Most were discriminated against because of their race and because they are intelligent, hardworking and driven to excel.

Critics argue that this policy is not only racist, but also demeans the US and puts the country at a disadvantage in global competition against China and other countries at a time when the US is in decline and fast losing its status as a great power.

Some even compare it to Hitler's pogroms of Jews during World War II, which forced many Jewish scientists to migrate to the US where they helped build the atomic bomb, which brought the war to an end, and later played a crucial role in the US' space program that led to American astronauts landing on the moon. Similarly, many Chinese scientists have returned home in recent times because of the anti-Chinese hate crimes and the Biden administration's anti-China policies.

What the school administrations and teachers did is said to have advanced the American Teachers Association's liberal ideas. Yet the incident came to light only after students at Thomas Jefferson High School in northern Virginia, the top high school in the US according to the US News and World Reports, complained to the higher authorities about the discrimination. But many say that this has been happening in schools elsewhere in the US for some time now.

However, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, a conservative Republican just elected to office, took measures to make the practice unconstitutional, for which he has been widely applauded so much that some people have said he has a chance of becoming the Republican Party's candidate for president in 2024.

The second anti-Asian hate incident occurred in Los Angeles. In a violent attack on a Lunar New Year event, 11 people were killed and nine injured. Since the perpetrator was a person of Vietnamese origin who subsequently killed himself, details about his motives are not certain.

The history of anti-Asian killings and racial discrimination against Asians in Los Angeles is legend. According to the Los Angeles Times, anti-Asian hate crimes increased 177 percent in Los Angeles in 2021, with some California officials calling it an "epidemic of hate". The Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism says Los Angeles is the number one city in the US when it comes to the number of hate crimes.

Many crime suspects in Los Angeles are not prosecuted owing to the extremely liberal policies of the city government under district attorney George Gascon, who was elected with the help of George Soros, a financier with leftist views who contributed $2 million to Gascon's election campaign.

Gascon's policy of going soft on many perpetrators of hate crimes has hit Asians hard, with many protesting against him and his administration. Defending the police, to many Asians, has become an excuse for not enforcing the law when the victims of hate crimes are Asians with people of Chinese origin being at the top of the list.

USA Today reported that Monterey Park, the small suburb of Los Angeles County sometimes called the Chinese Beverly Hills, where the incident occurred, was the site of a disproportionate number of incidents of anti-Asian violence and crimes.

Monterey Park is known in Los Angeles as an Asian haven, with two-thirds of its residents being Asians, almost 50 percent of whom are Chinese. The mayor is Chinese as are a number of other city officials. Many say a large share of business in the city is conducted in Mandarin. Monterey is a prosperous place, and eschews teaching woke and following leftist ideals, provoking the left in Los Angeles.

The media often reports that hate against Asians intensified after previous US president Donald Trump said the novel coronavirus originated in China, and called COVID-19 the "kung flu" and launched the trade war with China. A Pew Foundation poll, however, showed this is not a serious concern to Americans.

No wonder students at Harvard, led by Chinese students, sued the university for racial bias, alleging that the number of Asian students would be double in the university if it were not for the racial bias in the admission policy. While Trump supported their suit when he was in office, in a similar suit filed by students at Yale during Biden's tenure, the Department of Justice refused to hear the case.

Behind the anti-Asian, anti-Chinese in particular, hate crimes is the ill-will espoused by the mainstream media toward China, alleging that China is trying to destroy the liberal world order, spying on the US, stealing US technology, and perpetrating human rights abuses. This is blatant provocative propaganda, aimed at inciting anti-Chinese sentiments in the US which must be exposed for what it is.

The author is the Stanley J. Buckman professor (emeritus) of International Studies at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. He is the author of more than 35 books on the Asia policy of China and the US.

The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of China Daily and China Daily website.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
Williamsville is special with deep, historic roots to preserve and protect for generations to come. I was raised there and left in 1982, after high school graduation, to attend college in New York City. Ive lived in Manhattan, Brooklyn, New Jersey and now reside in San Diego. Perhaps it is my distance from Williamsville which allows me to appreciate its uniqueness. I dont get back as often as Id like to but when Im there, its the older buildings on and around Main Street that remind me of what a treasure it is, and how fortunate I am to have a connection to the Village of Williamsville.
WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th February, 2023) The United States is providing Kiev with $7 million to preserve Ukraine's cultural heritage amid Russia's special military operation, the US Department State said in a press release on Thursday.

"The US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) announced today that its Ukraine Cultural Heritage Response Initiative will invest $7 million to support Ukrainian efforts to protect its cultural heritage," the release said.

The funding is meant to help protect and repair damaged Ukrainian cultural heritage sites and collections, as well as strengthen public-private partnerships with civil society, the release said.

The State Department is working on this initiative with Ukraine's Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, Ukrainian non-governmental organizations, and international partners, the release added.
The United States is ready to engage in diplomatic efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine but what matters is the nature of peace that would ensue, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th February, 2023) The United States is ready to engage in diplomatic efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine but what matters is the nature of peace that would ensue, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday.

"The United States has long made it clear even before this war that we're prepared to engage in any meaningful diplomatic effort to stop Russia's aggression against Ukraine. But history teaches us that it's the nature of peace that matters," Blinken told the UN Security Council.

Any peace that legitimizes Russia's "aggression" will weaken the United Nations Charter, Blinken added.
President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed Friday to do everything to defeat Russia this year, as the first highly-sought Leopard battle tanks arrived in Ukraine on the anniversary of Europe's largest conflict since World War II

Kyiv, Ukraine, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Feb, 2023 ) :President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed Friday to do everything to defeat Russia this year, as the first highly-sought Leopard battle tanks arrived in Ukraine on the anniversary of Europe's largest conflict since World War II.

The German-made Leopard tanks from Warsaw rolled in to help Ukraine repel Russian troops as Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki visited Kyiv to send a "clear and measurable signal of further support".

Poland will send more tanks soon, Morawiecki said, also offering to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F16 jets, as Western allies underlined their unwavering support.

The United States ramped up sanctions on Moscow, this time targeting the country's banks, military industry and semiconductor access, while the Group of Seven industrialised nations threatened embargo busters with "severe costs".

Russia remained defiant, with former president Dmitry Medvedev insisting that his country is ready to push its offensive "to the borders of Poland".

Tensions were also building on Ukraine's border with Moldova. Moscow, claiming Kyiv is plotting to invade the breakaway region of Transnistria, has promised to respond. Moldova denied any threat from Ukraine.

Zelensky said Ukraine will prevail if the West keeps to its pledges on weaponry and financial contributions.

"If partners respect all their promises and deadlines, victory will inevitably await us," Zelensky said during a press conference that started with a minute of silence.

Earlier Friday, he said in a statement that Ukraine "will do everything to gain victory this year" while Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said his army was gearing up for a counteroffensive.

- 'Spirit is strong' - A year ago to the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin stunned the world by sending troops across the border, a move seen as punishment for Kyiv's pivot to the West.

The war has devastated swathes of Ukraine, displaced millions, turned Russia into a pariah in the West and, according to Western sources, caused more than 150,000 casualties on each side.

Demonstrators protesting against Moscow's aggression marched in cities across Europe to mark the invasion anniversary.

In Berlin, activists placed a Russian tank wreck in front of the Russian embassy.

Crowds fell silent for a minute from Tallinn to London while key buildings across Europe were draped or lit up in the blue and yellow colours of the Ukrainian flag.

A year ago, Russian troops sought to rapidly install a pro-Moscow regime in Ukraine but failed to conquer Kyiv and subsequently suffered defeats in northeastern and southern Ukraine.

Since October, Russia has pummelled Ukraine's energy infrastructure, causing power shortages for millions over winter.

In a recent Ukrainian poll, nearly one in five said they had lost a loved one in the war.

Despite the daily trials, many Ukrainians refuse to be cowed.

In Bucha, where Russia has been accused of widespread atrocities, 64-year-old Galyna Gamulets recalled coming under fire from Russian troops for "more than two weeks".

She voiced pride in her nation and said that "we will succeed" in repelling the invaders.

- New sanctions - The West, which has imposed increasingly stringent sanctions on Russia and boosted humanitarian aid and arms supplies for Ukraine, unveiled more help on Friday.

The United States announced sweeping sanctions not only aimed at Russia but also hitting "over 200 individuals and entities" across Europe, Asia and the middle East that are supporting Moscow's war.

After a video-call, G7 allies warned that "third-countries or other international actors who seek to evade or undermine our measures" must "cease providing material support to Russia's war, or face severe costs".

The new aid package from Washington came days after President Joe Biden arrived in Kyiv on a historic visit and pledged new arms deliveries.

Along with contributions from Sweden and Portugal, Germany said it has managed to cobble together a battalion of modern Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine.

On Thursday, the United Nations voted overwhelmingly to demand Russia "immediately" and "unconditionally" withdraw its troops from Ukraine.

But key players China and India abstained, as fears rose in the West that Beijing was considering arming Russia.

China has sought to position itself as a neutral party while maintaining close ties with Russia.

Releasing a 12-point position paper on Friday, Beijing urged Ukraine and Russia to hold peace talks as soon as possible and said all territorial sovereignty should be respected.

Zelensky said he was planning to meet China's President Xi Jinping after Beijing's call for peace talks, noting that Beijing's paper appeared to show "there is respect for our territorial integrity, security issues".

Moscow said it "highly values" China's contribution but insisted that any conflict settlement must recognise Russia's control over four Ukrainian regions it annexed.

Western allies were cautious in their reception of China's plan, with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier saying it was "still doubtful" if Beijing sincerely wanted to play a constructive role in seeking peace.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Beijing simply "doesn't have much credibility because they have not been able to condemn the illegal invasion of Ukraine".

-'Miracles happen'- On the frontline in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv troops' morale remained high.

"God is helping us. Nobody thought that Ukraine would hold," said a soldier who goes by the call sign "Cook" in the eastern region of Donetsk. "I know that miracles happen," Despite military setbacks and sanctions, Putin, 70, has refused to back down, accusing the West of supporting neo-Nazi forces and claiming Russia's survival was at stake.

"We are protecting people's lives, our native home," Putin said in his state of the nation address on Tuesday. "And the goal of the West is endless power." Putin's assault on Ukraine and mobilisation of reservists have sparked what might be Russia's largest mass exodus since the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917.

But with television propaganda in overdrive, many Russians have rallied behind Putin despite economic trouble and multiplying casualties.

"The country is really changing for the better," said Lyubov Yudina, a 48-year-old security guard in Moscow.

But Ruslan Melnikov, a 28-year-old teacher, was dejected. "I don't see any future now."
Western New York has a long, rich tradition in angling. There isnt a better way to showcase that historical perspective on fish and fishing than through the gear that was utilized. Sometimes innovations on the sportfishing scene worked well. Other times, the lures caught only fishermen and the innovations disappeared from tackle boxes on a regular basis. Some fishermen saved those items that were unique, and they could be worth some decent money today.

Enter the world of the antique fishing tackle collector. For those with a keen eye and basic knowledge of our angling history, there was (and still is) some money to be made in lures and other kinds of fishing tackle.

Mark Schmitkons of Newfane is one of those unique kinds of individuals who is obsessed with our areas fishing past.

When my grandfather passed away, I inherited his tackle box, he said. It became a treasure chest to me. There were all kinds of lures that I was never allowed to fish. Lures made by Creek Chub, Heddon, Chapman and Pflueger to name but a few. This was the start of my obsession with collecting old fishing tackle.

Schmitkons grew up in Cheektowaga and his angling education included regular trips to Lake Erie, many of the Finger Lakes, Wiscoy Creek and Case Lake. When he was old enough, he would ride his bike to Ellicott Creek, Aero Lake, and any pond he could find.

I would purchase any lure I could afford back in the day, he said. I would take my allowance to a local hardware store almost weekly.

When I started collecting, there were no books on the subject and no internet to do research. I collected what I liked, such as cool-looking reels, lures with four or five treble hooks, fish spears and old fishing license buttons.

In the late 1990s, Schmitkons discovered the National Fishing Lure Collectors Club and he found others had the same interest as he did. He learned how to value a lure, a reel, a pole/rod and how to grade them as far as condition. He learned how to research the now-defunct lure manufacturers. He would find out when the company started, when they were sold or when they closed shop. He learned how to age a lure by the type of hook hangers and hardware that it had installed.

Around 1990, the Antique Fishing Tackle Show started in Lockport and it is the longest-running tackle show in the state. The 33rd Annual Show will be held this year from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 4 at the Elks Lodge No. 41, located at 6791 North Canal Road, Lockport. Its a great opportunity to gather knowledge, buy, sell, or trade. Its also the perfect venue to view these vintage tackle displays and talk fishing with people such as Schmitkons.

Based on my observations, the two biggest lure companies were Creek Chub and Heddon, said Schmitkons. I decided to specialize in these more recently. Another big one for me was Paw Paw and at one time I owned one of the largest collections of Paw Paw baits in the country. I wrote an article for the Paw Paw Bait Company Book by Tougas and Stockman, something I am very proud of.

Schmitkons also loves collecting the fishing tackle made here in Western New York. Some of the items that come to mind include Spiral Wind Reels that appeared around 1940 and pre-1915 William J.T. Lowes Spinnerbaits.

The Spiral Wind Reel is a wonderful item, and it is collectible, said Schmitkons, who is now retired and able to spend more time seeking out these kinds of Empire State treasures. The reel, invented right here, was way ahead of its time."

He said it was invented by Hyla Maynes of North Tonawanda and was granted a patent in 1934.

Maynes was an inventor who held multiple patents, some of which are still used today," he said. "The reel had a few features that set it apart. The handles or crank knobs were flat-shaped. This was supposed to help slow the spool down after casting and help to eliminate backlash. It also had an unusual level wind mechanism. Instead of a line guide, the reel had a twister bar, which the line would lie on, and it would help to evenly wind the line back onto the spool. There was also a thumb rest. He seemed to think of everything.

The reels were manufactured and marketed by S. B. Whistler and Sons, who at the time were located on Military Road in Buffalo. The company worked closely with Maynes in the design and development of the reels. However, with the beginning of World War II, many manufacturing companies were required to shift their fabrications to the war effort. There was also a shortage of metal. The reel became another casualty of war.

These reels were only made for a few years so they can be very collectible, Schmitkons said. First and foremost is the condition of the reel for collectors. However, what true collectors really look for is whether it is in its original box. Does it have the oiler and wrench? Does it have the paperwork? Does it still have the leather bag that came with the reel? It can ramp up its value if you have everything.

If you have some old fishing tackle that is laying around the house from dad or grandpa and you want to find out if they have any value, feel free to bring the gear to the Antique Fishing Tackle Show. If you cant make the show, and you are looking for some advice, feel free to give Schmitkons a call at 860-2064.

If you are a closet collector and would like to try to set up a table for display or sale, tables are $20 each if paid by Feb. 28. Call Dan Bedford at 713-9410. Admission to the show is just $5. If you bring your spouse or a child under 16 years of age, they are free. Thanks to a special outreach to Central and Western New York collectors, as well as Western Pennsylvania tackle buffs, the show has expanded for 2023. Come and see the history of fishing like you have never seen before.

You will learn something new  and you just might get hooked.
Ukraine allies around the world lit up landmark monuments, held vigils and prepared new sanctions in a collective show of support on the first anniversary of Russia's invasion.

In Germany, which has ditched its "Wandel durch Handel" (change through trade) approach to Russia and funneled weapons to Ukraine, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the invasion was an assault on the lessons of the two world wars.

"It is an attack on everything we stand for," he said at a commemorative event, calling Russia's invasion an "epochal breach" and adding he was sure Germany would continue to be Ukraine's biggest military supporter on the European continent.

In Poland, sandwiched between Germany and Ukraine, protesters held up a banner reading "Russia is a terrorist state" and sounded sirens outside a residential building for Russian embassy employees in Warsaw.

Polish Premier Mateusz Morawiecki went to Kyiv and, together with Ukraine's prime minister, laid flowers at the Wall of Remembrance of those who died for Ukraine.

The United States marked the anniversary by announcing new sanctions against Russia and its allies, new export controls and tariffs aimed at undermining Moscow's ability to wage war. Britain also issued new sanctions.

Steinmeier, a former foreign minister, said any constructive suggestion that brings peace closer would be welcome.

"Whether the world power China wants to play such a constructive role is still in question. If that is the case, then China should definitely not only talk to Moscow, but also to Kyiv," he said, calling for peace efforts to be channeled under the umbrella of the United Nations.

China said Friday that dialogue and negotiation were the only viable ways to resolve the crisis, and it called in a 12-point foreign ministry paper for a comprehensive cease-fire and a gradual de-escalation.

Landmarks lit

Paris lit the Eiffel Tower in the Ukrainian flag colors of blue and yellow on Thursday night and people draped in Ukrainian flags, with hands on their hearts, gathered at a vigil in London holding a banner: "If you stand for freedom, stand for Ukraine."

"There will be a life after this war, because Ukraine will win," Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said in a speech.

EU institutions were also lit in Ukrainian colors, along with the Sydney Opera House.



In Italy, the Senate said it would illuminate its Palazzo Madama building in the colors of the Ukrainian flag from sunset on Friday to sunrise on Saturday.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a YouTube video message that Ukraine was "defending the values of freedom and democracy on which European identity was born."

"Ukraine is not and will not be alone," she said. "The free world owes the Ukrainian women and men."

There were no major public events to mark the anniversary on Friday in Russia, which set off fireworks on Thursday for the annual "Defenders of the Fatherland" holiday and held a pop concert on Wednesday attended by President Vladimir Putin.

Putin says he is battling the combined might of the West in what he now depicts as a fight for Russia's survival. Kyiv says there can be no peace until Russia, which denies intentionally targeting civilians, withdraws.
Editor's note: Here is a fast take on what the international community has been up to this past week, as seen from the United Nations perch.



One year since Russias invasion of Ukraine



Friday marked one year since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. There were several meetings at U.N. headquarters during the week to mark the somber anniversary.



On Friday, the Security Council held a high-level meeting on the conflict. The Ukrainian foreign minister was defiant, saying Ukraine would continue to resist Russias attack and would win. Putin is going to lose much sooner than he thinks, Dmytro Kuleba said.



Ukraine Will Resist and Win, Foreign Minister Tells UN



Support remains strong for Ukraine

On Thursday, the international community reaffirmed its strong support for Ukraine, adopting a resolution calling for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace as soon as possible in Ukraine, in line with the principles in the U.N. Charter. Only six countries voted with Russia to reject the motion.

At UN, Ukraine Finds Strong Support One Year into Conflict

POW tells of '3,000 hours of Russian hell'

The violation of the human rights of Ukrainians by Russia in the conflict, particularly of the thousands of children abducted to Russia and the treatment of Ukrainian captives, was the subject of a meeting Wednesday. Ukrainian marine Artem Dyblenko told the gathering of his 125 days  or 3,000 hours  as a Russian prisoner of war that he endured physical, moral and psychological abuse. "Three thousand hours of Russian hell, he said.

At UN, Former Ukrainian POWs Appeal for Justice

Casualty figures released, but likely are low

The U.N. Human Rights office published new figures Tuesday on the casualties incurred since the war began one year ago. Their monitors have confirmed at least 8,006 civilians have been killed and 13,287 injured over the past 12 months, but they acknowledge the true toll is much higher.

Russian Invasion of Ukraine Exacting Devastating Toll on Civilians



In brief

While Ukraine has been in the spotlight this week, the world body also has been tending to other crises and situations.

 Humanitarians have been working tirelessly to assist earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria. The death toll has risen to 47,000 and thousands remain homeless after the February 6 quake. Another quake on Monday killed several more people. The United Nations is coordinating humanitarian assessments in affected parts of Turkey to determine what is needed. In Syria, 368 aid trucks have crossed into opposition-controlled parts of northwest Syria since February 9, when crossing points became usable again. A U.N. flash appeal for nearly $400 million to cover needs for the next three months is nearly 40% funded, while a $1 billion appeal for Turkey, is just over 7% funded. The U.N. says it has not received any money for key areas, including temporary settlement support and debris removal.

 The U.N. Security Council expressed deep concern and dismay Monday regarding Israels announcement that it plans to expand settlements and retroactively legalize nine existing ones. It is the first time in more than six years the 15-nation council has expressed itself about settlements, mainly because of the veto power of the United States, which traditionally acts to protect ally Israel at the U.N. It comes at a time of rising tensions and violence between the two sides. At least 58 Palestinians and 11 Israelis have been killed since the start of the year.

 The council also met Monday to discuss the latest ballistic missile provocations by North Korea. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said she would seek Security Council unity in responding to the launches, despite previous opposition from China and Russia. The divisions among the councils permanent members over what to do about Pyongyang has prevented new action. The U.S. and its western allies, plus Japan and South Korea, want to see tougher sanctions imposed on North Korea, but China and Russia say that is a dead end.

 The U.N. is assisting victims of Tropical Cyclone Freddy, which killed at least 7 people in eastern Madagascar this week. Humanitarians are helping the government by providing food, water and other aid. The U.N. says at least 79,000 people were impacted by the cyclone.

 On Tuesday, the U.N. mission in Mali, MINUSMA, said three Senegalese peacekeepers were killed and five others injured in central Mali when their convoy hit an improvised explosive device. The head of the mission, El-Ghassim Wane, said this was yet another tragic illustration of the complexity of the operational environment and sacrifices made for restoring peace in the country. Mali is one of the most dangerous U.N. peacekeeping missions.

Quote of note



Life is a living hell for the people of Ukraine.

 Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to the Security Council meeting marking the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine. He has repeatedly called for peace in line with the U.N. Charter and international law.



What we are watching next week



On Monday, in Geneva, the United Nations with the governments of Sweden and Switzerland will convene a high-level pledging event for Yemen. Despite an ease in fighting, nearly two-thirds of the population are projected to need humanitarian assistance. The country remains one of the biggest humanitarian emergencies the U.N. is working on, with aid agencies helping 11 million Yemenis each month in 2022.
One year after Russias invasion of Ukraine, the White House on Friday announced that the Pentagon would commit $2 billion more in military assistance to Ukraines defense against Russia.

The package includes additional High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) ammunition, 155 mm artillery rounds, munitions for laser-guided rocket systems, and funding for training, maintenance and sustainment of equipment. President Joe Biden reasserted his vow that "Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia."

"A dictator bent on rebuilding an empire will never erase the peoples love of liberty. Brutality will never grind down the will of the free," Biden added.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed U.S. commitment to support Ukraines infrastructure. Blinken said the State Department in coordination with the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Treasury Department were offering $10 billion in assistance, including budgetary support to Ukraine and additional energy assistance to support Ukrainians suffering from Russias attacks.

These funds are crucial to Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia and ensures the Ukrainian government can continue to meet the critical needs of its citizens, including health care, education and emergency services, the top U.S. diplomat said.

The U.S. State Department also marked the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Friday by sanctioning more than 60 top Russian officials, including Cabinet ministers and regional leaders, and three enterprises that run the country's nuclear weapons program.

"We remain committed to supporting the people of Ukraine and are redoubling our efforts to promote accountability for the Kremlin's war," Blinken said.

Additionally, the U.S. announced broader global sanctions against companies for helping Moscow evade export restrictions and access key technologies. The Treasury Department said it was sanctioning Russias metals and mining sector, among others. The action, taken in coordination with the Group of Seven nations, seeks to punish 250 people and firms; puts financial blocks on banks, arms dealers and technology companies tied to weapons production; and goes after alleged sanctions evaders in countries from the United Arab Emirates to Switzerland.

Our sanctions have had both short-term and long-term impact, seen acutely in Russias struggle to replenish its weapons and in its isolated economy, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said.

World reaction

The United Nations approved a resolution Thursday demanding the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) suspended Russia's membership on Friday, saying Moscow's war in Ukraine violated the organization's principles. FATF is an intergovernmental organization set up to combat money laundering and terrorism financing by setting global standards and checking on whether countries respect them.

"This is the first time a member of FATF is suspended," FATF President Raja Kumar said at a news conference. "Russia is effectively sidelined from the organization. Ukraine welcomed the decision but added it would continue to push FATF members to go further and blacklist Russia.

Meanwhile, China on Friday called for a cease-fire, along with the opening of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. It was part of a 12-point proposal urging the end of Western sanctions against Russia, suggesting measures to prevent attacks on civilian infrastructure, ensuring the safety of nuclear facilities and establishing corridors for the delivery of humanitarian aid.

China has sought to be seen as neutral in the conflict while at the same time refusing to criticize Russias invasion.

Reacting to Chinese de-escalation efforts Friday, the White House said the most important element of China's proposal for a cease-fire in Russia's war against Ukraine was the call for respecting national sovereignty.

"The first two lines in that document, really, is where it should have been left, which is respect for national sovereignty," said White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby. He declined to characterize the rest of the Chinese plan.

During a press conference Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed some elements of the Chinese proposal based on the concept of national sovereignty.

"I think it's correct to think that if there are thoughts that, in one way or another, correspond with respect for international law, to territorial integrity  let's work with China on this point," he said during a news conference in Kyiv.

Zelenskyy also said he planned to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, though he did not say when.

Earlier Friday, Zelenskyy said his nation would be victorious against Russia as the war with the neighboring country entered its second year with no apparent end in sight.

We endured. We were not defeated. And we will do everything to gain victory this year, Zelenskyy said in a statement released on social media. Ukraine has inspired the world. Ukraine has united the world.

The diplomatic moves came against the backdrop of continued fighting in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine said Thursday that it had repelled attempted Russian advances along the length of the front line of fighting in eastern and southern Ukraine.

In the most recent fighting, Moscows forces have made progress trying to encircle Bakhmut, with Ukrainian military spokesperson Brigadier General Oleksiy Gromov saying Moscow was trying to use its manpower advantage to exhaust Kyiv's forces.

"The enemy, despite significant losses, does not abandon attempts to surround Bakhmut," he said.

But Ukraine said Russian troops had failed to break through Ukrainian lines to the north near Kreminna and to the south at Vuhledar, where they have sustained heavy losses assaulting across open ground.

Gromov said Ukrainian forces had repelled 90 Russian attacks in the northeast and east in the last day.

Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly supported a resolution Thursday calling for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace as soon as possible in Ukraine, in line with the principles in the U.N. Charter.

In a vote of 141 in favor, seven against and 32 abstentions, nations supported the text submitted by Ukraine that underscored the importance of finding peace. It also reiterated the assemblys demand that Russia immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders" and called for "a cessation of hostilities.

Todays vote is another evidence that it is not only the West that supports Ukraine, the support is much broader, and it will only continue to be consolidated and to be solidified, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told reporters after the vote.

The special emergency session of the U.N. General Assembly, which opened on Wednesday and continued into Thursday culminating with the vote, was called to mark the anniversary of Russias invasion. Kuleba appealed to the international community to stand by his country.

We need to send a strong and clear message that the U.N. Charter, including the principles of sovereign equality and territorial integrity of states, should serve as the basis for the process of peaceful resolution, Kuleba said during the debate.

Today, we refuse to give up on hope. We refuse to give up on the potential of diplomacy, the power of dialogue and the urgency of peace, U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said in welcoming the result.

Seventy-five countries participated in the debate, including Russia.

Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia urged countries to vote against the draft resolution, saying it lacked substance and was divorced from reality. Moscows ally, Belarus, proposed two amendments to the text  one excluding the words full scale invasion of Ukraine and aggression by the Russian Federation, and the other calling for states to refrain from sending weapons to the conflict zone. But they were roundly voted down by the assembly.

Nebenzia insisted that Moscow is not obstructing peace.

We are ready for a search for a serious and long-term diplomatic solution. We have stated this on many occasions, he said. Our opponents have not yet recovered from their futile illusions that they could defeat a nuclear power.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Russia had tried the entire week to distract and disrupt U.N. efforts.

Once again, it has failed. We see that clearly in the vote, he told reporters, flanked by many EU foreign ministers who had flown to New York for the meeting. On the Russian side, there is a small handful of votes confirming that in the eyes of the world, the aggression against Ukraine needs to stop  and it needs to stop now and open the door to a just, sustainable and comprehensive peace.

The countries that supported Russias position were those that have mostly stood by it since the start of the war last year: Belarus, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua, North Korea and Syria.

There have been five other resolutions adopted in the U.N. General Assembly since Russias invasion of Ukraine, all with strong support. China abstained on three of them and voted with Russia on resolutions calling for Moscows suspension from the U.N. Human Rights Council and for Moscow to pay reparations to Ukraine. On Thursday, China abstained again.

Days after NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg warned that Beijing may be considering providing arms to Russia, Chinas envoy urged countries not to arm the combatants.

One year into the Ukraine crisis, brutal facts have offered ample proofs that sending weapons will not bring peace, Deputy Ambassador Dai Bing said during the debate. Adding fuel to the fire will only exacerbate tensions. Prolonging and expanding the conflict will only make ordinary people pay an even heftier price.

Asked about it by a reporter, Kuleba said it would be a huge mistake for any country to provide Russia with weapons.

Because by providing Russia with weapons, that country helps aggression and blatant violation of the U.N. Charter, Kuleba said. As of now, China has been standing in defense of the charter and especially the principle of territorial integrity.

Chinas top diplomat was in Moscow this week, fueling speculation that the two allies are discussing a Chinese peace proposal.

China will soon issue a position paper on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, Dai told the General Assembly. Some reports speculate it could come as early as Friday.

On Friday, the anniversary of President Vladimir Putins invasion, the U.N. Security Council will meet. One year ago, members were in a session trying to prevent the outbreak of hostilities when word came that Russian troops had moved across the border into Ukraine.
A Chinese diplomat accused the U.S. consul general in Hong Kong of interfering in its affairs after he said the city's freedoms were eroding and warned the American not to cross political "red lines."

Consul General Gregory May gave a video address last month in which he expressed concern over diminished freedoms in Hong Kong and said its reputation as a business center depended on adherence to international standards and the rule of law.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Office in Hong Kong said commissioner Liu Guangyuan met with May recently to express objections to his "inappropriate" words and deeds.

"Liu also drew three red lines for US consul general and US consulate general in Hong Kong, which is not to endanger China's national security, not to engage in political infiltration in Hong Kong, and not to slander or damage Hong Kong's development prospect," his office said in reply to inquiries from The Associated Press.

Liu also urged May to abide by diplomatic ethics, the office added.

The U.S. consulate in Hong Kong did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

May, in his address to the U.S. Center for Strategic & International Studies, also cited a decision by China's legislature that lets Hong Kong's executive branch decide whether foreign lawyers can be involved in national security cases in the city.

The decision was made after the city's top court allowed pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai to hire a British lawyer to represent him as he fights collusion charges that could bring a life prison sentence if he is convicted.

Liu's office accused May of slandering the rule of law and freedom in Hong Kong when he questioned the legal decision made in Beijing and other changes in Hong Kong's governance.

The U.S. and other democracies have been critical of China's crackdown on political freedoms in the former British colony, which was handed back to China in 1997 with a promise by Beijing to keep Western-style liberties under a "one country, two systems" framework.

Hong Kong is among a raft of issues that have sent ties between Beijing and Washington to their lowest level in years, including technology and trade, human rights, threats against Taiwan, and China's claims in the South China Sea.
Fresh from a meeting with Chinas top diplomat and a U.N. Security Council session regarding Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Central and South Asia next week for international talks that will put him in the same room as his Chinese and Russian counterparts.

The State Department announced late Thursday that Blinken would travel to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan before going to India for a meeting of the Group of 20 foreign ministers from the worlds largest industrialized and developing countries, including China and Russia.

The trip comes as tensions have soared between the U.S. and Russia and between the U.S. and China over Russia's war in Ukraine and Chinese assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific. All three countries are competing fiercely to outdo each other in global influence.

U.S. officials have been tight-lipped about the prospects for Blinken having sit-down talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang or Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in New Delhi. But all three will be present in the Indian capital for the G-20 meeting. The State Department has said only that no meetings are scheduled.

The last time the group met  in Bali, Indonesia, in 2022  Blinken held extensive talks with Chinas then-foreign minister, Wang Yi, that led to a summit between President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in November.

And Wang, who has since been promoted, met with Blinken last weekend on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany, the first high-level talks since the U.S. shot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon and Blinken postponed a much-anticipated trip to Beijing.

A meeting between Blinken and Qin, who was formerly Chinas ambassador to the U.S., would be their first in Qins current capacity.

The broader G-20 meeting is expected to focus on food and energy security, especially for developing countries, which have been hit by fallout from the Ukraine conflict. In Bali, a number of nations that have not outright condemned Russia for the war expressed deep concern about its impact on the prices and supply of food and fuel.

Before traveling to Delhi, Blinken will visit the Kazakh capital of Astana for talks with leaders there as well as a meeting of the so-called C5+1 group, made up of the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan and the United States.

At that meeting, he will stress the U.S. commitment to the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Central Asian countries," the State Department said in a statement that mirrors the wording it has been using to support Ukraine against Russia.

Blinken will then go to Tashkent for talks with Uzbek officials.
Here is the weekly outdoors calendar:

Through March 15  Captain Bobs Outdoors Winter Fishing Derby. 10295 Main St. in Clarence to register. Entry fee is $20. Eight species categories. For more information, call Steve Hawkins at 407-3021. captbobsoutdoors.com.

Through March 21  Winter Birding Challenge sponsored by Buffalo Audubon and Outside Chronicles. Cost is $20 to participate for an individual, $15 for Buffalo Audubon members. Complete at least 20 of 30 winter birding challenge tasks. outsidechronicles.com/winbirdlogin/

Feb. 26  Winter trap shooting at Hartland Conservation Club, Orangeport Road, Gasport, starting at 10 a.m. Breakfast is served at 9 a.m. Open to the public. Call 716-772-7390 for more info.

Feb. 26  WNY Winter 3-D League Shoot at West Falls Conservation Society, 55 Bridge St., West Falls. Cost is $10 per week. For more info, www.collinsconservation.com. Call Mike at 716-655-5030.

Feb. 26  Niagara Frontier Winter 3-D Archery League at Double T Archery, 1120 North Forest Road, Amherst. Sign-in times are from 8 a.m. to noon. Five different clubs will be involved, rotating each week. For more information, call John Floriano at 716-725-5822 or Doug at 716-563-7532.

Feb. 28-March 1  3-F Club Indoor Archery Scratch League continues at 904 Swann Road, Lewiston, every Tuesday and Wednesday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. for non-members (members can shoot anytime). Contact Ryan Lucas at 716-628-8194 or Dave Cosgrove at 716-946-6625.

Feb. 28  WNY Chapter of Trout Unlimited monthly meeting at Orvis Buffalo, 4545 Transit Road, Williamsville, starting at 7 p.m. Guest speaker will be Orvis Fly Fishing expert Adam Slavinski taking about Atlantic salmon.

March 2  Allied Sportsmen Indoor 3D Archery Shoots continue through March 30 at 12846 Clinton St., Alden, starting at 6:30 p.m. For more info, contact Kevin Ulrich at 716-655-6028 or John Floriano at 716-725-5822.

March 3  Ten X Shooting Club Junior Shooting Program for ages 9 to 20. Club is located at 853 Ransom Road, Lancaster. First-time shooters arrive at 6 p.m. for instruction. Shooting at 6:30 p.m. Air rifles for 9 and up; .22lr for ages 12-20. Everything is provided by the club. Cost is $5 per night, which includes ammo. Membership not required. For more info visit tenxshootingclub.com.

March 4  Fly Tying 101 at Orvis Buffalo, 4545 Transit Road, Williamsville, from 10 a.m. to noon. Learn the basics of tying a working fly. Every Saturday through March 4. Sign up online at https://stores.orvis.com/us/new-york/williamsville. For more info, call 716-276-7200.

March 4  First Saturday Stream Explorers will be starting at St. John Paul II Church, 2052 Lakeview Road, Lake View, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. each Saturday. This will be hosted by Cub Scout Pack 591 and WNY Trout Unlimited. This is family-friendly, free and open to the public. For more info, email outreach@wnytroutunlimited.org.

March 4  Southtowns Walleye Outfitters Fair from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 5895 Southwestern Blvd., Hamburg. Free admission and parking. Call 716-796-5372 for more info.

March 4  Erie County Federation of Sportsmens Clubs Awards Banquet at Klocs Grove, 1245 Seneca Creek Road, West Seneca. Doors open at 5 p.m. Pre-sale only.

March 4  Wyoming County (Chapter 843) Pheasants Forever 15th Annual Banquet at the Alexander Firemans Recreation Hall, 10708 Route 98 South, Alexander. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Dinner at 7 p.m. For more info, contact kbond@pheasantsforever.org.

March 4  Superb Owl VI at Beaver Meadow Audubon Center, 1610 Welch Road, N. Java, from 1-4 p.m. Cost is $20. There will be an Owl Prowl from 7-9 p.m. for $15. Register at www.buffaloaudubon.org.

March 4-5  Gun Show at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 2735 Union Road, Cheektowaga opening 9 a.m. each day. Admission $5. www.nfgshows.com.

March 5  Winter trap shooting at Hartland Conservation Club, Orangeport Road, Gasport, starting at 10 a.m. Breakfast is served at 9 a.m. Open to the public. Call 716-772-7390 for more info.

March 5  WNY Winter 3-D League Shoot at Glen Coe Conservation, 9869 Foote Road, Glenwood. Cost is $10 per week. For more info, www.collinsconservation.com. Call Pat at 716-438-8601.

March 5  Niagara Frontier Winter 3-D Archery League at Allied Sportsmen, 12846 Clinton St., Alden. Sign-in times are from 8 a.m. to noon. Five different clubs will be involved, rotating each week. For more information, call John Floriano at 716-725-5822.

March 6  Citizens Against Wind Turbines Open Meeting at the Southtowns Walleye Association clubhouse, 5895 Southwestern Blvd., Hamburg, starting at 6:45 p.m.

March 7  Lake Ontario Charter Boat Association monthly meeting at the Irondequoit Fish and Game Club, 658 Bay Front S, Rochester, starting at 7 p.m.

March 7  Niagara Musky Association monthly meeting, Eldredge Club, 17 Broad St., Tonawanda, starting at 7 p.m.

March 7  International Fly-Fishing Festival at Joylan Theatre, 11 W. Main St., Springville. Doors open at 6 p.m. General admission is $15. Proceeds to raise money for the Springville Trout Pond. For tickets: www.FlyFilmFest.com

March 10-12  WNY Sport and Travel Expo, Erie County Fairgrounds, Hamburg. www.eriepromotions.com.

Submit calendar items to billhiltsjr@gmail.com at least three weeks in advance.
Health officials in Prey Veng province have confirmed the death of an 11-year-old girl from H5N1, Cambodias first known human "bird flu infection since 2014.

Panharith Seng, director of the Prey Veng provincial health department, told VOA Khmer on Thursday that many chickens and ducks in the area where the girl lived had died of H5N1.

The girl, a resident of Roleang village in Romlech commune, began showing symptoms of fever, cough and sore throat on February 16. She was diagnosed Wednesday after suffering a fever of up to 39 Celsius (102 Fahrenheit) with coughing and throat pain, the Health Ministry said Wednesday, the day she died.

Also known as avian flu, H5N1 wasnt seen as a threat to humans until a 1997 outbreak was linked to people who had frequented live poultry markets in Hong Kong. Out of 18 people infected, six died.

Although most cases in people involve direct contact with infected poultry, infections in minks, raccoons, foxes, seals, grizzly bears and even marine mammals like seals and porpoises have sparked worries about the possibility of the virus evolving to spread easily among people, according to the scientific journal Nature.

Scientists say another kind of bird flu was likely behind the 1918-19 flu pandemic that killed millions worldwide, and avian viruses played roles in other flu pandemics in 1957, 1968 and 2009.

Investigators concluded that the bird flu virus apparently spread from one person to another during outbreaks in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, China and Pakistan, most recently in 2007, according to The Associated Press.

Seng said officials in the rural southeastern province had not shut down the girls village as they continued to investigate the case.

Now we are working with the Ministry of Agriculture, [which] has a lot of officials who are experts," Seng said. They are gathering there to investigate but have not seen any further infections.

Seng urged people to remain calm and take preventative measures.

Cambodian Health Minister Mam Bunheng warned that bird flu poses an especially high risk to children who may be feeding or collecting eggs from domesticated poultry, playing with the birds or cleaning their cages.

Cambodian health officials have taken samples from a dead wild bird at a conservation area near the girls home, the ministry said Thursday.

Ministry of Agriculture spokeswoman Rachna Im told VOA Khmer via Telegram on Thursday that there were no reports of domestic animals dying in provinces other than Prey Veng.

"The ministry also appeals to all people who see dead animals, especially chickens and ducks, not to go near or eat them, Im said. And report immediately to local authorities or the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, so that officials can go down to intervene in time."

According to the Ministry of Health, the girl is the first person to die of H5N1 since an outbreak was quelled in 2014. The Ministry of Health added that the bird flu has been endemic in Cambodia since 2005, with a total of 57 infections and 38 deaths.

"Although it is not easily transmitted from person to person, if it mutates, it could spread like seasonal colds, the Health Ministry said. Therefore, early detection and prevention of rapid transmission is very important to prevent outbreaks in the community.

Cambodian health officials said that the H5N1 bird flu virus is detected every year during colder weather from December to April, and the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture always take immediate action.

Chetra Chap contributed to this report. Some information came from The Associated Press.
A deadly coal mining collapse in China this week is one of a growing number of industry accidents over the last year, government statistics show, coinciding with Beijing's recent push for higher production to improve energy security.

At least six people were killed and 47 others are still missing two days after the dramatic collapse of an open pit coal mine in China's northern region of Inner Mongolia, its No. 2 coal-producing province.

The reasons for the collapse are still not known, and the mine owner could not be reached by Reuters.

The National Mine Safety Administration (NMSA) did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the accident.

But it comes after NMSA statistics released this month showed the number of accidents at coal mines almost doubled in 2022 compared to 2021, and the death toll reached a six-year high of 245, just after China called for higher coal output.

Already the world's biggest coal producer and consumer, China increased its coal output last year by 9% to a record 4.5 billion tons, with the country urging miners to ramp up production after a nationwide power shortage in late 2021 led to a quadrupling of domestic prices.

Soaring global coal prices and energy supply disruption in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine also prompted Beijing to improve its energy security.

Though its mines are known to be among the deadliest in the world, accidents and deaths had been falling steadily in the decade to 2021 after China shut down excess mining capacity, reduced coal burning and strengthened safety checks.

In 2022, however, there were 168 accidents of varying degrees of severity, data from the NMSA shows, surging from 91 the year before.

In a review of the 2021 accidents, the NMSA said some coal mines were putting more emphasis on profits than safety. "They ignored safety requirements and rushed to meet the production targets... and even violated operations regulations to run over their designed capacity," the regulator added.

The open-pit mine that collapsed this week had been closed for three years until April 2021, state media reported. It reopened just as coal prices soared, reaching record levels later that year.

Local mine safety regulators ordered coal mines in Inner Mongolia to carry out safety checks after the accident this week.

Digging deeper

China amended its criminal law in 2021 to include punishments of managers at mines involved in accidents due to over-production.

But the NMSA also said in late 2021 that it would not engage in blind punitive production suspensions at coal mines and would instead send inspectors to help rectify problems and resume output.

With the depletion of shallow coal resources in China, coal miners are also being forced to dig deeper, posing bigger safety risks, according to experts.

"China is mining at a rate of 10 to 25 meters deeper each year, leaving miners facing more complicated scientific and technical problems," Yuan Liang, a coal mining professor at Anhui University of Science and Technology, said in a research paper published in January.

China last year approved some 260 million tons of new mining capacity and reopened scores of mothballed mines.

Coal production is expected to further increase this year as more newly approved mines begin operations. Shanxi and Inner Mongolia, China's top two mining hubs by production, have vowed to lift output up by at least 5% and 2% this year, respectively.

"Improving mining safety is like pushing a boulder up a hill and involves many hurdles," the NMSA said in a statement last month. "We will have to ensure both supply and safety."
A meeting of finance officials of the Group of 20 countries, which coincided with the anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine, revealed sharp differences between the world's biggest economies on the conflict. The meeting began Friday in India's southern city of Bengaluru.

At the opening session, U.S. Trade Secretary Janet Yellen called on G-20 countries to "redouble their efforts to support Ukraine and restrict Russia's capacity to wage war."

"I urge the Russian officials here at the G-20 to understand that their continued work for the Kremlin makes them complicit in [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's atrocities," Yellen said. "They bear responsibility for the lives and livelihoods being taken in Ukraine and the harm caused globally."

Russia's finance minister did not attend the meeting and Moscow was represented by deputies.

Yellen also said that Russia's "weaponization" of food and energy has not only affected Ukraine adversely, but it also has harmed the global economy.

However, India, which holds the G-20 presidency this year, stayed away from mentioning the Ukraine conflict. New Delhi has not condemned the Russian invasion publicly nor joined Western sanctions against Russia. However, it has stepped up purchases of Russian oil.

In a video address to the gathering, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the world's leading economies to focus on the world's "most vulnerable citizens of the world."

Modi said the COVID-19 pandemic and "rising geo-political tensions in different parts of the world" had led to unsustainable debt levels in several countries, disruptions to global supply chains and threats to food and energy security.

"You represent the leadership of global finance and economy at a time when the world is facing serious economic difficulties," Modi said. "It is up to you, the custodians of the leading economies and market systems, to bring back stability, confidence and growth to the global economy."

It remains unclear if delegates in Bengaluru will reach a consensus on a joint statement that is to be issued Saturday because of differences among delegates from different countries.

India does not want the word "war" to be mentioned, instead preferring the geopolitical tension to be referred to as a "crisis" or a "challenge," according to domestic media reports.

But countries like the U.S., Germany and Britain emphasized the need for an explicit mention of the Russian invasion.

Calling for "absolute clarity" on the anniversary at a news conference, German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said, "This is a war. And this war has a cause, has one cause, and that is Russia and Vladimir Putin. That must be expressed clearly at this G-20 finance meeting."

British Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt told reporters, "In the end, unless we resolve the global security threats, there can be no progress on these other areas."

On Thursday, Yellen told a news conference that she would like to see a "strong condemnation" of Russia's invasion.

The G-20, which includes advanced and emerging economies, was created after the Asian financial crisis in 1999, and is seen as a forum that focuses on how to manage global economic crises.

At the two-day talks, ministers are expected to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war on poorer nations that have been adversely impacted by high food and fuel prices and are grappling with high debt.

They also will focus on issues including reform of institutions like the World Bank, debt relief for low-income countries, climate change and financial inclusion.

"Trust in international financial institutions has eroded. This is partly because they have been slow to reform themselves," Modi said in his address.

India is hoping to use its presidency of the G-20 to bring attention to the problems faced by developing countries and emerge as the voice of what Indian officials call the "Global South."
Wang Jixian, a software engineer turned citizen journalist living in Odesa, Ukraine, was there when Russia invaded.

The Beijing native met the woman who would become his wife, Dasha Zakopaylo, a Ukrainian student majoring in Chinese at Odesas Southern Ukrainian National Pedagogical University K. D. Ushinsky, in May, three months after fighting began.

On November 11, with winters chill creeping in, they married just as Russia began targeting Ukraines power facilities.

Some couples have a special song, and just hearing a few bars can evoke a golden moment of their romance. For Wang and Zakopaylo, its been air raid sirens, as often as five times in 24 hours, even during the night.

They greet the noise, meant to send them to subway station bunkers about a mile from their home, in what is now, according to Wang, the traditional war-time way: cursing while sheltering in place.

"We feel that, first, we have enough confidence in the air defense system, said Wang. Second, after fighting for so long, we know exactly where the missiles are flying and where the anti-aircraft position is. Basically, the missiles fly from the Black Sea to the anti-aircraft position.  At the beginning, they aimed at the air defense position, but now its the power station. So, the missiles dont pass through here.

Wang continued, Another thing is if they really miss the target, fly toward the residential area, and hit the common people, there is no need to run. When they hit you, you just die. How can you avoid that?"

The couple bought two small and noisy generators that provide the power they need for uninterrupted light, heat and water.

Wang, a vlogger who has been profiled in media outlets worldwide, said communication outages worry him more. He posts videos of well-stocked markets and smiling shoppers that counter Beijings narrative that war has upended his adopted home, a perspective that drew criticism from Chinese netizens until he was banned from Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter, and WeChat. He now posts on Twitter and YouTube.

"When the power goes out, your first reaction is, you don't know what's going on. You don't know if the power only goes out in your place, in your city, or in the whole of Ukraine. You want to read the news, but [you] cant, he said.

Wang believes internet connectivity is worse now than it was just after Russia invaded.

At the beginning of the war, the network in most areas was not cut off, he said. We could know that missiles were coming, Kiev was bombed. We could receive notifications from the municipal government. Once the network is cut off, there will be nothing, and we just have to wish ourselves good luck.

Zakopaylo is from Luhansk, one of four Russian-occupied regions in eastern Ukraine. In November, around the time when the couple married, Zakopaylo's mother and 15-year-old brother bribed the occupiers so they could leave Luhansk.

Now Zakopaylos younger brother lives with the couple while her mother lives with her boyfriend in western Ukraine.

Zakopaylo said they want her younger brother to receive a Ukrainian education.

Zakopaylo has not seen her grandparents for more than a year because they chose to remain in Luhansk where their house was requisitioned by the Russian army before being bombed during the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Zakopaylo said, "I'm almost like a refugee now because I don't have a house and I can't go home."

Wang works remotely for an American-owned company in Ukraine, so his income is unaffected by the war. He helps support Zakopaylo's family.

Wang said prewar Odesa was a wonderful place to live. "The scenery was beautiful, the people are kind, and the culture is quite open. Today, Odesa can barely be regarded as a place suitable for living, let alone having a life."

Zakopaylo said that before the war there were many foreigners in Odesa in the summer, but that was not true last summer. The Ukrainian army mined Odesas beaches to keep Russian forces at bay.

"There used to be nightlife, watching ballet, drinking coffee in a cafe, watching cultural performances, and going to the beach, said Wang. Now its impossible, it's all landmines."

Yet Zakopaylo and Wang continue to support Ukraine. "Ukrainians all want Ukraine to win this war, she said. We work every day and hope to make money to support our country."

VOA Mandarin journalist Adrianna Zhang contributed to this report.
Gunmen have killed at least 12 civilians in an attack on a village in central Mali, two officials said on Friday, the latest reported attack in an area rife with jihadist activity.

The West African nation is battling a violent insurgency with links to al-Qaida and Islamic State that took root in its arid north following a Tuareg separatist rebellion in 2012.

Militants have since spread to other countries in the Sahel region south of the Sahara and more recently to coastal states, seizing territory, killing thousands and uprooting millions in the process.

The latest attack took place on Thursday evening in a village in the Bankass Circle, in Mali's Mopti region, said the mayor of the nearby town of Bankass, Moulaye Guindo.

"Unidentified armed men burst into the village and shot at people. They chased after those who fled into [surrounding] forest to kill them," Guindo told Reuters via telephone.

"This morning we counted 19 dead and the search [for bodies] is ongoing," he added.

The mayor of Kani Bonzon, another nearby town, confirmed the attack and said the local clinic had received 12 bodies so far.

"Armed men ... shot at people, burned and ransacked the village," Soumaila Guindo told Reuters. "There are many dead."

Mali has struggled to stem the insurgency despite the intervention of foreign troops and U.N. peacekeepers.

Frustration over growing insecurity has spurred two military coups since August 2020. The junta has burned bridges with traditional Western allies and turned to Russian mercenaries for help.

That alliance was one of the factors that prompted France to pull troops out of the country last year. Several other nations have since followed suit.
India says it has found nearly 6 million metric tons of lithium-rich bauxite around the village of Salal of the Reasi district in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. The discovery a blessing in disguise for many locals. For VOA, Muheet Ul Islam has more from Salal.
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Zambians and Zimbabweans have been suffering long hours of power loss since water levels at the Kariba hydropower dam plunged to an all-time low in December. Columbus Mavhunga reports from Zambia, which plans to build a $2 billion solar power project to alleviate the situation.
The latest round of EU sanctions imposed on the Myanmar junta were welcomed by advocacy groups monitoring human rights violations in the Southeast Asian country.



Yadanar Maung, spokesperson for the human rights advocacy group Justice for Myanmar, said in a statement to VOA on Thursday that the sanctions were important in catching up with sanctions already imposed by the U.S., U.K. and Canada on arms brokers and units of the military responsible for supplying and manufacturing arms.



In a statement released Monday, Burma Campaign UK said, This round of sanctions is well targeted, focusing on suppliers of aviation fuel, arms brokers, military procurement entities and members of the Burmese [Myanmar] military and associated bodies.

This sixth round of EU sanctions imposed on the junta Monday includes nine individuals and seven entities the EU says have contributed to escalating violence and human rights violations in Myanmar.



According to Justice for Myanmar, or JFM, arms brokers targeted in the latest round of sanctions include Aung Hlaing Oo, Sit Taing Aung and Kyaw Min Oo, along with the companies Dynasty International, International Gateways Group and Sky Aviator Company Limited.

JFMs statement highlights how these Myanmar arms brokers and companies are linked to companies in the EU. For instance, Aung Hlaing Oo and Dynasty International both have business with EU companies, and future activities will be prevented through these sanctions.



It added, Dynasty International brokered the supply and maintenance of G120TP aircraft from the German corporation Grob Aircraft SE. However, the German government stated they are not aware of the sale of Grob G120TP aircraft to the Myanmar air force, JFM said in its statement.



The new EU sanctions also apply to an aviation fuel supplier, Asia Sun Group, which brokers the supply of jet fuel to the junta. This company stands complicit in its [the juntas] international crimes, the statement reads. This will help disrupt the supply of jet fuel to the junta, which it needs for its continued indiscriminate airstrikes.



Additionally, JFM said, the new designations fill major gaps in the EUs sanctions regime, targeting key arms brokers and military institutions.



The EU has restrictive measures on 93 individuals and 18 entities. Those who are sanctioned are subject to an asset freeze and a travel ban in EU territory.



The EU announced its first round of sanctions in March 2021, after the military coup in February of the same year that ousted the democratically elected government of de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and sparked global outrage. Further targeted sanctions followed, with two rounds in 2021, and two more in 2022.



These sanctions will take time to have an impact, which is why we need the EU to speed up the implementation of sanctions  two rounds a year is not enough, Mark Farmaner, executive director of Burma Campaign UK, told VOA.



Additionally, monitoring and implementation of EU sanctions is up to individual EU member states, Farmaner said. There is no transparency about how they monitor sanctions or action taken regarding breaches of sanctions.



According to the statement by JFM, the juntas response to mass resistance has been the continued commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity, murdering over 3,000 people, arbitrarily arresting over 19,000 more, displacing 1.1 million people and carrying out indiscriminate attacks across Myanmar, enabled by the supply of funds, arms and jet fuel.



JFMs Maung told VOA that the EU, U.K., U.S., Canada and Australia need to coordinate better and speed up the pace of their sanctions designations to have a meaningful impact to cut the juntas access to arms and funds.



Three military arms procurement bodies, which have been sanctioned by the U.S., Britain and Canada in December 2021, also were placed under the latest EU sanctions.



These bodies were the Myanmar Office of the Quarter Master General, the Myanmar Directorate of Defense Industries and the Myanmar Directorate of Defense Procurement.



The EU has taken the important step of sanctioning the crony conglomerate IGE [the International Group of Entrepreneurs Co. Ltd.] in 2022, but the impact of this is reduced because the EU did not also sanction Ne Aung [the owner of the IGE] and his partners, while the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia have not sanctioned IGE at all. More action is urgently needed, said Maung.



Ne Aungs brother, the commander of the Myanmar navy, Moe Aung, was included in the latest round of the EU sanctions. Their father, Aung Thaung, now deceased, was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2014 for perpetuating violence, oppression and corruption.



Other individuals listed in the latest round of EU sanctions were Maung Maung Aye, chief of general staff for the Myanmar army, navy, and air force; Myo Myint Aung, Yangon region economic minister of the State Administration Council; Zin Min Htet, deputy minister for home affairs and chief of the Myanmar police force; Ko Ko Maung, regional military commander in Kachin state; and Myo Myint Oo, union minister for energy.



The Myanmar junta has not yet made any comments regarding the EU sanctions.
North Korea launched four "strategic cruise missiles" Thursday as part of a drill meant to demonstrate Pyongyang's "deadly nuclear counterattack capability," state media announced.

The four Hwasal-2 cruise missiles flew along a 2,000-kilometer orbit for about 170 minutes before hitting a "preset target" in the sea off North Korea's east coast, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

"The drill clearly demonstrated once again the war posture of the DPRK nuclear combat force bolstering up in every way its deadly nuclear counterattack capability against the hostile forces," KCNA added.

North Korea's official name is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or DPRK.

Although South Korea and Japan typically issue alerts when North Korea launches missiles, they did not do so Thursday, raising the question of whether they detected the cruise missile exercise.

Later Friday, South Korea's military disputed North Korea's claim about the cruise missiles, without specifying what portion it believed was inaccurate.

"There is a difference between what South Korea-U.S. reconnaissance surveillance assets identified and what North Korea announced, read a statement from South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff.

We are closely analyzing related matters in cooperation with the United States, the statement added.

Cruise missiles typically fly at lower altitudes than ballistic missiles and are therefore harder for other countries to track and potentially intercept.

North Korea claims its cruise missiles are nuclear-capable. However, it is not clear whether it has built warheads small enough to be carried on such missiles.

Thursday's cruise missile launch comes days after North Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile  its ninth ICBM launch since the beginning of last year.

Even as it bolsters its defenses, North Korea has expressed outrage at the United States and its regional allies for expanding their own military activity.

On Thursday, the United States and South Korea announced they held a tabletop exercise at the Pentagon that focused on the possibility of North Korea using a nuclear weapon.

The drill was followed by a visit to a U.S. Navy base in the southeastern U.S. state of Georgia that hosts key U.S. nuclear submarines, according to a joint statement.

The discussion-based exercise, known as a TTX, was meant to assure South Korean leaders of the U.S. defense commitment amid North Korea's rapid nuclear weapons buildup.

"Given the DPRK's recent aggressive nuclear policy and advancements in nuclear capabilities, the TTX scenario focused on the possibility of the DPRK's use of nuclear weapons," the joint statement said.

The U.S. side reaffirmed that "any nuclear attack by North Korea against the United States or its Allies and partners is unacceptable and will result in the end of that regime."

Washington also vowed to "continue to field flexible nuclear forces suited to deterring regional nuclear conflict, including the capability to forward deploy strategic bombers, dual-capable fighter aircraft and nuclear weapons to the region."

The United States and South Korea are discussing the possible deployment of a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to South Korea next month, the Yonhap news agency reported Friday.

If agreed, the carrier would make a port call in South Korea and participate in the allies upcoming Freedom Shield joint military drill, Yonhap reported.

On Wednesday, U.S., South Korean, and Japanese warships participated in a ballistic missile defense drill, a relatively rare display of trilateral defense cooperation that has become more frequent as North Korea becomes more aggressive.

In a statement last week, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, vowed that her country will use the Pacific Ocean as a "firing range" if the U.S. and its allies continue their hostile actions.
North Korea said it fired four strategic cruise missiles Thursday, continuing its rapid pace of launches, as it blasted the United States and its allies for escalating military tensions.

The four Hwasal-2 cruise missiles flew 2,000 kilometers in about two hours and 50 minutes before hitting a "preset target" in the sea off North Korea's east coast, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

"The drill clearly demonstrated once again the war posture of the DPRK nuclear combat force bolstering up in every way its deadly nuclear counterattack capability against the hostile forces," KCNA added, using the abbreviation for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Although South Korea and Japan typically issue alerts when North Korea launches missiles, they did not do so Thursday, raising the question of whether they detected the cruise missile exercise.

Later Friday, South Korea's military disputed North Korea's claim about the cruise missiles, without specifying what portion it believed was inaccurate.

"There is a difference between what South Korea-U.S. reconnaissance surveillance assets identified and what North Korea announced, read a statement from South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff.

We are closely analyzing related matters in cooperation with the United States, the statement added.

Cruise missiles typically fly at lower altitudes than ballistic missiles and are therefore harder for other countries to track and potentially intercept.

North Korea claims its cruise missiles are nuclear-capable. However, it is not clear whether it has built warheads small enough to be carried on such missiles.

Thursday's cruise missile launch comes days after North Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile  its ninth ICBM launch since the beginning of last year.

Even as it bolsters its defenses, North Korea has expressed outrage at the United States and its regional allies for expanding their own military activity.

In a statement Friday in KCNA, a North Korean Foreign Affairs Ministry official said the only way to prevent a vicious cycle of escalating military tension is for the United States to halt its military drills and deployment of advanced weaponry to the peninsula.

The U.S. should bear in mind that if it persists in its hostile and provocative practices against the DPRK despite the latter's repeated protest and warning, it can be regarded as a declaration of war against the DPRK, said Kwon Jong Gun, the director general of the ministrys U.S. Affairs Department.

On Thursday, the United States and South Korea announced they held a tabletop exercise at the Pentagon that focused on the possibility of North Korea using a nuclear weapon.

The drill was followed by a visit to a U.S. Navy base in the southeastern U.S. state of Georgia where key U.S. nuclear submarines are based, according to a joint statement.

The discussion-based exercise, known as a TTX, was meant to assure South Korean leaders of the U.S. defense commitment amid North Korea's rapid nuclear weapons buildup.

"Given the DPRK's recent aggressive nuclear policy and advancements in nuclear capabilities, the TTX scenario focused on the possibility of the DPRK's use of nuclear weapons," the joint statement said.

The U.S. side reaffirmed that "any nuclear attack by North Korea against the United States or its Allies and partners is unacceptable and will result in the end of that regime."

Washington also vowed to "continue to field flexible nuclear forces suited to deterring regional nuclear conflict, including the capability to forward deploy strategic bombers, dual-capable fighter aircraft and nuclear weapons to the region."

The United States and South Korea are discussing the possible deployment of a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to South Korea next month, the Yonhap news agency reported Friday.

If agreed, the carrier would make a port call in South Korea and participate in the allies upcoming Freedom Shield joint military drill, Yonhap reported.

On Wednesday, U.S., South Korean, and Japanese warships participated in a ballistic missile defense drill, a relatively rare display of trilateral defense cooperation that has become more frequent as North Korea becomes more aggressive.

In a statement last week, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, vowed that her country will use the Pacific Ocean as a "firing range" if the U.S. and its allies continue their hostile actions.
There are fears of a new global nuclear arms race after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced this week he will suspend the country's participation in the New START treaty, which limits the number of warheads deployed by Russia and the United States.

The deal, officially known as the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, was signed in Prague in 2010 by then U.S. President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev. It is the last remaining nuclear agreement between the U.S. and Russia.

Putin announced Tuesday that he was suspending Russias participation, saying the treaty was absurd at a time when NATO was helping Ukraine fight Russian forces. He said he had ordered Russias ground-based nuclear weapons to combat readiness.

In a televised speech Thursday, on the eve of the anniversary of his invasion of Ukraine, Putin pledged further investment in Russias nuclear forces.

We will pay increased attention to strengthening the nuclear triad [on land, sea and air], Putin said. We will continue mass production of air-based hypersonic Kinzhal systems and will start mass supplies of sea-based Zircon hypersonic missiles.

Immediate impact unlikely, says scholar

Moscows suspension of the nuclear treaty, however, is unlikely to have an immediate impact, said political scientist Ian Hurd of Northwestern University.

The New START Treaty is designed to put a limit on the number of nuclear warheads that each side can have. It was going to expire anyway, so having the end of the treaty come is not going to change very much in the substance of military relations between the two," Hurd told The Associated Press. "But it might be symbolic that the Russian side is going to use nuclear weapons to escalate the political disagreements that it's got in the world today."

Russia and the U.S. together hold more than 90% of the worlds nuclear weapons. The New START treaty limits the two countries to 1,550 warheads apiece and allows each to inspect the others nuclear sites up to 18 times a year.

The inspections were put on hold three years ago because of the COVID-19 pandemic and have not resumed, which Washington blames on Moscow.

The only glimmer of hope here is that Russia has not withdrawn from the treaty, it has suspended its participation, said Jane Kinninmont, Policy & Impact director at the European Leadership Network.

And actually, when this treaty was extended when Joe Biden came into office, it was Russia that had been trying to push the U.S. to continue the treaty, she said. It is in both countries interests because it put limits on the nuclear arms race. And ultimately, the U.S. can outspend Russia if it wants to; it's a much bigger economy. More likely, Russia wants to use this as a bargaining chip to say to the Biden administration, 'Your support for Ukraine has costs.'"

A 'grave error,' says Biden

President Joe Biden called Russias suspension of New START a grave error. A spokesperson for the United Nations secretary-general called for Moscow to return to the deal.

Despite warming ties between Beijing and Moscow, China also called for Russia and the U.S. to abide by the nuclear agreement.

The treaty is important for maintaining global strategic stability, enhancing international and regional peace and achieving the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons, Wang Wenbin, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, told reporters Wednesday. We hope the two sides will properly resolve their differences through constructive dialogue and consultation to ensure the smooth implementation of the treaty.

There are fears not only of an arms race between Russia and the United States, but also among other nuclear powers, including China.

I think quite possibly China's leaders see Putin suspending the new START agreement as ... a window of opportunity to accelerate even further its nuclear capabilities, said Alexander Neill, an analyst with Hawaii's Pacific Forum.

Given the predicaments in Ukraine and increasing rhetoric about Taiwan, I think China may feel that this is a window to increase its nuclear capabilities, its nuclear arsenal, and also to align itself more with Russia in terms of nuclear alignment and policies going forward, Neill told Reuters.

Kinninmont of the European Leadership Network agrees.

The United States biggest concern in all of this is really what happens to China's nuclear program in the future, she told VOA. And although Russia and China are friends, they're also a bit uneasy about each other. Russia wouldn't want itself to be eclipsed by China with larger nuclear arsenals.

But how can anyone make the case to China that they need to limit their program if the U.S. and Russia have no limits on theirs? Kinninmont asked.
One year after Russia invaded Ukraine, aid-dependent Somalia is still feeling the effects, as escalating prices for wheat and the long-running regional drought put millions at risk of starvation.

According to traders in Somalias main markets, the price of a local food basket has increased by 49 percent over the past 12 months. Fuel prices have nearly doubled, increasing 92 percent compared to a year ago.

Shoki Hayir, a lecturer at Mogadishus SIMAD University and a conflict researcher, told VOA that Russia's war in Ukraine cut off Somalia from one of its main international food sources.

Somalia had sourced more than 90% of its grains from Ukraine and Russia before the war and since it has been suffering from a shortage of food supplies in a difficult time, when thousands of people are on the verge of famine and the world largely focuses on Ukraine, said Hayir.

Humanitarian aid has helped, but contributions are falling short, in part because Ukraine is commanding donors attention, said Somali economic analyst Ali Mohamed Osman.

Somalia's crisis hasn't been at the top of donors' minds since the beginning of the Ukraine war because the humanitarian attention has shifted to the greater Ukraine devastation, Osman said. Therefore, the impact of the severe drought that came on the heels of the COVID-19, have largely continued, pushing Somalia closer toward famine.

Because of Somalias chronically shaky security, political and environmental conditions, many nations and organizations have contributed generously over the years to help the country and its people survive. But Hayir says when those donors shift their attention elsewhere, countries like Somalia suffer.

A nation cannot fully and always be dependent on international aid, Hayir said. Somalis with the help of the international community need to focus more on agricultural development and to produce their food because bigger crises can always unfold elsewhere in the world and push it deep into humanitarian crisis."

Last week, aid workers in Somalia said they were concerned about a likely reduction in humanitarian support. They said donor fatigue, compounded by multiple crises around the world that also require humanitarian support, could reduce the level of funds Somalias appeal received.

The main reason why there's a donor fatigue is because, as you can imagine, Somalia has been receiving humanitarian assistance for over three decades now and the situation has not been changing, said Mohamed Abdi, country director for the Norwegian Refugee Council.

The Somali government and humanitarian agencies recently appealed for $2.6 billion to assist about 7.6 million people in 2023. The appeal comes amid warnings that famine is a strong possibility if rains in the spring underperform and if humanitarian assistance is not sustained.

Abdiaziz Ahmed contributed to this report
Polls closed Friday in the tiny Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti, where President Ismael Omar Geulleh's ruling party faced a single opposition party in parliamentary elections.

Djibouti main opposition parties, including the Movement for Democratic Renewal and Development (MRD) and the Republican Alliance for Democracy (ARD), boycotted the elections, branding the vote as a sham.

"Elections in our country are still not free, not transparent and not democratic," the MRD said in a statement in January, describing Friday's vote as nothing more than a "charade."

"The people of Djibouti are deprived of their right to freely choose their leaders," it added, denouncing the country's "single party" system.

At least one voter Friday agreed. "This election is just political exercise for the ruling party, it does not change the situation, whether it is leadership or power shift," said a 42-year-old man who gave his name only as Hassanle, fearing reprisals.

Only two parties contested seats in the 65-member National Assembly, where veteran President Ismael Omar Guelleh's ruling Union for Presidential Majority (UMP) is assured of victory.

It is not immediately clear how many of Djibouti's 230,000 voters cast their ballots on Friday to pick MPs for a five-year term, with the law stipulating that 25 percent of the 65 seats must go to women.

A VOA reporter in Djibouti saw long lines of voters at some of the 586 polling stations.

"Voting is part of respecting democracy and it is a national duty on every citizen. We are contented the peaceful way the election is taking place," said Djibouti President Ismael Omar Guelleh as he cast his vote.

Abdulmalik Jama Ali, representative for the Union for Democracy and Justice (UDJ), the only other party running for the elections, told VOA that his party was happy with the election process.

"We are satisfied how things go and have no complaint," said Ali.

"For us everything looks beautiful," said Muhiyadin Abdirahman Ibrahim, a delegate from Guelleh's party, the Union for Presidential Majority (UMP).

The VOA reporter says vote counting will start Friday night and the official results are expected within hours.

The country's last presidential poll, in April 2021, saw Guelleh re-elected for a fifth term with 97 percent of the vote,

In the last legislative ballot in 2018, the UMP -- which emerged from a party that ruled Djibouti since independence from France in 1977 -- won 58 seats, with the UDJ taking five of the remained seven.

Guelleh, 75, took over the country from his uncle in 1999 and has since ruled Djibouti with an iron fist.

It is not clear if he will run for a sixth term, because of an age limit of 75 set in the 2010 constitution.

Flanked by Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia, and across the sea from Yemen, the desert nation has remained stable in a volatile neighborhood and benefitted from its strategic location by investing heavily on ports and logistics infrastructure, and hosting bases for foreign military powers including France, the United States and China.

It dreams of becoming the "Dubai of Africa" with the help of foreign investment, notably from China.

The Asian giant helped fund a rail link between Djibouti and the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, which opened in 2017. It is also financing Africa's biggest free trade zone.

In January, the government announced a memorandum of understanding with a Hong Kong-based company to build a $1 billion commercial spaceport expected to take five years to build.
Uzbekistan, Central Asia's most populous nation, has had the coldest winter and longest energy shortages in memory. In December and January, at the height of the crisis, people around the country told VOA the government was failing at its basic function  delivering gas and electricity "when most needed."

"I've never been this angry with the state. It has no value for me right now," said Diyor, 28, an IT specialist in the capital, Tashkent, who like others in this article asked to be identified by only one name for fear of retaliation.

"I understand many of our problems require time to solve, but I refuse to cope with no gas or power at home," said Diyor "Shouldn't the state ensure the supply of at least one of these? We pay for them!"

Authorities have attributed the problems to the unprecedented cold weather  what Uzbek media have termed an "anomalous winter"  but the public has not been satisfied with that answer.

"I came back from Europe two years ago believing that Uzbekistan was taking the right direction," said Yunus, 34, another angry Tashkenter. "I trusted President Shavkat Mirziyoyev when he said we were building a new Uzbekistan. But Uzbekistan has not had gas and electricity for weeks. The government does not seem to care."

Walking through Tashkent's central neighborhoods alongside Tashkent Mayor Jakhongir Artikhojayev in December, the president scolded his subordinates for not serving the population. "Because of some irresponsible officials, our entire system gets denigrated," he said.

Artikhojayev was fired a month later.

Many factors to blame

The government admits this has been a brutal season, with low gas pressure, power cuts and fuel shortages. The Energy Ministry has blamed a long list of factors for the problems: supply not meeting demand, infrastructure failures, production reductions because of extreme cold, import halts, and political and economic challenges.

On January 24, Tashkent signed a "road map" with Russia's Gazprom that, as Uzbekistan's Energy Minister Jurabek Mirzamahmudov put it, aims to assess existing pipelines and logistical-technical options. "If they bring the gas to our door for an acceptable price, we will take it, otherwise not," Mirzamahmudov said of the arrangement.

Explanations from the Energy Ministry that the system is going through extensive reforms have been met with skepticism.

"What reforms? This year's deficiency has been wider and longer than ever," said 30-something Sherzod, waiting in a line at least two kilometers long to refuel his car outside Tashkent. "If we are reforming, should not conditions be improving? It's been like this all winter."

Throughout January, in Tashkent and other places, VOA heard rural and urban Uzbeks cursing the state and its leadership  not just privately, but on public transportation and in restaurants and teahouses, stores and salons, schools and universities, on the streets and in municipal offices.

Rural dwellers said they prepare themselves mentally and practically for some cuts each winter, but this year the cities have also experienced shortages. Frustrated residents "felt helpless" when providers asked them to be patient.

"We have been waiting for days," said Kamola, 32. "Water lines are frozen without energy. I feel like we are in this crisis forever and this system does nothing."

These residents did not see new appointments made by Mirziyoyev during the crisis as steps toward a solution.

"Where is gas? Where is power? I heard Mirziyoyev.  Good that he admits the failures of his government, but words won't warm us," said Barchinoy, 60, whose family moved to a newly constructed rental equipped with a generator. "Costly for sure, but we have grandchildren."

"Why have my parents and grandparents been shivering at home?" asked Fatima, 21, a university student who is unhappy about her studies moving online and her siblings missing school. "It's -20 Celsius out. No gas, and the voltage so low that we can't even use an electric heater."

Long waits in long lines

The situation started to improve in early February, with warmer temperatures. But long lines and hours of waiting for fuel persisted.

But in the Ferghana Valley in eastern Uzbekistan, home to more than 10 million people, there was limited sympathy.

"We've long been living in such harsh conditions. We burn coal and wood. Power cuts are daily occurrences here," said Sharifa, 45, a mother of two. "Perhaps those in the capital feel some empathy toward the people of the valley now."

The Uzbek parliament remained a passive observer throughout the crisis without any hearings on this predicament. Several lawmakers told VOA they were aware of the issues.

A February 9 investigative report by Radio Liberty, VOA's sister organization, exposed corruption in Uzbekistan's oil and gas sector with hundreds of pages of documents, highlighting that the key beneficiaries "are opaque companies controlled by Uzbek and Russian political insiders, including a billionaire confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin."

Radio Liberty's findings infuriated the public. The Uzbek government has refuted some parts of the report, claiming that it misinterpreted agreements with investors, specifically the terms and costs. Energy Minister Mirzamahmudov said the country's more than 250 energy fields are run by the state-owned Uzbekneftegaz, not the Russian companies.

But Tashkent has yet to respond to other findings in the report, which said the Mirziyoyev administration "was warned as early as three years ago that his ambitious projects to boost gas and oil output were riddled with problems."

It also said a secret interagency study had warned that "multibillion-dollar deals struck under the president's major energy initiatives risked the country's energy security."

'Critical thinking is on the rise'

Political analyst Kamoliddin Rabbimov, who discussed Radio Liberty's findings with the officials, said "the system must be as transparent as possible, explaining the deals and investments."

Rabbimov is also urging the public to refrain from emotional outrage. Yet he appreciates the social media debate and diverse opinion in today's Uzbekistan.

"Critical thinking is on the rise in our society," he wrote on Facebook. "Deeply rooted fear in our social mindset is diminishing."

People freely expressing and sharing views on political issues, he argued, needs to be reinforced. In a society that has long lived under authoritarianism, citizens questioning their leaders is nothing but reassuring.

Ilyos Safarov, known for his wide-ranging political coverage on Kun.uz, a leading private media outlet, welcomed the government's willingness to explain its position. "But the lack of expertise in crisis management and fear-driven practices exacerbate the situation," he wrote on Telegram.

Like Rabbimov and others, including some in the government, Safarov said the authorities must be accountable to the public and address critical questions on time.
Russias invasion of Ukraine one year ago has sparked a long-term transformation across European defenses, a top U.S. general told VOA, as the Pentagon warns that Moscow has already lost its fight to control Ukraine.

The security environment here in Europe has been changed for decades, Lieutenant General John Kolasheski, commander general of V Corps who is responsible for U.S. Army operations along NATOs eastern flank, said in an exclusive interview in Poland earlier this month.

As Russias war efforts took shape, the United States poured thousands of additional troops into Europe while European nations close to the conflict ramped up defense spending.

This is something that all of our allies and partners take as a real threat, and the cohesion here has been greater than Ive ever seen, he said.

Washington has spent tens of billions of dollars on military support for Ukraine, as has the rest of NATO combined.

Estonia and Latvia, which border Russia, have spent at least 1% of their GDPs on Ukrainian aid. Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur told VOA that Estonias self-defense expenditure had increased to 2.8% this year and would reach 3.2% of GDP next year.

We have a clear understanding that every tank destroyed in Ukraine is one tank less behind our border, he said.

However, polls have shown American public support for providing weapons to Ukraine has dipped from 60% in favor last May, to 48% now. Theres also been a modest erosion in congressional support for Ukrainian war spending.

Most of that erosion comes from a vocal minority of Republicans, according to Bradley Bowman, a veteran who is senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

U.S. security spending for Ukraine is about $30 billion, which Bowman said is about 3.5% of the entire defense budget this fiscal year.

So, what are we getting for that 3.5%? I would say that we're preventing Russian President [Vladimir] Putin from accomplishing many of his objectives in Ukraine. We're sending a very important message around the world that America is not neutral and will not sit on its hands when an autocratic bully tries to redraw international borders with military force  without a single American soldier in harm's way, he told VOA on Thursday.

Russia had controlled as much as 25% of Ukraine last year before Kyivs forces quickly waged a counterattack.

Now, Russian-controlled territory has been whittled to 18%, with Western officials and former officials hoping that Ukraine will be able to punch through hardened Russian defenses as new advanced weaponry arrives in Ukraine, including German-made Leopard 2 tanks and British-made Challenger 2 tanks.

The battles in Ukraine will be slow, and what you need is, you need a heavy tank like Challenger that can take a hit, said Major Nick Bridges, the U.K. chief of staff of Estonias Enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup. He added that these tanks can sustain multiple attacks, while the Soviet-era T-72 tanks that Ukrainians forces currently use will probably be destroyed after one round.

As Russia has shown signs of a fresh offensive in Ukraine, U.S. officials have described Moscows tactics as akin to tossing bodies into a meat grinder.

I kind of call it the Bakhmutization of the conflict, where they are literally throwing hundreds of lives away every single day to make incremental gains that are not strategically important, said Colin Kahl, undersecretary of defense for policy, referring to the brutal fighting for Bakhmut, where deadly battles resulted in a tug-of-war exchange of small blocks of territory.

Kahl, speaking to VOA at the Pentagon this week, said the point of sending weapons like Western tanks to Ukraine is to allow it to fight differently than the Russians in order to change the dynamics of the front lines.

He said Putin has repeatedly miscalculated over the past year, resulting in a failure to achieve Russian objectives ranging from absorbing Ukraine into the Russian empire to weakening the NATO alliance.

One thing has actually become crystal clear, and that is Russia has already lost, Kahl said.
The government closure this week of the only newspaper of Bangladesh's main opposition party has triggered outrage across the international media rights community.

The Dainik Dinkal, a Bengali-language daily broadsheet, was forced to stop publishing Monday after its printing license was canceled.

Carlos Martinez de la Serna, program director of the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), said in a statement Tuesday that the "shutdown of Dainik Dinkal is a blatant attack on media freedom ahead of Bangladesh's January 2024 national election."

The newspaper suspended its operations after the Bangladesh Press Council, a quasi-judicial, government-funded body headed by a former high court judge, rejected its appeal for publication against a government shutdown order, its managing editor, Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas, told CPJ.

In December, the local administration in Dhaka accused Dainik Dinkal of violating the law because its publisher, Tarique Rahman, the London-based acting chairman of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), is a convicted criminal.

Biswas told CPJ that the newspaper had filed documentation to the press council explaining that since 2016 Rahman had not been the publisher of Dainik Dinkal.

Rahman, son of Khaleda Zia, Bangladeshs former prime minister, was convicted of several criminal charges by courts in Bangladesh and has lived in exile since 2008. The BNP claims that the charges against Rahman were politically motivated and were part of a conspiracy to prevent him from participating in Bangladesh politics.

Emails and text messages from VOA seeking comment from the press council have not received a response.

Shutdown 'unabashedly fascist'

In Bangladesh, most media outlets are controlled by pro-government business groups, and they rarely publish news stories showing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's administration and the ruling Awami League in a poor light.

Launched about four decades ago, the Dainik Dinkal, a voice of the BNP, often ran reports critical of the current administration, including a recent police crackdown on opposition activists that triggered concerns among global rights groups.

"This shutdown of the Dainik Dinkal is a blatant crackdown by the government on the right to speak. The government cannot tolerate even the slightest dissent," Biswas told VOA.

In January, the government ordered the closure of 191 news portals, accusing them of spreading "propaganda against the state."

In recent years, during the administration of Sheikh Hasina, hundreds of people, including journalists, have been arrested after being charged under the Digital Security Act of 2018, which criminalizes a broad range of electronic speech, including anything likely to prejudice the image of the state."

The action by the government of Bangladesh to shut down the Dainik Dinkal has been condemned by rights groups.

"Closing a newspaper violates the democratic principles purportedly espoused by the Awami League-led government, and we call on the Bangladesh Press Council to review its order and uphold the free flow of information," Serna said in the CPJ statement.

'Brutish and brazen attack on press freedom'

Tasneem Khalil, a Bangladeshi journalist living in exile in Sweden, described the government action against Dainik Dinkal as "clearly part of an ongoing onslaught against the main opposition party."

"The government is gearing up for the upcoming national election and has launched a multipronged crackdown on the BNP. A few weeks ago, we saw how the police entered the party's headquarters in Dhaka and shot unarmed party activists and leaders sheltering inside. And now the party's official mouthpiece has been silenced on very flimsy grounds," said Khalil, editor-in-chief of Netra News, a Sweden-based investigative and public interest journalism portal focusing on Bangladesh.

"The shutting down of Dainik Dinkal is a brutish and brazen attack on press freedom," he told VOA.

Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman, liaison officer of the Hong Kong-based Asian Legal Resource Center, said the media of Bangladesh are mostly owned and managed by pro-ruling party affiliates.

"These owners and editorial heads have clear track records of standing against universal freedom of press and the freedom of expression," Ashrafuzzaman said.

"The government's move to shut down the pro-opposition newspaper clearly indicates that the next election period under the Sheikh Hasina government is going to be extremely unbearable for the dissidents and the political opposition in Bangladesh," he added.

Angelita Baeyens, vice president of international advocacy and litigation at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, said that free and fair elections are not only about the absence of violence on election day or the participation of opposition candidates in the electoral process.

"Free and fair elections require an open civic space and a free media, including media that has an opposition editorial line," Baeyens told VOA.

"By shutting down the last pro-opposition newspaper, the Bangladeshi government is actively eroding the conditions for open and genuine elections, and that will affect the credibility of the electoral results."
Trisha Thadani, City Hall reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, has covered a host of difficult topics: homelessness, the fentanyl crisis, flooding, and shootings. But for a time during the pandemic, her work ground to a halt.

It was like drinking out of a firehose every day with all the news that we had to cover, Thadani told VOA. I was working and working, grinding myself to the bone, and then all of a sudden I hit a wall where I physically could not work anymore.

Thadanis father had passed away in February 2020. Then in March, COVID-19 restrictions forced her to work from home. The grief, isolation, and demands of the daily news cycle took a toll. Thadani says she had to take two months off to recover.

While Thadani describes her experience and absence as an extreme example, she said it underscores the importance of regular self-care, peer support, and mental health care for journalists who, in addition to personal tragedies, are exposed to traumatic stress as a part of their day-to-day jobs.

Facing onslaught of tragedy

In the U.S., journalists often pivot from one tragedy to the next.

The nature of breaking news is obviously very stressful because you're moving really quickly. There's a lot of pressure to get the story not only right, but to get it up fast, Thadani told VOA.

And then you also have to balance being compassionate with the subjects and understanding that you're often getting people on the worst days of their lives, she said. And I think, as a whole, in journalism there isn't great acknowledgement of the toll that that takes on us as reporters.

The expectation to keep reporting came to the fore this week when Dylan Lyons, a 24-year-old Spectrum News 13 reporter, was shot dead and his colleague injured while on assignment.

Other reporters in Florida were visibly shaken as they reported on the incident from the same Orlando-area neighborhood that many, including Lyons, had traveled to earlier in the day to cover a breaking story.

But the culture in newsrooms like the Chronicle is beginning to change and more support is being made available.

Hearst hires therapist

Recently, Hearst, which owns the San Francisco Chronicle and dozens of other papers across the U.S., hired a trauma-informed therapist to support full and part-time staff at all Hearst-owned papers in California and Texas.

The therapist is available in-person one day a week at the Chronicle office and other days virtually, with staff able to access a set number of sessions for free.

Its 100% confidential. We don't know who talks to her, who doesn't, what the conversations are, Renee Peterson, senior vice president of human resources for Hearst, told VOA.

Although previously Hearst brought in therapists for a few days at a time following incidents such as the Ghost Ship Fire at an events space in San Francisco or the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Peterson says focus groups and conversations with journalists, including Thadani, helped the company to realize the importance of providing consistent support.

Having a dedicated therapist assigned to a newsroom is a helpful resource, but building a culture that destigmatizes mental health care is essential, says Bruce Shapiro, executive director of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma.

The Dart Center offers education and trauma-informed resources to newsrooms in an effort to create more effective, ethical, and sensitive reporting on survivors of violence, conflict, and tragedy, said Shapiro.

Trauma often permeates newsrooms

Journalists experience more trauma exposure than the general public and at rates comparable to first responders, according to a recent study by the University of Toronto and Reuters Institute.

Although people may typically associate trauma with direct witnessing of violence and tragedy, such as with war correspondents, it can reach all members of a newsroom, Shapiro said.

Graphic imagery, detailed descriptions, and what Shapiro calls empathetic engagement with victims of tragedies all contribute.

Nearly all of the most divisive issues in our society have a significant trauma element and reporters who are never on the scene of violence are nonetheless in close engagement with those stories, are absorbing those details, and we carry them in our memories and on our souls and that's a heavy load, Shapiro told VOA.

The pressure is amplified when journalists relate to victims. For example, parents with children who were assigned to cover the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas; people of color reporting on police brutality and violence against other people of color; or journalists at Spectrum News 13 in central Florida who this week had to cover the death and critical injury of colleagues targeted by a shooter.

Peer support vital, says expert

While journalists are exposed to high levels of trauma, they are also a resilient bunch, said Shapiro.

It turns out that the very job which exposes us to trauma also does give us some sources of resilience: having a mission, having a job to do, having craft in the face of mayhem or violation, having ethics, having trusted colleagues; all of these are measurable buffers against some of the impact of trauma, Shapiro told VOA.

Of all the factors, he said, social connection and peer support are the most important.

Al Tompkins, senior faculty member at Poynter, a nonprofit that provides resources and ethics trainings to newsrooms, agrees that peer support is a valuable resource.

We shouldn't underestimate the value of informal cohort support. Journalists often don't realize how important it is to reach out to their colleagues, Tompkins told VOA.

Tompkins said its important for veteran journalists to talk about mental health with younger colleagues, who, studies say, are part of a generation that suffers from traumatic stress at higher rates yet often resists speaking up for fear of being judged or appearing vulnerable.

Thadani credits veteran journalists at the San Francisco Chronicle for not only spearheading conversations that led to the hiring of an in-house therapist, but continuing to share their experiences in a way that normalizes struggles.

It was helpful to hear [from] other reporters who I profoundly respect and look up to, she said. To have veteran reporters be so vulnerable, and open up about how they were struggling and then to see that and be like, Oh my gosh, me too. It's not just me  it's because this is all very, very hard.
Ukraines foreign minister was defiant Friday on the one-year anniversary of Russias invasion of his nation, saying the more Moscow attacks, the stronger Ukrainian resolve will grow, and the more humiliating Russias defeat ultimately will be.

Ukraine will resist as it has done so far, and Ukraine will win, Dmytro Kuleba told a special meeting of the U.N. Security Council. [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is going to lose much sooner than he thinks.

The high-level meeting drew a full chamber of European ministers and representatives from interested countries.

Kuleba asked everyone to stand to observe a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the war. Russias envoy, Vassily Nebenzia, remained seated, as did the envoys from China and Brazil. The Russian then broke the silence, saying he was standing to honor the memory of all victims of what has happened in Ukraine, starting from 2014  since hostilities began between the parties in eastern Ukraine.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reminded council members that a week before Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, he publicly warned the council of Putins plans.

I said that Russia would manufacture a pretext and then use missiles, tanks, soldiers, cyberattacks to strike pre-identified targets, including Kyiv, with the aim of toppling elected government, Blinken reminded the council. Russias representative  the same representative who will speak today  called these 'groundless accusations.'"

He said when Putin failed to seize the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and topple the democratically elected government of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he turned his war on the Ukrainian people, killing, displacing, destroying homes, schools, hospitals and infrastructure, and abducting Ukrainian children.

And yet the spirit of the Ukrainians remains unbroken. If anything, it is stronger than ever, Blinken said.

Russias envoy accused the West of hiding behind calls for peace.

What is meant [by calls for peace] is the capitulation of Russia and inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia, ideally followed by the disintegration of Russia and redrawing the territories it includes, the Russian envoy said.

'Absolutely false'

Nebenzia also rejected Western characterizations of Ukraine as the victim of Moscows aggression, referring to a common refrain by Ukraine and Western leaders that if Russia stops fighting, the war will end, but if Ukraine stops fighting, Ukraine will end.

It sounds pretty, but it is absolutely false, Nebenzia said. When and from whom did you hear that the goal of our military operation is to destroy Ukraine, to de-Ukrainize Ukraine? We have never stated such a goal.

Ignoring the death and destruction Moscow has inflicted on Ukraine over the past 12 months, Nebenzia said Russia only seeks a friendly neighbor that does not threaten Russia and does not discriminate against anyone or resurrects Nazis.

Most council members echoed appeals for peace and dialogue, urging Russia to cease its war, withdraw its troops and respect General Assembly resolutions and a March order from the International Court of Justice ordering Russia to suspend its military operations.

Britains foreign secretary said his government would host a recovery conference for Ukraine in June.

Earlier Friday, China released what it calls its position on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis. The 12-point document includes calls for respecting international law and the sovereignty, independence and territoriality of all countries. It urges all parties to support Russia and Ukraine to reach a dialogue to gradually de-escalate the situation and ultimately reach a comprehensive cease-fire.

We have always taken an objective and impartial stance based on the merits of the issue, and are ready to play a responsible and constructive role in easing the situation and resolving the crisis, China says in the document.

Kuleba said there are some elements in the Chinese paper that Kyiv agrees with, but that any new peace proposals should be aligned with demands set forth in the resolution adopted Thursday by the U.N. General Assembly.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said if China wants to be considered credible and not one-sided, it should send its envoy to Kyiv to talk to Zelenskyy, not just to Moscow.

When the president of Senegal or the president of Indonesia presented proposals, they went both to Moscow and Kyiv, Borrell pointed out. While making clear he was not dismissing the Chinese document, he said it was not an operational peace plan, but a position paper that deserves to be considered.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Russias invasion unleashed widespread death, destruction and displacement.

Life is a living hell for the people of Ukraine, he told the council.

He reiterated his call for peace in line with the U.N. Charter, international law and the General Assembly resolution.

That resolution, adopted with a vote of 141 in favor, seven against and 32 abstentions, calls for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace as soon as possible in Ukraine, in line with the principles in the U.N. Charter.

Unconditional withdrawal

It also reiterates the assemblys demand that Russia immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders and calls for a cessation of hostilities.

The past year has caused a humanitarian crisis in the heart of Europe, the scale of which has not been seen since World War II. The United Nations says thousands have been killed and injured, more than 8 million Ukrainians have become refugees, and another 5.4 million are displaced inside the country.

Nearly 40% of the population cannot afford or access enough food and requires humanitarian assistance. Millions of people, including children, are at risk of acute post-traumatic stress disorder after a year of war.
There are more than 8 million Ukrainian refugees in Europe, according to the U.N., and Natalia Rovitska is one of them. Before the war, she was the principal of one of the best schools in Mariupol. After the Russian army destroyed her school and apartment, she managed to flee to Poland, where she works in a Ukrainian school in Warsaw and, through remote teaching, helps keep Mariupol alive. Lesia Bakalets has her story. Camera: Daniil Batushchak.
Three mystery objects shot down by the U.S. military this month again compelled government officials to tamp down speculation of extraterrestrial connections.

Military and civilian sightings of unidentified flying objects have generated sensational headlines going back to the 1940s, repeatedly prompting reporters to ask government officials for explanations.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Representative Mike Turner told the Munich Security Conference, "I'm not going to release classified information in saying this: None of the objects shot over North America recently were Martians."

President Joe Biden told a White House briefing: "The intelligence community's current assessment is that these three objects were most likely balloons tied to private companies, recreation, or research institutions studying weather or conducting other scientific research."

On the campaign trail, presidential candidates have promised to make public government secrets about unidentified aerial phenomenon, but that changes once they get elected.

Donald Trump acknowledged being briefed on the topic, saying, "We're watching for extraterrestrials," while both stating that he did not particularly believe people who claimed to have seen UFOs and also wondered out loud if they're real.

Barack Obama told a late-night talk show that he asked about aliens after taking office and was told the U.S. government was not keeping aliens in a lab, as some ufologists have claimed. Obama did confirm that there are objects in the sky that move in an unexplainable manner.

George W. Bush told a late-night TV talk show that he would not reveal anything he had been told on the topic as president, even to his curious daughter.

Bill Clinton expressed interest in the phenomena, saying on a visit to Northern Ireland in 1996, "If the United States Air Force did recover alien bodies, they didn't tell me about it, either, and I want to know."

Jimmy Carter spoke of his own close encounter with a hovering, luminous object that changed from blue to red in 1969, a year before being elected governor of Georgia, calling it "the darndest thing I've ever seen." Among the first candidates to promise the release of "every piece of information" on the subject, he reversed course following his 1976 election, saying public disclosure might have "defense implications" and pose a threat to national security.

Harry Truman may have been the U.S. president with the most firsthand knowledge of unexplained aerial phenomena as he was commander-in-chief in July of 1947 when something unusual occurred in Lincoln County, New Mexico.

Roswell and UFOs

Decades later, I went there to interview some who claimed to have seen what happened.

Roswell, New Mexico has turned its UFO legacy into a tourist industry. Visitors to the sleepy desert town are greeted by dozens of pairs of walnut eyes gazing at them from alien-illustrated billboards and in windows of Roswell's fast-food joints, gift shops and motels.

The International UFO Museum and Research Center contains historical displays, documents and photographs alongside tacky UFO-themed art. While the museum may have converted few skeptics, conversations with some of those who were in the Roswell area in the summer of 1947 had me giving their tale a bit of credence.

Nearly all Roswell's witnesses had kept the story to themselves for about a half a century, fearing ridicule, remembering secrecy oaths they had signed or threats from military officers.

Walter Haut was 76 years old when I met him in 1999. One of the few survivors at the core of the story, he paced the corridors of the Main Street attraction he helped create. Haut was a member of the elite 509th Composite Bomb Group, at the time the world's only atomic air force, which had dropped the August 1945 warheads on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He spent the early post-war era as Roswell Army Air Field's public information officer. On July 8, 1947, he was ordered by the commanding officer to issue an unprecedented press release stating the military had recovered a crashed flying saucer.

By that time, flying saucers or flying discs had been in the headlines for days. (The acronym UFO for unidentified flying object was decades away. During World War Two, pilots had referred to the mysterious aircraft as "foo fighters.") The Roswell incident was not an isolated one. During the previous two weeks there had been sightings in nearly every one of the 48 states.

Within hours of First Lt. Haut's noontime press release, the story was on the Associated Press and United Press wires and the front pages of western U.S. afternoon newspapers. Later that day, high brass from outside New Mexico issued a new explanation that, in essence, said: Never mind, it's just a balloon.

The controversy is whether the subsequent announcement was the truth or a cover story and whether Col. William Blanchard's order to Haut to distribute the flying saucer press was the result of some error or misunderstanding. Haut told me, "Very definitely no," Blanchard did not make a mistake. "I'm sure Blanchard saw parts of the material."

The debris of whatever came from the sky was scattered over a remote ranch about 135 kilometers northwest of Roswell. It was first spotted by rancher Mac Brazell, who was out on horseback July 3 inspecting the aftermath of an intense thunderstorm the night before. He picked up some of the baffling material and rode to see his closest neighbors, the Proctors, eight miles away.

"Now I'd say it looked like plastic. But back then we didn't have plastic," said Loretta Proctor, who was 85 when I spoke with her during my New Mexico visit.

Proctor, who died in 2013, said the material was tannish-brown with a purplish section containing figures. While extremely flexible, she said it couldn't be burned or broken, even with hardy ranch tools.

A mother of eight who drove a school bus over dirt roads for nearly 20 years, Proctor bristled at skeptics who portrayed Brazell and her family as confused, naive country bumpkins. She pointed out the U.S. military "has told at least three different stories" about what crashed next to her ranch.

The Pentagon's latest version, released in 1994, said the crash was part of Project Mogul, an attempt to develop balloons that would fly at a constant high altitude to conduct acoustic monitoring of expected Soviet nuclear blasts.

Glenn Dennis was a young mortician in Roswell in 1947. He believes the air force may have found alien bodies in the New Mexico desert as he received several phone calls from the Roswell base July 8 asking about acquiring child-size caskets and about preserving tissue in a body that had been out in the sun for a few days. He told me he was transporting a slightly injured enlisted man back to the base hospital later that day and saw strange debris in a slightly ajar door in the rear of a field ambulance and an unprecedented level of security inside the base hospital. He spotted a friend, who he described as a deeply religious nurse, in a corridor holding a towel to her face.

"She screamed at me, 'Glenn, get out as fast as you can!'" Dennis recounted. Moments later, he says he was threatened by an army captain who told him not to start rumors and if he mentioned what had happened, "somebody will be picking your bones out of the sand."

The following day he had lunch with the nurse from the base. He said she told him that she had been called in to take dictation in a makeshift autopsy theater that began with the words "crash bag, two small mutilated bodies." Dennis said the convent-educated medical professional was nearly in shock as she sketched a four-fingered alien with a face remarkably similar to the big-eyed slit-mouthed creature that decades later became ubiquitous on T-shirts, key chains and coffee cups. Dennis said when he tried to ring her back at the base later that afternoon, she had vanished. Later in the week he was told she was no longer assigned to the base, and he never heard from her again.

"She asked me to take a secret oath never to reveal her name," said Dennis, who was 73 when I spoke with him. "So I never did." He died in 2015.

People's recollections of events can change over time and be affected by things they hear, but I have encountered thousands of people during my half century as a journalist and believe I have developed a decent ability to detect when an interviewee is evasive, exaggerating or lying. Haut, Brazell and Dennis came across as forthright as any individuals I have interviewed.

Nonetheless, after decades of research, UFO investigators have failed to produce a smoking gun proving that aliens crashed at Roswell. There is one tantalizing piece of evidence, perhaps not a smoking gun, that may have been staring skeptics in the face for decades.

A few months before I showed up in Roswell in 1999, there was a digital enhancement of an AP photograph in the July 8, 1947 Ft. Worth Star-Telegram showing Air Force Brigadier General Roger Ramey and Col. Thomas DuBose posing next to pieces of a radar reflector from a weather balloon. In the general's hand is what appears to be a telegram, which was previously unreadable. Various experts examining the digital enhancement pieced together unencrypted phrases from the teletype print that they contend include "Roswell NMEX," "victims," "emergency powers," "weather balloons," "story" and "disk."

Skeptics say some of those words are more likely people seeing what they wanted to see and the telegram could have been a news dispatch, rather than a military message.

The library of the University of Texas at Arlington says there is a $10,000 reward offered by a private individual for the "first person or group/lab that can provide a definitive read of the Ramey memo." (E-mail: rameymemo@gmail.com if you have success).

"No one has collected the reward," Kevin Randle, a member of the library's research team about the memo, tells VOA.

"We did a complete new scan of the [photograph's] negative just before COVID but that didn't real any new details," says Randle, a retired military officer and author of books about UFOs and the Roswell incident.

Another member of the research team, Brenda McClurkin, who was the head of the library's special collections and archives, concurs.

"Regardless of all the advances in technology the mystery still prevails," she says.

Steve Herman is VOA's chief national correspondent. He researched the Roswell Incident in 1999 while working for the Discovery Channel.
Fremantle

Soaps and streaming have often seemed as compatible as oil and water. As big-budget services like Netflix and Prime Video grew, so did the narrative that they'd eventually cause the death of long-running shows like Coronation Street, EastEnders and Emmerdale.

The situation seemed particularly bleak in the early months of last year, as Holby City disappeared from our screens after a 23-year run on BBC One and Neighbours was dropped by Channel 5 in favour of shorter-run drama series that could air in prime time.

Fears for the future of the genre are well-founded. Soaps have spent decades as linchpins of linear TV schedules and were beneficial to the broadcasters for their ability to hook in a large audience every evening, keeping them around for other shows afterwards.

Those days are long gone: in recent years, the appeal of linear TV and fixed schedules has declined across the board. The soaps have been no exception, falling from the glory days when they could pull in audiences of 20 million or more.

But with the dawn of the new year, are there early signs that soaps have a place in TV's streaming-focused future after all?

2023 started with the surprising news that classic Channel 4 soap Brookside would be repeated from the start on the STV Player.

Despite gathering dust on the shelf for so many years, Brookside has broken records for the online service, becoming its fastest show ever to reach 1 million streams. In early February, more than 130,000 users had watched one full episode or more.

It's worth keeping these "record breaker" headlines in context, as the STV Player is a much smaller fish than the streaming giants. Most people outside of Scotland wouldn't have heard of the service before it became the new home of Brookside, so a soap rising to the top of its charts wasn't too much of a mountain to climb.

Lime Pictures/STV Player

What's striking, though, is how picking up a classic soap quickly helped the STV Player to achieve one of its main aims. Since early 2020, the player has been trying to rebrand itself as a standalone, UK-wide streaming service, rather than something only available in Scotland. (Being honest, we had no idea.)

Story continues

In early February, 65% of all Brookside streams had come from outside the Scotland broadcast region  so job done.

New fans will have also seen the other shows that the service has to offer when logging on to watch Brookside  a bit like the 2023 version of soaps boosting the rest of a TV schedule.

Brookside is only back for reruns, so Amazon will undoubtedly be hoping for even bigger success when it launches the new season of Neighbours on its free streaming service Freevee in the second half of 2023.

Channel 5

Much like the STV Player, Freevee was hardly a household name before it stepped in to save Neighbours at the end of last year. However, by becoming the Aussie soap's new home, the fledgling streamer can soon rely on a flood of new fans who are willing to use the app every day.

The decision to re-launch Neighbours on a streaming service makes more commercial sense than you might think. Soaps audiences are fiercely loyal and highly engaged when it comes to their favourite shows  qualities worth banking on when pursuing long-term success for an online service.

Soaps are known to be expensive to produce due to their high episode counts, but when judged by price tag per individual hour of television, they're actually much cheaper than other shows due to their purpose-built sets and limited location scenes.

For a streamer looking to keep fans on board all year round, a soap can easily provide value for money compared to shorter-run shows which require big budgets.

Channel 5

Amazon Studios' Lauren Anderson told the C21 Podcast in December: "We want to make sure that when you're coming to the service, you have a lot of other titles to watch. So if you're coming for Neighbours, you don't just find Neighbours but you find a lot of other ancillary content to support that experience."

Anderson added: "What soaps allow for is constant engagement with the service. From that standpoint, I do absolutely believe that they're a natural fit.

"I also think, when you take a show like Neighbours, we have the ability to put up thousands of episodes now. For those who've never watched the show, they can join and start wherever they'd like  and choose to catch up, or not."

Over on the traditional broadcasters, Hollyoaks and EastEnders have also taken steps to future-proof their strategies.

BBC

Just days after Neighbours' Channel 5 axe was confirmed last year, Hollyoaks announced a streaming-first model where new episodes would be released on All 4 ahead of their linear transmissions on Channel 4 and E4.

At the time, Channel 4 reported that Hollyoaks was the most-streamed scripted series on All 4 and the second most-streamed series overall.

EastEnders has since followed suit, with most episodes now dropping on iPlayer at 6am each morning ahead of the BBC One airing in the evening. Fond of adding together the figures for hundreds of different episodes, the BBC recently reported that EastEnders was streamed 366 million times on the iPlayer in 2022.

Perhaps more impressive than this "add every episode together" stat: the top seven most-watched episodes of any show on iPlayer over the recent Christmas period were individual editions of EastEnders.

Only time will tell whether a brand-new soap could eventually launch on a big streamer  there's certainly untapped potential to have a serial drama with a global streaming audience, releasing episodes all over the world at the same time. How about it, Netflix?

Neighbours returns in the second half of 2023 with new episodes streaming free on Amazon Freevee in the UK and US. Network 10 will retain first-run rights in Australia for the new series.

Read more Neighbours coverage on our dedicated homepage

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Not all branches of the U.S. military are equally worried about keeping pace with Chinas military expansion.

While U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro warned earlier this week that he needed more ships to meet the threat posed by Chinas rapidly expanding naval forces, top Army officials believe U.S. ground forces still hold a critical edge over their Chinese counterparts.

The human dimension of the United States Army, I think, is a comparative advantage, U.S. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth cautioned during a breakfast in Washington on Thursday with the Defense Writers Group. The quality of how our soldiers are trained, the kind of leaders that they have, the kind of combat experience that the force has.

Army Chief of Staff General James McConville added that the quality of leadership, especially that rising from the ranks of the Armys enlisted soldiers, cannot be understated.

One of the biggest lessons from Ukraine and Russia is the value of these non-commissioned officers that we have in our organization, McConville said. Everyone would like to have the folks we have.

Despite that confidence, both McConville and Wormuth acknowledged the threat posed by Chinas military modernization and expansion is not being taken lightly.

One should never underestimate the PLA [Peoples Liberation Army], Wormuth said. We're just as focused as the Navy and the Air Force and the other services on China as the pacing challenge ... how that expresses itself for the Army, I think, is a little bit different.

Wormuth said the Armys investments in long-range weapons systems, integrated air and missile defense systems, and even helicopters are all very much geared towards looking at China as the pacing challenge.

Still, the sheer size of Chinas military cannot be dismissed.

The Pentagons annual report on Chinas military, issued late last year, notes PLA ground forces boast about 975,000 active-duty personnel who have been put through increasingly realistic training scenarios, both with the Chinese Navy, and in 2021, with Russian forces on Chinese soil.

The PLA is aggressively developing capabilities to provide options for the PRC [Peoples Republic of China] to dissuade, deter, or, if ordered, defeat third-party intervention in the Indo-Pacific region, the report said.

In contrast, the U.S Army has about 485,000 soldiers and missed last years recruiting goal by about 15,000 people.

That is a major priority for us this year, Wormuth said of growing the number of recruits, saying she and her team are pulling out all of the stops to increase recruiting numbers.

But the Pentagons China report warns that China is also growing key capabilities, even doubling its nuclear arsenal, to about 400 warheads, over the past two years.

And the report echoed concerns that Beijing wants to at least have the ability to take Taiwan by force by 2027.

Unlike their Army counterparts, U.S. naval officials have expressed concern about losing the numbers game to China.

Capacity does matter, Del Toro warned Tuesday, speaking at the National Press Club in Washington.

The Chinese navy have approximately 340 ships and are moving towards a fleet of 440 ships by 2030, he said. We do need more ships in the future, more modern ships in the future, in particular, that can meet that threat.

Still, like his Army counterparts, Del Toro said China is still not ready to compete when it comes to the quality of equipment and personnel.

Our shipbuilders are better shipbuilders. That's why we have a more modern, more capable, more lethal navy than they do, he said.

They script their people to fight. We actually train our people to think, Del Toro added. That gives us an inherent advantage.
Ukraines power grid has been a target of Russian attacks since mid-October. The United States now is in the process of sending a third round of assistance to help restore damaged infrastructure.

But the ultimate goal is to help Ukraine build a new warproof distributed power grid, said Jennifer Granholm, the U.S. secretary of Energy.

As Ukraine marks one year since Russia's full-scale invasion, Secretary Granholm talked to VOAs Iuliia Iarmolenko about the U.S. assistance, Ukrainian resilience, and a clean energy future.

This interview transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.

VOA: It has been a year since Russia launched a full-scale war and it's been at least four months since Russia started this campaign of brutal attacks on Ukraine's energy sector. How do you assess the current situation with Ukraine's energy grid?

U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm: Well, I do know that the president  President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy  has really expressed a desire to have a different grid. A grid that is distributed, that has clean energy, but also that isn't so centralized so that it becomes a target. And that is very encouraging, that's something we very much want to work with Ukraine on and we have labs that are already  our national labs that are already preparing strategies to be able to get to that.

Ultimately you want to basically warproof an electric grid. What we have been doing is sending ... We've been scanning for high-voltage equipment that would be compatible with Ukraine's electric grid. It's a Soviet-era grid, and so, therefore, it's difficult for our transformers for example aren't compatible. So, we're canvassing around the world and all of our utilities to see what equipment can we send.

Where we are in the process now of sending the third tranche of equipment to Ukraine so that they can replace what has been damaged. But ultimately in the long term, what we need to do is to fulfill the president's goals to get a distributed electric grid so that if one section is damaged, it doesn't bring down a whole region.

VOA: You mentioned that Russia's goal is to destroy energy grids, and  as some U.S. officials said  to freeze Ukrainians into submission. And it seems that the winter is almost over, and Russia seems to be failing to achieve at least this goal to freeze Ukrainians to submission. Does it give you some grounds for optimism and do you think that the darkest days are behind us?

Granholm: Well, I certainly hope so, and it definitely gives me grounds for optimism. It makes  you know, looking at how Ukraine, Ukrainian people have had steel injected into their spines  I mean they have spines of steel. And perhaps that makes us steel as well, our spines full of steel to be able to support such courage and determination to not give up their territory, to not give up their nation.

So I should say Russia's goal is not just to destroy. It's to take back, right? To take the land to take the country. And, you know, we're not  We, the united members of this coalition, are not going to allow that to happen. And we want to support Ukraine and its territorial integrity. And the people have been so fierce in their determination to not allow their land to be taken.

VOA: Recently, Canadian Cameco Corporation announced a major uranium deal with Ukraine Energoatom and that should meet Ukraine's nuclear fuel needs until 2035. How significant do you think this is? And was there any cooperation or coordination between the United States and Canada on this? I know you were talking about the transition to renewable energy. But right now, Ukraine still has many nuclear reactors?

Granholm: Absolutely. In the immediate, it's really important to get power right and clean power is very important. Ukraine has been a leader in nuclear energy. Obviously, Zaporizhzhia is the biggest nuclear power plant in all of Europe. Moving into the future, I think a lot of the Central Eastern European countries are very interested in small modular reactors, next generation nuclear, as well as some of the bigger reactors as well. But they don't want to be under the thumb of Russian reactors or Russian uranium.

And so, this is the, I think, the next generation of questions. We just saw an agreement with Poland for example, to be able to have a series of three reactors that are built in partnership with Westinghouse. We've got to make sure that those reactors are fed, but not by Russian uranium.

VOA: I want to come back to something that you mentioned at the beginning of our conversation: that Ukraine wants to change their power grid. And, of course, war is a tremendous tragedy, but it also creates some opportunity to build better and to build something new. How do you think the United States can help Ukraine with reconstruction efforts, and with efforts to actually build something better in the energy sector with new technology and to abandon the Soviet era technology?

Granholm: Yeah, we are very excited about the possibility of working with Ukraine. In fact, I've been working with minister [Herman] Haluschenko, who is my counterpart in Ukraine, energy minister, who is very interested in working with  our labs, for example the National Renewable Energy Lab, has been doing these roadmaps for countries that have expressed interest in going 100 percent renewable for example, 100 percent clean, zero carbon emitting. And we want to work with Ukraine on its desires to be able to do that to provide technical roadmaps on how to get there.

What's the best way if you incorporate all of the assets that Ukraine has? How much solar, how much wind, how much hydroelectric power, how much nuclear power? What's the mix that's good for Ukraine and lives up to what Ukraine wants? We are very eager to partner on that future road map and on any assistance that we can to allow Ukraine to live up to its own ambition.

VOA: Given the current state of the power grid, do you think Ukraine still has potential?

Granholm: Totally, yes.  If you're going to build back, let's build back in a way that allows you to be resilient and to have energy security. And energy security, of course, through clean, which is exactly what President Zelenskyy has said he wants to do. And so, we stand totally ready and we're working already on the plans with Ukraine so that once this is over, you can build that future for Ukraine and for Ukraine's economy as well. But most importantly, for Ukraine's own security to be energy independent.
United States first lady Jill Biden on Friday ended her first visit to Namibia on a hopeful, encouraging note, stressing the power of youth in a nation where youth unemployment hovers at an alarming 40%.

Each generation inherits the world in their time, she said, standing before 1,300 students who packed into a shady courtyard at the public Namibian University of Science and Technology.

We often tell young people that youre the future, she said. And its true. But sometimes, that message can sound like: wait. Wait for some far-off finish line that makes you wiser or more powerful. Wait for your communities to listen to what you have to say. Wait, while others build the future around you. I know, however, that these things you want to change now. There are problems that you can solve now. And you have gifts to offer the world now.

It has been a whirlwind three days for the first lady, who landed in the southwest African nation Wednesday and used her time to focus on womens empowerment, children and education.

She also praised the nations vibrant democracy, established and run by the same party since independence in 1990.

Im proud to be standing here, standing with a strong democracy. And as [Namibian first lady] Monica [Geingos] said yesterday, a young democracy working together. As Joe [Biden] said at the summit, African voices, African leadership and African innovation are all critical to addressing the most pressing global challenges and realizing the vision we all share: a world that is free."

But this gentle nudge toward Western democratic ideals may not cause governments to budge from their deep ties to the East, said Ndumba Kamwanyah, a lecturer at the University of Namibia. Like many African nations, Namibias independence struggle had support from the former Soviet Union. And the war memorial Biden visited shortly after landing, along with the imposing State House, were built by a North Korean company.

Of course, officials they said that, you know, they don't want to choose a side, but deeply I think, from an analytical perspective, I think that they are leaning toward the Russian position, he told VOA.

Still, Katherine Jellison, professor of U.S. women's history and gender history at Ohio University, says Jill Bidens soft touch could steady U.S. relations with African nations.

I think it's important that some high-profile member of Bidenworld visit Africa right now because we need to shore up our friendship with African nations and our relationships with African nations at a time when the Chinese have an eye on cultivating more of those relationships, she told VOA. So it's an excellent idea if we want to maintain a good working relationship with African nations that we put out that friendly hand.

And Kamwanyah says, watch this space:

It will depend on the outcomes of that engagement, in terms of what other initiatives that will follow suit after her visit. So, I think it's important that, you know, in a day or two days after she leaves, it will become clearer in terms of the concreteness of the engagement.

Biden will spend two more days in Kenya, promoting womens empowerment, childrens issues and the hunger crisis afflicting the Horn of Africa.
The United States has repatriated two brothers to their native Pakistan after holding them for almost two decades without charges at the controversial Guantanamo Bay military prison.

Abdul Rabbani, 55, and Mohammed Rabbani, 53, were arrested by Pakistani authorities in their home city of Karachi in 2002 before swiftly being transferred to U.S. custody for allegedly operating al-Qaida safe houses.

The U.S. Defense Department on Thursday announced the repatriation of the brothers, who were never charged with a crime, to Pakistan, saying their detention was "no longer necessary to protect against a continuing significant threat to the security of the United States.

It said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had last month notified Congress of his intent to send both men back to Pakistan, noting the U.S. had completed the requirements for the transfer in consultation with Pakistan.

The Rabbani brothers were the latest inmates to have left Guantanamo Bay as part of President Joe Biden's efforts to shut the controversial detention facility.

The United States appreciates the willingness of the Government of Pakistan and other partners to support ongoing U.S. efforts focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population and ultimately closing the Guantanamo Bay facility, the Pentagon said Thursday.

A foreign ministry statement in Islamabad confirmed the repatriation of the two brothers to Pakistan on Friday, saying it coordinated an extensive inter-agency process to facilitate the transfer.



We are pleased that these Pakistani nationals have finally reunited with their families, the statement said.

Another Pakistani detainee, Majid Khan, who confessed to his role as an al-Qaida courier, was transferred from Guantanamo and resettled in Belize earlier this month after completing his sentence.

Khan, 42, was held in the detention facility for about 15 years. He was sentenced in 2021 to 10 years, with credit for the years he spent cooperating with his American interrogators.

Last October, the United States released the oldest prisoner at Guantanamo, identified as Pakistani national Saifullah Paracha, and transferred him to his home country.

Paracha, 75, had been held at the detention center since 2003 on suspicion of being tied to al-Qaida but he was never charged with a crime.

Former U.S. President George W. Bush's administration established the detention center at a naval base in Cuba for holding and interrogating terror suspects rounded up after September 11, 2001, al-Qaida attacks in the United States that killed nearly 3,000 people.

At its peak, the Guantanamo detention center reportedly housed as many as 600 inmates accused of plotting terrorism against Americans.

The Pentagon on Thursday noted there are 32 detainees remaining at Guantanamo Bay, 18 of whom are eligible for transfer, nine defendants in military-run tribunals, and two others convicted.

Human rights groups have long criticized the military prison and demanded its closure, citing reported abuses, torture, and prolonged detentions of inmates, many without charges or trial.
The United States has seen evidence that the People's Republic of China is considering sending lethal weapons to Russia for its use in the war in Ukraine, and has directly warned China of consequences, according to a senior State Department official.

"We obviously have a reason to be concerned," Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman told VOA in an interview on Thursday. She stopped short of elaborating on details when asked if there is evidence that Beijing is considering sending lethal aid to Moscow.

Sherman sat down with VOA State Department bureau chief Nike Ching on Thursday as Russia's war on Ukraine neared its one-year mark.

The State Department's second most senior official said the U.S. has warned China directly of consequences.

"If the People's Republic of China provides lethal support to Russia, then it becomes a co-belligerent in many ways, and  there would be consequences," Sherman told VOA.

Days after Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country would suspend its participation in the new START nuclear arms control treaty, Washington said Moscow appears to be posturing, and condemned such a move as "irresponsible."

"We do not expect President Putin to use nuclear weapons," Sherman said.

This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

VOA: Russian President Vladimir Putin said today that Russia would deploy Sarmat nuclear missiles, boosting its nuclear forces. This came after Putin said Russia would suspend its participation in the New START Treaty. What is the U.S. read of these moves?

DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE WENDY SHERMAN: I think it is useful to pay attention to what Russia does. They have said they've suspended, not terminated, their participation in New START. We will see what actions they take. And that will tell us a lot about where we're heading. President Biden also said, however, that right now, we do not expect President Putin to use nuclear weapons  something that the entire world is concerned about. And everyone should be ensuring and saying to President Putin: Do not take such action. It would change the world.

VOA: So, you think Putin is posturing and not serious about using nuclear weapons?

SHERMAN: I think we will watch his actions, not just his words. And I think suspending the New START treaty does not mean he's about to use nuclear weapons. He's just taking a step to suspend our ability to inspect each other's stockpiles. He has said, however, that he will maintain the numbers that are agreed to and some of the other provisions. So, let's see what happens.

VOA: Would President Biden's administration provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets and long-range missiles? Some congressional members are advocating for Ukraine to get these items.

SHERMAN: We understand why many are advocating for them, and certainly understand why President Zelenskyy wants every weapon system that he can imagine is necessary.

And yet, I think President Biden has made very thoughtful decisions, ensuring that the weapons we supply match the needs on the battlefield. We are in constant communications with Ukrainians about their needs. Fifty nations around the world have supplied some support to Ukraine, whether that's economic assistance, humanitarian assistance or weapons.

VOA: Does the U.S. believe F-16s and long-range missiles are imperative for Ukraine's success on the battlefield?

SHERMAN: The president is looking at these decisions step by step. He has said F-16s are not these kinds of weapons that are ready for us to send for a whole number of reasons.

VOA: Top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi's visit to Moscow this week is seen as paving the way for Chinese President Xi Jinping's planned state visit in coming months. Can you talk about People's Republic of China's role in Russia's war on Ukraine?

SHERMAN: Well, we're quite concerned about this. As we heard Secretary [of State Antony] Blinken say at the Munich Security Conference after his meeting with Wang Yi, that he had said quite directly to Director Wang Yi, that if the People's Republic of China provides lethal support to Russia, then it becomes a co-belligerent in many ways, and that there would be consequences. And so, this is a very concerning moment and a very big choice for Xi Jinping if he decides, in fact, to take this step.

VOA: Does the U.S. believe China is considering sending lethal weapons to Russia? Do you see any evidence?

SHERMAN: Well, Secretary Blinken raised that concern because we do have that concern. We have said so directly to the People's Republic of China. We've shared our concern with many countries around the world and urge them to urge Xi Jinping to make the right choice here.

VOA: So, are you saying that there is indeed an indication that China is considering sending lethal weapons to Russia?

SHERMAN: What I'm saying is that Secretary Blinken raised the issue because we obviously have reason to be concerned.

VOA: What is the endgame here? Does the U.S. see any way to facilitate an end to this conflict? How long will the U.S. continue to send money, weapons for this war that Russia seems to have no inclination of ending?

SHERMAN: I think Americans see that Ukrainians are fighting for themselves. They're courageous. They're resilient. They have been without electricity, without power, without water. Parents, moms and dads have had their children abducted by Russia, taken to Russia, separated from their families, to 're-educate them to be Russians.' That has terrible echoes in history. And there's not a mother and father in this world that doesn't understand how horrifying that is.

The kinds of actions that Vladimir Putin is taking are, as Secretary Blinken has defined, as Vice President Kamala Harris has said at the Munich Security Conference this past week, are indeed crimes against humanity.

VOA: Then why hasn't the State Department designated Russia as a state that sponsors terrorism?

SHERMAN: We are looking at all of the appropriate legal channels. There is no question there has to be accountability here. And there are many ways to achieve accountability. And we are open to considering all of them.
Editor's note: Here is a look at immigration-related news around the U.S. this week. Questions? Tips? Comments? Email the VOA immigration team: ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com.

Border Encounters Drop After Increased Migrant Expulsions

The number of migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border dropped nearly 40% from a record of about 252,000 encounters in December 2022 to about 156,000 in January, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Immigration reporter Aline Barros has the story.



Biden Administration Announces Proposed Rule to Set New Asylum Limits

The Biden administration published a proposal Tuesday that would block certain migrants from seeking asylum in the United States and allow the government to quickly deport them. The proposal, which is part of the administration's efforts to manage the influx of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, has received strong criticism from immigration advocates. Immigration reporter Aline Barros has the story.

VOA Day In Photos:

Immigration around the world

Key Afghanistan-Pakistan Border Crossing Reopens After High-Level Talks

Taliban authorities in Afghanistan said Thursday they had reopened a busy border crossing with Pakistan after four days of closure that saw thousands of travelers and trade convoys, with many carrying food items, stranded on either side. Ayaz Gul reports for VOA from Islamabad, Pakistan.

Hong Kong Revokes Visa for Controversial Chinese Scientist Who Edited Babies' Genes

A controversial Chinese biophysicist, who had been imprisoned after creating the worlds first gene-edited babies, saw his Hong Kong work visa revoked after immigration officials suspected he lied on an application form for a talent scheme. VOA News reports.

After Earthquake, Some Syrian War Refugees Look Beyond Turkey

As Turkey reels under the immediate humanitarian and long-term economic burdens of the deadly February 6 earthquake, one group of people feels pressured to consider leaving the country. Akmal Dawi reports for VOA.

Poland Braced for More Refugees as Fighting Intensifies in Ukraine

Millions of Ukrainians fled into Poland in the first months of Russia's invasion. A year on, the chaotic scenes at the border have eased  and many Ukrainians now cross back and forth from their home country. As Henry Ridgwell reports from the border town of Przemysl, Poland is braced for a new influx of refugees as the fighting intensifies in eastern Ukraine.

Refugees In, Weapons Out: Polands Frontline Role in Ukraine War

The small village on the Poland-Ukraine border got global attention when, on November 15, a missile exploded on a farm, killing two local workers. All that remains is a large crater, surrounded by the twisted metal beams and rubble of the barn that once stood here. Henry Ridgwell reports for VOA from London.

News Brief

 The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) updates guidance for employment authorization for international students in the U.S. under the special student relief provisions.
Earlier this month, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland used a Justice Department appearance to herald the work of a law enforcement task force he launched last March in response to Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Appearing alongside his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Kostin, Garland announced that he had authorized the transfer of millions of dollars worth of seized Russian assets for Ukrainian reconstruction after a judge had ordered their forfeiture.

The $5.4 million was confiscated from a Denver-based bank account of sanctioned Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev last April, and prosecutors from the Justice Departments Task Force KleptoCapture were seeking their forfeiture.

U.S. law requires forfeited funds to be spent for law enforcement purposes. But in late December, Congress gave the Justice Department new authority to transfer proceeds of certain assets seized from Russian oligarchs for Ukrainian reconstruction.

A State Department spokesperson said the department expects to receive the funds forfeited from Malofeyev in about 60 days and will use them to provide assistance to Ukraine to help remediate some of the injury caused by Russias aggression.

As Ukraine marks the first anniversary of the Russian invasion, hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Russian assets, seized by Task Force KleptoCapture, remain subject to forfeiture, according to Andrew Adams, the task force head.

The amount is not insignificant but pales in comparison to the hundreds of billions of dollars needed to rebuild Ukraine.

But the contribution is important, Adams said, speaking at the Hudson Institute last month.

The interagency task force was launched just six days after Russias invasion of Ukraine. Its mission: to seize the assets of oligarchs that U.S. officials say prop up President Vladimir Putins regime.

Within four weeks of its launch, the team announced its first major asset seizure. Acting on a U.S. request, Spanish authorities seized a 77-meter-long luxury yacht belonging to sanctioned Russian billionaire Victor Vekselberg on April 4. The boats price tag: $90 million.

Two days later, U.S. prosecutors charged Malofeyev with sanctions violation and seized his U.S. bank account.

The following month came the task forces biggest catch: Fijian authorities seized a $300 million luxury superyacht belonging to another sanctioned Russian oligarch with suspected links to Putin: Suleiman Kerimov.

In the months that followed, the task force has targeted a string of other assets, from luxury properties belonging to Vekselberg and aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska to private planes that have yet to be seized.

Before the Justice Department can transfer any funds to Ukraine, it must first forfeit the seized assets, meaning take their ownership.

There are two major types of asset forfeiture: criminal forfeiture and civil forfeiture.

Criminal forfeiture, used to take a piece of property used in a crime, requires a criminal conviction. A civil forfeiture complaint, on the other hand, is brought against a piece of property rather than an individual and does not require a conviction.

With most Russian oligarchs indicted by the Justice Department at large, the department is all but certain to pursue civil forfeiture against most seized assets, legal experts say.

Molafeyevs bank account was forfeited through a civil complaint. On Friday, the Justice Department filed a civil forfeiture lawsuit against six U.S. real estate properties owned by Vekselberg.

Ellen Zimiles, head of financial crime, fraud and investigative services at consulting firm Guidehouse, said the civil forfeiture process varies depending on the type of assets.

Seizing cash or a bank account is usually easier than other forms of assets, Zimiles said.

When its a bank account, you usually send a notice to the bank ... and they will freeze the account, she said.

The more bespoke the property, the longer it will take to forfeit it, Zimiles said.

A yacht will take longer than a bank account. A house will take longer than a bank account, she said.

But sometimes even seizing a bank account can prove problematic.

There's a lot of problems involved in trying to determine what part of the money in that account is dirty money that's subject to forfeiture  and what part of it is legitimate, said David Smith, a lawyer in private practice and a leading authority on forfeiture.

Molafeyevs representatives did not contest his asset forfeiture. Nor are other oligarchs expected to file legal challenges. But if they do, it could lead to long drawn-out litigation.

Case in point: former Ukrainian Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenkos long-running battle with the Justice Department over hundreds of millions of dollars hes accused of stealing while in office.

The civil forfeiture case against him has been going on for 18 years and its still not over, said Smith, who once represented Lazarenko.

Editors Note: The 3rd paragraph has been updated to correct the money figure to $5.4 million instead of $4.5 mil.
Ukraine said Thursday that it had repelled attempted Russian advances along the length of the front line of fighting in eastern and southern Ukraine, leaving the war in a stalemate a day ahead of the first anniversary of Moscows invasion.

Russia controls about a fifth of Ukrainian territory, far short of the quick, countrywide takeover many military analysts predicted a year ago as Moscows tanks rolled into Ukraines eastern flank.

In the most recent fighting, Moscows forces have made progress trying to encircle Bakhmut, with Ukrainian military spokesperson Brigadier General Oleksiy Gromov saying Moscow was trying to use its manpower advantage to exhaust Kyiv's forces.

"The enemy, despite significant losses, does not abandon attempts to surround Bakhmut," he said.

But Ukraine said Russian troops have failed to break through Ukrainian lines to the north near Kreminna and to the south at Vuhledar, where they have sustained heavy losses assaulting across open ground.

Gromov said Ukrainian forces had repelled 90 Russian attacks in the northeast and east in the last day.

Ukraine said it had closed some schools for the war's anniversary on Friday in anticipation that Moscow might launch long-range missile attacks to mark the date. But Ukrainian officials said they believed Moscow no longer had the capability for a dramatic show of force, as some had feared.

"Nothing unusual will happen. Usual [Russian] effort.  A small missile strike is planned," military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov told the Ukrainska Pravda news website. "Believe me, we have experienced this more than 20 times."

US alert

However, the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine issued an alert to Americans in the country about the threat of missile attacks across Ukraine, including in Kyiv and the surrounding region.

The alert urged U.S. citizens "to observe air alarms, shelter appropriately, follow guidance from local authorities."

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin touted his countrys nuclear arsenal, announcing plans to deploy new Sarmat multiwarhead intercontinental ballistic missiles this year. Earlier this week, he suspended Russia's participation in the New START nuclear arms control treaty with the United States, the worlds last remaining such pact.

Russia would "pay increased attention to strengthening the nuclear triad," Putin said in remarks released by the Kremlin, referring to nuclear missiles based on land, in the sea and in the air.

In New York, the U.N. General Assembly is expected to mark the invasion's anniversary by approving a resolution demanding a halt to the fighting. Ukraine hopes to deepen Russia's diplomatic isolation by winning votes from nearly three-quarters of the worlds countries. Moscow, which says the invasion was justified by threats to its security, says the text is biased.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday denounced the invasion as a violation of the U.N. Charter.

"We have heard implicit threats to use nuclear weapons. The so-called tactical use of nuclear weapons is utterly unacceptable. It is high time to step back from the brink," Guterres said.

Meanwhile, Finland announced a $169 million aid package for Ukraine that includes three Leopard 2 tanks.

Finlands defense ministry said in a statement that the tanks were equipped for de-mining, and that the aid package would include training for their use and maintenance.

The announcement came a day after Spain said it would send six of its own Leopard 2A4 tanks.

The German-made tanks are part of a wave of tanks being sent to Ukraine after Ukrainian officials requested them in order to better match up with Russian forces.

Germany initially resisted authorizing the transfers amid concerns about escalating the conflict but has told allies that have the tanks they are free to send them to Ukraine.

Some information for this story came from Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
PENTAGON 

Russias invasion of Ukraine one year ago has sparked a long-term transformation across European defenses, a top U.S. general told VOA, as the Pentagon warns that Moscow has already lost its fight to control Ukraine.

The security environment here in Europe has been changed for decades, Lieutenant General John Kolasheski, commander general of V Corps who is responsible for U.S. Army operations along NATOs eastern flank, said in an exclusive interview in Poland earlier this month.

As Russias war efforts took shape, the United States poured thousands of additional troops into Europe while European nations close to the conflict ramped up defense spending.

This is something that all of our allies and partners take as a real threat, and the cohesion here has been greater than Ive ever seen, he said.

Washington has spent tens of billions of dollars on military support for Ukraine, as has the rest of NATO combined.

Estonia and Latvia, which border Russia, have spent at least 1% of their GDPs on Ukrainian aid. Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur told VOA that Estonias self-defense expenditure had increased to 2.8% this year and would reach 3.2% of GDP next year.

We have a clear understanding that every tank destroyed in Ukraine is one tank less behind our border, he said.

However, polls have shown American public support for providing weapons to Ukraine has dipped from 60% in favor last May, to 48% now. Theres also been a modest erosion in congressional support for Ukrainian war spending.

Most of that erosion comes from a vocal minority of Republicans, according to Bradley Bowman, a veteran who is senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

U.S. security spending for Ukraine is about $30 billion, which Bowman said is about 3.5% of the entire defense budget this fiscal year.

So, what are we getting for that 3.5%? I would say that we're preventing Russian President [Vladimir] Putin from accomplishing many of his objectives in Ukraine. We're sending a very important message around the world that America is not neutral and will not sit on its hands when an autocratic bully tries to redraw international borders with military force  without a single American soldier in harm's way, he told VOA on Thursday.

Russia had controlled as much as 25% of Ukraine last year before Kyivs forces quickly waged a counterattack.

Now, Russian-controlled territory has been whittled to 18%, with Western officials and former officials hoping that Ukraine will be able to punch through hardened Russian defenses as new advanced weaponry arrives in Ukraine, including German-made Leopard 2 tanks and British-made Challenger 2 tanks.

The battles in Ukraine will be slow, and what you need is, you need a heavy tank like Challenger that can take a hit, said Major Nick Bridges, the U.K. chief of staff of Estonias Enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup. He added that these tanks can sustain multiple attacks, while the Soviet-era T-72 tanks that Ukrainians forces currently use will probably be destroyed after one round.

As Russia has shown signs of a fresh offensive in Ukraine, U.S. officials have described Moscows tactics as akin to tossing bodies into a meat grinder.

I kind of call it the Bakhmutization of the conflict, where they are literally throwing hundreds of lives away every single day to make incremental gains that are not strategically important, said Colin Kahl, undersecretary of defense for policy, referring to the brutal fighting for Bakhmut, where deadly battles resulted in a tug-of-war exchange of small blocks of territory.

Kahl, speaking to VOA at the Pentagon this week, said the point of sending weapons like Western tanks to Ukraine is to allow it to fight differently than the Russians in order to change the dynamics of the front lines.

He said Putin has repeatedly miscalculated over the past year, resulting in a failure to achieve Russian objectives ranging from absorbing Ukraine into the Russian empire to weakening the NATO alliance.

One thing has actually become crystal clear, and that is Russia has already lost, Kahl said.
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As Russian tanks rolled into eastern Ukraine a year ago, millions of Ukrainians fled to Poland. Many came by foot through the Medyka border crossing  where aid agencies mounted a huge emergency response. Twelve months on, VOAs Henry Ridgwell returned to Medyka to see what has changed
Donald Trump Jr joined the chorus of left and right voices criticising Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg after a major train derailment, but unlike others found himself fixated on the secretarys sexuality.

During a Newsmax interview this week the son of the twice-impeached former president went on a tirade against Mr Buttigieg and insisted that the former South Bend mayor was named to his position as a diversity hire.

A video of Mr Trump Jr making the remarks was viewed hundreds of thousands of times.

Journalist Aaron Rupar said it was an example of unvarnished homophobia from the former presidents son, though other conservatives including Mr Trumps former ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, defended him.

"He's the gay guy, so we gotta give him something, let's make him Transportation Secretary" -- unvarnished homophobia from Donald Trump Jr on Newsmax pic.twitter.com/L4VuGQANi8  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 23, 2023

People that get their job from nepotism assume everybody does  Ken Bach (@bach_kenneth) February 23, 2023

They gave him the job BECAUSE hes gay! Everyone knows this.



They announced his sexuality as they named him - which is so demeaning and exploitative.



Don, Jr isnt remotely homophobic. But you are so straightphobic! https://t.co/3SVhif3M37  Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) February 23, 2023

The eldest son of former President Donald Trump was active, as was much of Trumpworld, in generating hype for Mr Trumps visit on Wednesday to East Palestine, Ohio. The town was the site of a devastating train crash in early February, and many residents have raised concerns about health issues potentially resulting from the crash and the dangerous chemical contents of the train.

Story continues

The visit was as much a campaign stop for the former president in a state he won twice as it was a visit of mercy; he savaged the Biden administration as volunteers handed out pallets of water he bragged were Trump water.

A request for an estimate from the Trump campaign of the total amount of goods the former president donated was not returned.

Local residents have accused the federal government, which has said it will hold train operator Norfolk Southern responsible for the cleanup, of being slow to react to the chaos. Biden administration figures dispute this, noting that federal authorities were on the ground within hours of the crash, even though President Joe Biden and other senior administration figures were not.

Trust between locals and state/federal authorities remains frayed in East Palestine and the surrounding communities thanks to insistences from state officials that residents who have raised concerns about the safety of their drinking water are mistaken, while the arrest of a journalist covering the scene also drew accusations of a coverup.
There are more than 8 million Ukrainian refugees in Europe, according to the U.N., and Natalia Rovitska is one of them. Before the war, she was the principal of one of the best schools in Mariupol. After the Russian army destroyed her school, she fled to Poland where she works in a Ukrainian school
The U.S. Congress has appropriated more than $112 billion in aid to Ukraine since Russia invaded one year ago. VOA Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson looks back at the scope of that assistance and reports on what happens next. VOA footage by Rob Parsons.
FRIDAY, Feb. 24, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- People living in heavily polluted areas of the United States may be more vulnerable to Parkinsons disease, a new study suggests.

Specifically, the culprit is a type of air pollution called fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which is less than 2.5 microns in diameter and comes from car exhaust, burning of fuels in power plants and other industries, and forest and grass fires, researchers say.

"We found an association between Parkinsons disease and exposure to fine particulate matter. In specific, people in the highest exposure have a 25% greater risk of Parkinsons disease compared to people with the lowest exposure," said lead researcher Brittany Krzyzanowski, from the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Ariz.

"We also found that the regions with the strongest association between particulate matter and Parkinsons disease were the Mississippi-Ohio River Valley and the Rocky Mountain region," she said.

"Our findings suggest that the regional differences in Parkinsons disease might reflect that the composition of the particulate matter in some areas may be more toxic than others," Krzyzanowski added. "We know that air pollution causes inflammation in the brain, which is linked to Parkinsons disease."

Krzyzanowski said that lowering levels of air pollution might help lower the risk of Parkinson's, especially in areas where pollution levels are high.

"Despite 30 years of research trying to identify the environmental risk factors of Parkinsons disease, most efforts have focused on exposure to pesticides," she said. "Our work suggests that air pollution may be a key contributor in the development of Parkinsons disease."

For the study, Krzyzanowski and her colleagues collected data on more than 22.5 million Medicare patients in 2009. Of these, nearly 84,000 had Parkinsons disease. The research team mapped where the participants lived and calculated the rates of Parkinsons disease for various regions. They also calculated average air pollution levels.

The investigators found that 434 people per 100,000 who were exposed to the highest levels of PM2.5 developed Parkinson's disease, compared with 359 per 100,000 among those who lived in areas with the lowest levels of PM2.5.

After taking into account other risks for Parkinson's  such as age, smoking and use of medical care  the researchers found that people with the highest exposure to air pollution had a 25% increased risk of Parkinsons disease, compared to people with the lowest exposure.

The strongest association was in the Rocky Mountain region, including Lake County, Colo., southwest of Denver and its surrounding counties. The risk for Parkinsons in those counties increased by 16% when moving up from one level of fine particulate matter exposure to the next level, the findings showed.

Air pollution was also linked with higher rates of Parkinsons in the Mississippi-Ohio River Valley, which includes Tennessee and Kentucky, but the association was weaker, with a 4% increase in risk when moving up one level of fine particulate matter exposure to the next, the research group found.

The findings are scheduled for presentation April 22 at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, in Boston. Findings presented at medical meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

While the association found in the study does not prove a cause-and-effect link, one expert thinks the association between air pollution and the risk for Parkinson's disease needs to be seriously considered.

"The idea that a hotspot in the Mississippi-Ohio River Valley was potentially associated with increasing the risk of Parkinsons disease by 25% is staggering," said Dr. Michael Okun, a medical advisor to the Parkinsons Foundation and director of the Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at the University of Florida Health, in Gainesville.

"The identification of Parkinsons disease 'hot spots,' which could help us understand how the environment contributes to the development of neurodegenerative diseases, may provide another critical piece to the environmental risk factor puzzle," Okun said.

More information

For more on Parkinson's, head to the Parkinson's Foundation.

SOURCES: Brittany Krzyzanowski, PhD, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, Ariz.; Michael Okun, MD, medical advisor, Parkinsons Foundation, and director, Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida Health, Gainesville; April 22, 2023, presentation, American Academy of Neurology annual meeting, Boston
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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP)  U.S. first lady Jill Biden said Friday that she feels a kinship with Africans during her sixth visit to the continent, telling The Associated Press in an exclusive interview that she wants to support nations fighting for democracy  just like I feel we're doing in the United States.

We cannot take things for granted, because it's such a precious system of government," she said. We can't be complacent. We have to keep fighting for it.

The first lady opened her trip earlier this week in Namibia, a young democracy, where on Friday she delivered a rousing speech to more than 1,000 students. She told them the democracy their parents and grandparents fought for is now theirs to defend and protect.

In the interview, Biden said that when first lady Monica Geingos invited her to visit, I thought there's no better place to go than to go to Namibia to encourage the youth to get involved, stay involved, fight for their democracy, just like I feel were doing in the United States.

Africas 54 countries are a mix of sometimes fragile democracies in places like Nigeria, which has an election this weekend; and more troubled nations like Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Chad and Sudan that have seen coups in recent years; or Uganda, Gabon, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon, where presidents have been clinging to power for decades. Namibia gained its independence from South Africa in 1990.

In her speech, Biden said women's and girls voices need to be more prominent in the debate.

As the first generation to be born into a free Namibia, the legacy that your parents and grandparents created is now yours  yours to defend and protect, Biden told a largely student audience at Namibia University of Science and Technology.

Yours to grow. And as we look forward, we must remember that the fight for democracy has no end.

Biden later Friday moved on to Kenya, the second and final stop on her trip.

Story continues

She is using the trip to focus on empowering women and girls as well as to highlight a devastating drought across the Horn of Africa.

We must build on the foundation of democracy by lifting up those voices that have gone unheard, particularly women and girls, people living on the margins of society, or those vulnerable to abuse, Biden told the audience of more than 1,000 students from different schools seated around her in a campus courtyard.

Biden, who has worked with young people throughout her 30-year-long teaching career, said the students must exercise their rights to disagree and to dissent, to speak up when they see injustice and support leaders who listen to their concerns.

The first lady noted that, in the United States, we are still defending and strengthening our democracy, almost 250 years after our founding.

Democracy isnt easy. It takes work, she said during the rousing, rally-style speech. But its worth it, because democracy delivers.

Afterward, she worked her way around the courtyard in a way that she rarely does, shaking hands and taking selfies with scores of excited students.

At one point, the students cheered as she danced to a drum-heavy African beat.

Darlene Superville, The Associated Press
41-bis protest slammed by government ministers.

Supporters of jailed Italian anarchist Alfredo Cospito staged a protest at Rome's Vittoriano monument on Thursday, setting off smoke bombs and unfurling a banner that read "Italy Tortures. With Alfredo. No to 41-bis".

Cospito, 55, has been on hunger strike for more than four months in protest against his harsh 41-bis prison regime, which is normally reserved for mafia bosses, and is currently in hospital in Milan.

Police detained four protesters at the central Rome landmark which is also known as the Altare della Patria and contains the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The incident has also raised serious security questions at the site which is used for solemn state ceremonies.

Rome police have increased security measures outside Rome's Court of Cassation on Friday pending a ruling on an appeal to end the 41-bis regime for Cospito after the move was rejected by justice minister Carlo Nordio in early February, reports state broadcaster RAI News.

In recent weeks there have been several violent protests in Rome in support of the campaign by Cospito who is the leader of the Informal Anarchists Federation (FAI) and is serving 30 years for terror attacks.

Thursday afternoon's blitz at the Vittoriano was widely condemned by senior figures in the right-wing coalition of prime minister Giorgia Meloni.

"I simboli non si toccano. Sono beni della collettivita, nati per unire. Inaccettabile quanto accaduto all'#Altare della #Patria e va condannato: viola un luogo dove riposa chi ha dato la vita per la nostra liberta. Nel manifestare si rispettino gli altri" cosi Min @GuidoCrosetto pic.twitter.com/2cytt9Juog  Ministero Difesa (@MinisteroDifesa) February 23, 2023

"Demonstrating one's thoughts and also one's dissent is a legitimate right" - said the senate president Ignazio La Russa - "but doing it in this way at the Altare della Patria, a monument symbol of national unity and which honours those who sacrificed their life for our nation is a provocation and an unacceptable outrage".

Culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano on Twitter described the incident as a "desecration" that constitutes "a very serious act, an offense to a place that is a symbol of national identity."

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ChatGPT. OK, its cool, but what is it for? This is the question Id be asking if I were a banking executive. Oh, and of course: What are the risks of using it? There is huge excitement about this bright new toy, but what it mainly does is produce content on demand that is distilled from information picked up off the internet. To my mind, what makes it smart is its ability to produce language that sounds like a convincing voice, not the substance of what it is telling you.

So why are banks banning it inside their businesses? The answer is in what bankers might use it for. Bank of America Corp. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. have joined JPMorgan Chase & Co. in telling staff they mustnt use it for business purposes.

Those business purposes could be to generate a draft of a pitch document or research report, just as people have tried it out writing parts of academic papers, press releases or even entire novels. Maybe senior bankers think their juniors will get lazy. More likely, the compliance departments are fretting about the risks involved, especially after being fined by regulators for bankers use of WhatsApp.

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ChatGPT and other large language models have been shown to make mistakes and get things wrong, or even hallucinate and make up non-existent fields of scientific enquiry, for example. If a sell-side analysts research report turned out to have plausible but entirely fantastic sectoral developments threatening or benefiting a listed company, I assume that would look bad.

Also, as ChatGPT goes around pulling information from the web, theres a danger that it might end up straight plagiarising someone elses work. Again, if youre a bank, or any information-centered business where reputation and trust matters, this would not be good.

ChatGPT could also be used to write computer code. Banks would be mad to let it anywhere near their code, however. There would be hurdles anyway for the banks that still have large parts of their systems built on proprietary coding languages that ChatGPT would need to learn. But beyond that, bank regulators and customers have an extremely low tolerance for failure in banking systems  trades need to be confirmed and settled, payments need to be made and companies and people need access to their cash. Banks have to be pretty sure that anything going on their computers is reliable and that they understand exactly what it is doing.

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But back to the content question: A major selling point for traders, investment bankers and research analysts is their own intellectual content. Companies pay them big bucks to advise on takeovers or raise capital because they know things about rival firms and appetites for risk in markets. For similar reasons, investors pay banks to buy and sell assets, or to help construct bespoke derivatives trades with a plethora of payoffs. Would you want to pay so much if you thought a web-crawling robot was writing the pitch for your business?

Im being somewhat facetious, or course. But the presentation of content is just that: its the presentation, it isnt the know-how, the skill, or the intellectual capital that is behind the content. Banks, like most companies, produce an awful lot of spam: Endless, self-promoting marketing materials, releases and brochures to convince people that their services are good  I should probably say exceptional!

We should poke fun at most of this. But at the same time, for any company that is fundamentally useful, there is real intellectual capability behind this voluminous noise. ChatGPT might be able to produce a beautiful and entirely convincing brochure about new homes, but Im fairly sure it couldnt also build, decorate and furnish them. At least not yet.

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 Can ChatGPT Write a Better Novel Than I Can?: Stephen L. Carter

 ChatGPT Shows Just How Far Europe Lags in Tech: Lionel Laurent

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Paul J. Davies is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering banking and finance. Previously, he was a reporter for the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times.

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When the United Nations announced that the United Arab Emirates would host its 2023 climate summit, known as COP, many environmentalists scoffed. A climate conference in an oil state? When the UAE announced that the president would be the head of its national oil company, Sultan Al Jaber, the scoffing only grew louder. The activists should stop griping: Al Jaber is precisely the kind of ally the climate movement needs.

During a recent visit to India, Al Jaber outlined the gravity of the challenge ahead. He conveyed the UAEs desire to help India meet its ambitious clean energy goals. He called for more investment in decarbonization technology, including nuclear and hydrogen power. And he endorsed an all-of-society approach that mobilizes every sector and asks more of development banks and financial institutions.

He also addressed the elephant in the room: the need to mitigate the climate impact of fossil fuels during the global transition to clean energy. It is not a conflict of interest, he said, alluding to his critics; it is our common interest to have the energy industry working alongside everyone.

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Theres no escaping the fact that the world still needs oil and gas and will for some time, a reality that Al Jabers critics tend to ignore. Fighting climate change is not a question of ending all oil and gas production immediately, but of developing sufficient clean power to phase it out as quickly as possible  and doing so in a way that strengthens economies and lifts living standards, through policies that are pro-growth and pro-climate at the same time, as Al Jaber put it.

To be sure, Al Jaber has a financial interest in oil production, but he has a stake in the clean-energy industry, too. Hes the founding CEO and current chair of Masdar, which aims to generate 100 gigawatts of renewable power by the end of the decade, a goal that exceeds those set by some larger European nations. If every nation aimed to produce as much per-capita renewable power over the next seven years as the UAE, the fight against climate change could be transformed.

To their credit, most global leaders have supported Al Jabers appointment and the UNs decision to host this years COP in the UAE, including President Joe Bidens special climate envoy, John Kerry. But skepticism is inevitable, which puts an extra burden on Al Jaber to deliver.

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As he prepares for Novembers summit, its critical that Al Jaber ramp up pressure on rich countries to honor their financial commitments to the developing world; push development banks and sovereign-wealth funds to expand their ambitions; and help overcome barriers to greater private-sector investment in clean-energy projects, especially in the developed world.

He can also dispel some of the public skepticism about his appointment by taking aim at the biggest obstacle standing in the way of major climate progress: coal-fired power plants. Clean energy is now cheaper than coal power in much of the world, and where coal still has a price advantage (often because of subsidies), new public-private partnerships  like the one the G-20 forged with Indonesia last year  can help nations speed the transition.

There is a difference, of course, between giving a good speech and rallying the world to act. And so it was encouraging to hear Al Jaber stress in his speech that this years summit must be a COP of action, one that moves the world from talking about goals to getting the job done.

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Environmental activists will rightly hold Al Jaber accountable for translating words into actions, but they should also recognize that far more can be accomplished by accepting him as an ally than dismissing him as a foe.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

 An Oil Exec Running COP? This Isnt a Joke: Lara Williams

 A Zombie Climate Technology Gets a Lifeline: David Fickling

 Corporate Climate Promises Dont Add Up: Mark Gongloff

The Editors are members of the Bloomberg Opinion editorial board.

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Has a shadow fleet of oil tankers been amassed to help Russia evade sanctions and price caps on its energy exports? Thats the belief of a growing number of observers in the oil trading community who have been tracking mysterious purchases of hundreds of old tankers by undisclosed buyers and other signs of suspicious activity. In addition to weakening the sanctions, the growth of this shadow fleet could drive up shipping costs in general, they say.

1. Why would Russia want a shadow fleet?

The Group of Seven nations, the European Union and several other countries have banned or restricted imports of Russian oil and fuels to punish President Vladimir Putin for his war in Ukraine. Theyve also moved to curtail Moscows profits from selling oil to countries that are still buying it, such as China and India. This is achieved by blocking insurance and other key services for shipments of Russian petroleum sold above a certain price. Their leverage derives from the fact that virtually all tankers in the conventional global fleet are covered by a handful of big insurers based in Europe and the US. The shadow fleet appears willing to operate without insurance from the big firms.

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2. How could the shadow fleet weaken sanctions?

Enforcing the sanctions and price caps depends on ship operators being transparent about the ownership of their vessels and the origin of whats on board. If a tankers new owners are hard to trace and the operator is willing to forgo insurance that meets international standards, theyll be able to skirt the price caps. For example, they could deliver a load of Urals crude sold to a Chinese or Indian firm for more than the $60-per-barrel limit. Shadow ships can also transport Russian oil to buyers in nations that would prefer to keep their dealings with Moscow under the radar.

3. Whats the evidence of a shadow fleet?

Piecing together the exact size of the fleet is almost impossible, with ownership details  and most individual vessels commitment to Russia  shrouded in secrecy. However, commodity giant Trafigura estimated in February that there were about 600 shadow, or dark, vessels: 400 carrying crude oil and 200 transporting refined fuels. Some were used previously to trade oil from sanctioned Iran and Venezuela, according to EA Gibson Shipbrokers. Maritime data tracker VesselsValue counted more than 100 oil and fuel tankers sold often at exorbitant rates to undisclosed buyers in 2022. Many ships were acquired by undisclosed entities based in locations such as Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Cyprus, said shipbroker Braemar Plc. Svein Moxnes Harfjeld, chief executive officer of crude oil tanker company DHT Holdings Inc., said many of the firms buying older ships are backed by Russian capital.

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4. Where did the ships come from?

Many appear to be older tankers that were previously part of the regular fleet. Owners are choosing to offload them for more money than if they were sold for scrap metal and parts, said Harfjeld. Shipping company executives said its likely these vessels will never return to the conventional market.

5. How can the new owners hide their activities?

While its hard to prove specific cases of law breaking, the undeclared ownership and insurance status of the vessels makes it easier to operate under the radar and avoid following official procedures that make the market more transparent. An unusual number of Russian-flagged vessels switched their flags to other countries after the invasion of Ukraine, possibly to conceal their ties to Moscow, according to maritime consultancy Windward Ltd. In February, there was an increase in the number of Russian ships hiding their destination. There have also been more ship-to-ship transfers: switching a cargo onto another vessel at sea before returning to collect more.

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6. Can the shadow fleet make the sanctions fail?

Not necessarily. The measures were never designed to halt Russias oil exports, given their importance to the world economy. The idea was to allow them to keep flowing to some markets but at a lower price. By February, there were signs that a significant proportion of Moscows exports was being shipped at capped prices. The EUs ban on seaborne Russian crude that took effect in December forced Moscow to divert shipments thousands of miles to China and India. A lot of that oil was being transported using the shadow fleet. With those ships tied up for weeks at a time, Russia still had to use European-registered vessels for a big chunk of its exports. The proportion of Russian oil transported using those ships actually rose in the second full month of curbs.

7. What does this mean for the shipping industry in general?

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If the shadow ships never return to normal duties, that would leave fewer vessels available in the regular fleet to carry non-Russian oil, potentially inflating shipping costs. Crucially, the EU ban on almost all Russian seaborne petroleum imports has meant that ships are having to sail further. Thats made the fleet less efficient, further boosting demand for vessels and the cost of freight.

--With assistance from Julian Lee and John ONeil.

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Minnesota earlier this week became the latest state to restore voting rights to ex-felons once they are released from prison. Democrats around the US have been pushing to reduce or eliminate restrictions on voting, in particular fighting to extend voting rights to people on parole or probation. Many Republicans have been pushing back, arguing that rights shouldnt be restored until all the terms of a sentence have been fulfilled, and perhaps not even then.

Some Republicans also might worry that expanding the voter pool will cost them at the polls. It turns out that any potential effects on election outcomes is small. But disenfranchising ex-felons is indefensible in a democracy.

Current law is a patchwork of state preferences. Vermont, Maine and the District of Columbia allow imprisoned felons to vote. Virginia and Kentucky impose a lifetime ban on anyone ever convicted of a felony. The other 46 states have a variety of policies, ranging from restoring voting rights as soon as people are out of prison to bans that can be overturned on a case-by-case basis. While the share of states blocking post-release felons from voting has been declining, Republicans have generally opposed these changes.

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Yet a close look at the numbers suggests there isnt much for them to fear. Take the Minnesota law, which Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat, has said he will sign. It would restore voting rights to about 50,000 people currently on parole or probation. That might sound like a lot, but nationally about two-thirds of those eligible actually voted in the 2020 presidential election. If all of those 50,000 people registered to vote and then turned out at the same rate as the rest of the population, the actual number of new voters would be closer to 30,000.

What percentage would vote for Democrats? Certainly not 100%, and their electoral clout as a group diminishes rapidly if they split their votes; if only 75% vote for Democrats  still a high estimate  then the party gains only 15,000 votes. The last time a presidential election in Minnesota was that close was in 1916, when the states population was a lot smaller. Also, it is far from clear that Democrats would benefit at all, given that many felons are white men without college educations, a group that increasingly supports Republican candidates.

Moreover, academic research suggests that turnout among former felons would be lower than the already-low US average and possibly only in the single digits. A separate study by journalists at the Marshall Project after the 2020 election found that in four states, fewer than a quarter of newly enfranchised ex-felons even registered to vote. In Minnesota, 20% turnout would mean only 10,000 new votes, and if they break 3-to-1 for Democrats then the partys candidates would gain just 5,000 votes in a statewide election such as the 2020 presidential contest in which more than three million Minnesotans voted.

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Its possible for elections to be that close: In 2008, Al Franken beat Norm Coleman for a US Senate seat in Minnesota by only 312 votes. But outcomes that narrow are rare.

Regardless of which party benefits, the policy cant be justified in a democracy. The reason is simple: Elected officials pay more attention to voters, and when people are denied the right to vote their preferences and interests wont be attended to.(1)

Sure, elected officials care most about their strongest supporters, followed by anyone who votes for them. But as political scientist Richard Fenno explained long ago, most politicians take seriously the idea that they represent everyone in their district. Congress took up civil rights legislation after Black citizens moved north and west, where they were able to vote, and politicians from those states started paying attention to the concerns of those voters.

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Barring people from voting is the equivalent of excluding the interests and preferences of an entire group from the legitimate democratic process. Thats unacceptable in a republic.(2)

The act of voting, by itself, has all sorts of limitations. A single vote almost never determines an election result. There are many things one can do that have greater influence on election outcomes than casting ones vote. Nor is voting a good way to send specific messages, such as a policy preference on abortion or tax rates or Russias invasion of Ukraine, because in most cases only candidates are on the ballot, not the dozens of policy positions and other things the candidates stand for. At best, a vote can indicate approval or disapproval of the candidate.(3)The meaning of ones vote is subject to all sorts of interpretations that the voter might not have intended at all.

But whatever the limitations of voting, the right to vote itself is absolutely crucial.

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Democracy is fundamentally about people governing themselves. When not everyone counts as a full citizen, the United States remains a system in which some of the people govern themselves and also govern everyone else.

In practice, the policy of restricting felons from voting is irrational. Former felons retain other political rights. They are entitled to freedom of speech. They can electioneer on behalf of a candidate. They can donate money. It makes no sense to allow these democratic freedoms while denying them the right to vote. (The case for currently incarcerated felons, who obviously do lose important liberties while in prison, is more complicated, with valid arguments on both sides. I prefer to err on the side of enfranchisement, but I dont think its clear that democracy requires it.)

The best way to make sure everyone, including felons, enjoy their full rights as citizens would be through a new amendment to the Constitution or a Supreme Court ruling recognizing that right within the existing text. But barring that, both the federal government and the states should do what they can to make voting as easy  and as universal  as possible.

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(1) In Fennos terms, we might add separate circles for the entire electorate and the entire population of the district - with politicians caring quite a bit more about those within the electorate. Yes, that matters to elected officials even if a group has very low turnout rates - because if they become sufficiently upset about things, they might become mobilized to vote the bums out. Those without the power of the vote simply dont have that leverage.

(2) Following the political theorist Robert Dahl, I continue to use democracy and republic as synonyms outside of some specialized circumstances. The Framers of the Constitution used the words differently - for them democracy meant only direct democracy - but thats no longer common usage. At any rate, they were for popular self-government, although they had what to us is a very limited idea of who counted as people.

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(3) Even that is complicated: For example, a strong opponent of abortion rights might have voted for Donald Trump in 2020 despite strongly disliking him and disapproving of his performance in office. Voting itself cant express any of that.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Jonathan Bernstein is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering politics and policy. A former professor of political science at the University of Texas at San Antonio and DePauw University, he wrote A Plain Blog About Politics.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

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It was a Frenchman who recently observed that every nation has its own massive, historically intractable problem. For France, he said, this is the stubborn popular opposition to raising the national pension age in response to ever-increasing longevity. For Germany, it is still the specter of Hitler. For the US, it is guns. For Britain, it is Ireland.

This week, fierce controversy broke out within the ruling Conservative Party about John Bulls other island, threatening to rend Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks government asunder. For more than five centuries, British rule over Ireland, almost unfailingly incompetent as well as cruel, inflicted misery on the Irish people and created military and political crises for England. The fact that the English were a Protestant society, while most Irish people were Catholic, made matters worse: Until the mid-19th century, England was in a state of almost permanent strife with Catholic Europe.

Then came Irish independence in 1921. It seemed that the boil had been lanced, the issue sort-of-resolved, despite lingering bitterness on both sides of the Irish Sea. But a historic blunder was committed at the time, when Conservative politicians forced Prime Minister David Lloyd George to exclude from the independence settlement the Protestant rump that dominated a portion of Ulster.

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A statelet, with a hapless Catholic minority, was carved from the six northernmost counties of Ireland, which remained attached to the UK, while the other 26 counties eventually became the Irish Republic. Today, Northern Ireland has a population of under 1.9 million, 42% of them Catholic, while 5 million inhabit the rest of the island, ruled from Dublin.

The Troubles, which for 30 years racked the North with bloodshed, seemed to end with Prime Minister Tony Blairs 1999 Good Friday Agreement. British and Irish membership of the European Union appeared to make much more real the prospect  which many of us English people welcomed  that within our lifetimes Ireland might once more become united.

But the UKs departure from the EU has proved a disaster for prospects of Irish togetherness. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson negotiated a Northern Ireland Protocol as part of his Brexit deal, which granted a special trading status, with provision for customs checks on goods that entered or left Britain via Ulster, while retaining free movement across the Irish border.

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Johnson misled the Protestant political class, many of them members of the Democratic Unionist Party, who are obsessed with preserving their link not to the real Britain, but to a fantasy Britain of long ago. He claimed that that the deal left their constitutional position unchanged; that there would be no border down the Irish Sea  over my dead body. In truth, there had to be customs checks, part of the inescapable cost of Brexit.

The Unionists, enraged by perceived betrayal, last year withdrew from the power-sharing body that has governed Northern Ireland since the 1999 peace settlement. They have boycotted the assembly ever since, partly in disgust that last years election made the Republican Sinn Fein party larger than their own grouping for the first time.

Sunak is now obliged to wrestle with the problem of how to square a circle: to fulfill Britains legally binding undertaking to the EU, and to sustain the Good Friday Agreement, while averting a Protestant revolt. In theory, the latter prospect should hold no terrors, because the Democratic Unionists are in historic retreat. But the right wing of Sunaks Conservative Party, as implacable and even fanatical as many US Republicans, remain committed to the Democratic Unionists, even at the potential cost of a trade war with the EU and renewal of the Troubles.

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Sunak has spent recent days striving to seal a new compromise deal with Brussels, while preventing a right-wing Tory revolt that breaks up his own party in Parliament. Many of us in England regard all this as madness at a time when our country faces huge problems: a tottering economy; collapsing health service; strikes in schools, hospitals and the rail system. Viewed amid a rational catalogue of UK priorities, Ulster simply does not matter much.

But the Conservative right  ironically including Boris Johnson, who seeks to destroy the deal he signed  are no better friends to the imperatives of reason than is the GOP. Johnson this week urged the government to persist with the legislation he initiated  in defiance of international law  unilaterally to cancel the Northern Ireland Protocol to the Brexit treaty. He threatens to wield a wrecking ball  doubtless as part of his campaign to regain the prime ministership.

It remains deeply uncertain whether Sunak, close to striking a pragmatic agreement with Brussels for Ulsters future relationship with Britain and the EU, will be able to secure the support of his own party to drive any deal through the House of Commons, or instead will be obliged to rely on the votes of the Labour opposition.

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If the latter outcome prevails, or worse still if the new deal is sabotaged, the blow to the prime ministers authority, as well as to the peace and prosperity of Ireland, will be serious indeed. US President Joe Biden has emphasized his commitment to the Northern Ireland Protocol. If Conservative rebels now wreck the proposed compromise, it is hard to suppose that the White House will be eager to do Britain any favors  and we need a few, heaven knows.

The political divisions in the UK over Ireland are, of course, far from unique. All over the world, we behold traditional loyalties fragmenting, old ideas of patriotism shaken by political divergence. Visiting the southern US last year, I was struck by how often I heard fans of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis make the joke, more than half serious, about their pride to be living in the independent republic of Florida.

Brexit has imposed enormous strains on British ideas of nationality, among all except our impassioned isolationists. Last month I met a distinguished English historian who told me with delight that he has just been granted a German passport, to which he is entitled because his mother, a Jew persecuted by the Nazis, came from Berlin. He needs the document, he said, because his work requires him to spend much time in Europe; he wants to escape the restrictions that increasingly weigh upon visiting non-EU citizens.

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So does my own daughter. By chance, she was born when we lived in Kilkenny, Ireland, and thus was equally delighted to be able to obtain an Irish passport; she is also seeking them for my grandchildren. Not for a moment would I reproach her, or my historian friend. Our nation has adopted a course that seems to reflect a desire to opt out of the international community that little Britain needs. Some folks are prudently seeking avenues through which to opt back in.

If Ireland is todays big focus of the UKs ongoing constitutional crisis, it is not the only one. This month, Scotlands first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, announced her intention to quit. The decision was greeted rapturously by English Unionists, who perceive her impending resignation as a historic defeat for the tartan independence movement.

In the short term, they are probably right. Sturgeon was a charismatic politician who thrilled many Scots with her defiance, even disdain, of English prime ministers. Yet her partys governance of Scotland for more than a decade has been a disaster, incompetent at managing education, health, transport and much else. Polls show Scottish support for independence drastically diminished.

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But the UK is still far from escaping a northern breakaway, because the demographics lean emphatically toward it. The last referendum on independence, nearly a decade ago, was won by Scottish remainers who were overwhelmingly older. Today, Scots aged between 16 and 24 are six times more likely to favor independence than are their parents or grandparents, heedless of Scottish dependence on English subsidy for state spending. They simply perceive their culture and values as incompatible with those of the English.

Two years ago in a column, I discussed the possibility of Britains fragmentation, and concluded that Wales would not go, Northern Ireland should go, and Scotland might go. Today, I would shift that view somewhat. Wales will remain attached, because it would not be viable on its own.

Irish unification remains the islands natural destiny. But for all Dublins protestations of enthusiasm, the Irish government flinches before the prospect of assuming responsibility for a Northern Irish economy that is dependent on costly state aid. It poses some of the same problems, on a much smaller scale, that East Germany inflicted on West Germany at their 1990 reunification.

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Marriage to the disruptive Northern Unionists also poses a threat to the Irish Republics social and political fabric that daunts many Irish people. But in Ireland as in Scotland, demographics and thus time are on the side of change. As old instinctive Unionists die off, the young favor a different agenda.

Brexit has changed many things. Where once England offered the poorer Scots and Northern Irish a link with a richer and more successful partner, today King Charles IIIs nation is languishing, and likely to continue to do so. Within a generation, I believe, Scotland will vote for independence and Northern Ireland for reunification with the South.

England will be a smaller place in consequence, in international influence as well as in land mass. But that is the consequence of choices that English people have made, in a world where localism is in fashion almost everywhere that votes are counted.

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More From Bloomberg Opinion:

 Nicola Sturgeon Was Too English for Scotlands Good: Adrian Wooldridge

 The UKs Political Fever Dreams May Finally Be Over: Martin Ivens

 There Will Always Be an England, But Not a UK: Max Hastings

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Max Hastings is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. A former editor in chief of the Daily Telegraph and the London Evening Standard, he is author, most recently, of The Abyss: Nuclear Crisis Cuba 1962.

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An avian influenza  bird flu  outbreak with the H5N1 strain that began in 2020 has hit record levels, affecting millions of animals. As the virus mutates genetically and spreads geographically, the normal ebb and flow of infection has given way to a persistently elevated level in wild birds. They are spreading the highly contagious pathogen to domesticated poultry and a rising number of mammals, including badgers, bears, ferrets, pigs and raccoons  as well as a handful of people. Though the virus has been around for decades, there are no signs of it having made the jump to human-to-human transmission. Still, the possibility exists that it could further evolve to cause catastrophic outbreaks in people  just as the world is moving beyond the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

1. How widespread is bird flu?

Avian influenza in the US alone has affected nearly 60 million birds  including wildlife, commercial poultry and backyard flocks  since January 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Thats on top of the 50 million birds destroyed in 36 European countries between October 2021 and September 2022. And its not just birds. In the UK, there have been 10 reports of infections in non-avian wildlife since the start of 2022, including in red foxes, Eurasian otters and harbor seals.

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2. Does bird flu pose a risk to humans?

From 2020 through 2022 there were only nine confirmed human cases, including one in the US and one in the UK, according to the World Health Organization. (One case was reported in Ecuador in January this year and another in Cambodia in February.) Most often they involved a person who was in direct contact with sick birds. The viruses currently circulating dont have genetic changes that have been previously tied to infecting people more easily or causing severe illness, according to the CDC. For example, they cant bind easily to human respiratory tract receptors. Even in an outbreak last year at a Spanish mink farm, where more than 50,000 animals were culled, there was no sign of infection among nearly a dozen workers. An expert report published by the European Food Safety Authority in January put the risk for the general population at low, as has the WHO, while urging continued close monitoring.

3. Whats the worry then?

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The fear is the flu strain found in poultry could recombine with one that circulates in humans, resulting in a new version that transmits easily from person-to-person. While theres no evidence of that happening, there are signs that bird flu may have begun to spread in other mammals. A report following the mink farm outbreak cited evidence suggesting the animals could serve as a potential mixing vessel for interspecies transmission. Early this year, more than 500 sea lions in Peru succumbed to the infection, another sign the virus could be circulating more easily among mammals. The rising rates in animals can translate to more people getting infected. While human cases are still rare today, the death rate among those who had it in the past is sobering. Of the 868 people infected from 2003 through 2019, 457 of them died. Because infections often arent caught until the patient is clearly sick, however, milder cases may be missed  skewing the overall mortality rate.

4. What are the symptoms?

In birds they can range from no discernible illness in ducks to multiple-organ failure and 100% mortality within days for chickens. Once any bird within a domesticated flock tests positive, the entire group is quickly culled  killed  to halt the spread of the virus. Nearby flocks are closely monitored. Infections in mammals have yielded some unexpected symptoms. Three grizzly bears in Montana were euthanized last year after they were found disoriented and going blind. Tests subsequently showed they were infected with bird flu. The sea lions were convulsing and struggling to swim. The minks suffered loss of appetite, depression, bloody snouts and neurological issues like lack of coordination, trouble walking, and tremors. In humans, H5N1 has caused symptoms ranging from mild eye and respiratory infections to severe pneumonia.

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5. Is the threat rising?

Avian influenza has been circulating for more than a century  it was first described as fowl plague in northern Italy in 1878. But it was the discovery in 1996 of a highly pathogenic H5N1 strain among geese being bred on a farm in southern China that created serious, sustained alarm. While todays outbreaks remain primarily an animal health issue, the CDC said it is closely monitoring the situation, preparing for future threats and implementing prevention measures  including work on a potential vaccination. Medical advances like antibiotics, antivirals, vaccines and other tools to control outbreaks reduce the danger, though its critical to spot and stop human outbreaks as soon as possible.

6. What are the ramifications?

The impact is already clear in grocery stores. In the US, the cost of a dozen eggs  when you can find them  has more than doubled over the past year to an average $4.82 in January, more than a pound (450 grams) of pork chops or ground beef. The financial hit also applies to chicken and turkey producers. As of February the US government had spent about $661 million for clean up and to compensate farmers in the current outbreak. A 2015 outbreak in the US, in which fewer birds were killed, led to more than $3.3 billion in losses, according to one estimate. The spread also could add impetus to calls for less intensive livestock production and pose a danger to wildlife conservation efforts.

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When voters head to the polls in April, they will not only be choosing a Wisconsin Supreme Court justice. They could also effectively decide the outcome in a highly consequential case currently moving through the courts: the challenge to the states near-total ban on abortion.

Thats because, unlike possibly ever before, one of the candidates has all but pledged to restore the rights the law currently blocks, while the other  though far less vocal on the issue  has asserted that abortion involves taking the life of a human being, the main argument advanced by backers of the 1849 law.

While both conservative candidate Dan Kelly and liberal candidate Janet Protasiewicz have declined to say how they would rule on the abortion case that might come before them, Protasiewicz has been unusually specific in endorsing the outcome that is at the heart of that case  summed up in the sometimes politically fraught phrase of reproductive rights.

With the courts 4-3 conservative majority on the line, the winner of the April 4 election will likely be the deciding vote in any challenge to the law.

We are in fairly new territory here, said Ryan Owens, a UW-Madison political science professor who briefly ran for state attorney general as a Republican. We have seen candidates in the past lay out their judicial philosophies pretty clearly. Judge Protasiewicz, however, takes this beyond what we have seen before.

Hotly contested judicial elections put candidates in an impossible position, said Charles Geyh, a law professor at Indiana University who specializes in judicial conduct and ethics.

While judges take an oath to uphold the law impartially, they must also win voter support, which puts pressure on them to curry favor with voters whose views the candidates  as judges  are sworn to disregard, Geyh said. The noisier, nastier, and costlier judicial campaigns become, the greater the pressure on judicial candidates to behave less like judges than politicians to win their races.

Rights at stake

Protasiewicz (pronounced pro-tuh-SAY-witz) has repeatedly touted her abortion rights views in television ads and on the campaign trail. It led to conservative allegations that she was violating the Wisconsin Code of Judicial Conduct, which prohibits candidates from pledging how they would rule on specific cases. In the past, shes qualified those statements by saying she was only stating her personal values.

But after winning a four-way primary on Tuesday along with Kelly, the second-place finisher, Protasiewicz campaign said on Twitter that reproductive rights are at stake in the election, a statement that goes beyond the candidates personal values and suggests what voters can expect from her on the bench.

Judge Janet's advanced to the April 4th election. Reproductive Rights are at stake. Help Janet flip the WI Supreme Court by becoming a General Election Founding Donor today! https://t.co/7XlJoEsWuM pic.twitter.com/zymQHpJRW8  Judge Janet Protasiewicz (@janetforjustice) February 22, 2023

Its the same problem as with every other issue that she brings up, Kelly said of the tweet. She is proposing that shed go to the court as a politician in a black robe, and thats all she would be.

While Kelly has been far less vocal about abortion than Protasiewicz, he has been endorsed by anti-abortion groups including Pro-Life Wisconsin, which only endorses candidates who recognize the personhood of the preborn baby and hold the principled and compassionate no-exceptions pro-life position. He also wrote in a since-deleted 2012 blog post calling abortion a policy deadly to children, and provided legal counsel to anti-abortion group Wisconsin Right to Life.

Another anti-abortion group, Women Speak Out PAC, pledged to put six figures behind Kelly after he became the conservative nominee on Tuesday. National and regional Planned Parenthood groups, meanwhile, have pledged to put seven figures into the race backing Protasiewicz.

Reproductive rights are absolutely at stake in this race because Dan Kellys extreme views against abortion are clear, Protasiewicz spokesperson Sam Roecker said.

Not just here

Nationwide, candidates in judicial elections have become far more vocal about their stances on issues since the U.S. Supreme Court in 2002 clarified that prohibiting candidates from stating their values violated their First Amendment rights, said University of Pittsburgh political science professor Chris Bonneau, who studies the politics of state judicial selection.

I think the difference (between Protasiewicz and Kelly) is one is being upfront and one is trying to hide behind the charade, Bonneau said. I mean, look, does anyone really think Dan Kelly doesnt have views on abortion? Of course he does, and thats okay.

The question isnt whether or not they have views ... the issue is whether or not they can hear cases fairly, he said.

Kellys restraint in talking about abortion, Bonneau said, could just as well stem from a key tactic employed by any campaign for public office: If your views are not mainstream, you want to hide them.

Eighty-four percent of registered voters in Wisconsin favor abortion exceptions for rape and incest, which arent included in the current ban, according to a Marquette Law School Poll from November. And only 37% of Wisconsinites favor the decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

Where the case stands

Although not before the court yet, the challenge to Wisconsins abortion ban is working its way through the courts after Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul filed it last June, days after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Kauls lawsuit alleges that the 1849 law, which bans all abortions except those required to save the mothers life, has been superseded by a 1985 state law. That law, adopted after Roe established abortion as a constitutional right, prohibits abortions after fetal viability but includes exceptions to protect the mothers life or health, conflicts with the earlier ban.

Kaul also argues the law banning abortions is no longer in effect because of a legal principle that laws may become unenforceable after a considerable period of disuse.

The case has faced long delays. Initially, Kaul filed the case against Republican legislative leaders. The leaders asked a judge to dismiss the case, saying they dont enforce the law. In September, Kaul refiled the case against the district attorneys in Milwaukee, Dane and Sheboygan counties, where the states abortion clinics had operated until they suspended operations after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe.

The three district attorneys in December asked a Dane County judge to toss out the lawsuit, alleging that Kaul does not have standing to bring the matter against the elected prosecutors, saying he wasnt personally harmed by the ban and didnt have standing to take the case forward. Kaul disagreed and asked for the case to proceed.

Last week, one of the defendants again called for a Dane County Circuit judge to dismiss the lawsuit, saying the case didnt present a controversy for the courts to settle and noting the law hasnt been repealed by subsequent legislation.

Judges typically decide whether to proceed in a case within 90 days of a briefing or hearing to dismiss the case, whichever is later. The briefing on the district attorneys motion to dismiss was completed on Feb. 13. There is no scheduled hearing yet. Should the Dane County judge choose to dismiss the case, Kaul would have up to 90 more days to file an appeal.

Whichever direction the case takes, it will almost certainly end up before the Supreme Court. And by that time, Kelly or Protasiewicz will almost certainly be on the bench.

No matter what happens with the current lawsuit, though, other challenges are likely to follow, especially if Protasiewicz wins and gives the court a liberal majority.

Kauls case asserts the states abortion laws are incompatible. It does not, for example, allege that the right to abortion is guaranteed in the state Constitution, which is a legal strategy other liberal lawsuits can take.

Planned Parenthood will continue to monitor the attorney generals lawsuit as well as evaluate its legal options and strategy, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin legal director Michelle Velasquez said.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Sam Mendes is clearly anxious that his film is being read the wrong way. Empire of Light is set in a tatty British seaside town in the 80s, where the towns grand old picture house is struggling. Half the cinema has been closed and the remaining auditorium is hanging on to viability with a rotating program of comedies and a brisk trade in Maltesers, catering to a trickle of regulars. Among a staff of eccentrics, it falls to Norman, the intense projectionist, to speak of the transformative power of cinema, but when Stephen (Micheal Ward) starts work as a junior usher, projection assistant and whatever else he is required to do, he is clearly already feeling that joy. As a black kid in what is now right-wing provocateur Nigel Farages stamping ground, he finds a safe haven. For Mendes, however, the heart of the film is Olivia Colmans mad, sad Hilary, who presides over the ticket office but professes no interest in the films screened at the top of the staircase. A middle-aged woman racked by a recurring mental illness, her rages, anxieties and intermittent forced stays in grim psychiatric institutions echo those of Mendes own mother. Mendes, 57, has a string of directorial triumphs on stage and screen behind him, ranging from American Beauty to the Bond films to 1917. This is the first script he has written drawing on his own life, in which his mothers afflictions were central. He would not know, for example, if shed still be there when he got home from school. Diector Sam Mendes, centre, with his stars Michael Ward and Olivia Colman. Credit:Misan Harriman I feel it could easily be misunderstood as a sort of Cinema Paradiso-like romance about movies, he says. Well, I wish, thats a great movie and everything  but thats not what the film is, at its core. At its core its about being an outcast and broken. Sometimes, however, it is impossible to argue with what the public wants. Since the film was unveiled at the Toronto Film Festival last year, the most enthusiastic reviews have come from critics and audiences who have found joy in its celebration of cinema as both bolthole and an affirmation of community. Or perhaps that should be communities: the audience sitting in the dark being one, and the ragtag staff bickering amiably in the basement tearoom as the other.

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It isnt all cosiness  Colin Firths cantankerous theatre manager is also a sexual predator  but after years of COVID and working from home, so much visible togetherness pulls at the heartstrings. Loading They are, as you say, a little family, says Colman. They look out for each other. There is camaraderie, theres laughter. I think we all used to think Oh God, Id love to work from home, but then in lockdown we realised No, I miss people, I miss talking, sharing, the nuances you can see in someones eyes. Weve all missed that. And I think, after lockdown, thats partly what Sam was thinking of. As the various characters stories emerge from this dusty old world, so does the plot thread of a burgeoning affair between unstable Hilary and insecure Stephen. She is 25 years older, but the characters never talk about that. I think how we felt is that they sort of didnt see each others ages, says Colman. I think Hilary felt this sunshine suddenly came into her world, this bright, intelligent, vibrant creature walked into the cinema and she just couldnt look anywhere else. Hes going to find someone more suitable, but at that moment and in that place theyre the only ones who can see each other. Ward agrees. Both characters are lonely; Stephens few friends have gone away to college, leaving him in this hollowed-out seaside resort with his mother for company. But he doesnt really connect with other people in the cinema like how he does with Hilary. Sometimes thats more important than age  or race. I think were forgetting about race here, but in that time for a black man to be with a white woman might have been just as bad as an older woman with a younger man, do you know what Im saying?

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At 25, Ward is too young to remember skinheads. He grew up in Romsey, Essex. There were almost no people of colour and everyone was poor. I never really saw colour as a thing. He understands race differently now. There are some difficult scenes in Empire of Light, including a horrifying moment when the local toughs smash down the cinemas plate-glass door to get to Stephen. Ward didnt find that especially troubling, he says; he just went into automatic self-defence mode. There is camaraderie, theres laughter ... weve all missed that, says Olivia Colman about Empire of Light. Credit:AP What upset him was seeing Hilary welcome an old white regular just after he has tossed a gratuitous racist insult at Stephen. That was a betrayal. Surely you can step in and say, Yo, thats not right. You need to leave, he said in an interview with Indiewire. He understood Mendes to be suggesting a different way white people could react to each other in response to racism. I think thats what Sam was saying within that scene. I always want to do work where there is a certain message involved, a positive message. Thats been a great part of telling this story. If Colman is now a national treasure, her excellence in any role expected, Ward is the films shooting star. He came to Britain from Jamaica with his widowed mother and sister when he was four years old, eventually getting a scholarship to go to drama school. He was still a student when he came to sudden fame as the lead in Netflixs revival of Top Boy, a series about drug gangs produced by rap superstar Drake that won Ward a Rising Star Award at the 2020 BAFTAs. But he says he never thought hed be doing a film with Mendes. Doing press for Empire of Light has made him think about his own relationship with cinema. Rising star Michael Ward as Stephen in Empire of Light. Credit:AP We used to have non-school uniform day and then go to our local cinema. Wed watch a lot of dance films  he remembers the Step Up series  and wed be coming out of the cinema doing street dance; some people would be popping and locking, some people would be doing, like, spins and stuff. Obviously you werent going there dancing on the way, so you leave with an experience you wouldnt have had if you didnt go and see the film. So thats my earliest experience of cinema, that it can really affect people. And that was exciting. Mendes says cinema gave him the opportunity to escape. As an only child with a very troubled home life, it was a healing place. And subsequently, it has been a place where ad hoc families have welcomed me. I still feel that about both film and theatre, that what Im doing is creating a family I never had. And because I lost myself in stories. They gave me a life. And now my life is making stories.

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Traffic pollution may be causing more than 11,000 deaths in Australia every year, a figure five times higher than previously estimated and 10 times the number who die in road crashes.

Leading health groups say urgent action is needed in light of growing evidence that suggests rates of heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, diabetes, childhood asthma and early death caused by road pollution have been vastly underestimated.

Lisel Thomas of Melbournes Yarraville believes traffic pollution makes her asthma worse. Credit: Simon Schluter

An expert position statement to be released by the Melbourne Climate Futures centre at the University of Melbourne on Friday says Australia has no robust figures about the true health impact of pollution from cars, trucks and other vehicles to guide policy decisions.

Fine particulate matter released from vehicle exhaust pipes can cause a range of respiratory, neurological and cardiovascular diseases, as well as adverse birth outcomes and diabetes.
A Perth couple who drugged their three young children with opiates and heavy pain medication have been sent to prison by a District Court judge.

In sentencing them on Friday she gave a scathing assessment of their parenting.

Perth parents jailed for drugging kids, Credit: Composite image

The parents, who cannot be named to protect the identities of the children, broke down in court as they were told they would be serving jail time for offences spanning eight years.

The court heard how the mother gave the children the medication for a condition known as Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, which affects the connective tissues on the body, characterised by hypermobility, fragility and muscle and joint pain.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Brad Hazzard speaks French. He describes it as schoolboy French, but it is more than enough for the health minister to converse freely with a native speaker who is our waitress when we meet for lunch at Ursulas Paddington. When I arrive, he is settled in chatting with Noemie and asking about her home town. All in French. France is one of my favourite places in the world. France and then Italy, Hazzard tells me just weeks out from calling time on his 32-year parliamentary career. The father of the house hopes to spend a good chunk of his post-politics life in the south of France after the March 25 election  if it fits in with his wifes demanding work schedule as a senior regional development manager for Woolworths. Health Minister Brad Hazzard is leaving politics after 32 years. Credit:Brook Mitchell Hazzard left it to his staff to pick the restaurant for our lunch. He insists that he isnt in the know because he only ever grabs an egg and lettuce sandwich for lunch. For almost three years, he has barely had time for that. Hazzard has been health minister during the states darkest days, from the time a little-known virus originated in Wuhan, right through to when NSW learnt to live with COVID-19. It has been the worst time in his three decades in public life. Hazzard, 71, is the longest-serving MP in Macquarie Street. He was elected as the member for the northern beaches seat of Wakehurst in 1991 and has been in government, opposition and government once again. Hazzard has spent 25 years on the frontbench, with 17 portfolios. His staff member Toby Williams has been preselected to succeed him in Wakehurst. But the political ambitions of Hazzards understudy could be thwarted by the popular local Northern Beaches mayor, Michael Regan, who is running as an independent. It is a seat that the Liberals could well lose. We agree to start with entrees while Hazzard shows me photos and videos of his beloved pet labradors. I order the kingfish salad, he has the beef carpaccio. I ask if he can be tempted to have a glass of wine. His arm doesnt need to be twisted (although he only takes a few sips of his pinot gris throughout the lunch). Raw kingfish salad, coconut rice, turmeric and chilli at Ursulas. Credit:Brook Mitchell

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Hazzard became a default labrador parent when he married his second wife, Nicole. Earlier in the morning before we meet, the couple had to farewell a foster lab, which they had been caring for until a new family was found for him. With two big labradors already ruling the roost of their Allambie Heights home, there was no room for a third. As luck would have it, Hazzards Nationals colleague and the regional health minister Bronnie Taylor was desperate for another dog and adopted Larry the Lab. He will live on her sprawling property in the south of the state. Taylor sends video updates of Larry during our lunch, which Hazzard forwards on to Nicole to cheer her up. Hazzard was married to his first wife for 30 years, and they had two sons together, but the relationship ended in 2013. He does not go into details, other than to say he was devastated and indicated his political career played a part. Hazzard never expected to remarry, but then met Nicole at an event when he was planning minister. The beef carpaccio at Ursulas. Credit:Brook Mitchell I couldnt ask her out, though, because she was working for a property developer, he says. But some months later I was able to because politics is a strange life. My very good friend Barry OFarrell, unfairly and improperly, lost his job over one bottle of wine  which to this day I think was abhorrent. He resigned, Mike Baird became premier, he appointed me attorney-general, and I instantly thought I can ring that girl up and ask her out. His close friend and former NSW Liberal opposition leader Kerry Chikarovski, now a civil celebrant, married them in February 2020, as COVID was starting its march into NSW. In many ways, Hazzards long-term survival in the brutal world of state politics is surprising. Macquarie Street is known as the Bear Pit for good reason. The rough and tumble of parliamentary debate (for want of a better word) in the lower house chamber is legendary and internal factional battles, on both sides of politics, are often even more brutal.

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Hazzard is a classic moderate Liberal. He was instrumental in the states removal of abortion from the Crimes Act and was key to legalising voluntary assisted dying in NSW. He is passionate about Indigenous issues and has been closely involved in projects in First Nations communities in the states far west. However, he is not a card-carrying moderate. In fact, he does not belong to a faction, and hasnt since he entered politics. Hazzard, a science teacher turned lawyer, knows that without factional support, an MP can be killed off by their own people at any time. So he has always retained his legal practicing certificate  just in case he found himself on the outer with his party and needed to return to his former life. That has never happened. The newly elected MP for Wakehurst, Brad Hazzard, at Reef Beach in 1991. Hazzard fought to overturn the beachs status as a nude bathing beach. Credit:Troy Howe He counts many colleagues, current and former, as good friends. He regularly catches up with former premier Gladys Berejiklian and says he intends to keep up his friendship with his current leader, Dominic Perrottet, once he has left politics. Dom and I have a big age difference, but we still get on extremely, extremely well, Hazzard says of the 40-year-old premier. He is also close to former Liberal leader John Brogden. But he also has plenty of mates from the Labor side. Hazzard says he has huge respect for former ALP premier Morris Iemma, as well Bob Debus, who was once attorney-general, former deputy premier Andrew Refshauge, and David Campbell, a one-time Labor police minister who was forced out of politics after a controversial Channel Seven report, which showed him leaving a gay club. He got a pretty raw deal from particular media outlets, Hazzard says. Hazzard has held myriad senior portfolios in his long political career, but it is his current role as health minister that has significantly elevated his profile and made him instantly recognisable. For months on end, Hazzard was at Berejiklians side  along with chief health officer Kerry Chant  delivering the daily 11am COVID update, beamed live into lounge rooms across the state. The roast sovereign lamb at Ursulas. Credit:Brook Mitchell

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As our mains arrive  I have the roast Bannockburn chicken with creamed corn, Hazzard the roast Sovereign lamb with braised eggplant  two older well-heeled female diners stop by our table on their way out. You look much younger in real life, one of them gushes. Despite his new-found fame, Hazzard does not shy away from the toll the pandemic took on him. Early on, Hazzards first major test was the Ruby Princess cruise ship saga in March 2020, which saw 2647 passengers leave the boat at Circular Quay and travel home. In the weeks that followed, 712 passengers and 202 crew tested positive for COVID-19 and 22 people died. The government and Hazzard were widely criticised and there were calls for his resignation. I ask him to pinpoint the worst moments of the pandemic. The early days when we had no idea what was coming, he says. But the single worst day was March 25, 2020, when Hazzard was called to a briefing with senior NSW Health staff, who presented modelling which showed there could be 25,000 COVID deaths in NSW that year. The death toll was ultimately 56, but the initial figure left Hazzard shaken to the core. The Ruby Princess super-spreader event was an early crisis in Hazzards time as minister for health during the pandemic. Credit:Kate Geraghty The many months that followed were also horrific, he says, and for a considerable time Hazzard required 24-hour police protection. It was very unpleasant, the online community, the anti-vaxxers certainly know how to ... His voice trails off and I change the topic as it becomes clear that it is too upsetting for him to talk about. Each time our waitress Noemie checks on us, Hazzard asks her to correct his French. He wants to get back up to speed before his next European jaunt. But despite his travel plans, Hazzard has no intention of retiring. What does his post-politics life look like? Im not sure, but it has to be challenging. Stopping work is not on my radar, he says. Interstate or overseas might be a possibility  something challenging, innovative and fun would be great. After a torrid few years, Hazzards wife is ecstatic that he is quitting parliament. Even with his departure fast approaching, his diary remains busy with work commitments.

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Whole world pays price for US sanctions: China Daily editorial

Chinadaily.com.cn) 15:12, February 24, 2023

While US President Joe Biden reiterated the need for additional sanctions on Russia in a speech in Poland on Tuesday, Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo was a little more specific in a speech he delivered at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington on the same day.

Attributing the reports that Russia has had to turn to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Iran to resupply its military with drones and surface-to-surface missiles to the effectiveness of the US-led sanctions, Adeyemo said that the United States plans to announce additional sanctions this week targeting Russia's military manufacturing industry.

"While we have far more to do, we are succeeding in reversing the course of Russia's budget and undercutting its military-industrial complex," said Adeyemo, pledging that the additional sanctions will focus on cracking down on sanctions evasion and putting economic pressure on countries and corporations that continue to do business with Russia.

Over 30 countries have imposed price caps on Russian energy exports, instituted export controls, frozen Russian funds and restricted its access to SWIFT, a global financial transaction system.

However, the sanctions are being imposed without the United Nations' authorization and have no legitimacy in international laws. The great lengths the US is going to in its efforts to claim the moral high ground by portraying the sanctions as actions for democracy indicate how desperate it is to cover up the nature of the sanctions, which are simply geopolitical weapons wielded by Washington in a bid to bleed Russia's economy in world trade and Russian military on the battlefields in Ukraine.

Although those following the US' lead in imposing sanctions represent more than half the world's economy combined, they only account for about one-sixth of the number of countries and regions in the world and they are mostly developed economies. In weaponizing trade, technology and finance with the sanctions, the US has formed a gang at the top of the global supply, industry and value chains so that it can impose its will on the rest of the world through long-arm jurisdiction and replace the rules of the international order in various sectors with US rules.

Yet Russia's economy is performing better than expected. This year, its economy is projected to outperform the UK's, growing 0.3 percent, while the UK faces a 0.6 percent contraction, according to the International Monetary Fund. It is clear that the sanctions bite both ways if not more on those that impose them  an energy shortage has forced some leading European economies, including Germany, to remap the upgrading path of their industries.

The IMF reported last month that Russia's economy would contract by just 2.2 percent in 2022, far less than the 8.5 percent envisaged by the West in March 2022 when it started imposing large-scale sanctions on the country. The report also projects that business activity in Russia will grow by 0.3 percent in 2023 and 2.1 percent in 2024, directly outpacing the 1.6 percent projected for the eurozone.

Now is the time for the world to ask for how long will it continue to tolerate, if not pay for, the US continuing to manipulate the international rules through illegal sanctions under a noble disguise for its own hegemony.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
UW Health orthopedic surgeons will operate at SSM Healths St. Marys Hospitals in Madison and Janesville, the organizations said Friday.

The partnership, to start in March, comes after 11 orthopedic surgeons who resigned last year from SSM Health Dean Medical Group opened a competing practice this week in Madison.

Under the new agreement, SSM Health will provide time, facility space and support services for UW Health orthopedic surgeons to operate at St. Marys Hospitals in Madison and Janesville.

The UW Health doctors will care for UW Health and SSM Health patients at the St. Marys hospitals. UW Health also will continue to provide orthopedic surgeries at its current locations.

Patients who need orthopedic surgery should continue to work with their respective health care organizations to schedule procedures, the organizations said.

The surgeons who resigned last year on Monday opened Orthopedic and Spine Centers of Wisconsin in the Arbor Gate complex off the Beltline near Todd Drive. The group is being managed by Phoenix-based Healthcare Outcomes Performance, or HOPCo.

Orthopedic and Spine Centers was started by Dr. Jason Sansone, who was SSM Healths regional director of orthopedics, and 10 other surgeons who worked for SSM Health in Madison, Baraboo and Janesville: Kashif Ali, Aaron Carpiaux, Rajit Chakravarty, Richard Glad, Brian Keyes, Dayton Opel, James Prosser, Joseph Sizensky, Brian Steffin and David Wolff.

Sansone, who is CEO of the new group, said early this month that all of the surgeons had maintained privileges to operate at all SSM hospitals in the region, even though they are no longer employees, and planned to expand to other hospitals.

He said the practice has contracts with Monona-based WPS Health Insurance and The Alliance, a Fitchburg-based cooperative of 300 self-insured employers that purchase medical services collectively, along with Humana, Aetna and others. It is at various stages of contracting with all other payors in the region and can take patients on Medicaid and Medicare, he said.

Regarding the collaboration between UW Health and SSM Health, Sansone said Friday: We support any efforts to create better access for orthopedic patients in the communities we all serve.

SSM Health Dean in November sued Sansone and Keyes, saying the doctors violated their employment agreements through actions designed to disrupt, sabotage and harm Dean Medical Group. The doctors used property and equipment during business hours to plan a competing business, and induced and encouraged the other surgeons to breach their contracts, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit said Sansone violated another agreement saying he could not work as a medical executive for a year after his departure within a 45-mile radius of Madison.

In a response filed early this month, Sansone and Keyes said their contracts didnt prohibit the actions they took to start an independent practice. The 45-mile stipulation for Sansone is overbroad, their response said.
London: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will urge NATO members to help boost Ukraines fighting powers against Russia during a G7 meeting to mark the anniversary of Russias invasion, urging them to supply Kyiv with former Soviet fighter jets.

Declaring that the Ukrainian forces need a decisive advantage over Russia on the battlefield, Sunak will renew Britains offer to send Typhoon jets to Poland or any other eastern European country that is prepared to hand over its fleet of MiG-29 combat aircraft to Ukraine.

Two Mikoyan MIG-29 from the Polish Air Force take part in a NATO shielding exercise in Poland last year. Credit: Getty Images

European efforts to arm Ukraine with Western tanks have edged forward after Finland pledged to supply combat vehicles to the war-torn country and Poland said 14 of its Leopard 2A4s would cross the border in a few days.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz last month announced that Berlin would send 14 Leopard 2A6s to bolster Kyivs war effort and would allow other countries with stocks of the German-made tanks to export them to Ukraine. But progress assembling two Leopard 2 battalions, which equate to about 62 tanks, has been painfully slow.
Kyiv/Beijing: Ukraines leader declared victory to be inevitable as the countrys Western allies tightened sanctions against Russia on the anniversary of its invasion.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainians had been proven to be invincible over a year of pain, sorrow, faith and unity.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attends a ceremony in Kyiv on Friday. Credit: AP

We withstand all threats, shelling, cluster bombs, cruise missiles, kamikaze drones, blackouts and cold ... and we will do everything to gain victory this year, Zelensky said. If our partners respect all their promises and deadlines, victory inevitably awaits us.

He reiterated calls for more Western weaponry and attended an online summit with US President Joe Biden and other leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy democracies who pledged to intensify their support.
Ukraines President Volodymr Zelensky has urged Australia to reopen its embassy in Kyiv during his first internationally televised live news conference to mark one year since Russias invasion of his country.

Zelensky used the media attention to heap pressure on China, Latin America and African countries to pick their side in the war in a 2-hour question-and-answer session with the worlds media.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to the media during a press conference in Kyiv. Credit: Getty

Asked by Australian journalist Ben Lewis, of SBS, if he wanted to see Australia reopen its Ukrainian embassy, Zelensky switched from speaking in his native tongue to English to answer.

He asked the federal government to return its diplomats to the capital so that he could shake the hand of the ambassador for the Bushmaster armoured vehicles that Australia had donated as part of its contribution to Ukraines resistance.
Warning: Graphic depictions.

Los Angeles: Harvey Weinstein, the one-time Hollywood titan who came to epitomise a culture of pervasive sexual misconduct by powerful men that ignited the #MeToo movement, begged for leniency on Friday as he was sentenced to 16 years in prison for the 2013 rape of an actress in Los Angeles.

Weinstein was sentenced in a Los Angeles courtroom, where a jury in December found him guilty of rape, forcible oral copulation and sexual penetration by a foreign object.

Former film producer Harvey Weinstein appears in court in October. Credit: AP

The charges stemmed from an assault on a former model and actress, identified in court as Jane Doe 1, at a Los Angeles hotel in February 2013.
While the boards investigation will continue for months, the early findings nonetheless raise fresh questions about the adequacy of safety measures used by the trains operator, Norfolk Southern. The anger and frustration of residents spilled over at a community meeting, where some locals reported a range of ongoing health issues, such as respiratory problems and rashes. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tours the site of the Norfolk Southern train derailment. Credit: AP Others raised concerns about their water wells, or the soil used to grow vegetables, or whether their livestock, pets and homes were contaminated. How do you clean your house? Ive got a baby and Im afraid to take her back, said one visibly frustrated man in the crowd who had not been home since the derailment.

Im ready to throw everything out of my house, throw gas on it and light a match. Im so tired. East Palestine is a small rural community of about 4500 people, many of whom represent the white working-class voters who propelled Donald Trump to power. But since the derailment on February 3, the area has also become a political flashpoint ahead of next years election, with Democrats and Republicans attacking one another for failing the community. Melissa Smith took this photo of the train fire from her farm in East Palestine, Ohio, on February 3. Credit: AP After Trump visited the town on Wednesday (US time) and accused the Biden administration of abandoning residents, Buttigieg travelled there to meet local officials and tour the crash site. The former Indiana mayor and presidential aspirant is regarded as one of the Biden administrations most cut-through communicators.

But Buttigieg has come under fire in recent weeks for being missing in action, and for taking 10 days after the derailment to make his first comments about the incident, albeit in the form of a tweet, saying he was concerned about the impacts on residents. Asked if he had waited too long, given the gravity of the disaster, he replied: The answer to your question is yes. I felt very strongly about this and could have expressed that sooner. But he also said federal agencies were on the ground from the start, and that if Trump was genuinely concerned, the former president ought to support the Biden administrations push for more safety measures and tougher rules for rail companies, which had spent years successfully lobbying against greater regulations. One thing he could do is express support for reversing the deregulation that happened on his watch, Buttigieg said.

To any national figure who has decided to get involved, I have a simple message, which is: I need your help. Because if youre serious about this, there is more that we can do to prevent more communities from going through this. Celebrity activist Erin Brockovich will also hold a meeting on Friday with a group of lawyers seeking justice for those affected. Separately, at least half a dozen lawsuits have already been filed by various firms. Situated near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, East Palestine is a former factory town of about 4500 people, where the average household income is $US46,000 ($67,500). Beth Knott, who has lived here for 17 years, told The Age and Sydney Morning Herald that the derailment had rocked the tight-knit community, and residents did not know who or what to believe.

I would like to have concrete, truthful answers about the soil and the health of people who breathed in the toxic plume, she said. Are the children going to be able to play in the creek again? Loading Many also want the rail industry overhauled, noting that under the current rules, the Norfolk Southern train at the centre of the derailment was not even classified as a high hazard flammable train. The company has also had 1518 safety, environmental and employee violations since 2000, amounting to $US70 million in fines. We do need more regulation, said Melissa Boyer, who lives about 600 metres from the rail line. We also need better maintenance on them and even more tracks. Right now, its just not safe.
As federal COVID-19 support wanes, Gov. Tony Evers is proposing to spend $16.5 million annually on initiatives to directly support the homeless in the 2023-25 budget, the largest investment of non-pandemic funding in state history.

Evers proposals, including $12 million in new spending annually, include funds for homelessness prevention, veteran rental assistance, and to help landlords make quality housing available.

So far, the Republican-controlled Legislature has been reluctant to support the governors proposed funding on homelessness. Evers sought a then-record $15.7 million  $11.5 million in new money  to support the homeless in the 2021-23 budget, but the Legislature only approved $600,000 annually in new funds for a housing assistance program.

All of the governors proposed spending for the coming biennium is recommended in the states Welcoming Wisconsin Home Plan for homelessness released in March 2022.

The state Interagency Council on Homelessness released the 44-page action plan for 2021-2023 biennium to address stark racial inequities in homelessness, invest more in the shelter subsidy program and other initiatives, improve housing access, increase housing stability, better use data and expand partnerships.

The governors proposed budget also delivers other big investments related to homelessness, including $150 million for lower-cost workforce housing and $200 million to renovate and restore existing rental properties.

The proposals in Governor Evers budget demonstrate not only his ongoing commitment to ending homelessness as we know it in Wisconsin, but also his understanding of what we need to prioritize in order to make that happen, said Michael Basford, director of the Interagency Council on Homelessness.

Included in the proposals is a historic level of investment in housing that Wisconsin needs in order to open the housing markets for everybody who needs safe, available and affordable housing, he said. The investment in housing supports will make it possible not only to house more people in Wisconsin, but to allow people to maintain stability in their housing and have better outcomes overall.

Republicans already have indicated plans to strip Evers budget back to base, and start from scratch in the upcoming budget process, similar to the way the GOP-led Legislature handled the governors previous two budgets.

The needs remains high.

In Dane County alone, the most recent data shows 424 single adults and 70 households with about 240 adults and children on waiting lists for housing, said Torrie Kopp Mueller, continuum of care coordinator for the Dane County Homeless Services Consortium.

In Wisconsin, the federally required Point in Time count found 4,775 homeless in the state on Jan. 26, 2022, the most recent data available. Thats up from 4,515 in January 2020, the last full count before the COVID-19 pandemic. The Point in Time count, however, generally understates the number of homeless and doesnt consider those doubled up, self-paying in motels, or about to lose housing.

Meanwhile, in the state, there were 25,819 eviction filings in 2022, easily the most since the 27,026 filings before the pandemic in 2019. There were 1,621 eviction judgments last year, the lowest in the last four years.

We will need the investments in affordable housing, homelessness prevention, legal services and other supportive services proposed in the governors budget in order to continue to stem the number of eviction judgments and continue to keep households out of eviction court and ultimately the homelessness system, Basford said.

A serious effort

In each fiscal year, in direct support for the homeless, Evers is proposing:

$1 million for the Homelessness Prevention Program.

$1 million for the creation of a new diversion program.

$700,000 for the State Shelter Subsidy Grant.

$5 million for the Housing Assistance Program.

A $250,000 increase for the Skills Enhancement Grant at the Department of Children and Families.

$2 million to create a new housing quality standards grant to increase the availability of quality affordable housing.

$600,000 to create a grant for housing navigation.

$1 million for a new rental assistance program for homeless veterans.

$500,000 for the Homeless Case Management Services Grant.

The governors housing budget represents a serious effort to address both the immediate crisis needs as well as longer-term solutions to homelessness, said Brad Paul, executive director of WISCAP, the statewide association of 16 Community Action Agencies and two agencies with a statewide focus: the Foundation for Rural Housing and United Migrant Opportunities Services.

The funds for workforce housing, housing rehab and targeted homeless services animates this real commitment, Paul said. To his credit, the governor makes key investments in housing infrastructure, emergency services, mental health and workforce development that together will allow more people to secure and retain housing.

The state has focused new attention on homelessness since the mid-2010s, but the Legislature has not delivered significant funding increases, with direct annual spending around $4.6 million.

Almost every proposal contained in the 2021-23 budget was stripped out by the GOP-led Joint Finance Committee, Basford said. And the one program that received a raise in funding received a raise that was less than one-fifth of what the governor sought.

But Basford holds hope that the funds will be approved for the coming biennium.

I remain hopeful that we will find enough partners from the Legislatures majority parties to make these proposals a reality, especially given our historic surplus, he said. As we continue to recover from the pandemic, the time is now to follow Governor Evers lead and provide much-needed action and investment.

Republicans intend to pursue their own course.

We plan to take the budget back to base and build the budget from there. We will be considering items from that position, said Michael Pyritz, spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, did not respond to requests for comment.

Life changing

In the current biennium, the Legislatures lack of action forced the governor and administration to act using federal pandemic resources to address challenges, Basford said.

Federal investments have been life-changing and allowed us to keep over 54,000 households from eviction judgments and homelessness, assist agencies struggling with the pandemic and provide funding for more affordable housing units and more shelter beds, he said.

But most federal investments have been allocated and are being used to ensure housing stability for people throughout the state, Basford said. The states Emergency Rental Assistance Program has nearly exhausted all federal funds and closed to new applications on Jan. 31, he said.

In the spring, the state will release applications for a federal American Recovery Plan Act program that that will provide $42 million to increase the stock of housing for low-income households, he said.

Photos: Temporary mens homeless shelter prepares to open
In the 1970s, William "Bill" Steele was in his early 20s and working under an architectural firm in the Columbus area. Now, after 53 years and semi-retirement, he will return Feb. 25-26 to talk about one of his murals.

"There was a firm called Associated Architects and Engineers I was working for them doing illustrations for potential buildings, stuff like that, some drafting and designing," Steele said.

When the group was contracted to work on the Evans House, Steele wasn't working with them on that particular project but he and the group came to the conclusion he should do a mural, as he had some experience with murals.

"They decided to put the Bunny Club on the bottom floor and a steakhouse on the first floor. That was going to be a dining room. Someone suggested a mural of some kind, I don't remember if they did or I did but I did it on my own time," Steele said.

The mural was painted with several figures and objects from the building and community's history. The building's location along 15th Street was significant when it was constructed in 1912, as what is now downtown Columbus was a hotbed of activity and commerce at the time.

Evans House Owner Scott Mueller said the building has had a long and interesting history that he's had fun learning about. From Dr. Carroll Dandola and Lorena R. Evans' home in 1912 to the Bunny Club from 1964-1972.

"It's been home to a lot of businesses, any business you can think of: professional and retail, spas, dance studio, attorney, insurance offices, architectural firm, apartments," Mueller said. "It's got a varied history and it's fun to bump into people who have been here and lived here and had offices here. They've all had great stories."

In honor of some local features, Steele painted a train and Glur's Tavern, but added some more house-specific features, such as the North Brothers, Frank and Luther, who were related to Mrs. (North) Evans. The North Brothers, Columbus natives, partnered with Pawnee scouts to fight the Cheyenne and Sioux for the government. Frank would later go into ranching with Buffalo Bill Cody.

"I put the brothers on there, a couple Pawnee scouts, put a large buffalo head, Iron Bull, who is a Lakota chief, and some sodbuster photos, sodbuster families, and some little bits and pieces," Steele said.

Steele has his work on display in several states from before and after the Evans House, including California and Nevada. He was also a political cartoonist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for several years. He partially retired sometime back, he said, but does still draw and paint occasionally. One piece he particularly remembers is another mural he did for a factory.

"I did a big landscape, probably about 20 feet high by 50 feet, the first and only landscape I've ever done on canvas so the biggest canvas I've ever done," Steele said. "It was inside a distribution center and there weren't any windows so the owners thought they'd like to have something for workers to look at to feel a little bit better."

Now based out of Reno, Nevada, Steele said he lived in Columbus for a couple years while he was working for the group and working on the mural. After 53 years away, he's excited to come back and talk about the painting.

"What I did was while I was working on it I moved into the carriage house, lived in the upstairs carriage house while I was doing it," Steele said. "I really don't remember how long it took, to be truthful, probably two or three weeks, but I'm just guessing."

On Feb. 25 and 26, Steele will be at the Evans House, 2204 14th St. from 2-4 p.m. to talk about the mural and his career as an artist.
HARRISBURG  A Mechanicsburg man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for receiving child pornography, federal prosecutors said Thursday.

The U.S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania said Anthony Lauro, 35, was also ordered by District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner to pay $24,000 in restitution to victims and to 10 years on supervised release after his prison sentence.

U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam said Lauro pleaded guilty to receiving images and videos of child pornography that were sent to him by another Cumberland County resident, Ryan Banks, who created the illicit images with a 14-year-old boy in West Virginia in September 2020 when Banks was 36. Banks is serving a 17 1/2 to 35-year prison sentence for his offenses.

Lauro was found to have been in contact with both Banks and the victim at the time the victim was being sexually exploited. Lauro was found to be in possession of more than 1,000 images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of other minors, Karam said.
MONACA, Pa.  State officials spoke out about Pennsylvania's response to the Ohio train derailment at a hearing Thursday night.

Two lawmakers who serve parts of Berks, Montgomery and Chester counties are among those who pressed leaders about the disaster  something that's been called totally preventable.

"Do you have a standard operating procedure for dealing with train derailments?" asked Republican state Sen. Tracy Pennycuick, who represents District 24, which includes parts of Berks and Montgomery counties.

"We have a state or commonwealth emergency operations plan," responded Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency Director Randy Padfield.

"When was the last time you trained to that standard?" pressed Pennycuick.

"How often does your staff get together with DEP's (Department of Environmental Protection) staff and maybe get together with Pennsylvania Department of Transportation staff to talk about real threats like 9/11 or whether it be a train derailment?" she further asked.

"They're ongoing throughout the year," Padfield continued.

Padfield was among the state and county leaders who testified about the commonwealth's response to the Ohio trail derailment that has left people who live near the site frustrated, angry and confused.

The terse back and forth between Pennycuick and the head of PEMA was just one moment during a lengthy hearing held Thursday by the Senate Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness Committee.

Those affected by the train derailment took an oath and testified during the hearing at Community College of Beaver County. Many of the speakers live in Beaver County, which shares a border with East Palestine, and they say their lives have been upended.

"From Friday the night of February 3rd to Monday, there was zero contact and zero guidance from Pennsylvania state and federal officials to help my family. Zero," said Lonnie Miller, a Pennsylvanian native who lives in East Palestine, Ohio.

"No one came to help my family," Miller said. "No one came to help my mom. She lived underneath that chemical cloud."

Twenty days after three dozen freight cars  11 carrying hazardous materials  derailed at the PennsylvaniaOhio state line, Miller and others spoke out about what they witnessed and how it's impacting their daily lives.

Days after the wreck, crews released toxic chemicals into the air to prevent a possible uncontrolled explosion. What followed the release will likely never be forgotten by those who saw it.

"The ominous clouds of smoke is something I never wish to see ever again," added Miller. "The smells and the fumes, that consumes our air and are still consuming our air in East Palestine and surrounding communities  you don't want to live breathing that in."

One woman named Sheila reported having a "chemical smell in her nose everywhere she goes" and breaking out in a rash.

"I like to say my house is my sanctuary," explained Julie Kent of Darlington Township in Beaver County. "I feel like it's been taken from me."

"Norfolk needs to be held accountable for all of it," said Jeff Dilimo of Beaver County, who says he now suffers from a persistent, dry cough.

"It's heartbreaking to hear that your home  which is your sanctuary, your place of safety, no matter how big or small  it is now threatened," said Democratic state Sen. Katie Muth, who represents District 44, which includes parts of Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties.

"Major confusion, and that's probably because Norfolk Southern wasn't in the room when we were trying to make decisions," said Eric Brewer, Beaver County's director of emergency services. "We did the best we could with the information we had, and we didn't have some of that information."

Brewer says one particular decision made at the recommendation of Norfolk Southern and its contractors stumped local leaders: What was initially one rail car that needed to have toxic chemicals on board released and burned turned into five.

"We've been getting calls from concerned citizens across the state about their air quality and water quality," explained Brewer.

Brewer discussed how officials could not force Pennsylvanians to evacuate in the days after the derailment, whereas Ohio police, he says, have the legal authority to do so and even arrested some people who did not comply.

He said one of the biggest issues faced by officials was a "lack of transparency" from Norfolk Southern.

"Norfolk Southern  and this is not unusual with other major corporations we work with  for whatever reason, they don't like to be transparent," said Brewer.

Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw did not attend the hearing.

"There's the empty chair in honor of CEO Mr. Shaw," said Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-District 33), the committee's majority chairman. "We're calling him out."

The company says Shaw didn't attend because "the subject matter of the hearing is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board or NTSB."

A statement went on to say, "While we were unable to participate at the hearing today, we did extend an invitation to the requesting parties to visit East Palestine to observe Norfolk Southern's ongoing cleanup, recovery, and community assistance efforts."

"These are real people with families, with kids, with animals, and it's just devastating," added Mastriano.

"There's a lot of bought and paid for politicians who refuse to take the necessary steps to keep us safe, and that has to end," Muth said. "Not only should Norfolk Southern be held accountable, but you (residents) deserve to be bought out and moved."

Committee leaders called the hearing a bipartisan front to seek truth and take action for the people whose lives have been devastated. People who testified also called out the county, state and federal response to the derailment.

Lawmakers at the hearing discussed potentially subpoenaing Shaw to compel him to testify. They said people can expect more action on that next week.

"The emergency may be over, but the effects on Beaver County will remain," said Daniel Camp, who sits on Beaver County's board of commissioners. "The time is now to call on our friends in Harrisburg to hold Norfolk Southern responsible for their actions."

"We need Pennsylvanians to be taken care of," Mastriano said. "We need Pennsylvanians helped in this situation as well as our brothers and sisters in Ohio."

A statement issued Thursday night by PEMA announced the creation of an online train derailment dashboard in coordination with other relevant state agencies "to better inform concerned residents in western Pennsylvania."

The website includes links to results of air and water testing, as well as information about health assessments being offered to residents of Darlington and Unity townships in Beaver County.
ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Lehigh County Executive Phillips Armstrong laid out goals for the upcoming year in his annual State of the County Address.

Armstrong delivered the address at Coca-Cola Park Thursday. The Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation hosted the event.

He talked about the county's infrastructure projects.

Preparations are underway to replace and repair multiple Lehigh County bridges, including the Wire Mill Bridge, Walnut Street Bridge, Geigers Covered Bridge, and the Wehr Mill Covered Bridge, Armstrong said.

The nearly $15-million major renovation plan for Lehigh Countys Historic Courthouse, originally built in 1812, was completed in late 2022, Armstrong said in Thursday's address. The Historic Courthouse is open for County Judiciary business, and an official grand re-opening will be scheduled later this year.

In his address, Armstrong discussed the Cedarbrook Senior Care & Rehabilitation facility.

The large Cedarbrook Allentown E-Wing renovation project, which is the replacement of the oldest beds at Cedarbrook with a modern 240-bed wing, has moved from the complicated site-work phase, to the building phase with the recent demolition of the front entrance and the digging of the footprint of the new wing, Armstrong said.

Armstrong said the project continues to move forward with a projected 2024 opening.

Lehigh Countys 2023 administrative goals include promoting sustainability and addressing issues associated with climate change, Armstrong said.

He said the first step is greater energy conservation at all county-owned facilities.

The county is looking to continue moving forward in preparing to convert its 911 communication system to digital, and to revamp the employee personnel and policy manual, Armstrong said.
Loved ones and colleagues gathered Thursday evening for Christopher Fitzgerald's viewing.

The Temple University police officer was killed in the line of duty this past Saturday.

Thursday was the first of two public viewings, with another set for Friday morning. The second public viewing will follow a motorcade, which will pass Fitzgerald's residence, Temple University and then Temple Police Station, before going to Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.

Fitzgerald's funeral will follow.

Philadelphia police tell 69 News there will be some road closures Thursday night and Friday for the viewings, motorcades and funeral.

From Philadelphia police:

"There will be temporary traffic closures and detours in the area to accommodate the hundreds of mourners traveling from all over the country to attend the viewing and funeral services at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul at 1723 Race Street, for Temple Police Officer Christopher Fitzgerald, so tragically and senselessly killed in the line of duty last Saturday night.

"We wanted to make you aware that on Friday morning, February 24th, the inner lanes of the Parkway will be restricted starting at 6:00 AM. The area between 16th Street and 20th Street and from Vine Street to Arch Street will be restricted between 6:00 AM and 2:00 PM on Friday. Limited access will be provided to residents, businesses, and others with a need to access the area during that time.

"Philadelphia Police Officers will be stationed along the route to assist those who need access. The goal is to open all the closures by 2:00 PM on Friday as soon as the funeral services have concluded.

"Thank you for your patience and understanding at this difficult time."

Temple University also recently announced it will pay for Fitzgerald's funeral, to ease the burden on the family.
LOWER MACUNGIE TWP., Pa. - The Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) Troop M Fogelsville Criminal Investigation Unit are currently investigating an indecent assault that occurred on two separate occasions in Lower Macungie Township, Lehigh County.

Police say, on December 7, 2022, at 6:51 p.m., police responded to Walmart, located at 1091 Mill Creek Road, Lower Macungie Township, for a report of an indecent assault.

Over two months later, on February 23, 2023, at 7:18 p.m., police again responded to Target, located at 749 North Krocks Road, Lower Macungie Township for another report of an indecent assault.

Troopers are requesting the publics assistance with identifying the individual who is associated with these incidents.

Anyone who may have information in regard to this case or this individual is asked to contact PSP Fogelsville Criminal Investigation Unit at (610) 395 -1438 and reference Incident Number PA22-1568138.
HARRISBURG, Pa. - The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) Office of Commonwealth Libraries has announced that more than $4.1 million in funding has been awarded to 21 libraries in 15 counties for the construction and rehabilitation of public library facilities.

Public libraries provide services to their communities far beyond access to books, computers, and research, said Acting Secretary of Education Dr. Khalid N. Mumin. Theyre a public staple, offering patrons spaces to hold community discussions, classrooms to learn new skills, and helping residents access critical services, resources, and programming. The Keystone Library grants will enable public libraries to improve their physical facilities so they can continue to serve and benefit their communities.

Award recipients were selected through a competitive grant process. The Keystone grants help public library facilities improve their operations, install equipment, and upgrade security systems.

Local libraries receiving the Keystone Grants for Public Library Facilities include:

Bucks:

Bucks County Free Library  Doylestown Branch, $539,660

Montgomery:

Wissahickon Valley Public Library, $182,622.50

Monroe:

Eastern Monroe Public Library, $80,000

Schuylkill:
A last-minute, draft rezoning of a parcel of land from mostly agricultural to industrial drew the ire of many residents at Tuesday's planning commission meeting in North Middleton Township.

The township planning commission has been working on updating its comprehensive plan, and on Tuesday, members were scheduled to vote on a recommendation for the plan to give to the board of supervisors.

According to Planning Commission Chairman Bradley Mitchell, however, the draft plan up for a vote Tuesday was not what the commission had agreed to move forward with, despite the plan being sent out to neighboring municipalities, Carlisle Area School District and Cumberland County, and published on the township's website.

The part of the future land use map in the draft comprehensive plan that drew the most attention was land that had been zoned for agriculture in one area and low to medium density residential in another area. In the new plan it was zoned industrial. That area is on the north side of the Pennsylvania Turnpike along McClures Gap Road.

Mitchell on Thursday said that an industrial zone had been discussed, but he and others on the commission had agreed not to move ahead with changing the zoning.

"We were essentially done with the future land use map and associated report," he said, adding that an "external entity" then made a request. That developer asked that if they were to agree to certain things, such as infrastructure and other improvements, if the township would make that area zoned industrial to facilitate building a warehouse.

"There was some preliminary work to accommodate that request by some of the staff," Mitchell said. "We talked about it as a committee, but we ultimately decided we didn't want to do that.

"As a planning commission, we want to lay out intended use for future land use," he said. "If and when a developer actually [has a plan] ... then, by all means, they can can take it to the zoning hearing board. As it stands right now, we're not going to change [zoning] to industrial in advance of that."

Mitchell said he was not in favor of the change and believed that had been the end of the discussion. But the change then appeared on the draft plan up for a recommendation vote.

"That is what got sent out to the school district, neighboring municipalities, and it shouldn't have," he said.

On Tuesday, the planning commission voted to table the plan, and Mitchell said he wants to "restart the clock" on the draft plan. That means the planning commission will vote to submit the previous version of the plan, without the industrial zone, to the county, school district and neighboring municipalities, and then wait the required 45 days for their comment on it before voting on a recommendation.

Given the process, Mitchell said he doesn't believe a public hearing is necessary, nor is it required for a draft comprehensive plan, before it reaches the board of supervisors for a vote.

Other map changes

While the industrial zone was the one that drew the most of the attention from residents, that wasn't the only zoning change in the proposed plan.

In the previous comprehensive plan, last updated in 2008, a commercial and light industrial zone sat between the railroad tracks and residences along Newville Road in the township.

Mitchell said this zoning proved to be a problem nearly two decades ago when an industrial developer wanted to develop behind the houses, much to the displeasure of those residents. The developer dropped the plan, but Mitchell said the zoning  which he said was the root cause of the problem  remained unaddressed.

The draft plan turns a wide swath of that commercial/light industrial area into residential, which Mitchell said should prevent future problems with that kind of development behind the houses.

On the other side of the township, there will be more commercial and light industrial zoning where there used to be residential.

Mitchell said Middlesex Township is looking at more commercial development along the Harrisburg Pike corridor, and North Middleton's draft plan follows Middlesex's lead with zoning for more commercial business.

In the draft plan, the eastern edge of the township will be commercial/light industrial from the Harrisburg Pike north to the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Formerly, there was residential zoning along the eastern edge close to the turnpike.

The previous comprehensive plan also planned for residential zoning south of the Harrisburg Pike, but the parcel of land at the intersection of Post Road and the Harrisburg Pike is proposed to be zoned commercial/light industrial in the draft plan. The land between this parcel and A&A Auto Stores is still zoned residential in the plan.

2023 #APhotoADay in Cumberland County
POTTSVILLE, Pa.  More than half of America's 50 states can now get a taste of Pennsylvania's largest craft brewery.

The Yuengling Company announced Thursday a continuation of its westward expansion by debuting several of its iconic brands, including its flagship Lager, in Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.

The expansion means the Pottsville-based brewery's footprint now covers 26 states.

"As a 6th generation family-owned business, we have been making great quality beer for over 194 years and today we couldn't be happier to welcome beer drinkers in these new states into our Yuengling community," Wendy Yuengling, the brewery's chief administrative officer, said in a statement. "We thrive on delighting our many fans who trust us to brew the best beer possible, and we look forward to continuing to do so."

Of course, it's not lost on Yuengling that Missouri is home to the headquarters of Anheuser-Busch, which was founded in St. Louis only 23 years after a young David Gottlieb Yuengling started his brewery in Pottsville. Anheuser-Busch is now owned by AB InBev, which is based in Belgium; Yuengling remains family-owned.

"The opportunity to engage and serve a new set of fans from some of the most iconic beer-drinking states is an opportunity we take very seriously," said Pat Pikunas, general manager of The Yuengling Company. "We are confident about meeting high expectations and delivering the very best, great tasting Yuengling beers that have built our quality reputation over 194 years."

The Yuengling Company was formed in 2020, when D.G. Yuengling & Son launched its westward expansion by forming a 50-50 partnership with Molson Coors.

The joint venture allows Yuengling to meet the western demand for its beer by expanding its production beyond the two breweries in Schuylkill County and the one in Tampa, Florida.

The first state to benefit from the westward expansion was Texas, which got its first taste of Yuengling brews in the fall of 2021.

The Yuengling Company is headquartered in Fort Worth, where the beer for the western states is brewed.
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - A large crowd of colleagues, family and friends gathered outside John F. Givnish Funeral Home Thursday. The flag flew at half-mast. And a long line of many more folks waited to pay their respects for fallen Temple University police officer Christopher Fitzgerald.

"This is the type of support that this family needs right now, and that all these other police officers need to get through each day, to continue to try to protect our city," Ashley Stankiewicz, who lives in Philadelphia, said.

Fitzgerald was killed in the line of duty last Saturday, responding to reports of a robbery.

"My youngest here, her dad's a cop," Stankiewicz said. "So this is one of our greatest fears every day. So we kind of just wanted to come around and say a prayer or two."

And at the same time, just a couple miles down the road, the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police held its own celebration of life to raise funds for Fitzgerald's family.

"This was something right now to you know, just to calm the nerves of some of the officers and bring them together," John McNesby, President of the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #5, said.

The union's president says thousands passed through the doors Thursday night to show support.

"You're not supposed to bury your children," McNesby said. "And not in this way. But he gave the ultimate sacrifice and, you know, his legacy will live on."

"The amount of support that we've been receiving all across the nation has been amazing," Alec Shaffer, President of the Temple University Police Association, said.

Shaffer says after the grieving, there will be questions to answer.

"There's issues that we need to address when it comes to staffing, and certain equipment and stuff like that," he said. "But there's going to be a time for that and a place for that."

But Thursday night, he said, was all about celebrating Fitzgerald's life.

"We're focused on Chris and his family," Shaffer said, "and making sure that their wishes are respected. And we honor him."
U. POTTSGROVE TWP., Pa. - An injunction to halt a project on designated open space in Upper Pottsgrove Township has been denied.

A plaintiff in the case told 69 News the ruling came down Thursday.

Some residents are suing the township in Montgomery County for its plan to build a $5.5 million municipal complex on land bought with open space preservation funds.

The land off Evans Road is listed as "permanently protected land" on the township's website.

During a packed commissioners meeting Tuesday, a dozen residents spoke out against the plan.

A lawsuit filed in an attempt to stop the development is still pending.
Some organizations that Temple University Police Officer Christopher Fitzgerald was affiliated with have been coming together in the fallen officer's memory.

Temple University announced Thursday it's raised more than $450,000 to date, for its Fallen Heroes Fund.

The university tells 69 News the funds collected now are for Fitzgerald's family, and going forward there could be other recipients if there's a need.

The university is also honoring the "tuition remission benefit" that was available to the late father of four before he died. That means Fitzgerald's kids, should they attend Temple one day, will still receive free tuition.

Meanwhile, Fitzgerald, the son of a former Allentown police chief, is also being honored by his labor union.

The Philadelphia police labor union held its own fundraiser Thursday for Fitzgerald's family as well.
ALLAMUCHY TWP., Pa. - Officials say troopers were outside their vehicles on the highway, investigating one crash, when a tow truck came plowing headlong into the scene Thursday night on I-80 in Warren County. Amazingly, everyone walked away, mostly unharmed.

"We've all heard and seen the saying 'Slow Down and Move Over,'" a Facebook post from the Allamuchy Fire Department reads, shared with shocking pictures of the crash that happened after 11 p.m. Thursday.

Incredibly, all involved in the large I-80 crash walked away from it, according to New Jersey State Police, which says just one minor injury was reported.

Officials say it happened on I-80 heading east, in Allamuchy. Troopers were stopped on the highway for a crash that already occurred, which had caused closures to the center and left lanes.

Suddenly, police say, a heavy-duty tow truck that was pulling a box truck crashed right into the active scene, hitting three New Jersey State Police vehicles, plus an Allamuchy ambulance.

"By a miracle, every member from Fire, EMS, and police walked away last night and returned home to their families safely," Allamuchy Fire Department's post on Facebook continues.

According to state police, the troopers on scene were outside of their vehicles at the time of the crash.

State police add one EMT inside the ambulance did report a minor injury.

The tow truck driver was also uninjured, and received a summons for careless driving. The crash remains under investigation.
Disney's Aladdin is all set for its first ever UK and Ireland tour!

Based on the iconic animated film and featuring tunes by eight-time Oscar winner Alan Menken, the show tells the tale of young street rat Aladdin as he finds a golden lamp, unleashing a genie in the process.

The show was first seen on UK shores in 2016, where it played in the West End through to summer 2019. It continues its record-breaking run on Broadway after first premiering in 2014.

WhatsOnStage's Sarah Crompton gave the piece a solid review, saying it is: "a show that by the sheer force of its geniality, works its magic."

Aladdin has lyrics by Howard Ashman (The Little Mermaid), Tim RIce (The Lion King) and Chad Beguelin (The Prom), with Beguelin also supplying the book. Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon) directs and choreographs.

It is designed by scenic designer Bob Crowley, alongside lighting designer Natasha Katz, costume designer Gregg Barnes and sound designer Ken Travis.

The production team also includes illusion designers Jim Steinmeyer and Rob Lake, hair designer Josh Marquette and makeup designer Milagros Medina-Cerdeira. The music team is headed by music supervisor and music director Michael Kosarin, who also created the vocal and incidental music arrangements, joined by orchestrator Danny Troob and dance music arranger Glen Kelly.

Ben Clare is the associate director, Kyle Seeley is the dance supervisor, Jason Trubitt is the production supervisor and Myriah Bash is the US general manager. Casting is by Jill Green CDG.

The musical will open in Edinburgh on 24 October 2023, where it plays until 18 November. After that it will enjoy a festive season at the Millennium Centre in Cardiff from 7 December to 14 January 2024, before visiting Plymouth (17 January to 11 February 2024), Sunderland (15 February to 10 March 2024), and Milton Keynes (24 April to 19 May 2024). Further locations and casting is to be revealed in due course.

Thomas Schumacher, president and producer of Disney Theatrical Productions, said today: "As Aladdin approaches its second decade onstage, we are thrilled that the 11th production of the glorious Broadway show will soon be seen by audiences throughout the UK and Ireland.

"Thanks to Casey Nicholaw's direction, Alan Menken's music and the peerless design team of Bob Crowley, Natasha Katz and Gregg Barnes this show is a powerful tonic, an irresistible lift for every audience who sees it.

"The musical theatre performers in the UK and Ireland rival any on the planet and we look forward to presenting the best of them in this joyous new production."
Rogers: The Musical  the fictional Broadway production seen in the first episode of the Disney Plus series Hawkeye  will receive a real staging beginning this summer at Disneyland's California Adventure theme park. The news was first teased via Twitter accounts for the Avengers and the Disney parks.

In the Hawkeye series, Rogers: The Musical is based on the life of Steve Rogers, better known as the first Captain America. The first episode finds Clint Barton (aka Hawkeye) being the only Avenger who actually shows up to see the production, which includes a musical number based on the Avengers' battle of New York.

The battle song, titled "Save the City," was written especially for the series by Marc Shaiman and Scott WIttman. In real life, it featured the vocals of Adam Pascal, Ty Taylor, Rory Donovan, Derek Klena, Bonnie Milligan, Christopher Sieber, and Shayna Steele.

Marvel has not yet provided any further details for the Rogers production, except that it will be a one-act show at the Hyperion Theatre inside the Anaheim-based theme park and it will premiere this summer. A recent casting notice for an unspecified production at the Hyperion detailed that a book will be written by Hunter Bell ([title of show]), with music by Christopher Lennertz (Agent Carter). That information has not been confirmed.
The Missouri Department of Transportation invites Missouri students in grades K-8 to help fight litter in Missouri by participating in the 2023 Yes You CAN Make Missouri Litter-Free trash-can-decorating contest. The contest is part of MoDOTs annual No MOre Trash! statewide litter campaign, which is held in April.

Contest entry is free. School groups must submit a completed entry form online with up to three photos and a release form by March 17. Contest rules, entry forms, release forms, logos, past winners and educational information can also be found at modot.org/trash-can-contest.

The contest encourages school aged kids to join in the fight against litter by decorating a large trash can with the No MOre Trash! logo and a litter prevention message using a variety of creative materials. Schools or home school programs may submit one trash can entry in each competition category: grades K-2, 3-5 and 6-8. Entries are judged based on creativity, adherence to the contest rules and effective use of the theme and logo.

First-place winners from each competition category receive $200 awarded to the sponsoring schools. All first-place schools are eligible for a grand prize of $600 and a trophy.
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Customer Services is reviewing the allegations of animal mistreatment at the Charlottesville Albemarle Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, according to Albemarle County Executive Jeff Richardson.

The Board of Supervisors consulted with legal counsel regarding its relationship with the CASPCA in a closed meeting at the boards Feb. 15 meeting.

The relationship between the county and the shelter  outlined in a memorandum of understanding between the county, the city of Charlottesville and the animal shelter  has the county pay the SPCA for pound services. In fiscal year 2023, the county gave the SPCA $699,122 for those services. Animal control officers at the Albemarle County Police Department also work with the shelter.

Assistant to the County Executive Emily Kilroy told The Daily Progress via email on Friday that the Albemarle County Police Department is supporting VDACSs effort.

Representatives from the city of Charlottesville did not respond to repeated requests for comment from The Daily Progress. Workers and volunteers at the local SPCA have estimated the city provides about $300,000 year to the shelter.

During open session, Richardson told county supervisors that the state Department of Agriculture had conducted an inspection of the facility.

The full report from that inspection was requested by The Daily Progress but not delivered before press time.

We conducted an inspection last week, Michael Wallace, a spokesman for the Department of Agriculture, confirmed to The Daily Progress on Friday.

In the meantime, the local SPCA has been conducting a review of its own. Earlier this year, the SPCAs board of directors hired the international law firm McGuireWoods to investigate claims of animal and worker mistreatment.

Those claims have been lodged by a group of current and former SPCA employees and volunteers which calls itself CASPCA Concerns. The group has said misconduct and mismanagement at the shelter has translated into animal neglect bordering on abuse. The shelter, the group says, is overcapacity and understaffed, with animals often kept in unsafe living conditions and volunteers and employees overworked in order to keep adoption rates high and contributions rolling in.

The group has specifically targeted the SPCAs CEO Angie Gunter and have called for her removal.

The SPCAs board has said it stands behind Gunter while the McGuireWoods investigation is ongoing.

McGuireWoods is best known for its work in product liability, class actions and mass torts, health care, technology, white-collar criminal litigation and commercial disputes.

Demonstrators at a Feb. 11 protest told The Daily Progress they doubted McGuireWoods investigation would be meaningful.

Its going to absolutely be biased, according to Teddi Schrock, who said she has worked with the Charlottesville SPCA since 1984, serving as a volunteer, helping with rummage sells, working with the Pets and People program and once sittings on its board.

Itll be biased, said Hannah Meanor, a former animal care worker at the shelter. Meanor added that she couldnt understand why a high-powered law firm such as McGuireWoods had been hired by a local animal shelter.

An employee at McGuireWoods referred questions about the investigation to Brian Jackson, a managing partner at the law firms Charlottesville office who did not respond to a request for comment from The Daily Progress.

The law firms website describes Jackson as known for his success in trying high-exposure jury cases on behalf of energy, transportation and manufacturing companies in various jurisdictions throughout the United States.

The SPCA boards vice president, Mike Derdeyn, was an attorney at McGuireWoods Charlottesville office from 1998 until 2003, according to his LinkedIn profile.

CASPCA Concerns has said that an investigation cannot be objective as long as Gunter remains active in her role. Current employees and volunteers, they said, would not be able to speak freely with investigators.

Ms. Gunters culture of fear and threats of retribution have prevented people from speaking up honestly to address the real problems for too long, according to CASPCA Concerns.

The SPCAs board said in a Feb. 8 statement that the McGuireWoods investigation would take about 90 days.

The Board will assess the results and recommendations of the independent review and will take appropriate actions and make appropriate policy changes that stem from it, the board said.

The shelter has been under fire since January, when CASPCA Concerns published a letter directed at the shelters board. Photos published in the letter show dogs in pens full of urine and feces, living in crates the group said are stored in the SPCAs basement and facilities that appear to be unclean, unkempt and dangerous to the animals living there.

Since then, that letter has garnered more than 100 signatures, there have been two protests outside the SPCAs main offices on Berkmar Drive, the shelters animal care manager has resigned and a veteran volunteer dog walker has been dismissed after raising concerns about animal safety.
Finances will no longer be as much of a barrier for upcoming Winona high school graduates looking to extend their education.

Minnesota State College Southeast announced Friday that through its new College Opportunity Program all Winona residents who graduate from a Winona high school in 2023 and 2024 will be eligible for two free years of education at the college, totalling up to 70 credits.

Additionally, students graduating locally in 2025 will be eligible for one year of their college education at MSC SE covered, as the pilot program is funded currently through 2026.

Students in this program will also receive a $500 stipend per year for books, supplies and tools needed for their education.

Students can be eligible for the program if they reside within the Winona Area Public Schools district and graduate from Cotter High School, Hope Lutheran High School, Riverway Learning Center, Winona Area Learning Center, Winona Senior High School or a homeschool program.

To be a part of the program, students are required to apply for financial aid, so that they can receive federal and state grants that are available to them.

Then, once any support is gained from that toward their cost of tuition, the College Opportunity Program will cover the rest, so that no loans or other payments out of pocket should be needed.

The program will also provide funding to the college to employ individuals who can help students as they enroll and apply for financial aid, along with provide support to the students during their time studying at the college.

The College Opportunity Program will be transformative for the students that it serves, Marsha Danielson, president of MSC SE, said Friday.

Danielson said the program stands out compared to many others like it throughout the United States, as many have an extensive list of eligibility guidelines that must be met.

State Rep. Gene Pelowski, who represents Winona and is the chair for the House Higher Education Finance and Policy committee, said about the new program Friday in a statement, The College Opportunity Program at MSC SE fits perfectly into what the House Higher Education Committee has been working this session  making technical programs affordable and providing students the opportunity to obtain an employable skill set. President Danielson is to be congratulated for her work with the private sector to create the College Opportunity Program at MSC SE possible.

Its clear that the new program is designed to help local entities find employees who have technical training and education in their work fields.

The program is supported and made possible by local investors, which include Benchmark, Bob Kierlin and Mary Burrichter, Fastenal, Gundersen Health System, Miller Ingenuity, RTP, The Watkins Co. and Winona Health.

Dan Florness, president and CEO of Fastenal, shared Friday during the announcement of the program, (The College Opportunity Program) is good for the area businesses. Its also good for the community.

He added, Its good for the medical side of the community, because I know firsthand from my exposure to the medical community in and around this area is the need for folks to be employed in that environment has never been greater.

Florness has high hopes for the program, wanting it to expand in the future from the point its starting at.

I sincerely hope this becomes a program that goes on indefinitely and extends beyond Winona, but we need to start somewhere and this is where we chose to start, he said.

The local high schools showed their gratefulness for the new program also Friday.

Annette Freiheit, superintendent of Winona Area Public Schools, spoke on behalf of all the local high schools about the new opportunity.

I believe that the College Opportunity Program will help alleviate serious barriers to students post secondary success, Freiheit said. This program will reduce the financial burden, reduce equity gaps, instill the realization that every student can attend college, improve retention of students attending Winona area high schools, encourage our students to graduate from high school, continue to build a partnership between Winona area high schools and Minnesota State College Southeast. The College Opportunity program will offer great options for Winona area high school students to continue their education in pursuit of their passion and career.

She shared, Nelson Mandela is quoted, It always seems impossible until its done. The College Opportunity Program makes the impossible possible for the students of Winona area high schools.

And, as a message to area students, Freiheit said, Students, please take advantage of this opportunity. It is waiting for you.

For more information about the new College Opportunity Program, visit www.southeastmn.edu.

Photos: Ribbon cutting for Minnesota State College Southeast's Manufacturing Initiative Program MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
A North Freedom man was recently released on a $10,000 cash bond after being charged with killing his passenger in a January crash in the town of Baraboo.

Timothy Joshua Olson, 22, appeared Feb. 9 in Sauk County Circuit Court to reset a preliminary hearing. He posted bail that same day. The hearing is set for March 30.

Olson made an initial appearance Jan. 30 via video from Sauk County Jail. Prosecutor Margaret Delain requested a $5,000 cash bail. Olsons defense attorney, Kathryn Hayes, argued for $1,000 cash.

Circuit Court Judge Patricia Barrett set a $10,000 cash bond with the conditions that Olson maintain absolute sobriety, not possess any alcohol, not enter any business which has the primary purpose of selling alcohol and submit to breath testing if asked by police.

According to the criminal complaint:

Police responded to a call around 11:45 p.m. Jan. 22 about a single vehicle crash on County Highway W near Pikes Peak Road. A 2011 Chevrolet Impala was on the north side of the ditch and a utility pole had been knocked down.

The driver, Olson, had called 911 for help. After the crash, a doctor with SSM Health St. Clare Hospital was driving by and stopped to offer assistance, checking on the front seat passenger, who the doctor said was dead.

Olson was interviewed while in an ambulance and allegedly admitted to driving 60 mph. He told officers that he had two Budweisers before the crash. Olson claimed the wintry weather conditions caused the crash, but investigation by a Sauk County sheriffs sergeant did not find any ice or snow in the road.

Olson was taken to St. Clare Hospital via ambulance.

An autopsy three days later by Dr. Jamie Kallan at UW Hospital in Madison found Olsons passenger had died from blunt force trauma.

A deputy interviewed Olson while he was in the hospital. Olson told the deputy that he thought roughly 10 minutes passed between the doctor offering help and Olson calling 911. A preliminary breath test had a 0.138% result at the hospital just before 2 a.m. A blood draw about an hour earlier resulted in 0.192% alcohol blood content.

Investigation by police indicates Olson went off the road on a curve and crashed the car while driving about 88 mph. The curve has a 45 mph advisory speed sign.

Olson faces felony charges of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle, homicide by use of a vehicle with a prohibited alcohol content and homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle as well as a misdemeanor count of obstructing an officer. Deputies noted Olson was unable to provide an adequate breath after consenting to a preliminary breath test at the hospital.

The charges carry a maximum prison sentence of 35 years and 25 years of extended supervision.

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
A Madison resident was arrested on Feb. 20 on drug charges in Wisconsin Dells.

According to a release from Wisconsin Dells Police Department chief Nicholas Brinker, 27-year-old Hayder Challoob was charged with possession with intent to deliver fentanyl and marijuana.

Challoob was discovered in possession of more than 20 grams of fentanyl and over a half-pound of marijuana following a search warrant at the 800 block of North Frontage Road in the city.

The Sauk County Drug Task Force, along with WDPD K-9 Rocky, executed the warrant.

Members of WDPD, along with police departments in Baraboo, Reedsburg, Lake Delton, Sauk Prairie, and Plain/Spring Green, as well as the Ho-Chunk Nation Police Department, the Wisconsin State Patrol, and Sauk County Sheriff's Office comprise the task force.
A Nissan Kicks traveling south on U.S. 29 on Thursday morning flipped over after striking a utility pole on the off-ramp to Rio Road, leaving at least one person seriously injured.

The victim was transported to University of Virginia Medical Center where the Albemarle County Police Department said they were being treated for their injuries.

Albemarle police said on Thursday they could not release any additional information on the driver of the flipped car.

An eyewitness at the scene said the car first struck her vehicle before switching lanes and striking the utility pole.

The intersection of U.S. 29 and Rio Road was the site of another collision earlier this year that left one man dead.

Harry Steven Allen, 53, of Charlottesville was struck and killed by a car on the evening of Jan. 13 after attempting to cross the highway where it intersects with Rio Road.

His death, and the death of another pedestrian within Charlottesville city limits earlier in the year, have raised concerns over transportation infrastructure in the area.
A contestant speaks at the first Chinese speech competition for Iranian college students in Tehran, Iran, Feb. 22, 2023.[Xinhua/Gao Wencheng]

TEHRAN, Feb. 23 (Xinhua)  With Chinese New Year ornaments like red lanterns, and Haft-Sin table, a tradition of Iranian New Year Nowruz, mixed to decorate the same podium, Iranian youngsters on Wednesday shared their thoughts on the similarities between Nowruz and Spring Festival.

Twelve contestants from three prestigious Iranian universities  University of Tehran (UT), Shahid Beheshti University (SBU), and Allameh Tabataba'i University (ATU)  attended the first Chinese speech competition for Iranian college students.

The speakers found many in common in the New Year cultures of the two different countries from diverse perspectives. In both countries, people will clean their houses before festivals and greet relatives and friends on the first days of the New Year. Every New Year, the elders will give the younger generation lucky money. Also, there must be fish on the New Year's table of the two countries.

Picture taken on Feb. 22, 2023 shows Haft-Sin table, a tradition of Iranian New Year Nowruz, set at the first Chinese speech competition for Iranian college students in Tehran, Iran. [Xinhua/Gao Wencheng]

Similarly, Iranians jump over fires at the end of the old year and the beginning of the new year, and the Chinese set off firecrackers, showing their joint hope for good fortune in the new year through the fire, they added.

"Both nations value reunion and family," Faeze Mirzabe, a UT student, noted, referring to the two countries' similar spiritual pursuit when celebrating the New Year.

Li Mei, the Chinese director of the UT Confucius Institute, who served as one of the judges of the competition, said the contestants carefully prepared both speech skills and speech content.

"Their speeches not only cover the resemblance in festive customs, but also the resemblance in value orientation, showing their deep understanding of Chinese culture," Li added.

Fu Lihua, charge d 'Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Iran, said at the award ceremony that cooperation starts with mutual understanding, and language plays the role of the carrier of culture and the key to mutual understanding.

Fu said she looks forward to more Iranian young students learning Chinese, understanding the real China through their eyes and hearts, and contributing to friendly exchanges between the two sides and the development of bilateral ties.

A contestant speaks at the first Chinese speech competition for Iranian college students in Tehran, Iran, Feb. 22, 2023.[Xinhua/Gao Wencheng]

Farhad Javanbakht Kheirabadi, a China scholar at SBU, which hosted the contest, said the competition focused on the cultural similarities between Iran and China and helped bolster public diplomacy.

The competition will not only motivate Chinese language majors in Iran, but also prepare for more such activities in the future and deepen cultural ties between the two countries, he said.

Arezoo Sheikhi, a player from ATU, won the first prize and hugged excitedly her family and friends after accepting her award.

"My major is the Chinese language because I want to work in the field of communication between these two countries in the future," Sheikhi said, adding that "I would like to go to China so that I can contribute to the long-standing relationship between these two countries."

Talking about the reason for Sheikhi's impressive performances, her teacher Sara Almasieh said the teachers usually introduce Chinese customs during important Chinese festivals and organize lectures on Chinese culture every year to guide students to think about the similarities between the two civilizations.

(Source: Xinhua)
Workers pack foodstuff for delivery at a logistic warehouse of a company in Wugong County of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 6, 2023. [Xinhua/Shao Rui]

XI'AN, Feb. 22 (Xinhua)  After working for 10 years at a food company in central China's Henan Province, some 500 km away from his hometown, 37-year-old Fu Rang found a new job near his home in the Lintong District of Xi'an City in northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

Fu's return to his hometown is attributable to the economic development of county-level regions in western China, which has created numerous local job opportunities.

It's common for migrant workers from the underdeveloped western parts of the country to work in the more developed regions along the coast.

In the current recruitment season, however, such workers have more alternatives to searching for jobs far away from their homes.

In recent years, several leading food and beverage companies have made investments in Sanyuan, located about 50 km from Lintong, creating many job opportunities in the agricultural county.

"My wife and I worked far from our hometown for years, and could only return during holidays. Now we can visit our family members every week as we live closer," said Fu, who now works at Baixiang Food Company in Sanyuan.

There's a growing tendency among migrant workers from the western parts of the country to seek employment opportunities closer to their homes, and this trend is reflected in China's official statistics.

In 2021, in the western parts of China, migrant workers working outside their home provinces accounted for 47.8 percent of total migrant workers in the region, while the figure stood at 52.2 percent in 2016, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed.

Being closer to their workplace not only shortens the distance between home and work for individuals but also contributes to their happiness. Every morning, after sending her children to school, 35-year-old Shen Weimei goes to work at a toy and gift factory in Xunyang County, the largest community factory in the area.

She is quite content with her job, earning over 4,000 yuan (about 582 U.S. dollars) a month while working eight hours a day.

"There were no decent enterprises in the past in Xunyang. My husband and I worked in east China's Suzhou City for over four years, and we could only stay at home for about ten days during the Spring Festival every year. Although our income now is lower than that in Suzhou, our family is reunited and the cost of living is lower, so we are happier," Shen said.

A similar situation can be observed in Wugong County, which was previously known as a labor export county in Shaanxi.

"We don't have to find a job far away from home, as our hometown offers many employment prospects," said Ma Qian, who hails from Zhenyuan Township in Wugong.

After working in the provincial capital Xi'an for some time, she decided to return to her hometown and has already secured a local job.

A significant number of our new employees this year are locals who have returned from big cities, said Li Weihua, an official with the Wugong County Industrial Park Management Committee.

New recruits try their hands on production lines of a textile company in Xunyang City of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 9, 2023. [Xinhua/Shao Rui]

Workers operate at a production line of an edible oil enterprise in Xiyang Township, Sanyuan County of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 10, 2023. [Xinhua/Shao Rui]

(Source: Xinhua)
Sometimes, what a legislator thinks is a bright idea for a new law just runs out of time at the Virginia General Assembly.

This year, it happened to Del. Les Adams, R-Pittsylvania, with a measure aimed at opening a way for the local teams that coordinate services for troubled children and youth to share highly sensitive information with police and school threat assessment teams. and another on sanctioning people for technical violations of probation.

It happened to Del. Keith Hodges, R-Middlesex, with a bill that would give state regulators a look-in when it takes more than a week for a pharmacy to fill a prescription.

And it came close for a bill from Del. Karrie Delaney, D-Fairfax, to expand the use of closed-circuit television for teenagers testifying in court. That was the last non-procedural matter at the end of a nine-hour day when Senate Minority Leader Tommy Norment, R-James City, moved to re-refer the measure to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

On Thursday, lawmakers rushed to meet a deadline to clear the decks for work on the budget and other bills in conference committees, which resolve differences between House and Senate versions of measures. All that remained on the legislative calendar Friday were bills in conference, resolutions to commend individuals and organizations, and memorial resolutions celebrating notable Virginians who have died.

Lawmakers had been scheduled to adjourn the legislative session on Saturday, but without a budget agreement they could be heading for overtime.

Delaney's bill had sailed through the House, 99-0, and the Senate committee, with support from Norment and state Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax. But between those votes and its arrival before the Senate on Thursday, Norment and Surovell had second thoughts.

Their concern was that the Bill of Rights guarantees accused people the right to confront their accusers, and the bill's language seemed out of step to them with U.S. Supreme Court opinions on when remote testimony can be used in criminal trials.

Senators - including state Sen. Janet Howell, D-Fairfax, who shared that abuse when she was young still traumatized her decades later - argued that the measure is needed to protect children and assure justice.

Finally, after a half-hour of lawmakers walking draft amendments around, and huddles of senators with different views on the issue, the Senate agreed on a wording change and passed the measure. Over the next half-hour, the Senate and the House completed the usual exchanges that send a bill to a conference committee.

Sometimes, the clock runs out because of someones memory.

Sen. Lionel Spruill Sr., D-Chesapeake, wanted the state to license mold inspectors and remediators; the Senate agreed 31-7, and so did the House General Laws Committee on a vote of 21-1.

But Del. Michael Webert, R-Fauquier, remembered something no one else did  a law he sponsored that requires a review by the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation before the General Assembly requires additional licensing.

So Webert moved Thursday to send the bill back to the General Laws Committee and, with two days to go before the scheduled end of the session and no committee meeting scheduled, the clock ran out on this bill.

And time ran out for another measure Webert asked to send back to committee.

Under this bill, disbarred attorneys seeking reinstatement could ask a three-judge panel to consider their case as an alternative to a disciplinary committee of the State Bar.

While the one legislator it could affect, state Sen. Joe Morrissey, D-Richmond, abstained, many legislators believe it was aimed at helping him. The measure's sponsor, Surovell, said no one approached him to introduce the bill.

Legislators meet for 60 days in even-numbered years in which they consider a new two-year state budget. They meet for 46 days in odd-numbered years in which they consider budget amendments, then adjourn and focus on legislative elections. This year, all 140 House and Senate seats are up in November.

With a ticking clock in an election-year short session, Adams', Hodges' and Delaney's bills all involved complex balancing acts.

The sheer volume of bills and resolutions, more than 2,800 this year, means some measures, like the bill on mold inspectors, do not run into problems until the very last moment.

Some more political issues swirled around a bill, sponsored by Del. Marie March, R-Floyd, that would state that life begins at conception and repeal Virginias abortion law. The House Rules Committee opted to deliberately run out the clock, leaving the bill in the panel without a vote.

The measure would have been a sure-fire feature on election mailers this year for Democrats eager to make abortion rights a centerpiece of their campaigns. It could have put Republicans on the spot no matter which way they voted.

Time is the key.

For Adams bill on troubled children and threat assessment teams, the one-vote margins on which it eked through a subcommittee and then the House Health, Welfare and Institutions Committee three weeks ago were early signs of the complications it raised.

Teams that bring together social services, school, juvenile justice and behavioral health specialists with family members to delve deep into what troubled children and the families need, deal with extremely personal and sensitive information, including psychiatric examinations, said Valerie LHerrou, an attorney with the Virginia Poverty Law Center who specializes in child welfare issues.

Adams proposed that if such teams find theres a risk a child will be violent or physically harm others, they be allowed to share that information with police or threat assessment teams.

This is super-dangerous, said state Sen. Monty Mason, D-Williamsburg, raising privacy considerations as Adams outlined his proposal.

Look at the professions out there [in the hearing room]. I think theyre saying it really scares the heck out of them, he said.

The Senate Rehabilitation and Social Services Committee recently spent most of an hour wrangling over the bill. It discussed rules that would keep police from sharing information with still others and pressed Adams about what actions police could take knowing the information. The panel finally added a line that police could use the information to secure a red flag order. The aim was to limit what police could do with the information and, with that, the committee passed the measure.

But members kept brooding about the measure.

Confidentiality is so important, Mason said  but his focus went beyond the issue of where police could share information they got from such teams, or even LHerrous concern about access to psychiatric exams.

Mason, because he had been able to sit in on some such meetings, knew that getting families to participate is often key  helping troubled children, sometimes in difficulties because of family issues, necessarily involves family members, and some of what the teams deal with are matters that are hard to confront.

We want families there, he said. Whats going to happen if you slap down a waiver and say your information could be shared with police? ... We just need more time to think everything through and find the right balance.

So when the bill came up for final passage, the committee chair, Sen. Barbara Favola, D-Arlington, asked the Senate to send it back to her committee for more work  even though, with just a few days to go before Saturday's scheduled adjournment, the committee was not scheduled to meet again.

Many bills set different interests in opposition: It happened, for instance, with Hodges bill on pharmacy regulation.

It started off requiring pharmacies that take more than two days to fill a prescription to report their backlog of unfilled prescriptions to the Board of Pharmacy. They also would have to submit a formal plan detailing staffing, workflow and technology they would deploy to bring down the backlog.

It also required pharmacies that process prescriptions in a remote or centralized manner  that is, mail order pharmacies - to register their technicians with the board.

Hodges, who had run community pharmacies in the Middle Peninsula, has long tried to rein in the big mail order operations and the pharmacy benefit managers that insurers use to control prices and access to medication.

His latest effort brought out legislative heavy hitters and, while it made it out of the House with almost unanimous support, it ran into trouble in a Senate Education and Health subcommittee.

Hodges offered a substitute when the measure came before the full committee. He walked back the bills provisions, with a proposal that the pharmacy board promulgate regulations for central-fill operations and the technicians they employ, as well as setting up a study group to review issues with processing delays.

The committee approved it 11-3, with one abstention.

The idea was to send a radically different bill back to the House and send the matter into a conference committee to see if negotiators from both chambers could agree on an approach.

But lobbying continued that Friday and over a weekend. The following Monday, Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, chair of the Senate Education and Health Committee, asked the Senate to send it back to her committee.

We did not have time to really look at Hodges substitute, she said.

To persuade her fellow senators to stop the clock on Hodges effort, as they did, Lucas cited a decades-old catchphrase that members of the General Assembly use in brokering deals between competing special interests.

There is no peace in the valley, she said.
Weather Alert

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 144 IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 AM CDT SUNDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS IN ILLINOIS THIS WATCH INCLUDES 12 COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS EDWARDS IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS GALLATIN HAMILTON HARDIN JOHNSON MASSAC POPE PULASKI SALINE WABASH WHITE WILLIAMSON IN INDIANA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 3 COUNTIES IN SOUTHWEST INDIANA POSEY IN SOUTHWEST INDIANA GIBSON VANDERBURGH IN KENTUCKY THIS WATCH INCLUDES 16 COUNTIES IN WESTERN KENTUCKY BALLARD CALDWELL CALLOWAY CARLISLE CRITTENDEN FULTON GRAVES HENDERSON HICKMAN LIVINGSTON LYON MARSHALL MCCRACKEN TRIGG UNION WEBSTER THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF ALBION, BARDWELL, BENTON, CADIZ, CARMI, CLINTON, DIXON, EDDYVILLE, ELIZABETHTOWN, EVANSVILLE, FORT BRANCH, GOLCONDA, GRAYVILLE, HARRISBURG, HENDERSON, HERRIN, HICKMAN, MARION, MAYFIELD, MCLEANSBORO, METROPOLIS, MORGANFIELD, MOUND CITY, MOUNT CARMEL, MURRAY, PADUCAH, POSEYVILLE, PRINCETON, SHAWNEETOWN, SMITHLAND, VIENNA, WEST SALEM, AND WICKLIFFE.
Man wants to make Qipao dress for his wife, masters techniques to become inheritor

People's Daily Online) 15:23, February 24, 2023

Jin Yi, a man from Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, who used to be a civil engineer, has became a Qipao craftsman as he initially wanted to make a Qipao dress for his wife and then began devoting himself to carrying forward the Qipao culture.

Jin Yi (left) and an experienced dressmaker learn details about a Qipao dress. (yangtse.com/courtesy of the interviewee)

Jin started learning how to make Qipao dresses in 2006, as he wanted to make it more convenient for his girlfriend (now his wife), who is a Pingtan artist, to get a suitable Qipao dress to wear when she performs on stage. Pingtan is a combination of storytelling and ballad singing in the Suzhou dialect.

The woman previously had to go to other places to buy tailor-made Qipao dresses.

Jin had visited many townships in Suzhou to look for couturiers who could make Qipao dresses through the use of traditional techniques. However, he found that even some elderly dressmakers didn't know traditional skills.

Photo shows a knotted button on a Qipao dress. (yangtse.com/courtesy of the interviewee)

In 2007, Jin began collecting antique Qipao dresses hoping to learn more about the crafts from details on the dresses. Most of his collections have a history of between 74 and 111 years.

"In 2007, the Qipao culture was not as popular as it is today and an average antique Qipao dress costs about several hundred yuan," Jin said.

While collecting antique Qipao dresses, Jin also kept looking for experienced Qipao dressmakers. Eventually, he found one who made traditional clothing. The two had taken apart a number of antique Qipao dresses to be able to learn the craft through details, including the fabrics, binding, and knotted buttons.

Photo shows Jin Yi and a traditional Qipao dress he made. (yangtse.com/courtesy of the interviewee)

Jin said it takes less than a day to make a Qipao dress with a sewing machine. However, it takes two days for a dressmakers to finish the same by using traditional crafts.

"In the past, dressmakers didn't start to make knotted buttons with cords after the latter were ready, but used an iron plate to press the cords for one night and then sewed the cords into knotted buttons. Knotted buttons made in this way were believed to be sturdier," Jin introduced.

After mastering the traditional crafts, Jin started to make Qipao dresses himself. The first Qipao dress Jin made for his wife was a light-colored one with patterns of small black flowers on it.

Photo shows a Qipao dress made of silver thread. Jin spent 90,000 yuan for it. (yangtse.com/courtesy of the interviewee)

For over 10 years, Jin collected 630 antique Qipao dresses, including one in which he spent 90,000 yuan ($13,077). The fabric of the Qipao dress is made of silver thread and the owner of the dress was a celebrity in Shanghai.

Jin said he has used Yun brocade, silk fabrics and Song brocade, which are intangible cultural heritage items in Suzhou, as fabrics for Qipao dresses, hoping to breathe new life into the dresses.

The Qipao making craft mastered by Jin has been listed as an intangible cultural heritage item in Suzhou.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Authorities have found the last body that was missing after a vehicle was swept away in December at a Rockfish River crossing in Nelson County.

Virginia State Police did not release the persons name Friday. The body, recovered around 9:50 a.m. Friday, will be transported to the medical examiners office for autopsy, examination and positive identification.

VSP said its search and recovery team divers have returned to the Rockfish River every week to search for the missing people since the December incident. The recovery Friday concludes the divers search efforts.

At 11:41 a.m. Dec. 27, Virginia State Police were alerted to a submerged vehicle in the river near the intersection of Bridgeport Lane and Johnson Hollow in Schuyler.

It appears a 1997 Toyota 4Runner tried to cross the flooded river at a crossing on private property on Bridgeport Lane and was swept away by the strong current, police have said.

Bodies previously recovered were those of Pharoah M. Shabazz, 30, of Arrington; Myson Sylvestre, 18, of Arrington, a 12th-grade student at Amherst County High School; Christopher W. Doss, 17, of Arrington, an 11th-grade student at Amherst County High School; and Jasiah Davis, 11, of Arrington, a sixth-grader at Amherst Middle School.

None of the individuals were related. Police have said Shabazz was the court-appointed legal guardian of three of the passengers, while the fourth passenger was a friend.
Are you a student at a Canadian university? Help defeat the attempts to censor anti-war actions on university campuses by contacting the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) and joining its struggle to build an international anti-war movement led by the working class. Email iyssecanada@gmail.com and register today for the IYSSEs online meeting this Saturday at 1pm Eastern timeThe war in Ukraine and how to stop it: an online discussion of socialist anti-war strategy.

***

Canadas state-owned national broadcaster is trumpeting a foul right-wing smear campaign aimed at silencing any voices critical of the US-NATO instigated war with Russia over Ukrainea war in which Canadian imperialism is playing an extremely belligerent and provocative role.

The witch-hunt is being spearheaded by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC). The UCC has extensive ties going back decades with the Canadian state and, with Ottawas help, whitewashed the role that Ukrainian nationalists played as Nazi collaborators during World War II. It has long promoted a far-right, virulently anti-communist and anti-Russian form of Ukrainian nationalism.

The CBC campaign was initiated with a Feb. 3 report Anti-Ukrainian vandalism, harassment rising at Canadian Universities, which provided no evidence whatsoever to justify its lurid headline. Based on statements from the far-right UCC, the article portrayed any opponents of the US-led imperialist war against Russia as violent pro-Russian racists.

UCC senior policy advisor Orest Zakydalsky claimed that Ukrainians have seen rising physical attacks and violence, without substantiating a single violent incident. The UCC called on the Canadian government to create a McCarthyite task force to investigate these attacksthat is to smear, intimidate and silence anyone who exposes the predatory war aims of Canadian imperialism and its NATO allies or the fascist politics of their Ukrainian nationalist proxies.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland posing with fascist banner [Photo: SputnikNews/WyattReed]

If the UCC feels so emboldened as to demand state censorship of anti-war voices on university campuses this is due above all to its decades-long intimate ties to the Canadian state. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, the granddaughter of a Ukrainian fascist and Nazi collaborator, has enjoyed close ties with the UCC since childhood. She embodies the alliance between Ukrainian far-right nationalism and Canadian imperialism. Taras Zalusky, who was CEO and executive director of the UCC from 2010 until 2016, was recently appointed as Defence Minister Anita Anands chief of staff at the initiative of the Prime Ministers Office.

The UCC seized upon a January 26 meeting organized by the Ottawa Peace Council at Ottawas Carleton University to initiate its campaign to smear and censor anti-war actions and agitation. Entitled The War in Ukraine: What is the Path to Peace?, the event featured activist and prominent independent journalist Yves Engler and former Green Party leadership candidate and self-avowed eco-socialist Dimitri Lascaris. The meetings participants made certain correct criticisms of the provocative role of the Western powers in instigating the war, but wound up with a pathetic appeal to the Canadian government to reconsider its support for the war against Russia and broker peace talks.

In a separate incident at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, the Ukrainian Students Society succeeded in triggering a university investigation into the Young Communist League, after the youth movement of the Stalinist Communist Party criticized a banner bearing the fascist slogan Slava ukraini! This slogan was popularized by Stepan Banderas Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, which collaborated with the Nazis during World War II and bore responsibility for the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Jews and Poles. The university stated of the YCLs criticism, This behaviour is notand will not betolerated 

The UCC encouraged its Ukrainian Students affiliate at Carleton to attempt to stop the Jan. 26 meeting ever taking place. Appealing to Campus Security and the Department of Equity and Inclusive Communities, Ukrainian Students members complained that the appropriate forms had not been submitted. They also brazenly smeared Engler, making the absurd but deeply sinister accusation that he could initiate harassment or violence towards students at the event. Campus Security promised us that constables would be placed at the doors to ensure the event was stopped before it began, the student club later claimed. However, Carleton University administration, citing the importance of free speech, intervened and the meeting went ahead.

After the meeting, the UCC students deliberately misrepresented everything the speakers actually said. The student club accused the panelists of promoting hate and serving as a mouthpiece for Russian propaganda. The CBC uncritically parroted these allegations, which were circulated in an open letter on Facebook.

The group accused the Peace Alliance of spreading Russian propaganda and disinformation, adding without any proof whatsoever that they appear to be funded by Russian interests.

The letter accuses Engler of promoting disinformation merely because of his past appearances on RT, the Kremlin-sponsored broadcaster which was banned by the CRTC at the wars outset. Ukrainian Students failed to cite a single statement by Engler.

Further, the group attempted to link the speakers appeal for peace talks with support for the Russian state and violent hate of Ukrainians. It published two photos of crude pro-Russia graffiti, with the words Rossiya and the capital letter Z scrawled in pen on a wall, implying that this was the work of anti-war organizers.

There is absolutely no evidence linking this graffiti to any participants in the meeting, let alone its organizers. The pathetic doodles are far more likely to be a provocation by the right-wing UCC members themselves. Ottawa Police investigated their allegations and found no evidence to support them.

Declaring that the speakers had encouraged genocide against the Ukrainian people  another filthy liethe group continued that the lack of security within the room and the parking lot following the event led to students feeling incredibly unsafe in vocalizing their opinions and in walking home.

World Socialist Web Site reporters attended the January 26 event online. The only intimidation and harassment during the meeting came from Ukrainian nationalist students, who attempted to shout down the speakers.

Engler gave a factual account of NATOs eastward expansion towards Russias borders following the Stalinist bureaucracys dissolution of the Soviet Union, and Washington and Ottawas use of fascist forces to spearhead the 2014 Maidan coup that overthrew the countrys elected pro-Russian president. Lascaris, for his part, cited his familys experience on the divided island of Cyprus to denounce the role of American imperialism in the region. Englers main appeal was for the Canadian ruling class to reconsider its policy: If you look at the context, in which Canada has been an active participant in intervening in Ukrainian affairs this is all important to end this war and push for negotiations.

This political disorientation flows from the politics of the Canadian Peace Alliance, in which leaders of the Stalinist Communist Party (CPC) of Canada have for decades rubbed shoulders with Christian and other pacifists. The January 26 meeting was chaired by Miguel Figueroa, who headed the Stalinist CPC for over two decades. Its perspective of pressuring the ruling class is a rehash of the Stalinists Cold War-era campaign for peaceful co-existence between the USSR and imperialism and for Canadian capitalism to adopt a so-called independent foreign policy. As they dissolved the Soviet Union and transformed themselves into a new capitalist class, leading Stalinist bureaucrats imagined they could reintegrate Russia peacefully into the imperialist-dominated world economy on the basis of restored capitalist social relations. The imperialists systematic encirclement of Russia and instigation of the current war and Putins reactionary responsebased on war and Great Russian chauvinismunderscored how disastrously misguided they were.

The fact that the CBC is championing calls for censoring such timid proposals for peace talks as those advanced at the January 26 meeting shows how terrified Canadas ruling elite is of the potential emergence of a mass anti-war movement in the working class. They recognize millions of workers across the country are struggling to make ends meet as prices skyrocket, and public services and wages are cut to the bone to fund the billions of dollars required to wage war on Russia. They correctly fear that open political discussion of the wars origins, as well as the bloody records of Canada and the other imperialist powers and their far-right Ukrainian proxies, will encourage students and young people to take up a struggle against the war and the capitalist profit system that has given rise to it.

From October 18, 1949 Winnipeg Free Press, page 1. Two articles report how hundreds of Ukrainian Nazi collaborators attacked a public meeting at Winnipegs Ukrainian Labour Temple with broken glass, rocks and iron bars, while the police stood by. [Photo: Winnipeg Free Press archive.]

The Liberal government has given no indication whether it will take up the UCCs proposal for a task force to vet and censor events on campuses. But the Canadian state has a long history of collaborating with far-right Ukrainian nationalists to target left-wing opposition in the working class. As the WSWS exposed in the series Canadian imperialisms fascist friends, the UCC was itself created by the Canadian government in 1941 in order to support Canadian imperialisms aims in World War II. After the war, the Canadian state used newly-arrived fascist collaborators from the Waffen SS Galizien Division, the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists and Banderas Ukrainian Insurgent Army as instruments of its Cold War foreign and domestic policies. Backed by the Canadian state, these far-right forces were used to violently break up workers meetings and picket lines, and shift the politics of the Ukrainian diaspora, hitherto largely associated with socialism, far to the right.

The UCC today is led by the political and familial descendants of those fascist collaborators. The Carleton Ukrainian club is affiliated to SUSK or C oo  , the Ukrainian Canadian Students Union founded in 1953 as a political training camp for UCC student activists. Their filthy smear campaign against the Canadian Peace Alliance stands firmly in the UCCs tradition. All students and workers must demand an immediate halt to such intimidation and defend the right of students and young people to organize public events in opposition to the Ukraine war and imperialism without fear of retaliation or political smear campaigns.

The growing political influence of the UCC within the Canadian state arises from the confluence of its fascist politics with the imperialist war against Russia, which is the ruling elites attempt to resolve the escalating crisis of world capitalism through military conquest. NATOs war in Ukraine, as the ever-escalating campaign painting China as an imminent threat underlines, is merely the opening shot in a Third World War for the imperialist redivision of the world.

The same objective conditions driving the ruling elite to war are propelling millions of workers around the world into struggle against it. The International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) fights to arm young people with the socialist and internationalist perspective that is necessary to build a mass anti-war movement in the working class to put a stop to the imperialist war.

In a statement ahead of a global anti-war rally held December 10, 2022, the IYSSE wrote: Just as it was the Russian Revolution, the greatest intervention of the working class in world history, that brought an end to the first global carnage of World War I, it will be the intervention of the international working class that will today stop the escalation toward World War III.
The following are remarks given by World Socialist Web Site International Editorial Board Chairman David North to an online meeting celebrating the fifth anniversary of the founding of the Young Guard of Bolshevik-Leninists (YGBL), a Trotskyist organization in Russia and the former Soviet Union that has declared its political support for the International Committee of the Fourth International.

***

Dear Comrades,

Permit me to extend to you the revolutionary greetings of the International Committee of the Fourth International and its sections throughout the world on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the founding of the Young Guard of Bolshevik-Leninists.

This milestone is worthy of celebration. The history of the YGBL records the progress of the organization toward Trotskyism, which during the last year has culminated in the establishment of comradely relations and close political collaboration with the International Committee. As is to be expected, the path of the YGBL toward genuine revolutionary Marxism has been complex and contradictory. Hegel, in the Preface with which he began his monumental Phenomenology of Spirit, belittled the pragmatic conception that there existed a problem-free royal road to scientific truth. His criticism of vulgar thought, which contents itself with the superficial and commonplace, may be applied to the sphere of politics. A Marxist partywhose aim is the education of the working class and its organization as a political force capable of overthrowing the capitalist system and replacing it with socialism on a world scaledevelops through the systematic working out and clarification of the historical problems of an entire epoch.

The International Committee of the Fourth International recognizes the enormous significance of the emergence of the Trotskyist movement in Russia. Given the origins of the Trotskyist movement, what was known as the Russian Questionthat is, the foundational issues of history and program raised by the struggle against the Stalinist perversion of Marxism and betrayal of the October Revolutionnecessarily played a central role in the history of the Fourth International.

Leon Trotsky, founder of the Fourth International

In one or another form, conflicts within the Fourth International invariably raised issues relating to the class nature of the Soviet state, the historical role of Stalinism, and the fate of the Soviet Union and its relationship to the World Socialist Revolution. The first major struggle within the Fourth International in 193940 was provoked by the emergence of a faction, led by Max Shachtman and James Burnham, which rejected the defense of the Soviet Union, even in a war with Hitlers Germany. It argued that the designation of the USSR as a degenerated workers state was no longer valid, and that the Soviet Union represented a new form of exploitative state capitalist society unforeseen by the Marxists.

The theoretical and political essence of this theory, as its elaboration in the years that followed made clear, was that the entire historical perspective of socialism, based on the revolutionary role of the working class, was false. Virtually all those who advanced this demoralized perspectivefirst and foremost, Shachtman and Burnhamsoon deserted to the camp of imperialist counterrevolution.

The next major form of anti-Marxist and anti-Trotskyist revision was advanced by Michel Pablo and Ernest Mandel. Between 1951 and 1953, they argued with ever greater insistence that Stalinism, contrary to the analysis advanced by Trotsky in Revolution Betrayed and the program of the Fourth International, would still play a revolutionary role. Pablo and Mandel went so far as to argue that revolutions led by the Stalinist parties would result in the creation of deformed workers states that would last for centuries!

Though the theory of Pablo and Mandel seemed to be the polar opposite of that of Shachtman and Burnham, both conceptions attributed to the Stalinist bureaucracy and its network of political parties a decisive historical role. The Shachtmanites transformed the Stalinist bureaucracy into a new form of class society. The Pabloites glorified the bureaucracy as the decisive revolutionary force that would overthrow capitalism. Both revisionist tendencies rejected the revolutionary potential of the working class and its unique historical role.

The International Committee of the Fourth International, whose founding was initiated by the Open Letter written by Socialist Workers Party leader James P. Cannon in November 1953, exposed the Pabloite revisions of Marxism and upheld the Trotskyist analysis of Stalinism, the revolutionary role of the working class, and the decisive significance of the Fourth International in the struggle for the development of socialist consciousness in the working class and resolution of the crisis of revolutionary leadership.

James P. Cannon

In this historic document, written almost exactly 70 years ago, Cannon insisted that the main obstacle to the victory of the World Socialist Revolution was Stalinism,

which attracts workers through exploiting the prestige of the October 1917 Revolution in Russia, only later, as it betrays their confidence, to hurl them either into the arms of Social Democracy, into apathy, or back into illusions in capitalism. The penalty for these betrayals is paid by the working people in the form of consolidation of fascist or monarchist forces, and new outbreaks of war fostered and prepared by capitalism. From its inception, the Fourth International set as one of its major tasks the revolutionary overthrow of Stalinism inside and outside the USSR.

In the decades that followed, this analysis of the counterrevolutionary role of Stalinism was upheld by the International Committee against the Kremlin bureaucracy and the innumerable apologists for real existing socialism, which included the Pabloites, who did all in their power to prop up the prestige of the bureaucracy and divert the struggle against it.

Even within the International Committee, there was from the mid-1970s and into the early 1980s an increasing adaptation on the part of the leadership of the Workers Revolutionary Party to Stalinism. This political retreat evoked opposition and played a major role in provoking and intensifying the conflict that led to the split in 1985-86. It is hardly an accident that the political conflict between the Workers League (the forerunner of the Socialist Equality Party in the United States) and the WRP emerged into the open between 1982 and 1985, the very years during which the Soviet bureaucracy entered into its final crisis as it shifted decisively, with the accession of Gorbachev, toward a policy that would precipitate the dissolution of the USSR and the restoration of capitalism.

In the immediate aftermath of the split, the three principal leaders of the Workers Revolutionary Party repudiated Trotskyism. The WRPs general secretary, Michael Banda, denounced Trotsky and declared himself a fervent admirer of Stalin. Gerry Healy, who had broken with the British Communist Party in 1937 in response to the Moscow Trials and had been one of the original signers of the Open Letter in 1953, embraced the policies of Gorbachev as the beginning of the Political Revolution in the USSR. As for Cliff Slaughter, his faction rapidly evolved into anti-communist enemies of the October Revolution and supporters of imperialism.

The International Committee, having decisively defeated these renegade factions, upheld and developed the program and principles of the Fourth International. It is a matter of historical record that the ICFI, between the years 1986 and 1991, exposed and denounced the fools gold of Gorbachevs perestroika, and repeatedly warned that it would lead to the dissolution of the USSR and restoration of capitalism.

During these critical years, the ICFI did everything in its power to alert the Soviet workers and sections of the intelligentsia who continued to profess support for socialism and the heritage of the October Revolution. I visited the Soviet Union in 1989 and 1991 and had the opportunity to speak with substantial numbers of workers, students and intellectuals. In these discussions it became clear that the resistance to the reactionary Stalinist policy of capitalist restoration had been undermined by the almost complete absence of knowledge of the history of the October Revolution and its aftermath. More than 60 years of the systematic falsification of Soviet history by the Stalinist regime had created an environment of political disorientation, which was exploited by the supporters of Gorbachev and Yeltsin to advance their claims that the October Revolution was a catastrophic error and that socialism was to be viewed as either a criminal enterprise or a utopian illusion.

The essential falsification upon which these denunciations of the October Revolution and socialism was based was the denial that there had existed any alternative to the policies pursued by the regime in the aftermath of the Revolution. The path from 1917 to 1991 was an inevitable and non-stop drive to catastrophe. Stalinism was not an aberration, a perversion and betrayal of October 1917, but its inevitable and necessary outcome.

The International Committee of the Fourth International recognized that the refutation of this false narrative was a critical task for the revival of Marxism not only in the former USSR, but throughout the world.

Exactly 30 years ago this month, in February 1993, I met the historian and sociologist Vadim Rogovin for the first time in Kiev. He had been reading the Bulletin of the Fourth International, published by the International Committee, for several years. Finally, Rogovin was able to establish contact with the ICFI, and we arranged to meet in Kiev, where I was to give lectures on the history of the International Committee. During several days of discussion, we agreed on all essential questions of history. Above all, we agreed that the greatest task of the International Committee, upon which the realization of its program depended, was the clarification of the history of the October Revolution and its aftermath. This required, above all, the refutation of all the lies directed by the bureaucracy since 1923 against Lev Davidovich Trotsky and the Left Opposition. It had to be demonstrated that Trotsky and the Left Opposition had advanced and fought for a program that represented a revolutionary socialist and internationalist alternative to Stalinism.

Vadim Rogovin in January 1998. [Photo: David North/WSWS]

In the aftermath of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, historians in Russia and the West had sought to preempt a revival of interest in Trotsky and Trotskyism by not only repeating the old lies of the Stalinist regime, but also by inventing new ones. It would be necessary to refute all the lies, both old and new. And so, in Kiev, Comrade Rogovin agreed that he would devote all his intellectual energies to fighting alongside the International Committee of the Fourth International in a worldwide campaign against the Post-Soviet School of Historical Falsification.

In the five years that followed, Comrade Vadim, despite the fatal illness that was first diagnosed in 1994 and which claimed his life in September 1998, lectured throughout the world at meetings organized by the International Committee and wrote his epochal seven-volume work on the struggle of the Left Opposition and the Fourth International against Stalinism. He decisively answered the question, Was there an alternative to Stalinism?

As you mark the fifth anniversary of the founding of the Young Guard of Bolshevik-Leninists, it is important that its cadre not only pay tribute to the memory of this great Trotskyist and revolutionary historian, but also recognize that the fight for historical truth remains the most critical task in the building of the Fourth International in Russia and throughout the former USSR.

The contemporary fight against the Post-Soviet School of Historical Falsification now develops under conditions of a war that is exposing the disastrous consequences of the dissolution of the USSR and the restoration of capitalism. It must be noted that political contact between the YGBL and the International Committee began in January 2022, on the very eve of the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. The extensive correspondence between the ICFI and Comrades Ritsky and Roerich began under the shadow of the approaching war and has continued throughout the year of this escalating conflict.

Great events test political tendencies, and the response of the comrades of the YGBL in both Russia and Ukraineopposing NATO imperialism and Russian national chauvinismtestifies to your commitment to the foundational principles of Trotskyist internationalism. Your intransigent stand against the reckless and desperate policies of the Putin regime has been vindicated by events. Putins speech of February 21 on the war is a pathetic self-exposure of not only his political miscalculations but also the bankruptcy of the historical perspective of his regime.

Employing the language of a disappointed and rejected lover, Putin now complains that his efforts to woo the imperialists have failed. He has been cruelly betrayed by his Western partners. They did not share his desire for peace. Putin complained:

The promises of the Western rulers, their assurances of a desire for peace in Donbass turned out, as we now see, into a forgery, a cruel lie. They simply dragged out the clock, engaged in a lot of pussyfooting, turned a blind eye to the political murders, the Kiev regime's repression of the unwanted, the bullying of believers, and increasingly encouraged Ukrainian neo-Nazis to commit terrorist acts in Donbass. The officers of nationalist battalions were trained in Western academies and colleges, and weapons were supplied.

With a patience that rivals even that of Tolstoys Alexei Karenin, the deceived husband of Anna, Putin gave his beloved Western partners every benefit of the doubt. But he was betrayed.

It turns out that all the time when Donbass was burning, when blood was shed, when Russia sincerelyI want to stress thissincerely sought a peaceful solution, they were playing on peoples lives, playing, in fact, as they say in well-known circles, with split cards. This disgusting method of deception has been tried many times before. They behaved in the same unscrupulous, duplicitous way when they destroyed Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya, Syria. They will never be able to wash themselves of this shame. The concepts of honor, trust, decency are not for them.

And, in a final lament, Putin announces his shocking discovery:

During the long centuries of colonialism, dictatorship, hegemony, they got used to being allowed everything, got used to not giving a damn about the whole world. It turns out that they treat the people of their own countries with the same disdain and dignitythey have also cynically deceived them with fables about seeking peace, about adherence to UN Security Council resolutions on Donbass. Indeed, Western elites have become a symbol of total unprincipled lies.

The imperialists acted as imperialists. What a shocking surprise! Putin might have spared himself the trauma of this revelation had he studied the writings of Lenin and Trotsky on the subject of imperialism. But, as he made clear in his speech, he draws his inspiration not from the brilliant Marxist leaders of the October Revolution, but from the architect of the Tsarist counterrevolution, Pyotr Stolypin. But the perspective of the ill-fated Tsarist prime minister will prove no more effective in combating the forces of revolution in the 21st century than it was in resisting the approach of revolution more than 100 years earlier.

The work of the Young Guard of Bolshevik-Leninists is of the greatest historical significance. In carrying forward the task of building a section of the International Committee of the Fourth International, you are resolving in theory and practice the historic Russian question.

Your comrade,

David North
A massive high-impact winter storm stretched across the entire US on Wednesday and Thursday, putting 75 million people under severe weather alerts and knocking electrical power out for more than 1 million.

Iced over power lines and tree in Windsor, Ontario, Wednesday night, south of Detroit, Michigan [Photo: WSWS]

Ethan Quillen, a 28-year-old volunteer firefighter and lieutenant with the fire department of Paw Paw, Michigan, died after he came into contact with a high voltage power line while responding to a downed tree in Almena Township.

The National Weather Service (NWS) warned that the sprawling storm will impact every region of the 48 states in the continental US with snow, ice, rain, severe thunderstorms and extreme temperatures.

The winter storm is so large that the NWS issued a blizzard warning for Southern California for the first time in 34 years that will last through Saturday. Meanwhile, for the first time ever, the NWS office in San Diego issued a blizzard warning for the San Bernardino County mountains saying, Travel will be very difficult to impossible due to the extremely heavy snow and extremely high winds expected, in a Twitter post.

The NWS website short-range forecast said, While heavy snow and strong winds will tend to dominate the headlines for this winter storm, one other major concern will be the threat of heavy rainfall and flooding for some of the immediate coastal ranges of Southern California below the snow level.

Meanwhile, new record high temperatures for February were being set or approached in the Southeastern US and as far north as Ohio as the mercury hit the 80s Fahrenheit. Scientists have made it clear that the two weather events this week and the increasing frequency of such extreme events is being driven by the emission of industrial green house gasses.

Whenever we get these events, we should always be thinking theres the possibility or likelihood that human-induced climate change is increasing the likelihood of strange weather, Richard Seager, climate researcher at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, told CNN. The more it goes on, the more they can bring such tremendous damage.

More than 24 million people in two dozen states were under severe winter weather warnings while another 49 million faced wind chill and frost advisories. Hundreds of schools, businesses and government offices were closed on Wednesday and Thursday across the northern US.

Nearly 1 million people were without electrical power on Thursday in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and New York. According to Poweroutage.us, more than 822,000 of those without power were in Michigan, where a heavy layer of ice accumulated on trees and power lines, combined with wind gusts between 30 and 40 miles per hour, taking down power infrastructure in the southern half of the states lower peninsula from Grand Rapids to Detroit.

Power outages and downed trees also struck southwestern Ontario in Canada, with ice coating a stretch from Windsor to Niagara Falls.

In Buffalo, New York, officials warned of power outages impacting residential areas and rendering street lights inoperable. More than 17,000 power outages were reported across the state of New York of Thursday evening.

As of this writing, FlightAware.com reported 2,134 cancelled flights and 16,942 flight delays for Thursday alone. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was hit by 13 inches of snowfall since Tuesday, and most of the state of Minnesota had a foot of snow by Thursday afternoon. Flight cancellations were concentrated in Boston, Detroit, Milwaukee, Portland, Oregon and Toronto, Ontario, in Canada.

The loss of electricity for hundreds of thousands in Michigana regular occurrence in the tenth most populous state in the country every time there is a storm of any kindin the middle of winter is devastating for the states working class population.

The Detroit-based corporate media is focusing exclusively on the public relations campaigns mounted by the two energy companies responsible, DTE Energy and Consumers Energy, claiming that power will be restored for 95 percent of those without electricity by Sunday.

However, the anger and frustration of the public is finding expression on social media platforms with responses from members of the public denouncing the energy monopolies for repeated power outages and the excuses being provided by the highly profitable corporations.

Responding to a tweet from DTE Energy telling the public, dont go outside today, one resident said, Its almost colder inside than it is outside. Not sure how much longer Im gonna last in here. Another Twitter user wrote, Worst update ever how about when power will be back on. Its going to be 17 degrees tonight! @DTE_Energy should be ashamed of themselves.

On the same day that more than half a million of their customers were without power, DTE Energy had no problem publishing a press release announcing strong financial results of $1.1 billion in earnings for 2022 or $5.52 per diluted share for its investors.

Apparently not noticing the contradiction between his words and the present reality facing the public, DTE Energy Chairman, President and CEO Jerry Norcia said, We are well-positioned to continue building a brighter future for our customers, communities and our employees in 2023.

A report from WoodTV in Grand Rapids said that Paw Paw volunteer fireman Lt. Ethan Quillen and his crew were called to the 42000 block of 30th Street near 42nd Avenue in Almena Township around 5:45 p.m. Wednesday on a report of a tree that fell onto a power line.

Fire Chief Jim DeGroff said, The original power line was handled. A tree broke further down on the line and brought a more high voltage line down and when it happened, it snaked and there was no way to get away from it. Nothing that any human did or he did was wrong.

Chief DeGroff described Quillen, saying, He was a great guy. Father, husband, volunteered his time here for free, gave his life for free. Just the best.
Denial, concealment and character assassinationthese are the reactions of the German media, politicians and judiciary to revelations by award-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh that the US government is responsible for the destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines. Hersh published research on February 8 this year that meticulously describes how the attack on the gas pipeline was planned, prepared and executed.

Pipes for Nord Stream 2 [Photo by Gerd Fahrenhorst / wikimedia / CC BY 4.0

According to the report, two months before the Ukraine war began, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan had formed a task force of military, CIA and government officials that met in an office building near the White House and drew up plans to destroy the pipeline.

Then, in June 2022, US Navy specialist divers attached two explosive charges to each of the pipelines four tubes. The operation took place as part of NATOs BALTOPS manoeuvres so that the divers deployment would not attract attention. Logistically, the US divers were supported by Norway. After some initial hesitation, the bombs were then remotely detonated using sonar on September 26 by White House order. Two failed, so one of the four tubes remained intact.

One might have expected Hershs revelations to dominate the headlines and be followed up by other German media outlets that have the means to do so, such as Der Spiegel or Suddeutsche Zeitung. After all, this was the largest act of terrorism against an object of European infrastructure in decades andif Hershs research is correctan act of war by Washington against its NATO partners.

Nord Stream connects Russia directly to Germany andeven if the pipeline was not in operation at the time of the explosion because of the Ukraine warcould have supplied Western Europe with cheap gas from Russia for decades to come. Half the construction costs of Nord Stream 1 and 2, amounting to around 20 billion euros, had been borne by Western European energy companies, which also owned half of Nord Stream 1.

But nothing of the sort happened. Most German media devoted only a brief note to Hershs research. They uncritically repeated US government denials and focused on destroying Hershs reputation. Pulitzer Prize winner on the wrong track (taz), The dark side of a star reporter (Suddeutsche) and Star reporter with dubious reputation (t-online) were typical headlines. The only exception was the Berliner Zeitung, which published an extensive interview with Hersh on February 14, in which he discussed further details and answered objections.

The judiciary and the governments of Germany, Denmark and Sweden, in whose territorial waters the attack took place, are also stonewalling. Although five months have now passed since the attack and the crime scene has been thoroughly investigated, they have remained silent. For reasons of confidentiality, Sweden and Denmark have withdrawn from the joint investigation team with Germany that was originally supposed to conduct the investigation together. Since then, each country has been investigatingand covering upon its own.

Journalistic and parliamentary inquiries have been shot down. For example, just three weeks after the attack, the Ministry of Economics responded to a written question from Left Party parliamentarian Sahra Wagenknecht, saying it had, after careful consideration, come to the conclusion that further information cannot be providednot even in classified formfor reasons of state welfare.

In justification, the ministry, headed by Green Robert Habeck, cited the third party rule for international cooperation between intelligence services, with its strict secrecy requirements: The requested information thus affects secrecy interests that require protection in such a way that the welfare of the state outweighs the parliamentary right to information, and the right of members of parliament to ask questions must exceptionally take a back seat to the secrecy interests of the federal government.

The government also refused to answer the question, which NATO ships and troop units were in the region. An answer would involve the disclosure of information that particularly affects the welfare of the state, the Foreign Ministry wrote. Even the slight risk of it becoming known could not be tolerated.

In other words, the German government knew that the US had carried out the attack but denied it for political reasons.

President Joe Biden had even publicly announced corresponding plans two weeks before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. If Russia invades, there will be no more Nord Stream 2, we will put an end to the project, he threatened at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. And when asked how this would be possible if Germany controlled the pipeline, he replied, I promise we will be able to do it. By that time, the elaborate plans to blow up the pipeline were already in place.

One of the main accusations against Hersh was that he relied on a single source in the US security apparatus whose identity he is keeping secret for security reasons, whereas journalistic due diligence requires at least two sources. In fact, one of Hershs primary sources is the presidents threat and Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, who made similar comments. After the attack, she exulted that she was pleased Nord Stream 2 is now, as they say, a pile of junk at the bottom of the ocean.

Knowledge of US responsibility for the attack was widespread, Hersh told the Berliner Zeitung. The people in America and Europe who build pipelines know what happened The people who own companies that build pipelines know the story. He said he didnt hear it from them, but he quickly learned that they knew.

In Germany, meanwhile, Attorney General Peter Frank is investigating unknown persons for the attack. But he, too, invokes the duty of secrecy andto put it mildlydoes not display any particular investigative zeal.

In response to a parliamentary question by Wagenknecht as to whether the government would review the detailed information provided by Hersh, the Justice Ministry replied that the Attorney General had no findings in the sense of the recent publication. The ministry declined to provide information on findings from the preliminary investigation, stating that this would complicate or even thwart further investigative measures.

That Washington planned and executed the attack is the only plausible explanation for the destruction of Nord Stream. Hersh has provided ample circumstantial evidence and facts to support this. The claim spread after the attack that Russia had destroyed the pipeline itself is so absurd that it was quickly dropped. Even Attorney General Frank has publicly confirmed that there is no evidence for this.

The US, on the other hand, not only has the necessary means for such an elaborate operation, but also a motive. Asked about this by the Berliner Zeitung, Hersh pointed to a press conference held by Antony Blinken shortly after the pipelines were blown up. There, the US Secretary of State had called the destruction of the pipelines a tremendous opportunity, a chance to take away Russias ability to use the pipelines as a weapon. Russia, he said, could now no longer pressure Western Europe to end its support for the US in the Ukraine war.

The fear was that Western Europe would no longer participate, Hersh said. I think the reason for that decision was that the war wasnt going well for the West, and they were afraid of winter coming.  The US was afraid that Germany would lift sanctions because of a cold winter. In addition, he said, the US was making a lot of money on liquefied natural gas (LNG), which it was now selling to Europe.

If the German media and politicians nevertheless deny US responsibility and instead denounce Hersh, it is solely for political reasons. The blowing up of the pipelines by the US destroys the official myth that NATO is an alliance of democratic states fighting for freedom in Ukraine. It shows NATO as it really isan alliance of imperialist brigands who have allied themselves against a common enemy, while behind their backs they have long since drawn the knife to rip each other apart.

For thirty years, the US has waged one brutal war after another to secure its position as the dominant world power. On the Eurasian landmass, Washington pursues the goal formulated in 1997 by geostrategist Zbigniew Brzezinski of preventing the emergence of a dominant, opposing power. This is directed primarily against China and Russia, but also against Germany, which should not rise to become the dominant power in Europe.

Germanys ruling circles, on the other hand, see the current war as an opportunity to achieve just that, to finally rearm massively andas they openly proclaimto become the leading military power in Europe. In the long run, they consider an open conflict with the US inevitable, as foreign policy expert Josef Braml has pointed out in his book The Transatlantic Illusion. But they want to delay this break until they feel strong enough to withstand US pressure.

There are tactical differences about this. In all Germanys political parties and in the business community, there are representatives who advocate an immediate break with the US and believe the current war against Russia is wrong. They are particularly strongly represented in the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and in the wing of the Left Party headed by Sarah Wagenknecht, which tries to pass off advocacy of an independent German-European great power policy as a peace policy.

The blowing up of the Nord Stream pipelines confirms that the US will stop at nothing in pursuit of its imperialist goals. But its partners and rivals in Germany are in no way inferior to it in this. With the revival of German militarism, they are more and more openly following in the footsteps of Hitlers Wehrmacht (armed forces) and the Nazis, who committed the worst crimes in human history.

The struggle against imperialism and war requires the building of an international movement of the working class that advocates the overthrow of capitalism and a socialist program. This is what the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality Party) and its sister parties in the International Committee of the Fourth International are fighting for.
The United States will quadruple the number of US forces stationed on Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, in an effort to provoke a war with Beijing along the lines of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The United States is actively turning Taiwan into a military base just dozens of miles off the coast of mainland China, with the aim of goading China into invading the island, and painting the ensuing war as the result of Chinese aggression.

U.S. Marines with Delta Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, conduct a motivational run at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Feb. 23, 2023. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Julian Elliott-Drouin)

The announcement gives context to the Biden administrations unprecedented decision to attack a Chinese research balloon that had been blown over the United States earlier this month, the first time that any aircraft had been shot down over US territory or its coastal waters.

The attack, and the media frenzy that preceded it, was used in an attempt to whip up public hysteria and fear of China, justifying a massive US military buildup on the other side of the world.

In January, Gen. Mike Minihan, head of Air Mobility Command, sent a letter to his subordinates stating, My gut tells me we will fight in 2025, and urging them to get their personal affairs in order in preparation for a conflict with China.

In both May and September of last year, US President Joe Biden categorically asserted the US would be willing to go to war with China if it invaded Taiwan.

The announcement of the troop surge follows the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act at the end of last year. It effectively rendered the USs decades-old One China policy, under which Washington de facto recognized the Beijing regime as the sole government of all China, including Taiwan, a dead letter by sending direct military aide to Taipei.

Knowing it is acting without a mandate from the American population, the Biden administration is seeking to carry out the massive expansion of US troops on Taiwan with minimal public attention.

In a choreographed series of steps repeated any time the White House takes actions that move the world closer to nuclear annihilation, the White House leaked its plans to increase US troops on Taiwan to the press on Thursday, refused to comment on the initial reports, and will likely formally announce the moves in a Friday night news dump either the following day, or several weeks down the line.

In an article entitled U.S. to Expand Troop Presence in Taiwan for Training Against China Threat, the Wall Street Journal reported: The U.S. is markedly increasing the number of troops deployed to Taiwan, more than quadrupling the current number to bolster a training program for the islands military.

All factions of the US financial oligarchy are united behind preparations for a military conflict with China. On Wednesday, Republican Representative Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, who chairs the Houses new select committee on China, declared himself even more convinced that the time to arm Taiwan to the teeth was yesterday.

The media is actively working to promote US war planning against China. Earlier this month, Chuck Todd, moderator of Meet the Press, asked Democratic Senator Cory Booker, Are you going to be supporting whatever it takes to prepare for war with China over Taiwan? Do we need to do more to prepare for that potential?

The Journal wrote that The U.S. plans to deploy between 100 and 200 troops to the island in the coming months, up from roughly 30 there a year ago, according to U.S. officials. The larger force will expand a training program the Pentagon has taken pains not to publicize as the U.S. works to provide Taipei with the capabilities it needs to defend itself without provoking Beijing.

The Journal continued, Beyond training on Taiwan, the Michigan National Guard is also training a contingent of the Taiwanese military, including during annual exercises with multiple countries at Camp Grayling in northern Michigan, according to people familiar with the training.

The United States has seized upon the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine to massively expand its defense spending, targeting China no less than Russia.

In December, the US House and Congress voted overwhelmingly to approve an $858 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that is $45 billion larger than that requested by the White House, which was in turn larger than the request by the Pentagon.

The budget marks an eight percent increase over last year and a 30 percent increase in military spending over the 2016 Pentagon budget. The massive surge in military spending comes as the typical US household saw its real income fall by three percent in the past 12 months.

The bill increases funding for every single military department and weapons program. The US Navy will get $32 billion for new warships, including three Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and two Virginia-class nuclear submarines. And the Pentagon is authorized to purchase a further 36 F-35 aircraft, each costing approximately $89 million.

This years NDAA takes concrete steps towards preparing for a future conflict with China by investing in American hard power, strengthening American posture in the Indo-Pacific, and supporting our allies, Republican Representative Gallagher said.

The NDAA will upend Washingtons previous One China policy by providing $10 billion in direct military funding to Taiwan for the first time. The bill will also institute no-bid contracting, typically used only in wartime, allowing defense contractors to charge the US government whatever they want.

The bill transforms Taiwan into a frontline proxy for conflict with China, in a manner similar to the way Ukraine is serving as a US proxy for war with Russia. In a press statement, Gallagher praised the fact that the bill provides similar drawdown authority to arm Taiwan as we have Ukraine.

The uncontrolled US militarization of Taiwan and US preparations for war with China make clear the extent to which the US war with Russia over Ukraine, now over one year old, is metastasizing into a global military conflagration.
The University of Virginia announced Tuesday that Augie Maurelli has been appointed vice president for finance and chief financial officer.

Maurelli will oversee the operating budget of UVas Academic Division and collaborate on the UVa Health budget, both of which total more than $2 billion annually, according to the universitys media service UVA Today. Hell also lead the UVAFinance office by developing financial strategies, overseeing the universitys financial statements and providing financial council for broader initiatives, according to the school.

Maurelli had served as UVas associate vice president for financial operations since 2019.

Im excited to have the opportunity to lead the talented team in UVAFinance and to continue to build on our partnerships across the University, Maurelli said in a UVA Today statement. Since moving here in 2019, my family and I have loved being a part of the community here at UVA and in Charlottesville.
On February 2, Holtec International, the company charged with decommissioning the Indian Point nuclear facility, reported that it plans to discharge approximately one million gallons of radioactive wastewater into the Hudson River beginning as soon as August. The Indian Point electricity generating station is located in Buchanan, New York, on the eastern shore of the river, roughly 25 miles (40 kilometers) upstream from New York City. It was first brought on line in 1962 and was finally shuttered in 2021.

Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant [Photo by Tony Fischer / CC BY 2.0

The announcement was made at a meeting of the Indian Point Decommissioning Oversight Board and has raised strong objections from environmental advocacy groups and residents. The Hudson River is already a federally designated Superfund cleanup site due to the dumping of carcinogenic PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) by General Electric decades ago from facilities at Hudson Falls and Fort Edward, NY, upriver from Buchanan.

Dealing with the radioactive water, a product of the process to keep the nuclear reactor from overheating, is just one aspect of the overall decommissioning procedure. Spent fuel rods, which contain plutonium and uranium, and other components, will remain dangerously radioactive for hundreds of millennia. These must be stored on site in effective perpetuity unless an alternative long-term storage facility is created to which they could be transported, merely kicking the can down the road. No such permanent storage location has yet been created despite 45 years of political finger-pointing. The transportation itself would present dangers, as illustrated by the recent derailment and resulting spill of toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio.

The wastewater is contaminated with tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, which emits beta radiation (electrons) as it decays. While not as dangerous as the fuel rods, in large quantities it can cause cancer when inhaled or ingested. Tritium has a relatively short half-life, 12.33 years. Half-life is the length of time over which half of a given quantity of radioactive material will decompose, in this case into harmless helium.

An effective decontamination strategy would be to simply keep the wastewater contained on site to allow the natural decay process to proceed. Retention for approximately 25 years would reduce the quantity of tritium by 75 percent, making release into the environment less problematic. After 60 years, 96.4 percent of the stored tritium would have decayed. The NRC allows 60 years for decommissioning and spent fuel rods can remain on site for longer. However, that would require ensuring that containment was maintained throughout that time to prevent leakage into the surrounding groundwater, entailing long-term monitoring, maintenance and associated expense. Leaks in two containment tanks at the facility have already been detected. It should be noted that the tritium standards have not been updated for 50 years and may be out of date.

Given that and the need for onsite storage of the more long-lived radioactive materials, the question is raised: what is the need for disposal of the wastewater into the Hudson at this time, since curation of the Indian Point facility must be maintained in any case? A company spokesperson stated that in-river disposal is the best option available. This is eerily reminiscent of Norfolk Southerns justification for the controlled burn of toxic materials in the derailed train at East Palestine. In both cases, containment of cost is evidently the primary consideration.

The New York City metropolitan area, through which the Hudson River flows, has a population of over 20 million people.

Under existing federal regulations, nuclear power plants are allowed to discharge contaminated cooling water into adjacent rivers during the normal course of operation. Therefore, Holtec contends that it is within its rights to undertake the proposed in-river disposal. The long-term effects of such actions are unknown.

The company is the recipient of a 12-year contract to undertake decommissioning of the plant, which had been operated by Consolidated Edison (ConEd) and later by Entergy during its use life. The Indian Point decommissioning trust fund amounts to approximately $2.4 billion. Holtec claims it can complete the job for $2.3 billion, indicating an incentive to cut costs, which are being borne by utility ratepayers. Responsibility for the long-term onsite storage of the spent fuel rods and other contaminated materials beyond the expiration of Holtecs contract has not been resolved.

The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) contends that the tritium would become so highly diluted once discharged into the river as to create minimal potential harm. However, given the existing toxic PCB contamination and an unknown number of other hazardous materials dumped into the river over several centuries of industrial activities, the cumulative impact of multiple toxic materials on humans and other living organisms in and adjacent to the river is unknown.

The environmental advocacy group Riverkeeper issued a statement on February 10 urging that, Its time to draw the line against using the Hudson as a dumping ground for tritium, a radioactive isotope found in the wastewater.

So, again, whats the rush? The obvious explanation is that Holtec wants to take the money and run, avoiding any long-term responsibility. With regard to the wastewater, the effective decay of the tritium into helium requires at least 25 years, while Holtecs decommissioning contract is only for 12.

Beyond the immediate concerns with Indian Point, the larger issue rests with the more than 900,000 metric tons of highly radioactive nuclear waste in the US alone that has no permanent repository.

When the generation of electricity by commercial nuclear facilities was initially being promoted back in the 1950s, the claim was made by the then-chair of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) Lewis Strauss that it would be too cheap to meter. In other words, virtually free electricity would be available.

The cost of dealing with the resulting radioactive waste was ignored where short-term profits were to be made. Even now, when the problem of dealing with the huge volume of long-lived toxic material is evident, no effective solution is available, and the profit motive offers only temporary quick fixes with their attendant dangers.

If the need for efficient, cost-effective and environmentally prudent sources of energy is to be met, it can only be accomplished under a socialist, planned economy under workers control, not by private, profit-driven companies.
On Thursday, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) released mortality statistics for 2020 and 2021. Compared to the years before the pandemic, there were 72,000 excess deaths in 2020, when the pandemic started, and 130,000 more in 2021. Thus, by the end of 2021, there had been around 200,000 COVID-related deaths.

Children wearing face masks for protection against the coronavirus, walk in Kugulu public garden, in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, May 13, 2020. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

However,the Turkish Health Ministry had claimed that the number of deaths from COVID-19 was 82,000 by the end of 2021. TurkStat has not yet released data on deaths in 2022. According to the last official data released on November 27, 2022, the death toll in Turkey since the beginning of the pandemic was claimed to be 101,492.

However, the number of excess deaths had reached 319,000 as of December 27, 2022, according to the calculations of Guclu Yaman, a member of the Pandemic Working Group of the Turkish Medical Association (TTB).

TurkStat has tried to avoid public attention by releasing the reports, which it had previously postponed without justification, amid the Turkey-Syria earthquake disaster. In his tweet on the issue, Yaman stated: In the midst of a disaster in which tens of thousands of people have died and the real numbers are again in doubt, they are releasing death statistics they havent released for three years.

He added, It doesnt matter to them how many of us died in which disaster. The important thing for them is that they find a time of chaos to release the numbers.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogans government and the entire political establishment have caused the deaths of over 43,000 people by failing to prepare for the expected earthquake and responding too late.

However, as with the concealment of the real number of pandemic-related deaths, it is suspected that the death toll from the earthquake is being massively downplayed. Osman Bilgin, the governor of Srnak, who was in charge of a district in the earthquake-hit area, admitted that the real death toll in Turkey alone could be over 150,000.

A report by the Association of Public Health Specialists (HASUDER) on Hatay, which was hit hardest by the earthquake, states: According to interviews with local administrators and some academics, it is estimated that at least 60,000 people died under the rubble in Hatay alone.

Since the earthquake disaster, the Erdogan government has focused more on covering up its responsibility for the social catastrophe than on rescuing and helping earthquake victims. It even blocked access to Twitter, which was used by volunteers in search and rescue efforts to locate those under the rubble.

Critical airports and highways, which should not have been built on fault lines and should be resistant to major earthquakes, were badly damaged. However, for a long time, all state forces, military and civilian, were not mobilized and there were serious problems in coordinating the response.

The report has confirmed that the extremely late start of search and rescue efforts led to the deaths of many people: The common view expressed by everyone who lived through the earthquake in Hatay was that search and rescue operations were not systematically initiated in the first 48 hours. And this limited the number of citizens who could be rescued alive from the rubble.

It was a product of the indifference of the entire ruling class towards public health and safety. Eight deputies of the Republican Peoples Party (CHP), which had a construction amnesty section in its election program, voted yes to measures brought to parliament by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) before the June 2018 elections. These measures sought to legalize illegal buildings that violated regulations on earthquake and other disaster risks.

From the beginning of the pandemic, the Erdogan government adopted a policy of profits before lives. It focused on concealing, not preventing, infections and deaths from the pandemic. This policy, implemented all over the world, reached its climax last year with the claim that the pandemic is over. In fact, infections and deaths from COVID-19 continue in Turkey and around the world.

This response to the pandemic has also been adopted by all factions of the ruling class, including the bourgeois opposition, the media and the union bureaucracy.

However, just as science-guided preparation for an earthquake would have prevented this massive destruction and loss of life, public health measures against the pandemic could have prevented the deaths of about 320,000 people in Turkey and more than 22 million worldwide.

Moreover, the masses, abandoned to their fate before and after the earthquake, are still deprived of basic needs such as shelter and sanitation 18 days after the earthquake.

In a February 16 report, the Turkish Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases warned that the current living conditions in the earthquake-hit region greatly increase the risk of infectious diseases, so measures to prevent these diseases must be taken quickly. However, serious sanitation problems still persist in many places.

HASUDER has reported that There is a general shortage of toilets in Hatay. The number of toilets is very low and some of the toilets are haphazardly placed on the ground with no connection to water or cesspools. It added There are not enough toilets and some of the toilets that have been opened for use do not meet the appropriate conditions. This threatens public health.

Reporting that scabies is seen in children, it warned that crowded living conditions increase the risk of COVID-19 and influenza.

Moreover, there is still a serious shortage of tents in the region. Citizens have turned existing greenhouse tents into living spaces with their own means. Mostly children and women sleep in these tents. These areas do not effectively protect people from the cold and pose health risks in many respects, such as the possible presence of pesticides. These risks are even greater for children.

The report stated that only one of the 12 water wells could be utilized, and mountains of garbage have piled up. While the field hospital could only be opened a week after the earthquake, many of the wounded who were rescued from the rubble died because they could not be transported to a full-fledged hospital in time.

It warned about post-earthquake reconstruction: The danger that awaits us now is to build similar buildings to the old areas with the old understanding and to move towards new disasters  With a new understanding with the participation of the society, it is necessary to move towards the goal of healthy and sustainable cities with earth-friendly, earthquake-resistant solid buildings. Citizens have the right to safe buildings where they can live and work safely.

Both in Turkey and around the world, social resources are available to take scientific measures to prevent the deadly consequences of earthquakes or pandemics. For this, the working class must bring an end to the policy of profit before lives and its source, capitalism, and build a global society based on social needs, i.e., socialism.
In a case involving the open disregard of child labor laws, the US Department of Labor (DOL) reports that Packers Sanitation Services Inc. (PSSI), based in southwestern Wisconsin, has been fined a token $1.5 million for illegally employing underage workers in the cleaning of meatpacking plants. The company, which subcontracts cleaning for major food processors, employed 102 children in hazardous jobs and working overnight shifts at 13 US meatpacking plants.

One of the children employed by PSSI to clean slaughterhouses [Photo: US Department of Labor]

The DOL said last week that investigators found that children were working with hazardous chemicals and cleaning meat processing equipment including back saws, brisket saws and head splitters. Investigators learned at least three minors suffered injuries while working for PSSI.

Meatpacking is one of the most hazardous industries due to potential exposure to dangerous equipment and toxic chemicals, as well as slippery conditions.

The violations covered plants operated by some of the largest meatpacking companies, including JBS Foods, Tyson and Cargill. None of the meatpackers suffered fines or any sanctions from the Labor Department.

The report follows the revelation that suppliers for automaker Hyundai had employed immigrant children as young as age 12 to work in auto parts plants. According to the news agency Reuters, as many 10 auto parts plants had been investigated for potential violations.

A DOL press release about the PSSI investigation stated, The child labor violations in this case were systemic and reached across eight states, and clearly indicate a corporate-wide failure by Packers Sanitation Services at all levels. It continued, These children should never have been employed in meat packing plants, and this can only happen when employers do not take responsibility to prevent child labor violations from occurring in the first place.

The company paid its fine on February 16. Management issued a pro forma statement claiming PSSI had a zero tolerance policy for employing underage minors. The company is the largest cleaning service for food processors in the US and employs over 17,000. It is owned by the highly profitable private equity firm, Blackstone.

Investigators found that children used caustic cleaning materials and were cleaning dangerous power-driven equipment, like skull-splitters and razor-sharp bone saws, according to Jessica Looman, principal deputy administrator of the Department of Labors Wage and Hour Division.

Children were employed working overnight shifts while enrolled in school. At least three children suffered burns from cleaning materials. According to court records, a 13-year-old youth suffered chemical burns working at the JBS plant in Grand Island, Nebraska. A 14-year-old worker also suffered burns on the night shift. Court documents say the child also fell asleep in classes or missed school entirely.

According to the DOL, PSSI employed 27 minors at the JBS plant in Grand Island, Nebraska, and 26 at the Cargill plant in Dodge City, Kansas. At another JBS plant, PSSI employed 22 minors illegally.

Cargill disputed the allegations of child labor use by PSSI, claiming they were not substantiated. It said it is still using PSSI for its cleaning services. JBS said it was working with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union at its Grand Island plant to address such issues.

In fact, the UFCW has done nothing to protect the health and lives of meatpacking workers, forcing workers to stay on the job in unsafe meatpacking plants all during the pandemic. There is no record of the UFCW playing any role in exposing child labor abuses at plants where it represents the workforce. It has instead deferred entirely to management to monitor and prevent abuses.

In issuing the fines, the DOL emphasized the deliberate character of the actions. Looman continued, Make no mistake, this is no clerical error, or actions of rogue individuals or bad managers. These findings represent a systemic failure across PSSIs entire organization to ensure that children were not working in violation of the law. PSSIs systems in many cases flagged that these children were too young to work, and yet they were still employed at these facilities.

The children involved were mostly undocumented immigrants. Immigrant workers are particularly vulnerable to abuse due to the fear of reporting abuse because of potential deportation or reprisal.

There has been a sharp rise in the use of child labor across the country in recent years. According to the Daily Mail, child labor violations in the United States rose up to 37 percent in the last year. This is almost certainly an underestimation due to the lack of staffing and funding for the Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division charged with investigating abuses.

In recent years, companies have seen child labor as a way to overcome the labor shortage created by the profit-driven response to the pandemic by the ruling class.

Due to lack of adequate staffing, the chance of child labor laws being enforced is virtually zero, according to Gordon Lafer, a professor at the University of Oregon and a former adviser to the US House of Representatives on labor policy, who spoke to the Daily Mail.

There have been a number of recent reports of systematic violations. The DOL found that a franchise owner of seven McDonalds restaurants in Erie and Warren, Pennsylvania, allowed 154 underage minors to work at times they were not permitted to and work excess hours.

The specific violations included scheduling children to work before 7:00 a.m. or after 7:00 p.m. and more than three hours per day on school days. Children were also forced to work more than eight hours a day on non-school days and more than 18 hours in a school week. Nine workers at two locations were permitted to operate deep fryers in violation of federal labor laws, since these are considered too hazardous for minors to operate.

The DOL also fined the operators of two Cincinnati-area pizza chains over child labor violations. Twenty-one underage workers were allowed to use deep fryers and perform other operations related to pizza making that are not permitted by federal regulations. Thirty-six young people worked hours in excess of the legal limit.

Meanwhile, efforts in many states are underway, spearheaded by Republicans but meeting no serious opposition from the Democratic Party, to gut child labor protections. As it stands, the fines employers face for willful violations are derisory, only about $15,000 maximum per occurrence. It is far cheaper to exploit child labor and pay the occasional fine than to prosecute a company with the law.

In Minnesota a bill has been introduced to permit 16- and 17-year-olds to work in construction.

In Iowa, Republicans have introduced legislation to expand the types of work that 14-and 15-year-olds can do as part of supposed training programs. The legislation would further exempt employers from all civil liabilities if these young people are hurt, sickened or killed on the job or going to and from work due to employer negligence or due to their own negligence. Other states are considering similar laws.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, left, and Tristan Brown, deputy administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, crouch down to look at part of a burned traincar, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, in East Palestine, Ohio, at the site of a Norfolk Southern train derailment. [AP Photo/Allie Vugrincic/The Vindicator via AP, Pool]

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited East Palestine, Ohio, on Thursday for a press conference and photo-op. The trip followed a similar visit by ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday.

Both were the latest in a series of visits by prominent politicians. Common to all of these have been their empty platitudes and patronizing of residents for their resilience and claiming vague support, while using the opportunity to engage in mutual finger-pointing, each party using the others record of complete indifference in order to cover up their own responsibility.

This was continued in Buttigiegs visit. I want [residents] them to know theyre not alone. That before, during and after the national attention, theyre going to have support. Theyre going to have support from us when it comes to holding Norfolk Southern accountable, Buttigieg claimed. In fact, Buttigieg made no statements on the disaster for nearly two weeks. The first press release on the subject on the Department of Transportations website was published on Tuesday, February 21, 18 days after the disaster.

In an interview last Friday, Buttigieg cavalierly dismissed the significance of the derailment, suggesting that it was receiving outsized media attention, by citing the fact that more than 1,000 derailments occur every year in the US. This manifest indifference on the part of the Biden administration ceded ground to Trump and the extreme right, who themselves are trying to politically exploit the disaster, with Trump subsequently announcing his visit to East Palestine.

Buttigieg was forced to partially reverse course after a subsequent outcry over his remarks. Earlier this week, he issued a public letter chastising Norfolk Southern while calling on railroadsthat is, asking themto implement voluntarily various piecemeal measures. The Environmental Protection Agency has also taken over the official cleanup from Norfolk Southern, which has also been compelled to announce it will temporarily close down the tracks involved in the derailment and remove, rather than remediate as originally planned, the surrounding soil.

Left to right: Norfolk Southern Chief Legal Officer Nabanita Chaterjee Nag, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw [Photo: Alan Shaw via LinkedIn]

The Biden administration, in turn, is now using Trumps record of deregulating the rail industry during his term in office in order to deflect attention from its own record. Buttigieg accused Trump of playing political games during his visit. This was followed up by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who accused Republicans of bad faith attacks on Buttigieg, while pointing out that Democrats never called for Trumps Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to be fired after similar disasters.

This says more than perhaps Jean-Pierre intended. Chao is a wealthy arch-reactionary, who was embroiled in a scandal that she had improperly used her position to benefit her familys billion-dollar shipping business and later parlayed her time in Washington into a spot on the corporate board of grocery store giant Kroger. That Democrats were content to allow Chao, who is also Asian American, to stay in her cabinet post is a demonstration of their own pro-corporate politics and their endless desire for bipartisan collaboration, since Chao is the wife of Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell.

In reality, both parties bear responsibility for the disaster, having both supported decades of deregulation and backing rail profits to the hilt. Indeed, both parties received campaign contributions from the railroads, including $725,000 from Norfolk Southern in 2022, split 51-49 in favor of the Democrats.

Only three months ago, both parties came together to pass a bipartisan law to ban 120,000 railroaders from striking and impose a pro-company contract crafted by the Biden administration. The central issues which workers wanted to strike over were severe understaffing, overwork and other profit-driven policies which have eroded safety standards on the railroads.

As Biden was preparing with Congress to ban strike action, Buttigieg held a private meeting with Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw and the companys chief legal counsel. The meeting, according to a post by Shaw on LinkedIn, focused on the essential role the people of Norfolk Southern Corporation play moving the U.S. economy. Given the context in which the meeting took place, this could have only been a euphemism for a discussion urging the White House to take action to block a strike.

Meanwhile, anger continues to mount among local residents, who confronted Shaw in a town hall sponsored by CNN. I dont feel safe in this town now. You took it away from me, one person declared. Did you shorten my life now? I want to retire and enjoy it. How are we going to enjoy it? You burned me. Youve made me an angry man.

A broad turnout is expected today at another town hall in East Palestine hosted by celebrated environmental attorney Erin Brockovich, which will also be addressed by residents from Flint, Michigan, where the water supply was contaminated with lead.

Residents are also reporting difficulty receiving proper medical treatment. One mother told CNN about her experience taking her son to their pediatrician for health problems after returning home from the evacuation. I was told they had no guidance from the CDC, the health departmentthere was nothing they could do.

An East Palestine resident spoke to the WSWS about her frustrating experience with a local health clinic set up by the county government. When I went, I talked to a very nice nurse, who simply sat across from a table and collected data with her laptop. That was all. No offer of blood work, or any other actual type of medical care. She did say they will be here for a while, although I did not find that very comforting.

She asked if we needed a referral from our PCP (primary care physician). I asked referral for what? Basically, just to show that we were there. I told her I would like one. But she said we do not have printers, so we will have to email them to you.  I said, can I please have a phone number to call in case I do not receive it? Thats a good question, I was told, because they dont have one. I guess you would just call the Columbiana County health department.

More details emerge on accident, cover-up

More information is coming out about the initial cover-up of the disasters potential impact on the areas drinking water. Ohio Governor Mike DeWines claim last Wednesday that the drinking water in the area was safe was based on sampling conducted by a Norfolk Southern contractor, according to a report in the Huffington Post. Third-party experts who spoke with the web publication have pointed to serious irregularities in this testing, including the existence of large air bubbles in multiple samples and high acidity in others which would have impacted the results.

One of the chemicals for which detection would have been impacted is butyl acrylate, which is known to have seeped into the Ohio River, prompting officials in Cincinnati more than 300 miles away to shut off intake from the river to the citys water supply.

The Ohio EPA also conducted its own tests, whose preliminary results were reached hours after DeWitt claimed the water was safe, the Huffington Post reported. Those results have still not been released to the public.

Also on Thursday, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released the preliminary findings of its investigation into the causes of the derailment. The release focused in particular on the overheated axle on the first car to derail, the 23rd out of 150 on the train. The NTSB report looked at temperature readings from track-based heat sensors, also called wayside defect detectors or hot bearing detectors (HBDs), positioned at several mile intervals on the tracks.

They found that the temperature readings rose steadily over the last 30 miles before the derailment, from 30 degrees above normal when passing by the first HBD, to 103 degrees on the second, to 253 degrees above normal over the last detector. According to Norfolk Southerns internal standards, only a temperature of 115 above normal requires the train to be stopped and inspected.

This last reading triggered an audible alarm in the locomotive, and the crew applied breaks in an attempt to stop the train. However, the overheated axle by this time had failed, and the 23rd car derailed, bringing several cars with it. Crews identified smoke and fire coming from the train and notified dispatchers of a possible derailment. The report effectively absolves the train crew itself of any responsibility for the accident, given that they acted promptly and within company regulations and that nothing could have been done to prevent the disaster by the time the first alarm sounded.

However, the preliminary report leaves many unanswered questions, including: Why did the train not stop 20 miles further back, where eyewitness footage caught the train axle in question already on fire? What role did Norfolk Southerns corporate policy, including one which allows dispatchers to instruct crews to ignore warnings from HBDs and which led to an earlier derailment last year, play in the disaster? The report also does not address questions around the cleanup effort, including the highly contested decision to carry out a release and burn of one of the cars.

Many of these questions will be addressed in the final report, the NTSB says. But without a doubt, the largely self-regulated character of the rail industry itself played a significant role in allowing such a disaster to take place. Even the existence of an NTSB investigation is unusual, given that the agency normally does not even investigate non-fatal rail accidents. And whatever the findings reveal, the response will be a whitewash by the government, which seeks to shield Norfolk Southern from as much responsibility as possible, as with countless such investigations in the past.
The Socialist Equality Partys candidate for Bankstown in the New South Wales (NSW) election, Max Boddy, campaigned at Macquarie University in Sydney during orientation week. Boddy spoke to students about the SEPs election campaign and the fight to build an international anti-war movement of students and workers.

Many students were concerned about the escalating threat of global conflict, and agreed young people need to take up a fight against war. They also raised the increasingly difficult conditions workers and youth confront, as the cost of living soars. This situation is being exacerbated as governments devote vast and ever-growing sums to the military, while slashing social spending and wages.

****

Boddy spoke to Will, who had met the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) a few days earlier, joined the club and returned to the table for further discussion. He said, my opinions on the war were more along the lines of what the media portrays, the unquestioning support of Ukraine. But since Ive read some of your anti-war articles, I absolutely agree that imperialism expands a countrys borders to keep up with the capitalist agenda.

Will [Photo: WSWS]

Prior to meeting the IYSSE, Will did question the war: I did some research on the Vietnam War and other proxy wars, especially Afghanistan in the 1980s. It was funded directly by the Americans. In Vietnam you had the capitalist south and the communist North. The useless bloodshed was the result of imperialism. I see parallels to today.

They are putting all this money into defence spending, how can it go to public programs like housing, which is definitely in crisis? Housing prices are out of control. Electricity and gas prices are going up. This was also caused by the war because of all the gas shortages from Russia. There is a big correlation, he stated.

On the question of an anti-war movement uniting youth, students and workers Will said, I believe workers are the backbone of any country. If workers dont like what is going on in the country we go on strike, we stop it. We have to unite on the common consensus: We dont want perpetual warfare, we dont want to waste our lives, we dont want the world to become a hellish wasteland, even if they dont use nuclear weapons.

I think students should do whatever they can to fight against war. All the land and the resources should all be together for one beneficial cause, not separated into national states, he said.

Noah, who also signed up to join the IYSSE, said the situation in the Ukraine is abhorrent, with real atrocities. Its not just a Russia-Ukraine situation. There is a whole international conflict surrounding it. There is a push for Russia by NATO and the US.

Noah [Photo: WSWS]

The government is spending on the military and supporting the conflict in the Ukraine, but there are a lot of injustices nationally that are not being addressed. For example, education. My mother is a teacher in rural Australia, and I hear a lot about the struggles she faces. Not just her, but the entire school system has a lack of funding and a lack of support. Of course, there is also housing and the cost of living in general, rising food prices.

I try to be optimistic about life, but for young people there is a level of pessimism looking at the future. While I come from a privileged upbringing, there is a real level of social misery globally.

Boddy raised that the party looks to the future with revolutionary optimism and drew out that the same conditions which give rise to war give rise to its opposite. He pointed to the mass strike action of workers internationally.

Thats really interesting, because I heard about the strikes here, especially when I was in high school and had a parent in the education sector and the health strikes due to COVID. But Id heard nothing of the international strikes in France and the UK.

Its a big problem. The media seeks to protect the interests of the capitalist ruling class. But their ideas and ideology have no real strength to it when people look at them critically. If they were as strong as they pretend to be, there would be no need to hide it.

I do think young people should be adopting a socialist and anti-capitalist viewpoint and I think more people, especially youth, are. That is one of the things that give me an inkling of hope for the future, he said.

Max Boddy speaking with students at Macquarie University [Photo: WSWS]

Ishaan, an international student from India, spoke to Boddy about the role played by the US in the war against Russia in Ukraine and prior conflicts. He said: The US has spread out their military everywhere in the world, Afghanistan and everywhere. They say they are giving a hand to other countries, but there is always something in exchange. The US is playing offense.

Ishaan was concerned about the escalating threat of global conflict. He said: There are many ways World War III could happen, and Ukraine and Russia, where there has been fighting for a year now, could be a major reason.

Seven or eight countries have nuclear bombs. Nuclear war could be the end of the worldthe radiation could be passed down for years.

Ishaan agreed with the IYSSEs call for young people and workers to build an anti-war movement. He said: Students should fight against war. Its about freedom, fighting for our rights.

Contact the SEP today to join the campaign!

Phone: (02) 8218 3222

Email: sep@sep.org.au

Facebook: SocialistEqualityPartyAustralia

Twitter: @SEP_Australia

Instagram: socialistequalityparty_au

TikTok: @sep_australia

Authorised by Cheryl Crisp for the Socialist Equality Party, Suite 906, 185 Elizabeth Street, Sydney, NSW, 2000.
In flagrant violation of the countrys constitution and basic democratic rights, Sri Lankas unelected president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has cancelled the island-wide local elections to be held March 9.

For weeks, Wickremesinghes government, which is imposing savage International Monetary Fund (IMF) austerity measures, has been working to sabotage the elections, because it fears they would result in a massive and humiliating defeat.

Last week, the Election Commission told the Supreme Court the vote would not be able to go ahead as planned on March 9 because the government had refused to provide the money to print ballot papers. In doing so, the Treasury cited a presidential order to fund only essential government expenses.

Yesterday, speaking before parliament, Wickremesinghe arrogantly proclaimed there would be no elections and that he would set police upon any officials who tried to proceed with them.

Some of the Sri Lankan army troops mobilised on 8 February 2023 near Colombo Fort protests [Photo: Facebook Malainadu]

Assuming the airs of a dictator, he cynically declared, The election has not been postponed. There is no election to be postponed in the first place. He justified this assertion with the absurd claim, which was never raised before, that the Election Commission had lacked a proper quorum in launching the election. In reality, the Commission would have been violating the lawto say nothing of all Sri Lankans democratic rightshad it not proceeded with organizing the elections, which were already one-year overdue. The government itself acknowledged this, by previously publishing both the call for nominations and the election date in the official government gazette.

Wickremesinghe went on to say that if the Treasury secretary gave money to the Election Commission, Id have to remove the secretary and ask the police to take legal action against him. The same would happen to the government printer [who is responsible for printing the ballot papers]. They will all lose their jobs.

Wickremesinghe made no commitmentnot that such a commitment would be worth a single centas to when, if ever, the elections will be held.

On other occasions in recent days he has said there will be no elections until there is an economic recovery and that the economic recoverythat is, squeezing sufficient revenue surpluses from Sri Lankas impoverished workers and toilers to resume debt payments to international capitalis dependent on public order.

The reality is Wickremesinghe and the Sri Lankan bourgeoisie are terrified of the renewal of the mass popular upsurge that convulsed the island from April through July of last year and which chased Gotabaya Rajapakse from the presidency, having first forced the resignation of his brother, Mahinda Rajapakse, as prime minster.

Speaking last week, Wickremesinghe vowed he would not allow the country to go down [the road to] anarchy. By this he meant, he is determined to use the full force of the capitalist state, running roughshod over the most basic democratic rights, to repress the incipient mass challenge to the ruling classs scorched-earth economic recovery program of savage social spending cuts, privatization, and electricity and other rate hikes. Already, this program has led to mass impoverishment, with 35 percent of the population having to reduce the number of meals they eat per day.

SEP General Secretary Deepal Jayasekara addressing the press conference held in Colombo on 23 February 2023 [Photo: WSWS]

The Socialist Equality Party (SEP), the Sri Lankan section of the International Committee of the Fourth International, is calling on working people to vigorously oppose the governments autocratic canceling of the local elections. We, the Socialist Equality Party, strongly denounce the moves of President Ranil Wickremesinghes government to block the local government polls, SEP General Secretary Deepal Jayasekera told a press conference in Colombo yesterday. It is a blatant attack on the basic democratic rights of working people.

The SEP has intervened in the local elections to intensify its struggle to mobilize the working class as an independent political force advancing its own socialist solution to the socioeconomic crisis ravaging the islandone that begins with the needs of the masses, not what bankrupt Sri Lankan and international capitalism can afford.

For weeks, the 53 candidates it has fielded for three local councilsKarainagar in the northern Jaffna district, Maskeliya in the central plantation district and Kolonnawa near Colombohave been fighting to rally support for an international socialist program in opposition to the US-NATO instigated war on Russia and IMF austerity.

Wickremesinghes action, said Jayasekera, is a part of his governments broader attacks on the democratic rights of the masses. It is being carried out in preparation for suppressing growing struggles against the governments harsh IMF-dictated austerity measures.

The SEP general secretary explained the governments fears that a crushing defeat in the local electionsa recent opinion poll showed it was supported by just 10 percent of the populationwould intensify in-fighting within the political establishment. But its far bigger concern is that such a defeat will serve to further expose its illegitimate character and incite popular opposition.

A notorious representative of big business and pro-US stooge, Wickremesinghe was the sole representative of his party in parliament, when he was propelled into the presidency last July, through a ruling class conspiracy, led by the Rajapakses party, the SLPP, but in which the trade union-backed opposition parties were complicit.

Jayasekera reviewed the lessons of last years tumultuous events from the standpoint of preparing the working class and oppressed masses for the next stage of the struggle. The mass upsurge had demonstrated the immense social power of the working class and the potential for it to overcome the communal divisions incited by the bourgeoisie. But it also underscored the urgency of the working class forging itself into an independent political force, rallying the rural masses behind it.

Despite the militancy of the masses and the breadth of the mass movement, the ruling class was able to use Rajapakses departure, and the opposition supported calls for an interim government to reorganize the government and retake the initiative.

From the beginning of the mass upsurge, the SEP had fought to build action committees, completely independent of the pro-capitalist trade unions and all the political representatives of the bourgeoisie, as a means of organizing resistance to the attacks of the government and employers and developing a struggle for workers power.



We said, continued Jaysekera, there is no solution to the burning social and democratic problems within the capitalist framework. Subsequently, we initiated a campaign for a Democratic and Socialist Congress of Workers and Rural Masses, based on the delegates democratically elected by these action committees as an organ of independent workers powers and revolutionary political alternative to the capitalist interim government that was set up by the discredited parliamentary cronies of Rajapakse.

Yesterdays press conference was attended by journalists from six major media outlets, including Sirasa TV, MTV, TNL, ABC Capital and Virakerasari, the main Tamil-language newspaper.

When one of the journalists asked whether the SEP would collaborate with the various opposition parties in contesting the governments cancellation of the elections, Jayasekera explained that those parties, such as the official opposition SJB and JVP, have themselves a long history of conniving in attacks on democratic rights, including through the promotion of rabid anti-Tamil chauvinism. Moreover, they support the anti-democratic IMF austerity measures being implemented by the government.

Hostile to the social and democratic needs and aspirations of Sri Lankas workers and toilers, the opposition parties have responded to Wickremisinghes cancellation of the election by appealing to the Western imperialist powers.

All of these countries, beginning with the US, UK, Germany and France, have a long and bloody history of imperialist banditry and intrigue, including sustaining savage anti-working class dictatorships from Pinochet and the Shah of Iran 50 years ago to Egypts al-Sisi today. And they backed the Sri Lankan state in its bloody three decades-long civil war against the Tamil minority.

Led by Washington, they have instigated and are now dramatically escalating war with Russia, bringing the world ever closer to a nuclear conflagration, in a desperate attempt to offset their crisis through plunder and conquest.

Moreover, Washington and its ally, India, have been ruthlessly exploiting Sri Lankas economic crisis to harness the island still more completely to the US military-strategic offensive against China. Only last week a delegation of 20 Pentagon officials visited Sri Lanka for secret talks with the government.

And of course, all the Western powers stand full-square behind the IMFs austerity program.

The SJB has complained to the UN office in Colombo over the unconstitutional attempts by the government to postpone the local government elections.

Speaking in the parliament Wednesday, the JVP propaganda secretary Vijith Herath tried to hold up the vultures of the IMF as guardians of democracy, declaring, The IMF has clearly stated that the government of Sri Lanka should have a popular mandate to receive assistance. Herath said his party will hold demonstrations, take legal actions and brief diplomats of the European Union, the United Nations and human rights organisations.

The Freedom Peoples Congress, a grouping that broke away from the former President Rajapakses party last year, has sent a letter to foreign missions expressing their deep concern over the present situation surrounding the franchise of the people.

Workers around the world must view the developments in Sri Lanka as a harbinger and a warning. Everywhere the bourgeoisie is breaking with democratic forms of rule, seeking to criminalize working class struggles, and vomiting up fascist reaction. The defence of democratic rights, like the fight against imperialist war and capitalist austerity, requires the independent political mobilization of the working class, the unification of its struggles across borders and continents and the struggle for workers power.
During his final year as Arizonas attorney general, Republican Mark Brnovich suppressed the results of an investigation by his own agency that dispelled claims of widespread vote fraud or election manipulation in the 2020 presidential election, it was reported Wednesday. These actions contributed to the growth of the fascistic right in Arizona, which now effectively controls the Republican Party.

Former Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich speaks at a news conference in Phoenix, on January. 7, 2020. According to documents released Wednesday, February 22, 2023, by his successor, Kris Mayes, Brnovich suppressed findings by his investigators who concluded there was no basis for allegations that the 2020 election was marred by widespread fraud. [AP Photo/Bob Christie, File]

Both the Washington Post and the Arizona Republic published extensive accounts of Brnovichs efforts to curry favor with the fascist right while he was seeking the Republican nomination for US Senate in 2022, based on documents now made public by the new state attorney general, Democrat Kris Mayes.

Brnovich lost the primary contest for the Republican Senate nomination to the election denier Blake Masters, who went on to lose the general election to incumbent Democrat Mark Kelly. Brnovich had alienated Trump and his most hysterical supporters by acknowledging in November 2020 that Democrat Joe Biden had won the states electoral votes and opposing unsupported challenges to the validity of the result.

Republicans in the Arizona state Senate commissioned a forensic examination of the votes cast in Maricopa County, where a majority of the states voters live. This was conducted by the Trump-linked Florida firm Cyber Ninjas and paid for by contributions from pro-Trump foundations and wealthy donors. It became widely ridiculed as reports emerged of improper handling of the ballots by Cyber Ninjas and other apparent indications of incompetence in a group which had never before audited the results of an election.

In the end, this recount actually resulted in a slight increase in Bidens margin of just over 10,000 votes out of 3.4 million cast, although the group claimed to have found numerous improprieties in the conduct of the election. The state Senate then sought a further review of the election by Attorney General Brnovichs office.

The attorney general threw the full resources of his agency into an attempt to provide factual substantiation of the dozens of claims of improper actions by state and county election officials, appearing on social media and voiced by Republican state legislators.

Every one of the 60 investigators employed by the state attorney generals office took part in the probe at one point or another. A command center was set up to spearhead the probe, and according to one internal report: the review of the audit was made a singular, high-level priority; all hands were assigned to work exclusively on reviewing the audit with other matters being placed on hold unless a matter required immediate action on our part.

Unlike the Republican Party officials and Trump operatives, however, the investigative staff of the attorney generals office apparently took the issue of factual proof seriously. They looked into both wild and completely groundless allegations circulating on the internet, and the findings of the biased and incompetent 2021 investigation by the Cyber Ninjas outfit, and found that not a single allegation could be verified as credible, let alone significant enough to cast doubt on Bidens victory.

In March 2022, the attorney generals investigators had completed their review, and concluded, in a 24-page memorandum to Brnovich, that there was no basis for challenging the outcome of the 2020 vote. The document, posted on the website of the Arizona Republic, makes for devastating reading.

A few highlights (or lowlights):

Cyber Ninjas claimed that 182 votes were cast in Maricopa County by dead people. The investigators found 181 of these voters alive and well, while in the case of the deceased, his wife had marked his ballot, wrote deceased across it in capital letters, and mailed it in.

Cyber Ninjas claimed that the Maricopa Election Management System was connected to the internet although county election officials said it was air-gapped and never able to access the internet. Among the proofs offered by Cyber Ninjas were records of internet access which turned out to be failed attempts to access the internet by system users unfamiliar with the air-gap security.

Pro-Trump election monitors claimed that Maricopa County failed to maintain the chain of custody for transporting ballots from drop boxes to the central counting location, clearly implying that there was ample opportunity to introduce thousands of bogus ballots into the system. These violations turned out to be infrequent failures of the two transporters (always one Republican and one Democrat or independent) to sign their logs. Out of nearly 1,900 drop boxes, there were 12 such cases, as well as 15 where the receiver of the ballots at the counting center did not sign the form. These minor paperwork errors were not an indication of ballot-stuffing, but of the huge volume of election-day activity.

Arizona state legislator Mark Finchem claimed he had been informed by a source that the Democratic Party in Pima County (Tucson) had organized to add 35,000 votes to the totals of every Democratic candidate on the ballot in the county. The source turned out to be an anonymous email from an address no longer valid, and the two people who could be linked to that address forensically denied having sent the email. Finchem himself did not repeat the claim when asked to give sworn testimony to investigators. Finchem was the Republican candidate for Arizonas secretary of state and if he had wonhe lost by 120,000 votes, about 4.8 percentwould have been in charge of the states election machinery in the 2024 election.

The memo also summed up the scale of the resources employed on the all-encompassing probe that became the top priority for the agency. Investigators spent more than 10,000 hours looking into 638 complaints. They opened 430 investigations and referred 22 cases for prosecution, most of them for minor individual missteps such as two felons who cast ballots when they were not eligible.

Brnovich did not make this memorandum public or even inform the public of its existence. A month later, however, he release an interim report in which he claimed that his offices investigator had revealed serious vulnerabilities that must be addressed and raises questions about the 2020 election in Arizona. He suggested that county officials were not cooperating with the probe and darkly hinted that this stonewalling must be to cover up major problems in the vote counting.

His own staff sought to correct this utterly false account and get their own findings onto the record, but Brnovich persisted, rejecting suggested changes in the interim report while he ordered the investigation into allegations of election improprieties to continue. His investigators had actually concluded that the county staff followed its policy/procedures as they relate to signature verification; we did not uncover any criminality or fraud having been committed in this area during the 2020 general election. They said they found the county was cooperative and responsive to our requests.

At that time the campaign for the August Republican primary was in full swing, and Brnovich was seeking to avoid being outflanked on the right by Masters, who combined a libertarian-style denunciation of state and federal spending with an embrace of the stolen election conspiracy theories of Trump and his closest supporters.

A further memorandum from Brnovichs investigators, sent to him in September, refuted the ever more bizarre theories of Masters, gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, and others on the fascist right, including the claim that thousands of pre-marked ballots were flown in from Asia, the use of Italian satellites to manipulate vote tabulation, and election servers being connected to the internet where they could be hacked and vote totals changed.

In each instance and in each matter, the aforementioned parties did not provide any evidence to support their allegations, the September memo read. The information that was provided was speculative in many instances and when investigated by our agents and support staff, was found to be inaccurate.

Like the March memo, the September memo was also not released to the public, despite repeated requests from the press, until after Brnovich left office.
The COVID-19 pandemic may impact the legislative session, and that's just one of the many interesting developments out of Salem and Washington, D.C.

Also seen this week: An elected takes a trip to the Mexican border; an overstuffed legislative agenda; opposition to praise for county election officials and a new look at how rare the Democratic primary loss in Oregon's 5th District  which includes Linn County  was in the national election landscape.

COVID-19 returns to Capitol: Legislative officials confirmed Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 22 that they had received a report of at least one exposure to COVID-19 in the Oregon Capitol.

A press conference on a $200 million affordable housing package before the House Committee on Housing and Homelessness was revised to be virtual-only.

The announcement that the press event would be online only referenced an "exposure" in the Capitol. An earlier unofficial comment referred to the COVID-19 report as an "outbreak."

Hannah Kurowski, communications director for House Democrats, who was involved in the housing press event, confirmed that there was at least one known COVID-19 case reported at the Capitol.

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.

Kurowski said she did not have additional information immediately on the extent of the exposure, or whether the infection was among state lawmakers, staff, workers or others.

During COVID-19 cases in recent years, the identity of who was infected was not released in keeping with medical privacy laws.

Some lawmakers, such as former Sen. Dallas Heard, R-Roseburg, previously confirmed they had tested positive. Heard chose not to be vaccinated.

Heard recovered, but for political reasons, opted to give up his seat in the Senate prior to the beginning of the current session. He was replaced by former Rep. David Brock Smith, R-Port Orford.

The omicron variants that dominated the pandemic during 2022 and continue to account for the largest share of cases are hyper-contagious and can infect those who have been vaccinated. Vaccines and boosters have been shown to limit the severity of omicron cases.

Stuffed-up Senate: The Legislature had 23 committee meetings on Tuesday, Feb. 21 to handle some of the more than 2,000 bills that were submitted for consideration. Senate committees also had hefty agendas. But in a sign of differing pace, the Senate held a floor session on Tuesday in which three bills were up for final consideration.

However, there are already 13 bills that have been "carried over" from prior days. Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend, and the Republican caucus continue to refuse to waive the full reading of bills on final passage.

During less bitter times, a request to waive the full reading of the bill and just have the title pronounced out loud by the clerk was common.

But beginning last year with House Republicans, the GOP has used the archaic requirement in the Oregon constitution to put major speed bumps in front of the Democratic agenda.

Knopp has said the GOP won't waive the readings until Democrats allow Republicans a stronger role in determining the Senate agenda. Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, has responded by increasing the number of floor sessions, including one on the Presidents Day holiday last Monday.

Chavez-DeRemer at the border: U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Happy Valley, went with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-California, on a recent visit to the U.S.-Mexico border near Tucson, Arizona.

Using social media messages during the trip, and later issuing a "Letter from Lori" and a video of herself discussing the trip, Chavez-DeRemer went around regular media coverage and generated her own digital, print and video productions.

While McCarthy used the trip to hammer at President Joe Biden, Chavez-DeRemer's main message was on illegal fentanyl, including that the largest amount discovered by Oregon law enforcement was in Albany last year.

No votes on praising election officials: Senate Concurrent Resolution 1 expressed support for county clerks and local election officials for doing their jobs while facing threats from election deniers.

A report by the Elections Division of the Oregon Secretary of State found that 76% of election officials in Oregon's 36 counties reported harassment and threats during the 2022 election.

The Senate approved the resolution 22-8 on Feb. 20. All 17 Democratic senators voted yes. Five Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend, voted yes as well.

But several Republicans  Dennis Linthicum of Klamath Falls, Suzanne Weber of Tillamook, Daniel Bonham of The Dalles, Fred Girod of Stayton, David Brock Smith of Port Orford, Kim Thatcher of Keizer and Art Robinson of Cave Junction  voted no. Independent Senator Brian Boquist of Dallas also opposed the resolution.

The opponents expressed opinions that the resolution was a partisan jab by Democrats or didn't address what they claimed were voting irregularities. Linthicum was among the most virulently against the bill, saying unspecified "nefarious" actions in election counts should be investigated.

State and federal election officials have found no evidence of fraud or other improper election actions. The claims are similar to those leveled across the country by supporters of former President Donald Trump, who has made debunked claims that the 2022 election was "stolen" by President Joe Biden.

The resolution now goes to the House for consideration.

Schrader loss stands out: An analysis by Politico magazine shows that 16 congressional incumbents lost primary elections in 2022. U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Canby, has the distinction of being the only Democrat to lose a 2022 primary election against an insurgent challenger. He was defeated by Terrebonne attorney Jamie McLeod-Skinner, who lost a close November race to Chavez-DeRemer.

Eight Republicans lost to insurgent primary challengers, while two others lost in races against fellow incumbents who wound up in the same district due to redistricting.

The primary turnover among Democrats showed the opposite effect. Besides Schrader, four Democrats lost primaries pitting them against fellow incumbents due to redistricting. U.S. Rep. Mondaire L. Jones, D-N.Y., ran in another district when U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, a top Democratic leader, decided to run in Jones' district because Maloney's had shifted to the right due to redistricting.

The move backfired, with Jones losing his primary and Maloney winning the primary, but then being upset by Republican state assemblyman Mike Lawler.

Related stories:
One of Washingtons quadrennial parlor games is well under way: Will the president (Joe Biden) bolster his re-election prospects by dumping his vice president (Kamala Harris)?

The answer, as usual, is almost certainly NO.

In recent months, Harris has become a more public spokesman for key administration policies. Last weekend, she delivered a strong statement condemning Russian war crimes in Ukraine. And she has been the lead advocate for its campaign to block further abortion curbs after last Junes Supreme Court decision.

That indicates she may be making progress toward the more comfortable role that earlier eluded her, though, like her boss, she remains uncommonly wary of media interactions.

Still, many Democrats are uncomfortable with a 2024 ticket of an octogenarian president and a running mate burdened with strong public doubts about her presidential readiness. Polls show her standing even weaker than Bidens.

Nevertheless, the political reasons for keeping her on the ticket far outweigh the reasons for dropping her, as is generally the case in such situations. Thats why, in the end, most presidents dont make a change.

Selecting a running mate is any presidential nominees first major decision. Dropping your chosen partner would admit a massive misjudgment that no modern president wants to make.

That is especially so in this case. Biden pledged to pick a Black woman running mate and chose the first vice president who is not only a Black woman but of Asian descent.

Dropping her would cause a major uproar in the Democratic Party, where the electorate is 40% non-white, and one-fourth Black. Unlike most past situations, ethnic background was more important than ideological balance in Bidens choice.

For example, there were reports four years ago that the mercurial President Donald Trump was considering dropping Vice President Mike Pence. But the former Indiana governors strong support among religious conservatives who are a key GOP constituency was a major reason it was never seriously considered.

Similarly, when even some top advisers urged President George H.W. Bush in 1992 to replace lackluster Vice President Dan Quayle, fear of a serious rift with the GOPs Reaganite wing was crucial in keeping him.

There have been three instances in modern American political history in which presidents changed vice presidential running mates, two by the same president.

In 1940, as President Franklin D. Roosevelt was undertaking an unprecedented third term, one opponent was his vice president, Texas conservative John Nance Garner. That made it easy for Roosevelt to replace Garner, who had little influence after helping FDR get nominated in 1932. Instead, Roosevelt picked one of the partys most prominent liberals, Secretary of Agriculture Henry Wallace.

But four years later, with Roosevelt in ill health, party bosses were concerned about the prospect that Wallace might become president. The president chose the more moderate but little-known Missouri senator, Harry Truman, who succeeded to the presidency when Roosevelt died 82 days into his fourth term.

The other recent example had extenuating circumstances. When Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned in 1973 over a bribery scandal, President Richard Nixon picked House Republican Leader Gerald Ford to succeed him. When Nixon resigned the next year in the face of probable impeachment because of the Watergate scandal, Ford picked New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller as vice president, giving the country two non-elected leaders from the GOPs more moderate wing.

Facing Ronald Reagans conservative primary challenge, Ford dropped Rockefeller. Once nominated, he picked Kanas Sen. Bob Dole as his running mate, but they narrowly lost the 1976 election.

In another modern instance, the vice presidential nominee never made it to the general election. In 1972, Missouri Sen. Thomas Eagleton was forced to resign from the Democratic ticket after the post-convention disclosure that he had been treated for depression including electric shock treatment. Presidential nominee George McGovern picked Kennedy in-law Sargent Shriver to replace him, but the ticket lost badly.

Concerns about Harris stem from her failure to develop a clear vice presidential role and polls showing that she would be a weak candidate if something happened to Biden.

She is not regarded as personally close to the president, who relies mainly on a coterie of mainly white male longtime advisers.

Democratic officials generally believe that, if Biden decided not to run, she would have difficulty in being nominated or elected, though those things are hard to predict.

But its all almost certainly moot. Biden has made clear she will again be his running mate. And despite widespread concern that the president could face difficulty against a younger Republican nominee not named Donald Trump, no prominent Democrat is so far challenging him for the partys nomination.

At Munichs annual Security Conference on Saturday, Harris delivered a strongly worded speech in her soft-spoken manner, telling an audience of U.S. allies and national security experts, The United States will support Ukraine for as long as it takes.

She said the administration has concluded the Russians have committed crimes against humanity in Ukraine and will be held to account. She also warned other authoritarian nations like China against feeling emboldened to make attacks like Russias invasion of Ukraine.

The words came from the vice president, and Biden echoed them Monday in Kyiv, a one-two combo from a team likely to persist into next years campaign, whatever the recurrent rumors in Washington.
Children's cancer care is expanding at Mesa's Banner Children's hospital with a $5 million donation to build a blood and cancer center from the James M. Cox Foundation.

The Banner Childrens at Desert Medical Center oncology program saw more than 4,500 patient clinic visits and outpatient consults in 2021, according to Banner Health. It was a 27% increase over the previous year. The population growth in the east Valley has in part been the cause of that rise, said Laura Snow, Associate Vice President of Women, Infants, and Pediatrics Services at Banner Health.

Snow said the donation will cover the full cost to renovate an existing part of the hospital to house the new center. It will include five exam rooms, four private infusion rooms, two infusion bays and a support services space for patients and families.

The center will help streamline pediatric cancer care and help consolidate existing inpatient and outpatient treatment centers to one location. Snow said the new center will accommodate the growing number of patient visits.

Teen cancer survivor praises donation

Kannon Riecks and his father Ryan shared their treatment experiences at Wednesday's event. Kannon was a high school freshman when he received his diagnosis and is now four years in remission.

Ryan, Kannon's father, remembers driving from Maricopa and packing like he was going on vacation for their days-long stays at the hospital. Ryan felt that moving across campus to get Kannon's treatment was an unnecessary obstacle.

"Being in the hardest fight of your child's life, the last thing you want to do is have hoops to jump through" he said. He thanked Banner Children's for saving his son and the Cox Foundation for changing the world.

Teen mental health declined amid COVID:Here's how Arizona schools seek to help

Cancer survivor Kannon Riecks and his father Ryan with his medical team at a press conference for Banner Children's to accept a $5 million donation from the James M. Cox Foundation.

Kannon told The Arizona Republic moving from one area to the next without medical supervision would put him in a negative mindset. He looks forward to see how families and kids have a smoother treatment experience with the new facility.

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Kannon, now 20 years-old, is working towards becoming a commercial pilot and with that conquering his fear of heights. "I've already beaten cancer's butt, why not try and breakdown one of my other walls," he said.

At the end of Kannon and Ryan's remarks at Wednesday's event, they initiated a group hug with their medical team as a show of gratitude.

Modern Vascular investigation:Republic reporter wins prize for stories on injuries and deaths at vascular clinics

Cancer survivor Kannon Riecks and his father Ryan hug his medical team at a news conference for Banner Children's to accept a $5 million donation from the James M. Cox Foundation.

Donations to Banner help its growth and patient care

The east Valley is home to numerous Banner facilities including Banner Desert in west Mesa, Banner Baywood in east Mesa and Banner Gateway in Gilbert.

Last year, Banner Desert received a $250,000 grant to help remodel the pediatric Emergency Department to create a space that is separate and feels safer for kids than the general adult Emergency Department.

The Dunkin Joy in Childhood Foundation gave $10,000 for the Celebration of Champions Fund to support birthday and milestone celebrations for hospitalized kids at Banner Childrens at Desert. The State Farm Insurances Arizona Operations Center gave another $10,000 to support Safety Town, an injury prevention community education program.

Pregnancy and substance use:Pregnant people addicted to drugs are terrified to get help. A new bill could change that

Over the past 12 months, Banner Desert received $5,970,041 and Banner Baywood received $40,009, Banner Health staff shared with The Republic.

Last December, residential developer Taylor Morrison announced it was donating 16 two-bedroom homes to Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center in Gilbert. Construction on six homes is set to begin this summer and be completed by 2024.

The donation was part of Banner Health's Home Away from Home program that provides housing assistance to patients who travel large distances for care.

Reporter Maritza Dominguez covers Mesa/Gilbert and can be reached at maritza.dominguez@arizonarepublic.com or 480-271-0646. Follow her on Twitter @maritzacdom.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Banner Children's expands cancer care with $5 million donation
Brad Paisley is using a song to mark one year since Russia invaded Ukraine, which started an ongoing and devastating war between the two European countries.

The country music artist's new song, "Same Here," features simple acoustic guitar strums as he sings about common human occurrences including traffic, watching sunsets and grabbing a beer at a bar wherever you are in the world. The song concludes with a feature from Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy's voice comes in on a recorded phone call with Paisley. The Ukrainian leader talks to the country star about how though they are in different countries and speak different languages, they "appreciate the same things."

"On this one year anniversary of the invasion, I'm reminded of the ways we are all so similar," Paisley wrote on Instagram when announcing the song.

Paisley is releasing a new song called Same Here, that features Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the one-year anniversary of the Russian-Ukraine war.

Why did Brad Paisley make 'Same Here'

"Same Here" is the first single from Paisley's upcoming album "Son of the Mountains."

Paisleys royalties for the song will be donated to United24 to help build housing for thousands of displaced Ukrainians whose homes were destroyed in the war, he told The Associated Press.

The West Virginia native wrote "Same Here" with Lee Thomas Miller and Dawes frontman Taylor Goldsmith.

Theres just no differences, Paisley told The Associated Press when discussing the song. You can put us in different places with different flags and different languages, but we have so many similarities.

What does Zelenskyy say on Paisley's 'Same Here'?

During Zelenskyy's portion of "Same Here" he talks about the desires of people in Ukraine and what Ukrainians are most proud of.

"I think we appreciate the same things  children, freedom, our flag, our soldiers, our people. The biggest treasure we have. And friends. And we're proud of our army who defends our freedom and will defend our lives," Zelenskyy tells Paisley.

Paisley thought it would be a long shot to have the direct involvement of Zelenskyy, who has traveled the world advocating for Ukraines military and recovery efforts, on "Same Here" but the musician said he didn't just sign off on it, he also suggested changes in the music-making process.

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I think (Zelenskyy) understands that art is how you reach the most people, especially in the heart, Paisley said. He can give as many speeches as he can give, but its a lot easier to hear something with a melody maybe.

More: Ukrainian President Zelenskyy addresses Grammys: 'Our musicians wear body armor instead of tuxedos'

Zelenskyy gets an Oscar: Sean Penn hand delivers one of his Oscars to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ukraine

Celebs on Ukraine: Mila Kunis honors Ukrainians 'who find strength to keep fighting' during Oscars ceremony

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brad Paisley honors Ukraine with song featuring Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Brad Paisleys first song from his first album since signing to Universal Music Group Nashville has been released today (24). Same Here, written by the country hero with Lee Thomas Miller and Taylor Goldsmith and produced by Luke Wooten, features a special appearance by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and is unveiled on the first anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine.

Paisleys Son of The Mountains album will be released later this year. Paisley says that the album is a collection of songs that Ive been writing and working on for a while now. The music encompasses a lot of big themes and perspectives from a kid that came from a small town in West Virginia after having seen a bit of the world. The record doesnt shy away from reflection, real life and situations that are going on and what I think country music is  which is truth.

Same Here with President Zelenskyy is one of the pieces of this album that represents so much a part of my journey from West Virginia to now, Paisley continues. One of the prevailing themes on this album is freedom. Thats something I truly believe in, and think is our most precious gift as Americans. The song is grounded in observing life in the United States, then to people from other countries who speak different languages and to one across the ocean thats at war. We start to realize how similar we all are.

He goes on: Thats one of the things the President says in the song, There is no distance between our two countries in such values. They are longing for what we as Americans have already. Its heartbreaking watching this struggle in modern time for freedom and democracy and the ability to just simply be who they want to be in peace.

And this song is something that I hope resonates not only with my fans and people in America, but people anywhere that feel a similar desire to be free and safe and happy. Because I really do believe that as human beings when you take away the banners that determine what country we all live in, we all want the same things.

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Proceeds from Same Here will go to UNITED24 for their Rebuild Ukraine program launch, by President Zelenskyy, as the main venue for collecting charitable donations to rebuild and restore homes damaged by the current war. The reconstruction plan is the largest rebuilding project in Ukraine since the second World War. Brads relationship with the Ukrainian leader grew from his participation in the charity telethon Ukraine: Answering the Call in 2022, broadcast in prime time in the US. Last month, Paisley was named an ambassador for UNITED24. You can donate to the charity here.

Buy or stream Same Here.

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.
EASTAMPTON - A real estate developer has sold a newly finished warehouse here for $83 million.

The new owner, Glendale Warehouse and Distribution of Edison, has consolidated much of its warehouse operation from Edison in Middlesex County to the new warehouse on Route 206 in Eastampton.

The building covers 345,600 square feet  comparable in size to half a dozen NFL football fields (including end zones) and was approved by the local land use planning board as a permitted use.

New York City-based Rockefeller Group, the owner of Rockefeller Center in New York and builder of the Eastampton warehouse as a speculative project, announced the sale in a statement by Zac Csik, vice president of New Jersey and Pennsylvania development.

The building, whose construction began in 2021, occupies a nearly 28-acre property on the south side of Route 206 between WoodlaneNorth Pemberton and Juliustown roads. Behind it is the Powell Run stream and back farther the Venue at Smithville Greene with single homes for those 55 and older along Smithville Road.

The warehouse also is eight miles east of Exit 7 of the New Jersey Turnpike in Bordentown Township, which the company says trucks will use to travel to and from the shipping ports of Elizabeth and Newark.

A new 346,00 square foot warehouse in Eastampton, Burlington County, has opened for storage and transportation of imported spices and other food products by a private company

The distribution center is in "one of New Jerseys fastest growing industrial markets  Burlington County," according to Csik.

Whats inside the warehouse?

Glendale is a major distributor for the spice industry and also stores and transports other food products.

The building had to meet stringent food safety and operational requirements because of its commodities, the developer said.

The warehouse will employ 30 workers, many of whom will be transferred from Edison, Glendale said.

More:Lawsuit opposes warehouse on Chesterfield golf course

The site also has 4,000 square feet of speculative office space available.

Whats outside the warehouse

The warehouse has these exterior features:

96 trailer spaces

54 dock doors with two drive-in doors

348 auto parking spaces

185-foot truck court

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What the new owner says

Glendale is excited to be moving into our new, state-of-the art distribution center in Eastampton as we continue to expand our business in New Jersey, said company president Frank Collette.

By consolidating operations from multiple buildings in Edison to a single site in Eastampton, Collete said, Glendale "will be able to better serve our customers and utilize multiple ports of entry for our imported products.

Carol Comegno loves telling stories about South Jersey life, history and military veterans for the Courier Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. If you have a story to share, call her at 856-486-2473 or email ccomegno@gannettnj.com.

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This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: New Burlington County warehouse moves spices and other food products
Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO, HBO and HBO Max Content will deliver a keynote at Series Manias Lille Dialogues whose one-day summit looks set to take the pulse on a global content industry as content investment flattens and ask how to build a more responsible industry in the future.

Marking an early opportunity to hear from streaming platforms after both Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney have announced multi-billion dollar cuts in content investment, the Lille Dialogues also count on a keynote from James Farrell, head of local originals, Prime Video.

More from Variety

Further keynotes will be delivered by top execs at Frances biggest free-to-air service, TF1, as well as its energetic public broadcaster France Televisions and Europes biggest pay TV operator, Sky. Jan Mojto, CEO, Beta Film, can be expected to deliver a wide-angled vision of how stories made in Europe can find a market worldwide.

With the theme for 2023, Shaping the Future with the Audiovisual Sector, the program will be forward-looking and resolutely optimistic. Reflecting on the upheavals that have affected our world in recent years, the day will aim to imagine a new tomorrow while inequalities continue to grow, and environmental and societal crises follow one another with increasing intensity, commented Laurence Herszberg, Series Mania founder and general director.

She added:The Lille Dialogues offer an opportunity to explore the possible levers for continuing to make us dream, while contributing to the construction of a more responsible, collaborative and caring society.

Cyril Dion, a French writer-director and environmental activist, has been appointed as ambassador for the 2023 edition. Dion and Magali Payen, partners at Newtopia, will address the need for a pivot in narratives in order to address environmental challenges on a panel.

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The program, as announced Friday by Series Mania:

KEYNOTES

KEYNOTE HBO  How HBO and HBO Max Are Diving Into The Future: In Conversation With Casey Bloys

Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO, HBO and HBO Max Content.

KEYNOTE SKY STUDIOS  Building A Thriving Home For European Creativity

With Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO, Sky Studios

KEYNOTE FRANCE TELEVISIONS  The future and ambition of public service broadcasting, at the heart of the European creative pact: In Conversation

With Delphine Ernotte Cunci, CEO, France Televisions

KEYNOTE TF1  Building The Group Strategy On Editorial Ambition, New Models And Engagement: In Conversation

With Rodolphe Belmer, CEO, TF1 Group

KEYNOTE PRIME VIDEO  How hyper-local stories and programming are loved by audiences globally as well as locally: In Conversation

With James Farrell, head of local originals, Prime Video

KEYNOTE BETA GROUP  European Stories Made In Europe: In Conversation

With Jan Mojto, CEO, Beta Film

PANEL DISCUSSIONS

. Opening Session  Why We Must Win The Battle Of Narratives

. Audiovisual Companies & Sustainability: What Strategies To Amplify Our Echo?

. Which Tools To Better Take Into Account The Impact Of Our Productions?

. Stories That Change The World: How To Tell Desirable Futures?

Among the speakers confirmed on the panels:

Susan Newman-Baudais, executive director, Eurimages

Lisa Perrin, managing director international productions, ITV Studios

Marcus Ammon, managing director content, Bavaria Fiction

Ingvild Daae, CEO, Monster

David Donoghue, chairperson, Screen Ireland

Frank Doelger, executive producer, showrunner, Intaglio Films

Donna Sharpe, writer / creator

Derek Wax, managing director, Wild Mercury Productions

Dr. Tilly Collins, deputy director, Centre for Environmental Policy  Imperial College London

For more information on the Lille Dialogues, and find out more panels and speakers, please visit: https://seriesmania.com/forum/en/les-dialogues-de-lille-3/

The Series Mania Forum will bring together key figures from the series industry for three days of sessions and panel discussions including: Marco Nobili, Executive Vice President and International General Manager for Paramount+; Cameron Dillavou, International Chief Marketing Officer, Paramount+; Ron Leshem, Executive Producer (Euphoria); Patrick McManus, Showrunner, Dr. Death season 1, Executive Producer, The Girl From Plainville; Cathy Payne, CEO, Banijay Rights; Louise Pedersen, CEO, All3Media International and more.

List of confirmed speakers: https://seriesmania.com/forum/en/invite/

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"Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?"

"In the living room, memorizing my lines."

The second line obviously is not from the Shakespeare classic. But, well, it speaks to Abilene Community Theatre's latest production

Romeo is Mitchell Bradford.

Juliet is Rebecca Bradford

They are husband and wife in real life, and now star-crossed lovers in ACT's "Romeo and Juliet," which opens Friday.

Director Ginger Vinson messaged Mitchell Bradford, an Abilene Christian University graduate, asking if he was interested in auditioning for the role. He had been in ACT's "Othello," with Vinson directing.

Mitchell Bradford was Iago in the ACT's 2018 production of "Othello."

He asked Vinson if his wife, who studied theater at California Baptist, could, too.

They were in Oregon at the time, and sent an audition video back to Texas to Vinson.

"We didn't hear anything for three days and then she said, 'Do you guys want to be Romeo and Juliet?'" he said, laughing. "That worked out. Amazing."

Said Rebecca, "I wanted to audition, too, but Ginger only knew of Mitchell."

While this drama is set in Verona, Italy, this couple met in, not in Abilene, but in Slovenia. Italy and Slovenia are adjoining countries. Through ACU, he was doing an internship with a mission organization in Slovenia and met her parents, who are missionaries there.

"I loved it so much, I went back a second summer," he said. That's when he met her. Rebecca had grown up in that Eastern European country.

Juliet (Rebecca Bradford) kisses her beloved Romeo (Mitchell Bradford), finding him dead in the classic Shakespeare drama. Rebecca and Mitchell is real life after husband and wife, heading toward their second anniversary in June. "Romeo and Juliet" is on stage this weekend and next at Abilene Community Theatre. Feb. 20 2023

They spent only one day together but vowed to stay in touch. They shared passions for theater and mission work.

And talk about a long-distance relationship. He was in Abilene, she was in Riverside, Calif. And then came the pandemic.

That ironically brought them together. She came to Abilene during the summer of 2020 to meet his parents. When California Baptist turned to online study, she stayed here.

"We were long distance most of our relationship," she said. "But while I was visiting Mitchell and his family, I had no place to go back to. I realized that I had just moved to Texas.

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Was their romance to be, or not to be?

"That expedited our relationship," Mitchell said. Now, these "strangers" were "seeing each other for hours at a time every single day," he said.

Unlike the fateful ending of "Romeo and Juliet," they wed. When they visited her parents in Slovenia that winter, he proposed.

"Six months later, we got married," he said.

Vinson has set her take on R&J in an asylum This is totally her idea, she said, not borrowed from elsewhere.

To be in love as a teenager is crazy, she said.

"So what better place to be crazy in love?" she asked.

To those who love or hate Shakespeare, Vinson believes her less than two-hour version of "Romeo and Juliet" will play well.

You are:

 Mitchell: On Monday, he started a new job. He's back at ACU as a dorm director. He is a 2020 graduate with a degree in theater. Last summer, he earned a master's degree in global service. On the ACU stage, he was in such shows as "Bright Star," "Beauty and the Beast" and "Cats."

 Rebecca: Well, for one thing, she's living in a dorm again. As she did in California and when Mitchell was getting his master's degree. "I work from home," she said. "I handle the administrative process of selling promotional products." Like pens with a company's name on the side. She also got her undergraduate degree in theater, doing such shows as "Babette's Feast" and "Pride and Prejudice."

Roles in "Romeo and Juliet":

 Mitchell: He is Romeo, the son of one Italian family feuding with another. He has fallen for their daughter, Juliet.

"I never pictured myself as a Romeo," he said, his curly locks shaking as he laughed. "I think every lad's dream when they are in high school and read for Romeo in freshman English goes, 'Oh, I totally can be Romeo. Then you grow up and it's 'There's no way I'm a Romeo." But in taking this role, he returned to this "young, shy, hopeless romantic in every young dude. It has been fun to find that 14-year-old, 15-year-old Mitchell ... granted, we are playing this around our age ... but when I read it in context, it's this 15-year-old guy who falls in love with this girl. And doesn't really know what love is but kind of gets a feeling of what it's like." It's about "feeling feelings deeply," he said. "It has been fun to play with emotions I haven't really felt since high school. Other than falling deeply in love with Rebecca."

 Rebecca: She is Juliet, who, like Romeo, is confined to a mental institution. "She checked herself in and is now on suicide watch," Rebecca said. "Which lends itself to how the story ends." Romeo is bi-polar and manic depressive. That, both actors agreed, provide a tension in their lives and relationship. She spends a lot of the play in tears, she said.

What you've learned about yourself playing this character:

 Rebecca: "I feel like my acting has sort of been this artist who writes a song or poem to their lover. and I'm doing that with Mitchell. I sort of am luxuriating in the love we have, and using that to tell a completely other story. We've invited friends from our church to come watch it and it's like inviting them to our wedding. Come and watch us be in love for two hours. There is a lot more work that is going into our characters, but it is just a lot of love. The Shakespeare classes that I've taken and what I've learned about Shakespeare, all of things they tell theater kids to tone it down, Shakespeare is like, 'No!' He's as dramatic as possible in the way he luxuriates in the language and emotions. It's just really decadent to do Shakespeare."

 Mitchell: "Rebecca is so good in luxuriating in those things and I'm not. Rebecca has pulled the luxuriating out of me through this process. It's something I'm learning about myself. That's really challenging for me to do as an actor. Not only as an actor but as a person sometimes. Luxuriate in the things that are vulnerable, such as love. And not just love, but pain. I consider myself to be an optimistic person." He said that each night in reviewing his part, he finds things he is missing. "There is something more that Romeo is feeling that I'm not quite expressing," he said. "I am excited that with each performance, I keep digging into that."

What the audience will get out of this production:

 Rebecca: "Something that I hope they get from this is that there is beauty in things we don't consider beautiful, simply because they are part of the human experience." Can suffering be something that is beautiful? "This story of star-crossed lovers with great misfortune ... are they going to do this as a comedy? No, still very sad. Sad things and very grotesque things can be very beautiful." And even in an asylum, "there still is space for a story to be told."

 Mitchell: He said he and friends drove into the area of last year's Mesquite Heat wildfire and while they observed the damage, they found beauty in the gnarled, burned trees. "Not in the traditional way we think of beauty," he said. "I couldn't help but feeling this is so cool, but also very sad."

What's next for you:

 Rebecca: "This is ultimately the dream," she said of returning to theater. "It's something that has been dormant for a while" because of the pandemic, getting married, etc. "We fell in love together while talking about theater, so this is exciting."

 Mitchell: "It's our first show together," he said. He was in ACT's comedy "It's Only a Play" in the fall, but she was not. "It has been really fun to discover each other in this world." He admitted they often work on their parts at home.

Greg Jaklewicz is editor of the Abilene Reporter-News and general columnist. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com.

If You Go

What: "Romeo and Juliet," directed by Ginger Vinson

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Again March 3-5

Where: ACT mainstage, 809 Barrow St.

Tickets: $18 general admission and $15 for students, military and seniors (55+) online. Tickets at the door will be $20 and $17.. Go to abilenecommunitytheatre.org or call 325-673-6271 for information.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Centerstage with: Husband and wife as ACT's 'Romeo and Juliet'
Pack 1920 held an advancement ceremony on Saturday, February 18, 2023. California's first all girls pack celebrated 14 advancements ranging from the Bobcat level to the Arrow of Light.

Cub Scout Pack 1920 held its annual advancement ceremony over the weekend, celebrating the achievements of numerous members.

The all-girl cub pack  California's first  started shortly after the Boy Scouts of America agreed to begin allowing girls to join five years ago. The number 1920 was selected because it was the year the Women's Suffrage movement led to the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote.

"I want to say how big of an experience this has been, teaching me so many important life skills," Cub Meave Blaco said. "Cub Scouts has taught me about friendship, teamwork, responsibility, compromising and public speaking. It's been very interesting learning about our pack members, my team and its significance in history."

Pack 1920 held an advancement ceremony on Saturday, February 18, 2023. California's first all girls pack celebrated 14 advancements ranging from the Bobcat level to the Arrow of Light.

Meave is one of three of Pack 1920s original members. Together, the trio celebrated their Arrow of Light crossover Saturday night.

Its kind of neat to look back at their pictures from five years ago, Cubmaster Rodney Blaco said, as well as all the girls who have joined since then and have been part of this adventure.

One by one, pack members crossed a small bridge  a physical representation of the cub scouts crossing onto their next path by moving through the ranks.

After crossing over, advancing pack members had their faces painted by family members, each color and design representing something different depending on their rank.

For example, red is a reminder that as a woman, you have a strong and powerful voice and to always be a trailblazer, while paw prints represent the spirit of the bobcat  reminding scouts to always do their best on a trip.

Pack 1920 held an advancement ceremony on Saturday, February 18, 2023. California's first all girls pack celebrated 14 advancements ranging from the Bobcat level to the Arrow of Light.

Every rank has its own age-appropriate requirements, and as a Cub Scout advances through the ranks, the requirements get more challenging, allowing members to use the new skills and abilities they have learned.

In total, 14 members were recognized for their advancements:

Bobcat  Felicity Doan

Advancing Tiger  Teagan Blaco

Advancing Wolves  Annabella Kim, Daiyanara Lopez, Zelena Sevilla

Advancing Bear  Kaya Zazueta

Advancing Webelos  Franchesca Cruz, Sara Weaver

Arrow of Light  Meave Blaco, Claire Downs, Evalyn Fraticelli, Poppy Gomes, Alinna Kim, Sofia Sevilla

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Pack 1920 held an advancement ceremony on Saturday, February 18, 2023. California's first all girls pack celebrated 14 advancements ranging from the Bobcat level to the Arrow of Light.

Over the last year, Pack 1920 reported a combined 43 hours of community service, 149 miles of hiking, and 53 nights of camping. Together, they sold over $11,000 of popcorn.

For the fifth straight year, Pack 1920 was recognized as a Gold-Level pack and earned the summertime activities award. Since its inception, the pack has been recognized by a number of California leaders, including State Sen. Shannon Grove and Assemblyman Devon Mathis.

Tulare County Judge Tara James was in attendance and spoke to members of the pack following the ceremony. Giving young girls more opportunities is one of the reasons she supports the program.

"I did Girl Scouts for a while, but there's only so much about it that I was really interested in," she said, noting both programs offer valuable life experiences. "I was a tomboy."

Cub Pack 1920 meets at 5 p.m. on the first three Sundays of each month at the Visalia Masonic Lodge.

Pack 1920 held an advancement ceremony on Saturday, February 18, 2023. California's first all girls pack celebrated 14 advancements ranging from the Bobcat level to the Arrow of Light.

This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Cub Scout Pack 1920 celebrates members during crossover ceremony
Dolly Parton's most recent Grammy wins were in 2020 and 2021 for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song. Dionne Warwick's most recent Grammy win was a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.

So for as much as it stands to reason that the two icons pairing for the Feb. 24 release of the single "Peace Like a River" is a legacy-celebrating moment, add in Warwick's son Damon Elliott on production  himself a Grammy-winning and Academy Award-nominated producer  and the song's potential becomes apparent.

While sitting with Warwick and Elliott at Nashville's downtown J.W. Marriott hotel on a Monday evening, one thing is apparent. Warwick still feels that she can be entirely relevant in the mainstream musical conversation. Between her surge on social media during the COVID-19 quarantine and her recently released CNN documentary "Don't Make Me Over," she's having a moment.

"Being the 'Twitter Queen' is the most amazing, fun and surprising thing in the world," she says. "But I'm still learning, producing and artistically creating like I always have and always will do."

Dionne Warwick, left, with her son and producer Damon Elliott, discuss Warwick's new duet with Dolly Parton, "Peace Like a River."

Add her acclaim to Parton's continued dominance as a businesswoman, performer and philanthropist who has superseded nostalgia to be woven into the fabric of how America broadcasts its idealized best self on the global stage.

Regarding Parton's evolution from "heritage act" to "superstar, her manager Danny Nozell said in a 2020 interview that, via viral and TV marketing of "ethical, passion-driven, quality" products to a younger generation of pop fans, the 77-year-old Parton is "on fire" and "absolutely smashing it."

Warwick laughs heartily when asked if the connectivity between herself and Parton extends back to their childhood roots.

"I never have and probably never will go to her hometown of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee," jokes the native of East Orange, New Jersey.

However, regarding the connection of their six-decade-long, globally-beloved careers, Warwick highlights Parton's 1980 surge into the mainstream spotlight via her acting role in the film "9 to 5" as when she began to take significant note of her work.

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Dolly Parton and Dionne Warwick's first collaboration is a gospel duet titled Peace Like a River, which Parton wrote and Damon Elliott, Dionnes son/manager, produced.

"I saw the film and fell in love with her," Warwick says. "She was just so, 'woo woo woo,' exceptionally talented and full of venom and vigor, as she still is. Then when my cousin, Whitney [Houston] re-recorded [Parton's 1974 classic] 'I Will Always Love You,' she indeed became a part of my life."

Elliott's a producer with over a quarter-century of experience who has worked with not just his mother but everyone from Beyonce and Billy Ray Cyrus to iconic songwriter Dianne Warren, Wynonna Judd and others.

Thus, the moment's gravity when Nozell sent him a demo vocal of Parton on the track that became "Peace Like a River" was not lost on him.

Music producer Damon Elliott discusses his mother Dionne Warwick's new duet with Dolly Parton, "Peace Like a River"

"I hadn't heard Dolly record a song like this  in my mind  since 'I Will Always Love You,'" says Elliott. "It's the honest, straight-forward power of the lyrics, delivered without all of the 'country' expectations. I immediately told my mother that, though Dolly sent her the song, that it would be best if delivered as a duet."

Elliott's partnership with his mother is a curious one. He began his career in 1996, and a decade passed until he was in the studio, behind the boards, helming her projects. Warwick's reasoning says everything about the high level of talent they both share.

"I had to make sure he knew what he was doing," says the six-time Grammy winner. "Had [my son] not honed his craft, he wouldn't be working with me.

"Facts!" says Elliott emphatically. A rip-roaring laugh punctuates his response.

"For my entire lifetime, I've watched my mother  with her heart, style and voice  without even trying, honestly, always appear greater than anything relevant at any given moment."

Parton and Warwick recorded their parts together in Los Angeles in mid-January. The session is described by her as "like working with any of my other duet partners."

Of course, other in-studio duet partners for Warwick include Burt Bacharach, Barry Manilow, Tthe Spinners and Stevie Wonder, among many.

Parton is in a rare class.

"We stood face-to-face and did what we had to do," Warwick says. "Just like all of my other songs, we were interpreting, then relaying, a thought as a message for people to hear. It was a lot of fun. Plus, we finally got to know each other better. I loved that.

"The song is like a double-barrel shotgun featuring two timeless artists [as the metaphorical bullets]. It will resonate with the world and amaze people. People need to be hit with the message of peace right now."

When asked about the idea that the space between country and R&B has been mined for platinum-selling superstardom for as long as the century-old country genre has existed, Warwick sets down her tea, then pauses and makes an incredible statement. Her words cut at the core of so much of what is right and wrong with the socio-cultural lines re-forming and dissolving between the genres.

"I don't know how to put music in boxes," she says. "Music is just music. There are eight notes to a scale, 13 if you're working chromatically. We all, regardless of genre , use the same notes. People who put music in boxes always forget this."

"Be who you be. It's not hard to do," says Elliott. "Mom has left people with a legendary mark of who she is upon the world.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Dionne Warwick and son discuss Dolly Parton duet, timeless legacy
A picture of a Tageos RIFD tag, similar to the ones that will soon be created in Fletcher after the company announced it would be opening its first U.S. plant in Henderson County.

FLETCHER - A French technology manufacturer that was recently awarded a near $880,000 economic incentive over five years by the Henderson County Board of Commissioners chose Henderson County as its first North American manufacturing center, bringing 92 new jobs and a $35 million investment.

Tageos, a global designer and manufacturer of radio-frequency identification inlays and tags, will be coming to the former Continental Automotive Systems building, which is now called Quality Point. The site is located within the Broadpoint Industrial Park in Fletcher.

The Town of Fletcher is thrilled to see new life at Quality Point. With strong infrastructure in place, this building is unlike any in our region. Tageos is the first of many companies that will find their new home here, Fletcher's Mayor Preston Blakely said in a news release.

In addition to the incentive offered by Henderson County, the North Carolina Department of Commerce awarded the company with a grant through the One North Carolina Fund, which is a cash-grant program that responds quickly to competitive job-creation projects, according to the Department of Commerce's website.

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Fletcher will also provide incentives to the company, according to the release, and customized training will be available at Blue Ridge Community College.

"Henderson Countys strong economy and thriving manufacturing community continue to attract companies from all around the world, just like Tageos. Their decision to invest in our county will significantly strengthen the high-tech sector, and the new jobs will improve the quality of life for all citizens, Chair of the Henderson County Board of Commissioners Rebecca McCall said in the release.

Each of the grants are based on job creation and capital investment, so the company will receive no money upfront, the release said. To get the allotted cash, the company must meet established targets and pay taxes.

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The company plans to invest $33.75 million in machinery and equipment and $2 million in property improvements by 2028. The new jobs created will have an average annual wage of $67,000, over 40% above the county-wide average, the release said.

For the company, a location in the United States will help to serve customers in North and South America, Tageos CEO Matthieu Picon said in the release.

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"This new facility will also help us to further accelerate our sustainability mission of producing products in the same region where they are used," Picon said. "With that, customers can truly benefit from the fact that our RFID inlays and tags will be available quickly and sustainably."

Quality Point has over 338,000 square feet of manufacturing and headquarters space. Tageos is the building's first manufacturing tenant and will use around 50,000 square feet, but the building still has 30,000 square feet of tech space, 21,000 square feet of office space and up to 150,000 square feet of manufacturing space.

Christian Smith is a reporter for the USA Today Network. Questions or Comments? Contact him at RCSmith@gannett.com or (828) 274-2222.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Tagoes, French manufacturer, to bring jobs, investment to Fletcher
A Georgia woman recently was arrested after authorities say she purposefully crashed into the Popeyes restaurant .

The woman, identified as 50-year-old Belinda Miller of Augusta, is charged with felony aggravated assault and criminal damage to property in the first degree.

Just after 7:45 p.m. Saturday, Richmond County sheriff's deputies responded to the chicken restaurant in Augusta for an accident with injuries. The Popeyes manager told deputies Miller drove her SUV into the east entrance after she became upset that her order did not have any biscuits, according to the incident report.

The manager told authorities Miller's order was corrected and she received her biscuits prior to the incident, but Miller "was still not happy."

Prior to the incident, the manager said the woman made several threats to staff, even calling and threatening to drive her car into the building, according to the report.

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One of the employees, who was standing by the entrance, was almost struck by the car during the incident, noted deputies. Miller continued driving after hitting and entering the building until her car was stopped by debris, according to arrest warrants.

After crashing into the restaurant, Miller fled the scene, according to the report. Her car was later found at her home with front-end damage.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Georgia woman charged for crashing into Popeyes over missing biscuits
Gigi Hadid is one of the most well-known  and highest-paid  supermodels of all time. While Gigi has strutted down the catwalk for some of the biggest names in fashion and has been the face of countless campaigns over the years, shes also ventured into a more behind-the-scenes role in fashion with the launch of her cashmere brand, Guest in Residence, as well as her onscreen appearances. Scroll down for everything we know about her net worth, career and more!

What Is Gigi Hadids Net Worth?

According to Celebrity Net Worth, the model is worth about $30 million as of 2023.

Gigi Hadid

What Designers Has Gigi Hadid Modeled For?

Its no secret that Gigi is one of the most in-demand supermodels of all time. She began modeling at a young age before stopping her work in the fashion industry to focus on school. After she graduated high school, Gigi moved to New York City to attend college, and signed with IMG models in 2013.

The following year, she made her catwalk debut at New York Fashion Week (NYFW), which catapulted her into the limelight. After booking numerous campaigns with Tom Ford and walking in shows for some of the hottest designers in the industry  including Marc Jacobs, Chanel and Michael Kors  Gigis status as one of the top names in the business was solidified.

Since her big breakout, the mom of one has walked for nearly every major player in the fashion world: Diane von Furstenburg, Balmain, Miu Miu, Tommy Hilfiger, Versace, Max Mara and more. Gigi has also graced the cover of most fashion magazines, including Vogue (United States, Japan, Germany, Paris and China, just to name a few), Harpers Bazaar, V Magazine and more.

What Shows Has Gigi Hadid Appeared On?

Part of Gigis rise to fame in the modeling world was documented on the early seasons of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Mom Yolanda Hadid joined the cast of the beloved Bravo reality series in its third season, starring in the show for three seasons before ultimately leaving in 2016.

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Gigi has been modeling since she was maybe 3 years old, Yolanda said in a season 3 confessional of RHOBH. I went to Ford, New York Models, Elite [Model Management]  I visited all the major modeling agencies and she walked out with a contract from every agency in New York. Gigis got it. Shes taking off. She just did the big fall campaign for Guess and today shes doing an ad for Europe.

Returning to the screen in March 2023, Gigi is set to host Netflix's Next In Fashion alongside Queer Eye fashion expert Tan France. The show pits talented designers against each other in competition-style episodes, ultimately naming one of them the next up-and-coming fashion designer.

Gigi Hadid Has a Clothing Company

In September 2022, the supermodel officially launched her cozy cashmere clothing company, Guest in Residence, which offers an array of luxury sweaters, beanies, polos, socks, cardigans, loungewear and more. Gigi serves as the companys creative director.

Our inaugural @guestinresidence campaign is titled Yearbook  portraits of humans, [newborn]-100 years old, to illustrate the timelessness and intergenerationality of cashmere, Gigi wrote on Instagram the day Guest in Residence launched. We want to celebrate investing in pieces that can adapt to your personality & style throughout life, and be passed on to do the same with someone else!
Tax increase

Illinois has a reputation for being a high-tax state and one that is losing population, but is that a reality?

According to one website, it absolutely is.

This month, MoneyGeek.com published a study to "assess the tax-friendliness of all 50 states and the District of Columbia" and found Illinois is a most unfriendly state when it comes to taxes.

Data reviewed for the study

Money Geek used data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Tax Foundation, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure survey. Armed with that, the website gave each state a grade, A being the best and F being the worst. The website looked at property, sales and income taxes in its calculations, as well as population change.

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What does the study says about Illinois?

Illinois families pay $14,778 in annual taxes on average where Wyoming, the most tax-friendly state in the survey, has families pay $3,438, a difference of $11,340 each year. Illinois families, the study found, pay 16.9% of their annual income to taxes.

The five states that got A's (Florida, Wyoming, Nevada, Tennessee and Alaska) experienced above-average population growth of about 1%, while states which received an F (Illinois, Connecticut, New Hampshire and New Jersey) saw a slight decline of 0.1%.

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Population change

The website draws the conclusion that the pandemic could have played some role in the changing populations as people are able to work remotely and can choose where they want to live. That's been seen here in Peoria as people have chosen to live here due to lower home prices.

"Have taxes influenced their decision to move to a new state? MoneyGeeks analysis suggests that the answer is 'yes,'" the website states. They found that in the top and bottom tax states, population growth or loss was tied to the state's tax grade.

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Illinois, the study states, lost 0.7% in population.

More:Illinois population shrinks again, according to latest US Census estimate

Methodology

On the website, MoneyGeek said they used data from the Tax Foundation to find the income and sales taxes for each state. Property tax rates were gathered from the website, WalletHub.

MoneyGeek then got income data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey, income figures from the U.S. Census Bureau and housing information from Zillow. For the study, the group created a fictitious family with one dependent, an income of $87,432, (the median national income at the time) and a home worth $374,665 (again, the median home price at the time).

Using that data, they estimated the taxes this "family" would pay each year in each state. States were then rated based on the amount of tax burden.

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Other things to consider

Last year, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker touted his 2023 budget as one that brought financial stability to the state and one that provided $1.8 billion in tax relief to families in Illinois.

Among the items in the budget were:

a suspension of taxes on groceries for one year which the governor says will save people $400 million.

freezing the motor fuel tax for six months, which Pritzker says results in a $70 million savings

a $520 million for a one-time property tax rebate which Pritzker said would amount to about $300 a household

expanding the earned income tax credit from 18 to 20% of the federal credit while increasing the number of households that would be covered. That, Pritzker's office said, would put about $100 million back into the wallets of families.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Is Illinois really that bad when it comes to taxes? One study says yes
Leonardo DiCaprio and Gigi Hadid. Shutterstock (2)

On good terms. Leonardo DiCaprio and Gigi Hadid are still friends  even attending the same star-studded birthday party  following their split.

The pair were seen attending an event in Italy on Thursday, February 23, for British Vogue's Edward Enninful. Other attendees at the party included Kendall Jenner and Dakota Johnson.

"Gigi and Leo arent dating and they just happened to both be attending their mutual friends' birthday party," a source exclusively tells Us Weekly. "There's nothing going on between them and it's strictly platonic at this point."

According to the insider, it is "no big deal" if DiCaprio, 48, and Hadid, 27, cross paths after calling it quits. "Gigi and Leo run in similar circles of friends so they're bound to see each other at times," the source says.

The sighting comes days after Us confirmed that the Oscar winner and the model were no longer dating.

"Things just organically tapered off between them," another insider revealed about the status of the couple's relationship. "Leo and Gigi were at different points in their life, and it just didnt work out between the two of them."

Meanwhile, a third source noted that DiCaprio and Hadid were "never that serious" because of their schedules. "They both have incredibly busy careers and lives, and although they tried to make time for each other, it really wasnt enough to make things work," the insider explained. "Gigi has no hard feelings toward Leo and she thinks hes an incredible guy. Their timing just couldnt align, and theyve decided to go their separate ways."

The twosome were first linked in September 2022 when they were seen spending time together during New York Fashion Week. One month later, the Titanic star was spotted hanging out in France at Paris Fashion Week while Hadid was working.

Theyve been having secret meetups and have been spending time together privately, another source revealed to Us at the time. "Theyre very into each other and are seeing where things go."

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The blossoming romance comes after DiCaprio and Camila Morrone called it quits following four years together. Hadid, for her part, was previously in a high-profile relationship with Zayn Malik. The duo dated off and on for five years before parting ways in October 2021. Ahead of their split, the musician, 30, and the California native welcomed daughter Khai in September 2020.

Hadid recently opened up about getting to watch her little girl get older. "The more that she talks, and understands, and remembers, it just gets more and more fun. She's a blessing," she gushed on Today in September 2022. "She's so mobile, from so early in the morning. So mobile. Jumping off things. Very brave, which is great, but you know."

With reporting by Sarah Jones
The state of Iowa is rolling back COVID-19 reporting.

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday that effective April 1, the state will no longer require that positive COVID-19 tests be reported to public health officials.

Iowa's top health officials have required since March 2020 that any COVID-19 test processed in a clinical lab be reported to the state. But in recent months, officials said, this type of monitoring "no longer accurately reflects the prevalence of the virus in the state" due to the widespread availability of rapid at-home tests. The results of those tests do not have to be reported to the state.

Iowa's weekly COVID-19 reports, which have served as the predominant source of information about the spread of coronavirus in the state, also will end. Beginning April 1, new COVID-19 data will instead be incorporated into respiratory virus surveillance reports published each week by HHS officials, aligning coronavirus monitoring with the standard for other respiratory viruses.

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State public health officials noted there are no reporting mandates for illnesses such as influenza and RSV.

Its important for Iowans to know that the Public Health Division will monitor the virus, just as we do for other respiratory illnesses, State Medical Director Dr. Robert Kruse said in a statement. The Public Health Division will continue to work collaboratively with our local health departments, healthcare partners in the state, and partners at the federal level.

As of Wednesday, nearly 2,300 Iowans had tested positive for the coronavirus in the past week, an increase in new weekly cases since a month ago, according to data from the state.

In total, 10,671 Iowans have died as a result of the virus since it reached Iowa in March 2020.

U.S. public health emergency over COVID-19 also coming to an end in 2023

The announcement on reporting requirements comes as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services plans to end the federal public health emergency for COVID-19. The proclamation  which has been in place since the pandemic began in the United States three years ago  is set to expire May 11.

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Gov. Kim Reynolds ended Iowa's public health disaster proclamation about a year ago, discontinuing requirements that hospitals report COVID-19 patient counts and that nursing homes report outbreaks. It also pulled the plug on the state website dedicated to reporting COVID data, but the state continued to provide weekly updates on positive tests, deaths and cases by county.

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Michaela Ramm covers health care for the Des Moines Register. She can be reached at mramm@registermedia.com, at (319) 339-7354 or on Twitter at @Michaela_Ramm.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa's weekly COVID reports will shut down with mandatory reporting
A 26-year-old Lebanon man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly attempting to lure minors and the production of child phonography in 2022, according to officials.

Mason Morey was indicted on one count of attempted online enticement and 14 counts of production of child pornography, the United State's Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced Thursday.

The indictment alleges that between Nov. 28 and Dec. 8, Morey used the internet to attempt to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity, according to U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam in a press release. On Dec. 7, Morey also allegedly produced images and videos of child pornography.

Agents with Homeland Security Investigations arrested Morey on Dec. 8, on the attempted online enticement charges in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Following an initial appearance in court, U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph F. Saporito, Jr. ordered Morey to be detained pending trial on the charge.

The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is lifetime imprisonment, according to officials. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenny P. Roberts is prosecuting the case.

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This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice dealing with a growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Officials said Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.

The project is led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.

The Department of Human Services operates a 24/7 hotline to report suspected child abuse or concerns about the welfare of a child. ChildLine can be reached at 800-932-0313.

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Please check back with the Lebanon Daily News for updates.

Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at mtoth@ldnews.com or on Twitter at @DAMattToth.

This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Lebanon man indicted on attempted child pornography production charges
Its safe to say that Lindsay Hubbard and Carl Radke have been through a lot recently. From moving in together to falling out with friends to work-related drama to getting engaged and planning a wedding  its not surprising the Summer House lovebirds were in need of a little break.

After hitting up the Clubhouse on February 13 in a Michael Costello x Revolve green minidress with her Valentine BABE, Lindsay took off for Jamaica with her beau for some much-needed time away from the Big Apple.

One Love, Lindsay captioned a February 20 series of photos of herself and Carl in various looks from the trip. In the first photo, Lindsay wears a plunging blue floral-printed maxi dress by PatBo ($850), while Carl echoes her style in a cream-colored short-sleeved shirt with a green tropical print and white shorts.

More snaps in the series showed additional details from the getaway, including the pair posing on an ATV in Jamaica shirts, riding horses, and wearing dinner-date looks, with Lindsay rocking another sultry dress and Carl wearing a blue printed short-sleeved shirt and white jeans.

Looking good [] fam bam, Summer House alum Luke Gulbranson commented on the post, while The Real Housewives of New Jerseys Melissa Gorga wrote, Hi lovers.

Style Living Sh Carl Radke Lindsay Hubbard New Apartment

Lindsay went on to show the full details of her dinner-date dress in another Instagram photo of herself posing on a balcony with a picturesque view of the ocean in the background.

The Winter House alum went barefoot for the pic, showing off her flowing pink lace-up maxi dress by PatBo ($795) that featured a gorgeous green, blue, and magenta tropical print, a high leg slit, and removable sleeves. She finished off her look with a low chignon hairstyle.

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Though the pair had the time of their lives soaking up the island sun, returning home to their cozy two-bedroom apartment in New York City may not be that bad, either.

The duo recently gave BravoTV.com a complete tour of their humble abode, which you can watch in the video above, showing off a very special, very rare feature that sold them on the apartment.

Also in the clip, Lindsay and Carl share a view of their beautiful kitchen, which features a large marble island, two ovens, and what seems to be a hidden refrigerator disguised as a cabinet. Lindsay quipped that not a lot of cooking is done in the room, but they still use it often for entertaining purposes.

We like the big open kitchen  [it] allows us to have some people who can sit here, Carl shared. Click on the video above to see more of the couples special space.

Watch Summer House on Bravo Mondays at 9/8c and the next day on Peacock. Catch up on the Bravo app.
daycare

On Wednesday (Feb. 22), Boston 25 News shared an article detailing an act of child abuse in a Massachusetts daycare. Nyasia Holmes told the outlet she was shocked to find out her 2-year-old daughter Kaiyas mouth was reportedly taped shut by one of the employees.

Holmes filed a police report after learning of the incident late last week. Since then, the 26-year-old Here We Grow Daycare employee was identified as Amy Li. Authorities subsequently charged her with reckless endangerment of a child, and assault and battery. According to the outlet, Li was given a summons to appear in Quincy District Court, but a date is unknown. Although the employee has not been convicted, Holmes claims the woman already admitted to the crime  but only because someone else saw.

She was just trying to cover her tracks because there was a person who witnessed what happened to my daughter, the upset mother told the Massachusetts news outlet. Holmes continued, Why did you think it was okay to put a 2-year-old in a thinking chair and obstruct her breathing and talking? Im angry that she exposed my child to that type of torture. The Department of Children and Families spoke with the station and said they are investigating the incident. Holmes thinks the employee could have performed this action on kids at the daycare before. I dont feel like this was a one-time incident. Its not okay. Youre not getting away with it. I will get justice for my child, she added.

Li allegedly subjected Kaiya to the punishment after she cried and threw a tantrum while other kids were sleeping. In a Facebook post, Holmes said no one at the daycare alerted her until the day after the incident happened. This woman never apologized for what she did to my child. I was an abused child, [and] this is causing me so much distress because I do everything in my power to protect my children, the mother wrote in a lengthy post. She added, When I saw the tape, I lost it I dont even want to go to work anymore. I feel guilty. I feel like I did not protect my child.

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The Last of Us Season 1 - Episode 6

Liane Hentscher/HBO

While the post-apocalyptic realm of HBO's The Last of Us may not look particularly inviting, the real-life filming locations are among the most stunning destinations to visit in Canada. And don't worry  clickers and infected have yet to be seen!

In episode 6 of the hit show, which was inspired by the video game of the same name, Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) continue their cross-country journey from Kansas City, Kansas, in hopes of finding Joel's brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna) in Wyoming. The duo brace themselves to encounter all types of humans-turned-zombies as a result of a deadly fungal outbreak that destroyed society 20 years prior.

Along the way, the unlikely pair pass by incredible snow-covered mountains and turquoise rivers until they reach the fully functioning city of Jackson, Wyoming. But the filming locations aren't actually spread across the American heartland. The real sites can be visited in the province of Alberta, Canada. Read on for the exact locations.

RELATED: 'The Last of Us' Fans Point Out HBO Editing Error  and It's Not a Starbucks Cup

Canmore, Alberta

real-life filming locations in Alberta, Canada seen in episode 6 of The Last of Us

Travel Albera / Mike Seehagel

Canmore, a cozy mountain town in Alberta, cosplays as Jackson, Wyoming  the safe haven where Tommy has been peacefully living with his wife Maria (Rutina Wesley) for the last few years. When Joel and Ellie are brought to the quaint location by townspeople, the pair are immediately in awe of the working society that appears to be untouched by the pandemic. The fictional oasis even offers working electricity, a movie theater and a charming Christmas tree in the town's center.

In real life, Canmore is nestled in the Kananaskis Valley with surrounding views of the Rocky Mountains. It's an ideal wintry escape that offers hiking, shopping, and a Nordic spa experience to entertain visitors.

real-life filming locations in Alberta, Canada seen in episode 6 of The Last of Us

Liane Hentscher/HBO

Fans of the show can also visit the nearby Canmore Engine Bridge that was built in the 1880s and offers panoramic views of the Canadian Rockies. Viewers may recognize it from the scene where Joel and Ellie make their journey to Wyoming  or perhaps from the editing error that went viral on social media.

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RELATED: 'The Last of Us' Proposes a Pandemic Based on Fungal Infection  Could that Happen?

Heritage Park Historical Village

real-life filming locations in Alberta, Canada seen in episode 6 of The Last of Us

Heritage Park Historical Village

After Ellie and Joel enjoy a home-cooked meal for the first time in years, Tommy takes his brother to the town saloon to catch up. The two share a drink at the real-life Heritage Park Historical Village's hotel replica, Wainwright Hotel, in Calgary, Alberta.

At the quaint bar, the brothers confront the tension from Joel after he searched for Tommy for years, only to find out that he's been living a peaceful life with plenty of food and shelter. They also discuss the upcoming journey that Joel has to take in order to get Ellie safely to the Fireflies, a rebel militia group, in Colorado.

real-life filming locations in Alberta, Canada seen in episode 6 of The Last of Us

Liane Hentscher/HBO

In real life, Heritage Park, Canada's largest living history museum, boasts over 200 exhibits that explore the history of the country through unique attractions like the Wainwright Hotel. The replica also serves as a dinner reception venue that offers a dining room and authentic saloon as seen in the show.

RELATED: Pedro Pascal Admits He Forgot He Landed Lead Role in 'The Last of Us' After Taking Ambien to Sleep

Mount Royal University and Southern Alberta Institute of Technology

real-life filming locations in Alberta, Canada seen in episode 6 of The Last of Us

Mount Royal University

The university setting that sets the scene for episode six's epic cliffhanger took place at Calgary's Mount Royal University and Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, not the University of Eastern Colorado like it appears in the show.

During production, Calgary students watched their campuses transform into an abandoned site in dystopian America where the Firefly base is supposed to be located. Crew members even had to remove snow from campus grounds and add in sand and leaves to make it look more realistic.
President Joe Biden will nominate Jabari Wamble, a federal prosecutor, to the U.S. District Court for Kansas, after his appointment to a higher federal judgeship stalled last year.

President Joe Biden will nominate Jabari Wamble, a federal prosecutor, to the U.S. District Court for Kansas, after his appointment to a higher federal judgeship stalled last year.

In August, Biden tapped Wamble, an assistant U.S. attorney based in Kansas City, Kan., for a vacant position on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

More:Joe Biden nominates Kansas prosecutor Jabari Wamble for seat on federal appeals court

But Wamble did not receive a hearing in the U.S. Senate Judiciary committee last session, though spokespeople for the committee did comment at the time on why that was the case. Wamble also was not scored by the American Bar Association, generally a pre-requisite for gaining consideration.

Biden on Wednesday announced he was selecting Wamble for a seat on the district court bench, replacing Judge Julie Robinson, the first African-American appointed to a seat on the court.

A White House official told Reuters that the move was made after "further consideration and conversation with Mr. Wamble regarding his own interests and experience."

Carl Tobias, a professor of law at the University of Richmond and an expert on federal judicial appointments, said in an email that Wamble's situation was "unusual and actually rare."

"I have been working in this area for two decades and can remember very few times when this happened," Tobias said.

Lawmakers, he said, generally give more scrutiny to appellate appointments given the scope of the court's work and might be more comfortable with Wamble on the district court bench.

Wamble previously served as an assistant attorney general under Kansas Attorney General Stephen Six from 2011 to 2014. He is a graduate of the University of Kansas and University of Kansas Law School and is the son-in-law of Missouri Congressman Emmanuel Cleaver.

Wamble earned praise from U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., when Biden said he was selecting him for the appellate bench, with Moran in a statement calling him "a dedicated public servant."

There is no timeframe for Biden to select a choice to represent Kansas on the 10th Circuit, replacing Chief Judge Mary Beck Briscoe, who retired last year. The state has two seats on the federal appellate court that covers Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Joe Biden to nominate Jabari Wamble to Kansas U.S. District Court
NEW YORK  Despite being relatively buoyed by an uptick in business in recent months, buyers at last weeks Designers & Agents show were searching the aisles with specific objectives in mind.

Rather than race through reorders with tried-and-true resources  which used to be routine procedure for many  retailers were on the lookout for independent, finely crafted items at the three-day show at the Starrett Lehigh Building. More quality-driven than brand-driven, some sought designers or resources that delivered their own personal stories which would in turn be shared with shoppers.

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With the average American woman owning 103 items of clothing (based on a ClosetMaid 2021 survey), buyers needed no reminding about most consumers actual need for fashion is one matter and sparking interest is another one altogether.

Lana Barakat, owner of December Thieves, an apparel boutique with an adjacent home decor and accessories store in Boston, was looking for fashion and accessories from small independent designers and brands that have a soul or a back story. Such personal connections can make a difference, she explained. Its helpful to have the opportunity to meet with designers to know that things are made ethically and with passion. Barakat said if she is inspired by them, so too will her shoppers be.

In addition to new resources, she checked out existing ones like Love Binetti. Coming off a very strong January, store traffic is back to where it was and sales are running more than 10 percent ahead of last year. The average purchase in both stores is about $300 to $350.

Barakat explained, People are more confident about spending. But they are spending with purpose. They are looking for brands that are meaningful, give back and have successfully been part of the community.

Scouting brands for the Nashville, Tennessee, boutique Alice that she runs with her mother Betsy Taylor, Edie Caldwell said they were attending a New York trade show for the first time. Since opening 18 months ago, the store has focused on high-quality European designers. So much so that some clients refer to it as Paris. Clients typically spend anywhere from $200 to $1,200.

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At D&A, they bought from existing resources like Susanne Bommer and picked up new domestic ones like The Little Project, a Los Angeles-based company. Catering to lifestyle changes has been key for the Alice owners and other retailers. After COVID-19 as the world was getting back together and [people were getting] back on their feet, I noticed that shoppers wanted a closet of staples. They had cleaned them out and want a capsule wardrobe. We carry that with a little oomph. A buttoned-up blouse might have a rounded collar or a poet sleeve, Caldwell said.

Many of the stores shoppers are trim, smaller frame women who sometimes need some coercing to embrace the relaxed, oversize styles that the mother-daughter team favor. Noting how some are conscientious about not wanting to look bigger than they are in slouchy styles, they are encouraged to only buy what they feel comfortable in, Caldwell said. We want you to wear the clothes  not for the clothes to wear you. But we tell them, Its OK to be comfortable. If you feel good in it, you should like it, she said.

Fashion designer Byron Lars saw a lot of interest in the dresses that were offered in his signature In Earnest collection. Their one-and-done ease of dressing remains a selling point. Fitted cotton shirts, a category that Lars started his business with years ago, were also popular with show buyers, he said, as were shirtdresses and jackets with a sense of fun and humor, as in a slim-fitting embellished varsity style.

Presenting the In Earnest by Byron Lars collection for the first time at the show with his cofounder Sheila Gray, the namesake designer said, Even though it hasnt been like the salad days, we have had a really great show.

In Earnest by Byron Lars was among the shows offerings. Here, a few designs from the collection.

As for what is making consumers spend, Lars said, Two things  one is for practicality. Youre checking a box for something they need to replenish. Thats not us. Another is a visceral response to something  if it moves you and excites you. I think thats what we bring to the table, Lars said.

Having recently launched a ready-to-wear division, The Little Projects Terry Sahagen-Layton also picked up some new accounts at the show. Many buyers were buying the whole collection  shirts, jackets and bottoms  she said. Having worked in the fashion industry for years, she said there has been a shift away from item-driven orders. But I think it comes in waves. People buy items and collections. Im just excited that our brand is being bought as a collection. Its a good compliment that they want to buy it as a full collection. But you can item out anything here.

On the lookout for art wear for their Key West boutique Hands On, Diane Shelby and Coco Vivien said they were having limited success finding new resources for mostly handmade, timeless small collections for apparel, jewelry and other accessories. Partial to a certain elegance, they veer away from anything that is mass produced. Peter O. Mahler is among the vendors they order from. Whats changed for us as an art wear store, some of our creative people are starting to retire. There seems to be no one coming up to replace them in the handcrafted, hand-dyed, handwoven arena, Shelby said.

Knowing their clientele only want something that nobody else has, the pair said they find themselves working harder and harder to find people who are doing very small editions or one-of-a-kind. We are in a tough segment that seems to be getting tougher, Shelby said.

Her co-owner agreed. The high-end creative people are getting out of the business for different reasons  age or they want to take care of their grandkids. They are not being replaced except by a few unusual ones like textile painters or weavers. But they are largely going by the wayside, Vivien said. Despite that challenge, their business has been consistently steady, thanks to snowbirds and year-round shoppers.

Back at D&A for the first time in a few years, the Museum of Art and Designs Bryna Pomp found two jewelry designers for its upcoming Mad About Jewelry sale. The four-day sale will feature 50 contemporary jewelry designers and will begin April 25. This years kickoff event will honor Bergdorf Goodmans senior vice president of the fashion office and director of womens fashion and store presentation Linda Fargo. Pomp typically considers thousands of jewelry designers before deciding on the final 50. Every invited artist is required to be present throughout the sale at the museum. Prices can range from under $100 to about $10,000, but the majority is between $500 and $1,000, Pomp said. Next months sale will feature artists from 20 different countries.

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Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the young armorer on the set of the ill-fated movie "Rust," was the only defendant to make an appearance  albeit virtual via Google Meet  at Friday's preliminary hearing in New Mexico, where she pleaded not guilty in the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

She was not visible to those tuning into the New Mexico court's YouTube channel, but Gutierrez-Reed's attorney, Jason Bowles, Santa Fe district attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies and Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer were.

The main revelation of the 10-minute session was judge in the case agreeing to Bowles' request that his client be allowed to carry a firearm. The case is anchored to the issue of weapons negligence on the set of "Rust" which resulted in the Oct. 21, 2021 death of Hutchins.

In this image from video released by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office, Alec Baldwin gestures while talking with investigators following a fatal shooting in 2021 on the set of his Western, "Rust."

What did Hannah Gutierrez-Reed say in court?

Gutierrez-Reed did not audibly respond when Sommer explained her constitutional rights, although Bowles confirmed that his client was aware of them.

Midway through the session, Bowles asked the judge to ensure that Gutierrez-Reed, who remains free on her own recognizance, could keep a firearm at home. He said this was important because his client received numerous threatening calls and was granted a restraining order against a stalker after state officials released personal details about her in the aftermath of the shooting.

District attorney Carmack-Altwies argued against the request, saying that "sloppy" care of firearms on the part of Gutierrez-Reed were at the center of the case. Hutchins was killed because a live bullet somehow made its way in the chamber of the gun handed to "Rust" star and producer Baldwin during rehearsal.

Bowles bristled at the use of the word "sloppy," as he maintains his client tried numerous times to improve on-set safety but was rebuffed. After the exchange by the two lawyers, Sommer granted Gutierrez-Reed to right to keep a firearm in her home for self-protection.

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The judge also ordered her not to have any contact with witnesses who might testify as part of the case.

Why didn't Alec Baldwin make a court appearance?

On Thursday, Baldwin, who along with Gutierrez-Reed has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in Hutchins's death, exercised his right to waive his appearance while entering a plea of not guilty.

The judge agreed to allow Baldwin to stay free on his "personal recognizance." Stipulations, however, include not possessing firearms or dangerous weapons, as well as maintaining contact with his defense attorney and not consuming alcohol.

Sommers addressed the issue of Baldwin's eventual first appearance in court, whether in person or more likely virtual, and pushed that event into sometime in March.

What are possible penalties in the 'Rust' involuntary manslaughter case?

Initially, the two charges of involuntary manslaughter against both Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed carried up to five years in jail due to a special firearms charge provision. The accidental shooting resulted not only in the death of Hutchins but also in the injury of "Rust" director Joel Silva.

The family of Halyna Hutchins (left, with son Andros and husband Matthew) has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the filmmakers of "Rust."

But after Baldwin's lawyers successfully argued that this charge was tied to a law that came into effect in 2022, that is after the shooting, the new penalty is up to 18 months in prison.

What do legal experts have to say about the 'Rust' hearing?

Legal experts were "not surprised" the judge allowed Gutierrez-Reed to keep a firearm at home.

"Judges have a lot of discretion to fashion the terms of pretrial release, says former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani, president of Los Angeles-based West Coast Trial Lawyers. "(Gutierrez-Reed) has no known criminal history or no known history of intentional violent conduct, so Im not surprised."

But Rahmani adds that as the armorer on the set, a job whose explicit purpose is to render prop weapons safe, Gutierrez-Reed has "more legal exposure than Baldwin. ... Of everyone involved, she has the greatest potential to be found culpable. She could serve time in jail."

Although Baldwin has yet to appear at a hearing, Rahmani believes his lawyers may be looking to take the case to trial. They are likely eyeing the deal cut with prosecutors by Dave Halls, the assistant director on "Rust" who handed Baldwin the loaded weapon despite calling out "Cold!," which confirms the weapon is safe.

"(Baldwin) could be acquitted outright, or the jury could possibly hang. If he loses, his lawyers could argue he should get no time in jail, because of the deal that prosecutors reached with Dave Halls that has kept him out of jail," he says. "Judges dont like sentencing disparities, so I dont think Baldwin would be sentenced to the max of 18 months behind bars, even if he is convicted.

Contributing: Associated Press

The latest in the 'Rust' shooting case

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Rust' case: Armorer can be armed at home for protection, judge says
Kilter | Credit: Maclay Heriot

Sydney-based electronica producer Kilter has released his first single of 2023. The club-oriented jam, High Hopes, follows two tracks Kilter released with Toby Anagnostis and Nick Littlemores Brain Flowers project in 2022.

On High Hopes, Kilter chops up and hammers home the airy melodic hook, You know I get my hopes up, grounding it in a spirited groove and subterranean bass frequencies.

Kilter  High Hopes

In a statement, Kilters Ned East said the core of the track took shape during a last-minute writing trip to Brisbane after a show was cancelled due to border closures. Once he returned to Sydney, he set about turning the foundation into something cruisy and euphoric but still hard.

High Hopes is the first taste of a forthcoming body of work from Kilter, which came together in various locations around Australia and Europe.

There are a bunch of tracks sitting together; some more crunchy house stuff, some beats and some interesting songs, Kilter said. Im excited about how everything is sounding and [excited] to begin presenting a deeper look at the music Ive been working on.

Further Reading

Kilter Returns With New Lil Spacely-Featuring Single C.A.C. (Catch A Case)

WAs ROAM Festival Cancelled, New Event to Take Place in Perth CBD

Fred again.. Review  UK Producer Lives Up to the Hype at the Hottest Gig in Sydney

The post Sydney Producer Kilter Matches Airy Hooks with Club Grooves on High Hopes appeared first on Music Feeds.
Craft Latino is proud to present an all-analog reissue of Para Los Rumberos, a truly magnificent recording showcasing Tito Puentes talent and musical mastery on its belated 50th anniversary. Consisting of ten diverse tracks, the album was recorded at Pat Jacques Broadway Recording Studios in New York City in 1972. Puentes love of Afro-Cuban music shines through a variety of genres from Mambo to Guaracha to Cha-Cha-Cha making this album a delight for listeners and dancers as well.

Puente opens with an updated version of his Para los Rumberos track, slowing the original blistering fast rumba abierta tempo of the 1955 version to a respectable mambo tempo. Its glorious war chant: Vamos rumbero, que la rumba ya va empezar," announces that it is time to hit the dance floor. A skilled arranger, Puente builds the tension with a short phrase in the piano and bass then augments it with the horns repeating it in layers. It finally explodes with a short timbale solo.

Nina y Senora is based on an old Cuban rumba-guaguanco that is slowed slightly to a mambo/guaracha tempo. Listen to the close-knit vocal harmony of Menique, Santos Colon and Yayo El Indio throughout the album, vocalese at its best. Meanwhile, Puentes Guayaba is classic cha-cha-cha. Chico OFarills arrangement of Ya No Me Quieres displays Puentes artistry on vibes as he expresses himself melodically on this classic bolero. The entire range of genres and rhythms played throughout highlights Puentes mastery of instruments and Afro-Cuban music.

Out on April 7, 2023, the new edition of Para los Rumberos, was cut all-analog from the original tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearant Audio and pressed on 180-gram audiophile quality black vinyl in a single-pocket gatefold tip-on jacket. A Green Guava Vinyl variant will be available exclusively at Fania.com. The album will also be released in hi-res digital for the first time, including 192/24 and 96/24 formats on April 7, 2023.

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Pre-order Para los Rumberos.

Para los Rumberos tracklist (vinyl):

SIDE A:

"Para los Rumberos"

"Nina y Senora"

"Guayaba"

"Ya No Me Quieres"

"Dias en el Palladium"

SIDE B

"Salsa y Sabor"

"China"

"Batuka"

"Contenoso"

"El Catire"

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.
Ukrainian filmmaker Roman Liubyi is marking the first anniversary on Friday of Russias invasion of his country with a screening at the Berlin Film Festival of documentary Iron Butterflies in its Panorama section.

The director was in London working on digital set design for the Belarus Free Theatres Dogs Of Europe production at the Barbican when Russia attacked on February 24, 2022.

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My wife and daughter had been due to fly out that day to join me but obviously that didnt happen, he recalls.

Instead, they fled their flat in Kyiv, which had come under heavy missile attack, for what they thought would be the relative safety of Liubyis parents home in Irpin.

The commuter town northwest of Kyiv would become a hotspot in the early days of the invasion and the site of Russian atrocities.

Liubyi raced back to Ukraine.

Accompanied by This Rain Will Never Stop cinematographer and friend Slava Tsvetkov, he navigated checkpoints and blocked roads in a dangerous mission to extract his girls from the city.

His wife and seven-year-old daughter are now living in London.

She is going to school in London and has become bilingual. She loves it but she would jump at the chance to return home any day. Its harder to convince kids, he says.

Liubyi has spent the past year in Ukraine, making films capturing life during the conflict under the banner of the Babylon13  Cinema Of Civil Society collective, and also supporting the war effort, attached to the countrys drone-driven reconnaissance unit.

Iron Butterflies, which world premiered in Sundance last month, explores the Russian disinformation campaign around the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014.

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For Ukrainians, the tragedy, which killed 289 civilian passengers and crew, should have been a wake-up call to Europe and the United States about Russias involvement in the separatist movement in eastern Ukraine.

Instead, it took eight years for a Dutch court to rule in November 2022 that the aircraft had been downed by a Russian-supplied missile.

The film is Liubyis second feature after War Note, capturing life at the Donbas front for Ukrainian soldiers in 2014 via personal videos shot on their smartphones, cameras and GoPros.

When Liubyi embarked on the new film, one of his aims was to raise the alarm over Russias designs on Eastern Ukraine. He admits the invasion left him questioning the point of the film and even his work as a filmmaker.

I think a lot of Ukrainian filmmakers felt like me, he says. At first, I wanted to give it all up and do something real, like go and work as a sapper or a medic, but then with time the film gained new meaning as analysis and a lesson about lost opportunities.

As the war grinds on, the director is shifting his creative focus away from the frontline with a feature-length, family-focused animation inspired by Ukrainian folklore.

You cant show people sheltering from the war in basements, films about war, or MH17, he says. Were working on the script. Its based on a book written almost one hundred years ago, called Unholy Power.

It is a very kind of story about these unholy powers who intervene to help these silly creatures, human beings, who get into trouble all the time.

The work will combine different animation techniques, led by stop-motion and puppetry.

Liubyi says there is also scope within the storyline to bring in international partners thanks to a scene in which unholy powers from all over the world convene on Bald Mountain, a real-life wooded hill in Kyiv connected with local folk mythology.

Tonia Noyabrova

Compatriot filmmaker Tonia Noyabrovas drama Do You Love Me? also screens at the Berlinale on Friday, again in Panorama.

The coming-of-age, semi-autobiographical drama stars Karyna Khymchuk as a 17-year-old growing up in Ukraine in the late 1980s, navigating the collapse of her parents marriage and the Soviet Union.

Young actress Khymchuk is now a refugee in Berlin, while Noyabrova ended up living out of a suitcase as she completed editing in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, color-grading in Berlin and then sound design and the titles in Sweden.

It was like giving birth to a real child, says Noyabrova. It was emotionally and physically very complicated to complete the film because I was living as a refugee and travelling around the world.

It was the international community that helped me complete this movie, she adds Having the Berlinale as the final destination is like a dream come true.

Now living in Poland, Noyabrova, like Liubyi, does not want to focus on the immediate conflict for her next film.

Instead, she is writing a Ruben Ostlund-style satire about refugee life.

Its a comedy about refugees. The main character is a playwright, who wants to write an outstanding play about war to stop the war, she reveals.

Its not a comedy-comedy. It will be an ironic movie in the vein of a Ruben Ostlund film, like The Square.

She says the film will be set in a big city in Europe but the exact setting has yet to be decided and will depend on which European co-producing partners come on board the project.

It could be anywhere. We just need to pick a very conservative European city with a very powerful bureaucracy. It could be France, or Germany, she adds.

The story will involve a diverse group of refugees and be driven by rivalry between different groups as they fight for attention and support,

The Ukrainians have become the main refugees and the other refugees are not happy with the situation. There will be a lot of layers and aspects to the characters, explains Noyabrova.

Her earlier work such as the short film Everything Will Be Alright and first feature Hero Of My Time critiqued contemporary Ukrainian society.

She acknowledges, however, when quizzed on this, that it is not an approach she would take in the present circumstances.

We have to be very careful now because were fighting for our freedom against a very powerful enemy so its not the moment to fight with each other, she says.

Like Liubyi, Noyabrova says her film Do You Love Me? has taken on fresh resonance following the Russian invasion.

Its a personal story which became really relevant. We can compare the collapse of the USSR with the collapse of the entire world now, the collapse of democracy, she says.

Were not just fighting for our democracy and our freedom but also that of the European Union. I really believe that.

Both filmmakers remain optimistic that Ukraine will prevail, with the support of the international community.

There is no way to survive without hope, says Liubyi. If we still have Kyiv, if we still have Kharkiv, if we still have Odesa, if we still have Dnipro, I think we will make it.

His only fear is that war fatigue will set in if the conflict continues for another full year.

I easily imagine how they [the Russians] will push their propaganda further and further and Ukraine could one day be alone in this fight, he says.

Now were fully supported by the whole world and Im using this opportunity as a representative of the Ukrainian people to say how much we appreciate all the help we have in our fight. Were really fighting for our existence, our culture and our land, he continues.

We will manage it but the only question is at what cost. There are many, many smart people fighting and dying. Were losing the most precious thing we have, our people.

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A German Leopard 2A6 tank fires at its target during the Strong Europe Tank Challenge (SETC), at the 7th Army Training Command Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, May 12, 2017. US Army photo by Spc. Nathanael Mercado

Ukrainian forces are training on Leopard tanks in Spain, according to the Spanish Prime Minister.

Spain aims to deliver the tanks to Ukraine once troops complete their training.

Leopard tanks are notable for their firepower, armor, and speed on various terrains.

As Ukraine's forces prepare for major deliveries of armored combat vehicles, troops are training on Leopard tanks in Spain.

Per reporting from Ukrinform, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday that a group of soldiers are learning to operate the heavy armor.

"Together with the contribution of other allies, these units will contribute to push the capacity of the Ukrainian Armed Forces," Sanchez said.

Sanchez revealed that the arrival of Leopard tanks in Ukraine would correspond with the return of trained soldiers.

"We are aiming to synchronize the delivery of the Leopards with the finalization of the training of Ukrainian soldiers," Sanchez said, adding that Spain could send more Leopard tanks later if needed.

According to Ukrinform, Spain is training troops to use Leopard 2 A4 tanks while it readies six tanks to Ukraine by late March or early April, according to Defense Minister Margarita Robles, as reported by Reuters.

Ukraine has long sought Leopard tanks, among other powerful Western made assets. As Insider previously reported, the Leopard 2 is a fast German-made battle tank originally designed in the 1970s that is has been upgraded over the years and can be found in the arsenals of nearly 20 different countries.

Mark Cancian, a retired US Marine Corps colonel and senior advisor with the Center for Strategic International Studies security program, previously told Insider's Jake Epstein that the Leopard "is the right tank" for Ukraine given its availability in arsenals across the NATO alliance.

The Leopard 2 can travel at speeds up to 44 mph, is armed with a 120 mm smoothbore cannon, a 7.62 mm machine gun, and grenade launchers, and the armor provides protection against certain ballistic threats and mines.

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Spain is one of several countries to pledge to send tanks to Ukraine. In late January, Germany finally agreed to send 14 Leopard tanks. Others like Poland have also said they will send these tanks.

The UK is preparing to arm Ukraine with its Challenger 2 tanks while the US plans to send 31 M1 Abrams tanks. The US vehicles weigh around 70 tons, can travel at speeds of up to 42 mph, are protected by composite armor improved with depleted uranium meshing, and are armed with a 120 mm main gun, a M2 .50 caliber machine gun, and two M240 7.62 mm machine guns.

In addition to promises to send tanks, the US, Germany, France, and Sweden have also promised a significant number of armored fighting vehicles, specifically the Bradley, Marder, AMX-10 RC, and CV90.

The British are presently training Ukrainian forces on Challenger tanks in southwestern England, and last month, US Army Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, announced that the US military was training Ukrainian troops in Germany, the Associated Press reported.

The combined arms training is focused on helping Ukraine use armor, artillery, and ground maneuver capabilities for an offensive push or to repel Russian moves.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A veteran Navy SEAL and father of two has died during free-fall parachute training, the Naval Special Warfare Command said.

Chief Special Warfare Operator Michael Ernst was training in Arizona before his death Feb. 19, military officials said.

"Navy SEAL Mike Ernst was a courageous warrior, loving husband, devoted father, and steadfast teammate to his fellow SEALs," U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, a former White House physician and retired Navy rear admiral, wrote on Twitter Thursday. "Mike tragically died in a military parachute training accident while serving his country."

His exact cause of death was not immediately known. The Navy did not provide additional details about the accident, which remained under investigation Friday.

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Here is what we know:

The training

The incident occurred Feb. 19..

Ernst was performing a high-altitude, low-opening jump, or HALO, at an airfield in Marana, Arizona, just outside Tucson.

He was taken to a hospital in Phoenix, where he was pronounced dead.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Ernst family, Rear Adm. Keith Davids, the commander of Naval Special Warfare Command, said in a statement to the Military Times. Mike was an exceptional teammate. He was a dedicated NSW sailor who applied his talents and skills toward some of our nations hardest challenges, while selflessly mentoring his teammates.

Chief Special Warfare Operator Michael Ernst was participating in a training in Arizona before his death on Feb. 19, 2023, officials said. He is pictured here with his wife and two children.

Who was Ernst?

He was a married father of two children, ages 2 and 5.

He was a native of Massachusetts.

He enlisted in the Navy in 2009.

He attended SEAL training the following year and graduated as a SEAL in 2012.

Officials said Ernst spent the rest of his career assigned to a SEAL team on the East Coast except for a stint as a student at MIT for the 2021-2022 school year, during which he remained on active duty.

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He was awarded a Silver Star for actions in combat, the militarys third-highest award for valor in combat, according to records released by the Navy.

Fourth training death since late 2021

Ernsts death marks the fourth known death of an active-duty Naval Special Warfare sailor since late 2021. Below are listed in order of the most recent:

April 2022: Lt. j.g. Aaron Fowler, 29, was an NSW EOD officer when he was killed during explosive ordnance training at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay.

February 2022: Kyle Mullen, 24, a student in the early stages of SEAL training who had just completed the notorious Hell Week, died of pneumonia in his dorm in Coronado, California.

December 2021: Cmdr. Brian Bourgeois, 43, commander of SEAL Team 8, died during a fast-rope training exercise from a helicopter in Virginia. According to his obituary, he died on Dec. 7, 2021.

Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US Navy SEAL Michael Ernst killed in free-fall parachute training
Brad Paisley has dropped the first song off his forthcoming album "Son of the Mountains" and it features a very special guest: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Paisley released the song, titled "Same Here," on Friday, Feb. 24, marking the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The song's lyrics bridge the perceived divide that can exist within countries and cultures.

Paisley sings, "However you talk, whatever you think / From the songs that you sing to the drink that you drink / If you miss your mama and worry 'bout your babies / And love each other like crazy / And want someone to share your hopes and fears / Same here."

PHOTO: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appears in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sept. 8, 2022, left, and country singer Brad Paisley attends a ceremony honoring Carrie Underwood with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Sept. 20, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP)

Zelenskyy appears nearly three minutes into the song, with Paisley summoning him by singing about his friend who "seems like a million miles away" and who has "a bunch of dreams for his country he holds so dear."

"We speak different languages in our life, yes, but I think we appreciate the same things: children, freedom, our flag, our soldiers, our people -- the biggest treasure we have -- and friends," Zelenskyy says. "And we are proud of our army, who defends our freedom and will defend our lives."

"We're fighting for our children, our parents, to defend our houses and families," Zelenskyy says to close out the song. "There is no difference between our countries in such values. That is very important to see that they are really -- in many, in many things -- really the same."

In a press release, Paisley said "Same Here" touches on the theme of freedom, which he called "our most precious gift as Americans."

"The song is grounded in observing life in the United States, then to people from other countries who speak different languages and to one across the ocean that's at war," he explained. "We start to realize how similar we all are."

"They are longing for what we as Americans have already. It's heartbreaking watching this struggle in modern time for freedom and democracy and the ability to just simply be who they want to be in peace," Paisley continued. "And this song is something that I hope resonates not only with my fans and people in America, but people anywhere that feel a similar desire to be free and safe and happy. Because I really do believe that as human beings when you take away the banners that determine what country we all live in, we all want the same things."

Proceeds from "Same Here" will go to UNITED24, a global fundraising initiative to help Ukraine, which was launched by Zelenskyy. Paisley is an ambassador for UNITED24.

Brad Paisley releases song with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy: Listen to 'Same Here' originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com
Asian American Scholar Forum condemns anti-Chinese comments from U.S. officials

Xinhua) 15:28, February 24, 2023

NEW YORK, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) on Thursday condemned recent anti-Chinese comments from U.S. officials, particularly the language they used against Chinese students.

"It is shameful and harmful that those who are meant to serve the public are spewing anti-Chinese sentiment that have the power to cause harm to Asian Americans," said Gisela Perez Kusakawa, AASF Executive Director, in a statement.

"This targeted language aimed at Chinese students endangers Asian American and immigrant students at universities across the country. The horrific incident of an 18-year-old Indiana University student who was stabbed 'for being Chinese' showed us how words and rhetoric can lead to physical harm," Kusakawa said.

"Students should be able to receive their education in a safe environment and not be treated as national security scapegoats. We care about the safety of students and academics and strongly urge public officials to do better and learn about how anti-Chinese rhetoric feeds xenophobia and anti-Asian hate and violence," said Kusakawa.

According to the statement, Rep. Bob Good (VA-05) told Newsmax, "Frankly, I don't think we ought to have Chinese nationals in institutions of higher learning, certainly at the graduate level."

AASF promotes academic belonging, openness, freedom, and equality for all and represents more than 7,000 scientists, researchers, and scholars in the United States.

In response to heightened anti-Asian sentiments in the United States and increasing profiling of Chinese Americans and immigrants in science, AASF has been a leading national voice fighting for the rights of Asian Americans and immigrant scientists, researchers, and scholars, said the statement.

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
Florida college students are livid with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, accusing him of targeting the civil rights of LGBTQ students and people of color by pushing to ban diversity, equity and inclusion, limiting discussion of racism and privilege in schools, and his threats to do more.

Sort of.

A small number of protesters walked out of their college classes Thursday during a planned statewide protest of DeSantis and his policies. One man at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville carried a "Keep Surveillance Out of Education!" sign and a Pride flag. Others at Florida International University waved signs that read "Trans Rights = Human Rights." In a similar scene at the University of Florida, about 100 people on a campus of more than 55,000 students held signs advocating for transgender health care and said the state is restricting free thought and expression.

The Florida College Democrats and Dream Defenders organized Thursday's "Stand for Freedom" movement and walkout to challenge DeSantis' education-related policies. They are calling on the DeSantis administration to restore diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in colleges and universities, according to the "Stand for Freedom" pledge.

"We are Floridas students and citizens. It is our education that is being tarnished and our schools being discredited," the pledge says. "This is our fight for freedom."

'This is our fight for freedom': Florida college students plan statewide walkout against Gov. DeSantis.

Last month, DeSantis' announced plans to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in previous years across Florida campuses. His legislative proposal would ban colleges and universities from spending money, regardless of its source, on support for initiatives related to diversity, equity and inclusion, critical race theory or "other discriminatory initiatives."

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In response to a question about the protests, a DeSantis spokesperson referred to an earlier statement.

In Florida, we will build off of our higher education reforms by aligning core curriculum to the values of liberty and the Western tradition, eliminating politicized bureaucracies like DEI, increasing the amount of research dollars for programs that will feed key industries with talented Florida students, and empowering presidents and boards of trustees to recruit and hire new faculty, including by dedicating record resources for faculty salaries, DeSantis said on Jan. 31.

Rev. Al Sharpton, Black leaders: DeSantis is 'wrong to mess with Black history'

What do the Florida student protesters say?

Protesters at the University of Florida said DeSantis is abusing his political power by overreaching into the education system, including K-12 schools, and dictating what can be taught in classrooms.

About 100 University of Florida students gathered at Turlington Hall on Thursday afternoon, part of a statewide walkout in protest of recent education-related efforts by Gov. Ron DeSantis, including his policies targeting LGBTQ+ and people of color.

Sabrina Briceno, a member University of Floridas College Democrats and Stand For Freedom Florida, said students want to "accurately learn our history, and that includes history that he might not agree with."

On the Florida State University campus, Ava Anderson said she doesn't agree with any of the policies DeSantis has introduced.

Personally, I feel like were going in a factious direction," the 21-year-old sociology and psychology major said. "Im Jewish, so it does scare me to see how hes criticizing peoples identities.

And in Sarasota at New College of Florida, which has been a focus of DeSantis' efforts to create a more conservative education model, professor Debarati Biswas said she fully supports the students.

"We value academic freedom at New College ... the students are choosing what they want to learn," Biswas said. "They are creating their own curriculum, and that brings with it growth and critical thinking."

'Black history is not inferior': Black leaders object to Florida's 'culture war against African Americans'

University of Florida student Madigan Wilford, center, came out in support of the trans population during a planned a statewide walkout in protest of recent education-related efforts by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

A protest at Florida State University's campus in Tallahassee earlier this month drew about 50 people rallying against DeSantis' initiatives. A political activism group called Students for a Democratic Society led that rally against his efforts to remove DEI from college curricula across the state, the Tallahassee Democrat reported.

Board shake-ups, threats to tenure: How conservatives are reshaping colleges

How is DeSantis shaping education in Florida?

DeSantis' announcement is just his latest action on academia.

Earlier this year, he replaced several members of the board of trustees with conservative appointees at New College of Florida, attributing low student enrollment and other financial challenges to the colleges skewed focus and impractical course offerings. The board quickly fired the progressive public institution's president. New College of Florida has been completely captured by a political ideology that puts trendy, truth-relative concepts above learning, Bryan Griffin, DeSantis press secretary, told USA TODAY earlier.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis addresses the crowd before publicly signing the Stop WOKE Act in April 2022.

DeSantis' Stop W.O.K.E. Act, legislation intended to limit discussion of racism and privilege in schools and workplace training, became law in 2022. A federal judge last year partially blocked the law from being applied to public universities.

In the 2022 elections, DeSantis endorsed and helped finance conservative school board candidates in several districts, most of whom won their races. This week, DeSantis shared a list of 14 school board members he hopes to help oust in 2024 because they "do not protect parental rights and have failed to protect students from woke ideologies."

He rejected the College Board's new AP African American Studies course, saying it violates Florida law and lacks educational value.

Why are colleges offering up more DEI degrees? Demand for diversity expertise is growing.

DeSantis signed another bill last year, the Parental Rights in Education Act, which opponents have dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" law. The measure bans instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.

DeSantis' administration asked 12 state universities for information about how many people were diagnosed with gender dysphoria or received treatment in campus clinics across Florida. It's not clear what will be done with the data.

CRT and DEI: What do those terms really mean?

Contributing: Tarah Jean, Tallahassee Democrat; Samantha Gholar, Sarasota Herald-Tribune; and Alan Festo, Gainesville Sun

Contact Kayla Jimenez at kjimenez@usatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter at @kaylajjimenez.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Students walk out to protest DeSantis' education efforts in Florida
First lady Jill Biden, on a five-day, two-nation trip to Africa with granddaughter Naomi, told The Associated Press on Friday that President Joe Biden intends to run for president again.

"Is there any reason for any of us to think that he is not running again," Biden was asked in an interview with the AP's Darlene Superville. "We've heard him say several times that it's his intention -- it is his intention to run?"

"Are you not believing this Darlene? I mean, how many times does he have to say it for you to believe it," the first lady replied. "He says he's not done. He's not finished what he started."

She touted many of Biden's accomplishments from his first two years in office, including the CHIPS bill, COVID relief funding, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, wrapping up by saying, "He's done so much -- and Darlene, he's just not done."

"So, is all that's left at this point is just to figure out a time and place for the announcement," Superville asked.

"Pretty much," Biden replied.

The president has maintained it's his intention to run again but has not yet made an official announcement. He would be 86 at the end of his second term.

The first lady's trip to Africa -- her sixth time and first time as first lady -- is intended to demonstrate the United States' commitment to keeping African nations at the table for a host of global priorities, administration officials said, but comes as China continues to expand its influence across the continent.

PHOTO: US First Lady Jill Biden and her granddaughter Naomi Biden disembarks the plane upon their arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Feb. 24, 2023. (Simon Maina/AFP via Getty Images)

After two days in Namibia, the first lady touched down in Kenya earlier Friday where she was again welcomed with dancing and smiles for the second leg of her trip. Her 29-year-old granddaughter Naomi, who last year was married at the White House, helped hold down her grandmother's dress as a windy day greeted them on the tarmac. Two small girls in pink dresses gave them flowers alongside Kenya's first lady Rachel Ruto.

"This is my third visit to Kenya. And I, you know, I have incredible memories here," she said Friday at a women's empowerment reception. "In fact, I told my granddaughter Naomi that coming here changed my life. And that's why she wanted to join me. So it's wonderful to be back and I, you know, I couldn't ask for a warmer welcome."

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MORE: First lady Jill Biden in Africa to show administration's commitment, White House says

The first lady is meeting with partners in Kenya throughout the weekend to highlight the ongoing drought and food security crisis in the Horn of Africa.

PHOTO: U.S. first lady Jill Biden and Naomi Biden are greeted, during the second leg of the first lady's African visit, at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya, Feb. 24, 2023. (Thomas Mukoya/Reuters)

Earlier in the week, an administration official said the first lady will also look at how Russia's invasion of Ukraine has harmed the region's food supply. Before touching down on Friday, she acknowledged the first-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine with a brief statement to the press.

"I just wanted to say on the one-year anniversary of Ukraine that not a day goes by that I don't think of President Zelenskyy, Olena, their family and all the people of Ukraine and what they're going through. And how hard they're fighting to keep their freedom," the first lady said.

MORE: First lady Jill Biden has cancerous lesion removed from near her right eye

PHOTO: U.S. first lady Jill Biden handouts sweets to children outside the Hope Initiatives Southern Africa, in Windhoek, Namibia, Feb. 23, 2023. (Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters)

The Biden's spent the previous two days in Namibia to focus on youth empowerment in the budding democracy. On Thursday, the two passed out candy to some excited neighborhood children, when the first lady ran out of M&Ms. Biden said, "Wait!" to a small boy who looked disappointed and gave him the White House bag that had held the candy, according to pool reports.

At a luncheon on Thursday, she spoke about the role of young people in advancing democracy, particularly one as young as Namibia, which gained independence from South Africa in 1990.

"I'm proud to be standing here, standing with a strong democracy," Biden said. "As Joe said at the summit, African voices, African Leadership, and African innovation are all critical to addressing the most pressing global challenges and realizing the vision we all share is a world that is free."

"Of course, there will always be differences," she added. "But what is important is what the Biden presidency represents. And that is decency, democracy, and diplomacy."

PHOTO: U.S. First Lady Jill Biden, right, reacts during a visit to a U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) project at an informal settlement near Windhoek, Namibia, Feb. 23, 2023. (Dirk Heinrich/AP)

MORE: First lady Jill Biden installs Valentine's Day decor at White House

The first lady is the first senior White House official to visit Africa since President Joe Biden hosted a summit with African leaders at the White House in December. Biden is expected to visit the continent at some point, after telling leaders he was "eager" to visit.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited Senegal, Zambia and South Africa already this year, and U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield stopped in Ghana, Mozambique and Kenya.

ABC News' Ben Gittleson and Justin Gomez contributed to this report.

First lady Jill Biden, on trip to Africa, maintains Biden will run again originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Editors note: A version of this post was published last April

Bald eagles around the country are preparing to raise new broods and those who admire them, via live-cams or in person, might wonder just how large are those nests?

One answer is provided in a photograph that circulates each year via social media, showing a ranger sitting in a replica nest measuring five feet wide and three feet deep  the approximate dimensions of a four-person hot tub.

The photo was originally shared last in 2021 year by Forest Park Nature Center in Illinois. The Facebook post states that the replica nest is housed at Hueston Woods State Park in Ohio.

But bald eagle nests are often much larger. The Forest Park Nature Center explained that the largest recorded nest measured 9.5 feet in diameter, 20 feet deep, and weighed almost 6,000 pounds!

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That nest, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, was constructed by eagles in St. Petersburg, Fla. The labs All About Birds website states: Another famous nest  in Vermilion, Ohio  was shaped like a wine glass and weighed almost two metric tons. It was used for 34 years until the tree blew down.

Bald eagle guards nest from treetop. Photo: Pete Thomas

Nests are typically built in the tallest conifers. While both parents build a nest, the female performs most of the branch and twig placement.

Earlier this month, in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park in east San Diego County, I captured the accompanying image showing a bald eagle atop a towering tree, guarding the nest with eggs about 20 feet below.

The other eagle was in a nearby tree, also standing guard, while pesky ravens communicated among themselves, raucously, in another tree.

Bald eagle on nest duty. Photo: Pete Thomas

Eaglets, after they fledge, generally spend about four years in nomadic exploration of vast territories and can fly hundreds of miles per day.

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Immature bald eagles born in California, for example, have traveled as far north as Alaska.

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In the first few months of 2020, huge swathes of Northern Italy were hit by the COVID-19 virus. Soon the death toll in the city of Bergamo reached such heights that an army convoy had to transport coffins out because its cemeteries and crematoriums were full.

In his powerful doc The Walls of Bergamo, which world premieres on Friday in Berlins Encounters section, prominent Italian documentary director Stefano Savona  whose Samouni Road won the Golden Eye prize in 2018 at Cannes  and a team of student filmmakers take the pulse of the city when it is on the brink of collapse and, subsequently, as Bergamo begins its healing and recovery process.

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Three years ago, in March 2020, we traveled through a deserted Italy to arrive in Bergamo in the midst of an unprecedented crisis, Savona says in his directors statement.

On tiptoe, we began to film the lives of those who, risking firsthand, were trying to face, understand and overcome the emergency that was overwhelming us all, he adds. Savona goes on to note that Every night for many months we gathered to look at the images we had collected, trying to find the invisible connections that united them, as the streets and roads of a city do with people.

Then, for the following two years, Savona and his students returned to Bergamo To document this collective ritual of grieving that we had seen come into being, which is the films narrative backbone.

The need I had felt from the very beginning to multiply points of view of the cinematic narrative certainly clashed with the need to be able to maintain a strong unity of the overall look, the director points out. It was not easy, but he believes they succeeded by essentially working as a collective body.

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The Walls of Bergamo, which is produced by Italys ILBE and RAI Cinema, is being sold internationally by Fandango Sales.

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The world may be hooked on the reality-TV series Below Deck, but aboard CrocusAdmiral Yachts largest, sleekest ATOS model to dateall the action takes place above deck to ensure the yachting lifestyle is experienced to the fullest.



The 155-foot Crocus was commissioned by an experienced yachtsman looking to upsize from his existing 131-foot Admiral. His prerequisites included large outdoor areas for relaxing on board, a light-filled but pared-back interior, and spacious accommodation for his family. The owner was involved in every stage of the build process, and sweated over the details.



The DNA of Admirals all-aluminum ATOS range, with the large windows, five generous guest cabins and efficient cruising, was exactly what the owner was looking foras was the Made in Italy appeal of the Admiral brand. But he wanted to improve it by modifying the standard exterior configuration.

The open transom and upper sundeck were both modifications to the standard layout.



Particularly, the transom. He mandated that the yacht have a large swim platform with easy, open access to the sea for all ages. Thats one of the features that he most enjoyed on his previous boat. The new styling transforms the stern area into an uncluttered beach club, with submerged steps into the water. Forward, twin stepped stairwells lead up to the main deck. The other major addition was a 1,076-square-foot sun deck to enhance the views from the yacht.

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The first things you notice about Crocus are her expansive outdoor areas, Anton Farber, sales broker at Fraser, told Robb Report. The beach club is not only spacious enough to store a tender and toys but can also be used as a sun lounge. When set up with a table and chairs, the space converts into an alfresco dining area at the waters edge to catch sunsets and provide wonderful sea views.

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Oversized sunpads dominate the sun deck forward and aft, with a bar amidships shaded by the hardtop. More outdoor dining can be found on the aft portion of upper deck aft, along with chairs and footstools that create a family-friendly vibe. The bow area is dedicated to technical compartments and the outdoor garage, where tenders up to 23 feet are stored. This unusual tender area frees up the space in the back for the beach club. Yet more seating is found on the aft part of the main deck.

The marching orders for the interior were for a minimalist design, simple decor and subdued colors.

The owner decided to forego the Jacuzzi, though the ATOS platform allows for one on the main deck. He also shied away from water toys, such as jet skis and foiling boards. But he also made sure that Crocus has the capacity to carry a large toy chest if a future owner is more water-sports friendly.

Theres an intentional sense of minimalism running across the yacht, with its sleek lines, warm tones and emphasis on sea views. On the exterior, teak handrails with a Wenge wood strip in contrasting matte and glossy finishes are twinned with tinted glass, geometric aft tails and a near vertical bow.

For the custom interior, Italian designer Gian Marco Campanino kept to the minimalist script. The owner really enjoyed his previous yachts interior and therefore decided to give Crocus the same feel, says Farber. He also wanted Italian touches and plenty of Italian marble in the bathrooms. Everything is designed around a relaxed mood, comfort and a geometrical composition with balanced proportions.

The vertical bow and rectangular profile have become a standard look on superyachts in the last five years.

Inside, a mixture of dark browns, bright whites, soft greys and saffron accents are complemented by tropical ebony wood, Italian Statuario marble in the ensuites, suede-like Alcantara and other tactile fabrics that reflect the owners contemporary lifestyle.

Another key design was the inclusion of two master staterooms to accommodate the owners family, both of which enjoy an abundance of natural light, thanks to the signature ATOS windows.

The open stern.

The main-deck layout bucks the usual trend of serving as the main reception area. Instead, its largely reserved for the owners private useincluding a dedicated Owner Room, which includes a private dining zone and galleyand the master suite forward. The remaining four guest suites, including the second master, are located on the lower deck. There is a second salon on the upper deck for when guests are invited aboard.



Since taking delivery in 2021, the owner has enjoyed life in the Mediterranean, in particular Sardinia, where the yacht has extensively cruised. Alas, all good things come to an end. The owner is ready to upsize once again. Crocus is listed for sale with Fraser for about $35,469,000.

Click here to see more images of Crocus.

Crocus Superyacht in Photos

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Editor's note: This week, Sen. Cory Booker called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to strengthen its regulations that cover some of the biggest chemical plants in New Jersey. A letter sent from Booker to EPA Administrator Michael Regan on Wednesday came a week after NorthJersey.com published a series called "Hazards Next Door" that showed how close dozens of facilities that store hazardous materials are to homes, schools and parks, especially in some of New Jersey's poorest communities. This is an adapted version of Booker's letter:

The Honorable Michael S. ReganAdministratorU.S. Environmental Protection Agency1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NWWashington, D.C. 20460

Dear Administrator Regan:

We write to express our appreciation and support for your agencys work to protect Americans from chemical disasters by issuing the Safer Communities by Chemical Accident Prevention proposed rule. As the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) works to finalize the rule, we write to reiterate our earlier call for you to deliver the strongest possible protections for workers in Risk Management Program (RMP) facilities, first responders, and environmental justice communities who live near these facilities and are most vulnerable to the cumulative impacts of chemical exposure. As you know, the RMP, as conceived in Section 112 of the Clean Air Act, was intended as a tool to prevent chemical facility disasters but to date the program has been largely reactive. After the prior administration rolled back safety measures that ignored both the statute's core prevention objectives and the facts showing a strong need for action to prevent chemical disasters, EPA is making the right decision to change course and follow the science and the law. With this new rulemaking, EPA has the opportunity to finally fulfill the promise of the Act by making the proposed improvements, and by further strengthening the rule to prevent chemical disasters from happening in the first place.

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Alfred Speer Village, Rafael Colon is concerned about the fire that burned through the Qualco warehouse in Passaic, one year ago.

Recent chemical disasters have highlighted shortcomings in federal regulations that fail to sufficiently protect workers and communities living near hazardous chemical facilities. From 2004-2020, EPA found that industry reported a total of 3,425 incidents, and acknowledged both reporting delays and under-reporting. This does not account for near-misses, and some of these events could have been much worse if not for highly trained workers acting to prevent a more disastrous outcome. For example, just earlier this year, a chemical fire at a facility in Passaic, New Jersey nearly reached a warehouse storing three million pounds of chemicals, including chlorine pellets.

Catastrophe was largely averted due to the efforts of roughly 200 firefighters who worked for three days to keep the fire contained while nearby residents sheltered in place. As climate change continues to drive more frequent and intense severe weather, EPA must also do more to protect communities from the double disasters that result when chemical disasters coincide with earthquakes and extreme weather events like hurricanes, floods, and wildfires. AFebruary 2022 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report highlighted this need, finding that roughly a third of RMP facilities are at increased risk from climate impacts and that the current RMP rule does not adequately protect against these climate risks.

Special report:What's lurking next door? Investigation reveals chemical hazards near North Jersey homes

Our view:Too many in NJ live near hazardous materials. This is what lawmakers must do

We are encouraged by the steps that EPA has taken with this proposed rule toward protecting communities from the danger of chemical disasters, and we urge the agency to further strengthen the rule in several key ways. As many of us wrote to you in April of last year, the updated RMP rule should prioritize hazard reduction and prevention measures, including transitioning to inherently safer chemicals and processes and requiring third-party audits to verify compliance. However, the proposed rule excludes the vast majority  95%  of RMP facilities from the requirement to conduct a Safer Technologies and Alternatives Analysis (STAA), and in most cases only requires a third-party audit after two incidents have occurred. We encourage EPA to broadly require the transition to inherently safer chemicals and processes at RMP facilities, and to lower the threshold that prompts third-party compliance audits. In addition, given EPAs mandate to prioritize environmental justice established in E.O. 13990, Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis, we urge the agency torequire cumulative impact assessments as part of stationary source siting evaluations in the final rule.

To further ensure adequate protections for the millions of Americans that live near RMP facilities, the final rule should improve requirements for outreach to inform the public about RMP facility hazards and emergency response plans before and during incidental releases, and require that this information be made available in multiple languages. To foster information access and transparency, EPA should maintain a publicly accessible RMP database and commit to delivering that database on the fastest possible timeline.

To adequately recognize and protect chemical facility workers and their unions as key partners in incident prevention, the final rule should: expand the conditions in which workers and their representatives are granted stop work authority; ensure that authority extends to workers in all RMP facilities regardless of program level; clarify and require safety reporting that better protects workers anonymity; allow workers and their representatives to be meaningfully involved in all elements of the rule; require employers to provide workers information and training about the rule and to develop a written program to ensure there is no retaliation against employees for using their rights to prevent a chemical disaster.

Lastly, we commend the EPA for taking steps to recognize climate change as a threat multiplier and proposing important requirements to assess and plan for natural hazards and power loss. We encourage EPA to strengthen these provisions by also requiring implementation of mitigation measures to prevent these climate-related double disasters, as emphasized in the GAOs February 2022 report. Additionally, the proposed rule does not require real-time air fenceline monitoring, leak detection, nor full facility back-up power, and would be strengthened by each of these requirements. We also note concerns about air monitoring and control equipment being removed from service before extreme weather events, as occurred during Hurricane Harvey, which leaves community members and regulators in the dark as to the full extent of air pollution and chemical disasters that may be exacerbated by extreme weather and/or power loss. The final rule can be strengthened by requiring penalties for intentionally removing air monitoring and control equipment from service, including before extreme weather events.

Thank you for your ongoing work on this and other environmental justice issues. We look forward to continuing to work with you to ensure that the communities we represent, and those across the country, are protected from the danger of chemical disasters by a truly preventative Risk Management Program.

Sincerely,

Cory A. Booker, United States Senator

Nanette Diaz Barragan, Member of Congress

Thomas R. Carper, United States Senator

Lisa Blunt Rochester, Member of Congress

Tammy Baldwin. United States Senator

Suzanne Bonamici, Member of Congress

Benjamin L. Cardin, United States Senator

Tony Cardenas, Member of Congress

Tammy Duckworth, United States Senator

Andre Carson, Member of Congress

Richard J. Durbin, United States Senator

Steve Cohen, Member of Congress

Dianne Feinstein, United States Senator

Mark DeSaulnier, Member of Congress

Edward J. Markey, United States Senator

Debbie Dingell, Member of Congress

Robert Menendez, United States Senator

Adriano Espaillat, Member of Congress

Jeffrey A. Merkley, United States Senator

John Garamendi, Member of Congress

Alex Padilla, United States Senator

Robert Garcia, Member of Congress

Bernard Sanders, United States Senator

Raul M. Grijalva, Member of Congress

Chris Van Hollen, United States Senator

Val Hoyle, Member of Congress

Elizabeth Warren, United States Senator

Jared Huffman, Member of Congress

Sheldon Whitehouse, United States Senator

Ro Khanna, Member of Congress

Ron Wyden, United States Senator

Barbara Lee, Member of Congress

Doris Matsui, Member of Congress

Betty McCollum, Member of Congress

Jerrold Nadler, Member of Congress

Grace F. Napolitano, Member of Congress

Eleanor Holmes Norton, Member of Congress

Mark Pocan, Member of Congress

Jamie Raskin, Member of Congress

Mary Gay Scanlon, Member of Congress

Adam Smith, Member of Congress

Melanie Stansbury, Member of Congress

Haley M. Stevens, Member of Congress

Dina Titus, Member of Congress

Rashida Tlaib, Member of Congress

Jill Tokuda, Member of Congress

Paul D. Tonko, Member of Congress

Maxine Waters, Member of Congress

Bonnie Watson Coleman, Member of Congress

A LGBTQ+ Town Hall with Senator Cory Booker, pictured, and Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill is held at EDGE New Jersey in Denville on August 15, 2022.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Booker: EPA must strengthen chemical safety regulations after NJ fire
Daring Dog Attacks a Shark in Bahamian Waters

(Picture Credit: Elizabeth W. Kearley / Getty Images)

The shocking moment a dog attacks a shark was captured on film by terrified tourists. Passengers on a boat excursion in the Bahamas were excited to witness a close-up view of a hammerhead shark swimming in the depths of the water. But amusement quickly turned to shock. A local dog jumped from a nearby pier into the water and confronted the aquatic animal.

Dog Sees Shark

The species of shark is known for their size and can reach up to 20 feet in length. The 12-foot hammerhead wandered close to shore. The boat operator took the opportunity to safely approach.

At the same time that we were all looking at the shark, the dog also noticed the shark, Rebecca Lightbourn recounts. Lightbourn, the reservation manager at Exuma Water Sports, says the dog always comes running out to just chase the boat and say hello.

The dog belongs to the owner of the private island the tour boat was passing on the water excursion. Because of the pups friendly greetings, the company incorporated a visit passing the islands shoreline into the tour route. Its sort of become a part of the tour, that we always wave to the dog as we go past, Lightbourn says.

Jaws Against Paws

With a splash, the brazen Bahamian Potcake began paddling directly toward the shark. Suddenly, the dog attacks the shark. Footage of the encounter shows the dog splashing in the water, biting the animal. Viewers can hear screams and pleading from those onboard, begging the dog to get out of the water.

Whether he wanted to protect his island or just wanted to play with what looked to him like a really big fish in the water, he just went after it, Lightbourn describes.

The dog paddles for nearly three minutes, thrashing with the shark in the crystal blue water. Passengers and crew are heard trying to determine how the dog will get out of the water, as an exit is not readily available. Fortunately for both animals, the confrontation ends without injury. The dog manages to make it back to land. The shark, confused and frightened, swims away.

Rebecca Lightbourn said she had seen the pup since the unexpected event and he is doing well.

The post Daring Dog Attacks a Shark in Bahamian Waters appeared first on DogTime.
Ellen DeGeneres has shared a clip in which she accurately guessed the name of Paris Hiltons newborn son with Carter Reum, over a year ago.

On Wednesday (22 February), she posted a video from Hiltons appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on 27 January 2022 on Instagram. In the clip, DeGeneres tries to guess the babys name.

You said youll have two or three [children], will they also be named a country or a city or something like that to go along with you? DeGeneres asks Hilton, 42.

The hotel heiress confirmed that was her plan, but refused to divulge her chosen name because Im scared someone will steal the name.

She also told DeGeneres no one I know has that name, prompting the talk show host to start guessing what the brand new moniker could be.

Argentina? DeGeneres asks.

Not telling you, Hilton replies, before the Emmy winner announces an ad break.

Ill guess it, I will, she tells Hilton. Phoenix? DeGeneres tries again, which is what Hilton and Reum have named their firstborn.

DeGeneres captioned her Instagram post: I named Paris Hiltons baby! What do I win?!?! A hotel?!?!

Hilton on Wednesday (22 February) announced that she and Reum had decided to name their baby  born in January via surrogacy  Phoenix Barron Hilton Reum.

She shared the news during the latest episode of her podcast This Is Paris, while reading an excerpt from her forthcoming memoir.

We plan to name him Phoenix, a name I decided on years ago when I was searching cities, countries and states on a map looking for something to go with Paris and London, Hilton read from the book, titled Paris: The Memoir.

Phoenix has a few good pop culture reference points but more important, its the bird that flames out and then rises from the ashes to fly again, she continued. I want my son to grow up knowing that disaster and triumph go around and come around throughout our lives and that this should give us great hope for the future.

During the episode, Hilton also said the babys middle name Barron is in honour of her late grandfather Barron Hilton.
Eugene Levy's show 'The Reluctant Traveler' premieres today on Apple TV+, and he told Travel + Leisure all about it in an exclusive interview.

Philippe Antonello/Courtesy of Apple TV+

Schitts Creek star Eugene Levy isnt pretending to be the next Anthony Bourdain, and thats whats so refreshing about watching him trepidly travel the world in his new eight-episode show The Reluctant Traveler on Apple TV+, which premiered today. In Tokyo, Levys big culinary adventure is trying sushi for the first time and eating an egg salad sandwich at a place called American Sandwich. But like the late great Bourdain, Levy isnt trying to be anyone else  at least in this show, hes not.

After five decades of taking comedic risks, Levy is making his most uncomfortable moves yet, which as he says is really going anywhere outside, a world hes spent his entire life avoiding. Im more of the great indoors type of guy, says the anti-travel host in the shows trailer.

Courtesy of Apple TV+

Levy adamantly says he doesnt like to travel nor does he have a sense of curiosity. He also doesnt like heights, the cold, or when its too warm. The list goes on. So why exactly is he hosting a travel show, we ask him?



'Why me?' was the big question, Levy tells Travel + Leisure in an exclusive Zoom interview. Originally, the show was pitched to him to be about hotels and called Room With a View. The highlight of the eight episodes, beyond Levys hilarious discomfort, is definitely the hotels he stays at. Each episode features a unique place to stay, including Treehotel in northern Sweden; South Africas Kruger Shalati Train on the Bridge; celebrity-favorite Amangiri in Utah; Kudadoo Maldives Private Island; rainforest Nayara Tented Camp in Costa Rica, and Hoshinoyas luxury ryokan in Tokyo (a missed opportunity, we think, for Levy not to awkwardly figure out onsen etiquette).

Ian Gavan/Courtesy of Apple TV+

I've never been on camera as myself. Fifty years of doing characters, but the last thing I wanted to do was be on camera as myself, Levy admits. There are certain attributes you need to host a travel show. Like a sense of curiosity, and a sense of adventure. And he has none of these, he shares. I'm not an explorer. I like to be on terra firma.

Levy told the Apple TV+ producers on that first call, Honestly, I don't think I'm the guy. But all his protesting about how anxious the thought of adventure makes him had the producers laughing. So they realized, no, this will make a great travel show: Watching a comedic icon do something he doesnt want to do (which is anything that requires leaving home). So Levy agreed, hed do the show and be himself.

For the first time in his five-decade-long career, the multi-Emmy Award-winning actor isnt playing Johnny Rose or any of his other cult favorite characters. Levy is again a fish-out-of-water, but this time as himself: the risk-averse, terribly awkward, flustered, rather-stay-at-home, 76-year-old that he is.

Ian Gavan/Courtesy of Apple TV+

From agreeing to go ice swimming in a Teletubby-looking drysuit in Finnish Lapland to extracting a stool sample with his bare hand from an elephants behind in South Africas Kruger National Park, Levy doesnt pretend to be anything but extremely uncomfortable, which he often is. But he doesnt let it stop him, and celebrates the small and big wins. First time Ive had my hand up an elephant's ass, he laughs.

In a hilarious scene more cringe-worthy than anything in American Pie, Levy reaches into an elephants anus to find fecal matter. Hes helping Krugers head vet do a general health check on the animal after it's been immobilized with a tranquilizer. (Spot checks like this help monitor the elephant population in the park.) But at any moment the elephant could wake up  if you see the elephant urinating, start running, hes warned.



It surely was a surprise, as Levy thought he was finished assisting the vet after taking blood from the animal. I don't even like when I'm getting blood taken. But I did it, Levy says. So when he was then told theyd like him to take a stool sample from the elephant, he promptly said theres no way he could do that. But from off camera, Levy heard his co-producer say, Oh, I think you can.

Courtesy of Apple TV+

The Reluctant Traveler star reminded himself he has to try things  because thats part of the deal. So he eventually did put his hand up an elephants rear for the sake of science and adventure. I would never want to do that again, he says emphatically. I honestly felt bad enough for the elephant.

It wasnt only this intimate moment with the elephant that left a lasting impression on Levy.

I never really had a desire to go on safari, he says. I didn't get the point of making a trip that long to see animals that, honestly, I already know what they look like.

But once he got to Kruger National Park he found he was developing an affinity for the landscape, even right outside his window, at a hotel suspended on train tracks smack dab in the middle of the park called Kruger Shalati Train on the Bridge. Youd see an elephant wandering around, a crocodile in the shallows, water buffalo, a hippo  I actually found it very comforting.

Courtesy of Apple TV+

And the serious nature of how much danger these animals are in hit me in a big way when I was there, he says. Before I went over there, it's a headline, right? The rhinos are becoming extinct. So you say, oh my god, that's terrible. But anyway, what else is on the agenda? But South Africa surprised him, especially visiting a rhino conservancy that takes in orphaned and injured rhinos. Before I got there, I thought they were just the ugliest animals in the world, he shares. But now I love these animals. So South Africa was such an eye opener for me.

Filming the Utah episode also stuck out for Levy. In just about every country that I've been, it's been the people that I've met and the families that I spent time with that certainly carry the most memories for me. Spending an evening with his Navajo nation guides and their family on their reservation was quite meaningful, he shares. There was a spirituality that kind of took over me, as he listened to his Navajo nation guide share stories under the stars.

Courtesy of Apple TV+

After filming in some of the most incredible places in the world, including the Arctic Circle and the Maldives, is Levy any less reluctant to travel now? Slightly, but not to a great degree, he shares. On the meter of loving to travel, on a scale from one to 10, the needle is nosing over to three. I still don't get a kick out of traveling, but the good news is the needle is moving.

But even as travel still doesnt move the needle much for Levy, he would love to do a second season. Do I love everything in it? Maybe not, but I love doing it. And quite honestly, I'm lucky to have this show because I think it's making me a slightly more enlightened person.

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Read the original article on Travel & Leisure.
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Its no shock the "house of death" in Netflixs new movie We Have a Ghost is a rundown Victorian (yes, theres a reason the style is considered to be more haunted). But thats the only classic element of the modern-day ghost story, which follows a family who finds fame by turning the ghost, played by Stranger Thingss David Harbour, that haunts their new home into a social media sensation. While the story is set in Chicago, the production was actually shot in and around New Orleans.

The biggest challenge of this movie wasn't necessarily the action, it was the environment, having to really battle the elements, writer-director Christopher Landon says in a press brief. We shot the movie in the dead ass of summer in New Orleans, which anyone will tell you is crazy.

The cast and crew powered through heavy heat (Davids crazy hairpiece is sliding off his head, Landon adds), lightning shutdowns, and a month-long halt in production in the wake of Hurricane Ida. Ahead, dive into everything else we know about the filming locations in the movie.

Netflix

Where Was We Have a Ghost filmed?

Naturally, the Presley familys new house is one of the movies standout stars. To get it just right, two New Orleans houses were chosen to portray the home: one for the exterior shots and one for the interiors. The exterior is exactly what you might picture when you think of a haunted house: It has skinny windows, a porch with gingerbread trim, textured walls, and overgrown landscaping.

As for the interiors, you can spot peeling wallpaper in the living room, scratched-up flooring, flickering lighting, and a fireplace with a black spotted mirror. Thanks to a team led by production designer Jennifer Spence, the kitchen was custom-built on location. The soaring attic where the ghost, Ernest, likes to hang out was filmed on a soundstage.

Courtesy of Netflix

Other locations include the small city of Donaldsonville, Louisiana. Located about an hour away from New Orleans, the city was used to film the car chase sequence. A convention center in New Orleans was transformed into the CIA office. One of the movie's final scenes takes place on the lakeshore. In reality, it was filmed on a hot, dusty field in Louisiana. The mountain background was shot in Bozeman, Montana, and added to the setting through visual effects.



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Whether you can't resist a haunted house tale, or simply want to see another fun production that features Jennifer Coolidge, We Have a Ghost offers the perfect balance between comedy and horror that'll eventually draw you back for a rewatch.

To hear more ghost stories, subscribe to our haunted house podcast, Dark House, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, or anywhere you listen.

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Reports of the demise of the eight-story, glass Carvana "Car Vending Machine" in Denver, were exaggerated.

The building is filled with pre-sold cars and opened to the public Wednesday, according to spokesperson Veronica Cardenas.

It's hard to miss towering over the east side of I-25 and Evans Avenue.

Some media reports speculated the 10-year-old company might not open it.

"These machines take time to build, and it wasn't completed until fairly recently  even though it looked done," Cardenas said. "We had to complete employee training and get inspections back for our permits."

The online used car buying company has sold 30,000 cars in Colorado, half in Denver.

Colorado residents have so many different needs when it comes to a vehicle, Jennifer Stagg, Carvana market operations manager, said in a news release. Were proud to offer Denver a national inventory with thousands of vehicles, paired with as-soon-as-next-day vehicle delivery so customers can easily and quickly get exactly what they want.

Looks can be deceiving, though. It's not like people can just walk in, pick a car from the vending machine, pay for it and drive off.

The machine is open from Monday through Saturday by appointment only. As mentioned previously, every one of the 27 cars on display have been purchased already and are waiting for pickup.

"Folks are welcome to walk in if they're curious," Cardenas said. "But it's not like a traditional dealership."

Carvana (NYSE: CVNA) customers do everything online. They pick the car with "up front pricing," as there's no hidden fees or negotiating, Cardenas said. Customers can have the car delivered to their house "as soon as the next day"  and now Denver-area customers can choose the vending machine.

"It's a fun experience where friends and family want to capture the moment" of putting a coin in and watching the car move through the machine to the ground level, Cardenas said. "As the car is vended down, it spins around and there's a light show in the bay."

It's the company's 34th vending machine and the first one in Colorado.

"Denver is an important market for us," she said.
This article originally appeared on Outside

In Florida, outdoor activities and watersports are a year-round affair. Water temperatures for natural springs in the northern and central parts of the state average 70 degrees--perfect for paddling and even swimming (sometimes with a wetsuit) any time of the year. The hospitable waters attract some of the region's most beloved residents: Florida manatees. Here's a look at the best ways to experience the waters around Crystal River and ethically observe the marine life that resides there.

Swim with Manatees

Florida's manatee season--when the animals migrate from cold ocean waters to warmer inland springs--typically spans mid-November to late March. But at the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge--the only protected area dedicated to Florida manatee habitat preservation--manatees reside year-round. During winter, the area sustains a population of around 800 manatees, and up to 100 of the so-called sea cows remain through summer. Explorida offers daily manatee tours that allow visitors to get in the water and observe the animals up close in their natural habitat. The tours begin on land with instructions for passive observation techniques and the refuge's regulations for interacting with manatees. Tours typically last three hours and include education about Florida manatees and ethical wildlife tourism practices.

Swim with Manatees at the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo: Carol Grant / Miles Saunders)

Plan your Florida trip: Learn more about other places around the state to spot manatees in the wild.

Paddle in a Clear Kayak

Manatees are typically gentle creatures, but if being in the water with them sounds daunting, opt for a guided tour of Crystal River in a clear kayak. Your guide will take you through Kings Bay to Crystal River and its connecting waterways, where manatees typically congregate. From your fully transparent kayak, you'll easily observe any manatees you come across, as well as dolphins, turtles, and a variety of fish. Above the surface, spot birds that nest in the mangrove canopy. This 2.5-hour tour is suitable for beginner and intermediate paddlers and can accommodate up to ten guests.

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Plan your Florida trip: Paddle your way around Florida at these top spots for kayaking.

Take an Airboat Tour

Designed for travel through swamps and marshlands, airboats offer an efficient--and fun--way to explore Florida's waterways. Instead of using in-water propellers like motorboats, these flat-bottomed boats are powered with aircraft-style propellers, making them ideal for cruising over shallow water. Take a guided airboat tour of the Homosassa River to experience parts of the marshland few people see. Along the way, your captain will point out marine wildlife, which might include eagles, shorebirds, dolphins, manatees, turtles, and alligators.

Take an airboat tour of the Homosassa River. (Photo: Miles Saunders / Discover Crystal River Florida)

Plan your Florida trip: Check out other extraordinary places to explore by boat in Florida.

Visit Three Sisters Springs

Part of the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, Three Sisters Springs is a 57-acre protected wetland, with hiking and biking trails throughout. For an opportunity to spot manatees from dry land, head to the boardwalk overlooking the springs. There, you might also encounter native reptiles, amphibians, and more than 100 species of birds. Due to shoreline erosion, visitors cannot access the water from within the refuge. Instead, to experience Three Sisters Springs on or in the water, launch a human-powered watercraft from the public boat ramps at Kings Bay Park or Hunter Springs Park and paddle less than two miles to the springs. Rentals are available from a number of local vendors near Kings Bay.

Plan your Florida trip: Get to know Florida's 700-plus natural springs.

Watch the Sunset at Crystal River Archaeological State Park

Crystal River Archaeological State Park protects a Native American ceremonial site, including burial and temple mounds that date back prior to the arrival of Europeans on the continent. Thought to be one of the longest continually occupied Native American sites in Florida, the area was inhabited for about 1,600 years by the Weedon Island culture--a name used by archaeologists since there is no record of what these people called themselves. Archaeologists estimate as many as 7,500 Native Americans traveled to this site annually for trade and to bury their dead. It's easy to see why they valued this site along the Crystal River when you see the sunset from the boardwalk atop a temple mound.

Enjoy the view at Crystal River Archaeological State Park. (Photo: Miles Saunders / Discover Crystal River Florida)

Plan your Florida trip: Experience more of Florida's history at these historic sites.

VISIT FLORIDA is the Sunshine State's official tourism marketing corporation and travel planning resource for visitors across the globe.

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 close-up of a fragment of the fireball meteor found in Texas.

A close-up of a fragment of the fireball meteor found in Texas.

A hefty meteor weighing around the same as a grand piano recently exploded in the skies above Texas, potentially showering the surrounding area with smaller fragments. One of these meteorite chunks has already been recovered and could help reveal more about our cosmic neighborhood, experts say.

The meteor, which was likely a small asteroid , entered Earth's atmosphere on Feb. 15 at around 5 p.m. CST and broke apart in a burst of flames about 21 miles (33.8 kilometers) above the city of McAllen. This type of space rock is known as a fireball meteor because of the bright flash given off as it breaks apart, due to friction between the fast-moving object and the air in the atmosphere.

"Based on analysis of preliminary information from several sources, NASA experts believe the object was a meteoroid about two feet [0.6 meters] in diameter weighing about 1,000 pounds [454 kilograms]," representatives from NASA's Meteor Watch wrote on Facebook . The meteor was traveling at around 27,000 mph (43,450 km/h) when it exploded and released the equivalent energy of around 8 tons (7.3 metric tons) of TNT, they added.

The meteors size and speed suggested that fragments had likely reached the ground without burning up completely, NASA representatives wrote.

On Feb. 18, Robert Ward , a meteorite hunter based in Arizona, recovered a fragment of the meteorite near El Sauz, Texas, after tracing the debris' trajectory using data from a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather radar, according to the American Meteor Society (AMS).

Related: Extremely rare fireball meteor may have sparked a blaze that burned down a California home

Meteorite hunter Robert Ward poses next to the chunk of the fireball he found near El Sauz

"When samples such as the remnants of this event are collected and studied, they enhance our understanding of the origin and evolution of our solar system," NASA representatives wrote.

There are likely more fragments scattered in the same area as Ward's fragment. If someone finds one on land they own then that person owns the fragment, but if you find it on public land you should contact the Smithsonian Institute, which manages the National Meteorite Collection, NASA representatives wrote.

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In a weird coincidence, the recent fireball arrived exactly 10 years after the Chelyabinsk meteor , which was around nine times larger than the Texas fireball and exploded over Russia Feb. 15, 2013, with the equivalent force of around 30 Hiroshima bombs, Mike Hankey , operations manager at AMS, told Live Science in an email.

The recent fireball was also the third fireball meteor detected worldwide in as many days: On Feb. 13 a meteor exploded in the skies above France, and on Feb. 14 a space rock broke apart above Italy, according to AMS. What's more, all three produced meteorites that have been recovered by experts, which is very rare, Hankey added.
Love Island is back, for the second time within the space of a year.

The hit ITV2 reality series is returning for a run of winter episodes, with the show relocating from its usual summer location of Mallorca, Spain to Cape Town, South Africa.

Beginning in January, the winter edition is expected to run for a similar length of time to the regular version  roughly eight weeks.

This would mean that the finale will air sometime in March.

As usual, viewers are invited to vote during the course of the series, with the most popular contestants ultimately landing the chance to win 50,000 in prize money.

LIVE BLOG: Follow along with all the live updates from Love Island season nine here.

In an unprecedented move for the series, viewers will be able to vote for the first male or female bombshell to enter the villa.

How do I vote?

In order to vote on Love Island, you need to download the free Love Island app.

The app is available for iOS (version 9+ or later) and Android (version 4.4x or later). It is the only way to vote.

For a full list of the contestants appearing on this years winter Love Island, click here.

The forthcoming series will also mark the debut of Maya Jama as series host, after previous presenter Laura Whitmore stepped down from the role.

The 28-year-old TV and radio star is Love Islands third host after Caroline Flack, who died in 2020, and Whitmore.

Love Island begins on ITV2 at 9pm on Monday 16 January on ITV2.
With three games remaining in the regular season, the North Carolina Tar Heels are in danger of missing the 2023 NCAA Tournament as the preseason No. 1 team. UNC finds themselves without a Quad 1 win, going 0-9 in that category which is something that the committee will look at come Selection Sunday.

The Tar Heels will have a Quad 1 opportunity Saturday against Virginia in the Dean Dome and potentially another one a week later when they host Duke to close out the regular season. But could they get one from a game they won in December?

After hitting a speed bump, the Michigan Wolverines have won two straight beating Michigan State and then getting a road win at Rutgers. With that win over Rutgers on Thursday night, Michigan climbed the NET rankings moving up from No. 62 to No. 53.

And thats potentially good news for UNC.

If Michigan can get to No. 50, it would give UNC a Quad 1 win after the Tar Heels beat the Wolverines in December in Charlotte. A neutral site win over a top 50 team qualifies and it would be a slight bump for the Tar Heels resume.

However, the two wins for Michigan have also moved them up on the bubble.

After losing to Indiana and Wisconsin a few weeks back, Michigan wasnt really near the bubble. But now two-straight wins has them as one of the next four out as they climb closer and closer to the field.

The Wolverines have a tough schedule ahead facing Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana. The Badgers are also on the bubble so that could play a factor in this as well.

The main thing for North Carolina is to take care of their own business moving forward and win out.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Story originally appeared on Tarheels Wire
Psychologist and mother of three Alison Kravit has, on occasion, forgotten the word "therapy."

Hollie Swire, a licensed independent clinical social worker and new mother of one, has set off for day care without the bag of her son's clothes and bottles.

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Christina Moran, a stay-at-home mom of three who has master's degrees in nursing and public health, worries she won't be able to process information quickly or express herself succinctly when she goes back to work. "It's a very uncomfortable feeling," she said.

All are experiencing the foggy thinking and bouts of forgetfulness commonly known by such cutesy and patronizing terms as "mommy brain," "baby brain," "pregnancy brain" or "momnesia."

Neuroscience, which has long studied the effect of pregnancy on animal brains, has finally turned its attention to the effect on the human brain - and the results are challenging commonly held assumptions about women's intellectual abilities during and after pregnancy. This is prompting researchers to call for a reassessment of the concept of mommy brain, if not an entire overhaul.

"It's Time to Rebrand Mommy Brain," asserts a recent commentary in JAMA Neurology written by neuroscientists Clare Mccormack, Bridget Callaghan and Jodi Pawluski (whose French-language book about mommy brain "superpowers" is being translated into English). Rather than focusing on the alleged deficits of mommy brain, they argue, science should highlight the positive adaptations that occur when a human mother gives birth.

During pregnancy, research has shown, the human brain undergoes an extraordinary period of reorganization - known as neuroplasticity. "If you were looking at this data through the lens of baby brain as a negative thing, at first glance it can sound a little alarming," said Mccormack, a research assistant professor in child and adolescent psychiatry at NYU Langone Health. But studies indicate that "this degree of change is actually really important, and it's associated with more optimal caregiving behavior and better adjustment to this big transition."

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The plasticity of women's brains during pregnancy is similar to during adolescence, Mccormack and her colleagues said. Both involve "hormonally mediated shifts in attention, motivation, cognition, and behavior necessary for adaptation to the new demands of life," they wrote in the commentary.

"It makes sense that brains are really, really plastic during that time because there's so many new things we need to learn [in order] to live with this wonderful creature," said Liisa Galea, a neuroscientist who has called for the issue of mommy brain to be revisited. She is the Treliving Family chair in women's mental health team at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, Canada's largest mental health hospital.

For example, MRIs show that gray matter volume is reduced after pregnancy in certain areas of women's brains and is increased in others. The areas of the brain where reduction occurs correspond to the areas involved in decoding mental states in ourselves and others, prompting researchers to theorize that this makes these areas more efficient. Studies show that mothers with these brain changes are more attached and attuned to their infants. These changes last two years or longer.

"Just because we're pruning down doesn't mean it's bad. It's actually good because we're wiring new and different connections," said Galea, who also leads the Women's Health Research Cluster at the University of British Columbia. "Because we have to learn about those infant cries. We have to learn how to juggle more things. We have to be less selfish."

While concerns about mental fogginess should not be dismissed, Mccormack said, those experiences, as well as research studies, might be influenced by what she and her colleagues call the "inescapable narrative" of mommy brain.

"Animal studies for a long time have asked the question of, 'Oh, wow, how did this animal develop this new skill set and learn how to be a parent?'" she said. "And in women and humans, it's actually been a really different framing of the question. It's been, 'Why are moms forgetful?'"

Although as many as 80 percent of pregnant women have said they experience cognitive problems when going about their daily lives, lab research has shown only minor negative effects on some areas of cognition. Furthermore, Galea noted, those results seem to be affected by a number of factors, including the trimester of the pregnancy, the sex of the baby and how many children the woman has given birth to.

Of course, that memory deficits in a lab setting are not as severe as women say they suffer in real life could simply be due to the fact that there are no interruptions or stresses - or children - in a lab. And it's also possible that the forgetfulness some women experience is related more to stress and lack of sleep than to changes in their brains.

Galea said these women should not be overly concerned about their forgetfulness because research shows that a new mother's memory gradually improves. Studies also suggest that, in middle age, women who have given birth have better memories than women who have not.

"I think we have to stop thinking about these things as positive and negative, just that they are natural," Galea said. "I think what is not fair is to say, 'Oh, it's all in your head.' You want to reassure people that, 'Hey, this is a normal thing. It's that your brain is being really plastic right now because you're going to need to learn new things, and you need to do it fast.'"

What's really important, she and Mccormack agree, is to figure out how this plasticity helps a woman adapt to motherhood. This could lead to targeted treatment for the 1 in 5 women who experience postpartum depression, as well as for those who suffer from other perinatal mood or anxiety disorders.

Another reason to research neuroplasticity related to pregnancy is to understand how these changes in the brain - some of which persist - affect women when they get older. There have been some signs that pregnancy raises the risk of Alzheimer's disease, Galea said, but there also have been studies finding that the more children a woman has given birth to, the younger her brain looks.

Unfortunately, there is reason to be concerned that such research will not be a priority, according to a study by Galea and colleagues. They analyzed neuroscience and psychiatry papers published in 2009 and 2019, and found out that only 3 percent focused only on women, while 27 percent focused only on men.

While mommy brain can be disorienting and frustrating, some parents do see the positive adaptations that research is uncovering, Mccormack said. Anecdotally, they have told her that they revel in new expertise, such as improved multitasking and stress endurance, and the almost magical ability to understand what an infant needs.

Mother of three Christina Moran said that although she feels she has experienced more deficits than strengths, she can recognize the skills she's gained.

"I managed to take all three of my kids - who are under 6 - to a children's museum and a play and everyone was alive, everybody had fun," she said. "I know that my brain has to function pretty quickly to keep track of it all. And I've been getting better and better at it."

Hollie Swire, the clinical social worker, believes motherhood has made her more empathetic and allowed her to step back and see issues with a wider perspective.

When talking to her patients about mommy brain, psychologist and mother Alison Kravit tries to address both sides.

"I usually acknowledge that yeah, that sucks. Let's think of some sort of way to improve this, whether it be planners or visual reminders, asking for help, or being self-compassionate," she said. She also talks about the positives, such as bonding with an infant, and reminds mothers "that they have a 100 percent track record of getting through hard things."

Swire said she thinks a rebranding of mommy brain could help new mothers.

"If people knew how much your brain capacity could change and will actually improve and help you be more efficient or more organized or more thoughtful and whatever you strive to be," she said, "I think people would actually see it as such a gain and see it as such an important transformation."

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Mysterious floating spheres are having quite a month.

Just weeks after the military shot down a suspectedChinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast, a cryptic metal ball has washed ashore at Enshu Beach in the city of Hamamatsu on Japans Pacific coast, a Tokyo correspondent from The Guardian reports.

Authorities rope off and examine the sphere Wednesday on a beach in Hamamatsu, Japan.

Authorities rope off and examine the sphere Wednesday on a beach in Hamamatsu, Japan.

The rusty, orange-tinted sphere  dubbed Godzilla egg, according to a BBC Tokyo correspondent  gained worldwide interest this week after a local resident spotted it and alerted police.

The elusive thingy is about 5 feet in diameter and has two raised handles, indicating that it can be hooked onto something else, the Guardian reported.

The call to authorities prompted police and even a bomb squad to investigate the object out of fear that it may be a stray mine, The Guardian said. Experts eventually deemed the object safe after X-rays found it was hollow. The Guardian also noted that there was no indication the object was part of any espionage operation from nearby North Korea or China.

The ball has been removed from the beach, according to the BBC.

Another view of the Godzilla egg.

Another view of the Godzilla egg.

Although the Dragon Ball Z-like figure is getting a ton of media attention, one local who regularly runs on Enshu Beach told public broadcaster NHK that its been sitting there for a while.

Its been there for a month, he said. I tried to push it, but it wouldnt budge.

Despite all this, police have not yet identified what the object is, which has some on social media questioning why authorities are staying quiet, the BBC reported. Based on a video posted of the sphere by NHK on Twitter, social media users believe its merely a ball buoy. Others have more whimsical ideas.

It's a steel mooring buoy. They are specially designed for the mooring of vessels in the most economical way while protecting shorelines, natural habitats & other boats by giving those sailing or stationed an alternative anchoring point for all types of vessels. pic.twitter.com/PBU4l1anvJ  Jeremiah Garcia (@jeremiah_fsp) February 21, 2023

I found one buried in my backyard some years ago. That one at least has some mystery to it - because that's not where I'd go looking for a buoy!  pic.twitter.com/mto4ErRI8t  gummih $8 (@gummih) February 22, 2023

I can't believe officials from a country surrounded by ocean don't recognize a ball buoy. 



They seemed rather intrigued by the mooring loop.   Efren Mendez, Jr. (@EfrenMendezJr) February 21, 2023

Hamamatsus civil engineering office said it considers it to be a foreign-made buoy, the BBC reported.

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Mark Inall, an oceanographer at the Scottish Association for Marine Science, told the BBC that, although he knew instantly it was a buoy, he understood why people might confuse it for a World War II mine.

But those would have spikes sticking out of them, he said.

Inall told the BBC that these buoys often wash up in Scotland and that they can float in the sea for decades, which causes their markings to fade.

Related...
Immediately after her first swing through Iowa as a declared presidential candidate, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is announcing plans to return to the state in March.

Haley will join Iowa's U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst for a foreign policy forum hosted by The Bastion Institute in West Des Moines March 10. Ernst was the first female combat veteran elected to the U.S. Senate, and she is serving her second term.

"With China, Russia and Iran on the rise, the world desperately needs strong American leadership," Ernst said in a statement. "I look forward to leading a timely discussion with Ambassador Haley on important national security and foreign policy issues and their impact on hardworking Iowans."

Ernst previously has hosted other national political figures at events for The Bastion Institute, a group founded in 2022, including potential presidential contender Mike Pompeo.

Haley, who is also the former governor of South Carolina, announced her run for president earlier this month and just finished a two-day swing through Iowa that included stops in Urbandale and Marion. She focused her message on the need for "a new generation of leaders" and told Iowans it's time to move on from former President Donald Trump and "look forward."

Haley's staff told the Des Moines Register they plan to announce additional events for her March trip at a later date.

More:Nikki Haley is carving a lane in the Iowa caucuses as Donald Trump looms. Here's how:

The return visit marks a notable increase in presidential activity in Iowa this month as Haley and others ramp up travel to the first-in-the-nation caucus state.

Former Vice President Mike Pence rallied parents in Cedar Rapids around a "parents' rights" message. U.S. Sen. Tim Scott delivered a message of optimism and unity in Des Moines. And anti-"woke" businessman Vivek Ramaswamy made his first trip to Iowa Thursday after formally announcing Wednesday night he would run for president.

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Former Aransas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Michigan businessman Perry Johnson also have been in the state talking to Iowa Republicans.

More:Iowa's 50 Most Wanted: These Republicans will help shape the 2024 presidential caucuses

The most notable absence: Former President Donald Trump has not traveled to Iowa since announcing late last year he would again seek the Republican nomination. But his staff announced this week it has hired four senior staffers based in the state.

Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on Twitter at @brianneDMR.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Nikki Haley returning to Iowa for foreign policy forum in March
People hang around Salem's ARCHES homeless shelter Jan. 10. The Oregon Legislature is considering a $200 million housing and homelessness assistance package to address needs in both rural and urban areas of the state.

Democratic state lawmakers remain hopeful that their $200 million homelessness and housing package can be on Gov. Tina Kotek's desk by mid-March.

Legislative housing chairs Rep. Maxine Dexter, D-Portland, Rep. David Gomberg, D-Otis, and Sen. Kayse Jama, D-Portland, on Wednesday went into more detail about the "urgent" proposal that would fund more housing construction, prevent evictions and provide additional funding to rural counties to address homelessness.

"The proposed affordable housing and emergency homelessness response package, HB 2001 and HB 5019, is a $200 million down payment on our longer-term investment in safe and affordable housing for every Oregonian," Dexter, chair of the House Committee on Housing and Homelessness, said.

The omnibus bill, House Bill 2001, is the result of a "bipartisan and bicameral process," according to Democratic lawmakers who spoke about the package Wednesday.

No Republicans were present at the roundtable discussion but they've been present at the table for policy discussions since the start and are important contributors to the ongoing process, Jama and Dexter said.

The proposed package would fully fund the $130 million request Kotek made earlier in the year, as well as support housing policies aimed at closing an estimated 140,000 housing unit gap in the state.

"Affordable housing will be the state's #1 priority," Dexter said.

Affordable housing

HB 2001 would direct local governments to create and implement housing production strategies, streamline urbanization processes and clarify responsibilities for metro areas across the state.

Recognizing the unique needs of each jurisdiction, each local government will have to create its own "Housing Production Strategy" in partnership with the Department of Land Conservation and Development to increase its affordable housing production.

There would be $20 million for the production of affordable modular homes and $3 million for a "Revolving Loan Fund" that would help local governments and developers build affordable housing for working families, including health care, education and construction workers.

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A man moves his belongings along the railroad tracks Wednesday near a campsite in Eugene. The Oregon Legislature is considering a $200 million housing and homelessness assistance package to address needs in both rural and urban areas of the state.

Funding from the Revolving Loan Fund would cover redevelopment costs that can prevent projects from starting and increase the time between projects.

HB 2001 would also direct funding towards farmworker housing, providing $5 million in grants to improve the health and safety conditions of existing on-site housing for farmworkers.

Stakeholders including the Oregon Law Center, Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste, the Department of Agriculture, lawmakers representing parts of the state with more farmworkers and the governor's task force on farmworker housing have recommended "urgent upgrades" to housing that is "frankly unsafe," Dexter said.

Funding for homelessness

HB 2001 would fully address the $130 million Kotek requested earlier in the year.

Kotek proposed:

$33.6 million for rent assistance and other eviction prevention services to prevent an estimated 8,750 households from becoming homeless.

$23.8 million for 600 low-barrier shelter beds across the state and for more housing navigators to connect unsheltered Oregonians to shelter and services.

$55.4 million for prepaid rental assistance to rehouse at least 1,200 unsheltered households, block leasing at least 600 vacant homes, landlord guarantees and incentives, and other re-housing services.

$5 million for the nine sovereign tribes in Oregon to support emergency response.

$5 million toward increasing capacity for culturally responsive organizations for "equitable outcomes" of the homelessness state of emergency.

$2 million to support local sanitation services.

$1.8 million to support the Office of Emergency Management and Oregon Housing and Community Services in their emergency response.

Additional funds outside of the governor's request will address other solutions, including $27 million towards 25 rural counties through the Rural Oregon Continuum of Care and an additional $25 million to connect youth with rental assistance, shelter facilities, outreach, mental health and/or substance abuse services and other resources.

Rural and coastal communities have been clear that they need support that is different from coordination for other parts of the state, Gomberg said.

As a legislator representing parts of rural and coastal Oregon, it's important to me that we make sure our state's response to homelessness reaches the 25 rural counties and the hundreds of small cities and towns in those parts of Oregon, said Gomberg, co-chair of the Joint Committee On Ways and Means Transportation and Economic Development Subcommittee.

Of the 18,000 people currently estimated to be homeless in Oregon, 4,000 are in the rural areas, Gomberg added.

Preventing evictions

The bill would also lengthen the amount of time a tenant has between non-payment of rent and being evicted in hopes of preventing more people from becoming homeless.

Currently, landlords must give tenants past due on rent a 72-hour notice to pay rent or move. The bill would require landlords to give tenants 10 days of notice. It would also extend court timelines, changing the initial appearance to 15 days after a complaint is filed instead of the current 7 days, and require the trial to begin between 15 and 30 days after the claim for nonpayment.

The bill does not propose to postpone eviction proceedings for up to 60 days while an application for rental assistance is pending, as some advocates had hoped for.

What's next

A public hearing and work session for the bill is scheduled for 8 a.m. Thursday.

The public can attend in person in Hearing Room F or virtually online.

To register to testify, submit the form online. Registration closes 30 minutes before the scheduled start. Written testimony is also accepted.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon lawmakers propose $200M housing and homelessness package
Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast

A new Tennessee bill poses an interstate health care nightmare. If an insurance provider covers gender-affirming care in another statelike hormone therapy in New York, or breast reduction surgery in Illinoisthat provider could be cut off from the 1.7 million Tennesseans who use the states Medicaid program.

The bill, HB1215, is just one of several recent efforts by lawmakers that target insurance, when used for gender-affirming care. In Florida, Wyoming, Kentucky, and Arkansas, proposed legislation would hit doctors, employers, and patients, who rely on longstanding insurance programs.

This attempt to try to limit health insurance, particularly for providers and health insurance from companies is just going to [cost] more money and delay more things in court, because weve known for well over a decade that health insurance has explicitly said gender-affirming care is included in health care, Shelby Chestnut, executive director of the Transgender Law Center told The Daily Beast.

Tennessees HB1215 was introduced in early February. Under the bill, Tennessees Medicaid program, TennCare, will no longer contract with health providers that cover gender-affirming care, even if the treatment takes place out of state.

Were also seeing lots of bills that would prevent any kinds of public funds like Medicaid or public facilities including doctors and hospitals from being able to be used to provide gender affirming care, Cathryn Oakley, the Kentucky legislative director for the Human Rights Campaign told the Associated Press shortly after the bills unveiling.

One week before the Tennessee bills introduction, Wyomings Senate introduced its own bill that would block doctors from providing minors with gender-affirming care, including temporary treatments like hormone blockers. If enacted, the bill would suspend or revoke licenses of doctors who provided those treatments. It would also prohibit insurance companies from covering any gender-affirming procedures for minors.

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The Tennessee and Wyoming bills come amid a maelstrom of anti-LGBTQ legislation. More than 300 such bills have been introduced in statehouses this year, according to the Human Rights Campaign; about 150 of those bills would curtail rights for transgender people.

Medical experts overwhelmingly recommend gender-affirming care for transgender youth. A 2020 study of 11,914 transgender and nonbinary people in their teens and early 20s found a significant drop in depression and suicide attempts among young people who received gender-affirming care, especially when those people were supported by their parents.

Nevertheless, lawmakers have used concerns about transgender youth as part of a larger broadside against gender-affirming care for people of all ages.

I think its a blanket fear-mongering tactic, Chestnut said. It is concerning the lengths lawmakers are going to criminalize not only young people and their parents and their health care providers.

Meet the GOP Governors Standing Up to GOP Anti-Trans Bills

One new bill, introduced in Kentucky on Tuesday, is nominally about blocking young people from gender-affirming health care and mental health care. It requires teachers to alert parents if kids use new pronouns but it also lays the groundwork for a wider attack on insurance for transgender people in the state.

The bill would establish liability provisions if an insurer elects to cover gender transition services and amend Kentucky law to prohibit a fully insured benefit plan or self-insured plan for public employees from covering gender transition services for a person under the age of 18 years.

Health-care providers would also be required to report anyone who provides gender-affirming care to minors, or face criminal charges. The bill is being fast-tracked through the Kentucky legislature, the Louisville Courier Journal reported.

The Kentucky bills language about liability comes amid an interstate effort to make gender-affirming care risky for doctors who provide it. A new Arkansas bill would allow people who received gender-affirming care as minors to sue doctors for malpractice up until age 48. The bill would greatly increase doctors liability, making it difficult for them to obtain their own insurance, the Associated Press reported.

In Florida, meanwhile, lawmakers have penned legislation that would make employers liable for costly disputes over gender-affirming care. On Monday, Floridas Senate introduced a bill that would require employers who pay for gender-affirming care to pay for treatment that reverses gender dysphoria treatment, if the patient wants it later, regardless of whether the patient is still an employee.

Woke businesses need to be held accountable when offering to pay for gender affirming surgeries in other states, such as California, because they are nothing more than political decisions masquerading as health care and human resource decisions, the bills sponsor, Sen. Blaise Ingoglia announced in a statement.

Florida banned state Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming care in 2022.

The healthcare field, as a whole, is bursting at its seams right now, Chestnut said, citing the strain that COVID-19 placed on doctors. Add in the increased discrimination youre seeing across the country: the criminalization of transgender people, and parents, and medical providersnow theyre trying to come for insurance.

Its just going to greatly lessen peoples safety in going to the doctor.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Tennessee House Republicans on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a ban on gender-transition health care for minors, which will require transgender children to end their current medical treatment by March 2024.

The bill prohibits children from receiving puberty blockers, hormone therapies or surgical procedures.

People who received the treatments as minors would also be able to sue parents, guardians and physicians for authorizing the care under a statute of limitations under the legislation. Bill sponsors initially included language to categorize parents seeking such treatments for their kids as abuse or neglect, but that section was later stripped from the bill as it made its way through committees.

If it becomes law, the bill would officially take effect this summer and give existing patients until March 31, 2024, to cease treatment, a timeline House Democrats have argued could medically harm patients.

The bill will soon be sent to Gov. Bill Lee's desk, which kicks off a 10-day countdown, not including Sundays, for Lee to sign it into law. Even if Lee chooses not to sign, the bill becomes law without his signature unless he vetoes it.

Though he rarely takes an explicit position on pending bills, Lee on Friday signaled he is "supportive" of the bill's content.

The American Civil Liberties Union plans to sue Tennessee if Lee signs it into law.

"All Tennesseans should have access to the healthcare they need to survive and thrive," Lucas Cameron-Vaughn, ACLU-TN staff attorney, said in a statement. "Gender-affirming healthcare for trans youth is safe, necessary, effective and often life-saving. Legislators are risking trans young peoples health, wellbeing and safety with this dangerous legislation. We urge Governor Lee to veto this overreaching, discriminatory bill, or we will see him in court.

House Bill 1 bans minors in Tennessee from accessing gender dysphoria and transition treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone therapies, in addition to surgeries.

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"These treatments and procedures have a lifetime of negative consequences that are irreversible," bill sponsor Rep. William Lamberth, R-Portland, said.

Lamberth has called transition care experimental and dangerous for children. Major U.S. medical associations, such as the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, have supported gender transition health care as evidence-based medicine.

The legislation was narrowly tailored to allow the same medications to be used medically elsewhere, as long as they are not used to treat gender dysphoria, while Republicans rebuffed pointed Democratic attempts to block other plastic and reconstructive surgeries that minors can obtain in Tennessee.

"It has nothing to do with protecting children from unnecessary medical procedures," Rep. Bo Mitchell, D-Nashville, said. "(Some children) can get their breast enhancements, their nose jobs, that's OK, but these children can't have any medical procedures?"

Mitchell said the legislation was unfairly targeting transgender children, and the state would have to answer for it in court.

Filed as the first bill of the session following a high-profile controversy that erupted last fall over Vanderbilt University Medical Center offering gender-transition care, the legislation moved quickly through the General Assembly.

More:Vanderbilt pauses gender affirmation surgery for minors amid backlash

Conservative media personalities and two young women who said they regretted beginning gender transitions as teenagers have testified in support of the bill. Both women received their gender transition care outside of Tennessee.

"The vote on the floor today was extremely strong," Lamberth said. "We're going to protect our children, we're going to support our children to mature naturally and give them the love and assistance, mental health treatment, that they need."

Multiple Tennessee parents, including at least one whose child will have to stop an ongoing medication regimen, testified against the bill, imploring lawmakers to trust them and their doctors to make the best decisions with their children.

The Human Rights Campaign on Thursday urged Lee to veto the bill.

This attempt by radical politicians in Tennessee to ban gender-affirming care is only the latest effort in their war against the LGBTQ+ community, especially against transgender kids," HRC Senior Counsel Cathryn Oakley said. "The state has not only introduced more anti-LGBTQ+ legislation than any other state in this country, but attacks on the fundamental rights of thousands of LGBTQ+ people in Tennessee have been unrelenting for nearly a decade. These extremist lawmakers have intentionally made life harder and more dangerous for trans kids. Gender affirming care is age-appropriate, life-saving, medically necessary care that is only provided after the consent of parents and doctors."

Kelly Puente contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee legislature passes ban on gender-affirming care for minors
New Class A warehouse space opened in Colorado's I-76 corridor as Trammell Crow Company and Clarion Partners with CBRE as the leasing agent and general contractor Murray & Stafford deliver 104th Commerce Park.

With the permanent surge of eCommerce since the pandemic, warehouse and industrial space has been growing to match demand. Over 570,000 of square feet were completed in Phase One and will be 1.17 million square feet upon completion of Phase Two.

Everyone in the world is buying more stuff online, said Tyler Carner, executive vice president with CBRE. And the need for delivery of product is driving the industrial boom kind of nationally and locally as well.

The new warehouse complex has a competitive advantage, officials say, as it is just under 10 minutes from the "Denver corridor" on about 90 acres of land south of Henerdson. Highway access to Denver International Airport just to the east should also be a draw for tenants.

The old saying "location is everything" when it comes to real estate rings true as planners chose a "prime spot" for the new warehouse with I-76 visibility and plenty of rooftops (residents) in the neighboring area, according to Sara Johnston, senior corporate communications manager for CBRE.

Two of the five buildings are complete and ready for leasing, offering 272,672 square-foot and 298,313 square-foot cross-docks. Three more buildings are planned for phase two.

All buildings are either 32- or 36-foot clear height with ready-to-use office spaces, sustainable lighting and ventilation systems. The individual buildings can also be divided among renters to appeal to different size needs.

The large yard space the complex offers can accommodate designated trailer parking.

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The area historically has not had many Class A speculative industrial developments, Johnston said. That's despite being in a developing area close to the core population which gives a bit of savings to potential tenants who are willing to look 10 minutes up the road.

Theres definitely a lot of residential growth, retail growth, some industrial but its hard to find, Brad Stevinson, vice president of the Trammell Crow Company, said.

Supply chain issues and the process of permits have led to phase one challenges, according to Taylor Nelson, senior development manager with the Trammell Crow Company. Skilled labor was difficult to find, Nelson said. Marine Stafford was the general contractor on this project and was able to use the companys relationships within the community to ensure competition of the project, he added.

Were pretty confident because weve got partnerships with a whole lot of great people, Nelson said.

These types of projects used to take 10-to-12 months, Carner said. But now the process from site identification to building completion takes two-to-three years. This leads to higher costs all around.

Carner expects the site will appeal to e-commerce and third-party logistics businesses, but could be used for many different purposes as it can be divided from 20,000 square feet to up to almost 300,000. CBRE has already seen interest from potential tenants and hopes to have the first lease signed by the end of the month.
Apparently, Arizona is the best place for people to run a small, home-based business. According to a report from LLC.org titled Americas Best Cities for Side Hustles, six cities in Arizona were within the top 30, and three were within the top 10.

Number one on the list was Salt Lake City, Utah, followed by Gilbert and Scottsdale, Arizona, and, in fourth, Madison, Wisconsin. Chandler, Arizona, placed fifth and was followed by Colorado Springs, Colorado, Seattle, and then Fremont, California. In ninth place was Raleigh, North Carolina, and in 10th, Minneapolis. The other Arizona cities in the top 30 were Mesa, Tucson and Phoenix.

More from WWD

Some of the key points revealed in the report are that Minneapolis and St. Paul have the lowest unemployment rate (1.7 percent) on the list, while Fremont, Seattle and Atlanta have the highest percentage of people who work from home, the reports authors said. Nearly half (48.9 percent) of employed Fremont residents work from home, which provides a considerable amount of flexibility for those looking to start a side hustle.

Our analysis included eight equally weighted metrics, including affordability (LLC filing fees and income tax rates), flexibility (percent of residents who work from home, average weekly working hours, and average commute time), economic environment (unemployment rate) and accessibility factors (percent of the population with broadband internet access and the percent who own a smartphone), the report noted.

In its analysis, researchers said in the report that Salt Lake City was also ranked as a top place to start a small business. Overall, Salt Lake City scored 78 points out of 100 due to its low unemployment rate of 2.1 percent (which is the fifth lowest on our list of cities) as well as the flexibility and time to work on a side hustle during the workweek, the report stated. In fact, the city has the fourth-lowest average daily commute of just 18.4 minutes, making it ideal for those who want to allocate extra time for a side hustle.

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LLC.org also said 95 percent of city residents own a smartphone, which creates plenty of opportunity for those looking to jump into the gig economy, such as ride-sharing, dog walking or making deliveries. But what really propelled Salt Lake City to the top spot is its affordability. The states low-income tax rate of 4.95 percent combined with an affordable LLC filing fee gives Salt Lake City an affordability score of 23 out of 25.

With Gilbert, Arizona, the reports authors noted the growth of the Metro Phoenix area. In fact, the metro area grew by an average of 291 people every day in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the report stated. This growth, combined with affordable LLC filing fees ($50), a low-income tax rate (4.5 percent), and the majority of the population having access to broadband internet as well as owning a smartphone, makes Gilbert a top spot for those looking to start a side hustle.

Scottsdale and Chandler also shared some of the same benefits as Gilbert. For fourth placed Madison, the citys score of 70 points out of 100 was due to its low unemployment rate of 2.2 percent and overall flexibility for workers looking to start a side hustle, LLC.org said.

Although Wisconsins LLC filing fee ($130) is higher than the top three cities on our list, the city makes up for it by offering plenty of flexibility with an average commute of only 18.7 minutes, the report stated. The majority of the population also has broadband internet access (92.9 percent), which makes it a lot easier to process all those online transactions for e-commerce side hustlers.

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A New York-based attorney who represented Brian Laundrie's parents filed a motion to dismiss an amended complaint Monday which includes him as a defendant in a lawsuit against Christopher and Roberta Laundrie.

In early December, Joseph Petito and Nicole Schmidt, Gabby Petito's parents, requested to file a second amended complaint which included two counts against Steven Bertolino, who was the Laundries' attorney at the time of Gabby Petito's disappearance and death, court records indicate.

Circuit Court Judge Danielle Brewer granted the motion on Jan. 24. A summons and copies of the motion and amended complaint were served to Bertolino six days later, court records show.

Previous reporting:Lawyers release photos of Gabby Petito's injuries, say police ignored abuse

For Subscribers:Opinion: A mother's love and an unthinkable allegation in the Gabby Petito murder case

Related:Sarasota judge awards $3 million to Gabby Petito's family in wrongful death lawsuit

What the motion to dismiss says

The 20-page motion states the amended complaint doesn't establish a "viable cause of action" against Bertolino under Florida law since his alleged conduct and the statements he said on behalf of the Laundries' were not outrageous.

The two statements, made on Sept. 14, 2021, and Sept. 19, 2021, were made to the public at large and not directly to the Gabby Petito's parents, the motion states.

The motion to dismiss asserts that the first statement was neither misleading nor inaccurate, as days after it was made, Gabby Petito's remains were reunited with her family. As for the second statement following the discovery, the document points out the second amended complaint fails to give a reason as why it "constitutes a basis for intentional infliction of emotional distress."

What the statements said

A few weeks after Gabby Petito disappeared in late August, prompting her family to alert law enforcement to investigate the 22-year-old's disappearance, Bertolino released a statement on behalf of the Laundries during the immense media attention.

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"It is our understanding that a search has been organized for Miss Petito in or near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. On behalf of the Laundrie family it is our hope that the search for Miss Petito is successful and that Miss Petito is reunited with her family," the statement said.

A second statement was then released five days later when Gabby Petito's remains were found near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

The news about Gabby Petito is heartbreaking. The Laundrie family prays for Gabby and her family.

What's next in the case

A motions hearing, which was scheduled for March 13 at 11 a.m. in the South County Courthouse was canceled, court records show. A new hearing has yet to be scheduled in the case.

The case is expected to go to trial at the end of this summer with a jury trial currently scheduled for the Aug. 14 trial period. A pretrial conference is scheduled for July 7 prior to the trial.

Gabriela Szymanowska covers the legal system for the Herald-Tribune in partnership with Report for America. You can support her work with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America. Contact Gabriela Szymanowska at gszymanowska@gannett.com, or on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Brian Laundrie family attorney files motion to dismiss complaint
The Republican-led Mississippi state House of Representatives passed a bill on Feb. 7 that would form a court system of unelected judges and prosecutors to preside over part of the capital city of Jackson and expand the Capitol Police force, a move that is drawing the ire of civil rights groups.

Several elected officials, including state Rep. Robert L. Johnson III, the Mississippi House Minority Leader, have sounded off against the bill, contending that it would remove the voice of city residents, the majority of whom are Black.

Johnson spoke with ABC News Live Wednesday about the bill and his concerns.

PHOTO: Mississippi State Capitol building in downtown Jackson, Miss. (Sean Pavone/Getty Images)

ABC NEWS LIVE: So I want to start by reading part of your joint statement about these bills. You say HB 1020 and SB 2889 are "an insult and a distraction, taking power away from the citizens of our capital city while we waste critical hours sitting around and letting hospitals close and our people die." You go on to say, "These bills are what modern-day Jim Crow looks like." Explain to us how this bill even got this far along in the process to begin with.

REP. ROBERT L. JOHNSON III: Well, we have a supermajority-led House and Senate and a Republican governor. And as I described them, from time to time, they are kind of new to this process and they don't have any respect for the rules, procedure or tradition of the legislature. There aren't even opportunities to debate some of these issues. They've just decided that they're just going to run roughshod over the whole process and have what they want.

MORE: Video Mississippi House minority leader on alleged modern day Jim Crow law

ABC NEWS LIVE: All right. So just break it down for us in layman's terms. If this were to pass, what would this mean for the Black residents?

JOHNSON: Well, they would essentially have judges who will be appointed by a supreme court justice who was appointed by this very governor that is engineering this effort. They wouldn't have any say-so in that judgeship, those multiple judgeships. And so those people would answer to no one who lives in Hinds County. Not only would that judge not be elected, [but also] that judge could come from anywhere in the state. And so the constitution says all of our judges shall be elected. And so this takes that right to vote, their right to exercise their constitutional power [away] from the people in the city of Jackson.

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So all the cases that anybody brings against the state of Mississippi, and we bring them all the time. I'm a lawyer, if you sue the state of Mississippi, they have to come through the circuit or chancery court in Hinds County. There was a time when we were fighting for more money for public education. And one of the things that they wanted to challenge was the constitutionality of the referendum proposal. One of the white Republican legislators told his constituents, 'If we pass this referendum, then you will have to answer to a Black judge in Hinds County.' There are these little phrases, these invitesthat they have that always point to race.

PHOTO: Democratic Mississippi House Minority Leader Robert L. Johnson during an inteview with ABC News. (ABC News)

ABC NEWS LIVE: Is there a chance that this bill will die in the Senate?

JOHNSON: There is a chance the bill would die in the Senate. Thankfully, because of the uproar, because of the push that many of us have had -- from lawyers to community activists, the legislators and the national pressure from people like just the exposure from networks and people like you, they are feeling the pressure. This looks does look like Jim Crow, like post-Reconstruction. This looks like everything that some of us who are old enough remember growing up through the civil rights movement, the things that we fought to reverse.

MORE: Mississippi Senate passes ban on transgender health care for minors

ABC NEWS LIVE: Representative, I know your intention is to stop it, but let's just play devil's advocate here. Are you concerned that if this bill does become law, would it create a new template for a Republican fight for the years to come similar to what's happened with critical race theory law, for example?

JOHNSON: Well, yes. Look, we tell people, we've been telling people all over the state: This is not a Jackson problem; this is a Mississippi problem. If they're going to do it to Jackson, they'll do it to Greenville, Greenwood, anywhere they want to go. They want to create a city within a city that just serves a particular segment of the population. This capital city complex has a disproportionate white population. [It] doesn't represent the actual per capita demographic in the city of Jackson. This is a template for what they will do in any city that has Black or African American leadership. And so, yes, the danger is that this is the route Republicans will continue to do in places where they lose political power.

Bill to change Jackson judges looks 'like Jim Crow,' Mississippi lawmaker says originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
A new Republican-sponsored bill would add a series of exceptions to Kentucky's near-total ban on abortion.

House Bill 569, from House Majority Whip Rep. Jason Nemes, R-Louisville, proposes exceptions including if a doctor believes a pregnancy comes from rape or incest.

"It's something that I believe in, I think is the right thing to do," Nemes said. "I think that's what our citizens want us to do."

Kentucky voters shot down a proposed constitutional amendment last fall that would have said the state constitution does not guarantee a right to an abortion.

Abortion remains illegal in Kentucky after a recent Kentucky Supreme Court ruling said the state's near-complete ban on the procedure can stay in effect as a related legal ordeal continues to play out. Right now, abortions are only allowed in cases of life-threatening health risks.

House Speaker David Osborne, R-Prospect, said Thursday there is "still an ongoing discussion about what we can do (on abortion), what we should do with relation to the ongoing court issue."

LIST: Here's the latest on key bills from the 2023 Kentucky legislature

What is HB 569?

Nemes' abortion bill would allow abortions in the following situations:

If the mother's life is threatened (a current exception)

If two doctors agree a fetus has an abnormality that would mean it couldn't survive outside the womb

If the doctor believes the pregnancy is caused by rape or incest, and it is within the first 15 weeks of pregnancy.

More:Abortion could be prosecuted as a homicide under a new Kentucky bill

What abortion bills are filed in Kentucky?

Outside of HB 569, a few other bills focus on abortion this year:

House Bill 300 would allow anyone receiving an illegal abortion to be charged with homicide.

House Bill 518 would restore abortion access.

Senate Bill 91 would allow for exceptions for rape or incest.

Senate Bill 118 would propose another constitutional amendment to say the state constitution does not guarantee a right to an abortion but that Kentucky lawmakers are allowed to consider legislation on exceptions.

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Reporter Joe Sonka contributed to this article.

Reach Olivia Krauth at okrauth@courierjournal.com and on Twitter at @oliviakrauth.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky abortion law: What new exceptions could be added?
Kroger is hoping food courts in the grocery stores will attract more business.

Its Mix Food Hall concept arrived at stores in Carmel and Fishers this week with national restaurant brands on the menu, including Firehouse Subs selling hot sandwiches; Nathans Famous, known for hotdogs; Nekter Juice Bar selling smoothies and acai bowls; Saladworks with its greens and paninis; and Wow Bao offering boa, pot stickers, dumplings and rice bowls.

The food counters are at 1217 S. Rangeline Road, in Carmel, and 9799 E. 116th St., in Fishers, and are run by California-based ghost kitchen operator Kitchen United.

Folks can shop across multiple brands in one bill and order ahead for pickup.

They also have the option to dine with seating near the deli sections.

The Mix Food Hall at Kroger at 9799 E. 116th St., in Fishers, allows customers to order across multiple restaurant brands in a single order.

While these are Kitchen United's first operations in Indiana, it also runs 15 kitchens in Arizona, California, Illinois, New York, Texas and Ohio, where it has setups in three Krogers.

The Mix Food Halls are designed to appeal to area residents and workers who want to pop in for quick meals, as well as those who want to pre-order meals while on grocery shopping trips.

This new partnership with Kitchen United is extremely exciting because it combines the comfort of the traditional grocery store experience with the convenience of also offering a restaurant-quality meal ready for dinner that night, Colleen Juergensen, president of Kroger Central Division, said in a statement announcing the openings.

Both the Carmel and Fishers stores, along with one in Dublin, Ohio, had tested the waters with similar setups through Krogers partnership with Indianapolis-based ClusterTruck, a ghost kitchen concept that delivers food at no charge.

ClusterTruck operated pickup and delivery, from the Krogers, allowing the grocers customers to order from its menu of sandwiches, pastas, wings, pad Thai, tacos and salmon.

But that partnership dissolved in 2022, as ClusterTruck wanted to focus on delivery, not the in-store order service that Kroger desired, ClusterTruck co-founder and CEO Chris Baggott told IndyStar.

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At the time, Cincinnati, Ohio-headquartered Kroger said the partnership fit with the stores ramping-up of prepared fresh foods, digital ordering, pick-up and delivery.

ClusterTruck still offers traditional delivery from its kitchens in downtown Indianapolis, Broad Ripple and Castleton; Columbus, Ohio and Kansas City, Missouri.

The Carmel and Fishers Mix Food Hall locations are open daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Diners can order at on-site digital kiosks or online at MixFoodHall.com.

Delivery will be offered via Uber Eats, Grubhub, and DoorDash.

Contact IndyStar reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at cheryl.jackson@indystar.com or 317-444-6264. Follow her on Twitter:@cherylvjackson.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Food hall concept replaces ClusterTruck at Hamilton County Krogers
Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley said Republican lawmakers are exploring introducing legislation this year to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth  following the lead of a handful of red states that have forbidden such medical treatment.

"I think that is a possibility, yes," Grassley, R-New Hartford, told reporters Thursday morning about filing legislation.

Grassley declined to give specifics about what potential Republican legislation might look like.

His comments came ahead of a Thursday afternoon House Government Oversight Committee meeting with two medical professionals where lawmakers questioned how they treat transgender youth.

Dr. Katie Imborek, co-director of the University of Iowa LGBTQ+ Clinic, and Dr. Dave Williams, chief medical officer for UnityPoint Health, provided a detailed explanation of the steps that transgender youth and their parents go through before a child may receive gender-affirming care.

Gender-affirming care refers to medical interventions that affirm a transgender person's identity. It may include puberty blockers, hormone therapy or surgeries, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.

"Obviously we want to see how that committee plays out and see what the results of the committee are," Grassley said Thursday morning, before the meeting. "But I think that, based on some of the information that weve had shared with us, I think that there could be an expectation of seeing some legislation potentially moving forward."

Five Republican-led states have already banned gender-affirming care for minors, according to ABC News: Alabama, Utah, South Dakota, Arkansas and Florida. A bill in Mississippi awaits the governor's signature.

Keenan Crow, director of policy and advocacy for LGBTQ group One Iowa, said such a bill in Iowa would be "extremely disappointing," but it would not be "terribly surprising."

"We should be letting evidence, science and medical consensus drive these conversations, not the biases of a few politicians trying to score political points against a marginalized group of children," Crow said.

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More:Iowa Republicans target public education with 'don't say gay,' 'don't say trans' bills

Iowa doctor: Ban on transition-related care for minors would be 'devastating'

Imborek and Williams told lawmakers that current medical guidelines require parental consent and months of comprehensive treatment before teens are offered any kind of gender-affirming medical care.

"It is a long, arduous and methodical process by which our providers, in collaboration with mental health providers, like psychiatrists, psychologists or counselors, and in accordance with evidence-based standards of care, provide parents and their children information about risks, benefits and alternatives, so parents have the freedom and liberty to make the decision that is best for their minor child," Imborek said.

Dr. Katie Imborek speaks at a Government Oversight Committee meeting.

Prepubescent children generally receive no medical intervention and only transition socially. At adolescence, transgender patients may choose to use puberty blockers to temporarily delay the onset of puberty. Eventually, teenage patients may begin taking "cross-sex hormones."

Transgender patients may not undergo surgery on their genitals before the age of 18, Imborek said.

More:Central Iowa school districts defend review process for controversial books

Republicans on the committee raised concerns that some treatments would have irreversible physical effects on minors. Several lawmakers questioned what happens if children change their mind about their gender identity later in life.

"We're making some massive, life-altering, sometimes irreversible situations for these kids.  I'm worried about removing things from a kid's body permanently," Rep. Boden, R-Indianola, said.

Imborek said puberty blockers are fully reversible, and cross-sex hormone therapy is partially reversible. Imborek said she could count on one hand the number of her patients who have decided to stop taking hormones  adding that they do not regret receiving that care.

In some rare instances, transmasculine teens in Iowa have been approved for the irreversible removal of breast tissue. Imborek said she knew of only five mastectomies performed on minors in the past year at the University of Iowa Hospitals.

"This is not something that they are taking lightly, it's not something that their parents are taking lightly, it's not something that the providers are," she said. "And we do it only with the full consent and the unwavering consent of their parents."

Rep. Elizabeth Wilson, D-Marion, asked Imborek what would happen if Iowa passed a law to ban gender-affirming care for minors.

"I worry about that every day," Imborek responded, her voice breaking with emotion. "I probably worry most that my patients who already started down this path who are minors, that this would be really devastating for them."

Iowa's 50 Most Wanted: These Republicans will help shape the 2024 presidential caucuses

Another of many LGBTQ-related bills to be introduced in Iowa

So far this year, Iowa Republicans have introduced a flurry of LGBTQ-related bills, with a focus on LGBTQ youth. The proposals would restrict instruction on gender identity or sexual orientation for students and immediately notify parents if a child came out as transgender at school.

Sarah SmallCarter and her daughter, Odin SmallCarter, spoke at a Senate subcommittee for a bill that would prohibit gender identity instruction for kindergarten through eighth grade.

Grassley said many of the proposals Republicans have introduced on gender identity are things they're hearing from their constituents.

"A lot of times our objectives in these pieces of legislation are empowering the parents to be able to make these kinds of decisions for and with their student," Grassley said.

Bills this year are approaching a legislative "funnel" deadline on March 3 that requires them to pass a full committee in order to continue to be eligible this year. But lawmakers have ways of circumventing that deadline, including by adding new proposals as amendments to existing legislation.

This year's focus on transgender issues comes after Republicans passed a bill last year to prohibit transgender girls from playing girls' sports.

Gov. Kim Reynolds, surrounded by female athletes, signs House File 2416 into law, prohibiting transgender women and girls from competing in female sports offered by Iowa schools, colleges and universities, on Thursday, March 3, 2022, in the rotunda of the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines.

House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst, D-Windsor Heights, said the bills introduced so far were "punching down on kids."

"This is not a problem that needs solving in this state," she said. "This is really about a national campaign to appeal to their far-right base."

More:Iowa is a step closer to capping lawsuit damages in truck crashes. What drivers should know

Republicans advance Kim Reynolds' bill that includes ban on teaching gender identity in K-3 classrooms

Also on Thursday, Senate lawmakers advanced Gov. Kim Reynolds bill that requires parents to be told if a school employee believes their student is transgender and prohibits schools from teaching students about gender identity and sexual activity from kindergarten through third grade.

Parents should have the ultimate responsibility and right to decide what is in the best interests of their children, including when it comes to their education, said Molly Severn, the governors legislative liaison.

Three Republicans at Thursdays subcommittee meeting agreed to advance Senate Study Bill 1145 to the full Senate Education Committee, while the two Democrats on the panel were opposed.

More:Kim Reynolds' bill: Library book 'removal list,' gender identity teaching ban. What to know

Reynolds said earlier this month that shes talking with lawmakers about changing the bill to prohibit teaching about gender identity through sixth grade.

Right now, it looks like maybe the compromise is sixth grade, but again well work through the process and see where that ends, she told reporters on Feb. 16. I would be comfortable with that.

Berry Stevens, a 12-year-old non-binary student, testifies at the Iowa Capitol against legislation that would limit the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools.

Becky Tayler, executive director of Iowa Safe Schools, criticized the bills requirement that parents be told if their child wants to use different pronouns at school.

The language forcing our educators to out their transgender students is particularly dangerous, especially since less than one in three transgender youth report that their homes are supportive, Tayler said.

Katie Akin is a politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at kakin@registermedia.com or at 410-340-3440. Follow her on Twitter at @katie_akin.

Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa bill to ban gender care for kids a possibility: House speaker
The dedication ceremony for solar panels installed on the roof of the West Wing on June 20, 1979. Billy Shaddix/Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum/NARA

In 1979, President Jimmy Carter installed solar panels on the roof of the White House.

Amid an energy crisis, Carter hoped to reduce the country's dependence on foreign oil.

President Ronald Reagan removed the solar panels in 1986.

In the 1970s, the US was in an energy crisis.

A gas station in 1973. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

In 1973, Arab countries that were part of OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) imposed an oil embargo on the United States in retaliation for their military support of Israel during the Yom Kippur War. As a result, gas prices skyrocketed and shortages caused long lines at gas stations. While the embargo ended in 1974, it exposed the vulnerabilities of US reliance on foreign oil.

President Jimmy Carter pushed for renewable energy sources to reduce pollution and America's dependence on fossil fuels.

Jimmy Carter signs the National Energy Bills circa 9 November 1978. HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

In response to the 1973 energy crisis, Carter created the Department of Energy in 1977. He implemented tax credits for homeowners who installed solar panels, and he passed the National Energy Act into law in 1978, moving to reduce oil imports and promote energy conservation, The New York Times reported.

As part of his efforts, he installed 32 solar panels on the roof of the West Wing in 1979.

The dedication ceremony for solar panels installed on the roof of the West Wing on June 20, 1979. Billy Shaddix/Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum/NARA

In his speech, Carter emphasized the importance of "harnessing the power of the sun to enrich our lives as we move away from our crippling dependence on foreign oil."

At the dedication ceremony, Carter expressed his administration's goal of the US running on 20% renewable energy by 2000.

President Jimmy Carter speaks against a backdrop of solar panels at the White House in 1979. Harvey Georges/AP

"Today, in directly harnessing the power of the sun, we're taking the energy that God gave us, the most renewable energy that we will ever see, and using it to replace our dwindling supplies of fossil fuels," Carter said in his speech.

In 1980, Carter lost the general election to Ronald Reagan, who didn't share his vision for renewable energy.

Republican President-elect Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan standing with President Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter outside the White House in 1980. Diana Walker/Getty Images

Reagan moved to fulfill his campaign promise to abolish the Department of Energy in 1981, but he walked back his effort in 1985 due to insufficient support in Congress. He allowed Carter's solar-panel tax credits to expire in 1985, instead championing nuclear-power initiatives.

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He also believed in allowing free-market capitalism to dictate the production and use of fossil fuels rather than government regulations, a policy that became known as "Reganomics."

In 1986, Reagan had the solar panels removed during repairs to the roof of the White House.

President Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office. Diana Walker/Getty Images

Carter's solar panels were removed during repairs to the White House roof and were not reinstalled.

"Putting them back up would be very unwise, based on cost," Reagan's White House press secretary Dale Petroskey told the Associated Press at the time, according to Yale Climate Connections.

The White House remained without solar panels until 2002, when the National Park Service installed three solar energy systems that provided hot water for grounds maintenance staff and the White House pool, according to the White House Historical Association.

Carter continued advocating for renewable energy after his time in the White House.

Former president Jimmy Carter, right, sits with his grandson Jason Carter during a ribbon cutting ceremony for a solar panel project on farmland he owns in his hometown of Plains Georgia, in 2017. David Goldman/AP

In 2017, Carter leased 10 acres of his farmland in Plains, Georgia, to the solar energy company SolAmerica Energy, The New York Times reported. The company built 3,852 solar panels, enough to provide more than half of the power for the 683-person town.

"It's very special to me because I was so disappointed when the panels came off of the White House, and now to see them in Plains is just terrific," former first lady Rosalynn Carter told The New York Times.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A Colorado Springs judge said Thursday there was sufficient evidence to move forward on 323 charges against the suspect accused of killing five people and injuring 17 more at a mass shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub in November.

Anderson Aldrich, 22, is charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and other crimes in the Club Q mass shooting.

Defense attorneys had argued during a preliminary hearing Wednesday and Thursday that there was no evidence to show Aldrich had committed a hate crime. But Fourth Judicial District Judge Michael McHenry declined to drop any of the charges.

Prosecution says suspect targeted LGBTQ club

Prosecutors cited images previously shared by a discord account associated with Aldrich, including an image of a rifle sight centered on a participant of a pride parade, as well as hateful videos posted to a website administered by Aldrich, including a "neo nazi-mass shooter terrorist training video." The video allegedly included video footage of other mass shootings, including ones againsts mosques, synagogues and other religious sites.

Prosecutors also argued that Club Q was the only LGBTQ club of 53 bars and nightclubs in a two-and-a-half-mile radius around Aldrich's residence. They noted members of Aldrich's church community had seen Aldrich earlier in the day, and Aldrich was not violent or angry then, suggesting there was intent and a particular disdain toward the LGBTQ community.

People pay their respects at a memorial display set up to remember the five victims of the Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022.

Defense says suspect did not have problem with LGBTQ people

But public defenders representing Aldrich said video referenced by the prosecution was simply posted to a website administered by Aldrich, and was not originally created by Aldrich. They also noted Aldrich, who identifies as non-binary, had visited the club several times previously without any act of violence or record of using slurs or acting in a prejudicial manner toward the LGBTQ community.

Defense also pointed toward a number of prescription drugs taken by Aldrich to treat conditions, including depression, anxiety, bipolar, schitzophrenia and PTSD, as well as evidence of drug use found in Aldrichs car and testimony that Aldrich had consumed a variety of narcotics before the shooting.

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What happened here was senseless, awful and it was tragic, public defender Joseph Archambault said Thursday. But its categorically different from a person who targeted a group, who is proud of what they did and hopes other people follow in their footsteps.

What are the next steps in Colorado Springs shooting case?

Aldrich remains in the El Paso County Jail without bond.

An arraignment has been scheduled for May 30 to give the defense time to conduct a psychiatric investigation of Aldrichs mental state.

A hearing has been set for March 31, largely to hear media motions on the release of body camera and security footage from the night of the shooting. Both the prosecution and defense argued against it, stressing the need to preserve the dignity and privacy of victims and to preserve Aldrichs right to a fair trial, but the judge noted that attorneys representing various media outlets may feel differently about the matter.

Mourners at a memorial outside of Club Q on Nov. 22, 2022 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. A gunman opened fire inside the LGBTQ+ club on Nov. 19th, killing five and injuring 25 others.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Colorado shooting suspect likely targeted LGBTQ victims, judge says
Colorado colleges and universities would get a special designation if they enroll a high number of students who are the first in their families to go to college, under a bill proposed this year.

The largely symbolic bill has fed a bigger debate about how Colorado funds its public colleges. It also spurred a conversation about what first-generation students need to be successful.

The first generation-serving label that House Bill 1114 would create would attach to schools that enroll those students at a higher rate than the state average. It would also require Colorados higher education department to track how well students do at those schools.

The bill would not require schools to create additional programs to help those students get to and through college. Nor would it offer colleges more money to provide such support.

Money and support make a difference for students, said Diane Schorr, director of advocacy and initiatives at the Center for First-generation Student Success. She questioned why the state wouldnt ensure colleges with the new designation get either.

What I would have liked to have seen is whats being required of the institution? Schorr said.

Supporters of the bill  including Metropolitan State University and Colorado Mesa University  would like to prod the state to better fund schools that serve a large share of first-generation students. These schools often have lower graduation rates, something that works against them in Colorados funding formula. It also costs a lot of money to run the programs that help first-generation students.

Opponents of the bill, including Colorado State University, say that who enrolls the most first-generation students shouldnt matter, Instead, they say that state funding should follow those students wherever they enroll. With limited state funding for higher education, more money for certain institutions can mean less for others.

Colorado Mesa University President John Marshall said the proposed designation would signal that first-generation students have a place on campus and would strengthen those schools asking for more state funds to increase services.

About 40% of students enrolled at Colorados public higher education schools were the first in their family to go to college. Nationally, those students are less likely to graduate and the path gets harder if they come from low-income families.

About 44% of Colorado Mesas 11,000 students are first generation, Marshall said. MSU Denver also has a high percentage, with almost 60% of its about 16,000 student body identifying as the first in their family to go to college.

Last academic year the state shifted away from funding schools based primarily on enrollment. Now the formula awards some state monies for enrolling more students of color and students from low-income backgrounds, and for graduating those students.

The funding changes havent immediately boosted the budgets of MSU Denver and Colorado Mesa. The schools still receive the least funding per student and want even more weight placed on which students they enroll.

Were serving the most expensive students, Marshall said. Over time, I think weve got to figure out how to correct those historic inequities and fund our values.

Colorado State University System Chancellor Tony Frank, who spoke to the legislature to oppose the bill, expressed concern that the state label would affect how money is doled out statewide.

Frank said about 32,000 students who are the first in their family to go to college have the potential to attend schools not labeled first-generation serving.

Funding should follow first-gen students wherever they are, Frank said, not simply to institutions with a designation.

He said the state should discuss funding for first-generation students when it debates how colleges and universities are funded  a process that happens every five years.

The state provides a set amount of funding for colleges based on factors such as enrollment and retention of students and then provides additional money based on student demographics and outcomes.

For example, schools can get more money for enrolling more students of color and Colorado residents, and for raising graduation rates. Schools get a small amount for enrolling first-generation students, less than for other student groups the state wants to enroll at higher rates.

Theres precedent for a conversation about funding when it comes to designations. Campuses receiving the federal Hispanic Serving-Institution designation, or schools with 25% Hispanic student enrollment, come with the ability to apply for federal resources.

Theres no federal designation in serving first-generation students, but some schools spend more on programs to help those students get to graduation.

Marshall said Colorado Mesa invites first-generation freshman to campus before other groups to help familiarize them with the school, provides many of them an annual $1,000 scholarship, and offers counseling on academics, personal well-being, financial aid, and careers.

Other schools also assist first-generation students. Colorado State University and the University of Colorado Denver are among 277 other institutions nationwide that work with the Center for First-generation Student Success to better the college experience on campus. The schools also provide counseling, financial, and academic programs for students.

Justin Hunter, 23, a first-generation student at Colorado Mesa University, said he felt supported by the school on the first day he stepped onto campus. The program that brought first-generation students on campus earlier than others helped him acclimate to campus life. School staff have also pushed him to become a campus leader. He is now student body vice president.

He said he supports the bill because he stumbled on Colorado Mesa during the application process. Other students should know that schools support them and the designation would help, he said.

Lawmakers were clear that their intention wasnt to pit schools against each other when it comes to how much money schools receive to educate students. Instead, they wanted to also set off a greater conversation about how to support students.

The bill is sponsored by state Reps. Rick Taggart, a Grand Junction Republican, and Serena Gonzales-Guitterez, a Denver Democrat. It would also require the state to list first-generation-serving schools on the Colorado Department of Higher Educations website. The bill cleared the House Education Committee unanimously on Thursday, but lawmakers asked the bill sponsors to work with higher education institutions to get more buy-in.

State Rep. Jennifer Bacon, a Denver Democrat, said she voted in favor of the bill because it signals to students that schools have prioritized serving them. Colleges and universities could use the label to tell students that theyre not alone.

Colorado has cut higher education funding to a point where families pay a much larger share than the state does for public college expenses.

As a legislator, to the extent that I can apologize, I am sorry that we have created such a devastating funding space that we have to have some of these conversations. Bacon said.

Chalkbeat Colorado is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.
Queen Elizabeth II and then-Prince Charlesin September 2017 in Braemar, Scotland. Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage

King Charles condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine on the one-year anniversary of the war.

It's a stark contrast to his mother's subtle show of support last year: flowers in the colors of Ukraine's flag.

"The world has watched in horror at all the unnecessary suffering inflicted upon Ukrainians," King Charles said.

On the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, King Charles III condemned the "unprovoked full-scale attack" in a statement released Friday.

"It has now been a year that the people of Ukraine have suffered unimaginably from an unprovoked full-scale attack on their nation," the King began. "They have shown truly remarkable courage and resilience in the face of such human tragedy."

King Charles continued, saying that "the world has watched in horror at all the unnecessary suffering inflicted upon Ukrainians," adding that he has had the "great pleasure" to meet so many Ukrainians.

His strong words in favor of Ukraine are a stark contrast to how his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, showed support for the Eastern European nation during her reign at the start of the war.

Last March, the Queen, on the other hand, offered a much more subtle show of support for Ukraine: a blue and yellow flower arrangement that was photographed during a personal meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The Queen and Justin Trudeau at Windsor Castle on Monday. Steve Parsons - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Blue and yellow are the colors of the Ukrainian flag.

Trudeau at the time confirmed the pair discussed the conflict in Ukraine during their meeting.

Earlier this month, King Charles said he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "to express my personal support for the people of Ukraine."

He said the UK is "doing everything possible to help at this most difficult time."

"I can only hope the outpouring of solidarity from across the globe may bring not only practical aid, but also strength from the knowledge that, together, we stand united," the King concluded.

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King Charles shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Buckingham Palace on February 8, 2023. Aaron Chown - Pool/Getty Images

Friday marks one year since Russian forces marched on Ukraine in an unprovoked attack. Earlier Friday, Zelenskyy said "millions of us made a choice. Not a white flag, but the blue and yellow one. Not fleeing, but facing. Resisting & fighting."

"It was a year of pain, sorrow, faith, and unity. And this year, we remained invincible," he continued. "We know that 2023 will be the year of our victory!"

Read the original article on Insider
Nonprofits, advocates and environmental experts from around Georgia met at the Capitol on Feb. 21, 2023 to discuss environmental policies and speak with legislators about those bills.

Solar panel production, Hyundai facilities and industrial developments last year boomed in Georgia. This year, as the halfway point nears for the 2023 Georgia legislative session, multiple environmental policies are up for debate.

Conservationists, advocates and environmental experts this week met at the state Capitol for Conservation Day, where the groups hoped to meet with legislators and promote bills they argue will protect and enhance Georgias natural resources. This year, advocates were most concerned about two policies sitting in the Natural Resources committee of the state House: the Okefenokee Protection Act, House Bill 71; and, House Bill 477, a law looking to increase regulation of a controversial soil additive.

Legislators and advocates are honing down on policies as they head toward Crossover Day, March 6, which is the day a bill needs to get from the House to the Senate, or vice-versa, to be considered by either chamber this year.

Here are a few of the notable bills lawmakers might consider:

FILE: A chargepoint station offers up to 2 hours of parking a charging for electric vehicles. With federal and state funding for EV charging expanding, laws are following to ensure the nascent industry is regulated.

Legislation shaping up for green technology

House Bill 307 : Looking to clarify how the future EV charging network will shape up, this bill bars Georgia Power from charging ratepayers to pay for expanding that infrastructure. This legislation is in part the result of the legislature's Electrification of Transportation Study Committee as well as the 2022 Georgia Power Rate Case. Ultimately, the bill is looking to incentivize private sector investment in the deployment of electric vehicle charging equipment.

House Bill 406 : This bill is the result of a joint legislative study committee last year looking into how the state should accommodate electric vehicles in the future, particularly in light of millions of dollars of federal funding the state has to build a network of EV charging stations. It proposes some standardization for EV charging to make it more in line with how gas stations are regulated, allowing retailers to charge EV drivers for electricity by the kilowatt hour rather than based on the length of time the vehicle is connected to the charging station. The House Technology & Infrastructure Committee has already unanimously passed the bill and sent it to the House Rules Committee for a vote with the full House. This bill is similar to SB 146 proposed by Sen. Steve Gooch (R-Dahlonega).



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EVs and the environment:How electric cars are impacting emissions and climate change

More on EVs: 2022's hottest topics: Hyundai coming to Savannah

Senate Bill 72 : Sen. Emanuel Jones (D- Decatur) and eight other senators sponsored SB 72, the Baranco Act," a policy that would bar anyone from stopping, standing, parking or otherwise blocking an electric vehicle charging space. The bill proposes a fine of $100 or more.

House Bill 73: This consumer protection-related bill would regulate solar panel installers by ensuring those companies are certified by the Georgia Public Service Commission. Aimed at reducing poor quality or scam-like solar installers, the bill requires solar installers to pass a background check, turn over financials to the PSC showing they have adequate capital, disclose to customers payment terms and calculations used to determine potential energy savings, and would give the PSC space to set other requirements. This bill has cleared the House Energy, Telecommunications and Utilities Committee and will go to the full House for a vote.

FILE: A tractor pulling a tank full of soil amendment sprays the ground at a farm near Warren County, Ga., on Jan. 26, 2023. The soil additive has become a hotly contested issue in rural areas of east Georgia, and legislation is hoping to create more local control for counties to regulate the industry.

Natural resources, outdoors and more

House Bill 71: The Okefenokee Protection Act is one of the hottest topics in environmental policies this year. The bill has already accrued more than 50 bipartisan cosigners, a much higher number than the average bill usually receives. The bill proposes limiting surface mining on the remaining area of the Trail Ridge area at the edge of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. It would not do anything to halt the current mining permit that the Georgia Environmental Protection Division is considering. Right now, the bill is in the House Natural Resources Committee and would need to make it out of committee and to the full House for a vote in order to have a shot at becoming law. The committees chair, Lynn Smith, didnt bring a similar protection bill to a vote last year, leaving it to die in committee.

Ongoing: Public comments for Okefenokee Swamp mining plans are open

Latest on the swamp: Georgia representatives push to make Okefenokee Swamp a UNESCO World Heritage Site

House Bill 477: This bill, proposed by Rep. Rob Leverett (R-Elberton), looks to crack down on the regulation of soil amendment, a soil additive that has become controversial in east Georgia over the last year due to smell, nuisance, vermin and concerns about pollution. The bill would allow counties some additional ability to monitor the spread of soil amendments and to prevent illegal application.

What is in the bill: Soil amendments could get some local monitoring under new bill in the Georgia House

House Bill 370: This coastal bill proposed by Jesse Petrea (R-Savannah) would flip the burden of proof for property owners to prove they own salt marshes instead of the state government. In Georgia, salt marshes are owned by the state unless a property owner can prove a private title traced back to the British Crown or a state land grant. This bill gives the state 180 days to make a decision as to who owns the property and makes it so that if the state fails to respond within that time period the property owner automatically wins legal ownership of the salt marsh.

Marisa Mecke is an environmental journalist. She can be reached at 912-328-4411 or mmecke@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Legislative update: Environmental bills in Georgia this year
A man was arrested in Florida Thursday in connection with the murder of a pregnant young soldier on a U.S. Army base in Germany more than 21 years ago, the FBI announced.

An undated photo of Pfc. Amanda Gonzales, who was found murdered on Nov. 5, 2001, on a U.S. Army base in Hanau, Germany. / Credit: FBI

Court documents allege that Shannon L. Wilkerson, 42, was responsible for the death of 19-year-old Pfc. Amanda Gonzales on Nov. 3, 2001. Wilkerson has been charged with one count of first-degree murder, according to the FBI.

Gonzales was killed at Fliegerhorst Kaserne, a former U.S. Army base in Hanau, Germany, where she was stationed as a cook at the time of her death, the FBI said. Her body was found on Nov. 5, 2001, in her third-floor barracks room after she failed to report for work, and her cause of death was ruled a homicide by asphyxiation, according to the agency.

Gonzales was also four months pregnant when she died, according to a previous FBI release.

Wilkerson was in the Army at the time of Gonzales' murder, according to the FBI, but was later discharged. Neither Wilkerson's possible motive for the alleged murder, nor his connection to Gonzales, was immediately provided by prosecutors.

Wilkerson was charged under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, which gives U.S. federal courts jurisdiction over crimes committed outside of the country by former Armed Forces members who are no longer subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted, according to the FBI.

In an interview with CBS affiliate KBTX in 2020, Gonzales' parents spoke about their continued search for justice for their daughter, whose case received renewed attention in the wake of Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen's murder on the Texas Army base that year.

"When I saw the news, and that she [Vanessa] was murdered, I thought, 'Oh my God, this is my daughter all over again,'" Gloria Bates, Gonzales' mother, said at the time.

New Soyuz capsule headed for International Space Station

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2 former ambassadors look back on Russia's invasion of Ukraine
A president seemingly still preoccupied with his own false allegations of past electoral fraud uses the power of the federal government to undermine democracy.

That may sound familiar to detractors of Donald Trump in the U.S., but it's how critics are describing a different leader in North America: Mexico's Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

In the hours after Mexico's Congress approved historic changes to the country's election authority, late Wednesday, the criticism has been swift and phrased in dire terms -- that Mexico's democracy itself is at stake -- which Lopez Obrador has rejected, describing the moves as needed reform for an out-of-touch organization.

But the critics are missing one key constituent: the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden.

On Wednesday, Mexico's Senate approved changes backed by Lopez Obrador to the National Election Institute, known by its initials in Spanish as the INE. The independent authority is beloved by many Mexicans for its role in securing free and fair elections and transitioning the country away from nearly a century of one-party rule just over two decades ago.

The new legislation, which Mexico's lower house, the Chamber of Deputies, passed in December and which Lopez Obrador is expected to soon sign into law ahead of likely legal challenges, will cut the INE's budget, hamstring its ability to penalize candidates for campaign finance violations and loosen rules on public officials campaigning while in office.

By the INE's own estimates, those budget cuts will force it to cut as much as 85% of its staff. That could mean fewer polling places or less secure electoral rolls -- real impacts on the agency's ability to credibly administer federal elections, according to analysts.

PHOTO: Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is shown at the daily morning press conference at the National Palace in Mexico City. on Feb. 20, 2023. (Eyepix via ZUMA Press Wire)

Lorenzo Cordova, head of the INE, has criticized the legislation, which comes the year before Mexico's next presidential race.

"Mexico's electoral system was set up after decades of one-party rule with strict controls to prevent the government from meddling in elections. Now the government is rolling back some of those controls. These drastic changes to the election rules will benefit the president's party and make it harder for opposition parties to get a fair shot in the upcoming elections," Tyler Mattiace, Human Rights Watch's Mexico and Central America researcher, told ABC News.

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For months, the Biden administration has said next to nothing about these proposed changes, including when Biden visited Mexico last month and embraced Lopez Obrador and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

"The Department of State is closely following the latest developments in Mexicos electoral reforms," a spokesman said in a statement. "Independent institutions free of political influence constitute a cornerstone of democracy. Non-partisan, well-resourced electoral institutions, in particular, ensure all voices are heard in fundamental democratic processes.

"We have conveyed to our Mexican counterparts our strong support for independent and well-resourced electoral institutions that strengthen democratic processes and the rule of law," the statement continued. "We will continue these discussions with the Government of Mexico and Mexican civil society while respecting Mexicos sovereignty."

Critics charge that for an administration that says it puts democracy at the heart of its foreign policy, Biden and his top officials have pulled their punches to secure Lopez Obrador's cooperation on issues like law enforcement and migration.

The closest the administration came to criticism was in November, after tens of thousands marched in Mexico City against the changes.

At the time, the State Department's deputy spokesperson said, "Independent institutions free of political influence are a cornerstone of democracy, and nonpartisan electoral institutions in particular ensure that all voices are heard in fundamental, democratic processes."

PHOTO: In this Nov. 13, 2022, file photo, thousands of people join a march from the Angel of Independence to the Monument to the Revolution to protest against Electoral Reform, in Mexico City. (Future Publishing via Getty Images, FILE)

Biden's top diplomat for Latin America, however, said last month that the issues were for the Mexican people to decide -- their "decisions to make about the policies and the future in their country" -- while his ambassador in Mexico City parroted some of Lopez Obrador's election fraud claims in an June 2022 interview with The New York Times.

In contrast, Democratic and Republican lawmakers in the U.S. have been ringing the alarms for months. The top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Jim Risch, urged Lopez Obrador in December to "immediately" reverse course, while the committee's Democratic chair, Bob Menendez, wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken to urge the administration to "quickly and unequivocally condemn such democratic backsliding" and "raise these concerns directly with the Mexican government."

"Cutting staff, diminishing its autonomy, and limiting its ability to punish politicians for breaking electoral laws could undermine its ability to protect the right to vote," Rep. Chuy Garcia, D-Ill., wrote in a tweet Thursday expressing "concern" about the changes.

Lopez Obrador's first, more sweeping effort to turn the agency's leadership over to political parties and public votes failed in December.

But the president is term-limited, leaving many asking why he's worked so hard to undermine the INE. Publicly, he has claimed that it's about cutting the agency's bloated budget and capping its "conservative" leadership.

But Lopez Obrador's narrowly lost the 2006 presidential election and still claims that the INE stole the election from him -- despite Mexico's judicial system and independent election monitors saying otherwise. While he's been in office since December 2018, his attacks on the agency have ramped up in the last year.

There will almost certainly be a legal challenge before Mexico's Supreme Court and protests are already planned in multiple cities this weekend, including in both the American and Mexican capitals.

But amid the warnings about the threat to Mexican democracy, Biden is being urged to speak out now. As Arturo Sarukhan, Mexico's former ambassador to the U.S., wrote in a tweet on Wednesday, "By 2024, policymakers in Washington may well be asking themselves, 'Howand whendid we lose Mexico?' This is how, this is when."

Mexican president's push to change elections agency sparks debate about danger to democracy: ANALYSIS originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
North Korea on Thursday fired cruise missiles in a figure-eight pattern after the U.S. and allied South Korea carried out military drills in the region that infuriated Pyongyang.

North Korea launched four strategic Hwasal-2 cruise missiles from Kim Chaek City that fell into the Sea of Japan, according to state-run media publication Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The cruise missiles traveled more than a 1,000 miles and drew oval and eight-figure patterns in the air before landing in the water, according to KCNA.

The missile launch came one day after the U.S., Japan and South Korea conducted joint naval drills near the Korean Peninsula. North Korea views those military drills as a threat and has repeatedly acted with hostility after past exercises.

The Foreign Ministry for the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK), the formal name for North Korea, said the U.S. posed a constant threat to the security environment in the Korean peninsula.

The U.S. should be mindful that if it persists in its hostile and provocative practices against the DPRK, despite the latters repeated protest and warning, it can be regarded as a declaration of war against the DPRK, according to a Friday statement carried by KCNA.

North Korea also test-fired two short-range missiles on Monday and an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland on Saturday.

North Korea test-fired an unprecedented number of missiles last year, raising alarms in both South Korea and Japan.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has declared his country a nuclear power and ordered an exponential increase in the nations nuclear arsenal at the beginning of 2023.

North Korea first tested a long-range cruise missile system in 2021 and has implied that the system could be developed with nuclear warheads.

South Korean and U.S. officials also participated in a nuclear simulation exercise in Washington, D.C., this week.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Voters wait in line at a polling station at Mesa Community College in Mesa, Ariz. on Election Day.

In August, the attorney general of Arizona wrapped up his investigation into the Cyber Ninjas claim that hundreds of dead voters cast ballots in the 2020 election.

To the surprise of absolutely no one, braindead or alive, Attorney General Mark Brnovich concluded that the Senates vaunted auditors didnt know what they were talking about. There was no vast graveyard full of dead voters determined to deny Donald Trump his due.

Not even so much as a small crypt of conspiracy.

So naturally, theres a bill in the Arizona Legislature to take care of this nonexistent problem  by cancelling your voter registration.

I am not making this up.

Senate Bill 1566 would wipe Arizonas voter rolls clean every 10 years, requiring millions of Arizonans to re-register to vote.

It is but one of the dozens of kooky bills born of MAGA zealots and their absolute refusal to consider the fact that maybe they are losing statewide races because their candidates just arent acceptable to a statewide electorate.

Both the Senate and House election committees are chaired by election deniers.

The chairwoman of the Senate Elections Committee is Sen. Wendy Rogers of Flagstaff, who wanted to decertify the 2020 election and regularly calls for the arrest of elections officials. After being tapped by Senate President Warren Petersen to run point on election bills this year, Rogers vowed to engineer a do-over of Maricopa Countys 2022 election, though it seems more like a fundraising gimmick than an actual plan.

The chairwoman of the House Municipal Oversight and Elections Committee is Rep. Jacqueline Parker of Mesa, who, like Rogers, was a co-sponsor of then-Rep. Mark Finchems 2022 proposal to decertify Arizonas 2020 presidential election. Her panel is packed with election deniers.

Every week, we are treated to veritable buffet of bad bills designed to fix problems that exist only in their fevered imaginations.

Theres a bill to do away with early ballots, the voting method of choice by 8 in 10 voters.

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Theres a bill to ban ballot tabulators, never mind that hand counts are considered less accurate and more expensive. Or that a hand count of up to 70 races on 3 million or more ballots is likely to last until Christmas.

Theres a bill to ban unmonitored ballot drop boxes out of some undocumented fear that Eeyore is lurking about and another to return to voting in precincts, never mind it leads to more voters being disenfranchised when they show up to the wrong place to vote.

Theres a bill that would require elections officials to post online the name, year of birth and address of every voter and another that would allow representatives of the Republican and Democratic parties to challenge your signature on an early ballot.

Then there is SB 1566, requiring you to reregister every 10 years if you want to continue exercising your constitutional right to vote.

In pushing the bill, Sen. Sonny Borrelli, R-Lake Havasu City, noted that he decided to look into the issue after the Attorney Generals Office spent thousands of hours investigating claims of dead voters.

So I had my audit team go through voter registrations on dead voters and bounced that against the people that voted, he recently told the Senate Elections Committee. They looked at 30 ballot envelopes. Within 45 minutes they found 17 people that somehow voted after they died.

Fifty-six percent? Clearly, our elections are being determined by those whose forwarding address lies somewhere near the Pearly Gates  or perhaps a good ways south of there.

Curiously, Borrelli didnt mention the findings of the Attorney Generals Office after all those hours of investigation.

The ninjas, as part of their five-month audit of Maricopa Countys election, reported that 282 dead voters cast ballots in the November 2020 election. The AGs Office then said it spent hundreds of hours investigating those claims.

The conclusion: 281 of those 282 voters were alive and kicking when they cast ballots.

Our agents investigated all individuals that Cyber Ninas reported as dead, and many were very surprised to learn they were allegedly deceased, Attorney General Brnovich wrote in an August letter to then-Senate President Karen Fann.

AG investigators also checked out four other reports of up to 6,500 supposedly dead people who either cast ballots or were on the voter registration rolls. They came up with only a handful of potential cases, all of them isolated instances.

Yet another conspiracy gone kaput  consigned to the graveyard of crazy to rest in peace alongside Sharpies, green buttons, bamboo ballots, hacked machinery and all the other supposedly nefarious ways in which Arizonas 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump.

Only to rise again in the Senate Elections Committee, and to heck with federal law.

The National Voter Registration Act outlines how and when a persons name can be removed from the voter rolls, for example if he or she requests it or moves or dies.

The act also requires states to make a reasonable effort to remove ineligible persons by reason of the persons death, or a change in the residence of the registrant outside of the jurisdiction.

Im guessing a wholesale wipeout of every Arizonans registration every 10 years might be considered a tad, I dont know, unreasonable?

It violates federal law, Jen Marson, of the Arizona Association of Counties, warned the committee. "Its totally in conflict with NVRA.

Even some Republicans were queasy about the proposal. Sen. T.J. Shope, R-Coolidge said he doesnt view the bill as legitimate. Sens. Ken Bennett, R-Prescott, and John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, agreed.

Then all three voted yes and the bill passed on a party line 5-3 vote.

Voters may not be dead but when it comes to the state Capitol, common sense is a goner.

Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LaurieRoberts.

Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: GOP legislators want to purge all Arizonans from the voter rolls
Sitting on her sister-in-laws couch in Galloway, Hanna Harbuziuk, 42, recalled where she was one year ago today.

Violence had affected her life in eastern Ukraine since 2014, when Russian-backed separatists took up arms following the annexation of Crimea, but things became dramatically worse when Russia launched a full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.

When Russia bombed the nearby Sievierodonetsk Airport, Harbuziuk, her husband and their nine children crowded into their unfinished basement, where they spent three days listening to gunfire and tanks roll by overhead.

All you had to do was pray because you didnt know when your life was going to end. You just pray and hope a bombs not going to fall on you, she said in Ukrainian, speaking through an interpreter.

Harbuziuk said her home, in territory now controlled by Russia, was destroyed after the family evacuated on Feb. 28 last year. Following a stint in Germany, they arrived in Galloway last fall, where they are part of a growing community of around 600 Ukrainian refugees.

Hanna Harbuziuk fled her home in eastern Ukraine with her husband and nine children soon after the Russian invasion last year. She now lives in Galloway and gave birth to the couple's 10th child earlier this year.

As the Russia-Ukraine war reaches the one-year mark, community members in central Ohio described challenges settling into life in America while worrying about loved ones back home and facing an uncertain future.

Still, many remain confident that the war against Russia will be won.

I know it might seem like Ukraines a smaller country, we have a smaller army and Russia is more powerful, but seeing the news that I see from Ukraine  I think it's a matter of time until Ukraine takes all the territory back, said Daryna Zaitseva, 21, a Ukrainian student at Capital University who won a pro-democracy scholarship earlier this year.

Daryna Zaitseva, 21, a Ukrainian student at Capital University who won a pro-democracy scholarship earlier this year, was born in Mariupol. Pictured in December, she believes that her homeland eventually will prevail in its war with Russia. "I think it's a matter of time until Ukraine takes all the territory back, she said.

Tens of thousands of Russian and Ukrainian soldiers have died in the conflict, with at least 8,000 civilians confirmed killed and 13,300 injured  a figure that the United Nations acknowledges is a significant undercount. The war has created more than 8 million refugees, about 110,000 of whom have arrived in the U.S. as part of the Biden Administration's Uniting for Ukraine program.

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President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Kyiv to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this week, amidst polls showing that Americans support for Ukraine is falling. The U.S. has supplied weapons and equipment and pledged about $113 billion to Ukraine since the war began.

The Ukrainian Cultural Association of Ohio, which has been sending humanitarian supplies to the front lines, is holding a rally to show support for Ukraine at the Ohio Statehouse Friday at 6 p.m.

Even though people predicted Ukraine would fall in days, I believe the Ukrainian government and military has proven a strong and responsible ally in the global fight for democracy and human rights, said the associations president, Natalia Lebedin, 45, who is of Ukrainian descent and lives in Grandview Heights.

Lebedin said that Russia has been using "weapons of genocide," including kidnappings, rape and torture.

In Galloway, Grace Evangelical Church, which conducts services in Ukrainian, has become a hub for refugees.

We were overwhelmed with people, said Associate Pastor Viktor Moskalyuk, 37, explaining that they had to open a second location last year to accommodate more worshippers.

Although the church is Protestant, it serves people from all faiths, including members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Ukraines largest sect, according to Moskalyuk.

It has helped families connect with housing, employment and English classes. It has provided Harbuziuks family a church-owned house to stay in since October, and congregants have raised money to pay rent for others.

Many Ukrainian refugee households in Greater Columbus are headed by women because Ukraine prevented most men from leaving the country, unless they had three or more children.

Violetta Musiiovska, 42, said her 9- and 14-year-old daughters dearly miss their father and grandmother, who remain in Ukraine.

I need to fight each day just to continue to live for my kids and to do what I should do, not just sit and cry, she said. Im so amazed how our people are still hoping for the best and not giving up.

Many Ukrainians have had to switch occupations in Columbus. Musiiovska, who managed a womens health clinic in Ukraine, is now an assistant teacher at the Grace Evangelical Church School. Former doctors and lawyers have become construction and warehouse workers in Columbus, according to Moskalyuk.

They grab any kind of job they can find here because we cant pick and choose, he said.

Many Ukrainians had to wait months for work authorizations, but the federal government streamlined the process in December.

The rupture of long-standing communities has been difficult for many of those displaced.

In Ukraine, all the relatives lived in a circle. Everybody was very close, within walking distance. And now everybody's scattered, Natalia Harbuziuk, 64, who is Hannas mother-in-law and who arrived in the United States last spring, said in Ukrainian through an interpreter. She added that she uses messaging apps to keep in touch with friends in Europe and Australia.

The choir sings during a recent Sunday service at Grace Evangelical Church in Galloway. The church has helped Ukrainian families connect with housing, employment and English classes.

It also has been difficult to plan for the future because much depends on how the war unfolds.

Natalia Harbuziuk said she couldnt imagine returning to her now-destroyed home in Ukraine. Theres no place to return to, she said.

If the war will stop, how will be the life there (in Ukraine)? Will it be like it was, or will it take some time to restore? Musiiovska asked.

Hanna Harbuziuk, who recently gave birth to her 10th child, asked for Americans to continue supporting Ukraine.

Pray more and ask God to defend our country. We believe that our prayers will be answered because the whole world is praying, she said.

Natasha Meleshchuk bows her head during prayer at Grace Evangelical Church in Galloway. The church, which conducts services in Ukrainian, has become a hub for refugees.

Peter Gill covers immigration and new American communities for The Dispatch in partnership with Report for America. You can support work like his with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America here: bit.ly/3fNsGaZ.

pgill@dispatch.com

@pitaarji

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ukrainian refugees in Greater Columbus reflect on challenges, future
The resident total fertility rate in Singapore has dropped to its lowest level ever of 1.05 in 2022, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah on Friday (24 February) (PHOTO:MCI/Screenshot and Getty)

SINGAPORE The resident total fertility rate (TFR) in Singapore dropped to its lowest-ever level of 1.05 in 2022, falling below the previous record of 1.1 in 2020.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Indranee Rajah said during the office's Committee of Supply debate on Friday (24 February) that this was "partly due to the Tiger year in the lunar calendar, which is generally associated with lower births among the Chinese".

In 2010, which was also a Tiger year, the total fertility rate was 1.15, lower than the years before and after.

Under the Strategy Group in PMO, the National Population and Talent Division (NPTD) is currently overseen by Indranee. She explained that Singapore's TFR has decreased for many years, similar to that of other advanced societies.

She added that even Norway and Finland, which were previously successful in improving their fertility rates, are finding it difficult to sustain those gains.

The total fertility rate refers to the average number of live births each woman would have during her reproductive years, and Singapore's figure has been below 1.2 since 2017.

Delayed marriage and parenthood

More people in Singapore are postponing marriage, according to Indranee.

She said, "There are longer-term global societal trends at play which apply to us too. While the aspiration to marry and have children remain strong, more are postponing marriage and more are also postponing having children or having fewer children."

She highlighted that the resident life expectancy at birth has risen to more than 83 years today, up from 72 years in 1980. Around one in four Singapore citizens will be aged 65 and above by 2030.

As Singapore's resident workforce increases at a slower rate, Indranee believes sustained economic growth will be more challenging.

"As family sizes shrink, more Singaporeans will face the dual pressures of raising young children while caring for elderly parents. In fact, this is already happening," she said.

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More support for parents and families

According to Indranee, the government will increase support for the early stages of family formation in a few areas, as Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced during his Budget address this month.

She noted that government-paid paternity leave would be doubled to four weeks for eligible working fathers with children born from 1 January next year, and companies would be encouraged to offer flexible work arrangements.

First-time families with children and young married couples will be entitled to greater priority, including an additional ballot when applying for Build-to-Order flats.

In addition, first-timer families buying resale flats can tap on housing grants that will increase by up to $30,000. The government will also contribute more to the Child Development Account and increase the Baby bonus Cash Gift by $3,000.

Indranee acknowledged that parents have also had feedback about difficulties in accessing reliable infant care.

"Under the Forward Singapore's Care Pillar efforts, we will be reviewing how we can better support new parents in caring for their infants. We will share more when ready."

The government said there has also been feedback from parents about difficulties in getting access to reliable infant care. (PHOTO: Getty)

New citizenships and PRs slightly higher than pre-COVID-19 levels

Indranee, also Second Minister for Finance and National Development, emphasised that welcoming immigrants to Singapore is important for moderating the impact of an ageing population and low birth rates.

She explained, "While most Singaporeans understand why we need immigrants, there are, understandably, concerns over competition for jobs and other resources, and how the texture and character of our society could change, and whether our infrastructure can keep up,"

Indranee said that since the tightening of the immigration framework in late 2009, the immigration rate had been stable and measured.

Singapore granted 23,100 new citizenships last year, including about 1,300 to children born overseas to Singaporean parents. Around 34,500 permanent residencies were granted.

As some applications had to be rolled over to 2022, Indranee noted that these resulted in slightly higher figures than pre-COVID-19 levels.

A wide range of factors, including family ties to Singaporeans, economic contributions and qualifications, is being considered when granting PR or citizenship. Indranee stressed that this is to ensure that new immigrants are rooted and contribute meaningfully to the community.

She also explained that all new adult citizens come from the PR pool and have been in Singapore for some time, while second-generation PRs serve national service.

Singapore granted 23,100 new citizenships last year including about 1,300 to children born overseas to Singaporean parents. Around 34,500 permanent residencies were granted. (PHOTO: Getty)

Do you have a story tip? Email: sgnews.tips@yahooinc.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Also check out our Southeast Asia, Food, and Gaming channels on YouTube.
A construction crew in the snow works on the new Panera Bread restaurant. Snow fell on Thursday across the High Desert, with a blizzard expected in the local mountain on Friday and Saturday.

San Bernardino County Fire personnel have up staffed additional firefighters, hand crews and heavy equipment for the incoming rain and snowstorm expected to pound the local mountain over the weekend.

The second storm is expected to bring rain to the High Desert on Saturday, with a Blizzard Warning for the SBC Mountains to 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Snow began falling in the High Desert on Thursday afternoon, worsening traffic conditions in the Cajon Pass, with many commuters reporting sporadic weather conditions.

The blizzard is expected to bring fog and heavy blowing snow that will lower visibility in the mountains to near zero.

Travel will be VERY DIFFICULT TO IMPOSSIBLE due to the extremely heavy snow and extremely high winds expected, the weather agency reported.

The Blizzard Warning from Friday morning to Saturday afternoon is the first issued by the local NWS office for the SBC Mountains.

Given the depth of cold air that has infiltrated the West, accumulating snow will also be expected over some of the lower foothills and interior valley areas near the Pacific Coast adjacent to the terrain where snowfall is less common, according to the NWS.

Snow fell on Thursday across the High Desert, with a blizzard expected in the local mountain on Friday and Saturday.

Caltrans officials are telling drivers to bring chains if they have to travel to the mountains, and for everyone else to stay off the roadway during inclement weather.

The San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department issued a warning to commuters: PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TRAVEL IN THE MOUNTAIN AREAS

Blizzard conditions are extremely dangerous. This is not a normal storm, sheriffs officials said. First responders will need access to the roads and highways to continue to protect our residents.

Strong winds are expected in the mountains and desert foothills on Friday, with gusts to 60 mph. A high wind warning has been issued for the High Desert.

High temperatures through Sunday across the Victor Valley are expected in the 40s.

Sunday should be partly cloudy, with rain expected next week.

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Schools

The Snowline Joint Unified School District said there was no school on Thursday. On Friday, they added that schools would be closed due to inclement weather. Most of the storm energy will pass through our area today. Please stay safe as you travel the roadways.

"As of 4 am, Wrightwood Elementary has 6ish inches of snow, and Phelan Elementary has a trace to 1/2 inch of snow," school officials said. "For all eastbound traffic, chain control is set up at Beekly and HWY 138. We hope everyone has a great weekend, and we will evaluate our operations throughout the weekend to ensure a safe return to school on Monday!"

Hesperia Unified School District Superintendent Dave Olney announced that if road conditions become a significant concern and schools close that families and students will receive a phone message notification from the district as early as possible. But on Friday, it was announced that schools would be open.

The Victor Elementary School District said its operational team would hit the streets of Victorville before dawn on Friday to monitor weather and road conditions. If the conditions are deemed unsafe, the VESD will call a snow day and announce school closures by 5 a.m. All was clear, and classes were held.

A pedestrian heads for shelter in Hesperia. Snow fell on Thursday across the High Desert, with a blizzard expected in the local mountain on Friday and Saturday.

Thursdays weather

Several commuters told the Daily Press that Thursdays journey through the Cajon Pass was less than ideal.

I made three runs up and down the pass today, and the weather was different each time, said Ralph Martinez, 47, a medical equipment delivery driver. First it was foggy with rain, then it snowed, then it was partially cloudy and windy,

Oak Hills resident Cheryl Whitson told the Daily Press that her run down the Cajon Pass included near whiteout conditions.

It was scary, Whitson said. Ive driven in the fog, but never when snow was coming at me.

Snow fell across the Victor Valley, in places like Victorville, Lucerne Valley, Hesperia and Apple Valley.

Jose Gonzalez of Hesperia shot video of snow falling at the Fort Irwin Nation National Training Center north of Barstow.

A San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputy in the local mountains creates a snow angel on Thursday.

By late Thursday, clearing skies allowed the sun to melt most of the snow away before it began snowing again around 5:30 p.m.

Thursdays weather was part of the arctic storm from the north, which started with a drop in temperatures and damaging winds on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Visit Caltrans District 8's Facebook and Twitter accounts or the agency's website for additional updated information.

Motorists can plan commutes and view live traffic conditions and planned lane closures by using Caltrans' QuickMap.

For those with sensory disabilities and those needing information in a language other than English, contact Public Affairs at 909-383-4631 or TTY 711.

A brief snow flurry passes through Apple Valley resident Sam Atalla's backyard, marking a rare winter phenomenon for Southern California's High Desert folks on Thursday, Feb. 23.

Other parts of California

Thursday morning, the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway announced on its Instagram story that it was snowing at the Valley Station, which has a Palm Springs address  a phenomenon that hasn't occured in several years.

Several communities in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, which sit just north of the city of Los Angeles, were under winter storm warnings . So far, those communities straddling Interstate 5, which connects Southern California to the central valley region, have seen about 2 to 4 inches of snowfall in the last 24 hours, according to the weather service. The winter storm warning there was expected to transition into a blizzard warning.

Big Bear, which received 27 inches as of Thursday morning, is expected to receive an additional foot of snow through Friday morning and 1-2 additional feet through Saturday. Lake Arrowhead received 7.5 inches.

All that moisture in the air also creates an increased risk of flash flooding through Saturday, forecasters said. Some coastal areas could see waves as high as 10 to 14 feet through Thursday, forecasters said.

In Sacramento, the state capital, the weather service said it had received reports of something that might be either hail or graupel  soft, wet snowflakes encased in supercooled water droplets.

A brief flurry of snow passes through Apple Valley resident Sam Atalla's backyard, marking a rare winter phenomenon for Southern California's High Desert folks on Thursday, Feb. 23.

Electrical grids took a beating as ice encrusted utility lines in the north, and gusty winds knocked down lines or fouled them with tree branches and other debris in California.

Elizabeth Schenk of the National Weather Service said there were reported wind gusts of 56 mph at the Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport in Thermal and 101 mph at Burns Canyon in the San Bernardino County mountains.

Also, a winter storm warning remains in effect through 3 p.m. on Saturday for the Riverside County mountains, with expected snowfall of 8 to 16 inches within 6,000 feet. Idyllwild has received an inch of snow since Wednesday.

"On those higher peaks, such as Mount San Jacinto, we could be seeing about one to two feet of snow," Schenk said.

The Associated Press and the USA TODAY Network-California contributed to this report.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Snow falls in the High Desert, blizzard expected Friday
ASHWAUBENON  The best cheese in the United States isn't from Wisconsin, but the head cheesemaker is.

An aged Gouda made by Arethusa Farm Dairy in Bantam, Connecticut, was named the best entry in the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest Thursday, but Arethusa's head cheesemaker, Eric Schmid, is a recent Wisconsin transplant originally hailing from Monticello.

"Europa is a traditional style Gouda. We make it about as traditional as we can," said Schmid, whose family immigrated from Switzerland in the 1850s. "They might have been making Emmentaler or big wheel Swiss, but it was still hand-made. That's what really drew me into the artisan side of things."

Second place went to a vintage cupola American original cheese made by Door Artisan Cheese Co. of Egg Harbor for Red Barn Family Farms in Appleton.

Arethusa Farm Dairy's Eric Schmid speaks via Zoom after the Bantam, Conn.-based cheesemaker's aged Gouda called Europa was named winner of the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest on Feb. 23, 2023, at the Resch Expo in Ashwaubenon, Wis.

'We hope this honor and this award will draw attention not only to just this great cheese, and the wonderful quality of the cheese, but also to the mission of our brand," said Paula Homan, co-owner of Red Barn, "... to help support and sustain small family farms and advocate for ethical dairy farming."

The third-place cheese was a medium cheddar made by Dillon Sylla of Associated Milk Producers Inc. in Blair.

First and third place were separated by 0.185 points. Each cheese begins with 100 points and judges deduct points for defects across a broad range of attributes. Arethusa scored 98.739, Red Barn got a 98.613 and Associated Milk Producers received 98.554. That's not unusual. The spread for the previous contest, in 2019, was 0.153.

"All of these cheeses were exceptional, within a tenth of a hundredth of a point in some cases," said Cathy Strange, one of the judges. "That cheese (the Gouda) was the right age, really clean milk, healthy animals on the farm. It just brought it. It tasted amazing this week."

Schmid said he entered the Europa in earlier contests and it didn't make an impression.

"Time. Time. You have to age it out. I entered Europa in its younger state and it wasn't even close. You've got to let that bacteria do its thing in the cheese. You've got to let it ripen." Schmid said.

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An aged Gouda called Europa by Arethusa Farm Dairy in Bantam, Connecticut, was named the winner of the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest on Feb. 23, 2023, at the Resch Expo in Ashwaubenon.

Red Barn's American Original was just that, original. Strange said it didn't taste like any other cheese.

"It had this fruity sweetness to it, but a maturity with levels of complexity that just kept coming at you. That's what you want is a visceral food memory," she said.

Wisconsin, which fancies itself the cheese capital of the United States (if not the world), made its case with 54 Best of Class finishes among 113 total classes. That was the most gold medals among the 35 states entered. California was second with nine Bests of Class awards.

More:Door County cheese is second-best in country, Kewaunee County cheese maker wins four classes

More:Cheese Makers Association looks to the future at the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest in Ashwaubenon

Wisconsin swept the top three spots in 2017 and claimed seconds and thirds in the 2019 contests. The biennial contest wasn't held in 2021 because of the COVID pandemic.

The three-day contest, held at Resch Expo, was challenged by the predicted winter storm, which proved to be less disruptive than expected. Judging was completed in two days instead of pouring over into day three, as planned. Although not entirely weather-related, the finalists were on Zoom instead of attending in person.

Assistant Chief Judge Tim Czmowski holds up a vintage cupola American original cheese made by Door Artisan Cheese Co. of Egg Harbor for Red Barn Family Farms in Appleton. The cheese took second place overall during the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest on Feb. 23, 2023, at the Resch Expo in Ashwaubenon.

"We used to do the big event. COVID really took us out of that," said John Umhoefer, executive director of Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association. "We kind of encouraged them to just go on Zoom. What a great winner we had from Connecticut. We could have never gotten him here in time. I think we'll always do this because of that."

The 2023 contest included 2,249 entries, mostly cheese, but also butter, yogurt and whey. The event included 42 judges and 200 volunteers. This was its first time at Resch Expo, having previously been held in the Lambeau Field Atrium.

Contact Richard Ryman at rryman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @RichRymanPG, on Instagram at @rrymanPG or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardRymanPG/.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Best cheese is from Connecticut, but cheese maker from Wisconsin
Flyers now have a new travel option between Colorado and Jamaica.

Frontier Airlines launched a new service Friday between Denver International Airport (DIA) and Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay (MBJ).

The Denver-based airline said it is the only airline offering service between Denver and Montego Bay. Frontier is offering fares to Montego Bay as low at $179. The flight will be offered three times a week.

With the new service, Frontier will serve 67 nonstop destinations from DIA.

As Denvers hometown airline, we are proud to be celebrating a milestone as the only airline to connect the Mile High City with nonstop service to Jamaica, said Daniel Shurz, Frontier's senior vice president of commercial.

With an extensive operation at [DIA]  thats only growing larger  now is the perfect time to take advantage of convenient and affordable travel options thanks to Frontiers Low Fares Done Right. Stunning Jamaican beaches are easier to reach than ever before with our new exclusive nonstop service to the island.

Montego Bay, Jamaica has a strong demand from Denver residents, and this new route will open new opportunities for our city, said Denver Mayor Michael Hancock. Frontier Airlines will provide an affordable and convenient option to get to and from our community and this popular tropical destination.

Expanding our global connections is a key pillar of our Vision 100 plan, said DIA CEO Phillip Washington. This brand-new, international destination for [Denver's airport] not only enhances the value we bring to our customers, it also brings us one step closer to our Vision 100 goals and provides another amazing beach destination for Colorado travelers.

For more on this story, visit the Denver Gazette news partners 9News.com.
With the war in Ukraine entering its second year  and the U.S. continuing to provide the embattled country with military aid in the form of rockets, guns and ammunition  the Pentagon is stepping up production of critically-needed supplies.

"For a couple of key items, the stockpile is getting low," retired Marine Col. Mark Cancian, with the Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS), told CBS News.

Cancian said Ukraine's use of artillery shells far outstrips the Pentagon's capacity to make them.

"They're using about as much in a month as we produced in the year," Cancian said.

Soldiers of the Ukrainian National Guard are being trained for combat at a military training ground outside the capital of Kyiv on Feb. 23, 2023. / Credit: Kay Nietfeld/picture alliance via Getty Images

Precision-fired munitions for the long-range HIMARS system are another need, so Lockheed Martin is gearing up to turn out one new rocket every 10 minutes at its plant in Arkansas.

The U.S. has committed $30 billion in weapons to Ukraine  but just a fraction of the Pentagon's staggering $858 billion defense budget.

"This is darn close to being the biggest defense budget that we have ever had," Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute, a public policy think tank, told CBS News.

Since World War II, the only time the U.S. has spent more on defense than it is now was at the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And, according to Thompson, nearly one-third of the current defense budget is spent on weapons.

"That is an amount of money that outstrips the entire economy of most European countries," Thompson said.

And with the U.S. struggling to keep Ukraine supplied in its fight against a decrepit Russian military, there is concern about what could happen if the U.S. were to become involved in a conflict with China. CSIS recently conducted a war game that showed that the U.S. would run out of a key weapon  Long Range Anti Ship Missiles (LRASM)  while trying to stop a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

"The U.S. ran out of these missiles in the first few days of the war," Cancian said of the war game.

Even though it ran out of some missiles, the U.S. was still able to stop the Chinese invasion in the war game. Dozens of ships, hundreds of aircraft and thousands of troops were lost, however, Cancian said.

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The View host Joy Behar drew a shocked reaction from her audience after she made a comment on East Palestine, Ohio, residents support for former President Donald Trump.

Trump has faced criticism for rolling back rail safety regulationsduring his administration following a Norfolk Southern train derailment that caused a toxic chemical spill  and a later burn of chemicals  that worried the Ohio community earlier this month.

Trump, who received overwhelming support from East Palestines Columbiana County in the 2020 election, appeared in the community on Wednesday, where he hyped up the quality of his Trump water brand.

Behar questioned whether photo-ops and blame games overshadowed the crisis in the Ohio community. She criticized Trumps water plug and grilled his appointment of someone with ties to the chemical industry to run the EPAs chemical safety office when he was president.

Thats who you voted for in that district, said Behar as she pointed to the camera.

Donald Trump, who reduces all safety. ... They need to look past the photo-ops, these people, and say Whos doing the job here? Forget about the photo-ops.

Meghan McCain, a former co-host of The View, later blasted Behar on Twitter over the remarks.

The people of east Palestine are currently in fear that they and their children will be getting cancer or worse from the derailment toxins in their land and water, McCain said. This is just an evil thing to say. I would say I cant fathom this level of cruelty and elitism but sadly I can.

The people of east Palestine are currently in fear that they and their children will be getting cancer or worse from the derailment toxins in their land and water.



This is just an evil thing to say. I would say I cant fathom this level of cruelty and elitism but sadly I can. https://t.co/02W3UQU0jx  Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) February 23, 2023

Former Republican Rep. Joe Walsh initially slammed Behar for having a shitty thing to say before he apologized to The View host and claimed he read a Mediaite article wrong.

Related...
A 56-year-old Wisconsin man died while hiking in Grand Canyon National Park, park officials announced Tuesday.

The National Park Service said in a news release that he was found on the Bright Angel Trail  one of the most popular hiking trails into the Grand Canyon because of its views  below Havasupai Gardens, near Flagstaff, Arizona last Friday. The NPS said their search and rescue personnel pronounced him dead.

Authorities said the man, whose name was not released, was from Pewaukee, Wisconsin and was attempting a day hike to the Colorado River and back. An investigation into the incident is underway by the parks service and the medical examiner in Coconino County, Arizona.

According to the parks service, the Bright Angel trail is well-defined and steep. The parks service also warns visitors to not attempt to hike from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, where the trail starts, to the Colorado River. Images from the park before last Thursday also show snow at the South Rim.

A 56-year-old man who died at Grand Canyon National Park tried hiking to the Colorado River and back, the National Park Service said. / Credit: Dean Fikar / Getty Images

This hiker's death comes as another 56-year-old hiker died Saturday at Big Bend National Park in Texas. The parks service said they received a call about a person, whose name they did not release, experiencing chest pains. Friends of the hiker attempted CPR on him and continued with the help of bystanders and park volunteers until rangers arrived, the parks service said, but he ultimately died.

Rick Gupman, the park's acting deputy superintendent, said in a statement that staff and partners were "saddened by this loss."

"Our entire park family extends condolences to the hiker's family and friends," Gupman said.

An analysis of federal data between 2007 and 2018 shows there were more than 2,700 deaths at a U.S. National Parks site, while an estimated 3.5 billion recreation visits were made to the parks.

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Step up your handbag game by shopping these innovative brands.

Getty Images

If you're in the market for a new purse, skip the fast fashion dupes and consider supporting brands creating something unique and special instead. These seven Black handbag designers have gone beyond creating stunning designs. Theyve also dedicated themselves to making the world a more beautiful and equitable place as they've achieved success.

From uplifting Black creatives and communities to utilizing sustainable business practices and speaking truth to power, each of these Black handbag designers is doing it for the culture.

Related:63 Black-Owned Brands to Shop All Year Round

Telfar

Brand: Telfar

Location: New York, New York

Why We Love This Designer: Let's start with Telfar's motto: "Not For You  For Everyone," and then move on to the fact that Telfar Clemens, the Liberian-American designer and brand founder, is a true visionary. In 2017, Telfar was the first Black-owned brand to win CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award, and since then, the brand, as the kids say, has stayed winning. The bags are gorgeous, but the authenticity and diversity of the designer in charge is just as magnetic. As Clemens told InStyle in 2021, "Our practices have always been our values. It's not some new call for social justice. I'm into the world sharing in these ideas, but I'm also just into being me."

Brandon Blackwood

Brand: Brandon Blackwood

Location: New York, New York

Why We Love This Designer: We fell in love with Brandon Blackwood's eponymous brand when its End Systemic Racism mini-totes hit the scene in 2020. Blackwood studied neuroscience in college before switching to a major in fashion during his senior year and he hasn't looked back since. The clean lines and thoughtful silhouettes of his designs aren't all there is to love though. Blackwood also launched the Brandon Blackwood Foundation in 2020 with the goal of helping young Black creatives achieve their goals.

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Related:10 Black-Owned Fashion Brands to Shop on Amazon

Cise

Brand: Cise

Location: Los Angeles, California

Why We Love This Designer: Cise is a brand that's truly doing it for the culture by giving back to and uplifting Black communities and creators and founder Blake Van Putten's designs keep Cise's message front and center. From its vegan leather Protect Black Women mini bags to its suede Protect Black People totes, Cise is 100% unfiltered, embossed, and empowered goodness.



Ciriaco

Brand: Ciriaco

Location: New York, New York

Why We Love This Designer: Ashley Ciriaco doesn't just create beautiful accessories. The Dominican-American designer's handbags are cruelty-free and crafted using sustainable practices. Ciriaco's designs manage to be both exhilarating, thanks to their asymmetry and vibrancy, and timeless. As she told Hypebae, "I dont want to be another fast fashion brand. I want my bags to still be cute and chic one hundred years from now." We say mission accomplished.



Brother Vellies

Brand: Brother Vellies

Location: New York, NY

Why We Love This Designer: Aurora James launched her designer luxury brand, Brother Vellies, in 2013, but that was only the beginning. In 2020, James founded the 15% Pledge, which not only went viral, but changed the way that America shops. She's a true revolutionary and her brand is adored by mononym powerhouses Beyonce, Rihanna, and Zendaya. Any questions?



Related:Aurora James Won't Apologize for Getting Your Attention

Anima Iris

Brand: Anima Iris

Location: Dakar, Senegal

Why We Love This Designer: Wilglory Tanjong, founder of Anima Iris, named her brand after her childhood bestie and her mother. The colorful, luxury handbags pay homage through their designs to African culture and are handcrafted in Dakar, Senegal. Tanjong's handbags aren't just sustainably-sourced, they're also produced on a zero-waste model, which means no two are exactly the same, no materials are wasted, and Tanjong is at the forefront of sustainable innovation.



Yvonne Kone

Brand: Yvonne Kone

Location: Copenhagen, Denmark

Why We Love This Designer: Each of Kone's minimal, architectural handbags is a true objet d'art, but her designs also speak to her heritage and culture. Her brand's website also features photo diaries from Kone herself, which are both dreamy and inspiring.



For more InStyle news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on InStyle.
Addison Rae, one of the biggest names in social media, has joined the cast of Eli Roths horror movie Thanksgiving.

Spyglass is behind the slasher, which is based on the faux trailer that Roth made 16 years ago for the Quentin Tarantino-Robert Rodriguez double bill Grindhouse. Production is due to commence in Toronto in March.

More from The Hollywood Reporter

Plot details are on the thin side, although it concerns a slasher who comes to a small Massachusetts town with the intention of creating a Thanksgiving carving board out of the towns inhabitants, per sources. Character details for Raes role are being kept stuffed in the turkey.

Patrick Dempsey of Greys Anatomy fame is among those in talks to join the cast, which is said to be looking to cast numerous up-and-comers.

Roth is directing and producing with Electromagnetic Productions Roger Birnbaum.

Rae is a massive star on TikTok, with more than 88.9 million followers. She has also been named its highest earner, per Forbes. She has parlayed that into a singing career and an acting career. For the latter, she made her feature debut with Hes All That, a gender-swapped remake of 1999s Shes All That.

She is repped by WME, Ocean Avenue, and Nixon Peabody.

Click here to read the full article.
Hundreds participated in the National Action Network demonstration in response to Gov. Ron DeSantis's efforts to minimize diverse education. The activists chanted and carried signs while making their way from Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Tallahassee, Florida to the Capitol building Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023.

Hundreds of people railed against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the states Department of Education in Tallahassee this month for rejecting the College Boards Advanced Placement African American Studies class. The College Board claimed the rejection was "inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value."

In the newest framework of the class, released in early February, the College Board removed much of what the DeSantis administration opposed, which critics called the watering down of history.

My name is Ana Goni-Lessan, and Im a reporter for the USA TODAY- Florida network, covering children and families. And you're reading "This is America," a newsletter centered on race, identity and how they shape our lives.

I wanted to really dig into what exactly changed in the two frameworks, before and after DeSantis rejected the class. So I got a draft of the AP class from a university faculty member, dated for May 2022, and compared it to the most recent framework.

I found most of the class was unchanged, but there are differences in the source material for lessons about recent African American history, debate topics and contemporary issues.

It was alarming to see notable works from authors like Te-Nehisi Coates' "The Case for Reparations," and Michelle Alexander, author of "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness," were removed.

I can remember the first time I read Coates in The Atlantic. These titles shaped the way I think about our countrys history.

At the rally, there were children from elementary school and elderly grandparents in wheelchairs, all there for the same reason.

If you would study history, governor, you would have known to mess with us in education always ends to your defeat, Rev. Al Sharpton said as the crowd cheered.

 Read the full story: A breakdown of what was removed or changed in the AP African American Studies framework

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Stories we're reading this week on race, identity, and justice:

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This is America is a weekly take on current events from a rotating panel of USA TODAY Network journalists with diverse backgrounds and viewpoints. If you're seeing this newsletter online or someone forwarded it to you, you can subscribe here. If you have feedback for us, we'd love for you to drop it here.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ron DeSantis rejects AP African American Studies course, critics rally
LGBTQ advocates are becoming increasingly alarmed as municipalities and school districts across the country take measures prohibiting displays of the rainbow Pride flag on public property and in classrooms.

Some say the moves reflect a broader wave of GOP-endorsed reform and policy efforts that include book bans, changes to school curricula, attacks on the use of preferred pronouns and restriction of reproductive rights.

Were in the middle of an avalanche of anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ bills, said Dara Adkison, board secretary for TransOhio, a trans equality organization in Columbus. "Theyre playing that numbers game of, 'What can we squeak through?'

Rainbow flags are seen at the Stonewall National Monument in New York City, dedicated to the birthplace of the modern lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer civil rights movement in New York City.

Such restrictions have been approved in Delaware, Ohio, and in Cold Spring, New York, as well as in school districts from Davis County, Utah, to Wales, Wisconsin. In Green Bay, Wisconsin, an effort to push a similar citywide measure there was narrowly defeated this month.

And in Florida, Republican state Rep. David Borrero has introduced a bill that would similarly limit flag displays at all governmental and public school buildings statewide.

How do these measures ban Pride flags?

The municipal measures that prohibit rainbow flags aren't explicitly expressed as such. Presented as a means to avoid favoring any one group over another, they limit flag displays to government and military flags  but the effect is the same.

In the measure in Delaware, Ohio, city manager Thomas Homan in May 2022 informed flag and banner applicants that the city was pausing its program for review in light of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that month ruling that Boston city officials had violated a Christian groups free speech rights when they denied a request to fly a Christian flag over city hall. Delawares program allowed organizations to request their flags be displayed on city street poles.

While unfortunate for our local nonprofit organizations who use the banner and flag program to support cultural and community events, it is reasonable and prudent to take this step to protect the interests of our city, he wrote.

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A city spokesman told USA TODAY the review was ongoing.

On March 7, City Council members in Huntington Beach, California, are set to take their final vote on a similar measure.

At the council's meeting earlier this week, board member Dan Kalmick criticized the proposal as cloaked in language hiding its true intentions.

"This is a poor and cowardly ordinance couched in 'equality,' " Kalmick said. "Its, of course, a ban on the city flying the Pride flag. Call it what it is. ... If it walks like a ban and quacks like a ban, its a ban."

Two previous council votes have favored the ordinance 4-3. The proposed measure notes that businesses and individuals can still display flags of their choice on private property.

Last week, Debbie Chang, president and CEO of the private foundation funded by nonprofit health plan Blue Shield of California, informed Huntington Beach officials that given the situation, the group had canceled plans to conduct a two-day retreat for trustees and senior management in the city in June.

We decided that we could no longer in good conscience meet in your city until the uncertainty of this situation is resolved, Chang wrote in a letter Friday.

Given the LGBTQ communitys high rates of health inequities and domestic violence, she said, the city's move to ban the Pride flag "puts a vulnerable population at risk of further harm.

In response, Huntington Beach council member Casey McKeon said at this week's meeting: "I dont know why they are trying to blackmail us economically when we are drafting our government flag policy to only fly government flags that represent every individual equally."

Why is the rainbow flag important?

Gilbert Baker, a Kansas-born artist who spent much of his life in San Francisco, created the iconic six-striped rainbow flag in 1978 at the behest of LGBTQ activist and lawmaker Harvey Milk in 1978, according to the New York-based Gilbert Baker Foundation. He died in 2017.

The symbol has since become an icon of LGBTQ inclusion.

Its that age-old visibility, of knowing where youre welcome, said Adkison, of TransOhio. The Pride flag is an easy way of knowing you have some allies there.

Peg Corley, executive director of LGBTQ Center OC, based in Santa Ana, California, said Huntington Beach council members were sending "a very loud message" by considering the measure.

The rainbow flag is the most diverse symbol we have, Corley said. Literally every walk of life is represented in the LGBTQ community, so saying were not going to fly a symbol of diversity and inclusion  thats the message theyre sending.

How is the LGBTQ community responding?

The Gilbert Baker Foundation, the New York-based organization named for the flag's creator, on Friday launched a Save the Rainbow Flag campaign with instruction for local community advocates on mobilization and letter-writing activism, plus an open letter from the ACLU with legal arguments against flag restrictions.

Make no mistake  right-wing groups want to roll back LGBTQ+ rights, and theyre starting with banning the rainbow flag, Charley Beal, the foundations president, said in a press release.

Some such bans have already been reversed  for instance, in Newberg, Oregon, where school board members last month rescinded a controversial 2021 measure prohibiting political signage, which had included the rainbow flag, after the measure was challenged by the ACLU.

But, Beal said, every month brings a new threat to LGBTQ+ rights and equality. Its time to stop the haters.

Corley, whose organization has been asked to participate in public raisings of the rainbow flag when Orange County municipalities kicked off Pride Month celebrations in previous years, said she expects more businesses to withdraw from Huntington Beach should the ban remain in effect.

Were people, not a political agenda, she said.

Dig deeper:

What is the meaning of other LGBTQ+ flags?

Book bans are on the rise. Which books are being targeted and why?

Original Pride flag unveiled at San Francisco museum

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pride flag ban: LGBTQ symbol vanishes from more cities, schools
A bill backed by the Board of Regents to change the name of the South Dakota School for the Deaf (SDSD) to South Dakota Services for the Deaf passed its first step Thursday morning in the Senate Education committee.

Kim Wadsworth, superintendent of SDSD, said Senate Bill 37 wont affect any program or activity currently provided by the SDSD and that a name change better reflects and clarifies the mission of the SDSD as an outreach and audiology program serving children in their homes and in schools.

Superintendent Kim Wadsworth works at her desk while wearing a clear face mask Nov. 19, 2020, at the South Dakota School for the Deaf. She has been in the position since March, shortly after the coronavirus pandemic came to South Dakota.

Patty Kuglitsch, treasurer of the South Dakota Association of the Deaf, a former classroom teacher at SDSD and an advocate for the Deaf, said in the committee meeting Thursday that its important to the Deaf community to keep the acronym for the facility as SDSD.

Kuglitsch also told the Argus Leader in an email Monday that since SDSD no longer provides a classroom education to children who are deaf and hard of hearing, it makes sense for the name to be changed. Using the word school has been causing some confusion for people, she said.

More:Why South Dakota's deaf children are falling through the cracks

Sen. Steve Kolbeck motioned for the bill to pass Thursday and said that as someone who is hearing impaired for life and the parent of two hearing-impaired children, SDSD does a fantastic job and praised Wadsworth for helping his children when they were young.

SB 37 passed in the committee vote Thursday morning and will move to the Senates consent calendar for a vote in the coming days.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Lawmakers move Senate Bill 37 along
A Daniel Craig-voiced aid appeal for victims of the tragic earthquakes in Turkey and Syria earlier this month is set to run across 29 networks simultaneously in the U.K. on Friday evening.

Media companies including Warner Bros. Discovery, Channel 4, ITV, UKTV, Channel 5 and Sky have gifted advertising space for the 90-second Disasters Emergency Committee appeal, which will run at 9.55pm local time. Channel 4 will also run the advert on its YouTube channel from Friday until Sunday.

More from Variety

Ocean Outdoor have also gifted advertising space and the appeal will run on large format digital screens at the same time in major U.K. cities including London, Liverpool, Birmingham and Manchester.

The advert, produced pro bono by Recipe, shows the devastation from the earthquakes, which are believed to have killed over 30,000 people. They also show how viewers can donate to the campaign.

Seeing the devastation of the earthquake, we wanted to use the power of a joint broadcaster and advertising initiative to help raise awareness for this important cause, said Verica Djurdjevic, chief revenue officer at Channel 4. Were incredibly grateful to Recipe and the plethora of other media owners who have also offered their support through this project.

The appeal is an edited version of a film originally produced by ITN, which was aired on Channel 4, Channel 5, ITV and Sky news earlier this month to mark the launch of the appeal. It has already raised over $120 million.

The publics generous response to the DECs appeal for survivors of the earthquakes in Syria and Turkey has been incredibly moving to see, Craig said (reported by the Evening Standard). The earthquakes lasted seconds but the aftermath will last for years. Since I filmed the broadcast appeal, the numbers of people confirmed as killed or injured have gone up by tens of thousands.

Story continues

Hospitals, schools and businesses have been reduced to rubble, and hundreds of thousands of people have been left homeless in freezing winter conditions. Please do what you can to help them by supporting the DEC appeal.

Watch the appeal below:

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Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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UPDATE: Janet was found safe and is now back in the care of her family, according to a tweet from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.

A 74-year-old woman is missing from Genesee after dropping her husband off at the airport on Wednesday, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.

Janet Sandoval, 74, was reported missing from her home in Genesee and officials are asking for the public's help in finding her.

Sandoval dropped her husband off at Denver International Airport on Wednesday and never returned home, according to a tweet from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.

Sandoval has a cognitive impairment, according to the tweet. She was potentially last seen at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at I-70 and Kipling Street in a 2010 tan Volvo station wagon with Colorado license plate 102VWG.

Anyone who sees her or has information is asked to call 9-1-1 or or 303-271-5634.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, February 24, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has invited researchers and scientists to submit their research papers to participate in the first Middle East and North Africa Solar Conference 2023, which DEWA will organise from 15 to 18 November 2023. DEWA receives the applications until 30 April 2023 through https://mbrsic.ae/en/mena-sc

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230224005232/en/

DEWA invites researchers and scientists to submit their research papers to participate in the first MENA Solar Conference 2023 (Photo: AETOSWire)

The research papers focus on a wide range of topics, including unconventional and new concepts for future technologies; silicon photovoltaic materials and devices; Perovskite and organic materials and solar cells; PV module and system reliability in MENA region; solar resources for PV and forecasting; and power electronics and grid integration.

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, highlighted that the conference is the first scientific and technical conference of its kind in the region that specialises in photovoltaic systems. Al Tayer noted that the conference will be held in conjunction with the Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition (WETEX) and the Dubai Solar Show 2023. DEWA organises the largest exhibition for water, energy, sustainability and innovation technologies in the region and one of the largest specialised exhibitions in the world. Holding the two events simultaneously is an additional momentum to gather all global decision-makers, officials, and researchers to showcase the latest innovative technologies, practices and experiments in sustainability and renewable and clean energy.

Waleed Bin Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Support and Excellence at DEWA, explained that the MENA Solar Conference 2023 focuses on all areas of photovoltaic systems, devices, and materials, from basic science to commercial applications. The conference includes a series of specialised panel discussions, with the participation of several experts and specialists worldwide. A specialised technical committee will evaluate the research papers to be highlighted during the conference.

Story continues

More information on MENA Solar Conference and how to participate are available on https://mbrsic.ae/en/mena-sc

*Source: AETOSWire

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230224005232/en/

Contacts

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority

Khuloud Al Ali, +971563974965

Media@dewa.gov.ae
Artur Widak - Getty Images

Waking up to the sound of bombs going off outside your window. Teenage girls wheeling suitcases as they flee their homes. Babies clinging to their mother's chest as they desperately seek an exit from a terrifying situation. Apartment blocks on fire. Queues of cars at a standstill, huge lines of them snaking this way and that  trying to get to the borders. To escape a war that none of them asked for.

It's been one year since Russia invaded Ukraine, forcing millions to flee their homes and seek refuge across the world. Over the last 12 months, we've seen the horrific scenes splashed across the news, looking on helpless and devastated as Ukraine is attacked. It's been truly heartbreaking to watch the panic and chaos unfold as Ukrainians fight for their lives.

The gravity of the conflict is certainly weighing heavy, and many of us have been left feeling powerless. But there are ways we can help. As the conflict in Ukraine continues, the country is crying out for donations that will go towards humanitarian aid, psychological support, medical supplies for paramedics and doctors and independent reporting about what's actually happening in Ukraine.

With that in mind, we've compiled a list of charities and resources that urgently need your support right now.

How to help the people of Ukraine right now

The Red Cross in Ukraine

The Red Cross in Ukraine is looking for donations to help distribute aid and resources to the people of Ukraine who urgently need it.

"The Red Cross has been supporting people affected by this conflict for years, and will not stop now," the charity says on its website. As for how the money donated can help, The Red Cross explains that donations will be used to reach people in urgent need, including:

Providing food, first aid, clean water, shelter support, warm clothing, hygiene parcels and medicines

Supporting hospitals and healthcare facilities

Supporting fire fighters and civil protection units

Training people up in life-saving first aid

Helping families stay in contact with each other

Educating people on the risks of explosives

Repairing vital infrastructure

Helping to repair homes, healthcare centres, schools and community centres

Story continues

You can donate here.



Sunflowers of Peace

Sunflower for Peace offers medical assistance to Ukrainian people displaced by war. Last year, the group asked for donations to prepare first aid medical backpacks for paramedics and doctors on the frontlines. These kind of backpacks are filled with life-saving first aid supplies  bandages, medicine, medical instruments, and a means for survival in extreme conditions  and can save up to ten lives.

You can donate via Facebook, here.

Project Hope

As conflict continues in Ukraine, Project Hope is mobilising to address urgent healthcare needs for people most impacted by the crisis. "There is still no end in sight to this terrible violence," the charity said on its website.

"Project HOPE is actively delivering medical supplies, repairing damaged hospitals, and providing mental health support to Ukrainians and families facing health crises in places like Ethiopia and Colombia. And we stay long after the headlines fade to help rebuild health care for the future."

Donate here to help deliver urgently-needed medicine, supplies and aid to families at risk from violent conflict in Ukraine.

Choose Love

"As it stands, more than 13 million people are estimated to have been displaced from their homes  including more than 4.8 million children," charity Choose Love (supported by Comic Relief) points out on its website. "So far, more than 7.7 million individuals have reportedly left the country, and an estimated of 6.24 million people internally displaced inside Ukraine where there is now active conflict and a humanitarian catastrophe unfolding."

Over the past 12 months, Choose Love has supported over 90 projects that are providing vital aid and services to those still in and fleeing the country, including: emergency medical care, food, shelter, clothes, legal support, mental health support, support for LGBTQIA+, BIPOC and marginalised communities.

You can donate to the emergency fundraiser, here.





Razom



Razom is a non-profit supporting people of Ukraine in their continued quest for democracy and progress. Razom  which means "together" in Ukrainian  is on the ground providing relief for soldiers and doctors on the frontlines.

You can donate to their emergency response fund, here.

Support Hospitals in Ukraine

Hospitals in Ukraine are in dire need of medical supplies  non-profit, Support Hospitals in Ukraine, is raising funds to get that medical equipment delivered to them as soon as they can. "Hospitals in Ukraine are under immense strain that will likely continue for a long time regardless of how quickly the war can be ended," they wrote on their donation page. "Doctors and numerous volunteers have been doing a consistently heroic job, but are in dire need of more trauma-related equipment and surgical tools."

You can donate here.

Voices of Children

Charitable foundation Voices of Children provides psychological and psychosocial support to Ukrainian children affected by the war.

You can donate, here.

Learn, listen, speak up



The Kyiv Independent



The Kyiv Independent is Ukraines English-language media outlet, it was created by journalists who were "fired from the Kyiv Post for defending editorial independence". They are currently reporting on the invasion. The publication relies on readers and donors to run, and their editorial aim is to serve "its readers and community, and nobody else."

You can support the newspaper by donating to its GoFundMe or Patreon.

Use your voice

Donations are vital, but not everyone has enough money to spare. You can still help in other ways. Read news and information from reliable resources  this list has been curated by Ukrainian journalists  and share it far and wide with followers, friends and your family. This Twitter list shares information from local Ukrainian journalists. Talk about what's happening. If you feel like you want to protest, there's a list of protests happening all over the world, here.

Contact your local MP

And demand a response  ask them what the British government is doing to help. To find your local MP and how to contact them, visit the government website here.

Feel more informed

Watch something about Ukraine and its history, the Netflix documentary, Winter On Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom is a good place to start. You could also listen to Ukraine World's podcast episode 'how Russia uses disinformation as an instrument of war  with Olga Tokariuk'. All reporting on Russia's invasion from The Kyiv Independent can be found here.

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Torrential rain and wild weather in Auckland caused flooding and disruption throughout the city on Friday, forcing the cancellation of an Elton John concert just before it was due to start.

About 40,000 people were expected to attend the concert at Mt Smart Stadium. Thousands were already at the venue when organizers decided to cancel not long before the singer was due to take the stage at 730pm.

The concert was billed as a final farewell tour for John. Frontier Touring, one of the concert promoters, tweeted the concert had been cancelled due to unsafe weather conditions.

Many concertgoers who had braved the conditions were frustrated the decision hadn't been made hours earlier.

Weather agency MetService warned of flash flooding and hazardous driving conditions throughout the city. On Friday night, transport authorities closed parts of State Highway 1, the main highway that bisects Auckland.

Flood waters in Auckland (New Zealand Herald)

Video posted online showed waist-deep water in some places, and authorities were asking residents in flood-prone areas to be prepared in case they needed to evacuate.

Lawmaker Ricardo Menendez posted a video of water surging into residential houses. Weve just had to evacuate our home as the water was already rising rapidly and coming in aggressively, he tweeted.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand said it had taken over 1,000 calls for help, but that many calls were from people who had flooded properties. The agency was urging callers to clear the lines for those in immediate danger.

Disappointed fans leave after the Elton John concert in Auckland is cancelled (New Zealand Herald)

The unseasonable weather also caused some flights to be delayed or canceled.

Auckland Airport said it had reduced its runway operations after an arriving aircraft had damaged runway lighting, while pictures showed the check-in hall under several inches of water.

This is largely impacting international arrivals and departures and larger aircraft travelling domestically, the airport wrote on Twitter.

Our maintenance team is on site and is working hard to fix the damage.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown told Radio New Zealand We need the rain to stop. Thats the main issue."
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester is seen speaking during a Veterans Day ceremony at Lockwood High School, on Nov. 11, 2022, in Lockwood, Montana. Tester's third term ends in 2024 and Republicans are eager to challenge him following a string of GOP victories in the state. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown)

In a news conference with statewide news organizations on Thursday, Montana Sen. Jon Tester warned of the threat China poses to U.S. interests, both economically and militarily.

"Montanans value our privacy and freedom, and these are values that the Chinese Communist Party wants to destroy on their way to replacing us as the worlds leading superpower," Tester said in his opening remarks. "China is our greatest threat in the world, and whether its conducting illegal surveillance with spy balloons, or spreading disinformation over social media  they will do everything in their power to weaken the United States. China wants to be the new global economic leader, and they are actively working to undermine our national security at every level."

Tester's conference focused upon two issues, the ongoing military investigation into a rash of unidentified floating objects that have drifted into North American airspace in the past two weeks, and a surge in Chinese farmland acquisitions, which now amount more than 350,000 acres  much of which is in close proximity to U.S. military bases.

"Every day I get a brief of some sort that talks about the things that Chinas doing that is out of the norm and pushing the envelope on things like national security," he said.

Tester and Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins are co-sponsoring a bipartisan effort called the "Promoting Agriculture Safeguards and Security Act," which would prohibit the purchase of U.S. farmland by financial interests from China, Russia, North Korea and Iran.

The debate over farm ownership has intensified as Chinese firms over the past decade have purchased major agribusinesses, like pork processing giant Smithfield Foods. It also comes amid broader efforts by Congress and the Biden administration to curb the United States reliance on China in key industries critical to the nations supply chain.

If they start buying enough land, then they can start shipping that food out of here and we dont have access to feed our country," Tester said of the importance of the Agricultural Standards Act. "I think even a greater concern than that is their ability to spy  utilize that land to set up equipment to spy on us. Thats a big problem. It's both food security and its national security, and it comes both from a food production standpoint and a military assets standpoint.

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Tester noted the inherent conflict between a free market economy and any national legislation that limits to whom private property can be sold to.

Im a big private property rights guy, and I dont like the government telling people what to do about anything with their land," he said. "But this is different. This is China. This is somebody who wants this country to be second rate to them. That is a fact. They are doing everything militarily and economically to replace us in the world. I think we need to take that seriously."

Since the Chinese balloon shoot-down off the South Carolina coast on Feb. 4, three other "floating objects" have been shot down across U.S. and Canadian airspace. These objects have largely been attributed to what amounts to "atmospheric trash" - wayward weather balloons and other floating instruments that were likely released from nation states, private companies and backyard hobbyists that pose no security threat to the United States.

Theres a lot of balloons that go up every day that theres no record of, no lights on and quite frankly its getting to a point where I think theres going to be a conversation in Congress about how we deal with these balloons from a safety standpoint," Tester said. "If youre below 45,000 feet, for sure it becomes an issue of safety."

However, each time a U.S. fighter jet is scrambled to shoot down one of these "objects" it costs the American taxpayers in excess of $400,000 to knock it down.

They may be nothing. We dont know yet," Tester said of the three floating objects identified over North America. "We dont know if they came from China, we dont know if they came from somebodys back yard. Until we know what the threat was, thats when we can do that assessment."

When we find out what that balloon was about, when they reverse engineer it and find what kind of information they collected  the only reason that information shouldnt be released to the people is that gives China a military or economic advantage," he said. "Thats the only the reason."

Theres a lot of atmospheric trash out there," Tester admitted. "There's a lot of balloons that go up every day that theres no record of, no lights on and quite frankly its getting to a point where I think theres going to be a conversation in Congress about how we deal with these balloons from a safety standpoint."

The last update I got on the recovery of the balloon in South Carolina  and it's been about 48 hours ago  is that its about done," he said of the Chinese spy balloon recovery efforts. "Theyre really getting close to having it all, but they're not 100% done. The three that followed that all three are still in progress."

Tester declined to directly criticize President Biden for allowing the Chinese spy balloon to sail across the country's heartland, but he did suggest the President has an obligation to speak directly to the American people about the current situation.

Ive told many, many people that if were up to me I would have shot the thing down over the Aleutians. There we some reasons why it didnt get shot down over the Aleutians, recovery being the main one, and they weren't sure where it was going to go in that point in time. But it was in our airspace and I think it was big enough where it merited.

They gave him their scenario of potential collateral damage and the information theyve collected. He made a decision to shot it down over the east coast of South Carolina. I will tell you that even though all the information isnt out  I still think people are concerned about this and hearing from the President would be a good thing."

This article originally appeared on Great Falls Tribune: Montana Sen. Jon Tester warns of China's threat to U.S. interests
Florida on Thursday executed 59-year-old Donald Dillbeck, who was sentenced to death 32 years ago by a non-unanimous jury under a death penalty statute that has since been found unconstitutional.

Dillbeck, who was killed as punishment for fatally stabbing a woman named Faye Vann, was the first person executed in Florida since 2019.

The timing of his execution appears to be part of a push by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to bring back death sentences by non-unanimous juries. DeSantis, who is expected to run for president, signed Dillbecks death warrant last month on the same day that he floated changing state law to allow non-unanimous juries to impose death sentences. Maybe eight out of 12 have to agree or something, DeSantis suggested at a Florida Sheriffs Association conference, just before ordering the execution of a man with that exact jury split.

I know I hurt people when I was young. I really messed up, Dillbeck reportedlysaid just before his death. But I know Ron DeSantis has done a lot worse. Hes taken a lot from a lot of people. I speak for all men, women and children. Hes put his foot on our necks. Ron DeSantis and other people like him can sk our ds.

In a written statement, Vanns children, Tony and Laura Vann, thanked DeSantis for carrying out the execution.We were robbed of years of memories with her, and it has been very painful ever since. However, the execution has given us some closure, they wrote.

Shortly after DeSantis jury suggestion, Republican lawmakers filed a set of bills that would replace the unanimous jury requirement with an 8-4 threshold and allow a judge to overrule a jury to impose a death sentence.

Im not minimizing what [Dillbeck] did to people, Florida capital defender Allison Miller told the Tallahassee Democrat, but he is most definitely a political pawn.

DeSantis has cited the outcome of the trial for Nikolas Cruz, who killed 17 people in a 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, as a reason to bring back non-unanimous jury verdicts. Cruz was sentenced to life in prison without parole after jurors split 9-3 over the death penalty. Not all of the victims of the Parkland shooting wanted Cruz to be sentenced to death.

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There is currently no state in the country where a jury can legally impose a death sentence with an 8-4 vote, according to Robert Dunham, the former executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center. Alabama is the only state that currently allows non-unanimous juries to sentence people to death  and it requires 10 votes in favor of death. Missouri and Indiana allow a judge to impose the death penalty in cases where the jury is divided.

Like most people sentenced to death, Dillbeck endured extreme abuse as a child. His birth mother drank 18-24 beers per day throughout her pregnancy, resulting in a catastrophic effect on Mr. Dillbecks intellectual and adaptive functioning, his lawyers wrote in a petition requesting that the Supreme Court review his case. That Mr. Dillbeck suffers from Neurobehavioral Disorder associated with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (ND-PAE) is thoroughly medically documented, unrebutted, and factually beyond dispute, the lawyers continued.

The Supreme Court ruled in 2002 that executing people with intellectual disabilities violates constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment. In his petition, Dillbecks lawyer argued that ND-PAE is functionally similar and identical in both etiology and symptomatology to intellectual disabilities and should exclude him from execution.

Dillbeck was put in foster care when he was 4 years old and began using drugs by the age of 13, the Tampa Bay Times reported. When he was 15, he was sentenced to life in prison for fatally shooting Lee County sheriffs deputy Dwight Lynn Hall after the officer caught the boy with a stolen car. The teen was repeatedly sexually assaulted in prison. In 1990, he escaped from an off-site vocational program, purchased a knife, and encountered Vann in her car in a parking lot. When she refused to drive him away, he fatally stabbed her.

In 1991, Dillbeck was sentenced to death by a jury with eight people voting in favor of death and four against. At the time, jurors could recommend a death sentence with a simple majority.

As the clerk read the sentence aloud, one juror wept uncontrollably, the Tallahassee Democrat reported, referencing the newspapers archives. Readers wrote to the newspaper disturbed by how such an arbitrary split could still send someone to death row, or by how Dillbecks history of childhood trauma seemed to have granted him some, but not enough, mercy.

In 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down part of Floridas death penalty system, ruling that it did not give jurors enough of a role in determining the fate of the defendant. Later that year, the state legislature amended the statute to require at least 10 jurors recommend a death sentence in order for a judge to impose the punishment. The Florida Supreme Court subsequently held that it is unconstitutional for judges to impose death sentences with a non-unanimous jury recommendation. In March 2017, state lawmakers amended its death penalty law again to require unanimous jury decisions.

But in 2020, the Florida Supreme Court made a stunning reversal. By then, three of the liberal and moderate justices had reached the mandatory retirement age of 75. The court majority reinstated the non-unanimous death sentence of a man named Mark Poole, finding, Our court was wrong in 2016. The 2020 decision found that only jury decisions about whether an individual is eligible for the death penalty need to be unanimous  not the actual decision to impose the sentence.

The majority returns Florida to its status as an absolute outlier among the jurisdictions in this country that utilize the death penalty, Justice Jorge Labarga wrote in a dissent. Further, the majority removes an important safeguard for ensuring that the death penalty is only applied to the most aggravated and least mitigated of murders. In the strongest possible terms, I dissent.
Fraser Institute

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- If policymakers want to offset the effects of Canadas aging population and subsequent decline in labour market growth, they must make the country more attractive to business investment, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan, Canadian public policy think-tank.



Over the next few decades, Canadas population and workforce will age, with likely serious implications for economic growth and living standards unless policymakers take action, said Steven Globerman, senior fellow at the Fraser Institute and co-author of Aging, Capital Investment and Standards of Living.

As the population ages, labour market growth will slow while demand for health care and government-provided income support programs for older Canadian will increase.

Consequently, Canada must rely more heavily on business investmentnot labour market growthto fuel future economic growth.

Unfortunately, in recent years Canada has performed poorly in attracting business investment, which underscores the need for largescale tax and regulatory reform.

For Canada to compete for business investment in a global economy, governments from coast to coast must make the country a more attractive place to invest, Globerman said.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Steven Globerman, Senior Fellow

Fraser Institute

To arrange media interviews or for more information, please contact:

Mark Hasiuk, Fraser Institute

(604) 688-0221 ext. 517

mark.hasiuk@fraserinstitute.org

Follow the Fraser Institute on Twitter | Become a fan on Facebook

The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research and educational organization with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal and ties to a global network of think-tanks in 87 countries. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for Canadians, their families and future generations by studying, measuring and broadly communicating the effects of government policies, entrepreneurship and choice on their well-being. To protect the Institutes independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research. Visit www.fraserinstitute.org




Gran Tierra Energy Inc. (AMEX:GTE) Q4 2022 Earnings Call Transcript February 22, 2023

Operator: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Gran Tierra Energy's Conference Call for Fourth Quarter and Year End 2022 results. My name is Andrea and I will be your coordinator for today. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. Following the initial remarks, we will conduct a question-and-answer session for securities analysts and institution. Instruction will be provided at that time for you to queue up for questions. I would like to remind everyone that this conference call is being webcast and recorded today, Wednesday, February 22nd, 2023, at 11 A.M. Eastern Time. Today's discussion may include certain forward-looking information, oil and gas information, and non-GAAP financial measures.

Please refer to the earnings and operational update press release we issued yesterday for important advisories and disclaimers with regard to this information and for reconciliations of any non-GAAP measures discussed on today's call. Finally, this earnings call is the property of Gran Tierra Energy, Inc. Any copying or rebroadcasting of this call is expressly forbidden without the written consent of Gran Tierra Energy. I will now like to turn the conference call over to Gary Guidry, President and Chief Executive Officer of Gran Tierra. Mr. Guidry, please go ahead.

Gary Guidry: Thank you, Andrea. Good morning and welcome to Gran Tierra's fourth quarter and year end 2022 results conference call. My name is Gary Guidry, Gran Tierra's President and Chief Executive Officer. And with me today are Ryan Ellson, our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; and Rob Will, our Vice President of Asset Management. Yesterday, we issued a press release that included detailed information on our fourth quarter and year end 2022 results. In addition, Gran Tierra's 2022 annual report on Form 10-K has been filed on EDGAR and is available on our website. Ryan and Rob will make a few brief comments, and then we will open the line for questions. Ryan, please go ahead.

Ryan Ellson: Thanks Gary. Good morning everyone. We are very pleased to announce that Gran Tierra achieved several company financial records in 2022. Our excellent performance in 2022 was driven by our successful development and exploration drilling, water flooding programs, field performance, and disciplined cost management, combined with strong oil prices. Our many achievements during the year resulted in year-over-year production growth of 16%, strong reserves replacement ratio well above 100%, and the highest annual figure in the company's history for net income, funds flow from operations, and free cash flow. After reduced exploration activity during 2020 and 2021, the company made several key exploration discoveries during 2022, which provide confidence in our geological understanding of the basins.

Through our successful results from development and exploration drilling, waterflooding programs, and fuel performance, we're able to increase reserves in 1P, 2P, and 3P categories, which Rob will describe. During 2022, our net income was $139 million, the highest on record as a result in our earnings per share on both the basic and diluted basis coming in at $0.38 per share. Our adjusted EBITDA was $490 million and was $1.34 on a basic per share basis. Funds flow from operations were $366 million, resulting in free cash flow of $129 million, both of which were also records for the company. Funds flow from operations for the year was $1 on a basic per share basis. Gran Tierra's on budget capital spend totaled $237 million for the year and was balanced between exploration and development activities, which resulted in reserves and profitable production growth year-on-year.

Oil, Gas, Industry

Photo by Chris LeBoutillier on Unsplash

In 2022, Gran Tierra continued its commitment to reduce debt resulting in a reduction of $88 million in debt and $173 million in net debt. The company finished the year with $127 million in cash and net debt to adjusted EBITDA of 0.9 times. The company also achieved a return on average capital employed of 27% during 2022. Gran Tierra's strong operating netback of $48.43 per barrel for the year, was up 43% from $33.75 in 2021. Before I hand it over to Rob, I want to mention some of our Beyond Compliance initiatives, where Gran Tierra identifies significant opportunities and benefits in environment communities. We voluntarily strive to go beyond what is legally required to protect the environment and provide social benefits because it's the right thing to do.

We're very proud of the company's track record in all aspects of our environmental, social, and governance stewardship. In 2022, Gran Tierra in partnership with the World Women's Corporation, carried out an anti-personnel demining investigation across approximately 4,300 hectares of land situated within four indigenous communities in several municipalities in the Putumayo Basin of Colombia. As part of the company's commitment, the United Nations Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights, 95 human rights training sessions were held in Colombia and Ecuador in 2022, which include almost 500 employees, contractors, and suppliers. Gran Tierra strives to maximize local employment and development opportunities, which meet or exceed government requirements for local employment.

Since 2015, Gran Tierra has created approximately 26,000 labor opportunities in Colombia. The company also created roughly 470 labor opportunities in Ecuador in 2022. Gran Tierra has also committed to work with the Colombian, Ecuadorian national and local governments and local communities to further their peace-building efforts. In 2022, the company invested over $4.6 million locally in projects in Colombia and Ecuador identified by the communities themselves to meet their needs. The projects include the improvement of agriculture production capabilities, entrepreneurship support, community strengthening programs, and infrastructure improvements to schools, homes, and community centers. These are just some of the initiatives we completed in 2022, and I highly recommend that you take a look at our 2022 Sustainability Report, which will be available on our website in the second quarter of this year.

I'll now turn the call over to Rob Will to discuss some of the highlights of our current operations.

Rob Will: Thanks Ryan. Good morning everyone. I'll briefly cover a few operational highlights from yesterday's press release, as well as our recent press release regarding 2022 year-end reserves. Operationally, we are building off a successful year in 2022 to start off 2023. Down in the Putumayo Basin of Colombia and the Chaza Block, we have commenced our Moqueta drilling campaign with the first well being drilled in late 2022, which was the first well drilled in the field since 2016. Moqueta-25, the second development well in the 2022-2023 Moqueta drilling campaign reached its planned total depth on January 15th, 2023. This well has been completed and was put on production on February 1st. Producing on jet pump, the well has averaged 383 barrels of oil per day unstimulated.

We plan to stimulate the well during Q2 of this year. The third Moqueta development well, Moqueta-26, was spud on February 9th, 2023 and is expected to reach its planned total depth before the end of February. In addition to Moqueta-25 and 26, the company plans to drill and complete one to two more development wells in Moqueta over the next four to five months. Also, in the Chaza Block, the first well, the Costayaco six-well 2023 development drilling program was spud on January 25th, 2023 and reached its planned total depth on February 2nd. Reservoir quality was as expected in this planned down-dip water injection well. The second well was spud on February 7th, 2023 and reached its planned total depth. All wells in the Costayaco drilling program are expected to be drilled by late second quarter 2023 and completed -- and put on production or injection before the end of third quarter 2023.

In the south of the Putumayo Basin, the Suroriente Block's production averaged approximately 8,620 barrels of oil per day growth in January 2023, marking the second highest monthly production average since the second quarter of 2015. This was achieved despite the fact that we've not drilled a well in Suroriente since the first quarter of 2018. Up in the Middle Magdalena Valley Basin of Colombia, the first well, the Acordionero's 10 to 12 well 2023 development drilling program, Acordionero-111 was spud on January 27th, 2023 and reached its planned total depth on January 30th. Well logs indicate that the reservoir pay zone came in as expected. The company plans to complete this well and put on production before the end of February 2023. The second well, a planned injector was spud on February 5th and has reached its total depth.

The third well was spud on February 12th. All the planned wells in this year's Acordionero development program are expected to have been drilled, completed, and placed on production or injection by the end of second quarter 2023. Finally, we also plan to continue to focus on the appraisal of new discoveries and new exploration drilling during 2023, all while generating free cash flow to strengthen our balance sheet and return capital to shareholders through potential share buybacks. As for our 2022 year-end oil reserves, the company achieved significant growth in its 2022 year-end 1P NPV10 before tax, which increased by 26% compared to 2021 year-end. As well, we achieved significant growth in our 2022 year-end 2P NPV10 before tax, which increased by 25% compared to year-on-year.

These increases were driven by the company's successful development and exploration programs and a strong recovery in oil prices. After reduced exploration activity during 2020 and 2021, the company made several key exploration discoveries during 2022, which helped the company achieve excellent reserve replacement ratios. The ratios are as follows. 126% 1P with 1P reserve additions of 14 million BOE; 148% 2P with 2P reserve additions of 17 million BOE; 280% 3P with 3P reserve additions of 31 million BOE. The material 1P reserve additions were largely driven by success with development drilling and water flooding results at Acordionero and Costayaco in addition to several exploration discoveries. Material 2P and 3P reserve additions were a large measure due to the success of the company's 2022 exploration program, which made several independent discoveries.

By continuing to focus on a combination of reductions in combination of reductions in depth and per well capital costs, maintaining low operating costs, and completing share buybacks, Gran Tierra was able to achieve net asset values per share before tax of $4.62 for 1P, up 77% from 2021 and $7.36 for 2P, up 56% from 2021. With the significant growth in our net asset values per share in 2022, we believe Gran Tierra is well-positioned to offer exceptional long-term stakeholder value. We believe our success on multiple fronts during 2022 demonstrates Gran Tierra's ability to be a full-cycle oil and gas exploration, development, and production company, focused on value creation for all our stakeholders. I will now turn the call back to the operator, and Gary, Ryan, and I will be happy to take questions.

Operator, please go ahead.

See also 12 Biggest Industrial Software Companies in the World and 21 Best Dating Apps of 2023.

To continue reading the Q&A session, please click here.
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown

WASHINGTON, D.C.  Here's a look at how area members of Congress voted Feb. 10-16.

Along with roll call votes, the Senate also passed a resolution (S. Res. 49) condemning China's recent effort to send a surveillance balloon across the United States.

There were no key votes in the House.

Senate

Senate Vote 1:APPEALS COURT JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Cindy K. Chung to be a judge on the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Over the past two decades Chung has variously been an attorney at the Justice Department, and a federal prosecutor and, for the past year, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania. The vote, on Feb. 13, was 50 yeas to 44 nays.YEAS: Sherrod Brown D-OHNAYS: J.D. Vance R-OH

Senate Vote 2:PUERTO RICO JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Gina Mendez-Miro to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for Puerto Rico. Mendez-Miro was a staff attorney in Puerto Rico's Justice Department, Senate, and court system from 2006 to 2016, then became a judge on the territory's appeals court. The vote, on Feb. 14, was 54 yeas to 45 nays.YEAS: Brown D-OHNAYS: Vance R-OH

Senate Vote 3:ILLINOIS JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Lindsay C. Jenkins to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Jenkins was a private practice lawyer for two years before becoming, in 2006, an assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District, specializing in criminal prosecutions. She then returned to private practice in 2021. The vote, on Feb. 14, was 59 yeas to 40 nays.YEAS: Brown D-OHNAYS: Vance R-OH

Senate Vote 4:OREGON JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Adrienne C. Nelson to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for Oregon. Nelson has been a judge on Oregon's Supreme Court since 2018. A supporter, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said that in Oregon, Nelson "is lauded for her prodigious work ethic, her integrity, and her humility." The vote, on Feb. 15, was 52 yeas to 46 nays.YEAS: Brown D-OHNAYS: Vance R-OH

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Senate Vote 5:NEW MEXICO JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Matthew L. Garcia to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for New Mexico. Garcia has been general counsel and then chief of staff to New Mexico's governor since 2018. The vote, on Feb. 14, was 53 yeas to 46 nays.YEAS: Brown D-OHNAYS: Vance R-OH

Senate Vote 6:WASHINGTON, D.C., JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Ana C. Reyes to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C. Reyes has been a private practice lawyer at a D.C. law firm for two decades. The vote, on Feb. 15, was 51 yeas to 47 nays.YEAS: Brown D-OHNAYS: Vance R-OH

Senate Vote 7:CALIFORNIA JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Daniel J. Calabretta to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. Calabretta has been a county court judge in California since 2018, and before that was a private practice lawyer and attorney for the state's governor. The vote, on Feb. 16, was 51 yeas to 45 nays.NOT VOTING: Brown D-OH, Vance R-OH

Senate Vote 8:MILITARY HEALTH AFFAIRS: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Lester Martinez-Lopez to be the Defense Department's assistant secretary for health affairs. Martinez-Lopez has been a hospital administrator in Texas and Florida since retiring from the Army in 2005. In the Army, he was a research and operations manager, including holding commands of three different hospitals. The vote, on Feb. 16, was 61 yeas to 34 nays.NOT VOTING: Brown D-OH, Vance R-OH

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Votes cast by Ohio's two senators Feb. 10-16
Angolan operator and market leader Unitel saw market share decline as newcomer Africell launched services in April last year.

Citing data from the Angolan Institute of Communications (INACOM), Ecofin Agency reported, Africell increased its market share from 15.5% in Q2 2022, to 21% in Q3.

Meanwhile, over the same period, Unitels market share dropped from 78% to 73%. Angolas third operator Movicel saw a marginal decline of 0.5% to 6%.

Africell had 4.6 million subscribers as of September 2022, and Unitel saw a gain of 2.8 million to 16.2 million in the same period, reported Ecofin Agency. Although market share data does not seem available for this period.

Africell launched operations in April last year and stated intentions to invest US$150 million into a 5G-ready network with a capacity for up to 6 million customers.

The fledgling operator completed its second phase of deployment by launching services in Benguela Province in the west of the country and expanded its network to serve up to 11 million connections.
LONDON, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- IFS, the global cloud enterprise software company, announced today that it is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the inception of its Sri Lankan operations. Since 1997, IFS has made major investments into the workforce and community, becoming the second largest technology employer in the country.

At a time when Sri Lanka's ICT industry was developing, IFS saw an opportunity to set up its innovation hub in the Asian region due to the country's excellent technology talent.

Today, IFS Sri Lanka is a powerhouse in the local ICT industry, with more than 2,200 employees, accounting for approximately 40% of IFS's global staff.

IFS Chief Executive Officer Darren Roos commented: "It goes without saying that our Sri Lankan team has played a critical role in providing us with the organizational support and agility we needed to achieve the growth that we have."

Roos continued: "The team's contribution to our success and company culture is felt throughout the organization because it supports so many of IFS's working processes from R&D to HR, Marketing, Support and more. I am very proud of what we have achieved together and of the contribution that we are making as the second largest employer and with the IFS Foundation," Roos added: "25 years is a very significant journey that we look forward to progressing as we also continue to invest in our business here.

"Over the past five years, our employee base in Sri Lanka has almost tripled since 2017 to over 2,200." Concluded Roos

IFS Sri Lanka has strong business units overseeing the most extensive R&D center outside of Sweden in addition to Finance, Procurement, Marketing, Global Customer Support, Cloud Operations, Consulting, IFS Labs, and South Asia Customer Organization.

IFS Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer Ranil Rajapakse, who is also one of the original IFS Sri Lanka employees, commented: "It is a surreal moment to reflect upon our humble start with 26 people in our Colombo office and compare it to where we are now. 25 years ago, IFS was virtually unknown in Sri Lanka, but today people recognize it as a well-respected technology big-hitter and a force to be reckoned with in the industry."

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"It has been a rich and rewarding experience to witness the company's ascent and transformation over the last 25 years. Especially seeing the extensive growth of our employee network entering IFS as graduates, I am honored to work alongside such an intelligent, hardworking, and driven team of professionals. I cannot wait to see what the next 25 years bring for IFS Sri Lanka," concluded Rajapakse.

Additional Highlights of 25 Years in Sri Lanka:

Over the last 25 years, the company has generated more than 5,000 employment opportunities for Sri Lankans.

Close to 80% of global product support services and 60% of the global product development of IFS is facilitated out of Colombo.

In 2022, IFS partnered with Hatch to launch Challenger X, a tech incubation program in Sri Lanka, to foster innovation in the country's growing tech sector.

IFS Sri Lanka was ranked amongst the top 100 Sri Lankan in the `Most Respected Entities in Sri Lanka' corporates by LMD Magazine.

IFS Sri Lanka ranked as a top Sri Lankan business entity in Dynamism, Corporate Culture, Innovation, Management Profile, and HR/People Management lists.

The IFS Foundation continues to invest in a series of projects in partnership with local Sri Lankan communities to alleviate poverty.

About IFS

IFS develops and delivers cloud enterprise software for companies around the world who manufacture and distribute goods, build and maintain assets, and manage service-focused operations. Within our single platform, our industry specific products are innately connected to a single data model and use embedded digital innovation so that our customers can be their best when it really matters to their customers-at the Moment of Service. The industry expertise of our people and of our growing ecosystem, together with a commitment to deliver value at every single step, has made IFS a recognized leader and the most recommended supplier in our sector. Our team of over 5,500 employees every day live our values of agility, trustworthiness, and collaboration in how we support our 10,000+ customers. Learn more about how our enterprise software solutions can help your business today at ifs.com.

IFS Press Contacts:

EUROPE / MEA / APJ: Adam Gillbe

IFS, Director of Corporate & Executive Communications

Email: press@ifs.com

Phone: +44 7775 114 856

NORTH AMERICA / LATAM: Mairi Morgan

IFS, Director of Corporate & Executive Communications

Email: press@ifs.com

Phone: +1 520 396 2155

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Public/855/3722779/97b334ad90659ec5.pdf IFS 25th Anniversay Sri Lanka https://news.cision.com/ifs/i/ifs-annivesary-logo-2022-,c3148624 IFS Annivesary Logo 2022-

Cision

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ifs-marks-25th-anniversary-of-the-inception-of-its-operations-in-sri-lanka-as-it-sees-continued-success-in-technology-excellence-301755267.html

SOURCE IFS
DUBLIN  It should come as little surprise, but Bellators womens featherweights are gunning for the champ.

Cris Cyborg rules the roost atop Bellators womens 145-pound division, but its been 10 months since her most recent title defense  a decision over Arlene Blencowe in a rematch in Hawaii. It was the first time Cyborg had to go to a decision under the Bellator banner after four straight finishes in title fights.

Saturday in Dublin, Janay Harding (6-6 MMA, 3-4 BMMA) takes on Sinead Kavanagh (8-5 MMA, 5-5 BMMA) on the Bellator 291 main card at 3Arena. Both fighters said they want to be in the title picture with a win. And for Kavanagh, it would be her second shot at it.

Check out Hardings full pre-fight media day interview in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkies event hub for Bellator 291.

More Bellator!

Bellator 291 video: Yaroslav Amosov vs. Logan Storley Hill final faceoff for title fight Video: Watch Friday's Bellator 291 ceremonial weigh-ins live on MMA Junkie at 8 a.m. ET Bellator 291 video: Yaroslav Amosov, Logan Storley on mark for welterweight title main event

Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie
Quinton Tellis, who was tried twice in the 2014 burning death of Jessica Chambers, will not face trial in the death of a Louisiana woman. Tellis is currently serving a burglary prison sentence in Mississippi.

More:Jessica Chambers' death: Will there ever be justice?

Jurors deadlocked in Chambers trial

Jurors deadlocked during the trials in 2017 and 2018. After the second mistrial in the Chambers case, Tellis was returned to Louisiana to stand trial in the 2015 stabbing death of Ming-Chen Hsiao. Tellis pleaded guilty in 2016 to illegally using Hsiaos debit card and was sentenced to 10 years as a habitual offender.

On Dec. 6, 2014, 19-year-old Chambers was found walking down the side of a road engulfed in flames. She died the next day at a Memphis hospital.

Indictment dismissed in Hsiao death

Fourth Judicial District Court Judge Larry Jefferson dismissed the indictment against Tellis in early November on the basis of information that the State of Mississippi wanted Tellis to serve the five-year sentence for charges relating to the death of Chambers.

The Second Circuit Court of Appeal will decide whether Tellis stands trial following his sentence in Mississippi.

This article originally appeared on Monroe News-Star: Jessica Chambers murder suspect Quinton Tellis serving burglary sentence in Mississippi
karol-g-new-album - Credit: Lea Colombo*

Last April, Colombian pop star Karol G teased the arrival of her fourth studio album with the delicately layered Provenza, one of the most gorgeous and evocative Latin songs in recent years. In the visual, shot on the rugged Spanish island of Lanzarote, a group of women has fun by the ocean, their worries washed away by a sudden summer rainstorm.

This message of bucolic self-acceptance comes with the same kind of relaxed, magnetic panache that Karol G has specialized in since she emerged as a leader of the booming urbano music scene in 2017. The same lush feeling informed her 2019 megahit Tusa, a collaboration with Nicki Minaj that furthered Latin pops mainstream appeal, and its at the emotional center of the sprawling Manana Sera Bonito, her strongest effort to date.

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Auto-Tuned or not, Karols voice is open and warm, blessed with a laid-back purity that is rare in the raucous urbano field. But its not only the voice thats beautiful, its also the wistful energy behind it. Like any global diva worth her salt, Karol engineers the fickle illusion that shes addressing you, the listener, directly  whether evoking unfulfilled desire for a past lover or compiling a list of future erotic delights.

The album begins in epic, post-breakup mode. On opening track Mientras Me Curo Del Cora, Karol counts her blessings (good health, a supportive family) and reassures our wounded hearts that its OK to feel sad at times. She finds a supportive sonic partner in producer and compatriot Ovy on the Drums, a digital architect able to inject a sense of purpose into the most tired reggaeton back beat. Ovys aural world-building is nimble and cool, kinetic and futuristic. On the sumptuous Cairo  complete with a video shot at the pyramids of Egypt  he keeps the metallic yet velvet-like rhythm moving inexorably forward, leading to a bombastic outro of sheer EDM delight.

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Not everything works here. A duet with Quevedo, Pero Tu, sounds strangely disjointed. Karols incursion into musica Mexicana is a distracting detour, and her much-anticipated track with Colombian icon Shakira, TQG, feels underwhelming, especially since it arrives only weeks after the media circus that surrounded Shakiras massive new track with Bizarrap.

But the songs hit their ambitious heights more often than not. A fiery dembow with Justin Quiles and Angel Dior, Ojos Ferrari, is reckless and addictive; the autobiographical Carolina floats in a honeyed layer of Afro-beats smoothness; and the brief, encyclopedic musical references throughout the LP (a nod to Dont Worry Be Happy on the opening track; an homage to the salsa anthem La Cura, by Frankie Ruiz, on the bouncy Amargura) add context to her innovations.

Manana sera bonito, Karol coos on the last track. Tomorrow will be pretty. Today is pretty great, too, and this LP is a testament to her place as one of Latin musics true originals.

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Will Smith in Bad Boys For Life, Kevin Hart in The Man From Toronto

Recognizable intellectual property seems to be what Hollywood thinks it needs to bring folks into the cinema these days, which means cranking out a lot of sequels, reboots, and remakes. We have another one on the horizon, and this time it's a beloved '80s classic. It was announced late last year that John Hughes' Planes, Trains, and Automobiles would be getting an update starring the comedic talents of Kevin Hart and Will Smith. The Man from Toronto star posted on his social media, sharing how jazzed he is to be working on the remake with Smith.

Paramount Pictures is developing the classic John Hughes' 1987 comedy remake, with Smith's Westbrook Studios and Hart's Hartbeat Productions set to co-produce the project. Hart took to his Instagram , where he posted about his excitement to work with Smith, saying the two had been "patiently waiting" for the right project. Hart also revealed that the movie will be set and will presumably be filmed in Philadelphia, a change from the originals Chicago setting. He wrote:

I've been patiently waiting for the right project to team up with my brother with. We found it and are developing it together with our teams. This will be huge for us and the city of brotherly love aka Philadelphia..... let's goooooo @willsmith 

Hart has been very eager to work with Will Smith for a while now, and given the two's history with comedy, a remake of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles might be a perfect fit for their talents. What's also exciting about the project is that it will see Smith and Hart return to where they grew up, with the project being shot in and around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. While they both seem to have connected to the material, Hart believes their chemistry is the secret advantage to making the movie now.

The original Planes, Trains, and Automobiles chronicled Steve Martin and John Candy's characters going on a three-day journey to Chicago so that Martin's Neal Page, a high-strung executive, could make it back to his family in time for Thanksgiving, all while being bugged by Candy's Del Griffith, a shower curtain ring salesman. The film was critically acclaimed upon release and was seen as a departure for Hughes, who was mostly known for making teen angst movies like Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles.

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Brooklyn Nine-Nine alum Ayesha Carr is penning the script for the remake; the project will mark her feature film debut. The police precinct set workplace comedy was one of the best sitcoms of recent memory (see our pick for best 9 episodes ranked ), so the comedy aspect of the film is certainly in good hands. However, its well-blended use of comedy, real-life drama, and heart sets the '87 film out and makes it such a classic. Let's hope the remake can balance both aspects of what made the original movie work so well.

Given the iconic status the OG Planes, Trains & Automobiles has taken over the years (heck, it's my favorite holiday movie of all time), some fans of the John Hughes movie may feel uneasy about the prospect of a remake. But if it has to happen, it's hard to deny Paramount has landed two charismatic and capable leads who can bring their spin on the classic comedy's material.
day of hate - Credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Police departments in major cities have issued alerts regarding a potential national Day of Hate against Jewish people and institutions. Neo-Nazi and white nationalist groups on social media are reportedly calling upon followers to engage in vandalism and spread antisemitic propaganda on Saturday.

An analysis of social media activity by the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) found that the call to action stemmed from accounts associated with the National Socialist Movement, and three regional extremist groups based in Iowa, New York, and California.

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Law enforcement in New York, Illinois, and Florida have issued bulletins and statements announcing plans for heightened attention to extremist activity this weekend, but maintain that theyve identified no specific threats of violence against Jewish communities.

The New York Police Department, as well as law enforcement in Lakewood, New Jersey, issued statements promising increased vigilance, but assured the public that no explicit threats by extremists had been identified. New York Attorney General Letitia James addressed the reports on Twitter, writing that New York will not stand for a single day, hour, or minute of hate against our communities while encouraging the public to report threats or suspicious activity to police.

The Chicago Police Department wrote in a statement that while there is currently no actionable intelligence regarding specific threats, the department will continue to actively monitor the situation. Miami police indicated that while they have not received any credible threats to South Florida, public safety remains our top priority. The department stated that they have augmented patrol around Jewish institutions, and any other potentially vulnerable locations as a precautionary measure.

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Jewish advocacy organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee, issued statements regarding the possibility of targeted attacks and harassment against Jewish people and worship spaces. The ADL wrote on Twitter that the nationwide extremist Day of Hate campaign planned for this Saturday is meant to be intimidating and divide us, and called for the celebration of a #ShabbatOfPeaceNotHate on Saturday.

The nationwide extremist "Day of Hate" campaign planned for this Saturday is meant to be intimidating and divide us, but we will remain united in our kindness and positivity. Join us and @Chabad in celebrating #ShabbatOfPeaceNotHate. pic.twitter.com/Hr5o35VYdi  ADL (@ADL) February 24, 2023

The nonprofit watchdog Stop Anti Semitism also called for Jewish worshippers to be vigilant, specifically during Synagogue services this Shabbat, and report suspicious activities to authorities.

Several lawmakers, including Representatives Shontel Brown (D-Ohio), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), and Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) condemned the potential Day of Hate on social media. There is no place for their hate in our district, no place for their hate in our state, and no place for their hate in our country, Goldman wrote in a tweet to followers.

When white supremacists call for an antisemitic "National Day of Hate," we come together with resolve and solidarity.



There is no place for their hate in our district, no place for their hate in our state, and no place for their hate in our country. #ShabbatOfPeaceNotHate  Rep. Dan Goldman (@RepDanGoldman) February 24, 2023

Oren Segal, vice president of the ADLs Center on Extremism, tells Rolling Stone that despite the lack of specified threats, the series of targeted attacks against Jewish people in recent weeks provided a concerning backdrop for the threat of a planned Day of Hate.

Two Jewish men were shot and wounded in Los Angeles last week in a suspected hate crime, and earlier this week neo-Nazis protested outside a preview of the Broadway show Parade, a musical about the lynching of an innocent Jewish man. One of the groups promoting the so-called Day of Hate has been linked to the Broadway protest. Segal explains that while the ADL did not identify specific targets in social media posts related to the Day of Hate, the nature of the groups prompted them to alert law enforcement regarding the matter.

Hopefully [Saturday] passes with little or no activity. At the same time we know that pretty much every weekend for over a year there have been activities that have been discussed by these white supremacist groups, Segal says. This is not the first time a weekend or a national day has been called for, but its in that climate that we felt we didnt have the luxury to ignore this.

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Fortune Business Insights

Pune, India, Feb. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global LiDAR Drone Market size is anticipated to reach USD 455.0 million by 2028 and exhibit a CAGR of 17.98% during the forecast period. The surging adoption of economical 3D imaging sensors is likely to boost the market growth. Fortune Business Insights has published this information in its report titled LiDAR Drone Market, 2021-2028. The market size stood at USD 129.0 million in 2020 and is predicted to reach USD 143.0 million in 2021.

Additionally, the rising use of LiDAR drones for corridor mapping applications is expected to boost market growth as this technology has emerged as an effective solution for remote sensing platforms.

The LiDAR drone market is a rapidly growing industry that combines the power of drone technology with the precision of LiDAR scanning. LiDAR, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging, is a remote sensing technology that uses laser pulses to measure distances and generate 3D maps of the environment.

Get a Free Sample PDF Brochure:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/sample/lidar-drone-market-102602

List of Key Players in the Market:

Velodyne Lidar Inc. (U.S.)

Teledyne Optech Inc. (Canada)

RIEGL Laser Measurement Systems GmbH (Austria)

Delair SAS (France)

Phoenic LiDAR Systems (U.S.)

Leica Ecosystems AG (Switzerland)

Yellow Scan (France)

LiDARUSA (U.S.)

SZ DJI Technology Co. Ltd. (China)

Benewake (Beijing) Co. Ltd. (China)

RoboSense (China)

Sich AG (Germany)

Microdrones (Germany)

Report Scope & Segmentation:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2021-2028 Forecast CAGR 17.98% 2028 Value Projection USD 455.0 Million Base Year 2020 LiDAR Drone Market Size in 2020 USD 129.0 Million Historical Data 2017-2019 No. of Pages 200 Segments Covered By Product Analysis, By LiDAR Type Analysis, By Range Analysis

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Segmentation-



On the basis of product, the market is bifurcated into rotary-wing LiDAR drones, and fixed-wing LiDAR drones. On the basis of LiDAR type, the market is divided into mechanical LiDAR and solid-state LiDAR. On the basis of range, the market is trifurcated into long, medium, and short. On the basis of application, the market is fragmented into precision agriculture, exploration and detection, environment, surveillance, mapping cartography, and others. Geographically, the market is classified into Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, the Middle East, and the Rest of the World.

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LiDAR drones are being used in a variety of industries, including construction, agriculture, forestry, mining, surveying, and mapping. They offer several advantages over traditional surveying and mapping techniques, including faster data collection, greater accuracy, and the ability to access hard-to-reach areas.

Drivers & Restraints-



Growing Adoption of Economical 3D Imaging Systems to Drive Market Growth

Drone technology has witnessed immense development and innovation over the past few years. LiDAR technology is vastly linked to airborne laser scanning, and drone using this technology has grown substantially due to developments in laser and sensor components. Mapping has proven effective in producing data about surface features and shapes from georeferenced spatial data. The improvements in sensor and laser components and drone technology have resulted in economical three-dimensional mapping systems. Therefore, the increasing adoption of economical 3D image mapping systems is likely to fuel the global LiDAR Drone Market growth.

Also, UAV LiDAR has proven beneficial in precise data gathering in mountainous terrains and dense landscapes. UAVs are effective in collecting high-resolution imagery. Hence, the growing demand for 3D mapping to acquire precise information for forest monitoring, vegetation monitoring, and archaeological surveys is anticipated to drive market growth.

However, high costs of products and operations, coupled with strict regulations, may hinder the market growth.

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Detailed Table of Content:

Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions

Executive Summary

Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities

Key Insights Key Industry Developments Mergers, Acquisitions and Partnerships Latest technological Advancements Porters Five Forces Analysis Supply Chain Analysis

Qualitative Insights Impact of Covid-19 on the Global LiDAR Drone Market Steps Taken by the Industry/Government/Companies to Overcome the Impact Potential Opportunities due to COVID-19 Outbreak



TOC Continued!

Regional Insights-

Favorable Drone Flying Regulations to Boost Growth in North America

North America is projected to emerge dominant in the global LiDAR Drone Market share. The favorable drone flying regulations and swift adoption of modern technologies are anticipated to fuel the market growth. Moreover, the major manufacturers present in the U.S., are expected to complement the regional market growth.

Europe is expected to attain the second rank in the global market. Several manufacturers, including Delair, Yellow Scans, and Leica, present in the region are expected to boost the market growth. Moreover, the increasing infrastructural development and environment monitoring applications are likely to boost the growth of the market.

Asia Pacific is likely to experience rapid growth in the coming years due to increasing commercial drone manufacturers in emerging countries, including India and China.

The Middle East is anticipated to exhibit moderate growth due to increasing investments in infrastructural development.

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Competitive Landscape-

Key Players Devise Innovative Growth Strategies

The market comprises Velodyne Lidar inc., RIEGL Laser Measurement Systems GmbH, Teledyne Optech Inc., and Leica Geosystems AG, amongst the top market players. The key players operating in the market emphasize continuous research and development with increased investments. They focus on advanced technology adoption to launch new products. They adopt ingenious growth strategies, including long-term contracts, partnerships, new product launches, and others to augment their growth in the global market. For instance, in October 2020, SZ DJI Technology Co. Ltd. unveiled an integrated LiDAR drone solution. They also launched a full-frame camera payload called DJI Zenmuse P1 and DJI Zenmuse L1. The payloads are designed for its top-notch commercial drone platform, Matrice 300RTK.

Key Industry Developments:

January 2021: Velodyne Lidar Inc. announced receiving a multi-year contract by Emesent Pty Ltd. The company will provide Puck LITE sensors to Emesent Pty Ltd.

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LANCASTER  Being aboard a jet in a steep dive just seconds from slamming into the Pacific Ocean at 300 mph is a terrifying experience.

But that is just what Rod Williams II and his family experienced on Dec. 18.

Rod Williams II (white shirt) stands with his wife Abbey Williams (left) and their children Eli, 7, and Evy, 10, inside one the properties they own through their real estate company, Boon Properties, along North Broad Street on Feb. 20, 2023 in Lancaster, Ohio. The Williams Family on United Airlines Flight 1722 when it took a mysterious nose dive when the plane was leaving Maui heading for San Francisco.

Williams, his wife, Abbey, and their two children, Evy and Eli, were aboard United Flight UA 1722 leaving Kahului, Hawaii and heading for San Francisco in severe weather when the Boeing 777 they were flying in plunged to within 775 feet of the Pacific Ocean. Williams said they were about 5.2 seconds seconds from impact before the pilots safely pulled the plane out of the dive.

The plane dove at the rate 8,600 feet per minute or about 143 feet per second, according to USA Today.

The National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation into the incident and said it expects to deliver a preliminary report in two to three weeks.

Details of the incident just came out this month. Since then Williams has appeared on Fox, CNN and other national outlets telling his story.

Shortly after takeoff, the plane's nose pitched up sharply in a steep ascent.

"A few folks let out a scream," Williams, a former Lancaster Eagle-Gazette advertising employee, said. "You could definitely hear some commotion and concerns as it was an awkwardly high pitch."

Williams, now a local real estate agent, studied aviation at Ohio State and said he was afraid the plane may go into a stall because of the steep ascent.

"So I'm expecting that if this is a stall we might go nose down," he said. "And 3 to 5 seconds after having this dramatic pitch-up we then go into a nose dive. We were in that dive for about 20 seconds. The report shows we dropped from 2,200 feet down to about 775 feet. Going from 2,200 to 775, that's a problem."

Because of the cloud cover, Williams said he didn't know if the plane was over land or water. He didn't know how close they were to the ocean because of the clouds. But he felt the strong G forces the dive the caused.

"My head is pressed back against the headrest," Williams said. "I've got myself, my two kids and my wife with the kids between us. As we're going into this dive and picking up speed I'm starting to brace myself, not knowing what's ahead. Not knowing we are close enough to the ground where we can make impact. You're hoping and praying that everything's going to be OK."

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Williams said his wife was also praying, as they do before every flight they take.

"I'm understanding without saying anything that we both are realizing the severity of the situation," he said. "The rest of the cabin is trying to maintain composure, but it's definitely getting a little more chaotic and a few more screams."

The pilots finally pulled the plane out of the dive after about 20 seconds, which Williams said put 2.7 Gs on the passengers.

"That's a significant force of gravity on your body," he said. "You're tensing up, clenching your teeth. Basically holding your breath trying to oppose the pressure being felt on your body. You feel like you've got an extra 50 pounds in your forehead."

Williams said a person feels helpless in such a situation and must come to terms with the fact that what is going to happen is going to happen. But he said he did not have a feeling of resignation to the possible crash.

"Resignation just sounds strong to me," Williams said. "It's not that I'm quitting. I'm not giving up or saying I'm done. It's more of I'm anticipating and hoping and praying that we're going to get out of this. But, ultimately, if I truly trust and truly believe the prayers that I've prayed, then I just have to enter into this mindset of just trusting that those prayers are going to be answered and just being OK with what ultimately happens."

It then took about 10 minutes for the plane to reach a stable cruising altitude and continue on to San Francisco with no further incidents. Shortly after the recovery someone from cockpit told the passengers they had probably experienced a couple Gs, but that everything was OK. Williams said that announcement made him feel a little better.

The Williams family then boarded another plane in San Francisco for the non-stop flight to Columbus.

Now that the experience is over, Williams said he's thankful to the crew for getting them out of the scary situation.

"There's a lot of speculation about what caused this," he said. "But right now I'm just thankful. The pilots are experiencing everything that we're experiencing while also trying to maintain enough composure to control the airplane and save everybody. They did a fantastic job and I'm super thankful of their professionalism and the flight attendants being able to keep everybody calm."

The Williams family has not flown since that day. But Williams said that's because there hasn't been a reason to yet, but that the family does want to go back to Hawaii.

"I don't want people to live in fear after hearing about this," he said. "I want this to be a message of hope. We've got one life to live and not to live it in fear and not let something like this discourage you from going somewhere you've always wanted to go. This was a very rare situation. This is not something we're going to experience ever again."

Williams said the incident changed his outlook on life.

"Basically, a miracle occurred and I had no understanding that it did until now," he said. "It made realize and opened my mind to the fact that that 5.2-second miracle is just a small sample of how many other 5.2-second miracles that I never knew had happened. You have this gratitude."

The wild flight wasn't the only major event on the family vacation. Williams also helped save a woman from drowning during the trip.

"In the middle of the week I'm playing in the sand with my kids and there's four people out snorkeling," he said. "They're getting away in a riptide. I had to swim after them to help a lady stay afloat who was calling for help. So a mixture of that and the return flight back home, it's a trip we'll never forget."

jbarron@gannett.com

740-681-4340

Twitter: @JeffDBarron

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Local family on flight that came within 775 feet of the Pacific Ocean
Skyline view of Akron looking across the All-American Bridge. (MICHAEL CHRITTON, Akron Beacon Journal file photo)

A new 11-person local media outlet producing independent public service journalism online is expected to launch in Akron later this year.

Nonprofit news organization Signal Ohio, formerly known as the Ohio Local News Initiative, said it has raised more than $5 million to launch Signal Akron, which will be part of a growing statewide network of independent newsrooms across the state. Similar efforts are under way across the country as nonprofits seek to replace journalists lost as newspaper newsrooms shrink in the digital age.

Signal Ohio launched an 18-person newsroom in Cleveland last year, Signal Cleveland, with Lila Mills as editor-in-chief, with $7.5 million in funding from national funders, local foundations and donors.

Signal Ohio  which has raised more than $13 million total and said its mission is to make local news and quality, unbiased information accessible to all Ohioans  said it expects Signal Akron to begin publishing later this year with support from local foundations, organizations and businesses.

Signal Akron would become the second-largest newsroom located in Summit County behind the Akron Beacon Journal and BeaconJournal.com. Most nonprofit news ventures in northeast Ohio have been based in Cleveland with the exception of the Devil Strip in Akron, which closed in 2021.

What is Signal Akron?

Signal Akron said it will offer its content for free and across multiple formats and will cover government, public safety, economy, health, education, local arts and culture, centering community voices and letting residents help set coverage priorities."

Signal Akron will also feature a Documenters program, part of the Documenters Network by City Bureau, which trains and pays residents to cover public meetings.

Bolstering local news might be the most important social impact investment the philanthropic community has ever made here," Debra Adams Simmons, a former editor of the Akron Beacon Journal and a member of Signal Ohios board of directors, said in a statement. "More reporters on the ground will strengthen the local news ecosystem and help meet the information needs of Akrons residents.

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"At a time when local media outlets around the country are significantly diminished or shutting down, trust in media has eroded, and the news industry is fighting for survival, this investment is a significant boost for the Akron community.

The organization said Signal Akron will increase the volume of independent, original reporting in Akron and support the efforts of existing local outlets.

We welcome more journalists on the ground in Akron and look forward to collaborating with another media partner, Akron Beacon Journal Editor Michael Shearer said in a statement. Our local democracy is best served when journalists are asking questions, seeking public records and holding our leaders accountable as our team does every day. More journalism is always a good thing.

Signal Akron receives funding from Knight Foundation

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is investing $5 million over five years in Signal Akron, with the foundation noting that Akron is especially important to Knight because its where the Knight brothers started their newspaper company.

The money from Knight will fund at least six of the 11 staff members, with the newsroom being representative of the communities it serves.

Akron has needed more local news sources for a long time, but the crisis has become more severe in the past few years, Knight Vice President of Journalism Jim Brady said in a statement. With support from the American Journalism Project and investment from Akrons philanthropic community, we are proud to have Signal Akron enhance and partner with the existing Akron media ecosystem.

What happened to The Devil Strip:The Devil Strip will not be resurrected, board members say ahead of their resignations

The Knight Foundation also provided significant funding for the Devil Strip, which abruptly laid off its entire staff and closed in October 2021.

The Devil Strip, which was a co-op model, had about $186,000 in debt. The publication prided itself on being owned by its community, with a board of directors appointed by the co-op members.

Signal Ohio hiring for Signal Akron newsroom

Signal Ohio is currently searching for an Akron editor in chief and a community journalism director.

Signal Ohio formed a search committee made up of local and national journalism experts who will lead the hiring process for the first two roles.

Committee members include Adams Simmons, vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion for National Geographic Media; Mizell Stewart III, former executive at Gannett/USA TODAY Network; and Rita McNeil Danish, CEO of Signal Ohio. The search committee will invite Akron residents to participate in the hiring process.

There will also be an Akron advisory board that will provide guidance and input in line with the values and vision of Signal Akron and serve as a sounding board for newsroom leadership. Members include Adams Simmons; Bill Considine, former president and CEO of Akron Childrens Hospital; and Laura Duda, senior vice president and chief communications officer of Goodyear.

A Northeast Ohio information needs assessment conducted by the American Journalism Project, one of Signal Ohios backers thats also supported by the Knight Foundation, found that residents dont feel they have enough relevant, accessible information about their communities and the decisions that affect their daily lives.

The announcement of Signal Akron is a demonstration of whats possible when local philanthropic and civic leaders come together to ensure their communities have the information they need, American Journalism Project CEO Sarabeth Berman said in a statement. Signal Ohio is at the forefront of a national movement of local nonprofit news organizations stepping up to solve the local news crisis.

Signal Ohio has also received support from the Akron Community Foundation, GAR Foundation, Goodyear, the Greater Akron Chamber, Huntington Bank, United Way of Summit & Medina, the University of Akron Foundation and Welty Building Construction.

Our communities in Akron deserve a newsroom as vibrant and diverse as our city, GAR Foundation President Christine Amer Mayer said in a statement. Were building this growing coalition to support local news in Akron because quality local journalism is vital to the future of our city and key to strengthening the social fabric that holds our community together.

Other media outlets close in Summit County

The announcement comes as Summit County is losing some local news outlets.

The Barberton Herald weekly closed in December after 100 years of publication.

Six free distribution weekly newspapers, published by Akron Beacon Journal owner Gannett Co., are closing in March due to a decline in print advertising and readers adopting digital news sources.

The final editions of the Nordonia Hills News-Leader, Twinsburg Bulletin and Aurora Advocate will be on March 22. The Stow Sentry, Cuyahoga Falls News-Press and Tallmadge Express will cease publication March 26.

The Hudson Hub-Times will continue print publication on Sundays.

Our staff across the five-county region remains committed to pursuing great journalism, Shearer said. We understand the important role we play in every local community and urge everyone to support local journalism in these challenging times.

The weeklies were owned by Dix Newspapers until 2017 when GateHouse Media acquired the properties. GateHouse acquired Gannett in a 2019 merger and took its name.

Contact Beacon Journal reporter Emily Mills at emills@thebeaconjournal.com and on Twitter @EmilyMills818.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: New local news outlet Signal Akron launching this year
Far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) sparked anger on Thursday with her characterization of Russias war on Ukraine, on the one-year anniversary of the Russian President Vladimir Putin-ordered invasion.

After Fox News Tucker Carlson cackled at accusations that he pushes pro-Kremlin talking points on his widely watched show, he turned to Greene and said: You seem to be fighting, still a year later, a pretty lonely battle on the Republican side to wake up your own party to what theyre supporting, which is Joe Bidens chief and craziest policy aim.

That aim is to repel Russian troops from Ukraine.

Well, it doesnt feel very lonely from my standpoint, Tucker, responded the extremist congresswoman, who has vowed to stop U.S. funding for Ukraines resistance.

You know, we just heard Mike McCaul, one of my colleagues in Congress, talk about bipartisan support for this war against Russia in Ukraine, she added.

Marjorie Taylor Greene on Tucker Carlson's show characterizes Putin's war as "this war against Russia in Ukraine" pic.twitter.com/Nnm7laDZ4X  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 24, 2023

Greenes reframing of the defense of the invasion as a war against Russia drew ire on Twitter:

On the anniversary of Putin ordering the invasion to conquer Ukraine, Marjorie Taylor Greene refers on Tucker Carlson, without contradiction from the host, to "this war against Russia in Ukraine".pic.twitter.com/9Fr8fUH9Qm  Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) February 24, 2023

This is like calling World War 2, a war against Nazi Germany in France. https://t.co/G2wlNRvujC  The Intellectualist (@highbrow_nobrow) February 24, 2023

The House republican speaker groveled and begged for this deranged persons endorsement. https://t.co/zFVD9ZYHsc  Bill Pascrell, Jr.  (@BillPascrell) February 24, 2023

Defending Russia and calling Zelensky the "Ukraine Pimp" is absolutely abhorrent. These people lost their damn minds years ago, and now they're just trudging in the depths of a firey trash pit everyday. Gross. https://t.co/pWNuekFGkj  Sabrina Grover (@sabrinagrover) February 24, 2023

Yeah I remember during ww2 the war against Germany in Poland.  Betty Bongwater (@BongwaterBetty) February 24, 2023

Putin has bombed a children's hospital and a maternity ward in Ukraine. And these two ghouls are decidedly on his side. https://t.co/CmY5c18TOj  Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) February 24, 2023

Related...
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.

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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...
One year ago today, Russian tanks first rolled into Ukraine, leveling buildings and destroying homes within miles of Kyiv and prompting a heroic defense that has transformed the war into to a deadly slog with no end in sight.

A Ukraine offensive took back some occupied territory. Now Russia has cranked up an offensive in its efforts to claim Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. Ukraine is expected to ignite its own offensive once modern tanks promised by the West become available.

Tens of thousands are dead on both sides, although formal totals have never been made public, and millions of Ukrainian refugees have flooded into Europe, which remains resolute in its support for the war-torn country, as has the United States.

"Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia. Never," President Joe Biden declared from Kyiv on Feb. 21. The president announced a wave of new sanctions against Russia on Friday.

Both sides routinely claim gains but neither side has pushed the front line more than a few miles in any direction in recent months. Still, Dale Buckner sees a light at the end of the tunnel  for Ukraine.

Buckner is a retired Army colonel and CEO of McLean, Virginia-based Global Guardian, a firm that has helped thousands flee Ukraine. He says Ukrainian forces are inflicting crucial losses to Russia, and that the longer the war goes on, the more likely it is that Russia is defeated "with little to nothing to show for it in the end," he says.

The United Nations estimates nearly 8 million refugees fled Ukraine since the invasion, 90% of them women and children, the U.N. High Commission on Refugees said. Fighting-age men are banned from leaving Ukraine.

Every key metric of enduring warfare is to the Ukrainians advantage as we go into year two of the conflict," Buckner told USA TODAY. "Morale, will, determination, commitment, combat power and most importantly, logistics."

'WE NEED TO KEEP LIVING': What life is like for Ukrainians a year into Russia's invasion

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Developments:

Neither side has released reliable numbers on their death toll, but estimates put the total at tens of thousands on each side. Last month, Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, estimated that "significantly" more than 100,000 have been killed or wounded on each side.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will host an online Group of Seven summit meeting Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

A demonstration Saturday in Berlin will promote a leftist "manifesto for peace" in Ukraine and protest the government's decision to supply Ukraine with tanks.

'IT'S HARD BUT THEY'RE HOLDING ON': On the ground in Ukraine, the war depends on U.S. weapons

Biden announces new sanctions against Russia one year after invasion

The Biden administration announced sweeping new sanctions Friday against Russia on the one-year anniversary of Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

The administration will impose sanctions on 200 individuals and entities, which include both Russian as well as third-country actors in Europe, Asia and the Middle East that are supporting Russia's war efforts.

In addition, the Department of Commerce will take several export control actions against nearly 90 Russian and third country companies, including in China, for sanction evasion. Tariffs will also be raised on more than 100 Russian metals, minerals and chemical products.

 Joey Garrison and Rebecca Morin, USA TODAY

Dueling moments of silence at UN

In a tense diplomatic face off at the United Nations on Friday, Russia and Ukraine offered dueling moments of silence for war dead.

While Ukraine requested a moment for victims of Russian aggression, Russia's ambassador requested a moment for all victims in Ukraine since 2014, which is when Russia invaded Crimea, ostensibly to liberate Russian-speaking residents there.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres opened the meeting recalling his plea to the council for peace just before Russian troops and tanks crossed the border a year ago,

The U.N. chief lamented that peace has had no chance and war has ruled the day, unleashing widespread death, destruction and displacement and leaving 17.6 million Ukrainians, nearly 40% of the population, in need of humanitarian assistance and protection.

Neither Russia nor Ukraine have published formal death tallies from the fighting.

Biden met with G7 leaders, Zelenskyy as new Russia sanctions unveiled

President Joe Biden met with leaders of the Group of Seven nations and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Friday as his administration announced sweeping new sanctions against Russia.

"One year ago, the G7 met following Putin's assault against Ukraine," Biden wrote in a tweet. "Now, not only does Ukraine stand, but the global coalition in support of Ukraine is stronger than ever, with the G7 as its anchor."

In the nearly hour-and-a-half-long meeting, the leaders discussed coordinating assistance efforts for Ukraine.

-- Rebecca Morin

DIG DEEPER: Biden announces sweeping new sanctions against Russia one year into Ukraine war

Millions displaced by fighting in Ukraine-Russia war

The U.N. High Commission on Refugees said it and its nonprofit partners have conducted more than 650 humanitarian convoys, and it remains worried about the impact of war on Ukrainian children.

In particular, the UNHCR said in a report, it has concerns about the displacement of children who have left Ukraine for safety in other countries but who are now at risk for losing their culture while potentially facing trafficking and abuse. Within the country, the UNHCR said, it has concerns about access to education and socialization for children living in a war zone.

"The situation in Ukraine remains highly volatile with continuous violence and destruction, forcing the population to flee inside the country and abroad on a scale not seen in Europe for decades," the commission said.

'War crimes' finding by US; experts worry about kids taken to Russia

Russia's invasion has sparked reports of war crimes, including a formal finding by the Biden administration earlier this month.

But Milos Ivkovic, an international law advisor and arbitrator who teaches the subject at the Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, said there has been no real movement toward the criminal prosecution of Russian government actors for the past year. He said the crimes occurring in Ukraine are of such a magnitude that the obligation to act goes far beyond the current sanctions already imposed by many countries.

"International law in these circumstances requires immediate action," Ivkovic said. "All those countries who refuse to act, who refuse to commence or support criminal proceedings can be held accountable, and they act effectively...in furtherance of the crime. Hence, are supporting the crimes themselves."

The Conflict Observatory, a program supported by the U.S. Department of State, found in their independent report that the Russian government has been using 43 facilities to relocate Ukraine's children, sometimes miles away from their homes  and "re-educate" them to become pro-Russia. Some of these children are also put up for adoption to Russian families, according to the report, which was produced along with the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab.

"Russia's systematic efforts reflect decisions made and actions taken at all levels of the Russian government," the State Department said in a statement. "Mounting evidence of Russias actions lays bare the Kremlins aims to deny and suppress Ukraines identity, history, and culture. The devastating impacts of Putins war on Ukraines children will be felt for generations."

Yale's research identified dozens of Russian Federation officials and others who played a role in relocating and deporting Ukrainian children.

The State Department said it "will pursue accountability for Russia's appalling abuses for as long as it takes.

Tami Abdollah, USA TODAY

Near future not bright for either side in conflict

Jeff Levine, a former U.S. ambassador to anxious Russian neighbor Estonia, says he is confident that as long as Ukraine is willing to keep fighting the U.S., Europe and NATO will remain firmly behind the battered nation. But Levine warns that the near future likely will bring more of of the punishment Ukraine has experienced during the past year.

"Putin has been unable to turn the war into a 'frozen conflict,' which means he will continue his efforts to damage and destabilize Ukraine," Levine said. "Until a combination of battlefield losses, Russian domestic opposition, economic sanctions, diplomatic isolation and international pariah-state status force him to abandon his effort."

Buckner said Russia still has fire superiority and well-trained and equipped troops in the fight. But thus far there has been no sufficient buildup of Russian forces to execute a largescale offensive.

"At best, it will be a tit-for-tat exchange in the short term with neither side executing a decisive victory," Buckner said.

Should Ukraine target Crimea to end the war?

Hanging over the Russian invasion is the threat of nuclear weapons. The United States and its allies have been reluctant to provide Ukraine with offensive weapons, like fighter jets and tanks, in large part because they worry an escalation of fighting could prompt Russia to strike back with nukes.

In an Opinion article for USA TODAY, retired U.S. Gen. Wesley Clark argued that Ukraine should aggressively push into Crimea, which Russia forcibly annexed in 2004. Crimea was part of Ukraine until then, and Clark argued a sustained offensive would force Russia to the negotiating table. Clark, the former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, argued that Ukraine and its allies must develop a concerted strategy and move quickly.

"Delay enables Russia to strengthen its military and its military production and perhaps have greater success in evading Western sanctions. It also increases the risks of Chinese military assistance to Russia or Chinese action against Taiwan," Clark wrote. "The combination of powerful Ukrainian offensives into Crimea plus the growing mobilization of the West's military-industrial base will, in a sense, maintain the incremental strategy that has emerged: NATO will not engage in hostilities, the United States will not become a belligerent, there will be not an attack by the West on Russia, and there will be no sudden escalation to trigger Putin's nuclear forces. It also is the best means to promote meaningful negotiations, and the most expeditious way to end the war successfully, for Ukraine and the West."

'WE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME': Displaced Ukrainian children risk erosion in school, mental health

Drone footage shows devastation in Bakhmut

The Donbas region city of Bakhmut has been the scene of intense fighting for weeks. Drone video footage of Bakhmut shot for The Associated Press shows the longest battle of the war has turned the eastern Ukraine city into a ghost town. The footage, shot Feb. 13, shows no people. But Bakhmut had a prewar population 80,000,and authorities say thousands of residents have refused or been unable to evacuate. Entire rows of apartment buildings have been gutted; outer walls are left standing and the roofs and interior floors gone.

The struggle has become lore for Ukrainians. The track Bakhmut Fortress" by Ukrainian band Antytila, has racked up more than 3.8 million views.

Mom, I'm standing, they sing. Motherland, I'm fighting.

Protesters gather outside United Nations headquarters as the first anniversary of the war in Ukraine approaches, in New York City on February 23, 2023.

Will tanks will be a game-changer?

Multiple Western nations led by the U.S. have agreed to provide Ukraine with tanks featuring technology superior to tanks produced and used by Russia. Buckner says tanks can be a game-changer, allowing the Ukrainians to go on the offensive again and break the stalemate that has existed since the fall, when Ukraine executed several counter attacks and took back large swaths of terrain.

Buckner says he believes the war will end with a negotiated settlement as the Russian military is drained by unsustainable personnel and equipment losses and Putin loses support at home.

Western tanks will be a key factor over the long term, enabling the Ukrainians to win, he said.

Germany is pledging to send another four Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, a decision that it says enables it to put together a full battalion for Kyiv along with Sweden and Portugal.

In addition to tanks, Western countries have provided Ukraine's fighters with billions of dollars worth of weapons and war material, including kamikaze drones, bullets and pricy GPS-guided artillery shells that allow soldiers to hit targets 26 miles away with 3-meter accuracy.

Those guided shells, known as Excalibur projectiles, can cost about $70,000 each. USA TODAY reported earlier this week that one Ukrainian unit fired 60 artillery rounds in a single morning.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has warned the war is increasingly becoming a battle of logistics and has said the military alliance should step up its supply of ammunition to help Ukraine. Stoltenberg's comments echoed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's now infamous comment, "The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride."

U.S. officials say international sanctions have deteriorated Russias capacity to replace more than 9,000 pieces of military equipment lost in the war, including about half of its tanks, as indicated by its requests for Iran and China to assist.

Anxiety remains high in country at war

Across Ukraine, residents remain stalwart, even though they're constantly worried about their friends, family and the fate of their country, said Fabrice Martin of the international aid group CARE.

"There is this mix of strong determination and a will to resist, but the levels of anxiety are also very high," said Martin, speaking with USA TODAY from Lviv, near the border with Poland.

Based in Switzerland, CARE works with volunteers, in particular Ukrainian women, to distribute food and other supplies from the front lines to cities far from the fighting. Martin said CARE moved its operations from Kyiv to Lviv, about a 7-10 hour train journey away, to help reduce the amount of time workers spent hiding from missile attacks. Still, he said, it's clear no matter where you go in Ukraine that the war is never really that far away.

"You find yourself asking, 'Am I going to have light when I switch on a lamp?' It reminds you that you are a country at war," he said. "The grab bag has to be ready. We have to adapt. But there is an acceptance of the risk. Because without that, you can't work."

Martin said he's watched in amazement as many Ukrainians have rebuilt their social lives, despite the fighting, as soldiers are granted leave from the front lines, and cafes and bars have reopened and stabilized. But he said CARE is working carefully to help Ukrainians, especially children, deal with the trauma they are suffering daily. He said in past conflicts, disorders like PTSD have taken years to surface in kids, and CARE hopes to help Ukrainian children now, to help with longterm recovery.

He added that as a society at war, Ukraine is generally not a place where people immediately feel comfortable talking about mental health issues caused by the invasion, including children who are living in bomb shelters with no access to the playground equipment and little chance for consistent education.

"This type of support is exactly what the people need: Hope," he said.

CARE has assisted about 1 million Ukrainians, and reports that the country has seen nearly 800 healthcare facilities damaged or destroyed, and more than 2,500 schools and other educational sites damaged or destroyed. CARE has used donations to help pregnant people, offered job counseling and language classes for people relocating outside Ukraine, and hired Ukrainian women to teach refugee children studying in Polish schools.

"The resilience of the Ukrainians is extremely high. They have a very high level of imagination and of finding solutions. They have an amazing capacity to adapt and continue running," he said. "But you also have this social pressure where you can't express your distress."

Tired after a year of war

Salam Aldeen, a veteran refugee and rescue worker, said he's seen a shift over the past year, as some people who initially fled have returned home. Aldeen, the founder of Team Humanity, recently ended his extraction efforts in Ukraine after helping about 14,000 people flee the war, mostly to Germany via Moldova.

He said despite the ongoing fighting, fewer and fewer people want to leave, believing the tide is turning in the war. But he said rampant rumors about military developments, along with frustration about how international aid is being delivered, prompted him to wind down Team Humanity's effort in Ukraine.

"People are tired of war," he added.

Invasion brought Europe together

Russia's invasion helped strengthen ties between other European countries, particularly tiny Moldova. Formerly part of Romania, Moldova is one of the smallest and poorest European countries, and Russia has long stoked tensions there, much as it did in Crimea and then Ukraine before invading.

Moldova last summer formally requested entry into the European Union, a process that will take years. But the request itself indicated the country's willingness to further align itself with powerful pro-democracy nations that have opposed Russia, including Germany.

Moldova is in a precarious situation, however: More than 1,000 Russian troops are stationed in a breakaway section of the country known as Transnistria bordering Ukraine, which is also home to an estimated 20,000 tons of Soviet-era weapons, ammunition and explosives left behind from the Cold War.

Most of the soldiers are locals paid by Russia, which also subsidizes the breakaway area's economy. Moldova can't join the EU until it resolves its rift with Transnistria, and many experts worry Russia could use Transnistria as a staging area to strike Ukraine or Moldova itself.

In a video statement, Moldovan President Maia Sandu reiterated her country's full support for Ukraine: "Your enemy is ruthless but Ukraine is strong and you are not alone. The world has your back."

Keeping the trains running

The Ukrainian can-do spirit is visible everywhere, from the front lines of the battle to the cafes in Kyiv. One high-profile example is Alexander Kamyshin, who runs the national railway system. Kamyshin takes great pride in pointing out that virtually all of the country's trains run on time despite the war, and playfully teases other railroads when they announce weather-related delays.

Despite the war, Kamyshin recently reconnected Ukraine with neighboring Moldova, and explained how freight exports are helping fund the war effort.

His rail system played a key role in Biden's recent visit to Kyiv abard a train that Kamyshin dubbed Rail Force One, although he couldn't help but point out Biden's presence meant Ukrainian trains "only" arrived on time 90% of the time that day due to security precautions.

Seizing Russian yachts, homes

The sanctions announced by Biden further tighten the net around Russian oligarchs who have benefitted from Putin's rule.

On Friday, the Justice Department announced it was seeking to seize six luxury properties in New York and Miami worth $75 million that federal agents say are controlled by oligarch Viktor Vekselberg. His $90 million yacht Tango was among the first seized last year by anti-corruption agents.

Biden's sanctions against Russians are being led in part by the federal "Task Force KleptoCapture," which has seized yachts, homes and money it says are owned or controlled by oligarchs through shell companies.

Oligarchs often transfer their money to friends and family in an effort to avoid U.S. money-laundering sanctions, experts told USA TODAY. Because the Russian economy is imperiled, they prefer to park their money in real estate in more stable countries by creating complicated networks of shell companies to hide its origin.

Along with Friday's sanctions announcement, the Justice Department also announced criminal charges against a Russian fugitive accused of illegally buying and exporting American-made electronic equipment, computer software and gas detectors for use by Russian and North Korean agents.

So, it was an honor and a privilege for me and the whole #IronTeam of @Ukrzaliznytsia to deal with this visit. I must say, it was complicated. But we did it. That's how #RailForceOne appeared. pic.twitter.com/LlXlRpYRNv  Alexander Kamyshin (@AKamyshin) February 21, 2023

Contributing: The Associated Press

A deeper dive

 'We need to keep living': What life is like for Ukrainians a year into Russia's invasion

 'It's hard, but they're holding on,': On the ground in Ukraine, the war depends on U.S. weapons

 'We will never be the same': Displaced Ukrainian children risk erosion in school, mental health

 'Kyiv stands strong: Biden declares Putin was wrong, marks one year of Russias war in Ukraine

 Putin suspends nuclear arms treaty while lashing out at West over Ukraine war

 Joe Biden makes surprise visit to Ukraine ahead of Russian invasion anniversary, walks streets of Kyiv

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine-Russia war live updates: War crimes findings; new sanctions
Fresh off the high-energy of Trinidads Carnival, Nicki Minaj has announced her next single, Red Ruby Da Sleeze. The track will be released on March 3, seven months after her explosive Super Freaky Girl hit in 2022.

The Queen rapstress announced the track on Thursday (Feb. 23) via Instagram as she included behind-the-scenes clips from the singles video shoot, followed by the official artwork for the single. The cover art sees Minaj standing in a restaurants kitchen as the chef prepares a dish.

More from VIBE.com

In the photo, Minaj wears her signature hairstyle of two buns with chopsticks (in which any Barb would know that means shes talking her sh*t) and a snug Jean Paul Gaultier dress with yellow pumps.

The Jamaica Queens icon raps the lyrics to Red Ruby Da Sleeze in the BTS clips as a bashment party takes place behind her. Clearly, the video was filmed amid Trinidads Carnival in her homeland.

Sporting one red and one pink bun in her hair, she raps, Red Ruby Da Sleeze, Chinese on my sleeve/ These wannabe Chun-Lis, anyways, Ni Hao/ Who the f**k told bi**hes they was me now?/ I knew these bi**hes was slow, I aint know these bi**hes senile.

Nicki Minaj Met Gala 2022

Related Story

The track is Minajs first solo release since the Rick James-sampled Super Freaky Girl, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. According to Billboard, the record-breaking hit was the first No. 1 debut for a Hip-Hop song by a female artist with no accompanying acts since Lauryn Hills Doo Wop (That Thing) in 1998.

Take a look at the official cover art above and BTS video clips from Red Ruby Da Sleeze below.

Click here to read the full article.
So far this year, 41 children have been taken while inside stolen vehicles, according to Kids and Car Safety.

A pregnant Illinois woman is recovering in the hospital after she was run over by carjackers who stole her vehicle with her 2-year-old son still inside.

The woman, who is six months pregnant, had just taken one of her children inside after arriving home in the northern Chicago suburb of Libertyville on Thursday. When she went back outside to get her 2-year-old, a white BMW pulled behind her VW Atlas, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

The male passenger in the BMW got out and tried to steal the VW as the woman fought to protect her son.

The man attacked the woman, knocking her to the ground and taking the car with her son inside, the sheriff's office said. As the two men in the cars fled, one of them ran over the woman, inflicting serious injuries.

The 34-year-old woman was able to call 911. Luckily, the men left the toddler in a parking lot, and a person inside a business grabbed him before he could wander into a nearby busy road.

A statement by Illinois' Lake County Sheriff's Office.

The woman is recovering in serious but stable condition at a local hospital.

No arrests have been made.

The VW was later found in a parking lot. Police say the BMW had been stolen from an area car dealership within the past week and ask anyone with information to report it to the sheriffs office at 847-377-4000 or online.

'Not even for a minute'

What many don't realize is Thursday's violent carjacking of a vehicle with a child inside "is not a rare occurrence," said Kids and Car Safety.

So far this year, the organization has documented 41 children who've been left alone in a car that was then stolen.

"Although the victims of these types of incidents typically survive, it is incredibly traumatizing for everyone involved," according to the organization.

Although parents get busy and may leave a child unattended for just a few seconds, that's all the time it takes for someone watching to act.

Baby in rear facing car seat.

"Never leave a child alone in a vehicle, not even for a minute," Kids and Car Safety advises in a public service announcement last year, adding that the income level or safety of a given neighborhood doesn't matter.

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"Thieves watch for vehicles to be left unattended with the keys inside," the group says. "Most of the time, they dont realize that there is a child inside until after they have already stolen the vehicle."

More: Thief lectures mom for leaving 4-year-old child in backseat of SUV he stole

Other helpful tips

According to Kids and Car Safety, parents and other caretakers can follow these tips to keep children safe.

Take advantage of drive-thru windows and curbside pickup.

If a business doesn't offer curbside pickup, call them and explain the situation. Most places are happy to help when it comes to protecting small children.

When pumping gas with kids inside the car, keep the doors locked and the keys on your person.

Never, ever leave a child alone inside an unattended vehicle.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pregnant woman run over saving her 2-year-old son from car thieves
Break Out Pictures

Nine-year-old Cait (Catherine Clinch) is one big, long sigh, and The Quiet Girl is a wrenchingly poignant portrait of her sadness, yearning, and rebirth, alongside two adults in need of similar healing.

Adapted from Claire Keegans 2010 short story Foster, and competing for Best International Film at this years Academy Awardsthe first Irish-language film nominated in the category in Oscars historyColm Baireads contemplative drama is as superb as any feature debut in recent memory, its power derived from its marriage of graceful writing, subtle direction, and unbearably expressive performances. Movies dont come much more exquisitely heartbreaking than this.

In rural Ireland circa 1981, Cait hides in the tall grass surrounding the dilapidated home she shares with a pregnant mother (Kate Nic Chonaonaigh), who views her as an annoyance; a derelict drunken-gambler father named Dan (Michael Patric), who treats her as a burden; and multiple siblings, who stare at her with contempt. Caits soft, smooth features, perpetually bowed head, and downcast eyes suggest her intense vulnerability and anguish.

In a series of early, pointed snapshotsof Cait ducking with shame beneath a bedroom mattress with a wet stain in its center (Theres muck on your shoe is all her disgusted mother can utter); reading so slowly in class that the teacher has a fellow student finish the passage aloud; and fleeing school after two boys spill milk on her dress, thereby forcing her to publicly revisit her bed-wetting embarrassmentBairead tenderly evokes her isolation, humiliation, and despondency.

Dan refers to Cait as the wanderer to a woman he picks up on the side of the road with whom hes clearly had prior relations, and yet The Quiet Girl casts her as less a nomad than as simply lost. A gentle and sensitive outsider who doesnt fit in with her clan, Cait has withdrawn into herself, and Baireads understated formal schema is wedded to her reserved disposition.

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As when Cait gazes out a cars backseat window at passing trees set against a blue sky dotted with pillowy clouds, and then turns her attention to the rear shoulder of her father and a handful of cigarette stubs scattered in the vehicles ashtray, the directors images prove intensely attuned to his protagonists viewpoint. Whether his camera literally assumes her POV or affixes itself closely to her placid face, the film captures Caits decidedly childlike perspective on her miserable reality. Just as she watches the world with silent attentiveness, so too does Bairead watch her (and encourage us to do likewise), thereby creating intense, empathetic kinship between audience and character.

By eavesdropping on her callous parents conversation, Cait learns that shes to be sent to live with strangers for the summer. The nominal reason for this exile is that, with a new baby boy on the way, the struggling family could use some financial relief. Still, theres no mistaking this as an act of personal rejection.

This is an unthinkable cruelty, and yet it also turns out to be an unimaginable stroke of good luck for Cait, because shes put in the care of distant cousin Eibhlin (Carrie Crowley), who, from their first encounter, exhibits a measure of kindnessbending down to greet Cait face-to-face, and lovingly putting her long locks behind her shouldersthats completely foreign to the child. That Eibhlin and her cow-farmer husband Sean (Andrew Bennett) appear to dislike Dan only further warms the girl to her new guardians and, in particular, to Eibhlin, who brushes Caits hair 100 times in a sitting, cuts onions with her at the kitchen sink, and informs her that there are no secrets in this house.

Break Out Pictures

Eibhlin isnt being completely honest about that last point, but Cait is too naive and hurtand too busy acclimating herself to her new environsto deduce that the clothes shes been given to wear (since Dan thoughtlessly drove off with his daughters suitcase) might be a sign that Eibhlin and Sean are also quietly nursing still-raw wounds born from a tragedy. The Quiet Girl isnt about bombshells waiting to detonate, however, but the slow process of rejuvenation that takes place once Cait settles into this orderly home.

Eibhlin radiates the sort of immediate love for Cait that only comes from great, painful need, while Seans initial remoteness is an analogous manifestation of grief that he doesnt know how to properly ameliorate. Theyre a trio of individuals trying to mend themselves and each other through uneasily forged bonds, and Bairead dramatizes his action with a light touch, intimating depths via offhand remarks, furtively shared glances, and stunning framing.

Oscars Surprise: What the Hell Is All Quiet on the Western Front?

It's the last of those that makes The Quiet Girl such a remarkably moving work. A variety of small compositional gesturesBairead depicting Caits mother alone (or detached from her daughter) in constricting doorways, and then Cait and Eibhlin together in them; or two nearly identical shots of Cait and Sean at the kitchen table, where a slight camera-position adjustment hints at their growing closenessartfully say all that isnt articulated aloud.

Baireads script is equally delicate and shrewd, such that Eibhlin softly uttering your father conveys a wellspring of resigned, repulsed understanding. There isnt a single excessive flourish in the film, nor a contrived or manipulative one; from a slow-motion vision of Cait running to retrieve the mail as Sean times her speed, to a cracked-door glimpse of Eibhlin and Sean embracing, to a brief anecdote about a horse that was found at sea and, upon being rescued, magically came back to life good as new, Baireads gem speaks volumes without raising its voice.

Break Out Pictures

The Quiet Girl is awash in lovely, low-key moments, courtesy of not only Baireads expert staging but also his leads stellar turns, which use meaningful looks and succinct movements (a raised hand here, a casual caress there) to impart all there is to know about their conflicted characters. Crowley and Bennett are terrific as an older couple attempting to accept and embrace this respite, however brief, from their sorrow, and Clinch is an outright marvel as Cait, whom she embodies from the inside out, and with a degree of poise and deliberateness thats breathtaking.

Together, they dont strike a false note throughout this exceptional film, right up to a finale of such desperate love, distress, fear and acceptance that it earns every one of the many tears it elicits.

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"Schitt's Creek" star Eugene Levy is traveling up a river without a paddle in the Apple TV+ series "The Reluctant Traveler."

Despite visiting exotic locations  Costa Rica, Finland, Italy, Japan, the Maldives, Portugal, South Africa  and staying in stunning luxury hotels where the room rates soar above $1,000 a night, Levy, 76, points out the obvious: It's a travel show hosted by a curmudgeon who loathes traveling.

"I'm just not an adventurous guy," Levy tells USA TODAY. "It's the whole experience, starting with: I hate airports. Taking off my shoes and belt, putting my laptop and phone in separate bins. And then security goes through my bag. And the worst that happened recently: At the gate, I realized I forgot my laptop in the bin, but you can't just go back, because you already went through security. Well, just let me go home then."

Here's how Levy, who won two Emmys producing and starring in "Schitt's Creek," became the grimacing face of "The Reluctant Traveler With Eugene Levy" (streaming weekly on Fridays).

Eugene Levy gets ready for an icy plunge in Finland for "The Reluctant Traveler" on AppleTV+. "Water is not my thing. I'm not a strong swimmer," he says.

Producers made a travel show offer no one could refuse. Eugene Levy did.

AppleTV+ producers approached Levy with an idea that no sane person would turn down: Hosting an international luxury hotel show called "A Room With A View."

"I thought, 'Jeez, there are 8,000 people jumping through the roof to do this show," Levy says. "But I had to be honest. I'm just not the person for the job. I don't even like going off the beaten track."

The Canadian comic actor kept saying "no" in the best kind of way during follow-up talks. "As I discussed every reason I don't like traveling, I was getting laughs on the phone," says Levy. The producers called back with a new temperamentally tailored pitch. "It became somebody who doesn't love to travel doing a travel show," says Levy. "I said, 'OK, now this could work.' "

Eugene Levy hated the helicopter ride in Utah for "The Reluctant Traveler."

Levy feared Utah helicopter death, wasn't game for reindeer meat

"Reluctant Traveler " puts Levy through comically uncomfortable moments in his world-class locations. He samples reindeer meat in Finland ("you want a good steak, but instead you get this really game-y meat") and takes down exotic sushi from Japan.

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"I don't eat sushi. Put it on a stove with some flames, make sure it's cooked," says Levy. "I don't want little bacterial things from raw fish going through my body and ending up in my brain."

The "American Pie" star suffers through a Costa Rican rainforest suspension bridge and a precarious helicopter ride over Utah's Horseshoe Bend. "I really don't like heights," says Levy. "And on that helicopter, there's just a window between you and an 8,000-foot death."

Levy barely contains his displeasure during a Costa Rican forest therapy session. "Therapy in general is just not for me. But forest therapy? I guess if you've got to make a living," Levy says.

Levy nixed the elephant stool sample, but backed down

The "Reluctant" host came the closest to putting his foot down over an encounter with a South African elephant's backside when a veterinarian asked Levy to help collect a stool sample.

"I literally said, 'No! I'm not going up the back end of an elephant for a stool sample," says Levy. "And then I hear my producer off camera saying, 'Oh, I think you can do it.' I thought, 'OK, for the show. Let's put a glove on.' "

The incident still scars.

"You never stop washing afterward. I'll put it that way, even with the glove," says Levy. "I never want to go through that again. I felt so bad for the elephant, too. The vets know what they are doing with their backgrounds. My background is comedy."

Eugene Levy stays at Nayara Tented Camp while visiting Costa Rica in The Reluctant Traveler,

The hotels are stunning, the trips were life-changing

Even Levy relished staying at the Costa Rican eco-hotel Nayara Tented Camp, where the rates begin at $1,000 a night, and Lisbon, Portugal's Verride Palacio de Santa Catarina Hotel, along with Venice's historic Gritti Palace.

But the admittedly shy actor says it's the experiences with local people that opened his mind. "Before the show, I was almost proud of the philosophy, 'You do what you do, and let me do what I do,' " says Levy. "But after traveling to these places, and having to go out of my comfort zone to experience things, I've changed. A good change."

Levy even came around to floating in frozen Finnish water in an insulated immersion suit and a local guide.

"Of course, that came after many Finnish vodka shots," says Levy. "Once you're in, it's somehow just the most relaxing thing floating in that water, looking up at the sky."

Going up "Schitt's Creek": Read more

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Eugene Levy: 'Schitt's Creek' star suffers as 'The Reluctant Traveler'
Committee members gather for the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee meeting Monday, Feb. 20, 2023 in Nashville, Tenn.

Southern Baptist Convention leadership disfellowshipped Saddleback Church from the convention on Tuesday, concluding a long running debate about one of the largest and most well-known churches in the denomination.

The California megachurchs stance on a woman serving as head co-pastor led the SBC Executive Committee to consider a recommendation for the SBC to break with Saddleback.

The executive committee approved similar recommendations for five other churches, one for a sex abuse related issue and four others for women serving in senior pastor roles. There is a mechanism for the churches to appeal the decisions.

The SBC Executive Committee is comprised of about 30 staff and an 86-member board of elected representatives and manages denomination business outside the Nashville-based SBC's annual meeting. It met for a major two-day meeting in Nashville on Monday and Tuesday.

Other executive committee news:Firm named to create Southern Baptist Convention database of ministers accused of abuse

With 23,000-plus members and 12 locations in Southern California, with its flagship campus in Lake Forest, Saddleback is a household name in American evangelical Christianity that long flourished under the leadership of Pastor Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life.

Pastor Andy Wood and his wife, Stacie Wood, stand for a portrait on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022, at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif. Andy Wood was recently announced as founding Pastor Rick Warren's successor to the church, which is the second largest in the Southern Baptist Convention, regularly drawing in about 2,500 people with more online every Sunday. (AP Photo/Allison Dinner)

Warren retired from Saddleback in August, handing the reins to pastors Andy and Stacie Wood.

Warren thanked supporters in a tweet late Tuesday in response to Saddleback's disfellowship. "Friends worldwide: I'm so touched by your love!" Warren said. "We'll respond to #SBC in OUR time & way thru direct channels."

Friends worldwide: I'm so touched by your love!

Kay & I love you back!

We'll respond to #SBC in OUR time & way

thru direct channels:

Our newsletters to 600,000 ch leaders

Daily Hope radio broadcast

1 million PDC alumni pastors list

11 million social media followers

Luke 23:43  Rick Warren (@RickWarren) February 21, 2023

Even before Warren announced his retirement and the Woods as his successors last year, Saddleback has been at the center of a multi-year controversy in the SBC over the role of women in church leadership. In May 2021, the California church ordained its first three women pastors.

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The ordinations led some Southern Baptists to try and oust Saddleback from the SBC for the first time at the 2021 SBC annual meeting in Nashville. Critics pointed to the denominations statement of beliefs, called the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, which says the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.

Saddleback and 2021 SBC annual meeting:Southern Baptist women talk of 'using their gifts' as denomination debates ministry roles

Saddleback and 2022 SBC annual meeting:Southern Baptists just wrapped one of their most consequential meetings in years: Here's 3 key takeaways

Southern Baptists hold to complementarianism, a theological idea that teaches men and women have certain assigned roles.

At the 2021 SBC annual meeting in Nashville, Southern Baptist voting delegates, called messengers, made a motion for the SBC Credentials Committee to consider disfellowshipping Saddleback. The credentials committee evaluates whether a church is in friendly cooperation with the convention and determines whether to recommend disfellowship. The executive committee then votes on that recommendation.

Pastor Rick Warren speaks during the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting in Anaheim, Calif., Tuesday, June 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

At the 2022 SBC annual meeting in Anaheim, a discussion on Saddleback ended with indecision about the churchs permanent status in the SBC. The possibility Saddleback would lose its affiliation remained.

Warren delivered an emotional speech on the floor of the 2022 annual meeting, reading what he called a love letter and seemingly resigned to an inevitable split between Saddleback and the SBC. It also led to a larger debate about Southern Baptist doctrine on women pastors and the criteria for SBC affiliation.

Other churches disfellowshipped

In addition to Saddleback, the executive committee approved recommendations to disfellowship five other churches.

The decision to disfellowship Freedom Church in Vero Beach, Florida was over a sex abuse related issue. Freedom Church exhibited "a lack of intent to cooperate in resolving concerns regarding a sexual abuse allegation," executive committee chairman Jared Wellman said at Tuesday's meeting.

Freedom's pastor, Richard Demsick, said in an interview, "We are deeply saddened by the false allegations, which are slanderous."

Demsick said he learned of the news of Freedom's disfellowship in an interview with The Tennessean. "There are no sexual abuse allegations," he said. "There have been false reports based on gossip."

Demsick declined to elaborate on the false reports he was referring to.

The executive committee approved a recommendation to disfellowship four churches in which a woman serves as a lead or senior pastor: New Faith Mission Ministry in Griffin, Georgia, St. Timothys Christian Baptist in Baltimore, Maryland, Calvary Baptist Church in Jackson, Mississippi, and Fern Creek Baptist Church, Louisville, Kentucky.

"We are saddened to hear of this discriminating and judgmental decision that has been made by the Executive Committee of the SBC," Fern Creek Pastor Linda Barnes Popham said in a statement.

"The process has been unbiblical from the beginning stages with the Credentials Committee," added Popham, who said Fern Creek is a "true Southern Baptist church."

Saddleback, New Faith Mission Ministry, St. Timothy's Baptist and Calvary Baptist could not be immediately reached for comment.

In September, the executive committee approved recommendations to disfellowship two churches, one for its stance on sexuality and the other for alleged discriminatory behavior.

Reporter Ross Reily in Jackson, Mississippi, contributed to this report.

Liam Adams covers religion for The Tennessean. Reach him at ladams@tennessean.com or on Twitter @liamsadams.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Southern Baptist Convention disfellowships Saddleback Church
The new incentive program comes as the government aims to draw in six million tourists in 2023 and then 10 million tourists by 2025.

kecl/GETTY IMAGES

Taiwan is looking to boost its tourism numbers, and will hand out cash to visitors as an incentive to come.

The island will hand out NT $5,000 (or about $166) to 500,000 individual tourists along with up to NT $20,000 (or about $667) to 90,000 tour groups, CNN reported. The money will be given out digitally after tourists arrive, according to the Taipei Times, and can be used to cover expenses while in Taiwan, including for food or accommodation.

However, travelers looking to plan a trip may want to hold tight since it was not immediately clear when the money would be issued or how to apply for it, according to CNN.

The money will be given out through multiple tourism promotion events this year, rather than giving it all out at once, Tourism Bureau Director-General Chang Shi-chung said, according to the Taipei Times. As such, not all international tourists would receive it.

The new incentive program comes as the government aims to draw in six million tourists in 2023 and then 10 million tourists by 2025, CNN noted.

Transport Minister Wang Kuo-tsai said the island hopes to use the incentive to bring in visitors from key markets, including Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Macao, Europe, and America.

Taiwan welcomes travelers, including from the United States, without the need to test for COVID-19 before their trip, according to the American Institute in Taiwan. The country also dropped quarantine rules in October and eased mask rules in December.

Taiwan isnt the first destination to pay tourists to visit. In 2021, Malta introduced a scheme to pay tourists to stay in hotels there, and last year, a region in Italys northeastern corner chose to cover travelers train fare in an effort to promote sustainable travel.

On the other hand, several destinations have introduced plans to collect tourist fees, including Thailand, Venice, and Europe as a whole.



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Read the original article on Travel & Leisure.
Five-star running back Jerrick Gibson is taking a good look at the Texas Longhorns. Gibson told On3 Sports Chad Simmons that its Tashard Choice who deserves recognition for Texas role in the recruitment.

The No. 1 running back in the 2024 class said the following to Simmons.

(Tashard Choice) is one of the big reasons Im considering Texas. Just his personality, his humor, and everything hes building with the running backs is amazing.

Gibson is far from the first running back to see the appeal in playing for Texas. Jaydon Blue and Cedric Baxter followed Bijan Robinson to Austin after starring at the high school level.

The IMG Academy running back would be the second Florida ball carrier to join the Longhorns should he choose to wear burnt orange. Presently, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee appear to be the main competition according to 247Sports.

Texas can do itself a favor if it performs well and defeats Alabama given Gibsons affinity for the SEC.

Contact/Follow us @LonghornsWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas news, notes and opinions.

Story originally appeared on Longhorns Wire
Last week, I sat paralyzed with fear, praying my 79-year-old aunt would survive her second public, gun violence tragedy. Dragged to safety by a stranger in the 2019 El Paso Walmart tragedy that claimed 23 lives, my aunt was chatting with a friend after her daily walk around the Cielo Vista Mall last Wednesday when gunshots rang out yet again.

This shooting came just days after an Oxford High student survived her second mass shooting, this time at Michigan State University  where three fellow students died. I refuse to let this become our new normal; and the only way to stem this inevitable tide is for responsible gun owners to stand up.

My father taught me how to shoot a handgun when I was 8 years old. My lifelong best friend is an avid gun enthusiast. And as a former national security official trained in how to shoot assault rifles, Ive spent my life around guns.

My parents always emphasized that I must respect the weapon; they practiced safe storage and handling. And theres no denying that guns can save lives, which Ive witnessed in my line of work.

More:El Paso police say fight between 2 groups led to fatal shooting at Cielo Vista Mall

But while working at the Departments of Homeland Security and Defense and serving as Vice President Mike Pences counterterrorism advisor, I saw plenty of the bad while gathering intel on and conducting risk assessments in the aftermath of multiple mass shootings  from the horrific tragedy in Christchurch, New Zealand to the shootings at Fort Hood, Parkland, the Pittsburgh Synagogue, the Gilroy Garlic Festival, Dayton, and my hometown of El Paso.

I remember the details of every single one of them vividly. It is why when the breaking news alerts hit and the chyrons share the latest horrific figures, it aggravates me to my core, knowing the pain of the communities and families.

I joined 97Percent because they are a gun safety organization taking a different approach to this seemingly intractable issue. They and I fundamentally believe we are never going to make any progress on reducing gun deaths without engaging responsible gun owners. For too long, responsible gun owners have been left out of the conversation, when our research shows that 65% of gun owners are concerned about rising gun violence in our country and 70% want to help reduce gun deaths.

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When it comes to policy solutions, it cannot be a zero sum game. We must advocate for policies rooted in the common ground between non-gun owners and gun owners, and these policies cannot interfere with law-abiding gun owners Second Amendment rights.

The way to do that is by focusing on the who vs. the what: policies that prevent people at high-risk of violence from owning or purchasing guns, instead of policies regulating the weapon itself  despite trends across the country advocating for the latter. 97Percents research, for example, found that 80% of gun owners believe people convicted of a violent crime should not be able to own a gun. These who-oriented policies are not only supported by more Americans, but our research also reveals they will have the greatest impact.

97Percent has identified four such policies that could reduce gun-related homicides by 28% and gun-related suicides by 6%: 1) Violent Misdemeanor Laws; 2) Revamped Universal Background Checks; 3) State Gun Permits; 4) Modified Red Flag Laws.

More:El Paso police arrest teen suspect after video shows gun being fired out of moving car

Current federal law and all but four states do not prohibit someone convicted of a violent misdemeanor from owning a gun. In the case of MSU, lowering the threshold to violent misdemeanors would have prohibited the alleged shooter from possessing a gun because of his prior conviction; and the shooting could have been prevented. Closing this loophole could alone reduce gun homicides by 19%.

Federal background checks are not sufficient, in that theyre often not capable of picking up misdemeanors. A search of local and state records is whats needed; and the best way to execute that is via a state gun permit (available online, at a low cost) that runs a local background check. This would also provide benefits to gun owners, allowing for transfers between family members, for instance, without having to go to an FFL for a background check if those participating are permit holders.

And lastly, red flag laws, which enable police and family members to petition the court to remove firearms from someone they believe is a threat to themselves or others. It provides a mechanism for those observing warning signs  of which there were many for the gunmen nicknamed school shooter, who killed 19 children and two adults at Robb Elementary School  to actually do something. Nineteen states have red flag laws. Texas does not.

To address gun owner concerns and enforcement issues, we propose red flag laws guarantee due process procedures, allowing the subject of the order to appear before the court and present evidence  as well as ensure expeditious return of firearms upon conclusion of the order.

The perception is gun owners dont support gun reforms, and so they stall in Congress and statehouses across the country as electeds fear the wrath of their constituents. But the data suggests a huge majority of gun owners support reform. It is time we gun owners speak up.

Olivia Troye is an advisory board member of 97Percent, a bipartisan gun safety organization focused on engaging gun owners. El Paso is her hometown.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: It is time we gun owners speak up: Olivia Troye
A town official allegedly set up a secret cryptocurrency mining operation in a crawl space under a Massachusetts school, according to police.

Authorities allege that Nadeam Nahas, 39, unlawfully attached the system to the electrical system at Cohasset Middle High School.

Crypto mining is the process of validating cryptocurrency transactions and creating new cryptocurrency, which consumes a large amount of electricity.

An investigation was launched in December 2021 when the schools director of facilities found wires, new ductwork and numerous computers in the remote crawl space.

The equipment was removed and forensically examined by Cohasset police, with the help of the US Coast Guard Investigative Service and the Department of Homeland Security, according to NBC Boston.

Following a three-month investigation, Mr Nahas, an assistant facilities director with the town of Cohasset was identified as the suspect by investigators.

He was due to appear in court on Thursday charged with fraudulent use of electricity and vandalising a school, but reportedly failed to show up.

(Cohasset police)

A judge issued a default warrant, a spokesperson for the Norfolk district attorneys office told the Associated Press.

Mr Nahas resigned from his job in early 2022 after a criminal complaint was issued against him.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Russias invasion of Ukraine reached its first anniversary Friday as the United States announced new military support for Kyiv and sanctions against the Kremlin, while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised his invincible country and vowed to push for victory.

The world marked one year since Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine  starting a deadly new phase of a war that had been raging since 2014  with somber ceremonies and pledges of unbowed support from the Western alliance that has aided Kyiv's defiant defense.

China used the anniversary to unveil a peace plan that appeared at odds with the renewed intensity on the battlefield  a move likely to do little to ease concerns that Beijing's balancing act on the conflict has shifted toward Russian President Vladimir Putin, who demonstrated his commitment to a lasting fight with a week of patriotic events.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy led commemorative events in Kyiv on Friday and praised his country's resilience. (AP)

Western support and sanctions

The Biden administration said early Friday it would send Ukraine a range of high-tech military equipment, ammunition and financial aid, in a new $2 billion support package on the anniversary of what it called Russias brutal and unprovoked full-scale invasion.

The White House said in a statement that it was also joining with partners in the Group of Seven countries to impose new financial penalties designed to stop the funding of Moscow's war machine.

Those measures will include sanctions on 200 people and companies, restricting exports to Russia and increasing tariffs on products from the country.

"From Kherson to Kharkiv  Ukrainian fighters have reclaimed their land," Biden said in a tweet Friday. "And in more than half of the territory Russia held last year, the Ukrainian flag proudly waves once more."

The president's surprise visit to Kyiv and speech in Warsaw this week sought to allay fears that Western support might fade as the war drags on.

Zelenskyy, who has won acclaim across the world for leading his country's stand in Kyiv, said Ukraine had "remained invincible" and pledged to push for victory in the second year of the war.

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Feb. 24, 2022, was the longest day of our lives" he said in a video address. "The hardest day of our modern history. We woke up early and havent fallen asleep since.

The new tranche of equipment for Kyiv includes drones, high-mobility artillery rocket systems known as HIMARS, a large amount of ammunition for artillery systems, mine-clearing devices and communications gear.

Poland said that the first of its German-made Leopard-2 tanks would arrive in Ukraine on Friday, the first of dozens promised by Western nations.

Tributes to Ukraine's resolve poured in Friday from Berlin to Brussels and Buckingham Palace, with King Charles III of Britain joining the chorus of voices saluting Ukraines "truly remarkable courage and resilience in the face of such human tragedy. Ukraines flag was also displayed across Western nations on Friday, with the Eiffel Tower, the Brandenburg Gate, the Empire State Building and the Sydney Opera House all awash in yellow and blue.

In a sign of Russia's growing isolation on the world stage, 141 members of the United Nationals General Assembly voted Thursday for a resolution calling on Moscow to end the war and withdraw its forces from Ukraine. Syria and Belarus were among the seven states to vote against the motion; there were 32 abstentions.

Speaking before the U.N. Security Council on Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the spirit of the Ukrainians remains unbroken and that if anything, its stronger than ever.

No country has endured greater hardship from Russias war than Ukraine," Blinken said. "But almost every country has felt the pain, and yet nations around the world continue to stand with Ukraine because we all recognize that if we abandon Ukraine, we abandon the U.N. Charter itself and the principles and rules that make all countries safer and more secure.

Blinken said that Security Council members should not be fooled by calls for a temporary or unconditional ceasefire because he said Russia would use any pause in fighting to consolidate control over the territories illegally seized and replenish forces for further attacks.

China's deputy permanent representative to the U.N., Dai Bing, said that long-term diplomatic negotiations is "the only right way to solve the Ukraine crisis."

"Conflicts have no winners, he said. The international community should promote peace and talks with the highest sense of urgency and work to create enabling factors and platforms for the resumption of negotiation."

He also said that "some relevant parties have been resorting to unilateral sanctions and maximum pressure," which he said can't solve any issue and only undermines the stability of the global supply chain. "We hope that the relevant parties take responsible actions and stop abusing unilateral sanctions," he said.

Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said outside the U.N. Security Council chamber in New York on Friday that China's foreign minster, Wang Yi, had briefed him on key elements of the peace plan a couple weeks ago, and he saw the final version of the plan on Thursday night.

Kuleba called it an interesting document that they would have to examine from A to Zed.

There are some elements that we agree with. Theres at least one element that we do not agree with, on relaxing of sanctions. We believe that sanctions are important, he said near the end of a morning session in which most Security Council members gave searing statements about Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Russian threats and China's peace plan

Russia's isolation has left it increasingly reliant on China, which marked the anniversary by setting out its own vision for peace in Ukraine, restating a call for a cease-fire and an end to unilateral sanctions  days after the U.S. said Beijing may be set to provide Moscow with lethal military assistance.

Conflict and war benefit no one. All parties must stay rational and exercise restraint, avoid fanning the flames and aggravating tensions, and prevent the crisis from deteriorating further or even spiraling out of control, Beijings foreign ministry said in a statement laying out its 12-part plan.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg accused China of not having much credibility on the subject at a news conference on Friday.

While China says it is neutral in the conflict, it also has what it calls a no limits relationship with Moscow. Beijing this week hit back at Washingtons accusations about supporting Russia, telling the U.S. to stay out of its relationship with the Kremlin.

The conflict persists with undimmed intensity, with fierce fighting in the eastern Donbas region following the start of a renewed Russian offensive drive this month.

Ukrainian officials warned the anniversary may see a spike in missile attacks, with schools urged to close and thousands across the country attending vigils and commemorations for those killed in the war despite ongoing warnings for their safety.

The milestone has not brought any significant Russian advances on the battlefield, though.

The goal of the Russian military was now to degrade Ukraine's army rather than win swaths of new territory, the British Ministry of Defense said in its daily intelligence briefing Friday.

The Russian leadership is likely pursuing a long-term operation where they bank that Russias advantages in population and resources will eventually exhaust Ukraine, the ministry said.

The Kremlin honored the anniversary with an uncompromising set of appearances from Putin this week, in which he vowed to strengthen the countrys nuclear forces after suspending its role in the New START nuclear arms treaty with the U.S., and addressed a patriotic event in Moscow to honor Russias armed forces.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who renewed the START treaty in 2009 but now represents pro-war hawks, said Friday that the only way to ensure a lasting peace was to push back the borders of hostile states as far as possible, even if that included NATO member Poland.

The town of Marinka in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk province is among those that have been reduced to rubble as Russian forces look to seize full control of the Donbas. (AP)

Fears of broader escalation have waxed and waned throughout the year of conflict, though the past week has brought renewed concerns about neighboring countries being drawing in.

The Institute for the Study of War said in an analysis briefing Thursday, citing Ukrainian intelligence, that Russian forces were preparing a false flag operation  an attack disguised to look like it was carried out by the opposing side  in the northern Chernihiv region, which borders Belarus and Russia, and in the occupied region of Transnistria in Moldova.

Ukrainian officials believe, the ISW report said, that unmarked Russian vehicles and soldiers wearing uniforms similar to those worn by Ukrainian forces had already been spotted near to the border with Belarus.

The purpose of these false flag operations would be to accuse Ukrainian forces of violating the territorial integrity of an unspecified country, very likely referring to Belarus, the ISW said, adding that Putin suffers from confirmation bias in his belief that Russias endurance in the war outlast the Wests will to support Ukraine.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
"Top Chef" contestant Nini Nguyen shares how the Vietnamese diaspora created a whole new cuisine.

David Moir / Bravo via Getty Images; Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle

What is Viet-Cajun cuisine and how did it come about?

As a Vietnamese chef who grew up in New Orleans, I get asked this question a lot. Vietnamese immigrants created Viet-Cajun cuisine upon landing on the Gulf Coast, but specifically in Houston, Texas. While the stereotype of Texas doesn't necessarily include Vietnamese or Cajun people, Viet-Cajun cuisine is a fundamental part of Texas culinary history. This is the story of Vietnamese people, their resilience, and how food is a way we can all find common ground. Here is a little history lesson on how these two cultures collided and a new cuisine was born.

The Viet

In 1975, when the Vietnam War ended, an influx of Vietnamese refugees immigrated to the United States. Most of them settled in California, followed by Texas, and then my home state, Louisiana, along with a couple of other places. Many Vietnamese folks who ended up in Texas and Louisiana found work in the seafood industry, as it was a trade that was very familiar to the motherland (Vietnam is a coastal country). Today, Vietnamese people make up about one-third of the Gulf Coast fishermen. About 80% of Vietnamese people in the area are tied to the seafood industry in the form of fishing, seafood preparation, equipment, stores, and restaurants.

Related:Curry Shrimp Etouffee

The Cajun (and the Creole)

A common misconception is that Cajun people and their cuisine come from New Orleans when in fact both come from the South Louisiana bayous in and around the Lafayette region. Cajun food is robust, rustic food that is a combination of French Acadian (from Nova Scotia) and Southern cuisines. Think of meals with lots of smoked meats as well as meat-heavy, one-pot dishes like jambalaya or the rice-filled, spicy pork sausage known as boudin. Rice is an important ingredient in Cajun cooking because rice farms are a big industry in this area, and in the off-season, the rice patties are used to farm crawfish. Therefore we really owe it to the Cajuns for crawfish culture.

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Cajun and Creole often get conflated, as they have a lot of similarities, but there are key differences. New Orleans food is considered Creole cuisine. Creole food is cosmopolitan food, created in New Orleans with European, African, and Native American roots. The French influence is strongest but Italian, Spanish, German, and Caribbean can be found in some dishes. The essence of Creole cuisine is found in rich sauces, local herbs, red ripe tomatoes, and the prominent use of seafood caught in local waters. The main similarities between Creole and Cajun food are that most dishes include the holy trinity, which is onions, celery, and bell peppers, and that many dishes start with a roux. Both cuisines emphasize creating depth in sauces and both have their own versions of similar dishes.

The Vietnamese journey

In 1979, after fleeing Vietnam, my mothers family was placed in New Orleans East, where the Roman Catholic church sponsored a big Vietnamese community. Unlike other areas in the U.S. wherein Vietnamese refugees were spread across different neighborhoods to encourage assimilation, in New Orleans, the Vietnamese immigrants occupied donated homes in the same neighborhood. This allowed the Vietnamese to create their own community and preserve their culture.

Related:Viet-Cajun Fried Catfish Poboy

When one family in the community learned a new trade, they would teach other families so that everyone had an opportunity to make a living in this new country. Besides fishing, shucking oysters (which is what my grandma did), or building crab traps (like my uncles and grandpa), Viet people started to work and own corner stores (what we call convenience stores). Most corner stores sold hot food, and Black cooks taught my family how to make the food of New Orleans  gumbo, poboys, and red beans and rice. When my aunt opened her own corner store, she made those same dishes and taught other Vietnamese people how to make them as well. New Orleans has such strong culinary traditions that Vietnamese people really respect and do not want to change. After all, we were the guests in this community and wanted to serve the people.

I think a big part of why Vietnamese people gravitated toward New Orleans, besides the work they can do, is because it reminds them of being back home in Vietnam. When you are in the French Quarter in downtown New Orleans, in the hot humidity, it is exactly what it feels like in the French Quarters in Ha Noi or Saigon. There are so many similarities in the culture that I can understand why my grandparents found comfort in this city. The coffee culture, the beignets, the people who speak French, and even the beloved catfish. Oh, and the love for rice. Gotta have rice.

Related:Rice Is Everything

So by the 1990s through the 2000s, Vietnamese people found their foothold in New Orleans and started to thrive. Viet-run seafood shops were all over the city, but under generic names like Cajun seafood or Captain Sals. It wasnt until two major catastrophes happened that a big exodus of the Vietnamese population occurred. The first one was Hurricane Katrina in 2005. I remember being a teenager and seeing all of the same people in my community evacuating to Houston, Texas, every time there was a hurricane. Katrina was no different except a lot of people ended up staying in Houston after the storm. Then a few years later, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill devastated the seafood industry. Vietnamese people who once relied heavily on the Gulf of Mexico for their source of income had to find other ways to make a living. Luckily crawfish come from the land with shallow water. More Vietnamese people relocated to Texas, and they needed to find a way to differentiate themselves from the many businesses in Houston. This is about when Viet-Cajun food was born. Vietnamese people were doing inventive things to traditional Louisiana foods and the people of Texas loved it. It was a huge hit because I think people weren't as tied to the roots of the food in this new city.

In the last five or so years, Viet-Cajun food became all the rage  so much so that Viet-Cajun food became a hot marketing term in New Orleans. But I want to mention that Vietnamese food influenced New Orleans way before this phenomenon  in the reverse. Vietnamese food inspired the local chefs. You could find takes on banh mi sandwiches or pho-inspired flavors on menus all over the city. Changes in food can go both ways and it is beautiful. Maybe in some ways, the Vietnamese needed to find out if it was OK to adapt some of the regions near and dear dishes. Now, we are no longer guests, but instead part of the fabric that makes up the culture here.
URBANDALE  Vivek Ramaswamy may not be a household name, but the 37-year-old entrepreneur who has grown a cable news following for railing against wokeism is confident he can make waves with his fledgling presidential campaign.

Ramaswamy, a Republican, made his first tour of Iowa Thursday since announcing earlier this week he will run for president.

He started the morning at the Iowa Capitol where he spoke to the Legislatures Republican caucuses before traveling to events in Bettendorf, Ankeny and Urbandale.

In an interview with the Des Moines Register, Ramaswamy said the country is in the middle of a national identity crisis. He said Americans have become so focused on diversity theyve lost sight of unifying ideas  things like free speech, open debate and a society based on merit.

Books written by conservative commentator and Southwest Ohio native Vivek Ramaswamy.

He promised to try to revive that vision of American identity.

And that sets us up to do possibly the most politically unifying thing that could ever happen for this country right now  a landslide election in 2024, he said. And bluntly, I'm running to deliver it.

Ramaswamy has been quietly meeting with Iowa Republicans ahead of his announcement, and he promised to run a grassroots, bottom-up campaign across the state.

Iowa caucuses candidate tracker:Where and when are presidential candidates visiting Iowa?

He spoke to a full house at the Machine Shed Restaurant in Urbandale Thursday evening at an event hosted by the Republican Party of Polk County. Attendees received copies of Ramaswamys book, Woke, Inc., as they filtered in.

In a speech, denounced what he called the new secular religions of racial woke-ism, gender ideology, climate religion, COVID-ism and transgenderism, saying those things have replaced concepts like patriotism, hard work and faith.

He called for a ban on American companies doing business with China, shutting down half of all federal agencies and slashing remaining staff by half, as well as bombing drug cartels to end the fentanyl crisis.

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Someone in the audience asked Ramaswamy, who is Hindu, how he would navigate the issue of faith in America. He promised to be a messenger for Christians in fighting for religious liberty.

He said that if he is elected, he will try to do as much as he can in the first six months of his term, because the forces of Washington, D.C., can begin to work against elected officials.

Vivek Ramaswamy, biotech entrepreneur and author from Ohio.

More:Nikki Haley is carving a lane in the Iowa caucuses as Donald Trump looms. Here's how:

Donald Trump wanted to drain the swamp, he said. I think in some ways the swamp drained him. But its not his fault. Its just the reality of the way this administrative state eats its own.

Ramaswamy told the Register he considers Trump a friend and said the former president helped inspire his own White House run.

What he did in 2015 and 2016, if he hadn't done it, if I'm being really honest, I probably wouldn't have even thought of doing this, Ramaswamy said. So I think we've got to recognize that. But now we've got to take that agenda to the next level to actually deliver national revival and unity.

During his speech at the Machine Shed, Ramaswamy told the crowd he believes Trump is misunderstood by the public.

More:Iowa's 50 Most Wanted: These Republicans will help shape the 2024 presidential caucuses

People think he doesn't care about national unity, he said. I know him. He cares about national unity. But I do not think he can actually deliver it. I am running for president to deliver national unity by reviving the ideals that Donald Trump cares about, that you care about, that I care about, that set this nation into motion.

Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on Twitter at @brianneDMR.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Vivek Ramaswamy brings anti-woke message to Iowa in presidential bid
The White House on Friday marked one year since Russias unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by announcing additional military and economic aid for Ukraine and a fresh round of sanctions on Russia.

The Biden administration, in coordination with allies in the Group of Seven (G-7), announced measures aimed at further squeezing the Russian economy and sources of revenue to fund the countrys war effort in Ukraine. The U.S. will increase tariffs on Russian imports and target companies, including some in China, that have helped Russia evade sanctions.

The Treasury Department and State Department are sanctioning 200 individuals and entities, including both Russian and third-country actors across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East that are supporting Russias war effort, according to a White House fact sheet.

Among those targeted are a dozen Russian financial institutions, as well as officials and third party actors who are helping Russia evade existing sanctions. The U.S. will also expand its sanctions on Russias metals and mining sectors, the White House said.

The administration is separately targeting exports to Russia, blocking nearly 90 companies, including some in China, from purchasing items like semiconductors or those made with certain U.S. technology. The sanctions target companies that have engaged in sanctions evasion and backfilled activities to support Russias defense sector.

President Biden is also expected to sign proclamations raising tariffs on certain Russian imports to the U.S. The actions will affect more than 100 Russian metals, minerals and chemical products, the White House said, with the goal of slashing revenue for Russia and reducing U.S. reliance on those imports.

Separately, the Defense Department announced another round of assistance for Ukraine to coincide with the anniversary of the war. The latest package will include several new air defense systems, ammunition for rocket systems, mine clearing equipment and communications support equipment.

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The Biden administration also plans to provide up to $250 million in additional emergency assistance to help Ukraine strengthen its electrical grid, the White House said. They also expect to deliver transmission grid equipment to Ukraine by early March.

The U.S. this week also began distributing $9.9 billion in grant financing to help Ukraine maintain key services and infrastructure, such as health care, education and emergency services.

On Feb. 24, 2022, Russia launched an invasion into Ukraine after months of military build-up along the border. Thousands on both sides have died in the year since, but Ukraines government and capital city has held despite ominous projections in the early days of the war.

Ukrainian officials have pushed the U.S. to provide F-16 fighter jets for the war effort, and there are fresh concerns about whether China will step in to provide lethal aid to Russia to try and tip the fight in Moscows favor.

Biden will speak virtually on Friday with Zelensky and G-7 leaders about continued efforts to support Ukraine in the war, the White House said.

The president earlier this week traveled to Europe ahead of the anniversary of Russias invasion. He made an unannounced trip to Kyiv on Monday to appear alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and emphasize U.S. support for Ukraine.

He spoke Tuesday in Warsaw about the war, calling out Russian President Vladimir Putin repeatedly and asserting that democracies were united against Russia for the long-haul.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Taste Washington will return this year with a multi-day event in Seattle next month.
Dozens of active military members, veterans, and their families attended a College and Career Workshop at Wallace Community College Dothans Rane Hall Friday to learn about the variety of different programs the school has to offer.

The goal of this workshop is to help our military members with that transition from military life to civilian life, Mickey Baker, the dean of Student Success and Sparks Campus said. Since so many jobs are available and with how difficult that transition in lifestyles can be, we want to put them in the right place.

More than 35 military members pre-registered for the event, which was hosted in conjunction with the Alabama Community College System (ACCS) and Alabamas Association of Resource Conservation and Development Councils. (RC&D)

The event at WCCD was just one of more than 30 military and veterans workshops that ACCS will host this year.

Attendees had the opportunity to engage with vendors and WCCD employees to learn about a range of different services including, veterans service officers, veterans educational benefits, apprenticeships, career services, mental health support, and credentials.

On top of interacting with the different services, the school hosted a resume writing session and even showed a career inventory so attendees could find fields that they were interested in.

During the workshop, Joe Johnson, director of Workforce Development at WCCD, led a panel discussion with representatives from six different businesses to discuss the opportunities that veterans would have working at their respective organizations.

We were asked to come because we hire a lot of veterans, Deidre Frith, the director of Marketing and Culture at RealTime said. Well be talking about why veterans are important to our company, and what career opportunities lie within it if they want to come work for us.

Attendees were allowed to ask employers questions throughout the discussion to find out more information about their companies.

The workshop concluded with a luncheon where one attendee received a $2,000 scholarship from Alabamas RC&D. The money can be used to enroll in credit and non-credit programs at WCCD beginning in the upcoming summer semester.

More information about WCCDs programs can be found at www.wallace.edu.
Business Reporter

Joel Donofrio is the business reporter for the Yakima Herald. He was born and raised in the Chicago area, but he and his wife, Cathy, fell in love with the beauty (and low humidity) of the West and moved here in 2009, eventually relocating to Yakima in September 2021. They have two young adult children, Anthony and Joanna, and a dog, Molly. When he is not taking photos of construction sites, tracking down new and relocating businesses or catching up on agricultural trends, Joel enjoys playing guitar, singing, listening to music and playing and watching sports.
Education Reporter

Vanessa Ontiveros is the education reporter at the Yakima Herald-Republic. She grew up near Los Angeles but has happily made Yakima her new home. She is passionate about reporting stories that serve the community and highlight various aspects of the educational system.She also hosts a podcast that discusses local arts education, Yakima Arts Talk, available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. The daughter of two longtime public school teachers, she is always looking to include community voices in her work.
RFA/Latino Community and Lower Valley Reporter

Heyo, Im Jasper. Nice to meet you. I cover a wide variety of news, but I try to focus on the Latino community and the Lower Yakima Valley. I want to sharestories and perspectives from the Yakima Valley. Im interested in economics, labor, geography and the environment, but the most important issues will always be the ones the community cares about. If you have something worth saying, Ill listen and try to write it down. Im a gosei from Northeast Los Angeles and I got my start as a student journalist and editor covering sports in the Bay Area. Im a massive soccer fan and I still love to play. I also love water in all its forms, the word copacetic and trying new things. I want to read more, and I like to cook, but Im not great at either. Have fun out there!
If you are sending a Letter To the Editor, please be sure to follow these rules:

Letters have a firm 200-word limit and will be edited for grammar, clarity and accuracy.

The person who signs the letter must be the author. Anonymous letters will not be considered. Letters must address the editor, not a third party.

We will not print form letters, libelous letters, business promotions or personal disputes, poetry, open letters, letters espousing religious views without reference to a current issue, or letters considered in poor taste.

Letters reflect the opinion of the writer. The Yakima Herald-Republic cannot verify the accuracy of all statements made in letters.

Writers are limited to one published letter per calendar month.
Annual equestrian show held in Lhasa

Xinhua) 15:55, February 24, 2023

A rider performs archery during an equestrian show in Lhasa, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Feb. 23, 2023. An annual equestrian show was held here on Thursday to celebrate the Tibetan New Year. (Xinhua/Sun Fei)

Riders compete in a horse racing during an equestrian show in Lhasa, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Feb. 23, 2023. An annual equestrian show was held here on Thursday to celebrate the Tibetan New Year. (Xinhua/Zhang Rufeng)

A rider stands on horseback during an equestrian show in Lhasa, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Feb. 23, 2023. An annual equestrian show was held here on Thursday to celebrate the Tibetan New Year. (Photo by Tenzin Nyida/Xinhua)

A rider on horseback performs during an equestrian show in Lhasa, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Feb. 23, 2023. An annual equestrian show was held here on Thursday to celebrate the Tibetan New Year. (Xinhua/Zhang Rufeng)

Riders on horseback perform during an equestrian show in Lhasa, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Feb. 23, 2023. An annual equestrian show was held here on Thursday to celebrate the Tibetan New Year. (Xinhua/Sun Fei)

A rider picks up hada during an equestrian show in Lhasa, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Feb. 23, 2023. An annual equestrian show was held here on Thursday to celebrate the Tibetan New Year. (Xinhua/Zhang Rufeng)

A rider interacts with a horse before an equestrian show in Lhasa, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Feb. 23, 2023. An annual equestrian show was held here on Thursday to celebrate the Tibetan New Year. (Photo by Tenzin Nyida/Xinhua)

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Liang Jun)
MONTGOMERY  Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded $8.7 million to help low-income residents and households in Alabama with water costs.

The grants from the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program assist qualified applicants with residential water and wastewater costs. The funding is provided regionally through 18 community action agencies in the state and includes all 67 counties.

Lower-income families, particularly the elderly or those with children, need access to fresh water in their houses, Ivey said. These grants will provide emergency assistance for paying water bills so families will not have to do without access to indoor water and wastewater services.

The community action agencies in the state will take applications and distribute payments based on qualifications and available funds. Payments are made directly to the utility companies and water boards on behalf of eligible households.

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grants from funds provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

ADECA supports Gov. Ivey in this program that helps families in need continue to receive water and wastewater services, ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said. I also commend the local community action agencies who are assisting people in their communities with this need.

Below is a list of the receiving agencies, amounts and coverage areas:

Organized Community Action Program Inc.$539,615 for assistance in Bullock, Butler, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Lowndes and Pike counties.

Southeast Alabama Community Action Partnership Inc.$525,023 for assistance in Barbour, Coffee, Geneva, Henry and Houston counties.

Community Action Agency of Northwest Alabama Inc.$216,685 for assistance in Colbert, Franklin and Lauderdale counties.

Community Action Partnership Huntsville-Madison and Limestone Counties Inc.$651,801 for assistance in Limestone and Madison counties.

Community Action Agency of Northeast Alabama Inc.$1.36 million  for assistance in Blount, Cherokee, DeKalb, Jackson, Jefferson, Marshall and St. Clair counties.

Community Action Partnership of North Alabama Inc.$557,438 to provide assistance in Cullman, Lawrence, Marion, Morgan and Winston counties.

Community Action of Etowah County Inc.$257,575 for assistance in Etowah County.

Walker County Community Action Agency Inc.$157,271 for assistance in Walker County.

Pickens County Community Action Committee and Community Development Corp. Inc.$138,748 for assistance in Pickens County.

Community Service Programs of West Alabama Inc.$979,228 for assistance in Bibb, Choctaw, Dallas, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Lamar, Perry, Sumter and Tuscaloosa counties.

Community Action Agency of Talladega, Clay, Randolph, Calhoun and Cleburne Counties$389,630 for assistance in Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Randolph and Talladega counties.

Community Action Committee Inc. of Chambers-Tallapoosa-Coosa- $211,442 for assistance in Chambers, Coosa and Tallapoosa counties.

Community Action Partnership of Middle Alabama Inc.$423,933 to provide assistance in Autauga, Chilton, Elmore and Shelby counties.

Montgomery Community Action Committee and Community Development Corp. Inc.$436,165 to provide assistance in Montgomery County.

Alabama Council on Human Relations Inc.$242,897 for assistance in Lee County.

Macon-Russell Community Action Agency Inc.  $205,501 for assistance in Macon and Russell counties.

Community Action Agency of South Alabama Inc.$562,698 for assistance in Baldwin, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia, Marengo, Monroe and Wilcox counties.

Mobile Community Action Inc.$876,571 to provide assistance in Mobile and Washington counties.

ADECA administers a wide range of programs that support law enforcement, victim programs, economic development, water resource management, energy conservation and recreation.
A Dothan woman has been charged with assaulting a police officer, according to a Dothan Police Department news release.

Latedrus Rhodes, 29, was charged with one count of assault second degree. Her bond was set at $15,000.

On Wednesday, officers responded to the 800 block of Whiddon Street for an intoxicated and disorderly person, the release stated.

When officers made contact with Rhodes and attempted to have her leave the property at the request of the property owner, she refused.

Officers advised Rhodes she was being arrested and began taking her into custody. Rhodes began to resist and fight with officers during which time she bit an officer on the arm causing minimal injury, according to the release.
MONTGOMERY  Kenneth Glasgow, a Dothan pastor and founder of the Christian-based nonprofit The Ordinary People Society, pleaded guilty Friday to tax evasion, mail fraud, and drug conspiracy charges, U.S. Attorney Sandra J. Stewart announced.

According to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Alabama citing the plea agreement and other court documents, Glasgow founded The Ordinary People Society and the Prodigal Child Project, both 501(4) nonprofit organizations.

Glasgow solicited donations for these two organizations from other nonprofits and foundations, representing that he would use those donations for charitable purposes. Instead, as Glasgow admitted in his plea agreement, during the 2018 calendar year alone, he withdrew $407,450 in cash from the bank accounts of one of his nonprofit organizations and used the money for his own benefit.

Because he used the money for personal expenses, he was legally required to report the funds as income on his tax return. However, Glasgow failed to even file a return for that year, the release says.

Glasgow also attempted to conceal this activity by causing his tax preparer to complete inaccurate IRS 990 forms for Glasgows nonprofit organizations that vastly understated the income of the organizations and omitted the financial benefits Glasgow received from them.

In his plea agreement, Glasgow specifically acknowledged committing this fraudulent conduct during the 2018 tax year. He also agreed to pay the IRS $376,720 in restitution for tax years 2016 through 2019.

During Fridays plea hearing, Glasgow also admitted to mailing documents containing false statements to the Social Security Administration (SSA) so that he could continue receiving SSA disability benefits and related health benefits under the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

Glasgow made written statements on various SSA forms describing his physical abilities and daily activities as being very limited, despite reporting on IRS 990 forms for his nonprofits that he worked 50 to 60 hours per week. In some SSA forms, Glasgow claimed that, due to physical limitations, he had difficulty driving and had to ride with someone.

These statements were not true, according to the news release.

In his plea agreement, Glasgow admitted that he leased a vehicle using funds from one of his nonprofits and listed himself as the sole authorized driver. In addition, between Feb. 5, 2015, and Aug. 11, 2020, Glasgow received traffic citations relating to approximately 27 different traffic stops, all of which indicated that Glasgow was the driver.

Glasgow also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute. According to the plea agreement, the drug conspiracy started with others at an unknown date and continued through August 2020.

Glasgow was indicted for the drug conspiracy charge in October 2021. The additional charges of tax evasion and mail fraud were recently filed on Feb. 13. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled in the coming months. At that hearing, Glasgow will face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, along with substantial fines and restitution.

Mr. Glasgow caused immeasurable harm, Stewart said. Through his drug dealing, he released dangerous, addictive substances to the streets of his own community. By failing to pay his taxes and then fraudulently obtaining government benefits, he took from every American taxpayer. I am grateful to each agency involved in this investigation. Their combined effort ensures that the Dothan community is safer and that public funds will be put to the publics benefit  instead of being put into Mr. Glasgows pocket.

Kenneth Glasgows actions not only endangered the community, but defrauded the American taxpayers, said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge for the FBI. His guilty plea should help to dissuade others from following this same path.

The guilty plea today serves as a notice to those who believe committing crimes comes with no consequences, it is only a matter of time before they are held accountable, said James E. Dorsey, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. IRS-Criminal Investigation is committed to bringing justice to those who try to avoid their federal income tax responsibilities.

Defrauding federal health care programs not only wastes valuable taxpayer dollars, but it also diverts resources meant to pay for medically necessary care for eligible enrollees, said Tamala E. Miles, Special Agent in Charge with the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). HHS-OIG is proud to work with our law enforcement partners to hold fraudsters who exploit these programs accountable.

For several years, Mr. Glasgow managed his non-profit organizations while pretending he had a qualifying disability with the Social Security Administration; he concocted this scheme to receive SSA benefits that he was not entitled to receive, said Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General for SSA. His guilty plea holds him accountable for theft and demonstrates that my office will continue to work to protect SSA benefits and taxpayer funds. I thank our law enforcement partners for their outstanding work in this investigation and the U.S. Attorneys office for prosecuting this case.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, IRSCriminal Investigation, the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, with assistance from the Dothan Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Megan A. Kirkpatrick, Stephen K. Moulton, and Brandon W. Bates are prosecuting the case.
The fresh newsletter for the International Community in Hungary - described by readers as a "Great read each week" - is now available for your interest and use via the link below.
A Greek national attempting to smuggle ammunition into Germany via Hungary was arrested at the Roszke border station, the Csongrad-Csanad County Prosecutors Office said.

The Greek man is suspected of having bought 100 rounds of handgun ammunition in Bulgaria at the request of a client on Tuesday.



He then set off for Germany via Hungary. When inspecting his vehicle at the border station, excise officers discovered and seized the illegal ammunition.



The prosecutors office has initiated the suspects pre-trial detention, saying he was a flight risk or could undermine the proceedings.
Mayor Gergely Karacsony announced on Thursday morning that police will deploy four new speed cameras in Budapest in response to a series of fatal traffic accidents in the city.

He said accidents leading to ten deaths occurred in Budapest in the past six weeks alone, and that is why it is necessary to deploy the devices.



The common efforts of the city and Budapest Police will not end with this; we consider it necessary to deploy more cameras, the mayor stressed in a Facebook post.



He added that this fits the citys transport strategy, which will soon be made public.



Our goal is to reduce the number of severely injured people and fatalities in public road accidents by 50% by 2030 and to zero by 2050, he declared.
YORK  The York University Theatre Department is currently presenting 26 Pebbles, a production that opened on February 23 and will continue on February 24 and 25 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 26, at 2 p.m.

The community of Newtown, Connecticut experienced an unfathomable tragedy on Dec. 14, 2012, when a gunman walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School and killed 26 innocent people  20 young children and six adult staff members  before taking his own life. These 26 innocent deaths, like pebbles thrown into a pond, created ripples and vibrations that were felt far beyond the initial rings.

For the drama 26 Pebbles, playwright Eric Ulloa conducted interviews with members of the Newtown community and crafted them into an exploration of how communities grieve, struggle, help, rebuild, remember and move forward after tragedy.

I think its important to understand what the Newtown community went through, shares senior Eli Lane-Embray. Its even more important to see how a community navigates inconceivable adversity.

This show is absolutely heartbreaking, but it is real, says senior Emily Eggar. As the show progresses, it is no longer a show just reflecting on a tragedy. It becomes a story of how a community came together and created their own healing.

The cast includes Dalton Brandt, Sam Cook, Emily Eggar, Samara Hannel, Eli Lane-Embray, Leah Lane-Embray and Eliza Rohda. This is the final main stage performance for Eli Lane-Embray and Emily Eggar.

26 Pebbles challenges the audience to reflect on what it means to truly overcome with a message of hope through the worst of times, shares Baker. Director John I. Baker III is in his 26th year at York University. Samantha Crump is the assistant director.

Make reservations at york.edu/boxoffice. Adult tickets are $10, senior and student tickets are $7. Pay at the door. University employees and students may attend for free.

The show will be held at the Bartholomew Performing Arts Center located at 1098 E 10th Street, #1000 on the York campus. The house will open 30 minutes prior to the show.
Reader remembers phonics education

I started grade school in the mid-1930s. We began learning phonics in the first grade and continued as we began to read. Sure, it has to be taught and kids have to learn it and memorize it. That leads to enjoying reading the rest of your life. Its not the perfect answer and English is not a perfect language either.
Former BharatPe co-founder and Shark Tank judge Ashneer Grover recently shared his experience of entering the Delhi International Airport after a delay of 30 minutes. In a series of tweets, Ashneer Grover shared his displeasure of travelling through the Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport and suggested steps to overcome delayed entries. As per his tweets, Grover had to wait for 30 minutes just to enter the airport. "Delhi airport T3 needs an overhaul! 30 minutes to just enter airport is insane," wrote Ashneer Grover in a tweet.

Taking a dig at the Delhi Airport, Ashneer also said that Delhi Airport has become Punjab Airport. He asked the govt to start flight to US, Canada and UK from Chandigarh to save resources. In a series of tweets, Ashneer gave a three point guide to decongest the International Terminal of the Airport.

1) Separate gates for international / business

2) 2 people at gate to check ticket/id (why 3 people check boarding pass between boarding gate and aircraft? Move them!

3) Start flights to US/Canada/UK from Chandigarh Airport -- Delhi airport is actually Punjab airport practically. All the people travelling to Delhi from Punjab daily to catch international flight is just waste of resources.

Delhi airport @DelhiAirport T3 needs an overhaul ! 30 minutes to just enter airport is insane. Suggestions 1) Separate gates for international / business 2) 2 people at gate to check ticket / id (why 3 people check boarding pass between boarding gate and aircraft ? Move them !)  Ashneer Grover (@Ashneer_Grover) February 23, 2023

Delhi's Airport is the largest and busiest airports in the country and recently faced a lot of backlash on Social Media platforms for huge waiting periods and congestion at the Airport. However, after the intervention of Aviation Minister, various steps were taken to decongest the airport and in the following days, congestion at the Airport was rectifed.

In response, the Delhi airport thanked him for his "valuable suggestions". "Dear Ashneer, We thank you for taking your time to share your experience and valuable feedback. Currently, DigiYatra is only deployed for domestic travellers as per govt guidelines. We would like to apprise you that we have dedicated check points for domestic and international passengers such as terminal entrance, security & immigration counters (or International passengers), available for business class passengers.

"As you are aware, immigration is a sovereign function across the world and as the Airport operator we regularly collaborate with the Bureau of Immigrations to enhance the facilities and passenger experience. Further, on Punjab flights, we are working closely with various stakeholders.

"We would like to assure you that passenger satisfaction is always paramount for us and we always work upon the suggestions in a constructive manner to improve the passenger experience. Looking forward to your understanding and continued support. We wish to serve you better in future."
Mumbai, Feb 24 (IANS) The ruling Shiv Sena condemned and demanded the sacking of a Bihar Minister for his objectionable comments on the Centre`s Agnipath scheme for the youth, here on Friday.

Shiv Sena Chief Spokesperson Krishna Hegde said that the Bihar Cooperative Minister Surendra Prasad Yadav had criticised the Agnipath scheme using a derogatory term while referring to the armed forces.

"We strongly condemn his remarks. Yadav must apologise for his utterances. We demand that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar should sack him from the cabinet and take appropriate action against him," said Hegde.

Targetting the Agnipath scheme on Thursday, Yadav had said that in eight-and-half years from now, "the country will have an army of eunuchs after all the old people who are currently serving in the Indian Army will retire".

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), to which Yadav belongs, has washed its hands off his remarks, while the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party slammed the Minister saying it shows his `mental imbalance`.

Yadav also slammed the short-term recruitment policy for Indian youth to join the armed forces saying that after their stint is over, nobody would marry their daughters to such unemployed persons, sparking a major political row.

(The above article is sourced from news agency IANS. Zeenews.com has made no editorial changes to the article. News agency IANS is solely responsible for the contents of the article)
Mumbai: The Centre on Friday notified the change of names for Aurangabad and Osmanabad cities in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra. Accordingly, Aurangabad will now be known as `Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar` and Osmanabad shall be called `Dharashiv`, as per a Central notification.





This comes after the Maharashtra government wrote to the Centre on October 20, 2022, seeking the change of names that were cleared by the state cabinet.While Osmanabad reverts to its ancient name of `Dharashiv` after a group of caves near the town, Aurangabad will honor the Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj`s son and successor - Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj - who ruled after his father for 8 years (1681-1689), till his death at the age of 31 in March 1689.Soon after the Centre`s communication, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for making this possible.
Patna (Bihar): Doctors at Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) were able to successfully retrieve a mobile phone from the stomach of a prisoner who had swallowed it on Saturday for fear of being caught during a police raid in Gopalganj prison. Once the prisoner was rushed to the hospital it was on the advice of Dr Ahish K Jha prisoner was told to go for a blood test and X-ray. Following the test results, a team of doctors decided to use an endoscopic machine. Dr Manish Mandal, Medical Superintendent, IGIMS stated that this was the first time a gadget of this size was retrieved without any surgical interference with the help of an endoscopic machine on Wednesday. This incident unfolded when the prisoner (Qasair Ali) started to feel pain in his abdomen on Sunday after swallowing his phone for fear of getting caught by jail authorities.

When Jail authorities got to know about this development they rushed him to the hospital where confirmation of a foreign object in his stomach was done. As per the reports, the prisoner was talking on the phone when a team of Jail Prisons was conducting surprise checks inside.

After looking at them prisoner swallowed the phone to avoid getting caught. Later, he informed prison officials of abdominal pain, after which an XRay test confirmed the presence of foreign objects in his stomach. In 2020 Gopalganj police arrested Qasair Ali on the alleged charges of smuggling narcotics near Hajiyapur Village in Bareilly city of Uttar Pradesh.

Ali was arrested under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS Act) and is in jail for the last three years. It has to be noted that the usage of mobile phones is not allowed in Indian Prisons.
Mumbai: Ahead of the Kasba Peth and Chinchwad assembly by-polls in Pune district, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Friday said the Bharatiya Janata Party gives a communal color to the political discourse when it is not confident of winning. Talking to reporters here, the senior NCP leader said it is not new for the BJP to divert attention towards communal issues if it is not confident of a victory.

Bypolls to the Kasba Peth and Chinchwad constituencies, scheduled to be held on February 26, were necessitated following the death of BJP legislators Mukta Tilak and Laxman Jagtap respectively. In Kasba Peth, Congress' Ravindra Dhangekar faces BJP's Hemant Rasane, while NCP's Nana Kate will take on the saffron party's Ashwini Jagtap in Chinchwad.

Dhangekar and Kate are backed by the Maha Vikas Aghadi comprising the Uddhav Thackeray camp, Congress, and the NCP. Pawar alleged that the Eknath Shinde-BJP ruling alliance is spending huge money on the by-polls.

Asked about BJP leaders' comments that he wanted an alliance with the saffron party but not Devendra Fadnavis as the chief minister, the veteran politician said, I don't think everyone in the BJP is likable. I don't think they want me in their alliance. So all statements being made about me by BJP leaders are childish.

The NCP chief said the claims about his role in the short-lived government of Ajit Pawar and Fadnavis in 2019 are an attempt by the government to deflect attention as it doesn't have anything to show in terms of development.

Responding to allegations that he had made a communal statement during his party's campaign for the by-polls, Pawar said, What is wrong in appealing to voters to come out and vote from wherever they are? It is okay to take objection if non-voters are asked to come and vote. Taking objection to such a speech is like giving it a communal color, he said.
New Delhi: After a political drama unfolded at the Delhi airport followed by Congress leader Pawan Khera's arrest and hearing in the Supreme Court, it appears Khera has tendered an apology for his alleged remarks on PM Modi. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, on Friday (February 24), tweeted that Khera has issued an unconditional apology and that the Assam police will follow the matter to its logical end.

"The accused (Congress leader Pawan Khera) has tendered an unconditional apology. We hope that keeping the sanctity of public spaces, no one will use uncivilized language in political discourse hereafter. Assam police will follow the matter to its logical end," tweeted Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma.

"The accused (Congress leader Pawan Khera) has tendered an unconditional apology. We hope that keeping the sanctity of public spaces, no one will use uncivilized language in political discourse hereafter," tweets Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma pic.twitter.com/MAu1geWE2I  ANI (@ANI) February 24, 2023

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi told the Supreme Court bench that Khera will tender an unconditional apology for the statement. An FIR had been filed against Khera in Assam for his allegedly offensive remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi after which he was arrested by Assam cops in Delhi on Thursday.

On the same day, the Supreme Court granted him interim bail and reportedly accepted that taken on their face value, the spoken words do not lead to the sections invoked in the FIR. After dictating the order, CJI Chandrachud told Singhvi, We have protected you.. but there has to be some level of discourse.

Before Khera's arrest, he was deplaned from an Indigo Raipur-Delhi flight on Thursday after which several Congress leaders who were travelling with him began protests at the tarmac. Congress leaders slammed the BJP leadership for their "dictatorial" rules and for using forces to oppress the Opposition. According to ANI sources, CISF personnel had also been deployed to handle the situation as per the rules. Visuals from the airport were widely circulated on Twitter leading to heated discussions and debates. Airport Police including DCP were present at the spot to legally arrest Pawan Khera at the request of Assam Police. Assam Police officials were also present at the airport.

(With agency inputs)
Dimapur (Nagaland): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday addressed an election rally in Dimapur ahead of the upcoming assembly polls in Nagaland. PM attacked the previous Congress governments stating that they considered all states in the Northeast as ATMs and added that the entire region is now "punishing" the grand old party for its "sins". Hailing BJP's work, he said the party considers the eight states of the region as 'Ashtalakshmi' (eight forms of Goddess Lakshmi) and is working for its peace and development.

"I can sense huge support for the BJP and NDPP. There is so much support for the BJP-NDPP government in Nagaland because we are working tirelessly with a resolution of the development of the northeast. The Congress and its partners have been following the policy of taking votes and keep forgetting about doing anything for the welfare of the people. Congress leaders in Delhi have a habit of not looking at Nagaland. Congress and its allies never gave importance to stability and prosperity in the state. There was always political instability during the Congress rule," PM Modi said while addressing a poll rally here.

"Congress always ruled the Nagaland government through remote control from Delhi. From Delhi to Dimapur, Congress indulged in familial politics. So, the entire northeast along with Nagaland is punishing Congress for its sins," he added. Quoting former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi about the distribution of government money for the public, the Prime Minister said that earlier the 15 paise which reached the public also did not make it to the Northeast region, while after the BJP government came to power at the Centre, every single rupee reaches the ground in the region.

"The NDA government has changed the political thinking in New Delhi for the northeast. Congress always considered the Northeast its ATM. The government money did not reach the people here, but the treasury of the corrupt parties. There was a former Prime Minister from Congress who used to say that when he sends Rs 1, only 15 paisa reaches the public. But this 15 paisa also did not reach earlier to the northeast," he said.

"Today, the Central government is giving free ration to thousands of families in Nagaland. This is happening because we don`t consider the 8 states of the Northeast as ATMs as the Congress party did. For us, the 8 Northeast states are `Ashta Lakshmi`," he added.

PM Modi said that the BJP has attacked corruption with the help of technology."It was unimaginable 10 years ago that the situation can change in the northeast. But the BJP has launched an attack on corruption with the power of technology. Today, every single rupee sent from Delhi is reaching your bank account," he added.

During the Prime Minister`s address, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, Deputy Chief Minister Yanthungo Patton, Secretary General NDPP Abu Metha, BJP In-Charge Nagaland Nalin Kohli, BJP Candidates Tovihoto Ayemi, Jacob Zhimomi, NDPP candidates Zhaleo Rio, Hekani Jakhalu and Moatoshi Longkumer were present. Nagaland will go to Assembly polls on February 27 and the votes will be counted on March 2 along with Tripura and Meghalaya
Shillong (Meghalaya): Coming down heavily on Congress for raising slogan `Modi teri kabar khudegi` (Modi, your grave would be dug), Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the country and people are saying "Modi Tera Kamal Khilega" (Modi, your lotus will bloom). Retorting to the Congress` remarks, the Prime Minister said that the country will give a "befitting reply" to the people with offensive thinking and language. "I can see BJP all around in Meghalaya. Be it hills or plains, village or town, I can see the lotus bloom. Those who have been rejected by the country, who the country is no more ready to accept, are now chanting `Modi teri kabar khudegi`. But the country is saying `Modi tera kamal khilega`," PM Modi said while addressing an election rally here on Friday. PM Modi went on saying, "The people of the country will give a befitting reply to the people having such offensive thinking and language. The people of Meghalaya and Nagaland will also give a reply."

Congress leaders allegedly raised `Modi teri kabar khudegi` slogan after the party leader Pawan Khera was stopped from boarding a flight to Chhattisgarh`s Raipur at the Delhi airport on Thursday. A video of the same was also circulated on social media platforms. The Prime Minister further said that Meghalaya needs a "People`s first" government instead of a "family first" government.

#WATCH | Some people who have been rejected by the country are immersed in sadness and are now saying 'Modi teri kabar khudegi' but the people of the country are saying 'Modi tera kamal khilega': PM Narendra Modi, in Shillong pic.twitter.com/ZfyKaPg2F9 February 24, 2023

"Today, Meghalaya wants a government with People First instead of Family First, so today `lotus flower` has become synonymous with strength, peace and stability of Meghalaya. When I think of Meghalaya, I think of talented people, and vibrant traditions. I am here with a message of hope and development. India is scaling new heights of success and Meghalaya is making a strong contribution to it. We want to build it further and work for the state," PM Modi said.

Also Read: 'Congress Used Northeast As Its ATM, Now Being Punished For Its Sins': PM Narendra Modi in Nagaland

The Prime Minister said that the support for the BJP is a result of "selfish act" by a few families."Be it youth, women, traders, or government servants, everyone is asking for a BJP government. The sentiment in support of BJP in Meghalaya, as well as North East, is a result of the selfish act by a few families. Meghalaya`s interests were never given priority... You were divided on small issues. This politics has done you a lot of harm... It has done a lot of harm to the youth here," he said.

Earlier today, the Prime Minister held a roadshow in Shillong ahead of the rally. Thanking the people for showing love on him, PM Modi said that it will be repaid by bringing development to Meghalaya.

"I have been blessed to be here and I thank everyone for the love showered on me during the roadshow. This love and blessings from the people of Meghalaya will be repaid by bringing development to Meghalaya," he said.

Meghalaya will go to Assembly polls on February 27 along with Nagaland. The counting of votes will take place on March 2.
New Delhi: In a jolt to the Aam Aadmi Party two days after it won the polls for the mayor and deputy mayor in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Bawana councillor Pawan Sehrawat joined the BJP on Friday. The switchover happened shortly before the polling to elect members of the MCD`s Standing Committee on Friday. Earlier, on Thursday, the House was adjourned for the 13th time since it convened post the MCD polls in December 4, last year, after councillors of the ruling AAP and the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party came to blows over polling to elect members of the Standing Committee. The MCD session was adjourned till 10 am on Friday.

Amid the bedlam in the House on Thursday, Rekha Gupta, the BJP mayoral candidate who lost to AAP`s Shelly Oberoi in Wednesday`s polls, alleged broke the wooden panel where a microphone was mounted, while fellow party member Amit Nagpal allegedly tore off the ballot paper and threw the ballot box.

#WATCH | Sloganeering by BJP councillors in Delhi MCD House ahead of the election of six members of the MCD Standing Committee pic.twitter.com/1Vuib67fqq  ANI (@ANI) February 24, 2023

The chaos erupted during the election for the members of the standing committee when BJP alleged that during the secret voting, the councillors were taking photographs of the ballots through their mobile, which is a violation of the secret ballot. Henceforth, BJP has demanded the votes cast be rejected and fresh elections are conducted.

Speaking to reporters later in the day, the newly elected mayor said a decision on the action to be taken against the two BJP councillors will be made at a meeting on Friday.

In the mayoral polls on Wednesday, Oberoi bagged 150 votes to the BJP candidate`s 116. The Delhi mayor was elected following three failed attempts amid the bickering between the treasury and opposition benches and repeated adjournments.
In what can be seen as a trailer of Khalistani terror in Punjab, a group of people seized a police station with the help of sacred religious book in Punjab's Ajnala. These anarchists, who are supporters of Khalistan - a radical movement for separate nation for Sikhs - attacked the police officials posted at Ajnala police station.

The incident was a reminder of 6 June 1984 - the day when Jarnail Singh Bhidrawale had taken refuge in Amritsar's Golden Temple. However, everyone knows the fate Bhindrawale met in the end.

In today's DNA, Zee News' Rohit Ranjan makes an analysis of Ajnala incident - which seemed like a trailer of the complete fall of law and order system in Punjab.

What is the complete incident?

Radical preacher Amritpal Singh's aide and kidnapping accused Lovepreet Singh 'Toofan' walked out of jail Friday, a day after hundreds of protesters stormed a police station to extract an assurance that he would be released.

A local court ordered his discharge from Amritsar Central Jail, basing its decision on an appeal filed by the police. In a volte-face, the police had submitted that their investigations did not indicate that Toofan was at the spot where the alleged abduction took place.

A case was registered in Ajnala on February 16 against Amritpal Singh and 30 supporters for allegedly kidnapping and thrashing Barinder Singh, a resident of Chamkaur Sahib in Rupnagar district.

Barinder Singh had told police that the preacher's associates abducted him, took him to an unknown place and then thrashed him brutally. The case was registered on the basis of this complaint, police said.

Some people mentioned in the FIR had said they were not involved, and were assured by the Amritsar (Rural) SSP that police will not press charges against those not found at fault.

The police permitted Thursday's demonstration after getting assurances that it would be peaceful.

But under the cover of the "palki sahib" carrying the Guru Granth Sahib, the protesters attacked police in a "cowardly manner" with sharp-edged weapons and pelted stones

Amritpal Singh became head of "Waris Punjab De" after its founder, actor-activist Deep Sidhu, died in a road accident last year. The event marking his elevation was held at Moga's Rode, the native village of slain militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.

Recently, he also issued a threat to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, referring indirectly to the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi.

A long cavalcade of vehicles led by Amritpal Singh had headed towards the jail from Ajnala town to receive Lovepreet Singh. The procession later made its way to the Golden Temple.

Watch DNA to understand the incident in detail.

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United Nations: India has again abstained on a resolution calling for Russia to end the invasion of Ukraine that was adopted by more than two-thirds of the votes in the UN General Assembly in a snub to Moscow. The vote on the resolution sponsored by Ukraine and more than 65 co-sponsors took place on Thursday, the eve of the first anniversary of the invasion, while simultaneously a roundtable sponsored by India's mission to explore the concept of "Gandhian Trusteeship" for world peace was taking place next door.

We always call for dialogue: India's UN representative Ruchira Kamboj

Explaining India's abstention, the country's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj, who rushed to the General Assembly chamber from that meeting, said that "we will always call for dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable way out".

The resolution did not mention negotiations to end the conflict, but called for "diplomatic efforts to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine, consistent with the Charter".

Kamboj asked, "Can any process that does not involve either of the two sides ever lead to a credible and meaningful solution?"

"While we take note of the stated objectives of today`s resolution, given its inherent limitations in reaching our desired goal of securing lasting peace we are constrained to abstain," she said.

Kamboj invoked Prime Minister Narendra Modi's often-quoted statement that "this cannot be an era of war" and said, "Escalation of hostilities and violence is in no one`s interest. Instead, an urgent return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy is the way forward."

Also Read: As Russia-Ukraine War Enters 2nd Year, India Asks At UN: 'Are We Anywhere Near A Solution?'

The resolution was adopted by 141 votes, with seven against and 32 abstentions in the Assembly where 191 of its 193 members retain voting rights.

The resolution deplores Russia's invasion and demands its immediate withdrawal for a "comprehensive, just and lasting peace". It also demands the prosecution of crimes and justice for victims.

Earlier, two amendments sponsored by Russia's close ally Belarus to gut the resolution were voted down, receiving only 11 votes for one and 15 for the other.

India abstained also on the amendments that sought to remove references to Moscow`s aggression and invasion and the demand for it to withdraw from occupied territories, while calling instead for an end to arms supply to Ukraine.

Pakistan brings up the Kashmir issue at UNGA

In a sideshow, Pakistan's Permanent Representative Munir Akram brought up Kashmir claiming that it had parallels to Ukraine, which the sponsors of the resolution ignore.

Pratik Mathur, a counsellor at India`s mission, said it was an "uncalled for provocation" that "is particularly regrettable and certainly misplaced at a time when after two days of intense discussions, we have all agreed that the path of peace can be the only path forward to resolve conflict".

Kamboj said that despite the support of member states for diplomatic efforts to end the conflict and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres` attempts to promote a comprehensive peace, "reports from the ground portray a complex scenario with the conflict intensifying on several fronts."

The General Assembly took up the resolution in an emergency session because of the paralysis of the Security Council hobbled by Russia`s vetoes and it has brought to the fore demands for reforms, which India has been lobbying for.

India's Permanent Representative to the UN pointedly asked, "Has the UN system and particularly its principal organ, the UN Security Council based on a 1945 world construct not been rendered ineffective to address contemporary challenges to global peace and security?"

Only the five countries that were considered the winners of World War II were given veto rights in the Council. Unlike Security Council resolutions, those of the General Assembly have no enforcement powers and only carry moral influence.

Thursday's was the sixth resolution on Ukraine since the invasion that began on February 24 a year ago and India has abstained on all of them.

Kamboj said that India was concerned that the "conflict has resulted in the loss of countless lives and misery, particularly for women, children and the elderly, with millions becoming homeless and forced to seek shelter in neighbouring countries... economic reports of attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are also deeply concerning".

India, for its part, was helping deal with its fallout in Ukraine and elsewhere, she added.

We are providing both humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and economic support to some of our neighbours in the Global South under economic distress even as they stare at the escalating costs of food, fuel and fertilisers, which has been a consequential fallout of the ongoing conflict, she said.
Udupi (Karnataka), Feb 24 (IANS) The probe into the drugs case involving medical, other students and professors in coastal Karnataka has revealed shocking details. Sources said that the substances made their way into the students` rooms through online food deliveries, and LSD was procured in the form of watch description tags.

The Karnataka Police department, which has been cracking down on the drug menace in the coastal region, found a racket involving medical students and professors in Mangaluru in January. A total of 24 people were arrested in the case among which 22 were from the medical fraternity.

Doctors from Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana and New Delhi, including women, all in their 20`s and 30`s were arrested. Kasturba Medical College in Mangaluru terminated the services of two medical doctors on charges of drug peddling and consumption.

Likewise, the police cracked the whip in neighbouring Udupi district, known as an education hub, on the roots of the drug mafia. Superintendent of Police (SP) Hakay Akshay Machhindra had prevailed upon the education institutions to initiate action against the students who were into drugs and drug peddling.

The Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) in Udupi district had suspended 42 students for a period of a month following the direction by the police department.

Police sources explained that many students were turned into drug peddlers and many have been arrested. The students consumed MDMA, LSD and ganja. The drugs were supplied to the rooms of medical, management, hotel management and engineering students.

The students used to order food from online food aggregators and drug substances came in the food parcels late in the night. The fact came to light after the arrest of a delivery boy, police said.

The LSD was sent in the form of watch description tags. The students used to get these on the pretext of ordering watches, sources explained.

The police teams, which conducted raids on student hostels in Udupi, were shocked to find piles of condoms in the rooms and hostel premises. The police sources said that boys and girls consumed drugs together. It had become common to give drugs to their girlfriends.

The investigation has revealed that the drug was supplied to Udupi and Manipal from Mangaluru, Kerala and Goa. The drug mafia had established a network of drug peddlers among the student community. Many went to Goa on the pretext of weekend trips and brought drugs to their hostels.

The police department has appreciated the cooperation of the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) by taking firm action on students to end the menace.

(The above article is sourced from news agency IANS. Zeenews.com has made no editorial changes to the article. News agency IANS is solely responsible for the contents of the article)
Beed: An FIR has been filed against Uddhav Thackeray faction leader Sanjay Raut in Beed for allegedly making false allegations against Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde`s son Shrikant Shinde. The case was registered at Beed City police station in Beed district on Thursday night. According to police, the complainant filed a complaint against Sanjay Raut for defaming Shrikant Shinde.

The complaint stated that Raut committed a deliberate act with the intention of creating enmity towards the nation for political purposes by filing a false complaint. Sanjay Raut has deliberately tried to defame Eknath Shinde by making false allegations. Based on the complaint, the police registered a case against Raut and started an investigation. An FIR has been registered in Beed district against MP Sanjay Raut for defaming Chief Minister Eknath Shinde`s son and MP Shrikant Shinde, making false allegations and threats.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday said the state government will investigate the allegations against Shrikant Shinde of giving a contract for killing him. Shinde stressed that it would also be probed whether is a political stunt by Raut. The Chief Minister said, "We will investigate this matter completely and it will also be investigated whether it is done purposely for a stunt.

It is the government`s responsibility to provide security to the people. The committee is to decide on the security. This committee is formed by the court and it will decide whether the security is to be increased or not irrespective of parties."Citing a threat to his life, Sanjay Raut on Tuesday, alleged that Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde`s son Shrikant Shinde had given a contract to a goon for killing him. Raut alleged a threat to his life in the letter addressed to Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, Mumbai Police Commissioner and Thane Police Commissioner.

In his letter, Sanjay Raut said, "I have received information that a notorious goon Raja Thakur of Thane has been given a contract by Shrikant Shinde to kill me."He alleged that his security was withdrawn after the change in government in the state."After the change of government in Maharashtra, my security was withdrawn. I don`t have any complaints about it. Such political decisions keep happening.

Looking at the current situation in Maharashtra, this issue needs to be brought to your attention," Sanjay Raut further said in the letter. Talking to the media, after citing a threat to his life, Sanjay Raut said that he doesn`t need any security from the government."I have written a letter to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, I have also told Mumbai CP Vivek Phansalkar and Thane CP. I also called Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding it," he said.

Further attacking the Maharashtra government, Sanjay Raut said, "What is happening in your state, your MP and MLAs are giving contracts for killing people. The contract is being given to a gangster who has currently got bail." I don`t want any security, because I`m alone a lion," he added.
The Galaxy Z Fold has been sold in Vietnam since November 2019. Photo by VnExpress/Khuong Nha

Vietnamese electronics retailers are buying back the Galaxy Z Fold, which sold for VND50 million (US$2.092) when it was launched in 2019, at an 88% reduction from the original price.

Ever since Samsung's new Galaxy S23 went on sale in Vietnam on Feb. 17, retailers have launched trade-in programs, encouraging users to buy the new model.

Galaxy Z Fold phones are being bought back at prices of VND0.43-6.1 million per unit depending on their condition.

The Galaxy S10+, another high-end Samsung model which went on sale in 2019 with a price tag of VND28.9 million, is being bought back for VND2.9 million.

According to Nguyen Lac Huy, manager of electronics chain CellphoneS, prices of most Android smartphones fall faster than those of iPhone models. After six months of use, the price of an Android phone plunges by 40-50%.

The main reason is that manufacturers often offer discounts on Android phones after launch, while the cost of repairing them is high.
New Delhi: Politicians, irrespective of political parties, publicly vow to not let terrorism once again flourish in Punjab but going by some eye opener incidents such as the storming of a police station in the border town of Ajnala and reemerging voices of Khalistan speak volumes of the groundswell support these powers manage to arrange at a short notice even as the former Chief Minister of Punjab and a BJP leader Captain Amarinder Singh has warned of serious implications of such incidents.

Look-alike of the late Jarnail Singh Bhinderanwala, Sikh radical leader Amritpal Singh who in the recent past was an unfamiliar face until he became president of Waris Punjab Daw (WPD) after his return from Dubai and suddenly took a centre stage with his Azadi rhetorics.

Bowing of police administration under WPD pressure after the arrest of Lovepreet Singh alias Toofan Singh, one of the followers of Amritpal Singh booked for allegedly thrashing and kidnapping Varinder Singh, made the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government look dwarf under radicals pressure and gave much-needed ammunition to its political opponent parties.

Amritpal on Thursday led a procession along with Saroop of Sri Guru Granth Sahib installed in a palanquin and stormed the Ajnala police station with his followers who were seen brandishing swords, lathi and many of them were armed with guns to free Toofan Singh from police custody.

Succumbing to the pressure of radicals, police announced to release of Toofan Singh. Interestingly, till the recent past, Toofan Singh was booked only after getting sufficient evidence against him but suddenly police were convinced that there was no evidence against Toofan Singh, instead according to Senior Superintendent of Police, Amritsar, Rural, Satinder

Singh according to evidence given to us by WPD, Toofan Singh was not present at the time of the incident (kidnapping and thrashing of Varinder Singh ). React to the incident Captain Amarinder Singh as he said this is not only a complete collapse of the law and order situation in Punjab, it is more serious than that. Amarinder Singh also cautioned against Pakistan which could not only encourage such forces but also exploit the situation.

A former intelligence officer having experience in the days of terrorism in Punjab opined that such a lenient attitude of government would cost the nation heavily like that of previous days. Negotiations are a common practice to end a dispute and bring two divergent opinions to a mutually acceptable point by way of give and take but in this case, police have not only agreed to release Toofan Singh but also constituted a Special Investigation Team to probe the registration of FIR.
New Delhi: The facial recognition system will be available to pilgrims at the Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh soon. The temple's management trust, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), issued a statement that the facial recognition technology will be implemented on an experimental basis beginning March 1, as per reports. The idea is to enhance transparency in tokenless darshan and accommodation allotment systems providing more effective services to the multitude of visiting pilgrims. The main aim of the facial recognition system is to prevent a person from procuring more tokens in Sarva Darshan Complex and also at the Caution Deposit refund counters," the trust added.

Tirupati Temple: Here's how the system will work

Step 1: First visit the official website of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams and register yourself

Step 2: Fill up the form by entering the basic details including phone number, ID proof and number, name, address and city

Step 3: Now, click a picture of yourself using the webcam and upload

Devotees must note that they will need to upload another photo on the day of their darshan. If the image does not match, the accommodation management system will reject them. The notice "Face doesn't match with allotted face" will appear in a pop-up window on the screen. Do you wish to proceed with a refund? Devotees must have an active phone number and email ID while registering because all facts about their darshan will be sent by email/sms. According to the media reports," In the experiment phase, the facial recognition technology will be offered at "Vaikuntham 2 and AMS systems from March 1 onwards."
Mumbai: The ongoing high-decibel political and legal battle between rival Shiv Sena groups is all set to resonate loudly in the Maharashtra legislature when it begins its Budget session on February 27. The Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, buoyed by an Election Commission (EC) ruling in its favour, and the Uddhav Thackeray faction are locked in a bitter feud to lay claim over the 56-year-old party and legacy of its founder Bal Thackeray. Going by the legislative majority, the EC last week allotted the Shiv Sena name and the 'bow and arrow' poll symbol to the Shinde group while recognising the split in the party, which was rocked by a rebellion in June last year.

Moving swiftly after the EC ruling, the Shinde camp petitioned Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar and took control of the Shiv Sena legislature party office in the Vidhan Bhavan complex in south Mumbai. Similarly, the Shinde camp feels the whip it issues will be binding on legislators still loyal to Thackeray. Amid the Shiv Sena row, Narvekar said on Thursday that he has not got representation from any group claiming to be a separate party in the Lower House.

Also Read: Uddhav Thackeray vs Eknath Shinde: Shiv Senas Website Deleted, Names of Social Media Handles Changed

The Speaker told PTI that there is only one Shiv Sena with 55 MLAs which is led by Shinde and legislator Bharat Gogawale has been recognised as its chief whip. Narvekar has approved the appointment of Shinde as the legislature party leader. However, senior advocate and former Maharashtra Advocate General Shrihari Aney feels that since the EC has recognised the split in the Shiv Sena, the Shinde camp's whip will not be applicable to pro-Thackeray MLAs.

The Thackeray faction will have to seek recognition as a separate group in the legislature, he said. The budget session will commence with newly-appointed Governor Ramesh Bais making his first address to the joint sitting of the state legislature. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the finance and planning portfolio, will present the first Budget of the Shinde-led government in the Assembly on March 9. The session will end on March 25.

Shinde, who took oath as CM on June 30, 2022, is yet to expand his Council of Ministers, which at present has 18 members, all of Cabinet rank. Nine ministers each of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena and its ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are part of the Cabinet.

Going by the state Assembly strength of 288, Maharashtra can have a maximum of 42 ministers. Apart from the Shinde-Thackeray feud, results of Kasba Peth and Chinchwad Assembly bypolls in Pune district, necessitated by the death of sitting MLAs, will also find an echo in the legislature.

Voting in the two Assembly seats, won by the BJP in 2019, will be held on February 26 and results will be announced on March 2.

The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), consisting of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the Congress, and the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), will also seek to corner the Shinde-BJP government over issues of public interest during the nearly one-month long session which is set to be stormy.
Lucknow, Feb 24 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana on Friday directed the state government to cancel ration cards issued to ineligible persons after a probe into it.

The matter was raised by Samajwadi Party MLA from the Gosaiganj constituency in Ayodhya Abhay Singh during the Question Hour.

After the MLA said he was not satisfied with minister Laxmi Narayan Chowdhary's response to the matter raised by him, the speaker issued the direction.

The SP MLA asked if the government was aware about a delay in issuing new ration cards in the state by officers of the Food and Civil Supplies Department.

He also sought to know from the government how many new ration cards have been issued and how many applications are pending in Ayodhya district from 2018 to December 22, 2022.

A written reply to the member's queries came from the chief minister. It was stated that a total of 1,33,03,625 ration cards have been issued in the state against the applications received between April 1, 2018 and December 2022.

A total of 1,44,628 ration cards have been issued against the applications received during this period in Ayodhya district and currently only 658 ration card applications are pending, it said.

The number of ration cards pending at the state level is 13,31,130, it added.

Raising a supplementary question, Singh said that many ineligible persons were issued ration cards while the needy do not have them.

"Will the government get it probed?" he asked.

In reply to him, Minister Chowdhary said that if he had any specific complaint, it would be investigated.

Expressing dissatisfaction over this, Singh said this is a statewide problem, following which the speaker asked the minister to conduct a general inquiry into it and cancel the ration cards issued to ineligible ones.

(The above article is sourced from news agency IANS. Zeenews.com has made no editorial changes to the article. News agency IANS is solely responsible for the contents of the article)
New Delhi: Trinamool Congress MP and veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha on Thursday (February 23) said that it isn't possible to ignore Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as a candidate for the next Prime Minister of the country. He made this statement ahead of the defining 2024 Lok Sabha elections for which political parties are already gearing up. He also praised Gandhi's padayatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir - Bharat Jodo Yatra which was an effort to "unite India" and said it was "revolutionary."

While speaking to the news agency ANI, Sinha said, "You cannot ignore Rahul Gandhi as PM face in 2024. `Bharat Jodo Yatra` was revolutionary. Mamata Banerjee will be a game-changer in 2024."

He also spoke about other Opposition leaders such as Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav and called him the "future of Bihar." He said, "Tejashwi Yadav is doing good, he has gained much experience. He is seen as the future of Bihar. To become Chief Minister or Prime Minister, qualification is not needed, one only needs support. I don't believe PM was selling tea, this is only for creating propaganda."

Also Read: Watch: Rahul Gandhi Goes Skiing in J&K's Gulmarg After Bharat Jodo Yatra

Sinha further commented that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was doing a splendid job trying to unite the Opposition to fight the ruling party BJP. "Nitish is a successful leader and CM of Bihar. He is doing excellent work of bringing opposition together," he added.

Speaking of the Opposition, Congress will begin its plenary session in Raipur on Friday (February 24) to discuss the roadmap for the Lok Sabha polls in 2024. The grand old party is likely to discuss forging poll tie-ups with like-minded parties to take on the BJP.

The Congress top brass will be in attendance at the 85th plenary session that will primarily endorse the presidentship of Mallikarjun Kharge and will pave the way for the new working committee led by him. The session, which comes in the backdrop of the Bharat Jodo Yatra that has been touted as a success by the party, will be attended by around 15,000 delegates.

(With agency inputs)
United Nations: India abstained in the UN General Assembly on a resolution that underscored the need to reach "comprehensive, just and lasting peace" in Ukraine, as New Delhi questioned whether the world was "anywhere near a possible solution" acceptable to both Moscow and Kyiv a year into the Ukrainian conflict. India was among the 32 nations that abstained as the 193-member General Assembly adopted the resolution 'Principles of the Charter of the United Nations underlying a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine' Thursday, put forward by Ukraine and its supporters.

Excerpts from PR @ruchirakambojs explanation of vote at the #UNGA Emergency Special Session on #Ukraine today. pic.twitter.com/tUptpHj09j  India at UN, NY (@IndiaUNNewYork) February 24, 2023

The resolution, which received 141 votes in favour and seven against, underscored the "need to reach, as soon as possible, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine in line with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations."

In the Explanation of Vote after the resolution was adopted, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj said that as the General Assembly marks a year of the Ukrainian conflict, it is important that we ask ourselves a few pertinent questions.

The General Assembly has called for an end to the war in Ukraine and demanded Russias immediate withdrawal from the country, in line with the UN Charter.



The special #UNGA session comes one year after Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine. https://t.co/HTW3SeutBj pic.twitter.com/HGIkLIE0Hq  United Nations (@UN) February 23, 2023

"Are we anywhere near a possible solution acceptable to both sides? Can any process that does not involve either of the two sides, ever lead to a credible and meaningful solution? Has the UN system, and particularly its principal organ, the UN Security Council, based on a 1945-world construct, not been rendered ineffective to address contemporary challenges to global peace and security?" Kamboj said.

Also Read: 'Line Between Good and Evil...': Ukraine Foreign Minister's Message to Countries Remaining Neutral on Russia War

She stressed that India continues to remain concerned over the situation in Ukraine, noting that the conflict has resulted in the loss of countless lives and misery, particularly for women, children, and the elderly, with millions becoming homeless and forced to seek shelter in neighbouring countries. Reports of attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are also deeply concerning, she added.

The resolution called upon member states and international organisations to redouble support for diplomatic efforts to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine, consistent with the Charter.

Kamboj termed as "understandable" the overall objective of the resolution seeking lasting peace in line with the UN Charter.

"We also note the emphasis on increasing support by member states for diplomatic efforts to achieve peace, as well as support for the Secretary General's efforts to promote a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in Ukraine. However, reports from the ground portray a complex scenario, with the conflict intensifying on several fronts," she said.

Reiterating that India remains steadfastly committed to multilateralism and upholds the principles of the UN Charter, Kamboj stressed "we will always call for dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable way out. While we take note of the stated objectives of today's Resolution, given its inherent limitations in reaching our desired goal of securing lasting peace, we are constrained to abstain."

In the year since Russia's February 24, 2022 invasion of Ukraine, several UN resolutions - in the General Assembly, Security Council and Human Rights Council, have condemned the invasion and underlined the commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

The General Assembly has met in this Emergency Special Session on Ukraine six times in the past year.

India has abstained on the UN resolutions on Ukraine and consistently underlined the need to respect the UN Charter, international law and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states. New Delhi has also urged that all efforts be made for an immediate cessation of hostilities and an urgent return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy.

Kamboj said that New Delhi has consistently advocated that no solution can ever be arrived at the cost of human lives.

She said that in this context, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement that this cannot be an era of war bears "repetition" and underlined that escalation of hostilities and violence is in no one's interest.

"Instead an urgent return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy is the way forward," the Indian envoy said.

"India's approach to the Ukraine conflict will continue to be people-centric. We are providing both humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and economic support to some of our neighbours in the Global South under economic distress, even as they stare at the escalating costs of food, of fuel, and fertilizers - which has been a consequential fallout of the ongoing conflict," she said.

India stressed that it is unfortunate that as the trajectory of the Ukrainian conflict unfolds, the entire Global South has suffered its unintended consequences. It is critical that the voice of the global south be heard and their legitimate concerns be duly addressed, it said.

Before the draft resolution was put to vote, the General Assembly considered two amendments to the resolution proposed by Belarus.

The amendments failed to get adopted as over 90 member states voted against and over 50 nations abstained on each. India abstained on both amendments. The draft amendments and the resolution needed a 2/3 majority of those present and voting to be adopted.
New York: India on Thursday exercised it`s `Right of Reply` at UNGA against Pakistan and advised Islamabad to look at its track record as a state that provides safe heavens to terrorists. At the United Nations General Assembly Eleventh Emergency Special Session, Indian Counsellor Pratik Mathur said, "Pakistan has only to look at itself and its track record as a State that harbours and provides safe havens to terrorists and does so with impunity." He also advised the Pakistani delegation to refer to the numerous Right of Replies that India has exercised in the past. Mathur said, "I am taking the floor to say that India chooses this time not to respond to Pakistan`s mischievous provocations. Our advice to the delegate of Pakistan is to refer to the numerous RoRs that we have exercised in the past." Calling out Pakistan`s uncalled-for provocation "regrettable", Mathur also said that after two days of intense discussions, all the members present in the UN have agreed that the path of peace can be the only path to resolve conflict and discord. India`s most wanted Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba`s (LeT) deputy chief Abdul Rehman Makki was designated as "global terrorist" in January.

India had made listings of Pak-based terrorists a top priority of its UNSC tenure during 2021-22. A total of five names -- Abdul Rehman Makki (LeT), Abdul Rauf Asghar (JeM), Sajid Mir (LeT), Shahid Mahmood (LeT), and Talha Saeed (LeT) -- were submitted by India for designation under 1267 in 2022. Each of these five names was initially placed on technical hold by one member state (China) while all other 14 members of the Council agreed to their listing.

Also Read: 'Its Basic Industry is Terrorism: EAM S Jaishankar's Dig at Pakistan

In 2020, a Pakistani anti-terrorism court convicted Makki on one count of terrorism financing and sentenced him to prison, acccording to the US State Department. Earlier in this month, India`s Indus Commissioner issued a notice to Pakistani counterpart to notify a date for the commencement of interstate bilateral negotiations to rectify an ongoing material breach of the Indus Water treaty, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Thursday.

He further said that India is not involved in the process of the arbitration court. "We have issued rather our India`s Indus Commissioner issued a notice on January 25 for modification of the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 to his Pakistani counterpart. This notice was issued with the intent to provide Pakistan an opportunity to enter into government-to-government negotiations, to rectify an ongoing material breach of the treaty. We have called upon Pakistan to notify a suitable date for the commencement of interstate bilateral negotiations under article XII (3) within 90 days," Bagchi said in response to a question on India`s notice to Pakistan for amendments to the Indus water treaty.

"I am not aware of a response from Pakistan as of yet. I am not aware of any response or comment by the World Bank," Bagchi said.He added by saying that India is not participating or involved in the process in any way, in response to a media query on New Delhi`s position on the arbitration court. India issued notice to Pakistan on January 25 for modification of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of September 1960 after Islamabad`s actions adversely impinged the provisions of the treaty, according to sources.
New Delhi: In a viral video, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was heard accidentally referring to President Joe Biden as "President Obama" while addressing a presser on Biden's nominee for the World Bank president. She was on live TV when the slip-of-tongue moment occurred. She said, "So today, as you all saw just an hour or so ago, President Obama announced thatPardon me, President Biden!" This led to shocked reactions from the reporters present at the presser. Jean-Pierre was also surprised at her accidental reference to President Obama and took a moment to collect her thoughts and carry on with the presser. "Whoa! Ahem, that is news. I know, were going back not forwards. Weve gotta go forwards," she said.

Watch the video:

She then announced President Bidens nominee Ajay Banga to lead the World Bank. White House Press Secretary said, The US nominated Ajay Banga to be president of the World Bank. President Biden himself said he is uniquely equipped to lead the world bank, he is a renowned business executive that has managed companies bringing jobs and investment to developing economies.

He (Ajay Banga) has a proven track record of creating public-private partnerships. Raised in India he has a unique perspective on opportunities and challenges facing developing countries & how World Bank can deliver on its agenda for prosperity and reduce poverty, she added.

Earlier, on Thursday, US President Joe Biden nominated former Mastercard CEO Ajay Banga to lead the World Bank.

Ajay is uniquely equipped to lead the World Bank at this critical moment in history. He has spent more than three decades building and managing successful, global companies that create jobs and bring investment to developing economies, and guiding organizations through periods of fundamental change. He has a proven track record managing people and systems and partnering with global leaders around the world to deliver results, read Bidens statement.

Banga, a business leader with extensive experience leading successful organizations in developing countries and forging public-private partnerships to address financial inclusion and climate change, is to be President of the World Bank.

He also has critical experience mobilizing public-private resources to tackle the most urgent challenges of our time, including climate change. Raised in India, Ajay has a unique perspective on the opportunities and challenges facing developing countries and how the World Bank can deliver on its ambitious agenda to reduce poverty and expand prosperity, read the statement.

The decision comes after World Banks President David Malpass earlier said that he will step down almost a year early from his position. Malpass exit comes months after calls grew for him to step down after he declined to acknowledge the scientific consensus that fossil fuels were warming the planet.

(With ANI inputs)
Selling insurance products fetch banks trillions of Vietnamese dong (VND1 trillion = $42 million) in revenues each year, but with this comes dissatisfaction from customers who say they are "forced" to pay premiums to acquire loans.

At the end of 2017, Vietnamese lender Sacombank and Japanese insurer Dai-ichi Life signed an exclusive bancassurance deal with a record-long duration of up to 20 years. Bancassurance is an arrangement between a bank and an insurance company through which the insurer can sell its products to the bank's customers.

Since then many lenders in Vietnam have signed exclusive deals with insurers to sell their products through such a business arrangement. The list of major partnerships include Techcombank and Manulife, VPBAnk and AIA Vietnam, ACB and Sun Life Vietnam, MSB and Prudential, Vietcombank and FWD and SHB and Dai-ichi Vietnam.

The bancassurance arrangement has been growing in Vietnam as it is a win-win for both lenders and insurers.

Insurers can approach a large customer base at banks, while banks take advantage of insurance policies to urge their customers to make deposits or acquire loans. Most banks task their employees with selling these policies to customers under the supervision and quality control of the insurers.

In the first half last year, revenues from bancassurance accounted for 41% of total revenues from new insurance contracts. The ratio is forecast to reach 50% soon, which means banks will overcome insurance companies salespeople as the main revenue contributor for insurers.

Banks, in turn, gain big from the commission of successful sales. In fact, profits from bancassurance rank second behind lending for many lenders.

Lender MB is leading the sector in terms of bancassurance revenues, even though it does not have an exclusive deal with any insurer. The bank is the majority shareholder in two insurers, MIC and MB Ageas Life, which cover both life and non-life insurance.

Last year, MB recorded over VND10 trillion from insurance revenue, up 20% year-on-year, and nearly double from 2020. Insurance accounted for 70% of MBs revenue from services.

Private lender VPBank posted over VND3.3 trillion from insurance last year, up 40% from 2021, accounting for 30% of revenue from services.

Techcombank saw revenue from insurance rising 12.4% to VND1.75 trillion last year.

HDBank did not release its insurance revenue for all of last year, but in the first six months it saw the figure double year-on-year to VND1 trillion.

Analysts of Rong Viet Securities said that HDBanks revenue came from selling products of Dai-ichi Life and FWD. They added that if the lender is able to sign an exclusive deal with an insurer, the value of the deal could be equal to that of big private and state-owned lenders.

Among state-owned banks, Vietcombanks exclusive partnership with FWD for 15 years is worth $400 million, the biggest value in bancassurance deals in Vietnam to date.

Vietcombank leaders told a general meeting in 2021 that bancassurance brought the lender nearly VND3 trillion that year.

However, as banks make more money from bancassurance, issues with customers are also rising.

With high revenues comes big pressure for bank employees to meet their sales targets, and many bank customers have been complaining that they are forced to buy insurance policies when applying for loans.

"This is not compulsory, but if you buy an insurance policy your chances of getting the loan will be greater and it will be easier for me to convince my boss," a bank employee told a customer who was applying for a loan last November.

The employee said that for a VND2 billion loan, the customer should buy an insurance policy of VND60 million.

To encourage employees to sell more insurance policies, banks are not hesitant in giving out big bonuses.

MB, for example, spent over VND1.8 trillion in commissions for insurance sales last year. VPBank spent VND1 trillion.

The Ministry of Finance repeatedly gave warnings about this trend. It said that many bank employees force customers to buy insurance policies without giving them sufficient information, making them confused between making deposits and buying policies.

This violates the "volunteer" principle which is stated in legal documents related to the insurance business, it added.
Vietnams 3 top pharmacy chains go their separate ways in strategy terms

Long Chau and Pharmacity drugstores next to each other on Doi Can Street, Hanoi, in February 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Anh Tu

After a period of scorching growth drugstore chains An Khang, Pharmacity and Long Chau have begun to diverge in their strategies.

An Khang has stopped opening new stores, Pharmacity restructured and rationalized its chain and Long Chau now has the largest number of stores.

In August 2022 Pharmacity had the most outlets -- some 1,100 after opening more than 200 during the year. But then it closed many of them to lose its leading position despite opening new ones in more strategic locations.

It now has 936 to Long Chaus 1,009, while An Khang has 504.

Doan Van Hieu Em, head of An Khang, owned by retail giant Mobile World, said in the first three quarters of 2022 the chain expanded faster than its two rivals.

"From the earlier goal of having 800 drugstores, slowing down a bit helps us consolidate and find opportunities to boost revenues."

An Khang also on Doi Can Street, Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Anh Tu

An exectuive at FPT Digital Retail Joint Stock Company, which owns Long Chau, told VnExpress on Feb. 21 that the company continues to identify the pharmacy business as its growth engine and expects to open 400-500 stores this year.

In 2021 most of FPT Digital Retails revenues came from its electronics chain FPTShop. Long Chau contributed only 18%.

In 2022 that rose to 32% as revenues surged to VND9.6 trillion (US$406.7 million).

This year Pharmacity is continuing to relocate its stores strategically and focusing on improving gross profit margin and optimizing operating costs.

Pharmacity opened its first airport drugstore in mid-January at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi. Photo courtesy of Pharmacity

Mobile World said it would not open more An Khang stores this year and instead focus on keeping profitable ones.

It also seeks to increase revenues and cut operating costs to reduce losses.

Last year An Khang had sales of VND1.5 trillion, or 1.1% of Mobile Worlds total revenues.
Authorities in Indonesia's popular resort island of Bali are planning to collect Rp31.5 billion ($2.07 million) in tourist donations this year to preserve its culture and environment.

Foreign travelers visiting Bali are expected to voluntarily give donations through the "We Love Bali" campaign, said Tjok Bagus Pemayun, head of the Bali Tourism Agency, according to the Jakarta Post.

"This is voluntary, it's not mandatory," he said. "It will show their concern for our efforts to maintain Bali's nature, culture and environment sustainably."

Donations will be managed by the administration to fund several plans for preserving Bali's culture and its environment as the island has no natural resources such as petroleum and gas, as do many other provinces in Indonesia.

The island's administration previously had a plan to impose a $10 tax on foreign tourists, but had to cancel it due to legal reasons. The Bali administration later decided to change the tax to a voluntary donation.

Bali, famous for its long beaches, turquoise waters and ancient temples, is hoping to receive 4.5 million international arrivals this year, in addition to 9 million domestic travelers.

To attract international tourists, Bali's government has proposed 83 more countries be made eligible for its visa-on-arrival policy that allows foreign tourists to stay in Indonesia for 30-60 days.
One year after Russias unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, it is important to remember that the United States consistently pursued two paths that Russia could choose from, noted Karen Donfried, Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs.



One was dialogue and diplomacy; the other would be Russian escalation and then resulting massive consequences. We and the Ukrainians made sincere efforts to pursue that former path of dialogue and diplomacy, and on February 24 of last year Putin very unfortunately and tragically chose war, she said.

Putin expected a quick victory, said Assistant Secretary Donfried, but he has consistently underestimated the resolve of the Ukrainian people and their desire and capability to defend their freedom and democracy. Russias invasion of Ukraine is completely unjustified and illegal.

The United States and its allies and partners have imposed sanctions, export controls, visa restrictions to target Putin, his war machine, and his enablers, with one purpose only: to stop this war and prevent Russia from doing this again to another neighbor, declared Assistant Secretary Donfried:

Its clear from his actions President Putin has no interest in diplomacy. Russias repeated bombardments have hit schools, hospitals, churches, apartment buildings, and critical infrastructure. Russia alone can end this war today. We echo Ukrainian President Zelenskyys calls for a just and durable peace, one that recognizes Ukraines sovereignty and independence.

The United States will continue to stand united with Ukraine and help it defend itself for as long as it takes. If Putin wins, it could make the world more dangerous and other countries more vulnerable to further Russian aggression.

President Joe Biden believes the United States and its allies are stronger together. Since the first days of Russias war of aggression against Ukraine, said Assistant Secretary Donfried, we have had continuous communication about what we can do together to hold Russia to account and impose consequences for its brutal war. Although we do not always share the same policy approaches, we both share a commitment to upholding the international rules-based order that is founded on respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty.
ELKO  More winter weather advisories have been issued for portions of Nevada  including a blizzard warning for central Nevada that includes Tonopah and Round Mountain.

The National Weather Service is predicting 2 to 9 inches of snow along with wind gusts up to 60 mph between Friday morning and Saturday morning. Forecasters consider the conditions to be very rare.

This is a very potent system that is at historic levels, stated the weather service. Widespread blowing snow will significantly reduce visibility to whiteout conditions.

The mountains could see 1-3 feet of snow, and snowdrifts in the valleys could be measured in feet.

Travel should be restricted to emergencies only. If you must travel, have a winter survival kit with you. If you get stranded, stay with your vehicle. Keep an extra flashlight, food, water, and blankets in your vehicle in case of emergency, advised the weather service.

A winter weather advisory has been posted for southern Eureka and Lander counties during the same time period.

As of noon Thursday, Elko County was not listed under any advisories.

Elkos forecast calls for a chance of snow Thursday afternoon and Friday night. More snowy weather is possible Sunday through at least the middle of next week.

High temperatures could reach the freezing mark on Friday and climb into the mid to upper 30s this weekend.
Keeping traditional NW Chinas Gansu embroidery alive

People's Daily Online) 16:15, February 24, 2023

Xu Jing, an inheritor of Ganzhou embroidery in northwest Chinas Gansu Province, encourages more people to practice the traditional handicraft through live streaming classes.

Born in a tailors family, she began to learn how to embroider as a child. I sewed all my toys, and the adults often praised my skills, recalled Xu.

She has sharpened her skills since, and started to add some representative elements of Gansu, such as camels in the desert and flying apsaras in her works. She has also introduced tie-dying into her embroidery. I created a series of works that consists of nine flying apsaras of the Dunhuang Grottoes, using the techniques of embroidery, tie-dying, and hand paintings, which won positive feedback, said Xu.

Photo shows the embroidery works of Xu. (Photo/Intangible Cultural Preservation Center of Gansu Province)

To encourage more women to express their thoughts on beauty through embroidery, she offered live streaming classes to promote knowledge of the art form and guidance to learners.

When Ms. Xu stitches, she reminds me of my grandmother, says one of the attendees of her online classes. Xu interacts with them via messages during live streaming sessions, and patiently teaches them how to stitch, especially when it comes to the challenging parts.

Xu has explored new ways to pass down the intangible cultural heritage. She recently created a variety of products, including breast pins, pendants, and sachets, with the rabbit as the theme. The products have been well received.

Xu has turned her passion for embroidery into a successful business. She has led her team to design and produce more than 300 cultural and creative products, hoping that more people would get to know the art form and fall in love with her hometown through her products.

Photo shows Xus cultural and creative products. (Photo/Intangible Cultural Preservation Center of Gansu Province)

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun)
ELKO  Elko Institute for Academic Achievement plans to move to a four-day school week in the 2023-2024 school year, which will be compatible with the Elko County School Districts recent decision on Elko and Spring Creek schools.

EIAA investigated a four-day schedule a few years ago but our families voted against it. With the last two parent surveys, EIAA parents voted to align calendars with the district and move to a four-day schedule, the charter schools principal, Ashley Perkins, said in a Feb. 22 letter to parents.

The EIAA board approved the change on Feb. 21, and agreed to defer expansion of grades five through eight until the 2024-2025 school year. The earlier grades can expand for the 2023-2024 school year, however.

Perkins said that moving to the four-day schedule allows EIAA to continue to work with Boys and Girls Club and expand K-4th (grades) this upcoming year, which helps our remodel budget.

EIAA recently purchased the former Barrick Gold Corp. office building in Elko to expand the charter school instead of building a new facility, with approval from the State Public Charter School Authority last spring to increase enrollment for the 2023-2024 school year to 396 students.

Perkins said Nevada statutes mandate that EIAA stay within 20% of approved enrollment or we are put on a watchlist and must remediate our size noncompliance to our charter contract, so EIAA started looking for alternative locations within Elko to house our additional students.

Elko's charter school posts high test scores ELKO  Elko charter school officials who plan to go out for bid again in January for a new facility are excited about latest Nevada Report Car

She said the Elko Convention Center was working with the charter school on the housing situation, but there were four weeks that the center was already booked that would have to be worked around, which led to contact with the Elko Boys and Girls Club.

They were going to allow us to use their facility during the four weeks, however, they could not accommodate all classes, meaning K-8, except during the four-week period, Perkins said. After further talks with the state charter authority, the Elko Convention and Visitors Authority, and the Boys and Girls Club, they found a solution.

The solution was limiting the enrollment expansion in the upcoming school year, using the Boys and Girls Club as a temporary facility, and applying to the charter authority to amend enrollment plans for 2023-2024 to 306 students.

We will house K-4th at our current location and 5th-8th at Boys and Girls Club, Perkins wrote.

The charter school currently leases space on Railroad Street for 198 students, and the additional location would be needed for increased enrollment while the Barrick building is being remodeled for all grades.

Perkins said all the decisions regarding the four-day week and split school locations are pending approval from the state charter authority. The EIAA board met Feb. 21, and approved a motion to reach out to legal counsel to learn more about the possible sale of the acreage the charter school had purchased for a new school site.

The charter school bought the 32,000-square-foot former Barrick building at 905 W. Main St. from Geothermal Industrial Park LLC for $2.4 million on Dec. 28, after bids for construction of the new facility near Peace Park came in higher than hoped. The 9.33 acres are at Ruby Vista Drive and College Parkway.

EIAA received permission to revise its school plan from the U.S Department of Agriculture, which had last year approved an $8.1 million loan for new construction, and the Greater Nevada Credit Union, which confirmed terms of 2.75% interest and 40 years of payments.

Barrick constructed the office building in 2007 and used it until after Barrick and Newmont formed Nevada Gold Mines. NGM chose to use Newmonts office building on Idaho Street as Nevada headquarters. Barrick is the NGM operator and owns 61.5% of NGM. Newmont holds 38.5%.

Perkins also included a sample calendar with her letter to parents for a four-day week, showing classes would begin at 8:05 a.m. for kindergarten through second grade, 7:55 a.m. for grades three and four, and 7:50 a.m. for fifth through eighth grades.

Lunches would be a half hour at varying times depending on grade levels, and the end of the day would be 3:10 p.m. for the younger students and 3:20 p.m. for grades third and four, while grades five through eight would get out of school at 3:30 p.m., according to the chart.

In her letter, Perkins also said that with the four-day school week, EIAA will maintain a 90-minute math, English language and science block daily for students, and one Friday of the month will be used for full staff professional development and training.

Three Fridays out of the month will be used for students who are credit deficient or have Os in our older grades, and for the students who need additional support, may have missed school earlier in the week and/or are not meeting their growth goals, she said.

These Friday educational services will be held at our current facility for K-8th students, Perkins said.
This week, Ukraine marks the Maidan Massacre Anniversary in Kyiv. February 18-20, 2014, became the bloodiest days of Euromaidan when more than 100 protesters were killed. Also this week marks the passing of one year since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which happened on February 24, 2022. On these symbolic dates, U.S. President Joe Biden visited Kyiv as an extremely important sign of support for Ukraine and all Ukrainians.

The dates of the bloody events on the Maidan in Kyiv and the date of the full-scale invasion stand side by side for a reason. It was after Euromaidan that then-president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych fled to Russia, and at the same time Russia annexed the Ukraines Crimean Peninsula and war broke out in the east of the country. Many Ukrainians went to war from the Maidan. They were the first volunteers.

The war with Russia is a permanent phenomenon that has existed for centuries, believes the defender of Ukraine Yuriy Fartushny. In 2014, he went to war from the Maidan, although he had no combat experience. Today, the defender of Ukraine is undergoing treatment. He does not know where exactly he will continue to fight for Ukraine after the cure but he is eager to go back to the front line.

Our way is only to victory because each of us is fighting for our land. Our motivation is way stronger than Russian occupiers, says Yuriy.

I do not attach much importance to the date of February 24 because the war started in 2014. On February 24, 2022, only the scale and means used by the enemy changed. I am convinced that if the state had worked for eight years on arming/rearming, preparing for the liberation of our lands, adjusting society, working with the international community, etc., February 24, 2022 would not have come, at least in the format of mass intervention.

Journalist Stanislav Kuharchuk got used to war as he started going on business trips to the East in 2014. A full-scale invasion caught him in the East as well. But he says that no one expected such a war as nowadays. He talked to foreign journalists who had been to hot spots, and they were deeply impressed by the scale of military operations launched by Russia in Ukraine.

One foreign journalist told me that since World War II, Europe has not seen such a bloody war as we are facing in Ukraine now. Despite all this, there are civilians who have not been evacuated from the area of hostilities, who live where fierce fighting is taking place. Recently we met a pro-Ukrainian man there. He stayed because he takes care of several infirm old women and no one helps them but him, says Kuharchuk. Now the war journalist wears a protective helmet and bulletproof vest gear, often live-broadcasting under fire.

Living in Cherkasy

I personally live in the center of Ukraine  in Cherkasy city  and have a chance to communicate with many internal migrants who fled the war zone and headed to the west of the country. Cherkasy became a halfway point for them to stop and to take a rest. And many of those people decided to stay in the city because from here they could move further west or, after the deoccupation of their native places, they could quickly return to their homes.

In Cherkasy, as in other cities of the region, farewells to the fallen soldiers who defended Ukraine from the Russian invaders are often held on the main square. Priests are present at the ceremonies. Also, many families learn to live without men who have been drafted into the army. Many children today are waiting for their parents to return from the war. And my friend went missing in the war.

In addition to internally displaced people the number of armed forces personnel undergoing treatment has increased in the city. One of them is Hryhoriy Chub. He was in the East, in one of the hottest spots of war. He had luck to return from the battle alive but he was wounded and underwent surgery on his leg. Today, Chub cannot fully fight because the modern uniform is heavy and his leg cannot withstand the load. That is why he volunteers, collecting money for equipment that saves the lives of our defenders.

Some of the internally displaced persons remind locals that the war has already been going on for almost nine years, not just one.

Nataliya Duda is changing her place of residence in Ukraine for the second time. She lived in Luhansk (East) when the war started in 2014, then her family moved a little further inland to Severodonetsk. However, in 2022, after a full-scale invasion, Natalya was forced to leave the industrial city of Donbas and went to Cherkasy. In total, there are more than 100,000 internally displaced persons in Cherkasy region according to the official information of the authorities.

Duda still has nowhere to return to. Severodonetsk is currently under occupation. But running ahead, she says that she no longer wants to go back to the east. In Cherkasy, Duda works at a local branch of a French humanitarian organization. Employees of the center travel around the hubs  centers of mass residence of displaced persons  and provide legal advice, psychological and medical assistance. Duda is a lawyer, she helps people write applications to claim for damaged property during the war, to renew lost documents. Often people leave their homes very quickly and do not have time to take even the most valuable items.

Attacks from the air

Nowadays all of Ukraine is subject to missile attacks from the air. Air raid alerts sound in Cherkasy region as well as across Ukraine. People are advised to stay in shelters during air raid alerts. On the first day of the full-scale invasion, a couple explosions rang out in Cherkasy region and some people died. As of today, 14 schools, one hospital and 11,000 square meters of living space have been destroyed in Cherkasy region due to the Russian-Ukrainian war. In the summer a Russian air attack hit the bridge across Dnipro River and destroyed a railway, part of it near Cherkasy. The region, as all of Ukraine, suffers from power outages due to the destruction of critical infrastructure facilities by Russian missiles.

That is why some leave Cherkasy region even though it is not a front-line area. For example, Ukrainian designer Olesya Telizhenko left for France. At the end of 2022, a charity event organized by the Rotary Club Pont Audemer was held in Normandy. Telizhenko says that at this event, visitors were introduced to Ukrainian cuisine, Ukrainian culture, and watched a video. The guests were making charitable donations in support of Ukraine. The collected funds were transferred to one of the units of the territorial defense of Ukraine.

The journalist from Luhansk region Yaroslav Nesterenko knows what war is even by the sounds: Grad (Hail), Smerch (Tornado), Uragan (Hurricane) multiple rocket launchers, mortars, 152 mm caliber artillery shells. ... When Hail fires, the shells fall in a checkerboard pattern, there might be 20, 40 volleys and then it booms around closer and closer. And the mortar shell whistles.

The journalist is not a military man but the sounds of war will stay with him forever. For some time after February 24 the Nesterenko family, escaping from shelling, lived in the corridor where they placed sofas and basic necessities. But finally the intensity of fighting and destruction increased so much that the family left for the center of Ukraine, trying to save their lives. Soon after they left, their multistory apartment building collapsed from constant shelling. The Russians attacked high-rise buildings because they allegedly believed that there might be Ukrainian military troops on the roofs. Therefore, high buildings disturbed Russians.

Recently the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) awarded Nesterenko within the creative contest Informational Advancement2022. During the first days of the full-scale war he worked mainly as a volunteer. He says that people suffered the most from a lack of information. When electricity, gas, heat, and water were cut off, no one knew where to go and what to do. Volunteers had to collect money to buy food for people in cities besieged by the enemies. The stores were robbed by Russians and stayed empty. Nesterenko walked around bomb shelters sharing food and telling people where to find more. When it was absolutely necessary he convinced people to evacuate. Together with other volunteers he informed locals where the evacuation routes were and helped people to get there.

Human rights violations

While some Ukrainians are fighting the war, others are recording human rights violations and war crimes. Global initiative Breaking the Vicious Circle of Russias Impunity for Its War Crimes (short name Tribunal for Putin) in Ukraine unites authorities, mass media, public organizations and NGOs for recording facts of war crimes committed by the Russian occupiers against the civilian population. Cherkasy Human Rights Center is among such organizations. Documenting violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms is carried out in two ways: collecting information about war crimes from open sources and surveying the population by conducting interviews with victims.

The format of conducting interviews with victims and casualties is the most effective, because when working with people we get direct evidence of crimes committed by the Russian Federation military, says human rights defender Taras Shcherbatiuk:

The most tragic stories were told to us by victims from Mariupol. Terrible things took place there: the murders of civilians and the massive destruction of houses. Thanks to our collaboration with mass media people in the world can learn about all the atrocities committed by the Russian Federation in Ukraine. We constantly urge people not to remain silent  to give evidence, to write to international authorities. The work of our organization is aimed at providing an opportunity to further protect the rights of the affected civilian population, to hold the Russian Federation accountable.

As the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, this week we mark the ninth anniversary of the most horrific days of Maidan, the anniversary of the beginning of Russian aggression against our country, when there was very little time left before the occupation of our Crimea.

And now, nine years later, we are more confident than ever that justice will be served. The aggressor state, which has consistently been moving towards becoming a terrorist state, will be held accountable for its crimes. It will be held accountable thanks to the efforts of Ukraine and all our partners, the entire free world, and all those who are now helping us to defend our independence, freedom, and international law and order. We will prevail in this historic confrontation, stated Zelenskyy after the visit of the U.S. president Joe Biden to Kyiv.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy on behalf of all Ukrainians expressed his gratitude to all Americans  ordinary people and community leaders, members of Congress from both parties, and all members of President Bidens team  for bringing the relationship between Ukraine and America to a historically most meaningful level.

Zelenskyy said that such an alliance truly strengthens the world.
The last time I was in China before the COVID-19 pandemic began, I heard from parents who were afraid to send their children to study in the U.S. because of their fears about school shootings.

For two families from China, their worst fears were almost realized. On Feb. 13, a murderer descended on the Michigan State University campus in Lansing, Michigan, with two handguns and 50 rounds of ammunition. He busted open classroom doors during evening classes and study sessions and unloaded fire. He ended the lives of three students and severely injured five others. Among the injured were two Chinese students. Another was an American-born daughter of immigrants.

John Hao, one of the victims identified by name, will most likely survive, but he could be paralyzed from the chest down. He will have medical problems for the rest of his life, and his freedom of movement will be greatly limited. His parents are visiting him from China. His medical bills are massive, but the community has chipped in, with over $300,000 raised on GoFundMe.

The reality of American carnage leaves no one unscathed. Over a million international students are studying abroad in the U.S., and 28 million foreign-born workers are living in the country. In recent years, Chinese students have been among the victims of shootings, including students at the University of Chicago, Yale, and the University of Utah. The shooting at Monterey Park, California, which occurred during the 2023 Lunar New Year, robbed the lives of three foreign citizens and multiple immigrants. A Mexican traveler was killed while visiting family at a shooting during a parade in Illinois on July 4, 2022.

The frequency of these brutalities is cutting lives short and coloring perceptions of America. Foreign consulates put out warnings. Tourists think twice before adding America to their itineraries.

The Chinese consulate responsible for Michigan took charge, activating its emergency response mechanism and contacting family members, an official said. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a report titled "Gun Violence in the United States: Truth and Facts." The content claims, "Gun violence is a chronic disease in the United States," which leaves "an indelible stain on the country's human rights record."

China is not the only country whose government is expressing dire concern.

Japan has issued an advisory that "one of the main security concerns in the United States is gun crime."

The Mexican government warns that "historical racial and ethnic tensions, including opposition to immigration, have led to attacks by violent extremist groups."

Canada says, "Incidences of mass shootings occur, resulting most often in casualties. Although tourists are rarely involved, there is a risk of being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Germany's travel advisory for the U.S. notes, "The number of arms and ammunition purchases have increased significantly during the COVID-19 crisis."

According to a global survey conducted in partnership with U.S. News and World Report, the perception of the U.S. as a safe country dropped from No. 38 in the world in 2021 to No. 47 in 2022.

Americans, of course, are victims themselves. Unfortunately, there is little that could make the laws or culture around gun violence change. With each tragedy, the supporters of unfettered access to killing weapons voice excuses and platitudes to deny the need for taking action. Now the Republican Party controls the House of Representatives, the lower house of the legislature, and they would block any proposed gun safety laws.

So people will have to live with the slight feeling of uncertain anxiety when visiting the U.S. Or, as the Australian government advises, "If you live in the U.S., learn active shooter drills."
Photo for illustration (Source: vov.vn)

Addressing a working session held on February 23 with the Vinh Long provincial administration, Koji explained at present, Japanese firms are mainly focused on investing in Ho Chi Minh City and neighbouring localities, with labour and construction costs in these areas being high and the land fund in industrial parks now being limited.

As a result of these factors, Japanese firms are actively looking for investment opportunities elsewhere throughout the Mekong Delta region, including in Vinh Long, he said.

According to the executive, Japanese investors typically face difficulties, including excessive administrative procedures, which can be quite complicated and take a long time to handle, and they hope that local authorities will help foreign firms to tackle these obstacles in order to attract greater foreign investment.

Nguyen Van Liet, vice chairman of the provincial government, welcomed Japanese investors seeking to channel their capital into the local sectors of support industries, processing and manufacturing, smart technology, among others.

Vinh Long is committed to creating the best possible conditions for investors to undertake their projects in the locality, he assured.

Last year saw Vinh Longs export turnover to the Japanese market reach US$60.2 million, making up 8% of the provinces total export turnover and increasing by 40% against the figure recorded in 2021.

The locality mainly exports leather shoes, textiles, auto parts, handicrafts, and processed agricultural products to the Far East nation.

Japan now has 11 valid investment projects valued at US$213.8 million, becoming the largest foreign investor in Vinh Long.

Typically, Japanese firms pour investment into fields such as food production and processing, farm produce processing, warehousing and storage services, and the manufacturing of machines, tools, and sewing machine parts.

Vietnamese agricultural products increasingly welcomed in Belgium

More and more people in Belgium know about Vietnamese agricultural products and welcomed them, reported VOV.

Vietnamese agricultural products increasingly welcomed in Belgium (Source: vov.vn)

Cocoxim fresh coconut milk of Ben Tre Import-Export Joint Stock Company (Betrimex) is among Vietnamese products that are welcomed much in Belgium.

Pham Bich Thuy, the owner of Le Panier Asiatique - an Asian grocery in Brussels, said that besides Vietnamese customers, many foreigners visit her store.

She always tries to introduce Vietnamese products to the customers, offering them to take home to try first and pay later.

Many of the customers revisit her store and choose Vietnamese products because of their competitive prices and quality compared with those from other countries, Thuy said.

For the last few years, many agricultural and food products of Vietnam are favoured by customers in Belgium such as Duy Anh rice papers, Ba cay tre (Three Bamboo) fresh vermicelli, dried pho, Vifon instant noodle, Phu Quoc fish sauce, and Cocoxim fresh coconut milk of Ben Tre Import-Export Joint Stock Company (Betrimex).

Tran Ngoc Quan, Vietnams Trade Counselor in Belgium and the EU, said that the challenges for Vietnamese goods are not small. Firstly, Vietnamese goods access the Belgian market through many local importers, making Vietnamese businesses highly reliant on the importers and unable to build brands.

Secondly, in the past time, while some Vietnamese enterprises were very proactive and made changes in production to serve export, others still produced first and then looked for markets.

Quan said that in that way, its very difficult for them to access markets like the EU which has a lot of regulations for imports.

In addition, many spices such as basil, laksa leaves, perilla, and coriander are of the Vietnamese origin but purchased and exported to Europe by Thai enterprises.

Therefore, promoting the export of agricultural products, fruits, and vegetables to the Belgian market in particular and the European market in general requires efforts from Vietnamese enterprises to improve production capacity, ensure product quality, and look for business partners.

Vietnam impresses visitors at cultural festival in Egypt

According to VNA, Vietnam is leaving strong impression on visitors at the Sakia Exhibition for Cultural Services, which opened in the Egyptian capital city of Cairo on February 22.

Vietnam impresses visitors at the Sakia Exhibition for Cultural Services in Egypt. (Photo: VNA)

The Vietnamese Embassy in Egypt shows many documents, books and photos on culture, history, land and people of Vietnam, especially its outstanding achievements after nearly 40 years of Doi Moi (renewal).

Besides books on tourism introducing attractive destinations and unique features of regions, there also are magazines, photos, maps and documents and documentary screenings on Vietnam and the countrys specialities of fried spring rolls and coffee.

The event is party of a series of activities to mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Egypt (1963-2023).

The Sakia Exhibition for Cultural Services is held annually and allows countries to exchange cultural activities and boost solidarity and mutual understanding. This year's event attracts the participation of nearly 30 countries worldwide.

Project helps expand sales on transnational e-commerce channels

There is ample room for Vietnam to boost export and direct distribution of goods in foreign retail systems, heard a conference recently held by the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), reported VNA.

Illustrative image (Photo: baodautu.vn)

At the event, which discussed the implementation of the Governments project on promoting Vietnamese enterprises' direct participation in foreign distribution networks by 2030, representatives of foreign distribution giants said Vietnamese exporters need to ensure stability in output, quality, and price of goods; and meet requirements of environmental protection for their products.

Shiotani, General Director of Japans Aeon Topvalu Vietnam said his firm annually imports tens of thousands of tonnes of bananas with a total value of 100 million USD, with up to 70% of the volume used to be from the Philippines because banana supplies there are stable in terms of price and quality.

However, in 2018, Aeon signed a memorandum of understanding with the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and began to import fresh bananas from Vietnam.

With positive feedback from customers, the volume of Vietnamese products exported to Japan increased significantly last year, accounting for more than 50% of the companys total banana imports.

Shiotani said his company chooses banana suppliers based on their circular production model, adding that the model of this kind should be expanded.

To be accepted at foreign distribution systems, suppliers must meet the requirements of sustainable development and environmental protection besides product quality and price factors, he noted.

Photo for illustration (Source: moit.gov.vn)

Aly Ansari, senior director in charge of supply at Walmart Group of the US, also said the firm is interested in suppliers who focus on sustainability factors.

He said Walmart places great emphasis on products made by ethical suppliers, who pay their workers fairly and attach special importance to ensuring food safety.

Vietnams agro-aquaculture products will be prioritised if Vietnamese producers apply climate change adaptation solutions to farming, he said.

According to Do Hong Hanh, strategic partner director of Amazon Global Selling Vietnam, in 2022, Vietnams exports through Amazon sharply soared by 80%. Nearly 10 million Vietnamese goods items, mainly kitchen products, textiles, health care products, and consumer goods, were exported through e-commerce platforms, with export value rising by 45% from the previous year.

Do Thang Hai, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade said by implementing the project, Vietnam's high-quality products have reached millions of consumers through distribution channels worldwide.

Exporting to distribution systems of foreign retail groups has become an effective and sustainable solution to further expand the countrys export, Hai noted.

In the coming time, the MoIT will focus on developing a network of strategic partners for the project, especially retail distribution companies that have a presence in Vietnam or those that are interested in shifting their supply chain to the Vietnamese market, Hai said.

The ministry will also pay heed to studying and proposing suitable policies to encourage Vietnamese enterprises to engage in direct export, he said./.
Mr. Steve Craig, Minister of Aquaculture and Fisheries of Nova Scotia province (Canada) presents the badge of Nova Scotia province to Mr. Vo Van Hoan, Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee. (Photo: VNA)

This was the comment of Mr. Vo Van Hoan, Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, at the meeting with Mr. Steve Craig, Minister of Aquaculture and Fisheries of Nova Scotia province, who is visiting and working in the city, on February 23rd.

At the meeting, Mr. Hoan highly appreciated the good cooperative relationship between Vietnam and Canada, especially in the context of many positive and good activities taking place towards the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Canada (1973 - 2023). Regarding bilateral trade relations, he noted that Canada is currently Vietnam's second largest trading partner in the Americas and Vietnam is Canada's largest trading partner in ASEAN. Particularly in Ho Chi Minh City, Canada is the 22nd largest investor out of 117 countries and territories investing in the city.

He added that the economic relationship between Vietnam and Canada is not commensurate with the potential between the two countries. Through the working visit of Mr. Steve Craig, we hope to open many specific cooperation programs for businesses of the two sides in the near future, he said.

It is expected that, by the end of this year, there will be a working group, including a city business delegation, to pay a working visit to Canada and to have a working program with Toronto, Ontario and Nova Scotia at the invitation of Minister Steve Craig."

Minister Steve Craig said that the Government of Canada attaches great importance to the friendly and cooperative relationship with Vietnam. That interest is shown in the fact that Canadian leaders often visit and work in Vietnam. He went on to say that Canada and Vietnam established a comprehensive partnership on the occasion of the APEC Summit within the framework of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum in 2017, especially when the new generation Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is implemented in which Vietnam and Canada are both members. Thereby, Minister Steve Craig hopes that will be the foundation to continue opening up many cooperation opportunities for businesses of the two countries, especially in the field of seafood export.

On this occasion, Minister Steve Craig also invited the Ho Chi Minh City authority to visit and work in Nova Scotia province to enhance mutual understanding, connect businesses as well as promote investment cooperation in the fields of strength of the province such as fisheries, agriculture, shipbuilding and water transport./.
Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai receives Mr. Takebe Tsutomu, Special Advisor to the Japan - Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance. (Photo: VNA)

At the meeting, Mr. Mai expressed his pleasure and respect for the efforts and enthusiasm of Mr. Takebe Tsutomu in joining hands with the city to prepare for the 8th Vietnam - Japan Festival, saying he believed that the festival's activities will take place successfully, contributing to maintaining and expanding the series of Vietnam - Japan Festivals over the past 10 years as a work of friendship, actively contributing to promoting and creating a brand name for cultural exchange between Vietnam and Japan.

According to Mr. Phan Van Mai, this year, the city participates and contributes to the festival on a larger scale than previous years with the desire to cooperate with the Japanese Organizing Committee for a meaningful event worthy of the first activity of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan. The highlight of the Festival is the typical product stall areas of Ho Chi Minh City; the city's tourism promotion area, Vietnam's art performance program, and seminars.

In particular, through the meeting between the city's leaders and Japanese businesses within the framework of this Festival, the city wishes to create more channels to share, call for and listen to the investment and cooperation plans of the businesses. This is also an opportunity to learn more about the development orientation of the city so that the two sides can exploit to the fullest the potential and opportunities for mutual cooperation.

For his part, Mr. Takebe Tsutomu affirmed that the city leaders' special attention to the 8th Vietnam - Japan Festival will contribute to the overall success of the Festival.

He expressed his confidence that the best initiative and preparation for the Festival will spread the culture of peace and friendship between Vietnam and Japan to the world community, and contribute to building the two countries' cooperative relationship to further develop, based on mutual respect and help.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs of Ho Chi Minh City, the 8th Vietnam - Japan Festival in 2023 with the theme Hold hands together - Towards the future  Reach out to the world will introduce cultural and artistic features characteristics and meanings of Vietnam and Japan.

This is the first foreign cultural activity in 2023, within the framework of activities towards the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan (1973 - 2023), in order to further affirm the extensive strategic partnership between the two countries, enhance cultural exchanges between Vietnam and Japan, contributing to promoting trade, investment, tourism, friendship and mutual understanding between the people of the two countries in general and Ho Chi Minh City in particular.

The program is expected to include many cultural and art exchange activities between Vietnam and Japan, along with 150 booths of trade, cuisine and tourism participating in exhibitions, products, brands, and culinary culture as well as typical food of the two countries; and pavilions promoting tourism in Ho Chi Minh City and Japan.

The opening ceremony will take place on the morning of February 25, at Zone B, September 23 Park, Ho Chi Minh City./.
National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (R) and Chair of the EPs Committee on Foreign Affairs David McAllister (Photo: VNA)

Chairman Hue said Vietnam always supports the strengthening of ASEAN-EU strategic partnership and stays ready to play an active role in the process.

Vietnam is also willing to work with the EP to promote the implementation of the initiative on establishing the EU-ASEAN Parliamentary Council, which is seen as a platform to help advance the EU-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement, he said.

McAllister, for his part, said the EP wants to further reinforce ties with ASEAN parliaments in general, which is also the reason for its establishment of a liaison office in Indonesia.

Apart from bilateral cooperation in energy, the environment, national defence-security, the EP is willing to support Vietnam based on its proposals to lift bilateral ties to a greater height.

The Vietnamese legislative leader proposed that McAllister, with his position as Chair of the EPs Committee on Foreign Affairs, continue to support the development of EU-Vietnam and EU-ASEAN relations, raise the EPs role in leveraging the advantages of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) to advance trade ties and maintain EU-Vietnam and EU-ASEAN supply chains, and facilitate the exchange of delegations at the committee level between EP and the Vietnamese legislature.

He also suggested the EP push the approval of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) by remaining EU member states, considering it a foundation to launch the EU's "Global Gateway" initiative in the region.

Vietnam is ready to support and boost cooperation between the EU/EP and ASEAN/ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), as well as jointly carry out the ASEAN-EU Plan of Action for 2023-2027 to help the EU connect with the ASEAN market and step up negotiations on the ASEAN-EU Free Trade Agreement, he said.

Hue also called on the EU to continue to promote and contribute to ensuring security, safety and freedom of navigation in the East Sea for peace, stability and development in the region and the world, strengthen cooperation within the framework of the Mekong sub-region, assist Vietnam in capital, technology and human resources for green economic development, digital transformation, and just energy transition.

He hoped that the EU will help Vietnam realise the Political Declaration on Establishing Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETP) with international partners to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 as committed at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference.

Asking the EU to remove its yellow card warning on Vietnam, Hue affirmed that the implementation of the European Commissions recommendations on fighting illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing will to ensure interests of fishermen for sustainable development.

He also sought the EUs assistance for Vietnam in improving fishing management capacity, modernising fishing sector in terms of aquaculture process, technique, preservation, logistics and retail, and building a closed-end value chain in the sector.

Via the guest, Hue conveyed his invitation to EP President Roberta Metsola to visit Vietnam at a convenient time this year./.
Vietnamese Ambassador to India Nguyen Thanh Hai speaks at the event. (Photo: VNA)

Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to India Nguyen Thanh Hai said that the food processing sector accounts for 32% of the total food market and 14% of the manufacturing industrys GDP of India. The sector is expected to draw US$33 billion in investment in the next decade.

India, which has a population of over 1.4 billion people, is a promising market for Vietnams farm produce and processed food. Meanwhile, several kinds of Indias farm produce and processed food are likely to be sold well in Vietnam such as seafood, chili, spices, fruits and vegetables, he added.

According to Le Thanh Hoa, Deputy Director of the Agro Processing and Market Development Authority under the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, during 2021-2022, Vietnams farm produce exports to India reached US$351 million, accounting for 1.3% of Indias total farm produce imports, a modest figure.

General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetables Association (Vinafruit) Dang Phuc Nguyen said more Vietnamese farm produce target meeting VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards.

He suggested both nations open their markets for fruits and vegetables and sign bilateral trade deals to facilitate trade in farm produce.

Vietnamese Commercial Counselor in India Bui Trung Thuong desired that firms would continue joining trade exchange and market introduction programs, particularly the upcoming event with the India state of Kerala on March 8 in the fields of agriculture, seafood and services.

In terms of agro-forestry-aquatic product trade, Vietnam is running a deficit with India, with US$473.8 million in 2021 and US$687.73 million in 2022./
The team is welcomed at the aiport (Photo: VNA)

Welcoming the team back at the Noi Bai international airport in Hanoi, Deputy Minister of National Defence Sen. Lt. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien acknowledged the performance of the team in the disaster relief efforts, and affirmed that the mission was a noble international duty, which contributed to strengthening the Vietnam-Turkey cooperation.

Chien also expressed his wish that Turkey would soon complete its post-quake reconstruction and stabilise the lives of people in the affected areas.

Deputy Ambassador of Turkey to Vietnam Devletsah Yayan thanked the VPA for sending personnel to assist in overcoming the consequences of the earthquake. He affirmed that Turkish people will always appreciate and remember the support.

The VPA's search and rescue team, taking along 35 tonnes of cargo, departed for Turkey on February 12 night. Immediately after arriving in Istanbul, the team moved to Hatay, one of the hardest hit provinces by the earthquake, to join the search for victims by local and international forces.

Maj. Gen. Pham Van Ty, Deputy Chief of the Office of the National Committee for Incident and Disaster Response, Search and Rescue and Deputy Director of the VPA's Department of Search and Rescue, reported that despite numerous difficulties, the team had fulfilled their assigned tasks with the support of local people, Turkish authorities and the Vietnamese Embassy in Turkey./.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Turkey Do Son Hai (L) gives an interview

to the Vietnam News Agency. (Photo: VNA)

Talking to the Vietnam News Agency, he said the embassy has coordinated closely and effectively with local authorities, representatives of the Vietnamese community, and rescue teams to stay updated with the situation of Vietnamese citizens affected by the earthquake.

Shortly after the earthquake, the embassy convened emergency meetings to make citizen protection plans. It quickly liaised with many sources of information, from local administrations to the Vietnamese community in Turkey, to learn about the number of Vietnamese in the 10 quake-hit provinces.

The embassy hasnt recorded any Vietnamese deaths in the earthquake so far, Hai noted.

All the seven families of Vietnamese women in the affected localities are safe, but their houses were damaged. They are residing in makeshift tents and now find themselves in great hardship.

Therefore, the embassy has provided financial aid and essential goods for the families, he said, adding that it is also working with the Vietnamese community in the Middle Eastern country to assist the expatriates in reconstruction efforts so that they can soon return to the normal life.

Regarding the search and rescue operations by the teams from the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of National Defence of Vietnam, the ambassador said the tasks in Turkey were difficult as this was the first time Vietnam had sent rescue teams to such a faraway place and with limited information.

The teams worked at their full capacity and coordinated closely with local and international rescue forces, along with local administrations and residents. The embassy kept a close watch on the situation, maintained contact with local authorities, and mobilised resources from Vietnamese people in those areas to provide timely support for the teams, Hai went on.

The teams received high evaluation from Turkish authorities and people as well as from international rescue forces. Their successful fulfillment of duties and safe return to the homeland was a great success in this extremely difficult campaign, according to the diplomat.

The 7.8-magnitude earthquake on February 6 has claimed more than 47,000 lives in Turkey and neighbouring Syria so far, statistics show./.
US Hegemony and its Perils: China's criticism of U.S. hegemony hits the nail on the head

16:47, February 24, 2023 By Chi Zao ( People's Daily Online

"US hegemony and its Perils" was published by Xinhua News Agency on Monday.

China has released a report exposing American misbehavior on the global political, military, economic, scientific, and cultural stages, amid the US' ongoing provocations against China, such as its unfounded claims of a "Chinese spy balloon". It has sparked a raging debate online.

The 4,000-word report, US Hegemony and Its Perils, was published by Xinhua News Agency on Monday. It presented the relevant facts and sought to expose the U.S. abuse of hegemony in the political, military, economic, financial, technological and cultural fields, while also "drawing greater international attention to the perils of the U.S. practices to world peace and stability and the well-being of all peoples."

With only three exceptions, the paper claims that the United States has battled or been militarily involved with nearly all of the 190 or so countries recognized by the United Nations. The three nations were "spared" because the U.S. could not locate them on the map.

The United States was also called out for its "arbitrary judgments" of other nations' democracies and for creating a false narrative of "democracy versus authoritarianism" to incite hostility.

Nicholas Burns, the United States' ambassador to China, called the article "crude propaganda and unworthy of a great power" on Twitter. Not everyone agreed with him, and his allegations were not backed up by evidence or additional commentary.

Ben King, a Twitter user who denounced Burns' claims, left a comment criticizing U.S. hegemony.

"You can't build a neocolonial empire through dozens of covert actions, then act shocked when someone points it out," said Ben King.

The report has also gotten under the skin of some Western journalists. Foreign affairs journalist Ishana Tharoor criticized China for calling the U.S. out but admitted that "American misdeeds from the past, including the hideous legacy of supporting Cold War-era anti-democratic coups, are abominable."

Many Americans, unlike U.S. politicians and media outlets, have voiced their concerns about U.S. hegemony, adding that China's criticism of it has hit the nail on the head.

Twitter screenshot.

"It all seems quite an accurate and true reflection of the way the U.S. behaves. I can't see any part of it that could be substantially rewritten unless intending to deceive," said Twitter user Dame George Gremlin.

Twitter screenshot.

The report has also received support from academics and professionals from other countries. Speaking of hegemonists and crumbling hegemony, Ebrahim Hashem, a former assistant to the chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office, wrote on Twitter, "This document, published by China's foreign ministry three days ago, describes the current state of the US Hegemony and Its Perils."

(Web editor: Wu Chaolan, Wu Chengliang)
Vietnams Agri VMA company will manufacture and market animal feed and raw materials, breed pigs and other animals  Photo for illustration (Source: www. cubabusinessreport.com)

The Vietnam News Agency quoted the information of the zones office.

According to a statement posted on ZEDM's website, a representative of the special zone emphasized that Agri VMAs new investment, estimated at US$21 million, contributes to strengthening the position of the Asian country with the largest presence here.

The company will manufacture and market animal feed and raw materials, breed pigs and other animals as well as import agricultural inputs and technology.

Agri VMA production is expected to have a positive effect on food production and import substitution, contributing to the achievement of food sovereignty in Cuba.

Established in November 2013, ZEDM was the first and only of its kind in the country.

Covering 465.4sq.m, ZEDM enjoys a privileged geographic location as it locates in the centre of the Caribbean Sea and at the crossroads of the main maritime commercial traffic routes in the Western Hemisphere.

Once investing in ZEDM, foreign investors are entitled to benefit from a 0% tax rate for repatriated earnings and duty-free treatment of importing raw materials during the investment phase as well as 10-year exemption on taxes on profits.

Other incentives include a one-stop-shop system that provides information to investors and facilitates companies' set up, registration and licensing./.
Source: PVI

The ratings reflect PVI Insurances balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its strong operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM). The ratings also factor in rating enhancement from PVIs ultimate parent, HDI.

The rating upgrades reflect the companys consistently favourable underwriting performance and outstanding overall profitability. Robust underwriting performance is supported by profitable commercial and industrial businesses. PVI Insurance has reported consistent technical profitability and a five-year average return- on-equity ratio of 17% (2017-2021). The company reported strong premium growth (17%) in 2022. AM Best expects PVI Insurance will continue to maintain its underwriting profitability with a net combined ratio at approximately the low-90% range over the medium term. Investment returns, arising mainly from interest and dividend income, have been consistently supportive of operating earnings.

PVI Insurances risk-adjusted capitalisation is expected to decrease, albeit remain at the strongest level over the medium term, as measured by Bests Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR). The decline is mainly due to insurance business growth, higher investment exposure and a high dividend payout ratio. The company has a moderate risk investment portfolio, with an increasing allocation to non-rated corporate bonds and affiliated private equity investments, although a majority of investments remain allocated to cash and term deposits. Key offsetting factors include its high reinsurance dependence.

PVI Insurance has a strong market position in commercial and industrial lines of business, including energy, property, engineering, aviation and marine insurance, supported by its affiliation with the PetroVietnam (PVN) group, one of the largest state-owned oil and gas corporations in Vietnam. The company also receives support from HDI V.a.G. to enhance its technical expertise and service offerings.

AM Best considers the companys ERM approach as appropriate given the size and complexity of its current operations. PVI Insurance benefits from risk management and governance support from HDI V.a.G...
At the event (Photo: Vietnamnet.vn)

This is an activity in the framework of the opening ceremony of the training course for citizens to perform their obligations to join the People's Public Security Forces in 2023. In this training course, the Ministry of Public Security has organized to receive and train more than 15,000 new soldiers from 61 provinces and cities across the country.

During the 3-month training period, the new soldiers will be equipped with basic knowledge of politics, law, combat skills, weapons use, rescue and extra-curricular training programs of the police sector./.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein (R) attends a joint news conference with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Baghdad, Iraq, Feb. 22, 2023.(Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

BAGHDAD, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian held meetings with Iraqi leaders on Wednesday in Baghdad on border situation, bilateral cooperation and regional security.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said at a joint press conference with Amir-Abdollahian that the two sides discussed issues of common interest, including border situation, adding the Iraqi government has taken measures to protect its border with Iran from being used to launch attack against neighboring countries.

"Iraq's Constitution prohibits the use of Iraq's lands to attack neighboring countries," he told reporters.

For his part, Amir-Abdollahian told reporters that Iran supports strengthening Iraq's security and sovereignty in confronting terrorism.

The top Iranian diplomat also thanked the Iraqi counterpart for "his endeavors to bridge the views of all parties" in an effort to facilitate Iran's normalization talks with Saudi Arabia and Egypt respectively.

Amir-Abdollahian also met with Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid later in the day, where Rashid said the two countries could contribute to enhancing security and stability in the region, according to the Iraqi presidency's statement.

During a separate meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, the two sides emphasized the importance of enhancing bilateral cooperation in security, economic and cultural fields, according to a press release issued by the Iraqi Prime Minister's media office.

Editor: WXY
'Financial Ramstein' for Ukraine at high political level to be held in April on sidelines of IMF and World Bank meeting - Shmyhal

A meeting of the Donor Coordination Platform for Ukraine - "financial Ramstein" - at a high political level - of presidents and prime ministers - will be held in early April in Washington during the spring meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said.

"We will discuss long-term cooperation in five aspects: financing the budget deficit; the program for the rapid recovery, or Rapid Recovery plan; the large-scale recovery, or Marshall Plan for Ukraine; the confiscation of frozen Russian assets; war risk insurance," he said in an interview with Ukrainian edition of Forbes.

He recalled that the first meeting of "financial Ramstein" took place at the end of January. It was held online at the executive level.
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) at its plenary meeting on Friday decided to suspend Russia's membership.

"The Russian Federations actions unacceptably run counter to the FATF core principles aiming to promote security, safety, and the integrity of the global financial system. They also represent a gross violation of the commitment to international cooperation and mutual respect upon which FATF Members have agreed to implement and support the FATF Standards. Considering the above, the FATF has decided to suspend the membership of the Russian Federation," the FATF said on its website on Friday.

In the report, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is called illegal, unprovoked and unjustified. The FATF reiterates its deepest sympathies for the people of Ukraine and continues to deplore the huge loss of lives and malicious destruction.

"The FATF reiterates that all jurisdictions should be alert to possible emerging risks from the circumvention of measures taken in order to protect the international financial system and take the necessary measures to mitigate these risks," the FATF said.

Delegates from more than 200 jurisdictions of the Global Network took part in the meeting at the FATF headquarters in Paris.
As part of the Humanitarian Appeal for Ukraine, 52 million Canadian dollars have been raised from 72,000 donors, the press service of the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) has reported.

The Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal is a joint project of the CUF and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC). For more than a year, the two organizations have been working together to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of assistance provided by Canadian citizens to Ukrainians affected by the war.

On the eve of the anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Ambassador Yuliya Kovaliv, together with CEO of the CUF Council Victor Hetmanczuk and President of the UCC Alexandra Chyczij, reported on raising funds for humanitarian assistance and its use since February 24, 2022.

Kovaliv thanked for the support on behalf of all Ukrainians.

According to the press release, since February 24, 2022, the Humanitarian Appeal raised more than $52 million from 72,000 donors.

"The generosity of Canadians has made it possible to provide critical assistance to hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians. Unfortunately, the war shows no signs of stopping. We need constant and unwavering support in our mission to help our brothers and sisters in Ukraine," the press service quoted Hetmanczuk as saying.

Since February 2022, as part of the Humanitarian Appeal, 300,000 food packages have been delivered to Ukraine, which provided food for 850,000 people in Ukraine, Moldova and Romania. Some 53 tonnes of medicines were sent to more than 790,000 patients.

"The Ukrainian-Canadian community works continuously to support our brothers and sisters in Ukraine in their heroic defense of their homeland from the genocidal war of aggression on the part of Russia. Our community is infinitely grateful to all Canadians for their unwavering, generous support of the Ukrainian people in a difficult time for them," Chyczij said.

Solving the problems of energy uncertainty, 161 generators were donated to hospitals, the families of the dead military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and in support of the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, 2,000 stoves for cooking and heating in the recently liberated territories. Also 2,000 beds, mattresses, blankets, pillows, bed linen for IDPs; 1,000 pallets of detergents for displaced persons; 1,000 sets of fire-fighting equipment, 10,000 special gloves for rescuers; 330 pallets of personal protective equipment for hospitals were handed over.

Some $1.2 million was transferred for psychological assistance services to the civilian population. Two missions of plastic surgeons were performed. They operated on 44 victims with severe facial injuries, a total of 106 operations. Three missions of humanitarian demining have been implemented.

"This ugly war in Ukraine has displaced more than 16 million people. Violent attacks on civilian infrastructure have damaged power grids and disabled water treatment facilities. One in three households is food insecure. People are hungry and need clean water. I am proud of our cooperation with the CUF. They have rallied the community to raise awareness and raise funds to help vulnerable families. We must redouble our efforts to continue helping those in need," GlobalMedic Executive Director Rahul Singh said.

A total of 20 wound VAC devices for the treatment of wound infections in hospitals in Western Ukraine, as well as consumables, 11 Toyota ambulances for the Ministry of Health of Ukraine were donated.

The CUF has been providing humanitarian assistance to Ukrainians since 1995.
On the occasion of the anniversary of Russia's attack on Ukraine, the Heads of State and Government of the member states of the European Union, Presidents of the European Council Charles Michel and the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen issued a statement: we will not rest until the restoration of peace and an independent, sovereign Ukraine.

The text of the statement was distributed by the European Council in Brussels on Thursday.

"One year ago, Putin's Russia started its brutal war of aggression against Ukraine. The Ukrainian people have shown incredible strength in defending their homeland and the core principles of international law against the Russian aggression. They have shown resolve in defending democracy and freedom, resilience in the face of hardship and dignity when confronted with Russia's crimes," they said.

The presidents said in the statement the Ukrainian people "have shown the world that the future of Ukraine is for the Ukrainians to decide." "No country has the right to invade its neighbour or violate its sovereignty and territorial integrity. This aggression is a crime against peace. It violates the UN Charter, the UN principles and the values of mankind. We cannot and should not remain passive in front of such crimes," the leaders said.

They said Russia "has systematically targeted civilians, destroyed cities and attacked Ukrainian identity." "We are determined to ensure that all those who are responsible for war crimes and other most serious crimes committed in connection with Russias war of aggression against Ukraine are held to account," the leaders said.

In addition, they stated Russia had weaponized food, energy, made "deeply irresponsible nuclear threats and spread false narratives about the war." "Russia's war of aggression and its consequences have significantly affected many countries notably through its impact on the global economy, food and commodity prices. The European Union will continue to work with partners to mitigate these effects and to provide assistance to the countries and people most in need," the top officials said in the statement.

The leaders also said the European Union and its partners "acted swiftly and in unity." "And we will continue to stand firmly and in full solidarity with Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes. All Ukrainians deserve to live in peace and choose freely their own destiny. Ukraine is part of our European family. Ukrainians have expressed their wish for a future within the European Union and we have acknowledged that by granting Ukraine the status of candidate country. The choice of the people of Ukraine is one of peace, democracy, rule of law, respect for fundamental rights and prosperity," according to the statement.

In addition, the leaders assured that the European Union will continue to support Ukraine in political, economic, humanitarian, financial and military terms, including through coordinated purchases from European industry. "We will also support Ukraine's reconstruction, for which we will strive to use frozen and immobilised Russian assets in accordance with EU and international law. We will further increase collective pressure on Russia to end its war of aggression. To this end we will adopt a tenth sanctions package and we will take steps against those who attempt to circumvent EU measures," according to the statement.

The leaders also said they support the peace formula of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. "Together with our international partners, we will make sure that Ukraine prevails, that international law is respected, that peace and Ukraines territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders are restored, that Ukraine is rebuilt, and that justice is done," they said.
The UN General Assembly voted for the resolution "Principles of the Charter of the United Nations underlying a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine" the draft of which was submitted by 57 countries, including Ukraine.

Some 141 countries voted for the project, seven voted against and 32 abstained. North Korea, Eritrea, Belarus, Mali, Nicaragua, Russia and Syria voted against. Abstained, among others, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, South Africa, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan. Azerbaijan did not participate.

According to the resolution, the General Assembly "reiterates its demand that the Russian Federation immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, and calls for a cessation of hostilities."

The resolution also calls for an "immediate cessation of the attacks on the critical infrastructure of Ukraine and any deliberate attacks on civilian objects, including those that are residences, schools and hospitals."

The General Assembly, the text says, "emphasizes the need to ensure accountability for the most serious crimes under international law committed on the territory of Ukraine through appropriate, fair and independent investigations and prosecutions at the national or international level, and ensure justice for all victims and the prevention of future crimes."

The General Assembly also "reaffirms its commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters."

According to the text, the General Assembly "underscores the need to reach, as soon as possible, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine in line with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations; welcomes and expresses strong support for the efforts of the Secretary General and Member States to promote a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine, consistent with the Charter, including the principles of sovereign equality and territorial integrity of States; calls upon Member States and international organizations to redouble support for diplomatic efforts to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine, consistent with the Charter."
U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield called the General Assembly vote on the Ukrainian resolution "historic:" 141 countries told Russia: "Withdraw troops from Ukraine!"

So the U.S. diplomat commented on the results of the vote, which took place on Thursday during a meeting of the UN General Assembly. Seven countries voted against the resolution. "And as stated in Ukraine's resolution, these 141 countries reiterated a clear demand to Russia: withdraw and  I'm sorry: Withdraw immediately, completely, and unconditionally from Ukraine's internationally recognized territory, send your troops home, and end this war," she said.

Thomas-Greenfield called the vote "really historic." "You saw one year after Russia's illegal, unprovoked, full-scale invasion into Ukraine where the countries of the world stand. We showed where we stand  with Ukraine," the U.S. ambassador said.

She said the vote "was clear." "A hundred forty-one countries voted to uplift and uphold the UN Charter. Only seven countries voted against it. A hundred forty-one countries voted for a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in Ukraine. A hundred forty-one countries affirmed that such a peace must be rooted in the UN Charter's most fundamental principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the inherent right of self-defense. A hundred forty-one countries  141 countries  recommitted to tackling the threats to energy, finance, the environment, food insecurity, nuclear security that Russias war has unleashed upon the world," the U.S. Ambassador to the UN said.
South Africa: SA listed as a jurisdiction under increased monitoring

Government has noted the Financial Action Task Forces (FATFs) decision to list South Africa as a jurisdiction under increased monitoring, or more commonly referred to as FATFs grey list.

The FATF made its decision at the FATF Plenary meeting which took place in Paris, France, earlier on Friday.

Following intensive engagements with FATF over progress made by South Africa since the publication of its Mutual Evaluation Report (MER) in October 2021, including a face-to-face meeting held in Morocco on 13 January 2023, the FATF informed the South African Government that it recognised the significant and positive progress made by the country in addressing the 67 recommended actions or deficiencies highlighted in the MER, said the National Treasury in a statement.

It said following engagements with FATF, it assessed that the country needed to make further and sustained progress in addressing the eight areas of strategic deficiencies related to the effective implementation of South Africas Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) laws as set out in the FATFs statement.

These action items requiring attention by South Africa were adopted by the FATF Plenary on 24 February 2023, and the country is expected to address these deficiencies by no later than the end of January 2025, Treasury said.

The areas of strategic deficiencies identified by the FATF require South Africa to:

- demonstrate a sustained increase in outbound Mutual Legal Assistance requests that help facilitate money laundering/terrorism financing (ML/TF) investigations and confiscations of different types of assets in line with its risk profile;

- improve risk-based supervision of Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBPs) and demonstrating that all AML/CFT supervisors apply effective, proportionate, and effective sanctions for noncompliance;

- ensure that competent authorities have timely access to accurate and up-to-date Beneficial Ownership (BO) information on legal persons and arrangements and applying sanctions for breaches of violation by legal persons to BO obligations;

- demonstrate a sustained increase in law enforcement agencies requests for financial intelligence from the Financial Intelligence Centre for its ML/TF investigations;

- demonstrate a sustained increase in investigations and prosecutions of serious and complex money laundering and the full range of TF activities in line with its risk profile;

- enhance its identification, seizure and confiscation of proceeds and instrumentalities of a wider range of predicate crimes, in line with its risk profile;

- update its TF Risk Assessment to inform the implementation of a comprehensive national counter financing of terrorism strategy; and

- ensure the effective implementation of targeted financial sanctions and demonstrating an effective mechanism to identify individuals and entities that meet the criteria for domestic designation

Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, has informed the FATF President, Raja Kumar, that the South African Cabinet has considered the Action Plan and committed to actively work with the FATF and ESAAMLG to swiftly and effectively address all outstanding deficiencies and strengthen the effectiveness of its AML/CFT regime, said Treasury.

Since the publication of its MER in October 2021, the South African Government has already demonstrated its commitment to implementing the recommended actions, including the speedy enactment of two major pieces of legislation - which in turn amended six Acts of Parliament; the General Laws (Anti-Money Laundering and the Combating the Financing of Terrorism) Amendment Act and the Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorism and Related Activities Amendment Act  in order to address some of the technical deficiencies identified in the Mutual Evaluation Report.

Treasury said government recognises that addressing the action items will be in the interest of South Africa, and that doing so is consistent with existing commitment to rebuild the institutions that were weakened during the period of state capture, the effectiveness of which is essential to addressing crime and corruption.

The action items as formulated in the Action Plan therefore form part of the broader commitment of the government to combat financial crime, corruption and state capture, as announcement by President [Cyril] Ramaphosa in October last year in response to the findings and recommendations of the Zondo Commission on state capture.

The need to address the action items is also consistent with the national strategy on AML/CFT which was adopted by Cabinet in November 2022, and will help strengthen the fight against financial crimes in the country, and assist in preserving the integrity of the countrys financial system.

National Treasury said it notes that there are no items on the action plan that relate directly to the preventive measures in respect of the financial sector.

This, it said, reflects the significant progress in the application of a risk-based approach to the supervision of banks and insurers.

National Treasury therefore expects that the increased monitoring will have limited impact on financial stability and costs of doing business with South Africa.

This will, however, be monitored closely. Importantly, the costs of increased monitoring will be substantially lower than the long-term costs of allowing South Africas economy to be contaminated by the flows of proceeds of crime and corruption.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2023-02-24. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Western countries play trick of a thief crying Stop, thief! by blaming China for Africas debt problems

17:23, February 24, 2023 By Meng Xia ( People's Daily Online

Cartoon by Tan Xiguang

Recently, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and India, the rotating presidency of the Group of 20 (G20) held a video conference discussing the global debt issue.

Some Western politicians and media outlets used this event as an opportunity to once again hype up the so-called "China debt trap" issue, making groundless accusations against the country.

During their visits to Africa a few days previously, some American politicians associated the debt problem in the continent with China.

In fact, it is Western countries that created the "debt trap" for developing countries. According to reports published by international organizations, the external debt of African countries is mainly owed to Western private lenders.

Western countries are trying to confuse the public and shirk their responsibility by blaming China for the debt crises in Africa. Using the thiefs trick of crying Stop, thief! is doomed to fail.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Zelenskyy thanks for supporting UN General Assembly resolution 'Principles of Charter of United Nations underlying comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine'

The President of Ukraine thanked the world community for supporting the UN General Assembly resolution "Principles of the Charter of the United Nations underlying a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine."

"I am grateful to all the countries that endorsed the crucial UN General Assembly resolution "Principles of the Charter of the United Nations that underline the comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine," he said on Twitter on Thursday evening.

"This resolution is a powerful signal of unflagging global support for Ukraine. A powerful testament to the solidarity of world community with Ukrainian people in the context of the anniversary of Russia's full-scale aggression. A powerful manifestation of global support for Ukrainian Formula of Peace," the head of state said.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says he has invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to attend the NATO summit to be held in Vilnius in July and looks forward to his personal presence.

At a press conference in Tallinn on Friday, he invited President Zelenskyy to take part in the NATO Summit in Vilnius in July. NATO Secretary General said he hopes that Zelenskyy can be in person, but of course it depends on the situation, because there is a war going on, an invasion of his country.
On Friday, China presented a 12-point peace plan to end the Ukrainian-Russian war.

In the document posted on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the first point is "respect for the sovereignty of all countries." "Universally recognized international law, including the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, must be strictly observed. The sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries must be effectively upheld," according to the text.

"Abandoning the Cold War mentality. The security of a country should not be pursued at the expense of others. The security of a region should not be achieved by strengthening or expanding military blocs," the officials said in the second point.

China's other proposals include a cessation of hostilities. "All parties should support Russia and Ukraine in working in the same direction and resuming direct dialogue as quickly as possible, so as to gradually deescalate the situation and ultimately reach a comprehensive ceasefire," according to the text.

China also offers to resolve the humanitarian crisis, protect civilians and prisoners of war ensure the safety of nuclear power plants, reduce strategic risks (no nuclear weapons and no nuclear wars), promote grain exports, end unilateral sanctions, maintain the stability of production and supply chains, promoting post-conflict reconstruction.

The Chinese Embassy in Kyiv told Interfax-Ukraine that the document is based on the "four necessities" proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping; "four general positions" which the international community should adhere to, and the Three Observations on the crisis.

As the embassy explained, the "four general positions" are that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states should be respected, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter should be respected, the rational security concerns of all countries should be taken seriously, and all efforts should be supported to contribute to the peaceful resolution of the crisis.

"The four 'common positions' to be followed by the international community imply that the international community should support all efforts to promote a peaceful resolution of the crisis in Ukraine and call on the parties concerned to remain prudent, exercise restraint, and establish direct contacts as soon as possible and create conditions for renewal of negotiations; stand together against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons, uphold the inadmissibility of the use of nuclear weapons and the conduct of nuclear wars, and prevent a nuclear crisis in Eurasia; work together to maintain the stability of global production and supply chains, and prevent the disruption of international cooperation in energy, food, financial and other fields in order to avoid harm to the recovery of the global economy, especially to the economic and financial stability of developing countries; make a collective effort to help the civilian population in the areas affected by the crisis, survive the winter and improve the humanitarian situation, preventing an even greater humanitarian crisis."
The ambassadors of the member states of the European Union have practically agreed on the tenth package of sanctions against Russia, it remains to wait for the position of the two member states on one of the proposals. The work continues, said Andrzej Sados, Permanent Representative of Poland to the EU.

"At night, Poland presented a compromise proposal for the import of synthetic rubber from Russia. It assumes appropriate transitional periods and a mechanism for monthly limit reduction. We are waiting for the final position of the two member states that want to continue importing these products from Russia. We look forward to their positive feedback," he told reporters in Brussels on Friday. At the same time, the ambassador did not name which specific countries he was talking about.

Speaking about the agreements reached, Sados said that the ambassadors agreed to bring to justice individuals and legal entities responsible for the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children, and there was also a political agreement on the import of diamonds in coordination with G7 partners. In addition, the ambassadors agreed on the next steps in relation to the nuclear industry.

"The Swedish Presidency has assured all member states that intensive work on sanctions against Belarus will begin on Monday," he added.

Earlier, EU representatives, in particular, High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Josep Borrell, expressed confidence that the tenth package of sanctions would be approved by the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine - by February 24.
First Leopard tanks from Poland already arrived in Ukraine

Ukraine has received the first Leopard tanks delivered from Poland, Polish government spokesman Piotr Muller said.

"The first Leopards from Poland have been delivered to our neighbors from Ukraine. Today's visit by Prime Minister Morawiecki is of a measurable nature for the security of Ukraine and Europe," Muller said on Twitter on Friday.
The Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine will launch an e-Residency project this spring, thanks to which those working outside the country will be able to register as Ukrainian entrepreneurs (sole proprietors) and open an account without physically coming to the country, the Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation on IT development Oleksandr Borniakov.

"This spring, we plan to launch a separate e-Residency project for companies operating outside of Ukraine. What is it? It is an opportunity for foreigners to create a company in Ukraine, open an account without physically coming to the country," he said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

Borniakov said that at the first stage, it will be possible to register only as a sole proprietor but in the future, opportunities will be created to register legal entities as a limited liability company (LLC).

"Our ultimate goal is to make it possible to open even an LLC in this way. And, theoretically, when this happens, such registered companies will be able to apply for residents of Diia.City," the deputy minister said.

At the same time, he said the requirement for Ukrainian residency for residents of Diia.City will be preserved since this idea of a special regime for the activities of IT companies is based on creating incentives for Ukrainian businesses and attracting foreign capital to Ukraine.

"The idea of creating Diia.City was to stimulate the development of Ukrainian business and the arrival of foreign capital in Ukraine. It is necessary to create new jobs in the country. The idea is that the capital appeared in Ukraine and not somewhere in Cyprus. Therefore, it was not planned and is not planned to expand the legal regime for nonresidents," Borniakov said.

He said a foreign company can register a legal entity in Ukraine, be its 100% owner, and then apply for residency in Diia.City.
The benefit, which exempted companies in the IT sector from paying VAT over the past 10 years and ceased to be valid on January 1, 2023, can be returned for residents of Diia.City, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation for IT Development Oleksandr Borniakov has said.

"Now consultations are underway... We suggested that let's at least for the residents of Diia.City [we will extend the benefit]. This initiative came from IT associations, other players. They proposed this approach," Borniakov said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

According to him, initially negotiations were held with the Ministry of Finance, the parliamentary committee on finance, tax and customs policy regarding the extension of benefits for all companies. "They refuse, citing the IMF, as well as the fact that, in their opinion, the budget is losing revenues that it could receive," the deputy minister said.

According to him, the Ministry of Digital Transformation supports both options: both the extension of the benefit only for residents of Diia.City, and its return for everyone.

Borniakov said that the benefit can only be returned through the adoption of a relevant law in the Verkhovna Rada.

According to the Ministry of Digital Transformation, Diia.City resident companies increased budget contributions by 18.4% in 2022 compared to 2021. "And it is despite the fact that the tax burden remains almost at the level of the simplified taxation system," Borniakov said.

He expressed confidence that Diia.City's tax system is the best in Europe today, and recalled that the law guarantees that it will not be tightened over the next 25 years.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has said that Poland is ready to start training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 aircraft.

"Yes, we are ready to start training pilots on the F-16A-16. This must be agreed by the coalition, but the Ukrainian sky must be protected," he said at a press conference in Kyiv on Friday after talks with Ukrainian President Vlolodymyr Zelenskyy.

In turn, Zelenskyy thanked the Polish Prime Minister. "This may open up the possibility for us to form a new aviation coalition," he said.
Poland will ensure the treatment and rehabilitation of 2,500 injured Ukrainian servicemen, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said at a press conference following a meeting with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in Kyiv on Friday.

"I would like to highlight our cooperation on treatment and rehabilitation of our fighters. Some 2,500 our military will be able to receive such assistance," he said.

According to Zelenskyy, "Poland stood with us every minute this year and will stand with us until our joint victory".

He also said that Poland is one of Ukraine's top partners in the sphere of defense.

"Poland has become one of the founders of the tank coalition. Today, we can announce that the first tanks have arrived from Poland," Zelenskyy said.

The president also expressed hope that "we will manage to overcome the tabu on an aviation coalition. It will strengthen the Ukrainian army and security of our territory."

He also said that the issue of facilitating the border procedures was discussed during the talks.

"Supply chains were built across the border. When the war broke out, these chains helped to provide everything  water, food, weapons, people. Gradually, we simplified the procedures to keep our people alive," Zelenskyy said.
Military-tech startups will be singled out as a separate section within the Ukrainian Startup Fund (USF), which will increase their funding and advising support to create projects in accordance with NATO standards, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation for IT Development Oleksandr Borniakov has said.

"The Startup Fund was handed over to us. Now, it has a brand (USF) that will remain and will continue working. However, an additional direction is being created in parallel, which will focus on military-tech startups. Soon, we will announce the details of its launch, it will be public," Borniakov said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

He said that the budget of the USF fund at the beginning of the full-scale war was UAH 300 million. Part of this amount was used to buy back war bonds, which will be redeemed in October, as a result of which the Fund will receive UAH 125 million. The rest of the funds are used to finance dual-use startups and the implementation of agreements already concluded under previous programs, as well as the Fund's operational activities.

Ukrainian military-tech startups will claim commercial success even after the end of the war if they are built according to NATO standards, for which startups need to be provided with assistance, funding, and expertise, the Deputy Minister said.

According to him, new startups appear regularly, and most of them are now appearing in the field of military-tech. At the same time, the pace of funding and opportunities to attract it has decreased, Borniakov said. "This does not mean that there is no money at all or the situation is worse than before the war. And although many Ukrainian funds left the market at the same time, many funds from other countries, on the contrary, entered," he said.

Borniakov said that before he began working at the Ministry, he himself invested in dozens of projects and participated in the development of initiatives related to angel funding.

In 2022, USF financed projects totaling UAH 47.4 million. At the same time, financing of projects under the dual-use program amounted to UAH 28 million. "Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis, the key industries are cybersecurity, health care, education, defense, and infrastructure restoration. Thus, the Fund continues issuing grants for military-tech and finance agreements concluded under previous programs," Borniakov said.

He added that Fund managers are constantly working to find sources of non-state funding for USF. In the near future, in particular, a decision is expected on the European Union program for the provision of EUR 20 million for the development of startups, in which USF participates in the applications of three consortiums out of 11. "There is a chance that the decision will be positive and it is the application with the participation of the Ukrainian fund that will be approved," Borniakov said, adding that there are also several funding initiatives from Estonia.

According to him, the creation of the Fund of Funds has been put on hold for the time being. In 2020, UAH 500 million was provided for the implementation of this initiative, there were plans to attract funding from the EIB, EBRD and other structures. "However, when the full-scale war began, this money was taken from us, and now the whole story is on pause again," Borniakov said.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made it clear that relations with Israel have improved.

"For a long time during the war I wanted to be supported not only by the population [of Israel]  it is huge  but also by their political leaders, their various structures. It was very important to me. Ukraine has historically excellent relations with Israel. We had many different conversations at various levels, with various leaders, public and non-public, in various formats and on various territories," he said at a press conference in Kyiv on Friday.

Zelenskyy emphasized that "it was difficult to change" this position of Israel because it has an uneasy situation with Russia, Iran, and Syria.

"I really wanted them to be not a mediator in this war but to choose a side. And, of course, I really wanted [them to choose] the Ukrainian side. I cannot even imagine how Israel can support a war. The state which has been in war for so many years And I would like to answer your question. I know all answers to your question. However, I cannot voice them. I cannot let down the improvement in Ukraine-Israel relations we have started to see," the president said.
Zelenskyy holds phone talks with Erdogan, thanks for support on anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a telephone conversation with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the press service of the Ukrainian president has said.

Zelenskyy thanked the Turkish leader for his words of support on this symbolic day for Ukraine.

"I appreciate this show of support on the anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. We are grateful to you and all the Turkish people for the help we have felt all this time. We will always remember this support," Zelenskyy said.

Separately, he thanked Erdogan for Turkey's support for the UN resolution on lasting peace in Ukraine, as well as the Peace Formula.

For his part, the Turkish president expressed his gratitude for the assistance provided by Ukraine in overcoming the consequences of the devastating earthquakes. Zelenskyy once again expressed his condolences to Erdogan and the entire Turkish people in connection with the tragedy.

"The people of Ukraine stand side by side with the Turkish people in this dire hour. We are ready to continue providing all possible assistance to Turkey and its people," the president of Ukraine said.

During the conversation, the parties expressed interest in continuing the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that his main task is to unite the world to prevent the weakening of support for Ukraine.

My task as the president, the leader of the country, in any case, is not to make even the assumption of even weakening support for Ukraine. I believe that unity, unification of the world is my main task, Zelenskyy said at a press conference dubbed February. The Year of Invincibility on Friday.

The President stressed the importance of informing the world that this is not our war, we are fighting for all of you.

And also, not this war did led us to a crisis, it is the Russian Federation that is specifically making a crisis to weaken your support and blame Ukraine. My task is to do everything so that peace support for Ukraine does not weaken. And I didn't do it alone, the head of state said.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed indifference about the future of Russia in the event of its defeat in the war against Ukraine.

"A lot of countries have really started talking about what will happen [with Russia] after the defeat. I believe that information is in favor of Ukraine. It is important that the faith of states, the faith of leaders, and therefore of societies, because they always rely on the atmosphere in society, in their state. That is, it is a signal to us that the majority of the state, at least in Europe, believe in the victory of Ukraine. So, in the defeat of Moscow. Well, this is the conclusion. And the main question then is what will happen to Russia. Honestly, I don't care. Honestly. I believe that they have their own state, and they should think about their own state. If they thought about their state, there would be no war," Zelenskyy said at a press conference on Friday.
Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia will return home, however, this process is complicated since the Russian side denies having deported those children, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.

"We cannot remove the children by force because we cannot enter the territory of Russia. Any institution in the world cannot remove them by force because they do not have a mandate or access or Russia does not want to admit them. This is the answer about whether we can come and remove them. Not now," he said at a press conference in Kyiv on Friday.

However, Ukraine is able to pose pressure, the head of state said.

In particular, the president said that a conference entitled "United for Justice" will be held in Lviv at the beginning of March. It will bring together leaders and international organizations, particularly Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Karim Khan.

"Secondly, our ombudsman is working and a coordination center is operating. It is a very difficult task. They [the occupiers] think that they did not kidnap anyone. They think that they gave shelter to children who 'escaped from the Nazi'. Of course, it will be solved. The children will come back. And there will be liability for this," Zelenskyy said.

He also noted that this issue has been actively discussed with the leaders. If public attention is attracted to the problem, this may help as well.

At the same time, the president stressed that it is necessary to win in the war in order to resolve the problem with returning children home.
The Verkhovna Rada has adopted a law introducing transparency in the defense procurement system.

The adoption of bill No. 8381 was generally supported by 264 MPs at the plenary session on Friday, Yaroslav Zhelezniak, a member of the Holos parliamentary faction, has said.

"The bill proposes to publish the prices at which defense customers buy goods for the military and other goods and services to support the army in the ProZorro system," he wrote on his Telegram channel.

The document proposes to define the principles of defense procurement during martial law, to introduce defense procurement reports (except for information on the procurement of goods, works and services constituting a state secret) by state defense customers regarding information, the disclosure of which is required for the transparency of the procurement process and will ensure protection of government customers from military threats.

At the same time, the bill provides for the need to establish a requirement to publish a report on a defense procurement agreement concluded without the use of ProZorro in the electronic procurement system (ProZorro), and notify of changes to the essential terms of such an agreement. A similar requirement applies to amendments to the essential terms of such an agreement, which "were made public in the period from February 24, 2022 to the day this law comes into force."

According to the press service of the parliament, with reference to the co-author of the legislative initiative, the head of the parliamentary committee on anti-corruption policy, Anastasia Radina (the Servant of the People parliamentary faction), information on the price of the goods per unit, and not the entire contract, will be public, since it may contain certain sensitive information that must remain confidential for security reasons.

"Information on the price of a unit of purchased goods will be made public, not only for future contracts, but also for those that were concluded during the year of the full-scale war. The bill also contains a rule that the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence can receive any contract, even secret, and reconsider it," the deputy said.

In her opinion, the adopted norms will increase transparency, and manipulations in the field of procurement for the military will become extremely difficult. In addition, the MPs continue work to generally change the procurement system for troops and make it more competitive so that the allocated money is used effectively.
The USA has always been ready to take part in any meaningful diplomatic negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday.

Blinken said at a meeting of the UN Security Council that the United States had long made it clear, even before the war began, that they are ready to take part in any meaningful diplomatic efforts to stop Russia's aggressive actions against Ukraine.

However, he stressed that in any negotiations it is necessary to achieve only a just and lasting peace.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy admits the threat of the Russian Federation invading another European state, in particular, NATO member countries.

"Unfortunately, yes, I think it is possible. And it can happen. Why? I can explain. President Putin needs to show success and victories. Success on the battlefield in Ukraine will not take place. There will be no massive rematch. At least we will fight. And if there are supplies [of weapons and armaments from partners], we will be stronger," Zelenskyy said at a press conference on Friday.

In his opinion, Russia can invade those countries "where there is a weak spot," and it is desirable that these should be states that were influenced by Moscow back in Soviet times, "where there are certain adversities, that is, certain conflicts, certain separate institutions."

"That's what's happening. And then Moldova  You know about the example of Moldova. You know that our intelligence intercepted the document. And I have openly said this. And I brought this information to the EU. And in the first hours after receiving it, I also handed it over to Maia Sandu [President of Moldova]. And this is very important. And there is evidence that they wanted to change the leadership of the state," Zelenskyy said.

He believes that, given the absence of common borders between Russia and Moldova, "there may be a landing," that is, we should talk about "an attack from Transdniestria, an attack of Chisinau."

At the same time, Zelenskyy did not rule out that the Russian Federation could start a war against the Baltic states in the event of a weakening of assistance to Ukraine from the United States and NATO.

"And if it happens that Ukraine will not stand because of certain opinions, because of the weakening of this or that aid, Russia will come to NATO countries, they will come to the Baltic States, they will come and seize the Baltic States," the President of Ukraine said.
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.
Israeli forces on Saturday beat Christian worshippers heading toward the Church of the Holy Sepulchre amid growing restrictions on the freedom of religion in Jerusalem, a video circulated by Sky News Arabia showed.
The G7's top diplomats arrive Sunday in the Japanese resort town of Karuizawa for talks set to be dominated by twin crises: China's growing pressure on Taiwan, and Russia's war in Ukraine.
US President Joe Bidens surprise visit to Kyiv this week came at a critical moment in the Russian winter offensive and just days before the first anniversary of the war.

After a year of hostilities in Ukraine, it is still too early to predict an outcome to the conflict in the country. Although Russia holds most of the territory in the east and south, it continues to encounter stiff resistance from Ukrainian forces, and observers continue to speculate about the possible course Russia will take once the second year of the war begins.

At what appears to be a critical moment in the Russian winter offensive, US President Joe Biden also paid a surprise visit to Kyiv this week in a show of support just days before the first anniversary of the beginning of the war. Western leaders meeting in Brussels have pledged additional arms, ammunition, and training for Ukrainian forces.

At the front in the Donbas region, Russia is close to defeating Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut, a strategic communications hub in the Donetsk oblast. Only a few more areas remain before the Russians attain the operational encirclement if not fall of that crucial city, enabling them to consolidate their defences on the Donetsk front.

Some believe Russia will now reignite the northern front in order to reclaim territory it lost in the Ukrainian counter-offensive in the Kharkiv region last autumn. Other possibilities include a northward drive from the Zaporizhzhia oblast in the south or a westward offensive towards the cities of Kherson, Dnipro, and Zaporizhzhia, perhaps with an eye to crossing the Dnipro River and re-establishing control over Kherson city and other areas.

When it launched its Special Military Operation in Ukraine a year ago, Moscow listed several main goals, one of which was to protect the ethnic Russians and native Russian speakers in the Russian-majority areas of Donetsk and Luhansk. Annexing those areas was not the originally stated aim, and Russian President Vladimir Putin in his address of 24 February 2022 stressed that Moscow had no plans to occupy territory in Ukraine.

However, in late September 2022, after the Ukraine launched its counter-offensive, Moscow officially annexed the four eastern oblasts of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. It also drew back its forces by some 3,000 km, so as to consolidate its front in the Donbas and secure the northern approaches to the Crimean Peninsula.

It has since slowly but steadily been regaining ground in the east. However, the pledges by the Western powers of more powerful and strategic weaponry could jeopardise the advances Russia has been making in that area.

The Russian forces have also faced logistical problems, such as the flawed partial mobilisation process in Russia itself. The heavy reliance on Wagner forces after the restructuring of the Russian military command in charge of the operation in Ukraine signalled the combat weariness of Russias standing army. As NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has pointed out, the war in Ukraine has become a war of mutual attrition.

At the start of the operation and many times since, Putin said that one of the goals was to neutralise Ukraine militarily and prevent it from joining NATO. For decades, Russia has been concerned by NATOs open-door policy towards countries that were once in the Soviet orbit, and since 2014 in particular it has watched the growing ties between Ukraine and the Western military pact with increasing alarm.

It feared that the intention was aggressive and that the point was to bring NATO forces directly up to Russias borders as part of a plan to encircle it.

In this regard, the military operation in Ukraine appears to have had a counter-productive effect. It has unified the divergent outlooks of NATO members behind a drive to strengthen NATOs defence capacities, especially in Eastern Europe along the line extending from Romania on the Black Sea through Poland and the Baltic states. It has also driven Finland and Sweden to abandon their neutrality and apply for NATO membership.

At this juncture, and according to online maps, Russia has succeeded in asserting control over most of the Donbas. It now remains for it to develop a forward defence area in the west of the country, reinforce its control over the Azov Sea, and secure its Black Sea coastline in southern Ukraine up to Odessa. However, not only has this progress come at considerable cost to Russia, but the powerful weapons that have been pledged to Ukraine may have cast a shadow over the sustainability of Russian gains.

Whereas Ukraine once belonged to the Russian military school during the Soviet era, US and NATO training programmes and military support have been gradually turning its armed forces into a Western-style army that is interoperable with NATO forces. Although there is a partnership agreement with NATO, Kyiv is still pressing for official membership, a demand Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba raised again during the Munich Security Conference last week.

Elsewhere on the East European front, NATO and the US have been building up their forces. A plan has been approved to establish 110 more military bases and posts in Poland. If Russia had hoped that its operation in Ukraine would persuade the West to reverse its military encroachment towards its border, the invasion has had the opposite effect.

Ultimately, the territories that Russia now controls in Ukraine may be the only buffer zone between NATO and Russia. Of course, much is contingent on Russias ability to secure its control over the Donbas and develop strong defences, as well as on NATOs armament systems and deployments.

Politically, both sides have had wins and losses. The Western sanctions have failed to isolate Russia internationally, and the war has brought renewed attention to a cause that Moscow has long advocated, namely the need to restructure the international order and shift it away from the Washington-centric monopolar order and towards a more equitable multipolar order.

China has benefited from this development as it moves closer to becoming a rival superpower. However, mounting tensions between Washington and Beijing could call into question how peacefully China can continue its rise.

Moscow also remains a key player in the Middle East. Military relations between Russia and Tehran have grown closer during the war. Relations with Egypt and the Gulf countries are good, and of course Russia also continues to play a pivotal role in Syria, where it is currently helping to broker a rapprochement between Damascus and Ankara.

In Africa, too, Russia has retained a robust foreign policy, challenging US influence and interests in some countries and moving into Frances former space in Mali. Russia is still important in efforts to resolve the Libya crisis, and it is developing closer military relations with Algeria.

While the Western economic sanctions may have taken a toll on Russia, the economic repercussions of the war, especially in terms of energy, have taken a heavy toll on Europe, which is simultaneously footing a large chunk of the bill for the military support for Kyiv.

Many US reports and commentators have remarked on how Washingtons campaign to politically and economically isolate and incapacitate Russia has been much less effective than they could have imagined. They have also been taken aback by the neutrality of the Gulf countries and their oil policies, which have demonstrated a new and unanticipated independence of resolve.

Although the Western sanctions have led to a reduction in military cooperation and defence contracts between Russia and many Middle Eastern countries, the latter have benefited from attractive arms deals with the US.

Despite the peace initiatives that initially gained some traction in the early phases of the war, none of the parties currently seem genuinely interested in ending it. Ukraine has dug its heels into a maximalist position. Whereas previously it demanded the return of Russian forces to the lines of 23 February 2022, it now insists on the full withdrawal of Russian forces from all Ukrainian territory, including the whole of the Donbas and Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. It also demands that Russian officials be brought before a war crimes tribunal.

Russia, too, has raised the bar in order to distance Ukraine from the West. It now requires the recognition of the current status quo on the ground as a precondition for negotiations, which would be tantamount to surrender.

But perhaps the more difficult challenge is a settlement between Moscow and Kyivs main backer, Washington. One particularly crucial concern is the need to renew the New START strategic arms limitation treaty. The challenges facing this are considerable, especially given that the war in Ukraine may change the balances of power and throw the calculations the treaty rests on into disarray.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 23 February, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Famed American boy band Backstreet Boys will give a concert in Egypt, UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, as part of their DNA World Tour



Arriving from Iceland's leg of their tour, the Backstreet Boys will make a stop in Egypt on 1 May, before continuing to India, UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

The tour promoting their ninth studio album, DNA (2019), includes a total of 150 shows in the Americas, Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia and Australia.

It was first announced in 2019; but due to COVID-19 pandemic many of its segments were, however, modified.

In February 2023, the Backstreet Boys embarked on the second of the tour's eight legs, and one that will continue until the end of May.

The concert in Egypt will take place at ZED East, one of the luxury compounds located in New Cairo.

ORA, the company organising the event, announced the news, mentioning that "tickets will be released soon" via the event's partner Ticketsmarche.

For the time being, the American band's fans can make a pre-booking on the Ticketsmarche's website.

Formed in 1993, the Backstreet Boys became the highest selling boy band of all time with 130 million records sold.

They reached the peak of their popularity during the 1990s and 2000s. Their last album from that period -- and their eighth studio album -- entitled In a World Like This was released in 2013.

Their latest album, entitled DNA, was released in 2019.

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Egypt welcomed on Friday the approval by the Libyan House of Representatives of the 13th constitutional amendment, describing it as an important step to hold parliamentary and presidential elections in Libya.

According to a statement released by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the amendment, which was approved yesterday, marks an important step in fulfilling the necessary frameworks to hold the Libyan presidential and parliamentary elections simultaneously and as soon as possible under the supervision of a neutral executive authority that upholds the supreme interests of the Libyan state.

The statement added that Egypt is looking forward to seeing the Libyan House of Representatives and Council of State completing their efforts in preparing electoral laws.

The foreign ministry reiterated Egypt's full support for the Libyan-Libyan process, praising the efforts of the House of Representatives, the only elected legislative body in Libya, and the High Council of State.

The statement also asserted Egypts rejection of any external dictates on the Libyans or circumventing the role of Libyan institutions, in accordance with the Skhirat Agreement.

Egypt also called on all involved parties to adhere to these irreplaceable foundations and determinants.

The foreign ministry also stressed the need to stop external interference in Libya and the exit of all foreign forces.

It reiterated Egypts support for the relevant mission of the 5+5 Joint Military Committee in order to ensure and emphasise the sovereignty and stability of Libya.

On Thursday, the Libyan House of Representatives in Benghazi approved the 13th amendment of the Libyan Constitutional declaration that was published in the Libyan states official gazette on the same day.

The newly amended constitutional declaration includes 34 articles defining the new system of government and the tasks of the elected president and prime minister.

It also defines the powers and tasks of the legislative authority, which the amendment divides into two chambers: a House of Representatives and a National Assembly.

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Egypts Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN Osama Mahmoud Abdel-Khalek asserted Egypt's full backing of the legitimate rights of Palestinians and its rejection of any attempts to undermine the two-state solution.

Ambassador Abdel-Khalek made his remarks at the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP) with the participation of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, according to a statement by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday.



Abdel-Khalek said the CEIRPP meeting is of special importance in light of the latest developments in the occupied Palestinian territories and the recent rise in tensions as a result of the Israeli settlement practices.

He stressed that settlement practices aim to change the status quo on the ground and undermine the two-state solution and any basis for a political settlement in the future.

He voiced Egypt's condolences for the 10 Palestinians killed during the Israeli incursion into Nablus on Wednesday that also left more than a hundred others injured.

Abdel-Khalek also praised the CEIRPP's efforts to back the Palestinian cause via its various activities,.

He called for continued placement of the Palestinian issue on the agenda of the international community till the Palestinian people attain their freedom and an independent state on 1967 borders with east Jerusalem as its capital.

The ambassador also stressed that Egypt will remain committed to defending the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and their just cause.

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Egypts Ministry of Health and Population said that a total of 3.65 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered through its Knock on Doors" campaign from 29 January to 21 February.

In statements on Friday, spokesman for the the health ministry Hossam Abdel-Ghaffar said the campaign is in line with the president's directives to enhance COVID-19 vaccination coverage nationwide.

The campaign covered Menoufiya, Minya, Assiut, Qena and Qalioubiya governorates, the spokesman noted.

Approximately 41 million citizens have received COVID-19 vaccines  either initial or booster shots  and 56 million doses are still available to be administered, according to recently released ministry figures.

On Wednesday, Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar said in a cabinet meeting that the number of coronavirus-related deaths decreased during the seventh week of 2023 compared to the previous six weeks while reviewing the status of the pandemic in the country.

According to early statements from health ministry officials, the dominant strain of coronavirus currently in Egypt is the Omicron variant, which is more contagious despite exhibiting milder symptoms.

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China called Friday for urgent peace talks as it released its plan to end the war in Ukraine, but Western powers quickly rebuffed the proposals while warning against Beijing's closening ties to Moscow.

The 12-point paper calling for a "political settlement" of the crisis follows accusations from the West that China is considering arming Russia, a claim Beijing has dismissed as false.

Timed to coincide with the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the paper calls for all parties to "support Russia and Ukraine in working in the same direction and resuming direct dialogue as quickly as possible".

It also makes clear its opposition to not only the use of nuclear weapons, but the threat of deploying them, after Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to use Moscow's atomic arsenal in the conflict.

But the document was immediately met by scepticism from Ukraine's allies, with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg saying Beijing "doesn't have much credibility because they have not been able to condemn the illegal invasion of Ukraine".

US President Joe Biden's national security advisor said the war "could end tomorrow if Russia stopped attacking Ukraine and withdrew its forces".

"My first reaction to (the position paper) is that it could stop at point one, which is to respect the sovereignty of all nations," Jake Sullivan told CNN.

And German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that while "every constructive suggestion that brings us closer on the path to a just peace is highly welcome... whether global power China wants to play such a constructive role is still doubtful".

China should "not just speak with Moscow, but also with Kyiv", he added.

At a press conference in Beijing, Ukrainian and EU diplomats urged China to do more to press Russia to end the conflict.

Jorge Toledo, the EU ambassador to China, said Beijing has a "special responsibility" as a permanent member of the UN Security Council to uphold peace.

"Whether this is compatible with neutrality, I'm not sure, it depends on what neutrality means," he said.

Strategic allies

China has sought to position itself as a neutral party in the conflict while maintaining close ties with strategic ally Russia.

Top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi on Wednesday met with Putin and Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, in Moscow.

A readout of the meeting published by Chinese state news agency Xinhua quoted Wang as saying China was willing to "deepen political trust" and "strengthen strategic coordination" with Russia.

Following Wang's visit, Moscow said Beijing had presented its views on approaches to a "political settlement" of the conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday he had not seen any Chinese peace plan and wanted to meet with Beijing over the proposal before assessing it.

Friday's document showed Beijing "clearly views the conflict in Ukraine as a product of what it says is Cold War mentality and an outdated European security architecture", said Manoj Kewalramani, a China expert at the Takshashila Institution in Bengaluru, India.

"The concerns reflected in this document are around escalation and spillover effects," he told AFP, adding that Beijing would likely prefer peace talks to focus on "a new European security architecture rather than the war itself".

Since Russian tanks rolled over the border into Ukraine, China has offered Putin diplomatic and financial support, but refrained from overt military involvement or sending lethal arms.

Washington believes that might be about to change, voicing concerns that China could be planning to supply Russia with weapons to prop up its war effort. Beijing has denied the claims.

A virtual Group of Seven summit on Friday will call on countries to not send military aid to Russia, Japan's prime minister said, though he did not single out any nation.

But one analyst suggested the Chinese policy paper could be laying the groundwork for further involvement by Beijing in the conflict.

"The absence of a proscription against arms transfers concerns me," former US Department of Defense official Drew Thompson wrote on Twitter.

"It is possible Beijing is getting ready to provide Russia with lethal support."

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Leaders around the world on Friday weighed in on the one-year anniversary of Russia invading Ukraine, the large majority pledging firm support to Kyiv despite Moscow's defiance.

Here is what they said:

'Fight for freedom'

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Ukrainians "will no doubt prevail" in their battle against Russia a year on from the invasion on February 24, 2022.

"Freedom is not for free. We must fight for it every day," he said.

"Today it is the Ukrainian people who are bravely fighting for their freedom. And despite a dark year of despair and destruction, their determination and courage will no doubt prevail."

Russian 'failure'

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said Russian President Vladimir Putin has "failed to achieve a single" goal.

"One year on from the start of his brutal war, Putin has failed to achieve a single one of his strategic goals... Instead of wiping Ukraine from the map, he is confronted with a nation more vigorous than ever," she said.

'No military aid to Russia'

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the Group of Seven wealthy nations at a virtual meeting later on Friday would call on countries to not send military aid to Russia.

"The G7 intends to call for such support to cease," he said.

He said the talks would see the group discuss new sanctions on Moscow.

US sanctions

The United States announced sweeping sanctions aimed at increasing economic pain for Russia.

The new sanctions, which target sectors including banks, mining, and the defence industry, will hit "over 200 individuals and entities, including both Russian and third-country actors across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East that are supporting Russia's war effort," the White House said.

World 'united'

Britain's King Charles III condemned Russia's "unprovoked full-scale attack" on Ukraine.

"It has now been a year that the people of Ukraine have suffered unimaginably from an unprovoked full-scale attack on their nation.

"The world has watched in horror at all the unnecessary suffering. Together, we stand united," he said.

'To victory'

President Emmanuel Macron reiterated France's support for Ukraine.

"People of Ukraine, France stands by your side. To solidarity. To victory. To peace", he tweeted.

'Clear signal' of support

Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki travelled to Kyiv "to give a clear and measurable signal of further support in defence of Ukraine against Russia", a Polish government spokesman said.

Neighbouring Poland hosts more than 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees out of the eight million who fled after the invasion, by far the largest amount among European countries.

'Free world indebted'

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the "free world is indebted" to Ukrainians fighting to defend European values.

"Ukraine is not and will not be alone, because it is also defending the values of freedom and democracy on which the European identity was born. The free world is indebted to Ukrainian women and men," the far-right leader said.

'Russia will win'

Going against the tide, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev vowed success in what Moscow has called its Ukraine "special military operation", saying Russia was ready to fight all the way to the Polish border if necessary.

"Victory will be achieved," he said. "This is why it is so important to reach all the goals of the special military operation. To push back the borders of the threats against our country as far as possible, even if this is to the borders of Poland".

Peace talks

China called for urgent peace talks to end the war.

It released a 12-point paper calling for a "political settlement" of the crisis following accusations from the West that China is considering arming Russia, a claim Beijing has dismissed as false.

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Turkish forces have killed the alleged mastermind behind a deadly Istanbul street bombing in an operation in northern Syria, Turkeys state-run news agency reported on Friday.

The man, identified as Halil Menci, was neutralized on Wednesday in an operation by the Turkish intelligence agency near the northern town of Qamishli, the Anadolu Agency reported.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said an airstrike by a Turkish drone on Wednesday killed a civilian and wounded a local Kurdish police commander. The drone attack occurred on a road linking Qamishli with the village Qahtaniya, it said.

Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Observatory said the civilian who was killed in the strike was known to smuggle people to Turkey. The man had, however, denied accusations by Turkish authorities that he smuggled into Turkey Ahlam Albashir, a Syrian woman who is accused of carrying out the attack.

The Nov. 13 bomb attack in Istanbuls bustling Istiklal Avenue left six people dead, including two children. More than 80 others were wounded.

Turkish authorities blamed the attack on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, as well as Syrian Kurdish groups affiliated with it. The Kurdish militants have denied involvement.

At least 17 suspects have been jailed pending trial in connection with the attack, including Albashir who is accused of leaving the TNT-laden bomb on Istiklal Avenue. Officials said at the time that the attacks planner had fled Turkey for Syria.

The PKK has fought an armed insurgency in Turkey since 1984. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people since then.

Turkey has launched three major incursions inside Syria targeting Syrias main Kurdish militia since 2016 and controls a swath of Syrian territory along their joint border.

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A nine-year-old Syrian girl whose fate captured the tragedy, hope, and heartbreak of this month's earthquake after spending 40 hours under the rubble was taken to Turkey Thursday for treatment.

Local officials told AFP that Sham Sheikh Mohammed, who may have to have her legs amputated, and her brother Omar, 15, crossed from rebel-held northwest Syria at the Bab al-Hawa border post.

They were the first of those rescued from the rubble of the February 6 quake to be given the authorization to enter Turkey for treatment from rebel-held areas.

The 7.8-magnitude quake killed nearly 46,000 people across Turkey and parts of Syria.

Video footage of Sham being rescued went viral, and the White Helmets rescue group that operates in rebel-held areas had called on social media for prayers that she might be spared amputation.

Like other survivors, Sham is suffering from what doctors call crush syndrome.

This occurs in limbs that were starved of blood circulation for too long and start with severe pain in the affected extremity, which can still look healthy in the early stages.

Sham's mother and sister were killed when the family's building collapsed in the town of Armanaz, in the northwestern province of Idlib. Her father and a brother also survived.

On Thursday, an AFP correspondent saw two ambulances from Turkey arrive at the Bab al-Hawa crossing to pick up the two children, who were accompanied by their father and aunt.

Sham was celebrated for her courage after humming a tune along with her White Helmets rescuers, who worked for six hours to free her from the concrete.

"Sham is in a critical condition," her father Mohammed told AFP, adding that Omar was also suffering from leg injuries.

Shadi Haj Hussein, an official from the health department in rebel-held Idlib, told AFP that her condition "requires specialized treatment that is not available" in the region.

In Damascus, an official said on Thursday that the government had "assured the transfer" of six other Syrian child survivors of the quake to the United Arab Emirates for treatment. They are also suffering from crush syndrome.

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Palestinians posed for photos Friday at a new landmark -- the rubble of a house that was the site of Israel's deadliest raid in the occupied West Bank for nearly two decades.

Eleven Palestinians were killed and more than 80 wounded by gunfire as Israeli soldiers raided Nablus in the broad daylight of Wednesday morning, in what the army said was an operation based on the intelligence of an imminent threat from Palestinian militants.

Only 48 hours later, a Palestinian family gathered to take snaps in the ruins of the house that has become a memorial among the ancient Ottoman mosques and cobbled streets of Nablus' Old City.



Men stand on the rubble of a house that was demolished during an Israeli army raid in the Old City of Nablus, on February 24, 2023. AFP

A sabre of light cut through a gaping chasm in the ceiling -- an artificial porthole left by an Israeli rocket fired during the operation.

"How is it possible that... hundreds of soldiers armed with rifles and missiles enter an area inhabited by 200,000 unarmed civilians in order to arrest or kill a person?" asked Nasser Mahamadeh.



A man and a child stand inside a house that was demolished during an Israeli army raid in the Old City of Nablus, on February 24, 2023. AFP

"The people here are all with the resistance, and these incidents make the resistance more powerful and make people turn more towards the resistance," the 57-year-old said as he surveyed the destruction.

"If there were 10 resistors before, now they will become 1,000 resistors, and so on."

A spokesperson for the Israeli military said that "about 150 personnel" were involved in Wednesday's raid.

Nablus' Old City has become a focal point of increased tension in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with the emergence of a new militant group known as the Lions' Den last year.

Israel has accused the group of carrying out attacks on Israeli targets, including the killing in October of a soldier in the West Bank.

Wednesday's raid was just the latest in a string of deadly military operations in the West Bank which have seen scores of Palestinians killed.

'Lions' Den'

In January, 10 Palestinians including children were killed in a raid further north of the Jenin refugee camp. Another five, alleged Hamas militants, were killed in an operation in the Dead Sea city of Jericho.

Among the dead in Nablus on Wednesday was 72-year-old Adnan Abu Ashraf.

Outside his bolted shop, his cousin Umm Tayseer al-Asalia, 60, described how he did not return after he headed "to the municipality to complete some paperwork".

"Killing the leaders of the resistance in Nablus does not weaken the resistance, but rather strengthens it, because there are always new youths joining the resistance," she said.

Ameed al-Masri, a local Fatah official, said the fighters even had the support of the representatives of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas' secular Fatah movement.

"The Lions' Den is a group of young people from various factions who chose the struggle, independent of any faction," he said.

"We in Fatah respect that. We are with anyone who wants to resist the occupation," he added.

The Islamic Jihad said one of its commanders was also among those killed in Wednesday's Israeli raid.

Yet while Israel's military lauds its own efforts to fight the group, in the Old City, locals said that regardless of how many fighters they claimed to have killed, Nablus' resistance had only hardened.



Children stand on the rubble of a house that was demolished during an Israeli army raid in the Old City of Nablus, on February 24, 2023. AFP

Asalia pointed to her eight-year-old grandson, Karim.

"He asked me to buy him a gun because he wanted to join the Lions' Den and become hunted like the martyr Ibrahim al-Nabulsi," she said, referring to the group's late leader, as her shy grandchild scuttled away.

Surrounded by rubble, a furious Mahamadeh cleaned the dust off his boots.

"The Lions' Den is an idea," he said.

"This idea is now spreading to all of Palestine, and every person has become a resistance fighter."

In a statement posted to the Telegram internet channel late on Thursday, the Lions' Den claimed that "nearly 50" more fighters had joined the group since Wednesday's raid.

AFP was unable to confirm the authenticity of the statement.

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A Palestinian died Friday after being wounded a day earlier in clashes with Israeli forces in the south of the occupied West Bank.

Mohammed Ismail Jawabreh, 22, died after being shot in the head on Thursday "during clashes with occupation forces" in Al-Aroub camp north of Hebron.

An Israeli army spokesman said soldiers had pursued "masked suspects" who had been throwing rocks towards civilian vehicles on the West Bank's main north-south road.

"During the pursuit, a violent riot was instigated, in which the masked suspects hurled rocks and stone blocks from rooftops at the soldiers, endangering their lives," the spokesman added.

"The soldiers responded with riot dispersal means and .22 calibre rounds," he said, adding one of the suspects was hit.

Separately, the Palestinian health ministry said "two Palestinians were seriously wounded by settler gunfire" on Friday in the Palestinian town of Qusra, in the north of the West Bank.

Palestinian news agency Wafa said Israeli "settlers attacked the homes of civilians in the south of the town, prompting residents to defend themselves", adding that the two Palestinians were wounded in an exchange of fire.

A military spokesman told AFP that after reports of a "violent confrontation between Palestinians and Israelis adjacent to the town of Qusra... soldiers arrived to the scene and responded with riot dispersal means".

"We are aware of reports regarding Palestinians who were evacuated to a hospital as a result of gunshot wounds," the spokesman added.

Since the start of this year, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has claimed the lives of 62 Palestinian adults and children, including militants and civilians.

Nine Israeli civilians, including three children, a police officer and one Ukrainian civilian have been killed over the same period, according to an AFP tally based on official sources from both sides.

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Fresh from a meeting with Chinas top diplomat and a UN Security Council session on Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Central and South Asia next week for international talks that will put him in the same room as his Chinese and Russian counterparts.

The State Department announced late Thursday that Blinken would travel to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan before going to India for a meeting of the Group of 20 foreign ministers from the worlds largest industrialized and developing countries, including China and Russia.

The trip comes as tensions have soared between the U.S. and Russia and between the U.S. and China over Russia's war in Ukraine and Chinese assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific. And it comes amid an international influence war that all three countries are waging for support.

U.S. officials have been tight-lipped about the prospects for Blinken having sit-down talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang or Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in New Delhi. But all three will be present in the Indian capital next week for the G-20 meeting. The State Department has said only that no meetings are scheduled.

The last time the group met  in Bali, Indonesia, in 2022  Blinken held extensive talks with Chinas then-foreign minister, Wang Yi, that led to a summit between President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Xinping in November.

And Wang, who has since been promoted, met with Blinken last weekend on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany, the first high-level talks since the U.S. shot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon and Blinken postponed a much-anticipated trip to Beijing.

A meeting between Blinken and Qin, who was formerly Chinas ambassador to the U.S., would be their first in Qins current capacity.

The broader G-20 meeting is expected to focus on food and energy security, especially for developing countries, which have been hit by fallout from the Ukraine conflict. In Bali, a number of nations that have not outright condemned Russia for the war expressed deep concern about its impact on the prices and supply of food and fuel.

Before traveling to Delhi, Blinken will visit the Kazakh capital of Astana for talks with leaders there as well as a meeting of the so-called C5+1 group, which includes the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan and the United States.

At that meeting, he will stress the U.S. commitment to the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Central Asian countries," the State Department said in a statement that mirrors the language it has been using to support Ukraine against Russia.

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One year after the start of Russias Special Military Operation in Ukraine, Moscow has announced that it will be pulling out of the New START nuclear treaty with the US, reports Manal Lotfy in London.

There is no sign to suggest that the Russia-Ukraine war will see a peaceful resolution any time soon.

On the contrary, the speeches of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the first anniversary of the war and US President Joe Biden in Poland and before that in Ukraine after a surprise visit in which he stressed that the West was prepared for a long war and ready to arm Ukraine with the most modern weapons signal that the war is probably now entering its most dangerous phase.

In his speech on Tuesday, the Russian president accused the Western countries of igniting and sustaining the war in Ukraine.

Its they who started the war. And we are using force to end it, Putin said before an audience of lawmakers, state officials, and soldiers who had fought in Ukraine. We arent fighting the Ukrainian peopleUkraine has become a hostage of the Kyiv regime and its Western masters, which have effectively occupied the country, Putin said.

The Western elites arent trying to conceal their goals, which are to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, Putin said, before adding that Russia was prepared to respond as it will be a matter of our countrys existence.

The Russian leader vowed there would be no military let-up in the Ukrainian territories Russia has annexed. Referring to the referendums in the partially occupied areas of Ukraine, Putin said that I would like to express special gratitude to the citizens of the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions.

You determined your future. You made your choice despite the threats of terror from the Nazis. Next to you, there were military actions taking place, and you chose to be together with Russia. To be together with your motherland.

Putin accused the West of being either cynical or stupid in its approach to arms control and Russia, arguing that the relationship between Russia and the US has deteriorated at the initiative of the US.

Step by step, they started to destroy the system of world security and arms control, he said, before announcing that Russia would pull out of the New Start Treaty with the US.

I am forced to announce today that Russia is suspending its participation in the strategic arms treaty, Putin said, adding that Russia would carry out new nuclear tests if the US did so.

In his speech in Kyiv, Biden announced $500 million in new military aid for Ukraine. Im here to show our unwavering support for the nations independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, he said, vowing to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.

One year later, Kyiv stands, and Ukraine stands, democracy stands The Americans stand with you, and the world stands with you, Biden said.

In Poland, Biden spoke to the larger contest at stake between those aggressors who are trying to destroy fundamental principles and those democracies were pulling together to try to uphold [them].

Although the West and Russia say they are ready for a long war and that the conditions for peace are not yet ripe, the reality of the situation is that the continuation of the war is costly and that there is no unified vision in Russia or the Western camp regarding the end game of the war.

Those differences were largely demonstrated during the Munich Security Conference this week. The dominant sense in Munich was that the world is very much divided into two blocs: the West and the rest.

The Western leaders came to the conference with a unified position, which was that the Russian-Ukrainian war is an international priority, that there is no international challenge more important than it is, and that Ukraine must be supported militarily until it achieves a clear victory over Russia.

European and US officials competed in making promises to arm Ukraine with the latest weapons, ruling out any political solutions in the near future.

However, these promises of arms were not accompanied by a Western shared vision of how to end the war. There are rifts in the Western camp itself regarding the conditions for ending the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who opened the conference with a speech from Kyiv, urged the Western allies to send more aid and quickly ruled out talks with Russia, insisting that there was a lack of trust between the two parties and there is no alternative to Ukraines victory.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen called for increased military support to Ukraine. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urged a doubling of military support to Ukraine, reiterating Londons commitment to providing battle tanks, advanced air-defence systems, and long-range missiles.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed that German support for Kyiv is designed to continue and urged the allies to speed up the delivery of promised heavy tanks to Ukraine. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg described the current phase of the war as a crucial stage in the conflict, arguing that it is necessary to give Ukraine what it needs to prevail and survive as an independent, sovereign state in Europe.

Only the speech of French President Emmanuel Macron was different in tone in an apparent rift within the Western alliance. Macron made it clear that he supported increasing military aid for Kyiv and that he was ready for a long-term war to defeat Russia, but without crushing it.

He criticised those whom he said want to extend the war into Russia itself, dismissing the prospect of regime change in Russia and calling similar efforts around the world a complete failure.

I do not think, as some people do, that we must aim for a total defeat of Russia, attacking Russia on its soil, Macron told the French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche. Those observers want, above all else, to crush Russia. That has never been the position of France, and it will never be our position.

Insisting that now is not the right time for dialogue with Moscow, Macron stressed that peace talks are the ultimate goal.

The French president may have felt isolated in his position in Munich as not many officials from the Global South were at the conference, while Russia was not invited under pressure from the US and Ukraine.

The absence of the voices of the majority of the worlds countries reinforces fears that the conference, once more representative of differences and disparities on the international stage, has become a new Davos, in other words, a closed gathering of a small number of countries.

Even some of the participants did not lose sight of the fact that they were talking in closed chat rooms.

EU Foreign Affairs Chief Josep Borrell called in his speech for more to be done to convince the Global South that Russia is an imperial power.

But Western differences over the ultimate goal of the war and the extent of military support that could be provided to Ukraine without a war against Russia itself were clear.

Ukraine wants to continue the war until all the territories controlled by Russia, including Crimea, are liberated, but this is not realistic in the opinion of many Western countries because it means supplying Ukraine with advanced weapons at a very fast pace and Russias possible response of using nuclear weapons as a last resort to prevent a resounding defeat in the war.

It is too early to predict the full impact of the war on the structure of European and global security. But the post-Cold War arrangements are over, NATO has regained its raison detre, and Europes efforts at strategic autonomy from the US have receded.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 23 February, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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How have the key powers in the Middle East region reacted to the war in Ukraine?

A significant portion of the costs of a war can be borne by countries that play no part in it. And this consideration that has led many analysts to examine the political, economic, and security-related impacts of the Russian-Ukrainian war on the Middle East.

However, it might be useful to shed more light on another perspective, namely how the key powers in the Middle East, such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Turkey and Iran, have viewed and reacted to the war.

In similar contexts in the past, these powers, with the exception of Iran, uniformly aligned themselves with the US even if they were not entirely convinced of the appropriateness of its stance. This applied to the US war against Iraq and its war in Afghanistan, where regional powers played a central, if indirect, role in what was called the Afghan jihad against the former Soviet Union.

However, we do not see this type of automatic alignment on the side of the US today, when Washington has pitted its full political and economic weight behind Kyiv. The question is why.

The main factor is the general awareness of the nature of the current global moment, as informed by simultaneous transformations in the international and regional orders. The US has been trying to put this off, but it has arrived nonetheless.

To a considerable extent, the nature of the shift in the Middle East region as a result and the transition towards the multipolar order that Russia advocates will depend on the results that Russia can or cannot achieve in Ukraine, though it is also important not to ignore Chinas role as an emergent superpower.

At the regional level, perhaps the most salient sign of change is that several major regional players have been able to advance their aspirations to become middle-weight international powers.

This development has occurred at a time when the map of the Middle East is being reshaped in the light of more than a decade of upheaval since the eruption of the chain of Arab Spring uprisings in 2011, some of which degenerated into armed conflicts, as was the case in Syria, Yemen, Libya and Iraq.

During this period, non-Arab regional powers have attempted to take advantage of the anarchy in the region. Iran and Turkey have manoeuvred to expand their spheres of influence and even their territorial presence. Israel has worked to advance its political and security agendas. Egypt has weathered the storm, regained its strength, and managed to establish certain red lines to check the designs of the non-Arab powers.

Saudi Arabia has become involved in the Civil War in Yemen and, regardless of the results to date, had Riyadh not set certain red lines there, Iran would have engulfed the whole of Yemen rather than negotiate as it is now doing.

The Middle East has been and remains a sphere of competition between the international powers for spheres of influence. However, the main patterns of relations between the actors in the regional and international orders have changed considerably.

Examples of this can be found in the relations between Iran and Russia, in how Turkey is balancing its foreign policy between Moscow and Washington, and in the evolution in the Egyptian and Saudi approaches to their relationships with these two capitals.

With regard to Cairo and Riyadh, there are no longer fixed biases. While Cairos relationship with Moscow is flexible and dynamic, after a rough patch with Washington starting in the summer of 2013, the strategic relationship between Egypt and the US may now be healthier than before.

Riyadh has been troubled by Washingtons wavering on the Yemeni crisis. At a critical moment when Riyadh needed defence, Washington withdrew its Patriot missiles from where Riyadh needed them in Saudi Arabia. Nor did the US sufficiently bring the Yemeni rebel Houthi Movements main backer, Iran, to account when the Houthis fired missiles across the border at Aramco facilities, airports, and even civilians in some parts of Saudi Arabia.

Ankara has clearly begun to feel let down by Washingtons policies in the region, while even Israel, the US staunchest ally, has grown increasingly critical of US policies. The exception, again, is Iran which continues to put all its eggs in the Russian and Chinese baskets.

The second main reason for the shift that helps to explain why the Middle Eastern powers have toed the line with Washington on Ukraine is that the national interests of each of the Middle Eastern powers plays a more important part than ever before in the conduct of their foreign relations.

A concomitant factor is the new approaches that China is bringing to its relationships in the Middle East. Until recently, security cooperation had not been an avenue that it explored in this context. But this changed with the Arab-China Summit meeting in Riyadh in December 2022, when security cooperation entered the dialogue agenda.

The respective interests of the key regional players vary. In advancing its relations with China and Russia, Israel appreciates the weight that the Chinese newcomer brings with its foreign policy towards this region. At the same time, Tel Aviv needs to work with Russia in Syria.

Iran understands that it can use its relations with Moscow and Beijing to obtain certain advantages that would remain out of reach even if it signed a new nuclear accord with Washington. Tehran is preparing to receive its first Russian SU-35 jets, which will shift the military balances of power in the region, especially if they are only the first batch of many.

The longer the war in Ukraine persists, the longer Iran can be assured of more jets as well as more Russian purchases of Iranian-made drones (Shahed-136 and -121 and Mohajer-6) and missiles for its military operation in Ukraine. Chinese purchases of cheap Iranian oil can help Tehran to foot the bill for its weapons purchases.

Saudi Arabia has the chance to turn Western demand for desperately needed energy resources into major development projects at home and opportunities to obtain defence hardware from Washington free of cumbersome strings. At the same time, it is unlikely to cave into the types of oil policies that Washington has been suggesting.

In fact, Riyadh, like Baghdad, has recently received Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who had the opportunity to explain his governments reasons for its special operation in Ukraine, as the Russians term it.

Cairo has begun to make its mark in the international sphere as a mediator. One of the most significant developments in this regard was the opportunity to host talks between Washington and Moscow on renewing the New START Agreement on nuclear weapons. However, the international political climate made it impossible for the meeting to convene.

Ankara has proven that it can use its good auspices in both Moscow and Kyiv to promote a deal on grain exports. It has also provided Kyiv with Bayraktar drones, but the dynamics of the war in Ukraine have also increased its leverage on Washington with regard to the question of the Kurdish-controlled areas in Syria.

There is nothing immutable in international and regional politics, and the recent conflicts in the Middle East have added two more factors that have shaped the policies of the countries in this region. The first is resilience and adaptability to protracted conflicts. The second is acumen in optimising diverse foreign relations, with the great powers in particular, towards the promotion of national interests.

There is also a third point, which is the need to forge pre-emptive policies in a tumultuous world that is likely to become even more so in the future. Could a new conflict erupt in the Middle East throwing the above-mentioned factors into disarray? Or could tensions spiral out of control in East Asia?

The chances of these alarming prospects occurring may seem low. But it would be wiser for the powers of this region to forge a more forward-looking strategy to pre-empt them, instead of confining themselves to temporary expedients such as adaptation to ongoing conflicts or momentarily optimising whatever opportunities they present.

Serious thought should be given to how to prevent the fires of conflict from taking hold again in the region and then spreading to elsewhere in the world.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 23 February, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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"The New START Treaty is designed to put a limit on the number of nuclear warheads that each side can have. It was going to expire anyway, so having the end of the treaty come is not going to change very much in the substance of military relations between the two," Hurd told The Associated Press. "But it might be symbolic that the Russian side is going to use nuclear weapons to escalate the political disagreements that it's got in the world today."

Moscow's suspension of the nuclear treaty, however, is unlikely to have an immediate impact, said political scientist Ian Hurd of Northwestern University.

In a televised speech Thursday, on the eve of the anniversary of his invasion of Ukraine, Putin pledged further investment in Russia's nuclear forces. "We will pay increased attention to strengthening the nuclear triad [on land, sea and air]," Putin said. "We will continue mass production of air-based hypersonic Kinzhal systems and will start mass supplies of sea-based Zircon hypersonic missiles."

Putin announced Tuesday that he was suspending Russia's participation, saying the treaty was "absurd" at a time when NATO was helping Ukraine fight Russian forces. He said he had ordered Russia's ground-based nuclear weapons to combat readiness.

The deal, officially known as the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, was signed in Prague in 2010 by then U.S. President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev. It is the last remaining nuclear agreement between the U.S. and Russia.

There are fears of a new global nuclear arms race after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced this week he will suspend the country's participation in the New START treaty, which limits the number of warheads deployed by Russia and the United States.

Russia and the U.S. together hold more than 90 percent of the world's nuclear weapons. The New START treaty limits the two countries to 1,550 warheads apiece and allows each to inspect the other's nuclear sites up to 18 times a year. The inspections were put on hold three years ago because of the coronavirus pandemic and have not resumed, which Washington blames on Moscow.

"The only glimmer of hope here is that Russia has not withdrawn from the treaty, it has suspended its participation," said Jane Kinninmont, Policy & Impact director at the European Leadership Network. "And actually, when this treaty was extended when Joe Biden came into office, it was Russia that had been trying to push the U.S. to continue the treaty," she said. "It is in both countries' interests because it put limits on the nuclear arms race. And ultimately, the U.S. can outspend Russia if it wants to; it's a much bigger economy. More likely, Russia wants to use this as a bargaining chip to say to the Biden administration, 'Your support for Ukraine has costs.'"

 A 'Grave Error,' Says Biden

President Joe Biden called Russia's suspension of New START a "grave error." A spokesperson for the United Nations secretary-general called for Moscow to return to the deal.

Despite warming ties between Beijing and Moscow, China also called for Russia and the U.S. to abide by the nuclear agreement. "The treaty is important for maintaining global strategic stability, enhancing international and regional peace and achieving the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons," Wang Wenbin, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, told reporters Wednesday. "We hope the two sides will properly resolve their differences through constructive dialogue and consultation to ensure the smooth implementation of the treaty."

There are fears not only of an arms race between Russia and the United States, but also among other nuclear powers, including China. "I think quite possibly China's leaders see Putin suspending the new START agreement as... a window of opportunity to accelerate even further its nuclear capabilities," said Alexander Neill, an analyst with Hawaii's Pacific Forum.

"Given the predicaments in Ukraine and increasing rhetoric about Taiwan, I think China may feel that this is a window to increase its nuclear capabilities, its nuclear arsenal, and also to align itself more with Russia in terms of nuclear alignment and policies going forward," Neill told Reuters.

Kinninmont of the European Leadership Network agrees. "The United States' biggest concern in all of this is really what happens to China's nuclear program in the future," she told VOA. "And although Russia and China are friends, they're also a bit uneasy about each other. Russia wouldn't want itself to be eclipsed by China with larger nuclear arsenals."

"But how can anyone make the case to China that they need to limit their program if the U.S. and Russia have no limits on theirs?" Kinninmont asked.
Methamphetamine use in Thailand jumped 30 percent last year, new research shows, amid a production boom of the illicit drug in next door Myanmar flooding the region with ever-cheaper supplies.

To cope with the surge, Thailand's Public Health Ministry is pushing for tough new rules that could see anyone caught with more than one meth tablet prosecuted as a drug dealer, a move academics and social workers say would not help and could make the problem worse.

According to a nationwide survey on drug use led by Thailand's Chulalongkorn University, an estimated 57,900 Thais between the ages of 18 and 65 used meth at least once last year, up from some 44,500 the year before.

Rasmon Kalayasiri, who heads the university's Center for Addiction Studies, said the numbers are likely an undercount, as many may be wary of admitting to using an illegal drug, even though the study keeps them anonymous. Previous surveys by the government's Office of the Narcotics Control Board, which sample more people, have put the number of meth users in the hundreds of thousands in recent years.

Rasmon said the results of the ONCB's next survey, typically carried out every three to five years, would offer a more definitive picture of the latest trends. But the university's own study, she added, still suggests that meth use may be rising. Thailand's Raks Thai Foundation, which provides harm reduction and needle exchange services for drug users across the country, has noticed the trend too.

Nantapol Chuenchooklin, a technical officer for the group, said Raks Thai has anecdotally noticed more meth use over the past two years, just as street prices for the drug have crashed. "It increased around 30 percent to 40 percent since the drug prices decreased a lot," he said.

 Easy Access

A tablet of powdered meth, commonly known as yaba, which means "crazy medicine" in Thai, now goes for as little as 86 cents or even 58 cents in the north of Thailand near the border with Myanmar, Nantapol said. That is as little as one-fourth of what it cost a few years ago.

He said prices for more potent and addictive crystal meth have plunged over the same period too, from $52 to $58 before to anywhere from $14 to $29 now, depending on the purity. Rasmon said that has made the drug easier to get. "People get access to it very easily because the cost [is] very low, so the availability is higher," she said.

Apinun Aramrattana, who runs the Northern Substance Abuse Center for Thailand's Chiang Mai University, said the social and health care workers his team works with are also reporting yaba prices in some parts of the country below $1. "Some said it's easier than find[ing] the cigarette," he added, making it easier in turn for those experimenting with lighter drugs like cannabis or kratom, another plant with sedative effects, to move on to meth.

The plummeting prices coincide with rising seizures of meth across East and Southeast Asia, most of it made in Myanmar -- where a 2021 coup has pitched much of the country into chaos -- and flowing into or through Thailand. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, authorities across the region seized a record 171.5 tons of meth in 2021. Judging from the falling street prices in Thailand and elsewhere, the UNODC believes that points to a surge in production by the drug gangs in Myanmar.
A nuclear-powered U.S. aircraft carrier with a full-load displacement of over 100,000 long tons is expected to dock in Busan next month as North Korea ramps up provocations.

The Nimitz-class carrier arrives as South Korea is conducting joint military drills with the U.S. and other allies in response to the North's latest launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile and short-range missiles earlier this month.

"We are in discussions with the U.S. about a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier docking late next month and staying here until early April," a military source said Thursday. "It will take part in a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the South Korea-U.S. alliance and various operations."
International cruise ships will stop on Jeju Island again for the first time in over three years, bringing much-needed tourism revenue to the resort island.

According to the Jeju provincial government on Thursday, the first cruise ship to dock at Jeju port since October 2019 will be the 28,000-ton Amadea of Germany's Phoenix Reisen on March 16, followed by cruise ships from Japan and Taiwan.

Five more cruise ships are expected there during the month and a total of 22 by November.

Others will dock at Gangjeong Cruise Port, a civilian-military complex in Seogwipo. The Diamond Princess from Yokohama, Japan is expected for a nine-hour stay on March 19 and 29 more will arrive there this year.

Gangjeong Cruise Port was completed with a budget of W60.1 billion in 2018, but only two cruise ships -- the 148,000-ton Queen Mary II in March 2019 and the 142,714-ton Majestic Prince in May -- ever used it before the coronavirus pandemic struck (US$1=W1,297).

It virtually shut down as nonessential personnel were pulled out to cut costs in January 2021.
Last month, President Yoon Suk-yeol made an off-the-cuff remark during a press briefing to the effect that if the North Korean nuclear and missile threat grew much worse, South Korea could consider building its own nuclear weapons.

He almost immediately conditioned the comment by reaffirming standing policy of retaining South Korea's status as a non-nuclear state and a supporter of the non-proliferation regime. But it was the first statement by a South Korean president raising the possibility of acquiring nuclear weapons and received widespread attention in Washington.

Headlines used adjectives like "nightmare" and "disastrous" to characterize South Korea's nuclear ambitions. My point is not to agree or disagree with the proposition but to show that the conversation is riddled with confusion and mistrust.

Nuclear advocacy for South Korea used to be limited to the hard right, and its most visible proponent was Chung Mong-joon, the billionaire Hyundai scion, but now it has become more mainstream. As my CSIS colleague John Hamre said upon our return from a recent trip to South Korea, "This conversation used to take place late in the evening among experts after the third drink or so. Now it happens at breakfast."

Why has it become more mainstream at this particular time? After all, the Joe Biden administration in its "alliances-first" policies has worked hard to upgrade alliances and to shore up confidence in the American security commitment. But the war in Ukraine has made the world a much more uncertain place, even for countries like South Korea on the other side of the globe.

China's military assertiveness in the South China Sea, East and West Seas as well as its plans to build 1,500 nuclear warheads by the end of this decade is also worrying security experts. And North Korea's unstoppable nuclear development and missile testing, threats to use tactical nuclear weapons, and complete disinterest in diplomacy have worried South Koreans more than ever.

Many Asian countries are also concerned about the potential return in 2024 of an "America-first" president in the U.S. who might want to withdraw from security commitments in Asia. This last factor creates distrust among Asians not in Biden's intentions but in the U.S. political system's ability to produce consistent leaders.

The distrust among Americans about nuclear advocacy in South Korea stems from history. Many Americans still remember the clandestine efforts by strongman Park Chung-hee in the 1970s to seek reprocessing technology for fissile material for nuclear weapons. While that was a completely different time and place, it still haunts the non-proliferation community. There is a perceptual bias and lack of trust of South Korean nuclear ambitions.

Yoon could say one hundred times that Seoul's policy is not to pursue nuclear weapons and it will hardly register among non-proliferation experts. But the one time he mentions South Korea going nuclear, this becomes widely assumed to be the country's true intention.

This mistrust is compounded by the confused nature of the discussion. The media and experts cite widely the statistic that 71 percent of South Koreans want their country to acquire nuclear weapons. At almost every conference I attend, people cite this number, produced by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, as undisputed evidence of the nuclear domino falling in South Korea.

But this hardly makes sense. First, one would expect that if there is a high percentage of people who want nuclear weapons, then this must be because they are worried that the U.S. security commitment or nuclear umbrella is unreliable. But when asked whether they have confidence in the U.S.' will to fight for South Korea's defense, a vast majority or 61 percent answered in the affirmative. So, it is not lack of confidence in the alliance that is the source of nuclear advocacy.

Another possible explanation might be the belief that matching the North Koreans nuke for nuke might cause Pyongyang to moderate its ambitions. It might shy away from getting caught up in an arms race with a superior opponent. But when asked in the same survey whether they believed North Korea would denuclearize, an overwhelming 82 percent answered no.

A third possible explanation might have to do with prestige. The argument would be that as the sixth strongest military and the 10th largest economy in the world, South Korea is now a major world power that should be entitled to the most advanced and powerful weapons known to mankind. Yet when people are asked whether they appreciated the prestige element of nuclearization, 26 percent said no.

The point of this is not to dismiss the think tank's study which was important work done by respected scholars. Instead, it shows how fundamentally confused and unsubstantiated the discussion is. Before anyone jumps to the conclusion that South Korea will go nuclear, there needs to be more in-depth discussion and systematic polling of South Korean thinking on the issue.

In particular, it would be important to survey the opinions not just of the general public but of the strategic elites. My colleague at Georgetown University, Elizabeth Saunders, has written award-winning research showing that the best predictor of the foreign policy decisions of democratic leaders is not public opinion. Rather, it is the views of the strategic elites and their interaction with the political leadership that determines them.

If we are to reduce confusion, increase transparency, and reduce mistrust in the alliance regarding South Korea's nuclear choices, it is important to gather more data on how elites think about this issue.
KYODO NEWS - Feb 24, 2023 - 07:18 | All, World

U.S. President Joe Biden is due to announce additional "sweeping" sanctions against industry sectors supporting Russia's war on Ukraine on Friday, when he meets virtually with other Group of Seven leaders, the White House said.

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Thursday that the targets of the new sanctions include Russian banks, the technology and defense industries, and actors in other countries attempting to "backfill and evade our sanctions."

A senior State Department official separately said that Chinese firms active in evading existing sanctions will be among the targets.

Victoria Nuland, the under secretary of state for political affairs, said at a Washington Post event that the United States will be putting constraints on "Chinese-based or Chinese subs of entities in Europe," stressing that their alleged activity "is not something that can be done under the carpet while China professes to be neutral."

The online meeting to be hosted by Japan, which holds this year's presidency of the group of major democratic economies, is timed to coincide with the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

It will be attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in addition to the leaders of the G-7, which also includes Britain, Canada, France, Germany and Italy, plus the European Union.

"The G-7 has become an anchor of our strong and united response to Russia," Jean-Pierre said. "Tomorrow, the leaders will discuss how we continue supporting Ukraine and continue to increase pressure on (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and all those who enable his aggression."

Jean-Pierre also said the United States will unveil more assistance for Ukraine to help it protect citizens from the prolonged war and provide basic services such as electricity, and to boost its military's success on the battlefield.

During the daily press briefing, she praised Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's announcement earlier this week that Tokyo will provide $5.5 billion in additional financial aid for the rebuilding of infrastructure in Ukraine.

"Our alliance with Japan and Japan's strong partnerships with countries in Europe only demonstrate the point we've been making all along -- the Indo-Pacific and the Atlantic are not separate theaters here, but firmly linked together," she said.

Related coverage:

U.N. General Assembly urges Russia to withdraw troops from Ukraine

"Terrible precedent" should be avoided on Ukraine war: Japan minister

G-7 finance chiefs pledge $39 bil. support for war-hit Ukraine
KYODO NEWS - Feb 25, 2023 - 00:45 | All, World

The United States on Friday unveiled new sanctions on Russia, targeting over 200 individuals and entities, as well as more military and economic aid for Ukraine in a show of Washington's commitment with its allies to disrupt Moscow's ability to sustain its war machine.

As part of the wide-ranging package, coinciding with the one-year mark since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began, the Treasury Department said the scope of its punitive measures has expanded to include metal and mining companies, in addition to taking further steps against the country's financial, defense and technology industries.

The targets of the new sanctions, rolled out in coordination with other Group of Seven partners, include Russians as well as others based in more than 30 countries across Europe, Asia and the Middle East, according to the White House.

To undermine Russia's efforts to evade existing sanctions, the group of major democratic economies, including Britain, Germany and Japan, will establish an "Enforcement Coordination Mechanism," which will be headed by the United States in the first year, the White House said.

While the United States started disbursing $9.9 billion in grant financing this week to back Ukraine in providing essential services such as health care and education for its people, the White House also said it will extend additional energy assistance to the war-torn country.

The package involves multiple U.S. agencies, with the State Department starting to impose visa restrictions on 1,219 members of the Russian military.

The Defense Department, meanwhile, said it will provide Ukraine with more weapons and drones as part of a new security aid package worth $2 billion.

"Today's solemn anniversary is an opportunity for all who believe in freedom, rules and sovereignty to recommit ourselves to supporting Ukraine's brave defenders for the long haul, and to recall that the stakes of Russia's war stretch far beyond Ukraine," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.

Over the past year, the United States has committed over $32 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, according to the Pentagon.

With seemingly no end in sight to the conflict, the latest military aid will be provided by a fund called the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which enables Washington to procure weapons from industry rather than from existing Pentagon stocks.

The aid also includes electronic warfare detection equipment and funding for training, according to the Pentagon. It comes as U.S. officials have warned that Russia could be planning a new offensive around the one-year mark, and that China could be preparing to provide lethal military aid to Moscow.

Austin said that "difficult times may lie ahead," but the United States and its allies should remain steadfast in their "commitment to ensuring that a world of rules and rights is not replaced by one of tyranny and turmoil."

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KYODO NEWS - Feb 24, 2023 - 06:41 | World, All

The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to demand Russia withdraw its troops from Ukraine in a resolution passed the day before the first anniversary of its invasion of the neighboring country.

The resolution was adopted at an emergency special session of the deliberative organ of the United Nations. Of the 193 members, 141, including Japan, voted in favor, and seven against, with 32 abstentions.

The three-page document demands that Russia "immediately, completely, and unconditionally" remove its troops from Ukraine and deplores the high number of civilian casualties, including women and children, since the start of Russia's invasion on Feb. 24 last year.

It calls for a "just, sustainable, and lasting peace" in Ukraine and demands that those who have committed war crimes in the conflict be held to account.

The resolution also "calls for an immediate cessation of the attacks on the critical infrastructure of Ukraine and any deliberate attacks on civilian objects, including those that are residences, schools and hospitals."

U.N. member states "reiterated their unequivocal support (for) Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told reporters after the vote.

Kuleba said the vote was proof that "it's not only the West who supports Ukraine, the support is much broader."

Belarus, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua, North Korea, Russia and Syria voted against the resolution, while China and India abstained.

Speaking on Wednesday, Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, called the resolution "anti-Russian and malevolent by nature."

In October, 143 members voted in favor of Ukraine in the General Assembly, adopting a resolution that condemned Russia's declaration of the annexation of four Ukrainian regions.

Resolutions of the assembly, unlike those passed by the Security Council, are not legally binding.

Representing Japan, Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi told Thursday's session that Russia should withdraw from Ukraine and if Moscow's aggression in the neighboring country is tolerated, it would set "a terrible precedent" for the rest of the world.

At the session, Russia ally Belarus introduced amendments that called on countries to stop arms exports to Ukraine and removed the text calling for Russia to withdraw its troops.

The amendments, which also included a call for the start of peace negotiations, were defeated by wide margins.

Speaking before the assembly, Dai Bing, deputy chief of the Chinese mission to the United Nations, called for a cease-fire and an end to the flow of military aid to Ukraine.

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KYODO NEWS - Feb 24, 2023 - 18:44 | All, Japan

Japan showed its strong commitment to supporting Ukraine on Friday, the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of the Eastern European country, hours before hosting a Group of Seven summit online as the chair.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to join the video gathering, which would be the first summit presided over by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Japan is this year's chair of the G-7 and is scheduled to host the three-day in-person summit in May.

As chair, Japan will try to strengthen the unity of the grouping and demonstrate its unwavering solidarity with Ukraine, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a press conference.

Matsuno, the government top spokesman, added that Japan will "maintain severe sanctions against Russia and continue supporting Ukraine while working closely with the international community including the G-7."

Ukrainian Ambassador to Japan Sergiy Korsunsky thanked the country for its support, including its acceptance of over 2,300 evacuees from Ukraine.

"We see the leadership of Japan," Korsunsky said at a press conference, appreciating the country's "absolutely immense" ability to concentrate financial and technological resources.

In the run-up to the virtual summit, Kishida pledged earlier this week that Japan will provide $5.5 billion in additional financial assistance for the reconstruction of infrastructure in Ukraine that Russia has destroyed.

Japan has also agreed with Cambodia to join hands to support the elimination of Russian landmines and unexploded bombs in Ukraine.

Tokyo has contributed to demining efforts in Cambodia, where millions of landmines are believed to have been laid during the 1970-1991 civil war. Japan's war-renouncing Constitution prevents it from offering military aid to Ukraine.

At Friday's summit, other G-7 major economies, such as the United States and European nations, may express eagerness to impose further sanctions on Russia, amid mounting concern that Moscow might launch a large-scale attack on Ukraine in the spring.

The leaders may also discuss growing fears that China, Japan's neighbor, may supply weapons to Russia, sources familiar with the matter said.

The G-7 countries could also contemplate measures to prevent Russia from using nuclear arms against Ukraine, as President Vladimir Putin has recently claimed Moscow will suspend its participation in a nuclear weapons control treaty, called the New START.

Kishida, a lawmaker representing a constituency in Hiroshima, is slated to host the face-to-face G-7 summit from May 19 in the western Japan city, which was devastated by a U.S. atomic bomb in August 1945.

At the meeting, Kishida plans to pitch his vision of a world without nuclear weapons, sources close to him said.

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KYODO NEWS - Feb 24, 2023 - 19:35 | All, Japan

A Japanese court on Friday ordered the government to pay damages to a hearing-impaired woman who underwent forced sterilization under a now-defunct eugenics protection law, the fourth such ruling.

The Shizuoka District Court found the 1948 law unconstitutional and awarded 16.5 million yen ($123,000) to the plaintiff, a resident of the central Japan prefecture, who filed the lawsuit in 2019 claiming she underwent sterilization surgery in 1970.

It is the fourth case in which damages have been awarded over forced sterilization, following rulings by the Tokyo and Osaka high courts and the Kumamoto District Court.

In handing down the ruling, Presiding Judge Yoshinori Masuda said the sterilization infringed on the woman's freedom to decide whether to bear a child in violation of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to pursue happiness.

The non-consensual surgery "based on the discriminatory idea that the birth of disabled offspring should be prevented" resulted in "enormous mental and physical suffering," he said.

The court ruled that the government was obligated to compensate the woman, and the statute of limitations of 20 years for an unlawful act under the Civil Code did not apply.

Similar lawsuits have been filed with 10 courts and a branch across Japan. Most of the district courts have dismissed the claims for compensation over the expiry of the statute of limitations.

Between 1948 and 1996, the eugenics protection law authorized the sterilization of people with intellectual disabilities, mental illnesses or hereditary disorders, even without their consent. About 25,000 people were sterilized, according to government data.

The woman's lawyer had asserted that "forced sterilization was the greatest postwar human rights violation under the Japanese Constitution."

A law took effect in 2019 to pay 3.2 million yen in state compensation to each person who underwent forced sterilization, but there has been much criticism over the uniform amount.

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KYODO NEWS - Feb 24, 2023 - 19:49 | World, All

North Korea said Friday it fired four cruise missiles into the Sea of Japan that flew 2,000 kilometers the previous day, according to state-run media, after the United States and South Korea conducted tabletop exercises against Pyongyang's nuclear threat.

The successful launch of the missiles "clearly demonstrated once again the war posture of the (North's) nuclear combat force bolstering up in every way its deadly nuclear counterattack capability against the hostile forces," the official Korean Central News Agency said.

The four "Hwasal-2" strategic cruise missiles fired from Kim Chaek city, North Hamgyong Province, at dawn Thursday precisely hit their target after traveling in 2,000-km-long elliptical and figure of eight-shaped flight orbits for more than 2 hours and 50 minutes, KCNA said. The reputed range would cover all of Japan.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said Friday that Japan has not confirmed whether the missiles fell into its territory.

The United States and South Korea conducted a tabletop simulated exercise at the Department of Defense near Washington on Wednesday, with both countries also scheduled to conduct the 11-day Freedom Shield field training exercises in mid-March.

Kwon Jong Gun, head of the U.S. affairs department at the North Korean Foreign Ministry, warned in a statement carried by KCNA that if the United States "persists in its hostile and provocative practices" against Pyongyang, it would be "regarded as a declaration of war" against the North.

Thursday's drill reconfirmed the reliability of the weapon system while demonstrating that the strategic cruise missile units "constitute one of the major forces of the (North's) nuclear deterrent," according to the news agency.

The Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea "expressed great satisfaction" over the results of the drill, KCNA said, without reporting whether leader Kim Jong Un was present at the exercise.

The latest missile launches followed the North's firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile last weekend and two ballistic missiles on Monday.

Pyongyang had warned of more missile launches, with Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister and a close aide of Kim Jong Un, saying in a statement on Monday the country "will take corresponding counteraction" if U.S. actions are "judged to be any direct or indirect threat."

North Korea also criticized on Friday a U.S. move to push forward the adoption of a presidential statement at the U.N. Security Council denouncing Pyongyang's recent ICBM launch, warning of "corresponding strong countermeasures."

As long as the United States seeks to deprive North Korea of the right to self-defense by putting the U.N. council into the limelight, Pyongyang "will never remain a passive onlooker," Kwon warned.

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KYODO NEWS - Feb 24, 2023 - 12:19 | All, Japan, World

Japan will provide around $27 million in emergency humanitarian aid for Turkey and Syria, devastated by powerful earthquakes earlier this month, the top government spokesman said Friday.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a regular news conference that Japan will offer $16 million in emergency grant aid for Turkish and Syrian victims of the quakes to supply shelters, food and other daily necessities through international institutions.

Tokyo will also give $4 million in support to the two nations through a Japanese nongovernmental organization, while contributing roughly $7 million to a trust fund that channels grant funding from the international community to Syria.

Matsuno said the Japanese government will continue humanitarian support to Turkey and Syria to assist reconstruction of the devastated regions.

The total death toll in the two countries from the earthquakes has surpassed 50,000, according to Turkish and Syrian authorities.

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KYODO NEWS - Feb 24, 2023 - 17:14 | All, Japan

Japan's Justice Ministry said Friday it plans to rename a sexual offense charge to make clearer the illegality of nonconsensual intercourse as part of the country's Penal Code reforms.

The Cabinet is expected to approve the change, initially demanded by sexual victim support bodies, in mid-March for the enactment in the current session of parliament.

The plan is part of the amendments to the Penal Code that the government is currently working on, which also include raising the age of sexual consent from 13 to 16.

The ministry presented the plan to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's committee on judicial affairs the same day, amid victim support groups' calls for the renaming to send a clear message to the public that sex without consent should be strictly punished.

Japan's laws against sexual violence have lagged behind some other countries, with Spain and Sweden among those that have implemented in recent years "only yes means yes" consent laws in which intercourse without explicit consent is treated as rape.

Japan revised its Penal Code in 2017, renaming the crime of "rape" to "forcible sexual intercourse" in the first revision since the Meiji era more than a century ago.

The name will change from forcible sexual intercourse to the equivalent of nonconsensual sexual intercourse.

The 2017 amendments imposed longer prison sentences on rapists and covered male victims, in addition to the name change, but still required violence or coercion for a sexual violation to be officially defined as rape.

The latest revisions will change the requirements to "making it difficult for the victim to form, express or fulfill the intention not to consent" and lists eight examples that would fall under the umbrella, such as drinking alcohol or taking drugs as well as abusing one's position of economic or social power.

The proposed updates also include criminalizing sex with children under the age of 16 by raising Japan's current legal age of consent from 13.

Japan's current age of consent, which has remained unchanged since its enactment in 1907, is one of the lowest among developed nations.

While the changes will make sexual intercourse with a person under 16 illegal, regardless of consent, an exception is provided for intercourse between youngsters at least 13 years old with an age difference of less than five years.

The statute of limitations for prosecution will also be extended to 15 years from 10 years for forcible sexual intercourse, and to 20 years from 15 years for indecent assault resulting in injury.

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KYODO NEWS - Feb 24, 2023 - 01:32 | All, Japan, World

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi on Thursday called for global efforts to make Russia withdraw from Ukraine, saying a "terrible precedent" should not be established after nearly a year of war in the country.

"Imagine yourself. What if one permanent member of the Security Council would launch an aggression against your homeland, grab your territory, and then cease hostilities, calling for peace. I would call it an unjust peace," Hayashi told a U.N. General Assembly emergency session on the Ukraine war.

"It would be a victory for the aggressor if such actions were tolerated. It would set a terrible precedent for the rest of the planet," Hayashi said at the U.N. headquarters in New York, a day before the first anniversary of Russia's invasion.

The two-day special General Assembly session from Wednesday has been convened to take a vote on a resolution demanding Moscow immediately and unconditionally pull out its forces from the internationally recognized territory of Ukraine.

Hayashi asked the rest of the assembly's 193 members to favor the resolution co-sponsored by Japan and Western countries. The legally nonbinding motion would put more pressure on Russia if adopted.

Russia is one of the veto-holding five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council along with the United States, Britain, China and France. The council, in charge of ensuring international peace and security, has been widely viewed as dysfunctional in addressing the war in Ukraine due largely to Moscow's veto power.

Referring to past U.N. General Assembly resolutions and an order by the International Court of Justice in March that made similar demands to Russia, Hayashi condemned Russia for neglecting them "as if they were just pieces of waste paper."

The top Japanese diplomat also said other nations should "refrain from supporting the aggression either directly or indirectly," bearing in mind nations such as Russian ally Belarus, and apparently China amid a U.S. allegation that Beijing is considering supplying weapons to Moscow.

As for Russian President Vladimir Putin's blackmail of possible nuclear use in its former Soviet neighbor, Hayashi condemned Moscow as it "abuses" its status as a nuclear power "with its irresponsible rhetoric."

"Russia's nuclear threat, let alone any use of its nuclear weapons, shall never be tolerated," he added.

Hayashi stressed that Tokyo will continue to support Kyiv, and underscored the necessity of reforms of the Security Council and other U.N. bodies, saying that the "damaged" United Nations is "now being tested."

During his three-day stay in New York from Wednesday, Hayashi is slated to attend a ministerial gathering of the U.N. Security Council on Friday.

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By Mie Sakamoto, KYODO NEWS - Feb 24, 2023 - 15:42 | Feature, All, Japan

When Japanese police detained and took a man into protective custody one evening in 2007, the officers on the scene were not aware he had an intellectual disability, nor that their decision to forcibly restrain him would contribute to the young man's death.

Nearly two decades later, the case of Kenta Yasunaga, who had autism, and his tragic death in police custody is the topic of a new Japanese documentary film, titled "On the Way Home," which seeks to explore what happened on that fateful evening. It also documents the subsequent criminal and civil lawsuits fought by his family in their quest to find out the truth about what happened, in the hope they may prevent such a tragedy from occurring again.

Sometime around 6 p.m. on Sept. 25, 2007, the 25-year-old was riding his bicycle home from a workshop he had regularly attended in Saga Prefecture, southwestern Japan, when police officers attempted to stop him, thinking he had been acting suspiciously.

Since Kenta had communication difficulties owing to his disability, the sound of the police's loud siren caused him to panic. He fled on his bicycle, but crashed into a motorbike that had stopped for a red light and was thrown onto the road.

After Kenta stood up, five officers seized him as he fiercely resisted and moaned in distress. His hands were cuffed behind his back, and he soon fell unconscious. He later died at the hospital he was taken to.

Acute cardiac arrest was determined to be the cause of his death, but the documentary claims that injuries were discovered all over his body following the incident.

When first questioned by a police officer over what happened, his father, Takayuki, was asked whether his son had been drinking alcohol or taking illegal drugs. After Takayuki told the officer that his son was disabled, the officer appeared shocked, he says in the film.

It later turned out during criminal trials that none of the officers at the scene noticed that Kenta had a disability. Only one of the officers involved in the incident faced any charges, but he was acquitted. Rulings on criminal liability were finalized in 2012.

During damages lawsuits, Kenta's family said that the police officers' ignorance about people with intellectual disabilities led to the tragic outcome.

But the courts rejected this argument, supporting the police's claim that Kenta was in a state of "mental derangement," saying he could have been a danger to himself and others and was therefore in need of "protection" as stipulated by law. That ruling was finalized in 2016.

In an interview with Kyodo News, Tsuyoshi Fujioka, who helped produce the 30-minute documentary and partook in the civil lawsuits in support of the family with a group of fellow lawyers, said, "With our defeat at the Supreme Court, the legal settlement came in the form of a loss."

He added: "But the case has not been recognized or publicized in a way that will last in the memory of the general public."

Fujioka, who appears in the film, formed an association in 2017 that seeks to learn lessons from the incident and educate people about mental disabilities, with a special focus on police and judicial officials. The group then later approached Tomoki Imai, the film's director, about making the documentary.

The association is calling for a decades-old police law used to take Kenta into protective custody to be revised by getting rid of the term "mental derangement," which gives police officers the authority to label disabled people as such and detain them based on that assessment.

The group's call was backed by a United Nations panel that deals with the rights of disabled people. They expressed concern over "derogatory terminology" in Japanese law, including the term "mental derangement," and urged Japan to abolish such language in its recommendations last fall.

The suggestions were made after Japan was subject to a review for the first time since ratifying the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2014.

Producing the film was one attempt, says Fujioka, to achieve better public awareness and understanding of the need to revise the law, as doing so could change the powers granted to police officers in such cases nationwide.

"The film has had a major impact, earning over 10,000 views in a week" after its release on YouTube in December, said Fujioka, adding the group hopes many more people will watch the film and learn about what happened.

Fujioka, an expert on human rights issues in relation to people with disabilities, said many police officers are not educated or given training on how to deal with disabled people.

"Many are not aware that their duties include protecting citizens with disabilities," Fujioka said, recalling one incident in a case at the Fukuoka High Court where he asked an officer if he had ever considered whether someone under questioning might have mental disabilities.

"(The policeman) said they do not think about it at all, because they wouldn't be able to do their job properly if they always had to consider it," Fujioka said.

The film also reveals the disappointment and frustration felt by Kenta's father and his brother, Kota, after enduring years of attending legal proceedings in their quest for justice.

"In the end, I began to feel like I was being told during many of the trials that I shouldn't have let a disabled person out of the house," Takayuki said, adding that he felt accused of being ultimately responsible for his son's death because he was not accompanying Kenta at the time of his encounter with the police.

Kota says that discrimination against people with mental disabilities is a broader social problem, and also includes ordinary people who are not interested in educating themselves about societal issues surrounding them.

"I want people to learn about these things. Whenever I hear about other incidents like this that have occurred in other places, I feel as though my brother died for nothing," he says in the film.

Imai, the film's director, said he wants the documentary to shine a spotlight on issues surrounding people with disabilities and their welfare, including how the police, who disabled people and their relatives rely on for protection, cannot always be trusted, even though it is their job to look out for them.

He also seeks to show how discrimination and a lack of understanding about people with mental disabilities can have tragic consequences, he said, adding that the film made him reflect on his own past biases.

"It made me think about how I may have been guilty in the past of unconscious discrimination through a lack of awareness. For example, before, if I saw a person who was raising their voice in a strange way on a train or bus, I used to look at the situation and pretend I didn't know what was going on," he said.

Imai said he vividly recalls the soft expression on Takayuki's face when he spoke about his dead son's childhood, and how Kenta used to ring his bicycle's bell while returning home. His expression would turn to sadness and anger, however, when talking about the incident that led to his death.

Imai said he learned about people with mental disabilities after speaking with experts while conducting research for the film. He was taught how to deal with people with certain disabilities correctly.

"For me, that was really important and it made me notice everyday obstacles in society that people with disabilities have to deal with," such as when people walk into elevators in front of wheelchair users who need them.

Imai said he hopes to create a longer version of the film and explore the incident in greater detail.

There are currently four versions of the film, including one with Japanese subtitles and sign language.

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FEATURE:Latest chapter of Agent Orange series unmasks Vietnam's hidden pain
BEIJING, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- China has steadily entered a new phase of COVID-19 prevention and control, which was downgraded under the management of Class B infectious diseases, a National Health Commission (NHC) spokesperson said Thursday.

China's overall COVID-19 response situation is improving, with sporadic COVID-19 cases reported in parts of the country, said spokesperson Mi Feng at a press conference held by the State Council joint COVID-19 prevention and control mechanism.

China has been optimizing COVID-19 prevention and control measures based on the evolving situation over the past more than three years and has succeeded in preventing the widespread prevalence of more virulent and fatal variants, Mi added.

Liang Wannian, head of the COVID-19 response expert panel under the NHC, said at the press conference that the country has withstood the challenge posed by the latest wave of COVID-19 infections and established sound community immunity, adding that the wave can be said to be basically over.

As the global COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing, China will further improve the Class B management measures, Mi said, adding that the country will enhance its epidemic surveillance and regular warning capacity, ensure COVID-19 prevention and control at places such as nursing homes and schools, and accelerate COVID-19 vaccination.

According to Yang Feng, an official with the disease prevention and control bureau under the NHC, the country will continue to improve its online direct reporting system for infectious diseases, and will carry out law-enforcement inspections for the reporting of information concerning such diseases.

More than 241.68 million people aged over 60 have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 so far, accounting for 96.1 percent of the population of that age group, Yang told the press conference. 
BEIJING, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- China on Friday blamed the United States for violating its obligations under the Convention on International Civil Aviation, also known as Chicago Convention, and multiple basic principles of international law, as it has slanderously described China's civilian unmanned airship as a "spy balloon" and engaged in the abuse of force.

Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, made the accusation at a press briefing in response to a query about the U.S. ongoing "analysis and investigation into" the unmanned airship that was shot down by the U.S. military after its unexpected entry into the U.S. airspace.

Wang said that China has explicitly told the U.S. side multiple times that the entry of the Chinese civilian unmanned airship was an entirely unintended, unexpected and isolated event caused by force majeure.

From salvaging the wreckage to analyzing the debris, the U.S. side has been operating unilaterally and secretly, said Wang.

He added that China has, through the channel of consular protection, requested the U.S. side to report on the progress, to which the United States failed to respond.

China has to strongly question the independence, openness and transparency of the so-called investigation, the spokesperson said. "What credibility does such an investigation have?"

"The U.S. position on the incident has long been preset. It has been completely hijacked by domestic politics and serves the strategy of containing and suppressing China," Wang noted.

He questioned whether, just as U.S. President Biden gave the order to shoot down the civilian airship by force as early as Feb. 1, the so-called investigation report has already been concocted.

"The so-called conclusions in the report are nothing more than repeating the false statements and groundless accusations that the U.S. side often spreads these days," said Wang. "What value can such a report have other than to slander and attack China?" 
BEIJING, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Liu Jianchao, head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, held a video call with Emilio Lozada Garcia, head of the Department of International Relations of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee, on Friday.

The two sides exchanged views on implementing the important consensus between the top leaders of the two parties and the two countries, strengthening inter-party exchanges and cooperation, and advancing the all-round development of China-Cuba relations, among others. 
by Yang Shilong, Zhang Mocheng

NEW YORK, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. involvement in the conflict in Ukraine is "really an awful thing." "They don't care about Ukraine. They care about world hegemony and defeating Russia," a renowned U.S. anti-war activist has said.

"If we keep going in the direction we're going, not only will we bankrupt ourselves, but we could destroy the world. And that's very, very scary," said Eric Garris, director of Antiwar.com, of Washington's one-year support for arming Ukraine against Russia in an interview with Xinhua on Wednesday.

On one hand, the U.S. involvement in the conflict in Ukraine is hurting Americans by taking so much money away from them to support arming another conflict. "But the other problem is that the United States has tried, has succeeded in killing peace talks on multiple occasions," said Garris, 70, who has been an anti-war activist since his childhood.

Garris noted that in the early part of the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict, there was a peace deal that "could have been agreed to," but the United States tried hard to keep the crisis going.

"It makes no sense. It's like a big bully who goes around the world and tries to tell every other country what to do, what the outcome of things should be," Garris said.

It seems like the U.S. administration's only solution "is not to promote diplomacy, is not to promote ways to resolve differences, but rather to stoke them. And this is really, really bad," Garris said.

"And it's really not our business. We need to get out of the foreign affairs of other countries ... the only thing we should do is to help them make peace, not make war. We need to stop arming all of this belligerence," Garris said.

"Unfortunately, a lot of the politicians here are heavily influenced by and contributed to by the defense industry," which is really pushing this crisis and "bought the politicians," lamented Garris, adding the United States has spent over 100 billion U.S. dollars on the conflict in Ukraine, with "close to 50 billion is just for weapons."

"I hope the American people can tell their politicians that this is too much. Enough is enough. We need to stop this. We need to focus on trying to make peace and nothing else abroad," said Garris.

"That's why we have to build a movement in this country that relies on talking to people and getting out this information. That's why we have Antiwar.com, we publish every day the news of what's happening," he said.

Garris said he founded Antiwar.com in 1995 and it is the premier anti-war website in the United States.

"Unlike a lot of anti-war organizations, we are very broad-based and ecumenical. We have people from across the political spectrum who support peace ... We have tried to be non-sectarian ... and it's completely reader supported," he said. 
It's been a year since Russia launched a special military operation against Ukraine, but the conflict is far from over.

The Ukraine crisis began on Feb. 24, 2022, following incitement from the United States and its allies due to NATO's eastward expansion.

Today, Ukrainians and Russians still grieve their beloved ones killed on the frontlines.

When the conflict is piling misery on people worldwide suffering from acute food and energy crises, the West continues to fan the flames by sending more military hardware and intelligence to Ukraine.





Produced by Xinhua Global Service
BEIJING, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing health insurance reform in China will improve outpatient services for patients, experts said.

According to the reform, outpatient expenses are covered through collective pools of funds, while corresponding adjustments are made to the makeup of individual saving accounts.

The reform will see contributions from employers fed into unified accounts, instead of personal accounts, to support the reimbursement of general outpatient bills. Retirees' deposit amounts are pegged to local per capita pensions, instead of individual pensions.

The reduction in deposits to personal accounts doesn't mean any curtailment of the benefits for the insured people, said experts, as the money flows into the pooled fund and is mostly earmarked for outpatient services. After the reform, more general outpatient bills will be reimbursed.

EMPHASIS ON MUTUAL AID

The reform makes sense because medical insurance is a kind of social insurance, which means that it has the nature of mutual assistance, shared responsibility, and joint construction and sharing, said experts.

In the past, general outpatient expenses were mainly covered by individual accounts, but a significant portion of such accounts doesn't have sufficient savings, causing a huge burden for patients, said Jin Weigang, deputy head of the China Association of Social Security.

While some people might have seen the deposits in their personal accounts running low due to frequent visits to the doctor, other accounts showed significant deposits remaining unused.

To alleviate the burden of outpatient bills on individual accounts, China has brought outpatient expenses for serious diseases and major chronic diseases under the coverage of unified accounts, which were initially used to reimburse hospitalization bills and bills of serious diseases.

The pooled fund is still unable to cover the expenses of general outpatient services, which constitute the lion's share in people's outpatient service needs, said Jin, who is also vice dean of the Institute of State System Research, Zhejiang University.

The new reform will enable the health insurance system to cover outpatient expenses more effectively, without inflicting any further financial burden on employers and employees, said Gu Xuefei, a medical care policy researcher at the China National Health Development Research Center.

BENEFITS FOR ELDERLY PEOPLE

The reform raises the minimum reimbursement percentage for outpatient medical bills to 50 percent, as well as mandating efforts to further tip the scales of policy in favor of retired people.

The city of Hohhot, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, provides a good example. It added 5 percent to the standard reimbursement ratio of outpatient bills for retired people and further raised the upper limit for the collective fund to cover the outpatient bills for this group of people.

As a result, the retired people in the city can have up to 6,000 yuan (around 870 U.S. dollars) of their outpatient bills reimbursed, which is 2,000 yuan more than the limit they enjoyed in the past, and higher than the benefits that the local working population enjoys.

Moreover, according to the existing policy, people are allowed to help cover the medical expenses of their spouses, parents and children from their personal accounts. This means that elderly people can get more financial help from their families when coping with medical risks.

FINANCIALLY VIABLE

The basic medical insurance system for urban employees remains financially healthy.

In the first 11 months of 2022, the fund recorded some 1.81 trillion yuan in revenue and nearly 1.33 trillion yuan in expenditure, according to data released by the National Healthcare Security Administration.

Data also shows that the unified accounts took in more than 1.186 trillion yuan, while paying out 932.1 billion yuan in 2021.

The new health insurance reform is expected to be completed in three years, while support measures have already been rolled out in some regions to facilitate the reform.

In central China's Wuhan, 4,065 pharmacies have been newly added to the system, supporting efforts to cover outpatient expenses through unified accounts, in addition to the more than 1,000 pharmacies previously brought in under a pilot scheme. 
SUVA, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) on Friday reaffirmed the importance of science and data to guide Japan's decision on the discharge of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated wastewater.

"On the matter of the planned release by the government of Japan on the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS)-treated water, forum leaders reaffirmed the importance of science and data to guide political decisions on the proposed discharge," outgoing PIF Chair and Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said after the conclusion of the PIF special leaders' meeting.

Meanwhile, incoming PIF Chair and the Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown stressed on Friday that Japan's discharge of nuclear-contaminated wastewater must be done in a safe way.

He said he was pleased to traveled to Japan recently as part of the PIF delegation in an effort to convey their concerns over the possible release of nuclear-contaminated wastewater.

The PIF has urged Japan to delay its discharge of wastewater contaminated by the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean.

The Japanese government said in January that the controversial plan to release radioactive wastewater into the Pacific will start in spring or summer.

While stressing that the Pacific region is steadfast that there is no discharge until all parties verify it is safe, PIF Secretary General Henry Puna said recently that it is absolutely important for the Pacific that Japan does not go ahead with the release.

He said the PIF must prevent action that will lead or mislead them toward another major nuclear contamination disaster at the hands of others.

The PIF leaders' meeting was held in Fiji's third largest city of Nadi since Thursday night, focusing on the PIF's solidarity.

The meeting also discussed the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and the transition of the PIF chair from Fiji to the Cook Islands. 
Gian Marco Centinaio (L), vice president of the Italian Senate, welcomes Jia Guide, China's new ambassador to Italy, at a reception in Rome, Italy, Feb. 22, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Yongqiu)

ROME, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Italy looks forward to the full resumption of bilateral exchanges with China at an early date and aims to strengthen cooperation -- especially in economy and trade -- to better benefit the two peoples, senior figures in the country's political circle have said.

China and Italy are both members of the Group of 20 (G20) and representatives of extremely important civilizations in the world, Gian Marco Centinaio, vice president of the Italian Senate, said at a welcome reception on Wednesday evening for Jia Guide, China's new ambassador to Italy.

"As in the past, trade is a key element in the relations between our countries today," Centinaio said, adding that he expects two-way tourist flows to significantly increase after the easing of pandemic restrictions.

The relations between Italy and China have a long history and a bright future, Centinaio told Xinhua. Italy and China have lively economic and cultural relations, he said.

He praised China's efforts in managing the pandemic and to improve bilateral ties, which "allow trade relationship to improve further."

China is an important and expanding market for Italy, Centinaio said, recalling that he served as his country's minister of agriculture about five years ago.

Chinese consumers have shown growing interest in Italian brands and products across fashion, engineering, automotive, and agricultural industries, he said, adding that Italian wine and food products are also entering the daily life of Chinese consumers.

"This allows us to look at China as a preferred interlocutor with whom we can establish further business relations," he said.

Romano Prodi, former president of the European Commission and Italy's former prime minister, told Xinhua at the reception that Italy-China relations and Europe-China relations are a crucial "component of the future," highlighting "indispensable" cooperation and dialogue between the two countries.

Noting that bilateral direct exchanges have been largely hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic over the past three years, Prodi urged the two countries to quickly resume direct exchanges in various areas.

"Right now, from an economic point of view, China's recovery is indispensable for Europe's recovery," said Prodi, adding that the two countries need to strengthen their Belt and Road cooperation.

According to China's foreign ministry's October 2022 figures, China was Italy's largest trading partner in Asia and Italy was China's fourth largest trading partner in the European Union.

Two-way trade between China and Italy totaled 77.88 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, Chinese customs said. 

Gian Marco Centinaio, vice president of the Italian Senate, addresses a welcome reception for Jia Guide, China's new ambassador to Italy, in Rome, Italy, Feb. 22, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Yongqiu)
MADRID, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) on Thursday hailed the importance of the reopening of China for tourism, given the country's huge importance to the global tourism market.

"The reopening of China represents the 'missing piece' in the recovery of world tourism after the worst crisis in its history," the UNWTO said in a press release.

In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, China was the world's largest outbound tourism market. Chinese tourists made 166 million international trips, and spent 270 billion U.S. dollars, much of it in destinations in developing economies, according to UNWTO data.

Almost 3 trillion U.S. dollars in tourist revenues were lost globally between 2020 and 2022 due to the pandemic. Therefore, the organization said the lifting of Chinese travel restrictions will benefit the entire world.

Chinese citizens made 6 billion domestic trips in 2019, the UNWTO said, adding this shows that tourism is a key driver of employment and economic growth, including for rural communities in China.

The trickle-down effect of China's reopening will also benefit other economic sectors, helping to create greater dynamism at local, national and global level, the UNWTO said.

A delegation from the UNWTO, led by Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, traveled from the Spanish capital Madrid to Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, to attend an event celebrating the reopening of China for tourism. China's Minister of Culture and Tourism Hu Heping met with the delegation in Hangzhou on Friday. 
Staff members pose for a photo in front of a Chinese exhibition booth during the International Tourism Fair FITUR 2023 in Madrid, Spain, Jan. 18, 2023. (Photo by Gustavo Valiente/Xinhua) Orriols said Spanish companies have a great opportunity to help satisfy the growing demand in China for quality consumer products and services. BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- "My business advice after working in and interacting with the Chinese market since 2004 is that we should not see China as a threat but as an opportunity," Marin Orriols, director of the International Department of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, told Xinhua in an interview on Thursday. "The best advice I can give as a specialist is to learn about the Chinese market, visit that market, talk to that market, forge alliances with that market," and try to benefit from the market knowledge, he said. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Spain in March 1973, bilateral trade has increased to more than 43 billion euros (45.5 billion U.S. dollars), according to 2021 figures from the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX). A resident poses for a photo with a lion dancer during an event to celebrate the Chinese New Year in Madrid, Spain, Jan. 20, 2023. (Photo by Gustavo Valiente/Xinhua) "I encourage our businesspeople to go to China, to do business in China. It's complicated ... but it is worth it, and we are in a fantastic position to become good trading partners," Orriols said. He argued that Spanish companies have a great opportunity to help satisfy the growing demand in China for quality consumer products and services. "Trade is growing rapidly," he said, "while the consumption of China's expanding middle class continues to grow, it favors Spanish exports." In the past 50 years, economic links between the two countries have been strengthened by high-level visits. According to Spanish press reports, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is scheduled to visit China this year. Chinese New Year posters are seen on a street in Madrid, Spain, Jan. 21, 2023. (Photo by Gustavo Valiente/Xinhua) Travel is another business opportunity that Orriols points to, with Spain being a global powerhouse in the tourism industry and China being the largest source of international tourists, especially now that the pandemic restrictions have been removed. Orriols said that in places like Barcelona, more groups of Chinese tourists are seen. The tourists not only generate very significant revenue but also act as ambassadors for Spanish products and services when they return China. Orriols also believes that China's increasing investment abroad offers new business opportunities for Spanish companies. "What do the Chinese need? Local partners. So, if we find that Chinese business with a good product or service that we believe has a future here, then what makes the most sense is to ally with them and to grow stronger together." Spanish buyer Daniel Javier Salvador (C) talks with an exhibitor at the booth of a home appliances producer during the 130th session of the China Import and Export Fair, or the Canton Fair, in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, Oct. 15, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Dawei)
Soldiers take part in a parade during Brunei's National Day celebrations in Bandar Seri Begawan, capital of Brunei, on Feb. 23, 2023. (Photo by Jeffrey Wong/Xinhua)

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Brunei held a massive parade and performances with about 7,000 participants in the capital on Thursday to celebrate its 39th National Day.

Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, together with other members of the royal family, attended the celebration at Taman Haji Sir Muda Omar 'Ali Saifuddien and inspected the guard of honor.

Participants comprising seven groups, ranging from various sectors of the armed forces, education institutions, indigenous ethnic groups, and public associations, took part in this year's national day parade and performances.

With Achieving the National Vision continuing to be the theme for this year's celebration, the event emphasizes that every sector involved in the country's development has its responsibility in making the Brunei Vision 2035 a success.

Brunei declared independence in 1984, with about 440,000 total population in 2021. 

People take part in a parade during Brunei's National Day celebrations in Bandar Seri Begawan, capital of Brunei, on Feb. 23, 2023. (Photo by Jeffrey Wong/Xinhua)

People take part in a parade during Brunei's National Day celebrations in Bandar Seri Begawan, capital of Brunei, on Feb. 23, 2023. (Photo by Jeffrey Wong/Xinhua)

People take part in a parade during Brunei's National Day celebrations in Bandar Seri Begawan, capital of Brunei, on Feb. 23, 2023. (Photo by Jeffrey Wong/Xinhua)

Brunei's Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (R, Front) inspects a guard of honor during Brunei's National Day celebrations in Bandar Seri Begawan, capital of Brunei, on Feb. 23, 2023. (Photo by Jeffrey Wong/Xinhua)
MOSCOW, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Wednesday briefed the media on his trip to Europe and Russia.

Wang has concluded his visit to France, Italy, Hungary and Russia as well as his attendance of the 59th Munich Security Conference.

During the trip, Wang said he mainly introduced China's major policies after the 20th CPC National Congress, and comprehensively expounded on the bright prospect and far-reaching impact of Chinese modernization.

On peace and security, China has proved with numerous facts that the path of peaceful development is not only feasible, but very successful, said Wang.

China stays committed to the path of peaceful development, and hopes that other countries will also join the cause, he added.

Wang said the so-called unmanned airship incident was an entirely isolated and unexpected event caused by force majeure. However, Wang added, the U.S. side ignored the basic facts, abused force, hyped the situation and smeared China.

The U.S. act did not show its power, but revealed its lack of rationality instead, Wang said.

China urges the United States to abandon its obsolete mindset of a zero-sum game, perceive China in an objective and impartial manner and return to a rational and pragmatic policy towards China, said the diplomat.

Friendship is the keynote of China's policy towards the EU with cooperation as the overall goal, Wang said.

If China and the EU choose dialogue and cooperation, bloc confrontation will be out of the question; if the two sides choose peace and stability, there will not be a new Cold War; if both sides choose opening up and win-win cooperation, global development and prosperity stand a chance, Wang said.

China and the EU should exclude external interference, properly manage differences, and enhance exchanges and cooperation to provide stability for the turbulent international situation, Wang said, adding that these efforts are also of great significance to the political settlement of the Ukraine issue.

As permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and Russia shoulder their due responsibility of promoting a multi-polar world and opposing unilateral and bullying actions, Wang said.

He said the results of his visit to Russia can be summarized as three points: both sides reaffirmed the goals of bilateral relations set by the two countries' heads of state, made new efforts to push ahead practical cooperation in various areas, and coordinated over regional and international issues of common concern.

On the Ukraine issue, China has, as always, firmly been standing on the side of peace and dialogue and on the right side of history, Wang said, adding that over the past year, China has actively contributed to promoting de-escalation and supporting all efforts conducive to a peaceful settlement of the crisis.

The crisis has occured in Europe but affected the whole world, and it should not drag on indefinitely, he said, adding that China supports Europe in playing a more active and constructive role in upholding peace and promoting talks.

He said that China is about to issue a position paper on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, which will reiterate Beijing's consistent positions and also take into account reasonable concerns of all parities, in hope of establishing the broadest common ground of the international community on the Ukraine issue. 
Europeans have raised questions about the U.S. role in the Russia-Ukraine conflicts in the recent article on the Nord Stream explosion from the U.S. investigative journalist Seymour Hersh.





Produced by Xinhua Global Service
This aerial photo shows vehicles waiting to be exported at a port in Lianyungang, east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 13, 2023. (Photo by Geng Yuhe/Xinhua)

Global trade growth in 2022 was above WTO's forecast of 3 percent issued last April and substantially higher than its estimates for more pessimistic scenarios for the year.

GENEVA, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Global trade remained resilient and performed better than pessimistic predictions for 2022, as economies greatly affected by the Russia-Ukraine conflict had found alternative sources of supply, the World Trade Organization (WTO) said in a note released on Thursday.

According to the information note, trade growth in 2022 was above the agency's forecast of 3 percent issued in last April and substantially higher than its estimates for more pessimistic scenarios for the year.

For the longer-term outlook, new WTO simulations show the importance of strengthening the multilateral trading system, with least-developed countries likely to be hardest hit if international cooperation were to break down.

Photo taken on July 15, 2020 shows the exterior view of the World Trade Organization (WTO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. (Photo by Li Ye/Xinhua)

Global trade "has held up well" in the face of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, WTO Chief Economist Ralph Ossa said.

"Despite the devastation, we have seen one year on, trade flows remained open," Ossa said. Global trade has not seen the worst predictions foreseen at the onset of the crisis, he added.

"Sharply higher food prices and supply shortages have not materialized thanks to the openness of the multilateral trading system and the cooperation governments have committed to at the WTO," Ralph said.

Trading partners found alternative sources to fill in the gaps for most products affected by the conflict, such as wheat, maize, sunflower products, fertilizer, fuels and palladium -- a rare earth mineral used in catalytic converters for cars, the note said.

A staff member stamps label on boxes of fresh durians before exporting to China at a factory in Bao Lam district, Vietnam's central highlands Lam Dong province, on Sept. 20, 2022. (VNA/Handout via Xinhua)

Prices for goods greatly affected by the crisis rose less than expected at the beginning of the conflict. Among products most affected by the conflict, prices increased between 4.4 percent (palladium) and 24.2 percent (maize). While these price increases are substantial, they are significantly lower than the gloomiest predictions.

Take wheat prices for example. They actually increased by 17 percent, much lower than the WTO Secretariat staff simulations of 85 percent in some low-income regions.

The note further finds that as Ukrainian exports collapsed by 30 percent in 2022 in value terms, many African economies adjust their sourcing patterns. Ethiopia, which used to rely on Ukraine and Russia for 45 percent of its wheat imports, increased its purchases from other producers such as the United States and Argentina.

A China-Europe freight train loads containers at Dulaying Station in Guiyang, southwest China's Guizhou Province, on Feb. 9, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Xu)

Russia's exports expanded by 15.6 percent in value terms because of an increase in prices particularly for fuels, fertilizers and cereals. However, estimates suggest Russia's export volume may have declined slightly. Trade flows are sharply down for industrial goods such as motor vehicles, pharmaceuticals or aircraft, where sanctions are more restrictive, the note said. 
A dried corn field is seen as a severe drought hits France, in Puiseux-Pontoise, about 30 km northwest of Paris, France, Aug. 18, 2022. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

According to the European Union's Drought Observatory, northern Italy, south-central France, eastern Spain, and parts of Greece, Germany, Austria, and Croatia all have a rainfall deficit this winter.

ROME, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Large swathes of Europe are currently in the midst of an unprecedented winter drought, which could impact agriculture and human consumption, and lead to problems in the warmer months.

According to the European Union's (EU) Drought Observatory, northern Italy, south-central France, eastern Spain, and parts of Greece, Germany, Austria, and Croatia all have a rainfall deficit this winter. This comes after a record-setting hot and dry summer last year, which left water stores low heading into the colder months.

The back-to-back droughts have impacted fishing and irrigation, and limited winter sports.

As of Thursday, most of France has gone more than a month without significant rainfall, according to Meteo France. This breaks the record set in the spring of 2020. Moreover, with one week to go before the official end of winter, the total number of winter days without rain is the highest since record-keeping began in 1959.

People sit by a fountain shut down at the Concorde Plaza in Paris, France, Aug. 17, 2022. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

Italy has seen some snow and rainfall this year, but the accumulated rainfall -- especially in the northern parts of the country -- has been so low that the ANBI Water Resource Consortium said Thursday that as many as 3.5 million Italians could be at risk of having to ration drinking water. The organization said that as much as 15 percent of Italy's population lives in areas which are impacted by extreme drought conditions.

Meanwhile, in an attempt to curb water use, Spanish officials have established rules limiting car-washing and filling of swimming pools. The low rainfall has resulted in a weak crop of acorns, making it more difficult for pig farmers to feed their animals.

Across central Europe, the low levels of precipitation have also resulted in lower snowfall, which has damaged tourism. It will also result in lower levels for glacier-fed rivers and lakes in the spring.

The Tiber River is seen with low water level in Rome, Italy, on June 19, 2022. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)

The low rainfall in Europe has exacerbated the problems caused by the droughts and heatwaves that lashed the continent in 2022.

In addition, the year-old conflict between Russia and Ukraine has further complicated the situation, leading to skyrocketing energy costs combined with increased demand due to the cold and dry conditions.

Coldiretti, the main Italian agricultural sector union, said that as much as a quarter of agricultural production in areas impacted by the dry weather could be lost this winter.

Workers are seen near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, Feb. 1, 2023. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

The weather could change in the coming days, according to media reports. Starting early next week, a weather formation originating in Russia is expected to cause a drop in temperatures in central and northern Italy, and into the Alps and southern France. However, despite the lower temperatures, the change in weather is not expected to bring a significant increase in rainfall. 
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan have a cordial meeting with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 24, 2023. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

BEIJING, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan had a cordial meeting with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Friday.

Xi pointed out that over the past 65 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Cambodia, no matter how the international landscape evolved, the China-Cambodia friendship has lasted and shown new vitality, and their bilateral relations have become a model of international relations.

This is due to the profound friendship forged and nurtured by the older generation of Chinese leaders and former King Norodom Sihanouk, Xi said.

Noting that King Norodom Sihamoni and the queen mother have witnessed China's reform and development, Xi said they have always cared about China's development and are good friends of the Chinese people.

Xi said the goal of awarding the Friendship Medal of the People's Republic of China to the queen mother in 2020 was to thank her for her special contribution to China-Cambodia friendship.

"We should take over the baton of China-Cambodia friendship, let the ironclad friendship between the two countries be passed down from generation to generation, and write a new chapter in building the China-Cambodia community with a shared future," Xi added.

He emphasized that the Communist Party of China is uniting and leading the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization and is committed to peaceful development and win-win cooperation on the new journey of the new era.

China stands ready to work with Cambodia to build a cooperation framework in six major areas and supports Cambodia in building the "Industrial Development Corridor" and the "Fish and Rice Corridor," Xi said, adding that the country is also willing to accelerate the building of a China-Cambodia community with a shared future.

China will continue to support the Cambodian king's working group in bringing more benefits to the Cambodian people, he added.

Noting that China has provided selfless help and support to Cambodia for a long time, the Cambodian king and the queen mother said they have been paying close attention to China's development and are sincerely happy about China's achievements.

Cambodia appreciates the Belt and Road Initiative and the concept of building a community with a shared future for humankind, and is willing to work with China to take the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Cambodia and China as an opportunity to deepen friendly exchanges and cooperation in various fields and pass on the traditional friendship from generation to generation, they said. 
A Chinese envoy told the UN General Assembly Emergency Special Session on Ukraine that the facilitation of a ceasefire is a top priority and the door to a political solution cannot be closed.





Produced by Xinhua Global Service
Cui Anqi, managing director of Great Wall Motor Sales Malaysia Sdn Bhd, speaks during an interview with Xinhua in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Feb. 17, 2023. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Mr. Lim, who lives near the city of Kuala Lumpur, was quite satisfied with his recently bought Ora Good Cat electric vehicle (EV).

Ora Good Cat is an electric vehicle model under Great Wall Motor (GWM), China's leading sport utility vehicle and pickup manufacturer. Mr. Lim first saw the model when he was on business in Thailand, took a picture of the car and sent it to his wife.

Later they saw it in a car exhibition in Kuala Lumpur, and ordered it on the spot after checking out and test driving. During the Christmas holidays last year, the car was delivered to them. "My wife likes this car very much. It's powerful and quiet, can accelerate fast," he said.

GWM set up its Malaysian subsidiary in July 2022. According to Cui Anqi, managing director of Great Wall Motor Sales Malaysia Sdn Bhd, the Malaysian market is very important among ASEAN countries. There are many automobile consumptions in Malaysia, but in terms of new energy vehicles, the market is still a "blue ocean" and has great potential for upgrading.

Data from Malaysian Automotive Association showed that 2,631 EVs were sold in Malaysia in 2022, which represents an 860-percent increase from 274 in 2021.

The skyrocketing increase is closely related with incentive packages adopted by Malaysian government.

"The government is truly walking its policy talk for the EV industry through various measures. This includes offering full import, excise, and sales tax exemptions for locally assembled EVs until Dec. 31, 2025, and full import and excise duty exemptions for imported EVs until Dec. 31, 2023," International Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz said recently at the launching of Malaysia's Electric Vehicle Industry Conference 2023.

These incentives may be adjusted in the future, however, industry insiders believe that EV is the inevitable trend.

The minister also pointed out that Malaysia aims to achieve at least 15 percent of electrified vehicles including hybrid out of the total industry volume by 2030 and 38 percent by 2040 under the National Energy Policy (2022-2040).

By 2025, the government aims to provide 10,000 public charging facilities, comprising 9,000 units of alternating current type and 1,000 units of direct current type.

Chinese automaker BYD officially launched its electric car model of Atto 3 in Malaysia in December 2022. Tengku Zafrul said at the launching ceremony that participation of the Chinese brand will benefit the development of the EV ecosystem in Malaysia.

"The trend of car consumption upgrading in Malaysia is becoming more and more obvious. We are confident that Malaysia's new energy automobile industry will achieve rapid and high-quality development in the near future," Cui Anqi said. 

A customer tries an Ora Good Cat electric vehicle at a showroom in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Feb. 17, 2023. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)

A customer takes a test drive of an Ora Good Cat electric vehicle in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Feb. 17, 2023. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)

An Ora Good Cat electric vehicle is displayed at a showroom in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Feb. 17, 2023. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)
BEIJING, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- China has called for international efforts to create conditions for the resumption of peace talks to resolve the Ukraine crisis.

China on Friday released a paper stating its position on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, saying dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis.

The international community should stay committed to the right approach of promoting talks for peace, help parties to the conflict open the door to a political settlement as soon as possible, and create conditions and platforms for the resumption of negotiation. China will continue to play a constructive role in this regard, said the paper.

All parties must stay rational and exercise restraint, avoid fanning the flames and aggravating tensions, and prevent the crisis from deteriorating further or even spiraling out of control, it said.

All parties should support Russia and Ukraine in working in the same direction and resuming direct dialogue as quickly as possible, so as to gradually deescalate the situation and ultimately reach a comprehensive ceasefire, it added.

All measures conducive to easing the humanitarian crisis must be encouraged and supported, and parties to the conflict should avoid attacking civilians or civilian facilities, protect women, children and other victims of the conflict, and respect the basic rights of prisoners of war (POWs), the paper said.

China opposes armed attacks against nuclear power plants or other peaceful nuclear facilities, said the paper, adding that the threat or use of nuclear weapons should be opposed, and nuclear proliferation must be prevented and nuclear crisis avoided. 
This photo taken on Feb. 22, 2023 shows the Mnazi Mmoja Hospital in Zanzibar, Tanzania. Since 1964, China has been assigning medical teams to Zanzibar to provide medical services for the local people, train local medical personnel, and promote the development of Zanzibar's health care.

Members of the 32nd Chinese medical team to Zanzibar arrived in Zanzibar on Sept. 26, 2022. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)

Doctor Yang Weizhe checks a magnetic resonance imaging result at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital in Zanzibar, Tanzania, Feb. 22, 2023. Since 1964, China has been assigning medical teams to Zanzibar to provide medical services for the local people, train local medical personnel, and promote the development of Zanzibar's health care.

Members of the 32nd Chinese medical team to Zanzibar arrived in Zanzibar on Sept. 26, 2022. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)

Doctor Zhao Xiaojun (L, front) gives a lesson on celoscope surgery at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital in Zanzibar, Tanzania, Dec. 6, 2022. Since 1964, China has been assigning medical teams to Zanzibar to provide medical services for the local people, train local medical personnel, and promote the development of Zanzibar's health care.

Members of the 32nd Chinese medical team to Zanzibar arrived in Zanzibar on Sept. 26, 2022. (Chinese medical team to Zanzibar/Handout via Xinhua)

Doctor Dong Lili (R) does an ophthalmic surgery for a patient at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital in Zanzibar, Tanzania, Feb. 23, 2023. Since 1964, China has been assigning medical teams to Zanzibar to provide medical services for the local people, train local medical personnel, and promote the development of Zanzibar's health care.

Members of the 32nd Chinese medical team to Zanzibar arrived in Zanzibar on Sept. 26, 2022. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)

Members of the 32nd Chinese medical team to Zanzibar pose for a group photo in Zanzibar, Tanzania, Feb. 23, 2023. Since 1964, China has been assigning medical teams to Zanzibar to provide medical services for the local people, train local medical personnel, and promote the development of Zanzibar's health care.

Members of the 32nd Chinese medical team to Zanzibar arrived in Zanzibar on Sept. 26, 2022. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)

Doctor Liu Cuixia gives an examination for a patient at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital in Zanzibar, Tanzania, Feb. 22, 2023. Since 1964, China has been assigning medical teams to Zanzibar to provide medical services for the local people, train local medical personnel, and promote the development of Zanzibar's health care.

Members of the 32nd Chinese medical team to Zanzibar arrived in Zanzibar on Sept. 26, 2022. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)

Doctor Guo Wei (2nd L) diagnoses for a patient at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital in Zanzibar, Tanzania, Feb. 22, 2023. Since 1964, China has been assigning medical teams to Zanzibar to provide medical services for the local people, train local medical personnel, and promote the development of Zanzibar's health care.

Members of the 32nd Chinese medical team to Zanzibar arrived in Zanzibar on Sept. 26, 2022. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)

Doctor Liu Yajian (2nd R) watches a local doctor doing acupuncture therapy for a patient at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital in Zanzibar, Tanzania, Feb. 22, 2023. Since 1964, China has been assigning medical teams to Zanzibar to provide medical services for the local people, train local medical personnel, and promote the development of Zanzibar's health care.

Members of the 32nd Chinese medical team to Zanzibar arrived in Zanzibar on Sept. 26, 2022. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)

Dentist Sheng Lei diagnoses for a patient at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital in Zanzibar, Tanzania, Feb. 22, 2023. Since 1964, China has been assigning medical teams to Zanzibar to provide medical services for the local people, train local medical personnel, and promote the development of Zanzibar's health care.

Members of the 32nd Chinese medical team to Zanzibar arrived in Zanzibar on Sept. 26, 2022. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)

Doctor Xue Jia gives an examination for a patient at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital in Zanzibar, Tanzania, Feb. 22, 2023. Since 1964, China has been assigning medical teams to Zanzibar to provide medical services for the local people, train local medical personnel, and promote the development of Zanzibar's health care.

Members of the 32nd Chinese medical team to Zanzibar arrived in Zanzibar on Sept. 26, 2022. (Chinese medical team to Zanzibar/Handout via Xinhua)
Aerial photo taken on May 26, 2021 shows the Yangpu international container port at Yangpu economic development zone in South China's Hainan province. [Photo/Xinhua] The amount of foreign capital actually used in China reached 127.69 billion yuan in January, up 14.5 percent year-on-year. In dollar terms that comes close to $19.02 billion, up 10 percent year-on-year. This explains why China is still seen as an ideal destination for foreign investment and business. China will make greater efforts at the policy level to stabilize and expand foreign investment this year, making the Chinese market a "magnet" for foreign capital. Despite facing ever-changing international situations and ever-increasing uncertainties, China has not changed its established development strategy, development approach and development goals. It will continue giving full play to its strengths to attract foreign investment. Although the pandemic has not completely disappeared and many restrictive factors remain, the more than 100 billion yuan in foreign investment that China attracted in January shows that it still remains a favored foreign investment destination. Not only are foreign investors flocking to invest in China, many international economic organizations are full of confidence in China's economic prospects. The International Monetary Fund even raised its forecast for China's 2023 economic growth to 5.2 percent, up 0.8 percentage points from its October forecast. It is the greater confidence of the international community in China's economy and increased optimism of foreign investors toward the Chinese market that has played a more positive role in helping China attract foreign investment. The proportion of foreign investment in the high-tech sector is increasing, with the actual use of foreign capital in high-tech industries increasing by 62.8 percent in January, 22 percent points higher than 40.4 percent in the manufacturing sector. In particular, the actual use of foreign capital in high-tech manufacturing increased by 74.5 percent year-on-year, 34 percentage points higher than that in manufacturing. All these show that the quality of foreign investment China attracts is constantly improving, which is expected to help promote the high-quality development of China's economy. The regional distribution of foreign investment is also undergoing positive changes. The actual use of foreign capital in China's less developed central and western regions increased 25.9 percent and 21.6 percent year-on-year respectively in January, much higher than 13.4 percent in the eastern region. This means that the pattern of foreign investment favoring China's eastern region is now changing and will contribute to China's pursuit of more balanced economic development across regions.
MOSCOW, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Americans claim innocence of the blast of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, but "everyone understands that this is a lie," a Russian diplomat has said.

"The Americans are banally lying. I can once again recall the story about the test tube of (former) U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, but if you are tired of hearing about it, then there are plenty of others," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova wrote on Telegram on Tuesday.

"So to what extent was the United States not involved in the Nord Stream blast: in the same way as in the assassination of the President of Haiti or as in the deception with the test tube for the invasion of Iraq?" Zakharova said. 
NEW YORK, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) on Thursday condemned recent anti-Chinese comments from U.S. officials, particularly the language they used against Chinese students.

"It is shameful and harmful that those who are meant to serve the public are spewing anti-Chinese sentiment that have the power to cause harm to Asian Americans," said Gisela Perez Kusakawa, AASF Executive Director, in a statement.

"This targeted language aimed at Chinese students endangers Asian American and immigrant students at universities across the country. The horrific incident of an 18-year-old Indiana University student who was stabbed 'for being Chinese' showed us how words and rhetoric can lead to physical harm," Kusakawa said.

"Students should be able to receive their education in a safe environment and not be treated as national security scapegoats. We care about the safety of students and academics and strongly urge public officials to do better and learn about how anti-Chinese rhetoric feeds xenophobia and anti-Asian hate and violence," said Kusakawa.

According to the statement, Rep. Bob Good (VA-05) told Newsmax, "Frankly, I don't think we ought to have Chinese nationals in institutions of higher learning, certainly at the graduate level."

AASF promotes academic belonging, openness, freedom, and equality for all and represents more than 7,000 scientists, researchers, and scholars in the United States.

In response to heightened anti-Asian sentiments in the United States and increasing profiling of Chinese Americans and immigrants in science, AASF has been a leading national voice fighting for the rights of Asian Americans and immigrant scientists, researchers, and scholars, said the statement. 
SAO PAULO, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Brazil mobilized its largest warship on Thursday to assist victims of landslides caused by Sunday's heavy rains, which killed 49 people and displaced over 2,500 others in the coastal area of Sao Paulo state.

The aircraft carrier arrived at the port of Sao Sebastiao, the municipality hardest hit by the worst rains ever recorded in Brazil, with Minister of Integration and Regional Development Waldez Goes and Minister of Ports and Airports Marcio Franca on board. Goes announced upon arrival that the government will invest an estimated 60 million reals (11.6 million U.S. dollars) on reconstruction and assistance to the victims.

While the Army, firefighters and volunteers searched under the mud for dozens of people still missing after the landslides in the hills surrounding the exclusive beaches of Barra do Sahy, Baleia and Camburi, the Navy mobilized the aircraft carrier Atlantico, 200 meters long and capable of carrying 1,400 people and 18 aircraft.

The ship will serve as a safe port for logistics and assistance to the injured, along with the reconstruction of neighborhoods, since the main roads in the northern part of Sao Paulo were destroyed or disabled, and as a mobile hospital with 28 doctors, including specialists in general surgery and orthopedics, as well as anesthesiologists, pharmacists and nurses.

According to Agencia Brasil, the ship also carried marines to assist the Civil Defense in road clearing and rescue efforts. 
Dai Bing (on the podium), Charge d'affaires of China's permanent mission to the United Nations, speaks at the UN General Assembly Emergency Special Session on Ukraine at the UN headquarters in New York, Feb. 23, 2023. (Xinhua/Xie E)

UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Thursday told the UN General Assembly Emergency Special Session on Ukraine that facilitation of a ceasefire is a top priority and the door to a political solution cannot be closed.

"The lessons of history tell us that crises, however deep, can ultimately be resolved peacefully. No matter how difficult it is, the door to a political solution cannot be closed," said Dai Bing, charge d'affaires of China's permanent mission to the United Nations.

"We support Russia and Ukraine in moving towards each other, resuming direct dialogue as soon as possible, bringing their legitimate concerns into the negotiation, setting out feasible options, and giving a chance to an early end of the crisis and the rebuilding of peace," he added.

Dai underscored the importance of dialogue and negotiation, noting that is "the only viable way to resolve the Ukraine crisis."

"At the beginning of the crisis, Russia and Ukraine held several rounds of talks and made important progress. Regrettably, peace talks have since stalled. The reason behind this warrants deep reflection," he said.

Dai noted that the top priority is to facilitate ceasefire and cessation of hostilities without delay. "Conflicts and wars have no winners. The longer the brutality, the greater the human suffering. We once again call on the parties to the conflict to remain rational, restrain their impulses, and prevent the crisis from getting worse or even out of control."

The parties to the conflict should strictly abide by international humanitarian law, avoid attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure, protect women, children, and other victims of the conflict, and respect the basic rights of prisoners of war, he said.

Dai pointed out that parties should strictly abide by the Convention on Nuclear Safety and guard against man-made nuclear accidents. Nuclear weapons cannot be used.

"Nuclear war cannot be fought. All parties should join together against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons, prevent nuclear proliferation, and avoid a nuclear crisis," he stressed.

The ambassador called on the international community to make joint efforts to facilitate peace talks.

"One year into the Ukraine crisis, brutal facts have offered ample proofs that sending weapons will not bring peace, adding fuel to the fire will only exacerbate tensions, and prolonging and expanding the conflict will only make ordinary people pay an even heftier price," he said.

"We reiterate our appeal that diplomacy and negotiation cannot be abandoned, and efforts towards ceasefire and talks must go on. The international community should create conditions for this to happen, rather than fanning the flames and seeking self-interest," he added.

Dai said "we urge the countries concerned to stop abusing unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction. Instead, they should act in a way conducive to de-escalation. The international community should strengthen coordination and cooperation in energy, finance, grain trade, and transportation, and work together to mitigate these spillover effects of the crisis."

"We support the UN General Assembly in playing an active role in bridging differences, building consensus, and forging synergy among member states," he added.

Security is not the prerogative of just a few countries. One country's security should not be achieved at the expense of other countries' security. Bolstering or even enlarging military blocs will only undermine regional security and drive peace further away, Dai said.

"The final settlement of the Ukraine crisis hinges on abandoning the Cold War mentality, giving due regard to and respecting the reasonable security concerns of all countries, thereby properly addressing their legitimate security aspirations and advancing the building of a balanced, effective, and sustainable European security architecture," he said.

As a responsible country, Dai said, "China always stands on the side of peace and dialogue, and always advocates peace and promotes talks."

"China will soon issue a position paper on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis. We stand ready to continue playing a constructive role in resolving the Ukraine crisis and bring about peace at an early date," he said. 
SAO PAULO, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from landslides caused by heavy rains on the coast of Brazil's Sao Paulo state over the weekend has risen to 54, as rescuers continue to search for dozens of missing people under mountains of mud, officials confirmed Friday.

Rescue teams have identified 13 minors among the dead, the Sao Paulo state government said in a statement.

The municipalities of Sao Sebastiao, Ubatuba, Caraguatuatuba, Ilhabela and Bertioga were the most severely affected by the rainfall, which in less than 24 hours was twice as heavy as expected for all of February, marking a new record in Brazil.

The rains caused landslides in the Serra do Mar mountain range along the coast, where key tourist resorts are located, sweeping away homes in poor neighborhoods on the hillsides, where about 4,000 people fled or lost their homes.

The disaster is focused in Vila do Sahy, the most affected community, located next to the exclusive beaches of Baleia and Camburi, in the municipality of Sao Sebastiao.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva proposed this week to the Sao Sebastiao mayor's office the construction of housing in flat areas outside risk areas for those who have lost their homes.

In addition, Sao Paulo governor Tarcisio de Freitas proposed the installation of a siren system, like that in other mountain areas at risk of landslides, since the telephone warning system in use was not effective. 
ISTANBUL, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held phone talks respectively with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts on Friday, the first anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Erdogan reiterated to both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky that Turkiye was ready to offer any assistance toward a ceasefire and peace talks between the two countries, said the Turkiye's presidential office in separate statements.

In his phone conversation with Putin, Erodgan expressed Turkiye's wish for an extension of the grain deal reached in Istanbul, adding that Ankara is ready to facilitate this in every possible way, according to the Turkish presidency.

The Turkish president also discussed with them the latest developments in the Ukraine crisis, and thanked the two leaders for their solidarity over the devastating earthquakes that hit southern Turkiye in early February.

On July 22, 2022, Russia and Ukraine separately signed a deal in Istanbul with Turkiye and the United Nations on grain and fertilizer exports from Ukraine and Russia to ensure supplies to global markets amid the Russia-Ukraine armed conflict.

The deal, due to expire on Nov. 19, 2022, was extended for another 120 days. 
ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia earned 413.82 million U.S. dollars from horticulture exports in the first seven months of the current Ethiopian Fiscal Year 2022/2023 which started on July 8, an Ethiopian official said Thursday.

The revenue amount was collected from the export of flowers, fruits and vegetables, Mekonen Solomon, horticulture export account coordinator at the Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture, was quoted by the state media outlet Ethiopian Press Agency, as saying.

Ethiopia obtained 348.12 million U.S. dollars from flower exports and 65.7 million U.S. dollars from fruit and vegetable exports in the reported period.

The flower export revenue, in particular, grew by nearly 20 percent compared to the same period of the previous year.

Ethiopia's flower exports are the second-highest foreign currency grossing export items for the East African country, next to coffee exports. 
GOMA, DR Congo, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23) took control on Friday morning of the strategic town of Mushaki, located in the territory of Masisi, about 40 kilometers from Goma, the capital of the North Kivu province, in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), said the Congolese army.

Guillaume Ndjike, Congolese military spokesman who confirmed the information, assured that the army is committed to "putting an end to this aggression" by the M23.

"Even though the city has fallen under the control of the rebels, our army is committed to fighting to end this aggression against our country and our people. We are working to restore the state authority by all possible means in our possession," said Ndjike.

For more than three days, the Congolese army has been clashing with the M23 in this part of the country after the M23's advances in the territory of Masisi. Near the city of Mushaki, the rebels have also taken control of several other villages alongside the road leading to Goma.

According to local sources, the fall of Mushaki would allow the M23 to cut off the Goma-Masisi road axis in order to asphyxiate Goma, which largely depends on this road for daily supply. Goma had fallen into the hands of the same rebellion for 10 days in December 2012.

The intensive fightings, lasting for several months in the territory of Masisi, have already displaced thousands of people to find refuge in the internally displaced persons (IDP) site of Bulengo, located on the outskirts of Goma.

Thousands of other civilians have also found refuge since last year in various IDP sites in Nyiragongo territory near Goma.

Since last year, the M23 has seized several cities and large towns in the North Kivu province, including Bunagana, a town lying on the border with Uganda, which is extremely strategic in cross-border trade.

M23's resurgence has also reignited tensions between the DRC and Rwanda, as Kinshasa accuses Kigali of supporting the M23. Meanwhile, Kigali in return accuses Kinshasa of being in coalition with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, whose members are blamed for the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi ethnic group. 
Kenya's ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party Secretary General Veronica Maina attends a symposium on the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Nairobi, Kenya, Feb. 23, 2023. At the invitation of Kenya's ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party, a CPC delegation has visited Kenya and briefed the hosts on the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress.

The delegation, led by Li Mingxiang, deputy minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the CPC, visited Kenya from Tuesday to Friday.

During the visit, the delegation met with Party Leader of the UDA and President William Ruto, and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua, and held working talks with UDA Secretary General Veronica Maina. (Xinhua/Li Yahui)

NAIROBI, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- At the invitation of Kenya's ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party, a Communist Party of China (CPC) delegation has visited Kenya and briefed the hosts on the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress.

The delegation, led by Li Mingxiang, deputy minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the CPC, visited Kenya from Tuesday to Friday.

During the visit, the delegation met with Party Leader of the UDA and President William Ruto, and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua, and held working talks with UDA Secretary General Veronica Maina.

The Kenyan side said the 20th CPC National Congress has drawn a blueprint for China's future development, and it is willing to strengthen exchanges of experience on governance with the Chinese side and learn from each other, so as to jointly raise Kenyan-Chinese relations to a higher level. 

A symposium on the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is held in Nairobi, Kenya, Feb. 23, 2023. At the invitation of Kenya's ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party, a CPC delegation has visited Kenya and briefed the hosts on the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress.

The delegation, led by Li Mingxiang, deputy minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the CPC, visited Kenya from Tuesday to Friday.

During the visit, the delegation met with Party Leader of the UDA and President William Ruto, and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua, and held working talks with UDA Secretary General Veronica Maina. (Xinhua/Li Yahui)

Li Mingxiang, deputy minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, makes a keynote speech during a symposium on the 20th CPC National Congress in Nairobi, Kenya, Feb. 23, 2023. At the invitation of Kenya's ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party, a CPC delegation has visited Kenya and briefed the hosts on the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress.

The delegation, led by Li Mingxiang, visited Kenya from Tuesday to Friday.

During the visit, the delegation met with Party Leader of the UDA and President William Ruto, and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua, and held working talks with UDA Secretary General Veronica Maina. (Xinhua/Li Yahui)
WELLINGTON, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand has created a new Recovery Visa category to help bring in the additional specialist workers needed to support rebuild efforts in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle and Auckland flooding, the country's worst natural disasters in decades.

"The Recovery Visa means overseas specialists needed to support the recovery efforts can come here immediately," Immigration Minister Michael Wood said on Friday.

In the short term, experts such as insurance assessors, infrastructure and utilities engineers and technicians, heavy machinery operators and debris removal workers are needed, Wood said.

"The visa covers the mix of workers needed for clean-up and recovery, including construction workers," he said, adding applications opened on Friday and the visa will last for up to six months. The fee will be refunded for successful applicants, making it free for those who come here.

Recovery Visa applications will be prioritized by Immigration New Zealand, with the aim of processing an application within a week of receiving it, he said.

Similar visa pathways were used for the responses to the Christchurch and Kaikoura earthquakes, the minister said, adding global workforce shortages mean the visa may not see as many applicants as in the past.

New Zealand declared state of national emergency on Feb. 14, the third time in the country's history, due to the devastating weather event which caused widespread power outages, flight cancellations and school closures in the North Island. 
A crane loads containers at the Manzhouli Railway Station in Manzhouli, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, July 1, 2020.(Xinhua/Yu Jia)

HOHHOT, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Manzhouli, China's largest land port, handled 4,818 China-Europe freight trains in 2022, up 37.6 percent year on year, according to data from the customs of Manzhouli in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

The trains carried 382,058 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo during this period, with a total value of 48.66 billion yuan (about 7 billion U.S. dollars). The two figures each represented a year-on-year increase of 38.6 percent and 36.5 percent, respectively.

Currently, 57 China-Europe freight train routes pass through this land port, reaching 28 cities in 11 European countries and carrying about 30 percent of the total freight volume of the China-Europe freight train service.
SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) conducted a strategic cruise missile launching drill Thursday, a move aimed at examining the rapid response posture of its strategic cruise missile units, the official Korean Central News Agency reported Friday.

A strategic cruise missile unit of the Korean People's Army in the eastern region fired four "Hwasal-2" strategic cruise missiles towards eastern waters at dawn, which traveled on a flight trajectory before hitting target as designed, the report said.

The launching drill "successfully achieved its object," it said.

South Korea and the United States on Wednesday held a combined military exercise at the Pentagon, involving simulations including using a nuclear weapon. 
MOSCOW, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday praised a paper released by China stating its position on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.

In the document issued earlier in the day, China calls for international efforts to create conditions for the resumption of peace talks, saying that dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis.

"We highly value the aspiration of our Chinese friends to contribute to a settlement of the conflict in Ukraine through peaceful means," the ministry's spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a statement.

"We share the views of China. We are committed to complying with the principles of the UN Charter and the provisions of international law, including humanitarian law and indivisibility of security," she said.

"As for the Ukraine crisis, Russia is open to achieving the goals of the special military operation via political and diplomatic means," Zakharova said. 
NEW YORK, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. government, besides the pharmaceutical companies, is largely to blame for high drug prices, The USA Today has reported on its website.

One of the big reasons why drug prices are so high lies in the federal government, which protects the pharmaceutical industry from competition abroad.

"But the biggest reason why drug prices are high is the 1984 Hatch-Waxman Act, which allows drugmakers to maintain a monopoly on new products until their patent expires," the report said.

The drugmakers have learned to extend patent protections, and enhance their control of a medicine by tweaking their products in trivial ways, such as changing pill coating, and then applying for another patent.

Medicare and Medicaid also share blame for the high prices, as those rules give pharmaceutical companies an incentive to keep drug prices higher than necessary. 
NEW YORK, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Years of cost cutting and staff reductions within the freight rail industry have led to an increase in the rate of derailments and fostered an increasingly unsafe environment for workers and the public, ABC News on Wednesday cited national union officials.

Their comments preceded a Feb. 19 letter from Transportation Secretary Peter Buttigieg in which he accused rail companies of spending millions on lobbying efforts to oppose safety regulations rather than support rail safety, according to the report.

Union officials did not directly connect what they say is the degradation of safety measures, to the derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio, where toxic chemicals were released into the air and water sources, forcing nearly 2,000 residents to evacuate their homes and leaving lingering environmental concerns.

"However, their letter demanding increased federal oversight was directly prompted by the incident, renewing their stance in the long-simmering debate about the increased focus on profit at the expense of public safety," said the report.

Union leaders called for increased federal oversight of the largest freight railroads, which they allege have "cut corners" and initiated practices that "pose real threats to workers and public safety," it added. 
MUMBAI: The Adani group will hold a fixed-income investor roadshow on February 27 in Singapore, and from February 28 to March 1 in Hong Kong, an official familiar with the development said.

The Adani group is boosting outreach to investors after its bonds and stock slumped following a critical report from short-seller Hindenburg Research published last month.

The Adani group, which also held calls with investors earlier in February, is seeking to stem the negative impact from the Hindenburg Research claims as it faces debt maturities from group entities over the next 2 years.

Meanwhile, Moodys Investors Service (MIS) this month cut the outlook on several Adani companies, citing concerns over the impact of any big jump in funding costs.

Barclays Plc, BNP Paribas SA, DBS Bank Ltd, Deutsche Bank AG, Emirates NBD Capital, ING, IMI-Intesa Sanpaolo SpA, MUFG, Mizuho, SMBC Nikko and Standard Chartered Bank have extended the invitation for the roadshow to potential investors.Meanwhile, Adani Group said the Indian company agreed to revise its procurement price for coal to keep the per unit power price almost equal to those of Bangladeshi coal-fired plants like the Rampal and Payra, the two joint-venture installations with India and China.

Adani with other Developments: Bangladeshs state-run Power Development Board) earlier this month sought to revise a 2017 power purchase agreement with Adani Power Ltd as the price for the coal-generated electricity appeared too expensive.

According to prior media reports, Adani Power asked Bangladesh to open LCs in India so that it could import coal for the 1,600-megawatt facility in the Godda area of Jharkhand. Bangladesh then requested the price modification.

Adani Stock Buzz: Adani Total Gas' stock price dropped 5% more and finished at the lower circuit level on February 24, extending its losing streak to 21 sessions, 20 of which have seen it close at that level.

On January 25, when American short-seller Hindenburg Research published a devastating report on the company accusing it of stock manipulation, accounting fraud, and corporate malfeasance, the stock has already lost over 80% of its value.

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Montreal: In response to "gross and systematic human rights violations" in Iran, the Canadian government announced on Thursday that it would be relaxing its immigration policies for Iranians.

The immigration department stated in a statement that "these measures will make it easier for Iranians who wish to extend their temporary status in Canada."

Iranian nationals will be able to apply for a new work or study permit in Canada and will not be charged some application fees.

Additionally, they will be able to apply for a work permit that will let them work for any employer of their choice in any occupation.

Also Read: Zelensky asserts that Ukraine "will win" ahead of the anniversary of the invasion

As the Iranian regime continues its ongoing violations of human rights, Canada will not remain silent in the face of these aggressions, said Immigration Minister Sean Fraser.

Also Read: Alec Baldwin enters a not-guilty plea in the shooting of "Rust."

The declaration noted that the restrictions will go into effect on March 1 and added, "Applications from Iranians in Canada will also be processed on a priority basis."

Also Read: Resolution requesting that Russia leave Ukraine is approved by the UN

In recent months, Ottawa has imposed a number of sanctions against Iranian organisations and officials in order to denounce the suppression of anti-government demonstrations that were sparked by Mahsa Amini's death while she was in police custody.
New Delhi: Guyanese Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo called on India President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday, February 24.

President Murmu welcomed Vice President Jagdeo to Rashtrapati Bhavan and noted that trade between Guyana and India is expanding. "Despite the pandemic, bilateral trade scaled up by nearly 300 percent in 20212022. The bilateral commerce needs to be increasingly diversified. She continued by saying that for the last 180 years, Guyana had served as a home for Indian sisters and brothers. Although India and Guyana are geographically far apart, they share a number of characteristics, including a colonial past, primarily agricultural and rural economies, and multicultural societies.

The development partnership, she said, is a crucial tenet of India-Guyana ties. "So far, more than 640 members of the Guyana government have received training under our ITEC programme. The historical connection between the two nations will be strengthened by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo's visit. India and Guyana have cordial relations with a high level of understanding. Periodic Joint Commissions, Foreign Office Consultations, the Cultural Exchange Program, and ITEC are used to structure the engagement.

Indian businesses have recently expressed a greater interest in forestry and mining. Some Indian businesses have purchased farmland for the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, pulses, and other crops like maize. Several people have made investments in the fields of healthcare and education.

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Polish PM arrives in Kyiv on anniversary of Russias full-scale invasion 24 February, 01:10 PM Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki arrived in Kyiv (Photo:Piotr Muller/twitter.com)

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki arrived in the Ukrainian capital city Kyiv on Feb. 24, on the anniversary of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Polish government spokesman Piotr Muller reported on Twitter.

According to the spokesman, at the beginning of the visit, the Polish prime minister, together with his Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhal, honored the memory of those who died for Ukraine at the Wall of Remembrance near St. Michaels Golden-Domed Monastery.

A year after the start of hostilities by Russia, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki went to Kyiv to give a clear signal of further support in the defense of Ukraine against Russia, Muller tweeted.

Video of day

Earlier, Bloomberg reported, referring to an anonymous source, that the first Polish Leopard main battle tank would arrive in Ukraine on the same day as Morawieckis visit to Ukraine.

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UK expanding sanctions against Russia on full-scale invasion anniversary 24 February, 02:00 PM Britain continues to support Ukraine in the fight against the Russian Federation, introducing sanctions against the Kremlin regime (Photo:Unsplash+/Unsplash)

The United Kingdom has announced a new package of sanctions against Russia on the anniversary of Moscows full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

New sanctions include export bans on every item Russia uses on the battlefield as to date, a Feb. 24 press release from the UK government reads.

"Included in the hundreds of goods are aircraft parts, radio equipment, and electronic components that can be used by the Russian military industrial complex, including in the production of UAVs," the government's press office reported.

Video of day

The sanctions target 92 individuals and entities, including those connected with Rosatom (Russian state nuclear operator), Rostec (Russian state advanced technology producer) and Almaz-Antey (Russian state arms manufacture). All of them are specializing in aircraft weapons and air defence systems production.

Personal sanctions were imposed on persons from the inner circle of the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, including:

Mattias Warnig, the CEO of Nord Stream 2, and previously a member of the boards of Russian energy companies Transneft and Rosneft.

Lyubov Kabaeva, the mother of Alina Kabaeva who likely has a close personal relationship with Putin.

Alexei Dyumin, Putins former chief security guard.

Alexei Kozak, the son of the former Deputy Prime Minister and Putin ally Dmitry Kozak.

The UK has also sanctioned five top Iranian officials from Qods Aviation Industry, a drone producer.

The import of 140 goods will be banned as well, including iron and steel from third countries.

Since the beginning of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine, UK sanctions have affected about 1,300 individuals and entities. In late September, the UK sanctioned the organisers of the sham referendums Russia held to justify its claimed annexation of occupied areas in Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of Ukraine.

On Feb. 8, the previous package of sanctions was activated "against Putin's military machine and financial networks."

They targeted companies that provide military equipment to Russia  in particular drones.

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Dedicated to documenting the stories about Shanghai's Pudong New Area before its opening-up and development in the 1990s, the Pudong History Museum was officially opened on Feb 16. The new museum contains exhibits that tell of the history of the eastern bank of the Huangpu River, from its ecological evolution through centuries, to the administration changes of dynasties, to the stories of local heroes. Huang Wei, director of the publicity department of the Pudong New Area, describes the museum as the "final missing piece on a map" of the area's history. Originally known as the Nanhui Museum, the museum first opened in 2005 in Nanhui district. Four years later, Nanhui was integrated into Pudong, and thus had its name changed to the Nanhui Museum of the Pudong New Area. In 2021, the museum underwent a major renovation. The renovated space now spans 3,510 square meters. Aside from the permanent showcase of Pudong's history and culture, the museum is also presenting its first temporary showcase which features couplet calligraphy by local artist Chen Zonghuang. "Cultural and museum resources used to be rare in the Pudong New Area," said Yan Bo, deputy head of the Pudong New Area, at the museum's opening ceremony. "I hope the new museum can join hands with other museums and cultural facilities near the area. We can design new tour packages for visitors and integrate cultural experiences with sightseeing and leisure activities. "We hope to collaborate with leading institutions, such as the Shanghai Museum to present two themed exhibitions about Pudong every year." The opening exhibition showcases several objects that have been lent by the Shanghai Museum and the Shanghai History Museum. They include a collection of jade, artifacts with inscriptions of the pattern for longevity, and objects inset with gold, all of which were unearthed from the tomb of Lu Shen (1477-1544) in Pudong in 1969. The Lu family was a renowned clan in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and had lived on the eastern bank of the Huangpu River and the Wusong River, also known today as Suzhou Creek. It was the Lu clan that gave Shanghai's most important financial center its name  Lujiazui, or Lu's estuary. Objects donated by people are on show, too. One donor is Feng Jianzhong, who is the head of the collectors' society in Pudong. Feng donated dozens of historical documents and objects that he gathered over the past decades, such as the original charter of a Pudong native association established in the 1930s, a blueprint of the association building in downtown Shanghai constructed in 1936, and historical maps of the area. "I am a local and have deep feelings for my hometown. I am happy to see we have this new museum in Pudong. I think sharing my collections is more meaningful than keeping them at home," Feng says.
Alberta Innovates

$9.5 million in health funding awarded from the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Health System program

CALGARY, Alberta, Feb. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alberta Innovates and Alberta Health Services are announcing eight projects from the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Health System  Digital Health (PRIHS) program. Eight researchers from the University of Alberta and University of Calgary will share $9.5 million in funding for digital health projects that will provide promising solutions to priority health system challenges.



One of the successful projects is being led by Dr. Prism Schneider, from the McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, in the Cumming School of Medicine, at the University of Calgary, who will look at bone health. At least one in three females, and one in five males, will experience a fragility fracture due to osteoporosis or low bone mass at some point in their lifetime. Fragility fractures occur from a standing height, or less. Individuals experiencing a fragility fracture are two to four times more likely to have another fracture in the following two years.

Dr. Schneider is developing an electronic health solution that will alert, monitor, educate, survey, triage, and communicate with patients to ensure engagement in life-long bone health care in order to reduce both the personal and economic burden of fragility fractures on patients, caregivers, and the healthcare system.

35 expressions of interest, and applications, for this years PRIHS funding were received and ultimately eight were funded. Investigators will have up to three years to complete their projects. Researchers will use technologies to support the delivery of innovative care models that empower patients, families and health care teams to improve quality of care.

QUOTES

Health care needs to be efficient, effective and timely, and innovation supports those objectives. These projects illustrate the ingenuity of Albertas research and innovation teams. With their resourcefulness we can develop a more progressive health system that offers improved care to Albertans.

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Jason Copping, Minister of Health



Technology is not just an industry, it is the future of every industry, and it must be the future of healthcare. Research projects like this are critically important to developing new advanced treatments, and ultimately delivering better healthcare for all Albertans.

Nate Glubish, Minister, Technology and Innovation

By integrating innovation into our health care system we continue to improve health outcomes for Albertans. Alberta Innovates is pleased to partner with Alberta Health Services and the Strategic Clinical Networks to add innovative new programs to our health system. We congratulate all eight applicants, and we look forward to the results that flow from this partnership.

Laura Kilcrease, CEO, Alberta Innovates

Using virtual care technologies, AHS can increase access to care for patients closer to home, particularly those in rural and remote communities. By supporting digital health initiatives such as Virtual MD through Health Link, we will grow our ability to provide virtual care to patients with less urgent concerns. In doing so, we can improve capacity within our urgent care and emergency departments to care for those with more medically complex concerns.

Dr. Braden Manns, Vice President,

Provincial Clinical Excellence, Alberta Health Services

Dr. Schnieders research exemplifies how innovations in digital and data-enabled technologies have the potential for tremendous positive impact on our health system. UCalgary is grateful for Alberta Innovates support of our researchers and colleagues in the Alberta Health Services Strategic Clinical Networks. The PRIHS program enables our scholars to align their research efforts with the needs of our health system to advance evidence-based solutions to improve healthcare quality and health outcomes for Albertans.

Dr. Andre Buret, Associate Vice President, Research

University of Calgary



Successful PRIHS  Digital Health Projects:

Institution Lead Applicant Lead SCN Project Title Funding Amount University of Calgary Kamala Adhikari Pan-SCN Integrating Prevention into Connect Care for Health (IPiC-Health $1,050,000.00 University of Alberta Maria Castro-Codesal Medicine (Respiratory) Adoption and enhancement of a care pathway for children with medical complexity: an implementation evaluation project for tracheostomy in pediatrics $1,128,393.00

University of Alberta Justin Chen Medicine (Hospital) Optimization of Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia Management (OPTIMUS-SAB) $990,175.00



University of Alberta Alim Hirji Medicine (Respiratory) Telemonitoring to reduce adverse events for hospitalized patients in Alberta $1,376,850.00



University of Calgary Matthew James Medicine (Kidney)



UPTAKE: Using personalized risk and digital tools to guide transitions following acute kidney events  computer decision support and remote monitoring to reduce acute care hospitalization. $1,243,670.28



University of Alberta Darren Lau Diabetes, Obesity, and Nutrition Linking diabetes care: An integrated digital health approach to diabetes with First Nations in Alberta (LINK). $1,433,750.00



University of Calgary Prism Schneider Bone and Joint Health POWER Program: Personalized Osteoporosis Care With Early Recognition, a novel digital provincial outpatient fracture liaison service. $1,230,489.00



University of Alberta Karen Wong Digestive

Health Patient dashboard (PD-IDB) to improve complex care and self-management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) $1,115,895.92



Total $9,569,223.20

Alberta innovates is the provinces most comprehensive research and innovation agency. From funding to commercialization, we are Albertas innovation engine. We foster and accelerate research and innovation to benefit citizens and drive economic growth.

We are currently managing a project portfolio worth $1.2 billion.

Alberta Innovates works across sectors to fund, partner and enable entrepreneurship throughout the province. The corporation operates in 11 locations with more than one million sq ft of industrial testing and lab facilities and 600 acres of farmland. Alberta Innovates employs 589 highly skilled scientists, business and technical professionals and has an annual operating budget of $250 million.

Learn how Alberta Innovates

Media Contact:

Dwayne Brunner - Senior Manager, Media & Strategic Community Relations

Alberta Innovates

587-572-4091 (CELL and SMS)




Latest solutions leverage key technologies such as mmWave, phased array, and beamforming to push 'Velocity' of connectivity higher

TAIPEI, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Auden Group , a leading provider of connectivity solutions based in Taiwan, is attending MWC Barcelona 2023 (Hall 5, Booth 5J64) to showcase its technological breakthroughs that are accelerating high-frequency 5G and wireless communications worldwide. Always pushing the cutting edge of antenna design, the brand is holding live demos of the solutions that achieved these milestones  including the 28GHz mmWave RF front-end antenna module that delivers high-frequency mmWave antenna technology at scale and the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) User Terminals that advance satellite broadband services.

Elevating 5G Frequency Capabilities: 28GHz mmWave

Unlocking higher frequencies of 5G means higher speeds, and Auden's 28GHz mmWave RF front-end antenna module demoed at MWC is a breakthrough therein. This solution uses 256QAM signal over-the-air transmission to allow its phased array antenna to deliver beamforming with excellent performance from rapid beam steering. Antenna designs, particularly phased arrays, use beamforming to solve path loss issues common at the higher frequencies of 5G mmWave, while enabling the creation of high-frequency 5G mmWave networks and Radio Frequency Identification.

Advancing LEO User Terminal Design for Enterprise and Marine Applications

For satellite broadband service via LEO networks, Auden is also spotlighting the LEO User Terminal, a 32 x 32 antenna array module with 2D beam scan capabilities, which the brand has successfully moved from the proof of concept stage to being ready for mass production in record time. In addition, a Marine LEO User Terminal project is in the pipeline, designed for marine applications in the future, together with Electronically Steered Array (ESA) for maintaining stability of marine solutions in rough seas.

5G MIMO Combo Antenna for Rugged Devices and V2X

Auden adds immense value to its Sub6 & 5G MIMO antenna designs through customizing them for particular applications. To highlight this, the brand is exhibiting its phased array antenna with integrated movement tracking, which was built to enhance high-mobility applications like vehicle-to-everything (V2X). For rugged devices, its bespoke slot antenna design is ideal for metal-encased devices, and a rotating antenna design offers a low profile for compact spaces. The company will also be discussing more on both embedded and external antenna designs tailored to verticals like V2X and global navigation satellite systems (GNSS).

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Lastly, Auden is showcasing advanced testing products such as Dielectric Assessment KitSystems and health wearables testing solutions at the show.

A Key Player Empowering Telecoms and Beyond

As a pioneer in the wireless communications industry, Auden partners with top global telecoms companies and plays a key role in their communications infrastructure. For example, the brand collaborates with a major satellite broadband service provider that counts on Auden's LEO User Terminals for enterprise users. Through providing customers cost-effective antenna designs tailored to a specific vertical, Auden has been particularly successful in the market for rugged device antennas, in which it has the top market share. The company's impact on the Open RAN ecosystem is also outstanding, as its subsidiary Auray recently became the world's first Open Testing and Integration Centre (OTIC) to issue the 5G OPEN RAN radio unit certification .

For more information, please contact sampson.duan@auden.com.tw or

visit https://www.auden.com.tw/en/home-en/.

About Auden Group

Established in 1981, Auden Group is a leading provider of connectivity solutions based in Taiwan. Continuously striving to advance the connectivity industry worldwide, the company provides comprehensive technical and service support in the wireless communication market, spanning antenna design & manufacturing, system-level integration, wireless product testing, laboratory & security, and green energy.

CONTACT: Jessie Liu, Tel : (+886)928-279-002

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/auden-group-hones-the-cutting-edge-of-antenna-design-at-mwc-2023-301755220.html

SOURCE Auden Techno. Corp
Allied Market Research

Rise in the prevalence of hypertension due to changing lifestyles and increase in demand for disposable blood pressure cuffs drive the growth of the global blood pressure cuffs market. By type, the reusable cuffs segment held the highest share in 2021. By region, on the other hand, Asia-Pacific would showcase the fastest CAGR by 2031.

Portland, OR, Feb. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to the report published by Allied Market Research, the global blood pressure cuffs market was estimated at $436.2 million in 2021 and is expected to hit $847.6 million by 2031, registering a CAGR of 6.8% from 2022 to 2031. The report provides a detailed analysis of the top investment pockets, top winning strategies, drivers & opportunities, market size & estimations, competitive landscape, and evolving market trends. The market study is a helpful source of information for the frontrunners, new entrants, investors, and shareholders in crafting strategies for the future and heightening their position in the market.

Download Free Sample of the Report- https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/12299

Report coverage & details:

Forecast Period 20222031 Base Year 2021 Market Size in 2021 $436.2 Million Market Size in 2031 $847.6 Million CAGR 6.8% No. of Pages in Report 267 Segments Covered Type, Age Group, End-users, and Region. Drivers Rise in the prevalence of hypertension due to changing lifestyles Increase in demand for disposable blood pressure cuffs Restraints The new modifications of blood pressure monitoring devices such as in the form of wristwatches, wireless, BPM Core, and others that are expensive High maintenance compared to conventional blood pressure monitoring devices Opportunities Increase in R&D activities

Impact of Covid-19 on Blood Pressure Cuffs Market-

The outbreak of the pandemic affected the overall shipping and logistics of medical devices across the world, which resulted in the high cost of container shipping, thus impacting the global blood pressure cuffs market negatively.

However, as the overall global situation started getting back to normalcy, the market for blood pressure cuffs also restored slowly and steadily. Also, the recent advancements in medical devices for blood pressure monitoring such as the emergence of disposable blood pressure cuffs to reduce the risk of cross-contamination boosted the market growth.

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Procure Complete Report (267 Pages PDF with Insights, Charts, Tables, and Figures)

https://tinyurl.com/3ana78cs

The global blood pressure cuffs market is analyzed across type, age group, end users, and region. The report takes in an exhaustive analysis of the segments and their sub-segments with the help of tabular and graphical representation. Investors and market players can benefit from the breakdown and devise stratagems based on the highest revenue-generating and fastest-growing segments stated in the report.

By type, the reusable cuffs segment held the highest share in 2021, garnering more than half of the global blood pressure cuffs market revenue. The disposable cuffs segment, on the other hand, would showcase the fastest CAGR of 7.3% throughout the forecast period.

By age group, the adults segment contributed to nearly two-thirds of the global blood pressure cuffs market share in 2021, and is projected to rule the roost by 2031. The same segment would also display the fastest CAGR of 7.1% throughout the forecast period. The pediatric segment is also discussed in the report.

By end users, the hospitals segment accounted for the highest share in 2021, generating more than two-fifths of the global blood pressure cuffs market revenue. The same segment would also portray the fastest CAGR of 7.3% during the forecast period. The clinics segment is also analyzed through the study.

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By region, North America held the major share in 2021, garnering around two-fifths of the global blood pressure cuffs market revenue. Asia-Pacific, simultaneously, would showcase the fastest CAGR of 7.8% from 2022 to 2031. The other provinces studied through the report include Europe and LAMEA.

The key market players analyzed in the global blood pressure cuffs market report include General Electric Company, American Diagnostic Corporation, Spacelabs Healthcare, Baxter, Cardinal Health, SPENGLER HOLTEX Group, Elanor Surgical, Koninklijke Philips N.V, Medline Industries LP, Omron Healthcare Inc. These market players have embraced several strategies including partnership, expansion, collaboration, joint ventures, and others to highlight their prowess in the industry. The report is helpful in formulating the business performance and developments by the top players.

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U.S. Patient Monitoring Systems Market - Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20212030

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Key Insights

The projected fair value for Farlim Group (Malaysia) Bhd is RM0.25 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity

Current share price of RM0.22 suggests Farlim Group (Malaysia) Bhd is potentially trading close to its fair value

The average premium for Farlim Group (Malaysia) Bhd's competitorsis currently 84%

Does the February share price for Farlim Group (Malaysia) Bhd. (KLSE:FARLIM) reflect what it's really worth? Today, we will estimate the stock's intrinsic value by estimating the company's future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. Our analysis will employ the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Before you think you won't be able to understand it, just read on! It's actually much less complex than you'd imagine.

We generally believe that a company's value is the present value of all of the cash it will generate in the future. However, a DCF is just one valuation metric among many, and it is not without flaws. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model.

See our latest analysis for Farlim Group (Malaysia) Bhd

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. In the first stage we need to estimate the cash flows to the business over the next ten years. Seeing as no analyst estimates of free cash flow are available to us, we have extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the company's last reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate:

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10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Levered FCF (MYR, Millions) RM3.14m RM3.26m RM3.38m RM3.51m RM3.63m RM3.77m RM3.90m RM4.04m RM4.19m RM4.34m Growth Rate Estimate Source Est @ 3.82% Est @ 3.74% Est @ 3.69% Est @ 3.65% Est @ 3.63% Est @ 3.61% Est @ 3.60% Est @ 3.59% Est @ 3.58% Est @ 3.58% Present Value (MYR, Millions) Discounted @ 12% RM2.8 RM2.6 RM2.4 RM2.3 RM2.1 RM1.9 RM1.8 RM1.7 RM1.5 RM1.4

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = RM21m

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 3.6%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 12%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2032  (1 + g)  (r  g) = RM4.3m (1 + 3.6%)  (12% 3.6%) = RM55m

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= RM55m ( 1 + 12%)10= RM18m

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is RM39m. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of RM0.2, the company appears about fair value at a 13% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Valuations are imprecise instruments though, rather like a telescope - move a few degrees and end up in a different galaxy. Do keep this in mind.

dcf

Important Assumptions

Now the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate, and of course, the actual cash flows. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Farlim Group (Malaysia) Bhd 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 12%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.017. 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.

Looking Ahead:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it is only one of many factors that you need to assess for a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. For example, changes in the company's cost of equity or the risk free rate can significantly impact the valuation. For Farlim Group (Malaysia) Bhd, we've put together three relevant elements you should further examine:

PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every Malaysian stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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Carequality

Executive Director Honored for Accomplishments Leading Nationwide Health IT Interoperability Efforts

VIENNA, Va., Feb. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Carequality, the non-profit trusted exchange framework for nationwide health information exchange, today announced that its executive director, Alan Swenson, who is a Utah resident, was named one of Utah Business 40 Under 40 award winners. The distinction recognizes Swensons work at the forefront of efforts to successfully connect health information networks electronically across the nation, making it possible for organizations to share patient records as neededregardless of geography or technology.



Swensons work supports health data sharing among most of the United States largest hospitals, health systems, and health technology vendors. He leads an industry consortium that ensures health technologies can securely share data to promote better patient care and ensure doctors have the most up-to-date information for treatment.

Among the many accomplishments Swenson has achieved in his tenure as Carequality executive director, he:

Expanded Carequalitys framework to more than 350 million clinical documents exchanged per month.

Convened private sector and government entities to put in place technical and policy agreements to enable secure nationwide health data sharing.

Implemented updates to Carequality to make it possible for federal agencies and healthcare providers to share information with each other.

Enabled nationwide healthcare coordination, resulting in more than 600K care providers, 50K clinics, and 4,200+ hospitals using the health data sharing framework.

Supported the federal governments Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement to ensure all healthcare systems are connected and all patients and caregivers have fast and easy access to their medical records online.



Its truly an honor to be recognized on a list made up of such an impressive group of Utah innovators, said Swenson. I know Carequalitys work is making a direct difference in patients lives, and while its an honor to be included, I need to share the credit. This is really a win for the Carequality team and a broad community collaborating to make healthcare work more effectively for everyone.

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The 40 Under 40 Awards honor Utahs top professionals by highlighting the ways they are elevating the future of business. Swenson received the award Feb. 23 and is featured in the February issue of Utah Business.

About Carequality

Carequality, a 501c3 non-profit, is a national-level, consensus-built, interoperability framework to enable exchange between and among health information networks and service platforms. Carequality supports secure access to health information across diverse networks, including those operated by electronic health record vendors, record locator service providers, health information exchanges, and others. The connectivity is governed by technical and policy agreements developed and maintained by a broad group of industry and government stakeholders. More information: https://carequality.org/.

Contacts: Dawn Van Dyke Jane Bryant Carequality Spire Communications dvandyke@carequality.org jbryant@spirecomm.com 703.864.4062 571.235.4822




Company also presents insights from the SPARKLE registry in alpha-mannosidosis that highlight a delay in diagnosis, identify the most frequent genetic MAN2B1 variant in enrolled participants, and report on real-world clinical profiles.

BOSTON, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Chiesi Global Rare Diseases, a business unit of the Chiesi Group established to deliver innovative therapies and solutions for people living with rare diseases, today announced the oral presentation of long-term results from the Phase 3 BALANCE and BRIGHT studies that evaluated PRX-102 (pegunigalsidase alfa), an investigational, plant cell culture-expressed, and chemically-modified, stabilized version of the recombinant  Galactosidase A enzyme for the proposed treatment of Fabry disease, at the 19th Annual WORLDSymposium Research Meeting that is being held February 2226, 2023 in Orlando.

(PRNewsfoto/Chiesi Global Rare Diseases)

The company is also announcing the presentation at WORLDSymposium of insights on the baseline characteristics, genetics, and enzymatic activity of patients with alpha-mannosidosis who are enrolled in the SPARKLE registry, an ongoing post-authorization study in Europe designed as a non-interventional observational study following participants for up to 15 years.

"As a family business, and as a certified benefit corporation, Chiesi Global Rare Diseases is invested in and focused on the long-term support of rare disease patients and their communities," said Giacomo Chiesi, head of Chiesi Global Rare Diseases. "We are pleased to participate in the annual WORLDSymposium and are especially proud that our long-term clinical research in Fabry disease is being recognized in multiple oral presentations. PRX-102 has been extensively studied for Fabry disease in a clinical trial setting, as more than 140 patients have participated in a comprehensive clinical trial program with more than seven years of follow up. In addition, we now have an opportunity to share insights from the SPARKLE registry, a program that is positioned to significantly advance our knowledge of the ultra-rare disorder alpha-mannosidosis."

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Two oral presentations are reviewing the long-term results from the Phase 3 BALANCE and BRIGHT studies in Fabry disease. One of the oral presentations is featuring two-year results from the randomized, double-blind, BALANCE study designed to assess noninferiority of PRX-102 versus agalsidase beta in adult Fabry disease patients. In total, 77 patients received PRX-102 (n=52) or agalsidase beta (n=25). PRX-102 showed noninferiority to agalsidase beta based on the median estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) annualized slope, a key measure of Fabry disease progression. The difference in median eGFR slope between PRX-102 vs. agalsidase beta was -0.36 mL/min/1.73m2/year, with the lower bound of the CI (95% CI: -2.44, 1.73) meeting the prespecified noninferiority margin.

The second oral presentation is featuring two-year interim results from the ongoing open-label BRIGHT51 extension study that is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of 2.0 mg/kg of PRX-102 administered every four weeks in adults with Fabry disease for up to four years. In total, 29 adults (23 male, 6 female; mean age 40.9 years) were enrolled in BRIGHT51 at the time of the analysis.

Following the recent U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Lamzede (velmanase alfa-tycv), developed by Chiesi Global Rare Diseases for the treatment of non-central nervous system manifestations of alpha-mannosidosis in adult and pediatric patients (see Full Prescribing Information and Boxed Warning), the company is also presenting insights from the SPARKLE registry that was launched in 2019 and is designed to follow up to 100 patients with the ultra-rare disorder for up to 15 years.

In a poster presentation, Nathalie Guffon, M.D., Departmental Head at the Reference Centre of inherited metabolic disease in Femme Mere Enfant Hospital, Hospices Civils of Lyon, France, is reporting a descriptive analysis of baseline characteristics of all currently enrolled patients in the SPARKLE registry. In total, 59 patients were enrolled at 23 European sites at the time of the analysis.

Mean ages of first alpha-mannosidosis manifestation and diagnosis were 1.93.3 (median 1.0 [015]) and 8.410.5 (median 4.0 [050]) years, respectively, representing a 6.5-year delay in diagnosis.

A relatively even distribution of participants had compound heterozygous (44%) and homozygous (47%) MAN2B1 pathogenic variants.

The pathogenic variant c.2248C>T was the most common in both compound heterozygous and homozygous participants.

All participants with available alpha-mannosidase activity data had low enzymatic activity, with a mean residual activity of 2.5%.

Future analyses may provide further insights on the safety and efficacy of enzyme replacement therapy, and may also better inform disease knowledge, potentially enabling more accurate and timely diagnoses.

In a separate poster, Nicole Muschol, M.D., Senior Physician at the International Center for Lysosomal Disorders (ICLD) at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany reports on real-world clinical profiles of patients with alpha-mannosidosis in the SPARKLE registry. In this analysis, patients with alpha-mannosidosis had numerous signs and symptoms impacting multiple body systems, which further confirms the high burden of disease they experience. While cognitive disability, hearing impairment or loss, and dysmorphic facial features are frequently reported in alpha-mannosidosis, heart and lung abnormalities are not as commonly associated with the disease but may raise suspicion of alpha-mannosidosis and can indicate a need for additional evaluations.

In addition to data from the SPARKLE registry, Dr. Guffon is also presenting an analysis that compared compliance and infusion-related reactions (IRRs) between home and hospital settings in a clinical trial. In the clinical trial, 13 patients received a total of 2,782 hospital infusions. After receiving 1,243 hospital infusions, eight patients elected to receive home infusions and completed an additional 262 infusions at home. In SPARKLE, 764 hospital infusions and 107 home infusions were received by 17 and four patients, respectively.

Important Safety Information

Indication

Lamzede (velmanase alfa-tycv) is indicated for the treatment of non-central nervous system manifestations of alpha-mannosidosis in adult and pediatric patients.

Important Safety Information

WARNING: SEVERE HYPERSENSITIVITY REACTIONS



Hypersensitivity Reactions Including Anaphylaxis



Patients treated with Lamzede have experienced hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis. Appropriate medical support measures, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation equipment, should be readily available during Lamzede administration. If a severe hypersensitivity reaction (e.g., anaphylaxis) occurs, discontinue Lamzede immediately and initiate appropriate medical treatment. In patients with severe hypersensitivity reaction, a desensitization procedure to Lamzede may be considered.

Considerations Due to Hypersensitivity Reactions and/or Infusion-Associated Reactions (IARs)

Prior to Lamzede administration, consider pretreating with antihistamines, antipyretics, and/or corticosteroids. Inform patients and caregivers of the signs and symptoms of hypersensitivity reactions and IARs and instruct them to seek medical care immediately if such symptoms occur.

If a severe hypersensitivity reaction (including anaphylaxis) or severe IAR occurs, immediately discontinue Lamzede administration and initiate appropriate medical treatment.

In the event of a mild to moderate hypersensitivity reaction or a mild to moderate IAR, consider temporarily holding the infusion for 15 to 30 minutes, slowing the infusion rate to 25% to 50% of the recommended rate, and initiating appropriate medical treatment.

Hypersensitivity Reactions Including Anaphylaxis

Anaphylaxis and severe hypersensitivity signs and symptoms included cyanosis, hypotension, emesis, urticaria, erythema, facial swelling, pyrexia, and tremor.

Infusion-Associated Reactions (IARs)

The most frequent symptoms of IARs that occurred in >10% of the population were pyrexia, chills, erythema, vomiting, cough, urticaria, rash, and conjunctivitis.

Females of Reproductive Potential

Advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment and for 14 days after the last dose if Lamzede is discontinued. For females of reproductive potential, verify that the patient is not pregnant prior to initiating treatment with Lamzede.

Embryo-Fetal Toxicity

Based on findings from animal reproduction studies, Lamzede may cause embryo-fetal harm when administered to a pregnant female.

Common Adverse Reactions

The most common adverse reactions (incidence >20%) are hypersensitivity reactions including anaphylaxis, nasopharyngitis, pyrexia, headache, and arthralgia.

Please see Full Prescribing Information.

About Fabry Disease

Fabry disease is a rare, progressive, potentially life-threatening lysosomal storage disorder that leads to the progressive accumulation of abnormal deposits of a fatty substance in the lysosomes throughout a person's body. It is a multisystemic organ disease and patients experience a wide range of signs and symptoms including episodes of pain, impaired peripheral sensation, and eventually end-organ failure of the kidneys, heart, and the cerebrovascular system. Fabry disease occurs in one in 40,000 to 60,000 people.

About Alpha-mannosidosis

Alpha-mannosidosis is an ultra-rare genetic disorder that begins in childhood and progresses through adulthood. It is characterized by a deficiency of the enzyme alpha-mannosidase that results in the body's cells being unable to properly break down certain groups of complex sugars. The buildup of sugars can affect many parts of the body's organs and systems. Effects of the disease vary significantly from person to person and progress over time. Symptoms may change as a patient gets older and can include recurrent chest and ear infections, hearing loss, distinctive facial features, muscle weakness, skeletal and joint abnormalities, visual abnormalities, or cognitive abnormalities. The prevalence of alpha-mannosidosis is approximately 1/500,00 to 1/1,000,000.

About Chiesi Global Rare Diseases

Chiesi Global Rare Diseases is a business unit of the Chiesi Group established to deliver innovative therapies and solutions for people affected by rare diseases. As a family business, Chiesi Group strives to create a world where it is common to have a therapy for all diseases and acts as a force for good, for society and the planet. The goal of the Global Rare Diseases unit is to ensure equal access so as many people as possible can experience their most fulfilling life. The unit collaborates with the rare disease community around the globe to bring voice to underserved people in the health care system. For more information visit www.chiesirarediseases.com.

About Chiesi Group

Chiesi is an international, research-focused biopharmaceuticals group that develops and markets innovative therapeutic solutions in respiratory health, rare diseases, and specialty care. The company's mission is to improve people's quality of life and act responsibly towards both the community and the environment.

By changing its legal status to a Benefit Corporation in Italy, the US, and France, Chiesi's commitment to create shared value for society as a whole is legally binding and central to company-wide decision-making. As a certified B Corp since 2019, we're part of a global community of businesses that meet high standards of social and environmental impact. The company aims at becoming net-zero by 2035.

With over 85 years of experience, Chiesi is headquartered in Parma (Italy), operates in 30 countries, and counts more than 6,000 employees. The Group's research and development centre in Parma works alongside 6 other important R&D hubs in France, the US, Canada, China, the UK, and Sweden.

For further information please visit www.chiesi.com

Chiesi Global Rare Diseases Media Contact

Adam Daley

Berry & Company Public Relations

1-212-253-8881

adaley@berrypr.com

PP-EF-0232 V3.0

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SOURCE Chiesi Global Rare Diseases
TORONTO, Feb. 24, 2023 /CNW/ - CIBC (TSX: CM) (NYSE: CM) announced today that its Board of Directors declared a dividend of $0.85 per share on common shares for the quarter ending April 30, 2023 payable on April 28, 2023 to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 28, 2023.

Logo de CIBC (CNW Group/CIBC)

Class A Preferred Shares

The Board of Directors also declared the following dividends per share:

For the period ending April 30, 2023 payable on April 28, 2023 to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 28, 2023:

Series 39 - $0.232063

Series 41 - $0.244313

Series 43 - $0.196438

Series 47 - $0.367375

Series 49 - $0.325000

Series 51 - $0.321875

Series 56 - $45.299795

About CIBC

CIBC is a leading North American financial institution with 13 million personal banking, business, public sector and institutional clients. Across Personal and Business Banking, Commercial Banking and Wealth Management, and Capital Markets businesses, CIBC offers a full range of advice, solutions and services through its leading digital banking network, and locations across Canada, in the United States and around the world. Ongoing news releases and more information about CIBC can be found at https://www.cibc.com/en/about-cibc/media-centre.html.

SOURCE CIBC

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Boralex Inc.

MONTREAL, Feb. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Boralex Inc. (Boralex or the Company) (TSX: BLX) issued its 2022 corporate social responsibility (CSR) report describing its performance on environmental, societal and governance (ESG) issues over the past year.



"For Boralex, 2022 was a year of action and achievements in CSR. Three years after the launch of our CSR strategy, we see how our environmental, societal and governance efforts significantly contribute to long-term value for all our stakeholders. At the same time, as the climate is emerging as one of the main business risks globally, prioritizing CSR allows for the optimization of our risk management," stated Patrick Decostre, President and Chief Executive Officer of Boralex.

2022 Highlights

Environment

Decreased Scope 1 GHG emissions by 95% from 2021, as a result of the sale of Boralex's last biomass power generation asset;

Avoided the emission of 354,442 tons of CO 2 in 2022 through renewable energy generation, 100% of our project portfolio;

Continued to implement TCFD recommendations, in keeping with our 2020 commitment by conducting an analysis of climate-related physical risks in 2022.



Social

Increased representation of women in management roles to 29.6%, surpassing our 2022 target of 26.5%;

Good performance regarding occupational health and safety: the total recordable incident rate (TRIR) improved from 2021 to 2022, scoring 0.94 (1.2 in 2021), and company-wide lost time incident rate (LTIR) remained low at 0.19.

Governance

Creation of the new role of Senior Vice President, Enterprise Risk Management and Corporate Social Responsibility;

Mandate of the Board of Directors broadened to include CSR oversight;

Increased representation of women on the Board of Directors to 45%, surpassing our new target

of 40%;

Launched the Sustainable Procurement Charter and the EcoVadis assessment process for our strategic suppliers for product purchases of 150,000 CAD/USD/EUR and more;

Updated Code of Ethics, which will be deployed in 2023, to ensure a healthy workplace, safeguard and enhance the Companys reputation, and comply with legal requirements.



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Integration of CSR and risk management to position us for accelerated and responsible growth

Boralex revised its management model in 2022 to align more closely with the market needs and allow for the increased agility needed to support rapid growth. The Companys CSR efforts being crucial in the optimization of risk management, these two functions were merged to create a new position of Senior Vice President, Enterprise Risk Management and Corporate Social Responsibility.

"The Company's CSR strategy is critical in our integrated risk management strategy, like any other type of business risk. Our recent change in governance will allow us to pursue business opportunities with greater confidence and a sharper focus on environmental, societal and governance (ESG) risk resilience. It also positions Boralex at the forefront of the market with the imminent arrival of global financial disclosure standards for ESG criteria, said Julie Cusson, Senior Vice President, Enterprise Risk Management and Corporate Social Responsibility.

Read the full report on Boralex's website.

About the CSR Report

The 2022 CSR Report follows the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), as well as the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) framework1, which was adopted by the IFRS Foundation in August 2022. Also, by the very nature of our business, our mission and our CSR approach, we contribute to the advancement of 13 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Boralex participates directly and voluntarily in several external disclosure platforms, including EcoVadis, the ESG Corporate Rating of the Institutional Shareholder Services group of companies (ISS ESG), the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA), the CDP, the ISS, Corporate Knights and the Board Games.

About Boralex

At Boralex, we have been providing affordable renewable energy accessible to everyone for over 30 years. As a leader in the Canadian market and Frances largest independent producer of onshore wind power, we also have facilities in the United States and development projects in the United Kingdom. Over the past five years, our installed capacity has more than doubled to 3 GW. We are developing a portfolio of close to 4 GW in wind and solar projects and nearly 800 MW in storage projects, guided by our values and our corporate social responsibility (CSR) approach. Through profitable and sustainable growth, Boralex is actively participating in the fight against global warming. Thanks to our fearlessness, our discipline, our expertise and our diversity, we continue to be an industry leader. Boralexs shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BLX.

For more information, visit boralex.com or sedar.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

For more information

MEDIA INVESTOR RELATIONS Camille Laventure

Advisor, External Communications

Boralex Inc.

438-883-8580

camille.laventure@boralex.com Stephane Milot

Senior Director  Investor Relations

Boralex Inc.

514-213-1045

stephane.milot@boralex.com

Source: Boralex Inc.

1 For the following industries: Electric Utilities & Power Generators, Wind Technology & Project Developers and Solar Technology & Project Developers




NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Dominari Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: DOMH) ("Dominari" or the "Company") today provided an update on the $2 million share repurchase program (the "Share Repurchase Program") authorized by the Company's Board of Directors on December 5, 2022.

Dominari Holdings Logo (PRNewsfoto/Dominari Holdings Inc.)

The Company reported that on February 23, 2023, the Company purchased 5,000 shares of common stock at $3.7781 per share.

Additional shares may be repurchased from time to time in open market transactions, or other means in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), and Rule 10b -18 of the Exchange Act. The timing, number of shares repurchased, and prices paid for the stock under this program will depend on general business and market conditions as well as corporate and regulatory limitations, including blackout period restrictions.

About Dominari Holdings Inc.

Dominari Holdings Inc. (f/k/a Aikido Pharma Inc.) until recently was focused primarily on the development of a diverse portfolio of small-molecule anticancer and antiviral therapeutics and related patent technology. In September 2022, the Company agreed to acquire a registered broker-dealer and transition its primary business operations to fintech and financial services. Upon the final closing of this acquisition, the Company's fintech and financial services business will be operated through its subsidiary, Dominari Financial Inc. The Company continues to develop its therapeutics and related patent technology, as well as other ventures, through its subsidiary, Aikido Labs, LLC.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Words such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "continue," "predict," "forecast," "project," "plan," "intend" or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements. While the Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking statements, which are based on information available to us on the date of this release. These forward-looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation those set forth in the Company's filings with the SEC, not limited to Risk Factors relating to its business contained therein. Thus, actual results could be materially different. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

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Contact:

Investor Relations:

Hayden IR

Brett Maas, Managing Partner

Phone: (646) 536-7331

Email: brett@haydenir.com

www.haydenir.com

Dominari Holdings Inc. (f/k/a AIkido Pharma Inc):

Phone: 212-745-1373

Email: investorrelations@aikidopharma.com

www.aikidopharma.com

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SOURCE Dominari Holdings Inc.
South Africa: Eastern Cape plans to fix infrastructure to boost tourism

Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane on Friday said the province will continue to implement infrastructure development to improve access to tourist destinations to boost the economy.

He announced proudly during his State of Province Address (SONA) that from January to December 2022, 5.7 million domestic tourists visited the Eastern Cape.

This was 700 000 more compared to the previous year, with tourists contributing R8.6 billion to the provincial economy.

We will continue to roll out infrastructure to improve access to tourist destinations and parks.

Through the Eastern Cape stimulus fund, the provincial government has invested R7.5 million to build four additional chalets and a viewing deck at Hluleka Nature Reserve in the OR Tambo District.

We continue to prioritise the improvement of roads, such as the road to Hluleka Nature Reserve and the newly gazetted road from Viedgesville to Coffee Bay.

It has engaged the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) to make it easy for international tourists to fly directly into the province.

The problem of limited international and domestic flights into the province is not only about tourism, but also about reducing the cost of doing business in the province.

The Premier outlined seven priorities that the Eastern Cape will focus on this year, which include creating an inclusive economy; providing quality healthcare and education; rolling out basic services such as water, roads, and electricity, and building safer communities.

He pleaded with traditional leaders and local municipalities to avail land to private investors for economic development to benefit the people.

We are having ongoing conversations with the retail sector to scale up sourcing of goods such as vegetables from local farmers, he said, adding that government was assisting local farmers to massify production to meet the demands.

In the new financial year, the Premier said the province would be scaling up the small holder farmers programme by investing R139 million to implement 184 infrastructure projects that will benefit 3 132 establishments.

The province will invest R50 million to support commercial-scale production in fruits, grains, livestock, vegetables, piggery, and poultry commodities.

Locally, the Eastern Cape is the second largest producer of citrus after Limpopo.

He said officials are putting measures in place to avert any possible liquidation of businesses that have been adversely affected by the price hikes due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

Youth

Mabuyane said he remains committed to ensuring that youth-owned businesses benefit from preferential procurement policy.

As of December 2022, R203 million was spent on over 3 900 youth-owned Eastern Cape-based businesses. He pronounced an increase to the Isiqalo Youth Fund to R100 million over three years.

We are confident this investment in the young people of our province will give us better returns in terms of job creation. Isiqalo Youth Fund is a story of good progress.

The province also intends to allocate another R50 million towards student debt relief to assist students in distress.

Infrastructure

The province aims to focus on several infrastructure programmes, including the N2 Wild Coast Highway, Mzimvubu Water Project, Eastern Cape Transnet Initiatives, N2 Nodal Development, Undersea cables, and Wild Coast SEZ.

One of the most critical infrastructures in any economy is the road network as it facilitates movement of people and goods.

He said the work of transforming the Wild Coast corridor through the construction of the R4 billion N2 Wild Coast Project is gaining momentum.

In addition, plans are at an advanced stage for the rehabilitation of Ingquza Hill Memorial roads, the upgrading of roads within Ntlavukazi Village, Lambasi, and R61 to Bambisani Hospital.

The province will also attend to the road from Ndwalane to Ntafufu; Ntafufu to Bambisani turn off; Bambisani turn off to Lingeni; Mthentu to Kulumbe and Kulumbe to Mthamvuna.

The N2 Wild Coast Development is a foundation for our province to also benefit from the Eastern Seaboard Development, which connects the Eastern Cape and Kwa Zulu-Natal.

The Eastern Cape will also construct road projects worth over R4 billion in other districts including the N2 from KwaBhaca to Ngcweleni River; R336 from Kirkwood to Addo (phase 1); N2 from Grahamstown to Fish River (phase 3); R390 from Cradock to Hofmeyer; N2 from Gamtoos River to Van Stadens River; N2 Ndabakazi Interchange; and R58 Cala to Ngcobo.

He told the MPLs that the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) will soon resume the construction of 19 identified bridges.

We are consolidating damage caused by floods on our roads and bridges to source more funding from the national government to rebuild our infrastructure.

He said the rail and port infrastructure is also receiving attention, with Transnet Freight Rail planning to open the line from Kroonstad to the Port of East London.

The Premier said they were looking into their water supply, adding that they are scaling up the reticulation of water to communities through the multi-year Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant amounting to R10 billion.

In addition, the development of infrastructure at the Wild Coast Industrial Park in Mthatha is progressing well.

The province has injected R35.2 million to upgrade the wastewater treatment plant and R14.5 million to refurbish 10 sites in Fort Jackson Industrial Park and R10.8 million at Butterworth Industrial Park.

Our vision is to partner with big retail companies to build distribution centres across our districts in the province, prioritising especially small towns.

Load shedding

The province is also putting in place short, medium, and long-term interventions to manage load shedding.

He also acknowledged the steps taken by Buffalo City Metro, Nelson Mandela Metro, the Business Chambers, and stakeholders in managing the impact of power cuts.

These steps are progressive in ensuring the balance between business continuity, and job sustainability.

He also took the time to encourage residents to install rooftop solar panels.

I appeal to all of us as leaders of today to roll up our sleeves and make 2023 truly a year of decisive action to advance the interests of our people.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2023-02-24. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
On February 21, at the Congxiang Modern Agricultural Planting Professional Cooperative in Taihe County, Xu Xudong checks crop samples in the laboratory. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhou Mu

Xu Xudong, 27, lives in Jiuxian Town, Taihe County, Fuyang City, Anhui Province. After graduating from university in 2018, he returned to his hometown from Hefei and grew grain with his elders, becoming a "new farmer."

Xu Xudong, who has a "dream of prospering agriculture," continued to learn modern agricultural technology and conducted various experiments such as seed selection and breeding.

Now, he is the chairperson of the Congxiang Modern Agricultural Planting Professional Cooperative in Taihe County. The wheat yield per mu of the cooperative has also continued to set new highs.

He said that it is necessary to grow more grains and good grains to drive the surrounding villagers to become rich together.

On February 21, at the Congxiang Modern Agricultural Planting Professional Cooperative in Taihe County, Xu Xudong weighs and records crop samples in the laboratory. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhou Mu

On February 21, Xu Xudong (right) and his grandfather Xu Congxiang check the seedlings in the high-yield demonstration field of Congxiang Modern Agricultural Planting Professional Cooperative in Taihe County. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhou Mu

On February 21, at the Congxiang Modern Agricultural Planting Professional Cooperative in Taihe County, Xu Xudong (second from left) and his grandfather Xu Congxiang (third from left) check the drones used for spraying pesticides. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhou Mu

On February 21, Xu Xudong (left) and his grandfather Xu Congxiang use drones to spray pesticides on the fields at Congxiang Modern Agricultural Planting Professional Cooperative in Taihe County. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhou Mu

A high-yield demonstration farmland in the Congxiang Modern Agricultural Planting Professional Cooperative in Taihe County, taken on February 21 (photo by drone). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhou Mu





Reported by Zhou Mu

Translated by Zheng Chen
NEW DELHI, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- FreshToHome , the world's largest fully integrated online consumer brand for preservative and antibiotic-residue free fresh fish and meat, has closed $104 million in Series D funding with Amazon Smbhav Venture Fund leading the round. Existing investors in FreshToHome including Iron Pillar, Investcorp, Investment Corporation of Dubai (the principal investment arm of the Government of Dubai), Ascent Capital and others have also participated in this round. New investors joining this round include E20 Investment Ltd, Mount Judi Ventures and Dallah Albaraka. JP Morgan was the placement agent to FreshToHome for the fundraise.

Shan Kadavil, CEO & Co-founder, FreshToHome

The current funding will strengthen FreshToHome's mission to make 100% preservative and antibiotic-residue free fish, seafood, and meat accessible and affordable to millions of meat lovers. Launched in 2015, FreshToHome operates in 160+ cities in India and the UAE and offers more than 2,000 certified fresh and chemical-free products.

Shan Kadavil, CEO & Co-founder, FreshToHome said, "We are excited to have Amazon Smbhav Venture Fund lead our Series D funding round. FreshToHome has pioneered the revolution of making 100% preservative and antibiotic-residue free fresh fish, seafood, meat and meat products accessible and affordable to all and that is our biggest USP. We are now a 'Proficorn' with operational profitability across the company. As we strive to offer more value to our farmers and fishers, customers, employees and investors, our focus is on profitability and sustainable value creation."

Amazon Smbhav Venture Fund, through its official spokesperson stated "Our vision with the $250MM Amazon Smbhav Venture Fund is to empower the next generation of innovative, technology enabled companies led by visionary founders. We are impressed with the FreshToHome management team led by Shan Kadavil and they have done some quality work in creating a robust technology enabled supply chain and scalable backward integrated capabilities to serve both customers as well as farmers and fishers. We are excited to partner with FreshToHome for the next phase of its growth."

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FreshToHome's core strengths lie in its brand promise for its quality and consumer trust and in its technology-enabled offering - Commodities Exchange, empowering over 4,000+ fishers and farmers to electronically auction their produce for sale on www.FreshToHome.com .

Two years ago, FreshToHome raised $121MM in its Series C round, led by Dubai's Investment Corporation of Dubai, Investcorp, IronPillar, Ascent Capital and U.S. Government's development finance institution  DFC.

SOURCE FreshToHome
AstuteAnalytica India Pvt. Ltd.

Global dressing and sauces market was valued at US$ 108.5 billion in 2022 and is estimated to reach a valuation of US$ 177.0 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 6.8% during the forecast period of 2023-2030.

New Delhi, Feb. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Astute Analytica has published a new research report titled Global Dressing and Sauces Market Share, Size, Trends, Industry Analysis Report, By Sauce Type; By Application; By Distribution Channel; By End-User; By Region; Segment Forecast, 2023  2030 in its research database.

Download Free sample copy of this report @ https://www.astuteanalytica.com/request-sample/dressing-and-sauces-market

The dressing and sauces market is an ever-evolving space that is constantly introducing new and innovative products to consumers. From classic condiments like ketchup and mayonnaise, to more exotic and specialty dressings and sauces like hot sauce and coconut concentrate, there is high demand for each product type across the globe. With the rise of plant-based and vegan-friendly sauces, the industry is also adapting to meet the needs of health-conscious consumers.

Moreover, the market is also expanding to include a wide range of gourmet and specialty products, from artisanal dressings to international flavors. With so many options available, the dressing and sauces industry is sure to please even the most discerning palate. Apart from this, there has been an emergence of gourmet and specialty products with unique and international flavors. Consumers are also increasingly looking for convenience, leading to the growth of single-serve sauces and dressings. Finally, there has been an increase in the use of organic and locally sourced ingredients, as well as in the use of sustainable packaging materials.

Key Findings in the Global Dressing and Sauces Market

The global sauces, dressings, and condiments market is on an upward trajectory, with the Asia Pacific region leading the way in terms of market share.

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Soy sauce and pizza sauce remain popular choices, but the salad dressing market is expected to experience the highest CAGR due to consumers' increasing focus on healthy eating.

The commercial segment dominates the market, with the hospitality and food service industries driving demand.

Online distribution channels are expected to expand rapidly, offering greater convenience to busy consumers in the global dressing and sauces market.

With increasing interest in traditional foods and unique flavors, major manufacturers are launching new products to keep up with the growing appetite for global cuisines.

As the market continues to evolve, operators are becoming creative with their offerings to stand out in a crowded field.

Astute Analyticas Study Says Consumers are Preferring Healthier and more Natural Options in Global Dressing and Sauces Market

Consumer behavior analysis of the dressing and sauces industry reveals that there has been an increasing demand for healthier and more natural options. Consumers are shifting away from unhealthy, processed foods and gravitating towards healthier options like plant-based dressings and sauces. Additionally, sustainability is becoming increasingly important, with consumers looking for packaging that is eco-friendly and recyclable. Furthermore, there has been an increase in the demand for convenience, with consumers looking for single-serve packaging and ready-to-eat products. Finally, consumers are also becoming increasingly adventurous, with a growing demand for exotic flavors and international ingredients.

Key Dynamics of the Global Dressing and Sauces Market

The demand for sauces and dressings continues to grow, driven by a growing appetite for convenience, nutrition, and ready-to-eat foods. Consumers are looking for flavorful options that can enhance their meals, and are increasingly turning to sauces and dressings for that purpose. This is leading to a rise in the supply of sauces and dressings, as more companies enter the market to meet the rising demand.

The growth of the dressing and sauces market is being driven by a number of factors, including the rise in consumer demand for convenience and nutrition, as well as the development of new flavors and varieties. Additionally, consumer trends are moving away from traditional condiments and toward more exotic flavors, such as salsas, hot sauces, and Asian-inspired dressings. This is leading to an expansion of the sauces and dressings market, with more companies offering a wider variety of products.

The rise in demand for sauces and dressings is also being driven by restaurants and other foodservice establishments, who are looking for new and innovative ways to enhance their dishes. The increasing availability of these products is allowing foodservice establishments to offer more creative and flavorful dishes, leading to increased demand for sauces and dressings.

Asia Pacific is Home to Some of the Leading Producer of Dressing and Sauces, Makes it Dominant in the Global Dressing and Sauces Market

Asia Pacific is the largest producer and consumer of sauces in the world. This is due to the large population and diverse culture in the region, which creates strong demand for a variety of sauces. Additionally, the region's strong economic performance has enabled companies to invest in production facilities, which has led to an increase in the production of sauces. Asia Pacific is also home to some of the world's leading companies in the production of sauces, such as Kikkoman, Lee Kum Kee, and S&B Foods. Furthermore, the region's abundance of natural ingredients such as chilli peppers, garlic, and ginger have made it an ideal location for the production of sauces. As a result, Asia Pacific has established itself as the leading producer and consumer of sauces around the global dressing and sauces market.

In addition to being the largest producer and consumer of sauces, Asia Pacific is also the leading region in terms of exports. This is due to the region's competitive advantage of having access to a wide range of raw materials, as well as its well-developed infrastructure for transportation and distribution. Additionally, the region has a large and growing market for sauces, which has driven demand for higher-quality sauces, allowing companies to produce more innovative and flavorful products.

Furthermore, the region's strong economic growth has enabled companies in the dressing and sauces market to invest in research and development to create ever-better sauces, further driving growth in the market. As a result, Asia Pacific is the world leader in the production and consumption of sauces, and is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future.

Browse summary of the report and Complete Table of Contents (ToC): https://www.astuteanalytica.com/industry-report/dressing-and-sauces-market

Survey Reveals Consumers are Shifting Away from Traditional Condiments And Toward More Exotic Flavors

As per recent findings and survey by Astute Analytica for the dressing and sauces market, consumers of sauces and dressings are often looking for flavors and convenience to enhance their meals. In recent years, there has been a shift away from traditional condiments and toward more exotic flavors, such as salsas, hot sauces, and Asian-inspired dressings. Additionally, a growing demand for health-conscious products has also impacted the demand for sauces and dressings, with consumers looking for low-calorie, low-sodium, and organic options.

To better understand consumer behavior in the sauces and dressings market, a survey was conducted in 2022. The survey found that the most popular types of sauces and dressings were Italian-style dressings, with 33% of consumers surveyed reporting that they purchased these products most often. Other popular types of sauces and dressings included ranch, blue cheese, French, and Caesar, with around 20% of consumers surveyed reporting that they purchased these products most often.

The survey also found that health-conscious consumers in the dressing and sauces market were more likely to purchase sauces and dressings, with 81% of those surveyed reporting that they were concerned about the nutritional content of the products. Additionally, those surveyed were more likely to purchase organic and natural sauces and dressings, with 65% of those surveyed reporting that they were more likely to purchase these products.

Top 4 Players Holds Less than 17% Share of the Global Dressing and Sauces Market

Kraft Heinz Company, McCormick & Company, Inc., Nestle SA, Cargill Agricola S/A, among others are some of the major players in the global Dressing and Sauces market.

Wherein, Kraft Heinz Company is one of the leading players in the global market, known for its wide range of products that cater to diverse consumer preferences. Some of the popular Kraft Heinz Company brands in the market include Heinz, Kraft, Miracle Whip, and Bull's Eye, among others.

The company has been focusing on innovation and expanding its product portfolio to keep up with the changing consumer preferences and growing demand for healthier and natural ingredients. For instance, in 2021, Kraft Heinz launched a line of organic salad dressings and a range of plant-based sauces.

Kraft Heinz also emphasizes sustainability in its operations across the global dressing and sauces market, which resonates with consumers who are becoming increasingly environmentally conscious. The company has set ambitious sustainability targets, such as reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and waste generation. Furthermore, Kraft Heinz has been leveraging e-commerce platforms to reach consumers and expand its customer base. The company has partnerships with major online retailers such as Amazon and Walmart, making its products easily accessible to consumers.

Some of the Top Market Players Are:

Arcor SAIC

Cargill Agricola S/A

Daesang Corporation

Empresas Polar CA

Industrias Iberia CA

Kraft Heinz Company

Nestle SA

Quala SA

Unilever Group

Yoki Alimentos SA

Campbell Soup Company

Dr. Oetker

Masan Consumer Corporation

KEWPIEUSA

McCormick & Company, Inc

Mizkan America, Inc

Other Prominent Players

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About Astute Analytica

Astute Analytica is a global analytics and advisory company which has built a solid reputation in a short period, thanks to the tangible outcomes we have delivered to our clients. We pride ourselves in generating unparalleled, in depth and uncannily accurate estimates and projections for our very demanding clients spread across different verticals. We have a long list of satisfied and repeat clients from a wide spectrum including technology, healthcare, chemicals, semiconductors, FMCG, and many more. These happy customers come to us from all across the Globe. They are able to make well calibrated decisions and leverage highly lucrative opportunities while surmounting the fierce challenges all because we analyze for them the complex business environment, segment wise existing and emerging possibilities, technology formations, growth estimates, and even the strategic choices available. In short, a complete package. All this is possible because we have a highly qualified, competent, and experienced team of professionals comprising of business analysts, economists, consultants, and technology experts. In our list of priorities, you-our patron-come at the top. You can be sure of best cost-effective, value-added package from us, should you decide to engage with us.

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GoodVets

GoodVets Overland Park Leawood and GoodVets Prairie Village are now offering free first exams for new patients

KANSAS CITY, Kan., Feb. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GoodVets, a national veterinarian partner-led animal hospital platform redefining the pet healthcare experience for veterinarians, clients, and patients, announced the recent opening of two additional Kansas City veterinary practices, GoodVets Overland Park Leawood and GoodVets Prairie Village . GoodVets elevates veterinary care for pets and pet parents by co-venturing with entrepreneurial veterinarians. In partnership with local veterinarian, Dr. Julie Bradford, GoodVets identified a growing need for new quality general and urgent pet care centers in the Kansas City metro area. GoodVets Overland Park Leawood  located at 4041 Indian Creek Parkway in Overland Park  and GoodVets Prairie Village  located at 6934 Mission Road in Prairie Village  are now open, welcoming new patients with free first exams.



Both new hospitals offer best-in-class care for each pet that walks through the door, including wellness and prevention services, diagnostics, routine and advanced surgery, and urgent care. Building friendly, comfortable environments in beautiful spaces with state-of-the-art technologies is a key focus of GoodVets approach to providing pets and their owners with the best care possible. To ensure clients have convenient access to their services, GoodVets offers online booking .

I grew up in this neighborhood, and the opportunity to serve the pets in this community and own a practice here in Kansas City is incredibly fulfilling for me, said Dr. Bradford. My goal is to build meaningful relationships with all my clients to help provide the best care possible, and our beautiful practices are designed with the clients experience in mind. I look forward to meeting you and your pets when you visit us at GoodVets Prairie Village or GoodVets Overland Park Leawood!

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With over fifteen years of experience in the field, Dr. Bradford brings an exceptional level of skill, care, and compassion to each of her patients. As the owner of three GoodVets practices, Dr. Bradford leads a growing team of veterinary professionals who are dedicated to providing high-quality and personalized care to pets and their owners within Overland Park, Leawood, Prairie Village, Mission Hills, Fairway, Lees Summit, and surrounding areas. Dr. Bradford has expertise in surgery, dermatology, and endocrinology as well as anesthesia and pain management. Her goal is to provide excellent, personalized customer service for clients and veterinary visits that are as low stress as possible for her patients.

GoodVets takes a unique approach to the veterinary industry, offering veterinarians the opportunity to partner with GoodVets to own a hospital and connect with clients on a local level through the support of a national network  giving all partners the autonomy to grow and lead their own practice. GoodVets believes local veterinarian ownership leads to enhanced experiences for pets, pet owners, and hospital teams.

GoodVets opened its first Kansas City location, GoodVets Lees Summit , in 2019 and is thrilled to expand their services more broadly across Kansas City with the openings of GoodVets Overland Park Leawood and GoodVets Prairie Village. GoodVets has 15 open locations to date in the United States, with additional locations in Nashville, Chicago, Charlotte, Atlanta, and Miami.

About GoodVets

GoodVets is a next generation veterinary care platform providing elevated pet healthcare in comfortable, smartly designed, and newly built spaces. Founded on the bold mission to improve an industry in need of change, GoodVets partners with veterinarians to create ownership opportunities in local markets and provides partners with the autonomy to build a team and lead a hospital of their own. GoodVets currently has 15 open locations across eight US markets, each offering thoughtful, individualized, full-service patient care. At GoodVets, we are redefining the standard of care.

More information is available at www.goodvets.com .

Media Contact:

Erin Gaffney

egaffney@groupgordon.com

(212) 784-5720




This week, Payscale released the results of its bellwether survey, the 2023 Compensation Best Practices Report.

Its not wonderful news for employees: fewer employers are offering pay raises and those that will arent exactly being generous. As for folks who love the idea of more flexibility in their working lives? The survey reveals theres a growing kibosh on remote work arrangements. Senator Bernie Sanders four-day work week? Forget about it.

The report, conducted between October 2022 and December 2022, of nearly 5,000 employers headquartered in the U.S. (69%), Canada (8%), and Europe, The Middle East and Africa (17%), is a bit of a downer.

Workers are still hitting the exits voluntarily

Its been a tough slog in the labor market for many companies. Six in ten organizations experienced labor shortages and trouble attracting and retaining talent in 2022, according to the report. And while many expect that the turnover rate for workers is likely to dip to around 25%, down from 36% in 2022, its still a crucial issue.

Last year, for many employers dangling the ability to work remotely was a saving grace when it came to hiring and holding onto workers.

In our monthly job seeker confidence surveys last year, we found that 60% of job seekers on ZipRecruiter say they would prefer to find remote jobs, Julia Pollak, chief economist at ZipRecruiter, the employment search site, told Yahoo Finance. Many job switchers have taken advantage of a hot labor market to move into remote or hybrid positions.

And for companies, converting jobs to remote has dramatically increased recruitment and retention, and reduced wage growth pressures since they are now able to recruit in lower-cost parts of the country, she said.

Source: Payscale 2023 Compensation Best Practices Report

Its not that corporations have their head in the sand, they get it. A majority of organizations (55%) said that insisting that workers come to the office puts them in the back seat when it comes to hiring and competing for talent, according to the Payscale data. Thats up 11% from last year when nearly half of organizations felt that pinch.

Story continues

In fact, the bulk of organizations (51%) surveyed by Payscale are experiencing resistance by their workers when asked to return to the office, according to the report.

That defiance wont surprise Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, who recently announced a mandated return-to-office of at least three days a week beginning May 1 much to the utter dismay of thousands of angry employees who have launched a petition to fight back.

The bulk of organizations (51%) surveyed by Payscale are experiencing resistance by their workers when asked to return to the office, (Getty Creative)

Workers push back on returning to the office; employers arent backing down

Less than a quarter of those firms grappling with workers who want to stay remote feel that the impact is great enough to consider a policy change.

Lets call it what it is, a shrug.

In the meantime, one of the more egregious findings: about a quarter of employers surveyed by Payscale pay employees who dont come into an office less than those who do for the same position.

A few firms are glomming on to the middle ground  10% believe that hybrid offices are the sweet spot and have done a swell job of slowing resignations and boosted workers job satisfaction and engagement in their work, Payscale found. And according to the data, thats the work environment for just over a quarter, or 27% of employers.

Most organizations, close to 60%, describe their office environment as either traditional or hybrid, which means that all or most employees would need to live within a commutable distance to an office even if they work from home some of the time, Amy Stewart, associate director of content and editorial, told Yahoo Finance.

Companies that offer truly remote work, however, which is around 11% of those surveyed, will still have a major competitive advantage this year in attracting and retaining talent, Stewart said.

Sanders tweet

Four-day week? Dream on

Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) is an advocate of shortening the work week from five days to four  and believes that workers shouldnt have their pay cut as a result.

With exploding technology and increased worker productivity, its time to move toward a four-day work week with no loss of pay, Sen. Sanders tweeted from his government account earlier this week. Workers must benefit from technology, not just corporate CEOs.

The impetus for his remarks were the new findings from a six month pilot program with about 2,900 workers across 61 companies in the UK that ended in December 2022. The British companies in industries ranging from marketing to construction allowed employees to work four days a week for identical pay.

The upshot: Employee morale, productivity, and retention all increased. And more than 9 in 10 of the businesses will continue the shorter week schedule, according to the report. Thats a good thing because a whopping 15% of the employees who participated said no amount of money would convince them to go back to working five days a week.

But dont get too amped up that you will see anything similar in this country anytime soon, even with Sen. Sanders' endorsement. A tiny 10% of U.S. companies plan to offer shorter weeks in 2023, up from 9% in 2022, Payscale found.

Yahoo Finance Take: Theres little doubt that to build loyalty and a company culture, bringing a team together can be magic, especially for younger workers on-boarding to their first professional jobs. In the end, the hybrid-model seems to resonate and meet the needs of both. Given that employers are still grappling with workers hitting the exits at a brisk pace, this is worth considering. The four-day work week? Like we said, dream on.

Kerry is a Senior Reporter and Columnist at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @kerryhannon.

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VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 23, 2023 /CNW/ - Today, the federal government announced a second advanced payment of over $550 million for British Columbia through the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA) program, to assist with recovery costs associated with the 2021 BC Floods. Following the announcement, Craig Stewart, Vice-President, Climate Change and Federal Issues, Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), issued the following statement:

Insurance Bureau of Canada / Bureau d'assurance du Canada - Logo (CNW Group/Insurance Bureau of Canada)

"On behalf of Canada's property and casualty insurers, IBC applauds Minister Bill Blair and the federal government on this funding announcement. The floods that hit southern BC in November 2021 remain the most costly severe weather event in the province's history and this funding will help support families, businesses and communities rebuild and recover following this devastating event.

The trend is clear: Canada is experiencing more and bigger floods, wildfires and other natural disasters  all influenced by climate change  costing billions of dollars and putting lives at risk. While DFAA may provide vital support to those unable to obtain financial protection for the risks they face, it is by no means a replacement for insurance.

Canada's greatest severe-weather risk is flood and, because of that, the insurance industry alone is unable to provide affordable coverage to those living in areas of highest flood risk. Instead, a public-private partnership is required at the national level, building on the approach taken in other industrialized nations. This event is yet another example of the urgency with which we must work to accomplish this.

The federal government is committed to long-term policy actions to address the causes of climate change, but climate resilience must also be a priority. Canada's insurers have provided the federal government with a proposal to create a national flood insurance program. This program would ensure Canadians living in high-risk areas for flooding would have access to the enhanced financial protection that insurance provides, and allow for a speedier and more holistic recovery process.

Story continues

Budget 2023 presents an opportunity to both protect Canadians from the impacts of climate change, while also reducing the unplanned disaster costs borne by the federal government, such as the funding announced today. The time to act is now."

About Insurance Bureau of Canada

Insurance Bureau of Canada is the national industry association representing Canada's private home, auto and business insurers. Its member companies make up the vast majority of the property and casualty (P&C) insurance market in Canada. For more than 50 years, IBC has worked with governments across the country to help make affordable home, auto and business insurance available for all Canadians. IBC supports the vision of consumers and governments trusting, valuing and supporting the private P&C insurance industry. It champions key issues and helps educate consumers on how best to protect their homes, cars, businesses and properties.

For media releases and more information, visit IBC's Media Centre at www.ibc.ca . Follow us on Twitter @InsuranceBureau and like us on Facebook . If you have a question about home, auto or business insurance, contact IBC's Consumer Information Centre at 1-844-2ask-IBC.

SOURCE Insurance Bureau of Canada

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Vancouver --News Direct-- Kodiak Copper Corp.

Kodiak Copper Corp. president and CEO Claudia Tornquist joins Proactive's Stephen Gunnion with news that the company has entered a purchase agreement with Donald Rippon of Mineworks Ventures Inc to acquire a 100% interest in 11 claims contiguous with Kodiak's 100%-owned MPD copper-gold porphyry project in Southern British Columbia.

Tornquist told Proactive that the addition of the claim package adds further strategic ground that complements Kodiak's land holdings. With preparations for the company's 2023 exploration program at MPD well advanced, she said Kodiak will soon update shareholders with its plans for a large drill campaign on multiple targets.

Contact Details

Proactive Canada

+1 604-688-8158

na-editorial@proactiveinvestors.com

View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/kodiak-copper-announces-a-new-claim-package-contiguous-with-its-mpd-project-in-bc-273198495
Investment in Indonesian-based Pertamina Geothermal Energy marks Masdar's entry into geothermal energy

Increases Masdar's footprint in the Asia-Pacific region and gives company access to second-largest geothermal market in the world

Geothermal is a stable, dispatchable, clean renewable resource, which helps to balance intermittency of wind and solar

ABU DHABI, UAE, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Masdar, a global clean energy powerhouse, is entering the geothermal energy sector, through a strategic investment in Pertamina Geothermal Energy (PGE), one of the world's largest geothermal players.

Geothermal energy plant in Indonesia (PRNewsfoto/Masdar)

The investment marks Masdar's entry into geothermal energy, in the second-largest geothermal market in the world.

HE Dr Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and Chairman, Masdar, said, "Achieving the 1.5C target set out in the Paris Accords will require humanity to leverage all sources of low-carbon energy, including sources that are currently under-utilized, like geothermal. Through its investment in PGE, Masdar is demonstrating its continuing commitment to Indonesia's energy transition and its support of one of the major focus areas of the upcoming COP28, which is to provide practical energy security solutions while reducing emissions."

Ahmad Yuniarto, Chief Executive Officer, PGE, said, "We look forward to working with Masdar in the areas which complement and grow further our capabilities to be a world class green energy company, with the largest geothermal capacity globally. We endeavor to develop 600 megawatts (MW) in additional installed capacity over the next five years to support Indonesia's renewable energy mix."

Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer, Masdar, said, "Masdar's strategic investment in PGE will complement our already strong footprint in Indonesia, the world's second largest geothermal market. We are especially excited to add geothermal energy to our clean energy portfolio, a clean energy source that can deliver dispatchable power 24 hours a day, which further underscores our position as a global leader in delivering clean energy solutions that help drive the global energy transition."

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Indonesia has a goal of increasing its installed geothermal capacity from 2.8 gigawatts (GW) in 2022 to 6.2 GW by 2030. The Government is targeting net-zero emissions by 2060 and having renewables provide 23 percent of the energy mix by 2023.

PGE has been operating geothermal facilities in Indonesia for the last 40 years, with a portfolio capacity exceeding 1.87 GW.

Geothermal energy harnesses the heat generated within the Earth's core to provide a constant energy source, unlike solar or wind, which are intermittent in nature. Geothermal energy plants also have high-capacity factors, meaning they can run at maximum power for longer periods. These attributes mean geothermal energy could potentially play a significant role in the clean energy transition, helping nations with a high concentration of geothermal activity to reduce carbon emissions.

The PGE investment is the latest in Masdar's ongoing effort to expand and increase its strategic partnerships in the Asia-Pacific region. Masdar is already developing the region's largest floating solar facility  the 145-MW Cirata Floating Solar PV Plant in Indonesia  and last year signed an agreement with Tuas Power, EDF Renewables, and PT Indonesia Power to explore development of up to 1.2 GW solar capacity in Indonesia for export to Singapore.

Masdar recently announced a new shareholding structure and additional focus on green hydrogen, making it one of the largest clean energy companies of its kind. With a goal of achieving 100 GW renewable energy capacity and green hydrogen production of 1 million tonnes per annum annually by 2030, the new Masdar is a clean energy powerhouse that will spearhead the UAE's Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative and drive the global energy transition.

For more information please visit: http://www.masdar.ae and connect: facebook.com/masdar.ae and twitter.com/masdar

About Masdar

Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) is the UAE's clean energy champion and one of the largest companies of its kind in the world, advancing the development and deployment of renewable energy and green hydrogen technologies to address global sustainability challenges. Established in 2006, Masdar is today active in over 40 countries, helping them to achieve their clean energy objectives and advance sustainable development. Masdar is jointly owned by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), Mubadala Investment Company (Mubadala), and Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA), and under this ownership the company is targeting a renewable energy portfolio capacity of at least 100 gigawatts (GW) by 2030 and an annual green hydrogen production capacity of up to 1 million tonnes by the same year.

This material is distributed by Daniel J. Edelman, Inc. on behalf of Masdar. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2009443/Masdar_Indonesia_Geothermal.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1973446/Masdar_Logo.jpg

Masdar Logo (PRNewsfoto/Daniel J Edelman Ltd)

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SOURCE Masdar
A promotional test due to be administered to Massachusetts firefighters seeking to move up the ladder in November 2022 was canceled just a few days before.

The state Human Resources Division promised to have a new test by March, when the current promotion list expires.

The state's umbrella organization representing more than 12,000 unionized professional firefighters is unhappy with a component of the new exam. And it is unhappy it was not allowed to weigh in on the proposed revision.

Why exam was canceled

Massachusetts professional firefighters have been waiting months for the Human Resources Division to fix a promotional examination scrapped in November, just days before hundreds of firefighters were due to take it.

Now, just a month before the promised fix is complete and the test ready to administer, the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts, an umbrella organization representing more than 12,000 paid union firefighters throughout the state, has expressed concern with the validity of the revised examination.

The revision to the 80-question multiple-choice exam includes a situational judgment question that will be graded by subject-matter experts, said Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts President Richard MacKinnon Jr.

What's the issue with the revised exam?

The original test compiled the questions from a reading list made available to firefighters. The revision would include a written response to a fire-scene scenario, MacKinnon said.

Different departments have different training protocols, said MacKinnon, who explained that responses could differ from department to department, varying on accepted practices, training and manpower.

The state opted to cancel the promotional examination and refused to grade a similar examination taken by police officers seeking sergeants stripes, based on the outcome of a class action suit filed in 2009 by police officers, Tatum et al v. Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Story continues

Read about the issue here.

In his decision filed in October, Suffolk Superior Court Judge Douglas H. Wilkins ruled that the claims of the officers filing suit against Massachusetts were valid and that the promotional examination had an adverse impact on minority candidates.

In his ruling, Wilkins found that an 80-question multiple-choice exam extrapolated from a reading list provided to applicants does not adequately reflect the rigors and reality of the job, and that the best test takers dont necessarily make the best field officers.

Would new test have adverse impact on minority candidates?

In October, the Human Resources Division reacted to the ruling by scrapping the firefighter promotional examination, which they said had been created following the same format and could have an adverse impact on minority candidates.

We understand the need for changes, MacKinnon said.

The professional organization is concerned that its attempts to meet with the state to offer live feedback to the proposed changes have been met with silence.

Monday, the organization issued a letter to its membership, decrying the lack of input, finally achieving a face-to-face Thursday when it expressed its strong opposition to the proposed format.

The organization contends the written essay question is the wrong approach and that it could open the door to more lawsuits, MacKinnon said.

He added that he expects new study guides to be distributed by Monday.

But thats less than a month before the test, he said.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Massachusetts' attempt to fix a promotional exam could mean lawsuits
Join the most important conversation in crypto and web3! Secure your seat today

The Montana State Senate passed a bill on Thursday protecting crypto miners from a range of possible actions against the industry.

The proposed law passed 37-13 in the Senate and next will go the state's House for its approval. The bill protects at-home mining, prevents discriminatory utility rates for miners and stipulates that crypto used as payment will not be subject to additional taxes.

The legislation also takes power from local governments, preventing them from moving against at-home mining or retroactively using zoning laws to shut down active operations. "These protections, along with clarifying tax law in relation to digital assets when used as payment, will plant a flag in Montana that sends a message that we are open to embracing the digital asset mining industry," Montana Senator Daniel Zolnikov (R) told CoinDesk.

The new law might possibly upend a 2020 Missoula County zoning ordinance that required all bitcoin miners to buy or build renewable energy assets equivalent to their energy consumption. Missoula county representatives did not respond to CoinDesk's request for comment as of press time.

"Missoula County has no position on this bill, and we're not concerned it will affect our regulations," said a representative for the county.

Bitcoin miners have been targeted by environmentalists and U.S. lawmakers for their potential impacts on carbon neutrality goals as well as electrical grids. In the past few months, bitcoin miners have been fighting back; as many as five bills are going through state legislatures to protect the industry.

Bitcoin advocacy group Satoshi Action Fund helped draft the language in the bill. "There is still more work to be done in Montana, but as a new organization we feel confident about the progress we have made," said Dennis Porter, CEO and co-founder of Satoshi Action Fund.

Story continues

Read more: Democratic Lawmakers Look to Compel Crypto Miners to Disclose Energy and Emissions Data

UPDATE (Feb. 24, 09:25 UTC): Adds comments from Senator Zolnikov, Missoula county and Porter.




Image: Stringer India (Reuters)

The West-led sanctions on Russias oil trade following the Ukraine invasion benefited India the most. In less than a year, the country has saved an estimated $4 billion (30,000 crore rupees) by importing Russian crude oil.

The amount is possibly much higher. For instance, in May 2022, supplies from Russia were priced at $16 cheaper than the average Indian imported crude oil barrel of $110. By then, Russia had already reduced $30 on every barrel sold to India, Quartz had reported.

Read more

India has subsequently bought Russian oil well below the $60-a-barrel cap imposed by the West.

For some deals this month, the price for Urals (Russias flagship crude) in Indian ports, including insurance and delivery by ship, has fallen to around minus $12-$15 per barrel versus a monthly average of dated Brent, down from a discount of $5-$8 per barrel in October and $10-$11 in November, Reuters reported on Dec. 14, 2022, citing unnamed sources.

India is among Russias topmost buyer

Russia changed the target market for its oil supplies to Asia after the US and Europe Union imposed sanctions after its invasion of Ukraine. Till then, Europe was its largest market.



Having ignored the Wests concerns, India now plays a significant role in keeping Russias oil balance sheet afloat. The country depends on imports to meet 85% of its petroleum needs. Private players like Reliance Industries and Nayara Energy account for more than half of its total inbound shipments.

This year, Indian refiners cumulatively imported around 1.3 million barrels every day during January 1-15. Private firms accounted for 60% of this, energy intelligence firm Vortexa estimated.

datawrapper-chart-KlTTP



Russias increasing oil share in the Indian market

By June 2022, Russias share in Indias oil imports bucket had risen from a mere 1% in February 2022before the Ukraine warto 18%. Soon after, Russia became Indias second-largest crude oil supplier after Iraq.

Story continues

The constant lowering of prices compelled Iraq also to follow suit, although that didnt stop Russia from becoming Indias top supplier.

India stood its ground in the face of criticism from the West over this association.

Russia has been a steady and time-tested partner. Any objective evaluation of our relationship over many decades would confirm that it has actually served both our countries very, very well, foreign minister S Jaishankar said in Russia in November 2022, confirming a continuance of policy.

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China's modernization journey is a unique one, and its leaders are dedicated to ensuring that it stays on track. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, recently emphasized the need to advance reform and innovation to keep forging new growth drivers and strengths and fully invigorate social creativity. Speaking at a study session at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, Xi discussed that the Chinese path to modernization is not just about achieving a higher level of efficiency than that offered by the capitalist system but also about effectively maintaining a higher degree of social equity, providing 1.4 billion people a prosperous and dignified life, which is an important contribution to world development as well. This study session was attended by some of the highest-ranking officials in China, including members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, newly elected members and alternate members of the CPC Central Committee, as well as principal officials at the provincial and ministerial levels. Xi emphasized that the path to modernization in China is the modernization of common prosperity for all. The theory of the Chinese path to modernization marked a major theoretical innovation and was the latest significant achievement of scientific socialism. In his report to the 20th CPC National Congress in October 2022, Xi proposed and elaborated on the Chinese path to modernization. He reviewed the nation's efforts to attain rejuvenation in the modern era, including the Party's efforts in leading the establishment of the People's Republic of China, conducting reform and opening-up, and making historic breakthroughs to become the world's second-largest economy. Xi's often-quoted verse, "The country is the people, and the people are the country," vividly embodies the CPC's people-centered governance concept. The CPC makes it plain that prosperity for everyone is a prerequisite for socialism and that inequality is undesirable. To ensure that no one was left behind, China waged and won a protracted war against poverty, an unmatched feat in human history. China's historic achievements in eliminating absolute poverty and building a moderately prosperous society in all respects provided further institutional guarantees and more solid material foundations and ensured more proactive efforts in achieving Chinese-style modernization. Xi pointed out that only with the Party's leadership can the Chinese path to modernization see bright prospects and prosperity. He also reaffirmed Beijing's pledge to keep expanding high-level opening-up, deepen participation in the global division of labor and cooperation, and better utilize domestic and international resources. The material and cultural-ethical advancements that make up modernization are the means through which China will reach its goal of modernization. A significant component of modernization is the development of material goods. It paves the way for China to develop a great modern socialist country in all aspects. The Chinese route to modernization seeks to integrate material and spiritual civilizations, with humanism and humane concern as its foundation. However, Xi also warned of various predictable and unpredictable risks and challenges ahead, and stressed the need to be more mindful of potential dangers, stay prepared to respond to challenges, and always have the courage and capacity to fight. The general secretary also pointed out that the nation's great achievements in terms of rapid economic growth and social stability since the founding of the Peoples Republic of China, and especially since the start of reform and opening-up, proved that the Chinese path to modernization is the only correct way toward national rejuvenation. This pathway breaks the myth that modernization equals Westernization and displays a different vision for modernization, expanding the choices for developing countries in their modernization journey. Advancing the Chinese path to modernization is a systemic project requiring coordination, systematic planning, and a holistic approach. In terms of its top-level design, insights into the general trends of global development and an accurate understanding of the common aspirations of the people are essential. Xi reiterated the need to coordinate development and security and said that the nation must pursue a holistic approach to national security, improve its national security system, and enhance its capacities. China will uphold independence, self-reliance, and strength, and remain committed to development based on its own strengths, and maintain a firm grasp on the future of its development and progress. Meanwhile, it will also continue to expand high-level opening-up, deepen participation in the global division of labor and cooperation, and better utilize domestic and international resources. In conclusion, the Chinese path to modernization is a journey that the nation's leaders are committed to advancing. Xi has outlined the way forward, emphasizing the need to coordinate, plan systematically, and approach the process holistically. The theory of the Chinese path to modernization marks a major theoretical innovation and is a testament to China's journey toward modernization. Despite the various predictable and unpredictable risks and challenges ahead, China remains committed to its modernization journey and is ready to face any challenge that comes its way. Chinese modernization provides humanity with an alternative path to modernization. The CPC and the Chinese people have been offering humanity more Chinese insight, better Chinese input, and stronger Chinese might to assist in resolving its common issues and have made new and bigger contributions to the noble cause of human peace and development.
Maha Energy AB

The shareholders in Maha Energy AB (publ), reg. no. 559018-9543, (the Company) are hereby given notice to attend the extraordinary general meeting on 29 March 2023 at 10.00 CET at Setterwalls Advokatbyras offices at Sturegatan 10 in Stockholm, Sweden. Registration for the meeting commences at 09.30 CET.

Notice

Shareholders wishing to participate at the meeting must:

(i) be entered in the shareholders register, kept by Euroclear Sweden AB (the Swedish Central Securities Depository & Clearing Organisation), on the record day which is 21 March 2023; and

(ii) notify the Company of their attendance and any assistant no later than 23 March 2023. Notification can be made via letter to Setterwalls Advokatbyra AB, Attn: Magnus Melin, P.O. Box 1050, SE-101 39 Stockholm, Sweden or by e-mail to magnus.melin@setterwalls.se.

Notification shall include full name, personal identification number or corporate registration number, address and daytime telephone number and, where appropriate, information about representative, proxy and assistants. The number of assistants may not be more than two. In order to facilitate entry to the meeting, notification should, where appropriate, be accompanied by powers of attorney, registration certificates and other documents of authority.

Personal data obtained from the share register kept by Euroclear Sweden AB, notices and attendance at the meeting and information on representatives, proxies and assistants will be used for registration, preparation of the voting list for the meeting and, where appropriate, the minutes of the meeting.

Nominee registered shares

Shareholders who have their shares registered in the name of a nominee must request temporary entry in the transcription of the share register kept by Euroclear Sweden AB in order to be entitled to participate and vote for their shares at the meeting. The shareholder must inform the nominee well in advance of 21 March 2023 at which time the register entry must have been made. Voting rights registration that has been requested by the shareholder at such time that the registration has been completed by the nominee no later than 23 March 2023, will, however, be taken into account in the preparation of the share register.

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Proxy

A shareholder represented by proxy shall issue a power of attorney which shall be dated and signed by the shareholder. If issued by a legal entity the power of attorney shall be accompanied by registration certificate or, if not applicable, equivalent documents of authority. Power of attorney forms for those shareholders wishing to participate by proxy are available on the Companys website www.mahaenergy.ca. The original version of the power of attorney shall also be presented at the meeting.

Proposed agenda

Opening of the meeting and election of chairman of the meeting; Preparation and approval of the voting list; Approval of the agenda; Election of one (1) or two (2) persons who shall approve the minutes of the meeting; Determination of whether the meeting has been duly convened; Resolution on changes to the articles of association; Resolution on issue of new shares against payment in kind; Resolution on changes to the board composition; Closing of the meeting.

Proposed resolutions

Item 1. Election of chairman of the meeting

The board of directors proposes that attorney Marcus Nivinger is appointed chairman of the extraordinary general meeting.

Item 6. Resolution on changes to the articles of association

In view of the investment agreement signed with the shareholders of DBO 2.0 S.A. (referenced to in item 7 below), the board of directors proposes to change the limits in the articles of association with respect to share capital and number of shares in  4 and 5.  4 is proposed to be changed from The companys share capital shall be not less than SEK 517,000 and not more than SEK 2,068,000 to The companys share capital shall be not less than SEK 1,980,000 and not more than SEK 7,920,000.  5 is proposed to be changed from The number of shares in the company shall be no less than 47,000,000 and no more than 188,000,000 to The number of shares in the company shall be no less than 180,000,000 and no more than 720,000,000.

The chairman of the board of directors, the CEO or a person appointed by the board of directors shall be authorised to make any minor adjustments required to register the resolution with the Swedish Companies Registration Office. A valid resolution requires that the proposal is supported by shareholders representing at least two-thirds (2/3) of the votes cast as well as of all shares represented at the meeting.

Item 7. Resolution on issue of new shares against payment in kind

The board of directors of Maha Energy AB (publ) (the Company), proposes that the general meeting resolves to increase the Companys share capital by not more than SEK 404,529.51 through a new issue of not more than 36,775,410 shares. The resolution shall otherwise be governed by the following terms and conditions.

1. The Company and its subsidiary Nova Maha Energy Brasil Ltda. (Maha Brasil) have entered into an investment agreement with the shareholders (the Sellers) of DBO 2.0 S.A., reg. no. 40.070.729/0001-59 (the Target) regarding the acquisition of all 188,427 shares in the Target, of which 188,426 shares in the Target (the Shares) are acquired by the Company against payment of 36,775,410 new shares in the Company and one (1) share in the Target is acquired by Maha Brasil against payment of BRL 1.00. Before entering into said investment agreement, the Company has engaged SpareBank 1 Markets AS (SB1M) to provide a fairness opinion regarding the proposed acquisition of Shares (the Independent Fairness Opinion Statement). SB1Ms conclusions on the attractiveness of the transaction from a financial point of view have supported the board of directors decision to submit the resolution in reference to Companys shareholders. For more information on whether the acquisition of all Shares constitutes a fair transaction from a financial point of view and its overall attractiveness for the Companys shareholders, please refer to the Independent Fairness Opinion Statement provided by SB1M, Schedule 1 .

2. Based on the current approximate share price, the board of directors estimates that the Shares will be included with SEK 352,308,427.8 in the Companys balance sheet per the closing date upon full subscription. The value may change, as the value will be determined pursuant to applicable accounting rules as per share price on the closing of the transaction.

3. The amount that exceeds the quotient value of the new shares in the Company shall be allocated to the free premium fund.

4. The right to subscribe for the new shares shall only vest with the Sellers, with the right and obligation to pay for the new shares by the contribution of shares in the Target in accordance with the below.

Maximum number of shares in the Company to be allocated to each Seller Number of Shares in the Target to be contributed by each Seller DBO Invest S.A. 22,706,658 116,342 Svein Harald ygard 3,370,614 17,270 AGR AS 3,328,652 17,055 Tore Myrholt 2,938,699 15,057 GAESM PARTICIPACOES LTDA. 1,195,817 6,127 Sebastian Wurster 1,092,961 5,600 Luis Antonio Gomes Araujo 762,926 3,909 Aristeidis Athanasios Tsikouras 656,557 3,364 Andre Luiz de Oliveira Naslausky 481,684 2,468 Halvard Idland 120,421 617 Kjetil Solbrkke 120,421 617 Total 36,775,410 188,426

5. Subscription for the newly issued shares shall be made on a subscription list in connection with the completion of the acquisition of the Target, however no later than on 29 September 2023. Payment shall be made in connection with subscription.

6. The new shares shall entitle to dividends from and including the first record date for dividends decided after the new shares have been registered with the Swedish Companies Registration Office.

7. The chairman of the board of directors, the managing director or a person appointed by the board of directors shall be authorized to make any minor adjustments required to register the resolution with the Swedish Companies Registration Office.

8. Documents as referred to in Chapter 13 Sections 6-8 of the Swedish Companies Act have been prepared and are kept available at the Companys office.

Item 8. Resolution on changes to the board composition

At the extraordinary general meeting held on 3 November 2022, it was resolved to elect Fabio Vassel (chairman), Paulo Thiago Mendonca and Enrique Pena as new ordinary board members. After the extraordinary general meeting, the board of directors consists of the following six (6) board members without deputy members until the end of the next annual general meeting: Fabio Vassel (chairman), Paulo Thiago Mendonca, Enrique Pena, Harald Pousette, Viktor Modigh and Richard Norris.

Pursuant to the investment agreement with the shareholders of DBO 2.0 S.A., described under item 7 above, the board of directors proposes that the general meeting resolves on the following changes to the board composition and decision on board fees. The board of directors proposes that the board of directors shall consist of seven (7) ordinary board members with no deputy members until the end of the next annual general meeting. The board of directors proposes that Harald Pousette, upon his own request, is discharged from the board of directors. It is further proposed that Halvard Idland and Kjetil Solbraekke are elected as new ordinary board members until the end of the next annual general meeting (i.e. in addition to the remaining current board members).

The new board members are to be entitled to remuneration (board fees) as resolved by the annual general meeting held on 31 May 2022 (i.e. SEK 300,000 reduced proportionally taking into account that the new board members will not serve the entire time period between the annual general meeting held on 31 May 2022 and the next annual general meeting).

Presentation of proposed board members

Halvard Idland , born 6 August 1975

Experience: Halvard Idland has more than 20 years of industrial and financial investment experience in the oil and gas industry in Norway and Brazil. Previous experience includes DNB, Pareto and Aker Yards prior to co-founding DBO Energy.

Education: M.Sc. in Economics and Business Administration from Norwegian School of Economics (NHH).

Current assignments: Co-founder and Director at DBO Invest and Janeiro Energy. Board member at Prosafe SE and 3R Offshore. Chairman of DreamLearnWork.

Previous assignments (last five years): Co-founder and CFO at DBO Energy and DBO 2.0. Audit committee member at 3R Petroleum.

Independent in relation to the Company and the Company management: Yes.

Independent in relation to the major shareholders: No. Halvard is Director at DBO Invest which will be a major shareholder in the Company following completion of the issue of new shares proposed under item 7 of the agenda.

Holdings of shares in Maha: Halvard does currently have any holdings in Maha. Halvard may subscribe for up to 120,421 new shares in Maha within the issue of new shares proposed under item 7 of the agenda.

Kjetil Solbraekke , born 3 May 1962

Experience: Kjetil Solbraekke has over 30 years of experience from the Norwegian Oil and gas sector in various positions as Assistant director general in the Ministry of Petroleum in Norway, SVP and CFO in Norsk Hydro, CEO in Panoro Energy and Sintef do Brazil, Founder and CEO in DBO Energy. He has lived in Brazil since 2006.

Education: Cand. Oecon from the University of Oslo, Economist.

Current assignments: Co-Founder and CEO at DBO Invest.

Previous assignments (last five years): CEO in Sintef do Brasil. Co-founder and CEO at DBO Energy and DBO 2.0. Board Member of 3R Petroleum.

Independent in relation to the Company and the Company management: Yes.

Independent in relation to the major shareholders: No. Kjetil is CEO of DBO Invest which will be a major shareholder in the Company following completion of the issue of new shares proposed under item 7 of the agenda.

Holdings of shares in Maha: Kjetil currently holds 100,000 shares in Maha. Kjetil may subscribe for up to 120,421 new shares in Maha within the issue of new shares proposed under item 7 of the agenda.

Number of shares and votes in the Company

The total number of shares in the Company at the time of issuance of this notice is 143,615,696. The total number of votes for all issued shares in the Company is 143,615,696 votes. The Company does not hold any of its own shares.

Shareholders right to request information

Pursuant to Chapter 7 section 32 of the Swedish Companies Act (Sw. aktiebolagslagen (2005:551)) the board of directors and the managing director are under a duty to, if any shareholder so requests and the board of directors deems that it can be made without material damage to the Company, provide information, regarding circumstances which may affect the assessment of a matter on the agenda.

Documentation

Documents to be dealt with at the general meeting will be kept available at the Companys office not later than three weeks before the meeting. The documents will be sent free of charge to shareholders who so request and state their postal address. The documents will also be made available not later than the aforementioned date on the Companys website www.mahaenergy.ca. All the above mentioned documents will also be presented at the general meeting.

_____

Stockholm, 24 February 2023

The board of directors

Miscellaneous

The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, 17:30 P.M. CET on 24 February 2023.

For more information, please contact:

Paulo Thiago Mendonca, CEO

Phone: +46 8 611 05 11

E-mail: info@mahaenergy.ca

Bernardo Guterres, CFO

Phone: +46 8 611 05 11

E-mail: info@mahaenergy.ca

About Maha

Maha Energy AB (publ) is a listed, international upstream oil and gas company whose business activities include exploration, development and production of crude oil and natural gas. The strategy is to target and develop underperforming hydrocarbon assets on global basis. Maha operates four oil fields: Tartaruga and Tie in Brazil, Powder River (LAK Ranch) and Illinois Basin in the United States. The shares are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm (MAHA-A). The head office is in Stockholm, Sweden with a technical office in Calgary, Canada, as well as operations offices in Grayville, Illinois, USA and Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. For more information, please visit our website www.mahaenergy.ca.

Attachments




Carlos Watson, the founder and CEO of Ozy Media, has been arrested in New York and charged with two counts of fraud and one count of identity theft. The Wall Street Journal first reported news of his arrest. The action by law enforcement officials comes after years of scrutiny of Watson and the high-profile, rapid collapse of his media company.

He is accused of scheming to defraud investors by making misrepresentations about the company's financial and business assets, and impersonating several media company executives when dealing with lenders and potential investors.

As alleged, Carlos Watson is a con man whose business strategy was based on outright deceit and fraudhe ran Ozy as a criminal organization rather than as a reputable media company, U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement.

Watson publicly presented himself as a well-connected, charismatic CEO. But two years ago, that all came crumbling down, following a report in the New York Times that former chief operating officer Samir Rao had impersonated a YouTube executive during a conference call with Goldman Sachs, which was considering a $40 million investment in the company.

That led to an investigation by federal officials. And within five days of that storys publication, Watson shut Ozy down completely, with reporters interview notes in Google Drive, along with emails, Slack messages and more disappearing, Fortune previously reported. Three days later, the story would take an even odder turn, when Watson showed up on Today, announcing plans to relaunch Ozy and asking employees to come back.

Watsons arrest on Thursday follows a guilty plea on Tuesday from Rao, who admitted to fraud and identity theft, saying he had made misleading statements to investors and inflated the companys financial performance between 2018 and 2021. He entered the plea under a John Doe pseudonym with the courts permission, as the Brooklyn U.S. attorneys office continued to investigate Ozy, the Journal reported.

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Another former Ozy executive pleaded guilty on Feb. 14 to fraud conspiracy charges.

A questionable history

Ozys fall was rapid, and the company seemingly played it fast and loose long before it shuttered.

For instance, in July 2019, Watson went on CNBC to announce that his friends Ozzy and Sharon Osborne had invested in his media startup. As it happens, they were anything but friends and had never invested. They had, in fact, sued Watson recently over the name of a festival the company was hosting in Central Park.

This guy is the biggest shyster I have ever seen in my life, said Sharon Osbourne at the time. Hes insane.

Watson later clarified that the Osbournes were offered shares of Ozy Media as part of the lawsuit settlement.

A former employee told Fortune in 2021 that Watson was "the master of maneuvering around questions and not giving an exact answer."

Newsletters from the Ozy were sent to people who had never subscribed. And former Ozy deputy editor Kate Crane told Fortune about a conversation in 2015 with Ozys then head of audience in which she found out that traffic data given to investors and staff didnt line up with company data.

Despite that, the digital outlet was a favorite of Silicon Valley, with investments from Axel Springer, Lauren Powell Jobss Emerson Collective, SuRo Capital, and former Ozy chair and billionaire venture capitalist Marc Lasry. By April 2020, the company had raised $83 million, according to PitchBook Data (as quoted by the Wall Street Journal).

In 2020, Watson told Axios the company brought in $50 million in revenue and achieved profitabilityand reportedly boasted it would be valued at $5 billion by 2025.

Employees, at the time, were skeptical of Ozy, but say they had no idea how deep the problems were.

I knew that there was cutting corners and biting off more than they could chew, and that they had shoddy business practices. But did I know that they were lying out their mouths about everything? No, Joshua Eferighe, a former writer at Ozy who left, told Fortune in 2021.

The company had reportedly been talking about bringing back its Ozy Fest event series in the past few weeks. The status of that plan, following Watsons arrest, is unclear.

We are really disappointed, Lanny Breuer, Watsons lawyer, told the WSJ when asked about his clients arrest. We have been acting in good faith and believe we had a constructive dialogue with the government and are shocked by the actions this morning.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

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Pan American Energy Corp.

The Company has successfully completed drill hole #1 (HL010) and has begun drilling hole #2 (HL090)

Figure 1

Pan American Drill Hole Location

Figure 2

Core for Drill Hole HL010

Figure 2

Core for Drill Hole HL010

CALGARY, Alberta, Feb. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pan American Energy Corp. (the Company or Pan American) (CSE: PNRG) (OTC PINK: PAANF) (FRA: SS6) is pleased to announce the Company and its partners (Partners), KB Drilling (KB) and RESPEC Consulting Inc. (RESPEC) has encountered 878 feet of nearly continuous potential lithium-bearing claystone at the maiden drill hole, HL010. This drill hole is the furthest drill target to the northeast of the fully permitted 22-hole program. The Company is pleased to report that it continued to observe potential lithium-bearing claystone at 989 feet of depth and did not encounter the base of the Siebert Formation along the margin of the basin.



Jason Latkowcer, Chief Executive Officer comments, This maiden drill hole has exceeded our expectations. Weve observed nearly continuous potential lithium-bearing claystone near surface and at depth. Having not reached the base of the Siebert Formation, additional potential claystone mineralization may exist beyond 989 feet. If this hole returns favorable results for lithium mineralization, it will certainly advance our objective of defining a meaningful lithium resource estimate. Our second drill hole is already showing early indications of similar potential.

Image 1

Figure 1 - Pan American Drill Hole Location

A total of 181 samples will be sent for expedited testing and analysis to ALS Global (ALS) in Reno, Nevada. Having successfully completed drill hole HL010, the Company and its partners have begun drilling at drill hole two (2), HL090.

Image 2

Image 3

Figure 2 - Core for Drill Hole HL010

Qualified Person

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed by Tabetha Stirrett, P.Geo, who is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101.

About Pan American Energy Corp.

Pan American Energy Corp. (CSE: PNRG) (OTC PINK: PAANF) (FSE: SS6) is an exploration stage company engaged principally in the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties containing battery metals in North America.

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The Companys maiden asset is the 100% owned Green Energy Lithium Project, located in the Paradox Basin, Utah, USA. The Company has also entered a property option agreement with Horizon Lithium LLC with the right to acquire 100% interest in the Horizon Lithium Project, located within the Clayton Valley  Tonopah Lithium Belt, Nevada, USA.

The Company executed an option agreement in Canada with Magabra Resources with the right to acquire up to 90% interest in the drill-ready Big Mack Lithium Project, 80 km north of Kenora, Ontario.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Jason Latkowcer

CEO & Director



Contact

Phone: (587) 885-5970

Email: info@panam-energy.com

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words "could", "intend", "expect", "believe", "will", "projected", "estimated" and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on the Companys current beliefs or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. In particular, this press release contains forward-looking information relating to, among other things, the Companys planned drilling and sampling program, including the date upon which the Company expects to announce its phase one plans, the amount of drilling to be contained in such program and the proposed location of the exploration undertaken as part of the program, and the potential commercialization of the Property.

Various assumptions or factors are typically applied in drawing conclusions or making the forecasts or projections set out in forward-looking information, including, in respect of the forward-looking information included in this press release, the assumption that: the Company will be successful in commercializing the Property and that the Company will undertake its planned drilling and sampling program on the timeline and parameters that are currently expected. Such assumptions and factors are based on information currently available to the Company.

Although forward-looking information is based on the reasonable assumptions of the Companys management, there can be no assurance that any forward-looking information will prove to be accurate. Forward looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors include risks inherent in the exploration and development of mineral deposits, including risks relating to changes in project parameters or delays as plans continue to be redefined, that mineral exploration is inherently uncertain and that the results of mineral exploration may not be indicative of the actual geology or mineralization of a Project, and that mineral exploration may be unsuccessful or fail to achieve the results anticipated by the Company, including the establishment of a commercial mining operation. The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date hereof, and the Company not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Because of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions contained herein, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein.

The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the information contained herein.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6069af2b-10cb-4d8f-b1ab-15995564f126

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/095dd482-80d0-4972-86fd-3273999daeaf

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a8947adb-8411-40cf-9f20-b3441342a190




Fortune Business Insights

Key players analyzed in polyurethane market are Foamcraft, Inc. (U.S.), Mitsui Chemicals & SKC Polyurethanes Inc. (South Korea), Lanxess (Germany), Eurofoam Group (Austria), Inoac Corporation (Japan), Rogers Corporation (U.S.), Recticel (Belgium), Future Foam, Inc. (U.S.) and more players profiled.

Pune, India, Feb. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global polyurethane market size was USD 56.45 billion in 2020 and is projected to grow from USD 57.34 billion in 2021 to USD 81.74 billion in 2028 at a CAGR of 5.1% during the 2021-2028 period. This information is provided by Fortune Business Insights, in its report, titled, Polyurethane (PU) Market, 2021-2028.

According to our analysts, the rising usage of ground-breaking production technologies with progressive characteristics is predicted to influence the Polyurethane (PU) market affirmatively. For instance, the formation of TPU and PU acrylate oligomers that are amalgamated and radiation-cured to attain semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (IPN).

Get a Free Sample Research Report:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/polyurethane-pu-market-101801

List of Key Players Covered in the PU Market Report:

BASF SE (Germany)

The Dow Chemical Company (U.S.)

Covestro AG (Germany)

Yantai Wanhua Polyurethanes Co., Ltd. (China)

Huntsman (U.S.)

Foamcraft, Inc. (U.S.)

Mitsui Chemicals & SKC Polyurethanes Inc. (South Korea)

Lanxess (Germany)

Eurofoam Group (Austria)

Inoac Corporation (Japan)

Rogers Corporation (U.S.)

Recticel (Belgium)

Future Foam, Inc. (U.S.)

Tosoh Corporation (Japan)

Armacell (Germany)

Fxi-Foamex Innovations (U.S.)

Compagnie De Saint-Gobain S.A. (France )

Report Scope & Segmentation:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2021-2028 Forecast CAGR 5.1% 2028 Value Projection USD 81.74 Billion Report coverage Revenue forecast, company profiles, competitive landscape, growth factors and latest trends Polyurethane Market Size in 2021 USD 57.34 Billion Historical Data 2017-2019 No. of Pages 280 Segments Covered By Product Type, By Application and Regional Polyurethane Market Growth Drivers Procurements Instigated by Crucial Companies to Endorse Market Growth Surging Demand for Foams from Furniture Industry to Empower Growth

Get a Quote Now:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/get-a-quote/polyurethane-pu-market-101801

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Report Coverage

The Polyurethane market report typically covers the global market for polyurethane, including the various types, applications, and end-use industries. The report may include the following sections:

Market Overview: This section provides a brief introduction to the market, including the current market size and growth rate, key drivers and challenges, and market trends.

Market Segmentation: This section breaks down the market into various segments based on type, application, end-use industry, and geography.

Competitive Landscape: This section provides an overview of the key players in the market and their market share, as well as their product offerings, strategies, and recent developments.

Regional Analysis: This section provides an overview of the market in various regions, including North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the rest of the world, with a focus on market size, growth rate, and key players.

Market Dynamics: This section provides an in-depth analysis of the key drivers, challenges, opportunities, and trends affecting the market.

Forecast: This section provides a forecast of the market size and growth rate over coming years, based on historical data, current trends, and future projections.

Company Profiles: This section provides a detailed analysis of the key players in the market, including their business overview, financials, product offerings, and recent developments.

Overall, the polyurethane market report provides a comprehensive analysis of the market, including the various factors influencing its growth and development, as well as the key players and their strategies.

Segmentation

The polyurethane market is typically segmented based on the following factors:

Type: Polyurethane can be classified into various types based on their chemical composition, such as rigid foam, flexible foam, coatings, adhesives and sealants, elastomers, and others.

Application: Polyurethane can be used in various applications, such as construction, furniture and bedding, automotive and transportation, electronics and appliances, packaging, and others.

End-use Industry: Polyurethane is used in various end-use industries, including construction, automotive, furniture and bedding, electronics and appliances, packaging, and others.

Geography: The market can also be segmented into various regions, such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa.

Overall, the segmentation of the polyurethane market helps to identify the specific areas of growth and opportunities for the various types of polyurethane, applications, end-use industries, and regions. It also helps companies to tailor their marketing strategies and product offerings to specific market segments to better meet customer needs and increase market share.

Browse Detailed Summary of Research Report with TOC:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/polyurethane-pu-market-101801

Drivers and Restraints

The PU industry is influenced by various drivers and restraints that impact its growth and development. These factors include:

Drivers:

Increasing demand from end-use industries: The growing demand for polyurethane from end-use industries such as construction, automotive, furniture, and electronics is a major driver for the market. The versatile properties of polyurethane make it suitable for a wide range of applications in these industries.

Growing demand for energy-efficient materials: Polyurethane is an excellent insulation material that helps reduce energy consumption in buildings and other structures. The increasing demand for energy-efficient materials is expected to boost the demand for polyurethane.

Advancements in technology: Technological advancements in the production and processing of polyurethane have led to the development of new and improved products, which is expected to drive market growth.

Increasing urbanization: The rapid pace of urbanization in emerging economies is expected to drive the demand for construction materials, including polyurethane, for infrastructure development.

Restraints:

Volatility in raw material prices: The prices of raw materials used in the production of polyurethane, such as crude oil and benzene, can be volatile, which can impact the profitability of manufacturers and limit market growth.

Environmental concerns: Polyurethane production and disposal can have a significant impact on the environment, leading to concerns about its sustainability and increasing regulations on its use.

Health concerns: The use of isocyanates, a key ingredient in polyurethane production, can pose health risks to workers in the industry, leading to increasing concerns and regulations.

Competition from alternative materials: Polyurethane faces competition from alternative materials such as fiberglass, polystyrene, and polyethylene, which can limit market growth.

Regional Insights

Asia Pacific was worth USD 25.66 billion in 2020. Asia Pacific is predicted to hold a major polyurethane market share in terms of revenue as well as volume and is expected to display substantial growth.

North America is projected to exhibit significant growth in this PU market. The dominating country in the region, the U.S. utilizes this material in the automotive as well as construction applications, which will assist the market growth.

Europe will demonstrate considerable growth owing to the surging applications of polyurethane in the manufacturing of machinery and furniture.

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Competitive Landscape

The polyurethane market is highly competitive, with numerous players operating at both the global and regional levels. The competitive landscape of the market is influenced by various factors, such as product innovation, pricing strategies, distribution networks, and mergers and acquisitions.

The competitive landscape of the market is expected to continue to evolve as new players enter the market and existing players expand their operations. In addition, mergers and acquisitions are expected to remain a key strategy for players to enhance their market position and expand their product offerings.

Major Points from Table of Contents:

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 Key Developments: Mergers, Acquisition, Partnership, etc. Latest Technological Advancement Insights on Regulatory Scenario Porters Five Forces Analysis

Qualitative Insights  Impact of COVID-19 on Global Polyurethane Market Supply Chain Challenges Steps taken by Government/Companies to overcome this impact Potential opportunities due to COVID-19 outbreak

Global Polyurethane Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2017-2028 Key Findings / Summary By Product Type (Volume/Value) Rigid Foam Flexible Foam Molded Foam Elastomers Adhesives & Sealants Coatings Others By Application (Volume/Value) Furniture Construction Electronics Automotive & Transportation Packaging Footwear Others By Region (Volume/Value) North America Europe Asia Pacific South America Middle East & Africa

North America Polyurethane Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2017-2028 Key Findings / Summary By Product Type (Volume/Value) Rigid Foam Flexible Foam Molded Foam Elastomers Adhesives & Sealants Coatings Others



TOC Continued!

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People also ask:

What is the market demand for polyurethane?

Answer: The global polyurethane market was USD 56.45 billion in 2020 and is projected to grow from USD 57.34 billion in 2021 to USD 81.74 billion in 2028 at a CAGR of 5.1% during the 2021-2028 period.

Why is polyurethane so popular?

Answer: Polyurethane, mostly in the form of flexible foam, is one of the most popular materials used in home furnishings such as furniture, bedding and carpet underlay. As a cushioning material for upholstered furniture, flexible polyurethane foam works to make furniture more durable, comfortable and supportive.

Check out more Related Insights

At 5% CAGR, Plastics Market Worth USD 643.37 Billion by 2029 | Expanding Footprint of Engineering Plastics to Propel Growth Potentials

Polymer Foam Market to Reach USD 157.63 Billion by 2027 | Exhibiting a CAGR of 7.73%

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Biocartis NV

PRESS RELEASE - REGULATED INFORMATION

24 February 2023, 07:00 CET

Biocartis Creates New Share Option Plan and Cancels Outstanding Pool under Existing Share Option Plans

Mechelen, Belgium, 24 February 2023  Biocartis Group NV (the Company or Biocartis), an innovative molecular diagnostics company (Euronext Brussels: BCART), today announces that its board of directors created, within the framework of the authorized capital, 8.3 million share options (each share option having the form of a subscription right) under a new share option plan, called the Share Option Plan 2023, in order to enable the Company to offer the share options to current and future personnel members and members of the executive management of the Company and/or its subsidiaries.

The purpose of the Share Option Plan 2023 is to create a plan of subscription rights for shares of the Company which will allow the Company to attract, encourage, motivate and retain personnel and executives, and to align their interests with the interests of the Company and its shareholders by giving them the opportunity to share in the potential increase in the value of the Company. At the same time, the Company will cancel 435.270 share options which have not yet been offered to, and accepted by, the beneficiaries under the existing share option plans of the Company.

The share options under the Share Option Plan 2023 have a term of ten years (unless contractually reduced in the offer to a beneficiary), are generally not transferable and can in principle not be exercised prior to the first day of the fourth calendar year following the calendar year in which the offer of share options is made to a beneficiary. The share options of the members of the executive management will vest on the third anniversary of the date of offer, while the share options of the personnel members will in principle vest gradually over a period over approximately four years unless decided otherwise. Each share option gives the right to subscribe to one new ordinary Biocartis share. Should the share options be exercised, Biocartis will apply for the admission to trading of the resulting new shares on Euronext Brussels. The share option as such will not be listed on any stock market.

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The reports prepared by the board of directors and the Companys statutory auditor (in accordance with Article 7:198 juncto Articles 7:180 and 7:191 of the Belgian Companies and Associations Code) in the framework of the creation of the Share Option Plan 2023 can be consulted on the website of the Company.

--- END ---

More information:

e-mail: ir@biocartis.com

@Biocartis_

www.linkedin.com/Biocartis





About Biocartis

With its revolutionary and proprietary Idylla platform, Biocartis (Euronext Brussels: BCART) aspires to enable personalized medicine for patients around the world through universal access to molecular testing, by making molecular testing actionable, convenient, fast and suitable for any lab. The Idylla platform is a fully automated sample-to-result, real-time PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) based system designed to offer in-house access to accurate molecular information in a minimum amount of time for faster, informed treatment decisions. Idylla's continuously expanding menu of molecular diagnostic tests address key unmet clinical needs, with a focus in oncology. This is the fastest growing segment of the molecular diagnostics market worldwide. Today, Biocartis offers tests supporting melanoma, colorectal, lung and liver cancer, as well as for COVID-19, Flu, RSV and sepsis. For more information, visit www.biocartis.com or follow Biocartis on Twitter @Biocartis_ , Facebook or LinkedIn.



Biocartis and Idylla are registered trademarks in Europe, the United States and other countries. The Biocartis and Idylla trademark and logo are used trademarks owned by Biocartis. Please refer to the product labeling for applicable intended uses for each individual Biocartis product.

This press release is not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in any jurisdiction where to do so would be unlawful. Any persons reading this press release should inform themselves of and observe any such restrictions. Biocartis takes no responsibility for any violation of any such restrictions by any person. This press release does not constitute an offer or invitation for the sale or purchase of securities in any jurisdiction. No securities of Biocartis may be offered or sold in the United States of America absent registration with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission or an exemption from registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

Forward-looking statements

Certain statements, beliefs and opinions in this press release are forward-looking, which reflect the Company's or, as appropriate, the Company directors' or managements' current expectations and projections concerning future events such as the Company's results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, performance, prospects, growth, strategies and the industry in which the Company operates. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties, assumptions and factors could adversely affect the outcome and financial effects of the plans and events described herein. A multitude of factors including, but not limited to, changes in demand, competition and technology, can cause actual events, performance or results to differ significantly from any anticipated development. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release regarding past trends or activities are not guarantees of future performance and should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. In addition, even if actual results or developments are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this press release, those results or developments may not be indicative of results or developments in future periods. No representations and warranties are made as to the accuracy or fairness of such forward-looking statements. As a result, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements in this press release as a result of any change in expectations or any change in events, conditions, assumptions or circumstances on which these forward-looking statements are based, except if specifically required to do so by law or regulation. Neither the Company nor its advisers or representatives nor any of its subsidiary undertakings or any such person's officers or employees guarantees that the assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements are free from errors nor does either accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release or the actual occurrence of the forecasted developments. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release.




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Suriname, a country in the northern part of South America, has a truly remarkable credential: It is one of three carbon-negative countries in the world, along with Bhutan and Panama. More than 97% of the country of 600,000 is covered by dense tropical forest that has escaped the deforestation trap of its neighbors, meaning it absorbs more carbon dioxide equivalent emissions that it puts out.

Not even this tiny, out-of-sight and out-of-mind nation can escape the pressures of globalization. Its residents are increasingly turning to logging and deforestation, often illegal, to better their livelihoods. Its entrepreneurs are looking for a solution in crypto.

This article is part of CoinDesks BUIDL Week.

A couple of projects in Suriname look to connect its indigenous communities, currently operating on the fringes of the financial and trade systems, with global markets through crypto. BioTara, founded and led by John Goedschalk, aims to unlock the potential of Amazonias bio-economy by empowering local communities to engage in the global marketplace through a franchising program. Locals set up manufacturing facilities that produce Amazonian goods, such as cosmetics, in a small-scale and sustainable way.

Blockchain is key in two ways, Goedschalk says. It provides radical traceability and transparency by logging every step on-chain while crypto directs the proceeds from the franchises to the communities who are often unbankable or financially excluded and marginalized.

ReFi renaissance

In the past year or so, crypto-hippies, climate scientists and everyone in between have been building what theyve dubbed regenerative finance (ReFi). This breed of crypto project aims to build economic systems that revive nature instead of degenerating it and harming the people that live in it.

A lot of the efforts in this space have focused around carbon offsets or credits: financial instruments representing allowed carbon emissions or reductions in emissions (e.g., reforestation) traded in voluntary markets such as Gold Standard or Verra. These have often been found to be of low quality and offer no additional carbon reductions. The idea is that putting these assets on a blockchain brings transparency and traceability to an otherwise opaque market, boosting market participation along the way.

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There is another idea: a hyper-localized brand of ReFi. Using technology, local communities can be organized to pool their resources in a governable organization, building ecosystems that can avoid extractive systems. In the BioTara example, blockchain brings supply chain traceability and crypto facilitates access to global markets.

In others, blockchain and tokenization either enable the formation and governance of these organizations or create trustworthy systems of monitoring and reporting. Blockchains such as Cosmos, Hedera Hashgraph, Celo, Regen Network and Topl are key to this equation.

Exactly where the technology figures into some of these projects is somewhat TBD or to be built. Many of them, such as ReFi Barichara in Colombia, have started out focused on building regenerative ecosystems working with local communities, which is a huge undertaking. The secret sauce is in the synergy between weaving projects and local communities, said Antonio Paglino, who leads ReFi Barrichara, another region of Colombia that is currently in the early stages of being regenerated through a collaboration between the local community and crypto.

Many of these ReFi projects are now at the stages where they are working out exactly how and where to add crypto to the mix.

Read more: In the Colombian Andes, Figuring Out How Crypto Can Save the Climate

But the model has just started to promulgate around the world, with seed-stage projects popping up anywhere from Surinames BioTara and KOKODao in Colombia to Shamba Network in Africa.

Investment obstacles

Putting this to work is not an easy process  and it is not immune to pitfalls common to traditional investment vehicles.

First, it is hard to convince investors to fund the projects. Folks are looking for silver bullets as opposed to the step-by-step work of reconfiguring value and supply chains, said BioTaras Goedschalk.

The market for these tokens either doesnt exist or is quite small, making investment into the projects a hard sell. The space needs capital which is strategic, thoughtful, experimental and long-term oriented, Lucia Gallardo, CEO of Emerge, a group building tech for sustainable impact, said.

At the same time, attracting investment from public crypto markets is often not a suitable option. Web3 degens expect to find in ReFi projects the same utility and short-term returns that other Web3 [non-fungible token] projects offer, said Ana Maria Mahecha, founder of KOKODao, which aims to protect small scale forests in Colombia.

Lessons from Toucan/KlimaDAO

For example, KlimaDAO and Toucan Protocol tried to turbo-charge carbon neutrality using blockchain  but dumping their carbon credits on crypto markets turned out to be a wilder ride than they had anticipated.

KlimaDAO is a major project in the broader ReFi space, which launched in 2021 with much fanfare and $17 million in funding. The idea was to create a digital reserve currency backed by natural assets, specifically carbon credits/offsets. KlimaDAO used on-chain carbon offsets issued by another protocol, Toucan, which takes off-chain carbon credits from Verra into its Polygon-based platform.

Together, KlimaDAO and Toucan would bring transparency and market activity within what is currently an opaque, heavily intermediated market, while empowering everyday people to participate in climate action and scale this key market, said KlimaDAOs Natacha Rousseau.

Toucan did a mass rebalancing within a couple of months of its launch due to the risk of arbitrage between the different tokens it issued.

A few months later, millions in carbon credits had flowed into the system. Many of these were found to be related to long-dormant green projects of low quality. Because they could be traded for KlimaDAOs token, which was valued more highly than the original Verra credits, traders could make a quick buck with little climate-positive effects. Verra eventually halted the tokenization of its retired offsets on Toucan in May 2022.

The storm passed, and KlimaDAO said in October it has locked in more than 18 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, or about 2% of Verras voluntary carbon market. Verra has also softened its stance, and it closed a public consultation on carbon tokenization in January.

Reality check

Protecting these community-driven ReFi projects from degenerative systems is a challenge in itself. We need deeper discussions on underlying incentives and value dynamics to ensure we arent just digitizing and distributing the same processes that got us to where we are today, Gallardo said.

This means that the space needs deeper innovation than simply digitizing or tokenizing natural assets and hoping the markets will work it out. Gallardo added there are particular gaps around data collection to assess the impact and unintended consequences of projects.

There is often a disconnect between the Web3 projects and on-the-ground needs, such as the fact that many people dont have smartphones so most crypto wallets are of no use to them, Mahecha said.

On top of that, each indigenous community has its own idiosyncrasy, so the amount of individual work that needs to be done for a specific community to accept any of these ReFi tools is huge and very labor intensive, Mahecha said.

Often, being accepted by these groups is not an easy process. Mahecha described the hesitancy of locals to participate. The particular region of Colombia she is working on has been ravaged by war for the past few decades, which only intensifies peoples guardedness towards strangers. Once they get to know the team and start seeing that the model works, they open their arms, she said.

Still, proponents of ReFi think they can truly make a difference in the world  and perhaps rehabilitate cryptos ever-worsening image.

Read more: ReFi Is Going Mainstream

We need to be collectively talking about regenerative finance at all levels  from peer-to-peer relationships all the way up to the international macroeconomic landscape, Gallardo said. While blockchain can help with some of this, integrating crypto to existing ecological initiatives does not automatically mean it is applied regenerative finance. [...] We must be intentional and thoughtful about how we are re-imagining value.
Fortune Business Insights

Companies Covered in Remote Towers Market are Frequentis Group, Saab Group, Searidge Technologies, Indra Systems, Avinor, Thales Group, Harris Corporation, Indra Navia AS, Leonard Martin Corporation, Raytheon Corporation and Other key companies.

Pune, India, Feb. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global remote towers market size is expected to reach USD 584.3 million by 2027 while exhibiting a stellar CAGR of 31.05% between 2020 and 2027. The market was USD 40 million in 2019 and is likely to witness significant growth in the forthcoming years.

This is attributable to the increasing focus on the modernization of airports across the globe. Fortune Business Insights, in its latest report, titled Remote Towers Market Size, Share and Industry Analysis by Operation (Single Multiple and Contingency), By System (Airport Equipment, Remote Towers Modules, Network Solutions), By Application (Communication, Information & Control, Surveillance, Visualization), and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027., observes that

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The remote towers market has experienced significant growth in recent years as a result of advancements in technology and increasing demand for cost-effective air traffic control solutions. Remote towers enable air traffic controllers to remotely monitor and manage multiple airports from a centralized location, providing greater flexibility and efficiency in air traffic management. This technology offers numerous benefits, including reduced infrastructure costs, increased safety, and improved operational efficiency. The market is expected to continue growing in the coming years, driven by the increasing need for cost-effective air traffic management solutions and the development of advanced remote tower technologies.

List of the Companies Operating in the Market:



Frequentis Group

Saab Group

Searidge Technologies

Indra Systems

Avinor

Thales Group

Harris Corporation

Indra Navia AS

Leonard Martin Corporation

Raytheon Corporation

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Remote tower is a modern concept wherein the overall air traffic services of an airport are managed at a different place than the local control tower. They offer several benefits over the conventional air traffic control systems located at the airport. They provide extensive support tools that enhances the safety and improves the operational activities of the airport. Additionally, they provide several cost-saving options and aid in reduction of maintenance costs. These towers are equipped with sensors, high-resolution cameras, and hardware that deliver optimum quality air traffic services and are adopted widely across several airports across the globe.

Report Scope & Segmentation:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2020-2027 Forecast CAGR 31.05 % 2027 Value Projection USD 584.3 Billion Base Year 2019 Remote Towers Market Size in 2019 USD 40 Billion Historical Data 2016-2018 No. of Pages 200 Segments Covered By Operation Analysis, By System Analysis, By Application Analysis Remote Towers Market Growth Drivers



Increasing Focus on Modernization of Airports to Augur Growth

Browse Detailed Summary of Research Report with TOC:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/remote-towers-market-102523

What does the Report Include?

The market report includes quantitative and qualitative analysis of several factors such as the key drivers and restraints that will affect market growth. The report provides insights into the regional analysis that covers the different regions, which are contributing to the growth of the market. It includes the competitive landscape that involves leading companies and the adoption of strategies by them to innovate novel products, announce partnerships, and collaborate that will contribute to the growth of the market between 2020 and 2027. Moreover, the research analyst has adopted several research methodologies such as PESTEL and SWOT analysis to extract information about the current trends and industry developments that will drive the market growth in the forthcoming years.

DRIVING FACTORS

Increasing Focus on Modernization of Airports to Augur Growth

According to the International Air Transport Association, global air passenger traffic in 2019 rose by 4.2% when compared to 2018. Increasing air passenger traffic is placing a heavy strain on the terminal and ground facilities across several airports. Besides, this is leading to dangerous air congestion over major cities globally. To prevent any untoward incidents and mishaps, the airports are increasingly focusing on modernizing airport amenities and upgrading operational services. Growing adoption of technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning in the modernization process of the airports is expected to bode well for the growth of the global remote towers market during the forecast period.

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REGIONAL INSIGHTS

Presence of Major Manufacturers in Europe to Aid Growth

Among all regions, the market in Europe is anticipated to witness considerable growth and hold the highest global remote towers market share during the forecast period. This is attributable to the presence of several manufacturers such as Thales Group, Saab, and Frequentis Group in the region. North America, on the other hand, is expected to hold second position in the market during the projected horizon. This is ascribable to factors such as the increasing adoption of modern technology owing to the presence of major companies that are focusing on modernization of airports between 2020 and 2027.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

LVNL Signs Contract with Saab to Supply Remote Tower Systems

In December 2019, Air Traffic Control the Netherlands (LVNL) announced that it has signed a 20-year agreement with the Saab Digital Air Traffic Solutions (SDATS). According to the LVNL, the contract involves an agreement by Saab, wherein it will install remote towers at the Maastricht Airport and Groningen Airport Eelde. Additionally, Saab will construct a remote tower center at the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Adoption of strategies such as contract signing, partnership, and merger and acquisition by the companies is expected to contribute to the global remote towers market growth in the forthcoming years.

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Detailed Table of Content:

Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions

Executive Summary

Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities

Key Insights Key Industry Developments Mergers, Acquisitions and Partnerships Latest technological Advancements Porters Five Forces Analysis Supply Chain Analysis

Quantitative Insights-Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Remote Towers Market Impact of COVIC-19 Pandemic on the Global Remote Towers Market Steps Taken by the Industry/Companies/Government to Overcome the Impact Key Development in the Industry in Response to COVID-19 Impact



TOC Continued!

Read Related Insights

Air Traffic Control Market to Reach USD 9.45 Billion by 2027; Implementation of Artificial Intelligence to Brighten Business Possibilities, sates Fortune Business Insights

Air Traffic Management and Consulting Market to Reach USD 16.11 Billion by 2028 | Global Air Traffic Management and Consulting Industry Growth, Share, Top Key Players, Competitive Analysis by Fortune Business Insights

5G in Aviation Market to Worth USD 9.92 Billion by (2021-2028) | 5G in Aviation Industry Registering CAGR of 47.03%

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Fortune Business Insights delivers accurate data and innovative corporate analysis, helping organizations of all sizes make appropriate decisions. We tailor novel solutions for our clients, assisting them to address various challenges distinct to their businesses. Our aim is to empower them with holistic market intelligence, providing a granular overview of the market they are operating in.

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Reunion Gold Corporation

LONGUEUIL, Quebec, Feb. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reunion Gold Corporation (TSXV: RGD; OTCQB: RGDFF) (the Company) is pleased to announce that it has exercised the two options to acquire all of the rights to its Oko West Project that were originally held by two local miners, for no additional consideration. Reunion Gold is now the 100% registered and beneficial owner of the Oko West Project and Prospecting Licence.



As stated in the Companys February 13, 2023 news release, the Oko West Project was excluded from the Alliance by Barrick Gold Corporation (Barrick) in January 2020. Barrick transferred back to the Company all of its rights in Oko West under a transfer agreement and has no back-in rights on Oko West.

The Company, having met all the conditions under the two agreements with the local miners, including satisfying all annual option payments, has now exercised the two options. In accordance with one of the option agreements, the optionor will be entitled to receive a contingent consideration of US$5.00 per ounce of gold to be produced from his former permits area (representing approximately 86.5% of the Oko West Project licence area).

The Oko West Project comprises one Prospecting License issued to Reunion Gold Inc., the Companys 100%-owned Guyanese subsidiary, on September 23, 2022. The licence is valid for an initial period of three years and has a surface area of approximately 10,890 acres.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

About Reunion Gold Corporation

Reunion Gold Corporation is a leading gold explorer in the Guiana Shield, South America. In 2021 the Company made an exciting new gold discovery at its Oko West project in Guyana, where to date, it has outlined continuous gold mineralization at the Kairuni zone over 2,000 meters of strike and to a depth of 575 meters. In addition to Kairuni, there are several additional priority exploration targets in the Oko West project area. The Companys common shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol RGD and trade on the OTCQB under the symbol RGDFF.

Story continues

Additional information about the Company is available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) and the Companys website (www.reuniongold.com).

For further information, please contact:

REUNION GOLD CORPORATION

Rick Howes, President, CEO and Director

Doug Flegg, Business Development Advisor

Email: doug_flegg@reuniongold.com

or: info@reuniongold.com

Telephone: +1 450.677.2585




Sanctuary's largest producing wirehouse breakaway team to date hails from Merrill Lynch and encompasses seven professionals with close to $1.5 billion in AUM

INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sanctuary Wealth, home to the next generation of elite advisors, welcomed Chappell Wealth Management as its latest partner firm. The seven-person team based in The Woodlands, Texas, is led by Brent Chappell, CFP, CIMA, Brad Chappell, CIMA, Michael Mills, CFP, and Spencer Carlson, CFA. With close to $1.5 billion in assets under management (AUM), the team is the 17th in Texas to choose Sanctuary's model of partnered independence. To date, Chappell Wealth Management is the largest producing wirehouse breakaway team to join forces with Sanctuary since the firm's launch in 2018.

Vince Fertitta, President, Wealth Management, Sanctuary Wealth, said, "I've known Brent and Brad Chappell for many years from our days together at Merrill in Texas and hold them in the highest regard. They have an outstanding business, reflecting their well-earned reputation for integrity, work ethic, and devotion to clients. We look forward to supporting Chappell Wealth Management's continued growth and success."

"When we saw that by partnering with Sanctuary, we would have a choice of custodians with all the freedom and flexibility of best-in-class resources, wrapped up in a structure that largely eliminates conflicts of interest, we just knew this was the right place for us," explained Brent Chappell, CFP, CIMA, Managing Partner & Founder, Chappell Wealth Management. "Now, we can wake up every day and search for the best solutions for all of our clients' needs, regardless of who the provider is. It's exciting and energizing to be part of that."

"By partnering with Sanctuary, we see real opportunities to grow our business that weren't available to us previously and wouldn't exist in a lateral move to another wirehouse," added Brad Chappell, CIMA, Managing Partner & Founder, Chappell Wealth Management. "As we did our due diligence, it became obvious that Sanctuary was the perfect fit. On top of that, they are willing to build the custom resources we need for our business. It's a partnership we're really excited about for the future."

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Brent Chappell CFP, CIMA, began his financial services career in 2002 after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with dual degrees in Finance and Spanish. His professional credentials include earning the Certified Financial Planner (CFP), and Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA) designations. He was named to the Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors list from 2018-2022 and the Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams list in 2023 as well as the Barron's Top 1,200 Financial Advisors: State-by-State in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Brad Chappell, CIMA, graduated with honors from The University of Texas with a BBA in Finance and began working in financial services industry in 2004. He was with Merrill Lynch from 2006 until the launch of Chappell Wealth Management and holds the CIMA designation. He was named to the Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams list in 2023. Other honors include Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors list in 2021, and the Forbes America's Top Next-Generation Wealth Advisors, Barron's Top 1,200 Financial Advisors, and On Wall Street's Top 40 Under 40 lists in 2020.

Currently in his fifteenth year in financial services, Managing Partner Michael Mills is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and a graduate of Texas Christian University. Prior to joining The Chappell Group with Merrill Lynch, he worked for a real estate private equity company in Dallas, where he served as Vice President of Capital Markets.

With more than 10 years in financial services, Spencer Carlson was a pension actuary before joining The Chappell Group as a financial advisor in 2014. He graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in Actuarial Science and Financial Mathematics and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Support for the team comes from Chel Larkin, Jaymie Wendt, and Brianna Warren. With 22 years of experience before joining The Chappell Group at Merrill Lynch, Chel Larkin was a Financial Center Manager with Bank of America. She earned a BS in International Business from Arizona State University and an MBA with a concentration in Finance, from Sam Houston State University. Jaymie Wendt is a graduate of Texas A&M University and assists with client services and account administration. Brianna Warren is a graduate of Sam Houston State University and was an elementary school teacher before joining The Chappell Group in 2015.

"The deep and extensive roots that our leadership team has across the wirehouse segment continue to position our firm as the destination of choice for wirehouse breakaway advisors," said Adam Malamed, CEO of Sanctuary Wealth. "With access to Sanctuary's open architecture platform, cutting-edge technology, and comprehensive support, Chappell Wealth Management is poised for significant future success. Equally important, Chappell Wealth Management's decision to align with Sanctuary reflects the broader strength of our pipeline and robust growth prospects throughout this year and beyond."

To learn more about Chappell Wealth Management, please visit www.chappellwealth.com.

About Sanctuary Wealth

Sanctuary Wealth (sanctuarywealth.com/) is the advanced platform for the next generation of elite advisors, who have the entrepreneurial spirit to build and own their own practices and desire the freedom to deliver the tailored service their clients deserve. Sanctuary Wealth's ecosystem of partnered independence provides a complete technology and operations platform, as well as support from a community of like-minded advisors and the resources of invaluable affiliated businesses. Currently, the Sanctuary Wealth network includes partner firms in 28 states across the country with approximately $25 billion in assets under advisement. Sanctuary Wealth includes the fully owned subsidiaries; Sanctuary Advisors LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser, Sanctuary Securities, Inc. a FINRA member broker-dealer as well as Sanctuary Alternative Holdings, Sanctuary Asset Management, Sanctuary Insurance Solutions, Sanctuary Global, and Sanctuary Global Family Office.

CONTACT: Michaela Morales

JConnelly

973 224 7152

mmorales@jconnelly.com

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SOURCE Sanctuary Wealth
Thumzup Media Corporation

Available in the App Store and Google Play, Thumzup Enables Virtually Everyone to Earn Cash Rewards for Posting on Social Media about the Brands They Love



Los Angeles, CA, Feb. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Thumzup Media Corporation ("Thumzup" or the "Company") (OTCQB: TZUP) is excited to welcome Sparkl Fairy Couture Boutique, located at 320 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA, to its cash rewards digital social media branding platform.

The Thumzup mobile app, which is available for download in the App Store and Google Play, incentivizes virtually everyone to become social media advocates for the brands they enjoy by paying them cash for approved posts.

Were thrilled to welcome Sparkl Fairy Couture Boutique, a lifestyle-fashion brand designed for the iridescent Fairy Princesses, Mermaids, and Unicorns of the universe, to the Thumzup community, stated Robert Steele, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Thumzup. Thumzups users are now able to earn cash while enjoying fashion built on consistent hustle, inspiring passion and the desire to Sparkl. We look forward to continuing our commitment to helping grow Sparkl Fairy Couture Boutiques customer base and sales.

For more information, please visit https://www.thumzupmedia.com and https://sparklfairycouture.com/.

About Thumzup

Thumzup Media Corporation (Thumzup) is democratizing the multi-billion dollar social media branding and marketing industry. Its flagship product, the Thumzup platform, utilizes a robust programmatic advertiser dashboard coupled with a consumer-facing App to enable individuals to get paid cash for posting about participating advertisers on major social media outlets through the Thumzup App. The easy-to-use dashboard allows advertisers to programmatically customize their campaigns. Cash payments are made to App users/creators through Venmo and PayPal.

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Thumzup is a publicly traded company (OTCQB stock ticker: TZUP). For more information, please visit https://www.thumzupmedia.com

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These include, without limitation, statements about its potential growth, impacts on the advertising industry, and planned expansion. These statements are identified by the use of the words "could," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "expect," "may," "continue," "predict," "potential," "project" and similar expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Although we believe that our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions reflected in or suggested by the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that these plans, objectives, expectations or intentions will be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical experience and present expectations or projections. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements and the trading price for our common stock may fluctuate significantly. Forward-looking statements also are affected by the risk factors described in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Contact Info:

800-403-6150

investors@ThumzupMedia.com




Rescuers conduct rescue works at the site of a collapsed coal mine in Alxa Left Banner of Alxa League, North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Feb 23, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua] Six people are dead and 47 missing after a slope collapsed at an open-pit coal mine in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, the rescue operation headquarters said on Thursday. Police have detained those in charge of the mine and an investigation has been launched to determine the reason for the accident at the mine in Alshaa League, which happened around 1 pm on Wednesday. The results of the investigation will be released in due course, said officials from the headquarters. Detailed information has been obtained about the missing workers, and the rescue headquarters has arranged for their relatives to be contacted. As of 10:30 pm on Thursday, rescue workers had found 12 people. Six of them were injured and sent to the hospital. The injured are all in stable condition. Due to a lack of medical facilities near the site, the Qingtongxia People's Hospital in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, about 60 kilometers from the mine, has been designated to treat the injured. According to the rescue headquarters, experts from the national emergency medical rescue team and the hospital have formed a medical team to treat the injured. A blood bank has been established to ensure enough supplies for treatment. Ma Jianping, one of the injured, recounted what happened when the slope collapsed. "We had just gone to work at that time and noticed that some rocks were falling from the slope, and then the situation got worse," he told China Central Television. "We were organized to evacuate (the site), but it was too late and the slope collapsed." According to the rescue headquarters, 19 rescue teams, 919 rescue workers and more than 200 sets of equipment are being used in the operation to find the miners. A restricted zone has been set up around the accident area and equipment put in place to monitor any slope collapses. The coal mine, which is run by Xinjing Coal Industry Co, used to be an underground mine. It was converted into an open-pit mine in 2012 and production resumed in April 2021 after being suspended for three years, the rescue headquarters said. Over the years, the mining operations formed a valley. After the collapse, the working platform at the bottom of the pit was covered by rock and earth, forming a mound 500 meters long, 200 meters wide and 80 meters high. Rescue teams are carrying out excavation work and searches from both sides of the mound to try and ensure the safety of the trapped workers as well as the rescuers. The rescue workers are equipped with 14 thermal imaging devices and life detectors to look for survivors' vital signs. The Ministry of Natural Resources has provided remote-sensing comparison maps to assist the searches. The information is also being used to analyze what caused the accident and how to prevent more occurring. The ministry has also sent six teams to 12 provincial-level regions to carry out special supervision and inspection of any major hidden dangers in production procedures in the natural resources sector, and improve the methods for exploring and developing mineral resources.


Phoenix, Feb. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Phoenix, Arizona -

AZ based D.I. Auto Care is offering Phoenix car owners an opportunity to have their vehicle detailed by one of the top names in the industry. D.I. Auto Cares services are comprehensive, able to return virtually any cars appearance to its former glory once work is complete. More information can be found here: Detailing Ahwatukee Phoenix.

One of the most convenient aspects of the companys services is the fact that the team can visit a customer at their home or even place of work to detail the vehicle in question. Where a customer would previously have no choice but to visit the companys premises and wait while their car was being serviced (or come back later), they can now ask D.I. Auto Care to pay them a visit  with no reduction in quality.

Detailing Ahwatukee Phoenix

Further, the company has long made affordability a priority, and this has not changed despite the challenges posed by recent years. D.I. Auto Care continues to provide customers an extremely affordable service, and the company has not compromised on any other aspect either. For instance, the team still uses the same high quality products and materials on every job, ensuring a superb result every time.

The company has received favorable feedback from the vast majority of their customers, with many citing the teams attention to detail, transparent pricing and courteous conduct. Above all, the company is praised for their ability to transform a vehicle completely, bringing it out from under years worth of dust, muck and so on to shine in the sun once more.

As Chris A. shares in a review, I had Paul come out to detail my wifes Honda Pilot for our anniversary. Considering we have 3 kids and a dog that we took on a cross country trip in this vehicle to say it needed some TLC is an understatement. The difference in before and after was amazing. My wife was thrilled and there was an amazing amount of work that was put into it. I would recommend DI auto detailing to anyone looking for quality work and attention to detail. I will be using them again. See more here: Detailing Near Me Ahwatukee Phoenix.

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Some customers report using the companys services to ensure their vehicle looks its best when it is being sold. The better a car looks, the more likely it would be to catch (and hold) a buyers interest, so owners will often make the small investment required to ensure it looks as appealing as possible. John K. explains in his review, I was selling my car, so I needed to get it detailed to get the most money out of it. I found Paul online, and he had great reviews so I gave him a call. He arrived on time, and the car looked better than brand new. I posted the car with pictures on CL, and the car was gone by that afternoon. Truly amazing work. Thanks, Paul, great job.

Whatever a customers reasons for getting their car detailed, the company is more than happy to tackle a job with their customary enthusiasm. In addition to improving the cars appearance and raising its resale value, regular detailing can protect its paint and minimize the need for expensive repairs that otherwise would be needed as time went on. A detailing is far more involved than a simple wash, and tending to a cars interior and exterior can stop the buildup of rust on certain components, halt decay caused by foreign matter, extract and eliminate any odors or pollutants and more. The company points out that some drivers may appreciate how a detailing makes their trips safer simply by ensuring windows, mirrors, headlights, tail lights and so on are clean.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxfKM8NKEVI

D.I. Auto Care can be reached by phone or email, and customers are welcome to look up the companys official website if they wish to take a look at the services on offer. D.I. Auto Care can be found on several social media platforms as well. Learn more here: Car Detailing Near Me.

###

For more information about D.I. Auto Care, contact the company here:



D.I. Auto Care

Paul Bagorio

4802331529

paul@CarDetailingPhoenix.com

D.I. Auto Care

4747 E Elliot Rd

Phoenix, AZ 85044

Phone: (480) 233-1529

CONTACT: Paul Bagorio




LONDON, Feb. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ukrainians are increasingly confident of defeating the Russian invasion and expect a military victory rather than a diplomatic solution, according to new polling from Lord Ashcroft. Meanwhile Russian support for the "special military operation" remains high at 76%, and 85% of Russians say they have a favourable view of President Putin. While 41% of British people say the UK has a direct interest in defeating the invasion of Ukraine, only 33% of Americans say the same for the US.

Lord Ashcroft Logo

Surveys of more than 2,000 people were conducted in each in Ukraine, Russia, Britain and the US. Findings include:

Nearly 7 in 10 Ukrainians (69%) said they were more confident of defeating the Russian invasion than they were when the conflict started. Only 39% of Russians said they were more confident of victory than they were when the "special military operation" (SMO) began.

57% of Russians said they thought the "special military operation" was progressing successfully. 85% of Ukrainians said they thought the defence of Ukraine was progressing successfully. Six in 10 Russians said Ukraine seems to be resisting Russian forces more strongly than they would have expected.

Asked whether they thought various countries and organisations were doing enough to help Ukraine, Ukrainians were most likely to say Yes for the UK (74%), ahead of the US (71%) and the EU (61%). Fewer than half said Germany, France and NATO were doing enough, though their numbers were up significantly since our last survey in June 2022.

Asked what they most wanted from their allies, Ukrainians' top answers were more weapons and military equipment (87%), admission to NATO (50%) and a no-fly zone enforced by allied air forces (42%). Fewer than 3 in 10 said stricter economic sanctions, humanitarian aid or diplomatic efforts were the main priorities. However, people in Britain and the US were most ready to give humanitarian aid and diplomatic support.

Support was higher in Britain than the US for supplying Ukraine with tanks and armoured vehicles (65% v. 55%), weapons and ammunition (68% v. 58%), humanitarian aid (84% v. 77%), financial support (64% v. 51%) and introducing stricter economic sanctions (67% v. 57%). There was similar support in both countries for supplying fighter jets to the Ukraine military (49% and 48%).

86% of Ukrainians want their country to join NATO. Majorities in Britain and the US (60% and 55%) agreed that Ukraine should be allowed to join. Two thirds of Ukrainians (66%) say they would feel safer if they had nuclear weapons.

Russians (64%) are more likely than Ukrainians (56%) to think the war will last at least another 6 months. 42% of Russians think it will continue for more than a year from how, compared to 1 in 3 Ukrainians. Ukrainians (66%) are considerably more likely than Russians (45%) to think the war would end with by a military victory for one side, rather than a diplomatic solution.

Three quarters (76%) of Russians said they supported the "SMO" in Ukraine  the same as in June 2022. Support ranged from 60% among 18-24-year-olds to 86% among those aged 65+. Only a minority of Russians (39%) said they thought the "SMO" had significantly damaged Russia's reputation.

Nearly two thirds (65%) of Russians said they expected a new round of conscription to support the "SMO". However, only 56% of Russians as a whole say they would support a new round of conscription  and a majority of younger Russians (62% of 18-24s and 51% of 25-34s) were opposed.

People in Britain were more likely than Americans to say they had a direct interest in defeating the Russian invasion of Ukraine (41% v. 33%) or that supporting Ukraine was the right thing to do even if there was no direct interest at stake (27% v. 23%). Americans were twice as likely to say they should not intervene because the conflict had nothing to do with them (5% GB, 10% US), or that supporting Ukraine was damaging their economy and making their country a target (7% GB, 14% US).

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2,019 adults in Ukraine were interviewed by telephone between 7 and 13 February 2023. 2,012 adults in Russia were interviewed by telephone between 3 and 13 February 2023. 2,082 adults in Great Britain were interviewed online between 13 and 14 February 2023. 2,204 adults in the US were interviewed online between 10 and 14 February 2023. Full findings from the research are available at LordAshcroftPolls.com

LORD ASHCROFT KCMG PC is an international businessman, philanthropist, pollster and author. He is a former Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party and honorary Chairman of the International Democrat Union. His recent political books include Going For Broke: The Rise of Rishi Sunak, First Lady: Intrigue at the Court of Carrie and Boris Johnson, and Red Knight: The Unauthorised Biography of Sir Keir Starmer.

LordAshcroftPolls.com // LordAshcroft.com // Twitter/Facebook: @LordAshcroft

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SOURCE Lord Ashcroft Polls
Victoria Gold Corp

WHITEHORSE, Yukon, Feb. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Victoria Gold Corp. (TSX-VGCX) (Victoria or the Company) is pleased to announce the results of its updated Technical Report (2023 Eagle Technical Report) on the Eagle Gold Mine, including an increase in Mineral Resources, updated Mineral Reserves, and updated Life of Mine (LOM) plan. The 2023 Eagle Technical Report highlights an increasing gold production profile, long mine life, and robust economics.



We are pleased to provide a mine plan update that confirms strong production growth at the Eagle Gold Mine, stated John McConnell, President and CEO. This increased production is achievable utilizing our existing crushing and conveying circuit and mining fleet. The Eagle orebody continues to reconcile extremely well with our reserve model and gold production is in line with original recovery expectations. We have also seen a significant increase in mineral resources with the success of our recent exploration drilling, substantiating the operations long-term production profile and mine life.

The Company uses certain non-IFRS performance measures throughout this news release. Please refer to the Non-IFRS Performance Measures section of this new release for more information. All currency figures are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise indicated.

A supporting NI 43-101 Technical Report will be filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com within 45 days of this press release.

Summary of 2023 Updated Life of Mine Plan:

The updated mine plan considers cost and operating data from the last three years of operations at the Eagle Gold Mine. Optimizations incorporated into this 2023 Eagle Technical Report include year-round stacking on the heap leach facility (HLF), stockpiling of lower grade material for end of mine life processing, and utilization of a mobile crusher to supplement and increase production rates. Key highlights of the updated plan are:

After-tax net present value (NPV) at a 5% discount of $954 million ($1,257 million pre-tax), at US$1,700 per ounce of gold and a US$:C$ exchange rate of 0.75.

Average gold production of 202,000 ounces per year over the first 8 years, with peak production of 219,000 gold ounces in 2025.

Average free cash flow (FCF) of $166 million per year for the first 8 years with a total of $1,602 million of FCF over the LOM.

Total gold production of 2,048,000 ounces over a mine life of 12 years. This total does not include gold production prior to 31 December 2022.

LOM All-in Sustaining Cost (AISC) of US$1,114 per ounce of gold providing significant operating and profit margins at current gold prices.

Throughput increase to steady-state level of 11.5 million tonnes processed per annum during 2025.

Industry leading strip ratio of 0.99.

Total Proven and Probable Reserves, as at December 31, 2022, of 124 million tonnes at 0.65 grams of gold per tonne for 2,584,000 contained gold ounces.

Total Mineral Resources, as at December 31, 2022, of 245 million tonnes at 0.59 grams of gold per tonne for 4,665,000 gold ounces in the Measured and Indicated category. An additional 36 million tonnes at 0.63 grams of gold per tonne for 704,000 gold ounces are included in the Inferred category.



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Updated Mineral Resource Estimate:

Since the 2019 Eagle Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE), an additional 35 drill holes were drilled proximal to the Eagle deposit for a total of 16,885 meters. The primary focus of this drilling was to test for mineralization extensions of the Eagle deposit to the west. A portion of these holes were also drilled within the existing deposit to test for mineralization at depth. Both the extension and depth drilling achieved positive results and were utilized in the updated MRE. The Eagle deposit remains open both to the Southwest and at depth.

In addition, an updated Olive MRE was prepared utilizing drilling completed since the 2016 Feasibility Study (FS). The 2019 Olive MRE was the same as the 2016 Olive FS MRE. 92 additional drill holes and 19 surface trenches were included in the updated Olive MRE.

The Company's updated Eagle MRE gold ounces have increased by 17% in the Measured and Indicated category, and 38% in the Inferred category over the 2019 Eagle MRE, after depletion through December 31, 2022. The updated Olive MRE gold ounces have increased by 10% in the Measured and Indicated category and decreased by 1% in the Inferred category. The total Measured and Indicated resources have increased to 4,665,000 ounces, with an additional 704,000 ounces in the Inferred category. The new Eagle MRE represents an additional 629,000 ounces of Measured and Indicated and 136,000 ounces of Inferred over the 2019 Eagle MRE with most ounces coming from expansion of the resource beyond the 2019 MRE pit shell.

Table 1: Updated Mineral Resources Estimate as at December 31, 2022

Classification Ore (Mt) Grade (g/t) Contained Gold (k oz) Eagle

Measured 35 0.62 705 Indicated 198 0.57 3,596 M&I 233 0.57 4,304 Inferred 30 0.52 497 Olive

Measured 3 1.01 113 Indicated 8 0.95 249 M&I 12 0.97 361 Inferred 6 1.17 207

Notes:

(1) Mineral Resource have an effective date of December 31, 2022 and are classified based on 2014 CIM Definitions

(2) Mineral Resources are inclusive of Mineral Reserves

(3) A gold price of US$1,700 per ounce of gold is assumed

(4) Mineral Resources which are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The estimate of Mineral Resources may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, sociopolitical, marketing, or other relevant issues

(5) The quantity and grade of reported inferred Mineral Resources in this estimation are uncertain in nature and there has been insufficient exploration to define these inferred Mineral Resources as an indicated Mineral Resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in upgrading them to an indicated or measured Mineral Resource category

(6) A US$:C$ exchange rate of 0.75

(7) Eagle Mineral Resources are reported at a cut-off grade of 0.15 g/t Au

(8) Olive Mineral Resources are reported at a cut-off grade of 0.40 g/t Au

(9) The Qualified Person for the Mineral Resource Estimate is Mr. Marc Jutras P.Eng., M.A.Sc., Principal of Ginto Consulting Inc.

(10) Numbers may not add exactly due to rounding

Updated Mineral Reserve Estimate:

The Mineral Reserves for Eagle and Olive were updated with the new mine plan and updated MRE and remain comparable to the 2019 Eagle Technical Report Reserves after depletion. The decrease in tonnage from the 2019 mineral reserves represents depletion from mining through December 31, 2022 and minor differences from cut-off grade adjustments. Since the commencement of operations, the Eagle Mineral Reserve estimate has reconciled well to mining actuals.

Table 2: Mineral Reserves Estimate as at December 31, 2022

Classification Ore (Mt) Diluted Grade (g/t) Contained Gold (k oz) Eagle

Proven 21 0.68 464 Probable 97 0.63 1,943 Total 118 0.64 2,407 Olive

Proven 3 0.87 72 Probable 4 0.82 104 Total 7 0.84 176 Eagle + Olive Total 124 0.65 2,584

Notes:

(1) Mineral Reserves have an effective date of 31 December 2022 and are classified based on 2014 CIM Definitions.

(2) A gold price of US$1,550/oz is assumed

(3) Eagle Reserves are reported at a cut-off grade of 0.20 g/t, and recoveries ranging from 73% to 86%

(4) Olive Reserves are reported at cut-off grades from 0.24 to 0.31 g/t, and recoveries ranging from 52% to 76%

(5) Dilution has been applied at 5.0% for Eagle Reserves and 9.0% for Olive Reserves

(6) Gold ounces are reported as contained and do not include allowances for processing losses

(7) The Qualified Person for the Mineral Reserves Statement is Mr. Nico Harvey, P.Eng., Senior Engineer with Victoria Gold

The updated Mineral Reserve model was validated by comparison against previously mined out areas. Month end reconciliation solids were utilized to run Reserves at operational cut-off grades and compared against surveyed monthly mined tonnages and assayed results from 2020 to 2022. The total gold ounce difference between Reserve model and reconciled actuals was approximately -1%, with the actuals having higher tonnages and slightly lower grade. In addition, material that was previously defined as waste has been converted into ore due to increased drill and assay density from mining operations. Through December 31, 2022, a total of 4.35 million tonnes of additional mineralized material has been mined beyond what was predicted by the 2019 Mineral Reserve model.

Production Schedule:

The Eagle Gold Mine is an open pit gold mine that utilizes conventional shovel and truck mining methods. Mining of the two pits (Eagle and Olive) will be completed over a period of 10 years, with residual processing of stockpiled ore over an additional 1.5 years. The average mining rate over the LOM is 67.7 thousand tonnes per day at a strip ratio of 0.99.

Ore from the mine is crushed through a three-stage crushing circuit and conveyed to one of two HLFs. Process solution is applied to the crushed rock to extract gold into solution. Gold is recovered through a traditional Adsorption, Desorption, and Recovery (ADR) plant, and dore bars are poured on site. Tonnes of ore stacked are expected to increase in each of 2023 and 2024, reaching a steady-state stacking rate of 11.5 million tonnes per annum by 2025. A mobile crushing unit is utilized to feed crushed ore to the HLF when the main circuit is down for maintenance.

Ultimate LOM recovery is projected to be 76.2% and over 2.0 million ounces of gold are forecast to be produced over the remaining mine life. The LOM production schedule is highlighted in Table 3.

Table 3: LOM Production Schedule

LOM 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 Waste Mined (million tonnes) 122.9 16.7 20.6 15.1 8.7 6.0 10.9 13.1 10.9 13.0 7.8 0.0 0.0 Ore

Mined (million tonnes) 124.3 9.5 12.7 14.6 14.3 14.5 14.2 14.9 11.5 11.5 6.7 0.0 0.0 Total

Mined (million tonnes) 247.2 26.2 33.3 29.7 23.0 20.5 25.1 27.9 22.4 24.5 14.5 0.0 0.0 Ore Stacked (million tonnes) 124.3 9.5 10.5 11.5 11.5 11.5 11.5 11.5 11.5 11.5 11.5 11.5 0.8 Stacked Grade (grams per tonne) 0.65 0.82 0.73 0.78 0.80 0.74 0.70 0.69 0.54 0.61 0.53 0.25 0.25 Contained Gold (thousand ounces) 2,584 249 246 289 295 272 257 256 199 225 197 91 7 Produced Gold (thousand ounces) 2,048 180 194 219 217 202 186 208 212 179 143 73 36

Gold Recovery Reconciliation:

Project to date, gold recovery has trended in line with modelled estimates utilized in the 2019 Eagle Technical Report and no substantive changes have been made to the LOM recovery expectations for Eagle. A notable improvement from the 2019 Eagle Technical Report has been increasing the crush size from a target P80 of 6.5 mm to 12-14 mm with no appreciable reduction in gold recovery. This improvement has been realized through an improved understanding of the particle size distribution of crushed ore. In addition, the total leach time is longer than initially estimated and operational results indicate that the ultimate gold recovery will likely be modestly higher than the recovery projected in the 2023 Eagle Technical Report. LOM ultimate recovery is projected to be 76.2%.

Capital and Operating Costs:

LOM Capital costs are projected to be $292 million. Capital costs are summarized below in Table 4. In addition to sustaining and growth capital costs, the LOM plan includes an allocation of $65 million for reclamation at the end of the mines life.

Table 4: LOM Capital Costs Summary

Category LOM (million $) Mining 111 Processing 41 Growth 139 Total 292

LOM operating costs are estimated at $19.55 per tonne stacked. Unit costs for 2023 and 2024 are expected to be higher than the LOM average due to higher mining costs associated with higher stripping requirements as well as lower production rates as the operation increases stacking rates to steady-state levels by 2025. Ongoing cost saving initiatives are expected to materialize over the next two years. LOM average operating costs are summarized below in Table 5.

Table 5: LOM Operating Costs Summary

Category LOM (million $) $/t Leached (1) Mining 818 3.31 (2) Processing 1,222 9.03 Site Services 206 1.66 G&A 284 2.28 TOTAL 2,430 19.55

Notes:

(1)(2) Mining operating costs are reported as $/t mined

2023 Mine Plan Economics:

The 2023 Eagle Technical Report financial model utilizes US$1,700 per ounce gold. The three-year trailing average gold price as of December 31, 2022 is US$1,791 per ounce. A US$:C$ exchange rate of 0.75 was applied. Table 6 outlines the Base Case economics as well as sensitivities at different gold prices.

Table 6: Summary of Mine Plan Economics by Gold Price

Low Case Base Case Spot Case (1) High Case Gold Price ($/ounce) $1,500 $1,700 $1,815 $2,000 US$:C$ Exchange Rate 0.75 0.75 0.75 0.75 Pre-Tax Cash Flow ($ million) 1,082 1,602 1,900 2,381 Post-Tax Cash Flow ($ million) 875 1,204 1,393 1,696 Pre-Tax NPV 5% ($ million) 849 1,257 1,491 1,867 Post-Tax NPV 5% ($ million) 696 954 1,102 1,338

Notes:

(1) Spot Case was run with the gold price as of December 31, 2022, the effective date of the technical report.

Qualified Persons:

The following Qualified Persons (QP) as defined by NI 43-101 were involved in the preparation of the 2023 Eagle Technical Report. Each QP has reviewed and approved this release as it related to their respective sections, as applicable.

Table 7: List of Qualified Persons

Qualified Person Scope of Responsibility Nicolas Harvey, P.Eng.,

Victoria Gold Corp Mineral Reserve Estimate, Mining Methods, Market Studies, Capital and Operating Costs Estimates, Economics, Infrastructure, Aspects of Environment, Social, & Permitting, Paul Gray, P.Geo.,

Victoria Gold Corp Geology, Deposit Type, Drilling, Exploration, QA/QC, Data Verification Jeff Winterton, PE.,

Victoria Gold Corp Metallurgy & Recovery, Processing Methods Marc Jutras, P.Eng., M.A.Sc.,

Ginto Consulting Inc. Mineral Resource Estimate Mike Levy, P.E., P.G., P.Eng.,

JDS Energy & Mining Inc. Pit and Waste Rock Storage Area Geotechnical Considerations

About the Dublin Gulch Property

Victoria Gold's 100%-owned Dublin Gulch gold property (the Property) is situated in central Yukon Territory, Canada, approximately 375 kilometers north of the capital city of Whitehorse, and approximately 85 kilometers from the town of Mayo. The Property is accessible by road year round, and is located within Yukon Energy's electrical grid.

The Property covers an area of approximately 555 square kilometers, and is the site of the Company's Eagle and Olive Gold Deposits. The Company press released the results of a National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report for the Eagle Gold Mine on February 24, 2023 (the 2023 Eagle Technical Report). The 2023 Eagle Technical Report will be filed on SEDAR within 45 days from the press release. The Eagle and Olive deposits include Proven and Probable Reserves of 2.6 million ounces of gold from 124 million tonnes of ore with a grade of 0.65 grams of gold per tonne. The Mineral Resource for the Eagle and Olive Gold Deposits has been estimated to host 245 million tonnes averaging 0.59 grams of gold per tonne, containing 4.7 million ounces of gold in the "Measured and Indicated" category, inclusive of Proven and Probable Reserves, and a further 36 million tonnes averaging 0.63 grams of gold per tonne, containing 0.7 million ounces of gold in the "Inferred" category.

Non-IFRS Performance Measures

The Company has included certain non-IFRS measures in this new release. Refer to the Companys MD&A for an explanation, discussion and reconciliation of non-IFRS measures. The Company believes that these measures, in addition to measures prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), provide readers with an improved ability to evaluate the underlying performance of the Company and to compare it to information reported by other companies. The non-IFRS measures are intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. These measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS, and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers.

Cautionary Language and Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". Except for statements of historical fact relating to Victoria, information contained herein constitutes forward-looking information, including any information related to the intended use of proceeds from the Term Facility and the Revolving Credit Facility, the amended terms and conditions of the Loan Facility, and Victoria's strategy, plans or future financial or operating performance. Forward-looking information is characterized by words such as plan, expect, budget, target, project, intend, believe, anticipate, estimate and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions may, will, could or should occur, and includes any guidance and forecasts set out herein (including, but not limited to, production and operational guidance of the Corporation). In order to give such forward-looking information, the Corporation has made certain assumptions about its business, operations, the economy and the mineral exploration industry in general, in particular in light of the impact of the novel coronavirus and the COVID-19 disease (COVID-19) on each of the foregoing. In this respect, the Corporation has assumed that production levels will remain consistent with managements expectations, contracted parties provide goods and services on agreed timeframes, equipment works as anticipated, required regulatory approvals are received, no unusual geological or technical problems occur, no material adverse change in the price of gold occurs and no significant events occur outside of the Corporation's normal course of business. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made, and are inherently subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other known and unknown factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those described in, or implied by, the forward-looking information. These factors include the impact of general business and economic conditions, risks related to COVID-19 on the Company, global liquidity and credit availability on the timing of cash flows and the values of assets and liabilities based on projected future conditions, anticipated metal production, fluctuating metal prices, currency exchange rates, estimated ore grades, possible variations in ore grade or recovery rates, changes in accounting policies, changes in Victoria's corporate resources, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, changes in development and production time frames, the possibility of cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses, uncertainty of mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates, higher prices for fuel, steel, power, labour and other consumables contributing to higher costs and general risks of the mining industry, failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, final pricing for metal sales, unanticipated results of future studies, seasonality and unanticipated weather changes, costs and timing of the development of new deposits, success of exploration activities, requirements for additional capital, permitting time lines, government regulation of mining operations, environmental risks, unanticipated reclamation expenses, title disputes or claims, limitations on insurance coverage and timing and possible outcomes of pending litigation and labour disputes, risks related to remote operations and the availability of adequate infrastructure, fluctuations in price and availability of energy and other inputs necessary for mining operations. Although Victoria has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in, or implied by, the forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. 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 statements. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained herein is presented for the purpose of assisting investors in understanding Victoria's expected financial and operational performance and Victoria's plans and objectives and may not be appropriate for other purposes. All forward-looking information contained herein is given as of the date hereof, as the case may be, and is based upon the opinions and estimates of management and information available to management of the Corporation as at the date hereof. The Corporation undertakes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking information contained herein and the documents incorporated by reference herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable laws.

For Further Information Contact:

John McConnell

President & CEO

Victoria Gold Corp.

Tel: 604-696-6605

ceo@vgcx.com




Figure 1

Red Lake Gold District Neighboring Gold Properties

Figure 2

West Red Lake Gold Project

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- West Red Lake Gold Mines Ltd. (West Red Lake Gold or WRLG or the Company) (TSXV:WRLG) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement with Evolution Mining Limited (Evolution), to increase its ownership in the Rowan Property from 72% to 100% by purchasing the remaining 28% interest from Evolution. The Rowan Property is the most advanced property within the West Red Lake Gold Project, a 3,100-hectare area consisting of three properties (Mount Jamie, Red Summit, and Rowan). The Rowan Property is located north of Red Lake and borders Evolution's Red Lake gold complex.



Tom Meredith, CEO, stated, "This is a significant milestone for West Red Lake Gold Mines, as we have now acquired 100% ownership of all three properties that comprise the West Red Lake Gold Project, and we have successfully welcomed the top operator in the Red Lake Gold District as a strategic shareholder. We are excited to begin an active and productive 2023 exploration season, with a strong focus on building momentum and creating value for our shareholders."

Evolution acquired the Red Lake gold complex from Newmont in 2020. This includes the renowned Campbell, Red Lake, and Cochenour mines, in addition to mine development projects. Evolution paid US $375 million and an additional US $100 million contingent upon the discovery of new resources. They also acquired the adjacent Battle North Gold property holdings for CAD $343 million in 2021. Evolution is committed to becoming a leading gold producer in North America and investing in the optimization of its Red Lake operation, which currently holds a significant 12.3 million ounce gold mineral resource (https://evolutionmining.com.au/reservesresources/).

West Red Lake Golds Rowan Property presently hosts a National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) inferred mineral resource of 2,790,700 tonnes at an average grade of 9.2 grams per tonne Au containing 827,462 ounces of gold with a cut-off grade of 3.8 grams per tonne Au (NI 43-101 Technical Report authored by John Kita, P.Eng., dated December 13, 2022, and filed December 30, 2022 on sedar.com). The inferred resource is located in the area of the historic underground Rowan Mine site and situated within a 1.8 kilometer strike length portion of the regional scale Pipestone Bay St Paul Deformation Zone.

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Consideration for the acquisition consists of a cash payment of CAD $250,000 and 3,645,000 common shares of WRLG to Evolution. Evolution will retain a 2.5% NSR on the Rowan Property. In connection with the acquisition, WRLG has agreed to pay an aggregate of 182,250 common shares to certain third parties as a success fee. On closing, Evolution will hold a 6.53% interest in West Red Lake Gold.

The acquisition and success fee is subject to customary conditions including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The technical information presented in this news release has been reviewed and approved by William J. Robinson, P.Geo., Vice President of Exploration for West Red Lake Gold and the Qualified Person for exploration at the West Red Lake Project, as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

ABOUT WEST RED LAKE GOLD MINES

West Red Lake Gold Mines Ltd. is a mineral exploration company that is publicly traded and dedicated to creating value for its shareholders by discovering new gold mines in the highly productive Red Lake Gold District of Northwest Ontario, Canada. This district has yielded 30 million ounces of gold from high-grade zones and hosts some of the world's richest gold deposits. WRLG holds an extensive property position spanning 3,100 hectares in West Red Lake, including three former gold mines - Rowan, Mount Jamie, and Red Summit - that are wholly owned by the Company. The West Red Lake Project covers a 12-kilometer strike length along the Pipestone Bay St. Paul Deformation Zone, and WRLG plans to continue exploring this property along strike and to depth aggressively in 2023. In late 2022, resource investor Frank Giustra acquired a 19.44% stake in WRLG, a testament to the Company's potential and the prospects for new gold discoveries in the region.

ABOUT EVOLUTION

Evolution Mining Limited is a leading, globally relevant gold miner based in Sydney Australia. Evolution operates five wholly owned mines  Cowal in New South Wales, Mungari in Western Australia, Mt. Rawdon and Ernest Henry in Queensland, and Red Lake in Ontario, Canada.

ON BEHALF OF WEST RED LAKE GOLD MINES LTD.

Tom Meredith

Tom Meredith

Chief Executive Officer

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Tel: 416-203-9181 ext 4600

Email: investors@westredlakegold.com or visit our website at

https://www.westredlakegold.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.

The TSX Venture Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking statements". When used in this document, the words "anticipated", "expect", "estimated", "forecast", "planned", and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements or information. These statements are based on current expectations of management, however, they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this news release. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these statements. West Red Lake Gold Mines Ltd. does not undertake any obligation to revise or update any forward- looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise after the date hereof, except as required by securities laws.

Figure 1: Red Lake Gold District Neighboring Gold Properties

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b77a3509-efae-4c84-970a-598a1fa0b9a0





Red Lake Gold District Neighboring Gold Properties





Figure 2: West Red Lake Gold Project

3,100 Hectare Project 100% Owned by West Red Lake Gold Mines Ltd.

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/96c57286-670f-40f4-ba5b-71d0a19ed349

West Red Lake Gold Project








The World's Biggest Bounce Park is in Sacramento, and It's Bringing Non-Stop Fun This Spring

Featured Image for FUNBOX

Featured Image for FUNBOX

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Feb. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FUNBOX is bringing the ultimate adventure to Sacramento, CA, with the World's Biggest Bounce Park. FUNBOX is a 20,000-sq.-ft., inflatable playground that is filled with 10 play zones, including Tumble Temple, Marshmallow Mountain, Gumball's Gallop, and an obstacle course.

The World's Biggest Bounce Park is only in Sacramento for 12 weeks.

FUNBOX is committed to giving back to the community; this time, FUNBOX is supporting Compassion Planet, whose mission is to empower aged-out foster youth and youth from at-risk backgrounds to overcome personal obstacles. By coming to the World's Biggest Bounce Park, visitors are making a difference in the lives of children who need it the most. The company's founder, Antonio Nieves, is a former foster youth himself and is passionate about advocating for children who are aging out of the foster care system.

Tickets start at $19 for approximately 90-minute jumping sessions, and all guests must have a paid general admission ticket. Toddlers from ages 0-2 and seniors over 65 years are free when accompanied by a ticketed customer. It is recommended to purchase tickets online in advance to guarantee entry; any unused or unscanned tickets are honored within 30 days of the original ticket date. Children under the age of 13 must be accompanied by an adult, and the adult must remain at FUNBOX while their children are inside the inflatables.

FUNBOX is thrilled to bring the World's Biggest Bounce Park to Sacramento and is excited to support Compassion Planet. "We believe that every child deserves a happy childhood, and we're committed to doing our part to make that a reality," said Antonio Nieves, founder of FUNBOX.

The World's Biggest Bounce Park will be open at the Roseville Galleria Mall, The hours of operation are Friday from 3 to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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For more information, visit the FUNBOX website at www.funbox.com or follow them on social media. Come and join the fun, and bounce with us at the World's Biggest Bounce Park!

Contact Information:

Michelle Coppola

Franchisee

michelle@funbox.com

916-276-6626



RYAN ARMENDRIZ

Media Coordinator

ryan.a@funbox.com

575-202-0571



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The USA brewing supplies market has been through a lot of changes in the past few years. The most recent change is the tariffs that have been placed on imported aluminum and steel.

NEWARK, DE / ACCESSWIRE / February 24, 2023 / The global brewing supplies market is predicted to reach a value of US$ 2,511.1 million in 2033, rising from a value of US$ 1,456.2 million in 2023. The target market is slated to grow at a moderate CAGR of 5.6% from 2023 to 2033. Factors such as escalating popularity of craft beer and the elevated demand for home brewing kits are responsible for stimulating the growth of the brewing supplies market during the forecast period. Again, the rising disposable income coupled with shifts in consumer preferences will further aid the growth of the target market.

Future Market Insights, Inc., Friday, February 24, 2023, Press release picture

The surging demand for craft beer and the growing popularity of homebrew will likely spur the demand for brewing supplies between 2023 and 2033. The prevailing trend of premiumization will also augur well for the brewing supplies market. This continuation of the premiumization of craft beer stores will propel the demand for brewing supplies. In addition to this, the expansion of the e-commerce industry will also aid market growth.

This is because several tap rooms are developing their online presence, even if it is on a small scale. Many others are focusing on a smaller, core set of brands. The growing focus on developing flagship products, with the assistance of e-commerce, is expected to bode well for the target market.

Get a sample PDF of the report @

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-16322

The increasing shifts in consumer preference will likely open up new avenues of growth for the brewing supplies market. Millennials, by and large, are opting to try new flavors and products. As a result of this, there's been a notable surge in the demand for different beer products. For instance, high demand for India Pale Ale (IPA) has been noted in the past few years. Thus, to cater to consumer preferences, many key breweries are using more malt to balance the hop flavor of IPA.

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Besides, favorable initiatives by international and start-up breweries are expected to further boost the sales of brewing supplies. Other factors like an upsurge in the number of social gatherings that have pushed the demand for craft beer and growing consumption of beer due to its health benefits are anticipated to spur the demand for brewing supplies over the next couple of years. All of these considerations facilitate the growth of the brewing supplies market during the forecast period.

Key Takeaways:

The risk of expensive sales tasks, high employee turnover that has proved to be quite costly to the overall business, and issues like obesity and addiction associated with overconsumption are certain factors that may restrict the growth of the market.

The introduction of the craft movement, the rising urban population, and a desire for experimentation will drive breweries to seek out advanced supplies which augur well for the market.

Increasing number of breweries will drive the demand for craft beer brewing equipment in Germany. This aspect will encourage the growth of the German brewing supplies market.

Asia Pacific will emerge as a lucrative pocket for the brewing supplies market as the region houses some of the world's fastest developing economies.

By application, the commercial purposes segment will be immensely profitable during 2023 and 2033.

Read the Full Report @

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/brewing-supplies-market

Competitive Landscape

Paul Mueller, Meura, Kaspar Schulz, Hypo Group, and Micet, among others, are some of the significant players in the brewing supplies market profiled in the full version of the report.

Prominent market players are focusing on releasing innovative products. These businesses are keen on introducing and developing new products along with adopting various organic and inorganic strategies to enhance their market position.

Future Market Insights, Inc., Friday, February 24, 2023, Press release picture

More Insights into Brewing Supplies Market

In its latest report, FMI offers an unbiased analysis of the global brewing supplies market, providing historical data from 2018 to 2022 and forecast statistics for 2023 to 2033. To understand the global market potential, growth, and scope, the market is segmented on the basis of product type, application, category, and region.

According to the latest FMI reports, based on segmentation, the commercial application segment will dominate the international space. This category will contribute significantly to the overall market growth owing to the growing consumption of beer.

Based on region, the brewing supplies market in Germany will demonstrate remarkable growth. The target market in this country will dominate the European market. This is due to the surge in the number of breweries in Germany, growing sales of craft beers, a rising population, and a strong economy. India and China will also exhibit considerable growth in the brewing supplies market during the forecast period.

Brewing Supplies Market Outlook by Category

By Product:

Fermentation Unit

Brew House Unit

Filtration System

Maturation Unit

Others (Milling unit, Malting, Tank pump, etc.)

By Application:

Commercial Purpose

Industrial Purpose

By Category:

Nano /Micro Brewery

Macro/ Industrial Brewery

By Region:

North America

Latin America

Europe

East Asia

South Asia

Oceania

Middle East and Africa (MEA)

Report Customization available @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/customization-available/rep-gb-16322

Table of Content

1. Executive Summary | Brewing Supplies 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. Product launches & Recent Developments

3.4. Product Life Cycle Analysis

3.5. Value Chain Analysis

Explore FMI's Extensive Coverage on Process Automation Domain :

Horse Bunk Feeder Market Review : The global horse bunk feeder market is estimated to reach US$ 1,108 million by 2033, up from US$ 590 million in 2023, exhibiting a CAGR of 6.5%.

Electric Milkshake Machine Market Forecast :The global electric milkshake machine market size reached US$ 1666.2 million in 2022 and it is expected to increase at a steady CAGR of 5.6% between 2022 and 2032.

Dough Processing System Market Overview :The dough processing system market is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 4.4% during the forecast period between 2022 and 2032.

Commercial Pizza Oven Market Keytrends :The commercial pizza oven market is expected to elevate at a CAGR of 6.6% in the forecast period (2022 to 2032). The market is anticipated to be valued at US$ 4,000.0 million in 2022 and exceed US$ 7,579.4 million by 2032.

Horse Drawn Farming Equipment Market Demand :The demand for horse drawn farming equipment is anticipated to record a CAGR of 5.5% during the forecast period. Currently, the horse drawn farming equipment market share is estimated to be around US$ 4.48 billion for this continuing year 2023.

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

SOURCE: Future Market Insights Inc.





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A member of the Spotsylvania County school board was arrested Thursday on two charges, including a felony offense.

Kirk E. Twigg, 65, is charged with forging a public record, a Class 4 felony that carries a potential prison sentence of between two to 10 years. He is also charged with a misdemeanor offense of tampering with a county record.

Virginia State Police Sgt. Brent Coffey said Twigg was indicted this week by a Spotsylvania grand jury before turning himself in Thursday at a magistrates office. He was released on a personal recognizance bond.

Court records do not specify what Twigg is suspected of doing, but both alleged offenses took place on or about June 21 and involve a county contract, police said. Twigg was the chairman of the School Board at that time.

The School Board met on June 21, and board members finalized a contract for interim Superintendent Kelly Guempel. That contract became a topic of discussion at the School Boards Sept. 12 meeting. According to county resident William Scheff, after the board approved Guempels appointment, Twigg asked Guempel  who had been principal of Spotsylvania High School  to stay behind to sign some documents.

This was captured on the broadcast before you adjourned, Scheff said. After the meeting, you approached the acting superintendent with copy of the contract. One of the items was a $4,500 monthly stipend, on top of his principals salary, for him to assume the role of interim.

Scheff said that Guempel asked for a higher monthly stipend and that Twigg crossed out the $4,500 amount and changed it to $8,500.

[Twigg] took it upon himself to nearly double the salary of the acting superintendent in secret, Scheff said. This is malfeasance, plain and simple.

School Board member Dawn Shelley corroborated Scheffs account and stated that Guempel told her about the incident himself.

Hes not going to lie to me about that, Shelley said. Mr. Twigg forged a contract and if people up here are defending him, then theyre just as guilty as he is.

Shelley said she gave information about the interim superintendents contract to Virginia State Police and that it was turned over to the state Attorney Generals office.

At the time, Victoria LaCivita, a spokeswoman for the Attorney Generals Office, confirmed that the complaint  as well as one alleging that Twigg misappropriated public funds by paying for board members April Gillespie and Lisa Phelps to attend a conference with ties to a conservative political action committee in March  had been received by the office.

An investigation headed by state police special agent Brad Gregory began on Oct. 13, Coffey said. State police received permission to conduct the investigation from the state Attorney Generals Office. The Spotsylvania Sheriffs Office is forbidden by law to investigate elected county officials.

The Albemarle County Commonwealths Attorneys office will be handling Twiggs prosecution. No trial date has been set.

Twigg is the Livingston District representative on the school board. He was elected in 2015.

Previous reporting from Adele Uphaus contributed to this article.
Robert Christian was 12 when he desegregated Fredericksburgs Maury School in 1962.

A Free LanceStar photographer took a picture of him that morning, standing alone and apart from a group of white students in front of the school, looking around as if for someone he knew.

The photograph ran in the paper, but for 60 years, the boy remained unidentified. The caption only described him as a young Negro boy.

On Sept. 30, Chris Williams, assistant director of the James Farmer Multicultural Center at the University of Mary Washington, and Victoria Matthews, tourism sales manager for the City of Fredericksburg, were finally able to identify him as part of their research for the citys Civil Rights Trail, which was officially unveiled Thursday during a ceremony at the universitys Jepson Alumni Executive Center.

Williams interviewed Christian for the oral history component of the trail. It was the first time Christian ever spoke about the experience of desegregating the school and though it was painful for him, he told Williams, This story needs to be told.

Christian recalled hearing kids say, Here comes the (n-word), when hed walk into class. He sat in the back of the classroom, because thats where they told him he belonged, and he ate lunch alone every day, because whenever he sat down with a group of students, they would all get up and move.

Those were the worst times of my life, Christian told Williams.

On Thursday, Christian received a minutes-long standing ovation from the crowd that packed the Jepson Alumni Center for the trails unveiling.

You cant know what to do until you know what story you are part of, said Fredericksburg Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw, quoting Scottish philosopher Alaisdair MacIntyre. This historic city has so much more history to tell.

In 2017, City Council embarked on 18 months of conversations with each other and the community about what to do with the slave auction block that sat at the corner of Charles and William streets.

As a result of those conversations, City Council voted to relocate the auction block to the Fredericksburg Area Museum and committed to taking additional steps to more accurately and inclusively tell the story of Fredericksburgs Black residents.

Williams and Matthews began working on the trail in December 2020. They are the main authors of the accompanying narrative, and Williams also interviewed local residents, including Robert Christian, about their experiences of the civil rights era. Their stories are archived at the university and visitors will be able to read and eventually listen to them as they travel the trail.

Our motto from the first was Do No Harm, Matthews said. We wanted to treat these stories with the care, dignity and trust they deserved. Chris already had established trust with some of these storytellers and because of him, they accepted me as a representative of the city of Fredericksburg, which has not always been trusted.

Many of the storytellers were present for the unveiling and Williams thanked these legendary people in the front two rows.

I have gained a wealth of knowledge about their trials and tribulations during and after segregation, he said. I thought I knew this history, but I found out that I hardly knew anything.

UMW professors Christine Henry and Erin Devlin and their classes helped Matthews and Williams identify and conduct research on sites of significance to the civil rights movement from 1865 to the present, and students of geography professor Steve Hanna built a GIS story map for the trail.

The trail is in two parts, one downtown and one on and near campus, Matthews said.

Among the sites it highlights are Shiloh Baptist Church (Old Site), which was visited by many leaders of the civil rights movement, including W.E.B. Du Bois and Mary McLeod Bethune; Caroline and William streets to learn about lunch counter sit-ins protesting segregation; the former site of the auction block on William and Charles streets; Libertytown, a neighborhood settled by free Blacks and enslaved people; the Barton Street Potters Field, which was a burial ground for former slaves and free Blacks until it was cleared in 1920 so the city could build Maury School; and the old Greyhound bus station, where the Freedom Riders made their first stop in 1961.

The UMW portion of the trail, which is 1.9 miles long, covers desegregation at the university, with stops at the James Farmer statue and the James Farmer Multicultural Center; Shiloh Baptist Cemetery off Monument Avenue below the campus; and the Dorothy Hart Community Center, the 1950 site of the first known civil rights protest in Fredericksburg.

Sen. Tim Kaine attended Thursdays unveiling and said he didnt prepare any remarks because he wanted to learn from the presentation.

I decided to watch and learn and react and speak from the heart, he said. The lessons of this trail are that pain is real, progress is possible, and the work isnt done. And the work is up to all of us.

Vice Mayor Chuck Frye said the unveiling of the trail makes him proud to be a son of this city.

Even though he grew up in Fredericksburg, he said he never knew many of the stories that have come to light as a result of the trail.

Now our reality is out there for all to understand, he said.
Two local residents received the 2022 Governors Fire Service Awards on Wednesday for their work in raising awareness of the risks of occupational cancer firefighters face.

Ryan McGill of King George County, who works for Fairfax County Fire and Rescue and is active with the International Association of Firefighters Local 2068 union, was honored for Excellence in Virginia Fire Services.

Steve Weissman of Spotsylvania County, who retired in 2021 after 46 years as a volunteer and career firefighter, received the award for Private Sector Excellence in Virginia Fire Service Support.

The men were among eight individuals, as well as the Blue Ridge Fire & EMS Academy and the Prince William County Department of Fire and Rescue, to be honored at the annual Virginia Fire Chiefs Association Expo and Symposium in Virginia Beach this week.

While Gov. Glenn Youngkin celebrated their extraordinary contributions to the commonwealth, another state official described how those recognized have responded to current conditions.

With an increasing demand for service coupled with staffing shortages in both volunteer and career departments, it is important that we recognize these men and women who have a heart for service and routinely display acts of bravery while risking their own lives to save others, said Brad Creasy, executive director of the Virginia Department of Fire Programs.

Both McGill, 42, and Weissman, 66, have sounded the alarm on occupational cancer, the leading cause of death among firefighters and responsible for three of every four line-of-duty deaths since 2019, according to the International Association of Firefighters.

McGill has helped lobby General Assembly members to expand Workmans Compensation Insurance to cover more types of cancer, including thyroid and bladder. He also cited scientific research that concluded the byproducts of engineered wood are extremely carcinogenic and were causing firefighters to be diagnosed with cancer, according to a news release from the governors office about the awards.

McGill, whos been in the fire service for 18 years, came out of a training exercise covered in resin in 2018. The material, known as OSB resin, is a synthetic material that binds several layers of wood products together.

After a lot of research and help from our legislators, we were able to ban the use of OSB in live fire training, McGill said.

The news release from the governor said McGill has been at the forefront of making changes to better, not only the firefighters in Fairfax, but across the commonwealth and the rest of the country.

McGill also has worked with Weissman, the state director of the Firefighter Cancer Support network, and the international firefighters group on ways to identify and limit exposure to carcinogenic materials.

Weissman got involved with the network in 2016, the same year he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Fellow firefighters who reached out to him told him about the network and its resources, including a mentor who helped provide guidance and support along the way.

After his cancer was treated successfully, Weissman decided this was his chance to give back.

Thats been my new life focus, to give back to other firefighters who are battling this disease, he said.

He makes sure each firefighter who is battling cancer gets a network toolbox which includes the Firefighters Guide to Cancer Survivorship. The manual has questions to ask the doctor, cancer presumption laws, caregiver information and how to talk to family and friends about the diagnosis.

Equally important though, Steve ensures each firefighter is provided with a mentor, states the news release. He has mentored many firefighters, providing them brotherhood, comfort, and reassurance as they fight the battle of their life.

Weismann also has worked with the network to develop a relationship with the Virginia Commonwealth Universitys Massey Cancer Center. Theyve developed an app and conduct surveys of Virginia firefighters to better understand the dangers, and cancer risks, they face.

Both men said they were honored, and humbled, by the awards, and appreciated the spotlight on one of the dangers of being a firefighter.

What Im thankful for is the recognition that the Cancer Support Network does on a daily basis, Weissman said, and to really recognize the problem of cancer and how its affected firefighters in Virginia.
While the rail industry contends with the fallout from this months Ohio freight train derailment, Virginia is considering a massive statewide rail expansion plan.

In an effort to upgrade the rail system, in 2020 the state instituted a long-term plan that included the creation of the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority as a means to carry out design, construction, financing and maintenance of rail facilities.

Under the rail plan, the authority oversees the passenger rail system while the Department of Rail and Public Transportation oversees the freight system.

The plan included an agreement in which the state bought 386 miles of railroad right of way and 223 miles of track from CSX Transportation. The expansion will add 44 miles of new track between Washington and Richmond.

DJ Stadtler, executive director of the passenger rail authority, recently presented an update on the rail plan to the Policy Committee for the Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Organization.

The authority has $4 billion in rail projects to complete through 2030, to improve infrastructure, he told the committee at its Jan. 23 meeting.

The initial phase of the rail plan runs through 2030 and covers the first two of four phases.

We are not here to build bridges, we are not here to add tracks, Stadtler told the committee. Thats what were doing, but the only reason were doing it is to add more trains for more people to get where they want to go when they want to get there.

The plan calls for adding track along the corridor, including a new bridge to carry trains across the Potomac River between Virginia and D.C., a spot that has long been a chokepoint on the rail system.

A key aspect of the rail corridor expansion is the addition of dedicated passenger tracks between Washington and Richmond that will separate passenger rail from freight train traffic.

Stadtler told the committee the primary cause of passenger train delays is freight train traffic, which travels slower than passenger trains.

The plan includes expanded Virginia Railway Express with six new roundtrip runs for the commuter service in the first two phases, along with late night and weekend service. The late-night VRE service is expected to run from 8 p.m. to 10:20 p.m.

The plan also will increase state-supported Amtrak train service.

During peak hours well have hourly service south to Richmond and also into D.C., which is a lot more trains than you get now, Stadtler said.

Amtrak has received federal funds to upgrade its trains, he told the committee. The new locomotives will run on dual diesel and electric power, which will cut down on delays in D.C.

Stadtler said regular delays are caused in D.C. because the tracks north of Washington are electrified while south of the capitol the trains have to run on diesel engines, requiring an engine switch at Union Station.

He said the upgrades will allow smooth transition between electric and diesel train engines and drastically cut down on delays in D.C.

The long-term rail plan calls for a track expansion along the D.C.-to-Richmond corridor, including a big change at the Fredericksburg station. But that overall expansion wont come all at once, or necessarily anytime soon.

The third and fourth phases of the rail plan, which are not yet funded, include expansion to three tracks through the VRE territory in Northern Virginia to Spotsylvania.

Latter phases of the state plan include a new span over the Rappahannock River.

While that new bridge is not likely to be built anytime soon, the city station is getting some upgrades now in an $8.7 million project to improve the concrete structure and expand the platforms.

The Policy Committee briefly discussed the rail plan with Stadtler.

One question that came up concerned the drastic drop in train ridership brought on by the pandemic.

VRE service has increased slowly, but still remains far below pre-pandemic ridership.

Stadtler noted that Amtrak saw record ridership figures in 2019, but COVID knocked that down to next to nothing. Ridership has bounced back, he said, with a record-setting December.

Adding trains, Stadtler said, leads to more riders, and weekend service plays a big role.

He said the VPRA needs to do better at getting the word out that taking the train can be a better experience than being stuck in traffic on roads.

Spotsylvania County Supervisor Chris Yakabouski wondered if there are plans to improve transportation for train riders once they get to their destinations.

Stadtler said the U.S. lags on that issue, adding that planners need to be aware of this and seek ways to improve it. He added that there are options, such as ride-hailing services, but agreed the state needs to look for improvements to fill that gap.

He suggested that improving the train system first could naturally lead to improvements on filling those transportation gaps between train stations and passenger destinations.

Fredericksburg City Council member Matt Kelly mentioned Fredericksburg Regional Transit, the local bus service, as a good option for train passengers to get where they want in the area. But he thinks there needs to be a more regional approach to it.

FRED is not a true transit system yet, we havent gotten it to that level, he said. Thats a conversation we need to have.

Kelly said transportation planners, including the Virginia Department of Transportation, have acknowledged that widening roads alone will not save the region from traffic congestion problems. But, he added, there is plenty of work ahead.

We cannot keep doing things the way we have done them, he said. There has to be a change. And we, as this board, have a big part to play, especially with regards to what were gonna do with transit in this region.
An unidentified Dodge County sheriffs deputy suffered minor injuries Wednesday but was back on duty Thursday after hitting a parked Fremont Fire Department truck. The accident caused significant damage to his patrol SUV.

Dodge County sheriffs Sgt. Brie Frank said county officials are not naming the deputy because the accident is still under investigation by the Nebraska State Patrol.

Fremont Fire Chief Todd Bernt said the accident left the city fire departments newest and most advanced fire truck with significant damages and knocked it out of use for an unknown period of time.

No firefighters or paramedics were injured in the accident, he noted.

We were already on a personal injury (accident) call and the deputy was responding to that, Bernt said. (The deputy) rear-ended Fire Engine 132, which has all of our extrication equipment on it. It is our newest fire engine, we got it just last year.

Bernt said he was thankful for the fire department crew on the scene, who parked the large fire engine behind the responding ambulance and at an angle. That safety procedure prevented the Dodge County sheriffs patrol vehicle from ramming the ambulance and responding paramedics and EMTs, he added.

At accidents like that, we park the fire engine behind the ambulance at an angle so it protects first responders, Bernt explained. If it wasnt for that (parking method), the (deputy) could have hit the ambulance and there could have been serious injuries.

The accident happened as icy conditions grew worse through the early afternoon, coating much of Dodge County with a thin, but slick, sheen of ice.

Frank said the Chevy Tahoe sheriffs patrol SUV the deputy was driving was totaled and not usable. She also said the deputy was transferred to Methodist Fremont Health, where he was treated for minor injuries and released.

According to the sheriffs office press release, the incident happened at about 1:25 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 22, as icy conditions began to worsen across the region as Winter Storm Olive blasted the Midwest.

There was already a multi-agency response to a motor vehicle accident with a personal injury at the intersection of U.S. Highway 275 and Business U.S. Highway 30, near the Menards hardware store, officials reported.

Dodge County deputies and the Fremont Fire Department arrived on scene and began to treat the injured parties from the single-vehicle crash. As another deputy was arriving on scene, the deputy lost control of the cruiser on ice and collided with the back of a parked fire truck, sheriffs officials stated in their press release. The deputy involved was transported to Methodist Fremont Health with minor injuries. The deputy is doing well and has returned to work. The secondary crash is under investigation by the Nebraska State Patrol. Road conditions are considered a factor in the crash.

Bernt said the city fire truck is currently being assessed by workers at the Rosenbauer Group, the same plant in Wyoming, Minnesota, where it was constructed, and that he is not aware yet of the level of damage, possible cost of repairs and a timeline of when the truck will be back in service.

The victim extrication equipment carried by the new fire truck was not damaged in the accident, Bernt added, and has been transferred to a back-up fire engine that the department kept in reserve in the event of a situation like this.

We do have another reserve fire engine we can use, he said. There is no timeline on (the damaged engine) going back into service.

The purchase of the new fire engine was approved by the Fremont City Council in September 2020. It replaced the oldest of the departments three fire trucks, an E-ONE model from 1995.

The fire engine was bought with funds from the citys capital improvement plan, which budgeted $571,000 for the vehicle. The engine was constructed by the Rosenbauer Group, a fire-service vehicle manufacturer, and Heiman Fire, its dealer.
This course provides the student with a technical understanding of gas tungsten arc welding, arc characteristics, and welding safety. It provides training to develop the skill necessary to make TIG fillet welds on mild steel, stainless, and aluminum thin gage material which does not include thick plate, pipe, or other structural shapes. If a student desires to practice on different types of material other than what is offered, material must be provided by the student.
Theres a knot in Bethany Ostroms stomach as the Cessna 180 airplane soars closer to the bridge over the Platte River near Chapman.

Thats where Ostrom begins her new job: estimating crane numbers from the sky for the Crane Trust. Shes taken over this spring after spending 1 years as the data recorder.

Its an exhausting few hours of work, but its also an experience she wouldnt want to pass up.

Its pretty awesome, she said. It really is quite beautiful up there, especially with the sunrise over the river. I just love it.

Ostrom, 26, has moved into the counters spot in the second row of the four-seater plane after the departure of lead biologist Andy Caven, who had done it the previous 10 years. Paul Dunning is the pilot and Matthew Schaaf sits next to him up front recording the data from Ostrom.

Last Friday, in her first report of the year, Ostrom estimated there were 6,400 cranes on the river. That number will grow to more than 600,000 at the peak of the spring migration, usually in the middle of March to early April.

Her seat alone in the second row gives Ostrom plenty of space as she shifts from window to window counting the number of birds migrating through the state on their way north to their breeding grounds.

I have a camera and binoculars ready at all times, Ostrom said. Im constantly scanning the entire landscape but mostly the river.

The plane follows the river 80 miles to Overton. Ostrom starts with a small flock or roost of 10 birds and uses that size to estimate numbers. Counting starts at first light before the birds disperse for the day.

The hardest part of the quick journey, Ostrom said, is the pressure she feels to get the numbers right. Stressful, but fun, is how she sums it up.

Audubons Rowe Sanctuary, as well as other entities in the area, rely on her estimates.

Rowe Director Bill Taddicken said the counts are a good resource for guests.

Its nice for the visitors experience as people are coming from all over the country and all over the world, he said.

Its also important, he said, for historical data so scientists can spot migratory trends with the birds.

Ostrom is not done when the plane lands. It takes her about a day to analyze the data collected by the science team each week. Shell even count each bird individually to make sure numbers are correct when released each Friday from Feb. 15 to April 15.

The Crane Trusts Matt Fong also shares the numbers on the organizations social media accounts. Engagement skyrockets when the birds arrive.

Its amazing to see the number of people who are curious, he said. It goes through the roof. Its a valuable bit of information we can provide.

Ostrom expects numbers to grow again this week, but its determined by the weather here in Nebraska and at the breeding grounds throughout Canada, Alaska, and as far north as Siberia.

Her first count of 6,400 was average for this time of year. It can vary from 4,000 to 10,000 the first week.

If the winds are blowing in the right direction, there might be a big push, she said. If the weather is bad, they might not come through as quickly.

Photos: Majestic sandhill cranes in Nebraska Flying in a clear blue sky Pair of sandhill cranes at sunset near Gibbon, Nebraska Sandhill cranes on and above a field near Gibbon Sandhill cranes Cranes Cranes Sandhill cranes Cranes Cranes Cranes Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes flying high Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes The Nebraska Project cranes The Nebraska Project The Nebraska Project Sandhill Cranes Sandhill crane Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes Rowe Bird Sancutary Cranes in January Cranes in January Cranes in January Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes Sandhill cranes Cranes Sandhill cranes Cranes at sunset Cranes in the water Sandhill cranes at sunset Cranes fly in waves over trees at sunset Sandhill cranes begin to roost at sunset Sandhill cranes glide in for a landing to roost for the night Viewing sandhill cranes from Richard Plautz viewing site A sandhill crane flies above a field south of Gibbon Sandhill cranes silhouetted against the evening sky Sandhill cranes fly over a field Sandhill cranes flock near an irrigation pivot Sandhill cranes forage for food in a field A pair of sandhill cranes glide in a clear blue sky Sandhill cranes gather near farm machinery Sandhill cranes on the Platte River in Nebraska
Seven candidates vying to replace Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers in the April 4 municipal election shared their visions for the city at a mayoral debate Thursday night.

Hosted by the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC, candidates Sallie Clark, Andrew Dalby, Darryl Glenn, Longinos Gonzalez Jr., Yemi Mobolade, Tom Strand and Wayne Williams addressed hot topics including public safety, growth and development, and the city's economic vitality in the face of a recession, among others, to dozens of residents and community leaders at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Colorado Springs.

While there are 12 candidates in the mayor's race, the chamber invited candidates who had filed campaign finance reports with the city by Jan. 3, said its vice president of government affairs, Dave Dazlich.

Candidates touted their political and professional experience, many of them military veterans, business owners and experienced politicians. Many agreed that addressing public safety, including rising crime and retaining first responders, was the top issue the next administration must tackle. Creating and maintaining a safe community will help draw more residents and businesses who want to live and stay here, they said.

"We need to get our swagger back. Its a privilege to live in Colorado Springs, ladies and gentlemen. I think the biggest draw is if we become the safest city in the nation," Glenn said. "... So when we fix that problem and when we fix our infrastructure, thats going to be the biggest draw to economic vitality here."

In the past four years, the city has added 63 new police officers, 66 new firefighters and three new fire stations, Williams said. But though the City Council in December approved a $1 billion budget that added funding for 15 police officer positions, the city is still short about 50 to 60 officers.

"This is a staffing issue," Clark said, adding that the city cannot maintain staffing levels because more officers are retiring or leaving law enforcement faster than they can be replaced. "We will never catch up if we don't solve the issue of the fact that we need to recruit and keep good people on the force."

Several candidates stressed the need for better recruit sourcing. The large number of military veterans in the community could help fill some of those vacanices, Dalby said. Glenn suggested the city look for first responder recruits at churches and schools.

Mobolade said officials need to recruit more women and minorities, and should also consider holding year-round police academies, among other options. Strand said he would partner with local schools and universities to implement a regional two-year police college to train new possible recruits.

Gonzalez added the city must quicken its emergency response times and the next mayor needs to advocate for better public safety at the state level.

"You need a leader who can advocate to fight against all bad bills being pushed by activists and leftists at the state. ... We need to enforce our laws ... so we can be a stronger and better community," he said.

The city must also take care of its active-duty military population and their families, candidates said. The five military installations in Colorado Springs and their missions account for 40% of local economic activity, debate moderators said.

An impending decision has also not yet been made about whether Space Command headquarters will remain in Colorado Springs or will move permanently to Huntsville, Ala.

As a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, Glenn said he would ensure Colorado Springs is known for providing "important services to our families," including addressing crime so that when active duty military are away from home they know their families are safe.

Gonzalez, also a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, highlighted his experience working as the Department of Defense's intelligence chief at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Colombia, and a military operation there, where he helped rescue three Americans who were held by insurgents.

"That's the kind of story that's going to help close business deals for our community, for our contractors, and make sure we can ... help our veteran communities to be the best they can be, and help our entire community," Gonzalez said.

Mobolade said officials must work with economic development partners to support local defense companies, ensure the city is retaining its workforce so retiring military personnel can stay local, and "facilitate a welcoming environment for our military families."

Strand, who after 30 years also retired from the Air Force, said he would use his skills and military background to work with the Department of Defense to "maximize expansion" of the military-based companies already in town.

"We're all hoping to get Space Command headquarters here and I think we're all holding our breath on that," he said.

When it comes to the local economy, Mobolade said the city should revisit and update its current business development incentives, then make sure businesses are taking advantage of rebates and other incentives.

Strand highlighted the Colorado Springs Urban Renewal Authority as one resource to encourage local business opportunities. The authority restores and redevelops blighted areas through a type of financing that allows an increased portion of sales and property tax revenues generated from various taxing entities, like the city, to be spent on public improvements at designated sites.

Clark, the longtime owner of the Holden House 1902 Bed & Breakfast Inn, said small businesses are struggling across the country. She proposed a small business roundtable that could work with the mayor to determine what business policies and practices are working and which are not.

Colorado Springs, too, is growing rapidly and many residents say they are concerned with the pace of growth and whether or not the city has enough resources to sustain it, Mobolade and Glenn said. The city is short about 12,000 housing units.

Williams said as a member of the City Council he helped establish a program so that affordable and attainable housing projects no longer pay the city sales tax. As mayor, Williams said he would encourage other local governments to implement the same kind of program.

When the city established a water resource fee to acquire more water resources, Colorado Springs Utilities established a $2 million fund to cover water tap fees for affordable and attainable housing projects, he said. The City Council also acts as the Springs Utilities board, and Williams is its chair.

Dalby, who owns an RV storage business, said the government's role in development should be minimal.

"Get the City Council and the (El Paso Board of County Commissioners) out of the minutia of development and let people who know business provide housing for our residents at a reasonable cost," he said.

Glenn said the government does not need to create affordable housing. "It's a market decision," he said. Glenn said he would "maximize private property rights" and would push for the city to stop taking funding from the state and federal governments for development efforts, as they can impose certain regulations on how it can be spent.

As the Colorado River endures an ongoing megadrought, the City Council recently passed a controversial water rule requiring Colorado Springs Utilities to have 128% of the water needed to serve existing city demand and the projected demand from new properties.

Glenn and Williams said they supported the rule as the city needs to prepare and plan for the possibility of low water availability. Glenn also said the rule would ensure the city has enough water to respond to emergencies, like wildfires.

Clark said the rule was "ill-conceived, fast-tracked and a knee-jerk reaction" to growth. Gonzalez said it was impossible to know if a 128% buffer was the right number because regional water needs weren't studied more holistically.

Strand said Councilwoman Nancy Henjum was leading a regional group to study the requirement more closely.
The Air Force may change some standards, such as allowing some hand and neck tattoos, to help with recruitment, a major challenge hitting all the service branches hard.

Lt. Gen. John Healy, head of the Air Force Reserve, highlighted possible changes to the standards in Colorado Springs this week on a tour to help educate civic leaders on the reserve and its varied roles. For example, in addition to supporting deployments, the 302nd Airlift Wing at Peterson Space Force Base sends C-130s to fight major wildfires across the country and similar planes in Ohio can spray pesticide to control mosquitos and other pests.

While visiting, Healy highlighted challenges facing the Air Force and Air Force Reserve, such as trouble recruiting, possible budget cuts, and his goals for modernizing the reserve.

The Air Force met its recruitment goals in 2022, adding about 26,000 people, in part, by offering more bonuses. But other services struggled more, with the Army missing its recruitment goal by 25% or about 15,000 soldiers.

The Air Force Reserve missed its recruiting goal falling nearly 2,000 people short of its goal to add 8,600, according to the Air Force Recruiting Service.

The secretary of the Air Force is now focused on trying to change standards the Air Force has kept, but other branches have phased out, to see some "quick wins" in recruiting, Healy said. For example, the Air Force might change its standards for hand and neck tattoos and body composition, a standard for fitness. The Air Force is not considering changes to its educational standards, he said.

"We are trying to every approach we can to make sure we are not excluding anybody that might want to join the Air Force, but because of one, two or three hold over standards we say 'no' and they go right next door and they join the Army or they go right next door and they join the Navy," he said.

He said an announcement about new standards is possible by the end of March.

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The Air Force Reserve has also been challenged to keep pilots departing for airline positions, he said. To help retain people, the reserve can highlight interesting training opportunities, such as flying low through the Rockies and the opportunity to continue serving.

"You cant compete with what the airlines can offer in terms of jobs. ... We can play to the spirit and play to the patriotism of those still in," he said.

The 302nd Airlift Wing at Peterson is currently fully staffed employing 1,350 people, including civilians and reservists. The wing's goal is to recruit to 110% so that people are available to step in when reservists retire or leave, said Col. Christopher Sedlacek.

Amid the challenges, Healy said he wants to see the reserve prepare for different kinds of conflict and more challenging environments during their training.

"We are going to remote stripes and we are having to improvise with what we got in order to stand up that base and make it operational and defend the base," he said.

He also wants to make sure airmen have a variety of skills in the field. For example, he would like ensure the person fueling the airplane, can also defend the plane, he said.

The updated training and other priorities could need to happen as the Air Force's budget "constricts a little bit," he said

But he doesn't expect budget cuts to hit the wing in Colorado Springs, or its firefighting mission.

"Its critically placed here in Colorado Springs to be able to support the area of most need," he said.
Six men have been arrested for allegedly using the internet to lure and exploit minors, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department.

Police said the arrests of all six men were between Feb. 9 and Feb. 11 and followed a 3-day joint undercover investigation by the CSPD Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, comprised of CSPD and EPCSO detectives, along with the US Army Criminal Investigation Unit and Homeland Security Investigations.

According to CSPD, the following suspects were arrested as part of the undercover investigation:

 Aaron Thompson - 31 years old

 Mark Gasgonia - 31 years old

 Richard Castro - 30 years old

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 Travis Anderson - 46 years old

 Noah Casady - 23 years old

 Steven Marks - 58 years old

Jail records showed that both Thompson and Marks are being held on a $100,000 bond, as of Thursday evening.

If you suspect a child has fallen trap to being exploited online, you can report it by calling 1-800-THE-LOST or by clicking or tapping here.
One man was arrested Thursday in connection with two robberies, one of which police said was an aggravated robbery of a convenience store earlier this month.

Law enforcement with the Colorado Springs Police Department executed a search warrant Thursday in east Colorado Springs in connection with a personal robbery in December 2022. CSPD's tactical enforcement unit, K-9 unit and robbery unit were at the address in the 3900 block of East Bijou Street

During the search, police found evidence that also linked the suspect to the robbery of a Circle K near the 200 block of North Academy Boulevard on Feb. 1, for which police said he now faces charges of attempted second-degree murder and aggregated robbery.

The suspect was identified as 20-year-old Kerian Moody of Colorado Springs. Court records show he faces an arrest only charge of aggravated robbery with the intention to kill, maim or wound with a weapon.

Moody is in custody in El Paso County on a $25,000 bond, according to court records.
It all starts with a question.

What is this? How does this work? What would happen if I put this here?

Sometimes its not very smart to put a screwdriver in an electrical outlet, but kids try it anyway, said Pikes Peak Regional Science and Engineering Fair co-director Carol Bach. All children are natural investigators. We start off as babies learning to crawl. Youre an investigator in the world around you.

Middle and high school students from several counties will converge at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs on Saturday for the 66th annual PPRSEF, where they will explore their curiosities via science projects  a far cry from screwdrivers in outlets, to be sure  for a chance at cash and special prizes. Community members are welcome to view the projects for themselves from 3 to 4 p.m. in Berger Hall.

Roughly 50 projects will be on display, according to PPRSEF co-director Nancy Hampson, a drastic change from the days of 250-plus entries in the regional event open to all Elbert, El Paso, Park and Teller county students.

But those dedicated students who continue to show up, she said, arrive with really strong entries.

Students compete individually or in teams of up to three, and there is no pre-requisite to enter, although the deadline for this years competition passed in January.

This years fair is split into two divisions: junior, consisting of sixth through eighth graders, and senior, consisting of ninth through 12th graders. After eight rounds of judging, junior-level students compete for one of four category awards, and seniors compete for the top spot in just two categories.

Were not (an) everybody gets first place because you were the only one in your category fair, Hampson said.

The senior division grand prize is $1,000, though students have plenty of other opportunities to walk away with special awards presented by more than three dozen local and national organizations, including National Geographic and the U.S. Air Force. Special awards can be anything from money to certificates to miscellaneous goodies, Bach said.

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Students also benefit from soft skill development, like communication.

You have interviews for all sorts of things, and if you can explain to this grumpy old guy in front of you why you did this and what you learned, Hampson said, it helps with their confidence and being able to defend themselves and explain themselves (For her part, Bach, who trains the roughly 60 judges, said she encourages them not to be grumpy old guys and gals.)

Especially bright young students might even be eligible for additional competitions and awards.

Each year a batch of roughly 20 students are selected to compete in the statewide Colorado Science and Engineering Fair held in Fort Collins in April. Additionally, three senior division projects will be selected to compete in the International Science and Engineering Fair, which this year will be in Dallas.

So really the regional science fair is a steppingstone, Bach said.

The event isnt for everybody, Hampson notes, though neither is wrestling. Those with a natural curiosity and a self-motivated spirit should consider entering in next years fair, she said, because thats where they just might find their people. The social component has been noticeably absent after COVID forced the fair online in 2021 and 2022.

One particular student, who went to four international competitions, comes to Hampsons mind as she reflected on the event's propensity for bringing people together. The student's first science fair came with a revelation: These are my people, she remembers the student saying to her. This is where I fit.

If you were the science geek at your school and you dont feel like you fit, when you go to science fair, you find out that yes, there are a lot of people just like you. They maybe just dont go to your school, Hampson said.

Its amazing how they blossom socially when they find their group, Bach added. They come out of their shells, and they can talk about their rocks, and the other one can talk about his rockets, and they can have more fun, and they get into it. They become lifelong friends because of it.

Regional award winners will be announced 6 p.m. Wednesday at Library 21C in North Colorado Springs.
As Coloradans contend with the introduction of wolves into the state, conservationists criticized the U.S. Forest Service for not banning wolf hunting in Wyoming.

The Center for Biological Diversity sent a letter Wednesday to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, and three other federal officials, complaining about wolf hunting in Wyoming.

The organization accused Forest Service officials of violating the Endangered Species Act by failing to protect wolves moving from Colorado into Wyoming from hunters in the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest. The forest lies astride the ColoradoWyoming border, with the Medicine Bow Forest in Wyoming lying west of Laramie. The Routt National Forest lies west of Walden and extends south along the Continental Divide to near Kremmling.

It was near Kremmling that a gray wolf was accidentally shot by a coyote hunter in April 2015, according to a May 29, 2015 press release from the conservation organization Defenders of Wildlife.

Colorados precious, endangered wolves shouldnt be gunned down when they wander across a state border they dont even know exists, said Collette Adkins, carnivore conservation program director at the Center. To truly help Colorados wolves recover, the Forest Service needs to move quickly to ban wolf hunting and trapping in the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest. Our federal public lands should be safe havens for rare wildlife.

The problem is that wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountain wolf population are not protected by the Endangered Species Act. A 2022 court ruling that restored endangered species protection in the lower 48 states excepted wolves in Idaho and Montana. They have been de-listed from the Act since 2011, and wolves in Wyoming have been de-listed since 2017.

Wolf populations in those states are managed by state authorities according to plans made in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is responsible for Endangered Species Act enforcement.

In most of Wyoming, wolves are designated as predators that can be shot on sight without a hunting license or permit except in the northwest part of the state, which has been designated as a trophy hunting area for wolves.

Two wolves were seen in Colorado in January 2021 and later that year, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, staff members saw six pups with the pair in Jackson County, north of Walden.

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According to the Center, in 2022 Colorado Parks and Wildlife received reports that Wyoming hunters killed three wolves in Wyoming near the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest.

Center officials say that by not banning hunting of wolves in Wyoming, the Forest Service is violating the Endangered Species Act.

Because hunting and trapping threaten the survival of endangered wolves in Colorado that travel to Wyoming, the Forest Service should prohibit wolf hunting and trapping across the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, according to the letter to Secretary Vilsack.

Walden is the scene of the first wolf kills of livestock since the last Colorado wolf was killed in the 1940s.

Colorado rancher Don Gittleson has so far been at the epicenter of wolf predation. His ranch is north of Walden, which is about 100 miles west of Fort Collins, is near the Wyoming border.

When there are wolves on the landscape, (ranchers) have lost animals to wolves, Gittleson told The Denver Gazette in an interview. And we haven't figured out to stop that yet. Odds are that's not going to stop.

So far, Gittleson said he has lost about 10 cows and calves since the wolves showed up. Colorado Parks and Wildlife has paid for some of them, and denied claims for others.

According to Travis Duncan, spokesperson for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, as of Feb. 16, the state has paid $10,447 in compensation to Don Gittleson for two claims involving four cattle.

Inquiries to the Department of Agriculture were not returned as of press time.
A Black rancher at the center of a highly publicized dispute in east El Paso County appeared in court Thursday to request a continuance on a case in which she is accused of assaulting a peace officer.

Nicole Mallery faces charges of second- and third-degree assault on a law enforcement officer and a first responder, respectively, stemming from an incident that allegedly occurred during an arrest on her property in Yoder in April 2021.

El Paso County sheriffs deputies arrested Mallery after she allegedly chased a process server off her property with a shotgun and fired it as the man was running away. During the arrest, Mallery  who has accused the Sheriff's Office of ignoring an alleged racist intimidation campaign against her and her husband, Courtney  complained that officers were hurting her.

She reportedly bit and kicked a deputy during the incident.

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Last week, the Mallerys and several of their supporters attended a rally at the Capitol in Denver, where they advocated for the General Assembly to pass the CAREN Act, which stands for Caution Against Racially Exploitative Non-Emergencies. The legislative proposal, which New York adopted and is under consideration in other states, would create a civil penalty for people who call the police on people of color in nonemergency situations and when there's "no reason to believe a crime or offense, or imminent threat to person or property, is occurring."

The Mallerys, who also face pending charges after allegedly stalking a white neighbor, are scheduled to appear in court on March 30.
Among the worst-kept secrets around the the state Capitol these days is that Gov. Jared Polis has a big problem with his partys political fringe. In particular, the left wing of the ruling Democrats over at the Legislature.

They keep coming up with nutty legislation that not only defies logic  on law and order, on basic economics; the list goes on  but also risks sabotaging his presidential ambitions.

As adult in chief at the Capitol, he knows he cant continually cave in to his partys clueless kids. It would wreck the economy and wreak even more havoc on our streets, among other things. And hed get blamed. Yet, reining in the radicals is a tricky matter, even for a governor.

It would be easy enough to veto legislation from the opposing party  should Republicans retake the Legislature  but its a lot harder to swat down ridiculous ideas from fellow Democrats. It might upend alliances on other pending legislation the governor needs.

And he fears publicly betraying the increasingly collectivist Democratic platform even if some of it strikes him as nonsense. He is the state partys standard-bearer, after all.

So, he is by all accounts doing what governors tend to do in such circumstances. Hes pulling strings, having private conversations, probably calling in favors, deploying his lobbyists to whisper in ears, and so forth. The end game is to derail the worst of the bad bills and water down some others  discreetly and without his fingerprints.

That approach might blunt some bad legislation, but only for so long as legislative radicals grow restive and enlist ever more lawmakers against a governor some deride as Democrat-lite. And it will do nothing to burnish his carefully cultivated image as a moderate Democrat  even a libertarian-leaning Dem  for a national political bid.

Which is why its time for Polis to be brave and draw the line.

Pick a bad bill  there are many  and publicly declare it dead on arrival. Tell the sponsors not to bother amending it.

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He could start with House Bill 23-1118, the fair workweek legislation. Widely denounced by the states employers, the bill would devastate our service economy. It would make day-to-day operations nearly impossible for a host of businesses, especially restaurants, that rely heavily on flexible-shift workers.

Employers would have to post work schedules before even they knew how many workers they would need on a shift. And the businesses would have to pay workers anyway if their shifts got canceled.

Of course, the governor is painfully aware of the bill. As an extraordinarily successful entrepreneur, he gets the threat it poses.

As reported the other day by our news affiliate Colorado Politics, the bill is on hold pending a rewrite. Which means the sponsors know the governor isnt happy and are desperately trying to morph it into an acceptable version. Standard procedure at the Capitol.

But this time, why let it end there? Governor, heres your chance to stand tall. Threaten to veto the measure  with a harpoon.

Sure, the loopy Democratic Socialists and their ilk will be furious. But who cares? The rest of Polis fellow Democrats in the Legislature  too timid to shout down the radicals  will thank him. So will everyday Coloradans, spared another blow from the legislative agenda.

It also could give Polis bona fide bragging rights for a White House run  as an independent thinker who stared down his party. The national media never seem to tire of that narrative.

And it just might embolden Colorados moderate Democrats  before they go extinct.

The Gazette Editorial
In his annual State of the Union address this month, President Joe Biden proudly pointed out that under his administration about 10 million applications were filed for new businesses, which translated into 5.1 new businesses. Impressive?

Actually that record high should have been expected according to the Commerce Institute, a small-business industry data resource. Take a look at new business startups, and youll see that the trend has been upward for several years covering at least part of two previous administrations.

So why the spike in 2020-2022? Most likely it was COVID. Millions of small enterprises went out of business during that time. As Aristotle said, nature abhors a vacuum and in our post-pandemic world an abundance of small business aspirants are eager to fill the void.

These days, the American dream isnt about owning your own home, its about owning your own business, and because of the epidemic, those whod been waiting on the sidelines to (naively) take the risk  a good thing  have stuck. But wait. How come so many small businesses went belly up? Were they victims of tragically unfortunate circumstances beyond their control, or was it something else?

For millions it was something else: they werent operating in a way that prepared them to compete with big business, or big anything else for that matter, such as a worldwide pandemic. The common wisdom is that small businesses cant compete for survival, the number one priority, with big corporate entities nor their equivalent (i.e. COVID). Not true.

In our case, a $1.5 million annual revenues local service business were faced with the incursion into our Colorado Springs marketplace of two new major corporate conglomerate competitors with annual revenues in the billions of dollars. They could have, and should have, been much smarter in their invasion.

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They thought that because of their world-known name recognition theyd be able to stroll in and dominate with minimal effort. Didnt happen. Why? We were prepared to defend our business turf. It was our only focus, theirs was spread out over many markets and many product divisions. They didnt understand that some high-performing local businesses can be tenacious and fiercely competitive by having utilized legitimate and consistent basic business principles over time: innovative high quality service/products, delivered reliably and consistently, priced fairly, and continuously communicated to customers through that process.

So what are the keys to surviving big box corporate competitors, and catastrophic events? As we have seen, some small businesses have survived, and some have failed never to be resurrected. Why the survivors? Answer: preparation. Why the failures? Answer, a lack of understanding of their industry fully, their customers needs and desires, the fickle nature of the marketplace, and money.

For the failures, a principal reason was a lack of financial reserves to endure, keep their operations alive and viable until the worst was over. The same is true if theres a big competitor moving into your business neighborhood. You need financial staying power.

And, of course, to have such power your business must be profitable, yes, that which is taxed. And remember, profits are not what owners are entitled to as compensation, they belong to the company and if survival is foremost, which it should be, those dollars remaining from profits should be saved for as they say, a rainy day, or month, or even a year.

At its most fundamental, in small business Its all about survival. As inspirational writer Orison Swett Morden said: Success is not measured by what you accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds.

Tuck Aikin is a retired consumer credit reporting industry professional.
Joe Neguse is on a roll.

Fresh off his election to the House Democrats' No. 5 elected leadership position  making the Lafayette Democrat the chamber's highest-ranking Colorado lawmaker in more than 80 years  Neguse learned this week that he had more bills signed into law than any other House member in the last Congress, as calculated by GovTrack.US, an independent legislative tracking website.

In the just-concluded 117th Congress, which ran from 2021-2022, the 38-year old attorney and former University of Colorado regent introduced 13 bills that made it to President Joe Biden's desk for a signature  in only his second term.

That compares to the 11 enacted bills in the last Congress for the list's No. 2 House member, U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican, with Neguse's fellow Coloradan U.S. Rep. Jason Crow in a three-way tie for third place with nine bills authored by the Centennial Democrat that were signed into law.

The vast majority of the House's 435 members notched just one or two enacted laws, while nearly one-third of the chamber's occupants didn't manage to get any legislation across the finish line in the last two years.

Not every legislative success shows up on the tracking site's results, which count when lawmakers are primary sponsors of enacted legislation or of legislation largely incorporated in other bills that become law. Some lawmakers, for instance, make their marks by adding amendments to larger bills, which isn't reflected.

The other members of Colorado's House delegation fall far behind Neguse and Crow in the just-released GovTrack.US standings. Ken Buck, a Windsor Republican, and Ed Perlmutter, an Arvada Democrat who didn't seek reelection, each scored a single bill signed into law. The other Coloradans  Democrat Diana DeGette of Denver and Republicans Doug Lamborn of Colorado Springs and Lauren Boebert of Silt  finished the 116th Congress with zero bills enacted.

Neguse, who won reelection in November to a third term representing Colorado's 2nd Congressional District by an overwhelming 40-point margin, is no stranger to the upper regions of Capital Hill's ubiquitous legislative rankings.

In his freshman term in the previous 116th Congress, from 2019-2020, Neguse was far and away the most effective lawmaker in the state's delegation, according to the nonpartisan Center for Effective Lawmaking, with nine bills signed into law. He was also ranked as the most bipartisan member of the delegation for the same period by the nonpartisan Lugar Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University. Last year, he was one of six recipients of the Bipartisan Policy Center's Legislative Action awards, bestowed for working across party lines in a divided Washington.

The son of Eritrean immigrants, Neguse served as executive director of Colorado's Department of Regulatory Agencies before winning election in 2018 to represent the Boulder- and Larimer-county based seat. After last year's redistricting, the 2nd CD traded much of the less densely populated parts of Jefferson County for more mountain counties, extending along the Interstate 70 ski corridor and encompassing much of northwestern Colorado, including all or parts of Clear Creek, Gilpin, Grand, Summit, Eagle, Routt, and Jackson counties.

Among the 13 bills Neguse shepherded into law in the 117th Congress, bipartisan legislation  sponsored with Buck and Colorado's two U.S. senators, Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper  established Camp Amache, the site of a World War II-era Japanese American internment center in southeast Colorado, as part of the National Park System.

Other enacted Neguse bills addressed cybersecurity for state and local governments and added protections from cyber attacks for domestic supply chains. Bills aimed at helping small businesses adjusted bankruptcy law and reformed federal contracting procedures, while another bill beefed up government ethics and oversight provisions.

A bill sponsored along with Hickenlooper and Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney added protections for threatened and endangered fish species in the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins.

Another Neguse-led bill renamed a Boulder post office to honor Boulder police officer Eric Talley, who was killed while protecting shoppers during a 2021 mass shooting at the town's Table Mesa King Soopers.

"I'm very proud of the work that we've done, but more proud than the volume of bills, I'm proud of what those bills mean and the impact that they'll have on the lives of Coloradans," Neguse told Colorado Politics. "The vast majority of these pieces of legislation were bipartisan in nature. They're bills that were focused on helping small businesses, ensuring that we expand opportunities for entrepreneurs in Fort Collins and in Longmont and elsewhere, or built and improved wildfire mitigation and resiliency, which has been a real priority of mine since the day I was sworn into the Congress."

Neguse attributes his legislative success to the relationships he cultivates with fellow lawmakers  including across the aisle and in the Senate  and an ongoing dialogue with constituents, as well as a willingness to build sometimes unlikely alliances.

"To me, that means rolling up our sleeves, listening  including to folks who might have a different world view than your own  and working to try to forge consensus on some of the consequential challenge that we face, as a country and as a state," he said.

"To be honest, what kind of gives me the most pride of the bills that we pursued in this last Congress that ultimately were signed by the President is many of the ideas behind the bills originated here in Colorado," Neguse added. "They came from conversations that I had at town halls, which we hold quite frequently in my district  about supply chain challenges, for example, that we're facing, or wildfire resiliency issues that have been a real challenge. I'm thrilled that we were able to be a vehicle to enact some of these changes at the federal level, but our work has only begun."

Neguse acknowledged that his batting average under the current Republican House majority might not equal what he achieved in the last Congress, when Democrats held the gavel, but insisted that he's undaunted.

"We've had success in both sessions of Congress, with a Republican president, from 2019 to 2021, and a Democratic president from 2021 to 2023, and I anticipate that this next Congress will be no different," he said. "Of course, there are big disagreements when it comes to significant challenges that face our country, but that doesn't mean that we can't find ways to forge common ground  far from it, I think, you have that obligation to our constituents."

Neguse noted that some of the bills he's sponsored sprung from relationships begun when he served as a House impeachment manager for former President Donald Trump's second impeachment trial in early 2021.

"We also worked really hard to build partnerships with senators across the aisle," Neguse said. "Some of those senators happen to be senators that I met during the course of the impeachment trial in front of the Senate. It gave me the opportunity to meet senators whom I had not interacted with previously. And we look for opportunities where other folks might not, in terms of Republican or Democratic senators who would be willing to partner with us on a policy issue that we think is going to matter to Colorado. So we've had some success in that regard and are proud of that. But, you know, we're gonna roll up our sleeves and try to get to No. 1 this next year."

Ernest Luning has covered politics for Colorado Politics and its predecessor publication, The Colorado Statesman, since 2009. He's analyzed the exploits, foibles and history of state campaigns and politicians since 2018 in the weekly Trail Mix column.

Except in Boebert's race, Democrats crush Republicans in Colorado congressional cash dash | TRAIL MIX

Brimming ballot of Denver mayoral candidates approach itchy electorate | TRAIL MIX

US Rep. Diana DeGette sounds alarm over threats of debt ceiling brinksmanship | TRAIL MIX

Races for Colorado's next Republican, Democratic party chairs take shape | TRAIL MIX
Colorado's second-highest court on Thursday deemed it a "close" call, but ultimately decided Denver prosecutors had not removed a Black, presumably Muslim woman from a jury in violation of the longstanding prohibition on purposeful discrimination.

A three-judge panel for the Court of Appeals noted that Juror L was a Black woman who wore a head covering, and the parties assumed she was Muslim. Even though the prosecution had referenced Juror L's "understanding" of East African and Muslim culture in justifying its dismissal of her from Nahib A. Mahamoud's trial, the appellate panel did not believe the move was based on Juror L's race or religion.

"(W)e conclude the prosecutor was expressing concern that Juror Ls background and understanding of Mahamouds familys culture would lead the juror to be sympathetic to the family," wrote Judge JoAnn L. Vogt in the Feb. 23 opinion. "Striking a juror because of concern that the juror would sympathize with the defendant or with the defendants family is not, without more, evidence of discriminatory intent."

The U.S. Supreme Court's 1986 decision in Batson v. Kentucky recognized that purposefully excluding, or "striking," people from juries because of their race is unconstitutional. Now, defendants may raise a "Batson challenge" when the prosecution attempts to strike a juror of color. The challenge proceeds in three steps.

First, the judge determines if there is a plausible case that intentional discrimination is occurring. Second, the prosecutor must supply a "race-neutral" reason for striking the juror of color. Finally, the trial judge decides whether the race-neutral explanation is credible.

The Colorado Supreme Court, one year after Batson, suggested that a juror's national origin, sex and religion were also protected from discriminatory strikes based on the requirement that juries represent a "fair cross-section of the community."

Mahamoud stood trial in January 2019 for the murder of Isaiah Roquemore and the attempted murder or menacing of two other men. Jurors found him guilty and Mahamoud received a sentence of life in prison plus 35 years.

During voir dire, which is the part of jury selection when the parties question members of the jury pool, Juror L identified herself as a special education paraprofessional who had been in court "a few times" as a party and had a relative who was a police officer. The prosecutor asked Juror L how she felt when she heard the list of Mahamoud's criminal charges.

"Kind of upset, disappointed a little bit," she responded. The prosecutor wondered what was upsetting to her.

"Really, because I saw by the name that hes probably Muslim. And I see Muslim family here," said Juror L.

The prosecutor asked her to elaborate on why it was disappointing that "another Muslim" was involved.

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"Seeing that, you know, the familys probably East African. I can  things come into mind," said Juror L. "Are they refugees or, you know, just thinking about mental health, that kind of  thinking about what the situation is, or was."

The defense also asked her to speak about her thoughts on "the Muslim religion in general" or East African families. Juror L replied that she had "a lot of background with understanding them from that culture."

Neither side attempted to strike Juror L for cause, but the prosecution exercised one of its peremptory strikes against her. Peremptory strikes typically do not require a reason in order to remove someone from the jury, except during a Batson challenge.

The defense challenged the strike of Juror L and the unnamed prosecutor said she had "several" non-discriminatory reasons. She cited Juror L's disappointment "in seeing a Muslim man at the defense table," Juror L's concern for Mahamoud's family, Juror L's desire to "understand his not guilty plea," and her "understanding of the culture."

The prosecutor also pointed out Juror L had been a party to other court cases and had "some fairly closed body language." Mahamoud's attorney disputed some of those characterizations, but District Court Judge Shelley I. Gilman found Juror L's responses to questioning and her demeanor were nondiscriminatory reasons for striking her.

On appeal, Mahamoud argued the bulk of the prosecutor's reasons were inextricably linked to Juror L's identity and, therefore, were not neutral.

"The prosecutors explicit reference to Juror Ls 'understanding of the culture'  i.e., Muslim, East African culture  is an undeniable indication that ethnicity, national origin, and religion played an important role in the prosecutors decision to strike Juror L," wrote public defender John Plimpton.

The appellate panel uncovered no prior cases in Colorado applying Batson challenges to a juror's religion. Other state and federal courts, however, have held that while strikes based on religious affiliation are unconstitutional, strikes based on particular beliefs that would affect the trial are not.

"Although we acknowledge that the issue is close, we disagree with Mahamoud," wrote Vogt, a retired judge who sat on the panel at the chief justice's assignment.

She explained that the prosecutor had not referenced Juror L's own religion or race when justifying the strike. Even if Juror L was sympathetic to Mahamoud's family because of her cultural or religious background, "that would not amount to striking her because she was Muslim," Vogt wrote.

The state Supreme Court is currently weighing a change to the procedural rules for criminal trials that would deter strikes of jurors of color for reasons that, while not explicitly racial, nonetheless correlate with race. Among the proposed restrictions, a party could not strike a juror for body language or demeanor without corroboration from others in the courtroom.

The case is People v. Mahamoud.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview with Reuters that with the end of the war in Ukraine, the circle of Russian aggression should be broken.According to him, Russia should not be allowed to undermine European security."We don't know when the war will end, but we know that when this war ends, it must ensure that history does not repeat itself. This is part of a pattern: Georgia in 2008, Donbass, Crimea in 2014, and then a full-scale intervention last year. We must ensure that the circle of Russian aggression is broken. We must not allow Russia to undermine European security. Accordingly, we must ensure that Ukraine has military capabilities, strength, deter aggression, and also find mechanisms so that Russia does not attack anyone again after the end of this war," said Jens Stoltenberg.According to Stoltenberg, Ukraine and Russia are not equal parties in the war, because one is the aggressor and the other is the victim."If President Putin and Russia stop fighting, the war will end and we will have peace." If President Zelenskyy and Ukraine stop fighting, Ukraine will cease to exist as a sovereign, independent country. So, these are not two equal sides - it is the aggressor and the victim of aggression," said Jens Stoltenberg.Leaders of Lelo for Georgia, during an official visit to Ukraine, gifted an ambulance to Kyiv City Hall.According to their report, the leaders of Lelo made this decision based on the necessary needs of the Ukrainian people, because one of the main things that a country at war needs today is humanitarian aid.According to Mamuka Khazaradze, chairman of Lelo, support for Ukraine will not be stopped."Today, Kyiv needed ambulances and the necessary equipment, so we gave this gift to our friends, on behalf of the Georgian people.I promised Vitali [Klitschko] that our help will not stop as it has not stopped for the past year!Glory to the heroes! We will win together!" Mamuka Khazaradze wrote.
A bill to certify psychologists to prescribe and administer psychotropic medications passed the Colorado legislature Thursday, now only needing the governor's approval to go into law.

Currently, if a psychologist providing therapy or counseling decides their patient needs medication such as antidepressants, they must refer the patient to a psychiatrist or medical doctor to get a prescription. But due to a lack of prescribers in Colorado, this process can take months to complete and forces patients to pay for care twice.

House Bill 1071 would make the more than 3,000 licensed psychologists operating in Colorado eligible to apply to prescribe themselves. In comparison, there are only around 600 psychiatrists currently operating in Colorado.

"At the core, this bill is about mental health," said Senate President Steve Fenberg, D-Boulder, who sponsored the bill. "We can do better and we need to do better, and this bill is part of that conversation."

The state Senate unanimously passed the bill on Thursday, following the House's 56-6 approval earlier this month. The bill will now be sent back to the House to confirm changes made by the Senate, and then to Gov. Jared Polis for final consideration.

The bill's passage comes after several weeks of debate among lawmakers and mental health professionals regarding whether letting psychologists prescribe medications would lower the standards of mental health care.

To become a prescriber under the bill, a Ph.D.-holding psychologist would have to get a masters degree in clinical psychopharmacology, pass a national psychopharmacology exam, complete 750 hours of prescribing practice under a supervising physician, be approved by the state boards of psychology and medicine, and complete 40 hours of continuing education in psychopharmacology every two years. In addition, the psychologist would have to maintain their current psychology license, malpractice insurance and psychology-based continuing education.

Despite these requirements, opponents raised concerns about allowing non-medically trained psychologists to prescribe medications, saying they do not understand how medications impact the body or how physical illnesses can manifest as mental health issues.

Psychiatric medications affect all of the bodys systems, said Dr. Nadia Haddad with the Colorado Psychiatric Society while testifying against the bill. "The mind does not exist in a vacuum.  Psychiatric medications can cause fatal heart arrhythmias, diabetes, high blood pressure, thyroid problems, liver and kidney issues."

Numerous medical organizations oppose the bill, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, Colorado Medical Society, Colorado Psychiatric Society, Colorado Chapter College of Emergency Physicians, Colorado Radiological Society, Denver Health and Kaiser Permanente.

The bill is backed by the Colorado Psychological Association, Colorado Counseling Association, National Association of Social Workers, Colorado Center on Law and Policy, Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, AARP and Healthier Colorado.

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Proponents defended the qualifications of prescribing psychologists and emphasized that they would be required to collaborate with a patients primary physician regarding any medications prescribed, and wouldnt be allowed to prescribe high-level drugs such as opioids. The Senate also amended the bill to clarify that the physician and psychologist would have to explicitly agree that the prescription is appropriate before it is administered to the patient.

The House previously amended the bill to increase the required hours of supervised training, require 250 of the 750 hours to be under specialty providers for psychologists working with special populations like children, and require prescribing psychologists to disclose to patients that they are not medical doctors.

"We know that we don't have enough providers on the market, but we also recognize that physicians bring a certain level of expertise and psychologists bring a level of expertise," said Sen. Kyle Mullica, D-Thornton, who brought forward many of the Senate amendments. "We were able to find those solutions and make sure that both entities are marching forward together."

Psychologists can already prescribe mental health medication in five states  New Mexico, Louisiana, Illinois, Iowa and Idaho  as well as in the U.S. military. In New Mexico and Louisiana, deaths by suicide were reduced by between 5% and 7% since psychologists were granted prescriptive authority, according to Healthier Colorado.

Nationally, there are around 250 prescribing psychologists currently operating. From 2005 to 2021, there were only 14 board complaints against prescribing psychologists  half of which were dismissed and only two of which resulted in payments to the plaintiffs, according to Trust Risk Management Services, which provides liability insurance for psychologists.

Bill supporters championed this data as evidence that the program is safe and successful in other states, and likely wont result in the massive tidal wave of prescribers that opponents fear. And while it might not drastically increase the number of prescribers in the state, Republican supporters emphasized that even one prescriber would make all the difference in rural areas that have none.

"It's really about expanding access to care," said bill sponsor Sen. Cleave Simpson, R-Alamosa. "We struggle to meet the rising need in all four corners of the state. ... This is just another key aspect of improving outcomes for constituents across Colorado, but in particular in rural Colorado."

This bill comes as the 2022 State of Mental Health in America report ranked Colorado as the worst state in the country for adult mental health. The year before, Childrens Hospital Colorado declared a state of emergency for youth mental health, as suicide became the leading cause of death for Colorado children ages 14-19.

In Denver, the city with the highest concentration of psychiatrists in the state, wait times for prescribers are upwards of six months, said the bills other sponsor Rep. Mary Bradfield, R-Colorado Springs.

In addition, Bradfield said, in Colorado only 12% of patients who are sent to another office for mental health care complete their treatment, compared to 77% of patients offered the same care in their current office.

The kids I serve are the winners today, said Dr. Jin Lee, a licensed clinical psychologist, in response to the bill's passage. Whether I can start them on life-saving medication or take them off medications that are not helping, I know my young patients will be safer and healthier because of this law."
One day after a dozen Colorado high schools went on lockdown because of fake threats that included audible sounds of gunfire, Democrats at the state Capitol announced a package of bills they say would address gun violence.

In a noon news conference halted midway by a fire alarm, Democratic lawmakers announced they will introduce four bills to allow civil lawsuits against gun businesses, strengthen the states red flag law, bar the purchase of firearms for 18- to 20-year-olds and establish a three-day waiting period for purchasing firearms.

This state is no stranger to gun violence, said Senate President Steve Fenberg, D-Boulder, one of the sponsors of the bill on the Extreme Risk Protective Order, more popularly known as the red flag law.

The time is now for Democrats to take the lead when it comes to fulfilling our promise to create safer communities and pass real solutions that will cut down on gun violence in our communities today, he said. We are taking a big step towards making that dream a reality.

In response, House Minority Leader Mike Lynch, R-Wellington, said Republicans will use every tactic to try to block passage of the proposed bills.

We will fight this as vigorously as possible, Lynch said, calling the bills an opportunity to turn law-abiding citizens into criminals.

Lynch also said the bills, if signed into law, face an uphill battle in rural Colorado, where he expects they will not be enforced, including in his home county of Weld.

This puts law enforcement in a dangerous situation, Lynch said.

House Majority Leader Monica Duran, D-Wheat Ridge, who will sponsor the bill on raising the minimum age for purchasing a firearm from 18 to 21, called it a common sense law that will help reduce the incidence of teen suicide.

Duran confirmed the bill will cover certain mechanisms that attach to guns, such as stabilizing braces. Exemptions include hunting, when the person is supervised by an adult family member. Exemptions also extend to active-duty military and law enforcement. As to young people on farms or ranches who use firearms to ward off predators, Duran said they would have to be supervised by an adult.

Sen. Tom Sullivan, D-Centennial, who authored the red flag law in 2019 and will sponsor the measure modifying it, said it expand the list of individuals who can file for an ERPO order. Specifically, the list would include health care and mental health providers, educators and district attorneys.

That promoted a question about whether the proposal would require a health care professional to violate the confidentiality of the doctor-patient relationship. Sullivan said he doesnt want to get in the way of that relationship but noted the therapist who treated the man who killed his son at the Aurora theater shooting in 2012 had no way to alert law enforcement that he was dangerous.

There is going to be something for these doctors to do, Sullivan said.

The bill also includes liability safeguards for those who seek those orders, as well as an education program to inform the public about the changes, to be funded with gifts, grants and donations.

I will never stop in my quest to save lives form this public health crisis, Sullivan said, sometimes through tears for his son, Alex.

The third bill, to be sponsored by Rep. Judy Amabile, D-Boulder, will establish a waiting period for buying firearms. Her son, who was in a mental health crisis, attempted several years ago to purchase a gun to kill himself, and it was only because of pleading by Amabile and her husband that the gun shop owner agreed not to sell it, she said.

Waiting periods save lives, Amabile said.

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After a 30-minute delay caused by the fire alarm and subsequent evacuation of the state Capitol, Amabile resumed her story, calling the alarm a showstopper.

A waiting period wont save everyone, Amabile said, but it will save people who are in similar situations to what her son experienced.

No fire alarm is going to silence this sister, said Jane Daugherty, a Colorado resident whose sister was murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary 10 years ago. She spoke of the efforts to stop gun violence in the last decade, fighting off recalls of Democratic lawmakers  two of which succeeded  and what she described as dangerous bills intended to overturn the 2013 laws.

Those 2013 laws added universal background checks, including a rule requiring firearms purchasers to pay for them, and a 15-round limit on the ammunition magazines.

The last bill deals with allowing victims of gun violence to file civil lawsuits against firearms businesses. Its a work-around to a 2001 federal law, known as Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which has shielded the firearms industry from liability when someone uses a firearm unlawfully.

Sponsor Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis, D-Longmont, said the bill will give victims an access to justice. She noted that three states, including Colorado, have the most punitive language that stops gun violence survivors from having their day in court. The bill will create a code of conduct that will hold firearms businesses accountable, she said.

While the four bills took center stage Thursday, several more are anticipated. Most notably, they would include a ban on so-called ghost guns, which Gov. Jared Polis also called during his state of the address in January.

Ghost guns are assembled from parts or kits or even a 3-D printer, but with one unfinished piece, such as a frame or receiver, that requires the purchaser to drill to make the gun functional. A loophole in federal law means these firearms dont need serial numbers or a background check for purchase.

Bills on concealed weapons and insurance could also still surface.

But an early draft of a bill to ban assault weapons, which garnered lots of publicity and angst from gun rights advocates, is now on hold.

In advance of Thursdays announcement, Rocky Mountain Gun Owners tweeted it is ready to sue if the bills pass. A representative for the group tried to ask questions during the news conference hosted by Democrats but was shouted down by lawmakers.

A press release Thursday from Adams Arms, which includes among its products retrofit kits for the AR 15, claimed a ban on stabilizing braces would turn U.S. citizens into felons overnight.

The company said its stabilizing braces are used by disabled veterans to fire shorter, handheld guns safely.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland signed off on a rule in January on those braces, which outlines the factors [the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms] would consider when evaluating firearms equipped with a brace to determine whether the weapon is a rifle and subject to the Gun Control Act of 1968 or a rifle subject to the National Firearms Act. The latter imposes a tax, as well as requiring registration of shotguns and rifles with barrels less than 18 inches long.

The ATF rule exempts braces used by those with disabilities. Twenty-six red states are now suing the federal government over the new rule.

Republicans are the only ones that are standing between these ongoing legislative assaults on Coloradans abilities to protect themselves, their families, and their homes, Lynch said in a statement. The radical members of the Democrat caucus have taken advantage of their super majority to push through an anti-constitution, anti-freedom, and anti-Colorado agenda.

He added his caucus, too, is concerned about gun violence and that Republicans would seek solutions without compromising Coloradans constitutional rights.
Alleged Club Q shooter Anderson Aldrich will face a jury trial, an El Paso County judge ruled Thursday.

Judge Michael McHenry ruled that all 323 charges against Aldrich be bound over. McHenry also ruled that Aldrich will continue to be held without bond.

Aldrich is accused of killing five and wounding more than a dozen in a shooting at the popular LGBTQ+ nightclub on North Academy Boulevard in Colorado Springs.

Arraignment will be held May 30. The delayed arraignment is because McHenry believed allowing the defense more time to complete a mental health evaluation for Aldrich will mean a jury trial will likely come quicker.

The findings of the mental health evaluation could determine if Aldrich enters a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.

Click or tap here to follow @ZachNDupont on Twitter for more updates.

The presentation of evidence

The determination from McHenry came after a full day of evidence and testimony presented by the prosecution to show that Aldrich committed the Club Q shooting and did so because of a hatred towards members of the LGBTQ+ community.

The prosecution presented evidence that Aldrich was an administrator for a neo-Nazi website which had previously posted a video that, according to Colorado Springs detective Rebecca Joines, glorifies mass shootings. Joines added that Aldrich, on Nov. 19, the day of the Club Q shooting, had posted four separate videos to the website, including one video taken at 11:53 p.m. in the club's parking lot. Aldrich allegedly entered Club Q and began shooting two minutes later.

Neither Joines nor the prosecution elaborated on the contents of the four videos uploaded by Aldrich the day of the shooting, and the videos were not played in court.

Joines testified that she had spoken with men who knew Aldrich through the neo-Nazi website, and that those men said Aldrich had a hatred towards the police and the LGBTQ+ community, and often used slurs to describe the LGBTQ+ community while communicating with the two of them.

The prosecution also displayed evidence that Aldrich had a hand-drawn map of Club Q in Aldrich's apartment prior to the shooting, along with numerous signs of gun ownership, a rainbow-colored target, a black mask, a ghillie suit  a type of military camouflage outfit  and a handwritten note that said:

"Please relieve me of my own fate, I'm drowning in my own wake.

How long must I wait

for you to rid me of this hate."

Drugs and mental state

Aldrichs mental health was a talking point throughout the preliminary hearing, with defense attorney Joseph Archambault spending a good portion of the hearing discussing Aldrichs mental health problems and significant drug usage.

Archambault entered several pieces of evidence showing more than 10 prescription drugs Aldrich was taking to treat depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety disorders. Archambault also said that Aldrich's mother, Laura Voepel, had told Joines in the past that Aldrich was "severely disabled" and had been a victim of sexual assault in the past.

Archambault added that Aldrich told law enforcement that the suspect had taken six Xanax, three Adderalls, and several grams of cocaine and freebase cocaine the night of the shooting.

I really f--ked up; I really killed all those f--king people," Aldrich allegedly told an El Paso County transport deputy following a December hearing, according to a statement provided by Archambault.

Surveillance footage and next steps

Surveillance footage from the night of the Club Q shooting was entered into evidence by the prosecution, but was not played in court. However, the prosecution did display two screenshots from the surveillance footage which pictured Aldrich entering the club in a ballistic vest while holding an AR-15-style rifle, and Aldrich aiming down the sights of the AR-15 rifle within the club while shooting.

Both the prosecution and the defense told McHenry on Thursday that they would not like the Club Q surveillance footage released to the public, but McHenry scheduled a hearing for March 31, to hear argument from any third parties  such as the media  as to why the video should be made public.

McHenry also stated that on March 31 he will review any motions filed by Aldrichs mother, Laura Voepel, regarding claims she allegedly made to court staff on Wednesday night.

On Wednesday afternoon, McHenry noted that a woman named Laura V was using the chat feature in Webex to speak about things happening during the preliminary hearing. What was being said by the woman who may have been Aldrichs mother was not disclosed by McHenry, but whatever was said was important enough that attorneys from both sides had to be informed during an extended recess.

On Thursday morning, McHenry stated that court staff received a voicemail from a woman claiming to be Aldrichs mother requesting that her address be redacted from court proceedings and documents because someone allegedly attempted to break into her apartment after her address was stated in court on Wednesday.

CSPD spokesperson Robert Tornabene told The Gazette that there were no calls for service from any residents at Voepels address  which is a multi-unit apartment complex  on Wednesday or Thursday. Tornabene stated the most recent call for service from Voepels address was a call for an ambulance in late January.

McHenry stated on Thursday that he does not make rulings based on information provided via a voicemail, but if Voepel files a motion with the court to have her address redacted he will consider it at the March 31 court date.

The District Attorneys Office will hold a press conference Thursday afternoon to provide further information on Aldrichs case.

Aldrich remains in custody at the El Paso County jail.
When asked Thursday about the potential of Anderson Aldrich entering an insanity plea, District Attorney Michael Allen told reporters it's a possibility, but "too early to determine if that will happen or not."

Aldrich is accused of killing five people and wounding more than a dozen in the Nov. 19 shooting at Club Q, a popular LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs.

Aldrich's preliminary hearing came to a close on Thursday morning when Judge Michael McHenry ruled that all 323 charges against Aldrich be bound over. Allen's remarks came during a news conference following the court hearing.

Aldrich's mental health was a central focus for the defense throughout the two-day hearing, with the defense presenting several pieces of evidence showing that Aldrich was taking more than 10 prescription drugs to treat depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety disorders. Aldrich's attorney Joseph Archambault also said Aldrich's mother, Laura Voepel, told a detective that Aldrich was "severely disabled" and had been a victim of sexual assault.

On Thursday, Aldrich's defense team told the judge that it would pursue a mental health evaluation for Aldrich. Allen told reporters that the status of that mental health evaluation will be discussed at Aldrich's next court date on March 31.

Another thing that could potentially be discussed at that court appearance is a potential motion to suppress Laura Voepel's home address from court documents and future court proceedings.

On Wednesday afternoon, McHenry said a woman named Laura V was using the chat feature in the court's video conferencing system to speak about things happening during the preliminary hearing. What was being said by the woman who may have been Aldrichs mother was not disclosed by McHenry, but whatever was said was important enough that attorneys from both sides had to be informed during an extended recess.

On Thursday morning, McHenry said court staff received a voicemail from a woman claiming to be Aldrichs mother requesting that her address be redacted from court proceedings and documents because someone allegedly attempted to break into her apartment after her address was given in court on Wednesday.

Allen declined to comment on what Voepel allegedly said in the chat and if the claims of a potential break-in attempt were confirmed.

Robert Tornabene, a Colorado Springs police spokesman, told The Gazette that there were no calls for service from any residents at Voepels address  which is a multiunit apartment complex  on Wednesday or Thursday. Tornabene said the most recent call for service from Voepels address was a call for an ambulance in late January.

At the news conference, Allen also addressed the issue of Aldrich's sexual orientation and preferred pronouns.

Allen told the media that he believed Aldrich's nonbinary status would not be an important part of the case. Allen also declined to comment on whether he believes Aldrich is nonbinary, saying any references to Aldrich by prosecutors as he or him are "unintentional."

On Wednesday, Colorado Springs Detective Rebecca Joines testified that two people who knew Aldrich told law enforcement that Aldrich never referred to themselves as nonbinary, but that Aldrich's mother did.

During the preliminary hearing, Aldrich's attorneys spent a significant amount of time attempting to have the bias-motivated crime charges dismissed. Asked if he felt prosecutors had a strong case for pursuing those charges, Allen told reporters: "I do."

Aldrich is scheduled to be arraigned May 30, and Allen said he anticipates a plea of not guilty, which is standard in most homicide cases.

During the arraignment, a judge could set a trial date. Allen told reporters that he's "hopeful" that Aldrich's trial will be this year, but that 2024 is a definite possibility.

Aldrich remains in custody at the El Paso County jail without bond.
AFP: China has issued Chinas Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis. Why didnt China call on Russia to withdraw its troops in the position document?

Wang Wenbin: On Chinas Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis released earlier today, let me briefly go over the document. President Xi Jinping has put forward four principles, called for joint efforts in four areas and shared three observations on Ukraine, which outline Chinas fundamental approach to the issue. We take an objective and just position on the Ukraine issue, work actively to promote peace talks and play a constructive role in facilitating a resolution to the crisis.

As the full escalation of the Ukraine crisis reaches its one-year mark, we have formulated and released Chinas Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis to comprehensively and systematically outline Chinas basic position and propositions. The document covers 12 aspects, namely, respecting the sovereignty of all countries, abandoning the Cold War mentality, ceasing hostilities, resuming peace talks, resolving the humanitarian crisis, protecting civilians and prisoners of war, keeping nuclear power plants safe, reducing strategic risks, facilitating grain exports, stopping unilateral sanctions, keeping industrial and supply chains stable, and promoting post-conflict reconstruction.

As for your question, I would like to say that the Ukraine issue has a complex historical context. On this issue, China has all along upheld an objective and just position, actively promoted peace talks, and determined our position on the merits of the matter itself. We stand firmly on the side of peace and dialogue, that is, the right side of history.

China would like to build on the position document, work with the rest of the world, and make our contribution to the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.

RIA Novosti: The Foreign Ministry of China issued Chinas Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis today. The document said that the international community should create conditions and platforms for the resumption of negotiation. Is China willing to provide platforms for negotiation?

Wang Wenbin: It is our consistent position that all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis should be encouraged and supported. China would like to build on the position document, work with the rest of the world, and play a constructive role in the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.

Bloomberg: You said China wants to work with the rest of the world with this position document, what next steps are in line? What happens next basically? And secondly, diplomats and some experts that we spoke to have dismissed the position paper. How would you react to such characterization?

Wang Wenbin: As I said, China would like to build on the position document, work with the rest of the world, and make our contribution to the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.

As for the comments you mentioned, I think facts speak for themselves. After the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis, President Xi Jinping put forward four principles, called for joint efforts in four areas and shared three observations on Ukraine, which point the right way forward for promoting the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis. China also proposed a six-point initiative on preventing a large-scale humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. Today, we released Chinas Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis. All these speak to Chinas commitment to promoting peace talks. It would be important for the people you mentioned to think about what they have done for the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis instead of making comments that have no factual basis. Who exactly are committed to seeking peace? And who have been creating and escalating the tensions?

CGTN: Jeffrey Sachs, a professor at Columbia University, recently sent a letter to some members of the UN Security Council over the investigations into the Nord Stream blast, noting that the complexity of the destruction suggests that multiple parties may have participated in the sabotage with a hidden agenda. The key issue is to find out the truth. Denmark, Germany and Sweden conducted national inquiries, which are helpful but still not enough. An investigation mandated by the Security Council will help to ensure the findings are impartial, objective and credible. Whats your comment?

Wang Wenbin: The Nord Stream gas pipelines are major transboundary infrastructure and energy transportation arteries. The explosions had a major negative impact on the global energy market and the ecological environment. China believes that there should be an objective, impartial and professional investigation into the explosions, and those responsible must be held to account.

National inquiries are ongoing in Denmark and Germany, both NATO countries, and Sweden, which is seeking to join the organization. And yet as Professor Sachs noted, the destruction may have been carried out by one or more NATO members. Some people also commented that the so-called national investigations conducted by NATO countries are no different from asking a person to probe into himself, which would naturally lack credibility for the world.

China supports the UN, as the most authoritative and representative international organization, in playing an active and constructive role in conducting an international investigation and ensuring the safety of transboundary infrastructure. And we support the Security Council in holding discussions about it. We urge the US to give credible explanations as soon as possible for the revelation that the US was behind the Nord Stream blast, and credibly respond to the questions and concerns in the international community.

Global Times: US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns said on Twitter that a report entitled US Hegemony and Its Perils released by the Chinese side is crude propaganda and unworthy of a great power. How do you respond to it?

Wang Wenbin: The report released by Xinhua News Agency contains nothing but some plain facts about US hegemonism. Given Ambassador Burnss tweet, it seems that the US is not quite used to hearing the truth and is reluctant to acknowledge its problems, to the extent that it would simply dismiss all criticism as propaganda. We would like to say to the US ambassador that strong-arm and coercive diplomacy is what is truly unworthy of a great power. The job of a US ambassador is to report the truth and facts back to Washington D.C.. What the US needs to do is relinquish its hold on hegemony and seek peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation with other countries on the basis of respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.

CCTV: Relevant US authorities are conducting analysis of and investigation into the unmanned airship from China. Do you have any response?

Wang Wenbin: We have made it clear time and again that the unmanned Chinese civilian airship which drifted over the US was a purely unexpected and isolated event caused by force majeure. Without any evidence, the US wrongly called the airship a spy balloon and responded with abuse of force. That was a flagrant violation of the Chicago Convention and multiple basic principles of international law.

All collection and analysis of the debris of the downed airship has so far been done by the US by itself behind closed doors. The Chinese side has explicitly asked the US side through the consular protection channel to keep China informed of the progress. But the US has so far given no response. Like many others, China cannot but seriously question the independence, openness and transparency of the so-called investigation. What gives such an investigation credibility anyway?

The US position on the airship was preconceived. The way it handles the incident has been entirely taken hostage by domestic politics and designed to serve the strategy to contain and take down China. The fact that President Biden ordered the Pentagon to take down the balloon as early as February 1 makes people wonder whether the conclusions of the so-called investigation have already been pre-drawn as well. The conclusions will most likely not go beyond the disinformation and unfounded allegations coming from the US over and over for the past few weeks. What value can such an investigation possibly have apart from serving the purpose of smearing and attacking China?

CCTV: US Radio Talkshow Host Garland Nixon tweeted last week that President Biden warned about a US plan for the destruction of Taiwan. Do you have any comment on that?

Wang Wenbin: Im also curious what the US plan for the destruction of Taiwan looks like. The US needs to offer a clear explanation.

Taiwan is part of China. We will firmly defend Chinas sovereignty and territorial integrity.

AFP: We noted that Chinas position paper did not identify the aggressor in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Considering that China has been saying it takes an objective attitude and position, which side does China believe started and prolonged the war?

Wang Wenbin: We have answered similar questions many times. In fact, I reiterated Chinas position at the beginning of todays press conference. Our position is clear. We stand on the side of peace and dialogue, and on the right side of history. We have been committed to promoting peace talks and making our contribution to bringing about a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.

China Daily: According to reports, the US District Court for the Southern District of New York rejected the effort by the families of September 11 victims to seize money from frozen Afghan central bank funds. The Afghan interim government welcomed the ruling, and asked the US to unconditionally return the assets of the Afghan central bank. Whats Chinas comment?

Wang Wenbin: We have noted the reports. The US courts ruling once again exposed the unreasonable and preposterous freezing of the assets of other countries central banks, an illegal act akin to banditry. This is Afghans life-saving money we are talking about, which should be used independently by Afghanistan and for the improvement of peoples livelihood and peace and reconstruction as soon as possible. The longer Afghanistan is rejected access to the money, the longer the US will be questioned about its morality and conscience. People will keep asking why the US stands against the Afghan people?

We call on the US to reflect on its action and immediately return the Afghan central bank assets and remove unilateral sanctions on Afghanistan. It needs to credibly fulfill its primary responsibility to peace and reconstruction in Afghanistan and show the world it is capable of acting responsibly.

Reuters: In a briefing held earlier today, a diplomat from the Ukraine Embassy in China said it is a regret that as of today we have not seen any sign that China would like to arrange talks between President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Xi Jinping. Is China willing to arrange a call or meeting between the presidents of China and Ukraine?

Wang Wenbin: We have maintained smooth communication with all relevant parties, including Ukraine.

The Paper: This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). We noted that China has stressed the importance of building a green silk road and achieved notable outcomes in this regard. Whats your comment?

Wang Wenbin: The BRI points the way to not only economic prosperity but also green development. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the BRI put forward by President Xi Jinping. Over the past decade, China has taken real steps to share our wisdom, technology and proposal in the field of green development. Thanks to these efforts, green has become a more notable feature in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and the partner countries of Belt and Road cooperation and the people there share the outcomes of green development.

As a responsible major country, China always follows the philosophy of green development. China has worked with all parties to improve the mechanism for Belt and Road cooperation in green development. We have signed more than 50 cooperation documents on ecological and environmental protection with relevant countries and international organizations, and initiated Belt and Road partnership on green development with 28 partner countries. A large number of projects in green and practical cooperation have been launched in BRI partner countries. From wind turbines in Kazakhstans Zhanatas to the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway on the East African Plateau, infrastructure built with an environmental-friendly philosophy has brought ecological benefits to countries along the BRI. We have trained 3,000 people from more than 120 countries under the Green Silk Road Envoys Program.

We will continue to provide a strong driving force for building a green Silk Road, and work with the rest of the international community to build a planet which enjoys harmony between man and nature and between the economy and environment, and where all countries can develop and prosper together.

China News Service: Chinas actual use of foreign capital hit 127.69 billion yuan in January 2023, up 14.5 percent year-on-year. Apart from the steady growth in volume, the structure of foreign investment keeps improving. Whats your comment?

Wang Wenbin: These numbers signal a good start for foreign investment in China this year. The figures show that China remains a promising market for foreign companies and an economic benchmark for the world.

China has long had a strength on both the demand and supply sides generated by its huge market and its complete industrial system, which makes the country a strong magnet to foreign investors. Since Chinas COVID response entered a new stage, life and work in China have come back to normal at a faster pace, and the internal drive for economic growth has been gaining strength. International organizations like the IMF and investment agencies have revised up their growth projections for China. We believe that as the Chinese economy is looking up, there will be an even more favorable environment for foreign businesses to invest and operate in. At the recently-held Central Economic Work Conference, China vowed to make greater efforts to attract and utilize foreign capital as one of the five major tasks in 2023, to promote high-level opening-up and improve the quality and standard of trade and investment cooperation. This sent a positive signal to foreign investors. In 2023, the 2022 edition of Catalogue of Industries Encouraged for Foreign Investment came into force. Foreign investment will be encouraged in more areas, the threshold of foreign investment will be further lowered, and the development environment will only improve. According to the latest data from the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, 98.2% of the surveyed foreign-funded enterprises and foreign business associations expressed their confidence in Chinas economic prospects this year and their readiness to continue investing in China and sharing Chinas development dividends. This fully shows that the Chinese market and foreign businesses will continue to be drawn to each other.

Going forward, Chinese modernization will create more development opportunities, our commitment to opening-up will translate into more favorable policies, and the improving economy will reinvigorate the market. Such prospects mean that much can be achieved by foreign businesses in China. We welcome more foreign investors to the China market to share in the dividends of Chinas economy and contribute even more to world economic recovery.

Phoenix TV: Today marks the first anniversary of the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis. Whats your comment? Could you give us more details on Chinas position on the Ukraine issue?

Wang Wenbin: The Ukraine crisis happened in Europe, but its impact has spilled over the wider world. President Xi Jinping outlined the four principles, called for joint efforts in four areas and shared three observations on Ukraine. He noted perceptively that conflicts and wars produce no winner; there is no simple solution to a complex issue; and confrontation between major countries must be avoided. This points the right way forward for the deescalation of tensions and political settlement of the crisis. The Chinese side released Chinas Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis today, which expounds on Chinas basic position in a comprehensive and systematic manner.

This biggest crisis on Eurasia since WWII has taught us many lessons as follows:

Clinging to the Cold War mentality leads to antagonism and confrontation. The end of the Cold War more than three decades ago doesnt mean the end to the zero-sum thinking and the Cold War mentality. The Berlin Wall was torn down, yet the fence of ideology and prejudices based on values still stand. If such Cold War mentality lingers on and goes unchecked, confrontation and crisis will be what the future holds in store for us all.

Stoking bloc confrontation leads to conflict and war. As a product of the Cold War, NATO continues to exist despite the end of the Cold War, and even constantly seeks to reach beyond its traditional defense zone and scope and stoke tensions and create troubles in the Asia-Pacific. NATO needs to reflect on itself. We have seen what NATO has done to Europe, and it must not seek to sow chaos here in the Asia-Pacific or elsewhere in the world.

Applying double-standard will backfire. The US stresses the need to respect Ukraines sovereignty, yet it is exactly the US that has wantonly violated other countries sovereignty, grandstanded on the Taiwan question and blatantly interfered in Chinas internal affairs. Such double standard has been rejected and opposed by most members of the international community.

China will stay firm on the side of peace, dialogue and the right side of history. We will stay committed to promoting peace talks, and work with the rest of the international community to play a constructive role in and make our own contribution to the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.

Reuters: Will China attend the G20 foreign ministers meeting in Bangalore, India offline?

Wang Wenbin: We will release relevant information in due course. Please check back for updates.

Xinhua News Agency: We noted that Chinese modernization has drawn widespread attention from the international community. William Jones, the Washington Bureau Chief for the Executive Intelligence Review, noted that its much better for developing countries to draw experience from Chinese modernization than copy the Wests modernization. Some Western scholar called Chinese modernization a version 3.0. Do you have any comment? Whats the significance of Chinese modernization to the world?

Wang Wenbin: Since the founding of the Peoples Republic of China, in particular since China began reform and opening up, we have completed in several decades a journey that took Western developed countries several centuries. China has created the twin miracles of achieving rapid economic development and long-term social stability, which have boosted the worlds modernization drive. Chinese modernization contains elements that are common to the modernization processes of all countries, but it is more characterized by features that are unique to the fine traditional Chinese culture and the Chinese context. It is the modernization of a huge population, the modernization of common prosperity for all, the modernization of material and cultural-ethical advancement, the modernization of harmony between humanity and nature and the modernization of peaceful development. Chinese modernization offers a new vision that is different from Western modernization and creates a new form of human advancement.

Chinese modernization not only boosts Chinas development, but also contributes to global prosperity. To date, no more than 30 countries, with a total population of less than one billion, have achieved industrialization. Against this backdrop, the modernization of China, a country with over 1.4 billion people, will be a game changer in the landscape of modernization in the world. The unique worldview, values and outlooks on history, civilization, democracy and ecology in Chinese modernization and this great undertaking itself are a major theoretical and practical innovation in the modernization of the world. It breaks the myth that modernization equals Westernization and provides humanity a new choice for achieving modernization. It tells the world that countries are able to independently explore ways to modernization in light of their national conditions and achieve leapfrog development. Chinese modernization has drawn widespread attention from the international community. Experts and scholars from quite a few countries noted that Chinese modernization is a pioneering undertaking in the development of human society and a true miracle in the history of human development. They lauded Chinas achievement in modernization and its support for other developing countries in their modernization by sharing its experience.

Chinese modernization is a shared asset for all. We neither export nor ask other countries to copy the Chinese mode. In the meantime, we are ready to share our development experience. We have confidence that the success of the Chinese path to modernization will contribute more insights for addressing global challenges facing humanity and provide new choices and opportunities for countries in the world to realize modernization.
Experts heard by Jovem Pan point out that Putin has lost strength and is weakened; formation of new bloc, focused on geopolitical interests, is emerging around Beijing and Washington

Alexandr Demyanchuk / SPUTNIK / AFP War in Ukraine could make Russia submissive to China



A year ago, the Russian invasion of Ukraine accelerated the world hegemonic transition and changed the logic of the international economy. From the moment the troops of Vladimir Putin entered Ukrainian territory on February 24, 2022, a series of consequences were happening, one of them being the formation of new blocks around Washington and Beijing. Even without being the protagonists, the countries will be the ones that should reap the most positive results from this war. A Chinawhich sees itself as the first world power in 2049, wonders, just like the U.S, how to insert this war into your agenda. Despite not having officially declared it, the Chinese regime supports the Russia, while the Americans show full support to the Ukrainians, including sending weapons so that they can defend themselves. This strong presence of Chinese and Americans means that the Russians, holders of a nuclear arsenal greater than that of China, run the risk of being relegated to the level of subordinate power. The European Union, on the other hand, sees in this conflict a decisive moment to establish itself as the third world force or to become a mere pawn of Washington. Mechanically, the end of the war will weaken and weaken Russia and Europe. The two big winners could be the United States and China, sums up, in statements to AFP, Pierre Razoux, from the Fundacion Mediterranea de Estudios Estrategicos (FMES).

Recently, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote an article for the Foreign Affairs condemning the separation of the world into blocks. Doctor in International Strategic Studies from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) and political consultant Guilherme Thudium explains that this is a reality that is here to stay. Those who tend to benefit from it are the non-aligned or multi-aligned powers, which will retain greater autonomy, which does not seem to be the case in Germany, he says in an interview with Jovem Pans website. Central Asia, Caucasus, Balkans, Africa, Indo-Pacific are regions that face silent struggles for influence (economic, military or diplomatic) between powers such as China, the European Union, the United States, Russia or Turkey. The conflict has weakened, for example, Russias position in its former Central Asian republics and has given Turkey great diplomatic opportunities. But would this mean a total division of the world? In the current context, emerging countries such as Brazil or India, for example, try to appear as balance powers, avoiding clearly aligning themselves. Historian Angelo Segrillo points out that this war may help China rise as the worlds largest economy and can be considered the real winner.

Leandro Consentino, political scientist, explains that at this moment the new formation of blocks are less derived from ideology and more centered on geopolitical interests. However, he warns that if the European Union fails to prevent itself, it could end up being a mere pawn in the hands of Russia or the US. Europes diversity is a factor that plays in its favor, but it has to know how to preserve this achievement and know how to expand. The last time she thought of expanding, she wanted to bring in Turkey. The European bloc will have to discuss this again to re-establish itself as a powerful pole, he explains. A clear consequence that has already been seen as a result of the sanctions imposed on Russia was the change in the logic of the international economy, which can be considered as the end of globalization and the reduction of large global chains. If, since the end of the Cold War, what mattered was I buy at the lowest price and deliver within the established deadline from anywhere in the world, now that is no longer the case. Governments may be encouraging what they call reshoring, that is, bringing production back to their own territories, explains Gunther Rudzit, professor of international relations at ESPM. Measures such as limiting the value of a barrel of Russian crude oil, adopted by the G7 and the EU, thus brought about the end of the world market, says Patrick Pouyanne, chief executive of TotalEnergies.

French researcher Bruno Tertrais, from the Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS), points out that the war in Ukraine represents a strategic distraction for Washington. In addition, the American president, Joe Biden, must seek a balance between those who want a quick solution to the conflict and those of the Republican Party, his opponents, reticent to send weapons to Ukraine, according to Giovanna De Maio, a researcher at the George Washington University. For Rudzit, the end of the war between the two countries is not something that everyone wants, for the simple reason that this made Russia weaken militarily and manage to isolate it economically. If the war lasts 10 years, its very good for Washington, sums up the professor. The expert also says that Ukraine has shown how to wage war. The weaker side knew how to use the defensive strategy that managed to stop the advance. It is no coincidence that Russia is weakened at the moment, while North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which had been without function since the end of the war, gained strength. The war strengthened NATO, however, under the uncontested leadership of Washington. From the Russian point of view, the failures of the invasion so far call into question the large-scale military reform pursued in the Putin era, which pointed to it as a pole of power in the international system in terms of conventional capabilities, explains Guilherme Thudium. According to a report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the Russia suffered a major loss of military power, including much of its newer war equipment; China implemented an unprecedented increase in spending, and NATO was invigorated by the war in Ukraine. The study also showed that around 20 countries had announced immediate or long-term increases in defense spending or targets for defense spending because of the conflict, while NATO, which Sweden and Finland now want to join, got a new boost.

Despite China and the US being the countries that should gain more prominence, the specialists interviewed by the Jovem Pans website draw attention to other places and countries that also have a chance to stand out. Every crisis generates opportunities for other players. There is a very good opportunity there, despite its internal problems. Europe and Latin America can directly or indirectly benefit from this conflict as third-way factors that develop beyond these industries, says Leandro Consentino. The political scientist points out that Brazil could be one of them. A possible benefit for Brazil is the export of commodities and the development of industries and sectors that we are not leaders; it is a way of being able to replace several partners, it is an important opportunity, even though the economic problems resulting from this conflict also affect us, he says. Thudium argues that the Brazilian proposal to create a group of neutral countries seems more promising and, if accepted, tends to raise our position on the international scene. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva suggested creating a group of countries to put an end to the war in Ukraine, an initiative he proposed to his US counterparts, Joe Biden; of France, Emmanuel Macron, and intends to do it to the Chinese Xi Jinping. However, the US has already guaranteed that it will not participate.

Even with this prediction of a world divided into two blocs, experts agree that the war in Eastern Europe is far from over. The conflict is at a technical stalemate that could last for a long time, until a loophole is found for a peace agreement to be reached, says Segrillo. What the great powers do next will be crucial to define the future of this period: the maintenance of peace, even if interrupted by localized conflicts, or the resurgence of central wars as in the first half of the 20th century. International politics today, unfortunately, largely resembles the period of the great world wars, explains Thudium, adding that it is difficult to predict the future, because the great guideline of the conflict continues to be the growing involvement of NATO and how Russia will react to he. Consentino says there will still be a stalemate because neither side is yielding. I think its difficult to break the impasse, but the negotiations must evolve and the warlike conflict, if it is intensified, can bring points of no return such as the use of nuclear weapons and accelerate the conflict signal and we fall into a more destructive potential.
Senator Ernst met with U.S. soldiers Ethan Burkhalter of Creston and Colby Beek of Charles City at Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday.

According to a press release, Ernst, a combat veteran and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, thanked the servicemembers for their service to our state and nation.

This statement has been edited for clarity.
Iowa Specialty Hospitals & Clinics announced in a press release the receipt of the Orthopedic and Spine Center of Excellence Designation from DNV. This designation affirms an organizations excellence in the provision of diagnostic services, surgical services, and therapies related to orthopedic and spine care.

Iowa Specialty Hospitals Orthopedic program is the first facility in Iowa to have been found to be compliant with the requirements of the following four areas: Orthopedic and Spine Center of Excellence Designation; Advanced Hip and Knee Replacement Certification; Advanced Spine Surgery Certification and Advanced Shoulder Surgery Certification.

This designation assures our community that we have the ability to provide consistent, high quality orthopedic and spine care," said President and CEO Steve Simonin in a statement. The community can be confident that we have the equipment, personnel and training to be a demonstrated leader in the safe delivery of orthopedic and spine services. Achieving this designation validates all the effort we put into ensuring the health and safety of our patients.

The DNV Orthopedic and Spine Center of Excellence Designation is obtained by achieving advanced certification in at least three advanced programs. The DNV advanced orthopedic and spine requirements are informed by the guidelines and recommendations of organizations such as the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, the ERAS Society, the North American Spine Society, the American Society of Anesthesiologists, and relevant requirements of the CMS Conditions of Participation for Hospitals.

PHOTOS: 2023 Color the Wind kite festival 20230218_133812 - Copy.jpg 20230218_133826 - Copy.jpg 20230218_133930 - Copy.jpg 20230218_134148 - Copy.jpg 20230218_134207 - Copy.jpg 20230218_134327.jpg 20230218_134343.jpg 20230218_134407.jpg 20230218_134727.jpg 20230218_134728.jpg 20230218_134816.jpg 20230218_134841.jpg 20230218_135440.jpg 20230218_135523.jpg 20230218_135841.jpg 20230218_135848.jpg 20230218_140011.jpg 20230218_140455.jpg 20230218_140624.jpg 20230218_140645.jpg 20230218_142524.jpg 20230218_142954.jpg Kite 1.jpg Kite 2.jpg Kite 3.jpg
Re: According to local farmers, the recent significant decline in the [ #permalink

According to local farmers, the recent significant decline in the yield of Einkorn, a variety of wheat cultivated primarily in Ingrostia, is due to the unfavorable weather conditions last year .

However, a government spokesperson recently made a statement claiming that the yield of Einkorn has declined because of the decline in the usage of pesticides by the local farmers .



Which of the following, if true, most seriously calls the spokespersons claim into question?

We need to find an answer choice that undermines the spokesperson's claim.



(A) Weather conditions in Ingrostia have been the same this year as they were last year.

The government spokesperson's claim is about decline in the usage of pesticides. A is not relevant.

(B) Einkorn has been losing its popularity to another variety of wheat called Durum that requires cheaper seeds and fewer fertilizers . Again, this answer choice is about some other variety of wheat that requires cheaper seeds and fewer fertilizers. Pesticides is not even mentioned here. B is not relevant.



(C) The yield of Spelt, a variety of wheat grown in Ingrostia that requires the same weather conditions as Einkorn but is extremely resistant to pests has also declined. Correct. Since the yield of the other variety of wheat which is extremely resistant to pests (implies it doesn't need much use of pesticides) has also declined - this option undermines the government spokesperson's claim and strengthen's the claim of local farmers. Correct.



(D) The spokesperson is not from an agricultural background, whereas the farmers are more knowledgeable about agricultural conditions - irrelevant



(E) The global yield of Einkorn has been lower this year than in the previous years. - irrelevant.

Answer C
By Azernews

Sabina Mammadli

An event dedicated to the presentation of "Azerbaijan's Human Capital Review report, organized with the support of the European Union, was held in Baku on February 24.

The Human Capital Review is aimed to support the implementation of the Azerbaijani Governments National Priorities 2020 and the Socio-Economic Development Strategy 2022-2026 by assessing the state of key capital endowments and challenges in the country, identifying priority human capital outcomes that can be strengthened and offering country-specific policy options to improve the mentioned outcomes.

Reporting from the scene, Azernews informs that representatives of the Azerbaijani government, development partners, civil society, and media representatives attended the event. Moreover, World Bank Director for human development in Europe and Central Asia Fadia Saadah, who is on an official visit to Azerbaijan, and EU Ambassador Peter Mikhalko gave speeches at the event.

Speaking at the event, World Bank Country Manager for Azerbaijan Sarah Michael gave an outline of the human capital index, which measures the expected productivity of the next generation of workers based on their education and health outcomes.

According to her, based on the report, the human capital index in Azerbaijan has increased from 50 to 58 percent from 2010 to 2020.

Creating a dynamic and inclusive society with competitive human capital is one of the national priorities of Azerbaijan in the new national strategy. I hope the report we presented today will provide useful data and evidence to support the formulation of relevant new policy actions, Michael stressed.

Furthermore, EU Ambassador underlined European Unions support for Azerbaijan's human development, emphasizing the fundamental importance of investments in this sphere.

He noted that thanks to this project, it will be possible to identify priorities for future development in this area.

Azerbaijan and the EU promote human capital development for continuous improvement of the Azerbaijani public administration and public service, the ambassador said.

Similarly, the visiting World Bank official Fadia Saadah gave a detailed presentation about human capital development and in which areas Azerbaijan has further work to do. The official noted that there are many ways for Azerbaijan to further improve the situation going forward.

Ensuring equitable access to quality education, health, social protection, and employment services for the poorest and most vulnerable people would help set the country on track to ensure citizens and communities reach their full potential, Saadah remarked.

At the end of the event, the presenters answered questions from the audience.




Deferred MBA Profile Evaluation Request - Where do I stand? [ #permalink

Im currently a junior in college and am looking to apply to deferred MBA programs in January 2024. My profile will be given in future tense as I am currently on track to achieve all these goals. I am trying to gain an understanding of how strong my application will be for the main deferred MBA programs I am interested in. I have strong leadership positions on campus and lots of volunteering. I have a target GMAT score. I have a lower GPA, but the number doesnt do the justice as my low GPA isnt a B+ average but rather two bad years mixed with 3 years of perfection. My current summer internship is at a smaller consulting firm, but I have a consulting internship at a larger company upon graduation next summer. One of my recommendations will come from my economic professor who is a faculty advisor for one of the clubs Im president for. My other recommendation will come from the VP (who recommended me for the job) of the small/midsize consulting internship I have this 2023 summer. I have not written any essays yet but am currently thinking about how to craft my profile into a compelling story. From college failure, to exceeding grades, extracurriculars, etc.



My target programs include: Booth Scholars, Kellogg Future leaders, Yale Silver Scholars, Columbia, MIT, Wharton Moelis, HBS 2+2, Stanford GSB, Berkely HAAS, UVA Darden.

My target career is in consulting



Profile:

White Male, 22 years old, Florida

Double Major in Economics and Sociology at a top 50 university, Cum Laude

GMAT: 740+ *Side Note* I am currently looking to boost this score a little more to make up for my lower GPA.

Cumulative GPA: 3.23 *Side Note* I did very bad my first two years in college during 2019-2020 and failed out from a rank 250 university with a 1.5 GPA in Spring 2021. I wasnt passionate about my major, Covid happened, was working, and just generally didnt have any long-term plans so I didnt care about school. However, Fall 2021, I started back at community college, took 12 classes, made straight As in all of them, and graduated with my associates degree with honors. Once I got my Associates degree I got admitted into a Rank 50 university. Starting in Fall 2022, I took another 17 classes and made straight As in all of them. So upon my application, I am currently on a 29-class streak (85 credits) of 4.00 GPA straight As. So, my GPA has gone from a 1.5 to a 3.23.

My transcripts look like this: (Rank 250 University) ACDCDCUUUUFFWFFWC ------> (Community College) AAAAAAAAAAAA ------> (Rank 50 University) AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA



Extracurriculars:

Entrepreneurship Club  Founder/President

National Business Economics Association  President

Student Government  Executive Branch Financial Assistant

Financial Management Association - Member

Foster Care Mentoring  200+ Volunteer Hours

Special Olympic Volunteering  100+ Volunteer Hours

Universitys Scholar Society, Universitys Leadership Honors Society, Economics Honors Society, Sociology Honors Society

Quiz Bowl Academic Team  Top 5 Scholar



Work Experience:

Summer 2023 consulting Internship at a small-mid size consulting firm (publicly traded, 150m Revenue, 1b market cap)

Summer 2024 consulting Internship at a Fortune 500 company (Not MBB but slightly lower tier)



Entrepreneurial Projects:

Created my own private software utilizing multiple programming languages that connected to the OpenSea API and automatically traded NFTs on the OpenSea market, generated $135,000 in purchases and sales while maintain steady profit margins.

Founded an Instagram Media Page that organically grew 40,000 followers, generated 50 million impressions and 35 million views on content, Collaborated with companies to generate revenue with sponsored posts/advertisements



Deferred MBA's have been a driving factor in my motivation for my grades, and extracurriculars. I passionately believe an MBA will accelerate me in the workforce and I want the security of having a degree from a top institution. I want to apply deferred so that I can have peace of mind going into the workforce after college knowing that I have grad school lined up. I also like the aspect that If I get denied from deferred MBA's I can apply again 2-5 years down the line for regular admissions with higher acceptance odds and more schools available. I'm all in on the idea of Business School and getting into a top institution has been a dream of mine ever since I started taking college and my long term goals seriously. I look forward to advice of how strong/weak my application stands for deferred MBA programs. Thank you so much!!!!
Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History will open a new exhibit, Harriet Fitzgerald and the Abingdon Square Painters, on March 7.

Fitzgerald, a Danville native, and the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. H.R. Fitzgerald, distinguished herself as an artist, exhibitor and a much sought-after lecturer.

Born in 1904, she attended Stratford Hall in Danville and went on to graduate from Randolph-Macon Womans College in Lynchburg. Much of her training as an artist came in two and a half years of study at The Art Students League of New York, principally in the class of John Slogan, and in the private classes of Maurice Stern and the cubist painter Ambrose Webster.

All of this formal training was supplemented by a period of independent study in Europe during which Fitzgerald studied the chief art galleries there.

With the Great Depression of 1929, the artist in Fitzgerald was touched by a concern for the social significance in human relationships. Thus she returned to Danville, where for three years she painted, working out her own individual technique and theories.

In 1938, she came into her own when she won an award in a competition sponsored by the American Artists Congress. As a result of this award, 10 of her paintings were hung in a three-man exhibition at the A.C.A. Gallery in New York. Her paintings were soon seen also in group exhibitions at Milch and MacBeth Galleriesl.

In 1942, The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts presented an exhibition of her work, and in 1944 the Charles Barzansky Gallery of New York gave her a one-man show. Since that time, this gallery has handled her work, exhibiting it regularly in the group exhibitions of its artists and holding for her four more one-man shows: 1946, 1947, 1950 and 1954. Other one-man shows of Fitzgeralds work have been held at Randolph-Macon Womans College, Randolph-Macon College, the Asheville Museum of Art and the Birmingham Public Library, among others.

In 1948, Fitzgerald has directed the Abingdon Square Painters in New York City, a position which has led to her being in demand by colleges throughout the country. From 1955-64 and from 1967-69, she served as a lecturer for the Arts Program Association of American Colleges; in the late 1940s, early 1950s and early 1960s she was involved with the lecture program of the Virginia Area University Center; and since 1957 Fitzgerald has been a visiting lecturer at Stratford College and a member of the faculty without rank.

Museum hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday.
A Pittsylvania County woman was sentenced in federal court last week on charges related to stealing $170,000 in Social Security benefits belonging to her grandmother, who was serving a prison sentence in the death of her husband.

Christy Bowling, 38, of Hurt, pleaded guilty in November to concealment of bankruptcy assets and theft of government money. She was sentenced last week to serve two months in federal prison followed by a year of home detention.

United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia and Gail S. Ennis, inspector general for the Social Security Administration, made the announcement via news release Wednesday.

Bowlings mother, 58-year-old Judith Cash, of Shipman, pleaded guilty in May to theft of public money, a charge related to the same theft of Social Security benefits, the release stated. Cash received a year of home detention when she was sentenced.

It all came to light in August 2020, according to court documents, when Betty Gowen contacted the Social Security Administration to apply for retirement benefits. Federal authorities said Gowen, of Nelson County, was in prison serving a sentence in the death of her husband.

Online court records show she was sentenced to 20 years in April 2002 after a jury found her guilty in the 2001 murder of 62-year-old Jack Tunstall Gowen.

She contacted Social Security in 2020 to apply for benefits upon her release from prison.

When SSA officials received Gowens application, it was revealed that her daughter, Judith Cash, and granddaughter, Christy Bowling, had already applied for and had been receiving Gowens SSA Retirement Benefits since 2010, federal officials wrote in the release.

The daughter and granddaughter used a shared bankcard to access the funds.

After an investigation, the Social Security Administration found out the pair stole $172,952 in benefits. In addition to prison time, the court has ordered them to pay back the money as restitution.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Charlene R. Day prosecuted the case, according to the release.
An 18-year-old Helena man and an 18-year-old Clancy man were each charged Friday with two felony counts of attempted deliberate homicide after being accused of shooting two juveniles at Ryan Fields, police said.

Helena police said Jonathon James Countryman of Helena and Julien McKnight of Clancy brought a firearm to meet with two juveniles they had a dispute with at Ryan Fields. The juveniles were 15 and 17.

They said McKnight shot several rounds from inside the vehicle, striking the two juveniles.

Police said Countryman was arrested early Friday and charged with two counts of attempted deliberate homicide.

McKnight was located early Friday afternoon and interviewed about the incident. He was arrested for two counts of attempted deliberate homicide and two counts of tampering with evidence, police said. Both were booked into the Lewis and Clark County Detention Center.

Police were dispatched to Ryan Fields near the Fairgrounds for a report of a shooting around 9:24 p.m. on Thursday.

Witnesses stated that an argument broke out over the phone about personal issues involving two women. Threats were being made, including threats of weapon use. The parties agreed to meet at Ryan Fields, according to court reports.

At the agreed-upon meeting location, Countryman was sitting in his vehicle when a group approached. One person tried to pull Countryman out of his vehicle while another was hitting the vehicle with a metal rod, according to court documents.

During the altercation, multiple gunshots were fired, striking two juveniles who suffered life-threatening injuries, authorities said.

The juveniles were transported by another person to the emergency room. Officers went to the emergency room and verified they had gunshot wounds. Police said they found evidence such as shell casings at Ryan Fields, at Custer Avenue and Henderson Street, consistent with the information reported.

Witnesses stated they saw glass breaking from the vehicle during the shooting.

Countryman told authorities that he heard a gunshot and found his vehicle window was broken. Later, he stated that another suspect had actually shot the two juveniles but that he didnt know the last name of the other suspect in the vehicle. When confronted with a potential last name, Countryman admitted to knowing the last name.

He told officials that the other suspect retrieved the gun from their residence after learning that a fight may take place at the field. Countryman stated that the plan was for the other suspect to hide in the backseat and if things went bad, to start shooting, court documents stated.

Authorities said Countryman admitted to owning a firearm that fires similar caliber, said officials. Police said from their initial investigation they believe this to be an isolated incident.

All are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Qabil Ashirov

The number of logistics centers and customs warehouses will be increased along the Middle Corridor (Trans-Caspian International Transport Route) and the "North-South" Transport Corridor, Azernews reports citing First Deputy Chairman of Azerbaijan's State Customs Committee Ismayil Huseynov telling at a conference on the topic "Digital management platform and presentation of new economic initiatives",

"In this direction, the State Customs Committee is working together with the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport. We will provide the necessary support to increase the number of these centers and warehouses," added Ismayil Huseynov.

Besides that, the first deputy chairman noted that the number of electric and hybrid cars imported to Azerbaijan increases from year to year, and as of February 20, the number of imported electric cars amounted to 195.

"According to the analysis, the import of cars with electric motors to Azerbaijan amounted to 132 cars in 2019, 167 in 2020, and 160 in 2021. Imports of hybrid cars in 2019 equaled 3,645, in 2020 - 5,081, and in 2021 - 12,936. As a result of the steps taken, the number of cars with electric motors imported to Azerbaijan last year increased to 486. And in 2023, as of February 20, the number of imported electric vehicles totaled 195," he said.

Ismayil Huseynov said that four directions were identified in connection with the stimulation and promotion of the usage of these vehicles in the road map regarding the usage of environmentally friendly vehicles.

According to him, these directions comprised of conducting analysis and assessment regarding the use of electric cars and hybrid vehicles, preparing proposals for stimulating and promoting the use of environmentally friendly vehicles, and providing financial availability for the expansion of the use of electric cars and hybrid vehicles as well as electric cars and creation of necessary infrastructure for stimulating and promoting the use of hybrid vehicles.




Veronika Fomishyna knew it was the last supper for her family in Ukraine the night of Feb. 23, 2022.

A friend had informed her earlier in the day that the war would start tomorrow and to let her family and friends know. However, she didnt have the heart to ruin her grandmas 70th birthday celebration.

I was going to tell my family, but they were celebrating and so much food was out, said Fomishyna. It was like a feast, and they were happy."

The next morning, before the sun even had a chance to rise, Russia invaded Ukraine, and life has been upside down for Fomishyna and many others ever since.

On the one-year anniversary of the start of the war, 23-year-old Fomishyna has found herself on the other side of the world in Helena attending Carroll College through its Global Student Refugee/Asylee Initiative (GSRAI). Shes joined in the program by two other Ukrainian women, 21-year-old Mariia Savchenko and 20-year-old Anzhela Stoliar.

By providing access to higher education for our Ukrainian students, we are not only helping them to rebuild their lives and continue on their educational path, but we are also providing them with the tools and skills they need to contribute to a more-peaceful and prosperous world, President of Carroll College John Cech said.

The journey from Ukraine to the United States spanned multiple days and countries. Fomishyna arrived Dec. 11, and Savchenko and Stoliar traveled together, arriving on Jan. 15.

Mariia Savchenko

Savchenko and Stoliar both attended what once was Petro Mohyla Black Sea National University in Mykolaiv. The university has since been destroyed by missiles and bombs.

Savchenko grew up in Mykolaiv. Her dad lives in Germany, but her mom, half-sister and nephew lived in Ukraine. Her mother relocated to Bulgaria when the war started. She's watched as her city has withstood dozens of attacks from Russia over the past year due to its location in the south of Ukraine.

When Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, refugees came to Mykolaiv and attended school with Savchenko. She said this gave her a sense of the devastation a full-on war with Russia could bring.

Putin is a murderer, said Savchenko. Hes killing infants, women and bombing schools. He doesnt care that the Ukrainian people are innocent. We did nothing.

She was working as a manager at a restaurant and was set to graduate soon from university before the war. Savchenko moved with her family to Bulgaria for a month. From there, she and her mother headed to the Czech Republic while the war was raging on in Ukraine. Spending time in other countries made potent the mundane things war quietly steals away, like Christmas.

Other countries around Europe were setting up for Christmas, but back home on the streets of Ukraine, there were no decorations. There was no Christmas, said Savchenko.

In October, Carroll College contacted Savchenko and offered her a place to continue her studies. In four days, she traveled through Austria, Moldova and Germany before arriving in Denver then Helena.

Shes starting over as a first-year student studying political science with hopes of becoming a journalist. Shes waiting on her credits from her Ukrainian university to be evaluated and transferred to Carroll. Her host family is Erin Gockel and Rustin Johnson.

Anzhela Stoliar

Theres no checklist on how to prepare for a war, but Stoliar knew she had to do one thing -- keep her phone charged.

I hoped the war wouldnt happen, but every night, Id charge my phone just in case. I kept it charged, Stoliar said. ... Before the war, I could plan my day and say I have this appointment and go to it. Now if I have a dentist appointment, I could be going there but a missile could be spotted so I have to shelter in under 10 minutes, or I could be in the middle of the dentist appointment and the lights go out.

Stoliar was attending the same university as Savchenko and was set to graduate soon as well. The two were acquaintances back home but have gotten to know each other better since traveling together to the United States and Carroll.

In Ukraine, Stoliar lived in an apartment in Mykolaiv. On the third day of the war, her front window got blown out. In the midst of winter and a war, she had no choice but to go live in an underground shelter.

In the shelters you could hear missiles and explosions all around you, and youre below ground wondering if the building is going to fall on you and bury you, Stoliar said.

She stayed in the shelter for four nights, wondering if it would be her coffin. Her roommate had relatives in the city, so they went to stay with them for 10 days. In November, Stoliar was reunited with her family after being banned from seeing them for eight months due to their home city Kherson, located in southern Ukraine, being under Russian occupation since March 6.

During those months, Stoliars little brother secretly attended a Ukrainian school, an illegal act under Russian occupation. She and her family moved to Korosten in northern Ukraine before she came to the United States. Her family has since headed back home to Kherson as of last week.

Stoliar is hosted by Alana Listoe, and she is currently a first-year student studying international relations at Carroll. Stoliar is also waiting on her credits from her Ukrainian university to be transferred and evaluated by Carroll.

Veronika Fomishyna

Fomishyna was studying in Slovakia at Comenius University when the war started back home. Slovakia was a safer county to be in, but Fomishyna didnt care about safety. She cared about her family back home in Vinnytsia in west-central Ukraine.

It was hard to not be home, said Fomishyna. All of my family was under one roof, so Id stay awake at night and wonder if a missile hit, Id lose everyone. Id be the last one.

Fomishyna mentioned how Russia has targeted infrastructure in cities, which has displaced many people internally.

Everyone has refugees living with them, said Fomishyna. Two room apartment, nine people -- its OK, Ill sleep on the floor. I don't mind.

Fomishyna was volunteering in Ukrainian refugee camps in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, where she met a journalist, Clay Scott, who asked her if she would return to Ukraine with him as a translator, and she said yes. Fomishyna speaks English, Russian, Ukrainian and Slovakian.

Many of these refugees left behind almost everything when they fled, including their animals.

Fomishyna told the story of a dog in a village that was tied to a tree by Russian soldiers. The dog was starving to death, but no one could do anything to help it because land mines had been placed all around it. One step too close, and nothing would be left of the person or the dog. She stated this wasn't the only animal Russians did this to.

Scott learned of the United for Ukraine program that provides a pathway for Ukrainian citizens and their immediate family to come to the United States and stay temporarily for a two-year trial period. The journalist is a friend of John and Debra Beaver, who are now Fomishynas host family. Scott told them about Fomishyna, and she made her way to Germany to fly to the United States under the Beavers' sponsorship.

Scott is traveling back to Ukraine in a week, where he intends to travel to Fomishynas hometown and meet her family to let them know she is safe and doing well.

Fomishyna was studying informatics, accounting and business/management before coming to Carroll. She found out about Carrolls GSRAI when she was staying in Helena with the Beaver family. Shes hopes to become a social worker.

Carrolls GSRAI started in the fall, and it now has seven students total -- four Ethiopian and three Ukrainian students. To date, the program has received around $200,000 in donations to fund the education of these students, including a $50,000 donation from the Gianforte Foundation, which is run by the family of Gov. Greg Gianforte.

We are deeply grateful for the generous support of our donors and the Gianforte Family Foundation, whose contributions have made it possible for us to provide these vital educational opportunities for our Ukrainian students, Cech, the college president, said. We are especially thankful for Ray and Susie Kuntz whose incredible compassion, generosity and vision have made all the difference in bringing this initiative to life.

Kuntz highlighted how people cant save the world, but they can start by helping the person next to them. Dave Hunter and Linda Carlson also played a crucial role in finding students and fundraising for the initiative.

Its easy to watch this war and read that in a bombing this many people were killed, said Kuntz. We all just let it run off our shoulders and dont think about it, but when you see these people face-to-face, eyeball-to-eyeball and theyre real people, it makes you reevaluate your whole view.

Carroll hosted a panel "The War in Ukraine: One Year On" on Wednesday evening. Professors DJ Cash, Dean Pavlakis and Jeremy Johnson discussed Ukraine's origins, the war and potential consequences for Ukraine, Russia and the world. Johnson described how Putin expected to seize Ukraine in days, and explained how Russia's military has turned to "looting, poor organization and a lack of discipline."

The three Ukrainian students spoke as well on their experiences and their families.

In Ukraine, the word appreciate is like the highest level of feeling, so I really appreciate and admire the Ukrainian people, said Savchenko. ... Im so appreciative of all America has done and Europe and more for Ukraine. Ukrainians are strong people, and I think we will get through this.

Cash highlighted President Joe Biden's surprise visit to Kyiv on Feb. 20 where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Biden stated: "One year later, Kyiv stands. Ukraine stands. Democracy stands. America  and the world  stands with Ukraine."

How to help

To give to the GSRI, go to carroll.edu/give and click the "GIVE NOW" box, then select Global Student Refugee Initiative. People can also Email giving@carroll.edu or call 1-406-447-4406. Make checks payable to Carroll College with a memo notation Global Student Refugee Initiative, and the address to send them to is Carroll College Office of Institutional Advancement c/o Global Student Refugee Initiative, 1601 N. Benton Ave. Helena, MT 59625. To volunteer as a host family for a displaced student, email HostFamilyHelena@gmail.com.
A proposal to send judges to the bench by legislative appointment, rather than elections, died Thursday on a narrow 5-6 vote.

Senate Bill 372 by Sen. Daniel Emrich, R-Great Falls, was a constitutional amendment that would have been put to the voters in 2024.

Sen. Bob Brown, R-Thompson Falls, had signed onto the bill as a cosponsor, but said Thursday he could not support removing voters from the process.

Emrich, however, contended his bill would cut through the void in information Republicans have flagged as problematic in judicial elections. Candidates in those races are prohibited from talking about many issues typically front of mind for voters during election cycles, in case such matters were to come before the court after they are elected.

"The goal of this bill is not to remove the people from the process, the goal of this bill is to quite simply have the representatives of the people really dig in and find the best candidates for our judiciary," Emrich said during the hearing.

The GOP's supermajority has made several attempts this session to allow, or in some cases force, judicial candidates to brand themselves with a partisan affiliation under the claim it would give voters more information about the candidate.

At least three bills introduced so far this session would change the nonpartisan judicial races to partisan affairs. One of those proposals, Senate Bill 200, failed to pass out of the committee. Senate Bill 302, which would require candidates to declare partisanship, has yet to get a vote in the same committee. Another bill, House Bill 464 advanced out of the House Judiciary Committee, which would give candidates an option to declare a party affiliation.

House Bill 271 was carried by Rep. Paul Tuss, a Democrat from Havre.

"The big issues we debate here in this Capitol will always be more significant than how or where we're seated," Tuss said. "I believe the result of those deliberations will be significantly enhanced by having more collegiality between us, due to the lack of an artificial barrier  this aisle. This separates us by partisan affiliation."

After a failed amendment to instead seat lawmakers based on if they supported the Montana State University Bobcats or University of Montana Grizzlies, other lawmakers spoke in support of the bill, including Rep. John Fitzpatrick, an Anaconda Republican.

"Success in the legislative endeavor requires building bridges with people of widely diverging political philosophies, and that process begins with small conversations that ends up with working relationships. I think this bill deserves serious consideration by the body," Fitzpatrick said.

But Rep. Karri Seekins-Crowe, R-Billings, said she opposed the bill.

"We also have other considerations to take on and that's that we did get elected to do a job. I did not get elected to make friends. Now, I am very blessed because I do have friends on both sides of the aisle, at least I consider you my friend. But I would consider you to vote no on this because there (is) strategy in what we do and there's a purpose in what we do and that's to represent the people who elected us and put us here," Seekins-Crowe said.

House Bill 419

A bill that would require a bond to be posted should a temporary injunction be requested in a lawsuit impacting hunting, fishing or trapping seasons has passed the House.

House Bill 419 from Rep. Jedediah Hinkle, R-Belgrade, passed the House Thursday largely along party lines. The bill points to the Harvest Heritage clause in the Montana Constitution and states that filing a lawsuit that includes a request for a temporary restraining order or temporary injunction affecting hunting, fishing or trapping must include a minimum bond of estimated losses or $50,000, whichever is greater.

Citing a recent lawsuit in which a judge temporarily restricted some wolf hunting practices, Hinkle said the bill would allow hunters or outfitters to recoup potential losses should the temporary order be dissolved. The bill would not stop litigation, but could curb some requests for temporary halts that are later found to be unwarranted, he said.

Opponents to the bill have raised concerns that bonding could prove a barrier to equally accessing the justice system.

Senate Bill 350

A Senate committee tabled a bill this week that would expand nonresident family members that would qualify for reduced price hunting licenses.

The Senate Fish and Game Committee tabled Senate Bill 350 from Billings Republican Sen. Tom McGillvray. The bill would have allowed nonresidents who were born in Montana and who are the child, sibling or parent of a current resident to received reduced cost licenses.

Supporters of the bill said it would promote family and interest in hunting, but opponents raised concerns about increasing the number of nonresident licenses in the state.
Nearly 500 public land advocates rallied in sub-zero temperatures on the steps of the Capitol Thursday to voice support for conservation funding and Montanas constitutional guarantee of a clean and healthful environment.

Public land rallies have become a fixture during legislative sessions, drawing large crowds in opposition to proposals such as transferring federal lands to the state and selling public lands into private hands. Thursdays rally featured multiple speakers and chants of Its our right in response prompts of public lands, clean water and wildlife.

Wilderness includes people, it includes us, said Mariah Gladstone, a member of the Blackfeet Tribe and founder of Indigikitchen. All of that is part of wild Montana. The writers of the Montana Constitution knew this, thats why we have the right to a clean and healthful environment, not just for ourselves, but for our future.

Hannah Muszkiewicz, an educator from Helena, talked about the importance of the outdoors and nature in her development and something that binds children of various backgrounds together.

In a world devastated by the magnitude of polarization, any space that exists as a reminder of peaceful coexistence is one that ought to be savored, protected and cherished, she said.

Thursdays rally honed in on a current battle being waged in the session as lawmakers consider bills to put marijuana tax money towards non-conservation programs or be homogenized into the base general fund. The 2020 ballot initiative that approved recreational marijuana included a 20% allocation for the state to expand public land access through the Habitat Montana account  the provision is nonbinding as the Legislature sets the state budget.

Cole Mannix, member of the Mannix ranching family and founder and president of Montana-based meat company Old Salt Co-op in Helena questioned Why at this time would we be looking to cut $30 million from the Habitat Montana program, pointing to the states population boom.

Ryan Callahan with the outdoor company MeatEater also acknowledged the rapid change occurring in Montana, and said it is the responsibility of outdoor advocates to oppose bad ideas and champion good ones. But he encouraged a respectful approach, realizing that neighbors may vote differently and to thank lawmakers for policy the rally attendees support before advocating against policies they oppose.

Many of those citizen advocates, rather than organizations themselves, testified with a soft touch last week against House Bill 462. That bill would eliminate the funding for Habitat Montana and redistribute it to law enforcement, corrections, drug courts and veterans services.

Dissent from HB 462 carried over into Thursdays hearing on House Bill 669, one of three bills introduced so far to rework the states distribution of marijuana tax revenues. Rep. Bill Mercer, R-Billings, is carrying HB 669, which would eliminate the tax revenues distribution method via special accounts to things like outdoor access and state parks, and deliver it directly into the general fund.

In a press conference Thursday, Gov. Greg Gianforte said he felt there was enough Habitat money to direct marijuana revenue elsewhere.

"We have an aggressive conservation agenda, and we're going to use Habitat Montana to fund in part those projects. I'm assured by FWP we have record funding in that fund already to satisfy the projects that are coming forward. That's why in our budget, we have taken the funds from marijuana and directed it towards law enforcement, addiction recovery and other things to help people get healthy. But I am confident that the money exists FWP and do conservation projects we have in front of us."

Mercer contended Thursday the 2020 ballot initiative to legalize marijuana illegally allocated its tax revenues toward those accounts. The Montana Constitution forbids citizen initiatives from appropriating state funds. However, the sponsors of that initiative contend the initiative only suggested revenues be appropriated in those directions, and outdoor advocates who supported the legalization campaign argue the wide support for the legalization initiative sent lawmakers a clear message that conservation should benefit from that new revenue stream.

To me the voters initiative wasnt an attempt to usurp the legislative process but it was a clear statement of voter values, Jock Conyngham of Evaro testified.

Mercer, however, said that "statement" is harder to assess because it's impossible to decouple those who voted for the legalization initiative for recreational marijuana from those who supported it to direct those revenues for outdoor access.

"We don't know what the voters intended," he said. "That whole line is based on a false narrative."

Mercer said his bill would allow lawmakers better oversight of the funds each legislative session.

Subcommittees review the governments budget requests on a line-by-line basis, pitting priorities against each other in what becomes a competitive process as the states biennial finances come closer to moving into finalization.

Distributing these funds by percentages according to statute means lawmakers dont lay that kind of scrutiny on these dollars, Mercer argued.

Things are just baked in, he said.
A Kalispell man pleaded not guilty on Thursday to federal charges alleging he made death threats against U.S. Senator Jon Tester.

Kevin P. Smith, 45, was arraigned in U.S. District Court on two felony charges of threats to injure and murder a United States Senator. Each count carries a maximum possible penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Federal court documents filed on Wednesday allege Smith made multiple threatening calls to Tester's Kalispell office on Jan. 30.

He left voicemails, one of which reportedly said the following: "There is nothing I want more than to have you stand toe to toe with me. You stand toe to toe with me. I rip your head off. You die. You stand in a situation where it is physical between you and me. You die,"

A second message allegedly states "I would love to f------- kill you. I would love to see your FBI at my door. I would love to see something in the news."

"Smith acknowledged in the recording that he threatened Senator Tester and such threats were 'on purpose,'" the indictment reads.

On Feb. 1, an FBI agent contacted Smith and told him not to threaten Tester. However, on Feb. 10, Smith is accused of again calling Tester's office and leaving another threatening voice message, according to court documents.

Smith is in custody at the Missoula County jail pending future court hearings.
Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. This weeks contribution is from Michael Poland, geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey and scientist-in-charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.

The volcanic character of Yellowstone has long been known. An indigenous map drawn on a bison pelt and indicating a volcano on the Yellowstone River was described by the governor of Louisiana Territory in an 1805 letter to Thomas Jefferson. The first formal geological studies of the region, however, were not undertaken until the 1870s.

In 1871, the United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories, led by geologist Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden, took on the task of conducting a detailed exploration of the region that is now Yellowstone National Park. The exploration provided a preliminary assessment of the geology of the area, and the maps, reports, photographs, paintings and descriptions were the primary motivation behind the creation of the national park. The work even involved mapping the coastlines and depths of Yellowstone Lake  incredible work for the time done using an 11-foot-long boat.

Additional work occurred in the years that followed, prompted by the attention that the region had received after the 1871 survey. The United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories returned to Yellowstone in 1877 and 1878, when topographical surveys by cartographers Henry Gannett and Allen David Wilson established the most accurate map of elevations and landforms of the time. It was also in 1878 that William Henry Holmes conducted a detailed geologic investigation of the new national park. Although a few investigations of the parks geology had been undertaken by that time, Holmes pointed out that geologists have but glanced at the surface features of the country, and that the more profound and intricate problems remain almost untouched.

Holmes spent about two months mapping the parks geology during that summer, although, as he says, during nearly one-half of this time storms of rain and snow prevailed to such an extent as to greatly interfere with the work. Ah, summertime in Yellowstone.

Despite the conditions, Holmes was meticulous and thorough. He charted the course of his exploration and noted the locations where specific observations were made. His geological field work is stunning in its detail, with descriptions of rock units that include their thicknesses and physical characteristics  critical information for understanding the areas geological history. Holmes also produced numerous sketches and descriptions of the relations between rock units  for example, of the Mount Everts unconformity between sedimentary rocks (that he correctly recognized as being over 65 million years old) and much younger rhyolite ash flow deposits.

The map that Homes produced  a work of art in itself  represents the first complete geological map of Yellowstone National Park, and it is surprisingly accurate. Although the current geological map, published by Robert Christiansen and collaborators in 2001 after decades of work, contains far more detail about rock units and structures, like faults and eruptive vent locations, the 1878 map correctly represents the major features of Yellowstone. These insights included the large extent of relatively recent rhyolite rocks, the presence of a much older series of volcanic rocks in the eastern part of the park (these being derived from the Absaroka volcanoes that existed 4353 million years ago), the geological epochs to which the various rock units belong, and that the area had been recently glaciated based on the presence of granite bowlders sitting on the surface in many locations (this surficial geology was later mapped in detail by USGS geologist Ken Pierce and collaborators). Holmes did not recognize that the region was home to several calderas  that came much later, in the 1950s and 1960s  but did understand the widespread importance of volcanic activity in the region.

Many of the rocks that Holmes collected were examined under a microscope, in thin section, by Clarence Dutton, a geologist who later led the branch of volcanic geology for the fledgling U.S. Geological Survey (founded in 1879) and who spent several months in 1882 observing active volcanism in Hawaii. Also in 1878, geologist Albert Charles Peale (great-grandson of Charles Wilson Peale, the famous artist of the American Revolution era) observed the geyser basins of Yellowstone, keeping meticulous notes of the characteristics, eruptions, temperatures, and sizes of individual geysers and hot springs  information that is still used today to understand how those features have changed over time. Peales geyser basins are clearly depicted on the 1878 geological map of Yellowstone National Park.

It is difficult to imagine the challenge of mapping the geology of Yellowstone in 1878. Roads were limited, and transportation was by foot and by horse  much of the time in the field was spent simply trying to get from one location to another. In addition, the tools were the eyes of the geologist, compass, notebook and pencil. Cameras were cumbersome, so many geologists had to double as artists, sketching the field relations they observed on scales ranging from small outcrops to expansive mountain vistas. Mapping today is aided by air photos and satellite images that are important for precisely locating contacts between geologic units; in 1878, there were no such tools to help guide field investigations.

At the end of this exceptional effort, Holmes recognized that he was merely investigating the tip of the iceberg in terms of the geology of the region. "If I could have consumed years instead of months in the study of the 3,400 square miles comprising the Park, I might justify myself in putting my observations on paper  I have, consequently, gone just far enough to get glimpses of the splendid problems of the rocks, and to enable me in the future to appreciate and understand the classic chapter that this district will some day add to the great volume of written geology.

Indeed, Yellowstone has become one of the best places in the world to study caldera systems. The 1878 geological map provided a foundation upon which all of that subsequent work has been built.
DECATUR  A group of workers from Akorn Pharmaceuticals Decatur production center is suing on behalf of employees who lost their jobs when the company abruptly closed its facilities this week.

The workers say the company failed to follow federal law that requires advance notice of such large-scale layoffs.

(Scroll to the bottom to read the full lawsuit.)

The class action lawsuit was filed Thursday in federal court in Urbana, one day after the maker of drugs and other specialty products notified employees they would be laid off without severance pay or health insurance coverage. The company's decision to close all of its U.S. sites affected hundreds of workers at two Decatur facilities.

The lawsuit alleges that Akorn violated the federal WARN Act, which requires employers with 100 or more full-time employees to provide 60 days advance notice of pending plant closures or mass layoffs.

The Illinois WARN Act makes similar requirements of employers with 75 or more full-time workers. A spokesman for the state Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity previously told the Herald & Review that the state received a notification late Wednesday, after the employees were told. The Illinois Department of Labor is investigating, and the Gurnee-based company could face civil penalties from the state if violations are found.

The four plaintiffs identified in the lawsuit all had worked at Akorn for at least eight years and in several cases, had been promoted multiple times, according to the complaint. They worked at Akorn's Decatur production center, one of its two facilities in the community.

The lawsuit describes the workers being called into an "all staff" meeting at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, where they viewed a presentation and received written packets from a human resources employee. They were then addressed by CEO Doug Boothe and Beth Zelnick Kaufman, the company's chief legal officer, on a conference call.

The Herald & Review previously obtained a recording of that video call, in which Boothe said the decision was made as a result of a bankruptcy filing.

In the lawsuit, the former workers are seeking all damages available to them under the law, as well as reimbursement of their legal costs.

Their attorney is listed as David Almeida of Chicago-based Almeida Law Group.

The Decatur plaintiffs' lawsuit was in addition to a similar class action suit filed in a federal bankruptcy court in Delaware. The single plaintiff in that case filed on behalf of other similarly situated former employees.

The Delaware lawsuit states the plaintiff is seeking damages in the amount of 60 days' pay and ERISA benefits due to an alleged violation of the federal WARN Act and various New York state labor laws.

This is a developing story that will be updated.

MORE COVERAGE:

Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify the legal basis for the lawsuit.

Photos: Akorn Pharmaceuticals in Decatur
DECATUR  Until this week, Carla Stewart expected to retire from Akorn Pharmaceuticals, the company she had been employed by for more than 18 years  nearly her entire adult life.

So when the Gurnee-based pharmaceutical company told Stewart and her colleagues that it was declaring bankruptcy and immediately shutting down operations, including at its Decatur facilities, it was "just a blow," she said.

"It was where I figured I'd be for the rest of my life because I enjoyed it," Stewart, 39, of Mount Zion, said. "And there's lots of opportunities to grow there and learn new things and I didn't want to leave. So it's kind of hard."

Stewart was among a handful of the more than 400 former Akorn employees suddenly thrown out of a job who began to pick up the pieces and chart a new path forward Thursday by attending a layoff assistance workshop put on by Workforce Investment Solutions.

The agency, which covers Macon and DeWitt counties, administers state and federal funds to assist job seekers. Some of the services include job search and placement assistance, employment counseling, career planning, occupational skills training, skill upgrading and retraining and job readiness training.

Workforce Investment Solutions offered their "rapid response services" to the laid off workers, giving them a folder with information on everything from applying for unemployment benefits to job listings and dealing with the emotional toll of losing a job.

The agency's employees, along with representatives from the Illinois Department of Employment Security and the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, walked them through the various resources they have at their disposal.

This is a tough time. Whenever things like this happen, its like losing someone that you love," said James Wills, a career planner at Workforce. "Youre going to go through the grief process ... Youre going to shed a few tears. I understand that. I see that now.

Wills, who said he went through a similar ordeal when Firestone shuttered its Decatur plant more than two decades ago, then grabbed a box of tissues and offered them to Stewart, who had tears in her eyes.

Its OK. Its OK because were here to help," Wills then said. "Were going to get through this.

Emotions were still raw among the the former Akorn employees who gathered for the first of two layoff assistance workshops the agency hosted on Thursday, which was the final day employees were paid by the company following the shocking announcement on Wednesday.

"Honestly, I'm just angry," said Dustin Ballard, who worked in the company's maintenance department for six years.

"Wednesday, we got in there and they're already carrying boxes out before they told us anything," Ballard said. "That kind of let us know. I thought that was very unprofessional of them to do that to people."

Ballard is already enrolled at the University of Illinois, where he is seeking a degree in business. So, the idea of a fresh start had already taken hold.

But still, he said the layoff will have a significant impact on his family, preventing him from paying child support from a previous marriage and forcing his family to take health insurance through his wife's job, which costs more than double what he was paying.

"With everything going on in the world right now, they could have done a lot better by us," Ballard said. "When we went in there, we did the best for them. They could have shown a little appreciation."

Tammy Ruleau, 50, had only worked for Akorn for five months. After two decades working in restaurants, she had welcomed the change of pace her position as a packaging operator offered.

"I was in shock," she said. "I couldn't believe they did this to us."

The shock shutdown has sparked outrage from local and state officials to the halls of Congress. U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Springfield, made an appearance at the layoff assistance workshop Thursday morning.

"Some of these workers have devoted 30 years of their careers to this company and for Akorn to leave in the dark of night, there needs to be accountability," Budzinski said. "I mean, to say that I'm outraged is an understatement. This community deserves a lot better."

U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, R-Oakland, whose district includes Akorn's Wyckles Road facility, said her office would work to provide laid off employees with assistance.

The hardworking people of Decatur received an extreme lack of notice of the massive layoffs from Akorn Pharmaceuticals Chapter 7 bankruptcy filling," Miller said in a statement. "My office will work with state officials to provide every employee with the assistance they deserve after this shocking announcement.

When asked what accountability would look like at the federal level, Budzinski said she "would be very open to supporting or leading the way on" a federal version of the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act.

Budzinski also reiterated that "it seems very clear that (Akorn) violated state law."

The Illinois WARN Act requires employers with 75 or more full-time employees to provide 60 days advance notice of pending plant closures or mass layoffs.

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity received a WARN notification late Wednesday evening, after the company had alerted employees of permanent layoffs, said spokesman Paul Cicchini.

The Illinois Department of Labor is investigating and, if violations are found, civil penalties will be assessed against the company.

But, if there's a silver lining, both officials and laid off workers said, it was how quickly the community rallied around those impacted.

"I'm very thankful that they were able to put this together so fast," Ballard said. "I was thankful to Millikin for inviting us to their (job fair) and the other people who have reached out and said 'we're here to help.' I mean, it really makes a big difference."

Rocki Wilkerson, executive director of Workforce Investment Solutions, said that "we're so blessed at this time in this community to have all these jobs that are available."

She said the goal is that the services they offer "kind of takes that layoff and it converts it into an opportunity."

Akorn employees unable to attend Thursday will have additional opportunities on Friday, when assistance workshops will be held at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Workforce Investment Solutions, 757 W. Pershing Road.

Resources can also be found at worknetdecatur.org/.

The Akorn shutdown is company wide and closes out its Decatur manufacturing plant at 1222 W. Grand Ave. (expanded with a $25 million upgrade in 2018) and its packaging facility on Wyckles Road, which in recent years had undergone a 30,000-square-foot-expansion.

Signs of serious trouble emerged in 2020 when Akorn announced it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The situation had looked to stabilize later that year when the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware approved the sale of the firm to its existing lenders.

Despite the sadness and anger towards their former employer, laid off Akorn workers said they are looking at this as an opportunity.

"You don't get one door closed without another one opening and moving on to something better," Ruleau said. "And that's what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to move on to better."

Stewart attended the workshop hoping someone could look at her resume ahead of a job fair being held that afternoon at Millikin University. She said there are a number jobs she's looking at. She said she might even go back to school.

"When that door opened for me at Akorn, it was a bright future, lots of opportunities, lots of time to grow and learn new things," Stewart said. "And now it's closed. It's time to find that new one."

Photos: Akorn Pharmaceuticals in Decatur
DECATUR  When Carrie Pierson learned about Wednesdays mass layoffs at Akorn Pharmaceuticals, she knew it was time to pivot.

Pierson, the dean of academic support services at Millikin University, helps execute spring and fall career fairs for Millikin upperclassmen and alumni every year. On Thursday, the fair was a bit more crowded than usual.

We heard this news about Akorn, and we worked with our admissions crew, and we said, we've got to do something. We've got to help them, Pierson said. And so we went ahead and opened up the fair to Akorn families. Because here at Millikin, we want to support our communities. Literally, Akorn is in our backyard. They're blocks from our campus.

Area businesses stepped up to the plate too, she said. The spring career fair usually has around 50 employers in a normal year. This year, it had 62.

We had, overnight, eight to 10 local places call and say, hey, can we join? Can we join? Pierson said. We actually technically had closed our career fair. What we thought was max capacity, that max capacity is now a new number.

Multiple former Akorn employees told the Herald & Review they had a positive outlook about the job market in Decatur.

Theres so many people reaching out, its not even funny, said Jennifer Kraft, who worked at Akorns packaging plant.

Tonya Berry, who worked in packaging with Kraft, said shes very appreciative of all the businesses reaching out to Akorn employees.

But for many affected by Akorns closure, the pressure is on to find new employment  and benefits  quickly.

The laid off employees lose access to their health insurance on Tuesday. Schenitta Jones, who worked in production at the company, said she needs to find a new job with health insurance benefits soon to afford her diabetes care.

Jones and former coworker Brandy Savage said they were also hoping to find jobs that could pay close to what they had been earning after multiple years at Akorn.

Weve got to be positive about the situation, Savage said. Man, we can drown in our tears, but what's that going to do? Weve got to get up and be adults.

Career fair visitors had the opportunity to hear from Decatur employers including Archer Daniels Midland Co., Memorial Health, Hospital Sisters Health System, Busey Bank, Richland Community College, Bodine Electric.

Natalie Clark, manager of talent acquisition at ADM, said the company has a number of jobs open in Decatur and its other locations. ADM is hoping to pick up some of the workers Akorn left behind.

The Decatur leadership team is working right now to plan a career fair specific to Akorn employees, Clark said. We're going to partner with the Workforce Investment group. So we're going to make plans to have that next week. And as soon as it's finalized, we'll release that information.

Pierson said she hopes the job fair will help reassure those impacted by the layoffs at Akorn.

I think its a little bit of a silver lining for them, Pierson said.

Photos: Akorn Pharmaceuticals in Decatur
DECATUR  The opening salvo in the legal battle to decide whether fired state official Brent Fischer committed forgery when he provided a waiver to former Macon County Sheriff Howard Buffett now has a date.

Macon County Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey Geisler set a hearing for 1:30 p.m. March 23 for a motion to have the whole case thrown out before it can even get started.

Fischers attorney, Richard D. Frazier, has filed the motion to dismiss the fraud case on the basis it has nothing to do with Macon County.

Frazier is arguing the alleged offense  granting a waiver to Buffett to serve as a sworn officer although he was short of the training hours needed  has no connection with Macon County and neither does Fischer. He was head of the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board, working out of Springfield, and is also a former Adams County sheriff who still lives in that county.

Fischer was fired on Sept. 8, 2021 from the ILETSB after an investigation by a state agency watchdog group which concluded the waiver was granted improperly to Buffett, a major supporter of ILETSB training programs.

A State Police criminal probe followed and then Macon County entered the picture: The results of that investigation were presented to Macon County States Attorney Scott Rueter who took them to a grand jury.

At the end of 2022 the jury returned indictments on four Class 3 felonies alleging forgery and official misconduct involving Fischer which claim he affixed the electronic signature of the ILETSB chairman on a document without the chairmans knowledge.

Fischer has pleaded not guilty to all counts and Buffett, head of his namesake philanthropic foundation who has a home in Decatur, has never been accused of any wrong-doing.

The March 23 hearing date was set during a brief court hearing in Decatur on Thursday. Fischer was present with his attorney but did not speak and remained in the public gallery.

Rueter will argue the case for allowing the court proceedings to go ahead in Macon County and has told the Herald & Review previously that he sees no reason why Fischer cant be tried in Decatur.
As many people in and around our community are aware, Veterans Recognition of Central Illinois has hosted an annual dinner to honor all veterans for the past nine years. This is a time of recognition and camaraderie for veterans to come together in fellowship with one another; a time in which veterans and their loved ones can share listening to period music, view many articles such as weapons and uniforms that were popular during the Vietnam Era. Informational booths assist veterans in making connections for needed services. We provide featured speakers followed by a meal for everyone in attendance.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Homewood Suites for hosting our 2022 speaker, Shilo Harris. From individuals to those on the business level, we are eternally grateful to our many sponsors who proudly support Veterans Recognition of Central Illinois each year making it possible for us to continue presenting this event.

Our mission continues to be offering thanks to veterans who have sacrificed in service to our great country, The United States of America. As we approach the 10th anniversary of our event, we would like to invite you to the Decatur Civic Center Saturday, March 25, as we celebrate 50 years since the conclusion of the Vietnam War. Doors will open at noon with the program commencing at 1 p.m.

Veterans Recognition of Central Illinois is proudly announcing author Stan Taylor and Nurse Marj Bilker Graves, each serving during the Vietnam War, as our guest speakers when we celebrate the 50-year anniversary ending the Vietnam War.

For additional information, please contact our Facebook page: Vietnam Era Veterans Recognition Day or www.veteransrecognitionofcentralIllinois.org. We look forward to celebrating with you Saturday, March 25.

Gary Fyke, Decatur
South Africa: More jobs a top priority for EC Premier

Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane has on Friday outlined several priorities for the provincial government, including creating employment which he believes will lead to a flourishing province.

Delivering the provinces 2023 State of the Province Address (SOPA), Mabuyane said the Eastern Cape will this year focus on creating an inclusive economy; providing quality healthcare and education; rolling out basic services such as water, roads, and electricity, and building safer communities.

This is our contract with the people of our province, he told the assembly.

The Premier described the year 2022 as eventful.

We had times of hardship but also moments of wonder, that brought great joy in our hearts because they were an affirmation that our efforts of building the Eastern Cape we want are on track.

Despite these setbacks - including the demise of the 21 youngsters at Enyobeni Tavern - he said he considered 2022 as a year of tremendous progress.

Our story of good progress begins on the economy because it is the key piece in the puzzle of poverty, unemployment and inequality that we are trying to solve.

Economy and jobs

The provincial economy is on a path to recovery, after the devastating period of the COVID-19 pandemic, recording growth in the Eastern Cape gross domestic product (GDP) in the first three quarters of 2022.

The number of employed people in the province increased by 144 000 between the third quarter of 2021 and the third quarter of 2022.

Every day, our minds are occupied by unlocking more opportunities for economic growth, so that women, men and young persons who need a job can get one. Today, I want to assure the people of our province that more jobs are coming.

He told the Members of the Provincial Legislature (MPL) that last year, the province made history by attracting 11 new investors at the Provincial Investment Conference with a combined value of R46 billion.

These include Shoprite Group, Tshedza Pictures, Transnet Port of Ngqura, Benteler, Sun Farming, South African Breweries, Mhlobiso Concrete, Toyota Material Handling, Sanaha Property Developments, Sanral and Aqora Lithium Battery.

In addition, the newly announced investment projects worth over R1.3 billion are underway with 1 198 jobs created.

The Premier told the assembly that SABs Ibhayi Brewery is investing R510 million in plant expansion which will lead to more jobs.

Last years new investments take the cumulative total for the sixth administration to R171 billion.

As a result of these investments, 21 664 people in our province are now employed in various sectors of the economy.

In the meantime, the province has established an Eastern Cape Economic Development Fund, which will recapitalise private partners to unlock future investments.

He announced that he has tasked the Automotive Industry Development Centre-EC to work with the private sector to implement projects that would prepare them to transition to electric vehicles.

Key among these projects, he said, is the installation of public electric vehicle charging stations in all key routes, enhancement of electric vehicle skills and promotion of renewable energy projects to sustain the demands of the auto sector.

He also said they are establishing an automotive aftermarket programme that will benefit 300 panel beaters and mechanics and will focus on training, capacity building and aftermarket funding over the next three years.

Mabuyane said the provinces two operational Special Economic Zones (SEZ) continue to be a beacon of hope and excellence.

In the last few months, the ELIDZ has attracted R535 million in investment, while the Coega SEZ has received pledges of R557.7 million.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2023-02-24. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Sabina Mammadli

The first meeting of the Azerbaijan-Saudi Arabia Business Council will be held in the coming months, Azernews reports.

Azerbaijani Small and Medium Business Development Agency board chairman Orkhan Mammadov said that the process of establishing the Council between the town countries is still ongoing.

"As co-chairs, Ahmed Dakheel and I discussed the upcoming agenda, membership, events, and joint initiatives within the Council," Mammadov said.

Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia are cooperating in different spheres of the economy, especially in renewable energy. In this context, the agreements on the 240 MW wind power plant project were signed between the Energy Ministry, the Azerenergy OJSC, and Saudi Arabia's ACWA Power on December 29, 2020.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the plant to be built took place on January 13.




Vote now until noon on April 20th to support the businesses that you think are the best in the New Braunfels area.
ABINGDON, Va.  During a ceremony in the ballroom of the Martha Washington Inn earlier this week, three Washington County students were recognized for their winning research essays on George Washington.

Noah Robinson, a fourth-grade student at High Point Elementary, won first place in the annual George Washington Research Paper Competition, open to all fourth-grade and home-schooled students in the county.

Students were encouraged to participate by writing essays of 300 to 500 words using different sources for research.

As top winner in the school district, the student won an all-expense paid trip to Mount Vernon in Alexandria, Virginia, the homeplace of George Washington, for himself and his family.

Everything was interesting, said Noah following the ceremony, describing what his research uncovered while writing the essay. I love history, he said.

Second place in the Washington essay competition was awarded to Ella Cleary, a fourth-grade student at Abingdon Elementary, and third place went to Cash Bare, a fourth-grade student at Meadowview Elementary. Each of the three winners received a George Washington commemorative coin and a monetary reward.

All three students read their winning essays in front of an audience of parents, students, and school administrators.

The 21 student finalists who represent the top three winners in each of the countys seven elementary schools received money and copies of the book, George Washingtons Rules of Civility.

During the ceremony, last years winner Eli Brooks, a fifth-grade student at High Point Elementary, told the audience about his trip to Mount Vernon.

Brian Ratliff, Washington County Superintendent, addressed the youth during the ceremony by saying the fourth-grade students are unbelievably special and serious about being learners and leaders. As adults, we can learn a lot from you.

The competition is sponsored each year by the Washington County Educational Fund, Washington County Public Schools, and Dr. John Lentz of Abingdon, who is the driving force behind the project. The trip to Mount Vernon and monetary awards for the students are funded by Lentz. As a tradition, Lentz also presented books on George Washingtons leadership skills to each principal at the elementary schools as library resources.

The celebration is held this time each year to honor the work of the students and to recognize the birthday of Washington, who is 291 years old this year.

The Founding Father himself paid a special visit to the ceremony.

Retired educator David Winship played the role of George Washington, and Katie Mitchell, a teacher at Greendale Elementary, was Martha Washington, both dressed in colonial attire during the event.

The Muster Grounds Musick performed historic period music to announce the arrival of the couple to the ballroom.

Martha Washington thanked the audience for such a lovely welcome to the country named for the General, a town named for my ancestral home, and a beautiful inn named in my honor.

George Washington told the audience that he felt at home in Abingdon, but his heart will always be in Mount Vernon, where he left in 1775 to service his country and returned to after resigning his commission as General of the Continental Army.

Addressing the youth, George Washington told the students that continued attention to the needs of our democracy is a challenge I now leave for you. The world is in your hands now.

Winning essays

In his winning essay entitled George Washington and the Importance of Saying Goodbye, Noah wrote If George Washington, the first president of the United States of America, hadnt stepped down, the country would be ruled by dictatorship and chaos. But, thankfully he did and set a good example doing it.

Noah concluded that Washingtons farewell address was important because it had a massive influence on how the United States of America is run during the present day.

Ellas second-place essay, George Washington: The Man, the Myths, and the Legends, explores the mythology surrounding the president. She pondered common myths such as were his teeth really made of wood and did he actually throw a silver dollar across the Potomac River.

Cash, the third-place winner, wrote about The Father of Our Country in which he talks about the reasons for Washingtons fame. He wrote, George Washington was a loyal caring man who cared for his family as a young boy and as a grown man. He loved and was loyal to his country. Its no wonder why he is called the Father of Our Country.

A legacy The idea for the essay contest is the brain child of Lentz, who was instrumental in creating the contest 15 years ago. The competition initially started as a project at Rhea Valley Elementary, later becoming a division-wide endeavor.

Other essay winners are Matthew Berry and Caiden Wimmer, Abingdon Elementary; Amelia Rice, Elijah Hall, and Lylah Nunley, Greendale Elementary; Jack Weldon and Saffire Booher, High Point Elementary; John Roark and Hanna Barker, Meadowview Elementary; Wyatt Wilson, Marilyn Schuler, and Nolan Matlock, Rhea Valley Elementary; Wyatt Poe, Amelia Holden, and Zoe Mason, Valley Institute Elementary; and Claire Sample, Grace Bourne, and Palmer Clayman, Watauga Elementary.
A juvenile has been charged after threats were made against Hickory Public Schools this week.

Hickory Public Schools received messages threatening violent acts on Monday. The schools were placed on lockdown, and the Hickory Police Department was called to investigate, Hickory police said in a news release.

Two threats were received via email, Hickory Public Schools Director of Communications and Community Relations Natasha Eckard said.

One threat was sent to the main district email address and the other was sent to Hickory High School, Eckard said.

Officers responded to each school in the district to verify each campus was secure. Investigators determined there was no immediate threat to the students and faculty of Hickory Public Schools, Hickory police said.

A juvenile petition was issued on Wednesday for felony communication of a threat of mass violence on educational property. The suspect is in the custody of the N.C. Department of Juvenile Justice, Hickory police said.

The name of the suspect cannot be released because the person is a juvenile, Hickory police said.
A Lenoir man was found guilty on drug trafficking and firearms charges during U.S. District Court in Statesville on Thursday.

Jermaine Douglas Grandy, 41, of Lenoir, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crime and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Dena J. King said in a news release.

According to court documents, evidence presented at trial and witness testimony, between December 2020 and February 2021, Grandy conspired with others to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl in Caldwell County and surrounding areas. Grandy obtained the drugs from a supply source in Arizona.

He frequently made trips there to purchase fentanyl pills in bulk quantities, King said.

The evidence further established that on Feb. 14, 2021, as Grandy was returning to North Carolina from a trip to Arizona, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of Grandys vehicle in Granite Falls. Officers located three loaded 9mm pistols in the vehicle and 14 bundles containing approximately 34,221 pills concealed in the air vent under the hood of the car, King said.

Later the same day, a search warrant was executed at a residence associated with Grandy. A money counter, two digital scales, and other items consistent with the packaging and distribution of narcotics were seized. Law enforcement also seized 29 illegal firearms, including semi-automatic rifles and handguns, ammunition and approximately 79 magazines, King said.

The drugs seized during the investigation had an estimated street value of more than $1 million, according to North Carolina state drug guidelines.

The drug conspiracy and the possession with intent to distribute charges each carry a minimum penalty of 10 years and a maximum penalty of life in prison. The possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime carries a maximum penalty of five years to be served consecutively with any other term imposed. The possession of a firearm by a felon charge carries a maximum sen tence of 10 years in prison, King said.

Grandy is currently in federal custody. A sentencing date for Grandy had not been set as of Thursday, King said.
A class project centered on conversations about mortality was unveiled at Lenoir-Rhyne University this week.

The project is located in the Cromer Center on a gray wall connected to the multicultural affairs offices. People who want to participate can write their life goals on sticky notes. The notes are placed on the wall or on the banner that reads, Before I die, I want to .

The Rev. Christy Lohr Sapps freshman class, Puzzled? Finding Your Big Picture, is in charge of the project. The class is about what makes a life well lived, Sapp said.

(The wall) prompts meaningful conversation and helps us get over that fear of reckoning with our mortalities, Sapp said. Death has a 100% success rate. We cant pretend that it wont affect us in some way.

The wall will be up through Lent. Lent began on Wednesday and ends on April 6. Students from Sapps class were the first to put their life goals on the wall.

Many of the sticky notes talked about traveling the world. One person wants to open a gym. Another student wants to go to the Olympics. Other notes said, Change lives, and Be happy.

Sapp said the wall aligns with the concepts of her course. Sapp said last year the university had incoming freshmen read, The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman. To go along with the book, Sapp said she took her class on a field trip to Oakwood Cemetery to discuss life and death.

Not having that part of The Graveyard Book, this year, I still wanted to find a way to have the conversation, Sapp said. When I found out about the Before I Die project and Candy Changs art, I thought this is a really great way to enter into this, and its something interactive.

Before I Die is a global art project created by Candy Chang. The project consists of chalkboard walls where people write out what they hope to accomplish before they die. There are more than 5,000 Before I Die walls around the world, according to the project website.

Sapp decided she wanted to have her class create a place for messages on the Lenoir-Rhyne University campus. Instead of creating a permanent chalkboard wall, the class decided to do a limited time installation, Sapp said.

Sapp said the project was scheduled for Lent, because Lent is a time in the Christian calendar when we do think more specifically about how we are dust and unto dust we will return, she said. It seemed like a good connection given that LR is a Lutheran school, and the Lutheran Church observes this season of Lent.

Class assistant Taylor Moore, a senior, said she hopes people will use the wall as an outlet to explore their desires. Sapp said she thinks the anonymity of the project will encourage people to freely express themselves.

Sapp said her class was divided into three jobs: public relations, design and location.

The design team worked in the Cromer Center lobby to make the red-and-black banner. The students used a large piece of cardboard around 6 feet wide and 3 feet tall. The cardboard was wrapped with black and red paper. The message was written in white.

Emmaleigh Allen, freshman, was part of the public relations and design teams. She created the information flyers posted around campus.

I think its just a fun project for us to do, Allen said. I was excited when I found out were doing this because there is one of these walls in my hometown.

Allen said when she was little, she wrote on the wall in her hometown. She said she wrote that she wanted to go to California. She said her goals have since changed. Her note on the LR wall said, I want to graduate college.

Sophomore Macy Landice said she worked for the public relations team. Landice was in charge of writing a news release about the project to send to organizations, such as the Hickory Daily Record.

Landice said she hopes the entire wall will be filled with thoughtful sticky notes. She said the wall is for everyone. Landices note says she wants to see the aurora borealis before she dies.

(The wall provides) the chance to reflect not only on the past, but hopefully, think about the future, before its too late, Landice said. Its kind of fun to think about the future.

Landice said her favorite part of the project was working together with her classmates. She said she enjoyed discovering everyones skills and abilities.
On Feb. 1, 1960, four Black students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College sat down at the segregated lunch counter inside the F.W. Woolworth store in uptown Greensboro.

All four students had been members of the NAACP Youth Council and had read or heard about student demonstrations against segregation in other parts of the country. The night before, they decided the best way to attack segregation was to head to the store and begin a demonstration.

The students entered and bought a few personal items and school supplies before finding their way over to the lunch counter reserved for white customers. In doing so, they literally crossed a line from where Black people stood to order and, sometimes, ate their food, and found a stool. Then, they ordered some coffee.

The waitress, a white woman, refused to serve them. One of the students, Franklin McCain, asked the woman a question, You just served me at a counter 2 feet away. Why is it that you serve me at one counter and deny me at another?

They waited at their seats all day at the lunch counter for service and ended their sit-in at closing time.

Over the next few days, their actions were repeated. There had been no strategy for how to continue the demonstration, but the news of the sit-in gained momentum. By Feb. 5, the number of people sitting in grew to over 300. Other young people, hearing about the four students who started the Greensboro Sit-In, began to have similar protests in places like Durham, Raleigh, Winston-Salem, High Point, Orangeburg, Rock Hill and Nashville. By the end of the month, there were sit-in campaigns in at least 31 cities in eight Southern states. There were demonstrations in 40 other cities by March. These students made a point to demonstrate in the same or similar department stores which included lunch counters. Shortly, the sit-ins spread to Northern cities, as well.

The sit-in movement also led to a conference in Raleigh where Jim Lawson helped to organize a new student organization, the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, which began to further organize young people to demonstrate against segregation, coordinate marches, and hold workshops for students preparing more sit-ins.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. described the sit-ins as, An electrifying movement of negro students that shattered the placid surface of campuses and communities across the South. According to Taylor Branch, a historian of the civil rights movement, King embraced the students for helping to stir a nonviolent confrontation.

Newspaper articles and television news covered the sit-ins. People were confronted with scenes in which students, both Black and white, were pulled from lunch counter stools and either arrested or assaulted by police and bystanders. In many cases, demonstrators faced both.

People who had never thought about racism or had turned a blind eye to segregation were exposed to the pictures and the footage of the sit-ins in the early 60s. It was hard not to be empathetic toward the students sitting at the lunch counters when they faced violence by onlookers, police and other individuals who were simply indifferent to the situation.

Lee Daniels film The Butler, vividly and accurately depicts what these students and protestors went through in different parts of the country. David Halberstams book, The Children, is a good narrative of how young people in the civil rights movement changed history.

President Lyndon Johnson, seizing the moment to enact important legislation, worked with Congress and signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which moved to end discrimination in public places. While no law is perfect, it and other laws like it, attacked the very thing the students were trying to win victory against.

The International Civil Rights Center and Museum in Greensboro, located in the old Woolworth building, displays one of the pens used by the president to sign the act. The museum also has the original lunch counter the four students sat at during those days in a long-ago February. Visiting the museum is to literally walk through the place history happened.

We were reminded of the Greensboro Four and what they helped to start when Franklin McCain died. A civil rights leader and activist for most of his life, he said one of the best feelings he ever had was, sitting on that dumb stool. McCain joins David Richmond in death. Joseph McNeil and Jibreel Khazan are still living.

One of the four was asked why the nonviolent sit-ins were effective. His response was short, but powerful. He said, There is no defense for love, kindness. What an amazing statement! What an amazing truth!

As Black History Month comes to a close, we are constantly reminded of the dignity of individuals who faced discrimination but stood boldly.

Let that be a lesson to us all.
The question that historians have been asking ever since is whether the harsh, even offensive terms of the Treaty of Versailles, sowed the seeds of discontent that would carry Adolf Hitler to power in 1933. In other words, did the Treaty of Versailles, a pact intended to ensure peace in Europe, in fact lay the groundwork for World War II?

Neiberg says no. While he agrees that the Treaty of Versailles was a thorn in Germany's side and a powerful symbol to the German people of the ruthless injustice of the Allies, it wasn't enough to fully explain the rise of the Nazis. The Treaty of Versailles alone did not make WWII "inevitable."

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For Neiberg, the more critical factors that set the stage for WWII were the global financial meltdown of the Great Depression and the failure of the United States to back one of Wilson's highest priorities in the Treaty of Versailles, the creation of the League of Nations.

The League of Nations was the 14th point of Wilson's "14 Points" doctrine:

"A general association of nations must be formed under specific covenants for the purpose of affording mutual guarantees of political independence and territorial integrity to great and small states alike."

The drafters of the Treaty of Versailles knew that the redrawn map of Europe was going to result in terrific political instability. The empires that had ruled Europe for centuries  Austro-Hungarian, German, Ottoman and Russian  were all gone, replaced by smaller and weaker states, or reshaped by revolution like the Bolsheviks in Russia.

Wilson hoped that peace could be maintained by girding each of the newly created states with an American-style constitution safeguarding the rights of ethnic minorities. But if problems arose  and they definitely would  a strong and unified League of Nations would be able to step in and solve them.

The problem was that when Wilson came home and presented the Treaty of Versailles to Congress, American legislators refused to ratify it. A contingent of Republican senators known as the "Irreconcilables" rejected the very notion of a League of Nations, fearing that U.S. membership would force America into European conflicts.

Wilson campaigned hard for ratification of the treaty and membership in the League of Nations, but he suffered a debilitating stroke while on a nationwide tour and was replaced in 1921 by the staunch isolationist Warren Harding. American absence from the League of Nations undermined its credibility.

" " This 1921 American political cartoon is critical of the heavy reparations Germany had to pay thanks to the Treaty of Versailles. New York World/Wikimedia Commons

"Once Wilson is off the stage and the United States has rejected the League of Nations, then there's really no reason for the successor states of the Austro-Hungarian empire to believe in the constitutional system that Wilson insisted upon," says Neiberg.

As for the rise of Hitler and his racist ideologies, Neiberg believes that they found fertile ground in the economic wasteland of Depression-era Germany. Before the 1929 stock market crash, U.S. banks were loaning Germany money to pay its reparations and fund its post-war rebuilding efforts. When those loans were called in after the crash, German industry lost its financing, which led to crippling unemployment.

The German people, jobless and desperate, lost faith in democracy and found refuge in fascist creeds that blamed Jewish conspirators for Germany's problems and promised a return to greatness under a "purified," Aryan state.

"I can envision a European world in which the stock market here in the U.S. doesn't crash, the Great Depression doesn't happen, and Europeans find ways well short of fascism and bolshevism to work out the rest of the 20th century," says Neiberg. "It's the Great Depression that unhinges all of this."

Now That's Interesting Since the U.S. never signed the Treaty of Versailles, hostilities weren't officially ended between America, Germany and the other Central Powers until the passage of the Knox-Porter Resolution in 1921. Germany didn't finish paying off the $32 billion reparations until 2010.
 exclaimed Luke Zahm during the February 16, 2023, episode of the "Wisconsin Foodie."

Now, Zahm, who is the host of the "Wisconsin Foodie," wasnt really talking about creating a law.

He was sharing his firsthand dining experience while eating a mini wheel of the Hoards Dairyman Farm Creamerys St. Saviour. That Camembert-style cheese had earned a Bronze Award at the World Cheese Awards held at the Palacio de Exposiciones in Oviedo, Spain. The entree featured on the Wisconsin Public Television episode was brought to full life when the Union Houses Dan Harrell wrapped the St. Saviour in a puff pastry, lightly coated it in an egg-yolk glaze, and cooked it in a conventional oven for 12 minutes at 425F.

Buttery, flaky, and delicious, soon began rolling off Zahms tongue in between savoring bites.

While this modern-day television scene during the 15th season of "Wisconsin Foodie" showcases one of the nearly 700 specialty cheese varieties now crafted throughout Wisconsin, the episode is showcasing a story that is over 150 years in the making.



Americas Dairyland is born

It has been tested and proven that we cannot raise wheat in Wisconsin. But we can raise good butter and good cheese, without killing our land, but rather enriching it.  Governor W.D. Hoard.

And so, life was breathed into a business movement that would transform Wisconsin into Americas Dairyland as farmers began both a personal and economic love affair with dairy cows. Throughout the journey, Wisconsin began churning out a host of world-renowned dairy products, particularly cheese.

The dairy-farming culture eventually became so entrenched in the Badger States persona that the words Americas Dairyland began appearing on license plates in 1940. Those words have been there ever since.

Governor Hoards aforementioned quote was more than a pithy line in a political speech. Hoard, a man of action, set about creating what would become Americas Dairyland through both leadership and action. Via the Wisconsin Dairymens Association, Hoard secured the first refrigerated railcar to ship Wisconsin cheese to the lucrative East Coast markets. The Wisconsin Dairymens Association helped would-be business owners set up butter and cheese plants. That was already taking place in the 1870s.

A decade later, Hoard ran as the Cow Candidate and the people elected him Wisconsins 16th Governor. From that leadership position, Hoard soon started the College of Agriculture at the University of Wisconsin. North Americas first dairy science department and food science department quickly followed.



The forward-thinking Hoard helped recruit Stephen Babcock, one of the worlds foremost dairy scientists, to the new college. By 1890, Babcock perfected his Babcock Test to determine butterfat levels in milk. That, in turn, helped standardize milk pricing. Like Hoard, Babcock was a man of the people working for the greater good. Hence, Babcock never patented that test. He put it out there so others would come to enjoy business success.

Years later, as president of the University of Wisconsins Board of Regents, Hoard would help give the push to create the universitys first genetic department. That, of course, would be for cows, too.

A magazine, dairy processing, and a farm

While many throughout the dairy community have come to appreciate the Hoards Dairyman magazine and others may know we also have a historic dairy farm dating back to 1899, few may know the storied history of the W.D. Hoard & Sons Companys footprint in dairy processing.

The very same year Hoards Dairyman magazine began rolling off presses in 1885, W.D. Hoards son, Arthur, broke ground on the Hoards Creameries. Eventually, Arthur and his family would own 13 creameries as his plants churned out fancy Gilt Edge Butter. Decades later, that branch of the Hoard family sold off the butter division and the company ceased to exist in 1966 under the new ownership group.

In addition to the Hoards Creameries, the historic Hoards Dairyman Farm also operated a bottling plant for its milk from the Governors Guernsey herd. That division came to a close in the early 1950s, although its highly collectable milk bottles exist to this very day.

While it may have been cows producing milk to fill those bottles, it was Hoards belief that Wisconsin could grow and overwinter alfalfa that ultimately brought the Hoards Dairyman Farm to life. In 1899, the year Hoard bought his farm, Wisconsin had a scant 800 acres of the perennial crop. Due to Hoards research and writing, USDA chronicled that Wisconsin had 25,000 acres of the crop by 1910. Because of the groundbreaking alfalfa research, the U.S. Department of Interior placed the Hoards Dairyman Farm on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.



Back to the beginning

That brings us back to the "Wisconsin Foodie" as the Hoards Dairyman Farm Creamery brought us back to our roots in 2018 when the first batch of Belaire, a Port-Salute style cheese, began reaching store shelves. Steeped in tradition, the Belaire name was selected by Brian Knox, President of W.D. Hoard & Sons Company, in honor of Captain Belaire who brought the first Guernsey cattle to the United States.

After Belaire, St. Saviour (Camembert-style), Sark (Butterkase-style), Governors Select (Aged Cheddar), Castel (Manchego-style), Gouda, and a Dry Jack all joined the Hoards Dairyman Farm Creamery portfolio.

The modern-day Hoards Dairyman Farm Creamery runs on a collection of highly skilled in-house talent, the fine cheesemakers at Edelweiss Creamery and the Union Stars Willow Creek Cheese Factory, retailers, and restaurants. True to tradition, some of the milk for that cheese comes from cows that trace their family trees back to Governor Hoards original herd.

To learn more about the super buttery notes in St. Saviour, watch the February 16, 2023, episode of the "Wisconsin Foodie."

Also, a behind the scenes discussion with Arthur Ircink, the executive producer of the "Wisconsin Foodie," Zahm, and yours truly can be viewed via Facebook.

To comment, email your remarks to intel@hoards.com.

(c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2023

February 23, 2023
CHAPEL HILL  The image projected onto the curtain as audience members file into UNCs Memorial Hall for the staging of the opera Omar is so faint at first it looks like shadows made by folds in the fabric.

But as the lights dim, eyes, a nose and a mouth emerge until the aged face of the once-enslaved man is clearly seen.

Omar ibn Saids face  and his story  are emerging larger and more clearly on a grand scale at the moment with the North Carolina premiere this weekend of the opera co-written by Greensboro artist Rhiannon Giddens. With a book by two North Carolina scholars to be released this fall. And with the development of collections of his writings in archives from Wilson Library at UNC to the Library of Congress.

Omar has long been used to propagate the Lost Cause myth of the happy slave whose life was made better by his forced relocation to America and the captivity of a benevolent master. During his lifetime, during which he was never freed from slavery, his owners made him into a celebrity by adding an almost irresistible layer to the myth, claiming that Omar, who had studied Islam in West Africa before his captivity, had converted to Christianity and could write Bible verses in Arabic.

In fact, Carl W. Ernst, a UNC religious studies professor and co-author of the upcoming book about Omar, says the preserved writings show that he longed to return to Africa and that he remained a devout Muslim throughout his life.

His story just demands that people rethink some things, Ernst said. Thats the power of it.

More than 2,800 people will get a chance to hear the musical version of Omars story at sold-out shows in Memorial Hall this weekend.

The opera was first staged last year at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, S.C., an annual event held less than a mile from where Omar was first sold into slavery at the age of 37 after being captured during fighting in his homeland, modern-day Senegal, around 1807. It was Spoleto, along with Carolina Performing Arts, that commissioned Giddens to write the opera.

Three years after his enslavement, Omar escaped and made his way to North Carolina, where he was captured again and jailed in Fayetteville.

He was held there for 16 days, during which he used a piece of charcoal to write on the walls in Arabic. His literacy  and the strange characters he etched  made him a curiosity to the local sheriff, who sold Omar to James Owen, a Bladen County planter, state legislator and older brother to a future North Carolina governor.

During his captivity, Omar appears not to have been forced to do field labor, Ernst said. Instead, he was given a Bible written in Arabic and made to write out verses from it which were shown to visitors and bestowed as gifts to people the Owens wanted to impress.

It was sort of a parlor trick, Ernst said.

Eventually, Owen told Omar to write an autobiography, which he did, creating what is believed to be the only autobiography written in Arabic by an enslaved Muslim person in America while they were still in captivity.

The document, about 15 pages, begins with a Muslim blessing and with Omars apology to whomever might be able to read it. He says he has forgotten much of his native language and says his skills with the written word have diminished.

I cannot write my life, he says.

That line became the title for the book by Ernst and Mbaye Lo, a Duke University professor.

The story it tells, with a few embellishments, became Omar, the opera, which opens to a scene in Africa with Omar and others singing praises to Allah before warriors rush in, killing some and taking others to an overcrowded slave ship for the journey to Charleston.

Grammy-winner Giddens grew up in North Carolina, studied opera in college and has said she was powerfully drawn to Omars story. Giddens has been in Chapel Hill this week and is expected to attend the performances on Saturday and Sunday.

Ernst, who will see the show for the first time Saturday, said Omars story presents several realities for modern-day audiences to ponder, including that by having enslaved Muslim people who could read and write in Arabic, America incorporated both Islam and Arabic into its fiber from the countrys beginnings.

In a nation that some people regard as destined to be predominantly white and Christian, Ernst said, Thats not something that has really been grappled with.
GREENSBORO  On Feb. 22, a judge in federal district court sentenced Clyde Turaine Brand to 120 months in prison, announced United States Attorney Sandra J. Hairston of the Middle District of North Carolina.

On Sept. 20, 2022, following a five-day trial, a jury found Brand, 38, guilty of three counts: felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a stolen firearm, and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

Evidence at trial showed that on June 30, 2021, Brand possessed with intent to distribute 2.55 grams of fentanyl, a rifle, and two stolen Smith & Wesson handguns at a residence in Concord, following the execution of a search warrant. Brand was present at the residence at the time the warrant was executed. The fentanyl was recovered from a toilet. The rifle was found in the closet of an empty bedroom. The stolen handguns were found in a vehicle behind the residence.

U.S. District Chief Judge Thomas D. Schroeder sentenced Brand to a 120-month term of imprisonment and a three-year term of federal supervised release.

The case was investigated by Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Cabarrus County Sheriffs Office, and the Department of Homeland Security. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Craig M. Principe and Special Assistant United States Attorney Mary Ann Courtney.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make neighborhoods safer for everyone.

On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Laman Ismayilova

Strikingly beautiful, Azerbaijani carpets never cease to amaze with the splendor of colors. Casting a glance is enough to experience a trip to the past when unique carpet weaving techniques were born.

Being one of its kind, Azerbaijan Carpet Museum cherishes the traditional carpet weaving traditions. The museum's collection includes over 14,000 exhibits with centuries-old history.

Through its activities, the museum fosters an environment of inclusivity and accessibility. Restoration of the Carpet Museum's Shusha branch is also of particular attention.

In her interview with AZERNEWS, Azerbaijan Carpet Museum director, ICOM Azerbaijan National Committee President Shirin Malikova has provided insight into the museum's latest projects and future prospects.

- In January, the Carpet Museum presented "A new look at national heritage" project jointly with Azerkhalcha OJSC, AFFFAIR brand, and Kapital Bank. What is the essence of the project?

- The project follows last year's project co-organized with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation at the Heydar Aliyev Center. The previous project featured a carpets presentation and Rufat Ismayil's AFFFAIR in Carpets fashion show, inspired by Azerbaijani carpets. The current project is a continuation of the previous one, but this time new carpets have been woven in accordance with the designer's collection. Within the project, Azerkhalcha craftsmen wove carpets based on Rufat Ismayil's sketches, and textile decor of five dresses from his collection. Interestingly, the design of the dresses echo with elements of ancient Karabakh carpets: Achma-yumma, Karabakh, and Nakhchivan as well as Shabakali carpet by the People's Artist of Azerbaijan Eldar Mikayilzade and Paziriq carpet from the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, which is known as the oldest pile carpet in the world. Each of the five carpets based on Rufat Ismayil's collection was produced in only 25 copies, and one copy of each was donated to our museum. The project, which the head of Azerkhalcha Emin Mammadov describes as a synthesis of ancient traditions and modern trends, has become another step in the modernization of the ever-living art of Azerbaijani carpet weaving, as well as its promotion worldwide. Carpet weaving feeds the imagination of art people with new ideas, which open new directions in such seemingly traditional and familiar ways.

- Azerbaijani carpets have been demonstrated in Romania. How do you assess the public's interest in the exhibition "Azerbaijani Carpets: Learning Through Art"?

- Over 13,000 people have visited the exhibition in a month and a half. The project was co-organized by the National Carpet Museum, Brukenthal National Museum, and the Romanian Embassy in Baku, the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry, and the Sibiu Branch of the Romanian Association of the Blind.

Remarkably, it was the first exhibition of foreign carpet art in Romania. The exhibition was of great importance in terms of Azerbaijan's representation in Romania, for its culture and the museum work development.

Azerbaijan and Romania enjoy fruitful relations. At the time of the exhibition's opening ceremony, Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev was in Romania and the two countries agreed on a strategic partnership on green energy supply. And at the end of January, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis arrived in Azerbaijan. He also visited the Carpet Museum and we informed him about the exhibition in the city of Sibiu. The exhibition opened its doors at the Romanian Contemporary Art Museum, which is a part of the Brukenthal National Museum. The Carpet Museum presented 15 flat-woven and pile carpets (19th & 20th centuries), representing different carpet schools. Among the exhibits were Dragon carpets (Garabagh) associated with the post-Safavid era. From the name of the exhibition, it is clear that we tried to focus on its interactivity. The exposition also included carpet samples made by the Carpet Museum employees, specially designed for visually impaired people. They were labeled in Braille in Romanian. These exhibits attracted the interest of both members of the Society for the Visually Impaired and the Brukenthal National Museum, and now this museum is also planning to start inclusive activities.

Apart from that, the Carpet Museum held a master class on carpet weaving in Romania, which was a great success. This exhibition project is intended to be the first sign of the cooperation between the Carpet Museum and the Brukenthal National Museum, whose collection includes Azerbaijani carpets. We also noticed Azerbaijani carpets in churches and other museums in Romania. In the near future, we are planning to publish a book about these carpets together with the Brukenthal Museum.

- What new exhibits have been added to the museum's collection?

- The 19th-century earrings purchased last year from Bonhams 1793 Limited are among the museum's major acquisitions. The purchase became the first transaction in the history of the national museum business with this auction house. Two pairs of rare earrings in finished shape are excellent examples of the Qajar style, which amazes everyone with their workmanship. Also, I would like to mention three Garabagh embroideries. One of them, early 18th-century Garabagh embroidery, was purchased last year from a private collector with financial support from PASHA Holding. Its ornament goes back to the Khatai carpets. The embroidery adorns our exposition. As for the other two embroideries, they were acquired by the museum quite recently and will soon be presented to the general public.

- How is the Carpet Museum going to attract new visitors in the coming months?

- This year, our museum plans to hold an international scientific conference "Intercultural dialogue and ethnic identity", dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Azerbaijan's national leader Heydar Aliyev. The conference will bring together participants from Turkiye, South Korea, and Japan as well as European and Central Asian countries. The exhibition dedicated to the anniversary of the national leader will also be dated to coincide with the conference.

The Carpet Museum also gets ready to host anniversary exhibitions of Azerbaijani artists. The exhibition of the People's Artist Arif Huseynov has already been held to mark the artist's 80th birthday. The next project will be devoted to Honored Artist Inna Kostina. The event is scheduled for March 10. The guests of the exhibition will see artworks in the batik technique. Meanwhile, tapestry artist Adil Shikhaliyev together with a Turkish fellow, a well-known patchwork maker. We are also planning exchange exhibitions with the National Museum of Montenegro.

This year, our museum is waiting for another significant event in its history. After so many years, the Carpet Museum's Shusha brand will start its activity in Karabakh. Founded in 1987, the museum was transferred to Baku amid the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijan's Karabakh region. Since that time, the Shusha museum branch has been operating in the Carpet Museum's main building. Now the preparations are in full swing.




Our downtowns have been making news for some time. This week Concord took more of the spotlight. Kannapolis has been getting great reviews for its West Avenue redevelopment.

The jury is still probably out on some of the things in Concord. It should start to take shape this week with the court house expansion opening and as other building progress.

No. 1

A new brewery coming to Concord. Darby Brewing Company is getting ready set up shop in Downtown Concord.

I'm hoping to get in the building very soon and hope to open around late summer, early fall, according to Fred Riddick, owner of Darby Brewing Company. It's going to be on Union Street S in Concord, the home of the old Cabarrus Theater.

Riddick is working on investors for the project and hopes to announce more information soon.

I've been home brewing for a while but this will be my first venture in the business, Riddick said.

No. 2

New streetscape work intensifies. A section of Union Street closed earlier this week as the Downtown Streetscape project continues. During this phase of construction, Union Street will be closed to through traffic between Cabarrus Avenue and Corban Avenue. The road closure is anticipated to extend through Summer 2023.

The City of Concord issued a press release and update Tuesday afternoon and the street closed Wednesday. Here is part of the release:

Following a lengthier than anticipated delay due to unforeseen utility conflicts, work on the streetscape resumed earlier this year on Barbrick Avenue where construction crews are installing new 42-inch stormwater drainage pipes.

Work on Barbrick Avenue is progressing and the contractor is now ready to start work on Union Street. Crews will begin placing construction fencing on Union Street between Corban Avenue and the midblock crosswalk, and will close that portion of the road to traffic beginning at approximately 5 p.m. on Wednesday, February 22. Work in this area is expected to last through Summer 2023.

In these initial phases of the streetscape project, work is focused on updating the citys infrastructure with new water lines and stormwater drainage pipes. These updates will support continued growth and development downtown. During construction, the sidewalks will remain open for pedestrians to safely access businesses, and free parking is available throughout the downtown area. Visitors can view and download the Downtown Parking map by visiting concorddowntown.com/parking.

For more information about the Concord Downtown Streetscape project visit concorddowntown.com/streetscape.

No. 3

Whining on social media. The announcement by Concord drew lots of negative nellies on social media.

All I have to say is this better not affect my business. If I see a drop in income someone will be making up the difference, one person posted on a Facebook about the Concord announcement. To adapt a Dragnet saying, The names were changed to protect the guilty.

The older folks will understand. Just imagine those words coming from Joe Friday/Jack Webb.

Imagine all the lost businesses downtown. No way they can survive. What a shame, another person posted.

One person complained that there is no handicapped parking. True and the project is also aimed at adding those spaces.

Some of the commentators did add useful information like this: 11 parking spaces on Union Street will include two new ADA accessible spaces and there will be three additional ADA accessible parking spaces on Barbrick Avenue.

One of the complaints was the late notice about the street closing. I think that was a fair complaint. The press release from Concord went out at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday for a closing on Wednesday. You would think there would be a little more lead time.

Here is me whining back at the complainers: If you are worried about the businesses going out, frequent the businesses, even if it takes a few extra steps. You can park at Bicentennial Parking lot and at either of the two parking decks (Corban and Spring, and Cabarrus Avenue).

I dont know about you, but I dont use the Union Street spaces anyway.

No. 4

Concord wins against Barber-Scotia. Really there no winners here, but in court Superior Court Judge Marty McGee has ruled in favor of the City of Concord. An attorney for Barber-Scotia College had argued that the city made technical mistakes when it tore down two dilapidated dorms and billed the financially-troubled college more than $300,000 for the work.

McGee is expected to issue an order soon in the case.

Barber-Scotia College has been trying to operate without accreditation for many years. Officials did clear a major hurdle when the U.S. Department of Education forgave several million dollars in debt.

The Cabarrus County Tax office sent a letter to the college last fall asking for Barber-Scotia to offer proof that is still was a bona fide college and non-profit. That has yet to be resolved.

Barber-Scotia supporters have said a student is set to graduate this year. The offer still stands to do a feature on this student and any others who may be studying there.

No. 5

Some progress at Barber-Scotia. While scratching around for information about Barber-Scotia, I went to its website and was surprised to find it had been updated. Here are a couple of things I found:

* Roberta Huger Pinckney, Class of 1969, is the chair of the Board of Trustees.

* Other board members include: Ms. Pam Day, president-secretary of the board; Eric Guthrie, esquire; Brian Morgan; Ms. Josephine Smith; Lt. Col. Lee Bruner; Samuel P. McKenzie, a state representative in Tennessee; Pridell L. McCormick; Dr. Tracey Hardiman Flemmings, Interim President, Board of Trustees Ex-Officio, and Don Holloman.

*The Board of Trustees has a meeting scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 25, in the Sage Library.

*Graduation is scheduled for Saturday, May 11.

*The accreditation committee will meet May 25.

If you have a Friday Five, story suggestion or something I can rant about email mplemmons@independenttribune.com or call or text 704-786-0001.
COMPANY NEWS: Leading advisory and technology solutions provider Atturra Limited (ASX: ATA) today announced its results for the six months to 31 December 2022 (1H FY23). The Company reported that continued strong organic growth, and contributions from acquired businesses, drove a 34% increase in revenue compared to the pcp to $82.8 million.

Consolidated EBIT increased 39% on the pcp to $7.7m. The Company reported a statutory consolidated net profit after tax of $4.5m for 1H FY23, up 32% on the pcp

The 1H FY23 results reflect strong client growth, particularly in the local government sector, and the benefits of a diversified technology partnership strategy.

Atturra Chief Executive Officer, Stephen Kowal said: The Atturra team has had an exceptional start to FY23. We have continued to see strong demand across the business, and importantly continued high team morale. Our result clearly demonstrates the inherent strength and relevance of our strategy of ensuring we have leadership positions in key technologies and industries.

With the successful raise of $25m[1] in capital in December 2022, Atturra is well positioned to execute its acquisition strategy. Our acquisitions over the past couple of years have strongly contributed to our growth, and I am pleased that we are on track to complete two additional acquisitions in the near term.

Operational highlights

The Company continued to grow its technology partnerships, entering into new partnership arrangements with Efficiency Leaders and Curious Thing AI. The Company was promoted to OpenText Professional Services Partner for SAP, and Microsoft Solutions Partner for multiple designations within the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program. The Company won multiple partner awards for its Smartsheet work during the period.

The Company also won the CRN Impact Award for Platform Innovation and the APAC Insider Australian Made Award for Best Advisory & Consulting Company  Australia.

The Company secured more than 45 new clients, across multiple industries, in 1H FY23.

The Companys balance sheet as at 31 December 2022 was strong, with a cash position of $55m and debt of $4.9m.

Outlook

As outlined in the ASX announcement on 30 January 2023, Acquisition 03 will not be proceeding.

The Company remains on track to complete its acquisition of HSD in the next fourteen days, with most conditions precedent now satisfied.

The due diligence for Acquisition 01 is progressing positively, and a Share Sale and Purchase Deed is expected to be executed in the next fourteen days.

If these two acquisitions proceed, the Company anticipates FY24 revenue in the range of $210m to $230m and an underlying EBITDA[2] in the range of $20.5m to $22m. Revenue and underlying EBITDA forecasts are estimates only based on target representations that are subject to the outcomes of financial and other due diligence.

As both acquisitions are expected to complete in the next eight weeks, the Company will provide updated FY23 guidance at the close of the second acquisition.

The Company remains committed to its strategy of achieving a sustainable underlying EBIT[3] margin of around 9%, while continuing to invest in the growth of the business.
include_once "/home/jwreview/public_html/$theme/includes/sidebar.php"; ?> Former President Donald Trump visited East Palestine, Ohio on Wednesday, where he donated truckloads of bottled water along with thousands of gallons of cleaning supplies following that terrible train derailment earlier this month that left the small town in disarray. John Rourke, the CEO of Blue Line Moving, which transported the pallets of water to East Palestine, moved 13 pallets of water, which comes to over 14,000 bottles for the small town

The town of East Palestine was shaken by the derailment of a Norfolk Southern freight train transporting dangerous chemicals such as vinyl chloride and combustible liquids on Feb. 3. Thousands of nearby residents, more than half the town, were forced to evacuate their homes in response, though some have been permitted to return amid concerns over the toxic chemicals.E

Vinyl chloride has been linked to liver damage and a rare form of liver cancer. Later it was disclosed that three other dangerous chemicals  ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylhexyl acrylate and isobutylene  were also in the rail cars.

Fearing an explosion from the festering chemicals, officials moved to do a controlled burn, but then a black plume triggered concerns that there could be additional toxic material unleashed on the nearby environment. The plume looked like a mushroom cloud as it billowed into the sky.

Residents of the town have reported a range of symptoms following the derailment fallout. Headaches, rashes, loose stools, shortness of breath, and dizziness are some of the symptoms that people have been experiencing. Dead fish were seen in the waterways around the area a number of animals have turned up sick, some dying. People rightly have been scared of tainted drinking water; some have stopped bathing their children in the local water sources.

Trump spokesman Steven Cheung told Breitbart News that, "President Trump is meeting with the citizens of East Palestine, and he will never forget them and what they are going through. Contrast that with Biden and the federal government, who have failed them from the beginning."

President Trump will also be working with local nonprofit organizations and meeting with city leaders. Joining the former president will be an entourage of Ohio Republicans, including Sen. J.D. Vance, Rep. Bill Johnson, State Rep. Monica Robb-Blasdel, and State Sen. Michael Rulli.

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Speaking of the East Palestine residents President Trump said, "Those are great people, and they were abandoned. I'll be spending some time in Ohio, where [Biden] should be. And frankly, FEMA should have been there a long time ago; I announced that I was going, and all of a sudden, people sending a lot of money now."

Both President Joe Biden and U.S.ESecretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg have yet to visit East Palestine despite the train disaster having occurred nearly three weeks ago. Biden went to Ukraine instead and pledged $500 million more in support of their war with Russia. Meanwhile, Buttigieg said he would visit East Palestine, Ohio Owhen the time is right.O I guess he considers that the time would be right when all the danger is gone.

While residents have since been told by officials they are allowed to return to their homes, many are still concerned and want answers, understandably. But Biden and Buttigieg are nowhere to be found. Thankfully, former President Trump is there and doing all he can to make life bearable for those people.

I've said it before, you may not like the man's style. You may not like what he tweets. You may be put off by his overpowering rhetoric and his blustery ego. But former President Trump delivers.

Judge him not by his words, but his deeds.

(COMMENT, BELOW)
100 years ago,

Feb. 24, 1923

NEOGA  The contest for securing the appointment as postmaster of Neoga for the next four years seems to be nearing a conclusion by the naming of Ray W. Birch as the successful contestant. His appointment has not yet been officially announced but reports filtering in from authentic sources indicate that the appointment goes to Mr. Birch, a World War veteran injured in active overseas service. The term of the present postmaster, T.V. Worland, expired in December...MATTOON  Frank Shoffstall, living at 600 Shelby Ave., was arrested this afternoon by Deputy Sheriff Shirley, charged with failing to send his children to school. He will be given a hearing before Justice of the Peace Gibler, probably late today. Shoffstall was arrested a few weeks ago on a similar charge, but on his promise to see that his children went to school regularly, he was released. However, school officials claim he has kept his children out of school much of the time since then, and the new warrant for his arrest followed.

50 years ago, 1973

MATTOON  Alf R. Thompson, 23 Elm Ridge, launches "Thank You" campaign as a gesture of thanks to all men and women who have served this country since 1964  those who returned from an unpopular war, unheralded and unsung. The inspiration of this movement came as Thompson meditated in the den of his home the week following the Vietnam ceasefire on Jan. 27. Throughout that weekend, Thompson spent much time on the phone, to persons he knew and relatives in Mattoon, Effingham, Chicago, New York, New Jersey, California, New Mexico, Colorado, and Louisiana. As he spoke to the men and women he offered more than a thank you, telling them why he was grateful and "that we wouldn't be where we are today if they had not been involved."...CHARLESTON  A faculty member at Eastern Illinois University is linked to Abraham Lincoln by the past and to television's Archie Bunker by the present. Dr. Ralph McGinnis, a professor in the Department of Speech-Communication is a student of Lincoln history and a former teacher of the real Archie, Carroll O'Connor. McGinnis, who has a book in preparation designed to bring reasons for Lincoln's greatness to high school students, met O'Connor when he was chairman of the speech department at the University of Montana and O'Connor was a graduate assistant while studying rhetoric and public address in his master's degree program. McGinnis strikes a concise comparison to Archie and Carroll, "In his heart, he's a different man. Carroll O'Connor is for the underdog."

25 years ago, 1998

CHARLESTON  The Eastern Illinois University student accused of murdering a former girlfriend pleaded innocent Monday and posted bond. Justin Jay Boulay, 20, of St. Charles is charged with first-degree murder for allegedly strangling Andrea Will, who was also an EIU student, with a telephone cord at his Charleston apartment on Feb. 3. He pleaded innocent to the charges Monday...CHARLESTON  The Postal Customer Advisory Council formed a committee Monday to write a letter to the U.S. Postal Service district office that will outline Charleston's need for a new post office. Chairman Tom Maruna said he hoped the committee would have the letter to the district office prepared within the week. Maruna said Charleston's post office has limited parking and no disabled parking. "We're in desperate need of more room and lobby space," Postmaster Donna Fox added.

JG-TC Archives: 1968 historical events January 31, 1968 March 7, 1968 April 1, 1968 April 5, 1968 April 12, 1968 June 5, 1968 October 17, 1968 November 6, 1968 December 24, 1968
SPRINGFIELD  Illinois House Democrats announced the formation of a cannabis working group Thursday that will aim to steer the burgeoning industrys expansion in a business-friendly way while still satisfying the equity goals of the landmark 2019 legalization law.

The group is led by Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, who has sponsored numerous cannabis-related bills and is an outspoken advocate for racial equity.

The working groups main priority, according to Ford, is to make sure individuals who have invested in the newly-created industry are successful. A part of that is to address the disproportionate impact the war on drugs had on communities of color, particularly when it comes to cannabis-related arrests.

According to the ACLU, Black people in Illinois were 7.5 times more likely than white people to be arrested for cannabis-related offenses prior to the states decriminalization of the drug in 2016.

The same law that legalized recreational cannabis use in 2019 also made individuals previously charged with minor cannabis offenses eligible to have their records expunged. At the end of 2020, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced 492,129 cannabis-related convictions had been expunged and 9,219 low-level cannabis convictions had been pardoned.

The recreational cannabis law was also designed to give social equity applicants  or those whose ownership consists of minorities, people with drug convictions or individuals hailing from disproportionately impacted areas  easier access to new dispensary licenses.

Our goal was to make sure that those communities that were hardest hit by the war on drugs actually were able to benefit from this industry by having the ability to open up in those communities and hire people from those communities, Ford said in an interview.

Ford was the sponsor of House Bill 1443 in the previous General Assembly, a measure that created 110 additional social equity dispensary licenses beyond the initial 75 created by the original legalization law.

Over 30 cannabis-related bills have already been filed in the current General Assembly which began in January, addressing areas including licensing, distribution of cannabis tax revenue and the expungement of past offenses. The working group will comb through these measures to more effectively address the industrys most pertinent issues.

Illinois recorded a record-high $1.5 billion of recreational cannabis sales in Fiscal Year 2022, generating about $445 million in tax revenue. Under law, 25% of the taxes collected from recreational cannabis sales are to go to economically distressed communities or those impacted by the war on drugs. In Fiscal Year 2022, about $115 million in tax revenue went to the states General Revenue Fund.

Beyond an equity focus, Ford said the working group will also aim to make state policy more accommodating to the industry from a business perspective.

We have to make sure that we legislate with the industry because they are the investors, Ford said. If we could empower the businesses, its going to mean more revenue, and were going to realize what we intended for the [cannabis legalization] law to do. And that is increase employment, develop communities, reduce crime in the state.

Ford is joined on the working group by Assistant Majority Leader Marcus Evans, D-Chicago; Assistant Majority Leader Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora; Assistant Majority Leader Bob Rita, D-Blue Island; Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, D-Glenview; Rep. Sonya Harper, D-Chicago; and Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield.

Theyll work with other lawmakers, state agencies, businesses and associations that work directly with the cannabis industry.

One of the involved organizations is the Cannabis Business Association of Illinois, a statewide trade association for cannabis businesses.

The associations legislative priorities include re-implementing curbside pickup and drive-thru services after pandemic-era measures expired, decoupling Illinois cannabis tax code from the federal tax code, and extending the right to work in the medical cannabis industry for those who have previous cannabis-related convictions.

Currently, the recreational statute allows individuals with previous drug convictions to gain access to the cannabis industry, Pamela Althoff, executive director at the Cannabis Business Association of Illinois, said in an interview. That is prohibited in the compassionate and medical statute. Wed like to see both of them mirrored.

The Cannabis Equity Illinois Coalition, a grassroots nonprofit that advocates for cannabis-related reform, has their own priorities for the legislative session, including expanding support for the craft grow industry, creating a singular cannabis oversight commission to streamline cannabis programs, and creating licenses for clubs and lounges so people other than homeowners are able to legally consume cannabis.

The goal is moving away from having 13-plus state agencies who are not talking to each other, Peter Contos, deputy director of the coalition, said in an interview. We need one cannabis body who just does all the work, similar to what the state did with the liquor commission.

Evans and Ford have both introduced bills  House Bills 1436 and 1498  to create a cannabis oversight commission. Contos said the coalition is currently trying to work with both lawmakers to reach an agreement on the legislation.

Contos added theyre excited to be involved with the working group because it shows theres a concerted effort to continue cannabis-related reforms.

We have a long way to go in Illinois to get back to the goals we set a few years ago when we legalized [cannabis] but this is definitely the first step we need to take, Contos said.

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
The North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association recently announced a $1.1 million hospitality training program through the NCRLA Foundation.

The NCRLA said it has contracted with the N.C. Department of Commerce for this program.

We continue to hear from business owners that one of the greatest challenges they face every day is workforce shortages, said NCRLA President and CEO Lynn Minges. This program will help address that problem by providing free training courses, certifications and educational resources to help attract, expand and retain talent needed to fuel North Carolina restaurants, hotels and other hospitality and tourism-related businesses.

The NCRLA Foundation is providing free training resources online at NCRLA.training.

All courses, credentials and certifications offered are nationally recognized as best in class for the hospitality industry, the NCRLA said in a statement.

The resources are designed to target career and technical education, post-secondary education, workforce entry and re-entry, as well as employees currently in the industry.

N.C. businesses are encouraged to use the program to help train new hires.

This program is supported by the American Rescue Plan Act and represents one project of several designed to address the impact from COVID-19 on the hospitality, tourism and outdoor recreation industries. The program works in partnership with the N.C. Department of Commerce and the N.C. Pandemic Recovery Office, the NCRLA said.

Interested applicants can apply at NCRLA.training. For more information about the program, contact training@ncrla.org or visit ncrla.org/foundation.
Q: Abraham Lincoln was born on Feb. 12 and George Washington on Feb. 22. For generations these dates were celebrated. Then during the Richard Nixon presidency those dates were dropped, and Presidents Day became a Monday in mid-February. What was the reasoning behind creating Presidents Day?

J.L.

Answer: According to History.com, a federal holiday was established in the late 19th century to honor George Washington. It became known as Presidents Day in 1971 as part of the federal governments Uniform Monday Holiday Act. Congress decided in the late 1960s to change the dates of several holidays from a specific date to a Monday.

The act was passed June 28, 1968, and was signed by President Lyndon Johnson. It took effect Jan. 1, 1971.

It created several three-day weekends for workers in the United States. Supporters of the act also thought that three-day weekends would encourage travel and tourism.

Presidents Day is now considered a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents.

The Uniform Monday Holiday Act created a three-day holiday out of Washington and Lincolns birthdays, Memorial Day, Columbus Day and Veterans Day.

Presidents Day is the third Monday of February, between the presidents birthdates. It was changed from Feb. 22.

Memorial Day is the last Monday in May. It was changed from May 30.

Columbus Day is the second Monday in October. It was changed from Oct. 12.

Veterans Day was included in the act, but from its first observance in 1971, there were problems with the new holiday.

The date was set as the fourth Monday in October, but many people, especially veterans, were not happy with the change. Also, a lot of states didnt like the change and continued to observe the holiday on Nov. 11.

In 1978, after several years of people complaining about the change, Veterans Day was moved back to its original date, Nov. 11, the date of the World War I armistice. President Gerald Ford sign the legislation moving it back to Nov. 11 in 1975. The change took effect in 1978.

The other federal holidays are New Year Day, Jan. 1; Independence Day, July 4; Labor Day, the first Monday in September; Thanksgiving, the fourth Thursday in November; and Christmas Day, Dec. 25.

Thank you

S.U. wants to thank a work crew who helped her search for some lost items.

My neighbor in Advance had placed his cellphone, Kindle reader, and an important envelope on the back of his car, then drove to an appointment. He remembered it, called me and asked if I would retrace his route along N.C. 801.

I saw an Asplundh tree company truck at the entrance to the neighborhood and asked them if they had seen the items. The crew got out of their truck and began searching the roadside with me.

We found the phone in its cracked case and the envelope. The Kindle, with its magnetic strip, surprisingly had held its grip on the car. Everything was recovered.

I commend this tree crew for the refreshing way they stepped forward to help my neighbor and me.

S.U.
North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore and state Rep. David Willis were involved in a car accident Thursday while traveling back to Raleigh, but were not hurt, Moores spokesperson said.

Moore and Willis, both Republican members of the House, were visiting Wilson for a series of events and were being driven back to Raleigh by security when their vehicle was rammed from behind several times, said Demi Dowdy, a spokesperson for Moore, in a statement late Thursday.

Dowdy confirmed that no one in the vehicle was hurt in the incident, which was first reported by Axios Raleigh.

Both General Assembly police and the State Highway Patrol responded, Dowdy said, and the circumstances are under investigation.

Moore, who represents Cleveland and Rutherford counties, is serving his 11th term in the House and was recently elected to a record fifth term as speaker.

Willis is currently serving his second term and represents Union County.
A Winston-Salem man was sentenced to a lengthy prison term Tuesday after a jury convicted of him of multiple sex offenses involving a 13-year-old girl, authorities said Thursday.

James Aaron Glenn, 52, was found guilty of statutory rape of a child, second-degree rape, statutory sexual offense with a child, second-degree sexual offense and two counts of taking indecent liberties with a child, the Forsyth County District Attorneys Office said.

Judge Richard Gottlieb of Forsyth Superior Court sentenced Glenn to serve 55 to 76 years in prison, the district attorneys office said.

On April 23, 2018, Winston-Salem police received a call from doctors at the Downtown Health Plaza about a child who had medical symptoms connected to a sexual assault, the district attorneys office said.

After arriving at the scene, officers learned that a 13-year-old girl had been sexually assaulted, the district attorneys office said.

At that time, Glenn was a handyman who was hired to do repair work at the victims home, the district attorneys office said. The girl was at her home alone when Glenn knocked on the door and said that he was there to fix a broken window.

Glenn entered the home, and a short time later he came into the victims bedroom, the district attorneys office said. Glenn told the girl to take her clothes off.

When she refused, he grabbed her by the arm and pushed her onto the bed and told her If you dont do it, Ill kill you right here, right now, the district attorneys office said.

The girl complied and she was sexually assaulted, the district attorneys office said. Glenn was accused of threatening to kill the girl if she told anyone about what had happened.

The girl experienced pain and other symptoms, which led her mother to take her to the Downtown Health Plaza. The girl initially told medical personnel about her abuse.

Detectives then connected the girls sexual assault to Glenn, the district attorneys office said.
Over the past several years, weve seen no shortage of buzzwords relating to trends in how we work.

Gig economy.

Zoom fatigue.

Turnover tsunami.

Side gig and side hustle.

Quiet quitting and quiet hiring.

The Great Resignation and The Great Reshuffle.

It can be hard to keep up. So today Ill dive into the latest term: rage applying.

Its a new take on the old strategy of spray and pray for those totally dissatisfied with their current job and who cant wait to leave: send out tons of resumes, apply to countless jobs ... and hope youll get some traction.

This latest term originated with workers in Generation Z (those born in the late 1990s and after).

When you feel burned out or frustrated at work, its natural to start thinking about moving on to something else. This is akin to a jilted lover hopping on multiple dating sites to find people who will show them attention. We want to be wanted, to be needed.

The responses feel good in the short term. But is this temporary validation good for us in the long term?

I can see why employees who are totally burned out would go the route of applying to any and every job just to get out of their current situation.

Lets consider another path. Why not target your search instead? Spend some time thinking about exactly what in your current role is dissatisfying. Once you figure that out, youll have a better idea of where to start.

Perhaps your reason for burnout is your current boss or work climate. If you like your work and the industry, look to companies and positions that match your prior experience and where youll be the most marketable.

Or maybe its time for a total reset. Research companies outside of your industry, but where you feel you could add value. Network with people who can shed light on life in that new industry and the roles where your experience is transferable.

While changing jobs can be invigorating, if you dont do your homework you could wind up in a situation thats worse. Through my career with Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina, I can recall too many times when clients had switched jobs only to find that the grass wasnt greener after all. I think that many of us have been there.

Go in with your eyes open. Research your next employer. Ask questions. Listen to your gut.

Theres never a guarantee that your next move will be ideal, but youll improve your odds if you address the issues that are driving you from your current job.
By Azernews





Ukrainian artist and art critic Yulia Tarasenko has showcased her artworks in Baku.

Her personal exhibition "If not for Geranium.." was co-organized by NUR Art House and NGO Arts Council Azerbaijan.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, head of the NGO Arts Council Azerbaijan Dadash Mammadov noted that Yulia Tarasenko is a frequent guest in Baku. She has repeatedly presented projects and seminars on architecture and culture, but for the first time, the artist showcases here her fine arts devoted to Azerbaijan.

Each piece of art has its own story, Yulia Tarasenko tells in metaphorical paintings created during her stay in Azerbaijan's capital city.

In her paintings, she shares her impressions of the centuries-old Baku city, its people, and its diverse culture that have left a deep mark on her life.

Yulia Tarasenko said that she first came to Baku with her family 14 years ago, and fell in love with the city and its inhabitants with all her heart.

"This exposition is a kind of summing up the results of my creative transformation, the transition from a lawyer and art historian to an artist. Fourteen years ago I first came to Baku and touched the world of art. For me, it is symbolic of two seven-year periods. After all, seven is the most mysterious number in numerology, symbolizing luck, wisdom, erudition, aesthetics, and a philosophical attitude to life. The nature of the seven shows the true path helps to learn and become better day by day. And in fact, for me it is gratitude to the people and Azerbaijan who influenced my development as a creative personality," the artist told Trend Life.

"Now in Baku I have many friends who have always supported me, and this city has become for me a place of strength, a source of inspiration, freedom of communication, a positive ambiance, and a creative atmosphere. One of my teachers is the famous artist Ali Shamsi. I would especially like to notice Azerbaijani traditions, architecture, and nature, which fascinate and give impetus to creative accomplishments. Madly in love with antique Azerbaijani kitchen and household utensils, and of course, national dishes. Over the years, the source of Azerbaijani culture and traditions, the goodwill of the people, the city of Baku, and the country's regions have become an inseparable part of my personality. And my paintings reflect all my emotions, feelings of love and gratitude to Azerbaijan," she added.

As the artist admits, she would be glad to present her works in Ukraine, but due to the war, this is not yet possible.

Her exhibition in Baku displays 20 colorful paintings. The first artwork she painted in Baku, fleeing the war, is called Hospitality.

"It took me a week to adapt a little and understand that I was safe. Then I collected the objects that were in the space of the apartment and created a still life. Very soon, heavy thought clouds began to transform into light and airy clouds, and every day I more and more filled with a resource and immersed in creativity. This painting seemed to anticipate my subsequent stay, it was filled with attention, care, and hospitality," the artist said.

A number of canvases reflect geranium, which, according to the artist, is unfairly forgotten against the background of other flowers.

"Geranium represents beauty, health, love, the desire for self-improvement, cheerfulness, and inexhaustible vitality, and is a symbol of prosperity and longevity. This flower is endowed with amazing properties, including magical ones. The flower protects the house from negative energy, negative influence, envy, and aggression and keeps calm and comfort in the family. In the East, even now they believe that the snake will not penetrate the house on the threshold of which there is a geranium. And the Ukrainians in ancient times carried with them dried petals of red geranium in a linen bag as a talisman. In particular, red the flower is recommended for couples as the red color symbolizes fidelity and passion while the white color symbolizes purity, the happiness of marital happiness, and the beginning of something new, good pink geranium is a flower of romance and tender love they also symbolize femininity and maternal aspects of love.

In the Islamic, Christian, and Scandinavian traditions, geraniums are common. According to one of the legends, the origin of the geranium flower is associated with one incident from the life of the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h). Once upon a time, geranium was a common weed, ugly and unnecessary. Once the Prophet Muhammad, after washing his shirt, hung it on this bush near his tent. Then the plant turned to the sun's rays and quickly dried the fabric. When the shirt was dry, the Prophet blessed the humble plant for its service, and this turned the weed into a beautiful geranium flower," the artist said.

The exposition is open until February 25.

Photo credits: Vugar Imanov.

Media partners of the event are Azernews.Az, Trend.Az, Day.Az, Milli.Az.




In 1972, cellist Julian Fifer brought together a group of New York freelance musicians in their early 20s to play orchestral repertoire in the manner of chamber music in a radical experiment in musical democracy.

Working as a collective, with each musician working to plan, rehearse, perform and promote performances, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, with its home at Carnegie Hall, has recorded more than 70 albums, won a 2001 Grammy Award, and toured internationally.

And Orpheus, which will return to the Lied Center for Performing Arts Wednesday has done so without a conductor.

Weve been doing this conductorless aesthetic for decades, said cellist Jim Wilson, one of Orpheus three artistic directors. So we know how to function without a conductor. We all have strong chamber music backgrounds. Were used to functioning in small groups and the functioning is democratic.

It's unique, said Wilson, who has frequently served as the principal guest cellist for the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.

Its very different from any other orchestra I play in, he said.  Its very dynamic and its very communicative. Theres a lot of talking in rehearsal. Theres a lot of just saying what people want. Its very different. Theres a lot of freedom to say what you dont like when were in rehearsals.

"That says a lot about the respect we have for each other and for the process.

The rehearsals are led by the concertmaster, the first chair, first violin, who is responsible for making sure the rehearsal flows and runs on time. But the interpretation of any piece  the honing of each arrangement  is hashed out by all the musicians.

With a large symphony orchestra, with 90 people, you cant do that, Wilson said. You cant open the floor. It would be chaos. The conductor has a really important artistic role and a really important role in keeping things together. You cant have 90 people talking all at once and trying to get their way.

Orpheus also functions differently in performance than other chamber or symphony orchestras. The musicians change seats from piece to piece, moving forward or backward depending on their role in the upcoming piece.

Its the only orchestra Ive ever played in where a lot of the responsibility for the sound and the sheer physicality is put on the people sitting at the back, Wilson said. The people at the front are freed up to communicate, make sure everybody is lined up and add the finesse.

Because it will be performing only two pieces, there will be just one chair rotation at the Lied Center Wednesday.

As for setting tempo and bringing out sections of emphasis  the role of a conductor during a concert  again, the Orpheus musicians have found ways to perform them collectively.

We have a lot of body language, we move around a lot, Wilson said. Part of this is to keep together. The emphasis is worked out in rehearsal. By the end of the day, we will have done 20 hours of rehearsal for this tour. We know the timing, the tempo shifts and the expressiveness. We do that as were playing. We all lock in with each other.

Orpheus, which began its tour in Virginia on Tuesday, last performed at the Lied Center in January 2019 with pianist Andre Watts  "Im excited to go to Lincoln, thats where my dad grew up, Wilson said.

The two pieces on Wednesdays program  Chopins Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, with pianist Alessio Bax, and Schuberts Chamber Symphony in B-flat major (after Piano Sonata D. 960.)

The Chopin were playing is different in that people are used to hearing it with a symphony, Wilson said. Were playing with only strings and a small number of strings. Thats very different. The Schubert is for a solo piano. Were doing the opposite. You have to do a mind meld with all 19 people to function as one piano. This program is a challenge. It has moments of exaltation and joy, and moments of intimacy.

Photos: An early look at the metro's newest concert venue, Steelhouse Omaha 021623-owh-new-steelhouse-ar01.JPG 021623-owh-new-steelhouse-ar02.JPG 021623-owh-new-steelhouse-ar03.JPG 021623-owh-new-steelhouse-ar04.JPG 021623-owh-new-steelhouse-ar05.JPG 021623-owh-new-steelhouse-ar06.JPG 021623-owh-new-steelhouse-ar07.JPG
Dustin Arbuckle and the Damned, 5 p.m. Friday, Zoo Bar. Wichitas Dustin Arbuckle spent more than a decade with guitarist Aaron Moreland in the band Moreland & Arbuckle before forming Dustin Arbuckle & the Damnations in 2017. The bands electrified roots music is a mix of blues, rock and jazz, and can be heard on its debut album, My Gateway.

Fleshgod Apocalypse & Obscura with Wolfheart, Thulcandra, 8 p.m. Friday, the Royal Grove. Its European death metal night at the Grove Friday with Italian symphonic death metal masters Fleshgod Apocalypse sharing the stage with their German tech death counterparts Obscura. The tour, with openers Wolfheart and Thulcandra, which began last weekend, is the first American appearances by the headliners in decades.

Bayside with I Am the Avalanche, KOYO, 8 p.m. Saturday, Bourbon Theatre. Veteran Queens, New York, punks Bayside released a three-song EP back in October that captures their vintage sound  short, punchy pop-punk with hooky melodies and buzzing guitars. Theyll be bringing two-decades worth of those kinds of songs to the Bourbon on Saturday.

Nick Schnebelen, 6 p.m. Wednesday, Zoo Bar. While a member of the family band Trampled Under Foot, Kansas Citys Nick Schnebelen won the Best Guitarist award in the 2008 International Blues Challenge. Hes now leads his own band, singing as well as playing guitar and returns to the Zoo for the first time in more than three years Wednesday.

Arkansauce, 6 p.m. Thursday, Zoo Bar. Arkansauce is a genre-hopping, four-piece string band from northwest Arkansas, bending the rules and blurring the lines between bluegrass, new grass, folk, Americana, country, blues and funk. Theyre back at the Zoo for the first time since 2019 on Thursday.

Subtronics - ANTIFRACTALTour, 8 p.m. Thursday, Bourbon Theatre. Subtronics, aka DJ Jesse Kardon, has been playing arenas and large halls on his production-packed ANTIFRACTAL tour. So hell be cramming all the lasers, carbon-dioxide jets and LED board into the Bourbon on Thursday, where hell deliver a set of his electronic music thats tailored for Lincoln.
Several school board members in Sioux City, Iowa, argue a lawsuit filed by former Superintendent Paul Gausman, who joined Lincoln Public Schools in July, can't remove them from office.

In a response filed in Iowa's Woodbury County District Court on Thursday, Sioux City Community School District and four board members are requesting to toss out parts of the suit that seek to unseat the officials and quash an ethics complaint filed against Gausman.

Gausman was superintendent in Sioux City for 14 years before joining LPS last summer.

He sued his former district in January, claiming Sioux City school board members Dan Greenwell, Jan George, Taylor Goodvin and Bob Michaelson violated the state's open meetings laws in filing the ethics complaint with the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners.

The school board's ethics complaint, filed Dec. 2, alleges Gausman offered to support any "changes in school operations, programs, activities, and other matters" George and Michaelson wanted in an effort to solicit their support for his preferred pick for board president in November 2021.

Gausman's lawsuit claims the board held two illegal meetings  one in January 2022 and another last November  citing the wrong Iowa code section in order to shield discussions about Gausman and the subsequent complaint from him and the public. Other board members not named in the suit were also present at the meetings.

In its response, the district argues Iowa law only allows courts to remove a board member for violating open meetings laws if damages were assessed against the member for the violation during their term. Gausman's suit is also seeking monetary damages and attorney's fees.

The board's response also argues complaints filed with the Board of Educational Examiners  a professional practices panel that establishes and enforces standards for educators  cannot be admitted as evidence in legal proceedings under Iowa code.

The board's ethics complaint, which came to light through Gausman's suit, is "privileged" information only available to the parties involved, according to Sioux City's response. It is not "admissible as evidence in a judicial or administrative proceeding" other than any hearing tied to the actual investigation of the complaint, the response says.

"We believe our Motion to Strike serves to remove the theatrics from Dr. Gausman's claim," Greenwell said in a statement to the Journal Star. "We believe the heart of the matter is the BOEE investigation by the State of Iowa. We are hopeful that the BOEE will proceed in normal course and look forward to receiving those findings."

Gausman, who was interviewed and hired by LPS at this time last year, declined to comment, citing pending litigation. Lincoln Board of Education members have also declined in the past to comment on the lawsuit.

Greenwell, the Sioux City board president and a frequent critic of Gausman before and after Greenwell was first elected to the board in 2019, previously filed an identical ethics complaint in August without board support. That complaint was later withdrawn since filings must come from a district.

Top Journal Star photos for February 2023
Nonprofit organizations that care for individuals needing behavioral health and substance abuse treatment in Nebraska would be able to expand access and services under a new payment framework supporters say has seen success in other states.

The Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Act (LB276) introduced by Lincoln Sen. Anna Wishart would allow qualifying service providers to seek daily or monthly reimbursements for certain treatments, thereby allowing them to hire more staff and to increase access to timely care.

I think we would all be hard-pressed to find someone in this room that doesnt know someone in their life who hasnt been touched by mental health or substance abuse issues, Wishart told the Legislatures Health and Human Services Committee.

Those who found ways to emerge from a mental health crisis or enter recovery did so through a lot of fortitude, Wishart added, but it also took a holistic approach of a lot of different supports in that persons life.

Backers of the certified community behavioral health clinic plan say patients in the states where they now exist have seen better outcomes in their physical and mental health, reduced hospital or mental health care facility stays and lowered incarceration rates.

The bill would require providers to offer nine community-based services either directly or through referrals to other clinics in the area.

Those services include outpatient mental health and substance abuse services, crisis mental health, outpatient clinic primary care screening, psychiatric rehabilitation services, peer support and counseling, as well as family supports.

Annette Dubas, a former state senator who now serves as the executive director of the Nebraska Association of Behavioral Health Organizations, told the committee the Medicaid-based program also produces data that allows for better tracking of outcomes.

There truly is an accountability in (certified community behavioral health clinics) that we dont have in other areas of our health care delivery system, she said. Were going to be able to show you these are the things that are working, these are the things we need to change.

The Community Alliance in Omaha has seen success in the community behavioral health framework as one of five pilot sites in Nebraska, president and CEO Carole Boye said.

Its not a new program, its a framework by which you organize all these services differently and you work to coordinate them based on what this person needs rather than slicing and dicing them based on level of service, Boye said.

Wishart said the program would be started using some cash funds with a match in federal dollars, with the state gradually assuming its share through the budget over time.

Over the course of six months, Boye said patients enrolled in the program have spent 242 fewer days in the hospital and 54 fewer days in jail  numbers Chris Tonniges, president and CEO of Lutheran Family Services, said were just some of the benefits of the system.

A quarter of those who have been treated through the certified community behavioral health clinic program have reported a decrease in feeling negative thoughts, while there has also been an uptick in patients who have reported better daily functioning and social connectivity.

The proposal also won the backing of Gov. Jim Pillen, who said the integrated care plan would provide key services across Nebraska, particularly in areas that may now be unserved or underserved.

What I think is important here is the timing and meaningful access of services and the outreach, Pillen said. If youre out and around the state of Nebraska and talk to law enforcement, so much of their time is pulled away because they are helping families that have behavioral health or mental health problems.

Several officials from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services also spoke in support of the bill.

CEO Dannette Smith said the expansion of early intervention through community-based services would help prevent mental health crises from taking place, while Dr. Kevin Bagley, director of Medicaid and long-term care for the department, said the cost-reimbursement model would give providers added flexibility to address the needs in their communities.

The program would be set up using cash funds and a match from federal Medicaid dollars, before the states cost eventually shifts to the general fund budget. Bagley said DHHS believes it could cover the cost inside of its existing budget, meaning there wont be a need for a special appropriation.

No one testified in opposition to the bill during Thursdays hearing. The committee did not take any action on the legislation.

Wishart said enacting the program would foster more collaboration between providers, hospitals, schools and law enforcement to address behavioral health and substance abuse needs across the state.

Now is the time to invest in a modest increase in Medicaid match dollars, she said. This new delivery model has proven its effectiveness in savings to government entities across the country.

Meet the Nebraska state senators making laws in 2023
Packed houses at two recent events focusing on early childhood care and education shows how much our community cares about its littlest residents.

In November, Lincoln Littles hosted a community presentation for more than 125 stakeholders. Attendees learned the most recent Vital Signs findings, and presenters discussed issues and ways the community may be able to help.

Then in February, the Lincoln Community Foundations Community Connections event featured a lively panel discussion about the current state of early childhood. One of the major takeaways from both events was the rising cost of child care in our community.

There is one statistic from Lincoln Vital Signs that seemed to hit home for folks, said Anne Brandt, Lincoln Littles executive director. In 2021, even the cheapest child care option was more expensive than resident tuition and fees at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. You could feel the energy in the rooms shift when the audiences took in that information.

According to the most recent Lincoln Vital Signs report, child care costs significantly increased from 2019 to 2021. The cost of child care is often a large proportion of working parents income, and in some cases may be a barrier to participation in the workforce. Still, Lincoln has a higher percentage of families with all parents in the workforce than the national average.

Tackling these challenges is a heavy load. Although currently a team of two  Anne Brandt and Suzanne Schneider  Lincoln Littles is working as a catalyzing force to address the complexities of early childhood care and education in our community.

This issue affects all of us, said Brandt. If we cant access affordable child care, then our children dont have places to go, we cant work, and ultimately our community isnt as vital.

West A Street KinderCare Center Director Janice Anderson sees the challenges families are up against every day.

Families who qualify for tuition assistance through the state are able to choose a center with high-quality programming for their child and have the costs mostly or completely covered, said Anderson. Families who make just above the income level are not so lucky. They have to choose centers they can afford, and that sometimes means a compromise in the level of care and education.

One way our community has been addressing this challenge for working families has been through raising funds for Lincoln Littles tuition assistance. Launched in 2019 and inspired by the Prosper Lincoln community agenda, Lincoln Littles Giving Day has raised $3.1 million for tuition assistance, providing affordable and quality early child care to nearly 600 children.

This year, the Lincoln Community Foundation decided to expand these efforts to a month-long campaign, raising funds and awareness for Lincoln Littles work in early childhood education.

An investment in the important work of Lincoln Littles means more children will receive the quality education and care they deserve at a level their families can afford, said Alec Gorynski, president of the Lincoln Community Foundation. As the complexities surrounding early childhood continue to affect our community and our workforce, it is a natural fit to expand Lincoln Littles Giving Day to a month-long effort that will bring much-needed relief to working families.

The mission of Lincoln Littles is to provide opportunities for all children to have access to high quality early care and education, ensuring they are ready for school and a life of learning. Lincoln Littles is expanding high-quality early childhood care and education choices and supporting families, early childhood providers, teachers, businesses and our community.

Tuition assistance is still a huge piece of what we do because child care is so expensive, said Suzanne Schneider, associate director of Lincoln Littles. Tackling the big things of affordability and quality are long games. With community investment, we can certainly grow this work and help our families thrive.

Reflecting on the families she serves, Anderson values the life-changing impact these funds can have.

I have had parents who forfeited raises or promotions at work because it would put them over the income level for state child care assistance by $100 and they would lose all their subsidy, she said. They valued quality care for their child over advancements in their career. With Lincoln Littles, I can help parents keep their children with us as they develop in their career paths.

The community can donate to Lincoln Littles online at LincolnLittles.org. Donations may also be mailed to the Lincoln Community Foundation, 215 Centennial Mall South, Suite 100, Lincoln, NE 68508. Checks must be written to Lincoln Community Foundation with Lincoln Littles in the memo line.
If you go

The middle of March to early April is the best time to see sandhill cranes in central Nebraska as they head north to their breeding grounds in Alaska and Canada and as far north as Siberia.

Here are two places to visit:

Crane Trust Nature & Visitor Center

9325 S Alda Road, Wood River. Right off Exit 305 Interstate-80

Open seven days a week in March. Visitor Center hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

There is still time to book spots in blinds along the river. Go to cranetrust.org/visit for availability

Audubons Rowe Sanctuary

43700 Elm Island Road, Gibbon. Two miles south and 2 miles west of Exit 285 Interstate-80

Open seven days a week Feb. 25-April 9. Visitor center hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Reservations may be made online or by calling 308-468-5282 for crane viewing experiences. Phone lines are limited, so reserve online for best results.
As Kenosha County is considering banning the popular smartphone application TikTok from county-owned devices, Racine County has been one step ahead.

Racine Countys Information Technology Department removed the TikTok app from all Racine County electronics, including county-issued cellphones, laptops and personal computers Jan. 9.

In Kenosha County, a Finance and Administration Committee agenda for Wednesday listed the topic of banning TikTok for discussion, but the meeting was canceled due to bad weather and likely is to be rescheduled for next week, said Kenosha County Communication Manager Joe Potente.

The Racine County decision was made for security reasons, county staffers are saying.

Sarah Street, Racine County Human Resources director, said the decision came from a joint team of County Executive Jonathan Delagrave, the county IT Department and the Human Resources Department because of the nationwide conversation surrounding security vulnerabilities.

We took a proactive approach to removing TikTok from county devices after reviewing the national conversation surrounding potential security vulnerabilities, Delagrave said in a statement. Its important that we take any cyber threat seriously, especially when it potentially involves the personal data of our employees and residents.

The video-sharing app is available in more than 150 countries, has over 1 billion users and has been downloaded more than 210 million times in the United States, according to marketing agency Wallaroo Media.

Its used by two-thirds of American teenagers and has become the second-most popular domain in the world.

The app is owned by ByteDance Ltd., a Chinese company that moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2020, and has been targeted by critics who say the Chinese government could access user data, such as browsing history and location.

Both the FBI and the Federal Communications Commission have warned that TikTok user data could be shared by ByteDance Ltd. with Chinas authoritarian government.

U.S. officials also have long worried that the Chinese government might use TikTok to push pro-China narratives or misinformation.

Nearly half of states nationwide including Wisconsin, universities across the country including those in the University of Wisconsin system, Congress and the U.S. armed forces also have prohibited the app.

Racine County does not have a presence on TikTok and there wasnt a need for employees to be on the app, Street said.

The countys IT Department was able to uninstall all TikTok apps from county electronics if downloaded, so employees did not have to take any action, she said. The county has a device management solution set up which blocks future installation of the app.

We have not heard any complaints at all, Street said of the month and a half so far without the app.

Street said the team felt that quick action was more beneficial rather than sending the topic to a committee or the County Board. The team discussed the topic for about a week before taking action.

We didnt see a reason why. Theres no professional reason for employees to utilize TikTok, it just seemed logical to take that action and act quickly, Street said. And there were really no drawbacks to not doing it.

Racine County District 11 Supervisor Bob Miller was on board with the ban.

Due to the TikTok connections with communist China, a ban is appropriate, Miller said. Especially in light of news about China spying with its surveillance balloons, we must be vigilant to protect our country and all of our citizens.

Reporting from The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Chrystul Kizer, who faces a 2018 homicide charge for the death of a Kenosha man being investigated for sex trafficking, was back in a Kenosha County courtroom Thursday afternoon for a motion hearing.

Kizer, of Milwaukee, faces first-degree intentional homicide for the June 2018 death of Randall Volar, a 34-year-old Kenosha man who prosecutors admit had been preying on Kizer and other underage girls. Volar had also been under investigation for producing child pornography and sexual abuse.

Kizer, now 22, was 17 at the time she was charged and is accused of shooting Volar in the head twice and then setting his house at 7732 14th Ave. on fire. She then allegedly fled in his car.

Kizer appeared briefly with attorneys Jennifer Bias, Helmi Hamad and Gregory Holdahl before Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge David Wilk on Thursday. District Attorney Michael Graveley and assistant district attorney Zachary Brost appeared for the state.

Both sides requested Wilk adjourn Thursdays hearing to allow for the narrowing of the issues, as well as thorough review by Wilk of the more than 90 minute interrogation video of Kizer by police. The defense wants the video suppressed and not shown to a jury during trial. The prosecution wants the video admitted.

Wilk granted their request and set a motion hearing for June 15, where he will rule on the video.

Ongoing case

Last year, the Supreme Court of Wisconsin ruled that Kizer would be able to use an affirmative defense for any offense committed as a direct result of having been trafficked at her upcoming trial.

As the Supreme Courts majority decision, penned by Justice Rebecca Dallet, noted: Unlike many crimes, which occur at discrete points in time, human trafficking can trap victims in a cycle of seemingly inescapable abuse that can continue for months or even years.

For that reason, even an offense that is unforeseeable or that does not occur immediately after a trafficking offense is committed can be a direct result of the trafficking offense, so long as there is still the necessary logical connection between the offense and the trafficking, Dallet wrote.

At question is a lack of clarity in state law.

Under a state law passed in 2008, victims of sex trafficking are immune from prosecution from crimes they themselves may have committed as a direct result of having been trafficked.

The decision does not protect someone who has been a victim of trafficking from all prosecution.

As Dallet wrote in the majority opinion: It is not enough to say simply that because the defendant is a victim of human trafficking, any offense they commit subsequently must be a direct result of the trafficking. The offense must bear a logical, causal connection to the underlying trafficking offense; it must be a direct result of the trafficking. Thus, our interpretation does not create ... blanket immunity for victims of human trafficking.

The Kenosha County District Attorneys Office argued this protection cannot be stretched to include a defense against killing the trafficker themself, while those defending Kizer maintain it can be because the laws on the books have no restrictions on what crimes can be included.

Since June Kizer has been out of custody on a $400,000 cash bond raised by activists. Kizer faces life in prison for the homicide charge.

She also faces four other felonies of taking and driving a vehicle without consent, arson of a building without the owners consent, felony bail jumping and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Graveley has maintained his charging decision is not based on public opinion or politics and has asked people to reserve judgment until facts are presented at trial.

A trial date has not been set.

IN PHOTOS: Chrystul Kizer makes court appearance in June 2021 Kizer Court Kizer Court Kizer Court Kizer Court Kizer Court Kizer Court Kizer Court Kizer Court Kizer Court Kizer Court Kizer Court
RACINE  Two law enforcement officers are under investigation within their departments after both were cited on suspicion of drunken snowmobiling during an off-duty excursion to northern Wisconsin.

Racine County Sheriffs Lt. Shawn Barker and Racine Police Investigator Todd Lauer were arrested Feb. 11 in Eagle River.

According to a police report, Barker refused to submit to a breathalyzer test, but Lauer was found to have a 0.14 blood-alcohol content  nearly double the 0.08 threshold for drunken driving or snowmobiling.

The report also states that both Barker and Lauer flashed their police credentials before either was asked for identification.

Both are facing non-criminal traffic citations for operating a snowmobile while intoxicated in Vilas County, which is north of Rhinelander near Lake Superior.

Contacted at his home, Lauer declined to discuss the incident.

Respectfully, I dont have anything to say, he said.

Barker could not be reached for comment.

Both officers live in the Town of Burlington in western Racine County.

Neither Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling nor Racine Police Chief Maurice Robinson could be reached for comment, although both of their departments issued statements regarding the arrests.

Lt. Michael Luell, public information officer for the Sheriffs Office, said Barker has been placed on administrative leave while the department conducts an internal investigation into the Vilas County incident.

Barker has been on leave since Feb. 13, but Luell would not say whether the lieutenant is continuing to collect a paycheck during the investigation.

The sheriff has nothing further to say regarding this issue, Luell said.

Sgt. Kristi Wilcox, public information officer for the Police Department, would not disclose Lauers employment status. Wilcox said the department is investigating the allegations against Lauer.

This incident is being addressed as an internal investigation, and as such will not be commented on by department personnel, Wilcox said.

Barker, 50, has been with the Sheriffs Office for 25 years. He was promoted in 2013 to lieutenant in the jail division, making him one of seven officers to reach the departments fourth-highest rank, between sergeant and captain.

Barker was suspended for five days in 2019 after he crashed a vehicle into a utility pole near his home but did not report the traffic incident to law enforcement until the next day. He later paid about $500 in fines for two traffic citations.

Lauer, 38, joined the Police Department in 2015 and was promoted to investigator last October.

According to the Vilas County Sheriffs Department, Barker and Lauer were snowmobiling together in Eagle River shortly before 1 a.m. Feb. 11 when Deputy Jacob Colassaco saw them running through stop signs on a public trail.

The deputy reported that Lauer also drove his snowmobile in front of a truck, nearly colliding with it.

I explained to both Todd and Shawn I observed them both completely ignore the stop sign where I was parked, the deputy wrote. Shawn then showed me an identification which I observed to be a law enforcement identification card. Todd also pulled out his wallet (in) which I observed a badge.

Barker and Lauer reportedly told the deputy that they had been snowmobiling with a group, and that they were heading to Eagle River to refuel before returning to where they were staying in nearby Conover.

According to the report, the Vilas County sheriffs deputy observed that both men emitted a strong odor of intoxicants and both slurred their speech.

Lauer reportedly told the deputy that he had been drinking beer, but that he and Barker had stopped drinking at 10 p.m., about three hours earlier.

Shawn appeared defensive as I asked him questions in regards to consuming alcohol, the deputy reported. Shawn appeared visibly upset where I explained I need to continue my investigation.

After Barker and Lauer both took field sobriety tests, they were handcuffed and placed in separate squad cars.

In addition to snowmobiling under the influence, both were cited for failing to stop at a stop sign. Barker was cited for refusing to take a breathalyzer, and Lauer was cited for operating a snowmobile with a prohibited alcohol content.

If found guilty, each could face fines of several hundred dollars, although the exact amounts were not immediately clear.

Both have court dates in Vilas County Circuit Court, Lauer on March 27 and Barker on April 3.

Photos: Grooming the snowmobile trail in northern Dane County Grooming the snowmobile trail Grooming the snowmobile trail Grooming the snowmobile trail Grooming the snowmobile trail Grooming the snowmobile trail Grooming the snowmobile trail Grooming the snowmobile trail Grooming the snowmobile trail Grooming the snowmobile trail Grooming the snowmobile trail Grooming the snowmobile trail Grooming the snowmobile trail Grooming the snowmobile trail Grooming the snowmobile trail Grooming the snowmobile trail Grooming the snowmobile trail Grooming the snowmobile trail
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to Estonian President Alar Karis on the occasion of the national holiday of the country - Independence Day.

Dear Mr. President,

On my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan, I heartily congratulate You and all your people on the occasion of the national holiday of the Republic of Estonia - Independence Day.

Friendship and cooperative relationships bind Azerbaijan and Estonia together. I believe the development of our relations based on good traditions, expansion of cooperation will continue to serve interests of our countries and peoples from now on.

On this holiday, I wish You robust health, success in your activities, and the people of Estonia everlasting peace and welfare.

Respectfully,

Ilham Aliyev

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Baku, 22 February 2023
WATERFORD  Business owners upset with Explore Waterford turmoil are seeking new leadership, as membership in the business group tumbles and questions surface about the organizations ability to continue its community events.

Fallout from the resignation of Tanya Maney as Explore Waterfords executive director led to an emotional confrontation Thursday between the groups volunteer board of directors and business owners who want Maney to stay.

Calls for removing the boards president and vice president went unheeded  prompting some business owners to walk out  while village officials raised the specter of Explore Waterford being unable to sustain some of its signature activities.

When the subject turned to finding a way to continue the Celebrate Waterford summer festival this year, Village Administrator Zeke Jackson urged board members to focus on more immediate needs within the organization.

Youre in a rebuilding year, Jackson said. Youve got to pick what youre going to let go of.

Business owners called for the resignations of Board President Jay Noble and Vice President Holly Baumann  but neither stepped down, and other board members balked at requesting the resignations.

Baumann burst into tears during the exchange.

Maney has singled out Noble and Baumann as sources of the friction that led to her resignation, saying that both board leaders acted behind her back to usurp her authority as the organizations $35,000-a-year executive director.

Another board member, Eric Carlson, proposed that the board formally request Noble and Baumanns resignations.

After finding nobody willing to second the motion, Carlson announced that he himself was quitting the board.

Carlson, an outspoken supporter of Maney, said he has lost faith in the board leadership.

He called it absolutely imperative that a new executive director be hired and be allowed to run the organizations day-to-day operations.

Without that, he said, Explore Waterford will ultimately fail.

Noble has proposed an alternative arrangement in which board members take over some of the executive directors responsibilities.

Business owners who attended Thursdays meeting and demanded explanations for the upheaval suggested that they might no longer maintain dues-paying membership in Explore Waterford.

The number of businesses in the organization has dropped from 120 to 70 in recent weeks.

Jordan Karweik, owner of the Kravings ice cream shop, repeatedly asked Noble what reasons remain for business owners to keep up their memberships and continue supporting the group.

Referring to Maney, Karweik said: Tanya brought so much value to us. What is our incentive to join again?

Karweik and others walked out of the meeting after board members rejected the call for Noble and Baumanns resignations.

The situation began in early January when Maney announced she was stepping down after less than two years as Explore Waterfords executive director.

Village officials responded by expressing concern about the groups future, especially considering that the village uses public funds to support Explore Waterford.

Explore Waterford receives public funding and membership dues to represent the business community and to organize events such as Celebrate Waterford and the Waterford Christmas Parade.

The group was formed in 2019 through a merger of the Waterford Area Chamber of Commerce and a downtown promotion group called Absolutely Waterford.

In resigning a position she accepted in October 2021, Maney said Noble and other board members maneuvered around her to hire an outside marketing firm to take over some of the executive directors duties.

She also said board members have ignored her input and made her feel excluded from important discussions.

Her resignation is scheduled to take effect Feb. 28.

Business owners in attendance at Thursdays board meeting said they support Maney, and they asked if she would reconsider her resignation under new board leadership.

Tammy Begotka, co-owner of Waterford Stillhouse, said Maney has done an incredible job.

It breaks my heart to see what has happened here, Begotka said. Im very concerned with how things are going to move forward.

Tim Vandeville, owner of Legacy Realty Group and a former Explore Waterford board president, called the current board members out of touch, and said they have lost the confidence of their member businesses.

We have serious trust issues, he said.

Nine business owners attended the meeting, which was held inside Carlsons business, Artistic Pianos.

Of the Explore Waterford board members, seven attended in person, and two others were on speakerphone.

Jackson attended as a spectator, along with Village President Don Houston.

Noble and Baumann both defended their actions in hiring a marketing firm  and both said they sought to include Maney in the process, with no intention of replacing her.

Noble is owner of Uncle Harrys ice cream and hamburger stand, and Baumann is former owner of the Cafe 213 restaurant.

Noble said he hopes to restore stability in Explore Waterford and to mend fences within the community.

I want a unified Waterford again, he said.

Other board members, however, acknowledged that they mishandled the situation leading up to Maneys resignation.

Board member John Dovgin, the owner of Midwest Pet Feed, turned to Maney and apologized, saying that hiring an outside marketing firm was supposed to help by taking some job pressure off her.

Dovgin also said Noble had assured the rest of the board that Maney was aware of what was happening.

We messed up, he said. I dont want to see us get ripped apart. I want to see us stand strong. I think we need to, for the community.

In photos: Festival-goers crowd Downtown Waterford for Celebrate Waterford event Saturday Wyatt Cook, 6, of Waterford, on a mini-tractor at Celebrate Waterford event Laura Gillespie of Circus Seed Flowers displays her products at Celebrate Waterford Paul Smith and Jennifer Russ goes curbside during Celebrate Waterford Andy Schneider performs on piano during Celebrate Waterford festival Stuffed figurine on Main Street in Downtown Waterford for Celebrate Waterford event Nolan Stencel, 5, of the Town of Waterford, plays jumbo-sized game at Celebrate Waterford Sophie West and Finnly Pichler with rabbits at Celebrate Waterford petting zoo Liam Cook, 3, of Waterford, on a mini-tractor at Celebrate Waterford festival R.J. Halstead of Janesville plays guitar and signs at Celebrate Waterford event Thayne Krause of Waterford tosses bag during bag game at Celebrate Waterford
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
KEARNEY  The final countdown has begun.

By March 9 John Cervantes and Shelby Parsons expect to be ferrying fare-paying passengers around Kearney as owners of the citys new taxi service, Catch A Ride Taxi and Transportation.

Cervantes said that achieving their dream of launching Catch A Ride required steering through multiple obstacles and roadblocks. Financing, recruiting drivers and state licensing were among the challenges. All of that is in the rear view mirror as Parsons and Cervantes tend to the final details of launching their business venture.

Cervantes has some taxi driving experience in Kearney, so he knows about the need for public transportation. He said it might surprise some to know how many people depend on services such as R.Y.D.E. and Uber to take them to their jobs, medical appointments and other destinations. Kearneys large hotel industry also contributes to the number of passengers who need a lift.

Theres a lot of demand for public transportation, Cervantes said.

People who depend on buses and taxis have been contacting Cervantes and Parsons to ask when their taxis will be running.

So many people need daily rides. They cant wait for us to start, Parsons said.

Obtaining a loan and getting a state license were two of the toughest challenges. Parsons said they visited multiple banks to apply for a startup loan.

We went to five or six banks, Parsons said. The banks told us, Come back after you get started. We didnt need to be turned down, we needed encouragement.

The couples luck changed when they visited FirsTier. The bank agreed to a loan for startup expenses, including the purchase of three vehicles  a Toyota Camry, GMC Acadia and XT4 Cadillac. The three cars have the Catch A Ride logo: a racy-looking car with wings extending from the sides.

Cervantes said he worried that the taxi service dream might be permanently grounded when he applied for a state license.

The Nebraska Public Service Commission thoroughly examines all applications for public transportation licenses, Cervantes said, but Catch A Rides application attracted additional scrutiny.

Cervantes has a criminal record.

He said he was involved in a neighborhood disturbance in 2018 that resulted in three felony charges for terroristic threats and use of a firearm to commit a felony. He said he spent a night in jail and charges were reduced to disturbing the peace.

Cervantes said that prior to the disturbing the peace incident he collected a pile of tickets for driving under suspension, driving without insurance and other vehicular violations.

He said the PSC was extremely careful in reviewing his record before approving his public transportation permit.

During their interview with the Hub, Cervantes and Parsons said they both had been addicted to methamphetamine but are no longer using the drug. Cervantes said he was weary of the drugs many bad effects and realized being a user stood between him and his dreams.

He told Shelby she had to clean up before they could be together.

The couple said they married in 2014, divorced and then fell in love.

They said the financial success of their business wont feel as important as staying drug-free and being contributing members of the community.

Everyone makes mistakes, Cervantes said. What you do afterwards is what sets you apart.

Parsons and Cervantes have to check off a long list before Catch A Ride is ready for its March 9 launch. Topping the list is completing agreements with hotels and other businesses that will want access to taxi service.

The couple also will finish installing meters in their vehicles and having them calibrated by the state.

They said Catch A Ride will operate 24/7. Cervantes and Parsons will drive, plus they are hiring three drivers. Passengers will pay $2.95 for a pick up and $2.50 per mile. The couple plan to use social media to stay in touch with passengers.

Catch A Rides number is 308-293-9264.

Its a big gamble to start this, but we know the more we put into the company the more well get out of it, Cervantes said.

Were excited to serve the community, to be someone people can count on, Parsons said.
Off-label use of a drug for type 2 diabetes is causing a shortage for those who legitimately need it, with some misusing the medication as a quick way to drop pounds.

Ozempic was approved by the FDA for use by type 2 diabetics, with the once a week subcutaneous injections designed to help prevent rises in blood sugar, to reduce insulin resistance and to help with losing excess weight that may be contributing to their health issues.

Gundersen Health System providers, says Dr. Rachel McKenney, endocrinologist and diabetes specialist at the hospitals La Crosse location, have been prescribing the drug for select type 2 diabetes patients since it was approved in late 2017, with many patients seeing success in addressing their condition. However, over the past six months Gundersen has seen a large number of patients calling about inability to have their prescriptions filled at local pharmacies.

The lack of access is due to its growing popularity as a method to lose weight, with either well meaning physicians prescribing it for such or individuals obtaining it without the support of a doctor at wellness or anti-aging clinics.

Use of Ozempic increased when Novo Nordisk could not keep up with the demand for Wegovy, designed specifically as a weight loss aid for those with a BMI of over 30, or 27 with weight-related health issues. Both Ozempic and Wegovy have the primary ingredient of semaglutide, with the latter containing a higher dose.

The scarcity of Wegovy also led to a shortage of Mounjaro, made from a different component, tirzepatid. It was approved in May 2022 for type 2 diabetics and has also been shown to spark weight loss.

Ozempic use poses no danger for a non-diabetic, save for the same potential side effects and risks to a diabetic patient.

In fact, it would be great if every patient that had (obesity) would be able to access these medications, says McKenney. But unfortunately theyre very expensive and insurance does not cover the medications for weight-loss as the indication.

Wegovy, which has no generic alternative, is not covered by most Medicare and insurance plans, and the average retail cost, per GoodRx, is $1,718 per month. Ozempic out of pocket costs around $1,015, and while covered by some plans and Medicare, it is not covered for Quartz members, of which many local patients are, McKenney says. Trulicity, similar to Ozempic, is also difficult to find.

Trulicity is the medication that is covered by a lot of the insurances in the area, and weve had patients that have had to go without, come up with some other alternative and use medications that arent as beneficial for them, says McKenney.

As manufacturers work to replenish stock, McKenney says, patients are going to have to endure this (shortage) for more than six months. So its been a big problem.

Frustrating to patients and providers is the acquiring and utilization of drugs like Ozempic by those who are neither type 2 diabetic or significantly overweight. Tik Tok creators and high profile individuals have espoused the injections to drop 10-20 pounds rapidly and relatively effortlessly.

Its not really a problem in our area, but in some other states there are anti-aging clinics and they often prescribe a lot of things off-label for patients, says McKenney. And Ozempic has become attractive in Hollywood, some celebrities have been using that. If people can afford it and if theyre willing and if theyre desperate, they will pay that money.

Notably, any resulting weight loss is, for most, temporary, and the term Ozempic face, describing the prematurely aging, gaunt visage of some users, is trending.

Unless for some reason they have some kind of miraculous life-changing epiphany that results in a drastic lifestyle change or, lets say, they undergo weight-loss surgery  unless those things occur, if a patient goes back to their typical eating patterns, then they will definitely regain the weight, says McKenney.

The majority of clinicians would not in good conscience prescribe the drug off label, knowing the supply issue that could occur, says McKenney, But I do think once in a while there might be someone that sneaks it through for a patient, with good intentions.

Drug and insurance companies, McKenney says, have been cracking down on why you prescribe the medication. So now, when you prescribe these medications, you typically have to put that your patient has type 2 diabetes. So thats an additional layer of checks and balances that might make some well-meaning prescribers think (twice), knowing even if it would help (obese patients) youre having to actually type out something that you know is not true.

The makers of Ozempic, in a recent statement to media outlets, said, While we recognize that some health care providers may be prescribing Ozempic for patients whose goal is to lose weight, Novo Nordisk does not promote, suggest or encourage off-label use of our medicines and is committed to fully complying with all applicable US laws and regulations in the promotion of our products.

But even with policies in place to help curb inappropriate prescribing of the medication, You know its not going to deter everyone from maybe falsifying a patients information, McKenny says.

As drugs like Ozempic are proving beneficial to many type 2 diabetes patients, McKenny hopes they will become more widely available. While some may not respond, for others it is the missing link.

Those patients can experience a pretty significant drop in weight, their blood sugars improve significantly and weve had some really quite amazing success stories, says McKenny.

For many, going off the drug will lead to a regain of weight and increased blood sugar levels. However, says McKenny, There are some patients that will take these medications and if theyve had an impressive weight-loss result and theyre able to maintain whatever lifestyle modifications they had employed with the medication, they can achieve a remission. It wouldnt be a lifetime sentence of the medication.

Common side effects of Ozempic include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain, with some experiencing skin reactions at the injection site. Rare but serious side effects include pancreatitis, thyroid tumors, gallbladder problems or kidney issues. Patients, McKenny says, are counseled on symptoms and potential risks.The take home point, McKenney says, is that while these medications are excellent and it would be wonderful for everyone who needs to lose significant weight for various reasons to use them, the problem is it is affecting those patients that also need it for blood sugar control. And those patients are now currently suffering because they arent able to access the medications that have been working well for them.

IN PHOTOS: Winter storm hits region
By Azernews

Qabil Ashirov





An international conference, entitled "Along the traces of the Karabakh national heritage", was held in the city of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on February 23 to mark the 31st anniversary of the Khojaly genocide, Azernews reports.

The conference was jointly organized by the Azerbaijani embassy to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Azerbaijani Youth Foundation, and the For Pure Life Youth Public Union.

The adviser to the Bosnian member of the Presidium of Bosnia and Herzegovina, deputies from Azerbaijan and Bosnia and Herzegovina, scientists, well-known public and political figures, members of non-governmental organizations, diplomatic corps and mass media representatives accredited in the country, Azerbaijani students took part in the conference.

The participants first commemorated the victims of the Khojaly genocide with a minute of silence. Then the national anthems of both countries were played.

Ambassador Vilayat Guliyev, MP Mushfiq Jafarov, Chairman of Srebrenica Mothers Public Union Munira Shubasic, Chairman of Post-Conflict Research Center Velma Saric, well-known young analyst Admir Lisica spoke at the event.

Vilayat Guliyev informed the participants in the conference, organized within the framework of the 15th anniversary of the international Justice for Khojaly! campaign, about the implementation of the policy of ethnic cleansing in the territories of Azerbaijan during the occupation of Armenia, the commissioning of serious crimes against the civilian population and the destruction of centuries-old historical, cultural and religious monuments. He gratefully recalled the adoption of the resolution "Recognition and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan" by the House of Peoples of the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

MP M. Jaffarov noted that despite the fact that 31 years have passed since the Khojaly genocide, committed by the Armenians, and other occupied territories of Azerbaijan have not been given a fair assessment by international organizations and the criminals have not yet been punished. The MP said that the Khojaly genocide stands in line with the terrible tragedies of the century such as Khatyn, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Songmi.

Other speakers stated that the Armenian armed forces suddenly attacked the city of Khojaly on the night of February 25-26, 1992, killing civilians, as well as 63 children with particular cruelty and mercilessness, some were seriously injured, captured, tortured, and then disappeared. Speakers added that the crimes of ethnic cleansing committed in Khojaly are part of Armenia's systematic policy of violence, which is based on the fascist ideology that inculcates the racial supremacy of Armenians and hatred against Azerbaijanis.

Later, the documentary film "Ice Statue and Iron Fist" prepared by the Khazar Media Center was shown, and there was an informative presentation called "End of 30 years of longing - 44 days". At the same time, the participants got acquainted with the photo and painting exhibition depicting the horrors of the Khojaly tragedy.

Within the framework of the event, Ambassador V. Guliyev was also interviewed by the media.

The members of the Azerbaijani delegation visited the memorial complex erected in memory of the victims of the Khojaly genocide in Friendship Park, which was restored with the financial support of the Azerbaijani state and the initiative of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in Sarajevo. The participants in the event laid a wreath at the monument and commemorated the victims of the tragedy.
Qabil Ashirov

Tank crews of the Azerbaijan army performed various exercises on driving and fire training at the shooting range of the army in accordance with the combat training plan for 2023 as approved by the Azerbaijani defense minister, Azernews reports citing the ministry.

According to the Defense Ministry, the tank crews overcame natural and artificial obstacles in the area and successfully performed the tasks of controlling combat vehicles and destroying conventional enemy targets from their location and on the move.

The main focus of the exercises is to increase the knowledge and skills of military personnel, as well as to improve their combat skills, the ministry added.












Ray McGovern Reveals How Washington Post Let Hershs Dangerous Cat Out of the Bag

Feb. 23, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)Ray McGovern, the co-founder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, after testifying at the UN Security Councils session on the U.S. sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, noted the first crack, after two weeks of grim silence, in the U.S. legacy media giants on Seymour Hershs authoritative exposure of the U.S. operation to bomb the pipelines. His article, Washington Post Lets Hershs Dangerous Cat Out of the Bag, posted on Antiwar.com, opens with:

Bombshell No. 1: Seymour Hershs Feb. 8 report that President Joe Biden authorized the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines built to carry cheap Russian gas to Europe.

Bombshell No. 2: The Washington Post today ended the Establishment media embargo on Hershs damning report, mentioning its findings and even including a link to his article.

He went on to include an edited summary from the Security Council of the testimony of Jeffrey Sachs to the UN Security Council along with McGovern: As the destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines on 26 September 2022 constitutes an act of international terrorism and represents a threat to peace, it is the Councils responsibility to take up the question of who might have carried out the act, help bring the perpetrator to justice, pursue compensation for the damaged parties and prevent such actions from recurring in the future.

Only a handful of state-level actors have both the technical capacity and access to the Baltic Sea to have carried out this action. These include the Russian Federation, the United States, the United Kingdom, Poland, Norway, Germany, Denmark and Sweden, either individually or in some combination. Pointing to investigative journalist Seymour Hershs detailed account of the Nord Stream destruction, he said his work attributes the Nord Stream destruction to a decision ordered by Biden. The Biden Administration offered no information contradicting Hershs account and/or any alternative explanation.

McGovern also made the simple observation to the Security Council, says the report: Mr. Hersh attracts whistleblowers because of his perfect record of protecting their identities and accurately publishing what they reveal, despite government attacks. While some are now smearing Mr. Hersh, such critics do not themselves have a good record of credibility....

His presentation today, at the Schiller Institutes conference Investigate Nord Stream Revelations: Stop Nuclear World War III! goes into depth on the strategic reality that Russian President Vladimir Putin is facing, and about which the West has been deluding itself.
EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR FRIDAY FEBRUARY 24, 2023

Enough of Infectious Delusions: Investigate Nord Stream Revelations

Feb. 23, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)Is there a graveyard for delusions?

Can derivatives, that is, placing side-bets, replace agriculture, manufacturing, energy generation, etc., as the basis of a populations survival? Might a parasite persist forever, consuming and destroying its own home? Where do cancers go when the organisms are decimated and cease functioning?

The world is full of infectious delusions these days: The history of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022; the Russian action of a year ago was unprovoked; Chinese balloons are sapping our precious intelligence secrets; and the most indebted country in the world has kept sacrosanct, away from the $31.5 trillion hole, the funds to cover your Social Security obligations. And, yes, then theres the unfathomable bombing of the Nord Stream pipelines last September.

The head of state, President Biden, had announced that the United States would end the Nord Stream pipeline if Russia did not do as we say. The pipelines then were destroyed. The countries along the pipeline assert that sabotage occurredbut it seems, for national security reasons or some such, everyone is to contract a collective amnesia. Somehow, it is impossible to investigate Seymour Hershs claim, that during the BALTOPS22 military exercise, there were U.S. divers and Norwegian boats deployed to plant the bombs in the area. Here we have a seasoned, tested journalist who has proven his integrity, and he s denounced by a State Department spokesman, Ned Price, with a very different track record. One says, here are the details of the story, go investigate; the other says, I told you it didnt happendont you dare investigate.

Recently, Seymour Hersh reported on a group of U.S. intelligence and security professionals, whom he says have been willing to talk about a filthy task force, involving the National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, the Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the #3 at State, the Under Secretary Victoria Nuland, who in December 2021, plotted to bomb the Nord Stream pipelines. The story and its significance are dealt with at todays Schiller Institute conference, Investigate Nord Stream Revelations: Stop Nuclear World War III! whose speakers included Helga Zepp-LaRouche, former CIA analysts Ray McGovern and Graham Fuller, human rights lawyer Prof. Francis Boyle, former Swiss Lt. Col. Ralph Bosshard, and former French Gen. Dominique Delawarde.

But the immediate point is, Seymour Hersh is old-fashioned. He didnt expect to have an easy time of it, telling the story that he did. He didnt get flustered, when such a national story is ignored by the poohbas of the Establishment media. He went ahead and spoke to the non-mainstream media outlets. And it appears, with his second bombshell released yesterdaythat the CIA and Norway werent only partners in crime in sabotaging the pipelines, but they partnered in the covert ops that provoked that Vietnam War debaclethat Hersh expected he would need to let loose a few depth charges of his own before the conspiracy of silence was shattered.

This week, the chair of the House Oversight Committee, James Comer, gave some of the same characters, Lloyd Austin, Antony Blinken and USAIDs Samantha Power, 14 days from now to hand over all the records on $113 billion of monies and materiel provided to Ukraine over the last year. He expects to find a trail of corruption amongst Kievs regime. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) introduced a privileged resolution under the War Powers Act to withdraw all U.S. troops from Syria, a move that requires a vote in 16 more days. The two co-chairs of the Houses Defense Spending Reduction Caucus, Reps. Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Mark Pocan (D-WI), introduced their People Over Pentagon Act to move $100 billion out from the defense budget and into other programs. Gaetz, Lee and Pocan all explicitly identify their common enemy as the military-industrial complex. What would bring these representatives of the right and the left into a conjoined struggle, but the same quality of leadership that fashioned the Feb. 19 peace demonstration at the Lincoln Memorial out of such previously disparate forces?

Infectious delusions undoubtedly can get a grip on healthy organisms and do no little amount of damage. But a life of relentless truth-telling, and enough deep-rooted optimismenough to allow real humor and laughter over the ridiculous foibles that might ensnare usmight well send delusions to the graveyard. Because, the arc of the moral universe may very well be long, but it bends towards justice. To think otherwise means a short road to thermonuclear annihilation.
An 11-year-old girl has died in Cambodia of bird flu. Health officials say it was the countrys first known human infection of bird flu since 2014.

The virus, officially known as H5N1, usually spreads among different kinds of poultry. Most human cases of bird flu have involved direct contact with infected poultry.

The girl who died lived in a rural part of southeastern Cambodia. She became sick on February 16 and was sent to a hospital in the capital, Phnom Penh, to be treated.

She had suffered with a fever of up to 39 degrees Celsius, as well as a cough and throat pain. The girl died shortly after being admitted to the hospital, Cambodias Health Ministry said in a statement.

Health workers took samples from a dead wild bird found in an area near the girl's home, the ministry said. It said teams in the area would also warn local people about touching dead and sick birds.

Health Minister Mam Bunheng warned the public that bird flu presents an especially high risk to children who may be working around poultry or collecting eggs from animals.

Signs of H5N1 infection are similar to that of other flus, including cough, body aches and a high temperature. In serious cases, patients can develop life-threatening pneumonia.

Cambodia had 56 human cases of H5N1 from 2003 through 2014. Of those cases, 37 were deadly, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported.

Worldwide, about 870 human infections and 457 deaths have been reported to the WHO in 21 countries. But the spreading rate then slowed, with about 170 infections and 50 deaths in the last seven years.

Earlier this month, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed concern about bird flu infections in other mammals, including minks, otters, foxes and sea lions.

H5N1 has spread widely in wild birds and poultry for 25 years, but the recent spillover to mammals needs to be monitored closely, he warned.

In January, a 9-year-old girl in Ecuador became the first reported case of human infection in Latin America and the Caribbean. She was treated with antiviral medicine.

Tedros said earlier this month that the WHO still considers the risk to humans from bird flu quite low. But he warned that this could change in the future and he urged officials in areas of concern to prepare for possible outbreaks.

Tedros advised people not to touch dead or sick wild animals and for countries to strengthen their monitoring efforts in areas where people and animals make contact.

Im Bryan Lynn.

The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English.

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Words in This Story

poultry  n. chickens and other birds that people breed for meat and eggs

sample  n. a small amount of something that shows you what something is like

pneumonia  n. a serious lung sickness that makes it difficult to breathe

mammal  n. an animal that feeds its babies on milk from its body

monitor  v. to watch something carefully and record the results

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A sea creature known as the sunflower sea star was once plentiful in the Pacific Ocean along the coast of North America. They used to be found in the waters along the coast of Mexicos Baja peninsula all the way to Alaska.

But in the last 10 years, about 90 percent of them have died.

Scientists at the University of Washington are trying to understand why the sea stars died. To do so, they are growing them in a lab.

The sickness that killed them is known as sea star wasting syndrome.

Jason Hodin is the top researcher at the Friday Harbor Marine Lab. He said the sickness might have happened because of warmer water caused by climate change.

The lab is on San Juan Island, northwest of Seattle. They have nearly 150 sea stars between the ages of one and three. They also have around 5,000 sea stars that are at the larvae stage. They also have 16 adult sea stars transferred from ocean waters.

Hodin called his lab the worlds only captive breeding program for the worlds only endangered sea star. Endangered means at risk of dying out.

The universitys neuroscience department is also working on the study. They are trying to find out if warmer water changes the way the stars move.

The group is using special cameras to see how the stars move and to create 3-dimensional pictures that can show differences. The pictures would show differences even with small changes to their environments  such as a small water temperature change.

So far, researchers think the sea stars are able to survive in warmer water. That, Hodin said, is a good thing.

If sunflower stars are going to recover in the wild with or without human assistance, Hodin said, they're going to be doing so in a change in climate.

Im Dan Friedell.

Dan Friedell adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on a report by Reuters.

_______________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

plentiful adj. very many, a lot

peninsula n. a piece of land surrounded by water on three sides

wasting adj. to live badly or be unable to grow

syndrome n. a disease or disorder

larvae n. eggs of a type of animal

captive adj. under the control of someone or something else

breed v. to match one animal with another in hopes of creating babies

_____________________________________________________________________

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By Azernews

Laman Ismayilova

The Azerbaijani Embassy in Rome has hosted a commemorative event dedicated to the 31st anniversary of the Khojaly genocide.

Many public figures, members of the Italian parliament, state officials, diplomatic corps representatives, local media, and members of the Azerbaijani community took part in the event, co-organized by Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Azerbaijani Embassy in Italy at the embassy's cultural center, Azernews reports.

The Azerbaijani Ambassador to Italy Rashad Aslanov opened the event with an introductory speech.

In his speech, Rashad Aslanov pointed out that the Khojaly genocide was one of the most heinous crimes committed by Armenia against civilians 31 years ago.

Some 613 civilians were killed in one night because of their ethnicity, which is a clear manifestation of the ethnic cleansing policy pursued by Armenia.

He added that the Khojaly genocide is the grossest violation of the norms and principles of international humanitarian law.

In his remarks, Aslanov underlined that the remembrance of war, genocide, and crimes against humanity is also important in terms of guaranteeing the punishment of those who committed them and preventing them from happening again.

As a result of the 44-day Patriotic War, Azerbaijan restored justice and its territorial integrity under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev.

Launched by Vice-President of the Foundation Leyla Aliyeva, the Justice for Khojaly campaign has made a significant contribution to the legal and political assessment of the crimes committed in Khojaly.

In her speech, Heydar Aliyev Foundation's representative Fidan Yusibova outlined that the Khojaly genocide that took place in front of the eyes of the world at the end of the last century was a crime committed not only against our compatriots but against humanity as a whole.

She pointed out that it is impossible to forget the tragedy of Khojaly due to its scale and cruelty, and this history is forever engraved in the blood memory of the Azerbaijani people.

This tragedy is the bloody page of the genocide policy and ethnic cleansing committed by aggressive Armenian separatists against the Azerbaijani people.

Conveying the truth about the crimes committed by Armenian nationalists against Azerbaijani people, as well as the truth about the Khojaly genocide to the world community has been always one of the prior directions of President Ilham Aliyev's activities.

Fidan Yusibova emphasized that the First Vice-President of Azerbaijan, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva had played an exceptional role in raising awareness about the Khojaly genocide worldwide.

Justice for the Khojaly campaign, which is set up to spread true facts about the Khojaly genocide, is also of special importance.

Yusibova added that the campaign made a great contribution to the process of recognizing the fact of genocide abroad.

The main purpose of the campaign is to inform the international community about the Khojaly genocide, to remember the victims of this tragedy, and to ensure that this tragedy is not forgotten, especially by the younger generation.

Thanks to the campaign, many countries have been informed about the inhumane killings of Armenian terrorists.

So far, more than ten countries and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have adopted decisions and resolutions recognizing the crimes committed by Armenians in Khojaly as genocide.

"Thanks to Azerbaijan's victory in the 44-day Patriotic War under the leadership of President, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan commemorates the victims of the Khojaly genocide as a victorious nation. Today, like all our martyrs, the victims of the Khojaly genocide were avenged," said Yusibova.

Moreover, the 13-year-old member of the Azerbaijani community in Italy, Ilduze Sadigxanova brought to the attention of the participants of the event in Italian the stories from the book "They will never grow up", authored by the living witness of the Khojaly genocide, Sariya Muslim-qizi Jafarova, and dedicated to the victims of the Khojaly genocide.

Famous pianist, Honored Artist Islam Manafov and acclaimed conductor and musician, Honored Artist Turan Manafzada performed Azerbaijani and world classical works. The concert program also included Abuzar Manafzada's music piece Khojaly.

Furthermore, the guests of the event got acquainted with a photo exhibition timed to the 31st anniversary of the Khojaly genocide.




A Palmyra woman charged last month with stealing more than $136,000 from the Belleville senior center she used to lead was hit with new charges this week for not reporting the stolen money on her tax returns.

Amanda M. Meade, 41, was charged Jan. 13 with six felonies for using the Sugar River Senior Centers bank and credit card accounts to do everything from buy a manicure to stave off foreclosure of her home.

On Tuesday, Dane County prosecutors charged her with six counts of felony fraud for filing fraudulent tax returns each year from 2016 to 2021. While police believe her crimes occurred as far back as 2015, she cant be charged with any tax fraud that might have occurred in that year because the statute of limitations for the crime has expired.

According to a criminal complaint in the most recent case, Meade failed to report $117,998 she stole from the senior center and, based on her lower reported income, claimed tax credits she wouldnt have been entitled to if shed reported her full income.

Meade told police in May that her thefts were driven by a combination of greed and desperation, according to a criminal complaint, and that she resented her employer for not paying her more or providing her with more help doing the job. She was paid from $45,000 to $52,000 a year at the center, where she became manager in August 2014. She was fired in June 2021.

The center serves the village of Belleville and the towns of Montrose and Exeter.

An investigation by Belleville police and the state Division of Criminal Investigation found that from 2015 to 2021, Meade had taken $136,575 from senior center coffers, including more than $62,000 in extra paychecks she had written for herself from 2015 to 2018.

She used the centers accounts and credit cards to pay for vacations, make mortgage payments to stave off foreclosure and vehicle payments to keep her minivan from being repossessed, and buy such things as clothing, shoes and internet and cellphone service, according to a criminal complaint.

In her interview with DCI agents in May, Meade said she was surprised at the amount shes stolen and that she feels horrible and never knew it was this much money.

She said she got used to the lifestyle and took the centers money out of a combination of greed and desperation.

Meade was booked and released on a signature bond in the theft case on Feb. 16 and has not been booked in the tax fraud case.
A section of a suburban Milwaukee shopping mall parking garage collapsed Thursday. Two cars were damaged, but no injuries were reported, authorities said.

News outlets tweeted and broadcast footage showing a section of the top two floors of the three-story garage at Bayshore Mall in Glendale laying on the first floor. A mound of snow covered the rubble.

North Shore Fire/Rescue Chief Robert Whitaker told reporters during a question-and-answer session at the scene that he was fairly confident" no one was hurt after authorities spoke with the owners of the two damaged cars. The chief said firefighters would continue to search the snow mound to be sure no one is trapped.

Glendale Mayor Bryan Kennedy told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that fire and rescue crews viewed mall surveillance video and it showed no one in the area for 15 to 20 minutes before the collapse. About two dozen empty cars remain stuck on the portion of the second and third floors with no way for the owners to maneuver around the gaping hole the collapse left, the mayor said.

No loss of life, (but) unfortunately it's just a big old mess, Kennedy said.

Whitaker told reporters at the scene that it appears snow had been piled on the third floor and the extra weight may have played a role in the collapse. The mall and garage was built in 2005 and 2006, Kennedy said.

The Milwaukee area has received about 23. 7 inches of snow since December, including 1.5 inches of wet sleet on Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

I dont know why (the garage collapsed), but it appears snow would have some likely impact, the chief said. Piling snow on a property, especially if its elevated, probably not a good idea.

Darius Fox, an employee at Rocky Rococo pizza in an adjacent building, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newspaper that the collapse sounded like a bomb.

It shook the whole building, Fox said. It's just a shock because nothing usually happens out here like that.

A slab of concrete fell from a parking garage in Milwaukee in June 2010, killing 15-year-old Jared Kellner and injuring two other people. A Milwaukee County jury ruled four years later that the insurance company for the firm that installed the panel owed $39 million in connection with the incident.
The highest court in the land will soon turn its attention to President Joe Bidens plan to erase up to $20,000 in federal student debt for some 40 million eligible borrowers.

On Tuesday, Feb. 28, the Supreme Court will consider two key lawsuits that have put this one-time student debt relief on ice. The court will decide the fate of Bidens plan in the months to follow.

Dont count on the relief happening yet. Heres what else borrowers need to know about the upcoming oral arguments and why you should still plan for repayment.

Whats going to happen on Feb. 28?

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments for two key lawsuits that have blocked Bidens student debt cancellation plan:

Nebraska v. Biden : A federal appeals court in Missouri froze forgiveness rollout after six GOP-led states sued the Biden administration, alleging the debt cancellation would harm their states revenues.

: A federal appeals court in Missouri froze forgiveness rollout after six GOP-led states sued the Biden administration, alleging the debt cancellation would harm their states revenues. Department of Education v. Brown: A federal judge in Texas declared the plan illegal, alleging the Education Department does not have the power to order student debt cancellation via the legal avenue it used.

Oral arguments are a major part of how the court makes decisions, says Frederick M. Lawrence, a distinguished lecturer at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C.

The arguments typically last about an hour, and each side has about 30 minutes total to make their case. The justices will interject with questions throughout.

All nine justices will ask questions in order of seniority, Lawrence explains. The parties will answer those questions as best they can, and they will have summarized their own arguments as well. Then, the case is fully submitted to the court.

Justices may base their questions on publicly available documents called amicus briefs, which are intended to inform and influence the justices opinions. Advocacy groups, think tanks, legal experts and lawmakers have already submitted dozens of briefs to the court.

A few days later, the justices will hold a conference behind closed doors, at which theyll deliberate the case and take an unofficial vote, says Lawrence. A majority of the court  five justices  must agree on the final opinion, which will determine if student debt cancellation stands or falls.

Expect demonstrators on Feb. 28, too. More than a dozen organizations, including the NAACP, the Student Debt Crisis Center, or SDCC, and the National Education Association, are co-sponsoring a rally outside the court in support of student debt cancellation, while oral arguments unfold inside.

Organizers anticipate hundreds of attendees, along with politicians and other speakers, says SDCC executive director Cody Hounanian.

What will the Supreme Court decide?

We dont yet know how the justices will rule, but its not likely to be a unanimous decision, says Lawrence.

It's very, very hard to say in advance, he says. We don't really have a lot of learnings from these justices on this particular issue.

The questions that justices ask during the arguments may indicate which way they are leaning, but thats not a sure bet. For example, justices could ask a specific question to fill a gap in their understanding  or because they want to influence another justice, explains Lawrence.

Borrowers should not count on any relief until a decision is issued.

It's good to pay attention to what's coming out of the Supreme Court case, but I also think it's a really good idea to not base any action on what you hear about the case until we see a final decision, explains Stacey MacPhetres, senior director of college finance at education and child care company Bright Horizons.

When will the final decision come out?

The final decision will come out in the early summer, most likely.

The court doesnt have a strict decision deadline, but they traditionally decide by the end of the current term  the very end of June, or sometimes the first week of July, says Lawrence. Decisions sometimes roll out earlier, but Lawrence says thats unlikely in this case, because it deals with complicated issues of federal power.

Typically, the ones that get decided quickly  are relatively straightforward, he says.

Borrowers likely wont hear any news out of the court between oral arguments and the final decision announcement.

Whats at stake for borrowers?

Bidens relief plan would act as an offramp to help struggling borrowers avoid falling into default and readjust to making monthly payments after three years of paused student loan bills, says Persis Yu, deputy executive director at the Student Borrower Protection Center, a nonprofit student loan borrower advocacy organization. All told, borrowers hold more than $1.6 trillion in outstanding federal student loan debt.

I don't know many people in the world, and certainly none of the clients that I've ever worked with, who would say that, all of a sudden, I can start making several hundred-dollar payments that I didn't have to make the month before, Yu says. Its a big issue for older Americans, it's a big issue for people with disabilities, it's a big issue for communities of color, it's a big issue for low-income communities.

Certain borrower groups would receive a bigger boost from the relief. For example, Black women carry more student debt proportionate to other groups  and have the most to lose if the cancellation falls. And nearly 90% of the relief would go to borrowers who earn less than $75,000 per year, the White House estimated; two-thirds of relief applications came from neighborhoods with an average income below $40,000, a recent Politico analysis found.

How does the hearing affect the student loan payment pause?

The federal student loan payment pause's expiration date hinges upon the Supreme Courts schedule.

The White House has already extended the pause, also called forbearance, nine times. Under current guidance, payments are scheduled to resume 60 days after the Supreme Court releases its final ruling, or 60 days after June 30, 2023  whichever comes first.

Interest on student loan balances will also start accruing at that point.

What should borrowers do while they await a final decision from the Supreme Court?

Dont wait for the 60-day notice based on the Supreme Courts final decision: Evaluate your financial situation now.

For those who have a balance above cancellation, you have to prepare, period. You're going back into loan repayment at some point regardless, MacPhetres says. Even if your balance could potentially be completely wiped out, she advises, start this month by reducing your budget by your payment amount and put that into a separate account. If [cancellation] passes, then you have a nice cushion that could be your emergency savings."

If you dont know what your monthly student loan bills will look like, call your servicer and ask. If you dont know who your servicer is, log in to your studentaid.gov account or call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243.

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Rob Sturgill of Kimberly will board an airplane Friday  the one-year anniversary of Russias invasion of Ukraine  to make his fourth trip to the war-torn country, to check on his distribution network that has been providing humanitarian aid to those in need.

But the Kimberly man downplays his role in the effort.

Im just trying to help out where I can, he said.

He and his charitable group Type of Wood and its partners have shipped hundreds, if not thousands, of tons of supplies to war-torn Ukraine.

But the real heroes, Sturgill says, are the people who are driving on a daily basis to the front lines, delivering aid despite dangerous conditions.

Sturgill, on this trip, will also help deliver some of the supplies that were donated during a collection effort in November in Twin Falls, as well as a dozen commercial mixers to churches to help with bread making.

The churches were recently given wood-burning ovens  useful due to the Russian attacks on the Ukraine power grid  that have been churning out large quantities of bread.

Each church has been baking about 200 loaves a day, Sturgill said, and volunteer drivers are taking them to villages on the front lines.

Support has come from groups with Magic Valley ties.

Clif Bar, with a baking facility in Twin Falls, recently donated 250,000 energy bars.

The bars themselves weighed about 38,000 pounds, Sturgill said.

Local businessman Dan Willie, owner of Canyon Crest Event Center, let Sturgill run Novembers collection drive from the center at no cost, and last year held a fundraising event at his home.

Rob is a very charitable person and a great guy, Willie told the Times-News on Thursday.

The aid Sturgill is rendering is vital, Willie said.

The donations are not buying ammunition, he said. Theyre buying baby formula and household needs for people who desperately need it.

The first days of Sturgills trip will be to spend time in Poland, visiting with people assisting with refugee centers. Sturgill spent his first trip in the country shuttling Ukrainians to the refugee centers.

By Tuesday evening, Sturgill hopes to be at his warehouse in Rivne, Ukraine, from which drivers retrieve supplies and then deliver them to those in need.

There have been about 3,000 runs from the warehouse to the front, Sturgill estimates.

Sturgill said there is still a need for donations, and that many people might have forgotten about the countrys humanitarian crisis.

Cash donations generally work the best because of reduced shipping costs. Needed items can be purchased in Ukraine or nearby countries, he said.

Kimberly man assists war-torn Ukraine When you feel a prompting to do something good, do it, a Kimberly man demonstrates.

Sturgills organization partners with the Full Gospel Slavic Church in Meridian and the Grace Evangelical Church in Columbus, Ohio.

Type of Wood has also done charitable work in countries including Africa and the Philippines.
Qabil Ashirov

The policy of ethnic cleansing, genocide, and aggression, carried out against Azerbaijanis by Armenians for over the last 100 years, has reached its peak through a series of massacres during the first Karabakh war.

The major objective of the massacres and acts of terror Armenians carried out against Azerbaijanis was to force local residents to abandon their homes and pave the way for them to create a so-called "great Armenia" at the expense of lands of neighboring countries, including Azerbaijani territories.

Armenians have repeatedly implemented the policy of ethnic cleansing against Azerbaijanis to realize their malicious plans. The Armenian nationalists resorted to ethnic cleansing policies across the whole of Azerbaijan both in the past and in the 1990s when Azerbaijan regained its sovereignty.

The village of Baganis Ayrim in Qazakh District was one of the venues where Armenians committed atrocities, killing dozens of innocent villagers with whom they used to be neighbors, sharing their grief and happiness just a couple of years before the Armenians, duped by fascist ideology, came to the village with a plan to slaughter former neighbors.

Baganis Ayrim was a tiny village, made up of 100 homes. The village was invaded by Armenians on March 23-24, 1990. After invading the village, 10 residents of the village, who could not leave due to their ages and sought shelter in basements, were set fire alive by Armenians. The oldest person killed was about 80 years old with a 39-day-old toddler.

As eyewitnesses said and pictures taken indicated, the seven people, including a 39-day toddler, were set on fire alive. In addition to those killed, 15 people were wounded and after the mass killing, the village was looted by Armenians. Today Baganis Ayrim is a ghost village.

Throughout history, humanity has witnessed a lot of wars, but none of them saw such a merciless massacre. These atrocities cannot even be compared to the misdeeds of the Nazis during WWII. Unfortunately, the world is not aware of this atrocity even today.

After the blood-curdling incident, Armenians, who remained unpunished for such brutalities, continued their violence and committed a series of mass killings, such as Karkicahan (1991), Meshali (22.12.1991), Garadagli (14-17. 02.1992), Bashguneytapa (06.1991-03.1992), Agdaban (08.04.1992), Ball?qaya (28.08.1992), Basl?bel (18.04.1993) and Khojaly.

Every time, Armenians committed severer brutalities against Azerbaijanis, the world remained indifferent and greenlighted for fresh atrocities. Of course, the peak of the massacres against Azerbaijanis by Armenians came to Khojaly on February 26, 1992, where humanity again proved powerless in the face of yet another Armenian crime.

Among the series of mass killings, Baganis Ayrim is distinguished from others by its distinctiveness, or to put it differently, its geographical location from the theater of war in Karabakh. The invasion and the atrocities committed in the village revealed the hideous intentions of Armenians.

So, mass killings and ethnic cleansing contradict Armenians false claims alleging that Armenians in Karabakh wanted to break away from Azerbaijan for the discrimination they purportedly went through. On the other hand, this once again proves a dominant view in Azerbaijan that it is not Karabakh that wants to break away from Azerbaijan, but Armenia that occupied nearly 20% of Azerbaijani lands, retaining the lands under occupation for nearly 30 years, razing to the ground the territory the size of Luxembourg.




Local students win DAR scholarship awards

The Twin Falls Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution recently awarded $1,325 in scholarships to students from 12 Magic Valley high schools.

The DAR Good Citizens program recognizes high school seniors who exemplify the qualities of dependability, service, leadership and patriotism, according to a news release.

The chapter winners: First place  Olivia Sturgill, Kimberly High School; second place  Sara Robertson, Declo High School; third place  Tori Albritton, Filer High School; and honorable mention  Jordyn King, Magic Valley High School.

Other school winners were Makayla Hughes of Canyon Ridge, Katie Mecham of Carey, Caitlynn Black of Glenns Ferry, Hannah Skinner of Hansen, Hope Payton of Oakley, Katie Ward of Raft River, Suzette Rodriguez of Shoshone, and Kate Cummings of Twin Falls.

The Twin Falls chapter also presented awards to winners of an American History Essay Contest and Junior American Citizens short story, postage stamp and poetry contest at its February reception.

Alexis Bailey, an eighth-grader at OLeary Middle School in Twin Falls, won first place for her grade level at both the chapter and state levels in the American History Essay Contest. Her essay is now in consideration in a six-state Northwest Division contest. She also won the JAC short story contest for her grade.

The short story winner for sixth grade was Laura Farmer from Filer Intermediate School.

A family of homeschooled students from Shoshone won several honors in the postage stamp design contest, including Vashti Owens for first grade, Japheth and Phoenix Owens for seventh grade, and Kemorale Owens for 10th grade. Kemorale also won first place in the grade-level poetry contest.

Unity Alliance, Hispanic chamber host Women in Motion

The Unity Alliance of Southern Idaho and the South Central Idaho Hispanic Chamber of Commerce will host a one-day conference next month to celebrate women in business, self-care and community.

The second Women in Motion conference will be Saturday, March 11, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Building at the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls. Registration is open for participants ($135) and vendors ($150) online at www.idhispanicchamber.org.

Wendell Mayor Rebecca Vipperman and transformational leader Vashon Moore will be keynote speakers at the event, themed as From Mess to Message. Other presenters will include Susie Rios, Kim Brookman and Melissa Wintrow.

Breakfast and lunch included. For more information, call Alejandra Hernandez of the Unity Alliance at 208-969-1766.

Also:

The Idaho Transportation Department will host an open house on Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Hampton Inn, 560 Hampton Dr., Heyburn, to share design plans for the Burley and Heyburn interchanges on Interstate 84. For more information, call 208-387-7012 or email stephanie.borders@hdrinc.com.

will host an open house on Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Hampton Inn, 560 Hampton Dr., Heyburn, to share design plans for the Burley and Heyburn interchanges on Interstate 84. For more information, call 208-387-7012 or email stephanie.borders@hdrinc.com. The Hailey Public Library is starting two language-learning programs: Neighborly Spanish (Feb. 27-April 3, noon-1 p.m.) and Intercambio (weekly, beginning Feb. 28, 6-7 p.m.) at Town Center West, 116 S. River St. For more information, call the library at 208-788-2036 or go online to www.haileypubliclibrary.org.

is starting two language-learning programs: Neighborly Spanish (Feb. 27-April 3, noon-1 p.m.) and Intercambio (weekly, beginning Feb. 28, 6-7 p.m.) at Town Center West, 116 S. River St. For more information, call the library at 208-788-2036 or go online to www.haileypubliclibrary.org. Charles Friedman, who has over 15 years of experience in commercial, consumer and residential lending, has been appointed as vice president commercial and mortgage loan officer at the Ketchum branch of D.L. Evans Bank.

 Times-News
TWIN FALLS  A 43-year-old woman has been charged with stealing painkillers instead of dispensing them to a resident at an assisted living center where she was employed.

Elizabeth Marie Trent of Twin Falls is charged with illegally obtaining a controlled substance, a felony.

An employee at Heritage Assisted Living of Twin Falls told police in October there was a 19-pill discrepancy between two logs detailing hydrocodone pills that were to have been dispensed to a resident.

Upon being interviewed by police, Trent eventually admitted that she had an addiction problem, records say.

She was released after appearing Tuesday in court, and her preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 10.
The most radically liberal politicians in America run for office under the protection of nonpartisanship. Once in office, these same unaligned officials raise money for the Democratic Party and push extreme policies that harm small businesses and working people.

Progressives, decades ago, pushed for nonpartisan municipal elections. Their theory was simple: Municipal government exists to provide services; political affiliation is immaterial to ones ability to administer and provide services.

Of course, the days of city leaders just paving potholes or opening parks are long gone. Look around Americas cities and its clear things have changed: The nonpartisan mayors of Los Angeles have pushed for the seizure of private property to house vagrants; nonpartisan mayors of Seattle advocated for and administer a taxpayer-funded needle exchange; nonpartisan mayors of Portland have called for the legalization of all drugs; and nonpartisan mayors of Chicago and San Antonio have authored resolutions censuring Republican presidents and Republican members of Congress.

OUR VIEW: Our differences can make a difference. Let this local group be our role model. OUR VIEW: While we understand we won't always agree on all issues, we believe in the good of humanity. There is little we cant do when we come together.

Nonpartisan leaders turn out to be ideologues pushing dangerous policy ideas and a radical agenda bent on making American urban life unlivable for anyone but the super rich and the homeless.

Idaho is not immune. The most radical Leftist leaders in our state all hold office under a cloak of nonpartisanship. When Joe Biden visited Idaho, Boise Mayor Lauren McLean was there waiting on the tarmac to greet him.

McLean, a close political ally of Biden Cabinet official Pete Buttigieg, authored a manifesto advocating for the mass resettlement of refugees in Idaho and a city hiring and firing policy based on skin color and ethnic identity. McLean, a dyed-in-the-wool socialist Democrat, ran for office as a nonpartisan candidate.

McLean has pushed radical Leftist ideas like allowing Boise to nullify Idaho laws on abortion, gun rights and education. Nonpartisan municipal leaders around Idaho flagrantly ignore the will of Idahos people, using their no labels to appear objective and moderate.

The era of nonpartisan municipal elections needs to come to an end. The Idaho Republican Party approved a resolution calling upon the Idaho Legislature to stop sanctioning the fiction that candidates for local office are somehow free of partisan ideas or ideological preferences. Candidates for local office should run with a listed political affiliation.

Requiring candidates to run with their party affiliation serves the common good, both because the public has a right to know what party a candidate aligns with and because greater transparency is a cure for hyper-partisanship and radical ideological prejudices.

Several recent academic studies have shown that non-partisanship tends to produce elected officials more representative of the upper socioeconomic classes than of the general populace and it aggravates the class bias in voting turnout.

Idaho doesnt need nonpartisan experts to rule us; we want working-class men and women to run for office and govern wisely. Partisan municipal elections will produce real benefits for the men and women who make Idaho a good place to call home.
Health care workers are vital to our communities. They provide preventive care, like tracking child development and screening patients for disease. They are also with us for our biggest moments: Births, traumatic accidents, difficult diagnoses, and the end of life.

We all want health care to be accessible when we need it. Unfortunately, Idaho is in a precarious position: Last in the nation for physicians per capita. This makes it especially concerning that Republican politicians are accelerating attempts to criminalize health care. This hostile environment for providers puts our health at risk and infringes upon our freedom to make personal medical decisions.

The most notable example is Idahos extreme abortion ban, which threatens doctors with prison sentences.

Even doctors who perform an abortion to preserve a womans health may be prosecuted. They can argue an affirmative defense once they are in court, but may have to convince a jury that death was imminent, above and beyond health or fertility dangers, depending on the circumstances. The law also provides $20,000 cash rewards to patients family members, including rapists family members, who sue the provider.

OUR VIEW: Our differences can make a difference. Let this local group be our role model. OUR VIEW: While we understand we won't always agree on all issues, we believe in the good of humanity. There is little we cant do when we come together.

Its no surprise obstetricians are already leaving Idaho to practice where they can preserve health and honor patients wishes without the threat of prison sentences and ridiculous lawsuits. These vacancies are becoming extremely difficult to fill, risking access to all obstetric care.

An emerging threat comes in House Bill 71, which would imprison doctors for prescribing puberty blockers and hormone treatments for minors with gender dysphoria. These treatments are standard care endorsed by mainstream medical associations because of the positive outcomes: Reduced depression, anxiety, and suicidality.

Puberty blockers are reversible and simply put a pause on development. They have been used safely for decades to delay puberty. Many loving parents see the despair and suicidality that come with untreated gender dysphoria and desperately want their children safe and thriving. Parents are in the best position to make these medical decisions. This bill usurps that right.

The latest assault is a bill to make it a crime to provide the COVID vaccine, sending a familiar message: Republican legislators want to limit your medical options based on their personal beliefs and are willing to criminalize providers to exert their will.

It is dangerous when politicians insert themselves into the exam rooms and family kitchen tables where medical decisions should be made. It not only threatens our freedoms, but also our ability to access medical care at all. Doctors and nurses are justifiably wary. It will only become harder to recruit and retain them in our state.

Too many Republican legislators seem eager to play the role of doctor. As our provider shortage becomes more dire, they may be your only option.
There is a 450-foot digital mural of Jimmy Carter atop the Georgias Own Credit Union building in Atlanta and the artist who created it grew up in Bassett.

Hes my son, said Anna Jefferson, 72, a retired Bassett High School teacher who lives in Henry County. He started when I would let him hold a pencil in church so he would keep quiet.

In kindergarten, Dane Jefferson impressed his teacher with his budding talent at the age of five.

The teacher had the children draw a picture of themselves and the one he drew of himself was complete with blond hair, freckles, blue eyes, the IZOD shirt he wore had the little alligator emblem and the Nike shoes had the swoosh on it, Anna said. You just dont see this kind of detail in a picture drawn by a five-year-old his teacher told me.

Dane Jefferson is now an Atlanta-based artist, living in the metropolitan city in Georgia with his wife and two children. But the talented 44-year-old grew up in Henry County and is a graduate of Bassett High School.

He graduated around 96 and I was teaching culinary arts, said Anna. He went to college at VCU, moved to Hoboken near New York, then to DC. You have to have another job if you want to be an artist.

Eventually, Dane was hired to be a graphic artist in Atlanta.

Anna said the company had whittled the applicant pool down to two people, but when her son sent them some of his work, they offered him the job.

Sometimes God puts things in front of you and you trip over them, Anna said.

Dane has moved on from that first job in Atlanta, but still makes the City his home where he spends most of his time as an oil paint artist.

He said he is frequently asked how he managed to get on top of an Atlanta skyscraper and paint the mural that is now seen featuring Jimmy Carter.

The mural is really a giant LED sign, like a giant television screen, said Dane. When Im doing art, I do it at home and something like this ends up on the computer as a single art file.

Dane said when he got the call and was commissioned to do the project he was more than thrilled.

Someone of Carters moral stature  a U.S. president and a man that personifies a kind heart and a strong work ethic  it just felt really good to do it, Dane said. Ive always looked up to Jimmy Carter as a genuine public servant.

Dane said the challenge he made to himself with the project was to create a visual that would encompass Carters life and career in one image.

I decided to split it into three parts: a time when he was a governor, then when he was a president and then as a global humanitarian and older statesmen, Dane said.

The mural honoring Georgia native Jimmy Carter had already been in the works when recent news came of the former president receiving hospice care at home.

He didnt do it overnight, Anna said. You dont do something like that in a week.

Im really happy with how it turned out and how it looks, said Dane. Its one of the proudest moments of my artistic career.

Anna said she was proud of her son who struggled, as all young artists do and not only had the talent, but the discipline to stay the course.

He got his education and didnt get married until he was 33. Now he has a wife, and shes an attorney, and theyve started a family, Anna said. They are both 44 now and have a seven-year-old and a three-year-old.

When asked what he would say to aspiring artists in his native Henry County and at his alma mater at Bassett High School, Dane offered this advice: Dont let people tell you no and you cant tell yourself no either. It takes a lot of hard work. It took me 20 years with a degree in art. You have to work hard and be committed, covering your bases, paying rent and have a family when you can. Its definitely possible, but it takes a little bit of fearlessness and a whole lot of hard work.
A man who says he fatally shot a Virginia Beach woman and her 7-year-old son in 2004 as part of a hired hit pleaded guilty Thursday to multiple murder, arson and firearms charges.

It was the second time in three years Richard Stoner had pleaded guilty to killing Lois Schmidt and her son, Jonathan Vetrano, at their Virginia Beach home. Schmidts brother and two family dogs also were shot, with the brother and one dog surviving their injuries. The house was set on fire afterward.

Stoner, 47, faces the possibility of multiple life prison terms when hes sentenced in May.

He wasnt arrested until 2018, when Virginia Beach cold case detectives obtained a confession. He told the detectives hed been hired by Schmidts ex-husband, Christopher Schmidt, to kill her and ended up also killing the boy to spare him the trauma of having seen his mother murdered.

Vetrano was Schmidts son from a previous marriage. Lois Schmidt and Christopher Schmidt shared a 1-year-old daughter who was with her father at the time of the murders. Lois Schmidt and her son moved in with her parents after the marriage ended.

In December 2019, Stoner agreed to plead guilty to all charges he faced and testify against Christopher Schmidt. In exchange, prosecutors said they wouldnt seek the death penalty. But less than two years later, he changed his mind and asked to withdraw his pleas after Virginias General Assembly abolished the punishment in 2021.

Circuit Judge Steven Frucci agreed that the change in law had invalidated the deal and allowed Stoner to take back his pleas.

Stoner also began refusing to cooperate with prosecutors around that time and said hed invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination if called to testify against Schmidt. Without Stoners testimony, the prosecutions case against Schmidt fell apart and all charges against him were withdrawn.

Schmidt was released from jail afterward and remains free.

Macie Allen, a spokeswoman for the Virginia Beach Commonwealths Attorneys Office, said new charges against Schmidt are unlikely unless prosecutors obtain other evidence or Stoner agrees to testify.

Walking with a cane on Thursday, Schmidts 72-year-old father, Joe Bloise, stood outside the courthouse and talked of how difficult its been to endure all the waiting and uncertainty in the case for so many years. Lois Schmidts mother died from pancreatic cancer a couple years ago, he said.

Its been 18 years, Bloise said. I just wish my wife had lived long enough for this day. ... She would have been happy for today and it would have been a big relief.

Bloise said, however, hes glad she wasnt alive to see Christopher Schmidt set free. And while hes pleased that Stoners case is coming to an end, the suffering wont end then, he said.

There will never be closure, he said. The house is still empty. Theyre still not here.
ROCKY MOUNT  Over the last two and a half years, Glenna Moore has spoken at all but one Franklin County Board of Supervisors meeting.

She often shares stories of local Black history, but always with one goal in mind: to see the Confederate statue in front of the Franklin County Courthouse relocated.

She spoke again Tuesday but with a modified proposal.

Its obvious that you will not move the Confederate statue. That leaves one option ... and that is to build a monument to the United States Colored Troops born in Franklin County who fought to defend and uphold the Constitution of the United States, Moore said.

She proposed that the county cover a third of the statues cost, with the rest covered by community donations and generous benefactors.

The United States Colored Troops (USCT) were regiments in the United States Army composed primarily of Black soldiers during and after the Civil War, although members of other minority groups also served within the units.

Moore started speaking regularly during the boards public comment session after Henry Turnage began walking around the Confederate monument in 2020, protesting its prominent position on the Main Street courthouse lawn.

A couple of years ago, Turnages protest led to a failed voter referendum where roughly 30% of Franklin County voters cast ballots in favor of removing the statue and roughly 70% voted in favor of keeping the statue in place.

Moore said she started out wanting the statue removed altogether, but Turnage convinced her that relocating it was the better option.

Im not one of the people saying, Tear down all the statues. When they say thats our history, that is my history, too, Turnage said.

His problem isnt the monument, he said.

The problem is that my justice system would allow itself to be decorated, Turnage said.

A better place for the statue, he said, would be somewhere like the Jubal Early Center or a museum. Moore has suggested moving the statue to the High Street Cemetery, where many of Franklin Countys Confederate soldiers and members of the Jubal Early United Daughters of the Confederacy are buried.

The Franklin County Historical Society and the Jubal Early UDC each declined The Roanoke Times request for comment about relocating the statue.

The point, Moore and Turnage said, is that they would like the statue moved somewhere it can be appreciated in a historical context, rather than one of justice.

The original statue was erected in 1910. The statue was destroyed in 2007 after a truck ran into it, but replaced in 2010.

Like many other Confederate monuments, Moore said, it was put up decades after the end of the civil war by the United Daughters of the Confederacy as part of a movement to keep Black people in the place assigned to them by Jim Crow era segregation.

Its a symbol whose history, Moore believes, has been obfuscated on purpose; part of the Lost Cause movement that pushed the narrative that the Civil War was about states rights rather than slavery. But she remembers how it and symbols like it have been used in her lifetime.

After all, Moore and members of her generation are living historians for the civil rights movement.

When she was in eighth grade, Moore was a member of the first group of Black students to integrate Franklin Countys public schools under a system of free choice. She remembers going to school the day after Martin Luther King Jr. was assasinated and hearing disrespectful comments about him from white students. And Moore remembers being roughly 7 years old, passing a Ku Klux Klan rally near the Booker T. Washington National Monument in the car on her way home from visiting relatives in Washington, D.C.

For Moore and many others, that is what the statue represents, and they dont believe it belongs in a place of justice.

Moore said many Black people her age dont like seeing the statue in front of the courthouse, but they put up with it. She said Turnage showed her that doesnt have to be the case.

Thats the hardest part  this journey is exhausting, not just because I have to speak to my leaders, but my own community  has become numb to it [racism], Turnage said.

For that reason, it meant a lot to Turnage when  after the referendum to remove the 2010 statue failed  Moore promised to carry on the work he began.

Moore said she also feels that she must not give up for the sakes of her grandchildren and, as a former educator, all Franklin County students of history.

I think about those kids who are sitting in classrooms now and I want them to know the true history, Moore said.

Barring the statues relocation, Moore said she would like to see a second monument put up, one which honors members of the United States Colored Troops born in Franklin County.

Moore admits that another statue at the Franklin County Courthouse is not the most elegant solution to the current issue of the one-sided history created with the Confederate statue erected there. But, she said, it may be the best way to present a side of the county that is not taught in schools.

We dont want to see a lawn full of statues, but in order to get that context there, thats what were being forced to do, Moore said.

Tim Tatum, chairman of the Franklin County Board of Supervisors, told The Roanoke Times he is not opposed to putting up a statue to honor the United States Colored Troops.

Whether they were Black or white, they were still from Franklin County and they fought for the Union, the majority of them  They fought and fought valiantly for this country and I think if we can do something to honor them, we should, Tatum said.

While researching Franklin County history, Moore first discovered evidence of three Black men who originated from the area, who later served in the Union Army. She has now counted more than 70 men who were born in Franklin County and signed up to join the fight against the Confederate States Army.

Moore was able to obtain the information on the soldiers from the Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Project. The information is compiled from U.S. Census Bureau records, Ancestry.com and military records in the National Archives.

Moore also found out Black soldiers served in 36 units during the Civil War, some of which had several soldiers serving from Franklin County.

Its so much and Im still learning, Moore said of all the information she has found.

Moore has shared some of the history she has uncovered at the monthly meetings of the Franklin County Board of Supervisors. During the brief three minutes she is allowed to speak during public comment, she talks about history that was not covered in class while she was a student in the county.

Moore said her school history lessons did not include the fact that Black people had a hand in their own liberation from enslavement. Learning that was the case  that they did have agency and were not simply rescued  was empowering, she said.

I want my grandchildren to know that I tried to protect their true history, Moore said.

Staff writer Jason Dunovant contributed to this report.
McDowell County will get $2.8 million to install waterlines and extend water service to residential communities in the Nebo area. In addition, both the city of Marion and the town of Old Fort will get a total of more than $900,000 for their water and sewer systems.

On Thursday, Gov. Roy Cooper announced $462.9 million in funding for 249 infrastructure projects in 80 communities statewide that will strengthen North Carolinas drinking water, sewer and stormwater systems. As part of this announcement, the governor and N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) Secretary Elizabeth S. Biser toured water and wastewater treatment facilities in Davidson and Jackson counties, according to a news release.

One of the bigger projects getting this funding is a McDowell County government effort. McDowell County will receive $2,836,740 to install waterlines and approximately 107 new service connections. This will extend water service from the Nebo Water System to four residential communities in the Nebo East End Area, which are now served by community wells contaminated with coliforms.

The commissioners have charged county staff with finding whatever grant funding is possible to expand the county-owned Nebo Water System, said County Manager Ashley Wooten. In addition to this announcement, additional work is planned throughout the Nebo community in the next several years. The commissioners have also directed staff to seek funding to expand public water to the area around West Marion Elementary. It is anticipated that additional grant announcements will be forthcoming.

In addition, the city of Marion will get $400,000 for an asset and inventory assessment of its sewer system. The town of Old Fort will get $506,000 for an asset and inventory assessment of its water and sewer systems, according to the news release.

The $400,000 in state funding for the city of Marions sewer asset, inventory and assessment study will have several components. They are a study of the water and sewer rates, a system development fee study as well as a study to address inflow and infiltration in the three to six sewer basins with the most inflow and infiltration. There will also be an engineering assessment of needed work at the sewer treatment plant.

Information about how Old Fort will use its funding was not available as of deadline Thursday.

Aging and failing water systems are an obstacle for communities across North Carolina, preventing reliable access to clean drinking water and sewer services, and harming health, quality of life and economic development efforts. The state typically invests approximately $200 million per year upgrading systems, but thanks to federal funds from the American Rescue Plan and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, North Carolina is investing $2.3 billion over two years supporting this critical infrastructure.

Every single North Carolinian deserves clean drinking water, and aging water systems are a threat to the health and economies of too many of our communities, said Cooper. Thanks to investments initiated by the Biden administration, we can make a once in a generation transformation in rebuilding water infrastructure for towns and counties throughout our state.

Investing in water infrastructure provides communities with reliable, affordable access to clean water and the opportunity for future economic growth, said Biser. The amount of funding requested highlights the extensive need for infrastructure investment across North Carolina.

Cooper and Biser announced the new round of funding at the Lexington Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant. During the announcement, they highlighted $27.9 million in funding the city will receive to create a new dewatering facility that will provide sewer lines all across Davidson County.

In Jackson County, Cooper and Biser toured the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority in Cullowhee. The Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority will receive $4,130,000 for a drinking water treatment plant clearwell and a high service pump replacement. The Tuckaseigee Water & Sewer Authority was created in 1992 and serves Jackson County and the towns of Dillsboro, Sylva and Webster.

As the regional utility service provider, we are grateful for the States support of our wastewater treatment facility, Tom Johnson, Lexington Water Resources Utility Director said. These grant funds will allow us to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of our infrastructure, safeguard environmental health, and support continued economic development growth in the central part of North Carolina.

For this round of funding, Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) received 649 applications from 91 of North Carolinas 100 counties, and reconsidered applications from spring 2022. In total, 734 applications were considered for funding, representing more than $3.5 billion. The awards are funded by a portion of $2.3 billion from the American Rescue Plan Act, State Revolving Funds (including Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds), and Community Development Block Grant funding.

A list of all projects funded statewide by town or county is available on the NCDEQ Website. An expanded summary of the projects with more detail on funding sources and types will be available next week, according to the news release.
Djibouti, a small country in the Horn of Africa with a strategic position from a military and commercial point of view, is voting on Friday for parliamentary elections in which the powerful presidential party is sure to win a majority.

Djiboutis 230,000 voters out of a total population of about one million are invited to go to the polls to choose the 65 members of the National Assembly, elected for five years in a single round of voting.

Only two parties are in the running, including President Ismael Omar Guellehs Union for the Presidential Majority (UMP), which is present in all six constituencies of this sparsely populated and desert country. The Union for Democracy and Justice (UDJ) is running in only two constituencies, including Djibouti City, against the UMP, which has been in power since independence in 1977.

This election is just a formality, nothing is going to change, and I am not going to vote because I dont recognize myself in any of the projects they promise to put in place, said Ali, a 32-year-old unemployed man who did not want to give his full name.

The main opposition parties, such as the Movement for Democratic Renewal (MRD) and the Republican Alliance for Development (ARD), boycotted the election, which they both called a charade.

The elections (remain) unfree, non-transparent and undemocratic, the MRD said in a statement in January, denouncing a one-party system. Igad, a regional grouping of East African countries, has announced it will send an observation mission.

In the last legislative elections in 2018, the UMP won 58 of the 65 seats. Five went to the UDJ and two others to small parties. For the 2021 presidential election, Ismael Omar Guelleh, now 75, was re-elected by more than 97% against a businessman who had just entered politics and was little known to the general public.

The country dreams of becoming the Dubai of Africa and intends to further develop its important logistics infrastructure and services, thanks to foreign investment, starting with China. Among other things, China financed the construction of a new railroad linking Djibouti to Addis Ababa, which was inaugurated in 2017.

In early January, the president announced a preliminary agreement with a Hong Kong-based company to build a $1 billion space launch base over five years, which would become the only one in Africa. It is also a stable country, located in the heart of a troubled region bordering Somalia and Ethiopia, facing Yemen and attracting the interest of the great powers. It is home to American, French, Japanese and Chinese military bases.

The economy is expected to grow by 5% in 2023 according to the IMF, after a year 2022 that was plagued by the war in Ukraine, the consequences of the conflict in Ethiopia and a record drought in the Horn of Africa.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to His Majesty Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait, on the occasion of the country's national holiday.

Your Highness,

On my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan, I cordially congratulate you and through you, all your people on the occasion of February 25 - the national holiday of the State of Kuwait, and extend my most sincere wishes.

Azerbaijan attaches great importance to friendly relations and cooperation with Kuwait based on strong Islamic solidarity. I am confident that we will continue our joint efforts to strengthen Azerbaijan-Kuwait ties and fully benefit from our cooperation of mutual interest at both bilateral and multilateral levels.

On this remarkable day, I wish you robust health, happiness, success in your activities, and the friendly people of Kuwait everlasting peace and prosperity.

Sincerely,

Ilham Aliyev

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Baku, 22 February 2023




The idea is to build the spirit of bringing together, eventually at the end of this year or early next year, a summit of Heads of state and government of Creole countries. A meeting of the Creole civilization in the world, affirmed Jose Maria Neves during the press conference in which he made the balance of the recent participation in the assembly of the African Union.

Cape Verde intends to organize still this year the first summit of Heads of state and government of the Creole nations, announced in Praia, the President of Cape Verde, Jose Maria Neves.

The presence in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from February 17 to 19, also served as contacts of the Cape Verdean President with a view to preparing this summit, presenting Cape Verde as one of the first Creole nations in history.

We have already made several contacts, with the Seychelles, with Comoros  which has just assumed the presidency of the African Union  with Senegal, and with Angola. And, therefore, we are already working on the conception of the project, in the search for partnerships to hold this great meeting in Cape Verde, which could also be accompanied by a set of cultural activities, music and dance festivals from all the countries that refer to the Creole civilization, Jose Maria Neves further explained.

According to the President of the Republic, who proposed to hold this summit in Cape Verde soon after his election, in October 2021, the project has also already been presented to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, among other international entities.

There has been a great openness regarding this matter. It is up to us here to speed up the pace, to have the final documents and be able to hold this summit. This summit is not restricted to the African continent, but to the whole world. But the fact that we are leading the way in preserving the natural and cultural heritage in Africa helps to mobilize Africa for this great meeting that we want to hold in Cape Verde, concluded Jose Maria Neves.
A World Bank mission arrived in Bissau on Tuesday to support the government in managing the civil service wage bill, as part of the Public Sector Strengthening Project, the Guinean Finance Ministry announced on Thursday.

The mission is led by Gael Raballand, director of the World Banks governance sector, (WB), who met on Wednesday with the Secretary of State for the Treasury, Mamadu Balde, who considered the management of the wage bill as a critical point.

The salary bill of the Guinean Civil Service consumes 80% of tax revenues, a figure much higher than the 35% ratio set by the West African Economic Monetary Union.

Gael Raballand stressed the importance of controlling the presence of officials, stressing that it is a mechanism of extreme importance.

Another subject discussed with the Secretary of State for the Treasury was the evolution of the implementation process of the single treasury account.

The project to strengthen the public sector, which will have an investment of 20 million dollars (about 18.5 million euros) from the WB and will run until April 2028, foresees strengthening the supervision and management of fiscal resources, human resources and the capacities of civil servants.

Approved in December 2022, the project, according to the World Bank, aims to address challenges related to fiscal management practices and supervision of national resources, human resources management and controls on salaries, as well as those concerning capacity deficits in the civil service.

The World Bank notes that the project will also promote the development of a Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS), which will enable better management of public sector staffing, reduce inefficiencies through the elimination of ghost and duplicate workers in the pay and pension system, and provide more effective oversight of the use of public employees.

In this domain, a priority focus area will be the education sector, where the project will contribute to solving specific human resource challenges, including teacher recruitment, deployment, and training, in line with the recently passed Teacher Career Law.

The mission will remain in Bissau until Friday.
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The World Health Organization expressed concern about bird flu on Friday after the father of a 11-year-old Cambodian girl who died from the disease also tested positive, raising fears of human-to-human transmission.

Since late 2021, one of the worst global avian influenza outbreaks on record has seen tens of millions of poultry culled, mass wild bird die-offs and a rising number of infections among mammals.

In Cambodia, the girl fell ill on February 16 with a fever, cough and sore throat, and died on Wednesday from the H5N1 bird flu virus, according to the health ministry.

Authorities then collected samples from 12 people who had been in contact with her.

On Friday, the authorities said the girl's 49-year-old father had tested positive, adding that he was asymptomatic.

The WHO said it was in close contact with the Cambodian authorities about the situation, including regarding the test results of the girl's other contacts.

Humans rarely get bird flu, but when they do it is usually from coming in direct contact with infected birds.

Investigators in Cambodia are working to establish whether the girl and father were exposed to infected birds.

Officials are also waiting for test results from several dead wild birds found near the girl's remote village in the eastern Prey Veng province.

'Worrying'

"So far, it is too early to know if it's human-to-human transmission or exposure to the same environmental conditions," Sylvie Briand, WHO epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention director, told a virtual press conference.

Earlier this month, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the risk of bird flu to humans was low, and Briand emphasised that this assessment had not changed.

But she added that the UN agency was reviewing the available information to see if this risk assessment needs to be updated.

"The global H5N1 situation is worrying given the wide spread of the virus in birds around the world, and the increasing reports of cases in mammals including humans," Briand said.

"WHO takes the risk from this virus seriously and urges heightened vigilance from all countries," she added.

So far, cases of bird flu in humans had been "sporadic", Briand said.

"But when you see that there are a number of potential cases surrounding this initial case, you always wonder what has happened: is it because maybe the initial case has transmitted the disease to other humans?

"So, we are really concerned about the potential human-to-human transmission coming from this initial spillover from animals."

Vaccine call

If bird flu transmission is confirmed to have taken place between humans, the WHO said a series of measures could be put in place fairly quickly.

For example, there are nearly 20 H5 bird flu vaccines licensed for pandemic use, the WHO said.

But Richard Webby, head of the WHO's centre for studying influenza in animals, estimated it could take five or six months to update and produce such a vaccine for the currently circulating strain of H5N1.

Earlier this week the WHO's incoming chief scientist Jeremy Farrar called on governments around the world to invest in H5N1 vaccines in preparation for a potential outbreak in humans.

Letting the virus spread widely among birds and mammals was the perfect way to "create something nasty", said Farrar, according to the BMJ journal.

Tom Peacock, a virologist at the Imperial College London, told AFP that every "avian influenza human infection is worrying" because that is how "any hypothetical pandemic would have to be sparked.

"The fact this has been identified quite quickly maybe means this exact case is unlikely to get much further, but for every case like this it's likely many more go undetected," he added.

Over the last two decades, there have been nearly 900 confirmed H5N1 cases in humans with more than 450 deaths, according to the WHO.

A nine-year-old girl in Ecuador who contracted bird flu last month has "recovered and is out of the hospital" and is on antiviral medication, Briand said.

 2023 AFP
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Now two years in, the global avian flu outbreak has devastated wild and domestic bird populations, leapt into various species of mammals, and cost governments and farmers billions as consumers feel the pain in their grocery bills. Despite containment efforts, the record-breaking outbreakcaused by a highly contagious new variant of H5N1shows no signs of slowing as migration season looms.

While the virus so far has not posed significant threats to humans, many unknowns remain as it continues to evolve, according to Johns Hopkins epidemiologist and environmental microbiologist Meghan Frost Davis. "What we know about flu strains is that they're constantly changing. Our influenzas have the potential to become epidemics or pandemics," she says. "So that's what we keep at the back of our minds."

In particular, the jump from birds to mammalsincluding foxes, bears, mink, whales, and sealsis "significant and something to pay attention to," says Davis, an associate professor in environmental health and engineering at Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health. "What people may not remember from high school biology is that there are larger differences between birds and mammals than there are among mammals, so finding the virus in mammals indicates an expanded host range."

Davis recently spoke with the Hub about the current state of the outbreak and its global reverberations.

What can you tell us about the extent of this outbreak?

What we're seeing is an epizooticthe term we use for an epidemic, but with animalshappening in wild birds in many parts of the world, which has caused a record-breaking outbreak of avian flu in domestic poultry, including chickens and turkey raised for meat and eggs, as well as backyard poultry kept for the household or as pets. So the outbreak is of great concern for animal health, starting with the poultry especially. But now we've also seen it detected in a number of other animals, including mammals. And it's shown up in a very small number of people globally.

What makes this avian flu outbreak stand out from other similar ones of the past?

What we more typically see with outbreaks in animals is that they'll surface and then go away, usually within the space of a season. What's unusual about this one is that it's been going on for some time, starting sometime in 2021, with various sub-strains developing. It's been persistent and widespread, and now has affected an estimated 58 million birds in the United States and more globally.

What usually happens to prevent these outbreaks from spreading further is going to commercial flocks to depopulate them. So remove the animals, then wait out the viability of the virus in the local environment. They'll do a good cleaning to make sure everything's good, then repopulate the flock.

These control measures aren't enough to contain the current outbreak. That's pretty significant because we're not just talking about the loss of animal lives, which is tragic, but we're talking about widespread impacts to our food systems and our ecosystem, not to mention the commercial and psychosocial impacts on people raising the animals. This can all be quite devastating.

Why is it significant that the avian influenza has shown up in mammals?

From a public health perspective, we're perennially concerned about any infectious agent that has potential to move from one species to another species, and in particular from an animal species into a human. And if that becomes the kind of virus that can transmit human-to-human, that's where we see outbreaks, epidemics, or even pandemics. Of course the SARS-CoV-2 virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic is one example of this, and we're still struggling with it.

What level of concern is there that this could spread more widely among humans?

Thankfully with the current outbreak we've seen fewer than 10 human cases documented, one of those in the United States. And we've been doing targeted surveillance of people who have been in contact with positive birds, which was the case for the individual in the U.S., who experienced mild symptoms for a few days. Surveillance is key to catching these groups with potential exposure, who could help us identify and track new strains.

With the current strains circulating, we haven't seen high risk to humansso that's reassuring, right? However, what we know about flu strains is that they're constantly changing. This is why our seasonal influenzas have the potential for epidemics or pandemic strains. Those are the worst-case scenarios we imagine.

Even though the number of cases in humans from this outbreak is small, the recent death of a girl in Cambodia shows how severe the disease can be.

You mentioned depopulation as a control method. What are other methods to limit the spread of bird flu?

With the wild bird population, clearly it's not really possible to control it. But as far as what individuals can do, you'll hear advisories for people to disinfect bird feeders, or to not use bird feeders or bird baths at all because you don't want congregations of birds. For people who deal closely with birds, wear N95 masks, and if you suspect an animal might be sickmaybe they're not eating or drinking well, maybe you see discharge around the eyes, or unkempt feathersit's time to call your veterinarian or potentially also contact appropriate state agencies.

With domestic poultry, some of these flocks are hundreds of thousands of birds, so once the virus gets into the flock, it can spread quickly. In these facilities, prevention focuses on biosecurity and biocontainment. Basically, you stop any new elements from coming into a large farm, for example. You disinfect, you limit visitors, you try to enclose the facilities. Even with backyard flocks these principles can be usedyou isolate chickens in coops.

Different states may have different agencies or groups handling this kind of thing; for example in Maryland we have an extension service through the University of Maryland as well as the state Department of Agriculture monitoring this situation and taking action. It's something that's on the radar and a high priority for the poultry industry as well as for animal health professionals.

What about vaccines? What role could they play here?

With human vaccinations, we have expert groups come together to decide which strains to include in our seasonal flu vaccines. Right now, there's no reason to believe that these avian influenza strains will rise to the need to be included in our decision-making over human vaccines. We'll see if that changes.

With animal vaccination, there are two different considerations: How effective is it in preventing disease, and is it economically feasible? We tried this with COVID-19 vaccines for animals and found that the cost-benefit ratio wasn't really where it should be. With the bird flu, I'm not certain these questions have been fully addressed to the point where an effective vaccine could be brought to market. To my knowledge, there is no widespread deployment right now of vaccines for poultry.

Should we be concerned about impacts to our pets, i.e. cats that interact with birds?

There have been rare cases where avian flu has been found in pet animals such as cats and dogs. The basic advice is to prevent contact with wild birds. Since outdoor cats can sometimes hunt wild birds, this could lead to exposure, so you'd want to keep them indoors to decrease risks. I worry more about pet birds, including those that are indoors but might have indirect contact with wild birds through a screened window or door.

What misunderstandings do you think may exist about the bird flu?

The biggest thing I've been hearing is how upset and horrified people are about the price of eggs going upwhich, yes, is an economic issue related to this avian influenza outbreak. But I think many general consumers aren't fully comprehending or appreciating just how complex our food systems are and how something like this can impact supplies coming into the market and their price points. To me this really illustrates how vulnerable our food system is and the value of investing in animal healthresearch and resources that look at the entirety of the food system and try to build as resilient a structure as possible.

The challenges we face with animal health diseases aren't limited to avian flu. For example, almost a decade ago, porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED, a coronavirus) caused a major outbreak that impacted pork production. Right now we're seeing African Swine Fever causing disease in pigs around the world, though it hasn't yet been identified in the U.S. There are major efforts underway to try to prevent introduction of this virus and to protect animal health and the food supply.

How closely is human health connected to animal health and well-being?

I think the bird flu gives us a window into how animal diseases broadly impact human health and all the different pathways for that to occur. After COVID-19 we're all sensitized to the possibility of a virus in animals spilling over into humans. That's not something we want to happen, but it's something that we now understand occurs more frequently than we once thought.

But when we think about these animal diseases, we shouldn't limit our concerns just to the possibility of human infection. There can be major global impacts regardlessaffecting our food systems, our livelihoods, and causing major disruptions to our ecosystems. Healthy ecosystems can support cleaner air and cleaner water and also can help mitigate impacts from flooding or extreme weather events. If we can't understand and respect the way all of this works together, we'll lose many of these benefits and human populations will certainly feel impacts in one way or another.
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Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered two ways to preserve diseased upper motor neurons that would normally be destroyed in ALS, based on a study in mice. Upper motor neurons initiate movement, and they degenerate in ALS.

These neurons have a pathologycalled TDP-43 pathologyin which aggregating proteins inside the cell become misfolded and toxic to the neuron. This happens in about 90% of all ALS patient brains and is one of the most common problems in neurodegeneration, detected also in the brains of frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease patients.

When there is TDP-43 pathology, this activates astrocytes and microgliatwo types of cells that once were supportive, but now become deleterious, to attack and destroy the diseased neurons in the brain.

"When astrocytes and microglia eat diseased motor neurons, they are gone for good, and the window of opportunity to improve their health is lost," said lead investigator Hande Ozdinler, associate professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "There is no turning back from neurodegeneration when the neurons are destroyed by astrocytes and microglia.

"That is a major problem in ALS and in other neurodegenerative diseases, and one of the reasons the disease progresses fast. Normally, that fast progression correlates with the activation of the astrocytes and microglia. We need to find ways to keep them calm."

In two new studies, Ozdinler and colleagues identify two independent ways to reduce the destruction of the upper motor neurons that are diseased with TDP-43 pathology in ALS by calming the angry astrocytes and microglia. They found that a gene therapy approach and a small molecule treatment are both are effective in mouse models of TDP-43 pathology. The genetic delivery of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) soothes the astrocytes in the brain.

The findings will be published Feb. 23 in Nature Gene Therapy.

The Northwestern scientists also found that when the integrity of the mitochondria (the energy producer for the cell) is improved inside the diseased neurons, the astrocytes stop attacking them. Scientists fed the TDP-43 mouse models of ALS with the compound SBT-272, which binds and repairs the inner mitochondrial membrane. This prevents it from breaking down or becoming leaky, a phenomenon that is broadly observed in diseased neurons in ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases.

"We started giving the SBT-272 to mice, when they began to show symptoms of ALS, meaning when the mitochondria were already defective," Ozdinler said. "The compound helped repair the mitochondrial damage, reducing the impact of TDP-43 pathology. Most importantly, astrocytes and microglia stopped attacking. This is then reflected on neuronal heath."

This finding about how improving mitochondrial health was just published in Neurobiology of Disease.

The next steps in the research are to develop combination treatments to overcome complex diseases like ALS. "We believe a combination of treatments would work much better and would bring us much closer to a cure, as we need to do two things at the same time: (1) improve the health of diseased upper motor neurons; and (2) decrease the deleterious effects of the astrocytes and microglia that kill them," Ozdinler said.

Other Northwestern authors on the studies are Mukesh Gautam, Bars Genc, Benjamin Helmold, Angela Ahrens, Oge Gozutok and Suchitra Swaminathan.

More information: Bars Genc et al, Novel rAAV vector mediated intrathecal HGF delivery has an impact on neuroimmune modulation in the ALS motor cortex with TDP-43 pathology, Gene Therapy (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41434-023-00383-4 Journal information: Neurobiology of Disease
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Strategies adopted in 2020 to fight COVID-19 around the world have impacted routine vaccination against poliomyelitis and even measles.

In 2020, about 7.7 million children did not receive the life-saving first dose of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis, measles and polio vaccines as a result of COVID-19 lock down measures, the World Health Organization (WHO) says in an article published in 2021.

According to WHO, missed vaccination in Africa compared to the previous year rose to about ten percent because of the disruption of health services due to the pandemic.

"In March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic was officially declared, all service delivery was suspended in countries, including polio campaigns and the fight against other vaccine-preventable diseases [such as measles and yellow fever]," Modjirom Ndoutabe, polio program coordinator at the WHO regional office for Africa, told SciDev.Net.

"Countries have continued to isolate the poliovirus, either from target children or from the environment. In the countries affected by COVID-19 and polio epidemics, we have seen that vaccine responses were slowly executed in 2020 and 2021, and this allowed the virus to circulate intensely in the African region," he added.

Phobia

In Cameroon, for example, the pandemic period was marked by a resurgence of measles and poliomyelitis.

"Measles spread from 44 health districts in 2019 to 80 districts in 2020," said Shalom Tchokfe Ndoula, the permanent secretary of the Expanded Vaccination Program in Cameroon.

"In March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic was officially declared, all service delivery was suspended in countries, including polio campaigns," said Modjirom Ndoutabe, of WHO Africa. "In 2021, the response measures put in place made this number reduce to 31. In 2022, however, the number shot up and approximately 60 health districts were affected," he added.

Ndoula said, "Cameroon went from having four cases of the poliovirus in 2019 to having 16 cases in 2020." He said while the number of cases reduced from 16 to six in 2021 and then to two in 2022, any case of derived polio is a "sign of insufficient immunity within the communities."

The situation was similar in Senegal where vaccination campaigns halted because of the public health measuresincluding school closuresput in place to slow down the spread of COVID-19. This measures, Ousseynou Badiane, the coordinator of the Expanded Vaccination Program in Cameroon, resulted in a drop in attendance at health facilities.

"Health personnel were practically occupied with the fight against COVID-19 to the point that other programs were neglected," Ousseynou said.

In Guinea, the period preceding the COVID-19 years had better vaccine coverage than the period of the virus.

"We analyzed the vaccination data from the COVID-19 period to those for the period of 2018 or 2019, we realized that there was a slight drop in vaccination coverage," says Mamadou Dian Bah, head of the planning and mobilization department at the Expanded Vaccination Program in Guinea.

Fake news

Rumors and fake news on vaccination against COVID-19 have also caused many families to refuse childhood vaccination.

Ndoula told SciDev.Net that vaccines campaigns also suffered a setback too. "Due to misinformation, various vaccination campaigns encountered unusual difficulties, particularly refusals to receive vaccines.

"The main obstacles being rumors that COVID-19 vaccines will be given under the guise of the usual vaccine campaigns, children would be discreetly vaccinated against COVID-19, harmful substances will be snuck in through vaccine campaigns and children would be sterilized," he said.

Ousseynou Badiane, the coordinator of Senegal's Expanded Vaccination Program, also agrees that vaccination programs suffered from fake news and that this led to vaccine hesitancy.

"When we started the COVID-19 vaccination, there were a lot of people who did not want to be vaccinated against other genes (viruses), especially those for infants," Ousseynou, told SciDev.Net.

He said people begun to believe other vaccines were a masked way of giving the COVID-19 vaccine to children. They believed that COVID-19 vaccines are dangerous.

Ousseynou added that vaccination campaigns against yellow fever, the derived polio and a selective campaign against measles organized during COVID-19 were impacted and a lot of vaccine refusals occurred.

"Fake news had an impact, even if it was not very big, on these campaigns because we registered a lot of cases of refusal during these campaigns," he said.

Some mitigation

In the midst of the pandemic, WHO was keen to strengthen "interpersonal communication to encourage parents to have their children vaccinated against polio and measles," said Modjirom Ndoutabe.

It was this communication strategy that enabled Guinea mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on routine vaccination and maintain vaccination coverage "at an acceptable level," Mamadou Dian Bah told SciDev.Net.

For Senegal, Ousseynou says that the Expanded Program on Immunization adopted some "corrective measures" to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on the health system.

"We raised the vaccination coverage a little and brought it to satisfactory levels," he said.

In Cameroon, according to Ndoula, the health authorities developed guidelines that help health personnel know how to continue providing vaccination services while protecting themselves and others against COVID-19 was created.

The health personnel also now know how to effectively communicate with the parents, said Ndoula.

Other strategies such as mobile campaigns were organized in urban areas "to sensitize populations on the benefits of vaccination and the risks that children who are not vaccinated face," he said.

Ndoula added that advanced strategies have been put in place in under-vaccinated communities to bring the vaccination offer closer to the populations.

"These advanced strategies include door-to-door outreaches and intensified vaccination activities in some regions and districts of the country to catch up with children who have missed their vaccine doses," Ndoula explained.

Sensitization

In 2022, the WHO implemented response plans "which enabled a dozen countries to stop the circulation of all types of poliovirus," Modjirom Ndoutabe, polio program coordinator at the WHO Regional Office for Africa, tells SciDev.Net.

However, there is still a risk of spreading these infectious diseases, especially if the viruses circulate in areas where children are not vaccinated.

Modjirom said that strengthening communication is essential to enable parents adhere to the various initiatives to eradicate or control diseases preventable by vaccines.

"Routine vaccination should be reinforced by the implementation of integrated multi-antigen mini-campaigns," he recommends.

Badiane says that routine immunizations must be prioritized.

"We were almost at the final phase of eradicating poliomyelitis; we were moving towards the elimination of measles It is thanks to vaccination that we had these achievements. To prevent these diseases from coming back, emphasis must be placed on routine vaccination," he said.

Ndoula added that providing people with information on vaccination and the vaccination schedule for children of 0 to 23 months, could contribute to the eradication polio and measles.

He recommends adapting health services to the life style of community members.

"Health services will have to adapt to the habits of the community, even if it means offering vaccination services during office hours to give all children the chance to receive their doses of vaccines," he added.

Provided by SciDev.Net
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In this photo released by the Cambodia Ministry of Health, Cambodia local authority meet health experts before spraying disinfectant at a village in Prey Veng eastern province Cambodia, Friday, Feb. 24, 2023. The father of an 11-year old girl in Cambodia who died this week after contracting bird flu has tested positive for the virus, but has not displayed any major symptoms, health authorities said Friday. Credit: Cambodia Ministry of Health via AP

A top World Health Organization official, reacting to the death of an 11-year-old girl in Cambodia infected by bird flu, said Friday the recent global spread of the virus and human infections are "worrying."

Dr. Sylvie Briand, the WHO's director for epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, said the U.N. agency is "in close communication with the Cambodian authorities to understand more about the outbreak."

Speaking ahead of a meeting in Geneva on influenza vaccines, Briand called the global situation concerning the virus "worrying given the wide spread of the virus in birds around the world, and the increasing reports of cases in mammals, including humans."

"WHO takes the risk from this virus seriously and urges heightened vigilance from all countries," she said.

Independent experts also have expressed concern over a wave of bird flu that has spread through much of the world since late 2021, posing a potential public health risk.

The Cambodian girl, from a village in the southeastern province of Prey Veng, died Wednesday at a hospital in the capital, Phnom Penh, shortly after tests confirmed she had Type A H5N1 bird flu, according to Cambodia's Health Ministry. She had fallen ill on Feb. 16, and when her condition declined she was sent to the hospital with a fever as high as 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit) with coughing and throat pain.

The girl's father tested positive for the virus but has not displayed any major symptoms, health authorities said Friday.

Bird flu, also known as avian influenza, normally spreads between sick poultry but can sometimes spread from poultry to humans. The recent detection of infections in a variety of mammals, including at a large mink farm in Spain, has raised concern among experts that the virus could evolve to spread more easily between people, and potentially trigger a pandemic.

Health Ministry spokesperson Ly Sovann told The Associated Press that the Cambodian father's case is under investigation, and it was not yet known how he became infected. He has been put in isolation at a local district hospital for monitoring and treatment.

In this photo released by the Cambodia Ministry of Health, Cambodia health experts work during spray disinfectant at a village in Prey Veng eastern province Cambodia, Friday, Feb. 24, 2023. The father of an 11-year old girl in Cambodia who died this week after contracting bird flu has tested positive for the virus, but has not displayed any major symptoms, health authorities said Friday. Credit: Cambodia Ministry of Health via AP

A ministry team collected samples from 12 people from the dead girl's village known to have had direct contact with her, and laboratory tests confirmed Friday that only her father was infected.

Health professionals have expressed concern about a wave of bird flu that has spread worldwide in the past year and a half, but consider the current risk to humans to be low.

"There has been a massive global challenge of wild and domestic birds with the current H5N1 avian influenza virus over the last few months and years, which will have exposed many humans; despite this, what is remarkable is how few people have been infected," professor James Wood, head of the veterinary medicine department at England's University of Cambridge, said in an emailed statement.

"Tragic though this case in Cambodia is, we expect there to be some cases of clinical disease with such a widespread infection. Clearly the virus needs careful monitoring and surveillance to check that it has not mutated or recombined, but the limited numbers of cases of human disease have not increased markedly and this one case in itself does not signal the global situation has suddenly changed," Wood added.

According to the World Health Organization, there were 56 bird flu cases in humans in Cambodia from 2003 until 2014, and 37 of them were fatal. Globally, about 870 human infections and 457 deaths have been reported to the WHO in 21 countries, for an overall case fatality rate of 53%. But the pace has slowed, and there have been about 170 infections and 50 deaths in the last seven years. In the vast majority of cases, the infected people got it directly from infected birds.

"Between 2005 and 2020, 246 million poultry died or were culled because of avian influenza," says the World Organization for Animal Health.

"Since October 2021, an unprecedented number of outbreaks has been reported in several regions of the world, reaching new geographical areas and causing devastating impacts on animal health and welfare," the Paris-based agency says on its website.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agrees that the current H5N1 outbreak is mostly an animal health issue.

"However, people should avoid direct and close contact with sick or dead wild birds, poultry, and wild animals," it warns on its website. "People should not consume uncooked or undercooked poultry or poultry products, including raw eggs. Consuming properly cooked poultry, poultry products, and eggs is safe."

 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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The father of an 11-year-old Cambodian girl who died this week from bird flu has tested positive for the virus, health officials said on Friday.

The girl fell ill on February 16 with a fever, cough and sore throat, and died on Wednesday from bird flu virus H5N1, the Cambodian health ministry said in the statement.

Authorities collected samples from 12 people on Thursday who were in contact with the girl.

Her 49-year-old father was the only person among them to test positive, though he is asymptomatic, they added.

Health officials are searching for the source of the outbreak.

Wild birds were found dead at a lake near the girl's remote village.

The disease typically spreads from birds to humans through direct contact.

The World Health Organization called for vigilance after the detection of bird flu in mammals earlier this month, but has stressed that the risk to humans is low.

The latest infection is the 58th recorded instance of bird flu in Cambodia since the country's first human case was discovered nearly two decades ago.

"Tragic though this case in Cambodia is, we expect there to be some cases of clinical disease with such a widespread infection," said University of Cambridge veterinary department head James Wood, referring to recent outbreaks among birds.

"Clearly the virus needs careful monitoring and surveillance to check that it has not mutated or recombined, but the limited numbers of cases of human disease have not increased markedly and this one case in itself does not signal the global situation has suddenly changed."

Europe has since late 2021 been gripped by its worst-ever outbreak of bird flu, with North and South America also experiencing severe outbreaks.

Tens of millions of domestic poultry worldwide, many with the H5N1 strain, have been culled.

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 concern that humans could be more at risk.

Globally, there have been more than 450 fatal bird flu cases since 2003, according to the WHO.

 2023 AFP
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More children and adolescents are identifying as transgender and offered medical treatment, especially in the US. But some providers and European authorities are urging caution because of a lack of strong evidence.

In a new report from The BMJ Investigations Unit, Jennifer Block, investigations reporter, looks into the evidence base behind this surge in treatment.

More adolescents with no history of gender dysphoria are presenting at gender clinics. For example, a recent analysis of insurance claims found that nearly 18,000 US minors began taking puberty blockers or hormones from 2017 to 2021, the number rising each year.

Meanwhile, the number of US private clinics focused on providing hormones and surgeries have grown from just a few a decade ago to more than 100 today.

American medical professional groups are aligned in support of "gender affirming care" for gender dysphoria, which may include hormone treatment to suppress puberty and promote secondary sex characteristics, and surgical removal or augmentation of breasts, genitals, and other physical features.

Three organizations in particular have had a major role in shaping the US approach to gender dysphoria care: The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Endocrine Society, all of which have guidelines or policies that support early medical treatment for gender dysphoria in young people.

These endorsements are often cited to suggest that medical treatment is both uncontroversial and backed by rigorous science, but governing bodies around the world have come to different conclusions regarding the safety and efficacy of certain treatments, notes Block.

For example, Sweden's National Board of Health and Welfare, which sets guidelines for care, determined earlier this year that the risks of puberty blockers and treatment with hormones "currently outweigh the possible benefits" for minors.

And NHS England, which is in the midst of an independent review of gender identity services, recently stated that there is "scarce and inconclusive evidence to support clinical decision-making" for minors with gender dysphoria, and that for most who present before puberty it will be a "transient phase," requiring clinicians to focus on psychological support and to be "mindful" of the risks of even social transition

Experts are also questioning the evidence underpinning these guidelines.

Professor Mark Helfand at Oregon Health and Science University identified several deficiencies in WPATH's recommendations, such as lack of a grading system to indicate the quality of the evidence, while Professor Gordon Guyatt at McMaster University found "serious problems" with the Endocrine Society guidelines, including pairing strong recommendations with weak evidence.

Helfand explains that calling a recommendation 'evidence-based' should mean a treatment has not just been systematically studied, but that there was also a finding of high quality evidence supporting its use.

Despite these concerns, WPATH recommends that youth have access to treatments following comprehensive assessment, stating "the emerging evidence base indicates a general improvement in the lives of transgender adolescents."

Eli Coleman, lead author of WPATH's Standards of Care and former director of the Institute for Sexual and Gender Health at the University of Minnesota, told The BMJ that WPATH's new guidelines emphasize "careful assessment prior to any of these interventions" by clinicians who have appropriate training and competency to assure that minors have "the emotional and cognitive maturity to understand the risks and benefits."

But without an objective diagnostic test, others remain concerned, pointing to examples of teenagers being "fast-tracked to medical intervention" with little or no mental health involvement.

And in her interim report of a national review into services for young people with gender identity issues, Hilary Cass noted that some NHS staff reported feeling "under pressure to adopt an unquestioning affirmative approach and that this is at odds with the standard process of clinical assessment and diagnosis that they have been trained to undertake in all other clinical encounters."

For Guyatt, claims of certainty represent both the success and failure of the evidence-based medicine movement. "When there's been a rigorous systematic review of the evidence and the bottom line is 'we don't know,'" he says, then "anybody who then claims they do know is not being evidence based."

More information: Jennifer Block et al, Gender dysphoria in young people is risingand so is professional disagreement, The BMJ Investigations Unit (2023). DOI: 10.1136/bmj.p382
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Electron micrographs of hepatitis C virus purified from cell culture. Scale bar is 50 nanometers. Credit: Center for the Study of Hepatitis C, The Rockefeller University.

A health care team at Oregon Health & Science University is trying a different approach to caring for patients who have, or are at risk for, hepatitis C, helping overcome barriers that can otherwise make receiving testing and treatment seem impossible.

The team is halfway through a year-long pilot project that helps already hospitalized patients get tested and receive care for liver injury that is caused by the hepatitis C virusa condition for which there is no vaccine, but can be cured with consistent treatment. OHSU's pilot, called hepatitis C Transition-to-Treatment, seeks to end the cycle of delayed care for some of its most vulnerable patients, who struggle with substance use disorder, unstable housing and other challenges.

"A number of patients have become tearful when we're discussing treatment," said Jane Babiarz, M.D., an associate professor of medicine (general internal medicine and geriatrics) in the OHSU School of Medicine and one of the pilot project's organizers. "Patients have said, 'I never thought I was going to get treated for hepatitis C. No one has ever treated me like a person before or acted like this matters.'"

In the first seven months of the pilot, 19 patients have been enrolled and six have completed treatment. The clinical team hopes post-treatment testing will soon confirm participants who completed treatment are free of hepatitis C.

Prioritizing hep C treatment

An estimated 2.4 million people in the United States have hepatitis C, and more than half don't know they have it. The condition is more common in people who use injectable drugs because it's often spread by sharing needles. There is no hepatitis C vaccine, making treatment a vital part of preventing transmission. Antiviral medications can cure someone from the hepatitis C virus, but these pills typically need to be taken consistently for two to three months.

Keeping up with a treatment program can be particularly daunting for patients who are also struggling with substance use disorder; are experiencing homelessness or unstable housing; have limited access to transportation; or face other stigmatizing issues. Patients with hepatitis C are more frequently hospitalized for other health issues, but hospital staff typically focus on treating their more urgent issues and defer hepatitis C treatment for later.

For many vulnerable patients, that can mean delays of years, if not decades. If hepatitis C isn't treated, it can be spread to others, and can lead to liver cancer, cirrhosis or end-stage liver disease years later.

OHSU's pilot seeks to end this cycle of delayed care by offering treatment to patients while they're admitted to OHSU Hospital for another health issue. The project specifically seeks to help hospitalized patients who are unhoused, use drugs or have mental health conditions that can prevent them from receiving treatment. If a patient tests positive for hepatitis C, OHSU Clinical Outreach Social Worker Carissa Williams, LCSW, M.P.H., stops by the patient's hospital room to discuss the program and assess a patient's readiness for treatment.

Patients who enroll then have virtual visits with Babiarz through video or phone calls from their hospital rooms. Babiarz partners with infectious disease pharmacists HaYoung Ryu, Pharm.D., and YoungYoon Ham, Pharm.D., to identify potential patients for treatment and expedite approval.

Most of those who are prescribed antivirals begin treatment while they're still hospitalized. After patients are discharged, Babiarz and Williams continue to meet with them and ensure they have the support they need. Williams also meets with patients in the community to provide support, link to resources and address barriers to completing treatment. Three months after completing treatment, a follow-up blood test is conducted to confirm the virus is gone.

"This is a real opportunity for ingenuity in medicine," Babiarz said. "We're using a human-focused approach to eradicate hepatitis C, without making vulnerable patients jump through unnecessary, ineffective hoops."

OHSU identifies need

The approach used for this pilot is supported by OHSU research. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that all adults be screened for hepatitis C at least once in their lifetimeand that those with substance use disorder be screened more often.

However, an OHSU-led study recently published in Therapeutic Advances in Infectious Disease found testing for this and other infections, such as syphilis or Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV, varies in patients who have substance use disorder and are hospitalized for bacterial infections. Only 80% of studied patients who didn't have a prior hepatitis C diagnosis were screened for the virus.

While primary care clinics are designed to help patients prevent and manage chronic health conditions, the study noted only about 24% of the patients it tracked had a primary care provider.

"Many who experience unstable housing or have substance use disorder have had negative health care experiences, and may not trust health systems enough to become a patient at a primary care clinic," said Cara Varley, M.D., M.P.H., an assistant professor of medicine (infectious diseases) in the OHSU School of Medicine and the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health, and a lead author of the study.

"As a result, many only seek care when something is urgent enough that they need to go to an emergency room. Hospitalization offers a unique opportunity to address potentially life-threating conditions like hepatitis C and also help decrease the spread of infectious diseases in our community."

Varley's findings reinforce patients' experiences documented in an earlier qualitative study led by Ximena Levander, M.D., M.C.R., assistant professor of medicine (general internal medicine and geriatrics) in the OHSU School of Medicine. The study concluded that, with varying needs among people who use drugs, hospitalization is a key opportunity to address hepatitis C care, including treatment eligibility, consolidation of care and facilitation of referrals. The pilot's intervention design is based on these findings.

The pilot project began enrolling participants in July 2022 and aims to enroll, and hopefully cure, 25 patients through June 2023. It's currently supported by a grant from OHSU Health Integrated Delivery System, a network that focuses on meeting the needs of OHSU patients who are covered by Medicaid. Babiarz and colleagues plan to share their results with OHSU leaders and nonprofit organizations with the hope of continuing their efforts beyond this summer.

The findings are published in Therapeutic Advances in Infectious Disease journal.

More information: Cara D. Varley et al, Screening for co-infections in patients with substance use disorders and severe bacterial infections, Therapeutic Advances in Infectious Disease (2022). DOI: 10.1177/20499361221132132
Sabina Mammadli

Azerbaijan is conducting preparation works to hold events dedicated to the 31st anniversary of the Khojaly genocide.

The remarks were made by the Head of the Department for Social, Political, and Humanitarian Issues of the Executive Power of Khatai district of Baku Panah Imanov, Azernews reports.

He said that the preparation works have been carried out since early February in the districts Khojaly park, where the Cry of the Mother monument is erected.

"In the areas around and inside the park, work is underway on facing areas that have become unusable with stone, painting benches, and restoring lighting. Facades of buildings located along Khojaly Avenue are being cleaned, and sidewalks are being washed, he said.

Furthermore, he mentioned that flower beds are planted on the streets and roads leading to the park.

The Khojaly genocide is seen as the pinnacle of the systematic crimes and atrocities committed by Armenia against Azerbaijanis.

As a result of the Khojaly genocide, 613 Azerbaijani civilians, including 63 children, 106 women, and 70 elderly people were killed. Simultaneously, 487 civilians were seriously injured, and 1,275 people were kidnapped. The fate of 150 hostages, including 68 women and 26 children remains unknown.

During the genocide, 56 people were killed with extreme cruelty, with their heads peeled off, various limbs severed, eyes removed, and pregnant women's bellies pierced with bayonets. As a result, eight families were utterly destroyed, 25 children lost both parents, and 130 children were orphaned.

Relevant documents adopted by the parliaments of Mexico, Pakistan, the Czech Republic, Peru, Colombia, Panama, Honduras, Sudan, Guatemala, and Djibouti recognized the Khojaly massacre as an act of genocide. The parliaments of Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Jordan, Slovenia, Scotland, and Paraguay, as well as the executive and legislative bodies of 22 U.S. states, have strongly condemned the Khojaly tragedy as a massacre. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation recognized Armenia as an aggressor and the Khojaly tragedy as genocide.

Azerbaijan annually commemorates the victims of the Khojaly genocide on February 26.




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Researchers from the UCL Cancer Institute have provided important molecular understanding of how injury may contribute to the development of a relatively rare but often aggressive form of brain tumor called a glioma.

Previous studies have suggested a possible link between head injury and increased rates of brain tumors, but the evidence is inconclusive. The UCL team have now identified a possible mechanism to explain this link, implicating genetic mutations acting in concert with brain tissue inflammation to change the behavior of cells, making them more likely to become cancerous. Although this study was largely carried out in mice, it suggests that it would be important to explore the relevance of these findings to human gliomas.

The study was led by Professor Simona Parrinello (UCL Cancer Institute), Head of the Samantha Dickson Brain Cancer Unit and co-lead of the Cancer Research UK Brain Tumor Center of Excellence. She said, "Our research suggests that a brain trauma may contribute to an increased risk of developing brain cancer in later life."

Gliomas are brain tumors that often arise in neural stem cells. More mature types of brain cells, such as astrocytes, have been considered less likely to give rise to tumors. However, recent findings have demonstrated that after injury astrocytes can exhibit stem cell behavior again.

Professor Parrinello and her team therefore set out to investigate whether this property may make astrocytes able to form a tumor following brain trauma using a pre-clinical mouse model.

Young adult mice with brain injury were injected with a substance which permanently labeled astrocytes in red and knocked out the function of a gene called p53known to have a vital role in suppressing many different cancers. A control group was treated the same way, but the p53 gene was left intact. A second group of mice was subjected to p53 inactivation in the absence of injury.

Professor Parrinello said, "Normally astrocytes are highly branchedthey take their name from starsbut what we found was that without p53 and only after an injury the astrocytes had retracted their branches and become more rounded. They weren't quite stem cell-like, but something had changed. So we let the mice age, then looked at the cells again and saw that they had completely reverted to a stem-like state with markers of early glioma cells that could divide."

This suggested to Professor Parrinello and team that mutations in certain genes synergized with brain inflammation, which is induced by acute injury and then increases over time during the natural process of aging to make astrocytes more likely to initiate a cancer. Indeed, this process of change to stem-cell like behavior accelerated when they injected mice with a solution known to cause inflammation.

The team then looked for evidence to support their hypothesis in human populations. Working with Dr. Alvina Lai in UCL's Institute of Health Informatics, they consulted electronic medical records of more than 20,000 people who had been diagnosed with head injuries, comparing the rate of brain cancer with a control group, matched for age, sex and socioeconomic status.

They found that patients who experienced a head injury were nearly four times more likely to develop a brain cancer later in life, than those who had no head injury. It is important to keep in mind that the risk of developing a brain cancer is overall low, estimated at less than 1% over a lifetime, so even after an injury the risk remains modest.

Professor Parrinello said, "We know that normal tissues carry many mutations which seem to just sit there and not have any major effects. Our findings suggest that if on top of those mutations, an injury occurs, it creates a synergistic effect.

"In a young brain, basal inflammation is low so the mutations seem to be kept in check even after a serious brain injury. However, upon aging, our mouse work suggests that inflammation increases throughout the brain but more intensely at the site of the earlier injury. This may reach a certain threshold after which the mutation now begins to manifest itself."

The study is published in the journal Current Biology and involved researchers from the UCL Cancer Institute, UCL Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology and UCL Institute of Health Informatics alongside external collaborators from Imperial College London.
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Of all the heartrending phrases that came to define the deprivations of the COVID-19 pandemic, one stands out as particularly poignant: "skin hunger"our visceral need for skin-to-skin contact.

Touch has the power to express or trigger countless feelings, from love, desire and comfort to menace, aversion or fear, often conveying the nuances of what our words cannot adequately voice. Perhaps then it is not surprising that touch is also the sense that philosophers and artists through the ages have embraced to define what it means to be human.

Aristotle believed that the sense of touch is what separates animals from plants, and its complexity in humans is what distinguishes us from other creatures. He posited that humans, lacking the tough hides, shells or hooves that protect other animals, often must rely on touch to keep us from harm: A scalding drop signals that the water is too hot; a sharp edge warns us to move away from a dangerous object.

During the Renaissance, Michelangelo's depiction of the creation of Adam on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel shows God reaching out to touch Adam's outstretched finger, the contact signifying the origin of humanity itself.

One of our oldest and most ubiquitous social customs, shaking hands dates back to the fifth century BCE. What began as a way to signal that neither person was carrying a weapon was widely adopted as a symbol of peace and friendship and an expression of trust and good intention. It has long been echoed in expressions such as "staying in touch" and "losing touch."

But in recent years, as we move into a progressively digital world where life is increasingly mediated through a screen rather than experienced directly, the hitherto primacy of touch faces challenges from artificial intelligence and haptic technologies, begging the question: Are we in danger of losing a significant part of what makes us human?

Childhood comfort

There are some reasons to be optimistic. Skin-to-skin contact between infants and their parents is now widely recognized by pediatricians as vitally important in terms of bonding and development, although it's still a relatively new concept for some European and North American cultures. Even after the age-old custom of dispatching babies to a wet nurse had largely died out in the West by the early 20th century, the prevailing attitude, that touching and holding children, especially boys, would render them "soft" and spoiled, persisted, says Darby Saxbe, professor of psychology and director of the Center for the Changing Family at USC Dornsife.

In fact, it wasn't until the middle of the 20th century that animal experiments demonstrated that infant care entailed more than simply feeding a child to keep it alive. In the studies, baby monkeys were given a choice between two maternal simulations, both made of wire. One simulation dispensed milk. The other didn't, but was covered with soft cloth. The baby monkeys preferred the soft figure, even though it provided no food. This study and others, which showed how children who have a lack of physical contact with caregivers have more difficulty regulating emotions as adults, caused psychologists to shift course and stress the

importance of touch and comfort in child development.

"The intentional approach of not being emotionally available to kids tends to backfire and create children and adults who are often more emotionally needy," Saxbe says. "There is a world of research that has really confirmed that young children need a lot of closeness and comfort in the early years of life."

The cuddle system

But while recognition of the importance of touch in emotional development has led to pediatricians and psychologists promoting touch for young children and families, research shows that physical closeness is declining among adults.

Loneliness has become a newsworthy topic in recent years, with some experts classifying the trend as a health epidemic. According to former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, "Loneliness and weak social connections are associated with a reduction in lifespan similar to that caused by smoking 15 cigarettes a day."

But most people who discuss solutions to the issue of loneliness focus on medication and talk therapy and tend to ignore how physical proximity and touchor the absence of itaffect mood, says alumna Sushma Subramanian. In her book, "How to Feel: The Science and Meaning of Touch" (Columbia University Press, 2021), Subramanian, who graduated in 2015 with degrees in political science from USC Dornsife and print journalism from the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, discusses several facets of the sense of touch, including how increased isolation has affected young people both romantically and socially.

Subramanian believes the increases in loneliness have been fueled by the general isolation of our modern world: Living alone has become more common; friends gather less frequently, both due to the pandemic and the prevalence of the internet; and touch occurs mostly between romantic partners. Add to this the fact that an increasing awareness of personal boundaries has resulted in a decrease in casual or friendly touching, especially for men, and you have a difficult situation, she says.

"The truth is we've created very limiting conditions for a lot of people to receive touch," Subramanian says.

"Men can basically not touch unless they're in a romantic relationship or playing sports. It's more acceptable for women to touch each other, so maybe they're missing it less. But there are many limits on who gets to touch and when, depending on identity and class."

Returning to an age when people were expected to put up with unwanted touching is obviously not the answer, Subramanian says, but she notes that people have found some ways to increase physical contact in a positive way. She believes that one such response is the popularity of activities such as yoga, which encourage a positive awareness of and relationship with one's body. A number of groups have popped up online for people interested in gathering for platonic hugging and touching, and it is possible the future might see a rise in "professional cuddlers" who can provide nonsexual comfort or contact.

"Professional cuddling has been very valuable for a lot of people," Subramanian says. "Some told me that by developing that practice of touch through a professional cuddler, they felt more confident going out in their lives and having romantic relationships and interactions."

Blocking the pain

But touch does not simply exist in the emotional sphere; it is essentially a physical function. And one of its responsespainis at once essential for protection in some circumstances (for example, a signal to move one's hand away from a hot stovetop) and detrimental to a person's functioning in others. Understanding how and why we feel pain is an area of expertise for USC Dornsife's David McKemy, professor of biological sciences, whose research explores how temperature regulation is linked to pain responses.

Previous research using capsaicinfound in chili peppershas examined the function of a bodily protein that senses heat. McKemy's research instead uses mentholfound in mintto study how the body responds to cold. He is particularly interested in how a menthol receptor, which is a cold-sensing protein, functions in individuals with chronic pain conditions, such as migraines.

"A number of genome studies have looked for genes that might be associated with migraines, and one particular menthol-sensitive protein that enables us to detect cold temperatures keeps popping up in every single one of these studies," he says. "People who have a specific mutation in this gene are more likely to have migraines and are more sensitive to cold because they make more of this protein. Another mutation in which individuals make less of this cold-sensing protein means those people aren't as likely to have migraines and can't sense cold as well."

In addition to migraines, McKemy is interested in how chronic pain develops. For example, women undergoing treatment for breast cancer often report feeling pain when they come into contact with something cool, a side effect of the toxicity of chemotherapy. When there is damage or injury to part of the nervous system, McKemy has found that a small protein is released that interacts with the menthol receptor to increase its sensitivity to cold, causing pain. Blocking the function of this protein can specifically prevent this type of pain that occurs after injury, he notes.

"We're focusing on understanding how these particular proteins might play a role in migraines and the chronic cold pain that people get in different conditions," McKemy says. In the future, the research may help prevent or better treat these types of cold-related pain.

A new sensation

While McKemy's research seeks to identify the intricacies of sensation, USC Dornsife's Andrew Hires is working on the topic from another angle: how to restore the ability to feel and touch in individuals who have lost it. Hires, assistant professor of biological sciences, is working with mouse models to identify how the brain senses the location of objects and how this translates into sensations of touch.

"I'm looking at how forces of touch are represented by patterns of electrical activity within the cortex of the brain," Hires says. "There's some integration that takes place, where the motion of the touch sensor, like fingers on a surface, has to be combined somehow with the signals coming from the fingers."

Hires' research looks at how mouse whiskers, which function similarly to fingers in humans, send signals to the brain when they move across an object or bump into a surface. Looking at how the cortex of the brain processes these signals, researchers observe patterns in brain activity that correspond to different perceptions or sensations of surfaces and objects. Then, by looking only at those brain patterns, researchers can deduce the positioning of an object encountered by the mouse.

"When we look at how touch perception is represented in the brain, we find there's a lot of variationor plasticityin the activity patterns," Hires says. "By observing the neurons turned on at any given time and studying how they change, we hope to determine the rules that govern this reorganization and relearning of particular touch perceptions."

If we understand the neural patterns the brain makes in response to certain sensations, it may be possible to help "retrain" the sense of touch. This could benefit survivors of strokes who suffer from paralysis by reprogramming the brain to receive sensations from the paralyzed body part. Understanding cortex signals could also help "connect" the brain with artificial hands or feet, helping amputees restore feeling.

"So, an amputee could be fitted with artificial fingers that can 'feel' the surfaces of things," Hires says. "This would work by stimulating particular nerve patterns within the remaining, biological arm. The brain can relearn to interpret those patterns in order to reawaken the 'sensation' of fingers in the prosthetic hand."

Once more, with feeling

Aristotle's theory that touch is what sets humans apart from animals or plants may be scientifically incorrecthe had no way of knowing that one day science would show that the genomes of chimpanzees and humans are 96% identical. However, in highlighting how essential the sense is, and how it connects to the complexity of human emotions, his theory continues to present a strong metaphysical argument for what makes us human.

"We live in bodies that are most alive when they're open and permeable to what is around us," Subramanian writes.

When the handrail wobbles, we know to exercise caution in the face of potential danger; a hug from a family member conveys love and comfort; the cool caress of a silk blouse is synonymous with luxury; plunging our fingers into damp earth to plant a seed makes us feel in tune with nature.

"Touch is a constant affirmation that we exist as selves, separate from our surroundings but connected to them," Subramanian writes in the conclusion of her book.

And perhaps that is the aim of every human beingto live a life full with feeling.
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 vendor bags psilocybin mushrooms at a cannabis marketplace on May 24, 2019 in Los Angeles. Lawmakers throughout the United States are weighing proposals to legalize psychedelic mushrooms for people. They say alarming suicide rates and a shortage of traditional mental health practitioners has led them to consider research into alternative treatments for depression and anxiety, including so-called magic mushrooms. Credit: AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File

A pilot program in Utah that would have allowed thousands of patients to consume psychedelic mushrooms for therapeutic use failed to advance in the state Senate on Wednesday, effectively ending its chances of passage as lawmakers prepare to adjourn for the year next week.

The Senate's health and human services committee neither advanced nor rejected the measure, with Republican leaders proposing more time to examine the issue.

Even if it had advanced for further discussion, the proposal likely would've faced an "uphill battle" getting passed this year, said State Sen. Jake Anderegg, a Lehi Republican, based on his talks with lawmakers.

Utah was among several states across the political spectrum considering the use of psychedelic mushrooms this year. Proponents hoped the success of the state's medical marijuana regulations could sway members of the Republican-supermajority statehouse to adopt a similar framework.

Advocates representing patients and libertarian-leaning groups initially hoped a narrow proposal focused on health care and safety could gain traction. But the proposal's chances diminished last week when Gov. Spencer Cox and Senate President Stuart Adams voiced oppositionless than a week after state Sen. Luz Escamilla, a Salt Lake City Democrat, introduced it.

The pilot program would have let 5,000 patients suffering from mental illnesses including post-traumatic stress, depression and anxiety to consume magic mushrooms under a therapist's supervision. She argued it would add resources to address Utah's high suicide rates and mental health practitioner shortage.

"It's just not there yet," Cox said last week regarding Escamilla's proposed pilot program. "We got there with medical marijuana. I just don't believe the science is there" regarding psychedelics.

"I think there are some serious consequences and side effects societally as well as as well as medically that I'm just not comfortable with," said Cox, who is up for reelection next year.

Lawmakers' decision to not advance the proposal without significant discussion comes one year after they greenlit a Republican-sponsored measure creating a task force to study mental illness and the therapeutic use certain drugs including magic mushrooms. In October, the task force released a report that noted the potential benefits of mushrooms, yet recommended Utah wait until the federal Food and Drug Administration complete its fast-tracked drug approval review before taking additional action on psychedelic-assisted therapy.

Psychedelics including magic mushrooms remain illegal on a federal level yet several states including Colorado and Oregon have taken steps to decriminalize their possession or legalize their consumption for therapeutic purposes. Proposals to study psychedelics for therapy have gained traction throughout the Untied States including Republican strongholds like Utah, Texas and Missouri.

 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:

People gather in front of the J. Marvin Jones Federal Building and Mary Lou Robinson United States Courthouse to protest a lawsuit to ban the abortion drug mifepristone Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023, in Amarillo, Texas. Credit: AP Photo/Justin Rex

The Biden administration is preparing for a worst-case scenario if a conservative federal judge rules in favor of a lawsuit seeking to restrict access to one of the two drugs typically used to induce a medicated abortion.

Two drugs, mifepristone and misoprostol, can be taken by women at home and are used for just over half of U.S. abortions. But that could be quickly changed by a lawsuit filed by an anti-abortion group in Texas that claims the Food and Drug Administration wrongly approved mifepristone for use more than 23 years ago.

The case is before a federal judge appointed by former President Donald Trump. A ruling in favor of the abortion opponents could immediately shut down the sale of the drug, but women would still have access to medicated abortions with a regimen of misoprostol.

Vice President Kamala Harris promised on Friday that the White House would push back on efforts to ban the drug, as she gathered a group of nearly a dozen doctors and abortion rights advocates to discuss a plan for responding to the looming threat to access to medical abortions.

"There are now partisan and political attacks attempting to question the legitimacy of a group of scientists and doctors who have studied the significance of this drug," Harris said. "There is now an attempt by politicians to remove it from the ability of doctors to prescribe and the ability of people to receive."

The lawsuit against mifepristone was filed by the Alliance for Defending Freedom, which was also involved in the Mississippi case that led to Roe v. Wade being overturned. It's the latest fallout in the struggle over reproductive care that the Democratic administration must grapple with since the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion last year.

Harris did not publicly lay out how the administration plans to respond if a ruling that halts the sale of the drug nationwide comes down on Friday.

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, meanwhile, was in California on Friday to meet leaders from Planned Parenthood to talk about access to the abortion drugs.

Dr. Kristyn Brandi said she told the vice president Friday that the ruling could trigger widespread confusion over the accessibility of medicated abortion in the U.S. Brandi, who is chair of the Physicians for Reproductive Health, said she already fields calls at her New Jersey clinic from women asking if medicated abortion is legal in the state.

"It's a really important thing to communicate with people: medication abortion is not going away," Brandi said.

She added that Harris expressed support for immediately challenging the ruling if it shuts down access to mifepristone.

Clinics and telehealth providers have been preparing for a ruling that shuts down access to mifepristone, ordering more doses of misoprostol so they can offer medication abortions with just that one drug. They will have to change the way they counsel patients, telling them that misoprostol-only abortions are slightly less effective and sometimes more painful than abortions done with both drugs.

Abortions using both drugs "can be as effective as 98% or more," while misoprostol-only abortions are up to about 95% effective, Melissa Grant, chief operating officer of the Carafem abortion clinic, told The Associated Press.

Mifepristone dilates the cervix and blocks the action of the hormone progesterone, which enables a pregnancy to continue. Misoprostol causes contractions that empty the uterus. Typically, mifepristone is taken by mouth first, followed by misoprostol a day or two later.

Studies show medication abortions are safe and effective, though with a slightly lower success rate than ones done by procedure in a clinic.

With the Texas decision pending, a dozen Democratic-controlled states filed their own lawsuit in federal court against the FDA on Thursday in Washington. The lawsuit seeks to make it easier for woman to access the drug and alleges that several FDA requirements for prescribing and dispensing it are "burdensome, harmful and unnecessary."

When the FDA approved mifepristone in 2000 it placed several safety restrictions on its use, including limiting dispensing to specialty clinics and requiring women to pick up the drug in person. The Biden administration had sought to expand access to medicated abortions in light of the Supreme Court's ruling, with an FDA announcement this year that broadened the pill's access through retail and mail-order pharmacies.

But several limitations remain, such as one that doctors must be specially certified to prescribe the drug.

Several medical groups have long opposed those requirements, pointing to the low rate of side effects seen with mifepristone compared with other medications that don't carry any certification requirements.

 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD has today encouraged submissions on the supports the State should be providing to PhD researchers.

The Co-Chairs of the independent National Review of State Supports for PhD Researchers, Dr Andrea Johnson and David Cagney, met with Minister Harris on Thursday before launching a public consultation, which will run until 10am on Monday, March 13th.

The public consultation is an opportunity for all stakeholders and interested parties to provide their views on State supports for PhD researchers.

Speaking today, Minister Harris said: I always said that this review would hear from the frontline and this public consultation is an important part of that engagement.

It is an opportunity for stakeholders  students, higher education institutions, employers - to provide their views and I encourage all interested parties to respond. The input will form an important part of the deliberations by the Co-Chairs, who will report to me by the end of next month.

We want Ireland to be a leader in talent, so we have to ensure that our brightest talent here in Ireland can pursue their research ambitions in a supportive environment. I look forward to receiving the reports recommendations.

This consultation is in addition to the Co-Chairs engagements with representatives of PhD students, which will be held over the next fortnight. The Co-Chairs will also consult with stakeholders in a number of European systems to understand the practice in other countries.

As part of Impact 2030: Irelands Research and Innovation Strategy, the Government committed to supporting all students as they gain the skills and experience to help them develop and succeed in the research and innovation (R&I) space.

The Government also committed to working to ensure the research community is reflective of society as a whole, and that it provides opportunities for all.

Minister Harris added: The overarching objective of Impact 2030: Irelands National Strategy for Research and Innovation is to maximise the impact of research and innovation on our economy and our society.

We are committed to investing in talent and ensuring that there are appropriate supports for researchers.

The Co-Chairs will report to Minister Harris by the end of March 2023, detailing the current situation and offering short and longer term recommendations. Minister Harris will then consider the Co-Chairs report and may bring forward proposals to Cabinet before the end of June 2023.

How to Respond

The preferred means of response is by an online form, although submissions may be made by email if it is not possible to respond using the online form. Please see section 2 of the consultation document for full details.

Have your say here: https://www.gov.ie/en/consultation/19070-phd-researcher-supports

ENDS

Notes to the Editor:

Impact 2030: Irelands Research and Innovation Strategy was launched on 18 May 2022 following extensive stakeholder consultation. The domestic and international context has fundamentally changed since previous research and innovation (R&I) strategies and Impact 2030 reflects that.

This Whole-of-Government Strategy leverages Irelands performance to date to advance the strategic development of our R&I system and to put R&I at the heart of Irelands response to critical social, economic and environmental challenges including: climate change and the need to transition to a climate-neutral society; the pressure on the public health system due to a growing and aging population; the need for greater and sustainable housing; economic transformation fuelled by technological and other change; greater international competition and geopolitical instability; increased mobility of talent; and the need to build societal resilience against the threat of shocks.

Impact 2030 addresses these and other challenges through 30 Flagship Initiatives under the following five Pillars:

Maximising the Impact of R&I on our Economy, Society and the Environment; Impact of R&I Structures on Excellence and Outcomes; Innovation Driving Enterprise Success; Talent at the Heart of the R&I Ecosystem; and All-Island, EU and Global Connectivity.

Under Pillar Four, the Government will support all students to gain the skills and experience that will enable them to engage with, and respond to, the latest R&I developments. The Government will promote a consistent research student experience and we will work to ensure that the research community is reflective of society and provides opportunities for all. The Government will ensure that researchers have the right skills development and career opportunities so that they can make their maximum contribution, whether in academia, industry, the public sector or elsewhere. Career pathways will be improved, starting with the National Review of State Supports for PhD Researchers, which Minister Harris announced in October 2022.

In November 2022, Dr Andrea C. Johnson and David Cagney were appointed as Co-Chairs for this national review.

Dr Andrea C. Johnson is the Chairperson of Women in Technology & Science Ireland (WITS), which has as its five-year strategic plan to advance the retention of women throughout their STEM careers by researching, developing and sharing insights and best practice. Dr Johnson is also Vice President of Technology at Workhuman, an Irish Technology Unicorn, and has a PhD in Computer Science.

David Cagney recently retired as Chief Human Resource Officer for the Civil Service, a role he was appointed to in September 2015. Prior to joining the Civil Service, he held the position of Director of Human Resources at the Dublin Institute of Technology and previously worked in a variety of other HR roles. He also served as a Vice Chairman of the Employment Appeals Tribunal from 2007 to 2010.

The Co-Chairs reviewed international comparators and models and are engaging with relevant stakeholders, including through this public consultation. The Co-Chairs will report to Minister Harris by the end of March 2023, detailing the current situation and offering short and longer term recommendations. Minister Harris will consider the Co-Chairs report and may bring forward proposals to Cabinet before the end of June 2023.
Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, and Minister of State, Joe OBrien TD, have today (24th February 2023) announced funding to support 134 groups with their energy bills.

Under the Community and Voluntary Energy Support Scheme (CVESS), small grants are provided to community groups, development associations, and volunteer-led organisations.

Hundreds of groups have already benefitted under the scheme, which was launched last year in response to the rising cost of energy and the impact it is having on the sector.

Today, a further 134 groups are to receive grants as part of an overall investment of almost 189,000.

Payments will issue to the organisations immediately.

The funding announced today brings the total number of organisations supported under the initiative to 552, with over 705,000 now disbursed.

Among the successful applicants include:

Clare  Kilrush Amenity Trust: 4,160

Dublin - Finglas Youth Resource Centre: 2,497

Cork  Comhaltas Cosanta Gaeltachta Chuil Aodha Teoranta: 2,918

Roscommon  Enterprise Castlerea: 3,989

Galway  Galway Rape Crisis Centre: 2,731

Announcing the funding during a visit to Enterprise Castlerea in Roscommon, Minister Humphreys said:

Although the winter months are behind us, energy bills remain high and this is posing particular challenges for our community and voluntary sector.

The grants being announced today may be small in nature, but they will give a bit of breathing space for groups that deliver essential services, supports and facilities to communities all over Ireland.

Todays investment means that over 550 groups have now been helped under this scheme, which remains open for applications until March 24th.

I am also pleased to extend the Scheme to Section 39 organisations.

Our communities depend on these organisations, and it is only right that we do what we can to support them.

Minister O Brien added:

I hope the funding announced today, together with the expansion of the scheme will go some way to addressing the current pressures brought by increased energy costs and enable the organisations to get on with providing vital services and supports.

The inclusion of section 39 organisations will ensure that these organisations are treated on an equal basis as all other organisations in the sector.

Further tranches of funding will follow shortly. We are also keeping the application process open until March 24th to give all eligible groups in the voluntary and community sector the opportunity to apply for support.

Expansion to include Section 39 organisations

The Ministers also today confirmed that the scheme will remain open until March 24th and will be expanded to include organisations in receipt of Section 39 funding from the HSE.

This is to ensure that community and voluntary organisations and charities that are part funded by the HSE under Section 39, receive the same levels of support towards energy costs as non-Section 39 organisations.

Such organisations will be able to seek additional funding to meet any shortfall in the top-up funding they receive from the HSE or Department of Health, up to the level that is approved for other community and voluntary organisations, under the CVESS.

The Ministers also confirmed that the scheme is now open to incorporated community and voluntary organisations or charities who have been refused support under the Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme (TBESS), on the grounds that they are engaged in passive trade. Such organisations should apply in the normal way, providing confirmation from the Revenue Commissioners that they are ineligible under TBESS.

Making the announcement today, Minister Humphreys and Minister OBrien, also confirmed an extension to the scheme deadline, with applications to be accepted until Friday March 24th. All eligible groups around the country are encouraged to apply.

All the information is on the Pobal website and a dedicated helpdesk can be reached at energyscheme@pobal.ie

This initiative forms part of a range of measures introduced in Budget 2023 to meet higher energy costs for households, businesses and community organisations and it complements the Departments supports to the community and voluntary sector, promoting sustainable, inclusive and empowered communities across Ireland.

Also the government is urging householders and businesses to ensure that they are availing of the supports that are in place  and to stay warm and well this winter. For more information visit www.gov.ie/reduceyouruse

Full list of successful applicants is available here

ENDS

Contact:

The Department of Rural and Community Development Press Office

01-773 6843 / 087-1734633

Press.office@drcd.gov.ie

Notes to editors:

The Government of Ireland have made an allocation of up to 10 million available to support organisations within the Community and Voluntary sector which fall outside the parameters of other schemes such as, the Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme (TBESS) operated by the Revenue Commissioners and sectoral schemes for arts, culture, sports, health and Gaeltacht organisations.

Pobal have been engaged to administer this scheme on behalf of the Department of Rural and Community Development.

This Fund is intended to provide once-off financial support towards the increase in energy costs in 2022 for organisations within the community and voluntary sector (as defined under eligible organisations).

Phase One applications are currently being assessed in batches to facilitate timely drawdowns of funding. Further tranches will follow as soon as available.

Phase Two applications will be assessed following the application deadline on 24 March 2023, with announcements expected shortly thereafter.

Note: Full eligibility criteria are available here

Pobal

Pobal is an organisation that works on behalf of the Government of Ireland and in collaboration with international partners, to support communities and local agencies towards achieving social inclusion and development.

Pobal operates under the aegis of the Department of Rural and Community Development.

Pobal is governed by a voluntary Board of Directors. Members of the Board are appointed by Government, on the nomination of the Minister for Rural and Community Development, in line with the Guidelines on Appointments to State Boards. The company operates on the basis of a framework agreement with the Department of Rural and Community Development and programme-specific service level agreements with individual departments.

Pobal administers programmes on behalf of the Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD), Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY), the Department of Health (DoH) /HSE and a number of EU bodies.

Pobal works in the areas of social inclusion, early childhood care and education, local and community development, peace and reconciliation, equality, labour market supports, youth services and education and training.
In 2018, Andy McMillan was in a bar in Memphis when he met a man from New Jersey who was, improbably, floating the 2,300-mile length of the Mississippi River from Wisconsin to the Gulf of Mexico in a houseboat.

He was making his way through the crowd with printouts of news stories about him, McMillan said.

Less than a month later, McMillan, co-director Tim Grant and their cinematographer Ben Joyner had signed up to film the journey down the river with Kelly Phillips and his pug, Sapphire. They had an inside view of an inspirational story: A man, staring down a fatal cancer diagnosis, choosing to take to the water for his remaining days.

Their feature-length film, Mississippi River Styx, which will have its world premiere on Friday at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, takes viewers along, posing more questions than answers.

During his trip, Philips met numerous people curious about his story, no shortage of whom seemed eager to help. Besides their desire to aid a person who was dying, there was also the incredible danger of floating the river in a houseboat.

During his months and months on the water, Phillips accumulated a long list of newspaper features and television news stories and a sense of agency with his own narratives, according to McMillan.

There was something more to his story in general, he said. "It wasnt this necessarily happy, inspirational bottom-of-the-news-hour story that it was presented as."

Shooting on the water

The filmmakers start the tale at 1,400 miles, and filmed with Phillips a few weeks at a time for around 13 months.

Its the first documentary for McMillan, a North Carolina native and photographer. Grant is a southern Appalachian director and producer whose first short, The Aria of Babyface Cauliflower Brown was tapped for The New York Times Op-Docs.

For logistical reasons, shooting on a rather small vessel, which one experienced riverman compared to a busted-up pontoon boat, posed difficulties. Not just with safety, but shuttle vehicles and other issues.

McMillan and Grant were on board most of the time, and Joyner perhaps 70%. With that many people in a tight craft, trying to get footage without another filmmaker was often tricky.

From a filmmaking standpoint, some scenes plainly display the risks involved in Phillips plan. The final section of the river is a major shipping area, populated by massive vessels. A river safety official compares it to riding a bicycle on the interstate. It leads to a scene thats more dramatic than usual knowing its not a movie shoot.

The score was written and performed by saxophonist-composer Joseph Shabason, who played with Destroyer on the synth-laden album Kaputt, and with dreamy Americana act The War on Drugs, and his collaborator, the guitarist Thom Gill. Shabason, a multi-instrumentalist, uses effects that can mimic the sound of a horn section. The two performed it live, and sections like one during a rocky and dangerous course on the water project an improvisational, reactive tension.

Every single time they would send us a cue, it just opened up the movie in a new way, McMillan said.

Peoples perceptions

With his current health situation and family tragedy, people in an area known as Cancer Alley, have been affected by it in their own lives and so the story has added weight.

Its really a story about perception, McMillan said. They designed a daisy chain of narrators that tell the story as we float down the river  theyre not always authoritative, and theyre not always even correct with what they say. Its always sort of projections onto the story that theyre delivering.

Rather than go back and interview people (with one exception), they talked with people that Phillips interacted with as they made their way down the river and he makes frequent stops to churches, bars and diners.

Phillips makes friends easily, and McMillan said he was outgoing and energized by attention. Those who befriended or tried to help him include a retired art teacher, a tugboat captain, a police officer, a river safety official, and more. Some are filmed in an environmental portrait fashion, McMillan said, where you get some insights into who they are and the vantage point they stand on. Many of them reside in Venice, a small community that McMillan said is a frequent location for reality TV shoots, and they said they wanted to hear locals points of view on the story.

Grant said the varying perspectives added another element to the story.

There are different versions, and comparing them against each other is really what our movie is about, he said. The way Andy says, its not a whodunit. The whodunit would give you the answer. Hopefully, by the end of the film, you have a lot of questions that have been asked by the various perspectives on Kellys story.

McMillan said the TV news versions of his story were what they had time to produce, which in a way fuels his trip down the river and makes him into a minor celebrity.

As filmmakers, they had much more time and we ended up becoming much more interested in the subjectivity of these stories.
The 20th annual Big Sky Documentary Film Festival is a hybrid event. Screenings at the Wilma Theater, Zootown Arts Community Center (ZACC) and Missoula Community Theater (MCT) run through Sunday, Feb. 26. Seating is limited; its highly recommended to purchase tickets in advance at bigskyfilmfest.org/festival/tickets. Door sales are not guaranteed to viewers who arrive without a ticket. All tickets are good for in-person or online screenings.

Virtual theater: All short films will be available online beginning Monday, Feb. 20 through Wednesday, March 1. Feature films are split into two groups, with half available online Feb. 20-25 and the other half Feb. 25-March 1. For a list of films by group go to bigskyfilmfest.org/festival/virtual_schedule.

Films

Pitch day at DocShop! If/Then Shorts Pitch runs from 10 a.m.-noon at MCT, with the winning project receiving $5,000 from The Redford Center, and the Big Sky Pitch is from 12:30 to 5 p.m. Great fun, free and open to the public.

Competition Shorts 4  20 films vie for Best Short (under 40 minutes) and Best Mini-Doc (under 15 minutes). Winning films of each competition become eligible for Academy Award consideration. Wilma, 3 p.m.

Schoolhouse Docs 4  short films screened by local educators and deemed all-ages appropriate. Todays films include the 2023 Teen Doc Intensive Film. ZACC, 4 p.m. $5.

"Mississippi River Styx"  An enigmatic drifter with terminal cancer lives his dream of floating the Mississippi River on a ramshackle houseboat  until locals start to question his story. World Premiere, Best Feature nominee. Wilma, 5:45 p.m.

"Hollywoods Finest"  Three mothers fight to create a family: Mckenzie, a young woman in recovery who became pregnant while living in a tent; Cat, her nomadic mom; and Leslie, the social worker with her own history of addiction, housing insecurity, and losing children to foster care. World Premiere, Best Feature nominee. Wilma, 8:15 p.m.

"The Holly"  Filmed during eight years of reporting for an award-winning book, this film goes deep inside a gentrifying community in Denver, where a shooting case involving an activist becomes a window into the political machinations of urban development and the citys gang activity. Northwest Premiere. MCT, 8:30 p.m.

"My AI Lover"  During their special dates with their artificially intelligent companions, three young Chinese women reflect on the uniqueness and boundaries of such intimate relationships. Northwest Premiere. Shorts Block 14, MCT, 6 p.m.

"Big Fight in Little Chinatown"  All across the globe, Chinatowns are under threat of disappearing  and along with them, the rich history of communities who fought from the margins for a place to belong. This film documents the collective fight to save Chinatowns across North America. Northwest Premiere. ZACC, 6:15 p.m.

"The Elephant 6 Recording Co."  The inside story of the creative evolution behind the sounds of 1990s psychedelic rock bands the Olivia Tremor Control, Neutral Milk Hotel, and the Apples in Stereo  the founding groups behind the Elephant 6 collective  with inspirational resonance for todays music makers, and music lovers everywhere. Northwest Premiere. ZACC, 8:45 p.m.

Filmmakers in attendance

(Q&A following film screening)

"Between Earth & Sky"  Andrew Nadkarni, director; Katie Schiller and Swetha Regunathan, producers. World Premiere, Best Short nominee. "Art of Maintenance: Transcendence, Recovery & My Grandparents Goodness"  Ian Frank, director/producer. World Premiere, Best Mini-Doc nominee. Competition Shorts 4, Wilma, 3 p.m.

"The Last of the Nightingales"  Masha Karpoukhina, director. Montana Premiere. Schoolhouse Docs 4, ZACC, 4 p.m.

"Mississippi River Styx"  Tim Grant and Andy McMillan, co-directors. World Premiere, Best Feature nominee. Wilma, 5:45 p.m.

"My AI Lover"  Chouwa Liang, director; Joyce Yueyi Xing, producer. Northwest Premiere. Shorts Block 14, MCT, 6 p.m.

"Big Fight in Little Chinatown"  Karen Cho, director. Northwest Premiere. ZACC, 6:15 p.m.

"Hollywoods Finest"  Claire Collins, director; Gale Holland, writer/producer; Erik Himmelsbach-Weinstein. World Premiere, Best Feature nominee. Wilma, 8:15 p.m.

"The Holly  Julian Rubinstein, director; Terrance Robins, subject. Northwest Premiere. MCT, 8:30 p.m.

Festival headquarters: ZACC, 216 W. Main St. Purchase tickets, passes, and merchandise, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Advocates for wilderness and snowmobiles agree on at least one thing about the Great Burn: The 252,000-acre jumble of peaks and lakes along the Montana-Idaho border still holds qualities increasingly hard to find elsewhere.

What they disagree about is whether snowmobiles and snowbikes  a motorcycle converted for snow use, with a ski on the front and a track on the back  should be allowed into the Great Burn in the winter. The machines had long been allowed in the area, about 40 linear miles southwest of Missoula, which falls mostly within the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest in Idaho. But a travel management plan that forest officials implemented in 2012 closed the area to winter motorized use, putting an end to legal use of motorized over-snow travel.

Advocacy groups, state agencies, county governments in both states and everyday recreationists have weighed in on both sides of the issue. Now, the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest is poised to move the saga into a new chapter with the upcoming release of a revised forest plan. The new plan will likely reopen some areas of the Great Burn to motorized winter use.

For snowmobile advocacy groups like the Missoula-based Backcountry Sled Patriots, formed in the wake of the 2012 closure, the reopening of portions of the Great Burn would represent a hard-fought victory, if still a compromise, to restore part of their historical access that was curtailed barely a decade ago. The area is a bastion of remote, dispersed and less-traveled riding, they say, where riders amongst serene peaks rarely encounter other groups. Their machines, they argue, don't leave tracks or other evidence once snow melts in spring  and they take their noise impact with them when they leave.

For conservation groups, like the Missoula-based Great Burn Conservation Alliance, the move would represent the chipping away of an already vulnerable would-be crown jewel sandwiched inside the largest chain of wilderness areas in the United States. The Great Burn harbors genetically diverse and once-thriving populations of mountain goats and wolverines. They argue snowmobiles and snowbikes pose an existential threat to those and other species that have retreated into the remote terrain as a last wild redoubt.

Whose plan?

But it's not clear when any of the groups or land users will have an answer about how, or if, winter motorized use will be allowed in the Great Burn. The forest is still operating under two plans that date back to 1987, when the Nez Perce and Clearwater were separate national forests. They started to revise their plans in 2006. Those revision attempts stalled when the U.S. Forest Service planning rule they were being developed under was struck down. The forests formally consolidated in 2013, and plan revision kicked off again in 2014.

Revising a forest plan is a notoriously slow and oft-delayed process. After issuing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement in December 2019, forest officials initially expected to release a Final Environmental Impact Statement in spring 2021  two years ago.

Now, "Our best guess would be early summer 2023 for release of a Final Environmental Impact Statement and draft record of decision," said Zachary Peterson, a forest planner leading the revision. That will kick off a minimum six-month period of a 90-day objection window followed by a 90-day resolution period. After that, a new plan could be implemented for the first time since 1987. Forest Supervisor Cheryl Probert has decision-making authority over the plan revision.

The draft plan released in late 2019 would open winter motorized access in an area around Blacklead Mountain  south of Rhodes Peak on the south end of the Great Burn  and in an area around Fish Lake, in the middle of the Great Burn. Conservation groups fear that the final plan will open those areas, as well as the north end of the Great Burn, near Hoodoo Pass southwest of Superior. Stan Spencer, founder and president of Backcountry Sled Patriots, has advocated alongside the Idaho State Snowmobile Association to open those three areas, in addition to a fourth area around Surveyor Creek south of Schley Mountain.

Peterson said the preferred action being developed in the final plan "is within the range of what had been analyzed in the four (alternative) actions in the DEIS." But the preferred alternative "used parts and pieces of several of the action alternatives in developing the preferred alternative." Nearly 20% of the comments the agency received on the draft were about motorized use in proposed wilderness, he said, and "we tried to take a look at it from a variety of different angles."

But, he stressed, "I'm not going to comment on what's in the preferred alternative." He said that "it has not been released to anybody externally."

'One of the last great holdouts'

The Great Burn draws its name from the the Great Fire of 1910, an epic inferno of more than 3 million acres primarily across northern Idaho and western Montana, as well as parts of Washington and British Columbia. The fire killed 87 people and is believed to be the largest wildfire in U.S. history. The Great Burn proposed wilderness is centered on the Hoodoo Roadless Area, the largest inventoried roadless area on Forest Service land in the Lower 48. The area almost became designated wilderness in 1988 when Congress passed a bill championed by Sen. John Melcher, a Democrat from Montana. But President Ronald Reagan, a Republican, killed the bill a few days before the 1988 election in which Conrad Burns unseated Melcher.

"I really thought the Great Burn would (have) some official level of protection right now," said Doug Chadwick, a preeminent wildlife biologist and author who studies species including grizzly bear, mountain goats and wolverines.

Skye Borden, co-executive director of the Great Burn Conservation Alliance, said the Great Burn is the centerpiece of a broader 1.9 million-acre ecosystem along the Montana-Idaho interface from Lolo Pass to Lookout Pass. The broader area contains multiple roadless areas, of which Hoodoo is the largest.

The Great Burn "flies under the radar" even though the Forest Service has given it one of the highest rankings of wilderness characteristics in the system, according to Erin Clark, the organizing director of Wild Montana, a wilderness advocacy group. She noted that the area was also featured in the 1988 National Geographic Society book "America's Hidden Wilderness: Lands of Seclusion."

The Missoula County Commission wrote a letter to forest officials in 2021 urging them not to open portions of the Great Burn to winter motorized travel, saying in part, "We believe there are more suitable locations for motorized winter use and would be interested in working together to address the needs of recreation communities in ways that do not negatively impact wildlife populations that are already subject to increasing habitat fragmentation, the stressors of climate change and increasing recreation pressure on our wild areas.

"It has an incredible value in terms of quiet recreation opportunities and opportunities for solitude," Borden said. "It is one of the last great holdouts in western Montana where you can get away from the crowds."

It's also where animals get away from people. Many designated and proposed wilderness areas are "rock and ice, beautiful vistas," but don't provide much biological diversity, according to Clark. Chadwick concurred: "Biologic diversity does not occur as the scenic grandeur of the rock and ice increases. Its an inverse relationship." The Great Burn varies from old cedar groves and rare inland rainforest to tundra-like terrain around Rhodes Peak, Clark said, which "provides a mosaic of these incredible values."

Chadwick cited studies in the Teton Range that determined that motorized winter travel increased stress levels and physical exertion in wolverines. "Cortisol and other indicators of stress go up," he said. Borden said that "there really is direct overlap between wolverine habitat and where these more extreme snowmobilers want to go."

Borden also said, "This is incredibly important lynx connectivity habitat, and we should be factoring that in to our management decisions."

Chadwick also noted that mountain goats reproduce on snow, "and that's unique among hoofed animals." Falls, avalanches, harsh conditions and natural mortality are tough enough on the species, he said, arguing that "they don't need any extra help from us" in making survival difficult.

Borden said that Idaho Fish and Game counted 56 mountain goats in the Blacklead herd in 2010-11. The herd was once robust enough to serve as a source for re-population elsewhere. In 2017, five years after the motorized closure, she said, the area saw record snow and "an extreme amount of snowmobile trespass in this particular basin ... the entire basin was torn up with snowmobile tracks and snowbike tracks" visible in overflights. Idaho Fish and Game could only count six goats.

"They were under the belief that the goats had been run off a cliff," she said. "Since then, the herd counts have remained very low. Were still in the single digits."

'One of the last best places'

There isn't actually proof that the goats went off a cliff, or that snowmobiles or snowbikes were at fault. Although Idaho Fish and Game blamed the sudden disappearance of most of the herd on illegal motorized use, no one could ever find carcasses or bones at the bottoms of cliffs in the area.

"The pressure on the goats, you know, the mortality rate has been terrible and they just cant put their finger on why  so, snowmobiles were something easy to point their finger at," Spencer said. "There was nothing else to point at. Fish and Game, when they were working on it, they pointed it out. They didnt say, 'Lets blame snowmobiles,' but they couldnt put their finger on anything else."

Spencer said that the theory of snowmobiles and snowbikes causing a reduction in goat population can be disproved by looking to other areas nearby: A reintroduced goat population in the Crazy Mountains, which is open to snowmobiles, is having success. Meanwhile "the mortality rate in the Bob Marshall (Wilderness Complex) is one of the worst, and theres zero snowmobiling up there."

Spencer snowmobiled in the Great Burn area for more than 30 years before it became off-limits in 2012. As snowmobile technology progressed, he helped forge some of the first routes into previously unreachable terrain around Blacklead, among other places.

"This Great Burn area is truly one of the last best places for backcountry snowmobiling  again, for the challenge and the solitude," he said. "There may be other snowmobilers, but its not that often that youll run into them. And they get spread out in these three areas."

In his experience, he said, snowmobiles don't often overlap with goats.

"Goats dont winter up in this high country," he said, adding that goats around the Hoodoo Pass area winter down by Landowner Mountain in Montana. "A goat cant survive in much more than that  hes got to be able to forage  and he cant forage in 5-10 feet of snow.

"Thats been the bone of contention with Idaho Fish and Game, that (they say) were disturbing them but they cant tell us where theyre at," he said. "Nobody knows, Fish and Game included, we dont know where the goats winter (around Blacklead)."

And in the springtime, particularly into May when snow is firm and goats and wolverines range into higher country, he said, there's rarely enough snow lower down for people to get out on snowmobiles. User conflict also isn't an issue, he said: "In 30 some years in this areas Ive seen skiers twice  that went in by snowmobile."

Spencer explained that "we would like to see all of these areas reopened, and the reasoning being, if you think about it, snowmobiling is the least invasive of any recreational activity, not just motorized, but any recreational backcountry activity. When the snow melts, theres no tracks  its over."

The Mineral County Commission has expressed a similar view. In a 2018 letter to forest officials regarding the plan revision, the commissioners said that officials "did not offer any substantiated supporting evidence to close the Great Burn Study Area to snowmobiles. There was no evidence, other than subjective, to show snowmobiles cause any ecological or social impact, therefore no reason to exclude snowmobiles from the Great Burn Study Area."

Wintertime motorized recreation is an economic boon to the county, the commissioners said, arguing that the financial benefit should have been weighed more heavily before excluding motorized use. And, they wrote, the Forest Service itself had previously sold county leaders on the idea.

"The U.S. Forest Service stood in the Mineral County Commissioners Meeting Room in 1994 and admitted with sadness that the agency was no longer aimed at logging  and we should focus our economy on our recreation," they wrote. "He pointed to the snowcat trailers lining the parking lot at Big Sky motel and said one of our benefits was our premium black-diamond snowmobiling at Hoodoo Meadows. Now the Forest Service is ignoring once again any economic viability for us other than that from seasonal hikers and minimal non-motorized winter use."

The commissioners urged the agency to reopen the Hoodoo Pass, Surveyor Creek and Blacklead areas to winter motorized use, arguing that "snowmobiles are less invasive on the wilderness values than summer users as no trace of activity is left when the snow melts." To allow that, they suggested the Forest Service designate the area a national recreation area with wintertime special use areas for motorized travel.

Spencer has a different suggestion. He points to Colorado's Never Summer Wilderness immediately west of Rocky Mountain National Park. The wilderness area, northwest of Grand Lake, was originally intended to be much larger, leading to concerns among snowmobilers on the south end of the area. Eventually, the north end became the Never Summer Wilderness and the south end became the Bowen Gulch Protection Area, a mix of winter motorized use alongside greater-than-normal environmental protections.

"Thats basically a compromise," he said, "public land for a variety of users."

Others still have concerns, and a different idea of compromise: "Is this the best area to play around in the snow?" Chadwick wondered. "It seems to me, snowmobilers have a lot of options."
Hong Kong: Light incident initial findings unveiled

The Hospital Authority today announced the initial findings of an incident in which a surgical light in United Christian Hospital fell off and injured one of its staff members.

The independent expert advisor the authority entrusted, Eric Lim, said according to the initial investigation, the six screws for fixation in the main post of the concerned surgical light were all broken.

Apart from finding at least four screws that showed signs of metal fatigue, rust stains were found on some of the screws as well.

Mr Lim noted that it was deemed that metal fatigue of the screws was not formed in a short period of time. Eventually, the screws could not hold the weight of the surgical light, causing it to fall on the ground.

The authority completed inspection on all public hospitals with surgical light facilities, with a total of 471 surgical lights.

Most of them are up to safety standards and can continue to be used, yet the screws of 23 surgical lights may be at risk and their use has immediately been suspended. While 11 of them have been repaired, the remaining surgical lights will be fixed in the short term.

For the sake of prudence, the authority also inspected 482 medical pendants in public hospitals and they are all confirmed to be safe for use.

The authority's Director (Quality & Safety) Dr Michael Wong said the authority is extremely dissatisfied with the vendor's performance and has ordered the vendor to solve the problem appropriately and submit a thorough report.

He emphasised that the authority will stringently follow up on the incident, and it reserves the right to pursue those who may be responsible.

Dr Wong also stressed that the authority has reported the incident to relevant government regulatory bodies. If there are any irregularities found in the investigation, it will consider referring the case to law enforcement agencies for follow-up.

Surgical lights that may be at risk are all suspended for use. Patients and staff can rest assured that the operation rooms, which maintain normal service now, have been confirmed to be safe, he added.

The authority pointed out that Mr Lim made a few recommendations on the maintenance of surgical lights. He suggested that maintenance and repair must be done by trained and certified technicians and screws should be replaced with new ones from time to time.

To ensure the safety of patients and staff, the authority made it clear that it has followed the initial findings concluded by Mr Lim and ordered the vendor to replace the screws in the other surgical lights concerned with new ones.

Before the replacement of the screws is completed, the vendor should increase the frequency of surgical light checkups to once every one to two weeks, the authority stated.

It added that in the past few days, elective operations concerning 141 patients had to be rescheduled and all of them have been rearranged so that the operations can be carried out as soon as possible.

This story has been published on: 2023-02-24. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
By Azernews

Sabina Mammadli

Day 75 of the ongoing picketing of the Khankandi-Lachin road near Shusha sees the ever-present high spirits of the Azerbaijani activists and NGO representatives despite the biting cold, Azernews reports.

Throughout the day, 12 vehicles of the Russian peacekeeping contingent and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have driven along the road.

Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani working group on environmental issues of the Interdepartmental Center, operating under the Coordination Headquarters held a meeting in Lachin city

During the event, the participants were informed about the work on monitoring, inspection, and evaluation of mineral reserves in the liberated territories, including 40 mineral deposits in the Lachin district, the reserves of which have been confirmed in the appropriate manner.

The event also discussed the district's environmental situation.

Following discussions with the command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent on December 3 and 7, 2022, Azerbaijani specialists from the Ministries of Economy, Ecology, and Natural Resources, the State Service for Property Issues under the Ministry of Economy, and AzerGold Company were to conduct primary monitoring on illegal exploitation of mineral deposits on Azerbaijani territory. However, the monitoring failed due to the provocation of ethnic Armenians.

After the Russian peacekeepers' failure to provide the necessary conditions for the Azerbaijani agency representatives to carry out their duties in the area, a group of eco-activists, NGOs, and public representatives have taken to the street in protest at the peacekeepers' repugnance to live up to their obligations in line with the November 10, 2020, peace deal to maintain peace and order in the region, and oust the Armenian troops from the region and prevent illegalities. However, time proved that the Russian peacekeepers are driven by the interests of Russia rather than the idea coming from the essence of the notion of peacekeeping as universally understood.
Officials released the name of a man who was killed by Missoula law enforcement last weekend at the Clinton Market.

Gary T. Duncan, 45, of Missoula, died from a gunshot wound on Saturday, according to a press release from the Ravalli County Sheriff's Office, which was tasked with acting as the coroner in the case.

"Sheriff Holton said the coroner's investigation concluded that the armed suspect/decedent displayed suicidal tendency and was ultimately killed by law enforcement at the scene," the press release stated.

A press release from the Missoula County Sheriff's Office sent on Saturday claimed the scene was also a hostage situation involving the suspect's wife, but didn't provide any more details on what happened.

In an email to the Missoulian on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Montana Division of Criminal Investigations, the agency now investigating the case, confirmed only one suspect was involved, and he was the only person upon which lethal force was used.

The DCI did not answer questions about whether mental health professionals responded to the scene, if non-lethal force methods were used, how long deputies were on scene for or if the woman reportedly being held hostage was harmed.

The spokesperson said DCI's investigation is ongoing.
Lawmakers this session are proposing fresh restrictions on Montanans constitutional right to bring ballot measures, including a $3,700 nonrefundable fee to do so.

Senate Bill 93 easily passed an initial vote in the Senate on Wednesday, 34-16, with all but one Republican supporting the measure and all but one Democrat voting against it.

The fee would cover costs for the Legislature and the Attorney Generals office, both of which have worked to expand their roles into the initiative process in the last two years. Sen. Mike Cuffe, R-Eureka, said the new price tag for bringing ballot measures is intended to reflect the cost of the process to those agencies, noting that dozens of ballot proposals receive little follow-through.

Theres a cost to doing these, thats what the fee is about, Cuffe, the bill's sponsor, told the Senate during its floor debate on the bill Thursday afternoon. It covers the low end of average costs.

But other senators argued it would create an unreasonable obstacle for ordinary Montanans to craft and vote on proposed law. Separate from the Legislatures process of writing laws, the Montana Constitution gives citizens the right to propose measures to be voted on in statewide elections. There are some limits, including a minimum number of signatures required to get it on the ballot. And those proposals arent allowed to appropriate money.

Sen. Janet Ellis, D-Helena, was the chair of the bipartisan interim committee that wrote an early version of SB 93. When it was introduced, the measure amounted to a lengthy cleanup of existing statute, intended to clarify the process of bringing a ballot measure. The filing fee and other restrictions now in the bill were added by Republican lawmakers earlier this month before it reached the floor.

It was not (the interim committees) intention ever to make it more difficult for citizens to exercise their constitutional rights to petition the government, Ellis said during the floor debate. That was not their purpose. What this bill does is it makes it more difficult for citizens for run ballot measures.

The added language also prohibits citizens from bringing a ballot measure proposal if it is substantially the same as a measure defeated by the voters in the previous four years. During a previous committee discussion, Ellis had objected to that requirement by noting that lawmakers arent subject to a similar restriction.

Cuffe noted that he had worked with several interest groups, including the Montana Chamber of Commerce, to develop the new language in the bill. The Chamber was one of the loudest voices that opposed a 2022 citizen initiative to put the brakes on increases in residential property taxes for certain homeowners. Constitutional Initiative 121 ultimately failed after opposition from lawmakers from both parties. And a broad coalition of interest groups spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to defeat it, arguing it would cause taxes to shift to other types of property owners.

Many of those same groups, including the Montana Association of Realtors, the Montana Contractors Association and the Montana Infrastructure Coalition all supported Cuffes bill in committee. Jessie Luther, a lobbyist representing the chamber, didnt call out CI-121 as an inspiration for the changes, although a lobbyist for the Realtors group did.

You tend to have a lot of non-serious initiatives that are dropped in, and they use up taxpayer money, they use up resources of the state, Luther said during the Feb. 1 hearing.

SB 93 follows several new requirements the Legislature put in place in 2021 for the citizen-led initiative process. They included a new legal review process by the Attorney General and a determination by the AG of whether a citizen proposal might be bad for business. The Legislature also inserted itself into the initiative process by requiring that an interim committee review the proposal and take a vote on it. The results of that vote must be printed on the proposed ballot measures signature petitions.

People who attempted to get initiatives on the ballot last year argued that those new twists in the road allowed more powerful interests to run out the clock. Each of those steps in the process must be completed before ballot measure proponents can begin collecting signatures. Proponents must then gather tens of thousands of signatures prior to a June deadline to get their proposal on the general election ballot.

Sen. Brad Molnar of Laurel was the only Republican no vote on SB 93 on Thursday. He worked closely on the CI-121 campaign, and argued that the new steps in the process allowed opponents to the measure to run the clock out so that there wasnt enough time left to gather signatures.

Noting that Cuffe had worked with some of the same lobbying groups that fought CI-121, he suggested those groups should also have to pay a fee to get their proposals pushed through the Legislature.

Herein lies the problem, we are treating lobbyists every day to thousands of dollars worth of resources for them to have their say, Molnar said For a person in Montana who has the constitutional right to ask a question of the elected, to have to $3,700 is a poll tax.

Molnar sponsored a bill earlier in the session that would have erased the new requirements for ballot measures enacted in 2021. It failed on a Senate vote, along similar lines to the one that passed SB 93 on Thursday.

SB 93 would add other restrictions to the ballot initiative process. It expands the AGs review of the business impacts to include proposed constitutional amendments, after a judge ruled the requirement only applied to statutory initiatives. The bill also prohibits electronic signatures from being valid, recognizing only wet signatures as counting toward those needed to qualify a citizen measure for the ballot.

Cuffe noted that in contrast to the more deliberate process for legislation as it winds through the Capitol, citizen ballot initiatives don't receive the same type of scrutiny.

"They're not well-vetted like legislation on the floor is," Cuffe said. "They're 20-second commercials."

The bill still requires a final vote in the Senate before heading to the House for consideration.
The Amarillo Globe-News hosted its 62nd annual luncheon in honor of the 2022 Man and Woman of the Year, Vance Reed and Cari Roach Good. During the ceremony, previous years' recipients and the 2022 Citizens On the Move were also recognized at the luncheon, held Wednesday afternoon in the Amarillo Civic Center Heritage Room.

The Man and Woman of the Year celebration is sponsored by FirstBank Southwest, and the 2022 Citizens on the Move is sponsored by Physicians Surgical Hospitals.

Cari Roach Good and Vance Reed are honored for being the 2022 AGN Woman and Man of the Year during a luncheon held Wednesday at the Amarillo Civic Center.

As stated by Sr. Sales Director and event host Eric Fow, over the past 62 years, the Amarillo Globe-News has honored 47 women and 62 men through the Man and Woman of the Year awards. The award ceremony initially began in 1950 with the Man of the Year category, and 25 years later realized that it needed to recognize the Woman of the Year as well. Over the years, the recognition has come to be considered one of the highest achievements within the community, as it recognizes individuals who have all worked in one way or another to better the city of Amarillo and the surrounding community.

AGN Media honors recipients at the 2022 AGN Man and Woman of the Year at the awards luncheon held Wednesday at the Amarillo Civic Center.

Wednesday's event began with Jeff Pugh, Chaplain with Northwest Texas Healthcare System, leading attendees in prayer before receiving the meal provided by 3 Square Meals. Fow began the ceremonies by honoring the 2021 Man and Woman of the Year, Russell Lowery-Hart and Linda Vaughn, who, due to the pandemic, were unable to be recognized in person last year.

AGN Media honors recipients at the 2022 AGN Man and Woman of the Year at the awards luncheon held Wednesday at the Amarillo Civic Center.

Amarillo Mayor Ginger Nelson said during her speech honoring the 2022 recipients: "I want to congratulate Cari and Vance; I am so thankful in what you do to make our community better. It's not just about the city of Amarillo. It's about all the people who live in the city of Amarillo, and you both have served for so many years. This award is so well deserved."

During the luncheon, the room applauded in a standing ovation as the 2022 Man and Woman of the Year were introduced by Adam Young, Editor and Senior Content Manager for the Amarillo Globe-News. The recipients thanked the crowd as they walked to the stage to accept their award, presented by sponsor FirstBank Southwest.

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Cari Roach Good talks about her work as she is honored with the 2022 AGN Woman of the Year award at a luncheon Wednesday at the Amarillo Civic Center.

Andy Marshall, Chief Executive Officer and President of First Bank Southwest, presents Cari Roach Good with the 2022 AGN Woman of the Year award at the awards luncheon Wednesday at the Amarillo Civic Center.

As a part of her acceptance speech, Roach Good spoke of the time she found her calling to help the homeless and how that single moment has influenced her into dedicating her life to helping those in need, currently peaking with the upcoming creation of the new community partnership homeless facility.

"Possibly 30 years ago, I was in Elwood Park, and I saw a man sleeping beneath a tree hanging onto a suitcase. And I felt in my spirit that day the Lord say, 'I created him the same as I created you, and I love him just a much as I love you.' My heart was transformed that day. ... My desire was, and is, to ease their pain somehow, both physical and emotional pain," said Cari Roach Good, 2022 Woman of the Year.

"I have served the homeless in many capacities, and today I am proud to be president of the Guyon Saunders Resource Center, where we are embarking on the most incredible public/private partnership that is even more magnificent than I could ever imagine. I am so proud of the city of Amarillo, private businesses and the faith community that have come together for Transformation Park. It will both not only improve the lives of those experiencing homelessness, but also improve our community," Roach Good added.

Vance Reed thanks family and friends as he is honored with the 2022 AGN Man of the Year award at the awards luncheon Wednesday at the Amarillo Civic Center.

Andy Marshall, Chief Executive Officer and President of First Bank Southwest, presents Vance Reed with the 2022 AGN Man of the Year award at the awards luncheon Wednesday at the Amarillo Civic Center.

During his speech, 2022 Man of the Year Vance Reed acknowledged his family and friends whom he holds most dear in his life, and recognized them for their continued support. Reed also spoke of his unconditional love for Amarillo and how he was able to reach his childhood dream.

"I don't know how to say how honored I truly am, but if you knew my background, I am a little short fat boy from Borger, Texas. When I was a kid, my two brothers Bill, Dale, and I used to sit in the back of a '49 Ford, and we couldn't wait to get to Amarillo, Texas, with my mother. ... I often thought, 'boy, I wish I'd get to live there,' and did I wish I could. Then some 54 years ago, I was lucky enough to move to Amarillo, and I thought this truly is tall cotton to this kid, and it remains that way truly today," Reed said.

Some of the 2022 Citizens on the Move award repicipients pose for a photo at Wednesday's awards ceremony.

In addition to the 2022 Man and Woman of the Year, Young awarded the 10 recipients of the 2022 Citizens on the Move, presented by Physicians Surgical Hospitals LLC.

"The only reason that I was in that room, and walking that stage, is because of the people that I work with at Kids Inc.," Jimmy Lackey, 2022 Citizen on the move recipient said. "There is nothing that I do that warrants that type of recognition. The team that I have in my office that I work with, this award is a reflection of them and their hard work. I would be a fool to think that that was all me, because it's not; that was just me representing my team and staff."

Some of the attendees gather to celebrate the 2022 Amarillo Globe-News Man and Woman of the Year, Vance Reed and Cari Roach Good, during the awards luncheon held Wednesday at the Amarillo Civic Center.

Past and Present Amarillo Globe-News Man and Woman of the Year recipients attended Wednesday's ceremony.

The Amarillo Globe-News would like to congratulate all recipients in honor of their work in the community to help Amarillo be the best environment that it could possibly be.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: 2022 Citizens on the Move and Man and Woman of the year honored
Life imitated art on Tuesday, in the ugliest possible way, when the Broadway musical "Parade," about a notorious antisemitic incident of 1915, provoked antisemitic demonstrations outside the theater where the show was having its first preview.

Theatergoers making their way into the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre to see a show about Leo Frank, a Jewish factory manager in Georgia who was lynched for supposedly raping a 13-year-old girl, were greeted by neo-Nazis from the "National Socialist Movement" who shouted that Frank was "a Jewish pedophile."

"Learn the truth about what you're going to see tonight!" one of them shouted. "Romanticizing pedophiles  wow!"

"They were basically harassing everybody in line," said Katie Crawford, a Brooklyn theatergoer who was in the queue around 7:30 p.m. when she encountered the demonstrators. "There were officers and security kind of preventing them from getting onto the sidewalk. But somebody did get up there, and he was handing out flyers  some sort of antisemitic flyers with a link to some kind of website. I did not personally receive one of them."

Ben Platt as Leo Frank and Micaela Diamond as Lucille Frank in "Parade" at New York City Center. The production will open on Broadway on March 16.

There were a handful of demonstrators, between five and 10, she said  and they had stretched out a banner along the sidewalk saying the NSM "stands against Pedophilia."

Most of the people in line, Crawford added, chose not to engage with the demonstrators (the one handing out the flyers was wearing a ski mask).

"I felt pretty pissed that they had the audacity to do that," she said. "I thought it was disgusting behavior. I didn't feel scared, but it was a little jarring. I felt uneasy."

She felt more so at intermission  when she checked for information on her iPhone and discovered that the protesters were a neo-Nazi group. "When I came out of the theater, I was more nervous," she said. "And I felt nervous for the cast. I hoped those individuals were safe."

More:'We have your backs': Gov. Phil Murphy visits Bloomfield temple targeted in arson attack

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The star of the show, Ben Platt, issued a statement on Instagram calling the demonstrators "disgusting."

"It was very ugly and scary, but a wonderful reminder of why we're telling this particular story," he said.

Indeed, the incident was a disturbing reminder of the continuing relevance of the show "Parade"  and, more broadly, a reminder of the state of the union in 2023.

"It's sad, but it's not surprising," said Rabbi Brian Beal, of Temple Beth Tikvah in Wayne. "Antisemitism and racism have been part of the human condition forever. What's different now is that people feel emboldened to act on that. We have Molotov cocktails thrown in a synagogue in Bloomfield. People like our former president and others are helping to unleash people to speak and act in a way that is scary and reprehensible."

The story behind the story

These days, many people have never heard of Leo Frank. But his story looms in the consciousness of many Jews, much as the 1963 Birmingham bombings are a horror of horrors to many African Americans.

As a student at Emory University in Atlanta  the city at the center of the episode  Beal found that the tragedy was seared into the collective memory of locals. Indeed, a 1937 movie dramatizing the case  it marked Lana Turner's breakout role, in form-fitting clothes, as Hollywood's "sweater girl"  was called "They Won't Forget."

"The community that's affected always knows more of the details," Beal said. "So I'll tell you that the Jews in Atlanta absolutely knew more about the Leo Frank case than even Jews in this part of the world. It's part of Southern lore  the history of Southern racism and antisemitism."

The writer of the 1998 musical "Parade," Alfred Uhry (he wrote the book; Jason Robert Brown wrote the score; both of them won Tonys), also had a personal connection to the case. His great-uncle owned Leo Frank's factory.

Leo Frank

Frank, in 1913, had been accused of raping and murdering Mary Phagan, 13, one of his employees. Frank was sentenced to death after a trial that became a media circus and a lightning rod for antisemitism.

When the departing governor of Georgia, citing irregularities in the case, commuted his sentence in 1915 to life imprisonment, a lynching party abducted Frank from the jail in Milledgeville, Ga., and hanged him from an oak tree.

Among other things, the case led to the formation in 1913 of the Anti-Defamation League  as the protesters on Tuesday were quick to remind their captive audience.

"Wanna learn the truth about the ADL?" asked the guy handing out pamphlets.

More than 100 years later, some details about the case are still murky. But the evidence, overwhelmingly, points to Frank's innocence, according to most historians. In 1986, the state of Georgia granted him a sort-of pardon  not exactly exonerating him, but granting him a pardon on the grounds that the state failed to protect him.

The larger issue of the Frank case is the appalling racial hatred it unleashed. And that, alas, is still news.

That's why shows like "Parade" are important, said the Broadway League. On Wednesday, in response to the incident the previous night, it released a statement deploring "antisemitism and all forms of harassment."

"Now more than ever, the arts play a powerful role in creating community and bringing people together," the league said.

"Parade" will open Thursday, March 16.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Broadway: Antisemitic demonstration proves relevance of 'Parade'
In the Feb. 23 episode of Grey's Anatomy, Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) is thrown a surprise party on her last day at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. ABC

Worry not, Grey's Anatomy is still stable and in good condition after losing a major artery: its titular character, Dr. Meredith Grey.

Season 19 of the ShondaLand medical drama on ABC returned Thursday night for a bittersweet yet gracious send-off to Grey, who has been played by Ellen Pompeo for nearly 18 years.

In typical Greys Anatomy fashion, Pompeos final episode is a cocktail of drama, despair, love, heartbreak, and (eventually) hope that ends in Grey and her kids flying to Boston, where theyll now live while she researches Alzheimer's disease.

Notably  and thankfully  Grey wasn't killed off, which leaves open the possibility of a return, although death has never stopped beloved characters from coming back to the show in dream sequences.

Still, Grey's Anatomy without Pompeo feels unimaginable, and several cast members (as well as fans) are now tasked with embracing a new era on one of ABCs longest-running and most dependable scripted shows.

Im not really sure how the show is going to work out without her, because shes been there since the very beginning, Mariana Maciel, a fan from Mexico, told BuzzFeed News ahead of Thursdays episode.

Fortunately, the show remains in good hands with Chandra Wilson (who plays Dr. Miranda Bailey) and James Pickens Jr. (Dr. Richard Webber) taking up the reins as the longest-running original cast members.

Her presence isn't necessarily gone. [Pompeo is] still very much a part of the fabric of daily Grey's Anatomy life, Wilson told BuzzFeed News. Still, she admitted, Its kind of weird. It's like were saying goodbye, but are we?

To be clear, no, they  and fans  are not. Pompeo will continue to perform the voiceovers that play at the beginning and end of almost every episode to offer that sense of normalcy, but shell no longer act in every episode.

With Pompeo's exist as a full-time cast member, James Pickens Jr. and Chandra Wilson are the longest-running cast members on Grey's Anatomy. Liliane Lathan / ABC

Wilson said shes very aware that she and Pickens have large shoes to fill. Jim Pickens calls it 'rare air that we're living in, she said, noting the two of them will continue to mentor newer cast members and carry the integrity of the show.

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In a statement to BuzzFeed News, Pickens called Pompeo a committed, disciplined, and dedicated actor he always enjoyed working with.

Greys Anatomy began at a time in my career where there was actually change in my life, in a positive way and she was at the forefront of that. Ill always be appreciative, Pickens said. Her departure means for me a transitioning to a new chapter of the show.

Season 19 debuted new surgical interns Lucas Adams (Niko Terho), Benson "Blue" Kwan (Harry Shum Jr.), Mika Yasuda (Midori Francis), Jules Millin (Adelaide Kane), and Simone Griffith (Alexis Floyd). Liliane Lathan / ABC

Hes not the only one adjusting to a new normal at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. Season 19, which premiered in the fall, introduced five new surgical interns. Its a callback to the series premiere, which introduced Grey alongside her group of interns turned hall of fame characters: Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl), George OMalley (T.R. Knight), and Alex Karev (Justin Chambers).

Effectively, Season 19 set the show up for a soft reboot with Thursdays episode, which sees current interns Simone (Alexis Floyd), Lucas Adams (Niko Terho), and Mika (Midori Francis) move into Greys home. This, of course, is a nod to when Grey lived there with OMalley and Stevens.

It definitely feels like a new era, said Jake Borelli, who joined the cast in Season 14 as Dr. Levi Schmitt, noting that Greys has long grown comfortable with a rotating cast of legends leaving (sometimes returning) and newbies entering.

Still, he noted, It's wild to sort of be gearing up for her leaving Seattle.

Pompeo first announced her departure in November , though she isnt leaving TV. In January, Deadline reported she signed on to star in a new Hulu limited series .

So Greys Anatomy will continue without Grey, herself. But, as Wilson said, the show will remain in Greys essence as long as it runs. So much for the name Baileys Anatomy.

Wilson said, This is Grey's Anatomy. Always has been. Always will be.

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A chase that started in Morganton, wrapped around Lake James and ended in Glen Alpine with a set of flattened tires left a man with a collection of charges Thursday night.

Craig Herman Lytle, 48, was charged with felony flee to elude arrest, along with misdemeanor resist, delay and obstruct a public officer, speeding more than 15 mph over the posted speed limit, driving during revocation, stop sign violation, driving left of center and failure to maintain lane control, according to a news release from the Morganton Department of Public Safety.

The charges against Lytle came after an officer attempted to stop a vehicle for several traffic violations, including failure to display a registration plate, the release said.

Lytle fled from the attempted stop, the release said, and led officers on a chase from Morganton, around Lake James then into Glen Alpine town limits.

An MDPS officer deployed stop sticks, deflating the vehicles tires and causing it to become inoperable on Lytle Drive just outside of Glen Alpine, the release said. Lytle was taken into custody by officers on scene.

Lytle was transported to a local hospital for evaluation and remained there in law enforcement custody Friday morning, the release said.

His vehicle was seized as part of North Carolinas Run and Youre Done law.

This isnt Lytles first run-in with the law, and he was actually being sought by probation and parole officers at the time of his arrest, according to records from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.

Lytle was just released from prison Oct. 31 and had been on parole since for a felony conviction of breaking and entering vehicles, NCDPS records showed. He was set to be released from parole at the end of July, but had absconded from NCDPS at some point in the last four months.
Butte police reports

Fireworks complaint

Independence Day may be more than four months away, but someone in the 800 block of West Silver Street decided that just before 4 on a Thursday morning would be the right time to shoot off a Roman candle in subfreezing temperatures.

A man living in the area called the police station to complain. Officers arrived but could not find anyone who was out and about shooting off fireworks.

Punched in the face

During a physical altercation in the 1600 block of Grand Avenue between a man and a woman, the man told police that the woman, Trinity Lee Winnings, 18, of Butte punched him in the face three times.

Winnings was booked into the jail just after 1 a.m. Wednesday for misdemeanor simple assault.

MHP arrest

On Tuesday night, a Montana Highway Patrol trooper arrested David John Canter, 41, of Anaconda for the felony offenses of possession with intent to sell and use of property subject to forfeiture, and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia

Felony violation

Ryan Matthew Burton, 27, of Butte had a warrant out for his arrest for felony violation of release condition.

He was taken to jail following a traffic stop Wednesday night in the 1300 block of Harrison Avenue.

Outstanding warrants

 On Wednesday morning, Sara Katherine Fuchs, 35, and Michael Duane Fuchs, 31, both of Butte, were both for outstanding felony and misdemeanor warrants.

 Benjamin Curtis OConnor, 27, of Helena was arrested near the intersection of Montana and Aluminum streets Tuesday night on a misdemeanor criminal contempt warrant.

More crimes

 One of the tires on a car was punctured with a sharp object while parked in the 600 block of West Silver Street.

 Stolen from Montana Affordable 4x4s & Auto Sales, 1407 Harrison Ave., was a 2007 gold Chevy Tahoe.

 A woman living in the 1000 block of South Colorado Street reported that her credit card had several charges on it that she did not make.

 A young woman living in the 100 block of Trinity Loop was playing loud music. When an officer stopped by to tell her to turn it down, she complied.

 A license plate was stolen from a white Subaru Forester while parked in the 3600 block of Harrison Avenue.

 A 14-year-old teen-age boy was cited for disorderly conduct during an incident at the Butte High Career Center, 1959 S. Montana St.

 A man called to report that someone was writing checks from a checkbook that had previously been stolen from his house.
Fifteen percent of the available big game combination licenses would be set aside for nonresidents owning a minimum of 2,500 acres under a bill designed to spread out hunting pressure and reward landowners.

House Bill 635, sponsored by Rep. Joshua Kassmier, R-Fort Benton, had its first hearing on Thursday before the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee in Helena. The measure would also allow landowners to purchase an additional bonus point to increase their odds of drawing a hunting tag if they participated in a state program to increase public access in the previous year, such as the Block Management Program.

If drawn, the licenses could be transferred to immediate family members but not employees. The bill would also increase the number of combination licenses available to the landowner for additional adjacent parcels of 2,500 acres, maxing out at five. So a landowner with 7,500 contiguous acres could qualify for three of the tags. Any tags not awarded through the program would be returned to the general draw pool.

The idea behind the legislation is to reward them for providing wildlife habitat, encourage nonresident landowners to hunt their own property and in the process perhaps lessen hunting pressure on public lands.

This is an incentive based approach, said Mac Minard, executive director of the Montana Outfitters and Guides Association. Disincentives  seemed to be kind of prominent a while back.

MOGA worked across the aisle with the Montana Wildlife Federation and Montana Citizens Elk Management Coalition in a spirit of compromise to support the bill. It is one of several the groups that have joined in support of this session.

In the spirit of cooperation, and in the spirit of being able to compromise, the spirit of being able to bridge some gaps with organizations, and not bring the bloodletting to the capitol every time we get together on the legislative session, we are behind this bill, Minard said.

Hannah Downey, of the Property and Environment Research Center, said the bill is a good way to incentive and promote conservation of wildlife habitat on private lands.

Not all outfitters nor members of the coalition support the bill. Opponents included Kevin Farron, representing the Montana Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, who said the legislation would reduce the number of big game combination licenses available to do-it-yourself and guided hunters. BHA instead likes the existing Elk Hunting Access Agreements, also known as the 454 program, for landowners because it requires them to provide some public hunting access.

Outfitter Zach Winfield, whose family guides in the Pintler Range, also spoke in opposition to the measure, saying he is worried the percentage carved out could quickly climb to 20% or more.

To me, it looks like it stinks a little bit, he said.

Montana issues 17,000 big game and elk combination licenses each year. Pulling 15% from that total would set aside 2,550 tags for large landowners. The landowners would still pay full price for the tags, which cost $1,208.
For two years without success, Rep. Marty Malone, R-Pray, has attempted to draw a landowner preference tag to shoot cow elk on his property in the Paradise Valley.

In the Montana Legislature on Thursday he introduced a bill to reduce the amount of land needed to qualify for the tags from 640 acres to 160. No one spoke in favor of the measure, House Bill 600, during the Thursday hearing before the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee.

Kevin Farron, representing the Montana Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, said the state is already throwing out (elk) licenses like candy. He said its better to use the existing programs to target problematic concentrations of elk.

Rep. Ed Butcher, R-Winifred, complained his property sometimes houses 1,000 head of elk, eating forage his cattle could graze. In the spring, he said elk have the ability to come in and wipe out his hay crop.

Youve got to look at the landowners putting up with this crap, Butcher said.

Farron said his group is sympathetic to such problems, but added that elk are a public resource, and providing habitat for wildlife is a part of owning land in Montana.
By Alex Pologruto | Feb 24, 2023

The Murray State University Nonprofit Leadership Studies (NLS) program will host the bi-annual fall and spring Nonprofit Connections event on Thursday, March 2 from 10 a.m.  1 p.m. in the third floor Curris Center ballroom located on Murray States campus.

MURRAY, Ky.  The Murray State University Nonprofit Leadership Studies (NLS) program will host the bi-annual fall and spring Nonprofit Connections event on Thursday, March 2 from 10 a.m.  1 p.m. in the third floor Curris Center ballroom located on Murray States campus. The campus community is invited to visit with representatives from regional nonprofit organizations sharing first-hand information about existing community needs and issues that drive their missions and provide details regarding volunteer opportunities.

Nonprofit Connections is organized by the Nonprofit Leadership Studies program and serves to connect students, staff and faculty to nonprofit organizations serving our community and broader region.

Nonprofit Connections is a wonderful opportunity for students, faculty, staff and community members to learn about the amazing work happening through the nonprofit organizations in west Kentucky, said program director and assistant professor for Nonprofit Leadership Studies, Dr. Elise Kieffer.

Organizations scheduled to attend the event include the Humane Society of Calloway County, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, Beyond Uganda, Cassidys Cause, CASA, Hope Calloway, The Murray Art Guild, Soup for the Soul, Playhouse in the Park and many more.

Playhouse in the Park has participated in Murray States Nonprofit Connections for many years, said Lisa Cope from Playhouse in the Park. We always look forward to the event because it is such a pleasure to spend time meeting students who have an interest in the nonprofit sector. We also get some really terrific, energetic volunteers through the event.

Nonprofit Connections at Murray State is a great way for the campus community to learn more and engage in service with the organizations in our region, said Hadley Stephens from Rolling in Faith. Nonprofit Connections has been a great resource for identifying partnerships between local organizations and students. It is a true celebration of the amazing work that is happening in our community! Rolling in Faith was honored to be a part of this event, and cant wait to participate again in the future.

Through the spirit of community partnership, Murray State Town & Gown is providing a sponsorship to support the ongoing efforts to connect students, faculty, staff and the entire Murray State community with the broader region in hopes of perpetuating our shared mission, said Town & Gown coordinator, Christian Barnes.

The Nonprofit Leadership Studies (NLS) Program is designed to develop the next generation of nonprofit sector leaders, prepared to engage as highly effective and dedicated professionals committed to improving the quality of life for people around the world. The nonprofit sector is highly diverse, addressing issues and needs related to every aspect of life.
The 5th meeting of the Uzbek-Finnish Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation (IGC) was held on February 22 under the leadership of the Minister of Investment, Industry and Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan Laziz Kudratov and the Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade of Finland Ville Skinnari.

During the meeting, the parties discussed and agreed on issues of increasing cooperation in trade, economic, investment, industrial, cultural and humanitarian spheres.

At the same time, at the meeting, the heads of delegations noted the existence of a great potential for increasing bilateral cooperation in priority sectors, the importance of attracting the experience and technological developments of the Finnish side, as well as the intention of the two countries to continue the systematic expansion of cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

Furthermore, they focused on further joint actions to improve investment cooperation and industrial cooperation between businessmen of Finland and Uzbekistan based on the competitive advantages of both countries. In this context, alternative energy, food industry, education, mining, agriculture and digital transformation were noted as promising areas.

At the end of the meeting, the diplomats expressed their mutual commitment to increasing cooperation in these areas, stressing that the synergy of high-tech innovations and scientific developments of Finland with the infrastructure and human resources potential of Uzbekistan will contribute to the sustainable improvement of the multifaceted partnership of both states.
The U.S. Justice Department is investigating Googles dominance in mapping, reviving a thread of its long-running antitrust investigation into the search giant, according to three people familiar with the probe.

Department lawyers have been seeking information and reinterviewing potential witnesses, the people said, speaking anonymously to discuss a pending investigation. The probe is focused on how Alphabet Inc.s Google bundles its services and could result in a new antitrust complaint, they said.

The development shows the Justice Department is continuing to scrutinize some of Googles most popular products, even after filing two major antitrust suits against the company.

Googles terms of service require developers to use its maps and search products together. The limitations prevent companies from using Google Places data  which offer detailed information, photos and reviews of specific establishments  on rival mapping services.

Forcing companies to use one product in order to gain access to a more popular one, known as bundling, can violate antitrust law.

Google said the restrictions ensure a good user experience and that some third parties from which it licenses map data restrict how it is used.

Developers choose to use Google Maps Platform out of many options because they recognize it provides helpful, high-quality information, Google spokesperson Peter Schottenfels said. They are also free to use other mapping services in addition to Google Maps Platform  and many do.

Rivals have complained the restrictions could impair innovation in a number of emerging fields, such as drones, delivery and logistics, as well as electric and autonomous vehicles. At a February 2021 House hearing, Garmin Ltd. and closely held Mapbox Inc. raised concerns about Googles restrictions related to maps.

A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment.

The Justice Department began investigating Google in 2019 and has filed two antitrust complaints  one focused on search and another on its advertising technology business. The agency sought information from the company related to mapping as part of the search case but ultimately opted to file a narrow antitrust complaint that focuses on Googles contracts with browsers and smartphone makers that require its search engine to be set as the default.

State attorneys general conducted their own investigations and filed three separate complaints against Google related to search, advertising technology and the tech giants control over apps downloaded on Android smartphones and devices.

The state search case  led by Colorado and Nebraska  was broader than the one filed by the Justice Department and included some allegations related to mapping and Googles bundling of products to carmakers.

Germanys antitrust authority opened an investigation into Googles map restrictions last year.

Politico earlier reported on the revived probe.
A Davenport alderman says city administration is keeping her from her elected duties.

Judith Lee, 8th Ward, told the City Council Wednesday that managers are obstructing her ability to do her job as an elected alderman. After raising questions and concerns about construction on a former city dump and other topics, she was barred from speaking with most city staff and from attending certain meetings.

Over the last several months, Lees questions and requests to staff related to construction at Veterans Memorial Park  the site of a former city dump  deepened a rift between her and city officials, who said she was micro-managing and inappropriately directing city staff on multiple projects.

City management has retaliated against me, disparaged my character, obstructed my ability to perform my official duties, and now placed me under investigation, based on vague allegations of inappropriately interacting with staff and micromanaging projects, Lee told the council Wednesday.

Neither aldermen nor administrators responded to Lees statement. City attorney Tom Warner declined to comment when asked whether Lee was under investigation, and did not respond to emailed questions.

This summer, the city excavated more than 2,800 tons of waste and dirt from riverfront property for an expansion of Veterans Memorial Park. A second pass exposed more waste, which was reburied on guidance from the Scott County Waste Commission. Lee wrote several emails with increasing concerns that soil from the construction site was migrating across the bike path and toward the river.

A long-time environmental consultant, she asked city staff for their communications and submitted plan with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, which is required by waste-specific state code of anyone disturbing such sites.

After an inquiry from the Quad-City Times/Dispatch-Argus on whether the city had complied with DNR rules, the agency told the city it had violated the state code that requires notification be given. City staff said the failure to comply was simply an unintentional paperwork oversight and didnt negate the responsible handling of the site.

In January, Lee was told she must direct all of her city-related communications through Warner until April 1. Typically, aldermen can communicate with department heads to ask questions and forward complaints or requests from constituents.

On Feb. 15, Warner again emailed Lee to inform her she could not attend a committee meeting after additional information was brought to his attention. Lee is the vice chair of the Community Development Committee she was barred from attending.

A new incident and some new additional information has been brought to my attention, Warner wrote. Until I can gather all the details you will not be able to attend the CD (community development) meeting this afternoon.

Lee told council members on Wednesday she hoped to return to her duties free of restrictions.

She said she was concerned city management did not directly inform the council of the Notice of Violation from the DNR, so she entered it into the record.

Council must be aware of such legal concerns early, so we can assist in understanding strategies, costs, and funding sources associated with responding to this NOV (Notice of Violation) so as to avoid legal action from DNR and to protect public health and the environment, Lee said.

She still has concerns about soil erosion from the old dump site making its way into the river, she said, as the park remains unfinished. The DNR in a recent site visit, said there was no waste exposed, and the city has pledged the capping and finishing of the site is a top priority once the weather improves.

Warner previously said there were multiple employee complaints about Lees behavior on multiple topics. He also said her persistent involvement in such matters as the dump site could give her greater say in outcomes than the other elected officials.

He had also said Lee is not the first elected official who has caused their contact and communications with staff to be limited.
KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraine's leader pledged Friday to push for victory in 2023 as he and other Ukrainians marked the somber anniversary of the Russian invasion that upended their lives and Europe's security.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the country's dogged resistance a year on has proven that "every tomorrow is worth fighting for."

On a day of commemorations, reflection and tears, the Ukrainian president's defiant tone captured the national mood of resilience in the face of Europe's biggest and deadliest war since World War II. Zelenskyy, who became a symbol of Ukraine's refusal to bow to Moscow, said Ukrainians proved to be invincible during "a year of pain, sorrow, faith and unity."

"We have been standing for exactly one year," Zelenskyy said. Feb. 24, 2022, he said, was "the longest day of our lives. The hardest day of our modern history. We woke up early and haven't fallen asleep since."

Ukrainians wept at memorials for their tens of thousands of dead. Though Friday marked the anniversary of the full-scale invasion, combat between Russian-backed forces and Ukrainian troops has raged in the country's east since 2014. New drone footage showed the town of Marinka was razed, along with others.

Russian shelling killed another three civilians and wounded 19 others in the most recent 24-hour spell, Ukraine's presidential office said.

Ukrainians looked back at a year that changed their lives and at the clouded future.

"I can sum up the last year in three words: Fear, love, hope," said Oleksandr Hranyk, a school director in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city.

Lining up in the capital, Kyiv, to buy anniversary commemorative postage stamps, Tetiana Klimkova said "this day has become a symbol for me that we have survived for a whole year and will continue to live."

"On this day," she said, "our children and grandchildren will remember how strong Ukrainians are mentally, physically and spiritually."

China on Friday called for a cease-fire but peace was nowhere in sight.

Zelenskyy gave qualified support to China's apparent new interest in playing a diplomatic role, saying: "The fact that China started talking about Ukraine is not bad."

"But the question is what follows the words," he said during a wide-ranging news conference. "The question is in the steps and where they will lead to." Ukraine previously rejected a pause in the fighting for fear it would allow Russia to regroup militarily after bruising battlefield setbacks.

A 12-point paper issued by China's Foreign Ministry also urged an end to sanctions that aim to squeeze Russia's economy.

That suggestion looked like a nonstarter. The U.S., in coordination with Group of Seven allies, announced a new sanctions on Russian firms, banks, manufacturers and people Friday, aiming them at entities that helped Russia evade sanctions earlier in the war.

The U.S. announced a new, $2 billion package of assistance for Ukraine on Friday. It includes weapons to counter Russias unmanned systems and several types of drones, as well as electronic warfare detection equipment.

Ukraine is readying another military push to roll back Russian forces with the help of weaponry that has poured in from the West.

NATO member Poland said Friday it delivered four advanced Leopard 2A4 tanks, the first country to hand the German-made armored vehicles to Ukraine. The prime minister of Poland said on a visit to Kyiv that more Leopards are coming.

"Ukraine is entering a new period, with a new task  to win," Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said.

"It will not be easy. But we will manage," he added. "There is rage and a desire to avenge the fallen."

Air raid alarms didn't sound Friday in Kyiv, alleviating concerns that Russia might unleash another barrage of missiles on the anniversary.

Tributes to Ukraine's resilience took place in other countries.

The Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Colosseum in Rome were among monuments illuminated in Ukraine's colors  yellow and blue. In Berlin, a wrecked Russian tank was put on display.

Anti-war activists in Belgrade, Serbia, left a cake covered with red icing representing blood and a skull on top on a pavement near the Russian Embassy.

In Russia, media and rights groups reported more police arrests of protesters who took to the streets with anti-war slogans and flowers in various parts of the country.

The war's one-year mark kept Ukraine's president exceptionally busy. Zelenskyy kicked off the day with an early morning tweet that promised: "We know that 2023 will be the year of our victory!"

He also addressed troops on a Kyiv square and handed out honors, including to the widow and daughter of a fallen soldier, telling them: "We will never forget." In a Kyiv hospital, he decorated wounded fighters.

Unable to fly by plane from Ukraine because of the war, Zelenskyy did the next best thing at his news conference, spending nearly 2 hours with journalists from around the world. He thanked country after country for its support.

The news conference was televised live, which was unusual. Generally, Zelenskyy's speeches and comments are broadcast with a delay until he has left a location to protect him from a possible attack.

Zelenskyy argued that Ukraine cannot negotiate with Russia while its aggression continues. "Leave our territory. Stop bombing us," he said. He argued Russian President Vladimir Putin should be held responsible for war crimes.
Wolf Carbon Solutions will not use eminent domain to acquire easements for a carbon dioxide pipeline through Eastern Iowa, according to the companys permit application filed Thursday with the Iowa Utilities Board.

The decision to obtain all the land for the pipeline route through voluntary easements sets the Wolf project apart from two other proposed CO2 pipelines in Iowa, and sidesteps the most contentious aspect of the pipeline development.

The Wolf development team has never used eminent domain in its collective careers in building long-haul pipelines and it doesnt intend to start now, Nick Noppinger, Wolfs vice president for corporate development, told The Gazette.

The company has not yet signed any easement deals, he said.

In our history of developing pipelines, we feel its more important to develop relationships with all the people in the right of way pathway before we start talking to them about easements, he said. Well begin negotiations on easements in the next couple months.

Wolfs proposal calls for collecting compressed carbon dioxide at ADM plants in Cedar Rapids and Clinton and shipping it in a 16-inch underground pipeline to ADMs sequestration site near Decatur, Ill. Wolf wants to find other industrial clients to tie into the project, which would be eligible for up to $1 billion a year in federal tax credits.

The 280-mile project, with 95 miles in Iowa, would provide $1.1 billion in economic development for Iowa, Wolf officials said at an informational meeting Dec. 5 in Cedar Rapids. In Linn County, there would be 311 jobs during construction of the pipeline bringing in $22 million, they said.

Iowa has two other proposed CO2 pipeline projects that already have applied for permits from regulators.

Summit Carbon Solutions proposes a five-state pipeline, with 680 miles in northern and western Iowa, that would end at a sequestration site in North Dakota. The Iowa Utilities Board last week released a schedule calling for the public hearing on the Summit project to happen between October and January.

Navigator CO2 Ventures wants to build a 1,300-mile underground pipeline, with 900 Iowa miles stretching from the northwest to southeast corners of the state.

Both of those companies have asked the Iowa Utilities Board to be granted the right to use eminent domain to force easements, with compensation, from landowners who dont sell willingly.

Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance Director Doug Neumann said in August the organization supports a carbon dioxide pipeline that would benefit ADM  one of its members  despite opposition from many landowners on the proposed route.

We have looked at this project and our organization supports this project and only this CO2 pipeline project in Iowa at this time, Neumann said. To support the agribusiness economy of Iowa we need companies like ADM to be successful.

ADM, which has been producing ethanol since 1980, operates a heavy-volume wet mill and a dry mill, as well as a cogeneration plant, just south of Highway 30 in Cedar Rapids. Besides ethanol, the company produces starches, sweeteners and animal feed.

The Cedar Rapids site employs 450, with another 200 and 300 skilled-trade contractors on site, officials told The Gazette in October.

The Wolf project has a lot of local opponents, including people who posted signs against it near Ely.

More than 150 people attended a rally Feb. 21 at the Iowa Capitol denouncing the pipeline projects. Concerns include fear of explosions, landowner rights and uncertainty about what happens after the pipelines 20-year life span.

Iowa House Republicans advanced House File 368, which would require CO2 pipeline companies to obtain 90 percent of the miles along their path through voluntary easements. The bill also would place a moratorium on projects until the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration develops new rules that govern the hazardous pipelines.
The Danish ambassador was summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry: Ankara has made a demand

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44-year-old man found hanging from a tree

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12 patients transported from Artsakh to Armenia, 8  back in Artsakh

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Political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan and the UK took place in Turkmenistan.

The delegation of Turkmenistan was headed by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Vepa Hajiyev, and the British side was headed by Deputy Head of the Department of Eastern Europe and Central Asia of the British Foreign Ministry Justin McKenzie Smith

During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on issues such as bilateral relations and regional policy, trade and economic cooperation and human resources.

The need for further intensification of bilateral cooperation in the international arena, in particular within the framework of the UN, was stressed, and the importance of mutual support for international initiatives and initiatives within the framework of reputable regional and international platforms was also noted.

In addition, the diplomats discussed the current state of trade relations. In this context, the need to intensify further steps to increase the volume of mutual trade using the potential of the Turkmen-British Trade and Industry Council (TUKTIC) was emphasized, and the possibility of organizing an Investment Forum of Turkmenistan in London was discussed.

Meanwhile, Turkmenistan and the UK have common interests in key areas of cooperation - politics, economy, energy, and investment. Currently, Turkmenistan's attention to the British side is caused by the fact that the UK occupies one of the leading positions in the production of electrical equipment, in the field of electronics, nanotechnology, pharmaceuticals, finance, and many other sectors of the economy.
Russia is in talks with a Chinese manufacturer to buy 100 drones with a delivery date of April, the German magazine Der Spiegel reported Thursday without citing specific sources.



In recent days, the U.S., Germany and other Western countries have urged China not to sell weapons to Russia to wage war against Ukraine, saying any such move would have serious consequences.



Western powers have accused Russia, which is under strict Western sanctions imposed in response to aggression against Ukraine, of buying weapons from Iran and North Korea, including drones. However, China has not yet sold weapons to Russia to wage war in Ukraine.



Der Spiegel writes that Chinese drone manufacturer Xian Bingo Intelligent Aviation Technology said it was ready to produce 100 prototypes of the ZT-180 drone, which, according to the magazine, can carry a 35-50 kg warhead.



German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told the Chinese representatives that they would not be able to agree with that, he said Thursday in an interview with ZDF television when asked about less specific reports that China might help Russia with weapons.



According to the German publication, the drone is similar to Iran's Shaheed-136, with which Russia has carried out countless attacks in Ukraine, claiming hundreds of lives and severely damaging civilian infrastructure.



The publication said Xian Bingo has plans to help set up a drone production site in Russia, where up to 100 drones could be produced per month.
The Artsakh Foreign Ministry issued a statement regarding the ruling of the International Court of Justice demanding the unblocking of the Lachin corridor.



"We welcome the Order by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) dated 22 February on the indication of a provisional measure to Azerbaijan, obliging the latter to take all measures at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. This court order is a logical continuation of previous provisional measures indicated by the ICJ on 7 December 2021, and obliging Azerbaijan to prevent the incitement and promotion of racial hatred and discrimination, including by its officials and public institutions, targeted at persons of Armenian national or ethnic origin.



We deem it important that when considering the case, the ICJ noted that the blockade may constitute a violation by Azerbaijan of the rights of the people of Artsakh protected under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The ICJ order allows to define the ongoing blockade of Artsakh as a manifestation of discriminatory actions deliberately carried out by the Azerbaijani authorities. Of particular importance is also the Court's conclusion that the ongoing blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan entails a real and imminent risk that irreparable harm will be caused to the rights of the people of Artsakh. Thus, while indicating a provisional measure to Azerbaijan, the International Court of Justice used the tools available within their competence to protect the people of Artsakh from racial discrimination by Azerbaijan.



The Court's decision is an objective confirmation of the repeatedly voiced position of Artsakh that the blockade is just another episode of Azerbaijan's decades-long discriminatory policies aimed at expelling the people of Artsakh from their historical homeland. The criminal policy of Azerbaijan, carried out against the people of Artsakh and bearing a large-scale and systematic character, is defined by international law as a crime against humanity. The international community in general and the UN member states in particular have legal and political obligations to take effective steps to prevent such massive human rights violations, as well as restore the violated rights.



In this context, we call on the international community to take effective measures to ensure the immediate and unconditional implementation by Azerbaijan of the order of the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. At the same time, we deem it necessary to systematically and thoroughly consider at the international level the issue of the legal protection of the people of Artsakh from the Azerbaijani policy of massive violations of their rights. We are convinced that in their approaches to resolving the conflict between Artsakh and Azerbaijan, the international community, as an effective remedy, should acknowledge the legitimacy of the Artsakh people's choice for independence. Any discussion of the possibility of recognizing Azerbaijani jurisdiction and control over Artsakh and its people is tantamount to encouraging Azerbaijan's policy of ethnic cleansing," the statement reads.
By Azernews

Laman Ismayilova

The Heydar Aliyev Center has hosted a book presentation "613 Martyrs of Khojaly" ahead of the 31st anniversary of the Khojaly genocide.

The book is dedicated to the victims of the Khojaly genocide, committed by the Armenian armed forces on the night of February 25-26, 1992, Azernews reports.

Speaking at the book presentation, Author Durdana Aghayeva, emphasized that it had been published within the Justice for Khojaly International Awareness Campaign, launched in 2008, at the initiative of Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva.

The campaign aims to raise international public awareness of the Khojaly genocide.

The campaign's activities are also directed towards honoring the victims and keeping their memories alive, particularly by constantly informing the younger generations, supporting the survivors, and seeking ways to relieve their suffering.

Durdana Aghayeva stressed the importance of the book in terms of making the truth about the Khojaly genocide known to the international community, as well as to the Azerbaijani youth.

She outlined that the Khojaly genocide was one of the worst tragedies in the history of not only Azerbaijan but of all mankind.

Durdana Aghayeva is one of those who survived the horrors of that terrible night.

The Armenians held her hostage for eight days. She witnessed Armenian vandalism and was subjected to cruel torture.

However, the blood of martyrs did not remain unavenged. The 44-day second Karabakh war ended with the liberation of the occupied Azerbaijani territories from nearly 30-year-long Armenian occupation and the restoration of territorial integrity.

In their remarks, People's Writer Chingiz Abdullayev, eyewitnesses of the Khojaly tragedy, and military experts also delivered praised the historical merits of national leader Heydar Aliyev in conveying the truth about the Khojaly genocide to the international community. They underlined that only after the great leader's return to power, the Khojaly tragedy underwent political and legal assessment for the first time.

Upon the initiative of the national leader, on February 24, 1994, the Azerbaijani parliament adopted a resolution, according to which February 26 was declared the Day of the Khojaly genocide in Azerbaijan.

The book "613 Martyrs of Khojaly" tells about the bloodiest massacre committed against humanity in the XX century.

On the night of 25-26 February 1992, the Armenian armed forces attacked the civilian population of the besieged town of Khojaly with heavy military equipment, killing them with unprecedented brutality.

As a result of the crime, as many as 613 civil residents, including 63 children, 106 women, and 70 old people were killed in the massacre, 1,000 people were injured, and 1,275 were taken hostage.

The book "613 Martyrs of Khojaly" also tells about how the city of Khojaly was in peacetime.

The book presentation was met with great interest.
By Azernews

Mobile field hospitals of the Azerbaijani Emergencies Ministry have provided 1,623 people with medical aid in Turkey, Azernews reports, citing the Azerbaijan ministry.

As instructed by President Ilham Aliyev, the mobile field hospitals of the Azerbaijani Emergencies Ministry were dispatched to Turkiye to help with eliminating the aftermath of the devastating earthquake.

The mobile field hospitals continue providing medical aid in quake-hit Kahramanmarash.

As the ministry reports, mobile field hospitals provided 1,623 people, including 319 children, with high-level medical services.

Mobile field hospitals with all kinds of examination and treatment facilities continue to operate without interruption, the ministry noted.

The European-Mediterranean Seismological Center reports that on January 6, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit central Turkiye. The epicenter of the earthquake was 26 kilometers off Gaziantep with a population of about 1.06 million. The earthquake's epicenter was located 7 km below the surface. According to Turkiye's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority, three more earthquakes with magnitudes of 6.4 to 6.6 shook the province of Gaziantep in southeastern Turkiye.
Each week, Emory Report is featuring one of the six focus areas of One Emory: Ambition and Heart, the renewed strategic framework announced by President Fenves during the Feb. 7 Charter Week gathering.

Academic community of choice is about students  providing them with a distinctive education that is rigorous, life-changing and tailored to their purpose at the undergraduate, graduate and professional degree levels; preparing them for a lifetime of purpose and success in whatever they pursue after graduation

As Emory President Gregory L. Fenves introduced the renewed One Emory strategic framework, he emphasized that Emory must be an Academic Community of Choice for all talented students.

The One Emory framework will continue to elevate the university as a top destination for students:

In short, Fenves concluded, I want Emory to be a place for learning that gives as much to our students as our students give to us.

Building an Academic Community of Choice: 3 questions with Branden Grimmett of the Pathways Center

Grimmetts previous experience building partnerships as associate provost of career and professional development at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California, made him the perfect candidate for developing the Pathways Center at Emory College of Arts and Sciences. At Emory, Grimmett serves as associate dean of the Pathways Center and vice provost of career and professional development.

The Pathways Center encompasses five offices: the career center, experiential learning, national scholarships and fellowships, pre-health advising and undergraduate research. The Center primarily serves undergraduate students but is available to all Emory students and alumni.

It brings together existing units and offices to make the process of students pursuing postgraduate employment, research and further education smoother, Grimmett says. What were trying to do is make it both easier for students to navigate their time at and beyond Emory and also make it easier for employers and graduate institutions to better recruit our students.

The Pathways Center helps demonstrate that things like experiential learning and job shadowing arent disconnected from the classroom  theyre intrinsically connected. When students engage in Emorys rich liberal arts curriculum, they are simultaneously building the necessary skills to navigate a rapidly changing world. The Pathways Center will help them navigate next steps, whether thats an internship, research experience, or full-time job. If theres one question Id like students to stop asking themselves, its, What am I going to do for the rest of my life? and instead start asking, What am I going to do next? This reframes the situation, reduces their stress and ultimately empowers them to make their own decisions.

We just finished a retreat for sophomores called the Sophomore Summit where we took 60 Emory College and Oxford College students off campus for two full days. Students met alumni, faculty and even the producer of the Netflix shows Chefs Table and Cheer, and ultimately came away with a lot more clarity about their future.

Through events like the Sophomore Summit, Emory and Oxford students are continuing to explore the curriculum because of Pathways Center, rather than quickly foreclosing on a major or minor or career. Theyre making decisions when theyre ready, because theyve taken the time to explore their core values and who they are foundationally before making these big decisions.

Its often said that you can tell how much a university cares about its students by how many resources they put into them, including their preparation for postgraduate life. Behind the Pathways Center are nearly 40 employees ready to help students navigate research opportunities, internships, full-time employment and other potential routes. One of our initiatives is providing internship funding up to $5,000 to help reduce systemic barriers. We also created a zero-credit internship option for the summer so students can receive academic credit for their experiences without needing to pay tuition for the experience.

Emory students, both now and moving forward, should feel extremely confident about the education theyre getting and the skills they are building to solve some of the worlds biggest problems . Theyll credit Emory and the Pathways Center for helping them launch and tackle those big problems. Were also training those same students on how to give back to their community and to Emory. Our goal is that every student utilizes the full strength of the institution while also contributing their time, talent and expertise to help students that come after them.

Building an Academic Community of Choice: 3 questions with student Cody Nelson

The position next to Atlanta allows for my experience as a student to be much more enriching than if I had gone to an in-state college. I chose Oxford because I thought a smaller campus would be the best way for me to integrate myself into college life, Nelson says.

Through the Student Flourishing initiative and the Emory Purpose Project, Nelson participated in the Oxford Milestone Project, which is a new advising and reflection curriculum that encourages students to integrate knowledge from classrooms, co-curricular and lived experiences into deeper understandings of their purpose and future goals. This project culminates in an online portfolio that demonstrates how students see themselves growing into the future.

Oxford provided an environment that prepared me mentally and allowed me to emotionally mature and better myself before I went on to do big things in Atlanta, Nelson says.

The Purpose Project allowed a space for me to concentrate and reflect on all of my experiences. I forget some of the trials and tribulations that I have gone through, and this project has pushed me to recall and consider all the things that have made me grow as a person.

The project itself does not have to center around a students difficulties and issues but I grew as a person through those hard times because when under pressure I dig down and try to bring control back to my life. This reflects deeply in my project, which also examines the way I managed to bring myself peace after that.

It hasnt changed my goals, but I would say it helped keep me on track to work toward those goals. Though I still have time to change, so far I have the same major and same career goals and am taking rigorous classes while also working at a part-time internship.

This process has allowed me to balance all aspects of my life so Im not cracking under pressure or failing to succeed in a particular area. I am not perfect, but reflection has helped me realize perfection is not the goal.

As we grow up, I think we lose or give up a lot of things that no longer serve us. I might sound like a broken record, but my journey has included me looking deeper into myself and bringing back aspects of myself from my childhood, like reading and writing.

I was always a creative child but discarded it when I grew up because I didnt have time or thought I didnt need it; but as I tried to better understand myself, I went back to using the same tools and that ultimately made me a better person. Overall, I was surprised about what aspects of myself I would come back to as I got older.
People have inhabited the Andes mountains of South America for more than 9,000 years, adapting to the scarce oxygen available at high altitudes, along with cold temperatures and intense ultraviolet radiation. A new genomic study suggests that Indigenous populations in present-day Ecuador also adapted to the tuberculosis bacterium, thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans.

The journal iScience published the findings, led by scientists at Emory University.

We found that selection for genes involved in TB-response pathways started to uptick a little over 3,000 years ago, says Sophie Joseph, first author of the paper and an Emory graduate student in anthropology. Thats an interesting time because it was when agriculture began proliferating in the region. The development of agriculture leads to more densely populated societies that are better at spreading a respiratory pathogen like TB.

The investigators had originally set out to investigate how the Indigenous people of Ecuador adapted to living at high altitude.

We were surprised to find that the strongest genetic signals of positive selection were not associated with high altitude but for the immune response to tuberculosis, says John Lindo, Emory assistant professor of anthropology and senior author of the study. Our results bring up more questions regarding the prevalence of tuberculosis in the Andes prior to European contact.

The Lindo lab specializes in mapping little-explored human lineages of the Americas.

Previously published research found evidence of the tuberculosis bacterium in the skeletal material of 1,400-year-old Andean mummies, contradicting some theories that TB did not exist in South America until the arrival of Europeans 500 years ago.

The current paper provides the first evidence for a human immune-system response to TB in ancient Andeans and gives clues to when and how their genomes may have adapted to that exposure.

Human-pathogen co-evolution is an understudied area that has a huge bearing on modern-day public health, Joseph says. Understanding how pathogens and humans have been linked and affecting each other over time may give insights into novel treatments for any number of infectious diseases.

Co-authors of the paper include scientists at Central University of Ecuador, Technical University of Manabi in Ecuador, University of Pavia in Italy, University of Iowa and Florida Atlantic University.

The researchers sequenced whole genomes using blood samples from 15 present-day Indigenous individuals living at altitudes above 2,500 meters in several different Ecuadorian provinces. They performed a series of scans to look for signatures of positive selection for genes in their ancestral past.

Computational techniques for sequencing genomes and modeling ancestral selection keep improving, Joseph says. The genomes of people living today give us a window into the past.

Among the strongest signals detected were for biomarkers that are switched on in modern humans during an active TB infection. The researchers modeled the timing of selection for several of the genes involved in the TB-response pathways.

Although they were not as strong as for exposure to TB, some signals were also detected for biomarkers related to adaptation to hypoxia, or low levels of oxygen in the blood that result from living at high altitude.

Previous research has revealed stark differences in how high-altitude populations in Tibet, Ethiopia and the Peruvian Andes adapted to hypoxia.

For the Ecuadorean samples, we did see a couple of overlaps with studies from the Peruvian Andes in the overarching genes involved in the selection for hypoxia, although the variants were slightly different, Joseph says. To me, that suggests that there may have been independent adaptations within even small populations, at the community level. It shows the robustness of the genome to solve adaptive problems through different pathways.

Joseph plans a career focused on mapping ancestral data for Indigenous populations from the Americas.

South America has far fewer genomic studies and publications compared to Europe and Id like to help close that gap, she says.

I want to understand human evolution and health from an integrated biological perspective, Joseph adds. The genome can reveal many fascinating things and yet it is just one aspect of a human being. You also have to consider the environment and social-cultural aspects.
Warning Ukraine and NATO against an "provocation" in the Moldovan breakaway region of Transnistria, Russia on Friday said that any action that poses a threat to Russian peacekeepers or nationals there will be seen as an attack on Russia. In a statement on Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry, citing data from the Defence Ministry that Ukraine has amassed considerable numbers of military personnel, as well as hardware and artillery on its border with Transnistria, warned the "US, NATO member states and their Ukrainian underlings against any further adventurous steps", RT reported. While Russia favours "political-diplomatic" ways of resolving issues, "no one should have any doubt that the Russian armed forces will react appropriately to any provocation by the Kiev regime," the statement read. It stressed that it is determined to protect its citizens, peacekeepers, and military personnel stationed in Moldova's breakaway region, and any actions posing a threat to their security will be viewed, according to international law, as an attack against the Russian Federation. The report of a Ukrainian military buildup along the country's border with Transnistria was issued by the Russian Defence Ministry on Thursday. The territory on the left bank of the Dniester River proclaimed independence from Moldova in the early 1990s, shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Around 1,100 Russian soldiers are stationed in Transnistria as peacekeepers in order to monitor a 1992 ceasefire between Moldovan and local forces. --IANS vd ( 252 Words) 2023-02-24-19:18:04 (IANS)
New Delhi [India], February 24 (ANI/NewsVoir): The paradigm shifts needed to alter consumption patterns and globalise lifestyle changes were highlighted by an expert panel from across the globe as it deliberated on 'Lifestyle for Environment: Institutions, Policies and Social Movements' at the World Sustainable Development Summit in New Delhi on Wednesday. Panellists from the spheres of politics, science, policy and economics underscored the imperative need for lifestyles to change if sustainable development has to be mainstreamed. Observing that initiatives such as India's Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE) reflect the true empowerment of a community to solve global challenges, Ms Mariam Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, United Arab Emirates, illustrated the initiatives taken by the UAE to address lifestyle changes. Noting that awareness is key, Ms Almheiri said, "In the UAE, We have to reduce our food loss and food waste by at least 50% by 2030. Awareness campaigns have been held for more sustainable production." Dr Ali Abou Senna, CEO, Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency and Assistant Minister, pointed out that Egypt has always drawn up strategies and plans that would integrate environment decisions and climate action in economic and development sectors. Giving a different perspective to the impact of behavioural changes, Jeffrey D. Sachs, Professor, Earth Institute and Columbia University, observed that a decarbonized system will involve more technology changes than lifestyle changes. "A lot of the transformations will be in the systems we live on, like the power grid, that will be deeply transformed," pointed out Professor Sachs. He added that "We would solve three quarters of emissions not with lifestyle changes but through technological transformation, but our lives will change considerably in the future, and by and large, for the better if we adhere to sustainable development norms." Jean-Pascal van Ypersele, Former IPCC Vice-Chair, emphasized the link between lifestyles and climate change when he highlighted that all lifestyles will be affected by climate change. "The lifestyles of the most vulnerable are the most affected by climate induced circumstances. Climate is changing because we have been using the atmosphere as a dustbin." Emphasizing the varying role played by developed and developing countries in exacerbating the emission scenario, both at present and historically, he said, "The rich members of the community pollute much more in terms of GHG and they have to act first. Demand management does not mean demand decrease everywhere." Dr Erik Solheim, former Executive Director, UN Environment Programme, noted that it is necessary to pick up a positive agenda for lifestyle change, one that takes us closer to nature. Asserting the need to change the way we extract and consume resources, Dr Janez Potocnik, Co-Chair, International Resource Panel said, "Our work has shown that material extraction and processing are having the triple planetary crisis. They cause 50% of global climate impacts and over 90% of the land related biodiversity loss and water stress and over a third of health related pollution. By changing how we extract and consume resources, we have a huge opportunity to simultaneously address all the crisis." Dr Prodipto Ghosh, Distinguished Fellow, TERI, pointed out that lifestyles need to grow into a global discipline and for that conceptual aspects have to translate into a set of high-level principles. Dr Suneel Pandey, Director, TERI, emphasized global partnerships are needed to achieve the benefits of life. The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), based in India, is an independent, multi- dimensional research organization with capabilities in policy research, technology development, and implementation. An innovator and agent of change in the energy, environment, climate change and sustainability space, TERI has pioneered conversations and action in these areas for nearly five decades. Headquartered in New Delhi, it has centres in six Indian cities, and is supported by a multi-disciplinary team of scientists, sociologists, economists, engineers, administrative professional and state-of-the-art infrastructure. This story has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)
Global trade remained resilient and performed better than pessimistic predictions for 2022 as economies greatly affected by the war in Ukraine found alternative sources of supply, according to a World Trade Organisation note. For the longer-term outlook, new WTO simulations showed the importance of strengthening the multilateral trading system, with least-developed countries likely to be hardest hit if international cooperation were to break down. The note titled -- One year of war in Ukraine: Assessing the impact on global trade and development -- also found that global trade was resilient, following one year of war in Ukraine. The WTO note estimated that global trade growth in 2022 was above the WTO trade forecast of 3 per cent issued in April and substantially higher than its estimates for more pessimistic scenarios for the year. The stability of global trade was also evident in global supply chains, confirmed by the 4 per cent year-on-year growth of trade in intermediate goods in the second quarter of 2022, it said. "Global trade has held up well in the face of the war in Ukraine. Despite the devastation, we have seen one year on, trade flows remained open. We have not seen the worst predictions foreseen at the onset of the war," Chief Economist Ralph Ossa said, adding, "Sharply higher food prices and supply shortages have not materialized thanks to the openness of the multilateral trading system and the cooperation governments have committed to at the WTO." "Resilience will ultimately be best served by fostering deeper and more diverse international markets, anchored in open and predictable trade rules," he said. Furthermore, trade in products significantly affected by the war and trade by the most exposed countries were remarkably resilient, WTO said in the note. Trading partners found alternative sources to fill in the gaps for most products affected by the conflict, such as wheat, maize, sunflower products, fertiliser, fuels and palladium -- a rare earth mineral used in catalytic converters for cars, it added. Prices for goods greatly affected by the war rose less than expected at the beginning of the war. Among products most affected by the war, prices increased between 4.4 per cent for palladium and 24.2 per cent for maize. While these price increases are substantial, they are significantly lower than the gloomiest predictions. WTO Secretariat staff simulations highlighted that in the case of cascading export restrictions on food, prices for wheat could have increased by up to 85 per cent in some low-income regions compared to the actual increase of 17 per cent. The note further finds that Ukrainian exports collapsed by 30 per cent in 2022 in value terms. Exports of cereal, which are central to the food security of many African economies, declined by 14.9 per cent forcing these economies to adjust their sourcing patterns. Russia's exports expanded by 15.6 per cent in value terms because of an increase in prices particularly for fuels, fertilisers and cereals, according to the WTO note. However, estimates suggested Russia's export volume may have declined slightly. Trade flows are sharply down for industrial goods such as motor vehicles, pharmaceuticals or aircraft, where sanctions are more restrictive. (ANI)
According to the statement released by the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka on Friday, it has issued a letter of approval to Adani Green Energy Limited, for the two wind power plants. Also, the new project will generate 1,500-2,000 new employment opportunities.

The wind power plant in Mannar will operate at a capacity of 250 megawatt (MW) while the wind power plant in Pooneryn will operate at a capacity of 100 MW.

The two wind power plants of 350 MW are scheduled to be commissioned in two years and accordingly, will be added to the national grid by 2025.

Fitch Ratings on Thursday affirmed the 'BBB-' ratings on the USD 400 million senior secured notes issued by the restricted group of India-based Adani Transmission Ltd (ATL, BBB-/Stable).

The outlook is stable, the statement from Fitch said. The restricted group includes six co-issuers -- Barmer Power Transmission Service Limited, Chhattisgarh-WR Transmission Limited, Hadoti Power Transmission Service Limited, Raipur-Rajnandgaon-Warora Transmission Limited, Sipat Transmission Limited and Thar Power Transmission Service Limited and one non-issuing Special purpose vehicle (SPV), Adani Transmission (Rajasthan) Ltd (ATRL).

The Dhaka Tribune in a report on Thursday said the Adani Group will supply electricity to Bangladesh for the next 25 years.

According to the agreement the company signed with the Bangladesh government, Adani is setting up a power plant in the Godda district of Jharkhand and once the plant starts to produce power, it will supply electricity to Bangladesh.

The report added that Bangladesh signed the deal with Adani Power back in 2017. (ANI)
Al Barakah Dates, a market leading dates processor, has announced plans to expand its presence in India exporting over 30,000 tonnes of bulk raw material from its factory in Dubai Industrial City (DIC).

The joint venture with India-based leading food processing firm Candor Foods Pvt Ltd was announced at a signing ceremony at Gulfood 2023. It comes on the back of the UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) announced in May 2022 to enable greater market access through preferential tariff rates and benefits.

Al Barakah Dates factory in DIC is the worlds largest privately-owned dates factory. It is designed to process over 100,000 tonnes of dates and dates products annually  equivalent to almost half of the UAEs entire domestic harvest. The joint venture will employ the factorys extended production capabilities and DICs strategic connectivity via air, sea, road and soon Etihad Rail, to meet the demands of one of the worlds biggest consumer markets.

Equal contributor

Speaking on behalf of DIC, Saud Abu Alshawareb, Executive Vice President of Industrial Leasing  TECOM Group, said: The UAE and Indias trade history is coming full circle. The UAE is now an equal contributor to a long-standing exchange of ideas, crafts, cuisine and culture. CEPA provides a mutually beneficial corridor for UAE-based manufacturers like Al Barakah Dates to export to a large and powerful consumer market.

They are a formidable UAE-made brand, and one of our strategic partners. We are thrilled to see their factory and connectivity in Dubai Industrial City enable global expansion  its a great step to drive up trade and investment, in line with the Dubai Economic Agenda and Make it in the Emirates.

Yousuf Saleem, Managing Director at Al Barakah Dates Factory, said: This joint venture with Candor Foods gives us a solid foothold to develop the Al Barakah Dates brand in the Indian market and promote UAE dates and ingredients. The potential of the Indian market is immense, and our state-of-the-art factory in Dubai Industrial City is well-equipped to cater to this high demand with its impressive capacity and capability."

Growing rapidly

Yash Gawdi, Managing Director at Candor Foods, said: The dates market in India has been growing rapidly in the recent years, driven by increasing consumer demand for healthy and natural sweeteners. The joint venture with Al Barakah Dates Factory will help create a reliable and sustainable supply dates and date ingredients to India.

Al Barakah Dates has a proven track record in the dates business and we look forward to combining our expertise to create a sustainable and socially responsible business that benefits all stakeholders including farmers and consumers. CEPA has opened new opportunities and a favourable environment for our joint venture to achieve its full potential.

The joint venture underscores UAEs growing significance as a prominent manufacturing hub, a priority of Operation 300bn. The industrial strategy aims to develop the UAEs industrial sector and enhance its role in stimulating the national economy by promoting localised production and promotion of exports to global markets.

As the largest industrial hub in the region, DIC is a key proponent of Operation 300bn. It offers businesses integrated solutions, fully equipped infrastructure  including industrial land, warehouses and workers accommodations, and an extension transportation networks to access global markets.

DIC is part of TECOM Groups portfolio of business districts that includes Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, Dubai Studio City, Dubai Production City, Dubai Knowledge Park, Dubai International Academic City, Dubai Design District (d3) and Dubai Science Park.-- TradeArabia News Service
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 24 (ANI/NewsVoir): HDFC Life, one of India's leading life insurers, has launched HDFC Life Guaranteed Income Insurance Plan. This product provides guaranteed, regular, tax-free benefits and guaranteed death benefits. HDFC Life constantly endeavours to offer products that meet various life stage needs of individuals. With HDFC Life Guaranteed Income Insurance Plan, the Company is providing an opportunity for customers to build a financial corpus that would support them through regular and guaranteed income. Life insurance is a necessity for every individual with responsibilities and long-term financial goals. HDFC Life Guaranteed Income Insurance Plan can enable fulfilment of these goals. Key benefits: - The plan provides a guaranteed income of 11 per cent to 13 per cent annually as a percentage of the Sum Assured under the policy - Discount on first-year premium is available for online purchase; discount of 12 per cent for 8 and 10 years of premium payment term (PPT) and a discount of 15 per cent for 12 and 15 years PPT - The plan provides life cover even during the income payout phase - Individuals can choose the income period of 8, 10, 12, 15, 20, 25 or 30 years - Guaranteed Death Benefit can be availed of either in lump sum or in monthly installments as a family income benefit option - The entry age for the plan ranges from 0 (zero) to 65 years - This is a non-participating life insurance plan Speaking on the launch Aneesh Khanna - Head Products & Segments, HDFC Life said, "At HDFC Life, our aim is to ensure financial security for our policyholders and their loved ones. Life insurance as a product category provides the dual benefits of protection and long-term savings. HDFC Life Guaranteed Income Insurance plan offers guaranteed returns and secures policyholders from future uncertainties. The plan offers choice of premium payment term and life cover even during the income payout phase. We hope individuals make the most of this plan and build a corpus along with a financial safety net for themselves and their families." HDFC Life Insurance Company Limited ('HDFC Life' / 'Company') is a joint venture between HDFC Ltd., India's leading housing finance institution and abrdn (Mauritius Holdings) 2006 Limited, a global investment company. Established in 2000, HDFC Life is a leading, listed, long-term life insurance solutions provider in India, offering a range of individual and group insurance solutions that meet various customer needs such as Protection, Pension, Savings, Investment, Annuity and Health. The Company has more than 60 products (including individual and group products) and optional riders in its portfolio, catering to a diverse range of customer needs. HDFC Life continues to benefit from its increased presence across the country, having a wide reach with branches and additional distribution touch-points through several new tie-ups and partnerships. The count of distribution partnerships is over 300, comprising banks, NBFCs, MFIs, SFBs, brokers and new ecosystem partners amongst others. The Company has a strong base of financial consultants. For more information, please visit www.hdfclife.com You may also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn. This story has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)
Both the leaders agreed to extend the growing economic cooperation between the two countries to new areas like renewable energy, infrastructure and green cities.

The ongoing problems due to debt vulnerabilities of several nations also featured during the discussion between the two leaders.

Le Maire thanked Sitharaman for the recently concluded Tata-Airbus landmark deal.

Earlier in the day, Sitharaman and RBI governor Shaktikanta Das helmed the proceedings on the first day of the FMCBG meeting.

The meeting will conclude on Saturday.

--IANS ans/uk/

( 124 Words)

2023-02-24-20:36:02 (IANS)
Just a day after revealing her baby boy's name, Paris Hilton introduced her bunch of joy to the world. Taking to Instagram on Thursday, the model socialite posted the first pictures of her boy, Phoenix Barron Hilton Reum. The first picture is a perfect family frame. Paris is holding the sleeping Phoenix on her shoulder while, Carter planting a kiss on Paris's forehead. In the second picture, Paris is kissing her boy. In the caption, she wrote, "Baby Phoenix. Our whole entire world." https://www.instagram.com/p/CpBA3gBPiwh/ Paris broke the news of her son's birth on January 24, posting a picture of his hand wrapped in hers to Instagram with a caption, "You are already loved beyond words." According to People, Paris and her husband Carter Reum welcomed the child via surrogacy. "It's always been my dream to be a mother and I'm so happy that Carter and I found each other," she told the outlet. "We are so excited to start our family together and our hearts are exploding with love for our baby boy." Following more than a year of dating, Hilton and Reum got engaged in February 2021. They later wed in a three-day ceremony in November of that same year. Reum, a native of Chicago and a longtime friend of the Hiltons, is an author, business owner, and the founder of the venture capital firm M13. (ANI)
Taking to Instagram, Boney shared a throwback picture which she captioned, "My first picture ...... 1984."

https://www.instagram.com/p/CpBKF61o0aP/

In the monochrome picture, Sridevi and Boney could be seen smiling.

Soon after Boney shared the picture, fans flooded the comment section with red heart emoticons and emotional messages.

"Mr & Mrs Kapoor miss u Sridevi mam," a fan commented.

Another fan wrote, "you are so sweet you are both wonderful.. boneyji, be strong... "

The filmmaker shared another picture in which Sridevi could be seen kissing him on his cheeks.

"Just expressing," he captioned the post.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CpBL-hOISkS/

Sridevi breathed her last on February 24, 2018, in Dubai, where she had gone to attend a family function.

Born as Shree Amma Yanger Ayyapan in 1963, she's known for her iconic roles in Hindi movies like 'Chandni', 'Lamhe', 'Mr India', 'Chaalbaaz', 'Nagina', 'Sadma' and 'English Vinglish', among many more.

The Padma Shri awardee also made a mark with her extraordinary performances in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada films. Her last film was 'Mom', for which she also received the Best Actress National Award, posthumously. (ANI)
In another twist to their ongoing saga, Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui's estranged wife Aaliya Siddiqui has charged him with alleged rape and lodged a complaint with Versova Police Station here on Friday. Aaliya, who had slapped a divorce notice to Nawazuddin in 2021, herself made the announcement on her Instagram account, though police officials declined to comment. "A rape complaint (with proof) has been filed against him at Versova Police Station yesterday (Thursday)," she said in the video post. "Whatever may happen, I will not allow my innocent kids go in their heartless hands," Aaliya declared, becoming emotional while recounting her purported ordeal. Married in 2009, the couple has been in the limelight for the past few weeks hurling allegations at each other on various domestic and personal issues and their children, daughter Shora and son Yaani. In January 2022, Nawazuddin's mother had filed a police complaint against Aaliya for allegedly trespassing into the actor's home and she lodged a counter-complaint against her mother-in-law alleging domestic violence. This time, Aaliya has labelled her mother-in-law as "heartless" who allegedly called her "my innocent child illegitimate" even as Nawazuddin remained silent. Slamming Nawazuddin for seeking custody of their kids, Aaliya countered how he has never experienced the joy of the children, didn't know how to use a diaper, didn't realise when the kids grew up, and now he is trying to "steal" them from her to prove he is a good father. "He is a coward dada he is stealing the kids (who are admitted to a Dubai school) from a mother by abusing his power and fame, but forgets that the Almighty is the most powerful," she said. Aaliya contended that she had always considered Nawazuddin as her husband, but he never accepted her as his wife though she had given the most important years of her life to him. She alleged how she was grappling with financial losses and now Nawazuddin has weakened her more from all sides, but she had full faith in the courts and law and expressed confidence that the verdict would be in her favour. In earlier posts, she had alleged that her husband and mother-in-law did not give food and other basic necessities, put restrictions on her access to the bathroom, how she and her kids were reportedly kept in a room in Nawazuddin's home, etc. --IANS qn/vd ( 411 Words) 2023-02-24-19:02:03 (IANS)
Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Thursday visited Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) to enquire about the condition of a Post Graduate student of Kakatiya Medical College who attempted suicide by administering herself lethal injection due to alleged harassment by her seniors. She spoke to doctors about the girl's condition which remained critical. The student has been kept on a ventilator. Soundararajan also met the family members of Dharavathi Preethi. She later told the media that it is unfortunate that this has happened to a medical student. The Governor said a senior doctor harassing the girl student was appalling. She also stated that medical students should be brave. She revealed that the incident is being probed from all angles. She earlier enquired with the Vice Chancellor of Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences about the condition of the student. Preethi, a first year student of the Post Graduate (MD) in the department of Anaesthesia of the Kakatiya Medical College (KMC) in Warangal attempted suicide on Wednesday, allegedly due to harassment by a senior. Director of Medical Education Ramesh Reddy, who visited NIMS earlier in the day, told media persons that doctors were doing their best to save the student. The official clarified that no ragging took place at KMC. He said the student who attempted suicide had some problem with a senior and counseling was held for both by the college authorities. Ramesh Reddy said KMC has formed a four-member committee to conduct an inquiry. "We will take action after receiving the report of the committee," he said. MGM Hospital superintendent Dr V Chandrasekhar has constituted a committee comprising four professors to conduct the inquiry. It will submit a report to the Director of Medical Education. --IANS ms/vd A ( 303 Words) 2023-02-23-22:04:01 (IANS)
The National Health Authority (NHA) under its flagship scheme Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) has introduced the Scan and Share service for faster OPD registrations in October 2022, and within five months, the service has been adopted by 365 hospitals, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday. The QR-code-based instant registration service has helped more than 5 lakh patients save time by drastically reducing the wait times in the OPD registration areas of the participating hospitals. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya hailed the quick and queue-less OPD registration under ABDM in his tweet: "Under Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, more than five lakh patients availed benefit of faster OPD registrations using the Scan & Share service. Within five months of its launch, the service has been adopted by 365 hospitals across the country." The participating hospitals, both government and private, display their unique QR codes in patient registration areas. The patients can scan the QR code using any health application of their choice and share their Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) profile with the Health Management Information System of the hospital. This enables paper-less registration and thereby instant token generation. "The patient saves time and the health facility is able to optimise the need of resources deployed for registration. The patient's health records also get digitally linked to their ABHA which they can manage and access from their phone anytime anywhere," the Ministry said. Speaking on the vision behind this service innovation, R.S. Sharma, CEO, NHA, said: "The Scan & Share service is a typical example of how technology can be leveraged to provide better services to patients and to improve the system efficiency. With increased adoption, patient registrations can be made effortless, seamless and accurate. Our focus is to work closely with the stakeholders to maximise the impact of ABDM-enabled digital health services." --IANS avr/khz/ ( 316 Words) 2023-02-23-23:26:01 (IANS)
According to Queensland University of Technology (QUT) researchers, the co-occurrence of migraine and glycemic (blood sugar levels) traits had been reported in observational epidemiological studies but it was unknown how they were genetically linked.

"About 15 per cent of the global population is affected by migraine, and as far back as 1935, migraine was described as a 'glycemic headache'," said Professor Dale Nyholt, from the QUT Center for Genomics and Personalized Health.

"Glycemic traits such as insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia (too much insulin), hypoglycemia (low blood sugar level) and Type 2 diabetes are associated with migraine and headache.

"By identifying genetic correlations and shared loci and genes in our analyses we have inferred causal association and thus confirmed and improved understanding of the relationship between migraine, headache and glycemic traits."

In the paper, published in the journal Human Genetics, the researchers analysed the genomes of thousands of migraine patients to determine genetic links. They performed cross-trait analyses to identify shared genomic regions, loci, genes and pathways, then tested for casual relationships.

"Out of the nine glycemic traits we looked at, we found a significant genetic correlation for fasting insulin (blood insulin level) and glycated haemoglobin with both migraine and headache, while two-hour glucose was genetically correlated only with migraine," said QUT researcher Rafiqul Islam.

"We also found regions harbouring genetic risk factors shared between migraine and fasting insulin, fasting glucose, and glycated haemoglobin, and for headache, shared regions with glucose, fasting insulin, glycated haemoglobin, and fasting proinsulin.

"Further analyses produced evidence for a causal relationship between migraine and headache with multiple glycemic traits."

The researchers stated that the findings provide avenues to develop novel treatment strategies for managing glycemic traits in migraine and headache patients, particularly increasing fasting proinsulin level to protect against headache.

--IANS rvt/vd

( 321 Words)

2023-02-24-19:12:03 (IANS)
The Supreme Court on Thursday queried the Uddhav Thackeray faction that there is a constitutional principle that whoever is sworn in as a Chief Minister must have accountability to Parliament and to the people, and defection affects the stability of the government itself, how does the Governor as a head of the state ignore the consequence. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the Uddhav Thackeray faction, submitted before a five-judge constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud that the Governor was not empowered in law to recognise rebel MLAs of a political party and legitimise their action, as the Election Commission has power to recognise a political party. He said Thackeray was the President of Shiv Sena and questioned, in what capacity did the Governor give an audience to Eknath Shinde? He pressed that the governor recognised a split, which is not a valid ground under the Tenth Schedule and this is not a stage when a government is being elected, rather an elected government (with Thackeray as CM) was running then. Sibal contended that a Governor, by his acts, cannot topple the government and further questioned, when Eknath Shinde and the BJP approached the Governor, and he asked to have a trust vote, on what basis did he ask this? The Chief Justice observed that both the opposition and the defecting MLAs, could approach the Governor, but Sibal replied that he did not agree with this. The Chief Justice said, what is of concern is that there is a constitutional principle which is that whoever is sworn in as a Chief Minister must have accountability to the Legislature, and therefore to the people. "Defection affects the stability of the government itself. How does the Governor, as a head of the state, ignore the consequence?" Concluding his arguments, Sibal contended before the bench -- also comprising Justices M.R. Shah, Krishna Murari, Hima Kohli and P.S. Narasimha - that: "I stand here for the protection of what is so close to our heart - institutional integrity and to ensure that constitutional processes survivea..". Senior advocate A.M. Singhvi, also representing the Thackeray faction, submitted that the orders passed on June 27, 2022 and June 29, 2022, by the apex court, "cumulatively and conjointly", were not orders that merely protected the status quo but created a new status quo. "The formation of a new government on June 30, 2022 was the direct and inevitable result of two orders by the Supreme Court...". He added that the consequence of change of government happened fundamentally because the Deputy Speaker was disabled/fettered in the interim from discharging his constitutional duties under the Tenth Schedule (disqualification law). The top court is dealing with Maharashtra political crisis triggered due to rebellion in Shiv Sena. It will continue to hear the matter on February 28. On February 17, the apex court had declined to make immediate reference to a seven-judge bench the reconsideration of its 2016 Nabam Rebia judgment, which restricted the power of the Speaker to examine disqualification petitions against MLAs if a resolution for his removal is pending. A five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India said the issue of reference will be decided only with the merits of the case and had fixed the matter for hearing on merits on February 21. --IANS ss/vd ( 565 Words) 2023-02-23-22:36:03 (IANS)
Victim Shamshad was shot dead at his clinic in Muradnagar on February 11.

The police revealed that the mastermind in the murder case is Shamsad's niece's husband Adnan, who was not happy with the doctor's in his family dispute.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Ravi Kumar said that the Muradnagar police and a SWAT team have arrested two accused, identified as Owais and Mohammad Uvesh. Both are residents of Meerut.

The doctor was shot by Owais while his accomplice Mohammad Uvesh drove him to the clinic on a scooty. The pistol and scooty used in the murder have been recovered, the DCP added.

According to the police, Adnan planned the murder in his hometown Meerut and hired the arrested accused. Later, Owais killed the doctor at his clinic.

Besides Adnan, the other conspirators behind the murder Saurabh alias Nikhil, Wasim alias Lambu, Naukhej, Faisal Ansari and few others are still at large. The police are now raiding different locations to nab them.

--IANS pkt/sha

( 190 Words)

2023-02-23-22:44:03 (IANS)
DMCC has announced the establishment of the Tender Best Practice Forum Code of Conduct under the Dubai Diamond Exchange (DDE), the worlds largest diamond tender facility and the official trade body.



As a bourse-led initiative that seeks to advance industry best practice for rough and polished diamond tenders in support of both suppliers and buyers, the Tender Best Practice Forum is the first initiative of its kind globally.



Membership of the Forum is by invitation only and is open to DDE members who have conducted a minimum of two tenders in the 12 months prior to the establishment of the Forum. Current members of the Forum include Trans Atlantic Gem Sales, Stargems, Koin International, Gem Auctions, Kruger Diamond Traders and Billiton Diamond Auctions who have collectively completed over 60 tenders in Dubai in 2022. Members will be able to use the Tender Best Practice Forum logo to demonstrate their role in enhancing industry standards.



Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, DMCC, said: As one of the worlds largest trade hubs for rough diamonds, Dubai plays a key role in facilitating the global diamond trade and supporting the sustainable growth of the industry. This status comes with a significant opportunity to ensure that industry standards are constantly improved and best practices are implemented in the right way. That is the fundamental goal for our new Tender Best Practice Forum as DMCC continues to cement Dubai as the leading market to buy and sell diamonds.



He added: The code of conduct developed by this forum will enhance how tenders are conducted, benefit both buyers and sellers and elevate the way in which the entire industry operates by setting the benchmark globally for diamond tenders and auctions.



The Tender Best Practice Forum supplements the DDE by-laws, which set out a clear and robust framework that allows members to trade with confidence. The DDE by-laws also outline various processes and initiatives to strengthen the governance of the industry including rough diamond stock reconciliation and a mandatory self-assessment under the World Diamond Councils System of Warranties. Through these measures, DMCC promotes a diamond ecosystem that upholds the highest international AML/CFT and trade standards.



With the ability to host multiple tenders simultaneously, the DDEs 41 rooms are in constant use during the cyclical tender periods throughout the year. An average of 100 to 150 companies attend each tender, creating an optimal environment for both buying and selling rough and polished diamonds. The DDE currently has over 1,200 member companies.  TradeArabia News Service
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday termed the petition filed by the Madhya Pradesh government in the Supreme Court to stay the work on the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) an attempt to deprive his state of its share of water. The Madhya Pradesh government is trying to stop the work of the ERCP to stop the water of 13 districts of east Rajasthan including Jhalawar, Baran, Kota, Bundi, Tonk, Sawai Madhopur, Karauli, Dholpur, Bharatpur, Dausa, Alwar, Jaipur, and Ajmer, he said. Gehlot said that the DPR of Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project is in accordance with the Guidelines 2010 of the Central Water Commission. The ERCP came up as per the decision of Rajasthan-Madhya Pradesh Interstate State Control Board meeting, and Madhya Pradesh built Kundalia and Mohanpura dams on the basis of this decision, he added. The Chief Minister said that according to the data of the Central Water Commission's river gauge station at Dholpur, on an average, 19,000 million cubic metres of water is wasted every year in Chambal and goes into the sea, while the ERCP requires only 3,500 million cubic metres of water. The state government is trying to divert this wasted water through ERCP to meet the drinking water and irrigation water needs of the people of Rajasthan, he said. Gehlot claimed that the Central and Madhya Pradesh governments are making undue efforts to stop the rightful water of eastern Rajasthan. "Water is a very important subject for the state. Creating legal hurdles in the implementation of the ERCP is playing with the future of the state, he said, adding that the Rajasthan Government is committed to complete the ERCP for the better future of the people of the state. The state government will strongly put forth its point in favor of ERCP on every platform and by winning the battle for its rights will work to remove the water crisis in eastern Rajasthan, Gehlot said. --IANS arc/vd ( 339 Words) 2023-02-23-22:44:04 (IANS)
The Congress, BJP and two journalists' bodies on Thursday condemned the 'gagging' of the media by the Kerala government after a senior journalist appeared before the police for questioning following a complaint lodged by CPI-M Rajya Sabha member and veteran trade union leader Elamaram Kareem. This comes even as the CPI(M) vociferously opposes the 'gagging' of press freedom by the Narendra Modi Central government . The case was filed in March 2022 by Kareem after a prime time discussion on the channel was based on a Bharath Bandh observed by various trade unions. John had criticised Kareem's justification of violence that was unleashed on the bandh day. Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan said that this gagging of the media is not at all acceptable. "The CPI-M is known for its hypocritical stand in all issues. Just the other day, they were crying hoarse about the way the Centre was seen taking the BBC to task. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his party were crying foul then and see what they have done to John now. John was critical of a genuine issue. This is not at all acceptable," said Satheesan. State BJP president K. Surendran said that this is the way the Communists behave because they cannot fathom criticism. "If this gagging the media policy continues, the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government will have to face massive protests," said Surendran. The Kerala Union of Working Journalists and the Thiruvanathapuram Press Club also condemned the police action. John was served the notice over the incident that took place on March 28, 2022 when he was anchoring a news bulletin. A case was filed against him on April 28 under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. John had expressed his ire as Kerala witnessed a total bandh (shut down) in March last year with agitators taking over the streets. Presenting his side of the story, John said that he was peeved when a patient who was being moved in an auto-rickshaw drew the ire of the protesters in north Kerala. In the news hour debate, he made a statement that if anyone did such a thing to Kareem, what would have happened. Soon after this incident in March, the local CITU unit put up posters at the house of John. The posters were in the name of the CITU Peroorkada Area Committee, which gave a call for protests against John to isolate him. A few days later, trade union workers of various political parties marched to the Asianet office to register their protest against the comments made by John. --IANS sg/arm ( 440 Words) 2023-02-23-23:06:02 (IANS)
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday said it has arrested a man wanted in connection with a case related to an ambush on an Assam Rifles convoy in 2021 in Manipur. A group of armed militants near Sialsih village in Churachandpur district in Manipur had attacked a convoy of the 46th battalion of the Assam Rifles on November 13, 2021. The individual arrested by the NIA in connection with the ambush has been identified as Solomon Jamir a.k.a. Momo, a resident of Imphal East, Manipur. He is a cadre of the Manipur Naga Peoples' Front, a militant outfit. The ambush had resulted in the death of seven persons, including Col. Viplav Tripathi, his wife and minor son, and four other Assam Rifles personnel. The case was initially registered at Singngat police station in Manipur, and later on, the probe into the matter was taken over by the NIA. "Investigation has revealed that Solomon Jamir was directly involved in the ambush, along with other militants. He had been evading arrest in the case and a reward of Rs 4 lakh was announced for his arrest. The four other accused persons have already been arrested in the case earlier by NIA. A chargesheet was also filed in the case in 2022," said the NIA. --IANS atk/pgh ( 230 Words) 2023-02-23-23:06:04 (IANS)
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami offered prayers at the Golju temple in Champawat and wished for the prosperity of the state on Thursday. The Chief Minister said that Golju is the god of justice, and that's why people have a special respect for him, this is the prominent place of everyone's faith. People also experience mental peace when their wishes are fulfilled from here. On the temple premises, the Chief Minister interacted with the people associated with the temple and the children and elders present there and got information about the area's problems. The Chief Minister said that with the cooperation of all, his government is working with commitment to the development of all areas of the state. Instructions have been given to all the officers from the government to the block level for quick redressal of public problems. (ANI)
Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena on Thursday, invoked his special powers to appoint the son of Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Shambhu Dayal Meena, who was killed while displaying exemplary valour on duty, as the Sub-Inspector in Delhi Police. "In recognition of the exemplary courage and valour shown by late ASI Shambhu Dayal Meena and in consideration of the financial hardships that his family would have faced due to his demise, Delhi Lt. Governor, V.K. Saxena has approved the proposal of Commissioner of Police, to appoint Deepak Meena, S/o. late Shambhu Dayal Meena, as a Sub Inspector (SI) in the Delhi Police, on compassionate grounds," the Raj Bhavan stated in a release. Saxena invoked his powers u/r 30 of the Delhi Police (Appointment & Recruitment) Rules, 1980 and relaxed the prescribed criterion to facilitate the appointment of Deepak Meena, and approved the recommendations of the Police Commissioner for such relaxation, the release stated. "Late ASI Meena's valour and exemplary courage needs to be recognized and the financial hardships his family may face need to be considered," LG Saxena said. ASI (Exe.) Shambhu Dayal Meena, was posted in Maya Puri Police Station, West District. While on duty, he received a complaint from a lady about snatching of her husband's mobile phone. Meena rushed to the spot and upon identification by the lady, overpowered the 24-year-old snatcher. When ASI Meena was taking the accused to the police station, he suddenly pulled out a knife hidden under his shirt and attacked Meena multiple times on vital parts of his body. 57-year-old Meena, despite being empty-handed and without caring for his life, displayed the utmost courage and bravely confronted the criminal. In spite of receiving several injuries, he overpowered and apprehended the desperate armed criminal and did not let the criminal escape till the necessary support team reached the police station. Though he was given immediate medical assistance, Meena unfortunately succumbed to his injuries on January 8, 2023, the release stated. Sanjana, W/o Late Shambhu Dayal Meena, submitted an application for appointment of her son namely Deepak Meena as Sub Inspr. (Exe.) in Delhi Police on compassionate ground. Delhi Police examined the matter and submitted that, as per Standing Order relating to appointment of Sub-Inspector by direct recruitment, the candidate was short of some physical requirements. The Police Commissioner thereafter, expeditiously sought approval of the LG for relaxation of rules for Deepak Meena's appointment, against the post of Sub-Inspector (Exe.) in Delhi Police, the release stated. The LG in his order has noted that "the act of bravery and valour shown by Late ASI Shambhu Dayal Meena, who sacrificed his life in line of duty, needs to be acknowledged, as he has set an example to the entire police force." "In view of the facts and circumstances of the case and owing to the financial hardship that Meena's family would have faced, since he was the sole bread winner of his family and in consideration of exemplary courage shown by the late Meena in discharge of his duties, the Lt. Governor invoked his special powers to relax the prescribed criterion of physical standards, and directed the Police Commissioner to appoint Deepak Meena S/o Late Shambhu Dayal Meena, to the post of Sub-Inspector in Delhi Police," the release further stated. (ANI)
In wake of attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday, wrote a letter to the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, seeking his intervention in the matter. Addressing the letter to Jaishankar, Stalin wrote, "With a deep sense of anguish, I write this to intimate you about yet another incident of attack by the Sri Lankan Navy on six Indian fishermen on February 23. This happened within a few days after the recent attack on Tamil Nadu fishermen by some Sri Lankan nationals on February 15." The Tamil Nadu CM highlighted the incident where six Tamil Nadu fishermen were allegedly attacked by the Sri Lankan Navy. "Six fishermen belonging to Tharangambadi and Mayiladuthurai district had ventured into the sea for fishing on February 21 from the Tharangambadi fishing hamlet. But, as they were engaged in fishing in the traditional sea waters, they were brutally attacked by the Sri Lankan Navy personnel at around 4:30 am on February 23," he stated in the letter. Stalin further added in the letter stating, "They have also taken away the fishing tools, engine, two batteries and GPS equipment. The five fishermen injured in the attack have been admitted to government hospital, Tharangambadi, for treatment. This attack is a blatant violation of all international norms and conventions." Further talking about the Sri Lankan Navy, the DMK supremo added, "As you may have observed, the Sri Lankan Navy continues to infringe upon the traditional rights of our fishermen in the Palk Bay area and causes severe injuries and economic losses to our fishermen frequently. The brazen acts of violence by the Sri Lankan Navy are shocking and condemnable." He urged Jaishankar to take up the matter with at the 'highest level' through diplomatic channels. "I also request you to prevail upon them through appropriate diplomatic channels for initiating strong and coordinated efforts at the highest level to stop attacks on our Indian fishermen," Stalin added in the letter. It is pertinent to mention that the cases of attack by the Sri Lanka pirates have been on the rise for the last six months as an aftermath of the recent economic slowdown in the neighbouring country. In another incident on February 15, six fishermen-- namely Thiru Murugan, Chinnathambi, Chandru, Madesh, Sivapalan and Akash [all from Nambiar Nagar fishing village of Nagapattinam]-- went fishing at the Indian border southeast of Kodiakkara in the fibre boat when several Sri Lanka pirates at a high speed in four boats jumped in the boat of the victim and attacked them with knives. (ANI)
Talking to ANI, Sinha said, "Tejashwi Yadav is doing a good job, he has gained lot of experience. He is seen as future of Bihar. For becoming CM or PM qualification not needed, one only needs support," he added.

He also called Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as 'successful leader'.

"Nitish is a successful leader and CM of Bihar. He is doing excellent work of bringing opposition together," he added.

The TMC leader also said that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be a game-changer in 2024.

"You cannot ignore Rahul Gandhi as the PM face in 2024. The 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' was revolutionary. Also, Mamata Banerjee will be a game-changer in 2024," the veteran actor further said. (ANI)
A landmark study has found, the world's forests are losing their ability to absorb carbon due to increasingly 'unstable' conditions caused by humans. Dramatic changes to forests, and other habitats that store carbon in plants and soils, are becoming more likely in some regions across Earth, with less carbon consistently absorbed by the 'land carbon sink' provided by trees, soil and plants, according to scientists writing in Nature. The short-term impacts of rising temperatures, deforestation and farming on many vulnerable landscapes mean carbon stores on land are less likely to recover in the longer term, the scientists say. This reduces the overall storage capacity of the land to absorb carbon and undermines global efforts to curb or lower levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Dr Patrick McGuire, a climate scientist working jointly in the Department of Meteorology and the National Centre for Atmospheric Science branch, both at the University of Reading, UK, was a co-author of the new study, which was led by colleagues at CREAF, Barcelona, and Antwerp University. Dr McGuire said: "We found that large regions of the world are vulnerable to sudden and dramatic changes to their landscape because the ability of their ecosystems to absorb carbon starts to destabilise. "For example, forest fires in California are more likely because of extremely dry and hot conditions caused by a hotter atmosphere. More fires mean the forest turns to scrubland, sometimes permanently. This reduces the land's overall ability to suck carbon out of the atmosphere as it did before. "This creates a vicious cycle as areas such as these become more vulnerable to the effects of climate change in the future." Unstable carbon storage Researchers found that from 1981-2018, ecosystems worldwide moved through different phases, ranging from high productivity, when plants were able to take in more carbon, to low productivity, when plants were less able to absorb carbon. The scale of these fluctuations creates a greater risk of destabilisation, increasing the risk of abrupt landscape changes as ecosystems cannot acclimate to climate change, deforestation, and changes to biodiversity, among other factors. The study, published today (Wednesday, 22 February 2023) in Nature, found the regions most at risk typically have less forest cover and more cropland, are warmer and have experienced greater rises in temperature, which could be related to an increase in extreme weather events, such as heatwaves and cold snaps. The areas identified as most at risk include the Mediterranean Basin, Southeast Asia and the west coasts of North and Central America. The researchers said these vulnerable areas had developed a 'memory' -- described as a 'temporal autocorrelation' -- meaning that years, where carbon uptake is lower, are more likely to be followed by years where carbon uptake diminishes further. Researchers say that as less carbon is absorbed in areas where forestland dominates, the likelihood of scrubland becoming the permanent landscape increases and forests could be lost forever. Global variation While several regions are at risk of abrupt changes in their landscapes, there are parts of the world where carbon absorption levels are consistent and ecosystem collapse is less likely as a result of carbon fluctuations. This includes the tropical forests of the Amazon, and parts of central and northern Europe, where carbon absorption capacity has increased. However, the researchers warn that regions such as the Amazon face other climate threats, such as future shifts in regular patterns of rainfall. The scientists say these global variations could make it harder to predict the global impact of schemes to absorb carbon, such as planting trees, in helping the world reach carbon net zero. Dr McGuire said: "Ecosystems on land currently absorb almost one-third of the carbon emissions created by humans. If they start to absorb less carbon, the earth's natural ability to curb climate change diminishes. This means we may need to cut human-made carbon emissions even faster than we had previously thought." (ANI)
Aiming to discuss the upcoming Assembly elections, 2024 Lok Sabha elections, as well as the G20 preparations, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President JP Nadda has called a meeting of all the BJP leaders on February 26. According to party sources, in the meeting of general secretaries, there will be a presentation about the position of the BJP in Tripura where elections have been held. Apart from this, the scope of BJP in Nagaland and Meghalaya will also be discussed, where voting is slated to be held on February 27. G20 is another important issue, that will be discussed in the meeting. Notably, India is presiding over the G-20 in 2023. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has instructed the party to ensure the maximum participation of common people in the G20 program. Under this, BJP is going to organise many programs regarding G-20. BJP is going to organize various cultural programs including literary programs, webinars, seminars, etc. The party is trying to increase the participation of more and more people in this event and to promote the display of India's art and culture. In the meeting with the general secretaries, the party's preparations for the Lok Sabha elections, upcoming elections in six states in 2023 will also be reviewed. Other than that, the steps have taken by the party to strengthen BJP's weak 160 seats will also be discussed in detail, the party sources said. (ANI)
Former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday expressed grave concern over the Ajnala incident where the supporters of Sikh preacher Amritpal laid siege on the police station, which led to a scuffle and injuries to several police personnel. "This is not only a complete collapse of the law and order situation in Punjab, but it is also more serious than that", Capt Amarinder said in a statement, while pointing out the incident which has serious security implications for the state and the country. The senior BJP leader drew the central government's attention towards this incident warning that there was a particular pattern in these incidents, which does not bode well for national security. "Particularly when Pakistan is there to encourage and exploit such a situation", he observed, while raising questions over the competence of the state government in dealing with such a situation. Capt Amarinder also questioned the motive behind carrying the holy Guru Granth Sahib to the protest site, which he said was unacceptable. The former Chief Minister appreciated the restraint exercised by the police in dealing with those who laid siege to the police station. "While the situation needs to be handled with care, at the same time, rule of law must prevail", he added. On Thursday, thousands of supporters of the group broke barricades at a police station in Amritsar using guns and swords and threatened to disturb law and order. Senior Superintendent of Police said, "As per the evidence presented before us, Lovepreet Toofan will be discharged. SIT constituted to investigate the case." They have given enough proof that he (detained Lovepreet Toofan) is innocent. SIT has taken cognizance of it. These people will peacefully disperse now and the law will take its own course, said the SSP. Punjab police have decided to release Lovepreet Toofan, a close aide of 'Waris Punjab Ke' chief Amritpal Singh. Talking on the matter, Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) Harpal Singh Blair said, 'We had come to talk to the administration that an FIR has been lodged against Lovepreet Toofan. Amritpal Singh's name is also included in this. No false case should have been registered. The administration accepted that Lovepreet was not involved, so they will release him tomorrow and cancel the FIR." Waris Punjab De' chief Amritpal Singh says, "...FIR registered only with a political motive. If they don't cancel the case in 1hr, Admin will be responsible for whatever happens next...They think we can't do anything, so this show of strength was necessary..." "False news being circulated that police personnel was injured. The truth is that he was injured after he took a fall. In fact,10-12 of our people were hurt. Within 24hrs, Tufan Singh should be released. We won't even wait for 24 hrs," he added.(ANI)
Tawazun Industrial Park (TIP) said it has signed a lease agreement with Yellow Door Energy, a leading sustainable energy partner for businesses in Middle East and Africa, for a 4,382 kW solar park project which is due for completion by year-end.

For the project, over 7,600 solar panels will be installed for both rooftop and carport applications. Once completed, the solar park is expected to produce 7.1 million kilowatt-hours of clean energy in the first year of operation, equivalent to reducing carbon emissions by 5,000 metric tonnes.

Construction Installation will begin in the second quarter of 2023 and the project is expected to be operating by the end of 2023.

The TIP move comes as part of its celebration of 'Year of Sustainability' in UAE and in line with COP28s objectives.

The agreement was signed at Tawazun Council Chalet at IDEX by Faiz Saleh Al Nahdi, Managing Director and CEO of TIP, and Jeremy Crane, CEO of Yellow Door, in the presence of several senior officials from both sides.

Shareef Hashim Al Hashmi, CEO of Tawazun Council and Chairman of TIP, pointed out that sustainability was fundamental to the council and the Park's strategies and operations.

"The initiative taken by TIP to expand the usage of renewable energy demonstrates our dedication to supporting the UAE's Net Zero by 2050 Strategy Plan and our keenness to strike a balance between industrial and technological progress and sustainable development," he noted.

Al Nahdi said: As the regions premier defece and security park, we value security of all aspects and energy security is an integral part of our ethos. The 4.4 MW solar lease with Yellow Door Energy will enable us to secure our energy supply from a clean and reliable source of electricity, lower our electricity bills and contribute to the Nations Clean Energy by 2050 Strategy.

He noted that the plant project is a new milestone in the Park's sustainability strategy, promoting environmental preservation and reducing carbon emissions.

Crane said: "Yellow Door Energy is honoured to partner with Tawazun Industrial Park (TIP) on this solar lease, in time to celebrate the Year of Sustainability and contribute to COP28s objectives."

"Yellow Door Energy was founded in the UAE, and today we reaffirm our commitment to the nation by signing the solar lease in the capital. This is our first project in Abu Dhabi, and we look forward to providing more businesses in the emirate with affordable, reliable and sustainable energy for many years to come," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Thursday called upon the people to not "waste" their votes supporting the TMC, claiming that the National People's Party (NPP) will form the government in the upcoming Assembly polls. "It is no point in supporting TMC or any other parties. NPP is set to form the Government. Let us not waste our vote and come out to vote and pledge support for NPP," he said while addressing a crowd at Dadenggre, where he campaigned for his elder brother and party candidate James PK Sangma, who is also the incumbent legislator from the constituency. Terming TMC leader and former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma as a dictator, he alleged, "He (Mukul) may have joined TMC but he is the same person, who has killed innocent civilians. Garo Hills will never forget the September 30 incident, where nine lives were lost." "Mukul Sangma left Congress, as he thought there was no future in Congress party but he failed to calculate that the people of Garo Hills will never accept a party that is from outside when they have the option to choose a party from its own State," he added. Further accusing Mukul of using force and not initiating dialogue to resolve issues and conflict, Conrad said NPP believes in carrying forward the views of the people. "We will never do anything that is against the aspiration of the people. NPP as a party always stands to protect and safeguard the interest of our people," he said. He also told the gathering that if voted to power, the popular demand for the creation of a new district with Dadenggre as headquarters will be the priority of the government. Meghalaya will go to Assembly polls on February 27, and the votes will be counted on March 2, along with Tripura and Nagaland. (ANI)
The case of an 11-year-old girl who was allegedly abducted and killed on February 9 in Delhi''s Nangloi area has been solved by a missed call received on her mother''s phone. A 21-year-old man, identified as Rohit alias Vinod, has been arrested for the murder of the 11-year girl, the police said. Talking to ANI, the girl''s mother said that on February 9, her daughter had left home for school at around 7.30 am. Her brother used to drop her to school, but that day she went by bus. When she did not return till 11.00 pm, they started searching for her but failed to find her. When the girl did not return home till evening, they approached the police and lodged a complaint. The girl''s mother said that she had received a missed call at around 11.50 am, and when she called back the number was switched off. We told the police about the call and the police traced down the location of the same number, the girl''s mother said. On the basis of the mobile number, the police apprehended the accused, identified as Rohit alias Vinod after 12 days of investigation. The accused during questioning confessed to the crime and revealed that he killed the girl on February 9, and dumped the body near Ghevra Mor. "She was the only sister among four brothers. Everyone in the house loved her very much," her mother said. The girl''s father demanded strict action against the accused. According to Delhi Police officials, a complaint was lodged by the deceased''s mother that her daughter had gone to school on February 9 and did not return home. The girl''s parents suspected that their daughter was abducted, and on the basis of which a case under IPC section 363 was registered against unidentified persons on February 10. Following this, police initiated a probe into the case. "A suspected mobile number was figured out during the course of investigation and raids were conducted in Punjab and Madhya Pradesh through electronic surveillance," officials said. The accused was apprehended on February 21 and disclosed that he met the girl on February 9 and befriended her. "He took the girl to a secluded place in the Ghevra Mor area, where he killed her and dumped her body," the police said. The accused took the police team to the spot and the decomposed body of the girl was recovered from Mundka village. According to officials, the crime team and FSL team were called and the body was sent for postmortem examination. The accused was produced in court and sent for police remand for further questioning. Delhi police officials said that it would have been difficult for them to solve the case if there was no ''missed call'' on the mobile of the victim''s mother. "Though the exact motive of the killing is yet to be ascertained. A postmortem report will confirm any sexual assault with the girl," senior officials with the police said. Further proceedings into the case were on. (ANI)
According to the police, the locals claimed two youths arrived on a bike and tried to steal a goat.

Locals claimed further that while they caught hold of one of the suspects, the other managed to get away, police said, adding that several persons gathered at the spot and started raining blows on the suspected thief with sticks and pipes.

On receiving information of the assault, a police team reached the spot and tried to rescue the suspected thief from the clutches of the mob.

"The locals even stopped a police vehicle in which the man was being taken away, for about 20 minutes. Reinforcements had to be rushed in to take the suspected thief away," a police officer said.

Further investigation was underway, the police informed. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said India's digital payments ecosystem has radically transformed governance, financial inclusion and ease of living in the country. With the aim to foster global economic cooperation, the first G20 Finance Minister and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting is being held in Bengaluru on Friday. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das jointly chaired the meeting. In his opening remarks at the meeting via a video message, PM Modi said, "You represent the leadership of global finance and economy at a time when the world is facing serious economic difficulties. The Covid pandemic had delivered a once-a-century blow to the global economy. Many countries, especially developing economies are still coping with its aftereffects. We are also witnessing rising geopolitical tensions in different parts of the world." "We need to collectively work to strengthen multilateral development banks for many global challenges, like climate change," PM Modi said during the meeting. Prime Minister said Indian consumers and producers are optimistic and confident about the future. "We hope that you will be able to transmit the same positive spirit to the global economy. I would urge that your discussion will focus on the most vulnerable citizens of the world. Only by creating an inclusive agenda can win back the confidence of the world," he told the Finance Ministers and Central Bank governors. The PM stressed that the role of technology is increasingly dominant in the world of finance. "However, some recent innovations in digital finance also pose a risk of destabilisation and misuse," Prime Minister noted. During the Covid pandemic, he said digital payments enabled contactless and seamless transactions. "Over the past few years, we have created a highly secure, trusted and efficient public digital infrastructure. Our Digital payments ecosystem has radically transformed governance, financial inclusion and ease of living. India's UPI ecosystem can be a template for many other countries. We would be happy to share our experiences with the world. G20 can be a medium for this," PM Modi said. He further said, "During our G20 presidency, we have created a new Fintech platform, which allows our global G20 guests to use India's path-breaking digital payment platform UPI." PM Modi called for a collective effort in strengthening multilateral development banks for global challenges, like climate change and others. "I hope that you will explore how the power of tech can be used for good while developing standards to regulate its possible risks. India's own experience can be a model," he added. (ANI)
At least eleven people were killed while several others were injured when a pickup vehicle they were travelling in collided with a truck in the Baloda Bazaar district of Chhattisgarh, police said on Friday.

The Chief Minister expressed condolences to the bereaved family members. He also wished for the speedy recovery of the injured.

CM Baghel also instructed the officers of the district administration to provide the best treatment facilities to the injured in the incident and provide all possible help to the families of the deceased.

"The pickup vehicle collided head-on with the truck. The incident took place at village Khamariya under Bhatapara (rural) police station limits," Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDOP) Bhatapara Siddhartha Baghel said.

According to the SDOP, the pickup vehicle was returning from a function when it was hit by a truck at Arjuni leaving 11 persons dead while around eight others were injured.

"With the help of locals, the injured were immediately taken to a nearby hospital while some of them were referred to Raipur for better medical assistance," said the officer.

Police have registered an offence in connection with the accident and launched a probe, the SDOP further informed. (ANI)
Kerala's Higher Education Minister R Bindu said in a statement that the principal, M Rema has been removed on the basis of the complaint filed by students.

The incident took place on February 20 and according to the students, the principal locked up the student representatives for protesting and raising a complaint against the bad quality of drinking water on the campus.

The students started protesting outside her chamber after that. They also alleged that the principal spoke rudely when she was informed that the drinking water was contaminated.

The students started a strike under the leadership of the Students' Federation of India (SFI) demanding her resignation and sent a complaint to the higher education department and the minister after which action was taken in the matter.

Dr AN Ananthapadmanabha, senior faculty under the geology department was appointed with powers of the principal, including those related to financial matters, the Higher Education Minister's statement also stated. (ANI)
There was heavy deployment of personnel outside Amritsar's Ajnala police station on Friday, the day after the chief of suspected pro-Khalistan outfit 'Waris Punjab De', Amritpal Singh, staged a massive protest on the premises along with his followers, demanding the release of his close aide, Lovepreet Toofan. On Thursday, after talks with the 'Waris Punjab De' leader and his followers, Punjab police decided to release Lovepreet Toofan. Thousands of armed supporters of the group broke barricades at a police station in Amritsar and allegedly threatened to disrupt law and order if their demand was not met. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Amritsar (Rural), Satinder Singh said, "In the light of the evidence presented before us, it has been decided that Lovepreet Toofan will be discharged. An SIT was constituted to investigate the case (against Toofan)." "They ('Waris Punjab De' members) have furnished enough evidence to support his (Toofan's) innocence. The SIT has also taken cognisance of the same. These people have decided to disperse peacefully now. Law will take its course," the SSP said. Amritpal Singh said on Thursday, "...FIR was registered with a political motive. If they don't cancel the case in one hour, the administration will be responsible for what happens next. They think we can't do anything. so this show of strength was necessary." "False news is being circulated that a police personnel was injured (during the protest). The truth is that he (a police personnel) was injured after a fall. In fact,10-12 of our men were injured (in clashes with the police). We demand that Lovepreet Toofan be released within 24 hours. We won't even wait 24 hours," warned Amritpal. 'Waris Punjab De' was founded by activist Deep Sidhu, who died in a road accident in February last year. (ANI)
The review meeting was conducted in the presence of state Chief Secretary JK Sinha and Director General of Police (DGP) Amitabh Ranjan and Additional DGP Saurabh Tripathi.

The concerned District Magistrates, Superintendent of Police and senior officers attended the review meetings.

It was discussed that the guidelines of the Election Commission of India shall be followed for the smooth completion of the counting process. Meetings with political parties, candidates and Election agents shall be held by the DM, SPs and Returning Officers (RO).

Adequate measures shall be taken for maintaining law and order before and after the counting process.

The Counting Observers are expected to be deputed by the Election Commission of India starting from February 28.

Notably, the counting of votes of 60 assembly constituencies shall be held in 21 counting locations across the State on March 2.

Tripura recorded an 81.10 per cent voter turnout in Assembly polls on February 16. The Polling was held in a total of 3,337 polling stations. (ANI)
Emphasizing on Centre's thrust on the agriculture sector, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the government working towards making domestic and international markets accessible to the farmers. Prime Minister addressed the post-budget webinar on 'Agriculture and Cooperatives' on Friday. It is the second of a series of 12 post-budget webinars organized by the government to seek ideas and suggestions for the effective implementation of the initiatives announced in the Union Budget 2023. Addressing the gathering, PM Modi highlighted the importance given to the agricultural sector in this year's budget as well as budgets of the past 8-9 years. He informed that the agricultural budget which was less than Rs 25,000 crore in 2014 has been increased to more than Rs 1.25 lakh crore today. "Every Budget in recent years has been called a budget for Gaon, Gareeb and Kisan," Modi said. Noting that India's agricultural sector remained distressed for a long time since independence, the Prime Minister pointed out the country's dependence on the outside world for our food security. He highlighted how India's farmers transformed the situation by not only making the nation self-reliant but also capable of exporting food grains. "Today India is exporting many types of agricultural products", the Prime Minister said as he shed light on the efforts of the government to make domestic and international markets accessible to the farmers. He also stated that India's goal should not be limited to rice or wheat when it comes to self-sufficiency or export. Highlighting the imports in the agricultural sector, the Prime Minister gave examples of expenditures of Rs 17,000 crore in 2021-22 for the import of pulses, 25,000 crore for the import of Value Added Food Products and Rs 1.5 lakh crore spent on the import of edible oils in 2021-22. He further added that the sum of all agricultural imports was about Rs 2 lakh crore. The Prime Minister emphasized that various decisions are being continuously taken in the budget to promote the agricultural sector so that the nation becomes 'atmanirbhar' and the money used for imports can reach our farmers. He gave examples of an increase in Minimum Support Price (MSP), promotion of pulse production, increase in the number of food processing parks, and work in mission mode to become completely self-sufficient in terms of edible oil. The Prime Minister underlined that the goal of complete development cannot be achieved until the challenges related to the agriculture sector are eliminated. He observed that private innovation and investment are keeping a distance from this sector which leads to low participation of India's youth in the agricultural sector compared to the other sectors which witness active participation and growth. PM Modi highlighted that various announcements have been made in this year's budget to fill this lacuna. Drawing an analogy to the open platform of UPI, he mentioned the Digital Public Infrastructure platform in the agriculture sector and noted the immense possibilities of investment and innovation in agri-tech domains. The Prime Minister listed out the opportunities such as improving logistics, making large markets more accessible, promoting drip irrigation through technology, installation of soil testing labs along the lines of medical labs. He also urged the youth to work towards delivering the right advice at the right time while creating a bridge of information between the government and the farmer about their innovations and also assisting in policy making. The PM also touched upon using drones for crop approximation while providing real-time information about weather changes. He spoke about the introduction of accelerator funds for agri-tech startups and said that the government is not only creating digital infrastructure but also preparing funding avenues. He urged the youth and young entrepreneurs to move forward and achieve their goals. The Prime Minister pointed out that India is home to more than 3000 agri-startups today compared to next to nothing 9 years ago. The Prime Minister touched upon the International Year of Millets and said that its international identity is opening a gateway to the global market for Indian farmers. "The country has now identified coarse grains as Sri Anna in this budget," he remarked. He said that Shri Anna is being promoted for the benefit of our small farmers as well as to increase the possibility of growth of startups in this sector. "A new revolution is taking place in the cooperative sector of India," PM Modi remarked as he pointed out that it is not limited to some states and some regions of the country anymore. He said that tax-related reliefs have been given to the cooperative sector in this year's budget which will benefit new cooperative societies engaged in manufacturing. He further added that TDS will not be levied on cash withdrawals up to Rs 3 crore by cooperative societies. The Prime Minister also mentioned the important decision of tax exemption given to the payment made by the sugar cooperative before 2016-17 and said that it will benefit the sugar cooperative to the tune of Rs 10,000 crore. The Prime Minister emphasized that sectors such as dairy and fisheries which did not have cooperatives earlier will greatly benefit the farmers today. Throwing light on the huge opportunities for our farmers in fisheries, the Prime Minister informed that fish production in the country has increased by about 70 lakh metric tonnes in the last 8-9 years. He also touched upon a new sub-component that has been announced under the PM Matsya Sampada Yojana at a cost of Rs 6,000 crore which will give a boost to the fisheries value chain as well as the market. Prime Minister touched upon the PM Pranam Yojana and Gobardhan Yojana where the government is working towards promoting natural farming and reducing chemical-based farming. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party's mantra of "peace, progress and prosperity" in the state is the reason behind people's 'rising' trust in the BJP, adding that the border disputes are being resolved at a rapid pace due to the NDA governments in the states. "Our mantra for Nagaland has been - Peace, progress and prosperity, and this is the reason people's trust in BJP is rising," PM Modi said while addressing an election rally here. The Prime Minister lauded the peaceful polling in the recently held voting in Tripura Assembly elections on February 16 and said that there was no violence after decades because of the presence of the BJP government in the state. "After many decades, there was no incident of violence during Assembly elections in Tripura as there is a BJP government in the state," he said. The Prime Minister said that the BJP-NDPP government in the state has converted the "politics of divide" in the northeast to a "divine governance model". "Earlier, where there was a politics of divide in the northeast, we have converted it to a divine governance model. The people of Nagaland are trusting the BJP and NDA more and more. Numerous youths have left the path of violence in the past few years. There has been a fall of nearly 75 per cent in violent incidents in Nagaland in the last nine years. AFSPA has been revoked from various areas of the state. We are working honestly to make sure that there is no need for AFSPA in Nagaland in the future," the Prime Minister added. Detailing the work done by BJP governments in the region, PM Modi said that the border disputes are being resolved at a rapid pace due to the NDA governments in the states. "Permanent peace and progress in Nagaland is the basis of BJP's politics. The border disputes are also being rapidly resolved due to the BJP and NDA governments in the states. Stricter action would be taken against those doing extortion after the re-election on March 2," he said. During the Prime Minister's address, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, Deputy Chief Minister Yanthungo Patton, Secretary General NDPP Abu Metha, BJP In-Charge Nagaland Nalin Kohli, BJP Candidates Tovihoto Ayemi, Jacob Zhimomi, NDPP candidates Zhaleo Rio, Hekani Jakhalu and Moatoshi Longkumer were present. Nagaland will go to Assembly polls on February 27 and the votes will be counted on March 2 along with Tripura and Meghalaya. (ANI)
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2016, June 19

Support TwoCircles



Association For Indias Development, MIT & Boston Chapters,

Alliance For Secular & Democratic South Asia, TwoCircles.Net & Massachusetts Global Action

present

Organizing Workers for a Democratic & Secular India

Challenging Power Structures in Rural Bihar

WHEN: Sunday, June 19, 2016 (4-6pm)

WHERE: MIT | Bld. 4, Rm 231

A talk by Kamayani Swami and Ashish Ranjan. Kamayani and Ashish work full time on labor issues such as temporary/seasonal migration, minimum wage, employment guarantee & pensions for the elderly. They are based in Bihar where Kamayani helped form a trade union of unorganized sector rural workers Jan Jagaran Shakti Sangathan (http://www.jjabihar.org).

About Kamayani: https://conference.aidindia.org/frontpage/speakers/kamayani-swami-work-in-bihar

About Ashish: https://conference.aidindia.org/frontpage/speakers/ashish-ranjan

About JJSS:

Jan Jagran Shakti Sangathan grew from an intensive survey on NREGA initiated by the G.B. Pant Institute (Allahabad University) and Prof. Jean Dreze, in May, 2008. The survey focused on assessing ground realities of NREGA in two districts of Bihar, namely Kaimur and Araria. The survey also had related campaign activities like awareness generation, checking if transparency safeguards were in place to check corruption and documentation of irregularities and cases of corruption.

The survey showed high levels of lack of awareness about NREGA program. As part of checking the transparency safeguards the survey team also did muster roll verification exercise (kind of social audit) and found a leakage of about 50% in wages that have been paid.

These activities generated a lot of interest amongst local groups and people who were genuinely interested in issues of social change. This interest became the basis of the formation of the Jan Jagaran Abhiyan, Araria and was later renamed to Jan Jagaran Shakti Sangathan (JJSS). JJSS currently focuses on NREGA, Right to Information (RTI) and issues of justice.

2016, May 22

TwoCircles.net 10-year anniversary celebration

Sunday May 22, 2016

12-3pm

Todos Dance Studio

677 Worcester St, Natick, MA 01760

Lunch by Chef Renita Mendonca

(featured on Food Networks Chopped)

Join us to celebrate ten years of impactful journalism by TwoCircles. net.

For more details call Kashif at #1-224-725-3709 or email at [email protected]

2015, Aug 23

A decade of impactful community journalism: Come celebrate what all we have achieved in last 9 years

and discuss the future of TwoCircles.net:

Sunday, 23 August 2015 at 17:3020:00

Arlington Center for the Arts

41 Foster St, Arlington, Massachusetts 02474

5:30 pm  Reception: Music and Appetizers

6:00 pm  TwoCircles history and background

6:15 pm  Impact of TCN stories

6:45 pm  Discussions

7:00 pm  Dinner served

7:15 pm  Music by Bunty Singh of The Shadow Notes and Saraswathi Jones of Awaaz Do

This event is free, but please register at event brite since it is a catered event.

2015, June 2

Prof. Akhtarul Wasey, Chairman of Minorities Languages Commission, Government of India, India will be in the Boston area on June 1st and 2nd.

Islam In Dialog with Indian Religions

On Tuesday June 2, 2015

Program begins 6:30 PM Sharp

ISBCC  Phone: (617) 858-6114

100 Malcolm X Blvd, Roxbury, MA 02120

FOOD WILL BE SERVED

More Information about Professor Akhtarul Wasey can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akhtarul_Wasey#Awards

Please Contact: Kashif-ul-Huda, [email protected], Dr. Suhaib Siddiqi [email protected], Rasha Azoni [email protected]

2014, Oct 19

Alliance for a Secular and Democratic South Asia, Indian American Muslim Council, and TwoCircles.net

p r e s e n t

The 2014 Dr. Omar Khalidi Memorial Lecture

The Fiction of Fact-Finding: Modi and Godhra

A study of the 2002 Gujarat Investigations

No instance of communal violence has provoked as much controversy as the Gujarat 2002 carnage which claimed 2000 lives. And none has been subjected to as much fact-finding, especially under the monitoring of the Supreme Court. Sifting through official material, Manoj Mitta highlights the ambiguities and deceptions, gaps and contradictions that helped manipulate key pieces of evidence to shield those in power. The Fiction of Fact-finding exposes the mechanisms which helped then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi procure a clean chit.

Manoj Mitta is a senior editor with The Times of India, writing on legal, human rights and public policy issues. He works on judicial accountability and judicial reforms, and is on the advisory board of Amnesty International India. Mitta co-authored When a Tree Shook Delhi: The 1984 Carnage and its Aftermath, a critically acclaimed book published in 2007. His latest book, on the 2002 pogrom in Gujarat, is titled The Fiction of Fact-Finding: Modi and Godhra.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1495494750705995

2014, Sept 22

TwoCircles.net & Alliance for a Secular and Democratic South Asia present

Kafka in India:

Terrorism, Media, Muslims

Mon. Sep 22. | 6:30 pm

Is the post-9/11 political landscape of India Kafkaesque?

How do democracies, media and discourses of terrorism work  the case of India.

Venue: encuentro5

9A Hamilton Place, Boston.

Around the corner from Park St. T Station. Between Suffolk Law School and Orpheum Theater

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/563159077119527/?source=1

Free & open to the public

About:

Irfan Ahmad,Associate Professor of Political Anthropology/Institute for Religion & Critical Enquiry/Australian Catholic University, Melbourne is the author of Islamism and Democracy in India: The Transformation of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Princeton University Press.It was short-listed for the International Convention of Asia Scholars (2011) Book Prize for the best study in the field of Social Sciences.

www.TwoCircles.net,

www.southasiaalliance.org

2014, Aug 20

Malabar, on the coast of Kerala was on the global trade route from the time immemorial. Arab traders brought with them the teachings of Islam for the first time to India on this coast. Mappilas or Muslims of Malabar are the first Muslims of India, a mixture of Arab and Indian blood. Learn about their history, traditions, & cultural along with modern challenges faced by the community.

Wednesday Aug 20, 2014 | 6pm

Encuentro5 at 9A Hamilton Place, Boston, MA 02108

Close to the Park Street T-stop

Dr. Zubair Hudawi is a graduate of a madrasa in Kerala and a PhD from prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi. Currently he is the Academic Registrar of Darul Huda Islamic University (DHIU) in Kerala, a unique higher education institution that combines religious and secular studies with the aim of producing religious scholars for the contemporary world.

Presented by: TwoCircles.net, Indian American Muslim Council, South Asia Center

2014, March 23

TCN open-house in New Delhi:

Meet TCN editor Kashif Ul- Huda and others from the TCN team in New Delhi.

Come with your questions and suggestions regarding TwoCircles.net.

Address will be posted here few days before the event.

Event on facebook

2014, January 26th

Join us in celebrating Indias Republic Day with the film screening of Indian American Muslim Councils

Out of Court Settlement

Date: Sunday January 26th 2014

Time: 2:00-5:00 PM

Place: MIT, room 4-145

Event page on Facebook

This documentary illustrates the life threatening conditions the Indian legal defense lawyers and activists face. This investigative film covers the murders of Shahid Azmi and Naushad Kashimji both defense lawyers representing accused in terrorism related cases.

Documentary also shows the kind of threat and day-to-day intimidation these defence lawyers are facing and end with positive example of Shahids assistant Saba Qurasi, and Kashimjis wife who had taken the profession of law to continue the mission of their beloveds.

Co-sponsors:

Association for Indias Development  MIT

TwoCircles.net
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)'s Class 12 English paper was conducted at different centres in Bihar on Friday. Students at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Bailey road in Patna were seen reaching the exam centre with their parents before time. As many as 564 students appeared for the CBSE exams at Kendra Vidyalaya in Bihar's Patna. "Around 564 students sat for the exam and our duty was to check each and every student. Digital watch, and gadgets were not allowed at the centre," Manish Mishra, coordinator Kendriya Vidyalaya said. Speaking to ANI, BK Singh, Principal Kendriya Vidyalaya said, "Adequate security arrangements were made at the examination hall and after checking the candidates were allowed to enter the hall. The students were allowed to enter before 20 minutes, and there were two invigilators. All CBSE guidelines were followed." While talking to students outside the examination hall before the exam, one of the 12th-class students said, "Today is the English exam and I am fully prepared but still a bit nervous." "I am fully prepared for the exams. I have completed the whole syllabus," another student said. Speaking to ANI, the parents of the student said, "We always guide our kids and always said that you should always prepare for exams in advance. The kids are fully prepared on their level. We are a bit worried for kids as they have not given 10th class board exams due to COVID-19 and now students are giving the board exams for the first time." "Students are confident today as they have an exam in the subject English," another parent said at before the exam. Another parent standing outside the exam hall said, "It is the first time students are giving board exams. In class 10 they did not face problems as they gave the exams from home, due to COVID-19." Earlier on February 15, CBSE Board exams 2023 for classes 10 and 12 started across the country. On December 29 2022, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) announced the date sheet for class 10 and class 12 boards, stating that the exams will start on February 15 and end on March 10. There are about 38,83,710 students who would be appearing in these examinations from more than 7,250 centres across the country and 26 countries abroad, said CBSE. CBSE has made elaborate arrangements for the conduct of examinations in India and in 26 countries abroad to ensure that all the important information for the conduct of examinations is communicated to all responsible officials at the examination centres. CBSE has circulated detailed guidelines to all the stakeholders to ensure that the students are appearing in the examinations without any stress. CBSE has fixed the timetable in such a manner that students get sufficient time for the purpose of preparation for the examinations in all the subjects. As per the information collected from all the examination centres, all preparations have been completed by the centres for the smooth conduct of examinations. (ANI)
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Company's appeal against the Bombay High Court order that gave a green signal to the bullet train project and refused the company's challenge to the acquisition of its land in Mumbai's Vikhroli area. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said that it will not entertain the appeal and refused to intervene with the Bombay HC order. The Court was hearing the appeal filed by Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Company challenging the Bombay High Court order. On February 9, 2023, the Supreme Court dismissed the plea filed by Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Co. Ltd seeking a declaration that the actions taken by the respondents under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 ("Fair Compensation Act"). "Given the numerous illegalities and the failure on the part of the Respondents to acquire the property in the manner prescribed by the Fair Compensation Act, the entire land acquisition proceedings ought to have been declared to have lapsed under Section 25 thereof," the plea stated. Notably, the company has been at loggerheads with the government of Maharashtra over the acquisition of land owned by the company. The company also challenged the constitutionality of the first proviso to Section 25 of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement, Act. The petitioner said that the Bombay HC judgement completely fails to appreciate that the Petitioner cannot be estopped from challenging the acquisition proceedings under the Act, as the respondents had in fact actively suppressed the fact that they had initiated compulsory acquisition proceedings under the Act. (ANI)
The action was taken by Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains after receiving a complaint about the paper leak.

The minister ordered a high-level inquiry and immediate action in the matter.

"Action should be taken on no tolerance policy," Harjot Singh Bains said in the statement.

Further details are awaited on the matter.

The examinations of Class 10 and Class 12 are being held from February 15 to April 5, according to an official release from CBSE. (ANI)
Senior BJP leader and former Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa on Friday delivered a farewell speech in the state Assembly, saying he won't the state polls again but will fight till his last breath to make his party grow. "The RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak sangh) is the reason why I have come this far. The training I received during my RSS days helped me become what I am today. I have decided not to contest any elecction again. My aim is to travel extensively through the state and bring BJP back to power," the former CM said in his farewell address. "I will fight till my last breath to make my party grow and prosper. I will strive sincerely to bring my party back to power. I am leaving this august House with the confidence that I will deliver for the party," he said. Heaping praise on Assembly Speaker Vishweshwar Hegade Kageri, Yediyurappa said, "Vishweshwar Hegade Kageri has been running this House successfully as the Speaker. i wish for him to sit here as a minister next time. I believe that more women should be elected as members of the Assembly." He added that he would not forget the people of Shikaripura as he owes all that he has achieved in life to them. He said, "I will turn 80 on February 27. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend my birthday celebrations. The airport in Shimoga will be inaugurated on my birthday." Also praising former PM Deve Gowda, Yediyurappa said, "HD Deve Gowda is our role model. There is so much to learn from him. Even at his age, he is awake and alert to issues concerning our state. He is our idol." While paying his tributes to former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he was also effusive in his praise of fellow MLAs irrespecdtive of their political affiliations. (ANI)
The Budget this year sees a significant increase of Rs 57,056.89 crore in allocations, 23.38 per cent higher than the previous fiscal, for quality investments in ensuring a brighter future for the state's youth.

The plan for rapid development of Gujarat stands on 5 pillars -- basic amenities, and social security for the poor and needy, development of human resources, creation of world-class infrastructure, boosting economic activities in agriculture, industry and service sectors, and green growth.

The Budget also sees unprecedented rise of Rs 34,457 crore in capital expenditire, which is 91 per cent more than the previous year.

In his Budget speech, Desai said, "In this Amrit Kaal, this Budget will certainly help determine the direction of the state's development over the next 25 years and will also contribute towards the making of a developed India."

Among key budgetary allocations, Rs 43651 crore has been provided for the Education department, Rs 15182 crore for the Health Family Welfare department, Rs 9685 crore for Urban Housing, Rs 20642 crore for Roads and Building department, Rs 3410 crore for Tribal Development, and Rs 21605 crore for Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Cooperation.

The Budget will also invest heavily in green growth, with the Climate Change department getting Rs 937 crores and an additional Rs 2063 crore being allotted for the Forest and Environment department. (ANI)
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday called for the re-awakening of Bengal so that the state can again start contributing in the field of knowledge, science and philosophy, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday. Singh was the chief guest at the annual convocation ceremony of Visva Bharati University in West Bengal's Birbhum. Addressing the students, he said that the path of India's progress goes through the students and the knowledgeable students will create a strong country. "I have full faith that in the coming times, many of you students will do something new and different on the strength of your hard work, dedication and values, and will bring laurels to yourself and your country in the world," he said. He added that the new National Education Policy, has also paid full attention to the personality development of children, and proper teacher-pupil ratio. Referring to Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore's contribution to society, Rajnath said, "Today, when we are trying to eliminate caste discrimination from the society, making continuous efforts for women empowerment, empowering farmers and labourers, then all this is an effort to empower both Indian society and politics and its Gurudevji's inspiration is behind." "Making India a top economy of the world by 2047 will be a true tribute to Gurudev. India is moving forward on the path of progress, the country is setting new standards in the field of Science and Technology and is making a mark in the world through 'Make in India' to 'Make for the world', it is the result of Gurudev's vision. If we keep moving forward like this, then the day is not far when our India will be one of the topmost economies of the world," the Minister added. Singh said that the day is not far when India will be one of the topmost economies of the world. "Our country is continuously moving ahead as the 5th largest economy of the world," he said. The Defence Minister was on a two-day visit to the University. On Friday, he attended a cultural performance by university students. He was accompanied by Union minister of state for education Subhas Sarkar, Vice Chancellor Bidyut Chakraborty and other dignitaries. Rajnath Singh also exhorted the students to spread the fragrance of Visva Bharati wherever they go, describing it as their ethical duty. He termed Visva Bharati University as a physical manifestation of the philosophical legacy of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore and an embodiment of his knowledge & wisdom. "Visva Bharati is a unique blend of Indian as well as world knowledge. It assimilates the flow of knowledge from across the globe into Indian thought and enlightens the whole world," he said. Elaborating on Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore's idea of nationalism and universal humanism, the Defence Minister enlightened the students on how the great philosopher deeply influenced Indian society and politics with his thoughts, philosophy and values. He emphasised that for centuries, Indian Nationalism is based on the feeling of cooperation and human welfare. "Indian Nationalism is cultural, not territorial. Consciousness comes before territory. Human welfare is the focus. Indian Nationalism is all-inclusive rather than exclusivist and is inspired by universal welfare. Visva-Bharati is an indicator of this sentiment," he said. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the Congress and similar parties used to loot Northeastern states and treated them as ATMs, while the BJP considers the Northeast as the growth engine of the country's development. Addressing an election rally in Meghalaya's Tura, the Prime Minister said, "Congress used to remember Meghalaya only during elections. Congress and similar parties used to loot Northeastern states and treated them as ATMs... 'Sabka saath, sabka vikas' is secularism for us. For BJP the country and its citizens come first." PM Modi said that the people of Meghalaya have decided to have a BJP government both in the state and at the Centre. He further said that Meghalaya will soon host a G20 meeting adding that people from many developed nations will visit Meghalaya which will boost the state's image. "We have changed the old thinking and approach for the development of the entire North-East including Meghalaya. Congress governments had considered this part as the last part of the country while BJP considers North-East as the growth engine of the country's development," he said. The Prime Minister said that the central government has increased the budget of the Northeast in the last 9 years but the people here tell that neither roads, schools or colleges nor hospitals have been built. "The youth here are telling that there is corruption in the recruitment... there is nepotism. Seeing all this, Meghalaya has decided that there should be a BJP government in both Delhi and Shillong," he added. "Tribal villages in interior areas of Meghalaya got electricity for the first time, since independence, in the last nine years. We have also allocated a surplus budget for road construction of villages and spent more than Rs 5,000 crore on constructing National Highways," he said adding that the Congress governments have always ignored these areas, but BJP considers the northeast as the growth engine of the country. Talking about the development of Assam, PM Modi said that under the BJP government, neighbouring states of Meghalaya have achieved fast-paced development. "People were only aware of Japanese Cherry blossoms but after I spoke about cherry blossoms from Meghalaya, people understood the potential of Meghalaya," he said. PM Modi said that he is confident in the love and blessings that "Meghalaya Maange BJP Sarkar" (Meghalaya asks for BJP government). He further said that the BJP government for Meghalaya means fast paced development, the end of blockade and violence, pucca houses for all and employment opportunities for youth. "We have also strengthened air connectivity for Meghalaya and are installing hundreds of 4G towers in tribal villages of Meghalaya," he said. Sharing anecdotes from the past, when the BJP government helped Indian nationals who were stuck in other countries, PM Modi said, "The family of Father Prem Kumar had lost all hope when the Christian priest got stuck in Afghanistan. I had promised his family and Christian religious heads his safe return to the country, and I am glad that I was able to fulfil my promise." He further said that the nation and countrymen come before everything for BJP. "Over 50 nurses from Kerala who had studied in Christian institutions and were working in Iraq were rescued by the efforts of the central government and brought home safely. We do not see religion while helping our own," he added. The Prime Minister said that he was blessed to be showered with love by people in large numbers. Taking a dig at the Meghalaya government for denying permission for holding a rally in Tura, the PM said that he does not need any ground to connect with the people of Tura and Meghalaya. "But this love and affection towards BJP aren't getting digested by a few, and they are losing sleep over this. They tried hard that this rally could not happen but Modi does not need any ground for connecting with the people of Tura because people here have accepted me in their hearts. The gesture of love and acceptance shown towards me by the people of Shillong and Tura is proof that Meghalaya wants a BJP government," he added. Earlier, the National People's Party (NPP) government in poll-bound Meghalaya had denied permission for holding a rally of Prime in Tura. Notably, Tura, part of Garo Hills, is considered the bastion of Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and a majority of his legislators elected from this region. Voting for the 60-seat Meghalaya Legislative Assembly will be held in a single phase on February 27. The counting of votes will be done on March 2. (ANI)
Noting that the provision under Article 105 of Constitution of MPs not being liable to proceedings in court for words spoken in Parliament is not an "unqualified privilege", Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar said on Friday that members should speak in House with responsibility and credibility and "it can't be based on unverified situations". Addressing the 61st convocation ceremony of ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, PUSA here, Dhankar, who is Chairman of Rajya Sabha, said the Parliament is the temple of democracy and is meant for dialogue, debate, discussion and deliberation. He said it is the responsibility of the presiding officer to see that words spoken in the House do not hurt a person who is not a member of the House. Dhankar said that if such words are spoken outside the Parliament, these can lead to civil or criminal case. The Vice President said India's rise is exponential and unstoppable and there can be an attempt to hurt it on the basis of "unfounded parameters" and "it is the job of intelligentsia and every person particularly young minds to take note of it and neutralize it". Dhankar expressed concern at disruptions in Parliament. He said India is the largest democracy of the world and Parliament is the biggest temple of democracy and whoever speaks in that temple, "there can be no case against him, neither civil nor criminal". The Rajya Sabha Chairman said the makers of Constitution have given such a huge right through Article 105 that the Member of Parliament will speak freely in the House. "This is a privilege but we ignore that this privilege is not unqualified. None of the 140 crore people can file a case - civil or criminal, then it is our responsibility that whatever we speak in the House, we speak responsibly and in a verfied manner. Under the rules, it is the duty of the Presiding Officer (to see) that there is no hurt to any person outside the House," he said. "If the same thing is said outside the House, then the affected person can file a defamation case, can also file a criminal case. This privilege comes with very heavy responsibility and that responsibility is that every word spoken in the parliament must be after due thought, after due consideration. It can't be based on unverified situations," he added. He said that Parliament cannot be allowed to become an arena where there is free fall of information. "Parliament, the temple of democracy is meant for dialogue, debate, discussion and deliberations. When instead of this, there is disruption and disturbance in this temple, I get input from thousands of people that they are saddened by this behaviour. Through you, I would urge that people should think seriously and worry about these issues because when India's rise is exponential and unstoppable, then malicious attempts to attack it on baseless parameters can come from anywhere," he said. The first half of budget session saw frequent disruptions over the Opposition's demand relating to Hindenburg-Adani row. The Opposition parties, which were demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the issue, forced disruptions both in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. The first half of budget session concluded on February 13 and the second half will commence from March 13 and continue to till April 6. A total of 402 students, including those from India and abroad, received their Post Graduate and Doctoral degrees during the convocation. The event was also attended by Union Minster of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar and Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Kailash Choudhary. (ANI)
Raipur [Chhattisgarh], February 24 (ANI) The Steering Committee of Congress, which met on Friday at the party's Plenary here, unanimously decided to empower Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge to nominate members to Congress Working Committee (CWC) in view of the challenges faced by the party and the proposed amendments to the party's constitution. There was some speculation that Congress may opt for elections to CWC, a demand that has been raised from time to time by sections in the party. CWC is the highest-decision making body of the Congress. "During the Steering Committee meeting today, members gave their opinion and with everyone's consent the committee decided that the party president should be given the power of selecting CWC members," party leader Jairam Ramesh said at a press conference. He said the issue was discussed for about two-and-a-half hours. "The dominant view, the overwhelming view was that keeping in mind political challenges facing the country, facing the Congress party in its capacity as the main opposition and keeping in mind the far- reaching amendments that we are discuss about tomorrow and day after, keeping in mind both the factors, the unanimous view was that this is the time to empower the Congress president to nominate members to the Congress Woking Committee," he said. He said 16 articles and 32 rules are proposed to be amended and an important amendment was to provide 50 per cent reservation in the working committee for SCs, STs, OBCs, minorities and youth below the age of 50. Asked that no one from Gandhi family was present in the meeting of steering committee and if their concurrence taken, Jairam Ramesh said the discussion was held among those present in the meeting. The Subjects Committee held discussion on the party resolutions on Friday. Party Chief Mallikarjun Kharge and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi will address the session on Saturday. The plenary will on Saturday also discuss resolutions including political and economic. Former Party chief Rahul Gandhi will address the plenary on February 26. He will also address public rally at 3 pm which will also be addressed by Kharge. (ANI)
On Friday, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) approved the proposal and said the central government had "no objection" to changing the names of both districts of Maharashtra.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis welcomed the decision and said that the state government under the leadership of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has "demonstrated" its resolve.

"'Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar' of Aurangabad, 'Dharashiv' of Osmanabad! The central government approves the decision of the state government! Hon. Prime Minister Narendra Modiji and Union Minister Hon. Many thanks to Amitbhai Shah! The government under the leadership of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde ji has 'demonstrated'...!" he said in a tweet.

Fadnavis also attached the letter of approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

The Shiv Sena had been trying long to change the names.

Last year Maharashtra cabinet led by former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray approved a name change for two districts including Aurangabad and Osmanabad. (ANI)
Odisha Police on Friday arrested a DRDO official over allegations of sharing secret defence information with a Pakistani woman spy for around one year. "The Police were tracking the activities of the official for the past one month and he was arrested on Friday," said Sagarika Nath, SP Balasore. Further details to follow (ANI)
Aam Aadmi Party leader Atishi on Friday alleged that the newly elected mayor Shelly Oberoi was physically assaulted by a BJP male member in the Civic Centre. She urged the BJP to stop the "goondaism" in the Civic centre and said that BJP should accept its defeat. While talking to ANI, Atishi said, "Today BJP showed goondaism in the Civic centre. A standing committee election was going on. When counting started BJP realised they were losing & they created a ruckus. The mayor was attacked & physically assaulted by a BJP male member." She further stated, "What behaviour is this? This is shameful and condemnable. The country is seeing this. BJP should accept their defeat. I request BJP to stop their goondaism. Those who have attacked the Mayor will be sent behind bars." Meanwhile, Aam Admi Party (AAP) Councillor Ashok Kumar Maanu collapsed at Delhi Civic Centre minutes back and alleged that the ruckus had been caused by the BJP goons. While talking to ANI, Maanu said, "They are so shameless that they attacked even women and the Mayor. BJP goons did this." On the other hand, BJP leader Harish Khurana blamed Aam Admi Party behind the ruckus. He said, "Election officers declare the election and say that votes declared invalid by Mayor are valid and three candidates each of AAP and BJP have won. But AAP does hooliganism here as instructed by Kejriwal. We won't tolerate this goondaism & approach the Court." On Friday, Maanu collapsed at Delhi Civic Centre as clashes broke out here between AAP and BJP councillors. Ruckus broke out at Delhi Civic Centre once again as AAP and BJP Councillors jostled, manhandled and rained blows on each other. This is the third day of commotion in the House. On Friday, amid political slugfest, the voting process to elect six members of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) took place at the Civic Center in the national capital Ahead of the election of six members of the MCD Standing Committee, Delhi MCD House witnessed sloganeering by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councillors. In a jolt to the Aam Aadmi Party two days after it won the polls for the mayor and deputy mayor in the MCD, Bawana councillor Pawan Sehrawat joined the BJP on Friday. The switchover happened shortly before the polling to elect members of the MCD's Standing Committee on Friday. Earlier, on Thursday, the House was adjourned for the 13th time since it convened post the MCD polls in December 4, last year, after councillors of the ruling AAP and the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party came to blows over polling to elect members of the Standing Committee. (ANI)
After achieving national status, the Aam Aadmi Party is eyeing those states that will be going to polls this year. AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal will start his political tour in these states. The states that will go to polls this year include Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Kejriwal will start visiting these states from the first week of March. "Arvind Kejriwal will be visiting Karnataka on March 4, Chhattisgarh on March 5, Rajasthan on March 13 and Madhya Pradesh on March 14. This will be Kejriwal's first election tour in these states," said AAP. During the visit Arvind Kejriwal will hold Tiranga Yatra, address rallies and will meet with local party leaders. Meanwhile, in all these states, the Aam Aadmi Party is already working to strengthen the organisation. Aam Aadmi Party's organization general secretary Sandeep Pathak is continuously holding meetings with the local leaders in these states. However, the party has already made organisational structure in all these states. Chhattisgarh in-charge Sanjeev Jha has held party workers' meetings in all the districts of the state in the last month and visited Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan several times since the beginning of this year. Kejriwal is continuously holding meetings with the leaders of other opposition parties. On February 14, the Delhi Chief Minister met Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav. This was the fourth meeting of Kejriwal this year with any opposition leader. On February 7 Kejriwal met Jharkhand Chief Minister and JMM leader Hemant Soren in Delhi. Kejriwal also met JDU leader KC Tyagi recently. On the evening of 26 January, the Delhi CM invited Janata Dal United Principal General Secretary for tea at CM residence. On January 18, Kejriwal shared the stage with KCR at the Bharat Rashtra Samithi's Khammam rally. Apart from AAP leader and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, Left leader D Raja and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan were also present at the rally. (ANI)
Terrorists on Friday opened fire and injured a person named Asif Ganai, son of martyred Head Constable Ali Mohammad Ganai outside a mosque in the Hasanpora Tavela area of Bijbehara in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir. The injured has been admitted to a hospital for treatment. Police have cordoned off the area and search is on to nab the terrorists involved in the incident. Further details to follow. (ANI)
NCC cadets hailing from the state of Himachal Pradesh who had participated in the Republic Day 2026 in a marching contingent called on Himachal Pradesh Governor Pratap Shukla at his residence. NCC boys and girls cadets of Himachal Pradesh who recently participated in the Republic Day parade at New Delhi and the PM's rally called on Governor Pratap Shukla at Raj Bhavan on Friday. The Governor felicitated them for getting the third position across the country. This year as many as 14 NCC cadets from Himachal Pradesh participated in the Republic Day camp which included seven boys and seven girls. Among these, Cadet Manika Sethi from the state bagged second position across the country in master of ceremony competition. In other competitions also cadets from the state performed remarkably, for which the Governor expressed happiness and encouraged them. The cadets shared their experiences with the Governor, of their one-month camp organized in Delhi and Ropar, Punjab, informed the government through a release. Congratulating the contingent, the Governor said that it was a matter of pride for Himachal Pradesh that 14 cadets from the State participated and exhibited their talent. Referring the cadets as 'Today's India', he said that the youth of state has more inclination towards the army which could be seen in these cadets. Emphasizing on further expansion of the National Cadet Corps, he said that NCC has a very important role to play in the national development of youth, who are the future of the nation and which imparts the lesson of discipline and dutifulness in life. Earlier, Maj. General K. Vinod, Additional Director General, NCC Directorate thanked the Governor and urged the Governor to complete the construction of building for NCC training in Mandi district at the earliest. Amar Jeet Sharma, Director, Higher Education was also present on the occasion amongst the officers of Directorate of NCC and Raj Bhawan. As per the press release shared by Deptt of Information & Public relations, Govt of Himachal Pradesh. (ANI)
After the Delhi Municipal Corporation Standing Committee election witnessed chaos on the third day, MCD Mayor Shelly Oberoi announced February 27 as the new date for the election on Friday. "Election of members of the MCD Standing Committee will be held on February 27," announced Oberoi amid sloganeering at the Civic Centre. The House has been adjourned till Monday, February 27. Meanwhile, Oberoi alleged, "Standing committee elections were held as per BJP demands. Still, they created a ruckus & came up on stage to attack me. I thank female Civil Defence personnel for saving me. "BJP members physically assaulted AAP female members. BJP accept your defeat, she further alleged. On Friday, Aam Aadmi Party leader Atishi alleged that the newly elected mayor Oberoi was physically assaulted by a BJP male member in the Civic Centre. She urged the BJP to stop the "goondaism" in the Civic centre and said that BJP should accept its defeat. While talking to ANI, Atishi said, "Today BJP showed goondaism in the Civic centre. A standing committee election was going on. When counting started BJP realised they were losing & they created a ruckus. The mayor was attacked & physically assaulted by a BJP male member." She further stated, "What behaviour is this? This is shameful and condemnable. The country is seeing this. BJP should accept their defeat. I request BJP to stop their goondaism. Those who have attacked the Mayor will be sent behind bars." Meanwhile, Aam Admi Party (AAP) Councillor Ashok Kumar Maanu collapsed at Delhi Civic Centre minutes back and alleged that the ruckus had been caused by the BJP goons. While talking to ANI, Maanu said, "They are so shameless that they attacked even women and the Mayor. BJP goons did this." On the other hand, BJP leader Harish Khurana blamed Aam Admi Party for the ruckus. He said, "Election officers declare the election and say that votes declared invalid by Mayor are valid and three candidates each of AAP and BJP have won. But AAP does hooliganism here as instructed by Kejriwal. We won't tolerate this goondaism and will approach the Court." On Friday, Maanu collapsed at Delhi Civic Centre as clashes broke out here between AAP and BJP councillors.Ruckus broke out at Delhi Civic Centre once again as AAP and BJP Councillors jostled, manhandled and rained blows on each other. This is the third day of commotion in the House. On Friday, amid political slugfest, the voting process to elect six members of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) took place at the Civic Center in the national capital. Ahead of the election of six members of the MCD Standing Committee, Delhi MCD House witnessed sloganeering by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councillors. In a jolt to the Aam Aadmi Party two days after it won the polls for the mayor and deputy mayor in the MCD, Bawana councillor Pawan Sehrawat joined the BJP on Friday. The switchover happened shortly before the polling to elect members of the MCD's Standing Committee on Friday. Earlier, on Thursday, the House was adjourned for the 13th time since it convened post the MCD polls in December 4, last year, after councillors of the ruling AAP and the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party came to blows over polling to elect members of the Standing Committee. (ANI)
The 24-carat gold is valued at Rs 15,75,567. The male passenger from whom the gold was recovered had concealed it in his underwear.

Earlier this month, The customs department at Trichy airport in Tamil Nadu seized gold worth Rs 47,67,198 and electronic goods worth Rs 4,25,000 from a male passenger who arrived from Dubai on an Indigo Flight.

Total items including gold and electronic goods were valued at about Rs 51,92,198On January 29, officials of the customs department at Trichy international airport seized foreign currency of USD 10,000 concealed in the undergarments of a male passenger. (ANI)
Post the hearing, the court accepted that the condition of Malik, arrested in the money laundering case, is critical and agreed to hear his bail application next week on February 28.

Taking cognizance of Malik's health during the hearing, the court agreed to accept his bail plea at the earliest.

The NCP leader demanded bail on medical grounds, where Justice MS Karnik asked his lawyer Amit Desai to convince the court that his health situation is critical, while after a brief hearing in the court today Justice Karnik agreed that his client's health is serious.

Desai told the court that his client Malik has been in jail for more than a year, and one of his kidneys has failed while the other kidney is not working properly. It takes near about 2-3 weeks to take court's permission to undergo any medical test.

Nawab Malik was arrested by ED in a money laundering case and is currently admitted to a private hospital in Kurla, where he is undergoing treatment, ED on the other hand has been opposing Malik's bail. (ANI)
As many as eight inmates escaped from a juvenile home after scuffling with guards in Madhya Pradesh's Indore district, a police official said on Friday. These juveniles were charged with murder, rape and attempt to murder. The guard of the juvenile home has lodged a complaint about the incident at the Hira Nagar police station in the city. Sub Inspector (SI) of Hira Nagar police station, Shivraj Singh said, "Eight children have escaped after beating up the watchman and home guard from a juvenile home situated at Pardeshipura in the city on Thursday night. Of these child abusers, four are from Ratlam district, two from Bhind district, one from Bhopal district and one from Indore district." Being minors, the court had sent them to a juvenile home in cases of murder, rape and attempt to murder, in which a few of them have now become adults. The police are searching for them, he added. Notably, it is not the first case when minor inmates escaped from the juvenile home. Even before this, many of such juveniles have escaped after beating the guards here, some of them have been caught by the police, but many of them are still absconding. (ANI)
The Central Government and Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) on Friday said in the Delhi High Court that UNHCR refugee status without valid travel documents is of no use in India. Any such foreign national is liable to be deported. This fact was stated in a status report filed by the FRRO and the centre in a response to a plea moved by a Rohingya woman whose sister Shadiya Akhtar is detained at Rohingya detention centre "Seva Kendra". As a sovereign State, India will always honour such obligations which are enforceable and are in the nature of binding obligations. However, India is not a signatory to the United Nations Convention of 1951 thereof; it does notrecognise refugee status granted by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). In a status Report in the high court, it is stated that the conferment of "Refugee status" by UNHCR to a foreign national who is not having valid travel documents, is of no consequence in India meaning thereby the UNHCR refugee card does not become an alternative to Indian Visa and the foreign national would still be treated as an "illegal migrants". The said illegal migrants are liable to be deported to their native country, the report said. Pursuant to the direction issued by justice Prathiba M Singh a joint inspection report has also been filed. The said joint inspection report stated that total 19 Bangladesh nationals (17 males and 02 females) and 22 Myanmar (Rohingya) National (12 males and 10 females) were found restricted at the centre. Four children have been allowed to live with their parents. The report also said that there are arrangements for mattresses, blankets, bedsheets and pillows for the inmates. It has been observed that most of the mattresses are old and are required to be changed, the report said. It is also stated that there is no RO or Geyser for hot water. During the hearing justice Sudhir Kumar Jain pulled up the agencies for the poor quality of facilities being provided at the centre. The report has stated that the Medical Records of Sadia Akhtar show that she has visit thethan 15 times since she has been restricted at the centre. The bench directed the authorities to provide the entire medical records of Shaidya to her sister. It is also said in the report that a mobile van from MCD dispensary also visit to provide treatment to inmates. Whenever there is a medical emergency, the inmate is taken to government hospital in the vehicle provided by the FRRO. The matter has been listed on March 14 for further hearing. The Delhi High court on February 9, ordered a joint inspection of 'Seva Kendra' in Northwest Delhi over the alleged lack of basic amenities. The court has directed the officials of Foreign Regional Registration Office (FRRO), Central Government and Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) to conduct inspection. The court had also asked to place the photographs of the centre on record. The photographs shall be produced in a sealed cover due to security reasons, the report said. The court had directed to place on record the medical records of Shaidya Akhtar in view of the submissions of the petitioner's counsel. The counsel had submitted that Shadiya Akhtar is not being provided proper medical care. The petitioner's counsel Ujjaini Chatterjee had submitted before the court that Shadiya Khatoon, who is an UNHCR card holder, is not being provided basic amenities like access to warm water, bed, blanket, pillow, winter essentials and winter wear. The Petitioner's sister has repeatedly complained to her about her deteriorating health, lack of hygienic and nutritional food, and inadequate access to sunlight in the detention centre. She has also informed the Petitioner that there is no warm water in the detention centre, the petition stated. On the other hand it was submitted that apart from food the other facilities has to be provided by the DUSIB at the centre which is run by the MCD. After considering the situation, the court directed the officials to conduct the joint inspection and file a report. Additionally, the Petitioner's sister also complained to her about various other difficulties that she is facing in the detention centre. The Petitioner is very concerned about the well-being of her sister and such inhuman treatment of her sister which diminishes her basic human dignity and right to life in this indefinite detention, the petition stated. The petition has stated the Shadiya Akhtar is Rohingya woman escaped the brutal genocide in Myanmar against the Rohingya community in 2016 and sought asylum to India. After a rigorous process of "Refugee Status Determination", she was granted "Refugee Status" and was given a United Nations refugee identity card within 3 months, the petition stated. It is also stated that Petitioner's sister lived in a refugee camp at Kanchan Kunj for one year and then in 2017, she moved to Shram Vihar, Madanpur Khadar, New Delhi, after her marriage. She lived in the refugee camp at Shram Vihar with her infant son, who is now 3 years old, until 2020. She has no criminal antecedents or complaints against her, it added. Since 2016, she has lived in India in accordance with the laws of the country and has complied with all requirements of the Respondents and the UNHCR, the plea said. (ANI)